MUSICAL LIFE:WE ARE All
MUSICAL LIFE:WE ARE All Music's CHILDRENDECEMBER's CHILDDenise DjokicHalifax-born cellist Denise Djokic has appearedwith orchestras across the continent.As a recitalist, she peiforms with her longtimemusical partner, pianist David Jalbert.They also tour with Piano Plus, an organizationwhich brings live peiformances to ruralcommunities across Canada. Denise 's love ofchamber music brings her to many festivals .A BRA VO! TV documentary entitled "SevenDays, Seven Nights " follows Denise througha week-long recital tour.Denise 's self-titled debut recording ( SonyClassical) received a 2002 East Coast MusicAward. Her next recording, "Folklore",(Allegro!Endeavor) received a JUNO nominationas well as an ECMA, and hit the BillboardChart's top 15 Classical CD's. "Folklore" was also featured on NPR 's "AllThings Considered".Denise has been speaker at JdeaCity inToronto and keynote speaker at the Queen'sWomen In Leadership Conference. She wasnamed by MacLean 's Magazine as one of thetop "25 Canadians who are Changing ourWorld", and by EUE Magazine as one of"Canada's Most Poweiful Women".Earliest musical memory?I was lucky to be born into a musical family;my mother and father play piano and violin.In fact, I probably heard them rehearsingbefore I was even born! There was alwaysmusic in our house .. my younger brother is aviolinist, and I have an uncle and aunt whoare both cellists.At the time the photograph was taken?Hearing music around me was very natural.My parents tell me that I liked to dance tomusic when I was little. (I still do!) Laterin my childhood, I sat next to my brother informal concerts. We had to behave quietlyduring the concerts, but we would alwaysfind ourselves trying not to laugh! It took awhile for us to get used to this, because music-makingwas more casual at home.First experiences of making music?My parents say that I liked singing fragmentsof tunes, or finishing tunes that were leftunfinished. I had a toy xylophone that Iloved. At 4 I started violin, and played with aSuzuki group - my first experience making48Left: Mom ... where's the endpin on thisthing? Right: Hmmm, this one doesn't seemto have an endpin either! ("Dodger" frontright, belongs to Dan McDonough - cellistof the Jupiter Quartet)music with others. I remember feeling a bitoverwhelmed, being in the same room withso many other musicians! I studied piano fora while too. But at 9 when I started playingthe cello I knew it was my voice.My first cello was a little cello that myuncle used when he first started. I think it' sstill sitting in my grandparents' closet, waitingfor the next generation. I moved on to afull size cello that belonged to my uncle. Ifeel very fortunate to have had such niceinstruments to play when I was beginning.The point at which you began to think ofyourself as a musician?For sure that feeling was always there. Surroundedby musicians all the time, I thoughtof myself as part of a big family. Being amusician never seemed like a profession tome, but rather a way of life.Did you ever think you would do anythingelse?I've always really loved animals, and thoughtabout work with animals.I was also fascinatedwith genetics, and was a competitiveswimmer. While I never considered pursuingany of those things as seriously as the cello -the cello was really my calling - all of thosethings remain very close to me as interests.If you could travel back through time andmeet face to face with the young person inthat childhood photo (or maybe just a littleolder), is there anything you would like tosay to her?I might have told her to stick with the violinso that I wouldn' t have to pay for an extraseat every time I travel with my cello! MaybeI would have told myself to be more patient,or to not be so serious, because I usedto get frustrated very easily if I couldn't tacklesomething right away.More Blue Pages Contest Winners!Remember the contest in the October issue?We announced our two early-bird prize winners in the November issue, and gave anofficial deadline of November lOth for entries.Here's an update!Myrna Foley was the third reader to correctly identify all eleven photos. She and a guestwill enjoy a pair of tickets to the Canadian Opera Company's production of Beethoven' sFidelio , on Tuesday February 24 2009 (7:30pm).Of the remaining entries, we drew four from among those who correctly identified 10out of 11 photos. We ' ll be contacting them and announcing their prizes in the