guest speaker Patricia Ward Kelly, who willshare her favourite stories and memories ofher late husband, Gene Kelly; also a live auctionwith a grand prize of a trip for 2 to a Canadianmystery location. To purchase Galapackages: kwsymphony.ca/gala; 519-745-4711;888-745-4717. 5; 00 (tables of 10).Competitions●●Mar 29 1:00: Orchestra Toronto.Marta Hidy Concerto Competition LiveFinals:2015 Prize for Woodwinds. Upper Gallery,Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 YongeSt. Free admission, RSVP required at416-467-7142.Tours, Marches●●Mar 08, 15, 22, 29 10:30am: CanadianOpera Company. 90-minute tours for thegeneral public. These extensive tours includebackstage access and are an opportunityto learn more about the first purpose-builtopera house in Canada, its history, architectureand innovative acoustic design. Eachtour is led by trained docents and includesinformation and access to the Isadore andRosalie Sharp City Room, the Richard BradshawAmphitheatre and R. Fraser Elliott Hall,as well as backstage areas like wig rooms anddressing rooms, the orchestra pit, and otherspaces that only a stage door pass couldunlock. Four Seasons Centre for the PerformingArts, 145 Queen St. West. www.coc.ca (advance); or purchase at the box office.$20 (adults); (sr/st).●●Mar 29: Canadian Music Therapy TrustFund. 2nd Annual March for Music Therapy.A grassroots, family and community focusednational event, this year taking place in 10communities across Canada: Vancouver, Calgary,Saskatoon, U of Windsor, Wilfrid LaurierU (Waterloo), Burlington, Toronto, Ottawa/Perth, Montreal. Groups across Canadawill march up to 5 km to raise awarenessand funds for music therapy. All marcheswill end with an event to celebrate the communitycoming together and supporting theCMTTF and their efforts to provide musictherapy services to underserved populationsin Canada www.musictherapytrust.E. The ETCeterasca; 416-535-0200; 1-888-689-9545.Lectures, Salons, Symposia●●Mar 01 10:00am: UofT Faculty of Music /Wychwood Clarinet Choir. Clarinet Day 2015.Events throughout the day. Master classeswith James Campbell; workshops, playingsessions and more; vendors and refreshments;concluding with performances by theWychwood Clarinet Choir and the UofT ClarinetEnsemble. Walter Hall, Edward JohnsonBldg., 80 Queen’s Park. For more details andto register: www.wychwoodclarinetchoir.com.●●Mar 01 7:00: New Music Concerts. AnEvening with Paul Griffiths. Discussionwith critic, novelist and librettist Paul Griffiths,of collaboration with Elliott Carter onopera What Next? Gallery 345, 345 SoraurenAve. 416-961-9594. 0; 0(for 2). Doorprizes and refreshments. Benefit for NewMusic Concerts; charitable receipt for CRAallowable portion of ticket price.●●Mar 02 1:30: Miles Nadal JCC. Opera andShakespeare. With opera educator Iain Scott.Rediscover the genius of Shakespeare’smost beloved scenes, interpreted throughthe equally powerful genius of Verdi andother major opera composers. This 4-partseries will include Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth,Otello and Falstaff. 750 Spadina Ave.416-924-6211 x155; lisar@mnjcc.org. ContinuesMarch 09, 23 and 30. (series); (drop in).●●Mar 03 6:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra/CanadianMusic Centre. Let Me Tell You:Composers in Conversation. Symposium featuringBritish composer/New Creations Festivalcurator George Benjamin, whose operaWritten on Skin will be performed by the TSOon March 7. Other guests on this in-depthpanel include NCF composers Hans Abrahamsenand Chris Paul Harman; hosted bythe TSO’s Affiliate Composer Kevin Lau. This isa rare opportunity to hear these composersshare their unique experiences, insights, andchallenges. Canadian Music Centre, 20 SaintJoseph St. www.tso.ca/new-creations-festival/festival-extras.aspx●●Mar 03 7:30: University of Toronto Facultyof Music. Contemporary Music: A Pluralityof Worlds? Lecture by Paul Griffiths, Wilma& Clifford Smith Visitor in Music. Walter Hall,Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3744. Free.●●Mar 07 7:00: The Toronto Gilbert and SullivanSociety. A fascinating look at EvelynLaye, star of light opera, film and theatre. St.Andrew’s United Church, 117 Bloor St. East.416-763-0832. (non-members).