Canadian National Brass Project
It’s not every day that professional all-brass ensembles are formed -- and it’s certainly not often that those ensembles kick off their inaugural season with an illustrious ensemble-in-residence position and a province-wide tour. But there is a new band in town, and from the look of the performers on its roster, this group’s music-making will be sure to live up to its reputation.
The Canadian National Brass Project is a self-described “consortium of Canadian orchestral brass players,” under the fearless leadership of horn player James Sommerville. Comprising title chair players from 12 orchestras across North America, the ensemble begins its first summer season with a whirlwind Ontario tour that includes appearances at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival (July 22), the Toronto Summer Music Festival (July 23) and the Festival of the Sound (July 26). The group has also been named a professional ensemble-in-residence with the NYOC, a position which will culminate in a free public performance during the orchestra’s rehearsal season at Laurier University and a joint concert with the NYOC brass section (July 24).
For more details on the new ensemble, including the dates on their upcoming tour, visit their Facebook page, at www.facebook.com/canadiannationalbrassproject.
Curating a New World: Toronto Summer Music Festival’s Douglas McNabney
In our latest Conversation @ The WholeNote, publisher David Perlman sits down with TSMF artistic director Douglas McNabney to talk about what goes into putting together a musically memorable summer festival series.
JUST IN: CORRECTED AND NEW LISTINGS
FEATURED LISTING: A CHAIR IN LOVE
Stories about love and jealousy are an operatic staple, but in this case, it’s a man who makes his dog jealous by falling in love -- with a chair. Opera by Request performs a semi-staged production of this 2005 absurdist opera by John Metcalf, titled A Chair in Love, on July 17 at Array Space on Walnut Ave. Details on the show can be found below in our listings, or at http://operabyrequest.ca/wordpress/?p=323.
Other new/corrected July concert listings added online since our summer print issue are as follows:
Jul 08 7:00: St. Bartholomew's Anglican Church. Trinity Chamber Orchestra, UK. Beethoven: Symphony No. 1; works by Vaughan Williams, Elgar and Vivaldi. Trinity Chamber Orchestra, UK. 509 Dundas St. E. 647-208-1645. PWYC. $20 donation suggested. Fundraising concert on behalf of St. Bartholomew's Church.
Jul 09 7:00: Metropolitan United Church. Summer Carillon Recital Series. Amy Johansen, carillon; Robert Ampt, organ. Metropolitan United Church (Toronto), 56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331. Free.
Jul 10 1:10: Gordon Murray Presents. Piano Potpourri. Featuring classics, opera, operetta, musicals, ragtime, pop, international and other genres. Gordon Murray, piano. Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church. 416-631-4300. PWYC. Lunch and snack friendly.
Jul 16 7:00: Metropolitan United Church. Summer Carillon Recital Series. Koen and Florian Cosaert, carillon. Metropolitan United Church (Toronto), 56 Queen St. E.416-363-0331. Free.
Jul 17 1:10: Gordon Murray Presents. Piano Potpourri. Featuring classics, opera, operetta, musicals, ragtime, pop, international and other genres. Gordon Murray, piano. Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-631-4300. PWYC. Lunch and snack friendly.
Jul 17 7:30: Opera by Request. Tremblay: A Chair in Love. Abigail Freeman, soprano(A Chair); Michael Robert-Broder, baritone(Truman); Kim Sartor, mezzo-soprano(Doctor); Gregory Finney, bass-baritone(Dog); William Shookhoff, piano. Array Space, 155 Walnut Ave. 416-455-2365. $20.
Jul 18 7:00: Sistema Toronto. Great Big Music Week Concert. Great Big Music Orchestra; Members of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra; with special guests. Metropolitan United Church (Toronto), 56 Queen St. E. 416-545-0200. $25 suggested.
Jul 24 1:10: Gordon Murray Presents. Piano Potpourri. Featuring classics, opera, operetta, musicals, ragtime, pop, international and other genres. Gordon Murray, piano. Trinity St. Paul’s United Church, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-631-4300. PWYC. Lunch and snack friendly.
Jul 24 7:30: Alessandra Paonessa. Songs from the Screen. Classical crossover arrangements from film and theater. Includes songs from Disney, The Godfather, Tangled, Lord Of The Rings and more. Alessandra Paonessa, soprano; Daevyd Pepper, tenor; Joshua Tamayo, piano; Samuel Bisson, cello; Sharon Lee, violin. Columbus Centre, 901 Lawrence Ave. W. 647-505-2537. $20.
Jul 25 1:00: Jazz Performance Education Centre. Gary Morgan's PanAmericana. Afro-Cuban, Brazilian big band. Distillery Historic District, 55 Mill St. 416-505-5934. Free.
Jul 25 8:00: Nonie Thompson. Nonie Thompson in Concert. Blues, Irish balladry, Cajun and French-Canadian music. Nonie Thompson, vocals, guitar, harmonica; Eugene Rea, guitar, vocals, mandolin, and whistles; Tom Leighton, accordion, vocals. The Registry Theatre, 122 Frederick St., Kitchener. 519-820-6805. $20.
Jul 25 8:10: Gordon Murray Presents. Piano Soirée. Works arranged by G. Murray including: Chopin: Nocturne in E-flat, Op.9 No.2; Kálmán: Dream Once Again (from The Gypsy Princess); Grieg: I Love Thee; Sarasate: Gypsy Airs - Allegro molto vivace. Gordon Murray, piano. Trinity St. Paul's Centre, Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-631-4300. $15; $10(st).
