Disney musical The Happiest Millionaire.For Cascone, the objective is to present a quality musical theatreexperience for those who can't afford anything on a 'Broadway'level, one where people "don't have to pay 0 for a show thatdisappoints them", as he puts it. At the time of writing, he is deepinto a short but intensive four-week rehearsal period for The Fantasticks,working until 11 pm four nights a week in addition to theweekends. It's typical of the level of commitment found in communitytheatre, and of the sense of pride in the end result.Performing at the intimate Fairview Library Theatre, CLOC issmaller than most of the other groups in the Toronto area, and consequentlyoften has the feel of a repertory company; indeed, Casconehas recently been toying with the idea of removing Light Opera fromthe company's name and replacing it with something that more accuratelyreflects the present nature of the company. It is also unique inthat there is no Board of Directors or Executive Committee runningthe group, just Cascone, who designs and directs each show as wellas frequently performing on stage or playing piano. This may soundlike a one-man band, but it is one that consistently gets things doneand delivers the goods; it is also much closer to the set-up in professionaltheatre. Nor does it mean that it is a one-man effort - far fromit. A major part of the CLOC's continued artistic growth over thepast few years has been the assembly of a top-class support team.Every critical function - ticket sales, front-of-house, set constructionand painting, costumes, stage management, props - is now handledby an experienced individual on an ongoing basis, giving the group asolid foundation on which to build each new production.Even so, there is always room for new people, as there is in allthe community groups across the city - and not just on stage. Auditionprocedures vary from company to company, but communitytheatre can be a wonderful introduction to the musical stage foryoung children as well as enabling professional performers to takeon roles they are probably not going to get the chance to play anywhereelse. Cascone says that CLOC receives e-mails and phonecalls throughout the year from people wishing to audition, althoughvery few actually make it to the stage with such a small company.Behind the scenes and back-stage, however, there are plenty of opportunitiesfor volunteers with all the community groups, in areassuch as publicity and front-of-house in addition to the usual showrelatedfunctions.Above all, there is the thrill of participating and contributing, ofsharing the enthusiasm and of seeing the efforts of a group of highly-talentedand dedicated people combine to produce a top-levelshow. Cascone loves to tell the story of an experienced musicianwho played for one of his shows: "He told us that the only way hecould tell it was not a professional company", he says, "was that thepeople were too nice."And the tickets are really cheap, too!Terry Robbins regularly contributes to WholeNote 's record reviews. A violinist,he plays regularly in community orchestras and for several communitytheatre groups, including CLOC.Several GTA groups have shows running in November, so if you're interestedin seeing what the standard is like then there's plenty of opportunity;here's a list of what's on. Ticket prices are normally in the - range;for more information on how to get them visit the individual company websites,which will usually list information on auditions and volunteer opportunitiesas wel I.Curtain Call Players (www.curtaincallplayers.com) present Andrew LloydWebber's Cats at Fairview Library Theatre, October 30 - November 8.Etobicoke Musical Productions (www.e-m-p.net) presents Anne of GreenGables at Burnhamthorpe Auditorium, November 14-29.Scarborough Music Theatre (www.theatrescarborough.com/SMT _ home.html) presents Gypsy at Scarborough Village Theatre, lateOctober - November 8.Clarkson Music Theatre (www .clarksonmusictheatre.com) presents StephenSondheim's Sweeney Todd at Meadowvale Theatre, November 21-29.Brampton Music Theatre (www.bramptonmusictheatre.com) presents PeterPan at the Rose Theatre, Brampton, November 12-15.BEAT BY BEATIn with the Newby Richard MarsellaSun Ra' s ArkestraFrom X-Avant! ... to Somewhere ThereThis Fall, the spirit of the great jazz composer Sun Ra will fall uponthe City of Toronto. In Sun Ra, so many practising musicians,composers, music lovers and star gazers come together. Sun Ra'smusic is representative of the underdog, as his approach was neverthat of the beaten path, fearlessly exploring new musical genres,technologies, and spirituality.On Saturday October 4th, the City of Toronto will burst with newideas, in an all-night carnival of arts and culture - Scotiabank's 3rdannual Nuit Blanche, The complete lineup is readily available online,but in keeping with the underdog theme of this month's column,I'd like to shed light on some of the lesser-known events.University of Toronto's Faculty of Music will present Deja,Presque, Jamais: three views of creative sound. This all-night productionwill feature scheduled events and installations in Walter Halland the adjacent lobby that combine live performance, electronics,multi-channel audio diffusion, spoken word and visual media representinga wide range of genres including improvisation, jazz, opera,and contemporary composition.And as part of the 7th Annual SOUNDplay Festival, New Adventuresin Sound Art present a world premiere by David McCallumand Erik Martinson. Their interactive video and audio installation"Sign Me a Space" explores the music of Toronto's public spaces.You can find this engaging installation running all night long duringNuit Blanche at Gallery 1313 on Queen Street.Later in October, from the 2lst to the 26th the Music Gallery unleashesits third X-Avant Festival, this year entitled Space is thePlace, as an homage to Sun Ra. Music Gallery artistic directorJonathan Bunce explains the festival's theme: "I chose Sun Ra as atouchstone for the festival, because he is a true visionary