Corala "ARMONIA"

Corala ARMONIA is an amateur a cappella choir founded in 2001 in Toronto, Canada, under Mr. Augustin Medan’s leadership, aiming to include all talented and music loving Romanians irrespective of their age, profession, studies or beliefs.

"ARMONIA" is the Romanian word for Harmony. This name was chosen not only to touch upon the music’s harmony, but especially to reflect its belief in the amazing power of music to overcome all differences and to bring about understanding, tolerance, spiritual unity, or, in one word, harmony. Armonia is also an anagram for Romania – that spiritual space all Romanians abroad carry around in their hearts far away from their country.

Armonia made it its mission to keep the Romanian choral music alive in their community, thousands of kilometres away from its origins. The music they sing – whether it is classical music, traditional Romanian music arranged for choir, Byzantine music, or carols – expresses the joys and sorrows of a people preserving its identity as an island of Latinity amidst populations of various other backgrounds. And here they are, a bunch of Romanians in North America, continuing along the same trend with their music and traditions: A quote by ARMONIA: "we want to be part of the World, while absorbing what the World has to offer us. That’s why our repertoire also includes pieces of music from around the world as an expression of our belief that music is a boundless language of the soul, mind and spirit, which teaches us to become more loving and more tolerant."

Conductor

Augustin Medan graduated from the G. Dima Conservatory of Music in 1972 and from the History-Philosophy Department of the Babeş-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania in 1980. Ever since his university years he has had a great passion for choral music. He conducted a few student choirs, participated in many international music festivals along with renowned Romanian musicians, and, after he left Romania, he sang in a few choirs and conducted some others.

He worked with the G. Dima Conservatory of Music and with the Music School in Cluj-Napoca until 1986 when, accompanied by his wife, he fled the Communist Regime in Romania. They lived in France for two years and subsequently immigrated to Toronto, Canada.

Since he left Romania, Mr. Medan has made a great effort to preserve and promote the Romanian choral music and traditions in the communities he has been a member of, and his contribution has been very much appreciated by Romanian personalities and the public alike.

In Paris, he founded and conducted the Choir of the Romanian House. In December 1987, the choir presented a few Romanian Christmas Carols in front of an unexpectedly high number of Romanians in exile – first at the Greek-Catholic Mission and then at the Orthodox Church in Paris. At the first concert, the choir presented a special carol of the prisoners of the Communist regime. The carol was prepared in a very short time. A former political prisoner had sung it to Mr. Medan, who then wrote it up while on the train on his way home, and arranged it for choir. Many people, who had suffered because of the Communist regime, cried when they heard that carol, and the singers cried with them.

The Romanian writer and political personality Neagu Djuvara, who at that time was in exile in Paris, thanked Mr. Medan personally for his efforts, and then expressed his hope in a future collaboration.

cquote|The Romanian House 30.12.87

Dear Gusti,

I wish to send you and your wife, along with these modest wishes for good luck in 1988, our repeated thanks for the wonderful success of the small choir which you put together in such a short time, and which was applauded with such enthusiasm by all – Romanians and non-Romanians alike.

We must continue together. Our President, Alexandru Ghica, will contact you to discuss some small projects we are working on, and which could make you more known on the French “market”.

With warm wishes and sincere appreciation,

Neagu Djuvara – Secretary General

Following this invitation, Mr. Medan put together a concert of songs inspired by traditional Romanian music, which he found with difficulty at the Bibliothèque Nationale de Paris. The choir performed this concert in June 1988, at a Symposium on the influence of the folklore on the Romanian literature, which was organized at the Sorbonne University by exiled Romanians.

In 1988 Augustin Medan and his family immigrated to Canada. Shortly after they arrived in Toronto, he tried to found a choir at the St. George Church, then the only Romanian church in this city. For the first Christmas he spent in Canada, he was able to put together a vocal ensemble, which presented a carol concert at St. George Church. With the same vocal ensemble, he prepared a few pieces of music on the Lyrics of Romania’s national poet, Mihai Eminescu, and presented them at two events organized in Toronto and Hamilton to celebrate Eminescu’s 100th death anniversary. This concert was prepared with great effort and dedication, and – something that seems incredible nowadays – with handwritten scores. Mr. Medan arranged most of the pieces of music based on a tape with songs on Eminescu’s lyrics, which a friend in Romania had sent him.

With the same vocal ensemble Mr. Medan participated in different other Romanian events. For example, in October 1990, at an event for the closing of the summer season at the Romanian Camp, the ensemble presented a program of traditional Romanian music.

Since 1989 Mr. Medan has worked as a teacher, first for the Catholic School Board and then for the French Public School Board in Toronto. In his leisure time he is busy promoting the Romanian music and values, arranging pieces of music, and preparing concerts with the Armonia Choir whose conductor he is since 2001. With Armonia he participated in numerous cultural and religious events in Romanian communities in Toronto, Southern Ontario, and Ohio.

And one more detail, which only few people know, is that Mr. Medan and his wife were present at the demonstration against the Communist government of Romania in November 1987, in front of the Romanian Embassy in Paris. Mr. Medan was the one who conducted the choir formed there spontaneously to sing Romanian hymns, which at that time were prohibited in their native country. Although his son was still in Romania at that time, he did not hesitate when important personalities of the Romanian exile asked him to conduct the mass of people protesting the repressive measures taken by Ceauşescu, then Romania’s dictator, against the workers who had the courage to strike in the Romanian city of Braşov. And after he immigrated to Canada, he was present at other demonstrations in Toronto in 1989, when Timişoara’s citizens started the anti-Communist upheaval which eventually led to the fall of Communism in Romania. With such a leader, Armonia has no choice but to accomplish the mission it took upon itself.

Choir members

The Armonia Choir includes Romanians of various ages, different professions and religious backgrounds. A few of them studied music in Romania or in Canada, some sang in other choirs, and others have no music studies at all. What brings them all together is their love of music, art, and Romanian traditions.

Whenever possible, the choir accepted invitations from different parishes, as well as from other Romanian organizations, and showed that understanding and spiritual unity can help bridge differences. The choir’s conductor, Augustin Medan, made an effort to help the choir singers embrace this tolerance and include members from all Romanian parishes. When their time permits, some of the Romanian priests or their families also join the choir.

External links

* [http://www.armoniachoir.com. Armonia Choir]