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Volume 22 Issue 2 - October 2016

  • Text
  • October
  • Toronto
  • Choir
  • Jazz
  • Orchestra
  • Symphony
  • Concerts
  • Arts
  • November
  • Musical
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!

BLUE PAGES

BLUE PAGES 2016/17 ranging from age four to university students. In addition to community performances, the OCC participates in vocal festivals, choral retreats, choral competitions and workshops. The OCC is a high-profile community ambassador and is proud to perform at many public functions and special events in the Oakville area. Educational programs emphasize developing individual musicianship including sight singing, music theory and choral movement. The OCC Education Outreach program connects choristers with a variety of community and social organizations. We strive to develop leadership skills through choral singing, and through programs for choristers such as our Young Leader mentorship program. The OCC has released several CDs and has won numerous awards including a Gold Medal win at the 2014 World Choir Games in Riga, Latvia. The OCC features a strong artistic team led by artistic director Sarah Morrison. Katherine Hamilton 905-337-7104 info@oakvillechildrenschoir.org www.oakvillechildrenschoir.org ● Off Centre Music Salon Now in its 22nd Anniversary Season, Off Centre Music Salon began as an attempt to find the magical, inclusive atmosphere of the Viennese and Parisian Salons of the 19th century. At a time when the concert hall experience had become almost clinical in its austerity, we felt the need, more than ever, to go back to a time when music was intimately shared, when concerts told a story and created personal connections for audiences and performers alike. There is something quite extraordinary about turning 22. While we are certainly not mathematicians, even we cannot help but take note of this mysterious palindrome: 2+2 = 2 x 2 = 2² = FOUR. Four memories. Four seasons. Four winds. Fourpart harmony. Four hands. On the fourth day of Creation, the stars appear…and in this, our 22nd season, we are feeling that our own stars are aligning with four exciting programs that we cannot wait to share with you. Off Centre Music Salon looks forward to welcoming you again (or for the first time) in our home here in Toronto at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre. Boris Zarankin and Inna Perkis 416-466-1870 tickets@offcentremusic.com www.offcentremusic.com ● Open Ears Festival of Music and Sound The Open Ears Festival of Music and Sound uses unusual venues to present a very eclectic range of musics from new classical music to electroacoustic, musique actuelle and sound installation. Innovative and collaborative, the festival works closely with other organizations to copresent activities or to include activities within our schedule. Our main centre of activity takes place in the Waterloo Region. The festival promotes cross-disciplinary enhancement and the strengthening of the artistic community through joint projects. It has encouraged urban renewal through the reinvestigation of alternative spaces and rethinking our experience of architecture. In 1999 we were given an award by the Kitchener Downtown Business Association for our work in helping to renew the troubled downtown Kitchener core. In 2008, the City of Kitchener identified Open Ears as one of its ‘pillar’ festivals. In 2009 we were recognized with a KW Arts Award. 519-579-8564; 1-888-363-3591 info@openears.ca www.openears.ca ● Opera Atelier Opera Atelier is North America’s premier period opera/ballet company, producing the opera, ballet and drama of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. While drawing upon the aesthetics and ideals of the period, Opera Atelier goes beyond “reconstruction” and infuses each production with an inventive theatricality that resonates with modern audiences. Led by founding artistic directors Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg since 1985, Opera Atelier has garnered acclaim for its performances at home as well as in the United States, Europe and Asia. The 2016/17 season features heart-stopping singing, dancing and drama. Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas (October 20 to 29, 2016) and Charpentier’s Medea (April 22 to 29, 2017) represent the pinnacle of 17th-century Baroque opera in all its glory. Tickets start at and can be purchased through Ticketmaster at 1-855-622-ARTS(2787) or www.ticketmaster.ca, or at the Elgin Theatre Box Office (189 Yonge St.). 1-855-622-2787 opera.atelier@operaatelier.com www.operaatelier.com ● Opera York In our 20th season and continuing our residency as the professional opera company at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Arts, Opera York offers two exciting productions for our main stage with the Opera York Chorus and Orchestra. Our season opens with the great Canadian tenor Romulo Delgado singing the role of Mario Cavaradossi in Puccini’s superb opera Tosca, under artistic director Sabatino Vacca and stage director Giuseppe Macina. Opera York’s second half of the season is led by artistic director Geoffrey Butler, in the full production of Donizetti’s classic comedy Elixir of Love, with stage director Renée Salewski. Opera York continues to provide affordable and accessible lectures, operatic concerts for seniors and educational programming. November 3 and 5, 2016: Puccini’s Tosca; March 2 and 4, 2017: Donizetti’s Elixir of Love - Richmond Hill Centre for the Arts. 905-763-7853; Tickets: 905-787-8811 info@operayork.com www.operayork.com www.rhcentre.ca ● Orchestra Toronto Orchestra Toronto, Toronto’s premier community symphony orchestra, conducted by music director Kevin Mallon, is an Orchestra in Residence at the Toronto Centre for the Arts and offers five Sunday afternoon season concerts in the George Weston Recital Hall. The 2016/17 season will be our 63rd and celebrates Canada in honour of our upcoming 150th birthday! We perform powerful symphonic masterpieces as well as new works and our annual April light classics concert. Each concert is preceded by a preconcert talk by maestro Mallon. We also have an exciting roster of soloists: mezzo-soprano Maria Soulis, actor Trevor Rines, our own principal cellist Tom Mueller, pianist and composer Richard Herriott and our new concertmaster Corey Gemmell. Our December concert, “Youth at the Holidays,” will feature percussionist Michael Murphy, our concerto competition winner, as well as our popular Long & McQuade Instrument Petting Zoo. We will continue this year with our RBC Student Fellowship Program, and apprentice conductor and stage manager programs as well as our annual Marta Hidy Concerto Competition for Young Musicians. Samantha Little, executive director Box office: ticketmaster.ca or 1-855- 985-2787 (OT Number is 416-467-7142) info@orchestratoronto.ca www.orchestratoronto.ca ● ORGANIX Concerts Inc. ORGANIX Concerts Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Glionna Mansell Corporation, is the producer of important musical events specific to organ performance and education. The musical highlight of the year is the annual international ORGANIX music series showcasing Toronto’s finest pipe organs. This series offers the public an opportunity to hear and experience rarely-performed repertoire, brilliantly executed on magnificent instruments by passionate Canadian and international artists. ORGANIX 16 has featured exceptional lunchtime concerts “The Kingsway Organ Series” in collaboration with All Saints Kingsway Anglican Church. This series will continue into 2017 and eventually include concerts at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church. ORGANIX will also feature select gala solo concerts throughout 2017. ORGANIX is a music series unlike any other! Gordon Mansell, president and artistic director 416-769-5224; 1-877-769-5224 www.organixconcerts.ca B18 | theWholeNote 2016/17 PRESENTER PROFILES

