In With The New

PRICELESS!
CONCERT LISTINGS | APRIL 1 – MAY 7 2015
In With The New:
BAKER, KRUCKER AND FARAH
Choral Scene:
PAX'S PARRY'S JUDITH
Music & The Movies:
INTRODUCING SEYMOUR
DISCoveries:
LISTENING IN
Vol 20 No 7
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Volume 20 No 7 | April 1 to May 7, 2015
FEATURES
6. And speaking of non-sequiturs ... | DAVID PERLMAN
8. #YouthOpera | SARA CONSTANT
LOVE BLOWS AS
THE WIND BLOWS
Folky music by British,
Canadian, French and
Irish composers.
53. Hot Docs| PAUL ENNIS
62. We are all Music’s Children | MJ BUELL
64. Remembering: Joan Watson
78. Seymour: An Introduction | PAUL ENNIS
BEAT BY BEAT
10. Classical & Beyond | PAUL ENNIS
ÉTIENNE DUPUIS BARITONE
Quatuor Claudel-Canimex
16. In with the New | WENDALYN BARTLEY
18. World View | ANDREW TIMAR
20. Early Music | DAVID PODGORSKI
22. Choral Scene | BENJAMIN STEIN
26. On Opera | CHRISTOPHER HOILE
28. Art of Song | HANS DE GROOT
29. Jazz Stories | ORI DAGAN
30. Bandstand | JACK MacQUARRIE
50. Mainly Clubs, Mostly Jazz | BOB BEN
LISTINGS
32. A | Concerts in the GTA
47. B | Concerts Beyond the GTA
ACD2 2701
49. C | Music Theatre
50. D | In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz)
53. E | The ETCeteras
57 – 61. SUMMER MUSIC EDUCATION
ACD2 2644
DISCOVERIES: RECORDINGS REVIEWED
65. Editor’s Corner | DAVID OLDS
66. Vocal
67. Early, Classical & Beyond
68. Strings Attached | TERRY ROBBINS 71. Modern & Contemporary
72. Jazz & Improvised
73. Something in the Air | KEN WAXMAN
74. Jazz, Eh? | STUART BROOMER
75. Pot Pourri
76. Old Wine, New Bottles | BRUCE SURTEES
MORE
6. Contact Information & Deadlines
7. Index of Advertisers
56. Classified Ads
IN THIS ISSUE
Cover Photograph Rene Stakenborg & Elena Show/Shutterstock
AUGUST KÜHNEL
Sonatas or partitas for one or
two viols with continuo.
CONSORT LES VOIX HUMAINES
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WHO IS MAY’S CHILD?
62
F O R O P E N E R S | DAV I D P E R L M A N
And speaking of non-sequiturs ...
And if you like the title, thank WholeNote stalwart, oboist Karen
Ages, who interrupted a Perlmaniacal rant about the Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania Bach Festival (in which little town Bach’s music was a
living part of their liturgy, decades before Mendelssohn pronounced
Bach to be risen from the dead)... “Speaking of non sequiturs,” Karen
said. “I’m going to get my hair cut on Monday instead, so as not to
miss our Friday Directories meeting.”
Musicians with big ones, take note: the best way to protect a
large instrument (in this case Ben Stein’s theorbo) while visiting The
WholeNote office, is to leave it right out in the open, in the middle
of the floor, so that even if the publisher doesn’t see it someone else
will, just in time to stop said publisher from putting his foot into it.
(The reason for Stein’s visit was to discuss an upcoming feature on A
Cappella singing as a genre in the upcoming May issue.)
How Low Can You Get? Good question! Partial answers will be
found at Flute Street’s “And the Giant Began to Dance” concert April 12
at Christ Church Deer Park, featuring something called a sub-contrabass flute. And at Associates of the TSO’s “Don’t Always Have Fun
Without Me! The Double Bass is Here!” at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre on
April 12 – the very next day. Deep. Very deep.
We called it our Canary Pages because we were advised that certain
people would sue our tushies off if we called it the Choral Yellow
Pages. Now as we enter the home stretch on our 13th annual Canary
pages (the deadline is four inches to the north by northeast of this
sentence), the official explanation is that the metaphor derives from
the practice of miners using canaries to detect methane gas. No
canaries singing means DANGER! CALL THE MAYOR.
[email protected]
Shouldn’t it follow that a mayor making pronouncements about
how some city south by southwest of here has, gasp!, “a live music
guidebook and a smartphone app…and they help people find live
music easily in the city,” would look around to see what we do have
before throwing more top-down money to “grow our creative sector as
a key to economic growth.” Nothing wrong with the sentiment, John.
Just look around carefully at the bailiwick for what’s already invented
and make us all part of the solution. (I’ve underlined the previous
sentence in the copy of the mag I’m mailing you and put a post-it note
on the page. I know (and am glad) you are busy.
“Top down” inevitably means tapped out: “grass roots,” once a
beautifully apt metaphor, has long been trampled down to the point
of losing its meaning. Why bother when for an executive salary of half
a million or so (plus another half million or so in contracting fees) you
can lower a giant Christmas tree or festival onto a city square any time
you like, and have it appear to be alive for the couple of weeks that
people are paying attention. After that? Let the Games begin!
I loved Nuit Blanche long before … that evening last fall, walking
through the Market and up the stairs to the roof of the Kensington
Parking Garage to watch the people coming from all directions,
drawn by grass-roots magic, to watch that laser beam emanating from
that roof top, strung like a tight-wire rainbow telegraph, high over
Dundas Street, across MY city, to the side of the CN Tower, watching it
shimmer as it cut through the rain.
Faithful followers, should make a note of the fact that this
(March 19 2015) is the earliest that I have settled on a title for this
Opener in the 19 years 6 months and 19 days that this publication has
been in print.
The WholeNote™
VOLUME 20 NO 7| APRIL 1, 2015 – MAY 7, 2015
Centre for Social Innovation
720 Bathurst St., Suite 503, Toronto ON M5S 2R4
PHONE 416-323-2232 | FAX 416-603-4791
Publisher/Editor In Chief | David Perlman
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EDITORIAL
Managing Editor | Paul Ennis
[email protected]
Recordings Editor | David Olds
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Social Media Editor | Sara Constant
[email protected]
Listings Editor | David Perlman (acting)
[email protected]
Club Listings Editor | Bob Ben
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SALES, MARKETING & MEMBERSHIP
Concerts & Events/Membership | Karen Ages
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Record Industry Sales/Marketing | Thom McKercher
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Directory Sales and Services | Adrienne Surtees
[email protected]
Advertising/Production Support/Operations
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Classified Ads | [email protected]
Website/Systems | Bryson Winchester
Systems Intern | Kevin King
[email protected]
Circulation/Subscriptions | Chris Malcolm
[email protected]
THANKS TO THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS
Upcoming Dates & Deadlines
Beat Columnists
Hans de Groot, Jack MacQuarrie, Benjamin Stein,
Paul Ennis, David Olds, David Podgorski,
Ori Dagan, Wendalyn Bartley, Bob Ben,
mJ buell, Christopher Hoile, Andrew Timar
Features
Sara Constant, Paul Ennis, Diane Doig
CD Reviewers
Stuart Broomer, Max Christie, Hans de Groot,
Daniel Foley, Janos Gardonyi, Tiina Kiik, Roger
Knox, Alison Melville, Lesley Mitchell-Clarke,
Michael Schwartz, Bruce Surtees, Andrew Timar,
Robert Tomas, Ken Waxman, Dianne Wells
Proofreading
John Sharpe, Paul Ennis,
Sara Constant, Karen Ages
Listings
David Perlman, Bob Ben,
Tilly Kooyman, JennieLea McLeish,
Ruth Atwood, Simone Desilets
Circulation Team
Abram Bergen, Andrew Schaefer, Beth Bartley,
Bob Jerome, Dagmar Sullivan, Dave Taylor,
Garry Page, Gero Hajek, Jack Buell, Jeff Hogben,
Joan Andrews, John Dodington, Lorna Nevison,
Mark Clifford, Micah Herzog, Niamh Malcolm,
Patrick Slimmon, Paul Ennis, Randy Weir, Robert
Faulkner, Sharon Clark, Tiffany Johnson, Tom
Sepp, Vicki Stainton, Wende Bartley
Layout & Design
Bryson Winchester
Free Event Listings Deadline
Wednesday April 8
Display Ad Reservations Deadline
6pm Wednesday April 15
Classifieds Deadline
6pm Thursday April 23
Advertising Materials Due
6pm Monday April 20
Publication Date
Thursday April 30
Volume 20 No 8 covers
May 1, 2015 to June 7, 2015
6 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
Printed in Canada
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April 2015: 30,000 printed & distributed
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LOOK! LEARN!
LISTEN!
16TH Annual
BLUE
THE BLUE PAGES
PAGES
A rich resource for musicians and all lovers of live music,
with detailed profiles of Southern Ontario’s live music makers
and their current seasons. Printed in the October edition
of The WholeNote and updated year-round on our website.
THE CANARY PAGES
The WholeNote’s annual guide to the extraordinary choral
diversity of Southern Ontario. An invaluable resource for
anyone seeking a choir to join or choral concerts to enjoy.
Printed in our May edition and searchable online at any time.
Deadline April 6 COMING IN MAY 2015!
THE GREEN PAGES GUIDE TO SUMMER
MUSIC FESTIVALS AND EVENTS
There’s so much to enjoy - you’ll want a copy at home
and one in your summer travel bag.
Printed in our Summer edition (June, July & August).
Don’t miss our enhanced coverage online.
Deadline May 5 COMING IN JUNE 2015!
Musical guides online, all the time
thewholenote.com/resources
INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
Academy Concert Series
38
Amadeus Choir25, 35
Amici Chamber Ensemble
35
Annex Singers 38
Arts Media Project 57
Associates of the TSO 36
ATMA 5
Aurora Cultural Centre 10, 44
Bach Children’s Chorus
22
Bloor Street United Church
57
Brookside Music
Association 47
Canadian Opera Company 16, 61
Canadian Sinfonietta 10,
34
Canstage 79
Cantemus 22
Cathedral Bluffs Symphony
Orchestra 17, 39
Chamber Music Society of
Mississauga 39
Christ Church Deer Park
Jazz Vespers 29
Eglinton St George’s United
Church 41
thewholenote.com
Elmer Iseler Singers 25,
38, 46
Etobicoke Centennial Choir
35
Flute Street 36
High Notes Avante
Productions 13, 45
Hymn Society, Southern
Ontario chapter 54
I FURIOSI Baroque
Ensemble 34
International Resource
Centre for Performing
Artists55
Jazz Bistro57
Lawrence Park Commnity
Church 24
Lisa Chisholm 57
LizPR 57
Long & McQuade 21
MCS Chorus 41
Meredith Hall 43
Metro Youth Opera 40
Micah Barnes 46
Mississauga Festival Choir
47
Mississauga Symphony
Orchestra 42
Mooredale Concerts 36
Mozart Project, The36
Music at Metropolitan 33,
34, 46
Music at Metropolitan
- Noon at Met 34
Music Gallery39
Music Toronto 3, 9,
Musicians in Ordinary 45
Nagata Shachu35
Nathaniel Dett Chorale23
New Music Concerts 33
Norm Pulker 57
Oakham House Choir 41
Off Centre Music Salon26
One Big Song38
ORGANIX 31
Orpheus Choir 24
Pasquale Bros 54
Pax Christi 25, 55
Peggy Baker Dance
Projects19
Peter Mahon 25
Remenyi House of Music 13
Roy Thomson Hall23
Royal Canadian College of
Organists, Toronto 53
Royal Conservatory 14, 33,
41, 42, 43, 80
Samantha Chang57
Sara Constant 41
Scarborough Philharmonic
44
Sine Nomine 40
Sinfonia Toronto 34, 45
Soundstreams 37
St. James’ Cathedral 11
St. Olaves 40
St. Philips’ Jazz Vespers
30
Steinway Piano Gallery7
Syrinx Sunday Salons 36,
46
Tafelmusik 2, 40
Tallis Choir45
The Sound Post17
Toronto Centre for the Arts
56
Toronto Consort 4, 21
Toronto Operetta Theatre
26
Toronto Summer Music
Academy and Festival 63
Toronto Symphony
Orchestra 34, 43, 77
Village Voices 45
Visual and Performing Arts
Newmarket 45
VOCA Chorus 44
Women’s Musical Club of
Toronto 4, 12, 37
Wychwood Clarinet Choir
47
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 7
#YouthOpera
S A R A C O N S TA N T
T
and it has to cater to the smaller
stages and audiences interested
in less traditional versions of
productions. With the company
now in its fifth year, Metro Youth
Opera alumni have moved on to
various young artist programs
and other smaller companies
across the continent. Hearing
about their successes, and about
the interest in opera from people
of all backgrounds that Kate
Applin and her team have seen,
provides a peek into who opera’s
next generation of performers
will be, and the places—operatic
and otherwise—that they will
have come from.
Kate Applin, MYOpera
Despite the bleak future that
some have predicted for the operatic world, both Applin sisters
have faith in what the future holds—even if that future looks a little
different than today’s traditional operagoing experience. Says Kate:
“The stories are what make opera so accessible, generation after generation, whether they’re coming-of-age stories or love stories ... there
are central themes that exist in our lives as they are right now. It’s just
a matter of finding the right audiences and engaging them.”
Kate continues: “Certainly there are some audiences that expect
that their experience with opera will be going to opera houses and
seeing that very traditional idea of what an opera can be, with a full
orchestra, huge sets and costumes, and thousands of people in the
theatre. And while that certainly is one version of opera and there is
still a desire and a need for that in this world, this more scaled-back
and stripped-down version of opera that we’re seeing now, especially in Toronto, has some innovative ideas ... It’s about recognizing
that these stories are stories that can be told by anyone, in any kind
of atmosphere. They can be told by emerging artists in an intimate
120-seat theatre where you’re 20 feet away from them, just as well as
they would be performed in a 3000-seat theatre. That’s something
that MY Opera offers, ... the immediacy for the audience for their
interaction with the show ... you’re right there. You don’t need opera
glasses to see what the singers are feeling.”
And while the future of opera might look a little different than the
posh reputation it has come to have, Stephanie Applin clarifies that a
more scaled-back and stripped-down future might actually bring the
genre back to its more democratic roots. “Opera sort of became something very elitist where it had once been a very popular art form,” she
says. “If you look at 19th-century Italy, it was the music of the people.
There were political undertones to Verdi’s work … it has such a history
of being an art form that is very democratic. There seems to be more
of a focus now generally to try to push that accessibility of opera, and I
hope we do our part in that.”
Metro Youth Opera’s 2014/15 production is a take on Hector
Berlioz’s Béatrice & Bénédict, and runs at Daniels Spectrum from
April 24 to 26.
Shoestring Opera: While Metro Youth Opera has worked to bridge
the gap between amateur performers and their professional futures,
another new company in Toronto has been bringing opera out of
the theatre—and into the schoolyard. Shoestring Opera is a recent
Toronto initiative, creating adaptations of famous operas to present in
local schools.
We spoke with Wayne Strongman, who is now working with
Shoestring after his tenure as founding artistic director of Tapestry
Opera, about what it’s like to perform operatic classics for children in
grades K to 8. “The children were rapt,” he says, fresh from a workshop performance of Hansel and Gretel for 200 elementary school
he classical music world’s relationship with youth has definitely seen better days. But it has also seen worse. In recent years,
performers, presenters and concertgoers have worked hard at
debunking the myth, resilient to this day, that classical music
is only for those much older and far richer than your average music
lover. There are fatal misconceptions about the type of person you have
to be to listen to classical music; for some, white hair and deep pockets
are the necessary prerequisites for admission into the genre’s inner
circle. And with so many musical opportunities out there, no wonder
so many younger people eschew the idea of becoming interested in a
music genre that has only ever seemed to belong to the generation of
their grandparents.
Opera is no exception. It can require a large cast, orchestra and
production team to mount a show of traditional operatic proportions,
which means that expenses can run high. So high, in fact, that down
the line it means sometimes catering to the crowds who can afford
to pay. It all gives the whole genre an aura of lavishness and grandeur
that it only sometimes deserves.
Nothing, however, is so one-sided—and the tide is turning. In
recent years, a number of smaller opera companies have cropped up
in the Toronto area alone that are doing innovative work with fewer
resources than might be expected. And often, that innovation goes
hand-in-hand with a redirection towards more diverse opera audiences—proving that opera has the ability to go places that those used
to the grand stage may not have imagined.
Metro Youth Opera (MYOpera) is one of those young companies. It
was founded in 2010 by Toronto-born soprano Kate Applin (her sister
Stephanie, who also sings, works as general manager of the company).
MYOpera’s mandate involves giving emerging artists and performers
the opportunity to get some meaty professional experience without
having to pay the tuition of an expensive school or summer program.
“I had done my undergraduate degree and a diploma both in voice
and opera performance,” says Kate, “and then I was back in Toronto
and didn’t really know what to do. I was done with school and I
wasn’t pursuing a master’s just yet, because I knew that I needed time
to train and work on technique, as many young singers have to do. For
a young performer, there are performing experiences in the summertime where you can pay to sing in summer programs—and they’re
very expensive, but you learn a lot and you make really fantastic
connections—and then during the year you’re in school. So I didn’t
really understand what the process was for a singer who was out of
school but still looking for performing experience on a real stage,
without spending a lot of money. I realized that this was a gap and that
I probably wasn’t the only person in that position, so I started Metro
Youth Opera to help create those performing opportunities.”
As a company that focuses specifically on the development of young
professionals, MYOpera’s programming fits into an interesting niche
in the operatic world. It has to have a small and varied cast; be challenging to sing, but not beyond the vocal capacity of a younger singer;
ON OUR COVER: Metro Youth Opera’s
Alison Wong
This issue of the magazine features Metro
Youth Opera’s stage director, Alison Wong.
Says Kate Applin on Wong’s work with
the company:
“Alison has been with us since the very
beginning. It’s her fifth season with
B ,K
F
MYOpera, and she has been one of the
P ' P ' J
I
S
founding creatives, in the sense that she’s
L
I
been with us since the start. She’s done a
lot of work to establish what Metro Youth
Opera’s visual style is and what it offers to audiences, which is a sort
of contemporary, more scaled-back version of shows. Especially in
the early season, she has worked with very tight constraints and she’s
been able to offer unique artistic visions every single season.”
PRICELESS!
Vol 20 No 7
CONCERT LISTINGS | APRIL 1 – MAY 7 2015
In With The New:
AKER RUCKER AND ARAH
Choral Scene:
AX S ARRY S UDITH
Music & The Movies:
NTRODUCING EYMOUR
DISCoveries:
ISTENING N
8 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
thewholenote.com
children. “For all ages, the
impact of the sung human
voice is still the most overwhelming—it goes right to
the centre of most people.”
Shoestring’s mandate,
which is one part educational
and one part about creating
innovative adaptations of the
classics, is a complex one to
realize. “What’s so interesting
about this little company
is that they’re adapting
the structure of opera to
where we are now in North
Gillian Grossman and Jeremy
Ludwig, Schoolyard Carmen
America,” explains Strongman.
“They’ve done a contemporary Magic Flute, they also do it in a bilingual way, and they’ve even adapted the story of Carmen to being about
being an immigrant in a new school.”
When asked about why these kid-friendly re-interpretations matter,
Strongman continues: “Why does 19th-century, or early 20th-century,
opera continue to exist? It’s the tunes. And they’re a part of our
society. It’s cross-cultural, cross-generational. If you hear the Toreador
song you know that you know it. You don’t necessarily know it from
Carmen. But there’s an infiltration in our culture of these wonderful
tunes. And I think, what better way for children to learn than when
the stories are about children, but the music is attached to the
emotional state that they’re in. The stories and tunes are cutting right
at the core of what opera is, and why it exists.”
The bravery of adapting these classics to resonate with new audiences living in different times is, according to Strongman, characteristic of this particular time in our city. “When I started doing this,
you couldn’t pay people to cross the street to see something called
‘contemporary opera.’ Opera had a lot of baggage, and the false
sense that you needed to have money and that you needed to dress
up. Now, there has been a breaking out of the boundaries of the
hallowed halls—of the reverence—and I think that’s so healthy. For
these kids, opera is a learning tool—but beyond that, it has lasting
reverberations.”
Shoestring Opera’s current production of Bizet’s Carmen, called The
Schoolyard Carmen, is onstage at the Solar Stage Children’s Theatre
on April 12.
Bicycle Opera Project: Have wheels, will travel! The ability of opera
to exist in many different forms is a big part of what local groups
have been exploring—and one group in particular has taken operatic innovation to a very special place. The Bicycle Opera Project,
led by soprano and artistic director Larissa Koniuk, is a small opera
company of young professional singers and instrumentalists that tours
each summer to venues across southern Ontario—by bike. With a
program that features Canadian contemporary opera scenes, Koniuk
and her team aim to craft an introduction to opera that is relatable
and relevant.
“The very first opera I ever saw was Wagner at the COC,” says
Geoffrey Sirett, the project’s co-producer and resident baritone. “So,
not exactly an easy initiation into the genre. That was a very memorable experience—but now a part of my passion is building something
that’s a bit more accessible and can introduce people to an art form
that I’m very passionate about, and that I think has a lot to offer a
younger demographic.”
That accessibility is key to the Bicycle Opera Project’s mandate, and
has a far-reaching impact on the works they choose to program—
including the language in which they sing. “A big alienating factor of
opera is that audiences here don’t usually speak Italian, or German,
or French, usually,” explains Sirett. “Being connected with repertoire can be a little more difficult. So the fact that we’re singing in the
vernacular with immediate intelligibility creates a different environment. There’s a different way of listening to music when you’re able
to absorb the words aurally, instead of reading them on surtitles. You
notice that an audience is leaning in. There’s a heightened level of
interest and focus when the words are in your own language.”
thewholenote.com
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 9
Beat by Beat | Classical & Beyond
So far, it seems to be working.
Now in its fourth year, the company
has been involved with numerous
summer music festivals and local
venues. Upcoming are collaborations with the RCM’s 21C Festival
in late May and with a number
of presenters in Nova Scotia and
Ontario. For Koniuk, the types of
audiences that the project attracts,
and the feedback they provide, is
a big part of what makes her think
that this approach to contemporary
opera is one with a viable future.
“I’m really proud of the diversity
of our audiences,” Koniuk says.
“We attract members of the cycling
community who have certainly
never seen contemporary opera, and Larissa Koniuk and Geoffrey Sirett
maybe have never even been to a live
classical concert. We also attract younger people who are part of the
larger arts community and also longstanding opera fans who possibly
have never given contemporary music a chance before.”
For Koniuk, helping those audiences give opera a chance is a central
pillar of the company’s work. By challenging those common misconceptions about the necessary grandeur of opera, Koniuk hopes to open
up listeners to what the genre has to offer.
“I think that we challenge the notion of who an opera singer is,”
she says. “We show people that opera singers aren’t this elite group of
people who are inaccessible, singing in a language that people don’t
understand. Rather, we’re regular folks who like getting on our bikes
and powering ourselves from one venue to the next. We get dirty, we
know how to change a flat tire, we get splashed in the mud, we get
caught in the rain—and we go to sleep and wake up the next day, put
on our costumes and put on a great show.”
The Bicycle Opera Project will perform a number of contemporary
opera scenes on May 21, as part of the RCM’s 21C Festival (which runs
May 20 to 24 this year). Keep an eye out for the details of their 2015
tour, which will include venues in Eastern Canada as well as a number
of dates in southern Ontario this summer.
So, what is the takeaway from these stories, and those of other local
companies that are working to realize a new vision of opera as a genre
in renewal?
For one thing, it shows that opera can be many things—grand,
intimate, comforting, shocking, and that grand doesn’t necessarily
mean the same as big. For another thing, that opera can also be for
many different kinds of people and be offered to audiences in many
different forms. And that the story of how opera continually remakes
itself for the times is as moving and inspiring as the stories opera tells.
Misconceptions about what the opera experience can and cannot be
are beginning to loosen their grip. The stories that opera tells are timeless; and these new storytellers are more than ready to take them to
fresh ears and eyes.
Water in the
Music
PA U L E N N I S
“Grimaud doesn’t sound like most pianists. She is a rubato artist, a
reinventor of phrasings, a taker of chances.”
— D.T. Max, The New Yorker, 2011
he remarkable French-born pianist Hélène Grimaud last visited
Toronto a year ago when she performed Brahms’ Piano Concerto
No.1 with the TSO and showed off her great dynamic range. Her
intimate pianism exposed the intrinsic beauty of the slow movement
and she entered fully into the passion of the third movement with its
rhapsodic cadenza, spurring the audience into an immediate standing
ovation. The year before she held the Koerner Hall audience in her
sway with a performance of her Resonances CD that moved from
Mozart to Berg to Liszt to Bartók, all united by the historical fact of the
composers being children of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Her upcoming Koerner Hall appearance April 19 is typical of her
adventurous spirit and imaginative programming. All the pieces are
united by the theme of water: Berio’s Wasserklavier III; Takemitsu’s
Rain Tree Sketch II; Fauré’s Barcarolle No.5 in F-sharp Minor, Op.66;
Ravel’s Jeux d’eau; Albéniz’s Almería from Iberia Suite Book 2; Liszt’s
Les jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’Este from Années de pèlerinage: Troisième
année, Janáček’s In the Mists I; Debussy’s La Cathédrale engloutie
T
MAT HENNEK
Sara Constant is The WholeNote’s social media editor. She
can be contacted at [email protected].
Hélène Grimaud with conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin in San Francisco at
the end of their recent tour with the Rotterdam Symphony Orchestra.
Celebrating
Brahms
Great Artist Music
Series presents
Jue Wang,
JOYCE LAI, violin; RACHEL MERCER, cello
TAK NG LAI, conductor
Double Concerto for Violin and Cello
Symphony No. 1
piano
Friday, May 1
8pm
Saturday May 9, 8PM,
Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St.W.
$35 Adult $30 Senior $20 Student
Call: TICKET BREAK 1-866-943-8849
auroraculturalcentre.ca
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10 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
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SASHA GUSOV
take a piece of music apart and free herself from the general body of
practice that has grown up around it.”
Ten days after her Toronto concert she performs with the Stamford
Symphony Orchestra to bring awareness to her other passion:
environmental education centred around wolves – she founded the
Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, New York in 1996.
Evgeny Kissin: Evgeny Kissin’s mother was a piano teacher, his
father an engineer. When Kissin was born (in Moscow in 1971), his
sister, who was more than ten years older, was learning the piano. In
Christopher Nupen’s DVD Evgeny Kissin: The Gift of Music, Kissin
tells a tale one would be inclined to dismiss as apocryphal were it not
for everything that has happened to him since. He had been a quiet
baby, even standing on his cot in silence as his sister practised. When
he was 11 months old, he opened his mouth and sang the Bach fugue
she had just been playing (the Prelude and Fugue in A-Major from the
2nd book of the Well-Tempered Clavier). By the time he could reach
the keyboard he was two and on his way to superstardom.
He elaborated in an interview with Frederic Gaussin for piano mag
on iplaythepiano.com. “Before I began my studies at the School, I had
been listening to music non-stop, practically from the day I was born.
I became familiar very early on with all different kinds of music and
pieces, until one day I became physically able to touch the keyboard
and play this repertoire, these melodies, by ear ... From the very
beginning, my taste was vast, very eclectic.”
In that interview he speaks of Chopin as the composer that he plays
the most, “whose music is closest to my heart.” He continues: “From
a pianistic point of view, Chopin was a revolutionary, the only one
(with the exception of young Scriabin, who drew much from Chopin)
who demands such flexibility from the hand at the piano.” Gaussin
raises the topic of Debussy – not in Kissin’s repertoire – as someone
who was not “any less sensitive or technically innovative than Chopin
in his personal idiom.” Kissin responds that the same is true of
Shostakovich, Schoenberg and Prokofiev, adding Messiaen, “whose
works I do not yet play. His music is profound, very spiritual. He’s a
from Préludes, Book I; concluding with
Brahms’ Piano Sonata No.2 in F-sharp
Minor, Op.2.
She told William Grimes of The New
York Times: “Water is the element most
necessary to life, the most precious
resource for our planet, the most
endangered and the one that poses
the greatest risk on its potential for
conflict.” Explaining her process in
a video for the artnet News website,
she described how she spent two
years “boiling down” her conception
of pieces having to do with water, to
reduce it to “something very pure and
Evgeny Kissin
abstract in its expression.” There were
several Liszt works that fit her original idea but the one she finally
selected was the “most abstract of all his water pieces.”
“An art form has to live in the moment,” she said. “It has to sound as
if it is being written while you hear it.” On the San Francisco Classical
Voice website she explained to Lara Downes earlier this year that the
water program is “more fragile and vulnerable repertoire, and as an
audience member you have to be willing to make that journey.”
When she performed the same pieces last December in New York
over ten nights, she did so in an inch of water, mixing performance art
metaphors. Anthony Thommasini in The New York Times described
the riveting 20-minute process of filling the 55,000 square foot Drill
Hall of the Park Avenue Armory with that inch of water for “Tears
Become ... Streams Become ... ” He called the collaboration between
Grimaud and the artist Douglas Gordon a “compelling, boldly original
work, a dramatic combination of art installation, light show and
piano recital.”
Brian Levine, the executive director of the Glenn Gould Foundation,
sees in Grimaud a resemblance to Gould: “She has this willingness to
thewholenote.com
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 11
Women’s Musical Club of Toronto
Career Development Award
Live Competition
Host: Julie Nesrallah, CBC Radio 2
Sunday, April 26, 2015
1.30 - 4.30 pm
WALTER HALL
FACULTY OF MUSIC
80 QUEEN’S PARK
12 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
Three finalists:
Pierre-André Doucet, piano
Charles Richard-Hamelin, piano
Stéphane Tétreault, cello
Prizes: $20 000, $10 000, $5 000
Tickets
$25
CALL
416-923-7052
www.wmct.on.ca
thewholenote.com
JINWON KIM
quartet without losing the ruminative lyricism of its slow movement.
Quick Picks:
April 8 and 9 former TSO music director Jukka-Pekka Saraste
returns to conduct Mahler’s glorious Symphony No.5 and accompany pianist Valentina
Lisitsa in Rachmaninoff’s
Rachel Mercer
romantic masterpiece, his Concerto
No.2. Conductor Peter
Oundjian, soprano Isabel
Bayrakdarian, violinist
Sergey Khachatryan and
pianist Serouj Kradjian
join with the TSO
April 22 for a concert
celebrating Armenian
music. It includes a
double dose of Aram
Khachaturian as well
as the world premiere
of Mychael Danna’s
Ararat, a suite Danna
constructed from his
soundtrack to Atom Egoyan’s film of the same name. May 6 finds
Oundjian supporting the up-and-coming twentysomething German
violinist Augustin Hadelich in Mendelssohn’s justly celebrated Violin
Concerto, a work which will appear on his next CD later this spring.
April 8 the co-artistic directors of the Chamber Music Society
of Lincoln Center, cellist David Finckel (ex-Emerson Quartet) and
pianist Wu Han, are joined by the versatile violinist Daniel Hope and
violist Paul Neubauer in a compelling program of piano quartets by
Mahler [Movement in A Minor], Schumann [E-Flat Major Op.47] and
Brahms [No.1 in G Minor Op.25] at Koerner Hall. Also at Koerner
Hall, April 24, take advantage of a rare chance to hear international
superstar Yannick Nézet-Séguin conduct his hometown ensemble,
Orchestre Métropolitain in a program of English music: Vaughan
Williams’ Symphony No.4; Elgar’s indelible Enigma Variations and
his ever-popular Cello Concerto with 20-year-old cellist Stéphane
Tétreault as soloist.
April 10 the Mercer-Oh Trio play Haydn, Jean Lesage and Smetana
under the auspices of the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society. Pianist Eric Himy shows off his technical prowess in a
program of Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Chopin, Albéniz and de Falla
April 25. Still in Waterloo, TSO violinist Arkady Yanivker leads the
Toronto Serenade String Quartet in music from Latin America April 28
while on May 2 it’s Sofya Gulyak of London’s Royal College of Music
perfect counter-example ... I see him in a way as the last survivor of an
extinct species. I will certainly play Messiaen in the future.”
May 1 marks Kissin’s first solo recital at RTH in 15 years; his most
recent appearance with the TSO was in May of 2012. It’s a virtuoso
program beginning with Beethoven’s Sonata No.21 in C major, Op.53
“Waldstein” with its glorious third movement, followed by Prokofiev’s
quietly charming, utterly logical Sonata No. 4 in C minor, Op.29.
Then three nocturnes and six mazurkas by Chopin lead into Liszt’s
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15 S.244/15 “Rákóczi March,” a quixotic
foot stomper.
Kissin’s popularity is immense, his intellectual and musical gifts
even more so. He once said that the main purpose of music is “that
it elevates us into the world of the sublime.” The evening should be
memorable.
Sara Constant: The WholeNote’s social media editor, flutist Sara
Constant, headlines a concert titled “Xi” at Array Space April 24
featuring an intriguing line-up of mid to late 20th-century music.
Stockhausen’s Xi (1987) for solo flute utilizes microtonal glissandi
throughout. Denisov’s Sonata for Flute and Piano (1960) has been
described as a collage of styles. Chiel Meijering, the composer of I Hate
Mozart (1979) for flute, alto saxophone, harp and violin, says that he
considers eroticism, sensuality and even obscenity prerequisites for
a high-quality performance of his music. In each of Lutosławski’s
Three Fragments (1953) the flute takes the melodic lead and the
harp supplies a consistent, animated backdrop. Tsuneya Tanabe’s
Recollections of the Inland Sea (1995) for flute and marimba was
inspired by the scenic impression the composer had as an adult of a
beautiful inland sea, Setonaikai, in the middle of Japan. The music,
he says is his effort to “express my interior vision of the sea, spreading
out before me….”
Seen and Heard: The elegant Vadim Repin shone in his Russian
repertoire – Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky – in Koerner Hall March 6;
The Vienna Piano Trio displayed an exemplary sense of ensemble
and an unusually close seating arrangement in their well-received
recital March 8 highlighted by Beethoven’s Kakadu Variations and
two Mendelssohn Andantes (from his Trio Nos.1 and 2; the latter
played as an encore); Till Fellner brought exceptional musicianship to
Mozart’s Piano Sonata K282 on March 10. Kudos to Music Toronto’s
Jennifer Taylor for bringing us Fellner as well as the London-based
Elias Quartet March 19. French sisters Sara and Marie Bittloch on
violin and cello set the tone for the quartet’s intimate sound and its
impeccable sense of ensemble. Equally attentive were second violinist
Scotsman Donald Grant and Swedish violist Martin Saving. Together
the foursome brought heavenly pianissimos and wonderful silences
that allowed Mozart’s music to breathe in his “Dissonance” Quartet
K465 and unrelenting anger and passion to Mendelssohn’s last string
BO HUANG
who tests the mettle of the Music Room’s piano
in music by Liszt, Coulthard and Mussorgsky.
She repeats the program in Toronto May 3
under Syrinx’s banner at the Heliconian Hall.
April 12 Syrinx presents the Seiler Trio
(violinist Mayumi Seiler, cellist Rachel Mercer
and pianist Angela Park) playing Beethoven’s
beloved Archduke Trio, Mendelssohn’s Trio
No.2 and Kevin Lau’s Trio.
April 13 finds the Associates of the Toronto
Symphony saluting the double bass with music
of Rossini, Boccherini and Dvořák. Double
bassist Tim Dawson teams up with violinists
Etsuko Kimura and Angelique Toews. violist
Christopher Redfield and cellist Marie Gelinas
at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre.
April 16 Music Toronto presents the Lafayette
Quartet, an all-female ensemble who have
remained together since their founding in
1986, a distinct rarity. Since then they have
spent their time entertaining audiences and
teaching some of Canada’s finest young string players from their base
at the University of Victoria. Their program includes a middle Haydn
quartet (No.28, Op.29, No.6), a late Beethoven (No. 15, Op.132) and
Jean Coulthard’s String Quartet No.2, “Threnody.” The latter two
pieces will be part of their Chamber Music Hamilton concert April 19.
Eric Paetkau
April 17, group of 27: TSO principal oboist Sarah
Jeffrey brings her warm sound to Mozart’s tuneful
Oboe Concerto K314; Symphonies by C.P.E. Bach (the
wild and beautiful Wq.179) and Haydn (No. 19), along
with Jocelyn Morlock’s addictive Disquiet complete an
intriguing group of 27 program. The group’s founder
and music director, the dynamic Eric Paetkau, whom
I interviewed in the December/January issue of The
WholeNote, has just been named music director of
the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. The night before
the concert, April 16, The WholeNote will be hosting
an open rehearsal of the group at the Centre for Social
Innovation, 730 Bathurst St., ground floor. Doors open
at 7:30pm. Experience g27’s lively playing in a casual,
intimate atmosphere.
April 25 Karin Kei Nagano, the teenage daughter
of conductor Kent Nagano and pianist Mari Kodama
(read the glowing review of her recording of all 32
Beethoven sonatas elsewhere in this issue), joins her
mother for what should be a memorable afternoon
of piano music; part of the BravoNiagara! Festival of
the Arts.
Paul Ennis is the managing editor of The WholeNote.
125 Years Dedicated Service to Music
Selection, Value and Expertise
Europe’s Great Pianos –The Measure of Excellence
210 Bloor St. West Toronto - www.remenyi.com
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April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 13
KOERNER HALL IS:
“A beautiful
space for
music”
THE GLOBE AND MAIL
The Chamber Music
Society of Lincoln Center
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2015 8PM
KOERNER HALL
Bold, lush, and exquisite piano quartets highlight
this unforgettable program. The all-star cast
includes guest violin Daniel Hope in works
by Mahler, Schumann, and Brahms.
Generously supported by David G. Broadhurst
Chilly Gonzales and
Kaiser Quartett
TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2015 8PM KOERNER HALL
Gonzales returns to Koerner Hall for an entire
evening! On this occasion the pianist, producer,
arranger, composer, raconteur, and provocateur
is joined by the Kaiser Quartett for a mix of solo
piano material, new pieces composed by Chilly
Gonzales for the Kaiser Quartett, and of course
classic Gonzo hits from the electro-piano universe
to his now infamous orchestral rap compositions.
Generously supported by David G. Broadhurst
Sir Roger Norrington
conducts the
Royal Conservatory
Orchestra
FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015 8PM
PRELUDE RECITAL 6:45PM KOERNER HALL
“One of the great innovators of our musical life,”
(The Guardian) Sir Roger Norrington conducts
a program of Ralph Vaughan Williams and
Ludwig van Beethoven symphonies.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin
conducts Orchestre
Métropolitain and
Stéphane Tétreault
FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2015 8PM KOERNER HALL
Conducting phenomenon and Music Director
of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Yannick
Nézet-Séguin leads Montreal’s Orchestre
Métropolitain and 20-year-old cellist
Stéphane Tétreault in a program of Elgar
and Vaughan Williams.
TICKETS START AT ONLY $25! 416.408.0208
273 BLOOR STREET WEST
(BLOOR
ST. & AVENUE
RD.)ST.
TORONTO
273
BLOOR STREET
WEST (BLOOR
& AVENUE RD.) TORONTO
Rebanks Family
Fellowship Concert
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015 7:30PM
MAZZOLENI CONCERT HALL
Free (ticket required)
Hear artists on the cusp of major careers.
This concert features solo and chamber works
performed by Rebanks Fellows currently enrolled
in the one-year Rebanks Family Fellowship and
International Residency Program.
Hélène Grimaud
SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2015 3PM
KOERNER HALL
“Grimaud liberated the music from the page.
It soared free. It was one of the most wondrous
things I have heard.” (The Herald) For her return
to Koerner Hall, she presents a program titled
Water Music.
Generously supported by an anonymous donor
Presented with the generous support
of the Rebanks Family and
The W. Garfield Weston Foundation.
The Glenn Gould School
Chamber Competition Finals
TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2015 7:30PM
MAZZOLENI CONCERT HALL
Free (ticket required)
Hear the talented ensembles of The Glenn Gould
School compete for over $11,000 in prizes and
the chance to perform a Prelude Recital in
Koerner Hall preceding a Royal Conservatory
Orchestra performance.
Presented in honour of R.S. Williams & Sons Company Ltd.
Academy Chamber
Orchestra
David Louie and
Véronique Mathieu
The Glenn Gould School
New Music Ensemble
SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2015 7:30PM
KOERNER HALL
Free (ticket required)
String students from The Phil and Eli Taylor
Performance Academy for Young Artists come
together as the Academy Chamber Orchestra
to perform a special concert.
SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 2015 2PM
MAZZOLENI CONCERT HALL
Pianist/harpsichordist David Louie joins
violinist Véronique Mathieu in a program of
three Bach sonatas for violin and harpsichord,
Händel's Harpsichord Suite No. 5, and selected
Scarlatti sonatas for solo harpsichord.
THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015 7:30PM
CONSERVATORY THEATRE
Free (ticket required)
Brian Current directs The GGS New Music
Ensemble in a program of cutting-edge
contemporary works by Gérard Grisey,
Alexina Louie, André Ristic, and
Michel van der Aa.
Generously supported by Doug Bodley.
ON SALE NOW www.performance.rcmusic.ca
Beat by Beat | In With the New
Many Cooks,
Tasty Broth
P
W E N D A LY N B A R T L E Y
art of what makes writing this In with the New column so
stimulating for me is getting a front row seat on what exactly is
defined as new moment by moment in the midst of our information-saturated and cross-pollinated culture. It’s an absorbing challenge. If you’ve been following this column for a while, you’ll recall
an earlier discussion here, about the Music Gallery’s XAvant series,
that focussed on how to define the current impetus to combine influences and genres within music. The XAvant series, each fall, has
presented music that highlights wildly diverse ways in which various
musicians and artists have created their own version of this trend,
and how various descriptive words and labels, such as urban abstract
music or transculturalism arise to define this music. (As part of the
XAvant series in the fall of 2013, a talk was even given on the movement towards going beyond traditional categories and identifying
music as genreless.) It is through festivals such as XAvant that we are
given the opportunity to encounter all at once numbers of artists with
unique takes on this phenomenon – get to taste from the whole menu
of what’s cooking in this area.
This month we get to see what happens
when you combine musicians who are
exploring these edges in their own individual work, and mix in an insatiably
curious creator who works in another art
form. In Toronto-based choreographer and
dancer Peggy Baker’s latest work, locus
plot, which runs from April 24 to May 3,
we get a glimpse of what is possible when
this happens. Through my conversations
with the two musical creators of this piece,
composer John Farah and vocalographer
Fides Krucker, it became evident that this
collaboration is creating something beyond
what we normally think of as interdisciplinary or even music for dance. Something expanding beyond what
even interdisciplinary might imply.
As a composer and pianist, Farah has been working with Baker for
the last few years. As she became more familiar with the breadth of
his compositional style, she began planning ahead to create a piece
that would make “full use of him, and allow him to pull out all the
stops,” as Farah describes it. What makes Farah’s work unique is the
way in which he combines quite disparate styles and sound sources
to create his own signature sound palette. A true creator of genreless
MURDER. MYSTERY. MADNESS.
BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE
ERWARTUNG
BARTÓK / SCHOENBERG
MAY 6 TO 23, 2015
Sung in Hungarian and German with English SURTITLES™
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16 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
John Relyea.
Photo: Gary Mulcahey
thewholenote.com
JAMIE DAY FLECK
music, you could say. To give you a more detailed overview of his style,
I refer you to a review of his most recent album Between Carthage
and Rome published in The WholeNote’s February issue. It turns out
that these qualities of Farah’s music were exactly what Baker wanted
from him – to use all parts of his toolbox in wrestling with how to
co-exist musically with both Baker’s dance and the vocal soundscore
created by Krucker.
Farah’s main musical pillars for the piece include what he calls
sound sculpture (or electroacoustics) created through a circuitry of
electronic software-based effects and processors alongside synthesizer
sounds; also quasi-tonal and modal minimalist piano music; highly
rhythmical beat-oriented electronics; prepared piano John Cage style;
and elements of improvisation. Part of the challenge for Farah was
to create a large-scale work where all these quite different components come together to create an artistic whole that makes sense for the
listener.
The result is not a series of movements that stop and start, but
rather a continually evolving piece that Farah himself performs
throughout. For example, at one point in the piece there is music
for electronic drums that has a definite rhythmical beat, which then
changes into an atmospheric electronic sound with no specific pitch
that floats for four minutes before developing into a solo piano part
that is mic’d and processed using different effects in the computer.
Work on the piece began with a math lesson by mathematician and
playwright John Mighton, hence the word locus in the title. Locus
is a math term referring to a set of points plotted in space to create
different shapes such as a parabola or circle. During the performance a series of Mighton’s original
drawings, diagrams and notes is
John Farah
projected onto the back screen,
which helps the audience make the
connection. Before any of the music
was composed, Farah thought that
the math focus would mean his
music would be primarily complex
rhythms, but that hasn’t necessarily happened. In fact, Baker
has encouraged him to follow his
impulses upon seeing what the
dancers are doing, which at times
has meant that the music he intuitively wants to compose creates a
contrasting accompaniment to the
dancer’s movements.
One example of this occurs in the first 12 minutes of the piece.
As the composer describes it, “the dancers are doing what appears
to be a strange type of square dance where they look at each other,
then switch places, look at each other again, and switch places again.
What you see is the constant creation of geometrical forms. Each time
the way in which they switch places is different, so you’re watching
the same thing happening with endless permutations. I began with
music that I thought I should compose – something rhythmical to
Peggy Baker and
Andrew Burashko
of sounds that we often equate with the
emotional states of “sad, mad and glad.”
In the end, the dancers are making
sound more than 50 per cent of the
time resulting in an extensive nonverbal
voice score. This way of working has
also sparked Baker’s creativity. “Because
she is so used to looking at movement, there’s something obvious about
it for her,” says Krucker. “But as soon
as the dancers are having to breathe
in a certain way to make the sounds,
all of a sudden it engages her in a very
different way.”
One interesting feature Krucker noted
in our conversation was that because the
point of departure for the piece is based
on math formulas, it creates an ambiguity as to who the dancers are in relation to each other. “We never need to
know if those two men are lovers, or
brothers for example, even though specific feelings in the body can
still arise.” The piece is not just about love or other common human
experiences that are the usual focus of staged works, although all sorts
of human stories could be made out of what we see and hear.
The challenges of a three-way collaboration with two musical
creators are met because of Baker’s respect for everyone’s contribution and creativity. To balance the two soundworlds of musical
score and the more vulnerable vocal sounds of the dancers requires
an attentive adjustment of timing, tone and volume. The result of
this alchemy of ingredients is, in Krucker’s words, “something that
feels holistic, and also very new. It’s a complete melding of art forms,
beyond being interdisciplinary, in a very practical, three-dimensional flesh and bones way, and this weaving is completely held in the
dancers’ bodies.”
One might wonder too, how much of the math legacy was left after
being filtered through the creative artistic process. But after watching
a rehearsal, Mighton was beaming and reflected that it was a deeply
satisfying meditation during which he was able to feel and hear the
math in it all. I suggest that witnessing this weaving and melding
of elements and forms be high on your priority list for the end of
the month.
Music Gallery Events: Continuing on with the Music Gallery’s tradition of presenting hybrid style artists, they team up with Contact
Contemporary Music to perform Professor Bad Trip on April 18. This
work, in three sections, is written for 11 instruments and electronics
match the movements of the dancers,
but it turned out that’s not what Peggy
wanted. I ended up with something that
just floats and sits there, using drones
and minimalist piano patterns with
reverb and delays. It’s something I never
would have done normally if it wasn’t
for the type of freedom that this piece
allows me. It’s a freedom within certain
constraints.”
It may seem that Farah’s full toolbox
of musical possibilities interacting with
Baker’s choreography would make for
a complete work. But that was not all
that Baker had in mind for the piece.
Something had stirred in her creative
mind as a result of working with
music designer and vocalist Krucker
on Baker’s piece land / body / breath.
In this work, the soundscape of folk
songs that Krucker and singing partner
Ciara Adams were performing was expanded to include various
sounds of bird songs and calls performed by the dancers. This made
such an impression on Baker that when Krucker showed up for her
initial meetings to work as dramaturge on locus plot, Baker asked:
“What sounds do you want the dancers to make?” Thus a surprised
and delighted Krucker became the vocalographer of the piece, a term
Baker created to describe her role.
Krucker’s approach to the voice has been rigorously and expertly
cultivated over many years, incorporating both the traditional bel
canto style along with the body/breath extended sound approach
of the Roy Hart tradition. In February’s WholeNote, I wrote about
Barbara Hannigan, another singer who combines these two traditions.
Paying attention to how a sound is made in the body has become
Krucker’s primary way of working, both as a vocal performer of
contemporary music and as a teacher and mentor of voice practice. So
it’s completely natural that she would approach working on locus plot
from this perspective of embodied sound.
Upon seeing what the dancers were doing with their bodies, she
imagined what she would do vocally if she were capable of doing
that particular movement. She then translated her sounds into ones
the dancers would feel comfortable making within their skill set. A
series of tightly scripted improvisations were then set up, connecting
specific movements with qualities or textures of sound and experimenting with how one sound interacts with another. Some sounds are
quite quiet, and others very loud and extended, encompassing a range
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April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 17
Beat by Beat | World View
and combines techno, psychedelic rock and spectral techniques. It’s
described as the Doors meet Pierre Boulez, with the Doors definitely winning out. Written by the late Italian composer Fausto
Romitelli, this piece has created a cult following with its appealing
mix of hypnotic ritual-like repetitions while riding the wave between
order and chaos. His work is seen as having a major influence on a
whole generation of younger composers. The evening also includes
The Michael Eckert Large Earth Ensemble, who combine elements
from various world cultures with classic rock guitar and synth sounds.
For rock and roll fans who like an experimental edge to their music,
this entire evening is not to be missed. Other Music Gallery events
in April include British improvised music masters Trevor Watts and
Veryan Weston on April 24; and the Blythwood Winds present their
“Hogtown Roundup” concert featuring three world premieres by
Toronto composers Barnes, Rowson and Lau on April 13.
John Tavener: One of Britain’s most distinguished liturgically inspired composers Sir John Tavener will be honoured by
Soundstreams in a concert on April 16 to commemorate his passing in
2013. Tavener’s Song for Athene, performed at the funeral of Princess
Diana, exemplifies the skill of this composer who knew how to create
contemporary works that were accessible to many. Tavener wrote over
30 works for British soprano Patricia Rozario, who will be performing
four of them in the Toronto concert along with Choir 21 and the
Toronto Children’s Chorus. Christos Hatzis (Canada), Jonathan
Harvey (Britain), and Vanraj Bhatia (India), all of whom create music
that expresses a spiritual dimension, will also be represented in the
program. Tavener’s The Lamb is part of a Mooredale Concerts event
on April 12 that features the Dublin Guitar Quartet and also includes
compositions by Philip Glass, György Ligeti and Leo Brouwer.
Infiltration! This month also offers several opportunities for
concertgoers of classical and baroque music to hear premieres of new
Canadian works. Here’s a listing of these events:
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra premieres Ararat by Mychael
Danna, which is a newly created suite of music from the soundtrack
originally written for Atom Egoyan’s film by the same name. April 22.
Tafelmusik premieres a newly commissioned work entitled
“Snow White” by Michael Oesterle in their concert entitled Baroque
Misbehaving. The concerts run from April 23 to 28.
Sinfonia Toronto performs Alice Ho’s “Mira for Violin and
Orchestra” on May 2.
Syrinx Concerts Toronto presents Sofya Gubyak performing Jean
Coulthard’s Piano Sonata No.2 on May 3.
Women’s Musical Club of Toronto presents a world premiere by
Christopher Mayo, a WMCT commission, performed by the piano
quartet Ensemble Made In Canada.
In With The New (Briefly):And finally, a listing of other concerts of
new music happening in Toronto and beyond:
New Music Concerts: The Ukrainian-Canadian Connection, with
dompositions by Silvestrov, Pauk, Pidgorna, Kulesha, Tsepkolenko,
April 4. (see my March WholeNote column for more details).
Canadian Music Centre: Amarok Ensemble performs works by
Morlock and Murphy, April 14.
Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society presents the
Penderecki String Quartet in a concert of Serbian and Croation
Chamber Works, with works by Katarina Čurčin, Michael Pepa,
Norbert Palej, and Sanja Drakulić, April 15.
Sara Constant concert, with works by Denisov, Lutosławski:,
Meijering, Stockhausen, and Tanabe, April 24.
Music Gallery at Arraymusic: Tim Berne’s Snakeoil plus Barnyard
Drama, April 29.
Royal Conservatory:Glenn Gould School New Music Ensemble
performing works by Canadian composers Alexina Louie and Andre
Ristic, and others. April 30.
JunctQin Keyboard Collective performs works for piano solo,
piano six hands, toy piano, melodica and electronics, including a
premiere by Jason Doell, winner of the 2014 Emerging Composer
Award, May 3.
Toronto to Tbilisi:
Zari Trio Keeps the
Song Alive
L
ANDREW TIMAR
et’s call it a personal rite of spring. Along with those first warm
sunny days, I also look forward to engaging with the larger
world in concerts at several of our region’s universities and
concert halls.
This season, my first focus falls on Toronto’s award-winning vocal
and instrumental trio Zari, which performs April 25 at the little jewel
of downtown venues, Musideum. Composed of Shalva Makharashvili,
Andrea Kuzmich and Reid Robins, Zari (meaning “bell” in Georgian)
draws on the rich regional repertoire of the polyphonic songs of the
Republic of Georgia. Standing at the crossroads of Europe and Asia,
their ancient country is called Sakartvelo by Georgians.
Declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO
in 2001, Georgian vocal polyphony, with its close harmonies and
untempered scales, is characterized by three-part singing in a variety
of regional styles. The songs range from the haunting melismatic
melodies of the Eastern provinces, to the wild, explosive counterpoint
of the West. They also include more recent romantic urban ballads.
Like many other groups I’ve highlighted in this column who have
musical affiliations to another part of the world, Zari was made
in Toronto. I spoke with the singer, ethnomusicologist and group
co-founder Andrea Kuzmich to get the skinny on Zari.
“It was formed in 2003. We met each other a few years earlier at the
downtown Toronto living room singing sessions of Darbazi” (Canada’s
first Georgian choir). Kuzmich quickly identified a key feature of the
group, its dedication to studying the older strata of Georgian music
in its birthplace. “We want to deepen our understanding of and
feeling for this musical treasure. When Zari performs, we embrace the
profundity of Georgian culture: its roots embedded in ancient times,
its strength and courage to survive and its inspiring hospitality.” To
that end the trio plans to return to Georgia this October for another
round of studies and concerts.
And like numerous Canadian groups that reference other geocultural milieus, Zari is perhaps better known there than here.
Kuzmich notes that during past Georgian tours, “we have performed
at the Chveneburebi festival, Festival of Megrelian song, First
International Festival of Gurian Song and other festivals that have
taken us around the country.” They have also been featured at the
“best performance halls of [the capital] Tbilisi, such as the Opera
House, and the Philharmonia Concert Hall.”
In addition to formal concert venues, Kuzmich points out the
hard-to-overstate significance of the supra. It’s the traditional, often
epic, Georgian feast which serves as an important locus for Georgian
social culture – and singing. “You know ... there’s a saying that the
best performances happen at the supras after the concerts. We can’t
really predict how many supras we’ll attend or which ones will be
most educational.” And the supra is such an integral part of Georgian
culture that it’s not easy to separate the supra from what happens each
day. “There will be [formal] toasting every day, if not multiple times in
the day, perhaps even around a table while we’re learning a song. In
that case the line between supra and lesson gets blurred.”
