BLUE PAGES 2013/14On Sunday April 27, Paul Stott leads a discussionand celebration of the work of Saskatchewanhymn writer Walter Farquharson at Trinity-St. Paul’s United.416-342-6034info@sochs.orgsochs.org●●St. Andrew’s PresbyterianChurchSt. Andrew’s Church is a dynamic historic congregationlocated at 73 Simcoe St., across from RoyThomson Hall. Founded in 1830, this Presbyterianchurch has a rich history of musical innovationand excellence. A professional eight-voice choirperforms most Sundays at the 10:30am worshipservice, accompanied on a Karl Wilhelm trackerorgan. The magnificent Bösendorfer Imperialgrand piano further enhances worship services,along with the congregational choir. Thepiano also benefits the wider downtown community,inspiring the 2011 launch of “Life & Musicat St. Andrew’s,” which offers exceptional musicalperformances for minimal or no cost. Performershave included pianist Jamie Parker, Canadianopera stars Russell Braun and MonicaWhicher, Canadian jazz pianist Oliver Jones androots music icon Ken Whiteley, who led a joyousaudience participation Mardi Gras Gospel Sing.Watch also for free Friday Noontime Recitals(Fall 2013 program starts October 18) by Universityof Toronto music students and other performers.Its superb acoustics, downtown location andlarge capacity seating make St. Andrew’s the perfectsetting for a wide range of musical events.Daniel Bickle, director of music416-593-5600 x231dbickle@standrewstoronto.orgstandrewstoronto.org●●St. Anne’s Anglican ChurchSt. Anne’s Anglican Church is a welcoming community,worshipping God richly through liturgy,music and the arts. We are committed to openness,justice and outreach, striving to embodyChrist’s healing purpose for the world. Establishedin 1862, this national historic site containsthe only religious artwork by the Group of Seven.Renowned for its music and acoustics, St. Anne’sis the performance and recording venue for specialmusical events by our own choir as well asby many other organizations. Director of musicMatthew Otto welcomes new members to joinour vibrant choir!Each year, the St. Anne’s Music and DramaSociety (MADS) presents one of the operettas ofGilbert and Sullivan in the 300-seat parish auditorium.Founded in 1964, MADS has a fall seasonof rehearsals leading up to January and Februaryperformances. In 2009, MADS performed tocritical acclaim at the International Gilbert andSullivan Festival in Buxton, England. This pastsummer, MADS again attended Buxton to presentits 50th anniversary production of The Gondoliers.This season, MADS presents Princess Ida.Matthew Otto, interim director of music416-536-3160matthew.otto@saintanne.casaintanne.ca●●St. James Town Children’s ChoirThe St. James Town Children’s Choir has beenproviding a choral singing experience and itsrelated social benefits to children aged 7 to 13in Toronto’s ethnically diverse community of St.James Town since 2007. The choir is directed byDiane Jamieson and Sanela Konjhodzic, both ofwhom are music educators with years of experienceworking with children’s choirs.The St. James Town Children’s Choir is part ofReaching Out Through Music, a non-profit organizationwhich also offers individual lessons invoice, piano, guitar, violin and clarinet. ReachingOut Through Music believes in the power of themusical experience for both its intrinsic benefitsand as a tool for fostering cooperation anda sense of community. The choir is central tothis vision.Last year’s highlights included the presentationof a musical play, Compose Yourself, producedand directed by Deborah Griffin, and a year-endconcert at which the choir performed with Toronto’snewchoir. Details of this season are availableon the Reaching Out Through Music website.647-478-6579SJTCC@bell.net.reachingoutthroughmusic.org●●St. Jude’s Celebration of the ArtsPicture yourself in the atmosphere of a landmarkheritage building surrounded by warm light andbeautiful music! Whether you are on a date night,marking a significant milestone or simply seekingfine music, the Celebration of the Arts series ofmusical performances at St. Jude’s Church, Oakville,will delight your senses.Supported by a generous group of patrons andsponsors, Celebration of the Arts brings worldclassmusical performances to Oakville at affordableprices. Established in 1999, Celebration ofthe Arts presents the finest music in the intimatesurroundings of the church. The splendid acousticsenhance the performances of outstandingmusicians chosen specifically for this venue.The 