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.
Anniversary Concert.
Anniversary Concert. Works for piano duo and voice. Elora Festival Singers. SJA; ; (st); (child). ●●Jul 09 4:00: Russell Braun and Carolyn Maule. Husband and wife team perform music for baritone and piano. Works by Vaughan Williams and others. Elora Festival Singers. SJA; ; (st); (child). ●●Jul 09 7:30: The Barra MacNeils. Cape Breton-based Celtic family group perform songs in English and Gaelic with step dancing and numerous instruments. GB; ; (st); (child). ●●Jul 09 9:30: Starlight Jazz Series: Elizabeth Shepherd and Kevin Breit. Mixtape Session. Elizabeth Shepherd, vocals and piano; Kevin Breit, guitar. GR; ; (st). Special menu and drinks available. ●●Jul 10 2:00: Annex String Quartet: The Roaring Twenties. 1920s Garden Party. Sarah Jane Pelzer, soprano. SJA; ; (st); (child). Picnic lunch from the Desert Rose Café available for . ●●Jul 10 4:00: Glory of Bach. J.S. Bach: Concerto in c for oboe and violin; Singet dem Hern; Mass in g. Elora Festival Singers; chamber orchestra. KP; ; (st); (child). ●●Jul 14 4:00: Guy Few and Stephanie Mara. Works for trumpet and piano. SJA; ; (st); (child). ●●Jul 14 7:30: Marie-Josée Lord, soprano. Music from her Amazing Grace recording and works by Gounod, Gershwin and others. Elora Festival Singers. St John’s Anglican Church (Elora), 33 Henderson St., Elora. 519- 846-0331 or 1-888-747-7550. ; (st); (child). ●●Jul 15 4:00: Elora Festival Kids Camp: Annie KIDS. Children in grades 2 to 8 perform Annie following a week-long camp. Based on the comic strip and adapted from the Tony award-winning musical. EPS; (child/early drop-off); (child/late pick-up). ●●Jul 15 7:30: Chanticleer. Male chorus from San Francisco. GB; ; (st); (child). ●●Jul 16 1:30: Duo Percussion: More Than Drums. Traditional and non-traditional percussion. Duo Percussion; Elora Festival Singers. KP; ; (st); (child). ●●Jul 16 4:00: Suzie LeBlanc, soprano. Featuring early arias set to Shakespearean texts to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s GUY FEW & STEPHANIE MARA JULY 14, 4PM ST. JOHN’S CHURCH, ELORA ELORAFESTIVAL.CA Summer Festivals death. Alexander Weimann, harpsichord. SJA; ; (st); (child). ●●Jul 16 7:30: Fubuki Daiko. Japanese taiko drummers. GB; ; (st); (child). ●●Jul 16 9:30: Starlight Jazz Series: Tim Louis and The Ambassadors. Tim Louis, vocals and piano. GR; (st). Special menu and drinks available. ●●Jul 17 2:00: André Laplante. Piano sonatas by Liszt, Mozart and Beethoven, and other works. SJA; (st); (child). ●●Jul 17 4:00: Haydn and Mozart. Mozart: Vesperae solennes de confessore; Haydn: Missa in Angustiis (Nelson Mass). Elora Festival Singers. KP; ; (st); (child). ●●Jul 21 4:00: Thomas Chartré, cello. Pärt: Spiegel im Spiegel; Fratres; works by Fauré, Mendelssohn and others. Leslie De’Ath, piano. SJA; ; (st); (child). ●●Jul 21 7:30: Choral Mystics II. Patrick Hawes: premiere of two new works. Elora Festival Singers. SJC; ; (st); (child). Pre-concert discussion with Patrick Hawes. ●●Jul 22 7:30: Molly Johnson Songbook. Original compositions, music by Billie Holiday and other jazz classics. Mike Downes, bass; Robi Botos, piano; Terry Clark, drums. GB; ; (st); (child). ●●Jul 23 1:30: Daniel Taylor and Benjamin Butterfield: Songs of Love. Works for countertenor and tenor. Rebecca Genge, soprano; Steven Philcox, piano. SJA; ; (st); (child). ●●Jul 23 4:00: Coronation Anthems. In honour of the Queen’s 90th birthday. Handel: Zadok the Priest; Let Thy Hand Be Strengthened: King Shall Rejoice; My Heart Is Inditing; Water Music. Elora Festival Singers. KP; ; (st); (child). ●●Jul 23 7:30: National Youth Orchestra of Canada: 2016 TD Tour. Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini Overture; Barber: School for Scandal Overture; Adams: Short Ride on a Fast Machine; newly commisioned Canadian work; Bernstein: West Side Story Symphonic Dances; Bloch: Schelomo for cello and orchestra. GB; ; (st); (child). ●●Jul 23 9:30: Starlight Jazz Series: Stretch Orchestra. Kevin Breit, guitar; Matt Brubeck, cello; Jesse Stewart, drums. GR; ; (st). Special menu and drinks available. ●●Jul 24 2:00: Montreal Jubilation Gospel DUO PERCUSSION JULY 16, 1:30PM KNOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, ELORA ELORAFESTIVAL.CA Choir. GB; and up; (st); (child). July 9 to Aug 7 Joliette, PQ 450-759-4343 Festival de Lanaudière CCR - Christ Church, 3537 Metcalfe St., Rawdon FLA - Fernand-Lindsay Amphitheatre, 1655 Boulevard Base-de-Roc, Joliette LPC - La Purification Church, 445 Notre- Dame St., Repentigny MAJ - Musée d’art de Joliette, 145 Père- Wilfrid-Corbeil St., Joliette. PSA - Presbytère St-Alphonse, 960 Notre- Dame St., Saint-Alphonse-Rodriguez PSM - Presbytère Sainte-Mélanie, 910 Principale St., Sainte-Mélanie PSP - Presbytère St-Paul, 8 Brassard St., St-Paul PSS - Presbytère Saint-Sulpice, 1095 Notre- Dame Street, Saint-Sulpice SAC - St-Antoine Catholic Church, 1341 Notre-Dame St., Lavaltrie. SAK – Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare Church, 850 Principale St., Saint-Ambroise-de- Kildare. ●●Jul 09 8:00: Alain Lefèvre Plays Tchaikovsky: Romantic Drama and Passion. Tchaikovsky: The Tempest, Symphonic Fantasia, Op.18; Piano Concerto No.1 in b-flat Op.23; Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy-Overture; Respighi: Feste romane (Roman Festivals). Orchestre du Festival; Alain Lefèvre, piano; Gregory Vajda, conductor. FLA; $21.91-.00. ●●Jul 10 2:00: The Mark of Minimalism: Glass, Pärt, Mozetich, Nyman, Einaudi. Glass: Overture from La Belle et la Bête; Einaudi (arr. F. Vallières, A. Dubeau): Divenire; Giorni dispari; Run; Mozetich: Unfolding Sky (from Postcards from the Sky); and other works. La Pietà; Angèle Dubeau, violin. FLA; .56-.00. ●●Jul 11 8:00: Beethoven: The Complete String Quartet Cycle. Beethoven: String Quartet No.6 in B-flat Op.18 No.6; String Quartet No.11 in f Op.95; String Quartet No.15 in a Op.132. Jupiter Quartet. LPC; . ●●Jul 12 8:00: Beethoven: The Complete String Quartet Cycle. Beethoven: String Quartet No.4 in c Op.18 No.4; String Quartet No.5 in A Op.18 No.5; String Quartet No.13 in B-flat Op.130. Jupiter Quartet. PSP; . ●●Jul 14 8:00: Beethoven: The Complete String Quartet Cycle. Beethoven: String Quartet No.3 in D Op.18 No.3; String Quartet No.16 in F Op.135; String Quartet No.8 in e Op.59 No.2. Jupiter Quartet. PSM; . ●●Jul 15 8:00: The Conductor Serves Haydn and Beethoven. Haydn: Overture to L’isola disabitata; Symphony No.95 in c; Beethoven: Violin Concerto Op.61. Les Violons du Roy; Anthony Marwood, violin; Bernard Labadie, conductor. FLA; .56-.00. ●●Jul 16 8:00: Beethoven: From Shadow to Light. Mendelssohn: Overture