Band on March 1, the Hogtown Syncopators on March 29,and ends in April with Lina Allemano and Friends. All concertsbegin at 6:30pm. It's Pay-What-You-Can (suggested ).The successful partnership between RCM Glenn GouldSchool is expected to continue in 2007 with a series ofclassical music performances by students. The concertsare included in Museum admission. Check the Museum'sweb site for information.Parallel to the Museum's exhibition Witched by Heaven,Tied to Earth, a number of evenings feature classical andfolkloric music from China. The Yip's Children's Choirperforms on Saturday November 18, 2006 at 2pm and theChinese Orchestra performs on Thursday. R!bruary 22,2007 at 6pm.327 Bloor St. West, Toronto ON M5S 1W7 Canadian Music Centre416-979-7799 x242programs@batashoemuseum.caBell'Arte SingersPlease join our community of singers for our 2006/07concert season. The season starts on Saturday December2, 2006 at Eglinton-St. George's United Church with "AHappy Birthday Mozart Bash" featuring Ian ~adler at !heorgan, soloists from within the choir and the choir presenti~gexcerpts from Mozart's great choral works. The specialfeature will be two world premiere Homages to Amadeusby ~en Bolden and Victor Mio, both composers within thechou.Jn the Spring, the Bell' Arte Singers join forces with theCantabile W>men's Choir directed by Mark Sirett to presenttwo "Musical Mosaic" concerts: the first on Saturday April14, 2007 in Kingston and the second Saturday May 5,2007 at Havergal College in Toronto.The Bell'Arte Singers will also be making guestappearances with the Oshawa Durham SymphonyOrchestra to perform Handel's Messiah on SundayDecember 17, 2006 and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony onSaturday April 21, 2007.Subscribe to our email newsletter, by phone or email, forconcert information and group rates.Dr. Lee Willingham, artistic director39 Osborne Avenue, Toronto ON M4E 3A8416-699-5879info@bellartesingers.comwwwbellartesingers.comCanadian Children's Opera ChorusA Toronto fixture for almost 40 years, the CCOC remainsone of the world's few permanent children's opera choruses.The CCOC commissions, produces, records and tours newoperas and choral music with children as both the principalperformers and main audie_nce. The chor~s r.egularlycollaborates with other leadmg arts orgamzat10ns andprominent individual performers, conductors anddirectors.The 2006-07 season features the return of last year'shighly successful world premiere of A Dickens of aChristmas by Errol Gay and Michael Patrick. Albano, thenew operatic adaptation of Dickens' A Chnstmas CarolBaritone Mark Pedrotti returns as Scrooge. School shows(groups only) November 30 and December 1 (lpm); PublicPerformances December 1 (7:30pm), December 2, 3 (2,7:30pm).The first official CCOC Open House will take place onMarch 3, and the season ends with concerts and stagedexcerpts on May 25 and 26. The chorus will also tour Irelandin the summer of 2007.Auditions for 2007 /08 take place throughout May andJune 2007. Application forms are available on the website.Ann Cooper Gay, artistic director227 front St. E Toronto ON M5A 1E8416-366-0467info@canadianchildrensopera.comwww.canadianchildrensopera.comThe CMC exists to stimulate the awareness, appreciationand performance of Canadian music by making the workof over 650 Associate Composers accessible through anarray of programs. At its core, the CMC houses a freelending,20,000 + piece collection, which it continues toexpand and digitize for preservation, dissemination andpromotional purposes.As Canada's primary resource for scores, parts,recordings, and information about Canadian composition,the CMC is an essential body in the cultural landscape. TheCMC maintains its own label, Centrediscs, and distributesmore than 1,000 CD and DVD titles featuring its AssociateComposers and other Canadian independent artists.Other services extend to on-demand score sales andrentals and customized repertoire consultation. The CMCalso leads several key projects, including the ProfessionalReadings Series and New Music in New Places. .The CMC is accessible online and has five reg10nalcentres (Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal andSackville). The website offers advanced features includingan online library catalogue with extended searchfunctionality. score and audio samples, award-winninginteractive educational tools, news, web-links, and concertcalendar.Elisabeth Bihl , executive director;Jason van Eyk, Ontario regional directorChalmers House, 20 St. Joseph St, Toronto ON M4Y 1J9416-961-6601ontario@musiccentre.ca