Volume 30 Issue 5 | April & May 2025

The WholeNoteVOLUME 30

The WholeNoteVOLUME 30 NO 5APRIL & MAY 2025IN THIS EDITIONSTORIES AND INTERVIEWSWendalyn Bartley, Vania Chan, Ori Dagan,Angus MacCaull, Jennifer Parr, David Perlman,Allan Pulker, Sophia Perlman, Andrew ScottCD ReviewersStuart Broomer, Sam Dickenson, Michael Doloschell,Raul da Gama, Fraser Jackson, Tiina Kiik,Kati Kiilaspea,Lesley Mitchell-Clarke, Cheryl Ockrant,David Olds, Ted Parkinson, Ivana Popovich,Terry Robbins, Stephen Runge, Andrew Scott,Melissa Scott, Sharna Searle, Yoshi Maclear Wall,Ken Waxman.ProofreadingOri Dagan, David Olds, Ted Parkinson, John SharpeListings TeamJohn Sharpe, Kevin Harris, Gary Heard,Sophia Perlman, Colin StoryDesign TeamKevin King, Susan SinclairCirculation TeamDave Bell, John Bentley, Jack Buell, Jane Dalziel,Bruno Difilippo, Carl Finkle, Vito Gallucci,James Harris, Bob Jerome, Marianela Lopez,Miguel Brito-Lopez, Chris Malcolm,Sheila McCoy, Lorna Nevison, Janet O’Brien,Tom Sepp, Mark ZayachkowskiDEADLINESWeekly Online Listings Updates6pm every Tuesday for weekend postingfor Volume 30 No. 6, SUMMER 2025Print listings deadline:6pm Tuesday, May 13, 2025Print advertising, reservation deadline:6pm Friday May 9, 2025Web advertising can be booked at any timePUBLICATION DATESOUR 30th ANNIVERSARY SEASONincludes six print editions:September 2024 (Aug 27);October & November (Oct 1);December & January 2025 (Nov 26);February & March (Jan 28);April & May (Apr 1);Summer (June 3)Printed in CanadaCouto Printing & Publishing ServicesFOR OPENERSOut-takes, marathons &streetview brigades“In 1888, the French dramatist Alfred Jarry wrote the play Ubu Roi as a satirical andgrotesque expression of the way in which arbitrary power engenders madness. Heachieved this through the portrayal of a ridiculous but devastating despot, who was alsoa licentious libertine, an emblem of the clumsy and brutal deeds done in the service ofa calculating state. Jarry counters this arbitrary power with what he called ‘pataphysics’– the science of imaginary solutions, unmasking [the state’s] absurdity through farce,rather than empowering the tyrant by granting him serious presentation.— Carolyn Cristov–Bakargiev ”One kind of out-take is the little goofsand gaffes that get shoehorned intothe credits at the end of a movie tokeep people in their seats till the last personto thank has been acknowledged. (They weremore fun in the days when they were genuinefound objects.)There’s another, genuinely tough kind:footage the film editor has to leave on thecutting room floor because the film isrunning too long, or because, great as it is, thefootage in question really doesn’t do anythingto advance the story.In this magazine these kinds of cuts mostoften happen so the story will fit the spaceassigned without making the designer sad. Orworse, because you’ve been stealing an extracouple of inches for every story, and now thewhole book is completely out of hand.It’s not unlike the situation you are facedwith when the impossibly low price you paidfor your air ticket starts to balloon becauseyou went over your luggage allowance. So youend up staring into your carry-on bag tryingto figure out which half-kilo object will costyou the least to replace when you reach yourdestination.In my line of work, magazine editing, thereare new ways of getting around the problemof shortage of space. We put links into digitaleditions or QR codes into print, or exhortreaders to “google it” whatever it is. Whichis just fine for readers with app-posablethumbs who are always just a click or tapor QR code away. But catering only to themis not a victimless crime. Because this is apublication with a lot of readers who, forthe very same reason they prefer their musiclive, don’t do digital.T'KARONTOWhy am I telling you all this?Because there was one particular cut I hadto make this issue that really hurt. So muchso that I have been trying to sneak it back in,any way I could, and this was my last chance.It’s the quote at the top of this page, and itwas supposed to be the second paragraph ofthis issue’s cover story. In the first paragraphof that story I stilI tell readers where to find it– a particular article in the reading room of afantastic website. But even including readerswho tap and click with ease, I know that thepercentage of people who will go looking isabout the same as the percentage of peoplewho voted for the second place candidate inthe recent Liberal Party leadership race.Why do I care?Because the situation the quote describesis just too damned scarily apropos to thetimes we are living through to ignore.For thousands of years before European settlement, T’karonto (The Meeting Place) was partof the traditional territory of many Nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit River,the Anishinaabe, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and remainstheir home to this day, as it now is for many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples.This Meeting Place lies within the territory governed by the Sewatokwa’tshera’t (Dishwith One Spoon) treaty between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee– a Treaty which bound them to share the territory and protect the land. SubsequentIndigenous Nations and Peoples, and all newcomers are invited into this treaty in the spiritof peace, friendship, respect and reconciliation. We are grateful to live and work here,helping spread the word about the healing power of music in this place.an Ontario government agencyun organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario8 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

