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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 7:30pm to 9:30pm, at Murray St. Baptist Church, 175 Murray St., Peterborough. Peg McCracken 705-745-1820 singers@peterboroughsingers.com www.peterboroughsingers.com ● RCCO Toronto The Royal Canadian College of Organists offers opportunities for professional certification, publishes the magazine Organ Canada/Orgue Canada, publishes new compositions for organ and/or choir, and organizes workshops and annual conventions. RCCO Toronto is a community in the GTA for professional and amateur organists, church and synagogue musicians, choral conductors and any other person who values the “King of Instruments.” This year’s activities begin with an ORGAN CRAWL to Ancaster, visiting a new 2-manual Reuter at Maranatha Free Reformed Church, followed by a visit to Christ the King RC Cathedral Basilica to see a 4-manual 1985 R Steinmeyer from 1933, one of only three in North America, with a new console installed by Casavant in April 2016. We will also visit/hear the Carillon. We will have an extensive used music sale in September, as well as our annual free Halloween concert, “Phantoms of the Organ,” which takes place on Friday October 28 at 9pm, at Metropolitan United Church. A stunning organ performance of works for Remembrance Day will be given on November 11 by organist David Briggs. Other events in 2016 and 2017 can be viewed on our webpage. David Weind, president: 416-789-1175 dweind@hotmail.com Hazel Ogilvie, membership secretary: 905-881-7266 www.rcco.ca/toronto-on ● Reaching Out Through Music Since 2007, Reaching Out Through Music has been providing musical opportunities to the children of St. James Town, one of North America’s most densely populated and ethnically diverse communities. We seek to enrich children’s lives by offering active participation in choral, instrumental and other programs, including the opportunity to attend some of the myriad concerts in the City of Toronto. We create social opportunities for children by encouraging them to share a love of music, performance and teamwork through collaboration in choral and instrumental ensembles. A critical part of child development, music education has been proven to provide children with cognitive and emotional benefits that will have a lifelong impact on learning and social skills. Reaching Out Through Music has a tradition of hosting benefit concerts every year (often with popular silent auctions), featuring both worldrenowned artists and our own students. Our talented and dedicated teachers, supported by a growing group of volunteers, look forward to an enriching year culminating in our tenth anniversary celebrations in October 2017. John Loosemore info@reachingoutthroughmusic.org www.reachingoutthroughmusic.org ● Roy Thomson Hall Roy Thomson Hall continues to feature the world’s greatest musicians and speakers in 2016/17. Classical music giants performing at the Hall include two of the world’s top orchestras – the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Boston Symphony Orchestra – as well as Mariza, the world’s foremost fadista, and a range of Toronto Symphony Orchestra performances. National Geographic Live! returns for a sixth season of talks, featuring some of the world’s most adventurous explorers sharing stories of their triumphs and challenges. Our free choir and organ concert series continues into its 20th year, while operatic showcase Bravissimo! and Viennese celebration Salute to Vienna enter their tenth and 22nd years, respectively. 416-872-4255 reachus@rth-mh.com www.roythomson.com ● Royal Conservatory of Music The 2016/17 concert season at The Royal Conservatory of Music has been announced and we are excited to bring you more than 90 classical, jazz, pop, family and world music concerts, including three specially-curated series and many inspiring artists! Visit our website to browse the full lineup of 2016/17 season concerts by date. 416-408-0208 www.performance.rcmusic.ca ● Scaramella Concerts Scaramella presents one-of-a-kind period instrument chamber music concerts, bringing together accomplished and artful musicians from Canada and abroad for fresh and vivacious performances. Children aged 14 and under are welcomed and admitted free of charge. For 2016/17, Scaramella offers three beguiling and scintillating programs. Among the mostrecorded and best-known baroque violinists of her generation, Ingrid Matthews comes to Toronto from Seattle for music of the 17th century stylus phantasticus – Biber and Schmelzer. Our second program introduces harpsichordist Katelyn Clark and recorder player/composer Terri Hron in music by François Couperin paired with several modern Canadian works. We round out the season with a singular early-Romantic program of Schubert, Rossini and Hummel, with Andrea Botticelli at the fortepiano. For full details, see our website. It’s a season of eclectic and exhilarating music – do please join us! Tickets are available at the door, or for advance purchase using the order form on the website. Joëlle Morton 416-760-8610 morton.joelle@gmail.com www.scaramella.ca ● Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra The Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) is dedicated to enriching the musical life of the Greater Scarborough community, eastern Toronto and neighboring regions, by presenting high-quality musical performances that offer an affordable, enriching and convenient live entertainment experience. The SPO is dedicated to educational outreach and youth engagement, including the support, encouragement and mentoring of young musicians. Supporting Canadian composers and their music is also a priority. Stephen Wilson, executive director 416-429-0007 spo@spo.ca www.spo.ca ● Shen Yun Performing Arts Shen Yun is one of the most renowned Chinese performing arts companies in the world. Based in New York, its mission is to revive 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture. Through the universal language of dance and music, Shen Yun weaves a wondrous tapestry of heavenly realms, ancient legends and modern heroic tales, taking audiences on a journey through millennia of authentic Chinese culture. Its stunning beauty, purity and tremendous energy leave audiences greatly uplifted and deeply inspired. A Shen Yun performance features the world’s foremost classically-trained dancers, a unique live orchestra blending East and West, and dazzling animated backdrops—together creating one spectacular performance. With four equally large companies touring in some 20 countries and 100 cities around the globe, Shen Yun has touched the hearts of millions and has made an international phenomenon. Shen Yun is coming back to the GTA for its 2017 season with an all-new show from the end of December to early next March, performing in Kitchener, Hamilton, Mississauga and Toronto. For showtimes and tickets please refer to www. shenyun.com/tickets. Michael Cui 1-855-416-1800 www.shenyun.com/gta ● Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra As a part of Shen Yun Performing Arts, Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra blends the spirit of Chinese music with the precision, power and grandeur of the Western symphony to create one refreshing B20 | theWholeNote 2016/17 PRESENTER PROFILES

