Volume 21 Issue 3 - November 2015

BLUE PAGES

BLUE PAGES 2015/16 16th ANNUAL DIRECTORY OF MUSIC MAKERS – SUPPLEMENT ●Adam Sherkin The Blue Pages is The WholeNote’s annual directory of concert presenters: choirs, orchestras, bands, chamber ensembles, opera companies and more. It’s published every October in our print magazine, and is up-to-date and available year-round at thewholenote. com. The 147 profiles published in our October 2015 edition gave an extraordinary overview of the vigorous and diverse music community in the GTA and Southern Ontario and an appetizing taste of who’s doing what this season. Presenters who missed the October issue of the magazine were invited to be a part of this November’s directory supplement – the eight profiled here may be old friends or excitingly new to you. Ongoing support from Ontario’s music presenters helps The WholeNote, now in its 21st season, to continue fulfilling its mission. You can do your part by going to concerts and encouraging others, especially younger people, to support live music. PRESENTERS! It’s still not too late to be part of the Blue Pages online. For more information on the benefits of WholeNote membership, contact Karen Ages at members@thewholenote.com or 416-323-2232 x26. 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 In residence at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts since 2011, Toronto native Adam Sherkin is a dynamic pianist who commands a multi-dimensional approach to performance and composition. Sherkin released his debut album in 2012 on the Centrediscs label: a full-length solo disc featuring his own works, As At First. Acclaim has followed for Sherkin’s first record, described as displaying “a sense of daring,” “craftsmanship,” unmistakable music by a “young, living, breathing and very gifted composer.” Sherkin has performed at significant venues throughout Canada and Britain, including the Glenn Gould Studio, the Toronto Centre for the Arts, St. Martin-in-the- Fields, Covent Garden and the Royal Albert Hall. In partnership with Steinway & Sons, Adam Sherkin presents the Write Off the Keyboard Noon Hour Series at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts in Toronto this 2015-16 concert season. All concerts take place on the first Thursday of every month at noon, at the Bluma Appel Lobby of the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. 27 Front Street East. Admission is FREE. stlc.com Nathan Williams, communications manager 416-825-2744 media@adamsherkin.com adamsherkin.com 16 TH ANNUAL BLUE PAGES PRESENTER PROFILES 2015/16 ● Bel Canto Singers The Bel Canto Singers is a dynamic 50-voice community-based SATB choir that performs works from an assortment of genres, including opera choruses, Broadway show tunes, folk songs, spirituals and even rock. Auditions to determine voice range are conducted at the beginning of September and January. This season’s concerts are on December 6, 2015 and May 1, 2016. We also sing for seniors’ residences and in fundraisers for other organizations. Rehearsals are 7:30-10:00 pm Tuesdays at St. Nicholas Anglican Church, 1512 Kingston Road, Toronto, Ontario, M1N 1R7. Linda Meyer, director 416-699-4585 belcantosingers.ca ● Elora Festival Singers The Elora Festival Singers, an all-professional Grammy- and Juno-nominated chamber choir, was founded in 1980 by Noel Edison as principal choral ensemble of the Elora Festival. In 1992, the Elora Festival Singers was incorporated as a separate organization to manage its year-round activities. Since 1997, the choir has been the core of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers, and is the choral ensemblein-residence of the Elora Festival each summer. Through regular concert series, recordings, broadcasts, and touring, the Elora Festival B1 | theWholeNote 2015/16 PRESENTER PROFILES

