~D ~!'.concerts are
~D ~!'.concerts are free, and start at 8 TD i Zi 1',. The £li ~ annual concert series at the - CouchichingBeach Park Rotary Aqua Theatre is on again this year. The theatre by Merlin Williams is right by the lake in Orillia, and is a . great way to end a weekend at the cot- My Fou~h · Annual List of GT:'- tage. This year's groups are: the Comnn.uuty and Conce~ Bands will Brampton Concert Band (July 7), the appear m the September JSsue of th~ WestonSilverBand(July 14), the Barrie WholeNote. Please make sure to e-mail Con::ert Band (July 21) the North York your. band's updated info to me at ConcertBand(July28),theMarkharn merlinw@a~,ca by ~ugust 1 to Concert Band (Aug.4), the Northdale guarantee inclusion on the hst. I n~ Concert )3and (Aug. 11), the Newthe name of the group, conductors market Citizens Band (Aug. 18) and name, rehearsal day and time, rehearsal finally the Chinguacousy Con::ertBand location, and a cont;'lct person with a (Aug.,25). All concerts are free, but ?hone~r,e-mailandwebaddress, if applicable. The Markham Concert Band is taking applications for a new conductor. If you're interested in taking the reins of one of the larger ensembles in the area, please contact Vern Kennedy by e-mail at kennvhbd@interlog.com or by phone at 416-283-8951 . The summer concert' scene is jampacked with events. Here are some highlights; please make sure to consult the main listings section for more details: The Thornhill Community Band is playing for Canada Day celebrations at the Vaughan Maple Community Centre on July 1. Conductor Bobby Herriot and the band will also perform July 30 at Mel Lastman Square, and August 13 at the amphitheatre in Earl Bales Park. The Oakville Wind Orchestra is one of the most active groups this summer. They are performing seven free con::erts at Coronation Park in Oakville. The concerts start on July 2, and run every Tuesday evening until August 13. The Weston Silver Band is playing July 2 and 16 at the Little A venue Memorial Park Bandshell on Weston Rd. it's a good idea to bring your own lawn chair to avoid having to sit on the benches. The Canadian Band Association (Ontario) is putting on its second Annual Festival of Bands at the CNE on Aug. 18. Eighteencommunityconcert bands and stage bands will be performing at the bandshell, and the event is free with admission to the Ex. 1- 111 Long & McQuade - MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS• w w w. Ion 1 • m c q u • d •.co * SALES - RENTALS - REPAIRS - IN STORE FINANCING ~ TRADES - USED INSTRUMENTS BOUGHT & SOLD Toronto North York Scarborough Oshawa Brampton Burlington 925 Bloor St.W. 2777 Steeles Av.w, 1133 Markham Rd. 380 Simcoe St.s. 370 Main St.N. 3180 Mainway Dr. OPERA & Music THEATRE MUSIC THEATRE SPOTLIGHT Sinatra from Down Under plus Noel, Gertie, Snoopy and Sophie on. Ontario summer stages By Sarah B. Hood AFFAIR OF A LIFETIME TOO LA TE TO LIST When Tom Burlin-son was Elizabeth Beeler will a very little boy, appear in · the world he was particu- premiere of Greg Robie 's larly drawn to m u s i ca l c o m e d y one of his par- "ASSEMBLYWOMEN!" ents' records. to be performed at Hart As he was too House Theatre from July little to know 29 to Aug. 11. Presented the performer's by the 2002 HOT Summer name, he used Music Festival. Call 416- to ask his 978-8668for tickets: , mother to "play Students & Seniors the man in the hat!" Now, as a grown-up enter- HOT TOWN · tainer himself, he knows that his SUMMER IN THE CITY childhood fondness for Frank Also around Toronto this summer Sinatra's "A Swinging Affair" was are the usual big-budge~ musicals, There are many more events in the list- one of the things that got him where with their excellent air conditionings _ the Etobicoke Community he is today. - ing, plus a number of other assorted Concert Band and North York Con- - Toronto-born, but a resident of offerings. Down by the water you cert Band both have multiple concerts Australia for inany years, Burlinson -(and the kids) can take a nostalgic on tfus summer_ there's a five concert has become well known in that visit to Rydell High with Sandy, series at the Central Park Bandshell country for his show Frank -A Life Danny, Rizzo and the rest of the in Burlington _ The Cobourg Con- in Song, which he is now bringing characters from Grease, which cert Band is playing free weekly con- to North America. When I recently plays until July 31 at the Atlantis certs in Victoria Park, Cobourg _Tue spoke to him at his home north of Theatre at Ontario Place. Whitby Brass Band is doing three Sydney - a late afternoon call for At pretty much the opposite end free park concerts. me, first thing in the morning for of the music theatre spectrum, from him - he explained that he was August 6 to 14 Soulpepper Theaattracted to making his North tre is presenting a concert perform Make sure,you check the Further Afield section as well as the main listings. American debut in the city of his ance of John Gay's rarely seen The Have a great summer - I know I will! birth, but that he also picked To- Beggar's Opera of 1 n,8. (Starring ronto "because it's such an estab- Daniel Kash, Frank Moore and Merlin Williams will be spending the lished theatre centre." Patricia O'Callaghan, among othsummer working on his skills as a