works by Haydn, Vivaldi and Elgar. All concerts will be a Humber Valley Village United Church, 76 Anglesey Boulevard. To have a brochure sent, or for further information on the season or on joining the orchestra as a player or volunteer, call 416-239-5665, or visit our website. Artistic Director: Tak-Ng Lai President: Peggy Pinkerton 19 Hilldowntree Road, Etobicoke M9A 2Z4 416-239-5665 Fax 416-239-5665 eporchestra@hotmail.com www.eporchestra.ca ETOBICOKE SUZUKI SCHOOL OF MUSIC The Etobicoke Suzuki School of Music, founded in 1982, is a co-operative of teachers with degrees in music and specialized training in the Suzuki method obtained in North America, Europe and Japan. Our program includes private lessons and group classes, as well as music and movement, musicianship and orchestra. Private lessons are held in Etobicoke, Brampton and West Toronto. Group classes are Wednesday evenings in Etobicoke. Performing opportunities include two schoolwide group concerts, solo recitals, orchestra concerts and more. Early in the new year, ESSM students participate in our annual day-long workshop with guest teachers and a variety of activities. The ESSM believes every child can learn, and enhance their quality of life through the study of music. A key to the Suzuki approach is parental involvement. The parent attends every lesson with the child and acts as "home teacher" in home practice sessions. Thus a strong co-operative relationship between teacher, parent and child is established, and parent and child grow together through the mutual experience of learning to play an instrument. Administrator: Ann Balmer 403 Montrose Ave, Toronto M6G 3H2 416-239-4637 etobicoke.suzuki@sympatico.ca EXULTATE CHAMBER SINGERS www.etobicokesuzukiusic.ca Over a 23-year history, the Exultate Chamber Singers have garnered praise from all quarters for sensitive, precise and seamless performances. The choir was established in 1981 by conductor John Tuttle, and is enriched not only by the excellent musicianship of its members but also by their varied academic and professional backgrounds. Together, they form a passionate, committed ensemble with a wide-ranging repertoire, which was awarded the Healey Willan Grand Prize for a third time at the 2004 CBC Competition for Amateur Choirs. Exultate's third CD, The Present Time, was released in 200 I. A fourth CD, featuring lolksongs from across Canada, is currently in the works for release in September 2005. Exultate presents a four-concert subscription series in Toronto and makes guest appearances in various Ontario communities. Auditions are held as required to fill vacancies in the fixed-membership group. For concert information please call or visit the website. or to contact Exultate, visit or call 416-971-9229. John Tuttle, Conductor 383 Huron Street, Toronto MSS 2G5 416-971-9229 exultate@on.aibn.com www.exultate.on.ca FESTIVAL WIND ORCHESTRA The Festival Wind Orchestra was founded in November 1996. The orchestra rehearses weekly and performs, with special emphasis on the education of its musicians and audiences. Last season, Christopher Bagan, winner of the FWO's Piano Competition, performed Grieg's Concerto in A Minor. Past repertoire included An American Elegy, Pilatus: Mountain of Dragons, several Gershwin and Broadway favourites, Rossini's La Gazza Ladra and more. Standard band repertoire as well as classical and contemporary selections of varying difficulty have been chosen to challenge and inspire this year. Several community-service concerts and three public performances are planned: "Holiday Magic" (November 16 at Yorkwoods Library Theatre), "Springtime Serenade" (May 10 at Fairview Library Theatre) and "Summer Pops" (June 21 at Yorkwoods). Tickets for each concert: for adults, $10 for students. A 3-concert subscription is for adults, for students. Musical Director, Gennady Geller, is an accomplished llutist and conductor whose talent has created a highcalibre community orchestra. New members - especially lower brass, saxophone, oboe and percussion players - are welcome to join. For