Canada’s Bechstein Selection CentreYoung Chang Piano GalleryWorld Class Repairsto all musical instruments10 Via Renzo Drive, Richmond Hill(east side of Leslie St., just north of Major Mackenzie Dr.)905.770.52221.800.463.3000cosmomusic.caBeat by Beat / Classical & BeyondPiano Stars of Todayand TomorrowALLAN PULKERMy focus last month was Toronto as a cultural tourism destination,looking at the potential of several weekends for offeringwhat I termed a festival experience – that is to say, moreor less wall-to-wall concert going. Extraordinarily, November willbegin with a whole week of just that, in the form of the new ChineseCultural Centre’s Toronto International Piano Competition. This is amajor development in the musical life of Toronto.Lu Wang and Lang-Ning LiuThe minds behind the CCC International Piano Competition, November1 to 8, are two young adopted (like so many of us) Torontonians,Lang-Ning Liu and Lu Wang. Concert pianists themselves,they perform all over the world assolo recitalists, concerto soloists andtogether as the Juilliard Duo.When they sat down with me totalk about their lives in music and thefestival it was only two days beforeLang-Ning was leaving for Franceto give two recitals and about a weekbefore Lu was leaving for China,where (among other things) he wasgoing to be meeting the conductor ofthe orchestra with which he’ll performa concerto next year.I asked why they had decided tomake Toronto home, and what hadmotivated them to undertake such amajor project as an international pianocompetition. For Lang-Ning, who hadcome here at the age of 17 to studyat the Glenn Gould School, and thenwent to Juilliard, Toronto is an idealplaces here where you can work,” shetold me. “In New York, no place isquiet.” Lu told me he had lived inNew York most of his life, and wouldLu Wang.Lang-Ning Liu.not have thought of settling in Toronto except that his parents toldhim they want to come here to retire. That was a good enough reasonfor him, and within seven months of applying for landed immigrantstatus he was here. His parents, however, haven’t yet arrived.“His mother runs a big music school in China,” explained Lang-Ning; “She’s not ready to give that up!”Their reasons for putting their energy into a piano competitionare related to their personal aspirations and goals. Lang-Ning feelsstrongly that music can be a force for good and for peace in theworld. Lu, a child prodigy, has been immersed in music his wholelife, and wishes to continue learning and to share his musical giftboth as a performer and as a teacher. What motivated them was awish to do something for the musical tradition. embracing, mastering and continuing the art music tradition; it’s asif each generation needs to re-invent it for themselves.” They see thiscompetition as a way of doing this, by encouraging and supportingthe next generation of pianists and giving audiences an opportunityto hear the great pianists of the future before they are consideredstars. “Think how many people there must be who would love tohave heard Marta Argerich when she was 17!” commented Lu.Their original idea was a music festival that would feature the14 thewholenote.comNovember 1 - December 7, 2010
OperaYorkOPERA FOR FAMILIESPuccini’sLa BohèmeSabatino Vacca, Artistic DirectorOct. 31, 2010 at 2 pmNov. 4 & 6, 2010 at 8 pmMozart’sCosi Fan TutteGeoffrey Butler, Artistic DirectorFeb. 27, 2011 at 2 pmMar. 3 & 5, 2011 at 8 pmRichmond Hill Centre for the Performing Artswww.operayork.com(l – r) Miriam Khalil and Lauren Segal. Photo: Gary BeecheyISIS AND THE SEVEN SCORPIONSDEAN BURRY | 1 P.M. to 2 P.M.CINDERELLAMASSENET & ROSSINI | 3:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.SAT NOV 13, 2010JACKMAN STUDIO, JOEY AND TOBY TANENBAUM OPERA CENTRE227 Front St. E., TorontoGENERAL ADMISSION ADULTS CHILDREN (aged 15 and under) per operacoc.ca 416-363-8231Major Supporter,Ensemble StudioSpecial PRE-SHOW ACTIVITIES includedXstrata EnsembleStudio School TourSubscriptions for2010/2011 are still on sale!www.viasalzburg.comNovember 4 & 5, 2010Glenn Gould Studio, Toronto“... and the greatest ofthese is love.”The music of Brahms andSchumann is woven through adramatic narrative resurrectingmembers of the Via SalzburgChamber Orchestra withsoprano Anne Grimm, pianistYuval Fichman and featuringTickets at roythomson.comor by phone at 416-872-4255.~E TO|oNTO CºNSO|tP|aETO|iUSCH|iSTMAS VESPERSNovember 1 - December 7, 2010 thewholenote.com 15