●●Mar 09 1:30: Miles Nadal JCC. Opera andShakespeare. See March 02 above.●●Mar 09 7:30: Toronto Masque Theatre. So,You Want to Write a Masque? Our popularclown friends from last season return for aspecial salon on masque-making. Also featuringartistic director Larry Beckwith, sopranoMichele DeBoer and lutenist Lucas Harris.The Shaftesbury, 21 Shaftesbury Ave. Toregister: torontomasquetheatre.com or 416-410-4561. $20; (under thirty); reductionfor subscribers.●●Mar 17 1:30: Oakville Opera Guild.Tea with Opera: The Yeomen of theGuard. Guest: David James, retired musiclibrarian, UofT. Oakville Central Library Auditorium,Navy St., Oakville. 905-827-5678. (minimum donation). Proceeds to scholarshipawarded annually to a young Canadian singerstudying at UofT. Opera Division.●●Mar 20 7:00: Soundstreams. Salon 21:Aaron Gervais World Premiere. Join Sound-Makers Composer in Residence, Aaron Gervaisfor the world premiere of Longuementme sui tenus, sung by Larissa Koniuk, AnnaAtkinson, Alex Samaras, and Chris Enns.Gardiner Museum, 111 Queen’s Park. 416-504-1282. Free, PWYC reserved seating andgallery preludes available.●●Mar 23 1:30: Miles Nadal JCC. Opera andShakespeare. See March 02 above.●●Mar 27 and 28 10:00am-1:00 and 2:00-5:00: International Resource Centre forPerforming Artists. Encounter with MetropolitanOpera’s Joan Dornemann. Aimedat helping singers, instrumentalists andothers in the field to develop their full potentialand improve their chances of success,these two days are the perfect opportunityfor the singer who is unsure whetherhe or she is ready for important auditions,to gain vital confidence and direction. Theyalso allow emerging coaches or collaborativepianists to develop their skills. The generalpublic is encouraged to observe thepreparation required for the advancementof artists they will soon see on major stages.McLaughlin Studio, Canadian Opera Company,227 Front Street E. 416-362-1422; http://ircpa.net. Participating singers: $200 for thetwo days; observers: (one session); (all four sessions); for IRCPA members toobserve: $20 (one session); (all four sessions).Vocal teachers are invited to attend asguests, but must RSVP.●●Mar 27 7:00: North York Central Library.Introduction to Baroque Music. Enjoy adelightful evening of 17th and 18th centurymusic, explained with demonstrations byPatricia Ahern, violinist with Tafelmusik BaroqueOrchestra. North York Central LibraryAuditorium, 5120 Yonge St. To register: 416-395-5639. Free.●●Mar 29 2:00-5:00: International ResourceCentre for Performing Artists. Who’s Whoin the Industry. Artists and support personnelinvolved in opera, classical, jazz andother music fields are invited to learn fromand interact with leaders in the business.In collaboration with The WholeNote Magazine,and moderated by broadcast personalityAlexa Petrenko, this high-voltage sessionwill examine the challenges and advantagesof the present day, through the perspectivesof music presenters, managers, performers,journalists, publicists and more – to dateincluding Chris Lorway, director of programmingfor the Corporation of Massey Hall andRoy Thomson Hall; Jose Ortega, Lula Lounge;conductor/presenter Boris Brott; journalist/composerMichael Vincent (MusicalToronto); David Perlman, editor-in-chief, TheWholeNote Magazine; publicist Linda Litwack;and artist managers Annick Carriereof Station Bleue, Montreal, and Robert Missenof Bobolink Agency. Centre for SocialInnovation, 720 Bathurst St. 416-362-1422;http://ircpa.net $20 (IRCPA members); (non-members).●●Mar 30 1:30: Miles Nadal JCC. Opera andShakespeare. See March 02 above.Master Classes●●Mar 02 5:00: Royal Conservatory of54 | March 1 - April 7, 2015 thewholenote.com
