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.
BLUE PAGES
BLUE PAGES 2015/16 Opera York continues to provide affordable and accessible lectures, operatic concerts for seniors and educational programming. November 5 and 7, 2015: Puccini’s Tosca, Richmond Hill Centre for the Arts. March 3 and 5, 2016: Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, Richmond Hill Centre for the Arts. 905-763-7853 info@operayork.com operayork.com Tickets: 905-787-8811 rhcentre.ca ● Orchestra Toronto Orchestra Toronto, Toronto’s premier community symphony orchestra, conducted by music director Kevin Mallon, is the Orchestra in Residence at the Toronto Centre for the Arts and offers five Sunday afternoon season concerts in the George Weston Recital Hall. The 2015-16 season will be our 62nd and features music from “around the world”. We perform powerful symphonic masterpieces as well as new works and our annual April light classics concert. Each concert is preceded by a pre-concert talk by our conductor Kevin Mallon. We also have an exciting roster of soloists: Stewart Goodyear, piano, Tom Allen as narrator, Joel Quarrington, double bass as well as Irish folk musicians. Our December concert, “The Music of Youth” will feature Stephanie Morin, flute, our concerto competition winner, as well as some holiday treats and our popular Long & McQuade Instrument Petting Zoo. We will continue this year with our RBC Student Fellowship Program, and Apprentice Conductor and Stage Manager programs as well as our annual Concerto Competition for Young Musicians. Samantha Little, Executive Director 416-467-7142 info@orchestratoronto.ca orchestratoronto.ca ● ORGANIX Concerts Inc. ORGANIX Concerts Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Glionna Mansell Corporation, is the producer of important musical events specific to organ performance and education. The musical highlight of the year is the annual international ORGANIX music series showcasing Toronto’s finest pipe organs. This series offers the public an opportunity to hear and experience rarely performed repertoire brilliantly executed on magnificent instruments by passionate Canadian and international artists. ORGANIX 16 will feature select solo concerts but will for the most part be enjoying a sabbatical after 10 seasons of continuous concerts. ORGANIX is a music series unlike any other! Gordon Mansell, president and artistic director 416-769-5224 1-877-769-5224 organixconcerts.ca ● ORIANA Women’s Choir ORIANA Women’s Choir is an auditioned, amateur ensemble of about 35 female singers. Under artistic director Mitchell Pady, ORIANA promotes choral music in Canada by striving for excellence and versatility in performing compositions for women’s voices. The choir is expanding the repertoire for women’s choirs by commissioning and performing works from Canadian composers. The singers delight in supporting each other, improving their technique, and expressing their enjoyment of beautiful music, beautifully performed. ORIANA is now in its 44th season and is currently inviting new members. Rehearsals take place on Tuesdays, 7:30pm to 10pm, at North Toronto Collegiate Institute. ORIANA presents three subscription concerts every year, usually in November, February, and May, at Grace Church on-the-Hill. This season the choir’s third subscription concert will be a collaboration with the Indo-jazz trio Autorickshaw. ORIANA also performs around the GTA at venues such as Roy Thomson Hall, the McMichael Collection, and various community events. Julia Lee 416-978-8849 info@orianachoir.com orianachoir.com ● Orpheus Choir of Toronto The Orpheus vision is “to celebrate the transformational power of choral music as an agent of social change and a passionate medium of artistic expression.” Celebrating our 52nd season of innovative music-making, the Orpheus Choir, under the charismatic direction of artistic director Robert Cooper, champions the rare and different in choral performance. 