● ORIANA Women’s Choir ORIANA Women’s Choir is an auditioned, amateur ensemble of about 35 female singers. Under artistic director Mitchell Pady, ORIANA promotes choral music in Canada by striving for excellence and versatility in performing compositions for women’s voices. Now in its 45th season, the choir continues to expand the repertoire for women’s choirs by commissioning and performing works from Canadian composers. The singers delight in supporting each other, improving their technique, and expressing their enjoyment of beautiful music, beautifully performed. ORIANA is currently inviting new members. Rehearsals take place on Tuesdays, 7:30pm to 10pm, at North Toronto Collegiate Institute. ORIANA presents three subscription concerts annually, usually in December, March and May. ORIANA’s upcoming season includes a jazzinspired concert of seasonal songs by Debbie Fleming; a rarely-heard complete presentation of Looduspildid (Nature Pictures) by Estonian composer Veljo Tormis; and a celebration of new Canadian works by Ruth Watson Henderson, Matthew Emery, Peter Togni, and the winner of ORIANA’s 2016/17 Choral Composition Competition. ORIANA also performs throughout the GTA at venues such as Roy Thomson Hall and the McMichael Collection. Julia Lee Box office: 416-978-8849 audition@orianachoir.com www.orianachoir.com ● Orpheus Choir of Toronto The Orpheus vision is “to celebrate the transformational power of choral music as an agent of social change and a passionate medium of artistic expression.” Celebrating our 53rd innovative season, and under the charismatic direction of artistic director Robert Cooper, Orpheus champions the rare and different in choral performance. 2016/17 highlights: the Toronto premiere of Paul Mealor’s The Farthest Shore; Christmas with the Hannaford Street Silver Band and gospel songstress Jackie Richardson; a sesquicentennial celebration featuring commissioned works contrasting the 1867 and 2017 faces of Canada; a gala concert at Koerner Hall with vocal superstars Andriana Chuchman and James Westman in the Ontario premiere of Larysa Kuzmenko’s The Golden Harvest; and guest appearances at the Luminous Night Festival and with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Education initiatives include our highly successful Sidgwick Scholars Program for rising vocal stars, an Apprentice Conductor position, and our high-school focused Vocal Apprentice Program. The Orpheus Choir is a vital and inclusive choral community meeting Tuesday evenings at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. We welcome enthusiastic singers for an “expect something OPERA YORK different” experience! Lisa Griffiths, managing director Box office: 416-530-4428 lisa.griffiths@orpheuschoirtoronto.com www.orpheuschoirtoronto.com ● Pax Christi Chorale Known for presenting rarely-heard choral masterpieces, Pax Christi Chorale has a reputation for passionate singing and performance of dramatic masterworks with professional soloists and orchestra. Their concerts bring people together in a musical community without borders, in an artistic experience that deeply touches performers and audience alike. Under the artistic direction of Stephanie Martin since 1997, the choir has performed ambitious works including Handel’s Solomon, Britten’s Saint Nicolas, the North American premiere of Parry’s Judith, and Elgar’s The Kingdom in Koerner Hall. In addition to their annual community concert, “The Children’s Messiah,” Pax Christi Chorale will present three concerts in 2016/17: Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Bicycle Opera Project and full orchestra; Parry’s Ode on the Nativity with Shannon Mercer; and Elgar’s The Apostles with full orchestra. The choir also has a chamber choir and a choral scholarship program. Rehearsals are on Monday nights in North York. Auditions are held in May and August. Jennifer Collins, general manager boxoffice@paxchristichorale.org www.paxchristichorale.org ● Penthelia Singers Celebrating its 20th anniversary season this year, Penthelia Singers is a vibrant women’s chamber choir committed to excellence in performing a culturally diverse and musically sophisticated repertoire spanning the Renaissance to the 21st century. Founded in 1997, the choir is named after the ancient Egyptian priestess-musician, Penthelia. Penthelia Singers has earned a reputation for presenting innovative concerts of fourto eight-part choral repertoire in a multitude of languages. Guest artists, dance, creative themes and unique programming make attending a Penthelia performance an original and engaging concert experience. Penthelia Singers aims to demonstrate the diversity of choral music and to cross ethnic and cultural boundaries by reaching out and connecting with our community through music. Penthelia Singers rehearses Wednesdays from 7:30pm to 9:30pm at Rosedale Presbyterian Church (129 Mt. Pleasant Rd., Toronto). Choir admission is by audition in August or January. Strong sight-singing and/or choral experience required. Our major concerts for the 2016/17 season are on Sunday, December 4 and our special 20th anniversary celebration concert, on Saturday, June 3, 2017. Alice Malach, artistic director 416-579-7464 pentheliasingers@yahoo.ca www.penthelia.com ● Peterborough Singers The Peterborough Singers, under the energetic and creative leadership of founder and music director Syd Birrell, is an auditioned 100-voice choir of all ages which attracts audiences from Peterborough, the Kawarthas, Northumberland and locations along the lakeshore. For the 2016/17 season, countertenor Daniel Taylor will join many budding soloists as we perform Handel’s Messiah and Mozart’s Requiem. We are also thrilled to be offering Canadian Women of Song, which will feature selections from the repertoire of several Canadian female artists. We welcome back organist Ian Sadler and the Venabrass Quintet for Yuletide Cheer. Rehearsals are Wednesdays, theWholeNote 2016/17 PRESENTER PROFILES | B19

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