2021-22 Presenter Profiles (Blue Pages)

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The Aga Khan Museum provides visitors with a window into the artistic, intellectual, and scientific contributions of Muslim civilizations to world heritage. Opened in 2014 in Toronto, the Aga Khan Museum is home to over 1,000 masterpieces showcasing the arts of Muslim civilisations, from the Iberian Peninsula to China. Its dynamic collection of manuscripts, scientific instruments, paintings, ceramics, and metalwork continues to evolve through new acquisitions.

Now spanning the eighth to the 21st centuries, this collection shows the enduring power of tradition in contemporary art. Its mission is to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the contribution that Muslim civilisations have made to world heritage. Through education, research, and collaboration, the Museum will foster dialogue and promote tolerance and mutual understanding among people. As a vibrant educational institution, the Museum encourages the full spectrum of public engagement with its diverse permanent collection of more than 1,000 objects and its ever-changing roster of exhibitions and innovative programmes - including music and dance performances, theatre, lectures, workshops, and film screenings.

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The award-winning Amadeus Choir is a semi-professional choir of auditioned voices from Toronto and the surrounding areas. Conducted by artistic director Kathleen Allan, the choir champions the best of choral music and premieres works of Canadian and international composers through a self-produced Toronto concert series, guest performances, and special events. Known well beyond Toronto through tours, festivals, recordings, and national and international radio broadcasts, the choir collaborates with many professional performing arts organizations in the GTA.

The Amadeus Choir is proud to take a leading role in educating the next generation of choral musicians by providing workshops for conductors, composers, singers, and students. The choir is known for its strong support of Canadian music, and regularly commissions work from established and emerging Canadian composers.

Throughout its history, the Amadeus Choir has received numerous awards, most recently the Association of Canadian Choral Communities’ ‘Most Innovative Performance’ award in 2014 for Music of the Spheres, a multi-media collaboration with the Elmer Iseler Singers, the Ontario Science Centre, and the Roberta Bondar Foundation.

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Amici Chamber Ensemble celebrates 33 years as one of Canada’s finest and most distinguished chamber music ensembles. For more information, please visit our website!

Artistic directing trio, clarinetist Joaquin Valdepeñas, cellist David Hetherington and pianist Serouj Kradjian, invite some of the finest musicians to join them in innovative and eclectic programming, celebrating friendship through music. Alongside numerous broadcasts of their concerts on national radio, Amici Chamber Ensemble’s recordings have placed them firmly among the world’s best chamber musicians.

Joaquin Valdepeñas is regarded as one of the most distinguished clarinetists of his generation. David Hetherington plays his cello “with rare delicacy and clarity”. Pianist and composer Serouj Kradjian is hailed as a “keyboard acrobat” of “crystal virtuosity” by the press.

Amici's 2021-22 season includes:
- American Berserk (Oct 30) featuring Jonathan Crow
- Amici Ritorna (Dec 5)
- La Flûte Enchantée (Feb 6) featuring Marina Piccinini
- Schubert Octet (Apr 10) featuring Mayumi Seiler
- Tango Gala (May 15) featuring Joyce El-Khoury

You can also enjoy Amici's recordings online on their YouTube channel.

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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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Established in 2014, the Azrieli Music Prizes (AMP) offer opportunities for the discovery, creation, performance and celebration of new concert music. In so doing, AMP embodies the Azrieli Foundation’s commitment to discovering, elevating and amplifying artistic voices, granting broad access to meaningful musical experiences that exhibit artistic excellence and advance a shared pursuit of learning and wellness.

Open to the international music community, AMP accepts proposals for works from nominators and individual composers of all faiths, ages, backgrounds, gender identities and affiliations. Submissions for its three prize categories are submitted to two expert juries for evaluation through a biennial open call process.

The AMP prize packages - valued at $200,000 CAD per Laureate - currently make it the largest music competition for music composition in Canada and one of the largest in the world. Past AMP laureates include Israeli-American composers Yotam Haber (2020) and Avner Dorman (2018), Australian composer Yitzhak Yedid (2020), Canadian composers Keiko Devaux (2020), Kelly-Marie Murphy (2018) and Brian Current (2016), and Polish-American composer Wlad Marhulets (2016).

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The Barrie Concert Association, a charitable non-profit organization, presents 12 live performances of mainly Classical music from September/October to May. One-hour piano/organ recitals are also held the first three Wednesdays of every month - presenting classical, baroque, blues and light jazz.

During the COVID-19 situation, we daily get phone calls from subscribers hoping concerts can resume. They miss the music - and in these times probably need the music more than ever. However we can only start the performances again when it is safe to do so - we must care for the health challenges of the audience. We will keep you posted with developments as they happen.

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Established in 2014, the Azrieli Music Prizes (AMP) offer opportunities for the discovery, creation, performance and celebration of new concert music. In so doing, AMP embodies the Azrieli Foundation’s commitment to discovering, elevating and amplifying artistic voices, granting broad access to meaningful musical experiences that exhibit artistic excellence and advance a shared pursuit of learning and wellness.

