April and May is Canary Time in the world of WholeNote -- the time when choirs in larger than usual numbers refresh the info in our online "Who's Who" to inform prospective choristers and audiences what they have to offer. Also inside: There's a new New Wave to catch at Esprit; Toronto Bach Festival no 6 includes a Kafeehaus; another new small venue on the "Soft Seat Beat" (we assume the seats are soft!); an ever-so Musically Theatrical spring. And more.
NEW WAVE FESTIVAL
NEW WAVE FESTIVAL 2023 Festival Sponsors 7:00 PM Concerts TD Music Hall Allied Music Centre, 178 Victoria St Tickets: Box Office of Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall 416 872 4255 espritorchestra.com New Wave 1 Wed April 12 Alex Pauk, C.M. Music Director & Conductor Mark Fewer, violin PROGRAMME SOPHIE DUPUIS (CA) L’histoire que les vague racontent** for 14 musicians and live electronics ROYDON TSE (CA) Mobilize** for sinfonietta SALVATORE SCIARRINO (IT) Brazil based on music by Ary Barroso CHRIS PAUL HARMAN (CA) Partita No. 2 for Solo Violin* CLAUDE VIVIER (CA) Pulau Dewata arr. JOHN REA (CA) AKIRA NISHIMURA (JP) Kecak for percussion sextet New Wave 2 Sun April 16 Alex Pauk, C.M. Music Director & Conductor Ryan Scott, snare drum PROGRAMME MISATO MOCHIZUKI (JP) Chimera for 11 players JULIUS EASTMAN (USA) Gay Guerrilla*** arr. JESSIE MONTGOMERY (USA) for string septet ANDREW STANILAND (CA) Orion Constellation Theory for snare drum and electronics JULIA MERMELSTEIN (CA) between walls* for orchestra and fixed electronics STEPHANIE ORLANDO (CA) 4-7-8* for chamber orchestra STEVE REICH (USA) Sextet for percussion and keyboards * World Premiere ** World Premiere commissioned by Esprit with the generous support of the Ontario Arts Council *** Canadian Premiere 2022–2023 40TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON FINALE Sun April 23 Season Sponsor Alex Pauk, C.M. Music Director & Conductor Eugene Astapov, RBC Associate Composer/Conductor Aaron Schwebel, violin 8:00 PM Concert | 7:15 PM Pre-concert chat with Alexina Louie, O.C. Koerner Hall The Royal Conservatory of Music, 273 Bloor St W Tickets: Koerner Hall Box Office 416 408 0208 | rcmusic.com espritorchestra.com PROGRAMME MAX RICHTER (DE/UK) The Four Seasons Recomposed: Spring EUGENE ASTAPOV (CA) Burial Rites: In Memoriam Marcus Gibbons** MAX RICHTER (DE/UK) The Four Seasons Recomposed: Winter CHRIS PAUL HARMAN (CA) Clementi sottosopra* JOHN CORIGLIANO (USA) Symphony No. 1 1. Apologue: Of Rage and Remembrance 2. Tarantella 3. Chaconne: Giulio’s Song 4. Epilogue * World Premiere ** World Premiere commissioned by Esprit with generous support from the RBC Foundation, the SOCAN Foundation and Sofia Gomez Gibbons The Michael and Sonja Koerner Charitable Foundation The Mary-Margaret Webb Foundation The S.M. Blair Family Foundation The Max Clarkson Family Foundation The Charles H. Ivey Foundation Tim and Frances Price Anonymous
2805_AprMay_cover.indd 1 2023-03-24 9:56 AM Volume28 No 5 | April – May2023 ON OUR COVER Trash Panda Brass Band PHOTO: CONRAD GLUCH VOLUME 28 NO 5 APRIL - MAY 2023 MUSIC! LISTINGS live and livestreamed STORIES profiles, previews and interviews RECORD REVIEWS and Listening Room Bright! Vibrant! Welcoming! These are the words that inspired me when I started planning Trash Panda’s first formal photo shoot and this is the shot that turned out to be most reflective of the band. I’m really into the brass band scene – I’m a saxophonist in Big Smoke Brass which started six years ago, and music has been my main focus for the last 15 years. I’ve always been drawn to photography, but I only had the chance to pursue it because of my pandemic free time as a musician. As a child, I remember seeing The WholeNote at the RCM while taking lessons and it’s fascinating to me to think that all these years later, a photo that I took is being featured on the cover. It’s fulfilling to have my two worlds collide … (See ON OUR COVER, page 9.) The Trash Panda Brass Band, clockwise, from top left: Bien Carandang, Ray Sun, Ilinca Stafie, Anaïs Kelsey-Verdecchia, Charlotte Alexander, Kealan Braden ACD2 2454 ATMA Classique proudly presents Jean Sibelius’ Symphonies No. 3 & 4 with Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal. « Two very contrasting symphonies and yet it’s a perfect match » 8 FOR OPENERS | Neighbourhood doesn’t mean the same thing as community | DAVID PERLMAN STORIES & INTERVIEWS 9 ON OUR COVER | The Brass Are Bringing IT | MJ BUELL 10 MUSIC THEATRE | Bustin’ Out All Over | JENNIFER PARR 14 IN WITH THE NEW | Wave After Wave: Esprit Orchestra | WENDALYN BARTLEY 16 CLASSICAL AND BEYOND | Q & A: Blake Pouliot, violin | PAUL ENNIS 20 ON OPERA | Show Room showcase offers a promising start | LYDIA PEROVIĆ AVAILABLE NOW ACD2 2863 20 Stéphane Tétreault and Olivier Hébert-Bouchard present Images oubliées, their first volume of music by Claude Debussy transcribed for cello and piano. Never heard before transcriptions for cello and piano of Debussy’s music AVAILABLE NOW VISIT OUR WEBSITE thewholenote.com April & May, 2023 | 5
