World Viewby Karen AgesIn even greater abundance than er works. This is a fundraiser inlast month, there seems to be an support of The Red Door Shelter,overwhelming number of concerts which provides emergency housfeaturingCeltic music this time ing for those fleeing domestic vioaround,with more than a couple lence, and for the homeless.titled "A Celtic Christmas" (I'll Another Toronto women's choir,save the Celtic summary till the end Echo, presents a varied programof the column!).called Winter Love Songs on DecI'd like to open however with an- 10, featuring tunes from Italy, Israothersuggestion to kick off the hol- el, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine,iday season , and since the event is Korea, Venezuela, the British Islesearly in the month, it seems appro- & the US, sung in the original lanpriate.The Acoustic Harvest Folk guages. The program also includesClub presents A Christmas in Peru a work by Bob Rae (yes, the Bobwith Rukanas, December 2 at St. Rae), and a world premiere by singNicholas Anglican Church. The five er/songwriter Ken Whiteley.members of this Toronto based en- There are also a number of consembleare all related to each other certs of Jewish music (or Jewishand originally come from Peru, themes) this month: earlier on Decwhere they all performed with vari- 10 Toronto's all-female Yiddishous South American music ensem- swlng band Sisters of Sheynvillebles there. Here, they perform on performs at the Rex on Queen St.traditional instruments the music of Their repertoire ranges from "vintheQuechua people of the Andes tage Yiddish swing" to klezmer,mountains, and are dedicated to pre- jazz, improv and their own mateservingAndean culture by bring- rial. Band members are Lenka Liingtheir music to Canadian audi- chtenberg and Isabel Fryszbergences. "We think our art is of great (vocals), Fern Lindzon (piano,value, giving credit and respect to vocals), Lorie Wolf (drums), Kinourancestors. Rukanas is the con- neret Sagee (clarinet) and Racheltinuation of the work of many great Melas (bass). They'll be releasingmusicians from Peru."their first CD this February!Also on Dec 2, Cantores Ce- Dec 12, the Three Tenors fromlestes Women's Choir and Beyond the Holy Land perform at Beth TzethePale (Klezmer/jazz band) present dee Synagogue. All Russian emigres,Music for the Season of Peace, fea- the three highly accomplished operatu ring Eastern European Christmas stars have been taking Israeli and EuandHanukkah traditions, among oth- ropean audiences by storm. Yevge-ni Shapovalov, FelixLivshitz and VladislavGoray will be joined bypianist Igor Naymarkin a program of oper -atic favourites , Hebrew,Yiddish andRussian songs as wellas Gershwin and otherAmerican showtunes. A portion of theproceeds will go to theUnited Jewish Appeal'sIsrael EmergencyCampaign 2007.,~:..~·"\i~:f :~-~.-- ;.c... "'LY.'...,Dec 23, the Koffler School of Musicpresents Israeli folk/rock starDavid Broza at the Leah PoslunsTheatre. And on January 18 & 19,Toronto's Art of Time Ensemblepresents A Lid Un A Tfile (A Songand A Prayer): An Evening of JewishMusic, featuring Yiddish songs,John Zorn's Kol Nidre for stringquartet, Prokofiev's Overture onHebrew Themes and Osvaldo Golijov'sTenebrae. A film by Jarek Obsadnyaccompanies the instrumentalmusic. Performers include pianistsAndrew Burashko and MarilynLerner, singers David Wall andMonica Whicher, and a host of otherwell known musicians.And while we're on the subjectof Jewish music, the Milken Archivehas just released the last twoCDs of its 50-CD collection ofAmerican Jewish Music, on theNaxos label. In addition, all 50 CDswill be available as a boxed set (catalogueNo. NMIL51), available atall retail outlets. For more information,visit www.milkenarchive.org.On Dec 17, Arabic vocalistMaryem Tollar will premiere a newwork by Canadian composer ChristosHatzis, at the Isabel Bader Theatre.Mystical Visitations, a surround-sound,electro-acoustic workwas composed specifically for Tollar'svoice. It includes texts by Hatzis,and a Sufi devotional song rearrangedfrom his work Constantinople.The other half of the programwill feature traditional Arabic folksongs,songs from Tollar's CDBook of Life, and Ernie Tollar's compositionWorld Wasta. Maryem andErnie will be joined by other familiarfaces including Jayne Brownand Sophia Grigoriadis (vocals),Hugh Marsh and Kathleen Kajioka(violins), Rich Brown (bass),Nicolas Hernandez (flamenco guitar),and, Mark Duggan and RickLazar (percussion).The Canadian Opera Company hasbeen enjoying its new venue atQueen and University since the fall,and has also encouraged the publicl .