The ETCeteras

Dec 7 6:00: The Minstrel Foundation for Music & Arts Advancement. Sip, Savour & Celebrate. 16^th annual fundraising event to fund music lessons, Christmas, March Break and summer music camps and scholarships for advanced education, for the benefit of youth in inner city and new immigrant communities across Toronto. Wine tasting, hot and cold appetizers and holiday cocktails. Entertainment by the Humber College Community Jazz Band, Minstrel graduate Thomson Egbo-Egbo and the Minstrel student award winners for 2014. Canada’s National Ballet School, 400 Jarvis St. 416-944-8244. minstrelfoundation.org  $150.

Dec 31 9:00pm-11:59pm: Toronto All-Star Big Band. New Year’s Eve Gala. Featuring a buffet dinner, party favours, a sweets table at 11pm, and a champagne toast with truffles at midnight, with live big band music by TABB until 1am. Toronto Don Valley Hotel & Suites, 175 Wynford Drive. 416-385-6726. $155 (plus tax) per person; overnight packages are also available.

Jan 29 8:00: Tapestry Opera. 35^th Anniversary Celebration Friend Raiser. Cocktail party with special guest performances, Tapestry Retrospective Exhibition, pop-up food stations, DJ and dancing. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street W. Information and registration: Tapestryopera.com  Free. 

2015 Honens International Piano Competition. Application deadline: February 2 2015. Pianists of all nationalities, aged 20 to 30 on September 3, 2015, with the exception of past Honens Laureates and professionally managed pianists, may apply. For comprehensive details, please see honens.com 

Dec 2 to Dec 16 (Tuesdays), 10:00am–12:00 noon: Royal Conservatory of Music. The Glorious Music of Christmas: A 3-week course. Delve into the rich treasury of music from all ages, from Handel’s Messiah, to J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, favourite carols, and more! 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-2825. $160.

Jan 5 2015: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Deadline for applications for OBSERVERS, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir Choral Conductors’ Symposium. The Symposium brings five emerging choral conductors together to work for five days with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, the Elora Festival Singers, and Noel Edison. Observers are welcome at all sessions. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St. tmchoir.org/emerging-conductors-program/tmc-choral-conductors-symposium-2015/  $20/session or $50/day.

Jan 13 to Feb 3 (Tuesdays), 1:00–3:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Opera in the City: A 4-week course. Lectures on the COC’s winter operas, Don Giovanni and Die Walküre. 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-2825. $195.
rcmusic.ca/MusicAppreciation.

Jan 15 12:10: University of Toronto Faculty of Music/Jackman Humanities Institute. Thursdays at Noon: Composing Comedy. Explore the treatment of humour, play and games in new music and new media. Organized by doctoral student Paolo Griffin, with support by Prof. Norbert Palej, the presentation will draw on the archive of film music developed by the students of composer Eric Robertson. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3744. Free.

Jan 17 1:00-4:00: University of Toronto Faculty of Music/COC. The Opera Exchange: “Directors Take the Stage: Debating Regieoper.” Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queen’s Park. 416-363-8231. $20; $15(university faculty); $10(full-time students with ID); free(for UofT Faculty of Music faculty and full-time students with ID).

Jan 21 to Mar 11 (Wednesdays), 10:00am–12:00 noon: Royal Conservatory of Music. How Music Works: An 8-week course. Enjoy the music you hear with new understanding through this guided introduction to melody, rhythm, tonality, intervals, basic notation, chords, and more! 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-2825. $395. rcmusic.ca/MusicAppreciation.

Jan 24 9:00am-5:00: University of Toronto Faculty of Music/York University/Ryerson University. Digital Media at the Crossroads. A national conference for experts and students on the future of digital media content. Features panels on subscription streaming and a “dragon’s den” on alternative business models. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queen’s Park. music.utoronto.ca  Registration information to follow. 

Jan 25 2:00: Toronto Opera Club. Guest speaker Johannes Debus, music director of the Canadian Opera Company, gives a talk on Wagner. Room 330, Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queen’s Park. 416-924-3940. $10.

Jan 28 5:30: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Lecture by Richard Bellis, Louis Applebaum Distinguished Visitor in Film Composition. An award-winning Hollywood composer, Bellis is also past president of the Society of Composers & Lyricists; served on the faculty of U of Southern California where he lectured for 11 years in the Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television program; served on the Board of Governors for the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences; currently serves on the Board of Directors of ASCAP. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3744. Free.