more information, please visit our website. . Shelley Goodman Administrator 19 Rondeau Drive, North York, M2H IRS 416-491-1683 shelleygoodman@sympalico.ca www.feslivalwindorchestra.com FRIDAYS AT EIGHT At Lawrence Park Community Church Celebrating its ninth se?son, Fridays al Eight presents three evening concerts. An outstanding Casavant organ (1998) is featured in the series. As a concert venue, Lawrence Park Community Church has excellent acoustics for music and has the advantage of ample free parking. The dates for the 2004-05 season are: Friday, October I at 8 pm with the acclaimed Nathaniel Dell Chorale conducted by Brainerd Blyden-Taylor, Founder & Artistic Director, in an eclectic program including spirituals and Cuban folk songs. On Friday, February 25, 8 pm experience the artistry of world-renowned organist, Frederick Swann, Organist Emeritus of the Crystal Cathedral. Music of Bach, Bales & Franck- co-presented by the Toronto Centre of the Royal Canadian College of Organists. Finally, on Friday, May 6, 8 pm the Choir & Soloists of Lawrence Park Community Church, Mark Toews, Director of Music, & organist Ronald Jordan will present thier annual spring concert, this year featuring music of Canadian composers. The Maple Leaf Forever! Soloists are Glyn Evans, tenor; Kimberley Briggs.soprano; Peter Fisher, baritone; and Jo-Anne Bentley, mezzo soprano. Mark Toews, Artistic/Music Director 2180 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, M4N 3K7 416-489-1551 ext.21 Fax: 416-489-1554 6 GEORGETOWN BACH CHORALE Now in its fifth season, the Georgetown Bach Chorale, offers audiences a unique combination of choral, orchestral and solo works. The choir is comprised of 16- 18 auditioned members singing baroque music in original language. In addition to the Chorale's own performances, it hosts a variety of concerts ranging from vocal recitals to chamber and orchestral repertoire. In keeping with the baroque style, the choir is led from the harpsichord by artistic direct.or Ronald Greidanus. Whilst performances have focussed on the major works of J.S. Bach, the ensemble's repertoire also includes the music of Handel, Purcell, Byrd, Buxtehude, M;zart and Allegri. Featured in this season's concerts, the choir will perform Bach's Cantata No. 70, excerpts from 'the Passions', and Handel's Messiah. Guest artists include violinist Michael Schulte, baroque trumpeter Norman Engel, soprano Kyra Bailey, and the Takai Siring Quartet. As part of it's regular season of seven concerts, two are performed in the intimate setting of a private home, followed by a reception in keeping with the theme of the evening's programme. Artistic Director, Ronald Greidanus Contact: William Shuttleworth 1-905-877-8321 47 Main Street South, P.O.Box 91556 Georgetown, L7G 5M9 shuttleworthw@holmail.com GLENN GOULD SCHOOL The Glenn Gould School is an internationally recognized centre for professional training in music performance and pedagogy. Courses are offered at the undergraduate and graduate levels for piano, voice, and all orchestral instruments. Each year, Glenn Gould School students, faculty, and special guests perform in a variety of settings and venues, including orchestra, chamber groups, opera ensemble, and solo recitals. In addition, The School oilers over 100 master classes every year, always free and open to the public, with such artists as Leon Fleisher, Kim Kashkashian, Midori, Regina Resnik, Daniel Ferro, and more . The 2004-2005 concert season features performances of Nielsen 5, Mahler I, Pines of Rome and more under the direction of Simon Streatleild, Leon Fleisher, Richard Bradshaw, and Alain Trudel; the Great Artist Series features the Caliban Quartet, Andrew McCandless, Steven Staryk, and John Perry; and the Opera Ensemble presents Ravel' s L'Enfant et les Sortileges and Riders to the Sea by Vaughan Williams. For more information on our professional training program or our upcoming concerts, please call or visit the website. 1 0 W•1l1l1t1 MEMBERS' PROFILES 2004-2005
