“A self-defining happiness”

Xin Wang’s TO.U Collective – and its resonances with her personal practice

For soprano Xin Wang, singing contemporary music has always been about personal growth. But for many performers, making a career out of music can mean playing what they are told to play, rather than directing that personal growth themselves. So when Wang decided to start a contemporary music series in Toronto this year, she knew it had to be something different.

TO.U Collective is Wang’s “something different” project – a seven-concert season of solo recitals at St. Andrew’s Church, featuring professionals from the local music community. The focus of TO.U – its name both a Chinese character meaning “through” and a play on “Toronto/You” – is on highlighting contemporary music’s personal relevance, both for audiences and for the artists who perform it.

“I wasn’t actively seeking to create a series,” Wang says. “I’ve been singing at St. Andrew’s for years, and I was looking for a space to hold a local dress rehearsal for a concert I was performing in Montreal. My church naturally came up. So I asked, we did it there, and it was a great turnout – and the church was overjoyed to see people coming in. They said, ‘Hey, it seems like there is an audience for contemporary music, and we would like to expand our musical language to the contemporary, to draw in more people.’ So I said ok – I’ll come back with a proposal.”

The premise is simple: seven professional musicians, each with a personal connection to new music, will perform seven recitals of contemporary repertoire that matters personally to them. The recitalists curate their own concert programs, and are asked to emphasize music that has shaped their own lives and work.

“I want to switch things a bit,” Wang explains. “I don’t want musicians to wait by the phone anymore. I’m so tired of that. I think that the reason why the musicians agreed to this, and why they said yes to a fee that perhaps is humble, is because they seek to evolve themselves, and they don’t have a stage to present and articulate this evolving process. But they should.”

Wang’s attempt to provide the stage for that evolving process is something that resonates with her own practice. “I’m very weary of this idea that my value needs to be decided by the gigs that I’m asked to do. And of course those gigs died away when I had children. But I firmly believe that my value as a musician did not diminish just because I stayed home,” she says. “So for me, it was my own searching: how do I find the peace to stay home, completely surrounded by kids, without feeling that this doom has landed on me and that the world has disconnected? And I think it took panic times, and then finally it set in that self-perpetuated, self-motivated process is what centres art. And if I am centred, I’m then happy and fulfilled – and then as an artist I have something to say.“

Wang opens the TO.U season next Wednesday, October 19, with a free noon-hour recital of works by Schubert, Webern, Berio, Aperghis and Gubaidulina. Before her performance, she intends to speak briefly about how this music has impacted her life, not only as a recitalist but also as an artist and a mother – presenting her work as the evidence of her own, complete personhood. And she hopes that the other recitalists – clarinetist Max Christie, cellist David Hetherington, pianists Stephanie Chua and Stephen Clarke, and guitarists Graham Banfield and Rob Macdonald – will do the same.

“Let’s support a self-defining happiness,” says Wang. “I want to create a space where I can call a person up and say, ‘I know you’ve been working for a long time. Do you have something you want to say? Here’s a fee. Say it.’”

Xin Wang opens her TO.U Collective series with a free noon-hour concert on Wednesday, October 19 at St. Andrew’s Church, followed by a ticketed, full-length evening recital by clarinetist Max Christie on Saturday, October 22 at 8pm. For details on the series and a full lineup, visit www.toucollective.com.

The WholeNote is now on Patreon

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Learn how you can help support The WholeNote – publisher David Perlman explains.

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Opera, offstage:

Against the Grain’s operatic pub nights

It's already been a big year for Against the Grain Theatre. Now in its seventh season, the indie opera company has announced two big productions this year, plus a residency at the Canadian Opera Company as part of the COC’s pilot company-in-residence program. And tomorrow, they launch Opera Pub – a monthly music night that brings opera into an alternative space.

Starting Thursday, October 13 at the Amsterdam Bicycle Club and continuing the first Thursday of every month, Opera Pub presents live performances of operatic repertoire by established and emerging singers, in an atmosphere less formal and more personal than the concert hall. The concept isn’t new – the series follows in the footsteps of companies like the Bicycle Opera Project, Tafelmusik’s BAROQUE + BEER initiative, and beer specialist Mirella Amato’s “Hopera” series – but it does point to an encouraging trend of embracing the versatility of live classical music, and the value it can have when it’s up-close, scaled-down, and out of the opera house.

“It is a fact that there is less of a cultural awareness of what opera and classical music in general is,” said AtG music director Christopher Mokrzewski in a conversation with Schmopera last month. “When we ‘take it to the streets,’ as it were, people are able to have a no-bullshit, no-boundaries encounter with the art form in a manner which is straightforward and visceral.”

It’s a format that seems to work, and that is worth exploring. The AtG pub night series will have no cover, $3.50 bottles of beer, and an ‘open house’ policy – allowing opera audiences and walk-ins to treat the performance as a no-strings-attached portion of a Thursday night out.

Tomorrow’s Opera Pub set starts at 9pm, and runs until around 11pm -- for details, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/627490814075092/. For more info on the rest of Against the Grain’s 2016/17 season, head to www.againstthegraintheatre.com.

Just In: Listings

New listings for the rest of October, added online since the publication of the October issue:

Thursday October 13

9:00: Against the Grain Theatre. Opera Pub: October Edition. Solo and small-ensemble opera performances in an informal pub atmosphere. The Amsterdam Bicycle Club, 54 The Esplanade. Free.

Friday October 14

7:00: Feldsperling Duo. Toward the Heart of Sound. Lemay; Scelsi; Yun; Clarke; Mendez. Liesel Deppe, flutes; Nicole Strum, saxophones. Array Space, 155 Walnut Ave. 519-272-9633. $15.

9:00: BAL(folk). BAL(folk)Masqué with La Forcelle. Polish Combatants' Hall, 206 Beverly St. 416-937-6198. $15; 2 for $25. Doors/dance lesson at 8pm.

Saturday October 15

2:30: Beach United Church. Music for the Soul. Lora Bidner, vocalist/songwriter/instrumentalist; The Visit: Heather Sita Black, vocals; Raphael Weinroth-Browne, cello. 140 Wineva Ave. Freewill offering.

7:00: Canadian Bandurist Capella. Bandura in Waterloo! Ukrainian folk and contemporary music. Canadian Bandurist Capella; Dibrova Women's Choir; Levada Women's Choir; and others. Maureen Forrester Recital Hall, 75 University Ave., Waterloo. 416-845-2691. $25(adv)/$30(door).

What We’re Listening To

Hollow Trees

Hutchinson Andrew Trio; Lily String Quartet

“Most compelling of all is the interplay between the trio and the string quartet, a magical encounter that treats the listener to the luminosity, spaciousness and enthusiasm of a striking chamber performance. It’s a lovely release that makes one eager for more.”

-Raul da Gama, The WholeNote

LISTEN

THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING

The next issue of HalfTones will be out on Wednesday, November 16. The next print issue of our 2016/17 season, covering November 1-December 7, will be on the stands at the end of October.

Please contact halftones@thewholenote.com with any HalfTones inquiries.

Sara Constant is a Toronto-based flutist and musicologist, and is digital media editor at The WholeNote. She can be contacted at editorial@thewholenote.com.

“The Density of our time” - Claire Chase’s Density 2036

In 1936, flutist Georges Barrère premiered Density 21.5, a piece composed by Edgard Varèse for the first performance of a new flute made of platinum (a metal with the density of about 21.5 g/cm³). Now, 80 years after that premiere, New York-based flutist Claire Chase is commissioning a new body of flute works—and is coming to Toronto to present a teaser trailer of what solo flute music might sound like in the year 2036.

Started by Chase in 2014, Density 2036 is a 22-year-long project aimed at creating new solo works for flute, culminating in a 24-hour marathon concert in 2036 to commemorate the centennial of Density 21.5. In that sense, Density 2036 is simply a very long concert-in-the-making. However, it’s also more than that. Each year, Chase performs a solo recital of the pieces commissioned that year—amounting to huge contributions to the library of contemporary flute music, with year-to-year documentation of fresh new repertoire. And with works by composers like Dai Fujikura, Pauline Oliveros and Matthias Pintscher on her programs, Chase’s project promises to be of lasting value, for contemporary music audiences and flute players alike.

Next month on October 4, Chase will come to Toronto to present Density 2036’s 2016 instalment. Part of Soundstreams’ 2016/17 ‘Ear Candy’ series, the show will act as a sort of ‘double-preview’—both for the Soundstreams season opener on October 12, which features Chase alongside four other flutists (Robert Aitken, Leslie Newman, Patrick Gallois and Marina Piccinini) in a program of contemporary flute works, as well as for Chase’s final concert in 2036, and the 20 years’ worth of new music to come between now and then.

Writing about the original 1936 composition that inspired her project, Chase expresses her intent to reflect on how music today might push the boundaries of what listeners in Varèse’s time thought the flute could do. “Varèse unleashed this spirit for the flute, for the one all alone, in these staggering four minutes of music,” she says. “Did he go as far as one could go, metaphorically and otherwise? Of what will the Density of our time be made? Of osmium? Of signal processing? Of wood? Of carbon? Of flesh? Of air?”

Thanks to Chase, we may have the opportunity to find out.

Soundstreams presents Claire Chase, in the 2016 instalment of her Density 2036 project, on October 4 at 8pm, at Buddies in Bad Times Cabaret. For details on the show, visit their website, at https://www.soundstreams.ca/performances/ear-candy/density-2036-claire-chase/.

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Local Craft: “Hopera”

Mirella Amato knows her beer. A Toronto-based beer specialist, author and educator, Amato is a Certified Cicerone (beer sommelier)—the first woman in Canada to earn the title. She’s the founder of Beerology, a beer education company that provides beer pairings, tastings and workshops across the country. And for the past few years, she’s curated a classical music series.

“Hopera” is Amato’s musical take on the concept of the beer pairing. A former professional opera singer who studied voice performance at McGill, Amato presents performances of arias, duos and trios by local opera singers, pairing each with a sample of a local craft beer. The next Hopera concert, presented as part of Toronto Beer Week, is September 21 and 22 and features singing by Jean-François Daignault (countertenor), Melanie Esseltine (soprano), Lyndsay Promane (mezzo) and Geoffrey Sirett (baritone), alongside beers by Amsterdam Brewery, Black Oak Brewing Co., Great Lakes Brewery, Junction Craft Brewing, Side Launch Brewing Co. and Steam Whistle Brewery.

Amato believes that both beer and opera are commonly misunderstood. “People who still think beer is just an easy-drinking vehicle to loutishness need to expand their horizons—and if anything, opera could stand to be taken down a notch or two,” she says. “Having made a career switch from opera singer to beer educator, it never ceases to amaze me how many parallels can be drawn between these two seemingly incongruous fields. Like beer, opera has developed a reputation that isn’t doing it any favours.”

Amato envisions Hopera as a way of confronting both beer and opera’s bad reputations, by bringing opera into the pub and beers into a framework that highlights their flavours and subtleties. “Insights are given on the music, beer sample and how the pairing was chosen,” she says.”[It] invites a rethinking of both the excerpt and the beverage.”

As someone with plenty of professional experience in both fields, it’s safe to label Amato a resident beer-and-opera-pairing expert—and in that light, safe to say that the rethinking of opera and beer is in very capable hands.

Hopera - Quartus, the next edition of Amato’s series, is September 21 and 22 at the Monarch Tavern. For details on the show or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/hopera-quartus--tickets-26860048127. 

What We’re Listening To

Aldo Clementi: Momento

Quatuor Bozzini

“In Otto frammenti (1978-97), the string quartet members play without vibrato, suggesting the sound of viols. I find the effect mystical”

-Roger Knox, The WholeNote

LISTEN 

Just In: Listings

September concert listings added online since the publication of our September magazine include:

Thursday September 15

8:00. Lula Lounge. Mexican Fiesta. Mexican Independence Day celebration concert. Alex Dempster, vocals; Rosy Cervantes, vocals; México Amigo, Mariachi. Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307. $15. Doors open at 7:00.

Friday September 16

8:00. Clay & Paper Theatre. Eggplant Stew. Fundraising concert for members of Toronto's polyphonic singing community to attend the International Symposium on Traditional Polyphony in Georgia. Performing ensembles include: Doula; Mark and Marichka Marczyk (of Lemon Bucket Orkestra); Zari; Moskitto Bar; Meden Glass. Clay & Paper Theatre (studio), 35 Strachan Ave. 647-836-4852. Suggested donation $20.

Thursday September 29

7:30. The Cadillac Lounge. Kenny Brown’s Las Call. A celebration of the life and career of vocalist/guitarist Kenny Brown as he enters his retirement. Donnie “Mr. Downchild” Walsh; Danny Marks; The Swingin Blackjacks; Kevin McQuade; The Burgess Brothers; and others. Cadillac Lounge, 1296 Queen St. W. 416-536-7717. $20. Proceeds to support Kenny Brown’s retirement fund.

Friday September 30

8:00. Balkanto. Balkan Duende. Balkan and Eastern European music as part of the Toronto Balkan Festival. Anton Apostolov, guitar/vocals; Scott Metcalfe, piano; Jacek Karlowski, guitar; Justin Gray, acoustic and electric bass; Nikola Gaidarov, kaval and wooden flute; and others. Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St. W. 647-740-3358. $35-$45.

Tuesday October 4

8:00. Jazz Bistro. CD Release Concert: Melodies Pure and True. Jim Gelcer, drums/vocals; Reg Schwager, guitar; Brendan Davis, bass; and others. Jazz Bistro, 251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299. $15.

THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING

The next issue of HalfTones will be out on Wednesday, October 12. The next print issue of our 2016/17 season, covering October 1-November 7, will be on the stands at the end of September.

Please contact halftones@thewholenote.com with any HalfTones inquiries.

Sara Constant is social media editor at The WholeNote and studies musicology at the University of Amsterdam. 

Volume 3 Number 10. August 10, 2016

BASSOON OUT LOUD

Launching Monday August 15, Nadina Mackie Jackson’s new concert series puts bassoon in the spotlight

“I believe in creating opportunities for myself and for other people,” says bassoonist Nadina Mackie Jackson, in conversation at The WholeNote office. With a new 12-concert series in Toronto slotted for this season—plus a potential bassoon-themed summer festival in the making—it seems like she’s doing just that.

Bassoon Out Loud is Jackson’s latest project: a season of more-or-less-monthly chamber concerts, all at Yorkville’s Heliconian Hall. Jackson will perform at each concert, sticking to a regimen of at least one bassoon concerto per show. But apart from this, she has dispensed with the typical ‘soloist + accompaniment’ recital formula, instead opting for monthly collaborations with local guest instrumentalists, singers, writers and storytellers, each of whom will also bring their own latest projects—including solo repertoire of their own—to the concert hall.

The launch for the series is this Monday, August 15. Titled “The Company You Keep,” it features Jackson alongside local writer and storyteller Leslie Magowan, who will read excerpts from her book What I Learned in School. Jackson will also be joined onstage by a small ‘string section’—Ema Nikolovska on violin, Rory MacLeod on viola, and Bryan Lu on cello—for the chamber-music portion of the show.

For Jackson, a major motivation for the series is to revitalize the bassoon as an instrument—and build long-lasting musical relationships around the discovery of what the bassoon can do. “People always say that there is nothing for bassoon,” Jackson says. “Not only is there an enormous amount, there is more written every day. But if people don’t hear it, they think there’s nothing—and that’s not true.”

While Jackson herself has a busy performing and teaching schedule, she couldn’t help feeling that the bassoon deserved more time in the limelight. And in an industry where large-scale classical concerts can require years of planning and a lot of red tape, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

“I know so many fascinating people,” says Jackson. “I know so much great music. And I’m tired of waiting.”

Bassoon Out Loud opens on Monday, August 15, 7pm at Heliconian Hall. For details on the show, plus descriptions of other concerts in this series, visit www.nadinamackiejackson.com.

TOP 30, T.O.

Where to find CBC’s Top 30 Under 30 in the city this season

Last week, CBC Music released its 2016 “30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30”—the latest edition of its annual shortlist of promising local musicians. As always, the list boasts an impressive range, both in age (from 29-year old working professionals to 10-year-old pianist Janaya Lo) and geographically, with featured performers from across the country. And as one might expect, a number of those performers have upcoming concert dates in Toronto this season—concert dates that, considering the CBC’s reliable track record for predicting up-and-coming Canadian talent, are worth taking note of.

If you’re looking to hear the CBC’s “30-under-30” musicians, the Canadian Opera Company seems a likely place to start. Four of CBC’s under-30s this year have upcoming appearances at the Four Seasons Centre this season. 23-year-old mezzo-soprano Lauren Eberwein appears with the COC this winter, to sing Wellgunde in its February 2017 production of Wagner’s Götterdämmerung, and 21-year-old Toronto native Emily d’Angelo—a recent graduate of U of T’s voice program—will sing the role of Zweite Dame in the COC’s January/February 2017 production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. In addition to her role with the COC, d’Angelo will also sing at Koerner Hall on November 11, in concert with four other young award-winning artists in a Royal Conservatory show titled “Generation Next.” Also performing at the COC this season are 25-year-old soprano Chelsea Rus, who will be featured in a free noontime recital on December 1, and 28-year-old horn player Mikhail Babiak, who can be found throughout the season in the orchestra pit.

In the contemporary music world, CBC-favoured groups to watch include Continuum Contemporary Music (possibly including 26-year-old bassoonist Darren Hicks), as well as Toy Piano Composers and Caution Tape Sound Collective, both of which are home to local composer Bekah Simms. Other dates to mark down are November 13—where pianist Matt Poon will perform a recital at U of T’s Hart House as winner of the 2016 Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition for Canadian contemporary music—and January 31, 2017, where 23-year-old accordionist Michael Bridge will play a program of new works with percussionist Michael Murphy, as part of U of T’s annual new music festival. Under-30s lists aside, local school venues like U of T (as well as York University, the Royal Conservatory, and numerous other institutions throughout southern Ontario) have busy year-round concert schedules, and are surefire places to hear young Canadian talent.

You can find the complete list of the CBC’s “Top 30 under 30,” with bios of all of the featured musicians, here on their website. Kudos to all those featured—and here’s to a promising season ahead!

JUST IN: CORRECTED AND NEW LISTINGS

THE ASHKENAZ FESTIVAL RETURNS TO TORONTO: August 30-September 5

Ashkenaz, the biennial festival of global Jewish culture, returns to Harbourfront this summer on August 5, boasting an impressive musical lineup. Headliners include The Klezmatics and “Jewish-funk supergroup” Abraham Inc., as well as appearances by such Canadian folk music staples as the Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra and Lemon Bucket Orkestra—perfect music for one last end-of-summer party. For details on the festival, visit www.ashkenaz.ca.

Other new/corrected August concert listings added online since our last print issue include:

Thursday August 11

8:30: Hugh's Room. Qristina and Quinn. 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. $22.50(adv)/$25(door).

Friday August 12

8:30: Hugh's Room. Alfie Zappacosta. 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. $40(adv)/$45(door).

Friday August 12 to Sunday August 14

Batuki Music Society. Habari Africa Festival. Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000. Free.

Sunday August 14

12:30: TorontoJazzBuzz.com/Vintage & Swing Concerts. Retro Concert Hall Thrills for Vintage-Wearing Swing Fans. Capital Focus Jazz Band. Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Ave. 416-923-8137. $20 (cash only at the door). Doors open at noon. Vintage attire not mandatory but welcomed!

Monday August 15

7:00: Nadina Mackie Jackson. Bassoon Out Loud: The Company You Keep. Works by Telemann, Scarlatti, Braun, Lussier and Mignone. Leslie Magowan, writer and storyteller; Nadina Mackie Jackson, solo bassoon; and others. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 416-453-7607. $30; $20(sr/st).

Saturday August 20

7:30: Choirs Ontario. Ontario Youth Choir: Fresh Voices. Allan Bevan: Full fathom Five; Jeff Enns: Hear My Prayer; Grete Pedersen: Norwegian Wedding March; Claudio Monteverdi: Si, ch'io vorrei morire; Eriks Esenvalds: Stars. Robert Cooper, conductor; Edward Moroney, piano. All Saints' Anglican Church (Peterborough), 235 Rubidge St.,Peterborough. 416-923-1144. $25; $20(sr/st).

Sunday August 21

3:00: Choirs Ontario. Ontario Youth Choir: Fresh Voices. Allan Bevan: Full fathom Five; Jeff Enns: Hear My Prayer; Grete Pedersen: Norwegian Wedding March; Claudio Monteverdi: Si, ch'io vorrei morire; Eriks Esenvalds: Stars. Robert Cooper, conductor; Edward Moroney, piano. Grace Church on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd. 416-923-1144. $25; $20(sr/st).

