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Volume 9 Issue 8 - May 2004

Next season includes

Next season includes Puccini's Messa di now numbering about 80 choristers. It appointment. Brule (at Banbury/York Mills) from Gloria; Garcia Lorca's Spanish gypsy has always enjoyed the reputation of melania.varcabet@utoronto.ca September to June, and a monthly songs by Castenuovo-Tedesco; and performing the best in choral music, Melania Varcabet: 905-417-2802 rehearsal is held on Saturday afternoon Finnish choral music. Good blend, pitch ranging from the most challenging of in the same area. Les voix du coeur and sight reading required. The next the classics to contemporary music. LACHAN JEWISH CHAMBER CHOIR presents two concerts a year and audition is Tuesday June 8. Under the direction of Conductor, Cantor Benjamin Z. Maissner created participates in community events three johnriddell@sympatico.ca Barbara McCann, the choir performs Lachan (meaning melody in Hebrew) I 0 or four times a year. Music reading John Riddell: 416-686-7607 three concerts a year. Most perfor- years ago with a group of enthusiastic ability is helpful. www.jubilatesingers.ca mances are held in Collier Street United Toronto-based musicians who shared a roll ande!@rogers.com Church, Barrie, with its fine acoustics love music. The choir's primary purpose Rolande McCarthy: 905-787-9872 JUST SINGERS CHAMBER CHOIR and excellent organ. Experienced was to showcase the best of Jewish Led by Dr. Adam Adler, this choir is open choristers can contact our Director to music, sung by the best of Toronto's LONDON PRO MUSICA to all without audition - music reading discuss membership and to arrange an voices. The choir is known inter- Led by Ken Fleet, conductor, this is ability is an .asset, but is not required. audition. Rehearsals are helcl every nationally for its musical virtuosity and London's oldest independent mixed- We aim to offer a supportive and fun Monday evening at Grttce United its comprehensive repertoire that spans voice choir with a current membership musical growth experience for our Church, Barrie. thousands of years and a variety of of 48 singers. It performs an extensive members, working within a mandate of barbmccann@rogers.com styles both popular and classical. range of classical music; including cooperation, democracy, and social Barbara McCann: 705-726-2095 Lachan has performed in Canada and works by Canadian composers, as well service. Just Singers performs a wide kingedwardchoir.org Europe, has appeared on TV and has as a varied popular repertoire. LPM range of repertoire, both liturgical and recently produced a CD. Size of the choir, presents an annual three-concert series, secular, ranging from Renaissance to KITCHENER-WATERLOO 30 volunteer singers. Location, Holy with an emphasis on collaborative the present. We rehearse Tuesdays, 7: 15- PHILHARMONIC CHOIR Blossom Temple 1950 Bathurst Street performances, and participates in 9:30 pm at All Saints' Anglican Church The Kitchener Waterloo Philharmonic Toronto. Anyone is eligible. Extensive several programs offered by Orchestra and Community Centre, SE corner of Choir was founded in 1883. In 1985 they Jewish repertoire. Entry is by audition. London Canada. There are additional Dundas and Sherbourne. There are established the Children's Choir, and in A good level of sighi-reading is expected. contracted and benefit performances, usually three concerts and three choral '98, the Youth Choir so the~e are now Key artistic personnel Cantor.Benjamin and occasional recording projects. evensongs between September and June, over 300 members. The Centre in the Z. Maissner. Lachan meets every Mon- Rehearsals are 7:15 - 9:45 pm each with some tours to venues in southern Square is the Phil's home for its annual day at 8-10.30 pm September to June. Monday night at Bishop Cronyn Ontario. For further information, email concert series. The choir has grown larryjacobs@rogers.com Memorial Church (Queens at William). adamadler@utoronto.ca. dramatically under the dynamic Laurence Jacobs: 4 Hi-425-1253 x 23 LPM invites experienced and motivated 647-222-5250 leadership of Conductor and Artistic www.lachan.org singers in all sections to audition: Time Director, Howard Dyck. He is well commitment: considerable. known to music lovers as the host of pgaudet@rogers.com Choral Concert and Saturday Afternoon Paul Gaudet: 519-672-6751 at the Opera on CBC Radio. He has www.londonpromusica.org KAMMERMUSIK TORONTO received numerous honours both LEASIDE UNITED CHURCH CHOIR Established in 1997 as The Millennium nationally and internationally and was This church choir, under director Singers, Kammermusik Toronto is a appointed to the Order of Canada in Sharon Beckstead, has four paid section not-for-profit chamber choir dedicated 2000, and was awarded the Queen's leads who help the choir sing an eclectic to promoting and performing eclectic Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002. variety of anthems for Sunday worship MEGACITY CHORUS music. This SATE ensemble includes gcurrie@kwphilharmonic.com services and other choral events during An all-male a cappella group formed in between 25 and 30 singers who rehearse Gabriella Currie: 519-578-6885 the year. The choral highlight is the 1997 with a current membership of 50, once a week on the campus of the www.kwphilharmonic.com Festival of Lessons and Carols each this chorus has entertained all over University of Toronto. The choir performs December. Rehearsals are Thursdays, Ontario (including Hamilton Place, a wide range of music from medieval to KOMITAS CHOIR 7:30 - 9:30 pm, September through to Casino Rama and Mississauga Living modern in concerts held in December, Founded in 1973, the Komitas Choir has May. Sunday services are at 10:30 am Arts Centre) and has competed March and May/June each year. Auditions brought the music and traditions of and the choir sings September to June. Internationally placing 13th i.n the for all sections will be held in May 2004 Armenia to Canadian audiences. The sharon.beckstead@sympatico.ca World in 2003. Rehearsals take place for the fall term starting September 2004. repertoire includes Armenian folk and Sharon Beckstead: 416-425-1253 x 23 every Monday from 7:30 to 10:30 pm at Contact Artistic Director Keith Miiller by classical selections, as well as opera www.leaside.org Harmony Hall, 2 Gower Street, Toronto. e-mail for more information or to arrange choruses sung in Italian and French. Extra rehearsal may be necessary an audition. Under the direction of David Varjabed, LES VOIX DU COEUR around shows and competitions. keithmuller@rogers.com a renowned baritone, the choir has The choir was founded with the support Potential members do not have to read 416-778-1898 performed to great critical acclaim in of the Conseil des Eccles Fran~a ises de music but must pass an audition. www.kammermusiktoronto.com both Toronto and Montreal. la Communaute Urbaine de Toronto, and info@MegaCityChorus.com Members have the opportunity to learn celebrates its 10th anniversary this Jonathan Foster: 416-702-1112 vocal technique with David, a highly year. Les voix du coeur is the only www.MegaCityChorus.com KING EDWARD CHOIR skilled vocal teacher and voice French community choir in Toronto. It Since its inception in 1952, The King pedagogue. Rehearsals are on Tuesday is comprised of 35 members and a choir METROPOLITAN UNITED CHURCH Edward Choir of Barrie has become the and Friday at 25 Forest Manor Road PS. director, Manon Cote, . who are all area's largest mixed community choir, There are currently openings in all volunteers. Weekly rehear~als take place CHOIR AND FESTIVAL CHOIR categories (SATE). Call for audition on Wednesday nights at Ecole Etienne- The Church Choir is an auditioned choir 44 WWW. THEWHOLENOTE.COM M ay 1 - June 7 2004