Music. Violin master class with violinist/conductor Peter Oundjian. Mazzoleni Hall,273 Bloor St. West. 416-408-2824. Free.●●Mar 04 10:00am & 2:00: Royal Conservatoryof Music. Piano master class with LeonFleisher. Location tba, 273 Bloor St. West. 416-408-2824. Free.●●Mar 05 10:00am & 2:00: Royal Conservatoryof Music. Piano master class with LeonFleisher. Location tba, 273 Bloor St. West. 416-408-2824. Free.●●Mar 06 3:15: UofT Ken Page MemorialTrust Series. Master class with jazz saxophonistDavid Rubel and jazz vibes player NatSteele. Upper Jazz Studio, 90 Wellesley St.West. 416-978-3744. Free.●●Mar 09 9:30am: Royal Conservatory ofMusic. Trombone master class with Jörgenvan Rijen. Conservatory Theatre,273 Bloor St. West. 416-408-2824. Free.●●Mar 09 10:00am: Royal Conservatory ofMusic. Cello master class with Carter Brey.Mazzoleni Hall, 273 Bloor St. West. 416-408-2824. Free.●●Mar 11 10:00am: Royal Conservatory ofMusic. Trombone master class with Jörgenvan Rijen. Mazzoleni Hall, 273 Bloor St.West. 416-408-2824. Free.●●Mar 13 3:15: UofT Ken Page Memorial TrustSeries. Masterclass with jazz trumpeter JimLewis and jazz pianist David Braid. UpperJazz Studio, 90 Wellesley St. West. 416-978-3744. Free.●●Mar 14 12:00 – 5:00: Long & McQuade/Powell Flutes. Flute Master class withPaul Edmund-Davies. St. Andrew’s UnitedChurch, 117 Bloor St. East. Contact PatriciaDydnansky: pdydnansky@long-mcquade.comor 416-588-7886. (performers – deadlineto register: Friday February 27); (auditors).Followed by 8:00pm flute recital withPaul Edmund-Davies, flute & Jeanie Chung,piano – see daily concert listings.●●Mar 20 3:15: UofT Ken Page MemorialTrust Series. Master class with jazz pianistDavid Braid. Upper Jazz Studio, 90 WellesleySt. West. 416-978-3744. Free.●●Mar 23 9:30am: Royal Conservatory ofMusic. Tuba master class with ChristopherOlka. Conservatory Theatre, 273 Bloor St.West. 416-408-2824. Free.●●Mar 24 7:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.Tuba master class with Christopher Olka.Mazzoleni Hall, 273 Bloor St. West. 416-408-2824. Free.●●Mar 25 10:00am: Royal Conservatory ofMusic. Tuba master class with ChristopherOlka. Mazzoleni Hall, 273 Bloor St. West. 416-408-2824. Free.●●March 26 time tba: Royal Conservatory ofMusic. Violin master class with Geoff Nuttall.Location tba, 273 Bloor St. West. 416-408-2824. Free.Venue Rental• in the heart of Yorkville• historical heritage building• Steinway Grand Piano• recital and special events• lighting and sound systems• accomodates caterers• reasonable rates●●Mar 27 time tba: Royal Conservatory ofMusic. Piano master class with Robert Mac-Donald. Location tba, 273 Bloor St. West. 416-408-2824. Free.●●Mar 27 time tba: Royal Conservatory ofMusic. Flute master class with Marina Piccinini.Location tba, 273 Bloor St. West. 416-408-2824. Free.●●Mar 27 time tba: Royal Conservatory ofMusic. Violin master class with Geoff Nuttall.Location tba, 273 Bloor St. West. 416-408-2824. Free.●●Mar 27 time tba: Royal Conservatory ofMusic. Viola master class with Ettore Causa.Location tba, 273 Bloor St. West. 416-408-2824. Free.Screenings●●Mar 03 7:00: Brookside Music. Screeningof Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Mariusz Kwiecien,baritone; Alex Esposito, bass; VéroniqueGens, soprano; Kasper Holten, director. MidlandCultural Centre, 333 King St., Midland.705-527-4420. ; (st); free (under 13).●●Mar 11 7:30: Hamilton PhilharmonicOrchestra/ The Zoetic. Movie Night: E.T.:The Extra Terrestrial. Screening of film withpre-film feature: Hear about how orchestralmusic has been an integral feature in sciencefiction film and television; experience oneof John William’s classic sci-fi masterpiecesperformed on the piano. The Zoetic Theatre,526 Concession St. Hamilton. 905-902-5683;thezoetic.ca .●●Mar 22 12:00 noon: Bloor Cinema HotDocs. Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer. Withsoprano Adrienne Pieczonka; baritone BrynTerfel; Tim Albery, director. 506 Bloor St.West. 416-637-3123; bloorcinema.com ;member rates available.●●Mar 29 8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.Annual Fundraising Gala. Screeningof the 1952 classic film Singin’ in the Rain. SeeGalas and Fundraisers above.Singalongs, Jams, Circles●●Mar 15 1:00 – 3:30: World Fiddle DayToronto. Practise jam. Led by musician AnneLederman; hosted by Long & McQuade. Joinplayers of bowed string instruments to learnworld folk repertoire for our communityWorld Fiddle Day event at Fort York, May 16.925 Bloor St. West. For more information andrepertoire: 647-217-4620; https://worldfiddledaytoronto.wordpress.com/By donation.Next sessions: March 19, April 02.●●Mar 19 6:45 - 8:45: World Fiddle DayToronto. See March 15.