●●Opera in
●●Opera in Concert/Voicebox. Isis and Osiris: Gods of Egypt. Music by Peter Anthony Togni, libretto by Sharon Singer. Lucia Cesaroni (Isis); Ernesto Ramirez (Osiris); Julie Nesrallah (Nephtis); Michael Nyby (Seth); Stuart Graham (The Grand Vizier); and others; Orchestra and Chorus of Voicebox: Opera In Concert; Robert Cooper, conductor and chorus director. St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723. and . April 1, 8:00pm and Apr 3 (2:30pm). ●●Opera York. Don Pasquale. Donizetti. Michael Robert Broder (Don Pasquale); Dion Mazerolle (Dr. Malatesta); Anne Marie Ramos (Norina); and others; Geoffrey Butler, artistic director; Renee Salewski, stage director. Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, 10268 Yonge St., Richmond Hill. 905- 787-8811. -; 0(gala package). With supertitles. Mar 3, 7:30pm. Also Mar 5. ●●Oriana Singers of Northumberland. Operetta 101. Music by Lehar, Bernstein, Sondheim, Gilbert and Sullivan. Virginia Hatfield, soloist. Trinity United Church, Division Street at Chapel Street, Cobourg. 613-392-7423. ; (sr); (st). April 2, 7:30pm. ●●Royal Conservatory. Glenn Gould School Opera - Handel: Alcina. Ivars Taurins, conductor. Koerner Hall, Telus Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. -. Mar 16, 7:30pm. Also Mar 18. ●●Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts and Two Beans Productions. Alexander Who’s Not Not Not Not Not Not Going to Move. Music by Shelly Markham, lyrics and book by Judith Viorst. Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts, 88 Dalhousie Street, Brantford. 1-800-265-0710. ; (st). Mar 15, 3:00pm and 6:30pm. ●●Sony Centre and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, 1 Front St. E. 1-855-872- 7669. -. Opens Mar 4, 8:00pm. Also C. Music Theatre Mar 5(2:00/8:00). ●●Sony Centre. Dancing in the Streets. Celebration of Motown’s Greatest Hits. Sony Centre for the Performing Arts. 1 Front St. E. 1-855-872-7669. .50-.50. Mar 26, 7:30pm. ●●Sony Centre and Attila Glatz Concert Productions. Pixar in Concert. Works include “You’ve Got a Friend In Me,” “When She Loved Me” and the Oscar-winning “If I Didn’t Have You.” Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Sony Centre for the Performing Arts. 1 Front St. E. 1-855-872-7669. -5. Mar 18(3:30pm and 8:00pm). ●●Talisker Players. Spirit Dreaming: Creation Myths from Around the World. Somers: Kuyas; Beckwith: Tanu; Ravel: Chansons Madécasses; Villa-Lobos: Suite for voice and violin; Jaubert: Chants sahariens; and other works. Ilana Zarankin, soprano; Laura McAlpine, mezzo; Andrew Moodie, reader. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416- 978-8849. ; (sr); (st/un(der) employed). Pre-concert talk at 7:15. Mar 1, 8:00pm. Also Mar 2. ●●Tapestry Opera/Scottish Opera/Music Theatre Wales. The Devil Inside. Music by Stuart MacRae, libretto by Louise Welsh. Based on Stevenson: The Bottle Imp. Rachel Kelly, Ben McAteer, Steven Page; Nicholas Sharatt; Players of the Scottish Opera Orchestra; Matthew Richardson, director. Harbourfront Centre Theatre, 235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000 x1. -5. Mar 10, 8:00pm. Also Mar 12, 13(4:00pm). ●●Toronto City Opera. L’Elisir d’Amore. Music by Gaetano Donizetti, libretto by Felice Romani. Beatrice Carpino, artistic director; Adolfo De Santis, conductor. Sung in Italian with English TCOtitles. Bickford Centre Theatre, 777 Bloor St. W. 416-978-8849. ; (sr); (st). Mar 3, 7:30pm. Also Mar 5. ●●Toronto City Opera. Die Fledermaus. Music by Johann Strauss II, libretto by Ruth Martin. If You Love Nights Out At The Theatre— Then The Next One’s On Us. In the past year, HalfTones readers have won over 00 worth of tickets to opera and music theatre events by Soundstreams, CanStage, Acting Up Stage and the COC—plus tickets to dozens of other concerts, events and shows across the GTA. Delivered once a month to your email inbox, HalfTones is your place to find out the latest local music news, access brand-new concert listings, and enter to win. Scroll down on thewholenote.com to our “Newsletter Signup” box to sign up for HalfTones, and keep an eye on your inbox mid- March for the next round of prizes—because there are going to be opera tickets, and they’re going to be good. Beatrice Carpino, artistic director; Adolfo De Santis, conductor. Bickford Centre Theatre, 777 Bloor St. W. 416-978-8849. ; (sr); (st). Sung in English. Mar 4, 7:30pm. Also Mar 6(2:00pm). ●●Toronto Concert Orchestra. Piaf Encore. La Vie en Rose, I Love Paris, Rien de rien, Pauvre Jean, Milord and other songs. Pandora Topp, vocals (Piaf); Kerry Stratton, conductor. The Extension Room, 30 Eastern Ave. 647-352-7041. . April 2, 7:30pm. ●●Toronto Consort. Beowulf. Epic tale of the European bardic tradition, the battle between the hero Beowulf and the monster Grendel. Benjamin Bagby, voice and Anglo-Saxon harp. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337. -; -(sr); (st/30 and under). Mar 11-12, 8:00pm. ●●Toronto Symphony Orchestra. On Broadway. Betsy Wolfe, vocalist; Darren Criss, vocalist; Steven Reineke, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. .50-7. Mar 29, 8:00pm and Mar 30 2:00pm and 8:00pm. ●●Toy Piano Composers/Bicycle Opera Project. TPC Curiosity Festival: Travelogue. Works by Monica Pearce, August Murphy- King/Colleen Murphy-King, Elisha Denburg, and Tobin Stokes. Members of the Bicycle Opera Project. Apr 1 & 2, 8:00pm. Festival runs to Apr 9. Arts and Letters Club, 14 Elm St. 647-829-4213. (festival pass). 120 Diner 120 Church St. 416-792-7725 120diner.com (full schedule) March 1 6pm Ahi; 8pm Arlene Paculan. March 3 6pm Lilly Mason; 8:30pm Melissa Lauren & Nathan Hiltz; 10:30pm Lucas DiPasquale. March 4 6pm John MacMurchy. March 5 6pm Ros Kindler; 8:30pm Carlos Morgan; 10pm Laura Hubert. March 6 5pm Broadsway ; 8pm Mim Adams & Carolyn Credico. March 10 6pm James Dunbar; 8:30pm Angela Turone & Chris Platt; 10:30pm Lucas DiPasquale. March 11 6pm Annie Bonsignore. March 12 6pm Kate Unger. March 13 6pm Debbie Fleming; 8pm Caitlin Holland. March 15 8pm Tony Quarrington. March 17 6pm Janet Whiteway. March 18 6pm Amber McLean. March 19 6pm Denielle Bassels & Ori Dagan; 8:30pm Brother Neil. March 20 6pm Gary Krawford. March 22 6pm Leslie Huyler. March 24 6pm Davis-Brough Trio. March 25 6pm Ragwax. March 29 8pm Heather Luckhart. March 31 Vocal Jazz Workshop with Sheila Jordan (details TBA). Alleycatz 2409 Yonge St. 416-481-6865 alleycatz.ca All shows: 9pm unless otherwise indicated. Call for cover charge info. March 3, 17, 31 Solo & Duets Concert Series. D. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz) ●●University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Opera Series: Paul Bunyan. Music by Benjamin Britten, libretto by W.H. Auden. University of Toronto Opera; MacMillan Singers (Hilary Apfelstadt, director); Michael Patrick Albano, director; Fred Peruzza and Lisa Magill, design; Sandra Horst, conductor. MacMillan Theatre, Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. ; (sr); (st). Opens Mar 10, 7:30pm. Also Mar 11 to 13(2:30pm). ●●University of Toronto Faculty of Music. The Art of the Prima Donna. Staged and costumed program of romantic opera. Works by Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and others. Paul Widner, conductor. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building, University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. ; (st). April 1, 5:00pm. ●●Victoria College Chorus. Patience. Music by Arthur Sullivan, libretto by W.S. Gilbert. Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St.W. 416- 978-8849. ; (sr); (st). April 1, 8:00pm. Also April 2, 3:00pm. ●●Victoria College Drama Society. Rent. Music, lyrics and book by Jonathan Larson. Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St.W. 416- 978-8849. ; (sr/st). Mar 10-12, 8:00pm. ●●Young People’s Theatre. The Wizard of Oz. Music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y.Harburg, book by L. Frank Baum. Young People’s Theatre, 165 Front St.E. 416-862- 2222. -. Opens April 4, 10:15am. Runs to May 15. Days and times vary. Visit youngpeoplestheatre.ca for details. IN THE CLUBS covers mainly performances taking place in clubs and restaurants where food and beverages are part of the mix but the music is not just part of the decor. Our focus is mostly jazz, with a more generous listings policy towards venues where jazz is at least part of the mix. Send club listings to jazz@thewholenote.com March 4 Jamesking. March 5, 12 Soular. March 10, 24 The Flow with Carlos Morgan. March 11 Poutine 5. March 18 Rock Therapy. March 19, 25, 26 Lady Kane. Artword Artbar 15 Colbourne St., Hamilton. 905-543-8512 artword.net (full schedule) March 3 8pm Jazz double bill: Tom Altobelli Group, Scott Taplay Group . March 10 8pm Jazz vocal jam with Sue Ramsay Trio . March 12 8pm Koopa Troop: jazz meets video games . March 18 7:30pm Brenda Brown Quartet . Bloom 2315 Bloor St. W. 416-767-1315 bloomrestaurant.com All shows: 19+. Call for reservations. March 31 7pm Genevieve “Gigi” Marentette (includes dinner). Blue Goose Tavern, The 1 Blue Goose St. 416-255-2442 Thebluegoosetavern.com Every Sun 4pm Blues At the Goose with the Big Groove Rhythm Section and special guests. Burdock 1184 Bloor St. W. 416-546-4033 burdockto.com 48 | March 1, 2016 - April 7, 2016 thewholenote.com
