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Vol 18 No3
CONCERT LISTINGS
for NOVEMBER 2012
Icarus
Aloft
Conductor Brian Current
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Page 1
Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir
Jeanne Lamon, Music Director | Ivars Taurins, Director, Chamber Choir
12.13
CONCERT SEASON
with Gottfried von der Goltz,
Guest Director and Violin Soloist
Wed Nov 7 at 7pm
Thu Nov 8, Fri Nov 9, Sat Nov 10 at 8pm
Sun Nov 11 at 3:30pm
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
MOZART’S
WORLD
Join us for a glimpse into the world in which Mozart lived,
guest directed by Gottfried von der Goltz – the talented
violinist and director of the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra.
Witness the sheer joy of Mozart’s radiant Violin Concerto
in A Major, K. 219, Haydn’s dramatic Symphony no. 52,
and music by Josef Kraus, the “Swedish Mozart.”
Wed Dec 5 at 7pm
Thu Dec 6, Fri Dec 7, Sat Dec 8 at 8pm
Sun Dec 9 at 3:30pm
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
FRENCH
BAROQUE
CHRISTMAS
Directed by Ivars Taurins
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir
Welcome the Christmas season with sumptuous choral
music by the 17th-century French master, Marc-Antoine
Charpentier, featuring his exquisite Christmas oratorio
In nativitatem Domini canticum as well as his glorious
mass for double choir and orchestra.
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre Tickets:
416.964.6337 tafelmusik.org
Season Presenting Sponsor
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Page 1
”…an almost superhuman achievement …one of the
best Messiahs I have ever heard.” THE GLOBE AND MAIL
Messiah
SELLS
OUT
EVERY
YEAR!
AT KOERNER HALL
Joanne Lunn, soprano | Allyson McHardy, mezzo-soprano
Aaron Sheehan, tenor | Douglas Williams, baritone
Handel Messiah
Sing-Along Messiah
Dec 19-22 at 7:30pm
Koerner Hall
at Massey Hall | Dec 23 at 2pm
TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning
“Herr Handel” conducts his beloved Messiah.
Non-singers welcome, bring the whole family!
Directed by Ivars Taurins
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra
and Chamber Choir
416.872.4255
416.408.0208
tafelmusik.org
TAFELMUSIK MEDIA
BRAND NEW
RECORDINGS!
Messiah Concerts Sponsor
Good Night,
Good Night,
Beloved !
Volume 18 No 3 | November 1 – December 7, 2012
FOR OPENERS
6. Roadmaps and Rants | DAVID PERLMAN
FEATURES
8. Icarus Aloft: Brian Current | PAULA CITRON
11. Behind the Scenes: Anton Kuerti | REBECCA CHUA
ACD2 2670
BEAT BY BEAT
12. Classical & Beyond | SHARNA SEARLE
17. In With the New | DAVID PERLMAN
19. Early Music | SIMONE DESILETS
21. Choral Scene | BENJAMIN STEIN
24. Art of Song | HANS DE GROOT
25. On Opera | CHRISTOPHER HOILE
27. Music Theatre | ROBERT WALLACE
28. World View | ANDREW TIMAR
30. Jazz Notes | JIM GALLOWAY
31. In the Clubs | ORI DAGAN
31. Bandstand | JACK MacQUARRIE
A tribute to the
Montreal Mendelssohn Choir,
a pillar of the city's musical life
in the late 19th century.
LISTINGS
34. A | Concerts in the GTA
51. B | Concerts Beyond the GTA
54. C | In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz)
56. D | The ETCeteras
MUSICAL LIFE
Levant
60. We Are All Music’s Children | MJ BUELL
70. @TheWholeNote: Music & the Movies | PAUL ENNIS
DISCOVERIES: RECORDINGS REVIEWED
61. Editor’s Corner | DAVID OLDS
62. Vocal
63. Early & Period Performance
64. Classical & Beyond
64. Strings Attached | TERRY ROBBINS
65. Modern & Contemporary
66. Jazz, Eh? | STUART BROOMER
66. Something in the Air | KEN WAXMAN
67. Pot Pourri
68. Old Wine, New Bottles | BRUCE SURTEES
ACD2 2655
MORE
6. Contact Information & Deadlines
33. Blue Pages: Addendum
33. Index of Advertisers
58. Classified Ads
The fascinating and mystifying
sounds and colours of Levant,
the “region of the rising Sun”.
IN THIS ISSUE
Cover Photograph AIR’LETH AODHFIN
AVAILABLE IN HD AT
ATMACLASSIQUE.COM
Select ATMA titles now on sale
MILTON BARNES 21
LINA ALLEMANO 31
MUSIC’S CHILD? 60
FOR OPENERS | DAVID PERLMAN
T
Roadmaps and Rants
of the individual and organization in
question, the announcement from Jeanne Lamon came
first not as a press release but as a letter to Tafelmusik’s
subscribers. “After more than thirty years at the helm of
Tafelmusik, I feel it is time for me to move on to the next
stage. You, as a member of our audience, are one of our
most loyal supporters and I wanted you to be among the first to know.”
What she wanted us to know was that in 2014 she will be stepping
down as full-time music director of Tafelmusik “to focus more on our
artistic training programs which are at a very exciting crossroads.”
And she went on to talk about a “national and international search
for a successor” and ambitious plans for the next two years, including
“acoustical renovations to our beloved home venue at Trinity-St. Paul’s
Centre, more great recordings on our new Tafelmusik Media label, and
the establishment of the Tafelmusik International Baroque Academy.
The latter has been a long-standing dream of mine and it will take a
lot of dedication, time and commitment to take this initiative to the
next level. I feel very passionate about this undertaking and want to
devote the time it fully deserves.”
So I had been all set this month to launch this opener with a paean
of praise for Jeanne Lamon. But then I saw that my colleague, CD Discoveries editor David Olds, had already beaten me to the punch, in
Editor’s Corner on page 61. So I think I will let it go, for now. Besides,
rue to the spirit
The WholeNote™
right now I am green with envy at the thought of anyone having a succession roadmap that stretches all the way out to 2014. The only thing
I know clearly about 2014, for crying out loud, is that sometime in the
course of that year I will throw away my 2013 calendar.
For another thing, having followed Lamon’s, and Tafelmusik’s, fortunes for the better part of three decades, I am quite sure she’s going
to remain so busy and so involved, for the foreseeable future, that premature eulogies will look ridiculous. So instead I’m going to jump
the gun and talk about another pioneer who is about to step down,
after 40 years of incalculable service to Canadian music, on Monday,
December 31, 2012 CBC producer extraordinaire David Jaeger.
Jaeger joined the CBC in 1973, hot out of a Masters Degree in composition at University of Toronto. He worked first as a programmer for
the program Sounds Classical, and a year later, moved on to produce a
contemporary music program called Music of Today (hosted by Norma
Beecroft). From the ten programs he produced with Glenn Gould on
the music of Arnold Schoenberg, soon after arriving at the CBC, to his
role in the commissioning and production of John Cage’s seminal work,
A Lecture on the Weather, a radio-phonic work observing the American bicentennial, to the almost 30 years he produced the program Two
New Hours, contemporary music was the backbone of his CBC career.
The numbers alone are staggering. He had a hand in commissioning
more than 300 new works, and over 1,200 concert recordings. But the
—
THANKS TO THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS
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N.B. Next issue, Volume 18 No 4 covers
December 1, 2012 to February 7, 2013
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ART OF SONG | Hans de Groot
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CHORAL SCENE | Benjamin Stein
DISCOVERIES | David Olds
EARLY MUSIC | Simone Desilets
IN THE CLUBS | Ori Dagan
IN WITH THE NEW | David Perlman
JAZZ NOTES | Jim Galloway
MUSICAL LIFE | mJ buell
MUSIC THEATRE | Robert Wallace
ON OPERA | Christopher Hoile
WORLD VIEW | Andrew Timar
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November 1 – December 7, 2012
facts behind the numbers are even more impressive. In 1975 he was
named the English Radio Coordinator of the National Radio Competition for Young Composers, a post he held for 27 years. He represented
CBC English Radio as a delegate to the International Rostrum of Composers (IRC) in Paris for more than 20 years and, from 2002 to 2008,
was the only non-European ever to preside over that body.
He commissioned R. Murray Schafer’s iconic String Quartet No.3 for
Two New Hours, produced Schafer’s Wolf Music at Wildcat Lake in the
Haliburton Forest & Wildlife Reserve, and Schafer’s opera, The Palace
of the Cinnabar Phoenix, in the woods near Pontypool, Ontario. He
created the CBC partnership with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra to establish their New Music Festival and initiated live broadcasting
of that event all the way up to 2006. He also created the partnership
with Soundstreams Canada to establish their Encounters series in
Glenn Gould Studio, a series of radio-sponsored concerts with works
by high-profile international composers sharing the stage with music
by significant Canadian composers.
It is not possible to overstate the importance of his role in giving
presence and heft to contemporary music in Canada.
For him, as for Lamon, the kudos will undoubtedly follow. For
Lamon, I predict, the highest praise will be in the extent to which
Tafelmusik continues to build upon the foundation she laid.
I sure wish I could hope the same for the CBC. —[email protected]
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7
A Q&A with composer Brian Current by Paula Citron
PHOTOGRAPHS BY AIR’LETH AODHFIN
Award-winning, Ottawa-born composer/conductor Brian Current has
had his works performed and broadcast in over 35 countries. His honours
include a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Barlow Prize for Orchestral Music,
and Italy’s Premio Fedora Award for his chamber opera Airline Icarus.
The Premio prize led to a fully staged production in Verbania, Italy in 2011.
8
Current is one of Canada’s busiest men of New Music,
and November is a particularly rich month for his activities. As artistic director of the New Music Ensemble at
the Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School, he will be
conducting two of his students in a concert at the Richard
Bradshaw Amphitheatre on November 20. On the afternoon of November 25 at Mazzoleni Hall, Current leads an
all-star cast in his opera-oratorio Airline Icarus, which
will be followed that evening by a commercial recording session. Finally, on November 30, the Banff Centre’s
Gruppo Montebello performs the newly minted chamber ensemble version of Current’s piano solo Sungods,
titled Sungods 2012.
The WholeNote met up with the 40-year-old Current
at the Royal Conservatory before a rehearsal of his New
Music Ensemble.
How did you get into New Music?
I used to be in a rock band in suburban Ottawa. We
played 70s style classic rock. It was hard for me to get the
guys to do what I wanted because I didn’t know how to
write down music — so I enrolled in the music program
at McGill. It changed my life. I had a fantastic professor
called John Rea. He tore my world apart by keeping us in
the library, pouring over scores of composers like Berio,
Stockhausen and Ligeti.
Your graduate work was in conducting.
Why UC Berkeley?
My mother had family in the Bay area, and the Berkeley
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music program is strong. I did
my MA and Ph.D. there. My
thesis was scenes from Airline
Icarus, so that opera has been
with me since 2001. I call it “The
Blast from the Past.” The doctoral
written exam was three hours
long and covered 50 books. After
all that reading, I was the smartest I’ve ever been in my life.
What’s your creative process like?
I picture myself sitting in the audience and not being
bored. I want to astonish the audience.
What exactly is your role with the RCM’s
New Music Ensemble?
One of my many jobs is identifying new artists. For
example, the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre concert
features pianist Ryan McCullough performing French
composer Martin Matalon’s piano concerto, and soprano Lucy FitzGibbon singing works by Korean composer
Unsuk Chin. Both are wonderful young talents. The New
Music Ensemble is a compulsory course for graduate students, so another of my jobs is taking them out of their
comfort zone. By introducing them to New Music in a
responsible way, they won’t freak out when they have
to play a contemporary piece during their professional
careers. I want them to get rid of their nervousness around
New Music. I also want to introduce them to unfamiliar
work. Part of my job is demystifying the art form.
What is your demystifying process?
The first question I address is, Why does New Music sound
so weird? I show the students that New Music is parallel to the visual arts being regarded as weird. I then point
out that composers are trying to share with us what it is
to be alive in this time, just like modern art does. Just like
specific composers reflected Vienna of the 1800s, or Paris
of the 1900s. Contemporary composers are breaking with
the past in the true spirit of the avant-garde — the original meaning of the French term — advance guard — so
that the soldiers in the forefront get mowed down so that
others can follow.
You also have many workshops with composers.
Absolutely. I want them in the classroom, because the level
of playing goes up when a living composer is in the room.
The students can also equate the music with a real person.
I hope this carries over to their classical gigs, and they see
those composers as real people as well. I also take the students through the commissioning process, like applying
for grants etc. I want them to develop a passion for commissioning new work.
Let’s talk about your opera-oratorio Airline Icarus.
What was the inspiration?
It was a mention in the
Globe and Mail about the
shooting down of a Korean
Air Lines flight by the Russians in 1983 over the Sea of
Japan. They thought it was a
spy plane. I was particularly
struck by the description
of the last moments of the
plane — that it turned in
spirals like a falling leaf for 12 to 15 minutes. That made
me think about a 12 to 15 minute lullaby for the passengers. There was also the image of Icarus flying too close
to the sun, and the space shuttle Challenger disappearing into a flash of light in 1986.
Your librettist is the famed
American-Canadian playwright Anton Piatigorsky.
How did that come about?
Anton is a good friend, and one time when we were hanging out in 2001, he mentioned that he had written a poem
about how nuts the experience of flying is. His theme
was that we’re eating processed chicken inside the plane
while a freezing death is waiting just outside the window.
I, in turn, mentioned the Globe article, and the excruciating image of the passengers’ slow death. We had always
wanted to work together, so Anton seemed like the logical
collaborator. Anton is terrified of flying, and so is the tenor,
his alter ego in the opera.
What is the storyline?
Anton set certain rules. No
one gets stabbed. The plane
goes to an unexotic place,
so we chose Cleveland.
(Incidentally, the piece is
about the same length as
a flight to Cleveland — 55
minutes.) And finally, the
characters don’t talk to each
other, so the opera is mostly
made up of interior monologues. There are four principal characters — all very Anton-like. He always writes
about the human condition, warts and all. The soprano is
a successful ad executive, a lonely workaholic who counts
calories. The mezzo-soprano is the flight attendant who’d
rather be going to Paris than Cleveland. She wants to meet
someone. The baritone is a businessman who hates himself and his job. He sells highspeed computer access. The
tenor is a scholar who’s just written a paper on Icarus,
so the myth is very much on his mind. And finally, a secondary baritone sings both the disgruntled baggage guy
and the optimistic pilot. He’s sort of the jester role. The
small chamber choir doubles as a Greek chorus and passengers on the plane. The point is, everyone is acting so
normal, yet flying is a terrifying experience. The airline is
Current Air — that’s Anton’s joke. My joke is writing the
safety demo in accelerando.
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9
That’s quite a starry cast you’ve assembled
for Airline Icarus.
It’s the A+ team in this city. Soprano Carla Huhtanen,
mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó, baritone Alexander
Dobson. There’s 22 professional artists in all. The concertmaster is Benjamin Bowman from the ballet orchestra, and
the musicians are all top players from the TSO, the COC
and the National Ballet. I also have rising stars in tenor
Graham Thompson and baritone Geoffrey Sirett. Pianist Claudia Chan is opening the concert with the piano
solo of Sungods, which is an early version of the overture of the opera.
There is a very important technology
component in the work.
Yes. The singers perform in front of video
screens depicting a dreamlike airplane in
flight. The screens change according to the
point of view of the drama. Over the course
of the work, the plane becomes brighter
and brighter and eventually vanishes.
Airline Icarus certainly seems to
have a shelf life. You’ve already had
excerpts performed in Toronto and New
York, and that production in Italy.
And I’m very grateful. It’s going to be featured at the Fort
Worth Opera’s New Frontiers Festival in 2013, and Soundstreams Canada is planning a production in 2014. There
may also be a tour of France.
Your own company, Maniac Star, is a co-producer of
the concert. Where did that unusual name come from?
It’s the name of a bookstore café outside Kyoto, Japan, and
it really caught my fancy.
You’re about to fly off to an International
Society for Contemporary Music conference in
10
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Belgium as a delegate of the Canadian League
of Composers. What has made you such a
passionate advocate in the cause of New Music?
The Canadian League of Composers really got galvanized
under James Rolfe, and I’m part of its advocacy arm. I go
to New Music conferences with a suitcase full of discs
of Canadian composers. One of the big tragedies in this
country is that wonderful music is being written here and
nobody knows about it. I want to get the word out. We
should be proud to be Canadians. In 2001, I revised my
1998 orchestral piece called This Isn’t Silence, which has
become my mantra. It speaks to my desire to improve the
status of New Music. When the CBC dropped Two New
Hours, contemporary composers were devastated. We lost
our presence on the air. On the other hand, it’s an exciting time to be a composer. We don’t have to wait for the
CBC to pick up our concerts because there is YouTube
and SoundCloud. We can broadcast around the world
with our smartphones.
Why do you think that New Music
has such a small audience?
Because people don’t understand the art form. You have
to walk them through it. The mistake they make is thinking that New Music is one big constant melody. Instead
they should be listening for texture, or lots of melodies,
and colour, which is the sound of the different instruments. They should understand that a composer thinks
very carefully about the timbre he gives to a French horn,
for example. The more we can connect audiences to composers, the better. Paula Citron is a Toronto-based arts journalist.
Her areas of special interest are dance, theatre,
opera and arts commentary.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Mooredale’s
Anton Kuerti
MARTIN TOSOIAN
T
BY REBECCA CHUA
here was anton kuerti , with his nimbus of unruly hair, in
the auditorium of Walter Hall on a balmy Sunday afternoon
looking for all the world like a latter-day Einstein. Except this
was no theoretical physicist nor amateur musician but a man
who has been called one of the truly great pianists of this century, a pianist who has been lionized in practically every one of
the almost 40 countries he has played and whose name is very nearly
synonymous with Beethoven’s great “Emperor” Concerto.
Surrounded by the
principal players of
the Toronto Symphony
Orchestra as they deftly
performed excerpts from
Schubert’s Octet and
Spohr’s Nonet, he surveyed the forest of hands
that shot up in answer to
his gently probing questions and fielded a volley
of eager responses from
young children and their
families. It was quite an
introduction to the first
concert in Mooredale Concerts’ Music & Truffles series, one specifically designed to acquaint
first-timers with classical music.
It is easy to forget, in taking a measure of the man — when that man
is Anton Kuerti — that he is not simply a concert pianist par excellence.
Impresario, talent scout, chief copywriter, principal website and ticketing strategist, entrepreneur: these are just some of the hats he has added
to his repertoire after assuming the mantle of artistic director of Mooredale Concerts five years ago following the death of his wife, the cellist
Kristine Bogyo.
The genesis of these concerts began in 1986 when their son Julian
was ten years old and Bogyo was looking for a youth orchestra where
the young violinist could further hone his skills. Then, as now, notes
Kuerti dryly, “it’s very important and worthwhile to have as part of
music education (but) there’s a scarcity of chamber music opportunities for outstanding young artists.”
By the second year, the ten children Bogyo started with when she
decided to grow her own youth orchestra in the family’s living room,
had trebled, prompting a move to Mooredale House. “Kristine had the
knack for making young people love music and understand it,” Kuerti
says, citing the letters parents and the young musicians themselves continue to write, even after they go on to professional careers.
In the intervening years, the single orchestra has blossomed into
three. Clare Carberry, a fellow cellist, joined Bogyo 21 years ago and
now conducts the intermediate orchestra. Bill Rowson conducts both
the junior and senior orchestras while Kuerti himself leads the senior
orchestra’s summer concert. Mooredale Concerts continues to provide
opportunities and bursaries for those who need them.
The youth orchestras have an enviable reputation not just among the
music teachers who entrust their young charges but among the young
musicians themselves who, says Carberry, “experience the joy of performing but also make friends as well.” Bogyo’s sister Esther, whose
own children have been a part of the orchestras, agrees: “It lets the kids
see each other as very cool and that it’s okay to love music.”
continues on page 60
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11
Beat by Beat | Classical & Beyond
In November and early December, there are no less than 18 orchestras performing over 30 concerts. All, no doubt, would welcome our
support (and our bums in their seats). Here, in no particular order,
are a few suggestions as to where you may choose to spend your
money, and you’ll find several more in the Quick Picks at the end of
the column:
My first piece of writing for The WholeNote appeared in the
November 2010 issue, when I reviewed pianist Ian Parker’s debut CD
of works by Ravel, Stravinsky and Gershwin; I thought his recording of the Ravel Piano Concerto in G just shimmered. So, those lucky
enough to catch him playing the Ravel in his debut with the Hamilton
SHARNA SEARLE
Philharmonic Orchestra, November 10, are in for a treat. Conductor
Marcello Lehninger will also lead the orchestra in Ravel’s Mother
ast october , flush with the excitement of the new season in full
swing, I wrote about some recent artistic appointments, focussing Goose Suite and Shostakovich’s Symphony No.5. The 7:30pm concert
is at Hamilton Place.
particularly on conductor Uri Mayer’s new role as artistic direcCompeting for those hard-earned dollars of yours, a week later on
tor and principal conductor of the Toronto Philharmonia Orchestra.
November 17, the Oakville Symphony
Mayer had exciting and ambitious
Orchestra features its concertmaster,
plans for the ensemble. Fast forward to
Joseph Peleg, in the glorious Brahms
this past October and its future appears
Violin Concerto, Op.77. The ensemsignificantly different than the one
ble will also perform Mendelssohn’s
Mayer had envisioned. Like so many
Symphony No.3, the “Scottish,” under
arts organizations (both large and
the baton of its music director, Roberto
small) plagued with money worries in
De Clara. The concert begins at 8pm at
these economically difficult times, the
the Oakville Centre for the Performing
Toronto Philharmonia’s very survival is
Arts and will be repeated the next day,
now in jeopardy due, in great part, to
on November 18.
its ongoing financial problems.
In its mission to “bring music to
In an interview with John Terauds
the people,” the Toronto Concert
(see musicaltoronto.org) October 16,
Orchestra, its website tells us, “goes
the TPO’s president, Milos Krajny, said:
beyond the geographic boundaries of
“We are not opening the season because
the Greater Toronto Area, beyond the
we couldn’t raise enough money.”
boundaries of age, cultures, socio-ecoAccording to Terauds, Krajny sent
nomic divides and the accepted mores
out an urgent plea to the orchestra’s
of a symphony orchestra to offer claspatrons and friends on September 10
TSO music director Peter Oundjian and violinist
Itzhak Perlman perform Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins
sical music with edge; preludes with
but the appeal came up short of the
personality ... symphony for fun.” You’ll
$150,000 required to open the season. with the TSO on April 28, 2012.
have more than one opportunity to check out the fun when the TCO
As for the organization’s uncertain future, Krajny told Terauds of
performs its program of all-Scandinavian works over a four day perthe two options “on the table:” putting the season opening on hold to
January 25 ... or contemplating shutting the orchestra down. Hopefully, iod, in four different locations. On November 2, 3, 4 and 5, TCO
founding maestro, Kerry Stratton, conducts Grieg’s Piano Concerto
the latter does not come to pass; Toronto’s musical community would
in A Minor, Op.16, featuring Swedish pianist Carl Petersson, Lars-Erik
be the poorer for it, if it does.
Larsson’s Pastoral Suite and Dag Wirén’s Serenade, in Milton, Barrie,
A Clarion Call: In the meantime, as we acknowledge these disOrillia and Toronto, respectively.
appointing and challenging times for the Toronto Philharmonia,
and wish the organization the best possible outcome, let this be our
TSO at home and on the road: Speaking of road trips, the Toronto
clarion call to action: to steadfastly support our local and regional
Symphony Orchestra will be taking one right after its November 14
orchestras; to go out and hear this great music performed live; to
and 15 Roy Thomson Hall performances of Beethoven’s Concerto
buy concert tickets and season subscriptions, not just for ourselves
for Violin, Cello and Piano in C Major, Op.56, the “Triple” Concerto,
but also for our friends and relatives; to attend fundraisers and make
Shostakovich’s Symphony No.12, “The Year 1917,” and Pierre
regular (or irregular) donations. There’s no mistaking that we’ve got
Mercure’s Triptyque. On November 17, 18 and 19, respectively, the
to do our part if we want to see these orchestras through to their next
orchestra takes the program to Brockville, Montreal and Ottawa; in
season and the next ...
Montreal, the TSO will perform in the new Maison symphonique
Calling All
Concert-Goers
12
thewholenote.com
DALE WILCOX
L
KOERNER HALL IS:
“A beautiful space for music”
THE GLOBE AND MAIL
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2012 2PM
MAZZOLENI CONCERT HALL
SAT. NOV. 10, 2012 8PM KOERNER HALL
Marc-André
Hamelin and the
Takács Quartet
Jennifer Koh
“[A] risk-taking, high-octane
player of the kind who grabs the
listener by the ears and refuses
to let go.” (The Strad) In this
recital, Koh presents works by
Bach, Bartók, and a world
premiere Partita for Solo Violin
by Phil Kline.
The Takács Quartet plays by Schubert
and Britten. Hamelin joins them for
Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet in G Minor.
“Mr. Hamelin brings both [braininess
and finger power] to his work in ample
measure, and he plays with heart as
well.” (The New York Times)
FRI. NOV. 16 & SAT. NOV. 17, 2012 7:30PM
FRI. NOV. 23, 2012 8PM KOERNER HALL
Taiwan National
Choir
conducted by
Agnes Grossmann
The Glenn Gould School
Fall Opera Double Bill:
Three Sisters Who
Are Not Sisters and
Le Lauréat
Toronto welcomes back Agnes Grossmann
as she leads the extraordinary voices of
the Taiwan National Choir in their Koerner
Hall debut.
Presented in partnership with Taiwanfest.
Students from The Glenn Gould School’s vocal
program present a delightful evening of opera,
including Three Sisters Who Are Not Sisters, Ned
Rorem’s surreal, non-linear murder mystery, and
Le Lauréat, François-Joseph Vézina’s story of Paul
and Pauline, who are in love and want to marry but
family intervenes. Peter Tiefenbach is Music Director.
Generously supported by the
D&T Davis Charitable Foundation.
SUN. NOV. 25, 2012 2PM
SUN. NOV. 25, 2012 3PM
KOERNER HALL
Brian Current’s
Airline Icarus
Piotr
Anderszewski
Hear the Canadian premiere of
Airline Icarus, international awardwinning composer Brian Current’s
new opera-oratorio about the
intersecting thoughts of passengers
aboard a commercial flight.
The astonishing, Grammy nominated
pianist will perform an all-Bach
program. “The delicacy and control
of Anderszewski’s pianissimo
playing [are] sources of wonder.”
(The Guardian)
TICKETS START AT ONLY $15! 416.408.0208 www.performance.rcmusic.ca
273 BLOOR STREET WEST (BLOOR & AVENUE RD.) TORONTO
de Montréal for its first time; in Ottawa, the orchestra returns to the
National Arts Centre for its annual gig.
Three of Canada’s most esteemed (and in demand) soloists have
been brought together to form the “piano trio” for Beethoven’s
majestic “Triple”: TSO concertmaster Jonathan Crow, pianist André
Laplante and cellist Shauna Rolston — no small feat given their incredibly busy schedules! I spoke with TSO music director, Peter Oundjian,
who described the Beethoven as “a sublime piece,” and reported that
“all three musicians were very pleased to be asked to play it
together.” Oundjian wanted a “fully Canadian cast.” And
true, it’s not often that soloists are put together like
this, and an existing
trio could just as easIan Parker will play
ily could have been
the Ravel Piano
asked ... “or these three.” Concerto in G
I could hear the satiswith the Hamilton
Philharmonic on
fied smile in his voice.
November 10, not
“They will find their
on November 3,
common thread in
as it appears in
their own special way,” our listings.
he told me. And while
he can’t say exactly
what to expect — after
all, they’ve never
done this before — he
knows that what’s being created here is a “very exciting situation,” an
“unpredictable meal.” For Oundjian, there’s also another level of connection, making this an even more meaningful collaboration: he and
Laplante were at Juilliard together; Rolston (who is at the U of T and
has played quite regularly with the TSO) he’s known since she was 16;
and Crow, of course, is his concertmaster. It’s indeed a “collaboration
of virtuosos,” as noted in a recent TSO press release, with each performance destined to be a thrilling event.
I was also intrigued by the choice of the Shostakovich No.12 on the
program given that the TSO had just performed his No.11, “The year
1905,” one late night back in June, at Luminato. “It is an immensely
powerful piece,” Oundjian said of the Twelfth, “a good tour piece”; as
opposed to the Eleventh (which clocks in at 62 minutes), the Twelfth
is a “condensed 40 minutes,” and Oundjian felt that it, along with
the Beethoven and Mercure’s “brilliantly conceived” Tryptique, just
“fit in.”
It’s an impressive and diverse program, the only way Oundjian
would have it: “I like to really create eclectic programming. There’s a
responsibility to keep things as interesting as possible for everyone.”
And, clearly, to keep us wanting to come back and hear the next exciting concert and the next.
I had the privilege and pleasure of asking Peter Oundjian a few
questions. Perhaps you’ll have yours during the Q&A led by Oundjian,
with the soloists on hand, following the November 14 and 15 concerts.
With so much more to learn, I’m definitely staying for this one!
Oundjian on Perlman: Itzhak Perlman is back! Yes, just a little over
six months since his five-day residency with the TSO at the end of
April, the celebrated violinist returns to Roy Thomson Hall, this time
for an afternoon recital, November 18. John Terauds calls it “one of the
most significant dates of the season.” (And by the way, while it might
not be an orchestra in need, the Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy
Thomson Hall also depends on our support through ticket sales, even
when it presents a legend like Perlman.) With pianist Rohan De Silva, Perlman will perform Mozart’s
Sonata in A K526, the Sonata No.1 by Fauré and
Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne.
Peter Oundjian and I also spoke about his dear
friend, colleague and former teacher, Itzhak Perlman.
First, he confirmed something for me that I hadn’t
been absolutely certain about when he and Perlman
played the splendid Bach “Double” Violin Concerto,
in April: it was the first time they had ever shared the
stage together as violinists. The evening was an historic moment in time, and the regard and affection
that each holds for the other was palpable. That this
was also Oundjian’s first public appearance on the
violin in 16 years, made it all the more special. As an aside, and with
a quick laugh, Oundjian said that it was “probably the last time” he’ll
play publicly. We’ll see.
In the meantime, he offered this of his good friend:
“Something extraordinary happens to people when Itzhak steps on
stage: [people respond deeply to] his personality, his aura, his heartwarming, beautiful playing; the way he relates to all the musicians on
stage. And by himself, in recital, there’s an even greater focus on his
very special personality.”
Oundjian said that people had this type of reaction to Perlman
even when he (Perlman) was a youngster. And while the two met at
Juilliard in 1975, Oundjian remembers, as a youngster himself, listening to Perlman in the late 1960s. He said that the “memory still excites
me and it was well over 40 years ago!”
Oundjian suggested that Perlman’s playing in recital may not be
as rare an occasion as I might have thought, and he was right: for
example, just prior to his arrival in Toronto, Perlman will have performed several recitals in South America, also with Rohan De Silva.;
and he’s scheduled to do others in 2013 (including one here in March,
in collaboration with Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot; another story for
another column). Clearly, the man is tireless, yielding as ever to his
yrinx concerts
toronto
www.syrinxconcerts.ca
December 9, 2012
William Aide, Anya Mallinger
David Hetherington
2012-2013
Season
January 13, 2013
Peter Longworth
March 10, 2013
February 3, 2013
Kai Gleusteen
Catherine Ordronneau
Melanie Conly
Anita Krause
Peter Longworth
April 7, 2013 Trio Arkel:
Teng Li, Winona Zelenka, Marie Berard
3pm Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Avenue
Tickets $25 Students $20 info: 416-654-0877
www.totix.ca
14
thewholenote.com
thewholenote.com
15
Associates of the
Toronto Symphony
Orchestra
Sharna Searle trained as a musician and lawyer, practised a
lot more piano than law and is listings editor at The WholeNote.
She can be contacted at [email protected].
2013 Season
Subscribe to the Five Small Concert Series ~
an ideal gift for your family, friends and yourself!
Monday, January 21, 2013, 7:30 p.m.
Arnold Schoenberg Transfigured Night, Op. 4
Johannes Brahms String Sextet no 2 in G major Op.36
Monday, February 25, 2013, 7:30 p.m.
W. A. Mozart Flute Quartet No.1 in D major K285
Benjamin Britten Phantasy Quartet in F for oboe and
string trio, Op.2
Giacomo Puccini Crisantemi elegy for String Quartet
Gustav Holst Fugal Concerto for flute, oboe and strings,
op 40, No.2, H.152
Alexander Borodin String Quartet No.2 in D major
Monday, March 4, 2013, 7:30 p.m.
Ensembles from the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra
will present a varied program.
Monday, April 22, 2013, 7:30 p.m.
Franz Berwald Septet in B flat major
Ludwig van Beethoven Septet in E flat major for Strings and
Wind Op. 20
Monday, May 13, 2013, 7:30 p.m.
W. A. Mozart String Quartet No.17 in B flat major
“The Hunt” K.458
Johannes Brahms Clarinet Quintet in B minor Op.115
Five Small Concert Series: $75 / $65; single tickets $20 / $17
All Concerts at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W.
Box Office 416-282-6636
www.associates-tso.org
16
thewholenote.com
PETER SCHAAF
irrepressible joy in making music.
Concert. P.C. Ho Theatre, 5183 Sheppard St.
E., Scarborough.
I asked Oundjian about the difference in
!!November 10 8:00: NYCO Symphony
preparing for a solo recital versus a concerto.
He offered that while they are “very differOrchestra. Season Premiere. Centre for
ent activities in many ways,” in the end, “you
the Arts, St. Michael’s College School, 1515
have the violin, the technique, the ability to
Bathurst St. 7:30: Pre-concert chat.
!!November 17 8:00: York Symphony
inspire.” He then mentioned reading a novel
about performing wherein the author “wrote
Orchestra. Mozart’s Vienna: City of Music
something like, ‘a good artist expresses feeland Dreams. Trinity Anglican Church,
ings; a great artist evokes feelings in others.’”
79 Victoria St., Aurora. Also Nov 18
And so it will be when the great Itzhak
(Richmond Hill).
!!November 18 3:00: Georgian Bay
Perlman steps on stage November 18.
André Laplante, violinst Jonathan Crow
In addition to Perlman’s highly anticipated and cellist Shauna Rolston perform
Symphony. Two Clarinets and Some Strings.
Beethoven’s “Triple” Concerto with the
recital and the other concerts I’ve noted,
Meaford Hall, 12 Nelson St. E., Meaford.
TSO conducted by Peter Oundjian.
!!November 21 8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo
there are dozens and dozens more to explore
and discover in the listings. So, let’s all do our part to ensure the
Symphony Orchestra. Haydn’s Wife? First United Church, 16 William
future of live, classical music performance, whether by a symphony,
St. W., Waterloo. Also Nov 23 (Guelph), Nov 24 (Cambridge).
!!November 24 8:00: Mississauga Symphony. An die Musik. Living
a soloist, or something in between. You know what to do: Choose.
Spend. Enjoy!
Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga.
!!November 30 8:00: Ontario Philharmonic/Mooredale Concerts.
ORCHESTRAL QUICK PICKS
Majestic Brahms. Regent Theatre, 50 King St. E, Oshawa. Also Dec 4
!!November 04 2:30: Orchestra Kingston. In Concert. Salvation Army (Toronto).
!!December 01 7:00: Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra. Festive
Citadel, 816 Centennial Dr., Kingston.
!!November 04 3:00: Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. In
Music from Around the World. Salvation Army Scarborough Citadel,
2021 Lawrence Ave. E., Scarborough. 7:15: Pre-concert chat.
Concert. Centre for the Arts, St. Michael’s College School, 1515
!!December 01 8:00: Counterpoint Community Orchestra. In
Bathurst St.
!!November 10 8:00: Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra. In
Concert. Saint Luke’s United Church, 353 Sherbourne St.
!!December 07 8:00: Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra. Winter
Wonderland. Seasonal and classical favourites. Humber Valley United
Church, 76 Anglesey Blvd., Etobicoke. 7:00: Silent auction. Beat by Beat | In With the New
Learning
Listening
DAVID PERLMAN
O
f all the concerts I didn’t get out to last month the
one I regret most missing was Continuum Contemporary
Music’s October 22 program at the Music Gallery titled
“Finding Voice.”
“Communication, as well as the historical lens, is at the
core of a concert that presents two linked theatrical
works by Dutch composer Martijn Voorvelt” read the
always entertaining Continuum blurb. “[It is] based
on the tangled up story of Sir Morell MacKenzie,
inventor of the tracheotomy, and his treatment of the
mute and dying German Emperor Friedrich III.”
Because Voorvelt is a self-taught composer, drawing at will on literature and theatre, I was looking
forward to an evening of music that dipsy-doodles
across the line between genres, using sound in ways
that are more instinctual than intellectual. It was a quality that smacked me right between the eyes last year during
Vingko Globokar’s visit last season, and I was looking forward to
exploring it further: the connections between the innate musicality of
voice and the inherent storytelling capacity of music.
Training the ear to listen to new music by invoking the nuances of
spoken work — cadence, intonation, pitch, pace — seemed like a fine
topic for a rainy day, and may well still be. But I will have to proceed
without my prime example, and I’m sorry for it.
That being said, there’s no shortage of material this month for an
exploration of the topic. For one thing, I could revisit our cover story’s
Maniac Star/Royal Conservatory November 25 co-production of Brian
Current’s Airline Icarus. (Current’s final comment on the challenge
of educating the new music audience’s ear is certainly a propos). But
let’s look for some other examples.
Nine days earlier, on November 16 and 17, in the selfsame venue, for
example, the Royal Conservatory Opera School presents a double bill
of Ned Rorem’s Three Sisters Who Are Not Sisters and Joseph Vézina’s
Le Lauréat. In Rorem’s work, in particular, drama and music seem
always shyly (or should that be slyly?) fascinated bedfellows, without
ever quite figuring out what the attraction is. Three Sisters takes for
its libretto a Gertrude Stein play of the same name and it makes
for an interesting match. Bernard Holland, in The New
York Times, Oct 1, 1994, writes about the Stein/Rorem
work, and makes the following interesting observation: “Stein’s little game of mock murder makes sense
of a sort, but making sense is not its business. It is the
arrangement of her simple declarative sentences that
pleases. Mr. Rorem’s terse music and its skillful, imitative ensembles ... successfully explain a literary art
in which form is everything and matter matters little.
Every musical gesture Ned Rorem has ever made has
something of the human voice behind it.”
“Musical gesture with the human voice behind it” is
a good description of the thing I am trySir Morell
MacKenzie. ing to describe, and it can be found across
the musical spectrum. An example: a
November 8 noonhour recital at University of Guelph College of
Arts titled “Problems with Love.” It features a consummate musical
raconteur, mezzo-soprano Patricia Green, wrapping her innate storytelling skills around “songs by Canadian composers, touching on
thewholenote.com
17
poignant and funny sides of love.” And another example: a Sunday
November 18 7:30pm presentation at the Arts and Letters Club by
the Toronto Chapter of the American Harp Society titled “A Score to
Settle,” written by K. Gonzalez-Risso, and billed as “a musical monologue for solo harp” featuring harpist and comic actress Rita Costanzi.
In entirely different ways, these performances, informed by principles as different as comedy and cabaret, offer opportunities for the
willing listener to explore how an understanding of the rituals and
cadences of storytelling can inform musical choice, no matter how
abstract, by composer and listener alike.
Choral common ground: If music theatre is the most dramatic
example of the interplay between different modes of listening, then
choral music is the most pervasive. Indeed choirs, more than almost
any other presenters, are at the forefront of commissioning new work,
of mixing repertoire across generations in the same programs, and
putting experiencing a work of music ahead of judging it as good or
bad. With an estimated 20,000 individuals participating in choirs in
The WholeNote catchment area, this is no small fact, especially given
that choristers, more so than concert band members, for example,
tend also to be avid concert-goers. Not a bad way of educating people
to broaden their
understanding of what
makes music music!
Nowhere will
you see this more
clearly illustrated
this month than in
the November 11
Soundstreams Canada
presentation of the
Latvian Radio Choir at
Koerner Hall, in a program ranging from
Rachmaninoff to Cage,
to young Canadian
composer Nic Gotham
and more.
Ruth Watson Henderson.
Or take as
another example the
November 17 Grand Philharmonic Chamber Singers’ “Made in Canada”
concert with music ranging from a new commission by Patrick
Murray to works by Healey Willan and Harry Somers. And check out
the November 10 Cantabile Chamber Singers concert titled “Lux” and
described as an “a capella concert on the themes of light, love and
night featuring works by L. Silberberg, C. Livingston and B. J. Kim.”
Or, finally, consider the November 3 University of Toronto Faculty
of Music concert titled “Choirs in Concert: When Music Sounds:
Celebrating the 80th birthday of Ruth Watson Henderson.”
Henderson, one of Canada’s pre-eminent choral composers, talks
about the links between text and music in a recent interview (on
the Choral Canada website), with Dean Jobin-Bevans, president of
Choirs Ontario.
“It is all about taking a text that I find inspiring and thinking about
how it can be presented in a way that can express some important
feelings and ideas to a large number of listeners” she says. “The most
important thing for me when I am writing is the text; if I get a good
text, then all of my ideas come from the text. I am not very good at
putting things into words, I am much better at hearing things musically, and so when I cannot express myself when speaking with words,
I find that I can express myself much better through music; by putting
ideas down on paper and writing choral works.”
Follow the Bob! Regular readers of this column will know that I
often pick a particular venue and catalogue what’s happening there as
a way of providing a cross-section of what is happpening. It’s sometimes equally instructive, though, to follow an individual musician
through a month’s worth of perambulation from one venue to another.
Take New Music Concerts’ Robert Aitken for example. The evening
of November 11 will find him at the Music Gallery, albeit in the capacity of genial host rather than performer, for a New Music Concerts
presentation of Ensemble contemporain de Montréal, Véronique
18
Lacroix, conductor, in a program titled GENERATION 2012: ECM+.
Four days earlier, he features as flutist, along with musical chameleon, accordionist Joseph Macerollo, in a Canadian Music Centre/
New Music Concerts event titled “Secret of the Seven Stars.” It’s a CD
launch, featuring works by Hope Lee and David Eagle, and providing
an early opportunity to check out the new and improved Chalmers
House performing space, one which one hopes will join the array of
fine little performance venues for cutting edge music.
And, going from little to
large, Sunday November 18
Aitken will appear as flutist
in Esprit Orchestra’s second
Véronique
Lacroix.
Koerner Hall Concert
of the season, titled
“Exquisite Vibrations,” in
a work titled Concerto for
Flute and Orchestra by
French composer MarcAndré Dalbavie.
The universities: mind
you, you can’t go wrong
by familiarizing yourself with the key venues
for new music either.
Starting with the universities, I count no
fewer than ten concerts at the University of Toronto this
month that could be of interest to new music followers, most of them at Walter Hall: November 4
there is a concert, “In Memory of Gustav,” dedicated to the works and legacy of Gustav Ciamaga,
composer, educator and electronic music pioneer;
composer/teacher Norbert Palej shows up as a composer on November 5 (in another concert featuring
accordionist Macerollo), and then on November 21
as conductor of the U of T Faculty of Music’s gamUT
Ensemble ... and the list goes on, for U of T as for
its Philosopher’s Walk neighbour to the north, the
Royal Conservatory. Same goes for York and others.
Small venues: as for the smaller venues, check out the Music
Gallery (November 10, 15, 17; December 1 and 7); Gallery 345
(November 4, 8, 10, 16, 18, 22, 23 and 27); the Tranzac (November 7,
8 and 9) for the 416 Toronto Creative Improvisers Festival; and the
Wychwood Barns on three consecutive Mondays (November 12, 19 and
26) for New Adventures in Sound Art (NAISA)’s SOUNDplay, featuring
live video music performances.
And make a special point of checking out the newest intimate space
on the map, the Array Space at 155 Walnut St. On November 19 at 7pm,
it’s a concert titled “Passport Duo,” featuring works by Hatzis, Wilson,
Forsythe and O’Connor. And on November 26 it’s the 14th in a series
of evenings of improvised music, with Array director Rick Sacks and a
roster of always interesting guests.
Subversion: I started by talking about how spoken language potentially provides different, sometimes less daunting and even enriching
access points to new music. It’s not the only tool in the shed, though.
There’s also the thoroughly mixed program (such as that promised
by Scaramella on December 1, in the Victoria College Chapel, which
offers “animal-themed music, from baroque to the 21st century”).
Or perhaps even more to the point, consider a November 9 offering from a collective, group of twenty-seven, called “The Subversion
Project” which on this occasion, at Grace Church on-the-Hill, offers
works by Beethoven, Prokofiev, Zorn and Buhr in a deliberate effort to
enable listeners to hear the familiar anew, and to modulate the strange
through the familiar.
Sounds like a fine idea, don’t you think? David Perlman has been writing this column for the past season
(and a bit) and is willing to entertain the notion that it’s someone
else’s turn. He can be reached at [email protected].
thewholenote.com
Beat by Beat | Early Music
“Purcell’s music is full of genius, craft, warmth and humour. He was
so adept at supporting the meaning of the great — and sometimes not
so great! — texts he worked with. The tunes are memorable and moving, the instrumental writing is first-rate, and the overall thrust of his
work is lively and full of humanity.”
There’s a real treat in store if you go to see them! Performances are
SIMONE DESILETS
on November 16 and 17 at the Al Green Theatre. Pre-show chats featuring Beckwith and special guests take place 45 minutes before
ovember is a month when many concert series have their seaeach show.
son openers — a good chance for me to talk about some of my
A look at the package in which Scaramella’s 2012-2013 season
favourite groups.
is wrapped will give you an idea of the artistry, ingenuity and care
Definitely in this category is Toronto Masque Theatre (TMT). This
company is touched by magic — the magic of the masque, both ancient poured into each of their concerts. Go to the opening page of the brochure or the website, and you’re spun inside
and contemporary, which they present in
on the fronds of an exquisite spiral — actually
myriad entertaining productions that fuse different aspects of the performing arts; since
a photograph of a staircase inside the light2003 they’ve staged close to 25 critically
house in Eckmuhl, Brittany (reminiscent of
acclaimed multimedia productions ranging
the scroll of a musical instrument, muses artin repertoire from the late Renaissance to the
istic director Joëlle Morton). Once landed,
modern day.
you’ll find your eye alighting on a set of parTheir upcoming show, “Fairest Isle,” showticularly attractive images, each of which
cases the wealth and breadth of Purcell’s
points in some way to the overall theme of
genius with pieces drawn from his semithis season: innovation and technology — a
operas: The Fairy-Queen, Dido and Aeneas,
theme that takes on a variety of guises.
