August 16, 2026

Comings & Goings | MERVON MEHTA: Farewell notes June 4, 2026

by David Perlman

The Royal Conservatory’s early June unveiling, in Koerner Hall, of its upcoming concert season has become something of an event over the 17 years since Mervon Mehta agreed to take on curatorial responsibility, in 2008, for the RCM’s programming of…
August 16, 2026

Stories That Don't Die | Lara St. John’s Dear Lara: Building momentum towards accountability

by Wendalyn Bartley

Over two years ago, I interviewed violinist Lara St. John for the Dec 2023/Jan 2024 issue of The WholeNote. We spoke not only about her upcoming performance at the Royal Conservatory’s 21C festival, but also about her experiences of being…
August 15, 2026

A worthwhile thesis, Facebook style

by David Perlman

Here, almost verbatim, is a Facebook post (not by me) from 2021 I stumbled across while researching this issue’s cover story. I have saved space by combining bunches of single sentence paragraphs. But I have kept the ANNOYING CAPITALIZATION because…
August 15, 2026

When Music Meets Mindfulness: Suba Sankaran, connecting the cultural dots

by Vania Lisbeth Chan

The need for connection is constant and ever present in life, and artists are particularly sensitive to that need, which is why I started “When Music Meets Mindfulness” – to have conversations with fellow artists that encourage us to learn…
August 07, 2026

“Stories Don’t Die” – Creative countering of cancellation culture

by Lucas Hung

When decorated author Thomas King revealed last November that he, in fact, could not verify his claim to his Cherokee ancestry, the reaction was swift and negative. Notably, scheduled operatic stagings of his novel Indians on Vacation in Edmonton (Edmonton…
August 07, 2026

Well worth exploring, indoors and out

by Wendelyn Bartley

For this summer stroll, I’ll take you on a reader’s tour of musical events that seem well worth exploring, starting outdoors in Toronto, cycling through several festivals, and returning to Toronto for the Labour Day weekend.  Summer Music in the…
August 07, 2026

Summer’s bounty

by Jennifer Parr

A burgeoning spring of non-stop creation and reinvention is leading into what looks like being an equally flourishing summer season across Ontario. New creation will be continuing at the Toronto Fringe Festival with the Alliance for Canadian Musicals taking over…
August 07, 2026

Stories that don’t die (2) | Fuelling musical empowerment: Contxt by Trane & Davie Studio

by Gloria Blizzard

Editor’s note: Gloria Blizzard’s  story” Black History at the Pilot Tavern” this past March/April looked back at a Black History Month weekly series at the Pilot Tavern – the brainchild of Trevor Bazilio, a long-time attendee at the venue, who…
August 07, 2026

In Conversation | William Fedkenheuer: Second fiddle? Yes indeed!

by David Perlman

“Fiddling gave me freedom and instinct; classical playing gave me depth and language. Together they have shaped a wide emotional landscape that feels like home.” It’s hard to know where to start in attempting to turn into a coherent story…
June 08, 2026

AFROBEATS PLUS Kokoroko is coming to town

by Gloria Blizzard

In the May/June WholeNote, see page 20, I wrote about the eight-piece band Kokoroko, a revolutionary group of young Black musicians from the United Kingdom, coming to the Toronto Jazz Festival for a June 25 appearance at the Phoenix Concert…
May 13, 2026

Lamentations - War and the music of Anna Pidgorna

by Wendalyn Bartley

May 9 is Soundstreams’ final concert of their season, titled In Terra Pax (Peace on Earth) – described as a powerful and timely reflection on war, loss and resilience, curated by Vancouver-based Ukrainian-Canadian composer, vocalist and multi-media artist, Anna Pidgorna (winner…
May 13, 2026

WHEN MUSIC MEETS MINDFULNESS: LYNN HELDING, VOCOLOGIST

by Vania Lizbeth Chan

I was in search of answers to all things related to singing – for my own personal vocal technique, my dissertation thesis, vocal pedagogy, career advice, etc. – when I came across Lynn Helding while poring over articles in the…
08 Mar 2026 - David Perlman
Editorial and Op-Ed
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26 Jan 2026 - David Olds
Remembering
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31 Mar 2024 - David Perlman
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06 Feb 2024 - David Perlman
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20 Mar 2021 - David Perlman
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09 Feb 2021 - David Perlman
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