AaronJamesAaron James,marathon manSometimes, though, stuffgets left out for the magazinefor the simple reason thatit falls through the cracks.Because two or three writerseach think that one of theothers is going to cover it. Orbecause it’s going to unfoldover an extended period oftime. And then all of a suddenit’s gone.Fortunately that’s not quite the case with Aaron James’ sixteenpart series of organ recitals. Titled Complete Solo Organ Works of J.S.Bach the series, which takes place at Holy Family Church in Parkdale)started all the way back in September with a recital titled Bach theYoung Virtuoso and is now just four recitals away (Wed April 9, SatApr 26, Sat May 10 and Sat May 24) from crossing the finishing line,with a May 24 recital titled Bach Answers His Critics.One reader who has been attending faithfully, Robert Lennox ofBurlington, wrote this:This church, in the heart of Toronto’s eclectic and vibrantParkdale neighbourhood, has a regular Latin Mass. That’sright, a Latin Mass. The audience is a congregation of devoutparishioners often praying on their knees, seasoned with asprinkling of seminarians in flowing robes; and a wide rangeof music lovers of all ages and backgrounds, some of whomhave travelled from afar, who understand and appreciate therichness and beauty of Aaron’s unique marathon …The organ console is high up in the balcony at the westend of the nave and it is from there that Aaron introduceseach concert in a clear and minimalist way in the manner ofa master teacher. There is a Phantom of the Opera feel to thewhole experience which is downright thrilling.You won’t find anything old or stodgy about these sixteensections of a challenging but consistently satisfying race. Eachleg is meticulously mapped out and melded to the seasonswhile remaining steadfastly faithful to Bach. The result is asuperb performance worthy of a prize in any marathon.Streetview brigadesCanadian Canoe Museum, PeterboroughSome regular readers of this issue may notice something of a shiftin emphasis: away from a focus on particular artists or events, whereverthey may be taking place, to starting to look more closely at thevenues where all this activity is or could be taking place. Places wheremusic is or could become a vital part of a healthy community mix:small and large, traditional and offbeat, well known already, or yet tobe discovered.A good example: Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough has justannounced the launch of Music in the Museum, planned to be “anongoing concert series in its stunning new waterfront location”, andshowcasing celebrated Canadian artists in an intimate, acousticallyrich setting. The series kicks off on Saturday, May 24 with a performanceby Canadian folk musician Old Man Luedecke a two-time JunoAward-winning singer-songwriter and banjo player, known for hisunique storytelling and heartfelt lyrics.“Events like these allow the Museum to be showcased in a differentway to a whole new audience,” says Carolyn Hyslop, ExecutiveDirector of the Museum. “We see ourselves as a community hub, anenergetic space where people can connect, learn, share stories, andmake memories, and the Music in the Museum series is an extensionof this vision.”Add one more to the more than 2,100 venues of all kinds in ourdatabase! But it takes local knowledge to find them. And people on theground to notice when they are threatened or disappear. That knowledgecan only be acquired at street level. It takes people who live amusical life in their own communities to know and care. “Homes forMusic” is a thread in this issue. Check it out. And there’s contact informationat the bottom of page 29 if this is something you would beinterested in being part of.publisher@thewholenote.comthewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 9