23rd season begins with the NathanielDett Chorale on October 26. The Montreal GuitarTrio follows on March 1, 2014, and the seasonwraps up with a resounding crescendo of organand brass in “Fugues and Fanfares” on May 10.All performances take place Saturdays at 8pm,at 160 William St., Oakville.For more information or to purchase ticketsplease see our website and follow us on Twitter:@COTAOakville!Ross Connell, chair905-844-3972info@OakvilleConcerts.comOakvilleConcerts.com●●St. Michael’s Choir SchoolFounded in 1937 by Monsignor J. E. Ronan, St.Michael’s Choir School has provided liturgicalmusic at St. Michael’s Cathedral in the heart ofdowntown Toronto for more than 75 years. Inaddition to singing at the 5pm Mass on Saturdaysand 10am and noon Masses on Sundaysduring the school year, the Choir School also presentsa series of annual concerts. To mark the75th anniversary of this remarkable institution,a commemorative book of history, images andstories will be published soon.The Choir School invites you to come andhear our 275 boys sing in any concert throughoutthe year. For more information please seeour website.smcs.on.ca●●St. Olave’s Anglican ChurchSt. Olave’s, Swansea, is an Anglican church in thePrayer Book tradition, with Communion or MorningPrayer services (sung Sundays at 10:30am),Evensong (for festivals) and extras at Christmasand Easter. It’s noted for a fine organ and excellentacoustics, making it home for performinggroups like the Windermere String Quartet.Choral Evensongs (on certain Sundays at 4pm)are followed by afternoon tea and a music event,as listed in The WholeNote: visiting choirs leadingthe service, illustrated music talks or recitalsby guest singers, solo musicians, instrumentalensembles or our Arts Guild. Sung Evensongs(various weekdays at 6pm) are followed by supperand talks on travel, history, applied religion, etc.We’ve recently hired a new director of music,John Stephenson, who is continuing last year’scampaign to expand our choir. Anglican servicesinclude much singing (hymns, canticles, psalms,anthems), so we need a strong choir to lead thecongregation. Rehearsals are Thursdays, 7:30pmto 9pm, with a warm-up Sundays at 10am. Call toask about paid positions, or come to a rehearsalto see what it’s all about. Singers are also welcometo join us at sung Evensongs.Judy Beal, administratorJohn Stephenson, director of music416-769-5686stolaves.ca●●St. Philip’s Anglican ChurchThe Church of St. Philip in Etobicoke (25 St. PhillipsRd.) is one of the oldest Anglican churches inToronto. Established in 1828, St. Philip’s welcomesall people to vibrant celebrations on Sunday morningsat 8:30am and 10:30am and to an eclecticseries of Sunday afternoon concerts (4pm) thatinclude jazz, blues, polka, fado, mariachi, klezmerand Latin music. Performances feature some ofB24 | theWholeNote 2013/14 PRESENTER PROFILES
Toronto’s finest musicians. Come and celebratewith us in our beautiful and historic church!Rev. Canon Allan Budzin416-247-5181stphilips.net●●Syrinx Concerts TorontoSyrinx Concerts Toronto was established in1986 as a series of chamber music concerts toencourage and promote Canadian musicians.Each concert will feature the works of Canadiancomposers integrated within a more traditionalrepertoire. The performers, some of Canada’s finestmusicians, have been requested to program aCanadian work they especially enjoy playing or anew work they haven’t had the opportunity to performbefore. We have extended our format nowto include, where possible, international performerswilling to add the required Canadian compositionto their repertoire.The featured composers this year will be: HarrySomers, Kelly Marie Murphy, Walter Buczynski,Jean Papineau-Couture, Anita Sleeman andJacques Hétu.Our season this year consists of six concerts;however, this year we will have an added concert(a Syrinx/Buczynski presentation), a celebrationof Walter Buczynski’s 80th birthday.Dorothy Glick, tickets and reservations416-654-0877syrinxconcerts.org●Tafelmusik●Music of the 17th and 18th centuries, performedon period instruments with Tafelmusik’srenowned “passion and refinement.” (The Globeand Mail)Join Tafelmusik in 2013/14 for a year celebratingJeanne Lamon’s remarkable tenure as musicdirector and looking to the future with a revitalizedvenue at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, JeanneLamon Hall!Celebrated guest artists join Tafelmusik thisseason, including fortepianist and guest directorKristian Bezuidenhout (“Mozart