Competitions
Registration deadline: Apr 1, 2019. Steinway Junior Piano Competition 2019. Division I (ages 9 and under), Division II (ages 10-13), Division III (ages 14-18). Auditions: Apr 28-May 4, 2019. Winners Concert: May 17, 2019. Venue: Steinway Piano Gallery, 2651 John St., Suite 8, Markham. For information call 905-940-5397 or e-mail info@steinwaytoronto.ca.
Application deadline: April 12, 2019. International Music Festival and Competition. Piano, voice, guitar, harp, strings, woodwinds, brass, conducting, and composition. Competition dates: May 23-June 2, 2019, at Cornell Recital Hall 3201 Bur Oak Ave., Markham. For details, visit intermusic.ca or contact 905-604-8854 or office@intermusic.ca.
Film Screenings
Apr 02 6:30: Royal Conservatory of Music. Ravi Shankar: Between Two Worlds (2001). Directed by Mark Kidel. 90 min. Celebrating the life and career of one of India’s most revered musicians, Ravi Shankar. Following the star for two years of his life, this captivating documentary details the seven decades of innovative collaboration with Western musicians like George Harrison, John Coltrane, and Yehudi Menuhin. Featuring archival footage from performances filmed from the 1930s to the present day. Q&A hosted by Mervon Mehta with sitar player Anwar Khurshid, a member of KUNÉ – Canada’s Global Orchestra. Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, 506 Bloor St. W. Tickets can be purchased at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema box office or at hotdocscinema.ca. $17; $12(Members).
Apr 06 8:00: Small World Music Society 17th Annual Asian Music Series. Anda Union from the Steppes to the City. Co-presented with Flato Markham Theatre. Rare insight into a forgotten land on the furthest edges of China, home to more than 6 million Mongolians. Anda Union, a ten-strong group of young musicians, make a 10,000-km journey through the grasslands of Inner Mongolia revealing the secret of the roots of their haunting and beautiful music. Small World Music Centre, 180 Shaw St. 416-536-5439. Free.
May 04 7:30: St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Islington. Saturday Night at the Movies. Accompanied by featured organist Thomas Gonder, St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Islington. 3962 Bloor St. W., Etobicoke. Free parking at rear. Refreshments. Contact 416-231-4014 or saintmatts.ca. Admission $10 at the door.
Galas and Fundraisers
Apr 03 7:00: Opera in Concert. Opera Salon: Viva Verdi. A tribute concert to Giuseppe Verdi’s music. Proceeds supporting Opera in Concert. Gallery 345, 345 Sorauren Ave. Tickets available through St. Lawrence Centre Box Office, 416-366-7723. $45 (includes post-concert reception).
Apr 13 8:00: Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra. Annual Fundraising Concert and Silent Auction. Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March Nos.1 & 2; Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No.2; Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D (mvt.1); Parry: Jerusalem. Diane Kim, violin; Artem Kopylov, piano; Norman Reintamm, conductor. P.C. Ho Theatre, Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto, 5183 Sheppard Ave. E., Scarborough. 416-879-5566 or cathedralbluffs.com. $35/$30(adv). Silent auction at 7pm.
Apr 27 4:30: Mississauga Symphony Orchestra. On Broadway! Fundraising concert. Gaming and dinner at 4:30pm, concert at 8pm. Living Arts Centre, Hammerson Hall, 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905-306-6000. $40-$125.
Apr 27 7:00: Cambridge Symphony Orchestra. Annual Fundraiser - Una Serata Bella: Fiesta de España. Cambridge City Hall Atrium, 50 Dickson St., Cambridge. 519-716-5566. Tax receipt for a portion of the ticket price. $100.
Apr 27 8:00: Orpheus Productions. Studio 54 Memorial Voyeur Fundraiser. A workshop performance of Shakespeare’s Criminal by Dustin Peters and Sky Gilbert, including a pre-show talk with the creators, post-show cocktail party with disco desserts, and scandalous performances for your voyeuristic pleasure by Hélène Ducharme and Shana MacKinnon. Dress in your favourite 70s outfit and dance the night away Studio 54 style. All proceeds to support the budget for future productions of Shakespeare’s Criminal. Factory Studio, 125 Bathurst St. $80. Visit shakespearescriminal.brownpapertickets.com.