Salvador Dali & Rhino:
Scaramella’s first concert
King Arthur and The Indian Queen, along
A photo of Salvador Dali engaged in seris all about animals.
with music he composed for the Church and
ious discussion with a rhino gives some idea
Court. TMT’s press release promises that it will
of what’s in store for their first concert. It’s
be “an exhilarating combination of dance, theatre, orchestral music
all about animals and the ways that have been found to depict their
and song: a chance for audiences to glimpse the baroque splendour of sounds on musical instruments. As Morton says, “Our multi-talented
the work Purcell created for London’s theatre of the time.”
musicians will be called upon to conjure cows, horses, ducks, frogs,
Henry Purcell is obviously dear to the heart of TMT. In an ambigeese, pigs, chickens, dogs, doves, frogs, bees, sheep, a stag, a snake,
tious five-year program, they’ve produced all of Purcell’s major
cicadas and cats.” They’ll do this in a multitude of pieces, from comtheatre works, culminating in performances of, and a symposium on,
posers such as Biber, Bach, Handel and Copland to Elton John, George
King Arthur in 2009 to mark the 350th anniversary of the composHarrison, Loudon Wainwright and traditional tunes. And who are
er’s birth. Artistic director Larry Beckwith comments enthusiastically: these multi-talented performers? They include Elyssa Lefurgey-Smith
Masqued Magic
thewholenote.com
19
PHILLIPPE HALSMAN
N
internationally renowned bass viol duo Les Voix Humaines. Their
concert titled “The Sun Queen” refers to King Louis XIV’s favourite
instrument, the viola da gamba, and includes original compositions and arrangements of French chamber music of the 17th
century. This is music which (in their words) “reflects the
growing taste for private pleasures, making use of a language
which is at once moving and discreet, evoking a world
where freedom and intimacy go hand in hand.”
!!Choral concerts involving early music are well represented; here are a few of them: Cantemus Singers: “Make
We Merry!” (November 17 and 18); Georgetown Bach
Chorale: Handel’s Messiah (November 17 in Goderich,
November 18 in Brampton, November 23 and 25
in Georgetown); Melos Choir and Chamber
Orchestra: “Celebrating the Diamond Jubilee
of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II”
with Handel’s Coronation Anthems
(November 18 in Kingston);
Larkin Singers: “Bach Motets”
(November 24); Elmer Iseler
Singers: Handel’s Messiah
(November 30); Tafelmusik:
“French Baroque Christmas”
(December 5, 6, 7, 8, 9);
U of T Schola Cantorum: Handel’s
Coronation Anthems (December 7).
For details of all these and more, please
see The WholeNote’s daily listings. Simone Desilets is a long-time contributor
to The WholeNote in several capacities
who plays the viola da gamba. She can be
contacted at [email protected].
OTHERS
!!November 17 at the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society:
Canadian pianist Shoshana Telner has enjoyed a flourishing career as
soloist, chamber musician and teacher and currently teaches in the
music faculty of McMaster University. In this concert she performs
Bach’s Six Keyboard Partitas — music (described by one listener) that
puts you “within that holy moment.”
!!November 17 and 18 (Toronto), November 24 (Hamilton): Capella
Intima was founded in 2008 by the talented tenor and baroque guitarist, Bud Roach, expressly to present vocal chamber music of the 17th
century. Roach has recently been immersed in research into the lost
art of the self-accompanied singer, work that’s resulted in a beautiful
recording of secular arias by Grandi. (Go to Capella Intima’s website to hear excerpts and find out more about the project.) Some of
this music will be presented in the three upcoming performances:
intimate arias by Grandi, Sances and Strossi, featuring soprano Emily
Klassen and tenor Bud Roach, who also accompanies the songs on
baroque guitar.
!!November 18: Organist Philip Fournier came to Toronto from the
USA in 2007, bringing with him an impressive history of scholarship
and experience in the fields of organ performance and choral directorship. He gives a recital, “Organ Music of the 17th Century,” on the
magnificent three-manual mechanical action organ at The Oratory,
Holy Family Church — music by Praetorius, Sweelinck, Scheidt,
Frescobaldi, Byrd and Bach.
!!November 18: The Windermere String Quartet on period instruments continue their journey through the “Golden Age” of string
quartets with a performance dedicated to youthful works. In “Young
Blood” they play works by Mozart, Schubert and Arriaga — musical
geniuses who, by the age of 19, had already displayed their mastery of
the form. Lucky for us that they were so precocious because they had
not much time to develop: they all died tragically young.
!!November 27 also at the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society: Lovers of the viol should flock to this concert given by the
20
thewholenote.com
JANETTE BECKMAN
(baroque violin), Katherine Hill (soprano), Joëlle Morton (violas da
gamba), Sara-Anne Churchill (harpsichord) and Kirk Elliott (aptly
dubbed “one-man-band”). “Lions and Tigers and Bears, O My!” takes
place at Victoria College Chapel on December 1.
Two violinists in Toronto on the same weekend approach the performance of early music from different perspectives. November 7 to
11, one of the foremost international baroque violinists appears with
Tafelmusik: Gottfried von der Goltz began his career as a “modern” player but decided to switch to the baroque style; in so doing,
he found everything he needed to build an international career.
Now violinist and director of the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, he is
Tafelmusik’s guest in “Mozart’s World,” as soloist in the Mozart Violin
Concerto in A and as director in works by Haydn, Franz Beck and
Josef Kraus.
Also on November 11, a violinist you may have
heard last June in Toronto’s Luminato Festival
performing the solo violin role of Einstein in
Philip Glass’ opera Einstein on the Beach,
appears in recital at RCM’s Mazzoleni Hall.
Jennifer Koh is a consummate and very
thoughtful artist who believes strongly that
connections exist in all music from early to
modern, since music reflects humanity’s common experiences in every society and every age.
This conviction has led to the evolution of her project “Bach and Beyond” — a set of three recitals that
seeks to reveal the connections in solo violin
repertoire, from Bach’s six Sonatas and
Partitas through to newly commissioned works. Her recital in Toronto
is the second of these. She’ll perform two solo works by Bach,
plus the Bartók Solo Sonata and
a world premiere: Kline’s Partita
Jennifer Koh.
for Solo Violin, written for her.
Beat by Beat | Choral Scene
Repeat After Me
BEN STEIN
COURTESY CMC
P
aintings and sculptures occupy physical space. Da Vinci’s
Mona Lisa and Michelangelo’s David reside in the Louvre in
perpetuity, guarded and revered, physical manifestations of
“great art” in a hallowed space, ready for us to come and venerate.
Music, by contrast, is a manipulation of sound and time and lives
in our minds and ears. Music is a physical experience not a physical
object. Without our minds and ears to translate, it cannot exist.
Music needs to be iterated and reiterated to continue to live. The
giants of the musical canon seem inviolate and firmly rooted, but even
established musical giants have been as subject to trend and fashion
as any other musician. Bach needed Mendelssohn to reintroduce his
work to the world. Mahler’s work was headed for obscurity when it
was championed by musical lion Leonard Bernstein. Vivaldi’s inescapable Four Seasons was actually a forgotten work at the beginning of
the 20th century. Its rise in popularity corresponded with the rise of
recording technology and turned a relatively obscure composer into a
household name.
Because of its need to be constantly renewed, music is subject to the
world’s often wayward and chaotic currents of artistic fashion (as is
literature, theatre and architecture). Economics, technology, trend and
fashion play a greater role in shaping our tastes than we understand or
will admit to.
In Canada, a young nation swamped by European and American
cultural and economic influence, we are continually reminding
ourselves and each other that what we create here is worthy of advocacy. Canadian musicians whose careers may not have extended past
national or even regional borders need and deserve our continued
interest and awareness, especially after they are no longer in a position to promote themselves.
Barnes: One such composer is
Milton Barnes who had a rich and
varied career centred in Southern
Ontario but ranging over North
America. He had fruitful associations
with many musicians, ensembles and dance companies. Trained
in modernist compositional techniques, he ultimately moved to a
more accessible style that factored
in his background as a jazz drummer, his ease with popular music
Milton Barnes.
and his knowledge of traditional
Jewish music.
Eleven years after his death, it
would be easy for Barnes’ work to pass into disuse — new composers are fighting for space in a crowded local and global market and
Canadian artistic history is so young it is hard to conceive of it as a
tradition to be fostered, celebrated and renewed.
So it is good to see two Toronto choirs collaborating in a concert
The Rose of Christmas
Featuring “Fantasia on Christmas Carols”
by R. Vaughan Williams, accompanied by British organist
Peter Andrew Barley, (Limerick Cathedral)
plus community carolling & “O Holy Night” by candlelight
Fred Kimball Graham, (Music Director)
Sunday December 9 at 7 p.m.
Eglinton St George’s United Church, 35 Lytton Blvd at Duplex
Freewill offering to benefit “Out of the Cold”
416-481-1141 ext 250, or www.esgunited.org
thewholenote.com
21
in part devoted to Barnes’ music. The Jubilate Singers have consistently created unusual and inventive programs. The Jewish Folk Choir
is one of Toronto’s most long-running groups and has a long, varied
and fascinating history of social and political engagement. It has been
a staunch advocate for Jewish-Canadian music.
The two groups’ collaboration is named “L’khayim: A Celebration
of Jewish Music,” and takes place on November 25. The concert showcases works in Yiddish, Ladino (a linguistic amalgam of Hebrew,
Spanish and Aramaic influences) and Hebrew. Klezmer ensemble
Shtetl Shpil are the guest instrumentalists. It will feature Barnes’ lively
Sefarad, a tuneful suite that he wrote in 1996 to celebrate the 3,000th
anniversary of the City of Jerusalem.
Soundstreams: Contemporary composition has also needed fierce
advocacy, in part because of the fierceness with which audiences have
resisted it. Over the course of the 20th century, the idea of the inherent superiority of European-derived composition has broken down
completely and those who desire an intellectual component to music
have been able to find it in various types of world music, jazz and
other areas of popular music.
To remain relevant, contemporary music groups have had to
bridge gaps between the European tradition and other stylistic areas.
Toronto’s Soundstreams, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this
year, has never wavered from its contemporary music mandate. But it
has certainly expanded both its own and its audience’s understanding of what contemporary music entails. Their programs are notably
free of pretension and over-seriousness; their mandate to involve
and inspire young musicians gives their season a sense of liveliness
and fun.
As part of its anniversary celebrations, Soundstreams is hosting
a concert with the Latvian Radio Choir, considered to be one of the
world’s top choral ensembles. A truly professional outfit, they give
over 60 concerts a year. Choral aficionados definitely don’t want to
miss this one.
The icing on the cake: as part of its commitment to outreach
and education, Soundstreams will host four choirs from Canadian
universities for this concert which will allow young musicians the
experience of working with the Latvian Radio Choir in a mentorship
capacity. The concert includes a number of Russian and Latvian works,
A CHORUS
CHRISTMAS
– DANCING DAYS
Sat. Dec. 15 2:00 p.m.
Roy omson Hall
Alumni carolling
in the Lobby from 1:15 p.m.
This annual holiday favourite
will feature all choirs of the TCC and
PETER MAHON
our Alumni Choir performing a joyous
Sales Representative
seasonal repertoire. Guest artists
416-322-8000
Judy Loman (harp), Andy Morris (percussion),
Chris Dawes (organ), and The True North Brass
[email protected]
www.petermahon.com
will join with us to celebrate
our 35th Anniversary season.
For Tickets Call 416-872-4255 www.roythomson.com
22
thewholenote.com
NIKO TAVERNISE COURTESY EONE FILMS
Moonrise Kingdom:
Listening to Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
a piece by John Cage and music by a nice range of contemporary
Canadian composers.
OTHER CONCERTS OF NOTE
On November 3 the Hamilton Children’s Choir gives a fundraising concert in support of the choir’s performance at the Xinghai
International Choir Championships. Please come out and support
this endeavour.
On November 17 and 18 the Cantemus Singers
perform an early music program that includes
Charpentier’s In Nativitatem Domini.
The recent Wes Anderson film Moonrise
Kingdom (now available on DVD) brilliantly utilized the music of Benjamin Britten throughout,
including Britten’s wonderful and popular children’s opera Noye’s Fludde. On November 23
there is an opportunity to hear this work live,
as the VIVA! Youth Singers take part in a
staged version.
In a similar vein, the Elora Festival Singers
perform Menotti’s festive Amahl and the Night
Visitors on November 25. This opera is a touching
and humorous work and an excellent introduction to opera for children.
As we head into the Christmas season, many
choirs gear up for seasonal concerts. Next
month, there is an astonishing number of concerts taking place on
December 1, too many to list effectively. Please have a look at the listings to see how many varied and interesting choices there are on that
Saturday evening. Ben Stein is a Toronto tenor and theorbist.
He can be contacted at [email protected].
Visit his website at benjaminstein.ca.
The Elmer Iseler Singers
Lydia Adams, Conductor
Handel’s Messiah
Friday, November 30, 2012 at 8:00 pm
Metropolitan United Church
56 Queen Street East, Toronto (at Bond Street)
We welcome you to this yearly
tradition of presenting Handel’s
“text painted” sacred oratorio,
which was written in just 24 days
to the libretto of Charles Jennens.
Join us for a pre-concert dinner at the
historic Albany Club for $55 per person.
Phone 416-217-0537 to reserve.
Special Guest Artists:
The Amadeus Choir, Lydia Adams, Conductor
Leslie Fagan, Soprano; Lynne McMurtry, Mezzo Soprano
Colin Ainsworth, Tenor; Geoffrey Sirett, Bass
Robert Venables and Robert DiVito, Trumpets
Patricia Wright, Organist; and Orchestra
Leslie Fagan
Soprano
Lynne McMurtry
Mezzo Soprano
Colin Ainsworth
Tenor
Geoffrey Sirett
Bass
Tickets: $55; Seniors $50; Students $20
416-217-0537 www.elmeriselersingers.com
ONTARIO ARTS COUNCIL
CONSEIL DES ARTS DE L’OTARIO
Canada Council
for the Arts
Conseil des Arts
du Canada
thewholenote.com
23
On Singers and
Their Teachers
HANS DE GROOT
A
s the latin epigram has it, Poeta nascitur, non fit: “a poet is
born, not made.” Is that also true of singers? Up to a point, yes.
When one hears outstanding artists like Karina Gauvin or Colin
Ainsworth, one senses that there is an innate musicality which would
simply have to come out. Yet a young raw talent will not be ready for a
solo career, not even Ainsworth (who studied
with Darryl Edwards) or Gauvin (who while
still a teenager studied with Catherine Robbin,
later with Marie Daveluy in Montreal and
Pamela Bowden in Glasgow).
There are several institutions in Toronto
and elsewhere in Ontario that offer training to young singers. In the Faculty of Music
at the University of Toronto, Darryl Edwards
is the head of voice studies and Lorna
MacDonald holds the Lois Marshall chair. The
university directory lists another ten voice
instructors; they include a very senior figure in Mary Morrison along with well-known
Wendy Nielsen,
musicians such as Jean MacPhail and Nathalie right, with Kristina
Paulin. There are also teachers of diction and
Szabó in the
pianists who provide vocal coaching. One
Vancouver Opera’s
2011 production
will be able to get a sense of what the university offers in the Tuesday performance classes of La Clemenza
di Tito.
for singers in the Edward Johnson Building
on November 6, 20, 27 and December 4 at
Walter Hall from 12:10pm to 1pm and also
in the masterclasses with Edith Wiens in
the Macmillan Theatre November 5 from 4pm to 6pm and Adrianne
Pieczonka in Walter Hall (art songs November 14 at 7pm; operatic
arias on November 15 at noon).
York University also has an extensive teaching program for singers.
Catherine Robbin is the director of the classical voice studies program and other teachers include Stephanie Bogle, Norma Burrowes
and Janet Obermeyer. On November 20 baritone Peter McGillivray will
give a masterclass from 11:30am to 2:30pm and he will be followed
by soprano Wendy Nielsen on November 23 from 11:30am to 4pm.
Both events will be at the Tribute Communities Recital Hall, Accolade
East Building.
Other strong music faculties in Ontario are those of Wilfrid Laurier
University in Waterloo (Kimberley Barber, Leslie Fagan, Brandon
Leis, Daniel Lichti) and the University of Western Ontario in London
(Gwenlynn Little, Anita Krause, Frédérique Vézina and many others).
In London there will be workshops for singers and vocal masterclasses on November 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 in Talbot College, Room 100 at
1:30pm, a voice studio recital by Gloria Gassi on November 9 at 6pm
and a masterclass with Adrianne Pieczonka on December 1 from noon
to 2pm, both events in von Kuster Hall, UWO Music Building.
Not all singers go through a university degree in music. Isabel
Bayrakdarian, who has a degree in engineering, studied with
MacPhail, her first and only teacher. MacPhail has a very impressive
teaching record: Wallis Giunta was another of her students and it was
MacPhail who turned Giunta, an aspiring soprano, into a mezzo. She
also taught Miriam Khalil and, among the most recent generation of
singers, Erin Bardua, Beste Kalender, Sara Schabas and Taylor Strande.
A complaint I have heard from voice students is that academic
programs are often so dominated by the requirements of the curriculum that there is not enough time for vocal technique or points of
24
interpretation. Clearly there is a lot to be said for the sustained pupilteacher relationship that Gauvin enjoyed with Robbin or Bayrakdarian
with MacPhail. An alternative to study in a university program (or
possibly a supplement) is offered by the Glenn Gould School at the
Royal Conservatory. Here teachers include MacPhail (of course) and
many other distinguished artists such as Ann Monoyios, Roxolana
Roslak and Monica Whicher. Vocal coaching is provided by Rachel
Andrist and Brahm Goldhamer. Some indication of the quality of
advanced students will be given this month by an evening of opera on
November 16 and 17 in Mazzoleni Concert Hall at 7:30pm. (Later this
season there will be a concert of opera arias and songs on February 2
in Mazzoleni Concert Hall as well as the annual staged opera in
Koerner Hall on March 20 and 22).
What happens after a music degree or a conservatory diploma?
Toronto Summer Music and the Toronto Summer Opera Lyric Theatre
and Research Centre offer further training as does the graduate diploma program offered by the Opera School at the University of Toronto.
Some of the best young singers will be able
to enter the Ensemble Studio of the Canadian
Opera Company. The Aldeburgh Connection
and Opera in Concert will always be looking for emerging talents; amateur choirs will
need soloists. Yet the road towards a full-time
professional career is not always easy, even
for the most talented singers. One hopes that
newly emerging singers will not have to go to
Europe to have a career as has happened in
the past with Lilian Sukis, James McLean and
(until recently) Adrianne Pieczonka.
SOME OTHER EVENTS
On November 8 at 2pm Annamaria Eisler will
perform a free concert of songs by Marlene
Dietrich at the Toronto Public Library, 40
Orchard Blvd.
On November 16 artists of the U of T
Faculty of Music with guest Adrianne
Pieczonka, soprano, will present “An
Evening of Song,” a free concert at 7:30pm in
Walter Hall.
At the Glenn Gould Studio on November 18 Off Centre Music Salon
presents “American Salon: Syncopated City – The Magic of New York,”
with works by Sondheim, Gershwin, Bernstein and others, with
soloists Sarah Halmarson and Ilana Zarankin, sopranos, and Vasil
Garvanliev, baritone.
There will be a free concert at Walter Hall at 12:10pm on
November 22. Lorna MacDonald soprano, with Susan Hoeppner, flute,
Stephen Philcox, piano, and Peter Stoll, clarinet, will perform music
by Gaveux, Roussel, Beckwith, Hoiby, Corigliano and Cook.
On November 25 at 2pm in Mazzoleni Concert Hall, Carla Huhtanen
will be one of the soloists in a concert performance of Brian Current’s
opera-oratorio Airline Icarus. (See cover story.)
Also on November 25 Danielle Dudycha, soprano, and Martin Dubé,
piano, will perform works by Rachmaninoff, Poulenc, Dvorak, de Falla
and Duparc at Gallery 345 at 8pm.
On November 28 John Holland, baritone, and William Shookhoff,
thewholenote.com
ALEX WATERHOUSE-HAYWARD
Beat by Beat | Art of Song
piano, will perform works by Ravel, Donizetti, Dvorak, Mozart and
others at 7:30pm in the Heliconian Hall.
On November 29 from 6pm to 8pm the Canadian Opera Company
will hold its second Annual Ensemble Studio Competition in the
Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre.
The Messiah season will be upon us in December but the Elmer
Iseler Singers are anticipating the annual flood by presenting their
performance on November 30 in the Metropolitan United Church
at 8pm. The soloists will be Leslie Fagan, Lynne McMurtry, Colin
Ainsworth and Geoffrey Sirett.
In Walter Hall on December 2 at 2:30pm the Aldeburgh Connection
will be giving its second concert of the season with “Madame
Bizet: from Carmen to Proust.” The singers are Nathalie Paulin and
Brett Polegato.
On December 2 Carolyn Hague, soprano, and Marie-Line Ross,
piano, will perform songs from musical theatre and from the classical
repertoire in the Heliconian Hall at 2pm.
On December 4 the Canadian Opera Company, in its free vocal series, will present arias and duets inspired by the Brothers Grimm in the
Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at 12 noon.
On December 7 at 7:30pm Aurélie Cormier, soprano, and Bruno
Cormier, baritone, will offer a free recital of French carols and other
Christmas music at the Newman Centre.
AND BEYOND THE GTA
On November 8 at noon Patricia Green, mezzo-soprano, will be the
soloist in a free program of love songs by Canadian composers in the
Goldschmidt Room, 107 MacKinnon Building, University of Guelph.
On November 25 Monica Whicher, soprano, and Judy Loman, harp,
will give a concert at Trinity United Church in Huntsville at 2pm. Hans de Groot is a concert-goer and active listener,
who also sings and plays the recorder.
Beat by Beat | On Opera
More to the Mix
Than Mainstage
CHRISTOPHER HOILE
N
ovember sees the continuation of the large scale operas that
opened in October from the Canadian Opera Company and
Opera Atelier and adds to the mix fully staged operas from
smaller companies and opera schools. Enriching the month still further is the impressive number and variety of operas in concert — some
with orchestra, some with piano.
The operas continuing from October are Johann Strauss’s Die
Fledermaus and Opera Atelier’s period instrument production of
Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz, both of which conclude
on November 3. For a fully staged professional opera production
the next option is Opera York’s staging of Verdi’s La Traviata on
November 1 and 3 at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing
Arts (operayork.com). Mirela Tafaj is Violetta, Ricardo Iannello is
Alfredo and Jeffrey Carl is Germont. Sabatino Vacca conducts and
Penny Cookson directs. The wood-lined auditorium of the Richmond
Hill Centre seats only 600 and makes an ideal venue for opera.
Opera Schools: For other fully staged opera performances one has
to look to the various opera schools busy preparing the stars of tomorrow. The University of Toronto Faculty of Music Opera Division (music.
utoronto.ca) is presenting Gaetano Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’amore from
November 22 to 25. The work, one of the most popular of all comic
operas, hasn’t been seen fully staged in Toronto since 1999. It tells of
GIOACHINO ROSSINI
ARMIDA
in Italian with English Surtitles
IN TE NSE . V IR TUOSIC . F IE RY.
A C A NA DI A N PR E MIERE.
Edgar Ernesto Ramírez, Raphaëlle Paquette,
Michael Ciufo, Christopher Mayell
Michael Rose, Music Director
Robert Cooper, Chorus Director
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2:30 PM
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL
ORLANDO
in Italian with English Surtitles
David Trudgen, Virginia Hatfield, The Aradia Ensemble
Kevin Mallon, Conductor
SU NDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2:30 PM
thewholenote.com
25
Burgos. The program also includes Beethoven’s Symphony No.8.
Those who seek out new music need look no further than the
Canadian premiere of Airline Icarus by award-winning composer
Brian Current on November 25. Co-presented by the Royal
Conservatory, where Current has been a faculty member since 2006,
Airline Icarus is an opera-oratorio about the intersecting thoughts
of passengers on a flight aboard a commercial airline. It is scored for
nine musicians and nine singers. In 2005 it won Italy’s international
Premio Fedora Award. Last year Current conducted the first fully
staged performance in Verbania, Italy. The Toronto performance will
include such well-known singers as Carla Huhtanen, Krisztina Szabó
and Alexander Dobson. Jennifer Parr is the stage director and Current
conducts. The Canada Council and the Ontario Arts Council will help
fund a recording of the work.
In Concert(2): This
month opera in concert
with piano accompaniment is especially well
represented.Those
who seek out rarities
by well-known composers should head
to the performance
of Rossini’s Armida
(1817) by VOICEBOX:
Opera in Concert
(operainconcert.
com) on
November 25. Toronto opera-goers are
probably most familiar with the story from the
presentations of Lully’s French baroque opera
Armide (1686) staged by Opera Atelier earlier
this year and in 2005. The plot of Rossini’s
Armida is inspired by the same sections of
Torquato Tasso’s epic poem Gerusalemme
Liberata as Lully’s Armide. It should be fascinating to see how Rossini approaches the
Beste Kalender, who appears in the upcoming Glenn Gould School production material. The work fell into neglect until 1952
of Three Sisters Who Are Not Sisters, is shown, far right, in the Glenn Gould when Maria Callas appeared in its first modSchool 2011 production of The Magic Flute. Inset: Sandra Horst, conductor of ern production. Since then June Anderson
the University of Toronto Faculty of Music Opera Division’s L’Elisir d’amore.
and Renée Fleming have sung the title role.
course of the 35-minute work, four of the five characters are killed or
For VOICEBOX, Raphaëlle Paquette takes on Armida, Edgar Ernesto
found dead, yet at the end the voices of all five are heard. They wonder, Ramirez sings Rinaldo, Christopher Mayell is Goffredo and Michael
“Did we act it? Are we dead?” Coincidentally, or not, the only character Ciufo is Genardo. Michael Rose is the music director and pianist.
to remain alive tells the others that it is time to sleep, raising the ques- Robert Cooper directs the chorus.
tion of whether the action we’ve seen is real or imagined.
While Opera In Concert has been around since 1974, Toronto Opera
Le Lauréat is one of three opéras comiques along with Le Rajah
Collective (torontooperacollaborative.com) will embark on its first
(1910) and Le Fétiche (1912) that Vézina completed before his death.
season with a performance of Beethoven’s Fidelio on November 10
Vézina is perhaps best known as the conductor of the first-ever perat the Bloor Street United Church. Kristine Dandavino sings the title
formance of “O Canada” in 1880. The libretto by Félix-Gabriel
role, Jason Lamont is Florestan and Michael Robert-Broder is the vilMarchand (the 11th premier of Quebec) concerns the love of Paul and
lainous Don Pizarro. Nichole Bellamy is the pianist and conductor.
Pauline, who are about to graduate from university. Pauline howFor quite a different style of German opera, Essential Opera (essenever, is penniless, and Paul’s uncle threatens to disinherit him should
tialopera.com) begins its third season on November 7 with The
he marry her. The situation is saved by a deus ex machina in the
Threepenny Opera by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht. Jeremy Ludwig
form of a letter containing new information about Pauline. For both
sings Macheath, Maureen Batt is Polly, Erin Bardua is Lucy, David Roth
works Peter Tiefenbach is music director and Ashlie Corcoran is the
is Peachum, Heather Jewson is Mrs. Peachum and James Levesque is
stage director.
the Narrator. Cathy Nosaty is the music director, pianist and accordionist. The performance in German and English takes place at
In Concert(1): For those who enjoy operas in concert with orchestra, there are two attractive choices. On November 1 and 3, the Toronto Heliconian Hall in Yorkville.
Finally, Opera by Request (operabyrequest.ca), where the singSymphony Orchestra (tso.ca) presents the hour-long, one-act opera
ers choose the repertory, has a wide range of operas in concert
La vida breve (1913) by Manuel de Falla (1876–1946) in Spanish with
English surtitles. The all-Spanish cast includes mezzo-sopranos Nancy on offer. On November 3 it presents Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’amore,
on November 9 Mozart’s Don Giovanni, on November 16 and 25
Fabiola Herrera, Cristina Faus and Aidan Ferguson, along with flaTchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and on November 17 Bizet’s Les
menco musicians and dancer Núria Pomares. The libretto written
Pêcheurs des perles. All performances, except Onegin on the 16th,
by Carlos Fernández-Shaw in Andalusian dialect concerns the gypsy
take place at the College Street United Church and are conducted by
Salud (Herrera) who is in love with the wealthy man Paco. He has led
her on, not telling her he is already engaged to be married to a woman the indefatigable William Shookhoff from the piano. of his own class. Salud’s uncle and grandmother know Paco’s secret
and try to dissuade Salud from interrupting Paco’s wedding. But all
Christopher Hoile is a Toronto-based writer on opera and
is in vain and tragedy results. The conductor is Rafael Frühbeck de
theatre. He can be contacted at [email protected].
NICOLA BETTS
the naive peasant Nemorino, who attempts to woo a wealthy young
woman with the help of a love potion (only alcohol) bought from a
visiting charlatan. Sandra Horst, best known as the chorus master for
the COC, is the conductor; Michael Patrick Albano directs.
Over at the Royal Conservatory, the Glenn Gould School (performance.rcmusic.ca) has quite an unusual double bill on offer. On
November 16 and 17 the students present Three Sisters Who Are Not
Sisters (1968) by American composer Ned Rorem (born 1923) and
Le Lauréat (1906) by Québécois composer François-Joseph Vézina
(1849-1924). For Three Sisters, a 1943 play by Gertrude Stein provides
the libretto. The work is a nonlinear murder mystery about three sisters (who are not sisters since they are orphans) and two brothers
(who are brothers) who decide to play a game of murder. During the
26
thewholenote.com
Beat by Beat | Music Theatre
Small Pleasures
ROBERT WALLACE
W
ith just three seasons under its belt, Toronto’s Angelwalk
Theatre has built a record of success that makes it a company to watch. Dedicated to producing “off-Broadway”
musical theatre that integrates established Canadian professionals with emerging artists, the resident company of the Studio
Theatre at the Toronto Centre for the Arts has accumulated 11 Dora
Mavor Moore nominations and
garnered accolades from audiences and critics alike — most
recently, two Dora nominations for I Love You Because, a
musical I discussed in this column last April. Producing just
two shows per season, the
not-for-profit enterprise commits its modest resources
to small scale, characterdriven shows whose minimal
instrumentation and spare
staging work to maximum
effect. The company’s production of Ordinary Days
that opens on November 29
for a two-week run provides a perfect example,
with one important caveat:
the show is co-produced
with the Winnipeg Studio
Theatre (WST), a signal that
Kayla Gordon, WST artistic director.
Angelwalk is branching out.
Ordinary Days, a one-act musical by American writer and composer Adam Gwon, premiered to mixed reviews in a production by
New York’s Roundabout Theatre in 2009 where it caught the attention of Brian Goldenberg, artistic producer of Angelwalk, and Kayla
Gordon, artistic director of WST, a company whose mandate resembles Angelwalk’s except that it includes plays as well as musicals. The
two first connected via Altar Boyz, a musical comedy by Gary Adler
and Michael Patrick Walker about a fictitious Christian boy band, that
their companies produced separately. By the time they discovered
Ordinary Days, “We had come to a decision that we wanted to produce something together,” Goldenberg tells me. “It was just a question
of what.” Gordon adds, “We’ve been trying to find just the right project for a while.”
With a cast of four, a contemporary urban setting, an innovative
score, and an emphasis on character, Ordinary Days fits the aesthetic
of both companies to a T. For Gordon, the show “takes us somewhere
new mainly because so much of the story is told through songs ... . It
has a very contemporary feel to it, much like the work of Jason Robert
Brown ... .” Goldenberg agrees with her comparison and he should
know: he produced Brown’s The Last Five Years in Angelwalk’s inaugural season and staged the American composer’s Songs for a New
World in March 2011. (Toronto audiences also may remember Brown’s
Parade that Acting Up Stage Company co-produced with Studio 180
Theatre in January 2011). “The music is stunning,” Goldenberg says of
Ordinary Days, before admitting that it was Gwon’s lyrics that really
sold him on the show. “Gwon creates characters through songs with
some of his lyrics working like dialogue. He’s not afraid to push the
boundaries of musical theatre — but gently, without flash.” The same
might be said of Angelwalk itself.
Ordinary Days tells two stories simultaneously, using a pair of trajectories that have two separate couples affecting each other without
crossing paths. For Charles Isherwood, a critic at the New York Times,
the result is “a sad-sweet comment on the anonymity of life in the city,
where it is possible to change other people’s fates without actually
getting to meet them.” The older couple, Claire (Clara Scott) and Jason
(Jay Davis), struggle to maintain their relationship after moving in
together and discovering that each has more baggage than they realized. More interesting is the odd couple bonding of Warren (Justin
Bott), a gay would-be artist, and Deb (Connie Manfreddi), a graduate
student writing a dissertation on the novels of Virginia Woolf. After
Warren finds (and reads) Deb’s lost notebook, he arranges to return
it to her at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Repeatedly, Gwon places
his quartet of lost souls inside the Met where, in “song after song,
[they] struggle to pull their way into rapturous melody, paralleling
their struggles to cement a place in the cement jungle,” as Bob Verini
writes in Variety. Viewing painting after painting, the characters
reveal the particularities of their ordinary lives like so many pointillist
dots on an impressionist canvas. “What am I doing here?” one of
them asks. The question haunts the show.
For Kayla Gordon, who directs as well as co-produces the
piece, the charm of Ordinary Days lies in the characters’ search
for space within intimacy, calm within disorder. “It’s a universal
subject in our busy lives,” she says, “taking the time to look at the
little joyous things in life, and to appreciate them more.” Her challenge as director is “to create the stillness of those special moments
of discovery — the feeling of a person standing and admiring a
piece of art while the whole world is erupting around them ... to
find that special moment of introspection.” This requires that the
cast “keep all the stories as honest as possible,” and that she connect
“all the many facets of the characters’ lives in a fluid way, so as not to
stop the momentum ... .”
Ordinary Days is a genuine co-production. Rather than merely
combine their budgets and place one company in charge, the two
small theatres have amalgamated creative resources to achieve
an equitable split of time and talent. The production premieres in
Winnipeg on November 21 in the Tom Hendry Warehouse Space of the
thewholenote.com
27
Beat by Beat | World View
Manitoba Theatre Centre (MTC) where Winnipeg native Paul DeGurse,
as musical director, will use orchestrations by Joseph Aragon, whose
musical Bloodless: The Trial of Burke and Hare I discussed in my column last month. Instrumentation includes piano, cello and violin.
The set and costumes for the show are designed by Torontonian Scott
Penner who, like lighting designer Siobhan Sleath, created the imaginative set of I Love You Because for Angelwalk last season. Unlike
ANDREW TIMAR
that set, this one will be built professionally in the shop of MTC then
shipped from Winnipeg after
erhaps one of the most unexpected venues for regular world
the show’s brief run there in
music performance in our town is the Richard Bradshaw
time for the Toronto opening.
Amphitheatre at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Gordon acknowledges the
Arts. As a performance space it is both casually chic and spatially flexchallenge of “mounting the
ible. This month, with two concerts scheduled, I thought it would
show in a space in Winnipeg
be an opportune time to examine both the institutional framework
and then taking it to a smaller and artistic talent which serves up this perennially bountiful world
venue in Toronto,” but she
music smorgasbord.
considers that “it will keep
The COC has hosted a noon hour World Music concert series since
the show fresh, which is great its inaugural season in 2006, an integral component of their larger serfor the actors.” Goldenberg
ies of free concerts. Its ambition as noted in a COC press communiqué
sees other benefits of a
is to “reflect in its programming the richness of Toronto’s cultural fabric
co-production that is “artisand create an opportunity for people to experience the artistic exceltically-driven.” Noting that
lence and cultural diversity of the city.” Over the past seven years it has
“cost savings are incidental,”
become a dependable showcase for international music, very often perhe suggests that “the primary
formed by top musicians who make their home in the GTA.
benefit to both companies is
If success can be measured by audience attendance then the World
Adam Gwon,
the
exposure
that
our
artists
Music
concert series is a runaway hit; whenever I’ve attended there has
writer and composer
appeared to be a full house. COC stats show that some 15,000 people
of Ordinary Days. gain in a different city,” and
he muses about how it might
annually enjoy the various free concerts on offer from September to
“open doors” to opportunities
June. This is no mere fluke. Obvious care has been put into the curation
for all of them. But perhaps the biggest winners in this undertakof the series, reflecting both what our performing artists are producing
ing are the audiences in Winnipeg and Toronto for each of whom the
today and what will convince audiences to make the trek at noon to witshow will introduce a new company, as well as a new musical. By
ness in person. If success can be measured by community engagement
expanding horizons and combining resources, Angelwalk and WST
then a compelling case can readily be made for the concerts’ collective
are helping to widen Canada’s musical theatre community in both
breadth and depth. It’s personally satisfying to see that Nina Draganic,
size and vision.
the programming director of the free World Music concert series, has
Fundraisers: One of the methods that small companies such as
not forgotten the often neglected “c” word — challenge — in the rush to
Angelwalk use to build funding and raise awareness for their work is
maximize patron numbers.
the celebrity showcase. Earlier this year, Angelwalk produced Dianne
This season the series encompasses nine diverse concerts embraand Me, a solo show that was a hit at the 2011 Vancouver Fringe
cing music blanketing the earth. I counted music from South Asia, East
Festival. A portrait of mothers, daughters and the sacrifices they make, Asia, Western Europe, the Caucasus, North Africa, South America and
the tiny musical starred award-winning actress, Elena Juatco (I Love
the Caribbean.
You Because; Canadian Idol top 10 finalist). Next February, the comOn November 6 under the rubric “Many Strings Attached: Spotlight
pany offers something more ambitious — “Villains and Vixens,” a
on Sarangi” Aruna Narayan, a pioneering sarangi virtuosa, headconcert featuring songs by some of the most infamous characters
lines at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre. The sarangi is a North
in musical theatre, from Javert in Les Misérables to Sally Bowles in
Indian bowed 39-string instrument of considerable vintage, its playCabaret, all performed by Angelwalk stalwarts.
ing technique challenging to tackle and supremely difficult to master.
This month, Acting Up Stage Company mounts a similar one–night
Ms. Narayan, the only woman to play this instrument professionally, is
only fundraiser on November 26 in Koerner Hall at the Telus Centre
the daughter of the renowned sarangi master Pandit Ram Narayan. He
for Performing and Learning. “Tapestries: The Music of Carole King
single-handedly established the sarangi, formerly exclusively used to
and James Taylor” continues the tradition of compilation concerts
accompany vocalists, as a soloist in Hindustani classical music. She will
that Acting Up introduced several years ago, a hit series that includes
perform in the classical khyal manner a concert of ragas selected from
such sold out concerts such as “Both Sides Now,” a celebration of the
those appropriate to the time of day, accompanied by the drummed
songs of Joni Mitchell and “Long and Winding Road,” a tribute to the
metric framework provided by the tabla and by the tambura, the
music of Lennon and McCartney. Under the stellar music direction of
plucked string instrument that establishes the indispensable drone
Reza Jacobs, these one-off evenings showcase some of the best perthroughout the performance.
formers currently working in Canadian musical theatre. “Tapestries,”
What is she doing when not performing at the COC? Narayan mainfor example, will present performances by Bruce Dow, Cynthia Dale,
tains an active sarangi teaching atelier at her home just north of the city
Arlene Duncan, Jake Epstein, Sara Farb, Kelly Holiff, Sterling Jarvis,
and teaches it at regional schools. She also keeps up an international
Amanda LeBlanc, Eden Richmond, and Josh Young, among others.
concert career, having appeared in recent years with her father at the
Blurring distinctions between cabaret, musical theatre and pop conBBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall and on India’s Doordarshan TV, as well as
certs, these evenings feature original orchestrations and new vocal
premiering the sarangi part in Nolan Ira Gasser’s World Cello for Cello
arrangments (also by Reza Jacobs) that foreground the performers’
and Orchestra with the Oakland East Bay Symphony. Nor has Narayan
voices and talents in a format that appeals to a wide audience. To add
neglected home town audiences in her globetrotting. She’s appeared
panache to the procedings, Elenna Mosoff oversees continuity and
in the Music Gallery’s World Avant series, and crossed yet more
staging. While the affair is informal, it is by no means casual in its
musical borders in her 2007 performance with Toronto’s Tafelmusik
approach. Consider it my hot tip for the month. Baroque Orchestra in a novel intercultural interpretation of Vivaldi’s
Four Seasons.
Based in Toronto, Robert Wallace writes about
Darbazi: November 13 the COC’s World Music concert series presents
theatre and performance. He can be contacted at
the Darbazi Georgian Choir directed by the charismatic tenor Shalva
[email protected].
Makharashvili. The title of the concert, “Gideli,” means a grape har-
Unexpectedly
CHRIS MUELLER
P
28
thewholenote.com
Armenian double reed instrument, accompanied by Raisa Orshansky
on tsimbaly, a trapezoidal hammer dulcimer from Belarus and
Ukraine. Kotov’s arrangements of European classical instrumentals,
jazz standards, blues, Broadway and film music serve as a basis for his
improvisatory style of playing the duduk.
November 10 and 11 we move musically to an island at the other end
of the globe, Japan. Toronto group Nagata Shachu, led by Kiyoshi Nagata,
performs “Work Songs” at their 14th annual live show at the Enwave
Theatre. Artistic director Kiyoshi Nagata,
whose career spans 30 years, explains: “In
Japan there is a saying, ‘Where there is work,
there is song’ ... often cheerful and uplifting.” The concert, featuring many types of
Japanese taiko, gongs, bells, wooden clappers, shakers, bamboo flutes and voice, is a
tribute to labourers, farmers and fishermen.
The Métis Fiddler Quartet plays at
the Alliance Française de Toronto on
November 24. This young bilingual FrenchEnglish group specialises in fresh and
energetic interpretations of Canadian Métis
and Native old style fiddle music passed
down by elder masters from across Canada.
This under-represented music chock full of
wit, spirit and joy is worth searching out.
Touching on a few concerts early in
December, on December 1 the Royal
Conservatory presents Amanda Martinez at
Koerner Hall. What more can I add to Metro’s assessment of Martinez’s
Canadian-Latin singer-songwriter music, “reminiscent of the Latin
songstress of days of old ... strong and defiant while soft and vulnerable.” In this concert, featuring influences of flamenco and Afro-Cuban
rhythms, bossa nova and Mexican folk music, she collaborates with
Spanish producer Javier Limón
December 6 the University of Toronto Faculty of Music stages its
annual free “World Music Ensembles Concert” at the MacMillan Theatre,
Edward Johnson Building. This year’s student ensembles include
African Drumming and Dancing directed by Ghanaian master drummer Kwasi Dunyo, Klezmer by “klezpert” Brian Katz, and Japanese Taiko
Drumming by sensei Kiyoshi Nagata. I used to attend this annual world
music roundup eagerly when younger. Just two examples of my early
discoveries were Balinese gamelan Semar Pegulingan and Southwest
Iranian coastal folk music. What in the world will you discover? Andrew Timar is a Toronto musician and music writer.
thewholenote.com
29
LUCA MAKHARASHVILI, ANDREW TIMAR
vest container. It’s not an unlikely thematic basket given that in Georgia
fall is grape harvest season and the time to make the country’s favourite beverage from its juice. Many Georgian songs praise the vineyard,
the grape and wine as divine gifts. Such songs are also characteristic of
the supra–but more of that later. The Darbazi choir’s appearance in the
COC series is a sharp counterpoint to the solo virtuoso concert tradition
exemplified by Aruna Narayan, reflecting instead a kind of music making which is community based and polyphonic,
Founded 17 years ago in Toronto, the
Darbazi ensemble passionately and exclusively focuses on performing the traditional
polyphonic music of the various regions
of Georgia, a mountainous country at the
crossroads of Europe and Asia. Darbazi’s
concerts typically mine rich repertoire
which ranges from meditative sacred
Orthodox ecclesiastical chants to exuberant
songs meant for horse riding, field working, drinking, dancing and general partying.
An exciting new feature of their recent
Toronto performances has been the addition of the Georgian dance group, Kakheti,
with their elegant couple dances and hyperextended male leaps and spins fuelled by
Toronto choir Darbazi
being fêted at a supra,
sheer machismo.
Republic of Georgia,
When not performing at the COC,
September 2012.
Darbazi — the core of which is composed
of three women and seven men — does its
share of gigs which include Toronto’s Fete de la Musique and First Night,
Montreal’s World Music Festival, concerts in St. John’s, Newfoundland
and New York City. Yet over the years, no matter the gigs on the table,
the choir has been on a quest for an ever deeper understanding of the
place of music in Georgian heritage and identity. Furthering this key
mission, Darbazi returned last month from its latest visit to the Georgian
motherland where they learned new song repertoire from legendary Georgian cantors. They were also featured performers at the Recital
Hall of the Conservatoire in the country’s capital, Tbilisi, appeared on
the Georgian TV channel, Imedi, and were feted at several supras — that
most Georgian of feasts — a key site for social and cultural interactions.
Back in Toronto Darbazi also does weddings, baby showers and funerals.
I’ve attended a number of Darbazi-powered Toronto supras. In fact an
impromptu supra-like moment sprang up at one of my recent birthday
parties. I always felt it was at these community events — after the staged
concert — that these songs came to vivid, palpable life.
Other Concert Picks: At the top of the month is the Day of the Dead
Festival, Mexico’s celebration of all that has passed, especially one’s
ancestors — our Halloween. Harbourfront Centre is marking it with a
wide range of daytime cultural events on November 3 and 4. Musical
performers at the York Quay Centre include the guitarist Pedro Montejo,
the Café Con Pan group, Jorge Salazar, Viva Mexico Mariachi and
Jorge Lopez.
Also on November 3, Small World Music presents the well-known
Cuban singer and guitarist Eliades Ochoa at the Danforth Music Hall
Theatre. First propelled to international attention as a member of the
unlikely chart-topping Buena Vista Social Club, Ochoa is considered one
of Cuba’s top soneros. Proudly displaying his guajiro roots, his folksy
music exemplifies one of the streams which feed into the powerful
current of Cuban music. His repertoire includes songs in the son, AfroCuban, bolero, changüi and guaracha genres.
Staying with Cuban music, on November 9 Alex Cuba performs at
Koerner Hall. The Cuban-Canadian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is launching his latest album Ruida in el Sistema (Static in the
System), combining tasty elements of rock, pop, soul and Latin funk.
In 2010, Alex Cuba was awarded a Latin Grammy for Best New Artist in
addition to a nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Album, so we know he
has studio and vocal chops galore. In his new CD, four tracks in English
demonstrate that he is settling nicely into his adopted land — yes, really,
in Smithers, B.C.
November 7 at St. Stephen-in-the-Fields Anglican Church, Concerts
at Midday presents Viktor Kotov on the haunting sounding duduk, an
So Little Time
J
JIM G ALLOWAY
“jake”
drummer: born Dorchester,
Massachusetts April 4, 1931; married 1984 Denisa Heitman; died
Los Angeles February 12, 2010.
There have been so many books about jazz it is difficult to know
what to buy — histories, biographies, essays,
criticisms and some by superior writers
such as Ralph Ellison, Gary Giddins, Nat
Hentof, Albert McCarthy, Albert Murray and
Scott Yanow.
But very few are as entertaining as Jake
Hanna, The Rhythm And Wit Of A Swinging
Jazz Drummer, a new addition to the ranks.
Jake Hanna was one of the great drummers but just as well known for his wit. He
had an irrepressible sense of humour which
endeared him to audiences and fellow musicians. In the band room he was always a
Jake Hanna,
centre of attention and wherever he was
there was always laughter.