reincarnated”according to De Telegraaf), soprano Isabel Bayrakdarianand conductor Bruno Weil. ArunaNarayan Kalle (sarangi), Wen Zhao (pipa) andInuit throat singers Aqsarniit join the orchestrafor a remount of Alison Mackay’s popular “TheFour Seasons: A Cycle of the Sun,” including a sectionscored by Academy-Award-winning composerMychael Danna.Choral highlights include two Handel masterpieces:the always-popular Messiah and Sing-Along Messiah and the epic oratorio Saul withthe Tafelmusik Chamber Choir led by choir directorIvars Taurins. A musical tribute by orchestramembers celebrating Jeanne Lamon’s 33seasons at the helm of Tafelmusik wraps up theToronto concert season.Jeanne Lamon, music directorTricia Baldwin, managing directorTORONTO CONCERT ORCHESTRABox Office: 416-964-6337Administrative Office: 416-964-9562info@tafelmusik.orgtafelmusik.orgmusic.tafelmusik.org (for the newestTafelmusik Media recordings)●Talisker ● PlayersTalisker Players is a unique ensemble of instrumentalistsdedicated to working with singers. Ledby a core string quartet, the ensemble presentsone of the most interesting and innovative concertseries in Toronto and also performs throughoutsouthern Ontario and across the country.The roots of the group are in the choraltradition and it maintains a busy schedule ofengagements with choirs of all sizes in musicranging from baroque to contemporary, sacredand secular.The ensemble’s own concert series, at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, takes its collaborative skills intothe intimate realm of chamber music. Core membersof the group are joined by leading vocal soloistsand actors, exploring the interaction of wordsand music in four adventurous programs.“City of the Mind” (October 29 and 30, 2013)evokes the vibrant energy of cities, in music rangingfrom the 15th to the 21st centuries. “AnythingGoes” (January 12 and 14, 2014) samples the bestof the Cole Porter songbook. “Creature to Creature”(March 16 and 18, 2014) offers a moderndayversion of the medieval bestiary, in words andmusic. “A Poet’s Love” ends the season with twogreat Romantic song cycles, Schumann’s Dichterliebeand Fauré’s La bonne chanson.“Good for the ears, and good for the soul”—Toronto StarMary McGeer, artistic directorElizabeth Shannon,administrative director416-466-1800words.music@taliskerplayers.cataliskerplayers.ca●●Tallis ChoirThe Tallis Choir is a chamber ensemble of 36voices that has earned a reputation for innovativeprogramming and polished performancesacross Southern Ontario. Works from Gregorianchant to contemporary choral music arerepresented, but the choir is best known as oneof the few Canadian ensembles specializing in themusic of the Renaissance, particularly 16th-centuryItaly and England. The choir consists primarilyof auditioned amateur singers, built around asmall core of professional musicians.Founded in 1977, the choir presents an annualfour-concert subscription series, including acappella programs, small chamber ensembles,organ works and, on several occasions, largerscale productions featuring choir, professionalsoloists and chamber orchestra. The Tallis Choirhas earned particular acclaim from audiences forits presentation of themed concert programs andhistorical recreations, placing both well-knownand rarely heard choral masterpieces in theirbroader historical context.The Tallis Choir can also be engaged for specialperformances outside their regular concertseries. Customized programs featuring both currentrepertoire and new music can be developedto suit individual needs and budgets.416-286-9798info@tallischoir.comtallischoir.com●Thin ● Edge New Music CollectiveThin Edge New Music Collective believes that contemporarymusic is a powerful medium whichhas the ability to comment and reflect on modernsociety in a unique and poignant way. Foundedin 2011 by co-artistic directors pianist CherylDuvall and violinist Ilana Waniuk, TENMC hasgrown to include 11 of Canada’s brightest emergingperformers and is dedicated to supportingtheWholeNote 2013/14 PRESENTER PROFILES | B25
Choral Scene: Uncharted territory: three choirs finding paths forward; Music Theatre: Loose Tea on the boil with Alaina Viau’s Dead Reckoning; In with the New: what happens to soundart when climate change meets COVID-19; Call to action: diversity, accountability, and reform in post-secondary jazz studies; 9th Annual TIFF Tips: a filmfest like no other; Remembering: Leon Fleisher; DISCoveries: a NY state of mind; 25th anniversary stroll-through; and more.
