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.
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BLUE PAGES 2017/18 ●Associates ● of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra Members of the Associates of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (ATSO), a registered charitable organization, share a love of classical music and organize musical events featuring members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. “The Small Concerts Series” presents affordable, worldclass chamber music, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra has been most supportive in our efforts to bring these concerts to the public. In 2018 “The Small Concerts Series” features Beethoven, Brahms, Ravel, Schubert, Mozart, Juozapaitis, Smetana, Shostakovich, Devienne and Norman. Concert dates: Mondays at 7:30pm. January 29, February 26, March 26, April 23 and May 28 at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. Please phone 416-282-6636 for subscription/ ticket inquiries, or visit our website. If you would enjoy working with people who appreciate and promote an interest in classical music, become a volunteer of the ATSO. Our volunteers work on engaging musicians, publicizing concerts, and ensuring that all aspects of concerts run smoothly. Armin Weber 416-282-6636 www.associates-tso.org ●Attila ● Glatz Concert Productions “Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert” returns to Toronto (Roy Thomson Hall, January 1, 2:30pm) and Hamilton (FirstOntario Place, December 30, 2:30pm) this holiday season. The spirited romance of operetta, the glamour of ballroom dance, and the delicate beauty of ballet will waltz you into a triumphant New Year, in a charming celebration that blends acclaimed European singers and dancers with an exceptional full orchestra. Also co-produced with Roy Thomson Hall: “Bravissimo! Opera’s Greatest Hits” (New Year’s Eve, 7pm). Four world-renowned opera stars, backed by a 40-voice opera chorus and full orchestra, will perform your favourite arias, choruses and duets that have withstood the test of time and are as bright and everlasting as the tradition of New Year’s Eve. AGCP co-presents the Cinematic Series with the Sony Centre – films presented in stunning HD with live orchestra. Upcoming performances: “Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets In Concert” (October 12-14), “Jurassic Park In Concert” (December 28-29), and “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban In Concert” (May 16-17). 416-323-1403 glatz1@glatzconcerts.com www.salutetovienna.com www.glatzconcerts.com ●Aurora ● Cultural Centre The Aurora Cultural Centre is an 1886 heritage building that began its life as the Aurora Public School. It has been transformed into a hub for arts, culture and heritage. With a full roster of classical, popular and family concert events in a beautiful and intimate performance space, the Aurora Cultural Centre proudly showcases local, emerging and professional talent for our community to enjoy. This upcoming season, enjoy a variety of shows from The Gryphon Trio and Sultans of String, to Union Duke, John Sheard Presents, Remi Bolduc Jazz Ensemble, Ken Whiteley and Freedom Blues, Ennis Sisters and more. Fully accessible; elevator entrance at the north doors. Jane Taylor 905-713-1818 info@auroraculturalcentre.ca www.auroraculturalcentre.ca ●●Bach Children’s Chorus (BCC) and Bach Chamber Youth Choir (BCYC) BCC/BCYC is widely known and highly respected as an organization for its innovative programming, its education system, and the clear, lovely sound of its singers. The children and youth of BCC/BCYC develop a love of music and singing through enjoyable learning and performing experiences. Awards that the organization has received at both provincial and national levels have given it a high profile, including four firstplace standings and the best overall in the 2017 National Music Festival. Through its education practices, BCC/BCYC is setting a standard of musical literacy and education for community choirs. Founded in 1987, BCC/BCYC is an organization of four choirs with singers aged 6 through university age: three treble choirs for ages 6-16 and a mixed-voice choir for boys with changed voices and girls aged 16 and up. All treble choirs rehearse weekly in east Scarborough and BCYC rehearses Sunday evenings at St. Barnabas Anglican Church, Danforth Avenue at Chester Station. BCYC performs music that ranges from classical to pop, jazz and Broadway. Interested singers are