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Volume 23 Issue 4 - December 2017 / January 2018

  • Text
  • Toronto
  • December
  • January
  • Arts
  • Theatre
  • Symphony
  • Performing
  • Jazz
  • Musical
  • Orchestra
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.

JACK MACQUARRIE Drum

JACK MACQUARRIE Drum major Colin Rowe with the Cobourg Concert Band in Plattsburgh NY, 2013 RCAF transport for their trip to Belgium on November 5. Another formerly local musician was Kevin Fleming, who was originally introduced to the GGHG by Colin as a trombone player. Later, like Colin, he continued to play trombone, but became Drum Major of the GGHG. Some time later Fleming transferred to the Regular Force, and a while ago to the Royal 22nd Regiment, nicknamed the Van Doos. Their band was selected as the lead band because Passchendaele was one of that regiment’s battle honours. While there were many ceremonies, the highlight for Fleming was at Passchendaele, with a torchlight parade from the WW1 monument to the town square followed by a concert. Those who went on that trip commented that it had been meticulously organized by Veterans Affairs, and that on the flight over, they were presented with a six-page detailed itinerary for their ten-day visit to memorials and cemeteries, informing them of the time and place of their every move. (Aside, again: speaking of Belgium, one significant recent event I attended was a concert by Toronto’s Wychwood Clarinet Choir on November 19. While most of the works performed at their concerts are special arrangements, the opening work, Claribel, was written by Belgian composer Guido Six specifically for his Claribel Clarinet Choir in Ostend. This was a wonderful rousing opening. The arranging talent of choir member Roy Greaves was certainly on display as the choir’s moods traversed from the Irish folk song The Lark in the Clear Air and a Mozart Serenade to three tangos by Astor Piazzolla. Harmonically the choir sounded better than I had ever heard it. Their harmonies were so well blended that one might think that their sounds were coming from a single source.) Greenbank, Ontario: From the tiny Ontario hamlet of Greenbank, conductor and composer Stuart Beaudoin brought his Orpheus Symphonietta to the small town of Uxbridge for another memorable recent event – a concert featuring his new composition Elegy II: Lament and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5. This was the first performance of his composition which conveys, in musical terms, some of the spectrum of the composer’s emotions arising from world events during his lifetime. It’s an interesting work which bears more listening. This same man will be back two weeks later with his Greenbank Cantorei sine Nomine choir and the same orchestra for a three-hour performance of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in English. Flute Street: That other local same-instrument-family group, Flute Street, unfortunately had their most recent concert on the same date as the aforementioned Wychwood Clarinet Choir. Their featured soloist was Christine Beard playing alto flute and piccolo. Those types of same-instrument ensembles would seem to be competing for the same audiences, and it is unfortunate that there is not a central registry to avoid such overlaps. Flute Street’s Nancy Nourse had hoped to have her new contra alto flute, but it wasn’t available on time. She says that it will be the first of its kind in Canada. She intends to unveil it in time for their next concert, possibly in March. It’s an unusual instrument made in Holland. She may even travel there to get it and bring it home. Jack MacQuarrie plays several brass instruments and has performed in many community ensembles. He can be contacted at bandstand@thewholenote.com. Friday, January 26 2018 5:45 pm Cocktail hour concert with arias and duets to open Mozart’s birthday weekend celebrations. The bar opens at 5:00 pm. Natalya Gennadi, soprano Lyndsay Promane, mezzo soprano Helen Becqué,piano Saturday, January 27 2018 8:00 pm Happy birthday Wolfgang! Celebrate with the Toronto Mozart Players and guest artist Adam Sherkin. Sacher Torte to follow. Adam Sherkin,composer & pianist Toronto Mozart Players adults | students Sunday, January 28 2018 2:00 pm Celebrating the master. Symphony No. 40 in g minor, Regina Coeli K.276, “Coronation” Mass in C Toronto Mozart Players Pax Christi Chamber Choir Singers from the Toronto Mozart Vocal Competition & Masterclass Series adults | students 38 | December 2017 / January 2018 thewholenote.com