Jan 28 to Feb 18 (Wednesdays), 1:30pm–3:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Schubert’s Song Cycles: A 4-week course. Schubert’s songs of love, longing, and despair illuminated through lectures and live performance. 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-2825. $150. rcmusic.ca/MusicAppreciation.

Jan 31 9:00am-5:00: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Interdisciplinary Colloquy to Understand Creativity (ICUC). A look at creativity, from social and economic values to philosophical interpretations, from spiritual and humanistic interactions to explorations of musical interpretation, improvisation and composition as applications of creative thinking and knowledge production. Features keynote speakers from multiple disciplines, short research papers, and performances with commentary. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queen’s Park. Registration mandatory: go to icuc.eventbrite.ca for free tickets.

Feb 2 12:10: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. New Music Festival: Roundtable Discussion. With guests from the Sichuan Conservatory, the Guizhou Conservatory and the Chinese Conservatory of Hong Kong. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3744. Free.

Feb 5 3:30: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Alexander Rehding, Kenneth H. Peacock Lecturer. Fanny Peabody Professor of Music and Chair of the theory department at Harvard U’s Dept. of Music. As a music theorist, Rehding is interested in the question of how music has been understood at different times in history: the history of music theory, paleo- and neo-Riemannian theory, music-aesthetic questions, and issues of sound and media. Room 130, Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3744. Free.

Dec 6 3:00: Arraymusic. Udo Kasemets - Uncompromising Experimentalist - Day One.

A tribute to one of Toronto’s most respected thinkers and composers. Features a screening of Kasemets’ piano concerto, written for Array’s pianist Stephen Clarke and performed by Toronto’s New Music Concerts. This DVD contains the definitive performance of the work and an interview with Kasemets. Then, a film by Mani Mazinani puts together this fine multimedia artist and Kasemets’ solo piano work. During the afternoon an animated video that accompanies Kasemets’ Calendar Round, based on the Mayan calendar, will play. The Array Space, 155 Walnut Street (2nd floor). 416-532-3019.
$10.

Dec 6 8:00: Small World Music Centre. Film Screening: The Stirring of a Thousand Bells. Two films take viewers on a visual / musical tour of life in Indonesia: Sekaten - Java’s most cosmic music festival where the old world and the new are colliding, creating captivating images and sound; Srimpi Muncar - Enchanting melodies and meditative dance from Mangkunegaran Palace, with arresting images from throughout Java. 180 Shaw St., Studio 101. 416-536-5439. $10.

Jan 18 4:00 and 7:30: Toronto Jewish Film Society/Kulanu Toronto/Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival. Cupcakes. When a bunch of Tel Aviv neighbours composes a tune to cheer up one of their own, they don’t imagine that it will be entered in a European song contest. An exuberant and uplifting film from Israeli filmmaker Eytan Fox that will have you dancing in the aisles. Guest speaker: Jamie Levin.
Al Green Theatre in the Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Ave. 416-924-6211 x606. $15; $10(ages18-35).  

Jan 27 6:30: Royal Conservatory of Music/Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. Music on Film. Screening of film “Let’s Get Lost,” revealing the life of legendary jazz musician Chet Baker. Featuring Baker’s family, friends and musicians, including William Claxton, Andy Minkser and many more. Toronto saxophonist Pat LaBarbera, who played with Baker on his frequent trips to Toronto, will participate in a post-screening Q&A. Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, 506 Bloor St. West. 416-637-3123, bloorcinema.com  $15; $12(Bloor members).

Dec 2 8:00: Arraymusic. Evening of Improvisation. With artistic director Rick Sacks, some of Toronto’s finest musicians, friends and out-of-town guests, heralding a return to the Columbia U Radio jams or the great tradition of CCMC Music Gallery evenings. The Array Space, 155 Walnut Street (2nd floor). 416-532-3019. PWYC.

Dec 14 11:00am-1:00: Morris Winchevsky School. Latkes & Light... A Chanukah Delight!‘ ‘Chanukah Sing-A-Long’ led by children’s songwriter & performer Marni Levitt; interactive activities including Chanukah stories & music, arts & crafts and more. A family-friendly event to celebrate the Festival of Lights. 918 Bathurst Street. 416-789-5502. $5/person; $10/family. Please bring a potluck lunch contribution.