It was surely just a matter of time before somebody decided that
there had to be a book about him and, to borrow the name of a jazz
standard, “Now’s The Time.” The author is Maria S. Judge and she
knew the Hanna family very well–she is, in fact, Hanna’s niece and a
published writer of several books.
The early part of the book deals with the Hanna family and no other
writer could have gone into more detail or have given a better insight
into the environment that produced a man destined to become one of
the legends of jazz.
The bulk of the work consists of anecdotes, remembrances by members of Hanna’s jazz community and contributions from friends and
acquaintances. Together they convey a colourful picture of the drummer/raconteur who has left an indelible mark on the lives of so many
of us.
He was the master of the one-liner on stage and off: “So many
drummers, so little time.” Not all of them were original but somehow Hanna took ownership of them. If he liked you it was for life; if
he didn’t it was also a pretty permanent arrangement. He was straight
ahead in the way he played drums and straight as a die in the way he
lived life.
Hanna could have been a great stand-up comedian, but was occasionally, in a friendly way, on the receiving end as when drummer
Danny D’Imperio saw him come into the club and acknowledged him
as “not just any old Tom-Tom Dick Dick or Harry Harry!” For once
Hanna had no comeback.
It won’t spoil the book for you if I drop in a couple of stories from
Jim Galloway is a saxophonist, band leader and former
it like the time when Hanna was playing the Merv Griffin show and a
artistic director of Toronto Downtown Jazz.
famous singer agreed to an impromptu performance and said to him,
ohn edwin
hanna ,
“Give me four bars.” Hanna called out the names of four of the New
York City bars where musicians hung out: “Charlie’s, Junior’s, Joe
Harbors and Jim and Andy’s!”
Or the time when Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner were guests and
people were panicking because Reiner was late. When he got there
he was berated by Brooks. Reiner explained that he had just been to
the doctor and was told he had arrhythmia, to which Hanna promptly
responded “Who could ask for anything more.”
This is also a great “loo” book; in fact you should maybe buy two
copies, one for your bookshelf and another for visitors who have to
“spend a penny,” to coin, literally, a saying from my youth.
If you ever met Jake Hanna you will want to have this book. If he is
only a name to you please buy it and enjoy
getting to know him.
Jake Hanna, The Rhythm And Wit Of A
Swinging Jazz Drummer. Maria S. Judge.
Meredith Music Publications. $24.95 (US) or
check amazon.com.
MR. ED: Jake Hanna was a huge fan of Ed
Bickert, which will come as no surprise to
anyone who heard Ed play. After the death of
his wife Madeline, Ed retired from playing. I
remember the evening very well. I was giving a concert of Ellington’s sacred music that
night and at intermission we heard about
left, and Jim Galloway.
Madeline’s passing. After that Ed simply
stopped playing; a few years earlier he had
had a fall on ice and suffered severe injuries to both arms from which
he never completely recovered and with his wife’s death he simply
didn’t have the will to keep on playing. No amount of coaxing could
make him change his mind although he still shows up to hear musicians he likes.
I have a lasting memory of a recording session with Ed. The British
trumpet player/bandleader Humphrey Lyttelton was in town and John
Norris decided to make an album with him for Sackville Records.
The rest of the band included Neil Swainson on bass, Terry Clarke,
drums, myself and Bickert. The music consisted of all originals by
Humph, who showed up with no music! He would sing the various
themes and we would go from there. Ed worked his magic and turned
every number into music that was beautifully structured harmonically.
Like a lot of musicians I rarely listen to my own recordings, but
when I do hear a track from that session it sounds like it had been
arranged and well rehearsed, largely thanks to Mr. Bickert. And it was
all done in one afternoon.
Well, on November 6 at the Glenn Gould Studio, you are invited
to “Ed Bickert at 80: A Jazz Celebration,” with a line-up that includes
Don Thompson, Neil Swainson, Reg Schwager, Terry Clarke, Oliver
Gannon and others. Tickets are $45. Proceeds go to the Madeline and
Ed Bickert Jazz Guitar Scholarship Fund.
Happy listening and, as Ted O’Reilly used to say when he signed off,
“Think nice thoughts.” Featuring some of Toronto’s best jazz musicians
with a brief reflection by Jazz Vespers Clergy
St. Philip’s Anglican Church
● Sunday, Nov 11, 4pm ● Sunday, Dec 2, 4pm
ZimZum
Jazz Vespers
Nov. 11
Pat Murray
Quartet Mostly Beatles
Bill McBirnie (ute), Bernie Senensky (piano)
● Sunday, Nov 25, 4pm ● Sunday, Dec 16, 4pm
Peter Togni Trio
Jazz Vespers
St. Philip’s Anglican Church | Etobicoke
25 St. Phillips Road (near Royal York + Dixon)
416-247-5181 • www.stphilips.net
30
Nov. 25
Beverly Taft
Quartet Christmas Jazz
MARK EISENMAN TRIO - Mark Eisenman (piano),
Steve Wallace (bass), John Sumner (drums)
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.
thewholenote.com
TED O’REILLY
Beat by Beat | Jazz Notes
Beat by Beat | In the Clubs
Sound Advice
T
ORI DAGAN
the element of surprise! In November of 2008, I
was given the task of reviewing Lina Allemano’s third recording, Gridjam. Truth be told, I accepted the assignment wearily
and wasn’t expecting to enjoy the CD nearly as much as I did, if only
because at that time I thought I did not like avant-garde jazz. Isn’t it
funny how we think we don’t like a certain genre, be it early music or
hip hop, thereby prejudging a whole category of music based on its
style, as opposed to its substance? Inevitably this brings one to Duke
Ellington’s famous quote: “There are only two kinds of music: good
and bad.” The Lina Allemano Four, pictured above, just might make a
fan out of folks who don’t believe they “like” cutting edge, contemporary jazz. This month they release Live at the Tranzac, recorded at one
of Toronto’s most essential spaces for creative music.
The record is the band’s fourth CD and has already received some
nice reviews in Europe according to Allemano. “It’s our first live record,” she adds. “It was recorded on three different nights during our
monthly residency at the Tranzac in February and June 2012 and
November 2011 by our faithful and amazing engineer, “Fedge,” who
recorded, mixed, and mastered it. We had great audiences all of those
nights and their enthusiasm is on the recording. Fedge has done a
alk about
brilliant job of capturing the live sound of the band. It’s released on
Lumo Records, which is my own label. (Fedge also is responsible for
our YouTube videos of the band’s performances at the Tranzac.) The
music is all my original music which was workshopped during our
various performances at the Tranzac.”
Allemano’s devilish, deliciously dissonant compositions are just the
tip of the cool iceberg: her musical choices are unquestionably exceptional and she could not ask for a more formidable supporting cast:
Brodie West on alto sax, Andrew Downing on bass and Nick Fraser
on drums. The group has been playing the Tranzac’s Southern Cross
room once a month since about 2006.
“What do we love about the Tranzac? So many things!!!” writes
Allemano. “The Southern Cross room sounds amazing acoustically,
which is perfect for us as an acoustic avant-garde jazz band. The audiences are always great — they listen and they give back their energy to
the musicians. The Tranzac has a very comfortable atmosphere that
allows us and the music to breathe and to grow. We can take musical
chances there. There is a real community feeling there ... amazing and
supportive and welcoming. It’s a nonprofit mentality and the programming supports all types of music that is generally alternative and
non-mainstream — such an important place for musicians in Toronto,
for artistic music to thrive and grow and to push the boundaries. It is
just enough off the beaten path that it has kept a slightly underground
feel to it, which I think keeps things real. It’s my favourite place to play
in Toronto, and has been for years — it’s a special place and it has been
really important for me personally to develop all three of my bands
there over the years. Thank you, Tranzac!!”
The Lina Allemano Four’s Live at the Tranzac CD release takes place
right where it was recorded on November 11 at 9:30pm.
Meanwhile, a brand new group, the Ken McDonald Quartet, led by
bassist Ken McDonald, is starting a monthly residence at the Tranzac’s
Southern Cross room November 20.
Sound Advice continues on page 54
Beat by Beat | Bandstand
Library Building
I
JACK MACQUARRIE
n last month ’ s column
I solicited responses on selecting band
repertoire and programming. While I would still love to hear from
more readers on these topics, the responses received to date were
very welcome.
On the subject of who should have a say in these matters, most
people indicated that they would like to have a greater voice, but
had reservations on how to establish a decision making system. Fred
Cassano from the Columbus Centre Concert Band pointed out that,
in addition to other considerations, their library is influenced by
their main sponsor and tailored to their main audiences. Since the
Columbus Centre bills itself as “the heart of Toronto’s Italian community,” it is only natural that this band has a greater percentage
of Italian music than other bands might have. In fact the band has
already built a program for next year around the theme of the 150th
anniversary of the unification of Italy, and another to honour the
200th anniversary of Verdi’s birth. As for additions to our list, they
suggest Neopolitan Overture, Verdi’s Nabucco and Grand March from
Aida, Count Basie Salute, Souza marches, Dixieland Band selections
(featuring soloists) and music from The Lion King.
Last month I also asked for some suggestions to add to a list
of “hackneyed or over-performed works.” From responses to date,
Harold Walters’ Instant Concert is a front-runner followed closely by
his Hootenanny. However, as Fred Cassano also mentions, Instant
Concert is a “crowd pleaser.” It’s a matter of reconciling the different
preferences between performers and audiences. Personally, having
had to play each of these works many times per year for the past 45
thewholenote.com
31
DEFINITION DEPARTMENT
This month’s lesser known musical term is Articulosis: to be unable
to play staccato. 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].
32
thewholenote.com
JACK MACQUARRIE
to make. Should I take the trombone and switch from bass clef to
years or more, I would be happy to relegate them to the archives for a
treble clef, or should I try something bolder. There was an instrument
year or so. However, many audience members may have never heard
lurking in one of my closets which hadn’t seen the light of day for over
them and are entertained by a bit of novelty.
When it comes to selecting new concert works written specifically for 25 years; an E-flat horn.
Some call this E-flat horn an alto horn and some call it a tenor horn.
concert band, while the internet makes it possible to hear what these
works might sound like, there is little opportunity to assess the challen- By either name it is normally never seen anywhere but in a brass
band. Here was my chance. So, in the space of a couple of hours, it
ges they may present to the performers. There is no relying on recalling
was a switch from a B-flat slide in bass clef to a three-valve horn in
familiar melodies. On the other hand, if the work is of good quality,
treble clef. “Never fear” thought I, “the Hannaford folks will have simnot only are the band members rewarded with new reading challenple music for us visitors.” The first couple
ges, but the audiences experience new music.
of numbers were just fine. Hymns are
Three works which fall into that category
always a good way to get the tuning settled.
have come to my attention in recent months.
Then it happened. In rapid succession, we
Commissioned by the Kobe Symphonic Band
went through the two suites for military
in Japan, Tanczi (2006) is a set of three Russian
band by Gustav Holst followed by Mozart’s
dances by Belgian composer Jan Van der Roost.
Marriage of Figaro Overture. The parts for
Not for the faint of heart, this is an ideal selecmy newly adopted instrument were more
tion to provide rehearsal challenges to all
challenging than I expected. The “peck
sections of the band. Once mastered, it is a very
horn,” as it is sometimes referred to with
rewarding number for the audience. Another
some derision, gained new respect from
good contemporary choice is Concerto d’Amore
me. If the hospitable hosts of this worth(1995) by Dutch composer Jacob de Haan. It
while event do it again next year, I’ll
is considerably less demanding, but still proCulture Days with the Hannaford Street Silver
be there.
vides challenges and entertainment. Another
Band: father and son Noel Samuels,
While on the subject of the Hannaford
is Transformations by American composer
E-flat tuba, Caleb Samuels, clutching cornet.
Street Silver Band, they have a very speRobert Longfield (2003). Commissioned for a
school music festival in Dade county Florida, this work develops a wide cial treat for lovers of brass band music. Their first concert of the
season, “Trumpets of the Angels,” on Saturday November 3 at 8pm
series of variations based on the musical notes DADE in honour of the
county where it was first performed. While a good reading exercise, it is in the Metropolitan United Church, will feature the renowned British
composer and conductor, Edward Gregson, leading the HSSB in perless entertaining for an audience than the other two.
formances of his brass band masterworks, Trumpets of the Angels
As was mentioned in the September issue, the last weekend in
and Rococo Variations. The HSSB will also premiere John Burge’s
September was designated as the third annual Culture Days weekend. My only foray was to accept the invitation of the Hannaford Street Cathedral Architecture, commissioned by the HSSB, with organ virtuoso William O’Meara, and the beloved overture, Fall Fair, by Godfrey
Silver Band to sit in and join them for an afternoon of music making.
With a prior morning rehearsal elsewhere on trombone, I had a choice Ridout in a newly authorized transcription by Stephen Bulla.
As for what is happening on the community band scene, I am happy
to report that the new Brampton Youth Concert Band is now in full
swing under the direction of their new music director, Susan Barber
Kahro. If you live in the area and have a young musician in the family,
here’s a great opportunity. For additional information, including
how to join and membership fees, visit their website at bramptonconcertband.com. Also on the youth band scene, the 2013 National
Youth Band of Canada will be meeting in New Brunswick and Nova
Scotia from April 27 to May 5, 2013. Musicians 16 to 21 years of age are
encouraged to audition by December 1, 2012. For more information
visit their website at canadianband.ca.
Over the past few weeks we have received far more information
on community band activities than can be included in this month’s
column. On the New Horizons front, there are now six bands at
three levels with over 100 regular members. This year, the Canadian
Band Association (Ontario) held its Community Band Weekend in
Richmond Hill on October 13 and 14, with host band, the Silverthorn
Symphonic Winds. On the first day as many as 50 band members
from various community bands across the province, along with the
Silverthorn Symphonic Winds, rehearsed seven selections, each
with a different conductor. The second day featured a concert at the
Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts.
It may be rushing things a bit, but we are already getting information on Christmas concerts. The Markham Concert Band is presenting
“A Seasonal Celebration” on Sunday, December 2, 2012. It will include
Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite with guest harpist Kate Kunkel, as
well as the Brass Quintet from the band of HMCS York, Toronto’s
Naval Reserve Division.
October’s magazine contained our annual BLUE PAGES
DIRECTORY of concert presenters. The following presenters’
profiles “missed the mag” so instead we welcome them here
and online at thewholenote.com:
●●LARKIN
Blue Pages
Presenter Profiles
SINGERS
The Larkin Singers, a 16-voice chamber choir, has
quickly established itself as one of the finest examples of Canada’s strong choral heritage, dedicating
itself primarily to renaissance and baroque repertoire. Founded in 2008 under the direction of
Matthew Larkin, the choir is formed of professional
choral scholars from the Toronto area. The Larkin
Singers has had successful tours to Bristol, UK (as resident choir at Bristol Cathedral) and to New York City,
and has also presented concerts in Ottawa, London
and Kingston. In 2008, the Larkin Singers released its
first recording, A New Work is Come on Hand, featuring music of the Christmas season by Bach, Vaughan
Williams, Howells, Ord and others.
Now in its fifth season, the Larkin Singers presents
a three concert subscription series as well as outreach
and collaborative performances throughout Ontario.
Robin McLean, general manager
[email protected]
www.larkinsingers.com
●●OAKVILLE
2012|13
CHILDREN’S CHOIR
Internationally renowned OCC consists of six choirs,
ranging from the Little Notes Preparatory Choir Program to the SATB choir for boys with changed voices,
A Few Good Men. The OCC provides a comprehensive music education program for 150 auditioned
choristers ages 5 to 24. In addition to rehearsals
and performances, the OCC
participates in
weekend excursions involving
festivals, retreats,
competitions
and workshops.
The OCC is a high
profile community ambassador
and is proud to perform at many public functions
and private events in the Oakville area. Educational
programs emphasize music theory, stage comportment, choral movement and dance and its Young
Leaders Program teaches mentorship skills. The
OCC’s 2012/13 season’s concerts are “Go Tell It on
the Mountain” (December 8), “Community Carols”
(December 15) and “Singing Our Stories” (May 11).
The OCC has released several CDs and has won
numerous awards, most recently two gold medals
at the 2012 World Choir Games and the Cogeco Stars
Among Us Arts Organization of the Year in Oakville.
At its artistic helm is music director Sarah Morrison,
recipient of the Leslie Bell Award for Conducting.
Katherine Hamilton
905-337-7140
[email protected]
www.oakvillechildrenschoir.org
continues on page 59
UPDATED ONLINE
INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
Academy Concert Series 48
Adam Sherkin 45
Airline Icarus 44
Aldeburgh Connection 25, 49
Alex Cuba / Caracol Records 55
Amadeus Choir 21
Annex Singers of Toronto 51
Aradia Ensemble 4
Art of Time Ensemble 47
Arts & Letter Club 57
Associates of the TSO 16
ATMA 5
Bach Children’s Chorus 21
Canadian Children’s Opera Company 49
Canadian Opera Company
12
Canadian Sinfonietta 44
Cantabile Chamber Singers 38
Cantemus Singers 41
Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra 38
Christ Church Deer Park Jazz Vespers 30
Civic Light Opera 27
Classical 96.3fm 69
Cliff Ojala 59
Cosmo Music 31
Eglinton St. George’s Anglican Church 21
Elmer Iseler Singers 23, 47
Esprit Orchestra 11, 42
Etobicoke Centennial Choir 50
Gallery 345 35, 40
Grace Church on-the-Hill 41
Hannaford Street Silver Band 32
Heliconian Hall 57
John Laing Singers 53
Jubilate Singers 45
Kindred Spirits Orchestra 14
Larkin Singers 23
Liz Parker 59
LIZPR 56
Long & McQuade 20
Mississauga Symphony 44
MNJCC 57
Music at Metropolitan 34, 44
Music Toronto 9, 50
Musical Arts Academy 57
Musicians in Ordinary 39
Nagata Shachu 38
Naria 45
New Music Concerts 10, 39
Nine Sparrows Arts
Foundation 37
Norm Pulker 59
Oakham House Choir 47
Off Centre Salon 42
Ontario Philharmonic 15
Opera-IS 58
Orchestra Toronto 16
Oriana Women’s Choir 22
Pasquale Bros 57
Pattie Kelly 59
Pax Christi Chorale 48
Peter Mahon 22
RCCO, Toronto Centre 43
Remenyi House of Music
17
Rose Theatre 46
Roy Thomson Hall 4, 41
Royal Conservatory 13
Scarborough Philharmonic 47
Sheila McCoy 59
Show One 7
Sinfonia Toronto 15, 40
Soundstreams 39
St. James Cathedral 72
St. Michael’s Choir School 23
St. Olave’s Church 49
St. Philip’s Anglican Church 30
St. Thomas’s Church 37
Steinway Piano Gallery 33
Steve Jackson Pianos 24
Sue Crowe Connolly 59
Syrinx 14
Tafelmusik 2, 3, 37
Tallis Choir 48
The Sound Post 29
TNMA Passport 7
Toronto Chamber Choir 51
Toronto Children’s Chorus 22, 36
Toronto Classical Singers 50
Toronto Concert Orchestra 36
Toronto Consort 19
Toronto Downtown Jazz 43
Toronto Masque Theatre 40
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir 40
Toronto Sinfonietta 53
Toronto Symphony
Orchestra 71
TorQ Percussion Quartet 39
Tyndale University College
& Seminary 49
University of Toronto 35
Via Salzburg 15, 51
Village Voices 48
Visual and Performing Arts
Newmarket 39
Viva! Youth Singers 43
Voca Chorus of Toronto 51
VOICEBOX: Opera in
Concert 25
Voices of Colour Music –
Denise Williams 59
Windermere Quartet 41
Women’s Musical Club of
Toronto 46
Wychwood Clarinet Choir
51
You and Media 59
thewholenote.com
33
A. Concerts in the GTA
MUSICAL THEATRE
The WholeNote listings are arranged in four sections:
A.
B.
GTA (GREATER TORONTO AREA)
covers all of Toronto plus Halton, Peel, York and
Durham regions.
BEYOND THE GTA covers many areas of Southern Ontario
outside Toronto and the GTA. In the current issue, there
are listings for events in Barrie, Brantford, Cambridge,
Collingwood, Dundas, Elora, Goderich, Guelph, Hamilton,
Huntsville, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Meaford, Midland,
Orillia, Peterborough, Port Hope, St. Catharines, Waterloo and
Welland. Starts on page 51.
Thursday November 01
C.
D.
IN THE CLUBS (MOSTLY JAZZ)
is organized alphabetically by club.
Starts on page 54.
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 56.
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
15th of the month prior to the issue or issues in which your listing
is eligible to appear.
LISTINGS DEADLINE We are now accepting listings for the period
covering December 1 2012 to February 7 2013. All listings must be
received by 6pm Thursday November 15.
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.
Georgian
Bay
Lake
Huron
8
7
6
• 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Jazz Series: Conversazione. Jazz standards
and original compositions from two continents. Francesco Cafiso, saxophone. Richard
Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre
for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416363-8231. Free.
• 12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation/
Christ Church Deer Park. Lunchtime Chamber
Music. Matthew Ross, trumpet; Florence Mak,
piano. Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St.
416-241-1298. Free, donations welcome.
• 12:10: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Thursdays at Noon: Spotlight on Opera.
Preview of Opera Division’s upcoming production of Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore. Walter Hall,
Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queen’s Park. 416978-0492. Free.
• 12:15: Music at Metropolitan. Noon at
Met. Tim Kauk, baritone; Rebecca Booker,
piano. Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen
St. E. 416-363-0331 x26. Free.
• 7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Die
Fledermaus. Johann Strauss II. Michael Schade,
tenor (Gabriel von Eisenstein); Tamara Wilson,
soprano (Rosalinde); Laura Tucker, mezzo
(Prince Orlofsky); Ambur Braid, soprano (Adele,
Nov 1); Mireille Asselin, soprano (Adele, Nov
3); and others; COC Orchestra and Chorus;
Johannes Debus, conductor; Christopher
Alden, director. Four Seasons Centre for the
Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-3638231. $12–$325; $22(under 30). Also Nov
3(mat).
• 7:30: Opera by Request. Belle Nuit: An
Evening of Arias and Duets. Deena Nickleford,
soprano; Sangeetha Ekambaram, soprano;
William Shookhoff, piano. College Street United
Church, 454 College St. W. 647-388-6676.
$15. Also Nov 3 (West Toronto Baptist Church),
4(London).
• 7:30: University of Toronto Faculty
of Music. University of Toronto Symphony
Orchestra. Liadov: Kikimora Op.63; Sibelius:
3 4
2
5
Lake Erie
34
The following musicals appear only once in our daily concert listings on the date of the
first performance falling within the date range covered in this issue; first performance
dates and times are noted below:
November 01
• 8:00: Mirvish Productions. La Cage aux Folles. Runs to Nov 18 (GTA)
• 8:00: Mirvish Productions. Sister Act. Runs to Nov 4 (GTA)
• 8:00: Tarragon Theatre. Miss Caledonia. Runs to Nov 22 (GTA)
November 14
• 8:00: Mirvish Productions. Jekyll & Hyde. Runs to Nov 18 (GTA)
November 23
• 7:00: Ross Petty Productions. Snow White: The Deliciously Dopey Family Musical!
Runs to Jan 5, 2013 (GTA)
1City of Toronto
Violin Concerto Op.47 in d; Stravinsky: Firebird
Suite. Emily Kruspe, violin; David Briskin, conductor. MacMillan Theatre, Edward Johnson
Bldg., 80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. $20;
$15(sr); $10(st).
• 8:00: Art of Time Ensemble. The War of
the Worlds. Play based on Orson Welles’ radio
drama featuring nine-piece radio orchestra.
Sean Cullen, Nicholas Campbell, Marc Bendavid,
actors; John Johnson, bass clarinet; Al Kay,
trombone; Kevin Turcotte, trumpet; Les Alt,
flute; Ben Cruchley, piano; and others; Andrew
Burashko, director and conductor. Enwave
Theatre, Harbourfront Centre, 231 Queen’s
Quay W. 416-973-4000. $25-$59. Also Nov
2–4; start times vary.
• 8:00: Corporation of Massey Hall and
Roy Thomson Hall. Bettye LaVette. Blues, soul
and gospel singer. Winter Garden Theatre, 189
Yonge St. 416-872-4255. $29.50–$49.50.
• 8:00: Fallen Rock Productions. The Rocky
Horror Show. Music and lyrics by Richard
O’Brien. Scott Pietrangelo, music director;
Jason Spetter, stage director; Amanda Nagy,
choreographer; and others. Randolph Theatre,
763 Bathurst St. 416-978-8849. $20–$50.
Also Nov 2, 3.
• 8:00: Gallery 345. Shirantha Beddage
Quartet: “Identity” CD Release. Shirantha
Beddage, baritone sax; Dave Restivo, piano;
Mike Downes, bass; Mark Kelso, drums; guest:
Larnell Lewis, drums. 345 Sorauren Ave. 416822-9781. $20; $15(sr/arts worker); $10(st).
• 8:00: Lower Ossington Theatre. The
Rocky Horror Show. 100A Ossington Ave. 416915-6747. $35–$45. Also Nov 2, 3.
• 8:00: Mirvish Productions. La Cage
aux Folles. Music by J. Herman; book by
H. Fierstein. George Hamilton (Georges);
Christopher Sieber (Albin); and others. Royal
Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St. W. 416-8721212. $45–$130. Runs to November 18. Start
times vary.
• 8:00: Mirvish Productions. Sister Act. A.
Music by A. Menken; lyrics by G. Slater; book
by C. and B. Steinkellner. Ed Mirvish Theatre
Noon at Met - Fall 2012
Free informal concerts on Thursdays from 12:15 - 12:45
Lake Ontario
Nov. 1
Music
at Metropolitan
56 Queen Street East
(at Church Street), Toronto
416-363-0331 (ext. 26)
www.metunited.org
thewholenote.com
Tim Kauk, baritone
Rebecca Booker, piano
Nov. 8 Tom Fitches, organist
Nov. 15 Federico Andreoni, organist
Nov. 22 Sarah Svendsen, organist
Nov. 29 Peter Bishop, organist and
Alexa Wing, soprano
Dec. 6 Conrad Gold, organist
(formerly the Canon), 244 Victoria St. 416-8721212. $45–$130. Runs to November 4. Start
times vary.
• 8:00: Musideum. Wendy Lands, singer-songwriter. 401 Richmond St. W. 416-599-7323.
$10.
• 8:00: Opera York. La Traviata. Verdi.
Mirela Tafaj, soprano (Violetta); Riccardo
Iannello, tenor (Alfredo); Jeffrey Carl, baritone
(Germont); and others; Sabatino Vacca, conductor. Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing
Arts, 10268 Yonge St., Richmond Hill. 905-7878811. $40–$50. Also Nov 3.
• 8:00: Talisker Players. The Constant
Lover: The Sweet Anguish of Love. Barab:
Lovers; Handel: Sono liete; Füssl: Cantiunculae
Amoris; Plant: Sonneto di Gaspara Stampa;
Rubbra, Amoretti; Weill: Songs from One Touch
of Venus. Anita Krause, mezzo; Lawrence
Wiliford, tenor; Ross Manson, actor and reader.
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W.
416-466-1800. $35; $25(sr); $15(st). 7:15:
Pre-concert chat.
• 8:00: Tarragon Theatre. Miss Caledonia.
One-woman show written by M. A. Johnson,
with original score by A. Porter. Young farm
girl, desperate to escape the drudgery of
1950’s rural life, dreams of becoming a movie
star and enters as many pageants as possible
to set her on her path. Featuring Melody A.
Johnson; Alison Porter, violin accompaniment;
Rick Roberts and Aaron Willis, directors. Extra
Space, 30 Bridgman Ave. 416-531-1827. $48–
$53; $38–$43; $27(st/arts worker); $13(rush
seats Fri eve and Sun mat); Nov 17(PWYC).
Runs to Nov 22. Start times vary.
• 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. La
vida breve: A Spanish Opera. de Falla: La vida
breve (opera in concert with English surtitles);
also Beethoven: Symphony No.8. Toronto
Mendelssohn Choir; Nancy Fabiola Herrera and
Cristina Faus, mezzo; Vincente Ombuena and
Gustavo Peña, tenor; Pablo Sáinz-Villegas, guitar; Núria Pomares, flamenco dancer; and
others; Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, conductor.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-5934828. $29–$145. Also Nov 3.
• 8:30: Spectra Musique. Susie Arioli, jazz
vocals. With Jordan Officer, guitar; Bill Gossage,
bass; Tony Albino, drums; Cameron Wallis,
saxophone. Hugh’s Room, 2261 Dundas St. W.
416-531-6604. $27.50/$25(adv).
Friday November 02
• 7:30: Opera Atelier. Der Freischütz. Weber.
Krešimir Špicer, tenor (Max); Vasil Garvanliev,
baritone (Kaspar); Meghan Lindsay, soprano
(Agathe); Curtis Sullivan, baritone (Samiel);
Olivier LaQuerre, bass-baritone (Kuno); and
others; Tafelmusik Orchestra, David Fallis,
music director; Marshall Pynkoski, stage
director. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge St. 1-855622-2787. $35 and up. Also Nov 3.
• 8:00: Amici Chamber Ensemble. Influence
& Inspiration. Beethoven: Piano Quintet;
“Archduke” Trio for clarinet, cello and piano;
Ravel: Habanera; Menotti: Sonata for two
celli and piano. Sarah Jeffrey, oboe; Michael
Sweeney, bassoon; Daniel Hass and David
Hetherington, cello; Joaquin Valdepeñas, clarinet; Serouj Kradjian, piano. Mazzoleni Hall,
Royal Conservatory, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-4080208. $45; $40(sr); $10(st).
the Worlds. See Nov 1.
• 8:00: Aurora Cultural Centre. David
Francey. Folk and roots artist. 22 Church St.,
Aurora. 905-713-1818. $25.
thewholenote.com
35
Horror Show. See Nov 1.
• 8:00: Gallery 345. Lovers and Coquettes:
An Evening of Opera and Song. Leigh-Ann Allen,
soprano; Michelle Garlough, mezzo; Mai’kai
Nash, piano. 345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781.
$20; $15(sr/arts worker); $10(st).
• 8:00: Living Arts Centre. José Feliciano.
4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905-3066000. $50–$85.
Rocky Horror Show. See Nov 1.
• 8:00: Milton Concert Presentations.
Scandinavian Serenade. Grieg: Piano Concerto
in a Op.16; Larsson: Pastoral Suite; Wirén:
Serenade. Carl Petersson, piano; Toronto
Concert Orchestra, Kerry Stratton, conductor.
Milton Centre for the Arts, 1010 Main St. E.,
Milton. 905-854-4028 or 905-854-0919. $40;
$35(sr).
• 8:00: Victoria College Choir. Fall Concert.
Franck: Mass in A; Puccini: Requiem. Taylor
Sullivan, conductor. Victoria College Chapel, 73
Queen’s Park. Free.
Saturday November 03
• 1:30 to 5:30: Harbourfront Centre. Day
of the Dead Festival. Mexican cultural festival,
featuring various activities and performances,
including music by Pedro Montejo Jorge Salazar,
Café Con Pan, Jorge Lopez and Viva Mexico
Mariachi. York Quay Centre, 235 Queen’s Quay
W. 416-973-4000. Free. Also Nov 4.
the Worlds. Also at 8:00. See Nov 1.
WITH ONE
VOICE!
The Toronto Children’s Chorus
& The Bach Children’s Chorus
honouring Linda Beaupré
in her 25th & final season
as Music Director of BCC
Saturday, November 3, 3pm
Trinity St. Paul’s Centre
• 3:00: Toronto Children’s Chorus/Bach
Children’s Chorus. With One Voice! Works
by Chilcott, Leithead, Patriquin and Watson
Henderson. Elise Bradley and Linda Beaupré,
conductors. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor
St. W. 416-932-8666 x231. $25; $20(sr/st);
$10(under 13).
• 4:30: Canadian Opera Company. Die
Fledermaus. See Nov 1.
• 7:00: Castle Frank House of Melody.
Mucho Massenet. Vocal music by Massenet and
Chausson. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave.
416-966-2685. PWYC.
• 7:00: Mississauga Children’s Choir.
On My Journey Now. Thomas Bell, director. Eden United Church, 3051 Battleford Rd.,
Mississauga. 905-624-9704. $18; $12(sr/st).
36
• 7:30: Cantabile Chorale of York Region.
Eternal Light. Goodall. Requiem in honour of
Remembrance Day. Robert Richardson, director;
guest: Chorus Novus. Thornhill United Church,
25 Elgin St., Thornhill. 905-731-8318. $25.
• 7:30: East End Refugee Committee. Choir
Fest ’12. Sacred and secular selections by
seven Beach area choirs, individual and massed.
Kingston Road United Church, 975 Kingston
Rd. 416-691-4560 or 416-699-6091. $20;
$10(under 12). Proceeds to East End Refugee
Committee.
• 7:30: Oakville Chamber Orchestra.
Brilliance and Light. Beethoven: Triple Concerto;
Mozart: Symphony No.4. Blakemore Trio (violin, cello, piano); Charles Demuynck, conductor.
Central Baptist Church, 340 Rebecca St.,
Oakville. 905-483-6787. $30; $25(sr); $20(st);
$15(child). Also Nov 4 (mat, St. Simon’s
Anglican Church, Oakville).
• 7:30: Opera Atelier. Der Freischütz. See
Nov 2.
soprano; Sangeetha Ekambaram, soprano;
Rebecca Foth, piano. West Toronto Baptist
Church, 3049 Dundas St. W. 647-388-6676.
$15. Also Nov 1 (College Street United Church),
4 (London).
• 7:30: Opera by Request. L’Elisir d’Amore.
Donizetti. Marissa Solow, soprano (Adina); Zach
Finkelstein, tenor (Nemorino); George Ossipov,
bass-baritone (Dulcamara); John Holland, baritone (Belcore); Stephanie Ferracane, mezzo
(Giannetta); William Shookhoff, piano. College
Street United Church, 452 College St. 416-4552365. $20.
• 7:30: St. John’s United Church. The
Voices of Showtime. Songs of the 40s, 50s and
60s. Alan Ely, director. 2 Norbert Rd. 416-4911224. $25.
• 7:30: Stephen Fraser, organ. In Recital.
Works by Bales, Vierne, Muffat and S. Fraser.
Grace Church on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd. 416488-7884. Freewill offering.
• 7:30: Toronto Beach Chorale. Beauty
Voiced: Bach in the Beach. Bach: Cantata
BWV131 “Aus der Tiefe”; Keyboard Concerto
in d BWV1052; also motets and a cantata.
Chelsea Säuer, soprano; Mervin Fick, conductor.
Calvary Baptist Church, 72 Main St. 416-6862183. $20; $10(ages 7–18).
Music. Choirs in Concert: When Music Sounds:
Celebrating the 80th birthday of Ruth Watson
Henderson. Watson Henderson: Creation’s
Praise; Make Me a World (text by J.W.
Johnson). MacMillan Theatre, Edward Johnson
Bldg., 80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. $20;
$15(sr); $10(st).
• 7:30: Sonny Ochs. Phil Ochs Song Night:
A Benefit for Common Thread Community
Chorus. With Bill Garrett and Sue Lothrop,
Pat Humphries and Sandy Opatow, Al Parrish,
Evalyn Parry and Zach Stevenson. St. Simon’s
Anglican Church, 525 Bloor St. E. 416-4105022. $25; $15(sr/st/unwaged).
the Worlds. Also at 2:00. See Nov 1.
• 8:00: Chamber Music Mississauga.
From Page to Stage: Great Authors and Great
Composers Series. Dickens: A Christmas
Carol. John D. Huston, actor and narrator;
guest: The MadriGALS. Great Hall, Unitarian
Congregation of Mississauga, 84 South Service
Rd., Mississauga. 905-848-0015. $35; $30(sr);
$15(st); $85(family).
Roy Thomson Hall. Rose Cousins, guitar/piano/
singer-songwriter. Glenn Gould Studio, 250
Front St. W. 416-872-4255. $29.50.
Horror Show. See Nov 1.
• 8:00: Hannaford Street Silver Band/
ORGANIX. Trumpets of the Angels. Burge:
Cathedral Architecture for Organ and Brass
Band (world premiere); Ridout: Fall Fare;
Gregson: Rococo Variations; Trumpets of the
Angels (Canadian premiere). William O’Meara,
organ; guest: Edward Gregson, conductor.
Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St.
E. 416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754. $50;
$40(sr); $15(st).
• 8:00: Harold Green Jewish Theatre
Company. Over the Rainbow with Harold Arlen.
Concert celebrating Arlen’s works, including
Over the Rainbow, Get Happy, Stormy Weather,
That Old Black Magic, Blues in the Night and
others. With Brent Carver, Cynthia Dale and
Sterling Jarvis; Mark Camilleri, music director;
Avery Saltzman, stage director. George Weston
Recital Hall, Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040
Yonge St. 416-250-3708. $60.14–$107.09.
Rocky Horror Show. See Nov 1.
• 8:00: Ontario Philharmonic. Shlomo
Mintz, Violin Legend: Celebrating 50 Years on
Stage. Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D Op.35;
Symphony No.5 in e Op.64. Marco Parisotto,
director. Regent Theatre 50 King St. E.,
Oshawa. 905-721-3399 x2. $45–$56; $34–
$45(st/youth). Also Nov 6 (Toronto).
• 8:00: Opera York. La Traviata. See Nov 1.
• 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. La
vida breve: A Spanish Opera. See Nov 1.
• 8:30: Small World Music. Eliades Ochoa.
Cuban singer and guitarist. Danforth Music Hall
Theatre, 147 Danforth Ave. 416-536-5439.
$40–$50.
Sunday November 04
• 11:00 am: Windsor Arms Hotel. Jazz
Brunch. Colleen Allen, saxophone; Trevor
Giancola, guitar. 18 St. Thomas St. 416971-9666. $50; $35(12 and under). Brunch
included.
• 1:30 to 5:30: Harbourfront Centre. Day of
the Dead Festival. See Nov 3.
the Worlds. See Nov 1.
• 2:00: Hugh’s Room. Don Bray CD Release:
“I Am Myself”. Done Bray, singer-songwriter;
Burke Carrol, pedal steel/lap slide/Reso; Ray
Dillard, percussion; Pat McPhail, bass; Darrin
Schott, fiddle and mandolin; Alyssa Wright, cello
and harmonies. 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-5316604. $22.50/$20(adv).
• 2:00: Royal York Road United Church.
Local Outreach Concert: Gene di Novi &
the Generations Trio. 851 Royal York Rd.
Kerry
ton
Strat
Kerry
Stratton
416-231-1207. $20.
• 2:00: Trio Bravo. In Concert. Reinecke:
Trio in A; Lane: Trio No.2; Beethoven: Trio
Op.38. Terry Storr, clarinet; Baird Knetchtel,
viola; John Selleck, piano. All Saints’ Kingsway
Anglican Church, 2850 Bloor St. W. 416-2422131. $20; $15(sr/st).
Music. In Memory of Gustav. Concert in honour of Gustav Ciamaga, featuring works by
Ciamaga, Boykan, Duesenberry, Martynec,
Silberberg and Staniland. Leigh-Anne Martin,
mezzo; Peter Stoll, clarinet; Vanessa May-lok
Lee, piano; deVah string quartet; and others.
Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-978-0492. Free.
• 3:00: Gallery 345. The Art of the Piano:
Darrett Zusko. All-Kapustin program. 345
Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781. $25; $15(sr/arts
worker); $10(st).
• 3:00: Mississauga Choral Society.
Malawi Benefit Concert: Voicing Our Care.
Music from the modern and classical repertoire, reflecting universal global issues and
themes. William Mervin Fick, conductor. St.
Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 295 Queen St.
S., Streetsville. 905-567-3674. $20.
• 3:00: Oakville Chamber Orchestra.
Brilliance and Light. Beethoven: Triple Concerto;
Mozart: Symphony No.4. Blakemore Trio (violin,
cello, piano); Charles Demuynck, conductor. St.
Simon’s Anglican Church, 1450 Litchfield Rd.,
Oakville. 905-483-6787. $30; $25(sr); $20(st);
$15(child). Also Nov 3 (eve, Oakville Central
Baptist Church).
• 3:00: Toronto Symphony Youth
Orchestra. In Concert. Tchaikovsky: Suite from
Swan Lake; Shostakovich: Symphony No.5;
Vivaldi: Oboe Concerto in a. Hugo Lee, oboe;
Shalom Bard, conductor. Centre for the Arts,
St. Michael’s College School, 1515 Bathurst St.
416-593-4828. $16–$27.
• 4:00: Cathedral Church of St. James.
Twilight Recitals. Andrew Adair, organ. 65
Church St. 416-364-7865 x231. Freewill
offering.
• 5:00: Nocturnes in the City. Zemlinsky
Quartet. St. Wenceslas Church, 496 Gladstone.
Ave. 289-234-0264. $25; $15(st).
• 8:00: Musideum. Brownman +1.
Brownman Ali, trumpet; with surprise guest on
piano. 401 Richmond St. W. 416-599-7323.
$10.
Monday November 05
Music. Monday Evening Concerts: Macerollo
and Stoll. Telemann: Sonata in a; Palej: Quay
Quodlibet; Messiaen: Prayer for the Immortality
of Jesus; Nimmons: Duologue; Staniland:
Pentagrams for Two Accordions; Piazzolla:
Oblivion; and other works. Joseph Macerollo,
accordion; Peter Stoll, clarinet. Walter Hall,
conductor Kerry Stratton
Grieg Piano Concerto
works by Larsson and Wiren
Carl Petersson
piano
November 5th, 2012 8:00 pm at Glenn Gould Studio
General Admission: $42.50
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thewholenote.com
Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queen’s Park. 416978-0492. $35; $25(sr); $10(st).
• 8:00: Musideum. Sandra Taylor,
singer-songwriter. 401 Richmond St. W. 416599-7323. PWYC, $20 suggested.
• 8:00: Toronto Concert Orchestra. In
Concert. Grieg: Piano Concerto in a Op.16;
Larsson: Pastoral Suite; Wirén: Serenade. Carl
Petersson, piano; Kerry Stratton, conductor.
Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St. W. 416-8724255. $42.50.
• 9:30: Toronto Jazz Orchestra. Singers
Unite. With Sophia Perlman and Alex Samaras,
jazz vocals; Josh Grossman, conductor. Rex
Hotel, 194 Queen St. W. 416-899-5299. $10.
• 5:30: Canadian Opera Company. Jazz
Series: Broadsway. Heather Bambrick and Julie
Michels, vocals; Diane Leah, piano. Richard
Tuesday November 06
World Music Series: Many Strings Attached:
Spotlight on Sarangi. Aruna Narayan, sarangi.
Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons
Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St.
W. 416-363-8231. Free.
• 12:00 noon: University of Toronto
Scarborough. The Secret of Cantonese Opera.
Lecture and performance with members of the
Starlight Chinese Opera. Leigha Lee Browne
Theatre, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough.
416-208-2931.
• 12:30: York University Department of
Music. Music at Midday: Student Showcase.
Featuring range of works including original compositions performed. Martin Family Lounge,
Rm.219, Accolade East Bldg., 4700 Keele St.
416-736-2100 x22926. Free.
• 7:00: Jennifer “Red” Thorne Presents.
Ed Bickert at 80: A Jazz Celebration. Neil
Swainson, bass; Reg Schwager guitar; Terry
Clarke, drums; Oliver Gannon, guitar; Kevin
Turcotte, trumpet; Mike Murley, saxophone;
Don Thompson, bass/piano; and many others;
Katie Malloch, host. Glenn Gould Studio, 250
Front St. W. 416-872-4255 or 647-694-1160.
$45. Proceeds to the Madeline and Ed Bickert
Jazz Guitar Scholarship Fund.
Music. Small Jazz Ensembles. Upper Jazz
Studio, 90 Wellesley St. W. 416-978-0492.
Free.
• 8:00: Ontario Philharmonic. Great Soloists:
Shlomo Mintz, Violin Legend: Celebrating 50
Years on Stage. Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
in D Op.35; Symphony No.5 in e Op.64. Marco
Parisotto, director. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St.
W. 416-408-0208. $40 and up. Also Nov 3
(Oshawa).
Wednesday November 07
• 12:30: York University Department
of Music. York U Chamber Choir. Works by
Palestrina, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Barber and
others. Chris MacMartin, conductor; Mélisande
Sinsoulier, piano. Tribute Communities Recital
Hall, Rm.112, Accolade East Bldg., 4700 Keele
St. 416-736-2100 x22926. Free.
• 12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
Noon Hour Organ Recital Series. Edward
Moroney, organ. 1585 Yonge St. 416-9221167. Free.
• 12:35: St. Stephen in-the-Fields Anglican
Church. Concerts at Midday: Victor Kotov,
duduk, and Raisa Orshansky, tsimbaly. 103
Bellevue Ave. 647-638-3550. Free.
• 5:00: Canadian Music Centre/New Music
Concerts. Secret of the Seven Stars CD
Launch. Works by H. Lee and D. Eagle. Robert
Aitken, flute; Joseph Macerollo, accordion.
Chalmers House, 20 St. Joseph St. 416-9616601 x304. Free.
• 7:00: Tafelmusik. Mozart’s World. Haydn:
Symphony No.52; Mozart: Violin Concerto in A
K219; Symphony No.10; also works by Beck
and Kraus. Guest: Gottfried von der Glotyz, conductor and violin. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427
Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337. $36-$85; $29$77(sr); $16–$77(35 and under). Also Nov
8–11; start times vary.
• 7:30: Essential Opera. The Threepenny
Opera (Die Dreigroschenoper). Weill: The
Threepenny Opera; and other works. Jeremy
Ludwig, baritone (Macheath); Maureen Batt,
soprano (Polly); Erin Bardua, soprano (Lucy);
David Roth, baritone (Peachum); Heather
Jewson, mezzo (Mrs. Peachum); Cathy Nosaty,
director. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 647290-7970 or 416-827-3009. $20.
• 7:30: Medical Musical Group Chorale and
Symphony Orchestra. Canadian-American
Friendship Concert: 200 Years of Peace
and Friendship! Foster: The Prayer; Haydn:
The Heavens Are Telling; von Suppé: Light
Cavalry Overture; McCrae: In Flanders Fields;
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture Finale; and other
works. Mark Masri, tenor; Lacey Purchase, soprano; Deana Martin, vocals; Lindsay Bloom,
Kevin Dobson, Kerry Stratton, narrators; and
others; Victor Wahby, conductor. Church on the
Queensway, 1536 The Queensway. 1-800-9659324. $15; $25(reserved).
• 9:30: 416 Toronto Creative Improvisers
Festival. 416–2012: 12th Annual 416 Festival.
Performers include: Fern Lindzon, vocals
and piano; Heather Segger, trombone; Mark
Segger, drums; Chris Cawthray, drums; Simeon
Abbott, organ; Bob Vespaziani, electronic wave
drum; Tena Palmer, vocals; Arthur Bull, guitar.
Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Ave. 416-9238137. $7.
Piano Virtuoso Series: Virtuoso Masterpieces.
Alexander Seredenko, piano. Richard Bradshaw
Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for the
Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-3638231. Free.
• 12:00 noon: Jubilee United Church. Music
at Midday: Music for Mary. Half-hour recital
showcasing the church’s new Phoenix organ.
