Clubs & Groups
Feb 09 2:00: Classical Music Club Toronto. Beethoven Sestercentennial Celebration (Part 2). Join us as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. 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.
Feb 09 2:00: Toronto Opera Club. Guest speaker: Derek Bate, Canadian Opera Company Assistant Conductor. Edward Johnson Bldg., Faculty of Music, 80 Queens Park, Room 330. 416-924-3940. $10.
Feb 24 7:30: Toronto Wagner Society. Roundtable technical discussion on the making of The Flying Dutchman with the Canadian Opera Company’s Head of Wardrobe; Head of Hair, Wig and Makeup; the Stage Manager; and the Associate Director. The Arts and Letters Club, 14 Elm St. Located west of Yonge St. and two blocks north of Dundas St. W. Meetings are open to everyone. For information: info@torontowagnersociety.ca. Free(members); $20(non-members).
Competitions and Applications
DEADLINE Feb 01: International Music Festival and Competition. All ages and levels. Piano, voice, guitar, harp, strings, woodwinds, brass, conducting, composition. For information. Competition dates: Mar 21-Apr 5, 2020. For information: intermusic.ca or 905-604-8854 or office@intermusic.ca.
DEADLINE Feb 18: Yip’s Music Festival Competition. Piano, violin, musical theatre and chamber music. Competition dates: Apr 18, 19, 25, 26, May 2, 3, 2020. For information: ymf.yips.com or 905-948-9477 x2211.
Galas, Tributes and Fundraisers
Feb 02 3:00: Bowerbird Collective. Music for Australia: A Concert Raising Funds for the Bushfire Crisis. Simone Slattery, violin; Anthony Albrecht, cello. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. For information: wheresongbegan.com. $30; $5(under 18). All profits donated to support Australian wildlife in the bushfire crisis.
Feb 14 8:00: Chorus York, Richmond Hill. Romantic Melodies, 3rd Annual Fundraising Gala. Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, Plaza Suite, 10268 Yonge St., Richmond Hill. 7pm: cocktails, appetizers, silent auction & cash bar. 8pm: concert. An evening of love songs in a cabaret style. Stéphane Potvin, artistic director; Asal Iranmehr, accompanist; Guests: Natalie Wong, violin; Drew Henderson, guitar; Angela Gibbon, soprano; Laura Ewing, poet. Tickets: RHCPA box office, or online at rhcentre.ca or call 905-787-8811. $50 with $20 tax receipt.
Mar 06 7:30: Firerooster Collective. Stabat Mater. Pergolesi: Stabat Mater. Maureen Pecknold, soprano; Andrea Johnston, alto; Dorothy Krizmanic, piano. Church of the Holy Trinity, 19 Trinity Sq. 647-339-8587. By donation. Benefit for Stella’s Place.
Mar 26 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Evening Epic. The TSO’s annual fundraising event will feature a gala dinner and EPIC party! With performances by members of the TSO and the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, and a one-night-only mainstage performance featuring the TSO in collaboration with award-nominated alternative-electronic Indigenous singer/songwriter iskwē. This is a 19+ event. The Carlu, 444 Yonge St. Visit EveningEpic.ca for tickets to the event. Early Bird Tickets are on sale now for $155!
Lectures, Salons and Symposia
Feb 02 8:00: The Music Gallery. Panel Discussion and Performance: When Did Transparency Become So Opaque? Curated by Olivia Shortt. The Music Gallery at 918 Bathurst St. PWYW ($10 suggested).
Feb 07 1:00-6:00. University of Toronto Faculty of Music. DM@X: Sixth Annual Digital Media at the Crossroads Conference. Visit digitalmediaatthecrossroads.com for conference details and to register. Various locations in the Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Registration required. Also Feb 8 9am-5pm.
Feb 07 12:00noon: Westben. Tick Talk: Music in Nature. Excerpts from The Selfish Giant by Brian Finley. Brian Finley and the Nature Conservancy of Canada. The talk will focus on the beautiful estate of Mary West that abuts the Westben Barn property and the potential for performance and experiences in this habitat. The Clock Tower Concert Hall, 36 Front St. S., Campbellford. 705-653-5508 or 1-877-883-5777. Admission by donation ($10 suggested minimum.)
Feb 13 12:10: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Thursdays at Noon: What Makes Human Compositions Human? (Part 1). In this lecture-recital, Dr. Steve Sang Kyun Koh and the Interro Quartet highlight AI’s growing capabilities in composing music. Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Free and open to the public.