The WholeNote listings are arranged in five sections: A. GTA (GREATER TORONTO AREA) covers all of Toronto plus Halton, Peel, York and Durham regions. B. BEYOND THE GTA covers many areas of Southern Ontario outside Toronto and the GTA. Starts on page 58. C. MUSIC THEATRE covers a wide range of music types: from opera, operetta and musicals, to non-traditional performance types where words and music are in some fashion equal partners in the drama. Starts on page 63. D. IN THE CLUBS (MOSTLY JAZZ) is organized alphabetically by club. Starts on page 65. E. THE ETCETERAS is for galas, fundraisers, competitions, screenings, lectures, symposia, masterclasses, workshops, singalongs and other music-related events (except performances) which may be of interest to our readers. Starts on page 67. A GENERAL WORD OF CAUTION. A phone number is provided with every listing in The WholeNote — in fact, we won’t publish a listing without one. Concerts are sometimes cancelled or postponed; artists or venues may change after listings are published. Please check before you go out to a concert. HOW TO LIST. Listings in The WholeNote in the four sections above are a free service available, at our discretion, to eligible presenters. If you have an event, send us your information no later than the 8th of the month prior to the issue or issues in which your listing is eligible to appear. LISTINGS DEADLINE. The next issue covers the period from February 1 to March 7, 2017. All listings must be received by Midnight Monday January 8. LISTINGS can be sent by email to listings@thewholenote.com or by using the online form on our website. We do not receive listings by phone, but you can call 416-323-2232 x27 for further information. LISTINGS ZONE MAP. Visit our website to search for concerts by the zones on this map: thewholenote.com. Lake Huron 6 Georgian Bay 7 2 1 5 Lake Erie 3 4 8 City of Toronto LISTINGS Lake Ontario Friday December 1 ●●10:30am and 1:00: Canadian Opera Company. The Magic Victrola. Libretto by David Kersnar and Jacqueline Russell. Works by Bizet, Mozart, Puccini and others. Members of the COC’s Ensemble Studio; Ashlie Corcoran, director. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363- 8231. ; free(children under 12), Maximum of 2 free children’s tickets for each adult ticket sold. Additional children’s tickets . Also Dec 1(1pm), Dec 2(11am and 1:30pm), Dec 3(10:30am and 1:30pm). ●●12:30: York University Department of Music. Music @ Midday: Brass Ensemble. Tribute Communities Recital Hall, Accolade East Building, YU, 4700 Keele St. 647-459- 0701. Free. FOUR WEDDINGS, A FUNERAL, AND A CORONATION DIRECTED BY ELISA CITTERIO & IVARS TAURINS NOV 29 – DEC 3 TRINITY-ST. PAUL’S CENTRE tafelmusik.org ●●3:30: Tafelmusik. Four Weddings, a Funeral, and a Coronation. Handel: Ouverture from Il parnasso in festa; Purcell: Symphonies from the ode “From Hardy Climes” Z325; Blow: Coronation Anthem “God Spake Sometimes in Visions”; Lully: Ballet from Xerxes; Pachelbel Canon & Gigue; and other works. Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir directed by Elisa Citterio and Ivars Taurins. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416- 964-6337. -. Also Nov 29, 30, Dec 2, 3. ●●7:00: Brampton Folk Club. Friday Folk Night. Frost and Fire: A Celtic Christmas with Rant Maggie Rant. St. Paul’s United Church (Brampton), 30 Main St. S., Brampton. 647- 233-3655 or 905-874-2800. ; (sr/st). ●●7:30: Living Arts Centre. Alysha Brilla. 