Arthur Wenk, organ. 40 Underhill Dr. 416-4476846. Free.
Music. Kathleen Long, cello; Ben Smith, piano.
Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. 416241-1298. Free, donations welcome.
Met. Tom Fitches, organ. Metropolitan United
Church, 56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 x26.
Free.
Music. Faculty Spotlight: Jacques Israelievitch,
violin, and Christina Petrowska Quilico, piano.
Three Mozart sonatas. Tribute Communities
Recital Hall, Rm.112, Accolade East Bldg.,
4700 Keele St. 416-736-2100 x22926. Free.
• 2:00: Toronto Public Library, Northern
District. The Extraordinary Life and Beautiful
Songs of Marlene Dietrich. Performed by
Annamaria Eisler. 40 Orchard View Blvd. 416393-7619. Free. Presented as part of the
Orchardviewers Series.
• 7:30: Brampton Music Theatre. The
Secret Garden. Music by L. Simon, lyrics and
libretto by M. Norman. Rose Theatre Brampton,
1 Theatre Ln., Brampton. 905-874-2800. $28;
$24(sr/st); $18(under 13). Also Nov 9, 10(mat
and eve).
• 7:30: Iron Strings Quartet. Iron Strings
Plays Brahms. Mendelssohn: String Quartet
No.6 in f Op.80; Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in b
Op.15. Haruna Monri, violin; Sal Alberti, violin; Jack Chao, viola; Lynn Wei, cello; Jongmin
Lee, clarinet. Debates Room, Hart House, 7 Hart
House Circle. 647-968-3035. Free.
Roy Thomson Hall. Chilly Gonzales Solo Piano
II. Winter Garden Theatre, 189 Yonge St. 416872-4255. $29.50–$39.50.
Roy Thomson Hall. Royal Wood, singer-songwriter. Winter Garden Theatre, 189 Yonge St.
416-872-4255. $29.50–$39.50.
• 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre. 1812:
Toronto Concert Orchestra. Beethoven:
Symphony No.7 in A Op.92; Mozart: Clarinet
Concerto in A K622; Herriot: 1812 (new work
for clarinet and orchestra). Kerry Stratton, conductor; guest: Kornel Wolak, clarinet. 171
Town Centre Blvd., Markham. 905-305-7469.
$49–$54.
thewholenote.com
• 8:00: Gallery 345. Holger Schoorl, guitar. Original compositions for quartet and trio.
With Kyle Brenders, bass clarinet; Germaine Liu,
vibraphone and percussion; Mark Zurawinski,
percssion; Michael Savona, guitar; Rob
MacDonald, guitar. 345 Sorauren Ave. 416822-9781. $20; $15(sr); $10(st).
• 8:00: Royal Conservatory. Blues Series:
Keb’ Mo’. Blues blended with rock, folk and
jazz. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-4080208. $40 and up.
• 8:00: Show One Productions. My Name
Is Not Carmen! Yana Maizel, dancer; Thiago
Vasquez, guitar and vocals; Cristo Cortes,
vocals. Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence
Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-3667723. $35–$65. Also Nov 9.
• 8:00: Tafelmusik. Mozart’s World. See
Nov 7.
Performers include: Build to Suit; Sarah Peebles,
electronics; Colin Fisher, Chinese harp/guzheng/
guitar; Emilio Guim, jazz guitar. Tranzac Club,
292 Brunswick Ave. 416-923-8137. $7.
Friday November 09
Music. Music at Midday: Brass Ensemble.
Works by Byrd, Belianski, Handel, Bach, Scheidt
and others. James MacDonald, conductor.
Tribute Communities Recital Hall, Rm.112,
Accolade East Bldg., 4700 Keele St. 416-7362100 x22926. Free.
Secret Garden. See Nov 8.
Christ Church Deer Park. A Concert of
Remembrance. Butterworth: Six Songs from A
Shropshire Lad; also works by Bach, Vaughan
Williams and Elgar. Brendan Cassin, trumpet;
Lark Popov and George Vona, piano; Choir of
Christ Church Deer Park, Eric N. Robertson, conductor; guest: Geoffrey Sirett, baritone. Christ
Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. 416-2411298. Free, donations welcome.
• 7:30: Opera by Request. Don Giovanni.
Mozart. John Kirby, baritone (Don Giovanni);
Marco Petracchi, bass-baritone (Leporello); Erin
Stone, soprano (Donna Anna); Lisa Faieta, soprano (Donna Elvira); Charles Sy, tenor (Don
Ottavio); and others; William Shookhoff, piano.
College Street United Church, 452 College St.
416-455-2365. $20.
ST. THOMAS’S CHURCH
383 Huron Street, Toronto
FAIRE IS THE HEAVEN
The Choirs of St. Thomas’s
John Tuttle, organist and choirmaster
Friday, November 9, 7:30 pm
A fundraising concert for the
summer 2013 choir tour to England
Tickets at door: $20; students/seniors $15
Organ Recital
Peter Barley, St. Mary’s Cathedral,
Limerick, Ireland
Tickets at door: $20; students/seniors $15
www.stthomas.on.ca
37
• 7:30: St. Thomas’s Church. Faire Is The
Heaven: Music of Remembrance. St. Thomas’s
Church Choirs; John Tuttle, organ and choirmaster. 383 Huron St. 416-979-2323. $20.
Fundraiser for 2013 summer tour to England.
• 8:00: group of twenty-seven. The
Subversion Project. Beethoven: Symphony
No.1; Prokofiev: Symphony No.1; Zorn: Cobra;
Buhr: and man will only grieve... Nadina Mackie
Jackson, bassoon; Vanessa AvRuskin, narrator;
Eric Paetkau, conductor. Grace Church on-theHill, 300 Lonsdale Rd. 1-800-838-3006. $30;
$25(sr); $15(under 30).
• 8:00: Royal Conservatory. World Music
Series: Alex Cuba – “Ruida in el Sistema” Album
Launch Tour. Cuban music. Koerner Hall, 273
Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $30 and up.
• 8:00: Show One Productions. My Name Is
Not Carmen! See Nov 8.
Nov 7.
• 8:00: That Choir. That Choir Remembers.
Allegri: Miserere Mei; Gorecki: Totus Tuus;
Stanford: Beati Quorum Via; Daley: In
Remembrance; and other works. Craig Pike,
conductor. St. Patrick’s Church, 141 McCaul
St. 416-419-1756. $25; $15(sr/arts workers); $5(st).
• 8:15: Pegaz Art Productions. Zenon
Laskowik: Chity dla prosperity. Polish cabaret. Hammerson Hall, Living Arts Centre, 4141
Living Arts Dr., Mississauga. 416-306-6000 or
1-888-805-8888. $55–$65.
Performers include: Michael Snow, piano/synthesizer; Paul Dutton, vocals; John Oswald,
saxophone; John Kamevarr, percussion; Brodie
West, alto saxophone; Glen Hall, saxophone
and flute; David Story, piano; Rakesh Thewari,
drums. Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Ave. 416923-8137. $7.
• 3:00: Neapolitan Connection. Musical
Matinées at Montgomery’s Inn. Nataliya
Lepeshikina, piano. Montgomery’s Inn, 4709
Dundas St. W. 647-955-2108. $22; $12.50(sr/
child). Tea, historical tour, cookies included.
• 7:00: Art of Life Community Health
Center/Prater Ensemble. Music of Unity:
Classical Music Charity Concert. Works by
Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Sarasate, Wieniawski,
Tchaikovsky and others. Runnymede United
Church, 432 Runnymede Rd. 416-449-6747.
$35–$50; $25(sr/child).
• 7:30: Buffalo Master Chorale/Church
of the Redeemer. Dona Nobis Pacem.
Works by Gjeilo, Esenvalds, Daley, Pärt and
others. Doreen Rao, conductor. Church of the
Redeemer, 162 Bloor St. W. 416-922-4948.
$20. All proceeds towards Church of the
Redeemer’s Lunch Program.
• 7:30: Cantabile Chamber Singers. Lux. A
capella concert on the themes of light, love and
night. Works by L. Silberberg, C. Livingston and
B. J. Kim. Trinity College Chapel, 6 Hoskin Ave.
647-822-5412. $20; $15(sr/st).
• 7:30: Excelsior Ensemble. Got Rhythm?
Reich: Clapping Music; Vivaldi: Autumn from
Four Seasons; Schickele: Last Tango in
Bayreuth; Schubert: Octet in F; Gershwin: three
songs. St. Peter’s Estonian Church, 817 Mount
Pleasant Rd. 416-483-5847. PWYC.
• 7:30: Music at Islington. A Day for
Remembrance. Music honouring Canada’s veterans. Etobicoke Youth Band Wind Ensemble;
Les Dobbin, conductor. Islington United Church,
25 Burnhamthorpe Rd. 416-239-1131. $20;
$10(st); free(12 and under).
• 7:30: Toronto Opera Collaborative.
Fidelio. Beethoven. Kristine Dandavino, soprano (Fidelio); Jason Lamont, tenor (Florestan);
Marion Samuel-Stevens, soprano (Marzelline);
Stephen Bell, tenor (Jaquino); Grant Allert, bass
(Rocco); and others; Nichole Bellamy, piano and
conductor. Bloor Street United Church, 300
Bloor St. W. 905-995-2847. $20.
• 8:00: Canadian Men’s Chorus. Honour:
We Remember. Sirett: High Flight; Not Dead;
also works by Chatman, Gawthrop, Takach
and others. Erica Laine, Dot Routledge, Rockne
Corrigan, Luke Reece and Mike Scott, actors;
Pipers’ Quartet; Greg Rainville, director. Glenn
Gould Studio, 250 Front St. W. 647-341-8775.
$35/$30(adv).
• 8:00: Cathedral Bluffs Symphony
Orchestra. In Concert. Brahms: Piano Concerto
No.1; Symphony No.3. Peter Longworth, piano;
Norman Reintamm, conductor. P.C. Ho Theatre,
5183 Sheppard St. E., Scarborough. 416-8795566. $30–$50; $25–$40(sr/st); free(under
12).
Roger Admiral. Works by H. Bashaw. 345
Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781. $20; $15(sr);
$10(st).
• 8:00: Masterworks of Oakville Chorus
& Orchestra/Intrada Brass of Oakville. The
Armed Man: A Mass for Peace. Jenkins: The
Armed Man. Ali Zafar, muezzin; Loralee McGuirl,
soprano; Heidi Cyfko, alto; Rudy Knispel, tenor;
William Price, bass; Charles Demuynck, conductor. St. Matthew Catholic Church, 1150
Monks Passage, Oakville. 905-399-9732. $30;
$25(sr); $20(st/child). Also Nov 11(mat).
• 8:00: Mississauga Big Band. Music to
Remember. Music from the 40s, 50s and 60s.
Rob Boniface, conductor; guest: Little Peter and
the Elegants. Port Credit Legion, 35 Front St.
N., Mississauga. 905-274-6131. $25.
• 8:00: Music Gallery. Post-Classical Series:
Frances-Marie Uitti, cello. Harvey: Curve with
Plateaux; Gosfield: A Luminour Reflection of
Metallic Direction; Bielawa: Roman Holiday
Blues (Canadian premiere); Ueno: Age of
Aircraft (Canadian premiere); Stanliand: Still
Turning (world premiere); and other works. 197
John St. 416-204-1080. $25/$20(adv).
Nov 7.
Sunday November 11
• 10:30 am: Royal York Road United
Church. Blessed are the Peacemakers:
Remembrance Day Service. Locklair:
Remembrance; Hatfield: Amazing Grace. Junior
and Senior Choirs; soloists; Steven Arsenault,
trumpet; Liam Hoyle, bagpipes; Lydia Pedersen,
organ; Douglas Brownlee, conductor. 851 Royal
York Rd. 416-231-9401. Freewill offering.
Religious service.
Brunch. Henry Heillig, bass; Stacie McGregor,
piano. 18 St. Thomas St. 416-971-9666. $50;
$35(12 and under). Brunch included.
• 2:00: Nagata Shachu. Work Songs. See
Nov 10.
• 2:00: Royal Conservatory. Strings Series:
Jennifer Koh, violin. Bach: Sonata No.1 for
Solo Violin in g BWV1001; Partita No.1 for Solo
Violin in b BWV1002; Bartók: Sonata for Solo
Violin BB124; P. Kline: Partita for Solo Violin
(world premiere). Mazzoleni Concert Hall, 273
Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $40 and up.
• 2:00: Toronto Mandolin Orchestra. In
Concert. Featuring Alexander Sevastian, bayan
(accordion-like instrument); Ira Erokhina, domra
(mandolin-like instrument). Glenn Gould Studio,
250 Front St. W. 416-533-2725. $35.
• 2:00: Visual and Performing Arts
Newmarket. Penderecki String Quartet.
Newmarket Theatre, 505 Pickering Cres.,
Newmarket. 905-953-5122. $26; $20(sr);
$10(st).
• 2:00: The Sound Post. Annual Fall Salon
Concert. Kevin Fox, cello and voice. 93 Grenville
St. 416-971-6990 x244. Free; limited seating,
call to reserve. Post-concert reception.
• 3:00: Gallery 345. Cecilia Ignatieff, piano,
and Matthew Shubin, bassoon. Works by Bach,
Brahms and Schumann. 345 Sorauren Ave.
416-822-9781. $20; $15(sr); $10(st).
• 3:00: Jazz Entertainment. Ed Stephenson.
Spanish and nuevo flamenco music. Ed
• 8:00: Nagata Shachu. Work Songs.
Japanese taiko and music group in a tribute
to labourers, farmers and fishermen. Enwave
Theatre. Harbourfront Centre, 231 Queen’s
Quay W. 416-973-4000. $25–$35; $20(sr/st).
Also Nov 11(mat).
• 8:00: NYCO Symphony Orchestra.
Season Premiere. Beethoven: Coriolan Overture
Op.62; Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in e
Op.64; Brahms: Symphony No.1 Op.68. Julia
McFarlane, violin. Centre for the Arts, St.
Michael’s College School, 1515 Bathurst St.
416-628-9195. $25; $20(sr); $10(st). 7:30:
Pre-concert chat.
• 8:00: Royal Conservatory. Marc-André
Hamelin, piano, & Takács Quartet. Schubert:
String Quartet No.13 in a D804 Op.29
“Rosamunde”; Britten: String Quartet No.1 in D
Op.25; Shostakovich: Piano Quintet in g Op.57.
Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208.
$35 and up.
38
thewholenote.com
Stephenson, guitar; guest: Sarah Shelton, dancer. RBC Theatre, Living Arts Centre, 4141
Living Arts Dr., Mississauga. 416-306-6000 or
1-888-805-8888. $25/$20(adv); $15(st).
• 3:00: Masterworks of Oakville Chorus
& Orchestra/Intrada Brass of Oakville. The
Armed Man: A Mass for Peace. See Nov 10.
Church Street. 416-364-7865 x231. Freewill
offering.
• 4:00: St. Philip’s Anglican Church. Jazz
Vespers. ZimZum. 25 St. Phillips Rd., Etobicoke.
416-247-5181. Freewill offering.
• 4:30: Christ Church Deer Park. Jazz
Vespers. Bill McBirnie, flute; Bernie Senensky,
piano. 1570 Yonge St. 416-920-5211 x22.
Freewill offering.
• 4:30: Wesley Mimico United Church. The
4 Men: Voices for a Caring World. Songs of
remembrance, hope and inspiration with piano
accompaniment. 2 Station Rd., Etobicoke. 416251-5811. $20; $15(sr); $10(ages 7–18);
free(under 7). Proceeds support the United
Church’s Mission and Service Fund.
tHE LatVIaN
RaDIO CHOIR
One of the world’s greatest chamber
choirs + 4 university choirs
NOVEMBER 11 at 3:00 pM
soundstreams.ca
• 3:00: Soundstreams. The Latvian Radio
Choir. Cage: Four²; Auerbach: Psalm 23;
Psalm 130; Lullaby; Sokolović: ASAP 4 SATB
(world premiere); Gotham: The Fool by the
Roadside; Ratniece: Horo horo hata hata; and
other works. University Voices: Calixa Lavallee
Singers; Madrigal Singers; University of
Guelph Chamber Choir; University of Manitoba
Chamber Choir; Kaspars Putnins, conductor.
$20–$65. 2:00 Pre-concert chat with Ana
Sokolović.
Nov 7.
World Music Series: Gideli. Georgian vocal
music. Darbazi Georgian Choir, Shalva
Makharashvili, director. Richard Bradshaw
Music. Music at Midday: York U Chamber
Strings. Jacques Israelievitch, director. Tribute
Communities Recital Hall, Rm.112, Accolade
East Bldg., 4700 Keele St. 416-736-2100
x22926. Free.
Music at Midday. Andrew Adair, organ. 65
offering.
• 7:30: Horatio Alger Association of
Canada. George Perris in Concert. Al Green
Theatre, 750 Spadina Ave. 416-924-6211.
$25; $20(sr/st).
• 7:30: Musicians in Ordinary. Aria di
Fiorenza. Music from the court of Ferdinando
de’ Medici. Works by Bottegari, Caccini and
Peri. Hallie Fishel, soprano; John Edwards, theorbo and baroque guitar. Charbonnel Lounge, St.
Michael’s College, 81 Saint Mary St. 416-5359956. $25; $20(sr/st).
• 8:00: Les Amis/Gallery 345. The Art of the
Duo Piano: Erika Crinó and Ellen Annor-Adjei.
Bach: Concerto in c BWV1060; Beethoven:
Sonata Op.27 No.2 “Moonlight”; Rachmaninoff:
Prelude in c-sharp Op.3 No.2; Lutosławski:
Paganini Variations. 345 Sorauren Ave. 905773-7712 or 416-822-9781. $20; $15(sr/arts
worker); $10(st).
• 7:30: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.
Carmina Burana. Orff: Carmina Burana; Dove:
The Passing of the Year; Whitacre: Cloudburst.
Noel Edison, conductor; guests: TorQ Percussion
Quartet; James Bourne, piano; Michel Ross,
piano; Lesley Bouza, soprano; Christopher
Mayell, tenor; Michael Nyby, baritone. Koerner
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $53$87; $47-$81; $25(30 and under).
• 8:00: New Music Concerts. GENERATION
2012: ECM+. Dharmoo: Ninaivanjali (2012);
Groven: Animaris Currens Ventosa (2012);
Maimets: Beatitude (2012); A. Black: Jenny’s
last rock (2012). Ensemble contemporain
de Montréal, Véronique Lacroix, conductor;
Véronique Mathiew, violin; Nicolas Gilbert, host.
Music Gallery, 197 John St. 416-961-9594.
$35; $25(sr/arts worker); $10(st).
• 8:00: TorQ Percussion Quartet. Notes
from Brazil. Brazilian choro tunes and works
by Duggan, Barrosso, Corea and others. Guest:
Mark Duggan, percussion. Lula Lounge, 1585
Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307. $20; $15(arts
worker); $10(st).
Monday November 12
Music. Music at Midday: Classical Instrumental
Recital. Tribute Communities Recital Hall,
416-736-2100 x22926. Free.
• 8:00: Gallery 345. Michael Guttman, violin,
and Stefan Sylvestre, piano. Beethoven: Sonata
No.4; Brahms: Sonata No.3; Pärt: Fratres;
Fauré: Sonata No.1. 345 Sorauren Ave. 416822-9781. $25; $10(st).
• 8:00: New Adventures in Sound Art
(NAISA). SOUNDplay: The Flight of Birds and
Sacred Spirits. Live video music performances
by Freida Abtan and Zazalie Z. Christie Studio,
Artscape Wychwood Barns, Unit #170, 601
Christie St. 416-652-5115. $10–$15.
Jazz Series: Bet You Can’t Sit Still! R&B selections by James Brown, Tower of Power and
Earth, Wind & Fire. Humber Groove Merchants,
Mark Kelso, conductor. Richard Bradshaw
Noon Hour Organ Recital Series. William
Maddox, organ. 1585 Yonge St. 416-9221167. Free.
• 7:00: Alchemy. An Hour of Chamber Music.
J.C. Bach: Oboe Quartet in B-flat; Borodin:
String Quartet in D; Britten: Metamorphoses for
Oboe; Mendelssohn: Capriccio for String Quartet
Op.81 No.3. Cristina Sewerin, oboe; Catherine
Sulem and John Bailey, violin; Dorothy Pellerin,
viola; Susan Naccache, cello. Forest Hill Place,
645 Castlefield Ave. 416-316-2570. Free. Also
Nov 15 (Northern District Library).
• 7:30: Alliance Française de Toronto.
Thibault Cauvin: La guitare par-delà les siècles –
et les styles. Concert around the theme of guitar
through the ages. 24 Spadina Rd. 416-9222014 x35. $15; $10(sr/st/under 12).
Tuesday November 13
thewholenote.com
39
• 8:00: Corporation of Massey Hall
and Roy Thomson Hall. Jeremy Fisher.
Singer-songwriter. Rivoli, 332 Queen St. W.
416-872-4255. $19.50.
• 8:00: Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy
Thomson Hall/B.C. Fiedler. Gordon Lightfoot.
Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St. 416-872-4255.
$45–$85. Also Nov 15–17.
• 8:00: Gallery 345. Pugs and Crows. Original
music performed by five-piece band. 345
Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781. $25; $15(sr);
$10(st).
• 8:00: Mirvish Productions. Jekyll &
Hyde. Music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Leslie
Bricusse. Featuring Constantine Maroulis and
Deborah Cox. Ed Mirvish Theatre (formerly the
Canon), 244 Victoria St. 416-872-1212. $29–
$150. Runs to November 18. Start times vary.
• 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Beethoven Triple Concerto. Mercure: Triptyque;
Beethoven: Concerto for Piano, Violin and Cello
“Triple Concerto”; Shostakovich: Symphony
No.12 “The Year 1917.” Jonathan Crow, violin;
Shauna Rolston, cello; André Laplante, piano;
Peter Oundjian, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-593-4828. $29–$145. Also
Nov 15.
Music. Rebecca Lim, viola; Emily Rho, piano.
Met. Federico Andreoni, organ. Metropolitan
United Church, 56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331
x26. Free.
Music. World at Noon: Flamenco En Vivo.
Roger Scannura, guitar; and guests. Tribute
x22926. Free.
• 2:00: Alchemy. An Hour of Chamber Music.
J.C. Bach: Oboe Quartet in B-flat; Borodin:
String Quartet in D; Britten: Metamorphoses for
Oboe; Mendelssohn: Capriccio for String Quartet
Op.81 No.3. Cristina Sewerin, oboe; Catherine
Sulem and John Bailey, violin; Dorothy Pellerin,
viola; Susan Naccache, cello. Northern District
Library, 40 Orchard View Blvd. 416-316-2570.
Free. Also Nov 14 (Forest Hill Place).
District. Orchardviewers. Alchemy Chamber
Ensemble. 40 Orchard View Blvd. 416-3937619. Free.
Roy Thomson Hall/B.C. Fiedler. Gordon
Lightfoot. See Nov 14.
Roy Thomson Hall. The Once. Folk music trio.
Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St. W. 416-8724255. $29.50.
Robi Botos. Jazz standards and originals. 345
Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781. $25; $10(st).
• 8:00: Music Gallery. Emergents I: Adam
Scime +Ton Beau Quartet. Scime: Hygieia’s
Medicine (for violin and viola); Two Songs on
Sappho Fragments (for soprano and piano);
Rilke Fragments II; and other works; Maimets:
Sanctus; Lau: Second String Quartet; and other
works. 197 John St. 416-204-1080. $10.
Beethoven Triple Concerto. See Nov 14.
Friday November 16
• 7:30: Opera by Request. Eugene Onegin.
Tchaikovsky. James Levesque, baritone (Eugene
Onegin); Vilma Vitols, soprano (Tatiana); Vanya
Abrahams, tenor (Lenski); Cindy Won, mezzo
(Olga); and others; Bluebridge Festival Singers,
Catherine Maguire, director; William Shookhoff,
piano. Crescent School, 2365 Bayview Ave.
416-455-2365. $20. Also Nov 25 (College
Street United Church).
• 7:30: Royal Conservatory. Glenn Gould
School Fall Opera Double Bill. Rorem: Three
Sisters Who Are Not Sisters; Vézina: Le Lauréat.
Peter Tiefenbach, conductor. Mazzoleni Concert
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $15.
Also Nov 17.
Music. An Evening of Song. Featuring performances by faculty members. Guest: Adrianne
Pieczonka, soprano. Walter Hall, Edward
Johnson Bldg., 80 Queens Park. 416-9780492. Free.
Lightfoot See Nov 14.
12/13 SEASON
Carmina Burana
NOV 14, 2012 7:30 PM
• 8:00: Gallery 345. Brian Yoon, cello, and
Eliza Ching, piano. Works by Burge, Poulenc,
Raum, V. Ho, Kulesha and Louie. 345 Sorauren
Ave. 416-822-9781. $25; $15(sr); $10(st).
• 8:00: Mattaniah Christian Male Choir.
Rejoice, Emmanuel.. Andre Knevel, organ;
Joyce Postmus, piano; Herman den Hollander,
conductor; guest: Benjamin Ho, tenor. 4240
Anderson St., Whitby. 905-668-5551. $10;
$8(sr). Proceeds to Durham Christian Homes
Long-term Care Facilities, Bowmanville.
• 8:00: Sinfonia Toronto. Chopin! Chopin:
Piano Concerto No.2 (chamber version);
Tchaikovsky: Serenade. Anastasia Rizikov,
piano; guest: Berislav Skenderovic, conductor.
Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St. W. 416-8724255. $39; $32(sr); $12(st).
• 8:00: Sony Centre. The Rat Pack is Back!
Tribute show to Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis
Jr., Joey Bishop and Dean Martin, backed by
12-piece orchestra. A Foggy Day, That’s Amoré,
Mr. Bojangles and other songs. 1 Front St. E.
1-855-872-7669. $39 and up.
• 8:00: Toronto Masque Theatre. Fairest
Isle. Interdisciplinary performance featuring
music of Purcell. Lawrence Wiliford, tenor; Larry
Beckwith, conductor. Al Green Theatre, 750
Noel Edison conductor
Matthew Otto associate conductor
Koerner Hall, TELUS
Centre for Performance
and Learning
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir
TorQ Percussion Quartet
273 BLOOR STREET WEST
Dove: The Passing of the Year
Whitacre: Cloudburst
Orff: Carmina Burana
Experience an exciting
choral-percussion
collaboration in this
concert of three popular
choral works.
TICKETS
SENIORS
$53–$87 $47–$81
416-408-0208
www.tmchoir.org
40
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Spadina Ave. 416-410-4561. $40; $35(sr);
$20(under 30). 7:15: Pre-concert chat. Also
Nov 17.
Music. Improv Soiree. An evening of improvisation in a participatory open mic setup, hosted
by the studios of Casey Sokol; performers
and observers welcome. Tribute Communities
4700 Keele St. 416-736-2100 x22926. Free.
• 3:00: Capella Intima. In Concert. Music
by Grandi, Sances and Strozzi. Emily Klassen,
soprano; Bud Roach, tenor/baroque guitar.
Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church, 427 Bloor St.
W. 905-517-3594. $10 suggested donation.
Also Nov 18 (Kingston Road United Church), 24
(Hamilton).
• 7:00: Parish Church of St. Luke. Music at
St. Luke’s: Rhyme and Reason. Bluegrass band.
1371 Elgin St., Burlington. 905-632-2918. $35.
• 7:30: Cantemus Singers. Make We Merry!
Charpentier: In Nativitatem Domini; also renaissance carols and motets. Michael Erdman,
director; guest: Community Baroque Orchestra
of Toronto. Church of the Holy Trinity, 10
Trinity Sq. 416-578-6602. $20; $15(sr/st). Also
Nov 18 (mat, Church of St. Aidan in the Beach).
• 7:30: Grace Church on-the-Hill. Janet
Obermeyer, soprano, and Leslie De’Ath, piano.
Works by Handel, Mozart and Strauss; also
English songs. 300 Lonsdale Rd. 416-4887884. Freewill offering.
• 7:30: Music On The Donway. Sing! Sing!
Sing! Yorkminstrels Show Choir. Donway
Covenant United Church, 230 The Donway W.
416-444-8444. $20; $12(under 12).
• 7:30: Opera by Request. The Pearl Fishers.
Bizet. Paul Williamson, tenor (Nadir); Allison
Arends, soprano (Leila); Larry Tozer, baritone (Zurga); Henry Irwin, baritone (Nourabad);
William Shookhoff, piano. College Street United
Church, 452 College St. 416-455-2365. $20.
School Fall Opera. See Nov 16.
• 7:30: Thornhill United Church. November
Delights. Light music presented by choirs and
instrumentalists of Thornhill United Church. 25
Elgin St., Thornhill. 905-889-2131. Freewill
offering.
• 8:00: Bell’Arte Singers. In Concert. Church
of St. Simon the Apostle, 525 Bloor St. W. 416269-5044. $25; $20(st).
Lightfoot. See Nov 14.
• 8:00: Guitar Society of Toronto. Vladimir
Gorbach, guitar. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton
Ave. 416-964-8298. $30; $25(sr/st).
• 8:00: Music Gallery/Exclaim! Magazine.
Pop Avants Series: Exclaim Magazine
Destination Out Showcase. Doom Squad, T H
O M A S, Alex Lukashevsky/Felicity Williams/
Daniela Gesundheir. Music Gallery, 197 John
St. 416-204-1080. $17/$13(adv).
• 8:00: Oakville Symphony Orchestra.
Opening Masterpieces. Brahms: Violin Concerto;
Mendelssohn: Symphony No.3. Joseph Peleg,
violin; Roberto De Clara, conductor. Oakville
Centre for the Performing Arts, 130 Navy St.,
Oakville. 905-815-2021. $51; $46(sr); $26(st).
Also Nov. 18.
• 8:00: Royal Conservatory. Alfredo Rodríguez
Trio & Tiempo Libre. Latin jazz. Koerner Hall, 273
Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $30 and up.
• 8:00: Toronto Masque Theatre. Fairest
Isle. See Nov 16.
• 8:00: York Symphony Orchestra. Mozart’s
Vienna: City of Music and Dreams. Mozart:
The Magic Flute Overture; Piano Concerto
No.21; Gluck: Gli sguardi trattieni; L’espoir
renaît dans mon âme; Schubert: Symphony
No.8 “Unfinished”; Haydn: Un certo ruscelletto;
Nicolai: The Merry Wives of Windsor Overture.
Erin Cooper Gay, soprano; Isaiah Bell, tenor;
Elissa Miller-Kay, piano; Ann Cooper Gay, conductor. Trinity Anglican Church, 79 Victoria St.,
Aurora. 416-410-0860. $28;$23(sr); $15(st).
Also Nov 18 (Richmond Hill).
• 9:00 pm: NuJazz Festival. Festival Gala
Concert. Billy Martin, drums and percussion; Wil
Blades, organ. Great Hall, 1087 Queen St. W.
416-877-4075. $25.
Sunday November 18
Brunch. Kevin Barrett, guitar; Russ Boswell,
bass. 18 St. Thomas St. 416-971-9666. $50;
$35(12 and under). Brunch included.
416-872-4255. $29.50–$129.50.
• 2:00: Oakville Symphony Orchestra.
Opening Masterpieces. See Nov 17.
• 2:00: Off Centre Music Salon. American
Salon: Syncopated City – The Magic of New
York. Works by Sondheim, Gershwin, Bernstein
and others. Sarah Halmarson, soprano; Ilana
Zarankin, soprano; Vasil Garvanliev, baritone;
Jimmy Roberts, piano; Marie Berard, violin.
Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St. W. 416-4661870. $60; $50(sr); $25(13–25); $15(under
12).
• 2:00: Oratory of St. Philip Neri. Organ
Music of the 17th Century. Music by Praetorius,
Sweelinck, Scheidt, Frescobaldi, Byrd and Bach.
Philip Fournier, organ. The Oratory, Holy Family
Church, 1372 King St. W. 416-532-2879. Free.
• 3:00: Cantemus Singers. Make We Merry.
Charpentier: In Nativitatem Domini; also renaissance carols and motets. Michael Erdman,
Roy Thomson Hall. Itzhak Perlman, violin,
with Rohan De Silva, piano. Mozart: Sonata in
A K526; Fauré: Sonata No.1; Stravinsky: Suite
Italienne. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
Janet Obermeyer soprano
Leslie De’Ath piano
English song, & music of Handel, Strauss & Mozart
November 17, 7:30pm
freewill offering
Grace Church on-the-hill
 Lonsdale Road • --
thewholenote.com
41
director; guest: Community Baroque Orchestra
of Toronto. Church of St. Aidan in the Beach,
70 Silverbirch Ave. 416-578-6602. $20;
$15(sr/st). Also Nov 17 (eve, Church of the
Holy Trinity).
• 3:00: Capella Intima. In Concert. Music by
Grandi, Sances and Strozzi. Emily Klassen, soprano; Bud Roach, tenor/baroque guitar. Kingston
Road United Church, 975 Kingston Rd. 905517-3594. 10 suggested donation. Also Nov 17
(Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church), 24 (Hamilton).
• 3:00: Gallery 345. San Agustin Duo. Emma
Banfield, violin; Diana Dumlavwalla, piano.
Works by Dietrich, Schumann, Brahms and
Joachim. 345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781.
$20; $15(sr); $10(st).
• 3:00: Hart House Music Committee.
Sunday Concerts: 654th Concert. Brian Yoon,
cello; Eliza Ching, piano. Great Hall, Hart House,
7 Hart House Circle. 416-978-2452. Free.
• 3:00: Toronto Community Orchestra.
Music of the Masters. Includes tribute to
Fiddler on the Roof. Pride of Israel Synagogue,
59 Lissom Cr. 416-226-0111. $15/$10(adv).
Fundraiser for Toronto Community Orchestra
and Pride of Israel Synagogue.
• 3:00: Windermere String Quartet. Young
Blood. Mozart: Quartet in d K173; Arriaga:
Quartet No.2 in A; Schubert: Quartet in B-flat
D112. St. Olave’s Anglican Church, 360
Windermere Ave. 416-769-0952. $20; $14(sr/
st).
offering.
• 4:00: Georgetown Bach Chorale. Messiah.
Handel. Christ Church Anglican, 4 Elizabeth
St. N., Brampton. 905-877-6569 or 905-8730352. $30; $10(st). Also Nov 17 (Goderich), 23
and 25 (St. Elias Ukrainian Church, Brampton).
• 7:30: Toronto Chapter of the American
Harp Society. A Score to Settle. Written by K.
Gonzalez-Risso. A musical monologue for solo
harp. Rita Costanzi, harp and comic actress;
Arthur Masella, director. Arts and Letters Club,
14 Elm St. 416-781-8206. $25; $20(sr/st).
• 7:30: Windermere United Church. 100th
Anniversary Concert. 356 Windermere Ave.
416-231-9120. Free; goodwill offering to
benefit local individuals and families in need.
Reception following performance.
• 8:00: Aurora Cultural Centre. Paul
Neufeld’s Sunday Jazz Sessions. Paul Neufeld,
piano; guest: Sean O’Connor, woodwinds.
22 Church St., Aurora. 905-713-1818. $15;
$45(family).
• 8:00: Esprit Orchestra. Exquisite Vibrations.
Harman: Cilla; Pauk: Musiques immergées
for orchestra and surround-sound digital playback with multi-screen photo/film projections;
Mather: Concerto Grosso for microtonal ensemble and orchestra; Dalbavie: Concerto for Flute
and Orchestra. Edward Burtynsky, photographer; John Price, filmmaker; Robert Aitken,
flute. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-4080208. $55; $50(sr); $20(under 30). 7:15:
Pre-concert talk.
• 8:00: Gallery 345. Don Braden/Julie Michels
Project: “Come Together” CD Release. Don
Braden, saxophone and flute; Julie Michels,
vocals; Dave Restivo, piano; Kieran Overs, bass;
Larnell Lewis, drums. 345 Sorauren Ave. 416822-9781. $30; $20(sr/st).
• 8:00: Isra-Alien. CD Release Concert. Guitar
duo fuses rock, jazz, Israeli music and global
rhythms. Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. W.
416-588-0307. $15/$10(adv).
• 8:00: York Symphony Orchestra. Mozart’s
Vienna: City of Music and Dreams. Mozart:
The Magic Flute Overture; PIano Concerto
No.21; Gluck: Gli sguardi trattieni; L’espoir
renaît dans mon âme; Schubert: Symphony
No.8 “Unfinished”; Haydn: Un certo ruscelletto;
Nicolai: The Merry Wives of Windsor Overture.
Erin Cooper Gay, soprano; Isaiah Bell, tenor;
Elissa Miller-Kay, piano; Ann Cooper Gay, conductor. Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing
Arts. 10268 Yonge St., Richmond Hill. 905787-8811. $30; $35(sr); $15(st). Also Nov 17
(Aurora).
• 12:00 noon: University of Toronto
Scarborough. Made in China – Repackaging
Traditional Chinese Music. Performance and
lecture exploring western influences and modernization of Chinese music. Room AA303, Arts
and Administration Bldg., 1265 Military Trail,
Scarborough. 416-208-2931. Free.
Music at Midday. David Briggs, organ. 65
offering.
Music. 10 O’Clock Jazz Orchestra. Featuring
Mike Murley, saxophone. Walter Hall, Edward
Johnson Bldg., 80 Queens Park. 416-408-0208.
$20; $15(sr); $10(st).
Noon Hour Organ Recital Series. Stephen Boda,
organ. 1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167. Free.
Music. gamUT Ensemble. Norbert Palej, conductor. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Bldg., 80
Queens Park. 416-978-0492. Free.
• 8:00: Steppin’Out Theatrical Productions.
Fiddler on the Roof. Music by J. Bock, lyrics
by S. Harnick, book by J. Stein. Richmond Hill
Centre for the Performing Arts, 10268 Yonge
St., Richmond Hill. 905-787-8811. $27–$32.
Also Nov 22–25; start times vary.
Montreal Symphony Orchestra: The Rite of
Spring. Haydn: Symphony No.94 “Surprise”;
Davies: An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise;
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring. Montreal
Symphony Orchestra, Kent Nagano, conductor.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-5934828. $29–$145.
Monday November 19
• 7:00: Passport Duo. Souvenirs of
Canada. Hatzis: Old Photographs; Wilson:
Simpsymphony; Forsythe: Eclectic Suite;
O’Connor: Shimmering Light (premiere).Guest:
Ariel Clayton, violin. The Array Space, 155
Walnut Ave. 416-836-3096. $20; $10(st).
Music. York U Concert Choir. Mozart: Mass
in C K317 “Coronation”; Handel: Coronation
Anthem No.3 “The King Shall Rejoice”. Lisette
Canton, conductor. Tribute Communities Recital
Hall, Rm.112, Accolade East Bldg., 4700 Keele
St. 416-736-5888. $15; $5(st).
Thomson Hall. Gilberto Gil. Brazilian singersongwriter/guitar. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St.
416-872-4255. $29.50–$79.50.
Roy Thomson Hall/Toronto Blues Society.
26th Annual Women’s Blue Review. Massey
Hall, 178 Victoria St. 416-872-4255. $25–$55.
(NAISA). SOUNDplay: Videomusic performance
by Max Alexander. NAISA Space, Artscape
Wychwood Barns, Unit #170, 601 Christie St.
416-652-5115. $5–$10.
Tuesday November 20
Chamber Music Series: Playful Virtuosity.
Glenn Gould School New Music Ensemble,
Brian Current, conductor. Richard Bradshaw
42
thewholenote.com
Jazz Series: Myriad. Chris Donnelly, piano; Dan
Fortin, bass; Ernesto Cervini, drums. Richard
Music: Rising Stars Recital. Performance students from the University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge
St. 416-241-1298. Free, donations welcome.
of Music. Thursdays at Noon: Arias, Songs
and Folksongs. Gaveux: Aria (Polacca) from Le
Trompeur rompe; Roussell: Songs for flute and
voice; Beckwith: Aria for flute and voice from
Shivaree; Hoiby: Three Women; Corigliano:
Three Irish folksong settings; D.F. Cook: Three
Newfoundland Folk-Songs. Lorna MacDonald,
soprano; Susan Hoeppner, flute; Steven Philcox,
piano; Peter Stoll, clarinet. Walter Hall, Edward
Johnson Bldg., 80 Queens Park. 416-9780492. Free.
Met. Sarah Svendsen, organ. Metropolitan
United Church, 56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331
x26. Free.
Music. R&B Ensemble. Mike Cadó, director.
Tribute Communities Recital Hall, Rm.112,
District. Orchardviewers. Catherine Sulem Trio.
40 Orchard View Blvd. 416-393-7619. Free.
Music (Opera Division). L’elisir d’amore.
Donizetti. Sandra Horst, conductor; Michael
Patrick Albano, stage director. MacMillan
Theatre, Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-408-0208. $35; $25(sr); $10(st).
Also Nov 23, 24, 25(mat).
Music. York U Symphony Orchestra. Works by
Glinka, Mussorgsky and Tchaikovsky. Tribute
East Bldg., 4700 Keele St. 416-736-5888.
$15; $5(st).
Roy Thomson Hall. Jesse Cook: The Blue
Guitar Tour 2012. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria
St. 416-872-4255. $45.50–$64.50; $125(VIP
package).
Roy Thomson Hall. Old Man Luedecke, singersongwriter, banjo player. Glenn Gould Studio,
250 Front St. W. 416-872-4255. $29.50.
• 8:00: Gallery 345. Thin Edge New Music
Collective: Free Form Constructs. Vivier: Pulau
Dewata; also new works by F. Evans and A.
Hostman. With Jason Sharp, saxophones. 345
Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781. $20; $10(st).
Fiddler on the Roof. See Nov 21.
• 8:00: Toronto Downtown Jazz/Al Green
Theatre. Hadar Noiberg Trio: A Showcase
Where Middle East Meets Western Influence.
An evening of jazz improvisation. Hadar Noiberg,
flute; Edward Perez, double bass; Yoni Halevy,
drums. Al Green Theatre, 750 Spadina Ave.
416-924-6211. $25.
Friday November 23
• 7:00: Ross Petty Productions. Snow
White: The Deliciously Dopey Family Musical!
Graham Abbey, Eddie Glen, Reid Janisse,
Melissa O’Neil and Ross Petty. Elgin Theatre,
189 Yonge St. 1-855-599-9090. $27–$85;
$27–$59(under 12); $236(family 4-pack). Runs
to Jan 5, 2013. Start times vary.
• 7:30: Royal Canadian College of
Organists/University of Toronto. Hans-Ola
Ericsson, organ. Church of the Holy Trinity, 10
Trinity Sq. 416-363-0331 x26. $25.
Music. Opera: L’elisir d’amore. See Nov 22.
• 7:30: VIVA! Youth Singers. Noye’s
Fludde. Britten. Justin Welsh, baritone; Gary
Relyea, bass-baritone; Marion Newman, mezzo;
Kingsway Chamber Strings, Elyssa LefurgeySmith, director; Brad Ratzlaff, conductor; David
Ambrose, stage director. Trinity-St. Paul’s
Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337. $25;
$12(youth). Also Nov 24(mat and eve) and 25.
Music. York U Gospel Choir. Works by V.
Mitchell, H. Walker, L. Campbell and D. Walker.
Corey Butler, keyboards and rhythm section
leader; Karen Burke, conductor. Sandra Faire
and Ivan Fecan Theatre, Rm.110, Accolade
East Bldg., 4700 Keele St. 416-736-5888. $15;
$5(st). Also Nov 24.
Roy Thomson Hall. The Lost Fingers. Gypsy
jazz guitar trio. Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front
St. W. 416-872-4255. $29.50.
Joel Hastings. Works by C. Pann, including
The Piano’s 12 Sides (world premiere). 345
Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781. $25; $10(st).
• 8:00: Georgetown Bach Chorale.
Messiah. Handel. St. Elias Ukrainian Church,
10193 Heritage Rd., Brampton. 905-8776569 or 905-873-0352. $30; $10(st). Also
Nov 17(Goderich), 18 (Christ Church Anglican,
Brampton), 25 (St. Elias).
• 8:00: Rose Theatre Brampton. The
Midtown Men: Four Stars from the Original
Broadway Cast of Jersey Boys. Hits of the
1960s, including songs by the Beatles, Beach
Boys, Temptations, Jackson 5 and the Four
Season. Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel
Reichard and J. Robert Spencer, vocals. 1
Theatre Ln., Brampton. 905-874-2800. $75–
$85. Also Nov 24(mat).
• 8:00: Royal Conservatory. Taiwan National
Choir conducted by Agnes Grossmann. Bruckner:
Locus iste; Ave Maria; Christus factus est; Mass
No.2 in e for chorus and winds; Schumann: Drei
Gedichte Op.29; Brahms: Zigeunderlieder Op.13;
Taiwanese folk songs. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor
St. W. 416-408-0208. $30 and up.
• 1:30: All Saints’ Kingsway. Caroling on the
Kingsway. Guest: Trillium Brass Quintet. Our
Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, 3066 Bloor
St. W. 416-233-1125. Freewill offering.
• 2:00: Rose Theatre Brampton. The
Midtown Men: Four Stars from the Original
Broadway Cast of Jersey Boys. See Nov 23.
Fiddler on the Roof. Also at 8:00. See Nov 21.
• 2:30: VIVA! Youth Singers. Noye’s Fludde.
Also 7:30. See Nov 23.
• 4:00: Larkin Singers. Bach Motets. Bach:
Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied; Jesu, meine
Freude; Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden; Toccata,
Adagio and Fugue in C. Church of the Holy
Trinity, 10 Trinity Sq. 416-895-0651. $30;
$25(sr); $15(under 30).
• 7:30: Alliance Française de Toronto. Un
quatuor pas comme less autres. Métis Fiddler
Quartet. 24 Spadina Rd. 416-922-2014 x35.
$15; $10(sr/st/under 12).
• 7:30: Bach Children’s Chorus. In Concert.
Scarborough Bluffs United Church, 3739
Kingston Rd. 416-267-8265. $15.
• 7:30: Dillon Parmer and Christopher
Burton Present. Fall Fantasies. Works by
Verdi, Franck, Schubert, Strauss, Massenet,
Beethoven, Gershwin and others. Dillon Parmer,
tenor; Michelle Odorico, violin; Christopher
BENJAMIN BRITTEN’S OPERA
NOYE’S
FLUDDE
Brad Ratzlaff + David Ambrose, Directors
with Peter Barley, organ
R.H. THOMSON as the Voice of God
JUSTIN WELSH, Bass-Baritone
MARION NEWMAN, Mezzo-Soprano
Toronto Centre,
Royal Canadian
College of Organists
and the Faculty of Music,
University of Toronto present
VIVA! Youth Singers of Toronto
Carol Woodward Ratzlaff, Director
Kingsway Chamber Strings
Elyssa Lefurgey-Smith, Director
Hans-Ola Ericsson, organist, in recital
Swedish organist Hans-Ola Ericsson is newly
appointed to the organ faculty of McGill University
in Montreal, in his rst Canadian appearance.