Saturday August 27

9:30am: Ontario Shape Note Singers. Central Ontario All-Day Sacred Harp Singing. A traditional all-day singing from The Sacred Harp, 1991 edition (the “Denson Book”). Singers and listeners alike are welcome to attend, and can stay for all or any part of the day. Detweiler Meetinghouse, 3445 Roseville Rd., Ayr. 647-838-8764. PWYC.

8:00: Small World Music. Moonlight over the Maghrib. Original compositions and improvisations by Richard Robeson and Shahriyar Jamshidi. Richard Robeson, guitar/ukulele; Shahriyar Jamshidi, kamanche; Sina Khosravi, percussion. Small World Music Centre, Artscape Youngplace, 180 Shaw St. 416-536-5439. $20; $15(st).

THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING

Volume 22 (!) of The WholeNote kicks off next month, with our September 2016 issue. Pick up a copy on the stands starting September 1!

Please contact halftones@thewholenote.com with any HalfTones inquiries.

Sara Constant is social media editor at The WholeNote and studies musicology at the University of Amsterdam. She can be contacted at editorial@thewholenote.com.

HalfTones
Vol 3 No 11: July 4, 2016

YEAR IN REVIEW: And the award goes to…

At the annual Dora Awards last Monday, music productions both large and small triumphed, with big wins in both indie and grand-scale arenas.

The Doras, named after Canadian theatre visionary Dora Mavor Moore, have been running since 1978, with the aim of recognizing local productions of theatre, music theatre, opera and dance. Like any annual awards ceremony, the Dora awards provide a nice way of looking back at some of the season’s standouts--and with an emphasis on local theatre, giving due credit to some of the key players in the Toronto scene.

The COC was a favourite on Monday, with a staggering eight wins--five of which were for their production of Wagner’s Siegfried last winter. The Siegfried team was awarded Outstanding Production in the opera division, as well as prizes for direction, musical direction, scenic design and lighting design. Baritone Quinn Kelsey (Germont) and soprano Ekaterina Siurina (Violetta) both won Doras for their performances in the COC’s La traviata, which also won for Best Costume Design.

Homegrown operas also took home prizes this year, with Tapestry Opera winning Best New Musical for John Harris and Marjorie Chan’s new work M’dea Undone and Against the Grain winning Outstanding Performance - Ensemble for their “barefoot, costumed, choreographed” version of Handel’s Messiah.

To hear more from Tapestry, you may have to wait until 2016/17--but Against the Grain will be co-producing Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia as part of the Toronto Summer Music Festival on July 22. Details on the show here -- and if you’re looking for a pair of tickets, look no further than our contest in this issue of our newsletter!

In other news, this year’s list of Order of Canada appointments has just been released, with a number of familiar musicians on the roster. 2016 appointments include jazz saxophonist P.J. Perry, pianist and musicologist Elaine Keillor--who is currently on faculty at Carleton University--and soprano Barbara Hannigan, fresh off the heels of a January appearance in Toronto with the TSO.

All in all, a lot of well-deserved attention this past week for Canadian musical talent both local and internationally-based. A huge congrats to all winners, appointments and nominees this year. Onto the next!

TICKET GIVEAWAY: THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA AT TSMF

Win tickets to a one-night-only production of Britten’s opera The Rape of Lucretia at Toronto Summer Music. Click here to enter!

SILK ROAD ONSCREEN

Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble hits the big screen

Last September, Roy Thomson Hall played host to the Silk Road Ensemble--renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s global music project almost 20 years in the making. Their appearance coincided with the world premiere at TIFF of The Music of Strangers, a new documentary about Yo-Yo Ma’s vision behind the group.

Now, the film is back, with screenings at Hot Docs Bloor Cinema July 8 to 14. Directed by Morgan Neville--who was also behind Oscar-winning music documentary 20 Feet from Stardom--The Music of Strangers promises an in-depth look at the Silk Road project, from its inception in 2000 as an attempt to bring together folk musics from across the globe to its prominent status today.

Details on the Hot Docs screenings next week can be found here. Watch the trailer of the movie below:

Incidentally, The WholeNote featured one member of the Silk Road Ensemble--pipa virtuoso Wu Man--on the cover of our September 2015 issue, and another--Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh--in our April issue of HalfTones, when he collaborated with the Toronto Symphony on a recording to welcome recent Syrian refugees to Canada. At that time in April, the latter had a tentative Toronto date in his calendar, for a June solo appearance with the TSO. Turns out that concert was postponed--meaning, hopefully, that he’ll still be back, to follow up his last-minute partnership with the orchestra this April with a full-length concert. We’ll keep you updated as details emerge. In the meantime, here’s the video of Azmeh’s composition November 22nd, which he recorded in Toronto during his April visit.

JUST IN: CORRECTED AND NEW LISTINGS

FEATURED LISTING: JULY JAZZ AT HUGH’S ROOM

It may be the end of the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, but jazz life in the clubs continues this month, with a host of listings at such local music hotspots as Hugh’s Room on Dundas St. W. In the coming weeks, Hugh’s Room hosts Ten Strings and a Goat Skin (July 7), Fathead (July 23), Kevin Breit & Rebecca Jenkins with the Upper York Mandolin Quartet (July 29), Matt Molloy, John Carty & Arty McGlynn (August 2), and Kiran Ahluwalia (August 6)--plus a weekly jazz night hosted by JAZZ.FM91 every Monday in July. Details at hughsroom.com.

Other new/corrected July concert listings added online since our last print issue are as follows:

Festivals/Series

One quick note on the topic of summer series: our summer festival listings at thewholenote.com are now searchable! Sort through festival offerings according to your interest and availability, to find the concerts you want to see. Try it out here.

Other summer series omitted from our last print issue include:

June 4-September 24, 11:00am-1:30. City of St. Catharines. Music in the Square. Market Square, 91 King St., St. Catharines. Free. Visit www.stcatharines.ca for details.

June 17-September 2, 6:30/8:00. Roy Thomson Hall/Sunfest. Live on the Patio. Days and performers vary. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-593-4822. Free. Food and drinks available. Two sets; doors open at 5pm.

June 28-August 30, 12:00 noon. Play the Parks. Dance Inspiring Fusion of the Americas. Trinity Square Park. Days and performers vary. Free. Visit www.downtownyonge.com/playtheparks/ for details.

June 29-July 20, 6:00. City of St. Catharines. Summer Concert Series. Montebello Park, St. Catharines. Free. Visit stcatharines.ca for details.

July 6-September 7, 12:00 noon. Play the Parks. Shapeshifting Classical. Mackenzie House,  82 Bond St. Days and performers vary. Free. Visit www.downtownyonge.com/playtheparks/ for details.

July 7-July 28, 7:00/9:00. #ClassyAF. La Rev, 2848 Dundas St. W. Days and performers vary. $15-$20. Visit www.classyafshow.com for details.

July 7-September 8, 12:00 noon. Play the Parks. Funky Lunchtime Soul. College Park Courtyard. Days and performers vary. Free. Visit www.downtownyonge.com/playtheparks/ for details.

July 7-September 18. Play the Parks. Festive Summer Streets. McGill Granby Parkette. Days, times and performers vary. Free. Visit www.downtownyonge.com/playtheparks/ for details.

July 8-10. Harbourfront Centre. Future Routes. Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W. Times and performers vary. Free. Visit harbourfrontcentre.com for details.

Individual Listings

Monday July 11

9:00: The Burdock. Isabel (Fryszberg) and The Uncommons w/ Freeman Dre & The Kitchen Party. 1184 Bloor St. W. 416-546-4033. $8(adv); $10(door). Doors open at 8:30pm.

Tuesday July 12

8:00: Gallery 345. Stanislav Pronin, violin and Alex Seredenko, piano. Work by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev and Piazzolla/Gubaidulina. 345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781. $25; $10(st).

Friday July 15

8:00: Gallery 345. The Art of the Piano: David Virelles. 345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781. $25; $10(st).

Saturday July 23

11:00am: South Coast Jazz. David Sanbiorn with the Galen Weston Band. David Sanborn; Galen Weston Band; David Restivo; June Garber; Juliann Kuchocki; Shuffle Demons. Port Dover and Area Arena, 809 St. George St., Port Dover. 519-774-2787. $20-$70. Details at www.southcoastjazz.com.

Thursday July 28

8:00: Randolph Academy. Footloose. Music by Tom Snow; Lyrics by Dean Pitchford. Stage adaptation by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie. Randolph Theatre, 736 Bathurst St. 1-855-985-2787. $22. Also July 29-30 and August 4-6(8pm), and July 30 and August 6(2pm).

THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING

The current print issue of The WholeNote is a SPECIAL SUMMER ISSUE, covering June 1-September 7-- but HalfTones continues throughout the summer!

Vol 3 No 12: Wednesday, August 10

Please contact halftones@thewholenote.com with any HalfTones inquiries.

SUMMER SPACES

The summer music scene in Toronto is alive and well. It’s just not happening in the places where we usually look.

One emerging theme in recent musical years has been the genre-bending and border-crossing that goes along with putting familiar music in alternative spaces. This summer the trend continues, with two upcoming concert series that make a point of using venues that take the city’s musical life out of the concert hall, and into a more public sphere.

Play the Parks, now entering its fourth season, is a summer concert initiative from the Downtown Yonge BIA. This year’s series, running June 22 to September 18 and curated by Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall, promises concerts all summer long in four of Toronto’s downtown green spaces: Trinity Square Park will host concerts of dance music from across the Americas; the College Park courtyard, jazz, funk and soul; the McGill Granby Parkette, a variety of world music; and Mackenzie House, classical.

Between the four venues, the series is slated to present at least 1-2 free shows per week, all summer long. The series opener is one week from today on June 22 (5pm) and features the Massey Hall Band--a promising start to a summer of free music. For series details, visit http://www.downtownyonge.com/playtheparks/.

New this year and worth adding to your calendar is ClassyAF, a project from sisters Talisa and Naomi Blackman that bills itself as “a way to eat tacos while also listening to great music.” All jokes aside, the Blackman sisters have programmed a promising four-concert series, all of which will take place at Mexican restaurant La Rev on Dundas St. W. Concert headliners include violinist Rebecca MacLeod, an alumna of Carnegie Mellon, The Glenn Gould School and U of T (July 7); cello duo VC2 (July 14); pianists Indira Nanavati-Cadeña and Tom King alongside percussionist Daniel Morphy (July 21); and cellist Sarah Steeves in a program of Rachmaninoff, Lau and Piazzolla (July 28). Talisa Blackman herself also joins in as a piano accompanist for three of the four shows.

The series offers a fresh take on some classical favourites, and the taco suggestion is admittedly persuasive. Details at http://www.classyafshow.com/.

NEW IN REVIEWS

In light of maritime band Ten Strings and a Goat Skin’s upcoming Ontario tour, WholeNote reviewer Ivana Popovic takes a look at their latest album.

Auprès du Poêle

Ten Strings and a Goat Skin

Independent (tenstringsandagoatskin.com)

Woodstoves, community, dancing, good cheer, fire in the heart – such is the atmosphere on this album, and the aura of this music. It brought dance to my feet and the love of life to my mind, in no particular order.

This is the third CD released by the acoustic trio from Prince Edward Island. Rowen Gallant

(fiddle, viola, tenor banjo, vocals), Jesse Périard (guitar, pump organ, backing vocals) and Caleb Gallant (bodhràn, foot percussion, snare, cajón, clawhammer banjo, vocals) may be young but each is a very accomplished musician in his own right.

While rooted in Acadian and Scottish roots and their love for traditional maritime music, Ten

Strings and a Goat Skin were able to expand on this album into truly original interpretations and add unique compositional voices of their own, spicing it with indie and world music flavours. Thus this album comprises of a curious mix of original and traditional tunes and features an array of guest musicians, including Leonard Podolak (also producer of this album) and the members of Les Poules à Colin.

The title track, Auprès du Poêle, moves along with elegance and drive, and features a lovely scat voice/violin duet towards the end. Among many engaging tunes, my favourite were tracks 4, 5 and 6. When First I Came To Caledonia is a beautifully arranged traditional Cape Breton ballad – the dark viola timbre and the mellow voice add the melancholy touch. Shoot the Moon, one of the original tunes, has a few world music twists and a beautiful fiddle/percussion episode. Finally, Maluron Lurette, starts with a solitary melody that continues through progression of instruments and voices.

Sizzling fiddles, dynamic guitars and banjos and ever driving percussion – this album promises and delivers good times.

Ivana Popovic

Concert Note: Ten Strings and a Goat Skin’s busy summer schedule includes three stops in Ontario – July 7 at Hugh’s Room in Toronto, July 8 at the Almonte Celtfest in Almonte and July 9-10 at the Mariposa Folk Festival in Orillia.

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JUST IN: CORRECTED AND NEW LISTINGS

FEATURED LISTING: Music in the Square & Summer Concert Series

Summer is the perfect time of year for a road trip--and if southern Ontario features prominently in your travel plans, the city of St. Catharines has just sweetened the deal, with two free concert series in public spaces this year. The first, Music in the Square, promises free midday performances at the city’s weekly farmers markets, June 4 to September 24; the second is a free summer concert series, on various dates from June 29 to July 20 in St. Catharines’ Montebello Park. If you’ve been thinking of visiting St. Catharines lately, one of their concert dates this summer would make for a good time. Details below in our HalfTones listings.

Other new/corrected summer concert listings added online since our last print issue are as follows:

Series

June 2-July 24. Lower Ossington Theatre. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Tim Rice. The Lower Ossington Theatre, 100A Ossington Ave. 416-915-6747. $49.99-$59.99. Days and times vary. Visit www.gogogojoseph.com for details.

June 4-September 24, 11:00am-1:30. City of St. Catharines. Music in the Square. Market Square, 91 King St., St. Catharines. Free. Visit http://www.stcatharines.ca/en/experiencein/MarketEvents.asp?_mid_=10054 for details.

June 28-August 30, 12:00 noon. Play the Parks. Dance Inspiring Fusion of the Americas. Trinity Square Park. Days and performers vary. Free. Visit www.downtownyonge.com/playtheparks/ for details.

June 29-July 20, 6:00. City of St. Catharines. Summer Concert Series. Montebello Park, St. Catharines. Free. Visit http://www.stcatharines.ca/en/experiencein/SummerConcertSeries.asp for details.

July 6-September 7, 12:00 noon. Play the Parks. Shapeshifting Classical. Mackenzie House,  82 Bond St. Days and performers vary. Free. Visit www.downtownyonge.com/playtheparks/ for details.

July 7-July 28, 7:00/9:00. #ClassyAF. La Rev, 2848 Dundas St. W. Days and performers vary. $15-$20. Visit www.classyafshow.com for details.

July 7-September 8, 12:00 noon. Play the Parks. Funky Lunchtime Soul. College Park Courtyard. Days and performers vary. Free. Visit www.downtownyonge.com/playtheparks/ for details.

July 7-September 18. Play the Parks. Festive Summer Streets. McGill Granby Parkette. Days, times and performers vary. Free. Visit www.downtownyonge.com/playtheparks/ for details.

Individual Listings

Wednesday June 22

5:00. Play the Parks. Play the Parks Launch Event. The Massey Hall Band. Trinity Square Park. Free. Visit www.downtownyonge.com/playtheparks/ for details.

Friday June 24

8:00: Toronto Creative Music Lab. Final Concert. Premieres by emerging composers and performers. 918 Bathurst Centre, 918 Bathurst St. 416-417-4469. $10. Doors open at 7pm.

Wednesday June 29

7:00: TD Toronto Jazz Festival/Lula Music and Arts Centre. Monica Chapman. Monica Chapman, vocals; Dave Restivo, piano; Alex Coleman, bass; Chris Wallace, drums; Nathan Hiltz, guitar; Rebecca Hennessy, trumpet. Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307. $15; $12(adv). Reservations recommended.

Friday July 1

1:00: University of Toronto. Canada Day Carillon Recital. Original carillon compositions, classical arrangements, folksongs and other festive Canadiana. Roy Lee, carillonneur; Joan Shaw, carillonneur-in-training; and Elisa Tersigni, carillonneur-in-training. Soldiers’ Tower War Memorial, 7 Hart House Cir. 416-978-348. Free. Commemorating the centenary of the Battle of the Somme.

Sunday July 3

8:30: Hugh's Room. Harpeth Rising. "Chamberfolk" featuring violin, cello and banjo. 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. $22.50(adv); $25(door).

Thursday July 7

8:30: Hugh's Room. Ten Strings and a Goat Skin: Album Launch. Album launch for Auprès du Poêle. PEI traditional music. 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. $22.50(adv); $25(door).

Tuesday July 12

9:00: Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. Jazz Series: Julie McGregor Quintet. Featuring Perry White, sax; Kieran Overs, bass; Kevin Dempsey, drums; Matt Newton, piano. 10268 Yonge St., Richmond Hill. 905-787-8811. Free.

Thursday July 14

12:30: St. Paul's Bloor Street. Choral Concert. Works by Stanford, Elgar, Vierne and others. Downing College Choir, Cambridge, UK; William Mason, Director of Music. 227 Bloor St. E. 416-961-8116. Free.

NEW ON OUR WEBSITE

Watch the video of our latest interview with Douglas McNabney, on his final year as AD with Toronto Summer Music:

THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING

The current print issue of The WholeNote is a SPECIAL SUMMER ISSUE, covering June 1-September 7-- but HalfTones continues throughout the summer!

Vol 3 No 11: Monday, July 4

Vol 3 No 12: Wednesday, August 10

Please contact halftones@thewholenote.com with any HalfTones inquiries.

One Last Summer

For better or worse, this summer will be one of big musical changes. For one, this year will be Douglas McNabney’s last as director of the celebrated Toronto Summer Music Festival, and TSM has just announced his successor: none other than TSO concertmaster Jonathan Crow.

The choice is not entirely unexpected. Crow is already familiar with the Toronto Summer Music scene, appearing there regularly as a guest performer and mentor at the festival academy. And as a frequent performer both in Toronto and on the festival circuit, Crow certainly has the musical chops to know what makes festival programs work.

“Jonathan has amazing credentials and brings his extremely impressive talents as a performer and skills as an artistic administrator to TSM,” says Lawrence Herman, Chair of the TSM Board of Directors. “We couldn’t be more pleased and excited to be welcoming [him].”

That’s not to say that he doesn’t have big shoes to fill. McNabney, who will officially step down from his position this August, has shown a talent these past five years for exceptional festival programming. 2016 will be no exception. McNabney’s final run with TSM, titled “London Calling,” promises a three-week exploration of British music, “from the baroque to the British Invasion.”

In a 2013 interview with Trish Crawford of the Toronto Star, McNabney spoke of Toronto Summer Music as “an oasis in a desertlike musical scene”—a concert-goer’s saving grace during a time of year when most music presenters pack up for vacation. With Jonathan Crow soon at its helm, hopefully the festival will continue to be such an oasis, for many years to come.

For a sneak preview of “London Calling,” running from July 14 to August 6, head to the Four Seasons Centre tomorrow (Wednesday May 18) at noon for a free lunchtime concert featuring Axel Strauss and alumni from the TSM academy. Details at http://www.torontosummermusic.com/special-events/. And for a look into McNabney’s earliest musical memories, be sure to check out his recent interview in our Music’s Children column, from our May issue: http://www.thewholenote.com/index.php/newsroom/musical-life/whoismusicalchild/26032-may-s-child-douglas-mcnabney.

On a less positive note across the Atlantic, it looks like this summer will also serve as swan song for the EUYO, the European Union’s premier youth orchestra. After being cut off from EU funding, the orchestra is due to cease operations after its 2016 summer tour. It’s hard to imagine where young musician hopefuls would be in Canada without something like the NYOC, and harder still to see the European Union lose their equivalent. Orchestra admin have started a campaign, #SAVEEUYO, to try to rescue the orchestra from closure—for details, visit http://www.euyo.eu/discover/news/.  

Music in Miniature: Tiny instruments in concert this month

Like all good things, music sometimes comes in small packages. At least, that’s how it seems this month in the Toronto new music scene, where a number of upcoming shows, rather than using instruments that are common classical fare, have chosen instead to feature their miniature cousins.

This Thursday (May 19) at 8pm, junctQin keyboard collective presents “Tomi Räisänen: A Portrait,” a look into some of the Finnish composer’s most recent musical work. That work includes two world premieres, music scored for “guitar and balloons,” and a piece for two toy pianos and tape. For the members of junctQin, who are always eager to experiment with keyboard instruments of all sorts and kinds, the toy piano duet will be an opportunity to bring some less common keyboard timbres to the table. The concert is the culmination of Räisänen’s week-long residency with junctQin in Toronto, and well worth a watch. Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/612637242219789/.

One week later on May 26, the musicians of Continuum Contemporary Music present “Japan: NEXT,” their main contribution to the RCM’s 21C Festival. UK-based ensemble Okeanos is travelling to Toronto for the festival—and they’re bringing two shōs (Japanese mouth organs) with them.

