Volume 21 Issue 6 - March 2016

PRICELESS! 

Vol 21 No 6 

MARCH 1 – APRIL 7, 2016 

LISTINGS | FEATURES | RECORD REVIEWS 

Genius in a Bottle 

Scottish Opera’s 

The Devil Inside 

Ben McAteer

UPCOMING CONCERTS 

BENJAMIN ALARD 

SOLO HARPSICHORD 

BACH 

GOLDBERG 

VARIATIONS 

ZELENKA 

AND BACH 

IVARS TAURINS 

DIRECTOR 

DOROTHEE MIELDS 

SOPRANO 

Apr 28 – May 1 

TRINITY-ST. PAUL’S CENTRE, JEANNE LAMON HALL (TSP) 

GRÉGOIRE JEAY JEANNE LAMON CHRISTINA MAHLER 

FLUTE VIOLIN CELLO 

Mar 31-Apr 3 

TRINITY-ST. PAUL’S CENTRE, JEANNE LAMON HALL (TSP) 

Apr 5 TORONTO CENTRE FOR THE ARTS (TCA) 

Bach’s famous Goldberg Variations are a showpiece 

for the artistry and virtuosity of keyboard players. 

Taking up the challenge is the brilliant young French 

harpsichordist Benjamin Alard in his Tafelmusik debut. 

The concerts also include Bach’s masterful Trio sonata 

from The Musical Offering, with Grégoire Jeay (flute), 

Jeanne Lamon (violin) and Christina Mahler (cello). 

TAFELMUSIK BAROQUE ORCHESTRA AND CHAMBER CHOIR 

WITH WINNERS OF THE TAFELMUSIK VOCAL COMPETITION 

Czech composer Jan Dismas Zelenka’s exuberant 

and uplifting Missa Omnium Sanctorum is perfectly 

suited for the intimate setting of Trinity-St. Paul’s, 

especially when paired with Bach’s Wedding Cantata, 

as sung by the luminous German soprano Dorothee 

Mields. The remaining solo roles in the Zelenka 

mass will be sung by the winners of the inaugural 

Tafelmusik Vocal Competition: Kim Leeds, 

mezzo-soprano, Jacques-Olivier Chartier, 

tenor, and Jonathan Woody, bass-baritone. 

SEASON PRESENTING SPONSOR 

PERFORMANCE SPONSOR 

TCA CONCERT 

SUPPORTED BY 

Margaret 

and Jim Fleck 

TSP: 416.964.6337 

TCA: 1.855.985.2787 

tafelmusik.org

KOERNER HALL IS: 

“ A beautiful space for music 

“ 

THE GLOBE AND MAIL 

Songmasters: 

Le travail 

du peintre 

SUNDAY, MARCH 6, 2PM 

MAZZOLENI CONCERT HALL 

An exciting concert based on 

works inspired by paintings 

and painters. Mireille Asselin 

(soprano), Brett Polegato 

(baritone), and pianists Peter 

Tiefenbach and Rachel Andrist 

perform works by Poulenc, 

Debussy, Fauré, Wolf, Heggie, 

and others. 

Augustin Dumay & Louis Lortie 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 8PM KOERNER HALL 

“Both musicians explore the elegance and poetry in this music 

without flash or dazzle. These performances are passionate 

and intense as well as supple and refined.” (CBC Music) 

Program includes works by Beethoven, Strauss, and Franck. 

Rebanks Family 

Fellowship Concert 

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 7:30PM 


Hear artists on the cusp of major careers. 

This concert features solo and chamber 

works performed by Rebanks Fellows 

currently enrolled in the one-year Rebanks 

Family Fellowship and International 

Performance Residency Program. 

Generously supported by 

the Rebanks Family and 

The W. Garfield Weston Foundation 

Cameron Carpenter 

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 8PM 

KOERNER HALL 

“Extravagantly talented... everything 

he touches turns fantastical and 

memorable.” (The New York Times) 

Cameron Carpenter returns to 

Koerner Hall, this time with his 

fabulous new custom-designed 

organ! “Alternatingly dazzling 

and subtle, and always fired by 

a profound musical intelligence.” 

(The Wall Street Journal) 

Taylor Academy 

Showcase Concert 

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 4:30PM 


FREE (TICKET REQUIRED) 

The Phil and Eli Taylor 

Performance Academy for 

Young Artists presents a 

concert by the leading young 

classical musicians in Canada. 

Hear the stars of tomorrow! 

Orlando Consort: 

La passion de Jeanne d’Arc 

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 3PM KOERNER HALL 

Hear a live vocal soundtrack to an iconic film: Carl-Theodor Dreyer’s 

acclaimed masterpiece, La passion de Jeanne d’Arc (1928), with the 

Orlando Consort singing live. An extraordinary experience for 

cinephiles and early music lovers alike! 

TICKETS START AT ONLY $25! 416.408.0208 www.performance.rcmusic.ca 

273 BLOOR STREET WEST 

(BLOOR ST. & AVENUE RD.) 

TORONTO

TURNTABLES + SYMPHONY 

Toronto’s cutting-edge contemporary music festival 

March 5–12, 2016 

Co-curated by Brett Dean and TSO Music Director Peter Oundjian 

with an explosive finale by Toronto’s own DJ Skratch Bastid. 

Fragile Absolute 

March 5, 8:00PM 

$30 

FESTIVAL PASS 

Two Memorials: 

Anton Webern & John Lennon 


Knocking at the Hellgate 


NewCreationsFestival.com 

PRESENTED BY

Volume 21 No 6 | March 2016 

FEATURES 

6. OPENER | Two Intersections and a Watershed | DAVID PERLMAN 

8. ON OPERA Genius In a Bottle | LYDIA PEROVIĆ 

60. WE ARE ALL MUSIC’S CHILDREN | Lucas Harris | MJ BUELL 

78. CBC RADIO TWO: The New Music Festival Phenomenon| DAVID JAEGER 

JANINA FIALKOWSKA 

BEAT BY BEAT 

11. Classical & Beyond | PAUL ENNIS 

14. In with the New | WENDALYN BARTLEY 

17. Choral Scene | BRIAN CHANG 

20. Early Music | DAVID PODGORSKI 

22. Art of Song | HANS DE GROOT 

24 World View | ANDREW TIMAR 

26. Jazz Stories | ORI DAGAN 

28. Bandstand | JACK MacQUARRIE 

49. Mainly Clubs, Mostly Jazz! | BOB BEN 

LISTINGS 

30. A | Concerts in the GTA 

43. B | Concerts Beyond the GTA 

46. C | Music Theatre 

48. D | In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz) 

51. E | The ETCeteras 

54-59. SPECIAL FEATURE: Summer Music Education 

ACD2 2699 

With this new ATMA recording, 

Janina Fialkowska immerses into 

Franz Schubert’s music with performances 

of his Four Impromptus, Op. 142, D.935 

and the Piano Sonata No. 7 in E flat major, 

Op. 122, D. 568. 

» Available from March 11, 2016 

To mark her 65th birthday, 

Janina Fialkowska will embark on a major 

concert tour that will bring her to more than 

15 Canadian cities. 

 

ACD2 2681 

DISCOVERIES: RECORDINGS REVIEWED 

62. Editor’s Corner | DAVID OLDS 

63. Strings Attached | TERRY ROBBINS 

65. Keyed In | ALEX BARAN 

67. Vocal 

69. Classical & Beyond 

70. Modern & Contemporary 

72 Jazz & Improvised 

74. Pot Pourri 

76. Something in the Air | KEN WAXMAN 

77. Old Wine, New Bottles | BRUCE SURTEES 

MORE 

6. Contact Information & Deadlines 

7. Index of Advertisers 

48. Classified Ads 

ACD2 2682 

“…her thoughtful virtuosity and Schubert’s 

poetic spirit merge as one”. — CLASSICS TODAY 

Félix Award 

2015 

AVAILABLE IN HD AT 

ATMACLASSIQUE.COM 

MP3 

STUDIO 

QUALITY 

ACD2 2666 

CD 

QUALITY 

Cover Photograph Bill Cooper

FOR OPENERS | DAVID PERLMAN 

Two Intersections and a Watershed 

Intersection 1: Esprit and the Iselers. 

There’s a slight pause at the other end of the 

line and then, “Put it this way, I could not 

have written this earlier,” he says. The speaker 

is composer Alex Pauk, founding artistic 

director and conductor of the Esprit Orchestra. 

The “this” he is referring to is his Soul and 

Psyche, a 30-minute, five-movement “devotional” 

work for choir and orchestra that will 

be performed March 31 at Koerner Hall, by 

the combined forces of Esprit and the Elmer 

Iseler Singers, under Pauk’s baton. It will be 

the final work in the final concert of Esprit’s 

33rd season. For the Iselers, in this, their 37th 

year, there are two concerts to go after this. 

But this is one that they are approaching with 

a particular gusto. “We do all kinds of music,” 

Iseler conductor Lydia Adams says. “But this 

choir absolutely relishes the opportunity to take 

on a new work. They are completely dedicated 

to their craft, absolutely open to whatever a 

new work brings.” 

And new this work certainly will be! With a 

month to go, the proverbial ink is not yet dry on the fifth movement, 

and Pauk confesses on the phone to tinkering with the text of the 

first movement, which is based on “Taoist writings on the life force of 

the universe,” sneaking in a topical reference to gravitational waves. 

Our Niki Goldschmidt cover, May 2002 

Pauk agrees with Adams’ assessment of the 

Iselers’ readiness, referencing their “full virtuosic 

capabilities” and comparing their spirited 

open-mindedness to that of his own orchestra. 

“Ready to give it the full go” is how he describes 

it; “always singing the music not the notes.” 

As to what to call the work, genre-wise, Pauk 

is understandably reluctant to be too categorical. 

At one point in the literature about the 

piece, it’s referred to as “contemporary mass in 

five movements.” At another, it’s referred to as 

“spiritual and uplifting in nature without being 

strictly religious,” a description borne out by 

the inclusion of texts ranging from Inuit poetry 

to ancient Chinese poetry, a fragment from 

Goethe’s Faust, a Balinese prayer for departing 

souls, Biblical passages and the composer’s 

own words. 

Had Pauk written the piece when the 

idea was first presented to him, he tells me, 

it would have been a mass by name and 

nature. “It was Niki Goldschmidt who suggested 

I write a mass,” he says “right after the very 

first Toronto International Choral Festival in 1989” (a festival that 

included repertoire as diverse as The Death of a Buddha by R. 

Murray Schafer, commissioned by the BBC for the BBC Singers, Songs 

of Creation by Srul Irving Glick, commissioned for the Toronto 

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Volume 21 No 7 covers 

April 1 - May 7, 2016 

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thewholenote.com 

6 | March 1, 2016 - April 7, 2016 thewholenote.com

Mendelssohn Choir, and a performance of Verdi’s Requiem at Roy 

Thomson Hall.) But it didn’t happen at that time, or at any time since 

(although Pauk and Jessie Iseler talked about it often enough over the 

years, he says, at the level of “we really should do that mass we keep 

talking about.”) 

Simply put, it was something that Pauk had to be ready to do. 

“Ready technically, ... musically, ... spiritually?” I ask. And then comes 

that pause on the line. “Put it this way,” he says. “I could not have 

written this earlier.” 

I am looking forward to this particular concert, not just for the 

premiere of Pauk’s piece, but for the pleasure of watching these two 

pioneering musical organizations intersect and interact. 

Intersection 2: Winter’s Summer 

This is the time in the year when thoughts of summer are either 

a scourge or a solace: scourge, if all they bring are pangs of longing 

for the unattainable; solace, if used as an opportunity to put plans in 

place for what to do during that other season that seems, amid the 

slush, unattainably far away. You will find our annual summer music 

education resource guide tucked away on pages 54 to 59. It is, as usual, 

an extraordinarily suggestive compilation of 32 summer music educational 

opportunity, for all ages and levels and ability. It makes no 

grand claims to comprehensiveness (although, as in previous years, 

it will likely continue to grow online at thewholenote.com/resources, 

as the summer draws nearer.) So seize the day! Take action now to 

make 2016 a musical summer worth spending the winter looking 

forward to. 

It’s a Watershed Moment – Ask LUDWIG! 

LUDWIG, for the uninitiated, is an acronym for Listings Utility 

Database for WholeNote Information Gathering. It was Colin Eatock, 

during his time here as Managing Editor/Listings Coordinator who 

coined the phrase to describe our painstaking multi-year project to 

reinvent the way we gather and repurpose the live musical listings that 

are the backbone of what we are and what we do. Much of the work 

that has gone into LUDWIG to this point has been invisible to readers, 

Ask LUDWIG 

revolving around the way we process listings, rather than how we 

supply them to you. Simply put, we used to word-process everything; 

now our listings gathering is based on data entry. It’s been a challenge 

and a big change; but over time, LUDWIG has made the task of listings 

generation a lot easier. 

But you have still had no easy way of hunting down the particular 

listings you’re interested in, short of searching through the listings day 

by day; no way easily to search the listings by keyword, by artist or 

presenter, by genre, by date or date range, by geographic zone ... . 

BIG NEWS is that very soon you will! In fact, you already can, if 

you are willing to help us! You can participate in public testing of Ask 

LUDWIG by going to thewholenote.com. Find the listings tab, then 

scroll down to Ask LUDWIG and click. 

Watershed moment? You tell us what, for you, would make it so. 

publisher@thewholenote.com 

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS 

Academy Concert Series 36 

Adam Sherkin 31, 43 

Aga Khan Museum 79 

Amadeus Choir 42 

Arcadia Academy of Music 52 

Arraymusic 42 

Art of Time Ensemble 25 

ArtsMedia Projects 53 

Associates of the TSO 14, 32 

ATMA Classique 5 

Aurora Cultural Centre 33, 40 

Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund 61 

Canadian Opera Company 46, 47, 80 

Cantemus Singers 36 

Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra 34 

Christ Church Deer Park Jazz Vespers 26 

Claude Watson Secondary Arts Program 59 

David Garrett/Terracotta Financial Group 33 

entertainmentOne 27 

Esprit Orchestra 16, 40 

Exultate Chamber Singers 40 

FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre 46 

Galen Weston 25 

Glionna Mansell Corporation 52 

Grace Church on-the-Hill 19 

High Notes Inc. 24 

Horizon Tax (Norm Pulker) 53 

Humbercrest United Church 38 

Jubilate Singers 31 

Kindred Spirits Orchestra 39 

Li Delun Music Foundation 13 

Listening Room/Decca 69 

Listening Room/Alma Records 67 

Listening Room/Analekta 63 

Listening Room/Bridge 69 

Listening Room/collectif9 63 

Listening Room/Deutsche Grammophon 63, 65 

Listening Room/ECM 67 

Listening Room/InSound Records 67 

Listening Room/Navona Records 69 

Listening Room/Naxos 65, 67 

Listening Room/Surkalen 69 

Long & McQuade 28 

MasterPerforming 53 

Mike Herriott 49 

Mississauga Festival Choir 41 

Mississauga Symphony 41 

Montreal Chamber Music Society 11, 33 

Mooredale Concerts 35 

Mozart Project, The 37 

Music at Metropolitan 39 

Music at Metropolitan / Noon at Met 31 

Music Toronto 9, 30, 33, 35, 43 

Musicians in Ordinary 36 

Nagata Shachu 41 

New Music Concerts 35, 42 

Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation 38 

North Toronto Players 31, 47 

Opera Atelier 21, 43 

Orpheus Choir 18 

Pasquale Bros. 51 

Remenyi House of Music 29 

Royal Canadian College of Organists 20 

Royal Conservatory 3, 10, 32, 35, 39 

Saluki Music 53 

Scarborough PhilharmonicOrchestra 40 

Shen Yun 78 

St. Philip's Jazz Vespers 27 

St. Thomas' Church 19 

Steinway Piano Gallery 13 

Syrinx Concerts 11, 32, 42 

Tafelmusik 2, 40 

Tapestry Opera 22 

Toronto Chamber Choir 34 

Toronto Concert Orchestra 23 

Toronto Consort 23, 34, 52 

Toronto Early Music Centre 34 

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir 38 

Toronto Symphony 4, 34, 40 

U of T Faculty of Music 10, 37 

Univox Choirs 19 

Voicebox: Opera in Concert 15, 47 

Women's Musical Club 43 

Yorkminster Park Baptist Church 17, 37 

Zephyr Piano Trio 42 

thewholenote.com March 1, 2016 - April 7, 2016 | 7

Beat by Beat | On Opera 

Genius in a Bottle 

Scottish Opera’s 

The Devil Inside 

LYDIA PEROVIĆ 

An unusual consensus is 

emerging in British media 

large and small, dailies 

and blogs, around the Scottish 

Opera and Music Theatre Wales 

co-produced opera The Devil 

Inside that premiered in January 

in Glasgow and that Tapestry 

Opera is bringing to Toronto this 

month thanks to the Scottish 

Government’s International 

Touring Fund. The Guardian and 

the Telegraph, The Scotsman 

and the Financial Times, Opera 

Britannia and the Boulezian 

Blog alike are heaping praise on 

the Stuart MacRae and Louise 

Welsh adaptation of a Faustian 

bargain story by R.L. Stevenson, 

The Bottle Imp, set in present 

day with a cast of four and a 

Michael Mori 

14-member band. Said bottle central to the plot will grant any wish 

to its owner, but if it remains in his possession at the time of death, 

his soul will spend eternity in hell. The bottle changes hands and 

makes many a wish true, but the fever of greed grows and, with it, 

complications. 

Michael Mori, artistic director of Tapestry Opera, has no doubt the 

work will resonate equally well with Toronto audiences. “The offer 

of making it rich, retiring at 30, living the high life without earning 

a cent–basically the temptations of the pseudo-American dream–are 

at the heart of this story, and a compelling examination of the fantasies 

we still hold dear today,” he explains. The adaptation is both loose 

and very faithful: the librettist Louise Welsh, one of Scotland’s greatest 

crime novelists, “has a great hand for animating characters that are 

both classic and clearly defined in the present,” he says. 

Mori, a self-avowed fan of short stories with a touch of the supernatural 

by the likes of Edgar Allan Poe, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov 

and R.L. Stevenson himself, first heard of The Bottle Imp while collaborating 

on an Edinburgh Fringe Festival pitch with Scottish Opera. 

“We were working with Scottish Opera to pitch what was to become 

The Devil Inside, along with our own M’dea Undone, as a double bill 

for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The arrangement fell through, but 

the Scottish Opera team of MacRae/Welsh continued working on it 

independently. In the meantime I read up on the story and really fell 

in love with its dark magic…a little bit of Faust, and a little bit of Poe. 

The plot is intensely driven by human dynamics, not only of love but 

also of the struggle against greed and temptation.” 

By all accounts, the director Matthew Richardson managed to 

create a visually rich production with fairly pared-down means. 

Michael Rafferty will conduct the 14 instrumentalists of the Scottish 

Opera Orchestra in the score by a composer Torontonians haven’t 

had a chance to hear before. Stuart MacRae works in the tradition 

of European modernism, so don’t expect the familiar, the well-travelled, 

the tonal or the melodic, but his music blends in with the 

drama and is genuinely operatic. Mori describes it as “energized and 

driven, managing to hold a shimmering tension while capturing vocal 

lyricism in each of his characters.” Nothing will stand out or distract: 

“During the show, you may not even think about the music. MacRae 

allows the listener to be completely lost in the story.” 

The Devil Inside will be Tapestry Opera’s first time presenting an 

international company. “I hope to do more of this at Tapestry, and also 

look forward to bringing our great Canadian artists to Scotland and 

the world. The boldness and the immediacy of chamber opera provide 

a powerful incentive to find and create more works of this size.” 

The Devil Inside plays at Harbourfront Centre Theatre 

March 10 and 13. 

Opera Atelier is bringing Mozart’s early work Lucio Silla home to 

Toronto (April 7-16, Elgin Theatre), after notable Salzburg and La Scala 

runs with one of the bestknown period orchestras in the world, Les 

Musiciens du Louvre, 

under one of today’s bestknown 

practitioners of 

HIP (historically informed 

performance), conductor 

Marc Minkowski. And 

with this, some good 

news: the company has 

secured a recurring 

engagement with the 

Royal Opera of Versailles, 

which will host an Opera 

Atelier production every 

second year. Marshall 

Pynkoski directs and 

Jeanette Lajeunesse-Zingg 

is in charge of choreography, 

with a new set and 

costumes by resident OA 

designer, Gerard Gauci. 

(The production seen in Salzburg and La Scala was designed by Antoine 

Fontaine, French designer of baroque opera with a series of notable 

credits like Ivan Alexandre’s recent Hyppolite et Aricie at the Paris 

Opera and Sofia Coppola’s Marie-Antoinette among many other films.) 

International collaborations of this kind can only be good for a 

company which is rather conservative in its instincts–faithful to its 

dance-focused “baroque gesture” aesthetics for 30 years now, whether 

it’s staging Lully or von Weber or anything in between, and faithful 

to a core group of returning artists (in Toronto, for example, the 

company’s performances with Tafelmusik are only ever conducted 

by David Fallis). Baroque operas are being staged around the world in 

all kinds of ways today, from those in modern clothes (Wieler’s and 

Morabito’s Alcina, for example) to spare and abstract (Pierre Audi’s 

Castor et Pollux, Robert Carsen’s Les Boréades) to fantastic reinvention 

(Laurent Pelly’s Platée, Jonathan Kent’s Hippolyte et Aricie) to, 

more rarely, those indeed in Antoine Fontaine-like stylized reconstruction 

aesthetics (Michel Fau, Ivan Alexandre). But Opera Atelier 

remains true to its 30-year-old blueprint. 

And continues to divide baroque lovers in Toronto: there are its 

core fans and donors who like what it does and come back for exactly 

the familiar, and then there are those who, like myself, are wishing 

it would be bolder and stray from where it’s most comfortable – 

beautiful costumes, muscular dancers, stock gestures. One of the 

most memorable operas I’ve seen was a Charpentier’s Médée at the 

Frankfurt Opera set in present day, in a wealthy businessman’s penthouse 

that hosts Medea’s refugee family. Charpentier and the period 

band under Andrea Marcon went along just fine with a very modern 

interpretation by the director David Hermann. Why can’t I see 

productions like this at home, I wondered then. And I still do. 

How much of the OA rulebook will be honoured in Lucio Silla, and 

whether the production will surprise us, remains to be seen in – there 

are a few clips from the La Scala performance on YouTube to whet 

the appetite. Krešimir Spicer (Lucio) and Inga Kalna (Cinna) of the 

original cast join Mireille Asselin (Celia), Peggy Kriha Dye (Cecillio) 

and Meghan Lindsay (Giunia). Trouser role lovers, rejoice: there are 

two in this production, Cecilio and Lucio Cinna. Tafelmusik Baroque 


Orchestra under 

David TORONTO 

Fallis will 

be in the pit. 

Trouser roles: 

collectif9 

Speaking of 

gender-bending 

trouser roles, 

there will be two 

more on offer in 

Handel’s Alcina, 

the Glenn Gould 

School Opera’s 

spring performance 

at Koerner 

Danika Lorèn 

Hall, March 16 and 

18. The romantic lead Ruggiero is a trouser role usually sung by a 

mezzo, and the small role of the boy Oberto often goes to a young 

light soprano. The opera also has one en travesti role in Bradamante, 

who is disguised as a man for most of the proceedings. Although 

March arguably 10 Handel’s at 8 pm best and most popular opera–okay, together with 

Giulio Cesare and a couple others–Alcina is all too rarely performed 

in Toronto. The long-time chorus master of Tafelmusik Choir, Ivars 

Taurins, will conduct the Royal Conservatory Orchestra on modern 

instruments, while as usual a selection of GGS students is cast in 

lead roles. Soprano Meghan Jamieson will be Alcina, while coloratura 

soprano Irina Medvedeva as her sister Morgana gets to sing what 

is probably TORONTO 

the best known aria of the opera, Tornami a vagheggiar. 

Bradamante and Ruggiero will be interpreted by the mezzos Lillian 

Brooks and Christina Campsall respectively. The semi-staged Alcina 

QUATUOR 

will be directed by Leon Major, the artistic director of The Maryland 

Opera EBÈNE Studio for the University of Maryland, College Park. 

Bunyan: Over at the Toronto’s other opera school, Sandra Horst 

will conduct the Britten-Auden operetta Paul Bunyan as part of 

the University of Toronto Faculty of Music Opera Series, March 10 

to 13 in the MacMillan Theatre. The cast is large and varies between 

performances, but some names will already be known to operagoing 

Torontonians: mezzos Megan Quick and Emily D’Angelo and 

soprano Danika Lorèn, for example, who have joined the Canadian 

Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio this year. The greater pleasure of 

attending student performances is of course discovering unknown 

talent, and the complete cast list can be found on the U of T Opera’s 

Paul Bunyan web page (uoftopera.ca/paul-bunyan). This fully staged 

production will be directed by Michael Patrick Albano and designed 

by Lisa Magill and Fred Perruzza. 

Quick Picks 

November March Megan 1710 Quick at at 8 can pm 8 pm 

also be heard in Mahler’s Das Lied von der 

Erde in the Schoenberg-Riehn arrangement for chamber orchestra 

on Mar 21 in Walter Hall, with the University of Toronto Faculty of 

Music Artist Ensemble, and Andrew Haji singing the tenor part. The 

mezzo will also sing Die Waldtaube from Schoenberg’s Gurre-Lieder, 

another TORONTO 

piece rarely performed in Toronto. 

Collectif Toronto is a new addition to the alternative operatic scene 

in the city, an ensemble formed by the singers Danika Lorèn, Whitney 

DUO TURGEON 

O’Hearn and Jennifer Krabbe. On Mar 20 at 7:30pm in Haliconian 

Hall, pianists 

the three singers and Tom King on piano will perform As a 

Stranger, a dramatized and adapted but complete Winterreise, 

Schubert’s sombre song cycle. Concept by Whitney O’Hearn, direction 

and videography by Danika Lorèn. 

Canadian Opera Company’s midday Vocal Series is getting interactive 

on Mar 15, in a concert of operatic arias and sing-along choruses 

featuring young artists of the COC Ensemble Studio and Kyra 

Millan, soprano and opera educator. Love the tenor voice? There’s a 

COC Vocal Series performance for that. In the “Four Tenors” concert 

on Mar 29 Jean-Philippe Fortier-Lazure, Aaron Sheppard, Andrew Haji 

and Charles Sy join forces in a program of tenor arias and ensembles. 

Soprano Teiya Kasahara will collaborate with the drumming 

ensemble Raging Asian Women Taiko Drummers and percussionist/ 

flutist Heidi Chan on a program titled “Crooked Lines: Stories in 

Between,” Mar 11 to 13. Kasahara is a 2010 COC Ensemble Studio 

April 5 at 8 pm 

collectif9 

Thursday, March 10 at 8 pm 

QUATUOR EBÈNE 

Thursday, 

March 17 at 8 pm 

DUO TURGEON, pianists 

Tuesday, 

April 5 at 8 pm 

www.music-toronto.com 

at 

 

Canadian 

Heritage 

Patrimoine 

canadien 

416-366-7723 1-800-708-6754 

order online at www.stlc.com 


TICKETS: 

music.utoronto.ca 

or 416-408-0208 

Benjamin Britten’s 

Paul Bunyan 

March 10 - 13 

MacMillan Theatre 

UofT Opera presents Britten’s 

delightful operetta. Featuring 

guests The MacMillan Singers. 

Faculty Artist Ensemble 

with Andrew Haji 

March 21 @ 7:30 pm 

Walter Hall 

Faculty chamber orchestra for works 

by Schoenberg with vocal soloists 

Andrew Haji and Megan Quick. 

And many more! 

Norma Winstoney 

March 17 @ 7:30 pm 

Walter Hall 

The iconic jazz vocalist performs 

with the University of Toronto 

Jazz Orchestra, 11 O’Clock Jazz 

Orchestra and Dave Liebman. 

Cecilia String Quartety 

April 4 @ 7:30 pm 

Walter Hall 

The powerful local quartet, the 

Faculty’s Ensemble in Residence, 

return for pieces by Agócs, 

Mendelssohn and Brahms. 

Lucia Cesaroni and Ernesto Ramirez: Isis and Osiris 

graduate whose career is expanding to Germany: in May of this year, 

she returns to Aalto-Musiktheater Essen to resume the role of Fata 

Morgana in Prokofiev’s Love of Three Oranges. 

And a new Canadian work to conclude with: Isis and Osiris: Gods 

of Egypt (music by Peter Anthony Togni, libretto by Sharon Singer) 

will premiere in concert at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. 

Soprano Lucia Cesaroni and tenor Ernesto Ramirez sing the title roles, 

with mezzo Julie Nesrallah as Nephtis and baritone Michael Nyby 

as Seth, Stuart Graham as The Grand Vizier, Christopher Wattam as 

Imhotep and Leigh-Ann Allen as Sennefer. The soloists, the chorus 

and the 11-piece orchestra will be conducted by Robert Cooper on 

Apr 1 and 3. 

Lydia Perović is an arts journalist in Toronto. Her 

new book of fiction–a novella All That Sang–is 

coming out in April with Véhicule Press. 

George Frideric 

Handel’s Alcina 

Ivars Taurins, conductor 

Leon Major, director 

The Glenn Gould School Opera 2016 

WedneSday, MarcH 16 

& FrIday, MarcH 18, 7:30pM 

KOerner HaLL 

The extraordinary artists of The Glenn 

Gould School vocal program and the 

royal conservatory Orchestra perform 

Alcina – a story of lust, love games, 

and betrayal – directed by Leon Major 

and conducted by Ivars Taurins. 

