Hall Theatre in Peterborough at 3pm. Also starting at 3pm, OT’sconcert, titled “The Musician Storyteller,” includes Berlioz’s Marchto the Scaffold and Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel overture, aswell as works by Khachaturian and Villa-Lobos. All OT’s concertsare at the George Weston Recital Hall, Toronto Centre for the Arts.Staying with youth-oriented fare for a moment, MooredaleConcerts, which operates a youth orchestras programme (in additionto its two other established series), presents three levels oforchestras comprising 100 players (ages 6 to 18) on December 11,3pm, at Rosedale Heights School of the Arts. TheJunior Orchestra, under WilliamRowson, performs Handel’sGavotte in A, Pichl’s Pastorellaand Menuett in G by (“Mr. 25%”)Mozart. Rowson also conducts theSenior Orchestra and it performsElgar’s Serenade for Strings Op.20and — yes, indeed — Mozart’sDivertimento in D Major K136. TheIntermediate Orchestra will playHandel’s Concerto Grosso Op.6No.4, Clare Carberry conducting.Kudos to Mooredale Concerts forexposing so many youth to the richesof the orchestral repertoire. In itsto its regular concert series, Mooredaleshares the wealth of chamber musicwith young people, ages 5 to 15. At1:15pm, on January 15, for example, youcan take the munchkins in your life toPianistJanLisiecki,TSOJan 18,19, 22.hear music by Mendelssohn, Tchaikovskyand Piazzolla; the “adult” concert startsat 3:15pm the same day, featuring thesame repertoire played in full.Returning to our “less is more” December theme, in a concerttitled “Holiday Charms,” December 9 at Glenn Gould Studio,Sinfonia Toronto performs Mozart’s Violin Concerto No.1 underguest conductor Robert Bokor and violinist Sanghee Cheong. Theprogramme also includes Wolf-Ferrari’s String Serenade, Corelli’sConcerto Grosso Op.6 No.8 “Christmas Concerto,” and Ricercareby Buhr. (ST offers more Mozart on January 20, in its concert titled“Black and White”: Clarinet Quintet K581, orchestral version, withJames Campbell, clarinet; and Divertimento K137; this Januaryconcert also features the orchestral version of Shostakovich’s PianoQuintet, with Dmitriy Gordin, piano.)Mozart is also on offer when the Junction Trio presents its“Celebrating the Season with Sound” concert on December 15,7pm, at the North York Central Library auditorium. The trio alsoperforms works by Bach and Handel. The concert is free, but we areasked to give them a call to register.the chance to attend a “Doctoral Recital in Orchestral Conducting,”for free, no less. At 1:15pm at Walter Hall (University of TorontoFaculty of Music) Kerim S. Anwar will conduct Debussy’s Préludeà l’après-midi d’un faune and works by Stravinsky and Schoenberg.Good luck Mr. soon-to-be-Dr. Anwar! And since we’re at theU of T, the Faculty of Music’s free, three-day “PianoFest” happensDecember 12, 14 and 16, at 7:30pm each night, featuring theadvanced students of the piano department.Just two more December concerts and then I’ll move on toJanuary. Amici Chamber Ensemble presents “Critics Choice: Whatdo they really want to hear?” on December 16 at 8pm. Sounds likefun, especially since they’ve invited critics John Vandriel, ColinEatock and John Terauds as their guests, along with YehonatanBerick and Min-Jeong Koh, violin and Barry Shiffman, viola.Hopefully, everyone attending will enjoy hearing the programme ofworks by Beethoven, Poulenc and Elgar. (What? No Mozart?)Syrinx Sunday Salons presents a splendid afternoon of worksby Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Gershwin, Alexander Levkovich,Dmitri Levkovich and others. Pianist/composer Dmitri Levkovichand pianist Anzhelika Fuks will also perform a piece dear to myheart, Schubert’s Fantasie for Four Hands in F Minor Op.103 D940,a copy of which sits atop my piano, at the ready, should someonedrop by who can handle the secondo part; I always play the primo.A young friend of mine in Vancouver and I have valiantly attemptedto make our way through it many times, over many years; she is myprimo secondo! I’m excited to hear these two young and dynamicplayers do it justice on December 11, 3pm, at Heliconian Hall!JANUARY’S JEWELS: With over 40 concerts, there’s much fromwhich to choose, making the