piano; Bernhard Gueller, conductor. Hamilton Place, 10 MacNab St. S., Hamilton. 905-526- 7756. -. 6:30: pre-concert chat. ●●Sep 19 8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society. Valtchev-Tchekoratova Duo. Performing Beethoven’s complete violin sonatas. Sonatas No.1-4. Georgy Valtechev, violin; Lora Tchekoratova, piano. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. ; (st). Series /. ●●Sep 19 8:00: SweetWater Music Festival. Jazz Superstars. David Braid, Drew Jurecka, Dean McNeil, Joseph Phillips. Georgian Shores United Church, 997 4th Ave. E., Owen Sound. 519-371-2833. ; (st). B. Concerts Beyond the GTA Sunday September 20 ●●Sep 20 3:00: SweetWater Music Festival. The Bach B Minor Mass. Kenneth Slowik and Adrian Butterfield, conductors. Georgian Shores United Church, 997 4th Ave. E., Owen Sound. 519-371- 2833. ; (st). ●●Sep 20 8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society. Valtchev-Tchekoratova Duo. Performing Beethoven’s complete violin sonatas. Sonata No.5 “Spring”; No.8; No.9 “Kreutzer”. Georgy Valtechev, violin; Lora Tchekoratova, piano. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. ; (st). Series /. Monday September 21 ●●Sep 21 8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society. Valtchev-Tchekoratova Duo. Performing Beethoven’s complete violin sonatas. Sonata No.6; No.7; No.10. Georgy Valtechev, violin; Lora Tchekoratova, piano. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. ; (st). Series /. Tuesday September 22 ●●Sep 22 12:15: Stephanie Burgoyne and William Vandertuin, organ. In concert. St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral, 472 Richmond St., London. 519- 752-0965. Free. Friday September 25 ●●Sep 25 8:00: Folk Under the Clock. Lynne Miles & Ian Tamblyn. Market Hall Performing Arts Centre, 140 Charlotte St., Peterborough. 705-749-1146. ; (st). ●●Sep 25 8:00: Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts. New Music Kingston Series: Dynamic Percussion/Piano Duo. Beverley Johnston, percussion; Pamela Reimer, piano. 390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-533-2424. .25- ; -(st). 7:15: Pre-concert discussion. ●●Sep 25 8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Beethoven Marathon. Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage; Piano Concerto No.1 in C; Piano Concerto No.4 in G. Stewart Goodyear, piano; Grand Philharmonic Choir; Edwin Outwater, conductor. Centre in the Square, 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 519-745-4711. and up. Also Sep 26 2:30,8pm. Saturday September 26 ●●Sep 26 2:30: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Beethoven Marathon. Coriolan Overture; Piano Concerto No.3 in c; Symphony No.8 in F. Stewart Goodyear, piano; Edwin Outwater, conductor. Centre in the Square, 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 519-745-4711. and up. Also 8pm, Sep 25 8pm. ●●Sep 26 7:30: Haliburton Concert Series. Elmer Iseler Singers in Concert. Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion, 5358 County Rd. 21, Haliburton. 705-457-3272. ; (st). ●●Sep 26 8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Beethoven Marathon. Music from King Stephen; Piano Concerto No.2 in B-Flat; Piano Concerto No.5 in E-Flat. Stewart Goodyear, piano; Edwin Outwater, conductor. Centre in the Square, 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 519-745-4711. and up. Also 2:30, Sep 25 8pm. Sunday September 27 ●●Sep 27 8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society. Penderecki String Quartet. Haydn: String Quartet Op.20 No.4; Mendelssohn: String Quartet Op.80 in f; Chan: String Quartet No.5; Penderecki: String Quartet No.2. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519- 886-1673. ; (st). Tuesday September 29 Kingston ON JANE BUNNETT + MAQUEQUE CUBAN RHAPSODY Tues Sept 29 @ 7:30 PM Tickets: theisabel.ca 613.533.2424 .25 to / students 1/2 price ●●Sep 29 7:30: Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts. Jazz Series: Jane Bunnett: Cuban Rhapsody. Classic Cuban jazz forms such as Mambo and Cha cha and Bunnett’s original compositions. 390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-533- 2424. .25-; -(st). Thursday October 1 ●●Oct 01 7:30: Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts. Global Salon Series: Ali Fontaine. Anishinaabe singer-songwriter from Sagkeeng First Nation, Manitoba. 390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-533-2424. .25-; -(st). Friday October 2 ●●Oct 02 8:00: Bravo Niagara: North Star Festival - Voices of Freedom. Joe Sealy. Sealy: Africville Suite. Joe Sealy, piano; Jumaane Smith; trumpet. St. Mark’s Anglican Church (Niagaraon-the-Lake), 41 Byron St, Niagara-on-the-Lake. 289-868-9177. . Featuring the artwork of Dr. Ron Clavier. Saturday October 3 ●●Oct 03 7:30: Bravo Niagara: North Star Festival - Voices of Freedom. Nathaniel Dett Chorale: Freedom Has a Voice. St. Mark’s Anglican Church (Niagara-on-the-Lake), 41 Byron St, Niagara-on-the-Lake. 289-868-9177. . Featuring the artwork of Edward Spera. ●●Oct 03 7:30: Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts. Royal Conservatory Orchestra. Mahler: Symphony No.4; Elgar: Violin Concerto. Alexis Hatch, violin; Julian Kuerti, conductor. 390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-533-2424. ; (st). Sunday October 4 ●●Oct 04 7:00: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty of Music. Sing Fires of Justice 10th Anniversary Concert. WLU Choirs and community choral singers. St. Matthews Lutheran Church, 54 Benton St., Kitchener. 519-884-1970 x4439. Entry by donation. ●●Oct 04 4:30: Bravo Niagara: North Star Festival - Voices of Freedom. Sunset Freedom River Cruise. Harrison Kennedy; Actors from the Lewiston Council on the Arts. Navy Hall, 305 Ricardo St, Niagara-on-the-Lake. 289-868- 9177. Free. ●●Oct 04 7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club. NUA. New trio performing traditional music and original compositions drawn from Irish and Scottish traditions. James Law, fiddle; Graeme McGillivray, guitar; Jacob McCauley, bodhrán. Chaucer’s Pub, 122 Carling St., London. D. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz) 120 Diner 120 Church St. 416-792-7725 120diner.com (full schedule) Every Tue 7-11pm Lisa Particelli’s Girls’ Night Out jazz jam with Peter Hill (piano), Ross Mac- Intyre (bass) PWYC. Alleycatz 2409 Yonge St. 416-481-6865 alleycatz.ca All shows: 9pm unless otherwise indicated. Call for cover charge info. Annette Studios 566 Annette St. 647-880-8378 annettestudios.com Every Mon 9:30pm Jazz Jam w/ Jared Goldman Quintet. Suggested donation /(st). Artword Artbar 15 Colbourne St., Hamilton. 905-543-8512 artword.net (full schedule) September 13 4pm It Is What it Is: Doug Murphy (guitar), Tim Kulakowsky (guitar), Alanna Gunn (bass), Brian Ropcean (drums). September 18 8pm Beg to Differ Trio: Tim Ninehouse (keys, voice), Doug Sikma (guitar), Steve Foster (drums). September 24 8pm Sue Ramsay (voice) Trio with Bob Shields (guitar), Clark Johnston (bass) . Blakbird, The 812b Bloor St. West 647-344-7225 theblakbird.com (full schedule) September 25 African D’Jelly. Bloom 2315 Bloor St. W. 416-767-1315 bloomrestaurant.com All shows: 19+. Call for reservations. September 24 7pm Alison Young (sax) Trio with Jeff McLeod (keys), Ross MacIntyre (bass) (with dinner). Castro’s Lounge 2116e Queen St. E 416-699-8272 castroslounge.com (full schedule) All shows: No cover/PWYC Every Wed 6pm The Mediterranean Stars. 519-473-2099. /(adv). ●●Oct 04 8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society. Moveable Feast. POSTPONED. Two Bach cello suites plus two newly commissioned works related to them. Matt Haimovitz, cello. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. ; (st). Wednesday October 7 ●●Oct 07 12:00 noon: Midday Music with Shigeru. Jennifer Potter, soprano and Keiko Kuepfer, piano. Hi-Way Pentecostal Church, 50 Anne St. N., Barrie. 705-726-1181. ; free(st). ●●Oct 07 8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society. Duvall-Sords-Thomson Trio. Mendelssohn: Trios, Op.49 in d; Op.66 in c; Sonata in F for violin and piano. Cheryl Duvall, piano; Andrew Sords, violin; Sawyer Thomson, cello. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. ; (st). C’est What 67 Front St. E (416) 867-9499 cestwhat.com (full schedule) Chalkers Pub, Billiards & Bistro 247 Marlee Ave. 416-789-2531 chalkerspub.com (full schedule) Every Wed 8pm Girls Night Out Jazz Jam w/ host Lisa Particelli PWYC. May 2 6pm Steve Amirault (voice, piano) Trio with Jim Vivian (bass, Barry Elmes (drums) . DeSotos 1079 St. Clair Ave. W 416-651-2109 desotos.ca (full schedule) Every Sun 11am-2pm Sunday Live Jazz Brunch hosted by Anthony Abbatangeli No cover. Dominion on Queen 500 Queen St. E 416-368-6893 dominiononqueen.com (full schedule) Call for cover charge info. Emmet Ray, The 924 College St. 416-792-4497 theemmetray.com (full schedule) All shows: No cover/PWYC September 3 9pm John-Wayne Swingtet: Wayne Nakamura (guitar), Abbey Sholzberg (bass), John Farrell (guitar). Fat City Blues 890 College St. 647-345-8282 Garage @ CSI Annex, The 720 Bathurst St. 416-619-4621 livefromtheannex.com September 1 ‘Live From the Annex’ monthly Cabaret (adv). Gate 403 403 Roncesvalles Ave. 416-588-2930 gate403.com All shows: PWYC. September 1 5pm Howard Willett Blues Duo; 9pm Kristin Lindell Jazz Band. September 2 9pm Julian Fauth Blues Night. September 3 5pm Amber Leigh Jazz Trio; 9pm 44 | Sept 1 - Oct 7, 2015 thewholenote.com
Beat by Beat | Mainly Clubs, Mostly Jazz! Getting Into and Out Of a Jam BOB BEN Jazz jams can be a beautiful thing. To my mind, if a jazz jam is working as it should (as, for example, it does every Tuesday at The Rex), everyone involved should be primarily interested in three things: making good music, respecting each other, and above all, having fun. To me, fun is the launching point for everything. If you don’t have fun playing your instrument, you won’t have fun practising it. If you don’t have fun practising or playing, no one will have fun listening. Look at Oscar Peterson’s face. Was he having fun? I rest my case. But unfortunately, and this is no big secret, some jazz jams can foster an unfortunate atmosphere of tension, intimidation, and competitiveness, which destroys the fun and undermines the spirit of the music. Artists of all sorts should absolutely care about the quality and integrity of their art. But at the end of the day, it is just art. When petty concerns of quality and integrity eclipse art’s purpose (whatever it is), that, to me, is tragic. Luckily, the active jazz jams I am fortunate to regularly attend in this city evade these troubles. Generally they are welcoming and accepting of instrumentalists of all levels and walks of life – instrumentalists being the key word here; there has always been a sort of self-imposed segregation between vocalists and instrumentalists. And for reasons I don’t have the space or time to discuss here, it can be difficult for a vocalist to find a jam where they are welcomed and not underestimated or relegated to the sidelines. Lisa Particelli was acutely aware of this, as most jazz singers are, when, more than a decade ago, she founded GNO: Girls’ Night Out (where gentlemen are welcome, too). GNO Jazz began its ten-plusyear run at The Cabbage Patch, a now-defunct pub that was located on Parliament St., where the Flying Beaver Pubaret existed until property damage forced that venue to close this past summer. Although GNO has recently included a house band complete with piano, bass and drums, when it started on Parliament in January, 2005, the house band