Open to the international music community, AMP accepts proposals for works from nominators and individual composers of all faiths, ages, backgrounds, gender identities and affiliations. Submissions for its three prize categories are submitted to two expert juries for evaluation through a biennial open call process.

The AMP prize packages - valued at $200,000 CAD per Laureate - currently make it the largest music competition for music composition in Canada and one of the largest in the world. Past AMP laureates include Israeli-American composers Yotam Haber (2020) and Avner Dorman (2018), Australian composer Yitzhak Yedid (2020), Canadian composers Keiko Devaux (2020), Kelly-Marie Murphy (2018) and Brian Current (2016), and Polish-American composer Wlad Marhulets (2016).

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“The Canadian Music Centre is the catalyst that connects you to the ever-evolving world of musical creation in Canada through performance, education and promotion.”

The Canadian Music Centre is the only organization that focuses solely on Canadian contemporary classical music, and that has a well-established history of gathering and cataloguing Canadian contemporary classical music for six decades. CMC Centrediscs is the only recording label that exclusively offers 100% Canadian composers.

• Picanto.ca is Canada’s new digital platform for creative music. A hub for the contemporary music community and a place for discovery, it offers music fans direct access to a broad selection of diverse genres and traditions
• Library Services
• Publishing, rentals and sales of exclusively Canadian composers
• Recording and Distribution Services
• Associate Composer program helps composers establish and build their careers.
• Downtown Toronto performance space available at the Chalmers Performance Space (spaces also in Montreal and Vancouver)
• CMC Résonance is the CMC’s bi-lingual, pan-Canadian digital magazine
• Communication services
• Education and Outreach
• Concert presentations, awards and showcases
• Export development

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The Canadian Opera Company is Canada’s largest opera company, known for its artistic excellence and innovation, as well as attracting some of the world’s best opera performers. The company performs with its own acclaimed COC Orchestra and COC Chorus., and its spectacular home base at the Four Seasons Centre for Performing Arts in Toronto serves not only as a national stage but local hub for diverse musical artists and creators that reflect the city’s wide-ranging cultural influences. General director Perryn Leech joined the company in 2021, forming a leadership team with music director Johannes Debus and deputy general director Christie Darville.

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Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra is a volunteer community orchestra that has been based in Scarborough since 1986. Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra brings to life some of the greatest musical masterpieces, presents internationally-acclaimed performers, and helps introduce some of Canada’s rising stars in their debut performances with a symphony orchestra.

Cathedral Bluffs Symphony returns to the stage for its 2021/22 season with six exciting concerts, featuring such works as Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 "Pastorale", Schumann's Cello Concerto, Dvorak's In Nature's Realm, Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, Mahler's Songs of a Wayfarer, Schumann's Symphony No. 1 “Spring”, Barbara Croall's Nimkii N'gamwin (Thunderbird Song), and Holst's The Planets. Guest conductors include Pratik Gandhi, Martin MacDonald, and Christine Fong.

Looking for an orchestra to play in? Send your inquiries to us via email.

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Worth the drive to Niagara!

Chorus Niagara, The Power of 100, is Niagara’s premier 100-voice auditioned ensemble. Conducted by artistic director Robert Cooper (celebrating 32 years with Chorus Niagara), Chorus Niagara has been entertaining and enlightening audiences for 59 years. Chorus Niagara performs traditional choral masterpieces, modern and seldom-heard works, new commissions and provides a showcase for emerging Canadian talent. Attracting singers of all ages through its various programs: the Chorus Niagara Children's Choir, Side-by-Side High School Chorale, Robert Cooper Choral Scholars program, and Conductor Apprenticeship, Chorus Niagara provides opportunities for everyone to experience the joy of live choral performance. All concerts are performed at the stunning FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in revitalized, downtown St. Catharines.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic Chorus Niagara will begin its season with an online concert in November and look forward to being back on stage with a live performance of Messiah on December 11.

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Steeped in musical heritage and assisted by a generous acoustic, St. Mary Magdalene offers a music program strongly rooted in the tradition established by Healey Willan. Every Sunday at 11am: Solemn Mass - the Gallery Choir sings a mass and motet from the west gallery, while the Ritual Choir sings the Gregorian propers from the east end. Both choirs rehearse on Thursdays. At the 9:30am Sung Mass, the SMM Singers sing a motet and lead congregational singing. Membership is informal: rehearsals are at 9am directly before the service; regular attendance is not mandatory.

One Sunday per month at 4:30pm, the meditative Solemn Evensong and Benediction is sung, preceded by an organ recital at 4pm.

For information, please contact the director of music, Andrew Adair.

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With the transforming experiences of Canada's young and emerging opera artists. COSA Canada lifts your well-being. We excite the music in everyone! The Centre for Opera Studies and Appreciation began in 2006 to create essential experiences and training for Canada’s young and emerging opera artists. We are growing enthusiastic audiences each step of the way, event after event, and excitement after excitement.