decision of who and what to include(and exclude) that much more challenging, As a solution, I’msimply going to “rattle off” as many as I can, allowing for asmany concerts — and presenters — as possible to get some print:Let’s start with the New Year’s Day “double-header inVienna,” I alluded to earlier. Attila Glatz Concert Productions’“Salute to Vienna” features the Strauss Symphony of Canada,András Deák, conductor, with Renee Schüttengruber, soprano,Wolfgang Gratschmaier, tenor and dancers from the Kiev-Aniko Ballet of Ukraine, at Roy Thomson Hall, 2pm. Anhour later, the Guelph Symphony Orchestra presents its “Tourthe World Series: Dreams of Vienna” with arias, duets,waltzes, polkas and marches. Judith Yan conducts, withMark Dubois, tenor and Corinne Lynch, soprano, at theRiver Run Centre in Guelph.offerings: on January 12, 8pm, at the Jane Mallett Theatre,traditional South American folk songs and music by RaviShankar, alongside works by Bach, Saint-Saëns, Doppler/Zamara and others, for MT’s “Discovery Series.” And aweek later, on January 19, (same time/same place), weare treated to a concert by the divine Lafayette Quartetperforming Wolf’s Italian Serenade, Shostakovich’s String QuartetNo.2 in A Major Op.68 and the String Quartet in C Minor Op.51No.1 by Brahms.The Toronto Symphony Orchestra prevails, hands down, however,in the “Much Mozart” department. Mozart@256 Festival, the TSO’seighth annual celebration of the composer’s birthday, offers nofewer than eight concerts in which to immerse yourself, includingtwo for kids; all but one is at Roy Thomson Hall. Mozart@256runs January 11 to January 22. Some of the highlights include:the Concerto for Three Pianos and Orchestra K242 (with StewartGoodyear, Katherine Jacobson Fleisher and Leon Fleisher doing thehonours); the aforementioned Symphony No.41 K551 “Jupiter”; a23 excerpts from Mozart’s works; astonishing young Canadian pianistJan Lisiecki in the Piano Concerto No.20 K466; and the RequiemK626 with a luminous cast. Phew! For all the details, see the listings.And if after all that you still crave more Mozart, you’re in luck. Inmy October column I referred to a certain all-Mozart programme,adding that you’d have to wait for it. Well, it’s here! On January 25,as artistic director and principal conductor, presents “CelebratingMozart” at its home in the George Weston Recital Hall. Theprogramme? Mozart’s Serenade No.6 in D Major K239 “Serenatanotturna,” Piano Concerto in C Major K467 “Elvira Madigan” andSymphony No.40 in G Minor K550. The pianist is André Laplante.In winding up, I want to mention Trio Bravo’s February 5recital at All Saints Kingsway Anglican Church at 2pm. The trio’sNovember 6 concert was cancelled due to the ill-health of one of itsmembers. It’s nice to see that they’re back on track with a robustprogramme of works by Bach, Beethoven, Bruch and Schubert.Bravo, Bravo!Wishing you all sustained good health, a festive, music-infusedholiday season and a soul-nourishing New Year and beyond!Sharna Searle trained as a musician and lawyer, practised alot more piano than law and is listings editor at The WholeNote.She can be contacted at classicalbeyond@thewholenote.com.14 thewholenote.comDecember 1 – February 7, 2012ANDRAS SCHRAM
Introductions @ 7:15Concerts @ 8:00Info 416.961.9594Sunday December 11, 2011 • 8 pmBetty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis St.Vinko Globokar guest composerNew Music Concerts EnsembleRobert Aitken flute and directionmusic by Vinko Globokar and Elliott Carteraffiliated events:University of Toronto Nov. 29, 30, Dec. 2www.music.utoronto.caMusic Gallery Slide Summit, Dec. 7–9www.musicgallery.orgSunday January 29, 2012 • 8 pmEnwave Theatre, 231 Queens Quay W.Tyler Duncan baritoneXin Wang, Carla Huhtanen,Erica Iris Huang, sopranosNew Music Concerts EnsembleRobert Aitken directionOmar Daniel Mehetapja (Husband Killer)Jeffrey Ryan The Whitening of the OxThomas Kessler Quintet World Premiere Canadian PremiereBox Office: 416-973-4000, press 1tickets@harbourfrontcentre.comhttp://www.harbourfrontcentre.comfull season details @www.NewMusicConcerts.comDecember 1 – February 7, 2012 thewholenote.com 15
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!).
