Blue Pages 2020

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Renowned concert pianist Andrew Burashko formed Art of Time Ensemble in 1998 by inviting a group of like-minded musicians and prominent figures in dance, theatre and other art forms to perform one-off concerts in Toronto. The company has gone on to become a leader in Toronto’s vibrant performing arts scene, through its subscription season at the Harbourfront Centre Theatre, regular appearances at Koerner Hall, album releases, performances with leading Canadian orchestras, and tours of its unique offerings to dozens of cities throughout Canada and the United States.

Exploring the relationship between classical music and other genres such as jazz, pop, electronica, rock, folk, electroacoustic, gospel and others, Art of Time seeks to reveal the qualities that lie at the heart of all great music.

The ranks of Art of Time Ensemble’s artists are deep and their talents unmatched; featured collaborators include authors Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje, jazz legend Branford Marsalis, vocalists Madeleine Peyroux, Sarah Slean, Hawksley Workman and Tony Award-winner Brent Carver, composers such as Gavin Bryars and Jonathan Goldsmith, and many more.

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Robert Missen, the Burlington-based proprietor of The Bobolink Agency, celebrates 35 years representing some of Canada's most distinguished classical and jazz performing artists, ensembles and attractions. His two artist management companies, Robert Missen Artists (1990 to 2005) and The Bobolink Agency (2010 to present), have arranged and promoted tours of such artists as Ben Heppner, Maureen Forrester, Veronica Tennant, Sylvia Tyson, Michael Burgess, Elmer Iseler Singers and The Men of the Deeps.

In the upcoming seasons Bobolink will be undertaking tours with RH Thomson (A Christmas Carol), Heather Bambrick and The Canadian Jazz All Stars, and musical theatre star Chilina Kennedy among others. Black Artists Matter, a special new roster, will feature attractions celebrating such esteemed Black Canadian artists as Joe Sealy and Jackie Richardson (“Africville Stories”), Thom Allison in “Unforgettable - The Nat King Cole Story”, Diana Braithwaite and Chris Whiteley in “Sugar and Gold - The Underground Railroad Story”, and special programs from the Nathaniel Dett Chorale and Toronto Mass Choir.

Stay tuned for a new Toronto venture entitled “Words and Music”, which celebrates cabaret, Bach cantatas, and art song recitals.

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The International Resource Centre for Performing Artists (IRCPA) is a service organization for musicians providing resources needed to bridge the GAP between training and employment by Encounters with National and International experienced artists keeping skills sharpened and savvy information about the Industry, how it currently functions. and who's who in the business. Resources are also offered for mid-career artists who may need to change direction.

Membership is without cost. Sign-up forms are on our website. Paid public performances are live-streamed and can be used as auditions. IRCPA proposes a new Centre for Music by converting an unused heritage building. If we are successful, there will be practice/rehearsal studios, meeting rooms, recording studio, two performance venues, and office space for arts organizations such as the IRCPA. There is also space for an affordable residential building for the music community in perpetuity. The main floor includes a Community Centre, box offices,  instrument repair shops, cafe/restaurant. We welcome volunteers to help with this new Centre for Musicians to meet, exchange ideas, create and collaborate.  A great opportunity for artists to live, work and perform in Toronto.

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Established in 2009, the Wychwood Clarinet Choir is directed by clarinetist and conductor Michele Jacot. Members of the choir include skilled clarinetists who share a love of music-making, friendship and fun. The group rehearses weekly and performs on a regular basis in Toronto’s St. Clair and Wychwood area. The instrumentation of the WCC extends from the contrabass clarinet to the E-flat sopranino. The choir’s repertoire includes many compositions and arrangements written by the group’s own Composers’ Collective, and by the choir’s late composer and conductor laureate, Howard Cable.

The Wychwood Clarinet Choir embraces the ideal of ‘music for life” and is committed to sharing the musical experience in educational settings and in the wider community. Choir members are admitted by audition and pay a modest annual membership fee.

Due to COVID-19, we do not know when rehearsals and performances will resume, but the Composers Collective has been very busy, so a large selection of new arrangements will be ready when rehearsals finally begin. Please visit the choir’s website for updates