of 32 with eight lead singers, rehearsing Thursday evenings, and singing Sunday mornings and on special occasions Sept-June. Repertoire is Medieval through 21st century, and singers must have some sight-singing ability. Currently a waiting list exists; contact the director late spring or early fall. The Festival Choir adds 10-15 additional singers to the core choir, and rehearses Sunday afternoons for six weeks prior to a Good Friday concert of music appropriate to the day. Past concerts featured sacred works by Bach, Mozart, Faure, Durufle, Gilles; Schuetz, Distler and others. Metropolitan United also has the following: Cherub Choir (ages 4-6), Metropolitan Choristers (7-11), Youth Choir (12 up), and Metropolitan Handbells. These groups are open to all. Dr. Patricia Wright, Director. palriciaw@melunited.org Patricia Wright: 416-363-0331 x26 www.metunited.org MILTON CHORISTERS The Milton Choristers celebrate their 35th anniversary with Songs for a Celebration! This group has been a vital component of the Milton commul)ity, providing the Halton region with excellence in choral music with a three concert series annually. We also participate regularly at various community events. The repertoire presented varies from the classical to contemporary and from the sacred to the secular. This season offers new and exciting opportunities to both singers and audiences. On May 30 join us for Out of the Ordinary, our 35th Anniversary Gala, a concert of operatic favourites, at the Mississauga Living Arts Centre. Rehearsals: Tuesday evenings 7:30-10:00 pm. inquiries@miltonchorislers.com Sonja van de Hoel: 905-876-3203 www.miltonchoristers.com MISSISSAUGA CHILDREN'S CHOIR Founded in 1981, the. Mississauga Children's Choir is a treble voiced choir of 120 children. Under the leadership of Music Director Thomas Bell, the MCC is dedicated to providing young singers with exceptional musical experiences through excellence in performance, education, touring and service to the community. Rehearsals are weekly in east May 1 - June 7 2004 Mississauga, Mondays -Training Chorus {ages 6-8) and Children's Chorus (aged 8 -12); Tuesdays- Youth Chorus (aged 12 - · 17). The MCC has an active schedule each NATHANIEL DETT CHORALE season of concerts, festivals, recordings, Brainerd Blyden-Taylor is Founder/ retreats and tours. Auditions are held Artistic Director of the Nathaniel Dell March and June by appointment. Information is available on our website. info@mississaugachildrens,choir.com Kathryn Brisley: 905-624-9704 www.mississaugachildrenschoir.com MISSISSAUGA CHORAL SOCIETY The Mississauga Choral Society was founded in 1975 by a group of enthusiastic amateur musicians al the University of Toronto's Erin dale College campus. Under the artistic direction of Chrys A. Bentley for the past 27 years, the Society has blossomed into a wellrespected, semi-professional ensemble of over 70 auditioned voices. The Mississauga Choral Society rehearses every Tuesday evening (7: 15-10: 15 pm) in Port Credit from September lo June and presents at least three concerts each year at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga. The 2003-2004 season marks the choir's 29th season of choral music-making. For an audition appointment, call 905-278-7059 or visit our website. mcs@misschorsoc.com Linda Zutis: 905-278-7059 www.misschorsoc.com MISSISSAUGA FESTIVAL YOUTH CHOIR The MFYC, Deborah Bradley, Artistic Director, is open by audition to youth ages 9 - 19, treble and changed voices. Rehearsals are held on Wednesday nights September to June. The 75- member choir offers a developmental program for beginning singers ages 9 - 11, intermediate to advanced singers ages 12- 19, and chamber choir, a 16 voice advanced ensemble. Our diverse repertoire includes classical, contemporary, jazz, and gospel, with special emphasis on world music. Tuition assistance is available to students with financial need. Plans