Kingston. 613-548-4617. Freewill offering. Series runs every Thurs through Aug 27. ●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society. Musicians of orchestra@UWaterloo. Beethoven: Septet; works by Piazzolla; Fauré: Sonata No.1. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. $20; (st). Sunday July 26 ●●7:00: Conrad Grebel University College. In Concert. Chamber ensemble music including works by Bach and Mozart. University of Waterloo Department of Music Instrumental Chamber Ensembles. 140 Westmount Rd. N., Waterloo. 519-885-0220 x24256. Free. Reception after. ●●7:00: Music at Fieldcote. Music of Cole Porter. David Warrack, conductor. Fieldcote Memorial Park and Museum, 64 Sulphur Springs, Ancaster. 905-648-8144. Free. ●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society. Alexander Tselyakov, Piano; Joyce Lai, Violin; Chris Gongos, Horn. Beethoven: Horn Sonata; Romance No.1 (violin/piano); Brahms: Horn Trio; Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen for violin, piano. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. ; (st). Thursday July 30 ●●12:15: St. George’s Cathedral. Summer Concert Series: Michael Leopold, Lute and Ann Marie Morgan, Viola da Gamba. 270 King St. E., Kingston. 613-548-4617. Freewill offering. Series runs every Thurs through Aug 27. Wednesday August 5 ●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society. Marko Paganovic, Piano. Bach: Partita No.1, BWV 825; Beethoven: Sonata Op.28; Mozart: Fantasie in c, K475; Chopin: Polonaise-Fantasie, Op.61; Tchaikovsky: Dumka, Op.59. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. $20; (st). Thursday August 6 ●●12:15: St. George’s Cathedral. Summer Concert Series: Deborah Schuurmans, Piano. 270 King St. E., Kingston. 613-548-4617. Freewill offering. Series runs every Thurs through B. Concerts Beyond the GTA July 6-10, 2015 London, Ontario www.percshop.uwo.ca Aug 27. Saturday August 8 ●●11:00am: Eaglewood Folk Festival. All-Day Event. Folk, roots, blues music performed in open-air concert. Shred Kelly, Birds of Chicago, Leaf Rapids, Brock Zeman, Cécile Doo-Kingué and others. Living Landscapes, 7130 Old Homestead Rd., Pefferlaw. 905-722- 9569. (advance only). ●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society. HMM Trio. Tentative program: Beethoven: “Ghost” Op.70 No.1; Tchaikovsky: Trio in a. Heidi Wall, piano; Marcus Scholtes, violin; Miriam Stewart-Kroeker, cello. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519- 886-1673. ; (st). Thursday August 13 ●●12:15: St. George’s Cathedral. Summer Concert Series: Kyoko Ogoda, Marimba and Japanese Taiko Drum. 270 King St. E., Kingston. 613-548-4617. Freewill offering. Series runs every Thurs through Aug 27. Thursday August 20 ●●12:15: St. George’s Cathedral. Summer Concert Series: Melinda Raymond, Violin; Gauvin Bailey, Cello; and Clare Gordon, Piano. 270 King St. E., Kingston. 613-548-4617. Freewill offering. Series runs every Thurs through Aug 27. Thursday August 27 ●●12:15: St. George’s Cathedral. Summer Concert Series: Antonia Mahon, Flute and Tracy Stuchbery, Piano. 270 King St. E., Kingston. 613-548-4617. Freewill offering. Series runs every Thurs through Aug 27. Saturday August 29 ●●7:30: Shoreline Chorus. The Shepherd and The Lamb. Shoreline Chorus with guests The Leith Quartet; Ann-Marie MacDairmid, conductor. Handel: Selected choruses from Messiah; Goodall: The Lord Is My Shepherd (from the Vicar of Dibley); Barber: Agnus Dei, Barber; Dett: Listen to the Lambs; other works. Meaford United Church, 7 Boucher St. E., Meaford. 