Singers has established a reputation as one of the finest chamber choirs in Canada and beyond, contributing to the musical life not only of the community but on an international stage. With ten releases on the NAXOS label, the Elora Festival Singers is known for its rich, warm sound and clarity of texture. The choir is renowned for its diverse styles, for its commitment to Canadian repertoire, and for its collaborations with other Canadian artists. 519-846-0331 info@elorafestival.com elorafestival.com ● FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre The FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre is a brand new 95,000 square foot cultural complex located in downtown St. Catharines and is comprised of four state-of-the-art performance venues: Partridge Hall, the crown jewel of the FirstOntario PAC, boasts world-class acoustics and an intimate connection to the stage. Robertson Theatre is a flexible ‘black box’ theatre that can accommodate performances, recitals, cabarets, workshops and more. Cairns Recital Hall is acoustically-pristine and the perfect intimate setting for small musical ensembles, singer-songwriters, recitals and spoken word artists. The Film Theatre has fully cinematic capabilities that will showcase the best in classic, cult and world cinema, as well as genre films that we love. The FirstOntario PAC will host local, national and international music, including classical, chamber, contemporary, jazz, folk, world, choral and symphony. Plus a plethora of theatre, dance, comedy, and so much more. The Arts Live Here. Discover What’s Inside. Jordy Yack 905-688-0722 boxoffice@firstontariopac.ca FirstOntarioPAC.ca ● Meredith Potter Arts Management Meredith Potter Arts Management works with contemporary performing arts companies in Toronto, including Peggy Baker Dance Projects and Volcano Theatre. Volcano creates theatre that is stylistically and socially modern, a theatre that explores identity, politics, history, and the contemporary human condition. Peggy Baker Dance Projects is dedicated to offering experiences of significance, personal connection, and transformative potential to our audience through the power and beauty of the art of dance. Established in Toronto, Canada in 1990 and incorporated in 1996, Peggy Baker Dance Projects is a charitable non-profit organization led by one of Canada’s foremost modern dancers – Peggy Baker. Distinguished from the outset by collaborations with extraordinary creators and performers, the company has built an MEREDITH POTTER ARTS MANAGEMENT exceptional body of work and a growing slate of education, engagement, and enrichment programs. Peggy Baker Dance Projects began as a vehicle for solo dance expression; the company’s work now encompasses solo and ensemble dance repertoire, performed to both live and electro-acoustic music, and features a company of outstanding dancers. Meredith Potter 416-538-4436 info@peggybakerdance.com peggybakerdance.com ● Opera Atelier Opera Atelier is North America’s premier period opera/ballet company, producing the opera, ballet and drama of the 17 th , 18 th , and 19 th centuries. While drawing upon the aesthetics and ideals of the period, Opera Atelier goes beyond “reconstruction” and infuses each production with an inventive theatricality that resonates with modern audiences. Led by founding artistic directors Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg since 1985, Opera Atelier has garnered acclaim for its performances at home as well as in the United States, Europe and Asia. The 2015-16 season marks Opera Atelier’s 30 th anniversary. The season continues in April with a new Canadian production of Mozart’s Lucio Silla (Apr. 7-16, 2016), which was met with great critical acclaim in Salzburg and at La Scala in Milan. Tickets start at and can be purchased through Ticketmaster at 1-855-622-ARTS(2787) or www.ticketmaster.ca, or at the Elgin Theatre Box Office (189 Yonge Street). 1-855-622-2787 opera.atelier@operaatelier.com operaatelier.com ● Rose Room Music Group The Rose Room Music Group is a new, fully-integrated company that offers a world-class recording studio, full-service integrated artist services agency, boutique record label and live concert promotions both in Toronto and on a touring basis. The company’s core team brings over 50 years of collective experience as musicians, promoters and agents to the table along with an extremely broad and fluid skill set and a can-do spirit. Sebastian Cook 416-573-8055 roseroommusicgroup@gmail.com roseroom.ca ●Toronto Symphony Orchestra Founded in 1922, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is one of Canada’s most important cultural institutions, recognized internationally as an outstanding orchestra. Music director Peter Oundjian leads the TSO with a commitment to innovative programming and audience development through a broad range of performances that showcase the exceptional talents of the Orchestra along with a roster of distinguished guest artists and conductors. The TSO also serves the larger community with TSOUNDCHECK, the original under-35 ticket program, the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, and music education programs that reach over 50,000 students each year. 416-593-4828 TSO.ca theWholeNote 2015/16 PRESENTER PROFILES | B2