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.
Beat by Beat | Mainly
Beat by Beat | Mainly Clubs, Mostly Jazz! One of my friends told me afterwards that they had a Dixieland jam on Saturdays, and that it was poppin’. So, I went; and, oh my goodness, it popped so much. I have rarely seen so many people in a jazz club – and never for a weekly thing. Residency gigs and the like are often, too often, sparsely attended. This jam, on the other hand, was full almost to the point of being a fire hazard. Usually, when I see a jazz club that full, it’s for a trendy band that attracts people of one age group almost exclusively. But here, there were quite literally toddlers and octogenarians on the same dance floor. The best thing about the jam was its overwhelming and palpable positivity. Nobody was isolated from anyone. Everyone danced together. Unprompted, folks introduced themselves to me. One woman was putting her index finger on people’s heads and spinning them like tops. The band was authentic, as far as I could tell. I’m not a Dixieland scholar – which made it a little intimidating when I was called up. Patrick Tevlin, the leader of the house band, the Happy Pals, asked me quite abruptly before I came on stage: “You ever play old style?” I gave him the shortest honest answer that I could: “I can.” I was fairly confident that if I kept it simple, I could get across the vibe that I’d heard on records and shows but never really steeped myself in. I made another mental note. To do: listen to more “old style.” Tevlin sits in a chair in the centre of the stage with his horn and mic within reach, horn players and guitarists seated on either side. Charismatic and relaxed, he sings the tunes like he was born singing them. When he introduced the band, he included the names of guests. It’s apparent that he thinks of the Happy Pals as a big, everexpanding family. The jam culminated in a parade of musicians – with the house rhythm section still on the stage, playing the changes to When the Saints Go Marching In, the horn players – guests included – marched in a circle around the venue. People moved out of the way as they cheered and sang along. The Happy Pals Dixieland Jazz Jam has been happening at Grossman’s every Saturday for more than 45 years, and shows no signs of slowing down or stopping - certainly not this month. So come on down! Bring an instrument! Just...don’t expect to find a seat. Bob Ben is The WholeNote’s jazz listings editor. He can be reached at jazz@thewholenote.com. D. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz) Season .50(adv)/(door). December 17 China Crisis .50(adv)/(door). December 18 Foggy Hogtown Boys Christmas .50(adv)/(door). December 19 Craig Cardiff (adv)/.50(door). December 20 1pm The Ault Sisters Celebrate the Season – Matinee Performance (adv)/.50(door). December 23 Have a Bluesy Christmas (adv)/(door). December 27 Don Ross .50(adv)/(door). December 30 Suzie Vinnick .50(adv)/(door). December 31 9:30pm New Year’s Eve with Chris Whiteley & Diana Braithwaite and their All Star Band – Special guest Sam Broverman (adv)/(door). Jazz Bistro, The 251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299 jazzbistro.ca December 1 8pm Rob Tardik – CD Release Evening for ‘Moments’ . December 5 9pm Sophia Perlman & The Vipers . December 6 7:30pm Sam Broverman: A Jewish Boy’s Christmas . December 10 9pm Julie Michels . December 13 7pm The Nathan Hiltz Trio plays Richard Rogers . December 15 9pm Cocktails & Candy Canes Cabaret . December 19 9pm Hilario Duran and Robi Botos . December 20 11:59am The Canadian Men’s Chorus. December 31 10pm New Year’s Eve with the Jeanine Mackie Band. 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+. December 4 Joni NehRita Band . December 5 Steve Wallace’s Lesterdays . December 11 Rebecca Binnendyk . December 12 Ted’s Warren Commission . December 13 4pm Barbra Lica CD Release Party . December 18 Tom Nagy’s Christmas Experience – The Jazz Awakens! . December 19 Randy Lyght . December 26 Jazz Meets Soul Music: Dave Young & Michael Dunston Boxing Day Party . December 27 4pm Alysha Brilla Sextet . 