Tokyo International Singers is an independent chorus. Founded in 1980 by Marcel L’Esperance, it has as its purpose the performance of great choral works during the year and lighter music for summer concerts. Western members and Japanese members have the opportunity to meet, share interests and form friendships through their love of music. For Japanese members the chorus has provided the opportunity to perform music rarely attempted by Japanese choirs and to receive training under a foreign conductor. Members come from countries such as Belgium, Canada, Mexico, the U.S.A., Scotland, Ireland, England, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Austria, Russia, Switzerland, Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, Slovenia and Japan.
The chorus has had more than 100 concerts since it was founded in 1980. It has performed a wide variety of repertoire, including the choral works listed here.
| Works performed | Venues |
|---|---|
| Folk Songs | St. Mary's International School Carnival May 1980 |
| Christmas Cantata (Pinkham) & Christmas carols |
Franciscan Chapel Center, Roppongi Dec. 15, 1980 |
| Requiem (Fauré) Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring (Bach) Folk songs from around the world |
St. Anselm's Church, Meguro May 31, 1981 |
| Messiah (Händel) Gloria (Vivaldi) |
Franciscan Chapel Center, Roppongi Dec. 6, 1981 St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Yutenji Dec. 10, 1981 |
| Requiem (Mozart) | St. Mary's International School May 23, 1982 Aoyama Gakuen Hall May 27, 1982 |
| A Ceremony of Carols (Britten) Navidad Nuestra (Ramirez) |
Meguro Kokaido Dec. 8, 1982 St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Yutenji Dec. 14, 1982 |
| Missa in Angustiis (Haydn) Laudate Dominum (Mozart) |
International Christian Univ. Church April 10, 1983 Ishibashi Memorial Hall April 23, 1983 |
| Pops Concert | Disneyland June 1983 |
| In Ecclesiis (Gabrieli) Christmas Cantata (Pinkham) Beatus Vir (Monteverdi) Uns ist ein Kind geboren (Bach) |
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Yutenji Dec. 8, 1983 Hatsudai Catholic Church Dec. 13, 1983 |
| Grosse Messe in C minor (Mozart) | Hatsudai Catholic Church April 17, 1984 Ishibashi Memorial Hall April 22, 1984 |
| Pops Concert | Sunshine City, Ikebukuro July 1984 Disneyland July 1984 |
| Magnificats of Bach, Stevens & Monteverdi |
Christ Church, Yokohama Dec. 1984 St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Yutenji Dec. 1984 |
| Cantata #140 (Bach) Mass in F Minor (Bruckner) |
Ishibashi Memorial Hall May 19, 1985 |
| Israel in Egypt (Händel) | Christ Church, Yokohama Nov. 30, 1985 St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Yutenji Dec. 3, 1985 |
| Carmina Burana (Carl Orff) | Tokyo American Club May 16, 1986 Vario Hall, Avilac Music Center May 17, 1986 |
| Christmas Oratorio (Saint-SaEs) Christmas carols |
St. Anselm's Church, Meguro Nov. 29, 1986 |
| Ein deutsches Requiem (Brahms) | Tokyo American Club (2 pianos) January 30, 1987 Ishibashi Memorial Hall (Orchestra) Feb. 7, 1987 |
| Petite Messe Solennelle (Rossini) | St. Anselms Church, Meguro May 9, 1987 Vario Hall, Avilac Music Center May 30, 1987 |
| Magnificat Anima Mea (Buxtehude) Messe de Minuit (Charpentier) |
St. Anselm's Church, Meguro Nov. 28, 1987 |
| Die Schöpfung (Haydn) | Ishibashi Memorial Hall Feb. 6, 1988 |
| Requiem (Fauré) Frau Musica (Hindemith) |
St. Anselm's Church, Meguro May 14, 1988 |
| Die Kindheit Jesu (Johann Christoph Bach) The Song of Christmas (Ringwald) |
St. Anselm's Church, Meguro Dec. 3, 1988 |
| Dinner & Christmas music | Tokyo Foreign Press Club Dec. 17, 1988 |
| Stabat Mater (Dvořák) | Ishibashi Memorial Hall January 28, 1989 |