Through our many performances and formats - house concerts, operas in concert, opera pops, stage premieres of new productions, church and school concerts, doorstep serenades, public masterclasses, and restaurant “Opera Night” events, we are making all the difference in lifting the lives of our audience members, artists, and hosts.

COSA Canada is a registered charity. Donate and receive an automatic tax receipt through our website, or through Canada Helps.

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Counterpoint Community Orchestra has been operating as a community orchestra in downtown Toronto for 37 years. Formed in 1984, it was the first LGBTQ+ orchestra in Canada and in the world. Counterpoint is a full symphony orchestra with repertoire drawn from the Baroque through to the contemporary periods. Prior to the pandemic, rehearsals were held at the 519 Community Centre on Church Street and our three concerts at The Church of St Peter and St Simon-the-Apostle on Bloor Street East.

During the pandemic, Counterpoint Community Orchestra went virtual and has showcased a few of our members playing various pieces on our website. We are diligently planning our current 2021/22 season and look forward to being back in person in the near future. For more information, please visit our website.

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The 24-voice DaCapo Chamber Choir was founded in 1998 in Kitchener-Waterloo under the direction of Leonard Enns. The mission of the choir is to identify, study, rehearse and present outstanding choral chamber works of the past 100 years and to champion music of Canadian and local composers. Although there is still much uncertainty ahead, we are moving forward with a (tentative) 2021/22 concert season.

In November, we will complete the “Road to Refuge”, and introduce the year's environmental theme. The concert will begin with several reflective works, as we acknowledge ongoing global challenges and remember the personal and general losses of the past two years. In March, the focus will be on nature - particularly on our avian friends. In May, we will cap off the environmental theme with a new commission by Nicholas Ryan Kelly. Guest artists include Catherine Robertson, Miriam Stewart Kroeker, and Jennifer Enns Modolo.

During our "hiatus," we released archival concert recordings and "Garage Choir" recordings on our YouTube channel. And our NewWorks CD is available to stream on all major platforms (read the review of this CD in the April 2019 issue of The WholeNote.) Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @DaCapoChoir!

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Don Wright Faculty of Music at Western University in London, Ontario is situated in a research-intensive university on a campus that is inviting and striking. It is a supportive environment that enables students to grow artistically and academically, with a strong focus on community. Our students are among 650 of the brightest and most talented young artist scholars, who come to study in one of our many undergraduate and graduate programs. With the faculty and staff, they are committed to excellence in creative and scholarly work.

In our 2021/22 season, we invite you to experience the incredible diversity of musical styles and genres our students, faculty and guest artists have to offer. From student ensemble performances (from choirs and opera to orchestra, band, jazz, percussion, contemporary and early music), faculty concerts, and our signature “Fridays@12:30” series, we are pleased to bring select performances to you at home via livestream. Our goal is to share performances online throughout the year, and hopefully in person once safe and permitted to do so, while closely following university and local health authority guidelines (check website often). Safety and health is critical, as is offering students a musical experience.

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The Edison Singers is a fully professional chamber choir led by internationally-acclaimed artistic director and conductor, Noel Edison. Our vision is to reach out to communities large and small with the world’s finest choral music. We produce annual concert series in three Ontario communities: Toronto Area, Niagara Area, and Wellington County. These three centres are the hubs for our choral calendar, and our aim is to become an integral part of the musical life of each community. We also plan to create more musical hubs over the next number of years.

For The Edison Singers' 2021/22 season, we will be offering five sets of concerts. The first performance will be in early November. Please visit our website for updates.

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Elmer Iseler Singers (EIS) is a 20-voice professional chamber choir based in Toronto and founded by the late Dr. Elmer Iseler in 1979. Directed by the acclaimed Lydia Adams, the Singers are known for tonal beauty and interpretive range, and valued for their contributions to masterclasses and workshops with schools and community choirs.

The Elmer Iseler Singers have 15 recorded CDs featuring Canadian music. EIS with Toronto Symphony Orchestra were 2019 Grammy-nominated and 2019 JUNO-awarded for the brilliant Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Chandos CD recording, with Peter Oundjian conducting. EIS are 2014 National Choral Award recipients and JUNO nominees for “Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Performance” for Dark Star Requiem with Tapestry Opera and Gryphon Trio in 2017, and for David Braid’s Corona Divinae Misericordiae with Patricia O’Callaghan in 2019.

We are pleased to announce that the Elmer Iseler Singers continue to join the Viva Youth Singers in educational and collaborative sessions of mentorship with the EIS as vocal coaches in a study of Handel’s Messiah choruses in a virtual situation. We are excited about this new Get Music Initiative. The six session program takes place from November through March.

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“…chamber music at its evocative best!” – WholeNote 2020 review.

Pioneering tour-de-force Ensemble Vivant's innovative, genre-diverse programming is rich with passionate, deeply communicative playing that touches the hearts and souls of listeners of all ages. EV are Opening Day recording artists with 14 internationally acclaimed CDs.

“…the highest-level chamber music-making. No matter the genre, there is magic in EV's music-making.” - Jazz legend/composer Rick Wilkins, C.M.