She gives an example of how such productive blurring can
evolve. “[One day] we were all set to have a lesson, but instead had
an impromptu midday supra at a small local house-restaurant in
Makvaneti, the village of our Gurian [region of Georgia] teachers ….
At the supra they sang many songs, interlaced with stories about
music-making from when they were little boys, during Soviet times,
Wendalyn Bartley is a Toronto-based composer and electrovocal sound artist. [email protected].
18 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
thewholenote.com
IRAKLI
to the past, the trio also plans to re-connect with researchers at
the Conservatoire, including colleagues at the Ethnomusicology
Department and the Research Centre for Traditional Polyphony.
“Giorgi Donadze, the leader of Basiani [a prominent choir], is also
the director of the State Folk Centre, so we’ll be connecting with
that institute,” adds Kuzmich. “And we always try to meet up with
Anzor Erkomaishvili, who endows us with new publications on
Georgian music.”
It’s always exciting to hear such a depth of passion and engagement
from an artist. I plan to catch Zari’s Musideum show to hear the latest
in the evolution of Georgian music, Toronto style.
World music in the university: April 1 the University of Toronto
Faculty of Music holds its annual spring concert of World Music
Ensembles at Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building. This season it’s
the African Drumming and Dancing, Latin American Percussion and
Steel Pan student groups’ turn to shine. Kwasi Dunyo, the Ewe master
drummer from Ghana who has for two decades been teaching in
universities and schools in Canada and the U.S.A. from his Toronto
home base, leads the first ensemble. The Latin American percussion
group is led by the accomplished Mark Duggan, an orchestral percussionist, composer and jazz musician. Even 32 years ago his highly
honed skills were in demand: he was chosen to play with Canada’s
first gamelan, the Evergreen Club. Michelle Colton, an emerging
multi-percussionist and educator, directs the Steel Pan ensemble.
The next day, on April 2 at noon, the world music focus shifts to the
Maureen Forrester Recital Hall, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo,
where the Conrad Grebel Gamelan Ensemble performs, directed by
Maisie Sum. Introduced into the university as a course only two years
ago by Sum, the gamelan semara dana, a kind of Balinese tuned
percussion-rich instrumental ensemble, is the first of its kind in
Southwestern Ontario. In an interview with The WholeNote a year
ago professor Sum reported an enthusiastic reception for the music
among the students. “Enrollment for the ensemble doubled in the
winter term, so we currently have two groups.”
After the excitement of the noon-hour Waterloo Balinese set, there’s
still plenty of time to get down to St. Catharines’ Brock University
the same day for an evening concert. Jaffa Road performs at the
Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, Centre for the Arts. The JUNO short-listed
Toronto world music group offers an amalgam of sacred and secular
Jewish song, jazz, Indian and Arabic music, with touches of electronica and dub.
Brazil’s musical ambassador: April 7 the Royal Conservatory of
Music presents “Gilberto Gil: Gilberto’s Samba” at Koerner Hall.
Hailed as “Brazil’s musical ambassador,” for more than 40 years the
singer, composer, guitar player – and former Minister of Culture –
has enjoyed an extraordinary career. Gil is perhaps best known as an
Zari performing at the Capitol International Festival of Megrelian Song in
Khobi, Georgia, 2007.
Left to Right – Andrea Kuzmich, Reid Robins and Shalva Makharashvili.
and today. We sang with them too, sometimes trading off at inner
cadence points. We probably sat there for over three hours. All three of
us [in Zari] felt inspired and very connected to the tradition [after that
experience], and we learned so much in that one sitting.”
I asked about Zari’s Musideum set list. “We’ll be performing songs
from several regions of the country,” said Kuzmich. She mentioned
a few songs on their long list. One of the Gurian songs is Chven
Mshvidoba (Peace to Us). “We are in the process of learning a fourth
or fifth variant, though in performance we tend to just let the improvisation happen.” Maglonia, a lyrical song from Samegrelo, features
accompaniment by the panduri, a prominent Georgian three-string
lute. “There are a few versions we are listening to, but the one we
mostly base our version on is by Polikarpe Khubulava, the Georgian
master singer who passed away on January 1, 2015,” she added. “We
will also do songs from [the regions of] Imereti and Achara, which are
similar, though Imereti has more parallel thirds in the top voice, plus
one of those dense Svaneti chordal songs. It’s a place which is snowbound for eight months of the year and the songs, like the people,
are rugged.”
Zari feels the need to regularly re-connect with those wellsprings
of the oral musical tradition they’ve been born into – or as in the case
of Kuzmich, chosen – in order to fuel their inspiration and artistry.
Their Musideum concert is part of a series of fundraisers to help get
them back to Georgia to study with elder master singers, some well
past retirement age. In addition to such venerable living connections
P E G G Y B A K E R DANCE PROJECTS
A new full-evening work
created by choreographer
Peggy Baker
composer and musician: John Kameel Farah
vocalographer: Fides Krucker and dancers: Ric Brown,
Sarah Fregeau, Kate Holden, Sean Ling and Sahara Morimoto
April 24 -26, 29 - 30, May 1 - 3
Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis Street
Tickets: www.peggybakerdance.com
1-800 838-3006 Book early bird tickets by April 3
using promotion code EARLY20 for $20 tickets!
The creation of locus plot is made possible by the generosity of our donors.
Season Supporter: BMO Financial Group. Lead underwriters: Martha Burns, Joan & Jerry Lozinski,
The Bennett Family Foundation, and The McLean Foundation. Supporting Underwriters: Gail Drummond,
Robert Sirman, Craig Thorburn & Cindy Caron Thorburn, and The Hal Jackman Foundation.
an Ontario government agency
un organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario
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Liv
Sounedmusic by
C strea
in-Res omposer- ms
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John K nce (2013)
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Farahmeel
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 19
Beat by Beat | Early Music
eloquent exponent of bossa
nova, but he is
also a pioneer of
the tropicalia and
Brasileira genres.
The New York
Times summed up
his monumental
yet affable stage
presence: “delicate bossa novas,
Gilberto Gil
strummed rockers
and intricate
sambas … Mr. Gil didn’t trumpet his virtuosity. It was offered genially,
like his melodies and his un-didactic thoughts on love, poetic license
and mortality.”
Taiko meets tabla: April 11 two established groups on the Toronto
world music scene join for an evening of transcultural percussioncentric musical dialogues. The Japanese taiko group Nagata Shachu
directed by Kiyoshi Nagata meets the JUNO-nominated Toronto
Tabla Ensemble directed by Ritesh Das on the stage of the Brigantine
Room, Harbourfront Centre. Having attended concerts by both groups
from their early days, it’s evident that collaborations are important
to each. Nagata shares that “I feel that the primal and thunderous
sounds of the taiko are a perfect complement to the subtle and intricate rhythms of the tabla. Ritesh and I feel a certain connection, both
musically and in terms of how we were trained in our respective traditions.” The personal history the two directors share is an important
link between their groups. “I am thrilled to be once again working
with Kiyoshi Nagata,” reflects Das. “[He was] one of the first artists I
collaborated with after coming to Toronto in 1987. When we rehearsed
for the first time in 20 years, I felt a new sense of maturity from both
ends, which led to an immediate understanding between us. Together
we can create a very rich and elegant Indo-Japanese collaboration.”
This respectful fusion not only marks an advanced musical maturity,
but is a positive thermometer of the future health of Toronto’s world
music scene.
At the Aga Khan Museum: A week later the new Aga Khan Museum
and the well-established Raag-Mala Music Society of Toronto join
forces for the first time in two concerts at the Aga Khan Museum
Auditorium. Titled “Miyan-Ki-Daane: Raags of Tansen,” the programs,
presented in the Hindustani dhrupad and khayal music genres, celebrate the music of Miyan Tansen, a bright star among the composers
and singers of Emperor Akbar’s 16th-century North Indian court. His
beautiful compositions have been passed on through many generations of oral tradition through the guru-shishya parampara, the
particular manner of transmission from teacher to disciple in traditional Indian culture.
The first program April 18 features singer Samrat Pandit and bansuri
(bamboo flute) player Rupak Kulkarni. The singer received the prestigious Sangeeta Shiromani Award from the State of Maharashtra just
last year, while Kulkarni is widely recognized as a leading bansuri
player. On April 19 Uday Bhawalkar, among the foremost exponents of
dhrupad singing today, and the respected sitarist Partha Bose, present
an unusual 11am late morning concert. Audiences will thus have a
rare opportunity to hear raags appropriate to that time of day, a practice still maintained in Hindustani classical music. It’s definitely worth
making alternate work arrangements for this concert.
April 24, also at the Aga Khan Museum, sounds of the Sahara, the
Magreb and West Africa are blended with contemporary pop and funk
by the powerhouse Noura Mint Seymali. This compelling singer, a star
in Mauritania, was born into a prominent Moorish griot family. She is
also a master of the ardine (nine-stringed harp) and a composer.
I
DAV I D P O D G O R S K I
miss German composers. They are an unavoidable part of the
musical topography for anyone playing music from Mozart to
Schoenberg, but in early music, there are only a few chances to
play anything German or Austrian. There’s Bach, of course, and the
odd piece by Telemann, which I suppose is enough for most nonGermanophiles. Handel’s Messiah rolls around every December,
too and a baroque violinist will occasionally program a Biber violin
sonata, but that’s about it. There isn’t, alas, exactly a major movement
in the city devoted to reviving Heinrich Schutz, nor is anyone particularly interested in programming anything by C.P.E. Bach anymore.
Hasse? I never hear him in Toronto. Graun? Forget about it. So I’m
particularly indebted to Opera Atelier for increasing diversity and
enlivening the musical conversation in the city by adding a bit of
Christoph Willibald Gluck to their regular repertoire. More specifically,
I’d like to throw my support behind their decision to put on his bestknown opera, Orfeo ed Eurydice, this month.
Never heard of Gluck? Don’t worry. Gluck is very much a conventional Classical (with a capital C) composer, so if you know Mozart,
you’ll have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Gluck wrote Orfeo
when Mozart was just a child, and given that the opera got its first
performance in Vienna, it’s very likely that it was a direct influence on the young composer. It’s reasonable to say that Gluck comes
across as an old-fashioned version of Mozart, with perhaps more of a
French influence (accompanied recits, dance movements, a lot for the
chorus to do) but his Orfeo is much more hummable, than, let’s say,
Monteverdi’s. Combine this music with Opera Atelier’s diverse and
estimable talents, e.g. Marshall Pynkowski’s direction, and accompaniment furnished by Tafelmusik under David Fallis, and this show
is a sure-fire hit. Opera Atelier performs Orfeo ed Eurydice at the
Elgin theatre April 9 to 18.
Tafel in the Underworld: The story of Orpheus, the famed musician
descending into hell to charm the denizens of the underworld and
rescue his princess, has captivated musicians for centuries. As epic
stories featuring heroic musicians go, though, the myth of Orpheus
still pales, at least in contemporary relevance, to the ongoing saga
of Who Will Lead Tafelmusik. Finding yourself under scrutiny as a
potential artistic director for one of Canada’s top orchestras is not
unlike having to face down Cerberus, a comparison which, I would
venture, is not lost on potential candidates.
This month’s installment of the Tafelmusik audition process (a
season with invited conductors/concertmasters) brings us violinist
Aisslinn Nosky, who will be leading Tafelmusik in a program of music
by Purcell, Charpentier and Telemann. Nosky’s got quite a few things
going for her, as an up-and-coming musician with a following in
Toronto (her chamber band I Furiosi has just about the youngest audience I’ve seen at a classical music concert) as well as having a long
history with the group as both a student and full-time member. Is
Aisslinn Nosky the next Jeanne Lamon? Does she have what it takes
to beat the odds and win Canada’s most coveted music job? Well, we
won’t know that until next year. You can, however check it out and
decide for yourself from April 23 to 26 at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre as
well as April 28 at George Weston Recital Hall.
Ahearn at TEMC: There are a number of members of the Tafelmusik
crew who are busy this month with a few smaller (and potentially less stressful) chamber music concerts. Tafelmusik violinist
Patricia Ahearn will perform a solo concert under the Toronto Early
Music Centre banner in a program at St. David’s Anglican Church
that features a few of the Germanic stalwarts of the early music
repertoire I mentioned earlier – Bach, Biber and Telemann. And
what a solo program! It’s a concert of monstrous pieces – namely
Andrew Timar is a Toronto musician and music writer. He
can be contacted at [email protected].
20 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
Nosky in the
Underworld
thewholenote.com
an unaccompanied
Telemann fantasia,
the Bach unaccompanied violin sonata in
G minor, and the Biber
passacaglia. None of
these pieces is particularly easy by itself on
a program, so all three
together on the same
bill is quite an ambitious
array of difficult music.
Watching Ahearn pull
this off will be a thrilling
experience – she’ll be
performing on Sunday
April 19, at 2:30pm.
Early at Eastminster:
Tafelmusik’s artistic
director Jeanne Lamon
and principal cellist
Christina Mahler are also
highlighting a chamber
concert at Eastminster
United Church in a
concert of Haydn and Boccherini on April 18 at 8pm. They’ll be joined
by a couple of notable younger musicians – namely Edwin Huizinga
and Kerri McGonigle, so this should be an enjoyable performance that
brings together a couple of established artists with two of Toronto’s
most talented up-and-comers.
Torture at Calvin: Aisslinn Nosky will also be performing earlier in
the month with her regular band, I Furiosi at the group’s most regular
venue, Calvin Presbyterian Church (26 Deslisle Ave., St. Clair subway).
They’re calling it Instruments of Torture, which sounds either
Aisslinn Nosky
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April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 21
Beat by Beat | Choral Scene
particularly unpromising or promising, depending on your bent. One
thing it won’t be, though, is painful to the ear; I Furiosi is known for
putting together amusing musical miscellanies that never take things
too seriously. Given the title, it’s likely to include a few selections
to appease your organological fetish, and the group will throw in a
pop tease here and there. I Furiosi will be presenting Instruments of
Torture along with lutenist Lucas Harris on Friday April 10 at 8pm.
17th-Century Avant Garde: There’s one more chamber concert
featuring Tafelmusik violinists going on this month - the group
Musicians in Ordinary, probably the hardest-working instrumental
group in Toronto, will be presenting a concert featuring Chris Verrette
and Patricia Ahearn along with their core duo of soprano Hallie
Fishel and lutenist John Edwards. This particular concert, entitled In
Stile Moderno, features the music of Renaissance Italy’s avant-gardists. Claudio Monteverdi broke more than a few conventions of traditional style and perceptions of good taste when he began publishing
madrigals and instrumental music as a court composer in Mantua.
The musical establishment of the day was outraged, but Monteverdi’s
musical revolution eventually made him the most famous composer
of his day. It’s also interesting to note that he didn’t do it alone - the
master had a few followers in his circle who either tried to imitate
his style or were just sick of the last two hundred years of tedious
Renaissance polyphony. Salamone Rossi was one such disciple, and
he didn’t do too badly either: although he never enjoyed Monteverdi’s
level of fame, he’s still the most famous (and the most talented) Jewish
classical composer before Mendelssohn.
The Musicians will be dedicating a concert to the music of the aforementioned two audacious Italians along with some of their Mantuan
“modern style” contemporaries. You can check them out at Heliconian
Hall on May 2 at 8pm.
I
Parry’s Judith,
Tavener’s Muse
BENJAMIN STEIN
wonder if we’ll ever overcome our tendency to judge people by
their musical taste? When I see social media memes that make lofty
pronouncements about the Power of Music (common elements:
sunset; a violin bow; Mozart; a rose on a grand piano), I know what
I’m in for when I get to the comments section: predictable complaints
about today’s lousy songs; the ignorant new generation; hip hop;
Taylor Swift; heavy metal, etc.
I have no problem with honest snobbery, I just wish snobs would
be consistent. If your musical preferences are elevated ones, you can’t
stop there – Benjamin Britten and cheeseburgers don’t mix. Your
tastes in literature, dance, film, visual art, clothes, food and architecture need to be on the same haute plateau. If you’ve achieved that,
congratulations, your superb acumen is beautifully integrated into
every aspect of your life. Unfortunately, you’re probably insufferable.
More likely, you don’t actually exist.
Here’s the key – snobbery works best in opposition. It’s not enough
to like something – what are you, eight? To be a true aesthete you
have to hate something as well. Our love of Sondheim’s tart rhymes
is made keener by our dismissal of Lloyd Webber’s sugary melodic
hooks. Our veneration of Bach requires a good sneer at the burghers
who preferred Telemann for the prestigious post at the Leipzig
Thomaskirche. We hone our love of Hank Williams by sharpening our
disdain for Clint Black. Louis Armstrong vs. Wynton Marsalis? I Can’t
Even, as the status updates say.
David Podgorski is a Toronto-based harpsichordist, music
teacher and a founding member of Rezonance. He can
be contacted at [email protected].
BACH CHILDREN’S CHORUS
BACH CHAMBER YOUTH CHOIR
Linda Beaupré, Conductor
Eleanor Daley, Pianist
Sing it high!
Sing it low!
SATURDAY MAY 9, 2015
AT 7:30PM
$40 and $35 at the Toronto Centre box office
or TicketMaster at 1-855-985-2787 (ARTS)
Toronto Centre for the Arts 5040 Yonge Street
Photo by Flickr user Mat Simpson
Used under Creative Commons licence
Design by David Kopulos www.davidkopulos.com
facebook.com/BCCandBCYC bachchildrenschorus.ca
22 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
thewholenote.com
EMILY DING
CHOIR & ORGAN CONCERTS
Stephanie Martin conducts the Pax Christi Chorale (February 2014)
Lovers of choral music yield to no one in their readiness to indulge
in a good love it/hate it status fest. But there are elements of choral
culture that mitigate this unfortunate tendency and may make us a
little more tolerant than say, indie-rock fans or free improv obsessives.
For one thing, there is a strong amateur aspect to choral music, in
both the modern and ancient sense. We usually love what makes us
feel good, and the modernist asceticism that produced so much defiantly listener-unfriendly music in the last century made less headway
in choral circles than, say, orchestral ones. For another, the kind of
singing that takes place in liturgical settings, or even plain old group
singalongs, has had its influence on choral composers. And finally,
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ROYTHOMSON.COMMCHOIRORGAN
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 23
On May 3 at Koerner Hall, Toronto conductor/composer Stephanie
Martin and her ensemble, the Pax Christi Chorale, are undertaking
the North American premiere of a neglected oratorio by Parry, Judith.
First performed to great success in 1888, it tells the biblical story of the
heroic Jewish heroine who saves her people by her daring assassination of the Assyrian general Holofernes.
Martin’s interest in the piece turned into something of a quest
when she discovered that the orchestral parts for Judith were not
available from the original publisher. Assembling a research team
and enlisting the help of British Parry scholar Jeremy Dibble, Martin
created a performing edition of the score on her own. You can read
her thoughts about Judith and its recovery process on her blog, at this
address: stephaniemartinmusic.com/judith-at-koerner-hall/. Martin
and the Pax Christi Chorale have worked incredibly hard on this
historic project – which will also include the first full recording of the
work – and I truly hope that they get a strong audience turnout for the
performance.
Tavener Explored: Another British composer is celebrated in
Toronto this month – John Tavener, who died in 2013, almost a
century after Parry. On April 16 Soundstreams presents “Song for
Athene,” a concert devoted to Tavener’s works, that will also feature
ALEXANDRA
Patricia Rozario
children’s choirs are a main entry point of apprenticeship both for
musicians and choral music audiences, and composers who write
for them know that their music must be visceral, energetic, and
above all, fun.
Unfortunately, choral audiences also have a tendency to stick with
what they know, and our preference for familiarity and adherence
to the cult of the masterwork means that a good deal of interesting
music goes unheard. We’re willing to listen to minutiae and fragments
from our musical gods – our love of Mozart’s final musical sketchbook,
the Requiem in D Minor, proves that. But coming up this month is an
exciting revival of a work by a composer who is familiar to us for only
a few pages of his entire musical oeuvre.
Parry’s Judith: Anyone who has attended a Last Night of the Proms
concert knows Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry’s Jerusalem, and
anyone who’s sung in a church choir knows his “Dear Lord and
Father of Mankind.” Parry’s name alone situates him firmly in the
19th century, a time when British imperialism dominated politics and
culture. But isn’t that the kind of facile dismissal I deplored above? If
music of 18th-century Austria still speaks to us, what about British
music from closer to our time, and from a culture that many of us still
understand and share?
Parry (1848–1918) had a distinguished career as composer, essayist
and teacher. Among other achievements, he wrote some of the first
articles in the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, a resource
that remains central to music research today. Unlike composers such
as Vaughan Williams and Holst, whose music seems to have been able
to bridge the gap between the Victorian/Edwardian eras and our own,
Parry’s has been ignored or dismissed since his death, surfacing most
often in the types of settings mentioned above.
Robert Cooper, CM, Artistic Director
Edward Moroney, Accompanist
Greg Rainville, Assistant Conductor
Tickets: $35; $30 senior; $10 student
www.orpheuschoirtoronto.com
416 530 4428
BMO
Financial Group
Financial Group
Orpheus Choir’s season sponsor
BMO
This concert supported by a project grant
from Canada Council for the Arts.
Financial Group
an Ontario government agency
un organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario
24 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
Touch the Earth Lightly
May 9, 2015 7:30 p.m.
Grace Church on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Road
Reflect on humanity’s relationship with the Earth through the Toronto
premieres of Ten Thousand Rivers of Oil by Canadian composer
Leonard Enns, and Sunrise: A Symphonic Mass by the
renowned Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo. Experience
in sound and images a moving and thought-provoking
journey connecting life with the planet on which we live.
With the Talisker Players
thewholenote.com
music of Jonathan Harvey and Canada’s own Christos Hatzis. David
Fallis will lead Choir 21, and Elise Bradley will conduct the Toronto
Children’s Chorus. The concert is notable both for the special participation of British soprano Patricia Rozario, a musician who is especially associated with Tavener, and for whom he wrote over 30 works,
and for the North American premiere of Tavener’s setting of the Missa
Brevis text. For more information see
soundstreams.ca/Song-for-Athene.
Like the Judith concert, I think this exploration of Tavener is an
event not to be missed this month. Parry, once celebrated, may be
re-emerging from the shadows. Tavener, recently deceased, is greatly
popular in choral circles. What will be his fate in the century to come?
Once again, I’m uneasily aware of having neglected many excellent
concerts while focusing on just two. Please have a look in the listings
and stay informed about what’s taking place this month. In May I will
take an in-depth look at the art of a cappella singing.
Judith
A grand oratorio
from Britain’s
Victorian master,
C.H.H. Parry
North American Premiere
Benjamin Stein is a Toronto tenor and lutenist. He can be contacted
at choralscene@thewholenote. Visit his website at benjaminstein.ca.
Elmer
Iseler
Singers
Lydia Adams, Conductor
and Artistic Director
Pax Christi Chorale & Orchestra
Saturday, April 18, 2015
at 4:00 pm
Stephanie Martin, Artistic Director
Shannon Mercer
David Menzies
Christ Church Deer Park
Island Lore:
The Mystic Tide
Sunday, May 3, 2015, 3pm
Jillian Yemen
Michael York
Koerner Hall, Toronto
Koerner Hall box office 416-408-0208
Performance.RCMusic.ca
PaxChristiChorale.org
Experience music that will stir your soul, by island-based
composers such as McGlynn and Stanford (Ireland),
Childs (New Zealand), Willcocks (England) and others.
Hear how rugged coastlines and bountiful oceans
can inspire the creation of beautiful music!
LYDIA ADAMS, Conductor & Artistic Director
2014 • 2015 TORONTO CONCERT SERIES
0
4
Joy of Singing:
The Magic of Song!
Of Heart and Tide:
The Gift of WATER
Guest Host BEN HEPPNER, C.C., AMADEUS CHOIR HONORARY PATRON
Special Guest ROBERTA BONDAR, O.C., O.ONT., M.D., PH.D.
Sat. April 11th, 2015 • 7:30 pm
Tickets; $40, Seniors $35, Students $15
Reserve now: 416-217-0537
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, Jeanne Lamon Hall 427 Bloor St. W., Toronto
(1 block west of Spadina)
Series Sponsor
Presenting works by Whitacre,
Schafer, Henderson and featuring a
world premiere by Sid Robinovitch:
“Of Heart and Tide”, commissioned in
memory of Geoffrey and Irene (Gene)
Parsons. Breathtaking photos by
Dr. Roberta Bondar on the theme of
water intertwined with the beautiful
singing of the Amadeus Choir.
A multi-media event not to be missed!
Canada Council for the Arts
Conseil des Arts du Canada
416-217-0537
www.elmeriselersingers.com
PETER MAHON
Sales Representative
416-322-8000
[email protected]
www.petermahon.com
For tickets call
Amadeus Choir
416-446-0188
TICKETS
$15-$40
FEATURING:
Amadeus Choir of
Greater Toronto
Lydia Adams, conductor
Christopher Lee, flute
Ed Reifel, percussion
Shawn Grenke, piano
Concert Sponsor
Sandra
Parsons
COMING NEXT:
Earth Songs, Love Songs
Sun. May 24, 2015 • 4PM
For tickets call Toronto Centre for the Arts/
Ticketmaster toll-free 1-855-985-2787.
an Ontario government agency
un organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario
thewholenote.com
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 25
Beat by Beat | On Opera
performances by Canadian Robert Gleadow with Turkish bass Burak
Bilgili taking over May 9, 19 and 21.
May 15 will be the date of the Ensemble Studio performance of the
opera with tickets priced at only $25 and $55.
Atelier’s Orfeo: The second major production of the month is Opera
Atelier’s second ever foray into 19th-century opera after its highly
CHRISTOPHER HOILE
successful production of Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz (1821)
n previous years April has been the month in the year with the
in 2012. This is the version by Hector Berlioz (1803-69) of Christoph
single highest concentration of opera presentations. This year that
Willibald Gluck’s Orfeo et Euridice (1762). Gluck himself wrote two
is not the case. The change may be because Easter falls between
versions of Orfeo. The original of 1762 was written to an Italian libretto
April 3 and April 5 pushing some presentations into March and
and was the first of Gluck’s operas that proposed to simplify the opera
delaying others. Or it may simply be that opera companies have
seria, then in vogue, by stripping away the complexities of music and
tried to spread their offerings out more evenly over March through
plot that had gradually accrued to it. Gluck’s goals were a return to
May. Even so, the Canadian Opera Company, Opera Atelier and
clarity of music and of storytelling. Twelve years later, in 1774, Gluck
Toronto Operetta Theatre all have productions this month, with TOT
revised the opera to a French libretto, now called Orphée et Eurydice,
offering a rare revival and Opera Atelier a 19th-century revision of an
to suit the tastes of the French public. This involved changing the role
18th-century masterpiece.
of Orphée from a castrato in the Italian version to a high male tenor,
COC’s Barber: The first opera to arrive will be the COC’s
or haute-contre, in the French version. It also necessitated expanding
new production of
the ballet sequences.
Rossini’s The Barber
Because of Opera Atelier, Toronto audiof Seville playing 13
ences have had the privilege of seeing
performances from
both versions: the Italian version in 1997
April 17 through May 22.
and the French version in 2007. Now OA
This is a co-production
will put Torontonians in a very special
with Houston Grand
class by giving us the Berlioz version of
Opera, Opéra National
1859. When the Paris Opera considered
de Bordeaux and Opera
reviving Orphée et Eurydice in 1859 it
Australia directed by
was noted that the role of Orphée was
the group known as
too high for an haute-contre. What had
by its Catalan name
happened, as period instrument enthusiof Els Comediants. If
asts will know, is that concert pitch had
the name of the group
gradually risen over the previous 75
sounds vaguely familiar
years.The reason for this “pitch inflait is because the group
tion” was the rise of independent orcheswas responsible for the
tral music (as opposed to accompanying
staging of Rossini’s La
orchestral music) where instrumentalists
The Barber of Seville, Opera National de Bordeaux 2012 production.
Cenerentola in 2012, a
felt that a higher pitch gave works a more
production most people
brilliant sound. remember for its inclusion of stylized mice as onlookers. This will be
When Giacomo Meyerbeer suggested that French contralto Pauline
the 11th time the COC has presented Barber, the last time in 2008
Viardot (1821-1910), a composer in her own right, should sing Orphée,
directed by Michael Patrick Albano. The production by Els Comediants
Berlioz agreed to revise the score with Viardot’s voice in mind. He
debuted in Houston in October 2011, later to be seen in Bordeaux in
was France’s greatest expert in Gluck, whose works he had chamSeptember 2012.
pioned since 1825. In 1856 he wrote: “There are two supreme gods in
The opera is based on the first of three plays by Pierre-Augustin
the art of music: Beethoven and Gluck.” In his revision Berlioz used
Caron de Beaumarchais (1732-99) featuring the barber Figaro as a
the key scheme of the Italian version but most of the music of the
central character. An eternal confusion for operagoers is that the most
French version, returning to the Italian version only when he thought
famous setting of Beaumarchais’ second Figaro play, Le Mariage de
it superior in terms of music or drama. This new version proved to
Figaro (1784), was set first by Mozart in 1786, while the most famous
be a major success and became the principal version played in opera
version of the first play in the series, Le Barbier de Séville (1775) was
houses until the advent of the early music revival of the 1970s.
set second by Rossini in 1816. (The third Figaro play, La Mère coupAlthough Berlioz’s Orphée is based on 18th-century music, his 1859
able (1797) did not become an opera until Darius Milhaud set it in
revision marks the furthest into the 19th century that Tafelmusik
1966 and John Corigliano used it as subplot in his The Ghosts of
or Opera Atelier have travelled. The production will star Canadian
Versailles in 1991.)
mezzo-soprano Mireille Lebel as Orphée and feature OA favourite
Based in Barcelona, Els Comediants, made up of director Joan Font,
Peggy Kriha Dye as Eurydice and Meghan Lindsay as Amour. David
set and costume designer Joan Guillén and lighting designer Albert
Fallis will conduct and Marshall Pynkoski direct. The opera plays
Faura, have created a Cubist-inspired set, painted in Day-Glo colours,
April 9, 11, 12, 14, 17 and 18.
that plays with scale and proportion. Xevi Dorca, who worked with
TOT’s Earnest: The third major production of the month is the
Els Comediants on La Cenerentola, also choreographs Barber. On
revival by Toronto Operetta Theatre of Earnest, the Importance of
the podium will be Scotsman Rory Macdonald, last seen here as the
Being by Victor Davies to a libretto by Eugene Benson. The operetta
conductor of Carmen in 2010
was a TOT commission and first performed in February 2008. Now
Singing the title role is Canadian Joshua Hopkins, chosen by Opera
TOT gives the work that rarity among new Canadian operas – a second
News as one of 25 artists poised to become a major force in the next
production. Davies is perhaps most famous for his popular Mennonite
decade. For most performances, American tenor Alek Shrader is the
Piano Concerto (1975) and his oratorio Revelation (1996). His best
young Count Almaviva, with Romanian tenor Bogdan Mihai taking
known opera is Transit of Venus (2007) based on the play by Maureen
over on May 9, 19 and 21. Almaviva’s beloved Rosina is sung in most
Hunter. He is currently writing an opera The Ecstasy of Rita Joe,
performances by Italian soprano Serena Malfi with American Cecelia
based on the play by George Ryga of the same name.
Hall taking over on May 7, 9, 19, 21 and 22. Bartolo, Rosina’s jealous
Benson, among his prodigious scholarly and creative work, has
guardian is sung by Renato Girolami for most performances with
written, among others, the librettos to Héloise and Abélard (1973) by
Russian bass Nikolay Didenko taking over on May 9, 19 and 21. Don
Charles Wilson, commissioned by the Canadian Opera Company to
Basilio, Rosina’s music teacher in league with Bartolo, is sung for most
mark its 25th anniversary, and to The Summoning of Everyman (1973)
Earnest Revival
GUILLAUME BONNAUD
I
26 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
thewholenote.com
BRUCE ZINGER
to excerpts of the operetta in the opera section of Davies’ own
website victordavies.com. Renowned mezzo Jean Stilwell heads the cast as the indomitable Lady Bracknell. Michelle Garlough will sing her daughter
Gwendolen, Cameron McPhail will be Jack Worthing, Thomas
Macleay will be Algernon Moncreif and Charlotte Knight will be
Cecily. Other cast members include Gregory Finney as Reverend
Chasuble, Roz McArthur as Miss Prism and Sean Curran as Lane.
Davies has written a new scene especially for Stilwell in a score
filled with lively tangos, marches, waltzes and ballads. Larry
Beckwith conducts and Guillermo Silva-Marin directs. Earnest,
The Importance of Being runs April 29 and May 1, 2 and 3.
Small company diversity: Productions from smaller
companies lend diversity to the month. On April 16 and 18 Opera
Belcanto of York performs Puccini’s La Bohème at the Richmond
Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. Stanislas Vitort is Rodolfo
and Gayané Mangassarian is Mimi. David Varjabed conducts the
OBC Orchestra and Chorus and Edward Franko directs.
On April 18, Opera by Request presents Francis Poulenc’s
Dialogues des Carmélites (1957) in concert at the College
St. United Church. Caroline Dery sings Blanche de la Force,
Maude Paradis the Prioress and Lindsay McIntyre Sister
Constance. William Shookhoff is the music director and pianist.
From April 24 to 26, Metro Youth Opera presents Berlioz’
Béatrice et Bénédict (1862) at Daniels Spectrum. Simone McIntosh and
Asitha Tennekoon play the warring couple while Lindsay McIntyre
and Janaka Welihinda sing their friends Héro and Claudio. Natasha
Fransblow is the music director and Alison Wong the stage director.
This April may not be quite as superabundant in opera as Aprils
past, but even with these six varied operas on offer Torontonians are
spoiled for choice.
Opera Atelier’s Orpheus and Eurydice - Peggy Kriha Dye,
Colin Ainsworth and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg.
revived by Toronto’s Opera in Concert in 2004. 2012 saw the premiere
of The Auction: A Folk Opera, for which he wrote the libretto set to
music by John Burge. Benson, who believes, as does operetta expert
Richard Traubner, that the differences between various types of music
theatre are overstated, sees no difficulty in writing an “operetta”
for the 21st century. As he says, “After all, Shakespeare’s plays have
inspired successful works in all genres. Why not Wilde’s?”
The work’s premiere received very positive notices. Writing in the
Globe and Mail, Ken Winters called the piece “..first rate… It left its
audience … both startled and delighted. ... It is good entertainment of
considerable charm … quite a lively, exhilarating affair.” You can listen
Christopher Hoile is a Toronto-based writer on opera and
theatre. He can be contacted at [email protected].
EARNEST
The Importance of Being
by Victor Davies & Eugene Benson
based on Oscar Wilde’s master comedy!
Larry Beckwith, Conductor
Guillermo Silva-Marin, Stage Director
Jean Stilwell
is
Lady Bracknell
Charlotte Knight, Michelle Garlough,
Thomas Macleay, Cameron McPhail,
Rosalind McArthur, Gregory Finney
Guillermo Silva-Marin, General Director
Photo: Cylla von Tiedemann
www.torontooperetta.com
April 29, May 1 & 2 (8 pm)
May 3 (2 pm)
416-366-7723 | 1-800-708-6754 | www.stlc.com
thewholenote.com
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 27
Beat by Beat | Art of Song
I
Christianne
Stotijn at the
WMCT
HANS DE GROOT
am an admirer of the Dutch mezzo Christianne Stotijn but I only
know her singing from recordings. I look forward to her Toronto
debut, organized by the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto, on
April 16 at Walter Hall, in which she will be accompanied by the fine
pianist Julius Drake. She will sing Shostakovich’s settings of six poems
by Tsvetayeva, four Shakespeare songs by Korngold, and songs by
Tchaikovsky and Strauss.
The name Stotijn is well
known in the Dutch musical
world. The story begins with
Johannes Louis Stotijn (18521915), who began adult life as
a baker but who also played
the harmonica as a hobby.
Three of his four children
became professional musicians. The most distinguished
was Jacob, usually known as
Jaap. He was the first oboist
of the Residentie Orkest in
The Hague from 1919 to 1956.
We can still hear his playing
in a recording of Mozart’s
oboe quartet (K370) on the
Globe label. In the 1930s he
played with the Palestine Symphony Orchestra, an
orchestra that consisted largely of Jewish musicians
who had fled Nazi Germany. The orchestra’s concerts
were conducted by Arturo Toscanini, who was a great
admirer of Stotijn’s playing. Stotijn was also a pioneer
of period performance: he joined the Collegium
Musicum Antiqua, which was founded in 1952. He
died in 1970.
Another fine oboist was Jaap’s son Haakon. He
became the first oboist of the Concertgebouw in
1940. In the early 1950s he was banned from the
radio by two of the Dutch radio organizations
because of his alleged Communist sympathies.
In 1954 he, along with three other members of the Concertgebouw,
was not allowed entry to the United States. He died at 49 in 1964.
And there are other musical Stotijns: a violist, a bassoonist and a
double bass player. The son and pupil of that bass player, Christianne’s
younger brother Rick, is also a bassist. Christianne herself began her
musical career as a violinist. After she became a singer, she studied
with Jard van Nes and Janet Baker. I can hear some of Baker’s qualities
in her singing, although her sound is always individual. I am thrilled
that half of her recital will consist of Russian music. My only regret is
that she will not sing any Mahler, of whose music she is such a fine
interpreter.
Other Events:
Bradshaw Amphitheatre: There are several free vocal events at
the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre in the Four Seasons Centre:
a preview of Errol Gay’s Alice in Operaland will be given by the
Canadian Children’s Opera Company April 1; Andrew Haji, tenor, will
sing Schumann’s Dichterliebe, and Gordon Bintner, bass-baritone,
will perform Schubert’s Schwanengesang April 4. Parts of Rossini’s
28 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
thewholenote.com
MARCO BORGGREVE
The Barber of Seville will be sung by members of the COC Ensemble
Studio April 28.
Walter Hall: On April 2 there will be a recital by the winners of
the Jim and Charlotte Norcop Prize in Song and Gwendolyn Williams
Koldofsky Prize in Accompanying in Walter Hall.
New Music Concerts: Ilana Zarankin, soprano, is the soloist in
a program of contemporary Ukrainian music April 4 at the Betty
Oliphant Theatre.
Two at the Royal Conservatory: Max Raabe and the Palast Orchestra
will recreate the cabaret music and the popular songs of the Weimar
years April 11 and 12 at Koerner Hall. Mireille Asselin, soprano, will
sing with the Amici Ensemble in a concert that will include Schubert’s
The Shepherd on the Rock as well as the Akhmatova Songs by Tavener
April 12 at Mazzoleni Concert Hall.
Schubert: There will be another performance of The Shepherd on
the Rock, part of an all Schubert concert April 17 at Heliconian Hall, in
which the singer will be the soprano Barbara Fris. Another all-Schubert concert will be given at the Canadian Music Centre April 28 and
will include Schwanengesang. The singers are Ryan Downey, tenor,
and Bradley Christensen, baritone.
Two at Met at Noon: Cathy Daniel,
Christianne
mezzo,
sings at noon in a free concert
Stotijn
in Metropolitan United Church April 16.
Also at noon at Metropolitan and also
free: Olga Tylman, mezzo, and Michael
Fitzgerald, baritone April 23.
Rozario: The soprano Patricia
Rozario will be the soloist in a
concert of music by John Tavener,
presented by Soundstreams April 16
at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre. Rozario
was central figure in Tavener’s career;
he wrote more than 30 works for her.
The concert will also include works by
Christos Hatzis, Jonathan Harvey and
Vanraj Bhatia.
Bayrakdarian: The soprano
Mirelle Asselin Isabel Bayrakdarian will sing
with the Toronto Symphony
Orchestra in a concert of
Armenian music April 22 at
Roy Thomson Hall.
Oakham House: Wendy
Dobson, soprano, and
Michael Robert-Broder, baritone, will be the soloists in
a concert April 25 at Calvin
Presbyterian Church given
by the Oakham House Choir
of Ryerson University. The
main works will be Handel’s
Coronation Anthem My Heart is Inditing, the first movement of
Elgar’s Coronation Ode and the Polovetsian Dances from Borodin’s
Prince Igor.
The soprano Meredith Hall and the pianist Brahm Goldhamer
will perform works by Mozart, Haydn and Rauzzini, April 26 at
8pm in Heliconian Hall. The program will include Haydn’s cantata
Arianna a Naxos.
Also: The soprano Tessa Laengert will sing Handel, Dvorak and
Puccini in a cocnert with the Oakville Chamber Orchestra May 2 and
3 at St. John’s United Church, Oakville. Andrew Haji, tenor, will be
the soloist in a celebration of songs from opera, operetta and musical
theatre with the VOCA Chorus of Toronto May 2 at Eastminster United
Church. The Vesnivka Choir and the Toronto Ukrainian Male Chamber
Choir will present a concert of folk songs celebrating rebirth, romance
and love May 3 at Humber Valley United Church in Etobicoke. The solo
singers are Natalya Matyusheva, soprano, and Justin Stolz, tenor.
The last concert in this year’s series for Recitals at Rosedale will
be held on May 3 at Rosedale Presbyterian Church. The theme
Charles Sy. I did not realize until I got to the Macmillan Theatre that
he was singing in the Opera Division of the University of Toronto’s
production of Postcard from Morocco by Dominick Argento. I was
very impressed with his singing, particularly with the evenness of
tone and the solidity of his lower register.
And looking ahead: Against the Grain Theatre has announced
that Colin Ainsworth, tenor, and Krisztina Szabó, mezzo, will sing
Schubert’s Die Schöne Müllerin and Messiaen’s Harawi in May. The
Women’s Musical Club of Toronto has announced its 2015-16 season.
It includes a recital by the fabulous American mezzo Isabel Leonard
(we heard her in the COC production of Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito
a few years ago). That will be on November 19. Stay tuned!
will be journeys, travels and returning home; the music will be by
Schumann, Ravel and others. The singers are Lucia Cesaroni, soprano,
Emily D’Angelo, mezzo, and Anthony Cleverton, baritone. And the
famed singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie will perform at Koerner
Hall May 7.
Beyond the GTA: the soloists in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion are
Rufus Müller (tenor, as the Evangelist), Tyler Duncan (baritone, as
Christus), Agnes Zsigovics (soprano), Laura Pudwell (mezzo), Isaiah
Bell (tenor) and Justin Welsh (bass). The conductor is Mark Vuorinen
April 3 at the Centre in the Square, Kitchener.
Looking back: in February I wrote that I was looking forward to
the recital in which Christian Gerhaher and Gerold Huber were to
perform Schubert’s Winterreise. I was not disappointed. Koerner Hall
was full; the audience listened with rapt attention and saved their
enthusiasm for the end. Who says that the song recital is dead?
On a couple of occasions I have written about the emerging tenor
Hans de Groot is a concertgoer and active listener
who also sings and plays the recorder. He can be
contacted at [email protected].
Beat by Beat | Jazz Stories
J
CLUBS AND
HEARTS
Jaymz Bee
ORI DAGAN
AZZ.FM91 producer, host and Jazz Safari bwana, these days Jaymz
Bee is one of the Toronto jazz scene’s most fervent supporters.
His popular Jazz Safaris involve guiding groups of the not-forprofit radio station’s donors through five venues across town with the
help of a magic bus. I asked Bee why he believes the clubs continue
to struggle and his response illustrates what sets him apart: an infectious funness, a loyalty to the live music scene and above all a positive attitude:
“Actually my feeling is that we are on a bit of an upswing right
now. The Jazz Bistro took about a year to get up to speed but now it’s
truly a hot spot. The Rex and Gate 403 book so many bands a week
it’s crazy, and places like Hugh’s Room and Lula Lounge are booking
more jazz than they used to. I’m a big fan of the wee clubs in town as
well – La Revolucion, Habits Gastropub, The Emmet Ray and Blackbird
are places I like to talk up lately, but there are so many on Dundas,
Ossington...I think Torontonians need to go out more and hit more
live venues! It’s too cold out, it’s too hot out – doesn’t cut it with me.”
Of the Safaris, says Bee:
“There are few things I like more than hitting several jazz clubs in
one night with a mini coach (and designated driver) to take a group of
JAZZ.FM91 donors on the town. I do about 30 nights a year in Toronto
(hitting four or five clubs) and spend about the same amount of time
with donors in various jazz-friendly places like Havana, Panama City,
New York, New Orleans, Chicago and other places.
There are not many challenges in Toronto. On any given night I
have 12 to 20 venues to pick from and after eight years of Jazz Safaris
I know the streets and we are almost never late; not even five minutes
late! I’m so prompt, I’m almost Swiss! In other cities it can be trickier.
I have to allow for extra time for traffic so we might hit a venue a bit
too early, but that’s better than missing the music…My parents taught
me to be fun and polite and to get wallflowers on the dance floor. I’m
innately inclusive...nobody is too cool or square for me...so taking a
large group of people (18 to 30 per safari) is sometimes challenging
but always fun.”
I will return to Jaymz Bee later in this article, specifically to discuss
his birthday celebrations mid-month. First though, I have some very
exciting news: there’s a new jazz room in town, and I urge you to all
support it, even if it means going to have a single drink there or better
yet, enjoy some music while drinking and eating.
Stori Aperitivo (95 King Street East) located at King and Church, is
embarking on a regular Tuesday, Wednesdsay, Thursday series over
dinner. The priceless musicians come to you with no cover charge
thewholenote.com
attached – a rare opportunity for all to enjoy some of this city’s jazz
talents! The lineup at Stori is stellar:
Tuesday nights with Terra Hazelton and Her Easy Answers starring the two-time Canadian Screen Award nominee and blues singer
extraordinaire; sidemen to be confirmed but Hazelton’s band tends
to include Nathan Hiltz on guitar, Shawn Nykwist on tenor, Sly Juhas
on drums and Jordan O’Connor on bass. Wednesdays will be made
wild by longtime Reservoir Lounge staple Bradley and the Bouncers
featuring Bradley Harder on vocals, Terry Wilkins on bass, Jeff
Halischuk on drums, Adam Beer-Colacino on guitar and Pat Carey
on the tenor. On Thursdays Stori welcomes The Vipers which features
superlative vocalist Sophia Perlman in swinging company alongside
Howard Moore on trumpet and vocals, Ross MacIntyre on bass, Jeff
Halischuk on drums and Mitch Lewis on guitar and the occasional
stellar vocal. This band kills everything from Dinah Washington to
Tom Waits, and I’m willing to bet that The Vipers’ take on “Diamonds
on the Soles of Her Shoes” is one Paul Simon himself would treasure.
And More Good News: by the time this magazine goes to print, a
Featuring some of Toronto’s best jazz musicians
with a brief reflection by Jazz Vespers Clergy
Sunday, April 19 at 4:30 pm
ALISON YOUNG TRIO
Alison Young (saxophone), Bernie Senensky (piano)
Paul Novotny (bass)
Sunday, April 26 at 4:30 pm
TRIBUTE TO STEPHANE GRAPPELLI Lenny Solomon (violin),
Bill Bridges (guitar), Lew Mele (bass) Tribute talk by Brian Barlow
416-920-5211
Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St.
(north of St. Clair at Heath St.)
www.thereslifehere.org
Admission is free; donations are welcome.
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 29
DIANA PIRUZEVSKA
Beat by Beat | Bandstand
Bandstand April
2015
A
second brand new venue
is opening its doors: Fat
City Blues at 890 College
Street. I asked one of
the owners, Stephen
McKeon, what inspired
the creation of this club:
“To fully answer this
question I have to give
you a bit of background
on Cameron, Simon and
myself, “ he said. “We
have been great friends
for a decade, and have
all worked in hospitality as long as we
have known each other.
Cameron and Simon
worked the bar together
Terra Hazelton
at The Drake Hotel for
eight years, while I cut
my teeth at the Reservoir Lounge, then went on to manage Wrongbar
for the past five years. When we started talking about opening a bar
together we knew we wanted a place that focused on classic cocktails,
simple food, and of course, live music. When the space came available
we saw a great opportunity to marry all of those things, and Fat City
Blues was born.
OD: Where does the name come from?
SM: Fat City was the nickname for Metairie, a part of New Orleans
that was considered the entertainment district in the 70s and 80s. OD: What kinds of music will you be booking?
SM: We really want to focus on supporting the local scene and will
be booking everything from delta blues to dirty jazz, solo pianists to
five-piece brass bands. If it swings and sings, it has a home at Fat City
Blues. (Still fine-tuning a music policy as this magazine goes to print,
he was able to tell me that Tyler Yarema plays every Thursday, and
other acts will include Patrick Tevlin, Bradley & The Bouncers, and
Robert Davis among others.)
OD: What kinds of audiences are you looking to attract to
this venue?
SM: We had a gentleman sitting at the bar last night who was from
South Carolina, and kept telling us how much the place reminded him
of home. We’ve had musicians come in looking for a place to play and
to support their peers. We’ve even had someone email us about doing
a birthday party here for her husband because they were married in
New Orleans. All those people found something here they could relate
to, and we can relate to them. That’s our audience.
OD:Tell me a bit about the menu
SM: The menu includes oysters, po’boys, crab legs, beignets...and in
the summer, crawfish berl on the patio!
There is a considerable buzz about town with regards to
#FatCityBlues: the BlogTo article has, as of this writing, been
retweeted 84 times since March 18. Here’s wishing the venue much
success all year round.
JACK MACQUARRIE
ccording to my calendar, spring has arrived, but the
weatherman seems to disagree. However, I did see and hear
two musical signals to indicate that spring should be along soon.
My first was the song of a bright red
cardinal high in the tree out front here.
My other was Toronto’s annual Saint
Patrick’s Day parade. I must admit that
I did not observe this parade from curbside. Rather, I watched and heard it from
a 12th-floor balcony a short block away.
Even so, one group stood out. It was not
a fife and drum band and the members
were not dressed in green. It was a front
row of drums followed by a large band in
bright red uniforms.
From my vantage point it looked for all
the world like a typical U.S. college band.
The only band that I knew of in this part
of the country that I thought it might
be was the Burlington Teen Tour Band.
After a bit of research, I learned that it
was the Philippine Heritage Band from
Vaughan just northwest of Toronto. From
their website (phband.com) I learned
that they have a program not often seen.
Primarily a youth band, it has, over the
years, developed an adult concert band.
From my experience, when members of a youth band grow to adulthood they usually move on to another adult group with little or no
connection to the youth group. I hope to learn more of this in the
months to come.
NABBSS
In my September 2014 column I reported on the very first North
American Brass Band Summer School (NABBSS). Based on wellestablished and successful models in the United Kingdom, last year’s
summer school was to be a trial. If successful, consideration would
be given to make it an annual event. Having attended that inaugural school, and having returned home after ten days of invigorating
and challenging music making, I personally declared NABBSS 2014
a success. We have just learned that the organizers are of the same
opinion. So, based on the success of the 2014 course, NABBSS will
be running again this summer with additional tutorial staff, a new
rehearsal base and an increased Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo
cast. NABBSS 2015 will once again be led by Robert Childs, principal
conductor and musical director of the famous Grimethorpe Colliery
Band. This summer Childs will also be joined by no fewer than eight
top notch instructors from Britain, Canada and the United States. I
suspect that by now registrations will be filling rapidly. Anyone interested should contact Craig Roberts, administrative director, the North
American Brass Band Summer School (nabbss.com).
While on the subject of all brass bands, there is more good news.
Having just returned home from their very first rehearsal, I’m pleased
to report on the beginnings of a new brass band in the Newmarket
area. As yet nameless, the band will rehearse Wednesdays from 7 to
9pm. For those who may have, at times, considered trying their skills
in that genre, here’s the chance. For information contact pnhussey@
rogers.com.
Again on the brass band front, we have just learned that the Weston
Silver Band would be returning in mid-March to compete at the North
Jazz Stories continues on page 50
St. Philip’s Anglican Church
Sunday, April 12, 4:00 PM | Jazz Vespers
Jaymz Bee Birthday Vespers
with Genevieve Marentette, Carolyn Credico,
June Garber and special guest musicians
Sunday, April 26, 4:00 PM | Jazz Vespers
Heather Bambrick Trio
St. Philip’s Anglican Church | Etobicoke
25 St. Phillips Road (near Royal York + Dixon)
416-247-5181 • stphilips.net • free will offering
30 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
thewholenote.com
American Brass Band Association (NABBA)
Championship in Fort Wayne Indiana. Now
in its 33rd year the NABBA championship is
the oldest brass band contest of its kind in
North America. We haven’t heard yet how
Weston Band did.
On the concert front
On Saturday April 18 at 7pm the Clarington
Concert Band will present “A Salute to
the British Isles” at the Harmony Creek
Community Centre, 15 Harmony Road North,
NABBSS 2014 at the Dartmouth
Ferry Terminal facing Halifax.
Oshawa. In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Holland the band
will feature a medley titled Songs That Won
The War. For part of the program they will
be joined by the Pipes and Drums of the
Oshawa Legion performing such favourites as
Highland Cathedral and Scotland the Brave.
The poster for this concert mentions that their
special guest will be “Conductor Emeritus”
Bobby Herriot. I don’t know whether or not
Herriot ever conducted the Clarington Band,
but I do know that he will be displaying one
or more of his many talents as conductor,
composer, arranger and trumpet player.
I’m sure though that we will be treated to
his inimitable brand of humour during this
evening of musical tributes to England,
Scotland and Ireland.
On Sunday April 26 at 2pm the Pickering
Concert Band presents their spring concert
“Music from Around the World” at Forest
Brook Community Church, 60 Kearney Dr.,
Ajax. They will be joined by the St Andrew’s
Presbyterian Church Choir from Ajax. The
program will include such Caribbean, Asian,
European and Latin American favourites as
La Paloma, Jamaican Sail-Away, Lord of
the Rings, Hot Hot Hot, Downton Abbey and
Ride on the Cherry Blossom Express. Also
featured on the progam will be Fanfare and
Celebration by local composer and saxophonist Kristie Hunter.
thewholenote.com
On Friday May 1 at 7:30pm the Oxford
Winds Community Concert Band will present
“Celebrating Heroes” at Knox Presbyterian
Church, 59 Riddell Street, Woodstock. For
more information go to oxfordwinds.ca.
CBA Community Band Weekend
The CBA’s Community Band Weekend
this spring will be hosted by Cornwall’s
Seaway Winds Band from May 22 to 24.
Rehearsals and the concert will be held at
the St. Lawrence College Aultsville Theatre in
Cornwall. For details go to to cba-ontario.ca/
cbaonew/community-band-weekend/.
New Horizons
On Saturday April 11 at 2pm the Toronto
New Horizons group will present their
“Chamber Suites” (which now appears to be
an annual event) at 789 Dovercourt Road.
In past years this has been where members
of the various NH bands performed in small
ensembles to an audience seated at tables.
Previously, this was called “Chamber Sweets”
because the audience had the pleasure of
eating a wide variety of tempting delicacies
while listening to the many small groups.
With the name changed from sweets to suites,
does that mean that the goodies have been
discontinued? For a very nominal admission
we can attend, enjoy the many musical offerings and perhaps enjoy Sweets. It’s always
worth a visit and it is only a few steps from a
subway station.
Fred Duligal
It is with deep sorrow that we report the
recent passing of saxophonist Fred Duligal.
While he often performed with the Canadian
Jazz Quartet at Kama on King and many other
local jazz groups, he was also known in the
many “Rehearsal Big Bands” around Toronto.
Over the years I often chatted with Fred when
he appeared at one of my rehearsals. He will
be missed.
Joan Watson
On page 64 you will find a remembrance
of French horn player Joan Watson. Although
I don’t recall ever playing in any formal
musical group with her, I have fond memories
of the many chats we had prior to and during
the International Women’s Brass Conference
at Humber College five years ago. In fact, I can
say that I did play in a musical group with her
at least once. We and many others played in
an attempt to get into the Guinness Book of
Records as having the World’s Largest Brass
Band that Sunday afternoon in June 2010.
