Festival, Gudmundur Emilsson, director. Jan. 8: 2:30 & 8:00. Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis St. 416-961-9594. , (sr), (st). Guys & Dolls. An caster Theatre. Colin Lapsley, Nadia Peressini, Carolyn Bjerno, Jim Broadley & other performers. Dec. 2 & 3: 8:00. Ancaster High School Theatre Auditorium, 374 Jerseyville Rd. W., Ancaster. 905-304-7469. , (sr), (st). Hansel & Gretel. Opera York. Music by E. Humperdinck. Andrew Tees, artistic director; Alain Trudel, conductor. Dec. 26, 30: 7:30; Dec. 28: 2:30. St. Elizabeth Performing Arts Centre, 525 New Westminster Dr., Vaughan. 905-763-7853. , (under 12), (each additional child). Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. York Mills Student Stage Productions. Dec. 7 -9: 8:00; Dec. 10: 1 :00. York Mills Collegiate Institute. 490 York Mills Rd. 416-395-3340 ex 20145. , . la Griselda. Opera in Concert. By Vivaldi. Marion Newman, Carla Huhtanen, Colin Ainsworth, Lynne McMurtry, Aradia Ensemble & other performers. January 29: 2:30. 1 :45: Backgrounder with host lain Scott. Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St. East. 416-366-7723. -. letters from Lehrer. CanStage. World premiere written & performed by Richard Greenblatt, featuring the words & music of Tom Lehrer. Ross Manson, director. Jan. 16- Feb. 25, various dates & times. Berkeley Theatre, 26 Berkeley St. 416-368-3110. -, (sr), (under 30). little Red Riding Hood. Port Hope Festival Theatre. Christmas panto. Dec. 1, 4,7, 10, 11, 15, 17, 18:2:00;Dec.10, 17: 7:00. Capitol Theatre, 20 Queen St., Port Hope. 905-885-1071 . -. Mame. On Stage Uxbridge. Jan. 12-14, 19-21: 7:30; Jan. 14, 21: 3:00. Uxbridge Music Hall, 16 Main St. S., Uxbridge. 905-852-4282. Call for ticket prices. Ruddigore. St. Anne's Music & Drama Society. By Gilbert & Sullivan. Brian Farrow, conductor; Peter Orme, chorus master; Laura Schatz, director. Jan. 27-28, Feb. 2-4: 8:00; Jan.28-29, Feb. 4: 2:00. St. Anne's Parish Hall, 651 Dufferin St. 416-922-4415. , (sr/st), (Jan. 27, Feb. 2). Samson et Dalila. Opera in Concert. By Saint-Saens. Gabrielle Prata, Keith Klassen, Luc Lalonde; Nathalie Doucet-Lal kens, piano/ music director; Robert Cooper, chorus director. Dec.4: 2:30. Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723. -. Snow White & the Group of Seven. Ross Petty Productions. Pantomime with Sean Cullen, Alan Frew, Ross Petty & other performers. Dec. 1-Jan. 8: 2:00 & 7:00, variable. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge St. 416- 872-5555. -, (ch), 0(family 4- pack). Stardust Follies. Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts. Broadway-style songdance and comedy revue with numbers from the '20s to the present. John Dimon, director. Dec 7, 14, Feb 1: 2:00. 88 Dalhousie St, Brantford. 519-758-8090, 800-265-0710. .50. The Art of the Prima Donna (Opera Tea). University of Toronto Faculty of Music, Opera Division. Afternoon of opera and tea. Jan 22: 2:30. MacMillan Theatre, 80 Queen's Park. 416-978-3744. . The Boy Friend. Mirvish Productions. Jazzy spoof of 1920s musical comedy. Julie Andrews, director. Jan. 10-TBA. Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St. W. 416-593- 4225, 800-771-3933. Call for ticket prices. The Christmas Story. Church of the Holy Trinity. Musical Nativity pageant. Dec. 9-10, 16-17,23: 7:30:Dec.10-11, 17-18, 24: 4:30. 10 Trinity Square. 416-598-8979 to reserve. Suggested , (ch). The lord of the Rings. Mirvish Productions. Lyrics by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus; music by A.R. Rahman and Varttina with Christopher Nightingale. Feb. 2- March 22 (previews), Mar. 24-June 26. Princess of Wales Theatre, 300 King St. W. 416-872-1212. -5. The Magic Flute. CDC Ensemble Studio. Music by Mozart. Richard Bradshaw, conductor; Andrew Porter, director. Dec 16,20: 7:30; Dec 18: 2:00. MacMillan Theatre, 80 Queen's Park Cres. 416-363- 8231. -$ 58(subscribers); -(nonsubscribers). *SOLD OUT-WAITING LIST*. The Rocky Horror Show. Hart House Theatre. Music and lyrics by Richard O'Brien; Elenna Mosoff, director. Wed-Sat from Jan 18-Feb 4: 8:00. Jan 28: 12 midnight. 7 Hart House Circle. 416-978-8849. , (st/sr). Through the Gable Window. Smile Theatre. Dec. 6: 8:00. Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Ave. 416-599-8440. . Titanic The Musical. Civic Light Opera Co. Music & lyrics by Yeston; Peter Loucas, Bob Deutsch, David Haines, Bryan Chamberlain & others. Feb 2-4,: 8:00; Feb 5: 2:00. Fairview Library Theatre, 35 Fairview Mall Dr.416-755-1717. ; .50(Feb2). Urinetown: The Musical. Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts. By Greg Katis & Mark Hollman. David Connolly, director; Diane Leah, musical director. Dec. 1- 3: 8:00; Dec. 3: 2:00. The Bathurst Street Theatre, 736 Bathurst St. 416-872- 1111. . West Side Story. Yorkminstrels. By Bernstein & Sondheim. Virginia Reh, artistic director; Ellen Kestenberg, musical director. Dec. 1-3: 8:00; Dec. 3-4: 2:00. Leah Posluns Theatre, 4588 Bathurst St. 416-291 -0600. .50, .50(sr); (st). Food bank donations invited. Wiener Blut, Vienna love. Toronto Operetta Theatre. Music by Johann Strauss. Jackalyn Short, Mark Dubois, Sean Watson, Katerina Tchoubar & Carla Huhtanen; Kevin Mallon, conductor. Dec. 27-28, 30-31, Jan. 6-7: 8:00; Jan. 4 & 8: 2:00. Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St. E. 416-366- 7723. -; -(Dec. 27, prev.). You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown. Tribal Productions. Jan 18: 8:00. Markham Theatre, 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham. 905-305-7469. , . Yours to Break. Theatre Passe Muraille. By Fides Krucker. Mark Christmann, director. Jan. 5-29: 8:00 Tues Sat.; 2:30: Sun. 16 Ryerson Ave. 416-504- 7529. -. LISTINGS Jazz Clubs Plans change! Always call ahead to confirm details with presenters. Concerts: Toronto & nearby PAGE36 Concerts: Further Afield PAGE 58 Music Theatre/Opera PAGE61 Jazz Clubs PAGE 62 Announcements/Lectures Seminars/Etcetera PAGE64 1055 Restaurant and Bar 1055 Yonge St. 416-482-8485 Alleycatz 2409 Yonge St. 416-481 -6865 Every Mon Salsa Night. Every Tue Chris Plock. Every Wed Jasmin Bailey and Co. Every Thu Peppa Seed. Dec 9, 16, 17, 23, 31, Jan 13, 14, 27, 28, lady Kane. Dec 2, 3, 10 