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.
Summer
Summer Festival Listings Welcome to the Summer Festival listings. The following pages contain listings for these festivals: Artists’ Garden Cooperative ....................... July 6 to Aug 31 Beaches International Jazz Festival ....................July 2 to 24 Brott Music Festival ..................................June 22 to Aug 18 Classical Unbound Festival ..............................Aug 13 to 26 Clear Lake Chamber Music Festival ............ July 21 to Aug 3 Elora Festival ....................................................July 8 to 24 Festival de Lanaudière .................................July 9 to Aug 7 Festival of the Sound .................................. July 15 to Aug 7 Highlands Opera Studio ...............................Aug 4 to Sep 1 Indian River Festival ................................ June 25 to Sep 18 Leith Summer Festival ............................... July 2 to Aug 27 Luminato Festival .............................................June 10 to 26 Montreal Baroque Festival ................................ Jun 23 to 26 Music and Beyond Festival ................................ July 4 to 17 Music at Port Milford ................................. July 16 to Aug 7 Music Mondays .........................................June 6 to Aug 20 National Youth Orchestra ........................ June 22 to July 15 Ottawa International Chamber Fest. .......... July 21 to Aug 3 Stratford Summer Music .......................... July 18 to Aug 28 TD Sunfest ’16 .................................................. July 7 to 10 TD Toronto Jazz Festival ............................June 24 to July 3 Toronto Summer Music Festival ................. July 14 to Aug 7 Westben Arts Festival Theatre ................. June 25 to July 31 CHAMBER MUSIC reGENERATION A TSM Audience Favourite! Artist Mentors share the stage with TSM Chamber Music Institute Fellows, a collaborative performance of established musicians and tomorrow’s stars. Saturday, July 16 at 4:00pm and 7:30pm Parker Quartet, Pedja Muzijevic Saturday, July 23 at 4:00pm and 7:30pm Martin Beaver, Andrew Wan, Steven Dann, Johannes Moser, Stéphane Lemelin Saturday July 30 at 4:00pm and 7:30pm Dover String Quartet, Jonathan Crow Saturday, August 6 at 4:00pm and 7:30pm Jonathan Crow, Shane Kim, Eric Nowlin, David Hetherington, Emmanuelle Beaulieu-Bergeron, David Jalbert, Sarah Jeffrey ART SONG reGENERATION Friday July 22 at 12:00pm and 4:00pm Performances by Art of Song Fellows. Mentored by Anne Schwanewilms Malcolm Martineau and Steven Philcox TORONTOSUMMERMUSIC.COM 416-408-0208 Artists subject to change (Mentors will perform on either the 4pm or 7:30pm performance. Art of Song mentors do not perform in the Art of Song recitals. G10 | June 1, 2016 - September 7, 2016 thewholenote.com
Artists’ Garden Cooperative Plein Air Garden Concerts July 6 to Aug 31 Toronto, ON Wednesdays only at 7:30pm. 345 Balliol St. 416-487-0705. See Section A. for details. Beaches International Jazz Festival July 2 to 24 Toronto, ON J – Jimmie Simpson Park T – TD Main Stage, Woodbine Park O – OLG Main Stage, Woodbine Park 416-698-2152 ●●Jul 08 6:00: Sounds of Leslieville and Riverside. Exodus; The Digs (J; Free). ●●Jul 09 12:00_noon: Sounds of Leslieville and Riverside. Toronto All-Star Big Band; Turbo Street Funk; Kim and Company; Johannes Linstead; Eddie Bullen and Friends. J; Free. ●●Jul 10 12:00_noon: Sounds of Leslieville and Riverside. Toronto All-Star Big Band; Jerome Tucker Band; Paul James. J: Free. ●●Jul 15 5:00: Woodbine Park Main Stage Concerts. Youth Series; Yani Borrell Orchestra; 7Sould. T; Free. ●●Jul 16 12:00_noon: Woodbine Park Main Stage Concerts. Youth Series; Rich Brown Band; Samantha Martin and The Sugar Devils; De Bruces a Mi. T; Free. ●●Jul 17 11:00am: Woodbine Park