for the 2004-2005 season include a cultural exchange tour to Santiago de Cuba. info@mississaugachildrenschoir.com Deborah Bradley: 905-276-5732 www.mississaugachildrenschoir.com _(MttUitf Cfiora[ Celebration Chorale, Canada's first professional choral group created with an expressed mandate to perform Afrocentric music both in its Toronto home and on lour. The Chorale is comprised of 21 classically trained musicians and provides a forum for promoting public awareness of, and interest in, original works of Afrocentric composers, past, present and future. The Chorale is involved in developing an active musical commissioning program, curriculum for use in schools, lectures, demonstrations and master classes. Auditions by appointment only; one piece each of classical, jazz and gospel/ r&b. Sight reading necessary. info@nathanieldettchorale.org Alexa Venus White-Hawley: 416-340~ 7000, www.nathanieldettchorale.org NORFOLK NOTE-ABLES We are in our 8th year and presently have 20 auditioned singers from ages 11 - 18. We rehearse weekly for one and a half hours. We sing mostly locally for community events, schools and nursing homes. We have been to the Ottawa Tulip festival and will be visiting Toroljto and the Randolph Academy on May 7. This year we have initiated a training choir from ages 8-10 which rehearses for 3/4 of an hour weekly. We recently participated in the Norfolk Musical Arts Festival and won Overall Best Choir of the year. Rehearsals take place at First· Baptist Church in Simcoe, Ontario. irvinmg@kwic.com Marianna Irvin: 519-426-1865 NORTH 44° ENSEMBLE North 44° Ensemble was founded in the year 2000 by Artistic Director Geoffrey Butler. An affiliate of the Toronto Choral s'ociety, the ensemble consists of 22 auditioned members who are dedicated to excellence and eclecticism in choral music. North 44° is currently featured on the Juno nominated CD The Children of Lir by Loretto Reid. African Rhythms, our upcoming concert in May, 2004, features a selection of sounds and tales special engagements. North 44° rehearses once a week, on Tuesday evenings in the Toronto core. info@north44ensemble.org Deborah Micucci: 905 764-5140 www.north44ensemble.org NORTH METRO CHORUS North Metro Chorus is a vibrant group of approximately 180 women who sing 4-part harmony a cappella. As a show chorus, we have performed al major venues in Canada and the USA. As a member of Sweet Adelines International, we compete regularly and have been international champions three limes. Our repertoire includes popular show tunes, inspirational music as well as traditional barbershop songs. Our director, June Dale, winner of the Ontario Choral Federation's award for outstanding achievement, has been our director for 30 years. North Metro rehearses Wednesdays from 7:30 - 10.00 pm at St. Clement of Ohrid Macedonian Cathedral, 76 Overlea Blvd. Toronto · Audition requirements are available upon request. carry@sympatico.ca Carol Archer: 416-495-7 436 www.northmetrochorus.com NORTHUMBERLAND ORCHESTRA AND CHOIR Now in its 26th season, the Northumberland Orchestra & Choir, comprising 60 members, is the County's first purveyor of orchestral and choral music. The NOC is a community organization with members of all ages and from all walks of life that have in common a love of making music. Our accomplished Music Director and Conductor is Maestro Matthew Jaskiewicz. We invite fellow choristers and musicians to join us. Rehearsals are Tuesday evenings for the choir and Wednesday evenings for the orchestra, at Trinity United Church in Cobourg, from Labour Day until the end of May. Choir members need some experience singing in a choir along with the ability to read music. norchestra@sympatico.ca Patrick Dillon: 905-342-9295 www.norchestra.ca from Africa. Performances include two OAKHAM HOUSE CHOIR major concerts per year, as well as Oakham House Choir offers you the , WWW.THEWHOLENOTE.COM 45