www.musiccentre.caCanadian Music Competitions -Toronto ChapterFounded in 1958, the Canadian Music Competitions is anational non-profit organization dedicated to supportingand promoting Canadian classical music students.Competitions are held across Canada for candidates betweenthe ages of7 and 29 in more than IO instrument categories,including voice. . . . .Internationally recogmzed judges adjudicate eachcandidate's performance against the standards establishedby CMC and a mark of at_ least 80% _in .the first roundenables candidates to play m the provmc1al round and aminimum mark of 85% allows them to perform in thenational finals.Every two years, the International Stepping Stone (!SS)competitions are held for older, advanced stud~ntspreparing professional careers in music. CMC also proVJdesthese young students financial assistance throughscholarships and offers a wide range of performanceopportunities, includin~ !nternational e~posure.Many Canadian musmans oflnternational stature havebeen CMC or ISS finalists. Some of these are IsabelBayrakdarian, Naida Cole, Louis Lortie, Angela Hewitt,Scott & Lara St. John, and Liona Boyd. fur moreinformation do not hesitate to call us or visit our website.Lena Ouzounian, chapter president97 Larkfield Dr., Toronto ON M3B 2H6416-441-1335cmctoronto@sympatico.cawww.cmcontario.ca/to, www.cmcnational.com84 Wholenote MEMBER PROFILES 2006-2007Canadian SinfoniettaNow in its 8th season, the Canadian Sinfonietta is aprofessional chamber orchestra led by Music Director T~k Ng Lai. This season we present ~ve concerts, each fu~llingour mission of bringing the music back to th~ commu~tyfocusingon youth, cultural and new music educat10n aswell as reintroducing traditional chamber music in intimateconcert settings.Dec 9: Young Artists Celebrate Mozart, features two CMCwinners. R!b 24: Chinese New Year Concert- A Tribute toIillk Dances. Baritone Li Xiao Hu and traditional instrumentyang-qin player Anna Guo. Mar 31: CS Chamber PlayersWine and Cheese, includes young Canadian composerRobert Rival's Piano Trio; Schumann's Marchenbilder;Shostakovitch's Piano Quintet Op. 57.May 12: Cello Extravaganza, features a new Canadianwork by composer in residence Michael Pepa, perf~rmedby principal cellist of the Toronto Symphony, WmonaZelenka.Jun 2: Bach & Sons, since 1685, features the orchestra'sconcertmaster Joyce Lai and principal violist AleksandarGajic and orchestra in works by C.P.E., J.C., and JS. Bach.Tuk-Ng Lai, artistic director/conductor;Joyce Lai, concertmaster55 Proctor Ave., Thornhill ON L3T 1M6905-707-1200canadiansinfonietta@bellnet.cawwwcanadiansinfonietta.comCanadian SingersThe Canadian Singers is a group of eight experiencedvocalists brought together by Harvey Patterson in 1994 toperform a repertoire of all-Canadian music, ranging frompop to folk to serious choral works.The group has appeared at Roy Thomson Hall, RogersCentre, Hart House, Toronto Performing Arts Centre, andMarkham Theatre, with such artists as Mark DuBois,Natalie McMaster, Liona Boyd, Peter Appleyard and DaveBroadfoot.Recently the Singers appeared at the Markham VillageR!stival, the Music Mondays concert at the Church of theHoly Trinity and Sharon Temple, performing pieces bysuch composers as Horace Beard, Ralph Fraser, StephenHatfield and David Wcirrack. They haveconcerts upcomingat McMichael Gallery, Scarboroug Civic Centre,Montgomery's Inn, and Assembly Hall in Etobicoke, wherethey will present their revue Will the Real Canada PleaseStand Up?Check out their web site for future performances andactivities ofThe Canadian Singers.Harvey Patterson, music director20 Sunnylea Avenue West, Etobicoke ON MSY 2J7416-239-5821thecanadiansingers@ca.inter.netwwwthecanadiansingers.comCantores Celestes Women's ChoirAuditioned women's ensemble founded in 1989, presentinginteresting thematic programs with a variety of good musicranging from classical (von Bingen, Vivaldi, Rossini, Verdi)to Celtic, gospel and bluegrass.They sing to create musical excellence ~nd joy, and tomake a difference in the community, donatmg thousands
