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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 ●●Canadian Men’s Chorus The Canadian Men’s Chorus is on a mission to redefine low-voice choral music in Toronto. Under the leadership of Greg Rainville, the CMC brings to life the finest works from a wide range of material: contemporary choral, theatre, jazz, pop, barbershop, and new commissioned works. Lynn McMurray 416-996-2159 lmcmurray@canadianmenschorus.ca www.canadianmenschorus.ca ●●Canadian Music Centre The Canadian Music Centre is the catalyst that connects you to the ever-evolving world of musical creation in Canada through performance, education and promotion. The CMC provides unique resources for exploring, discovering, and performing Canadian music. We are passionate about nurturing a musical community that honours our legacy and supports the professional development of Canadian musicians and composers. The CMC has been supporting, preserving, and celebrating the works of Canadian composers since 1959. As proud and passionate advocates, we offer innovative resources for discovering, exploring, listening to and playing Canadian music online and in five regional hubs across Canada. These resources include library services, music services (sales and rentals of scores, books and recordings), distribution services (Centrediscs, Centrestreams and support to Indie labels), education and outreach, “CMC Presents” concert series and workshops, Associate Composer program, and communications tools to promote contemporary musical creation in Canada and abroad. Founded in 1983, CMC Ontario Region works province-wide in collaboration with artists, educators and organizations to present performances, workshops, and other activities. Holly Nimmons 416-961-6601 holly.nimmons@cmccanada.org www.cmccanada.org ●●Canadian Opera Company Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company is the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America. The company enjoys an international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation. The company presents six fully-staged productions at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts annually. The COC’s repertoire spans the history of opera from the Baroque to the 21st-century and includes several commissioned works and Canadian premieres. Professional opera artists from all over the world are engaged for COC productions, including a significant number of Canadian singers, directors, conductors and designers. The company performs with its own professional chorus and orchestra. The company also fosters emerging Canadian talent through its Ensemble Studio, Orchestra Academy and company-in-residence programs. Alexander Neef, general director 416-363-8231 info@coc.ca www.coc.ca ●●Canadian Sinfonietta Founded in 1998, the Canadian Sinfonietta is a chamber orchestra led by conductor Tak-Ng Lai and concertmaster Joyce Lai. The orchestra is comprised of 25 professional musicians who perform at the Glenn Gould Studio (250 Front St. W), and the Markham People’s Theatre for the Performing Arts (22 Esna Park Dr.). Chamber concerts are held with a wine and finger food reception at the Heliconian Hall (35 Hazelton Ave.), the Tran-Baker Centre (225 Geary Ave.) and Infiniti Music Hall in Markham. The mission of the Canadian Sinfonietta is to attract a new generation of concert-goers by presenting concerts that have a balance of traditional and newly composed or culturally interesting programs. Concerts are both accessible as well as new and fresh. Programs often feature interdisciplinary artistic presentations, multicultural music, non-western instruments and highlight diverse Canadian artists. CS is a community conscious group and plays an active role through partnership with local community groups. A Youth Mentorship Program encompasses the 2 youth orchestras and the annual young artist competition and concert. CS is also a recipient of the New Horizons Grant, which enables them to outreach in the senior community. Benjamin Lau 647-812-0839 ben@canadiansinfonietta.com www.canadiansinfonietta.com ●●Cantemus Singers Cantemus Singers was established in 2008 by our conductor, Michael Erdman, to help expand Toronto’s exposure to and appreciation of Renaissance and early Baroque secular vocal music. Our 14-voice a cappella ensemble focuses mainly on the interesting and evocative madrigals, lieder, chansons and