| Russian Music Concert with Tokyo Balalaika Ensemble |
Nerima Bunka Center April 14, 1989 |
| Aïda (Concert version) (Verdi) | Yokohama Exotic Showcase YES Hall June 6, 1989 |
| Christmas Carol Festival | Nippori Sunny Hall Dec. 16, 1989 |
| Mass in B minor (Bach) | Ishibashi Memorial Hall Feb. 10, 1990 |
| Salve Regina (Haydn) Seven Last Words of Christ (Haydn) |
St. Anselm's Church, Meguro May 26, 1990 |
| Summer Serenade #1 (Classics & pops) |
Suntory Small Hall July 17, 1990 |
| Messiah (Händel) & Christmas music |
Tokyo Union Church Dec. 15, 1990 |
| Dinner & Christmas music | Tokyo Foreign Press Club Dec. 22, 1990 |
| Christmas carols & Messiah (Christmas excerpts) (Händel) | Tokyo Station Eki Concert Dec. 23, 1990 |
| St. Paul Oratorio (Mendelssohn) | Ishibashi Memorial Hall Feb. 9, 1991 |
| Messiah (Hädel) | Nippori Sunny Hall May 19, 1991 |
| Summer Serenade #2 | Suntory Small Hall July 12, 1991 |
| Dinner & Christmas music | Tokyo Foreign Press Club Dec. 21, 1991 |
| Mass in F minor (Bruckner) | Ishibashi Memorial Hall Feb. 1, 1992 |
| Carmina Burana (Carl Orff) | Nippori Sunny Hall May 23, 1992 |
| Summer Serenade #3 Opera Choruses & Pops |
Seshion Suginami Hall July 11, 1992 |
| Gloria (Vivaldi) & Christmas Carols |
Nippori Sunny Hall Dec. 18, 1992 |
| Theresienmesse (Haydn) Hymns (Rutter) |
Ishibashi Memorial Hall Feb. 6, 1993 |
| Requiem (Cherubini) Messa di Gloria (Puccini) |
Curian Large Hall, Oimachi May 8, 1993 |
| Summer Serenade #4 Oratorio, Opera & Pops |
Suntory Small Hall July 10, 1993 |
| Messiah (Händel) "Sing-In" | Saint Alban's Church Dec. 5, 1993 |
| Sept Répons des Ténèbres (Poulenc) Requiem (Duruflé) |
Musashino Shimin Bunka Kaikan Feb. 20, 1994 |
| Vesperae Solennes de Confessore Requiem Ave Verum (All Mozart Program) |
Ishibashi Memorial Hall May 22, 1994 |
| Summer Serenade #5 Russian Music with Tokyo Balalaika Ensemble |
Suntory Small Hall July 16, 1994 |
| Christmas Oratorio (Charpentier) & Christmas carols |
Seshion Suginami Hall Dec. 12, 1994 |
| Stabat Mater (Dvořák) | Curian Large Hall Feb. 11, 1995 |
| Alles, was ihr tut mit Worten oder mit Werken
(Buxtehude) Eins bitte ich vom Herrn (Buxtehude) Cantata #4 & Cantata #106 (Bach) |
Ishibashi Memorial Hall May 13, 1995 St. Anselm's Catholic Church June 10, 1995 |
| Summer Serenade #6 Misa Criolla (Ramirez) Latin American Songs & Pops |
Suntory Small Hall July 15, 1995 |
| Musical Show of Toyota Motors | Imperial Hotel Oct. 1995 |
| Carols for the Nativity | Tokyo Union Church Dec. 9, 1995 |
| Requiem (Verdi) | Curian Large Hall Feb. 25, 1996 |
| Petite Messe Solennelle (Rossini) | Ishibashi Memorial Hall May 19, 1996 |
| Summer Serenade #7 International Folk songs & pops |
Suntory Small Hall July 13, 1996 |
| Messiah (Händel) Sing-in | Tokyo Union Church Dec. 7, 1996 |
| Mass in D major (Dvořék) Missa Brevis (Kodály) |
Musashino Shimin Bunka Kaikan Feb. 22, 1997 |
| Israel in Egypt (Händel) | Curian Large Hall May 11, 1997 |
| Summer Serenade #8 Opera Choruses |
Suntory Small Hall July 13, 1997 |
| Christmas Carol Concert | NOCTY Hall, Mizonokuchi Dec. 11, 1997 |
| Mass in G (Schubert) Lord Nelson Mass (Haydn) |
Musashino Shimin Bunka Kaikan Feb. 11, 1998 |
| Ein deutsches Requiem (Brahms) | Curian Large Hall May 10, 1998 |
| Summer Serenade #9 Spirituals & Gospel |
Suntory Small Hall July 12, 1998 |
| Gloria (Poulenc) Litanies à la Vierge Noire Quatre Petites prières de Saint Franĉois |
LILIA Hall, Kawaguchi Feb. 11, 1999 |
| Die Schöpfung (Haydn) | Curian Large Hall May 9, 1999 |
| Summer Serenade #10 Music of England, Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
Suntory Small Hall July 3, 1999 |
| Mass in B minor (J.S. Bach) | Curian Large Hall Feb. 12, 2000 |
