Volume 21 Issue 2 - October 2015

BLUE PAGES

BLUE PAGES 2015/16 16th ANNUAL DIRECTORY OF MUSIC MAKERS Welcome to the Blue Pages, The WholeNote’s 16th annual directory of concert presenters. The 147 profiles that follow provide an extraordinary snapshot of the remarkable creativity and musical diversity present in the GTA and Southern Ontario, as well as a brief but unique window into who’s doing what this season. These tiny profiles allow us only a glimpse of the part they will play in cultivating the region’s rich musical landscape this year. We hope you enjoy this taste of what’s in store for 2015/16 as you peruse these pages of choirs, orchestras, chamber ensembles, opera companies and more. The ongoing support of the organizations listed here helps keep The WholeNote alive and allows us to fulfill our mission. Presenters who missed this issue of the magazine still have the opportunity to be a part of this directory, which lives year-round on our website at thewholenote. com/blue. For more information on this and the benefits of WholeNote membership, contact Karen Ages at members@thewholenote.com or 416-323-2232 x26. Whether you are in the audience or on stage, we wish you all the best for the 2015/16 concert season! BLUE PAGES TEAM 2015/16 PROJECT MANAGER Karen Ages PROJECT EDITOR Kevin King PROOFREADING Vanessa Wells LAYOUT & DESIGN Susan Sinclair WEBSITE Bryson Winchester COVER PHOTO Janet Kimber ●Academy Concert Series Established in 1991, the Academy Concert Series offers innovative chamber music concerts on period instruments, bringing to life the musical riches, passion and sonorous colour palate of the 17th to early 20th centuries. The thematic programs highlight a specific time, place and/ or composer, featuring both accomplished and emerging artists. The 2015/16 season opener, “Dvorák Discovers America” on November 21, 2015, features Canadian violinist Scott St. John, leading a programme to include Antonín Dvorák’s “American” String Quartet in F Major, Op.96, Luigi von Kunits’ String Quartet from 1891, and Dvorák’s String Quintet in E-flat Major Op.97. On January 30, 2016, ACS welcomes back soprano Nathalie Paulin and lutenist Lucas Harris in “Soaring Over a Ground Bass,” exploring 17th century compositional practices of melodies, improvisations, and rhythmic divisions and highlighting the differences of compositional styles across Europe. The season finale, “Mozart and Beethoven Transformed” will present two masterworks transcribed for chamber ensembles; Beethoven’s Cello Sonata No.1, Op.V, adapted for cello quintet, and Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra. All concerts take place on Saturdays at 8pm, at Eastminster United Church (310 Danforth Ave.). Kerri McGonigle 416-629-3716 admin@academyconcertseries.ca academyconcertseries.ca ●Aga Khan Museum The Aga Khan Museum presents some of the finest live music, dance, and film from around the world in extraordinary settings: from a state-ofthe-art auditorium to an open-air courtyard, a Persian-inspired salon, and a variety of spaces shared by exhibitions and educational programming. Performances at the Museum join culturally diverse artists in conversation, highlighting the arts of Muslim civilizations from the Iberian Peninsula to China and celebrating the many ways that cultures connect through art. Please visit agakhanmuseum.org for a full calendar of performances and film screenings. Alison Kenzie 416-646-4677 information@agakhanmuseum.org agakhanmuseum.org BRIAN SUMMERS TORONTO MENDELSSOHN CHOIR ●All Saints Kingsway Anglican Church All Saints’ Choir provides musical leadership at weekly Sunday morning Eucharists, Festival Evensongs, community outreach projects and concerts year-round. The choir has toured notable UK cathedrals, recorded two CDs and performed throughout Toronto. Recent performances B2 | theWholeNote 2015/16 PRESENTER PROFILES