Soular. Dec 30, Jan 20, 21, Groove Matrix. Ben Wicks 424 Parliament 416-961-9425 www.benwickspub.com Dec 3 Colin Bradley Band. Dec 10 Georgia Ambrose. Dec 17 AmbreMclean. Black Swan 154 Danforth Avenue 416-469-0537 Boiler House 55 Mill St.416-203-2121 Cameron House 408 Queen St. 416-703-0811 C'est What 67 Front St. E. Every Sat until Dec 18 Hot 5 Jazzmakers. Chick N'Deli 744 Mount Pleasant Rd. 416-489-3363 www.chickndeli.com Dec 1 Bridgette Taylor. Dec 2,3 Nancy 8. Dec 8 The loo. Dec 9, 10 Oownstroke. Dec 15, 16, 17Ascension. Dec22,23 The Nomads. Gate 403 403 Roncesvalles 416-588-2930 www.gate403.com Dec 1 Patrice Barbarchon, Kurt Nielsen, Jonathan Kay, Nathan Hiltz and Denis Song Jazz Band. Dec 2 Kingsley Etienne Smooth Jazz. Dec 3 Ola Trliewicz Jazz Duo. Dec 4 Jim Finlayson Singers' Night Jam. Dec 8 George Higton Jazz Duo. Dec 9 John Oeehan Classic Jazz Trio. Dec 10JenSagarJazz Trio. Dec 11 Cocktai!Jazz Band. Dec 13 James Thomson & Julian Fauth Blues Ouo. Dec 15 Michael Gabriel Funk. Dec 16 laura HubertJazz and Blues Trio. Dec 17 Sweet Derrick Blues Band. Dec 18 Peter Hill Jazz Duo. Dec 22 Son Roberts Nu Blues Band. Dec 23 Wendy Weller Jazz Trio. Dec 27 James Thomson and Julian Fauth. Dec 29 Bill's Hat Blues Band. Dec 30 Mr. Rick and the Biscuits. Dec 31 New Year's Eve Party with Sum of 5ive. Graffitti's Bar and Grill 170 Baldwin St. 416-506-6699 Every Wed. 6-8 James and Jay. Grasshopper Jazz and Blues Bar 460 Parliament St. 416-323-1210 Grossman's Tavern 379 Spadina Ave. 416-977 · 7000 www.grossmanstavern.com Founded and lead by Kid Bastien until his death in early 2003, the Happy Pals are still rocking the house Saturdays 4-8 pm, or later. Dec 2 Espanola Slim. Dec 3 The Happy Pals, Frankie Foo. Dec 4 Nicola Vaughan, Brian Cober. Dec 5 laura Hubert Band. Dec 10 The Happy Pals. Dec 11 Nicola Vaughan, Happy Pals X-mas Bash. Dec 17 Dick Ellis Revival. Dec 18 Coldsweat. Dec 17 The Happy Pals. Dec 23 Nicola Vaughan, Brian Caber. Home Smith Bar The Old Mill, 21 Old Mill Road, 416-236-2641 www.oldmilltoronto.com Dec 2 Rob Campbell Trio. Dec 9 Reg Schwager duo. Dec 16 Doug Watson trio. Dec 23 Sean Bray Trio. Dec 30 Shawn Nykwist Trio. Dec 31 Peter Smith duo. Jan 6 Mike Murley Ouo. Hot House Cafe Market Square, 416-366-7800 Jazz brunch every Sunday, with the Ken Churchill Ouartet. Hugh's Room 2261 Dundas W., 416-531-6604 www.hughsroom.com Dec 1 John Jorgenson Ouintet. Dec 2 Ken Whiteley's Family Show/Gospel Matinee. Dec 7, 8 Jane Siberry. Dec 13 Maureen Kennedy and Bonnie Brett. Dec 14 Sophie Milman. Dec 16 Michael Kaeshammer. Dec 17 Marc Jordan. Dec 23 Carlos De/Junco. Jan 18 Oscar Lopez. Le Saint Tropez 315 King St. W. 416-591 -3600 Live music 7 days a week. Lula Lounge 1585 Dundas W. 416-588-0307 www.lula.ca Dec 1 Montuno Police. Dec 2 Cafe Cubano. Dec 3 Cache. Dec 9 Evaristo Machado. Dec 10 Cache. Dec 16 Ruben Vazquez. Dec 17 Proyecto Charanguero. Dec 23 Cafe Cubano. Dec 27 Cache. Dec 31 New Years Eve w/ Cafe Cubano. Mezzetta 681 St. Clair Ave. W. 416-658-5687 "Wednesday Concerts in a Cafe" Sets at 9 and 10: 15. Reservations recommended for first set. Mezzrows 1546 Queen St. W. 416-658-5687 Parkdale neighborhood pub featuring jazz and blues on Saturday afternoons, Sunday evenings, and a live jam every other Wednesday. Mod Club Theatre 722 College St. www.themodclub.com Dec 5 little Big Horn: a Tribute to the Trumpet. Jan 9 Strings Attatched: A Tribute to the Guitar. Jan 24 luis Mario Ochoa & 62 WWW. TH EWH O LENOTE. COM D ECE MB ER 1 2005 - fEBRUARY 7 2006