to The Fair Melusina Op.32; Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No.1 in a Op.33; Romance for Cello, Op.36; Dvořák: Silent Woods (Klid) Op.68; Beethoven: Symphony No.5 in c Op.67. Orchestre de Chambre I Musici; Emmanuelle Bertrand, cello; Jean-Marie Zeitouni, conductor. FLA; .56-.00. ●●Jul 17 2:00: Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald. Embraceable You, Fascinating Rhythm, Someone to Watch over Me, Laura, You Do Something to Me, and other works. Montréal National Jazz Orchestra; Jessica Vigneault, vocalist; Christine Jensen, conductor. FLA; .56-.00. ●●Jul 18 8:00: As You Like It, Mr. Shakespeare! Music set to texts from Romeo and Juliet, Henry VIII, Othello, The Tempest, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night. Johnson: Where the bee sucks; Tomkins: Barafostus’ Dream; Weldon: Take, O take those lips away; Edwards: When griping grief; Byrd: Willow song; and other works. Suzie LeBlanc, soprano; Alexander Weimann, harpsichord. CCR; . ●●Jul 19 8:00: Tony Yike Yang: Child Prodigy. Liszt: Sonata in b S161; Mozart: Sonata in F K332; Chopin: Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat Op.61; Prokofiev: Sonata No.7 in B-flat Op.83. Tony Yike Yang, piano. PSA; . ●●Jul 22 8:00: The Colours of French Romanticism. Lalo: Overture to Le Roy d’Ys; Massenet: Méditation from Thaïs; Chausson: Poème de l’amour et de la mer; Berlioz: Overture to Le Corsaire; Bizet: Three songs for soprano and orchestra; Franck: Le chasseur maudit. Orchestre Métropolitain; Karina Gauvin, soprano; Mathieu Lussier, conductor. FLA; .56-.00. ●●Jul 24 2:00: Alexandre Da Costa and The Royal 22nd Regiment. Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen; Fantaisie on Airs from Carmen; Monti: Czardas; Queen: The Show Must Go On. Music of The Royal 22nd Regiment; Alexandre Da Costa, violin; Captain Christian Richer, conductor. FLA; .56-.00. ●●Jul 25 8:00: Virtuoso George Li. Haydn: Piano Sonata in b HobXVI:32; Chopin: Piano Sonata No.2 in b-flat; Rachmaninoff: Variations on a Theme by Corelli Op.42; Liszt: Consolation No.3 in D-flat; Hungarian Rhapsody No.2. George Li, piano. SAC; . ●●Jul 26 8:00: Nareh Arghamanyan: Poetess of the Piano. Bach: Goldberg Variations; Saint-Saëns: Danse macabre Op.40; Schubert/Liszt: Der Müller und der Bach; Gretchen am Spinnrade; Mozart/Liszt: Confutatis and Lacrimosa (from Mozart’s Requiem); Liszt: Totentanz. Nareh Arghamanyan, piano. PSS; . ●●Jul 28 8:00: Akousma@Lanaudière. Akousma. Guests: Pipo Pierre-Louis; Line Katcho; Myriam Bleau. MAJ; .50. ●●Jul 29 8:00: Live the Collectif9 Experience! Works by Brahms, Golijov, Holbrook, Márquez, Piazzolla and others. Collectif9: Thibault Bertin-Maghit, double bass/arrangements; Roland Arnassalon, violin; Yubin Kim, violin; Frédéric Moisan, violin; Grégor Monlun, violin; Scott Chancey, viola; Xavier Lepage-Brault, viola; Jérémie Cloutier, cello; Andrea Stewart, cello. FLA; .56-.00. ●●Jul 30 8:00: Learning While Listening with Christopher Hall. Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.5 (orch. Parlow); Bizet: Carmen Suite No.1; J. Strauss II: Tritsch-Tratsch Polka Op.124; Kodály: Dances of Galánta; J. Strauss II: The Blue Danube Waltz; Rozankovic: Guide comique pour orchestre; Márquez: Danzón No.2. Orchestre symphonique de Laval; Christopher Hall, clarinet and narrator; Alain Trudel, conductor. FLA; .56-.00. ●●Jul 31 2:00: Major Anniversaries: Tribute to Father Lindsay. Orchestral and choral music by Beethoven, Mozart, Dvořák, Orff, Verdi and others. Orchestre du Camp Musical Père Lindsay; Chœur Fernand-Lindsay; Julien 36 | June 1, 2016 - September 7, 2016 thewholenote.com
