Volume 17 Issue 7 - April 2012

who just keeps getting better and better. Her main appearance is aspart of the Kabaret at Koerner series April 15 with Jordan Klapman(piano), George Koller (bass) and Daniel Barnes (drums). Her otherappearance will be two days earlier April 13 at a fundraiser for theCanadian Children’s Opera Company (see our “ETCeteras” on page60) where Braun and Klapman will share the billing with vocalistSophia Perlman and pianist Adrean Farrugia (to whose indisputablecollective talents our editorial rules on nepotism forbid me tosing praise).And speaking of solo vocal turns at galas and benefits: April 11the luminous Adrianne Pieczonka, with Stephen Ralls on piano,headlines a VIVA! Youth Singers gala evening at St. LawrenceHall; and May 6 Shannon Mercer, soprano, Krisztina Szabó, mezzo,Keith Klassen, tenor, and Roderick Williams, baritone, frontline PaxChristi’s 25th Anniversary Gala Concert presentation of Elgar’s TheKingdom at Koerner Hall. Stephanie Martin conducts.All this, and I have not even scratched the surface of the art songrecital treasury that waits to be discovered in the month’s listings.Those quick off the mark will not want to miss MooredaleConcerts’ April 1 Walter Hall presentation of Stéphane Lemelin,piano, and Donna Brown, soprano, performing works by Debussy,Fauré, Schubert, Mahler and Wolf. Ottawa-born Brown, betterknown on the concert stages of Europe than in her own home, is anall-too-infrequent visitor.And those wanting to be quick off the mark in spotting anup-and-comer should circle soprano Layla Claire’s May 3 GlennGould Studio appearance in the Massey/ RTH Art of Song series,performing works by Britten, Canteloube, Strauss and Golijov, withStephen Philcox on the piano. Claire will make a splash, I predict,in early 2013, performing Mozart with the TSO, so grab somecareer-spotting bragging rights while the getting’s good.It’s a good month too for Toronto’s longest established practitionersof salon-style concertizing, Aldeburgh Connection and OffCentre Music.April 29, at Walter Hall, Aldeburgh Connection presents the finalconcert of this, their 30th anniversary concert season. It’s titled “ACountry House Weekend: an English idyll,” and features sopranoLucia Cesaroni, mezzo Krisztina Szabó and baritone Peter Barrett,with Stephen Ralls and Bruce Ubukata at the piano.And May 6 Inna Purkis’ and Boris Zarankin’s long-runningOff Centre Music Salon makes its usual Sunday afternoon GlennGould Studio touch-down with a salon titled “Spanish Balladewith a Russian Interlude.” Soprano Joni Henson, baritone PeterMcGillivray and mezzo Leigh-Anne Martin do the vocal honours.Aaron Jensen had it right. “Vocal renaissance” is indeed a goodway to describe the current state of things.David Perlman can be reached at publisher@thewholenote.com20 thewholenote.com April 1 – May 7, 2012