20th ANNUAL DIRECTORY OF MUSIC MAKERS

We are pleased to present our 20th annual Blue Pages, a directory of music presenters and arts services published every year in our October magazine, and maintained year-round online, under the “Who’s Who” tab at thewholenote.com. This year’s 152-profile portrait of musical life in the Greater Toronto area and Southern Ontario has two segments: section 1 reflects the wealth and diversity of music presenters and performers in our region – orchestras, choirs, opera companies, chamber ensembles, etcetera; section 2 is for individuals and organisations providing services to artists in the communities we cover, predominantly artist managers and publicists.

We’d like to thank all who have chosen to participate in this year’s Blue Pages; individuals and organisations whose support and dedication helps sustain not only The WholeNote but the music community in general. If your organisation missed being part of the October Blue Pages, we’ll be publishing a “latecomers” supplement in the November issue. And the online directory accepts new members year round.

For information on the benefits of a WholeNote membership (of which this Blue Pages profile is a feature), please contact Karen Ages at karen@thewholenote.com or 416-323-2232 x26.

BLUE PAGES TEAM 2019/20
PROJECT MANAGER: Karen Ages
PROJECT EDITOR: Danial Jazaeri
LAYOUT AND DESIGN: Susan Sinclair
WEBSITE: Kevin King

Section I: Presenters and Performers

Section II: Arts Services


canary sitelinkLuisa Trisi
416-456-0499
luisa@luisatrisi.com
www.luisatrisi.com

t

 

Read Profile

Big Picture CommunicationsLuisa Trisi’s lifelong love of arts and culture led her to launch Big Picture Communications in 1999. She has worked with many of North America’s leading figures in classical music, dance, and theatre, and has designed publicity campaigns for major arts hubs, cultural initiatives, national festivals, and conferences.

Luisa provides an array of strategic communication services to a broad range of clients, including many high-profile Canadian cultural organizations. Throughout her 20-plus years of experience, she has established an extensive network of media and industry contacts. She works closely with clients to generate noteworthy coverage in a variety of traditional and digital outlets - from mainstream media to niche publications. Passionate about city-building, community, and creativity, Luisa thrives on connecting people and ideas.

Prior to launching Big Picture Communications, Luisa held positions with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Dance Umbrella of Ontario, and Theatre Columbus. As director of communications and an instructor at Ryerson Theatre School for almost a decade, Luisa designed and taught courses on entrepreneurship to students pursuing Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees.

canary sitelinkRobert Missen
905-632-6047
rmissen@sympatico.ca
www.bobobolinkagency.com

Read Profile

The Bobolink Agency is a full-service performing arts agency which has represented some of Canada’s finest musical artists, ensembles and attractions for bookings across Canada. These currently include tenor Ben Heppner, the Elmer Iseler Singers, the Men of the Deeps and “Unforgettable: The Nat King Cole Story.”

canary sitelinkDebra Chandler or Brenton Chan
416-571-6170
debra@healtharts.org
www.concertsincareontario.com

f t

 

Read Profile

Concerts in Care OntarioConcerts in Care Ontario provides live professional music for our senior audiences living in long-term and memory care, assisted, and independent living facilities. We offer classical, jazz, American Songbook, and occasional special event ensembles from solos to quartets. We curate a series of concerts over a 12-month period, starting with a minimum of four concerts, with no upper limit. This way the seniors hear a variety of the best professional musicians in each genre, or from their preferred styles.

Narrative and connection with audiences is a huge part of our mandate. We understand that music is a socializing opportunity. So Concerts in Care performances belong to the residents, not to the musicians. Our performers tell stories, describe the music, and spend time after the concert visiting with their audience members. We operate in the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa, Sudbury, and London, partnering with the local professional symphonies, top freelancers, and festivals to ensure best quality performances for our aging populations. Fees are on a sliding scale, designed as much as possible to suit the budget of each facility.

canary sitelinkHenry Ingram
416-969-7300
admin@deanartists.com
www.deanartists.com

f I

 

Read Profile

Dean Artists Management brings over 20 years of excellence and expertise to the management of classically trained singers, conductors, opera directors and choreographers.

Committed to integrity and personal attention, the size and structure of our agency enables us to remain responsive to our clients’ needs, while sustaining successful relationships with producers in North America and abroad. 

Working as a team to strategically broaden the careers of established artists, we are equally known for our ability to nurture and guide emerging careers. Our artists include specialists in both early and contemporary music, carefully chosen “crossover” artists, and those directors and conductors who have a particular knowledge of, and affinity for, opera, choral and vocal orchestral repertoire. After more than two decades in international arts management, we remain competitive and attuned to the trends of the symphonic, opera and choral music markets, and the visions of our colleagues and clients.

canary sitelinkDeborah Knight, public relations
416-200-3577
dknight@dkpr.ca
www.dkpr.ca

f t

 