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Volume 26 (2020- )

Vol. 26

Volume 26 Issue 1 - September 2020

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Choral Scene: Uncharted territory: three choirs finding paths forward; Music Theatre: Loose Tea on the boil with Alaina Viau’s Dead Reckoning; In with the New: what happens to soundart when climate change meets COVID-19; Call to action: diversity, accountability, and reform in post-secondary jazz studies; 9th Annual TIFF Tips: a filmfest like no other; Remembering: Leon Fleisher; DISCoveries: a NY state of mind; 25th anniversary stroll-through; and more. Online in flip through here, and on stands commencing Tues SEP 1.

Volume 26 Issue 2 - October 2020

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Following the Goldberg trail from Gould to Lang Lang; Measha Brueggergosman and Edwin Huizinga on face to face collaboration in strange times; diggings into dance as FFDN keeps live alive; "Classical unicorn?" - Luke Welch reflects on life as a Black classical pianist; Debashis Sinha's adventures in sound art; choral lessons from Skagit Valley; and the 21st annual WholeNote Blue Pages (part 1 of 3) in print and online. Here now. And, yes, still in print, with distribution starting Thursday October 1.

Volume 26 Issue 3 - November 2020

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Alanis Obomsawin's art of life; fifteen Exquisite Departures; UnCovered re(dis)covered; jazz in the kitchen; three takes on managing record releases in times of plague; baroque for babies; presenter directory (blue pages) part two; and, here at the WholeNote, work in progress on four brick walls (or is it five?). All this and more available in flipthrough HERE, and in print Tuesday Nov 3.

Volume 26 Issue 4 - December 2020 / January 2021

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In this issue: Beautiful Exceptions, Sing-Alone Messiahs, Livingston’s Vocal Pleasures, Chamber Beethoven, Online Opera (Plexiglass & All), Playlist for the Winter of our Discontent, The Oud & the Fuzz, Who is Alex Trebek? All this and more available in flipthrough HERE, and in print Friday December 4.

Volumes 21-25 (2015-2020)

Volume 25 Issue 9 - July / August 2020

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July/August issue is now available in flipthrough HERE, bringing to a close 25 seasons of doing what we do (and plan to continue doing), and on stands early in the week of July 5. Not the usual bucolic parade of music in the summer sun, but lots, we hope, to pass the time: links to online and virtual music; a full slate of record reviews; plenty new in the Listening Room; and a full slate of stories – the future of opera, the plight of small venues, the challenge facing orchestras, the barriers to resumption of choral life, the challenges of isolation for real-time music; the steps some festivals are taking to keep the spirit and substance of what they do alive. And intersecting with all of it, responses to the urgent call for anti-racist action and systemic change.

Volume 25 Issue 8 - May / June 2020

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"COVID's Metamorphoses"? "There's Always Time (Until Suddenly There Isn't)"? "The Writing on the Wall"? It's hard to know WHAT to call this latest chapter in the extraordinary story we are all of a sudden characters in. By whatever name we call it, the MAY/JUNE combined issue of The WholeNote is now available, HERE in flip through format, in print commencing Wednesday May 6, and, in fully interactive form, online at thewholenote.com. Our 18th Annual Choral Canary Pages, scheduled for publication in print and flip through in September is already well underway with the first 50 choirs home to roost and more being added every week online. Community Voices, our cover story, brings to you the thoughts of 30 musical community members, all going through what we are going through (and with many more to come as the feature gets amplified online over the course of the coming months). And our regular writers bring their personal thoughts to the mix. Finally, a full-fledged DISCoveries review section offers cues and clues to recorded music for your solitary solace!

Volume 25 Issue 7 - April 2020

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After some doubt that we would be allowed to go to press, in respect to wide-ranging Ontario business closures relating to COVID-19, The WholeNote magazine for April 2020 is now on press, and print distribution – modified to respect community-wide closures and the need for appropriate distancing – starts Monday March 30. Meanwhile the full magazine is right here, digitally, so if you value us PLEASE SHARE THIS LINK AS WIDELY AS YOU CAN. It's the safest way for us to reach the widest possible audience at this time!

Volume 25 Issue 6 - March 2020

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FEATURED: Music & Health writer Vivien Fellegi explores music, blindness & the plasticity of perception; David Jaeger digs into Gustavo Gimeno's plans for new music in his upcoming first season as music director at TSO; pianist James Rhodes, here for an early March recital, speaks his mind in a Q&A with Paul Ennis; and Lydia Perovic talks music and more with rising Turkish-Canadian mezzo Beste Kalender. Also, among our columns, Peggy Baker Dance Projects headlines Wende Bartley's In with the New; Steve Wallace's Jazz Notes rushes in definitionally where many fear to tread; ... and more.