TICKETS START AT ONLY $25! 416.408.0208 www.performance.rcmusic.ca 

273 Bloor Street WeSt 

(Bloor St. & Avenue rd.) 

toronto 

237 Bloor Street WeSt 

(Bloor St. & Avenue rd.) toronto 


NIKOLAJ LUND 

Beat by Beat | Classical & Beyond 

Toast to the 

Danish 

PAUL ENNIS 

The youthful and 

adventurous Danish 

Ensemble Midtvest 

(EMV) makes its Canadian 

debut, March 13, as part 

of Mooredale Concerts’ 

current season. 

Mooredale’s artistic 

director, cellist Adrian 

Fung told me via email 

how he first met the group: 

“My Afiara Quartet tours 

Denmark every two years, 

each time playing over 

20 cities. It was on one of 

these trips that I met the 

EMV, which is managed 

by the same energetic 

gentleman (Oliver Quast) 

who builds our successful 

Danish tours.” 

Based in Herning, 

which is in the centre of west 

Ensemble Midtvest 

Jutland (hence the “midwest” 

reference), in the Herning Museum of Contemporary Art (HEART), 

EMV consists of five string players, a pianist and a wind quintet. As 

Fung pointed out, “They bring an incredible flexibility to their playing, 

as the size of their ensemble shrinks and expands to the benefit of 

the repertoire and their programming. Think of a team of chefs that 

each have their specialty, but only called to the fore when the menu 

calls for it.” 

Their Walter Hall concert will see six members of EMV joined by 

American clarinet virtuoso, Charles Neidich, “a celebrated luminary 

of the clarinet” as Fung dubbed him, in a program that focuses on 

the ensemble’s piano-wind nexus. Danish composer Carl Nielsen’s 

Fantasy: Pieces for Oboe and Piano Op.2 opens the recital and I was 

able to get a sense of it by sampling EMV’s cpo CD, Neilsen: Complete 

Chamber Works for Winds. I was struck by the richness of Peter 

Kristein’s singing tone on the oboe in the Romance and look forward 

to hearing him and pianist Martin Qvist Hansen live. Mozart’s Quintet 

for Piano and Winds in E-Flat Major K452 stands at the pinnacle of 

writing for piano, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn. I have been in 

love with it since childhood when my father introduced me to the 

Angel LP with pianist Walter Gieseking and the Philharmonia Wind 

Quartet that included the legendary hornist Dennis Brain. 

Two months after Schubert finished writing Die schöne Müllerin, 

Maxim Vengerov 

in recital: 

■ Toronto 

Roy Thomson Hall 

Friday, March 11 th 2016 at 8 p.m. 

416 872-4255 

roythomson.com 

Maxim Vengerov - violin 

Patrice Laré - piano 

Program: 

Brahms, Ysaÿe, Franck, Paganini 

Sponsored by: 

Heliconian Hall 35 Hazelton Ave 

www.syrinxconcerts.ca 416.654.0877 

Narmina Afandiyeva 

& Lisa Tahara pianists 

March 6, 3pm 

Ensemble 

Made In Canada 

April 3, 3pm 

Prestige • Series 

www.smcm.ca 



he took the 18th song in the cycle (Faded 

Flowers) and used it as the basis of a set 

of variations, Introduction and Variations 

on “Trockne Blumen” for Flute and Piano 

D802 Op posth.160. A solemn introduction 

leads into the gentle bucolic theme 

and as the variations progress the flutist is 

called on to convey beauty, tempestuousness, 

vulnerability and propriety. Flutist Charlotte 

Norholt, who will perform the work here in 

March, said before EMV’s first appearance 

at Carnegie Hall in 2012 (in a Danish video 

available on YouTube) that “the quest for 

musical excellence is the driving force of this 

ensemble.” 

For Brahms’ Clarinet Trio in A Minor 

Op.114, cellist Jonathan Slaatto joins pianist 

Hansen to welcome back special guest 

Neidich for this enduring late-in-life masterpiece 

that was inspired by the same clarinetist 

(Richard Mühlfeld) who led Brahms to 

write his equally memorable clarinet quintet 

and sonatas. Slaatto, in that same YouTube 

video from 2012, expressed part of what 

makes EMV (and any good ensemble) tick 

when he said, referring to finding a suitable 

tempo, that your own view of any piece is subordinate to the view of 

the group as a whole. 

Fung told me that he “was lucky to nab EMV on the same trip they 

are playing New York’s Carnegie Hall (their third appearance with 

them).” I suspect the Mooredale audience will agree after hearing 

their March 13 concert. 

Maxim Vengerov. On March 11, the universally acclaimed violinist, 

the extraordinary Maxim Vengerov, makes his first recital appearance 

in Toronto since a right shoulder injury and recovery from 

surgery forced him to suspend playing for four years in 2007. His Roy 

Thomson Hall concert with pianist Patrice Laré, presented by the 

Montreal Chamber Music Society, will include Franck’s emotionally 

rich classic, Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major, Ysaÿe’s devilishly 

difficult, unaccompanied Sonata for Violin No.6 as well as music by 

Brahms and Paganini. 

I got a sense of Vengerov’s journey back, which involved an 

assiduous rehab and reinvention of his violin technique from much 

reportage on the Internet, particularly Laurie Niles’ revelatory 

violinist.com interview published on January 9, 2013. In that interview, 

Vengerov also spoke of his close relationship to cellist/conductor 

Mstislav Rostropovich and pianist/conductor Daniel Barenboim, both 

of whom he got to know as a teenager. 

Of Rostropovich, Vengerov says he was “like a musical father, he was 

so close to my heart; I think it was his great musicianship and also 

understanding of the violin 

collectif9 

repertoire, of the stringed 

instruments, that helped 

us to build an incredible 

chemistry that I had with 

no one else.” 

Barenboim, Vengerov 

says, would “view a piece 

of music as an instrumentalist, 

as a pianist, 

from the harmonic point 

of view, from the orchestration, 

colouring,” 

whereas Rostropovich 

had an “instant connection 

with the composer, 

with the soul of the 

composer,” imagining he 

was the composer himself 

performing the music. 

Of course Vengerov 

himself has conducted 

successfully (as anyone in 

the audience in October 

of 2012 at Roy Thomson 

Hall was only too aware, 

for his historic double role 

as soloist/conductor with 

the TSO in an exceptional 

performance of Rimsky- 

Korsakov’s Scheherazade), 

but the violin remains his 

“first source of communication 

with the audience – 

no doubt my first love.” 

Vengerov looked at the 

time when he couldn’t play 

as beneficial to deepening 

his musical knowledge. “I 

think I have more colours 

to my violin playing than 

before, for the fact that I 

hear it somehow differently.” 

He also discovered, 

after surgery, that he had to 

change his technique so that he moves much less; he had been putting 

too much physical effort into his playing. Working with quite a lot of 

pain forced him to relax his playing. “If I had pain, that meant I was 

doing something wrong,” he said. 

All in the service of the music, of “the great heritage Beethoven, 

Brahms, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky left for us. We have to deliver 

these great works in the best possible way that we can. We have to 

find a very personal approach to them. Every soloist nowadays has to 

try to say something unique, something personal. Otherwise, if you’re 

playing just another performance of Brahms’ concerto, why do we 

need to hear that? That is the great lesson that Barenboim taught me… 

Just study the score…I want to really hear your Sibelius, your discovery, 

based on your new, detailed knowledge of the musical score.” 

Takemitsu in Kyoto. An unexpected delivery of a DVD recently 

rekindled memories of Toru Takemitsu, who won the Glenn Gould 

Prize six years before Pierre Boulez. The DVD, Kyoto, is a quasi-documentary, 

part travelogue, atmospheric portrait of a place and a lifestyle, 

made in 1968 by the Japanese master filmmaker Kon Ichikawa 

(The Makioka Sisters) with a soundtrack by Takemitsu, then in his 

late 30s. Its 37 minutes are densely packed with artfully composed 

images that treat a rock garden, a Buddhist temple and a royal villa 

with the same aesthetic respect as that given to the people who walk 

the city’s streets. Takemitsu’s music, mysterious and quietly surprising 

but always filled with a deep humanity, acts as the foundation 

DANYLÖ BÖBYK 


that illuminates these images. With a modernist sensibility always 

conscious of a cultural past, his score is an essential component of this 

fascinating piece of cinematic art. The handsomely packaged DVD is 

available from martygrossfilms.com. Many years ago, I was fortunate 

to be invited to watch Takemitsu at work one afternoon supervising 

the marriage of music, sound design and image in Marty Gross’ 

exquisite Bunraku film, The Lovers’ Exile. Takemitsu’s attention to 

detail, personal warmth and humility made a lasting impression. 

QUICK PICKS 

Music Toronto: If you’re quick off the mark you may be fortunate 

enough to hear the eminent British pianist Steven Osborne Mar 1. On 

Mar 10 the exuberant Montreal string ensemble, collectif9, performs 

a diverse program including Geof Holbrook’s Volksmobiles, from 

collectif9’s CD of the same name which Strings Attached DISCoveries’ 

columnist Terry Robbins praises elsewhere in these pages. Mar 17 

the ebullient Quatuor Ébène’s strong program begins with Mozart’s 

delightful Divertimento K136, moves to Debussy’s Quartet in G Minor 

(a piece they own) before concluding with Beethoven’s immortal 

String Quartet No.14 Op.131. Apr 5 Duo Turgeon, husband-andwife 

duo pianists, perform a heavyweight program that includes a 

new arrangement of Ravel’s Second Suite from Daphnis and Chloe 

by Vyacheslav Gryaznov, Lutoslawski’s Variations on a Theme by 

Paganini and Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Haydn as well as 

pieces by the Russian Valery Gavrilin and the Canadian Derek Charke. 

Royal Conservatory: I wrote in my last column about the talented 

young Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang and her Koerner Hall debut 

Mar 2. She’s followed Mar 4 by Canadian violinist Karen Gomyo, 

Swiss cellist Christian Poltéra and Finnish pianist Juho Pohjonen in 

an appealing program of Mittel-European fare. On Mar 20 Paul Lewis 

performs his first solo recital in this city since his remarkable Toronto 

debut with the Women’s Musical Club in the fall of 2013. In this 

upcoming Koerner Hall concert, he focuses on Brahms (Four Ballades 

Op.10; Three Intermezzi Op.117), Liszt (the transformative Après 

une lecture du Dante, fantasia quasi una sonata, “‘Dante Sonata” 

from Années de pèlerinage, Italie) and Schubert (the enchanting 

Sonata D575). On Mar 29 the current crop of Rebanks fellows are on 

display in a recital in Mazzoleni Hall, which is also the venue Apr 7 

for chamber music by Haydn, Berg (the uber-Romantic Lyric Suite) 

and Dvořák (the charming Piano Quintet No.2 Op.81) performed by 

the Musicians from Marlboro. In Koerner Hall on Mar 30 violinist 

Augustin Dumay and pianist Louis Lortie bring their powerful musical 

gifts to sonatas by Beethoven (“Spring”), Franck and Richard Strauss. 

Perimeter: Best known as artistic directors of the Chamber Music 

Society of Lincoln Center, husband-and-wife cellist David Finckel and 

pianist Wu Han bring their considerable performing talents to the 

Perimeter Institute Mar 10, in a program of music by Richard Strauss, 

Chopin, Messiaen, Glazunov and Albéniz. 

Nocturnes in the City: Pianist Adam Zukiewicz plays Beethoven and 

Liszt Mar 13. (One evening earlier, Mar 12, Zukiewicz plays a similar 

program at St. Basil’s Church.) The Czech-based Epoque Quartet 

plays Vivaldi, Jezek and others at the Praha restaurant Mar 27. Notable 

Czech pianist and Smetana specialist, Jan Novotný, makes a welcome 

visit to Toronto for a recital that includes music by Smetana, Schubert 

and Mozart. 

Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society: The final weekend of 

the Attacca Quartet’s Haydn 68 series takes place Mar 18, 19 and 20; 

since their last appearance in the KWCMS Music Room, the quartet 

has a new violist, Nathan Schram. (My Q & A with the KWCMS’ Jean 

and Jan Narveson and interview with former Attaca violist Andrew 

Fleming appeared in The WholeNote’s November 2013 issue as the 

complete Haydn string quartet cycle began.) Mar 24 cellist Rachel 

Mercer and pianist Angela Park perform the complete Mendelssohn 

works for cello; on Apr 3 they join violinist Elissa Lee and violist 

Sharon Wei, their partners in Ensemble Made in Canada, for a Syrinx 

concert of music by Beethoven, Schumann and Omar Daniel. 

Academy Concert Series presents Mozart’s masterful Sinfonia 

Concertante K364 for violin, viola and orchestra, and Beethoven’s 

first sonata for cello and piano, Op.5 No.1, transcribed by nineteenthcentury 

arrangers for string sextet and cello quintet, respectively, 


Mar 19. Also Mar 19, Jeffery Concerts presents the TSO Chamber 

Soloists – Nora Shulman, flute, Teng Li, viola, Jonathan Crow, 

violin, Heidi Van Hoesen Gorton, harp, and Joseph Johson, cello, 

in a program of music by Françaix, Saint-Saëns, Debussy, Ravel 

and Jongen. 

The TSO: Stéphane Denève, principal conductor of the Philadelphia 

Symphony Orchestra, leads the TSO in a crowd-pleasing program 

Mar 23 and 24 that features the charismatic Jean-Yves Thibaudet 

as soloist in Saint-Saëns’ exotic Piano Concerto No.5 “Egyptian.” 

On Mar 31 the TSO presents the Victoria Symphony conducted by 

Tania Miller with Stewart Goodyear as soloist in Grieg’s lyrical Piano 

Concerto. Soprano Carla Huhtanen, poet Dennis Lee and narrator 

Kevin Frank join conductor Earl Lee in two afternoon Young People’s 

Concert performances Apr 2 of Abigail Richardson-Schulte’s musical 

treatment of Lee’s iconic children’s classic, Alligator Pie. It would 

be a surprise if Gabriela Montero didn’t improvise her own cadenza 

in Mozart’s sublime Piano Concerto No.20 K466 when she appears 

as soloist with the National Arts Centre Orchestra under its new 

conductor Alexander Shelley Apr 2; two of Richard Strauss’ most 

exciting tone poems, Don Juan and Death and Transfiguration open 

and close the concert. 

Massey Hall/Roy Thomson Hall presents Chopin champion Yundi 

in his first Toronto recital in a decade Mar 19; the famously conductorless 

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra features Pinchas Zukerman as soloist 

in Mozart’s Violin Concerto No.3 K216, a masterpiece of gallantry and 

lightness, and in Beethoven’s tender First Romance, Mar 20. 

Canzona presents the XIA Quartet – Edmonton Symphony 

Orchestra concertmaster Robert Uchida and Toronto Symphony 

Orchestra members, violinist Shane Kim, assistant principal violist, 

Theresa Rudolph, and principal cellist, Joseph Johnson, playing music 

by Bartók, Debussy and Schubert, Mar 20 at St. Andrew by-the-Lake, 

on Toronto Island, repeated Mar 21 on the mainland. 

Three years ago, Rashaan Allwood was the very rare recipient of 

a perfect 100 in his ARCT Royal Conservatory exam. Now he’s a U 

of T student with an upcoming free recital Mar 26 at Walter Hall of 

piano music inspired by birdsong and nature – Messiaen, Ravel, Liszt, 

Granados and others. 

Last month I wrote about Andrew Burashko, Art of Time 

Ensemble’s founder and artistic director; the group’s unmissable next 

concert, “Erwin Schulhoff: Dada, Jazz and the String Sextet: Portrait 

of a Forgotten Master,” takes place Apr 1 and 2 at Harbourfront 

Centre Theatre. 

Following their playing of Mendelssohn’s engaging String Quartet 

No.2, U of T Faculty of Music ensemble-in-residence, the Cecilia 

String Quartet is joined by James Campbell for a performance 

of Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet, a cornerstone of the clarinet repertoire, 

Apr 4. 

The COC orchestra’s top two violinists, Marie Bérard and Aaron 

Schwebel, give a free noontime concert featuring music by Ysaÿe and 

Leclair, in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Apr 5. 

Paul Ennis the managing editor of The WholeNote. 

Beat by Beat | In with the New 

Performing with 

Image and Sound 

WENDALYN BARTLEY 

The month of March begins in a big way this year with the annual 

New Creations Festival presented by the Toronto Symphony. 

In last month’s issue I introduced the main features of what is 

being planned for the three concerts happening on March 5, 9 and 

12, including the presence of guest composer, conductor, violist and 

co-curator Brett Dean from Australia. One of the three commissioned 

works for this year’s festival is a unique collaboration between 

composer Paul Frehner and filmmaker Peter Mettler. I had an opportunity 

to speak with both of these creators to find out how their piece 

for orchestra and film came into being and what we can expect to 

experience on March 9, the night of the performance. 

I began by asking Frehner how the commission came to be and 

wondered if the two artists had worked together before. As it turned 

out, the project began when Frehner was approached by Gary Kulesha 

on behalf of the TSO with a request to be involved in the writing of a 

work for orchestra and film. According to Frehner, Mettler was then 

approached on a recommendation from film director Atom Egoyan. 

The two artists had never met before, so right from the beginning, they 

started with a dialogue that involved examples of each other’s work 

being sent back and forth, and engaging in conversations exploring 

various ideas that each were drawn to. 

Writing music for film often takes a predictable path, where the 

composer writes to a set sequence of images. Not so with the way 

Mettler works. He has spent the last 12 years developing software 

that functions as an instrument for editing and mixing both image 

and sound to create a film “on the spot.” He can use this instrument 

to both improvise and create, providing a personal challenge that is 

“far more exciting than just pushing play.” In the early stages of their 

collaboration, Mettler sent Frehner up to 90 minutes of raw footage, 

some of which were extended sequences. Frehner latched onto a few 

of these and wrote music inspired by those scenes. Using music software 

to create an orchestral rendering of the music, Frehner sent his 

sketches back to Mettler, who then began to improvise using his bank 

of 2000 or more images, finding visual complements to what the 

music was doing. Gradually a shape began to emerge as the dynamic 

exchange continued and in the end, many of the image sequences that 

Mettler chose were not related to those that Frehner was originally 

inspired to write music for. 

In their initial dialogues, they discovered that they shared a mutual 

interest in science and physics. Beginning with conversations on 

particle physics, they eventually decided to focus the piece on ideas of 

THE ASSOCIATES OF THE 

TORONTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 

Monday, March 7, 2016, 7:30 p.m. 

ENSEMBLES FROM THE 

TORONTO SYMPHONY YOUTH ORCHESTRA 

Franz Schubert Octet in F major, D.803* 

Felix Mendelssohn String Quartet No.2, Op.13* 

Antonin Dvořák String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 “American”* 

Aaron Copland Fanfare for the Common Man 

Eckhard Kopetzki Le Chant Du Serpent 

Christopher Weait Rainy River 

*Selected movements from each will be performed. 

Tickets $20, Seniors & Students $17 

Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor Street W. 

Box Office 416-282-6636 

www.associates-tso.org 


Brett Dean rehearsing his Viola Concerto with the Royal 

Stockholm Philharmonic conducted by Sakari Oramo. 

cyclical rotation – orbits, tidal rhythms, and natural cycles, ending up 

with the title From the Vortex Perspective. Structurally, the music has 

both cyclical elements and abrupt changes. Several ideas return, each 

time with variations in orchestration. 

Frehner’s compositional style can be described as eclectic, integrating 

such influences as Brit and American rock, jazz pianists Oscar 

Peterson and Keith Jarrett, early music, as well as the music of a range 

of composers including Grisey, Vivier and Nancarrow. In this project 

with Mettler, Frehner chose to feature the brass instruments prominently 

in various places, incorporating unison writing and the low 

register instruments. In other places, the string section has the main 

idea, whereas at other times, strings provide a textural background. 

Visually, the film begins with images of an abstracted forest environment, 

moving into reflections on water. At one point when the music 

becomes heavily punctuated, the viewer is taken through a sequence 

of different grasses and reeds with the sunlight bursting through to 

create complementary accents. Some of the slowly evolving scenes 

created opportunities for Frehner to linger longer with some of his 

musical ideas, taking his time to explore them rather than looking for 

other directions. 

For the performance, the images will be projected onto three 

screens – two smaller monitors surrounded by a larger screen, with 

the spatial aspect of the three image sources becoming an aspect of 

the overall composition. And just as the conductor and musicians 

interpret the musical score, Mettler has created his own guiding score 

as an aid for his real-time performance during which he will respond 

to the subtleties of the music to create a live version of the film. Thus 

this work is a true performance in both mediums of image and sound. 

As mentioned above, Brett Dean is this year’s guest of the New 

Creations Festival. As it turns out, Frehner and Dean crossed paths 

over ten years ago on two different occasions – in 2002 at the 

Winnipeg New Music Festival where Dean was the featured composer 

and Frehner had a composition; and a few years later at the Malaysian 

Philharmonic Orchestra’s International Composers Competition 

where Dean was the judge and Frehner was one of the composers 

present. Dean’s role as curator for the New Creations Festival includes 

the programming of three of his own works, each substantial pieces 

for orchestra, as well as works by fellow Australians Anthony Pateras 

and James Ledger. 

New Music for Orchestra: The New Creations Festival is not the only 

chance to hear new orchestral work this next month. The Toronto 

Symphony will perform works by three Canadian composers: “Home” 

from New World by Michael Oesterle on March 31, Alligator Pie by 

Abigail Richardson-Schulte on April 2 in matinee performances, 

and Ringelspiel by Ana Sokolović, performed by the evening’s guest 

performers – the National Arts Centre Orchestra – on April 2. On 

March 31, Esprit Orchestra teams up with the Elmer Iseler Singers for 

their last concert of the season to perform two newly commissioned 

works with mythic themes: Soul and Psyche for choir and orchestra, 

composed by Esprit’s founder and conductor Alex Pauk, and Sirens 

by Canadian Douglas Schmidt. The program also includes Hussein 

Janmohamed’s choral work Nur: Reflections on Light, which weaves 

together Ismaili Muslim melodies, Quranic recitation and Indian 

ragas, and the classic orchestral dance score La création du monde by 

Darius Milhaud, infamous for its combination of jazz and classical 

rhythms from the early 1920s. 

Soundstreams: Soundstreams is cooking this month with several 

events. Starting off in early March, they will present three concerts 

of the music of Scottish composer James MacMillan in three cites: 

Kingston (March 4), Kitchener (March 6) and Toronto (March 8). The 

program will highlight MacMillan’s masterpiece, Seven Last Words 

from the Cross, as well as selections from Schafer’s The Fall into Light. 

The Toronto concert will include additional works by MacMillan 

WORLD PREMIERE! 

ISIS AND OSIRIS 

ISIS AND OSIRIS, Gods of Egypt 

by Peter-Anthony Togni and Sharon Singer 

Finally, an opera on one of the world’s most 

enigmatic and controversial love stories 

in all mythology. Transformation, redemption 

and the triumph of good over evil are 

brought forth with melody and words 

of transcendent beauty. 

Lucia Cesaroni Julie Nesrallah Michael Nyby 

Robert Cooper C.M., Conductor 

Stuart Graham, Leigh-Ann Allen, Christopher Wattam 

and The VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert Chorus 

Friday, April 1, 2016 

at 8:00 pm 

Sunday, April 3, 2016 

at 2:30 pm 

Paul Frehner (left) and Alex Pauk 

416-366-7723 | 1-800-708-6754 | www.stlc.com 

VOICEBOX 

OPERA IN CONCERT 

Guillermo Silva-Marin, 

General Director 


(The Gallant Weaver) and Schafer (In Memoriam Alberto Guerrero), 

along with a performance of James Rolfe’s When Lilacs Last in the 

Dooryard Bloom’d, a Soundstreams commission from 2006 based on 

Walt Whitmans’s elegy written after the assassination of U.S. President 

Abraham Lincoln. 

Then in mid-month, Soundstreams will kick off a series of events 

being planned to celebrate the 80th birthday of minimalist pioneer 

Steve Reich culminating in a gala concert on April 14. Getting the ball 

rolling will be their second Ear Candy event on March 19 featuring 

Reich’s first major work It’s Gonna Rain, created from a surprise 

discovery made while fiddling about with out-of-sync tape loops. 

The phasing technique he developed from these experiments paved 

the way for the birth of his minimalist aesthetic. It’s also an opportunity 

to hear his Electric Counterpoint which has been recorded by 

such artists as Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, whose Water will have 

its Canadian premiere in the New Creations Festival on March 12. The 

Ear Candy evening also features a diverse array of local artists, each 

of whom has been influenced by the minimalist aesthetic. Four of 

these performers, including DJ SlowPitchSound and Brandon Valdivia, 

will also be performing the previous evening on March 18 at the 

Soundstreams’ Salon 21, which offers a historical look at the development 

of minimalism. 

Music Gallery: The performance of Reich’s music continues over at 

the Music Gallery in a concert on March 17 featuring composer and 

performer Michael Century. In his earlier days, Century founded The 

Banff Centre for the Arts Media Arts program in 1988, a program that 

helped initiate new media practice in Canada. In this concert, Century 

will perform Reich’s Piano Counterpoint, an arrangement for solo 

piano and tape of Reich’s classic Six Pianos, as well as premieres of 

his own works for piano, accordion and live electronics. These works 

use open software and an eight-channel immersive speaker array. 

Additional pieces by American composers Julia Wolfe, John Cage and 

Morton Feldman will be heard in the second half of the evening. 

The Music Gallery continues to mark their 40-year history with an 

installation and listening salon opening on March 11 celebrating their 

partnership with Musicworks Magazine. The magazine has a long 

tradition of including recordings with their print issues, first released 

as cassettes and now as CDs. Past and present editors and contributors 

to the cassette legacy will be speaking of their memories and experiences 

at the opening event. 

New Music Concerts: New Music Concerts is also busy with two 

upcoming concerts. On March 11 (in Kitchener) and March 13 (in 

Toronto) in a co-presentation with the Music Gallery, the Quasar 

Saxophone Quartet performs music by five Quebecois composers 

writing for saxophone quartet and electronics, including video in one 

of the works. The quartet is dedicated to the creation of contemporary 

works with their interests ranging from instrumental music to improvisation 

and electronics. On April 3, the electronic theme continues 

with their concert entitled Viva Electronica. It will be an evening of 

three world premieres, all of them NMC commissions from composers 

Anthony Tan, Keith Hamel and Paul Steenhuisen. Each of these artists 

has done significant research in the world of electronics, live electroacoustics 

and music software programming, as well as taught the ins 

and outs of working with music technology at various universities. 

Additional New Music Events: 

Mar 6: John Laing Singers perform works by Glen Buhr and 

Eric Whitacre. 

Mar 6: Junction Trio hosts Schola Magdalena performing works by 

Stephanie Martin. 

Mar 10: Canadian Music Centre; “Truth North Stories” with piano 

works by Anhalt and Morawetz. 

Mar 18 Canadian Music Centre; “Canadian Art Song Showcase” 

with works by Alice Ho, John Beckwith, Sylvia Rickard and Hiroki 

Tsurumoto. 

Apr 2: Nagata Shachu with TorQ, performing works for Japanese, 

Western and world percussion. 

Wendalyn Bartley is a Toronto-based composer and electro-vocal 

sound artist. sounddreaming@gmail.com. 

we’re not voting for our bank balance. 

Thursday March 31, 2016 

Darius Milhaud – La création du monde 

Hussein Janmohamed – Nur: Reflections on Light for choir 

Douglas Schmidt – Sirens* 

Alex Pauk – Devotions** for choir and orchestra 

Alex Pauk – conductor 

The Elmer Iseler Singers / Lydia Adams – conductor 

*World Premiere – commissioned by Esprit with generous support from The Koerner Foundation 

**World Premiere - commissioned by The Koerner Foundation through The Elmer Iseler Singers 

ESPRIT ORCHESTRA 

Alex Pauk, Founding Music Director & Conductor 

Season Sponsor 

Concert Sponsors 

Timothy & Frances Price 

8:00pm, Koerner Hall | Tickets 416 408 0208 | espritorchestra.com | 

#EspritO 

The Koerner 

Foundation 

The Mary-Margaret 

Webb Foundation 

The Max Clarkson 

Family Foundation 


Beat by Beat | Choral Scene 

Gamers and 

Easter? Choral 

Strands 

BRIAN CHANG 

“…It’s important that we also treat games as art, and when the 

opportunity comes along to engage with games as works of art that 

we take advantage of that opportunity” – Matt Sainsbury, Editor-in- 

Chief, Digitally Downloaded 

Easter marks the second busiest time of the year for the choral 

community, second only to Christmas. But even though much of 

this month’s column will be devoted to these wonderful musical 

opportunities, I thought I’d start out by focusing on something not 

often written about in Toronto – video game music. 

The Legend of Zelda Symphony of the Goddesses – Master Quest 

arrives for one night, March 19, 8pm at the Sony Centre on its international 

tour. This updated show returns with some of the most iconic 

video game music ever written, including music from the newest 

game, “Tri Force Heroes.” It is a massive entertainment event that 

always sells out, so it doesn’t need our help. But I am highlighting it 

here for a number of reasons: it is a chance to see a talented female 

conduct a major work in Toronto; there is a lot of choral music in it 

and not all of it is English; I have friends who have sung it and really 

enjoy the energy of the music; normally, travelling shows like this 

won’t even bother to hire a choir; they’ll just record sung chords to 

a synthesizer and use that; so this is a nice treat; oh, and it’s really, 

Amy Andersson 

really fun. 

Japan has long embraced both gaming and music, having done 

live performances of video game music as early as 1991. In 2005, 

the very first video game concert by the LA Philharmonic in the 

Hollywood Bowl saw 11,000 attendees. In 2011 and 2012, the London 

Philharmonic recorded The Greatest Video Game Music, volumes one 

and two. These were huge hits and topped classical charts. The widely 

popular German Symphonic Game Music Concerts take place annually 

in the Cologne Philharmonic Hall. This is a major art form and an 

incredible source of new performance opportunities for both choirs 

and orchestras. 

