St. Michael's Choir School

St. Michael's Choir School (also known as SMCS, The Choir School, or St. Mike's Choir) is a semi-private Catholic choir school for boys from grades 3-12 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is jointly operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto and Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, which manage the school's music curriculum, and the Toronto Catholic District School Board, which administers all other academic subjects, athletics programs, and extracurricular activities. The school is a member of the International Boys' Schools Coalition. St. Michael's Choir School trains choristers and musicians in classical and liturgical music through regular choral, music theory, and piano instruction, and optional lessons in music history, vocal, organ, classical guitar, and orchestral string instruments. Admission to the school is by audition and students sing in concerts in Canada and internationally and during weekly mass at St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica. In addition to music and the performing arts, the school's alumni include professionals in business, academia, law, medicine, media, and politics. History St. Michael's Choir School was founded in 1937 by Monsignor John Edward Ronan as a private elementary school to train choristers and provide liturgical music services to St. Michael's Cathedral, where Ronan was Director of Music. Then called Cathedral Schola Cantorum, the school's founding was inspired by Pope Pius X's Tra le sollecitudini and started in a single room at 67 Bond Street, Toronto. Monsignor Ronan was a composer and graduate of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome, Italy, and remained principal until his death on October 15, 1962, a date that is now commemorated annually as Founder's Day at the school. As the school expanded and added a secondary school, it moved into a new building at 66 Bond Street, which was designed by the ecclesiastical architect James Haffa and opened in 1950. In 1955, the school was granted affiliation with the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, becoming one of six choirs and choir schools in the world to share this affiliation. The affiliation authorized St. Michael's Choir School to grant the degree of Bachelor of Sacred Music, with a specialization in Gregorian chant. In 1966, St.