Now that the fall season has arrived, it’s a good time to dig into what’s new on the horizon, especially in venues that may be less familiar but offer unique possibilities for creative music-making. One such place in Toronto’s west end is the Annette Studios, which will host The Art of Improv on September 28, a series launched in 2023 by musicians Bill Gilliam and Eugene Martynec.
Back in the dark days of the pandemic, when concerts were little more than memories, I spoke with composer Cecilia Livingston for the December 2020-January 2021 issue of The WholeNote about Garden of Vanished Pleasures, a project she was involved with at the time. Originally presented as a livestream production by Soundstreams in early 2021, the piece went on to become a finalist in Opera America’s Awards for Excellence in Digital Opera. Now, it is set to receive a fully staged live performance by Soundstreams.
February and March bring a vibrant array of new sounds, kicking off with an energetic start of multiple concerts in early February. And right in the middle, in early March, comes International Women’s Day on March 8 – a time to celebrate progress while acknowledging the challenges that persist. While one might hope such a day would no longer be necessary, recent developments south of the border highlight persistent threats to women’s rights and freedoms, underscoring the continued importance of IWD.
Alice Ping Yee Ho’s Dark Tales: On November 9, right after you thought all the pumpkins, goblins and spider webs had been put away for another season, Toronto composer Alice Ping Yee Ho and New Music Concerts will present an innovative evening of ghost stories, with a new work entitled Dark Tales: An Immersive Journey into Music, Light and Legend. During a recent conversation, Ho described this new work, commissioned by Duo Concertante, as a music drama in five movements based on five stories from Tom Dawe’s book An Old Man’s Winter Night.
Women from Space: In last month’s issue, I wrote about the Women from Space festival, which happened from March 8-10. I was delighted to attend some of the events, and came away feeling inspired and energized by what I heard. The festival opener was a spectacular improvisation by Bloop, the duo made up of trumpeter Lina Allemano and her performance partner Mike Smith, whose electronics wizardry was fully on display in the effects processing he conjured from the equipment at hand. At times Allemano also played various gong instruments, such as a large cow-bell with one of her hands, adding different sonorities to the mix.
