Views
2 years ago

Volume 26 Issue 8 - July and August 2021

  • Text
  • Events
  • Listings
  • Opera
  • Jazz
  • Sound
  • Orchestra
  • Festivals
  • Reviews
  • Summer
  • Music
Last print issue for Volume 26. Back mid-September with Vol 27 no 1. And what a sixteen-month year it's been. Thanks for sticking around. Inside: looking back at what we are hoping is behind us, and ahead to what the summer has to offer; also inside, DISCoveries: 100 reviews to read, and a bunch of new tracks uploaded to the listening room. On stands, commencing Wednesday June 30.

SUMMER

SUMMER 2021 Worth the (virtual) drive … ? The WholeNote Green Pages now online continued from page 7 In years past, a highlight of this special festival section in print would have been our annual Green Pages, our directory of summer festivals and series. However in this 16-month year of plaguey uncertainty, we made the choice to put all our directories (Canary Pages, Blue Pages, Green Pages) online, so that choirs, presenters and festivals respectively can join whenever they have a handle on what they are really going to be doing. (And the opportunity to revise whatever they said previously, when fate throws their best-laid plans out of whack.) So there are no Green Pages festival profiles in this issue. But there’s a handy index on page 32 of the summer presenters who have come into the online directory so far, with more arriving all the time. “On the Road” Another pandemic casualty has been the summer feature we call “On the Road”, where we invite working musicians to tell us about their summer itineraries – a refreshingly different different slant on things, following musicians from place to place. I am sure I don’t have to remind you what happened to that idea last summer. And while this year is looking better by comparison, it will still be virtual encounters that rule the day this summer, for festivals, performers and presenters alike. So take the time to sift through the listings on the next few pages, and the directory index on page 32. In fact, if you view page 32 in our flip-through edition online, you can click or tap your way through the websites included there as you go. I already did that myself and a couple of things struck me. One was how interesting it is to see how artists adjust to circumstances during times of necessary reinvention. What changes and what doesn’t? What do they do differently for themselves? And what are they doing with and for each other? And, as important, what will we do for them? Is it really worth the virtual drive to Acton, or Elora, or Markham, or St. Catharines or Collingwood or Parry Sound, now that the novelty of online concertizing is wearing thin? And “zooming in” sounds like work, not play? Yes it is. For mutual support. And to remind ourselves of how much it will mean, whenever it happens, for musicians and audiences alike, to be on the road again. David Perlman Stratford Summer Music’s floating barge 24 | July and August 2021 thewholenote.com

Here are some cherry-picked highlights: ! This summer, COVID-friendly concerts will take place at the Ancaster Fairgrounds welcoming audience “bubbles” in their cars. Large video screens either side of the stage illuminate performers. Sound will be projected both live and via FM channel. BROTT FESTIVAL, July 15 to August 8 ! A power-packed week of exciting DRIVE-IN concerts between July 10 to 16, presenting a diverse array of internationally renowned, award-winning artists. Engaging classical and world music performances and amazing cinematic visuals – all projected onto a massive, 900 sq. ft. screen. COLLINGWOOD SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL, July 10 to 16 ! Three weeks of vocal/choral/chamber music delights from one of the prettiest towns in Ontario. The Elora Festival has encompassed all forms of classical music, jazz, international music, popular and folk since 1979, and this year’s concerts are as exceptional and varied as seasoned visitors would expect! ELORA FESTIVAL ONLINE, August 5-28 ! Six virtual August Concerts – Mondays and Wednesdays in August. Four summer evening Live Concert Cruises aboard the Island Queen – that’s right, LIVE concerts! FESTIVAL OF THE SOUND, July 1 to August 25 ! Join us online Sundays @3pm: for “Reflections & Expressions”, a series of short concerts … A shorter season of live performances, including two “Opera to Broadway” concerts and four performances of Mozart’s opera, Don Giovanni, are tentatively planned for August. HIGHLANDS OPERA STUDIO, July 5 to 30, August TBC ! Join us every Wednesday evening at 7pm for a free 30-minute concert. Concerts include solo voice, trumpet, piano, cello, organ, brass ensemble and choral, featuring both professional and emerging artists. HUMBERCREST SUMMER CONCERT SERIES, July 7 to August 18 ! The 44th version of the Festival included pre-recorded performances by musicians and dancers and featured historical walking tours and interviews with performers as well as live spots for our hosts/emcees ... on YouTube, Facebook Live and YouTube video embedded on our website. MARKHAM VILLAGE VIRTUAL MUSIC FESTIVAL, June 18 to 19 ! Once again this season, our concerts will take place online at A440.live at 12:15pm every Monday from June 7 to Labour Day September 6. Join us for this, our 30th anniversary season! MUSIC MONDAYS, June 7 to September 6 ! The eighth iteration of our annual Something Else! Festival – in pieces, outdoors, again, spread across a handful to a dozen or so Saturdays at the luscious Bayfront Park, while our Composite Arts Series, “Watch it Burn!” will be slotted one Thursday per month at the Art Gallery of Hamilton. SOMETHING ELSE! FESTIVAL, July to October1 ! Every weekend in August, a host of events for music lovers of all ages. The return of our signature Floating Barge, Revival House for our Friday Night Live jazz series, and events in Market Square, Gallery Stratford, the Stratford-Perth Museum, Tom Patterson Island, and Avondale United Church STRATFORD SUMMER MUSIC, August 5 to 29 ! Our 17th Festival, will again feature internationally acclaimed Canadian and global artists performing classical, jazz and contemporary music on the shores of Georgian Bay. Four featured concerts over four days, a special preview concert as well as community concerts and other musical experiences for the new normal. SWEETWATER MUSIC FESTIVAL, September 16 to September 19 ! World-class performances set on an idyllic biodynamic organic farm. Enjoy concerts under the stars in our open air pasture with the possibly spontaneous accompaniment from a contented cow, or a visit from a passing chicken. Performances also livestreamed to our global audience. SYMPHONY IN THE BARN, July 30 to August 1 ! All types of jazz and world music, performed in intimate indoor and outdoor venues in the heart of Niagara’s stunning wine country. Experience online Summer Mardi Gras (July 24) from the comfort of your own home! Get dressed up, dance to the music and indulge! TD NIAGARA JAZZ FESTIVAL, July to October Visit thewholenote.com/whoswho A SPRING/SUMMER 2021 CONCERT SERIES 13 SHORT CONCERTS featuring current & past HOS singers & pianists 0 FOR FULL SERIES ALL 13 CONCERTS AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING ONLINE ANYTIME UNTIL JULY 31 ST PRESENTS REFLECTIONS AND EXPRESSIONS MAY 2 ND – JULY 31 ST ‘Reflections & Expressions’ Online Concert Series, featuring a new, intimate concert each week for 13 consecutive weeks! JULY 5 TH - 30 TH Professional Training Program (Online), connecting Canada’s best emerging professionals with top industry leaders around the world. AUGUST 7 TH - 21 ST (TBC) HOS LIVE & IN-PERSON, Haliburton, ON Concerts | ‘The Leporello Diaries’, an abridged version of Mozart’s, Don Giovanni For more information on all of the above, including purchase of online concert series, HOS ‘21 Participants, opera casting, dates, times, and locations of live performances, please visit: www.highlandsoperastudio.com thewholenote.com July and August 2021 | 25

Volumes 26-29 (2020- )

Volumes 21-25 (2015-2020)

Volumes 16-20 (2010-2015)

Volumes 11-15 (2004-2010)

Volumes 6 - 10 (2000 - 2006)

Volumes 1-5 (1994-2000)