About

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Babεl

Babεl is an innovative Toronto-based choir dedicated to fostering cultural understanding through the power of choral music. Founded in 2018 by Dr. Elaine Choi, Babεl has quickly emerged as one of Canada’s most distinctive vocal ensembles, recognized for its creative programming and bold artistic vision.

With a strong commitment to sharing stories across cultures, Babεl is a champion of music by Asian and Asian diasporic composers. The ensemble has performed widely across Canada and has toured internationally to Hong Kong, Macau, and Taipei. Through initiatives such as its Choral Composers Mentorship Program, Babεl is also a dedicated supporter of Canadian and emerging choral composers. The choir has given workshops for young students, engaging new generations to the breadth and diversity of choral music.

Babεl has expanded its reach through a number of digital projects, including premiere recordings of new works and Babεl & Beyond, a video series featuring global conversations with conductors from Hong Kong, Senegal, Iceland, and Colombia.

The ensemble has collaborated with a diverse range of artists, including the Centre for Music Innovations, Hibiki Project, The Tenors, and the Canadian Chamber Choir. In 2024, Babεl hosted and performed alongside the internationally acclaimed Philippine Madrigal Singers during their 60th anniversary tour in Toronto.

Babεl’s culturally rich repertoire has earned invitations to perform at notable events such as Mass Culture’s Convergence Conference, the Canadian Opera Company’s Showcase Series in celebration of Asian Heritage Month, Choral Canada’s national biennial conference and festival (PODIUM 2024), and the Luminato Festival, where the choir collaborated with acclaimed opera director Krystian Lada.

With its artistic ambition, global outlook, and enduring commitment to cultural connection, Babεl continues to bring transformative choral experiences to audiences across Canada and beyond.

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Dr. Elaine Choi

Artistic Director & Founder

Elaine Choi (D.M.A.) immerses herself in Canada’s vibrant choral community as a conductor, educator, adjudicator, chorister and collaborative pianist. Elaine currently holds positions as Director of Music at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church, Artistic Director of Pax Christi Chorale and founder & artistic director of Babεl.

As a music educator, Elaine was a sessional lecturer at the University of Toronto from 2015-2023, as conductor of the Soprano-Alto Chorus. Currently, Elaine is active as an adjudicator and a clinician for various community events, such as the 2023 Junior Treble Festival, TCDSB Music Festival, Toronto Kiwanis Music Festival, and OMFA Provincial Festival. In 2022, Elaine traveled to Thailand as the headline guest conductor for the Bangkok International Choral Festival. In 2023/24, Elaine is the guest conductor for the Windsor Choral Festival, a clinician for ChorFest 2024 in Saskatchewan, adjudicator for the Ontario Vocal Festival, and conductor of the 2024 Ontario Youth Choir.

Elaine is an advocate for Chinese orchestral and choral music. She was the conductor of the Toronto Chinese Orchestra from 2010-2017, and currently continues her connection as Guest Conductor and Educational Outreach Representative. In 2018, Elaine founded Babεl, an SATB choral ensemble with a mission to bridge cultures through choral music. The ensemble worked with more than 200 musicians in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau in its inaugural tour in 2019 and was featured in the Canadian Opera Company showcase series in 2023.

Elaine holds the degrees of Doctor in Musical Arts and Master in Music Performance (Choral Conducting) from the University of Toronto, under the tutelage of Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt and Dr. Doreen Rao. In December, 2023, Elaine was awarded the Ontario Arts Council’s Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting.

Board Members

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Myrna Salleh

Kento Stratford

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Mishaal Surti

Albert Wong

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Mark Wood-Salomon

Cecilia Liu

Christopher Chan