Main Stage Concerts. Youth Series; David Vest; Paul James; Johnny Rawls. T; Free. ●●Jul 22 5:00: Woodbine Park Main Stage Concerts. Youth Series; House of David Gang; Tortured Soul. O, Free. ●●Jul 23 12:00_noon: Woodbine Park Main Stage Concerts. Youth Series; Mark Kelso; Dione Taylor; Yani Borrell; Dwayne Dopsie. O, Free. ●●Jul 24 11:00am: Woodbine Park Main Stage Concerts. Youth Series; Gary Slaight Jr. and Avery Raquel; Rhythm Express; Melanie Durrant; Ghost Town Blues Band. O, Free. Brott Music Festival June 22 to Aug 18 Hamilton, Brantford, Waterdown and Ancaster, ON FM - Fieldcote Memorial Park and Museum, 64 Sulphur Springs, Ancaster. LS - Liuna Station, 360 James St. N., Hamilton Summer Festivals MPAC - McIntyre Performing Arts Centre, Mohawk College, 135 Fennell Ave. W., Hamilton SC – Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts, 88 Dalhousie St., Brantford SJA - St. John’s Anglican Church, 272 Wilson St. E., Ancaster. SJE - St. John the Evangelist Church (Hamilton), 320 Charlton Ave. W., Hamilton STA - St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 715 Centre Rd., Waterdown ZT - Zoetic Theatre, 526 Concession St., Hamilton 905-525-7664 ●●Jun 22 7:30: Great Romantics: Tchaikovsky and Scheherezade. Jonathan Crow, violin; National Academy Orchestra of Canada; Boris Brott, conductor SC; ; (sr); (Brott35); (st). ●●Jun 30 7:30: Ode to Joy. Leslie Fagan, soprano; Mia Lennox, mezzo; Michael Colvin, tenor; James Westman, baritone; National Academy Orchestra of Canada; Boris Brott, conductor. STA; ; (sr); (Brott35); (st). ●●Jul 07 7:30: PopOpera. National Academy Orchestra of Canada; Boris Brott, conductor. MPAC; ; (sr); (Brott35); (st). ●●Jul 10 7:00: Viva La Diva. Natalie Choquette. FM; Free or by donation. ●●Jul 14 7:30: Marriage of Figaro. National Academy Orchestra of Canada; Boris Brott, conductor. MPAC; ; (sr); (Brott35); (st). ●●Jul 17 3:00: Valerie and Friends High Tea. Valerie Tryon and the Festival Brass Quintet. SJA; ; (sr); (st). ●●Jul 20 7:30: World’s Best Chamber Music. SJE; ; (sr); (Brott35); (st). ●●Jul 21 2:00: World’s Best Chamber Music. SJE; ; (sr); (Brott35); (st). ●●Jul 21 7:30: World’s Best Chamber Music. SJE; ; (sr); (Brott35); (st). ●●Jul 23 7:30: Songs of the Seasons in Ladies Barbershop Style. Classic Blend. ZT; . ●●Jul 28 7:30: An Evening with John Williams: The Music of Star Wars and More. National Academy Orchestra of Canada; Boris Brott, conductor. MPAC; ; (sr); (Brott35); (st). ●●Aug 05 7:30: The Music of Led Zeppelin; The Song Remains the Same. Jeans ‘n’ Classics. National Academy Orchestra of Canada; Boris Brott, conductor. MPAC; . ●●Aug 11 7:30: From Tchaikovsky to Ravel. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.5; Ravel: Concerto in G; Sokolović: Ringelspiel (Merry Go Round). Sarah Davis Buechner, piano; National Academy Orchestra of Canada; Boris Brott, conductor. MPAC;. ; (sr); (Brott35); Plein Air Garden Concerts Join us Wednesday evenings July and August, in the Garden. 345 Balliol St. Toronto Seat fee at the door info. & reservations: 416 487 0705 www.artistsgardencoop.com (st). ●●Aug 12 7:30: 100 Years of Frank Sinatra: Come Fly with Me. Chris Jason; National Academy Orchestra of Canada; Boris Brott, conductor. LS; ; (sr); (Brott35); (st). ●●Aug 18 7:30: Verdi: Requiem. Leslie Ann Bradley, soprano; Michèle Bogdanowicz, mezzo; Ernesto Ramirez, tenor; James Westman, baritone; National Academy Orchestra of Canada; Boris Brott, conductor. MPAC; ; (sr); (Brott35); (st). Classical Unbound Festival Aug 13 to 26 Prince Edward County, ON BCC - By Chadsey’s Cairns Winery and Vineyard, 17432 Loyalist Pky, Wellington. GPE - Grange of Prince Edward Vineyards and Estate Winery, 990 Closson Rd, Hillier. OHH - Osterhout Henry Hall, Fields on West Lake, 15786 Loyalist Pky, Bloomfield 613-567-1925 ●●Aug 13 7:30: Musicians