The Church of the Holy Trinity, Eaton Centre
Admission at the door: $25/15 for RCCO members
thewholenote.com
NOV 23 • 7:30 PM
NOV 24 • 2:30 & 7:30 PM
NOV 25 • 2:30 PM
TRINITY- ST. PAUL’S CENTRE
427 BLOOR STREET WEST
ADULTS $25 | YOUTH $12
Tickets (via Tafelmusik box office)
416-964-6337
NOYESFLUDDEOPERA.COM
43
RCM_WHOLENOTE_Nov_ Current_Photo
Burton, piano. Oriole York Mills United Church,
2609 Bayview Ave. 416-462-9601. $30;
$20(sr/st); free(under 12).
• 7:30: Music at Metropolitan. Baroque and
Beyond! – Music by Chopin and Rachmaninoff.
Arnold Tirzits and Oscar Morzsa, piano.
Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. E.
416-363-0331 x26. $20.
• 7:30: St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church.
High Strings, Deep Voice. Works by Schubert,
Music
at Metropolitan
Wolf and Haydn. Rupert Bergman, bass-baritone; Katharina Radlberger, violin; Martin Dubé,
piano. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 73
Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x231. $20; $10(st).
Also 2:30. See Nov 23.
Music. York U Gospel Choir. See Nov 23.
Music at Metropolitan
presents
Baroque and Beyond!
Music by Chopin and Rachmaninoff
Arnold Tirzits and Oscar Morzsa, piano
Saturday, November 24 7:30 pm
Admission: $20
56 Queen Street East (at Church Street), Toronto
416-363-0331 (ext. 26)
www.metunited.org
Canadian Sinfonietta
CS LOVES THE VIOLA
Young Artist’s
Concert
Rivka Golani viola
Tak Ng Lai conductor
with members of the CSYO
Glenn Gould Studio
Sat Nov 24, 8 PM
• 8:00: Canadian Sinfonietta. Young Artists
Concert: CS Loves the Viola. Bach: Brandenburg
Concerto No.6 in B-flat BWV1051; Vaughan
Williams: Fantasia on a Theme for Thomas
Tallis; Finch: Concerto for Viola and Chamber
Orchestra “Night Love Song”; A.G. Bell: Bear
Child for Viola and Orchestra and Narrator (text
by F. Stenson). Rivka Golani, viola; Tak Ng Lai,
conductor; members of the Canadian Sinfonietta
Youth Orchestra. Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front
St. W. 416-872-4255. $35; $30(sr); $20(st).
• 8:00: Mississauga Symphony. An die
Musik. Beethoven: Leonore Overture No.3;
Schnittke: Concerto for Piano and Strings;
Schumann: Symphony No.3 “Rhenish”. Andrew
Burashko, piano; Stephen Sitarski, guest conductor. Hammerson Hall, Living Arts Centre,
4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905306-6000. $48–$62; $43.20–$55.80(sr);
$30(16–26); $20(under 15).
Fiddler on the Roof. Also at 2:00. See Nov 21.
Haydn and Beethoven. Haydn: Symphony
No.101 “The Clock”; Piano Concerto in D;
Beethoven: Symphony No.1 in C Op.21.
Alexandre Tharaud, piano; Bernard Labadie,
conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-593-4828. $29–$145. Also Nov 25 (mat,
George Weston Recital Hall).
Sunday November 25
• 10:15 am: St. John’s United Church.
World Music Sunday. Sacred classics and new
compositions. Peter Togni Trio. 416-491-1224.
2 Nobert Rd. Free.
Brunch. Adrean Farrugia, piano; Bob Brough,
saxophone. 18 St. Thomas St. 416-971-9666.
$50; $35(12 and under). Brunch included.
• 2:00: Maniac Star/Royal Conservatory.
Brian Current’s Airline Icarus. Opera-oratorio
about the intersecting thoughts of passengers
aboard a commercial flight. Fifteen-member
ensemble includes Carla Huhtanen, soprano;
Kristztina Szabó, mezzo; Alexander Dobson,
baritone; Claudia Chan, piano; Brian Current,
conductor. Mazzoleni Concert Hall, Royal
Conservatory, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-4080208. $32.
• 2:00: S.H.A.R.E. Agriculture Foundation/
St. Paul’s United Church. Toronto Welsh
Male Voice Choir Benefit Concert. 30 Main St.,
Brampton. 905-451-1405 or 905-838-0897.
44
thewholenote.com
Brian Current’s
Airline Icarus
CANADIAN PREMIERE
Sunday, November 25, 2012 2pm
Mazzoleni Concert Hall
273 Bloor Street West, Toronto
TICKETS ONLY $32! 416.408.0208
www.performance.rcmusic.ca
$25. In support of S.H.A.R.E. and St. Paul’s.
• 2:30: VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert.
Armida. Rossini. Raphaëlle Paquette, soprano (Armida); Edgar Ernesto Ramirez, tenor
(Rinaldo); Christopher Mayell, tenor (Goffredo);
Michael Ciufo, tenor (Genardo); and others;
Michael Rose, conductor and piano accompaniment; Robert Cooper, chorus director. Jane
Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the
Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723 or 1-800708-6754. $35.40–$46.02.
• 3:00: Campbellville Chamber Concerts.
All the Ends of Earth. Music by Schubert,
Rachmaninoff, Granados, Bolling, Reed,
Piazzolla. Marion Samuel-Stevens, soprano;
Rosanne Warren, flute; Larisa Gulenco, piano.
St. David’s Presbyterian Church, 132 Main St.
N., Campbellville. 905-528-5395. $20; $15(sr);
$10(st).
• 3:00: Durham Community Choir.
Christmas Classics. Bach: Magnificat; Vivaldi:
Gloria. Erin Bardua, soprano; Vicki St. Pierre,
mezzo; Talisker Players; J.C. Coolen, conductor.
College Park Seventh-day Adventist Church,
1164 King St. E., Oshawa. 905-983-9494.
$20; $14(12 and under).
• 3:00: Georgetown Bach Chorale.
Messiah. Handel. St. Elias Ukrainian Church,
10193 Heritage Rd., Brampton. 905-8776569 or 905-873-0352. $30; $10(st). Also
Nov 17 (Goderich), 18 (Christ Church Anglican,
Brampton), 23 (St. Elias).
• 3:00: John Laing Singers. Yesterday,
Today, Tomorrow: The Timeless Music of
Christmas. J.C.F. Bach: Come Arise; Penfound:
Hodie Christus Natus Est (premiere); music by
Rheinberger, Taverner, Lauridsen and others.
Roger Bergs, conductor. St. Matthew on-thePlains Anglican Church, 126 Plains Rd. E.,
Burlington. Also Nov 24 (Dundas).
• 3:00: Mooredale Youth Orchestra. In
Concert. Grieg: Holberg’s Suite; Barber: Adagio
for Strings; Valentini: Christmas Symphony;
marches by Schubert and Handel. William
Rowson and Clare Carberry, conductors.
Rosedale Heights School of the Arts, 711 Bloor
St. E. 416-922-3714 x103. $15; $10(sr/st).
• 3:00: Penthelia Singers. A Ceremony of
Carols. Britten: A Ceremony of Carols; seasonal works including In Praise of Christmas,
Elizabeth’s “Ave.” Alice Malach, conductor.
Rosedale Presbyterian Church, 129 Mount
Pleasant Rd. 416-921-1549. $20.
• 3:00: Royal Conservatory. Piano Series:
Piotr Anderszewski. Bach: English Suite No.3
in g BWV808; English Suite No.6 in d BWV811;
French Suite No.5 in G BWV816; Italian
Concerto BWV971. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St.
W. 416-408-0208. $40 and up.
Haydn and Beethoven. Haydn: Symphony
No.101 “The Clock”; Piano Concerto in D;
Beethoven: Symphony No.1 in C Op.21.
Alexandre Tharaud, piano; Bernard Labadie, conductor. George Weston Recital Hall, Toronto
Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge Street. 416593-4828. $43.50–$98.50. Also Nov 24 (eve,
Roy Thomson Hall).
Music. York U Wind Symphony. Works by
Reed, Bernstein, Whitacre and others. William
Thomas, conductor. Tribute Communities
4700 Keele St. 416-736-5888. $15; $5(st).
• 3:30: Jubilate Singers/Toronto Jewish
Folk Choir. L’khayim: A Celebration of Jewish
Music. Celebrating the 80th birthday of Milton
Barnes. Barnes: Sefarad (three part a capella
suite in Ladino; words from Sephardic texts);
Dos Naye Lid (The New Song), klezmer suite;
and additional Jewish music including Chanukah
songs. Jubilate Singers, Isabel Bernaus, conductor; Sherry Squires, piano; Toronto Jewish
Folk Choir, Alexander Veprinsky, conductor;
Lina Zemelman, piano; Shtetl Shpil, klezmer ensemble. Grace Church on-the-Hill, 300
Lonsdale Rd. 416-485-1988 or 905-669-5906.
$25/$20(adv); $15(sr); $10(st); free(12 and
under).
Twilight Recitals. David Briggs, organ. 65
offering.
Vespers. Peter Togni Trio. 25 St. Phillips Rd.,
Etobicoke. 416-247-5181. Freewill offering.
• 4:30: Christ Church Deer Park. Jazz
Vespers. Mark Eisenman Trio (Mark Eisenman,
piano; Steve Wallace, bass; John Sumner,
drums). 1570 Yonge St. 416-920-5211 x22.
Freewill offering.
• 7:30: Naria. In Concert. Female classical crossover vocal group. Popular operatic
Heliconian Hall,
7:30 PM
November 25
favourites and original classical crossover compositions. Katya Tchoubar, Anna Bateman,
Michelle Danese and Annaliese Jelilian, vocals;
guests: Oleksandra Fedyshyn, violin; Daniel
Picillo, drums. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave.
416-727-2143. $20.
• 7:30: Oakville Ensemble. Renaissance
Christmas. Coventry carol; Gloucester wassail; Palestrina: Hodie Christus Natus Est;
Mouton: Noe, noe, psalite; Victoria: O magnum
mysterium; and other works. Grace Lutheran
Church, 304 Spruce St., Oakville. 905-8259740. $35/$30(adv); $30(sr)/$25(adv); $15(st);
$70(family)/$60(adv). Non-perishable food items
collected for the Salvation Army of Oakville.
• 7:30: Opera by Request. Eugene Onegin.
Tchaikovsky. James Levesque, baritone (Eugene
Onegin); Vilma Vitols, soprano (Tatiana); Vanya
Abrahams, tenor (Lenski); Cindy Won, mezzo
(Olga); and others; Bluebridge Festival Singers,
Catherine Maguire, director; William Shookhoff,
piano. College Street United Church, 452
College St. 416-455-2365. $20. Also Nov 16
(Crescent School).
Music. Percussion Ensemble. Walter Hall,
Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queens Park. 416978-0492. Free.
See Nov 23.
• 8:00: Gallery 345. Danielle Dudycha,
soprano; Martin Dubé, piano. Works by
Rachmaninoff, Poulenc, Dvořák, De Falla and
Duparc. 345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781.
$25; $10(st).
Monday November 26
Music. Monday Evening Concerts: Cecilia
String Quartet with Menahem Pressler, piano.
Brahms: Piano Quintet; and other works. Walter
Hall, Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queens Park.
416-408-0208. $35; $25(sr); $10(st).
Music. Jazz Festival. Combos directed by Lorne
Lofsky and Mark Eisenman. Martin Family
Lounge, Rm.219, Accolade East Bldg., 4700
Keele St. 416-736-2100 x22926. Free.
• 8:00: Acting Up Stage Company.
Tapestries: The Music of Carole King and James
Taylor. Includes I Feel The Earth Move, Fire and
Rain, It’s Too Late, Sweet Baby James, You’ve
thewholenote.com
Got a Friend and other songs. Cynthia Dale,
Arlene Duncan, Jake Epstein and Josh Young,
vocals; and others; Reza Jacobs, director/vocal
arrangements/orchestrations. Koerner Hall, 273
Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $40–$80; $30(st/
arts worker).
• 8:00: Arraymusic. Array Session #14.
Improvised music. Rick Sacks, director, and
guests. Array Space, 155 Walnut Ave. 416532-3019. Free, donations welcome.
(NAISA). Time and Space: Works from the Jeu
de Temps / Times Play Competition. M. CorbeilPerron: Fragments; M. Perron: Effervescence/
Somnolence; J. Hoff: Scratch; D.A. Valencia:
Canción de Otraparte; G. Barrette: Parasite; G.
Campion: eige cendre; D. Copeland: Elephants,
Birds and Bats (world premiere). Christie Studio,
Artscape Wychwood Barns, Unit #170, 601
Christie St. 416-652-5115. $10–$15.
Tuesday November 27
Chamber Music Series: Rising Stars. Royal
Conservatory’s Young Artists Performance
Academy featuring classical musicians between
the ages of 9 and 18. Richard Bradshaw
Music. Jazz Festival. Vocal ensembles directed
by Mike Cadó. Martin Family Lounge, Rm.219,
Music at Midday. Andrew Adair, organ. 65
offering.
• 6:00: Adam Sherkin. CD Launch: “As At
First.” Works for solo piano by Sherkin. Adam
Sherkin, piano. Academy of Spherical Arts, 1
Snooker St. 416-532-2782. Free. 5:00: Preconcert reception.
• 7:30: Daniela Nardi Presents. Espresso
Manifesto. Arrangements of songs by Paolo
Conte. Daniela Nardi, vocals; Ron Davis, piano;
Kevin Barrett, guitars; Larry Crowe, drums; and
others; guest: Fabrizio Bosso, trumpet. Glenn
Gould Studio, 250 Front St. W. 416-872-4255
or 416-703-6371. $34.50.
45
Free.
Music. Student Composers Concert. Walter
Hall, Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queens Park.
416-978-0942. Free.
Music. Jazz Festival. Jazz choirs directed by
Bob Hamper and Mim Adams; followed by jazz
combos directed by Kelly Jefferson. Martin
Family Lounge, Rm.219, Accolade East Bldg.,
4700 Keele St. 416-736-2100 x22926. Free.
• 8:00: Les Amis/Gallery 345. The Art of the
Piano: Erika Crinó. Ravel: Valse nobles et sentimentales; Pepa: Invenzioni – for Erika (world
premiere); D. Occhipinti: The Land and the Sky;
Gubaidulina: Sonata. 345 Sorauren Ave. 905773-7712 or 416-822-9781. $20; $15(sr/arts
worker); $10(st).
• 10:00 am: Chamber Music Mississauga.
Tales and Tunes for Twoonies: Peggy’s Violin,
a Butterfly in Time. Musical presentation with
orchestra for students in Grades 2–6. 4141
Living Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905-306-6000.
$2. Also 12:15 (in French) and Nov 29.
Jazz Series: Me ‘N’ Mabel. Suzie Vinnick, singersongwriter. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free.
Tales and Tunes for Twoonies: Le violon de
Peggy, une histoire de papillon. French language musical presentation with orchestra for
students in Grades 2–6. Living Arts Centre,
4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905-3066000. $2.
Noon Hour Organ Recital Series. Michael Bloss,
organ. 1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167. Free.
Don Quixote. Mendelssohn: Overture to A
Midsummer Night’s Dream; Strauss: Don
Quixote. Teng Li, viola; Joseph Johnson, cello;
Sir Andrew Davis, conductor; Tom Allen, host.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-5934828. $29–$82.
• 7:30: Green Door Cabaret at the Lower
Ossington Theatre. Opening Night Gala.
David Warrack, piano; and others; guest: Judith
Lander. 100A Ossington Ave. 416-915-6747.
$30(reserved); $25; $20(arts worker). Benefit
for PAL.
• 7:30: Thom McKercher presents. Toronto
Recital Debut: John Holland, baritone. Songs
and arias by Ravel, Donizetti, Dvořák, Mozart
and others. William Shookhoff, piano. Heliconian
Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 416-424-1376. $25.
Music. Vocal Jazz Ensemble; 11 O’Clock Jazz
Orchestra. Christine Duncan, Jim Lewis, conductors. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queens
Park. 416-408-0208. $20; $15(sr); $10(st).
Music. Jazz Festival. Vocal and instrumental
ensembles directed by Frank Falco, Artie Roth
and Anthony Michelli. Martin Family Lounge,
416-736-2100 x22926. Free.
• 8:00: Rose Theatre Brampton. Jane
Bunnett and the Spirits of Havana. Guests:
Hilario Durán, piano; Heavyweights Brass Band.
1 Theatre Ln., Brampton. 905-874-2800.
$49–$59.
• 10:00 am: Chamber Music Mississauga.
Tales and Tunes for Twoonies: Peggy’s Violin, a
Butterfly in Time. Also at 12:15. See Nov 28.
Music. Amahl Arulanandam, cello; Suhashini
Arulanandam, violin; Florence Mark, piano.
Tales and Tunes for Twoonies: Peggy’s Violin,
a Butterfly in Time. Also at 10:00am. See
Nov 28.
Met. Alexa Wing, soprano; Peter Bishop, organ.
416-363-0331 x26. Free.
• 12:30: York University Department
of Music. Music at Midday: Classical Piano
Showcase. Tribute Communities Recital Hall,
416-736-2100 x22926. Free.
by Richard Whiteman. Martin Family Lounge,
416-736-2100 x22926. Free.
• 1:30: Women’s Musical Club of Toronto.
Duo Concertante. Works by Schumann, Mozart,
Beethoven and Schafer. Nancy Dahn, violin; Tim
Steeves, piano. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson
Bldg., 80 Queen’s Park. 416-923-7052. $45.
• 7:00: Vocal Music Academy at Ryerson
Community School. Inaugural Concert and
Gala Opening Celebration. Choral music of various styles and genres. Students of the Vocal
Music Academy; Marlys Neufeldt, Sarah
Parker and Abby Pierce, conductors. Ryerson
Community School, 96 Denison Ave. 416-3931340. Free. Pre-concert silent auction.
Ossington Theatre. A Steamy Night in New
Orleans. Roberta Hunt, piano and vocals. 100A
Ossington Ave. 416-915-6747. $30(reserved);
$25; $20(arts worker).
Music. Percussion Ensemble. Walter Hall,
Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queens Park. 416978-0492. Free.
46
thewholenote.com
by Jim Vivian, Roy Patterson and Kevin
Turcotte. Martin Family Lounge, Rm.219,
• 8:00: Angelwalk Theatre/Winnipeg
Studio Theatre. Ordinary Days. Music and
lyrics by A. Gwon. With Justin Bott, Jay
Davis, Connie Manfredi and Clara Scott; Kayla
Gordon, stage director. Studio Theatre, Toronto
Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge St. 416-2503708. $41.25–$51.75; $36.25(Nov 29 only);
$31.25(under 30). Also Nov 30; Dec 1, 2(mat),
4–8, 9(mat).
Davis Conducts Schumann and Strauss.
Mendelssohn: Overture to A Midsummer Night’s
Dream; Schumann: Piano Concerto; Strauss:
Don Quixote. Jan Lisiecki, piano; Teng Li, viola;
Joseph Johnson, cello; Sir Andrew Davis, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-593-4828. $29–$145. Also Dec 1(7:30).
Friday November 30
Music. Music at Midday: Opera Arias and
Scenes. Tribute Communities Recital Hall,
416-736-2100 x22926. Free.
• 7:00: Maria Dolnycky. Music on Canvas.
Works by Poulenc, Fauré, Rota, Mouquet and
Franck. Julie Ranti, flute; Maria Dolnycky,
piano. KUMF Art Gallery, 2118A Bloor St. W.
416-621-9287. $20; $15 (sr/st).
• 7:30: Alliance Française de Toronto.
Claude Debussy entre les lignes. Michelle
Simmons, mezzo; Daniel Hass, cello; Jeanie
Chung, piano; Annex Quartet. 24 Spadina Rd.
416-922-2014 x35. $15; $10(sr/st/under 12).
Ossington Theatre. Rachel Persaud, vocals.
100A Ossington Ave. 416-915-6747.
$30(reserved); $25; $20(arts worker).
• 7:30: St. Thomas’s Church. Organ Recital:
Peter Barley. 383 Huron St. 416-979-2323.
$20; $15(sr/st).
Music. Wind Symphony. Gregson: Festivo;
Herberman: The Fish Who Died in His Bed;
McGraw: Memories of the San Bernadino
Freeway; Marshall: An Emily Dickinson Suite;
Rosauro: Concerto for Vibraphone and Wind
Ensemble. Claudia Oliverira, vibraphone. Jeffrey
Reynolds, conductor. MacMillan Theatre,
Music. Jazz Festival. Jazz Orchestra, Mike
Cadó, conductor. Martin Family Lounge,
416-736-2100 x22926. Free.
Studio Theatre. Ordinary Days. See Nov 29.
• 8:00: Art of Time Ensemble. The Big
Band Show. 26-piece big band. Ellington: Nut
Cracker Suite; Stravinsky: Ebony Concerto;
Shostakovich: Jazz Suite No.1. Andrew
Burashko, conductor; guests: Mike Murley,
saxophone; Al Kay, trombone; Kevin Turcotte,
trumpet; John MacLeod, trumpet; James
Campbell, clarinet; and others. Enwave Theatre,
Harbourfront Centre, 231 Queen’s Quay W.
416-973-4000. $25–$59. Also Dec 1.
Roy Thomson Hall. Aretha Franklin. Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255.
$59.50–$199.50.
Thomson Hall. Dala. Canadian folk duo. Winter
Garden Theatre, 189 Yonge St. 416-872-4255.
$29.50–$39.50.
Thomson Hall. Molly Johnson and Friends.
Jazz and soul. Guests: Elizabeth Shepherd and
Denzal Sinclaire, vocals. Massey Hall, 178
Victoria St. 416-872-4255. $19.50–$59.50.
Messiah
Elmer Iseler Singers
Lydia Adams, Conductor
with
The Amadeus Choir
songs of hope, harmony and optimism. RBC
Theatre, Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts
Dr., Mississauga. 416-306-6000 or 1-888-8058888. $40–$60.
• 8:00: Rose Theatre Brampton. Shannon
Butcher, jazz vocals. With Michael Shand, piano;
Ross MacIntyre, bass. 1 Theatre Ln., Brampton.
905-874-2800. $30.
• 8:00: Royal Conservatory. Royal
Conservatory Orchestra conducted by Yoav
Talmi. Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture No.9;
Bizet: L’Arlésienne (excerpts); Shostakovich:
Symphony No.5 in d Op.47. Koerner Hall, 273
Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $25 and up.
• 8:00: Tempus Choral Society. Welcome
Yule. Knox Presbyterian Church, 89 Dunn St.,
Oakville. 905-842-1673. $15. Also Dec 1 (mat,
Clearview Christian Reformed Church, Oakville).
Saturday December 01
Nov. 30, 8:00 p.m.
• 8:00: Elmer Iseler Singers. Messiah.
Handel. Leslie Fagan, soprano; Lynne McMurtry,
mezzo; Colin Ainsworth, tenor; Geoffrey Sirett,
bass; Patricia Wright, organ; Robert Venables
and Robert Di Vito, trumpet; with orchestra;
guest: Amadeus Choir, Lydia Adams, conductor.
416-217-0537. $55; $50(sr); $20(st). Preconcert dinner at Albany Club, 91 King St. E.,
$55; call to reserve.
• 8:00: Ontario Philharmonic/Mooredale
Concerts. Majestic Brahms. Brahms: Piano
Concerto in B-flat Op.83; Symphony No.4 in e
Op.98. Anton Kuerti, piano; Marco Parisotto,
conductor. Regent Theatre, 50 King St. E,
Oshawa. 905-721-3399 x2. $45–$56; $34–
$45(st/youth). Also Dec 4 (Toronto).
• 8:00: Paquin Entertainment. Tom Jackson
in the Huron Carole. Christmas stories and
• 2:00: Mississauga Festival Choir. A
Winter Rose. Seasonal music about women.
Rutter: Magnificat; and others. RBC Theatre,
Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts Dr.,
Mississauga. 905-306-6000. $28; $25(sr/st);
$20(under 12). Also 8:00.
• 2:30: Tyndale University College and
Seminary. Christmas in the Chapel with the
Elora Festival Singers. Menotti: Amahl and
the Night Visitors. Morrow Park Chapel, 3377
Bayview Ave. 416-218-6721. $50.
• 3:00: Tempus Choral Society. Welcome
Yule. Clearview Christian Reformed Church,
2300 Sheridan Garden Dr., Oakville. 905842-1673. $15. Also Nov 30, (eve, Knox
Presbyterian Church, Oakville).
• 3:00: University of Toronto Scarborough.
Sounds of the Season. Classical and contemporary repertoire. UTSC Concert Choir; UTSC
Concert Band. Meeting Place, 1265 Military
Trail, Scarborough. 416-208-2931. Free.
• 6:30: Canadian Children’s Opera
Company. Winter Celebrations. Featuring
excerpts from A Dickens of a Christmas, and
choral works by Brahms, Daley, Fauré and
others. Ann Cooper Gay, conductor; guest:
James McLean, tenor. St. Paul’s Basilica, 83
Power St. 416-366-0467. $30; $20(sr/st);
$5(child).
• 7:30: Cantores Celestes Women’s Choir.
Sweet with Starlight: Classical, Choral and Jazz
Christmas. Music by Chilcott and Hatfield. Ellen
Meyer, piano; Peter Togni Trio. Runnymede
United Church, 432 Runnymede Rd. 416-2361522. $20. Portion of proceeds to go to “Put
Up Your Dukes.”
• 7:30: Etobicoke Youth Choir. Welcome
Yule! Seasonal favourites. Margaret Parsons,
accompaniment; Louise Jardine, music director. The Assembly Hall, 1 Colonel Samuel Smith
Park Dr., Etobicoke. 416-231-9120. $20;
free(12 and under).
Ossington Theatre. Fado, The Soul of
Portugal. Performed by Jessie Lloyd and Louis
Simao. 100A Ossington Ave. 416-915-6747.
• 7:30: Mississauga Choral Society. Sounds
of Christmas. Seasonal and inspirational holiday favourites. William Mervin Fick, conductor.
First United Church, 151 Lakeshore Rd. W.,
Mississauga. 905-278-7059. $22; $18(sr);
$10(under 18). Proceeds in support of the
Compass Food Bank.
• 7:30: Oakham House Choir of Ryerson
University. Crowns, Toys, and Songs for
Christmas. Mozart: Coronation Mass, Regina
Coeli; Angerer: Toy Symphony; French choral
favourites. Jennifer Tung, soprano; Danielle
MacMillan, mezzo; Andrew Haji, tenor; Clarence
Frazer, baritone; Toronto Sinfonietta; Matthew
Jaskiewicz, music director. Calvin Presbyterian
Church, 26 Delisle Ave. 416-960-5551. $25;
$20; $15(st).
• 7:30: Pax Christi Chorale. In Concert.
Rheinberger: Star of Bethlehem; Seasonal
favourites. Bethany Horst, soprano; Michael
Robert-Broder, baritone; Stephanie Martin,
conductor. Grace Church on-the-Hill, 300
Lonsdale Rd. 416-491-8542. $25–$35. 6:45:
Pre-concert chat. Also Dec 2.
Crowns, Toys, and Songs for Christmas
W. A. Mozart – Coronation Mass, Regina Coeli
E. Angerer – Toy Symphony
French choral favourites
Jennifer Tung, Danielle MacMillan, Andrew Haji, Clarence Frazer
thewholenote.com
Oakham House Choir of Ryerson University
Toronto Sinfonietta
Matthew Jaskiewicz: Music Director
Sat., Dec. 1, 2012, at 7:30 p.m.
Calvin Presbyterian Church, 26 Delisle Ave., Toronto
$25, $20, $15 | www.oakhamchoir.ca |416 960 5551
47
• 7:30: Tallis Choir. Christmas at the Tudor
Court. Tallis: Missa Puer Natus Est, Videte
Miraculum; Byrd: This Day Christ was Born;
Lullaby; also works by Sheppard, Weelkes,
Kirbye. Peter Mahon, conductor. St. Patrick’s
Church, 141 McCaul St. 416-286-9798. $30;
$25(sr); $10(st).
• 7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Davis
Conducts Schumann and Strauss. See Nov 29.
Music. Wind Ensemble. Grainger: Green Bushes;
Puckett: It Perched for Vespers Nine; Adams:
Grand Pianola Music. 2x10 piano duo (Midori
Koga and Lydia Wong); U of T Saxophone
Ensemble, Wallace Halladay, director; Gillian
MacKay, conductor. MacMillan Theatre,
• 7:30: Village Voices. Gloria. Rutter: Gloria;
other seasonal works and carol sing-along. Joan
Andrews, conductor. St. Andrews Presbyterian
Church, 143 Main St., Markham. 905-2948687. $20; $15(sr/st); free(under 12).
• 8:00: Academy Concert Series. QuintEssential Brahms. Brahms: String Quintet in G
Op.111; Clarinet Quintet in b Op.115. Nicolai
Tarasov, clarinet; Edwin Huizinga and Elizabeth
Loewen Andrews, violin, Emily Eng and
Shannon Knights, viola; Kerri McGonigle, cello.
Eastminster United Church, 310 Danforth Ave.
416-629-3716. $20; $14(sr/st).
• 8:00: Art of Time Ensemble. The Big Band
Show. See Nov 30.
• 8:00: Counterpoint Community Orchestra.
In Concert. Dvořák: Slavonic Dances Op.46 No.2;
Monti: Czardas; Enesco: Romanian Rhapsody
No.1; Mozart: Symphony No.39 K543. Saint
Luke’s United Church, 353 Sherbourne St. 416926-9806. $20; $7(13 and under).
• 8:00: Mississauga Festival Choir. A
Winter Rose. Seasonal music about women.
Rutter: Magnificat; and more. RBC Theatre,
Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts Dr.,
Mississauga. 905-306-6000. $28; $25(sr/st);
$20(under 12). Also 2:00.
• 8:00: Music Gallery/Manifesto Arts. Jazz
Avant Series: House of Spirit: Mirth – Pheeroan
akLaff with Ian Kamau. Music Gallery, 197
John St. 416-204-1080. $25/$20(adv).
• 8:00: Royal Conservatory. Amanda
Martinez. Latin-Canadian singer-songwriter.
Guest: Javier Limón, various instruments.
$30 and up.
A Christmas celebration featuring John Rutter’s Gloria,
with guest brass and percussion. The concert will include
traditional seasonal music and our popular sing-along carols.
Saturday December 1, 2012 at 7:30 pm.
St. Andrews Presbyterian Church
143 Main Street Markham North.
Adults $20. Seniors and Students $15. Under 12 free.
At the door, or call 905.294.8687 to reserve tickets.
Come for a visit at www.villagevoices.ca Get to know us better
48
thewholenote.com
• 8:00: Scaramella. Lions and Tigers and
Bears, Oh My! Animal-themed music, from
baroque to the 21st century. Katherine Hill,
soprano; Elyssa Lefurey-Smith, baroque violin; Joëlle Morton, violas da gamba; Sara-Anne
Churchill, harpsichord; Kirk Elliott, one-manband. Victoria College Chapel, 91 Charles St. W.
416-760-8610. $30; $25(sr);$20(st).
• 8:00: Scarborough Philharmonic
Orchestra. Festive Music from Around the
World. Shostakovich: Festive Overture; RimskyKorsakov: Polonaise from Christmas Eve Suite;
Traditional Christmas music from around the
world; Chinese folk songs. North 44° Ensemble
chamber choir; Yiping Chao, soprano; Howard
Cable, conductor and host; guest: Geoffrey
Butler, conductor. Salvation Army Scarborough
Citadel, 2021 Lawrence Ave. E., Scarborough.
416-429-0007. $30; $25(sr); $15(st). 7:15:
Pre-concert chat. Free underground parking.
Sunday December 02
• 2:00: Carolyn Hague. Love, Sweet and
Sassy: Songs of the Heart. Works from musical
theatre and classical repertoire. Carolyn Hague,
soprano; Marie-Line Ross, piano. Heliconian Hall,
35 Hazelton Ave. 416-459-7859. $20.
• 2:00: Markham Concert Band. A Seasonal
Celebration. Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite;
other seasonal Christmas and Chanukah classics; also a sing-along with a member of the
Unionville Theatre Co. Kate Kunkel, harp; HMCS
York Brass Quintet; Doug Manning, conductor.
Flato Markham Theatre, 171 Town Centre Blvd.,
Markham. 905-305-7469. $22; $17(sr/st).
• 2:00: Paul Mercs Concerts. Raffi:
BelugaGrads Concert. Family concert. Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255.
$27.50–$32.50; $55(includes post-show meet
and greet).
• 2:30: Aldeburgh Connection. Madame
Bizet. Music by Bizet, Hahn, Poulenc and others.
Nathalie Paulin, soprano; Brett Polegato, baritone; Fiona Reid, Mike Shara, readers; Stephen
Ralls and Bruce Ubukata, piano. Walter Hall,
Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queen’s Park. 416735-7982. $50; $12(student rush seats).
• 2:30: Bel Canto Singers. There’s a Song
in the Air. Christmas Concert. Guildwood
Presbyterian Church, 140 Guildwood Parkway,
Scarborough. 416-286-8260. $15. Also at
7:30.
Music. Choirs in Concert: Gloria! Seasonal
music across the centuries. U of T Women’s
Chorus, Ana Alvarez, conductor; U of T Men’s
Chorus, David Holler conductor; U of T Women’s
Chamber Choir, Hilary Apfelstadt, conductor.
• 4:00: St. Olave’s Church. Advent Choral
Evensong, with St. Olave’s Choir and Tim
Showalter, organ. Featuring the music of C.
V. Stanford. Followed by Christmas Tea and
Clarinet at Christmas. Reade: Victorian Kitchen
Garden suite; Stanford: Sonata in B-flat for
clarinet. Helen Russell, clarinet; Karen Quinton,
piano. 360 Windermere Ave. 416-769-5686.
Donations welcome.
Vespers. Jazz arrangements of songs by the
Beatles. Pat Murray Quartet. 25 St. Phillips Rd.,
Etobicoke. 416-247-5181. Freewill offering.
• 4:00: Toronto Classical Singers. In
MacMillan Theatre, Edward Johnson Bldg., 80
Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. $20; $15(sr);
$10(st). 2:00: Pre-concert lobby performance by
the High Park Choirs, Zimfira Poloz, conductor.
Ossington Theatre. Scott Walker: American
Songbook. 100A Ossington Ave. 416-9156747. $30(reserved); $25; $20(arts worker).
• 3:00: Pax Christi Chorale. In Concert. See
Dec 1. 2:15 Pre-concert chat.
Twilight Recitals. David Briggs, organ. 65
offering.
thewholenote.com
49
Concert. Bach: Magnificat BWV243; SaintSaëns: Christmas Oratorio Op.12. Jennifer
Taverner, soprano; Sandra Boyes and Danielle
MacMillan, mezzo; Zachary Finkelstein, tenor;
Peter McGillivray, baritone; Talisker Players.
Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. 416443-1490. $30; $25(sr/st).
• 4:00: Vivace Vox. Songs of Light. Works
by Vivaldi, Rutter, Berger and others. Christine
Kim, piano; Linda Eyman, director. Trinity-St.
Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-455-9238.
$15; $10(sr/st); $35(family).
• 7:00: Show One Productions. Denis
Matsuev, piano: all-Russian program.
Tchaikovsky: The Seasons Op.37b; Meditation
Op.72 No.5; Dumka Op. 59; Rachmaninoff:
Prelude in g Op.23 No.5; Prelude in g-sharp
Op. 32 No.12; Stravinsky: Petrouchka (three
movements). Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W.
416-408-0208; $55–$125.
• 7:30: Bel Canto Singers. There’s a Song in
the Air. See 2:30.
• 7:30: Church of St. Timothy, Anglican.
Amahl and the Night Visitors. Menotti. Dramatic
reading by Marilyn Lightstone, David Fox and
others; also choral interludes and carol singing. Brainerd Blyden-Taylor, director. 100 Old
Orchard Grove. 416-488-0079. $25/$20(adv);
$12(sr/st)/$10(adv).
• 7:30: Jubilee United Church. JOSEPH:
Jubilee Organ Sunday Evening Program Hour.
Includes opening march, music by Bach and
19th century masters, organ transcriptions
and other works. 40 Underhill Dr. 416-4476846. Free.
• 7:30: Yuan Tian Presents. Musical
Moments: Yuan Tian Solo Piano Recital.
Debussy: General Lavine (eccentric); Peixun:
Autumn Moon Over the Calm Lake; Schubert:
Wanderer Fantasy; Chopin: Grande Polonaise
Brillante Op.22; Liszt/Verdi: Rigoletto
Paraphrase. Merriam School of Music Recital
Hall, 2359 Bristol Circle, Oakville. 905-8292020. $20; $15(sr/child).
Monday December 03
Music. Music at Midday: Wind Masterclass
in Concert. Patricia Wait, director. Tribute
x22926. Free.
• 3:00: University of Toronto Scarborough.
Small Chamber Ensemble Recital. UTSC students
perform solo and ensemble pieces. Room AA303,
Arts and Administration Bldg. 1265 Military
Trail, Scarborough. 416-208-2931. Free.
Tuesday December 04
Vocal Series: GrimmFest: Happily Ever Opera.
COC artists perform operatic arias and duets
inspired by the Brothers Grimm. Richard
Music at Midday. Michael Bloss, organ. 65
offering.
Free.
Free.
• 8:00: Ontario Philharmonic/Mooredale
Concerts. Great Soloists: Majestic Brahms.
Brahms: Piano Concerto in B-flat Op.83;
Symphony No.4 in e op.98. Anton Kuerti, piano;
Marco Parisotto, conductor. Koerner Hall, 273
Bloor St. W. 416-922-3714 x103. $40 and up.
Also Nov 30 (Oshawa).
Wednesday December 05
World Music Series: GrimmFest: Fairy Tales
from Faraway Lands. Maryem Tollar, vocals;
Roula Said, vocals/dance/percussion; Naghmeh
Farahmand, percussion and vocals; Waleed
Abdulhamid, bass/percussion/vocals. Richard
Noon Hour Organ Recital Series. Giles Bryant,
organ; Beverley Bell, soprano. 1585 Yonge St.
416-922-1167. Free.
• 7:00: Civic Light Opera Company. The
Sound of Music. Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Finnie Jesson (Maria); Joe Cascone (Captain
von Trapp); Barbara Boddy (Mother Abbess);
David Haines (Max); Stephanie Douglas (Elsa);
and others; Joe Cascone, director. York Woods
Library Theatre, 1785 Finch Ave. W. 416-7551717. $28. SOLD OUT. Also Dec 6–9, 12–16;
start times vary.
• 7:00: Tafelmusik. French Baroque
Christmas. Charpentier: In nativitatem Domini
canticum (Christmas oratorio); mass for double
choir and orchestra. Tafelmusik Baroque
Orchestra and Chamber Choir, Ivars Taurins, director. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St.
W. 416-964-6337. $39–$89; $35–$79(sr);
$20–$79(30 and under). Also Dec 6–9.
Ossington Theatre. Barbra Lica, vocals. 100A
Ossington Ave. 416-915-6747. $30(reserved);
$25; $20(arts worker).
Music. Guitar Ensemble. Jeffrey McFadden,
conductor. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Bldg.,
80 Queens Park. 416-978-0942. Free.
Thursday December 06
• 12:15: Music at Metropolitan. Noon at Met.
Conrad Gold, organ. Metropolitan United Church,
56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 x26. Free.
Ossington Theatre. David Warrack’s New
Faces. 100A Ossington Ave. 416-915-6747.
of Music. World Music Ensembles. African
Drumming and Dancing, Klezmer, and Japanese
Drumming ensembles. MacMillan Theatre,
Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queen’s Park. 416408-0208. Free.
School New Music Ensemble. Celebration of
Korean music. Sukhi Kang: Mosaicum Visio;
Unsuk Chin: Acoustic Wordplay; Matalon:
Trame IV; Harman: Der Tag mit seinem Licht.
Lucy Fitz Gibbon, soprano; Ryan McEvoy
McCullough, piano; Brian Current, conductor.
Mazzoleni Concert Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416408-0208. $15 and up.
Sound of Music. See Dec 5.
• 8:00: Music Toronto. Quartet Series:
Gryphon Trio. Rachmaninoff: Trio elegiac
(1892) in g; Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in a; new
work from Student Composers’ program. Jane
Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the
Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723. $50–
$55; $10(st; accompanying adult half price);
pay-your-age (ages 18–35, plus $6 facility and
handling fees).
Christmas. See Dec 5.
Friday December 07
• 7:30: Brampton Folk Club. Friday Folk
The Etobicoke Centennial Choir
Henry Renglich, Music Director
e
cc
ETOBICOKE
CENTENNIAL CHOIR
Sacred Traditions
with choir and soloists
Featuring Haydn’s St. Nicholas Mass,
Britten’s Ceremony of Carols
and festive carols to celebrate the Christmas season.
Saturday, December 8, 2012 at 7:30 pm
Humber Valley United Church, Etobicoke
Tickets: 416-769-9271
50
thewholenote.com
www.etobicokecentennialchoir.ca
Night: A Winter Night with Wendell Ferguson
and Katherine Wheatley. Sanderson Hall,
St. Paul’s United Church, 30 Main St. S.,
Brampton. 647-233-3655. $12; $10(sr/st).
• 7:30: Bruno Cormier, Aurélie Cormier,
Marty Smyth. Airs de Noel – a Christmas
Recital. French Christmas carols and other
holiday favourites. Aurélie Cormier, mezzo;
Bruno Cormier, baritone; Marty Smyth, piano.
Newman Centre, 89 St. George St. 416-9635137. Freewill offering. Portion of the proceeds
to the Newman Centre Piano Fund.
• 7:30: Canadian Opera Company. The
Brothers Grimm. Burry. Family friendly, one-act
opera. Regent Park Arts & Cultural Centre, 585
Dundas St. E. 416-363-8231. $25; $15(under
16). Also Dec 8(mat and eve).
Ossington Theatre. Geoffrey Tyler, vocals.
100A Ossington Ave. 416-915-6747.
Music. U of T Schola Cantorum and Theatre
of Early Music. Handel: Coronation Anthems.
Daniel Taylor, conductor. Trinity College Chapel,
6 Hoskin Ave. 416-408-0208. $20; $15(sr);
$10(st).
• 7:30: Whitby Brass Band. Christmas
Brass. Guest: Nuance Vocal Ensemble. Hebron
Christian Reformed Church, 4240 Anderson St.,
Whitby. 905-430-8392. $15; $10(sr/st).
Sounds of Music. See Dec 5.
Thomson Hall. Go Tell It On The Mountain:
The Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas Show.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-8724255. $39.50–$69.50.
• 8:00: County Town Singers. Christmas
Concert. Barbara Ouellette, music director.
St. Thomas Anglican Church, 101 Winchester
Rd. E. Brooklin. 905-725-1499. $20; $15(sr)
$10(st). Also Dec 8.
• 8:00: Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra.
Winter Wonderland. Seasonal and classical
favourites. Amelia Lyon, flute; Andrew Tees,
baritone; Sabatino Vacca, conductor. Humber
Valley United Church, 76 Anglesey Blvd.,
Etobicoke. 416-239-5665. $25; $20(sr);
$10(st). 7:00: Silent auction.
• 8:00: Milton Concert Presentations.
Elmer Iseler Singers: Holiday Season Christmas
Concert. Milton Centre for the Arts, 1010 Main
St. E., Milton. 905-878-6000. $40; $35(sr).
• 8:00: Music Gallery. Emergents II: Claudia
Chan, piano + Veronique Mathieu, violin. Chin:
Etudes; Current: Sungods; Carter: Two Thoughts
about the Piano; Boulez: Anthèmes 1; Felder:
Another Face; Yun: Gasa; and other works. 197
John St. 416-204-1080. $15/$10(adv).
Christmas. See Dec 5.
• 8:00: Upper Canada Choristers. Tomorrow
Shall Be My Dancing Day. Rutter: The Reluctant
Dragon; and other works. Valerie Abels, narrator;
Laurie Evan Fraser, conductor; guest: Cantemos.
Grace Church on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd. 416256-0510. $25/$20(adv); free(st/child).
• 8:00: Via Salzburg. A Warm Place. Muffat:
Concerto No.6 “Quis Hic?”; Mozetich: Postcards
from the Sky; Mendelssohn: Symphony No.9 in
C; Vivaldi: Concerto for Violin and Cello in B-flat.
Mayumi Seiler, violin and leader. Rosedale
United Church, 159 Roxborough Dr. 416-9729193. $40; $25(under 30); $10(st).
B. Concerts Beyond the GTA
IN THIS ISSUE: Barrie, Brantford, Cambridge, Collingwood, Dundas,
Elora, Goderich, Guelph, Hamilton, Huntsville, Kingston, Kitchener,
London, Meaford, Midland, Orillia, Peterborough, Port Hope,
St. Catharines, Waterloo and Welland.
• 12:00 noon: University of Guelph College
of Arts. Thursday at Noon: San Agustin Duo.
Works by Brahms, Joachim and Schumann.
Emma Banfield, violin; Diana Dumlavwalla,
piano. Goldschmidt Room, 107 MacKinnon
Bldg., 50 Stone Rd. E., Guelph. 519-824-4120
x52991. Free.
• 8:00: Aeolian Hall. Rik Emmett. 795 Dundas
St. E., London. 519-672-7950. $43/$39(adv).
Friday November 02
SHINING NIGHT
JENNY CROBER, Artistic Director
ELIZABETH ACKER, Accompanist
MARY-ELIZABETH BROWN, violin
RACHEL POMEDLI, cello
DANIEL RUBINOFF, saxophone
RAY DILLARD, percussion
CHARLIE ROBY, guitar
SAT., DEC. 15, 2012, 7:30 pm
Eastminster United Church
310 Danforth Ave.
$20 / $15 Sr. / $10 St.
www.vocachorus.ca
Wychwood Clarinet Choir
TORONTO’S PREMIER
CLARINET ENSEMBLE
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o
C
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Holida
December 9 th at 3:30pm
Church of St. Michael
and All Angels
611 St. Clair Ave. West
at Wychwood Ave.
• 7:30: Acoustic Muse Concerts. Karen
Savoca with Pete Heitzman: Acoustic Soul
Music. Landon Library, 167 Wortley Rd.,
London. 519-672-1967 or 519-672-7950.
$18/$15(adv).
• 8:00: Aeolian Hall. Judy Collins. 795
Dundas St. E., London. 519-672-7950.
$54/$49(adv).
• 8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Sci-Fi Fantasy: An Evening of Blockbusters.
Film score music from popular science-fiction and fantasy movies. Guests: Sam’s Steps
Dance Centre; Cameron Heights Collegiate
Choir; Victor Vanacore, conductor. Centre in
the Square, 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 519745-4711. $19–$86. Also Nov 3.
Youth Orchestra Concert #1. Ensembles from
the KWS Youth Orchestra Program. Centre in
the Square, 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 519745-4711. $13; $11(under 12).
• 7:30: Barrie Concerts. Scandinavian
Serenade. Grieg: Piano Concerto in a Op.16;
Larsson: Pastoral Suite; Wirén: Serenade. Carl
Petersson, piano; Toronto Concert Orchestra;
Kerry Stratton, conductor. Hi-Way Pentecostal
Church, 50 Anne St. N., Barrie. 705-726-1181.
By subscription: $160; $35 (st); $85(single
ticket).
• 7:30: Hamilton Children’s Choir. China
thewholenote.com
Tour Fundraising Concert. Fundraiser for the
choir’s performance at the Xinghai International
Choir Championships. Zimfira Poloz, conductor.