In Zelda, composer Koji Kondo’s music has been arranged into a 

full four-movement symphony for choir and orchestra with a host 

of smaller pieces representing 18 games over 30 years. Conductor 

Amy Andersson touring along with executive producer Jason Michael 

Paul, leads the Tallis Choir and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony 

Silent Movie iMproviSation ConCert 

“King of Kings” 

Palm Sunday, march 20, 7:00 Pm 

Yorkminster Park BaPtist ChurCh 

A special screening of Cecil B. DeMille’s 1928 black and white classic. 

Featuring the improvisations of internationally renowned 

david BriggS at the Yorkminster Park organ. 

Free Will Offering for Choir Fund 

Yorkminster Park BaPtist ChurCh 1585 Yonge Street (two blocks north of St. Clair Ave.) 416-922-1167 

For more information on our lent and Easter Services visit www.yorkminsterpark.com 


Orchestra. 

Andersson, a former conducting fellow 

at the Aspen Music School, led the previous 

Symphony of the Goddesses – Second Quest 

on its international tour. A conducting 

veteran of Colorado Light Opera and the 

National Theatre of Mannheim, Andersson 

was married to the late Yakov Kreizberg 

(formerly of the Netherlands Philharmonic 

Orchestra) and is sister-in-law to Semyon 

Bychkov (BBC Symphony Orchestra). 

Andersson attended Mannes School of Music 

at the New School with both Bychkov and 

Kriezberg. 

As I mentioned, this ever-popular event is 

sure to sell out. Fair warning, this isn’t your 

typical performance; hooting and hollering 

is expected. Part symphony, part celebration, 

it’s jovial, fun and full of amazing 

instrumental and choral music. And definitely 

dress up; green tunics and fairies 

will abound. 

Easter 

One of the highlights of every Good Friday 

in the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir season is the 

“Sacred Music for a Sacred Space” concert that takes place annually in 

St Paul’s Basilica. This year several pieces will be highlighted including 

Eric Whitacre’s stunning Her Sacred Spirit Soars, a tribute to Queen 

Elizabeth I; Patrick Hawe’s Quanta Qualia for alto saxophone and 

choir; and a new commission, Leonard Enns’ I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes 

for alto saxophone, soprano saxophone and choir. Topping the list 

is the 2013 TMC commission by Timothy Corlis, God So Loved the 

World. This work is a textured soundscape that is both passionate and 

stark. The words are simple but powerful; some of the most poignant 

from the entire Passion of the Christ. “Pater, dimitte illis, non enim 

sciunt quid faciunt”: “Father, forgive them for they know not what 

they do” opens the seven-movement piece. “Eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani”: 

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” – in Aramaic 

and set to a dissonant C-minor chord in the fourth movement of this 

piece – is particularly moving. 

As I have mentioned before, I sing with the TMC, and while 

rehearsing this Corlis song I found myself musing about the place of 

religious music in the context of our secular world. Classical music 

is largely played outside of the context it was created for; masses, 

for example, form the bulk of grand symphonic choral work – but 

not everyone can be present at a Herbert Von Karajan-led Mozart 

Sir James MacMillan 

Coronation Mass in St Peter’s Basilica (1985). 

Those familiar with the Roman Catholic Mass, 

or who went to Catholic school, are acquainted 

with the tradition and ritual of the mass, and 

how music often accompanies specific actions 

and rituals during the liturgy. Most people 

who attend classical music concerts, specifically, 

those of a requiem or a mass, are disconnected 

from the history and the context of 

these important works. I wonder when a full 

mass was last played with symphony and choral 

forces in Toronto. 

This year the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir 

presents “Sacred Music for a Sacred Space” 

Wednesday, March 23, and Good Friday, 

March 25. Look for me in the tenor section. 

TSO’s Mozart Requiem: I believe Joel Ivany, 

the Elmer Iseler Singers, the Amadeus Choir, 

and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra were able 

to bridge some of the disconnect of hearing 

sacred music in secular settings with the recent 

remarkable reimagining of the Mozart Requiem 

in January during the Mozart @261 Festival. 

Spectacular music making occurred in those 

performances and the TSO’s efforts to reach out 

to a younger and more diverse audience were noticeable and very 

welcome in the filled Roy Thomson Hall. Ivany focused our eyes on 

the grief and feelings of loss that come with death. These are universal 

core values that are relatable to many people. What may often be 

forgotten when listening to requiem masses is that they were created 

to accompany actual passing, ending, finality – the ultimate Christian 

passage for the faithful. 

Ivany’s staging reminded me that there does exist a place for a 

secular mass and ritual in our daily lives and that the same emotions 

that drive these ancient masses continues to provide important 

experience and context to us centuries after they were written. 

If you wish to see a more conventional Mozart Requiem, your 

chance comes with the massed skills of the Guelph Symphony 

Orchestra and the University of Guelph Choirs on March 20 at the 

Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate, Guelph. 

Soundstreams Canada features Scotland’s most celebrated 

composer, Sir James MacMillan, with “The Music of James MacMillan.” 

The Grand Philharmonic Chamber Choir, the University of Waterloo 

Chamber Choir, Choir 21 and the Virtuoso String Orchestra perform 

MacMillan’s Seven Last Words from the Cross and other works on 

March 6 at St Peter’s Lutheran Church, Kitchener. Soundstreams 

2015-2016 

Making a 

Scene! 

Robert Cooper, C.M., Artistic Director 

Edward Moroney, Accompanist 

SOUND OF ETERNITY Bach Mass in B Minor 

Sunday March 6, 2016 4:30 p.m. 

Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St E. 

Rediscover Bach’s majestic Mass in B Minor with German filmmaker Bastian Clevé’s dramatic 

film Sound of Eternity, a lush visual interpretation of Bach’s masterpiece. Mirroring the grand 

emotional span of the Mass, Clevé’s 27 short episodes move from alpine mountains to glaciers 

to peaceful valleys and pulsating metropolitan cities. A Canadian premiere, this breath-taking 

choral and cinematic tour-de-force offers a powerful meditation on the circle of life. 

Anita Krause, mezzo • Geoff Sirett, baritone • Jennifer Krabbe, soprano • Charles Sy, tenor 

Orpheus Choir • Chorus Niagara • The Talisker Players 

an Ontario government agency 

un organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario 

Tickets: $35; $30 senior; $10 student 

www.orpheuschoirtoronto.com 


presents a similar program with Choir 21 and Virtuoso String 

Orchestra in Kingston, March 4, at the Isabel Bader Centre for the 

Performing Arts. And in Toronto on March 8, at Trinity-St. Paul’s 

Centre. MacMillan conducts each performance. 

Quick Picks 

The York University Chamber Choir performs “Musick to Heare” 

in the Tribute Communities Recital Hall, Accolade East Building on 

Mar 9. Featuring music inspired by Shakespeare’s comedies, tragedies 

and sonnets, Robert Cooper leads the choir in George Shearing’s jazzy 

Songs and Sonnets, Ralph Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music, and 

other inspired works by Canadian composers Allan Becan, Berthold 

Carriere and Michael Coghlan. 

The Queen’s University Symphony and Choral Ensemble and the 

Perth Choir perform Schubert’s Mass in C D462 and other works on 

Mar 18 in Grant Hall, Queen’s University, Kingston, in celebration of 

Queen’s 175th anniversary and the Town of Perth’s 200th. 

The Kingston Symphony performs Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 

on Mar 19 and 20, at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, 

Kingston. The first half of the concert will examine sections of the 

work, its poetic source and inspiration, the influence it has had and 

explore “Why is this symphony so good?” all hosted by KSA conductor 

Evan Mitchell. 

Voices Chamber Choir presents “Light Eternal” including Duruflé’s 

Quatre motets sur des thèmes Grégoriens, Gounod’s Ave Maria, Saint- 

Saëns’ Quam dilecta, and Fauré’s Requiem and Cantique de Jean 

Racine on Mar 19, at the Church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. This is a 

lovely chance to catch a wonderful collection of French masterworks. 

Last month I mentioned the multimedia presentation of the Bach 

Mass in B Minor concurrent to the Bastian Clevé film The Sound of 

Eternity by the Orpheus Choir and Chorus Niagara in St Catherines, 

Mar 5, or in Toronto Mar 6, at Metropolitan United Church. For a more 

conventional performance, the Grand Philharmonic Chamber Choir 

presents the Bach Mass in B Minor on Mar 25, at the Centre in the 

Square, Kitchener. 

Metropolitan United Church has a lovely Mar 25 lineup titled 

“Requiem: In a Time of Sorrow.” Featuring Bach’s Cantata No.78, 

Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody and Requiem, with several soloists I enjoy, 

including Claudia Lemcke, Jordan Scholl and the clear, strong tenor of 

Charles Davidson. I’d be at this performance if I weren’t performing 

“Sacred Music for a Sacred Space” with the Mendelssohn Choir. 

And finally, Mar 31 at Koerner Hall, the Elmer Iseler Singers and 

Esprit Orchestra present a concert titled “La création du monde,” after 

the instrumental work of the same name by Darius Milhaud which 

opens the program. Highlight of the evening is Soul and Psyche, a 

new creation for choir and orchestra by Esprit music director, Alex 

Pauk – a five-movement “contemporary mass” with influences from 

Inuit poetry, Balinese prayer, and more. This is also a rare chance to 

catch Hussein Janmohammed’s Nur: Reflections on Light, a collection 

of choral miniatures inspired by the Ayat an-Nur-Verse of Light 

from the Qu’ran. Janmohammed’s work was commissioned for the 

opening of the Aga Khan Museum and the Ismaili Centre and had its 

world premiere there in 2014, performed by the Elmer Iseler Singers, 

conducted by Lydia Adams. 

Follow Brian on Twitter @bfchang Send info/media/ 

tips to choralscene@thewholenote.com 

presents 

Christ Church Cathedral Choir, 

Oxford UK 

with Dr. Stephen Darlington, conductor in a 

programme of Sacred English Choral Music – the 

concluding concert of their 2016 Canada and US tour. 

Sunday April 10, 7pm 

Tickets $30 • 416-488-7884 or 

online at gracechurchonthehill.ca 

florivox 

Gillian Stecyk, Conductor 

presents 

Shadows 

& 

Light 

Sun. April 3 at 3pm 

Grace Church OntheHill 

univox 

choirs 

univoxchoir.org/tickets 

St. Thomas’s Anglican Church, 383 Huron St. 

Baroque Music by Candlelight 

for Holy Week 

A time for quiet reflection 

A period ensemble performs 

in a historic setting 

Monday, March 21 at 8 pm 

Pay what you can 

www.stthomas.on.ca 

univox 

Tahirih Vejdani, Conductor 

presents 

Everything 

Beautiful 

The Music of Broadway 

Sat. April 2 at 8pm 

Eastminster United Church 


Beat by Beat | Early Music 

The Boy Who 

Cried Beowulf 

DAVID PODGORSKI 

So. Is there any point in reading Beowulf anymore? It has the 

distinct honour of being the first work of literature from a non- 

Greek or Latin source text, but while a quick glance at U of T’s 

course calendar would seem to indicate that the Viking Age epic will 

likely show up on an Old English literature course, you could very 

easily complete an entire English undergraduate degree without ever 

having to read it. In fact, reading it may well be entirely unnecessary. 

The poem has also undergone countless adaptations and updates to 

appeal to a modern audience, including Sci-Fi film versions, operas, 

comic books (there is a Beowulf: The Graphic Novel if you care to read 

it), novels (including the Michael Crichton bestseller Eaters of the 

Dead) and, currently, a made-for-TV mini-series created for British 

television and starring a cast of complete unknowns. 

It’s also well worth asking if Beowulf, being over a thousand years 

old, still holds up as literature. For practical purposes, reading it in the 

original Old English is effectively impossible. And despite numerous 

translations into modern English spanning over two centuries 

(including a very fine, if overly creative, adaptation by the Irish poet 

Seamus Heaney), Beowulf is, as I mentioned, no longer required 

reading. As poetry – in the sense of an exploration of language and 

wordplay – it probably won’t impress a modern audience. If you’ve 

read it, you will probably recall that the poet’s technique of choice 

was alliteration not rhyme, and rhythm not metre – not particularly 

impressive in a digital age. Besides, the plot is next to non-existent 

and focuses on a series of fights between the titular hero and increasingly 

large and dangerous monsters. What’s up with that? as they say 

these days. I also doubt if too many potential readers are at all interested 

in the period in which Beowulf is set – that is, Northern Europe 

between the 8th and 11th centuries. I’m no historian, but I take historians’ 

word for it when they call the period the Dark Ages. (And we 

haven’t even touched on the issue of whether the Beowulf poet’s own 

audience would or could have even read the poem themselves.) What 

were literacy levels like in eighth-century Denmark? What was their 

book publishing industry like? I’m guessing not very robust. So does 

the literary canon still need Beowulf, or should it be stricken from the 

roster of classic literature? 

To answer this question, 

one need look no 

further than the very interesting 

life of one Benjamin 

Bagby who has made a 

career as (to my knowledge) 

the world’s only 

bard, meaning he travels 

the world performing 

ancient epic poetry and 

accompanies himself on 

the Anglo-Saxon harp. 

Yes, this is literally his day 

job. Bagby claims he was 

captivated by the Beowulf 

saga from the day he read 

it at the age of 12, and I 

for one am prepared to 

completely believe him. 

Since he first read it, Bagby 

taught himself to perform 

the epic in the original Old 

English, and has since been touring Beowulf around the world as a 

solo performance for the last decade. If there is any justification for 

Beowulf’s place in the literary canon, Bagby’s performance is it, and 

this month, he’ll be performing the epic poem (with English surtitles) 

in Toronto at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, courtesy of Toronto Consort, 

on March 11 and 12. I can’t think of any better reason for historically 

inspired performance than to revive classic musical or literary works 

and present them to the public in a manner as close to the original as 

modern scholarship will let us get. We still have no idea who wrote 

Beowulf, but if he knew his poem was still being performed over a 

thousand years later to sold-out concert halls, he’d be gobsmacked. 

Swan of Avon: Some literary classics are more accessible than 

others, some because they’re written in modern English, and some 

because, unlike Bagby’s Beowulf, tickets haven’t already almost sold 

out a month in advance. So, while you still can, avail yourself of 

tickets to the Musicians in Ordinary who are in the midst of a threeconcert 

series devoted to Shakespeare, featuring ornate poetry and 

elaborate musical arrangements (albeit fewer monster fights than 

Bagby’s Beowulf). But, like Bagby, “Sweet Swan of Avon” attempts to 

take the audience into the language of Shakespeare’s time, rendering 

Shakespeare’s words more the way people would have said them 

at the time, rather than, as is more customary these days, like a 

modern dude who happens to have studied Shakespeare. March 19 

at 8pm, in the intimate surrounds of the Heliconian Hall, the MiO 

2016 Happy Birthday Bach Walk 

SATURDAY MARCH 19, 2016 

Celebrate Johann Sebastian Bach’s 331st Birthday! 

Starting at St. Paul’s Anglican Church at 2:00pm. We will walk to 

St. Simon’s Anglican, arriving for 3:00pm, and Rosedale Presbyterian 

Church, arriving for 4:00pm. 

2:00 pm St. Paul’s Anglican Church (Bloor Street at Jarvis), 

Thomas Bell, organist 

3:00 pm St. Simon’s Anglican Church (Bloor St. East of Sherbourne) 

Robin Davis, Johan van’t Hof, organists 

4:00 pm Rosedale Presbyterian Church (Mount Pleasant at South Dr.) 

Duets from Bach Cantatas featuring Rebecca Genge (sop.), 

Nancy Olfert (alto), with oboists Vicky Hathaway and 

Gillian Howard, cellist Jill Vitols, and organist Dan Bickle 

Birthday Cake and 

Coffee will end the day! 

FREE ADMISSION 

(donations welcome) 

INFO 416-489-1551 ext 28 

RCCOToronto.ca 


present the second of 

this three-concert series, 

“Shakespeare’s Saints 

& Sinners,” featuring 

excerpts from Hamlet, 

Macbeth and Romeo 

and Juliet read by U of 

T prof David Klausner, 

along with lute songs by 

Dowland and Thomas 

Campion, and motets 

with strings composed 

by Orlando Gibbons. 

Violinist Chris Verrette 

leads a string band along 

with soprano Hallie Fishel 

and lutenist John Edwards 

for a concert that’s 100 

percent Shakespearean. 

Benjamin Bagby 

Check it out, as well as the 

third concert in the series, 

“Shakespeare’s Sorrows,” 

which takes place at the same venue on April 23, the 400th anniversary 

of the Bard’s death. 

Sweet Kisses: Shakespeare still too serious? If you’re looking to 

enjoy a concert that that’s passionate, emotional and exciting, but 

demands less gravitas than (say) Shakespeare or Old English epics, 

consider checking out a concert by the Cantemus Singers instead. 

“Sweet Kisses/Baci Soavi” is a concert of Italian madrigals on March 19 

at one of the hidden gems of Toronto’s downtown core – the Church 

of the Holy Trinity. By the end of the Renaissance in Italy, poetry and 

music went from romantic and refined to a roller coaster of emotions. 

One really wonders how Italians of the 16th century were able to make 

it through the day without making themselves lovesick. Soprano Iris 

Krizmanic joins the Cantemus singers for a program of music by aristocrat, 

composer and murderer Carlo Gesualdo and the undisputed 

father of the musical Renaissance, Claudio Monteverdi, as well as by 

two lesser-knowns – Monteverdi’s contemporary Luca Marenzio, and 

the composer/nun Vittoria Aleotti (apparently a nun of the time could 

write sordid love songs and none of her colleagues seemed to mind). 

This sounds like a thoughtful, in-depth exploration of the Italian 

renaissance vocal repertoire by a group that has made madrigals their 

specialty. Be sure to check this concert out. 

Polyphonic grand tour: For the more contemplative, the Oratory at 

Holy Family Church has a special concert for Lent that features sacred 

music from the Renaissance that transcends the everyday world of 

the secular. There, on March 16 at 8pm, you can hear a sung compline 

and a choral concert which includes choral pieces and arias by Bach, 

two settings of the Lamentations of Jeremiah by Byrd and Tallis, and 

motets by Victoria and Cristóbal de Morales. It’s a grand tour of sacred 

polyphony by some of the greatest composers of the Renaissance 

performed by some exceptional singers. 

Alard’s Goldberg: Finally, Tafelmusik is presenting a special concert 

of chamber music featuring the French harpsichordist Benjamin 

Alard that is sure to delight Bach aficionados. Alard is just 30 years 

old but is already working his way through the master’s repertoire 

for solo harpsichord. This month, Alard comes to Trinity-St. Paul’s, 

March 31 to April 3, to play the Goldberg Variations. He’ll be joined by 

Grégoire Jeay, Jeanne Lamon and Cristina Mahler to play the masterful 

trio sonata from The Musical Offering. Alard is a Bach specialist who 

already established that he has what it takes to make it as a soloist 

before his 30th birthday, so it will definitely be worth it to hear his 

take on Bach’s masterpiece. 

David Podgorski is a Toronto-based harpsichordist, music teacher 

and a founding member of Rezonance. He can be contacted at earlymusic@thewholenote.com. 

STEPHANIE BERGER 

DON’T MISS 

TORONTO’S OPERA 

EVENT OF THE SEASON! 

April 7 - 16, 2016 

Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge st. 

Passion, intrigue and redemption take centre 

stage in this Canadian premiere of Mozart’s first 

masterpiece. Opera Atelier’s staging created a 

sensation at the Salzburg Festival and Milan’s 

La Scala opera house. 

TICKETS START AT $38! 

Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ca or 1-855-622-ARTS (2787) 

Season Underwriter 

Season Presenting Sponsor 

Season Supported by 

Photo by Matthias Baus 

thewholenote.com March 1, 2016 - April 7, 2016 | 21

Beat by Beat | Art of Song 

Songmasters at 

Mazzoleni with 

Asselin and 

Polegato 

HANS DE GROOT 

Rachel Andrist and Monica Whicher jointly direct the Mazzoleni 

Songmasters Series which consists of three vocal concerts each 

season. Andrist is a member of the music staff at the Canadian 

Opera Company. Her first appointment as a vocal coach was at the La 

Monnaie in Brussels. Since then she has held similar positions with 

the Salzburg Festival, with Glyndebourne, with the English National 

Opera, with the Bavarian State Opera, with Netherlands Opera and 

with Scottish Opera. She is also a collaborative pianist and she finds 

both kinds of work support each other. As she points out, one meets 

a singer as a vocal coach and that opens up the possibility of a joint 

recital. Whicher is a soprano well known for her work in recitals 

(including a number of appearances with the Aldeburgh Connection) 

and her part in opera productions by the Canadian Opera Company 

and Opera Atelier. Both Andrist and Whicher also teach in the Glenn 

Gould School at the Royal Conservatory. 

When Andrist and the pianist-composer John Greer began the 

Recitals at Rosedale series two seasons ago, the time seemed just 

right for such an undertaking. The Aldeburgh Connection had 

ceased to exist and a real vacuum developed. Yet the concerts were a 

mixed success. Although Rosedale Presbyterian is not all that difficult 

to get to, it would seem off the mental map of many, so that audiences 

were disappointing. Another problem was that the space at 

Rosedale was small and the acoustics very live. Not all singers were 

able to scale their voices down to an appropriate level. The move this 

season to Mazzoleni Hall at the Royal Conservatory seems a wise 

one. The hall is familiar, the acoustics are good and the series, now 

retitled Songmasters (with a punning reference to the already existing 

Mazzoleni Masters) now has the backing of the Conservatory with its 

good publicity. 

Their next concert takes place March 6. The singers are the soprano, 

Mireille Asselin, and the baritone, Brett Polegato. The pianists are 

Andrist and Peter Tiefenbach. Andrist believes strongly that for a 

recital to make sense it must be structured round a central theme. 

The theme chosen for this concert is the way in which composers 

have been inspired by paintings. The major work in the program is 

Poulenc’s Le travail du peintre. These are settings of poems by Paul 

Éluard and evoke the work of seven contemporary painters: Picasso, 

Chagall, Braque, Gris, Klee, Miró and Villon. The program also 

includes Debussy’s Fêtes galantes. These are based on the Commedia 

dell’ arte but mediated by Watteau’s painting. Two Schumann songs 

from the collection Aus dem Liederbuch eines Malers follow. The next 

group contains settings of four poems from William Blake’s Songs 

of Innocence: two of them by British composers (Walton, Britten); 

and two by Walter MacNutt (1910-96), a composer now chiefly 

remembered as the music director at St. Thomas’s Anglican Church 

in Toronto. 

Asselin was a student at the Glenn Gould School (where Monica 

Whicher was one of her teachers) and subsequently was a member of 

the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio. She has performed 

with the Metropolitan Opera, with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra 

and (many times) with Opera Atelier. Along with the tenor Lawrence 

Wiliford, she sings in Ash Roses, the CD of music by Derek Holman 

issued by the 

Canadian Art Song 

Project. You will also 

be able to hear her 

in Opera Atelier’s 

production of 

Mozart’s Lucio Silla, 

starting on April 7. 

I first heard 

Polegato in the 

wonderful CD, To 

a Poet, settings by 

several composers of 

poems by Flecker, de 

la Mare, Housman 

and Hardy (CBC; not 

currently available). 

The first time I heard 

him live was in a 

Tafelmusik performance 

of Handel’s Messiah. I thought then that I had never heard the 

bass solos better sung and I have not changed my mind since. Polegato 

is now much in demand. One of the roles that he has made very much 

his own is that of Kurwenal in Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. This 

spring he will again be singing it in Paris. 

Bach and Brahms at Metropolitan United: In the Christian 

calendar Good Friday is the holiest day of the year. This year it falls 

on March 25. In the evening I intend to go to Metropolitan United 

Church for a performance of three works: the Brahms Requiem (with 

the soprano Gisele Kulak and the baritone Jordan Scholl as soloists), 

Brahms’s Alto Rhapsody (with Laura Pudwell, mezzo) and 

Bach’s Cantata No.78 (with soloists Alison Campbell, Claudia Lemcke, 

Charles Davidson and Jordan Scholl). 

Lunchtime at the Richard Bradshaw Auditorium: The free lunchtime 

recitals at the Richard Bradshaw Auditorium in the Four Seasons 

Centre resume on Mar 15 when Kyra Millan, soprano and opera 

educator, presents a concert of arias and sing-along choruses, with 

artists from the COC Ensemble Studio. On Mar 17 Bob Anderson will 

conduct “Choral Journeys,” from the Renaissance to contemporary 

Canadian works, with Charles Sy, tenor. On Mar 29 you can hear four 

tenors: Jean-Philippe Fortier-Lazure, Aaron Sheppard, Andrew Haji, 

Charles Sy. 

University of Toronto (Walter Hall): Megan Quick, contralto, and 

Andrew Haji, tenor, will sing, on Mar 21, in Schoenberg’s arrangement 

of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. Quick will also sing Die Waldtaube 

NORTH AMERICAN DEBUT OF 

SCOTTISH OPERA 

Mireille 

Asselin 

- The Guardian 

THE DEVIL INSIDE 

LIBRETTO BY LOUISE WELSH | MUSIC BY STUART MACRAE 

A Co-commission & Co-production by Scottish Opera & Music Theatre Wales 

North American Premiere Presented by Tapestry Opera 

Inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Bottle Imp 

March 10 – 13, 2016 | Harbourfront Centre Theatre, 231 Queens Quay West 

FEATURING STARS OF THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE AND SCOTTISH OPERA 

Harbourfront Centre Box Office: 

416-973-4000 

www.tapestryopera.com 

MATTHEW FRIED 


from Schoenberg’s Gurre-Lieder. Mar 31 you can hear a free recital 

by the winners of the Jim and Charlotte Norcop Prize in Song and the 

Gwendolyn Williams Prize in Accompanying. “The Art of the Prima 

Donna” on Apr 1 is a staged and costumed program of romantic opera 

with works by Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and others. The recital by the 

Cecilia Quartet on Apr 4 includes a new work by the composer and 

soprano Kati Agócs. 

Quick Picks: Ilana Zarankin, soprano, and Laura McAlpine, 

mezzo, are the soloists in the Talisker Players presentation of “Spirit 

Dreaming: Creation Myths from Around the World” at Trinity-St. 

Paul’s Centre, Mar 1 and 2. The program includes works by Somers, 

Kuyas, Beckwith, Tanu, Ravel, Villa-Lobos and Jaubert. Paula 

Arciniego, mezzo, will sing works by composers ranging from Grieg to 

Theodorakis in Heliconian Hall, Mar 4. Alliance Française de Toronto 

presents Guy Smagghe in a selection of songs from Félix Leclerc to 

Francis Cabrel, Mar 5. Evelina Soulis celebrates her 50th birthday with 

mezzos Maria Soulis and Katerina Utochkina in music by Monteverdi, 

de Falla and others in Heliconian Hall, Mar 13. Bruce Ubukata will 

give a vocal master class at York University’s Tribute Communities 

Recital Hall, Mar 15. Xin Wang, soprano, and Derek Kwan, tenor, will 

sing an all-Canadian program with songs by Ho, Beckwith, Rickard 

and Tsuromoto on Mar 18 at the Canadian Music Centre. On Apr 7 the 

Women’s Musical Club of Toronto presents a program by the violist 

Steven Dann and family, including soprano Ilana Zarankin. 

And beyond the GTA: Bach’s Mass in B Minor can be heard in the 

Centre in the Square in Kitchener on Mar 25. The soloists are Carla 

Huhtanen, soprano, Allyson McHardy, mezzo, Colin Ainsworth, 

tenor, and James Westman, baritone. Ainsworth will also give a free 

noon-hour recital at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo 

on Mar 23. 

Hans de Groot is a concertgoer and active listener 

who also sings and plays the recorder. He can be 

contacted at artofsong@thewholenote.com. 


Beat by Beat | World View 

York Music's 

World Class 

Role 

ANDREW TIMAR 

I’ve weighed in on numerous occasions, in this column and in my 

WholeNote album reviews and blogs, about the vast scope of world 

music as a topic: its misty origins; the limits and problems associated 

with continued use of what was originally an academic idea, 

and then became a marketing term. It’s a notion that’s so hard to pin 

down with any precision, that some would argue not to bother. 

Undaunted, I’ve endeavoured to chart its multifaceted presence at 

key regional venues and among presenters such as the Music Gallery, 

Small World Music, Royal Conservatory’s Koerner Hall and at the Lula 

Music and Arts Centre, as performed by its practitioners, and enjoyed 

– some might use the word consumed – by its myriad audiences. On 

a couple of occasions I have highlighted stories about its educational 

role at our regional institutions of higher learning. For instance, my 

column in the April 2014 issue of The WholeNote featured the flourishing 

Balinese Gamelan ensemble course offered at Conrad Grebel 

University College at the University of Waterloo. 

For some mysterious reason, perhaps Freudian or Jungian, however, 

I have so far neglected to explore world music’s abiding 47-year presence 

at my alma mater, York University’s Music Department. Luckily 

this March arms me with several reasons to fill that lacuna: ten backto-back 

upcoming concerts; two recent conversations; and the retirement 

of one of York’s key world music animators, Trichy Sankaran. 

The first conversation: I turned first to world music's prime initiator 

at York, the man with the plan, York U. professor emeritus R. Sterling 

Beckwith. He’s the person I credit with introducing world music 

ensembles in Canadian universities as continuing credit courses. As 

York U. Music Department’s founding chair surely he could shed light 

on its fundamentals. He didn’t disappoint; his trenchant views and 

passion on the topic were as keen as ever. 

“World music along with jazz has now been taken up by many 

American and Canadian universities; they have become fixtures 

there,” he began. “Long gone are the days when they considered it 

beneath their interest,” he added. 

