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Volume 17 Issue 9 - June 2012

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SinfoniaTorontoNURHAN

SinfoniaTorontoNURHAN ARMANMUSIC DIRECTORToronto’s Chamber OrchestraA SEASONOF STARSSpectacular concerts inGlenn Gould StudioGeorge Weston Recital HallOct 27 2012 George Weston Recital HallNAREK HAKHNAZARYAN CellistSupernova! The Tchaikovsky Competition goldmedalist whose Moscow performance made himan instant sensation makes his Canadian debutwith us in a special gala concertNov 16 2012 Glenn Gould StudioANASTASIA RIZIKOV PianistBERISLAV SKENDEROVIC ConductorCanada’s next superstar, First Prize winnerof the adult level of the Rotary InternationalCompetition in Spain – at age 11!Dec 14 2012 Glenn Gould StudioMARIO CARBOTTA FlutistAn Italian virtuoso’s golden flute gleams among aconstellation of contrasts and lyrical serenadesJan 25 2013 Glenn Gould StudioJULIAN MILKIS ClarinetistMARY-ELIZABETH BROWN ViolinistBright rays of Mozart with our radiantconcertmaster, plus a meteoric talent in a deeplymoving work by a mystical Georgian masterMarch 8 2013 Glenn Gould StudioANGELA CHENG PianistRIVKA GOLANI ViolistA celestial pianist plays a sparkling MozartConcerto, and a world-renowned violist premieresa work created just for herApril 12 2013 Glenn Gould StudioALEXANDRE DA COSTA ViolinistBrilliance that took our breath away a few seasonsago – the return of a stellar Canadian violinistacclaimed all over EuropeMay 10 2013 Glenn Gould StudioDMITRI LEVKOVICH PianistA comet of “poetic and rapturous personality”streaks across the keyboard as pianist DmitriLevkovich interprets BeethovenApril 18 2013George Weston Recital HallBORODIN QUARTETwithSINFONIA TORONTOAn extraordinary collaborationwww.sinfoniatoronto.com2012-2013 June 9. Asked what time he thinks they’ll open the bar for the all-daymarathon, Goodyear’s response sums up what will be in store forthose who brave this journey with him:“I’m thinking that they will just want to get a glass of water [afterthe first four hours] …they’ll just want to quench the fire that will begoing on at Koerner. It’s going to be full of a lot of emotions: a lot ofintensity; a lot of rage; a lot of happiness; a lot of love; a lot of courtship…they’re going to be on a roller coaster ride!”Toward the middle of his conversation atThe WholeNote, Goodyear makes the commentthat “Beethoven was all about nevertaking the safe way out.” Hmmm. In terms ofrisk-taking, methinks the pianist has taken apage from the composer’s manuscript.For those who “hang in” for the entirety ofGoodyear’s day-long Olympian odyssey, theexperience should prove nothing less thantransformative. And for those interested inwhat it takes, physically, to undertake such amarathon, you can also catch Goodyear in alunchtime chat on the subject, June 15 at theLuminato Lounge.Late night “snacking” with the TSO: Here’sa thought. In the event that, say, a mere seven and a half hours ofBeethoven sonatas is your limit, you can head home after the secondconcert (which runs from 3pm to 6:30pm), have a nice, leisurelydinner (maybe even a nap) and then head down to Roy Thomson Hall(RTH) that same evening, for yet another epic round of music-making.At 10:30pm, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, in partnershipwith Luminato, is sure to keep you wide awake with “TSO Goes LateNight: Shostakovich Symphony 11,” followed by a party in the RTHlobby, featuring live music by a local band.What’s unique about performing Shostakovich’s Symphony No.11(aside from the late-night context of June 9) is that the four movementsof this monumental, Russian Revolution-inspired work (subtitled“The Year 1905”), are played straight through without pause,with the performance time running a little over an hour —itself a“mini-marathon.” TSO music director Peter Oundjian calls it “one ofthe greatest masterpieces of the 20th century.”Having recently met Heidi Van Hoesen Gorton, TSO principalharp, I asked her if she was going to do anything specific to get“psyched-up” for the late-night event. Van Hoesen Gorton, who admitsto being somewhat of a night owl, had some fun by suggestingthat she would need to be “extra rested” (with an early dinner andpre-show nap) so she’d be “ready to party with my colleagues andaudience members in the lobby following the show!” (A musicianwith her priorities straight, obviously.) On a more serious note,she offered that the “incredible music is enough to psych me up!Shostakovich is one of my very favorite composers, and I’m excitedto learn Maestro Oundjian’s interpretation and to share the musicmaking experience with my colleagues and, in turn, the audience.”This will be Van Hoesen Gorton’s second late-night concert withthe TSO. She believes it is a “fantastic way to present repertoire to theToronto community …it attracts new audiences and introduces peopleto classical music.” Having noted the unfortunate stigma oftenplaced on classical music —the perceived, intimidating formality —sheadds: “I think that the Late Night series increases the approachabilityof the concert-going experience.”The electric combination of the late hour, the sheer power of thepiece and what is sure to be a stirring delivery by the TSO, will nodoubt make for an unforgettable experience for neophytes and oldhands, alike. Worth staying up for!Stepping up to the plate: None of the above would happen, were itnot for the talent and dogged dedication of the young musicians who,as part of their training (and career-launching dues), compete in avariety of music festivals and competitions, en route to landing thoseprized orchestra jobs or becoming successful soloists. Violist AlyssaDelbaere-Sawchuk is one such musician and she’s getting ready toparticipate in the Canadian Music Competition’s (CMC’s) SteppingStone competition —the “Olympics of classical music,” as one press16 thewholenote.com June 1 – July 7, 2012