Proulx, chorusmaster. FLA; .56-.00. ●●Aug 02 8:00: Jocelyne Roy: The Art of the Flute. J.S. Bach: Concerto for Flute, Violin, and Keyboard BWV1044; C.P.E. Bach: Concerto for Flute and Strings in A; Concerto for Flute and Strings in d. Orchestre de Chambre du Festival; Jocelyne Roy, flute; Mélisande McNabney, harpsichord; Antoine Bareil, violin. SAK; . ●●Aug 04 8:00: Jocelyne Roy: The Art of the Flute. Bach: Partita in a BWV1013; Debussy: Syrinx; Varèse: Density 21.5; Ibert: Pièce pour flûte seule; Tremblay: Envol; Takemitsu: Voice; Karg-Elert: Chaconne. Jocelyne Roy, flute. MAJ; . ●●Aug 05 8:00: Charles-Richard Hamelin and Kent Nagano: The Audience Chooses! Schumann: Symphony No.3 in E-flat “Rhenish”; Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1 in d Op.15. Orchestre symphonique de Montréal; Charles Richard-Hamelin, piano; Kent Nagano, conductor. FLA; $21.91-.00. ●●Aug 06 8:00: Kent Nagano and the Mozart Requiem: A Great Classic in the Great Outdoors. Schubert: Symphony in b D759 “Unfinished”; Mozart: Requiem in d K626. Orchestre symnphonique de Montréal (Kent Nagano, conductor); Festival Chorus (Andrew Megill, conductor); Sarah Wegener, soprano; Michèle Losier, mezzo; Michael Schade, tenor; Alexander Tsymbaluk, bass. FLA; $21.91-.00. ●●Aug 07 2:00: Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Orchestre Métropolitain: From Philadelphia With Love. Bach/Stokowski: Passacaglia and Fugue in c BWV582; Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Op.43; Muhly: Mixed Messages; Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances Op.45. Orchestre Métropolitain; Nicholas Angelich, piano; Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. FLA; $21.91-.00. July 15 to Aug 7 Parry Sound, ON Festival of the Sound C3 - Chippewa III, Seguin River Parkette, Parry Sound CC - Canadore College Deck, 1 College Dr., Parry Sound CS - Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts, 2 Bay St., Parry Sound FO - Festival Office, 1 Avenue Rd., Parry Sound IQ - Island Queen Cruise Ship, 9 Bay St., Parry Sound SV - Seguin Valley Golf Club, 133 Badger Rd., Seguin 705-746-2410 / 1-866-364-0061 ●●Jul 15 5:30: Classics by Candlelight. Haydn: String Quartet in D Op.20 No.4 Hob.III:34; other works. Leslie Fagan, soprano; Guy Few, trumpet/piano; Moshe Hammer, violin; James Campbell, clarinet; Penderecki String Quartet. CS; 0. Fundraising dinner. ●●Jul 16 1:30: Strings Across the Sky. CS; free. ●●Jul 16 7:30: Gala Opening Concert. Trad.: Just a Closer Walk with Thee for clarinet, jazz bass, piano and choir; Trad.: Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming; Kulesha: Shaman Songs; Glick: Northern Sketches; Daley: Salutation of the Dawn; and works by Mozart, Vivaldi, Handel and Bach. Elmer Iseler Singers; Lydia Adams, conductor; James Campbell, clarinet; Guy Few, trumpet; Penderecki String Quartet; Bob Mills, double bass. CS; -. ●●Jul 17 7:30: Opera Gala. Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore; Aria (Drinking Chorus) from The Daughter of the Regiment; Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Nabucco; Brindisi from La Traviata; The Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin; and other works. Mark DuBois, tenor/host; Leslie Fagan, soprano; Gabrielle Prata, mezzo; Colin Ainsworth, tenor; Bruce Kelly, baritone; Guy Few, piano; Elmer Iseler Singers; Lydia Adams, conductor. CS; -. ●●Jul 18 6:00: Swing Cruise. Hogtown Syncopators. IQ; . Musical cruise. ●●Jul 19 11:00am: Office Hour. New Zealand String Quartet. FO; free. ●●Jul 19 3:30: Schubert and Dvořák I. Schubert: Sonatina in D Op.137 D384; Schubert/ Wilhelmi: Ave Maria D839; Dvořák: Piano Trio No.4 in e “Dumky”. Moshe Hammer, violin; Peter Longworth, piano; Gryphon Trio. CS; -. ●●Jul 19 7:30: Schubert and Dvořák II. Schubert: Piano Trio in B-flat D898; Dvořák: String Quartet No.12 in F Op.96 “American”. Gryphon Trio; New Zealand String Quartet. CS; -. ●●Jul 20 1:30: Our Favourite Sonatas I. Brahms: Sonata in d Op.108; Rodrigo: Sonata giocosa for guitar; Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No.7 Op.83. Moshe Hammer, violin; Leopoldo Erice, piano; Rolf Gjelsten, cello; Daniel Bolshoy, guitar; Peter Longworth, piano. CS; -. ●●Jul 20 3:30: Our Favourite Sonatas II. Beethoven: Cello Sonata in C Op.102 No.1; Brahms: String Sextet No.2 in G Op.36. Peter Longworth, piano; Penderecki String Quartet; Gillian Ansell, viola; Rolf Gjelsten, cello. CS; -. ●●Jul 20 7:30: Sir Wilfred Laurier at 175. Copland: Quiet City; Mendelssohn: String Quartet No.2 in a; Bach: Chromatic Fantasy BWV903; Glick: Images at Nightfall, Georgian Bay; Boyd McDonald: Timelines for piano, four hands; Mozart: Ch’io mi scordi di te?...Non temer, amato bene K505. Leslie Fagan, soprano; James Mason, English horn; Guy Few, trumpet/piano; Penderecki String Quartet; Leopoldo Erice, piano; James Campbell, clarinet; Jeffrey Stokes, double bass. CS; -. ●●Jul 21 1:30: Fantasies and Fairy Tales. R. Schumann: Romances for oboe and piano Op.94; C. Schumann: Romances for violin and piano Op.22; R. Schumann: Fantasy Pieces for clarinet and piano Op.73; R. Schumann: Fairy Tales for viola and piano Op.113. James Mason, oboe; James Campbell, clarinet; Helene Pohl, violin; Gillian Ansell, viola; Peter Longworth, piano; Leopoldo Erice, piano. CS; -. ●●Jul 21 3:30: Love and Inspiration. Schumann: Frauenliebe und -leben Op.42; Schumann: Piano Quartet in E-flat Op.47. Leslie Fagan, soprano; Penderecki String Quartet; Peter Longworth, piano; Leopoldo Erice, piano. CS; -. ●●Jul 21 7:30: Mentor and Master. Schumann: Piano Quintet in E-flat Op.44; Brahms: Piano Quintet in f Op.34. Stewart Goodyear, piano; Leopoldo Erice, piano; Penderecki String Quartet; New Zealand String Quartet. CS; -. ●●Jul 22 11:00am: Office Hour. Daniel Bolshoy, guitar. FO; free. ●●Jul 22 1:30: Music for Guitar and Friends. De Falla: Siete canciones populares españolas for guitar and voice; Boccherini: Introduction and Fandango for guitar and strings; Barrios: Canada’s premier summer classical music festival at the Charles W. Stockey Centre in Parry Sound — on beautiful Georgian Bay j uly 15 th – august 7 th , 2 016 ClassiCal music jazz weekend cruises • films • talks 60 EvEnts 50 MusiCians 20 EnsEMblEs www.festivalofthesound.ca 1.866.364.0061 thewholenote.com June 1, 2016 - September 7, 2016 | 37
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!).
