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.
Beat by Beat | Mainly
Beat by Beat | Mainly Clubs, Mostly Jazz! Basic Brown BOB BEN This month, I am looking forward. After all, there is a lot to look forward to in the fall: the beginning of Christmas as defined by retailers everywhere; colourful leaves and colourful sweaters; the post-Halloween candy binge; and, I suppose, even Halloween itself. My favourite thing about this fall is going to be the sounds, I’m sure. Not only the crunching of les feuilles mortes under busy Torontonian feet, but the music gracing the stages at busy Toronto concert venues. Let me take you back to winter. On a snowy Saturday in January, 2011, I went to check out a double bill at The Rex. Ricochet, a group featuring Adrean Farrugia, Andrew Downing, Ravi Naimpally, Anthony Michelli, Kevin Turcotte, Kelly Jefferson and Sophia Perlman, was my reason for going, but I was told that at 12:30 there would be a special late-night set by a band I hadn’t yet heard of, and since I didn’t have to rise early the next morning and no extra cover was required for the late set, I stuck around. The group played original music by bassist/composer Rich Brown and featured Luis Deniz on alto sax, Robi Botos on keyboards and Larnell Lewis on the drums. For the next few years – at least two, maybe more – I followed Rinse the Algorithm obsessively, attended every one of their monthly late night gigs at The Rex and most of their gigs elsewhere, purchased their album, Locutions, which I think is still available for download on iTunes, and even spent a lot of time Rich Brown transcribing what I heard – melodies, chord changes, solos, drum patterns – sometimes on the spot at the concert. The aforementioned lineup was the core group for most of the time that I knew the band, but occasionally I saw them with subs: Farrugia subbed for Botos one time, I think I remember Jefferson stepping in for Deniz, and I’m certain that at least two monstrous drummers filled the drum chair (which, with Lewis in the group, is a huge chair): Otis Williams and Chino de Villa. Locutions is an album undeniably worth listening to (my favourite track is As if Sleepwalking With Headphones On – a tune which they didn’t play live as often as some of the others), but it couldn’t hold a candle to their live concerts. They brought something intangible to the C. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz) October 3 Liz Loughrey & Adrian X. October 5, 12, 19, 26 Neil Brathwaite. October 16 The Jay Danley Ethiojazz Group. October 17 ZimZum. October 23 Kismet Star. October 24 Kristin Fung. October 31 Quisha Wint. Hirut Cafe and Restaurant 2050 Danforth Ave. 416-551-7560 Every Sun 3pm Open Mic with Nicola Vaughan: folk/country/jazz/world/R&B. October 3 8pm Open Mic Brigade hosted by Robbie Patterson PWYC. October 6, 20 8pm Finger Style Guitar Association PWYC. October 30 9pm Hirut Hoot Cabaret . 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). October 1 Cheryl Lescom & The Tucson Choir Boys – CD Release (adv)/(door). October 2 John Primer & The Real Deal Blues Band .50(adv)/(door). October 6 10am Toronto Ravel ; 8:30pm Jane Harbury Presents Discoveries (adv)/(door). October 7 Dan Bern .50(adv)/(door). October 8 Richard Flohil presents Maria Muldaur .50(adv)/(door). October 9 Séan McCann (of Great Big Sea) – CD Release .50(adv)/(door). October 10 Willie Dixon – A Tribute to the Man who was The Blues (adv)/(door). October 13, 14 5pm Dave Mason’s VIP Experience 9.75; 8:30pm Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam (adv)/(door). October 15 Van Django (adv)/(door). October 17 Vienna Teng (adv)/(door). October 18 Linda McRae – CD Release – Shadow Trails (adv)/(door). October 19 Kinky Friedman – CD Release -Wandering Star .50(adv)/(door). October 22 Wendy Lands – CD Release (adv)/(door). October 23 A Tribute to Jackson Browne (adv)/(door). October 24 Maria Doyle Kennedy with Kieran Kennedy (adv)/.50(door). October 25 2pm Ken Whiteley’s Sunday Gospel Matinee (adv)/.50(door); 8:30pm Al Stewart accompanied by guitarist Dave Nachmanoff .50(adv)/(door). October 26 Al Stewart accompanied by guitarist Dave Nachmanoff .50(adv)/(door). October 27 Four Villages Community Health Center presents Motherzz are Starzz Jazz Night (adv)/(door). October 28 Beppe Gambetta & Tony McManus – CD Release – Round Trip (adv)/(door). October 29 Paul Brady – CD Release – The Vicar Street Sessions Vol 1 .50(adv)/(door). October 30 The Woodshed Orchestra – CD Release (adv)/(door). October 31 Joey DeFrancesco Trio (adv)/(door). Jazz Bistro, The 251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299 jazzbistro.ca October 1 9pm George Evans Quartet . October 2 9pm The Jim Doxas Trio: Jim Doxas (drums), Paul Shrofel (piano), Fraser Hollins (bass) CD Release: “Blind Leap” . October 3 9pm Ariel Pocock (voice, piano) with Adrian Vedady (bass), Jim Doxas (drums) . October 4 7pm Adi Braun (voice) with Adrean Farrugia (piano) . October 6 8pm Hannah Burgé (voice) CD Release “Green River” with Toni Zorzi (guitar), Robi Botos (keyboards), Paco Luviano (bass), Mark Kelso (drums), Luisito Orbegoso (percussion) . October 7 8pm Morgan Davis . October 8, 9, 10 9pm Micah Barnes and Friends: “Uptown” - A Tribute to the Appolo Theatre . October 13 7pm, 9:30pm Jazz FM Piano series: Claudio Filippini Tickets available from jazz. fm. October 14 8pm David Owen CD Release: “Livin’ Life” . October 15 8:30pm Swing Dance Night with Colin Hunter (voice) and the Anthony Terpstra (drums) Seventet: Richard Whitehouse (piano), Dave Field (bass), Paul Tarussov (trombone), John Little (trumpet), Steve MacDonald (tenor sax), Anthony Rinaldi (bari sax) . October 16, 17 8:30pm Colin Hunter (voice) with the Joe Sealy (piano) Quartet: Paul Novotny (bass), Daniel Barnes (drums), Alison Young (sax) . October 18 7pm Monica Chapman (voice) with Igor Babich (sax), Rebecca Hennessy (trumpet), Nathan Hiltz (guitar), Bill King (piano), Dave Young (bass), Mark Kelso (drums) . October 20 7:30pm Charles Di Raimondo (voice) CD Release “My Jazz Adventures” with Bernie Senensky (piano), Dave Field (bass), Frank Difelice (drums) . October21 8pm Ken Whitely . October 22 9pm Chrystelle Maechler’s SOA . October 23 9pm Alexis Baro (trumpet) Quintet with Jeff King (sax), Stan Fomin (piano), Yoser Rodrique (bass), Ahmed Mitchel (drums) . October 25 7pm Judith Lander CD Release “From my Life” . October 26 7pm A Tribute Evening Remembering Ray Jessel. October 28 8pm Andria Simone . October 29, 30 9pm Sunnie Paxon . Jazz Room, The Located in the Huether Hotel, 59 King St. N., Waterloo. 226-476-1565 kwjazzroom.com (full schedule) All shows: 8:30pm-11:30pm unless otherwise indicated. Attendees must be 19+. October 2 Jason Raso featuring Rowan, Warren & O’Neill . October 3 Russ Nolan Quartet (NYC) . October 9 Jonathan Chapman Trio . October 10 Artie Roth Quartet . October 16 Fern Lindzon Trio . October 17 George Colligan Trio (NYC) . October 22 Sandro Zerafa / Joe Debono Quartet (Paris) . October 23 Top Pocket . October 24 Mike Murley Trio . October 25 4pm Mark Kelso’s Jazz Exiles . October 30 Keith Price Trio (Winnipeg) . October 31 Brownman plays Michael Jackson . Joe Mama’s 317 King St. W 416-340-6469 joemamas.ca Every Tue 6pm Jeff Eager. Every Wed 6pm Thomas Reynolds & Geoff Torrn. Every Thurs 9pm Blackburn. Every Fri 10pm The Grind. Every Sat 10pm Shugga. Every Sun 6:30pm Organic: Nathan Hiltz (guitar); Bernie Senensky (organ); Ryan Oliver (sax), Morgan Childs (drums). 52 | Oct 1 - Nov 7, 2015 thewholenote.com