~~~~ "·;.;· Ho.:-..=,.,; ""_"""'",.,Sisters of Sheynville, L-R: Fem Lindzon, LenkaLichtenberg, Isabel Fryszberg, Lorie Wolf,Kinneret Sagee, Rachel Melas.to enter its doors free of charge witha noon hour and early evening concertseries in the Richard BradshawAmphitheatre. These include anumber of world music events, andthose coming up are as follows: Dec28 (presented by the National Ballet)The Ancient An of Kathak (Indiandance) with Rina Singha; January9: Brazilian Samba, withAlan Heatherington; Jan 10:George Gao, Chinese erhu, with ViaSalzburg Chamber Orchestra; andJan 11 : OnannoKo Taiko drummingensemble. George Gao also performswith Via Salzburg on their Jan 11 &12 concerts at Glenn Gould Studio,and February 5 at the SandersonCentre in Brantford.One last thing before the promisedCeltic list - a Chinese NewYear "spectacular" event sponsoredby New Tang Dynasty TV will beheld at the Toronto Centre for theArts, Jan 19 & 20. If it's anythinglike other events of this type, it willbe a feast for both eyes and ears!So here's the Celtic summary inbrief. Please check the daily listingsfor details on all of the following,(as well as the above). Celtic Christmas(Scottish Dance Co., RobCrabtree, Gerry Dee) Dec 3 SandersonCentre (Brantford), Dec 13 WinterGarden Theatre; Scott Woods,fiddle, Dec 7 Bellville; NatalieMacMaster, Dec 8 Barrie, Dec 14Guelph, Dec 16 Markham Theatre,Dec 18 Oakville; Mississauga Children'sChoir "A Celtic Christmas",Dec 9; Penthelia Singers "CelticSolstice", Dec 10; Montgomery'sInn "Celtic Christmas", Dec 15; TheBarra MacNeils Dec 9 Guelph, Dec10 Owen Sound, Dec 11 Orillia, Dec12 Lindsay, Dec 14 Port Hope, Dec15 Peterborough, Dec 17 Belleville,Jan 25 Hugh's Room (Toronto);Lord of the Dance, Jan 4 and 5,Hummingbird Centre; Scots, WhaHae, CBC OnStage, Jan 20 GlennGould Studio; The Tartan Terrors ,Jan 27 Rose Theatre, Brampton.Have a great holiday, and see youin February.20D ECEMBER 1 2006 - F EBRUARY 7 2007
SOME THING Newby Jason van EykDecember usually sees Toronto'sregular collection of new music presenterstake a well-deserved holidaybreak. However, this brief hiatus isnot totally voluntary. Rather, it ispartially enforced by the availablepool of Toronto's professional musicians,who are locked up in a rashof holiday gigs - that glut of Messiahsand Nutcrackers that overrun thecalendar. For the more adventurousconcertgoer, though, this isless of a bother than it is a smallgift. It allows for a broader viewof Toronto's new music activity,which is richer and more variedthan one might think. Moreover,this particular scene clears the stagefor the city's emerging talent, givingthem a true chance to shine.First case in point: the Universityof Toronto's Faculty of Musicpresents a free afternoon concert Dec2 in Walter Hall, featuring a seriesof works for solo performers andlive electronics. Pieces by wellknowncomposers John Cage andJonathan Harvey will be juxtaposedagainst new student works. Seewww.music.utoronto.ca or phone at416-978-3744.The Canadian Opera CompanyEnsemble Studio offers its first performancesof the season in two oneactoperas - The Bear and Swoon.The first work, written by underappreciated20th-century British composerWilliam Walton, draws onIChekhov's early vaudeville of thesame title. The second marks a worldpremiere from Toronto-based composerJames Rolfe and playwrightAnna Chatterton, which seeks toupdate the sexual stakes of Mozart'sMarriage of Figaro and Cosi fantutte. Both tackle the perennial 'battleof the sexes', an enduring themeof great opera. Performances run Dec6 to 10 at the Imperial Oil OperaTheatre. For info and tickets visitwww.coc.ca or call 416-363-8231.Following on the COC Ensemble'sheels, the Royal Conservatory'sNew Music Ensemble also offersits first concerts of the seasonthis month. The ensemble, comprisedof young talent from theGlenn Gould Professional School,will tackle a range of contemporarymusic on December 7th at the brandnew Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatreand again on December 8th atthe RCM Concert Hall. The