Online in flip through here, and on stands commencing Tues SEP 1.
Following the Goldberg trail from Gould to Lang Lang; Measha Brueggergosman and Edwin Huizinga on face to face collaboration in strange times; diggings into dance as FFDN keeps live alive; "Classical unicorn?" - Luke Welch reflects on life as a Black classical pianist; Debashis Sinha's adventures in sound art; choral lessons from Skagit Valley; and the 21st annual WholeNote Blue Pages (part 1 of 3) in print and online. Here now. And, yes, still in print, with distribution starting Thursday October 1.
Alanis Obomsawin's art of life; fifteen Exquisite Departures; UnCovered re(dis)covered; jazz in the kitchen; three takes on managing record releases in times of plague; baroque for babies; presenter directory (blue pages) part two; and, here at the WholeNote, work in progress on four brick walls (or is it five?). All this and more available in flipthrough HERE, and in print Tuesday Nov 3.
In this issue: Beautiful Exceptions, Sing-Alone Messiahs, Livingston’s Vocal Pleasures, Chamber Beethoven, Online Opera (Plexiglass & All), Playlist for the Winter of our Discontent, The Oud & the Fuzz, Who is Alex Trebek? All this and more available in flipthrough HERE, and in print Friday December 4.
July/August issue is now available in flipthrough HERE, bringing to a close 25 seasons of doing what we do (and plan to continue doing), and on stands early in the week of July 5. Not the usual bucolic parade of music in the summer sun, but lots, we hope, to pass the time: links to online and virtual music; a full slate of record reviews; plenty new in the Listening Room; and a full slate of stories – the future of opera, the plight of small venues, the challenge facing orchestras, the barriers to resumption of choral life, the challenges of isolation for real-time music; the steps some festivals are taking to keep the spirit and substance of what they do alive. And intersecting with all of it, responses to the urgent call for anti-racist action and systemic change.
"COVID's Metamorphoses"? "There's Always Time (Until Suddenly There Isn't)"? "The Writing on the Wall"? It's hard to know WHAT to call this latest chapter in the extraordinary story we are all of a sudden characters in. By whatever name we call it, the MAY/JUNE combined issue of The WholeNote is now available, HERE in flip through format, in print commencing Wednesday May 6, and, in fully interactive form, online at thewholenote.com. Our 18th Annual Choral Canary Pages, scheduled for publication in print and flip through in September is already well underway with the first 50 choirs home to roost and more being added every week online. Community Voices, our cover story, brings to you the thoughts of 30 musical community members, all going through what we are going through (and with many more to come as the feature gets amplified online over the course of the coming months). And our regular writers bring their personal thoughts to the mix. Finally, a full-fledged DISCoveries review section offers cues and clues to recorded music for your solitary solace!
After some doubt that we would be allowed to go to press, in respect to wide-ranging Ontario business closures relating to COVID-19, The WholeNote magazine for April 2020 is now on press, and print distribution – modified to respect community-wide closures and the need for appropriate distancing – starts Monday March 30. Meanwhile the full magazine is right here, digitally, so if you value us PLEASE SHARE THIS LINK AS WIDELY AS YOU CAN. It's the safest way for us to reach the widest possible audience at this time!
FEATURED: Music & Health writer Vivien Fellegi explores music, blindness & the plasticity of perception; David Jaeger digs into Gustavo Gimeno's plans for new music in his upcoming first season as music director at TSO; pianist James Rhodes, here for an early March recital, speaks his mind in a Q&A with Paul Ennis; and Lydia Perovic talks music and more with rising Turkish-Canadian mezzo Beste Kalender. Also, among our columns, Peggy Baker Dance Projects headlines Wende Bartley's In with the New; Steve Wallace's Jazz Notes rushes in definitionally where many fear to tread; ... and more.
Visions of 2020! Sampling from back to front for a change: in Rearview Mirror, Robert Harris on the Beethoven he loves (and loves to hate!); Errol Gay, a most musical life remembered; Luna Pearl Woolf in focus in recordings editor David Olds' "Editor's Corner" and in Jenny Parr's preview of "Jacqueline"; Speranza Scappucci explains how not to reinvent Rossini; The Indigo Project, where "each piece of cloth tells a story"; and, leading it all off, Jully Black makes a giant leap in "Caroline, or Change." And as always, much more. Now online in flip-through format here and on stands starting Thurs Jan 30.