of dollars to various Toronto charities.The choir has produced four CDs, Bright Shining as theSun; Wassail~ Love's Pure Light, and The Circle NeverEnds- Tlie Joy of Bluegrass and Song (with Foggy HogtownBoys). A 5th CD is being planned. They have performedlive on CBC Radio, have been featured on a CBC video,three films for the History Channel, and participated inFestival 500 in St. John's.Upcoming concerts: Music for the Season of Peace: Musicby Vivaldi, Chilcott, World Premiere by Ramona Luengenand Middle European Christmas and Hanukkah Traditionswith Emperor String Quartet and the Klezmer group, Beyondthe Pale. A donation will be made to the charity The Red Door(Dec 2, 8pm); An African Celebration, Special Guests TBA(April 28, 8pm)Kelly Galbraith, director12 Gordon Park Dr., Toronto ON M9B 1J6and Orchestra. Future concerts also include The MysteryOf Christmas on December 10, The Phantom of the OperaSilent Movie and Dinner with Organist William O'Mearaon rebruary 10, Mary's Journey on Saturday March 24featuring Porpora's Magnificat, Pergolesi's Stabat Materand Eleanor Daley's Requiem. Our last program featuresFranz Liszt's Via Cruds, a meditation on the fourteenStations of the Cross.Centenary Church is an affirming congregation whohave chosen to make a public commitment to being a safeand positive family of faith which extends acceptance, offerssupport and seeks divine justice for all.Shawn Grenke, minister of music24 Main Street West, Hamilton ON L8P IH2905-522-6843centenarychurch@bellnet.cawww.centenaryunited.com416 - 236 - 1522 Cho1'rs Ontar1'0sing@cantorescelestes.comwww.cantorescelestes.comCathedral Bluffs SymphonyOrchestraCathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra presents its 22ndseason. CBSO is a Scarborough-based, 70-membercommunity orchestra. This season, in partnership withcommunity groups, CBSO presents seven enticing concerts.CBSO, note~ .for fa.cilitating perf~rming oppor.t~nities foryoung musmans, 1s now welcommg new musmans.This is a year of transition and renewal for the Orchestra.As part of the search for a new fermanent Conductor andMusic Director, the audience wil share in the excitement asCBSO welcomes a roster of superb guest conductors to itspodium.The Young Artists Concert, a free admission concertfeaturing four gifted young soloists, will be presented onSunday October 1, 2006 at 2pm at Scarborough Civic Centre.A five-concert subscription series will be presented atStephen Leacock Collegiate on Saturday evenings at 8pmon November 11, December 16, 2006, February 3, March3, and April 28, 2007.The Orchestra's ever-popular POPS Concert will wrapup the season on Friday May 25, 2007. Join the CBSO asthey turn over a new leaf.Peter van Gijn, assistant conductor; Ines Pagliari,concertmaster; Ian Clarke, president; Colleen O'Dwyer,orchestra managerPO Box 5107 4, 18 Eglinton Square, Scarborough ONMIL 2K2Box Office: 416-879-5566info@cathedralblulfs.comwww.cathedralbluffs.comCentenary MusicThe 30-member auditioned choir of Centenary UnitedChurch in Hamiltonsings weekly servicesand presents regularconcerts from Septemberto June. The choirhas collaborated withthe Hamilton PhilharmonicYouth Orchestraand the HamiltonPhilharmonic Orchestra.Our choralscholarship programestablished by the lateMr. James Morrowannually gives up to five students the opportunity to singwhile continuing their secondary or post-secondaryeducation.This year, we look for ward to the Premiere Canadianperformance ofKarlJenkin's Requiem with Massed ChoirThis association of lovers of choral music, known since1999 as Choirs Ontario, was founded in 1971 as the OntarioChoral rederation. Our mission: to strengthen choral musicand celebrate its power.Our vision: for Choirs Ontario to be your ultimate choralresource. Our organization aims to support the growth andraise the profile of Ontario choral music, strengthen thenetwork among choirs and choral musicians, and provideoutstanding service to our members.Benefits of membership include access to our extensivechoral library, reduced choir insurance rates, free concertlistings, and informative newsletters. We are currently inthe process of developing a Province-wide databaseconnecting the music libraries of choirs throughout Ontario.\e are also the parent organization of the Ontario YouthChoir, an annual summer programme which provides aunique opportunity for young singers from across Ontarioto work with some of Canada's outstanding choral leaders.For help with any choral inquiry, or for more infonnationon becoming a member, get in touch! Connect chorally.Make life sing!Melva 'lfeffmger Graham, president330 Walmer Rd, Toronto ON M5R 2Y4416-923-1144info@choirsontario.orgwww.choirsontario.orgChrist Church Deer ParkMusic plays a very important part at this busy Anglicanparish church. Christ Church is home to the only recentvintagetracker organ in a Toronto Anglican church, athree-manual instrument built by Karl Wilhelm in 1982.Bruce Kirkpatrick Hill, organist and director of music, hasbeen organist since 1997; Dermot Muir is assistant organist.The