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Volume 24 Issue 2 - October 2018

  • Text
  • October
  • Toronto
  • Arts
  • Choir
  • Jazz
  • Musical
  • Concerts
  • Performing
  • Orchestra
  • Theatre
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.

BLUE PAGES

BLUE PAGES 2018/19 SECTION I: PRESENTERS & PERFORMERS ●●Exultate Chamber Singers For more than 35 years, the Exultate Chamber Singers have garnered praise for their sensitive, precise, and seamless performances. The choir is a talented ensemble of excellent musicianship, enriched by the varied academic and professional backgrounds of its members. Wellknown for its commitment to Canadian composers, the choir performs a wide variety of acappella and accompanied works in a four-concert subscription series in Toronto. This season, the choir is pleased to welcome its new artistic director, Mark Ramsay. Highlights of the 2018/19 season include an October 26 concert featuring Samuel Barber’s Reincarnations and a secular concert on December 7 showcasing the beauty and harshness of winter, including a performance of Sarah Quartel’s “A Winter Day.” Special guests, Chorus Niagara Children’s Choir, joins Exultate for a March 30 concert, with the final concert on May 24 featuring an intriguing mix of music and readings with special guest Toronto poet Emily Sanford. Audiences at this last concert will enjoy a world première composition based on Sanford’s award-winning poetry. Elana Harte 416-971-9229 Exultate@exultate.net www.exultate.net ●●Flute Street Flute Street is Toronto’s Professional Flute Choir, whose players employ the full range of instruments from piccolo through treble, concert, alto, contralto, bass, contrabass and even the double contrabass flutes. Recently returned from their invitation to perform at the first International Low Flutes Festival in Washington D.C., this season includes a three-concert series, performing music from the rapidly expanding repertoire of exciting original flute choir compositions, sprinkled with a few transcriptions and well-crafted settings of folk songs, jazz and popular tunes. Audiences have been delighted to hear world and Canadian premières and featured international guest soloists such as piccoloists, Christine Beard and Kelly Via and low flutes specialist, Peter Sheridan. This year’s concerts include a variety of venues: “Masterpieces” on October 27 at St. Peter’s and St. Simon’s Church; January 19 at the Heliconian Hall with Mary Ann Archer, the former piccolo soloist with the Metropolitan Opera; and the highly anticipated return of French piccolo sensation, Jean-Louis Beaumadier on April 9 at Christ Church, Deer Park. Nancy Nourse 416-462-9498 noursewind@sympatico.ca www.facebook.com/flutestreettoronto ●●Gallery 345 Now in its 12th year, Gallery 345 is one of the finest piano and chamber music salons in Toronto. I have staged over 565 performances in the past 11 years, ranging from intimate solo piano concerts to 20-piece jazz bands. The gallery is known for its great acoustics. It has been my great pleasure over the years to present so many performers in a wide variety of musical genres. There is nothing like being in the room where the music is played. The gallery’s focus is solo piano, classical, jazz, art song, improvisation and contemporary classical performance. Weekends book first, so think about booking Sunday-Thursday. Rental fees are very reasonable. I always want to get the music heard. All performance is performerdriven. The performer needs to get the word out to family and friends to help bring in an audience. While I do what I can to promote events, it is up to the performers to advertise and promote their events. All events are posted on my website: www.gallery345.com, on Facebook, The WholeNote magazine and other social media. Gallery 345 is also an excellent event space to rent for