Welcome to our December/January issue as we turn the annual calendar page, halfway through our season for the 25th time, juggling as always, secular stuff, the spirit of the season, new year resolve and winter journeys! Why is Mozart's Handel's Messiah's trumpet a trombone? Why when Laurie Anderson offers to fly you to the moon you should take her up on the invitation. Why messing with Winterreisse can (sometimes) be a very good thing! And a bumper crop of record reviews for your reading (and sometimes listening) pleasure. Available in flipthrough here right now, and on stands commencing Thursday Nov 28. See you on the other side!
On the slim chance you might not have already heard the news, Estonian Canadian composing giant Udo Kasemets was born the same year that Leo Thermin invented the theremin --1919. Which means this is the centenary year for both of them, and both are being celebrated in style, as Andrew Timar and MJ Buell respectively explain. And that's just a taste of a bustling November, with enough coverage of music of both the delectably substantial and delightfully silly on hand to satisfy one and all.
Long promised, Vivian Fellegi takes a look at Relaxed Performance practice and how it is bringing concert-going barriers down across the spectrum; Andrew Timar looks at curatorial changes afoot at the Music Gallery; David Jaeger investigates the trumpets of October; the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution (and the 20th Anniversary of our October Blue Pages Presenter profiles) in our Editor's Opener; the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir at 125; Tapestry at 40 and Against the Grain at 10; ringing in the changing season across our features and columns; all this and more, now available in Flip Through format here, and on the stands commencing this coming Friday September 27, 2019. Enjoy.
Vol 1 of our 25th season is now here! And speaking of 25, that's how many films in the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival editor Paul Ennis, in our Eighth Annual TIFF TIPS, has chosen to highlight for their particular musical interest.
Also inside: Rob Harris looks through the Rear View Mirror at past and present prognostications about the imminent death of classical music; Mysterious Barricades and Systemic Barriers are Lydia Perović's preoccupations in Art of Song; Andrew Timar reflects on the evolving priorities of the Polaris Prize; and elsewhere, it's chocks away as yet another season creaks or roars (depending on the beat) into motion. Welcome back.
What a range of stuff! A profile of Liz Upchurch, the COC ensemble studio's vocal mentor extraordinaire; a backgrounder on win-win faith/arts centre partnerships and ways of exploring the possibilities; an interview with St. Petersburg-based Eifman Ballet's Boris Eifman; Ana Sokolovic's violin concert Evta finally coming to town; a Love Letter to YouTube, and much more. Plus our 17th annual Canary Pages Choral directory if all you want to do is sing! sing! sing!
Arraymusic, the Music Gallery and Native Women in the Arts join for a mini-festival celebrating the work of composer, performer and installation artist Raven Chacon; Music and Health looks at the role of Healing Arts Ontario in supporting concerts in care facilities; Kingston-based composer Marjan Mozetich's life and work are celebrated in film; "Forest Bathing" recontextualizes Schumann, Shostakovich and Hindemith; in Judy Loman's hands, the harp can sing; Mahler's Resurrection bursts the bounds of symphonic form; Ed Bickert, guitar master remembered. All this and more in our April issue, now online in flip-through here, and on stands commencing Friday March 29.
Something Old, Something New! The Ide(a)s of March are Upon Us! Rob Harris's Rear View Mirror looks forward to a tonal revival; Tafelmusik expands their chronological envelope in two directions, Esprit makes wave after wave; Pax Christi's new oratorio by Barbara Croall catches the attention of our choral and new music columnists; and summer music education is our special focus, right when warm days are once again possible to imagine. All this and more in our March 2019 edition, available in flipthrough here, and on the stands starting Thursday Feb 28.
In this issue: A prize that brings lustre to its laureates (and a laureate who brings lustre to the prize); Edwin Huizinga on the journey of Opera Atelier's "The Angel Speaks" from Versailles to the ROM; Danny Driver on playing piano in the moment; Remembering Neil Crory (a different kind of genius)' Year of the Boar, Indigeneity and Opera; all this and more in Volume 24 #5. Online in flip through, HERE and on the stands commencing Thursday Jan 31.
