Volume 22 Issue 2 - October 2016

BLUE PAGES

BLUE PAGES 2016/17 17th ANNUAL DIRECTORY OF MUSIC MAKERS Welcome to the Blue Pages, The WholeNote’s 17th annual directory of concert presenters. The 155 profiles that follow provide an extraordinary snapshot of the remarkable creativity and musical diversity present in the GTA and southern Ontario, as well as a brief but unique window into who’s doing what this season. The Blue Pages give us a glimpse of the roles these organizations will play in cultivating the region’s rich musical landscape this year. We hope you enjoy this preview of what’s in store for 2016/17 as you peruse these pages of choirs, orchestras, chamber ensembles, opera companies, venues and more. The ongoing support of the organizations listed here helps keep The WholeNote alive and allows us to fulfill our mission. ● Academy Concert Series Celebrating its 25th season, the Academy Concert Series offers an innovative and intimate 3-concert chamber music series on period instruments, bringing to audiences the musical riches and spirit of improvisation of the 17th and 18th centuries, and the passion and sonorous colour palate of the 19th and early 20th centuries. ACS has an exciting 25th anniversary season featuring special guest performers. November 12, 2016, Bratsche to the Future showcases the darker tones and expressive qualities of 19th-century and early-20th-century viola writing. Special guests are Steven Dann on viola, and Mark Fewer and Sheila Jaffé on violin. On March 4, 2017, A Frankly Fabulous Foray features Leanne Regehr on piano and Alexander Reid on violin. The final concert of the season features violinist Scott St. John in Gut Reaction to a Changing World on May 13, 2017. Ernest Macmillan’s beautiful string quartet echoes Brahms, the harmonically intense Langsamer Satz by Anton Webern explores the farthest borders of this dissolving tonal system and Erich Korngold’s second string quartet showcases this prodigious but misunderstood composer’s contribution. All concerts take place on Saturdays at 7:30pm, at Eastminster United Church (310 Danforth Ave.). Kerri McGonigle 416-629-3716 kerri.mcgonigle@ academyconcertseries.com www.academyconcertseries.com Presenters who missed this issue of the magazine still have the opportunity to be a part of this directory, which lives year-round on our website at www.thewholenote. com/blue. For more information on this and the benefits of WholeNote membership, contact Karen Ages at members@thewholenote.com or 416-323-2232 X26. Whether you are in the audience or onstage, we wish you all the best for the 2016/17 concert season! BLUE PAGES TEAM 2016/17 PROJECT MANAGER Karen Ages PROJECT EDITOR Kevin King PROOFREADING Sara Constant LAYOUT & DESIGN Susan Sinclair WEBSITE Bryson Winchester ● Adam Sherkin In residence at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts since 2011, Toronto native Adam Sherkin is a dynamic pianist /composer who commands a multidimensional approach to performance and composition. Sherkin released his debut album in 2012 on the Centrediscs label: a full-length solo disc featuring his own works, As At First. Acclaim has followed for Sherkin’s first record, described as displaying “a sense of daring,” “craftsmanship,” and unmistakable music by a “young, living, breathing and very gifted composer.” Sherkin has performed at significant venues throughout Canada, the U.S. and Britain. The new 2016/17 season features a concert series on the first Thursday of every month at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts in Toronto. Themed “Write Off the Keyboard,” this series highlights great pianist/composers of our not-too-distant past who not only interpreted with formidable mastery but also wrote exceptional music from the piano’s vantage point. All concerts take place on the first Thursday of each month : at 12 noon and 5:30pm , in the Bluma Appel Lobby of the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. 27 Front St. E. www.stlc.com Nathan Williams, communications manager 416-825-2744 media@adamsherkin.com www.adamsherkin.com ● Aga Khan Museum The Aga Khan Museum presents some of the finest live music, dance and film from around the world in extraordinary settings: from a state-ofthe-art auditorium to an open-air courtyard, a Persian-inspired salon, and a variety of spaces shared by exhibitions and educational programming. Performances at the Museum join culturally diverse artists in conversation, highlighting the arts of Muslim civilizations from the Iberian Peninsula to China and celebrating the many ways that cultures connect through art. Please visit www.agakhanmuseum.org for a full calendar of performances and film screenings. Raheela Nanji 416-646-4677 information@agakhanmuseum.org www.agakhanmuseum.org ● All Saints Kingsway Anglican Church All Saints’ Choir provides musical leadership at weekly Sunday morning Eucharists, Festival Evensongs, community outreach projects and concerts year-round. The choir has toured notable UK cathedrals, recorded two CDs and performed throughout Toronto. Recent performances include Requiem by Maurice Duruflé, a concert with the Nathaniel Dett Chorale and a thrilling Christmas presentation, A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten. The Kingsway Organ Recital Series and Jazz Vespers run bi-weekly from September to July. New members are always welcome to the Music at All Saints Kingsway family. Come and be a part of a fantastic choral, instrumental and creative community. D. Brainerd Blyden-Taylor, director of music 416-233-1125 x5 music@allsaintskingsway.ca www.allsaintskingsway.ca ● Alliance Française Toronto Alliance Française was founded in Paris in 1883 by Louis Pasteur, Ferdinand de Lesseps and Jules Verne. Established in Toronto since 1902, Alliance Française Toronto (AFT) has always embodied the modern values of humanism and a respect for linguistic and cultural diversity. AFT is a 100% Canadian non-profit charitable organization offering the GTA community a wide range of classes in French as a Second Language for children, teenagers and adults at all levels of proficiency. Alliance is also a cultural centre, offering a program of over 100 events organized in our own 150-seat theatre. Our cultural program comprises a wide range of events including exhibitions, movie screenings, lectures, theatre, storytelling evenings, events for kids, wine tastings and a variety of concerts: classical, jazz, world music, contemporary music, and the B2 | theWholeNote 2016/17 PRESENTER PROFILES