Cathedral Place, 252 James St. N., Hamilton.
905-527-1618. $25; $20(sr); $15(st).
• 7:30: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
Masterworks Series: Ravel and Shostakovich.
Ravel: Suite from Mother Goose; Piano
Concerto in G; Shostakovich: Symphony
No.5. Ian Parker, piano; Marcello Lehninger,
conductor. Hamilton Place, 1 Summers Ln.,
Hamilton. 905-526-7756. $22–$65; $20–
$62(sr); $12(under 35).
• 8:00: Guelph Chamber Choir.
Remembrance and Peace. Nickel: Requiem
for Peace; Patriquin: Titanic Requiem; Gjeilo:
Dark Night of the Soul; and other works. With
Madawaska String Quartet; DuO Percussion;
wind instruments and harp; Gerald Neufeld, conductor; Alison MacNeil, piano accompaniment.
River Run Centre, 25 Woolwich St., Guelph.
519-763-3000. $30; $10(st); $5(eyeGO).
• 8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society. Trio Voce. Suk: Trio in c Op.2; Martin:
Trio on Popular Irish Tunes; von Zemlinsky: Trio
in d Op.3. Jasmine Lin, violin; Marina Hoover,
cello; Patricia Tao, piano. KWCMS Music Room,
57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673.
$30; $25(sr); $20(st).
Sci-Fi Fantasy: An Evening of Blockbusters.
See Nov 2.
Sunday November 04
• 2:30: Chorus Niagara. Best of Broadway:
Our Favourite Things – An Afternoon of Rodgers
and Hammerstein. Broadway hits from The King
and I, Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific, the
Sound of Music and others. Allison Angelo, soprano; Adam Fisher, tenor; Philip Kalmanovitch,
baritone; Niagara Symphony Orchestra; Robert
Cooper, conductor. J.M. Ennis Auditorium,
Centennial Secondary School, 240 Thorold Rd.,
Welland. 905-688-5550 x3257 or 1-866-6173257. $35; $33(sr); $15(st).
51
B. Concerts Beyond the GTA
• 2:30: Orchestra Kingston. In Concert.
Copland: Outdoor Overture; Borodin: Polovtsian
Dances; Bizet: L’Arlesienne Suite No.1; Mozart:
Violin Concerto No.3. Guest: Sandra Smith, violin. Salvation Army Citadel, 816 Centennial Dr.,
Kingston. 613-389-3525. $15; $10(sr/st).
• 2:30: Orillia Concert Association. Toronto
Concert Orchestra. Grieg: Piano Concerto
in a Op.16; Larsson: Pastoral Suite; Wirén:
Serenade. Carl Petersson, piano; Kerry Stratton,
conductor. Orillia Opera House, 20 Mississauga
St. W., Orillia. 705-325-1757. By subscription only.
• 4:30: King Edward Choir/Lyrica Choir/
Bravado Show Choir/Huronia Symphony.
Choralfest. Jenkins: The Armed Man – a Mass
for Peace; Beethoven: Coriolan Overture;
Symphony No.9 “Ode to Joy” (fourth movement). Oliver Balaburski, conductor. W.A. Fisher
Auditorium, Barrie Central Collegiate Institute,
125 Dunlop St. W., Barrie. 705-721-4752 or
705-739-4299. $22.50; $12.50(under 18).
• 7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club. Alan Reid
and Rob van Sante. Chaucer’s Pub, 122 Carling
St., London. 519-473-2099. $18/$15(adv).
soprano; Sangeetha Ekambaram, soprano; Rebecca Foth, piano. Fairmont United
Community Church, 29 Tweedsmuir Ave.,
London. 647-388-6676. $15. Also Nov 1 and 3
(both in Toronto).
Monday November 05
• 7:30: Orillia Wind Ensemble/Soldiers’
Memorial Hospital Volunteer Association.
Joint Effort 2012. Fundraiser Concert.
Performances by the Hawkestone Singers,
Orillia Wind Ensemble, Jazzamatzz, Liz
Anderson, Even Steven and others. Orillia Opera
House, 20 Mississauga St. W., Orillia. 705326-8011. $25.
• 12:00 noon: Midday Music with Shigeru.
Lance Anderson, piano. Oscar Peterson:
Hymn to Freedom; and other works. Hi-Way
Pentecostal Church, 50 Anne St. N., Barrie.
705-726-1181. $5; free(st).
• 8:00: Jeunesses Musicales Ontario/
Brookside Music Association. Guitar
Nomads. Midland Cultural Centre, 33 King St.
E., Midland. 705-527-4420. $28; $11(sr);
free(13 and under).
Society. Attacca String Quartet. Haydn:
Quartet Op.64/3; Thomas: Quartet; Ravel:
Quartet. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St.
W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. $35; $30(sr);
$20(st).
• 8:00: Port Hope Friends of Music. Toronto
Symphony Orchestra. Britten: Simple Symphony
Op.4; Copland: Appalachian Spring; Beethoven:
Romance No.2 in F; Mozart: Sinfonia
Concertante in E-flat. Jonathan Crow, conductor. Port Hope United Church, 34 South St.,
Port Hope. 905-885-1071 or 1-800-434-5092.
$45; $10(13-29).
Sunday November 11
• 2:30: Georgian Music. The French
Connection. Works by Thomas, Ravel and SaintSaëns. Attaca String Quartet; Ian Parker, piano.
Central United Church, 54 Ross St., Barrie.
705-726-1181. By subscription: $85; $25(st);
65(single ticket).
• 3:00: Caskey School of Music. The Art
of the Concert Pianist. Music by Chopin, Liszt,
Ravel, Rachmaninoff. Alexei Gulenco, piano.
First Unitarian Church, 170 Dundurn St. S.,
Hamilton. 905-528-5395. $20; $10(st).
• 3:00: Da Capo Chamber Choir. Threshold
of Night. S. Rose: Song of Invocation. Guests:
University of Waterloo Chamber Choir; Marlin
Nagtegall, organ; Miriam Stewart-Kroeker,
cello. Knox Presbyterian Church, 50 Erb St. W.,
Waterloo. 519-725-7549. $20; $15(sr/st);
$5(high school/12 and under). Also Nov 10 (eve,
Kitchener).
Monday November 12
• 8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Russian Duo: Oleg Kruglyakov,
balalaika; Terry Boyarsky, piano. Handel:
Passacaglia; Boccherini: Menuet; Trostyansky:
Grotesque and Reflection; Daquin: Kukushka;
Andreyev: Polonaise; Oginski: Polonez;
Korobushka: Concert Variations; Selection of
Russian and Soviet Songs. KWCMS Music
Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-8861673. $25; $20(sr); $15(st).
• 2:30: Seniors Serenade. A Stroll Down
Memory Lane. Cabaret repertoire. Marilyn
Reesor, piano and vocals. Central United
Church, 54 Ross St., Barrie. 705-726-1181.
Free.
of Arts. Thursday at Noon: Problems with Love.
Songs by Canadian composers, touching on
poignant and funny sides of love. Patricia Green,
mezzo; Stephen Runge, piano. Goldschmidt
Room, 107 MacKinnon Bldg., 50 Stone Rd. E.,
Guelph. 519-824-4120 x52991. Free.
of Arts. Thursday at Noon:Jeng Yi. Korean
percussion and dance ensemble. Goldschmidt
Room, 107 MacKinnon Bldg., 50 Stone Rd. E.,
Guelph. 519-824-4120 x52991. Free.
• 7:15: Skyliners Big Band. In Concert at
Barrie City Hall. Big band standards and other
selections. Maria Branje, jazz vocals; Ron
Robbins, director. Barrie City Hall Rotunda, 70
Collier St., Barrie. 705-487-2574. Free, donations welcome.
• 7:30: Centre for the Arts, Brock
University. Matt Dusk. Sean O’Sullivan
Theatre, 500 Glenridge Ave., St. Catharines.
905-688-5550 x3257. $46.
• 8:00: Da Capo Chamber Choir. Threshold
of Night. S. Rose: Song of Invocation. Guests:
University of Waterloo Chamber Choir; Marlin
Nagtegall, organ; Miriam Stewart-Kroeker, cello.
Church of St. John the Evangelist, 23 Water St.
N., Kitchener. 519-725-7549. $20; $15(sr/
st); $5(high school/12 and under). Also Nov 11
(mat, Waterloo).
• 8:00: Eggplant Entertainment. Alex Cuba:
“Ruida in el Sistema” Album Launch Tour.
Cuban music. Market Hall, 140 Charlotte St.,
Peterborough. 705-742-9425. $34.50.
52
Friday November 16
• 7:30: Brock University Department of
Music. ENCORE! Professional Concert Series:
TorQ Percussion Quartet. Sean O’Sullivan
905-688-5550 x3257. $28.50; $22.50(sr/st);
$5(eyeGO).
• 8:00: Garden City Productions. Nunsense.
Book, music and lyrics by D. Goggin. Kathie
Gosen (Sister Mary Regina); Betsy Tauro (Sister
Mary Hubert); Kylie Whissell (Sister Robert
Ann); Chelsea DiFranco (Sister Amnesia); Breton
Lalama (Sister Mary Leo); Tom Inglis and John
Valleau, music directors; Di Nyland, stage director and choreographer. Mandeville Theatre,
Ridley College, 2 Ridley Rd., St. Catharines.
905-682-1353. $28/$23(preview); 23(st/
child)/$18(preview); $5(eyeGo). Also Nov
17(opens), 18, 23–25, 30, Dec 1, 2; start
times vary.
• 8:00: McMaster School of the Arts.
Celebrity Concert Series. Adi Braun, jazz
vocals. Convocation Hall, Rm.213 University
Hall, McMaster University, 1280 Main St.
W., Hamilton. 905-525-9140 x24246. $20;
$15(sr); $5(st).
• 7:30: Georgetown Bach Chorale. Messiah.
Handel. North United Church, 56 North St.,
Goderich. 905-877-6569 or 905-873-0352.
$25; $10(st). Also Nov 18, 23, 25 (all in
Brampton).
• 7:30: Grand Philharmonic Chamber
Singers. Made in Canada. P. Murray: Summer,
A Twilight Hymn (world premiere); also works
by Willan, Somers, Teehan, Halley and Enns.
Mark Vuorinen, conductor; guest: Willem
Moolenbeek, saxophone. Church of St. John the
Evangelist, 23 Water St. N., Kitchener. 519578-1570. $10–$25.
See Nov 16.
• 8:00: Karen Schuessler Singers. The
Peacekeepers. Celebration of Canadian contributions to world peace. Works by Bach, Vaughn
Williams, Daley and Seeger. Christian Haworth,
voice; Ted Barris, host. Wesley-Knox United
Church, 91 Askin St., London. 519-455-8895.
$20; $18(sr); $10(st); free(under 12).
Society. Shoshana Telner, piano. Bach: The
Six Keyboard Partitas, BWV825–830. KWCMS
Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519886-1673. $30; $25(sr); $20(st).
Sunday November 18
• 2:00: Gallery Players of Niagara. In
Concert. Beethoven: Piano Trio Op.1 No.2;
Mozart: Piano Trio K502; Schubert: Notturno.
Julie Baumgartel, violin; Margaret Gay, cello;
David Louie, piano. St. Barnabas’ Church, 33
Queenston St., St. Catharines. 905-468-1525.
$27–$30.
See Nov 16.
• 3:00: Georgian Bay Symphony. Two
Clarinets and Some Strings. Music by
Telemann, Mendelssohn and Williams. Rob Tite
and Christine McLean, clarinet; John Barnum,
conductor. Meaford Hall, 12 Nelson St. E.,
Meaford. 519-372-0212. $18.50; $15(sr);
$5(under 25).
• 3:00: Metropolitan United Church.
Music@Met: Choral Evensong. Metropolitan
United Senior Choir. 468 Wellington St.,
London. 519-432-7189 x27. $20 suggested
donation.
• 3:30: Melos Choir and Chamber
Orchestra. Celebrating the Diamond Jubilee
of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Handel:
Four Coronation Anthems; Suite in F (from
Water Music); Stanford: Te Deum; and introits
and anthems by McKie, W.H. Harris and C.H.
thewholenote.com
Parry. St. George’s Cathedral, 270 King St. E.,
Kingston. 613-549-7125. Free.
• 12:00 noon: Music at St. Andrews.
Ian Sadler, organ. St. Andrews Presbyterian
Church, 47 Owen St., Barrie. 705-726-1181.
$5; free(st).
• 7:00: University of Guelph College
of Arts. U of G Concert Winds Ensemble.
John Goddard, conductor. University Centre
Courtyard, 50 Stone Rd. E., Guelph. 519-8244120 x52991. Free.
• 8:00: Acoustic Muse Concerts and The
Aeolian. Nathan Sings Stan: The Rogers
Legacy Continues. Nathan Rodgers and band.
Aeolian Hall, 795 Dundas St., London. 519672-7950. $30/$25(adv).
• 8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
Orchestra. Haydn’s Wife? Boccherini: Cello
Concerto in B-flat; Symphony in A; Handel:
Concerto grosso in F; Concerto grosso in D.
Catherine Anderson, cello; Evan Mitchell, conductor. First United Church, 16 William St. W.,
Waterloo. 519-745-4711. $32. Also Nov 23
(Guelph), 24 (Cambridge).
of Arts. Thursday at Noon: Guitars of Fire.
Johannes Linstead and Geoff Hlibka, guitars.
Goldschmidt Room, 107 MacKinnon Bldg., 50
Stone Rd. E., Guelph. 519-824-4120 x52991.
Free.
• 7:30: Great Canadian Fiddle Show.
On Tour. Celina Di Cecca, Cindy Thompson,
Kyle Charron and Alanna Jenish, fiddle; Jake
Charron, piano and guitar; Tony Nesbitt-Larking,
guitar and percussion. Sydenham Street
United Church, 82 Sydenham St., Kingston.
416-402-1642. $28/$25(adv). Also Nov 23
(Peterborough).
Friday November 23
• 7:30: Great Canadian Fiddle Show.
On Tour. Celina Di Cecca, Cindy Thompson,
Kyle Charron and Alanna Jenish, fiddle; Jake
Charron, piano and guitar; Tony NesbittLarking, guitar/percussion. Market Hall, 140
Charlotte St., Peterborough. 416-402-1642.
$28/$25(adv). Also Nov 22 (Kingston).
See Nov 16.
Concerto grosso in F; Concerto grosso in D.
Catherine Anderson, cello; Evan Mitchell, conductor. Harcourt Mermorial United Church, 87
Dean Ave., Guelph. 519-745-4711. $32. Also
Nov 21 (Waterloo), 24 (Cambridge).
• 3:00: Capella Intima. In Concert. Music by
Grandi, Sances and Strozzi. Emily Klassen, soprano; Bud Roach, tenor/baroque guitar. MacNeill
Baptist Church, 1145 King St. W., Hamilton.
905-517-3594. $10 suggested donation. Also
Nov 17 (Toronto), 18 (Toronto).
• 7:30: Barrie Concerts. Christmas with
Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà. Hi-Way Pentecostal
Church, 50 Anne St. N., Barrie. 705-726-1181.
By subscription: $160; $35 (st); $85(single
ticket).
• 7:30: John Laing Singers. Yesterday,
Today, Tomorrow: The Timeless Music of
Christmas. J.C.F. Bach: Come Arise; Penfound:
Hodie Christus Natus Est (premiere); music by
Rheinberger, Taverner, Lauridsen and others.
Roger Bergs, conductor. St. Paul’s United
Church, 29 Park St. W., Dundas. 905-6285238. $25; $15(st). Also Nov 25 (Burlington).
• 7:30: Peterborough Singers. Carols with
Brass. Venabrass brass quintet; Sydney Birrell,
conductor. George Street United Church, 534
George St. N., Peterborough. 705-745-1820.
$30; $10(st).
See Nov 16.
• 8:00 Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
Concerto Grosso in F; Concerto Grosso in D.
Catherine Anderson, cello; Evan Mitchell, conductor. Central Presbyterian Church, 7 Queens
Sq., Cambridge. 519-745-4711. $32. Also Nov
21 (Waterloo), 23 (Guelph).
• 8:00: Kingston Symphony. Making of a
Maestro. Favourite pieces from the conductor’s youth. David Stewart, violin; Glen Fast,
conductor. Grand Theatre, 218 Princess St.,
Kingston. 613-530-2050. $20–$49.
Sunday November 25
• 2:00: Concert Association of Huntsville.
In Concert. Monica Whicher, soprano; Judy
Loman, harp. Trinity United Church, 33 Main St.
E., Huntsville. 705-787-1918. $25; free(under
18).
See Nov 16.
• 3:00: Elora Festival Singers. Amahl and
the Night Visitors. Menotti. Noel Edison, conductor. Knox Church, 55 Church St., Elora.
519-846-0331 or 1-888-747-7550. $35.
• 3:00: University of Guelph College of
Arts. U of G Chamber Ensemble. Henry Janzen,
conductor. Goldschmidt Room, 107 MacKinnon
Bldg., 50 Stone Rd. E., Guelph. 519-824-4120
x52991. Free.
• 3:00: Dublin Street United Church
(Friends of Music). Sundays @ 3: In
Anticipation of Christmas. Dublin Chancel
Choir, Martin Anderle, conductor; Jane Watson
and Blythe Watson, seasonal readings; guest:
Trillium Brass. 68 Suffolk St. W., Guelph. 519821-0610. $20; $5(st). Donations to Chalmers
Community Services Centre Food Program
gratefully accepted.
• 7:00: Guelph Concert Band. A Christmas
Festival. Colin Clarke, conductor. Harcourt
Memorial United Church, 87 Dean St., Guelph.
519-824-0022 x73660. $15; $10(sr/st);
$5(child).
Tuesday November 27
• 12:30: McMaster School of the Arts. Free
Lunchtime Concert Series. Troy Milleker, double
bass; Naomi Barron, cello. Convocation Hall,
Rm.213 University Hall, McMaster University,
1280 Main St. W., Hamilton. 905-525-9140
x27038. Free.
• 8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Les Voix Humaines: The Sun
Queen – Music of the 17th Century. Works
by by Sainte-Colombe, Couperin, Rameau and
Corrette. Margaret Little and Susie Napper,
violas da gamba. KWCMS Music Room, 57
Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. $30;
$25(sr); $20(st).
• 7:30: Centre for the Arts, Brock
University. Colm Wilkinson. Sean O’Sullivan
905-688-5550 x3257. $69.
of Arts. Thursday at Noon: Student Soloists
Day. Featuring applied music students.
Goldschmidt Room, 107 MacKinnon Bldg., 50
Stone Rd. E., Guelph. 519-824-4120 x52991.
Free.
Arts. U of G Jazz Ensemble. Ted Warren, conductor. Manhattans Pizza Bistro and Jazz
Club, 951 Gordon St., Guelph. 519-824-4120
x52991. $2.
Friday November 30
• 7:30: Arcady. Welcome Yule! Christmas
music of R. Beckett. Carolyn Stronks-Zeyl,
flute; Rebecca Booker, piano; Ronald Beckett,
conductor. St. Andrew’s United Church,
95 Darling St., Brantford. 519-752-5823.
$10–$20.
See Nov 16.
Orchestra. Edwin and Gustav: An Invitation.
Schubert: Entr’acte No.3 from Rosamunde;
Mahler: Symphony No.5 in c-sharp. Edwin
Outwater, conductor. Centre in the Square, 101
Queen St. N., Kitchener. $19–$80. 519-7454711. Also Dec 1.
Saturday December 01
• 7:30: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
Pops Series: Wicked Divas. Music from Carmen,
Wicked, Chicago, Titanic, My Fair Lady and
other Broadway, opera and popular music selections. Alli Mauzey and Nicole Parker, vocals;
Matthew Kraemer, conductor. Hamilton Place,
1 Summers Ln., Hamilton. 905-526-7756.
$22–$65; $20–$62(sr); $12(under 35).
• 7:30: Mohawk College Community Choir.
In Concert. Mozart: Coronation Mass in C.
guest: Mercredi Musique Chamber Orchestra of
Niagara. St. Paul’s United Church, 29 Park St.
W., Dundas. 905-526-7938. $20.
See Nov 16.
Orchestra. Edwin and Gustav: An Invitation.
See Nov 30.
Arts. U of G Symphonic & Women’s Choir:
The Mystery of Bethlehem. Marta McCarthy
and Lanny Fleming, conductors. Church of Our
Lady, 28 Norfolk St., Guelph. 519-824-4120
x52991. $15; $10(sr/st).
Sunday December 02
See Nov 16.
• 3:00: Wellington Winds. Bringing in
the Christmas Season. Traditional and seasonal favourites by Vaughan-Williams, Bach,
Holst, Corelli, Curnow and Prokofiev. Guest:
Kevin Ramessar, guitar. Daniel Warren, conductor. Knox Presbyterian Church, 50 Erb St.
W., Waterloo. 519-579-3097. $20; $15(sr);
free(st).
• 7:30: Metropolitan United Church.
Music@Met: RCCO Lessons and Carols.
Featuring the Salvation Army Band. 468
Wellington St., London. 519-432-7189 x27.
$20 suggested donation.
Society. Olena Klyucharova, piano; Marcus
Scholtes, violin: all-Prokofiev. Piano Sonata
No.3; Suite from Romeo and Juliet; March
from Love of Three Oranges; Violin Sonata
No.1. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St.
W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. $25; $20(sr);
$15(st).
Monday December 03
• 8:00: Acoustic Muse Concerts and The
Aeolian. The Kruger Brothers. Aeolian Hall,
795 Dundas St., London. 519-672-7950.
$30/$25(adv).
Tuesday December 04
Society. Mårten Falk, guitar. Villa-Lobos:
Selections from Preludes, Chôros, and Etudes;
Britten: Nocturnal, Op.7; Miller: In Memoriam
Joseph Brodsky; Vetrov: Canzona; Sychra:
Etude; Orekhov: Sokolov Polka. KWCMS Music
Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-8861673. $30; $25(sr); $20(st).
Friday December 07
• 7:30: Sound Investment Community
Choir. A Christmas Gift. Rutter: Gloria; also
White Chrismas, Christmas Song, other
Christmas classics and sing-along. Trillium Brass
Quintet, Brian Rae, conductor; Keiko YodenKuefper, accompaniment. Trinity United Church,
140 Maple St., Collingwood. 705-293-0573.
$20; free(12 and under). Also Dec 8(mat).
Search listings by genre online at thewholenote.com
thewholenote.com
53
C. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz)
SOUND ADVICE continued from page 31
McDonald, a graduate of York University’s Jazz Composition
Master’s program, is also a big fan of the Tranzac: “I love playing and
seeing live music here. I think it’s one of the few places in Toronto
where music of all styles and levels of creative expression is welcomed. You can drop by any time not knowing exactly what you’re
going to see but knowing you’ll see something good.” The quartet is rounded off by Demetri Petsalakis on guitar, Paul Metcalfe on
saxes and Lowell Whitty on drums. Expect tunes that draw from
both the modern and classic jazz traditions, both orchestrated and
freely structured.
416 Festival: November 7 to 10, the Tranzac is also home to
the 12th annual 416 Festival, dubbed “the best music you’ve never
heard.” According to the press release that we received in a timely
fashion (presenters, please send all your listings by the 15th of the
month prior to your event to [email protected] for our
FREE listings service!), the 416 Festival was created “in 2001 as a
counterbalance to the lack of innovative music programming at local
jazz festivals.” I asked the founder and director, Glen Hall, if he feels
that anything has changed since 2001 on Toronto’s jazz scene regarding this issue:
“Local jazz festivals continue to feature mostly traditional-based,
tonal, metrical music of the genre widely understood and called jazz.
In addition, they have added popular music forms which have little
in common with the improvisational
core of authentic jazz. However, the
Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival has
included some offerings by improvisers
associated with the Association
of Improvising Musicians Toronto
(AIMToronto). But, to my knowledge,
these are with little or no financial
commitment on the festival’s part: a
David Story, Rakesh Thewari
and Glen Hall will be
half-hearted, qualified support. So,
performing at the Tranzac
the ‘lack of innovative programming’
on November 9 as part of
has not changed appreciably since the the 416 Toronto Creative
inception of the 416 Festival. This does Improvisers Festival.
not apply in the case of the Guelph Jazz
Festival, which has been bold and adventurous in its programming
choices. (Non-tonal, arhythmic, sound-based improvisation by
Toronto improvisers is seldom heard outside of the 416 Festival.)”
It’s fantastic that the 416 exists to showcase the incredibly rich
diversity of non-traditional creative improvised music. Musicians
do frequently wonder what an artistic director is looking for when
booking, a question Glen is happy to answer:
“Some selections are made according to who approaches us and
what their goals are. Also, new groups form constantly and I keep
tabs on who is doing what and try to give them opportunities to be
heard in a supportive environment. Some musicians I know personally; others are recommended to me. For instance, last year a
new music aficionado suggested the neither/nor collective. While I
was aware of them, it previously hadn’t occurred to me to ask them
to participate as improvisation is a part, not the entirety, of what
they do (they were an audience favourite). Quartetto Graphica was
interesting because they use graphic scores which demand improvisational interpretation. This year CCMC is featured because they
embody the essence of what the 416 Festival presents: fearless,
risk-taking, improvised music making. We are always open to improvisation-based artists wanting to perform at the 416.”
Artists appearing at the festival this year include vocalist/pianist
Fern Lindzon’s trio featuring trombonist Heather Segger and drummer Mark Segger; drummer Chris Cawthray’s improvised roots
duo with organist Simeon Abbott; electronic wave drummer Bob
Vespaziani with vocalist Tena Palmer and guitarist Arthur Bull — and
that’s on opening night alone! See our listings section for complete
details and for more information visit 416festival.com.
Here’s to the best music you’ve never heard! Ori Dagan is a Toronto-based jazz vocalist and an associate editor
at The WholeNote. He can be contacted at [email protected].
54
Alleycatz
Dominion on Queen
2409 Yonge St. 416-481-6865 alleycatz.ca
Every Mon 8pm Salsa Night w/ Frank Bischun
and free lessons. Every Tue 8:30pm Carlo
Berardinucci Band. No Cover. Every Wed
8:30pm City Soul Swinging Blues & Vintage
R&B. No Cover. Every Thu 9pm Soul and R&B
(bands alternate weekly; Collateral Jammage
first Thursday of every month). Every Fri/
Sat 9:30pm Funk, Soul, R&B, Top 40. $10
after 8:30pm. Nov 1 Collateral Jammage. Nov
2 Ascension. Nov 3 Soular. Nov 8,22 Mark
Joseph Band. Nov 9, 10, 30 Lady Kane. Nov
15, 16, 17 James King. Nov 23, 24 Ascension.
Nov 29 Run it For Marty.
500 Queen St. E. 416-368-6893
dominiononqueen.com
Every Sat 4-7:30pm Ronnie Hayward.
Every Sun 11am-3pm Rockabilly Brunch w/
Alistair Christl. Every Tue 8:30pm Hot Club
of Corktown Django Jam w/ host Wayne
Nakamura. PWYC. Every Wed 8pm Corktown
Ukelele Jam $5. Nov 1 9pm Havana to Toronto
with host Joaquin Nunez Hidalgo $10. Nov
5 Good Neighbours Open Mic Night. PWYC.
Nov 6 8pm USA Election Night “Working Class
Hero” Night of Protest Songs. Nov 9 9pm Robin
Banks Birthday Party $10. Nov 11 4-7pm
Jazz Jam w/ Noah Leibel. Nov 16 9pm Aimee
Butcher Band $5. Nov 17 9pm Sonic Blues
Series: Dylan Wickens $10. Nov 23 9:30pm
Que Isso? $5. Nov 29 9pm Shafton Thomas
Group $5. Nov 30 9pm Swamperella $TBA.
Artword Artbar
15 Colbourne St., Hamilton. 905-543-8512
artword.net (full schedule)
Azure Restaurant & Bar
225 Front St. W. 416-597-3701
azurerestaurant.ca
Nov 1, 2, 3 5:30-10:30pm Dan Bodanis Trio w/
Bernie Senensky & Steve Wallace.
Bon Vivant Restaurant
1924 Avenue Rd. 416-630-5153
bonvivantdining.com
Every Thu 6-9pm Bill Naphan Solo Guitar.
Every Fri 6-9pm Margaret Stowe Solo Guitar.
Castro’s Lounge
2116 Queen St. E. 416-699-8272
castroslounge.com No Cover/PWYC.
Every Sun 4pm Live jazz. Every Mon 9pm
Rockabilly Night w/ the Cosmotones. Every
Tue 8pm Smokey Folk; 10:30pm blueVenus.
Every Wed 8pm Mediterranean Stars. Every
Thu 9pm Jerry Legere & the Situation. Every
Fri 5pm Ronnie Heyward. Every Sat 4:30pm
Big Rude Jake.
Chalkers Pub, Billiards & Bistro
247 Marlee Ave. 416-789-2531
chalkerspub.com
Every Wed 8pm-midnight Girls Night Out Jazz
Jam w/ host Lisa Particelli. PWYC. Nov 3
6-9pm Dave Young Quartet $10. Nov 10 6-9pm
GNOJAZZ Fundraiser $10. Nov 17 6-9pm Robi
Botos Trio $10. Nov 18 6-9pm Carter Brodkorb
Trio $10; free(under 16). Nov 24 6-9pm Lorne
Lofsky Trio $10.
Cherry Street Restaurant, The
275 Cherry St. 416-461-5111 cherryst.ca
Nov 1 8:30pm Ilana Waldston Trio $10. Nov
8 7:30pm Julie Mahendran Trio $10. Nov 15
7:30pm The Spirit of Jazz $10. Nov 22 7:30pm
Worst Pop Band Ever $10. Nov 29 7:30pm
Sophia Perlman Quartet $10.
Classico Pizza & Pasta
2457 Bloor St. W. 416-763-1313
Every Thu 7pm Nate Renner. No Cover.
Communist’s Daughter, The
1149 Dundas St. W. 647-435-0103
Every Sat 4-7pm Gypsy Jazz w Michael
Johnson & Red Rhythm. PWYC.
DeSotos
1079 St. Clair Ave. W. 416-651-2109
Every Thu 8pm-midnight Open Mic Jazz Jam,
hosted by Double A Jazz.
thewholenote.com
Dovercourt House
805 Dovercourt Rd. 416-537-3337
odd-socks.org (full schedule)
Every Sat 9pm-1am Saturday Night Swing:
Dance featuring Live Swing Bands and dance
lessons. Dance $13; $15 with one class, $18
with both. Saturday Bands: Nov 3 Jordan
Klapman Swing Band. Nov 10 Swing Out to
Victory: WWII Remembrance Day Party w/
Toronto All-Star big Band $20; $23 with one
class; $25 with both. Nov 17 TBA. Nov 24
Mike Daley Swing Band.
EDO Sushi
484 Eglinton Ave. W. 416-322-3033
All shows: Thursday 7:30-10:30pm. No Cover.
Nov 1 Sharon Smith Trio. Nov 8 Serafin
LaRiviere Trio. Nov 15 Laura Fernandez Trio.
Nov 22 Vincent Wolfe Trio. Nov 29 Lara
Solnicki Trio.
Ellington’s Music and Café
805 St. Clair Ave. W. 416-652-9111.
Every Mon, Every Wed 9am and Every Sat 2pm
Sunny Choi (piano).
Emmet Ray, The
924 College St. 416-792-4497
theemmetray.com (full schedule)
All shows: 9pm. PWYC.
Nov 1 John Wayne Swingtet. Nov 4 Graham
Playford. Nov 5 Parker/Abbott Duo. Nov 7
Alistair Christil and the Lonely. Nov 8 Box Full
of Cash. Nov 11 Alan Soddy. Nov 12 Jeff
LaRochelle’s Original Ensemble. Nov 14 Peter
Boyd & The Mutant Duo. Nov 15 Vokurka’s
Vicarious Virtuoso Violin. Nov 18 Union Duke.
Nov 19 Will Fisher Coastal Quartet. Nov 21
Alistair Christl and The Lonely. Nov 22 Patrick
Brealey. Nov 25 Tropical Punch. Nov 26 Jon
Maharaj Trio. Nov 28 Alistair Christ and the
Lonely. Nov 29 Johnny Ferguson.
Flying Beaver Pubaret, The
488 Parliament St. 647-347-6567
pubaret.com (full schedule)
Nov 1 7:30pm Ori Dagan’s Jazz Jam
Cabaret. PWYC. Nov 2 9pm Chris Tsujiuchi
Returns! $10. Nov 3 7pm Ros Kindler Trio
$15/$10(adv); 9pm Sarah Smith & Lucas
Silveira $20/$15(adv). Nov 4 7pm All Strung
Up.$5 suggested. Nov 7 7:30pm John
Alcorn Trio $15/$10(adv). Nov 8 7:30pm
Tracey Dey Trio$15/$10(adv). Nov 9 7pm
George Evans $15/$10(adv); 9pm Adi Braun
$20/$15(adv). Nov 14 7:30pm John Alcorn
Trio $15/$10(adv). Nov 16, 17 7pm Bill
Merryweather $20/$15(adv). Nov 17 9pm
Peggy Jane Hope Quintet $20/$15(adv). Nov
22 7:30pm Julie Michels $20/$15(adv). Nov 23
9pm John McGillis CD Launch $20/$15(adv).
Nov 24 9pm Sonya Jezebel Côté $20/$15(adv).
Gallery Studio, The
2877 Lake Shore Blvd., Etobicoke.
416-253-0285
thegallerystudiocafe.ca
Gate 403
403 Roncesvalles Ave. 416-588-2930
gate403.com All shows: PWYC.
Nov 1 5pm Roberta Hunt; 9pm Mélanie Brûlée.
Nov 2 5pm Mike Field; 9pm Max Senitt Y Sus
Amigos. Nov 3 5pm Bill Heffernan & Friends;
9pm Melissa Boyce. Nov 4 5pm Joel Hartt;
8pm Dave Martin. Nov 5 5pm Tom McGill; 9pm
Richard Whiteman. Nov 6 5pm Kelsey McNulty;
9pm Julian Fauth. Nov 7 5pm Brian Cober; 9pm
Kurt Nielsen & Richard Whiteman. Nov 8 5pm
Sarah Calvert; 9pm Kevin Laliberté. Nov 9 5pm
Kalya Ramu & Felix Wong; 9pm Fraser Mevlin
Blues. Nov 10 5pm Bill Heffernan & Friends;
9pm Six Points Jazz Orchestra. Nov 11 5pm
Darlene Stimson; 9pm Robin Banks. Nov 12
5pm Denis Schingh; 9pm Richard Whiteman.
Nov 13 5pm Carol Oya; 9pm Julian Fauth. Nov
14 5pm Lowell Whitty; 9pm Victor Monsivais.
Nov 15 5pm Shae & Lorne; 9pm String Theory.
Nov 16 5pm G Street Jazz; 9pm Sweet Derrick.
Nov 17 5pm Bill Heffernan & Friends; 9pm
Patrick Tevlin’s New Orleans Rhythm. Nov 18
5pm Cindy Urech; 9pm Andy De Campos. Nov
19 5pm Erica Romero; 9pm Richard Whiteman.
Nov 20 5pm Melissa Lauren; 9pm Julian
Fauth. Nov 21 5pm Patrick Hewan; 9pm Lara
Solnicki. Nov 22 5pm Eric Lambier R&B Blues;
9pm Elizabeth Martins. Nov 23 5pm Sam
Broverman; 9pm Denielle Bassels. Nov 24 5pm
Bill Heffernan & Friends; 9pm The Upside Trio.
Nov 25 5pm Meagan de Lima; 9pm Brownman
Akoustic Trio. Nov 26 5pm Annie Bonsignore &
Dunstan Morey; 9pm Richard Whiteman. Nov
27 5pm Chris Reid; 9pm Julian Fauth. Nov 28
5pm Joe Amato; 9pm Teri Parker. Nov 29 5pm
Donna Greenberg; 9pm Alex Samaras. Nov 30
5pm Ken Kawashima Sugar Brown Blues Band;
9pm Gia & the Unpredictable Update Trio.
Gladstone Hotel
1214 Queen St. W. 416-531-4635
gladstonehotel.com (full schedule)
Every First Thu 9-11:30pm Toronto Blues
Society’s Blues Series. Free.
Nov 8 8pm Amy McConnell & William
Sperandei CD Release $30 (includes CD). Nov
25 8pm Ilana Waldston CD Release $15.
Grossman’s Tavern
“Toronto’s Home of the Blues”
379 Spadina Ave. 416-977-1210
grossmanstavern.com (full schedule)
All shows: No Cover/PWYC.
Every Sat 4-8pm The Happy Pals matinee. Every Sun 4:30-8:30pm New Orleans
Connection Allstars; 9:30pm-2am The
Nationals.
Harlem Restaurant
67 Richmond St. E. 416-368-1920
harlemrestaurant.com (full schedule)
All shows: No Cover/PWYC.
Every Mon 8pm-midnight Carolyn T’s Open
Jam Night. Every Fri/Sat 7:30-11pm Jazz/
Blues. No Cover. Nov 2 Reece. Nov 3 Luanda
Jones. Nov 6 Obama Party. Nov 8 Alma
Quartet. Nov 9 Jazz Lovers Society. Nov 10
Aria. Nov 16 Shelley Hamilton. Nov 17 Chris
Rouse. Nov 23 Shelley Hamilton. Nov 24
Humble. Nov 30 Carl Bray.
Harlem Underground Restaurant/Bar
745 Queen St. W. 416-366-4743
harlemrestaurant.com/underground
Every Mon Daniel Gagnon. Every Tue John
Campbell. Every Thu Carl Bray Trio. Every Fri
Jake Wilkinson. Every Sat Carl Bray.
Hirut Restaurant
2050 Danforth Ave. 416-551-7560
Every Wed 8pm Open Mic with Gary 17.
Every Sun 2:30pm Open Jam.
Home Smith Bar – See Old Mill, The
Hugh’s Room
2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604
hughsroom.com (full schedule)
All shows: 8:30pm (unless otherwise noted).
Nov 1 Susie Arioli $27.50/$25(adv). Nov
3 Jory Nash CD Release $25/$22.50(adv).
Nov 4 2pm Don Bray CD Release:
$22.50/$20(adv). Nov 4 Ian Thomas CD
Release $30/$27.50(adv). Nov 5 Pam Hyatt
CD Release $22.50/$20(adv). Nov 6 Peter
Karp & Sue Foley $22.50/$20(adv). Nov
7 The Dardanelles $25/$20(adv). Nov 8
Gandalf Murphy & Slambovian Circus of
Dreams $22.50/$20(adv). Nov 9 Dave Young
Quintet. Nov 10 Jimmy Webb $50/$45(adv).
Nov 11 Children’s Beacon of Hope Fundraiser
$30/$25(adv). Nov 12 International Guitar
Night $27.50/$25(adv). Nov 13 Eilen Jewell
$22.50/$20(adv). Nov 14 Jason Wilson &
David Swarbrick $22.50/$20(adv). Nov 15
Bowser & Blue $32.50/$28.50(adv). Nov 16
Gregg Stafford $35/$25(adv). Nov 17 Diane
Lee-Clemons $25/$22.50(adv). Nov 18 Jorge
Martiniez $29/$24(adv). Nov 19 André Roy
Trio CD Release: DarkBright $18/$15(adv).
Nov 20 Nathan Rogers $25/$22.50(adv) Nov
21 Genticorum $25/$22.50(adv). Nov 22
Tom Russell. $32.50/$30(adv). Nov 23 Jully
Black $27.50/$25(adv). Nov 24 Tom Waits
Tribute $30/$25(adv). Nov 25 2pm Ken
Whiteley’s Gospel Matinee $22.50/$20(adv).
Nov 27 Shaman Ayerhart CD Release. Nov
30 The McFlies $22.50/$20(adv).
Blackburn. Every Fri 10pm-2am The Grind.
Every Sat 10pm-2am Shugga.
Lula Lounge
1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307
lula.ca (full schedule)
Nov 1 8pm Love Letters Cabaret: Bacchanal
$30/$25(adv). Nov 2 8pm JP Saxe Trio $15;
10:30pm Salsa Dance Party w/ Changui
Havana $15. Nov 3 10:30pm Salsa Saturday
w/ Salsotika. Nov 9 8pm Maria Farinha Trio;
Salsa Dance Party w/ Son Ache. Nov 10 Salsa
Saturday w/ Ricky Franco. Nov 11 Notes from
Brazil w/ TORQ Percussion Quartet. Nov 16
8pm Roberto Riveron Trio; Salsa Dance Party
w/ Yani Borrell and the Clave Kings. Nov 17
Salsa Saturday w/ Café Cubano. Nov 18 IsraelAlien. Nov 21 8pm Jorge Miguel 10pm Café
Con Pan. Nov 22 Lido Pimienta and Hector
Buitrago. Nov 23 8pm Laura Fernandez Trio;
9:45pm Salsa Dance Party w/ Changui Havana.
Nov 24 Salsa Saturday w/ Confunto Lacalu.
Nov 28 Alain Perez: Direct from Madrid. Nov
30 8pm Alexander Brown Trio; Salsa Saturday
w/ Roberto Linares Brown Orchestra.
Mezzetta Restaurant
681 St. Clair Ave. W. 416-658-5687
mezzettarestaurant.com
Every Wed Sets at 9pm and 10:15pm. Jazz
Series. Cover $7-$10.
Nov 7 Vida Flamenca $10. Nov 14 HartzdikeLieder. Nov 21 Klezmer Meets Free Improv.
Monarchs Pub
At the Delta Chelsea Hotel
33 Gerrard St. W. 416-585-4352
monarchspub.ca
Every Wed Live Jazz. Every Thu Live Blues.
Nawlins Jazz Bar & Dining
299 King St. W. 416-595-1958
nawlins.ca
Every Tue Stacie McGregor; Every Wed Jim
Heineman Trio. Every Thu Blues Night w Guest
Vocalists. Every Fri/Sat All Star Bourbon St.
Band; Every Sun Brooke Blackburn.
Nice Bistro, The
117 Brock St. N., Whitby. 905-668-8839
nicebistro.com
Nov 21 San Murata $39.99 (includes dinner).
Intersteer, The
Old Mill, The
357 Roncesvalles Ave. 416-588-8054
Nov 10, 17 4-7pm Laura Hubert Trio. No
Cover/PWYC.
Jazz Room, The
Located in the Huether Hotel, 59 King St. N.,
Waterloo. 226-476-1565
kwjazzroom.com (full schedule)
All shows: 8:30pm; attendees must be 19+
Nov 2 rinsethealgorithm $18. Nov 3 Jazz and
Spoken Word $15. Nov 9 Jason Raso Quintet:
Head Hunter Tribute $15. Nov 10 Trevor
Giancola Quartet $18. Nov 16 Greg Prior
Quartet $12. Nov 17 Melissa Stylianou $18.
Nov 23 Ron McClure Quartet $20. Nov 24
Rebecca Binnendyk Quintet $18. Nov 30 New
Vibes Quartet $12.
21 Old Mill Rd. 416-236-2641
oldmilltoronto.com
The Home Smith Bar: No Reservations. No
Cover. $20 minimum. All shows: 7:30-10:30pm.
Every Thu Thursday Night Jazz Party. Every
Fri Something to Sing About Series. Every
Sat Jazz Masters Series. Nov 1 Jazz Party
w/ Lenny Solomon and guests. Nov 2 Peggy
Mahon Trio. Nov 3 Terry Promane Trio. Nov 8
Jazz Party w/ Gord Sheard and guests. Nov 9
Margot Roi Trio. Nov 10 Tara Davidson Duo.
Nov 15 Terra Hazelton Trio. Nov 16 Robin
Banks Trio. Nov 17 Fred Duligal Trio. Nov
22 Jazz Party w/ Debbie Fleming and guests.
Nov 23 Sheree Jeacocke Cerqua Trio. Nov 24
Amanda Tosoff Trio. Nov 29 Mike Murley Trio
Nov 30 Ros Kindler Trio.
Joe Mama’s
Pantages Martini Bar & Lounge
317 King St. W. 416-340-6469
Live music every night; All shows: No Cover.
Every Sun 7-11pm Organic Quartet. Every
Mon 7:30-11:30pm Soul Mondays. Every
Tue 7-11pm Blue Angels. Every Wed 8pm12am Blackburn. Every Thu 8:30pm-12:30am
200 Victoria St. 416-362-1777
Every Fri, Every Sat 9:30pm-12:30am Solo
Piano. No Cover/PWYC. Nov 2, 3 Steve Koven.
Nov 9, 10 Richard Whiteman. Nov 16, 17
Mark Eisenman. Nov 23, 24 Steve Koven. Nov
30 Steve Koven.
thewholenote.com
55
C. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz)
People’s Chicken, The
744 Mount Pleasant Rd. 416-489-7931
peopleschicken.ca All shows: No Cover.
Every Sat 4-7pm Climax Jazz Band. Every
Mon Big Band Night: Nov 5 Advocats. Nov 12
Bob Cary Big Band. Nov 19 George Lake Big
Band. Nov 26 GTA Swing Band.
Pilot Tavern, The
22 Cumberland Ave. 416-923-5716
thepilot.ca
All shows: 3:30-6:30pm. No Cover.
Nov 3 Ernesto Cervini. Nov 10 Alison Young.
Nov 17 Kollage. Nov 24 Pat LaBarbera.
Quotes
220 King St. W. 416-979-7697
Every Fri Fridays at Five w/ Canadian Jazz
Quartet and guest: Nov 2 John MacLeod. Nov
9 Alastair Kay. Nov 16 Bill McBirnie. Nov 23
Steve McDade. Nov 30 Alex Dean.
Reposado Bar & Lounge
136 Ossington Ave. 416-532-6474
reposadobar.com All shows: PWYC.
Every Wed 9:30pm Spy vs Sly vs Spy. Every
Thu, Fri 10pm The Reposadists Quartet. Nov
3, 1710pm Rob & Bob’s Power Duo. Nov 10,
24 10pm Bradley & the Bouncers.
Reservoir Lounge, The
52 Wellington St. E. 416-955-0887
reservoirlounge.com (full schedule); call for more
information.
Every Tue 9:45pm Tyler Yarema and his
Rhythm. Every Wed 9:45pm Big Rude Jake.
Every Thu 9:45pm Alysha and the Brilltones.
Every Fri 9:45pm Dee Dee and the Dirty
Martinis. Every Sat 9:45pm Tyler Yarema and
his Rhythm. “Apres Work” Series Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursdays 7-9pm, including: Nov 1
Alex Pangman & Her Alleycats. Nov 8 Beverly
Taft & Her Swell Fellas.
Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Bar, The
194 Queen St. W. 416-598-2475
therex.ca (call for cover charge info)
Nov 1 6:30pm Kevin Quain; 9:45pm A.B.L.E.
(Andy Ballantyne Large Ensemble). Nov 2 4pm
Hogtown Syncopators; 6:30pm Chris Gale Four;
9:45pm A.B.L.E. Nov 3 12pm Danny Marks;
3:30pm Laura Hubert; 7pm Justin Bacchus;
9:45pm Live recording: Chris Hunt Tentet +2.
Nov 4 12pm Excelsior Dixieland; 3:30pm Red
Hot Ramble; 7pm Michael Herring Trio. Nov
5 6:30pm U of T Student Jazz Ensembles;
9:30pm Toronto Jazz Orchestra: Singers Unite
feat Sophia Perlman & Alex Samaras. Nov 6
6:30pm Peter Hill Quintet; 9:30pm Classic Rex
Panic! Nov 12 8pm Gone Fishing.
