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As one of Waterloo Region’s largest arts and cultural organizations, we continue to push boundaries, build community, and welcome and cultivate world-class talent in our community. Who we are and how we approach our work is a reflection of the innovative and entrepreneurial culture which abounds in this region. Today, the KWS is one of Canada’s outstanding orchestras, presenting a diverse and rich concert season and garnering national and international attention for its artistry, musicianship and innovative programming. Its education and outreach programs serve its evolving community and a continuum of ages. The KWS continues to be the largest employer of artists and cultural workers and the most significant cultural asset for Waterloo Region.

Highlights for the 2019/20 season include: Stravinsky’s “Suite” from The Firebird, “The Magical World of Harry Potter”, Ravel’s Boléro, “Back To The Future: In Concert” and more!

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In its 46th season, Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society is one of Canada’s busiest presenters of chamber music concerts with over 60 concerts per year, ranging from solo recitals to octets. Programs range from medieval to contemporary; most feature both classics and recent music. Almost all of our concerts take place at our Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo, in a private home – it holds a maximum of about 85 people. A superb Steinway piano, good acoustics, a supportive audience and an intimate but informal atmosphere make for great concert experiences. Notable performers have included pianists Janina Fialkowska, Till Fellner, André LaPlante, Sofya Gulyak, and many more; the Penderecki, New Orford, Alcan, and many more quartets; the AYR and Andromeda Trios and many more.

In the coming year, we will have a historic cycle of Beethoven’s string quartets by the Penderecki String Quartet (stretching from December 16, 2019 to December 16, 2020 – Beethoven’s 250th birthday.) The PSQ is in residence at Wilfrid Laurier University. See our continually updated website for details (just google KWCMS.) 

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Now in its seventh year, this neighbourly series in the upper Beach continues to present a variety of eclectic and exciting concerts, TSO bassist Timothy Dawson and his community-minded crew present classical, jazz, world music and even comedy. 

This year’s outstanding offerings include: “The Passionate Voice” – countertenor Dan Taylor, baritone Russell Braun, and bass Gary Relyea, along with their protégés; “Sultans of String - Christmas Caravan” with special guest Rebecca Campbell, Lynn Miles and Donné Roberts; The Four Seasons - Mark Fewer and orchestra presenting Vivaldi’s iconic version and Piazzolla’s red-hot Four Seasons of Buenos Aires; and finally, “Mass Hysterical – A Comedic Cantata”– a new musical revue from the creators of the “Second City Guide to the Symphony,” in which four actors, a chamber ensemble and a soprano will guide you on a hilarious journey through the history of church music.

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Founded in 1952 by Jean Dobson, Barrie’s King Edward Choir enters its 68th season, under the direction of maestro Oliver Balaburski. The choir began as a ladies’ ensemble, taking its name from the school in which they practised. It blossomed into a group encompassing all voices and today is a mixed group of 50 singers committed to creating beautiful music in a passionate, informed and evocative manner.

Our mandate is to offer choristers and audiences alike opportunities to experience a broad range of choral music, including classical, contemporary, Canadian, popular and world music. We continue to collaborate with other artists, engage in community outreach, and offer a mentorship program for students. New members are welcome to join by audition throughout the year.

Our 2019/20 season begins with “Gloria” on Nov 30, featuring Vivaldi’s well-known setting of the same, plus a selection of Christmas works, with several by Canadian composers. Winter and spring concerts are on March 7 and May 9.

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Welcome to the KSO 2019/20 concert season at Flato Markham Theatre (October 19, December 14 and February 8) and Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts (March 20, May 8 and June 26). Highlights of the season include Bartók’s Concerto For Orchestra, as well as Tchaikovsky’s Fourth and Fifth, Shostakovich’s Fifteenth, Prokofiev’s Fourth and Rachmaninoff’s Third symphonies. We are thrilled to welcome back Maxim Bernard in Ravel’s Concerto for Piano in G, Dong Xu in Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 4 (For the Left Hand) and Leonid Nediak in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 4. Mary Kenedi will make her debut with the KSO in Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 3, Sheng Cai – in Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2, and Leslie Ashworth - in Barber’s Violin Concerto. In June, the KSO and Markham Contemporary Music Festival will return to Cornell Recital Hall for a series of concerts presenting pieces by Stravinsky and a world premiere by Hong Kong Canadian composer Werner Chan. The concert season will conclude on June 27, with a performance at the CBC Glenn Gould Studio, led by renowned Chinese Maestro James Liu and, on July 1, with a Canada Day concert at Unionville Millennium Theatre.