first-rate senior choir sings Sundays and other holydays, as well as concerts. There are two other beginnerchoirs, one for adults and one for children ages 7- 15+Christ Church runs a Lunchtime Chamber Music Serieson Thursdays in October- November and April- May. Thisis the eleventh season for these concerts, all of which beginat 12:30pm. Admission is by donation. An Organ RecitalSeries, which has featured organists from across Canada,takes place Sunday nights in Lent.With its Yonge Street location (at Heath, near the St. ClairITC station), fine acoustics, full modern facilities, flexiblestaging, and seating for 500, Christ Church is anincreasingly popular venue for outside concert presentersduring the year.Bruce Kirkpatrick Hill, organist/director of music1570 Yonge Street, Toronto ON M4T 1Z8416-920-5211www.christchurchdeerpark.orgChurch of St Mary Magdalene ChoirsDr. Healey Willan (1880-1968) started the Gallery andRitual Choirs of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in 1921as part of the Anglo-Catholic liturgical revival. At the weeklyWholenote MEMBERS' PROFILES 2006-2007 8511am solemn mass, the Gallery Choir sings a polyphonicMissa Brevis and motet (all a cappella), while the RitualChoir sings the minor propers in Gregorian chant. Thechoirs also sing at special weekday services, monthlyEvensong and Benediction, and at concerts.The repertoire of the Gallery Choir consists of liturgicalchoral music primarily of the Renaissance and 20thcentury, with a significant focus on the music of HealeyWillan. One of Canada's greatest composers, Willan wasorganist and choir director at SMM for over 46 years.Willan's music and performance style have made this venuea significant influence throughout the AnglicanCommunion. Visitors are regularly welcomed from aroundthe world.New members are always welcome to join the choirs byaudition. Please contact the director. Practices are onThursday evenings and before the services.Dr. Kevin Komisaruk, director of music477 Manning Avenue, Toronto ON M6G 2V8416-531- 7955kevin.komisaruk@stmarymagdalene.cawww.stmarymagdalene.caChurch of the Holy TrinityThe Church of the Holy 'lfinity is one of the oldest churchesin Toronto (1847) and boasts a magnificent acoustical spaceand two fine concert instruments (piano and organ). Musicfor the active and activist congregation is led on Sundaymornings by Becca Whitla. Each December the churchproduces The Christmas Story, a magical family event (free,but tickets must be reserved in November at 416-598-8979.From May to September, the church presents MusicMondays, a culturally diverse noon-time series of weeklyconcerts that reflect the variety of traditions alive inToronto's many communities.Holy 'lfinity also hosts the Toronto Early Music Centre(416-966-1409) which will be holding concerts one Sundayeach month from 2:30-3:30pm Qanuary-June). HolyTrinity welcomes other musical and artistic events andalso meetings or events that focus on social justice issues.10 Trinity Square, Toronto ON M5G IBl416-598-4521www.holytrinitytoronto.orgCity of Toronto Historic MuseumsAll year long enjoy a wide variety of musical experiencesat the City ofToronto Historic Museums, located throughoutthe city. There's always great entertainment atMontgomery's Inn's Fall Corn Roast and don't miss theEarly Music Fair there in September. It's a wonderfulopportunity to listen to the music and view the instrumentsof years past.The holiday season abounds with musical pleasures.Don't miss the Christmas concerts at Montgomery's Inn.Tuke part in Scottish New Year traditions at both MackenzieHouse, where traditional group Gin Lane will perform, andvisit Gibson House, whose Hogmanay celebrations will beenlivened by popular musician Ian Bell.Try English country dancing at Historic Fort York atboth Dance & Dance-ability (September) and QueenCharlotte's Birthday Ball Qanuary). In the spring, SpadinaMuseum's Music in the Orchard, Sunday afternoons inJune, offers a different traditional group each week.416-338-0628; Events Hotline: 416-338-3888www.toronto.ca/museumsCivic Light Opera CompanyFounded in 1979, our much-herafded musical theatrecompany makes its home at the Fairview Library Theatrein Toronto, offering unique, professional entertainment ataffordable prices. Each season we offer four productions.Our 100 + shows range from the well-loved Broadwayclassics to revues and concert stagings to more obscureshows also deserving of attention, recent examples beingthe February 2006 Canadian premiere of Titanic: Tlie
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!).