Artistic Director: Rennie Regehr, Dean Managing Director: Cathy Blewett Student Services Manager: Sarah Cowan Performance Manager: Josh Grossman 416-408-2824 glenngouldschool@rcmusic.ca www.rcmusic.ca GLENN GOULD STUDIO Glenn Gould Studio's intimate atmosphere and superb acoustics is home to many of Toronto's favourite concert series and performance groups, including Amici, The Latvian Concert Association, New Music Concerts, Off Centre Music, Soundstreams and Via Salzburg. As well, many more jazz, world music and classical concerts make up our concert season. Be sure to check our monthly listings, brochure calendar or website. OnSlage at Glenn Gould Studio, CBC Radio's flagship live performance concert series, presents its 11 th season with 20 exciting concerts in 6 different series: Baroque, Chamber, Vocal, Studio Jazz. World and the return of our newest series, Words & Music dedicated lo the life and words of major Canadian poets. Join us, OnSlage, for some of Toronto's most innovative concert experiences. For tickets and information for all concerts call the box office or visit our website. Box Office: 250 Front St. West. Toronto, M5V 3G5 416-20S-SSS5 Fax: 416-20S-SSS1 ggstix@toronlo.cbc.ca www.cbc.ca/gould GRACE CHURCH ON-THE-HILL Grace Church on-the-Hill invites you to share in glorious choral singing wilh our two choirs, director Melva Graham, and organist Ron Jordan. The unique sound of the Choir of Gentlemen and Boys fills Grace Church regularly al 11 AM Sunday services September through June and at special services. In 1983, Grace Church made a commitment to train girl trebles in the same British-style. The SI. Cecilia Choir, which includes girls aged 7 lo 18, and adull women, sings frequently at 9: 15 AM Sunday. and occasionally al 11 AM. This year the boys and girls will present lhe cantata, Jonah, by former choirboy R. Murray Schafer, October 24 at 9:15 and 11 AM, and November 7 al 7:30 PM. Soloists from the choirs present opera and Broadway at the Mardi Gras Cabaret February 5. On March 30, 2005, the choirs appear in concert with the Bradford Cathedral Choir from Yorkshire, England. The choir's 6th recording under Melva Treffinger Graham, Holy Jazz Ill with the Barlow Group and saxophonist Alex Dean. will be released in November 2004. Music Director: Melva Trellinger Graham, M. Mus. 300 Lonsdale Road, Toronto M4V 1X4 416-488-7884 xl7 Fax: 416-488-4770 gracemusic2@rogers.com www.gracechurchonthehill.ca/ H HANNAFORD STREET SILVER BAND Since 1983 The Hannaford Street Silver Band, formed by professional musicians who love brass band repertoire and ensemble-playing, has been stirring up critical and popular acclaim. The HSSB's name is associated with high-quality musicianship and has a reputation for commissioning works for brass band by prominenl Canadian composers. While the self-produced annual series at the Jane Mallett Theatre forms the · nucleus of its activities, the HSSB is equally at home in a variety of community venues in Ontario, and is invited back for return engagements al numerous festivals across Canada, with distinguished guest conductors. In 2003, the HSSB was awarded its second Lieutenant Governor's Award far lhe Aris in recognition of ils accomplishments. It has made nine recordings, of which the mosl recent CD Voices on High with the Amadeus Choir features works by Bramwell Tovey, J. Scott Irvine, Harry Somers. Stephen Chatman and Henry Kucharzyk. The HSSB's 2004/05 season opens October 24 with a celebration of two legendary Canadian artists: guest conductor Howard Cable and, making his HSSB debut. "Charlie Farquarson", aka Don Harron. Artistic Director: Curlis Metcalf Executive Director: Raymond Tizzard Company Manager: David Archer Public Relations: Anne Kear 4"2 Frater Avenue, Toronto, M4C 2H6 416-42S-2874 hssb@interlog.com www.hssb.ca Box office: 416-366-7723 (St. Lawrence Centre) or 1-800-708-6754 www.stlc.com HARBOURFRONT CENTRE Harbourfront Centre is Canada's foremost centre for contemporary culture. Since programming began in 1974, ii has been a reflection of the cultural diversity and innovative spirit