Jul 25 9:00: Hillside Festival. DakhaBrakha. Guelph Lake Conservation Area, 7743 Conservation Rd., Guelph. 519-763-6396. $83(day pass). Main Stage.
Jul 26 4:30: Harbourfront Centre. FLAUNT Meets DakhaBrakha. DakhaBrakha. 235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000. Free. WestJet Stage.
Jul 31 1:10: Gordon Murray Presents. Piano Potpourri. Featuring classics, opera, operetta, musicals, ragtime, pop, international and other genres. Gordon Murray, piano. Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-631-4300. PWYC. Lunch and snack friendly.
Aug 07 1:10: Gordon Murray Presents. Piano Potpourri. Featuring classics, opera, operetta, musicals, ragtime, pop, international and other genres. Gordon Murray, piano. Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-631-4300. PWYC. Lunch and snack friendly.
ET CETERAS
Auditions
Guelph Youth Singers. Children and youth who love to sing, and who are between the ages of six and eighteen, are invited to audition for entry in 2015 to one of GYS’s award-winning choirs (I, II, III and SATB). For more information and to book an audition: 519-821-8574 or admin@guelphyouthsingers.com www.guelphyouthsingers.com
Competitions
Uxbridge Celebration of the Arts. Youth Music Competition. For singles, groups and bands, vocalists of all musical genres. Open to all youth ages 14 - 20 yrs. "Finale" at the Uxbridge Music Hall during Uxbridge Celebration of the Arts Sep 19. For more information: 905-649-0407. Registration deadline: July 31, 2015.
Festivities
Every Friday in July, 8:00: Virgin Mobile. Indie Fridays. July 10: fiddle meets R&B in Swing where urban rhythms and folklore intertwine, followed by Francophone trad/rock band, Hey Wow with hints of punk, disco, funk, country, and Cajun; July 17: Columbian/Francophone band, La Chiva Gantiva blend Afro-Colombian rhythms with rock, afrobeat and funk, followed by Francophone/Spanish native of Sudbury, Patricia Cano; July 24: Quebec singer-songwriter Kevin Parent, followed by Trad/folk artist, Stef Paquette known for his significant and intelligent lyrics delivered with passion; July 31: 22-year-old MC/producer, Tre Mission, known as the architect of a top to bottom unique sound and aesthetic patching together pieces of hip hop, grime, reggae, dancehall, bass, dubstep, jungle, and house. Yonge-Dundas Square. YDSquare.ca Free.
Screenings
July 07 6:55: Virgin Mobile. Live at Massey Hall. Filmed concert of Canadian indie rock band Rural Alberta Advantage. Followed at 7:30 by film Be Kind Rewind (2008) with Mos Def, Jack Black, Danny Glover, and Mia Farrow. Following Be Kind Rewind will be Dave Chappelle’s Block Party (2005) with Dave Chappelle, Erykah Badu and Common in a mix of sketch comedy and musical interludes. Yonge-Dundas Square. YDSquare.ca Free.
July 28 7:55: Virgin Mobile. Live at Massey Hall. Filmed concert of Canadian folk singer/songwriter Basia Bulat. Followed at 8:30 by film Dreamgirls (2006) with Beyoncé Knowles, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover, and Jennifer Hudson. Film brings to life the story of a trio of black female soul singers crossing over to the pop charts in the early 1960s. Yonge-Dundas Square. YDSquare.ca Free.
Spoken Word, Performance Art
July 13 to 18 and 20 to 24, 7:40: Necessary Angel/bluemouth inc. It Comes in Waves. A unique hybrid of dance, song, theatre, and installation exploring the ageless question of how we confront our own mortality (and that of our loved ones). Features an ensemble cast comprised of Dan Wild, bluemouth inc. artistic directors Ciara Adams, Stephen O’Connell, and Lucy Simic, and Richard Windeyer who plays several instruments alongside Gabi Charron Merritt. Audiences meet at Harbourfront Canoe and Kayak, 283 Queens Quay W. necessaryangel.com $35-$47; $30 for arts/st/sr; $30 previews, available at eventbrite.ca.
Workshops
July 13 to July 17: Contact Contemporary Music. Music From Scratch. Week-long workshop for youth between the ages of 18 and 25 to create music with Contact and visiting composer Christien Ledroit. Schedule: Tuesday-Friday 11:00am-1:00: Open rehearsals with Contact (optional for participants); Monday-Friday 2:00-5:00: daily meetings in a collaborative workshop setting; Friday 5:30: Concert Performance. Canadian Music Centre, 20 St. Joseph St. For more info and to register: 416-961-6601 x207; mfava@musiccentre.ca.
NEW ON OUR WEBSITE
Ever wanted to immediately hear exactly what our CD reviewers are talking about? The WholeNote is in the process of launching a brand-new online Listening Room, where you can take advantage of enhanced reviews with added features, including the option to listen to sample tracks from reviewed discs.
→ continue to the Listening Room
THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING
Even though the next print issue of our magazine will arrive on the stands in September, HalfTones will keep you informed throughout the summer! Here is the next issue of HalfTones coming up:
Vol 2 No 12: Tuesday August 11
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