Beat by Beat | Mainly Clubs, Mostly Jazz Barlow and Vetro Backline Leaders BOB BEN Artie Roth once said to me – and I’m paraphrasing – that the drummer is the encyclopedia of the ensemble, the player who knows the repertoire most intimately, who can most immediately call up what happened on this chorus of that recording in Febtober of 19whenever. It’s a generalization, of course; all musicians should know these things. And of course, there’s a chance that Artie was saying that so that I’d go home and study the repertoire more. But when I think of drummers like Morgan Childs, or the guy who sits behind that giant bass drum at Grossman’s on Saturday evenings, it fits perfectly. What doesn’t fit perfectly, however, is how few drummers you’ll find leading groups in town in any given month. As far as I know, the only drummer-led groups in the clubs this month are those led by Harrison Vetro, a young talent with a sound that can best be described as crisp, and Brian Barlow. Barlow is someone I’ve only heard live once, with his own big band at the Jazz Festival in 2011. He is a thoroughly seasoned professional drummer and arranger with experience all over the field, having worked with everyone from Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennett to Alanis Morrisette and Shania Twain to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Canadian Opera Company. He’s played on dozens of film scores and musical theatre productions. He was a member of Rob McConnell’s Boss Brass. I could go on and on. Barlow’s gigantic beat is something I haven’t forgotten in the five years since I heard him play in person. His big band was on the main stage in Nathan Phillips Square and his drums were amplified a bit too much. The band opened with some standard tune (I want to say Satin Doll?) at a relaxed medium tempo swing – somewhere around 130 to 140 beats per minute. Barlow played the swing beat on the hihat while feathering with the bass drum, authoritatively, almost but not quite aggressively. It’s said that a drummer’s feathering should be “felt not heard.” Due to the almost indecent amplification, every note played on the bass drum shook my entire body. So, yes, it was felt. Thoroughly felt. Anyways, I’m looking forward to hearing that huge beat again in a smaller, more intimate, less amplified setting, with a smaller ensemble, at the cozy Home Smith Bar at the Old Mill. Harrison Vetro, the only other drummer-as-leader I’m aware of in the clubs this month, was a classmate of mine at York University. Walking around the halls in York’s music building, you can always hear people practising, because those doors, thick though they may be, are not soundproof by any stretch of the imagination. Drummers who used the rooms at York could be divided into two categories: those who play, and those who practise. Sometimes, you could walk by and hear someone blazing around the drums with (or, you know, without) remarkable speed and accuracy. That was a player. Someone who was in there to keep playing what they already do well. Or just to blow off steam. Then, there were practisers. If a practiser was in the room, you would know it because you’d walk by and hear them either messing up or playing really slowly or both. You’d hear them playing the swing beat at 40 or fewer beats per minute, or playing some impossible pattern and being slightly less uncomfortable with it after repeating it relentlessly for longer than you could even pay attention. Someone once said that if you sound good while practising, you’re doing it wrong. That might be a slight exaggeration, but you can see their point: instead of bolstering your strengths (which is also a valid and valuable way to spend your time), the majority of your practice time should be spent attacking your weaknesses. The players who did that, and remained truly disciplined and focused in the practice room, and tolerated not always sounding like a beast, almost invariably grew into the players who sounded more professional, cleaner, more comfortable and more individual than the rest. Harrison was a practiser. And the cool thing about having been at York, and having known him as long as I have, is that I watched that progress happen. He sounded better every time I heard him. Noticeably better. Even after we no longer went to school together, when I would occasionally hear him on a gig (like when he led the house band at the no longer extant jam at Habits), there would be enough time in between that I would hear that improvement in leaps and bounds, while he, as each individual player does, only heard it in increments. Harrison Vetro’s group can and should be heard on the evening of March 7 at the Emmett Ray. Sheila Scats: One more thing to get ahead of, jazz lovers: Sheila Jordan will be in Toronto for at least three nights, starting on the last day of March at 120 Diner with a workshop, and the first two nights of April at the Jazz Bistro. Book it off now, and I’ll see you folks in the clubs, more likely than not. Bob Ben is The WholeNote’s jazz listings editor. He can be reached at jazz@thewholenote.com. Brian Barlow thewholenote.com March 1, 2016 - April 7, 2016 | 49