Volume 25 Issue 5 - February 2020

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Visions of 2020! Sampling from back to front for a change: in Rearview Mirror, Robert Harris on the Beethoven he loves (and loves to hate!); Errol Gay, a most musical life remembered; Luna Pearl Woolf in focus in recordings editor David Olds' "Editor's Corner" and in Jenny Parr's preview of "Jacqueline"; Speranza Scappucci explains how not to reinvent Rossini; The Indigo Project, where "each piece of cloth tells a story"; and, leading it all off, Jully Black makes a giant leap in "Caroline, or Change." And as always, much more. Now online in flip-through format here and on stands starting Thurs Jan 30.

Volume 25 Issue 4 - December 2019 / January 2020

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Welcome to our December/January issue as we turn the annual calendar page, halfway through our season for the 25th time, juggling as always, secular stuff, the spirit of the season, new year resolve and winter journeys! Why is Mozart's Handel's Messiah's trumpet a trombone? Why when Laurie Anderson offers to fly you to the moon you should take her up on the invitation. Why messing with Winterreisse can (sometimes) be a very good thing! And a bumper crop of record reviews for your reading (and sometimes listening) pleasure. Available in flipthrough here right now, and on stands commencing Thursday Nov 28. See you on the other side!

Volume 25 Issue 3 - November 2019

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On the slim chance you might not have already heard the news, Estonian Canadian composing giant Udo Kasemets was born the same year that Leo Thermin invented the theremin --1919. Which means this is the centenary year for both of them, and both are being celebrated in style, as Andrew Timar and MJ Buell respectively explain. And that's just a taste of a bustling November, with enough coverage of music of both the delectably substantial and delightfully silly on hand to satisfy one and all.

Volume 25 Issue 2 - October 2019

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Long promised, Vivian Fellegi takes a look at Relaxed Performance practice and how it is bringing concert-going barriers down across the spectrum; Andrew Timar looks at curatorial changes afoot at the Music Gallery; David Jaeger investigates the trumpets of October; the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution (and the 20th Anniversary of our October Blue Pages Presenter profiles) in our Editor's Opener; the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir at 125; Tapestry at 40 and Against the Grain at 10; ringing in the changing season across our features and columns; all this and more, now available in Flip Through format here, and on the stands commencing this coming Friday September 27, 2019. Enjoy.

Volume 25 Issue 1 - September 2019

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Vol 1 of our 25th season is now here! And speaking of 25, that's how many films in the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival editor Paul Ennis, in our Eighth Annual TIFF TIPS, has chosen to highlight for their particular musical interest. Also inside: Rob Harris looks through the Rear View Mirror at past and present prognostications about the imminent death of classical music; Mysterious Barricades and Systemic Barriers are Lydia Perović's preoccupations in Art of Song; Andrew Timar reflects on the evolving priorities of the Polaris Prize; and elsewhere, it's chocks away as yet another season creaks or roars (depending on the beat) into motion. Welcome back.

Volume 24 Issue 9 - June / July / August 2019

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Volume 24 Issue 8 - May 2019

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What a range of stuff! A profile of Liz Upchurch, the COC ensemble studio's vocal mentor extraordinaire; a backgrounder on win-win faith/arts centre partnerships and ways of exploring the possibilities; an interview with St. Petersburg-based Eifman Ballet's Boris Eifman; Ana Sokolovic's violin concert Evta finally coming to town; a Love Letter to YouTube, and much more. Plus our 17th annual Canary Pages Choral directory if all you want to do is sing! sing! sing!

Volume 24 Issue 7 - April 2019

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Arraymusic, the Music Gallery and Native Women in the Arts join for a mini-festival celebrating the work of composer, performer and installation artist Raven Chacon; Music and Health looks at the role of Healing Arts Ontario in supporting concerts in care facilities; Kingston-based composer Marjan Mozetich's life and work are celebrated in film; "Forest Bathing" recontextualizes Schumann, Shostakovich and Hindemith; in Judy Loman's hands, the harp can sing; Mahler's Resurrection bursts the bounds of symphonic form; Ed Bickert, guitar master remembered. All this and more in our April issue, now online in flip-through here, and on stands commencing Friday March 29.

Volume 24 Issue 6 - March 2019

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Something Old, Something New! The Ide(a)s of March are Upon Us! Rob Harris's Rear View Mirror looks forward to a tonal revival; Tafelmusik expands their chronological envelope in two directions, Esprit makes wave after wave; Pax Christi's new oratorio by Barbara Croall catches the attention of our choral and new music columnists; and summer music education is our special focus, right when warm days are once again possible to imagine. All this and more in our March 2019 edition, available in flipthrough here, and on the stands starting Thursday Feb 28.