Definition Department
This month’s lesser known musical term is
pesante: An effect distinctly non-upper-class.
We invite submissions from readers. Let’s
hear your daffynitions.
Jack MacQuarrie plays several brass
instruments and has performed in many
community ensembles. He can be contacted
at [email protected].
Glionna Mansell Corporation
Presents
15
A Music Series unlike any other
www.organixconcerts.ca
February 13 – October 23, 2015
ORGANIX 15 is Toronto's tenth annual organ festival presenting a series of concerts
performed by some of the world's finest organists.
Don’t Miss Our April and May Events!
Wednesday May 20,
Roman Perucki
and Maria Perucka (Violin)
3:30 pm St. Clement’s Anglican,
70 St. Clements Avenue
Wednesday April 15,
Jens Korndoerfer
7:30 pm Timothy Eaton
Memorial Church,
230 St. Clair Ave. W.
Friday April 17, Jens Korndoerfer
8:00 pm St. George Anglican Cathedral,
270 King St. E. Kingston, Ontario
Wednesday May 20, Roman Perucki and
Maria Perucka (Violin)
7:30 pm St. Clement’s Anglican,
70 St. Clements Avenue
Consulate General
of the Republic of Poland
in Toronto
Order tickets today www.organixconcerts.ca or (416) 769-3893
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 31
A. Concerts in the GTA
LISTINGS
IN THIS ISSUE: Ajax, Aurora, Brampton, Burlington, Etobicoke, King
Township, Kleinburg, Markham, Mississauga, Newmarket, North York,
Oakville, Oshawa, Richmond Hill, Scarborough, Thornhill and Toronto
Island.
The WholeNote listings are arranged in four sections:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
GTA (GREATER TORONTO AREA) covers all of Toronto
plus Halton, Peel, York and Durham regions.
Wednesday April 1
●●12:00 noon: York University Department
of Music. Music at Midday: New Ensemble.
Original works. Young composers from Matt
Brubeck studio. Tribute Communities Recital
Hall, Accolade East Building, YU, 4700 Keele
St. 647-459-0701. Free.
●●2:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. AIMIA
Discoveries Series: Brian Epperson. Bach:
Goldberg Variations (transcription by Dmitry
Sikovetsky). Brian Epperson, cello; Glenn
Gould School student strings. Mazzoleni Concert Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $15.
●●5:30: Canadian Opera Company. Vocal
Series: Alice in Operaland. Music by E. Gay;
libretto by Michael Patrick Albano. Canadian
Children’s Opera Company; Gergely Szokolay,
piano; Ann Cooper Gay, conductor. Richard
Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W.
416-363-8231. Free.
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. World Music Ensembles. Walter Hall,
Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s Park.
416-408-0208. Free.
●●7:30: York University Department of
Music. Jazz Festival: Small Ensembles. Kevin
Turcotte, Jim Vivian and Frank Falco, conductors. Martin Family Lounge, Accolade
East Building, YU, 4700 Keele St. 647-4590701. Free.
●●8:00: Gallery 345. The Art of the Piano:
John Stetch. CD release of Off With The Cuffs.
345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781. $20; $10(st).
●●8:00: Toronto Oratory. Tenebrae for Holy
Thursday. Gregorian Chant; other works by
Lassus, Victoria, Allegri and Palestrina. Bronwyn Thies-Thompson, soprano; Richard Whittall, alto; Jamie Tuttle, tenor; Paul Ziadé, tenor;
Sean Nix, bass; Oratory Chant Schola; Philip
Fournier, conductor. The Oratory, Holy Family
Church, 1372 King St. W. 416-532-2879. Free.
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.4. Wagner: Preludes to
Acts I & III from Lohengrin; Korngold: Violin
Concerto; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4. Vilde
Frang, violin; James Conlon, conductor. Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375.
$33-$145. Also Apr 2.
BEYOND THE GTA covers many areas of Southern
Ontario outside Toronto and the GTA. Starts on page 47.
MUSIC THEATRE covers a wide range of music types:
from opera, operetta and musicals, to non-traditional
performance types where words and music are in some
fashion equal partners in the drama. Starts on page 49.
IN THE CLUBS (MOSTLY JAZZ)
is organized alphabetically by club.
Starts on page 50.
THE ETCETERAS is for galas, fundraisers, competitions,
screenings, lectures, symposia, masterclasses, workshops,
singalongs and other music-related events (except
performances) which may be of interest to our readers.
Starts on page 53.
A GENERAL WORD OF CAUTION. A phone number is provided
with every listing in The WholeNote — in fact, we won’t publish
a listing without one. Concerts are sometimes cancelled or postponed; artists or venues may change after listings are published.
Please check before you go out to a concert.
HOW TO LIST. Listings in The WholeNote in the four sections above
are a free service available, at our discretion, to eligible presenters.
If you have an event, send us your information no later than the
8th of the month prior to the issue or issues in which your listing is
eligible to appear.
LISTINGS DEADLINE. The next issue covers the period from
May 1 to June 7, 2015. All listings must be received by
Wednesday April 8.
LISTINGS can be sent by e-mail to [email protected] or
by fax to 416-603-4791 or by regular mail to the address on page 6.
We do not receive listings by phone, but you can call 416-323-2232
x27 for further information.
LISTINGS ZONE MAP. Visit our website to see a detailed version
of this map: thewholenote.com.
Thursday April 2
Georgian
Bay
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Lake
Huron
8
7
6
Chamber Music Series: Brahms. Trio for
horn, violin and piano in E-flat. Cordelia Paw,
violin; Mikailo Babiak, horn; Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula, piano. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free.
●●12:00 noon: Encore Symphonic Concert
Band. In Concert: Classics and Jazz. John
Edward Liddle, conductor. Wilmar Heights
Centre, 963 Pharmacy Ave., Scarborough.
416-346-3910. $10. Includes coffee and
snack. Also May 7.
●●12:10: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Thursdays at Noon: Winners’ Recital.
Winners of the Jim and Charlotte Norcop Prize in Song & Gwendolyn Williams
Koldofsky Prize in Accompanying. Walter Hall,
Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s Park.
416-408-0208. Free.
3 4
2
1 City of Toronto
Lake Ontario
5
Lake Erie
32 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
●●12:30: York University Department of
Music. Jazz Festival: Jazz Vocals. Richard
Whiteman, conductor. Martin Family Lounge,
Accolade East Building, YU, 4700 Keele St.
647-459-0701. Free.
●●2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.4. Wagner: Preludes to
Acts I & III from Lohengrin; Korngold: Violin
Concerto; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4. Vilde
Frang, violin; James Conlon, conductor. Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375.
$29-$89. Also Apr 1.
●●7:00: Cathedral Church of St. James.
Holy Week and Easter at St. James Cathedral. Maundy Thursday. Tallis: O Sacrum
Convivium; Duruflé: Ubi Caritas; other liturgical music. Choir of St. James Cathedral.
65 Church St. 416-364-7865 x245. Freewill
offering. Religious service.
●●7:00: Junction Trio. Maundy Thursday with
The Junction Trio. Works by Duruflé, Mozart
and Josquin des Prez. Choir of St. Anne’s and
The Junction Trio. St. Anne’s Anglican Church,
270 Gladstone Ave. 416-993-5883. PWYC.
●●7:30: Church of the Ascension. Maundy
Thursday. Choral Eucharist featuring the
Washing of Feet. 33 Overland Dr. 416-4448881. Freewill offering.
●●7:30: Small World Music/YG2 Productions.
Ajinai. Beijing-based, Mongolian-influenced
folk rockers. Small World Music Centre, Artscape Youngplace, 180 Shaw St. 416-5365439. $20.
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Symphony Orchestra. Rossini: Overture to William Tell; Mendelssohn: Symphony
No.5 “Reformation”; Elgar: Enigma Variations
Op.36. Uri Mayer, conductor. MacMillan Theatre, Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-408-0208. $30; $20(sr); $10(st).
●●7:30: York University Department of
Music. Jazz Festival: Jazz Orchestra. Mike
Cadó, conductor. Martin Family Lounge,
Accolade East Building, YU, 4700 Keele St.
647-459-0701. Free.
●●8:00: Musideum. Lynn Mantle. Singer/
songwriter. Suite 133 (main floor),
401 Richmond St. W. 416-599-7323. $20.
Friday April 3
●●10:30am: Lawrence Park Commun-
ity Church Choir. In Concert. Lee Scott:
Requiem. Kimberley Briggs, soprano; Alastair Smyth, baritone; Mark Toews, conductor. Lawrence Park Community Church,
2180 Bayview Ave. 416-489-1551. Freewill
offering. Religious service.
●●11:00am: Church of the Ascension. Good
Friday. Choral Devotion featuring the Ascension Choir with vocal and instrumental soloists. 33 Overland Dr. 416-444-8881. Freewill
offering.
●●12:00 noon: Cathedral Church of St.
James. Holy Week and Easter at St. James
Cathedral. Good Friday 3-hour devotion.
Sanders: Reproaches; Palestrina: O bone
Jesu; other works. Choir of St. James Cathedral. 65 Church St. 416-364-7865 ext. 245.
Freewill offering. Religious service; also 1pm
and 2pm.
●●1:30: Wolfrey House. By His Stripes
We Are Healed. For Good Friday. Handel:
thewholenote.com
Messiah (excerpts from part 2). Sacred Concert Chamber Ensemble; String Quartet;
Vocal Octet. St. Barnabas on the Danforth,
361 Danforth Ave. 416-463-1344. Free.
●●3:00: Edwin Huizinga/Keith Hamm.
Stereo Live: Seven Last Words. Haydn. Edwin
Huizinga, violin; Keith Hamm, viola. Guests:
Christopher Verrette, violin; Rachel Desoer,
cello. Campbell House Museum, 160 Queen
St. W. 416 597-0227 x2. $25; $20(adv). 2:00:
doors open. Refreshments available.
●●7:30: Cantabile Chorale of York Region.
Good Friday Charity Benefit Concert. Lenten
cantata. Martin: Canticle of the Cross. Robert
Richardson, director; Lona Richardson, piano.
Thornhill United Church, 25 Elgin St., Thornhill. 905-731-8318. Freewill offering. Fundraiser for selected social service agencies in
York Region.
●●7:30: Georgetown Bach Chorale. The Passion According to St. John. Bach. Michael Taylor, tenor (The Evangelist). Knox Presbyterian
Church (Georgetown), 116 Main St. South,
Georgetown. 905-873-9909. $30; $10(st).
●●7:30: Music at Metropolitan. The Grace of
Mourning: Music for Good Friday. Rheinberger: Stabat Mater; Distler: Dance of Death;
Fauré: Requiem; and works by Buxtehude
and Charpentier. Metropolitan Festival Choir
instrumental ensemble; Emily Wall; Gisele
Kulak; Charles Davidson; Dion Mazerolle; Jordan Scholl. Metropolitan United Church,
56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 x26. $30;
$10(under 19).
●●7:30: Toronto Beach Chorale. In Concert. Haydn: Lord Nelson Mass(Missa in
Angustiis). With solos and orchestra. Kingston Road United Church, 975 Kingston Rd.
416-699-6634. $25/$20(adv); $12/$10(7-18);
free(under 7).
●●7:30: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Sacred
Music for a Sacred Space. Tavener: Song for
Athene; The World is Burning; Tallis: Spem
in alium; Fauré: Requiem. David Roth, baritone; Michael Bloss, organ; Caron Daley, associate conductor; Noel Edison, conductor. St.
Paul’s Basilica, 83 Power St. 416-598-0422
x221. $35-$50; $35-$45(sr); $20(VoxTix 30
and under).
●●8:00: Kindred Spirits Orchestra. Spring
Fever. Weber: Overture to Der Freischütz
(The Marksman); Liszt: Concerto for Piano
and Orchestra No.1 in E-flat; Schumann: Symphony No.3 “Rhenish” in E-flat Op.97. Alexa
Petrenko, host; Kristian Alexander, conductor; William Bellehumeur, piano. Flato
Markham Theatre, 171 Town Centre Blvd.,
Markham. 905-305-7469. $15-$35.
●●8:00: Musideum. Laurie Ingles Birthday
Celebration and CD Release. Jazz. Suite 133
(main floor), 401 Richmond St. W. 416-5997323. $20.
Saturday April 4
●●7:30: Church of the Ascension. Easter
Vigil. Traditional service of the lighting of
the Paschal Candle and Choral Eucharist.
33 Overland Dr. 416-444-8881. Freewill offering. Wine and cheese reception to follow.
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Percussion Ensemble Concert. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-408-0208. Free.
●●8:00: New Music Concerts. The Ukrainian-Canadian Connection. Silvestrov: Postlude No.1 “In memoriam DSCH”; Pauk:
Beyond; Pidgorna: Aching, weeping, drinking;
thewholenote.com
Ukrainian Connection
piano. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four
Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free.
●●12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation/
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. Lunchtime Chamber Music: Decho Ensemble.
Sarah Marchitelli and Jacob Swanson, saxophones. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,
1585 Yonge St. 416-241-1298. Free. Donations
welcome.
●●12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation/
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. Lunchtime Chamber Music: Decho Ensemble.
Sarah Marchitelli and Jacob Swanson, saxophones. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,
1585 Yonge St. 416-241-1298. Free. Donations
welcome.
●●1:00: Cathedral Church of St. James.
Organ recitals. David Briggs, organist.
65 Church St. 416-364-7865 x245. Free; donations welcomed.
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Gilberto Gil: Gilberto’s Samba. Koerner Hall,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $45-$100.
April 4 | Betty Oliphant Theatre
www.NewMusicConcerts.com
Kulesha: Pro et Contra; Tsepkolenko: Wenn
Die Kette Zerrisse, Fände Sie Bestimmt Nicht
Alle-Perlen Wieder. Ilana Zarankin, soprano;
Stephen Sitarski, violin; David Hetherington, cello; Gregory Oh, piano; New Music Concerts Ensemble; Robert Aitken, conductor.
Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis St. 416961-9594. $35; $25(sr/arts workers); $10(st).
7:15: Illuminating Introduction.
●●9:00: Cathedral Church of St. James.
Holy Week and Easter at St. James Cathedral. Easter Eve. Works by Ager, Scheidt,
Palestrina. Choir of St. James Cathedral.
65 Church St. 416-364-7865 x245. Freewill
offering. Religious service.
Wednesday April 8
●●9:00: University of Toronto Scarborough/
Ontario Band Association. 2015 UTSC & OBA
Chamber Music Festival. Leigha Lee Browne
Theatre, University of Toronto Scarborough,
1265 Military Trail, Scarborough. 416-287-7076.
Free. Festival runs Apr 7-9, 9:00am to 4:00pm.
●●11:00: Shoestring Opera. The Schoolyard
Carmen. Solar Stage Children’s Theatre,
4950 Yonge St. 416-386-8031. $16.
●●12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
Angus Sinclair, organ. 1585 Yonge St. 416922-1167. Free.
Chamber Music Society
of Lincoln Center
WED.,APR. 8, 2015 8PM
KOERNER HALL
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
416.408.0208
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory. Chamber Music
Society of Lincoln Center: Passionate Piano
Quartets. Mahler: Piano Quartet Movement
in a; Schumann: Piano Quartet in E-flat Op.47;
Brahms: Piano Quartet No.1 in g Op.25. David
Finckel, cello; Wu Han, piano; Daniel Hope,
violin; Paul Neubauer, viola. Koerner Hall,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $35-$80.
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.2. Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.2; Mahler: Symphony
No.5. Valentina Lisitsa, piano; Jukka-Pekka
Saraste, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. $33-$145. Also
Apr 9.
Sunday April 5
●●10:30am: Church of the Ascension. Easter
Sunday. Full Choral Eucharist featuring a
brass ensemble and the Hallelujah Chorus.
33 Overland Dr. 416-444-8881. Free will offering. Simnel Cake Taste-Off follows.
●●11:00am: Cathedral Church of St. James.
Holy Week and Easter at St. James Cathedral. Easter Day: Choral Eucharist. Choir
of St. James Cathedral. 65 Church St. 416364-7865 x245. Freewill offering. Religious
service.
●●4:00: Cathedral Church of St. James.
Organ recitals. David Briggs, organist.
65 Church St. 416-364-7865 x245. Free; donations welcomed.
●●4:30: Cathedral Church of St. James.
Holy Week and Easter at St. James Cathedral. Easter Day: Choral Evensong. Choir
of St. James Cathedral. 65 Church St. 416364-7865 x245. Freewill offering. Religious
service.
●●8:00: Musideum. Brownman+1. Jazz. Suite
133 (main floor), 401 Richmond St. W. 416599-7323. $20.
Tuesday April 7
●●9:00: University of Toronto Scarborough/
Ontario Band Association. 2015 UTSC & OBA
Chamber Music Festival. Leigha Lee Browne
Theatre, University of Toronto Scarborough,
1265 Military Trail, Scarborough. 416-2877076. Free. Festival runs Apr 7-9, 9:00am to
4:00pm.
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Piano Virtuoso Series: Croquis Français.
Works by Poulenc, Ravel, Satie, Chopin,
Debussy and others. Alice Gi-Young Hwang,
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 33
A. Concerts in the GTA
Thursday April 9
●●9:00: University of Toronto Scarborough/
Ontario Band Association. 2015 UTSC & OBA
Chamber Music Festival. Leigha Lee Browne
Theatre, University of Toronto Scarborough,
1265 Military Trail, Scarborough. 416-2877076. Free. Festival runs Apr 7-9, 9:00am to
4:00pm.
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Vocal Series: Poetic Love. Schumann: Dichterliebe; Schubert: Schwanengesang.
Andrew Haji, tenor; Gordon Bintner, bassbaritone. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free.
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. $33-$145. Also
Apr 8.
●●8:00: Musideum. Tangled Arts Festival.
Suite 133 (main floor), 401 Richmond St. W.
416-599-7323. $20.
●●7:30: Opera Atelier. Orpheus and Eury-
dice. Gluck (Berlioz adaptation). Mireille
Lebel, mezzo (Orpheus); Peggy Kriha Dye,
soprano (Eurydice); Meghan Lindsay, soprano (Amour); Marshall Pynkoski, director;
Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, choreographer;
Artists of Atelier Ballet; Tafelmusik Baroque
Orchestra; David Fallis, conductor. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge St. 1-855-622-2787. $38-$181.
Also Apr 11,12(3:00),14,17,18(4:30).
●●8:00: Art of Time Ensemble. Intermezzi.
Collections of Brahms’ Intermezzi for solo
piano, explored in contemporary dance
choreographed by Peggy Baker and James
Kudelka. Andrew Burashko, piano; Bill Coleman, Luke Garwood, Tyler Gledhill, Evelyn
Hart, Louis Laberge-Cote, Laurence Lemieux,
Andrew McCormack, Victoria Mehaffy, Jessica Runge, dancers. Harbourfront Centre
Theatre, 235 Queens Quay W. 416 973-4000.
$39 and up. Also April 10,11.
Friday April 10
●●12:10: Music at St Andrew’s. Noon-
time Recital: Michael Westwood, clarinet. St. Andrew’s Church, King and Simcoe,
73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x231. Free.
●●1:10: Gordon Murray Presents. Piano Pot
Pourri. Classics, opera, operetta, musicals,
ragtime, pop, international and others. Gordon Murray, piano. Trinity-St. Paul’s United
Church, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-631-4300.
PWYC. Lunch friendly.
●●8:00: Arraymusic. The Music of John Mark
Sherlock. Array Space, 155 Walnut St. 416532-3019. $20(door); $18(adv).
Friday April 10, 2015 • 8pm
Calvin Presbyterian Church
Met: Warren Nicholson, guitar. Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. E. 416-3630331 x26. Free.
WITH GUEST:
FF
ANINRO
O2
T
RACHM
E
C
N
CO
Lucas Harris, lutes and theorbo
PIANO8 & 9
APRIL-PEKKA SARASTE,
www.ifuriosi.com
JUKKA TOR
CONDUC
TSO.CA
●●8:00: I Furiosi Baroque Ensemble. Instru-
ments of Torture. Works by Gaultier, Handel,
Monteverdi and others. Guest: Lucas Harris,
lutes and theorbo. Calvin Presbyterian Church,
26 Delisle Ave. 416-923-9030. $10-$20.
●●8:00: Art of Time Ensemble. Intermezzi.
Collections of Brahms’ Intermezzi for solo
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Rach-
maninoff Piano Concerto No.2. Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.2; Mahler: Symphony
No.5. Valentina Lisitsa, piano; Jukka-Pekka
Saraste, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
YOUNG
ARTIST
CONCERT
Melodie
Yeung, violin
Jonathan
Mak, piano
Emma
Fisher, cello
TAK NG LAI, conductor
with guest students from
the Canadian Sinfonietta
Youth Orchestra
Saturday April 11, 8PM
canadiansinfonietta.com
34 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
SINFONIA TORONTO
NURHAN ARMAN Conductor
Jeremy Findlay, Cellist
Elisso Gogibedashvili, Violinist
I FURIOSI
Baroque Ensemble
Instruments
of TORTURE
●●12:15: Music at Metropolitan. Noon at
piano, explored in contemporary dance
choreographed by Peggy Baker and James
Kudelka. Also April 9,11. See Apr 9 for details.
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory Orchestra. Sir
Roger Norrington, conductor. Vaughan Williams: Symphony No.5 in D; Beethoven: Symphony No.5 in c Op.67. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor
St. W. 416-408-0208. $25–$55. 6:45: prelude recital.
April 10 ~ Glenn Gould Studio
sinfoniatoronto.com
1-866-943-8849
●●8:00: Sinfonia Toronto. Best Beloved. Gem-
rot: Lamento (North American premiere);
Wieniawski: Faust Fantasy (orchestral version arr. Arman); Boccherini: Cello Concerto
in B-flat; Ravel: Tzigane (orchestral version
arr. Arman); Hétu: Symphony No.1. Jeremy
Findlay, cello; Elisso Gogibedashwili, violin;
Nurhan Arman, conductor. Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St. W. 1-866-943-8849. $39;
$32(sr); $12(st).
●●8:00: Winter Garden Theatre. Alex
Cuba. Featuring rock, soul, pop and Latin
funk music. 189 Yonge St. 416-314-2901.
$29.50-$49.50.
Saturday April 11
●●2:00: King Music Collective. Stephanie
Trick and Paolo Alerighi. Solo and “fourhanded” traditional jazz piano. Home of
Michele Mele and Luciano Tauro, 15785 8th
Concession, King Township. 1-800-8383006. $30; $15(st). Between-sets interview.
Refreshments incl.
●●2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Young
People’s Concert: Shake, Rattle & Roll. Bernstein: Overture to West Side Story; SaintSaëns: Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah;
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture. TorQ, percussion
quartet; Evan Mitchell, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. $20$32. Also 4:00.
●●3:00: Walmer Road Baptist Church. Spring
Organ Recital. Works by Mendelssohn, Widor
and Bach. Imre Olah, organ. 188 Lowther Ave.
416-924-1121. Freewill offering.
●●4:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Young People’s Concert: Shake, Rattle & Roll.
Bernstein: Overture to West Side Story; SaintSaëns: Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah;
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture. TorQ, percussion
quartet; Evan Mitchell, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. $20$32. Also 2:00.
thewholenote.com
●●4:30: Beach United Church. Cadence:
Straighten Up and Fly. 140 Wineva Ave. 416691-8082. Free. Coffee.
●●5:00: Nocturnes in the City. Maros
Bango, Tenor. Operatic arias to Broadway
shows. Restaurant Praha, Masaryktown,
450 Scarborough Golf Club Rd. 416-4817294. $20.
●●7:00: Hart House Chamber Strings. In
Concert. Keith Reid, conductor. Hart House,
Great Hall, 7 Hart House Circle. 416-9782452. Free.
●●7:00: Toronto Gilbert and Sullivan Society.
Rise Triumphant. Soloists perform excerpts
from G&S operettas, and more. St. Andrew’s
United Church, 117 Bloor St. E. 416-763-0832.
$5; free(members).
Artists of Atelier Ballet; Tafelmusik Baroque
Orchestra; David Fallis, conductor. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge St. 1-855-622-2787. $38-$181.
Also Apr 9,12(3:00),14,17,18(4:30).
●●8:00: Animikii Music Group. Music for the
Heart: A Benefit Concert in Support of Toronto’s Sick Kids Hospital. Musideum, Suite 133
(main floor), 401 Richmond St. W. 416-5997323. $10.
●●8:00: Art of Time Ensemble. Intermezzi.
Collections of Brahms’ Intermezzi for solo
piano, explored in contemporary dance
choreographed by Peggy Baker and James
Kudelka. Also April 9,10. See Apr 9 for details.
in g Op.94; Provost: Scherzo for Strings;
Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings. Melodie Yeung, violin; Emma Fisher, cello; Jonathan Mak, piano; guests: students from
CSYO; Taj Ng Lai, conductor. Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St. W. 1-866-943-8849. $35;
$30(sr); $20(st).
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory. Max Raabe and
Palast Orchester. Cabaret and popular songs
of the Weimar period. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor
St. W. 416-408-0208. $35–$90. Also Apr 12.
Sunday April 12
●●1:15: Mooredale Concerts. Music & Truf-
fles Interactive Series: Dublin Guitar Quartet. Glass: String Quartet No.2 “Company”;
String Quartet No.3 “Mishima”; Brouwer:
Cuban Landscape with Rhumba; Sisask:
Songs in honour of the Virgin Mary; Koshikin:
Changing the Guard; Kanengiser: Gongan;
and other works. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-922-3714
x103. $13(youth 5 and up with families). Also
3:15: Main concert.
●●2:00: Toronto Mozart Players. Mozart Project: Wolfgang, the Teenage Genius. Mozart:
Symphony No.17 in G, K.129, for oboes, horns
and strings; Serenata notturna in D, K.239;
Exsultate jubilate, K.165; Symphony No.29
in A, K.201; new work for string trio by TMP
composition competition winner. Elizabeth
Polese, soprano; David Bowser, conductor. St.
Lawrence Hall, 157 King St. E. 416-392-7809.
$15-$60.
●●2:30: Toronto Children’s Chorus Chorale
and Youth Choir. Songs of the Land. Works
by Daley, Raminsh, MacGillivray, Hamilton,
LYDIA ADAMS, Conductor & Artistic Director
Of Heart and
Tide: The Gift
of Water
Sat. Apr. 11,
7:30pm
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
Concert Sponsor
Sandra Parsons
416-446-0188
www.amadeuschoir.com
●●7:30: Amadeus Choir. Of Heart and Tide:
The Gift of Water. Robinovitch: Of Heart and
Tide (world premiere); works by Whitacre,
Schafer and Henderson. Lydia Adams, conductor; Ben Heppner, guest host; Roberta Bondar, guest. Trinity St. Paul’s Centre,
Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-4460188. $15-$40. Water-themed photography
by Roberta Bondar.
●●7:30: Aurora United Church. Songs of
Faith, Hope & Love. Ursula Ivonoffski, soprano. Guests: Singers from Aurora United
Church Choir. Trinity United Church (Newmarket), 461 Park Ave., Newmarket. 905895-4851. $20; $10(st). Proceeds to Aurora
United Church Future Fund.
●●7:30: Cantabile Chamber Singers. Outside
the Bachs. Vivaldi: Gloria; and works by Elgar,
McGlynn, Nystedt and others. Grace Church
on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd. 647-822-5412.
$25; $15(st/arts workers). In-concert talk.
●●7:30: Etobicoke Centennial Choir. Heavenward. Fauré: Requiem in d; Rossini: Stabat Mater. Ton Beau String Quintet; Carl
Steinhauser, piano; Simon Walker, organ;
Angela Schwarzkopf, harp; Henry Renglich,
conductor. Humber Valley United Church,
76 Anglesey Blvd., Etobicoke. 416-769-9271.
$25.
●●7:30: Opera Atelier. Orpheus and Eurydice. Gluck (Berlioz adaptation). Mireille
Lebel, mezzo (Orpheus); Peggy Kriha Dye,
soprano (Eurydice); Meghan Lindsay, soprano (Amour); Marshall Pynkoski, director;
Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, choreographer;
thewholenote.com
Cheryl Camm and others. Matthew Otto, conductor. McMichael Canadian Art Collection,
10365 Islington Ave, Kleinburg. 416-9328666 x231. Free with Gallery admission.
●●3:00: Amici Chamber Ensemble. The Shepherd. Schubert: The Shepherd on the Rock;
Tavener: Akhmatova Songs; Previn: Vocalise; Glinka: Trio pathétique; and other works.
Mireille Asselin, soprano. Mazzoleni Concert
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $10-$45.
●●3:00: Opera Atelier. Orpheus and Eurydice. Gluck (Berlioz adaptation). Mireille
Lebel, mezzo (Orpheus); Peggy Kriha Dye,
soprano (Eurydice); Meghan Lindsay, soprano (Amour); Marshall Pynkoski, director;
Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, choreographer; Artists of Atelier Ballet; Tafelmusik
Baroque Orchestra; David Fallis, conductor.
Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge St. 1-855-622-2787.
$38-$181. Also Apr 9(eve),11(eve),14(eve),17(
eve),18(4:30).
●●3:00: Orchestra Toronto. Olé Flamenco!
Chabrier: España; De Falla: The Three-Cornered Hat; Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio espagnol; RumbaTangos (arr. Coulman); Alegrias
en La (arr. Coulman); and other works in
the Flamenco tradition. Jorge Miguel Flamenco Ensemble. Guest: Martin MacDonald, conductor. George Weston Recital Hall,
5040 Yonge St. 1-855-985-2787. $43; $37(sr);
$15(child/OTopus 16-29). 2:15: pre-concert
chat. Raffle.
●●3:00: Syrinx Concerts Toronto. Celebrating Women in Classical Music. Lau: Trio for
Piano, Violin and Cello; Beethoven: Archduke Trio; Mendelssohn: Trio No.2. Seiler
Trio: Mayumi Seiler, violin; Rachel Mercer,
●●8:00: Nagata Shachu. Nagata Shachu
and Toronto Tabla Ensemble. Collaboration of Japanese Taiko and Indian Tabla.
Toronto Tabla Ensemble: Ritesh Das, Razak
Pirani, Shamir Panchal and Aaron Fernandez; Nagata Shachu: Kiyoshi Nagata, Aki
Takahashi, Akemi Akachi, Tony Nguyen and
Kayo Homma-Komori. Brigantine Room,
Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W.
416-973-4000. $30; $20(st/st).
●●8:00: Canadian Sinfonietta. Young Artist Concert. Saint-Saëns: Rondo Capriccioso;
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5 “Emperor”
Mov.1; Dvořák: Rondo for Cello and Orchestra
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 35
A. Concerts in the GTA
Associates of the
Toronto Symphony
Orchestra
Seiler
Trio
Monday, April 13, 2015
7:30 pm
mooredaleconcerts.com
April 12
3pm
Don’t always have fun without me!
The double bass is here!
Rachel Mercer
Mayumi Seiler
Angela Park
PROGRAM
Gioachino Rossini Sonata for strings in B flat major
No. 4
Luigi Boccherini String quintet in D major Op. 39-3
Antonin Dvorak
String quintet in G major Op. 77
Heliconian
Hall
PERFORMERS
Etsuko Kimura, violin
Angelique Toews, violin
Christopher Redfield, viola
Marie Gelinas, cello
Tim Dawson, double bass
35 Hazelton
Avenue
Dublin Guitar Quartet
SyrinxConcerts.ca
Family show 1:15-2:15
cello; Angela Park, piano. Heliconian Hall,
35 Hazelton Ave. 416-654-0877. $25; $20(st).
●●3:15: Mooredale Concerts. Dublin Guitar
Quartet. Glass: String Quartet No.2 “Company”; String Quartet No.3 “Mishima”; Brouwer: Cuban Landscape with Rhumba; Sisask:
Songs in honour of the Virgin Mary; Koshikin:
Changing the Guard; Kanengiser: Gongan;
and other works. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-922-3714
Five Small Concerts
Series $75 / $65 | Single tickets $20 / $17
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W.
Box Office 416-282-6636
www.associates-tso.org
April 12 @ 3:15
x103. $30; $20(under 30). Also 1:15: Music &
Truffles Interactive Series for youth 5 and up.
●●4:00: Cathedral Church of St. James.
Organ Recitals. David Briggs, organ.
65 Church St. 416-364-7865. Free; donations
welcomed.
●●4:00: Church of St. Mary Magdalene.
Elgar: Organ Sonata. Andrew Adair, organ.
477 Manning Ave. 416-531-7955. Free.
●●4:00: St. Philip’s Anglican Church. Jazz
Flute Street
Presents
And The Giant
Began to Dance
WITH GUEST ARTIST
Peter Sheridan
(pictured here with his
sub-contrabass flute)
Music for low flutes,
including the Concerto
for Alto Flute by Canadian
composer, Peter Senchuk.
How low can a flute go?
Come and find out!
Sunday
April 12, 2015
8pm
Christ Church, Deer Park, Toronto
1570 Yonge St. (at Heath Street West)
Tickets: $30, $25 (sr.), $15, students
36 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
416.462.9498
thewholenote.com
Vespers: Jaymz Bee Birthday Vespers.
Genevieve Marentette, Carolyn Credico, June
Garber, and others. 25 St. Phillips Rd., Etobicoke. 416-247-5181. Freewill offering.
●●7:30: Music at Metropolitan. Stefan
Kießling. Assistant organist of Leipzig’s
Thomaskirche. Metropolitan United Church,
56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 x26. $20.
●●8:00: Flute Street. And the Giant Began
to Dance. Senchuk: Concerto for Alto Flute;
original compositions and transcriptions
for alto, bass, contrabass and sub-contrabass flutes. Peter Sheridan, low flutes; Judy
Diez-D’aux, bass flute; Ellen Meyer, piano; Lisa
Jack, conductor. Christ Church Deer Park,
1570 Yonge St. 416-462-9498. $30; $25(sr);
$15(st).
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory. Max Raabe and
Palast Orchester. Cabaret and popular songs
of the Weimar period. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor
St. W. 416-408-0208. $35–$90. Also Apr 11.
●●8:00: Somewhere There/Arraymusic.
Somewhere There. A series of improv concerts. Array Space, 155 Walnut St. 416-5323019. Free/PWYC.
Monday April 13
●●5:30: Canadian Music Centre. Finnegans
Quarks Revival: The 21st Century Virtuoso.
Frehner: Finnegans Quarks Revival. Andrew
Aarons, piano. 20 St. Joseph St. 416-9616601x201. $20; $15(adv).
●●7:30: Associates of the Toronto Symphony
Orchestra. Five Small Concerts Series: Don’t
Always Have Fun Without Me! The Double
Bass is Here! Rossini: Sonata for strings in
B-flat No.4; Boccherini: String Quintet in D
Op.39-3; Dvořák: String Quintet in G Op.77.
Etsuko Kimura and Angelique Toews, violins;
Christopher Redfield, viola; Marie Gelinas,
cello; Tim Dawson, double bass. Trinity-St.
Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-282-6636.
$20; $17(sr/st).
●●8:00: Blythwood Winds. Hogtown
Roundup. World premieres of works by Lau,
Rowson and Barnes (Casa Loma Suite); Pon:
Pura Vida Suite (Ontario premiere). Tim
Crouch, flute, Liz Eccleston, oboe, Anthony
Thompson, clarinet, Michael Macaulay, bassoon, Curtis Vander Hyden, horn. Music
Gallery, 197 John St. 416-204-1080. $20;
$15(adv); $10(Music Gallery members).
Tuesday April 14
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Chamber Music Series: Contrasts and Connections. Stravinsky: L’Histoire du Soldat;
Bartók: Contrasts; Dahl: Concerto à Tre.
Wednesday April 15
Joseph Johnson, cello. Richard Bradshaw
Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for the
Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-3638231. Free.
●●12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation/
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. Lunchtime Chamber Music: Rising Stars Recital.
Students from the Glenn Gould School. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St.
416-241-1298. Free. Donations welcome.
●●4:00: Cathedral Church of St. James.
Organ Recitals. Thomas Gonder, organ.
65 Church St. 416-364-7865. Free; donations
welcomed.
●●7:00: Sheridan College Canadian Music
Theatre Project. Brantwood: 1920–2020.
Immersive musical theatre experience. Music
and lyrics by Gielen, A. Johnson, and B. Johnson. Music Theatre Performance Graduates;
James Smith, conductor; Mitchell Cushman and Julie Tepperman, stage directors.
Sheridan College, 1430 Trafalgar Rd., Oakville. 905-815-4049. $35. Runs Apr 14–May 3.
Apr 16: Media Night.
●●7:30: Canadian Music Centre. Amarok
Ensemble with guest Rory McLeod, viola.
Schumann: Piano Quartet; other works by
Morlock and Murphy. 20 St. Joseph St. 416961-6601 x201. $25; $20(adv).
●●7:30: Opera Atelier. Orpheus and Eurydice. Gluck (Berlioz adaptation). Mireille
Lebel, mezzo (Orpheus); Peggy Kriha Dye,
soprano (Eurydice); Meghan Lindsay, soprano (Amour); Marshall Pynkoski, director;
Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, choreographer;
Artists of Atelier Ballet; Tafelmusik Baroque
Orchestra; David Fallis, conductor. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge St. 1-855-622-2787. $38-$181.
Also Apr 9,11,12(3:00),17,18(4:30).
●●7:30: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Rebanks Family Fellowship Concert. Mazzoleni Concert Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-4080208. Free(ticket required).
●●8:00: Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy
Thomson Hall. Chick Corea & Herbie Hancock. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St. 416-8724255. $39.50-$199.50.
●●8:00: Somewhere There/Arraymusic.
Audiopollination. Array Space, 155 Walnut St.
416-532-3019. Free/PWYC.
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. TSO
Pops: As Heard on TV. Music from Mad Men,
Star Trek, Golden Girls, Jeopardy! and others.
Nicole Parker, vocals; Steven Reineke, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416598-3375. $29-$110. Also Apr 15(mat).
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Dance Series: elegant equations. Preview
performance and discussion of the conception and creation of Locus Plot, an upcoming work to be premiered by Peggy Baker
Dance Projects. Peggy Baker, choreographer. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free.
●●12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
Conrad Gold, Organ. 1585 Yonge St. 416-9221167. Free.
●●2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. TSO
Pops: As Heard on TV. Music from Mad Men,
Star Trek, Golden Girls, Jeopardy! and others.
Nicole Parker, vocals; Steven Reineke, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416598-3375. $29-$110. Also Apr 14(eve).
●●7:00: Sheridan College Canadian Music
Theatre Project. Brantwood: 1920–2020.
Immersive musical theatre experience.
Runs Tues–Sun, Apr 14–May 3. See Apr 14 for
details.
●●7:30: Organix Concerts/Timothy Eaton
Memorial Church. Jens Korndoerfer, Organ.
Celebration of the 100th anniversary of the
installation of Casavant Opus 583 (1914) pipe
organ. Timothy Eaton Memorial Church,
230 St. Clair Ave. W. 416-769-3893 or 1-877769-5224. $35; $30(sr); $25(st); free(under
18).
Thursday April 16
●●12:15: Music at Metropolitan. Noon at Met:
Cathy Daniel, mezzo. Metropolitan United
Church, 56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 x26.
Free.
●●1:30: Women’s Musical Club of Toronto.
Christianne Stotijn, Mezzo-soprano & Julius
Drake, Piano. Works by Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Korngold and R. Strauss. Walter Hall,
Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s Park.
416-923-7052. $45.
●●7:30: North York Music Festival. Franck:
Sonata and Other Masterpieces. Moshe Hammer, violin; Paul Komen, piano. Lawrence Park
Community Church, 2180 Bayview Ave. 416788-8553. $25; $20(sr/st).
●●7:30: Opera Belcanto of York. La Bohème.
Puccini. Gayané Mangassarian, Michèle Pearson, soprano; Stanislas Vitort, tenor; nHenry
Irwin, Douglas Tranquada, Berje Varcabet,
baritone; and other singers; David Varjabed,
conductor; Edward Franko, director; with the
OBC Orchestra and Chorus. Richmond Hill
Centre for the Performing Arts, 10268 Yonge
St., Richmond Hill. 905-787-8811. $55;
$45(sr). Also April 18.
●●8:00: Music Toronto. Lafayette Quartet.
Haydn: Quartet in A, No.28, Op.20, No.6; Coulthard: Quartet No.2, Threnody; Beethoven:
Quartet in a, Op.132. Ann Elliott-Goldschmid,
violin; Sharon Stanis, violin; Joanna Hood,
viola; Pamela Highbaugh Aloni, cello. Jane
Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the
Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723. $55; $50;
$10 student tickets; Age 18 to 35 pay your age.
●●8:00: Duo Demel. Experimental. Daniel
Hasznos, clarinet; Osvaldo Gomes Santos,
Women’s Musical Club of Toronto
Music in the Afternoon
NEW DIRECTIONS IN MUSIC
CHRISTIANNE
STOTIJN
mezzo-soprano
Thursday
April 16, 1.30 p.m.
Tickets $45
NEW DIRECTIONS IN MUSIC
416-923-7052
www.wmct.on.ca
SONG FOR ATHENE
Patricia Rozario
A choral tribute to the late Sir John Tavener,
featuring his muse, British soprano Patricia Rozario.
Also featuring members of the Toronto
Children’s Chorus and Choir 21.
“A voice of liquid gold”
–Gramophone
Shannon Mercer
APRIL 16, 2015, AT 8:00 PM
TRINITY-ST. PAUL’S CENTRE
Call 416-408-0208 or visit soundstreams.ca
Black
thewholenote.com
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 37
A. Concerts in the GTA
flute. Musideum, Suite 133 (main floor),
401 Richmond St. W. 416-599-7323. $10.
●●8:00: Korean Canadian Symphony Orchestra/Ensemble Jeng Yi. KCSO’s Concert No.
50. Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin; Charles
Hong: Chun Ji (Suite for Samulnori); BumHoon Park: Concerto for Samulnori and
orchestra “Shin Mo Deum”; Mendelssohn;
Symphony No.3 “Scottish.” Richard Lee,
conductor. George Weston Recital Hall,
5040 Yonge St. 647-532-2578. $35; $20(st).
●●8:00: Soundstreams. Song for Athene.
Celebration of John Tavener’s choral music.
Tavener: Song for Athene; Missa Brevis; The
Lamb; Lament for the Mother of God; Harvey:
I Love the Lord; The Angels; Hatzis: Psalm 91;
Bhatia: 6 Seasons. Patricia Rozario, soprano;
Toronto Children’s Chorus; Choir 21. TrinitySt. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-4080208. $20-$67.50. 7:00: Pre-concert chat.
Friday April 17
●●12:10: Music at St Andrew’s. Noon-
time Recital: Jordan Klapman, jazz piano.
St. Andrew’s Church, King and Simcoe,
73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x231. Free.
●●1:10: Gordon Murray Presents. Piano Pot
Pourri. Classics, opera, operetta, musicals,
ragtime, pop, international and others. Gordon Murray, piano. Trinity-St. Paul’s United
Church, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-631-4300.
PWYC. Lunch-friendly.
●●7:00: Sheridan College Canadian Music
Theatre Project. Brantwood: 1920–2020.
Immersive musical theatre experience.
Runs Tues–Sun, Apr 14–May 3. See Apr 14 for
details.
AN EVENING’S
JOURNEY
with
ONE BIG SONG
Friday April 17
8pm
The Music Gallery
onebigsong.com
●●7:00: The Music Gallery. An Evening’s
Journey with One Big Song Group. Two
sets of contiguous compositions & improvised vignettes woven together as one story.
Ernie Tollar, saxophones, flutes, pedals, laptop; Paul Fitterer, drums and percussion; Wes
Neal, double bass; Mario Potestio, acoustic and electric guitars, pedals. Music Gallery, 197 John St. 416-204-1080. $12; $8
(member/st).
●●7:30: Barbara Fris, soprano. Schubert
Abend. Schubert: “Adagio” from the Quintet in C Op.163; Variations for Flute and
Piano; Shepherd on the Rock; Fantasia in f
38 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
programs); $40-$50. Second program
Apr 19(11:00am).
●●7:00: Sheridan College Canadian Music
Theatre Project. Brantwood: 1920–2020.
Immersive musical theatre experience.
Runs Tues–Sun, Apr 14–May 3. See Apr 14 for
details.
●●7:00: Toronto Korean Presbyterian
Church. Singing Together: A Celebration of
Cultural Diversity through Choral Music 20th
Anniversary. Coro San Marco; Les Voix Du
Coeur; Nayiri Armenian choir; TKPC Godstar;
Toronto Taiwanese Choir. Guest: Bill Candy,
songwriter. 67 Scarsdale Rd., North York.
416-667-0468. $20. Also Apr 25(with different choirs).
for Piano Four-Hands; Impromptus Nos.2
& 3. Velma Ko, violin; Kye Marshall, cello;
Jaye Marsh Graham, flute; Rita Greer, clarinet; Ruth Kazdan, piano; and others. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 416-922-3618. $25;
$20(sr/st).
●●7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Barber of Seville. Rossini. Joshua Hopkins, baritone (Figaro); Alek Shrader, tenor (Count
Almaviva); Serena Malfi, mezzo (Rosina);
Cecilia Hall, mezzo (Rosina); COC Orchestra and Chorus; Rory Macdonald, conductor.
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. $49$424; $22(under 30). Also Apr 19,21,26,29,
May 2,7,9,13,19,21,22(start times vary).
●●7:30: eVoid Collective Orchestra/Arraymusic. eVoid Collective Orchestra. Shamanic
tapestry of sound. Array Space, 155 Walnut
St. 416-532-3019. Free/PWYC.
●●7:30: Opera Atelier. Orpheus and Eurydice. Gluck (Berlioz adaptation). Mireille
Lebel, mezzo (Orpheus); Peggy Kriha Dye,
soprano (Eurydice); Meghan Lindsay, soprano (Amour); Marshall Pynkoski, director;
Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, choreographer;
Artists of Atelier Ballet; Tafelmusik Baroque
Orchestra; David Fallis, conductor. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge St. 1-855-622-2787. $38-$181.
Also Apr 9,11,12(3:00),14,18(4:30).
●●7:30: Toronto Heliconian Club. Schubert
Abend: An Intimate Evening of All-Schubert Music. Schubert: Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, D965 (The Shepherd on the Rock). Jane
Blackstone/Louise Morley, piano; Barbara
Fris, soprano; Rita Greer, clarinet; Encore
String Quartet with Velma Ko, viola. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 416-922-3618. $25;
$20(sr/st). Post-concert reception.
●●8:00: Corporation of Massey Hall and
Roy Thomson Hall. Tony Bennett with special guest Antonia Bennett. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255. $79.99-$199.50.
●●8:00: group of 27. Disquiet. C.P.E Bach:
Symphony Wg 179; Morlock: Disquiet; Mozart: Oboe Concerto; Haydn: Symphony 19.
Guests: Eric Paetkau and Sarah Jeffrey. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-3231292. PWYC.
●●8:00: Guitar Society of Toronto. Toronto
Guitar Weekend 2015: Competition Winners
Concert. Victoria College Chapel, 91 Charles
St. W. 416-964-8298. $30.
●●8:00: Mike Gennaro. Experimental. Musideum, Suite 133 (main floor), 401 Richmond
St. W. 416-599-7323. $10.
●●8:00: Richmond Hill Philharmonic Orchestra. Earth Works. A variety of musical
responses to nature. Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, 10268 Yonge St.,
Richmond Hill. 905-787-8811. $9-$29. Preconcert talk 45 min. before performance.
Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. 416-2170537. $40 Reg.; $35(sr/st).
●●4:30: Opera Atelier. Orpheus and Eurydice. Gluck (Berlioz adaptation). Mireille
Lebel, mezzo (Orpheus); Peggy Kriha Dye,
soprano (Eurydice); Meghan Lindsay, soprano (Amour); Marshall Pynkoski, director;
Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, choreographer;
Artists of Atelier Ballet; Tafelmusik Baroque
Orchestra; David Fallis, conductor. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge St. 1-855-622-2787. $38$181. Also Apr 9(eve),11(eve),12(3:00),14(ev
e),17(eve).
●●5:00: Toronto Children’s Chorus Chorale,
Chamber Choir and Choral Scholars. Splendourous SouNZsCApes. Works by Debussy,
Mendelssohn, Daley, Raminsh, MacGillivray and others. Elise Bradley and Matthew
Otto, conductors. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre,
427 Bloor St. W. 416-932-8666 x231. $20;
$15(sr/st); $10(child 5-12).
●●7:00: Aga Khan Museum/Raag-Mala
Toronto. Miyan-Ki-Daane: Raags of Tansen.
First of two programs of Tansen’s raags, presented in the traditional styles of dhrupad
and khayal. Samrat Pandit, vocals; Rupak
Kulkarni, flute. Aga Khan Museum Auditorium, 77 Wynford Dr. 416-646-4677. $70(both
●●7:30: Annex Singers. Till Beauty Shines.
Haydn: Lord Nelson Mass, and other works.
Talisker Players; Jennifer Krabbe; Whitney
O’Hearn; Marcel d’Entremont; Tristan Jones;
Maria Case, conductor. Grace Church-onthe-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd. 647-888-1979. $20;
$15(sr/st); free(12 and under).
●●7:30: Cantores Celestes Women’s Choir.
City Called Heaven (arr. J. Poelinitz). Galuppi:
Dixit Dominus; Hatfield: Heaven Somewhere;
2014-2015 SEASON
If God wanted to speak to man through music, he would do so
through the works of Haydn; if he wished to listen to music himself,
he would choose Boccherini. Cartier, 1798
Saturday April 18
Musical Jousting in the Courts of
Haydn and Boccherini April 18, 2015, 8pm
●●3:45: Guitar Society of Toronto. Toronto
Guitar Weekend 2015: Guitar Orchestra Performance and Open Mic. Victoria College
Chapel, 91 Charles St. W. 416-964-8298. Free.
●●4:00: Elmer Iseler Singers. Island Lore:
The Mystic Tide. Michael McGlynn: Heavens Sing; Charles Villier Stanford: Three
Latin Motets; David Childs: Salve Regina; Matthew Emery: The Lover’s Chant; Five English
Folk Songs, David Willcocks (arr.). Elmer Iseler Singers; Lydia Adams, conductor. Christ
Works by Haydn and Boccherini,
with Jeanne Lamon & Edwin Huizinga, Violins; Emily Eng, Viola;
Christina Mahler & Kerri McGonigle, Cellos
Eastminster United Church, 310 Danforth Avenue
(West of Chester) All 3 concerts begin at 8pm • doors open at 7:30pm
REGULAR TICKETS: $20 ($49 for 3) , STUDENT/SENIOR: $14 ($32 for 3)
academyconcertseries.com
416.629.3716
an Ontario government agency
un organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario
thewholenote.com
Noble Jr.: Listen to the Angels Shouting;
Wade in the Jordan River; works by Tork and
others. Emperor String Quartet; Jennifer
Harewood-Kokoue and Katherine Napiwotzki,
sopranos; Ellen Meyer, piano; Kelly Galbraith,
conductor. Runnymede United Church,
432 Runnymede Rd. 416-236-1522. $25. Portion of the proceeds to benefit Sistering.
●●7:30: Musikay. Magic of Bach & ... . Bach:
Kyrie II from Mass in b; Komm Jesu Komm;
Ich lasse dich nicht; Campra: Missa Ad
majorem dei gloriam; Charpentier: Te Deum
in C; Bevan: Three Motets of texts of Henry
Vaughan. Stéphane Potvin, conductor. St.
John’s United Church (Oakville), 262 Randall
St., Oakville. 905-825-9740. $15-$35.
●●7:30: Opera Belcanto of York. La Bohème.
Puccini. Gayané Mangassarian, Michèle Pearson, soprano; Stanislas Vitort, tenor; Henry
Irwin, Douglas Tranquada, Berje Varcabet,
baritone; and other singers; David Varjabed,
conductor; Edward Franko, director; with the
OBC Orchestra and Chorus. Richmond Hill
Centre for the Performing Arts, 10268 Yonge
St., Richmond Hill. 905-787-8811. $55;$45(sr).
Also April 16.
●●7:30: Opera by Request. Dialogues des
Carmélites. Poulenc. Caroline Dery, soprano (Blanche de la Force); Lindsay McIntyre, soprano (Sister Constanze); Maude
Paradis, mezzo (Prioress/Mother Jeanne/Sr.
Mathilde); Jennifer Routhier, mezzo (Mother
Marie); Jaclyn Grossman, soprano (New
Prioress); and others; William Shookhoff,
conductor and piano. College Street United
Church, 452 College St. 416-455-2365. $20.
●●7:30: St. Barnabas on the Danforth. In
the Mood. Bach Children’s Chorus and Bach
Chamber Youth Choir. Guests: Melanie Doane
and her ukulele students from Uschool.ca.
361 Danforth Ave. 416-463-1344. $20. Benefit
for St. Barnabas Accessibility Project.
●●7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. From
Swan Lake to Flight of the Bumblebee. Rimsky-Korsakov: “Procession of the Nobles”
from Mlada; “Flight of the Bumblebee” from
The Tale of Tsar Saltan; Koussevitzky: Double
Bass Concerto; Tchaikovsky: Selections from
Swan Lake; Marche Slave; Mussorgsky: Night
on Bald Mountain; Prokofiev: “Waltz and Midnight” from Cinderella; and other works. Jeffrey Beecher, double bass; Rossen Milanov,
Rd., Mississauga. 905-848-0015. $35;
$30(sr); $15(st); $85(family).
●●8:00: Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra. Annual Fundraising Concert and Silent
Auction. Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite; J.
Strauss, Jr.: Emperor Waltz; A Salute to
Richard Rogers; and other works. Guests:
Julie Ludwig, soprano; Jeremy Ludwig, baritone. P.C. Ho Theatre, Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto, 5183 Sheppard Ave.
E., Scarborough. 416-879-5566. $30. 7:00:
doors open.
●●8:00: Guitar Society of Toronto. Toronto
Guitar Weekend 2015: Berta Rojas in Concert.
Victoria College Chapel, 91 Charles St. W. 416964-8298. $40.
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory. Oliver Mtukudzi
and the Black Spirits. Ugandan roots music.
Guest: Kinobe, singer–songwriter. Koerner
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $30–$75.
●●8:00: The Music Gallery/Contact Contemporary Music. Professor Bad Trip and The
Michael Eckert Large Earth Ensemble. St.
George the Martyr Church, 197 John St. 416204-1080. $25; $20(adv); $15(mem); $10(st).
●●8:00: York Symphony Orchestra. Classical
Origins. Beethoven: Fidelio Overture; Mozart:
Clarinet Concerto; Brahms: Symphony No.3.
Michael Dassios, clarinet; Denis Mastromonaco, conductor. Trinity Anglican Church
(Aurora), 79 Victoria St., Aurora. 416-4100860. $28; $23(sr); $15(st). Also Apr 19(7:30,
Richmond Hill).
conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-598-3375. $33-$93. Also Apr 19(mat).
●●8:00: Academy Concert Series. Musical
Jousting in the Courts of Haydn and Boccherini. Haydn: String Quartet No.27 in D,
Op.20 No.4; Mozart: Duo No.1 for violin and
viola in G, K.423; Boccherini: String Quartet in g Op.32, No.5, G.205; String Quintet in
D Op.40 No.2 “Del Fandango” G.341. Jeanne
Lamon, Edwin Huizinga, violin; Emily Eng,
viola; Christina Mahler, Kerri McGonigle, cello.
Eastminster United Church, 310 Danforth
Ave. 416-629-3716. $20;$14(sr/st); $49(for
three); $32(for three, sr/st).