When is a trumpet like a motorcycle in a dressage event? How many Brunhilde's does it take to change an Elektra? Just two of the many questions you've been dying to ask, to which you will find answers in a 24th annual combined December/January issue – in which our 11 beat columnists sift through what's on offer in the upcoming holiday month, and what they're already circling in their calendars for 2019. Oh, and features too: a klezmer violinist breathing new life into a very old film; two New Music festivals in January, 200 metres apart; a Music & Health story on the restorative powers of a grassroots exercise in collective music-making; even a good reason to go to Winnipeg in the dead of winter. All this and more in Vol 24 No 4, now available in flipthrough format here.
Reluctant arranger! National Ballet Orchestra percussionist Kris Maddigan on creating the JUNO and BAFTA award-winning smash hit Cuphead video game soundtrack; Evergreen by name and by nature, quintessentially Canadian gamelan (Andrew Timar explains); violinist Angèle Dubeau on 20 years and 60 million streams; two children’s choirs where this month remembrance and living history must intersect. And much more, online in our kiosk now, and on the street commencing Thursday November 1.
Presenters, start your engines! With TIFF and "back-to-work" out of the way, the regular concert season rumbles to life, and, if our Editor's Opener can be trusted, "Seeking Synergies" seems to be the name of the game. Denise Williams' constantly evolving "Walk Together Children" touching down at the Toronto Centre for the Arts; the second annual Festival of Arabic Music and Arts expanding its range; a lesson in Jazz Survival with Steve Wallace; the 150 presenter and performer profiles in our 19th annual Blue Pages directory... this is an issue that is definitely more than the sum of its parts.
In this issue: The WholeNote's 7th Annual TIFF TIPS guide to festival films with musical clout; soprano Erin Wall in conversation with Art of Song columnist Lydia Perovic, about more than the art of song; a summer's worth of recordings reviewed; Toronto Chamber Choir at 50 (is a few close friends all it takes?); and much more, as the 2018/19 season gets under way.
PLANTING NOT PAVING! In this JUNE / JULY /AUGUST combined issue: Farewell interviews with TSO's Peter Oundjian and Stratford Summer Music's John Miller, along with "going places" chats with Luminato's Josephine Ridge, TD Jazz's Josh Grossman and Charm of Finches' Terry Lim. ) Plus a summer's worth of fruitful festival inquiry, in the city and on the road, in a feast of stories and our annual GREEN PAGES summer Directory.
In this issue: our sixteenth annual Choral Canary Pages; coverage of 21C, Estonian Music Week and the 3rd Toronto Bach Festival (three festivals that aren’t waiting for summer!); and features galore: “Final Finales” for Larry Beckwith’s Toronto Masque Theatre and for David Fallis as artistic director of Toronto Consort; four conductors on the challenges of choral conducting; operatic Hockey Noir; violinist Stephen Sitarski’s perspective on addressing depression; remembering bandleader, composer and saxophonist Paul Cram. These and other stories, in our May 2018 edition of the magazine.
In this issue: we talk with jazz pianist Thompson Egbo-Egbo about growing up in Toronto, building a musical career, and being adaptive to change; pianist Eve Egoyan prepares for her upcoming Luminato project and for the next stage in her long-term collaborative relationship with Spanish-German composer Maria de Alvear; jazz violinist Aline Homzy, halfway through preparing for a concert featuring standout women bandleaders, talks about social equity in the world of improvised music; and the local choral community celebrates the life and work of choral conductor Elmer Iseler, 20 years after his passing.
In this issue: Canadian Stage, Tapestry Opera and Vancouver Opera collaborate to take Gogol’s short story The Overcoat to the operatic stage; Montreal-based Sam Shalabi brings his ensemble Land of Kush, and his newest composition, to Toronto; Five Canadian composers, each with a different CBC connection, are nominated for JUNOs; and The WholeNote team presents its annual Summer Music Education Directory, a directory of summer music camps, programs and courses across the province and beyond.
In this issue: composer Nicole Lizée talks about her love for analogue equipment, and the music that “glitching” evokes; Richard Rose, artistic director at the Tarragon Theatre, gives us insights into their a rock-and-roll Hamlet, now entering production; Toronto prepares for a mini-revival of Schoenberg’s music, with three upcoming shows at New Music Concerts; and the local music theatre community remembers and celebrates the life and work of Mi’kmaq playwright and performer Cathy Elliott . These and other stories, in our double-issue December/January edition of the magazine.