Volume 24 Issue 5 - February 2019

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In this issue: A prize that brings lustre to its laureates (and a laureate who brings lustre to the prize); Edwin Huizinga on the journey of Opera Atelier's "The Angel Speaks" from Versailles to the ROM; Danny Driver on playing piano in the moment; Remembering Neil Crory (a different kind of genius)' Year of the Boar, Indigeneity and Opera; all this and more in Volume 24 #5. Online in flip through, HERE and on the stands commencing Thursday Jan 31.

Volume 24 Issue 4 - December 2018 / January 2019

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When is a trumpet like a motorcycle in a dressage event? How many Brunhilde's does it take to change an Elektra? Just two of the many questions you've been dying to ask, to which you will find answers in a 24th annual combined December/January issue – in which our 11 beat columnists sift through what's on offer in the upcoming holiday month, and what they're already circling in their calendars for 2019. Oh, and features too: a klezmer violinist breathing new life into a very old film; two New Music festivals in January, 200 metres apart; a Music & Health story on the restorative powers of a grassroots exercise in collective music-making; even a good reason to go to Winnipeg in the dead of winter. All this and more in Vol 24 No 4, now available in flipthrough format here.

Volume 24 Issue 3 - November 2018

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Reluctant arranger! National Ballet Orchestra percussionist Kris Maddigan on creating the JUNO and BAFTA award-winning smash hit Cuphead video game soundtrack; Evergreen by name and by nature, quintessentially Canadian gamelan (Andrew Timar explains); violinist Angèle Dubeau on 20 years and 60 million streams; two children’s choirs where this month remembrance and living history must intersect. And much more, online in our kiosk now, and on the street commencing Thursday November 1.

Volume 24 Issue 2 - October 2018

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Presenters, start your engines! With TIFF and "back-to-work" out of the way, the regular concert season rumbles to life, and, if our Editor's Opener can be trusted, "Seeking Synergies" seems to be the name of the game. Denise Williams' constantly evolving "Walk Together Children" touching down at the Toronto Centre for the Arts; the second annual Festival of Arabic Music and Arts expanding its range; a lesson in Jazz Survival with Steve Wallace; the 150 presenter and performer profiles in our 19th annual Blue Pages directory... this is an issue that is definitely more than the sum of its parts.

Volume 24 Issue 1 - September 2018

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In this issue: The WholeNote's 7th Annual TIFF TIPS guide to festival films with musical clout; soprano Erin Wall in conversation with Art of Song columnist Lydia Perovic, about more than the art of song; a summer's worth of recordings reviewed; Toronto Chamber Choir at 50 (is a few close friends all it takes?); and much more, as the 2018/19 season gets under way.

Volume 23 Issue 9 - June / July / August 2018

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PLANTING NOT PAVING! In this JUNE / JULY /AUGUST combined issue: Farewell interviews with TSO's Peter Oundjian and Stratford Summer Music's John Miller, along with "going places" chats with Luminato's Josephine Ridge, TD Jazz's Josh Grossman and Charm of Finches' Terry Lim. ) Plus a summer's worth of fruitful festival inquiry, in the city and on the road, in a feast of stories and our annual GREEN PAGES summer Directory.

Volume 23 Issue 8 - May 2018

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In this issue: our sixteenth annual Choral Canary Pages; coverage of 21C, Estonian Music Week and the 3rd Toronto Bach Festival (three festivals that aren’t waiting for summer!); and features galore: “Final Finales” for Larry Beckwith’s Toronto Masque Theatre and for David Fallis as artistic director of Toronto Consort; four conductors on the challenges of choral conducting; operatic Hockey Noir; violinist Stephen Sitarski’s perspective on addressing depression; remembering bandleader, composer and saxophonist Paul Cram. These and other stories, in our May 2018 edition of the magazine.

Volume 23 Issue 7 - April 2018

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In this issue: we talk with jazz pianist Thompson Egbo-Egbo about growing up in Toronto, building a musical career, and being adaptive to change; pianist Eve Egoyan prepares for her upcoming Luminato project and for the next stage in her long-term collaborative relationship with Spanish-German composer Maria de Alvear; jazz violinist Aline Homzy, halfway through preparing for a concert featuring standout women bandleaders, talks about social equity in the world of improvised music; and the local choral community celebrates the life and work of choral conductor Elmer Iseler, 20 years after his passing.

Volume 23 Issue 6 - March 2018

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In this issue: Canadian Stage, Tapestry Opera and Vancouver Opera collaborate to take Gogol’s short story The Overcoat to the operatic stage; Montreal-based Sam Shalabi brings his ensemble Land of Kush, and his newest composition, to Toronto; Five Canadian composers, each with a different CBC connection, are nominated for JUNOs; and The WholeNote team presents its annual Summer Music Education Directory, a directory of summer music camps, programs and courses across the province and beyond.