“Well before I arrived at York, I took [pioneering] ethnomusicologist 

Mantle Hood’s Javanese gamelan class at Harvard. I also spent 

time with the retired senior musicologist Charles Seeger. Among 

other things, he praised the American Carnatic singer and ethnomusicologist 

Jon Higgins whose bi-musical [a term coined by ethnomusicologist 

Mantle Hood] reputation preceded him.” Even though 

Higgins was still at the very start 

of a remarkable career, he had 

already concertized, broadcast 

and recorded a Carnatic music 

LP with renowned musicians 

in India. (Spoiler alert: Higgins 

became a teacher and a mentor of 

mine at York.) 

There is a back story here which 

Beckwith helpfully sketched for 

me. Mantle Hood’s groundbreaking 

ethnomusicology program at 

UCLA, established in 1960, came 

complete with performing ensembles, 

and produced Robert Brown the 

R. Sterling Beckwith 

person who in turn kick-started the World Music program at Wesleyan 

University. Through Brown, we can trace the teacher-student lineage 

to Higgins. Brown served as Higgins’ PhD thesis advisor at Wesleyan. 

“I consider other American university ethnomusicology programs 

such as those at Washington University also direct descendants of 

Hood’s groundbreaking efforts at UCLA,” Beckwith added. 

“Yet another defining pre-York U. experience was the discussion 

I had with the late Ravi Shankar about introducing applied Indian 

music studies at York. He was intrigued and recommended his sitar 

disciple Shambhu Das, who as it turned out, was already living in 

Toronto. All of that was in my head when I arrived here in 1969.” 

Beckwith continued, “I was determined to implement the paradigm-altering 

gamelan experiences I had with Hood and the inspiring 

conversations I had with Seeger, as well as doing what I could to bring 

Higgins to York. As events would have it, my last official act as Music 

Department chair was to be able to hire Jon Higgins, which made it 

possible in turn to hire the gifted percussionist Trichy Sankaran a 

little later.” 

Trichy Sankaran: One of Beckwith’s first world music hires, in 1971 

– and significantly also one of the longest serving – was a mridangam 

and kanjira player with an international career, Trichy Sankaran. 

Sankaran passed a significant milestone last fall, retiring from York 

in September 2015 after an illustrious career spanning 44 years as 

a professor of music, researcher and textbook author. As well as 

serving as a co-founding director of its Indian music studies, one of 

Canada’s first university-based world music performance programs, 

he also developed hybrid Carnatic and Western pedagogical practices. 

Certainly one of Sankaran’s most significant contributions at York was 

his marked influence on a couple of generations of students, many of 

whom have gone on to become established musicians, composers and 

educators. His outstanding achievements as an educator were recognized 

with the OCUFA Award, given by the Ontario Confederation of 

University Faculty Associations for teaching excellence. 

Along with Beckwith, I and many other Sankaran friends, 

colleagues and students were present at York’s Tribute Communities 

Recital Hall last September. Few there doubted that the event marked 


weston_printad_wholenote3.56x4.95.qxt_Layout 1 2/21/16 3:29 AM Page 1 

the closing of a long and 

important first chapter in 

the music department’s 

grand – and continuing – 

adventure in world music 

education. 

The occasion was celebrated 

in style with a 

formal concert in which 

Sankaran was joined 

on stage by his vocalist 

daughter Suba Sankaran, 

leader of the JUNOnominated 

Indo-jazzfunk 

fusion ensemble 

Autorickshaw, and her 

bandmates, bass guitarist 

Trichy Sankaran 

and singer Dylan Bell, and 

tabla player Ed Hanley. The musicians gave authoritative performances 

of solo and ensemble works, the repertoire including original compositions 

by the senior Sankaran. As well as signalling the passing on of 

an intergenerational musical torch, it additionally asserted (at least 

my awareness of) the emergence of a specific family-centered kind of 

Indo-Canadian hybrid music-making, echoing the venerable Indian 

tradition of guru-shishya parampara. As for the continuity of Carnatic 

music education at York pioneered by Sankaran, that subject appears 

to be moot. 

The second conversation: Throughout its first three decades, York’s 

world music ensemble courses remained relatively constant and few. 

It was only around the very early 2000s that I became aware of a 

dramatic increase in the number of world music ensembles. The trend 

only crossed my personal radar after, in 1999, I was hired, by Michael 

Coughlan, the incoming Music Department chair, as the founding 

course director of the Javanese Gamelan (ensemble) course. During 

the years I taught the course, the number and range of music ensembles 

seemed to grow almost exponentially, and the students attracted 

to them likewise swelled. 

What’s the current state of the university’s world music ensemble 

program? I spoke to the ethnomusicologist, singer and instrumentalist 

Irene Markoff, whose research and performing activities centre on the 

musical traditions of Bulgaria, Turkey and the Balkans. “I began to 

teach there in 2001,” she told me. “At one point I taught global musicianship 

to music majors. Placed in the context of performance rather 

than listening to recorded musical examples, my approach was well 

received by the students.” Her ensemble courses however also include 

non-music major students. Markoff gave an example, “I currently 

have a number of students of Chinese heritage in my ensemble who 

can sing complex metrical parts, despite being non-music majors. 

They sometimes outstrip music majors in mastering some of these 

[perceived difficult] performing skills.” 

While generally bullish on York’s music course offerings, she did 

express a wish: “That our music students would be required to take a 

world music ensemble.” Why? “For the simple reason that we live in 

a multicultural society and I believe such study will broaden students’ 

musical horizons. Also with musical hybridities [being a regular fact 

of musicians’ lives today], it’s important for learners to be exposed 

to the broad spectrum of metres, multi-part singing styles and tonal 

modes,” all benefits afforded by learning music outside of the Western 

mainstream. 

I asked Markoff about the future of the world music ensembles. “I 

have proposed the production of ensemble music videos hosted on the 

department’s website as a means of attracting future students. As for 

their relevance, I believe these ensemble courses will continue to well 

serve music students, exposing them to ‘other’ musical practices and 

to increase their appreciation and understanding of peoples.” 

In a nutshell, Markoff believes such educational ensembles, which 

allow students to experience the musical diversity of cultures, tend to 

“build bridges rather than erecting walls between cultures.” 

York University’s World Music Festival runs March 17, 18 and 21 at 

various venues, all in the Accolade East Building. 

The Rose Room Media Group presents the World Premiere of 

THE YELLOW GUITAR 

starringTHE GALEN WESTON BAND 

Animation by Stephen Weston 

A one of a kind evening of animated live music brilliance 

GALENWESTON.ORG 

SATURDAY 

MARCH 26TH 

The Berkeley Street Theatre 

26 Berkeley Street 8:00pm showtime 

Tickets: $50-$58 

at canadianstage.com or Canadian Stage box office 

FACEBOOK.COM/GALENWESTONBAND 


Mar 17 the World Music Festival kicks off with the Cuban Ensemble 

conducted by Rick Lazar and Anthony Michell, followed by West 

African Drumming, Ghana, led by Kwasi Dunyo. That afternoon 

Lazar’s Escola de Samba rules the Sterling Beckwith Studio, followed 

by West African Mande, Anna Melnikoff, conductor. 

Mar 18 Irene Markoff conducts the Balkan Music Ensemble at 

7:30pm at the Tribute Communities Recital Hall. Earlier that day 

performances by the Celtic Ensemble conducted by Sherry Johnson, 

Chinese Classical Orchestra directed by Kim Chow-Morris, Caribbean 

Ensemble conducted by Lindy Burgess and Charles Hong’s Korean 

Drum Ensemble will echo in various Accolade East Building halls. 

It’s a World Music Festival wrap Mar 21 with the World Music 

Chorus conducted by Judith Cohen, a course I greatly enjoyed a few 

years ago when I returned (yet again!) to my music studies at York. 

Please consult The WholeNote listings for times and venue details. 

University of Toronto Faculty of Music: York University is certainly 

not the only world music game in town. Apr 7 the U of T Faculty of 

Music presents its World Music Ensembles in concert at Walter Hall. 

Featured are the African Drumming and Dancing Ensemble, Latin- 

American Percussion Ensemble and Steel Pan Ensemble. I’ve been 

attending these concerts since their inception and have never failed to 

be inspired by the enthusiasm and musical skill demonstrated. 

Quick Picks 

Mar 2 the COC’s noon-hour World Music Series presents Avataar. 

Directed by saxophonist and composer Sundar Viswanathan the allstar 

Toronto group often includes Michael Occhipinti (guitar), Justin 

Gray (bass), Felicity Williams (voice), Ravi Naimpally (tabla) and 

Giampaolo Scatozza (drum set). They’ll be playing selections from 

their recently released album Petal. Arrive early. 

BRASH: It is just the sort of weather, however unseasonable, 

for “BRASH! A Badass Brass Festival,” presented by Lemon Bucket 

Orkestra (LBO) and Small World Music, on Mar 11 and 12 at the Opera 

House on Queen St. E. LBO with its high hipster street cred needs no 

further introduction in these pages. Ratcheting up the badass quotient 

a notch will be Toronto’s Rambunctious and Montreal’s Gypsy Kumbia 

Brass Band. 

Mar 11, 12 and 13 at the Betty Oliphant Theatre the Raging Asian 

Women (RAW) Taiko Drummers perform an evening of stories from 

the drummers’ lives, in collaboration with Asian Canadian performers 

Teiya Kasahara (voice) and Heidi Chan (percussion and flute). 

"Crooked Lines: Stories in Between" involves video vignettes along 

with the taiko drummers' trademark ferocity and spirit. 

Mar 26 the Small World Music Centre presents a smaller, more intimate 

and reflective musical experience, though in no way any less 

passionate: the Dilan Ensemble directed by Shahriyar Jamshidi, a 

kamancheh (bowed lute) player, composer and vocalist, now settled 

in Canada. "In the Shadow of the Fatherland" is a cross section of 

the repertoire the Iranian Kurdistan native has devoted his career to 

preserving and transmitting. Jamshidi is joined by the tombak (goblet 

drum) master Pedram Khavarzamini. 

Apr 2 and 3 The Aga Khan Museum continues its impressively inclusive 

concert programming, partnering with the venerable presenter 

Raag-Mala Music Society of Toronto in two concerts titled Raags of the 

Gharana Tradition. Apr 2, Maihar gharana (musical school, lineage) 

sitarist Anupama Bhagwat and Agra gharana singer Waseem Ahmed 

Khan render a selected few of the vast set of Hindustani evening raags. 

Apr 3 at 3pm it’s time for a much rarer section of afternoon raags; 

many “classical” ragas/raags are associated with four three-hour timeframes 

and for maximum effect are performed at those prescribed 

times. Sarangi player Ramesh Mishra, a disciple of Ravi Shankar (of 

the Maihar gharana), shares the concert with the vocalist Devaki 

Pandit who has studied with gurus of both Jaipur and Agra gharanas. 

Also on Apr 2 Nagata Shachu, with Kiyoshi Nagata as its music 

director, joins one of the city’s leading percussion ensembles TorQ 

in concert at the Brigantine Room, Harbourfront Centre. Expect 

an engaging, polished Japanese, Western and world percussion 

music mix. 

Beat by Beat | Jazz Stories 

Changing 

Directions 

ORI DAGAN 

Dollars to doughnuts Amanda Tosoff will win jazz piano fans 

in a flash with her stupendously swingin’ version of Rodgers 

and Hart’s There’s a Small Hotel from 2013’s Live at the Cellar 

with Jodi Proznick on bass and Jesse Cahill on drums. But aside 

from the odd standard or bandmate’s original tune, most of Tosoff’s 

recordings to date have focused on her own original compositions, 

including 2008’s Wait and See which was followed by the prestigious 

General Motors Grand Jazz Award at the Festival International de Jazz 

de Montréal. 

Designed to showcase some of Toronto’s finest local jazz talent, 

the TD Discovery Series is a year-long initiative of music and educational 

performances created by Toronto Downtown Jazz, producers of 

the Toronto Jazz Festival, and supported by TD Bank Group. This year, 

Amanda Tosoff’s Words Project is the first of four TD Discovery Series 

Special Projects. It finds the pianist, composer and arranger echoing a 

welcome tradition in Canadian jazz and creative music: setting poetry 

to music with stunning results. As great as the sum of its parts, the 

project features the following artists: Felicity Williams, voice; Amanda 

Tosoff, piano; Alex Goodman, guitar; Jon Maharaj, bass; Morgan 

Childs, drums; Rebekah Wolkstein, violin; Amy Laing, cello. As is 

always the case, this will be an evening not to be missed, and advance 

tickets are highly recommended. 

Amanda Tosoff is a daring improviser and gifted composer. Words, 

her fifth release, is a bold move, as evidenced by words taken directly 

from her website. “The desire to challenge oneself (and the audience) 

is a key component of the DNA of a true artist.” The concept of setting 

music to poetry was not planned; it was itself an improvised result of 

a composition exercise: 

“One day I just decided to find a poem and write a melody to it 

– the song on the record called Owl Pellet by Tim Bowling. I had 

such a great time doing this that I decided to continue on with this 

idea, eventually choosing a bunch of poems that resonated with me. 

I have to admit that I hadn’t really checked out much poetry since 

high school, but this project has definitely made me more interested 

in poetry, and how poems can provide a great starting point for 

composition. They give you moods, images, emotions and phrasing 

to start with. I definitely feel that this has expanded my composition 

skill and also my approach to style. I really look forward to exploring 

this more.” 

May the fans of William Wordsworth worldwide check out the 

opening track Daffodils – it is available for listening on Tosoff’s 

YouTube channel. Other sources of text include Canadian poets Carole 

Glasser Langille and Laura Lush and song lyrics from talented songsmiths 

(and members of Tosoff’s family), Melissa Mansfield and Lloyd 

and Ted Tosoff. 

At first listen, and very much at the forefront of this project’s 

Andrew Timar is a Toronto musician and music writer. He 

can be contacted at worldmusic@thewholenote.com. 


ORI DAGAN 

Amanda Tosoff and Galen Weston 

success, is vocalist Felicity Williams, a musician who shines consistently. 

Much admired within the communities of creative music, jazz, 

pop and beyond for her pure, unaffected sound, intense vocal range 

and endlessly inventive improvisational ability, the York University 

Music alumna has worked with a wide range of projects, from 

Bahamas to Hobson’s Choice. 

“Felicity is amazing,” says Tosoff. “She’s such a great musician 

and was perfect for this project. As soon as I wrote the first piece I 

heard her singing it. I think it is her beautiful pure tone, but also, 

perhaps, her range too. I have to admit that when I was writing these 

pieces I was singing a lot to figure out how I wanted my melodies 

and phrasing to go. I think that her voice was most similar to mine 

in range and the way I wanted the melodies sung – so I guess I wrote 

these pieces for myself, but needed a fantastic singer to bring the 

songs to life! 

Says Felicity Williams: 

“Amanda found a way to make the music spring up through the 

words, as though both music and words were flowing from the same 

point of origin. I think that’s what you have to do when you take 

someone else’s poems and set them to music. If you make yourself 

receptive to the rhythm and the phrasing of the words themselves, you 

can get on their wavelength. And then you extend the creative process, 

by making something new.” 

Amanda Tosoff’s Words CD release concert takes place at the Music 

Gallery on March 10 at 8pm, $20 or $18 in advance; and March 11 at 

8:30pm at The Jazz Room in Waterloo. 

Readers who find the setting of poetry to jazz interesting will 

want to check out a previous TD Discovery, the Sarah Yeats Project, a 

contemporary chamber jazz group that features the poetry of William 

Butler Yeats. With original music and arrangements by Sarah Jerrom, 

the featured poems are arranged for nine-piece instrumentation 

comprised of strings, woodwinds, brass and a traditional jazz rhythm 

section. This is a highly ambitious project and Jerrom invites you to 

join her crowd funding campaign to complete the recording of The 

Yeats Project through her Kapipal page: visit sarahjerrom.com. 

Plugged-In Weston: Meanwhile, at galenweston.org you can find 

Plugged In, the latest recording from innovative fusion jazz guitarist 

Galen Weston (“Not that Galen Weston,” jokes his publicist, citing no 

relation to the current executive chairman 

and president of Loblaw Companies 

Limited). This Galen Weston, owner of a 

beautiful new recording studio called the 

Rose Room (roseroom.ca) has an extensive 

business background, although the music 

came first: 

“I graduated from Humber College in 

1997; they were nice enough to introduce 

me to jazz and ruin my life,” he jokes. 

“Prior to that I was rocking it out, twohand 

tapping. I loved instrumental rock – 

Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, I was a huge guitar 

fan - then I got there and I had to learn all 

this vocabulary, speak this new language – 

but I fell in love with it. 

I never achieved what I wanted to achieve in college – I wasn’t 

getting out there and getting to tour with Gary Burton – or anyone, 

for that matter. So I wasn’t sure what I would do because I had this 

desire to play jazz and fusion and that’s what I wanted to do, but my 

ability wasn’t in line with my desire at the point of doing it professionally. 

My reading was strong, so I would have been good enough to 

lose my mind in a pit band or something, but I was broke, too. Student 

loan debts meant that a good paying job for me at that time was eight 

dollars an hour at a gas station. And I wanted to stay in Toronto so I 

needed a job to make money.” 

As a determined self-taught, self-made entrepreneur, Weston went 

from making 350 phone calls a day selling penny stocks to becoming 

RBC’s most successful rookie. 

“The whole company came in and they made me talk about how I 

got so successful, and then the next day I quit, it just wasn’t me. I had 

enough money to pay off my student debt, but I needed another plan. 

I liked Lead Generation and working with the internet, and I really 

ETHAN 

HAWKE 

“Hawke gives a riveting performance 

from first scene to last.” 

CARMEN 

EJOGO 

ROGER HUMBERT 

St. Philip’s Anglican Church 

Sunday, March 6, 4:00 PM | Jazz Vespers 

Barbra Lica Quartet with Barbra (vocals), Joel Visentin (piano), 

Tom Fleming (guitar), Marc Rogers (bass) 

Sunday, March 20, 4:00 PM | Jazz Vespers 

Lou Pomanti Trio with Lou (piano), Marc Rogers (bass), 

Davide Direnzo (drums) 

Sunday, April 3, 4:00 PM | Jazz Vespers 

Tribute to Duke Ellington with Mike Murley (saxophone), 

Mark Eisenman (piano), Pat Collins (bass), Barry Elmes (drums) 

St. Philip’s Anglican Church | Etobicoke 

25 St. Phillips Road (near Royal York + Dixon) 

416-247-5181 • stphilips.net • free will offering 

WWW.BORNTOBEBLUEMOVIE.CA 

EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT STARTS MARCH 11 

AT TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX 


worked hard…seven years later, while the US market tanked, everyone 

wanted safe money so they bought annuities, and I had my entire 

engine set up for Lead Generation.” 

Weston is considered a financial Internet marketing pioneer. His 

company AdvisorWorld.com has helped tens of thousands to obtain 

successful professional relationships with trusted advisors. 

Success has allowed Weston to recently come back to music full 

circle, spending his time practising, writing and recording at the 

Rose Room Studio. The Galen Weston Band is comprised of David 

Woodhead on bass, Al Cross on drums, Matt Horner on keyboards, 

Richard Underhill on alto sax and appearances by Rick Lazar on 

percussion. The band’s beautifully produced Plugged In album has 

been slowly picking up steam online; Song For Daphne has been 

played over 136,000 times on SoundCloud as of this writing. As for 

gaining exposure in the Toronto music scene, unsurprisingly, Weston 

has a plan. 

“I’ve always been thinking it’s hard to get Torontonians to music in 

general, it’s almost like you have to drag them out by the earlobe. So 

I thought, how do I get them there? I had to do something that opens 

me up to a theatre audience. I needed to make my show more theatrical 

– I don’t like speaking and I’m not very good at it – so this was 

kind of inspired by U2 and Pink Floyd – adding a visual element that 

people aren’t used to.” 

On March 26 at the Berkeley Street Theatre, the Galen Weston 

Band will be appearing live – and animated! In collaboration with his 

uncle, award-winning animator Stephen Weston, the concert experience 

will take audience members to a world where “Fantasia meets 

Guitar Hero” and where the animations tell the story of the guitarist’s 

own journey, or as he puts it: “a tongue-in-cheek meditation on the 

struggle for identity in a genre-obsessed world.” 

Kudos to the artists who take risks and the audiences who honour 

them with ears and cheers. 

Ori Dagan is a Toronto-based jazz musician, writer and 

educator who can be reached at oridagan.com. 

Beat by Beat | Bandstand 

From CBA to ABC 

Sounding Brass 

JACK MACQUARRIE 

In last month’s issue I mentioned that, for the first time, Canadian 

Band Association, Ontario would be holding a Community Brass 

Band Weekend, February 19 to 21. Unlike previous Community 

Band Weekends this one was devoted to the music of the British brass 

band movement. For those not familiar with these weekends, this is 

not a gathering of bands. Rather it is a weekend of music-making by 

individuals who enjoy playing music of the type featured, in this case, 

the British Brass Band style. The host band for this weekend was the 

Oshawa Civic Band with conductor Rita Arendz. 

Most participants were members of such CBA-member bands as 

the Weston Silver Band, the Metropolitan Silver Band, the Whitby 

Brass Band, the Oshawa Civic Band and others. There were also some 

participants without any particular brass band affiliation. As in other 

such weekends, participation was open to any brass and percussion 

players. The rehearsal and public concert provided an opportunity for 

brass musicians not familiar with the genre to experience the unique 

sound and some of the repertoire of the brass band movement. Since 

there appears to be a resurgence of interest in brass bands and their 

music, this might be a suitable time to probe into the world of the 

brass band music, its performers and its devotees. 

The Characteristics: For starters, let’s look at the differences 

between the brass band and what is generally referred to as the 

modern day concert band. The principal difference is that a brass band 

has no woodwind instruments, i.e. no flutes, clarinets, saxophones, 

oboes or bassoons. As well, the brass band has no French horns. The 

early brass bands generally had only a single drummer. Nowadays, 

many have a larger percussion section including timpani and, in some 

cases, melodic percussion. 

As for instrumentation, cornets are used rather than trumpets. Of 

those, the soprano cornet plays the sort of high register part which 

would be played by a flute in a concert band. The E-flat horns (sometimes 

called alto and sometimes called tenor) fill in between the 

cornets and the baritone horns and trombones. The bass section has 

both E-flat and B-flat instruments. Since all of these instruments 

except the trombones have a conical bore rather than cylindrical, the 

tone has a more mellow quality. The tone is even more mellow for the 

flugelhorn which has a much more conical bore. 

So what is the difference between a brass band and a silver band? 

Silver instruments are brass instruments which have been silver 

plated. In the early days, silver instruments were considerably more 

expensive than the brass ones, and thus had some snob value for 

those bands which could afford them. Today the price difference is not 

significant. 

Another major difference between brass bands and concert bands 

is the musical notation. With the exception of percussion, bass trombone 

and some tenor trombone music, all parts are transposed and 

written in the treble clef. This means that for every instrument, from 

the basses right up to the soprano cornet, the fingering is the same. 

So, for beginner classes, group instruction on all of the instruments 

is possible. My introduction to band music was in a boys’ brass band, 

and our instructional classes always had the range of instruments 

from cornets to basses in one class. With this system, if necessary, 

players are able to switch more easily between instruments. Thus it is 

easier to cover parts when a particular instrument is missing. 

As I mentioned, my first band was a boys’ band. That was the norm 

then. Girls were usually not permitted in bands. In our band there was 

an exception. We actually had two girls. (Since their father happened 

to be the bandmaster, that might have made a difference.) It was as 

late as 1947 that the student council of the University of Toronto called 


a special debate to finally permit a girl to play in the university band. 

Fast forward to 2016 and this band weekend. Two of the most prominent 

brass bands in Southern Ontario have women as conductors. 

Rita Arendz leads the host Oshawa Civic Band and Fran Harvey has 

been leading the Metropolitan Silver Band since 2002. 

Brass bands first appeared in Britain in the early part of the 19th 

century. With the Industrial Revolution and urbanization, employers 

were happy to finance ways to decrease political activity and minimize 

the amount of time the workers spent in the pubs. Along with 

that Industrial Revolution came a vast improvement in technology and 

mechanical skills. Fortuitously these factors coincided with the invention 

of valves for brass instruments. Now brass instruments, other 

than the trombone, could play chromatically. 

It was now possible to produce, in quantity, brass instruments with 

good musical quality. There were some other reasons for the rapid 

growth in the popularity of brass instruments. Not only was it possible 

to mass produce these much more inexpensively than the woodwinds, 

but a three-valved, easy-to-hold instrument is much more userfriendly 

than a keyed instrument or a stringed instrument. 

Company Bands: Employers were now willing and able to provide a 

recreational outlet for their workers. In particular, mining companies 

and mills fostered company bands. It has been estimated that by 

1860 there were over 750 brass bands in England. It would be difficult 

to determine which bands still performing have been the longest 

running. However, no one is likely to match the claim that the Black 

Dyke Mills Band, founded by that name in 1855, has one of the longest 

traditions. It has been reported that there are now thousands of brass 

bands in the UK. 

Since playing a musical instrument was deemed to be an acceptable 

social activity, if for no other reason than it kept people from the 

pubs and other corrupt activities, abstinence groups began forming 

temperance bands. Then in 1878, albeit only as a quartet, the first 

Salvation Army band was formed. Since the Salvation Army frequently 

took their message to the streets, the portability and weather resistance 

of brass instruments had considerable appeal. If a brass instrument 

is rained on, simply dry it off. That won’t do for a clarinet or a 

violin. While some Salvationist bands did manage to keep their activities 

separate from the general brass band movement, there was some 

cross-pollination. Long before it became acceptable in the general 

band movement, the Salvation Army actively recruited women for 

their bands. 

Contests: Over time, local contests involving a few neighbouring 

bands grew into larger events with more bands. Then, with 

the backing of Sir Arthur Sullivan, the first National Brass Band 

Championship took place at the Crystal Palace in 1900 with twentynine 

bands competing. The test piece was an arrangement of Sullivan’s 

compositions and Sullivan conducted the final massed band concert. 

Sullivan’s name certainly gave the event an element of respectability; 

calls for original music were soon answered by such composers as Sir 

Edward Elgar and Gustav Holst. 

The 2016 Spode Thundermug 

ABC Award 

The NBBC remains the principal competition in 

the British brass band world. Generally speaking, the 

importance of contests has a been a major factor in 

the development of top-notch players throughout 

the entire brass band movement. Cornetist Herbert L. 

Clarke is one shining example of the talent spawned 

by such groups. Another that I had the pleasure of 

hearing at Massey Hall some years ago was French 

virtuoso Maurice André. He started in a company 

band in a coal mining town in France. 

A New Award: Every once in a while I stray a bit 

from the band world to either praise or vilify some 

event in the musical world which I have either been 

thrilled or appalled by. This month it’s the latter. In 

recent years, when major sports events are being televised, 

it has become the norm to have some musical 

celebrity sing the national anthem rather than play 

it so that the audience can sing it in the way that 

was intended. Some of these soloists have the intelligence 

to lead the singing in that spirit. Some of them 

have decided that their personal styling is far more important than 

authenticity. For me, the anthem sank to the bottom of a new crevasse 

recently at the beginning of the National Basketball Association’s 

All-Star Game in Toronto. The “guest artist,” whose facial contortions 

matched those of her voice, inflicted considerable pain on all of her 

victims from coast to coast. O Canada will never be the same. 

Be it hereby proclaimed that henceforth, every February, this 

column will award the ABC (the Anthem Butchery Cup) for egotistical 

desecration of the national anthem. Nelly Furtado wins the inaugural 

award hands down. Nominations for next year’s award are now being 

accepted. Send video links to support your case. 

Jack MacQuarrie plays several brass instruments and 

has performed in many community ensembles. He can 

be contacted at bandstand@thewholenote.com. 

BARNABY SOUTHGATE 


The WholeNote listings are arranged in four sections: 

A. 

GTA (GREATER TORONTO AREA) covers all of Toronto 

plus Halton, Peel, York and Durham regions. 

B. 

BEYOND THE GTA covers many areas of Southern 

Ontario outside Toronto and the GTA. Starts on page 43. 

C. 

MUSIC THEATRE covers a wide range of music types: 

from opera, operetta and musicals, to non-traditional 

performance types where words and music are in some 

fashion equal partners in the drama. Starts on page 46. 

D. 

IN THE CLUBS (MOSTLY JAZZ) 

is organized alphabetically by club. 

Starts on page 48. 

E. 

THE ETCETERAS is for galas, fundraisers, competitions, 

screenings, lectures, symposia, masterclasses, workshops, 

singalongs and other music-related events (except 

performances) which may be of interest to our readers. 

Starts on page 51. 

A GENERAL WORD OF CAUTION. A phone number is provided 

with every listing in The WholeNote — in fact, we won’t publish 

a listing without one. Concerts are sometimes cancelled or postponed; 

artists or venues may change after listings are published. 

Please check before you go out to a concert. 

HOW TO LIST. Listings in The WholeNote in the four sections above 

are a free service available, at our discretion, to eligible presenters. 

If you have an event, send us your information no later than the 

8th of the month prior to the issue or issues in which your listing is 

eligible to appear. 

LISTINGS DEADLINE. The next issue covers the period from 

April 1 to May 7, 2015. All listings must be received by 

Midnight Sunday March 8. 

LISTINGS can be sent by e-mail to listings@thewholenote.com or 

by fax to 416-603-4791 or by regular mail to the address on page 6. 

We do not receive listings by phone, but you can call 416-323-2232 

x27 for further information. 

LISTINGS ZONE MAP. Visit our website to see a detailed version 

of this map: thewholenote.com. 

Georgian 

Bay 

LISTINGS 

A. Concerts in the GTA 

IN THIS ISSUE: Ajax, Aurora, Brampton, Etobicoke, Markham, 

Mississauga, Newmarket, North York, Oshawa, Richmond Hill, 

Scarborough, Toronto Island. 

Tuesday March 1 

● ● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company. 

Chamber Music Series: Beauty of Baroque. 

