cantatas (and by extension, the Mass in B Minor) was one singer oneach vocal part. Using this paradigm, the ideal force for the Masswould be 8-12 voices at the absolute most, and often no more thanfour or six voices at any given time.Many musicians have picked up on this idea, and it may bethat Bach oratorio and cantata performances in the next centurywill bear little or no resemblance to the choral roar-outs of thepast. But will we ever really dare to attempt to play Bach’s musicas he was compelled to do? Even the proponents of one-to-a-partBach often use adult female sopranos and altos, rather than theschoolboy singers Bach had at his disposal, and perhaps this is forthe best. In his excellent Inside Early Music, which contains a seriesof illuminating interviews with early music performers, BernardSherman writes, “…when we imagine shivering Thomasschulestudents, at seven-thirty on a winter morning, performing a virtuosochorus written three days earlier, we might ask if we could toleratetrulyWell – like many musicians, mention Bach and I become somewhatdistracted. Switching gears with some effort (and the help of aduring the next few weeks.Albert Greer is a veteran Canadian conductor and singer whohas dedicated his career to fostering excellent music making in thisregion. He has conducted Orillia’s Cellar Singers since 1977, andis planning to retire in 2012. The Cellar Singers perform Faure’sRequiem and a new work by popular Canadian composer NancyTelfer on March 5.On February 12 the GrandPhilharmonic Choir sings VaughanWilliams’ Dona Nobis Pacem and premieresCanadian composer John Burge’sDeclaration, the lyrics of which arebased on the text of the United Nation’sDeclaration of Human Rights (which wasdrafted by Canadian law professor JohnHumphrey in 1948).On February 26 the Tallis Choir presentsan all French program of workssame night the Georgetown Bach ChoraleJohn Burge, composer.performs works by Pärt and Bruckner.On March 5 the Oakville Ensemble performs an all-Englishprogram of music by Byrd, Tallis, and Weelkes. And on the samenight the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra and Toronto ChoralSociety combine forces to play Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony andBruckner’s Te Deum.Benjamin Stein is a Toronto tenor and theorbist. He can becontacted at choralscene@thewholenote.com.Three Years Later...JACK MACQUARRIEIn recent columns we have been following the progress of afew startup community ensembles in this part of the world. Inparticular, we have been reporting on the progress of a fewbeginners groups. Without exception, the ones we have visited arestages. But what of the startups we reported on a few years ago? Wearbitrarily chose three years as a reasonable time for a new group toeither coalesce or cease operations. The Milton Concert Band andthe Silverthorn Symphonic Winds fell into that category.The brainchild of two members of the Etobicoke band who hadmoved to Milton, The Milton Concert Band is prospering with anexperienced permanent conductor, a regular rehearsal home and animpressive performance schedule for a band that was just an idea inthe minds of two members three years previously. The thorough stepby step process followed by Cheryl Ciccarelli and Angela Rozarioin their planning could well act as a textbook model for anyonecontemplating the organization of a new musical ensemble in theircommunity.Once settled into Milton, a rapidly growing town with an activearts community, they decided to put a call out to see if there wereany other amateur musicians in the area interested in performingtogether. First they did their research. They talked to people withother bands and looked at the Constitutions and By-Laws of severalother groups. They lined up a potential conductor in the person ofJoseph M. Resendes, an experienced instrumentalist, conductor andPh.D. candidate in music at York University. Finally they contactedthe Mayor, local councillors and anyone else they could think of‘‘’UNIVERSITY AUDITIONS AREUPON US!! CHECK IN WITHSTEVE’S FOR LEVEL-APPROPRIATEMATERIALS...GOOD LUCK!WE PROUDLY FEATURE:Dedicated RCM exam requirement bookWoodwind.Diverse repertoire, method & studyrs& public address systems/dj equipment.Band and string instrument sales.Ask about our teacherdiscount program.415 Queen Street West, Toronto OntarioM5V 2A5 (416) 593-8888educational@stevesmusic.comTM22 thewholenote.comFebruary 1 - March 7, 2011
to enlist their help and support.These included local musicteachers, Arts Milton, and othercommunity groups. When theyfelt that they were ready, theycontacted the local paper andmanaged to get an article printed.Soon they had 20 musicianswilling to join and they werescrambling for a place to rehearse. place in February 2007, squeezedinto a small meeting room at alocal hockey arena. By June 2007four performances had been linedancewas for Milton’s 150th Anniversary Street Party. This wasquickly followed by performances at the local hospital’s StrawberryFair and a meeting of Arts Milton. By July 2007, they had hostedseason. Interest in the band continued to grow and they moved toa new permanent home at the Lion’s Club Hall in Milton MemorialArena, with plenty of space to accommodate more musicians. It wasSince then the group has grown to 45 members and now hosts8 to 10 public performances a year. Under the tutelage of MusicDirector Resendes, in the short span of three years the band hasgrown artistically and is now a vital arts organization in the community.Equally importantly, the members have become a familymusical challenges. They are very excited about the possibility ofmaking use of the new Milton Art Centre next season and the opportunitiesthat may provide.Joseph Resendes rehearsing the Milton Band.In January of this year theposedseries of concerts for Deaf/Blind Ontario at the Bob RumbleCentre in Milton. This innovativeperformance was designed toallow people with varying degreesof hearing and/or vision lossto experience music in an “upcentre’s clients will hold balloonsto amplify the vibrations of theinstruments and will be invited tointerpret the experience throughan art project. Both the bandand the clients are very excitedabout this opportunity. We look forward to hearing more about thisinitiative.The Silverthorn Symphonic Winds (SSW) was established inSeptember 2006 by a group of local musicians who wanted anopportunity to perform more challenging music. Composed ofadvanced amateurs and semi-professional musicians, the groupis conducted by Andrew Chung, a graduate of the University ofToronto as well as universities in Hong Kong and Freiburg Germany.Andrew also serves as Music Director of The Brass Conspiracy andthe Chinese Canadian Choir of Toronto.Thanks to a three year grant from The Ontario TrilliumFoundation, the SSW have embarked on an Artist in Residence programand are expanding their activities in York Region. The Artistin Residence for the 2010/2011 season will be clarinetist Peter Stoll,a member of the Talisker Players, principal clarinet of the TorontoPhilharmonia Orchestra and a member of the Faculty of Music,University of Toronto. As artist in residence he will be the featuredsoloist and host at two concerts in the Richmond Hill Centre. InPHOTO JACK MACQUARRIEFebruary 1 - March 7, 2011 thewholenote.com 23
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