A free reed instrument like the harmonica or accordion, the shō was originally used in Japanese gagaku court music, but is increasingly gaining traction among contemporary composers, especially after John Cage composed several of his Number Pieces in the early 90s for famous shō player Mayumi Miyata. Naomi Sato, a saxophonist and shō player currently based in the Netherlands, captures some of the instrument’s unique timbral qualities in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUpr1F1dZt0.

To hear more, visit Continuum’s website to find the details of their upcoming concert. 

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Exclusive contests from The WholeNote

IN THIS ISSUE: 24 HOURS ONLY to win tickets to hear Alison Mackay’s latest Tafelmusik creation “Tales of 2 Cities: The Leipzig-Damascus Coffee Houses” this Friday, or tickets to hear award-winning soprano Kathleen Battle in her May 29 program about the Underground Railroad.

Follow the links below:

*ONLY 24 HOURS TO ENTER*

Tafelmusik: Tales of 2 Cities, Friday May 20

Roy Thomson Hall: Kathleen Battle - Underground Railroad, Sunday May 29

 JUST IN: CORRECTED AND NEW LISTINGS

FEATURED LISTING: Suite Melody Care Benefit Concert, May 27 at 6:30pm 

On Friday, May 27, Canadian Music Competition prizewinner Leslie Ashworth joins forces with top-notch local performers violist Eric Nowlin, violinist Barry Shiffman and pianist Dianne Werner, in a fundraising event for her non-profit Suite Melody Care. A youth volunteer community program, Suite Melody Care organizes concerts by young volunteer performers in long-term care facilities, retirement homes and hospitals, linking young musicians with audiences in need across the province. For details on the fundraiser event, see our listings below or visit www.suitemelodycare.com.

Other new/corrected May concert listings added online since our last print issue are as follows:

Thursday May 19

7:00: Alberto Munarriz. Tango Seminar three: Golden era and decline - 1930s to 1960s. Part three of four in a lecture series on the history of tango. University of Toronto Faculty of Social Work, 246 Bloor St. W. $15/PWYC. More info: alberto.j.munarriz@gmail.com.

8:30: Hugh's Room. NeeMa CD release. Opener: Abigail Lapell. 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. $22.50(adv); $25(door).

Friday May 20

8:30: Hugh's Room. Crystal Shawanda. 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. $30(adv); $35(door).

Wednesday May 25

7:30: Gravenhurst Opera House. Fats Meets Louis. A celebration of the music of Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong. Jon Seiger, piano/trumpet/voice; Neville Dickie; Jack Hutton. 295 Muskoka Rd. S., Gravenhurst. 888-495-8888. $25(adv); $30(door).

7:30: Toronto Concert Orchestra. Grieg Piano Concerto No. 2. Carl Petersson, piano; Mira Solovianenko, soprano; Anna Shalaykevych, piano; Kerry Stratton, conductor; Harp Sinfonia (Andrew Chan, conductor). Liberty Grand, 25 British Columbia Rd. $65.

Thursday May 26

7:00: Alberto Munarriz. Tango Seminar four: New Paths...no just Piazzolla - 1960s to present. Part four of four in a lecture series on the history of tango. University of Toronto Faculty of Social Work, 246 Bloor St. W. $15/PWYC. More info: alberto.j.munarriz@gmail.com.

Friday May 27

6:00: Gravenhurst Opera House. Summer Season Gala. Gala evening of music and food. Sheila McCarthy; Marc Jordan; Russell deCarle; Kenny Munshaw; the Johnny Max Band; and others. 295 Muskoka Rd. S., Gravenhurst. 888-495-8888. $50. This gala, in support of Meagan's Walk, also features a 'Taste of Gravenhurst' featuring samplings from local chefs.

6:30: Suite Melody Care. Benefit Concert and CD/DVD Release. Private fundraiser concert with reception, dinner and CD/DVD. Bach; Mozart; Beethoven; Dvorak; and others. Leslie Ashworth, violin/viola/piano; Eric Nowlin, viola; Barry Shiffman, violin; Dianne Werner, piano. University Club of Toronto, 380 University Ave. 289-681-8154. $125 (includes reception, dinner with wine, concert and CD/DVD).

8:30: Hugh's Room. Mad Dogs and Englishmen. 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. $40(adv); $45(door).

9:00: Jazz Bistro. AMERANOUCHE. 251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299. $12. Second set 10:30pm. Also May 28 ($15).

Saturday May 28

4:30: Music @ Main & Danforth. What a wonderful world: A Jazz Vespers. A selection of Jazz standards. Bill MacLean, vocals; Michael LaLonde, bass; Brian Stevens, piano. Hope United Church, 2550 Danforth Ave. 416-691-9682. Free.

7:00: Milton Choristers. Canada Sings, Eh? A celebration of Canadian music. Knox Presbyterian Church (Milton), 170 Main St. E., Milton. 905-875-1730. $25; $5(st/child).

9:00: Jazz Bistro. AMERANOUCHE. 251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299. $15. Second set 10:30pm. Also May 27 ($12).

Sunday May 29

2:00: Hugh's Room. Ella and Louis Remembered – 60th Verve Anniversary Celebration. Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong. 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. $25(adv); $27.50(door).

3:30: Jubilate Singers. Spring Songs. Pops, Broadway, folk and Mozart. Polson Park Free Methodist Church, 139 Robert Wallace Dr., Kingston. 613-389-8110. Donations appreciated.

4:00: Harbourfront Centre. Barbados on the Water's Sunday Afternoon Jazz. Marisa Lindsay, voice; Vita Chambers, voice; Eddie Bullen, piano. 235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000. $15.

7:30: Mississauga Big Band Jazz Ensemble. The Music of Gil Evans and Miles Davis. Brian Kane, trumpet; Bruce Cassidy, EVI. Humber College Auditorium, 3199 Lakeshore Blvd. W. 905-270-4757. $20; $10(sr/st).

Saturday June 4

8:00: Spectrum Music. Tower of Babel. New music by the Spectrum composers evoking interpretations on the story of the Tower of Babel. Amos Hoffman, oud/guitar; Noam Lemish, piano; Peter Lutek, clarinet; Justin Gray, bass; Derek Gray, drums. Alliance Française de Toronto, 24 Spadina Rd. $15; $10 sr/st/arts worker. Pre-concert chat at 7:15.

THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING

The next issue of HalfTones, Vol 3 No 10, will be out on Wednesday, June 15, 2016. Our summer print issue of the magazine, covering June 1-September 7, will be on the stands at the end of May.

Please contact halftones@thewholenote.com with any HalfTones inquiries.

Sara Constant is social media editor at The WholeNote and studies musicology at the University of Amsterdam. She can be contacted at editorial@thewholenote.com.

“Poetic Worlds”: Eve Egoyan’s Earwitness Tour

British composer Michael Finnissy has said of pianist Eve Egoyan that “she illuminates the music she plays.” Certainly, Egoyan has long been one of Toronto’s leading interpreters of contemporary keyboard music, especially when it comes to inventive musical projects—and the idea of a very literal ‘illuminated music’ has been put to the test by her this year, in a big way.

Egoyan has just returned to Canada from the American leg of her latest project—what she’s called her Earwitness Tour. The tour is a collaboration between Egoyan and fellow Canadians Nicole Lizée, Michael Snow, John Oswald and David Rokeby, and is an experiment in the blending of musical and visual worlds. Most of the works on the program were written for Egoyan’s Yamaha disklavier, an acoustic piano with a digital interface that will transform her performance into projected visual imagery. At first thought, the instrument seems like an extension of the synesthetic ‘colour organ’ experiments from the 18th century—proposals for keyboards where each key triggered a particular light or coloured panel. But with the technology available today, Egoyan’s disklavier can achieve much more dynamic results.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMnUOKknyOY&feature=youtu.be

The Canadian portion of the tour begins this Friday in Montreal at McGill University and continues in Toronto on Thursday, April 21 at the Aga Khan Museum, where it will be presented in collaboration with Toronto’s Images Festival. Tickets for the Toronto show are available for purchase on the Aga Khan Museum’s website, where you can also find details about the museum’s collection, current photo exhibition, and busy calendar of other performing arts events.

In an interview with The WholeNote last fall, Egoyan spoke with publisher David Perlman about her hopes for what the tour would represent. “It’s a project that’s just growing and growing, but it is a very delicate project, because the music and the image have to blend,” she said. “It’s not just music accompanying a visual narrative; it’s not just patterns you are seeing visually to mimic the music...So the mandate is to see if there can truly be a new—I don’t want to call it a new art form – but yeah, how much success can one have in bringing the two art forms into a closer relationship?”

When asked about the benefits of contemporary music—her home base, musically—for experimenting with this relationship, Egoyan pointed to the scene’s intimacy.

“I think contemporary music is, for most, a small business...It’s a poetic world,” she explained. “A world of poetry, and I don’t belittle it. It’s very important, and how it resonates with other art forms. My dialogue with other artists and art forms through what I produce is very important to me. It’s a ground from which a lot springs forth.”

To read more about Eve Egoyan and her current collaborative efforts, check out the full interview, at http://ow.ly/10BFfE.

Continuing Cultural Dialogues: Canadian Immigrants, Then and Now

In the midst of a time when more people than ever are immigrating and seeking refuge in Canada, a number of Toronto music presenters have been trying to steer the conversation towards cultural dialogue, emphasizing the experiences that we can offer recent immigrants, and the richness that they bring to the country.

In December, the Toronto Symphony and Toronto Musicians’ Association joined forces to invite Syrian clarinetist/composer Kinan Azmeh to record with the orchestra, as part of the orchestra’s welcome for Syrian refugees who have just moved to Canada. Azmeh was flown in last-minute from Paris to record his “November 22nd” Suite for Improvisor and Orchestra, for which he and the orchestra members volunteered their time. You can listen to the piece, and read about his visit, here: http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2015/12/18/tso-flies-in-syrian-composer-for-refugee-welcome-video.html.

Nothing has been confirmed yet, but Azmeh’s website notes a tentative performance with the TSO on June 28 of this year so it’s safe to say this won’t be his last appearance in Toronto. Mark the date in your calendars (in pencil) and keep an ear out.

More recently, at the end of March the Canadian Opera Company announced its participation in the Institute for Canadian Citizenship’s Cultural Access Pass (CAP) program, an initiative to provide recent immigrants to Canada with opportunities to explore the country. Starting this month, the COC will be setting aside 40 free tickets to every dress rehearsal for CAP holders. Participants will also be able to attend pre-performance ‘Opera Chats’ and informal tours of the Four Seasons Centre.

In addition to this new opera initiative, the CAP program includes free entry to events, parks and attractions across the country. If you (or someone you know) have received your Canadian citizenship within the past year, visit www.icc-icc.ca or phone 1-888-359-6998 for more information on the CAP and how to register.

Finally, in terms of recognizing the value and potential of these types of dialogue, one need look no further than two events in the listings this month. This Sunday, April 17, Vesnivka Choir, Canada’s leading Ukrainian women’s choir, is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a concert featuring works that Vesnivka has commissioned over the last five decades. Singing alongside the Elmer Iseler Singers, the Toronto Ukrainian Male Chamber Choir and Roman Borys (cello) and Halyna Dziuryn (violin), Vesnivka will celebrate its 50-year history as a leading voice of Ukrainian music in Toronto. In the April issue of The WholeNote, Leslie Ferenc—one of the girls who sang in the choir when it was founded in 1965—writes about what to expect and what this concert means to her (read the article here). And exactly one week later on April 24, the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble will present a concert in celebration of the 125th anniversary of Ukrainian immigration to Canada, featuring songs, music and dance traditions brought to the country by Ukrainian immigrants over the last century. These two concerts alone are living and singing proof of what a welcoming home can support, and what musical collaboration can do.

Details on both these shows are available in the listings at www.thewholenote.com.

Sara Constant is social media editor at The WholeNote and studies musicology at the University of Amsterdam. She can be contacted at editorial@thewholenote.com.

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Exclusive contests from The WholeNote

IN THIS ISSUE: Win tickets to the COC’s productions of Carmen and Maometto II; Tafelmusik’s concert of works by Zelenka and Bach; and the Talisker Players’ season closer “Cross’d By The Stars”. Read on to enter!

*24 HOURS TO ENTER* Canadian Opera Company: Carmen, Wednesday April 20

Tafelmusik: Zelenka and Bach, Friday April 29

Talisker Players: Cross’d By The Stars, Tuesday May 3

Canadian Opera Company: Maometto II, Wednesday May 11 

JUST IN: CORRECTED AND NEW LISTINGS

FEATURED LISTING: TD Jazz Festival News Corp - Call for Applications

The TD Toronto Jazz Festival runs this year from June 24 to July 3, and is seeking applications for its TDJ News Corps—an initiative for post-secondary students interested in writing about jazz. Successful applicants will be given full media accreditation for the festival, and apprentice as music journalists under John Terauds (musicaltoronto.org, former Toronto Star) and Mark Wigmore (JAZZ.FM91). The deadline for applications is Friday, April 22; details available at http://torontojazz.com/tdj-news-corps.

Other new/corrected April concert listings added online since our last print issue are as follows:

Friday April 15

8:00: Theatre Ancaster. What Happens in Vegas. A Musical revue to salute iconic artists who captured audiences in Las Vegas. Selections by Sinatra and the Rat Pack; Donny and Marie; Elton John; Shania Twain; Tom Jones; and others. Ancaster High School, Theatre Auditorium, 374 Jerseyville Rd. W., Ancaster. 905-304-7469. $32; $27(sr); $17(st). Also April 16, 22 and 23(8pm), April 17(2pm).

8:30: Hugh's Room. Martyn Joseph. 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. $22.50(adv); $25(door).

9:00: Jazz Bistro. CD Release: Moons (Alma Records). Myriad3. 251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299. $15. Also April 16.

Saturday April 16

3:30: Mississauga Big Band Jazz Ensemble. Back At The Rex. Arrangements of popular jazz songs featuring 12 vocalists. Rex Jazz and Blues Bar, 194 Queen St. W. 416-598-2475.

8:00: Aga Khan Museum. Great Poets Series: Reflections on Rumi at the Aga Khan Museum. Traditional Persian music. Mahsa Vahdat and Marjan Vahdat, vocals; Shervin Mohajer, kamancheh; Tord Gustavsen, piano; Naghmeh Farahmand, percussion. 77 Wynford Dr. 416-646-4677. $55; $44(sr/st) embers receive 10% off. Members receive 10% off.

Sunday April 17

2:00: Estonian House Art Committee. Afternoon of Jazz with Armas Maiste. Jazz from the 1960s that inspired the abstract expressionist painter Peeter Sepp. Armas Maiste, piano. Estonian House, 958 Broadview Ave. 416-461-7964. By donation. This "happening" is produced in conjunction with the art exhibit, Peeter Sepp Colour My World.

5:00: St. George's Cathedral. Choral Evensong. A special service of Choral Evensong in honour of St. George. Works by Thomas Tomkins, Charles Stanford and John Reading. St. George's Cathedral Evensong Choir. St. George's Cathedral (Kingston), 270 King St. E., Kingston. 613-548-4617.

7:30: Lula Lounge. CD Release: The Horses Are Loose. Bill Heffernan. 1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307. $10. Doors open at 6:30pm.

Wednesday April 20

8:30: Hugh's Room. Emm Gryner & Sarah Smith Double Bill. 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. $25(adv); $30(door).

Friday April 22

8:00: Gallery 345. Mitch Yolevsky, Clarinet and Cecilia Lee, Piano. Works by Poulenc, Saint-Saëns, Debussy and others. 345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781. $20/PWYC.
8:30: Hugh's Room. Patrick Brealey’s Tribute to Roy Orbison. 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. $22.50(adv); $25(door).

Saturday April 23

5:30: Derek Bon Entertainment and TJ Ferris Enterprises. An Evening with The King of Instruments. Works by Bach, Brahms, Handel, Mozart and Widor. Ian Sadler, organ. Sydenham Street United Church, 82 Sydenham St., Kingston. 1-800-265-0710. $40. Gourmet dinner with cash bar and concert. Proceeds to help the ministries of Sydenham Street United Church.

6:00: Chalkers Pub. Amirault/Young Duo. Steve Amirault, piano/vocals; Dave Young, bass. 247 Marlee Ave. 416-789-2531. $15.

7:30: John Laing. St. George and the Dragon. Musical by John Laing for St. George's Day. Lara Housez (Dragon); Adam Smith (St. George); Annette Ashley (princess); Brian DeBoer (King); and others. The Church of the Ascension (Hamilton), 64 Forest Ave., Hamilton. $15; free(children under 12).

Sunday April 24

3:00: Amici Chamber Ensemble. Illumination. Chamber music inspired by moonlight and stars. Cho-Liang Lin, violin; Teng Li, viola; Joaquin Valdepeñas, clarinet; David Hetherington, cello; Serouj Kradjian, piano. Mazzoleni Concert Hall, Royal Conservatory, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-871-4275. $10-$45.

Saturday May 7

POSTPONED TO JUNE 10: 7:30: Opera by Request. Catalani's La Wally. In concert with piano accompaniment. Sarah Hood (Wally); Paul Williamson (Giuseppe Hagenbach); Michael Robert-Broder (Vincenzo Gellner); Brigitte Bogar (Walter); and others; William Shookhoff, piano and music director. College Street United Church, 452 College St. 416-455-2365. $20.

THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING

The next issue of HalfTones, Vol 3 No 9, will be out on Monday, May 16, 2016. The next print issue of our 2015/16 season, covering May 1-June 7, will be on the stands at the end of April.

Please contact halftones@thewholenote.com with any HalfTones inquiries.

Peter Maxwell Davies’ Canada Connection

In a recent article by Andrew Clements, The Guardian referred to the late Sir Peter Maxwell Davies as “one of the great fixed points in the firmament of British music.” The internationally-renowned composer and former Master of the Queen’s Music died of leukemia on Monday, at the age of 81.

Perhaps best known in North America for works like his music theatre piece Eight Songs for a Mad King, Maxwell Davies was a prolific composer who over his long career tried his hand at an array of classical genres and styles. From his early experimental—and at times controversial—pieces, to his more symphonic writing of the 1970s, to his ‘light classical’ approach later in life, Maxwell Davies’ musical voice was a many-chaptered, multifaceted one.

It just so happens that Maxwell Davies was a frequent visitor to Canada and the United States, both as a guest composer and conductor—and sometimes serving as both, as he did on tour in Canada with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in 1988. He also left a musical impression, writing Job—a massive three-part oratorio, over an hour in length—for the CBC Vancouver Orchestra and Vancouver Bach Choir, who premiered it in 1997.

More locally in the Toronto scene, Maxwell Davies proved a valuable resource for such local fixtures as Aradia Ensemble’s Kevin Mallon—who was a student of his at Dartington College of Arts—and New Music Concerts, when the organization was still in its infancy. In the early years of NMC in the 1970s—a tone-setting time both for the young concert series and the Canadian new music scene at large—Maxwell Davies compositions figured prominently in the programming, featured alongside works by Claude Vivier in 1976 as well as in a show specifically dedicated to Maxwell Davies later that year. Interviewed at the time by the CBC, NMC director Robert Aitken cited Maxwell Davies’ aesthetic as an approachable, complementary counterpart to music like that of Vivier’s, and the 1970s as a transitional time for new music, where “music is more exciting now than it perhaps has ever been...where literally, anything goes.”

That interview is archived online here by the Canadian Music Centre, where you can check it out for a glimpse into Toronto’s—and Maxwell Davies’—musical past. And as for New Music Concerts, now approaching its 45th season, things still seem musically as exciting as ever. You can find details on their upcoming April 3 program “Viva Electronica”, which features electroacoustic works from a host of Canadian composers, here.

Incidentally, baroque ensemble Aradia is scheduled to close its 2015/16 season with a performance on June 4 of none other than Maxwell Davies’ infamous Eight Songs for a Mad King, featuring a guest appearance by Montreal-based new music group Paramirabo. While maybe the reason behind why this performance’s suddenly-apt timing isn’t the cheeriest one, the piece is a real modern classic, and Aradia and Paramirabo are sure to put on a top-notch show. The concert is on June 4; details online at aradia.ca.

Different Drums

Japanese percussion in Toronto this month

Several unique collaborative shows take place in the coming weeks, and percussion—more specifically, Japanese percussion—has ended up as the thread that ties them all together.

This Saturday at the Theatre Centre, Soundstreams presents “Electric Counterpoint,” a concert of minimalist music in anticipation of Steve Reich’s visit to Toronto this April. Part of Soundstreams’ new Ear Candy series, the show program is a mix of Reich’s music with new works by artists who he has inspired, namely DJ SlowPitchSound, longtime Owen Pallett collaborator ‘Prince Nifty’ on guitar and electronics, and ‘Mas Aya’ on percussion and electronics. Along with Reich’s perhaps better-known works Electric Counterpoint and It’s Gonna Rain, local percussionists Germaine Liu and Dan Morphy will tackle the duet Nagoya Marimbas, written in 1994 for performers at Japan’s Nagoya College of Music. In his program notes for the piece, Reich specifies that the piece “requires two virtuosic performers,” and Liu and Morphy certainly fit the bill. Details on the show can be found here.