“…beautiful, poised performances...capture the passion and verve…Wilson’s piano gives this music unerring drive and plenty of sparkle.” - Toronto Star

EV: Catherine Wilson, piano/artistic director; Corey Gemmell, violin; Norman Hathaway, viola; Tom Mueller, cello; George Koller, bass. Collaborators: Kevin Turcotte, trumpet; Mike Murley, sax; Juan Carlos Medrano, percussion; and many others.

EV’s live and virtual invaluable educational/performance programs for children (endorsed by the scientific community) are conducted through the not-for-profit registered charity Euterpe: Music Is The Key (musicisthekey.org). Euterpe’s vitally important work was awarded a 3-year Ontario Trillium grant (2020) and a Canada Council Grant (2021).

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Estonian Studies Centre (ESC) delivers cultural and educational programming. ESC is home to Estonian Museum Canada (VEMU), a contemporary memory institution welcoming all visitors to be inspired by Estonian culture, history and traditions. Its inclusive programming and innovative exhibitions encourage cross-cultural understanding and dialogue. We organize 50-70 events per year. These include conferences, seminars, lectures, exhibits (5-7 per year), workshops, book launches, film screenings, theatre shows, concerts (including the Estonian Music Week festival).

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“How Can We Keep from Singing?” After a year of virtual rehearsals, Etobicoke Centennial Choir’s dedicated choristers have returned to safely and joyfully harmonizing together in person.

In its 54th season, Etobicoke Centennial Choir (ECC) is an auditioned SATB community choir. We aspire to enrich the lives of our choristers and audiences through inspired performances of diverse choral repertoire, ranging from classical masterpieces to contemporary compositions and popular music.

ECC is an inclusive community that warmly welcomes new members. We offer singers a supportive and challenging choral music experience, facilitated by a professional music director, accompanist and section leads. Rehearsals are held on Tuesday evenings from 7:30-9:30pm at Humber Valley United Church in Etobicoke. Virtual participation on Zoom remains an option.

We are planning a virtual streamed concert in December, including Saint-Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio, with a return to live performances in 2022. Our grand premiere on April 9 features Beethoven’s dramatic Mass in C and the contemporary, jazz-influenced Mass by Steve Dobrogosz. On June 11, Musica Borealis will showcase a wide range of gorgeous music from Canada and other northern climes.

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Last season we were going to celebrate our 25th anniversary, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to shut down our operation along with most others. The band began to rehearse once again in June and July outdoors. It started off slowly with about one half of the band attending, but by the start of August, we had more than three quarters back playing. At present we are waiting for the TDSB to approve our permits, which will allow us to hold our regular Wednesday night rehearsals. Due to the uncertainty, we have our October 2021 concert on hold, but we plan to be ready to perform our popular annual “Christmas Gala” with many new tunes as a thank you to our very supportive audiences. Once we have a concert under our belts, we plan on presenting our “25th Anniversary Gala” and play the music from our past, present and future.

There is always room for new members to join us, and if you wish to be a part of this exciting concert band, please check out our website and look for "Join the Band". Rehearsals are held every Wednesday evening from 7:30pm to 10pm at Etobicoke Collegiate, 86 Montgomery Rd. in Etobicoke. Come out, sit in and if you wish, join us - you won't regret it.

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Celebrating 60 years, the Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra features programming that engages and inspires our diverse community through the performance and exploration of symphonic music.

Despite the current challenges to live performance, the EPO continues to promote the musical growth of its members, patrons and community with imaginative performances, rehearsals, and creative outreach initiatives that unite and inspire.

Look for us live as soon as it is safe to return to in-person performances. In the meantime, join us on our online portal (eporchestra.ca) where you will find all things EPO presented with the same energy and enthusiasm you have come to expect from your EPO.

You will enjoy mini-concerts, interviews, and conversations from soloists and orchestra members talking about their role in the orchestra, how important music is in their lives, and how much they appreciate the opportunity to perform for the community of Etobicoke.

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Toronto-based Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan is a collective of professional musicians.

Its core repertoire calls for eight players, though it also collaborates with guest musicians, singers and dancers. Its core mission: to develop a hybrid repertoire and performance practice on a high artistic level on its own gamelan degung, a bronze, wood and bamboo orchestra indigenous to West Java, Indonesia. Fostering intercultural musical connections through performances with Indonesian artists is also a guiding value.

Founded in 1983, ECCG was the first Canadian group dedicated to performing on gamelan. ECCG regularly commissions new works - over 200 to date - launching them in its annual Toronto concert season. Composers ECCG has premiered works by John Cage, Lou Harrison, Linda Bouchard, Allison Cameron, Walter Boudreau, Linda C. Smith and Ana Sokolović.

ECCG’s repertoire includes arrangements of Indonesian songs, as well as boundary-busting experimental works which embrace forms such as music theatre, opera, choral music, Baroque orchestra, rap and hip hop turntablism. It has toured widely in North America, Europe, Japan and Indonesia and is featured on over 15 commercial albums.

