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Volume 25 Issue 2 - October 2019

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

BLUE PAGES

BLUE PAGES 2019/20 SECTION I: PRESENTERS & PERFORMERS 20th ANNUAL DIRECTORY OF MUSIC MAKERS We are pleased to present our 20th annual Blue Pages, a directory of music presenters and arts services published every year in our October magazine, and maintained yearround online, under the “Who’s Who” tab at thewholenote.com. This year’s 152-profile portrait of musical life in the Greater Toronto area and Southern Ontario has two segments: section 1 (pages B2-26 reflects the wealth and diversity of music presenters and performers in our region – orchestras, choirs, opera companies, chamber ensembles, etcetera; section 2 (pages B27-28 is for individuals and organisations providing services to artists in the communities we cover, predominantly artist managers and publicists. We’d like to thank all who have chosen to participate in this year’s Blue Pages; individuals and organisations whose support and dedication helps sustain not only The WholeNote but the music community in general. If your organisation missed being part of the October Blue Pages, we’ll be publishing a “latecomers” supplement in the November issue. And the online directory accepts new members year round. For information on the benefits of a WholeNote membership (of which this Blue Pages profile is a feature), please contact Karen Ages at karen@thewholenote.com or 416-323-2232 x26. BLUE PAGES TEAM 2019/20 PROJECT MANAGER: Karen Ages PROJECT EDITOR: Danial Jazaeri LAYOUT AND DESIGN: Susan Sinclair WEBSITE: Kevin King On the cover: Chorus Niagara (at FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, St. Catharines) ●● Academy Concert Series Celebrating its 28th season, Academy Concert Series offers innovative and intimate chamber music concerts on period instruments. The threeconcert series brings to audiences the musical riches and spirit of improvisation of the 17th and 18th centuries, and the passion and sonorous colour palate of the 19th and early 20th centuries, all with historical performance practices. The programs are thematic and deliberately crafted. October 5: “Family Has Your Bach” explores the transition from the High Baroque in Leipzig with Telemann and J.S. Bach, to the Rococo style emerging in Sanssouci, with the music of Bach’s sons, including Telemann’s godson C.P.E. Bach. Alison Melville takes the journey from the alto and bass recorder to the transverse flute in this enticing family odyssey through the mid-18th century. January 18: “Tooting Mozart’s Horn, Naturally!” The Hunt is on for Mozart and Hoffmeister, played on natural horn. March 28: “Goin’ Fishing! ACS Casts Its Line.” Schubert’s Trout, Ka Nin Chan’s Salmon and the sublime Vaughan Williams quintet. This is a concert that serves it up raw! Concerts on Saturdays at 7:30pm, Eastminster United Church, 310 Danforth Avenue. Pay What You Decide. Kerri McGonigle 416-629-3716 kerrifm@gmail.com www.academyconcertseries.com ●● Aga Khan Museum The Aga Khan Museum explores and celebrates cross-cultural dialogue through the arts. A centre for innovation and creativity, the Museum offers unique insights and new perspectives into the potential of art and culture to act as a catalyst for intercultural dialogue, engaged global citizenship, and social change. Sahar Bhaloo 416-646-4677 sahar.bhaloo@akdn.org www.agakhanmuseum.org ●●Alliance Française Toronto Alliance Française Toronto provides a culturally immersive experience through over 100 events every year, including concerts (classical, jazz, world music, pop, folk), theatre plays, art exhibitions, lectures, book launches, kids events, movie screenings, French classes for all ages and many other social events. Events take place in our 150- seat theatre and our art galleries. Laetitia Delemarre 416-922-2014 cultural@alliance-francaise.ca www.alliance-francaise.ca ●●All Saints Kingsway Anglican Church All Saints Kingsway Anglican Church is a vibrant hub for music in Toronto’s west end. The All Saints Kingsway choir, in addition to providing musical leadership for worship services, sings a range of concerts, requiems and oratorios throughout the year. Recent performances have included: Fauré’s Requiem, Duruflé’s Requiem, Samuel Coleridge- Taylor’s The Atonement and Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols. The choir is made up of paid section leads and volunteers, and invites new singers throughout the year. November 2 and 3 will see the launch of the Posterski Lecture Series on Theology and the Arts. The inaugural lecture will be given by Dr. Stephen Newby and will feature a performance of his oratorio Hosea, and the premiere of his Mass for All Saints, commemorating our 75th Anniversary. We partner with Organix Concerts to host the “Kingsway Organ Recital Series,” which takes place at lunchtime every other Wednesday from September through July. All Saints Kingsway also acts regularly as a concert venue for other musical ensembles, such as the Nathaniel Dett Chorale and the Kingsway Conservatory of Music. Our space is available for rental as a concert or workshop venue. D. Brainerd Blyden-Taylor 416-233-1125 x23 music@allsaintskingsway.ca www.allsaintskingsway.ca ●●Amadeus Choir The Amadeus Choir, following 35 years under the leadership of Lydia Adams, welcomes Kathleen Allan as artistic director and conductor in the 2019/20 season. The choir performs diverse programs, featuring Canadian and international composers through a self-produced concert series, guest performances and special B2 | theWholeNote 2019/20 PRESENTER PROFILES