Featuring chamber music from England, 

France, Germany, Austria, and Italy. Tafelmusik 

Baroque Orchestra. Richard Bradshaw 

Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for the 

Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363- 

8231. Free. 

● ● 12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation/ 

Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. Lunchtime 

Chamber Music. Rising Stars Recital. 

Featuring performance students from the 

UofT Faculty of Music. Yorkminster Park Baptist 

Church, 1585 Yonge St. 416-241-1298. 

Free. Donations welcome. 

● ● 1:00: Cathedral Church of St. James. 

Midday Organ Series. David Briggs, organ. 

65 Church St. 416-364-7865. Free. 

● ● 7:00: University of Toronto Faculty of 

Music. Student Composers Concert. Walter 

Hall, Edward Johnson Building, University 

of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-0492. 

Free. 

Music TORONTO 

STEVEN 

OSBORNE 

Pianist 

March 1 at 8 pm 

Ask LUDWIG 

● ● 8:00: Music Toronto. Steven Osborne, 

piano. Schubert: Impromptus D935 Nos.1 & 

4; Debussy: Masques; Images, Book 2; L’ile 

joyeuse; Rachmaninoff: Études-Tableaux, 

Op.33 Nos.1, 3, 6, 7, 8; Études-Tableaux Op.39: 

Nos.2, 5, 7, 8, 9. Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence 

Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416- 

366-7723. $55, $50; $10(st); age 18 to 35 – pay 

your age. 

● ● 8:00: Talisker Players. Spirit Dreaming: 

Creation Myths from Around the World. 

Somers: Kuyas; Beckwith: Tanu; Ravel: Chansons 

Madécasses; Villa-Lobos: Suite for 

voice and violin; Jaubert: Chants sahariens; 

and other works. Ilana Zarankin, soprano; 

Laura McAlpine, mezzo; Andrew Moodie, 

reader. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor 

St. W. 416- 978-8849. $40; $30(sr); $10(st/ 

un(der)employed). Pre-concert talk at 7:15. 

Also Mar 2. 

Wednesday March 2 


World Music Series: Petal. Avataar marries 

Hindustani raag and taal, hardbop 

jazz, Brazilian lyricism, electronica, atmospheric 

textures and ambiance, Javanese 

gamelan and contemporary improvisation. 

Sundar Viswanathan, woodwinds and director. 

Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four 

Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 

145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free. 

● ● 12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. 

Noonday Organ Recitals. Conrad Gold, organ. 

1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167. Free. 


Cantatas in the Cathedral. Excerpts from 

Bach: St. Matthew Passion BWV244; St. 

John Passion BWV245. Soloists from the 

Cathedral Choir of St. James; David Briggs, 

organ. 65 Church St. 416-364-7865. Entry by 

donation. 

● ● 6:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. 

Vivaldi Concerto for Two Trumpets. Rossini: 

Overture to La gazza ladra; Paganini: 

Sonata per la Gran Viola; Vivaldi: Concerto 

for Two Trumpets; Haydn: Sinfonia concertante 

in B-flat Hob.I/105. Sarah Jeffrey, oboe; 

Michael Sweeney, bassoon; Steven Woomert; 

Lake 

Huron 

7 

8 

3 4 

6 

2 1 

5 

Lake Erie 

City of Toronto 

Lake Ontario 

If you prefer NOT to read through all 356 listings in this section 

looking for Pandora Topp or Koerner Hall or 

Early Music or Syrinx or Zone 3 then don't. 

TheWholeNote.com/index.php/listings/ask-ludwig 


trumpet; James Gardiner, trumpet; Jonathan 

Crow, violin and other soloists; Earl Lee, 

RBC Resident Conductor; Tom Allen, host; 

Peter Oundjian, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 

60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. $29.50-$83.75. 

● ● 8:00: Living Arts Centre. The Trews 

Acoustic. Living Arts Centre, Hammerson 

Hall, 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905- 

306-6000. $45-$55. 

● ● 8:00: Royal Conservatory. String Concerts: 

Vilde Frang and Michall Lifits. Schubert: 

Fantasy in C for Violin and Piano D934; 

Lutosławski: Partita; Fauré: Violin Sonata 

No.1 Op.13. Koerner Hall, Telus Centre, 

273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $30-$65. 

● ● 8:00: Talisker Players. Spirit Dreaming: 

Creation Myths from Around the World. 

See Mar 1. 

● ● 9:00 and 10:15: Mezzetta Restaurant. 

Wednesday Concert Series: Brazilian Jazz. 

Bill McBirnie, flute; Bernie Senensky, piano. 

681 St. Clair Ave. W. 416-658-5687. $10 cover. 

Reservations recommended. 

Thursday March 3 

● ● 12:00 noon: Adam Sherkin. Rachmaninoff: 

Preludes of the North. Rachmaninoff: 

Preludes Op.32 (excerpts); Sherkin: Postludes 

from Adlivun (2014). Adam Sherkin, 

piano. Bluma Appel Lobby, St. Lawrence Centre 

for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723. 

Free. Presented in partnership with Steinway 

Piano Gallery. 

● ● 12:00 noon: Encore Symphonic Concert 

Band. In Concert: Classics and Jazz. John 

Edward Liddle, conductor. Wilmar Heights 

Centre, 963 Pharmacy Ave., Scarborough. 

416-346-3910. $10. Incl. coffee and snack. 

● ● 12:15: Metropolitan United Church. Noon 

at Met. Sergio Orabona, organ. Metropolitan 

United Church (Toronto), 56 Queen St. E. 416- 

363-0331 x26. Free. 

● ● 12:30: York University Department of 

Music. Faculty Spotlight: Patricia Wait, clarinet 

and Mark Chambers, cello. Tribute Communities 

Recital Hall, Accolade East Building, 

YU, 4700 Keele St. 647-459-0701. Free. 

● ● 1:30: Women’s Musical Club of Toronto. 

Music in the Afternoon. Sibelius: String 

Quartet in d Op.56 “Voces intimae”; MacMillan: 

Tuireadh; Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in b 

Op.115. Daedalus Quartet; Romie Deguise- 

Langlois, clarinet. Walter Hall, Edward 

Johnson Building, University of Toronto, 

80 Queen’s Park. 416-923-7052. $45. 

● ● 7:30: Opera York. Don Pasquale. Donizetti. 

Michael Robert Broder (Don Pasquale); Dion 

Mazerolle (Dr. Malatesta); Anne Marie Ramos 

(Norina); and others; Geoffrey Butler, artistic 

director; Renee Salewski, stage director. 

Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing 

Arts, 10268 Yonge St., Richmond Hill. 905- 

787-8811. $40-$50; $110(gala package). With 

supertitles. Also Mar 5. 

● ● 7:30: Toronto City Opera. L’Elisir d’Amore. 

Donizetti. Beatrice Carpino, artistic director; 

Adolfo De Santis, conductor. Bickford Centre 

Theatre, 777 Bloor St. W. 416-978-8849. $28; 

$20(sr); $15(st). Sung in Italian with English 

TCOtitles. Also Mar 5. 


Music. Improv Soiree. An evening of improvisation 

in a participatory “open mike” set-up, 

hosted by the improv studios of Casey Sokol. 

Sterling Beckwith Studio, 235 Accolade East 

Building, 4700 Keele St. 647-459-0701. Free. 

Performers and observers welcome. 

Friday March 4 

● ● 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Noontime 

Recital: Melody Chan, piano. St. Andrew’s 

Church, 73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x231. 

Free. 

● ● 1:10: Gordon Murray Presents. Piano Potpourri. 

Classics, opera, operetta, musicals, 

ragtime, pop, international and other genres. 

Gordon Murray, piano. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 

427 Bloor St. W. 416-631-4300. PWYC. 

Concert in chapel; lunch and snack friendly. 

● ● 7:00: University Settlement Music & Arts 

School. End of Term Student Concert. St. 

George the Martyr Church, 197 John St. 416- 

598-3444 x243. PWYC. Proceeds in support 

of Music & Arts School programming. 

● ● 7:30: Heliconian Hall. All Aboard on a 

Musical Tour of Norway, Australia, Estonia, 

Spain, Greece and Russia. Grieg: Songs; 

Sculthorpe: Djilile; Works by Pärt, Mompou, 

Theodorakis. Paula Arciniega, mezzo; Louise 

Morley, Ruth Kazdan, Suzanne Yeo, piano; Rita 

Greer, clarinet; Jane Blackstone, voice/piano; 

Velma Ko, violin. 35 Hazelton Ave. 416-922- 

3618. $25; free(child). 

● ● 7:30: Lula Music and Arts Centre. Diane 

Roblin. Featuring all-original, jazz-funk compositions. 

Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. W. 

416-588-0307. $15; free(before 8:00). 

● ● 7:30: Opera by Request. La Traviata. Verdi. 

Allison Arends, soprano (Violetta); Ryan 

Harper, tenor (Alfredo); Andrew Tees, baritone 

(Germont); soloists and chorus of U of T 

Scarborough Concert Choir (Lenard Whiting, 

conductor); William Shookhoff, conductor 

and piano. Trinity Presbyterian Church York 

Mills, 2737 Bayview Ave. 416-455-2365. $20. 

● ● 7:30: Toronto City Opera. Die Fledermaus. 

Strauss. Beatrice Carpino, artistic director; 

Adolfo De Santis, conductor. Bickford Centre 


$20(sr); $15(st). Sung in English. Also Feb 25, 

27, Mar 6(mat). 


Music. New Chamber Competition Concert. 

Tribute Communities Recital Hall, Accolade 

East Building, YU, 4700 Keele St. 416-736- 

5888. $15; $10(sr/st). 

● ● 8:00: Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra. 

The Bold and the Beautiful. Shostakovich: 

Festive Overture; Chopin: Piano Concerto; 

Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture. 

David Jalbert, piano. Martingrove Collegiate 

Institute, 50 Winterton Dr., Etobicoke. 

416-239-5665. $30; $25(sr); $15(st). Reflection: Gospel Jazz - Down By the Riverside. 

Jake Hiebert Trio. 140 Wineva Ave. 416- 

691-8082. Freewill offering. 

An Original 

Gilbert & Sullivan 

Operetta 

Chelsea Moor Castle 

(or, The Contract to Marry) 


www.northtorontoplayers.com 

● ● 8:00: North Toronto Players. Chelsea 

Moor Castle. Book and Lyrics by Barb Scheffler 

and Michael Harms. Selections from Gilbert 

and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, The 

Mikado, HMS Pinafore, The Gondoliers, and 

Iolanthe. Justin Ralph, tenor; Laurie Hurst, 

mezzo; Barb Scheffler, soprano; Alison Boudreau, 

soprano; Julius Fulop, bass. Jubilee 

United Church, 40 Underhill Dr. 416-481-4867. 

$25; $22(sr); $15(st); free(children under 14). 

Also Mar 5 (Gala - 7:00); 6 (2:00); 11 (8:00); 12 

(2:00 and 8:00); 13 (2:00). 

● ● 8:00: Royal Conservatory. Chamber 

Music: Karen Gomyo, Christian Poltéra and 

Juho Pohjonen. Haydn: Piano Trio in E Hob. 

XV:28; Janáček: Pohádka (Fairy Tale), Violin 

Sonata JW7/7; Dvořák: Piano Trio in f Op.65. 

Koerner Hall, Telus Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 

416-408-0208. $35-$75. 

Saturday March 5 

● ● 3:00: Annex Singers Chamber Choir. 

Camerata. Chamber works by Byrd, Victoria, 

Morley, Chatman, Gjeilo and The Beatles. 

Guest: Mark Chambers, cello; Maria Case, 

conductor. St. Andrew’s United Church (Bloor 

St.), 117 Bloor St E. 416-968-7747. $25; $20(sr); 

$15(under 30); free(12 and under). Also 7:30. 

● ● 4:30: Beach United Church. Jazz and 

‘NOON 

AT MET’ 

Free concerts 

at 12:15 pm 

Music 

at Metropolitan 

Mar . 3 Sergio Orabona, Organist 

der St. Nikolaus Kirche, 

Stuttgart 

Mar. 10 Michael Fitzgerald, 

baritone 

Mar. 17 Emily Chiang, pianist 

Mar. 24 NO CONCERT 

Mar. 31 Sarah Svendsen, organist 

Apr. 7 Joshua Ehlebracht, 

organist 

Metropolitan United Church 

56 Queen Street E .,Toronto 

416-363-0331 (ext. 26) 

www.metunited.org 


Moor Castle - Gala Event. See Mar 4 (8:00); 

Also Mar 6 (2:00); 11 (8:00); 12 (2:00 and 

8:00); 13 (2:00). 

● ● 7:30: Annex Singers Chamber Choir. Camerata. 

See 3:00. 

● ● 7:30: Canadian Men’s Chorus. A Celtic Ceilidh. 

Celtic music from around the world. 

Mark Sirett: When You Are Old (premiere); 

Eleanor Daley: Skye Boat Song; Lake Isle of 

Innisfree; and others. Greg Rainville, director; 

Christina Faye, piano; Julie Ourceau, fiddle; 

Amy O’Neil, flute; Bill Kervin, bodhran; Thomas 

Power, guitar. The Music Gallery, 197 John St. 

519-305-1351. $35/$30(adv); $30/$25(under 

30)(adv). 

● ● 7:30: Counterpoint Community Orchestra. 

Inside Out: Living Our Passion. Schubert: 

Unfinished Symphony; Rodgers & Hammerstein: 

The King and I; E. Bernstein: Magnificent 

Seven; Beethoven: Egmont Overture; 

Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana (Intermezzo). 

Guest: Andrew Chung, conductor. St. Luke’s 

United Church, 353 Sherbourne St. 647-977- 

6058. $20/$18(adv); $15(st). 

● ● 7:30: Jubilate Singers. Winter Warmth: 

Latin American Voices. Works by Villa- 

Lobos, Ramirez, Guastavino and Moruja; 

traditional songs and rhythms. Guest: Rodrigo 

Chavez, charango, guitar and Latin percussion. 

St. Simon-the-Apostle Anglican 

Church, 525 Bloor St. E. 416-485-1988. $25; 

$20(sr/st). 

● ● 7:30: Opera by Request. Così fan tutte. 

Mozart. Ontario Opera Collaborative; Morgan 

Strickland, soprano (Fiordiligi); Heidi Jost, 

mezzo (Dorabella); Jeffrey Boyd, tenor (Ferrando); 

Kyle Merrithew, baritone (Guglielmo); 

Misty Banyard, soprano (Despina); Norman 

Brown, baritone (Don Alfonso); Frederic 

La Croix, conductor and piano. College 

Street United Church, 452 College St. 416- 

455-2365. $20. 

Jubilate 

singers 

Winter 

Warmth 

LATIN 

AMERICAN 

VOICES 

featuring works by 

HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS 

Featuring some 

with a brief re 

Sunda 

Joe Se 

Paul N 

guest instrumentalist Sunday, March 6 at 

RODRIGO CHAVEZ RUSS LITTLE QUINTE 

Saturday Christ March Church 5, 7:30 Deer pm Park, 15 

St. Simon-the-Apostle (north of St. Clair Church at Heath St.) 

www.thereslifehere.org Admissi 

jubilatesingers.ca 


● ● 7:30: Opera York. Don Pasquale. See 

Mar 3. 

● ● 7:30: Tallis Choir. Palestrina, Prince of 

Music. A recreation of the Papal Office of 

Compline as it may have been celebrated 

by Pope Clement VIII in the Sistine Chapel 

on September 7, 1593, sung by candlelight. 

Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli; O Magnum 

Mysterium; Salve Regina. Peter Mahon, 

conductor. St. Patrick’s Catholic Church 

(Toronto), 131 McCaul St. 416-286-9798. $30; 

$25(sr); $10(st). 

● ● 7:30: Toronto City Opera. L’Elisir d’Amore. 

See Mar 3. 

● ● 7:30: York Chamber Ensemble. Bring 

Home Beethoven. Beethoven: Violin Concerto; 

Symphony No.7. Michael Adamson, 

violin. Trinity Anglican Church (Aurora), 

79 Victoria St., Aurora. 905-727-6101. $20; 

$15(sr/st). 

● ● 8:00: Acoustic Harvest. Anne Walker: 

Down the Horseshoe Valley Road CD Release. 

Multi-media, with images and vintage photos. 

Anne Walker, vocals/guitar; Paul Mills, guitars; 

Shane Cook, fiddle; and others. St. 

Nicholas Anglican Church, 1512 Kingston Rd. 

416-264-2235. $25/$22(adv). Wheelchair 

accessible; free parking. 

● ● 8:00: Alliance Française de Toronto. 

Through the song: From Félix Leclerc to 

Francis Cabrel. Welcome Soleil (Guy Smagghe, 

vocals; Bernard Dionne, bass; Philippe 

Lafaury, guitar/mandolin; Paddy Morgan, percussion). 

24 Spadina Rd. 416-922-2014. $15; 

$10(sr/st/members). 

● ● 8:00: Jazz Performance and Education 

Centre. Jazz ‘n’ Pizazz: Jane Fair Rosemary 

Galloway Quintet. Jane Fair, saxophone; Rosemary 

Galloway, bass; Nancy Walker, piano; 

Lina Allemano, trumpet; Nick Fraser, drums. 

Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge St., 

North York. 416-461-7744. $30; $20(st). 

● ● 8:00: Roy Thomson Hall/Massey Hall. Matt 

Andersen. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 

416-872-4255. $29.50-$59.50. 

● ● 8:00: Royal Conservatory. TD Jazz: Brian 

Blade and The Fellowship Band. Koerner Hall, 

Telus Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. 

$40-$80. 

● ● 8:00: Scaramella. Délices de la solitude. 

Mélisande Corriveau, pardessus; Joëlle Morton, 

basse de viole; Eric Milnes, clavecin. 

Victoria College Chapel, 91 Charles St. W. 416- 

760-8610. $30; $25(sr); $20(st). 

● ● 8:00: Sinfonia Toronto. The Four Seasons: 

Vivaldi and Shostakovich. Vivaldi: Four 

Seasons; Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony 

Op.110a. Mary-Elizabeth Brown, violin; Xiaohan 

Guo, violin; Alex Toskov, violin; Tanya 

Charles, violin. Toronto Centre for the Arts, 

5040 Yonge St., North York. 416-499-0403. 

$42; $35(sr); $19(arts/non-profit worker). 

● ● 8:00: Somewhere There/Arraymusic. 

Triple CD Release Party. Array Space, 

155 Walnut Ave. 416-532-3019. $10 or PWYC. 

● ● 8:00: St. Barnabas Anglican Church. 

Old Wood - New Seeds. CD launch and concert. 

Appalachian Colours; Fallstaffe’s 

Lament and Charade; Ancient Waters. William 

Beauvais, guitar; Guest: Joseph Apong, 

guitar. 361 Danforth Ave. 416-653-2205. 

$25(includes CD); $20; $15(sr/st). 

● ● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Fragile 

Absolute. Kurtág: The Answered Unanswered 

Question; Dean: Viola Concerto; 

Pateras: Fragile Absolute; Lau: Concerto 


Grosso for Orchestra, String Quartet, and 

Turntables (world premiere/TSO Commission). 

Afiara Quartet, string quartet; Skratch 

Bastid, turntables and effects; Peter Oundjian, 

conductor and host; Brett Dean, conductor 

and viola. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 

416-598-3375. $33.75-$148. 

● ● 8:30: Hugh’s Room. Songs Are Like Tattoos: 

Tribute to Joni Mitchell. Ryan Granville- 

Martin, Chris Gartner, Joel Schwartz, Joan 

Besen and Ernie Tollar; Mia Sheard, host. 

Guests: Ben Gunning, Brenna MacCrimmon, 

Jocelyn Barth, Steven Foster and Felicity Williams. 

2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. 

$27.50/$25(adv). 

Sunday March 6 

● ● 1:00: Spadina Museum. From the Home 

Front to the Western Front. Patriotic ditties, 

marching songs and instrumental selections 

from the First World War. Ian Bell, piano/ 

concertina/banjo/button accordion/guitar. 

285 Spadina Rd. 416-392-6910. $15; $10(sr/ 

youth); $8(child). Light refreshments. Preregistration 

required. 


Moor Castle. See Mar 4 (8:00); Also Mar 11 

(8:00); 12 (2:00 and 8:00); 13 (2:00). 

● ● 2:00: Pickering Community Band. Here 

Comes Spring. Barry Sears, vocalist. Forest 

Brook Community Church, 60 Kearney Dr., 

Ajax. 905-427-5443. $15; $10(sr/under 18). 

Songmasters: Le 

travail du peintre 

SUNDAY, MARCH 6, 2PM 


TICKETS 0N SALE NOW: 416.408.0208 

WWW.PERFORMANCE.RCMUSIC.CA 

● ● 2:00: Royal Conservatory. Mazzoleni Masters: 

Le travail du peintre. Works by Poulenc, 

Debussy, Fauré, Wolf, and others. Mireille 

Asselin, soprano; Brett Polegato, baritone; 

Peter Tiefenbach and Rachel Andrist, piano. 

Mazzoleni Concert Hall, Royal Conservatory, 

273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $25. 

● ● 2:00: Thin Edge New Music Collective/ 

Arrraymusic. Pop-Up Afternoon Concert. 

Works by Bartók, Stravinsky, Feldman and 

Bunch. Array Space, 155 Walnut Ave. 416-970- 

4162. $10. 

● ● 2:00: Toronto City Opera. Die Fledermaus. 

See Mar 4. 

● ● 2:00: Visual and Performing Arts Newmarket 

(VPAN). Campbell/Afiara. Works 

from Mozart to Brazilian choros new urban 

music. James Campbell, clarinet; Graham 

Campbell, guitar; Afiara String Quartet. 

Newmarket Theatre, 505 Pickering Cres., 

Newmarket. 905-953-5122. $30; $25(sr); 

$10(st). 

● ● 3:00: Kingston Road Village Concert Series. 

Toronto Violin Summit. Celtic fiddling, 

Norwegian Hardanger and jazz. Rebekah 

Wolkstein, Chris McKhool, Anne Lederman 

and Drew Jurecka. Kingston Road United 

Church, 975 Kingston Rd. 416-699-6091. $20; 

$10(st); free(under 13). 

● ● 3:00: Orchestra Toronto. Shamrocks at 

the Symphony. Celebration of Irish music. 

Grainger: Country Derry (Londonderry Air); 

Molly on the Shore; Hardiman (arr. Moore): 

Music from Lord of the Dance; Whelan: Riverdance 

Suite. Guest conductor, William Rowson; 

guest performers, Irish Folk Dancers. 

George Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St. 

1-855-985-2787. $43; $37(sr); $15(child/OTopus 

14-29). 2:15: pre-concert chat. 

● ● 3:00: St. Paul’s Bloor Street. Organ 

Recital. Works by Bach. Matthew Whitfield, 

organ. 227 Bloor St. E. 416-859-7464. Free. 

Retiring collection. 

Pianists: 4 hands 

Lisa Tahara 

Narmina Afandiyeva 

Sunday March 6, 3pm 

Heliconian Hall 

SyrinxConcerts.ca 

● ● 3:00: Syrinx Concerts Toronto. 4 Hands 

for Fun. Chopin: Scherzo No.3 in c-sharp; 

Scriabin: Fantasy Op.28; works by Dvořák, 

Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Piazzolla and Menzefricke. 

Narmina Efendiyeva and Lisa Tahara, 

piano. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 

416-654-0877. $25; $20(st). Post-concert 

reception. 

● ● 3:30: Junction Trio. Evensong with Schola 

Magdalena. Works by Orlando di Lasso, 

Hildegard of Bingen and Stephanie Martin. 

Guests: Schola Magdalena; Junction Trio: 

Jamie Thompson, flute; Ivana Popovic, violin; 

Raphael Weinroth-Browne, cello. St. Anne’s 

Anglican Church, 270 Gladstone Ave. 416- 

536-3160. PWYC. Refreshments. 


Twilight Organ Series. Ian Sadler, organ. 

65 Church St. 416-364-7865. Free. 

● ● 4:00: Church of St. Mary Magdalene. 

Organ music by César Franck. Andrew 

Adair, organ. Church of St. Mary Magdalene 

(Toronto), 477 Manning Ave. 416-531-7955. 

Free. 

● ● 4:00: St. Philip’s Anglican Church. Jazz 

Vespers: Barbra Lica Quartet. Barbra Lica, 

vocals; Joel Visentin, piano; Marc Rogers, 

bass; Tom Fleming, guitar. 25 St. Phillips Rd., 

Etobicoke. 416-247-5181. Freewill offering. 

● ● 4:00: Vivace Vox. Choral Concert: Highlights 

from Les Misérables. Linda Eyman, 

music director. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 

427 Bloor St. W. 416-455-9238. $20; $15(sr/ 

st). 

● ● 4:30: Christ Church Deer Park. Jazz Vespers. 

Russ Little Quintet. 1570 Yonge St. 416- 

920-5211. Free. Donations welcome. 

● ● 4:30: Orpheus Choir of Toronto. Sound 

of Eternity. Bach: Mass in b; Bastian Clevé: 

Sound of Eternity (film: Canadian premiere). 

Jennifer Krabbe, soprano; Anita Krause, 

mezzo; Charles Sy, tenor; Geoffrey Sirett, 

baritone; Chorus Niagara; Orpheus Choir; Talisker 

Players. Metropolitan United Church 

(Toronto), 56 Queen St. E. 416-530-4428. $35; 

$30(sr); $10(st). Also Mar 5 (St. Catharines). 

● ● 6:00: Teo Milea. My Piano Stories. Original 

piano works. Milea: Agony and Ecstasy; Sarabanda; 

Cathedral. Teo Milea, piano. Music Gallery, 

197 John St. 647-877-2607. $20; $15(st). 

● ● 7:00: Lula Music and Arts Centre. Shine! A 

concert to support the Shine Music Bursary 

for youth. Julian Taylor, Simone Denny and 

others. Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. W. 416- 

588-0307. $25. 

● ● 7:00: Steven Taetz. Stevie Swings Softly: A 

Tribute to Rosemary Clooney. Steven Taetz, 

vocals; Ewen Farncombe, piano; Scott Neary, 

guitar; Irene Harrett, bass; Andrew Miller, 

drums. Jazz Bistro, 251 Victoria St. 416-363- 

5299. $12. 

● ● 8:00: Somewhere There/Arraymusic. 

Jeffrey Roberts, Quoin. Array Space, 

155 Walnut Ave. 416-532-3019. Price not 

available. 

● ● 8:30: Hugh’s Room. Enter the Haggis. 

2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. 

$25/$22.50(adv). 

Monday March 7 

Ensembles from 

THE TORONTO 

SYMPHONY 

YOUTH ORCHESTRA 

March 7 

www.associates-tso.org 

● ● 7:30: Associates of the Toronto Symphony 

Orchestra. Ensembles from the 

Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. Schubert: 

Octet in F D803; Mendelssohn: String 

Quartet No.2 Op.13; Dvořák: String Quartet 

No.12 in F Op.96 “American”; Copland: Fanfare 

for the Common Man; Kopetzki: Le Chant du 

Serpent; Weait: Rainy River. Trinity-St. Paul’s 

Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-282-6636. $20; 

$17(sr/st). 

● ● 8:00: Blythwood Winds. The New World 

(in four acts). Examining four different 


musical voices born from the common legacy 

of European colonization. D’Rivera: 

Aires Tropicalis; Carter: Wind Quintet; Running: 

Aria and Quodlibet; Estacio: Sinfonietta. 

Tim Crouch, flute; Elizabeth Eccleston, oboe; 

Anthony Thompson, clarinet; Michael Macaulay, 

bassoon; Curtis Vander Hyden, horn. 

Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Ave. 647-567- 

7906. $20/$15(adv); $10(sr/st). 



World Music Series: Music of Ireland. The 

Danforth Four. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, 

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing 

Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free. 

Late seating is not available. 



Chamber Music. Rising Stars Recital. Featuring 

students from the Glenn Gould School. 

Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge 

St. 416-241-1298. Free. Donations welcome. 

● ● 1:00: Cathedral Church of St. James. Midday 

Organ Series. Matthew Whitfield, organ. 

65 Church St. 416-364-7865. Free. 

● ● 7:30: The Social Mystics. CD Release Concert: 

Coming out of Darkness. Tranzac Club, 

292 Brunswick Ave. 416-923-8137. PWYC; 

$10(suggested). CDs $15. CD sales support 

Creative Works Studio. 

● ● 8:00: Soundstreams. The Music of James 

MacMillan. MacMillan: Seven Last Words 

from the Cross; The Gallant Weaver; Schafer: 

In Memoriam Alberto Guerrero; Three 

Hymns (from The Fall into Light); Rolfe: When 

Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d; Nystedt: 

Immortal Bach. Choir 21; Virtuoso String 

Orchestra. Guest: Sir James MacMillan, conductor. 

Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. 

W. 416-408-0208. $22-$67.50. 7:00: pre-concert 

chat. 

● ● 8:30: Lula Music and Arts Centre. Isn’t 

Life Grand. CD Release. Mike Herriott; Off The 

Road Band. Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. W. 

416-588-0307. $20. 



Noonday Organ Recitals. Thomas Fitches, 

organ. 1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167. Free. 


Music. York University Chamber Choir. Robert 

Cooper, interim conductor; Ted Moroney, 

accompanist. Tribute Communities Recital 

Hall, Accolade East Building, YU, 4700 Keele 

St. 416-736-5888. $15; $10(sr/st). 

● ● 8:00: The Oratory, Holy Family Church. 

Oratorium Saeculare. Byrd: Lamentations 

of Jeremiah; Tallis: Lamentations of Jeremiah, 

Parts I and 2; Lenten Meditation by a 

Father of the Oratory; Sung Compline (Da Victoria 

(attrib.): Nunc Dimittis a 5; Morales: Ave 

Regina a 5). Simon Honeyman and Jessica 

Wright, altos; Jamie Tuttle and Michael Pius 

Taylor, tenors; and others; Philip Fournier, 

conductor. Oratory, Holy Family Church, 

1372 King St. W. 416-532-2879. Free: donations 

welcomed. Free parking. 

● ● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Two 

Memorials: Anton Webern and John Lennon. 

Ledger: Two Memorials (for Anton Webern 

and John Lennon); Frehner/Mettler: New 

Work for Film and Orchestra; Dean: Dramatis 

personae for Trumpet and Orchestra. Håkan 

Hardenberger, trumpet; Peter Oundjian, conductor 

and host; Brett Dean, conductor. Roy 

Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. 

$33.75-$148. 


Wednesday Concert Series. Ted Quinlan, guitar; 

Mike Downes, bass. 681 St. Clair Ave. 

W. 416-658-5687. $10 cover. Reservations 

recommended. 



Chamber Music Series: Brass Brilliance. Brass 

chamber works from the past 100 years. 

National Ballet Brass Quintet. Richard Bradshaw 

Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for 

the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363- 

8231. Free. Late seating is not available. 


Music. Thursdays at Noon: Oregano Percussion. 

Works by Colton, Satie, Antonio 

Lauro, Miles Wright, Ben Whalund and Dan 

Moore. Michelle Colton and Alejandro Cespedes, 

percussion; Emily Chiang, piano. Walter 

Hall, Edward Johnson Building, University of 

Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. Free. 


at Met. Michael Fitzgerald, baritone. Metropolitan 

United Church (Toronto), 56 Queen St. 

E. 416-363-0331 x26. Free. 


Music. World at Midday: Alanna and Colleen 

Jenish Ensemble. Martin Family Lounge, 

Accolade East Building, YU, 4700 Keele St. 

647-459-0701. Free. 

● ● 7:30: Canadian Music Centre. Truth North 

Stories. Works by Anhalt and Morawetz. Adam 

Sherkin, piano. 20 St. Joseph St. 416-961-6601 

x202. $20; $15(CMC members/arts workers). 


Music. Opera Series: Paul Bunyan. By Benjamin 

Britten. University of Toronto Opera; Mac- 

Millan Singers (Hilary Apfelstadt, director); 

Michael Patrick Albano, director; Fred Peruzza 

and Lisa Magill, design; Sandra Horst, conductor. 

MacMillan Theatre, Edward Johnson 

Building, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. $40; 

$25(sr); $10(st). Also Mar 11, 12, 13(mat). 


Music. Faculty Concert Series: Michael Coghlan 

and Friends. Michael Coghlan, piano; 

Leslie Fagan, soprano; Elgin String Quartet; 

Red Zone Percolators. Tribute Communities 

Recital Hall, Accolade East Building, YU, 

4700 Keele St. 416-736-5888. $15; $10(sr/st). 

● ● 8:00: Music Toronto. collectif9. Works 

by Brahms, Shostakovich, Bartók, Schnittke, 

Hindemith and others. Jane Mallett Theatre, 

St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. 

E. 416-366-7723. $21.50; $10(st). 

●●8:00: Music Gallery/Amanda Tosoff. 

Words CD Release. Amanda Tosoff, piano; 

Felicity Williams, vocals; Alex Goodman, guitar; 

Jon Maharaj, bass; Morgan Childs, 

drums; and others. Music Gallery, 197 John St. 

416-204-1080. $20; $18(adv); $10(st/members). 

Also Mar 11(Waterloo). 

● ● 8:00: Tapestry Opera/Scottish Opera/ 

Music Theatre Wales. The Devil Inside. Based 

on Stevenson: The Bottle Imp. Rachel Kelly, 

Ben McAteer, Steven Page; Nicholas Sharatt; 

Players of the Scottish Opera Orchestra; Louise 

Welsh, libretto; Stuart MacRae, composer; 

Matthew Richardson, director. Harbourfront 

Centre Theatre, 235 Queens Quay W. 416-973- 

4000 x1. $29-$105. Also Mar 12, 13(mat). 

● ● 8:00: Terra Cotta Financial Group. An 

Evening with David Garrett & Band. Jackson: 

Smooth Criminal; Coldplay: Viva La Vida; and 

other works. David Garrett, violin; and others; 

Orchestra accompaniment. Roy Thomson 

Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255. $95-$250. 

● ● 8:30: Hugh’s Room. Steve Hill and Paul 

Reddick. 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604. 

$25/$20(adv). 



Recital: Jordan Klapman, jazz piano. St. 

Andrew’s Church, 73 Simcoe St. 416-593- 

5600 x231. Free. 





427 Bloor St. W. 416-631-4300. PWYC. 



Music. Opera Series: Paul Bunyan. See 

Mar 10; Also Mar 12, 13(mat). 

● ● 8:00: Barry Livingston Group. CD Release: 

Jazz at Oscar’s. Barry Livingston, piano; Suba 

Sankaran, vocals; Colleen Allen, sax; George 

Koller, bass; Paul Fitterer, drums. Hart House, 

Arbor Room, 7 Hart House Circle. 416-978- 

2452. Free. 

● ● 8:00: Aurora Cultural Centre. Great Artist 

Music Series: Soyeon Kate Lee, Piano. 

22 Church St., Aurora. 905-713-1818. $34; 

$28(sr/st). 

Great Artist 

Music Series 

presents 

Soyeon 

Kate Lee, piano 

Friday, March 11, 

8 pm 

auroraculturalcentre.ca 

905 713-1818 

●●8:00: Montreal Chamber Music Society. 

Maxim Vengerov In Recital. Works 

by Brahms, Ysayë, Franck and Paganini. 

Maxim Vengerov, violin; Patrice Laré, piano. 

60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255. $50-$100. 


in recital 

Roy Thomson Hall 

March 11 th 2016 at 8 p.m. 

www.smcm.ca 

●●8:00: North Toronto Players. Chelsea 

Moor Castle. See Mar 4 (8:00). Also Mar 12 

(2:00 and 8:00); 13 (2:00). 

● ● 8:00: Raging Asian Women Taiko Drummers. 

Crooked Lines: Stories in Between. 

Japanese Taiko drumming with video 

vignettes. Miyake; Yatai Bayashi; Isamigoma; 

Sempu (Ontario premiere). Guests: Teiya 

Kasahara, voice; Heidi Chan, flute and percussion. 

Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis 

St. 416-671-7256. $25; $15(st/income challenged). 

Also Mar 12, 13(mat). 

● ● 8:00: Toronto Consort. Beowulf. Epic tale 

of the European bardic tradition, the battle 

between the hero Beowulf and the monster 

Grendel. Benjamin Bagby, voice and Anglo- 

Saxon harp. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, Jeanne 

Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337. 

$24-$57; $22-$52(sr); $10(st/30 and under). 

7:00: pre-concert talk. Also Mar 12. 

● ● 10:00: BRASH Festival. Lemon Bucket Orkestra 

and More! Opera House, 735 Queen St. 

E. 416-466-0313. $30/$20(adv). Also Mar 12. 




Moor Castle. See Mar 4 (8:00). Also 8:00 

and Mar 13. 

● ● 4:30: Royal Conservatory. Phil and Eli Taylor 

Performance Academy for Young Artists: 

Showcase Concert. Mazzoleni Concert Hall, 

Royal Conservatory, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408- 

0208. Free - ticket required. 

KNOCKING 

AT THE 

HELLGATE 

RUSSELL BRAUN, BARITONE 

MAR 12 | TSO.CA 


Knocking at the Hellgate. Jonny Greenwood: 

Water; Dean: Knocking at the Hellgate; 

Skratch Bastid: Festival Remix. Russell Braun, 

baritone; Skratch Bastid, turntables; Peter 

Oundjian, conductor and host; Brett Dean, 

conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 

416-598-3375. $33.75-$107. 

● ● 7:30: Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir. 

Choral Concert. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian 

Church (Markham), 143 Main St. N., Markham. 

905-294-4736. $25. 




Cathedral Bluffs 

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 

Norman Reintamm 

Artistic Director/Principal Conductor 

Mar 10; Also Mar 13(mat). 

● ● 8:00: Aga Khan Museum/Rumi Canada. 

Reflections on Hafiz. Ostad Saeed Farajpoori, 

kamancheh; Fariba Davodi, vocals; Bamdad 

Fotouhi, tombak/daf; Ehsan Gaffari, tar; 

Sheniz Janmohamed, English translations; 

Farzad AttarJafari, dance. Aga Khan Museum 

Auditorium, 77 Wynford Dr. 416-646-4677. $45 

and up, $40.50(members); $36(sr/st). 

● ● 8:00: Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra. 

Mozart and Mendelssohn. Mozart: Concerto 

for Flute and Harp; Mendelssohn: 

Symphony No.2 “Lobgesang” Op.52. Esther 

Choi, flute; Angela Schwarzkopf, harp; University 

of Toronto Scarborough Campus Choir; 

Ensemble Tryptych Concert Choir; Redeemer 

University College Concert Choir; Norman 

Reintamm, conductor. P.C. Ho Theatre, Chinese 

Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto, 

5183 Sheppard Ave. E., Scarborough. 416- 

879-5566. $34; $29(sr/st); free(under 12). 

7:15: Pre-concert talk. 

Saturday March 12, 2016 8 pm 

MOZART: Concerto for Flute & Harp 

Guest Soloists: ESTHER CHOI flute ANGELA SCHWARZKOPF harp 

MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 2 

(Lobgesang or Hymn of Praise) 

University of Toronto Scarborough Concert Choir 

Ensemble TrypTych Chamber Choir 

SUBSCRIPTION CONCERT 4 | TICKETS: REGULAR – $34 adult $29 senior/student 

PREMIUM – $54 adult $44 senior/student (under age 12, free) 

P.C. HoTheatre 5183 Sheppard Avenue East, Scarborough 

The Ontario Trillium Foundation is an 

agency of the Government of Ontario 

●●8:00: Toronto Consort. Beowulf. Epic tale 

of the European bardic tradition, the battle 

between the hero Beowulf and the monster 

cathedralbluffs.com | 416.879.5566 

Grendel. Benjamin Bagby, voice and Anglo- 

Saxon harp. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, Jeanne 

Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337. 

$24-$57; $22-$52(sr); $10(st/30 and under). 

7:00: pre-concert talk. Also Mar 11. 

●●8:00: Guitar Society of Toronto. Johannes 

Moller. Works by Barrios, Giuliani and Moller. 

Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 416-964- 

8298. $30; $25(sr/st). 

●●8:00: North Toronto Players. Chelsea 

Moor Castle. See Mar 4 (8:00). Also Mar 13 

(2:00). 

● ● 8:00: Ontario Philharmonic. Pops Series: 

Lighthouse/Ontario Philharmonic Strings. 

Regent Theatre (Oshawa), 50 King St. E., 

Oshawa. 905-721-3399 x2. $45-$56. Benefit 

concert. 


Crooked Lines: Stories in Between. See 



Music Theatre Wales. The Devil Inside. See 


●●10:00: BRASH Festival. Lemon Bucket Orkestra 

and More! See Mar 11. 


● ● 1:15: Mooredale Concerts. Music and Truffles: 

Ensemble MidtVest. Interactive version 

for children ages 5 to 11; adults welcome. Nielsen: 

Fantasy Pieces for Oboe and Piano Op.2; 

Mozart: Quintet for Piano and Winds in E-flat 

K452; Schubert: Introduction and Variations 

on “Trockne Blumen” for Flute and Piano 

D802 Op.posth.160; Brahms: Clarinet Trio in a 

Op.114. Martin Qvist Hansen, piano; Charlotte 

Norholt, flute; Peter Kristein, oboe; Charles 

Neidich, clarinet; Yavor Petkov, bassoon; and 

others. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building, 

University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416- 

922-3714 x103. $13. 3:15: main performance. 


Moor Castle. See Mar 4 (8:00). 

● ● 2:00: Roy Thomson Hall/Attila Glatz Concert 

Productions. Vienna Mozart Orchestra. 

Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik; The Turkish 

March; overtures and duets from Marriage of 

Figaro and Magic Flute; and other works. Roy 


$49.50-$125.00. Period costumes. 

● ● 2:30: Toronto Early Music Centre. Musically 

Speaking. Works by Von Bingen; and 

other related works. Andrea Gerhardt and 

Michael Franklin: vocals, harp, flute, recorders, 

reed pipe and other instruments. St. 

David’s Anglican Church, 49 Donlands Ave. 

416-464-7610. PWYC. 



Mar 10. 

● ● 3:00: Evelina Soulis. Concert and Cake. 

Evelina Soulis Celebrates Her 50th Birthday. 

Brahms: Rhapsody No.2, Op.79; Duo 

Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op.78; Debussy: 

Estampes; De Falla: Siete Canciones Populares 

Españolas; Monteverdi: Pur ti miro; 

Bizet: piano duets. Maria Soulis and Katerina 

Utochkina, mezzos; Emily Sun, violin; David 

Barker, piano. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton 

Ave. 647-739-9844. $20. Proceeds go to Tapestry’s 

‘Youth Inside Opera’ program. 


Crooked Lines: Stories in Between. See 

Mar 11(eve). 

● ● 3:00: Toronto Chamber Choir. Kaffeemusik: 

A Voice of Her Own. Prof. Katherine 

R. Larson, narrator. Guest: Elizabeth Anderson, 

conductor. Church of the Redeemer, 

162 Bloor St. W. 416-763-1695. $30; $25(sr); 

$12.50(under 30). Coffee and refreshments. 

Donations to support Plan Canada. 

● ● 3:15: Mooredale Concerts. Ensemble 

MidtVest: Canadian Debut. Nielsen: Fantasy 

Pieces for Oboe and Piano Op.2; Mozart: Quintet 

for Piano and Winds in E-flat K452; Schubert: 

Introduction and Variations on “Trockne 

Blumen” for Flute and Piano D802 Op. posth. 

160; Brahms: Clarinet Trio in a Op.114. Martin 

Qvist Hansen, piano; Charlotte Norholt, flute; 

Peter Kristein, oboe; Charles Neidich, clarinet; 

Yavor Petkov, bassoon; and others. Walter 


TORONTO 

EARLY 

MUSIC 

CENTRE 

Musically 

Speaking 

Sun Mar 13, 2:30pm 

Celebrate the arrival 

of spring with 

Michael Franklin 

& Andrea Gerhardt! 

Music for recorder, flute, 

harp and sruti box. 

St. David’s Anglican Church, 

49 Donlands Avenue 

torontoearlymusic.org 


of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-922-3714 

x103. $30; $20(under 30). 1:15: Music and 

Truffles family concert. 


Twilight Organ Series. Ian Sadler, organ. 

65 Church St. 416-364-7865. Free. 


Music Theatre Wales. The Devil Inside. See 

Mar 10. 

● ● 5:00: Nocturnes in the City. Adam 

Zukiewicz, piano. Works by Chopin, Liszt 

and Dvořák. St. Wenceslaus Church, 

496 Gladstone Ave. 416-481-7294. $25; 

$15(st). 

QUASAR QUARTET 

Sun. Mar. 13 | The Music Gallery 

www.NewMusicConcerts.com 

● ● 8:00: New Music Concerts/Music Gallery. 

Quasar Saxophone Quartet. Laporte: 

Incantation; LeBlanc: Fil Rouge; Edwards: 

Predator Drone MQ-1; A. Hamel: Brumes 

matinales et textures urbaines; P.A. Tremblay: 

Les pâleurs de la lune. Music Gallery, 197 John 

St. 416-961-9594. $35; $25(sr/arts workers); 

$10(st). 7:15: Introduction. 



Music. Music @ Midday: Classical Instrumental 

Concert featuring Student Soloists. 

Tribute Communities Recital Hall, Accolade 


0701. Free. 


● ● 11:30am: York University Department of 

Music. Vocal Masterclass: Bruce Ubukata. 

Young singers from classical vocal performance 

studios of Catherine Robbin, Stephanie 

Bogle, Norma Burrowes, Michael Donovan 

and Karen Rymal. Tribute Communities 


4700 Keele St. 647-459-0701. Free. 


Vocal Series: Opera Interactive. Interactive 

concert of arias and sing-along choruses. 

Young artists of the COC Ensemble Studio; 

Kyra Millan, soprano and opera educator. 



145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free. Late 

seating is not available. 




Featuring performance students from the 

UofT Faculty of Music. Yorkminster Park Baptist 

Church, 1585 Yonge St. 416-241-1298. 

Free. Donations welcome. 

● ● 1:00: Cathedral Church of St. James. Midday 

Organ Series. John Paul Farahat, organ. 

65 Church St. 416-364-7865. Free. 



Noonday Organ Recitals. Michael Bloss, 


● ● 7:30: Opus 8. Tous Les Reqretz. Opus 

8 Choral Octet; Andrew Adair, organ. 

Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Toronto), 

477 Manning Ave. 416-531-7955. Free. 

● ● 7:30: Royal Conservatory. Glenn Gould 

School Opera: Handel - Alcina. Leon Major, 

stage director; Ivars Taurins, conductor. 


416-408-0208. $25-$40. Also March 18. 

George Frideric 

Handel’s Alcina 

IVARS TAURINS, CONDUCTOR 

LEON MAJOR, DIRECTOR 

THE GLENN GOULD SCHOOL OPERA 2016 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16 & 

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 7:30PM 

KOERNER HALL 



● ● 7:30: Toronto Shape Note Singing Community. 

Toronto Sacred Harp Singing. Selections 

from The Sacred Harp, 1991 Denson 

Edition. Bloor Street United Church, 

300 Bloor St. W. 647-838-8764. PWYC. Singing 

is participatory; songbooks to borrow. 

● ● 8:00: Mezzetta Restaurant. Wednesday 

Concert Series: Flamenco Show. Dino Toledo, 

guitar; La Mari, flamenco dancer. 681 St. Clair 

Ave. W. 416-658-5687. No cover. 

● ● 8:00: Oratory, Holy Family Church. Oratorium 

Saeculare. Bach: Coros and Arias; 

Lenten Meditation by a Father of the Oratory; 

sung Compline. Ellen Macateer and 

Bronwyn Thies-Thompson, soprano; Jessica 

Wright and Peter Mahon, altos; and other 

singers and instrumentalists; Philip Fournier, 

cembalo and direction. 1372 King St. W. 416- 

532-2879. Free: donations welcomed. Free 

parking. 



Music. World Music Festival: Cuban Ensemble. 

Rick Lazar and Anthony Michelli, conductors. 

Martin Family Lounge, Accolade East 

Building, YU, 4700 Keele St. 647-459-0701. 

Free. Festival runs Mar 17 and 18. 


Vocal Series: Choral Journeys – Then and 

Now. Renaissance to contemporary Canadian 

works. Cawthra Park Chamber Choir; 

Charles Sy, tenor; Bob Anderson, conductor. 






Music. Thursdays at Noon: Piano Music. 

Schubert: Military March Op.51 No.1; Brahms: 

Hungarian Dances and Waltzes (selections); 

Wilberg: Carmen Fantasy for Two Pianos, 

Eight Hands. Steven Philcox, Lydia Wong, 

Melisande Sinsoulier, Lara Dodds-Eden, 

pianos. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building, 

University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416- 

408-0208. Free. 


at Met. Emily Chiang, piano. Metropolitan 


363-0331 x26. Free. 

● ● 12:15: York University Department 

of Music. World Music Festival: Klezmer 

Ensemble. Brian Katz, conductor. Martin 

Family Lounge, Accolade East Building, YU, 

4700 Keele St. 647-459-0701. Free. Festival 

runs Mar 17 and 18. 


Music. World Music Festival: West African 

Drumming, Ghana. Kwasi Dunyo, conductor. 

Sterling Beckwith Studio, 235 Accolade East 

Building, 4700 Keele St. 647-459-0701. Free. 

Limited seating. Festival runs Mar 17 and 18. 


Music. World Music Festival: Escola de 

Samba. Rick Lazar, conductor. Sterling Beckwith 

Studio, 235 Accolade East Building, 

4700 Keele St. 647-459-0701. Free. Limited 

seating. Festival runs Mar 17 and 18. 


Music. World Music Festival: West African 

Mande. Anna Melnikoff, conductor. Martin 





Music. In Concert. U of T Jazz Orchestra and 

11 O’Clock Jazz Orchestra with Norma Winstone 

and Dave Liebman. Walter Hall, Edward 


80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. $20; $10(st). 

● ● 8:00: Canada-Israel Cultural Foundation. 

Spotlight on Israeli Culture Festival: A 

World of Piano - An Evening with Guy Mintus. 

Gallery 345, 345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781. 

$20; $10(st). 

● ● 8:00: Music Gallery/Michael Century. 

Michael Century. Music Gallery, 197 John St. 

416-204-1080. $15/$13(adv); $10(members). 

● ● 8:00: Music Toronto. Quatuor Ébène. Mozart: 

Divertimento in D K136; Debussy: Quartet 

in G; Beethoven: Quartet in c-sharp Op.131. 

Pierre Colombet, violin; Gabriel Le Magadure, 

violin; Adrien Boisseau, viola; Raphaël Merlin, 

cello. Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre 

for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723. 

$55, $50; $10(st); age 18 to 35 – pay your age. 



Music. World Music Festival: Celtic Ensemble. 

Sherry Johnson, conductor. Martin 




● ● 12:00 noon: York University Department 

of Music. World Music Festival: Chinese 

Classical Orchestra. Kim Chow-Morris, 

conductor. Sterling Beckwith Studio, 

235 Accolade East Building, 4700 Keele St. 

647-459-0701. Free. Limited seating. Festival 



Recital: Lisa Tahara, piano. St. Andrew’s 


Free. 





427 Bloor St. W. 416-631-4300. PWYC. 



Music. World Music Festival: Caribbean 

Ensemble. Lindy Burgess, conductor. Tribute 

Communities Recital Hall, Accolade East 




Music. World Music Festival: Korean Drum 

Ensemble. Charles Hong, conductor. Sterling 

Beckwith Studio, 235 Accolade East Building, 



● ● 3:30: Sony Centre/Attila Glatz Concert 

Productions. Pixar in Concert. Performed 

to video clips from Pixar’s feature films. 

You’ve Got a Friend In Me, When She Loved 

Me, If I Didn’t Have You, and other songs. 


Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Sony Centre 

for the Performing Arts, 1 Front St. E. 1-855- 

872-7669. $40-$105. Also 8:00. 

● ● 5:30: Canadian Music Centre. Canadian 

Art Song Showcase. Works by Alice Ho, John 

Beckwith, Sylvia Rickard and Hiroki Tsurumoto. 

Xin Wang, soprano; Derek Kwan, tenor; 

Steven Philcox, piano; University of Toronto 

emerging artists. 20 St. Joseph St. 416-961- 

6601 x202. $20; $15(CMC members/arts 

workers). 

●●7:30: Musicians In Ordinary. Byrd – Mass 

for Four Voices and Dowland – Sacred Ayres. 


Works by Byrd, Taverner and others. Christopher 

Verrette, baroque violin; Hallie Fishel, 

soprano; vocal consort and choir of St. 

Michael’s Schola Cantorum (Christina Labriola, 

conductor). St. Basil’s Church, University 

of St. Michael’s College, 50 St. Joseph St. 416- 

926-7148. Free. Donations welcomed. 

● ● 7:30: Brampton Folk Club. Friday Folk 

Night: Jory Nash with Brian MacMillan. St. 

Paul’s United Church (Brampton), 30 Main St. 

S., Brampton. 905-874-2800. $15; $12(sr/st). 

● ● 7:30: Lula Music and Arts Centre. David 

Buchbinder Trio. Michael Herring, bass; Dave 

Restivo, piano. Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. 

W. 416-588-0307. $15; free(before 8:00). 

● ● 7:30: Royal Conservatory. Glenn Gould 

School Opera: Handel - Alcina. See March 16. 


Music. World Music Festival: Balkan Music 

Ensemble. Irene Markoff, conductor. Tribute 




● ● 8:00: Angela Blumberg. Creation. 

Domenic Jarlkaganova: Creation; Evolution; 

Norbert Palej: Veni Creator Spiritu. Irvin 

Chow, Sarah Fregeau, Jillian Peever and Kaitlin 

Standeven, dancers; Angela Blumberg, 

dancer/choreographer. Trinity-St. Paul’s 

United Church, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-420- 

4345. $20. Also Mar 20(mat). 

● ● 8:00: Sony Centre/Attila Glatz Concert 

Productions. Pixar in Concert. See 3:30. 

● ● 9:00: Eliana Cuevas. In Concert. Hart 

House, Arbour Room, 7 Hart House Circle. 

416-978-2452. Free. 

● ● 9:00: Rebecca Binnendyk. Some Fun 

Out of Life. CD release celebration. Kevin 

Laliberte, Attila Fias, Mark Kelso, Drew Birston, 

Drew Jurecka and Chris Gale. Jazz Bistro, 

251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299. $20. Also 

Mar 19(9:00). 


● ● 2:00: RCCO Toronto Centre. Bach Birthday 

Recitals and Walk. Thomas Bell, organ. St. 

Paul’s Bloor Street, 227 Bloor St. E. 416-489- 

1551 x28. Free. Donations welcome. Other 

“Bach Birthday Recitals and Walk” events: 

3:00 (St. Simon’s Church); 4:00 (Rosedale 

Church). 


Recitals and Walk. Robin Davis and Johan 

van’t Hof, organ. St. Simon-the-Apostle Anglican 

Church, 525 Bloor St. E. 416-489-1551 

x28. Free. Donations welcome. Other “Bach 

Birthday Recitals and Walk” events: 2:00 (St. 

Paul’s Church); 4:00 (Rosedale Church). 


Recitals and Walk. Rebecca Genge, soprano, 

Nancy Olfert, alto; Vicky Hathaway, oboe; Gillian 

Howard, oboe; Jill Vitols, cello and Dan 

Bickle, organ. Rosedale Presbyterian Church, 

129 Mt. Pleasant Rd. 416-489-1551 x28. Free. 

Donations welcome. 

● ● 7:30: Cantemus Singers. Sweet Kisses/ 

Baci Soavi. Madrigals on love by Italian laterenaissance 

composers. Gesualdo: Ardo 

per te; Marenzio: Due rose fresche; Aleotti: 

Baciai per aver vita; Monteverdi: Baci soavi 

e cari; Lasciatemi morire (for solo soprano). 

Guest: Iris Krizmanic, soprano. Church of the 

Holy Trinity, 10 Trinity Sq. 416-578-6602. $20. 

Wheelchair accessible. Also Mar 20(mat). 

● ● 7:30: Tim Tamashiro. Come to the Jazz 

Side: Tim Tamashiro Meets Ben Heppner. 

Jazz and Broadway tunes, conversation 

and bad jokes. Tim Tamashiro; Ben Heppner, 

tenor; Don Thompson; Reg Schwager. 

Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St. W. 416-645- 

9090. $55. 


Music. U of T Wind Ensemble. Estacio: Bootlegger’s 

Tarantella (arr. Michalak); Mahr: 

Endurance; Colgrass: Arctic Dreams. Gillian 

Mackay, conductor. MacMillan Theatre, 

Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s Park. 

416-408-0208. $30; $20(sr); $10(st). 

● ● 8:00: Academy Concert Series. Mozart 

and Beethoven Transformed. Beethoven (arr. 

Ferd Ries): Grande quintuor concertante 

Op.5 No.1; Mozart: Grande Sestetto (Sinfonia) 

Concertante in E-flat K364 (K320d). Christopher 

Verrette, Ashley Vandiver, violins; Emily 

Eng, Shannon Knights, violas; Alastair Eng, 

Kerri McGonigle, cellos. Eastminster United 

Church, 310 Danforth Ave. 416-629-3716. $20; 

$14(sr/st). 

● ● 8:00: Alliance Française Toronto. Hassan 

El Hadi Concert: Moroccan Shaabi. Quebecois-Moroccan 

singer-songwriter mixes 

traditional Moroccan, Andalusian, Arabic and 

Bender rock, jazz and rai. Alliance Française 

de Toronto, 24 Spadina Rd. 416-922-2014 x37. 

$15; $10(mem/sr/st). 

● ● 8:00: Jazz Performance and Education 

Centre. Sonoluminescence Trio. David Mott, 

baritone sax; Jessie Stewart, percussion; 

William Parker, bass. Toronto Centre for the 

Arts, 5040 Yonge St., North York. 416-461- 

7744. $30; $20(st). 

● ● 8:00: Musicians in Ordinary. Sweet Swan 

of Avon: Words and Music. Shakespeare’s 

Saints & Sinners. Readings from Macbeth, 

Hamlet, and Romeo and Juliet. Music by Byrd, 

Dowland and East. David Klausner, reader; 

Mozart and Beethoven 

Transformed 

March 19, 2016 at 8pm 

Location: 

Eastminster United Church 

310 Danforth Ave. (Chester) 

Featuring: 

Christopher Verrette, violin 

Ashley Vandiver, violin 

Emily Eng, viola 

Shannon Knights, viola 

Alastair Eng, cello 

Kerri McGonigle, cello 

Concert Series 

AcademyConcertSeries.com 

416.629.3716 

Buy online: 

SINGLE TICKETS: 

$20 / $14 Sen. & Student 

3 TIX FLEX PACK: 

$49 / $32 Sen. & Student 


Hallie Fishel, soprano; John Edwards, lutenist; 

Musicians In Ordinary Violin Band; Christopher 

Verrette, conductor. Heliconian Hall, 

35 Hazelton Ave. 416-535-9956. $30; $20(sr/ 

st). 

● ● 8:00: Roy Thomson Hall. Yundi. Chopin: 

Ballade No.1 in g Op.23; Ballade No.2 in 

F Op.38; Ballade No.3 in A-flat Op.47; Ballade 

No.4 in f Op.52; 24 Preludes Op.28. 

Yundi, piano. 60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255. 

$39.50-$99.50. 

● ● 8:00: Royal Conservatory. Music Mix: 

Bluebird North. Conservatory Theatre, 

273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $25. 