welcome to drop by on a Sunday evening. Charissa Bagan, artistic director James Pinhorn, conductor, BCYC Eleanor Daley, accompanist Jane Greenwood 416-431-0790 www.bachchildrenschorus.ca ●●Barrie Concert Association The Barrie Concert Association, a registered charitable non-profit organization, presents ten live performances of mainly Classical/Baroque music, with performers from across Canada and beyond. Barrie Concerts are two-hour events held Saturday evenings starting at 7:30pm. Georgian Music concerts are two-hour events held Sunday afternoons starting at 2:30pm. The 2017/18 season of six Barrie Concerts includes: The Hannaford Street Silver Band – October 14, 2017; “We Will Remember” with U of T Scarborough Choir – November 11, 2017; pianist Sheng Cai – January 20, 2018; violinist Michael Guttman and pianist Eric Himy – March 17, 2018; Sinfonia Toronto and pianist Tony Yike Yang – April 7, 2018; and The Toronto Concert Orchestra and pianist Younggun Kim – May 5, 2018. All at Hiway Pentecostal Church, Barrie. The four Georgian Music concerts include: pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin – October 29, 2017 at Hiway Pentecostal Church; “Christmas Memories” with harpist Judy Lomen, soprano Monica Whicher and organist Marty Smyth at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church – December 10, 2017; the Exultate Singers – February 11, 2018; and the Penderecki String Quartet with pianist Stéphane Lemelin – April 22, 2018. February and April concerts are at Grace United Church, Barrie. Bruce Owen 705-726-1181 info@barrieconcerts.org www.barrieconcerts.org ●●Bel Canto Singers Bel Canto Singers is an SATB community choir with singers of various ages and abilities directed by Linda Meyer. Each week we meet to sing and laugh and grow. Members share a love of choral singing and enjoy the challenges of a widely varied repertoire, mixed with friendship and fun. Rehearsals are 7pm, Tuesdays at St. Nicholas Anglican Church in Scarborough. We are currently looking to strengthen our tenor and bass sections. If you have ever wanted to participate in a group that values music, fun and fellowship please consider joining us. Auditions will take place in the first two weeks of September 2017 or January 2018, during our regular Tuesday night practice. Concert dates are Saturday, December 2, 2017 and Saturday, May 5, 2018 at Scarborough Bluffs United Church. Times for the concerts are 2:30pm and 7:30pm. Please check our website for further details. Cindy 416-737-1475 www.belcantosingers.ca ●●Bravo Niagara! Festival of the Arts Bravo Niagara! Festival of the Arts is a not-forprofit organization dedicated to presenting the world’s leading Canadian and international artists and rising young stars in innovative, inspiring multi-sensory concert experiences in Niagaraon-the-Lake and the surrounding Niagara wine country. Bravo Niagara!’s concerts span diverse musical genres from classical to jazz, world music to pop. B4 | theWholeNote 2017/18 PRESENTER PROFILES
Highlights of the 2017/18 season include the Voices of Freedom Festival, September 28 to October 6, featuring superstar soprano Measha Brueggergosman and jazz great Wycliffe Gordon (September 29), and Grammy Award-winning bassist and vocalist Richard Bona (October 6). Bravo Niagara! is also executive producer of the Oscar Peterson International Jazz Festival. The inaugural festival will take place February 16-18, 2018 and is led by artistic producer Kelly Peterson and artistic director Renee Rosnes. Highlights of the 2018 Spring into Music Series include performances by pianist Jan Lisiecki, violinist Nikki Chooi, pianist Emily Bear as seen on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Schwarz-Bournaki Duo (Julian Schwarz, cello and Marika Bournaki, piano), and rising star jazz pianist Brandon Goldberg as seen on the Harry Connick Jr. Show. Alexis Spieldenner 289-868-9177 music@bravoniagara.org www.bravoniagara.org ●●Brock University Music Department Brock University Music Department, part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, is a major educational and cultural presence in the Niagara Region. We offer BMus and BA degrees in Music, with possible concentrations in Music Education, Music History and Theory, and Music Performance. We pride ourselves on small, welcoming classes held in the new, state-of-theart Walker School building situated in downtown St. Catharines. We present numerous concerts every year from September to April; these are staged in the acoustically