villancicos of the 16th century. We also perform religious works, often the five- to eight-part compositions less often heard by Toronto audiences. Our 2019/20 season begins Nov 23 and 24, as we perform Christmas music from England, including Thomas Tallis’ magnificent Mass Puer natus est nobis for 7 voices. In mid-March, “Good Queen Bess” explores the music of the Elizabethan period, featuring works by Morley, Byrd, Weelkes and Wilbye. In late May, our program, “Not So Serious”, focuses on light-hearted, humorous madrigals and joyful motets that send our spirits soaring. Performances at Church of the Holy Trinity (10 Trinity Square - Eaton Centre) and St. Aidan’s Anglican Church (70 Silver Birch Ave. at Queen St. E.). Check out the website for times. Michael Erdman, conductor 416-578-6602 cantemus.ca@gmail.com www.cantemus.ca ●●Canzona Chamber Players Entering our 17th season, the Canzona Chamber Players series presents two performances of each of our programs, one on Sunday afternoon with optional brunch at Toronto Island’s St. Andrew bythe-Lake Church, and on Monday evenings at St. George the Martyr Anglican Church, 197 John St. This year’s line up can be found on our website or on Facebook at Canzona Chamber Players. 416-822-0613 reservations@canzona.org www.canzona.org ●●Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is a volunteer community orchestra that has been based in Scarborough since 1986. The orchestra is presenting eight concerts this season, including a subscription series of six concerts. Led by artistic director Norman Reintamm in his final season with Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra, we will bring to life some of the greatest musical masterpieces, including favourite works by Beethoven, Brahms, Gershwin, and Mahler, and we will introduce you to some of Canada’s rising stars, including pianist Lauren Esch and violinist Eva Lesage. We also look forward to new collaborations with Iranian-Canadian classical guitarist Bahar Ossareh and Odawa First Nations composer Barbara Croall. This season will also feature the finals of the biennial Clifford Poole Vocal Competition – showcasing talented young singers. Looking for an orchestra to play in? Send your inquiries to us via email. Peggy Wong 416-879-5566 info@cathedralbluffs.com www.cathedralbluffs.com ●The ● Cellar Singers The Cellar Singers is a 40-voice mixed choir based in Orillia. For over 50 years, the choir has delighted audiences in Simcoe and Muskoka with choral masterpieces grand and intimate. Under the direction of gifted choral specialist Mitchell Pady, the choir presents four main concerts each season. Rehearsals are open to all and are held Wednesday evenings, 7:15pm, at St. James’ Anglican Church, Orillia. During the 2019/20 season, The Cellar Singers will present Haydn’s The Creation, Britten’s B6 | theWholeNote 2019/20 PRESENTER PROFILES

Ceremony of Carols together with Susa’s Carols and Lullabies, Bach’s St. John Passion and Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore. Join us! Kate Ward 905-515-3356 info@thecellarsingers.com www.thecellarsingers.com ●●Choral Mosaic 2020 Choral Mosaic 2020 is a new music festival that will give choral music lovers of all levels a chance to perform and learn together with choral musicians from around the world. From June 25 to 27, Choral Mosaic will feature performances from renowned choral musicians such as: Norwegian composer Kim André Arnesen; Finnish a capella sensation Rajaton; Canada’s own Mary Lou Fallis in Primadonna Choralis; and The Mississauga Symphony Orchestra. Choral singers of all skill levels will have an opportunity to perform, with no audition required! Sing in the mass choir gala, performing a newly-commissioned work from Kim André Arnesen, attend keynote addresses, masterclasses and workshops from top choral clinicians, as well as choral concerts around the City of Mississauga, and more. Choral Mosaic 2020 will be hosted in the spectacular Living Arts Centre in Mississauga - and our artistic director is David Ambrose. Register now on our website, and contact us at our email for any questions. Kate Molina 416-508-9639 kmolina@mississaugafestivalchoir.com www.choralmosaic.com ●●Chorus Niagara Worth the drive to Niagara! Chorus Niagara, The Power of 100 is Niagara’s premier 100-voice auditioned ensemble. Conducted by artistic director Robert Cooper (celebrating 30 years with Chorus Niagara), Chorus