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Founded in 1981, Exultate Chamber Singers has been celebrated for its continuing tradition of choral excellence for over 40 years. The choir is enriched not only by the diversity and musicianship of its members but also by their varied academic and professional backgrounds. Together they form a passionate, committed ensemble with a wide-ranging repertoire.

Founded and led for 30 years by conductor and organist John Tuttle, the choir has since been under the direction of Dr. Karen Grylls (2011 to 2012), Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt (2013 to 2018), and its newest artistic director, Dr. Mark Ramsay.

Exultate is a three-time winner of the Canada Council Healey Willan Grand Prize and recently won first place in the adult mixed-voice chamber choir category of the 2019 Choral Canada National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs.

In addition to presenting its annual concert series, Exultate has made regular appearances around Ontario, toured in Canada, collaborated with dozens of artists, released five albums, and enjoyed airplay on CBC Radio. Exultate is currently producing its sixth album, comprised of Canadian choral music commissioned by the choir in recent years.

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Glionna Mansell Corporation is a music marketing agency, Allen Organ dealer and concert producer in the organ and choral performance genre. The company is an active supporter/promoter of emerging artistic talent alongside experienced world-stage performers. The activities and entities operating under the Glionna Mansell banner include: ORGANIX CONCERTS, Allen Organ Company in Ontario and Eastern Provinces, and touring/concert choir MOSAIC Canadian Vocal Ensemble. Gordon Mansell is music director and titular organist at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church - Toronto.

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The Hannaford Street Silver Band is Canada’s award-winning professional brass band. Its mission is to honour the traditions of this art form and place them in a contemporary context with a unique Canadian point-of-view. Guided by the vision of artistic director David Pell, the band facilitates innovative creative projects and collaborates with the best of Canada’s diverse artists. Our 2021/22 season features concerts that showcase collaborations with artists such as Measha Brueggergosman and vocalist Suba Sankaran with Toronto’s amazing Indo-fusion band Autorickshaw. This season includes live and streamed concerts with both our 10-piece virtuoso ensemble and the full 27 member brass band.

The HSSB is committed to youth and music education through the vibrant Hannaford Youth Program. Directed by Anita McAlister, this program is a fantastic opportunity for brass and percussion players ages 7 to 24 to participate in three bands where they learn music, social and leadership skills.

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INNERchamber Inc. presents live chamber music concerts and is currently in its 12th season, with a regular audience base, frequently selling-out concerts. We are live-streaming all concerts for this 2021/22 season. This series fills a niche for Stratford and the surrounding community who are looking for live classical music concerts performed by local professional musicians. A takeaway or dine-in meal (if permitted in COVID protocols) from our restaurant partner, Revival House, can be enjoyed by patrons living in Stratford, Ontario. Concerts occur between September and June, when the cultural events of other festivals are on hiatus.

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The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts (the Isabel) is a home for the creative arts at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and a hub of vibrant artistic study, creation, and exhibition in our community. The building houses the Queen’s Department of Film and Media and the DAN School of Drama and Music, as well as the Isabel house season, which brings some of the most exciting and acclaimed musicians to its 567-seat concert hall. Situated on the shores of Lake Ontario, the Isabel brings together world-class arts spaces and programs with a captivating sense of place, creating a dynamic venue for our students and community to learn, discover, think, do, and experience together.

Opened in September 2014, the Isabel was designed by Oslo/New York-based firm Snøhetta and Ottawa’s N45, with acoustics and theatre design by ARUP and Theatre Projects Consultants. Anchored by a transformational gift to the Initiative Campaign from Drs. Alfred and Isabel Bader, the Isabel was inspired by the Baders’ love - of the arts, of Queen’s, and of each other - and is named in Isabel’s honour. For a virtual tour, visit www.queensu.ca/theisabel/content/virtual-walkthrough.

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The Jubilate Singers is an auditioned chamber choir that enjoys singing an eclectic mix of music from Canada and around the world, in many different languages. In recent years we have collaborated with groups representing a variety of cultural traditions including concerts of Latin American music, programs featuring music from the Islamic, Jewish and Christian traditions, and a collaboration on African music with the Ubuntu Dance and Drum Theatre. We sang an all-Canada program for the sesquicentennial year, and in 2019 we performed Beethoven's Symphony No.9 with the North York Concert Orchestra.

For 2021/22 we have been moving between virtual and hybrid rehearsals, but we hope to present a fully in-person concert by June 2022. This February's concert-length video includes a varied program of choir favourites and some lesser known international songs. We are an inclusive and welcoming choir that works to enhance the musical skills of its singers, and we are always looking for new members!

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The Ken Page Memorial Trust is a non-profit charitable fund supporting jazz and the artists who create such lasting memories for all of us. The aims of the Trust are to encourage emerging talent, foster an understanding of the evolution of the music, promote jazz education through workshops, masterclasses and outreach programs conducted by established professionals, and to provide financial aid to jazz musicians on an emergency basis.