elease puts it. She’s the only violist in the elite pack of 30, countrywidecontenders, five of whom are local musicians, all of whom willcompete this month in Ottawa, to be named “Canada’s most outstandingup-and-coming classical artist.”These are pretty exciting times for the 25 year old, Winnipeg-born/Toronto-based Delbaere-Sawchuk who just completed her mastersin viola performance (in Switzerland), was a two-time nationalfinalist in the CMC, and who plays in the Métis Fiddler Quartet115 T HA N N I V E R S A R Y S E A S O N1213MUSIC IN THEAFT E R NOONW O M E N ’ S M U S I C A L C L U B O F T O R O N T OARTISTIC DIRECTOR, SIMON FRYERWalter Hall, Edward Johnson Building, Museum SubwayOCTOBER 18, 2012 | 1.30 PM | TORONTO DEBUTPAU LLEWISpianoKyle BurTOn | Gary BeeCHey | Courtesy of TSOFrom left: versatile violist Alyssa Delbaere-Sawchuk,Beethoven marathoner Stewart Goodyear,TSO’s principal harpist Heidi Van Hoesen Gorton.with her three younger brothers —they just released their fabulousdebut album.And if she wins the Stepping Stone, which comes with a ,000prize and a demo produced by Radio-Canada? “I would use themoney either to commission a Canadian composer to write a piecefor viola [for the demo, of course], with inflections of Canadian fiddlemusic traditions, and inspired by my Métis fiddle repertoire … or starta concert series with a mixed media and multi music genre theme,showing how classical, folk, jazz and other genres have evolved andinfluenced each other over time.”I’m definitely buying a subscription to that series! And if shedoes win, we may hear this on-the-way-up artist perform some ofher Stepping Stone repertoire — “pieces,” she tells me, “which I havelearned to really love and enjoy storytelling over time” —at the CMC“Gala Concert,” July 6, at U of T’s MacMillan Theatre.So, go big, go late night, go to the Green Pages, go to the daily listings,go hear some live classical music in June, whatever the setting.Just Go!Sharna Searle trained as a musician and lawyer, practised alot more piano than law and is listings editor at The WholeNote.She can be contacted at classicalbeyond@thewholenote.com.NOVEMBER 29, 2012 | 1.30 PMD U OCONCERTANTENancy Dahn, violin; Timothy Steeves, pianoFEBRUARY 14, 2013 | 1.30 PMT H E D U K EPIANO TRIOMark Fewer, violin; Thomas Wiebe, cello;Peter Longworth, pianoMARCH 28, 2013 | 1.30 PM | CANADIAN DEBUTT I P P E T TQUARTETJohn Mills, violin; Jeremy Isaac, violin;Julia O’Riordan, viola; Bozidar Vukotic, celloMAY 2, 2013 | 1.30 PM 115TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT AT KOERNER HALLJAMES RUSSELL CAROLYNEHNES BRAUN MAULEviolin baritone pianoKoerner Hall, TELUS Centre for Performance and LearningThe Royal Conservatory of Music, 273 Bloor Street West, TorontoCommission sponsor of new workby John Estacio: Roger D. MooreConcert Sponsor:WMCT FoundationFive Concerts for 5. Early-bird price to June 30, 2012 – 0Extra tickets for May 2, 2013, concert available for special price of each withsubscription (Single tickets for this concert will be on sale through RCM box officeafter September 1, 2012, 416-408-0208. Prices will vary.)For information and to subscribe call 416-923-7052All artists, dates, and programmes are subject to change without notice.Support of the Ontario Arts Council and the City of Toronto through the Toronto ArtsCouncil is gratefully acknowledged.PRESENTED BYwmct@wmct.on.ca www.wmct.on.ca 416-923-7052June 1 – July 7, 2012thewholenote.com 17

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