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BLUE PAGES 2020/21 SECTION I: PRESENTERS & PERFORMERS concert recordings on our YouTube channel. And our NewWorks CD is available to stream on all major platforms (Read the review of this CD in the April 2019 issue of The WholeNote.) Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @DaCapoChoir! Sara Martin 519-725-7549 info@dacapochamberchoir.ca www.dacapochamberchoir.ca www.facebook.com/DaCapoChoir www.twitter.com/DaCapoChoir ● Don Wright Faculty of Music at Western University The Don Wright Faculty of Music at Western University in London, Ontario is situated in a research-intensive university on a campus that is inviting and striking. It is an environment that enables students to grow artistically and academically, with a strong focus on community. Our students are among 650 of the brightest and most talented young artist scholars, who come to study in one of our many undergraduate and graduate programs. With the faculty and staff, they are committed to excellence in creative and scholarly work. In our 2020/21 season, we invite you to experience online the incredible diversity of musical styles and genres our students, faculty and guest artists have to offer. From student ensemble performances (from choirs and opera to orchestra, band, jazz, percussion, and early music), faculty concerts, and our signature “Fridays@12:30” concert series, we are pleased to bring this year’s performances to you at home. Our goal is to share select performances online throughout the year - a blend of livestream and pre-recorded opportunities - while closely following university and local health authority guidelines. Safety and health is critical, as is offering students a musical experience. Rachel Condie 519-661-3767 musicevents@uwo.ca music.uwo.ca www.facebook.com/westernuMusic www.twitter.com/westernuMusic ● The Edison Singers We are a newly formed, non-profit organization guided by internationally-acclaimed conductor Noel Edison to present choral music at its best. Our vision is to reach out to communities large and small with the world’s finest choral music. During our 2019/20 inaugural season, The Edison Singers presented concerts in three communities: Toronto, Niagara-on-the-Lake, and Wellington County. These three centres are the hubs for our annual choral calendar, and our aim is to become an integral part of the musical life of each community. For The Edison Singers’ 2020/21 season we will be offering seven video recordings to be released online. You will see some behind-the-scenes footage of our physically-distanced rehearsals and be treated to brief on-camera introductions/programme notes from our conductor. Please stay tuned to our website for more details. Esther Farrell 1-226-384-3100 contact@theedisonsingers.com theedisonsingers.com ● Ensemble Vivant “…chamber music at its evocative best!” – WholeNote 2020 review - (Click Here - www. thewholenote.com/index.php/booksrecords2/ potpourri/29801-latin-romance-ensemblevivant) Pioneering piano chamber music sensation Ensemble Vivant performs innovative genrediverse repertoire combined with passionate, deeply communicative playing that touches the hearts and souls of listeners of all ages. Opening Day recording artists with 14 internationally-acclaimed CDs. “…highest-level chamber music-making. No matter the genre, there is magic in Ensemble Vivant’s music-making.” - Jazz legend Rick Wilkins, C.M. “…beautiful, poised performances...capture the passion and verve…Wilson’s piano gives this music unerring drive and plenty of sparkle.” - Toronto Star Core Quintet: Catherine Wilson, piano/artistic director; Corey Gemmell, violin; Norman Hathaway, viola; Tom Mueller, cello; George Koller, bass. Regular collaborators: Kevin Turcotte, trumpet; Mike Murley, sax; Nick Fraser, drums; and others. EV is known for bringing evidence-based live performance programs to children (endorsed by the scientific community) and conducted through the not-for-profit registered charity Euterpe: Music For Health Canada (www.musicforhealthcanada. org). Euterpe received a three-year Ontario Trillium Foundation Grant in 2020. Catherine Wilson 416-768-8856 catherine@ensemblevivant.com www.ensemblevivant.com www.facebook.com/EnsembleVivant twitter.com/EnsembleVivant ● Esprit Orchestra Founded in 1983 by music director and conductor Alex Pauk, Esprit Orchestra’s commitment to commissioning and advancing contemporary music has set it apart as one of the few organizations of its kind on a global scale. Esprit consistently collaborates with outstanding composers, and performs with first-class soloists and ensembles from Canada and abroad. Each concert season, Esprit Orchestra commissions, promotes and performs the work of Canadian composers, and features Canadian premieres of music by leading international composers. With a dynamic annual subscription concert series, this skilled orchestra presents music that is otherwise unavailable in Canada, always performed to the highest standards in the acoustically acclaimed Koerner Hall at the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning. Amber Melhado 416-408-0208 amber@espritorchestra.com www.espritorchestra.com www.facebook.com/EspritOrchestra twitter.com/espritorchestra ● Etobicoke Centennial Choir Etobicoke Centennial Choir (ECC) is a welcoming, inclusive SATB community choir. We strive to enrich the lives of our choristers and audience members through inspired performances of diverse choral repertoire, ranging from classical masterpieces to contemporary compositions and popular music. ECC offers amateur singers a challenging but supportive choral music experience, facilitated by a professional music director, accompanist and section leads. As a result of public health guidelines and restrictions related to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020/21 season will be like no other in ECC’s 54-year history. We will be offering virtual rehearsals on Tuesday evenings at 7:30pm, working on choral repertoire and vocal training. New singers are most welcome to join us in this new venture. If conditions permit, we may perform a live concert in late spring 2021. Please visit our website for further updates. Lauren Mayer 416-433-5495 info@etobicokecentennialchoir.ca www.etobcokecentennialchoir.ca