consisted only of Richard Whitehouse on piano. Within the first year, Peter Hill took over on piano, and after sitting in A Sondheim Jazz Project on several sessions, Ross MacIntyre became the official bassist. As GNO grew, the jam – and the community which sprang up around it – cycled through a few venues, including Ten Feet Tall (defunct), Dominion on Queen (currently closed for renovations), and many more, before settling on Chalkers Pub on Marlee, seven years ago. Chalkers: It was during GNO’s run at Chalkers that Lisa Particelli was able to establish a scholarship fund to encourage and help young vocalists achieve their artistic and professional goals. Chalkers was also, during this time, a venue that hosted jazz greats like Oliver Jones, Jason Marsalis and Sheila Jordan – whom I had the great pleasure of meeting when I ushered for two of her concerts there. (In addition to being a genuine and adventurous performer, she is one of the sweetest, most infectiously charming people I’ve ever spoken with.) The aforementioned Oliver Jones, incidentally, is indirectly responsible for the Chalkers piano. If you have seen, heard, or had the good fortune to play the wonderful piano on the Chalkers Pub stage, you have Oliver Jones, Don Thompson and Lisa Particelli to thank: “Oliver Jones’ attendance at my jam helped me to convince the former Chalkers owner that we needed a real piano,” Particelli explained. “We first got a Yamaha upright and later Don Thompson helped choose a Shigeru Kawai grand from Merriam Music which we all were sad to [say] goodbye to since leaving Chalkers after July 1st.” In addition to all these wonderful things that happened to, because of, and around GNO over the last seven years at Chalkers Pub, Chalkers was where I discovered GNO. I came into it fairly late (both in the jam’s history and on any given Wednesday night), but when I got there, in addition to a great house band (Peter Hill, Ross MacIntyre and Louis Botos Sr., who is the granddaddy of the incredible Botos Mélanie Brûlée’s Band. September 4 5pm Ken Taylor: Fixin’s Jazz Trio; 9pm Fraser Melvin Blues Band. September 5 5pm Bill Heffernan and His Friends; 9pm Melissa Boyce Jazz & Blues Band. September 6 5pm Suela Mero Jazz Trio; 9pm Johnny Cox and the Magnetic Line. September 7 5pm Mike Daley Jazz Trio; 9pm Bruce Chapman Blues Duo with feature guests. September 8 9pm Ben Young Jazz Duo. September 9 5pm Michelle Rumball with Friend; 9pm Julian Fauth Blues Night. September 10 5pm John Wayne Swingtet; 9pm Kevin Laliberté Jazz & Flamenco Trio. September 11 5pm Denise Leslie Jazz Band; 9pm Denielle Bassels Jazz Band. September 12 5pm Bill Heffernan and His Friends; 9pm Tiffany Hanus Jazz Band. September 13 5pm Six Points Jazz Orchestra; 9pm Laura Swankey Jazz Quartet. September 14 5pm Conrad Gayle Jazz Band; 9pm Chris Staig Trio. September 15 5pm Sarah Kennedy and Matt Pines Jazz Duo; 9pm Mike Nagoda Blues Band. September 16 5pm Concord Jazz Quintet; 9pm Julian Fauth Blues Night. September 17 5pm Roger Chong Jazz Band; 9pm Annie Bonsignore Jazz Duo or Trio. September 18 5pm Sam Broverman Jazz Duo; 9pm Julian Fauth Blues Night. September 19 5pm Bill Heffernan and His Friends; 9pm Sweet Derrick Blues Band. September 20 5pm Kim Lum-Danson Jazz Duo; 9pm Sean Bellaviti Latin Jazz Trio. September 21 9pm Rob Davis Blues Duo. September 22 5pm Christopher Platt: “CP3”; 9pm Julian Fauth Blues Night. September 23 5pm Larry Bond Jazz Duo; 9pm Julian Fauth Blues Night. September 24 5pm G Street Jazz Trio; 9pm Cyndi Carleton: At Ease Music. September 25 9pm Donné Roberts Band. September 26 5pm Bill Heffernan and His Friends; 9pm Angie Gunn and Nichol Robertson Duo. September 27 5pm Cheryl White Rhythm & Blues Band; 9pm The Bentley Collective. September 28 5pm Chris Gale Jazz Band; 9pm Kalya Ramu Jazz Band. September 29 5pm Ali Berkok Jazz Trio; 9pm Gary Cain