Niagara has been entertaining and enlightening audiences for 57 years. Chorus Niagara performs traditional choral masterpieces, modern and seldom-heard works and new commissions, and provides a showcase for emerging Canadian talent. Attracting singers of all ages with the Chorus Niagara Children’s Choir, Side-by-Side High School Chorale and Robert Cooper Choral Scholars program, and emerging talent with our new Apprentice Conductor program, Chorus Niagara provides opportunities for everyone to experience the joy of live choral performance. Our thrilling 57th season begins in November with Sir Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time; followed by “Welcome Christmas” with actor Benedict Campbell in December. In the new year, we present Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo’s moving Sunrise Mass in March, followed in May by “Topsy Turvy – The Best of Gilbert and Sullivan.” All concerts are performed at the stunning new FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in revitalized downtown St. Catharines. Join us as we bring great music to life! CANTEMUS SINGERS Diana McAdorey 905-934-5575 cnadmin@becon.org www.chorusniagara.org ●●Christ Church Deer Park Continuing its long tradition of musical excellence, Christ Church Deer Park boasts an innovative music program. Our choir, consisting of professional members and skilled volunteers, performs a rich treasury of sacred choral music and hymnody at the 10am Sunday liturgy. The choir also performs at other special events, feast days, Evensongs and concerts throughout the year. Rehearsals take place on Thursday evenings from 6:45pm to 8:45pm and offer an opportunity to develop musicianship through vocal instruction, while being part of an open and welcoming community. In addition, we present “Jazz Vespers,” a popular, informal service held bi-monthly from September to June and featuring some of the city’s finest jazz musicians. For more information contact Matthew Otto, director of music. Matthew Otto 416-920-5211 motto@christchurchdeerpark.org www.thereslifehere.org ●●Church of St. Mary Magdalene Steeped in musical heritage and assisted by a generous acoustic, St. Mary Magdalene offers a music program strongly rooted in the tradition established by Healey Willan. Every Sunday at 11am: Solemn Mass - the Gallery Choir sings a mass and motet from the west gallery, while the Ritual Choir sings the Gregorian propers from the east end. Both choirs rehearse on Thursdays. At the 9:30am Sung Mass, the SMM Singers sing a motet and lead congregational singing. Membership is informal: rehearsals are at 9am directly before the service; regular attendance is not mandatory. One Sunday per month at 4:30pm, the meditative Solemn Evensong and Benediction is sung, preceded by an organ recital at 4pm. For information, please contact the director of music, Andrew Adair. Andrew Adair 416-531-7955 andrew.timothy.adair@gmail.com www.stmarymagdalene.ca ●The ● Church of St. Peter and St. Simon-the-Apostle Fine music is central to life at the Church of St. Peter and St. Simon-the-Apostle. Whether it is our own choir that sings services in the Anglican prayer book tradition – and whose calibre is such that it has twice been invited to sing services in cathedrals in Britain, most recently at Gloucester and Chichester in the summer of 2019 – or the many visiting ensembles and choirs choosing us for their concerts. The church seats 300 for a concert and has an adjacent hall, also with superb acoustics, seating 175 for a smaller concert. Our 1883 Jacobean Arts and Crafts building (with exquisite windows, a beautiful sanctuary, and a cloister-style courtyard) sits in one of the most intensely interesting neighborhoods in the city. At 525 Bloor St. E. (close to subway), between Sherbourne and Parliament, it has old Rosedale to the north, multi-faceted St. Jamestown to the south, and a fever of new condo developments to the east and west. It exists as an oasis in the midst of this, providing space as well for local youth choral programs and music teachers. Please join us for services, or consider our space for your next musical event. Darleen Knowlton, parish administrator 416-923-8714 x201 Music Program Information: music@ stpeterstsimon.ca Rental Information: office@ stpeterstsimon.ca www.stpeterstsimon.ca theWholeNote 2019/20 PRESENTER PROFILES | B7

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