artist, passionatelydedicated to his cause, both musical and political. He envisionedthe 'infinite possibilities' of music, both in terms of takingthe listener to new sound worlds, and also as a positive force forchange in our world. His notion of 'Space is the Place' - as thedesire to escape the limits of our world and find true freedom inouter space - is something that I can really relate to. Who hasn'twanted to say they're from Saturn at one point in their life? Sun Ratook these fanciful notions that others would consider 'silly' andbased his life around them. Now that's commitment".Fittingly, the X Avant Festival opens October 21 with a performanceby Sun Ra's very own Arkestra under the direction of MarshallAllen. The gala festival launch will take place at the Palais Royale, andfeatures the dancers of Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie accompanied bySun Ra's Arkestra in a production entitled "Hymn to the Universe".Also part of X-Avant's amazing Space is the Place program(www.musicgallery.org for the complete lineup), the Music Gallerywill present a night in dedication to the pioneering German composerKarlheinz Stockhausen on October 26th. The night will be highlightedby a performance of Stockhausen's Kontakte for piano, percussionand electronics performed by American pianist Stephen Drury,saxophonist Wallace Halladay, and percussionist Aiyun Huang.10 WWW. THEWHOLENOTE.COM OCTOBER 1 - NOVEMBER 7 2008
Moving on, on November lst, New Music Concerts tip their hat tothe next generation of composers in a presentation of Generation2008 at the Music Gallery. This exciting lineup of four young composersfeatures world premieres by Scott Good, Michael Berger,Fuhong Shi, and Brian Harman. This concert is the kick-off for atour by !'Ensemble contemporain de Montreal, led by VeroniqueLacroix. It's also the kick-off to a very busy month for New MusicConcerts. More about that later.I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with with Scott Thomson,trombonist/composer and the radical curator of SomewhereThere, a truly special place in Toronto, located in Parkdale at 340Dufferin Street. At Somewhere There, music is always deliberatelyplaced in the foreground, and love, beer, politics, self-image, snobbery,idle chit chat, and any other social convention spawned fromthe concert hall are merely swept aside. The venue celebrated its oneyear anniversary on Sunday September 14th with its 200th show!For me, Somewhere There is anational treasure, something thatshould be cherished as the antithesisto big box cultural development.I have always been astaunch supporter of alternativearts spaces, and SomewhereThere is a space that sheds lighton the music that exists in theshadows. Somewhere There,named after a Sun Ra tune, is theperfect space to accentuate thatkind of music, as it's not tooglamorous; there's no marble, noushers, no fancy lighting. Whatyou'll find are a few sofas Scottpulled out of the dump, someScott Thomsonplastic chairs, a Sears lamp, anda true sense of history being made. I hope this space can one daycelebrate its 50th anniversary, and if the ratio of 200 shows per yearstands ... we'd be looking at a total of 10,000 shows!!! I'd say this isthe place where true art ferments.Happy one year anniversary to Scott Thomson and SomewhereThere. Here are excerpts from our conversation:Richard Marsella: Why did you start ST?Scott Thomson: There are literally hundreds of dedicated musiciansin Toronto with few viable options for the performance of their music.Since I am one of them, the space is for us, as well as for interestedlisteners. A galaxy of 350 different artists from numerousscenes, styles, and backgrounds have performed at ST - the majorityprizes an environment with fine acoustics where playing and listeningare primary. Another priority is the way the space fosters whatI call "informal music" ; while many performance conventions remainin place which allow the musicians the formal context in which toperform, many of the details of the music at ST get sorted out duringperformance, often through improvisation though not necessarily so.I like all kinds of music, but informal music (no matter the genre)tends to have the stuff I like most: risk, play, inquiry, and at best asense of discovery that is shared by players and listeners alike. Informalmusic rarely makes a lot of money, hence the dearth of venuesfor it. ST is my positive response to this unfortunate situation.RM: What were some highlights for you over the year you've beenpresenting concerts?ST: There were many discrete, surprising, and transcendental musicalmoments that, in their ephemeral nature, don't lend themselves toinclusion on a highlight list. That said, the opening of Jeff Schlanger's"musicWitness" art exhibition in the ST gallery space and WilliamParker's related solo concerts in July are unequivocal highlights.I liked especially how a neighbourhood cat (whom I'd named"Lee Konitz") found his way in and lay peacefully at William's feetas he played. Jeff's artwork is still on display and it's beautiful -people should come to see it! John Oswald's "Pitch" concert inMay, where performers and audiences were in total darkness, wasGREAT CHAMBER MUSIC DOWNTOWNBRENTANO STRING QUARTETtorontdartsbou n c il"'~""""slo,,9thbody of 1hoC;1yot rc,.,,,,o~ID~N~www. mu sic-toronto. co mone of America's finest,brainiest young quartetsThe New Yorker, May 08Haydn, Mozart,MendelssohnThursday Oct. 16at 8 pmALEXANDRETHARAUDA boyish and preppy 40-year-o Id, Tharaud makeshis Toronto debut with aprogramme of Rameauand ChopinTuesday Oct. 21at8 pmAn ensemble so goodthat it must lead hundredsof lesser quartets to thebrink of despairThe Ottawa Citizen,summer08Mozart, Kurtag, SchubertThursday Oct. 30at8pmTHE GRYPHON TRIOatToronto's beloved!Haydn, Heather Schmidt,MendelssohnThursday Nov. 6at8pmJane Mallett TheatreSt. LAWRENCE CENTRE ~~r, ARTS416-366-7723 • 1-800-708-6754order online at www.stlc.comO CTO BER 1 - NOVEMBER 7 2008 WWW. THEWHOLENOTE.COM 11
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!).
