Giving Thanks for a Community Treasure
Dear People, Neighbours, and Friends of St. Thomas’s,
Our esteemed Assistant Director of Music, Manuel Piazza, has been admitted to a full-time doctoral program at McGill University in Montreal beginning this fall. He will be studying organ with Dr. Isabelle Demers, choral conducting with Dr. Jean-Sebastian Vallée, and musicology with Dr. Julie Cumming. As such, Manny will be moving away from Toronto to pursue the D.Mus. degree, leaving us after three years of faithful service to the greater glory of God and all of us. I was privileged to be amongst the first to congratulate Manny on his admission to McGill’s prestigious program and to express how sorry I was that we would not have the benefit of his gifts and his big-hearted presence at St. Thomas’s next year. I will miss the depth of his emotional intelligence and his positive can-do spirit, and I know my colleagues and all the members of our choirs will, as well. Manny has been a delight to work with; even on those rare occasions when we have disagreed (the organ works of Messiaen, which his heart is large enough to love, but I’m too simple-minded to appreciate, is a good example)—even then Manny has written and spoken movingly about why such music inspires him, and on more than one occasion, he has swayed me to be more open-minded, even if still simple-minded in my tastes. (I like to joke that Messiaen was Raggedy Ann’s French cousin. Very messy, indeed.)
Manny was instrumental in establishing the St. Thomas’s Choristers, a choral program for children at the 9:30 Sung Mass, bringing it to a point of stability such that it can continue to grow beyond his departure. Manny also assisted Elizabeth Anderson in the development of a community concert series under the auspices of our Friends of Music Committee that continues to go from strength to strength. Just this afternoon, my own Anne (who is neither messy nor ragged) and I enjoyed a concert in the (air conditioned!) parish hall featuring Manny on the piano alongside his friend Tyler Michael James on the cello. It was lovely to see and hear this example of Manny’s profoundly positive impact on our community.
Photo: Crystal Sayler
Because I will be leaving on vacation in early July, we will officially celebrate Manny and give thanks for his time among us at the annual BBQ planned for our Patronal Festival of St. Thomas on Sunday, July 5, which will follow our usual combined BCP Procession & High Mass at 10:30 that morning. Manny’s final service with us will be Evensong on Sunday, July 26, which will be followed by a less formal thank-you and send-off presided over by Fr. Micah in my absence. As we say goodbye and express our gratitude, I’m mindful that this parting will be not so much a final farewell as an “until we see you again” moment—the best sort of leave-taking between friends. After all, Manny’s parents live in Toronto, and his connections to St. Thomas’s and the city run very deep. And of course he is connected personally to many of you reading this letter.
As Manny himself has written, “This community is a treasure.” To which I say: Manny is a community treasure. With Manny’s permission, I share the following excerpt from the letter he sent to the wardens and me:
It has truly been a pleasure to serve as your Assistant Director of Music for the past three years. I have made the difficult decision to resign as I pursue further studies in Montreal and plan to enter competitions which will require significant time away from my post. Many of these competitions restrict eligibility to organists under the age of thirty and only occur every two to three years, so 2027 may be my last chance to compete before I am too old. I cannot stress enough how much I’ll miss my work at St. Thomas’s, but I realized that I would regret not pursuing these other opportunities while I am able to. Some of my happiest moments have been playing hymns for this congregation and choir, which sing them with passion and vigour. The parish’s liturgical traditions are rich and allow for improvisation in a variety of styles, and it has been wonderful to explore my creative voice in this way. The choral repertoire includes some of my favourite music, and it has been absolutely thrilling to accompany it, especially the music of Howells, under the direction and leadership of Elizabeth and with such dedicated choral singers. It is difficult to describe the electricity in the air when the organist, conductor, and choir are all having the time of their lives performing the Gloria Patri in a Howells Magnificat, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to find that elsewhere. I’m also incredibly proud of the work I have done as founder and director of the St. Thomas’s Choristers. It has been so rewarding to teach these children and see how the program has contributed to the growth of community at the 9:30 service. As I deliberated this decision, I realized that there are very few church music jobs in Canada, if any at all, that would provide the same level of musical and artistic satisfaction as my work at St. Thomas’s and I’ll treasure the memories, music, and connections I’ve made here. I look forward to making St. Thomas’s my church home whenever I’m in Toronto, especially attending Choral Evensong, and exploring how our relationship will develop in the future.
While the churchwardens and I need some time to decide on a succession plan, we are committed to the continued growth of the children’s chorister program at 9:30 and the fantastic choir camp that Manny established. We are fortunate to live in a city with many music educators who love children and have the skills to lead a choral ensemble of the highest standards, while doing so in way that is fun and community-building. Manny has generously offered to run choir camp in August if need be, but we are working toward having a plan in place that will enable Manny to enjoy the break between his final service with us and the beginning of classes in the fall without any worries on that score. Though I will admit that I’m tempted not to find a successor before choir camp just so that all of us have an unimpeachable excuse to see Manny again as soon as possible! But it’s our responsibility to do our best to ensure a smooth transition for his sake, for our sake, and for the chorister families’ sake.
Between now and July 26 we have seven Sundays to express our appreciation, and of course you can drop Manny a line via mpiazza@stthomas.on.ca. In addition, donations to the Friends of Music in Manny’s honour are gratefully received—and much needed if we are to ensure the viability of the St. Thomas’s Choristers program and concert series for the 2026–2027 program year. We have an ambitious fundraising goal of $100,000 in 2026 and have raised just over $18,250 so far. This is not entirely surprising, given that most of our music donations come in at year’s end, not to mention the capital campaign on which the parish is focused, but this is a good opportunity to show your support for what Manny has laboured so hard to build over the past three years, assisted by an incredibly dedicated team of staff and volunteers. Please visit stthomas.on.ca/donate-friends-of-music to make a donation in Manny’s honour.
Yours in Christ’s service,
Fr. Nathan J.A. Humphrey+
VIII Rector
