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.
A. Concerts in the GTA
A. Concerts in the GTA 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 59. 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 64. D. IN THE CLUBS (MOSTLY JAZZ) is organized alphabetically by club. Starts on page 66. 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 September 1 to October 7, 2018. All listings must be received by 11:59pm, Wednesday August 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 Friday June 1 Lake Ontario ●●12:00 noon: Jewish Music Week in Toronto/Zoomer Media/Canada-Israel Culture Foundation. Classical Jazzed-Up! Live from Zoomer Hall: Berkovsky-Mirzoev-Sarid Trio. Works by Israeli composers. Lyric Theatre, Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge St. 416-638-4492. Free with ticket (www.jewishmusicweek.com). On-air live radio performance for The New Classical 96.3 FM. ●●2:00: Jewish Music Week in Toronto. Sicilian Jewish Jazz Project. Works highlighting the 15th century contribution of Jews to Sicilian culture and music prior to 1492. Michael Occhipinti. Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar, 194 Queen St. W. 416-638-4492. Free. Refreshments available for purchase. ●●7:30: Gallery 345. A la vie, à l’amor. An evening of French and Spanish sounds, celebrating life and love. Works by Bizet, Délibes, Granados and others. Melanie Taverna, soprano; Alvaro Vasquez Robles, tenor; Angela Maria Sanchez, soprano; Jennifer Tung, piano. 345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781. By donation. ●●7:30: Inglorious B Productions. Inglorious Women: Toronto. St. Andrew’s Church (Toronto), 73 Simcoe St. 647-637-7491. /(adv). All proceeds in support of Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic. ●●7:30: Italian Canadian Heritage Foundation. Omaggio a Puccini. Puccini: selection of arias from his operas. Jonelle Sills, soprano; Christopher Dall, tenor; Coro San Marco; Rolando Nicolosi, conductor. St. Peter’s Church (Woodbridge), 100 Bainbridge Ave, Woodbridge. 905-850-2269. or PWYC. ●●7:30: National Ballet of Canada. Frame By Frame. Created by Robert Lepage and Guillaume Côté, based on work of Norman McLaren. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416- 345-9595. -5. Opens Jun 1, 7:30pm. Runs to Jun 10. Thurs/Sat/Sun(2pm), Tues-Sat(7:30pm). ●●8:00: Caliban Arts/Remix Lounge. Michael Arthurs Quintet. Michael Arthurs Quintet; Kamil Andre, vocalist. Remix Lounge, 1305 Dundas St. W. 647-722-4635. ; (adv). ●●8:00: Lawrence Park Community Church. Fridays @ 8. Rutter: Gloria; hymn arrangements. North York Temple Band (Glenn Barlow, conductor); Choir of Lawrence Park Community Church (Mark Toews, conductor). 2180 Bayview Ave. 416-489-1551 x28. . ●●8:00: SING! The Toronto Vocal Arts Festival. SING! Celebrates Gospel. Resound; University of Toronto Gospel Choir; The Chitans. Little Trinity Church, 425 King St. E. 416-783- 6103. Free. ●●10:30: Lula Music and Arts Centre. Lulaworld 2018. Rojitas and Yani Borrell. See Summer Festival Listings, pages 44-51. Saturday June 2 ●●9:45am: SING! The Toronto Vocal Arts Festival. Ruach Singers at Shabbat Beth Sholom. Beth Sholom Synagogue, 1445 Eglinton Ave. W. 416-783-6103. Free. Saturday morning religious service. ●●2:00: Festival Wind Orchestra. Bernstein’s Birthday Bash! Bernstein: Slava!; Candide Suite; A Simple Song (from Mass); Gilliland: Fantasia on Themes from West Side Story; Bass: Casey At The Bat (featuring Dan Riskin, narrator). Keith