Dan Morphy revisits Japanese percussion on April 2 at the Harbourfront Centre, with his quartet Torq. The percussion ensemble are the guest artists for premier Japanese Canadian taiko ensemble Nagata Shachu’s upcoming concert, which will feature a blend of musical traditions from around the globe. More here.

Finally, the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (JCCC) hosts a collaborative show on April 7 featuring the work of three artists from different regions of Japan. “The Tsumugu Concert” brings together flutist and taiko drummer Keita Kanazashi, Amami Island-based folk singer Anna Sato, and shamisen player Chie Hanawa for a show with a unique, and definitively Japanese sound. The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre is located near Don Mills, in what has recently become an arts-and-culture oasis outside of the downtown core (the Aga Khan Museum and Ismaili Centre, celebrated along with the JCCC for their collections, architecture and music programming, are basically right across the street). If you haven’t made the trip to this part of town yet, April 7 is a good time to do so. Details on “The Tsumugu Concert” here.

PRIZES, PRIZES!

Exclusive contests from The WholeNote

IN THIS ISSUE: Chances to win tickets to hear Tafelmusik’s take on solo and chamber music in “Bach: Goldberg Variations”; tickets to Opera Atelier’s production of Lucio Silla; tickets to Soundstreams’ concert with Steve Reich; and a 24-hour flash contest to hear violinist Pinchas Zukerman live at Roy Thomson Hall. Read on to enter!

Follow the links below to enter, Feel free to enter as many as you like (or all four!):

*24 HOURS TO ENTER* Pinchas Zukerman and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra: Sunday March 20

Tafelmusik: Bach: Goldberg Variations, Friday April 1

Opera Atelier: Lucio Silla, Thursday April 7

Soundstreams: Steve Reich at 80, Thursday April 14 

JUST IN: CORRECTED AND NEW LISTINGS

FEATURED LISTING: MUSIDEUM’S FINAL CONCERTS, MAR 16-30

After nearly 10 years as a treasured musical hub and concert venue in the city, Musideum at 401 Richmond St. will be closing its doors on April 2. For those who want to say goodbye to Musideum before it closes, their final concert series runs until March 30, with the following dates: March 16 (jazz), March 17 (world), March 20 (experimental), March 22 (folk) and March 30 (70s retro blast). Admission is by donation ($10-$20 suggested), with all proceeds going towards the costs of closing the venue. A big thank-you to Musideum owner Donald Quan for his years of work at this space, and best of luck to him for his future endeavours.

Other new/corrected March concert listings added online since our last print issue are as follows:

Friday March 18

7:30: Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. Encore! Series: Beverley Johnston and Marc Djokic. Beverley Johnston, percussion; Marc Djokic, violin. Partridge Hall, First Ontario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-688-0722. $29; $23(sr); $5(eyeGO).

Saturday March 19

4:30: Beach United Church. Sidwell Jazz Choir and Band. Upper School Chamber Chorus and Upper School Jazz Ensemble of Sidwell Friends School, from Washington, D.C. 140 Wineva Ave. . Freewill offering.

8:00: Nota Bene Baroque Players & Singers. Music for Easter. Works by Bach and Handel. Nota Bene Baroque Players & Singers; Howard Dyck, conductor. St. James Anglican Church (Dundas), 137 Melville St., Dundas. 1-866-303-0009. $35; limited number of free student tickets available with ID, first-come/reserve. Inquire for details. Also March 20(mat) at First United Church, Waterloo.

Sunday March 20

2:00: Nota Bene Baroque Players & Singers. Music for Easter. Works by Bach and Handel. Nota Bene Baroque Players & Singers; Howard Dyck, conductor. First United Church (Waterloo), 16 William St. W., Waterloo. 1-866-303-0009. $35; limited number of free student tickets available with ID, first-come/reserve. Inquire for details. Also March 19(eve) at St. James Anglican Church, Dundas.

2:00: Timothy Eaton Memorial Church. Palm Sunday Concert. Beethoven: Elegischer Gesang; Haydn: Little Organ Mass; Mozart: Ave Verum Corpus. Timothy Eaton Memorial Church Sanctuary Choir and Chamber Orchestra; Elaine Choi, conductor; Stephen Boda, organ. 230 St. Clair Ave. W. 416-925-5977. Freewill Offering.

2:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra. Masterworks 4: Time Chronicles. Haydn: Symphony No. 49 "La Passione"; Conway Baker: Contours; Bach: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor. Aisslinn Nosky, violin/conductor; Brian Baty, double bass. Partridge Hall, First Ontario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-688-0722. $64; $59(sr); $32(under 30); $14(st); $12(under 15); $5(eyeGO).

7:00: Arcady. Handel's Messiah. Arcady Ensemble; Ronald Beckett, director. Pioneer Memorial United Church, 1974 King St. E., Hamilton. 905-545-9552. $25.

7:00: Knox Presbyterian Church. The Dying Saviour. Johann Wilhelm Hertel: The Dying Saviour. Senior choir and soloists of Knox Presbyterian Church, with strings and organ. Roger Bergs, conductor. 630 Spadina Ave. 416-921-8993. Freewill offering.

Saturday March 26

8:00: Shahriyar Jamshidi. Dilan Ensemble: In the Shadow of the Fatherland. Two bowed string artist from different musical backgrounds (Iran and Canada) present music of the Kurds. Raphael Weinroth-Brown, cello; Shahriyar Jamshidi, Kamanche and vocals. Small World Music Centre, Artscape Youngplace, 180 Shaw St. 416-536-5439. $20.

Thursday March 31

7:30: Cathedral Church of St. James. The Choir of Royal Holloway. Claudio Monteverdi: Ave maris stella; Orlando Gibbons: O clap your hands; Ēriks Ešenvalds: Long Road; and organ improvisation. Rupert Gough, conductor; David Briggs, organ. 65 Church St. 416-364-7865. Free. 

NEW ONLINE: VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH MARSHALL PYNKOSKI, OPERA ATELIER

Opera Atelier’s upcoming production of Mozart’s Lucio Silla has been receiving praise from across Europe, and will be a Canadian premiere. In our latest Conversation @ The WholeNote, publisher David Perlman sits down with Opera Atelier co-artistic director Marshall Pynkoski about opera-making and the upcoming show. Watch the video here or below.

THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING

The next issue of HalfTones, Vol 3 No 8, will be out on Wednesday, April 13, 2016. The next print issue of our 2015/16 season, covering April 1-May 7, will be on the stands at the end of March.

Please contact halftones@thewholenote.com with any HalfTones inquiries.

WHOLENOTE NEWS: “JUST ASK LUDWIG”!

TheWholeNote.com has a new look!

We’ve been busy these past few months giving our website a little makeover. The new site gives you all of the latest feature stories at a glance, plus easy access to columns and record reviews. Our goal is to make things clean, simple and easy to read and find.

Most exciting development so far is that we are testing a special new feature called ASK LUDWIG to help you do the one thing you can’t in our print issues--search and filter the listings according to such factors as date range, geographic zone, keywords in the listings themselves, and your particular musical interests. (In case you were wondering, LUDWIG stands for Listings Utility Database for WholeNote Information Gathering.) ASK LUDWIG allows for inquiries to the database directly from our website and we are very excited by its potential to change the way you use our listings to plan your concert-going schedule. Want to see only the choral concerts happening in Niagara region this month? Just ask LUDWIG. Want to search only for concerts in downtown Toronto this week that feature something by Beethoven? LUDWIG can save you a ton of page-turning or scrolling. Check it out for yourself at http://www.thewholenote.com/index.php/listings/ask-ludwig. And if you have any comments, questions or suggestions, we want to hear them. Get in touch at systems@thewholenote.com to tell us what you’re thinking.

So, here’s to what our musical future holds, and thanks for coming along for the ride!

- The WholeNote team

THE IDEA OF NORTH

Scandinavian artists in Toronto this month

It’s not often that we get to connect with our fellow northerners on the other side of the Atlantic. The coming weeks, however, offer plenty of opportunity for just that, as Scandinavian performers figure prominently in the listings this month.

Swedish a cappella group Kongero will be travelling to Toronto to headline a concert at Lula Lounge next Tuesday. The show is a fundraiser and teaser for this year’s SING! Toronto Vocal Arts Festival, which will run this year from May 4 to 15. Taking inspiration from traditional Swedish music and folk song, the four vocalists who make up Kongero have cultivated a unique sound, and have the vocal chops to pull off something impressive next week. Local group Countermeasure will also perform at the concert. Give Kongero’s music a listen at http://www.kongero.se/index.php/en/music, and visit http://www.lula.ca/events/2016/feb/sing.html to find out more about the event.

Also Toronto-bound is 29-year-old Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang, who will make her local debut in a recital at Koerner Hall on March 2. A student of Anne-Sophie Mutter, Frang was catapulted to international fame after being named the Credit Suisse Young Artist of the Year in 2012. She’ll appear at Koerner in a program featuring works by Schubert, Fauré and Lutoslawski, with Michail Lifits at the piano. Frang’s show was one of WholeNote editor Paul Ennis’ top classical picks for the coming month--to check out his take on Frang and her upcoming recital, read on here: http://www.thewholenote.com/index.php/newsroom/beatcolumns-sp-2121861476/classical-and-beyond/25853-frang-and-skride-in-local-debuts. For concert details, visit http://performance.rcmusic.ca/event/frang_lifits.

Finally, a month away but still of note is Mooredale Concerts’ two matinee shows on March 13, which mark the Canadian debut of Denmark’s Ensemble MidtVest. Comprising a string quartet, a wind quintet and a piano, the musicians of Ensemble MidtVest are known for their captivating interpretations of mixed-instrumental chamber music. They’ll be performing as part of Mooredale’s mainstage series at 3:15pm, as well as appearing earlier in the afternoon 1:15pm in a “Music and Truffles” concert for children aged 5-11. All the details at https://www.mooredaleconcerts.com/event/ensemble-midtvest-canadian-debut/.

PRIZES, PRIZES!

IN THIS ISSUE: Chances to win tickets to hear the Talisker Players in concert; Tafelmusik in its “Best of Mozart” program; Soundstreams’ presentation of the music of James Macmillan; and the COC’s latest production: The Marriage of Figaro.

Follow the links below to enter:

Canadian Opera Company: The Marriage of Figaro, Wednesday February 17

Tafelmusik: The Best of Mozart, Friday February 26

Talisker Players: Spirit Dreaming, Tuesday March 1

Soundstreams: The Music of James MacMillan, Tuesday March 8

JUST IN: CORRECTED AND NEW LISTINGS

FEATURED LISTING: XIA QUARTET AT SEICHO-NO-IE, SATURDAY FEBRUARY 13

“Start with a stunning acoustic, and a gorgeous building in a part of town where you might not expect to hear classical music.” That’s TSO bassist Tim Dawson’s description of Seicho-No-Ie, a Japanese non-denominational centre of worship near Victoria Park subway station. He’s been planning a chamber music series there for three years now, and the third concert of the venue’s 2015/16 season is this Saturday. The hour-long concert will feature the XIA Quartet: Robert Uchida, concertmaster for the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, alongside violinist Shane Kim, violist Theresa Rudolph and cellist Joseph Johnson of the TSO. If you don’t have plans yet for this Saturday, here’s one to mark on your calendar. Details in our listings below.

Other new/corrected February concert listings added online since our last print issue are as follows:

Thursday February 11

7:00: The Music Gallery. Music Gallery Fundraiser: 1976: Our 40th Birthday Party. Fundraiser with a "1976" theme. Silent auction, new music trivia, and music of the 1970s. Music Gallery, 197 John St. 416-204-1080. $20(adv).

Friday February 12

8:00: John Kameel Farah. Music for Organ and Synthesizers. Minimalistic and maximalistic cosmos-themed compositions and improvisations featuring synthesizers, keyboards and the pipe organ. Grace Toronto Church, 383 Jarvis St.. Entry by donation. Suggested donation: $10.

Saturday February 13

3:00: Seicho-No-Ie Toronto/Tim Dawson. XIA Quartet. XIA Quartet: Robert Uchida, violin; Shane Kim, violin; Theresa Rudolph, viola; Joseph Johnson, cello. Seicho-No-Ie Toronto, 662 Victoria Park Ave. . $20; free(12 and under). A non-perishable food donation is also appreciated.

8:00: Theatre Ancaster. Love Notes...With a Twist. 11th annual Valentine's show. Cabaret-style show featuring a variety of songs, from romantic ballads to upbeat rock. Tracy Cain, voice; Adrian Gorrissen; voice; Sarah Jones, voice; Linda Davis, voice; Splendour in the Brass; and others. Old Firehall Arts Centre, 334 Wilson St. E., Ancaster. 905-304-SHOW (7469). $27; $24(sr); $12(st). Also February 14.

8:30: Hugh's Room. Jackie Richardson & Micah Barnes – A Jazz Valentine. 2261 Dundas St. W.416-531-6604. $28(adv)/$32(door). Also February 14.

Sunday February 14

2:00: Theatre Ancaster. Love Notes...With a Twist. 11th annual Valentine's show. Cabaret-style show featuring a variety of songs, from romantic ballads to upbeat rock. Tracy Cain, voice; Adrian Gorrissen; voice; Sarah Jones, voice; Linda Davis, voice; Splendour in the Brass; and others. Old Firehall Arts Centre, 334 Wilson St. E., Ancaster. 905-304-SHOW (7469). $27; $24(sr); $12(st). Also February 13.

8:30: Hugh's Room. Jackie Richardson & Micah Barnes – A Jazz Valentine. 2261 Dundas St. W.416-531-6604. $28(adv)/$32(door). Also February 13.

Monday February 15

10:00am: Westben Arts Festival Theatre. Family Day Concert with Andrew Queen & Campfire Crew. A sing-along concert for all ages. Clock Tower Cultural Centre, 36 Front St. S., Campbellford. 705-653-5508 or 1-877-883-5777. PWYC. All proceeds go towards Westben Youth Programming.

Wednesday February 17

7:30: Casa Loma. A Stradivarius for the People. Matteo Fedeli, violin; Emilio de Mercato, piano. 1 Austin Terrace. 416-923-1171 or 647-725-1841. $55. Fedeli will play a violin made by Antonio Stradivari in 1715.

7:30: Matapa World Music Series. Kongero - Swedish Folk'appella! Kongero (Swedish a cappella ensemble). Hamilton Spectator Auditiorium, 44 Frid St., Hamilton. 289-396-9906. $25; $20(sr/st).

8:00: Harbourfront Centre. Badke. Palestinian dance and music. Fleck Dance Theatre, Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000. $54; $15(st).

8:30: Hugh's Room. Jane Siberry. 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. $35(adv); $40(door).

Friday February 19

7:00: Denis Schingh. In Concert. Music by Erik Satie, Chick Corea, Weather Report, Supertramp, and others. Paintbox Bistro, 555 Dundas St. E. $10.

Saturday February 20

10:00am: Westben Arts Festival Theatre. Saturday Morning Tunes with Andrew Queen & Campfire Crew. An interactive storytelling concert with stories, songs, an art activity and snacks. Clock Tower Cultural Centre, 36 Front St. S.,Campbellford. 705-653-5508 or 1-877-883-5777. $5 per child. Parents and caregivers are free. Recommended for ages 4-8. Pre-registration required. Free CD with pre-registration.

7:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra. POPS! 3: Oscar's Score Book. Music from classic movies. Music from The Wizard of Oz, The Little Mermaid, Titanic, Chariots of Fire, Star Wars, and others. Stephanie Martin, voice; Gavin Hope, voice; Jeans ‘n Classics Band. Partridge Hall, First Ontario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-688-0722 or 1-855-515-0722. $64; $59(sr); $32(30 and under); $14(st); $12(15 and under); $5(eyeGO). Also February 21(mat).

8:30: Hugh's Room. Music of Burt Bacharach. 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. $27.50(adv); $30(door).

Sunday February 21

1:30: Westben Arts Festival Theatre. Westben Ceildh Kitchen Party Fundraiser. A fundraiser celebrating Celtic music, poetry, food and drink. Music by Kilt Trip with Pat Mctaggart, Luke Mercier, Andy Thompson, Jana Reid; and guests. Clock Tower Cultural Centre, 36 Front St. S., Campbellford. 705-653-5508 or 1-877-883-5777. $25-$50 plus tax. Doors open at 1:30pm with a scotch tasting from 1:30pm to 2:30pm.

2:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra. POPS! 3: Oscar's Score Book. Music from classic movies. Music from The Wizard of Oz, The Little Mermaid, Titanic, Chariots of Fire, Star Wars, and others. Stephanie Martin, voice; Gavin Hope, voice; Jeans ‘n Classics Band. Partridge Hall, First Ontario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-688-0722 or 1-855-515-0722. $64; $59(sr); $32(30 and under); $14(st); $12(15 and under); $5(eyeGO). Also February 20(eve).

Monday February 22

7:30: Associates of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Winds of the 20th Century. Nielsen: Wind Quintet; Françaix: Sixtour; Janáček: Mládí ("Youth") Suite for Wind Sextet. Leonie Wall, flute; Sarah Jeffrey, oboe; Joseph Orlowski, clarinet; Amy Zoloto, bass clarinet; Gabriel Radford, horn; Samuel Banks, bassoon. Trinity-St. Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-282-6636. $20; $17(sr/st).

Tuesday February 23

7:00: Jazz Bistro. Avery Raquel Quartet. 251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299. $10.

Wednesday February 24

8:00: Toronto Blues Society. Andria Simone & Some of Those Guys. Graham Mallany, guitar; Mark Wilson, bass. 251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299. $10.

Thursday February 25

8:30: Hugh's Room. David Francey CD Release. 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. $30(adv); $35(door). Also February 26.

Friday February 26

8:30: Hugh's Room. David Francey CD Release. 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. $30(adv); $35(door). Also February 25.

Saturday February 27

8:30: Hugh's Room. Gregg Lawless. 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. $25(adv); $30(door).

Sunday February 28

3:00: Chorus Hamilton. In Concert. Orff: Carmina Burana. Chorus Hamilton; Fanshawe Chorus London; David Holler, direction; Erika Reiman, piano; and others. Christ Church Cathedral, 252 James St. N., Hamilton. 905-318-9381. $25; $20(sr/st).

3:00: La Jeunesse Youth Orchestra. In the Spotlight 2016. Works by Bach, Mozart, Massenet, Schubert and Bruch. Port Hope United Church, 34 South St., Port Hope. 1-866-460-LJYO (5596). $20; $15(st); free(12 and under).

Monday February 29

8:00: Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts. "Bakuon": Legend of the Heartbeat. Taiko performance by YAMATO the Drummers of Japan, as part of their 2015/16 world tour. 88 Dalhousie St., Brantford. 519-758-8090 or 1-800-265-0710. $49; $20(st); $5(eyeGO). Also March 1 at 12 noon.

7:30: Toronto Masque Theatre. A Passage to India. Salon event with a behind-the-scenes look at Toronto Masque Theatre's upcoming commission, The Man Who Married Himself. The Atrium, 21 Shaftesbury Ave. 416-410-4561. $20.

8:30: Hugh's Room. Simon Townshend. 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. $20(adv); $22.50(door).

Tuesday March 1

12:00: Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts. "Bakuon": Legend of the Heartbeat. Taiko performance by YAMATO the Drummers of Japan, as part of their 2015/16 world tour. 88 Dalhousie St., Brantford. 519-758-8090 or 1-800-265-0710. $49; $20(st); $5(eyeGO). Also February 29(eve).

Friday March 4

3:00: Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. Music Ed Plus Vocal & Woodwind Chamber Ensemble. FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre lobby, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-688-5550. Free.

8:00: Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra. The Bold and the Beautiful. Shostakovich: Festive Overture; Chopin: Piano Concerto; Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture; music by the winner of the Young Composer's Competition. David Jalbert, piano. Martingrove Collegiate Institute, 50 Winterton Dr., Etobicoke. 416-239-5665. $30; $25(sr); $15(st).

8:00: KWCMS. Jeremy Bell, violin; Shoshana Telner, piano. Grieg: Violin Sonata no. 1; Beethoven: Sonata no. 7 in c (op. 30 no. 3); Robert Ward: Lamentation and Scherzo; Alkan: Le Festin d'Aesop. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St. W.,Waterloo. 519-886-1673. $30; $20(st).