Volume 23 Issue 5 - February 2018

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Volume 23 Issue 4 - December 2017 / January 2018

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In this issue: composer Nicole Lizée talks about her love for analogue equipment, and the music that “glitching” evokes; Richard Rose, artistic director at the Tarragon Theatre, gives us insights into their a rock-and-roll Hamlet, now entering production; Toronto prepares for a mini-revival of Schoenberg’s music, with three upcoming shows at New Music Concerts; and the local music theatre community remembers and celebrates the life and work of Mi’kmaq playwright and performer Cathy Elliott . These and other stories, in our double-issue December/January edition of the magazine.

Volume 23 Issue 3 - November 2017

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In this issue: conversations (of one kind or another) galore! Daniela Nardi on taking the reins at "best-kept secret" venue, 918 Bathurst; composer Jeff Ryan on his "Afghanistan" Requiem for a Generation" partnership with war poet, Susan Steele; lutenist Ben Stein on seventeenth century jazz; collaborative pianist Philip Chiu on going solo; Barbara Hannigan on her upcoming Viennese "Second School" recital at Koerner; Tina Pearson on Pauline Oliveros; and as always a whole lot more!

Volume 23 Issue 2 - October 2017

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In this issue: several local artists reflect on the memory of composer Claude Vivier, as they prepare to perform his music; Vancouver gets ready to host international festival ISCM World New Music Days, which is coming to Canada for the second time since its inception in 1923; one of the founders of Artword Artbar, one of Hamilton’s staple music venues, on the eve of the 5th annual Steel City Jazz Festival, muses on keeping urban music venues alive; and a conversation with pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, as he prepares for an ambitious recital in Toronto. These and other stories, in our October 2017 issue of the magazine.

Volume 23 Issue 1 - September 2017

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In this issue: a look at why musicians experience stage fright, and how to combat it; an inside look at the second Kensington Market Jazz Festival, which zeros in on one of Toronto’s true ‘music villages’; an in-depth interview with Elisa Citterio, new music director of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra; and The WholeNote’s guide to TIFF, with suggestions for the 20 most musical films at this year’s festival. These and other stories, in our September 2017 issue of the magazine!

Volume 22 Issue 9 - Summer 2017

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CBC Radio's Lost Horizon; Pinocchio as Po-Mo Operatic Poster Boy; Meet the Curators (Crow, Bernstein, Ridge); a Global Music Orchestra is born; and festivals, festivals, festivals in our 13th annual summer music Green Pages. All this and more in our three-month June-through August summer special issue, now available in flipthrough HERE and on the stands commencing Thursday June 1.

Volume 22 Issue 8 - May 2017

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From science fact in "Integral Man: Music and the Movies," to science fiction in the editor's opener; from World Fiddle Day at the Aga Khan Museum to three Canadians at the Cliburn; from wanting to sashay across the 401 to Chamberfest in Montreal to exploring the Continuum of Jumblies Theatre's 20-year commitment to the Community Play (there's a pun in there somewhere!).

Volume 22 Issue 7 - April 2017

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In this issue: Our podcast ramps up with interviews in March with fight director Jenny Parr, countertenor Daniel Taylor, and baritone Russell Braun; two views of composer John Beckwith at 90; how music’s connection to memory can assist with the care of patients with Alzheimer’s; musical celebrations in film and jazz, at National Canadian Film Day and Jazz Day; and a preview of Louis Riel, which opens this month at the COC. These and other stories, in our April 2017 issue of the magazine!

Volume 22 Issue 6 - March 2017

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Volume 22 Issue 5 - February 2017

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In this issue: an interview with composer/vocalist Jeremy Dutcher, on his upcoming debut album and unique compositional voice; a conversation with Boston Symphony hornist James Sommerville, as as the BSO gets ready to come to his hometown; Stuart Hamilton, fondly remembered; and an inside look at Hugh’s Room, as it enters a complicated chapter in the story of its life in the complex fabric of our musical city. These and other stories, as we celebrate the past and look forward to the rest of 2016/17, the first glimpses of 2017/18, and beyond!

Volume 22 Issue 4 - December 2016/January 2017

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In this issue: a conversation with pianist Stewart Goodyear, in advance of his upcoming show at Koerner Hall; a preview of the annual New Year’s phenomenon that is Bravissimo!/Salute to Vienna; an inside look at music performance in Toronto’s health-care centres; and a reflection on the incredible life and lasting influence of the late Pauline Oliveros. These and more, in a special December/January combined issue!

Volume 22 Issue 3 - November 2016

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Volume 22 Issue 2 - October 2016

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In this issue: David Jaeger and Alex Pauk’s most memorable R. Murray Schafer collabs, in this month’s installment of Jaeger’s CBC Radio Two: The Living Legacy; an interview with flutist Claire Chase, who brings new music and mindset to Toronto this month; an investigation into the strange coincidence of three simultaneous Mendelssohn Elijahs this Nov 5; and of course, our annual Blue Pages, a who’s who of southern Ontario’s live music scene- a community as prolific and multifaceted as ever. These and more, as we move full-force into the 2016/17 concert season- all aboard!