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905-306- 6000. -. ●●7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Home Alone in Concert. John Williams: Home Alone (film with live orchestra). Etobicoke School of the Arts Concert Choir; Constantine Kitsopoulos, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-593-1285. -. Also Nov 30(7:30pm), Dec 2(2pm and 7:30pm). ●●8:00: Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto/ Elmer Iseler Singers. J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. Bach: Christmas Oratorio; Cantatas I-III. Monica Whicher, soprano; Marjorie Maltais, mezzo; Christopher Mayell, tenor; Dion Mazerolle, baritone; Lydia Adams, conductor. A. Concerts in the GTA Metropolitan United Church (Toronto), 56 Queen St. E. 416-446-0188 or 416-217- 0537. ; (sr); (under 30). ●●8:00: Flato Markham Theatre. Eddie Palmieri: Eddie at 80. 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham. 905-305-7469. -. ●●8:00: Let There Be Music Community Choir. Songs of the Season Christmas Concert. Susan Chopp, director; Dave Parsons, director; Eric Medhurst, accompanist. Salvation Army Temple (Rexdale), 2152 Kipling Ave. 416-745-0352. ; free(under 12). ●●8:00: Living Arts Centre. A Swingin’ Christmas with the Toronto All Star Big Band. 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905-306- 6000. -. ●●8:00: Royal Conservatory. Quiet Please, There’s a Lady on Stage: Lisa Fischer and Grand Baton. Koerner Hall, Telus Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. -0. ●●8:00: Summerhill Orchestra. In Concert. Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals; Beethoven: Symphony No.8. Sarah John, conductor. Church of the Messiah, 240 Avenue Rd. summerhillorchestra@gmail.com. . ●●8:00: Tapestry Opera. Tapestry Briefs: Winter Shorts. Jacqueline Woodley, soprano; Erica Iris, mezzo; Keith Klassen, tenor; Alex Dobson, baritone; Artists of the 2016 Composer-Librettist Laboratory. Dancemakers Studio, Distillery Historic District, 9 Trinity St. 416-537-6066. From . Also Dec 2(4pm and 8pm), 3(4pm). ●●8:00: Upper Canada Choristers/Cantemos Latin Ensemble. Christmas Joy. Charpentier: Messe de Minuit pour Noel; Kodály: Christmas Dance of the Shepherds; Forrest: Carol of Joy; carol medley (arr. Forrest), aguinaldos and other works; audience sing-along. Laurel Trainor, flute; Hye Won Cecilia Lee, piano; Laurie Evan Fraser, conductor. Grace Church onthe-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd. 416-256-0510. ; free(children and teens with adult). Please bring an item for the food bank. Saturday December 2 ●●11:00am and 1:30: Canadian Opera Company. The Magic Victrola. See Dec 1 for details. Also Dec 3(10:30am and 1:30pm). ●●2:00: Gallery 345. The Art of the Piano: Shoshana Telner. Hummel: Sonata No.2 in E-flat Op.13; Hummel: 24 Etudes Op.125; Liszt: Sonata in b S17. 345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822- 9781. ; (st). Cash only. ●●2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Home Alone in Concert. John Williams: Home Alone (film with live orchestra). Etobicoke School of the Arts Concert Choir; Constantine Kitsopoulos, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-593-1285. -. Also Nov 30, Dec 1, 2(all at 7:30pm). ●●2:00: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. Carol Sing. Guests: Jim Codrington, Fiona Reid, Kevin Frankish. True North Brass; Canadian Children’s Opera Company; That Choir; The Hedgerow Singers; Yorkminster Park Baptist Church Choir. 1585 Yonge St. 416-241- 1298. Free. A collection will be taken. In support of the Churches-on-the-Hill Food Bank. ●●2:30: Bel Canto Singers. Songs for a Winter’s Night. Linda Meyer, conductor; Jacqueline Mokrzewski, piano. Scarborough Bluffs United Church, 3739 Kingston Rd., Scarborough. 416-286-8260. . Also 7:30pm. ●●3:00: Singing Out. A Sky Full of Stars! Jane Mallett Theatre, 250 Front St. W. thewholenote.com December 1, 2017 - February 7, 2018 | 39

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