events at various venues in Toronto and beyond. The Amadeus Choir actively engages in educational and community outreach through choral workshops for students, music educators, composers and conductors. Regular rehearsals are held on Tuesday nights in the Don Mills and Lawrence area. The choir’s membership comprises singers from across the GTA. Annual auditions for all voice parts are held in May and June. Please call or email the choir office for more information. Keith Loach 416-446-0188 info@amadeuschoir.com www.amadeuschoir.com ●●Amici Chamber Ensemble Amici Chamber Ensemble invites you on a truly diverse musical journey. Join Amici for outstanding performances that promise to push the boundaries and expectations of chamber music! From rarely performed gems to re-imagined masterpieces, here is your treat to some of the best chamber music Toronto has to offer. Amici is celebrating 32 years as one of Canada’s finest and most distinguished chamber music ensembles. The artistic directors, clarinetist Joaquin Valdepeñas, cellist David Hetherington and pianist Serouj Kradjian, invite some of the finest musicians to join them in innovative and eclectic programming, celebrating friendship through music. Alongside numerous broadcasts of their concerts on national radio, Amici’s recordings have placed them firmly among the world’s best chamber musicians and garnered the ensemble two JUNO awards. The 2019/20 season includes five concerts: October 25 at 8pm – “Komitas: A Canadian Tribute”; November 24 at 4pm – “Mosaic Gala”; February 9 at 3pm – “Bohemian Rhapsody”; March 29 – “Cinema”; and May 31 at 3pm – “Schubert Octet.” Visit our website for more information. Kaija Corlazzoli 416-408-0208 kaija@amiciensemble.com www.amiciensemble.com ●The ● Annex Singers The Annex Singers of Toronto, now in its 40th season, is a spirited, auditioned choir with an eclectic repertoire spanning seven centuries. Under the dynamic and creative leadership of artistic director Maria Case, the choir performs three programs each season, collaborating with professional vocalists, instrumentalists and ensembles. Recent performances include Poulenc’s Gloria, Dobrogosz’s Jazz Mass, Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor, and the acclaimed original choral drama December Diaries. The Annex Chamber Choir, a smaller ensemble drawn from the main choir, is dedicated to presenting gems from the chamber repertoire. We offer choral development workshops led by some of Toronto’s most innovative musical coaches and clinicians, AMICI CHAMBER ENSEMBLE engage in community outreach, and encourage young singers with a sponsorship program. In the 2019/20 season, we will present three concerts: “Winter Light” (December 14); “Carmina Burana: Sacred and Profane” (April 18); and “This Shining Night” (May 30). We rehearse Monday evenings at St. Thomas’s Anglican Church (383 Huron St.) and perform at Grace Church on-the- Hill and St. Andrew’s United Church. Experienced singers who wish to audition, please contact our membership coordinator. Joanne Eidinger 416-458-4434 joeidinger@gmail.com www.annexsingers.com ●●Arraymusic Arraymusic is an artist-driven contemporary music organization committed to creating and presenting speculative Canadian works within an international, interdisciplinary context. As performing ensemble, curator, commissioner, producer, venue, and educator, Arraymusic has been a leading advocate for Canadian composers for nearly 50 years. Through composer commissions, interdisciplinary collaboration, and boundless curiosity, Arraymusic creates music that finds wonder in the discovery of the unexpected and draws listeners into new musical worlds. Founded in 1972 by a collective of student composers from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music, Array’s ensemble has toured worldwide, released nine CDs, and established Canada’s longest-running mentorship program for emerging composers - the Array Young Composers Workshop - in 1987. Today, Arraymusic acts as a centre hub in the vast network of Toronto’s vibrant musical communities. In addition to Arraymusic’s own 14 concert season and outreach activities, The Array Space hosts over 600 concerts and rehearsals by nearly 350 groups and 2,800 individuals, encompassing a vast range of cultures, artists, collectives, and organizations from all walks of life. David Schotzko 647-385-2068 artdir@arraymusic.com www.arraymusic.ca ●●Art of Time Ensemble Renowned concert pianist Andrew Burashko formed Art of Time Ensemble in 1998 by inviting a group of like-minded musicians and prominent figures in dance, theatre and other art forms to perform one-off concerts in Toronto. The company has gone on to become a leader in Toronto’s vibrant performing arts scene, through its subscription season at the Harbourfront Centre Theatre, regular appearances at Koerner Hall, album releases, performances with leading Canadian orchestras, and tours of its unique offerings to dozens of cities throughout Canada and the United States. Exploring the relationship between classical music and other genres such as jazz, pop, electronica, rock, folk, electroacoustic, gospel and others, Art of Time seeks to reveal the qualities that lie at the heart of all great music. The ranks of Art of Time Ensemble’s artists are deep and their talents unmatched; featured collaborators include authors Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje, jazz legend Branford Marsalis, vocalists Madeleine Peyroux, Sarah Slean, Hawksley Workman and Tony Award-winner Brent Carver, composers such as Gavin Bryars and Jonathan Goldsmith, and many more. Menon Dwarka 647-344-2254 info@artoftimeensemble.com www.artoftimeensemble.com theWholeNote 2019/20 PRESENTER PROFILES | B3

Volumes 26-30 (2020- )

Volumes 21-25 (2015-2020)

Volumes 16-20 (2010-2015)

Volumes 11-15 (2004-2010)

Volumes 6 - 10 (2000 - 2006)

Volumes 1-5 (1994-2000)