Volume 22 Issue 1 - September 2016

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Music lover's TIFF (our fifth annual guide to the Toronto International Film Festival); Aix Marks the Spot (how Brexit could impact on operatic co-production); The Unstoppable Howard Cable (an affectionate memoir of a late chapter in the life of of a great Canadian arranger; Kensington Jazz Story (the newest kid on the festival block flexes its muscles). These stories and much more as we say a lingering goodbye to summer and turn to the task, for the 22nd season, of covering the live and recorded music that make Southern Ontario tick.

Volume 21 Issue 9 - Summer 2016

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It's combined June/July/August summer issue time with, we hope, enough between the covers to keep you dipping into it all through the coming lazy, hazy days. From Jazz Vans racing round "The Island" delivering pop-up brass breakouts at the roadside, to Bach flute ambushes strolling "The Grove, " to dozens of reasons to stay in the city. May yours be a summer where you find undiscovered musical treasures, and, better still, when, unexpectedly, the music finds you.

Volume 21 Issue 8 - May 2016

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INSIDE: The Canaries Are Here! 116 choirs to choose from, so take the plunge! The Nylons hit the road after one last SING! Fling. Jazz writer Steve Wallace wonders "Watts Goode" rather than "what's new?" Paul Ennis has the musical picks of the HotDocs crop. David Jaeger's CBC Radio continues golden for a little while yet. Douglas McNabney is Music's Child. Leipzig meets Damascus in Alison Mackay's fertile imagination. And "C" is for KRONOS in Wende Bartley's koverage of the third annual 21C Festival. All this and as usual much much more. Enjoy.

Volume 21 Issue 7 - April 2016

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Volume 21 Issue 6 - March 2016

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From 30 camp profiles to spark thoughts of being your summer musical best, to testing LUDWIG as you while away the rest of so-called winter; from Scottish Opera and the Danish Midtvest, to a first Toronto recital appearance by violin superstar Maxim Vengerov; from musings on New Creations and new creation, to the boy who made a habit of crying Beowulf; it's a month of merry meetings and rousing recordings reviewed, all here to discover in The WholeNote.

Volume 21 Issue 5 - February 2016

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2016 is off to a flying start! We chronicle the Artful Times of Andrew Burashko, the violistic versatility of Teng Li, the ageless ebullience of jazz pianist Gene DiNovi and the ninetieth birthday of trumpeter Johnny Cowell. Jaeger remembers Boulez; Waxman recalls Bley's influence, and Olds finds Bowie haunting Editor's Corner. Oh, and did we mention there's all that music? Hello (and goodbye) to the February blues, and here's to swinging through the musical vines of the Year of the Monkey.

Volume 21 Issue 4 - December 2015/January 2016

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What's a vinyl renaissance? What happens when Handel's Messiah runs afoul of the rumba rhythm setting on a (gasp!) Hammond organ? What work does Marc-Andre Hamelin say he would be content to have on every recital program he plays? What are Steve Wallace's favourite fifty Christmas recordings? Why is violinist Daniel Hope celebrating Yehudi Menuhin's 100th birthday at Koerner Hall January 28? Answers to all these questions (and a whole lot more) in the Dec/Jan issue of The WholeNote.

Volume 21 Issue 3 - November 2015

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"Come" seems to be the verb that knits this month's issue together. Sondra Radvanovsky comes to Koerner, William Norris comes to Tafel as their new GM, opera comes to Canadian Stage; and (a long time coming!) Jane Bunnett's musicianship and mentorship are honoured with the Premier's award for excellence; plus David Jaeger's ongoing series on the golden years of CBC Radio Two, Andrew Timar on hybridity, a bumper crop of record reviews and much much more. Come on in!

Volume 21 Issue 2 - October 2015

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Vol 21 No 2 is now available for your viewing pleasure, and it's a bumper crop, right at the harvest moon. First ever Canadian opera on the Four Seasons Centre main stage gets double coverage with Wende Bartley interviewing Pyramus and Thisbe composer Barbara Monk Feldman and Chris Hoile connecting with director Christopher Alden; Paul Ennis digs into the musical mind of pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, and pianist Eve Egoyan is "On the Record" in conversation with publisher David Perlman ahead of the Oct release concert for her tenth recording. And at the heart of it all the 16th edition of our annual BLUE PAGES directory of presenters profile the season now well and truly under way.

Volume 21 Issue 1 - September 2015

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Paul Ennis's annual TIFF TIPS (27 festival films of potential particular musical interest); Wu Man, Yo-Yo Ma and Jeffrey Beecher on the Silk Road; David Jaeger on CBC Radio Music in the days it was committed to commissioning; the LISTENING ROOM continues to grow on line; DISCoveries is back, bigger than ever; and Mary Lou Fallis says Trinity-St. Paul's is Just the Spot (especially this coming Sept 25!).