Catherine Morrow has sung as soloist in many Toronto-area and Muskoka churches, for musical theatre concerts, and as professional soprano for the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, the Elmer Iseler Singers, and the Elora Festival Singers. She is currently a soprano soloist at Rosedale United Church.

Known for a high soprano range with a darker, mezzo timbre, Catherine’s work spans classical and contemporary lyric repertoire. A mother of three beautiful, artistic daughters, and active as a professional and volunteer in the Toronto arts community, Catherine works full-time as Manager of Communications for a non-profit advocacy organization on behalf of the Jewish community. She is a former member of the Board of Tapestry New Opera Works and takes pleasure in raising funds for Tapestry and other worthy arts and charitable organizations with cabaret concerts and other musical activities. Married to composer Norman Gabriel Nurmi, Catherine has had the pleasure and privilege of premiering a number of Norman’s works, written especially for her range and vocal colour, and she takes great delight in sharing some of them on this web site.

A new CD is underway with accompanist extraordinaire Ross Inglis and sound wizard Doug Blais of Juggling Realities. We are thrilled that world renowned violinist Moshe Hammer will play a number of pieces with voice and piano. This recording is being done in the lovely warm acoustic of Knox United Church in Agincourt and will be finished in spring 2010.  

Norman Gabriel Nurmi is a composer with eclectic taste and experience, moving from classical, to folk, musical theatre, jazz standards and sacred genres, writing for stage shows, solo, and both adult and children’s choirs. Since winning the Elora Festival Hymn Writing Competition in 1999, Norm’s Summer Suns are Glowing has been adopted as the traditional Festival Hymn and featured on CBC Radio at the Festival’s closing concerts every year since. Requiem for the Innocents, dedicated to children who have died by violence, written for choir, children’s choir and strings, organ, and piano, debuted Good Friday 2004 at St. Paul’s Anglican Church Bloor Street in Toronto and was performed again by Proteus World Music, both featuring Viva Youth Singers of Toronto. The solo version of one of the Requiem movements, And I Saw A New Heaven, is featured on My Lord, What a Morning, a CD recorded in 2005 featuring Norman’s wife, soprano Catherine Morrow.

Norman’s commissions for choral works have included compositions such as Our Christmas Prayer, for the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and works for Viva Youth Singers of Toronto, Vox Finlandia, and St. Paul’s Anglican Church. Norman has written several songs for Catherine Morrow, including many featured on My Lord, What a Morning, and In Bethlehem Tonight, a CD produced in 2002 of all-Canadian Christmas music, composed and / or arranged and performed by Canadian artists, featuring Chorona, an eight-voice ensemble for whom Norman was both baritone and conductor.

A musical director of stage shows, Norm has began as a child performer, singing in various boys’ and children’s choirs, and on stage with the Canadian Opera Company, and performing on his accordion, touring Ontario at a very young age. Today Norm works as composer, arranger, singer, vocal coach and accompanist. A composer who often writes both music and lyrics, Norm’s stage pieces have included shows in Dawson City, Orillia, and Kingston.

As a baritone, Norm has worked as soloist and professional lead with several performing organizations, in countless Toronto churches and with the Elmer Iseler Singers, the Elora Festival Singers, and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. In addition to his composing work Norman teaches voice and coaches singers to prepare them for auditions. He is currently baritone soloist at Christ Church Deer Park in Toronto.