2015/16 highlights include the 1925 silent film classic Phantom of the Opera with live choral soundtrack; Christmas favourites with the Hannaford Street Silver Band and songstress Jackie Richardson; a multi-media Canadian Première: Bach’s Mass in B Minor with German filmmaker Bastian Clevé’s dramatic film The Sound of Eternity; and a celebration of the lyrical Shakespeare with Stratford star Geraint Wyn-Davies. Education initiatives include our highly successful Sidgwick Scholars Program, providing challenging, professional opportunities for rising vocal stars, and an Apprentice Conductor position. New this season, the Vocal Apprentice Program offers high-school singers superb performance experience. The Orpheus Choir is a vital and inclusive choral community meeting Tuesday evenings at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. We welcome enthusiastic singers for an “expect something different” experience! Lisa Griffiths, managing director Box Office: 416-530-4428 lisa.griffiths@orpheuschoirtoronto.com orpheuschoirtoronto.com ● Pax Christi Chorale Known for presenting rarely heard choral masterpieces, Pax Christi Chorale has a reputation for passionate singing and performance of dramatic masterworks with professional soloists and orchestra. Their concerts bring people together in a musical community without borders, in an artistic experience that deeply touches performers and audience alike. Under the artistic direction of Stephanie Martin since 1997, the choir has performed ambitious works including Handel’s Solomon, Britten’s Saint Nicolas, the North American premiere of Parry’s Judith, and Elgar’s The Kingdom in Koerner Hall. In addition to their annual community concert, “The Children’s Messiah”, Pax Christi Chorale will present three concerts in 2015-16: “Hands Across the Water” with England’s renowned Gloucester Cathedral Choir; Berlioz’s tender and endearing L’enfance du Christ; and “A Cappella Masterworks” with the Menno Singers. The choir also has a chamber choir and a choral scholarship program. Rehearsals are on Monday nights in North York. Auditions are held in May and August. Jennifer Collins, general manager jennifer.collins@paxchristichorale.org boxoffice@paxchristichorale.org paxchristichorale.org ● Penthelia Singers A vibrant ensemble of women, Penthelia Singers is a chamber choir committed to excellence in performing a culturally diverse and musically sophisticated repertoire spanning the Renaissance to the 21st century. Founded in 1997, the choir is named after the ancient Egyptian priestess-musician, Penthelia. Entering its 18th season, Penthelia Singers has earned a reputation for presenting innovative concerts of four to eight-part choral repertoire in a multitude of languages. Guest artists, dance, creative themes and unique programming make attending a Penthelia performance an original and engaging concert experience. Penthelia Singers aims to demonstrate the diversity of choral music and to cross ethnic and cultural boundaries by reaching out and connecting with our community through music. Penthelia Singers rehearses Wednesdays from 7:30pm to 9:30pm at Rosedale Presbyterian Church (129 Mt. Pleasant Rd., Toronto). Choir admission is by audition in August or January. Strong sight-singing and/or choral experience required. Our major concerts for the 2015/2016 season are on Sunday, November 22, 2015 and Sunday, June 5, 2016. Alice Malach, artistic director 416-579-7464 pentheliasingers@yahoo.ca penthelia.com B18 | theWholeNote 2015/16 PRESENTER PROFILES
● Peterborough Singers The Peterborough Singers, under the energetic and creative leadership of founder and music director Syd Birrell, is an auditioned 100-voice choir of all ages which attracts audiences from Peterborough, the Kawarthas, Northumberland and locations along the Lakeshore. This season we are excited that our “Yuletide Cheer” concert includes soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian. As well as joining the choir in singing old favourites she will perform the world-premiere performance of our newly commissioned piece created by her husband, Canadian composer Serouj Kradjian. Also welcomed back for “Yuletide Cheer” is the Venabrass Brass Quintet. Bach’s St. John Passion and Handel’s Messiah will spotlight seasoned soloists as well as emerging young artists in the leading roles. The Beatles musical songbook is back by popular demand. Rehearsals are Wednesdays 7:30-9:30 pm at Murray St. Baptist Church, 175 Murray Street, Peterborough. Peg McCracken, office contact 705-745-1820 singers@peterboroughsingers.com peterboroughsingers.com ● RCCO Toronto The Royal Canadian College of Organists offers opportunities for professional certification, publishes the magazine Organ Canada/Orgue Canada, publishes new compositions for organ and/or choir, and organizes workshops and annual conventions. RCCO Toronto is a community in the GTA for professional and amateur organists, church and synagogue