Apr 28 1:30: Classical Music Conservatory. Music for a Cause: Benefit Concert for the Canadian Cancer Society. Sonya Harper Nyby, soprano; Ruza Florence McIntyre, vocals and violin; Bryan Allen, guitar and vibraphone; Matt Woroshyl, saxophone; and others. Roncesvalles United Church, 240 Roncesvalles Ave. 416-537-5995. PWYC ($20 suggested; $10(sr/st/child). All proceeds to the Canadian Cancer Society.
May 04 2:30: Music4Life Ensemble. Music for a Cure. Forest Brook Community Church, 60 Kearney Dr., Ajax. $15; $10(sr); $10(st); free(child 12 and under); $50(Music4Life Supporter - $35 goes to orchestra); $25(Music4Life Supporter - $10 goes to orchestra). Concert benefit for Cystic Fibrosis Canada. Free post-concert reception.
Lectures, Salons and Symposia
Apr 09 7:30: Toronto Duke Ellington Society. General Meeting. A presentation titled “Oscar Peterson Plays Duke Ellington” by Allan Jones. Montgomery’s Inn, 4709 Dundas St. W., Etobicoke. For further information, visit torontodukeellingtonsociety.com or call 416-239-2683. Membership is $35(single) or $50(couple). First visit is free.
Apr 10 7:00: Canadian Opera Company. Opera Talks: Yours Faithfully – Otello. Presented in partnership with the Toronto Public Library. Opera scholar Wayne Gooding will lead a multi-media exploration of Verdi’s Otello. North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge St. Call 416-395-5639. Free.
Apr 14 2:00: Classical Music Club Toronto. Murray Perahia. From 1973 to 2010, Perahia recorded exclusively for Columbia Masterworks (now Sony Classical). His first major recording project was Mozart’s 27 piano concertos, conducted from the keyboard with the English Chamber Orchestra. In the 1980s he also recorded Beethoven’s five piano concertos, with Bernard Haitink and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. In 2016, Perahia signed with Deutsche Grammophon. In addition to his career as a piano soloist, he is actively involved in chamber music and has appeared regularly with the Guarneri and Budapest String Quartets. He is also Principal Conductor of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields with which he both records and performs. From his large body of recorded works, including 8 Gramophone Award-winning discs, we will sample a selection of his recordings. For further information, visit classicalmusicclubtoronto.org or contact John Sharpe at 416-898-2549 or torontoshi@sympatico.ca. Annual membership: $25(regular); $10(sr/st). Free for first-time visitors. Donations accepted for refreshments.
Apr 14 2:00: Toronto Opera Club. Really Good Arias from Lesser-Known Verismo Operas. Stephen R. Clarke, guest speaker. Edward Johnson Bldg., Faculty of Music, 80 Queens Park, Room 330., 416-924-3940. $10.
Apr 16 7:00: Canadian Opera Company. Opera Insights: Preparing for Puccini – How the COC’s Young Artists Transform for La bohème. This 90-minute performance and discussion brings you inside the world of COC opera singers in training as Ensemble Studio artists prepare to perform the rich and romantic crowd favourite, La bohème. Richard Bradshaw Theatre, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. (at University Ave.). Reserve tickets at coc.ca/operainsights or by calling 416-363-8231. Free.
Apr 18 8:00: Small World Music Society. Demystifying Qawwali. Qawwali is the most popular Sufi devotional music from South Asia and, in recent years, has gained increased attention from worldwide audiences. Join Umair Jaffar as he explains the genre, explores its history and demystifies the hidden messages in its poetry. Small World Music Centre, 180 Shaw St. 416-536-5439. Free.
Apr 25 7:00: Canadian Opera Company. Opera Insights: Inside the Music of Verdi’s Otello. Join musicologist Matthew Timmermans as he guides participants through the musical score and a variety of interpretations. Discover how Verdi sets the mood with trembling strings and bombastic brass and hear how the world’s greatest singers put their personal stamp on these roles. No music reading experience necessary. Education Centre, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. (at University Ave.). Reserve tickets at coc.ca/operainsights or by calling 416-363-8231. Free.
Apr 26 4:30: Canadian Opera Company. Exploring Opera. Families with children of all ages are welcome to explore an opera in the COC’s 2018/19 season through accessible music and drama activities. This one-hour workshop focuses on La bohème by Puccini. No previous experience with opera or the performing arts is required. Education Centre, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. (at University Ave.). For more information and to reserve tickets, visit coc.ca/EO. Free.