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). 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 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. December 1, 13, 24, 29 Paul Taylor & Jamie ‘Giggles’ Mitges. December 5 Steve Koven Trio. December 6, 16, 30 John Zadro. December 8, 22 Brad Halls. December 15, 20 David Hollingshead, Tues solo, Sunday with Jena Lampman + Isaiah Farahbakhsh. December 18 Ambre Mclean. December 19 ¡DO! – Drums and Organ. December 23 Jokela/Vogan/ Cooley. December 27 Stan Chang. December 31 Soulphonic. Mezzetta Restaurant 681 St. Clair Ave. W 416-658-5687 mezzettarestaurant.com (full schedule) All shows: 9pm, (unless otherwise noted). December 2 8pm Flamenco show, performers TBA No cover. December 9 Ron Davis (piano) & RJ Satchithananthan (trombone, bass). December 16 Klezmology: Jonno Lightstone (clarinet), Nick Fraser (percussion), David Mott (baritone sax) . Monarch Tavern 12 Clinton St. 416-531-5833 themonarchtavern.com (full schedule) December 14 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) Wednesday shows: 7pm. Thursday shows: 8pm. All shows: No cover. December 2 David Rubel. December 3 Jerome Godboo. December 10 The Distillery. December 16 Brownman Akoustic. December 17 Wild T & The Spirit. December 18 9pm Turbo Street Funk. December 31 Jack de Keyzer. Morgans on the Danforth 1282 Danforth Ave. 416-461-3020 morgansonthedanforth.com (full schedule) All shows: 2pm-5pm. No cover. December 27 Lisa Particelli’s ‘Girls Night Out’ Jazz Jam. Musideum 401 Richmond St. W., Main Floor 416-599- 7323 musideum.com (full schedule) December 1 8pm Chrystelle Maechler’s SOA . December 4 8pm Coleman Tinsley . December 5 8pm Rose Stella . December 17 8pm Steve Koven . 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 December 3 Yvette Tollar (voice) Trio with David Restivo (piano), George Koller (bass). December 4 Allison Au (sax) Quartet with Todd Pentney (piano), Jon Maharaj (bass), Ethan Ardelli (drums). December 5 Dave Field (bass) Trio with David Braid (piano), Pat LaBarbera (sax). December 10 Alex Samaras (voice) Trio with Harley Card (guitar), Jon Maharaj (bass). December 11 Chris Butcher (trombone) 4 with Jeremy Ledbetter (piano), Artie Roth (bass), Lowell Whitty (drums). December 12 Gord Sheard (piano) Trio with Kieran Overs (bass), Mark Kelso (drums). December 17 Andrew Scott (guitar) Trio with Jake Wilkinson (trumpet, piano), Jon Meyer (bass). December 18 Paul Novotny (bass) with Robi Botos (piano). December 19 Dana LaCroix (voice, guitar) Trio with David Restivo (piano), Jakob Rostboll (drums). Only Café, The 972 Danforth Ave. 416-463-7843 theonlycafe.com (full schedule) All shows: 8pm unless otherwise indicated. December 9, 23 Lazersuzan. December 16, 30 Conrad Gayle. 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. December 5 Alto Madness with PJ Perry, Luis Deniz (alto saxes), Reg Schwager (guitar), Neil Swainson (bass), Ethan Ardelli (drums). December 12 Women in Jazz with Alison Young (tenor sax), Stacey McGregor (keys), Neil Swainson (bass), Greg Pilo (drums). December 19 Sugar Daddies. December 26 Donald Palmer Quartet. Poetry Jazz Café 224 Augusta Ave. 416-599-5299 poetryjazzcafe.com (full schedule) All shows: 9pm 60 | December 1 2015 - February 7, 2016 thewholenote.com