●●8:00: Acoustic Harvest. RPR. Steve Ritchie,
guitar; Al Parrish, bass; Rob Ritchie, piano;
Beaker Granger, percussion. St. Nicholas
Anglican Church, 1512 Kingston Rd. 416-2642235. $25/$22(adv). 7:30: doors open. Wheelchair accessible, free parking.
●●8:00: Chamber Music Society of Mississauga. Nostalgica. Villa-Lobos: Trio No.3;
McKinley: Mauricio for Piano Trio; Ponce:
Trio Romantico. Trio Fibonacci (Julie-Anne
Derome, violin; Wonny Song, piano and Gabriel Prynn, cello). Great Hall, Unitarian Congregation of Mississauga, 84 South Service
Sunday April 19
●●11:00am: Aga Khan Museum/Raag-Mala
Toronto. Miyan-Ki-Daane: Raags of Tansen. Second of two programs of Tansen’s
raags, presented in the traditional styles
of dhrupad and khayal. Uday Bhawalkar,
vocals; Partha Bose, sitar. Aga Khan Museum
Auditorium, 77 Wynford Dr. 416-646-4677.
$70(both programs); $40-$50. First program
Apr 18(7:00).
●●1:00: Classical Music Conservatory. Music
for a Cause. Ton Beau Quartet, Sarah Steeves,
Lamees Audeh & Wafa Zagal, Kyra Millan,
Bryce Kulak and others. Emmanuel Howard Park United Church, 214 Wright Ave. 416537-5995. PWYC ($20 suggested). Proceeds
to Emmanuel Howard Park Church Outreach
Program.
●●2:00: Canadian Opera Company. Bar-
ber of Seville. Rossini. Also Apr 17,21,26,29,
May 2,7,9,13,19,21,22(start times vary). See
Apr 17.
●●2:00: Trio Bravo. Four Works. Ellenwood:
Fantasia; Piazolla: Three Tangos, arr. Selleck;
Furst: Petitionen; Fauré: Dolly Suite, arr. Selleck. All Saints Kingsway Anglican Church,
2850 Bloor St. W. 416-242-2131. $20; $15(sr/
st).
●●2:30: Toronto Early Music Centre. Musically Speaking. Telemann: Fantasy No.7 in E–
flat; Fantasy No.10 in D; Biber: Passacaglia;
Bach: Sonata No.1 in g. Patricia Ahern, violin.
St. David’s Anglican Church, 49 Donlands Ave.
416-464-7610. PWYC.
●●3:00: Hannaford Street Silver Band. Of
Distant Memories. Edward Gregson leads
finale concert of Hannaford Festival of Brass
weekend. Edward Gregson, conductor; Gordon Wolfe, trombone. Jane Mallett Theatre,
St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St.
E. 416-336-7723 or 1-800-708-6754. $15-$50.
●●3:00: Naoko Yukumoto, piano. Classical. Musideum, Suite 133 (main floor),
401 Richmond St. W. 416-599-7323. $20.
●●3:00: Royal Conservatory. Watermusic. Berio: Wasserklavier; Tōru Takemitsu: Rain Tree Sketch II; Fauré: Barcarolle
No.5 in f-sharp Op.66; Ravel: Jeux d’eau;
Albéniz: “Almería” from Iberia Suite for
piano B47 Book 2; and other works. Hélène
Grimaud, piano. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W.
416-408-0208. $35–$85.
●●3:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. From
Swan Lake to Flight of the Bumblebee. Rimsky-Korsakov: “Procession of the Nobles”
from Mlada; “Flight of the Bumblebee” from
The Tale of Tsar Saltan; Koussevitzky: Double
Bass Concerto; Tchaikovsky: Selections from
Swan Lake; Marche Slave; Mussorgsky: Night
on Bald Mountain; Prokofiev: “Waltz and Midnight” from Cinderella; and other works. Jeffrey Beecher, double bass; Rossen Milanov,
conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-598-3375. $33-$93. Also Apr 18(eve).
●●4:00: Cathedral Church of St. James.
Organ Recitals. Andrew Ager, organ.
65 Church St. 416-364-7865. Free; donations
welcomed.
●●4:00: St. Olave’s Anglican Church. Best
Things in Life. Choral Evensong followed
Cathedral
Bluffs
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Norman Reintamm
Artistic Director/Principal Conductor
Saturday April 18 at 8 pm
Fundraising Concert & Silent Auction
STRAVINSKY: Firebird Suite | STRAUSS JR: Emperor Waltz
A Salute to Richard Rogers PLUS other favourites from
Strauss, Lehar & Richard Rogers
with guest artists Julie Ludwig soprano & Jeremy Ludwig baritone
ADVANCE TICKETS (before April 18) $30 all ages | CONCERT DAY $35
P.C. Ho Theatre 5183 Sheppard Ave. East, Scarborough
The Ontario Trillium Foundation is an
agency of the Government of Ontario
cathedralbluffs.com | 416.879.5566
thewholenote.com
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 39
A. Concerts in the GTA
by St. George’s Tea. Words and music
from Shakespeare onwards. St. Olave’s
Choir; Olave’s Arts Guild and Consort.
360 Windermere Ave. 416-769-5686. Contributions appreciated.
●●4:30: Christ Church Deer Park. Jazz Vespers. Alison Young Trio (Alison Young, saxophone, Bernie Senensky, piano, Paul Novotny,
bass. 1570 Yonge St. 416-920-5211 x22. Freewill offering.
●●7:00: Evergreen Club/Arraymusic. Evergreen Club. Open to everyone. Come play
Indonesian instruments. Array Space,
155 Walnut St. 416-532-3019. $10.
●●7:00: Sheridan College Canadian Music
Theatre Project. Brantwood: 1920–2020.
Immersive musical theatre experience.
Runs Tues–Sun, Apr 14–May 3. See Apr 14 for
details.
●●7:30: Aradia Baroque Ensemble. Nosferatu. F.W. Murnau’s classic film “Nosferatu”
with baroque accompaniment. Kingsway
Conservatory Strings; Richard Herriott,
piano. Music Gallery, 197 John St. 647-9606650. $35; $20(sr/under 30).
●●7:30: Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church.
Concert celebrating the 100th anniversary
of the installation of the Casavant pipe organ.
Organ, piano and vocal music. David Rosevear, organist and friends. 10066 Yonge
St., Richmond Hill. 905-503-0537. Freewill
offering.
●●7:30: York Symphony Orchestra. Classical
Origins. Beethoven: Fidelio Overture; Mozart:
Clarinet Concerto; Brahms: Symphony No.3.
Michael Dassios, clarinet; Denis Mastromonaco, conductor. Richmond Hill Centre for the
Performing Arts, 10268 Yonge St., Richmond
Hill. 905-787-8811. $30; $25(sr); $15(st). Also
April 18 (8:00, Aurora).
●●8:00: Astrid Young. Acid Folk. Astrid
Young, vox; Ray Farrugia, drums; Matthew
Davies, guitar; Matt King of Hamilton, guitar
and bass. Musideum, Suite 133 (main floor),
401 Richmond St. W. 416-599-7323. $20.
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory. Chilly Gonzales,
piano, and Kaiser Quartett. Original works:
classical, pop, hip hop, electronic music, and
rock. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-4080208. $35–$65.
Brampton. 905-450-9220. Admission by
donation (PWYC).
Tuesday April 21
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
416-599-7323. $20.
Wednesday April 22
Dance Series: Paratopia. Kathak and Indian
classical dance aesthetics in a contemporary,
global reality. Bageshree Vaze, dancer; Vineet
Vyas, tabla. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free.
●●12:00 noon: Corporation of Massey Hall
and Roy Thomson Hall. Free Noon Hour Concert: Oriana Women’s Choir Sing a New Song.
Includes original, commissioned Canadian
works. Mitchell Pady, conductor; Michael
Bloss, organ. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe
St. 416-872-4255. Free.
●●12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation/
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. Lunchtime Chamber Music: Amy Lee, cello. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St.
416-241-1298. Free. Donations welcome.
●●4:00: Cathedral Church of St. James.
Organ Recitals. Organist TBA. 65 Church St.
416-364-7865. Free; donations welcomed.
●●7:00: Sheridan College Canadian Music
Theatre Project. Brantwood: 1920–2020.
Immersive musical theatre experience.
Runs Tues–Sun, Apr 14–May 3. See Apr 14 for
details.
●●7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Barber of Seville. Rossini. Also Apr 17,19,26,29,
May 2,7,9,13,19,21,22(start times vary). See
Apr 17.
●●7:30: Royal Conservatory. Glenn Gould
School Chamber Competition Finals. Mazzoleni Concert Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-4080208. Free(ticket required).
●●8:00: Musideum/Somewhere There. Craig
Pederson Quartet. Experimental. Opening
set: Ali Berkok, pianist and composer. Musideum, Suite 133 (main floor), 401 Richmond
St. W. 416-599-7323. $10.
●●12:00 noon: Windermere United Church.
Impressions. Mozart: Sonata in C; and works
by Debussy, Satie and Pärt. Paulina Derbez,
violin; Nancy Sicsic, piano. 356 Windermere
Ave. 416-769-5611. Freewill offering. Benefit
for Windermere’s music programs.
●●12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
Michael Bloss, organ. 1585 Yonge St. 416-9221167. Free.
●●7:00: Sheridan College Canadian Music
Theatre Project. Brantwood: 1920–2020.
Immersive musical theatre experience.
Runs Tues–Sun, Apr 14–May 3. See Apr 14 for
details.
●●7:30: Junction Trio. Anthems for the Earth.
Lucas Tensen: Anthems for the Earth, an
illustrated songbook. Guest: Jesse Stewart,
crystal bowls. St. Anne’s Anglican Church,
270 Gladstone Ave. 416-993-5883. PWYC ($20
suggested donation).
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Ararat: Music of Armenia. Gomidas: Three Songs
(arr. and orch. Kradjian); Khachaturian: Violin
Concerto; Suite from Masquerade and Spartacus; Mychael Danna: Ararat (world premiere). Isabel Bayrakdarian, soprano; Sergey
Khachatryan, violin; Serouj Kradjian, piano;
Peter Oundjian, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. $33-$145.
Thursday April 23
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Piano Virtuoso Series: The Baroque Dance
Transfigured. Brahms: Variations and Fugue
on a Theme by Handel; Bach: Dance Suite.
Erik Lawrence, piano. Richard Bradshaw
Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for the
Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-3638231. Free.
●●12:15: Music at Metropolitan. Noon at Met:
Olga Tylman, mezzo and Michael Fitzgerald, baritone. Metropolitan United Church,
56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 x26. Free.
●●7:00: Sheridan College Canadian Music
Theatre Project. Brantwood: 1920–2020.
Immersive musical theatre experience.
Runs Tues–Sun, Apr 14–May 3. See Apr 14 for
details.
●●8:00: Blues Hall of Fame. Tour featuring
Charlie Musselwhite, James Cotton & John
Hammond. Burlington Performing Arts Centre, 440 Locust St., Burlington. 905-681-2551.
$59; $53(sr).
●●8:00: Musideum. Tangled Arts Festival.
Suite 133 (main floor), 401 Richmond St. W.
Monday April 20
●●7:30: Brampton Chamber Music Con-
cert Series. Violin & Piano Duo Recital.
Corey Gemmell, violin; Eileen Keown, piano;
young artists selected by audition. St. Paul’s
United Church (Brampton), 30 Main St. S.,
Sun. 19th April at 4 p.m.
Festive Evensong
plus St. George’s Tea and at 5:
BEST THINGS
IN LIFE
BAROQUE
MISBEHAVING
Apr 23-28
416.964.6337
tafelmusik.org
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. Baroque Misbehaving.
Oesterle: Snow White (new commission); and
works by Purcell, Charpentier and Telemann.
Aisslinn Nosky, violin/conductor. TrinitySt. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-9646337. $37-$89; $29-$79(sr); $15-$79(35 and
under). Also Apr 24, 25, 26(mat), 28 (George
Weston Recital Hall).
Friday April 24
●●12:10: Music at St Andrew’s. Noontime
Recital: Jialiang Zhu, piano. St. Andrew’s
Church, King and Simcoe, 73 Simcoe St. 416593-5600 x231. Free.
●●1:10: Gordon Murray Presents. Piano Pot
Pourri. Classics, opera, operetta, musicals,
ragtime, pop, international and others. Gordon Murray, piano. Trinity-St. Paul’s United
Church, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-631-4300.
PWYC. Lunch friendly.
●●7:00: Sheridan College Canadian Music
Theatre Project. Brantwood: 1920–2020.
Immersive musical theatre experience.
Runs Tues–Sun, Apr 14–May 3. See Apr 14 for
details.
●●7:30: Metro Youth Opera. Béatrice &
Bénédict. Berlioz. Simone McIntosh (Béatrice); Asitha Tennekoon (Bénédict); Lindsay McIntyre (Héro); Alessia Naccarato
(Ursule); Janaka Welihinda (Claudio); and
others; Alison Wong, stage director; Natasha
Fransblow, conductor. Aki Studio, Daniels
Spectrum, 585 Dundas St. E. 416-543-9209.
$30; $25(sr); $20(st). Also Apr 25, 26(mat).
●●7:30: Pocket Concerts. Pocket Concerts:
In the Junction. A selection of 16th and 17th
Harmonia Hungarica,
the women’s chamber choir,
joins St. Olave’s Arts Guild
to present music, poetry and
readings from Shakespeare,
Dickens, Charlotte Bronté
and other writers who find
drama and comedy in things
that may have a hidden price.
St. Olave’s Church
Bloor and Windermere
416-769-5686
stolaves.ca
40 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
thewholenote.com
century repertoire for violin and harpsichord.
Kathleen Kajioka, baroque Violin; Christopher Bagan, harpsichord. Private home,
McMurray St (near Dundas W.). 647-8968295. $42;$27(age 25 and under);$14(age 18
and under). Exact address will be given when
tickets are purchased. Call for details.
●●7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Live
in Concert: Disney Fantasia. Fantasia (1940)
and Disney Fantasia 2000 on screen with
orchestral accompaniment. Steven Reineke,
conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-598-3375. $20-$39. Also Apr 25(mat
& eve).
●●8:00: Aga Khan Museum. Noura Mint Seymali. Sounds of the Sahara, the Magreb, and
West Africa, blending ancient melodic traditions with contemporary pop and funk. Aga
Khan Museum Auditorium, 77 Wynford Dr.
416-646-4677. $45-$55.
●●8:00: Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy
Thomson Hall. Buddy Guy with special guest
Quinn Sullivan. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe
St. 416-872-4255. $49.50-$69.50.
●●8:00: Musideum. Tangled Arts Festival.
Suite 133 (main floor), 401 Richmond St. W.
416-599-7323. $20.
Kameel Farah, piano/electronics. Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis St. 1-800-8383006. $28; $22(sr/st/CADA); 20(early bird).
Pre-show chat: 8:00. Runs Wed–Sun, April
24–May 3.
XI
Saturday April 25
●●2:00: Monty Alexander, piano. Family Con-
cert: Harlem-Kingston Express. Jazz, reggae,
fusion. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416408-0208. $25–$35. Also 8:00.
●●2:00: Music Toronto. FiddleFire! with Chris
McKhool. Jazz, blues, classical, Rumba, flamenco, funk, world beat, East Coast fiddling
and more. Chris McKhool, violin. Cosburn
United Church, 1108 Greenwood Ave. 416-2141660. Free.
●●2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Live
in Concert: Disney Fantasia. Fantasia (1940)
and Disney Fantasia 2000 on screen with
orchestral accompaniment. Steven Reineke,
conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe
St. 416-598-3375. $20-$39. Also 7:30;
Apr 24(eve).
●●4:00: Eglinton St. George’s United Church.
United in Song. Works by Raminsh, Halley,
Daley, Watson Henderson and more. ESG
Church Choir; Woodstock Fanshawe Singers;
Janet Robb, piano; William Maddox, organ;
Shawn Grenke, conductor. 35 Lytton Blvd.
416-481-1141. $20. Net proceeds to support
Out of the Cold program.
●●7:00: Sheridan College Canadian Music
Theatre Project. Brantwood: 1920–2020.
Immersive musical theatre experience.
FRIDAY, APRIL 24
The Array Space
flute; Alanna Ellison, harp; Cecilia Lee, piano;
Michael Murphy, percussion; Kevin Shen,
saxophone; Christina Choi, violin. Array
Space, 155 Walnut St. 647-230-3272. Free.
●●8:00: The Music Gallery. Trevor Watts
and Veryan Weston plus Segger vs. Segger.
Piano and saxophone duo. St. George the
Martyr Church, 197 John St. 416-204-1080.
$20/$10(mem)/$15(adv); $10(st).
●●8:30: Peggy Baker Dance Projects. locus
plot. World premiere. Dancers: Ric Brown;
Sarah Fregeau; Kate Holden; Sean Ling; and
Sahara Morimoto; Fides Krucker, voice; John
Yannick Nézet-Séguin
conducts Orchestre
Métropolitain and
Stéphane Tétreault
2 014 – 2 01
5 CONCERt SERIES
SAtURDAY ApRIl 25 tH
4:00 p.M.
FRI., APR. 24, 2015 8PM
KOERNER HALL
United
in
Song
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
416.408.0208
●●8:00: Orchestre Métropolitain. Yannick
Nézet-Séguin, conductor. Elgar: Enigma
Variations Op.36; Cello Concerto in e Op.85;
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No.4. Stéphane
Tétreault, cello. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W.
416-408-0208. $50–$125.
●●8:00: Sine Nomine Ensemble for Medieval
Music. Novellare, sonare e cantare: Tales
from the Decameron. Samples of Boccaccio’s
narratives, paired with works by da Bologna,
da Padova, da Firenze, Landini and others.
St. Thomas’s Anglican Church, 383 Huron St.
416-978-8849(tickets) or 416-638-9445(info
only). $20; $14(sr/st/unwaged).
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. Baroque Misbehaving.
Oesterle: Snow White (new commission); and
works by Purcell, Charpentier and Telemann.
Aisslinn Nosky, violin/conductor. TrinitySt. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-9646337. $37-$89; $29-$79(sr); $15-$79(35 and
under). Also Apr 23, 25, 26(mat), 28 (George
Weston Recital Hall).
●●8:00: Sara Constant. Xi. Denisov: Sonata;
Lutosławski: Three Fragments; Meijering: “I
hate Mozart”; Stockhausen: Xi; Tanabe: Recollections of the Inland Sea. Sara Constant,
thewholenote.com
Runs Tues–Sun, Apr 14–May 3. See Apr 14 for
details.
●●7:00: Toronto Korean Presbyterian
Church. Singing Together: A Celebration
of Cultural Diversity through Choral Music
20th Anniversary. Schola Cantorum; CroArte
Chorale; Edelweiss Choir; Joyful Singers; The
Caribbean Chorale. Guest: Bill Candy, songwriter. 67 Scarsdale Rd., North York. 416667-0468. $20. Also Apr 18 (with different
choirs).
●●7:30: Canadian Men’s Chorus. CMC By
Request. Featuring classical and contemporary selections of audience favourites. Irish
Blessing (Beaudoin arr.). Greg Rainville, conductor. Music Gallery, 197 John St. 519-3051351. $35/$30(adv); $25/$20(st/adv).
●●7:30: Jane Bunnett & Hilario Duran. Cuban
Rhapsody. Burlington Performing Arts Centre, 440 Locust St., Burlington. 905-6812551. $35.
●●7:30: MCS Chorus. Baroque Favourites.
Pergolesi: Magnificat; Handel: Laudate Pueri
Dominum (Psalm 112); Bach: Cantata 131(Aus
Come experience a fantastic
afternoon of Great Choral
Music sung by The Eglinton
St. George’s Church Choir and
guests, The Woodstock
Fanshawe Singers. Works by
Raminsh, Halley, Daley, Watson
Henderson and more.
Net proceeds to support local
Out of The Cold Program
Janet Robb, piano;
William Maddox, organ;
Shawn Grenke, Conductor.
Tickets $20
35 Lytton Blvd., Toronto
416.481.1141
www.esgunited.org
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 41
A. Concerts in the GTA
der Tiefe). With guest soloists and chamber
orchestra. Westminster United Church (Mississauga), 4094 Tomken Rd, Mississauga.
905-278-7059. $20; $10(under 18).
●●7:30: Metro Youth Opera. Béatrice &
Bénédict. Berlioz. Simone McIntosh (Béatrice); Asitha Tennekoon (Bénédict); Lindsay McIntyre (Héro); Alessia Naccarato
(Ursule); Janaka Welihinda (Claudio); and
others; Alison Wong, stage director; Natasha
Fransblow, conductor. Aki Studio, Daniels
Spectrum, 585 Dundas St. E. 416-543-9209.
$30; $25(sr); $20(st). Also Apr 24, 26(mat).
●●7:30: Mississauga Big Band Jazz Ensemble. Big Band Open Mic. Cooksville United
Church, 2500 Mimosa Row, Mississauga.
905-270-4757. $20;$10(sr/children).
●●7:30: New Horizons Bloor Concert Band.
Scarborough Bluffs United Church. Scarborough Bluffs United Church, 3739 Kingston Rd.,
Scarborough. 416-267-8265. $15.
●●7:30: Oakham House Choir of Ryerson University. Last Night of the Proms. Handel: Coronation Anthem No.4; Elgar: Coronation Ode;
Borodin: Polovtsian Dances; and other works;
sing-along. Wendy Dobson, soprano; Michael
Robert-Broder, baritone; Oakham House
Choir; Toronto Sinfonietta; Matthew Jaskiewicz, conductor. Calvin Presbyterian Church,
26 Delisle Ave. 416-960-5551. $30; $15(st);
free(under 13).
●●7:30: Scarborough Bluffs Music. New Horizons Bloor Concert Band. Scarborough
Bluffs United Church, 3739 Kingston Rd.,
Scarborough. 416-267-8265. $15.
●●7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Live
in Concert: Disney Fantasia. Fantasia (1940)
42 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
Cotton, harmonicas; John Hammond, guitar/voice. Main Stage, Rose Theatre Brampton, 1 Theatre Ln., Brampton. 905-874-2800.
$68–$80.
●●8:00: Small World Music. An Asian-Canadian Celebration of Women’s Songs and
Stories. Suba Sankaran, Bandana Singh, Vandana Vishwas and Amely Zhou, voice; Ed Hanley, tabla; Dylan Bell, multi-instrumentalist.
Small World Music Centre, Artscape Youngplace, 180 Shaw St. 416-530-2787. $15.
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. Baroque Misbehaving.
Oesterle: Snow White (new commission); and
works by Purcell, Charpentier and Telemann.
Aisslinn Nosky, violin/conductor. TrinitySt. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-9646337. $37-$89; $29-$79(sr); $15-$79(35 and
under). Also Apr 23,24,26(mat),28 (George
Weston Recital Hall).
●●8:00: Toronto Chapter of American Harp
Society. Caroline Leonardelli. Featuring
music from her CD “Impressions de France”.
Armour Heights Presbyterian Church,
105 Wilson Ave. 416-781-8206. $25; $20(member); $15(st); free(one child); $10(additional
child).
●●8:30: Peggy Baker Dance Projects. locus
plot. World premiere. Dancers: Ric Brown;
Sarah Fregeau; Kate Holden; Sean Ling; and
Sahara Morimoto; Fides Krucker, voice; John
Kameel Farah, piano/electronics. Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis St. 1-800-8383006. $28; $22(sr/st/CADA); 20(early bird).
Pre-show chat: 8:00. Runs Wed–Sun, April
24–May 3.
and Disney Fantasia 2000 on screen with
orchestral accompaniment. Steven Reineke,
conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe
St. 416-598-3375. $20-$39. Also 2:00;
Apr 24(eve).
●●8:00: Arraymusic. Dirt Road by Linda Catlin
Smith. Array Space, 155 Walnut St. 416-5323019. $25/$20. 7:15: pre-concert talk.
●●8:00: Healey Willan Singers. A Crown
of Roses. Pergolesi: Stabat Mater; works
by Mozart, Willan, Ireland and others.
Guest: Paskke String Quartet; John Stephenson, organ; Ron Ka Ming Cheung, conductor. Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields,
151 Glenlake Ave. 416-519-0528. $20;$15.
●●8:00: Mississauga Symphony Orchestra.
Mediterraneo. Ibert: Escales; Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez; Ravel: Alborada del Gracioso; Mendelssohn: Symphony No.4 (Italian).
Daniel Bolshoy, guitar; Denis Mastromonaco,
conductor. Hammerson Hall, Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905306-6000. $48-$62;$43.20-$55(sr);$30(age
16-26);$20(age 15 and under).
●●8:00: Monty Alexander, piano. HarlemKingston Express. Jazz, reggae, fusion.
Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208.
$35–$80. Also 2:00(Family Concert).
●●8:00: Musideum. Zari. Sakartvelo (Georgian) polyphonic singing. Shalva Makharashvili, Andrea Kuzmich, Reid Robins, vocal trio.
Suite 133 (main floor), 401 Richmond St. W.
416-599-7323. $30.
●●8:00: Rose Theatre Brampton. The Blues
Hall of Fame Tour. Gone Too Long, Cotton
Mouth Man, Heartache Blues, and other
selections. Charlie Musselwhite and James
Sunday April 26
●●1:30: Women’s Musical Club of Toronto.
Career Development Award Live Competition. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-923-7052. $25. See Section E (Competitions) for details.
●●2:00: Canadian Opera Company. Barber of Seville. Rossini. Also Apr 17,19,21,29,
May 2,7,9,13,19,21,22(start times vary). See
Apr 17.
●●2:00: Canzona Chamber Players. In Concert. Works by Ravel, Debussy, Tansman,
Martin, Tournier and Lau. Amelia Lyon, flute;
Jonathan Krehm, clarinet; Catherine Cosbey,
violin; Sonia Shklarov, violin; Yunior Lopez,
viola; Peter Cosbey, cello; Angela Schwarzkopf, harp. St. Andrew by-the-Lake Church,
Cibola Avenue, Toronto Island. 416-822-0613.
$20. Also Apr 27 (eve, St. George the Martyr Church).
●●2:00: Off Centre Music Salon. Old, Young,
Eternal Vienna: From Mozart to Schoenberg.
Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire; Mozart ensembles; other works. Steven Dann: viola; Julie
Hereish; cello; Susan Hoeppner, flute; Yao
Guang Zhai, clarinet; Boris Zarankin and Inna
Perkis, piano; and other performers; Tom
Allen, host. Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St.
W. 416-466-1870. $60; $50(sr/st); $25(13–25);
$15(child).
●●2:00: Pickering Community Band. Spring
Concert: Music from Around the World. La
Paloma, Jamaican Sail-Away, Lord of the
Rings, Hot Hot Hot, Downton Abbey and
others. Guests: St. Andrew’s Presbyterian
Church Choir (Ajax); Fanfare and Celebration
by Kristie Hunter. Forest Brook Community
Church, 60 Kearney Dr., Ajax. 905-427-5443.
$15; $10(sr/under 18).
●●2:00: Royal Conservatory. David Louie,
piano/harpsichord, and Véronique Mathieu,
David Louie and
Véronique Mathieu
SUN.,APR. 26, 2015 2PM
MAZZOLENI CONCERT HALL
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
416.408.0208
violin. Händel: Harpsichord Suite No.5; works
by Bach and Scarlatti. Mazzoleni Concert Hall,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $32.
●●2:00: Toronto Improvisers Orchestra/
Arraymusic. Toronto Improvisers Orchestra.
Open to improvisers and public. Array Space,
155 Walnut St. 416-532-3019. Free/PWYC.
●●2:30: Metro Youth Opera. Béatrice &
Bénédict. Berlioz. Simone McIntosh (Béatrice); Asitha Tennekoon (Bénédict); Lindsay McIntyre (Héro); Alessia Naccarato
(Ursule); Janaka Welihinda (Claudio); and
others; Alison Wong, stage director; Natasha
Fransblow, conductor. Aki Studio, Daniels Spectrum, 585 Dundas St. E. 416-5439209. $30; $25(sr); $20(st). Also Apr 24 and
25(eve).
●●3:00: Community Baroque Orchestra
of Toronto. In Concert. Handel: Concerto
Grosso in d Op.3 No.5; Telemann: Wassermusik Overture (excerpts); Marais: Pieces
en Trio, Suite V in e (excerpts). Ballroom,
519 Community Centre, 519 Church St.
416-604-3440. Free. Performed on period
instruments.
●●3:00: Durham Community Choir. ‘80s
Celebration. John-Charles Coolen, conductor.
Kingsview United Church, 505 Adelaide Ave.
E., Oshawa. 289-312-0488. $20; $14(under
13).
●●3:00: Musideum. Jonathan Michael, Singer.
With: Rick Maltese, piano; Andris Krumins,
bass; Ravi Danesh, drums. Suite 133 (main
floor), 401 Richmond St. W. 416-599-7323.
$20.
●●3:00: Sistema Toronto Parkdale Parents
Committee. Red Violin Campaign Gala Concert. Sistema Parkdale Children’s orchestra. Bonar-Parkdale Presbyterian Church,
250 Dunn Ave. 416-545-0200. $10(concert
only); free(children under 12). Gala reception
at 1:30; see Section E (Galas) for details and
ticket prices.
●●3:00: Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Spring Concert. Mozart: Overture to Don Giovanni, K.527; Mahler: Symphony No.1. Shalom
Bard, conductor. MacMillan Theatre, Edward
Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-5983375. $12-$28.
●●3:30: Tafelmusik. Baroque Misbehaving.
Oesterle: Snow White (new commission); and
works by Purcell, Charpentier and Telemann.
Aisslinn Nosky, violin/conductor. Trinity-St.
Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337.
thewholenote.com
$37-$89;$29-$79(sr);$15-$79(35 and under).
Also Apr 23-25, 28 (George Weston Recital
Hall).
●●4:00: Cathedral Church of St. James.
Organ Recitals. Andrew Ager, organ.
65 Church St. 416-364-7865. Free; donations
welcomed.
●●4:00: Peggy Baker Dance Projects. locus
plot. World premiere. Dancers: Ric Brown;
Sarah Fregeau; Kate Holden; Sean Ling; and
Sahara Morimoto; Fides Krucker, voice; John
Kameel Farah, piano/electronics. Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis St. 1-800-8383006. $28; $22(sr/st/CADA); 20(early bird).
Pre-show chat: 3:30. Runs Wed–Sun, April
24–May 3.
●●4:00: St. Philip’s Anglican Church. Jazz
Vespers: Heather Bambrick Trio. 25 St. Phillips Rd., Etobicoke. 416-247-5181. Freewill
offering.
●●4:30: Christ Church Deer Park. Jazz Vespers: Tribute To Stephane Grappelli. Lenny
Solomon, violin; Bill Bridges, guitar; Lew Mele,
bass. 1570 Yonge St. 416-920-5211 x22. Freewill offering. Tribute talk by Brian Barlow.
●●7:00: North Bramalea United Church. All
the People Said Amen. Oceans (Where Feet
May Fail); Man of Sorrows; For the Beauty of
the Earth; Beautiful Things. North Bramalea
United Church Choir, Youth Chorus and Kids
Choir. 363 Howden Blvd., Brampton. 905450-8003. $15; free(under 12).
●●7:00: Sheridan College Canadian Music
Theatre Project. Brantwood: 1920–2020.
Immersive musical theatre experience.
Runs Tues–Sun, Apr 14–May 3. See Apr 14 for
details.
The Soul
of Genius
works by Mozart,
Haydn and Rauzzini
Meredith Hall, soprano &
Brahm Goldhamer, piano
April 26, 8pm
●●8:00: Meredith Hall and Brahm Goldha-
mer. The Soul of Genius. Haydn: Arianna a
Naxos; works by Mozart, Haydn and Rauzzini.
Meredith Hall, soprano and Brahm Goldhamer, piano. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave.
416-964-7903. $15; $10(sr/st).
●●8:00: Musideum. Steve Koven Solo Piano
Concert. Suite 133 (main floor), 401 Richmond
St. W. 416-599-7323. $20.
Monday April 27
●●7:30: Canzona Chamber Players. In Con-
cert. Works by Ravel, Debussy, Tansman,
Martin, Tournier and Lau. Amelia Lyon, flute;
Jonathan Krehm, clarinet; Catherine Cosbey,
thewholenote.com
violin; Sonia Shklarov, violin; Yunior Lopez,
viola; Peter Cosbey, cello; Angela Schwarzkopf, harp. St. George the Martyr Church,
197 John St. 416-822-0613. $20. Also Apr 26
(mat, St. Andrew by-the-Lake Church).
●●8:00: Edwin Huizinga/Keith Hamm. Stereo
Live: Tubbs Duo and Ultimate Bluegrass
Jam. Edwin Huizinga, violin; Keith Hamm,
viola. Guests: Joe Philips, Ben Plotnick, Adam
Shier and Will Meadows. Campbell House
Museum, 160 Queen St. W. 416 597-0227 x2.
$25/$20(adv). 7:00: doors open. Refreshments available.
Free(ticket required).
●●8:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre. Earnest, The Importance of Being. Comedy based
on Oscar Wilde play. Music by Victor Davies;
libretto by Eugene Benson. Jean Stilwell (Lady
Bracknell); Cameron McPhail (John); Thomas
Macleay (Algernon); Charlotte Knight (Cecily);
Michelle Garlough (Gwendolen); Larry Beckwith, conductor. Jane Mallett Theatre, St.
Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E.
416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754. $72-$95.
Also May 1, 2, 3(mat).
●●8:30: Peggy Baker Dance Projects. locus
plot. World premiere. Dancers: Ric Brown;
Sarah Fregeau; Kate Holden; Sean Ling; and
Sahara Morimoto; Fides Krucker, voice; John
Kameel Farah, piano/electronics. Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis St. 1-800-8383006. PWYC. Slideshow: 7:15. Runs Wed–Sun,
April 24–May 3.
●●9:00: The Music Gallery. Tim Berne’s
Snakeoil Plus Barnyard Drama. Tim Berne,
saxophone and ensemble; Opening: Barnyard Drama (Christine Duncan, vox and Jean
Martin, drums, digital loops). Array Space,
155 Walnut St. 416-204-1080. $16; $13(mem/
adv).
Tuesday April 28
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Vocal Series: The Futile Precaution: Highlights from The Barber of Seville. Featuring
young artists of the COC Ensemble Studio. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four
Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free.
●●12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation/
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. Lunchtime Chamber Music. Andréa Tyniec, violin,
and Su Jeon, piano. Yorkminster Park Baptist
Church, 1585 Yonge St. 416-241-1298. Free.
Donations welcome.
●●4:00: Cathedral Church of St. James.
Organ Recitals. Andrew Ager, organ.
65 Church St. 416-364-7865. Free; donations
welcomed.
●●7:30: Canadian Music Centre. An Evening
with Schubert. Schubert: Fantasia in f Op.103;
Schwanengesang D957. Ryan Downey, tenor;
Bradley Christensen, baritone; Mélisande Sinsoulier, piano; Lara Dodds-Eden, piano. 20 St.
Joseph St. 416-961-6601x201. $25/$20(adv).
●●7:30: Paul Mercs Concerts. 2CELLOS. Classical and film music, pop and rock. Luka Sulic
and Stjepan Hauser, cellos. Massey Hall,
178 Victoria St. 416-872-4255. $37.50-$55.
●●8:00: Musideum. Susan Cogan. World/folk/
jazz. Folk/Jazz & World. With: Bob Cohen, guitars & mandolins; guests. Suite 133 (main
floor), 401 Richmond St. W. 416-599-7323.
$20.
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. Baroque Misbehaving.
Oesterle: Snow White (new commission); and
works by Purcell, Charpentier and Telemann.
Aisslinn Nosky, violin/conductor. George
Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St. 1-855985-2787. $36-$77; $29-$69(sr); $15-$69(35
and under). Also Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
Apr 23-25, 26(mat).
Theatre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208.
Free(ticket required).
●●8:00: Canadian Brass. In Concert. Burlington Performing Arts Centre, 440 Locust
St., Burlington. 905-681-2551. $59,$25(30
and under).
●●8:00: Musideum. Dana Sipos & Ben Hermann CD Release. Folk. With: Mark McIntyre,
Ben McCarthy, and Lara Dodds-Eden. Suite
133 (main floor), 401 Richmond St. W. 416599-7323. $20; $10(st).
Thursday April 30
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Piano Virtuoso Series: In Praise of Women:
Music for Harpsichord. Works by Jacquet de
la Guerre, Morehead, Tailleferre, Landowska and others. Stephen Hargreaves, harpsichord. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free.
●●12:15: Music at Metropolitan. Noon at Met:
Koichi Inoue, piano. Metropolitan United
Church, 56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 x26.
Free.
●●7:30: Roufat Amiraliev. His Majesty Bach.
Roufat Amiraliev, solo violin and viola recital.
Bach: Partita No.2 in d; Sonata No.2 in a for
solo violin; Suite No.2 in d and Suite No.5 in c
for solo viola. Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front
St. W. 647-430-0086. $50, $30;$10(st/under
18).
ZZ:
LATIN JDAURÁN TRIO
HILARIO & 30
APRIL 29
TSO.CA
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Latin
Jazz: Hilario Durán Trio. Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story; Durán:
Sinfonia Afrocubana (Concerto for Latin Jazz
Trio and Orchestra) (world premiere); VillaLobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No.8. Roberto
Minczuk, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. $39-$82. Also
Apr 29(6:30).
●●8:30: Peggy Baker Dance Projects. locus
plot. World premiere. Dancers: Ric Brown;
Sarah Fregeau; Kate Holden; Sean Ling; and
Sahara Morimoto; Fides Krucker, voice; John
Kameel Farah, piano/electronics. Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis St. 1-800-8383006. $28; $22(sr/st/CADA). Pre-show chat:
8:00. Runs Wed–Sun, April 24–May 3.
Friday May 1
●●12:10: Music at St Andrew’s. Noontime
Wednesday April 29
●●12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
Christel Weins, organ. 1585 Yonge St. 416922-1167. Free.
●●6:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Latin
Jazz: Hilario Durán Trio. Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story; Durán:
Sinfonia Afrocubana (Concerto for Latin Jazz
Trio and Orchestra) (world premiere); Ginastera: Four Dances from Estancia. Tom Allen,
host; Roberto Minczuk, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. $39$82. Also Apr 30(7:30).
●●7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Barber of Seville. Rossini. Also Apr 17,19,21,26,
May 2,7,9,13,19,21,22(start times vary). See
Apr 17.
●●7:30: Royal Conservatory. Academy Chamber Orchestra. Students from Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists.
Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208.
The Glenn Gould
School New Music
Ensemble
THURS., APR. 30, 2015 7:30PM
CONSERVATORY THEATRE
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
416.408.0208
●●7:30: Royal Conservatory. Glenn Gould
School New Music Ensemble. Contemporary works by Grisey, Louie, Ristic and van der
Aa. Brian Current, conductor. Conservatory
Recital: Aaron Chow, piano. St. Andrew’s
Church, King and Simcoe, 73 Simcoe St. 416593-5600 x231. Free.
●●1:10: Gordon Murray Presents. Piano Pot
Pourri. Classics, opera, operetta, musicals,
ragtime, pop, international and others. Gordon Murray, piano. Trinity-St. Paul’s United
Church, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-631-4300.
PWYC. Lunch friendly.
●●7:00: Robert Smith. Organ Recital.
J.S.Bach: Pièce d’orgue; Elgar: Sospiri;
Brahms: Herzlich tut mich verlangen;
Whitlock: Fanfare. St. Paul’s Bloor Street,
227 Bloor St. E. 416-961-8116. Freewill offering. CD available for purchase.
●●7:30: Ian Bell. Friday Folk Night: Work
Songs for May Day. Sanderson Hall, St. Paul’s
United Church, 30 Main St. S., Brampton.
647-233-3655. $15; $12(sr/st).
●●7:30: The COSI Connection. Fűhrerbunker:
An Opera by Andrew Ager. World premiere
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 43
A. Concerts in the GTA
staged production. Andrew Ager, music director; Michael Patrick Albano, Stage director;
Jonathan MacArthur (Adolph Hitler); Sydney Baedke (Eva Braun); other performers.
Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Ave. 844-2002674. $40; $20(sr/st).
John Sheard
Presents
Chris
Whiteley
Saturday, May 2
8pm
auroraculturalcentre.ca
905 713-1818
●●8:00: Aurora Cultural Centre.
2015 Great Artist Music Series: Jue Wang,
Piano. Works by Liszt, Strauss & Gershwin. Brevik Hall, Aurora Cultural Centre,
22 Church St., Aurora. 905-713-1818. $34;
$28(sr/st).
plot. World premiere. Dancers: Ric Brown;
Sarah Fregeau; Kate Holden; Sean Ling; and
Sahara Morimoto; Fides Krucker, voice; John
Kameel Farah, piano/electronics. Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis St. 1-800-8383006. $28; $22(sr/st/CADA). Pre-show chat:
8:00. Runs Wed–Sun, April 24–May 3.
●●8:00: Corporation of Massey Hall and
Roy Thomson Hall. Evgeny Kissin, piano.
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.21 in C, Op.53
“Waldstein”; Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No.4
in c, Op.29; Chopin: Three Nocturnes; Six
Mazurkas; Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No.15
S.244/15 “Rákóczi March”. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255. $39.50-$149.50.
●●8:00: Musideum. Russ Nolan CD Release.
Jazz. Russ Nolan, saxophone; Daniel
Barnes, drums; Jeremy Ledbetter, piano;
Jesse Dietschi, bass. Suite 133 (main floor),
401 Richmond St. W. 416-599-7323. $20.
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory. Natalie Merchant, singer–songwriter. Original works.
Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208.
$60–$100. Also May 2(mat, Family Concert).
●●8:00: Tempus Choral Society. Fascinating
Rhythms. Nickel(arr): A La Claire Fontaine;
Porter: Anything Goes; Lawson(arr): Aiken
Drum; Simon: Bridge Over Trouble Water;
Perkins: Daddy Sang Bass; other works.
Clearview Christian Reformed Church,
2300 Sheridan Garden Dr., Oakville. 905334-9375. $20.
●●8:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre. Earnest, The Importance of Being. Comedy based
on Oscar Wilde play. Music by Victor Davies;
libretto by Eugene Benson. Jean Stilwell (Lady
Bracknell); Cameron McPhail (John); Thomas
Macleay (Algernon); Charlotte Knight (Cecily);
Michelle Garlough (Gwendolen); Larry Beckwith, conductor. Jane Mallett Theatre, St.
Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E.
416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754. $72-$95.
Also Apr 29, May 2, 3(mat).
●●8:30: Peggy Baker Dance Projects. locus
Saturday May 2
●●11:00am: Cosima Grunsky. Cozy Music.
An interactive experience for young children with guitar, ukulele, dulcimer and a variety of other instruments from around the
world. Burlington Performing Arts Centre,
440 Locust St., Burlington. 905-681-2551.
$10. SOLD OUT.
●●12:30: Cecilia String Quartet. Works by
Mozart and Mendelssohn. Mozart: String
Quartet in F, K.590; Mendelssohn: String
Quartet Op.44 No.2. Burlington Performing
Arts Centre, 440 Locust St., Burlington. 905681-2551. .
●●2:00: Royal Conservatory. Family Concert:
Natalie Merchant, singer–songwriter. Original works. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W.
416-408-0208. $25–$35. Also May 1(eve).
●●2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra/Platypus Theatre. Pan Am Beats, Heroic Feats!
Sousa: Liberty Bell March; Abreu: “TicoTico no Fubá”; Ennio Morricone: “Gabriel’s
Oboe” from The Mission. Alain Trudel, conductor; Platypus Theatre. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-593-4828. $20-$32. Also
at 4:00.
●●4:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra/
Platypus Theatre. Pan Am Beats, Heroic
Feats! Sousa: Liberty Bell March; Abreu:
“Tico-Tico no Fubá”; Ennio Morricone: “Gabriel’s Oboe” from The Mission. Alain Trudel,
conductor; Platypus Theatre. Roy Thomson
Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-593-4828. $20-$32.
See 2:00 for details.
●●4:30: Canadian Opera Company. Barber of Seville. Rossini. Also
Apr 17,19,21,26,29,May 7,9,13,19,21, 22(start
times vary). See Apr 17.
●●7:30: Oakville Chamber Orchestra. Concerto Competition Grand Prize Winners.
Schubert: Symphony No.5 in B flat; Handel:
“Endless Pleasure” from Semele; Dvořák:
“Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém” from Rusalka;
Puccini: “Quando m’en vo” from La Bohème;
Chopin: Piano Concerto No.1 in e; and other
works. Tessa Laengart, soprano; Marko
Pejanovič, piano. St. John’s United Church
(Oakville), 262 Randall St., Oakville. 905-4836787. $30; $25(sr); $20(st); $15(child). Also
May 3(mat, St. Simon’s Anglican Church).
●●7:30: Tallis Choir. Triumphs of Renaissance
France. Janequin: Missa La Battaille; works by
Mouton, Sermisy and Goudimel. Peter Mahon,
conductor. St. Patrick’s Church, 141 McCaul
St. 416-286-9798. $30; $25(sr); $10(st).
●●7:30: The COSI Connection. Fűhrerbunker:
An Opera by Andrew Ager. World premiere
staged production. Andrew Ager, music director; Michael Patrick Albano, stage director;
Jonathan MacArthur (Adolph Hitler); Sydney Baedke (Eva Braun); other performers.
Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Ave. 844-2002674. $40; $20(sr/st).
●●7:30: Village Voices. PanAmania. Celebrating the PanAm games with songs and music
from the Americas. Christopher Lee, flute;
James Brown, guitar; Paul Minnoch, percussion; Joan Andrews, conductor. Markham
Missionary Church, 5438 Major Mackenzie
Dr. E., Markham. 905-294-8687. $25; $20(sr);
$10(st); free(under 12).
●●7:30: VOCA Chorus of Toronto. StageSong
II: A celebration of songs from the stage:
opera, operetta, musical theatre. Guests:
Andrew Haji, tenor; Les Allt, flute; Kathryn Sugden, violin; Wendy Solomon, cello;
Neal Evans, bass; Nicholas Coulter, percussion; Jenny Crober, conductor; Elizabeth
Acker, piano. Eastminster United Church,
310 Danforth Ave. 416-947-8487. $25; $20(sr);
$10(st).
●●8:00: Gordon Murray Presents. Maytime
Piano Soirée. Tribute to the works of Romberg (arr. Murray). Will You Remember?
(from Maytime); The Desert Song; One Alone
(from The Desert Song); I Bring a Song of
Love; Will You Remember Vienna? (from Viennese Nights); and other works. Gordon Murray, piano. Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church,
427 Bloor St. W. 416-631-4300. $15; $10(st).
●●8:00: High Notes Avante Productions. High
Notes for Mental Health. Music interspersed
with short talks. Works by Beethoven, Schumann and Tchaikovsky. Lauren Margison,
S t a g eS o n g I I
A celebration of songs from the stage: opera, operetta, musical theatre
Jenny Crober: Artistic Director
Elizabeth Acker: Accompanist
MASTERWORKS BY
BEETHOVEN & MOZART
✧
✦
Andrew Haji, Tenor Les Allt, Flute
Kathryn Sugden, Violin Wendy Solomon, Cello
Neal Evans, Bass Nicholas Coulter, Percussion
The SPO wraps up another successful season with
the music of two of classical music’s greats.
Saturday, May 2, 2015 - 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 2, 2015 ✦ 7:30 pm
Salvation Army Scarborough Citadel, 2021 Lawrence Ave E.
✧
Tickets available at the door, by calling 416 429-0007,
email [email protected] or online.
Eastminster United Church,
310 Danforth Ave., Toronto (Chester subway)
$25; $20 (Seniors); $10 (Students)
www.vocachorus.ca
416-947-8487
44 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
visit us at SPO.CA
thewholenote.com
Singer–songwriters. Blair Packham, host.
Conservatory Theatre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416408-0208. $25.
●●8:00: Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra. Masterworks by Beethoven and Mozart.
Beethoven: Symphony No.3 in E-flat, Op.55
(Eroica); other works. Ronald Royer, conductor. Salvation Army Scarborough Citadel,
2021 Lawrence Ave. E., Scarborough. 416429-0007. $30; $25(sr); $15(st); $10(under
10).
Michelle Garlough (Gwendolen); Larry Beckwith, conductor. Jane Mallett Theatre, St.
Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E.
416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754. $72-$95.
Also Apr 29, May 1, 3(mat).
●●8:30: Peggy Baker Dance Projects. locus
plot. World premiere. Dancers: Ric Brown;
Sarah Fregeau; Kate Holden; Sean Ling; and
Sahara Morimoto; Fides Krucker, voice; John
Kameel Farah, piano/electronics. Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis St. 1-800-8383006. $28; $22(sr/st/CADA). Pre-show chat:
8:00. Runs Wed–Sun, April 24–May 3.
SINFONIA TORONTO
Sunday May 3
NURHAN ARMAN Conductor
Ilya Poletaev,Pianist
Xiaohan Guo, Violinist
Richard Margison, St. Michael’s Choir School
Choir; Michael Bridge, accordion; Alex
McLeod, viola; Charissa Vandikas, piano; and
others; Luba Goy, host. Flato Markham Theatre, 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham. 905305-7469. $75 (incl champagne reception/
dessert). Benefit. Speakers include Boris
Brott, Dr. Rustom Sethna, Orlando Da Silva,
Peter Kristian Mose and Julie Everson.
●●8:00: John Sheard. The Great Reunion.
Chris Whiteley. Aurora Cultural Centre, 22 Church St., Aurora. 905-713-1818.
$30(door), $25(advance).
●●8:00: Musicians in Ordinary. In Stile Moderno: “Avant-Garde” Music from 1600s Italy.
Works by Monteverdi, Rossi and others.
Hallie Fishel, soprano; John Edwards, theorbo and lute; Christopher Verrette and Patricia Ahern, renaissance violins. Heliconian
Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 416-535-9956. $30;
$20(sr/st).
●●8:00: Ontario Philharmonic. Beethoven
Piano Concerto Marathon: No.5 “Emperor”.
Sheng Cai, Artist-in-Residence; Marco Parisotto, conductor. Regent Theatre (Oshawa),
50 King St. E., Oshawa. 905-721-3399 x2.
$45–$56.
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory. Bluebird North.
416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754. $72-$95.
Also Apr 29, May 1, 2 (all eve).
●●1:30: Seicho-No-Ie Centre. 6 Cellists,
6 Concerts, 6 Bach Suites. Bach: Suite for
unaccompanied cello, No.5. Brian Manker,
cello. Seicho-No-Ie Toronto, 662 Victoria Park
Ave. 416-690-8686. $20.
●●2:00: Music at Metropolitan. Bach in Time:
Let There be Beauty. Music by Bach and
poetry by Patricia Orr. Patricia Wright, organ.
Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. E.
416-363-0331 x26. Freewill offering.
●●2:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre. Earnest, The Importance of Being. Comedy based
on Oscar Wilde play. Music by Victor Davies;
libretto by Eugene Benson. Jean Stilwell (Lady
Bracknell); Cameron McPhail (John); Thomas
Macleay (Algernon); Charlotte Knight (Cecily);
Michelle Garlough (Gwendolen); Larry Beckwith, conductor. Jane Mallett Theatre, St.
Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E.
May 2 ~ George Weston Recital Hall
sinfoniatoronto.com
1-855-985-2787
●●8:00: Sinfonia Toronto. Two Stars, Three
Martin Beaver
VIOLIN
Sunday, May 3
2:00 pm
●●2:00: Visual and Performing Arts New-
market. Martin Beaver, violin. Newmarket
Theatre, 505 Pickering Cres., Newmarket.
905-953-5122. $26; $20(sr); $10(st).
●●2:30: Bel Canto Singers. Spring Is In
The Air. Linda Meyer, conductor; Jacqueline Mokrzewski, piano. St. Dunstan of Canterbury, 56 Lawson Rd., Scarborough.
The Musicians In Ordinary for the Lutes and Voices
Centuries. Schubert: German Dances; Chopin: Piano Concerto No.2 in f; Alice Ho; Mira
for Violin and Orchestra; Prokofiev: Visions
Fugitive Op.22 (orchestral version arr.
Arman). Ilya Poletaev, piano; Xiaohan Guo,
violin; Nurhan Arman, conductor. George
Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St. 1-855985-2787. $49; $39(sr); $19(st).
●●8:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre. Earnest, The Importance of Being. Comedy based
on Oscar Wilde play. Music by Victor Davies;
libretto by Eugene Benson. Jean Stilwell (Lady
Bracknell); Cameron McPhail (John); Thomas
Macleay (Algernon); Charlotte Knight (Cecily);
8:00PM May 2, 2015
Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Avenue
~ In Stile Moderno ~
Music by Claudio Monteverdi,
Salamone Rossi and their
contemporaries at Mantua
Hallie Fishel, Soprano, John Edwards,
theorbo, Christopher Verrette &
Patricia Ahern, Renaissance violins
Tickets $30, students & seniors $20, at the door
VILLAGE VOICES DIRECTED BY
JOAN ANDREWS PRESENTS
SONGS AND MUSIC
FROM THE AMERICAS
IN CELEBRATION OF
THE PAN-AM GAMES
Saturday May 2 2015 at 7:30
Markham Missionary Church
5438 Major Mackenzie Drive E
Markham ON L3P 1K8
Guests artists:
Christopher Lee flute
James Brown guitar
Paul Minnoch percussion
Adult $25, Senior 20, Student 10
Children aged 12 and under free
At the door or call 905-294-8687
villagevoices.ca
thewholenote.com
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 45
A. Concerts in the GTA
416-286-8260. $15. Also 7:30.
●●3:00: JunctQin Keyboard Collective. Firsts
II. Featuring premieres from Canada and
around the world for piano solo, piano six
hands, toy piano, melodica and electronics.
Doell: new work. Elaine Lau, Joseph Ferretti
and Stephanie Chua, keyboards. Canadian
Music Centre, 20 St. Joseph St. 416-871-8078.
$20; $15(sr/st/arts workers).
●●3:00: Oakville Chamber Orchestra. Concerto Competition Grand Prize Winners.
Schubert: Symphony No.5 in B flat; Handel:
“Endless Pleasure” from Semele; Dvořák:
“Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém” from Rusalka;
Puccini: “Quando m’en vo” from La Bohème;
Chopin: Piano Concerto No.1 in e; and other
works. Tessa Laengart, soprano; Marko
Pejanovič, piano. St. Simon’s Anglican Church,
1450 Litchfield Rd., Oakville. 905-4836787. $30; $25(sr); $20(st); $15(child). Also
May 2(eve, St. John’s United Church).
●●3:00: Pax Christi Chorale. Judith. Parry.
Shannon Mercer, soprano; Jillian Yemen,
mezzo; David Menzies, tenor; Michael York,
baritone; Pax Christi Chorale and Orchestra; Stephanie Martin, conductor. Koerner
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $40
and up. 2:00: Pre-concert chat with Dr. Jeremy Dibble.
●●3:00: Symphony on the Bay. Gloria! Wagner: Overture from Die Meistersinger;
Beethoven: Symphony No.5 in c minor, Op.67;
Poulenc: Gloria. Charles Demuynck, musical
director; Charlene Santoni, soprano. Burlington Performing Arts Centre, 440 Locust St.,
Burlington. 905-526-6690. $31.75;$23.75(sr),
$17.75(youth/child).
plot. World premiere. Dancers: Ric Brown;
Sarah Fregeau; Kate Holden; Sean Ling; and
Sahara Morimoto; Fides Krucker, voice; John
Kameel Farah, piano/electronics. Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis St. 1-800-8383006. $28; $22(sr/st/CADA). Pre-show chat:
3:30. Runs Wed–Sun, April 24–May 3.