The KPMT holds annual jazz fundraisers featuring some of the world’s leading jazz artists and honours jazz professionals with its Lifetime Achievement Award; it also presents seasonal performances of Jim Galloway’s Wee Big Band and among others provides grants to the University of Toronto Faculty of Music and the Ken Page Memorial Trust Scholarship Award in memory of Ron Collier held at Humber College. Donation appeals through the KPMT Annual Review have established a special fund for musician support once local venues resume regular live music programming. Sincere thanks to all our loyal patrons who have responded so generously.

Due to COVID-19, some events are postponed. For more details, and if you would like to help us make a difference in the community, please visit our website.

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The Kindred Spirits Orchestra is a critically acclaimed, auditioned-based civic orchestra performing at the Flato Markham Theatre, the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, and the CBC Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. The KSO is an Ontario not-for-profit corporation and a registered public charity with the Government of Canada. The KSO business structure is based on a unique model that integrates the best practices of managing symphony orchestras in Europe, the USA, and Canada. In addition to performing concerts, the KSO offers several educational, community outreach, professional development and international cultural exchange programmes.

During the 2020 pandemic, the KSO quickly evolved and, by leveraging digital technologies and the Internet, transitioned to offering live concerts via broadcast and stream. As a result, the KSO is now attracting patrons from beyond the geographical boundaries of the Greater Toronto Area and from as far away as the USA, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

The upcoming 2021/22 concert season will offer nine concerts featuring masterworks by Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, as well as lesser known pieces by Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Hindemith, Bartók, Korngold, Dukas and others.

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The Royal Conservatory’s Koerner Hall is “the greatest venue in this city” and “magnificent in its acoustics, as much as in its design” (Toronto Star). This concert season, you can enjoy more than 90 jazz, classical, world, and roots music performances - in the concert hall or live online - by extraordinary international and Canadian artists, including the annual 21C Music Festival. We look forward to sharing uplifting and inspiring live music with you!

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A New Sound in the City. Mississauga Chamber Singers celebrate the transition from the larger MCS Chorus/Mississauga to a chamber choir bringing clarity and intimacy to great choral masterpieces.

The transition to chamber choir engages skilled singers within the choral ensemble, creating artistically dynamic performances with a widening scope of the classical choral music. In addition, this enables the choir to better reach the communities in Mississauga by becoming more flexible and able to perform in a wider variety of performance spaces.

Led by artistic director, Mervin William Fick, Mississauga Chamber Singers perform classical choral repertoire, from a wide range of A Capella works to timeless works for choir and orchestra.

The Mississauga Chamber Singers performs a diverse season of extensive community engagement events, multi-generational musical education programming and ticketed concerts. Come and hear the difference!

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The Mississauga Symphony Orchestra (MSO), with a combination of 90+ community musicians and professional section leads, has earned the reputation as the best hybrid orchestra in Canada. The MSO has been active in Mississauga for an astonishing 50 years, and is now designated as one of Mississauga's six pillar institutions of arts, culture, and heritage. Based out of Hammerson Hall, a world-class performing arts facility located within the Living Arts Centre, the MSO provides performance opportunities and personal development to talented amateurs while combining the strands of excellence and education by assisting young professional performers and composers through solo performance opportunities, commissions, and mentoring.

Under the direction of maestro Denis Mastromonaco since 2013, the orchestra offers entertaining and increasingly sophisticated programs from classical and popular repertoires of symphonic music, performed to the highest artistic standards. With the inclusion of the Mississauga Symphony Youth Orchestra in 2013, the organization has become the centre of classical music in Mississauga, built around the pillars of music education, performance, and entertainment.

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MOSAIC Canadian Vocal Ensemble touring ensemble is a subsidiary of Glionna Mansell Corporation. The choir has performed in Italy, particularly in Florence, Assisi, Rome and three occasions at the Vatican. Most recently, the choir performed in the Holy Land and in 2022 will return to Italy for its third European tour.

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Music at Metropolitan has a long history of presenting a variety of choral and instrumental concerts and special events. During this time, we are planning limited in-person events and online events; please visit our website and watch for Wholenote listings. Our planning includes “Thursday Noon at Met'' in person and livestreamed concerts featuring our Casavant pipe organ - the largest in Canada - as well as our various singers and instrumentalists. Stay tuned! And please stay safe and well.

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Music at St. Andrew’s is a community outreach program of historic St. Andrew’s Church in downtown Toronto. This program was inspired by the church’s 2011 purchase of a Bösendorfer Imperial grand piano, which we share with the greater community. The magnificent piano is used extensively in our free, mostly classical “Friday Noontime Recitals” featuring University of Toronto postgraduate music students and professionals. The weekly 45-minute recitals run from October to November and February to May. Our seventh year was cut short by COVID-19, but the recitals will return Friday, October 1. Attend in person (current COVID-19 protocols apply, pre-register please) or watch online afterwards. More details on our website. On December 4, St. Andrew’s will provide an atmospheric setting for our annual dramatic readings from A Christmas Carol, plus seasonal music. Watch for more programming details on our 2021/22 season.

Music at St. Andrew’s presents great music at affordable prices! Concerts take place at St. Andrew’s Church, 73 Simcoe St., Toronto.