Saturday March 5

7:00: Ryerson Community Concert Series. Concert Classics: Solo Piano Music with Alexei Gulenco. Alexei Gulenco, piano; the Hamilton Choir Project. Ryerson United Church, 265 Wilson St. E., Ancaster. . Admission by donation ($20 suggested).

7:30: Canadian Men's Chorus. A Celtic Ceilidh. Celtic music from around the world. Mark Sirett: When You Are Old (premiere); Eleanor Daley: Skye Boat Song, Lake Isle of Innisfree; and others. Greg Rainville, director; Christina Faye, piano; Julie Ourceau, fiddle; Amy O'Neil, flute; Bill Kervin, bodhran; and others. The Music Gallery, 197 John St. 519-305-1351. $30/$20(under 30)(adv); $35/$25(under 30)(door).

8:00: DaCapo Chamber Choir. Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind. An all-Shakespeare choral concert. David Archer: In Sweet Music (world premiere); George Shearing: Songs & Sonnets by Shakespeare; Stephen Chatman: Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind; Harry Freedman: Songs from Shakespeare; Jaakko Mäntyjärvi: Four Shakespeare Songs. Catherine Robertson, piano; Greg Prior, bass. St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church, 23 Water St. N., Kitchener. 519-725-7549. $25; $20(sr); $15(st); $5(child/eyeGO). Also March 6.

Sunday March 6

4:00: Vivace Vox. Choral Concert: Highlights from Les Misérables. Linda Eyman, music director. Trinity-St. Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-455-9238. $20; $15(sr/st).

3:00: DaCapo Chamber Choir. Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind. An all-Shakespeare choral concert. David Archer: In Sweet Music (world premiere); George Shearing: Songs & Sonnets by Shakespeare; Stephen Chatman: Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind; Harry Freedman: Songs from Shakespeare; Jaakko Mäntyjärvi: Four Shakespeare Songs. Catherine Robertson, piano; Greg Prior, bass. St. John's Lutheran Church, 22 Willow St., Waterloo. 519-725-7549. $25; $20(sr); $15(st); $5(child/eyeGO). Also March 5.

8:00: KWCMS. Heidi Wall, piano. Bach: Prelude and Fugue #21 from Book 1 in bb; Liszt: Transcendental Etudes No. 11 & 12; Haydn: Sonata #52 in Eb (HXVI: 52); Alexander Stankovski: Traumprotokoll. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. Admission by donation. Tax receipts for donations of $20 or more.

THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING

The next issue of HalfTones, Vol 3 No 7, will be out on Wednesday, March 16, 2016. The next print issue of our 2015/16 season, covering March 1-April 7, will be on the stands at the end of February.

Please contact halftones@thewholenote.com with any HalfTones inquiries.

TIME OF TRANSITIONS

Music to get you out of the post-holiday slump

The holiday season may be over, but the winter season is far from finished. Post-holiday blues can hit hard this time of year, as it’s back to work for most of us--and the slump at the start of the year can be found on our concert calendars as well, with shows taking shape slowly as ensembles return to rehearsals. Concerts take time to prep, and the interim can have would-be concertgoers feeling like the new year is off to a slow start.

Spring weather and sunny days may still be a long way away, but in the intervening weeks there are still some quick-on-the-draw ensembles with exciting musical offerings. Whether they feature wintertime classics, look forward towards the spring or just provide some musical food for thought, here are some January shows to help you cast off the old year and think ahead to bigger and better things.

This month, Ensemble Polaris is innovative as ever with a program set to ease you smoothly out of the holiday mindset. “Santa’s Gone Home!” on January 27 at Saint Bartholomew’s Anglican Church is the ensemble’s winter concert, and promises a lot more than your average Christmas carols. The program is made up of tunes from Canada, Scandinavia and Appalachia, plus some other surprises--one of which is explained only as “a tad of Nutcracker Nouveau”. If you haven’t yet had the chance to experience Ensemble Polaris’ eclectic instrumentation and “North-inspired” musical mandate (http://ensemblepolaris.com/about/), now is the time. The show will also be repeated on January 31 at 3pm, at Heliconian Hall. Details on both shows in our listings at http://www.thewholenote.com/index.php/listings/concertsgta.

The TSO has just returned from a tour to Florida--lucky--but they’re still prolific as ever, with a Mozart festival on the horizon. Mozart@260, January 15 to 23, is an annual event, and this year’s festival features the Jupiter Symphony and D-minor Requiem. The symphony will be paired with excerpts from Don Giovanni and Mozart’s “Jeunehomme” Piano Concerto, played by Alexandre Tharaud. The Requiem concerts also look promising for Mozart fans, where Mozart’s final work will be presented as a semi-staged production. Details on the festival at http://www.tso.ca/en-ca/concerts-and-tickets/2015-2016-Season/Subscription-Series/Mozart-at-260-Festival/Mozart-at-260-Festival.aspx.

Looking forward--you can get a preview of the end of Tafelmusik’s 2016 season on Saturday, January 16, at the final round of the first-ever Tafelmusik Vocal Competition. Starting at 1pm at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, nine singers will compete for three winning spots. The three winners--one each of alto, tenor and bass--will perform Zelenka’s Missa omnium sanctorum in Tafelmusik’s final concerts of the season. Admission to listen to the competition on Saturday is free--for details, check out http://www.tafelmusik.org/education/tafelmusik-vocal-competition.

SOUNDS/SIGHTS

Multimedia projects in the city this month

For those who like watching music-making as much as listening to it, a number of upcoming projects may spark your visual (and musical) interest. Starting this Wednesday at the Four Seasons Centre is Opera: Faces & Words--a photography exhibit that presents portraits of opera singers alongside a selection of lyrics that they find personally meaningful. The same project will be repeated with the same singers at 5-year intervals, with the aim of capturing their growth as people and performers as time passes. From January 13 to February 27, the Four Seasons Centre will display a portion of this project, which will feature six members and graduates of the COC Ensemble Studio--Lauren Segal, Allyson McHardy, Jacqueline Woodley, Andrew Haji, Charlotte Burrage, and Karine Boucher. For details on the exhibit, visit http://www.operafacesandwords.com/.

Also on this month is Century Song, a song/dance/film/projected art hybrid presented by Volcano Theatre, in collaboration with Crooked Figure Dances and the Moveable Beast Collective. The show is soprano Neema Bickersteth’s interpretation (alongside director Ross Manson and choreographer Kate Alton) of 100 years of women’s identities, set to 100 years of music by Rachmaninoff, Messiaen, John Cage, Georges Aperghis, and Reza Jacobs. All this to say that it looks to be a powerful production, whether it’s the music, the visuals or the story that brings you there. The show runs at the Theatre Centre’s Progress Festival from January 19 to 23, as part of a cross-Canada festival circuit--consider catching it then. Details at http://volcano.ca/production/century-song/.

Finally, while not multimedia, strictly speaking, a concert on January 18 by the Associates of the TSO deserves an honourable mention. “Colours in Music: Composers with Synaesthesia” features chamber music by well-known composers who have also identified in some way as synesthetes. It has piano and string works by Liszt, Sibelius, Messiaen, Duke Ellington and Amy Beach on the program, and seems like a promising show. More info on this concert and on the Associates of the TSO can be found at http://www.associates-tso.org/5small.html.

PRIZES, PRIZES!

Free tickets to the COC’s Siegfried

IN THIS ISSUE: The Ring is back. The second half of the COC’s 2015/16 season opens with Siegfried, part three of Wagner’s four-part cycle. Click here for a chance to win free tickets.

JUST IN: CORRECTED AND NEW LISTINGS

FEATURED LISTING: ONE NIGHT ONLY: THE GREATEST MUSICAL NEVER WRITTEN, January 27 to February 14

From January 27 to February 14, the Factory Theatre is host to ONE NIGHT ONLY: THE GREATEST MUSICAL NEVER WRITTEN. This two-act musical comedy is completely improvised, dictated by audience suggestions, bringing together local improvisers and sketch comedy performers to create a brand new musical every performance. The music-meets-comedy production stars Canadian Comedy Award-winners alongside singers Miriam Drysdale and Kevin Vidal--and hints at a special guest appearance by Colin Mochrie. For details on the show, look at our listings below or visit https://www.factorytheatre.ca/what-s-on/one-night-only/.

Other new/corrected January concert listings added online since our last print issue are as follows:

CONCERTS

Friday January 15

7:30: The Royal Conservatory. Tony Yike Yang and Charles Richard-Hamelin. Chopin piano works performed by International Chopin Competition medallists. Mazzoleni Concert Hall, Royal Conservatory, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $50.

Saturday January 16

8:00: Acoustic Harvest. A Pre-Winterfolk Showcase. Brian Gladstone, Tony Quarrington, HOTCHA!, David Storey, and others. St. Nicholas Anglican Church, 1512 Kingston Rd. $25(door); $22(adv).

Sunday January 17

2:00: Living Arts Centre. Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci - Opera Film Series. Film screenings of two Italian operas, in a production by the Royal Opera under Antonio Pappano. 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905-306-6000. $20.

Tuesday January 19

12:00: Department of Music, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. RBC Foundation - Music @ Noon. Faculty Recital: Patricia Dydnansky, flute. Cairns Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-688-0722. Free.

Thursday January 21

12:00: University of Guelph. Thursday at Noon - Faculty Showcase. Goldschmidt Room, 107 MacKinnon Bldg., 50 Stone Rd. E., Guelph. 519-824-4120 x52991. Free.

2:00: Orchardviewers. A Concert of Newfoundland. Toronto Public Library, Northern District, 40 Orchard View Blvd. 416-393-7610.

Friday January 22

7:30: Department of Music, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. ENCORE! Professional Concert Series presents: Canadian Guitar Quartet. Partridge Hall, First Ontario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-688-0722. $29; $23(sr/st); $5(eyeGo).

Saturday January 23

7:00: Hart House. Chamber Strings Pop Concert. Original singer-songwriter compositions and popular music. Hart House Great Hall, 7 Hart House Circle. 416-978-2452. Free.

8:00: Music Gallery/AIMToronto. Adam Rudolph - Go: Organic. Adam Rudolph, direction; SlowPitch, electronics/turntables; Tova Kardonne, vocals; Zoe Alexis-Abrams, vocals; Jackson Welchner, vocals, and others. Music Gallery, 197 John St. 416-204-1080. $20; $15(adv); $10(members). Pre-concert interview by Nilan Perera at 7:15pm.

Sunday January 24

2:00: Canzona Chamber Players. TRIO INK. Works by Mozart, Bach and Brahms. Yosuke Kawasaki, violin; Wolfram Koessel, cello; Vadim Serebryany, piano. St. Andrew by-the-Lake Anglican Church, Cibola Ave.,Toronto Island. 416-822-0613. $20. Also Jan 25 at the Music Gallery.

Monday January 25

7:30: Canzona Chamber Players. TRIO INK. Works by Mozart, Bach and Brahms. Yosuke Kawasaki, violin; Wolfram Koessel, cello; Vadim Serebryany, piano. St. George the Martyr Church, 197 John St. 416-822-0613. $20. Also Jan 24 on Toronto Island.

Tuesday January 26

12:00: Department of Music, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. RBC Foundation - Music @ Noon. Faculty Recital: Tim White, trumpet and Lesley Kingham, piano. Cairns Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-688-0722. Free.

Wednesday January 27

12:30: University of Waterloo Department of Music. Noon Hour Concerts: Everett Hopfner: Sounds Like Canada. Enns: Piano Sonata No. 1; and other Canadian works. Everett Hopfner, piano. Conrad Grebel University College, 140 Westmount Rd. N., Waterloo. 519-885-0220 x24226. Free.

8:00: Factory Theatre. One Night Only: The Greatest Musical Never Written. Two-act improvised musical comedy, dictated by audience suggestions. 125 Bathurst St. . $32.40-$60.65. Also Jan 28, 29, 30, 31(mat), Feb 2, 3, 4, 5, 6(mat/eve), 7(mat), 9, 10, 11, 12, 13(mat/eve), 14(mat).

Thursday January 28

12:00: University of Guelph. Thursday at Noon - A Feast for the Ears. Sheila Dietrich, soprano. Goldschmidt Room, 107 MacKinnon Bldg., 50 Stone Rd. E., Guelph. 519-824-4120 x52991. Free.

Sunday January 31

2:00: Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts. HCA Concert Series presents: André Laplante. Schubert: Sonata in A major D 664; Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales and Sonatine; Liszt: Ballade No.2 in b; Chopin: Nocturne. Op.62 No.1in B; Polonaise Fantasy in A-flat. 126 James St. S, Hamilton. 905-528-4020. $15-$27.

2:00: Pocket Concerts. Mendelssohn in Cabbagetown. A living room concert with music, food and wine. Mendelssohn: Piano Trio in c; and others. Emily Rho, piano; Aaron Schwebel, violin; Britton Riley, cello. 647-896-8295. $45; $30(age 19-35); $15(under 18). The exact address will be provided when tickets are purchased.

7:00: Melos Choir and Period Instruments. Baroque Idol. Final competition round for local young singers performing baroque music. St. George's Cathedral (Kingston), 270 King St. E., Kingston. 613-767-7245. $10.

Tuesday February 2

12:00: Department of Music, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. RBC Foundation - Music @ Noon. Recital: Voice Students. Cairns Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-688-0722. Free.

Wednesday February 3

12:30: University of Waterloo Department of Music. Noon Hour Concerts: Music of the Future. Eric Ross, theremin; Mary Ross, video art. Conrad Grebel University College, 140 Westmount Rd. N., Waterloo. 519-885-0220 x24226. Free.

8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society. Penderecki String Quartet. Beethoven: Op.18, No.2; Schubert: Impromptus, D899; Louis Vierne: Piano Quintet in c, Op.42. Penderecki String Quartet; Leopoldo Erice, piano. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. $35; $20(st).

Thursday February 4

12:00: University of Guelph. Thursday at Noon - Music from the Future. Multimedia Concept Boulevard d'Reconstructie (Op. 54). Eric and Mary Ross. Goldschmidt Room, 107 MacKinnon Bldg., 50 Stone Rd. E., Guelph. 519-824-4120 x52991. Free.

Friday February 5

8:00: group of 27. Beauty Packs a Punch Basket. Finzi: A Severn Rhapsody, Op.3; Lalo: Aubades; Dubois: Cavatine for Horn; Massenet: Valse Tres Lente; Frehner: Apollo X. Gabe Radford, horn; Nadina Mackie Jackson, bassoon. Centre for Social Innovation, 720 Bathurst St. 416-323-1292. $30; $25(st); $10(under 18). $5 off when you buy your ticket in advance online.

MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZ

Friday January 15

9:00: Jazz at Oscar's. Jazz Night - Sarah Jerrom. Arbor Room, 7 Hart House Circle. Free.

10:00: Kevin Morris. The Man I Love. Cabaret featuring songs about men in love with men. Works by Gershwin, Rodgers & Hart, Cole Porter, Nina Simone, and others. Kevin Morris, vocals; Chris Tsujiuchi, keyboard and vocals; Matthew Karaś, bass; Robert Purcell, drums. Buddies In Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St. 416-975-8555. $20(door); $15(adv).

Saturday January 16

1:00: Tafelmusik. Tafelmusik Vocal Competition. Final round of the inaugural Tafelmusik Vocal Competition. Baroque arias by Handel, Bach and Zelenka. Nine vocal soloists; Christopher Bagan, harpsichord and organ. Trinity-St. Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-9562 x221. Free.

Sunday January 17

2:00: Beverly Taft. Beverly Taft. Jazz, bossa, blues and originals. Beverly Taft, vocals; David Restivo, piano. Morgans on the Danforth, 1282 Danforth Ave. 416-461-3020. No cover.

Friday January 22

8:30: Hugh's Room. Poor Angus. Original and traditional Scottish, Irish and East Coast themed pieces. 2261 Dundas St. W.416-531-6604. $25(door); $22.50(adv).

9:00: Jazz at Oscar's. Jazz Night - Sam Broverman. Arbor Room, 7 Hart House Circle. Free.

Friday January 29

9:00: Jazz at Oscar's. Jazz Night - Mark Kazakevich. Arbor Room, 7 Hart House Circle. Free.

Sunday January 31

4:30: Beverly Taft. Beverly Taft. Jazz, bossa, blues and originals. Beverly Taft, vocals; Nathan Hiltz, guitar; Artie Roth, bass. The Local Gest, 424 Parliament St. 416-961-9425. No cover.

Friday February 5

9:00: Jazz at Oscar's. Jazz Night - Harley Card. Arbor Room, 7 Hart House Circle. Free.

ETCs

Wednesday January 20

7:30: Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir. Call for Members/Open Rehearsal. Guests welcome to meet the choir, sing along or just listen. Dewi Sant Church, 33 Melrose Ave. 905-474-6045. Free.

Wednesday January 27

6:00: Istituto Italiano di Cultura. International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2016. Literature and music dedicated to Italian-Jewish writer and chemist Primo Levi. Excerpts from Primo Levi’s literary work “If This is a Man” read by actor Michael A. Miranda; Musical intermissions featuring classic Klezmer repertoire performed by Robbie Grunwald, pianist and Drew Jurecka, violinist. Alliance Francaise Theatre, 24 Spadina Rd. 416-921-3802 x221. Free.

THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING

The next issue of HalfTones, Vol 3 No 6, will be out on Thursday, February 11, 2016. Our current print issue is a special DOUBLE ISSUE covering December 1-February 7; the February print issue will be on the stands at the end of the month.

Please contact halftones@thewholenote.com with any HalfTones inquiries.

“NEW YEAR, NEW ME”

Concerts bringing something different to the table for 2016

2015’s days are numbered. As usual, the holiday season means that a new year is right around the corner, and as usual, that means us promises ourselves to do more, struggle less, and be better come January. Maybe it’s naive of us to think that the New Year’s Resolution is still a useful exercise, but if you need some musical inspiration for yours then you’re in luck. In addition to the abundance of holiday concerts and NYE parties this time of year, there are a number of innovative concert presenters that are bringing new ideas to the table. Here’s a few shows where you can celebrate fresh starts, find some peace of mind, or learn something new this January.

If you’re already feeling the need to listen to some non-holiday-themed music and can’t wait until the new year, the Ontario Philharmonic’s show in Oshawa this Saturday December 19 is a good bet. Their program of Mendelssohn and Chopin is classic concert fare, perfect for those who want the holiday earworm out of their head. See http://www.ontariophil.ca/index.php?ID=1 for details.

For an atypical NYE experience, those in Hamilton might want to check out a concert at Melrose United Church. Crystal Journey’s David Hickey will be playing two sets with paiste gongs, vibraphone, santoor and crystal bowls, with a gong to ring in the new year. The show includes tea and vegan snacks, and guests are encouraged to bring their own yoga mats or blankets to lie down on if they wish. Could be a relaxing and family-friendly alternative to the NYE party scene -- for details, visit http://www.crystaljourney.ca/live-performances.

On New Year’s Day, industrious early-musickers Musicians in Ordinary are presenting a matinée show that celebrates famous composers’ own fresh starts. Titled “Opus 1’s,” the show will feature first compositions by Handel, Vivaldi and other baroque composers at Yorkville’s Heliconian Hall. And if you’re busy on the 1st but still want to hear what these musical beginnings sound like, the show is on again the following evening. More info is available at http://www.musiciansinordinary.ca/concerts/heliconian-series/.

On another note, sometimes a new year can mean a fresh perspective on a difficult situation. I FURIOSI plays a concert on January 9, and as usual with their shows, it will be a bold new take on baroque repertoire. UNREQUITED tackles the subject of unrequited love, taking on music about lopsided emotions and hopeless circumstances. Soprano Merry-Anne Stuart and organist Stephanie Martin will join the ensemble for the program. Check out http://ifuriosi.com/concerts/ for details.

Finally, January 11 will be an opportunity to learn about a new approach to music-making, and what it has to offer. Composer Alexander Rapoport has organized “Theremin Meets Piano,” a concert at Gallery 345 that will feature the piano alongside the iconic electronic instrument. Curious concertgoers will also hear theremin player Pamelia Stickney’s demonstration of the instrument, as well as have the chance to try it out themselves. Details at http://www.gallery345.com/performances.php#jan11.

If more standard NYE fare is more what you had in mind, there’s no shortage of other gala events, parties, and concerts scheduled to ring in the new year--for full listings, check out our website or a copy of our December/January issue. In the meantime: happy holidays, WholeNote readers, and here’s hoping for an even happier new year.