● ● 8:00: Sony Centre For The Performing 

Arts. Symphony of the Goddesses. New 

scores and favourites accompanied by gameplay 

and cinematic imagery from Legend 

of Zelda games. Sony Centre for the Performing 

Arts, 1 Front St. E. 1-855-872-7669. 

$30.00-$115.00. 

● ● 8:00: Soundstreams. Ear Candy: Electric 

Counterpoint. Reich: Electric Counterpoint; 

Nagoya Marimbas; It’s Gonna Rain; new 

works by SlowPitch Sound, Mas Aya, Prince 

Nifty and Germaine Liu. Germaine Liu, percussion; 

Dan Morphy, percussion; Matt Smith 

aka “Prince Nifty”, guitar and electronics; 

SlowPitch Sound, DJ; Brandon Valdivia aka 

“Mas Aya”, percussion and electronics. Theatre 

Centre Incubator, 1115 Queen St. W. 416- 

504-1282. $20/$15(adv). 

● ● 8:00: Voices Chamber Choir. Light Eternal. 

Duruflé: Quatre motets sur des thèmes 

grégoriens; Fauré: Cantique de Jean Racine; 

Requiem; and works by Gounod and Saint- 

Saëns. Victor Cheng, baritone; John Stephenson, 

organ; Ron Ka Ming Cheung, 

conductor. Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, 

151 Glenlake Ave. 416-519-0528. $20; $15(sr/ 

st). Cash only. 

● ● 9:00: Rebecca Binnendyk. Some Fun 

out of Life. CD release celebration. Kevin 

Laliberte, Attila Fias, Mark Kelso, Drew Birston, 

Drew Jurecka and Chris Gale. Jazz Bistro, 

251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299. $20. Also 

Mar 18(9:00). 


● ● 10:15am: Church of the Ascension. Palm 

Sunday. Blessing of Palms and procession 

into the church. Works by C. Tuttle, G. Kendrick, 

J.S. Bach, R. Gillard, and N. Richards. 

33 Overland Dr. 416-444-8881. Freewill offering. 

Religious Service. 

● ● 2:00: Canzona Chamber Players. XIA 

String Quartet. Works by Bartók, Debussy, 

Schubert and McPherson. Robert Uchida, 

violin; Shane Kim, violin; Theresa Rudolph, 

viola; Joseph Johnson, cello. St. Andrew 

by-the-Lake Anglican Church, Cibola Ave., 

Toronto Island. 416-203-0873. $20. 

● ● 2:00: Toronto Mozart Players. Mozart 

Project. J.S. Bach: Jauchzet Gott in allen 

Landen, BWV51; J.C. Bach: String Quartet 

in F B54; Mozart: Five Fugues after Bach 

K405; Vespers K321 and K339 (excerpts); 

Ave verum corpus K618; Church Sonatas for 

organ and strings K263 and K328. Church of 

the Redeemer, 162 Bloor St. W. 416-922-4948. 

$35; $15(st). 

● ● 2:30: Maureen Batt. Crossing Borders: 

Realities Blurred. Works by Höstman, Harman, 

Glaser, Lustig, Sharman and others. 

Maureen Batt, soprano; Cheryl Duvall, piano. 

Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 647-290- 

7970. $25/$15(adv); $20(arts workers); 

$15(st). 

● ● 3:00: Angela Blumberg. Creation. See 

Mar 18(eve). 

● ● 3:00: Cantemus Singers. Sweet Kisses/ 

Baci Soavi. See Mar 19(eve). 

● ● 3:00: Roy Thomson Hall. Orpheus Chamber 

Orchestra. Pinchas Zukerman, violin. 

60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255. $39.50-$129.50. 

● ● 3:00: Royal Conservatory. Invesco Piano 

Concerts: Paul Lewis. Brahms: Three Intermezzi; 

Four Ballades; Schubert: Piano Sonata 

No.9 in B; Liszt: Dante Sonata (from Années 

de pèlerinage). Koerner Hall, Telus Centre, 

273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $35-$85. 


Twilight Organ Series. David Briggs, organ. 

65 Church St. 416-364-7865. Free. 


Vespers: Lou Pomanti Trio. Lou Pomanti, 

piano; Davide Direnzo, drums; Marc Rogers, 

bass. 25 St. Phillips Rd., Etobicoke. 416-247- 

5181. Freewill offering. 


1570 Yonge St. 416-920-5211. Free. 


● ● 7:00: Hart House Singers. In Concert. 

Bruckner: Mass in e; Purcell: motets (with 

orchestra). David Arnot-Johnston, conductor. 

Hart House, Great Hall, 7 Hart House Circle. 

416-978-2452. Free; donations for food banks 

welcomed. 

“King of Kings” 

Silent Movie 

iMproviSation ConCert 

Featuring 

DaviD Briggs 

palM Sunday, MarCh 20, 7:00 pM 

yorkMinSter park 

BaptiSt ChurCh 


David Briggs/Cecil B. DeMille: King of Kings. 

Screening of the 1928 black and white classic 

with organ improvisations. David Briggs, 


● ● 7:30: Echo Women’s Choir. Equal Night: A 

Dialogue for the Equinox. Fundraising event 

featuring words and music. Anne Michaels, 

poet; David Sereda, singer-composer; Becca 

Whitla and Alan Gasser, conductors. Church 

of the Holy Trinity, 10 Trinity Sq. 416-278-2968. 

$35 (includes three wine tastings). Silent 

auction and finger food. 

● ● 8:00: Canada-Israel Cultural Foundation/ 

Ashkenaz Foundation. Spotlight on Israeli 

Culture Festival: A-WA. Three sisters sing in 

the style of their Yemeni roots, contemporary 

funk, electronic and hip-hop grooves. 

Songs in Hebrew, English and Yemeni-Arabic. 

Mod Club, 22 College St. 416-979-9955. 

$25/$20(adv). 

Monday March 21 


of Music. World Music Festival: World 

Music Chorus. Judith Cohen, conductor. 

245 Accolade East Building, YU, 4700 Keele 

St. 647-459-0701. Free. Festival also runs 

Mar 17 and 18. 


Music. Faculty Artist Ensemble with Guest 

Artists. Works for voice and chamber orchestra. 

Schoenberg: Die Waldtaube (from 

Gurre-Lieder); Mahler (arr. Schoenberg): 

Das Lied von der Erde. Andrew Haji, tenor; 

Andrew Haji & Megan Quick 

Tenor and mezzo-soprano soloists 

join a chamber orchestra of faculty 

members for pieces by Schoenberg. 

March 21, 2016 

Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park 

$40, $25 senior, $10 student 

music.utoronto.ca 

416-408-0208 

Mozart Project presents sacred music of 

Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann Christian 

Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 

performed by the Toronto Mozart Players 

featuring soprano Whitney Mather, winner of 

the Toronto Mozart Vocal Competition, 

trumpeter Andrew McCandless and the 

Cantabile Chamber Singers. 

Megan Quick, contralto. Walter Hall, Edward 


80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. $40; 

$25(sr); $10(st). 

●●7:30: Canzona Chamber Players. XIA 

String Quartet. Works by Bartók, Debussy, 

Schubert and McPherson. Robert Uchida, 

violin; Shane Kim, violin; Theresa Rudolph, 

viola; Joseph Johnson, cello. First Unitarian 

Congregation of Ontario, Sutherland Hall, 

175 St. Clair Ave. W. 416-822-0613. $20. Also 

Mar 20 (Toronto Island). 


Music. Jazz Festival: Jazz Combos. Roy Patterson, 

Lorne Lofsky and Mark Eisenman, 

conductors. Martin Family Lounge, Accolade 


0701. Free. Festival runs Mar 21-24. 

● ● 8:00: St. Thomas’s Anglican Church. Baroque 

Music by Candlelight for Holy Week. 

St. Thomas’s Anglican Church (Toronto), 

383 Huron St. 416-979-2323. Free. 



Dance Series: Excerpts from Sleeping Beauty. 

Ballet Jörgen. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, 


Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free. 

Late seating is not available. 


Music. Jazz Festival: Jazz Vocal Ensemble. 

Mike Cadó, conductor. Martin Family Lounge, 


647-459-0701. Free. Festival runs Mar 21-24. 



65 Church St. 416-364-7865. Free. 

JS Bach Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, 

BWV 51 

JC Bach String Quartet in F Major, 

Opus 8 W. B 54 

WA Mozart Five Fugues after JS Bach, K 405 

Excerpts from Vespers, K 321 and K 339 

Ave verum corpus, K 618 

Church Sonatas for organ and strings, 

K 263 and K 328 

Sunday, March 20 

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm 

Church of the 

Redeemer 

162 Bloor Street West 

(Avenue Road & Bloor) 

www.mozartproject.ca 

$35 

(students $15) 



Sacred Music 

for a Sacred Space 

WEDNESDAY, MAR 23 | 7:30 PM 

GOOD FRIDAY, MAR 25 | 7:30 PM 

ST. PAUL’S BASILICA 83 POWER STREET 

Experience sublime choral music – from the 

Renaissance to contemporary choral masters 

BYRD Mass for four voices 

CORLIS God So Loved the World 

WHITACRE Her Sacred Spirit Soars 

TICKETS 

$35 – $ 50 

TMC BOX OFFICE 

416-598-0422 ext 221 

www.tmchoir.org/boxoffice 

VOX TIX 

$20 FOR 30 AND UNDER 

NiNe SparrowS artS FouNdatioN 

& YorkmiNSter park BaptiSt ChurCh 

present 

The Good Friday 

ConCerT 

Music and Readings for a Most Holy Day 

Yorkminster Park BaPtist ChurCh 

march 25, 2016, 4pm 

special Guest 

John Johnson, saxophone 

Featuring: 

amina Holloway, cello 

the YpBc choir 

William Maddox, music director 

the Hedgerow singers 

eric robertson, music director 

elizabeth anderson, organ 

narrators: 

colleen Burns 

rev. Dr. peter Holmes 

ADMISSION FREE - DONATIONS WELCOME 


Music. Jazz Festival: Jazz Choirs. Mim 

Adams, conductor. Tribute Communities 



runs Mar 21-24. 


Music. Jazz Vocal Ensemble. Christine Duncan, 

conductor. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson 

Building, University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s 

Park. 416-408-0208. Free. 


Music. Jazz Festival: Jazz Combos. Artie 

Roth, Anthony Michelli and Kelly Jefferson, 

conductors. Martin Family Lounge, Accolade 


0701. Free. Festival runs Mar 21-24. 


● ● 7:15: Ruach Singers. Crossroads. Hebrew 

vocal music in new contemporary settings, 

celebrating the Jewish holiday of Purim. Cantor 

Eric Moses. Beth Sholom Synagogue, 

1445 Eglinton Ave. W. 416-783-6103. Free. CD 

launch at the conclusion of the service. 

● ● 7:30: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Sacred 

Music for a Sacred Space. Byrd: Mass for 

four voices; Corlis: God So Loved the World; 

Whitacre: Her Sacred Spirit Soars. Noel Edison, 

conductor. St. Paul’s Basilica, 83 Power 

St. 416-598-0422 x221. $20-$50. Also Mar 25. 


Music. Jazz Festival: Jazz Combos. Kevin Turcotte, 

Jim Vivian and Frank Falco, conductors. 

Martin Family Lounge, Accolade East Building, 

YU, 4700 Keele St. 647-459-0701. Free. Festival 



Scenes of the Mediterranean. Berlioz: Roman 

Carnival Overture; Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto 

No.5 “Egyptian”; Ibert: Escales (Ports 

of Call); Respighi: Pines of Rome. Jean-Yves 

Thibaudet, piano; Stéphane Denève, conductor. 

Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416- 

598-3375. $33.75-$148. Also Mar 24. 


Wednesday Concert Series. Maureen Kennedy, 

vocals; Ben Bishop, guitar. 681 St. Clair 

Ave. W. 416-658-5687. $10 cover. Reservations 

recommended. 



Chamber Music Series: Exquisite Chamber. 

Young artists from The Glenn Gould 

School. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, 

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 




Music. Thursdays at Noon: Percussion Concert. 

Works for viola, percussion, marimba 

and audio. Works by Duggan, Golijov and 

Sammut. Mark Duggan and John Rudolph, 

percussion; Theresa Rudolph, viola. Walter 



Free. 


Music. Jazz Festival: Jazz Vocal Ensembles. 

Martin Family Lounge, Accolade East Building, 

YU, 4700 Keele St. 647-459-0701. Free. Festival 


● ● 7:00: Lula Music and Arts Centre. Singing 

For Love. A fundraiser in support of arteducational 

workshops for children who have 

lived with domestic violence. Rosy Cervantes, 

vocals. Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. W. 416- 

588-0307. $15. 

● ● 7:30: Church of the Ascension. Maundy 

Thursday. Celebration of the Last Supper and 

the traditional washing of feet. Works by P. 

Aston, D. Hallis, G. Kendrick and C. Tambling. 

33 Overland Dr. 416-444-8881. Freewill offering. 

Religious Service. 


Music. Wind Symphony. Gorb: Awayday; Calvert: 

Romantic Variations; Whitacre: October; 

Reed: La Fiesta Mexicana; Grainger: Irish 

Tune; Shepherd’s Hay; Ticheli: Blue Shades. 

Jeffrey Reynolds, conductor. MacMillan Theatre, 

Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s 

Park. 416-408-0208. $30; $20(sr); $10(st). 


Music. Jazz Festival: York U Jazz Orchestra. 



647-459-0701. Free. Festival runs Mar 21-24. 


Scenes of the Mediterranean. See Mar 23. 

● ● 8:30: Hugh’s Room/Mariposa Folk Festival. 

Sugar Brown and Madagascar Slim. 

Hugh’s Room, 2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531- 

6604. $22.50/$20(adv). 


GOOD FRIDAY LITURGY 

March 25 at 11am 

Solemn Mass in A 

by César Franck 

Humbercrest 

United Church 

16 Baby Point Road, Toronto 

● ● 11:00am: Humbercrest United Church. 

Solemn Mass. Franck: Solemn Mass in A with 

harp, cello and organ. Jennifer Krabbe, soprano; 

Matthew Dalen, tenor; Jason Lamont, 

tenor; Dennis Zimmer, bass; The Chancel 

Choir; Melvin J. Hurst, conductor. 16 Baby 

Point Rd. 416-767-6122. Free. Religious 

service. 

● ● 10:30am: Lawrence Park Community 

Church. Listen, Lord: A Prayer and the Crucifixion 

(God’s Trombones). By Gordon Myers. 

Kimberley Briggs, soprano; Michele Bogdanowicz, 

mezzo; Alastair Smyth, baritone; Lawrence 

Park Community Church Choir; Mark 

Toews, conductor. 2180 Bayview Ave. 416- 

489-1551. Freewill offering. Church Service. 

● ● 11:00am: Church of the Ascension. Good 

Friday/The Cross of Christ. Works by Telemann, 

Schumann, Franck, J. Stainer, Britten, 

O. Gibbons and J.S. Bach. 33 Overland Dr. 416- 

444-8881. Free. 



Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. Music 

and Readings for a Most Holy Day. Amina Holloway, 

cello; Yorkminster Park Baptist Church 

Choir (William Maddox, conductor); Hedgerow 

Singers (Eric Robertson, conductor); 

Colleen Burns and Rev. Peter Holmes, narration. 

Guest: John Johnson, saxophone. Yorkminster 

Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St. 

416-922-1167. Free. 

● ● 7:30: Lula Music and Arts Centre. Alexis 

Baro Quartet. Rhythm-driven jazz funk. Alexis 

Baro, jazz trumpet. Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas 

St. W. 416-588-0307. $15; free(before 8:00). 

● ● 7:30: Metropolitan United Church. 

Requiem: In a Time of Sorrow. Bach: Cantata 

No.78; Brahms: Alto Rhapsody; Requiem. 

The Metropolitan Festival Choir and Orchestra; 

Soloists: Alison Campbell, Claudia Lemcke, 

Charles Davidson, Jordan Scholl (Bach); 

Laura Pudwell (Alto Rhapsody); Gisele Kulak, 

Jordan Scholl (Requiem). Metropolitan 


363-0331 x26. $30; $10(under 19). 

● ● 7:30: Toronto Beach Chorale. Good Friday 

Concert. Fauré: Requiem; Cantique de Jean 

Racine; other works by Gounod and Poulenc. 

Kingston Road United Church, 975 Kingston 

Rd. 416-699-6091. $25/$20(adv); $12(7- 

18)/$10(adv); free(under7). 

● ● 7:30: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Sacred 

Music for a Sacred Space. See Mar 23. 

● ● 8:00: Kindred Spirits Orchestra. From 

Darkness to Light. Mahler: Symphony No. 4; 

Neilsen: Concerto for Flute and Orchestra; 

Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain. Alastair 

Thorburn-Vitols, descant; Rodney Gray, 

flute; Kristian Alexander, conductor; Alexa 

Petrenko, host. Flato Markham Theatre, 

171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham. 905-305- 

7469. $15-$35. 


● ● 7:30: Church of the Ascension. Easter 

Vigil. Lighting of the Pascal Flame and Candle. 

33 Overland Dr. 416-444-8881. Freewill 

offering. Wine and cheese reception. Religious 

service. 

● ● 7:30: Rashaan Allwood. The Birds of 

Spring Which Awaken. Piano music inspired 

by birdsong and nature. Works by Messiaen, 

Ravel, Liszt, Granados and others. Rashaan 

Allwood, piano. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson 


Park. 416-978-0492. Free. 

● ● 8:00: Galen Weston Band. In Concert. 

Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley St. 416- 

368-3110. $50-$58. 

● ● 8:00: Shahriyar Jamshidi. Dilan Ensemble: 

In the Shadow of the Fatherland. Two Iranian 

artists from different musical backgrounds 

present music of the Kurds. Pedram Khavarzamini, 

Tombak player; Shahriyar Jamshidi, 

Kamancheh player and vocals. Small 

World Music Centre, Artscape Youngplace, 

180 Shaw St. 416-536-5439. $20. 

● ● 8:10: Gordon Murray Presents. Piano 

Soiree. Scriabin: Select Etudes; Rachmaninoff: 

Piano Concerto No.2 Mov.1 (arr. G. 

Murray); Novello: We’ll Gather Lilacs (from 

Perchance To Dream) (arr. G. Murray); and 

other works. Gordon Murray, piano. Trinity- 

St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-631- 

4300. $15; $10(st). In the Chapel. 


● ● 10:30am: Church of the Ascension. Easter 

Sunday. Glory of the Resurrection. Works by 

F. Campbell-Watson, J.R. Foley, G. Kendrick, J. 

Hayford and Handel. 33 Overland Dr. 416-444- 

8881. Freewill offering. 


Twilight Organ Series. David Briggs, organ. 

65 Church St. 416-364-7865. Free. 

● ● 5:00: Nocturnes in the City. Epoque Quartet 

from Prague. Works by Vivaldi, Jezek and 

others. Restaurant Praha, Masaryktown, 

450 Scarborough Golf Club Rd. 416-481-7294. 

$25; $15(st). Special concert menu. 



Music. Music @ Midday: R&B Ensemble. 



647-459-0701. Free. 


Music. Student Brass Chamber Ensembles 

Concert. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building, 

University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 

416-408-0208. Free. 



Vocal Series: Four Tenors. Jean-Philippe Fortier-Lazure, 

Aaron Sheppard, Andrew Haji and 

Charles Sy, tenors. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, 


Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. 

Free. Late seating is not available. 




Featuring students from the Glenn Gould 

School. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 

1585 Yonge St. 416-241-1298. Free. Donations 

welcome. 


Music. Music @ Midday: York U Chamber 

Strings. Mark Chambers, conductor. Tribute 



Free. 



65 Church St. 416-364-7865. Free. 

● ● 7:30: Royal Conservatory. Rebanks Family 

Fellowship Concert. Mazzoleni Concert Hall, 

Royal Conservatory, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408- 

0208. Free (ticket required). 

● ● 8:00: Roy Thomson Hall/Massey Hall. An 

Intimate Evening with Jonathan Goldstein. 

Winter Garden Theatre, 189 Yonge St. 416- 

872-4255. $29.50-$49.50. 

● ● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. On 

Broadway. Betsy Wolfe, vocalist; Darren 

Criss, vocalist; Steven Reineke, conductor. 

Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598- 

3375. $33.75-$107(eve); $29.50-$83.75(mat). 

Also Mar 30 (2:00 and 8:00). 


● ● 12:00 noon: York University Department 

of Music. Music @ Midday: York University 

New Music Ensemble. Matt Brubeck, conductor. 

Tribute Communities Recital Hall, 


647-459-0701. Free. 


Noonday Organ Recitals. William Maddox, 



Broadway. See Mar 29(8:00); Also 8:00. 

● ● 8:00: Alliance Française de Toronto. Jean 

Rondeau Classical Concert: Bach in Progress. 

Harpsichord works by Bach. Alliance Française 

de Toronto, 24 Spadina Rd. 416-922-2014 

x37. $15; $10(mem/sr/st). 

Augustin Dumay 

& Louis Lortie 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 8PM 

KOERNER HALL 



● ● 8:00: Royal Conservatory. String Concerts. 

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No.5 in F; 

Strauss: Violin Sonata in E-flat; Franck: Violin 

Sonata in A. Augustin Dumay, violin; Louis 

Lortie, piano. Koerner Hall, Telus Centre, 

273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $40-$85. 


Broadway. See Mar 29. 


Wednesday Concert Series. Ron Davis, 

piano; Mike Downes, bass. 681 St. Clair Ave. 

W. 416-658-5687. $10 cover. Reservations 

recommended. 



Dance Series: Jackie Burroughs is Dead (and 

what are you going to do about it?). Preview. 

Danielle Baskerville, artistic producer; DA 

Hoskins, choreographer. Richard Bradshaw 




8231. Free. Late seating is not available. 


Music. Thursdays at Noon: Winners Recital. 

Winners of the Jim and Charlotte Norcop Prize 

in Song and the Gwendolyn Williams Koldofsky 

Prize in Accompanying. Walter Hall, Edward 


80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. Free. 


at Met. Sarah Svendsen, organ. Metropolitan 


363-0331 x26. Free. 


Music. Music @ Midday: Classical Piano 

Showcase. Students from the studio of Christina 

Petrowska Quilico. Tribute Communities 


4700 Keele St. 647-459-0701. Free. 

VICTORIA 

SYMPHONY 

TANIA MILLER, CONDUCTOR 

MAR 31 | TSO.CA 

Stories of 

Love & Longing 

Friday, April 1, 2016, 

8pm 

Featuring 

Bissell’s A Song of Longing, 

Chatman’s Remember, 

and works by Britten, 

Brahms and Mechem 

383 Huron Street, Toronto 

416-971-9229 

www.exultate.net 

an ontario government agency 

un organisme du gouvernement de l’ontario 


● ● 2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Victoria 

Symphony. Oesterle: “Home” from 

New World; Grieg: Piano Concerto; Copland: 

Suite from Appalachian Spring; Stravinsky: 

Suite from The Firebird. Victoria Symphony, 

guest orchestra; Stewart Goodyear, piano; 

Tania Miller, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 

60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. $29.50-$83.75. 


Music. U of T Concert Orchestra. Paul Widner, 



Park. 416-408-0208. Free. 


Music. York U Symphony Orchestra. Mark 

Chambers, conductor. Tribute Communities 


4700 Keele St. 416-736-5888. $15; $10(sr/st). 

La 

création 

du 

monde 

Thursday 

March 31 

2016 

8:00pm Concert 

Koerner Hall 

ESPRIT ORCHESTRA 

espritorchestra.com 

● ● 8:00: Esprit Orchestra/Elmer Iseler 

Singers. La création du monde. Pauk: Soul 

and Psyche (world premiere); Janmohammed: 

Nur: Reflections on Light; solo orchestra 

selections. Elmer Iseler Singers; Esprit 

Orchestra; Lydia Adams and Alex Pauk, conductors. 

Koerner Hall, Telus Centre, 273 Bloor 

St. W. 416-217-0537. $40; $35(sr); $15(st). 

BENJAMIN 

ALARD 

SOLO 

HARPSICHORD 

BACH 

GOLDBERG 

VARIATIONS 

Mar 31-Apr 3, 5 

416.964.6337 

tafelmusik.org 

● ● 8:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. 

Bach Goldberg Variations. Bach: Goldberg 

Variations; Trio Sonata from “The Musical 

Offering”. Benjamin Alard, solo harpsichord; 

Grégoire Jeay, flute; Jeanne Lamon, violin; 

Christina Mahler, cello. Trinity-St. Paul’s 

Centre, Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. 

416-964-6337. $40 and up; $37 and up(sr); 

$20-$83(35 and under). Also Apr 1, 2, 3(mat), 

5(George Weston Recital Hall). 

Friday April 1 


Recital: Matthew Li, piano. St. Andrew’s 


Free. 


of Music. Music @ Midday: York University 

Brass and Percussion Ensembles. Tribute 



Free. 





427 Bloor St. W. 416-631-4300. PWYC. 



SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE – ROMEO & JULIET 

APRIL 2, 2016, 8 P.M. 

SALVATION ARMY SCARBOROUGH CITADEL 

2021 LAWRENCE AVENUE EAST (AT WARDEN) 

TICKETS: AT THE DOOR OR ONLINE; EMAIL SPO@SPO.CA OR PHONE 416 429-0007 

VISIT US AT SPO.CA 

Music. The Art of the Prima Donna. Staged 

and costumed program of romantic opera. 

Works by Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and others. 

Paul Widner, conductor. Walter Hall, Edward 


80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. $20; $10(st). 


Music. York U Gospel Choir. Karen Burke, 

conductor. Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre, 

Accolade East Building, 4700 Keele St. 

416-736-5888. $15; $10(sr/st). Also Apr 2. 

● ● 8:00: Art of Time Ensemble. Erwin Schulhoff. 

Dada, Jazz and the String Sextet: Portrait 

of a Forgotten Master. Harbourfront 

Centre Theatre, 235 Queens Quay W. 416-973- 

4000. $25-$59. Also Apr 2. 

John Sheard 

presents 

The American 

Songbook 

with Reid Jamieson & 

Michael Louis Johnson 

Friday, April 1, 8pm 

auroraculturalcentre.ca 

905 713-1818 

● ● 8:00: Aurora Cultural Centre. John 

Sheard Presents The American Songbook. 

Reid Jamieson and Michael Louis Johnson. 

22 Church St., Aurora. 905-713-1818. 

$30/$25(adv). 

● ● 8:00: Etobicoke Community Concert 

Band. April Fools. Songs by Sinatra, Bennett, 

Martin, Darrin and others. Andy DeCampos, 

vocals. Etobicoke Collegiate Auditorium, 

86 Montgomery Rd., Etobicoke. 416-410- 

1570. $15. 

● ● 8:00: Exultate Chamber Singers. Stories 

of Love and Longing. Sjolund: Love Lost; 

Brahms: Liebeslieder Waltzes, Op.52; Palestrina: 

Sicut Cervus; Enns: Like as the Hart; 

Bissell: A Song of Longing; works by Chatman, 

Britten, Mechem and Stroope. St. Thomas’s 

Anglican Church (Toronto), 383 Huron St. 

416-971-9229. $25; $20(sr); $10(st). 

● ● 8:00: Opera in Concert/Voicebox. Isis and 

Osiris: Gods of Egypt. Music by Peter Anthony 

Togni. Libretto by Sharon Singer. Lucia Cesaroni 

(Isis); Ernesto Ramirez (Osiris); Julie 

Nesrallah (Nephtis); Michael Nyby (Seth); Stuart 

Graham (The Grand Vizier); and others; 

Orchestra and Chorus of Voicebox: Opera 

In Concert; Robert Cooper, conductor and 

chorus director. St. Lawrence Centre for the 

Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723. $52 and 

$73. Also Apr 3 (2:30). 

● ● 8:00: Royal Conservatory. Cameron Carpenter, 

Organ. Koerner Hall, Telus Centre, 

273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $35-$75. 


Bach Goldberg Variations. See Mar 31; Also 

Apr 2, 3(mat), 5(George Weston Recital Hall). 

● ● 8:00: Toy Piano Composers/Bicycle 


Opera Project. TPC Curiosity Festival: Travelogue. 

Works by Monica Pearce, August 

Murphy-King/Colleen Murphy-King, Elisha 

Denburg, and Tobin Stokes. Members of the 

Bicycle Opera Project. Arts and Letters Club, 

14 Elm St. 647-829-4213. $30(festival pass). 

Also Apr 2. Festival runs until Apr 9. 

● ● 9:00: Skule Music. In Concert. Hart House, 

Arbor Room, 7 Hart House Circle. 416-978- 

2452. Free. 

Saturday April 2 

● ● 2:00: Toronto Northern Lights Chorus. 

Genius of Music. Barbershop choral music. 

Guest: Toronto All-Star Big Band. George 

Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St. 1-866- 

744-7467. $25-$30; $15(st); free(student 

ticket with purchase of adult ticket); 

free(under 3). Also 7:30. 

● ● 2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Alligator 

Pie. Abigail Richardson-Schulte: Alligator 

Pie. Carla Huhtanen, soprano; Dennis Lee, 

poet; Kevin Frank, narrator; Earl Lee, conductor. 


598-3375. $20.50-$32.75. Also at 4:00. 

● ● 4:00: Toronto Children’s Chorus/Cawthra 

Park Chamber Choir. Good Vibrations. 

Michel Ross and Alex Wang, piano; Elise Bradley 

and Bob Anderson, conductors. Church of 

the Redeemer, 162 Bloor St. W. 416-932-8666 

x231. $25; $20(sr/st); $10(child). 

● ● 4:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Alligator 

Pie. Abigail Richardson-Schulte: Alligator 

Pie. Carla Huhtanen, soprano; Dennis Lee, 

poet; Kevin Frank, narrator; Earl Lee, conductor. 


598-3375. $20.50-$32.75. Also at 2:00. 

