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NOTE: All times are Eastern Time unless otherwise noted.
ETCeteras listings are based on information sent to WholeNote in advance by event presenters. Due to current COVID-19 restrictions, some events may subsequently be cancelled or postponed in different areas. Please visit presenters' websites or contact them directly for updated information. The deadline for the next weekly update is Tue Dec 29 at 6pm. Thank you for your understanding and stay safe! Merry Christmas from everyone at The WholeNote. See you in 2021
DAILY LISTINGS
Dec 19 1:00: Church of the Holy Trinity. The Christmas Story: A Pandemic Pageant. Visit here. Tickets by donation ($10 suggested). A link to the screening will be sent via email. On demand after Dec 11. ONLINE
Dec 19 7:30: Peterborough Symphony Orchestra. PSO Brass Quintet Holiday Concert. Baroque through Dixieland and Jazz, inspired by the holidays. PSO Brass Quintet: Paul Otway and Doug Sutherland, trumpets; Jane Mackay, horn; and Al Carter, tuba. Guest: Michael Newnham, trombone. Visit here or call 705-742-7469 for tickets. $15. Available until Jan 2, 2021. ONLINE.
Dec 19 8:00: Elora Singers. A Festival of Carols. Beloved and new Christmas carols. Elora Singers. Visit here or call 519-846-0331 for tickets. From $15. Available from Dec 19, 2020 to Jan 3, 2021. ONLINE
Dec 20 4:00: Travel by Sound. Winter Classics. "Winter" from Vivaldi's Four Seasons; excerpts from the Nutcracker Suite; and holiday piano favourites. Victoria Yeh, violin; Natalie Wong, violin; Fanny Tang, viola; Jill Sauerteig, cello; Tyler Yarema, piano. For info visit here or call 416-799-0737. $40(1 concert); $100(all 6 concerts). Virtually from Meaford Hall. Series runs until Feb 2021. Unlimited replays until Mar 2021. ONLINE
Dec 24 7:30: Canadian International Organ Competition. CIOC Celebrates Christmas. For tickets and info visit here. $10. Available until Dec 30. ONLINE
NEW!! Dec 27 3:45: Wychwood Clarinet Choir. A New Performance Video. The last Sunday of every month, the WCC releases a new concert video performance by The Wychwood Clarinet Choir, preceded by a live chat with Michele Jacot and Roy Greaves. Watch the free livestream here. ONLINE
Dec 29: Canadian Opera Company. Solo Spotlight With the COC Orchestra. Featuring COC Music Director Johannes Debus in conversation with Principal Clarinetist Dominic Desautels who performs the opening clarinet melody from “E lucevan le stelle,” the famous romantic aria from the final, tragic act of Puccini’s Tosca. Free. Visit here. ONLINE
NEW!! Dec 29 7:00: Toronto Concert Orchestra. Renewal. Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23. Watch here. ONLINE
ETCETERAS
Arts@Home. A vibrant hub connecting Torontonians to arts and culture. Designed to strengthen personal and societal resilience through the arts. Visit here to learn more about this exciting collaborative initiative. ONLINE
Esprit Orchestra. Online Concert: World Premiere of Chris Paul Harman’s Suite for Two Cellos. Commissioned and performed by VC3 Cello Duo. Visit here to watch. ONLINE
Kevin Barrett. Live from Lockdown. Kevin Barrett does a live-streamed set of solo guitar tunes, coming directly from lockdown in his studio in Kensington Market, Toronto. Tune in to Kevin's Facebook page on Friday here. If you can't join live, the video will be available afterwards on Kevin's page with each week's episode archived on his YouTube channel here. YOUTUBE & FACEBOOK
Ottawa Chamberfest. Chamber Chats: At Home / Chez vous. Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2pm. Hosted by celebrated broadcaster/writer Eric Friesen. Interactive episodes combine chat with pre-recorded and live performances and feature guest artists and lecturers from all over the world. For information: 613-234-8008. Visit the website here. ONLINE
Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. a•P•art {of} performance series, every Thursday at 7:30pm here. ONLINE
The Toronto Consort. Early Music TV. Begins November 29, 2020. A subscription-based video streaming service dedicated to music of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Baroque. Founded and curated by The Toronto Consort. A Medieval Christmas debuts on December 14, 2020 and includes serene works like laude, English carols, and Notre Dame polyphony by Pérotin and anonymous medieval masters. This on-demand service is available here.