DISCOVERIES: RECORDINGS REVIEWED

Two seasonal CDs for your holiday playlist

Just in time for the holidays we’ve received two seasonal delights. Dianne Wells reviews Winter Nights, a Pax Christi Chorale CD of “deeply thought out and sensitive” works by director Stephanie Martin, and a “hilarious” send-up of some Christmas favourites, The Most Wonderful Time… Maybe by local powerhouse vocal jazz trio Broadsway…

Winter Nights - Works by Stephanie Martin     
Pax Christi Chorale; Stephanie Martin
Independent SJM010 (paxchristichorale.org)

Stephanie Martin’s 20th anniversary as artistic director of the Pax Christi Chorale is fittingly honoured by this premiere recording of her own pieces. In addressing modern composition, she elects, in her own words, to “follow Britten’s vision of the ‘holy triangle’ between composer, performer and audience. In an ideal musical triangle, a new piece can satisfy the intellectual needs of the composer, respect the limitations of the performing forces, and move the audience.” The result of this approach is a collection of deeply thought out and sensitive works that harken to the past while maintaining a high degree of originality. The chosen texts are quite stimulating as well, drawing from classical giants such as Tennyson, Campion, Milton and Yeats, biblical texts, as well as offerings from the composer and her most gifted sister, Cori Martin. Rise up my love, my fair one gives a respectful nod to Healey Willan, one of Martin’s forebears at St. Mary Magdalene’s. Her five-movement cantata Winter Nights is a wonderful study of the pleasures and mysteries of the season and the final selection on the disc Now the Queen of Seasons provides a rousing opportunity to celebrate with exuberant organ and the True North Brass.  Of course, as always, the Pax Christi Chorale gives superb performances throughout, in the hands of its consummate conductor.

Dianne Wells

The Most Wonderful Time… Maybe     
Broadsway
Independent BWCD002 (thebroadswayshow.com)       

In the honoured tradition of Fractured Fairy Tales (i.e. The Three Little Pigs from the wolf’s point of view), we have in this recording hilarious send ups of some of the best known and loved Christmas songs. That’s not to say that the multi-talented women of Broadsway, Heather Bambrick, Diane Leah and Julie Michels don’t have their serious moments. Set amongst wacky, reworked renditions of Baby It’s Cold Outside and Most Wonderful Time of the Year are some pretty heartfelt renderings of quieter songs like Gordon Lightfoot’s Song for a Winter’s Night and Corlynn Hanney’s Christmas Angel. The singing and especially the harmonies are gorgeous and enhanced by a few excellent players. Colleen Allen delivers stunning saxophone solos while a solid foundation is provided by bassists George Koller and Michael McClennan with percussionists Davide DiRenzo and Tom Jestadt. There are a number of clever medleys on the recording featuring quite innovative intertwinings of tunes, especially in Jingle Bells/Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree which adds snippets of Sleigh Ride, Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Deck the Halls, some at breakneck speed. And that’s not all; as an added bonus, the women deliver some pretty convincing chipmunk impressions with Christmas Don’t Be Late.

Dianne Wells

Correction from Vol 21 No 4:

A Conversation Piece

Dr. Réa Beaumont

Shrinking Planet Productions SPP0090 (reabeaumont.com)

A Listening Room print advertisement for pianist Dr Réa Beaumont's CD "A Conversation Piece" should have appeared in December/January's combined edition of The WholeNote, and we regret the error. Readers who would like to enjoy the enhanced review of Dr. Beaumont's CD should click here: http://www.thewholenote.com/index.php/booksrecords2/editorscorner/25581-editor-s-corner-september-2015. Listening Room enhanced reviews include clicks to listen and clicks to buy.

Speaking of records, if you haven’t already you should take a look at Ori Dagan’s column VINYL REVIVAL (http://www.thewholenote.com/index.php/newsroom/beatcolumns-sp-2121861476/intheclubsjazz2/25775-vinyl-revival), for tips on records, and on how, where and what to buy in Toronto. And if records interest you, keep an eye on our Twitter page @TheWholeNote this Friday -- where you might have the chance to win some exclusive record-related prizes. We’ll say no more for now!

PRIZES, PRIZES!

Exclusive contests from The WholeNote

IN THIS ISSUE: Chances to win tickets to hear the Talisker Players in concert or receive free-of-charge entry into a Music Appreciation course at the RCM--plus some hints on how to win other special prizes exclusive to WholeNote readers.

Follow the links below to enter:

Talisker Players: High Standards, Sunday January 10

The Royal Conservatory: Music Appreciation Course of your choice, January-June

Plus, a correction and a reminder about another contest that we run every month:

Who IS February's Child?

In the Dec/Jan print edition we neglected to say HOW you can enter our regular contest "We Are ALL Music's Children". See If you know who it is in the mystery photo! You can take another look at the clues here, in the right-hand column: http://www.thewholenote.com/index.php/newsroom/musical-life/whoismusicalchild

To enter your name in a draw for some great prizes (tickets and recordings) please send your best guess by email to musicschildren@thewholenote.com by January 25, 2016.

JUST IN: CORRECTED AND NEW LISTINGS

FEATURED LISTING: THE MUMMERS’ MASQUE, DEC 17-19

For an alternative yet still-festive option amidst a season of Christmas concerts, check out the Toronto Masque Theatre’s production of “The Mummers’ Masque” December 17 to 19. Billed as a ‘Newfoundland Christmas Kitchen Party,” the show will be a celebratory combo of music, dance and storytelling in Toronto’s Enoch Turner Schoolhouse. The show will carry on a 400-year-old Newfoundland holiday tradition, and promises more of the innovative work that we’ve come to expect from TMT. For details on the show, check our listings below or visit http://www.torontomasquetheatre.com/node/40.

Other new/corrected December/January concert listings added online since our last print issue are as follows:

CONCERTS

Dec 17 12:15: St. George's Cathedral (Kingston). Advent Concert. Works by Mendelssohn, Grieg and Holst. Valery Lloyd-Watts and Clare Gordon, pianos. 270 King St. E., Kingston. 613-548-4617. Freewill offering.

Dec 18 8:30: Zula Music & Arts Collective Hamilton. Samuel Blaser Quartet plus Dave Gould. Samuel Blaser Quartet; Dave Gould, percussive strings. Workers Arts and Heritage Centre, 51 Stuart St., Hamilton. 905-522-3003. $15; $12(adv/st). CANCELLED.

Dec 19 2:00: Toronto Masque Theatre. Mummer's Masque. Carla Huhtanen (St. George); Marion Newman (Rival Knight/Dragon); Christopher Mayell (Princess Zebra); Giles Tomkins (Father Christmas); step dancers; children's choir; jug band; and others. Enoch Turner Schoolhouse, 106 Trinity St. 416-410-4561. $50; $43(sr); $20(30 and under). Also Dec 17, 18, 19(8pm).

Dec 19 7:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra. Home for the Holidays. Joey DeBenedetto, vocals; Katie Kerr, vocals; Bradley Thachuk, conductor. FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-688-0722. $64; $59(sr); $32(30 and under); $14(st); $12(child); $5(EyeGo). Also Jan 20(2:30).

Dec 20 2:00: Quinte Symphony Orchestra. A Quinte Christmas. Beethoven: Symphony No.5; Christmas sing-along. Dan Tremblay, conductor. Centennial Secondary School, 160 Palmer Rd, Belleville. 613-967-3970. $25; $20(sr); $10(st); free(child).

Dec 31 8:30: Crystal Journey. In Concert. Paiste gongs, vibraphone, santoor and crystal bowls. Melrose United Church, 86 Homewood Ave.,Hamilton. 905-928-9706. $25. Includes tea and vegan treat. Child care available. Chairs will be provided or bring your own yoga mat or blanket.

Jan 06 6:00: Cathedral Church of St. James. Cantatas in the Cathedral. Bach: Canata "Liebster Immanuel, Herzog der Frommen", BWV123; and organ works. Teresa Mahon, soprano; Simon Honeyman, countertenor; Asitha Tennekoon, tenor; James Baldwin, bass; David Briggs, organ. 65 Church St. 416-364-7865. PWYC. All donations go directly to the artists.

Jan 10 4:00: Church of St. Mary Magdalene. Organ music for the octave of Epiphany. Andrew Adair, organ. Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Toronto), 477 Manning Ave. 416-531-7955. Free.

Jan 23 8:00: Guitar Society of Toronto. Classical Guitarist Paolo Martelli. Works by Bach on an 11-string guitar, Assad, Bellinati, and others. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 416-964-8298. $30; $25(sr/st).

Feb 07 4:00: Church of St. Mary Magdalene. Organ music by Felix Mendelssohn. Andrew Adair, organ. Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Toronto), 477 Manning Ave. 416-531-7955. Free.

MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZ

Dec 17 7:00. The Jerry Cans. The Dakota Tavern, 249 Ossington Ave. $15/$12.50(adv) at www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/10255

Dec 18 6:00. Guy Moreau, vocals; Kevin Barrett, guitar; Carrie Chestnutt, sax.120 Diner, 120 Church St. 416) 792-7725 or advance tickets at moreau.guy@gmail.com.

Dec 18 8:30. Foggy Hogtown Boys Christmas @ Hugh’s Room, 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. $25/$22.50(adv)

Dec 19 4:00. York Jazz Ensemble with vocalists George Westerholm & Beverly Taft. Swing & jazz & blues. Seven44, 744 Mount Pleasant Rd. 416-489-7931. $10 cover

Dec 20 12_noon. The Ault Sisters Xmas Matinee. Hugh’s Room, 2261 Dundas St. W., 416-531-6604. $22.50/$20(adv); $10(child).

Dec 23 8:30. Have A Bluesy Xmas with Paul DesLauriers Band, Jerome Godboo & Selena Evangeline. Hugh’s Room, 2261 Dundas St. W., 416-531-6604. $30/$25(adv)

Dec 30 8:30. Suzie Vinnick. Hugh’s Room, 2261 Dundas St. W., 416-531-6604. $25/$22.50(adv)

Dec 31 9:30. New Years Eve @ Hugh’s Room with Chris Whiteley, Diana Braithwaite & Sam Broverman. 2261 Dundas St. W., 416-531-6604. $50/$45(adv).

Dec 31 10:00. Jeanine Mackie Band. The Jazz Bistro. 251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299. $150. Dinner package includes 5-course gourmet dinner, live entertainment, party favours and champagne at midnight

Jan 6 8:30. Alex Pangman & Kevin Clark. Hugh’s Room, 2261 Dundas St. W., 416-531-6604. $30/$25(adv)

Jan 9 8:30. Joanna Chapman-Smith. Hugh’s Room, 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. $20/$18(adv)

Jan 17 2:00. Beverly Taft (vocals) with David Restivo (piano). Jazz, bossa, blues & originals. Morgans on the Danforth, 1282 Danforth Ave. 416-461-3020. No cover

Jan 31 4:30. Beverly Taft (vocals) with Nathan Hiltz (guitar) and Artie Roth (bass). Jazz originals, bossa and blues. The Local Gest, 424 Parliament St. 416-961-9425. No cover.

MUSIC THEATRE

Dec 17 7:30. Lower Ossington Theatre. Avenue Q. Music and Lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx. Book by Jeff Whitty. Directed by Seanna Kennedy. 100A Ossington Ave. 416-915-6747. $49.99–$59.99. Until Jan 10. Start times vary.

Dec 17 7:30. Lower Ossington Theatre. Jesus Christ Superstar. Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Lyrics by Tim Rice. Directed by Alan Kinsella. 100A Ossington Ave. $49.99–$59.99. 416-915-6747. Until Jan 17. Start times vary.

Jan 15 8:00. Hart House Theatre. Into the Woods. Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by James Lapine. Directed by Jeremy Hutton. Musical Direction by Giustin MacLean. Hart House Theatre, 7 Hart House Cir, Toronto. 416-978-8849. $28; $17(sr); $15(st); $12(st on Wed). Until Jan 30. Start times vary.

FILM SCREENINGS

Dec 29 2:00 pm. Living Arts Centre. Opera Film Series: Le Nozze di Figaro - Opera Film Series. David McVicar, stage director; Ivor Bolton, conductor; Erwin Schrott (bass) Figaro; Anita Hartig (soprano) Susanna. 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905-306-6000. $20

GROUP MEETINGS

Jan 8 7:30 CAMMAC Recorder Players’ Society. Amateur recorder players are invited to join in the playing of early music. Mount Pleasant Road Baptist Church, 527 Mount Pleasant Rd. 416-597-0485 or cammac.ca  $15 (non-members). Refreshments included.

NEW ON OUR WEBSITE

HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY THIS FRIDAY

Keep your eyes peeled on Twitter this Friday, because @TheWholeNote will be making a special announcement about a chance to win some pretty great prizes...a MUST if you are a music lover or vinyl aficionado! We’ll say no more until then, though...

THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING

The next issue of HalfTones, Vol 3 No 5, will be out on Monday, January 11, 2016. Our current print issue is a special DOUBLE ISSUE covering December 1-February 7; the February print issue will be on the stands at the end of January.

Please contact halftones@thewholenote.com with any HalfTones inquiries.

"A SNAPSHOT OF WHO YOU ARE"

Sondra Radvanovsky, back in Toronto

There’s a new video up on our website--and it’s all about how one of the world’s great operatic talents is planning on coming back home.

WholeNote publisher David Perlman sat down with Sondra Radvanovsky last month in her Caledon home to talk about her upcoming recital at Koerner Hall, and about the growing relationship between Radvanovsky and Toronto audiences in the years to come.

At this time, Radvanovsky has just completed a run of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. She’ll be back in Toronto by December, where she has a masterclass at U of T planned for the 1st of the month, plus a Koerner Hall recital three days later on December 4 that promises some exciting repertoire. “I think nowadays the whole context of recital has changed,” she says. “I think the audience wants to see kind of a snapshot of who you are.” The show is presented by Show One Productions, and will include a mixture of art songs and arias--what Radvanovsky refers to as sticking to the art-song “language of the recital” but trying to “end it with a bit of a ‘Wow!’”

Local audiences will have many more opportunities to hear ‘wow’-worthy performances in the future. In our video Radvanovsky talks about coming back every year from now on, and about conversations in the works with Alexander Neef about Toronto as her home and a place for musical experimentation. She’s dropped some hints about an appearance in the COC’s 2016/17 season, but she’s good at keeping a secret--so we’ll have to wait until the season launch in January to find out the details.

In the meantime, we think that you should make sure you attend the recital on December 4--and we even have some tickets to help make that happen. In an exclusive contest for WholeNote readers and video-watchers, we are giving away tickets to Radvanovsky’s recital--click here or check out our ‘PRIZES, PRIZES!’ section to apply for a chance to win!

To check out the full video, click here --and to read more about the interview in David Perlman’s story for our November issue, visit our website at http://www.thewholenote.com/index.php/newsroom/musical-life/221-features/25705-sondra-radvanovsky-comes-home.

MESSIAH ON THE HORIZON

An early-bird’s guide to performances of Handel’s Messiah this year

It’s almost that time of year again. For those keeping a pulse on our local live music scene, winter means the holiday season, and the holiday season means, inevitably, the Messiah. Handel’s famous masterpiece is a timeless work, and one that is performed over and over, every year without fail. It can admittedly be a little bit of a daunting task to find a performance that suits you, at a time where it seems like everyone is performing the same type of concert.

That’s why The WholeNote has taken to writing up an annual Messiah guide each December, covering what each Messiah season has to offer and what the masterwork means to us. This year, look for Howard Dyck’s very interesting [personal take on the work in our December issue. It seems, however, like the season is creeping up earlier and earlier each year, which, believe it or not, means that waiting until December will cause you to miss a few notable productions. So, for those of you who don't want to wait any longer before deciding where, when and how often to take in Handel's Messiah this holiday season, here are some quick picks of anticipated sitings and sightings of this work that continues to confound its naysayers, delight its devotees and win over new audiences with every Halleluia.

The big ones: It wouldn’t be real coverage of Handel’s Messiah in Toronto without talking about the productions by Tafelmusik and the TSO. Both shows are annual favourites in the city--especially Tafelmusik’s ‘sing-along’ edition, which is sold out every year. Tafelmusik’s production is December 16 to 19 at Koerner Hall (sing-along on the 20th), and the TSO’s is December 19 and 20, with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Against the Grain Theatre is also putting on a major Messiah production this year at Massey Hall, which will run from December 16 to 18.

Those with a head-start: This year’s award to earliest Messiah production goes to Masterworks of Oakville Chorus & Orchestra, who will present their show this weekend on November 20 to 22. If you need to get into the Messiah spirit early, here’s where to do it. A number of presenters outside of Toronto will also host November Messiah concerts, including Oriana Singers of Northumberland (November 28) and Barrie Concerts (also November 28).

Also in November is the RCM’s concert featuring the Vienna Boys Choir, who will sing an excerpt from the Messiah as well as other choral works on November 29 at 3pm. The show is completely sold out, but rush tickets will be available, and this choir is good enough to warrant lining up the day of.

New and exciting: Two concerts that we’ll call “Messiah-themed” open on December 7 this year, and are worth checking out. The first is “Handel Foundling Hospital,” put on by the Musicians in Ordinary and St. Michael’s Schola Cantorum. The performance will feature Handel’s Foundling Hospital Anthem, a piece constructed largely from Messiah excerpts as a fundraiser for a London orphanage. Also on the program are works by Francesco Geminiani, a contemporary of Handel’s in London at the time.

Also on December 7 (and December 8) is Soundstreams’ “Ear Candy: Electric Messiah.” This will be a totally re-imagined performance of the classic, featuring an impressive list of artistic and musical collaborators--among them York University Electroacoustic Orchestra and vocalist Christine Duncan. Should be fun, and a new kind of festive.

As always, there are too many performances of this masterwork this year to name them all here--our last count put us at over 30 productions--so keep an eye on our November and December listings, as well as the December issue, for the whole story. Happy concert-hunting!

NEW IN THE CITY

New venues and ‘new music’ in Toronto this month

November has a lot in store in the “new” category--new music, new ensembles and new concert spaces. This Saturday marks two such events. 2pm on the 21st is New Music 101, a lecture/concert/discussion presented at Northern District Public Library. We confess that we are biased--our publisher David Perlman is hosting the event--but there are other reasons why it should be on your radar. This week’s session will feature Continuum Contemporary Music in a presentation of artistic director Ryan Scott’s doctoral research in Tokyo, as well as keyboard group junctQin in a demonstration of extended piano techniques using the music of Tomi Räisänen. Later that evening at 8pm is Toy Piano Composers’ “TBA 3,” featuring all manner of brand-new works. More on there two events here, respectively: http://continuummusic.org/seasons/1516/new-music-101.php

https://www.musicgallery.org/the-toy-piano-composers-to-be-announced-3/.

The following weekend on November 27 and 28 marks the return of the Gryphon Trio’s multi-disciplinary show Constantinople at Toronto’s Ismaili Centre. Composed by Christos Hatzis, the Constantinople project returns to Toronto as part of The Ismaili Centre’s Cities of Arrival series. The centre, which opened in September of last year, closes its series with this show, but plans on presenting more musical offerings in the future--and is a venue to take note of. Details on the series at http://www.citiesofarrival.com/.

Finally, November 19 gets an honourable mention: this Thursday is the first-ever concert of new electroacoustic initiative TOLOrk (https://www.facebook.com/events/940316142714409/) in a program full of brand-new sound art, as well as the fall concert for U of T’s contemporary music ensemble (https://www.facebook.com/events/1666222003663048/), which will feature among other contemporary offerings bassoonist Bianca Chambul in Gubaidulina’s “Concert for Bassoon and Low Strings.” It’s a shame that audiences won’t have the option of attending both; both, however, seem like a promising choices.

PRIZES, PRIZES!

Exclusive contests from The WholeNote

IN THIS ISSUE: Win tickets to Sondra Radvanovsky’s recital at Koerner Hall; Boesmans’ opera Julie at CanStage; an upcoming shows with Tafelmusik, the Toronto Jazz Orchestra and the Peterborough Singers--all up for grabs now on our website!

Follow the links below to enter. Feel free to enter as many as you like (or all five!):

Sondra Radvanovsky: In Recital at Koerner Hall, Friday, December 4

CanStage/Soundstreams: Julie (+$50 to Le Papillon on Front), Sunday, November 22

Tafelmusik: Bach Christmas Oratorio, Friday, December 4

Toronto Jazz Orchestra: The Big Band Tap Revue, Sunday, November 29

Peterborough Singers: Yuletide Cheer, Saturday, November 28

JUST IN: CORRECTED AND NEW LISTINGS

FEATURED LISTING: SCARAMELLA: “BACH - ALIO MODO”

In today’s DJ-heavy culture, we hear a lot about sampling and re-sampling in music, but these techniques go way back--and though he maybe didn’t do it digitally, J.S. Bach was a sampling expert. In Scaramella’s upcoming show on Saturday November 28 at 8pm, viol performers embrace the musical sample to interpret and re-interpret a number of works by Bach. Find concert details below in our listings, or at https://m.facebook.com/events/943436542365405/?ref=106&action_history=null.

Other new/corrected November concert listings added online since our last print issue are as follows:

Nov 21 7:30: Brock University. Nocturne: Songs of the Night. Avanti Chamber Singers. Covenant Christian Reformed Church, 278 Parnell Ave., St. Catharines. $25; $20(sr/st); $5(eyeGo); $5 discounts for some advance tickets available.

