As with any business, there’s more to music making than meets the eye. In our last issue, we featured conversations with some of the local live music scene’s industry professionals – spanning the roles of acoustician, librarian, set designer and even surtitles operator – who help keep the music happening and the machine running smoothly. Also among those unspoken heroes of this city’s musical life are the concert curators – those who do all of the artistic directing and season organizing, and whose job descriptions require a very special type of behind-the-scenes musical genius.
Here follow conversations with three such directors and organizers, each facing their own particular musical milestones. Tricia Baldwin, after 14 years as managing director of Tafelmusik, has just accepted a new position as director of the new Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts at Queen’s University, where a whole new series of challenges and accomplishments are in store. Lang-Ning Liu, artistic director of the Toronto International Piano Competition, is in the midst of planning and preparations for the 2014 competition this month. Finally, bassist, producer and composer George Koller is getting the ball rolling with a brand new concert series: International Divas, three all-acoustic concerts that will feature a grand total of 18 renowned female vocalists.
As each of these three curators are carried to new places – or to the next stage of a familiar planning process – they are sure to meet with unique trials and triumphs on the road ahead. Though they won’t necessarily be performing under the spotlights themselves in the coming months, they will certainly play a big part in the process of making live local music happen – an accomplishment that concertgoers, co-workers and star performers alike are sure to appreciate.
Tricia Baldwin
Outgoing: General Manager, Tafelmusik
Incoming: Director, Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts
After 14 years at Tafelmusik, have you gotten used to the rhythm and routine of gearing up for the start of a season? Life at Tafelmusik is always an adventure – every season is different so it never feels routine. Last year we opened the season with the renovations of the performance space at Trinity-St. Paul’s. This season we opened at Koerner Hall with a guest director followed by the big reveal of the renovated lobby and narthex; and other seasons we’ve started with a big international tour. What does happen every season is the huge rush of excitement. Seeing the musicians come back and hearing them rehearse just makes us feel that the world is right again with music in the air. It’s our inspiration and our fuel.
What are some of the things that you can’t ever prepare for? The fantastic new projects that the musicians conceive continue to inspire. Alison Mackay had already done the Galileo Project, so we were thinking we’d already taken on the universe…and then she came up with a fabulous new project that is involving partners in many countries. It’s fantastic that way at Tafelmusik – there is always this incredible forward propulsion. I think this is what has kept us so fresh – there is no “normal” at Tafelmusik other than scaling the next mountain!
For those areas of Tafelmusik in which you have played such a pivotal role, what are your thoughts about leaving the job behind? It has been profoundly life-changing to work with Jeanne Lamon, who has been an incredible partner, mentor and friend all in one and a dream to work with. It would be hard to imagine working with a group of artists who could love music more than our musicians. We have gone on such a great journey together.
This has been the most creative time in Tafelmusik’s history and it has been thrilling to see the musicians’ ideas come to fruition here in Toronto and on the world stage: 60 national and international tours, many recordings and films; the renovations of Trinity-St. Paul’s; and the amazing artist training programs that Jeanne Lamon and Charlotte Nediger have created, which have changed the lives of so many young musicians. We have a saying that no one actually ever leaves Tafelmusik, and this is certainly true in my case. I look forward to the friendships that we have developed over many years continuing for many more. I feel like the luckiest person in the universe to have been part of Tafelmusik – and the beauty of it is that this sentiment is shared so genuinely.
Looking ahead to your new position with The Isabel, what are some of the milestones on the road ahead? The Isabel houses the music, drama and film schools, and there is a great will to engage in creative community partnerships. I lived in Kingston and loved it. The community really participates to make a great quality of life for everyone; there is a rich intellectual and cultural tradition and sense of history about the city. The university is [also] very focused on excellence and an outstanding student experience – this caring runs so deeply. I know I will be focusing on ensuring that the students feel that The Isabel is their arts home and encouraging participation in a diverse range of artistic activity.
Which aspects of your new position are you most looking forward to? I think, over the longer term, it will be the ability to ensure that The Isabel is a creative hub for innovation and arts participation. That’s what is so great about being there near the beginning of a brand new arts centre. Forging an imaginative and brilliant future is tremendously exciting.
Lang-Ning Liu
Artistic director, 2014 Toronto International Piano Competition
When is opening night for this year’s rounds of competition? The Opening Gala is on October 24 at 6:30pm in P.C. Ho Theatre of the CCC (Chinese Cultural Centre).
What type of process is it for you to prepare for the competition? A lot of work was completed by the organizing committee to put this competition together. First step, we needed to design the whole competition – Repertoire, Rounds, etc., as well as secure sponsors in support of this event. Then we began the promotion of the competition around the world. After we received all applications, we had to choose the top 25 pianists, based on their auditions, to come to Toronto in October. We’ve found host families for them. Now, we are promoting the competition locally to bring audiences to listen to these elite pianists sharing their art.
How long have you been involved in this line of work? How did you get started? I started in early 2009 by organizing the CCC Toronto Piano Competition, which is a local competition we run annually for young pianists from the GTA. The idea of a larger competition originated after I gave a concert at the P.C. Ho Theatre in the CCC; the acoustics and the charm of the theatre instantly touched a chord in me. I felt that more people must come to this place to perform.
What’s the most challenging part of the job? Almost every single step involved in organizing this international event required not only a good deal of effort, but a great deal of thought as well. Our goal for this competition is not to have pianists compete with each other in Toronto, but rather to bring the world’s elite pianists to Toronto to share their lifelong passion and dedication with Toronto audiences. My next challenge is to bring this awareness to all Torontonians and have them participate in this exciting cultural event.
George Koller
Producer and artistic director, International Divas
What does opening night of International Divas mean for your series? Opening night is at Trinity-St Paul’s Centre, on Sunday, October 5 at 8pm. This opening night for the 2014 three-concert series is very important for so many reasons...the first Diva to perform (Saina Singer) is from Yakutsk, Russia...she will bring her special ancestral songs to launch the evening and the series. She’s followed by Luanda Jones, Laila Biali, Patricia Cano, and Cindy Church, closing with the legendary Jackie Richardson. All the artists will be accompanied by myself and a few other musicians...it will be very minimal and intimate.
What gave you the idea for a concert series like this one? It is many things coming together at once. I tour and work with all of these artists and many of them have recordings that I have produced. I’ve wanted to do something a little outside of the “music biz box” in a bigger way, and one day I stood on the Trinity-St. Paul’s stage and sang a song with my bass...and realized that my love of natural sound, combined with my love of world music and the special voices I’ve known for so long, could come together in one setting if I was able to put the right team together.
How long in advance did you begin the work of organizing and preparing? In this case it was eight months in advance – which is usually comfortable, but pushing the envelope for a series that grew to this magnitude.
How long have you been involved in this line of work? I’ve been involved in promoting and producing concerts all my life. Throughout my professional performance career I’ve always made the time and effort to see my dreams and visions through.
And the biggest challenges of the job? Always the most challenging part of the job is to create the magic leverage and energy to bring concertgoers to the point of knowing that they must try something new, or support that which they already love. Other challenges are simply in the area of quick learning. One must find the best way to do certain tasks and not be afraid to ask a million questions in the multiple learning curves of concert production. But it is a thrill to commit to something wholeheartedly and to watch the process of growth and accomplishment. The knowledge and experience one gains – through “just doing it” – is priceless.
For more details on what 150 of Ontario’s live music presenters have up their sleeves for the upcoming season, be sure to check out our Blue Pages directory in this issue of the magazine. As for these three, I, for one, am looking forward to witnessing their thoughtful planning come to fruition.
