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3201_Cover.indd 1 Molly Johnson 2026-08-24 11:53 AM The WholeNote VOLUME 32 NO 1 SEPTEMBER 2026 EDITORIAL Publisher/Editor in Chief | David Perlman publisher@thewholenote.com editorial@thewholenote.com Recordings Editor | David Olds discoveries@thewholenote.com Listings Editor | John Sharpe listings@thewholenote.com SOCIAL MEDIA Danial Jazaeri, Colin Story social@thewholenote.com SALES, MARKETING & MEMBERSHIP Advertising & Memberships | Karen Ages advertising@thewholenote.com members@thewholenote.com Production & Operations | Jack Buell jack@thewholenote.com Advertising Art adart@thewholenote.com WEBSITE / SYSTEMS Danial Jazaeri, Kevin King systems@thewholenote.com CIRCULATION circulation@thewholenote.com SUBSCRIPTIONS subscriptions@thewholenote.com + HST (6 issues) single copies and back issues + HST *international - additional postage applies WholeNote Media Inc., c/o MusicAlive Centre for Social Innovation 192 Spadina Avenue, Toronto ON M5T 2C2 Phone 416-323-2232 Instagram: @the_wholenote Facebook & X: @theWholenote thewholenote.com ON OUR COVER PHOTO: CHRIS NICHOLLS VOLUME 32 NO 1 SEPTEMBER 2026 STORIES profiles, previews and interviews EVENT LISTINGS Music, live & livestreamed PRESENTER BLUE & VENUE PAGES DIRECTORY "Early Bird" Preview 6 FOR OPENERS | The skinny on Volume 32 number 1 | DAVID PERLMAN Volume 32 No 1 | September 2026 STORIES & INTERVIEWS 7 COVER STORY | Behind the scenes at KMJF: Molly Johnson, humanitarian | DAVID PERLMAN 8 STORIES THAT DON’T DIE | Creative countering - Keely McPeek | LUCAS HUNG “I started the Kensington Jazz festival to support my many musical friends in the jazz genre. I wanted to build connection between artists and audience. It’s a wonderful festival, kind of crazy and kind of wild and really beautiful. At the end of the day, what I really love to do I still get to do. I get together with people I really like and I create music. That’s not a bad thing to be doing. If I can make somebody happy, or change somebody’s mood with this music, well that’s great.” — Molly Johnson See page 7. 10 CONCERT REPORT | Intimate? Yes, really. St. Vincent at RTH | LUCA PERLMAN 12 IN THEIR OWN WORDS | nanoSTAGE and nanoSONATA? | ADAM SHERKIN 12 Circulation Statement - June 23, 2026 5000 printed & distributed Canadian Publication Product Sales Agreement 1263846 ISSN 14888-8785 WHOLENOTE Publications Mail Agreement #40026682 WholeNote Media Inc. accepts no responsibility or liability for claims made for any product or service reported on or advertised in this issue. COPYRIGHT © 2026 WHOLENOTE MEDIA INC WN WHOLENOTE MEDIA INC.
thewholenote.com STORIES & INTERVIEWS, continued 14 MUSIC FOR FILM | Andrew Downing’s Phantom of the Opera | DAVID PERLMAN 16 MOVIES & MUSIC | TIFF tips ‘26: when film meets music | MJ BUELL 18 MUSIC THEATRE | Nurturing the new | JENNIFER PARR 21 THE WHOLENOTE’S WHO’S WHO | Welcome Blue Pages Early Birds! 22 BLUE PAGES DIRECTORY NEWS | Off to a flying start | WHOLENOTE STAFF LISTINGS 24 EVENTS BY DATE 28 MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZ 29 ETCETERAs DISCOVERIES RECORDINGS REVIEWED 30 Editor’s Corner | Gone fishing! | DAVID OLDS DISCoveries will reappear in October, in its usual place. Meanwhile we’re getting caught up on the backlog of recordings that arrived over the summer! 15 SIGN UP HERE! thewholenote.com/weekly or here thewholenote.com September 2026 | 5