of Toronto. Attracting more than 12 million visits annually to the 10 acre site, the not-forprofit charitable organization sits on revitalized waterfront land in the heart of Toronto. Presenting over 4,000 events each year, Harbourfront Centre's professional staff works with more than 450 community groups and organizations in the development of programming. A leader in world music presentation. Harbourfront Centre has created several programmes to introduce audiences to all kinds of music. Music With Bile introduces families and younger audiences to music from around the world in an interactive and fun environment. The summer festival season prominently features music from different cultures within weekend festivals. Also Harbourfront Centre programmes the City of Toronto's nearby Toronto Music Garden with classical music concerts outdoors all summer long, in a garden setting inspired by the music of Bach. Harbourfront Centre's many venues also act as popular rental facilities for musical acts. Mail: 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON M5J 2G8 Tel: 416-973-4000 e-mail: info@harbourlrontcenlre.com Website: harbourfronlcentre.com HIGH PARK CHOIRS OF TORONTO The High Park Choirs draw young singers from across the city to its home base in west Toronto. Along with the Children's, Senior, Chamber and Boys Divisions, new this year is a Training Choir for 6-9 year olds. We are delighted to welcome Ms. Zimfira Poloz as Artistic Director. Ms. Poloz is a specialist in the phonopedic method of voice development and is renowned for her choirs' vibrant organic sound. Choristers have the exceptional opportunity lo learn proper voice production and vocal care while singing quality Canadian and international choral repertoire. The High Park Choirs is the University Children's Choir-in-Residence al the Faculty of Music's Centre for Advanced Studies in Choral Music (U of T). This partnership enriches our choral program as we work with Dr. Doreen Rao, the Elmer Iseler Singers and the Bach Festival. Now in our 19th season, we look forward lo our Winter Concert on December 5th at Humbercrest United Church, choral workshops with the Bach Children's Chorus and the Oakville Children's Choir. the annual spring concert, and participation in Ontario Sings! (May 2005). Artistic Director I Conductor: Zimlira Poloz Head Accompanist: John E. Govedas Choir Manager: Mary Bella Address: 2100 Bloor Street West, Suite 6341 Toronto. ON M6S SAS Phone: 416-762-06S7 Email: info@highparkchoirs.org Web site: www.highparkchoirs.org I FURIOSI BAROQUE ENSEMBLE Shunning the traditional concert-going experience, I FURIOSI Baroque Ensemble has revolutionised the face of the Canadian Early Music world. This group of lour inspired and and informed musicians performs programmes of music rarely heard on stage with a fervour and sex-appeal that is unparalleled by musical groups anywhere. Having studied at institutions including University of Indiana al Bloomington; University of Toronto; McGill University; International Baroque Institute at Longy and The Ban ff Centre, these daring musicians bring their skill and expertise to this edgy new voice in the Early Music World. The formation of string trio and soprano allows for the performance of a wide range of repertoire. In its own Toronto concert series (at Calvin Presbyterian Church). the ensemble renews the practice of the Baroque era, invoking the "bizarre and unnatural" aesthetic both cherished and despised in its time. Gabrielle McLaughlin, soprano Aisslinn Nosky, violin Julia Wedman. violin Felix Deak, violoncello 416-6S2-S483 iluriosi@iluriosi.com www.iluriosi.com JSL MUSICAL PRODUCTIONS. " ... bringing performers and performance opportunities together!" Devoted to the promotion, support and development of CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 WHlllltl MEMBERS' PROFILES 2004-2005 11
Under the auspices of the Maximilia
I.a Trav'itlta October 2, 3, 5, 7,
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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!).