Marchissue.WWW. THEWHOLE NOTE.COMFEBRUARY's Child ...Photo: circa 1958, near Belleville Ontario.Don 't be fooled by the Grand Salon gravitas!This young man would later be knownas "extroverted": Toronto-based with a life ininternational touring.Mother says it's all about how you conductyourself. If I'm really good maybe she'll letme drive! Hmm ... Montreal ... Vienna... Prague ...Think you know who FEBRUARY's child is?Send your best guess to musicschildren@thewholenote.com (Be sure to send us yourmailing address, just in case your name isdrawn!)Winners will be selected by random drawamong correct replies received by February15, 2009.!!Tickets & Recordings!!CONGRATULATIONS TO OURWINNERSPhoebe Cleverly and Shirley MacDougalleach win a pair of tickets to hear SinfoniaToronto's Cellissimo! (March 6, at GraceChurch on-the-Hill) The programme includesSlimacek, Shostakovitch, and a performanceof the Saint-Saens' Cello Concerto #1. DeniseDjokic is the soloist.Erika Nielsen and Peggy Walt each win acopy of Denise' s brand new recording BenjaminBritten THREE SUITES FOR CELLO (ATMA 22524). " ... a project that I'vealways wanted to dig in to, and it feels nice tohave finally recorded it. " Britten wrote hisThree Suites for Cello between 1964 and 1971for his friend , the legendary cellist MstislavRostropovich.Music 's Children gratefully acknowledgesMargaret Chasins, Sinfonia Toronto, LuisaTrisi, Richard Paul, Linda Litwack, the goodfolk at ATMA, and the moms of Music'sChildren everywhere.F EBRUA RY 1 - M ARC H 7 2009
INSTRUCTIONAn ENTHUSIASTIC AND INSPIRINGPIANO/ VOICE TEACHER is acceptingstudents. RCM, Broadway, Jazz, Classicalstyles. Beginning and Advanced students.Nancy Singla M.Mus. 416·629·8805.nanc y .sing la@hotmail. cornCONCERT PIANIST EVE EGOY AN(www.eveegoyan.com) offers lessonsto committed musicians - advancedplayers as well as returning adults(emu@interlog.com or 416-894-6344).FLUTE, PIANO, THEORY LESSONS.RCM exam preparation. Samantha Chang,Royal Academy of Music PGDip, LRAM,ARCT. 416·293· 1302,samantha.studio@gmail.comwww.samanthaflute.comJAZZ PIANO LESSONS FOR ADULTS ...working or retired. Play standards with·out sheet music. Swing, blues, boogie,stride, gospel, classical. Feel and under·stand chord progressions. Private lessons.Royal York and Bloor. Enjoy a carefullyplanned, results-oriented program.Matt Pines 416-234-5500.MARILYN LERNER is currently accepting alimited number of advanced piano studentsfor lessons in jazz and improvisational tech·nique. Downtown location.lerner@rogers.com 416-944-2557.PIANO LESSONS: All ages, styles - be·ginner, classical, jazz, pop, RCM exams.Feel the joy of making music! Peter Ness,ARCT. 416-767-9747.CLASSIFIED ADVERTISINGPRIVATE VOICE LESSONS - All ages,various styles. Beginner/intermediate levelsfor classical, pop, country. Sing for fun orprepare for an audition - Express yourselfthrough song! Melissa De Cloet MMus.416-591-1695 ormelissa _de_ cloet@hotmail.comTHEORY, SIGHT-SINGING, EAR-TRAIN·ING LESSONS: All grades, RCM examprep (rudiments, harmony, history, counterpoint).Learning can be fun and easy! PeterNess, ARCT. 416-767-9747.TROMBONE LESSONS with experiencedprofessional (instructor at Humber College).All levels, all styles, ANYTHING you wantto know! Improvement guaranteed.Colin Murray 416-859-1406trombonelessons@sympatico.cawww.mrequipment.ca/lessonsMISCELLANEOUSARE YOU PLANNING A CONCERT or re·cital? Looking for a venue? Consider BloorStreet United Church. Phone: 416-924·7439 x22 Email:tina@bloorstreetunited.orgMUSICIANS AVAILABLEBARD - EARLY MUSIC DUO playing record·er and virginal available to provide back·ground atmosphere for teas, receptions orother functions - greater Toronto area. Forrates and info call 905-722-5618 or email usat mhpape@interhop.netMUSIC FOR ALL OCCASIONS! Small en·sembles, Dance Band, Big Band; CocktailHour, Dinner music, Concerts, Shows; Clas·sical, Contemporary, Dixieland, Traditionaland Smooth Jazz! JSL Musical Productions905-276-3373.MUSICIANS WANTEDMUSICIANS & VOCALISTS WANT·ED for charitable fundraising projects.Saxophones I Trumpets I Trombones fGuitar I Piano I Bass I Drumswww .sheratoncadwell.com Phone416-712-2555.RYERSON UNIVERSITY DAKHAMHOUSE CHOIR Established choir performingclassical repertoire seeks newmembers to perform Haydn's "The Creation"with Toronto Sinfonietta orchestraon May 2. Choral experience, reading abilityhelpful, but not essential. 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