Cimmaron Cd Release. Jan 31 The Royal Jelly Orchestra CD Release. Montreal Bistro 65 Sherbourne. 416·363-0179 www.montrealbistro.com Dec 1-3 Dave Young Octet. Dec 5 Jim Galloway's Echoes of Swing Jall Sextet. Dec 6 Larra Skye Duintet. Dec 7 Michele Mele Sextet. Dec 8 Eliana Cuevas Duintet. Dec 9 John Neudorf Duintet. Dec 12 The Night of the Owl-A Tribute To Eugene Amaro. Dec 14 Nimmons 'N' Nine ... Now. Dec 15-17 Emilie Claire Barlow Sextet. Dec 27-31 Jim Galloway Trio. Jan 5· 7 Melissa Stylianou Duartet. Jan 12-14 Barry Elmes Duintet. Jan 17 Karen Manion. Jan 19-21 Ron Davis Ouintet. Jan 27, 28 Lori Cullen Duintet CD Release. N' Awl ins Jazz Bar and Dining 299 King St. W. 416-595-1958 Odd Socks at Dovercourt House 805 Dovercourt Rd. 416-537-3337 Swing Dances, Lessons and Concerts. Dec 2 Tyler Yarema Trio. Dec 3 GTA Swing Band. Dec 17 Laura Hubert Swing Band. Orbit Room 508A College St. 416-535-0613 Pilot Tavern 22 Cumberland 416-923-5716 Dec 3 George Koller Duartet. Dec 4 laila Biali Trio. Dec 10 Alex Dean Duartet. Dec 11 Richard Whiteman Trio. Dec 17 Norman Marshall Villeneuve. Dec 18 laila Biali Trio. Dec 24 Bernie Senensky Duartet. Dec 31 Bob Brough Duartet. The Red Guitar 603 Markham St.416·913-4586 www.theredguitar.com Dec 1, 2 Corry Sobol Duartet. Dec 3 Victor Bateman Trio, Midnight Student Jam Session. Dec 4 David Virelles. Dec 6 Micah Barnes. Dec 8 Brian Katz. Dec 9 Tasa. Dec 10 Latin Soul Duartet. Dec 11 Bernie Senensky. Dec 13 Dave Clarke. Dec 14 David Braid and Friends. Dec 15, 16 David Occhipinti/Mike Murley. Dec 17 Tricycle. Dec 18 Andy Milne. Dec 19 Lorne Nehring/David Braid! George Koller. Dec 20 Jake Rude. Dec 21 Julie Michels and George Koller. Dec 22 ,23 John Alcorn Trio. Closed for holidays Dec 24-27. Dec 28 Maureen Kennedy and Nancy Walker. Dec 29 Kira Callahan and Adrean Farrugia. Dec 30 Ron Davis and Daniela Nardi. Dec 31 Corry Sobol and Friends. The Reservoir Lounge 52 Wellington 416-955-0887 www.reservoirlounge.com Every Mon Sophia Perlman and the Vipers. Every Tues Tyler Yarema and his Rhythm. Every Wed Bradley and the Bouncers. Every Thu Janice Hagen. Every Fri Chet Valiant Combo. Every Sat Tory Cassis. Jazz pianist Michael Kaeshammer shakes things up at Hugh's Room on December 16. T Student Jazz Ensembles. Dec 6 The Deborahs, Classic Rex Jazz Jam. Dec 7 Chris Donnelly, Joe Shabbason. Dec 8 Kevin Duain, Richard Underhill Dec 9 Sara Dell Duartet, Artie Roth Duintet. Dec 10 Ed Vokurka Swing Ensemble, Davide Virelles, Hotfoot Orchestra. Dec 11 U ofT Jazz Jam, Club Django, Swing Rosie, E verytime Band. Dec 12 Michael Skeet Duartet, Drumheller. Dec 13 The Deborahs, Classic Rex Jazz Jam. Dec 14 Exitman, Toronto Jazz Orchestra. Dec 15 Kevin Duaiin, Chris