sound. All-original compositions draw upon five millennia of culture and legends. Western strings, percussion, woodwinds and brass accentuate the sound of ancient Chinese instruments—like the two-stringed erhu and the plucked pipa. Never before have the exquisite beauty of Chinese melodies and the grandeur of a Western symphony been so seamlessly combined. Along with Shen Yun’s original compositions, the concert includes Western classical masterpieces from Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Dvořák and more, as well as Shen Yun’s celebrated vocal and instrumental soloists. In 2012, Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra debuted in Carnegie Hall. In 2013, it began to tour. Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra is coming to Roy Thomson Hall for one brand-new concert on October 23, 2016. Experience the ancient Chinese instruments leading a grand Western orchestra through melodies rooted in 5,000 years of civilization. For showtimes and tickets please refer to www.shenyun.com/symphony/tickets. Michael Cui 1-855-416-1800 www.shenyun.com/symphony ● Show One Productions For over a decade, Svetlana Dvoretsky and Show One Productions have presented some of the world’s most sought-after artists in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Many of the greatest symphony orchestras, ballet companies, dance and theatre productions have also come to Canada under the Show One banner. In 2016/17, the company presents its most ambitious season yet, featuring top world-renowned singers and instrumentalists: Dmitri Hvorostovsky with Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov in an unprecedented gala performance at COC; pianist Denis Matsuev, Moscow Virtuosi and Vladimir Spivakov featuring MET soprano Hibla Gerzmava in her Canadian debut; the national tour of the beloved Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo and a sensational return of the Eifman Ballet with their historic production of Red Gisele. Further compelling projects are continually added to the roster – check the website for details. Dvoretsky, whom the media has called “an icon in the making” and “an intuitive impresario,” holds the Order of York Centre Award by the Government of Canada. 416-737-6785 www.showoneproductions.ca ● Sony Centre for the Performing Arts The Sony Centre, Toronto’s first performing arts centre, has played a defining role in the cultural life of Toronto for more than 50 years. Today, the Sony Centre’s mission is to unite the global citizens of Toronto through great artistic experiences. The Sony Centre presents year-round programming including concerts, musical theatre, family entertainment, comedy and dance. ROYAL CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC With in-house catering and many completely customizable spaces, Toronto’s iconic Sony Centre has also proven to be an ideal venue for product launches, town halls, holiday parties and fundraisers – it is truly where the world comes to play! 1-855-872-SONY(7669) info@sonycentre.ca www.sonycentre.ca ● SoundCrowd If you liked “Pitch Perfect” you’ll love this! Sound- Crowd is Toronto’s first large-scale a cappella ensemble. Featuring over 70 singers, Sound- Crowd is taking Toronto by storm in its inaugural 2016/17 season. With a debut during the holidays at Bloor St. United on December 16, SoundCrowd is then hitting the road in April to participate in the annual sellout “Total Vocal” concert at Carnegie Hall with a cappella guru Deke Sharon. Capping off the year will be a final celebration concert at St. Michael’s School for the Arts on May 27, 2017, and throughout it all you’ll never know where SoundCrowd will pop up! Keep an eye on social media for surprise performances… SoundCrowd’s vision is to enrich the Toronto community with the proven health and social benefits of participating in and experiencing choral music, to create dynamic and original performances of music from all genres using the musical language of a cappella, and to tell our stories through voice and movement using repertoire that is exciting, fun and meaningful to all. Scott Pietrangelo, founder and artistic director 647-281-1397 info@soundcrowd.ca www.soundcrowd.ca ● Soundstreams Soundstreams is one of the world’s leading contemporary music companies, and the largest global presenter of new Canadian music. Artistic director Lawrence Cherney and executive director Ben Dietschi are committed to showcasing the work of living and international composers with a focus on innovative thematic and experiential programming. The 2016/17 season will bring fresh sounds to life with this incredible lineup: Magic Flutes, the Nelson Mandela University Choir, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, R. Murray Schafer’s Odditorium and The Music of Unsuk Chin. The ever-popular Ear Candy Series will also continue with Density 2036, Electric Messiah and Music in Fifths. Soundstreams maintains its commitment to the larger community with Salon 21, a free series offering performances contextualized through engaging discussion at The Gardiner Museum, as well as composer training activities, the Sound- Wave program, which promotes accessible tickets to those 35 and under, and the creation of digital performance spaces. Jessica Cimó, director of marketing and external relations jessicac@soundstreams.ca 416-504-1282 x102 www.soundstreams.ca ● Southern Ontario Chapter of the Hymn Society Southern Ontario Chapter of the Hymn Society (SOCHS) is a non-denominational organization supporting congregational song and offering three events each season in the Barrie, Kitchener-Waterloo and Pickering triangle. Anyone interested in hymns and congregational song may join us or participate in our activities. John L. Bell and James Abbington have brought exciting theWholeNote 2016/17 PRESENTER PROFILES | B21

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