Reid, conductor. North Toronto Collegiate Institute, 17 Broadway Ave. festivalwindorchestra.com/tickets/. ; (sr/st); free(under 13). ●●2:00: National Ballet of Canada. Frame By Frame. See Jun 1. Also Jun 2(7:30pm); 3(2pm); 5(7:30pm); 6(7:30pm); 7(2pm); 7(7:30pm); 8(7:30pm); 9(2pm); 9(7:30pm); 10(2pm). ●●2:00: Oliver Peart. Piano Recital. Oliver Peart, piano. St. Barnabas Anglican Church, 361 Danforth Ave. 416-463-1344. ; (sr/ st). ●●6:00: Villa Charities. Ermanno Mauro Masterclass Series Gala. Puccini: Act 3 from La bohème; and other works. Nicole Bellamy, piano/music director. Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery, 901 Lawrence Ave. W. 416-789-7011 x248. 0. Includes gourmet dinner. A portion of proceeds support Villa Colombo. ●●6:30: VIVA! Youth Singers of Toronto. Ambe...Welcome! Featuring VIVA!’s six choirs for singers from the age of 4 to adults. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-788- 8482. 5; $20(sr/st). ●●7:30: Elmer Iseler Singers. In Concert. Lydia Adams, conductor. St. Paul’s United Church (Brampton), 30 Main St. S., Brampton. 905-451-1405. . ●●7:30: Etobicoke Centennial Choir. Oh Canada! Celebrating diverse repertoire by Canadian composers and arrangers. Glick: Sing unto the Lord; Hatfield: selected songs; Halley: selected songs; Chatman: Songs of a Prospector. Angela Schwarzkopf, harp; Carl Steinhauser, piano; Henry Renglich, conductor. Humber Valley United Church, 76 Anglesey Blvd., Etobicoke. 416-779-2258. . ●●7:30: Jubilate Singers. Choral Bridges. McLaughlin: Across the Bridge of Hope; Bridges: My Spirit Sang All Day; Simon (arr. Shaw): Bridge over Troubled Water; Traditional (arr. Nees): Sur le pont d’Avignon; and works by Finzi and others. St. Simon-the- Apostle Anglican Church, 525 Bloor St. E. 416- 485-1988. ; (sr); (st); free(under 13). ●●7:30: National Ballet of Canada. Frame By Frame. See Jun 1. Also Jun 3(2pm); 5(7:30pm); 6(7:30pm); 7(2pm); 7(7:30pm); 8(7:30pm); 9(2pm); 9(7:30pm); 10(2pm). ●●7:30: Opera by Request. Don Giovanni. Mozart. Carrie Gray, soprano (Donna Anna); Reese de Rege, soprano (Zerlina); Laura Schatz, soprano (Donna Elvira); Jay Lambie, tenor (Don Ottavio); and others; Kate Carver, piano and conductor. College Street United Church, 452 College St. 416-455-2365. . ●●7:30: Resonance (part of Mississauga Festival Choir family). Resonance in Performance. First United Church (Port Credit), 151 Lakeshore Rd W., Mississauga. 416-986- 5537. ; (sr/st); (child). ●●7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Water Music. Handel: Alla Hornpipe from Water Music Suite No.2; J. Strauss II: Blue Danube Waltz; Schubert: Die Forelle (The Trout) for Soprano and Orchestra; Dvořák: Song to the Moon from Rusalka; Britten: Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes; and other works. Leslie Ann Bradley, soprano; Christoph Altstaedt, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255. .75–7.00. Also Jun 3(3pm). 52 | June 1 - September 7, 2018 thewholenote.com
●●8:00: Acoustic Harvest. Steel Rail. Opening set: Over the Moon. St. Nicholas Birch Cliff Anglican Church, 1512 Kingston Rd. 416-729- 7564. /(adv). ●●8:00: Canadian Sinfonietta. Symphony Night. Chen Gang & He Zhan-Hao: The Butterfly Lover’s Violin Concerto; Pepa: Yakami Variations for Piano and Orchestra; Brahms: Symphony No.4 in e. Joyce Lai, violin; Erika Krinò, piano; Tak Ng Lai, conductor. Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St. W. 647-812-0839. ; (sr); (st). ●●8:00: Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan. Three Decades of Canadian Degung. Celebrating Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan’s music in Toronto and Munich. Intson: Rainforest (arr. ECCG); Duggan: Evocation … gentle rain falling; Suratno: Anjeun (arr. ECCG); Lou Harrison: Ibu Trish (arr. ECCG); Thibault: L’angoisse des machines; and other works. Array Space, 155 Walnut Ave. 450-807-1179. . ●●8:00: Greater Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra. Love Stories. Elgar: Salut d’amour; Hillario Duran: Suite Latino; Acker Bilk: Stranger on the Shore; Bette Midler: The Rose; Sidney Bechet: Petite fleur; and other works. Michael Bridge, accordion; Kornel Wolak, clarinet; Jean-Michel Malouf, conductor. Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St. W. 647-238-0015. ; (sr); (st). ●●8:00: Labyrinth Musical Workshop Ontario. Tzvetanka Varimezova and Bassam Bishara: Two Concerts in One. Tzvetanka Varimezova, voice; Bassam Bishara: Arabic ‘oud. Eastminster United Church, 310 Danforth Ave. 647-702-8680. . ●●8:00: Nagata Shachu. Shamisen Taiko. Masahiro Nitta, shamisen. Harbourfront Centre Theatre, 235 Queens Quay W. 416-973- 4000. -; (sr/st). ●●8:00: North York Concert Orchestra. Jonathan Crow Plays Beethoven. Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Verdi: Overture to La forza del destino; Bizet: L’Arlésienne Suite. Rafael Luz, conductor. Yorkminster Citadel, 1 Lord Seaton Rd., North York. 416-628-9195. ; (sr); (st). ●●8:00: SING! The Toronto Vocal Arts Festival. SoundCrowd and Friends. SoundCrowd Chorus; Countermeasure; Cadence; Retrocity. Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-1656. . ●●8:00: Spectrum Music/Toronto Composers Collective. No Place Like Home. From Toronto to China: Contemporary music meets traditional Chinese instruments. Patty Chan, erhu; Di Zhang, yangqin; Cynthia Zimen Qin, gu zhang. Alliance Française de Toronto, 24 Spadina Rd. 416-937-6180 or bemusednetwork.com/events/detail/486. /(adv); (st)/(st adv). ●●10:15: Jewish Music Week in Toronto. Community Melaveh Malka Celebrating Israel at 70! Works from Israel. Holy Blossom Trio Temple Choir, Temple Singers, Lachan Jewish Chamber Choir; Beny Maissner, cantor and conductor; Shir Harmony; Susan Michaels, conductor; Temple Kol Ami Choir; Mathias Memmel, conductor; and others. Temple Sinai, 210 Wilson Ave. 416-638-4492. Free. ●●10:30: Lula Music and Arts Centre/ Toronto Hispano. Lulaworld 2018. Yan Collazo with Sean Bellaviti & Conjunto Lacalu. See Summer Festival Listings, pages 44-51. Sunday June 3 ●●10:30am: Jewish Music Week in Toronto. Cool Kids Concert. Interactive silly songs, rhymes and traditional children’s songs. Mark Weinstock. Bialik Hebrew Day School, 2760 Bathurst St. 416-638-4492. Free. ●●1:30: Toronto Early Music Centre. Musically Speaking. 16th-century Italian Madrigals. Works by Arcadelt, Banchieri, Donato, Festa, Marenzio, Rore and Wert. Canto Madrigali (Iris Krizmanic, Sheila McCoy, Valdis Jevtejevs, Frank Nakashima). St. David’s Anglican Church, 49 Donlands Ave. 416-464-7610. Admission by donation. ●●2:00: National Ballet of Canada. Frame By Frame. See Jun 1. Also Jun 5(7:30pm); 6(7:30pm); 7(2pm); 7(7:30pm); 8(7:30pm); 9(2pm); 9(7:30pm); 10(2pm). ●●2:00: Pocket Concerts. Pocket Concert at Only One Gallery. Schulhoff: Duo for Violin and Cello; Schoenberg: “Transfigured Night” for String Sextet. Mark Lee and Yolanda Bruno, violins; Rory McLeod and Keith Hamm, violas; Leana Rutt and Julie Hereish, cellos. Only One Gallery, 5 Brock Ave. 647-896-8295. ; (19-35); (under 19); 0(special supporter). Reception to follow. ●●3:00: St. Paul’s Bloor Street Anglican Church. Organ Recital. Simon Walker, organ. 