Tarry's Project 33. Dec 16 Artie Roth Trio, Chris Tarry's Project 33. Dec 17 Ed Vokurka Swing Ensemble, Jerome Godboo Blues, Davide Virelles, Kelly Jefferson. Dec 18 UofT Jazz Jam, Blue Blue Xmas, Swing Rosie, Some Dim Combo. Dec 19 Michael Skeete Duartet, Ho Ho NoJo. Dec 20 The Deborahs, Classic Rex Jazz Jam. Dec 21 Exitman, Nathan Hiltz. Dec 22 Kevin Duain, Exitman. Dec 23 Artie Roth Trio, Dixie Demons CD Release. Dec 26 Michael Skeete Duarte(, Trouble. Dec 27 The Deborahs, Classic Rex Jazz Jam. Dec 28 Exitman, Leyland Gordon Group. Dec 29 Kevin Duain, Kiki Misumi Trio. Dec 30 Artie Roth Trio, Swing Rosie. Dec 31 Annual New Years Bash: Groove yard Rodizio Brazilian Steakhouse 813 Bloor St. W. 416-532-9312 Every Fri Michael Kleniec. Safari Bar and Grill 1749 Avenue Rd. 416-787-6584 Every Tues Encore Jazz Sassafraz 100 Cumberland 416-964·2222 Thu-Sun Washington Savage. Sat. Sun Roy Patterson Trio. Spezzo Ristorante 140 York Blvd. Richmond Hill, 905-886-9703 Live jazz every Thursday. LISTINGS: QUICKPICKS HANDEL'S MESSIAH December 02 8:00: Elmer lseler Singers. Handel's Messiah. Metropolitan United Church. December 1 O 8:00: Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra. Messiah: Hallelujah Chorus. Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute. December11 3:00: Mississauga Choral Society. Handel's Messiah. Living Arts Centre. December11 3:00: Serenata Choir. Handel's Messiah. Church of the Transfiguration. December11 7:30: Arcady. A Baroque Messiah. Toronto Botancial Gardens. December 13 7:30: St. James' Cathedral Choral Society. Part 1 of Handel's Messiah. December 13 8:00: Heritage Theatre. The Moscow Boys Choir: Excerpts from Handel's Messiah. December 14, 15, 16, 17 7:30: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. Handel's Messiah. Trinity-St.Paul's Centre. December 14, 15, 17, 19 8:00; Dec.18: 3:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra/Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Toronto 's Best Messiah. Roy Thomson Hall. December 17 8:00: Scarborough Philharmonic. Handel: choruses from Messiah. St. Boniface Church. December 18 2:00: Tafelmusik. Sing-Along Messiah. Massey Hall. December 19 7:30: Arcady. Handel's Messiah. St. Christopher's Anglican Church, Burlington. Further Afield: December 02 8:00: Symphony Hamilton. The Messiah. London. December 03 7:30: Arcady.A Baroque Messiah. Jordan. December 03 8:00: Melos Choral Ensemble. Handel: Messiah. Kingston. December 04 8:00: Symphony Hamilton. The Messiah. Hamilton. December 09 7:30: Fanshawe Chorus London. Handel's Messiah. London. December 1 O 7:00: Headwaters' Concert Choir. Handel's Messiah. Orangeville. December 10, 11 8:00: Elora Festival Singers. Handel's Messiah. Elora. December11 3:30: Gerald Fagan Singers. Handel's Messiah. London. December 12, 13 7:30: Peterborough Singers. Handel's Messiah. Peterborough. December 13 7:30: Arcady. A Baroque Messiah. Brantford. December 16 7:30: Arcady. A Baroque Messiah. Ancaster. December 16, 17 7:30: Kitchener Waterloo Philharmonic Choir. Handel's Messiah. Kitchener. December 17 8:00: Guelph Chamber