Jazz Jam w/ host Norman Marshall Villeneuve.
Nov 7 6:30pm Travelling Wall-Barries; 9:30pm
Nir Felder Quartet. Nov 8 6:30pm Kevin
Quain; 9:45pm Nir Felder Quartet. Nov 9 4pm
Hogtown Syncopators; 6:30pm Chris Gale
Four; Dave Neill Quintet. Nov 10 12pm Danny
Marks; 3:30pm Bharath Rajakumar; 7pm Justin
Bacchus; 9:45pm Alain Bedard & Zaldivar.
Nov 11 12pm Excelsior Dixieland; 3:30pm
Red Hot Ramble; 7pm Michael Herring Trio;
9:45pm Alain Bedard & Rafael Zaldivar. Nov
12 6:30pm U of T Ensembles; 9:30pm Mike
Malone Jazz Orchestra. Nov 13 6:30pm Peter
Hill Quintet; 9:30pm Classic Rex Jazz Jam
w/ host Norman Marshall Villeneuve. Nov 14
6:30pm Travelling Wall-Barries; 9:30pm Shuffle
Demons. Nov 15 6:30pm Kevin Quain; 9:45pm
Barry Elmes Quintet. Nov 16 4pm Hogtown
Syncopators; 6:30pm; Chris Gale Four; 9:45pm
Barry Elmes Quintet. Nov 17 12pm Danny
Marks; 3:30pm Homeless Blues Band; 7pm
Justin Bacchus; 9:45pm Run Stop Run. Nov 18
12pm Excelsior Dixieland; 3:30pm Dr. Nick &
the Rollercoasters; 7pm Michael Herring Trio;
9:30pm Melissa Stylianou. Nov 19 6:30pm
U of T Ensembles; 9:30pm Shannon Graham.
Nov 20 6:30pm Peter Hill Quintet; 9:30pm
Classic Rex Jazz Jam w/ host Norman Marshall
Villeneuve. Nov 21 6:30pm Travelling WallBarries; 9:30pm Ted Warren Quartet. Nov 22
6:30pm Kevin Quain; Ted Warren Quartet. Nov
23 4pm Hogtown Syncopators; 6:30pm Chris
Gale Four; 9:45pm Dave Young Quintet. Nov 24
12pm Danny Marks; 3:30pm Swing Shift Big
Band; 7pm Justin Bacchus; 9:45pm KC Roberts
& the Live Revolution; 12:45am rinsethealgorithm. Nov 25 12pm Excelsior Dixieland;
3:30pm Freeway Dixieland; 7pm Michael
Herring Trio; 9:30pm Peter Lutek’s Engine.
Nov 26 6:30pm U of T Ensembles; 8:30pm
Rex Hotel Orchestra. Nov 27 6:30pm Peter Hill
Quintet; 9:30pm Classic Rex Jazz Jam w/ host
Norman Marshall Villeneuve. Nov 28 6:30pm
Travelling Wall-Barries; 9:30pm Myriad Trio CD
Release. Nov 29 6:30pm Kevin Quain; 9:30pm
Andre Leroux Quartet. Nov 30 4pm Hogtown
Syncopators; 6:30pm Chris Gale Four; David
Buchbinder Sextet.
Somewhere There
227 Sterling Rd. Unit #112 416-262-2883
somewherethere.org (full schedule)
All shows: 8pm (unless otherwise indicated).
$10 Cover or PWYC.
Every Sun 5pm The Friends of Markos
Residency; 8pm NOW Series. Every Wed 8pm
Arnd Jürgensen Residency feat. Mary Margaret
O’Hara & Aiden Cross. Every Thu 8pm Colin
Anthony’s Dream Dance Residence. Every
Fri 8pm Leftover Daylight Series. Nov 5 8pm
Statlers Lounge
487 Church St. 416-922-0487
All Shows: No Cover/PWYC
Every Mon 9:30pm-1am SINGular Sensation:
Musical Theatre Open Mic w/ Jennifer Walls,
Donovan LeNabat & Jamie Bird. Every Tue
10pm Top Star Tuesday: Talent Night. Every
Wed 6-10pm Kendall Partington. Thu 9:30pm
Donovan LeNabat & Jamie Bird. Every Sat
10pm-1:30am Kendall Partington.
Tranzac
292 Brunswick Ave. 416-923-8137
tranzac.org (full schedule)
3-4 shows daily, various styles. Mostly PWYC.
Every Mon 7pm This is Awesome; 10pm
Open Mic. Every Fri 5pm The Foolish Things.
Every Sat 3pm Jamzac. Nov 4 12pm
Broadway Goes Jazz $20/$5(child). Nov 6
10pm Peripheral Vision w/ Myriad Trio. Nov
7, 8, 9, 10 416 Toronto Creative Improvisers
Festival (see listings section A). Nov 11
7:30pm Mark Segger Sextet; 10pm Lina
Allemano Four CD Release. Nov 13 10pm
Harley Card & Michael Davidson. Nov 14
7pm Corin Raymond CD Release. Nov 16,
416.544.1803
www.lizpr.com
56
Windsor Arms Hotel, The
18 St. Thomas St. 416-971-6666
Every Sun 11am-2pm Jazz Brunch. $50;
$35(12 and under). Includes brunch.
Nov 4 Colleen Allen & Trevor Giancola. Nov
11 Henry Heillig & Stacie McGregor. Nov 18
Kevin Barrett & Russ Boswell. Nov 25 Adrean
Farrugia & Bob Brough.
Zemra Bar & Lounge
778 St. Clair Ave. W. 416-651-3123
zemrabarlounge.com
Every Wed Open Mic and Jam w/ All Nighters
& Irene Torres. Nov 2 Patrick Hewan Trio. Nov
16 Blues and Trouble. Nov 30 Errol Fisher.
Zipperz
72 Carlton St. 416-921-0066
Every Mon, Tue 10pm-12am and Every Fri
7-9pm Roxxie Terrain w/ Adam Weinmann. No
Cover/PWYC.
D. The ETCeteras
GALAS & FUNDRAISERS
• Nov 08 7:30: Da Capo Chamber Choir.
NewWorks 2012 Gala Celebration. Clay &
Glass, 25 Caroline St. N., Waterloo. 519-7257549. $20. [email protected]
• Nov 24 1:00: Chris McKhool Presents.
Fundraising Family Concert for the Daily Bread
Food Bank & ArtsCan Circle. Church of St.
George the Martyr, 197 John St. 416-6243466. Free, donations and non-perishable food
items appreciated.
COMPETITIONS
• Nov 24 application deadline: Toronto
Sinfonietta. 2012 Young Musicians Concerto
Competition. For application and information,
visit torontosinfonietta.com
• Nov 29 6:00: Canadian Opera Company.
COC Ensemble Studio Competition. Final round
of auditions for the 2013/14 COC Ensemble
Studio. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four
Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145
Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. $15–$40.
SCREENINGS
• Nov 16 7:00: Bloor Cinema. I Am Not a
Rock Star. Feature documentary about pianist
Marika Bournaki, who will perform a mini-recital
following the screening. 506 Bloor St. W. 416637-3123. $11; $8(members).
• Nov 26 8:00: Somewhere There. Monthly
Movie Monday. Film series curated by Andy Yue
and Tomasz Krakowiak featuring experimental
film and music documentary. 227 Sterling Rd.
Unit #112. 416-262-2883. $10 or PWYC.
LECTURES & SYMPOSIA
Publicity, press kits
& image consulting
for performers
23 7:30pm David Woodhead. Nov 17 10pm
Phillip Albert. Nov 18 5pm Monk’s Music.
Nov 20 10pm Ken McDonald Quartet. Nov
22 9:30pm Greg Hambleton CD Release. Nov
25 10:30pm Steve Ward Presents. Nov 27
10pm Drumheller. Nov 30 10pm Ryan Driver.
• Nov 01 7:00: Tafelmusik. Tafelmusik Talk:
Handel’s Messiah. Ivars Taurins discusses
the oratorio across the centuries. North York
Central Library Auditorium, 5120 Yonge St.
416-395-5639. Free.
• Nov 04, 11, 18 2:00–4:00: Opera IS. Art
& Opera. Combined lectures by Mary Redekop
& Iain Scott about historical paintings, buildings, sculptures, and the operas they inspired.
thewholenote.com
Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 416-9246111. $150 for 3 lectures. opera-is.com
• Nov 06 1:30–3:30: Opera IS. Verdi’s Aida.
Lecture with Iain Scott. Miles Nadal Jewish
Community Centre, 750 Spadina Ave. 416924-6111. opera-is.com
• Nov 08 12:10: University of Toronto
Faculty of Music. Thursdays at Noon Lecture:
The Real Experience Behind Oliver Sacks’
Stories. Concetta Tomaino lectures on music
therapy. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Bldg., 80
Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. Free.
• Nov 10 9:00am–4:30pm: University
of Toronto Faculty of Music/Room 217
Foundation. Music Care Conference. Issues
and themes around caring for people with
music. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Bldg., 80
Queen’s Park. 905-852-2499. room217.ca
• Nov 10 10:00am–2:00pm: New
Adventures in Sound Art. Artist Talk. Artist:
Zazalie Z. NAISA Space, Suite 252, 601
Christie St. 416-652-5115. PWYC.
• Nov 21 7:00: North York Central Library.
A Taste of Handel. Duncan Chisholm discusses
Handel’s choices in food, drink and companions.
5120 Yonge St. 416-395-5639. Free.
• Dec 02 2:00: Music Gallery. The #BAM
Summit featuring Pheeroan akLaff + Ian
Kamau. Discussing the hashtag #BAM, standing for Black American Music. 416-204-1080.
Manifesto Space, 37 Bulwer St. Free.
• Dec 06 7:00–8:00: Canadian Opera
Company. Opera Talks: The Brothers Grimm.
Lecture by the opera’s composer, Dean Burry.
North York Central Library Auditorium, 5120
Yonge St. 416-395-5639. Free.
MASTERCLASSES
Faculty of Music. Edith Wiens, soprano. With
U of T music students. MacMillan Theatre,
Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queen’s Park.
Auditors welcome. 416-408-0208. Free.
Faculty of Music. Adrianne Pieczonka, soprano. Songs masterclass featuring students
in the U of T Faculty of Music. Walter Hall,
Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queen’s Park.
Auditors welcome. 416-408-0208. Free.
Faculty of Music. Adrianne Pieczonka, soprano. Arias masterclass with U of T music
students. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Bldg.,
80 Queen’s Park. Auditors welcome. 416-4080208. Free.
• Nov 18 2:00–5:00: Singing Studio of
Deborah Staiman. Masterclass. Musical theatre: audition preparation. Yonge & Eglinton
area, call for exact location. 416-483-9532.
singingstudio.ca
• Nov 20 11:30: York University
Department of Music. Peter McGillivray, baritone. With York University music students.
Tribute Communities Recital Hall, Accolade East
Bldg., 4700 Keele St. 416-736-5888. Free.
• Nov 23 11:30: York University Department
of Music. Wendy Nielsen, soprano. With York
University music students. Observers welcome.
Tribute Communities Recital Hall, Accolade East
Bldg., 4700 Keele St. 416-736-5888. Free.
• Nov 24 10:00am: Royal Canadian College
of Organists/University of Toronto. Hans Ola
Ericsson, organ. Church of the Holy Trinity, 10
Trinity Sq. 416-363-0331 x26. $5.
• Nov 26 4:00–7:00: New Adventures
in Sound Art/Canadian Electroacoustic
Community. Kevin Austin. Sound artists seeking feedback on their work invited to bring
music files in aif or wav format on a USB drive.
NAISA Space, Suite 252, 601 Christie St. 416652-5115. PWYC.
• Nov 27 10:00am: University of Toronto
Faculty of Music. Menahem Pressler, piano.
With U of T music students. Walter Hall Edward
Johnson Bldg., 80 Queen’s Park. Auditors welcome. 416-408-0208. Free.
WORKSHOPS
• Nov 02 3:00 and Nov 03 10:00am: Marilyn
I. Walker School of Fine and Performing
Arts. Setting Career Goals for Musicians, Part
I. Workshop led by Joan Watson. Concordia
Seminary Chapel, Brock University, 470
Glenridge Ave., St. Catharines. $5; free(st).
[email protected]
• Nov 03 2:00–5:00: All Together Now.
Exploring Vocal Harmony. Workshop by Jane
Lewis and Sam Turton. Artword Artbar, 15
Colbourne St., Hamilton. 519-763-5881. $45.
• Nov 03 2:00: CAMMAC. Double Reeds
Workshop with Barbara Bolte. Toronto Public
Library, Northern District, 40 Orchard View
Blvd. 416-386-0258. $30; $25(members).
• Nov 04 1:00 to 4:00: Artists’ Health
Alliance. Psychology of Performance.
Madeleine Hallé, facilitator. Visualization, emotional control and concentration. Suite 500, 250
The Esplanade. 416-351-0239. artisthealth.ca
• Nov 04 1:30–4:00: Toronto Early Music
Players Organization. Instrumental Workshop.
Colin Savage, coach. Bring your recorders, early
instruments and music stand; scores available
at the door. Armour Heights Community Centre,
2140 Avenue Rd. 416-245-3413. $20.
• Nov 10 10:00am: 416 Toronto Creative
Improvisers Festival. Free Music Improvising.
Glen Hall, facilitator. Palmerston Library, 560
Palmerston Ave. 416-393-7680. $7 or PWYC.
• Nov 16 7:30: CAMMAC Recorder
Players’ Society. Renaissance and Baroque
Workshop. Informal group session for players
of the recorder and other early instruments.
Church of the Transfiguration, 111 Manor Rd.
E. 416-480-1853. $15 (first meeting free).
• Nov 17 10:30am–1:00pm: Toronto
Mendelssohn Choir. Singsation Saturday with
Ross Inglis, conductor. Music provided; participants can register at the workshop. Cameron
Hall, Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585
Yonge St. 416-598-0422 x24. $10 includes
refreshments. Register online: tmchoir.org
• Nov 25 2:00: CAMMAC. Reading for
Singers and Instrumentalists. Bach: Cantatas
80 and 147. Daniel Norman, conductor. Christ
Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. 905-8770671. $10; $6(members).
• Dec 02 1:30–4:00: Toronto Early Music
Players Organization. Instrumental Workshop.
Avery McLean, coach. Bring your recorders,
early instruments and music stand; scores available at the door. Armour Heights Community
Centre, 2140 Avenue Rd. 416-245-3413. $20.
• Dec 02 2:00: Arraymusic. An Enchanting
Children’s Workshop. Led by Rick Sacks. Array
Space, 155 Walnut Ave. 416-532-3019. $10.
• Dec 07 7:30: CAMMAC Recorder Players’
Society. Renaissance and Baroque Christmas
Workshop. Avery McLean, coach. Group session for players of the recorder and other early
instruments. Church of the Transfiguration, 111
Manor Rd. E. 416-480-1853. $20; $5(members). Refreshments included.
SALONS
• Nov 05 7:30: Soundstreams. Salon 21:
The Mystique of Russian Choral Repertoire.
Meet and greet with Lawrence Cherney and artists from the Latvian Radio Choir Concert (Nov
11). Gardiner Museum, 111 Queen’s Park. Free.
Register online at soundstreams.ca
• Nov 27 1:00–5:00: New Adventures
in Sound Art/Canadian Electroacoustic
Community. Toronto Artist Salon with Kevin
Austin. NAISA Space, Suite 252, 601 Christie
St. 416-652-5115. PWYC.
MUSIC SALES
• Dec 02 11:00–4:00: Arts & Letters Club
of Toronto. December Show & Sale of Art,
Books and CDs. 14 Elm St. 416-597-0223.
artsandlettersclub.ca
Venue Rental
• in the heart of Yorkville
• historical heritage building
• Steinway Grand Piano
• recital and special events
• lighting and sound systems
• accomodates caterers
• reasonable rates
35 Hazelton Avenue, Heliconian Hall
416-922-3618 [email protected]
THE ARTS & LETTERS
CLUB OF TORONTO
December Show & Sale
of Art, Books and CDs
Sun., Dec. 2
11am - 4pm
FREE
Admission
Visit the Arts & Letters Club’s unique
historic venue, enjoy our festive show
and purchase original small works by
the club’s artists, writers and musicians.
14 Elm Street, Toronto
(416) 597-0223
www.artsandlettersclub.ca
thewholenote.com
57
D. The ETCeteras (continued)
SINGALONGS
Classified Advertising | [email protected]
INSTALLATIONS
• Nov 04 3:00–5:00: Eglinton St. George
United Church Choir. Amazing Grace: a
Community Hymn Sing. Family-friendly events
featuring hymns old and new. 35 Lytton Blvd.
416-481-1141 x210. Free.
• Nov 10 2:30: Scarborough Music
Theatre. Special Singalong Performance.
Audience encouraged to dress up and sing with
cast of The Wizard of Oz. Scarborough Village
Theatre, 3600 Kingston Rd., Scarborough.
416-267-9292. $25.
• Nov 11 7:00: Shelter Valley Shape-note
Singers. Second Sunday of Every Month
Singalong. Singing harmony from The Sacred
Harp tradition; all voices welcome, no musical
experience required. Grafton Community
Centre, 135 Old Danforth Rd., Grafton. 905349-2042. Free.
• Nov 13 7:00–8:00: Canada Sings/
Chantons Canada! Toronto-Riverdale.
Neighbourhood Singalong. Mark Bell, songleader; Marjorie Wiens, piano. Riverdale
Presbyterian Church, 662 Pape Ave. 416-7780796. Free, donations accepted. canadasings.ca
• Nov 18 2:30: Foster Memorial. Special
Christmas Program: “A Christmas Carol.”
Seasonal singalong. 9899 Regional Rd.1,
Uxbridge. Bus tours can be arranged at 905640-3966. Free, donations welcome.
• Nov 21 7:30–9:30: Toronto Shape Note
Group. Singing Get-Together. Singing from The
Sacred Harp, 1991 revision song book. Singers
of varying levels are welcome and loaner books
available. Music Room, Bloor Street United
Church, 300 Bloor St. W. 416-922-7997. Free.
AUDITIONS/OPPORTUNITIES
• Nov 03 to 26 10:00am–2:00pm: New
Adventures in Sound Art. SOUNDplay
Videomusic Installation. Collection of videomusic works on the theme of “About Time.”
NAISA Space, Suite 252, 601 Christie St.
416-652-5115. PWYC.
OPEN HOUSES
• Nov 06 11:30am–2:30pm: Artists’ Health
Alliance. 10th Anniversary Open House.
Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St.
416-351-0239. Free.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
• Nominations now accepted: Glenn Gould
foundation. Tenth Glenn Gould Prize Laureate.
Call to the public for nominations honouring a
leading figure in the arts; leading candidates of
any nationality are eligible. Nominations close
December 15, 2012. glenngould.ca
ETCETERA: MISCELLANEOUS
• Dec 01 to Dec 30: Casa Loma/Opera
Atelier. Mozart’s Magical Castle. The sights
and sounds of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, including performances, workshops, interactions,
scavenger hunts, tours, bake sales and other
activities. Some events require pre-registration.
647-725-7070. casaloma.org
• Dec 07 7:00: Canadian Opera Company.
The Brothers Grimm 500th Performance Party.
Party to celebrate Dean Burry’s opera. Regent
Park Arts & Cultural Centre, 585 Dundas St.
E. 416-363-8231. Free with ticket to the
December 7 performance.
OPERA-IS
TRAVEL AND LEARNING
WITH IAIN SCOTT
KINDRED SPIRITS ORCHESTRA has
available pro bono positions for: principal
trumpet, 2nd bassoon, 3rd horn, 4th horn,
violins, violas, cellos, and double basses.
This full size symphony orchestra rehearses
on Monday evening at Old Unionville Library
Centre in Markham and gives 6 subscription
concerts to sold-out audiences and standing
ovations at Markham Theatre. For more
information e-mail Jobert Sevilleno at
[email protected]
NEW COMMUNITY BROADWAY CABARET
GROUP needs experienced singers all ranges,
especially alto/bass. Call Ian 905-471-3173, or
[email protected]
NYCO SYMPHONY is looking for the following
to play in 4 subscription concert season: all
strings, horn, trombone, tuba, harp & flute.
Rehearsals are Wednesday nights at York Mills
CI, Don Mills. For contact info visit NYCO.on.ca
SILVERTHORN SYMPHONIC WINDS, a
high level, auditioned wind ensemble, seeks
instrumentalists for 2012/2013, with openings
for tuba, euphonium, percussion and French
horn. Rehearsals Tuesdays, Dufferin/Steeles.
[email protected] for
more information.
INSTRUCTION
January 4 - 8
NEW YORK : THE TROJANS
April 9 - 25
CARMEN’s SEVILLE
May 1 - 6
A WEEK IN PARIS
May 7 - 15
VIENNA AND BUDAPEST
May 15 - 20
MOZART AT LA FENICE
June 19 - 28
VERONA PLUS
July 7 - 19
EXOTIC TURKEY
As usual, my wonderful travel agent will be
BILL ANDREWS at NEW WAVE TRAVEL
(416) 928 3113 [email protected]
6 Blythwood Gardens, Toronto ON M4N 3L3
58
COUNTERPOINT COMMUNITY
ORCHESTRA (www.ccorchestra.org)
welcomes volunteer musicians: Monday
evening rehearsals, downtown Toronto.
Especially looking for French horns,
trombones and strings.
Email [email protected]
VOICES OF COLOUR MUSIC
seeks a senior level piano and theory teacher.
Inquiries 416- 588-5845 Ext 2, or
[email protected]
OPERA TOURS 2013
www.opera-is.com (416) 486 8408
[email protected]
ALL VOICES WELCOME: St Matthew’s
Independent Anglican Cathedral (Queen and
Logan) seeks choir members. Inquiries (416)
465-2880. Email [email protected]
DICTION COACHING / TUTORING for singers
and actors: Dutch, English, French, German,
Italian, Spanish, and Latin – across from High
Park subway station. 416-769-0812
FLUTE, PIANO, THEORY LESSONS: RCM
exam preparation. Samantha Chang, Royal
Academy of Music PGDip, LRAM, ARCT.
416-293-1302, [email protected]
www.samanthaflute.com
JAZZ / IMPROVISATION LESSONS: Classical
musicians, all Instrumentalists welcome! Piano,
Theory, Composing, Popular Styles, Creative
approach. Barry Livingston 647-240-4858
[email protected]
MAKING MUSIC WITH THE RECORDER.
After 30 years at The Royal Conservatory,
Scott Paterson has opened his own studio. All
ages; private lessons and ensembles. Central
location. Mus. Bac. Perf. (U of T), ARCT,
member ORMTA. 416-759-6342 (cell 416-2681474) [email protected]
PIANO LESSONS: The Juilliard School (BM,
MM), The Glenn Gould School (AD), Université
de Montréal (D.Mus.). www.joypianostudio.com
(647) 286-4867 Spadina/Bloor
thewholenote.com
PIANO LESSONS: Beginners – advanced.
All levels Royal Conservatory of Music and
beyond. Intensive course for adults. Lessons
are given on a 9 foot Steinway concert
grand. 416-449-1665
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.
[email protected] or 416- 603-4640
PROFESSIONAL CLASSICAL THEATRE
TRAINING for young people aged 8-15.
Classes in Toronto. Full production in May
2013. For info and brochure 416-588-8077.
www.newallegro.com Member of TAAS.
STUDY SAXOPHONE with Bruce Redstone.
M.M. in Performance, B.A. in Education, 25+
years’ experience, 6 years university instructor,
reasonable rates, convenient location, all
levels and styles. [email protected] or
416-706-8161.
WARM, SEASONED AMERICAN PIANO
TEACHER with sterling credentials, unfailing
good humor, and buckets of patience. Royal
Conservatory washouts and nervous adults
especially welcome. Lovely Cabbagetown
studio. Testimonials: “Sure beats studying
with those Quebec nuns!” – Rosedale woman,
age 65+. “I was paying $200/hour for
psychotherapy: this is better!” – Annex man,
age 52. “Best teacher ever!” – Riverdale girl,
age 11. Peter Kristian Mose, 416-923-3060
or [email protected]. My students have
never won any prizes, except for love of music.
(And loyalty.)
MUSICIANS AVAILABLE
BARD – EARLY MUSIC DUO playing recorder
and virginal available to provide background
atmosphere for teas, receptions or other
functions – Greater Toronto Area. For rates and
info call 905-722-5618 or email us at
[email protected]
ELEGANT MUSIC FOR ALL OCCASIONS:
weddings, parties, corporate events. Violin,
viola, piano, from Solo to 4 musicians or more.
[email protected], 647-231-2553
SERVICES
ACCOUNTING AND INCOME TAX SERVICE
for small business and individuals, to save you
time and money, customized to meet your
needs. Norm Pulker, B. Math. CMA.
905-251-0309 or 905-830-2985
DO YOU HAVE PRECIOUS MEMORIES LOST
ON OLD RECORDS, TAPES, PHOTOS etc.?
Recitals-gigs-auditions-air checks-family stuff.
78’s-cassettes-reels-35mm slides-etc.
ArtsMediaProjects will restore them on CD’s or
DVD’s. Call George @ 416-910-1091
VENUES
ARE YOU PLANNING A CONCERT OR
RECITAL? Looking for a venue? Consider Bloor
Street United Church. Phone: 416-924-7439
x22. Email: [email protected]
REHEARSAL / PERFORMANCE SPACE
AVAILABLE. Yonge / Wellesley.
Weekday rates: $10/hr, Evening (events)
$100/night. Seats 40–60 people.
Contact [email protected]
continued from page 33
●●ST. OLAVE’S CHURCH
St. Olave’s is an Anglican church in the Prayer
Book tradition, with Communion or Morning
Prayer sung Sundays at 10:30am, Evensong (for
festivals) and extras at Christmas and Easter. It’s
noted for a fine organ and excellent acoustics,
making it home for performing groups like the
Windermere String Quartet.
Choral Evensongs (on certain Sundays at 4pm)
are linked to afternoon tea and a music event, as
listed in The WholeNote: visiting choirs leading the
service, illustrated music talks or recitals by guest
singers, solo musicians, instrumental ensembles
or our Arts Guild. Sung Evensongs (various weekdays at 6pm) are followed by supper and talks on
travel, history, applied religion, etc.
We’ve just launched a campaign to expand our
choir. Anglican services include much singing
(hymns, canticles, psalms, anthems), so we need
a strong choir to lead the congregation. Rehearsals are Thursdays 7:30pm to 9pm, with a warmup
Sundays at 10am. There are still several paid and
volunteer places for sopranos, altos, tenors and
basses. Perhaps you?
Judy Beal, administrator
Timothy Showalter, music director
416-769-5686
stolaves.ca
●●TORONTO CHILDREN’S CHORUS
The Toronto Children’s Chorus marks its sixth
year under the baton of internationally renowned
conductor Elise Bradley and celebrates its 35th
anniversary this season! Founded by Jean Ashworth Bartle, the TCC has given thousands of
young people the opportunity to sing, perform,
tour, record and make lifelong friends. Auditions
are in May and early September for membership
in the Main Choir or one of four Training Choirs.
Non-auditioned Kinderchor sessions for children
3 to 6 are held September through April.
This season features performances by all 320
TCC choristers, aged 6 to 17. Collaborations with
such guest artists as the Nagata Shachu taiko
drummers (October 27), the Bach Children’s
Chorus (November 3), harpist Judy Loman and
the True North Brass (December 15), the Canadian
Chamber Choir (February 8), Serbian dance troupe
Oplenac (February 23), and concerts in Mazzoleni
Hall (April 13 and June 1) and the Toronto Centre
for the Arts (May 4) will delight audiences. The
Chamber Choir will perform in Montreal, Ottawa
and Toronto with Soundstreams Canada in March,
and will travel to South Africa next summer on
the TCC’s 26th international tour!
Elise Bradley, artistic director
Caroline Suri, managing director
Box Office: 416-932-8666 x231
[email protected]
www.torontochildrenschorus.com
●●UNIVOX CHOIR TORONTO
Univox is a mixed-voice community choir for
young adults, with singers in their 20s and 30s.
The organization holds relationship building,
social responsibility and musical excellence as
its core principles. Most new choristers have previous choral experience or have some musical
proﬁciency. Regular attendance and ticket selling
are expected. Selected repertoire spans ﬁve centuries, including choral classics, contemporary
works and popular music, ranging from Gabriel Fauré to Daft Punk. Potential choristers are
invited to observe a rehearsal after initial contact.
Rehearsals: Tuesdays 5:45pm to 8pm at New Horizons/Dovercourt Baptist, 1140 Bloor St. W. Our
season runs September to June.
Dallas Bergen, artistic director
416-697-9561
[email protected]
www.univoxchoir.org
●●VOCAL MUSIC ACADEMY @
RYERSON COMMUNITY SCHOOL
The Vocal Music Academy (VMA) is a public school
within the Toronto District School Board and provides a full academic day program which also
seeks to develop our future musicians and artists. Singing, performing and learning about
music are at the core of the VMA program for
boys and girls. Music is integrated into all areas
of the curriculum.
Students have the opportunity to: sing every
day; engage in reading, writing, creating and listening to music; perform in the school and in the
community through glee clubs, large and small
ensemble singing groups, choirs, musical theatre, chamber ensembles and solo performances;
develop their musical knowledge and ability by
studying musical styles from many cultures and
time periods.
No previous training in music is required.
The Vocal Music Academy is located in the heart
of the Kensington Market area, steps from the Art
Gallery of Ontario, Chinatown and the exciting
Queen Street West neighbourhood.
Craig Tsuji, principal; Mark Bell, vice principal
Sarah Parker, Abby Pierce, Marlys Neufeldt,
teachers/conductors
Lorrie Parrott, office administrator
416-393-1340
schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/
vocalmusicacademyryerson
MarketPlace | [email protected]
Childrenʼs
Piano Lessons
Friendly, approachable
– and strict!
Liz Parker
416.544.1803
[email protected]
Queen/Bathurst
MUSIC FOR YOUR
HOLIDAY PARTY, WEDDING,
OR ANNIVERSARY
Any combination of sax, clarinet,
flute, guitar, piano, bass and drums.
Please call to discuss your plans!
Cliff 416-874-7159
Sheila McCoy
416 574 5250
[email protected]
www.sightsingingwithsheila.com
(near Woodbine subway)
CLAIM YOUR VOICE
A MarketPlace ad is like handing out your
business card to over 30,000 music lovers.
[email protected]
Reasonable rates. Audio samples available.
HD Video Production Services
VideoTape = Fame & Fortune
• Record your Live Event
• Create your Promo Video
Live Stream your event to WWW
Brian G. Smith
[email protected] | YouAndMedia.com
Sight-Singing with Sheila
thewholenote.com
Organic and functional vocal training to gain
access to your full range, resonance and vocal
freedom. For singers, public speakers, teachers,
clergy, or if you just want to enjoy using your
voice.
claim
Sue Crowe Connolly
Hamilton Studio 905-544-1302
Toronto Studio 416-523-1154
[email protected] www.cyvstudios.ca
voice
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59
WE ARE ALL MUSIC’S CHILDREN
PENN
KE VIN HAL
Y
November’s Child Kevin Mallon
She’ll be rockin’
Massey Hall
November 30!
That smile
hasn’t changed.
Early birds can
catch her warm,
bluesy voice on
CBC Radio 2, weekend mornings.
Know our Mystery
Child’s name? Send
your best guess to
musicschildren@
thewholenote.com
by November 21.
Win concert tickets and recordings!
I Feel Lucky!
Toronto, 1963.
K
evin Mallon grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
He is artistic director (and a founder) of the Aradia
Ensemble, which tours widely and records extensively, and conductor of the Toronto Chamber Orchestra,
with upwards of 50 NAXOS recordings. Mallon’s recent
appointments are as music director of the Thirteen
Strings Chamber Orchestra (Ottawa) and conductor of the
newly formed West Side Chamber Orchestra (New York).
Mallon specializes in baroque music but conducts and
is known for his fresh vigorous approach to a wide range
of repertoire.
Absolute earliest memories of music? My mother playing the piano — we used to love it when she played the
“Sabre Dance” from Khachaturian’s ballet Gayane! Also
my father playing the piano and singing songs of the John
McCormack repertoire — “Roses of Picardy.” My father
was a big listener of the old tenors — Caruso, Björling,
McCormack. He had a big collection of records and 78s,
many of which I inherited. Indeed I got my love of records
and being a collector from him. When I was about 14, he
had a stroke and couldn’t talk. Interestingly he lost interest in vocal music then and became an avid listener of
orchestral music. This too was a big influence on me.
My uncle Kevin played the
clarinet. He didn’t stick with
it his whole life although he
is a great lover of music and
a great supporter of mine.
Kevin was an electronic
engineer genius (went to university to do such at 17). He
made my grandfather a stereogram in the 1960s, with a Kevin Mallon lives in both
Toronto and Ottawa, the
record player, a reel-to-reel
and radio all built in — some- latter with his fiancée
Lisa Drouillard, her
thing else I inherited. Along daughter Olive, two pugs
with this he bought one of
and one cat! Kevin is an
every type of record he could avid reader, a gregarious
socializer and a writer
think of. (As kids we were
in his spare time.
always amazed that grandda had a Beatles LP!) Among those was a record of
Menuhin playing the Beethoven concerto. I put it on one
day, at the age of ten, and thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. I absolutely insisted then,
that I get a violin and have lessons ...
Kevin Mallon continues at thewholenote.com.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS! HERE’S WHAT THEY WON
Aradia’s unique “The Dublin Messiah” lovingly reconstructs the premiere performance of
Handel’s Messiah: “The Ladies who honour this Performance with their Presence would be pleased
to come without hoops, as it will greatly encrease the Charity by making room for more company.
The Gentlemen are desired to come without their Swords.” (the Dublin Journal, April 10, 1742). The
same protocols apply at the Glenn Gould Studio, December 22, to Sharon Barclay and Rick Earls
and their guests! Handel’s Rinaldo (NAXOS 8.660165-67): “One of three complete baroque operas
performed and recorded with Aradia and Opera in Concert – Rinaldo is the middle project and one
of which I am very proud.” This 3-CD recording features Kimberly Barber, Laura Whalen, Barbara
Hannigan and Sean Watson. A copy each for Joan Rosenfield and Laura Brocklebank!
Music’s Children gratefully acknowledges Rick, Emily, Mary and Ken, Suzanne and John, and Toutou.
BEHIND THE SCENES continued from page 11
Bogyo realized, from the outset, that it was
crucial to the growth and development of the
fledgling musicians not just to play, but also to
listen. “Take Beethoven’s Fifth,” says Kuerti, “To
you and me, it’s perhaps too well known, but
everybody hears it for the first time. And every
music lover should have a chance to hear it live.”
Thus was born the Concert Series as an
opportunity to showcase home-grown talent,
providing a platform for collaboration with artists such as Isabel Bayrakdarian and Measha
Brueggergosman long before they became well
known. Kuerti continues this fine tradition by
inviting the winners of the Young Canadian
Musicians Award, on which jury he sits, to perform in concert.
Whereas Bogyo concentrated on home turf
with special attention to the Canadian landscape, Kuerti works from a broader palette,
deepening the variety and range of works presented. When he invited nine of the Toronto
Symphony Orchestra’s first chair players to
open the current season in what would turn
60
out to be a sold-out concert, they already had
their work cut out for them. It was Kuerti who
suggested that they play Schubert and Spohr.
“He’s a music scholar many times over,”
says Christina Cavanagh, Mooredale Concerts’ managing director. Kuerti views his task
as not merely one of programming an audience favourite such as Schubert, but giving an
overlooked master like Spohr his due. “He was
an incredible violinist himself and there is a
lot of virtuoso writing in the Nonet,” Kuerti
points out.
Only two words guide Kuerti’s programming: “Great music.” As an artistic director he
is intent on “presenting something people will
buy and love: some Canadian, so far as it’s really
good, but also 20th and 21st century music.”
And as with any impresario worth his salt, he
also keeps a canny eye on breaking new ground.
A case in point: booking the Dali String
Quartet for a concert next February. This young
group, schooled in Venezuela’s El Sistema,
focuses on Latin American music, in particular
thewholenote.com
the work of Brazilian composer Heitor VillaLobos, but plays the traditional string quartet
repertoire as well. Kuerti is just as enthusiastic about Pierrot Moonstruck, where poetry
and mime will, for the first time, be married
to piano music and the soprano voice in a program that evokes turn of the century Paris using
music by Chopin, Fauré, Debussy and Ravel.
On December 4 Mooredale Concerts subscribers will be ushered into Koerner Hall
to hear Kuerti play yet another concerto,
Brahms’ Second, as part of an a program that
also includes the composer’s Symphony No.4,
when he reunites with Marco Parisotto and the
Ontario Philharmonic. It will be another tribute to his stewardship of what began a quarter
of a century ago as a mother’s quest and one
woman’s act of creative imagination: the opening salvo in a continuing celebration of great
music. Rebecca Chua is a Toronto-based journalist
who writes on culture and the arts.
GRAHAM LINDSEY
Who is
December’s
Child?
MJ BUELL
DISCOVERIES | RECORDINGS REVIEWED
DAVID OLDS
A
to write this I have just
read the shocking news of Jeanne
Lamon’s announcement of her intention to retire as music director of Tafelmusik
Baroque Orchestra in 2014. After more than
three decades at the helm of this flagship
Canadian orchestra it is hard to imagine the
organization without her. Although stepping down from the first chair (or stand as the
case may be), she will evidently be staying on
to help with the creation of the Tafelmusik
International Baroque Academy. Of course the
orchestra is such a well-oiled machine that
there is no doubt it will continue to flourish,
but the search is on for a new leader.
Under Lamon’s direction a fledgling semiprofessional ensemble grew to become one of
the world’s great period instrument orchestras and we are blessed with a wealth of
recordings documenting her tenure. Although
many of the original Sony releases have been
discontinued, a number of key titles are now
available again on the orchestra’s own imprint
Tafelmusik Media which was launched earlier this year. The bulk of the early TM
releases have been reissues of such important classics as Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos
and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, but this month
marked an important new phase with recent
live recordings from Koerner Hall. You will
find a review of the 2011 Handel Messiah in
next month’s issue but in recent weeks I have
been enjoying performances of Beethoven’s
Eroica and Mendelssohn’s Italian symphonies recorded in May of this year under the
direction of Bruno Weil (TMK1019CD). The
glorious sound of both the orchestra and the
concert hall are captured expertly by German
tone-meisters Stephan Schellmann and Peter
Laenger. While Beethoven is not unfamiliar
territory for Tafelmusik — they have recorded
all of the concertos for Sony’s Vivarte label
and Symphonies Five through Eight for
Analekta — I believe this is their first recording of the music of Mendelssohn. I will leave
the question of whether a baroque orchestra
has any business venturing into the 19th century for others to debate. For my ears these
brilliant and lively performances are totally
satisfying. On this occasion the orchestral
forces were supplemented to include 7-6-44-3 players in the string section with double
woodwinds and trumpets and four horns.
These latter are particularly worthy of note:
Scott Weavers, Ronald George, Stéphane
Mooser and David Parker for their impeccable
intonation on that most difficult to control
instrument, but well-deserved kudos go to
all involved.
s i sit down
There is a Koerner Hall connection to the
next disc as well, Shostakovich & Shchedrin
– Piano Concertos with Denis Matsuev and
the Mariinsky Orchestra under the direction of Valery Gergiev (Mariinsky SACD
MAR0509). By the time this goes to print
Valery Gergiev’s performance with the
Stradivarius Ensemble will have come and
gone, but we can look forward to Matsuev’s
Koerner Hall debut in an all-Russian program on December 2.
On that occasion the dynamic
young pianist, winner of the
1998 International Tchaikovsky
Competition in Moscow, will
perform a solo recital of music
by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff
and Stravinsky. On the current
recording he is featured as soloist in
more recent Russian works,
including the introspective
Piano Concerto No.5 by Rodion
Shchedrin (b.1932) which was
written around the same time as
Matsuev’s Tchaikovsky competition win. The disc opens with the
familiar Piano Concerto No.1 which
Shostakovich wrote in 1933, with
its ebullient rhythms and obbligato trumpet, and continues with
his Piano Concerto No.2 from
1957. As the extensive liner notes
in four languages point out, these
works reflect rare happy periods
in the composer’s often troubled
life. Their allegro and even allegro
brio movements seem almost
out of character to my ears
which are more accustomed
to the languor and angst of his
later compositions (culminating
in the final string quartet with its
five adagio movements only broken
up by the inclusion of an adagio
molto Funeral March). Matsuev
seems to enjoy this playful side
of Shostakovich and embraces
the jollity of these works in crisp
and exuberant performances. The
unfamiliar Shchedrin concerto is
more pointillistic and subdued,
with darker colours from both the
piano and the orchestral accompaniment. It is an extended work — more than
half an hour in duration — with a slow middle movement of touching lyricism and hints
of gamelan melodies. The rousing finale uses
modal scalar passages, but this time allegro
assai, in a pianistic molto perpetuo, with
orchestral interventions somewhat reminiscent of Messiaen, that builds and builds over
a nine minute crescendo. The soloist’s playing
is superb and Gergiev’s control of the orchestra outstanding. Like the virtuoso ensemble
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itself, the Mariinsky Theatre boasts wonderful sound and it is captured here in all
its splendour. Concert goers at Matsuev’s
upcoming Toronto performance can look forward to a similar sonic treat in the acoustic of
Koerner Hall.
Last month I wrote about a disc of chamber music by Finnish composer Magnus
Lindberg which featured cellist Annsi
Karttunen on each of its tracks. Karttunen
appears again this month on a disc of Trios
by Kaija Saariaho (Ondine ODE 1189-2), once
again in every piece with otherwise diverse
instrumentation. In May 2011 the Toronto
Symphony Orchestra presented the
Canadian premiere of Saariaho’s
Mirage for soprano Karita Mattila
and cellist Karttunen with orchestra, a work written in 2007.
Concurrently Saariaho produced a
trio version of the haunting piece
for soprano, cello and piano which
was premiered in 2010 by, and
dedicated to, the musicians who
join Karttunen to reprise their performance on this disc, soprano Pia
Freund and pianist Tuija Hakkila.
The intimacy of this chamber version of Mirage is simply
stunning. Another near-TSO
connection occurs in the next
piece, Cloud Trio, performed by the
Zebra Trio which includes former TSO principal violist Steven
Dann, Karttunen and violinist
Ernst Kovacic. The eerie ethereal string timbres in this aptly
named work have to be heard to
be believed. Dann, Karttunen and
Hakkila are featured in Je sens
un deuxième coeur, a five movement work based on Saariaho’s
2003 opera Adriana Mater. It
was originally intended to create
musical portraits of four characters from the opera but when
“she began to adapt the material
for viola, cello and piano — a
darker version of the traditional piano
trio — the music began to distance
itself from the opera.” It is certainly an effective chamber work
not dependent on the programmatic inspiration for appreciation.
The other offerings are Cendres
for alto flute, cello and piano
which involves extended techniques and vocalisms from the
flutist (Mikael Hesasvuo), and Serenatas for
percussion (Florent Jodelet), cello and piano.
The latter once again draws on other Saariaho
works as points of departure, in this case the
cello concerto Notes on Light and, bringing
the disc full circle, the opening piece Mirage.
The simplicity of the title Trios notwithstanding, this recording presents a wealth of
diverse textures and instruments with definitive performances by musicians who have
collaborated extensively with Saariaho, one
61
of the most distinctive voices in the music of
our time.
In brief: Toronto’s premiere Middle
Eastern-South Asian fusion band Jaffa Road
have just released Where the Light Gets In
(JR0002 www.jaffaroad.com), a welcome follow-up to their 2009 release Sunplace. The
distinctive vocals of Aviva Chernick, singing in English, Hebrew, French and Ladino,
are complemented by multi-instrumentalists Aaron Lightstone, Chris Gartner, Jeff
Wilson and Sundar Viswanathan playing
a plethora of Western and Middle Eastern
plucked, blown and struck acoustic and electric instruments. All share writing credits for
the bulk of the material, although one notable exception is Through the Mist of Your
Eyes by the group’s “friend and teacher Yair
Dalal, a master Iraqi-Israeli musician who
lives in Galilee.” The text is sung in Hebrew
by Chernick and repeated in Arabic by
guest artist Hazan Aaron Bensoussan. It is
quite striking how different the same poem
sounds in the two languages. All in all Jaffa
Road’s creative blending of sacred and secular Jewish songs, classical Arabic and Indian
influences with a variety of Western musical
styles makes them an innovative force on the
Toronto scene and Where the Light Gets In is
a worthy testament to this.
As noted in September’s issue, 2012 marks
the 80th anniversary of Glenn Gould’s birth
and the 30th of his untimely death. Sony
seems determined to make every note that
he ever recorded available to us on compact
disc and the commemorative sets have begun
arriving in volume. You’ll find Dianne Wells’
take on his Richard Strauss recordings further
on in this section but one set that I reserved
for myself is Glenn Gould plays Sonatas,
Fantasies, Variations (88725413742), four
CDs that include a lot of music that doesn’t
necessarily come to mind when we think of
Glenn Gould. Of particular interest to me are
the Canadian composers included: Istvan
Anhalt, Jacques Hétu, Oskar Morawetz and
Barbara Pentland. The disc which includes
these pieces also features Alban Berg’s Piano
Sonata Op.1 and Ernst Krenek’s Sonata for
Piano No.3, providing an interesting mix of
modern Romantics and some spikier fare.
Another disc is devoted to Russians Alexander
Scriabin and Sergei Prokofiev while Finland
and Norway are represented on another with
music of Sibelius and Edvard Grieg, a composer Gould claimed to be related to through
his maternal great-grandfather. Perhaps most
out of character is the inclusion of Robert
Schumann’s Quartet for Piano, Violin, Viola
and Cello with members of the Juilliard
String Quartet. Although Gould did record the complete Hindemith brass sonatas
with members of the Philidelphia Brass
Ensemble and the Bach gamba sonatas with
cellist Leonard Rose, there really isn’t much
in the way of chamber music in his discography, and as far as I know, no other music
of Schumann. This final disc also includes
62
another surprise — the Premiere Nocturne
and Variations chromatiques de concert
by Georges Bizet. While all of this material
has been previously released over the years,
it is an impressive list of rarities when collected together in a set like this, providing a
timely reminder of Gould’s eclecticism and
innate curiosity.
We welcome your feedback and invite
submissions. CDs and comments should be
sent to: The WholeNote, 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, and additional, expanded and
archival reviews. — David Olds, DISCoveries Editor
[email protected]
VOCAL
Prima Donna
Karina Gauvin; Arion Orchestre Baroque;
Alexander Weimann
ATMA ACD2 2648
!!The soprano
Karina Gauvin has an
extensive recorded
repertoire which
ranges from Purcell
in the 17th century to
Britten in the 20th,
but it is the music of
Handel with which
she is most closely associated. She has performed in the recording of three complete
operas (Alcina, Ezio and Ariodante) as
well as in a solo recital and a recording of
duets from Handel’s oratorios with MarieNicole Lemieux.