In this issue: conversations (of one kind or another) galore! Daniela Nardi on taking the reins at "best-kept secret" venue, 918 Bathurst; composer Jeff Ryan on his "Afghanistan" Requiem for a Generation" partnership with war poet, Susan Steele; lutenist Ben Stein on seventeenth century jazz; collaborative pianist Philip Chiu on going solo; Barbara Hannigan on her upcoming Viennese "Second School" recital at Koerner; Tina Pearson on Pauline Oliveros; and as always a whole lot more!
In this issue: several local artists reflect on the memory of composer Claude Vivier, as they prepare to perform his music; Vancouver gets ready to host international festival ISCM World New Music Days, which is coming to Canada for the second time since its inception in 1923; one of the founders of Artword Artbar, one of Hamilton’s staple music venues, on the eve of the 5th annual Steel City Jazz Festival, muses on keeping urban music venues alive; and a conversation with pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, as he prepares for an ambitious recital in Toronto. These and other stories, in our October 2017 issue of the magazine.
In this issue: a look at why musicians experience stage fright, and how to combat it; an inside look at the second Kensington Market Jazz Festival, which zeros in on one of Toronto’s true ‘music villages’; an in-depth interview with Elisa Citterio, new music director of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra; and The WholeNote’s guide to TIFF, with suggestions for the 20 most musical films at this year’s festival. These and other stories, in our September 2017 issue of the magazine!
CBC Radio's Lost Horizon; Pinocchio as Po-Mo Operatic Poster Boy; Meet the Curators (Crow, Bernstein, Ridge); a Global Music Orchestra is born; and festivals, festivals, festivals in our 13th annual summer music Green Pages. All this and more in our three-month June-through August summer special issue, now available in flipthrough HERE and on the stands commencing Thursday June 1.
From science fact in "Integral Man: Music and the Movies," to science fiction in the editor's opener; from World Fiddle Day at the Aga Khan Museum to three Canadians at the Cliburn; from wanting to sashay across the 401 to Chamberfest in Montreal to exploring the Continuum of Jumblies Theatre's 20-year commitment to the Community Play (there's a pun in there somewhere!).
In this issue: Our podcast ramps up with interviews in March with fight director Jenny Parr, countertenor Daniel Taylor, and baritone Russell Braun; two views of composer John Beckwith at 90; how music’s connection to memory can assist with the care of patients with Alzheimer’s; musical celebrations in film and jazz, at National Canadian Film Day and Jazz Day; and a preview of Louis Riel, which opens this month at the COC. These and other stories, in our April 2017 issue of the magazine!
On our cover: Owen Pallett's musical palette on display at New Creations. Spring brings thoughts of summer music education! (It's never too late.). For Marc-Andre Hamelin the score is king. Ella at 100 has the tributes happening. All; this and more.
In this issue: an interview with composer/vocalist Jeremy Dutcher, on his upcoming debut album and unique compositional voice; a conversation with Boston Symphony hornist James Sommerville, as as the BSO gets ready to come to his hometown; Stuart Hamilton, fondly remembered; and an inside look at Hugh’s Room, as it enters a complicated chapter in the story of its life in the complex fabric of our musical city. These and other stories, as we celebrate the past and look forward to the rest of 2016/17, the first glimpses of 2017/18, and beyond!
In this issue: a conversation with pianist Stewart Goodyear, in advance of his upcoming show at Koerner Hall; a preview of the annual New Year’s phenomenon that is Bravissimo!/Salute to Vienna; an inside look at music performance in Toronto’s health-care centres; and a reflection on the incredible life and lasting influence of the late Pauline Oliveros. These and more, in a special December/January combined issue!
In this issue: David Jaeger and Alex Pauk’s most memorable R. Murray Schafer collabs, in this month’s installment of Jaeger’s CBC Radio Two: The Living Legacy; an interview with flutist Claire Chase, who brings new music and mindset to Toronto this month; an investigation into the strange coincidence of three simultaneous Mendelssohn Elijahs this Nov 5; and of course, our annual Blue Pages, a who’s who of southern Ontario’s live music scene- a community as prolific and multifaceted as ever. These and more, as we move full-force into the 2016/17 concert season- all aboard!