227 Bloor St. E. 416-961-8116. Free. ●●3:00: Toronto Chamber Choir. The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci: When East Met West. Guests: China Court Trio; Wen Zhao, director; Elizabeth Anderson. Church of the Redeemer, 162 Bloor St. W. 416-763-1695. ; (sr); .50(under 30). ●●3:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Water Music. Handel: Alla Hornpipe from Water Music Suite No.2; J. Strauss II: Blue Danube Waltz; Schubert: Die Forelle (The Trout) for Soprano and Orchestra; Dvořák: Song to the Moon from Rusalka; Britten: Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes; and other works. Leslie Ann Bradley, soprano; Christoph Altstaedt, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255. .75–7.00. Also Jun 2(7:30pm). ●●3:00: Tudor Consort. Wonders of the English and Italian Renaissance. Works by Josquin, Palestrina, Byrd, Monteverdi, Dowland and others. Leaskdale Church, 11850 Durham Regional Rd. 1, Leaskdale. 705-357-2459. Donations in support of the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario. ●●4:00: Cathedral Church of St. James. Twilight Recital. Ian Sadler, organ. 65 Church St. 416-364-7865. Free. ●●4:00: Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Toronto). Organ Fireworks. Andrew Adair, organ. 477 Manning Ave. 416-531-7955. Free. ●●4:00: Penthelia Singers. Bach to Broadway. Bach: Bist Du Bei Mir; Cantata No.124. Beautiful: Carole King Musical (selections); Hamlisch: A Chorus Line; A Tribute to Cole Porter. Rosedale Presbyterian Church, 129 Mt. Pleasant Rd. 416-579-7464. ; pay age(under 13). ●●4:00: Royal Botanical Gardens. VIP Soirée. Intimate performance by Matt Dusk in the Rock Garden. Hendre Park, 1131 Plains Rd. W., Burlington. 905-527-1158 x223. 0 (includes dinner and reception). 7:30pm: Matt Dusk sings Sinatra at benefit concert in Hendre Park. ●●4:00: St. Olave’s Anglican Church. Choral Evensong for the Queen’s Coronation. 360 Windermere Ave. 416-769-5686. Free. Donations welcomed. Royal Festive Strawberry Tea to follow Evensong. ●●5:00: Aga Khan Museum. Dhrupad By Uday Bhawalkar. Pandit Uday Bhawalkar, vocalist; Sri Pratap Awad, pakhawaj. 77 Wynford Dr. 416-628-5603. ; (Friends of the Museum). ●●5:00: St. Olave’s Anglican Church. Crowns and Coronets. Music with royal connections from the time of Elizabeth I and John Dowland to the popular and classical music of our present Queen’s reign celebrating the 65th anniversary of the Coronation. Doug Hibovski, guitar. 360 Windermere Ave. 416-769-5686. Free. Donations welcomed. ●●7:00: Jewish Music Week in Toronto. Closing Night: Amos Hoffman/Noam Lemish Quartet. Kurdish, Yemenite, Moroccan, Ladino, Russian and Israeli songs; and other works. Amos Hoffman, oud and guitar; Noam Lemish, piano; and others. Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. W. 416-638-4492. /(adv). ●●7:00: Strings Attached Orchestra. 2018 Annual Family and Friends Season Finale Concert. Jazz and pop to Classical and Romantic and more. Ric Georgi, conductor. Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St. W. 416- 473-5377. . ●●7:00: Timothy Eaton Memorial Church. Last Night of the Proms. God Save the Queen, O Canada, and other patriotic favourites! Northdale Concert Band (Joseph Resendes, director), Massed Choirs Timothy Eaton Memorial Church (Elaine Choi, director), Grace Church on-the-Hill (Stephen Frketic, director) and Christ Church Deer Park (Matthew Otto, director); Stephen Boda, organ; Giles Bryant, MC. 230 St. Clair Ave. W. 416- 925-5977. ; (Family = 2 adults + children); (sr/st). Don’t forget to dress fancy, bring your flags, balloons, and your singing voices! ●●7:30: Lirit Women’s Chamber Choir. Sing a New Song: Music for Women’s Voices. Works by Jewish composers: Copland, Glick, Clearfield, Naplan, and others. Ellen Meyer, piano, Beth Silver, cello; Renée Bouthot, soprano/ conductor. Temple Emanu-El, 120 Old Colony Rd., North York. templeemanuel.ca. . ●●7:30: Royal Botanical Gardens. Matt Dusk Sings Sinatra. Benefit concert. Sinatra-era classics and other works by Dusk. Hendre Park, 1131 Plains Rd. W., Burlington. 905-527- 1158 x223. . 4pm: VIP Soirée in the Rock Garden. ●●9:00: Tone Music Festival/Mechanical Sound Forest. In Concert. Manas; Clarinet Panic Redux; Kurt Newman’s Nashville Minimalism Unit. Baby G, 1608 Dundas St. W. 416- 546-8840. /(adv). ●●9:30: Lula Music and Arts Centre/Jewish Music Week. Lulaworld 2018: Sharon Musgrave CD Release. See Summer Festival Listings, pages 44-51. Monday June 4 ●●12:00 noon: Roy Thomson Hall. Choir and Organ Concerts: Ring of Fire. Hamilton Children’s Choir; Toronto Children’s Chorus. 60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255. Free. ●●12:15: Music Mondays. From Barcelona to Brazil. See Summer Festival Listings, pages 44-51. ●●7:00: SWEA Toronto. An Evening of Nordic Music. Kine Sandtrö, soprano; Julia Sjöstedt, piano. Enoch Turner Schoolhouse, 106 Trinity St. 905-751-5297. . ●●7:30: Resa’s Pieces Concert Band. Concert Under the Stars. Featuring rock and roll, classical music, jazz standards and marches. Audience encouraged to clap, cheer and sing along. Resa Kochberg, conductor. Mel Lastman Square, 5100 Yonge St., North York. 416-565-7321. Free. Tuesday June 5 ●●12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation/ Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. Lunchtime Chamber Music. Sonya Harper-Nyby, soprano. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St. 416-241-1298. Free; donations welcomed. ●●1:00: Cathedral Church of St. James. Music at Midday. Manuel Piazza, organ. 65 Church St. 416-364-7865. Free. ●●7:30: National Ballet of Canada. Frame By Frame. See Jun 1. Also Jun 6(7:30pm); 7(2pm); 7(7:30pm); 8(7:30pm); 9(2pm); 9(7:30pm); 10(2pm). ●●8:00: Lula Music and Arts Centre. Lulaworld 2018: Let Yourself Go. Ori Dagan + Alex Pangman + Natasha Powell. See Summer Festival Listings, pages 44-51. ●●9:00: Tone Music Festival. In Concert. Waclaw Zimpel & Kuba Ziolek; Joseph Shabason; Nick Storring. Baby G, 1608 Dundas St. W. 416-546-8840. /(adv). Wednesday June 6 ●●12:30: Organix Concerts/All Saints Kingsway. Kingsway Organ Concert Series. Hanné Becker, organ. All Saints Kingsway Anglican Church, 2850 Bloor St. W. 416-571- 3680. Freewill offering. ●●12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. Noonday Organ Recital. John Palmer CSV, organ. 1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167. Free. ●●7:30: National Ballet of Canada. Frame By Frame. See Jun 1. Also Jun 7(2pm); 7(7:30pm); Lunchtime Concerts Pay-what-you-can June 4 - Serenade Duo, flute and guitar June 11 - junctQín keyboard collective June 18 - Catalyst Ensemble, jazz June 25 - Matthew Larkin, organ solo Church of the Holy Trinity www.musicmondays.ca thewholenote.com June 1 - September 7, 2018 | 53
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!).