Nov 21 7:30: Toronto Concert Band. Fall 2015 Concert. Carmina Burana, Movements 1-4; Shenandoah; Ross Roy; Kingsmere Overture; Tir Na Nog; Quad City Stomp; Fields of Honour; and others. Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St. W. $15.

Nov 21 8:00: Acoustic Harvest. Noah Zacharin. Robinson Hall, St. Nicholas Anglican Church, 1512 Kingston Rd. $25/$22(adv). Wheelchair accessible, free parking.

Nov 22 4:00: Vivace Vox. Going For Baroque! Handel: The King Shall Rejoice (Coronation Anthem). Linda Eyman, musical director; Community Baroque Orchestra of Toronto. Trinity-St. Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-455-9238. $20; $15(sr/st).

Nov 22 7:30: University of Waterloo Department of Music. Modern & Medieval: Music by Arvo Pärt and others. University of Waterloo Chamber Choir; Grand Philharmonic Chamber Choir; GPC Youth Choir; Laurier Singers. First United Church (Waterloo), 16 William St. W., Waterloo. 519-885-0220 x24256. $10; $5(sr/st).

Nov 26 12:30: York University Department of Music. Remembering Ann Southam. Southam: Stitches in Time, Altitude Lake, Where, Rivers (excerpts), Glass Houses (excerpts). Christina Petrowska Quilico, piano. Tribute Communities Recital Hall, Accolade East Building, YU, 4700 Keele St. 647-459-0701. Free. ***correction from November issue***

Nov 26 7:00: Toronto City Opera. Fall Fundraiser & Season Preview. Bickford Centre Theatre, 777 Bloor St. W. Donations accepted.

Nov 27 7:30: University of Waterloo Department of Music. Balinese Gamelan Ensemble. Humanities Theatre, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. W., Waterloo. 519-885-0220 x24256. Free.

Nov 28 7:00: University of Waterloo Department of Music. Inspiration & Peace. Vaughan Williams: Hodie; Britten: A Ceremony of Carols; Nickel: The Requiem For Peace; Quartel: Snow Angel; Celtic Mouth Music; and others. University of Waterloo Choir. First United Church (Waterloo), 16 William St. W., Waterloo. 519-885-0220 x24256. $10; $5(sr/st).

Nov 28 7:30: John Laing Singers. The Star of Bethlehem. Rheinberger: The Star of Bethlehem; and others. Roger Bergs, artistic director; Simon Walker, organ/piano; and others. St. Paul's United Church (Dundas), 29 Park St. W., Dundas. $25; $20(sr); $5(st); free(child).

Nov 28 7:30: Peterborough Singers. Yuletide Cheer. Isabel Bayrakdarian, soprano; Serouj Kradjian, composer; Venabrass Quintet; Ian Sadler, organ; Sydney Birrell, conductor. George Street United Church, 534 George St. N., Peterborough. 705-745-1820. $30; $20(under 30); $10(st).

Nov 28 8:00: Canadian Children's Opera Company. A Cup of Kindness. Members of the Canadian Children's Opera Company; Teri Dunn, Lynn Janes, Emily Bird, Adine Mintz, conductors. Grace Church on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd. 416-366-0467. $25; $15(sr/st); $5(child).

Nov 28 8:00: Ontario Pops Orchestra. Inaugural Concert. Rossini: William Tell Overture Finale; Adele: Skyfall; Bizet: Habanera, Carmen; Beethoven: Symphony No. 5, Mvt 1; movie soundtracks; and others. Carlos Bastidas, conductor; Shannon Butcher, voice; Stephanie Vega, voice; Marianne Zin, voice. Humber Valley United Church, 76 Anglesey Blvd., Etobicoke. $15.

Nov 28 8:00: Scaramella. Bach - Alio Modo. An all-Bach program inspired by the idea of the musical sample. Elizabeth Rumsey, Joëlle Morton, tenor viols; Josephine van Lier, Debra Lonergan, bass viols; Marilyn Fung, violone; David Rumsey, harpsichord. Victoria College Chapel, 91 Charles St. W. 416-760-8610. $30; $25(sr); $20(st).

Nov 29 2:00: University of Waterloo Department of Music. Jazz Ensemble. Seasonal jazz classics. UW Jazz Ensemble; Michael Wood, director. Conrad Grebel University College, 140 Westmount Rd. N., Waterloo. 519-885-0220 x24256. $10; $5(sr/st). Reception follows.

Nov 29 4:30: Christ Church Deer Park. Jazz Vespers. Mike Murley, saxophone; David Occhipinti, guitar. 1570 Yonge St. 416-920-5211. Free. ***correction from November issue***

Nov 29 6:00: Canadian Music Centre/Musica Reflecta. Opus Testing: (De)Collage Workshop/Concert Featuring the Hybridity Ensemble. A collaborative project between the Hybridity Ensemble and local composers. Canadian Music Centre, 20 St. Joseph St. 416-961-6601 x202. PWYC.

Nov 29 7:00: University of Waterloo Department of Music. Instrumental Chamber Ensembles. Conrad Grebel University College, 140 Westmount Rd. N., Waterloo. 519-885-0220 x24256. Also Nov 30. Reception follows.

Dec 04 7:30: Church of the Holy Trinity. The Christmas Story. In a Toronto tradition since 1938, this Nativity play celebrates its 78th season. 10 Trinity Sq. 416-598-4521 x301. Suggested donation $20/$5(child). Advance ticket reservations available. The church is wheelchair accessible; ASL interpretation at selected performances. Also Dec 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20(mat) and Dec 11, 12, 18, 19 and 20(eve).

THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING

The next issue of HalfTones, Vol 3 No 4, will be out on Wednesday, December 16, 2015. The next print issue is a DOUBLE ISSUE, covering December 1-February 7 -- it’ll be on the stands at the end of November.

Please contact halftones@thewholenote.com with any HalfTones inquiries.

REACHING OUT AND COMING TOGETHER: DAVID WARRACK’S ABRAHAM ORATORIO

It’s a story that’s been a long time in the making.

After years of preparation, Wednesday, October 28 sees the world premiere of David Warrack’s oratorio Abraham, at Metropolitan United Church. Tenor Richard Margison sings the title role.

The production of this oratorio is in many ways a group effort, and brings together artists and faith-based groups from across the GTA. Joining Margison and his five fellow principal vocalists (Ramona Carmelly, Meredith Hall, Hussein Janmohamed, George Krissa and Theresa Tova) are the Elmer Iseler Singers, the Jarrahi Sufi Choir with Whirling Dervishes, and the Bach Children’s Chorus. The production is a joint project of the Intercultural Dialogue Institute (IDI) GTA, Metropolitan United Church, Toronto Area Interfaith Council and Holy Blossom Temple. David Warrack himself, who is perhaps best known as one of Canada’s leading creative minds in the music theatre world, will be at the piano.

This coming together is key to Warrack’s compositional vision. “Abraham is at the base of three of the world’s great faiths,” Warrack says on the production’s website. “This oratorio is reminding us that we all come from the same place and we must find a way to share this world. We need to get past a lot of the things that have divided us.”

Warrack defines an oratorio as “an epic story”—and by tracing key moments of the Old Testament story and casting the founding father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam in a unique and dramatic light, he hopes to present a message of cooperation and peace.

Proceeds from the premiere of Abraham will go towards the Syrian Refugee Program at Metropolitan United Church. For tickets and more information, check out www.abrahamoratorio.ca or phone 416-809-6044.

FREE TICKETS - COME AND GET ’EM!

Exclusive contests from The WholeNote

IN THIS ISSUE: Chances to win free concert tix, and a lot of them. Tickets to hear shows featuring the Canadian Opera Company (in productions of La Traviata and Pyramus and Thisbe), the Talisker Players, Tafelmusik, Sultans of String and Renée Fleming are all up for grabs this week!

Follow the links below to enter. Feel free to enter as many as you like (or all five!):

Talisker Players: Renovated Rhymes, Tuesday October 27

Tafelmusik: Baroque Masters feat. Elisa Citterio, Friday November 6

*24 HOURS TO ENTER* Canadian Opera Company: La Traviata, Wednesday October 21 and Pyramus and Thisbe, Wednesday October 28

Sultans of String: ‘Subcontinental Drift’ CD Release + 4-CD box set, Friday October 30

Renée Fleming:  Renée Fleming at Roy Thomson Hall, Friday October 30

TAFELMUSIK: NEW FACES/PLACES

News of special initiatives from Tafelmusik and appearances by Tafelmusik folk abound this month. To start, Sunday, November 1 is a date you’ll want to bookmark—The Sound Post has organized a matinée salon concert, featuring none other than the lovely Jeanne Lamon (plus some of her very talented friends). The show is free, and although program details haven’t been released yet we’re willing to bet it will be a concert worth hearing. The space at The Sound Post is limited, so you’ll want to call ahead to reserve seats. Phone 416-971-6990 x244, and find all the details below in our HalfTones listings.

In other news, Tafelmusik has announced two exciting new projects of late. The first is the inaugural Tafelmusik Vocal Competition, an international contest for altos, tenors and baritones/basses under the age of 35. Applications close today, and we’re excited to follow the process as the orchestra selects its winners. The three prizewinners will appear as soloists in Zelenka’s Missa omnium sanctorum with the orchestra in April and May of 2016, and will be mentored by soprano soloist Dorothee Mields. They also each will receive $2000 in prize money. You can learn more about the competition online, at http://www.tafelmusik.org/education/tafelmusik-vocal-competition.

Meanwhile, while we wait for Tafelmusik to announce the competition winners, there’s always “Taste of Tafelmusik” on October 28. The orchestra promises to get “up close and personal,” bringing baroque chamber music to the Gladstone Hotel on Queen West. The show will feature performances by Chris Verrette, Julia Wedman, Stefano Marcocchi, Christina Mahler and Charlotte Nediger, and food from the Gladstone kitchen, which will be paired with the music, is included in the ticket price.

Less than 50 tickets are left for this event, so if you’d like to get a taste of Tafelmusik it’s best to act quickly. Find all the important info on the Tafelmusik website, at http://www.tafelmusik.org/concert-calendar/concert/taste-tafelmusik.

JUST IN: CORRECTED AND NEW LISTINGS

FEATURED LISTING: Book Launch for From Kitchen to Carnegie Hall: Ethel Stark and the Montreal Women’s Symphony Orchestra

Published by Second Story Press, From Kitchen to Carnegie Hall tells the story of the Montreal Women’s Symphony Orchestra, an all-women ensemble that became the first Canadian orchestra to perform at Carnegie Hall. The book launch, on Wednesday, October 28 at Another Story Bookshop (315 Roncesvalles Ave.), will include a reading, live music, food, a photography exhibit and a book signing with the author Maria Rachwal. Details on the event are available below in our HalfTones listings or at www.fromkitchentocarnegiehall.com.

Other new/corrected October concert listings added online since our last print issue are as follows:

New In the GTA Listings, October 17-November 1

Oct 17 7:30: In Concert. Songs of the Soul: The Music of Sri Chinmoy. Sahadeva Ensemble; Mandu & Visuddhi; Shamita's Strings; and others. St. Michael's College School, 1515 Bathurst St. 647-748-8513. Free.

Oct 17 7:30: Toronto Concert Orchestra. An Evening with Beethoven. Beethoven: Gratulations Minuet; Piano Concerto No.3 in c; Symphony No.8 in F. Younggun Kim, piano; Kerry Stratton, conductor. Timothy Eaton Memorial Church, 230 St. Clair Ave. W. 1-800-222-6608. $40; $25(sr/st).

Oct 18 2:30: ORMTA Central Toronto Branch. ORMTA 2015 Young Artist Concert: Johann Derecho, pianist. Works by Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Liszt. Canadian Music Centre, 20 St. Joseph St. 416-532-1539. $20; $12(adv). Discounts for ORMTA members. Supports music student scholarships.

Oct 20 7:30: Toronto Masque Theatre. Ben Jonson and the Masque. Atrium, 21 Shaftesbury Ave. 416-410-4561. $20; $15(under 30).

Oct 22 12:00 noon: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty of Music. Music at Noon. Guy Few, trumpet/piano; Stephanie Mara, piano. Maureen Forrester Recital Hall, 75 University Ave., Waterloo. 519-884-1970 x4439. Free.

Oct 23 8:00: Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts. Classic Albums Live. Supertramp: Crime of the Century. 88 Dalhousie St., Brantford. 519-758-8090 or 1-800-265-0710. $38; $20(uGO); $5(eyeGO).

Oct 24 7:00: Nisbet Lodge-McClintock Manor Foundation. Northern Lights Chorus. Calvary Church Toronto, 746 Pape Ave. 416-469-1105. $30; $45(concert & reception). Reception and Silent Auction 5:45. Doors open for concert at 6:15.

Oct 24 8:00: Guitar Society of Toronto. Carlo Marchione. Works by Schumann, Mauro Giuliani, Ferdinand Rebay; and others. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 416-964-8298. $30; $25(sr/st).

Oct 24 8:00: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty of Music. WLU Symphony Orchestra. Maureen Forrester Recital Hall, 75 University Ave., Waterloo. 519-884-1970 x4439. $15; $7.

Oct 28 7:00: Second Story Press. Book Launch: From Kitchen to Carnegie Hall: Ethel Stark and the Montreal Women’s Symphony Orchestra. Another Story Bookshop, 315 Roncesvalles, Ave. www.fromkitchentocarnegiehall.com. Free.

Oct 29 12:00 noon: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty of Music. Music at Noon. Leslie Fagan, soprano; Lorin Shalanko, piano. Maureen Forrester Recital Hall, 75 University Ave., Waterloo. 519-884-1970 x4439. Free.

Oct 31 8:00: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty of Music. WLU Wind Orchestra. Maureen Forrester Recital Hall, 75 University Ave., Waterloo. 519-884-1970 x4439. $15; $7(sr/st).

Nov 1 2:00: The Sound Post. Jeanne Lamon and Friends. 93 Grenville St. 416-971-6990 x244. Free; please call to reserve.

New In the Clubs Listings, October 16-30

Oct 16 9pm. Sam Broverman & Bernie Senensky. PAL Celebrity Club, 110 The Esplanade. 416-886-5465. No cover. PWYC.

Oct 18 7pm. Monica Chapman, voice; Igor Babich, sax; Rebecca Hennessy, trumpet; Christopher Butcher-trombone; Nathan Hiltz, guitar; Bill King, piano; Dave Young, bass; Mark Kelso, drums. Jazz Bistro, 251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299. $12.

Oct 24 3:30pm. The Mississauga Big Band Jazz Ensemble. “Back at The Rex”. The Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Bar, 194 Queen St. W. 416-598-2475 or 905-270-4757

Oct 25 7pm. Judith Lander Celebrates “From My Life”. Jazz Bistro, 251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299. $20

Oct 25 7:30pm. Sam Broverman, Mark Kieswetter, Jordan O'Connor, bass. Jester's Court, 279 Queen St., Port Perry. $15 cover.

Oct 26, 7:30pm. Cover One Another. Alex Pangman, Barbra Lica, Denielle Bassels, George Koller, Genevieve Marentette, Sam Broverman and Tyler Yarema. Musical direction by Eric St. Laurent. Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307.

Oct 28 8pm. Toronto Blues Society’s Hump Day Series.  Andria Simone & Some of Those Guys. Dave Kirby, guitar; Mark Wilson, bass. Jazz Bistro, 251 Victoria St. $10; $8(Toronto Blues Society Members).

Oct 28 9pm. Your Mess Album Release Concert. Melissa Lauren; Nathan Hiltz and Eric St-Laurent, guitars; Tyler Emond, bass; Sly Juhas, drums and percussion; and guests. The Burdock Music Hall, 1184 Bloor St. W. 416-546-4033. $12; $10(adv)

Oct 29 9pm. Sunnie Paxson, jazz pianist, keyboardist, composer and producer; Laura Robinson; Rich Brown, bass; Steve Heathcote, drums. The Jazz Bistro, 251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299. $20. Also Oct 30.

CANCELLED: Oct 26 7pm A Tribute Evening Remembering Ray Jessel. Jazz Bistro, 251 Victoria St. 416-886-5299.

CANCELLED: Oct 31 7pm Lea DeLaria. The Danforth Music Hall, 147 Danforth Ave.

THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING

The next issue of HalfTones, Vol 3 No 3, will be out on Tuesday, November 17, 2015. The next print issue of our 2015/16 season, covering November 1-December 7, will be on the stands at the end of October.

Please contact halftones@thewholenote.com with any HalfTones inquiries.

THE WHOLENOTE IS HAVING A PARTY!

It’s our birthday—our 20th birthday, in fact—and you are all invited! After 20 years of covering music in Toronto and the area, we think that a party is called for.

On Friday, September 25—that’s a week and a half from now—we will be hosting a special FREE concert and reception in collaboration with Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, Tafelmusik, the Toronto Consort and Culture Days, to celebrate 20 years of The WholeNote. Hosted by Mary Lou Fallis and David Perlman, there will be performances by many favourite artists featured over the years in the magazine, including:

...Adi Braun, Adrianne Pieczonka, Eve Egoyan, David Fallis, Adrean Farrugia, Alison Melville, Julie Michels, Angela Park, Sophia Perlman, Christina Petrowska Quilico, Stephen Ralls, Scott St. John, Bruce Ubukata, Chris Verrette and Julia Wedman ...

So, here’s the practical info: the show starts at 7pm at Trinity-St. Paul’s, in Jeanne Lamon Hall. The event is free, but you do need to reserve a ticket—for more details on how to do that, phone 416-922-8435 x21, or visit culturedays.ca or the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1054458367921705/.

We don’t mean to toot our own horn (actually yes we do!), but we think we have quite the lineup for this concert, and we think you should join us.

Save the date and reserve your tickets, and hopefully, we’ll see you there!

-The WholeNote

24-HOUR FLASH CONTEST: FREE TICKETS TO TAFELMUSIK

We are all closely following Tafelmusik’s concert season this year, as they begin to narrow in (we think) on who will replace Jeanne Lamon as their new music director. To kick off 2015/16, Tafelmusik brings in two guest directors for the first two concerts who made appearances with the orchestra last year: Rodolfo Richter, who begins the season with The Human Passions Sept 16-20; and Cecilia Bernardini, who was an audience favourite last year and returns to lead the orchestra in Musik Mania at the beginning of October. These are two violinists to watch, and two concerts to make sure you attend—and of course, regardless of the intrigue, Tafelmusik always brings excellent early music programming and top-notch musicianship to the table.

The WholeNote has a special ticket package up for grabs-- two tickets to The Human Passions this Friday, September 18, and two tickets to Musik Mania on Friday, October 2. Hear both of these amazing guest artists play with the orchestra in the first two concerts of their season ($364 value). You have only 24 hours before this contest closes! The clock is ticking.

→ ENTER THIS CONTEST

OPERA INFO

Where to get the primer on Pyramus and Thisbe before it goes onstage at the COC this fall. If you don’t know about Pyramus and Thisbe yet, now’s the time to find out.

The 2010 opera by Barbara Monk Feldman will receive its world premiere at the COC in one month, where it will run in a programme with Monteverdi’s Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda and Lamento d’Arianna from October 20 to November 7. Between Monk Feldman and Monteverdi, the production will traverse 400 years from opera’s beginnings to the music of today. Kudos to the Canadian Opera Company for championing daring music from a living, Canadian composer—we can’t wait to hear it.

And if you don’t know what to expect from this premiere, September is full of events that might give you a preview of what will happen when the curtain rises on October 20. Take a look and see if any interest you.

Friday, September 18/Tuesday, September 29: Kristina Szabó at Soundstreams

Toronto audiences will have a chance to hear mezzo-soprano Kristina Szabó, who will sing the role of Thisbe (as well as those of Arianna and Clorinda for the Monteverdi) at the COC, this month in a September 29 concert presented by Soundstreams. Szabó joins Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka for “Adrianne Pieczonka: Beyond the Aria,” a programme of works by Crumb and Llugdar plus Beatles songs arranged by Berio.

You can also hear Szabó this Friday in Soundstreams’ more intimate show “Music and Poetry,” a part of their Salon 21 series, where Canadian poet Beatriz Hausner and three Canadian composers will present their interpretations of the poetry of Federico García Lorca. Szabó will sing a Lorca text set three different ways by composers Anna Atkinson, Juliet Palmer and Chris Thornborrow. Details on both these shows at soundstreams.ca.

Thursday, September 24: “Opera Exchange,” Thursdays at Noon at U of T

The University of Toronto’s free Thursdays at Noon series presents a panel discussion on the mythic, literary and visual art sources of the Pyramus and Thisbe legend on Thursday, September 24 in Walter Hall. Panelists will include professors from the Department of English, Department of Fine Art and Faculty of Music, as well as composer Norbert Palej and of course, Barbara Monk Feldman herself. More info available at https://music.utoronto.ca/concerts-events.php?eid=596.