Music lover's TIFF (our fifth annual guide to the Toronto International Film Festival); Aix Marks the Spot (how Brexit could impact on operatic co-production); The Unstoppable Howard Cable (an affectionate memoir of a late chapter in the life of of a great Canadian arranger; Kensington Jazz Story (the newest kid on the festival block flexes its muscles). These stories and much more as we say a lingering goodbye to summer and turn to the task, for the 22nd season, of covering the live and recorded music that make Southern Ontario tick.
It's combined June/July/August summer issue time with, we hope, enough between the covers to keep you dipping into it all through the coming lazy, hazy days. From Jazz Vans racing round "The Island" delivering pop-up brass breakouts at the roadside, to Bach flute ambushes strolling "The Grove, " to dozens of reasons to stay in the city. May yours be a summer where you find undiscovered musical treasures, and, better still, when, unexpectedly, the music finds you.
INSIDE: The Canaries Are Here! 116 choirs to choose from, so take the plunge! The Nylons hit the road after one last SING! Fling. Jazz writer Steve Wallace wonders "Watts Goode" rather than "what's new?" Paul Ennis has the musical picks of the HotDocs crop. David Jaeger's CBC Radio continues golden for a little while yet. Douglas McNabney is Music's Child. Leipzig meets Damascus in Alison Mackay's fertile imagination. And "C" is for KRONOS in Wende Bartley's koverage of the third annual 21C Festival. All this and as usual much much more. Enjoy.
From 30 camp profiles to spark thoughts of being your summer musical best, to testing LUDWIG as you while away the rest of so-called winter; from Scottish Opera and the Danish Midtvest, to a first Toronto recital appearance by violin superstar Maxim Vengerov; from musings on New Creations and new creation, to the boy who made a habit of crying Beowulf; it's a month of merry meetings and rousing recordings reviewed, all here to discover in The WholeNote.
2016 is off to a flying start! We chronicle the Artful Times of Andrew Burashko, the violistic versatility of Teng Li, the ageless ebullience of jazz pianist Gene DiNovi and the ninetieth birthday of trumpeter Johnny Cowell. Jaeger remembers Boulez; Waxman recalls Bley's influence, and Olds finds Bowie haunting Editor's Corner. Oh, and did we mention there's all that music? Hello (and goodbye) to the February blues, and here's to swinging through the musical vines of the Year of the Monkey.
What's a vinyl renaissance? What happens when Handel's Messiah runs afoul of the rumba rhythm setting on a (gasp!) Hammond organ? What work does Marc-Andre Hamelin say he would be content to have on every recital program he plays? What are Steve Wallace's favourite fifty Christmas recordings? Why is violinist Daniel Hope celebrating Yehudi Menuhin's 100th birthday at Koerner Hall January 28? Answers to all these questions (and a whole lot more) in the Dec/Jan issue of The WholeNote.
"Come" seems to be the verb that knits this month's issue together. Sondra Radvanovsky comes to Koerner, William Norris comes to Tafel as their new GM, opera comes to Canadian Stage; and (a long time coming!) Jane Bunnett's musicianship and mentorship are honoured with the Premier's award for excellence; plus David Jaeger's ongoing series on the golden years of CBC Radio Two, Andrew Timar on hybridity, a bumper crop of record reviews and much much more. Come on in!
Vol 21 No 2 is now available for your viewing pleasure, and it's a bumper crop, right at the harvest moon. First ever Canadian opera on the Four Seasons Centre main stage gets double coverage with Wende Bartley interviewing Pyramus and Thisbe composer Barbara Monk Feldman and Chris Hoile connecting with director Christopher Alden; Paul Ennis digs into the musical mind of pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, and pianist Eve Egoyan is "On the Record" in conversation with publisher David Perlman ahead of the Oct release concert for her tenth recording. And at the heart of it all the 16th edition of our annual BLUE PAGES directory of presenters profile the season now well and truly under way.
Paul Ennis's annual TIFF TIPS (27 festival films of potential particular musical interest); Wu Man, Yo-Yo Ma and Jeffrey Beecher on the Silk Road; David Jaeger on CBC Radio Music in the days it was committed to commissioning; the LISTENING ROOM continues to grow on line; DISCoveries is back, bigger than ever; and Mary Lou Fallis says Trinity-St. Paul's is Just the Spot (especially this coming Sept 25!).