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The Ken Page Memorial Trust is a non-profit charitable fund supporting jazz and the artists who create such lasting memories for all of us. The aims of the Trust are to encourage emerging talent, foster an understanding of the evolution of the music, promote jazz education through workshops, masterclasses and outreach programs conducted by established professionals, and to provide financial aid to jazz musicians on an emergency basis.

The KPMT holds annual jazz fundraisers featuring some of the world’s leading jazz artists and honours jazz professionals with its Lifetime Achievement Award; it also presents seasonal performances of Jim Galloway’s Wee Big Band. Most recently, the Trust provided grants to the University of Toronto Faculty of Music, Springboard to Music, the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, Humber College Community Music School, and the Ken Page Memorial Trust Scholarship in memory of Ron Collier.

Donations are our lifeline. Board members are unpaid and every dollar is dedicated to furthering our mission. Contributions are gratefully received, and if you are currently a donor we extend our sincere appreciation. If you would like to help us make a difference please visit our website.

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A community choir who enjoy singing music from many lands, as well as music by Canadian composers, our repertoire includes songs that may be new to listeners, as well as classics and familiar folk tunes. We welcome singers to join our large chorus, or to audition for our chamber group. We rehearse Tuesday evenings near Lawrence and Yonge. Our 2019/20 season will include two opportunities to learn from skilled clinicians at full-day workshops.

Saturday, Nov 30: “Navidad Nuestra” – a Latin American Christmas celebration featuring the music of Ariel Ramirez, with special guests, Latin American musicians Sikuris St. Lawrence. Eastminster United Church, 310 Danforth Ave. 

Saturday, March 7: “The Seas” – music about and inspired by the sea. Settings of the ‘Ave maris stella’ from Canada and around the world, plus a selection of rollicking sea shanties. Eastminster United Church, 310 Danforth Ave.

Saturday, June 6: “Of Love and Nature” – our final concert, focusing on the nature of love and the love of nature, features selections from Brahms and Bartók, plus works by contemporary Canadian composers. Church of St. Peter and St. Simon-the-Apostle, 525 Bloor St. E.

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The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts (the Isabel) is a home for the creative arts at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and a hub of vibrant artistic study, creation, and exhibition in our community. The building houses the Queen’s Department of Film and Media and the DAN School of Drama and Music, as well as the Isabel house season, which brings some of the most exciting and acclaimed musicians to its 567-seat concert hall. Situated on the shores of Lake Ontario, the Isabel brings together world-class arts spaces and programs with a captivating sense of place, creating a dynamic venue for our students and community to learn, discover, think, do, and experience together. 

Opened in September 2014, the Isabel was designed by Oslo/New York-based firm Snøhetta and Ottawa’s N45, with acoustics and theatre design by ARUP and Theatre Projects Consultants. Anchored by a transformational gift to the Initiative Campaign from Drs. Alfred and Isabel Bader, the Isabel was inspired by the Baders’ love - of the arts, of Queen’s, and of each other - and is named in Isabel’s honour. For a virtual tour, visit www.queensu.ca/theisabel/content/virtual-walkthrough.

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Harbourfront Centre, on Toronto’s waterfront, is an innovative not-for-profit cultural organization that creates events and activities of excellence that enliven, educate and entertain a diverse public.

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The Hannaford Street Silver Band is Canada’s award-winning professional brass band and resident company of Toronto’s St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. Its mission is to honour the traditions of this art form and place it in a contemporary context with a unique, Canadian point-of-view. We actively facilitate innovative creative projects and collaborate with the best of Canada’s diverse artists. 

Our 2019/20 season features brass repertoire gems, paired with new music played with the verve and virtuosity you expect from the Hannaford Band: “Nine Daies Wonder” on October 27 features violin virtuoso Mark Fewer with guest conductor James Gourlay; “Winter’s Song” is on Tuesday, December 10 at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church with the Bach Children’s Chorus; “Festival of Brass” on Sunday, February 9 features Gábor Tarkövi, principal trumpet of the Berlin Philharmonic, and our season concludes on Sunday April 26 with “Murdoch Ahoy!” - a unique collaborative film and music presentation.

The HSSB demonstrates its commitment to youth, outreach and education by running the Hannaford Youth Program. This vibrant program is a fantastic opportunity for brass and percussion players ages 7 to 24 to participate in three remarkable youth bands.