programme,developed by guest conductorBrian Current, demonstratesthe range of international developmentsin contemporary music inworks by Canadian composers AnaSokolovic and Claude Vivier, Swedishcomposer Andres Hillborg, andin classics from Anton Webern andWitold Lutoslawski. Both concertsare free admission. For more infovisit www.rcmusic.ca.But this is not to say that newmusicmakers have abandoned holi-Sat. January 13, 2007 I11111111111 .. lilm~M Isabel Bader Theatre Ian euening of electroacoustic magicGuest Composers: Robert NormandeauGilles Gobeil I John Oliver I Ann SouthamProgramme:Gyorgy Ligeti (Hungary/Germany, 1923-2006) - Artikulation (1958)Ann Southam (Canada, 1937) - • Fluke Sound (1989)Gilles Gobeil (Canada, 1954) - + ombres, espaces, silences (2005)Gyorgy Ligeti - Glissandi (1957)John Oliver (Canada, 1959)- • Ny/ong Symphony (excerpt, 2005)Robert Normandeau (Canada, 1955) - • Palimpseste (2006)• Canadian workIsabel Bader Theatre 1140 Charles St. W.Introduction 7:15 I Concert 8:00 I Box Office 416 961-9594new music Concerts • Robert Hitken, artistic directorwww.newmusicConcerts.comscS'CANItor ont oa rt sbou n ciday cheer. To the contrary, thereis a range of December concertsthat include many new contributionsto the seasonal celebrations.Dec 16, the Amadeus Choir welcomesthe Bach Children's Chorusfor a Season of Joy. The concert willinclude Gloria Tibi Domini fromprolific Canadian composer BarrieCabena and a series of brand newworks from the winners of the annualChristmas Carol and ChanukahSong Writing Competition. For moreinfo visit www.amadeuschoir.com.For tickets call 416-446-0188.The very next day, Dec 17, theTokai String Quartet and actor AlonNashman present Canadian composerPatrick Cardy's setting of TheSnow Queen. Adapted from theHans Christian Andersen fable,Cardy's version has been describedas "charming and lyrical". Formore information see our coverstory on page 8. And get ticketsby calling 416-222-6608.Extending the holiday cheer, TheHannaford Street Silver Band bandstogether with the Canadian Children'sOpera Chorus, the Canadian YouthOpera Chorus, organist MichaelBloss, and conductor Richard Bradshawon December 18th to celebrateThe Majesty of Christmas. The programmeshowcases an abundance ofCurrent conductor(Brian Current that is)of RCM New Music Ensemble.new holiday music, including theworld premiere of Kingston-basedcomposer John Surge's 0 Come,0 Come Emmanuel, Donald Patriquin'sMagnificat, Eleanor Daley's0 Holy Spirit and a segment fromBurge's award-winning work Angels'Voices. Visit the St. LawrenceCentre box office at www.stlc.comor call 416-366-7723.But if you want to give a gift backto new music this holiday season,be sure to mark Dec 10 on your calendarfor the Music Gallery's holidayfundraiser. As Co-Artistic DirectorJonathan Bunce describes it"The Music Gallery has decided todo something a little different [thisCONTINUES NEXT PAGEc, MusicGalleryl oronto's Cent re for Creative MusicSunday Dec. 1 O, 2006"COMPOSE YOURSELF!"A Fund raiser for The Music Gallery8pm • from www.artsboxoffice.caToronto improvisers perform music by outstanding artists from non-musicdisciplines! Featuring guest composers: Julia Aplin, Keith Cole, Atom Egoyan,Sheila Heti, Mark Kingwell, Roger D. Moore, Darren O'Donnell, VeronicaTennant, Michael Trent, Moses ZnaimerAll-star band: Andrew Downing (double bass), Scott Good (trombone),Geordie Haley (guitar), Kathleen Kajioka (violin), Tilman Lewis (cello), JeanMartin (drums), Sandro Perri (electronics), Casey Sokol (piano)SundayJan.21,2007"BEYOND MOZART"GALLERY PLAYERS & BEYOND THE PALETwo takes on Mozart, by two chamber groups8pm • regular/ member+ senior/ student+underwagedThe Gallery Players: Julie Baumgartel (violin), James Mason (oboe), PatrickJordan (viola) a nd Margaret Gay (cello) perform works by by James Rolfe,Michael Oesterle and Peter Hatch, based loosely upon Mozart's Oboe Quartet.Beyond the Pale: Toronto sextet combines Klezme r and Easte rn Europeanfoll< re pertoire with a rra ngements of some of Mozart's wo rks.THE MUSIC GALLERY• 197 JOHN ST. • 416-204-1080 • WWW.MUSICGALLERV.ORGA1tP, {im ,id;i Council Con~cil des IVtsC~ for 1hc A r t ~ du Can~d,lfltt' SOC/\:'\' Fousrdathiiit' ·1( • . 01,:,· l lu · \'1· 1'.I~orontcarts :; ouncilD ECE MBER 1 2006 - FEB RUARY 7 2007 WWW.THEWHO lENOTE.COM 21