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The Music Gallery is Toronto’s centre for creative music. We present and promote experimentation and innovation in all forms of music, and encourage cross-pollination between genres, disciplines and audiences. Since 1976, we have occupied a valued position within Toronto’s musical ecology, presenting both internationally-renowned contemporary music and a wide spectrum of local artists and projects.

We are now located in the beautiful 918 Bathurst St. Centre for Culture, Arts, Media and Education, though this season most of our programming will be delivered online. We present the “X Avant Festival” during October, and “Emergents” (emerging artists) and “Departures” (off-site) series as well as unique main stage concert experiences throughout our season. We also partner with artists and arts organizations to co-present their work in our space, assisted by our highly experienced technical crew. Our season runs September through June with some off-season events.

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Through its “Music in the Afternoon” concert series, the WMCT presents chamber music concerts featuring musicians on the threshold of international recognition, as well as established artists and ensembles.

The WMCT is committed to presenting a full season of five hybrid concerts (in-person and virtual on-demand) for its 124th (2021/22) season. Concerts include: Blake Pouliot, violin; with Hsin-I Huang, piano (September 30, 2021); Beverley Johnston, percussion and Friends (November 25, 2021); Andrew Haji, tenor; with Stephane Mayer, piano (March 3, 2022); Cameron Crozman, cello; with Philip Chiu, piano (March 31, 2022); and Meta4 String Quartet (April 28, 2022). Artists and programs are subject to change. Please visit our website for regular season updates.

Spring 2022 concerts will be held on Thursday afternoons at 1:30pm at a NEW VENUE, Grace Church on-the-Hill (300 Lonsdale Road, Toronto), and will adhere to all recommended health and safety protocols.

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Music Toronto - celebrating our 50th season. What to say?

A legacy organization in classical music, we present the world’s best chamber ensembles and solo pianists. Nowhere else in Toronto can you hear the Juilliard and St. Lawrence Quartets, Stephen Hough and Marc-André Hamelin live on stage in a perfect small concert hall downtown. Up close and personal.

But not only the world’s greats. Favourite Canadians artists like David Jalbert, the Gryphon Trio, Ensemble Made In Canada and the Lafayette Quartet. Acclaimed international artists like the Miró Quartet and pianists Vanessa Benelli Mosell and Benjamin Grosvenor. And watch for the Toronto debut of the Korean Esmé Quartet who have enjoyed a very rapid rise to well-deserved stardom.

The greats, the acclaimed, the well-known and loved, the new – music making at its finest. We also celebrate our 50th anniversary with two commissioned works, Kelly-Marie Murphy for pianist David Jalbert and Jeffrey Ryan for the Gryphon Trio.

Please join us for the special experience that is live in-person chamber music. It will inspire your thoughts and engage your emotions.

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Established in 1971, NMC continues to introduce Canadian audiences to the most significant compositions of the 20th and 21st centuries. Its storied legacy is fundamental to the ongoing story of Canadian art history. New Music Concerts is a vital and central part of Toronto’s new music scene and has been providing a leadership role in the community throughout its history. Founded by internationally acclaimed Canadian musicians Robert Aitken and Norma Beecroft, New Music Concerts presented its first concert in January 1972 with guest composer/conductor Luciano Berio. Since that time New Music Concerts has commissioned hundreds of new works, and has brought countless historically important compositions to thousands of listeners through meticulous performances by Toronto’s top musicians, most often with the participation of the composers (including Boulez, Lutosławski, Holliger and Takemitsu to name a few).

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Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation marks its 28th season under the continuing leadership of artistic director Eric Robertson. Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation has presented a rich variety of concerts for Toronto audiences. In addition to its popular weekly recital series, it has presented international groups such as King’s College Cambridge Choir, Clare College Singers and St. John’s College Choir and has featured numerous Canadian artists including Colin Fox, John McDermott, John Johnson, the True North Brass, the Gryphon Trio, and NEXUS. Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation is also involved in the City Carol Sing, a large annual charity event that raises money for food banks across Canada.

After “going to ground” for most of 2019/20, Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation, in cooperation with Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, returns this December with a virtual presentation of “City Carol Sing 2021”, and plans to resume its “Tuesday Lunchtime Chamber Music” series in January 2022.

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Nocturnes In the City’s 21st season presented three virtual lectures on Czech operas by Iain Scott. Excerpts from Rusalka and The Devil and Kate by Antonín Dvořák, Bartered Bride by Bedřich Smetana, The Greek Passion by Bohuslav Martinů, and Jenůfa, Káťa Kabanová and The Makropulos Affair by Leoš Janáček were admired by a few hundred Zoom listeners.

The upcoming 22nd season is presenting international star violinist Ivan Ženatý from Prague with pianist David Kalhoun in October 2021, multitalented Radim Zenkl (mandolin, guitar, flute, fujara) from California in November, second Czech dixieland band in December, and pianist Radka Hanáková, tenor John Holland, and jazzman George Grosman in spring 2022. Most concerts take place in Czech community center at St. Wenceslaus church on Gladstone Avenue.