Feb 16 7:00: Darchei Noam/Howard Mednick. Jewish Music by Non-Jewish Composers. Works by Handel, Smetana, Bruch and Verdi. Recorded music with commentary. Darchei Noam Synagogue, 864 Sheppard Ave. 416-435-6517. $15.
Feb 20 7:00: Canadian Opera Company. Opera Insights: An Evening with Ian Cusson. Join COC Composer-in-Residence Ian Cusson for an exploration of his artistic inspirations and creative process. Includes performances from artists of the COC Ensemble Studio. Richard Bradshaw Auditorium, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. at University Ave. Free but requires a ticket. Register online or call COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231.
Feb 23 7:00: Darchei Noam/Howard Mednick. First Concert of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Brahms: Symphony No.2; Schubert: Symphony No.8; Mendelssohn, Incidental Music to a Midsummer Night’s Dream. Recorded music with commentary. Darchei Noam Synagogue, 864 Sheppard Ave. 416-435-6517. $15.
Feb 25 7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Herman Geiger-Torel Lecture: Linda and Michael Hutcheon. Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Free and open to the public.
Mar 01 7:00: Darchei Noam/Howard Mednick. Jewish All-Star Composers. Works of Mendelssohn, Gershwin and Copland. Recorded music with commentary. Darchei Noam Synagogue, 864 Sheppard Ave. 416-435-6517. $15.
Mar 04 7:00: Canadian Opera Company. Opera Talks: Music and Mental Health. Explore the art and science of music’s impact on our physical, mental and emotional health with accredited music therapists and registered psychotherapist SarahRose Black and cellist Andrew Ascenzo. Participants will discover how music can punctuate life’s most important moments and learn more about music’s important role in the healthcare industry and personal wellness. North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge St. Free but advanced registration is recommended by calling 416-395-5639.
Mar 04 7:30: Glenn Gould Foundation. James Rhodes: In Conversation. Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St. W. Order online at: glenngould.ca. $25.
Master Classes
Feb 06 1:10: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Brass Chamber Master Class with Gábor Tarkövi. Edward Johnson Building, Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
Feb 06 5:00: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Trumpet Master Class with Gábor Tarkövi. Edward Johnson Building, Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
Singalongs, Jams, Circles
Feb 08 2:00: Canadian Bandurist Capella. Meet & Greet and Open House. Taras Shevchenko Centre, 482 Horner Ave., Etibocoke. Seeking young singers and musicians to be part of our dynamic all-male ensemble as we embark on our 20th-anniversary season. Bring your bandura or voice and join us for an afternoon of information, camaraderie and entertainment. Food and refreshments will be served. For information: 647-229-9531 or banduristy.com.
Tours
Feb 09 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 Feb 23 (French), Mar 1, 8 and 15 (French).
Workshops & Classes
Feb 02, 1:30: Toronto Early Music Players Organization. Workshop coached by recorder player Francis Colpron. Armour Heights Community Centre, 2140 Avenue Rd. Bring your early instruments and a music stand. For information: 416-779-5750 or tempotoronto.net. $20.
Feb 07 7:30: Toronto Recorder Players Society. Renaissance and Baroque Workshop for Recorders and Other Early Instruments. Refreshments included. Mount Pleasant Road Baptist Church, 527 Mount Pleasant Rd. (entrance off Belsize). For information: 416-480-1853 or rpstoronto.ca. $15.
Feb.16 2:00: CAMMAC Toronto Region. Reading for singers and instrumentalists of Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace. Matthew Jaskiewicz, conductor. Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. 416-482-6562. $10; $6(members).
Feb 20-23. Toronto Mass Choir. Powerup: Gospel Music Workshop. York University, Accolade East Bldg., 4700 Keele St. For information, visit powergospel.ca. $99; $79(st).
Mar 01 1:30: Toronto Early Music Players Organization. Workshop coached by viola da gamba player Joelle Morton. Armour Heights Community Centre, 2140 Avenue Rd. Bring your early instruments and a music stand. For information: 416-779-5750 or tempotoronto.net. $20.
Mar 06 7:30: Toronto Recorder Players Society. Renaissance and Baroque Workshop for Recorders and Other Early Instruments. Refreshments included. Mount Pleasant Road Baptist Church, 527 Mount Pleasant Rd. (entrance off Belsize). For information: 416-480-1853 or rpstoronto.ca. $15.