●●7:30: Bel Canto Singers. Spring Is In The
Air. Linda Meyer, conductor; Jacqueline
Mokrzewski, piano. St. Dunstan of Canterbury, 56 Lawson Rd., Scarborough. 416-2868260. $15. Also 2:30.
●●3:00: Syrinx Concerts Toronto. Celebrat-
ing Women in Classical Music. Coulthard:
Piano Sonata No.2; Wagner-Liszt: Pilgrim’s
Chorus; Isoldes Liebestod; Liszt: Transcendental Etude; Chasse Neige; Chopin: Andante
Spianato; Grande Polonaise; Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition. Sofya Gulyak, piano.
Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 416-6540877. $25; $20(st).
●●3:00: Toronto Children’s Chorus Training
Choirs, Boys’ Choir, Main Choir and Youth
Choir. Sounds of Splendour. Chilcott: A Little Jazz Mass; and works by Rutter, Copland
and MacGillivray. Elise Bradley, Carole Anderson, Judith Bean, Matthew Otto and Michel
Ross, conductors. George Weston Recital
Hall, 5040 Yonge St. 416-932-8666 x231.
$45.50-$35.50.
●●3:00: Vesnivka Choir. Spring Celebrations.
Folk songs celebrating rebirth, romance and
love. Guests: Toronto Ukrainian Male Chamber Choir; Natalya Matyusheva, soprano; Justin Stolz, tenor. Humber Valley United Church,
76 Anglesey Blvd., Etobicoke. 416-246-9880
or 416-763-2197. $25; $20(sr/st).
●●4:00: ASLAN Boys Choir of Toronto. In a
Galaxy Far, Far Away. Songs by Purcell, Handel, Eric Thiman, Ed Roberton, David Bowie
and others. Nicholas Bell, flute; Pat Paulsen, drums; Thomas Bell, conductor; Jialiang
Zhu, piano. Church of the Transfiguration,
111 Manor Rd. E. 416-859-7464. $15; $5(child).
●●4:00: Church of St. Mary Magdalene.
Joshua Colucci, violin, and SMM Baroque
Ensemble. 477 Manning Ave. 416-531-7955.
Free.
●●4:00: Peggy Baker Dance Projects. locus
Micah Barnes
New York Stories
Album Release Concert
with special guest
Jackie
Richardson
Tuesday May 5
Sunday
May 3,
7:30pm
micahbarnes.com
●●7:30: Micah Barnes. “New York Stories” CD
release concert. With Daniel Barnes, Russ
Boswell, Michael Shand; Guest: Jackie Richardson, vocals. Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front
St. W. 416-763-3783. $32-$42.
Monday May 4
●●7:30: Elmer Iseler Singers. GET MUSIC!
Gala Concert. Canadian and international
composers. Elmer Iseler Singers; secondary
school choirs and their conductors. Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. E. 416217-0537. $25; free (EIS subscribers).
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Vocal Series: Restless Love. Lieder by Schubert and Schumann. Joshua Hopkins, baritone. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four
Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free.
●●12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation/
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. Lunchtime Chamber Music: Jenny Cheong, cello.
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge
St. 416-241-1298. Free. Donations welcome.
●●4:00: Cathedral Church of St. James.
Organ Recitals. Andrew Ager, organ.
65 Church St. 416-364-7865. Free; donations
welcomed.
●●8:00: Arraymusic. Session 31. Arraymusic
artistic director Rick Sacks leads an evening of improvisation by Toronto musicians and
out of town guests. Array Space, 155 Walnut
St. 416-532-3019. Free/PWYC.
Wednesday May 6
●●12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
Sharon Beckstead, organ. 1585 Yonge St. 416922-1167. Free.
●●7:00: Tafelmusik. J.S. Bach: The Circle of
Sofya Gulyak
Internationally acclaimed.
Awarded 1st prize Sixteenth Leeds
International Piano Competition 2009
“dazzling and powerful...an outstanding natural pianist.”
program includes: Jean Coulthard
Wagner/Liszt; Chopin; Liszt; Mussorgsky
Sunday May 3, 3pm
Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave
tickets $25/ $20
syrinxconcerts.ca
46 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
thewholenote.com
Creation. Bach: Orchestral suite No.1 in C,
BWV 1066: Ouverture, Bourrée & Forlane;
Suite No.3 for cello in C, BWV 1009: Sarabande; Cantata 202/1: Betrübte Schatten;
Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G, BWV 1048;
and other works. Conceived, programmed
& scripted by Alison Mackay; Jeanne Lamon:
director; Richard Greenblatt, actor; Marshall Pynkoski, stage director; Glenn Davidson, production designer; Raha Javanfar,
projection designer. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre,
427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337. $39-$89. 6pm:
Preconcert public lecture by Alison Mackay.
Also May 7,8,9,10 and 12(George Weston Hall).
Times vary.
●●7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Bluebeard’s Castle/Erwartung. Bartók and
Schoenberg. John Relyea, bass-baritone
(Duke Bluebeard); Ekaterina Gubanova,
Contemporary Etudes for the Piano. Andy
Villemez: new work (premiere). Kara Huber,
piano. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four
Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free.
●●12:00 noon: Encore Symphonic Concert
Band. In Concert: Classics and Jazz. John
Edward Liddle, conductor. Wilmar Heights
Centre, 963 Pharmacy Ave., Scarborough.
416-346-3910. $10. Incl. coffee and snack.
Also Apr 2.
●●12:15: Music at Metropolitan. Noon at Met:
Peter Merrick, organ. Metropolitan United
Church, 56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 x26.
Free.
●●1:30: Women’s Musical Club of Toronto.
Ensemble Made in Canada. Works by
Beethoven, Brahms and Mayo (world premiere). Elissa Lee, violin; Sharon Wei, viola;
mezzo (Judith); Krisztina Szabó, mezzo
(Woman); COC Orchestra; Johannes Debus,
conductor. Four Seasons Centre for the
Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416363-8231. $49-$424; $22(under 30). Also
May 8,10,12,14,16,23(start times vary).
●●8:00: Musideum. Mike Gennaro. Experimental. Suite 133 (main floor), 401 Richmond
St. W. 416-599-7323. $10.
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. Kevin Lau: Treeship;
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in e; Bruckner: Symphony No.7. Augustin Hadelich, violin;
Peter Oundjian, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-593-4828. $33-$145.
Thursday May 7
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Piano Virtuoso Series: Absofunkinlutely:
Rachel Mercer, cello; Angela Park, piano. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-923-7052. $45.
●●7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Barber
of Seville. Rossini. Also Apr 17,19,21,26,29,
May 2,9,13,19,21,22(start times vary). See
Apr 17.
●●8:00: Musideum. Don Graham & Bob
Cohen: Homemade Music. Country/Roots.
Suite 133 (main floor), 401 Richmond St. W.
416-599-7323. $20.
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory. Buffy SainteMarie, singer–songwriter. Koerner Hall,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $35–$75.
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. J.S. Bach: The Circle of Creation. Bach: Also May 6,8,9,10 and
12(George Weston Hall). Times vary. See
May 6 for details.
B. Concerts Beyond the GTA
Symphony. Centre in the Square, 101 Queen
St. N., Kitchener. 519-578-1570 or 1-800265-8977. $20 and up; discounts for sr/st/
under 30.
●●8:00: Church of the Guardian Angels. Sung
Tenebrae Service. Choral works by Guimont,
Hurd, Pitoni, Purcell, Schaffer and others.
Jeffrey Moellman, conductor. 115 West St. N.,
Orillia. 705-326-2849, x123. Free.
IN THIS ISSUE: Alliston, Barrie, Brantford, Elmira, Guelph,
Haliburton, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener, Lindsay, London,
Midland, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Orangeville, Orillia, Owen Sound,
Peterborough, St. Catharines, Waterloo and Woodstock.
Wednesday April 1
●●12:30: University of Waterloo Department
of Music. Noon Hour Concerts: The Western
Collective. Faculty members from the University of Western Ontario. Conrad Grebel
University College, 140 Westmount Rd. N.,
Waterloo. 519-885-0220 x24226. Free.
●●7:30: Queen’s University School of Music.
Wind Ensemble. Dan Tremblay, conductor.
Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts,
390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-533-2424. $12;
$7(sr/st).
●●8:00: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Chamber Music Concert. Maureen
Forrester Recital Hall, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave. W., Waterloo. 519-8840710 x4439. Free.
Thursday April 2
●●12:00 noon: University of Guelph College
of Arts. Thursday at Noon Concert Series:
Student Soloist Day. Featuring Applied Music
students. MacKinnon Room 107, University of
Guelph, 50 Stone Rd., Guelph. 519-824-4120
x52991. Free.
●●7:30: Brock University Department of
Music. Jaffa Road. Jewish, jazz, Indian,
and Arabic music with electronica and
dub. Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, Centre for
the Arts, Brock University, 500 Glenridge
Ave., St. Catharines. 905-688-5550 x3257.
$36;$$20(st);$5(high school).
●●7:30: Brookside Music. Don Pasquale.
Jeunesses Musicales Canada. St. Paul’s
United Church (Midland), 308 King St., Midland. 705-527-4420. $40–$50; $15(st).
●●7:30: Queen’s University School of Music.
Chamber Ensembles Recital. Dan Tremblay,
conductor. Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, 390 King St. W., Kingston. 613533-2424. Free.
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society. Carlo Guaitoli, Piano. Schubert:
4 Impromptus Op.90 D899; Chopin: Andante
spianato e Grande Polonaise Brillante Op.22
in C. Debussy: 4 Préludes from Book II (La
Puerta del Vino; Général Lavine – Eccentric;
thewholenote.com
Ondine; Feux d’artifice); Gulda: Sonatina.
KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. $30; $25(sr); $20(st).
●●8:00: University of Guelph College of
Arts. Jazz Ensemble. Ted Warren, conductor.
Manhattan’s Pizza Bistro and Music Club,
951 Gordon St., Guelph. 519-824-4120 x52991.
$2 cover charge.
●●8:00: University of Waterloo Department
of Music. Balinese Gamelan Ensemble. Maisie
Sum, conductor. Maureen Forrester Recital
Hall, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University
Ave. W., Waterloo. 519-885-0220 x24226.
Free.
Saturday April 4
●●7:30: Bravo Niagara! in partnership with
The St. Catharines Performing Arts Centre.
Valentina Lisitsa in Recital. Works by Chopin,
Beethoven and Liszt. Valentina Lisitsa, piano.
Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, Centre for the Arts,
500 Glenridge Ave., St. Catharines. 905-6885550 x3257. $57; $20(st); $5(eyeGO).
Tuesday April 7
●●12:00 noon: Brock University Department
Friday April 3
of Music. Music@Noon: Recital. Music Ed
Plus Students. Concordia Seminary Chapel,
Brock University, 500 Glenridge Ave., St.
Catharines. 905-688-5550 x3817. Free.
●●7:30: Grand Philharmonic Choir. Bach:
St. Matthew Passion. Rufus Muller (Evangelist); Tyler Duncan (Christus); Agnes Zsigovics, soprano; Laura Pudwell, mezzo; Isaiah
Bell, tenor; Justin Welsh, bass; Mark Vuorinen, conductor. Guests: Kitchener-Waterloo
Wednesday April 8
●●2:30: Barrie Concerts. Seniors Serenade:
Pamela Cioroch, Piano. Cioroch: Georgian
Bay Suite; and works by Chopin, Beethoven
and Ostiguy. Grace United Church, 350 Grove
St. E., Barrie. 705-726-1181. Free. 3:30:
refreshments, $5.
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society. The Four Elements: Earth, Air, Fire
and Water. Brahms: Sonata No.2 in e Op.99;
Gluck: Dance of the Blessed Spirits; Respighi: Adagio con Variazione; Schedrin: In the
Style of Albeniz; Saint-Saëns: The Swan; and
other works. Paul Marleyn, cello; Mauro Bertoli, piano. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St.
W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. $30; $25(sr);
$20(st).
Friday April 10
●●8:00: Jeffery Concerts. Ying Quartet. Wolf
Performance Hall, 251 Dundas St., London.
519-672-8800. $35; $30(sr); $15(st).
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society. Mercer-Oh Trio. Haydn: trio TBA;
Smetana: Trio Op.15 in g; Lesage: Le projet
Mozart. Akemi Mercer, violin; Rachel Mercer, cello; Gregory Oh, piano. KWCMS Music
Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-8861673. $35; $30(sr); $20(st).
Coming Next Month
DAVID AMBROSE
FRIDAY
MAY 8
2015
8 PM
The Music of the Americas
at the Living Arts Centre
Eliana Cuevas · Samba Squad
Mississauga Festival Youth Choir
livingartscentre.ca
f themississaugafestivalchoir.com
l mfchoir / mfchoir.com
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 47
B. Concerts Beyond the GTA
Saturday April 11
●●7:30: Barrie Concerts. Sinfonia Toronto.
Works by Mozart, Wieniawski, Ravel and
Tchaikovsky. Nurhan Arman, conductor;
Elisso Gogibedashwili, violin. Hi-Way Pentecostal Church, 50 Anne St. N., Barrie. 705726-1181. $85; free with next season’s Barrie
Concerts subscription.
●●7:30: Guelph Chamber Choir/Dancetheatre David Earle. Sacred Dance.
Mozart: Requiem; Allegri: Miserere; Pergolesi: Stabat; Mater Dolorosa from Stabat Mater; Esenvalds: In paradisum. Musica
Viva Orchestra on period instruments; Dancetheatre David Earle; Gerald Neufeld, conductor. River Run Centre, 35 Woolwich St.,
Guelph. 519-763-3000. $30/$25(4 or more);
$10(st); $5(eyeGO).
Sunday April 12
●●2:30: Kingston Symphony. Shostakovich &
Schubert. Beethoven: Overture to Coriolan;
Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No.1; Schubert:
Symphony No.9. Denise Djokic, cello; Glen
Fast, conductor. The Isabel, 390 King Street
W., Kingston. 613-530-2050. $20-$50; $20$45(sr); $15-$25(st); $10(child).
●●2:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra. ‘Next’
Gen III – Beethoven Lives Upstairs. Bradley Thachuk, conductor. Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, Centre for the Arts, Brock University,
500 Glenridge Ave., St. Catharines. 905-6874993. $13.50-$29.50.
Wednesday April 15
●●12:00 noon: Music at St. Andrews. John
Paul Farahat, Organ. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (Barrie), 47 Owen St., Barrie. 705726-1181. $5; free(st).
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society. Penderecki String Quartet. Čurčin:
“Unorthodox Obsession” for Piano Trio; Pepa:
Quartet No.1 “Nekuia”; Palej: Quartet No.1
“De Profundis;” Drakulić: Piano Quintet (premiere). Erika Crinó, piano. KWCMS Music
Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-8861673. $35; $30(sr); $20(st).
Friday April 17
●●8:00: Organix Concerts/St. George’s
Cathedral. Jens Korndoerfer, Organ. St.
George’s Cathedral (Kingston), 270 King St.
E., Kingston. 416-769-3893 or 1-877-769-5224.
$25; $20(sr); $15(st); free(18 and under).
Ticket orders in advance recommended.
Saturday April 18
●●10:00am and 11:00am: Kitchener-Water-
loo Symphony. Kinderconcert Series: Toot,
Bang, Swish! Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts, 36 King St. W., Kitchener. 519745-4711 or 1-888-745-4717. $13; $11(child).
Also 11:00am; Mar 21(10:30am, Waterloo
Region Museum), Apr 25(10:30am, Elmira).
●●8:00: Folk Under the Clock. Men at Words
Once Only Tour. James Keelaghan (Canada);
Archie Fisher (Scotland); Jez Lowe (England). Market Hall Performing Arts Centre,
140 Charlotte St., Peterborough. 705-7491146 and 705-742-9425. $35; $25(st). All tickets are reserved seating.
Sunday April 19
●●2:00: Chamber Music Hamilton. Lafayette
Quartet. Haydn: Violin Quintet in C; Coulthard:
48 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
Loewen, conductor. St. Barnabas Anglican Church, 31 Queenston St., St. Catharines. 905-688-5550x3817. $25; $20(sr/st);
$5(eyeGO).
●●7:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra. POPS!
IV – “The Very Model” . . . of Gilbert and Sullivan! Bradley Thachuk, conductor. Sean
O’Sullivan Theatre, Centre for the Arts, Brock
University, 500 Glenridge Ave., St. Catharines. 905-687-4993. $13.50-$59.50.
●●7:30: SweetWater Music Festival. Brass
Concert. TBA. Georgian Shores United
Church, 997 4th Ave. E., Owen Sound. 519371-2833. $30;$10(st). As of this writing, True
North Brass is scheduled to perform. Due to
the recent death of French horn player Joan
Watson, revisions to this program may be
forthcoming.
●●8:00: Bravo Niagara! Festival of the
Arts. Spring into Music @ Stratus. Jazz
trumpeter Jumaane Smith. Stratus Vineyards, 2059 Niagara Stone Rd., Niagara-onthe-Lake. 289-868-9177. $69. Ticket price
includes Stratus wine tasting.
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society. Eric Himy, Piano. Rachmaninov:
3 Preludes; Scriabin: Poème in F-sharp; Feuillet Op.45; Sonata No.5 Op.53; Chopin: Etude
Op.25/6; Fantaisie-Impromptu; Ballade in f;
Albeniz: from Suite Espanola; De Falla: from El
Amor Brujo. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young
St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. $35; $30(sr);
$20(st).
String Quartet No.2 “Threnody”; Beethoven:
Quartet No.15 Op.132. Art Gallery of Hamilton,
123 King St. W., Hamilton. 905-525-7429. $30;
$27(sr); $10(st).
●●2:30: Duet Club of Hamilton. 126th Anniversary Choral Concert. Renaissance to
recent Canadian compositions; Peterson:
Hymn to Freedom. Duet Club Chorus; guests:
Rosewood Consort; Treble Makers of Hillfield-Strathallan Jr. School; Stéphane Potvin, conductor. Melrose United Church,
86 Homewood Ave., Hamilton. 905-3048945. $18; $15(sr); free(12 and under).
●●3:00: Wellington Winds. Concerto for Wind
Ensemble. Works by Dukas, Barber, Debussy,
Saucedo, Revueltas and others. Daniel Warren, conductor. Grandview Baptist Church,
250 Old Chicopee Dr., Kitchener. 519-6691327. $20; $15(sr); free(st). Also Apr 26 (Knox
Presbyterian, Waterloo).
●●5:00: St. George’s Cathedral (Kingston). Choral Evensong Commemorating St.
George. Works by Washburn, Sumsion and
Oxley. Cathedral Evensong Choir. 270 King St.
E., Kingston. 613-548-4617. Freewill offering.
●●7:30: Acoustic Muse Concerts. Men at
Words. James Keelaghan, Archie Fisher and
Jez Lowe, singer/songwriters. Aeolian Hall,
795 Dundas St. E., London. 519-672-7950 or
519-319-5847. $30/$25(adv). 6:30: doors
open.
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society. Music Beyond the Chamber. Bach:
Goldberg Variations (transcr. Sitkovetsky).
Jessica Tong, violin; Rose Wollman, viola;
Kirsten Jermé, cello. KWCMS Music Room,
57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. $35;
$30(sr); $20(st).
Sunday April 26
●●2:30: Georgian Music. Canada’s Bright-
est Stars. Works by Beethoven, Schumann &
Faure. Angela Park, piano; Sharon Wei, viola;
Elissa Lee, violin; Rachel Mercer, cello. Central United Church, 54 Ross St., Barrie. 705726-1181. $65.
●●2:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra. POPS!
IV – “The Very Model” . . . of Gilbert and Sullivan! Bradley Thachuk, conductor. Sean
O’Sullivan Theatre, Centre for the Arts, Brock
University, 500 Glenridge Ave., St. Catharines. 905-687-4993. $13.50-$59.50.
●●3:00: Wellington Winds. Concerto for Wind
Ensemble. Works by Dukas, Barber, Debussy,
Saucedo, Revueltas and others. Daniel Warren, conductor. Knox Presbyterian Church,
50 Erb St. W., Waterloo. 519-669-1327. $20;
$15(sr); free(st). Also Apr 19 (Grandview Baptist, Kitchener).
●●7:30: The Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club. Kitty
Donohoe. Irish America singer-songwriter.
Chaucer’s Pub, 122 Carling St., London. 519473-2099. $18/$15(adv).
Friday April 24
●●7:30: Bravo Niagara! Festival of the Arts.
Spring into Music @ Stratus. Julia Bullock,
soprano; Renate Rohlfing, piano. Stratus
Vineyards, 2059 Niagara Stone Rd., Niagaraon-the-Lake. 289-868-9177. $49. Stratus wine
tasting included in ticket price.
●●7:30: SweetWater Music Festival. The Don
E. Johnson Brass Ensemble. Works by Howard Cable, Gerald Bales, Richard Strauss,
Paul Dukas and Edward Elgar. Grey and Bruce
County brass musicians; DonnJohnson, conductor. Georgian Shores United Church, 997
4th Ave. E., Owen Sound. 519-371-2833. $20;
$5(st).
Saturday April 25
●●10:30am: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Kinderconcert Series: Toot, Bang, Swish!
Woolwich Memorial Centre, 24 Snyder St. S.,
Elmira. 519-745-4711 or 1-888-745-4717. $13;
$11(child). Also Mar 21(10:30am, Waterloo
Region Museum, Kitchener), Apr 18(10:00am
and 11:00am, Conrad Centre, Kitchener).
●●2:00: Bravo Niagara! Festival of the Arts.
Spring into Music @ Stratus. Mari Kodama,
Karin Kei Nagano, piano. Stratus Vineyards,
2059 Niagara Stone Road, Niagara-on-theLake. 289-868-9177. $49.
●●2:30: Kingston Symphony. Howard Cable’s
Big Band. Grand Theatre, 218 Princess St.,
Kingston. 613-530-2050. $20-$50; $20$45(sr); $15-$25(st); $10(child).
●●7:30: Brock University Department of
Music. Viva Voce Choral Series: How Sweet
and Fair. Dvořák: Songs of Nature, and other
works. Avanti Chamber Singers; Harris
Tuesday April 28
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society. Toronto Serenade String Quartet.
De Elias: Quartet No.2; Campa: 3 Miniatures
for String Quartet; Villa-Lobos: Quartet No.5.
Arkady Yanivker and Calvin Tsang, violins;
Rory McLeod, viola; Andrew Ascenzo, cello.
KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. $35; $30(sr); $20(st).
Thursday April 30
●●7:30: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
What Next Festival: Discover the Unusual.
Saariaho: Terrestre; Andrew McDonald: Elektra of Atreus; works by James Rolfe and Toy
Piano Composers (Elisha Denburg, Monica
Pearce, Christopher Thornborrow). William
Rowson, conductor; Leslie Newman, flute;
Erica Goodman, harp. Christ’s Church Cathedral, 252 James St. N., Hamilton. 905-5267756. PWYC.
Friday May 1
●●7:30: Kawartha Concerts. Bravo: Piano
Caméléons - Two Pianos, Classical Music/
Jazz Colours. Matt Herskowitz and John
Roney, pianos. Trinity United Church (Peterborough), 360 Reid St., Peterborough. 705878-5625. $40/$35(adv); $5(st). Also May 2
(Lindsay).
●●7:30: Oxford Winds Community Concert
Band. Celebrating Heroes. Knox Presbyterian
Church (Woodstock), 59 Riddell St., Woodstock. 519-537-2962. $12; $10(adv).
Saturday May 2
●●7:30: Barrie Concerts. Pianofest. Four out-
standing solo pianists on the 9 foot Shigeru
Kawai concert grand piano. Hi-Way Pentecostal Church, 50 Anne St. N., Barrie. 705726-1181. $15; $5(st); free with 2015-16 Barrie
Concerts or Georgian Music subscriptions.
●●7:30: Cellar Singers. Gilbert and Sullivan:
The Pirates of Penzance. Blair Bailey, piano;
Mitchell Pady, conductor. St. Paul’s United
Church (Orillia), 62 Peter St. N., Orillia. 705817-7664. $30; $15(st).
●●7:30: Chorus Niagara. Rhythm and Light:
Choral Delights with a Twist. Miškinis: Light
Mass; and other works. Chorus Niagara
Children’s Choir; John Sherwood Jazz Trio;
TiannaH. Calvary Church, 89 Scott St., St.
Catharines. 1-866-617-3257 or 905-6885550 x3257. $35; $33(sr); $15(st); $25(under
30). 6:45: pre-concert chat.
●●7:30: Dufferin Concert Singers and The
New Tecumseth Singers. “We Believe in
Springtime”. John Wervers, conductor.
Covenant Alliance Church, 3 Zina St., Orangeville. 519-925-6149. $15; free(under 16).
●●7:30: Haliburton Concert Series. Gryphon
Trio. Annalee Patipatanakoon, violin; Roman
Borys, cello; Jamie Parker, piano. Haliburton
Highlands Secondary School, 5358 County
Rd. 21, Haliburton. 705-457-3272. $60 for
3-concert series.
●●7:30: Kawartha Concerts. Ovation: Piano
Caméléons - Two Pianos, Classical Music/
Jazz Colours. Matt Herskowitz and John
Roney, pianos. Glenn Crombie Theatre, Fleming College, 200 Albert Street S., Lindsay.
705-878-5625. $40/$35(adv); $5(st). Also
May 1 (Peterborough).
●●7:30: Serenata Choir. In Concert. Gary
Heard, conductor. Guest: Allan Pulker, flute.
St. Paul’s United Church (Midland), 308 King
St., Midland. 705-526-6800. $20; $15(st).
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society. Sofya Gulyak, Piano. Wagner-Liszt:
Pilgrims’ Chorus; Liebestod (Isolde’s Death
from Tristan und Isolde); Liszt: Chasse-neige;
J. Coulthard: Sonata No.2; Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition. KWCMS Music Room,
57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673.
$30; $25(sr); $20(st).
Sunday May 3
●●3:00: New Tecumseth Singers and The
Dufferin Concert Singers. “We Believe in
Springtime”. John Wervers, conductor. Knox
Presbyterian Church (Alliston), 160 King St.
S., Alliston. (705) 435-5497. $15; free(under
16).
●●7:30: Brantford Symphony Orchestra.
Brahms, Please, in the Key of D. Brahms:
thewholenote.com
Hungarian Dance No.18; Violin Concerto;
Symphony No.2. Stephen Sitarski, violin;
Philip Sarabura, conductor. Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts, 88 Dalhousie St.,
Brantford. 1-800-265-0710 or 519-758-8090.
$30-$40; $20(st).
Tuesday May 5
●●7:30: Hamilton Philharmonic Orches-
tra. What Next Festival: Alter Egos. World
Quartet No.2 in A. KWCMS Music Room,
57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. $35;
$30(sr); $20(st).
premieres by Christien Ledroit and Abigail
Richardson-Schulte; Ho: Sketches of Fanciful Birds; Fung: Glimpses. Stephen Pierre,
clarinet; Rob Wolanski, double bass. The Gasworks, 141 Park St. N., Hamilton. 613-5837140. PWYC.
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Ensemble Made in Canada. Beethoven: Piano Quartet in C WoO
36; Bridge: Fantasy Quartet; Brahms: Piano
Wednesday May 6
●●12:00 noon: Midday Music with Shigeru.
Thomas Torok, Piano. Works by Bach, Mozart, Ravel and Liszt. Hi-Way Pentecostal
Church, 50 Anne St. N., Barrie. 705-726-1181.
$5; free(st).
Thursday May 7
●●6:00: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
A Worldwide Journey of Wine and Music.
Annual fundraiser and auction. The Hamilton Club, 6 Main St. E., Hamilton. 905-5267756. See Section E, Galas and Fundraisers
for details.
C. Music Theatre
●●Canadian Stage. Spotlight South Africa.
Three week festival April 8 to 25, showcases
six unique productions. Of particular musical
interest: The Meal (Apr. 8 to 12) and Hatched
(Apr. 15 to 19). Conceptualized, choreographed and directed by Mamela Nyamza.
Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs; Ubu and
the Truth Commission (Apr. 15 to 19); William Kentridge, director in collaboration with
Handspring Puppet Theatre; music by Warrick Sony and Brendan Jury; Berkeley Street
Theatre Downstairs; Dominion (Apr. 22 to
25); choreographer Luyanda Sidiya; music
by Luyanda Sidiya, Xolisile Bongwana, Anele
Ndebele, Isaac Molelekoa and Nompumelelo
Nhlapo. Tickets by phone at 416.368.3110, inperson at Bluma Appel Theatre (27 Front St.
E.) or Berkeley Street Theatre (26 Berkeley
St.). Full details at www.canadianstage.com.
●●Curtain Call Players. West Side Story.
Fairview Library Theatre, 35 Fairview Mall
Drive. 416-703-6181 curtaincallplayers.com.
$28. Apr 10, 11, 15, 16, 17 8pm; Apr 12 & 18,
2pm.
●●DanceWorks CoWorks. We Don’t Need
Another Hero. Experiential spectacle: dance,
immersive vocal mob, created and performed
by Meagan O’Shea; composer/choir director Christine Duncan; sound designer Debashis Sinha; dancers Christine Birch, Nicole
Rose Bond, Brodie Stevenson, Linnea Swan,
Brendan Wyatt, Andrea Spaziani; The Element
Choir. The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen Street
W. 416.538.0988. April 8 to 12: 8pm (Wednesday through Saturday); matinees: Friday 1pm
and Saturday and Sunday 2pm. $30; $22(sr/
st). theatrecentre.org
●●Lower Ossington Theatre. Disney’s Beauty
and the Beast Jr. 100A Ossington Ave. 416915-6747 lowerossingtontheatre.com. $20$50. Runs to Apr 12, start times vary.
●●Lower Ossington Theatre. Hairspray. 100A
Ossington Ave. 416-915-6747 lowerossingtontheatre.com. $30-$60. Runs to Apr 12, start
times vary.
●●Lower Ossington Theatre. Hey Jude: The
Music of The Beatles. 100A Ossington Ave.
416-915-6747 lowerossingtontheatre.com.
$29.99-$159.96(table for 4). April to May 9.
●●Mirvish Theatre. Once. Ed Mirvish Theatre,
244 Victoria St. 416-872-1212 mirvish.com.
$29-$200. Runs until May 31, start times vary.
thewholenote.com
EARNEST, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING.
TORONTO OPERETTA THEATRE
MUSIC THEATRE covers a wide range of music types: from opera,
operetta and musicals to non-traditional performance types where
words and music are in some fashion equal partners in the drama.
These listings have been sorted alphabetically BY PRESENTER. Some
information here is also included in our GTA and Beyond The GTA
listings sections, but readers whose primary interest is MUSIC
THEATRE should start their search with this section.
This section is still in development. We welcome your comments and
suggestions at [email protected].
●●Players Guild of Hamilton. Jacques Brel is
Alive and Well and Living in Paris. Guild House,
80 Queen St South, Hamilton. 905-529-0284
playersguild.org. Thurs. $20, Fri & Sat $25.
April 24-May 9.
●●Tarragon Theatre/Volcano Theatre. Infinity. Hanna Moscovitch, playwright. Paul
Braunstein, Haley McGee & Amy Rutherford,
with violinist Andréa Tyniec. Tarragon Theatre 30 Bridgman Ave, 416-531-1827. $22$55. April 1-to May 3. Tues –Sat, 8pm; Sat and
Sun 2:30pm.
●●Theatre Aquarius. Monty Python’s
SPAMALOT. Dofasco Centre for the Arts,
190 King William St., Hamilton. 905-522-7529
theatre aquarius.org. $25-$85 April 15-May 2,
Thurs-Sat 8pm, Sat & Sun 2pm.
●●WatersEdge Theatre Collective. Gingers in Love. Annex Theatre, 730 Bathurst
St. 416-538-1772 gingersinlove.eventbrite.
ca. $26.62 Apr23-25, Thurs, Fri, Sun 8pm,
Sat 2pm.
●●Metro Youth Opera. Béatrice & Bénédict.
Berlioz. Simone McIntosh (Béatrice); Asitha
Tennekoon (Bénédict); Lindsay McIntyre
(Héro); Alessia Naccarato (Ursule); Janaka Welihinda (Claudio); and others; Alison
Wong, stage director; Natasha Fransblow, conductor. Aki Studio, Daniels Spectrum, 585 Dundas St. E. 416-543-9209. $30;
$25(sr); $20(st). Apr 24, 25, 26(mat).
●●Opera Atelier. Orpheus and Eurydice.
Gluck (Berlioz adaptation). Mireille Lebel,
mezzo (Orpheus); Peggy Kriha Dye, soprano (Eurydice); Meghan Lindsay, soprano
(Amour); Marshall Pynkoski, director; Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, choreographer; Artists of Atelier Ballet; Tafelmusik Baroque
Orchestra; David Fallis, conductor. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge St. 1-855-622-2787. $38-$181.
Apr 9,11,12(3:00),14,17,18(4:30).
●●Opera Belcanto of York. La Bohème. Puccini. Gayané Mangassarian, Michèle Pearson, soprano; Stanislas Vitort, tenor; Henry
Irwin, Douglas Tranquada, Berje Varcabet,
baritone; and other singers; David Varjabed,
conductor; Edward Franko, director; with the
OBC Orchestra and Chorus. Richmond Hill
Centre for the Performing Arts, 10268 Yonge
St., Richmond Hill. 905-787-8811. $55;$45(sr).
Also April 16,18.
●●Opera by Request. Dialogues des Carmélites. Poulenc. Caroline Dery, soprano
(Blanche de la Force); Lindsay McIntyre,
soprano (Sister Constanze); Maude Paradis, mezzo (Prioress/Mother Jeanne/Sr.
Mathilde); Jennifer Routhier, mezzo (Mother
Marie); Jaclyn Grossman, soprano (New
Prioress); and others; William Shookhoff,
conductor and piano. College Street United
Church, 452 College St. 416-455-2365. $20.
Apr 18.
●●Peggy Baker Dance Projects. locus plot.
The following productions from
Section A (GTA) or Section B
(Beyond GTA) may also be of
interest.
●●Art of Time Ensemble. Intermezzi. Collec-
tions of Brahms’ Intermezzi for solo piano,
explored in contemporary dance choreographed by Peggy Baker and James Kudelka.
See April 9 for details. Also April 10,11.
●●Canadian Opera Company. Barber of
Seville. Rossini. Joshua Hopkins, baritone
(Figaro); Alek Shrader, tenor (Count Almaviva); Serena Malfi, mezzo (Rosina); Cecilia Hall, mezzo (Rosina); COC Orchestra
and Chorus; Rory Macdonald, conductor.
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. $49$424; $22(under 30). April 17,19,21,26,29,
May 2,7,9,13,19,21,22(start times vary).
●●Canadian Opera Company. Bluebeard’s
Castle/Erwartung. Bartók and Schoenberg.
John Relyea, bass-baritone (Duke Bluebeard);
Ekaterina Gubanova, mezzo (Judith); Krisztina Szabó, mezzo (Woman); COC Orchestra;
Johannes Debus, conductor. Four Seasons
Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St.
W. 416-363-8231. $49-$424; $22(under 30).
May 06 7:30: Also May 8,10,12,14,16,23(start
times vary).
World premiere. Dancers: Ric Brown; Sarah
Fregeau; Kate Holden; Sean Ling; and Sahara
Morimoto; Fides Krucker, voice; John Kameel
Farah, piano/electronics. Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis St. 1-800-838-3006. $28;
$22(sr/st/CADA); 20(early bird). Pre-show
chat: 8:00. Runs Wed–Sun, April 24–May 3.
●●Sheridan College Canadian Music Theatre
Project. Brantwood: 1920–2020. Immersive
musical theatre experience. Music and lyrics
by Gielen, A. Johnson, and B. Johnson. Music
Theatre Performance Graduates; James
Smith, conductor; Mitchell Cushman and Julie
Tepperman, stage directors. Sheridan College, 1430 Trafalgar Rd., Oakville. 905-8154049. $35. Runs Apr 14–May 3. Apr 16: Media
Night.
●●The COSI Connection. Fűhrerbunker: An
Opera by Andrew Ager. World premiere
staged production. Andrew Ager, music director; Michael Patrick Albano, Stage director;
Jonathan MacArthur (Adolph Hitler); Sydney Baedke (Eva Braun); other performers.
Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Ave. 844-2002674. $40; $20(sr/st). May 1, 2
●●Toronto Gilbert and Sullivan Society. Rise
Triumphant. Soloists perform excerpts from
G&S operettas, and more. St. Andrew’s
United Church, 117 Bloor St. E. 416-763-0832.
$5; free(members). Apr 11.
●●Toronto Operetta Theatre. Earnest, The
Importance of Being. Comedy based on
Oscar Wilde play. Music by Victor Davies;
libretto by Eugene Benson. Jean Stilwell (Lady
Bracknell); Cameron McPhail (John); Thomas
Macleay (Algernon); Charlotte Knight (Cecily);
Michelle Garlough (Gwendolen); Larry Beckwith, conductor. Jane Mallett Theatre, St.
Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E.
416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754. $72-$95.
Apr 29, May 1, 2.
Presenters of MUSIC THEATRE
are invited to submit listings to
[email protected]
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 49
Beat by Beat | Jazz Stories
Beat by Beat | Mainly Clubs, Mostly Jazz!
Can’t Miss
continued from page 30
Jaymz, Part B:
Each April Jaymz Bee
celebrates his birthday
in style and with
beautiful music, and
this year is no exception.
However, for the first
time, one of the concerts
will take place not in
a club but in a church.
On Sunday April 12
at 4pm at St. Philip’s
Anglican Church, Jaymz
Bee Birthday Vespers will be the golden voices of Genevieve “Gigi”
Marentette, Carolyn Credico, June Garber and others, to the stellar
accompaniment of guitarist Eric St-Laurent. I asked how he got the
idea to present “the devil’s music” in the house of God :
“Basically I wanted to see Bee’s Angels singing in this cozy church.
Father Al is a donor to JAZZ.FM91 and we’ve become friends over the
years. I love jazz in unique settings and this place is magical! Last year
I sang there with Don Francks and Tony Quarrington but this year I
thought I’d play emcee and just enjoy some of the most beautiful and
talented women in Toronto singing sweet songs.”
Bee’s B-Day weeks also includes a celebration at the Old Mill
on April 9 with Alex Pangman and her Alleycats, and continues
on Monday April 13 – his actual birthday – with a cabaret night at
Lula Lounge.
In closing, dear reader, I hope that you consider supporting these
new ventures on our club scene. As always with such endeavours, they
need your support! Call ahead. Make dinner reservations. Plan a party.
Drop by for a drink or two. Live music needs you to stay alive!
BOB BEN
Mark Eisenman’s name doesn’t show up in the listings that much.
In February, he popped up twice, both times as a sideman, and both
times at the Home Smith Bar. Then in March, his name didn’t show up
at all. This month, in the clubs listed here, he will be playing a whopping four gigs! One at Chalker’s Pub with his trio, in its original lineup
– together for the last 27 years – with John Sumner on the drums
and Steve Wallace on bass. One at the Home Smith Bar, led by Arlene
Smith. And two back-to-back gigs at The Rex leading a quintet with
John McLeod on trumpet and flügelhorn and Pat LaBarbera. And of
course, the common thread between all these gigs will be Sumner
and Wallace, bringing to the bandstand the irreplaceable chemistry of three musicians who have been playing together for nearly
three decades.
I first heard Eisenman play in a YouTube video – which is still up –
of Bonnie Brett (a name to keep your eyes peeled for!) singing “Comes
Love,” along with Eisenman on piano, Sumner on drums, and Mike
Downes on bass. From the video, you can, or at least I can, hear
Eisenman thinking like an arranger as he plays: he exploits the wide
range of the instrument exploring the various combinations of available textures, while tastefully inserting responses to Bonnie’s phrases
which to my ear sound as though they are a permanent part of the
song, inextricably linked to the written melody. In fact, I think that
last phrase describes most of what you’ll hear at these four concerts.
You’d better not miss them, because as I’ve said, Eisenman’s name
doesn’t show up in the listings very much, so you might not get
another chance for a long while.
When it comes to jazz, I think in general that singers are underappreciated by instrumentalists. Their craft is brushed off as though
it’s easy (it’s not), trivial, and frivolous, and I’m not too sure why.
I’ve heard a lot of explanations for this: some people think a failure
Ori Dagan is a Toronto-based jazz musician, writer and
educator who can be reached at oridagan.com.
D. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz)
120 Diner
120 Church St. 416-792-7725
102diner.com (full schedule)
April 24 6pm Voice, Bass, & Sax: Ori Dagan,
Jordan O’Connor, & Allison Young PWYC.
80 Gladstone
80 Gladstone Ave. 416-516-7199
80gladstone.com (full schedule)
April 3 8pm Secret Keeper: Stephan Crump
& Mary Halvorson $15 / $10(st).
Alleycatz
2409 Yonge St. 416-481-6865
alleycatz.ca
All shows: 9pm unless otherwise indicated.
Call for cover.
Every Mon 8pm Salsa Night w/ Frank Bischun
and free lessons. Every Tue 8:30pm Bachata
Night w/ DJ Frank Bischun and free lessons.
Every Wed 8:30pm Carlo Berardinucci Band.
No Cover. April 2 Toronto Salsa Festival &
Kizumba Cong. April 3, 4, 11 Lady Kane. April
10 North of 7 Band. April 17 Taxi. April 18,
25 Soular. April 24 Ninetimes Band.
Annette Studios
566 Annette St. 647-880-8378
annettestudios.com
Every Mon 9:30pm Jazz Jam w/ Jared Goldman Quintet. Suggested donation $12/$9(st).
50 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
castroslounge.com (full schedule)
All shows: No cover/PWYC
Every Wed 6pm The Mediterranean Stars.
Every Saturday 4:30 Big Rude Jake.
Artword Artbar
15 Colbourne St., Hamilton. 905-543-8512
artword.net (full schedule)
April 10 8pm Doug Murphy (guitar) Quartet
with Tim Kulakowsky (guitar), Brian Ropcean
(drums), Alanna Gunn (bass) PWYC. April 18
8pm Kite Trio: Eric Couture (drums), Eric Dew
(drums), Paul Van Dyk (bass) $10. April 23
8:30pm Craig Pedersen (trumpet) Quartet,
with Linsey Wellman (saxophones), Joel Kerr
(bass), Eric Thibodeau (drums) $12 / $10(st).
April 25 8pm Diana Braithwaite and Chris
Whiteley $20.
C’est What
67 Front St. E (416) 867-9499
cestwhat.com (full schedule)
April 4, 18 3pm The Hot Five Jazzmakers No
cover/PWYC. April 11, 25 3pm The Boxcar
Boys No cover/PWYC.
Chalkers Pub, Billiards & Bistro
247 Marlee Ave. 416-789-2531
chalkerspub.com (full schedule)
Every Wed 8pm Girls Night Out Jazz Jam w/
host Lisa Particelli. PWYC.
April 11 6pm Mark Eisenman (piano) Trio with
Steve Wallace (bass), John Sumner (drums)
$15. April 12 7pm Coleman Tinsley (voice)
Sextet with Mark Kieswetter (piano), Brendan Davis (bass), Tom Cummings (vibes), Tony
Quarrington (guitar), Louis Botos (drums)
$10. April 18 6pm Bernie Senensky (piano)
Trio with Kieran Overs (bass), Terry Clarke
(drums), feat. Mike Murley (sax) $15. April 25
6pm Lorne Lofsky (guitar) Trio with Kieran
Overs (bass), Barry Romberg (drums) $15.
Blakbird, The
812b Bloor St. West 647-344-7225
theblakbird.com/ (full schedule)
April 17 African D’Jelly.
Bloom
2315 Bloor St. W. 416-767-1315
bloomrestaurant.com
All shows: No minors. Call for reservations.
April 30 7pm Gillian Margot Trio $45 (with
dinner).
DeSotos
Boat Restaurant, The
1079 St. Clair Ave. W 416-651-2109
desotos.ca (Full schedule)
Every Sun 11am-2pm Sunday Live Jazz
Brunch hosted by Anthony Abbatangeli.
No Cover.
158 Augusta Ave. 416-593-9218
theboatkensington.com (full schedule)
Castro’s Lounge
2116e Queen St. E 416-699-8272
Dominion on Queen
500 Queen St. E 416-368-6893
dominiononqueen.com (full schedule)
Call for cover charge info.
Emmet Ray, The
924 College St. 416-792-4497
theemmetray.com (full schedule)
All shows: No Cover/PWYC
April 2 9pm John-Wayne Swingtet: Wayne
Nakamura (guitar), Abbey Sholzberg (bass),
John Farrell (guitar).
Flying Beaver Pubaret, The
488 Parliament St. 647-347-6567
pubaret.com (full schedule)
Fat City Blues
890 College St. 647-345-8282
Free Times Cafe
320 College St. 416-967-1078
freetimescafe.com (full schedule)
Gate 403
403 Roncesvalles Ave. 416-588-2930
gate403.com All shows: PWYC.
April 1 5pm Angie Gunn and Nichol Robertson Duo; 9pm Julian Fauth Blues Night. April
2 5pm Joanne Morra & the France St. Jazz
Ensemble; 9pm Mélanie Brûlée’s Band. April
3 5pm Paul O’Conner: Concord Jazz Quintet;
9pm Fraser Melvin Blues Band. April 4 5pm
Bill Heffernan and His Friends. April 5 5pm
Johnny Cox and the Magnetic Line; 9pm Jazz
thewholenote.com
Hugh’s Room
of music education has led to
an overabundance of oblivious
young singers; some people think
it’s about sexism (jazz singers are
women, more often than not);
some people just think jazz voice
is not a serious artistic pursuit.
I don’t know the answer – but
it’s definitely not the last one. All
that said, I always try to make a
point of promoting this underrated art form. So, keep an eye
Mark Eisenman
out for singers in the clubs this
month; Coleman Tinsley, Alex Samaras, Alex Pangman, Jordana Talsky
and more, will be gracing stages around Toronto throughout April,
and you’d be a fool to miss them.
Within the deep pool of fantastic jazz singers who play regular gigs
in Toronto, a personal favourite of mine is the theatrical and exciting
performer, Whitney Ross-Barris, who will be playing an earlyevening gig at Gate 403 on April 24. She will be joined by pianist Mark
Kieswetter, whose ability to accompany with spontaneity, whimsy and
sensitivity makes him a friend to singers everywhere (watch out for
him this month in bands led by Coleman Tinsley, Rebecca Enkin and
John MacMurchy, as well as at Chalkers Pub’s weekly jam). The duo
has been playing this gig at this venue for five years now, and they still
have not settled into the trap that is playing things the same way every
time. “I love playing the Gate with him because we tend to do on-thefly arrangements of standards that go to crazy places,” Ross-Barris
says. “What results is a number of performances that both of us kick
ourselves for never having recorded.”
The jazz scene in this city is teeming with talent and creativity. I
can’t wait to get back out there and take in more of it, and I hope to
see many of you In the Clubs, my southern-Ontarian friends.
2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604
hughsroom.com
All shows: 8:30pm (unless otherwise noted).
April 2 Happy After April Fool’s Day 14 Years
Later – Hugh’s Room Anniversary Celebration $20(adv)/$22.50(door). April 4 The
John Prine Shrine 10th Annual Tribute Show
$25(adv)/$27.50(door). April 7 Alexandria
$13(adv)/$18(door). April 8 Jon Brooks – CD
Release – “The Smiling & Beautiful Countryside” $18(adv)/$20(door). April 9 A Celebration of David Wiffen $45(adv)/$50(door).
April 10 Tangled Up in Blue – Tribute to
Bob Dylan $25(adv)/$27.50(door). April 11
“Seems Like Only Yesterday” – A Tribute to
Jesse Winchester $25(adv)/$27.50(door).
April 12 11am Michael Johnston Music Studio – 8th Annual Student Recital & Spring
Celebration $15(adults)/$11(children 16
and under); 8:30pm Birds of Chicago
$25(adv)/$27.50(door). April 15 Hugh’s Room
Songwriter’s Series $22.50(adv)/$25(door).
April 16 8pm Jazz in April – A Benefit Concert
for the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmothers Campaign $40(adv)/$45(door).
April 17, 18 7pm Blues @ Hugh’s Festival $42(adv)/$110(weekend pass). April
19 11am Michael Johnston Music Studio – 8th Annual Student Recital & Spring
Celebration $15(adults)/$11(children 16
and under); 7pm Blues @ Hugh’s Festival $42(adv)/$110(weekend pass). April
22 Jeffrey Straker – CD Release “North
Star Falling” $18(adv)/$20(door). April 23
8pm The 2015 JAZZ.FM91 Cabaret Series
$40(general)/$35(students). April 24 Ghost
Town Blues Band $20(adv)/$22.50(door).
April 25 3rd Anniversary ‘A Celebration of
Levon Helm’ $30(adv)/$35(door). April
26 11am Michael Johnston Music Studio – 8th Annual Student Recital & Spring
Celebration $15(adults)/$11(children
16 and under); 8:30pm Dark Angel: The
Music of Roy Orbison featuring Patrick Brealey $22.50(adv)/$25(door).
April 27 8pm Bob Bossin’s Davy the Punk
$25(adv)/$27.50(door). April 29 Fergus
Hambleton – CD Release – “Written On The
Wind” $20(adv)/$22.50(door). April 30 April
Verch Band – CD Release – The Newpart
$25(adv)/$28(door).
Bob Ben is The WholeNote’s jazz listings editor. He
can be reached at [email protected]
Forge. April 6 5pm Mike Daley Jazz Trio; 9pm
Michael O’Grady with His Friends. April 7 5pm
Howard Willett Blues Duo; 9pm Bruce Chapman Blues Duo with feature guests. April 8
5pm Michelle Rumball with Friend; 9pm Julian Fauth Blues Night. April 9 9pm Kevin
Laliberté Jazz & Flamenco Trio. April 10
5pm Linda Carone Jazz Band; 9pm Denielle
Bassels Jazz Band. April 11 5pm Bill Heffernan and His Friends; 9pm Tiffany Hanus Jazz
Band. April 12 5pm Peter Bull Jazz Band; 9pm
Jojo Bazooke Jazz Band. April 13 5pm Clela
Errington Root Music Duo; 9pm Chris Staig
Trio. April 14 5pm Thom Mason Jazz Trio.
April 15 5pm Paul O’Conner: Concord Jazz
Quintet; 9pm Julian Fauth Blues Night. April
16 5pm Roger Chong Jazz Band; 9pm Annie
Bonsignore Jazz Duo or Trio. April 17 5pm
Sam Broverman Jazz Duo; 9pm Terry Gillespie: Canada’s King of Roots Music. April
18 5pm Bill Heffernan and His Friends; 9pm
Sweet Derrick Blues Band. April 19 5pm Jeff
Taylor and the SLT; 9pm Sean Bellaviti Latin
Jazz Trio. April 20 5pm Robert Wannell Jazz
Trio; 9pm Rob Davis Blues Duo. April 21 9pm
Chris Wallace Jazz Quartet. April 22 9pm Julian Fauth Blues Night. April 23 9pm Kristin
Lindell Jazz Band. April 24 5pm Whitney Ross
Barris Jazz Band; 9pm Lisa Hutchinson Blues
Quartet. April 25 5pm Bill Heffernan and His
Friends; 9pm Donné Roberts Band. April 26
5pm Cheryl White Rhythm & Blues Band; 9pm
Cat Berrnardi Quartet. April 27 5pm Kalya
Ramu Jazz Band. April 28 9pm The Sleaper
Group. April 29 9pm Julian Fauth Blues Night.
April 30 5pm Cyndi Carleton: At Ease Music.
thewholenote.com
Grossman’s Tavern
379 Spadina Ave. 416-977-7000
grossmanstavern.com (full schedule)
All shows: No cover (unless otherwise noted.)
April 1 10pm Bruce Domoney.
Habits Gastropub
928 College St. 416-533-7272
habitsgastropub.com (full schedule)
April 3 9pm Chelsea and the Cityscape $10.
April 10 9pm Laura Fernandez Trio $10. April
17 9pm Steve D’Angelo Trio. April 18 9pm
Bossa Tres.
Harlem Restaurant
67 Richmond St. E. 416-368-1920
harlemrestaurant.com (full schedule)
All shows: 7:30-11pm (unless otherwise
noted.) Call for cover charge info.
April 2 6pm Dirty Jazz. April 3, 10, 17,
24 Dave Hutchinson Jazz & Blues Band. April
4 ZimZum. April 6, 13, 27 Neil Brathwaite.
April 11 Liz Loughrey & Adrian X. April
25 Kristin Fung.
Hirut Cafe and Restaurant
2050 Danforth Ave. 416-551-7560
All shows: PWYC / $5 / $10
Every Sun 3pm Open Mic with Nicola
Vaughan: folk/country/jazz/world/R&B.
Home Smith Bar – See Old Mill, The
8pm George Olliver $15. April 16 8pm Colin
Hunter with the Anthony Terpstra Seventet
$10. April 17, 18 8pm Colin Hunter (voice) with
the Joe Sealy (piano) Quartet: Paul Novotny (bass), Daniel Barnes (drums), Alison
Young (saxophone) $15. April 19 12pm Jonathan Feldman $5; 7pm Bulgarian Arts Festival Canada $15. April 21 8pm Mary Panacci
‘Her Perfume’ CD Release: Mary Panacci
(voice), Kevin Dempsey (drums), Kelly Jefferson (sax), Mike Downes (bass), Drew Jurecka
(violin), Anthony Panacci (piano), Ted Quinlan (guitar), feat. John Alcorn and Natalie
Panacci $15. April 22 8pm John MacMurchy
(reeds) Quintet with Bruce Cassidy (trumpet, EVI), Dan Lonescu (guitar), Mark Kieswetter (piano), Ross MacIntyre (bass), Alan
Hetherington (percussion) $15. April 23 8pm
Caribbean Jazz Collective: Andrew Stewart (bass), Neil Brathwaite (sax), Gareth Burgess (steel pan) Eddie Bullen (piano), Joaquin
Nunez Hidalgo (percussion) $15. April 24,
25 9pm Memo Acevedo’s Building Bridges
Band $20(Fri)/$25(Sat). April 26 12pm Jonathan Feldman $5; 7pm John Alcorn & Alex
Samaras $15. April 28 8pm Dianne Roblin
(piano) Quintet with Jeff King (sax), Mike Pelletier (bass), Chris Wallace (drums), Howard Spring (guitar) $15. April 29 9pm Gene
Dinovi and Dave Young celebrate the music
of Duke Ellington $15. April 30 Alex Goodman
CD Release.
Jazz Room, The
Located in the Huether Hotel, 59 King St. N.,
Waterloo. 226-476-1565
kwjazzroom.com (full schedule)
All shows: 8:30-11:30. Attendees must be 19+.
April 3 HWO: Dave O’Neill (drums), Tyler
Wagler (bass), Thomas Hammerton (piano),
feat. Dave Thompson (guitar) $15. April
4 Shirantha Beddage (bari sax) Quartet with
David Restivo (piano), Mike Downes (bass),
Mark Kelso (drums) $18. April 10 Kite Trio:
Eric Couture (guitar), Eric Drew (drums),
Paul Van Dyk (bass) $15. April 11 Richard
Whiteman (piano) Trio with Brandi Disterheft (bass), Sly Juhas (drums) $16. April
17 Andrew McAnsh Sextet $20. April 18 Pat
Labarbera Quartet $20. April 24 Joni NehRita
Quintet $20. April 25 Allison Au (sax) Quartet
with Todd Pentley (piano) Jon Maharaj (bass),
Fabio Ragnelli (drums) $18.
