Volume 12 - Issue 9 - June 2007

World Viewby Karen AgesSummer is here, which means thewinding down of the regular concertseason and the beginning ofthe summer festivals season. Whilemost of the latter tend to be out ofthe city, a brand new festival,LuminaTO, will be underway inToronto as you read this. Butfirst. ...In the listings: There are threeconcerts on Jewish themes thismonth. June 3, the Toronto JewishFolk Choir holds its 81st (!)spring concert at the Leah PoslunsTheatre. The concert pays tributeto the late Milton Barnes with asuite of excerpts from his work.Also featured is the Canadian premierof a work by VladimirHeifetz, Di Lererin Mire: GhettoCantata, about a schoolteacher inthe Vilnius ghetto, as well as Yiddishsongs. Featured performersare vocalist Dave Wall and pianistMarilyn Lerner, sopranos MiriamEskin and Belva Spiel, and others.June 5, in preparation for theirEuropean tour, Jewish music/jazzfusion duo Lenka Lichtenberg(Sisters of Sheynville) and BrianKatz (both on vocals, guitar andpiano) perform numbers from theirCD Pashtes, at the Free TimesCafe. And June 13, Musica BethTikvah (Beth Tikvah Synagogue)presents Israel Then and Now - AMusical Celebration. This multimediaconcert and retrospective of60 years of Israeli music will featuredigital projections of Israel,English translations of the songs,exploring the history of the country,demographic and culturalchanges, where tradition meets modernityand east meets west. CantorsTibor Kovari, Gideon Zelermeyer,and the Kachol VelavanBand will be under the musical directionof Beth Tikvah' s musicaldirector Eyal Bitton.In celebration of Small WorldMusic's 10th anniversary season,Arabic/Greek/world music hybridMaza Meze perform at the LulaLounge on June 10. The band,formed over ten years ago, has 4CDs and a Juno nomination to theircredit. Vocalists Jayne Brown,Sophia Grigoriadis and JenniferMoore, multi instrumentalists ErnieTollar, John Gzowski and percussionistsDebashis Sinha and JeffWilson will be joined by specialguests Kathleen Kajioka (violin),Rich Brown (bass) and Roula Said(Middle Eastern dancer). They' llbe performing old tunes as well asnew songs not yet heard by Torontoaudiences.Two shows this month featuremusic of the British Isles. June 15,the Hummingbird Centre presentsCeltic Woman featuring Irishstandards and classical/contemporaryfavourites, performed by a 19-member group including four sopranosand a fiddler.The next day (two shows), June16th, Scotland the Brave makesits North American debut at RoyThomson Hall, with a show thenext evening at Hamilton PlaceTheatre. This is a celebration oftraditional Scottish music, song anddance, and district or clan tartans!The 48th Highlanders of CanadaPipes and Drums will be featuredalong with the Scottish Dance Companyof Canada, full orchestra,choir, baritone David Rogers, andAustralian soloists, soprano MirusiaLouwerse, tenor Greg Moore,fiddler Marcus Holden, and piperAndrew Fuller, under the directionof Sean O'Boyle. Wear your kilt!There will be two opportunitiesthis month to hear Jeng Yi, theToronto based Korean drum ensemble.They'll be at the COC's RichardBradshaw Amphitheatre onJune 26, and at Harbourfront'sMusic Garden on June 28. In additionto percussion, they'll featurethe 12-string kayagum (zither) andtheir ribbon hat dance. Also at theMusic Garden, on July 5, ArunaNarayan performs classical NorthIndian ragas on the 40-stringsarangi, with tabla and tanpura accompaniment.Still on the theme ofIndian music, the Music Mondaysconcert series at Holy TrinityChurch presents RagaMelodix,modern Hindustani classical musicJune 18, and the Raag-Mala MusicSociety presents Ustad RashidKhan, vocals, and ThanathevyMithradeva, violin, June 24 at theMedical Sciences Auditorium, U ofT.June 28 at Roy Thomson Hall,the "barefoot diva from Cape Verde"Cesaria Evora performs with guestjazz vocalist Sophie Milman.Harbourfront Centre/MusicAfrica present World Routes 2007.Eritrean krar player Daniel Nebiatopens for Seun Kuti & Egypt 80(June 29), and Malian kora masterToumani Diabate performs July 5.Don't forget to have a look atour Summer Music Festivals list-ings, separate from the daily listings.Some of these include worldmusic concerts. The annualMuhtadi International DrummingFestival takes place atQueen's Park, June 2-3 (www.muhtadidrumfest.com), and theannual Afrofest celebration ofAfrican music and culture takesplace July 7-8, also at Queen's Park(www.musicafrica.org). Sunfest07: A Celebration of WorldCultures takes place at VictoriaPark in London, July 5-8(www.sunfest.on.ca).Toronto's first LuminaTO Festivalof Arts and Creativity runsJune 1-10 at various venues in thecity. The festival showcases a varietyof Music, Dance, Film, Literature,Theatre and Visual Art/Design. Full details can be foundat www.luminato.com. The musicalofferings include a series of concertscalled "Masters of WorldMusic" (all free), running June 4to 8 (see our listings or their website).Other musical highlights ofinterest to readers of this columnare: Canada's premiere cabaret artistPatricia O'Callaghan performsa concert of Spanish, Portugueseand Italian songs, June 3 and 10at the Young Centre for PerformingArts, Distillery; Venezuelanborn singer Eliana Cuevas performsLatin American popularstyles with her quartet, June 6, atScotland the Brave!Ge~o;the Young Centre; Constantinople,a multi-media work by Canadiancomposer Christos Hatzis,with the Gryphon Trio and singersPatricia O'Callaghan andMaryem To liar, explores culturaldiversity and spirituality through ameeting of east and west, ancientand contemporary, June 7-9 at theBluma Appel Theatre; and, co-presentedby MusicaNoir, The Passionof Winnie (June 8,9, IsabelBader Theatre), is a multi-mediawork with choir, orchestra andsoloists, exploring the life of WinnieMandela, with music by South­African born composer BonganiNdodana-Breen, and images byfilmmaker Warren Wilensky.Please see the LuminaTO websitefor other events.Before signing off, one smallmention: The Canadian FolkMusic Awards committee announcesa call for submissions forits 2007 awards, to be presentedDecember 1st. The deadline is July15 2007; there are 2 world musiccategories, and guidelines etc. areavailable at www .canadianfolkmusicawards.ca.Karen Ages is a freelance oboistwho has also been a member ofseveral world music ensembles.She can be reached atworldmusic@thewholenote.com.& Co. LimitedCONSERVATO RS & PURVEYORSOF Fine & Rare Violins201 Churrh St.. Toronto. ON. MSB IY7 E m a il: ghcl@idircct.comTel' 416-363-0093 • Fa" 4 16-363-Cl05lwww.georgeheinl.comCanada•s foremost violin experts.Proud of our herilage. Excited about the fu!ure.20 WWW.THEWHOLENOTE.COM JUNE 1 - ) ULY 7 2007