Tuesday, September 29: Love Shards of Sappho at the COC Vocal Series

In a free noontime concert produced in collaboration with Arrraymusic, the COC Vocal Series presents a program of vocal and chamber music featuring women composers and the female voice. This concert’s program features Linda Caitlin Smith’s Hieroglyphs and Barbara Monk Feldman’s The Love Shards of Sappho, a chamber work dating from 2001. If you want to hear some of Monk Feldman’s other music live before the COC’s big reveal, here’s when to do it. Details at http://www.coc.ca/PerformancesAndTickets/FreeConcertSeries.aspx.

Note: Arraymusic will repeat its performance of Linda Caitlin Smith’s Hieroglyphs as part of the CMC/Toronto New Music Alliance’s New Music 101 Series on October 3-- see our HalfTones listings in this newsletter for details.

JUST IN: CORRECTED AND NEW LISTINGS

FEATURED LISTING: Hieroglyphs and An Extended Look at the Piano, Part 1

Check out our HalfTones listings for info on this and other new/corrected September concert listings added online since our last print issue.

Saturday, October 3 at 2pm, catch Arraymusic’s performance of Linda Caitlin Smith’s Hieroglyphs and Dr. Réa Beaumont’s exploration of extended techniques on the piano through the music of Barbara Pentland. Arraymusic and Beaumont will present their work as part of the CMC/Toronto New Music Alliance’s free New Music 101 series with the Toronto Public Library. This event, the first in the NM101 series’ 2015/16 season, will be at Northern District Library (40 Orchard View Blvd., 416-532-3019). If you want to learn more about new music (or if you just want to hear some interesting explorations in sound), stop by the library and have a listen.

Other new/corrected September concert listings added online since our last print issue are as follows:

Sep 15 12:00_noon: Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, Brock University. Imagaining The City Festival. Pop Up Performance. Colin Maier, oboe and other instruments; Alexander Sevastian, accordion. 15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines. 905-688-5550 x3817. Free community event. Also, Sep 16, 17, 18.

Sep 18 7:30: Brampton Folk Club. Friday Folk Night: Emory Lester and Jill Jones Band. Emory Lester, mandolin; Jill Jones, vocals. Opening act: Neil Sharp and Alan McKnight. Sanderson Hall, St. Paul’s United Church, 30 Main St. S., Brampton. $15; $12(st/sr). 647-233-3655 or 905-874-2800). www.bramptonfolk.ca

Sep 19 8:00: Jeffrey Concerts. New Orford Quartet. Wolf Performance Hall, London Public Library, 251 Dundas St., London. 519-672-8800. $35; $30(sr); $15(st)

Sep 27 7:00: Prater Ensemble. Eiffel Tower. Roufat Amiraliev, violin; Roman Timofeev, piano. Works by Fauré, Ravel, and Saint-Saëns. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 416-859-0955. [No price listed in e-mail.]

Sep 26 8:00: Canadian Sinfonietta. Piano Trios: Wine & Cheese Series. Fauré: Piano Trio; Michael Pepa: “Mozartino”; Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No.1. Erika Crino, piano; Joyce Lai, violin; Andras Weber, cello. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 416-922-3618. $30; $25(sr); $20 (st)

Sep 26 8:30: Zula Music & Arts Collective Hamilton. Something Else! Creative Music Series. IN THE SEA. (Josh Zubot, violin; Tristan Honsinger, cello; Nicolas Caloia, double bass). Guests: ESCHATON (Aaron Hutchinson, trumpet, synthesizer, electronics, percussion; Connor Bennett, saxophones, bass, vocals). Artword Artbar, 15 Colbourne St., Hamilton. 289-993-1993. $15; $12(st)

Sep 24 7:00: Anne Lindsay's Soloworks. Anne Lindsay, violin/fiddle, voice. Alton Mill Arts Centre, 1402 Queen St., Village of Alton, Caledon. 519-941-0559. $15. Tickets available online at www.altonmill.ca, or at Gallery Gemma in the Alton Mill.

Sep 26 8:10: Gordon Murray Presents. Piano Soirée. Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43 – Variation 18 (arr. G. Murray); Vocalise, Op.34 No.14 (arr. G. Murray); Concerto No. 2 – Mvt 1 (arr. G. Murray); other works. Gordon Murray, piano. Trinity-St. Paul's United Church (Chapel), 427 Bloor St. W. 416-631-4300. $15; $10(st)

Auditions

Oriana Women’s Choir. If you are interested in joining this auditioned choir, you are welcome to sit in at our open rehearsal on Tuesday, Sept 22. Rehearsals start at 7:30 pm at North Toronto Collegiate Institute, 70 Roehampton Ave. Please email if you would like to attend info@orianachoir.com

Festivals, Fairs & Festivities

Sep 25 11:30am–2:00pm: Glenn Gould Foundation/Glenn Gould Studio. Happy Birthday Glenn Gould!. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the recording that launched Gould’s international career – Bach’s Goldberg Variations. The public is invited to join in celebrating the legendary Canadian pianist and view the unveiling of the Government of Canada’s “Person of Historic Significance” plaque in his name. Activities include a “photobooth” with the iconic Glenn Gould “park bench” sculpture, tours of the CBC’s Glenn Gould Studio, presentations of Sony Classical’s new release Glenn Gould: Remastered, sculptor Ruth Abernethy’s new book A Narrative of Life and Bronze, and performances by the Glenn Gould School’s award-winning Ruby Piano Trio and the Salvation Army Canadian Staff Band. Outside the CBC Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front Street W.

Lectures, Salons, Symposia

Sep 26 6:00: CM Hour. Lecture and Demonstration: Time Travel Through Music. Bach, Schubert, Chopin, Prokofiev. Borjana Hrelja, piano; Chris Malone, presenter. Chopin Room, Collegium Musicum Conservatory of Music. 12 Peter St. S., Port Credit-Mississauga. 905-274-6100. Free. A Canada Culture Days event.

Sep 26, 10:30-noon. Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Culture Days Singsation. With guest conductor Jenny Crober. Join members of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Singsation community to read through a selection of choral favourites. Bring your voice; we'll provide the sheet music. Centre for Social Innovation, 720 Bathurst St. Free.

Workshops

Sep 12 & 13: Musikay. Music/sight-reading for choristers. Sep 12: 10:00am – 12:30 Level 1 (beginner); 2:00 – 4:30 Level 2 (intermediate). Sep 13: 2:00 – 4:30 Level 3 (advanced). Grace Lutheran Church, 304 Spruce St. Oakville. 905-825-9740; musikay.ca

Sep 20 2:00: CAMMAC Toronto Region. Reading of Dvorak: Stabat Mater for singers and instrumentalists. Norman Reintamm, conductor.  Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. 416-551-5183.

Sep 26 & 27: Musikay. Music learning and preparation. Sep 26: 10:00am – 12:30 Level 1 (beginner); 2:00 – 4:30 Level 2 (intermediate). Sep 27: 2:00 – 4:30 Level 3 (advanced). Grace Lutheran Church, 304 Spruce St. Oakville. 905-825-9740; musikay.ca 

NEW ON OUR WEBSITE

Conversations @ The WholeNote

Don’t miss our latest “Conversation @ The WholeNote,” where publisher David Perlman interviews pianist Stewart Goodyear. Up now on our website!

THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING

The next issue of HalfTones, Vol 3 No 2, will be out on Thursday, October 15, 2015. The next print issue of our 2015/16 season, covering October 1-November 7, will be on the stands at the end of September.

Please contact halftones@thewholenote.com with any HalfTones inquiries.

ARTISTIC TIMES AND SPACES

Look forward to new artistic collaborations headed by our local orchestras

Another concert season is just around the corner -- and we think that its spirit will be collaborative. In a number of new initiatives across the GTA, local orchestras will be partnering with their neighbourhood art galleries, to bring music together in concert with its visual counterparts.

The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra (HPO) continues its Gallery Series this year -- a collection of chamber concerts hosted in local art gallery spaces. This series seeks to bring HPO musicians and audiences alike into new spaces, offering an intimacy and visual awareness not always obtainable in the larger concert hall. The orchestra has just announced this year’s Gallery Series programming, which extends the series beyond the Hamilton downtown core to neighbourhoods in Hamilton’s east end, Dundas and Burlington.

The best part? The 60-minute concerts in this series are all more-or-less free. “Our belief [is] that art is not just a luxury, but should be affordable and accessible to everyone in our city,” says Robert Daniels, owner of the Earls Court Gallery. Admission for each of these concerts is by donation, and includes an invitation to a reception with the musicians following the performance in the gallery space. No reservations required, but arrive early -- the space in the galleries is limited and first-come, first-served. For more info on the series, check out http://hpo.org/concerts/gallery-series/.

On the TSO calendar this summer is a similar orchestral initiative, dubbed The Decades Project. For the next five years, the orchestra will feature programming from two decades of the 20th century, counting up from 1900 -- this year will feature decades one and two, which means Debussy, Stravinsky, and everything around and in-between.

What makes this venture stand out from other orchestral programming in the city this year is its collaborative vision. The six concert programs bring the TSO musicians together with curators from the Art Gallery of Ontario -- who will themselves take centre stage for pre- and post-concert guided talks. Guest conductors and the TSO Chamber Soloists will also join forces with the orchestra to present this orchestral time-lapse of early 20th-century culture.

For more information on the Decades Project, or on the TSO's other shows this season, visit tso.ca.

INTERsection 2015

Tad Michalak's vision for a new music marathon

Intersection, Contact Contemporary Music's annual weekend festival of adventurous music-making, is back this year with a vengeance. This year's festival programming is specially curated by promoter Tad Michalak (Feast in the East, Burn Down the Capital). On September 5 and 6, Toronto musicians team up with guest artists for two full days of new music performance. September 5 promises a free eight-hour musical marathon at Yonge-Dundas Square. Featured will be composer John Oswald's Spectre, which calls for an astounding 1000 violinists, as well as Christine Duncan's improvising Element Choir, percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani, shoegaze orchestra Flowers Of Hell, and improv duo Not The Wind, Not The Flag, for starters.

Michalak's programming the following evening brings Montreal-based The Shalabi Effect east of Yonge-Dundas to the Jam Factory. Co-presented with The Music Gallery, this concert marks the debut of the quartet's new limited edition EP. This time round, the intersection at the heart of the show is between avant-garde psych rock and Middle Eastern modes- and from what it looks like, is an experiment well worth watching.

For more information on this year's INTERsection, keep an eye out for updates at contactcontemporarymusic.ca, or at http://burndownthecapital.weebly.com.

SPECIAL OFFERS FROM THE COC AND MASSEY HALL

Special Offer for Whole Note Readers—20% off at the COC!

Single tickets go on sale on August 24, but Whole Note readers can buy seats for 20% off regular prices for just two days: August 22 and 23—the best prices of the season and before they go on sale to the general public!

Mark your calendars now for this special two-day online savings event and get the best seats available!

Use the promo code 1516WHOLENOTE online only.*

*Restrictions apply. Offer valid until 5 p.m. August 23. tickets@coc.ca or 416-363-8231 for information.

SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE

On Tuesday, September 15, Massey Hall and the Aga Khan Museum present the one and only Yo-Yo Ma, with the Silk Road Ensemble. Founded in 2000 by the superstar cellist, this ensemble draws from a large pool of instrumental traditions, presenting a Silk Road soundworld that contains everything from the Chinese pipa to the Indian tabla.

The tickets to this show don't run cheap -- they're in the $60-$200 range -- but The WholeNote has a limited number of tickets up for grabs for interested readers. For a chance to win, just click here to fill out the form and answer the following question:

Which pipa virtuoso was a founding member of the Silk Road Ensemble? (hint: she was also a member of the jury panel for this year's Glenn Gould prize!)

For more details on this concert, visit http://masseyhall.com/eventdetail/YoYoMaSilkRoadEnsemble.

Deadline to apply: 4pm on August 22, 2015. Winners will be selected in late August.

JUST IN: CORRECTED AND NEW LISTINGS

FEATURED LISTING: Loose TEA's "Dissociative Me"

Think Faust - but with a makeover. In this new English-language of Gounod's opera, John Faustus is a recent PhD graduate with a dissociative identity disorder. This 21st-century operatic experiences runs August 18-22, at RED Nightclub -- a venue that artistic director Alaina Viau, artistic director of Loose TEA | Music Theatre, says allowed her to create a "dark and intense world where we can explore common fears of today." Sofa seating and bottle service will both be available. For details, check out our listings or visit http://www.looseteamusictheatre.com.

Other new/corrected August concert listings added online since our summer print issue are as follows:

Aug 13 1:00: Hart House. Music from the Americas - The Map Room Sessions: Pigeonhawk. Live music celebrating the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games. Ken Stowar, curator. Hart House Map Room, 7 Hart House Cir. 416-978-0909. Free.

Aug 13 7:00: University Settlement Music & Arts School. Student Recital. University Settlement Auditorium, 23 Grange Rd. 416-598-3444 x243/4. Free.

Aug 14 1:00: Hart House. Music from the Americas - The Map Room Sessions: Lua Or Die. Live music celebrating the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, showcasing talents of artists from across the Americas. Ken Stowar, curator. Hart House Map Room, 7 Hart House Cir. 416-978-0909. Free.

Aug 14 6:00: TD Mosaic Festival. Mekaal Hasan Band. Pakistani music concepts united with jazz harmony and rock drive. Mississauga Celebration Square, 300 City Centre Dr., Mississauga. 905-615-4311. Free.

Aug 14 8:30: Virgin Mobile. Indie Fridays: Zaki Ibrahim. Yonge-Dundas Square, 1 Dundas St. E. 416-979-9960. Free.

Aug 14 9:30: Harbourfront Centre/Batuki Music Society. Habari Africa Festival: Rocky Dawuni. Ghanaian music star and humanitarian Rocky Dawuni performs Afro-roots and reggae. Harbourfront Centre, WestJet Stage, 235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000. Free.

Aug 15 8:00: Animikii Music Group. Maryam Al-Hashimi. Performing classic music and Arabic songs in a solo piano concert. Musideum, Suite 133 (main floor), 401 Richmond St. W. 416-599-7323. $10.

Aug 15 9:00: Harbourfront Centre/Batuki Music Society. Habari Africa Festival: Esie Mensah. Esie Mensah, dancer. Harbourfront Centre, Stage in the Round, 235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000. Free.

Aug 15 10:30: Harbourfront Centre/Batuki Music Society. Habari Africa Festival: Lakeside Late Nights: Mi Casa. South African house collective. Dr Duda, club DJ, producer; J'Something, guitar, vocals; Mo-T, trumpet. Harbourfront Centre, Brigantine Room, 235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000. $30/$25(adv).

Aug 18 1:00: Hart House. Music from the Americas - The Map Room Sessions: Len Hammond. Live music celebrating the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, showcasing talents of artists from across the Americas. Ken Stowar, curator. Hart House Map Room, 7 Hart House Cir. 416-978-0909. Free.

Aug 18 8:00: Massey Hall. City Cinema. Featuring Live at Massey Hall Season 2 Film: Zaki Ibrahim. Yonge-Dundas Square, 1 Dundas St. E. 416-872-4255. Free. Begins at sunset.

Aug 18 8:00: Musideum. Steve Koven Solo Piano. Suite 133 (main floor), 401 Richmond St. W. 416-599-7323. $20.

Aug 20 1:00: Hart House. Music from the Americas - The Map Room Sessions: Tribe Royal. Live music celebrating the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, showcasing talents of artists from across the Americas. Ken Stowar, curator. Hart House Map Room, 7 Hart House Cir. 416-978-0909. Free.

Aug 20 8:00: Musideum. David Essig. Suite 133 (main floor), 401 Richmond St. W. 416-599-7323. $20.

Aug 21 8:00: Christ Church Cathedral Hamilton. The Evening Watch. Opus 8. Christ Church Cathedral, 252 James St. N., Hamilton. 905-527-1316. Free.

Aug 21 8:30: Virgin Mobile. Indie Fridays: Grand Analog with kLoX. Yonge-Dundas Square, 1 Dundas St. E. 416-979-9960. Free.

Aug 22 7:15: Skyline Music Agency. Zach Deputy. Peter's Players, 830 Muskoka Rd. S., Gravenhurst. 705-687-2117. $75.

Aug 23 2:30: Kawartha Land Trust/Peterborough Symphony. Fresh Airs on Stoney. Open-air concert and reception, plus a pre-concert chat. Dvořák: Wind Serenade Op.44. Musicians from the Peterborough Symphony; Michael Newnham, music director. Juniper Island Pavilion, 510 Stoney Lake-Island 18, Juniper Island. 705-742-1992. Suggested donation $20. Island accessible only by water. Limited water shuttle service ($2) available, must be booked in advance. Free prize draw for concert attendees.

Aug 23 8:00: Musideum. Denis Schingh. Performing original compositions and arrangements of pieces. Suite 133 (main floor), 401 Richmond St. W. 416-599-7323. $20.

Aug 25 8:00: Massey Hall. City Cinema. Featuring Live at Massey Hall Season 2 Film: Dan Mangan & Blacksmith. Yonge-Dundas Square, 1 Dundas St. E. 416-872-4255. Free. Begins at sunset.

Aug 25 8:00: Musideum. Sandra Taylor. Suite 133 (main floor), 401 Richmond St. W. 416-599-7323. $20; $10(artists).

Aug 26 1:00: Hart House. Music from the Americas - The Map Room Sessions: Chiron String Quartet. Live music celebrating the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, showcasing talents of artists from across the Americas. Ken Stowar, curator. Hart House Map Room, 7 Hart House Cir. 416-978-0909. Free.

Aug 27 1:00: Hart House. Music from the Americas - The Map Room Sessions: Fugitive Minds. Live music celebrating the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, showcasing talents of artists from across the Americas. Ken Stowar, curator. Hart House Map Room, 7 Hart House Cir. 416-978-0909. Free.

Aug 27 8:00: Musideum. Tim Bartsch. Presenting his life journey through original music and storytelling. Suite 133 (main floor), 401 Richmond St. W. 416-599-7323. $20.

Aug 29 7:30: Shoreline Chorus. The Shepherd and The Lamb. Shoreline Chorus with guests The Leith Quartet; Ann-Marie MacDairmid, conductor. Handel: Selected choruses from Messiah; Goodall: The Lord Is My Shepherd (from the Vicar of Dibley); Barber: Agnus Dei, Barber; Dett: Listen to the Lambs; other works. Meaford United Church, 7 Boucher St. E., Meaford. 519-599-2710. $20.

Aug 29 8:10: Gordon Murray Presents. Piano Soirée. Works by Rachmaninoff and others, arranged by Gordon Murray. Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini, Op.43 - Variation 18; Vocalise, Op.34 No.14; Piano Concerto No.2(1st mvt); other works. Gordon Murray, piano. Trinity St. Paul's United Church (Chapel), 427 Bloor St. W. 416-631-4300. $15; $10(st).

Aug 31 7:00: Landen Vieira. UberJazz. Jazz Saxophonist Landen Vieira. Landen Vieira, sax; Adrean Farrugia, piano; Malcolm Connor, bass; Ethan Ardelli, drums. The Emmet Ray, 924 College St. 416-792-4497. PWYC.

Sep 02 12:00_noon: Midday Music with Shigeru. Moellman family. Marie-Caroline Bourque, violin; Jeffrey Moellman, piano; Moellman children: Jonathan, Clara, and Paul, violin and piano. Hi-Way Pentecostal Church, 50 Anne St. N., Barrie. 705-726-1181. $5; free(st).

Sep 02 6:00: The Cathedral Church of St. James. Cantatas in the Cathedral. Bach: Cantata BWV78 and organ works. Sheila Dietrich, soprano; Christina Stelmacovich, alto; Tenor TBA; David Roth, bass; Michael Bloss, organ. Cathedral Church of St. James, 65 Church St. 416-364-7865. PWYC. All donations go directly to the artists.

Sep 03 12:00_noon: Encore Symphonic Concert Band. In Concert: Classics and Jazz. John Edward Liddle, conductor. Wilmar Heights Centre, 963 Pharmacy Ave., Scarborough. 416-346-3910. $10. Incl. coffee and snack. Also Oct 1. 

NEW ON OUR WEBSITE

Music & the Movies

Keep an eye out this week for WholeNote editor Paul Ennis' latest "Music & The Movies" blog, which will include a special exploration of Around the World in 50 Concerts- the documentary on Amsterdam's Dutch Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra that plays starting August 14 at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema.

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The next issue of HalfTones, Vol 3 No 1, will be out on Tuesday, September 15, 2015. The first print issue of our 2015/16 season, covering September 1-October 7, will be on the stands at the end of August.

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