Blue Pages 2020

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Etobicoke Centennial Choir (ECC) is a welcoming, inclusive SATB community choir. We strive to enrich the lives of our choristers and audience members through inspired performances of diverse choral repertoire, ranging from classical masterpieces to contemporary compositions and popular music.

ECC offers amateur singers a challenging but supportive choral music experience, facilitated by a professional music director, accompanist and section leads.

As a result of public health guidelines and restrictions related to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020/21 season will be like no other in ECC’s 54-year history. We will be offering virtual rehearsals on Tuesday evenings at 7:30pm, working on choral repertoire and vocal training. New singers are most welcome to join us in this new venture. If conditions permit, we may perform a live concert in late spring 2021. Please visit our website for further updates.

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“…chamber music at its evocative best!” – WholeNote 2020 review.

Pioneering piano chamber music sensation Ensemble Vivant performs innovative genre-diverse repertoire combined with passionate, deeply communicative playing that touches the hearts and souls of listeners of all ages.

Opening Day recording artists with 14 internationally-acclaimed CDs.

• “…highest-level chamber music-making. No matter the genre, there is magic in Ensemble Vivant's music-making.” - Jazz legend Rick Wilkins, C.M. 
  “…beautiful, poised performances...capture the passion and verve…Wilson’s piano gives this music unerring drive and plenty of sparkle.” - Toronto Star

Core Quintet: Catherine Wilson, piano/artistic director; Corey Gemmell, violin; Norman Hathaway, viola; Tom Mueller, cello; George Koller, bass. Regular collaborators: Kevin Turcotte, trumpet; Mike Murley, sax; Nick Fraser, drums; and others. EV is known for bringing evidence-based live performance programs to children (endorsed by the scientific community) and conducted through the not-for-profit registered charity Euterpe: Music For Health Canada (www.musicforhealthcanada.org). Euterpe received a three-year Ontario Trillium Foundation Grant in 2020.

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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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In response to COVID-19, the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra will proudly and safely present our 41st season online. The SPO has always been dedicated to enriching the musical life of the greater Scarborough area by presenting engaging, high-quality musical performances. We are proud and grateful to continue to do so.

For 2020/21, the SPO will present two online series based on interesting themes. All-new “SPOGreatMusic” podcast episodes will be available on major platforms every other Friday, beginning September 18, and new Music Performance videos will be posted every other Friday to our YouTube channel, beginning on October 9. Both series run through April 2021.

Music Performance videos will feature SPO musicians, the Odin String Quartet, guest artists, and our artist-in-residence, Dr. Lisa Tahara. We will also post animated short films created by fourth year Sheridan College students with new music by composers from our SPO family. Podcasts will feature amazing interviews with musicians, composers, historians, musicologists, special guests, sector representatives, community partners (including the Stratford Symphony Orchestra, Scarborough Arts, and FabCollab Toronto), and more. Our composer-in-residence and podcast host is Dr. Daniel Mehdizadeh.

For more information, theme details, music performance selections, and links, please visit our website and social media platforms regularly. #SPOGreatMusic.