Jazz Bistro, The
Joe Mama’s
251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299
jazzbistro.ca
April 1 8pm R&B Night w/ Soul Stew: Michael
Dunston (lead vocals, percussion), David Gray
(guitar, background vocals), Matt Horner
(keyboards, background vocals), John Johnson (saxophones), Mark Kelso (drums, background vocals), Robert Occhipinti (bass,
background vocals) $15. April 2 9pm Roberto
Rosenman (guitar) Quintet with John Mayer
(bass), Drew Jurecka (violin), Chris Bezant (guitar) $15. April 3, 4 9pm Coldjack $12.
April 5 12pm, 7pm Cyrus Chestnut $27.50.
April 7 8pm Zeynep Ozbilen (voice): Jazz in
Latino and Ladino with David Restivo (piano),
Perry White (sax), Alberto Suarez (drums),
Roberto Occhipinti (bass) $15. April 8, 9
8pm Fern Lindzon (voice, piano) with George
Koller (bass), Mark Kelso (drums) feat. David
French (sax) on Thursday only $15. April 10,
11 9pm Stephanie Trick and Paolo Alderighi
$20. April 12 12pm Jonathan Feldman $5;
7pm Speak Low with Adi Braun $20. April 15
317 King St. W 416-340-6469
joemamas.ca
Every Tue 6pm Jeff Eager. Every Wed 6pm
Thomas Reynolds & Geoff Torrn. Every Thurs
9pm Blackburn. Every Fri 10pm The Grind.
Every Sat 10pm Shugga. Every Sun 6:30pm
Organic: Nathan Hiltz (guitar); Bernie
Senensky (organ); Ryan Oliver (sax), Morgan
Childs (drums).
KAMA
214 King St. W. 416-599-5262
kamaindia.com (full schedule)
All shows: 5-8pm.
April 2 Canada Jazz Quartet: Frank Wright
(vibes), Ted Quinlan (guitar), Pat Collins
(bass), Don Vickery (drums) feat. Andy Ballantyne (sax), Reg Schwager (guitar). April
9 Canada Jazz Quartet: Frank Wright (vibes),
Ted Quinlan (guitar), Pat Collins (bass),
Don Vickery (drums) feat. Tara Davidson
(sax). April 16 Canada Jazz Quartet: Frank
Wright (vibes), Ted Quinlan (guitar), Pat
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 51
Collins (bass), Don Vickery (drums) feat. Tom
Szczesniak (accordion). April 23 Canada
Jazz Quartet: Frank Wright (vibes), Ted Quinlan (guitar), Pat Collins (bass), Don Vickery (drums) feat. Brigham Phillips (trumpet,
trombone). April 30 Canada Jazz Quartet:
Frank Wright (vibes), Ted Quinlan (guitar), Pat
Collins (bass), Don Vickery (drums) feat. Bob
Brough (sax), Neil Swainson (bass).
Local Gest, The
424 Parliament St. 416-961-9425 (call for concert schedule)
Jazz Sundays 4:30-7:30pm. No Cover.
April 12 Joanne Morra with Eric St. Laurent
(guitar), Rachel Melas (bass). April 19 Steve
Koven (piano), Trio with Rob Clutton (bass),
Anthony Michelli (drums). April 26 Brick
House Trio.
La Revolucion
2848 Dundas St. W 416-766-0746
restaurantelarevolucion.com (full schedule)
Lula Lounge
1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307
lula.ca (full schedule)
April 2 8pm Hilario Duran solo piano concert $15; 9:30pm Yasgurs Farm $10. April
3 7:30pm Beverly Taft’s Bossa Nova Project with Adrean Farrugia (piano), Chris Gale
(sax) Free before 8pm; 10:30pm Cafe Cubano
$15 (Free for women before 10pm). April 4
10:30 Salsa Saturday with Moda Eterna $15.
April 9 7:30pm Marisa De Oliveira $10; 9:30pm
Rosy Cervantes y la Sana Rabia $10. April
10 7:30pm Valeria Matzner Trio: Scott Metcalfe (piano), Justin Gray (bass), Max Senitt
(drums) Free before 8pm; 10:30pm Yani Borrell $15 (Free for women before 10pm). April
11 10:30pm The Lula All Stars $15. April 13 8pm
Jaymz Bee’s 25th Dislexic Birthday Bash $25.
April 16 8pm The Pep Tides $10; 10pm Quique
Escamilla Juno Celebration Concert $15. April
17 7:30pm Roland Hunter (guitar) Group with
Amhed Mitchel (drums), Dave Restivo (piano),
Roberto Riveron (bass) Free before 8pm;
10:30pm Changui Havana $15 (Free for women
before 10pm). April 18 10:30pm Orquesta Fantasia $15. April 24 7:30pm Monica Chapman
CD Release: “P.S. I Love You” Free before 8pm;
10:30pm El Quinto $15 (Free for women before
10pm). April 25 10:30pm Conjunto Lacalu $15.
April 30 7:30pm Ron Davis’ Symphronica: The
Nagata Shachu Drumbeat Returns $25; 10pm
Jason Wilson: Perennials Video Launch $20.
Manhattans Pizza Bistro & Music Club
951 Gordon St., Guelph 519-767-2440
manhattans.ca (full schedule)
All shows: PWYC
April 2 8pm University of Guelph Jazz
Ensemble. April 3, 12, 28 Paul Taylor. April
4 Christine Aziz & Jeff McLeod. April 5,
19 Grace Peters. April 8, 22, 29 Jokela
& Vogan. April 9, 24 Brad Halls. April
23 Anthony Wright. April 25 Elena Kapeleris
& Bartosz Hadala.
Mezzetta Restaurant
681 St. Clair Ave. W 416-658-5687
mezzettarestaurant.com (full schedule)
All shows: 9pm, $8 unless otherwise noted.
April 1 Klezmology – Jonno Lighstone (clarinet), David Mott (sax), Nick Fraser (percussion) $10. April 8 Jordana Talsky (voice) &
Ron Davis (piano). April 15 8pm Dino Doledo
(guitar) & Fernando Gallego (voice) No cover.
52 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
April 29 Brian Katz solo guitar concert.
(bass), Jim Gillard (drums). April 24 Eric St.
Laurent (guitar) Trio with Jordan O’Connor
(bass), Michael DeQuevedo (percussion).
April 25 Arlene Smith (voice) Quartet with
Mark Eisenman (piano), Steve Wallace (bass),
John Sumner (drums). April 30 Rebecca
Enkin (voice) Trio with Mark Kieswetter
(piano), Pat Collins (bass).
Mod Club, The
722 College St. 416-588-4663
themodclub.com
April 3 9 KC Roberts.
Monarch Tavern
12 Clinton St. 416-531-5833
themonarchtavern.com (full schedule)
April 13 7:30pm Martin Loomer & His Orange
Devils Orchestra $10.
Paintbox Bistro
555 Dundas St. E. 647-748-0555
paintboxbistro.ca (Full schedule)
Monarchs Pub
Pilot Tavern, The
At the Eaton Chelsea Hotel
33 Gerrard St. W. 416-585-4352
monarchspub.ca (full schedule)
All shows: 8pm-midnight. No Cover.
Every Wed Jazz Wednesdays with featured
artists. Every Thurs Blues Thursdays with
featured artists.
22 Cumberland Ave. 416-923-5716
thepilot.ca All shows: 3:30pm. No Cover.
April 4 Frank Botos Quartet. April 11 Pat
Labarbera Quartet. April 18 Diane Roblin’s
Reconnect: Diane Roblin (keyboards), Joel
Haynes (drums), Mike Pelletier (bass), Howard Spring (guitar), Jeff King (sax).
Morgans on the Danforth
Poetry Jazz Café
1282 Danforth Ave. 416-461-3020
morgansonthedanforth.com (full schedule)
All shows: 2-5pm, no cover.
April 19 Jocelyn Barth & David Restivo.
224 Augusta Ave. 416-599-5299
poetryjazzcafe.com (full schedule) All shows:
9pm
Reposado Bar & Lounge
Musideum
136 Ossington Ave. 416-532-6474
reposadobar.com (full schedule)
401 Richmond St. W., Main Floor
416-599-7323
musideum.com (Full schedule)
April 10 8pm Annie Bonsignore (voice) with
George Koller (bass) $20. April 26 3pm Jonathan Michael $20; 8pm Steve Koven Solo
Piano Concert $20. April 28 8pm Susan
Cogan $20.
Reservoir Lounge, The
52 Wellington St. E. 416-955-0887
reservoirlounge.com (full schedule).
Every Tue 9:45pm Tyler Yarema and his
Rhythm. Every Wed 9:45pm Bradley and the
Bouncers. Every Thu 9:45pm Mary McKay.
Every Fri 9:45pm Dee Dee and the Dirty Martinis. Every Sat 9:45pm Tyler Yarema and his
Rhythm.
Nawlins Jazz Bar & Dining
299 King St. W. 416-595-1958
nawlins.ca
All shows: No cover/PWYC
Every Tue 6:30pm Stacie McGregor. Every
Wed 7pm Jim Heineman Trio. Every Thu 8pm
Nothin’ But the Blues w/ guest vocalists.
Every Fri 8:30pm All Star Bourbon St. Band.
Every Sat 6:30pm Sam Heinman; 9pm All
Star Bourbon St. Band. Every Sun 7pm
Brooke Blackburn.
Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Bar, The
194 Queen St. W. 416-598-2475
therex.ca (full schedule)
Call for cover charge info.
April 1 6:30pm Ethan Ardelli Quartet; 9:30pm
Paul DeLong’s Bucket of Fish Orchestra. April
2 6:30pm Ernesto Cervini Group; 9:45pm Tony
Monaco Organ Trio (Ohio). April 3 4pm Hogtown Syncopators; 6:30pm Boom for Rent;
9:45pm Tony Monaco Organ Trio (Ohio).
April 4 12pm Danny Marks & Friends; 3:30pm
The Mississauga Big Band Jazz Ensemble is
‘Back at the Rex’; 7:30pm Nick Teehan Group;
9:45pm Nuf Said (New York). April 5 12pm
Excelsior Dixieland Jazz Band; 3:30pm Club
Django; 7pm Sly Juhas Trio; 9:30pm Switzerland’s Gerry Hemingway with C/A/R Trio.
April 6 6:30pm U of T Jazz Ensembles; 9:30pm
Humber College Jazz Ensembles. April 7
6:30pm Carissa Neufeld Group; 9:30pm Classic Rex Jam hosted by Chris Gale. April 8
6:30pm Ethan Ardelli Quartet; 9:30pm Trevor
Watts Four (England). April 9 6:30pm Ernesto
Cervini Group; 9:45pm Dave Turner Quartet (Montréal) featuring Robi Botos. April 10
4pm Hogtown Syncopators; 6:30pm Boom for
Rent; 9:45pm Dave Turner Quartet (Montréal)
featuring Robi Botos. April 11 12pm Danny
Marks & Friends; 3:30pm The Toronto Jazz
Orchestra presents: ‘Music from West Side
Story’; 7:30pm Nick Teehan Group; 9:45pm
Mike Rud (Montréal). April 12 12pm Excelsior
Dixieland Jazz Band; 3:30pm Red Hot Ramble; 7pm Sly Juhas Trio; 9:30pm Ken McDonald Group. April 13 6:30pm Peter Hill Group;
9:30pm York University Jazz Orchestra. April
14 6:30pm Carissa Neufeld Group; 9:30pm
Nice Bistro, The
117 Brock St. N., Whitby. 905-668-8839
nicebistro.com (full schedule)
Old Mill, The
21 Old Mill Rd. 416-236-2641
oldmilltoronto.com
The Home Smith Bar: No Reservations. No
Cover. $20 food/drink minimum. All shows:
7:30-10:30pm
April 2 Steve Koven (piano) Trio with Rob
Clutton (bass), Anthony Michelli (drums).
April 4 Bill McBirnie (flute) Trio with Bernie
Senensky (piano), Neil Swainson (bass). April
9 Reg Schwager (guitar) Quartet with Kiki
Misumi (cello, voice), Tom Szczesniak (piano),
Kevin Coady (drums). April 10 Eliana Cuevas
(voice) Trio with Jeremy Ledbetter (piano),
Daniel Stone (percussion). April 11 David
Buchbinder (trumpet) Trio with David Restivo (piano), Andrew Downing (bass). April
16 Vincent Wolfe (voice) Trio with Peter Hill
(piano), Jordan O’Connor (bass). April 17 Kirk
MacDonald (sax) Duo with Lorne Lofsky (guitar). April 18 Andrew Scott (guitar) Trio with
Jake Wilkinson (trumpet, piano), Jon Meyer
(bass). April 23 Wendy Lands (voice) Quartet with Lou Pomanti (piano), Marc Rogers
Funky Knuckles (Texas). April 15 6:30pm Ethan
Ardelli Quartet; 9:30pm The Cookers. April
16 6:30pm Ernesto Cervini Group; 9:45pm
Mark Eisenman Group. April 17 4pm Hogtown
Syncopators; 6:30pm Boom for Rent; 9:45pm
Mark Eisenman Group. April 18 12pm Danny
Marks & Friends; 7pm Laura Hubert Group;
7:30pm Nick Teehan Group; 9:45pm Pat Collins
Group. April 19 12pm Bruce ‘Bj’ James Memorial; 3:30pm Dr. Nick & The Rollercoasters; 7pm
Sly Juhas Trio; 9:30pm Scott Suttie Group.
April 20 6:30pm Peter Hill Group; 9:30pm
Mike Herriott & the OTR Band. April 21 6:30pm
Carissa Neufeld Group; 9:30pm Classic Rex
Jam hosted by Roarshaq w/ Derek Gray. April
22 6:30pm Ethan Ardelli Quartet; 9:30pm Gene
Smith (Nova Scotia) with David Braid. April 23
6:30pm Ernesto Cervini Group; 9:45pm Vancouver’s Phil Dwyer feat. Larnell Lewis. April
24 4pm Hogtown Syncopators; 6:30pm Boom
for Rent; 9:45pm Vancouver’s Phil Dwyer feat.
Larnell Lewis. April 25 12pm Danny Marks &
Friends; 3:30pm Swing Shift Big Band; 7:30pm
Nick Teehan Group; 9:45pm Alex Pangman
Group. April 26 12pm Excelsior Dixieland Jazz
Band; 3:30pm Freeway Dixieland Band; 7pm
Sly Juhas Trio; 9:30pm Chris Gord’s Skeleton Crew. April 27 6:30pm Peter Hill Group;
8:30pm John MacLeod’s Rex Hotel Orchestra. April 28 6:30pm Carissa Neufeld Group;
9:30pm Classic Rex Jam hosted by Chris Gale.
April 29 6:30pm Ethan Ardelli Quartet; 9:30pm
Russ Nolan Quartet (NYC). April 30 6:30pm
Ernesto Cervini Group; 9:30pm Russ Nolan
Quartet (NYC).
Salty Dog Bar & Grill, The
1980 Queen St. E. 416-849-5064 (call for full
schedule)
Sauce on the Danforth
1376 Danforth Ave. 647-748-1376
sauceondanforth.com
All shows: No cover.
Every Mon 9pm The Out Of Towners: Dirty
Organ Jazz. Every Tue 6pm Julian Fauth.
Seven44
(Formerly Chick n’ Deli/The People’s Chicken)
744 Mount Pleasant Rd. 416-489-7931
seven44.com (full schedule)
Stori Aperitivo
95 King St. E 416-361-0404
stori.ca (full schedule)
Toni Bulloni
156 Cumberland St. 416-967-7676
tonibulloni.com (full schedule)
No Cover. Saturday shows: 9pm. $30 food/
drink minimum. Sunday shows: 6pm. $25
minimum.
Tranzac
292 Brunswick Ave. 416-923-8137
tranzac.org (full schedule)
3-4 shows daily, various styles. Mostly
PWYC.
Every Mon 10pm Open Mic Mondays. Every
Thurs 7:30pm Bluegrass Thursdays: Houndstooth. Every Fri 5pm The Foolish Things
(folk). This month’s shows include: April 5,
19 5pm Monk’s Music. April 17 7:30 Dust: The
Quietest Big Band in the Known World. April
21 10pm The Ken McDonald Quartet. April 22
7:30pm Trevor Giancola. April 24 10pm The
Ryan Driver Sextet. April 28 10pm Nick Fraser Presents.
thewholenote.com
E The ETCeteras
Hot Docs 2015
Galas and Fundraisers
●●April 09 6:30: Jaymz Bee’s Birthday Bash.
Live music at 7:00 with Alex Pangman and her
Alley Cats, Tony Quarrington, Don Francks
and others; Lisa Particelli hosts a jazz jam
and open mic. Main Dining Room, The Old
Mill, 21 Old Mill Road. 416-236-2641; oldmilltoronto.com $20 minimum donation to Unison
Benevolent Fund.
●●April 26 1:30: Sistema Toronto.
2015 Parkdale Red Violin Fundraiser Gala.
Features wine and cheese reception with an
array of delectable treats; special musical
guest performances; kids’ entertainment;
silent auction. Concert by Sistema Parkdale
Children’s Orchestra included (see daily concert listings). Bonar-Parkdale Presbyterian Church, 250 Dunn Ave. 416-545-0200.
$50 (Gala tickets); $10 (children). In support of Sistema Toronto’s after school music
program.
●●April 29 6:00: VIVA! Youth Singers of
Toronto. Sweet Lovers Love the Spring: Madrigals for Springtime. Cocktails and silent
auction, followed by dinner and concert.
Hosted by Classical 96.3 FM’s Alexa Petrenko
with soprano Katherine Hill, countertenor
Daniel Cabena, lutenist Terry McKenna and
featuring VIVA!’s Chamber Youth Choir. St.
Lawrence Hall, 157 King St. East. 416-7888482; [email protected] $125.
●●May 07 6:00: Hamilton Philharmonic
Orchestra. A Worldwide Journey of Wine
and Music. A voyage through the culinary and musical landscapes of Spain, Italy,
France, Germany, Argentina and Canada.
PA U L E N N I S
The 22nd incarnation of the Canadian international documentary festival known as Hot Docs runs from April 23 through May 3 at
various locations in Toronto. If you look carefully in Section E: The
ETCeteras, beginning elsewhere on this page, you will find an entry
for it in the Screenings section. Here are details on many of Hot Docs’
17 music-centric films.
Around the World in 50 Concerts: Definitely one to look forward
to. Dutch filmmaker Heddy Honigmann’s keen eye followed
the Concertgebouw Orchestra from Buenos Aires to Soweto to
St. Petersburg as the acclaimed orchestra celebrated its 125th anniversary by playing 50 concerts in six continents. The Hollywood
Reporter’s Neil Young enthused about the mutually beneficial relationship between the musicians and their audiences that forms the
film’s core. April 24, 23, May 1, 3
Music Lessons: Hot Docs head honcho Brett Hendrie writes that
filmmaker Michael Mabbot uses this 20-minute film to take us behind
the scenes at Sistema Toronto “to see firsthand how [José Antonio
Abreu’s] program is helping to build both community and a new
generation of talent.” The world premiere screening will be followed
by a live performance by the Sistema Toronto Yorkwoods Orchestra
and a special in-conversation session at the Isabel Bader Theatre
April 28 at 6:30 pm.
Annual fundraiser and auction. HPO chamber ensembles; Michael Vogt: Hamilton Club
chef. The Hamilton Club, 6 Main St. E., Hamilton, On. 905-526-7756. $125. In support of the
Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
Tours
●●April 5, 12, 19, 26 10:30am: Canadian Opera
Company. 90-minute tours for the general
public. These extensive tours include backstage access and are an exciting opportunity to learn more about the first purpose-built
opera house in Canada, its history, architecture and innovative acoustic design. Each
tour is led by trained docents and includes
information and access to the magnificent
Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room, the
Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre and R. Fraser Elliott Hall, as well as backstage areas like
wig rooms and dressing rooms, the orchestra pit, and other spaces that only a stage
door pass could unlock. Four Seasons Centre
for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. West.
coc.ca (advance); or purchase at the box
office. $20 (adults); $15 (sr/st).
Festivals, Fairs, Festivities
●●April 12 4:30: Winchevsky Centre.
Annual Third Seyder – Dreaming A New
World. Includes music by composer, lyricist and singer David Wall and internationally
acclaimed pianist/improviser Marilyn Lerner,
leading songs in English, Yiddish and Hebrew;
secular humanistic Haggodeh reading; traditional full-course Passover dinner (vegetarian option). This event is open to the public.
Sala Caboto, Villa Colombo, 40 Playfair Ave.
and Co-Sponsored by St. Thomas’s
Anglican Church presents
DOCUMENTARY:
The Prince and the Composer:
A Film about Hubert Parry by
HRH the Prince of Wales. The life,
They Will Have to Kill Us First(above): Award-winning Americanborn, UK-based filmmaker Johanna Schwartz tells the tale of Malian
musicians who were forced to flee or go into hiding after Jihadists
took control of the North of their country a few years ago and instituted extreme sharia law. They cannot imagine life without music, so
they continue to play despite the risk. It’s the documentary counterpart to Abderrahmane Sissako’s memorable 2015 Oscar-nominated
Timbuktu. April 26, 28, 30
What Happened, Miss Simone?: Oscar-nominated director Liz
Garbus (Bobby Fischer Against the World) weaves together rare
archival footage and interviews with Nina Simone’s closest confidantes and collaborators to paint a picture of an extraordinary musical
talent who had a lot of personal and political issues. Using previously unreleased audio recordings, Garbus enables Simone to tell her
story in her own words. It’s a story I can’t wait to experience. April 29,
May 1, 2, 3
Lowdown Tracks: According to programmer Alex Rogalski, filmmaker Shelley Saywell and singer and activist Lorraine Segato of
The Parachute Club, inspired by depression-era recordings of early
American folk songs, set out to document a new catalogue of songs
and stories from five of Toronto’s modern troubadours, unknown
buskers whose songs fill subway platforms and street corners and
whose personal histories vary as much as their voices. A soundtrack
evolves from the island ferry docks and freeway underpasses, rooming
thewholenote.com
time, and music of the composer of
the oratorio Judith presented by
Parry enthusiast HRH Prince Charles.
SPEAKER:
Dr. Jeremy Dibble, from
Durham University (Cambridge),
a noted authority on the music
of Sir Hubert Parry
In anticipation of the
North American Premiere of
Judith by the Pax Christi Chorale
on Sunday May 3, 3pm
at Koerner Hall.
Saturday, May 2, 2015 10am – Noon
St. Thomas’s Anglican Church, 383 Huron Street, Toronto
For more information, please call 416-979-2323 • Free Of Charge
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 53
E. The ETCeteras
Reservations: 416-789-5502; [email protected]; winchevskycentre.org. $48
(adults); $25 (children aged 3-6); $30 (children aged 7-12, students and unwaged attendees). Tickets must be purchased in advance
by April 1.
●●April 18 10:00am – 4:00: Guitar Society of Toronto. Toronto Guitar Weekend
2015: Luthier Fair. Victoria College Chapel,
91 Charles St. West. guitarsocietyoftoronto.
com $15.
●●April 29 5:30 – 8:30: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. 2015 What Next Festival of New Music Opening Reception:
Cocktails and Culture. Join us for a reception and an evening of socializing as we kick
off the 2015 What Next Festival and enjoy the
current exhibit at the Nathaniel Hughson
Gallery. Cash bar and refreshments served.
Nathaniel Hughson Gallery, 27 John St. North,
Hamilton. 905-526-7756; hpo.org
●●May 03 2:00 – 4:00: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. 2015 What Next Festival of New Music: Coffee with the Composers.
What does it mean to be a composer today?
Where do they find their inspiration? Join
us in this casual drop in event. Grab a coffee
and have a chat with Christien Ledroit (HPO
Composer-in-Residence), Abigail Richardson-Schulte and other composers featured
in the festival. Mulberry Street Coffeehouse,
193 James St. North, Hamilton. 905-5267756; hpo.org
●●Registration is now open for 2015 Culture
Days. It’s time to start thinking about your
2015 Culture Days activity! Register early and
get a head start on planning a successful Culture Days event in your community. Connect
with community, develop new skills, reach
new audiences and collaborate with others.
Culture Days take place on September 25, 26
and 27 2015. culturedays.ca
Bruce Bathgate sings and lives the life of a
modern day hobo in Lowdown Tracks
houses and rooftops, showing us that music is the common language
in this empowering celebration of survival. April 25, 27, May 2
Sweet Micky for President: Justin Lowe wrote in the Hollywood
Reporter: “When it comes to getting out the vote, music can make
all the difference in an electoral campaign. In the 2010 Haitian presidential election, it was professional musicians who made the difference, however. Former Fugee’s rapper Pras Michel endorsed musician
and candidate Michel ‘Sweet Micky’ Martelly, actively backing him
throughout his eventful campaign. Filmmaker Ben Patterson captures
the candidate and his supporters in close-up for his dynamic debut
feature.” Winner of both the Audience and Jury Prizes for Best
Documentary at the Slamdance Film Festival. April 29, May 3
DocX Virtual Reality Showcase – Four short films employing
revolutionary technology: Take a breathtaking voyage through the
Northwest Passage in Polar Sea 360°; transport yourself to the stunning landscapes of Mongolia and into the lives of nomadic yak
herders in Herders. Measha Brueggergosman takes users with her on
a personal voyage through Canada and Cameroon as she performs a
selection of spirituals in Songs of Freedom. Strangers With Patrick
Watson, an intimate and understated virtual reality project, invites
users to go behind the scenes with the Montreal singer-songwriter
as he works on his music at home in his studio loft. The 20-minute
exhibit is free to view at the Isabel Bader Theatre from April 24 to
May 1, 10:00 am to 7:00 pm.
There are many more for the intrepid doc explorer to seek out. As I
AM: The Life and Times of DJ AM examines the brief life of milliondollar DJ, Adam Goldstein. Breaking a Monster looks at the price
three tween boys from Brooklyn pay to satisfy the demands of the
music industry. Adam Lough’s Hot Sugar’s Cold World follows beats
generation superstar Nick Koenig (Hot Sugar) as he creates one-ofa-kind music made entirely out of sounds from the world around
him even as his high-profile girlfriend dumps him. Judging by its
Sundance critical raves, Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck is a fascinating
portrait of the grunge icon. Finally there is no excuse to miss Mavis!
a doc that chronicles the six-decade musical odyssey of the legendary
gospel/soul singer Mavis Staples complete with her own memories of
a life inextricably linked to civil rights.
Paul Ennis is the managing editor of The WholeNote.
Lectures, Salons, Symposia
●●April 14 7:00: North York Central Library.
Canadian Opera Company Talk: The Barber of
Seville. Wayne Gooding, editor of Opera Canada magazine, examines the different ways
Rossini’s riotous romp has been translated to
the stage from its premiere in 1816 up to the
present day. Special attention will be given to
Els Comediants’ new COC production which
opens the 2015 spring season. NYCL Auditorium, 5120 Yonge St. To register: 416-2955639. Free.
●●April 18 10:30am – 12:30: Guitar Society
of Toronto. Toronto Guitar Weekend 2015:
The Extraordinary Saga of Agustin Barrios
Mangore. Lecture by Tony Morris. Victoria
College Chapel, 91 Charles St. West. guitarsocietyoftoronto.com $15.
●●April 18 1:30-3:30: Guitar Society of
Toronto. Toronto Guitar Weekend 2015: Classical Guitar Alive: Fusing Creativity with Community Service. Lecture by Tony Morris.
Victoria College Chapel, 91 Charles St. West.
guitarsocietyoftoronto.com $15.
●●May 03 2:00: Toronto Opera Club. “Out of
My Mind”: Schoenberg, Bartók and Expressionist Opera. Lecture by guest speaker
Jeffrey L. Stokes, Assoc. Professor, Music
Performance Studies, University of Western
Ontario. Room 330, Edward Johnson Bldg.,
Faculty of Music, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-9243940. $10.
Master Classes
●●April 15 time tbd: Royal Conservatory of
Music. Voice master class with soprano
Patricia Rozario. Location tba, 273 Bloor St.
West. 416-408-2824; learning.rcmusic.ca/
glenn-gould-school/master-classes Free.
●●April 17 10:00am – 12:30, 2:00 – 4:30: Royal
Conservatory of Music. Horn master class
with Gail Williams. Conservatory Theatre,
273 Bloor St. West. 416-408-2824; learning.rcmusic.ca/glenn-gould-school/masterclasses Free.
●●April 17 time tbd: Royal Conservatory
of Music. Voice master class with Russell
Braun. Location tba, 273 Bloor St. West. 416408-2824; learning.rcmusic.ca/glenn-gouldschool/master-classes Free.
●●April 17 time tbd: Royal Conservatory
of Music. Violin master class with Mikhail
Kopelman. Location tba, 273 Bloor St. West.
416-408-2824; learning.rcmusic.ca/glenngould-school/master-classes Free.
●●April 18 10:00am – 12:00 noon, 2:00 – 4:00:
Royal Conservatory of Music. Piano master class with Leon Fleisher. Mazzoleni Hall,
273 Bloor St. West. 416-408-2824; learning.rcmusic.ca/glenn-gould-school/masterclasses Free.
●●April 18 6:00 – 9:00: North York Music Festival. Open Piano Master Class with Prof. Paul
Komen from the Netherlands. Lawrence Park
Community Church, 2180 Bayview Ave. 416788-8553; northyorkmusicfestival.com $20.
●●April 19 10:00am – 12:00 noon, 2:00 – 4:00:
Royal Conservatory of Music. Piano master class with Leon Fleisher. Mazzoleni Hall,
273 Bloor St. West. 416-408-2824; learning.rcmusic.ca/glenn-gould-school/masterclasses Free.
●●April 19 1:00 – 4:00: Guitar Society of
Toronto. Toronto Guitar Weekend 2015: Master class with Berta Rojas. Venue tba. guitarsocietyoftoronto.com $15. Limited spots
available.
●●April 24 time tbd: Royal Conservatory of
Music. Bassoon master class with David
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BROTHERS
ROTHERS
PURVEYORS OF FINE FOOD
(416) 364-7397
54 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
CATERING
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thewholenote.com
McGill. Location tba, 273 Bloor St. West. 416408-2824; learning.rcmusic.ca/glenn-gouldschool/master-classes Free.
●●April 24 time tbd: Royal Conservatory
of Music. Voice master class with Michael
Mcmahon. Location tba, 273 Bloor St. West.
416-408-2824; learning.rcmusic.ca/glenngould-school/master-classes Free.
●●April 25 1:00 – 3:00: Tafelmusik Baroque
Orchestra and Chamber Choir. Baroque violin master class with Aisslinn Nosky. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, Jeanne Lamon Hall,
427 Bloor St. West. Free admission, with a
suggested donation of $10. [email protected]
●●April 25 2:00: Music Toronto. Chris
McKhool’s Fiddlefire!
Master class
for children. Cosburn United Church,
1108 Greenwood Ave. East.
416-366-7723.
Free.
Open Rehearsals
●●April 16 7:30: group of 27 Centre for Social
Innovation, 720 Bathurst Street, ground
floor. Cash bar and refreshments. 416-3232232 x28. Free. See concert listing April 17 for
repertoire.
Program Application
●●Toronto Downtown Jazz. Fifth Annual TDJ
News Corps. Open to any part-time or fulltime post-secondary student enrolled at a
Greater Toronto Area university or college,
who is interested in writing about jazz. Successful applicants will be given full media
accreditation for the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, granting them unprecedented access –
attending and reviewing concerts for free,
Turning poTenTial
inTo accomplishmenT
instruments to learn world folk repertoire for
our community World Fiddle Day event at Fort
York, May 16. 925 Bloor St. West. For more
information and repertoire: 647-217-4620;
https://worldfiddledaytoronto.wordpress.
com/ By donation.
●●April 11 4:00: Musikay. Sing with us the
beautiful music of Bach and Charpentier and
discover the wonderful works of Campra.
Grace Lutheran Church
, 304 Spruce St. Oakville. 905-825-9740; musikay.ca Free.
●●April 11 7:00: Toronto Gilbert and Sullivan Society. A lively evening of G&S-related
fun. St. Andrew’s United Church, 117 Bloor St.
East. 416-763-0832. $5 (non-members).
●●April 18 10:30am – 1:00: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Singsation Saturday. Join Canadian composer and conductor Timothy
Corlis, members of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and a lively community of singers to read through some of Corlis’s beautiful
compositions. Yorkminster Park Baptist
Church, 1585 Yonge St. 416-598-0422 ex. 223;
tmchoir.org/singsation-saturdays/ $10.
●●April 18 3:45 – 6:00: Guitar Society of
Toronto. Toronto Guitar Weekend 2015: Open
Mic and Guitar Orchestra performance.
Bring your guitar. Victoria College Chapel,
91 Charles St. West. guitarsocietyoftoronto.
com. Free.
interviewing artists and experiencing the
festival from behind the scenes. In addition, members will be assigned a mentor: an
experienced arts journalist. For further information, please contact Artistic Director Josh
Grossman: [email protected] or 416-9282933 ex.27; torontojazz.com/tdj-news-corps
Deadline for application: April 10. Results
will be announced by April 17.
Screenings
●●April 19 7:30: Aradia Baroque Ensem-
ble.
Nosferatu. Aradia will pair F.W. Murnau’s
classic film Nosferatu with a baroque soundtrack and renowned piano soloist Richard
Herriott. Featuring the Kingsway Conservatory Strings. The Music Gallery, 197 John St.
647-960-6650; eventbrite.ca $35 (adults);
$20 (senior/under 30).
●●April 23 – May 3: Hot Docs Canadian
International Documentary Festival. Multiple venues including Isabel Bader Theatre, Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, Hart House
Theatre, ROM Theatre, Scotiabank Theatre
Toronto, TIFF Bell Lightbox, Innis Town Hall.
Box office: 2 Bloor St. W., Cumberland Terrace – Main Level; email – boxoffice@hotdocs.
ca 416-637-5150; hotdocs.ca $17 ($22 special
events); Ticket packages available. Free daytime screenings up to 5pm for Students (w/
valid ID) and Seniors (60+) available on day of
screening. hotdocs.ca
Workshops
●●April 10 10:00am – 1:00 and 2:00 – 5:00:
International Resource Centre for Performing Artists. Today’s Professional Performing Artist. Topics include: artistic
preparation; marketing; booking; contracts;
promotion; representation; job interviews
(auditions); touring; networking and more.
Moderator: singer/songwriter Amanda Martinez; with Robert Baird, agent, specialist in
visas and work permits; Ron Davis, pianist/
composer; Ann Summers Dossena, career
development manager, IRCPA founder/director; Faye Perkins, president, Real World Artists, Real Records and manager, Glenn Gould
Estate. Paintbox Bistro, 555 Dundas St. East.
Information, reservations and membership:
416-362-1422; ircpa.net $30/day; $25 (IRCPA
members). $5 box lunches available.
●●April 11 10:00am – 1:00 and 2:00 – 5:00:
International Resource Centre for Performing Artists. The Musician’s Toolkit
●●Apr 02 6:45 – 8:45: World Fiddle Day
Toronto. Practise jam. Led by fiddler/singer/
composer Anne Lederman; hosted by Long
& McQuade. Join players of bowed string
CHECK
THIS OUT!
Pax Christi Chorale
Artistic Director
As a result of the retirement of incumbent Artistic Director Stephanie Martin, Pax Christi Chorale is seeking a creative, energetic professional choral conductor with the vision to lead us into the next chapter in our artistic growth, building on our 30-­year history as a community choir performing at the highest amateur standard. These workshops are designed to TODAY’S PROFESSIONAL
PERFORMING ARTIST
help emerging Canadian artists
markets,booking. ups/downs
gain knowledge and expertise
negotiation, representation, who,
when, how to approach and more
to succeed in the Canadian and
international music marketplace. THE MUSICIANS TOOLKIT
at JAZZ.FM91
business of jazz, creative presenting,
recording, getting online, getting
radio airplay
Pax Christi Chorale is a 100-­voice, Toronto-­based choir known for presenting dramatic masterworks with passion and conviction. Our season, which includes a 3-­concert subscription series, outreach concerts and occasional run-­
outs, introduces audiences to rarely heard works – music that is exciting and fresh but always embedded in the an-­
cient art of choral singing. The highlight of the 2014-­2015 season will be the North American premiere of Sir Hubert Parry’s oratorio Judith, at Koerner Hall. ALL ABOUT COMPOSERS
commissions, royalties, getting heard
copyright laws, for musicians’
collaborations and profile for it, how to
commission - Canadian Music Centre
Topics subject to change.
MEMBERSHIP (no charge) AND TICKETS AT
www.ircpa.net or 416.362.1422
Please visit www.paxchristichorale.org for a full description submit an application.
The IRCPA acknowledges with thanks the support of our curators, moderators, panelists, volunteers, Ontario Arts
Council, Toronto Arts Council, Canadian Music Centre, Canadian Opera Company, JAZZ.FM91, Paintbox Bistro, The
WholeNote, The Daniels Corporation, Mirvish Productions, Paganelli’s Risotteria, Socan Foundation and private donors.
thewholenote.com
Society. Global G&S Day. Join us for superb
singing, birthday cake, and Fiddlywinks: a
quiz on all things Victorian. All welcome. St.
Andrew’s Church, 117 Bloor St. East. 416-7630832. Members free; guests $5.
Singalongs, Jams, Circles
SIX HOT TOPICS WORKSHOPS over
three days APRIL 10-12, 2015
Curators at the IRCPA, JAZZ.FM91 and
Canadian Music Centre have assembled
leading experts and musicians who will
share their knowledge and experience
with you and include opportunities
to network with a variety of industry
personalities, ask questions, and
interact with fellow musicians.
●●May 02 7:00: Toronto Gilbert and Sullivan
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 55
Classified Advertising | [email protected]
E. The ETCeteras
– What it Takes to Succeed in Today’s Music
Business. Topics include: Connecting The
Dots – The Business of Jazz; Creative Presenting: How to Present Engaging Performances; Pitching your music for radio airplay;
The Art of Recording and Getting Online; Publicity 101: How to Make it Work for You. Presenters include Jeff Levenson, New York label
executive, writer, producer, educator, and
journalist; Josh Grossman, artistic director,
TD Toronto Jazz Festival; Tracy Jenkins, coartistic director, Lula Music and Arts Centre;
Jane Harbury, President, Jane Harbury Publicity; and others. JAZZ.FM91, Long & McQuade
Hall, 4 Pardee Ave. Information, reservations and membership: 416-362-1422; ircpa.
net $30/day; $25 (IRCPA members). $5 box
lunches available.
●●April 11 4:30: North York Music Festival.
Talent can be Taught. Workshop with author
Stephen Riches, for all music teachers to discover how to retain and increase their student base, and for all parents to learn how
to motivate their children to stick with music
lessons. Lawrence Park Community Church,
2180 Bayview Ave. 416-788-8553. $20.
●●April 12 10:00am – 1:00 and 2:00 – 5:00:
International Resource Centre for Performing Artists. All About Composers. Topics
include: Commissions, royalties, recording, how to get heard, copyright laws for
composers; funders – policies, procedures,
understanding funding agencies and more.
Presenters include Glenn Hodgins, CMC Executive Director; Brian Harman, President, Canadian League of Composers; Matthew Fava,
Director, CMC Ontario Region; André Jutras,
Canada Council for the Arts; David Parsons,
Ontario Arts Council. Canadian Music Centre, 20 St. Joseph St. Information, reservations and membership: 416-362-1422; ircpa.
net $30/day; $25 (IRCPA members). $5 box
lunches available.
●●April 12 6:00: North York Music Festival.
Stage Is Where We Perform. Workshop with
violinist/educator Moshe Hammer. This workshop will explore why practice at home may
sound perfect, but does not always result in
the best live performance. In this fun-filled,
interactive workshop, world-renowned violinist Moshe Hammer will reveal proven strategies to overcome nerves and perform at
a higher level. Lawrence Park Community Church, 2180 Bayview Ave. 416-788-8553.
$25.
●●April 14 6:30: ASLAN Boys Choir of
Toronto. Open House: Workshop on boys
singing. All boys aged 7 - 14 and their families are invited to experience the ASLAN Boys
Choir, and join the choir and artistic director Thomas Bell in singing a wide range of
music. No experience necessary. Church of
the Transfiguration, 111 Manor Rd. East. 416859-7464. Free.
●●April 18 1:30: CAMMAC Recorder Players’ Society. Spring Workshop: Renaissance
and Baroque workshop for recorders and
other early instruments. Coach, Avery Maclean. Mount Pleasant Road Baptist Church,
527 Mount Pleasant Rd. 416-480-1853. $25
(members); $30 (guests). Refreshments
included.
●●April 26 2:00: CAMMAC Toronto Region.
Reading for singers and instrumentalists of
Haydn’s Creation. David Weaver, conductor.
Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. 416551-5183. $10; $6 (members).
DEADLINE for CLASSIFIED ADS in The
WholeNote MAY 2015 edition is Friday April
24. Inquiries to [email protected]
AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES
AVAILABLE PRO BONO POSITIONS FOR
MUSICIANS at the KINDRED SPIRITS
ORCHESTRA: 3rd (bass) Trombonist, 3rd
Trumpet, sectional Violinists, Violists,
Cellists and Contrabassists. The KSO is an
auditioned-based community orchestra that
rehearses once a week (Tuesday evenings)
at the state-of-the-art Cornell Recital Hall in
Markham (407 ETR and 9th Ln). Led by the
charismatic Maestro Kristian Alexander,
the Orchestra is enjoying an enormous
popularity among York Region’s residents
and continues to attract avid audiences
across the GTA. Interested musicians are
invited to e-mail General Manager Jobert
Sevilleno at [email protected] and visit
www.KSOrchestra.ca for more information.
COUNTERPOINT COMMUNITY
ORCHESTRA (www.ccorchestra.org)
welcomes volunteer musicians for Monday
evening rehearsals, downtown Toronto.
We’re especially looking for trombones and
strings. Email [email protected].
INTERIM ORGANIST / CHOIR DIRECTOR
NEEDED for St. James United Church,
Etobicoke, Nov 2015 - Jan 2016. Contact
[email protected]
MUSIKAY HAS PAID POSITION OPENINGS
for choristers and for alto/countertenor and
bass soloists. Visit musikay.ca to schedule an
audition.
DO YOU DRIVE?
Do you love
The WholeNote?
SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW BEING
ACCEPTED for the 2015 MusiCounts
TD Community Music Program, which
provides access to musical instruments
and equipment to thousands of children in
under-served Canadian communities. The
grants will be distributed in allotments of
up to $25,000 totalling $220,000. Grant
applications are now being accepted at
www.musicounts.ca, with a submission
deadline of Friday, May 8, 2015.
Share the love and earn a little
money! Join The WholeNote’s
circulation team: 9 times a year,
GTA and well beyond. Interested?
Contact:
[email protected]
56 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
SWANSEA COMMUNITY CONCERT BAND
seeks beginner/intermediate players
particularly brass, rehearsals Thursday
nights, Western Technical and Commercial
School .Contact [email protected].
THE HART HOUSE CHAMBER STRINGS
IS SEEKING A CONDUCTOR! Weekly
rehearsals from September 2015 to
March 2017. 3 Concert performances
per academic year. Dynamic group of
student modest honourarium. Great
experience. http://harthouse.ca/getinvolved/
careers-volunteering/
SOPRANO VOCALIST WANTED: Established
trans-Atlantic experimental orchestra based
in Toronto and London seeks a soprano
vocalist for performances and tours in
2015-16. Some shows will pay, some won’t
- best suited for a young soprano seeking
experience and international touring with
expenses covered. Soubrettes and mezzos
preferred. Apply to: [email protected].
INSTRUCTION & COURSES
CHILDREN’S PIANO LESSONS: Friendly,
approachable - and strict! Contact Liz
Parker at 416-544-1803 or liz.parker@
rogers.com. Queen and Bathurst
area,Toronto.
FLUTE LESSONS with experienced and
highly trained teacher. Contact Dr. Izabella
Budaiat 416-881-7972 or www.izabellabudai.
com. All levels and ages welcome.
FUN & SYSTEMATIC LESSONS WITH
EXPERIENCED TEACHERS. Piano, Violin,
Cello. Beginner to Advanced. Suzuki, RCM,
Auditions & Competitions. 647.668.6697
www.musicscope.ca.
PIANO LESSONS: personalized instruction
by experienced teacher, concert pianist EVE
EGOYAN (M. Mus., L.R.A.M., F.R.S.C.). All ages
and levels. Downtown location. eve.egoyan@
bell.net or 416- 603-4640.
thewholenote.com
All Roads Lead
to Summer
Classified Advertising | [email protected]
PRIVATE VOICE/PIANO/THEORY
LESSONS: Experienced, BFA Certified
Teacher located at Christ Church Deer
Park (Yonge & St. Clair). Prepares you or
your child for RCM exams, competitions &
auditions. Contact Jessika: jwithakmusic@
gmail.com (647) 214-2827.
FLUTE, PIANO,
THEORY LESSONS,
RCM EXAM PREPARATION
Samantha
Chang
VENUES AVAILABLE / WANTED
ARE YOU PLANNING A
CONCERT OR RECITAL?
Looking for a venue?
Bloor Street
United Church
300 Bloor Street West, Toronto.
416-924-7439 x22
[email protected]
Royal Academy of Music PGDip,
LRAM, FLCM, FTCL, ARCT
416-293-1302
FOR SALE / WANTED
CLASSICAL RECORD AND CD COLLECTIONS
WANTED. Minimum 350 units. Call, text or
e-mail Aaron 416-471-8169 or [email protected].
*STOLEN FROM CAR IN SEPT 2014 – Lorée
OBOE & ENGLISH HORN: $700 reward for
information leading to return. Serial #’s:
oboe TA 78, English horn HV 25. Please call
Karen 416-656-4312 or 416-323-2232 x.26
MUSICIANS AVAILABLE
SOPRANO LEADS AND CHORAL
CONDUCTORS - NEED A BREAK? Subbing
available, 35+ years’ experience. Limited
openings for piano, voice, theory students
and coaching. Call Margaret - 647-291-3572.
VENUES AVAILABLE / WANTED
Our 3rd Floor
“Jazz Cellar” Lounge
is an ideal space for:
corporate functions | private
events | birthday parties |
product launches
F
or music lovers and practitioners, amateur or professional,
finding the perfect place to spend your summer is no easy task.
Not least in difficulty is the fact that the programs in question
have such widely divergent deadlines. There is no month of the year
for compiling and publishing a print guide to summer music education that does not contain either application deadlines that have
already passed, or else have not yet been set!
So over the coming months and years we will continue to develop
this resource online, to serve as an ongoing, ever-ready guide for you
in your search for meaningful musical exploration during those heady
months of the year when, for many people, daily grind can takes a
back seat to personal growth and exploration.
The following 29 profiles are a fascinating cross-section of what’s
out there. (Four of them, newly received, appear first, in their entirety.
The other 25, previously printed in the March issue, and excerpted
here, are already safely lodged online.) Taken collectively, they offer an
extraordinary insight into the range of opportunity that awaits: from
acquiring some real-world playing experience to sitting in the master
class of your dream clarinet teacher; from getting the chance to take a
deep breath and get some practising done on your chosen instrument,
to setting your specialty aside and connecting with other instruments
or aspects of music-making. Each of the summer music programs out
there has a particular mandate and methodology, and selecting the
flavour that suits your needs—though sometimes daunting—can lead
to a summer break that is not just enjoyable but rewarding.
For some of these programs it’s still not too late to apply for the
coming summer ahead. For others, you’ll need to add them to a
bucket list for the years ahead. All roads lead to summer, as the title
of this article suggests; if not the summer right ahead, then to some
particular life-changing summer in the years ahead.
416-363-5299| jazzbistro.ca
PERFORMANCE / REHEARSAL / STUDIO
/ OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE: great
acoustics, reasonable rates, close to
Green P Parking, cafés & restaurants.
Historic church at College & Bellevue,
near Spadina. Phone 416-921-6350. E-mail
[email protected]
SPACE AVAILABLE REASONABLE RATES.
Hillcrest Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ), 2 Vaughan Rd. at Bathurst, 1 blk.
south of St. Clair. 416-654-0311. Email
[email protected]
OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE FOR RENT
in bright 180 sq. foot space at Eglinton
St. George’s United Church. Near Yonge/
Eglinton. Call 416-481-1141 x210
SERVICES
Master your mind.
Mental Skills for
Performing Artists
Press kits,
image consulting,
& social media
for performers
www.lizpr.com
Lisa Chisholm
www.masterperforming.ca
RESTORE & PRESERVE
YOUR MEMORIES
Recital and gig tapes | 78’s
& LPs | VHS and Hi8 | 35mm
Slides |News clippings | Photos
& more, transferred to
digital files: CD’s, DVD’s,
or Video slideshow
ArtsMediaProjects
416.910.1091
TO ACCESS THIS WHOLENOTE SUMMER MUSIC EDUCATION GUIDE
ONLINE VISIT THEWHOLENOTE.COM/RESOURCES
NEED HELP WITH
YOUR TAXES?
TO JOIN THEWHOLENOTE
SUMMER MUSIC DIRECTORY
Specializing in personal
and business tax returns
including prior years
and adjustments
Address inquiries by email to [email protected]
or call 416-323-2232 x26
HORIZON TAX SERVICES INC.
• free consultation • accurate work
For CRA stress relief call:
TheWholeNote Directory Team
Project Editor: Karen Ages:
Directory sales and services: Adrienne Surtees
Layout and design: Bryson Winchester
Proofreading: Paul Ennis and Kevin King
1-866-268-1319
[email protected]
www.horizontax.ca
Classified Advertising | [email protected]
thewholenote.com
CAMMAC MUSIC CENTRE
[email protected]
www.samanthaflute.com
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 57
●●
Halifax Summer Choral
Conducting Symposium
●●
Stratford Summer Music
Vocal Academy
Halifax, Nova Scotia
July 13 to 17, 2015
Contact: Caron Daley
416-721-5123
[email protected]
halifaxsummerchoral.com
Deadlines: May 1/June 1
Cost: $450 - $550
Day programs
Stratford, Ontario
August 9 to 15, 2015
Contact: Lana Mau
519-271-2101 or 1-800-288-4313
[email protected]
www.stratfordsummermusic.ca
Deadlines: April 17, 2015
Cost: $600
Camp Hours: 10am to 5pm
!! The Halifax Summer Choral Conducting
Symposium exists to provide quality summer instruction in choral pedagogy and conducting. Founded in 2012, the event draws
together school/university educators, church
musicians, choral singers and undergraduate/
graduate music students for a week of intensive choral learning and music-making. Dr.
Richard Sparks joins our teaching team as 2015
guest clinician! Highlights of the 2015 program include: Dalcroze Eurhythmics sessions,
score study/conducting sessions on Fauré’s
Requiem and Haydn’s Te Deum No. 2 in C, morning sing sessions, conducting masterclasses
with the Symposium Chorus, a voice masterclass and individual conducting, vocal and
keyboard coaching. Register as an active conductor (May 1 deadline) or auditing conductor
(June 1 deadline)! Visit www.halifaxsummerchoral.com for complete schedule and registration information!
!! The Vocal Academy at Stratford Summer
Music will offer intensive training in professional preparation (opera, oratorio, art song)
and in performance skills for up to eight graduate, post-graduate and early professional-level
singers and for one pianist pursuing a career in
vocal accompaniment. Participants will receive
daily individual sessions with the internationally renowned faculty, Michael Schade, Phillip
Addis and Emily Hamper, and will take part in
master classes which will be open to the public.
The program will culminate in a public performance by all participants. Applicants may request
scholarships of $300 to help with expenses.
Lodging can be arranged by Stratford Summer
Music. Daily meals are the responsibility of each
participant. Go to website for more information
and to apply.
●●
North Bay Symphony
String Retreat
Canadian Ecology Centre in Samuel de
Champlain Provincial Park near Mattawa,
Ontario.
August 16 to 22, 2015
Contact: Rosalind Zimbalatti
705-752-4011
[email protected]
www.northbaysymphony.org/stringretreat
Deadline: June 30, 2015
Cost: $310
Residential program
!! Pizz! Bow! A summer string retreat. The
North Bay Symphony hosts a week-long string
retreat. Come and immerse yourself in chamber music. Enjoy the beautiful setting at the Canadian Ecology Centre (www.canadianecology.
ca) and the surrounding area. The professional
musicians of the Silver Birch String Quartet provide expert coaching for participants. Features
of the program include: performances by the
Quartet, daily coaching for ensemble groups,
participation in the string chamber orchestra,
masterclasses, a luthier visit (instrument health
information and consultation), wellness (posture, warm-ups, stretching) and interesting ecology breaks. All levels of adult string players are
welcome. Come with a pre-formed group, or let
us introduce you to other players. Spend a week
with friends who love string music. Any questions? Just email.
58 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
●●
Whole Musician Flute Retreat
St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto
June 23 to 27, 2015
Contact: Christopher Lee
416-294-4259
[email protected]
www.wholemusician.net
Deadline: June 15, 2015
Cost: $450 - $495 USD
Accommodations available at
St. Michael’s College
!! Recognized by the National Flute Association as a finalist in the Arts Venture Competition
(2014) for being a creative and forward-thinking organization, the Whole Musician team educates all facets of modern musicians. We are
a collective of five uniquely experienced flutists collaborating to offer unparalleled intensive retreats addressing the mental, physical
and musical demands placed on the 21st-century performer. In addition to masterclasses and
concerts, workshops are offered in life coaching, yoga, performance anxiety, fitness, Feldenkrais, interpretation, career counseling, etc. An
atmosphere of relaxed openness and cooperation all happening in one location. Faculty:
Flutists Christopher Lee (Toronto), Dr. Meg Griffith (Texas), Dr. Megan Lanz (Colorado), Dr. Rik
Noyce (California), Niall O’Riordan (London, UK)
and pianist Anne Marshall (London, UK).
●●
Belvoir Terrace Summer
Performing Arts Camp
Lenox, Massachusetts
June 29 to August 13, 2015
Contact: Diane Marcus, Nancy Goldberg
212-580-3398 (winter); 413-637-0555
(summer)
[email protected]
www.belvoirterrace.com
Cost: $11,500 (limited scholarships
available for talented musicians)
!! Belvoir Terrace, celebrating its 62nd summer
in 2015, is a supportive community of young
women second through tenth grade where girls
make lifelong friends. Campers learn in their
classes while having fun with special events and
outings to nearby professional performances.
Each camper has the opportunity to create their
own schedule, with up to ten different classes.