ONLINE BLOGS
Toronto Consort. Explorer: Discovering the World of Early Music. Explorer is a blog for the curious; a place of learning, sharing, and community. This all-new offering will present an assortment of curated content in a range of formats, like original short- or long-form articles, original video and audio recordings, and educational content on relevant topics relating to Early Music, history, and world music, as they relate our beloved repertoire. Visit here for further information. ONLINE
ONLINE GROUPS
Recollectiv: A unique musical online meeting group made up of people affected by memory challenges caused by illness (such as dementia) or brain injury (stroke, PTSD, etc.) and their care partners. Volunteers of all ages also form part of the band, providing a positive intergenerational experience for all. Participation is free with pre-registration. E-mail Recollectiv here for meeting times, information and registration. ONLINE
PODCASTS
Canadian Opera Company. Key Change. The COC’s new podcast offers a fresh take on today's opera issues. Co-hosted by classical singer and culture critic Robyn Grant-Moran, a member of the COC’s Circle of Artists, alongside COC Director/Dramaturg-in-Residence Julie McIsaac, the first season of bi-weekly episodes explores the operagoing experience from a variety of perspectives, with special guests from the opera field and beyond. Subscribe to Key Change wherever you get your podcasts.
PREVIOUSLY RECORDED
NEW!! Canadian Brass. The Canuckcracker. While the world is familiar with the holiday favorite, The Nutcracker, few are familiar with the original story of The Canuckcracker. Some say it's because the Canadians didn't want to make a fuss about it. But we've decided now is the time to speak out. Click here to find out the truth. ONLINE
NEW!! Hamilton Children’s Choir. Traditions in a New World. Watch here on YouTube and here on Facebook. ONLINE
Kingston Symphony. Finale of Beethoven’s Third Symphony (Eroica). Forty members of the orchestra perform the finale of the Eroica, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 while in isolation in their homes. To view the virtual performance, please click here. For more information on the Kingston Symphony, please visit here. ONLINE
NEW!! Music Mondays. SHHH! Ensemble: A Holiday Video. SHHH!! Ensemble (Zac Pulak, marimba and Edana Higham, piano) bring us "good tidings and a delightful holiday video"—their adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s Russian Dance (“Trépak”) from The Nutcracker Suite!. Watch here. ONLINE
New Music Concerts. Fall Broadcasts. If you didn't get a chance to catch our fall broadcasts, you can follow these links to watch all four of our stunning online presentations including Anima, Cello Masterworks, Love Songs, and 50th Anniversary Commissioning Series. ONLINE
Niagara Symphony Orchestra. NSO Digital Online. Visit here to view video performances by members of the NSO. ONLINE
NEW!! Royal Conservatory of Music. The Resounding Concert. During this holiday season, the RCM is pleased to present a time-limited re-broadcast of The Resounding Concert, a celebration of music in support of Koerner Hall. This wonderful concert is now available for you to enjoy throughout the festive season. Watch here. Available until 11:59pm on January 1, 2021. ONLINE
Sinfonia Toronto. Beethoven@250 Livestream. Beethoven: Six Ländler, WoO 15; Symphony No.7 in A Op. 92 (chamber version). Nurhan Arman, conductor. $15. To view the Vimeo livestream and performance video until Jan 3, 2021, visit here. LIVESTREAM ONLINE
TD Toronto Jazz Festival. Online Premiere. Measha Brueggergosman, soprano; Lennie Gallant, guitar. The internationally acclaimed opera singer and concert artist co-wrote "Champions" with Lennie Gallant. The concert is available here. ONLINE
Thirteen Strings! Virtual Concert. Purcell: Excerpts from The Fairy Queen. Handel: Concerto grosso, Op. 6, No. 5 in D. Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending (Marc Djokic, violin). Elgar: Serenade for Strings. Find the link here. Free. ONLINE
NEW!! Thirteen Strings. Christmas Concert. Arcangelo Corelli: Christmas Concerto, Op. 6 No. 8. John Rutter: Suite for Strings. Gerald Finzi: Dies Natalis, Cantata for soprano and strings, Op. 8. Mireille Asselin, soprano. To watch the concert, visit here. ONLINE
Toronto Operetta Theatre. An archival video of Toronto Operetta Theatre's production of H.M.S. Pinafore performed March 4-8, 2020, at Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. Enjoy the video here. ONLINE
Toronto Symphony Orchestra & Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. The TSO was thrilled to harness the healing power of music to help The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation celebrate the virtual opening of its new, world-class Cancer Centre. Watch TSO musicians perform six musical pieces by Bach, Mozart, Elgar and Sibelius (two quartets, two duets, two solos) in the new spaces. To view the video, visit here. ONLINE
VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert. Archival Video Project: Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht. Enjoy some archival scenes from our 2019 production here. ONLINE