Blues Band. September 30 9pm Julian Fauth Blues Night. Grossman’s Tavern 379 Spadina Ave. 416-977-7000 grossmanstavern.com (full schedule) All shows: No cover (unless otherwise noted). Habits Gastropub 928 College St. 416-533-7272 habitsgastropub.com (full schedule) Harlem Restaurant 67 Richmond St. E. 416-368-1920 harlemrestaurant.com (full schedule) All shows: 7:30-11pm (unless otherwise noted). Call for cover charge info. September 4 Madette. September 5 Dirty Jazz. September 11 Zimzum. September 12 Liz Loughrey & Adrian X. September 19 Gyles. September 24 Mike Field. September 26 Kristin Fung. Hirut Cafe and Restaurant 2050 Danforth Ave. 416-551-7560 Every Sun 3pm Open Mic with Nicola Vaughan: folk/country/jazz/world/R&B. September 5 Jazzforia. September 8, 22 8pm Finger Style Guitar Association PWYC. September 11 Arlene Paculan. September 12 8pm Open Mic Brigade hosted by Robbie Patterson PWYC. September 18 Sharon Katz & Friends. September 19 DEOP musicians from Danforth East. September 25 9pm Hirut Hoot Cabaret/Comedy Night . September 26 Poetry Night. Home Smith Bar – See Old Mill, The Hugh’s Room 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604 hughsroom.com All shows: 8:30pm (unless otherwise noted). September 2 Karine Polwart (adv)/.50(door). September 5 Greg Brown .50(adv)/(door). September 10 Comedy Show: You Can’t Be Serious (adv)/(door). September 11 Ron Nigrini (adv)/.50(door). September 12 Friends of Fiddler’s Green – CD Release, “Old Inventions” (adv)/.50(door). September 15 10am Toronto Ravel . September 17 Mike Peters (of The Alarm & Big Country) (adv)/.50(door). September 18 A Man called Wrycraft presents Share the Land – A Live Concert Tribute to The Guess Who (adv)/(door). September 19 Rita Chiarelli (adv)/.50(door). September 20 Jon Gomm & Don Ross .50(adv)/(door). September 25 Elvis at Sun Records (adv)/(door). September 26 Dick Gaughan with Jason Wilson .50(adv)/(door). September 27 8pm Christine Gadies – Debut CD “Just Love” (adv)/(door). thewholenote.com Sept 1 - Oct 7, 2015 | 45
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Choral Scene: Uncharted territory: three choirs finding paths forward; Music Theatre: Loose Tea on the boil with Alaina Viau’s Dead Reckoning; In with the New: what happens to soundart when climate change meets COVID-19; Call to action: diversity, accountability, and reform in post-secondary jazz studies; 9th Annual TIFF Tips: a filmfest like no other; Remembering: Leon Fleisher; DISCoveries: a NY state of mind; 25th anniversary stroll-through; and more. Online in flip through here, and on stands commencing Tues SEP 1.
Following the Goldberg trail from Gould to Lang Lang; Measha Brueggergosman and Edwin Huizinga on face to face collaboration in strange times; diggings into dance as FFDN keeps live alive; "Classical unicorn?" - Luke Welch reflects on life as a Black classical pianist; Debashis Sinha's adventures in sound art; choral lessons from Skagit Valley; and the 21st annual WholeNote Blue Pages (part 1 of 3) in print and online. Here now. And, yes, still in print, with distribution starting Thursday October 1.
Alanis Obomsawin's art of life; fifteen Exquisite Departures; UnCovered re(dis)covered; jazz in the kitchen; three takes on managing record releases in times of plague; baroque for babies; presenter directory (blue pages) part two; and, here at the WholeNote, work in progress on four brick walls (or is it five?). All this and more available in flipthrough HERE, and in print Tuesday Nov 3.
In this issue: Beautiful Exceptions, Sing-Alone Messiahs, Livingston’s Vocal Pleasures, Chamber Beethoven, Online Opera (Plexiglass & All), Playlist for the Winter of our Discontent, The Oud & the Fuzz, Who is Alex Trebek? All this and more available in flipthrough HERE, and in print Friday December 4.
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!).