Read Profile

dkpr public relations inc.Celebrating 20 years as an entertainment publicity, promotions and marketing agency, dkpr public relations inc. is known for “getting you noticed, getting you in the news.” With a celebrity client list and experience working in New York, Los Angeles, London and Toronto, dkpr specializes in publicity and marketing for many kinds of music and musical theatre. dkpr’s services include: media relations for small to mid-sized music organizations; creating social media campaigns; marketing and advertising; and creating cost-effective websites and promotions. We also frequently work with individual artists to assist them in producing their shows to attract new audiences and corporate sponsorships and media partnerships. Principal Deborah Knight has worked personally with Placido Domingo, The Three Tenors (Carreras, Pavarotti, Domingo), Ben Heppner, Michael Schade, Sondra Radvanovsky, several orchestras, Tony Bennett and Diana Krall, Martin Short, Andrea Martin, and Bea Arthur, just to name a few. Media outlets include: CTV, CBC, Star!, Comedy Network, WTN, and HGTV across several television shows. We are a small office, based downtown with rates that are affordable and we will give complementary meetings over coffee for interesting projects.

canary sitelinkAnn Summers Dossena
416-362-1422
info@ircpa.net
www.ircpa.net

f t

 

Read Profile

International Resource Centre for Performing ArtistsFor over 35 years, the IRCPA, a unique, charitable, service organization has provided resources to emerging young professional musicians. Our goal is to enable them to achieve sustainable fulfilling careers that meet or exceed their goals in the search for excellence.

For the jazz trio or string quartet that feels stuck in its development and is keen to reach new audiences, the singer who has completed his or her training but isn’t clear on the next steps to take, the pianist looking beyond winning competitions - for all of these situations and more, the International Resource Centre for Performing Artists aims to help turn potential into accomplishment and employment.

We provide workshops and roundtable discussions for networking and information on the workings of the industry, which are not easily available. Encounters with seasoned experienced artists for savvy solutions to challenges, including financial planning are tools the new professional receives only with experience. Public performances build audiences and fan bases. Membership and most events are without charge. Please visit our website - our charitable number is: 100220417 RR0001.

canary sitelinkLinda Litwack
416-782-7837
lalitwack@rogers.com
www.linkedin.com/in/linda-litwack-15371320

f t

 

Read Profile

Linda Litwack PublicityHaving begun her career as a summer reporter on the Winnipeg Tribune, arts publicist Linda Litwack is a long-practised matchmaker between artists and the media. Her services include various forms of writing and editing – from media releases and bios to radio spots, online postings and CD booklets – working with designers, photographers and other professionals, and, of course, liaising with the media.

In addition to media, music and other contact lists, she maintains a list of friends, usually offering discounts for special events. Since leaving CBC Publicity (20 years in radio and 3 in TV), she has collaborated with numerous creative people on intriguing projects, mostly in classical music but also in theatre, TV documentaries, books and the visual arts. Longtime clients have included Show One Productions, pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico and soprano Denise Williams. Linda ran the Toronto Jewish Folk Choir for several years, and chaired its Program Committee. She is also a board member of the International Resource Centre for Performing Artists.

canary sitelinkRebecca Davis
347-432-8832
rebecca@rebeccadavispr.com
www.rebeccadavispr.com

Read Profile

Rebecca Davis Public RelationsRebecca Davis Public Relations provides publicity, media and communications services to musicians, arts organizations and record labels, specializing in classical, jazz and other niche genres.

From offices in New York and Florida, RDPR brings a respected and enthusiastic voice, in-depth musical knowledge and broad promotional expertise to help artists achieve meaningful visibility in both mainstream and specialist press. We boast a network of relationships with members of the media in print, on-air and online that we reach through targeted pitching and creative storytelling. Our holistic approach to a client’s communications strategy involves refining and amplifying messaging to effectively reach audiences across all channels from websites and press materials to social media.

Rebecca Davis PR has implemented successful media campaigns for instrumentalists, singers, composers, ensembles and institutions, including: Renée Fleming, Jonas Kaufmann, Danielle de Niese, Elīna Garanča, Bryn Terfel, Giancarlo Guerrero, Tessa Lark, Yuja Wang, Cantus and the Calidore String Quartet as well as institutions including the Saratoga Performing Arts Center and the Nashville Symphony.

canary sitelinkBev Kreller
416-922-3620
bev@speak-music.com
www.speak-music.com

Read Profile

SPEAK Music is a Canadian publicity and promotions company based in Toronto, Ontario. Our mission is to help discover new musical talent and reconnect established artists with the ever-changing Canadian media landscape. We specialize in genres from folk to indie, world music to jazz, country and blues to pop, and everything in between. With a focus on artist development, SPEAK Music has been providing encouragement and professional support to performing musicians, independent record labels, distributors, festivals, not-for-profit organizations, and music charities since March 2003.

SPEAK Music has you covered in the media landscape, including press releases and album servicing, consulting, media training, reviews, features, interviews, premieres, non-commercial radio, and tour press. We want your music to be heard by as many media and music tastemakers as possible.

Director and PR professional Beverly Kreller has extensive media and artist relations, publicity, special event, and production experience. Beverly has strong communications and writing skills, and is highly organized, motivated, enthusiastic, and results-oriented. She is also a musician; performing and touring regularly, in her widely-acclaimed duo HOTCHA!.

Back to top