| Summer Serenade #11: Music of Nostalgia | Suntory Small Hall, Akasaka July 9, 2000 |
| Carmina Burana (Carl Orff) | Nippori Sunny Hall May 27, 2000 |
| Christmas Carol Concert | Aprico Small Hall, Kamata Dec. 4, 2000 | Puccini Messa di Gloria and Rossini Stabat Mater | Curian Large Hall Feb. 17, 2001 |
| Gabriel Fauré Requiem and Charles Gounod St. Cecilia Mass | Ishibashi Memorial Hall, Ueno May 13, 2001 |
| Summer Serenade #12: Songs from Around the World | Suntory Small Hall July 14, 2001 |
| Felix Mendelssohn Paulus (oratorio) | Curian Large Hall February 2, 2002 |
| All Mozart Concert: Divertimento 136, Exultate Jubilate for soprano solo, Mass in C minor |
Mitaka City Arts Center May 18, 2002 |
| Summer Serenade #13: Music from movies and musicals | Suntory Small Hall, Akasaka July 13, 2002 |
| Sept Répons des Ténèbres (Poulenc) Requiem (Duruflé) |
Musashino Shimin Bunka Center Feb. 1, 2003 |
| Gospel Concert | National Memorial Olympics Youth Center May 18, 2003 |
| Summer Serenade #14: Russian Music (with Tokyo Balalaika Ensemble) | Suntory Small Hall July 12, 2003 |
| Verdi Requiem | Oota Kumin Hall Aprico Mar. 6, 2004 |
| Haydn Die sieben Worte (with Tokyo New City Orchestra) | National Memorial Olympics Youth Center May 15, 2004 |
| Summer Serenade #15: Our Favorite Music (Pops Concert) | Suntory Small Hall July 7, 2004 |
| 25th Anniversary Concert: Schubert Mass in A flat (with Tokyo New City Orchestra) | Curian Large Hall Feb. 5, 2005 |
| Mozart Requiem (with Tokyo New City Orchestra) | Green Hall Sagamiôno May 5, 2005 |
| Summer Serenade #16: Jazz (with Seiichi Nakamura Jazz Ensemble) | Suntory Small Hall July 10, 2005 |
| Händel Messiah (with Tokyo New City Orchestra) | Curian Large Hall Feb. 4, 2006 |
| Dvořák Stabat Mater (with Tokyo New City Orchestra) | Meguro Persimmon Hall May 2, 2006 |
| Summer Serenade #17: Latin American Music (with Mike Price Jazz Ensemble) | Suntory Smal Hall July 9, 2006 |
| Bruckner Messe F moll, Brahms Nänie (with Tokyo New City Orchestra) | Suginami Kôkaidô Feb. 10, 2007 |
| Puccini Messa di Gloria, Rossini Stabat Mater | Meguro Persimmon Hall May 12, 2007 |
The chorus has performed many popular works, of which the following are just a sample.
|
Christmas Carols Karatachi no Hana (Japanese) Machibôke (Japanese) Daniel, Servant of the Lord (Spiritual) Ave verum corpus (Mozart) Song of Christmas (Ringwald) Dark Eyes Kalinka Moscow Nights Fiddler on the Roof (excerpts) Shenandoah (Am. folk song) Beautiful City (Spiritual) Umbrellas of Cherbourg (medley) Moon River Raindrops Keep Falling on my head What I did for love One Memory Sound of Music (medley) Geographical Fugue (Ernst Toch) Stomp Your Foot (Copland) Arirang (Korean song) J’ai Du Bon Tabac (French song) Bella Bimba (Italian song) Songs from the Beatles |
Soon Ah Will Be Done (Spiritual) Pilgrim’s Chorus (Tannhäser) Soldier’s Chorus (Faust) La Gitana (Il Trovatore) The Wedding March (Lohengrin) Va, pensiero (Nabucco) My Fair Lady (medley) Four Hymns (Rutter) The Mikado (Highlights) Beatles in Revue Sôran bushi (Japanese fisherman’s song) Russian Picnic (folk tunes) Compadre Pedro Juan (Dominican merengue) Dormite mi niño (Venezuelan lullaby) The Girl from Ipanema (Brazilian popular song) Guantanamera (Cuban guajira) Berceuse pour Julie (French Canadian lullaby) Auprès de ma blonde (French Canadian song) Elijah Rock (Spiritual) Deep River (Spiritual) Ain’-a That Good News (Spiritual) Gershwin Medley A Tribute to the Carpenters Brigadoon (medley) |
In addition to performing, the chorus has participated in
recording sessions for the following companies:
Kentucky Fried Chicken, Japan (TV commercial)
Orient Finance (TV commercial)
Pioneer (Promotional film)