Musicians enjoy two private lessons each week
on their instrument or in voice. Other music
classes include opera, chorus … [read more]
●●
CAMMAC Music Centre
Harrington, Québec
June 28 to August 16, 2015
Contact: Margaret Little
819-687-3938
[email protected]
www.cammac.ca
Cost: from $500 to $1,200 per week
(bursaries available)
Residential program
!! Seven weeks of music for all tastes, ages and
levels! Come with friends and family: choose
your favorite week (or two) this summer and
join in the pleasure of making music with
others. Choir, orchestra, chamber music, Broadway, jazz, Celtic … [read more]
●●
Centauri Summer Arts Camp
Wellandport, Ontario
July 5 to Aug 23, 2 week or 1 week sessions
Contact: Julie Hartley
416-766-7124
[email protected]
www.centauriartscamp.com
Cost: $1785/2 weeks
Residential program
!! Centauri Summer Arts Camp is an overnight camp program for ages 8-18 based in the
Niagara Region. We offer more than 40 intensive arts programs, many of them music-based:
songwriting, musical theatre, vocal, garage
band, instrumental music … [read more]
●●
Le Domaine Forget International
Music and Dance Academy
Saint-Irénée, Charlevoix Québec
May 31 to August 23, 2015
Contact: Rachel Tremblay
418-452-8111
[email protected]
www.domaineforget.com
Deadlines: February 15, 2015 Except Choir and
Jazz Singing: May 1, 2015
Cost: from $360 to $3,060
!! Le Domaine Forget Academy offers serious
students the opportunity to perfect their skills
under the auspices of world-renowned artists. The beauty and tranquility of the setting
at Domaine Forget inspire creativity whilst the
thewholenote.com
facilities are perfectly suited to the needs of
both students and teachers … [read more]
●●
Guitar Workshop Plus
HALIFAX SUMMER CHORAL CONDUCTING SYMPOSIUM
San Diego, CA June 21 to 26
Toronto, ON: July 19 to 24 and July 26 to 31 Vancouver, BC: August 11 to 16 905-567-8000
www.guitarworkshopplus.com
For ages 10 to 90, beginner to professional
!! Guitar Workshop Plus offers week-long workshops in a musical environment at superb
facilities. Professional music faculty and world
famous guest artists teach and perform for our
participants. Guitar, bass, drum, keyboard, songwriting and vocal courses are offered for all levels, ages and styles including rock, blues, jazz …
[read more]
●●
Interprovincial Music Camp
Parry Sound, Ontario
August 23 to 28; August 29 to September 6
Contact: Anne Fleming-Read
416-488-3316
[email protected]
www.campimc.ca
Residential program
!! Interprovincial Music Camp is a summer
music camp that offers programs for rock,
jazz, musical theatre, songwriting, orchestra,
band and sound engineering. IMC has provided
young Canadian musicians with exceptional
musical training and unforgettable summer
camp experiences since 1961. Campers fine-tune
their skills as musicians, develop friendships
with teenagers from across Canada … [read more]
●●
Interlochen Arts Camp
Interlochen, MI
800-681-5912
[email protected]
www.interlochen.org
!! Interlochen Arts Camp is the world’s premier
summer arts program for aspiring artists in
grades 3 through 12. Located in northwest Michigan, the camp attracts students, faculty and
staff from all 50 U.S. states and more than 40
countries. These 3,000 artists fill Interlochen’s
northwoods campus with an explosion of creativity. Student-artists learn from world-class
instructors and produce hundreds of presentations each summer in music, theatre, creative
writing … [read more]
●●
JVL Summer School for
Performing Arts International
Music Festival
Geneva Park on Lake Couchiching, Orillia,
Ontario
July 4-14, 2015
Contact: Jacob Lakirovich
905-882-7499
[email protected]
www.MusicInTheSummer.com
Deadline: May 4, 2015
!! The JVL Summer School for Performing Arts
thewholenote.com
offers young and aspiring musicians a wonderful opportunity to combine intensive and highly
professional music studies under the tutelage of
a distinguished faculty with recreational activities. The Summer School is committed to the
artistic development of young musicians of all
ages with a program including instrumental
and voice private lessons, master classes, workshops … [read more]
●●
Kincardine Summer
Music Festival
Huron Heights Public School, Kincardine,
Ontario
August 10 to 14, 2015
Contact: John Schnarr
519-396-9716
[email protected]
www.ksmf.ca
Deadlines: Early registration discount
June 30. Register before July 28 to ensure
your place.
Cost: $180 - $200
Camp Hours: 9:00am - 3:30pm
Day programs
!! Daytime music classes combine with the
renowned KSMF Concert Series to produce a
unique musical event. We offer beginner, junior, senior and adult classes in guitar, bands and
strings. Many adult students register for all levels. Our teachers are experienced professionals.
Free recreation program supervises young students … [read more]
●●
Kingsway Conservatory
Summer Music 2015
2848 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario
Weekly programs for all ages and
experience levels, June 29 to August 21
Contact: Sharon Burlacoff
416-234-0121
[email protected]
www.kingswayconservatory.ca
Deadlines: Open; Early-bird discount deadline:
April 30
Cost: Program costs and hours vary
Day programs
!! Committed to “Inspired Learning,” the Kingsway Conservatory of Music provides summer
programs for various ages and experience levels that engage, challenge and excite on many
levels. Offerings for summer 2015 include: Kingsway Chamber Music Festival (1 week) for string
players (min RCM Grade 5) and pianists (min
RCM Grade 7) including one-on-one coaching, ensemble work, orchestra rehearsals …
[read more]
●●
Lake Field Music
Lakefield College School, Lakefield, Ontario
August 9 to 16, 2015
Contact: Andrew Wolf
647-692-3463
[email protected]
www.lakefieldmusic.ca
Deadline: July 3, 2015
For adult amateur vocalists and
instrumentalists
Accommodations available
!! Lake Field Music camp brings together adult
amateur musicians of all ages with intermediate
to advanced skills in a friendly and supportive
environment. The one-week program focuses on
classical and jazz with a sampling of world and
popular music. Participants build their own program from more than 40 workshops, technique
and master classes, choirs … [read more]
●●
“Little Voices, Dancing
Feet” with Jodie Friesen
2171 Queen St E., Toronto, Ontario
Baby, Toddler & Pre-schooler
classes: June 30 to July 30 (Tu/W/
Thu); Camps: (JK-Gr 1) July 13 to 17,
July 20 to 24; (Gr 1-3) July 27 to 31
Contact: Jodie Friesen
416-461-9989
[email protected]
www.littlevoices.ca
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 59
Cost: Classes: $83.75/5 week session; Camps:
$195.00 ($375 for 2 weeks/siblings)
Camp Hours: 1:00 - 3:45/4:00 Camp Hours: Full-Day Camp: 9:00 am - 4:15
pm; Half-Day Camp: 12:30 pm - 4:15 pm;
Broadway Kids Camp: 9:30 am - 11:45 am
!! Over 20 years in the Beach! These quality, Integrated Arts camps are limited to 12 children.
They include Singing Games and Musical Exploration with a fully qualified Orff specialist on
xylophones and a multitude of multi-cultural
percussion instruments (pretty much anything
that can be struck, rubbed or shaken to make
sound!), art (painting, drawing, sculpture, collage), drama & dance, stories … [read more]
!! Experience the magic of the Broadway stage
at one of The Music Studio’s exciting Music Theatre camps! Each camp includes instruction
in: singing, acting, dance and movement, and
scene study, and features a final day performance. Shows may include: Seussical: the Musical,
The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Wicked and Fiddler
on the Roof … [read more]
●●
●●
MNjcc Summer Institute:
Singers Edition
Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre, 750
Spadina Ave., Toronto, Ontario
July 13 to 17, 2015
Contact: Deanna Di Lello
416-924-6211 ext 250
[email protected]
www.mnjcc.org search: Summer Institute
Cost: $395 (no hst)
Camp Hours: 9:30am – 4:30pm
!! Want a singing stay-cation? Our goal is to
excite participants about what they can do with
their voice, determination and exposure to different musical genres. Experience over 25 hours
of musical instruction, including group work
and master classes, in vocal production, choral
singing, jazz, cabaret, opera, a cappella, performance strategies … [read more]
●●
MNjcc Suzuki Music Camp
Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre, 750
Spadina Ave., Toronto, Ontario
July 6 to 10, 2015
Contact: Gretchen Paxson-Abberger
416-924-6211 ext 0
[email protected]
www.mnjcc.org search: camps, Suzuki
Camp Hours: 9:00am – 4:00pm (Extended
care 8:00 – 9:00am, 4:00 – 6:00pm)
!! Our 2015 MNjcc Suzuki Summer Music Camp
is open to all violin, viola, cello and piano students who study by the Suzuki method. We offer
all levels, from those who have learned Twinkles with fingers to beyond Suzuki Book 8. Along
with a basic daily foundation of semi-private lessons and Suzuki group repertoire lessons, campers will also participate in three enrichment
classes … [read more]
●●
The Music Studio’s Music
Theatre Summer Camps
The Assembly Hall, Toronto, Ontario
Full-Day Camp: Ages 9-16, July 6 to 10;
Half-Day Camp: Ages 9-16, July 13 to 17;
Broadway Kids Camp: Ages 6-9, July 13 to 17
Contact: Ed Lettner
416-234-9268
[email protected]
www.themusicstudio.ca
Deadline: June 15, 2015
Cost: Full-Day Camp: $490; Half-Day Camp:
$255; Broadway Kids Camp: $160
60 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
National Music Camp of Canada
Camp Wahanowin, Lake Couchiching,
Ontario
Junior division: August 18 to 24; Senior
division: August 25 to September 1.
416-482-2475; 800-701-3132
[email protected]
www.nationalmusiccamp.com
For students of all levels, Grades 3 to 12.
!! National Music Camp has been operating at
Camp Wahanowin on the shores of Lake Couchiching for 50 years and draws professional
musicians and students from across Canada.
Campers at National Music Camp will have an
overnight camp experience, which includes all
lodging and meals for seven or eight days, music
instruction by professional faculty (approximately four hours daily) … [read more]
●●
No Strings Theatre
Toronto, Ontario
416-551-2093
[email protected]
www.nostringstheatre.com
Music Theatre and pit orchestra training
and performance, ages 13 - 21
!! Working with industry professionals, No
Strings Theatre offers music theatre classes,
audition preparation for arts high schools, colleges, universities and companies, March Break
and summer music theatre performance and
training intensives, and a new pop and pit
orchestra training program. Our signature summer intensive program offers, for performing
artists (actors, singers, dancers, and instrumentalists ages 12-21), daily technique classes, song
and script creation … [read more]
●●
On the Off Beat Music School
1113 Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario
July 6 to 10 Chamber Music (Ages 7+); July 13
to 17 Intro to Piano (Ages 6 – 9); July 20 to 24
Piano and Composition (Ages 8 – 11); August 4
to 14 Musical Theatre (Ages 7+); August 17
to 21 Rock Band (Ages 7+); August 24 to
28 Jazz/Pop (Ages 8+)
Contact: Carissa Neufeld
647-343-7272
[email protected]
www.ontheoffbeat.ca
Deadlines: July 1 (March 1 to save the
admin fee)
Cost: $350 one week/ $600 musical theatre
two weeks
Camp Hours: 9:00am - 4:00pm; Extended
Day Care Available
!! We have music camps for all instruments
and ages! Play in a band this summer with
kids of your own age/skill level. Activities
include jamming, practicing, planning and
performing garden concerts on Queen Street,
composing music, games, crafts and lunch in
the park. Each camp will post a YouTube video
and have a final gig in a local restaurant/coffee
shop for family and friends. Please inquire for
more information.
●●
Royal Conservatory of
Music Summer Camps
273 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario
July and August 2015
Contact: Royal Conservatory Student Service
Representatives
416-408-2825 (general inquiries)
[email protected]
www.rcmusic.ca/camps
Deadlines: one week before the start of each
camp
Cost: $250-$500
Day programs
!! Are you are looking for a vibrant summer
music camp where you can explore your creative potential while meeting new friends?
Whether you are new to music or a seasoned
young artist, the Royal Conservatory School is
the place to be this summer. Throughout July
and August, we are offering an engaging range
of full and half-day summer camps for kids and
youth ages 6-19 looking for exciting musical
challenges – there is something for all musical
abilities … [read more]
●●
Southwestern Ontario Suzuki
Institute, Inc. (SOSI)
Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo Ontario
Teachers, August 8 to 16;
Students, August 9 to 14
Contact: Tracy Jewell
519-240-6995
[email protected]
www.mysosi.ca
Deadlines: Early Bird, May 1; see website for
other deadlines
Cost: varies with program
Most classes run from 8:30am – 4:00pm;
morning program available; many lateafternoon and evening activities also offered
!! An annual six-day learning holiday for junior
to advanced students, their parents and teachers. Programs include private lessons, group
activities, enrichment classes, our Baby & Toddler Class, exciting optional courses, play-ins,
Alexander Technique lessons, an operetta …
[read more]
●●
Summer Music 2015
Southampton, Ontario
July 20 – 24, 2015
Contact: Marg Funston
519 483-2222
thewholenote.com
[email protected]
www.summermusic.com
Deadline: Early Bird by June 1
Camp Hours: 9:00am - 3:45pm
Day program
●●
Tafelmusik Baroque
Summer Institute
University of Toronto, Toronto Ontario
June 4 to 17, 2015
Contact: Caitlin Cross
416-964-9562 ext 241
[email protected]
www.tafelmusik.org/tbsi
Deadline: March 18, 2015
Cost: $1350
!! The Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute
(TBSI) is a world-renowned training program
in instrumental and vocal baroque performance practice. Since its inception in 2002, TBSI
has continued to attract high-calibre musicians from far and wide, last year receiving over
175 applications. Consider joining an amazing
group of musicians to delve into the world of
baroque music: we promise you an intensive
learning experience, as well as a great deal of
fun!
●●
SUMMER MUSIC SOUTHAMPTON
!! On the shores of beautiful Lake Huron in
Southampton Ontario, Summer Music provides
the best quality of music instruction available
through a broad range of musical programs in
a safe and inclusive environment. Highly qualified instructors and excellent facilities enhance
learning for all. Participants experience growth
in their music skills and music appreciation,
while becoming part of the music community
… [read more]
Toronto School for Strings
and Piano Summer Music
and Arts Day Camp
Deer Park Public School, Toronto Ontario
July 20 to 31, 2015
Contact: Mary Fisher
416-968-0303
[email protected]
www.torontoschoolforstrings.com
Deadline: May 15, 2015
Cost: 1 Week $435; 2 Weeks $825; Half Day
Program available
Camp Hours: 9:00am-4:00pm
Day program
!! The TSSP Summer Music and Arts Day Camp
will inspire and encourage your child on their
musical journey where they will meet and
become friends with others. Faculty are highly
trained teachers with many years of experience. Children ages 4-12 enjoy a diverse program
which includes art, rhythm class (Orff), instrumental class … [read more]
●●
Toronto Summer Music
Community Academy
Edward Johnson Building, U of T Faculty of
Music, Toronto, Ontario
August 2 to 9, 2015
Contact: Natasha Bood
647-430-5699
[email protected]
www.torontosummermusic.com
Deadlines: Rolling (before June 30, first come
first served)
Cost: $500-$750
Day program
!! The TSM Community Academy invites adult
amateur musicians to take their skills to a new
level while spending a week with the artists
of the Toronto Summer Music Festival. Three
incredible programs to choose from: Chamber Music with TSO Principals and Guests, Piano
Masterclass with James Anagnoson or Chamber
Choir with Mathias Maute and Laura Pudwell.
Visit www.torontosummermusic.com for more
information and to apply!
●●
Tuckamore
St. John’s, NL
August 10 to 23, 2015
Contact: Krista Vincent
709-330-4599
[email protected]
www.tuckamorefestival.ca
Deadline: Postmarked March 1, 2015
Cost: $1800, including tuition, room
and board. Scholarships available.
!! Each August in historic St. John’s, Newfoundland and surrounding area, the Tuckamore
Festival brings together aspiring young musicians and renowned faculty and guest artists
to present two exciting weeks of music. For our
15th season, the Young Artist Program offers an
opportunity for gifted string players, pianists
and composers to immerse themselves in chamber music, solo repertoire … [read more]
SUMMER OPERA FOR TEENS
GRADES 7 TO 10 | JULY 6 TO 17, 2015
Teens work with opera professionals to improve their singing,
acting, and design skills while developing an original opera.
For more information, visit coc.ca/Camps or call 416-363-8231
Photo: COC
thewholenote.com
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 61
WE ARE ALL MUSIC’S CHILDREN
April’s Child Mervon Mehta
LISA SAKULENSKY
MJ BUELL
He is my mentor and we still talk at least once a week about
Mervon Mehta is the Executive Director of Performing Arts for The
artists, programs, fees and agents.
Royal Conservatory, where he oversaw the September 2009 launch
Other music, growing
of Koerner Hall’s inaugural season. Today Mehta is responsible for
programming Koerner Hall’s own classical, jazz, world music and pop up? CHOM FM in
Montreal; first album I
concerts, and oversees all performances at the RCM TELUS Centre.
received was Sgt. Pepper;
Comfortable and engaging on stage, Mehta was an actor before he
was an administrator, and appears on stage frequently as a narrator of first album I bought was
Jesus Christ Superstar. I
orchestral works with a wide range of orchestras internationally.
still know all of the words
Born in Vienna, Austria, Mehta grew up in Montreal. He is the
to both. I took piano and
son of conductor Zubin Mehta and soprano Carmen Lasky, and
violin lessons as a kid and
has a sister Zarina. The young family lived in Liverpool, Saskatoon
was equally inept at both.
and Philadelphia before Zubin Mehta became music director of the
But I would buy records
Montreal Symphony. Mervon Mehta’s parents divorced in 1964 and
or hear tunes on the radio
two years later Lasky married Zarin Mehta, Zubin Mehta’s brother.
and try to play them on
Mehta “survived” Lower Canada College and left Montreal to
the piano.
attend Colgate University in upstate New York, later studying at The
A first music teacher? I do
Neighbourhood Playhouse School in New York City. His work in
At Place Des Arts, Montreal,
1964. Mervon Mehta, his
remember (and still keep in touch
theatre included two seasons at the Stratford Festival.
sister Zarina Mehta and
A more detailed account of Mehta’s career can be found in an inter- with) my teacher from grade 6 or
their father, Zubin Mehta.
7, Jennifer Giles. She allowed me to
view with Paula Citron (The WholeNote, October 2013), available at
play Beatles tunes and showed me
thewholenote.com.
that lessons could actually be fun.
When someone asks what you do for a living? I tell them I am in
When did you first perform for an audience? My real performing
the concert business. They get all excited. I them tell them I present
started in University in an a cappella choir and in music theatre (The
classical, jazz and world music… they usually leave me alone.
Boyfriend, Brigadoon, Camelot etc).
Upcoming projects that excite you? The second edition of 21C
Your appetite for the stage? My parents took me to see a wide
Music Festival begins on May 20. I am very excited about the line-up
variety of theatre and music. They opened up my ears and mind
that includes new music written for classical chamber ensembles by
to enormous possibilities. The soundtrack in our house was a mix
Canadian and international composers including some from the jazz,
of Wagner operas, Sinatra, Fischer-Dieskau, Beau Domage, CCR,
rock, hip-hop, flamenco and tango worlds.
Supertramp and Oscar Peterson. When I moved to the U.S. for college
Earliest memory of music? My mother’s singing. She is still at it!
I was exposed to things I really hadn’t
Other musicians in your childhood
heard in Montreal like Marvin Gaye
family? My grandfather, Mehli Mehta,
and Stevie Wonder – they rocked
was a violinist, conductor and teacher
my world.
who started the Bombay Symphony.
Curating and programming? I
My grandmother was an amateur
always had a penchant for both sides
pianist and music was their bond.
of the stage… while at Stratford I
Every member of my immediate
managed a weekly cabaret series and
and extended family and all of their
directed some workshops here in
friends seemed to be in the music
Toronto. When I moved to Chicago
business. They were all very accommy first job was as assistant director
plished so I only heard the best music
of The Importance of Being Earnest
all the time. In my 20s I rebelled
at The Court Theatre; I learned a
against music and went into theatre
few things about lighting, union
but, just like Michael Corleone, the
family “pulled me back in.”
contracts etc.
Growing up in Montreal our house
Did you ever think your life’s
was filled with musicians from the
work would be in some entirely
OSM, visiting soloists like Perlman,
other sphere? In university I was
Zukerman, Barenboim, Vickers,
an International Relations/Russian
Forester, Price and music business
major. I was certain I would end
legends such as Pierre Beique and
up serving as a Canadian ambasSam Gesser. I was surrounded by the
sador someday.
finest musicians and finest minds in
Music in your own day-to-day
the field. Somehow I learned lessons
home and family life now? Music
from them that I keep to this day.
is 24/7… my son shares my love of
Foremost amongst these people was
African and Latin music and also tells
my uncle, Zarin Mehta, an accountant
me who the new pop stars are.
who took a sabbatical to run the
Orchestre symphonie de Montréal
At Koerner Hall, Toronto. Mervon Mehta lives in the Davisville
You can read an expanded
neighbourhood of Toronto with his wife, Carey Suleiman,
in 1976 and never looked back. His
version of this interview online at
their son, Zed and a dog named Lucy. He’s a devoted fan of the
music management skills, his taste,
thewholenote.com.
Montreal Canadiens and enjoys travelling to music festivals, film,
his fiscal acuity are tops in our field.
theatre and adding bacon to his wife’s vegetarian cooking,
62 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
thewholenote.com
NEW CONTEST!
Who is May’s Child?
~~ Conductor, composer, music
librarian, trombonist, organist
pianist, music educator.
TSM
~~ Has “a very important date” at
Harbourfront in May.
~~ Also seen in these rabbit holes:
Canadian Opera Company,
Toronto Symphony, National
Arts Centre Orchestra,
Charlottetown Festival, Hart
House Orchestra, Orchestra
Toronto, High Park Choirs,
Canadian Children’s Opera
Company (just to name a few).
COMMUNITY
ACADEMY
It goes in this hand,
right?
All set to swing and
slide and in Mission,
BC, 1943
Know our Mystery Child’s name? WIN PRIZES! Send
your best guess by April 24 to
[email protected].
INTRODUCING 3 PROGRAMS FOR
ADULT AMATEUR MUSICIANS
AUGUST 2-9, 2015
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS! HERE’S WHAT
THEY WON
The Royal Conservatory Family
Concerts are approximately 75
minutes long, and are as ideal for
6- to13-year-olds as they are for
parents, grandparents and grown-up
friends.
Monty Alexander’s Harlem-Kingston Express (April 25, 8pm,
Koerner Hall) explores the connections between traditional
reggae and straight-ahead jazz, while also forging some new
ones. Pianist Monty Alexander, originally from Kingston,
Jamaica, shot to fame when Sinatra first heard him in a tiny
club
A pair of tickets for RICHARD SMITH
The TSM Community Academy invites you to play and
sing for pleasure and push your abilities to a new level,
while spending a week with artists of the Toronto
Summer Music Festival.
CHAMBER MUSIC WITH TSO
PRINCIPALS AND GUESTS
18-20 Participants (Strings, Wind Quintet, 2 pianists,
open to individuals and pre-formed ensembles)
Mentors: Shane Kim (violin, TSO), Aaron Schwebel
(Associate Concertmaster, COC), Eric Nowlin (Associate
Principal viola TSO), Emmanuelle Beaulieu-Bergeron
(cello, TSO), Sarah Jeffrey (Principal oboe, TSO)
Natalie Merchant (May 2, 2pm, Koerner
Hall) is a singer-songwriter and former lead
singer of 10,000 Maniacs. Merchant’s Leave
Your Sleep – a collection of classic children’s
poetry adapted to original music in a range
of styles – inspired the creation of a
hardcover picture book illustrated by
Barbara McClintock, which includes a
19-track CD. Hear her band and a string
ensemble bring them to life. This prize
includes a pair of concert tickets and a signed copy of Leave
Your Sleep.
The winner is LYNDA MOON
PIANO MASTERCLASS
WITH JAMES ANAGNOSON
12-15 Participants (Minimum suggested level, Grade 10
RCM Piano)
CHAMBER CHOIR WITH MATHIAS
MAUTE & LAURA PUDWELL
Rehearse and prepare the Mozart Coronation Mass and
the Bach Motet: Jesu, meine freude with renowned
choral conductor, virtuoso recorder player and composer,
Mathias Maute. Afternoon activities include voicecoaching and individual lessons with renowned soprano
Laura Pudwell. The week will culminate with a performance
in Walter Hall.
The Royal Conservatory’s 21C Music
Festival presents
Off the Score (May 20, 8pm Koerner Hall)
with ex-Police drummer Stewart Copeland
and Canadian pianist Jon Kimura Parker.
They will join Met Opera violinist Yoon
Kwon, bassist Marion Martinez and
Electronic Valve Instrumentalist Judd
Miller in a collaboration that concludes with the world
premiere of Copeland’s Coincidence or Convergence?
A pair of tickets for JENNIFER LIU
APPLY NOW BY VISITING
TORONTOSUMMERMUSIC.COM
Music’s Children gratefully acknowledges Carmen, Zarin,
Zubin, Barbora, Fia, Ann, George and Beverly
thewholenote.com
The Community Academy is made possible by the generous support of the Metcalf Foundation.
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 63
REMEMBERING
JOAN WATSON
Diane Doig
I met Joan Watson shortly
after leaving my hometown of Montreal to establish
myself as a bona fide professional French horn player
in Toronto. Joan the teacher,
the musician and the person
would be instrumental in my
budding career. I would learn
later that Joan was a trailblazer for other female brass
players as well.
I had just returned from one audition and was already preparing
for the next, when another horn player suggested that I could benefit
from a lesson with Joan. We arranged a lesson at her home in the
Beaches. To set myself up for the lesson I remember drinking tons
of coffee to simulate the nerves of an audition day. To my surprise I
was more relaxed in her presence and in her home than I had anticipated. I knew this was the beginning of a lasting relationship. On the
streetcar ride home I had a caffeine crash, but with a big smile on my
face. That meeting resulted in weekly lessons.
As I expected, we worked on orchestral excerpts in our lessons.
Her comments were always constructive and positive. Joan lit a fire of
curiosity in me, while bringing out qualities in me that had been left
dormant. I found that playing the horn could be enjoyable again. As a
result I won my first professional audition in a symphony orchestra.
Excited about my new potential, that summer while attending the
Scotia Festival of Music in Halifax, I was informed about an opening
in Toronto for principal horn in a long-running show. I had only two
days to get back for the audition. I knew I needed to stay focused and
be positive, one of the many things Joan had taught me about life:
have faith and know everything will work out for the better. A short
interview followed the audition and I received a phone call from the
contractor Moe Koffman the very next day offering me the job (in
part, as I learned much later, because of a high recommendation from
Joan Watson). An admirable quality of Joan was the way she promoted
what she believed in.
I continued taking lessons with her and over time, had the privilege of getting to know her on a more personal level. I was playing
eight shows a week and Joan was like my personal coach and therapist
helping me to find balance physically and mentally. She was particularly good at working with people. Organized groups of women of
all ages and from all walks of life were created under her tutelage
meeting once a week to generate positive changes. Joan loved to teach
people and loved learning from them.
She practised what she preached, always leading by example. As the
years went by, she continued to elevate her playing to more impressive heights. Her ability to navigate and execute the notoriously difficult passages of the repertoire was inspiring. She continuously kept
perfecting her craft: a genuine artist!
In 2006, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts opened
with the COC under Richard Bradshaw performing Wagner’s complete
Der Ring des Nibelungen. Joan had the horn section working together
in unison as a team. Her endurance and execution of sensitive
musical phrases throughout the cycle was outstanding.
This year I had the great privilege to play Wagner’s Die Walküre
while sitting beside Joan. Her breath control and luscious warm sound
truly caught my heart. What none of us realized at the time was that
Joan had been quietly battling breast cancer for a couple of years and
receiving blood transfusions hours before the performances. She
didn’t want her colleagues to worry about her or treat her any differently. I have been asking myself how on earth did she manage? When
I look back, all that she taught me in her lessons was present in her
own playing; and her passionate horn playing and musicianship
were extensions of who she was as a person. The countless number of
musicians she inspired is a testament to her legacy. It is these qualities
that defined her career and helped carry her through to the end of her
final performance on February 22, 2015.
JUNE 28, 1953 - MARCH 12, 2015
Andrew Timar
I was saddened to hear of the passing of French horn player extraordinaire Joan Thelma Watson on Thursday, March 12, 2015. She was
a trailblazing Canadian horn virtuoso, serving as associate principal
horn with the TSO and the principal horn of the COC Orchestra. She
worked extensively as a soloist, lecturer and educator and advocated
effectively on behalf of women brass musicians. Her playing was
featured on television, movies, commercials, musicals and she was
proud to have been a founding member of True North Brass.
It’s clear however she didn’t want to be known as an ivory-tower
classical musician. “I was a member of Rob McConnell’s Boss Brass,
and have backed up Rod Stewart, Andrea Bocelli, Lisa Minnelli, the
Eagles, Lighthouse and Led Zeppelin,” she wrote.
I remember when our musical paths briefly crossed. They were
moments for me that illustrate the inclusiveness of her professional musical choices and generosity of spirit towards musicians of
all stripes.
The occasion was when Joan performed and then recorded as horn
soloist with Toronto’s Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan. That’s
where I, since 1984 the ECCG’s designated suling (ring flute) player,
step into the storyline. It was the first Toronto rehearsal of Gilles
Tremblay’s dramatic L’arbre de Borobudur (1994) at the westend
Woodshed rehearsal space during a blustery morning in May 1996, a
follow-up to the work’s Montreal premiere, an opportunity for ECCG
to present the work on its home Toronto turf. ECCG had premiered
that work for 16 (or 17) musicians in Montréal with members of
SMCQ, the group which had commissioned the composition,
conducted by Walter Boudreau. Two players had covered the horn part
in that performance.
My instrument, the suling degung, is a 30-cm long end-blown
bamboo ring flute a relatively small, simple-looking instrument, especially when compared with the gleaming metallic magnificence of
the horn. Moreover the suling degung has only four finger holes to
produce everything required by Tremblay’s demanding score. In the
rehearsal Joan was seated next to me and the seven other players
of the ECCG, with two harps, a double bass, two percussionists and
an ondes martenot also crammed into the space. Maestro Boudreau
conducted sporting his signature red sneakers, peering over his
glasses. It was the first time these particular Toronto classical musicians had worked with any kind of gamelan. … After casual greetings, everyone got down to the serious matter of negotiating the pitch
and tuning for the day. Harpist to gamelanist: “Can I have an ‘A’?”
Gamelanist: “Sorry, we don’t have one.” It gave both parties a glimpse
into the two different worlds here, but it was quickly sorted.
Joan with her horn was sitting beside me in a chair, while I was
seated on a floor cushion in typical gamelan fashion. This considerable
difference in elevation made eye contact rare. We had not met before,
but the fact we were playing the only wind instruments in the score
made us extra aware of each other’s performance.
After the sweaty work of wading through several gnarly sections of
the work, the break was announced. We put down our instruments
and rose to get a breath of fresh air. Just then Joan caught my eye for
the first time and asked, “What do you call that little flute?”
She had been listening to me after all – as I had been to her. I don’t
recall my reply, probably because it wasn’t that memorable, but I took
it as a compliment, perhaps even a validation. Now, it was admittedly
a slight comment, but I’ve treasured the memory of how good it felt
ever since. Not sure exactly why ....
Her superb playing was a joy to make music with in this rehearsal,
the concert itself and the recording of the Road to Ubud CD that
followed. I imagined there would be more musical encounters with
Joan on stage, but sadly that turns out now to have been the last. What
I savour most of all is the memory of Joan Watson’s always inspiring
musical spirit.
64 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
thewholenote.com
DISCOVERIES | RECORDINGS REVIEWED
I
DAV I D O L D S
Morton Feldman. The sparse, gentle, meandering work gives each
note time to breathe before moving on, producing a wondrous sense
of calm while at the same time creating a sense of anticipation as we
await the next quiet event. Written in 2012, Soft Horizons is the most
recent work presented.
Although currently residing in Guelph, Monk Feldman lived for
many years in New Mexico. Her 2004 String Quartet No.1 is subtitled
Desert Scape and presents two visions of that geological phenomenon. The first begins with a consonant viola melody commented
upon by bird- or insect-like sounds from the violins. As the movement develops the harmonies get closer in a kind of gentle abrasiveness which is supplanted by melodies echoed in higher octaves
and later a Bartókian “night music” section, but in slow motion. The
second movement maintains the sense of uneasy calm, this time with
high melodies and commentaries in the lower strings. As the piece
gradually unfolds we are drawn into a delicate soundworld where the
sense of disquiet gradually seems to become the new normal.
The final piece, The Chaco Wilderness (2005), while maintaining
the overall sonic mood of gradual progression adds a wealth of colour
to the textures through its use of vibraphone, flute, clarinet, guitar/
mandolin and piano. The work is in three contrasting movements
and is the shortest by far on the disc. It may seem surprising that it
contains the most “activity” per se, but I rather think that this is indicative of Monk Feldman’s style. The pieces in which “nothing happens”
need a longer time frame to unfold.
All of the artists on this recording are masters of the genre. Aki
Takahashi has been in the forefront of the avant garde since the
1970s, working with Cage, Xenakis, Boulez and Takemitsu to name
but a few. In 1980 she was invited by Morton Feldman as a Creative
Associate of the Center of the Creative and Performing Arts at SUNY,
Buffalo. FLUX, which includes Canadian violist Max Mandel, was
founded nearly 20 years ago and has been active on the New York
scene ever since. Among their achievements is the performance (and
recording for Mode Records) of Morton Feldman’s stunning five and
half hour String Quartet No.2. The DownTown Ensemble, founded by
Daniel Goode and William Hellermann, is now in its fourth decade of
presenting experimental music in virtually all of its diverse forms.
Coming at it from a very different angle,
Europeanized Canadian MC/pop arranger/
composer/performer Chilly Gonzales (aka
Jason Charles Beck) has been working extensively with the Hamburg-based Kaiser
Quartett lately and has just released a disc
of original compositions for piano and string
quartet. Chambers (Gentle Threat Records
GENTLE016, chillygonzales.com) is intended
as a reimagining of “Romantic-era chamber music as today’s addictive
pop” and the project succeeds, with catchy melodies and warm
harmonic writing. While it certainly doesn’t push any boundaries of
new classical vocabulary it will open the ears of people who don’t
normally have occasion to listen to string quartets or thoughtful
instrumental music. The overall feeling of the disc is surprisingly laid-back, with only three of the twelve tracks proceeding at
anything faster than a moderato pace, but this makes for a sense of
continuity throughout. The titles are playful, including clever wordplay as in Prelude to a Feud, Freudian Slippers, and Green’s Leaves.
One surprise is a slightly melancholy piece called Odessa, dedicated
to the Ukrainian-born Russian composer Reinhold Glière. Another is
a haunting vocal ballad, Myth Me, the earworm which concludes the
disc. Concert Note: Chilly Gonzales and the Kaiser Quartett perform at
Koerner Hall on April 21.
Another album with a somewhat similar feel comes from renowned
was intrigued to receive a package from
Woody Guthrie Publications in New York
City and more so when I opened it to find
it contained This Land: Symphonic Variations
on a Song by Woody Guthrie by David Amram
performed by the Colorado Symphony
Orchestra (coloradosymphony.org). I first
encountered the music of David Amram
almost half a century ago on the soundtrack
to the seminal Beat Generation film Pull My Daisy directed by Robert
Frank and Alfred Leslie. The film included Amram’s jazz setting of the
title poem written by Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady.
The somewhat haunting theme proved to be an earworm that has
stuck with me since first hearing. (If you haven’t seen the film you can
check it out at ubu.com/film/leslie_daisy.html.) My next exposure was
at the Mariposa Festival one of the years it took place on the Toronto
Islands where Amram was featured in a variety of guises, including
in the children’s tent with Raffi who sang a catchy song to the tune
of Arkansas Traveler with the words “Peanut butter sandwich made
with jam, One for me and one for David Amram…” which still pops
up in my ears from time to time. Amram is a renaissance man who
is seemingly comfortable in all genres and on almost all instruments. A pioneer of jazz French horn and a trailblazer of the World
Music movement, he is equally at home in the concert hall, having
conducted more than 75 orchestras and performed as orchestral
soloist on a host of different instruments. In 1966 Leonard Bernstein
appointed him as the first composer-in-residence with the New York
Philharmonic and his oeuvre extends to more than 100 orchestral and
chamber works, several operas and a couple of notable film scores
(Splendor in the Grass and The Manchurian Candidate). All of which
is to say that he has impeccable credentials to pay tribute to one of the
most iconic songwriters and chroniclers of American life.
Lasting nearly 40 minutes, This Land uses the orchestral palette to
paint a vast pastoral portrait of the land that Guthrie traveled so extensively and described so aptly in his songs. The work is divided into six
main movements with descriptive titles: Theme and Variations for the
Road (in which we first hear the familiar tune from the marimba) &
Variation I: Oklahoma Stomp Dance; Variation II: Sunday Morning
Church Service in Okema (Guthrie’s home town); Variation III:
Prelude and Pampa Texas Barn Dance; Variation IV: Dreaming of
Mexico; Variation V: Dust Bowl Dirge; Variation VI: Street Sounds of
New York’s Neighborhoods (which includes Caribbean Street Festival,
Klezmer Wedding, Salvation Army Hymn and Block Party Jam).
The melody of This Land Is Your Land is cleverly woven throughout
the textures of the work, sometimes hidden but never far from the
surface, and appears in some surprising contexts such as the ground
bass for the klezmer clarinet solo. My only concern is the overall
subdued nature of the work. It never gets truly raucous or rambunctious and we never hear the hard edge of Guthrie’s gritty side, his
working class hero with the emblem “this guitar kills fascists” etched
on his axe. This Land is complemented with another pastorale, a
mellow set of variations for flute and strings on the American classic
folk song Red River Valley.
A disc that met all my expectations was
recently released by New World Records
(80765-2). Soft Horizons features works by
Canadian composer Barbara Monk Feldman
performed by pianist Aki Takahashi, the
Flux Quartet and the DownTown Ensemble.
It opens in a very contemplative mood with
the title piece, a solo piano work reminiscent
of the composer’s late husband and mentor
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April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 65
classical pianist Alain Lefèvre who is known
for his recordings of Chopin, Liszt and Mozart
and also for his championing of the music of
Canadian wunderkind André Mathieu (19291968). Rive Gauche (Analekta AN 2 9295) is
a collection of Lefèvre’s own compositions,
in his words “films for the ear, images for
the piano” so it is likely no coincidence that
the disc begins with a piece entitled Cinema
Lumière. There is an overall sense of nostalgia in these warm, melodic
pieces that range from swinging solo piano miniatures to chamber
jazz tunes with the addition of bass (Michel Donato) and drums (Paul
Brochu). Violinist Angèle Dubeau makes a cameo appearance on the
tune Paris de mes souvenirs, a lovely ballad full of longing, and Léane
Labrêche-Dor adds her pleasing jazz-infected voice to the closing
track Au bout de mes rêves.
When we think of Camille Saint-Saëns
(1835-1921) such works as the Carnival of the
Animals, Danse macabre and the magnificent
Organ Symphony come most readily to mind,
but he also left some chamber gems behind,
including a number of sonatas for various
instruments, a piano quintet, a piano quartet
and two piano trios. It is the Piano Trios which
are featured on a new disc by Trio Latitude 41
(Eloquentia EL 1547 eloquentia.fr). The curious name of the trio
stems from the geographical placement of both their first engagement
in Rhode Island and the city of Rome, where the Italian cellist Luigi
Piovano lives. The other members are American violinist Livia Sohn
and Canadian-born pianist Bernadene Blaha, who for the past two
decades has made her home in Los Angeles where she teaches at the
University of Southern California.
While far from unknown, these trios are quite underrepresented
in the catalogue – only three other recordings of the two together,
including one by the Vienna Piano Trio who appeared in Toronto
recently courtesy of Mooredale Concerts, turned up on a quick search
at Grigorian.com – and these sensitive and nuanced performances
are a welcome addition. The trios were composed three decades
apart, the first having been written in 1863 and the second not until
1892. The disc opens with the latter, with rumbling bass from the
piano’s left hand and a welcoming melody from the strings accompanied by ebullient passages from pianist’s right hand. Although not
a work we hear very often it sounds familiar in wonderful way, with
hints of Mendelssohn’s A Minor Trio without seeming derivative.
VOCAL
Handel – Ariodante
Ann Murray; Joan Rodgers; English
National Opera Orchestra and Chorus;
Ivor Bolton
ArtHaus Musik 100065
!!Ariodante is a late
opera by Handel. It is
also one of his finest.
It broke new ground
in a number of ways:
there are important
ballet scenes; there
is a real chorus; and
there are substantial parts for the tenor
and for the bass. This
DVD is a record of
the English National Opera production of the
work, first mounted in 1993, then revived in
1996. Like all ENO productions it is sung in
66 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
At 35 minutes it is an exhilarating and at times intense journey. The
charming earlier trio, itself nearly half an hour long, is lighter and
more playful, perhaps indicative of the youth of the composer, but
balanced and well crafted. Both receive compelling performances
in this rewarding release. I thank Trio Latitude 41 for bringing these
works (back) to my attention.
And in closing, something completely
different – the latest from Mr. “Extreme
Flute” Bill McBirnie. On Grain of Sand (EF07
extremeflute.com) McBirnie once again teams
up with Latin multi-instrumentalist Bruce
Jones, revisiting a partnership which resulted
in the 1998 album Desvio. Jones wrote all
the music, some of the tunes in collaboration
with McBirnie, and the results are predominantly Brazilian-inspired
samba and bossa nova style with plenty of Jones’ distinctive nylonstring guitar and vocals. Although only the two musicians are involved
they have used the recording studio to good advantage, creating a
multi-layered offering that is especially effective in the flute duet over
guitar and ambient drone in Lembrando Paul Horn (Remembering
Paul Horn). Other influences include hip-hop and funk and the end
result is a diverse mosaic ranging from the mellow Vai Bem Devagar
(Proceed with Caution) to the bouncing Cê Tá Com Tudo (You Are
Everything), while maintaining an integral continuity. McBirnie’s
flute, although not particularly “extreme” in this instance, is lively and
lilting as it soars over the bed tracks laid down by Jones, in the forefront in the instrumental tunes where it has the dominant melody
and tastefully in the background or heard in duet with Jones’ voice
in the songs with lyrics. I only wish they had included the words
and translations in the package. This is good time music, well played
and obviously enjoyed by McBirnie and Jones. It takes me back to
my introduction to this genre back in the 1970s when I first heard
Brazilian icon Jorge Ben (Jor). Thanks for the memories!
We welcome your feedback and invite submissions. CDs and
comments should be sent to: DISCoveries, WholeNote Media Inc.,
The Centre for Social Innovation, 503 – 720 Bathurst St. Toronto
ON M5S 2R4. We also encourage you to visit our website thewholenote.com where you can find added features including direct links
to performers, composers and record labels, expanded and archival
reviews.
David Olds, DISCoveries Editor
[email protected]
English. I think there is some point in translating a libretto into the language of most
people in the audience in the case of comic
operas or works with spoken dialogue. I don’t
think it helps with an opera seria by Handel.
The production is by David Alden, who
has in recent years given us several controversial productions for the Canadian Opera
Company. There are a number of directorial
excesses such as the quite gratuitous dream
sequences, while the ballets that conclude
both the second and third act are abominable. Moreover, the artists whom we see and
hear are singers, not film stars. Several of the
women are heavily made up and would no
doubt look splendid from the second balcony.
They do not in close-up and yet close-ups are
what we get much of the time.
The conductor, Ivor Bolton, is very good and
there is some fine singing from Ann Murray
and Joan Rodgers, from Lesley Garrett and
Gwynne Howell. But if your main interest is
in the music you are better off listening to one
of the CD sets available such as the version
conducted by Raymond Leppard on Philips
(with Janet Baker and Norma Burrowes) or
that conducted by Alan Curtis on Virgin (with
Karina Gauvin and Marie-Nicole Lemieux).
Hans de Groot
Mozart – Die Zauberflöte
Schmitt; Landshamer; Oliemans;
Lejderman; Dutch National Opera;
Netherlands Chamber Orchestra;
Marc Albrecht
Opus Arte OA 1122 D
!!Die Zauberflöte is
not an easy opera to
pull off, as it needs a
director who is able
to present the farcical
elements such as the
serpent that threatens
Tamino at the beginning of the opera and
the antics of Papageno,
but is also in tune
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with the sense of ritual needed for the scenes
with Sarastro and his initiates. This production, directed by Simon McBurney, is on the
whole quite successful. I did not like everything: I could have done without the crowds
of actors running on the stage, waving pieces
of paper and pretending to be birds. I thought
the initiates in their suits and with their
neckties looked too much like the personnel
of an insurance company. I don’t understand
why the Queen of the Night was in a wheelchair or why the Three Spirits (very well sung
by three boy sopranos) were made to look like
wizened old men or why the Speaker was so
grim and unsympathetic.
But there are marvellous moments. Pamina
(the wonderful Christina Landshamer) and
Papageno (Thomas Oliemans, a fine actor
and a fine singer) set up a great relationship in their first scene together which then
leads to a beautiful performance of the duet:
Bei Männer welche Liebe fühlen. In several
scenes Tamino plays his (magic) flute. Clearly
unless the tenor is also a flutist he will mime
these scenes while the flute is played by an
orchestral musician. McBurney has taken the
conventional presentation a stage further by
either having the flutist join Tamino on stage
or moving Tamino down into the orchestra
pit. This is an inventive production set on a
bare stage without any emphasis on theatrical
illusion. Michael Levine’s set designs complement the production very well. The whole
opera is well sung and there is no weak link
in the cast.
Hans de Groot
Love Blows as the Wind Blows
Etienne Dupuis; Quatuor Claudel-Canimex
ATMA ACD2 2701
!!Etienne Dupuis
developed for himself
a reputation of being
a clown – first with
his classmates at
the Schulich School
of Music at McGill
University and then
with the attendees
of his concerts. In this recording, Dupuis is
all (most) business, as the mood called for
in the songs of British composers is sombre.
Loss of faith, end of life ruminations and
such are only occasionally relieved by the
wonders of nature (“O, the month of May,
the merry month of May”). His voice is full
and robust, and yet Dupuis uses vibrato, not
very often associated with the baritone, to an
interesting result in Barber’s Dover Beach.
The accompaniment of Quatuor ClaudelCanimex, whose members are the mainstays
of the Orchestra of Lanaudière – Canada’s
best-loved classical music festival – harmonizes beautifully with his voice. The mood
continues with the Adagio for string quartet
by Barber – a piece no doubt demonstrating
the Quatour Claudel-Canimex’s abilities, but
in my opinion, unnecessarily omnipresent.
Speaking of omnipresent, the imp in
Dupuis raises its head, with the hammed-up
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rendition of Danny Boy – though I cannot
deny the beauty of the last note! The true
gem of the album hides at the very end:
Réjean Coallier’s setting of poems by Sylvain
Garneau. Garneau died at the age of 23,
leaving behind a small body of lyrical works.
Coallier, a Montreal-based pianist, composer
and teacher, offers a loving treatment of the
poetry, with beautiful melodies lining the
words with silky gentleness. Again, Dupuis
sounds great – which he does whenever he
overcomes his inner clown.
Robert Tomas
Nicholas Marshall – Songs and Chamber
Music
James Gilchrist; Various Artists;
Manchester Chamber Ensemble
Metier msv 28552 divineartrecords.com
!!This CD showcases songs and
instrumental music
by British composer
Nicholas Marshall,
born in the 1940s and
still busily at work
today. Marshall’s
musical influences
and talents are many and varied, and while
certainly having his own inventive voice he
follows in the musical footsteps of Warlock,
Delius, Vaughan Williams and Sir Lennox
Berkeley, with whom he also studied. The disc
opens with The Birds, a song cycle of poetry
by Hardy, Belloc, Yeats and others set beautifully for tenor voice, recorder and piano. A
brief but evocative Plaint for cello and piano
precedes The Falling of the Leaves, another
cycle set for tenor voice, alto recorder, cello
and harpsichord on six poems by Yeats. The
balance between all three voices is delicately well struck, in the writing as well as
in performance; tenor James Gilchrist sings
exquisitely, and Harvey Davies sounds equally
at home on both harpsichord and piano.
Other songs on the program feature the
poetry of James Reeves (Music in the Wood)
and G.K. Chesterton (Three Short Songs),
very deftly matched in character and spirit by
Marshall’s writing. Two pieces for recorder
and string quartet round out the program:
Marshall’s Recorder Concerto, of which the
slow movement is particularly beautiful, and
The Nightingale, a short and sweet fantasia
on a Welsh folk song. These are played with
attentive affection and deserve more attention
from other recorder players out there!
Alison Melville
Aaron Jensen: From Sea to Sea – Vocal
works featuring Canadian Poetry
Various Artists
Centrediscs CMCCD 20815
!!In an interview with The WholeNote’s
David Perlman, composer/singer/impresario Aaron Jensen stated that “vocal music
is flourishing in Toronto, and we plan on
leading the singing revolution.” And he went
on to do just that as artistic director of the
Harbourfront SING!
Festival. That and
more so, representing
all of Canada with
the 2013 debut of his
song cycle From Sea to
Sea. It was eight years
in the making, with
Jensen first choosing poetry from each province and territory. Then came the arduous
task of obtaining rights from each poet
(or poet’s estate), and then the craft of
honouring each poem with its own unique
musical treatment. The result is a delightful
and most interesting variety of styles within
the one work, perfectly matching Jensen’s
description of the “abundance of wit, craft,
and poignancy” of the texts. In addition to
expressing through the genres of folk, classical and jazz, he invokes overtones of Inuit
throat singing (Uvavnuk Dreams), pointillist notation mirroring the Braille alphabet
(Poems in Braille), bodhrán rhythms (Rain
in the Country), as well as many more
highly effective musical sketches and characterizations. Most of the vocal groups who
performed the work at SING! appear on the
recording and deliver exquisite performances:
The Elmer Isleler Singers, The SING! Singers,
Countermeasure, Cawthra Park Chamber
Choir, KAJAK Collective and the Canadian
Men’s Chorus.
Dianne Wells
EARLY, CLASSICAL AND BEYOND
August Kuhnel – Sei Sonate O Partite
Les Voix humaines
ATMA ACD2 2644
!!Solo, rather than
consort performances of the bass
viol increased in
popularity – not
to say melodic and
harmonic potential –
in Europe in the mid17th century. France
emerged as a key centre for bass viol solo
music but Germany was not so far behind.
August 1645 saw the birth of August Kühnel
in Saxony. Kühnel’s father Samuel, himself a
composer and viol player, trained him to the
extent that he was appointed viola da gambist
to the court orchestra of Maurice, Duke of
Saxe-Zeitz.
Only Kühnel‘s six sonatas or partitas were
published; the rest of his music survives as
manuscripts. In fact, the partitas deserve a
wider audience. They start with a prelude
which features rich embellishments and
follow with rigorous allegros and adagios.
Susie Napper, Margaret Little and Mélisande
Corriveau tackle these movements with
gusto. Their playing is reminiscent of what
was called stylus phantasticus, a demanding
interpretation which tests the bass viol player
with its rigorous scoring.
Sonata I sets the pace in this respect even
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 67
I
TERRY ROBBINS
f you listen to
Classical 96.3FM
on anything resembling a regular basis
you’ve probably heard
the Israeli mandolinist Avi Avital’s
astonishing rendition of Monti’s
Czárdas (if you haven’t, you can always watch
it on YouTube). It certainly meant that I
approached his latest CD, Avi Avital Vivaldi
(Deutsche Grammophon B0022627-02) with
keen anticipation, and I wasn’t disappointed.
The mandolin has its roots in 17th- and
18th-century Italian music, and is particularly
well suited to the style of Vivaldi. The composer’s one concerto for the instrument, the
Concerto in C Major RV425, is featured here
along with three concertos, a sonata and a
short movement all transcribed for mandolin
by Avital.
Two of the concertos – the A Minor RV356
and the G Minor RV315, “Summer,” from The
Four Seasons, were originally for violin, and
work particularly well on the mandolin, the
two instruments sharing the same tuning. The
Concerto in D Major RV93 was originally for
lute. These are not huge pieces – the RV356
and RV425 concertos are both three-movement works less than eight minutes in length
– but the predominantly upbeat tempos and
Avital’s clean, agile playing along with the
lovely, light and airy accompaniment by the
Venice Baroque Orchestra make for delightful
listening.
The Trio Sonata in C Major RV82, originally
for violin and lute, features a beautifully full
continuo sound contributed by harpsichord,
lute and cello. The short movement is the
Largo from the Concerto in C Major RV443,
originally for flautino.
Avital is joined by tenor Juan Diego Flórez
in a beautiful rendition of the traditional
Venetian song La biondina in gondoleta,
which provides a lovely end to an extremely
pleasant and entertaining CD.
Permutations is
the third CD from
the American violist
Eliesha Nelson,
with pianist James
Howsmon (Sono
Luminus DSL-92186).
The theme of the CD is American Classical
Music and the Viola, although the earliest
work on the disc only dates from 1953.
At first sight the opening work seems
out of place, but the contemporary Russian
composer Nikolai Kapustin has been greatly
influenced by American jazz. His Sonata for
Viola and Piano Op.69 doesn’t have quite
68 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
the frenetic quality of his astonishing piano
études, but is a spiky, jazzy work with a
Gershwinesque middle movement.
The Two Pieces for Solo Viola by John
McLaughlin Williams are a real tour de force,
and Nelson is particularly outstanding in
the technically demanding Toccata, with its
echoes of the Dies Irae.
The Second Sonata for Viola and Piano by
Ross Lee Finney (1906-97) is a 12-tone work,
but this is serialism clearly influenced by the
Romanticism of Alban Berg, and an extremely
effective composition.
Wending, by Jeffrey Mumford (b.1955) is
another challenging but very interesting solo
work that draws another terrific performance
from Nelson.
The Sonata for Viola and Piano by George
Walker (b.1922) is an atonal – but quite
accessible – work written in 1989. Another
excellent performance by both artists rounds
out a really interesting CD.
As with her previous CD of Russian Viola
Sonatas, I find Nelson’s viola sound a bit
nasal and tight at times, but her playing here
really makes the most of the instrument’s
full tonal range and colour. In addition to
the standard CD, the package comes with a
Pure Audio Blu-ray CD equipped with the
mShuttle application, enabling you to access
portable copies of the
tracks on the disc.
Homages – A
Musical Dedication
is the latest CD
from Swiss guitarist
Christoph Denoth,
and presents a fairly
traditional recital of
predominantly Spanish compositions spanning more than four centuries (Signum
Classics SIGCD404).
There are short pieces here by Joaquín
Malats y Miarons, Luis de Narváez, Miguel
Llobet, Fernando Sor, Manuel de Falla,
Joaquín Turina, Isaac Albéniz and Joaquín
Rodrigo, but the centrepiece of the CD is
music by the Brazilian composer Heitor VillaLobos. His Schottish-Chôro is the second
movement of his Suite popular brasileira,
but the real gem here is Denoth’s performance of the five Preludes, four of them written
as a specific homage to aspects of Brazilian
life and one reflecting the influence of
Bach’s music on the composer. The CD’s title
connection is quite clear here, although with
some of the other works on the disc it’s somewhat tenuous at best.
Still, no matter, for this is a lovely and
substantial (over 70 minutes) program,
beautifully played, and with a clear, resonant
and not-too-close recording quality.
It’s been a while since I’ve received
anything featuring
the terrific French
cellist Emmanuelle
Bertrand, but she’s
back with her regular
partner, pianist Pascal
Amoyel, on Chopin:
1846, dernière année
à Nohant (harmonia
mundi HMC 902199). The CD celebrates
Chopin’s last summer on his lover George
Sand’s estate, where he had spent seven years
composing the majority of his works; the two
would finally separate the following year. The
beautiful Cello Sonata in G Minor Op.65, the
last work published during Chopin’s lifetime, is at the heart of the CD, while Amoyel
takes the spotlight for performances of the
Barcarolle Op.60, the three Mazurkas Op.63,
the three Valses Op.64, the Mazurka Op.67,
No. 4 and the two Nocturnes Op.62.
The Cello Sonata wasn’t completed until
the time of Chopin’s separation from Sand in
July 1847. It’s a strong, turbulent work that
is given a passionate and nuanced performance by Bertrand and Amoyel, who clearly
have an innate understanding of how each
other plays. Amoyel’s sensitive interpretations
of the solo piano pieces, beautifully recorded,
are a pure delight.
The music of
the Polish Soviet
composer Mieczysław
Weinberg,3 friend
and colleague of
Dmitri Shostakovich,
certainly seems to
be turning up on CD
more frequently these days. The Swedish
conductor Thord Svedlund has already
directed four Chandos Super Audio CDs of
Weinberg’s concertos and symphonies, and
now conducts the Helsingborg Symphony
Orchestra in excellent performances of
Weinberg’s Chamber Symphonies Nos.3 and
4 (Chandos CHSA 5146).