●●Apr 02 6:45 – 8:45: World Fiddle DayToronto. See March 15.Workshops●●Mar 01 2:30: Musikay. Confident chorister’s35 Hazelton Avenue, Heliconian Hall416-922-3618 rentals@heliconianclub.orgworkshop - Conducting. For choral singerswho want a better grasp on conductingtechnique and those who want to feel moreconfident in following their conductor(s).Participants will be both choristers and conductors.They will develop basic conductinggestures and patterns, learn how to preparea score for conducting, how to give clear verbalinstructions and how to be efficient inrehearsals. As a result they will better understandthe meaning of conductors’ direction.Grace Lutheran Church, 1107 Main St. West,Hamilton. 905-522-6841; www.musikay.ca .●●Mar 02 1:00: Canadian Music Centre. Createa Healthy Support System for Your ArtsCareer. Interactive workshop with facilitator,Anne Carbert, career counsellor & coach.20 St. Joseph St. 416-961-6601 x201. Pleaseregister online: www.musiccentre.ca .●●Mar 02 2:00: University of Toronto Facultyof Music. Workshop for Singers, Composersand Librettists. Conducted by soprano BarbaraHannigan; Hans Abrahamsen, Michaeland Sonja Koerner Distinguished Visitor inComposition; and Paul Griffiths, Wilma & CliffordSmith Visitor in Music. The workshopfocuses on Let me tell you, a new work byDanish composer Hans Abrahamsen basedon Paul Griffiths’ novel by the same name. Thework was commissioned and premiered bythe Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, with sopranoBarbara Hannigan, to whom the workwas dedicated. Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park.416-978-3744. Free.●●Mar 06 7:30: CAMMAC Recorder Players’Society. Renaissance and Baroque Workshopfor recorders and other early instruments.Kim Pineda, coach. Mount PleasantRoad Baptist Church, 527 Mount Pleasant Rd.416-480-1853. $20 (guests); (members).Refreshments included.●●Mar 13 2:30: Long & McQuade/PowellFlutes. Sonare Flutes Workshop with PaulEdmund-Davies. All levels welcome to participatein a workshop featuring music on thesoundtracks Paul has played on, includingHarry Potter and Star Wars. Long & McQuadeClinic Room, 935 Bloor St. West. ContactPatricia Dydnansky: pdydnansky@longmcquade.comor 416-588-7886. Free.●●Mar 20 10:00am and 1:00: RCCO Toronto.Pipes, Pedals, & Pizza. Children and teens areinvited to “tour” one of Toronto’s largest pipeorgans. Includes hands-on experience withthe console (the ultimate control panel withfour keyboards!), a walk through the actualpipes -- even while the organ is playing, anda demonstration of how pipes are manufactured,assembled and put together. YorkminsterPark Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St.289-314-5600. Free. NOTE: Two sessions:10:00am – 12:00 noon for children ages 6 to11 (guardian/parental attendance preferred);and 1:00 – 3:00 for teens ages 12 to 18; pizzalunch at 12:00 noon.●●Mar 20 7:30: CAMMAC Recorder Players’Society. Renaissance and Baroque workshopfor recorders and other early instruments.Mount Pleasant Road Baptist Church,527 Mount Pleasant Rd. 416-480-1853. (guests); members free. Refreshmentsincluded.●●Mar 22 2:00: CAMMAC Toronto Region.Reading for singers and instrumentalistsof Haydn’s Creation. David Weaver, conductor.Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 YongeSt. 416-551-5183. ; (members).RCCO Toronto & YorkminsterPark Baptist Church presents …Pipes, Pedals and PizzaFriday, March20, 2015An interactive March Break demonstrationfor children and youth.See how pipe organs are put together and how they work!Hear, and even play “The King of Instruments.” Performances willinclude a range of fun and varied music. No experience required –but feel free to bring music to play!• Morning Session at 10am for ages 6-11(Young children should be accompanied by a Guardian/Parent)• PIZZA!! and drinks at 12:00 noon• Afternoon Session at 1pm for ages 12-17Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge Street (at Heath) Toronto.Free of charge with a “give what you can” donation for pizza lunch.Info at rccotoronto.ca or 416-789-1175thewholenote.com March 1 - April 7, 2015 | 55
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!).