Kevin Turcotte stage that seems to me impossible to translate in a studio. They had, or I suppose they still have, a tune called The Lakeside Stroll. To get a sense of what it was like hearing the same repertoire interpreted a different way each month, take a look on YouTube for that tune. You’ll find at least three, if not more, versions of it, which are all, despite being the same tune, spontaneous compositions in and of themselves. At the time I stumbled across this band, I was not that new to live jazz, and certainly not new to live music. I had heard groups before that played music I found strikingly original, like RTA did, and groups that displayed tremendous technical facility on their instruments, like RTA did, and groups that made each tune sound radically different each time they played it, like RTA did, and groups that sent me out of the venue with a goofy smile on my face, like RTA very consistently did – so it’s difficult to pin down exactly why I thought they were so special. But given the huge following they had, I think I was and am in if not good company, lots of company – so I’m in no hurry to justify myself. In the winter of 2012/13, Brown held two solo bass concerts at the now-defunct venue, 80 Gladstone, which I attended, of course. During some RTA concerts, he would open a song with a bass solo, and it seemed to me that, month to month, these weren’t just improvisations, but compositions he was developing over time. It was at these lovely, intimate concerts at 80 Gladstone that I first got a more complete sense of what Brown was going for. Not only is it very good, it’s available for sampling on YouTube: just search “Rich Brown:Nguyên,” and it should come up. Dive into related videos. Have fun. I don’t like to say I have a favourite anything, but Brown has to be my favourite composer in the city, at least within this idiom. His compositions are deeply considered, and deeply moving as a result. They’re harmonically novel – at least to my ear – and often circular in nature, much like Blue in Green. They don’t always necessarily have a clear end or beginning. Brown doesn’t write compositions that can be described as happy or sad. It’s all much more nuanced than that. Words that better describe his compositions are meditative, unhinged, biting, nostalgic, conflicted and reverent. This is all to say that Brown has a new project, Rich Brown & The Abeng. I don’t know much about it, except that given Brown’s track record and the absolutely stellar lineup, featuring Stan Fomin on keys and Kevin Turcotte on trumpet, it will be amazing. The Abeng’s CD release party will be happening at Lula Lounge on October21 at 8:30pm and the cover charge will be worth way more than that. I look forward to seeing you all there. Bob Ben is The WholeNote’s jazz listings editor. He can be reached at jazz@thewholenote.com. C. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz) KAMA 214 King St. W. 416-599-5262 kamaindia.com (full schedule) All shows: 5pm-8pm. La Revolucion 2848 Dundas St. W 416-766-0746 restaurantlarevolucion.com (full schedule) Local Gest, The 424 Parliament St. 416-961-9425 October 4 4:30pm Diane Roblin & Reconnect. Lula Lounge 1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307 lula.ca (full schedule) Manhattans Pizza Bistro & Music Club 951 Gordon St., Guelph 519-767-2440 manhattans.ca (full schedule) All shows: PWYC. October 1 Joni Nehrita’s ‘Boom’ CD Launch. October 2 Gary Beck and Sideways. October 3 Denise Reis & Friends. October 6, 20 Brad Halls. October 7, 28 Jokela / Vogan / Cooley. October 8, 13 John Zadro. October 9 The Cha Cha Unit. October 10 Elena Kapeleris & Bartosz Hadala. October 11, 14, 22, 27 Paul Taylor (11th with Jamie ‘Giggles’ Mitges). October 23, 25 David Hollingshead (23rd with Jena Lampman). October 29 Karyn