Both works, from 1990 and 1992 respectively, were written late in the composer’s life,
although three of the four movements of the
Chamber Symphony No.3 Op.151 for string
orchestra recycle material from his 1945
String Quartet No.5.
The Chamber Symphony No.4 Op.153
was the last work Weinberg completed, and
is scored for string orchestra with obbligato
clarinet and triangle, the latter having just
four notes in the entire piece. It incorporates quotes from some of Weinberg’s earlier
works, but apparently was never intended as
a summation of his life and work.
It’s difficult to
know exactly what to
say about Ludovico
Einaudi – Portrait, the
new CD from Angèle
Dubeau & La Pietà
(Analekta AN 2 8738).
It’s very similar in
content to some of her previous CDs, which
thewholenote.com
!!What a fabulous CD this is! In the decade
before his death
Mozart wrote five
pieces for his close
friend, the celebrated Viennese
horn player Joseph
Leutgeb. This disc
presents the gorgeous
Quintet, with its chocolatey two-viola richness, and the four horn
concertos, in their chronological order to
reflect how Mozart’s writing for the instrument shifted to mirror his colleague’s playing.
The expert and beautifully balanced Hanover
Band and Eroica Quartet both play with a rich
diversity of colour and expressive device, but
the brightest star of this show is Pip Eastop.
Leutgeb was described as being able to “sing
an adagio as perfectly as the most mellow,
interesting and accurate voice,” and Eastop’s
playing can be extolled just as highly. He
plays brilliantly, whether in the exquisite
slow movements or in the allegros where the
instrument’s rambunctious cor de chasse
origins – “more Robin Hood than James
Bond” – are never very far away; and his
extraordinary cadenzas exploit the full range
of the natural horn’s personality and technical capabilities without ever disappearing
beyond the classical horizon.
These are joyful, engaged and engaging
performances, as varied in mood and
will be good or not so good news depending
on your point of view.
The Portrait series presents contemporary
composers who write with what Dubeau calls
a unique musical signature, although Glimpse
might be a more accurate title. Einaudi is
a classically trained composer and pianist
who has achieved great commercial success
in what is generally termed the World Music
field, and is represented here by 13 short
pieces with titles like Life, Experience, Run,
Time Lapse and Giorni dispari.
Eleven of the pieces, though, are arrangements by François Vallière and Angèle
Dubeau – what Dubeau calls “rethinking its
character while bringing a new sonic dimension;” moreover, they are nearly all essentially
the same length, hovering around the fiveminute mark – a cynic might think with radio
playlists clearly in mind.
They also tend to sound much the same:
there is very little harmonic, rhythmic or
melodic variation or adventure, and while
they are clearly well-crafted, attractive and
communicative on a certain level there is very
little change of mood.
The booklet notes again highlight Dubeau’s
career album sales figures, which are in
excess of an astonishing 500,000; it’s easy
to hear why. Dubeau’s CDs in this particular
vein may well be aimed at a specific commercial market, but with excellent arrangements of pleasant, undemanding popular
music, beautifully played and recorded, they
nevertheless unfailingly provide high quality
performances of music that clearly continues
to appeal to many.
It’s probably a bit too simplistic to say
that if you hear a string work that sounds
like some Dvořák that you haven’t heard
before, then it’s probably by his son-in-law
Josef Suk (although that certainly works
for the Serenade for Strings) but there’s no
getting away from the huge similarities in
their music.
Josef Suk Complete Works for String
Quartet is a new 2-CD set featuring
the Minguet
Quartett (cpo/
Deutschlandfunk
cpo 777 652-2). CD1
has the two String
Quartets, while CD2
has a selection of short
single movements
as well as the Piano
Quintet Op.8, in which the Minguet is joined
by pianist Matthias Kirschnereit.
The String Quartet No.1 in B-Flat Major
Op.11 is an early work from 1896, when Suk
was 22, and is a lovely work with a particularly beautiful slow movement. Not surprisingly, there’s a good deal of Smetana influence
here as well. Some 20 years later Suk revisited
the work and re-wrote the final movement,
although the resulting Quartet movement in
B-Flat Major, also included here, never established itself as part of the complete work.
In the String Quartet No.2 Op.31 from
1910-11 we are in a quite different world; the
Bohemian feel of Dvořák and Smetana is still
there, but there is a heightened chromaticism
if Sonata II is more restrained; the former
could almost be one of the folk-tune settings
which had inspired early 17th-century viola
da gamba players. Sonata III falls somewhere between its predecessors. This is not
surprising as it is annotated solely as aria
variata by Kühnel.
It is Kühnel himself who encourages the
spirited playing of the Voix Humaines Consort
as he himself acknowledges that it is impossible to annotate everything: he places an
apostrophe where he requires an ornament to
be played, leaving performers free to choose
trills, vibratos, appoggiaturas and many
others! It is a bit like leaving schoolchildren
free to roam in the chemistry laboratory or, in
the sleeve-note writer’s words, “the telepathic
communion of a pair of jazz saxophonists.”
And the last three sonatas? The countrydance characteristics of some of their movements is certainly brought out, particularly in
Sonata V, while Sonata VI is very reminiscent
of the music accompanying baroque dramas.
It is easy to see why Napper and Little are so
admired for their interpretations of this genre.
Michael Schwartz
Mozart – Horn Concertos; Horn Quintet
Pip Eastop; Hanover Band; Eroica Quartet
Hyperion CDA68097
thewholenote.com
vocabulary as the music itself, and alchemically removing the distance between Mozart’s
time and our own. The excellent booklet
notes by Robert Payne, Stephen Roberts and
Eastop are an added bonus. Even if you’ve
already got a recording or two of Mozart’s
horn music, you must listen to this one.
Alison Melville
Beethoven – Complete Piano Sonatas
Mari Kodama
Pentatone PTC 5186 490
!!The 32 sonatas of
Beethoven are a milestone in musical
history and one of the
marvels of human
civilization. The piano
was Beethoven’s own
instrument; he first
became famous as
a concert pianist. The sonatas also trace the
development of the instrument itself; with
technical improvements it became more and
more articulate and expressive, noticeable
throughout the sonatas. Interpretation dates
back to the time of Liszt and complete recordings by some of the piano giants are many, but
almost exclusively by male pianists.
I met Mari Kodama at the time of launching
her new set for PentaTone. She immediately
– particularly in the second movement –
and an almost Impressionistic character to
the writing.
The Piano Quintet in G Minor Op.8 is
another early work, from 1888, but was
revised by Suk in 1915; it is again redolent
of Dvořák, but the combination of its
purely Romantic themes with Suk’s more
modern later style makes for some interesting moments.
Two of the four short pieces that complete
CD2 had their origins in early works: the
Minuet in G Major from 1911 first appeared
in two piano works a dozen years earlier;
and the Barcarolle is a 1923 re-working of a
middle movement from an early 1888 string
quartet that Suk did not include in his list of
recognized works.
The Ballade in D Minor was one of three
Ballades the teenage Suk wrote in 1890, and
the Meditation on the Old Bohemian Hymn
“St. Wenceslas” Op.35a is a patriotic piece
written in 1914. All four short pieces are quite
delightful.
Performance and recording standards are
fine throughout.
Strings Attached continues at
thewholenote.com with Scandinavian
music for violin and orchestra
performed by Kathrin Ten
Hagen and the Folkwang
Kammerorchester under
Johannes Klumpp’s
direction.
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 69
impressed me as quiet, unassuming, rather
reclusive and modest but very dedicated
to her art. Well, quiet waters run deep as I
certainly found out later in listening to her
play. It took her some ten years to complete
this project and “time was her greatest gift”
as she thoroughly researched each sonata
and understood the compositional process
from the inside out as her extensive notes
demonstrate. Kodama was virtually unknown
when she started this project and so it was
doubly difficult to make herself known as
well as make a new statement on this field.
Comparisons are limitless as everyone has
his/her favorites they swear by, although
it wouldn’t be fair to this relatively young
pianist and the enormity of her effort and
accomplishment.
Her playing can be summed up as impeccable, painstakingly observing the composer’s
original metronome markings, usually on the
fast side of what we are used to with amazing
technical brilliance and rhythmic precision as well as a tremendous range of expression and structural coherence. Her playing
is essentially delicate, but this is advantageous for the more light hearted, humorous
pieces like the second movement of the Hunt
Sonata, Op.31, No.3 and elsewhere where she
is distinctly delightful in making the piano
literally “swing” (Op.31, No.1). Even more
challenging is the Pastoral Sonata Op.28,
notoriously difficult to interpret, in which she
excels. Her youthful joy of playing, especially
her favourites, is infectious, which makes this
set extra special.
But Kodama is certainly no lightweight.
She makes an enormous impact with the
Hammerklavier, Op.106, more than 41
minutes long, immensely difficult, an endurance test even for the likes of Richter. Her
bold attack with the magnificent fanfarelike chords immediately rouses the listener.
The long Adagio, often a stumbling block for
pianists, is held together well and the enormous fugue that requires almost superhuman endurance and stamina comes off
with such abundant energy that it’s simply
breathtaking.
Nine CDs richly documented with
Kodama’s own analysis of each sonata, the
PentaTone sound is state of the art with
gorgeous piano tone as if it was in your own
living room.
Janos Gardonyi
Concert Note: Mari Kodama and Karin
Kei Nagano, her 15-year-old daughter
(with her husband MSO conductor Kent
Nagano), perform April 25 as part of Bravo
Niagara!’s second annual “Spring into
Music @ Stratus festival, Stratus Vineyards,
Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Scriabin – Complete Poèmes
Garrick Ohlsson
Hyperion CDA67988
!!Titling a piano piece a “poem” is not mere
affectation. Simon Nicholls’ disc notes are
70 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
packed with examples
of symbolist correspondences between
the arts in Scriabin’s
music. But on this
recording of the
complete Poèmes for
piano, filled out with
brief character pieces,
the musical variety and originality of tonal
structure, articulation and texture are to me
more interesting than extra-musical associations. Garrick Ohlsson’s stylistic mastery
makes it so.
A Chopinist among many other things,
Ohlsson brings to the Chopin-influenced
Scriabin’s early Deux poèmes, Op.32 moods
of a sensuous nocturne (No.1) and an
intense prelude (No.2). Ohlsson’s technique
is clean and bass lines are well-organized.
The exquisite Poème, Op.41 is melodically
distinguished and full of pianistic colour in
Ohlsson’s reading. Scriabin’s tonal explorations widened in his miniatures: the results
range from caprice and wit (Scherzo, Op.46)
through yearning (Quasi valse, Op.47) to
languor (Rêverie, Op.49, No.3), the latter a
unique take on the hoary sequence of fifths.
Through attentive pedalling Ohlsson manages
to balance and shape Fragility, Op.51, No.1,
a favourite of mine, floating right hand
chords over a left hand playing both melody
(thumb) and accompaniment (fingers). Much
more could be written about the remarkable late Poème-Nocturne, Op.61 and Vers
la flame: poème, Op.72; it is in handling
varied textures, fleeting motifs and nuanced
dynamics within the overall nocturnal ambience that Ohlsson creates his magic.
Roger Knox
Tchaikovsky – Symphony No.6 in B Minor,
Pathétique
Vienna Symphony Orchestra;
Philippe Jordan
Wiener Symphoniker CD WS 006
!!This CD was issued
late last year and has
just come my way.
It is rather special.
Philippe Jordan
is a young Swiss
conductor, now 40,
the son of conductor
Armin Jordan. He
is presently music director of the Opera
National de Paris and conducts in opera
houses around the world. Included in his
operas on Opus Arte DVDs are the unforgettable Covent Garden Salome with Nadja
Michael and the flamboyant Glyndebourne
Carmen with Anne Sophie von Otter.
As the new chief conductor of the Vienna
Symphony Jordan turns in a meticulously
prepared, articulate performance worthy
of top honours among the legions of available recordings. Over the years conductors
have fallen into the inherited conventions of
drawing out the maximum drama and pathos
at many accepted points in the score. And
audiences attending concerts or at home look
for and expect these.
Jordan does little more than make incremental changes in tempi which may be noted
or not as we listen to the most refreshing
performance around. The orchestra’s sound is
easily distinguished from the Philharmonic,
being not nearly as opulent but with impeccable ensemble and polish, particularly in
the strings and winds. The listener may wish
Jordan would let the orchestra loose at certain
places but that doesn’t happen until the last
movement and the climax of the entire work
comes with the final outburst a few pages
from the close.
In sum, all the conventional performance
traditions are gone and a clearer Tchaikovsky
emerges. The dynamic range of the performance is extraordinary, particularly in the
first and last movements. Recorded in the
Musikverein we are privy to every nuance, so
well-captured in every detail.
Bruce Surtees
Mahler – Symphonies 1 & 2
Camilla Tilling; Lilli Paasikivi; Frankfurt
RSO; Paavo Järvi
Cmajor 718008
!!The genial Paavo
Järvi, scion of his
ubiquitous father
Neeme’s musical clan,
is evidently wellregarded in Frankfurt
where he served as
music director of
the Frankfurt Radio
Symphony Orchestra
from 2002-2013.
During his tenure
there he presented
a televised broadcast cycle of Mahler
symphonies for Hessian Radio which is only
now reaching these shores on the C major
label. The First Symphony was filmed in the
spa town of Wiesbaden in 2012. It is a curiously inconsistent performance, the highlight
of which is a superbly paced third movement.
I was quite taken aback to find Järvi’s take
on the Scherzo movement stealing a move
from the 2009 playbook of Gustavo Dudamel,
namely broadening the first four bars of the
bass ostinato in an oafish manner then gradually and elegantly leading into a lively dance
tempo. Unlike Dudamel, in Järvi’s hands
the gesture is merely clumsy and inconsistent. The grand finale is well enough done but
suffers from incompetent video direction: a
clear shot of the stunning coup de théâtre of
all seven horns standing for the triumphant
final peroration of the movement is totally
missed! In sum this performance brings
to mind the saying attributed to Samuel
Johnson: “The part that is good is not original,
and the part that is original is not good.”
The presentation of the Second Symphony
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fares far better. It was filmed at the former
monastery of Kloster Eberbach over the
course of two afternoons in June 2010. The
extraneous studio lighting in daylight gives
the unexceptional 720x480 video a decidedly washed-out look and the unfortunate
Järvi sweats profusely, resembling an anxious
Vladimir Putin caught under a searchlight.
The performance of the first movement is
solid though underwhelming, with Järvi
applying an unusually broad tempo to the
lyrical secondary theme and a rather too fast
tempo in the coda. Matters improve considerably in the following movements, with a
coyly fetching Menuetto and a Scherzo à la
Bernstein being most impressive for the care
taken to deal with the abbey’s long echoes.
The penultimate “Urlicht” movement features
the heartfelt mezzo solo of Lilli Paasikivi,
who also excels in the subsequent movement.
The performance catches fire in the Finale
with an impressively frightening and tightly
played “march of the dead” development
section. Sadly, the combined NDR/Bavarian
Radio choruses are set so far back in the apse
of the cloister that their hushed entrance for
the movement’s grand apotheosis is barely
audible; furthermore the voice of the soprano
soloist Camilla Tilling is intended to emerge
imperceptibly from this choir but as she is
placed far to the front of the orchestra the
effect is ruined. Fortunately the dome above
them serves as an effective resonator for the
resounding passages later on. There is also
an organ to be heard – though mysteriously
unseen – in the closing pages. The DVD will
certainly be of interest to Järvi fans and the
orchestra is quite a fine one but the mundane
television production values fail to approach
the superb videos of Claudio Abbado from the
Lucerne Festival.
Daniel Foley
MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY
Nordic Concertos
Martin Fröst; Various Orchestras
Bis BIS-2123 CD
!!This disc is a
repackaging of
previous recordings,
made between 1996
and 2003. The four
performances feature
four different orchestras and conductors.
Three of the works
are from modern or contemporary Nordic
composers, the last from the early Romantic.
They all demonstrate Fröst’s mastery of
the clarinet.
Fröst plays his strongest card at the
outset. Peacock Tales by Anders Hillborg is
an exciting work tailored to Fröst’s outrageous abilities (which include dance). After
an unaccompanied prologue the orchestra
enters to provide the frame and backdrop
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for the peacock’s haunted cries. A Turkish
March, Big Band Battle and Gallop Macabre
follow in harrowing sequence. A return to the
opening material is accompanied this time
by Copland-sweetened harmonies, and after
some super-fast pointillist boogie-woogie,
the piano and clarinet join in a last melancholic duet.
Concerto No.3, Op.21 by neo-classicist Vagn
Holmboe opens with a fanfare followed by a
mournful solo (must be a Nordic thing). The
exceedingly prolific Holmboe produced over
400 works, including 13 symphonies and 21
string quartets along with more than a dozen
concertos for varying instrumental combinations. Op.21 is listenable and satisfying, a
clean spare aesthetic. It’s suit and tie music,
comfortable and finely cut.
Karin Rehnqvist’s tone poem On A Distant
Shore is the dourest of them all. Its five
sections are The Dark (another brooding
soliloquy!); The Light (blinding rather than
illuminating); The Wild (ferocious, carnivorous music); The Singing (more pavane than
song); and The Call (a call for…to…of… siren or
seagull?). Understated and masterful writing.
Barging in on the solemn proceedings,
like a jolly elder relative drunk at a funeral,
Bernard Henrik Crusell’s Introduction, Theme
and Variations on a Swedish Air qualifies on
account of its Nordic provenance. Why not
include Nielsen’s wonderful concerto instead?
Perhaps it would have been one too many
melancholic flights through madness.
Max Christie
Stravinsky – Concerto for Piano and Winds;
Capriccio; Movements; Petrouchka
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet; São Paulo Symphony
Orchestra; Yan Pascal Tortelier
Chandos CHSA 5147
!!In addition to his
frequent appearances
as a conductor of his
own music, the illustrious genius known
as Igor Stravinsky
composed a number
of concertos for his
exclusive use as a
pianist, ready alternatives to the all-toofamiliar requests for yet another performance of the Firebird Suite. A stunning new
Stravinsky recording by the esteemed pianist
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet brings together these
concertos and then some.
Stravinsky’s 1924 Concerto for piano
and wind instruments opens this excellent disc, followed by the Capriccio for piano
and orchestra from 1929. Both works are
delightful concoctions from the composer’s carefree French epoch, teeming with
bonhomie and sparkling wit and recorded in
flatteringly crystalline sound. Movements for
piano and orchestra (1959) is late Stravinsky
and represents the culmination of a growing
interest in the serial techniques advocated by
his arch-nemesis Arnold Schoenberg after the
latter’s death in 1951. This is an intentionally
esoteric work that may puzzle some listeners
though connoisseurs will recognize here a
very fine and scrupulous reading. The disc
concludes with a fiery performance of the
1947 version of the ballet score Pétrouchka, a
work that was originally conceived as a piano
concerto. An audibly grunting Yan Pascal
Tortelier elicits an electric response from the
excellent São Paulo musicians while Bavouzet
delights in playing the prominent piano part
from inside the orchestra. The recording of
this densely orchestrated work suffers at
times from congested orchestral balances
(notably so in The Shrove Tide Fair section)
that pale in comparison with Stravinsky’s
own 1960 recording, brilliantly mixed by
the late John McClure and still my personal
favourite.
Daniel Foley
Points of Departure
Nicholas Papador
Centrediscs CMCCD 20715
!!University of
Windsor Associate
Professor of
Percussion Nicholas
Papador is a powerhouse performer with
wide-ranging subtleties in his playing as
showcased in this
new release.
Papador’s own A Very Welcome written for
his wife and newborn son employs extended
intervals in each hand using four mallets.
Subtle dynamic and colour shifts are especially breathtaking in the sections with simultaneous very high and very low pitches.
Isabelle Panneton’s Les petites reprises is a
harmonically rooted marimba work exploring
French and Japanese chromatic expressionism which perhaps requires more intense
listening to be fully appreciated. In Nicholas
Gilbert’s quasi-programmatic Ariane
endormie, an exhausted dreaming Ariane’s
fitful sleep is recreated with vibraphone
modulating chords, motor and silent or subtle
swelling phrase changes.
Inspired by South Indian drumming,
François Rose’s Points d’emergence is scored
for three each of metals, drums and wood
instruments sharing three pitches. Papador’s
rhythmic precision avoids a counting train
wreck in the tricky opening three minutes
where Rose gradually shortens each of the
section’s seven phrases to create an impressive accelerando feel. Back to more vibraphone with Linda C. Smith’s lyrical and
calming Invisible Cities. Smith’s exploration of the instrument’s sonic textures and
capabilities results in a work of lush sonorities
and splashes of shifting moods performed
with virtuosic attention. Night Chill for
marimba and electronics has composer
Christien Ledroit drawing on punk and world
music influences to evoke the rustling and
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 71
bareness of autumn.
Papador’s commitment and passion for
Canadian solo percussion repertoire drives
this exemplary recording. Enjoy!
Tiina Kiik
Tundra Songs – Music by Derek Charke
Kronos Quartet; Tanya Tagaq
Centrediscs CMCCD 21015
!!The story of the
music on this extraordinary album is
multi-faceted and
interwoven with
transcultural skeins.
Allow me to tease out
a few threads.
On one hand all
the music is composed by the JUNO Awardwinning Canadian composer Derek Charke
(b. 1974). He is also a flutist and a composition
and theory professor at Acadia University in
Wolfville, Nova Scotia. On the other hand the
gifted young storyteller Laakkuluk Willamson
Bathory is the only presence on track 7,
reciting a gripping Greenlandic version of the
creation story that exists all across Inuit lands,
the Sassuma Arnaa. She remarks that “we
don’t so much own this story as we belong to
it,” keeping it alive through retelling it today,
“despite intensive colonization and religious
conversion…”
That story is retold in Clarke’s exhilarating
30-minute opus Tundra Songs (2007) by the
third presence on the CD, the Polaris Music
Prize-winning Inuk avant-garde vocalist
Tanya Tagaq. Her masterful virtuoso vocal
presence, at times taking on the multilayered
quality of two Inuit women throat gamers and
at others the innocence of childhood, dominates this work of vast scope.
The fourth element on the album is perhaps
the best known to music lovers: the renowned
Kronos Quartet. In over four decades, specializing in modernist, post-modernist and wideranging world music collaborations, they
have been astonishingly productive, commissioning more than 800 works and arrangements. I have seen them several times live
and they never fail to engage their audience
What if you could
listen in?
Now you can!
musically, and also often inter-culturally. They
do both in this album.
In Tundra Songs the most substantial work
here, the story being told is of the Arctic, its
soundscape, animals and people. The telling
accumulates several layers including Charke’s
Nunavut field recordings and his polished
string quartet score brought to life by Kronos’
brilliant string playing. Also featured in the
sweeping mix are studio-produced sounds,
a regional origin myth, and a star turn vocal
performance by Tagaq who just won a 2015
JUNO Award for her album Animism. As the
North becomes more readily accessible – I
did my first Arctic Skype sessions last year –
so too the world is slowly learning to open its
ears and hearts to its remarkable music and
musicians.
Andrew Timar
JAZZ AND IMPROVISED
Parking for Meatballs
LJ Folk
Independent (ljfolk.com)
!!This amus-
ingly entitled selfproduced/arranged/
masterfully recorded
new offering from
acoustic guitarist,
composer and vocalist
LJ Folk has been a
long time in the making, with the recording
having taken place between November 2008
and August 2014 – which only serv es to
substantiate the axiom that all good things
are worth waiting for. Folk is the primary
composer here, with tasty inclusions from
Stevie Winwood, Harry Nilsson and Jerome
Kern as well as two key collaborations with
trumpeter Vince Constantino. The equally
tasty players include NYC-based percussionist
Memo Acevedo, bassist Duncan Hopkins and
noted Canadian (and now Austin, Texasbased) guitarist-composer Jake Langley.
As a vocalist, Folk is nothing short of
breathtaking – expressive and compelling,
his voice effortlessly and consistently delivers
the goods. Of special beauty is the romantic
Latin-infused cooker, Deepest Love, which
features a pitch-perfect and refreshingly pure
and vibrato-less vocal from Folk, enhanced
by a lilting melodic line, clever lyric and
Acevedo’s superlative percussion work. Folk’s
languid take on Winwood’s Can’t Find My
Way Home is another standout, supported by
skilled guitar work from Langley. The original,
Nunca Mas (Nothing More) highlights Folk’s
considerable acoustic guitar chops, and
his deeply personal treatment of the rarely
performed jazz standard In the Wee Small
Hours of the Morning is sheer perfection. The
bluesy original All Night Long illustrates even
more of Folk’s eclectic versatility. Of special
mention is Folk’s composition Gathering of
Friends – a deeply emotional exploration of
love and loss that is bound to resonate with
all of us.
Despite the whimsical title, this CD is a
work of incredible depth and artistry and
certainly one of the finest vocal jazz recordings of the year.
Lesley Mitchell-Clarke
Swingin’ on the Korner
Red Garland Trio
Elemental Records 5990426
(elemental-music.com)
!!Red Garland
brought an electric brightness to
the piano, whether
playing block chords
or scintillating runs;
Philly Joe Jones, a
polyrhythmic master,
was perhaps the most explosive drummer
in jazz history. They were key parts of one
of the greatest bands in that history, Miles
Davis’ mid-50s quintet, until Davis fired
them in 1958 for unreliability. This two-CD
set catches the two of them nearly 20 years
later during a week in December 1977 at San
Francisco’s Keystone Korner, anchored by the
fine bassist Leroy Vinnegar, a worthy partner.
Garland had gone through stretches of retirement by then, and Jones was less prominent
than when he propelled many of hard bop’s
•Read the review
•Click to listen
•Click to buy
New this month to the
Listening Room
Extreme flutist, Bill McBirnie,
and the multi-talented, Bruce
Jones, collaborate to produce a
captivating series of incantatory
Brazilian works.
TheWholeNote.com/Listening
For more information Thom McKercher at [email protected]
72 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
Monk Work features 11
compositions by Monk,
including the seldom performed
Dreamland and Two Timer. A
true monk working!
thewholenote.com
greatest records, but if they were supposed to
go gently into that good night, the two hadn’t
gotten the message. The genre never burned
more brightly.
The music is almost entirely standards, drawn from Garland’s vast repertoire, including a sweetly balladic rendition
of the obscure If I’m Lucky, a signature
swinging arrangement of Billy Boy and a
soulful version of Bags’ Groove that celebrates Garland’s mastery of blues. Familiarity
feeds the trio’s fervour: this is joyous, raw
music, touching, even reckless. Sometimes
subtle, Garland can match Jones for sheer
ferocious energy; Jones creates wild oblique
patterns with thundering drums, building
complex, melodic solos against a beat that’s
only implied.
The set includes extensive interviews and
memories of Garland from some noted critics
and musicians: it’s the first such tribute to a
pianist who deserves far more attention.
Stuart Broomer
Reflective Drime
Subtle Lip Can
Drip Audio DA01030 (dripaudio.com)
!!Featuring music
as off-centre as its
name, Subtle Lip Can
has created a fascinating CD of heavy
metal, as if instead
of headbanging, that
term described subtly
abrasive instrumental techniques expanded
by electronics. Consisting of violinist Josh
Zubot, guitarist Bernard Falaise and drummer
Isaiah Ceccarelli, the members of the
Montreal-based trio add jazz-like improv and
suspended minimalism to ten tracks which
otherwise are rife with industrial clamors and
the blaring drones found in rock music.
Improvisers above all, the trio members’
skillfully abrasive textures are unique and
frequently unattributable. Ceccarelli’s beats
relate as often to tuned gamelan orchestra
resonations or intermittent percussion
pulses as to unyielding steady timekeeping.
Meanwhile the preparation and processes
Named by Peter Hum of the
Ottawa Citizen as one of the top
Canadian Jazz CDs of 2014.
thewholenote.com
Something in the Air
Cutting-Edge Free Improvisation at the
Music Gallery
KEN WAXMAN
M
ajor improvisers from elsewhere
frequently play Toronto, but not as
often do they appear with an allstar lineup. That’s what happens on April 29
when alto saxophonist Tim Berne’s Snakeoil
is in concert at the Music Gallery. Berne, who
has been on the cutting edge of advanced jazz
for 30-odd years, arrives with three younger
players who have distinguished themselves
on the New York scene: fellow reedist Oscar
Noriega, pianist Matt Mitchell and drummer
Ches Smith. This being the 21st century and
past the age of consistently working groups,
each – including Berne – is involved in many
other projects.
As one instance
of sampling
skills in another
context, consider
T-Duality (Auand
Records AU 9041
auand.com). Although
leader, erudite
Italian drummer
Ananda Gari wrote all seven tracks, he’s
backed by three Americans: bassist Michael
Formanek, guitarist Rez Abbasi and Berne.
Confident enough of his skills that he
confines his solo fireworks to Fields – which
include no drum bludgeoning but many
ratamacue slaps plus refined cymbal clatter
– Gari frames the others’ playing with
supportive beats. Additionally egged on by
Formanek’s buzzing bass line, frontliners
Abbasi and Berne carve unique geometric
patterns out of the drummer’s compositions.
Capable of harsh double-stopping runs, the
guitarist’s ringing lines are more often fully
developed harmonically such as on Last
Drops, where when twinned with Berne’s
glissandi they could be setting up I Cover the
Waterfront. However, Gari’s Mylar pressure
plus the saxman’s twittering slides confirm
that this isn’t the familiar ballad. Berne’s
cascading puffs also colour the stop-time
Never Late when his lowing brightness pulls
out the theme atop Formanek’s strummed
bass lines. Clattering drum ruffs plus walking
bass clobbers set up Don’t Forget to Pet Your
Cat, as a blues, until Berne’s plush mellowness knifes upwards to poignant screech
tones, with the theme tossed back and
forth between reed bites and linear hornlike motions from the guitarist. Then on the
extended Are You Kidding Me the alto man
distends and deconstructs the theme with
riffing melismatic slurs and tonal sky rockets,
urged on by Gari’s hard thumps and crying
string bends.
Concert Note: Tim Berne’s Snakeoil with
Oscar Noriega, Matt Mitchell and Ches Smith
appears at the Music Galley April 29. Trevor
Watts and Veryan Weston are at the same
venue April 24.
For reviews of how Berne associates
Noriega and Mitchell perform in other
situations, see the continuation of this
column at thewholenote.com.
Literal Lateral is the latest
release from Halifax’s Crofts/
Adams/Pearse Trio with
special guest Gerry Hemingway.
Music from the deep wells and
frayed edges.
“Griffith plays from his heart,
not head. The result is—rarity
of rarities—an album of original
compositions that swings from
start to finish”
Avi Avital re-imagines the
sounds of Venice in this vivid
homage to the most beloved
composer of the Italian Baroque,
Antonio Vivaldi
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 73
STUART BROOMER
P
erfection
isn’t usually
in the equation for jazz recordings, but guitarist Reg
Schwager’s Delphinus
(Rant 1447, nette.ca/
jazzfromrant) comes
very close, with a balance of polish, spontaneity and depth of expression. Schwager draws
much of his inspiration from Northern climes
(the same that feed the aesthetic of ECM
records), evident on the opening Resolute
(named for the Nunavut town) and the title
track (named for a Northern constellation)
and reaching its apotheosis on The Lonesome
Scenes of Winter, a stunning treatment of a
strongly modal folk ballad. Schwager’s music
is filled with the crystalline clarity and bright
highs of sunlight glancing off ice and starlight far from cities, and it extends to the rest
of his quartet, pianist Don Thompson, bassist
Neil Swainson and drummer Michel Lambert,
a group that can move comfortably from
Jerome Kern’s They Didn’t Believe Me to the
free jazz of Schwager’s Four Eyes.
Bassist Rob Clutton stands out for the
breadth of his affiliations, working
regularly from the
mainstream (pianist
Steve Koven’s trio)
through free jazz
(Drumheller) to
experimental electronica (Lina
Allemano’s Titanium Riot). He’s also a highly
creative bandleader when he assumes the
role, amalgamating elements of free improvisation, electronica and folk music. They’re
all evident on The Cluttertones’ Ordinary Joys
(Healing Power Records HPR#30 healingpowertoronto.bandcamp.com), sometimes on
a single track. Working with longtime associates Allemano on trumpet; Ryan Driver on
analog synthesizer, piano and voice (a reedy
high tenor reminiscent of Robert Wyatt’s);
and Tim Posgate on guitar and banjo, Clutton
composes pieces that begin with the improbable and sometimes approach the uncanny,
strange states of musical mind in which the
heterodox elements seem to tune calmly to
a new standard. The nine-minute Agosto
is a fine example, Clutton’s warm, springy,
lyrical pizzicato blending through and linking
the divergent impulses of banjo, trumpet
and synth.
Monk Work – Évidence (Ambiances
Magnétiques AM 218 ambiancesmagnetiques.
74 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
com). The compositions of Thelonious
Monk represent a
unique body of work
in the jazz canon,
pieces that have been
explored repeatedly by musicians
from mainstream to
avant-garde, many finding something new
in Monk’s quirky puzzles of rhythm and
harmony. Among the most dedicated advocates is the Quebec trio Évidence, consisting
of electric bassist Pierre Cartier, saxophonist
Jean Derome and drummer Pierre Tanguay
who together have been exploring Monk’s
music since 1985, and who in 2014 interpreted his complete works in a three-day
Montreal marathon. Évidence brings its own
voice to this selection, mixing and matching
the familiar and obscure in Monk’s repertoire.
Stylistically Évidence invokes another master,
Ornette Coleman, with Derome developing
a similar lyricism while the rhythm section
work masterfully through the kind of flexible,
sprung rhythms that distinguished Coleman’s
early work. Derome plays baritone on Coming
on the Hudson with a wry wit akin to Monk’s
own, while Cartier maintains fluid rhythm
and Tanguay sustains the mood with light,
crisp, animating brushwork. Derome’s vocalic
alto comes to the fore
in the fine three-way
dialogue of Skippy.
Kirk MacDonald is
a powerhouse tenor
saxophonist whose
mature style matches
fierce rhythmic
drive with focussed
emotion and the sound of controlled aggression. His latest CD, Vista Obscura (Addo
Records AJR025, addorecords.com), is a
career high, winner of the 2015 JUNO award
for Jazz Album of the Year, Solo. It presents
MacDonald with the stellar rhythm section
of bassist Neil Swainson and drummer André
White, veteran American pianist Harold
Mabern adding a special drive to the proceedings as well as his own animated solos. The
CD is largely focused around MacDonald’s
effective originals, but there’s also a special
dimension to the set. Every September,
MacDonald and fellow tenor saxophonist Pat
LaBarbera pay homage to John Coltrane’s
genius at Toronto’s Rex Jazz and Blues Bar.
Here MacDonald opens with an intense,
faster-than-usual trip through Trane’s
Lonnie’s Lament; LaBarbera joins him for
three tunes here: one
is a brilliant extended
version of Naima,
Coltrane’s best-known
ballad, entirely worthy
of the Coltrane legacy.
MacDonald and
LaBarbera (along with
Mike Murley and Perry White) have long set a
standard for mainstream Toronto tenor saxophonists – as educators as well as performers
– and the legacy is evident in two very
different players who have recently emerged.
Dave Neill and Johnny Griffith are both
graduates of the Master of Jazz Performance
program at the University of Toronto (where
Murley teaches), and both teach at Toronto’s
Humber College.
Dave Neill’s Daylight (On the Fly Records
OTF112844, daveneill.ca) is marked by his
distinctive, warm, round sound, thoughtful
solos and compositions, developing a
reflective, almost orchestral sound with his
quintet. He’s used the same rhythm section
since his 2008 debut, the fine combination
of pianist David Braid, bassist Pat Collins
and drummer Anthony Michelli, adding
trombonist Terry Promane here. Neill has
creatively shaped the session with four brief
variations of his Thelonious Monk-like The
Day Savers, played in duet with Braid and
interspersed throughout the program. He
also includes pieces by Promane and Braid,
outstanding composers/arrangers of improvisation-friendly music. Braid’s Red Hero
is a powerful, elegiac work that matches
the depth of Kenny
Wheeler and Gil
Evans, a distinctive
tradition with a strong
Canadian component.
For all the similarities, Johnny Griffith
sounds very different
on Dance with the Lady (GB Records johnnygriffith.com). He’s a more kinetic player, far
less deliberate, pushing toward a raw expressionist edge, showing affinities with John
Coltrane and the ancestral energies of rhythm
& blues. He shares the front line with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, a star in the New York
mainstream firmament. It can be risky, but
it works here, with Pelt, pianist Adrean
Ferrugia, bassist John Maharaj and drummer
Ethan Ardelli making consistently lively, well
executed music. The menacingly themed The
Kuleshascope is a highlight, with Griffith
pressing further and further out.
thewholenote.com
appended by the string players mask their
instruments’ immediate identity as well as
appending reed-like vibratos and electronic
oscillations to the program.
To get an idea of the trio’s range compare
Shuffle Stomp and Fliver Shame which
follow one another on the disc. With a sound
midway between a gas explosion and a
runaway train, the first soars as it cunningly
utilizes guitar reverb and flanges to animate
the drummers’ named shuffle beat. The
latter tune builds its microtonal narrative from wetted-finger slides across drum
tops meeting spiccato plinks and scrubs
from the strings. Spacey sideband delays
presage a movie soundtrack-like theme on
a track like Toss Filler Here, climaxing with
a pleasant melody that eventually erupts
from sluicing fiddle jumps, popping vibeslike reverberations and clacking percussion
accents. As machine-processed abrasions and
acoustic calmness echo through Reflective
Drime, the trio reaches a gripping conclusion with the final Too Pins Over. Consisting
of Lyricon-like peeps and processed tremolo
lines, no particular instrument predominates so that the opaque spellbinding drone
appears unyielding and infinite until without
warning it halts.
Overall, the improvisers who make up
Subtle Lip Can create music that’s as inimitable as the band’s name.
Ken Waxman
Literal Lateral
Crofts - Adams - Pearse + Hemingway
SuddenlyLISTEN (suddenlylisten.com)
!!Adding just enough
emphasis to boost this
free-flowing program
to an elevated plane is
American drummer
Gerry Hemingway.
That’s because the
monumental sound
infrastructure already
launched by the Halifax-based trio of pianist
Tim Crofts, cellist Norman Adams and bassist
Lukas Pearce needs only supplementary
foundation work not rococo decorations.
One of the most in-demand percussionists
internationally, conversant in jazz, notated
and free music, Hemingway arrives with the
appropriate tools, knowing exactly when
either earth-moving crunches or subdued
tapping is appropriate. Pillars of suddenlyLISTEN, the Nova Scotia capital’s creative
music hub, Crofts, Adams and Pearce have
played with many non-Maritimers developing
a distinctive sound.
On Literal Lateral’s nine tracks the string
players are so assured that on a track such
as Pre-Reveal the expected chordal textures
are boosted by others which sound as if
they’re being powerfully strummed from a
12-string guitar or finessed by Delta bottleneck picking. Meantime Hemingway angles
cymbal clanks and Pearce thumps a lowpitched ostinato beside them. The bassist’s
pizzicato double stops, col legno pops or spiccato pulses consistently add necessary ballast
to many tracks, especially on Shard Work that
begins with such a deep-seated string buzz
that it could be a blast from a tuba. Urged
to a buoyant clip by bell-hammering, that
performance also includes a full-out swing
section initiated by the pianist and underlined by poised cello sweeps.
Nevertheless passages that resemble
angular modern jazz are no more prominent than what could be seen as throughcomposed New Music motifs. Many
compositional and improvisational sequences
are pressed into use throughout to ensure the
music flows appropriately and chromatically. In fact Beacon vs Lure, the CD’s longest
and most defining track, wraps those influences into an interface that also finds space
for atonal, electro-acoustic buzzes and whistles, rumbling piano glissandi plus a smoothly
romantic cello line. Building to a crescendo of
crossing and echoing tones, Crofts’ steeplechasing across the keys leads to a narrowed
satisfying conclusion.
Literal Lateral could be the most winning
American-Maritime connection since the
United Empire Loyalists moved north more
than two centuries ago.
Ken Waxman
Concert Note: Crofts - Adams - Pearse +
Hemingway are at The Rex April 5.
POT POURRI
Z [zee]
Zeynep Ozbilen
Independent (zeynepozbilen.com)
!!Where would the
1969 Blood Sweat
and Tears’ jazz fusion
hit Spinning Wheel
by Canadian singer
David Clayton-Thomas
receive a caliente
Latin-inflected remake
by Toronto bandleader and arranger Roberto
Linares Brown (leaning heavily on the original
influential Grammy Award-winning arrangement by Fred Lipsius), but infused with
Turkish lyrics by the singer Zeynep Ozbilen?
In Toronto, that’s where. Titled Donme Dolap,
the song is among the delights of Z [zee].
While the individual tracks were recorded
in cities emblematic of the music genres
represented – Istanbul, Miami, NYC and
Toronto – the album was produced, mixed
and mastered in Toronto. I mention the
geography and its implied cultural shifts
because it accurately reflects the hybrid
musical aesthetics and artistic ambitions of
Ozbilen, aided by her producer and band
leader Brown.
This album with the single consonant title
(given the American pronunciation), is the
newest project of Turkish-born, now Torontobased singer and songsmith Zeynep Ozbilen.
For over a decade she was the lead vocalist for
the Latin All Stars, the first and best-known
Latin group in Turkey. Her warm throaty alto
is equally at home in jazz and musical standards as in Anatolian, Balkan and Ladino
songs. The lyrics on Z [zee] underscore this
multiculturalism, smoothly negotiating
between Turkish, English and Spanish.
The skillful fingerprints of Roberto Linares
Brown are all over the album too, infusing his
knowledge of multiple Latin styles into skillful
horn-rich arrangements and delivering understated keyboard performances. While not every
song here will make it into my personal heavy
rotation, the album as a whole encourages my
hybrid musical heart to sing – and to kick off
those winter boots and dance.
Andrew Timar
What if you could
listen in?
Now you can!
Previously uploaded to
the Listening Room
TheWholeNote.com/Listening
For more information
Thom McKercher at
[email protected]
thewholenote.com
“... From the first hesitant
measures, the listener
immediately senses that indeed,
this is what Beethoven would
have wanted .... the phrasing
always carefully nuanced...”
-Richard Haskell, Dec 2014
“... Unique exchanges abound
amongst the instrumentalists,
particularly in the Kapsberger
selections, ever shifting in
rhythmic nuance...”
-Dianne Wells, Dec 2014
“... the Sonata for Cello and
Piano (1946) which I must
confess is my favourite selection
with its shades of Debussy and
cascading melodies ...”
-David Olds, Dec 2014
April 1 - May 7, 2015 | 75
Old Wine, New Bottles | Fine Old Recordings Re-Released
P
BRUCE SURTEES
ierre Boulez
turns 90 this
year and DG
honors the milestone
in two limited edition
sets, one of which is
Pierre Boulez – 20th
Century (DG 4794282,
44 CDs). Packaged in the familiar cube, the
set contains every recording that Boulez made
with DG of music composed during the last
century. There are 13 composers represented,
some of them familiar and some that are not
exactly household names.
Born in Loire, France, Boulez early showed
an aptitude for music and mathematics. He
studied mathematics in Loire but music led
him to the Paris Conservatoire and Olivier
Messiaen whose analysis classes introduced
him to the 12-tone technique of composition. Today he is regarded by his peers as
composer, conductor, teacher and essayist, in
that order. Simon Rattle stated that “There is a
whole generation of us who were completely
educated by Boulez.” As a composer, his
output remains strange to the ears of many
music lovers but Boulez the teacher states that
to prepare a performance, an analysis of the
score must be the first step. “True spontaneity
comes only after analysis.” This works very
well for much of the music by 20th-century
composers, his performances being regarded
as definitive and his recordings lauded far
and wide. I recall having my high expectations exceeded attendinf a concert on May 22,
1969 in the Royal Festival Hall’s 20th Century
Concerts with Boulez conducting the London
Symphony Orchestra with soloist Isaac Stern.
The depth of their Berg Violin Concerto still
lingers in my ears.
The discs are sorted by composer starting
with Bartók through to Webern on disc 44.
Bartók is well represented on eight discs with
Four Orchestral Pieces, Op.12; the Concerto
“...there are many lovely
moments of musical and
dramatic interchange, such as
the item in the Handel section
with the violinists...”
-Hans de Groot, Feb 2015
76 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
for Orchestra; the Dance Suite Op.10; the
Hungarian Sketches; Divertimento; The
Miraculous Mandarin; Music for Strings,
Percussion and Celesta, the Cantata Profana
all played by The Chicago Symphony…
and there’s more including The Wooden
Prince; the three piano concertos (Chicago/
Zimerman, Berlin/Andsnes, LSO/Grimaud)
and finally Bluebeard’s Castle with Jessye
Norman from Chicago. Bought singly a few
years ago these eight CDs alone would have
cost about the same as this 44-CD box.
Berg has three works here: The Chamber
Concerto, Lulu Suite and, on three CDs, a
complete Lulu with Teresa Stratas, Yvonne
Minton, et.al. and the orchestra of the Paris
Opera. Harrison Birtwistle has three CDs;
Boulez the composer has four including Le
Marteau sans Maître and Debussy has three
all with the Cleveland Orchestra including
a longtime favourite, the Première rapsodie
for clarinet. Ligeti, who enjoyed a burst of
interest after the film 2001 where his music
was heard, has two discs as does Messiaen.
Ravel has five and Schoenberg has four
including Pelleas und Melisande, Pierrot
Lunaire and a complete Moses und Aron.
Stravinsky’s five discs include all the big
ballets and other works with the Cleveland
and Chicago orchestras. A disc each for
Szymanowski and Varèse and three for
Webern conclude this most interesting and
important set. One can only muse… what
if Boulez had not been interested in mathematics but architecture? Think about it.
EuroArts has issued a Blu-Ray disc of
different Boulez performances of three
pieces included in the above compendium.
In a concert on May 1, 2003 in the Mosteiro
dos Jerónimos, Lisbon, Boulez conducts the
Berlin Philharmonic in their yearly special
concert celebrating the orchestra’s founding
in May 1882. Fittingly, Maria João Pires is the
soloist in the Mozart Piano Concerto No.20
“... The performances by all the
singers are clear and colourful.
Eileen Nash is especially
outstanding in her performance
and childlike vocal tuning of the
ten-year-old Rita...”
-Tiina Kiik, Nov 2014
that contrasts
nicely with the
20th-century
works: Ravel’s
Le Tombeau de
Couperin, Bartók’s
Concerto for
Orchestra and Fêtes
from Debussy’s
Trois Nocturnes
(EuroArts 2053074).
The very first image that strikes the viewer,
long before the music starts is the monastery
itself and its Gothic Portuguese architecture
that “integrates architectural elements of the
late Gothic and Renaissance, with associated
royal symbolism, Christological and naturalist.” Construction began in 1501 or 1502
and was well-funded by trade with the East.
As time passed and construction continued
it became a pantheon to the monarchy with
no expense spared. It is almost beyond belief
and understandably Lisbon’s prime tourist
attraction.
The orchestra does not employ the full
complement of players in the concerto but
a reduced number to balance correctly for
the Mozart. Pires is always so poetic in this
repertoire, a pleasure to watch and a pleasure
to hear. As for the other three works, the
orchestra knows them and Boulez knows
them even better but they come off sounding
fresh and eminently correct. The video and
audio are exceptional although recording the
music must have been a challenge because
of the long decay time that can cause some
problems but hearing it a low level contributes to the sense of occasion and location.
There is a bonus of a 19-minute tourists’ tour
of Lisbon and environs including several
examples of fado and some historical information. The ridiculously illegible cover design
notwithstanding, this disc is recommended –
don’t judge the contents by the cover!
Alain Lefèvre, one of the better
pianists around today, brillantly
tackles this monumental work
with all of his virtuosity.
-Robert Thomas, Nov 2014
“... the works recorded here
are restored to life in a lavishly
illustrated edition, played
with great sensitivity by I
Barocchisti...”
-Robert Thomas, Dec 2014
thewholenote.com
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Programme includes:
Koussevitzky: Double Bass Concerto
Tchaikovsky: Selections from Swan Lake
Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain
Rimsky-Korsakov: “Flight of the Bumblebee”
from The Tale of Tsar Saltan
Shostakovich: Polka from The Golden Age
Latin Jazz:
Hilario Durán Trio
WED, APRIL 29 AT 6:30pm
THU, APRIL 30 AT 8:00pm
Roberto Minczuk, conductor
Hilario Durán Trio
Tom Allen, host (APRIL 29)
Hilario Durán: Concerto for Latin Jazz Trio
and Orchestra, “Sinfonia Afrocubana”
(WORLD PREMIÈRE/TSO COMMISSION)
Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from
West Side Story
Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 8
(APRIL 30 ONLY)
Ginastera: Four Dances from Estancia
(“MALAMBO” ONLY, APRIL 29)
Mendelssohn Violin Concerto
JEFFREY BEECHER,
TSO PRINCIPAL DOUBLE BASS
WED, MAY 6 AT 8:00pm
Peter Oundjian, conductor
Augustin Hadelich, violin
Kevin Lau*: Treeship
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
Bruckner: Symphony No. 7
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MUSIC AND THE MOVIES
I
PA U L E N N I S
“Music is a reminder of our own
potential for perfection.”
Seymour Bernstein
n last September’s issue of The WholeNote, in my preview of the
Toronto International Film Festival, I wrote that the film I was most
looking forward to was Ethan Hawke’s Seymour: An Introduction.
It had been Hawke’s explanation of Bernstein’s teaching mantra
(responding to Hubert Vigilia’s question on flixist.com, two years ago
just as the film was taking shape) that piqued my curiosity and made
the film a must on my TIFF to-do list.
Said Hawke: “He’s a very deep guy. I was touched by him, and
I thought he had a lot to teach me about acting, and then I slowly
realized that the way he’s talking about the piano relates to every
profession.”
I was touched, charmed and inspired by Hawke’s moving documentary when I saw it at TIFF and couldn’t wait to see it again. Six months
later, it’s begun an exclusive engagement at the Cineplex Varsity
Cinemas. The second time I was even more moved. Be prepared to be
charmed and inspired when you see it. It’s unmissable.
Hawke (Boyhood, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight)
has given us a tender, warm portrait of the captivating pianist
Seymour Bernstein. Among many things Hawke’s documentary
does, it debunks the axiom that those who can, do and those who
can’t, teach. And it does so with wall-to-wall piano music highlighted by Bernstein’s own playing of Chopin (Berceuse, Ballade No.1,
Nocturne Op.37 No.2) and Beethoven (Bagatelles Op.126, Sonata
Op.111, “Moonlight” Sonata) among others, as well as some of his own
compositions.
Hawke, at 40, was struggling with why he does what he does as an
actor. At a dinner organized by Bernstein’s former student Tony Zito,
Hawke felt more comfortable around the 84-year-old Bernstein than
anyone else. He seized on their rapport as the impetus to document
the older man’s teachings.
A good place to start was with The New York Times’ culture reporter
Michael Kimmelman, who had begun lessons with Bernstein at five.
Kimmelman’s mother, who used to sit sketching during his lessons in
Bernstein’s apartment, presented the teacher with a sculpture of his
cat. Years later, Kimmelman repaid his teacher by annotating a 2-CD
set of Bernstein’s live concert career.
Bernstein himself had begged his mother for piano lessons when
he was six despite the lack of music in his home. A sensitive soul
even then, Scarlatti felt familiar to him and he cried over Schubert’s
Serenade (we hear snippets of each). When he was 15 he realized that
the “real essence of who we are resides in our talent.” If he was practising well, things in general went well: “Music and life will interact in
a neverending cycle of fulfillment.”
He had a patroness, a wealthy woman who was also a spiritualist,
who sponsored his European concerts and provided one of her houses
for him to live in. Which he did for a year, before the almost daily gifts
that were delivered convinced him to give it all up. She was growing
too enamoured of him.
Then, at 50, in 1977, Bernstein gave a farewell concert at the 92nd
Street Y, yielding to “nerves.” Public performance terrified him; he
had terrible blocks, physical symptoms, memory lapses, a feeling of
inadequacy as a pianist: “If you feel inadequate as a musician then
you’ll feel inadequate as a person.” Yet he tells Hawke that most artists
should be more nervous. He recounts a story about a young actress
who was surprised to find the great Sarah Bernhardt in a state backstage. When she told Bernhardt that she never suffered before a
performance, Bernhardt replied: “You will get nervous when you learn
how to act.”
Bernstein rebuilt his own self worth by teaching and workshopping
– he’s currently on the faculty of NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture,
78 | April 1 - May 7, 2015
Seymour Bernstein in concert at the Steinway Hall rotunda.
Education and Human Development. He found his creative identity as
a teacher. “I poured it into you,” he tells Kimmelman.
At an NYU master class he demonstrates how the impetus for
an entire sonata (Beethoven’s Op.110) develops out of the first four
bars; the sound he creates on the keyboard seems to grow, not die
(as the student’s did). “Don’t move in a way that the energy is pulled
away from the piano,” he advises another. The key is “to inspire
and encourage an emotional response, not just for music but for all
aspects of life.”
He thrives on solitude; he’s lived for 57 years in the same apartment [by now it must be 60]; Hawke shows him making up his sofa
bed one morning before breakfast while he sorts out all the thoughts
that course through him. He finds the sense of predictability of music
something he can control, as opposed to the world outside: “Avoid
excess analysis and allow the music to reveal its own beauty.”
He studied with such storied musicians as Alexander Brailowsky,
Sir Clifford Curzon, Jan Gorbaty, Nadia Boulanger and Georges Enescu.
Curzon, his most significant mentor, always his hero and the model
of “what you should be,” once told him that the most important thing
about choosing a piano is “how softly the piano will play.”
There is wonderful vintage footage of Curzon playing Schubert’s
Impromptu Op.90 No.4 in the basement of Steinway Hall. The basement has its own role in the film as Bernstein searches out a suitable piano for the recital Hawke will film in the Steinway rotunda
before an invited audience of (mostly) the actor/director’s friends
and colleagues. Watching Bernstein’s delight in finding a piano that
responds to his playing of the opening of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto
No.4 is another of the countless musical treasures of this film.
Spiritual teacher Andrew Harvey, one of the key talking heads
Hawke turns to, notes Bernstein’s integration of the ordinary and
the archetypal. “The key is that music can produce ecstasy and you
[Bernstein] have the touchstone from which you can gauge everything
else.” (Bernstein believes – much like Marc-André Hamelin – that a
performer gets closer to the creative process when he plays, if he also
composes.)
The film’s aesthetic and narrative climax is the recital in the
Steinway Hall rotunda. Here, Hawke gives his artistic sense full
flower by seamlessly cutting back and forth from Bernstein playing
Schumann’s Fantasie Op.17 in his apartment to performing it in the
rotunda recital. What makes it so compelling is Bernstein’s description of how he feels about the piece while playing it in his living room:
it “just rips him apart, it’s just so impossibly beautiful; it has one
of the biggest climaxes in all music (here it comes).” As he finishes
each comment, Hawke cuts to the recital and the Fantasie continues
without pause.
For me, the most hypnotic moment of this sublimely hypnotic film
is Bernstein’s playing of Brahms’ Intermezzo Op.118 No.2, which occupies the left half of the screen as the closing credits roll on the right.
Brahms marks the score Andante Teneramente and Bernstein plays
it with a tenderness that envelops the lyricism he coaxes out of the
music. His last words in the film “I never dreamt with my own two
hands that I could touch the sky” are, in that moment, absolutely
believable.
thewholenote.com
RAMSEY FENDALL. COURTESY OF MONGREL MEDIA.
Seymour: An
Introduction
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