video and audio recordings, rehearsals, photoshoots, fundraisers, CD launches, cinema, book and poetry readings, private parties, weddings, special occasions and more. The gallery is a 2500 SF hard loft with 13’ ceilings, a PA system, video projector, two washrooms, prep kitchen, outside patio and seats 130. The beautiful 9’ concert grand Baldwin is always ready. Edward Epstein 416-822-9781 info@gallery345.com www.gallery345.com ●●Georgetown Bach Chorale We are a renowned choral ensemble with approximately 20 voices specializing in Baroque repertoire from the likes of Vivaldi, Charpentier, Handel, and of course J.S. Bach. The Georgetown Bach Chorale performs in a variety of spectacular venues in Halton Hills, from the intimate setting of a private home to the stunning beauty of local churches. This season the Georgetown Bach Chorale will delight you with highly energized performances of Messiah and J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion, works that keep you sitting at the edge of your seat as we weave through sublime arias and heroic choruses. Ginger Louws 416-760-9860 glouws@live.com www.georgetownbachchorale.com ●●Gravenhurst Opera House Built in 1901, the stunning Gravenhurst Opera House is situated in the heart of downtown Gravenhurst, the Gateway to Muskoka. Featuring arts and cultural programming year-round, this historic gem is credited for having been home to the birth of Summer Theatre in Canada. Owned and operated by the Town of Gravenhurst, the Opera House provides a variety of high quality programming year-round from live theatre performances, school programming and community events to award winning musical artists; it is also the home of the Sawdust City Music Festival, Muskoka Film Festival and continues to produce Muskoka Summer Theatre since 1934. The beautiful 320-seat theatre was built with exquisite acoustics and remains in the top 10 in Canada for its sound quality. It is a wonderful, intimate space to see a show and artists love to perform here. In addition to the theatre, we also have a lovely banquet room, bar and have hosted meetings, weddings and celebrations of all kinds. Our facilities are affordable to rent and for our patrons, we offer getaway packages, group rates, local incentives and more. As the cultural cornerstone of Historic Downtown Gravenhurst, it truly is a tradition worth coming back for. Krista Storey 705-687-5550 krista.storey@gravenhurst.ca www.gravenhurstoperahouse.com ●●Hannaford Street Silver Band The Hannaford Street Silver Band is Canada’s award-winning professional brass band and resident company of Toronto’s St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. Its mission is to honour the traditions of this art form and place it in a contemporary context with a unique, Canadian point of view. We actively facilitate innovative creative projects and collaborate with the best of Canada’s diverse artists. Our 2018/19 season features brass repertoire gems paired with new music played with the verve and virtuosity you expect from the Hannaford Band: “Cascades” on November 1 features tuba virtuoso Carol Jantsch with guest conductor Jean Michel Malouf; “Christmas Cheer” is on Tuesday December 11 at Metropolitan United Church with Ben Heppner and the Elmer Iseler Singers; “From Russia with Brass” on Sunday, February 10 features the incomparable Philip Smith, conductor and trumpet soloist; and our season concludes on Sunday April 14 with the North Atlantic Drift led by Dr. James Gourlay. The HSSB demonstrates its commitment to youth, outreach and education by running the Hannaford Youth Program. This vibrant program is a fantastic opportunity for brass and percussion players ages 7 to 24 participate in 3 youth bands. Get into brass, the Hannaford kind! Raymond Tizzard 416-366-7723 brass@hssb.ca www.hssb.ca B10 | theWholeNote 2018/19 PRESENTER PROFILES