The decision to centre a recording on
one of Handel’s singers is not new. In 1996
Harmonia Mundi brought out a collection of four discs, each of which contained
music composed by Handel for specific singers: the soprano Francesca Cuzzoni, the
mezzo Margherita Durastante, the castrato Il
Senesino and the bass Antonio Montagnana.
The disc under review is, however, the first
recording to centre on Anna Maria Strada del
Pò. It contains six arias by Handel with the
addition of one piece by Vivaldi and another
by Leonardo Vinci.
There have in recent years been a number of recorded anthologies of baroque arias,
by Handel and by others, but this disc ranks
with the best: Gauvin is equally at home with
the coruscating swiftness of “Scherza in Mar”
(from Lotario) as with the sustained pathos of
“Verdi piante” (from Orlando). For some years
much music from the opere serie by Handel
and Vivaldi has been available but it is good to
see that a not so well-known composer like
Leonardo Vinci is beginning to get his due.
—Hans de Groot
thewholenote.com
Opera Arias: Gluck; Haydn; Mozart
Marie-Nicole Lemieux; Les Violons du Roy;
Bernard Labadie
Naïve V5264
!!Review is not the
right word. This piece
of writing should be
more like an extended
and exalted praise for
a childcare worker
from Quebec turned
star mezzo-soprano
of the highest calibre. Lemieux has distinguished herself time
and time again ever since her big win at the
“Queen Elizabeth” in Belgium in 2000 and
offers began pouring in. And today she is still
young, only 37.
Her most recent recording on the prestigious French label, naïve, is an adventure
into the 18th century, the world of Mozart,
Gluck and Haydn. For the average listener her
selections of this repertoire, apart from a few
exceptions, will be mostly unknown, but let
me assure you that same listener will become
a devotee by listening to them all.
Lemieux immediately plunges into a
spirited attack of early Mozart (“Mitridate
di Ponto”), a fiendishly difficult aria where
she shows off some miraculous deep notes
in full forte reminding me of the great
Marilyn Horne. This is followed by beautiful, lyrical, restrained piano singing from a
rather unknown Haydn opera (L’isola disabitata). Already a considerable feat, but
more surprises are coming. With Iphigenie
en Aulide by Gluck she is in familiar, i.e.
French, territory where she creates shockwaves singing Clytemnestra’s fire-eating aria
with fierce passion. There will be many more
great moments by the time she finishes with
Haydn’s “Sudo il guerriero,” another bravura
showstopper. To make things even better, and
even more Canadian, she is accompanied
by the world class Les Violons du Roi under
Bernard Labadie, a group I’ve had the privilege of reviewing before in these pages. An
unconditionally excellent recommendation.
—Janos Gardonyi
Schoenberg – Complete Songs
Claudia Barainsky; Melanie Diener;
Konrad Jarnot; Christa Mayer;
Markus Schafer; Anke Vondung; Urs Liska
Capriccio 7120
!!A collection of
complete songs by one
composer is a fascinating object. As much
of a record as it is a
key to the composer’s
development, it allows
the listener to trace
the styles, fascinations
with different poets and composers, homages,
pastiches and breakthrough moments. When
the composer is someone as misunderstood
and still controversial as Schoenberg, such a
collection can be nothing short of a revelation. This 4-CD edition traces his involvement
in lieder from the self-taught early fascination with Brahms, the “apprenticeship” under
Zemlinsky, the influence of Wagner, the push
towards the “end of tonality” and finally, the
1933 coda of the Three Songs, Op.48 — the
only dodecaphonic songs written by him and
indeed, his last foray into the genre.
Throughout his life, Schoenberg struggled for acceptance of his new ideas about
music, but for the most part his supporters were his fellow composers. Zemlinsky,
Mahler and Schoenberg’s students, Webern
and Berg, were his greatest proponents. The
general public remained indifferent and at
times hostile to his ideas and music. This collection reveals a composer who at times was
as poignant and romantic as Schubert, as
dramatic as Brahms and as tuned to human
emotions as Mahler. What helps are two
artistic choices: firstly, all of the songs are
presented with piano-only accompaniment,
even the Gurrelieder, better known in their
later orchestral renditions. The second choice
is equally fortuitous: one great pianist, Urs
Liska, and six diverse, but equally talented
singers. This edition is a must-have in any
music lover’s library.
—Robert Tomas
banjo’s timbre brings a certain hominess to
the music which was recorded, in fact, in several rooms of Pridmore’s home.
Another striking piece on this recording is
Ian Crutchley’s Helen Pridmore Sings, and
Sings and Sings! wherein the soloist is invited
to perform fragments of a broad and deliberately bewildering variety of songs and styles
from Handel to Marlene Dietrich to the theme
from (70s TV series) Happy Days and even
from Emily Doolittle’s composition on this
same album.
Clearly, the composers have all been
attracted to Pridmore’s unique skill set and
manner of working. The resulting music takes
full advantage of her attractive and flexible
voice, impressively extended technical and
stylistic range and — perhaps most important
of all — adventuresome spirit.
—Nic Gotham
Glenn Gould plays Strauss
Glenn Gould; Elizabeth Schwartzkopf;
Claude Rains
Sony 88725413702
Richard Strauss: Songs
Felicity Lott; Graham Johnson
Champs Hill Records CHRCD037
Janet
Helen Pridmore
Centrediscs CMCCD 17512
Richard Strauss: Three Hymns; Opera arias
Soile Isokoski; Helsinki Philharmonic;
Okko Kamu
Ondine ODE 1202-2
!!This is an album
!!Glenn Gould
of works created for
and performed by the
British-born, Nova
Scotia resident, singer
and teacher Helen
Pridmore. Its great
strength is a closer
than usual collaboration between an extraordinary performer and
her chosen composers.
In Emily Doolittle’s Social Sounds From
Whales at Night, we are often unsure where
actual recordings of humpback whales end
and Helen Pridmore’s vocalism begins — an
eloquent and effective way to deliver this
work’s message of the seamless continuity
between life forms on Earth. The humpback’s
songs (or calls or conversations) translated
into human vocal music provide Pridmore
with the opportunity to display her very
accurate microtonal ear.
Martin Arnold’s Janet is built of short
phrases that are electronically “gated” so that,
as Pridmore sings, we hear all the piece’s
elements — two vocal tracks plus banjo and
electric guitar along with ambient environmental sounds — at the same time. But when
she pauses, all sounds pause with her. The
melodies — vaguely modal-sounding to
reflect the Scottish ballad which inspired
this piece — eventually turn on themselves to
provide passages of effortless-sounding dissonance, while a long and clear downward
melodic drift ensures formal cohesion. The
was an enthusiastic advocate of
Richard Strauss, as
expressed in performances, writings,
lectures and documentaries, but just
a handful of recordings. The Sony 2-disc
set Glenn Gould Plays
Strauss features the
rare and unique performances he chose
to record. As he once
expressed surprise
that so few concert
pianists performed
the Piano Sonata in B
Minor, Op.5, it seems
fitting that this was
the very last work
that Gould recorded
before his death. The
sonata, and the Five
Pieces, Op.3 featured
on this recording, were romantic, nostalgic
works of Strauss’ youth, and Gould’s playing
masterfully enhances by turn all the inherent innocence, angst, rapture and exuberance.
Included in this collection is Gould’s first
Strauss recording of an obscure melodrama
based on a blank verse poem by Tennyson.
Enoch Arden, a romantic triangle resulting in
a mariner’s unhappy loss, is narrated by actor
thewholenote.com
Claude Rains with Gould on piano deftly and
sensitively interpreting the orchestral score.
Equally fascinating is the uneasy collaboration in 1966 with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
on the Ophelia Lieder, Op.67. In addition to
dealing with an overheated studio with air
far too dry for singing, the famed soprano
was forced to comply with Gould’s insistence on improvising the accompaniment.
Nevertheless, she soldiered on, producing an
exquisite performance in which she imbues
the madness of Ophelia with a tremulous,
eerie quality that never diminishes her rich
tonal palette.
In Richard Strauss: Songs, recorded in
2003 and just rereleased by Champs Hill, soprano Felicity Lott includes no less than 26
Strauss lieder, also including a marvellous
and dramatic performance of the Ophelia
songs, with piano accompaniment (superbly
unadulterated) by pianist Graham Johnson.
This and the other repertoire presented as
a program divided into five thematic sections, seems a virtual tribute to Strauss’ wife
Pauline de Ahma. Married in 1894, Strauss’
wedding gift to his bride was the four Op.27
songs, and these as well as many of the others
included on this CD were written for her. The
couple gave many recitals together until she
retired from singing in 1906, after which her
temperamental and fiery nature continued
to be an inspiration for the female characters in his operas. Through emotive colouring
and smooth sensuality, Lott artfully navigates
the difficult terrain offered by this demanding
and breath-defying repertoire.
For our third Strauss selection, we move to
orchestral accompanied songs: Three Hymns/
Opera Arias featuring another expert Strauss
interpreter, Finnish soprano Soile Isokoski
whose powerful and luminous voice soars
over the Helsinki Philharmonic in excerpts
from Ariadne auf Naxos, Der Rosenkavalier
and Capriccio. Although the Three Hymns,
Op.71 is a work rarely recorded because of
its almost excessive demands for the soloist,
Isokoski clearly has the fortitude to carry off a
brilliant performance.
It might be mentioned at this point that all
three of our featured sopranos recorded these
works in their 50s. It makes me wonder if a
lifetime of experience is a requirement for the
effective interpretation of and stamina to execute the highly emotive and electrifying songs
of this composer.
—Dianne Wells
EARLY & PERIOD PERFORMANCE
Music from the Eton Choirbook
Tonus Peregrinus
Naxos 8.572840
!!The Eton College Choirbook is one of
pre-Reformation England’s greatest glories.
English composers rejoiced in their settings
of music that were as joyful as the architecture in which they were performed was lofty.
The Choirbook required the skins of “112
63
average-sized calves”
to produce; none died
in vain, as this recording proves.
Two composers
included here, Lambe
and Browne, probably had connections
with Eton. Lambe’s
Nesciens mater a 5 is so exhilarating it could
be used at any modern service — and the
Choirbook likely dates from 1500!
William, Monk of Stratford, gave his
Magnificat a 4 an ebullient character. Tonus
Peregrinus uses 13 voices, five upper and eight
lower, initially alternating but ultimately
combined. Occasionally William’s polyphony
uses strange examples of either lost or extra
beats — is the lost beat between “the rich” and
“he hath sent away empty” a deliberate ploy?
A second Magnificat, by Hugh Kellyk, is
not as strident as William’s. It is nonetheless very demanding on the higher voices.
Tonus Peregrinus’ already high reputation is
only enhanced by its interpretations of the
Eton Choirbook.
The opening pages of Richard Davy’s
St. Matthew Passion have been lost. Jesus
stands before Pilate and the events leading
to crucifixion are recounted. Davy uses the
arrangement soprano, alto, tenor, bass for
both Pilate and Pilate’s wife. The bass part for
both characters is, perhaps strangely, sung by
one singer, Nick Flower. This certainly does
not detract from the sheer forcefulness of
Davy’s interpretation.
John Browne’s Stabat mater also uses 13
voices. Emphasis is placed on the soprano
voices in what is a very powerful setting;
mention must be made, however, of the
bass parts, which are omnipresent if somewhat overshadowed.
Naxos is celebrating its 25th anniversary this
year. It describes this recording as “perhaps the
jewel in the crown of its series of Milestones
of Western music.” Only “perhaps?”
—Michael Schwartz
Chauvon – Les nouveaux bijoux
Washington McClean; Alison Melville;
Julia Wedman; Michael McCraw;
Charlotte Nediger
early-music.com EMCCD-7773
www.early-music.com
!!A virtual who’s
who of North
American early music
specialists jump headfirst into the clever
and charming world
of French baroque
composer François
Chauvon, whose name
may be unfamiliar to the reader. A student
of Couperin, he composed a small number
of chamber and vocal works between 1710
and 1740.
Tibiades (1717) is a collection of suites for
baroque oboe and flute, with some suites
64
including violin. Influenced by the Italian
concertato texture style of the time, the instruments to be played were specified, but which
line for each was not indicated. The performers are at liberty to choose their part, and
when to play tutti and solo. Here, the performers not only choose their parts, but expand
their choices by the addition of bassoon and
continuo. The resulting instrumentation creates charming and distinct settings.
Eight suites are featured. Each is short
in duration, with the occasional movement under one minute. The 44 second
“Arpégement, le Pièche (gracieusement)” is
a memorable harpsichord interlude from the
Première Suite. Chauvon also dabbled with
programmatic titles. The “la Mélancholique”
movement from the Troisième Suite is slow
and somewhat glum in notation and the
selected instrumentation.
As to be expected, all the performers are
spectacular. I especially marvel at Alison
Melville’s breath control on recorders and
traverse flute and harpsichordist Charlotte
Nediger’s extraordinary continuo expertise.
This recording is early music at its best.
—Tiina Kiik
CLASSICAL & BEYOND
Haydn – Piano Sonatas III
Marc-André Hamelin
Hyperion CDA67882
!!Few Canadian
pianists have produced
such an eclectic catalogue of recordings as
Marc-André Hamelin.
Ever since his first
CDs featuring music
by composers such as
Claude Caron, Stephen
Albert and William Bolcom, he has demonstrated a decided affinity for music a little off
the mainstream. Yet this isn’t to suggest that
the Montreal native has ever ignored the standard “old masters” either, and indeed, his
latest offering on the Hyperion label is a case
in point, a fine two-disc compilation of Haydn
piano sonatas from the HobXVI series.
This is actually the third volume of Haydn
piano sonatas Hamelin has recorded, the first
two appearing in 2007 and 2009. For this
set, he chose 11 sonatas mainly dating from
Haydn’s middle period of the 1760s and 70s.
This was a time when the 30- and 40-something-year-old composer was prodigiously
creating string quartets and full scale operas
while in the service of the Esterhazy family.
Not surprisingly, these sonatas are true models of classical form. While they present no
huge technical demands on the part of the
performer, Hamelin approaches them in an
intelligent manner, his playing finely nuanced
with the subtleties so integral in music
from this period. Yet not all is rococo galanterie here. Many of the slow movements
demonstrate a deep melancholia, clearly
thewholenote.com
foreshadowing romanticism, and once again
Hamelin has no difficulty in conveying the
contrasting moods through his finely shaped
phrases and sense of timing.
An added bonus in this set is the inclusion of two divertimentos, later published
as Sonatas 1 and 6 in the Hoboken XVI catalogue, and also a short sonata in D major, now
known as “#51.” The sonata was a product of
Haydn’s second visit to London in 1794 and
demonstrates a much greater sense of stylistic
freedom, as if Haydn was by now attempting to go beyond the restrictions of traditional
Viennese classicism. He was to live only 15
more years and by 1809 the European musical
world had very much moved on.
This set of finely crafted music elegantly
played is a wonderful addition to the catalogue, proof once again (if proof is needed),
of Hamelin’s outstanding musicianship and
ability to excel at anything he chooses to play.
—Richard Haskell
Mahler – Symphony No.1
Budapest Festival Orchestra; Ivan Fischer
Channel Classics CCS SA 33112
Mahler – Symphony No.1
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra;
Marin Alsop
Naxos 8.572207
!!The preliminary version of
Gustav Mahler’s First
Symphony (described
at the time as a
Symphonic Poem in
five movements) was
premiered under the
composer’s direction
in Budapest in 1889.
Its unfamiliar polystylistic collage and
inexplicable programmatic elements utterly
baffled the audience
of the day. Conductor
Iván Fischer, in his
notes to this new
recording with his elite Budapest Festival
Orchestra, writes that ever since “at each performance we Hungarians have a moral duty
to convince audiences that this is a perfect
and exceptionally beautiful masterpiece.”
Mission accomplished! This is a performance of remarkable sensitivity, ranging from
the intimacy of chamber music to the most
powerful, heaven-storming explosions, masterfully recorded in first class studio sound.
The dynamic range is exceptionally vivid,
tempos are flexible without ever becoming
neurotic and the interpretation is thoroughly
convincing throughout. The near doubling
of the tempo in the closing pages provides a
novel and exhilarating conclusion to a truly
admirable performance, one of the very best
I’ve heard in decades.
Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony
paint this score with a much broader brush. In
such grandiose music this blunt approach still
works marvelously, thanks to the enthusiastic,
gritty response from the orchestra and their
equally feisty conductor who for the most
part seems happy to be carried along with the
tide. I take exception however to their use of
a recent edition of the score that proposes, on
extremely flimsy evidence found not in the
score itself but in a set of contested orchestral parts, that the celebrated contrabass solo
that so poignantly launches the funereal third
movement was intended to be played by the
entire bass section. It is known that Mahler
evidently tried it this way just once in a
rehearsal with the New York Philharmonic in
1909 but quickly abandoned the idea, describing their bass section as “just ONE bass player
and seven cobblers!” While these infamously
high pitched eight bars (to the tune of the
well-known Frére Jacques) have now become
standard audition material, to pull such a
stunt simply because standards of bass playing have since greatly improved strikes me
as a poetic crime of the highest order. I was
bothered as well that the recording level has
been audibly heightened for this movement,
proof positive that the additional basses do
not result in a richer tonal experience. This is
a generally quite satisfying live performance
from quite some time ago (2008), unfortunately marred by notably muddy sound and
less than stellar production values.
—Daniel Foley
STRINGS ATTACHED
Terry Robbins’ Strings Attached column
can be found at thewholenote.com.
This month Terry reviews American
concertos performed by Israeli violinist
Ittai Shapira, Nordic concertos featuring
cellist Jakob Jullberg, a new recording of
Schubert’s String Quintet in C with the
Arcanto Quartet and Olivier Marron and
the Alias Chamber Ensemble’s Boiling
Point, music by American Kenji Bunch.
MODERN & CONTEMPORARY
Celebrating Women! Music for Flute
and Piano by Women Composers
Laurel Swinden; Stephanie Mara
Independent LBSCD2012
www.laurelswinden.com
!!The flute and piano
duo has never had
such a powerful and
memorable moment
as in this collection of
music by women composers from past and
present. Flutist Laurel
Swinden has a sweet
and distinct tone which, when combined
with pianist Stephanie Mara’s full piano colour, creates a truly beautiful sound. The two
musicians are remarkably tight and in sync as
an ensemble. In sections of matching rhythms
and harmonies, I thought I was hearing a
third new instrument in the mix!
The more classical genre works are represented by Mel Bonis, Anna Bon di Venezia,
Cécile Chaminade and Lili Boulanger. Though
perhaps not household names, each composer’s work stands the test of time. Swinden and
Mara perform them with elegance.
However the musicians really shine in
the more contemporary works. Heather
Schmidt’s Chiaroscuro is filled with mysterious harmonies and tension-filled rhythms.
A technically challenging work, it is also the
highlight. The duo creates a sense of sweeping moods in their performance. In contrast,
Cecilia McDowall’s Piper’s Dream has both
instruments emulate the sound of the pipes
and draws on traditional folk music for its
melodies and ambience. Swindon’s lengthy
held notes are breathtaking in colour and
duration. Anne Boyd’s minimalistic Bali
Moods, Jean Coulthard’s Where the Trade
Winds Blow and Katherine Hoover’s witty
Two for Two complete the collection.
The production quality is clear, capturing
even the most subtle of Swinden’s and
Mara’s distinct musical nuances and
technical abilities.
—Tiina Kiik
between the shore and the ships –
The Grand-Pré Recordings
Helen Pridmore; Wesley Ferreira
!!The fallout from
the Acadian expulsion haunts Canadian
amour-propre to
this day. That is the
fact lurking behind
a release from
Centrediscs called
between the shore
and the ships, a loose cycle of settings for
voice and clarinet by eight Eastern-Canadian
composers and performed with fitting solemnity by Helen Pridmore and Wesley Ferreira.
The texts are varied and range from an extract
from Longfellow’s Evangeline to contemporary reflections like Mouvence by Gerald
Leblanc. The compositional range is somewhat narrower and though the pairing is
highly effective — composers have often been
drawn to the matching character of soprano
and clarinet — the material rarely strays from
dour and dreary elongations of vocal line and
wandering clarinet decoration. A welcome
change is the above-mentioned Mouvence as
set by Jérôme Blais. The text is mysterious and
fresh; he sets it for spoken voice and largely
improvised bass clarinet. Interestingly, the
only francophone composer to be included
chooses a text that “carries the essence of the
Acadian tragedy without ever referring to it
directly.” Could the rest be too earnest in their
expressions of retroactive guilt?
Singer Pridmore is fearless faced with
repeated demands for expressive vowelizations
thewholenote.com
entwining with a clarinet accompaniment that
is sometimes played for pleasing dissonances:
a challenge for the singer and usually rewarding for the listener. Her tone is on occasion
nasal and raw and her pitch suffers in a number of instances, most noticeably the Robert
Bauer setting of the Dykes of Acadie. Ferreira
has a beautiful and controlled sound that he
uses to support as well as he can the soprano
and which he highlights beautifully in his solo
passages. The overall effect is strong, but I
have the urge to go hear some Zydeco and eat
some blackened catfish just to feel better.
—Max Christie
Secret of the Seven Stars:
Music of Hope Lee and David Eagle
Stefan Hussong; New Music Concerts;
Robert Aitken
!!Three of this
recording’s five selections feature German
new music accordion virtuoso Stefan
Hussong. Hope Lee’s
Secret of the Seven
Stars is performed
by the New Music
Concerts Ensemble with Joseph Macerollo as
soloist. Hussong’s sound highlights a brighter,
more metallic area of the instrument’s timbral range, while Macerollo’s accordion is
deliciously deep and mellow sounding.
Composer David Eagle’s works make up
the first half of the program and each relies
on an electronically enhanced sense of acoustic space. This music requires a good delivery
system, i.e. headphones or home stereo.
Computer speakers won’t cut it, and MP3
is less than adequate, so buy a full quality download or, better still, the physical CD
to get the added benefit of extensive printed
information in a very nice package. (The same
goes for my review of Janet elsewhere in these
pages.) Eagle pursues an inventive array of
strategies and techniques in combining and
counterposing the live accordion with the
computer’s “responses.” In his 2009 work for
flutist Robert Aitken, Fluctuare, the computer
interactivity elegantly supports Aitken’s warm
and masterful interpretation of the solo part.
Hope Lee’s spiritually inspired, highly gestural style is featured in Secret of the Seven
Stars and the unaccompanied solo and the
end is the beginning. Here, the accordion’s
extended resources are on display: pitch
bending, bellows shaking and other titillating accordion exotica. Both works trace the
emergence of entire soundworlds from a
single, sustained pitch — a process the composer repeats in a consistently fascinating
variety of ways. Lee’s approach to the contemporary quasi-concerto format in Seven
Stars is more to combine solo and ensemble
voices than to counterpose them, making her
acoustic music sound just as “interactive” as
Eagle’s electronica.
—Nic Gotham
65
STUART BROOMER
R
(linus 2 7 0 1 5 5 ) is Elizabeth
Shepherd’s first CD devoted
to standards, but they
aren’t everybody’s standards; rather they’re a carefully
if quirkily chosen personal
selection, including French
chanson (Pourqois tu vis), art
song (Kurt Weill’s eerie Lonely
House) and jazz tunes (from Lionel
Hampton’s Midnight Sun to Bobby
Hutcherson’s When You Are
Near, the latter with Shepherd’s
own lyrics). It’s a deeply involving album — there’s an insistent
intimacy in Shepherd’s light, high
voice and her subtle combination
of the articulated and the withheld. The matching of voice to
band is perfect — Shepherd herself
plays various pianos, beatbox
and “tuned mixing bowls and
muted pestle” — with consistently
deft arrangements. Highlights
include Poinciana, with Reg
Schwager’s lilting guitar accompaniment, and the soul jazz classic
Sack of Woe with Andrew Downing’s
plucked cello and Shepherd’s period Wurlitzer electric piano.
Toronto saxophonist Kirk
MacDonald is doing a fine job
of maintaining the modern big
band tradition. His last recording Deep Shadows was a 2012
JUNO nominee and he’s followed
it with another performance by
his Jazz Orchestra, Family Suite
for Large Ensemble (Addo
AJR013). Here trombonist Terry
Promane has taken on the challenge of arranging MacDonald’s
2008 quartet album Family Suite
for an 18-piece band, emphasizing
brass lustre with five trumpets and
four trombones. Promane successfully adopts MacDonald’s complex
original lines to the weightier textures, burnishing them with greater emotional depth,
and MacDonald the soloist is clearly inspired
anew. The quality of the writing is emphasized by the performances of an all-star
band that includes alto saxophonist P.J.
Perry, guitarist Lorne Lofsky and trumpeter
Kevin Turcotte.
Pianist Brian Dickinson wears his influences on his track list, opening his Other
Places (Addo AJR011) with a blazing and
percussive Unreal McCoy and a harmonically complex Shorter Days, clear homages
to Tyner and Wayne respectively. The CD
might not win awards for originality, but it
could for sheer drive, featuring the intense
66
ewind
Boston tenor saxophonist Jerry
Bergonzi — a master of a later John
Coltrane style in which rapid, convoluted phrases are driven by a
tight vibrato and a slightly gravelly tone. The rhythm section of
bassist Jim Vivian and drummer Steve Wallace is up to the
task and the result is charging,
inspired music. Dickinson’s Tagine demonstrates the pianist’s rhythmic
invention, an expansive take on a
North African theme.
Hexentrio (Intakt CD 205) presents Vancouver pianist Paul
Plimley in outstanding international company, with English
bassist Barry Guy and Swiss
drummer Lucas Niggli
expanding the idea of
the piano trio. The
methodology is free
improvisation but
there’s no limit to the
styles or technique
of the music, a brilliant tapestry of 17
short pieces that moves from dramatic three way
conversations — like
the tumultuous Flo
Vi Ru and Railways
Rear Viewed in Magic
Mirror that bracket the
program — to dreamlike epiphanies and
spontaneous chromatic rhapsodies. Plimley
is an improviser of rare resourcefulness and in this company he is
able to launch tonal systems at
will, assured of empathetic and
apt response. Niggli possesses
an aggressive approach and
an ability to suggest multiple
rhythmic environments, while Barry
Guy is simply the most articulate bassist a
piano trio might have, embellishing the brilliant tradition launched by Scott La Faro with
Bill Evans over 50 years ago.
More than 500 kilometres northeast of
Montreal on the St. Lawrence River, Rimouski
might strike you as an unlikely spot for cutting edge free improvisation, but you wouldn’t
be accounting for the resourcefulness of electric bassist Éric Normand whose quintet
mixes Montreal visitors with Rimouski residents. Sur un Fil, released on the Italian label
Setola Di Maiale (www.setoladimaiale.net),
matches Jean Derome (on flute, alto saxophone and birdcall) and Michel F Côté (drums
and feedback) with James Darling (cello)
and Antoine Létourneau-Berger (vibes and
cymbals). The mood is avant-garde chamber music, with subtle textures set up by
Normand’s compositions expanded with a
free hand by everyone in the band, from glittering vibraphone to sometimes squalling
saxophone, creating a music that can be as
elemental as Rimouski’s rocky shore or as
abstract as a composition by Boulez.
Alto saxophonist Brodie West has spent
substantial time with the celebrated and
whimsically independent founders of
Amsterdam free jazz, studying with composer Misha Mengelberg and playing with
drummer Han Bennink. West in
turn has developed his own distinct approach. When West turns
to standard forms, he does so with
a lyrical directness reminiscent
of Lee Konitz and free of the polish and rote learning that often
compromise contemporary mainstream approaches. That approach
is in high relief with the Chris Banks
Trio on the unusual Softly as in a
Morning Sunrise (S/R www.chrisbankstrio.blogspot.ca) as West,
bassist Banks and pianist Tania
Gill play standards and older
jazz tunes from Jitterbug Waltz
and Undecided to Soul Eyes.
The absence of drums emphasizes
an intimate and deliberate dialogue and the
genuine spirit of improvisation.
Another side of West is apparent on
Compound Eyes (S/R www.cluttonmichelliwest.blogspot.ca) by the trio of Clutton/
Michelli/West, with the emphasis on a minimalist style of improvisation that often
matches West’s repeating whistles and vocal
smears with bassist Rob Clutton’s pulsing,
repeating figures and drummer Anthony
Michelli’s spare accents and subtly insinuated grooves. It’s fresh and challenging work,
and even here West manages to reference the
tradition, inserting an attenuated phrase from
What’s New? in the title track. Something in the Air | Clarinet Resurgence in Jazz
A
KEN WAXMAN
of jazz’s popularity, during the Big Band era of the 1930s and
1940s, one of the most common images
was of a resplendent clarinettist, instrument
shining in the spotlight, taking a hot solo.
Subsequent styles found the so-called licorice
t the height
thewholenote.com
stick relegated to a poor cousin of the saxophone, with few reed players brave enough to
keep the clarinet as a double, let alone concentrate on its unique timbres. However
attacks on conventional sounds, coupled with
an appreciation for unique instrumental
textures starting in the 1960s, spurred a rediscovery of the wooden reed instrument. Right
now there are probably more CDs extant featuring the clarinet than at any time since the
heyday of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and
Woody Herman.
Similar in some way
to what a jam session
involving Goodman,
Shaw and Herman
would have entailed is
The Clarinet Trio 4
(Leo Records CD LR
622 www.leorecords.
com). Besides the
obvious difference that the trio members are
German, rather than American, additional
factors characterize this trio of reed players as
a 21st Century juggernaut not a 1930s revival
band. For a start, each man plays a different
member of the clarinet family: Jürgen Kupke,
regular clarinet; Michael Thieke, clarinet plus
alto clarinet; and Gebhard Ullmann, bass
clarinet. Plus nearly all the tunes are Ullmann
originals rather than standards. Unlike earlier
reed players who depended on rhythm section accompaniment however, the 11 tracks
on this CD feature nothing but clarinet timbres. Interludes which result from an
arrangement like this are put into boldest
relief on Collectives #13 #14 and Geringe
Abweichungen von der Norm. The latter is
carefully unrolled at adagio tempo, with balanced reed vibrations and understated
motion as staccato slurs and pitch-sliding
smears appear at the same time, finally melding into a tremolo narrative. In contrast,
Collectives #13 #14 is rife with pinched notes
from the straight clarinet, snarling quivers
from the alto clarinet and inner-directed bass
clarinet growls. Eventually a mellow interface
from the higher pitched reeds surmounts
these chirps and quacks as Ullmann continues to tongue slap and masticate tones.
Other tunes such as Blaues Viertel and Waters
explore variations in legato tone blending and
burbling reverberations, as triple vibrations
are showcased in broken octave, chromatic
lines. The climatic triple reed definition is
News No News however. As abrasive, tremolo
lines from each reedist progressively align
against one another the finale finds all ultimately diminishing to silence. Before that, three
singular melodies have been cross-vibrated
and intertwined, while staccato lines maintain each player’s individuality.
Another trio, but
this one including string and brass
instruments as
well as reeds, is on
Clarino Cookbook
(Red Toucan RT
9345 www3.sympatico.ca/cactus.
red). This time the CD matches the clarinet of Belgian Joachim Badenhorst with the
trumpet of German Thomas Heberer, who
also composed the dozen selections, plus
German-French bassist Pascal Niggenkemper.
Although the lineup is the same as if it were a
combo of Goodman, trumpeter Harry James
and bassist Artie Bernstein, Heberer’s graphic
notation wouldn’t have been recognizable
by those earlier jazzers, though they would
have been impressed by the breadth of this
trio’s technique. Encompassing a modicum
of unanticipated tranquil passages, especially
from muted trumpet and fluid clarinet lines,
the fundamental object lies in revealing as
many contrasting tones as they intersect. For
instance a track such as Nomos, introduced
by ringing double bass tones, develops new
motifs as a busy trumpet limns the bouncing theme. Moderated with clarinet squeaks,
the piece is cleanly concluded with bowed
strings. More adventurous, Bogen is concerned with melding air bubbled through
both horns’ body tubes with arco swipes from
Niggenkemper, whose well-shaped notes
later underscore Heberer’s brassy yelps and
Badenhorst’s rhythmic tongue slaps. Even
more dissonance is present on Erdbär with
the bull fiddle barely audible.
For an extended review of Clarino and
other clarinet discs featuring François Houle
with Gordon Gridna, and Laurent Dehors
with Matthew Bourne, see the continuation
of this column at thewholenote.com. POT POURRI
Advice from a Misguided Man
Colin Maier
Independent CMCD001
www.colinmaier.com
!!Colin Maier is far
from misguided as an
artist. He is comfortable in a wide range
of musical styles as is
clearly evident for listeners familiar with
his work as the oboist
for Quartetto Gelato.
In this solo project, Maier is joined by a number of special guests in an eclectic collection
of music.
Maier, with pianist Allison Wiebe, is
sensitive and articulate in Saint-Saëns’
Oboe Sonata. Musical puns abound in
Pasculli’s take on Donizetti operas, with
accordionist Alex Sevastian providing a solid
accompaniment. The traditional The Pipes
is arranged by Maier and Mark Camilleri
for small ensemble with oboe providing a
convincing bagpipe timbre. Maier creates
the ambiance in his steady long tones.
Rousing versions of Hilario Durán’s Song
for Magdalena and the oboist’s composition
Bakon showcase Maier’s ample Latin chops.
Based on two contrasting Canadian folk
songs, Aura Pon’s lyrical Songs of the North
Woods, No.1 is simultaneously soothing
and dramatic. The idiosyncratic collection
of short “songs” by the composer Rebecca
Pellett and lyricist Liza McLellan (Gelato’s
thewholenote.com
cellist) are dispersed as tracks throughout.
Everything from new music to poetry to
dramatic melodies, the songs are unique
twists in sound and attitude. There is nothing
bland here.
Colin Maier is a multi-talented musician
who plays oboe with a gorgeous tone and
superimposes his sense of seriousness and
humour into all he performs. You would be
misguided not to listen to this release.
—Tiina Kiik
Tambanavo (Dance With Them)
Zhambai Trio
Independent n/a
www.zhambai.com
!!The exhilarating debut CD by the
Vancouver group
Zhambai Trio showcases both the
traditional music of
the Shona culture of
Zimbabwe and that of
its transplanted son,
Kurai Blessing Mubaiwa, the group’s leader.
Mubaiwa is not only an outstanding mbira
dza vadzimu (“thumb piano”), marimba,
ngoma (hand drum) and hosho (maraca)
player; he is an eloquent and powerful singer
as well.
Joined by Canadians, world drummer
extraordinaire Curtis Andrews and dancerpercussionist Navaro Franco, the Zhambai
Trio’s music is deeply steeped in the traditional mbira music of Zimbabwe. The musical
form is typically cyclic, while also marked
throughout by evolving, interlocking, dual
instrument variations. Characteristic vocal
solos and choral responses are usually sung
over the continuous instrumental patterns,
which in the case of Chinzvenga Mutsvairo,
builds into a very satisfying, densely woven,
polyphonic texture. That and other tracks
remind us how closely identified with the
essence of music-making the voice is in
much of West Africa. The expressive voices,
so prominent on this CD, make a compelling
case as the real stars here, despite the evident
“rightness” and even virtuosity of much of the
instrumental playing.
The online notes refer to the “trance-y”
nature of the performance in its homeland.
Traditionally sought after in Shona ceremonies, trance states are used to communicate
with ancestor spirits and to offer insights
to problems of community members. The
lyrics on this CD however offer less dramatic,
reassuring advice to youth, “you can also do
what your elders can” (Chipundura). Another
song urges people to get along with their
grandmothers, who they rely on for comfort
and warmth (Dangurangu).
While the Zhambai Trio was formed as
recently as 2010, this CD is clear evidence
of an infectious brand of contemporary
Zimbabwean-inflected music emerging fully
formed from our west coast.
—Andrew Timar
67
Old Wine, New Bottles | Fine Old Recordings Re-Released
BRUCE SURTEES
A
In Die Walküre the real story begins as
Initially, there were very real concerns as
the most illustrious
Sigmund (James King) and Sieglinde (Regine
to whether demand at retail would be large
achievement in Decca’s history,
Crespin) are thrown together, discover that
enough to make the project worthwhile.
and in the industry’s, was the
they are brother and sister, fall madly in
realization of a staged for stereo pro- After all, there had never been an underlove and run off into the woods and contaking of this magnitude. Decca/London’s
duction of Wagner’s The Ring of
ceive Siegfried. Hunding is sung by Gottlob
classical manager in the United States, Terry
the Nibelungen featuring the world’s emiFrick, Wotan by Hans Hotter, Birgit Nilsson is
McEwan, was very positive about the sales
nent Wagnerian voices to be supported by
Brunnhilde and Christa Ludwig is Fricka. The
potential and it is claimed that his enthusithe incomparable Vienna Philharmonic
eight Valkyries include Brigitte Fassbaender
asm and initial first order ended any doubts
Orchestra. EMI had recorded the Karajan
and Helga Dernesch who would later
cycle live in Bayreuth in 1951 but getbe Karajan’s Brunnhilde in his cycle
ting it to market didn’t get beyond
for DG. Die Walkure was recorded
the planning stage. Some years later
after Siegfried during October and
a tentative release date for the comNovember 1965. Siegfried had been
plete cycle was announced but
set down in May and October in 1962.
the project was shelved when, as I
The legendary Wolfgang Windgassen
understand the situation, EMI was
is really into the role of Siegfried
unexpectedly required to pay all the
who knows not fear, slays the dragon
musicians involved with a fee equal
Fafner (Kurt Bohme), kills Mime
to what they would be paid if they
(Gerhard Stolze) then learns of and
were to record it at this later date.
finds the sleeping Brunnhilde thanks
Fortunately, EMI secured the rights
to the Wood Dove (Joan Sutherland).
and issued the Furtwangler Ring
recorded in Rome in October and
Nowhere better is the opuNovember 1953. The story of getting
lent sound and full glory of the
that cycle to disc is a saga in itself.
Vienna Philharmonic heard than in
In addition to engaging singers the
Götterdämmerung, where all the
Decca project required a conductor
machinations are paid for, all the
of stature. Hans Knappertsbusch was
principal mortals killed off, Loge has
The Solti Ring, Deluxe Anniversary Limited Edition
considered but Georg Solti was the
his revenge on the gods as Valhalla
Decca 0289 4783702, 19 discs and more: A new 2012
final choice. John Culshaw was the
burns and the gold is restored to the
remastered edition on 14 CDs of the original tapes, more
producer who led the Decca team
Rhine Maidens.
finely detailed and veritable than ever heard from the
responsible for everything necesThere are, of course, many passages
original LPs and recent CDs; PLUS the entire cycle on a
sary to get some 16 hours of intense
in this recording of a very long and
single 24-bit lossless Blu-ray disc; Solti conducting Wagner
music making onto a finished tape.
complex work that the listener may
overtures plus The Siegfried Idyll and Kinderkatechismus;
To commemorate the 200th anniwish to compare favorably or unfavorJohn Culshaw’s celebrated book, The Ring Resounding;
versary of the composer in 2013
ably with another performance or
Deryck Cooke’s original 2-CD introduction to the Ring
and the conductor’s 100th this year,
performances. That’s what collectors
with identification and development of each motif; The
Decca has assembled an extraordinand music lovers do and enjoy.
complete libretti with line by line English translations; A
arily opulent edition with many
The Solti Ring is a living tribute,
DVD of The Golden Ring, the BBC documentary and filming
extras that are listed at the bottom of
a monument, to everyone involved;
of the November 1964 final sessions of Götterdämmerung;
this review.
the singers, the orchestra and to
Photographs and reprints of the original reviews in The
Das Rheingold was recorded in
Solti himself and of course Wagner,
Gramophone; Facsimiles of pages from Solti’s annotated
the Sofiensaal during September and
the librettist and composer. All perscores; All packaged in four luxurious LP size hard cover
October 1958 with an all-star cast
petuated by Decca who had the
books within a matching slipcase.
including George London (Wotan),
remarkable foresight to hand over
Kirsten Flagstad (Fricka), Set
reigns to producer John Culshaw
about the future of the cycle. The three LP set
Svanholm (Loge), Paul Kuen (Mime), Gustav
and a totally enrolled support team.
Neidlinger (Alberich) and other luminaries of of Das Rheingold was issued in 1959 to uniI must comment on the single Blu-ray audio
the day. The closing scene following Donner’s versal acclaim, both artistically and sonically.
disc that contains the entire cycle. There is a
No one had ever heard a recording to match
summoning the thunder is most imprestotal absence of any processing artifacts and
the realism of Decca’s “Sonic Stage” stereo
sive with London the perfect Wotan who has
the listener is immediately and unmistakably
sound and such opulence from the Vienna
unknowingly set in motion the inevitabilright there in the acoustic of the Sofiensaal,
Philharmonic Orchestra. It was a milestone. It witnessing the nuances and dynamics of a
ity of the far off twilight of the gods. Many
has been in the catalog ever since as LP, then
of us looked forward to London’s Wotan in
live performance. I have heard every incarnaWalküre and Siegfried but it was Hans Hotter tape and finally CD ... well not quite finally as
tion from the stereo LPs on, and this sound
related below.
who sang the role in both.
really is a fresh experience. 68
rguably
thewholenote.com
Right: Quartet’s stars, Pauline
Collins and Maggie Smith.
Below: director Dustin Hoffman.
MUSIC & THE MOVIES @TheWholeNote
The High (and Low) Notes
In the September issue of The WholeNote,
Paul Ennis previewed a selection of TIFF
films from a musical perspective. Post-TIFF,
the coverage continues: here is an excerpt
from his latest entry to The WholeNote blog.
Now that a few weeks have passed since the
final screening of the 2012 edition of the
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF),
TIFF’s impact is really just beginning. Several
of its almost 300 feature films have already
opened in theatres with many more to follow in the months ahead. It’s the gift that
keeps on giving with a half-life of at least a
year. With a number of pre-screenings in
addition to the festival itself and post-TIFF
openings, I’ve managed to see more than 75
of TIFF’s offerings. What follows is a snapshot
of a score of movies in which music plays an
intriguing role.
Quartet (set to open January 11, 2013 and
THEWHOLENOTE.COM/
BLOG is where
you will find
concert reviews,
concerted rants,
videos,
expanded
content
and …
CONTESTS!
Enter to win a New Music Alliance
Passport simply by emailing us at
[email protected] with the
subject line “WIN WIN WIN!!!” The
New Music Alliance Passport grants
you $5 access to a show from each of
the following presenters: Arraymusic,
Continuum Contemporary Music,
Esprit Orchestra, New Music Concerts,
Spectrum, Toy Piano Composers.
70
sure to be a crowd pleaser) is a rarity. Ronald
Harwood’s screen adaptation of his 1997 play
manages to fuse the acting talents of some
of the UK’s finest (and the directorial debut
of 75-year-old Dustin Hoffman) with a cornucopia of musical excerpts from Verdi’s La
Traviata and Rigoletto, Puccini’s Tosca, G&S’s
The Mikado, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville,
Haydn’s “Sunrise” quartet and “Military”
symphony, a Boccherini string quintet and
the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Bach.
Harwood was inspired by Tosca’s Kiss,
Daniel Schmid’s loving documentary depiction of the residents of the Casa di Riposo per
Musicisti, which Verdi founded in Milan as
a residence for elderly singers who needed
material help.
Music percolates everywhere in Beecham
House (named after Sir Thomas) with Maggie
Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly, Pauline
Collins and Michael Gambon playing out
FROM OUR BLOG
Legendary jazz vocalist Mark Murphy visited
Toronto last month, presented by Jazz.FM91
at the Old Mill Inn. Mim Adams and Holly
Clark reviewed the concert for our blog:
Watching Mark Murphy slowly weave his way
through the Old Mill dining room to the stage,
leaning on the arm of a helpful young man,
is surely a testament to his own comment,
“I’m eighty!” As he was seated carefully on his
chair centre-stage with his music stand close
by, I felt the wistful sadness of seeing this
icon, a survivor of the classic era of jazz and
one of a select few who can call themselves an
innovator, on the decline. Yet Murphy’s first
words to the audience were fully disarming
and the opening phrase of “What Is This Thing
Called Love” completely erased my uneasiness. His is still the voice we know and love.
His characteristic tone — the way he almost
cries out his notes, how he dips into his lower
register then soars effortlessly into his falsetto — is clear and energetic. Age has not
diminished his breath control, his ability to
hold a straight note or his time feel. He sings
thewholenote.com
Bette Davis’ maxim “Old age is not for sissies.” As a group of opera singers preparing
for a house fundraiser, their love of life is
infectious. And with many of the home’s residents played by musicians, from soprano
Dame Gwyneth Jones (unforgettable in “Vissi
d’arte” from Tosca) to former BBC Symphony
principal clarinetist Colin Bradbury and versatile trumpet player Ronnie Hughes (his
resume even includes the Beatles’ “Martha,
My Dear”), the quality of the musical content is guaranteed. Be sure to stay through the
beginning of the credits where many of the
musicians are pictured in their youth. —Paul Ennis, October 30, 2012
The rest of this story, featuring such films
as Terrence Malick’s “To the Wonder,” Peter
Mettler’s “The End of Time,” Paul Thomas
Anderson’s “The Master,” and 16 others, can
be found at thewholenote.com/blog.
with a seemingly careless ease.
His trio of relatively young players supported him flawlessly, consisting of Alex
Minasian on piano, and two Canadians,
Morgan Moore on bass and Jim Doxas on
drums. Doxas’ sensitive syle was particularly impressive, with seamless dynamic
phrasing and flowing sounds that seem to
simply appear.
Murphy is an expert craftsman who
squeezes all there is from every syllable of
a lyric. And squeeze the lyric he did on his
aching performance of another Cole Porter
standard, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” He
introduced Porter as being “the best” and a
“consummate composer” because he “controls all parts of the music,” referring of
course to Porter composing the chords, melody and lyric of each of his songs. While
Murphy sang his unorthodox arrangement
the room was silent. It was a spacey, tense
version of the standard with an almost skeletal accompaniment by Murphy’s trio. —Mim Adams and Holly Clark,
October 4, 2012
Read the full blog at thewholenote.com/blog.
Peter Oundjian, Music Director
Beethoven
Triple
Concerto
Montreal Symphony
Orchestra:
The Rite of Spring
Season Presenting Sponsor
Davis Conducts
Schumann
& Strauss
WED, NOVEMBER 14 AT 8:00PM
THU, NOVEMBER 15 AT 8:00PM
WED, NOVEMBER 21 AT 8:30PM
WED, NOVEMBER 28 AT 6:30PM AFTERWORKS
THU, NOVEMBER 29 AT 8:00PM
SAT, DECEMBER 1 AT 7:30PM
Peter Oundjian, conductor
André Laplante, piano
Jonathan Crow, violin
Shauna Rolston, cello
Kent Nagano, conductor
Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Sir Andrew Davis, conductor
Jan Lisiecki, piano (NOV 29 & DEC 1)
Teng Li, viola
Joseph Johnson, cello
Tom Allen, host (NOV 28)
Haydn: Symphony No. 94 “Surprise”
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies: An Orkney
Wedding, with Sunrise
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring
Mercure: Triptyque
Beethoven: Concerto for Piano, Violin,
and Cello “Triple Concerto”
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 12
“The Year 1917”
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Mendelssohn: Overture to
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