519-599-2710. $20. Beat by Beat | Mainly Clubs, Mostly Jazz! Heavies From Away Ari Hoenig C. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz) 120 Diner 120 Church St. 416-792-7725 120diner.com (full schedule) Jun 18 6pm Broadsway $20(adv)/(door). Jun 19 6pm Dana Jean Phoenix (adv)/(door). Jun 20 6pm Brad Cormier & Adam Weinmann (adv)/(door). Jun 21 6pm Gabs Sings Babs: Gabi Epstein Sings Music of Barbra Streisand (adv)/(door). Jun 22 6pm Jeremy Walmsley Trio (adv)/(door). Jun 23 6pm Jennifer Ryan & Jordan O’Connor (adv)/(door). Jun 24 6pm Sam Broverman: “The Life & Music of Johnny Mercer” (adv)/(door). Jun 25 6pm Laura Hubert (adv)/(door). Jun 26 6pm Shannon Butcher & Ross MacIntyre (adv)/(door). Jun 27 6pm Ori Dagan & Kat Langdon (adv)/(door). 80 Gladstone 80 Gladstone Ave. 416-516-7199 80gladstone.com (full schedule) Jun 29 7pm Rob Mosher’s Polebridge . Alleycatz 2409 Yonge St. 416-481-6865 alleycatz.ca All shows: 9pm unless otherwise indicated. Call for cover charge info. BOB BEN It’s here, it’s here, the Toronto Jazz Festival is here! On the Old Mill Inn website, where they list the jazz concerts happening at the Home Smith Bar, they refer to their lineup as a “year-round jazz festival.” I like that. But I would object that the term describes not just that venue, but the whole city. The festival never stops. There’s jazz happening every day and night of the year, and it’s not too hard to find the really top-shelf players. So in terms of local talent, the week of the TJF isn’t much different from the rest of the year: Toronto heavies just being heavy in Toronto. What is different is that the Jazz Festival brings us some of the best international talent. Ari Hoenig: Born in Philly but based in New York, Ari Hoenig, the monstrous, melody-playing, time-bending drummer, will be coming back to Toronto for more. Last time Hoenig was here in town, he brought his own ensemble (but not his own cymbals – he used mine, which is perhaps a story for another time and place), playing Every Mon 8pm Salsa Night w/ Frank Bischun and free lessons. Every Tue 8:30pm Bachata Night w/ DJ Frank Bischun and free lessons. Every Wed 8:30pm Carlo Berardinucci Band. No cover. Jun 5, 19, 20 Lady Kane. Jun 6 Jamesking. Jun 12, 13 Taxi. Jun 26 Orangeman. Jun 27 Soular. Annette Studios 566 Annette St. 647-880-8378 annettestudios.com Every Mon 9:30pm Jazz Jam w/Jared Goldman Quintet. Suggested donation /(st). Artword Artbar 15 Colbourne St., Hamilton. 905-543-8512 artword.net (full schedule) Jun 6 9pm Thom Mason, Adrean Farrugia, Pat Collins /(st). Jun 12 8pm Art Crawl: Jazz with the Aubrey Wilson Quartet PWYC. Jun 17 8pm The Jason Jones Unit . Jun 24 8pm The Brenda Brown Quartet . Jun 25 8pm Scott Taplay Trio feat. Adrean Farrugia -. Blakbird, The 812b Bloor St. W. 647-344-7225 theblakbird.com (full schedule) Bloom 2315 Bloor St. W. 416-767-1315 64 | June | July | August, 2015 thewholenote.com
his original music, which is consistently both rhythmically intricate, as you would expect from a drummer, and harmonically sophisticated, which you might not. Hoenig’s original music is something else, and it must be heard. But if there’s one recording that I think captures the group at their best, it’s a rendition of a song by another composer: their take on Bobby Timmons’ Moanin’ from the album Lines of Oppression is pure gold. The recording begins with Hoenig demonstrating what he’s at least partially known for, which is his ability to play coherent, discernible, tonal melodies on the drums, capturing the notes of a given chord with the drums’ open tunings, and achieving in-between notes