●●Harbourfront Centre For more than 40 years, Harbourfront Centre has been on the cutting edge of all that is current and creative, bringing together the best in both Canadian culture and the rich mosaic of cultures from within our country and around the world. Harbourfront Centre is an innovative, nonprofit cultural organization which provides internationally renowned programming in the arts, culture, education and recreation, all within a collection of distinctive venues in the heart of Toronto’s downtown waterfront. Diversity has always been at the heart of Harbourfront Centre. In the lakeside places and spaces it encompasses; in the multitude of cultures and backgrounds it celebrates; in the eclectic programming, engagement and entertainment it provides; and in the broad range of people it attracts. Carmel Garvez 416-973-4000 cgarvez@harbourfrontcentre.com www.harbourfrontcentre.com ●●I FURIOSI Baroque Ensemble I FURIOSI Baroque Ensemble is one of the world’s most innovative Baroque ensembles, comprised of four of Canada’s leading early music specialists: soprano Gabrielle McLaughlin, violinists Aisslinn Nosky and Julia Wedman, and cellist/gambist Felix Deak. For 20 years, I FURI- OSI’s Toronto concert series has been revitalising the face of early music in Canada, inspired by the practice of the Baroque era while invoking the “bizarre and unnatural” aesthetic both cherished and despised in its time. Thematic programming allows the performers to present Baroque music in a uniquely relevant way. Our 20th Anniversary Season: Saturday, October 6, 2018; Saturday, January 5, 2019; Friday, May 17, 2019. The season will feature a new, commissioned piece by Canadian composer Stephanie Martin, with libretto by Craig Martin. Gabrielle McLaughlin (416)-536-2943 furiosi@ifuriosi.com www.ifuriosi.com ●●International Resource Centre for Performing Artists (IRCPA) The IRCPA enables musicians to bridge the gap between training and professional employment. A growing number of musicians are empowered to succeed through IRCPA’s programs. We connect musicians of mixed genres with one another, with artistic coaches, other performers, and with leaders in the industry—a proven need with obvious impact! Encounters with Adrianne Pieczonka for opera singers and with the Dorian Wind Quintet for wind and brass players or ensembles start the HARBOURFRONT CENTRE season in October and November. New this year: Bright Productions is a service for members’ events allowing artists to concentrate on their performance and leave the logistics to IRCPA; In the works: The Jazzmobile (set to launch summer 2019) will be a tractor-trailer based mobile stage for live performances, intended to build new audiences, employment for musicians, and great exposure for sponsors. Also planned: Informal round-table meet ups (schedule to be confirmed) January: What’s New York Up to? Reports from conferences! March: Negotiations, contracts, touring, payment. April: Business plans made easy. May: Money for Musicians: Musicians rights matter! Ann Summers Dossena 416-362-1422 info@ircpa.net www.ircpa.net ●●Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts Situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in Kingston, the new award-winning Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts brings together exceptional spaces and programs for Queen’s students and the Kingston community. This 90,000 square foot venue was designed by Oslo/New York-based firm Snøhetta and Ottawa’s N45, with acoustics and theatre design by ARUP and Theatre Projects Consultants. It includes the 566-seat Concert Hall, 100-seat Studio Theatre, 92-seat Film Screening Room, Rehearsal Hall and Art & Media Lab. Anchored by a transformational gift to the Initiative Campaign from Drs. Alfred and Isabel Bader, the Isabel was inspired by the Baders’ love – of the arts, of Queen’s, and of each other – and is named in Isabel’s honour. The Isabel presents seven dynamic performance series. The 2018/19 season features wonderful artists such as Jan Lisiecki, Stephen Hough, James Ehnes, Danish String Quartet, Juilliard String Quartet, Shuffle Demons, Tafelmusik, Owen Pallett, The Abrams, Julie Fowlis, and B. Rich. Of special note is the inaugural Ka’tarohkwi Festival of Indigenous Arts. Tricia Baldwin, director Box office: 613-533-2424; or toll free 1-855-533-2424 ibcpaboxoffice@queensu.ca www.queensu.ca/theisabel ●●Jazz Performance & Education Centre (JPEC) JPEC celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2018 by renewing its dedication to jazz preservation, performance and education. JPEC has presented jazz from all over the world in order to introduce audiences to new and diverse music, but as president Ray Koskie says: “Canadian talent is closest to our hearts.” Officially incorporated in 2008 as a non-profit charitable organization, JPEC was born when Ray and Rochelle assembled a committee of fellow enthusiasts; over the course of 10 years, JPEC has committed itself to jazz, presenting top talent to jazz lovers every year, as well as: • Petitioning for a full-time, non-profit performing Music/Arts Hub in Toronto, including a detailed plan as to how this could benefit Toronto. • Coordinating the support of a group of nonprofit arts organizations towards this goal. • Solidifying an education outreach program that arranges jazz workshops in schools with little or no music program. • Presenting over 30 concerts in the past decade to a strong jazz fan base. Nancy Miller 416-461-7744 millerneighbour@rogers.com www.jazzcentre.ca theWholeNote 2018/19 PRESENTER PROFILES | B11

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