T•O. 'MUSICAL DIARY
T•O. 'MUSICAL DIARY March 8, 2002: Quo Vadis, TCA A press release from the Toronto Centre for the Arts pops up in my . e-mail. In starkly direct words, the communique states that the classical and jazz series at the TCA "will be suspended until 2003/2004 or until adequate funding and resources are in place." Continuing, the release says that the results of a fundraising campaign "have been disappointmg.,, Then, with just" touch of optimism, it's noted that if funding is found for the year after next, the series will be reinstated. Is this really the end of the line for North York/Ford/Toronto Centre's music series? Has the series that raised Toronto to the musical heights in the mid-1990s - only to crash when its parent company, Livent, went bankrupt, and then bounce back thanks to civic and private donations -- . finally run its course? March 14, 2002 At a performance by the Toronto Philharmonia in the TCA's George Weston Recital Hall, I'm reminded of the news I received last week. Sitting in the splendid auditorium, it's hard not to recall some of the great musicians who have graced its stage: Kiri Te Kanawa,, who sang·the opening recital; Kathleen Battle, Yo-Yo Ma, Isaac Stem and Alfred Brendel, to name a few . I also recall my initial · skepticism when the concert series was launched in 1993. I felt uneasy about its emphasis on star talent{ and glitzy advertising, annoyed l\y its location in the new hall way hp . Yonge Street, and distrustful of its private-enterprise foundations/ Happily, my first two objections were unwarranted: the concerts turned out to be serious, highc minded affairs; and the hall is not, in fact, hard to get to. But I can't help wondering if my thirq concern isn't at the root of problerris that still haunt the series. ' March JS, 2002 To find out how bad things really are, I phone David Kingwell, llie direetor of the concert series at the TCA. He acknowledges that because the series staned out as a · private vev,ture, the pu~lic simply isn't used to the idea of donating to it. As well, he adds, "fndividual support comes when there's a sense of ownership, ahd when there's a recognizablJ figurehead by Colin Eatock like Richard Bradshaw at the COC. Organizations develop a sense of family over a very long time.' 1 And what would it take to keep the series going? "Anywhere from 0,000 to 0,000 would have made it possible to put together a new season similar to this year," he explains. "Corporate support was overwhelming, but individual support was not - the few thousand dollars we raised was not going to take us anywhere." Kingwell insists that the TCA is not throwing in the towel, but he offers little in the way of reassurance. "There are no guarantees. We will have to find so!Jle · people with personal resources or corporate connections. As we sit here right now, they aren't blatantly obvious." Finally, with an audible note of frustration in his voice, Kingwell remarks that "it's ·unfortunate the suspension has generated more press than the series did." Compared to the millions of dollars raised annually by the larger musical orgaruzations in this city, the amount that the TCA needs is modest and reasonable. .t\nd, to take an.optimistic view, it's possible that news of the suspension will shake the tree hard enough to loosen the needed funds. Time will tell, soon enough, · , whether Toronto wants a concert series at the TCA. I'd like to think the city does - but if it d~sn't, local music-lovers will have only themselves to blame for the loss of a musical treasure. Colin Eatock is a Toronto-based composer and journalist who · frequently writes for The Globe and Mail. You can reach him via eatock@thewholenote.com Unique costume ideas for your next performance 905-465-1615 CLASSICAL COMMENT QlJODLIBEl by Allan Pulker Tafelmusik Now approaching the end of its 23rd season, Tafelmu8ik is one of Toronto's musical success stories. One reason is that artistic director, Jeanne Lamon, has never taken success for granted or been content to rest on her many laurels. In explaining how she develops the plan for a concert season she said that a major consideration was "to show Toronto what is out there". One way she does this is by bringing to the Tafelmusik stage authorities on period performance practice, such as Andrew Parrott, "one of the most intelligent and probing musicians I've ever worked with." Another is by keeping abreast of the latest musicological research and incorporating it into her programming. In the last six years, for example, knowledge of Joseph Boulogne, Le Chevalier de Saint Georges, a contemporary of Haydn and Mozart, has surfaced. Tafelmusik will feature his music, notable for its wealth of melodic invention, April 10 to 14. Fred Gaviller Another remarkable man, the late Fred Gaviller, was such a committed supporter of music and musicians that when he died a group of'his friends established a fund in his name "to help establish or further careers of talented performers in the form of professionally presented recitals." The Fund is presenting pianist, Antonin Kubalek, in recital on April 27 at the Gleim Gould Studio, to raise money for this very worthy cause. Mr. Kubalek will be playing the same program at this concert that he will play in May at the Prague Spring International Music Festival. The Herzog Duo Two teenage prodigies, violinist, William Herzog, and cellist, Andrea Herzog, may some day soon be the beneficiaries of the Gaviller Fund. The winners of countless Kiwanis Festival and Canadian Music Competitions awards, they are acutely aware of their need for high level noncompetitive performance opportuni- CONTINUED rts . , · · ---~-~ -: ___ p_r.e_s..erns. _______ _ Sunday, April 14, 2002 at 2:30 p.m. arden of C;ff)on!l Narelle Martinez. soprano Atis Bankas, violin Ma1ianna Humetska, piano L - ----&·- ... ove . ___Joss Works by Debussy, Sczymanovski, Tchaikovsky and Berlioz. ~.I-·--:----Saturday, May 11. 2002 at 8:00 p.m. NareUe Martinez. soprano Stuart Hamilton, piano Rebecca Hass. matzo-soprano Operatic duets from Cosi fan tutte, Pique Dame, Aida, and Norma'. Humbercrest United Church, 16 Baby Point Road, Toronto ' Tickets For Uckets and information, call 416-531-3668 or visit www.calyxconcerts.com 6 www.thewholenote.com Apri I 1 - May 7 2002
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