www.facebook.com/ EtobicokeCentennialChoir twitter.com/CentennialChoir ● Etobicoke Community Concert Band The Etobicoke Community Concert Band is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2020. Unfortunately, due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, we have been unable to present our 25th Gala at this time. The band consists of approximately 45 to 50 members, ranging from amateur to semi-profession status. We play four formal concerts each year at Etobicoke Collegiate, 86 Montgomery Rd., with a wide variety of musical themes such as broadway, Hollywood, international music, patriotic themes, Big Band and conventional concert band music. There are two offshoots of the concert band, the Etobicoke Jazz Ensemble, which plays music from Latin jazz to traditional Big Band tunes, and we also have a great Woodwind Quintet. The mission of the band is to enliven the spirit of the people of Etobicoke by providing high quality musical entertainment. The mission 36 | theWholeNote 2020/21 PRESENTER PROFILES
is accomplished by: providing an opportunity for musicians from the community to practice and perform in a challenging and supportive ensemble environment with a goal of developing and enhancing the musical skills of individuals. Meeting the needs of the community through public performances, which present repertoire with wide appeal that take place at a variety of locations throughout the community. Rob Hunter - President 416-245-1983 hunterrg1@bell.net www.facebook.com/ECCB.Toronto twitter.com/ECCBtoronto ● Exultate Chamber Singers Exultate Chamber Singers is proud to be celebrating its 40th anniversary during its upcoming 2020/21 season. The choir is enriched not only by the excellent musicianship of its members but also by their varied academic and professional backgrounds. Together they form a passionate, committed ensemble with a wideranging repertoire. Founded and led for 30 years by conductor and organist John Tuttle, the choir has since been under the direction of Dr. Karen Grylls (2011 to 2012), Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt (2013 to 2018), and its newest artistic director, Dr. Mark Ramsay. Exultate is a three-time winner of the Canada Council Healey Willan Grand Prize and recently won first place in the adult mixed-voice chamber choir category of the 2019 Choral Canada National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs. The choir has appeared in performances with Alice Parker, Morten Lauridsen, and Ola Gjeilo, and has released five fulllength albums to date. Vivian Moens 416-971-9229 info@exultate.net www.exultate.net www.facebook.com/ ExultateChamberSingers twitter.com/exultatechamber ● Flute Street Flute Street is Toronto’s professional flute choir, whose players employ the full range of instruments from piccolo through treble, concert, alto, bass, contralto, contrabass, and even the double contrabass flute. Audiences have been delighted to hear the ensemble’s eclectic mix of classical, folk, jazz, pop, and Canadian and world premieres with featured international guest soloists, such as Jean-Louis Beaumadier, Christine Beard, Mary Ann Archer, Louis Papachristos, Kelly Via and low flutes specialist, Peter Sheridan. In addition to the regular three-concert series presented in Toronto, Flute Street has performed as guest artists in Quebec with Les Flûtistes de Montréal, at both Canadian Flute Conventions, and at the first International Low Flutes Festival in Washington D.C. Hear our current YouTube project, Composer Alexina Louie and Alex Pauk, with Esprit Orchestra “Tutti Flutti” at our website, as we eagerly await our return to the live concert stage. Nancy Nourse 416-462-9498 noursewind@sympatico.ca flutestreet.ca www.facebook.com/flutestreettoronto ● The Hannaford Street Silver Band The Hannaford Street Silver Band is Canada’s award-winning professional brass band. 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. Guided by the vision of artistic director David Pell, our 2020/21 season features streamed concerts that will showcase such artists as guest conductors James Sommerville and Gillian MacKay, mezzosoprano soloist Marion Newman and world/ fusion vocalist Suba Sankaran. Add to this wonderful mix, CBC radio host Tom Allen and the acclaimed actor Derek Boyes. This season we will also unveil our 10-piece virtuoso ensemble performing music from around the world. You simply can’t keep a good band down! The HSSB demonstrates its commitment to youth, outreach and education by running the Hannaford Youth Program. Directed by Anita McAlister, this vibrant program is a fantastic opportunity for brass and percussion players ages 7 to 24 to participate in three remarkable youth bands in both live and virtual settings. Raymond Tizzard 647-309-6350 ray@hssb.ca www.hssb.ca ● Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts (the Isabel) is a home for the creative arts at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and a hub of vibrant artistic study, creation, and exhibition in our community. The building houses the Queen’s Department of Film and Media and the DAN School of Drama and Music, as well as the Isabel house season, which brings some of the most exciting and acclaimed musicians to its 567-seat concert hall. Situated on the shores of Lake Ontario, the Isabel brings together worldclass arts spaces and programs with a captivating sense of place, creating a dynamic venue for our students and community to learn, discover, think, do, and experience together. Opened in September 2014, the Isabel was designed by Oslo/New York-based firm Snøhetta and Ottawa’s N45, with acoustics and theatre design by ARUP and Theatre Projects Consultants. 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. For a virtual tour, visit www.queensu.ca/theisabel/content/ virtual-walkthrough. Tricia Baldwin 613-532-3340 tricia.baldwin@queensu.ca www.queensu.ca/theisabel www.facebook.com/queensuisabel twitter.com/queensuisabel ● Jubilate SIngers We are a community choir of about 40 voices, who love to sing music from around the world in the original languages. During the 2020/21 season, we are not planning any live concerts until it is announced that it is safe to do so, but we may MALCOLM COOK theWholeNote 2020/21 PRESENTER PROFILES | 37