and bending pitches with his hands and elbows. He plays the melody, but the solos are done with all the instruments in their traditional roles. Over a dirty jazz shuffle that swings hard and pushes everything forward, his bandmates do Moanin’ justice, to say the least. Honourable mention goes to Tigran Hamasyan’s piano solo which is dripping with attitude on that track. Hoenig will be coming to The Rex for two nights to play with Alex Goodman’s trio – Alex is a U of T alum who did his master’s degree in music at the Manhattan School and settled in the Big Apple. Rick Rosalo, the bassist in the trio, incidentally, is also a jazz musician of Canadian origin who was drawn to NYC like a moth to the flame. Sensing a pattern here? Snarky Puppy used to have a modest fan base in Toronto. A base of which I was a part. Around 2011 to 2013, I attended every single concert they played in Toronto. If they played two nights, more often than not, I went to both. I wasn’t alone in being such a dedicated fan – the band regularly sold out The Rex, leaving behind a handful of people who were naive enough to think they had a chance of getting in without coming early. I remember one snowy night in 2012; I was one of those naive kids. I waited 90 minutes outside in the freezing cold, but was eventually let in and caught a set and a half. It was worth it. I say they used to have a modest Snarky Puppy fan base, because that base has since exploded and become anything but modest. It may have been simply word of mouth, but more likely it had something to do with that Grammy they won. Since then, The Rex has become way too small for the gigantic audience they would inevitably draw – they started playing bigger venues, like Lee’s Palace and Adelaide Hall. Sometimes, they’d do a surprise late night set at The Rex, which, despite the short notice, would still end up packed. Snarky Puppy’s studio recordings and videos show their music being represented by a gigantic ensemble, practically an orchestra, including a string section, too many keyboards, and just enough grandeur. But when they play live, at least in Toronto, they bring a condensed version of the ensemble which sounds not worse, not better, but different. There’s a certain rawness and aggression present in their live shows that is softened in their studio recordings. To say the least, it’s worth checking out, if only once. For a survey of what this group is all about, listen to three songs: Skate U, Binky and Lingus. All appear on different albums and all can be found online. Snarky Puppy will be crowding the Toronto Star stage at Nathan Phillips Square for the festival on June 26. As someone who’s seen them live at least 12 times and never got tired of it, I can confidently say you’ll have fun. Other out-of-towners gracing Toronto stages for the TJF include: Branford Marsalis, Dan Weiss Trio, Phil Dwyer Trio, Robert Glasper, Tower of Power, Kurt Elling and a supergroup featuring Dave Holland, Chris Potter, Lionel Loueke and Eric Harland. A lot of these groups (and others not mentioned!) are appearing on the main stages, which haven’t been listed in the Clubs section, so make sure to go to torontojazz.com for all the details you need to plan your festival week, and pick up paper guides at any of the main stages. Are you ready? Let’s do this thing. Bob Ben is The WholeNote’s jazz listings editor. He can be reached at jazz@thewholenote.com. bloomrestaurant.com All shows: 19+. Call for reservations. Jun 14 7pm Suba Sankaran Autorickshaws (with dinner). Jun 25 7pm Patricia Cano Trio (with dinner). Blue Goose Tavern, The 1 Blue Goose St., Mimico. 