musicians, choral conductors and others who value the “King of Instruments.” We begin with a visit to the R.S. McLaughlin Estate – Parkwood National Historic Site in Oshawa on Saturday, September 19, 2015, led by Alan Jackson, including a unique look at the rare Aeolian player-pipe organ at the historic home. Our annual free Halloween concert, “Phantoms of the Organ,” takes place on Friday October 30 at 9pm, at Metropolitan United Church. A stunning organ performance is expected in November with Stefan Engels. Other events in 2016 include a Hymn Festival with John Schwandt (February), “A City BACH-WALK” in March, and an organ recital with organist Maurice Clerc (April). See online for details. Please feel free to contact David Weind, (president) at 416-789-1175. To become a member of the Royal Canadian College of Organists, go to www. rcco.ca or contact Hazel Ogilvie (membership secretary) at 905-881-7266. Ron Jordan 905-683-0562 to.rcco.enotice@gmail.com rccotoronto.ca ORPHEUS CHOIR OF TORONTO ● Roy Thomson Hall In 2015-2016, the world’s greatest musicians and speakers take to the Roy Thomson Hall stage. Classical music giants performing at the Hall include Renee Fleming, Yundi, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with Pinchas Zukerman and more, while Raffi, Paco Peña, the Indigo Girls with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, “Classic Albums Live”, a live jazz accompaniment of animated film The Triplets of Belleville and others round out the diverse musical offerings this season. “National Geographic Live!” returns with a season’s-worth of adventurers, scholars, photographers and other compelling characters that share their insights, experience and amazement at the world around us, while the free choir and organ concert series continues into its 19th year. 416-872-4255 reachus@rth-mh.com roythomson.com ●The Royal Conservatory of Music Take in a concert by international classical, jazz, pop, and world music stars at one of the world’s finest concert halls, Koerner Hall, or one of The Conservatory’s other two concert venues. Artists range from Yo-Yo Ma to Mavis Staples, from Los Lobos to Ramsey Lewis, plus The Conservatory’s own world-renowned faculty. Koerner Hall is “the greatest venue in this city” and “magnificent in its acoustics, as much as in its design.” (Toronto Star) 416-408-0208 performance.rcmusic.ca ● Scaramella Concerts Scaramella presents period instrument chamber music concerts from musicians from Canada and abroad. The roster changes from concert to concert, enabling a wide range of musical styles and a fresh, vivacious and accessible performance. Children 14 and under are admitted free of charge. For 2015-2016, we begin with a Bach program, embracing Johann Sebastian’s own quirk of ‘recycling’ music in new settings. His sixth Brandenburg concerto may have originally called for two violas paired with two viols, but it also resonates beautifully when brought to life by an entire consort of low viols. Our second program moves to the opposite end of the overtone spectrum, featuring the pardessus de viole, an instrument that was championed historically by women players, played by Mélisande Corriveau. Our final concert pairs two sensational young artists: soprano Dawn Bailey and fiery baroque trumpeter Justin Bland, backed by an ensemble of strings and harpsichord. Tickets available at the door, or for advance purchase using the order form on the website. November 28, 2015: Bach – Alio Modo; March 5, 2016: Délices de la solitude; April 16, 2016: Sound the Trumpet! Joëlle Morton 416-760-8610 info@scaramella.ca scaramella.ca ● Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra The Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra, in its 36th season, is a community orchestra led by music director Ronald Royer. We offer fulfilling, and convenient live entertainment experiences at affordable prices with performances by many amazing artists. SPO is fertile ground for young up-and-coming performers and composers, too. It is part of SPO’s commitment to providing the community and performers with the opportunity to enjoy the very best the music world has to offer. For SPO’s 2015/16 concert season, the tradition continues. In addition to SPO’s impressive roster of Canadian composers featured this season, we are always proud to spotlight many Canadian BRUCE REDSTONE theWholeNote 2015/16 PRESENTER PROFILES | B19
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!).