Feb 7 8:00: Arraymusic. Evening of improvisation. With artistic director Rick Sacks, some of Toronto’s finest musicians, friends and out-of-town guests, heralding a return to the Columbia U 

Radio jams or the great tradition of CCMC Music Gallery evenings. The Array Space, 155 Walnut Street (2nd floor). 416-532-3019. PWYC.

December 5-7, 12-14, 19-21 various times (please check daily listings): Church of the Holy Trinity. The Christmas Story. Nativity pageant with acting and music. Susan Watson, director. 19 Trinity Square. thechristmasstory.ca  416-598-4521 Ext. 301. Suggested donation: $20(adults); $5(children 17 & under).

Dec 2 12:10: U of Toronto Faculty of Music. Performance class for singers: Songs of the Season. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Bldg., 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3744. Free.

Dec 5 7:30: CAMMAC Recorder Players’ Society. Renaissance and Baroque Workshop for recorders and other early instruments. Coach: Janos Ungvary. Mount Pleasant Road Baptist Church, 527 Mount Pleasant Rd. 416-480-1853. $20(guests); $5(members). Refreshments included.

Dec 6 2:00: Musikay Early Music Ensemble. How to Handle Messiah.In this workshop/singalong,
director Stéphane Potvin will present examples of different interpretations of some key selections, discuss their appeal and merit, and let you discover the secrets hidden in the music. In addition, there will be a chance to sing some of the majestic choral selections from Handel’s masterpiece, and some solos too! Grace Lutheran Church, 304 Spruce St. Oakville. 905-825-9740, musikay.ca $30.

Dec 7 2:30: Musikay Early Music Ensemble. How to Handle Messiah.See Dec 6.Grace Lutheran Church, 1107 Main Street West, Hamilton.

Dec 19 11:59pm: Tapestry New Opera. Deadline to apply for New Opera 101: An Intensive Workshop for Singers and Collaborative Pianists. Please see Jan 23 and 24 listing below for details. 

Jan 2 7:30: CAMMAC Recorder Players’ Society. Renaissance and Baroque Workshop for recorders and other early instruments. Mount Pleasant Road Baptist Church, 527 Mount Pleasant Rd. 416-480-1853. $15(guests); members free. Refreshments included.

Jan 17 10:30 am-1:00 pm: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Singsation Saturday. Join Canadian Opera Company chorus master Sandra Horst to sing through some well-loved opera choruses. Sandra is also head coach/conductor and chorus director for the Opera Division of UofT’s Faculty of Music. Bring your diva and join us for what is always a popular Singsation! Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St. 416-598-0422. $10.

Jan 23 7:30: CAMMAC Recorder Players’ Society. Renaissance and Baroque Workshop for recorders and other early instruments. Mount Pleasant Road Baptist Church, 527 Mount Pleasant Rd. 416-480-1853. $15(guests); members free. Refreshments included.

Jan 23 and 24: Tapestry New Opera. New Opera 101: An Intensive Workshop for Singers and Collaborative Pianists. Two day intensive in which artistic director and stage director Michael Mori, baritone Peter McGillivray and collaborative pianist Dr. Christopher Foley will coach participants and address the demanding role of singers and pianists in interpreting new opera. Each performer will be coached in an aria or duet from the Tapestry Songbook – a library of produced operas from Tapestry’s 35 year history. Participants may have the opportunity to perform alongside Mr. McGillivray and Dr. Foley on the evening of Saturday January 24, in Tapestry’s Songbook V concert. Applications are due by electronic form submission by Friday December 19, 2014 11:59pm EST.
tapestryopera.com

Jan 25 2:00: CAMMAC Toronto Region. Choral Reading: “Polyphony from the High Renaissance”. Music by Byrd, Lassus, Victoria and Gabrieli. Dallas Bergen, conductor. Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. 416-605-2973. $10; $6(members).

Jan 26 6:30: Canadian Music Centre. Score Reading Club. Don’t read music? Don’t worry! The Score Reading Club provides an accessible way for music enthusiasts to learn about various contemporary Canadian compositions through presentations given by passionate community  members. Presented by composer Samuel Andreyev and others. Start time 7:00. 20 St. Joseph St. 416-961-6601 x201. Free.