416-255-2442 thebluegoosetavern.com (full schedule) Jun 7 4pm Blues at the Goose Jam Session with The BG Rhythm Section: Gary Kendall (bass), Mike Fitzpatrick (drums), feat. Robin Bank$ & Teddy Leonard. Jun 14 4pm Blues at the Goose Jam Session with The BG Rhythm Section: Gary Kendall (bass), Mike Fitzpatrick (drums), feat. Johnny Max & Steve Grisbrook. Jun 21 4pm Blues at the Goose Jam Session with The BG Rhythm Section: Gary Kendall (bass), Mike Fitzpatrick (drums), feat. Paul Reddick & Greg Cockerill. Jun 28 4pm Blues at the Goose Jam Session with The BG Rhythm Section: Gary Kendall (bass), Mike Fitzpatrick (drums), feat. Jerome Godboo & Eric Schenkman. Castro’s Lounge 2116e Queen St. E. 416-699-8272 castroslounge.com (full schedule) All shows: No cover/PWYC. Every Wed 6pm The Mediterranean Stars. Every Sat 4:30pm Big Rude Jake. C’est What 67 Front St. E (416) 867-9499 cestwhat.com (full schedule) Jun 13, 27 3pm The Hot Five Jazzmakers No cover/PWYC. Chalkers Pub, Billiards & Bistro 247 Marlee Ave. 416-789-2531 chalkerspub.com (full schedule) Every Wed 8pm Girls Night Out Jazz Jam w/ host Lisa Particelli PWYC. Jun 6 6pm Fern Lindzon (piano, voice) Trio with Ross MacIntyre (bass), Ethan Ardelli (drums) . Jun 13 6pm Brian Dickinson (piano) Trio with Dan Fortin (bass), Ethan Ardelli (drums) . Jun 14 7pm Marito Marques . Jun 20 6pm Don Thompson (piano) & Reg Schwager (guitar) . Jun 21 7pm Lisa Particelli’s Girls Night Out JAZZ All-Star Vocal Showcase $20. Jun 26 7pm The Ault Sisters . Jun 27 6pm Lorne Lofsky (guitar)Trio with Kieran Overs (bass), Barry Romberg (drums) $20(adv)/(door). DeSotos 1079 St. Clair Ave. W. 416-651-2109 desotos.ca (full schedule) Every Sun 11am-2pm Sunday Live Jazz Brunch hosted by Anthony Abbatangeli No cover. Dominion on Queen 500 Queen St. E. 416-368-6893 dominiononqueen.com (full schedule) Call for cover charge info. Emmet Ray, The 924 College St. 416-792-4497 theemmetray.com (full schedule) All shows: No cover/PWYC. Jun 4 9pm John-Wayne Swingtet: Wayne Nakamura (guitar), Abbey Sholzberg (bass), John Farrell (guitar). Jun 14 5pm Monk’s Music; 7:30pm Harley Card Trio. Jun 15 9:30pm Rebecca Hennesey’s Fog. Jun 21 5pm Harrison Vetro; 7:30pm Jeff LaRochelle Quartet. Fat City Blues 890 College St. 647-345-8282 fatcityblues.com (full schedule) Jun 18 9:30pm Tyler Yarema No cover. Jun 19 9:30pm Patrick Tevlin No cover. Jun 21 9:30pm John Lennard No cover. Flying Beaver Pubaret, The 488 Parliament St. 647-347-6567 pubaret.com (full schedule) Free Times Cafe 320 College St. 416-967-1078 freetimescafe.com (full schedule) Garage @ CSI Annex, The 720 Bathurst St. 416-619-4621 livefromtheannex.com Jun 2 ‘Live From the Annex’ monthly Cabaret (adv). Gate 403 403 Roncesvalles Ave. 416-588-2930 gate403.com All shows: PWYC. Jun 1 5pm Mike Daley Jazz Trio; 9pm Bruce Chapman Blues Duo with feature guests. Jun 2 5pm Howard Willett Blues Duo; 9pm Nick Morgan Jazz Trio. Jun 3 5pm Evan Desaulnier Jazz Trio; 9pm Julian Fauth Blues Night. Jun 4 5pm Joanne Morra & the France St. Jazz Ensemble; 9pm Mélanie Brûlée’s Band. Jun 5 5pm Sarah Kennedy and Matt Pines Jazz Duo; 9pm Fraser Melvin Blues Band. Jun 6 5pm Bill Heffernan and His Friends; 9pm Six Points Jazz Orchestra. Jun 7 5pm Anything Goes Jazz Band; 9pm Bartosz Hadala Group. Jun 8 5pm Clela Errington Root Music Duo; 9pm Chris Staig Trio. Jun 9 5pm Thom Mason Jazz Trio; 9pm Lisa Patterson’s Roam Original Roma Roots Trio. Jun 10 thewholenote.com June | July | August, 2015 | 65
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!).