of Classical Unbound at Large. Works by Alwyn, Andriessen, Beaser, Debussy, Hoover, and others. Joanna G’froerer, flute; Michelle Gott, harp; Sean Rice, clarinet. BCC; .50. ●●Aug 19 7:30: Eloquent Pairings. Living Canadian Composer Stream. Works by Debussy, Haber, Hindemith, Morlock, Ravel and others. Joanna G’froerer, flute; Michelle Gott, harp; Rachel Mercer, cello; Sean Rice, clarinet; Yosuke Kawasaki, violin. GPE; .50 ●●Aug 24 7:30: Clarinets Unleashed. Living Canadian Composer Stream. Works by Mozart, Mozetich, Ravel and Tansman. Joanna G’froerer, flute; Jonathan Krehm, clarinet; Michelle Gott, harp; Rachel Mercer, cello; Sean Rice, clarinet; Yehonatan Berick, viola; Yosuke Kawasaki, violin. OHH; .50. ●●Aug 26 7:30: Mozart and S’more. Living Canadian Composer Stream. Works by Morlock, Mozart and Mozetich. Joanna G’froerer, flute; Rachel Mercer, cello; Yehonatan Berick, viola; Yosuke Kawasaki, violin. GPE; .50. Clear Lake Chamber Music Festival July 21 to Aug 3 Riding Mountain National Park, MB EL - Erickson Lutheran Church, 30 Third St. SW, Erickson LW - Lorne Watson Recital Hall, Brandon University, School of Music, 270-18th St., Brandon MM - The Martise at the Marina, Main Beach, Clear Lake, Riding Mountain National Park. 204-571-6547 or 204-727-9631 ●●Jul 21 7:30: Alexander Tselyakov and Friends. Kenneth Nichols: Letters Home (world premiere); Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit; Dvořák: Piano Quintet in A No.2 Op.81. Alexander Tselyakov, piano; Alla Turbanova, piano; Kerry DuWors, violin, Joyce Lai, violin; Ian Clark, viola; Simon Fryer, cello; David Playfair, baritone; Sarah Hall, soprano; Catherine Wood, clarinet; Crystal Tait, double bass; Kenneth Nichols, host. LW; ; (sr/st). ●●Jul 22 7:30: Inimitable Duos. Handel: Sonata for two violins and piano in g Op.2 No.6; Saint-Saëns: Sonata for violin and piano No.2 in d Op.75; Martinů: Duo No.2 H313; Prokofiev: Sonata for cello and piano Op.119. Alexander Tselyakov, artistic director/piano; Daniel Tselyakov, piano; Kerry DuWors, violin; Joyce Lai, violin; Simon Fryer, cello. EL; -. ●●Jul 23 10:30am: Coffee Concert - Serious Fun! Works by Vivaldi, Mozart, Leo Weiner, Piazzolla, Kye Marshall and others. Alexander Tselyakov, artistic director/piano; Catherine Wood, clarinet; Kerry DuWors, violin; Joyce Lai, violin; Ian Clark, viola; Simon Fryer, cello; David Playfair, baritone; Alla Turbanova, piano. EL; -. ●●Jul 23 7:30: Jazz Concert. EL; -. ●●Jul 24 8:30: Jazz Cruise Concert. Pieces TBA. Greg Gatien, saxophone; Eric Platz, percussion; Shannon Kristjanson, saxophone/ flute/vocals; Jordan Panko, double bass. MM; and . ●●Aug 03 3:00: Festival Grand Finale. Weber: Clarinet Quintet Op.34; Dvořák: Terzetto in C Op.74 for two violins and viola; Schumann: Piano Quartet in E-flat Op.47. Alexander Tselyakov, piano; Kerry DuWors, violin; Joyce Lai, violin; Ian Clark, viola; Simon Fryer, cello; Catherine Wood, clarinet. EL; -. July 8 to 24 Elora, ON OPENING NIGHT July 21 ALEXANDER TSELYAKOV piano clearlakefestival.ca Elora Festival EPS - Elora Public School, 288 Mill St. E., Elora GB - Gambrel Barn, Corner of Country Rd. 7 and 21, Elora. GR -Grand River Raceway, 7445 Wellington County Rd. 21, Elora KP -. Knox Presbyterian Church (Elora), 51 Church St., Elora SJA - St. John’s Anglican Church (Elora), 33 Henderson St., Elora SJC - St. Joseph’s Catholic Church (Fergus), 760 St. David St. N., Fergus 519-846-0331 or 1-888-747-7550 ●●Jul 08 7:30: Opening Night Gala. Mozart: Requiem Mass in d; Corlis: River of Life (premiere). Elora Festival Singers; Toronto Mendelssohn Choir; full orchestra. GB; and up; (youth); 6:45: pre-concert talk. Reception and fireworks to follow. ●●Jul 09 1:30: Anagnoson & Kinton: 40th thewholenote.com June 1, 2016 - September 7, 2016 | 35
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!).