Previous 20 season artists such as singers Eva Urbanová, Zdeněk Plech, Gustáv Beláček, John Holland, pianists Antonín Kubálek, Boris Krajný, ‎Jan Novotný and Slávka Vernerová-Pěchočová, clarinetist Joaquin Valdepeñas, as well as Panocha, Pražák, Kocian and Zemlinsky quartets were presented.

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Off Centre Music Salon re-creates the magical, inclusive atmosphere of the Viennese and Parisian Salons of the 19th century. Music is intimately shared, with each concert telling a story and creating personal connections for the audience and performers alike. Dedicated to the discovery and development of young, professional musical talent, Off Centre concerts include voice and instrumental performances. Repertoire is rarely, if ever, repeated.

Beginning early in 2022 we look forward to performing for you live, in person, at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre in Toronto. Please continue to check the listings section of WholeNote or our website, www.offcentremusic.com, for more about our upcoming performances.

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Opera Atelier is a world leader in the rediscovery and revitalization of period opera and ballet, particularly works from the Baroque era. Through their historically informed productions, founding co-artistic directors Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg seek to provide a thrilling theatrical experience for modern audiences. Opera Atelier’s productions are performed with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra on period instruments, and incorporate music, dance and theatrical staging with strong production values.

Based in downtown Toronto, Opera Atelier produces twice a year in the heart of the city’s theatre district. The company is also in high demand internationally, and tours extensively in support of its mandate.

Opera Atelier is dedicated to the education of youth and young artists, and offers a robust slate of education, enrichment and outreach opportunities that engage and educate new and existing audience members of all ages.

This Fall, Opera Atelier will premiere a new film, titled Angel - a multi-disciplinary storytelling event that explores the mythology surrounding mankind’s loss of innocence and subsequent enlightenment, plus the creation of Lucifer as the first great anti-hero.

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The "crown jewel of Canadian community orchestras," Orchestra Toronto is an orchestra created by passionate musicians within the community, for the community. Under the musical leadership of Michael Newnham, we offer the enjoyment of music, foster education and music appreciation and support emerging Canadian talent. With a five-concert season performed in the George Weston Recital Hall in North York, our organization of volunteers is committed to making symphonic music accessible to a broad and diverse public beyond the concert hall.

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ORGANIX CONCERTS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Glionna Mansell Corporation and is the producer of musical events specific to organ performance and education. Weekly free lunch-time concerts are presented in collaboration with All Saints Kingsway Anglican Church and Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church. These weekly events offer the public an opportunity throughout the year to hear and experience rarely performed repertoire brilliantly executed by passionate Canadian and international artists. ORGANIX CONCERTS also presents evening concerts under the “Special Presentation Series” banner and in 2022 will feature world renowned artists from Italy and France, including Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin. ORGANIX CONCERTS is a recipient of the Royal Canadian College of Organists National Award of Excellence for its part in contributing to the promotion and value of the organ and its music in Canada.

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Since its founding in 1987 to celebrate the bicentennial of Mennonites in Canada, Pax Christi Chorale has built a loyal following. Today, under the artistic leadership of Dr. Elaine Choi, the choir continues to broaden its community and deepen its impact as a leading arts organization in the Greater Toronto Area. Pax Christi Chorale champions great choral music among a diverse community, and welcomes audience members, choristers, and volunteers from all backgrounds and walks of life.

Pax Christi Chorale performs a vast repertoire, from the great historic masterpieces of the oratorio tradition, to newly commissioned works by Canadian composers. We encourage a choral culture in which choristers are invited to contribute and encouraged to improve their musicianship. We aspire to a disciplined atmosphere of respect and professionalism in our rehearsals and concerts. Our overarching aim is to experience the deep joys of choral singing, and to communicate that joy to our audience.

The highlight of Pax Christi Chorale's 2021/22 season will be the Toronto premiere of Considering Matthew Shepard, a modern-day oratorio by Craig Hella Johnson on the themes of healing and forgiveness.

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The Peterborough Singers was founded in 1993 under the energetic and creative leadership of artistic director Sydney Birrell. We are an auditioned 110-voice choir of adults and youth which attracts members and audiences from Peterborough, the Kawarthas, and throughout the Lakeshore. The Singers are proud of their tradition of supporting young emerging artists each season. We perform four concerts a year: a Yuletide concert, Handel’s Messiah, a popular music concert and a major oratorio.

We are cautiously optimistic that we will be presenting our full roster of concerts in our 2021/22 concert season. Our annual Yuletide concert on November 27 will feature the Venebrass Quintet as we usher in the festive season.

Our December presentation of Handel's Messiah will include four young soloists from the University of Toronto. In February 2022, we will be performing the songs of Paul Simon, featuring a talented group of local musicians lead by musician/arranger Steve McCracken and featuring Beau Dixon. We are also planning a performance of Verdi’s Requiem and will be accompanied by a full brass ensemble led by Paul Otway alongside Leslie Fagan, Laura Pudwell, Jonathan Liebich and Ernesto Ramirez.

Join us and celebrate the music.