virtuoso alto clarinettist. If you have any show in which Burlinson performs with Stratford's production of the The production is a revue style ers, it makes an interesting pairing updoles for the band list, or scintillating gossip to pass on, he can be tens to point out - more than 25 penny Opera, which is derived - not as an impersonator, he has- more familiar Brecht/Weill Three reached at (416) 489-0275, or byemail: merlinw@attcanada.ca. main premise in the sho)V is that he Even more unusual are some of Sinatra's greatest songs. "The from it.) of (416)588-7886 (416)663-8612 (416)439-8001 (905)434-1612 (905)450-4334 (905)319-3330 Where the Music Begins. lived his material," says Burlinson. the offerings of Summer Opera Others may love Sinatra or hate him, Lyric Theatre. In a series ofworkbut "for Jile the man expressed the shop productions running between best parts of his nature through his August 2 and 11 Guillermo Silvasinging, and that's the thing I al- Marin directs Boieldieu'sLaDame ways found the most attractive and blanche, de Falla's La Vida Breve the most interesting," Burlinson and Naches de Espana, and adds. Mozart's weH known and much Frank -A Life in Song runs from loved Marriage of Figaro. Musi- . July 13 to August 4 at the Bluma cal direction for all three is by Raisa Appel Theatre of the St. Lawrence Nakhrhanovich. Also, the Cana Centre. (And immediately after- dian Opera Company's popular wards, from August 9 to 17, A free Altamira Summer Opera Con Chorus Line moves into the same certs run from July 30 to August 1 space.) at Harbourfront Centre's Norigen Stage. 18 www.thewholenote.com . July 1 - September 7 2002
OrERA & Music THEATRE Finally, David Anderson's Clay and Paper Theatre inhabits Dufferin Grove Park for another season, this time with the Larry Lewis musical play Gold, which features the quirky, humorous and at the same time lovely imagery of visual artist Barbara Klunder. As with the company's previous park productions . (Lilith Unfair, The Ballad of Garrison Creek), Gold promises to be cheerfully subversive and playfully political. It runs from July 25 to Sept 1. (Bring a blanket and enjoy the dinner from the bake oven at 6 p.m.) AROUND SOUTHERN ONTARIO Canada's oldest professional summer theatre festival, the Red Barn Theatre at Jackson's Point, has a new Artistic Director in Jordan Merkur, formerly of Toronto's Eclectic Theatre: Until now "most of my work has been in downtown Toronto," but he's glad to "do a lot of plays that I would not otherwise get to do. I have the luxury of the Jackson's Point community; the support of an institution that's been around for 54 years," Merkur says. The Red Barn has two musicals on the bill this year: I Love }'.'ou, You 're Perfect, Now Change by Italian American playwright Joe Dipietro (July 10 to August 3), and· Sophie Tucker - Last of the Red Hot Mamas (August 28 to September 14), which Merkur is directing himself. Besi.des the playbill, the pragmatic Merku~ is pleased to mention that the Red Barn "is now air conditioned. And two years ago they put in all new seats!" Some other notable outings include the July 6 presentation of A Marvellous Party, in which the now venerable Tom Kneebone and Dinah Christie pay tribute to the . wonderful songs of Noel Coward at Symphony in the .Barn, near Durham. (If you want more of the great man, there's also Noel and Genie, which runs from August 14 to 29 at the Port Stanley Festival Theatre.) · One of my favourite parts of Ontario is the Thousand Islands, which, back in the '20s, was the haunt of the most fabulously wealthy and important folks of this world. Now it's back in the hands of ordinary people again, and if you' re in the neighbourhood you might want to stop in at the Grand Theatre Kingston for Personals (July 4 to 20) or Footloose (July 25 to August 10). A little bit further east, in beautiful Brockville, the St. Lawrence Stage Company offers Broadway's Annie from July 25 to August 17, and Snoopy (based on the Peanuts comics) from August 24 to 30. AND FINALLY: We mentioned it last month, but it bears repeating: the "one-stop shop" internet source for summertime theatre festivals is www.summertheatre.org, the site for ASTRO, a.k.a. the Association of Summer ,Theatres aRound Ontario. ASTRO members have also joined together in a new program called "Just the Ticket", which creates theatre travel packages around southern Ontario. To find out more, call 1,-800-0NT ARIO or visit www.ontariotravel.net. ..-~~--~~--~~---·- Utta Auclair M.Mus. Lyric Soprano A rich and warm voice combined with an impeccable presentation! * Available for operas, oratorios, recitals, orchestral works, etc ... * Great packages for weddings, corporate events or any s11ecial occasion! * RCM registered teacher (private lessons for all ages / levels) *Also offering coaching iri French diction (416) 630-5786 la~clair@hotmail.com TORONTO OPERA REPERTOIRE Under the direction of Giuseppe Macina 2002/2003 SEASON SOLOIST AUDITIONS September 6, 2002 from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm I Tentative programme for the 2002/2003 season: La Boheme - Puccini Faust - Gounod Cwvakria Rusticana - Mascagni Empresario - Mozart To arrange an audition, please call Giuseppe Macina at 416-698-3287 www .. thewhOlenote.com 19