Reposado Bar & Lounge 136 Ossington Ave. 416-532-6474 reposadobar.com (full schedule) Every Wed Spy vs. Sly vs. Spy. Every Thurs, Fri 10pm Reposadists Quartet: Tim Hamel (trumpet), Jon Meyer (bass), Jeff Halischuck (drums), Roberto Rosenman (guitar). Reservoir Lounge, The 52 Wellington St. E. 416-955-0887 reservoirlounge.com (full schedule). Every Tue 9:45pm Tyler Yarema and his Rhythm. Every Wed 9:45pm Bradley and the Bouncers. Every Thu 9:45pm Mary McKay. Every Fri 9:45pm Dee Dee and the Dirty Martinis. Every Sat 9:45pm Tyler Yarema and his Rhythm. Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Bar, The 194 Queen St. W. 416-598-2475 therex.ca (full schedule) Call for cover charge info. December 1 6:30pm Kieran Overs Quartet; 9:30pm Classic Rex Jam hosted by Chris Gale. December 2 6:30pm Worst Pop Band Ever; 9:30pm New York’s Vincent Herring with Derek Gray Quintet. December 3 6:30pm Ashley St. Pierre Trio; 9:30pm New York’s Vincent Herring with Derek Gray Quintet. December 4 4pm Hogtown Syncopators; 6:30pm Mark Godfrey Trio; 9:45pm David Braid with Mike Milligan Quartet. December 5 12pm The Sinners Choir; 3:30pm Swing Shift Big Band; 7:30pm Nick Teehan Group; 9:45pm New York’s Mark McLean. December 6 12pm Excelsior Dixieland Jazz Band; 3:30pm Dr. Nick & The Rollercoaster; 7pm Autobahn; 9:30pm Greg DeDenus Trio. December 7 6:30pm University of Toronto Student Jazz Ensembles; 9:30pm Josh Grossman’s T.J.O. Big Band. December 8 6:30pm Kieran Overs Quartet; 9:30pm New York’s Alex Graham Quartet. December 9 6:30pm Worst Pop Band Ever; 9:30pm New York’s Pete McCann Quintet CD Release. December 10 6:30pm Ashley St. Pierre Trio; 9:30pm New York’s Pete McCann Quintet CD Release. December 11 4pm Hogtown Syncopators; 6:30pm Mark Godfrey Trio; 9:45pm Brooklyn’s Huntertones. December 12 12pm The Sinners Choir; 3:30pm The Jazz Mechanics; 7:30pm Nick Teehan Group; 9:45pm Brooklyn’s Huntertones. December 13 12pm Excelsior Dixieland Jazz Band; 3:30pm Red Hot Ramble; 7pm Autobahn; 9:30pm Rachel Piscione R&B. December 14 6:30pm University of Toronto Student Jazz Ensembles; 9:30pm Dave Young & Terry Promane Octet. December 15 6:30pm Kieran Overs Quartet; 9:30pm Classic Rex Jam hosted by Chris Gale. December 16 6:30pm Worst Pop Band Ever; 9:30pm Bernie Senensky. December 17 6:30pm Ashley St. Pierre Trio; 9:30pm Italy/New York’s “Step In Trio” with Joe Fonda & Carlo Morena. December 18 4pm Hogtown Syncopators; 6:30pm Mark Godfrey Trio; 9:30pm Italy/New York’s “Step In Trio” with Joe Fonda & Carlo Morena. December 19 12pm The Sinners Choir; 3:30pm Jerome Godboo; 7:30pm Nick Teehan Group; 9:45pm Jake E. The ETCeteras Chisholm blues. December 20 12pm Excelsior Dixieland Jazz Band; 3:30pm Club Django; 7pm Autobahn; 9:30pm Nick Scott Quartet. December21 6:30pm Peter Hill Quintet; 9:30pm Jake Wilkinson’s Bebop Christmas. December 22 6:30pm Kieran Overs Quartet; 9:30pm Classic Rex Jam hosted by Chris Gale. December 23 6:30pm Worst Pop Band Ever; 9:30pm Leyland Gordon. December 26 8pm The Sinners Choir. December 27 12pm Excelsior Dixieland Jazz Band; 3:30pm Freeway Dixieland; 7pm Autobahn; 9:30pm Three Blind Mice. December 28 6:30pm Peter Hill Quintet; 9:30pm Marie Goudy’s E.M.S.: Emergency Musical Services Big Band. December 29 6:30pm Pete Schmidt - Holiday Blues; 9:30pm Classic Rex Jam hosted by Chris Gale. December 30 6:30pm Worst Pop Band Ever; 9:30pm New York’s Anthony Fung Quartet. December 31 9:30pm Grooveyard. Salty Dog Bar & Grill, The 1980 Queen St. E. 416-849-5064 (full schedule) Sauce on the Danforth 1376 Danforth Ave. 647-748-1376 sauceondanforth.com All shows: No cover. Every Mon 9pm The Out Of Towners: Dirty Organ Jazz. Every Tue 6pm Julian Fauth. Seven44 (Formerly Chick n’ Deli/The People’s Chicken) 744 Mount Pleasant Rd. 416-489-7931 seven44.com (full schedule) December 7 7:30pm Advocats Big Band No cover. December 14 7:30pm Mega City Swing Band No cover. December21 7:30pm George Lake Big Band No cover. Stori Aperitivo 95 King St. E 416-361-0404 stori.ca (full schedule) Tattoo 567 Queen St. W 416-703-5488 tattooqueenwest.com (full schedule) Toni Bulloni 156 Cumberland St. 416-967-7676 tonibulloni.com (full schedule) No cover. Saturday shows: 9pm. food/ drink minimum. Sunday shows: 6pm. food/drink minimum. Tranzac 292 Brunswick Ave. 416-923-8137 