include Requiem - Maurice Duruflé, a concert with the Nathaniel Dett Chorale and a thrilling Christmas presentation, A Ceremony of Carols - Benjamin Britten. An Organ Series and Jazz Vespers commences in January 2016. New members are always welcome to the Music at All Saints Kingsway family. Come and be a part of a fantastic choral, instrumental and creative community. D. Brainerd Blyden-Taylor, director of music 416-233-1125 music@allsaintskingsway.ca allsaintskingsway.ca ●Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto Founded in 1975, the Amadeus Choir, under the direction of Lydia Adams, is celebrating its 41st year. The choir performs a regular series of concerts, presenting works by Canadian and international composers, both with orchestra and in a cappella performances. Celebrating music and light in the 2015/16 season, “Luminosity” (November 1), presents works by J. Whitbourn, B. Chilcott, M. Lauridsen, H. Janmohamed and Ê. Ešenvalds with guest artists, Steven Dann and Diana Atherton Davis. On December 19 the choir welcomes Linda Beaupré and the Bach Children’s Chorus for “The Season of Joy”, featuring winning compositions from the 29th Annual International Songwriting Competition open to all ages. Feel the pulse on April 3 with “Carmina Burana: The Spring Emerges”, with works by Della Joio, Coulthard and Orff. The Amadeus Choir is joined by the Buffalo Master Chorale, Doreen Rao, conductor; Bach Children’s Chorus, Linda Beaupré, conductor; soloists Leslie Fagan, Christopher Mayell, and Peter MacGillivray, and accompanists Peter MacDonald and Shawn Grenke. Experience the beauty of madrigals and works by Morley, Gibbons, Bennett, Vaughan Williams, Schubert, Britten and Howells at “Serenade to Music” on June 5. Lydia Adams, conductor & artistic director Shawn Grenke, accompanist Olena Jatsyshyn, general manager 416-446-0188 info@amadeuschoir.com www.amadeuschoir.com ●Amici Chamber Ensemble Amici Chamber Ensemble has celebrated over twenty-five years as one of Canada’s finest and most distinguished chamber music ensembles. Artistic Directors clarinetist Joaquin Valdepeñas, cellist David Hetherington and pianist Serouj Kradjian invite some of the finest musicians to join them in innovative and eclectic programming, celebrating friendship through music. Amici Chamber Ensemble’s annual concert series has featured world-renowned musicians AMICI CHAMBER ENSEMBLE as frequent guests, including James Ehnes, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Lara St. John, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Russell Braun, Michael Schade, Cho-Liang Lin, Jaime Laredo, Andre Laplante and James Sommerville. The ensemble has commissioned and premiered over twenty works by Canadian composers, among them Allan Gordon Bell, Chan Ka Nin, Brian Cherney, Malcolm Forsyth, Jacques Hétu, Alexina Louie and Jeffrey Ryan. Alongside numerous broadcasts of their concerts on national radio, Amici Chamber Ensemble’s recordings have placed them firmly among the world’s best chamber musicians and garnered the ensemble two JUNO awards, most recently the 2013 Classical Album of the Year: Solo or Chamber Ensemble for Levant. Other prestigious honors include several JUNO award nominations, including a 2011 nomination for the ATMA Classique disc “Armenian Chamber Music“. Robin McLean 519-267-0636 robin@amiciensemble.com amiciensemble.com ●Annex Singers The Annex Singers of Toronto is a vibrant community choir delivering an eclectic repertoire with spirit and sophistication. Celebrating its 36th year of singing, the 70-voice choir performs classical and contemporary repertoire, including premieres of Canadian works. The Annex Chamber Choir is a 20-voice ensemble drawn from the larger choir, presenting works from the chamber repertoire. Director Maria Case’s dynamic leadership and programming continue to invigorate the choir, attracting new members and wider audiences. This season the Annex Singers will present two concerts at Grace Church on-the-Hill: “Gaudete!” on Saturday, December 12, 2015, and “Songs and Sonnets: A Shakespeare Celebration” on Saturday, May 7, 2016. On Saturday, March 5, 2016, the Annex Chamber Choir will perform “Camerata” at St. Andrew’s United Church. We rehearse Monday evenings at St. Thomas’s Church, 383 Huron Street. Experienced singers who wish to arrange an audition are encouraged to contact our membership coordinator through our website. Joanne Eidinger 416-458-4434 joeidinger@gmail.com annexsingers.com ●Aradia Ensemble The JUNO-nominated Aradia Ensemble led by conductor Kevin Mallon presents innovative music incorporating old-world artistry and the modern-day, performing an eclectic blend of music on baroque instruments. They have recorded over 50 CDs for Naxos. This season launches November 1, celebrating the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain’s visit to Ontario: “In the Path of Champlain” in partnership with Alliance Française at 24 Spadina Rd, featuring a narration by Dr. Patrice Dutil. For our holiday concert on December 5 at the beautiful St. Anne’s Anglican Church, 270 Gladstone Ave, we present a programme of Vivaldi Sacred music along with the launch of our newest CD from Naxos. On April 16 at the Music Gallery, 197 John St. we present “Voyage to America” with actor Pierre Brault following the voyage of Captain Christopher Newport, featuring music from Rameau, Marais, Vivaldi, Telemann and Corelli. Our season finishes with “Concert for a Mad King” June 4 at the Music Gallery featuring soprano Stacie Dunlop performing “mad” arias from Handel, and Montréal’s Ensemble Paramirabo performing Peter Maxwell Davies’ “Eight Songs for a Mad King” with baritone Vincent Ranallo. Samantha Little, executive director 647-960-6650 info@aradia.ca aradia.ca theWholeNote 2015/16 PRESENTER PROFILES | B3