Apr 27 10:00am: Guitar Society of Toronto. So You Want to Play in a Band: A History of Women’s Contributions to Guitar Orchestras in Europe and North America. Mariette Stephenson will discuss the societal impact of large guitar ensembles and their promotion of women in music (from the Baroque era to the present day) including the involvement of female composers and music directors. St. Andrew’s Church, 73 Simcoe St. www.guitarsocietyoftoronto.com. 416-964-8298. $20; $10(st).
Apr 27 2:00: Guitar Society of Toronto. Celebrating Ida Presti’s Artistry as Solo Performer and Composer. Dr. Candice Mowbray will discuss characteristics of legendary guitarist Ida Presti’s skill and style as a performer, and the ways in which those traits are manifested in her solo compositions. St. Andrew’s Church, 73 Simcoe St. guitarsocietyoftoronto.com. 416-964-8298. $20; $10(st).
May 07 7:30. The Heliconian Club. The Joy of Singing. Presented by Stephanie Bogle. In this interactive lecture, Stephanie will talk about her career in Europe, and then get people to participate in some vocal exercises and talk about vocal technique, style and health. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazleton Ave. 416-922-3618. heliconianclub.org. Tickets $25, children under 12 free when accompanied by an adult.
Master Class
Apr 28 1:00: Guitar Society of Toronto. Master Class with Berta Rojas. St. Andrew’s Church, 73 Simcoe St. guitarsocietyoftoronto.com. 416-964-8298. $20; $10(st).
Sing-alongs, Jams, Circles
Apr 08 7:00: Canadian Opera Company. Opera Insights: Sing-along Opera Choruses. Warm up those vocal cords for an opera sing-along! Led by Sandra Horst, the COC’s Price Family Chorus Master, learn some of opera’s most familiar choruses and perform them together from start to finish. No musical experience necessary. Richard Bradshaw Theatre, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. (at University Ave.). Reserve tickets at coc.ca/operainsights or by calling 416-363-8231. Free.
Apr 07 2:30: Southern Ontario Chapter of the Hymn Society. Debbie Lou Ludolph and the Inshallah Community Choir will share excerpts from their recently published resource “Sing the Circle Wide”. Eden United Church, 3051 Battleford Rd., Mississauga. 416-694-6436. Free admission.
Tours
Apr 07 10:30am: Canadian Opera Company. 90-Minute Tour of the Four Seasons Centre. Led by a trained docent. Includes information and access to the Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room, the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre and R. Fraser Elliott Hall, as well as backstage areas such as the wig rooms and dressing rooms, the orchestra pit, and other spaces that only a stage door pass could unlock. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. coc.ca. $20(adults); $15(sr/st). Also Apr 14, May 5. A tour is available in French on Apr 28.
Workshops
Apr 07 1:30: Toronto Early Music Players Organization. Workshop coached by recorder player Stéphane Potvin. Armour Heights Community Centre, 2140 Avenue Rd. Bring your early instruments and a music stand. 416-779-5750. tempotoronto.net. $20.
Apr 12 7:30: Toronto Recorder Players Society. Renaissance and Baroque Workshop for Recorders and Other Early Instruments. Mount Pleasant Road Baptist Church, 527 Mount Pleasant Rd. (entrance off Belsize). 416-480-1853. Refreshments included. rpstoronto.ca. Guests: $20.
Apr 28 2:00: CAMMAC Toronto Region. Reading for singers and instrumentalists of Rossini’s Stabat Mater. Daniel Norman, conductor. Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. 416-605-2793. $10; $6(members).
May 04 10:30am: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Singsation Saturday Choral Workshop. Presented by. Dr. Rachel Rensink-Hoff of Avanti Singers and Brock University who will lead participants through some great Kyrie-Gloria pairings from early masses of Palestrina and Byrd through to contemporary settings. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, Cameron Hall, 1585 Yonge St. Information at tmchoir.org/singsation-saturdays. $10 fee includes refreshments.
May 07 1:30: Toronto Early Music Players Organization. Workshop coached by recorder player Matthias Maute. Armour Heights Community Centre, 2140 Avenue Rd. Bring your early instruments and a music stand. 416-779-5750. tempotoronto.net. $20.