excellent Cairns Recital Hall and Partridge Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, adjacent to our school. Our regular concerts include: the Encore! Series, featuring national- and international-calibre guest artists; our Viva Voce Choral Series; and our RBC Tuesday@Noon series. In addition, our Wind Ensemble and String Orchestra give concerts at the end of each term, the exciting and innovative Guitar Extravaganza takes place each fall, and student solo recitals are held in March and April. For details of our academic programs and concerts, please visit our website: www.brocku.ca/music. Matthew Royal 905-641-3055 mroyal@brocku.ca www.brocku.ca/music ●●Canadian Children’s Opera Company The Canadian Children’s Opera Company occupies a unique position as the only permanent children’s opera company in Canada, and one of only a handful in the world. It commissions, produces, records and tours new operas and choral music, with children as both the principal performers and main audience. The company also ATTILA GLATZ CONCERT PRODUCTIONS regularly collaborates with other leading arts organizations, including acting as the children’s chorus for the Canadian Opera Company. The group includes six divisions plus an outreach arm (OPERAtion KIDS), involving hundreds of children and youth ages 3 through 19. Now celebrating its 50th season, the CCOC is led by artistic director Dean Burry, managing director Ken Hall and music director Teri Dunn. The CCOC offers children and youth a unique experience, giving members unparalleled performance opportunities and life skills along with age-appropriate vocal and dramatic training. Opera is simply storytelling with music, and those are two things that kids and youth love! The 2017/18 season include a 50th celebration concert at the Four Seasons Centre and a major new opera commission: The Monkiest King. Ken Hall 416-366-0467 info@canadianchildrensopera.com www.canadianchildrensopera.com ●●Canadian Opera Company Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company (COC) is the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America, and maintains an international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation. The COC’s 2017/18 mainstage season includes: Arabella, The Elixir of Love, Rigoletto, The Abduction from the Seraglio, The Nightingale and Other Short Fables and Anna Bolena. The COC performs in its own opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, hailed internationally as one of the finest in the world. The company enjoys a loyal audience support-base and one of the highest attendance and subscription rates in North America. The COC is an active participant in the cultural community by presenting an annual series of free concerts and a wide array of education and outreach events, encouraging the creation of operatic works and fostering the training and development of young Canadian artists through its renowned Ensemble Studio program. A not-for-profit organization since 1950, the COC is considered one of the best opera companies in the world. Alexander Neef, general director Box Office: 416-363-8231 info@coc.ca www.coc.ca ●●Canadian Sinfonietta Celebrating their 20th season in 2018, the Canadian Sinfonietta (CS) is a chamber orchestra led by founder Tak-Ng Lai in partnership with concertmaster Joyce Lai. The orchestra is comprised of 14-25 professional musicians who perform as a large ensemble at the Glenn Gould Studio and in small ensembles at their wine and cheese concerts at Heliconian Hall. The mission of CS is to reintroduce live chamber music to the growing GTA community, producing a new generation of concertgoers by presenting concerts that are traditional with a twist. The programs are innovative and often feature interdisciplinary artistic presentations, multicultural music, non-western instruments and diverse Canadian artists. This season’s highlights include JUNO awardwinning violinist Scott St. John with his wife, Ensemble Made in Canada violist Sharon Wei, performing the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante; Queen Elizabeth Competition winner, pianist Douglas Finch, performing his own piano trio joined by concertmaster Joyce Lai along with principal cellist, Andras Weber. The finale to the season will feature Joyce playing the “Butterfly Lovers’” Chinese violin concerto in the orchestra’s “Symphony Night.” Ben Lau 647-812-0839 canadiansinfonietta@gmail.com www.canadiansinfonietta.com ALEX HEIDBUECHEL theWholeNote 2017/18 PRESENTER PROFILES | B5