Choir. Handel's Messiah. Guelph. December 20 7:30: Arcady. Handel's Messiah. Hamilton. MOZART'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION 0UICK-PICKS January 15 2:30: Aldeburgh Connection. Mozart among Friends. January 18 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Mozart: The Singing Voice. January 19 1 :30: Women's Musical Club of Toronto.Jupiter String Duartet. January 19: 8:00: Music Toronto. Tokyo String Duartet -Mozart Chamber Music 2. January 21,22 7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Mozart: The Symphonist. January 26 12:10: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Thursdays at Noon: The Lieder of Mozart. January 26 2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Mozart: Symphonies and Winds. January 26 8:00: Music Toronto. Shannon Mercer, Soprano. January 26 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Mozart: A Life in Letters. January 27 7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Faculty Artist Series: Marrying Mozart. January 27 8:00: Toronto International Chamber Music Festival. Opening Night Gala: A Fanfare for Mozart. January 27 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Mozart: A Life in letters. January 28 1 :30 & 3:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. The Mozart Experience. January 28 2:00: Toronto International Chamber Music Festival. A Day in Prague. January 28 3:30: Sinfonia Toronto. Happy Birthday, Wolfie. January 28 8:00: Toronto International Chamber Music Festival. A Night in Milan. January 29 1 :00: OnStage. Mozart. (Louis Lortie, piano) January 29 4:00: Toronto International Chamber Music Festival. An Evening of Vocal Splendour. February 03,04,07 8:00; February 05 3:30: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. Amadeo: Mozart in Italy. February 04 8:00: Sinfonia Toronto. Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. Further afield: January 14 8:00: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. Mozart & Beyond. Hamilton. The Rex Jazz and Blues Bar January 19 8:00: Kitchener Waterloo Symphony. lost & Found. Mozart: Oboe Concerto The Trane Club 194 Queen St. W. 416-598-2475 (James Mason, oboe) Guelph. 964 Bathurst St. 416-913-8197 www.therex.ca January 22 2:30: Niagara Symphony. Visions of Joy. Mozart: Symphony# 33 in B flat. Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe Dec 1 Kevin Duain, Sal Rosselli Sextet. Dec 2 St. Catharines. 6300 Fallsview Boulevard Niagara Falls Artie Roth Trio, Sal Rosselli Sextet. Dec 3 Ed January 27 8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society. Mozart's Birthday! 1-905-354-5000 Vokurka Swing Ensemble, Davide Virelles, Waterloo. Dec 1 Karen Manion William Carn Duintet. Dec 4 UofT Jazz Jam, February 01 8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society. Mozart's Birthday II. Excelsior Jazz Band, Swing Rosie, Duinsin Zazou Waterloo. • Nacho ff. Dec 5 Michael Skeete Duartet, U of 315 King St. W. Live jazz every Friday and Saturday. D EC EMBER 1 2005 · F EBR UARY 7 2006 WWW. TH EWHO LEN OTE.COM 63
"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!).