tranzac.org 3-4 shows daily, various styles. Mostly PWYC. Every Mon 10pm Open Mic Mondays. Every Thurs 7:30pm Bluegrass Thursdays: Houndstooth. Every Fri 5pm The Foolish Things (folk). This month’s shows include: December 1 7:30pm Ali Berkok; 10pm Peripheral Vision. December 6 5pm Monk’s Music; 7:30pm Michael Herring. December 8 7:30pm Aurochs; 10pm Bedroom. December 13 10pm The Lina Allemano Four. December 15 10pm The Ken McDonald Quartet. December 20 7:30pm Diane Roblin. Galas and Fundraisers ●●Dec 06 2:00: Elmer Iseler Singers. Sherry and Shortbread. Join us and relax in elegant and gracious surroundings, participate in the silent auction and enjoy music of the holiday season. Albany Club, 91 King St. E. For details: 416-217-0537. Competitions ●●Feb 02 10:00am: Royal Conservatory of Music. Glenn Gould School Concerto Competition Finals. Solo performers compete for the opportunity to perform a concerto with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra during the 2016-17 season. Koerner Hall, Telus Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. Free (ticket required). ●●Orchestra Toronto. Marta Hidy Concerto Competition 2016. This year’s prize awarded to a percussionist. For Canadian virtuosos aged 23 and younger. Prize includes a scholarship of ,000 and an opportunity to perform as a soloist with Orchestra Toronto at its December2016 youth-oriented concert at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. For full history and registration form: www.orchestratoronto.ca Deadline for mailing the application form and registration fee: February 1 2016. Lectures, Salons, Symposia ●●Jan 12, Jan 29: Oakville Opera Guild. Jan 12 1:30: Rusalka, Dvořák’s great opera. Lecture by John Holland, musician and president of the Canadian Institute for Czech music (Oakville Public Library Central Branch, 120 Navy St. Oakville).Jan 29 8:00: Puccini’s Myth/ Adventure, Turandot. Lecture by Iain Scott, noted opera lecturer and opera tour guide. Please contact for location details. 905-827- 5678; Oakville.Opera.Guild@outlook.com. Each lecture (proceeds go towards our scholarship fund, to be awarded to a student attending the Faculty of Music at the U of Toronto, and support our annual donation to the Canadian Opera Company). ●●Jan 12, Jan 13: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Jan 12 7:00: Magnificent Movie Music! Beethoven Goes to Hollywood (With Dr. Rachel Franklin). Jan 13 7:00: Magnificent Movie Music! Five of the Great Masterpiece Movie Scores. Talbot College, Western University, 1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519- 661-3767. Free. ●●Jan 19, Jan 26, Jan 28; Feb 2: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Jan 19 10:30am: Barbara Hannigan, Show and Share: Living and Surviving as a Singing Artist. Barbara Hannigan, the John R. Stratton Visitor in Music, is known worldwide as a soprano of vital expressive force directed by exceptional technique, as well as a conductor and champion of new music.(Walter Hall); Jan 26 7:00: Michael Colgrass, Wilma and Clifford Smith Visitor in Music. Michael Colgrass is a composer, jazz percussionist and Pulitzer Prize winner for Music. He is an associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre in Toronto. (Room 330);Jan 27 7:00: Geiger- Torel Lecture Series: Atom Egoyan – How Far Is Too Far? Film and stage director, Atom Egoyan, discusses his directorial interpretation in selected opera productions. (Walter Hall); Jan 28 3:30: Kenneth H. Peacock Lecture, Scott Burnham. Scott Burnham, Canadian Children’s Opera Company Be a Part of the Magic Accepting new members in January Ages 3-19 featuring The Hobbit by Dean Burry canadianchildrensopera.com And appearing in the Canadian Opera Company production of Carmen 416-366-0467 photo: Michael Cooper thewholenote.com December 1 2015 - February 7, 2016 | 61
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!).