Kirkwood Trio. Mezzetta Restaurant 681 St. Clair Ave. W 416-658-5687 mezzettarestaurant.com (full schedule) All shows: 9pm, (unless otherwise noted). October 7 Bill McBirnie (flute) & Louis Simao (guitar): Brazilian Jazz . October 14 8pm Dino Toledo (guitar) & Fernando Gallego (voice): Flamenco No cover. October21 Mike Murley (sax) & Jim Vivian (bass). October 28 Dave Young (bass) & Reg Schwager (guitar). Monarch Tavern 12 Clinton St. 416-531-5833 themonarchtavern.com (full schedule) October 12 7:30pm Martin Loomer & His Orange Devils Orchestra . Monarchs Pub At the Eaton Chelsea Hotel 33 Gerrard St. W. 416-585-4352 monarchspub.ca (full schedule) All shows: 8pm-midnight. No cover. October 1 Jerome Godboo. October 7 Laura Hubert. October 8 Bill Durst. October 14 Emily Rockarts Quartet. October 15 Wicked Grin. October21 Kalya Ramu. October 22 Ria Reece. October 28 Brownman & Cruzao. October 29 Mackenzie Blues Band. Morgans on the Danforth 1282 Danforth Ave. 416-461-3020 morgansonthedanforth.com (full schedule) All shows: 2pm-5pm. No cover. October 25 Lisa Particelli’s ‘Girls Night Out’ Jazz Jam. Musideum 401 Richmond St. W., Main Floor 416-599-7323 musideum.com (full schedule) October 4 8pm Vox Metropolis presents “Sherlock Jr.” . October 8 8pm Heal the Universe . October 11 3pm Francine Hailman . October 15 8pm Cynthia Tauro . October 23 8pm Conrad Gayle . Nawlins Jazz Bar & Dining 299 King St. W. 416-595-1958 nawlins.ca All shows: No cover/PWYC. Every Tue 6:30pm Stacie McGregor. Every Wed 7pm Jim Heineman Trio. Every Thu 8pm Nothin’ But the Blues w/ guest vocalists. Every Fri 8:30pm All Star Bourbon St. Band. Every Sat 6:30pm Sam Heinman; 9pm All Star Bourbon St. Band. Every Sun 7pm Brooke Blackburn. Nice Bistro, The 117 Brock St. N., Whitby. 905-668-8839 nicebistro.com (full schedule) Old Mill, The 21 Old Mill Rd. 416-236-2641 oldmilltoronto.com The Home Smith Bar: No reservations. No cover. food/drink minimum. All shows: 7:30pm-10:30pm October 1 Melissa Lauren (voice) Trio with Nathan Hiltz (guitar), Tyler Emond (bass). October 2 Nathan Hiltz (guitar) Trio with Pat Collins (bass), Morgan Childs (drums). October 3 Denny Christianson (trumpet, flugelhorn) Quartet with Brian Dickinson (piano), Mike Downes (bass), Mark Kelso (drums). October 6 In Concert and Conversation with Gene DiNovi. October 8 Robin Banks (voice) Trio with Ted Quinlan (guitar), Richard Whiteman (piano). October 9 Dave Young (bass) Quartet with Gary Williamson (piano), Landen Vierra (sax), Terry Clarke (drums). October 10 Joe Sealy (piano), Paul Novotny (bass) Duo. October 15 Alistair Kay (trombone) Trio with Brian Dickinson (piano), Roberto Occhipinti (bass). October 16 Kurt Lund (sax) Trio with Mark Eisenman (piano), Steve Wallace (bass). October 17 Carol McCartney (voice) Quartet with Brian Dickinson (piano), Kieran Overs (bass), Chris Robinson (sax). October 22 LJ Folk (voice, guitar) Quartet with David Restivo (piano), Pat Collins (bass), Steve Heathcote (drums). October 23 Julie Mahendren (voice) Trio with Adrean Farrugia (piano), Ross MacIntyre (bass). October 24 Don Vickery (drums) Trio with Mark Eisenman (piano), Neil Swainson (bass). October 29 Shannon Butcher (voice) Trio with Mark Kieswetter (piano), Ross MacIntyre (bass). October 30 Brian Blain (voice, guitar) Blues Trio with Julian Fauth (piano, voice), Victor Bateman (bass, voice). October 31 ‘The Two Tenors’ with Alex Dean, Perry White (tenor saxes), Mark Eisenman (piano), Pat Collins (bass). Paintbox Bistro 555 Dundas St. E. 647-748-0555 paintboxbistro.ca (Full schedule) Pilot Tavern, The 22 Cumberland Ave. 416-923-5716 thepilot.ca All shows: 3:30pm. No cover. October 3 Dave Young Quartet. October thewholenote.com Oct 1 - Nov 7, 2015 | 53
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!).