Nouvelle Scène Française. This season, AFT welcomes more than 60 musicians from Canada, Europe and Africa, such as the classical Ensemble La Rêveuse from France, Allan Gorman quartet (jazz), a concert dedicated to Pierre Schaeffer, and a show paying homage to Miriam Makeba by Lorraine Klassen. Patricia Guérin 416-922-2014 x35 patricia.guerin@alliance-francaise.ca www.alliance-francaise.ca ● Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto Founded in 1975, the Amadeus Choir, under the direction of Lydia Adams, is celebrating its 42nd year. The 75-voice auditioned choir performs a regular series of concerts, presenting works by Canadian and international composers, collaborating regularly with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Elmer Iseler Singers and the Bach Children’s Chorus, among others. The choir’s season opener on November 13, entitled “Aurora Borealis: Magic and Mystery,” celebrates the beauty of the north—in Canada, Scandinavia, Russia, and the U.S.—featuring composers including Corlis, Ešenvalds, Whitacre, Gjeilo and Daley. On December 17, the Bach Children’s Chorus (with conductor Linda Beaupré) joins us in presenting “Winter Lullabies,” a concert highlighting winning compositions from our annual songwriting competition, as well as traditional, glorious seasonal works. “Love Notes,” our special fundraising concert on February 18, highlights love songs of all kinds, presented throughout an evening of fun with silent auction, food, drink and merriment. Finally, on April 9 we are joined by Canadian astronaut Dr. Roberta Bondar in our final series concert: “High Flight: Songs of the Stars,” including choral works inspired by the magic of the heavens. Lydia Adams, conductor and artistic director Shawn Grenke, accompanist Todd Colter 416-446-0188 info@amadeuschoir.com www.amadeuschoir.com ● Amici Chamber Ensemble Amici Chamber Ensemble has celebrated over 25 years as one of Canada’s finest and most distinguished chamber music ensembles. Artistic Directors clarinetist Joaquin Valdepeñas, cellist David Hetherington and pianist Serouj Kradjian invite some of the finest musicians to join them in innovative and eclectic programming, celebrating friendship through music. Amici Chamber Ensemble’s annual concert series has featured world-renowned musicians as frequent guests, including James Ehnes, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Lara St. John, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Russell Braun, Michael Schade, Cho-Liang Lin, AMICI CHAMBER ENSEMBLE Jaime Laredo, Andre Laplante and James Sommerville. The ensemble has commissioned and premiered over 20 works by Canadian composers, among them Allan Gordon Bell, Chan Ka Nin, Brian Cherney, Malcolm Forsyth, Jacques Hétu, Alexina Louie and Jeffrey Ryan. Alongside numerous broadcasts of their concerts on national radio, Amici Chamber Ensemble’s recordings have placed them firmly among the world’s best chamber musicians and garnered the ensemble two JUNO awards, most recently the 2013 Classical Album of the Year: Solo or Chamber Ensemble, for Levant. Other prestigious honours include several JUNO award nominations, including a 2011 nomination for the ATMA Classique disc “Armenian Chamber Music.” Kaija Corlazzoli, general manager 416-871-4275 kaija@amiciensemble.com www.amiciensemble.com ● Annex Singers The Annex Singers of Toronto is a vibrant and accomplished community choir under the dynamic and creative leadership of artistic director Maria Case. Now in its 37th season, the 60-voice auditioned choir performs three programs a year, collaborating with professional vocalists, instrumentalists and ensembles. Recent performances include Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Fauré’s Requiem, and premieres of Canadian works. The Annex Chamber Choir is a 24-voice ensemble drawn from the larger choir. The Annex Singers engages in community outreach and offers choral development workshops led by some of Toronto’s most innovative musical coaches and clinicians. This season the choir will present two concerts at Grace Church on-the-Hill: Noel, featuring Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s magnificent Messe de Minuit, on Saturday, December 17, 2016, and Oh Canada! A Choral Landscape, featuring gems by contemporary composers, on Saturday, April 22, 2017. We rehearse Monday evenings at St. Thomas’s Anglican Church, 383 Huron St. Experienced singers who wish to audition should contact our membership coordinator through www.annexsingers.com. Joanne Eidinger 416-458-4434 joeidinger@gmail.com www.annexsingers.com ● Aradia Ensemble The JUNO-nominated Aradia Ensemble led by artistic director and conductor Kevin Mallon presents innovative music incorporating old-world artistry and the modern-day, performing an eclectic blend of music on baroque instruments. They have recorded over 50 CDs for Naxos. This season begins a new chapter for Aradia as we expand our partnerships with other artistic organizations and new performance opportunities. Fresh Baroque will become even more fresh! Samantha Little, executive director 647-960-6650 info@aradia.ca www.aradia.ca ● Arraymusic Arraymusic is on a mission to ignite and sustain a passion for the contemporary Canadian musical arts within an international, interdisciplinary context. We foster and advance exceptional contemporary music by embracing, supporting and collaborating with emerging, established and diverse creators across the arts disciplines and territories, and by seeking to engage our audiences deeply. Through Array’s Contemporary Music Program, we produce, present and support who and what’s best in contemporary music today. Since 1972, Arraymusic has presented its resident chamber group, the Array Ensemble, in an annual concert season in Toronto, featuring theWholeNote 2016/17 PRESENTER PROFILES | B3