● ● 4:30: Beach United Church. Jazz and 

Reflection: New Beginnings. Laura Fernandez, 

vocals; Don Naduriak, piano; Joaquin 

Nunez Hidalgo, drum. 140 Wineva Ave. 416- 

691-8082. Freewill offering. 

● ● 7:00: Aga Khan Museum/Raag-Mala 

Music Society of Toronto. Raags of the 

Gharana Tradition. Evening Raags with 

Anupama Bhagwat and Waseem Ahmed 

Khan. Aga Khan Museum Auditorium, 

77 Wynford Dr. 416-646-4677. $45 and up; 

$41(members). Two-concert pkg avail. Also 

Apr 3(mat). 

● ● 7:30: Etobicoke Centennial Choir. When 

Daffodils Begin to Peer. Holst: Choral Hymns 

from the Rig Veda Op.26 No.1; Six Songs of 

Early Canada (arr. Patriquin); Halley: Love 

Songs for Springtime; Shearing: Songs and 

Sonnets from Shakespeare. Henry Renglich, 

conductor. Guests: Unionville Montessori 

School Appassionata Singers. Humber Valley 

United Church, 76 Anglesey Blvd., Etobicoke. 

416-769-9271. $25. 

● ● 7:30: Music On The Donway. Retro Ramblers 

Quartet. Music of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 

beyond. Donway Covenant United Church, 

230 The Donway W. 416-444-8444. $20; 

free(under 13). 

● ● 7:30: Opera by Request. Weber’s Abu Hassan 

and Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle. Semistaged 

with piano accompaniment. Henry 

Irwin, baritone (Abu Hassan); Michele 

Danese, soprano (Fatima); Steven Henrikson, 

baritone (Omar); Deena Nicklefork, 

soprano (Judith); Larry Tozer, baritone (Bluebeard); 

Gregory Finney, stage director; William 

Shookhoff, piano/conductor. College 

Street United Church, 452 College St. 416- 

455-2365. $20. 

● ● 7:30: Toronto Concert Orchestra. Piaf 

Encore. La Vie en Rose, I Love Paris, Rien de 

rien, Pauvre Jean, Milord and other songs. 

Pandora Topp, vocals (Piaf); Kerry Stratton, 

conductor. The Extension Room, 30 Eastern 

Ave. 647-352-7041. $45. 

● ● 7:30: Toronto Northern Lights Chorus. 

Genius of Music. See 2:00. 


Music. York U Gospel Choir. Karen Burke, 

conductor. Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre, 

Accolade East Building, 4700 Keele St. 

416-736-5888. $15; $10(sr/st). Also Apr 1. 

● ● 8:00: Art of Time Ensemble. Erwin Schulhoff. 

See Apr 1. 

● ● 8:00: Mississauga Festival Chamber 

Choir. Spring Serenade. Gjeilo: Sunrise 

Mass; other works. First United Church (Port 

Credit), 151 Lakeshore Rd W., Mississauga. 

905-278-3714. $25; $15(child). 

● ● 8:00: Nagata Shachu with TorQ. In Concert. 

Japanese, Western and world percussion. 

TorQ: Richard Burrows, Adam Campbell, 

Jamie Drake, and Daniel Morphy; Kiyoshi 

Nagata, music director. Brigantine Room, 

Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W. 

416-973-4000. $35/$30(adv); $20(sr/st). 

●●8:00: Mississauga Symphony Orchestra. 

Spring. Copland: Appalachian Spring; 

Debussy: Danse sacrée et profane; Dvořák: 

Symphony No.6. Erica Goodman, harp; 

Denis Mastromonaco, conductor. Hammerson 

Hall, Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living 

Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905-306-6000. 

$30-$65. 

● ● 8:00: Scarborough Philharmonic 

Orchestra. Shakespeare in Love: Romeo and 

Juliet. Salvation Army Scarborough Citadel, 

2021 Lawrence Ave. E., Scarborough. 416- 

429-0007. $30; $25(sr); $15(st); $10(child). 



Apr 3(mat), 5(George Weston Recital Hall). 


National Arts Centre Orchestra. R. Strauss: 

Don Juan; Mozart: Piano Concerto No.20 

K466; Sokolović: Ringelspiel; R. Strauss: 

Death and Transfiguration. Gabriela Montero, 

piano; National Arts Centre Orchestra, 

guest orchestra; Alexander Shelley, conductor. 


598-3375. $33.75-$148. 

● ● 8:00: Toy Piano Composers/Bicycle 

Opera Project. TPC Curiosity Festival: Travelogue. 

See Apr 1. Festival runs until Apr 9. 

● ● 8:00: Univox Choir. Everything Beautiful. 

Tahirih Vejdani, conductor. Eastminster 

United Church, 310 Danforth Ave. 416-463- 

2179. $25/20 (sr, st, adv). 

DENIS MASTROMONACO 

MUSIC DIRECTOR & 

C O N D U C T O R 

MSOMasterwks 

Sunday April 3 

● ● 12:30: Harmonia Hungarica. Spring Concert. 

Works by Aichinger, Lassus, Brahms, 

Bartók, Kodály and others. Katalin Végh, conductor. 

First Hungarian Presbyterian Church, 

439 Vaughan Road. 416-971-9754. Freewill 

offering. 

● ● 1:30: Payadora Tango Duo. In Concert. 

Music of Buenos Aires exploring the past and 

present of Argentinian Tango. Neighbourhood 

Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 

79 Hiawatha Rd. 416-686-6809. $25(family); 

$15; $10(sr/child/artist). 

● ● 2:30: Opera in Concert/Voicebox. Isis and 

Osiris: Gods of Egypt. See Apr 1 (8:00). 


Music. Heart Songs. Corlis: Heart Songs of 

the White Wampum; Beethoven: Choral Fantasy; 

and other works. University of Toronto 

Symphony Orchestra; Women’s Chamber 

Choir; Men’s Chorus; Beverley Johnston, 

marimba; Hilary Apfelstadt, Elaine Choi, 

Tracy Wong and Mark Ramsay, conductors. 

MacMillan Theatre, Edward Johnson Building, 

80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. $30; 

$20(sr); $10(st). 

● ● 3:00: Aga Khan Museum/Raag-Mala 

Music Society of Toronto. Raags of the 

Gharana Tradition. Afternoon Raags with 

Ramesh Mishra and Devaki Pandit. Aga Khan 

Museum Auditorium, 77 Wynford Dr. 416-646- 

4677. $45 and up; $41(members). Two-concert 

pkg avail. Also Apr 2(eve). 

● ● 3:00: Florivox. Shadows and Light. Gillian 

Stecyk, conductor. Grace Church on-the- 

Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd. 416-488-7884. $25/20 

(sr, st, adv). 

Spring 

Serenade 

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR 

DAVID AMBROSE 

Saturday, April 2, 2016 / 8:00 pm / First United Church, Port Credit 

Music inspired by the season of beginnings and rebirth featuring 

the stunning Sunrise Mass by Ola Gjeilo with string ensemble. 

COPLAND Appalachian Spring 

DEBUSSY Danse sacrée et profane 

DVORÁK Symphony No. 6 

Tickets: info@mississaugafestivalchoir.com and at the door 

f themississaugafestivalchoir.com l mfchoir / mfchoir.com 


● ● 3:00: Royal Conservatory. Orlando 

Consort: Le passion de Jeanne d’Arc. 



416-408-0208. $30-$55. With a film screening 

of La passion de Jeanne d’Arc (1928). 

Ensemble 

Made In Canada 

Angela Park, piano 

Sharon Wei, viola 

Elissa Lee, violin 

Rachel Mercer, cello 

Sunday April 3, 3pm 

SyrinxConcerts.ca 

● ● 3:00: Syrinx. Ensemble Made in Canada. 

Works by Beethoven, Schumann, and Omar 

Daniel. Angela Park, piano; Sharon Wei, viola; 

Elissa Lee, violin; Rachel Mercer, cello. Heliconian 

Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 416-922-3618. 

$25; $20(st). Post-concert reception. 

viva electronica 

Sun. Apr. 3 | Oliphant Theatre 

www.NewMusicConcerts.com 

ZEPHYR PIANO TRIO 

MENDLESSOHN 

SMETANA 

03 APRIL 16 | Humbercrest United Church 

● ● 3:00: Zephyr Piano Trio. In Concert. 

Works by Mendelssohn, Smetana and Piazzolla. 

Ilona Beres, Terry Holowach and Edward 

Hayes. Humbercrest United Church, 16 Baby 

Point Rd. 416-694-8923. $20; $15(sr/st); 

free(under 12). 

●●3:00: York University Department of 

Music. York U Wind Symphony. William 

Thomas, conductor. Tribute Communities 


4700 Keele St. 416-736-5888. $15; $10(sr/st). 



Apr 5(George Weston Recital Hall). 

● ● 4:00: Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto. 

Carmina Burana. Orff: Carmina Burana; Dello 

Joio: Psalm of David. Leslie Fagan, soprano; 

Christopher Mayell, tenor; Peter MacGillivray, 

baritone; Amadeus Choir; Buffalo Master 

Chorale; Bach Children’s Choir; Shawn 

Grenke, piano. Toronto Centre for the Arts, 

5040 Yonge St., North York. 416-446-0188. 

$45; $40(sr); $35(under 30); $20(st). 

● ● 4:00: Church of St. Mary Magdalene. 

Organ Fireworks. Andrew Adair, organ. 

Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Toronto), 

477 Manning Ave. 416-531-7955. Free. 

● ● 4:00: Hart House Chorus. Spring Concert. 

Haydn: Missa in tempore belli (Mass in 

Time of War); Gjeilo: Dark Night of the Soul. 

Daivd Eliakis, accompanist; Daniel Norman, 

conductor. Hart House, Great Hall, 7 Hart 

House Circle. 647-774-0755. Free. Donations 

accepted on behalf of Sistema Toronto. 


Vespers: Tribute to Duke Ellington. Mike Murley, 

saxophone; Mark Eisenman, piano; Pat 

Collins, bass; Barry Elmes, drums. 25 St. Phillips 

Rd., Etobicoke. 416-247-5181. Freewill 

offering. 


1570 Yonge St. 416-920-5211. Free. 


● ● 5:00: Nocturnes in the City. Jan Novotný, 

piano. Works by Smetana and Schumann. St. 

Wenceslaus Church, 496 Gladstone Ave. 416- 

481-7294. $25; $15(st). 


Music. Percussion Ensemble Concert. Walter 



Free. 

● ● 8:00: New Music Concerts. Viva Electronica. 

Tan: On the Sensations of Tone II; K. 

Hamel: New Work; Ahn: LOL-a; Steenhuisen: 

ATOM TYPE OPAL MELT. NMC Ensemble; Robert 

Aitken, conductor. Betty Oliphant Theatre, 

404 Jarvis St. 416-961-9594. $35; $25(sr/arts 

workers); $10(st). 7:15: Introduction. 

Monday April 4 


of Music. Music @ Midday: Instrumental 

Masterclass in Concert. Tribute Communities 


4700 Keele St. 647-459-0701. Free. 


Music. Cecilia String Quartet. Agócs: Commissioned 

piece; Mendelssohn: String Quartet 

in e Op.44 No.2; Brahms: Clarinet Quintet 

in b Op.115. Cecilia String Quartet; Kati Agócs, 

soprano; James Campbell, clarinet. Walter 



$40; $25(sr); $10(st). 


Music. York University Concert and Chamber 

Choir. Robert Cooper, interim conductor, Ted 

Moroney, accompaniment. Tribute Communities 


4700 Keele St. 416-736-5888. $15; $10(sr/st). 

Tuesday April 5 

● ● 5:00 and 5:30: Toronto Mendelssohn 

Choir. Free Pop-Up Concert. Noel Edison, 

conductor. Allan Lambert Galleria, Brookfield 

Place, 181 Bay St. 416-598-0422. Free. 

Also at 5:30. 


Music. Student Woodwind Chamber Ensemble 

Concert. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson 


Park. 416-408-0208. Free. 

with The Buffalo 

MasTer Chorale 

doreen rao, Conductor 

and The BaCh 

Children’s Chorus 

linda Beaupré, Conductor 

carmina Burana orff | Psalm of DaviD dello Joio 

LesLie Fagan, soprano | Christopher MayeLL, tenor 

peter MaCgiLLivray, Baritone 

shawn grenke & raChaeL kerr, pianists 

Sunday, April 3 | 4:00pm | Toronto Centre for the Arts 

TickeTs: $45 adults, $40 seniors, $35 ‘under 30’, $20 students 

416-446-0188 | aMadeusChoir.CoM 



Music. Guitar Orchestra Concert. U of T Art 

Centre, 15 King’s College Cir. 416-408-0208. 

Free. 

●●Apr 05 8:00: Array Music. 4 New Works. 

Hostman: Yet, the Rain Falls; Newsome: 

Capsule;Scime: Scivias - Know the Ways; S. 

Wilson: untitled. Array Ensemble; guest: Carla 

Huhtanen, soprano. Array Space, 155 Walnut 

Ave. 416-532-3019. $20. 

Thursday April 7 


Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge St. 

OPER AATELIER.COM 

● ● 7:30: Opera Atelier. Lucio Silla. Mozart. 

Kresimir Spicer (Lucio); Inga Kalna (Cinna); 

Mireille Asselin (Celia); Peggy Kriha Dye 

(Cecillio); Meghan Lindsay (Giunia); Marshall 

Pynkoski, stage director; Jeannette Lajeunesse 

Zingg, choreograper; Artists of Atelier 

Ballet; Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra; David 

Fallis, conductor. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge 

St. 1-855-622-2787. $38-$181; $15(under 30). 

Media Night. Runs Apr 7-16; start times vary. 


Music. World Music Ensembles. African 

Drumming and Dancing Ensemble; Latin- 

American Percussion Ensemble; Steel Pan 

Ensemble. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson 


Park. 416-408-0208. Free. 

DON’T MISS 

TORONTO’S OPER A 


B. Concerts Beyond the GTA 

● ● 8:00: Music Toronto. Duo Turgeon. Valery 

Gavrilin: Sketches; Ravel: Second Suite from 

Daphnis and Chloe, Vyacheslav Gryaznov: 

new arrangement for two pianos; Lutoslawski: 

Variations on a theme by Paganini. Anne 

Louise-Turgeon, piano; Edward Turgeon, 

piano. Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence 

Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-366- 

7723. $55, $50; $10(st); age 18 to 35 – pay 

your age. 


Bach Goldberg Variations. George Weston 

Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St. 1-855-985-2787. 

$37 and up; $32 and up(sr); $15-$70(35 and 

under). See Mar 31 (Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre). 

Wednesday April 6 


Music. Vocalis Master’s/DMA Series. Emmanuel 

College Chapel, 75 Queen’s Park Cr. E. 416- 

408-0208. Free. 


Music. gamUT Contemporary Music Ensemble. 

Wallace Halladay, director. Walter Hall, 

Edward Johnson Building, University of 

Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. 

Free. 


Beethoven: Piano Concerto 4. Agócs: Perpetual 

Summer; Beethoven: Piano Concerto 

No.4; Sibelius: Symphony No.1. Francesco Piemontesi, 

piano; Thomas Søndergård, conductor. 

Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 

416-598-3375. $33.75-$148. Also Apr 8(7:30). 

● ● 8:00: Toy Piano Composers. TPC Curiosity 

Festival: Playback. Nancy Tam, curator. Canadian 

Music Centre, 20 St. Joseph St. 647- 

829-4213. $30(festival pass). Festival runs 

until Apr 9. 

● ● 12:00 noon: Adam Sherkin. Chopin: Fantastic 

Jest. Chopin: Fantasy in f Op.49; 

Scherzo No.3 in c-sharp Op.39; Sherkin: new 

work. Adam Sherkin, piano. Bluma Appel 

Lobby, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 

27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723. Free. Presented 

in partnership with Steinway Piano Gallery. 


at Met. Joshua Ehlebracht, organ. Metropolitan 

United Church (Toronto), 56 Queen St. E. 

416-363-0331 x26. Free. 

● ● 1:30: Women’s Musical Club of Toronto. 

Music in the Afternoon. Works by Biber, Lieberson, 

Schumann, Brahms and Di Castri 

(premiere). Danthology: Steven Dann, 

viola; Nico Dann, percussion; Robin Dann, 

voice; Lucas Dann, piano; Ilana Zarankin, soprano; 

Joel Quarrington, double bass. Walter 

Hall, Edward Johnson Building, University of 

Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-923-7052. $45. 

Women’s Musical Club of Toronto 

Music in the Afternoon 

STEVEN DANN, viola 

and friends 

Thursday 

April 7, 1.30 p.m. 

Tickets $45 

416-923-7052 

www.wmct.on.ca 

● ● 7:00: Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre. 

Tsumugu. Amami Island folk songs, Tsugaru 

shamisen, taiko drumming. Anna Sato, vocals; 

Chie Hanawa, Tsugaru shamisen; Keita 

Kanazashi, taiko drum and Japanese flute. 

6 Garamond Ct. 416-441-2345. $30; $25(JCCC 

members). 

IN THIS ISSUE: Alliston, Ancaster, Barrie, Belleville, Brantford, Coburg, 

Collingwood , Dundas, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener, Lindsay, 

London, Orangeville, Orillia, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Waterloo. 


● ● 12:00 noon: Marilyn I. Walker School of 

Fine and Performing Arts, Brock University. 

RBC Foundation: Music@Noon. Piano 

and guitar students. Cairns Hall, FirstOntario 

Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St., St. 

Catharines. 905-688-5550. Free. 

● ● 12:00 noon: Sanderson Centre for the 

Performing Arts. In Concert. Taiko drums. 

Yamato Drummers of Japan. 88 Dalhousie 

St., Brantford. 519-758-8090. $49; $20(st); 

$5(eyeGO). 


● ● 12:00 noon: Midday Music with Shigeru. 

Jazz Pianist Lance Anderson. Works by 

Gershwin, Peterson and McCartney. Hi-Way 

Pentecostal Church, 50 Anne St. N., Barrie. 

705-726-1181. $5; free(st). 

● ● 12:30: University of Waterloo Department 

of Music. Noon Hour Concert: Afternoon’s 

Night Music. Andrew Chung, violin; 

Ben Bolt-Martin, cello; Catherine Robertson, 

piano. Conrad Grebel University College, 

140 Westmount Rd. N., Waterloo. 519-885- 

0220 x24226. Free. 

● ● 7:00: Kaleid Choral Festival. A Kaleidoscope 

of Voices with Rajaton. Finnish a cappella 

group Rajaton with more than 300 high 

school students from the Kitchener/Waterloo 

Region. St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, 

49 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 519-584-5757. 

$25. Also Mar 3. 


● ● 12:00 noon: University of Guelph College 

of Arts. Thursday At Noon: Ribbon 

of Extremes with Philippe Hode-Keyser. 

Drums and electronics. Goldschmidt Room, 

107 MacKinnon Bldg., 50 Stone Rd. E., Guelph. 

519-824-4120 x52991. Free. 

● ● 7:00: Kaleid Choral Festival. A Kaleidoscope 

of Voices with Rajaton. Finnish a cappella 

group Rajaton with more than 300 

high school students from the Kitchener/ 

Waterloo Region. St. Peter’s Lutheran 

Church, 49 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 519-584- 

5757. $25. Also Mar 2. 

● ● 7:30: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. 

Marie-Josée Lord and Quartango: 

Tangopéra. 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 

905-688-0722. $52. 


● ● 12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Fridays 

@ 12:30 Concert Series. Works by 

Brahms, Martinů and others. Sharon Wei, 

viola; Stephan Sylvestre, piano. Von Kuster 

Hall, Music Building, Western University, 

1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767. 

Free. 

● ● 1:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Voice 

Fridays: Canadian Composers of Song. Patricia 

Green. Talbot College, University of Western 

Ontario, Room 100, 1151 Richmond St. N., 

London. 519-661-3767. Free. 

● ● 3:00: Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine 

and Performing Arts. Music Ed Plus Vocal & 

Woodwind Chamber Ensemble. FirstOntario 

Performing Arts Centre lobby, 250 St. Paul 

St., St. Catharines. 905-688-5550. Free. 

● ● 7:30: Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing 

Arts. Ensemble Series: Soundstreams 

Canada. MacMillan: Seven Last 

Words From the Cross; Schafer: The Fall into 

Light (selections); Nystedt: Immortal Bach. 

Soundstreams Canada’s Choir 21; Virtuoso 

String Orchestra. Guest: Sir James MacMillan, 

conductor. 390 King St. W., Kingston. 

613-533-2424. $27 and up; $13.50 and up(st); 

$22 and up(faculty/staff). 

● ● 8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber 

Music Society. Jeremy Bell, Violin; Shoshana 

Telner, Piano. Grieg: Violin Sonata No.1; 

Beethoven: Sonata No.7 in c Op.30 No.2; Robert 

Ward: Lamentation and Scherzo; Alkan: 

Le Festin d’Aesop. KWCMS Music Room, 

57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. 

$30; $20(st). 



● ● 1:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. London 

Music Scholarship Foundation Competition, 

Second and Final Round. Von Kuster 



Free. Also 8:00. 

● ● 2:00: Kawartha Concerts. Little Big Frog. 

Masks, puppetry, poetry, music and dance. 

Faustwork Mask Theatre. Market Hall Performing 

Arts Centre, 140 Charlotte St., Peterborough. 

705-878-5625. $15; $5(youth/child). 

Also Apr 3(Lindsay). 

● ● 7:00: Ryerson Community Concert Series. 

Concert Classics: Solo Piano Music with 

Alexei Gulenco. Alexei Gulenco, piano; Hamilton 

Choir Project. Ryerson United Church, 

265 Wilson St. E., Ancaster. 905-648-2731. 

Admission by donation ($20 suggested). 

● ● 7:30: Cellar Singers. Light Perpetual 

2. Duruflé: Requiem and Motets. Jennifer 

Enns Modolo, mezzo; Matthew Cassils, baritone; 

Children’s Community Choir of Midland; 

Mitchell Pady, conductor. St. James’ Anglican 

Church (Orillia), 58 Peter St. N., Orillia. 705- 

481-1853. $25; $10(st). 

● ● 7:30: Chorus Niagara. Eternity: Bach Mass 

in B Minor. Featuring 27 dialogue-free short 

films created to mirror the 27-part musical 

structure of Bach’s work. Bastian Clevé: 

Sound of Eternity (film; Canadian premiere). 

Jennifer Krabbe, soprano; Anita Krause, 

mezzo; Charles Sy, tenor; Geoffrey Sirett, 

baritone; Chorus Niagara; Orpheus Choir; 

Talisker Players. FirstOntario Performing 

Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 

905-688-0722. $40; $38(sr); $25(under 30); 

$15(st); $12(child). 6:30: Pre-concert chat. 

Also Mar 6 (Toronto). 

● ● 8:00: DaCapo Chamber Choir. Blow, Blow, 

Thou Winter Wind. An all-Shakespeare choral 

concert. Archer: In Sweet Music (world premiere); 

Shearing: Songs and Sonnets by 

Shakespeare; Chatman: Blow, Blow Thou 

Winter Wind; Freedman: Songs from Shakespeare; 

Mäntyjärvi: Four Shakespeare Songs. 

Catherine Robertson, piano; Greg Prior, 

double bass. St. John the Evangelist Anglican 

Church, 23 Water St. N., Kitchener. 519-725- 

7549. $25; $20(sr); $15(st); $5(child/eyeGO). 

Also March 6 (mat). 

● ● 8:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. London 

Music Scholarship Foundation Competition, 

Second and Final Round. Von Kuster 





● ● 2:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Traditions. 

Western University Jazz Ensemble. 

Mocha Shrine Centre, 468 Colborne St., London. 

519-661-3767. Free. 

● ● 2:00: McMaster School of the Arts. 

Ensemble Concerts Series. Flute Ensemble. 

Convocation Hall, UH213, McMaster University, 

1280 Main St. W., Hamilton. 905-525- 

9140 x27671. Free. 

● ● 2:00: University of Guelph College of Arts. 

Young At Heart. University of Guelph Choirs; 

Eramosa Children’s Choir; Marta McCarthy, 

conductor. Harcourt Memorial United 

Church, 87 Dean St., Guelph. 519-824-4120 

x52991. $15; $10(sr/st). 

● ● 2:30: Kingston Symphony. Rosauro and 


Mendelssohn. Boccherini: Cello Concerto; 

Mendelssohn: Konzertstück No.2 for Two 

Clarinets; Symphony No.4; Hétu: Bassoon 

Concerto; Rosauro: Marimba Concerto. Wolf 

Tormann, cello; Gordon Craig, clarinet; Linda 

Craig, clarinet; Ben Glossop, bassoon; Evan 

Mitchell, marimba; Glen Fast, conductor. Isabel 

Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, 

390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-530-2050. 

$20-$50. 

● ● 3:00: DaCapo Chamber Choir. Blow, Blow, 

Thou Winter Wind. An all-Shakespeare choral 

concert. Archer: In Sweet Music (world premiere); 

Shearing: Songs and Sonnets by 

Shakespeare; Chatman: Blow, Blow Thou 

Winter Wind; Freedman: Songs from Shakespeare; 

Mäntyjärvi: Four Shakespeare Songs. 

Catherine Robertson, piano; Greg Prior, 

double bass. St. John’s Lutheran Church, 

22 Willow St., Waterloo. 519-725-7549. $25; 

$20(sr); $15(st); $5(child/eyeGO). Also March 

5 (eve). 

● ● 3:00: Grand Philharmonic Chamber 

Choir. Sawatsky Visiting Scholar: The Music 

of James MacMillan. MacMillan: Seven Last 

Words from the Cross; Schafer: The Fall into 

Light (selections); Nystedt: Immortal Bach. 

Soundstreams Canada’s Choir 21; University 

of Waterloo Chamber Choir; Grand Philharmonic 

Choir; Virtuoso String Orchestra. 

Guest: Sir James MacMillan, conductor. St. 

Peter’s Lutheran Church, 49 Queen St. N., 

Kitchener. 519-578-6885. $30; $14(university/college 

st and under 30); $5(high school 

st and younger). 

● ● 3:00: John Laing Singers. Resplendent 

and Romantic. Featuring music for choir 

and virtuoso piano. Works by Beethoven, 

Buhr, Brahms, Berg, Rossini, Schubert and 

Whitacre. Guest: Paul Thorlaksen, piano. St. 

Paul’s United Church (Dundas), 29 Park St. W., 

Dundas. 905-628-5238. $25; $20(sr); $5(st); 

free(child). 


of Music. Sawatsky Visiting Scholar: Music of 

Sir James MacMillan. Choir 21; UW Chamber 

Choir; Grand Philharmonic Choir. St. Peter’s 

Lutheran Church, 49 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 

519-885-0220 x24226. $30; $14(st/under30); 

$5(youth/child). 


Music Society. Heidi Wall, piano. Bach: Prelude 

and Fugue from Bk.1 No.21 in b-flat; Liszt: 

Transcendental Etudes Nos.11 and 12; Haydn: 

Sonata No.52 in E-flat Hob.XVI:52; Alexander 

Stankovski: Traumprotokoll. KWCMS Music 

Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886- 

1673. By donation. Fundraising concert (tax 

receipts over $20). 



of Music. Noon Hour Concert: Stealth in Concert. 

Kathryn Ladano, bass clarinet; Richard 

Burrows, percussion. Conrad Grebel University 

College, 140 Westmount Rd. N., Waterloo. 

519-885-0220 x24226. Free. 

● ● 2:30: Seniors Serenade. Patricia Wait with 

York University Music Students. Grace United 

Church (Barrie), 350 Grove St. E., Barrie. 

705-726-1181. Free. 3:30: tea and cookies $5. 

● ● 7:00: Guitar Hamilton. Johannes 

Möller and Laura Fraticelli Classical Guitar 

Duo. Church of St. John the Evangelist, 

320 Charlton Ave. W., Hamilton. 905-807- 

4792. $15-$25. 



of Arts. Thursday At Noon: Jason Wilson and 

The Perennials. Global roots project incorporating 

the reggae canon, Scottish and English 

folk revival and NYC bebop. Goldschmidt 

Room, 107 MacKinnon Bldg., 50 Stone Rd. E., 

Guelph. 519-824-4120 x52991. Free. 

● ● 2:00: Sanderson Centre for the Performing 

Arts. Celtic Nights. Celebration of 

Irish independence with Spirit of Freedom, 

marking the centennial of the Easter Rising of 

1916. Theatrical production featuring music 

and dance. Pat Macelwain, director; Claire 

Crehan, music director; Richard Griffin, choreographer. 

88 Dalhousie St., Brantford. 519- 

758-8090. $52; $20(uGO); $5(eyeGO). 

● ● 7:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Western 

Performs! Concert Series Finale: Oikos. 

Collaborations with multiple faculties at 

Western, emphasizing the theme Oikos 

(Greek for “home”). Atrium, International and 

Graduate Affairs Building, Western University, 

1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661- 

3767. Free. 

● ● 7:30: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. 

Celebrate a Rising Star. Works by Beethoven, 

Brahms, Weber, Schubert and Martin. Mason 

Pomeroy, flute; Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, 

conductor. Conrad Centre for the Performing 

Arts, 36 King St. W., Kitchener. 519-745-4711. 

$45; $10(st). 

● ● 7:30: Perimeter Institute. Classical World 

Artists Series. Strauss: Sonata in F Op.6; Messiaen: 

Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Mvt. 5: 

Louange à l’éternité de Jésus); Albéniz: Suite 

espagnole Op.47 for piano; Glazunov: Song of 

a Minstrel; Chopin: Sonata in g Op.65. David 

Finckel, cello; Wu Han, piano. Mike Lazaridis 

Theatre of Ideas, Perimeter Institute, 

31 Caroline St. N., Waterloo. 519-883-4480. 

$83; $55(st). Valid ID needed for student rate. 


● ● 3:00: Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and 

Performing Arts, Brock University. Music 

Ed Plus Vocal & Woodwind Chamber Ensemble. 

FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre 

lobby, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 905- 

688-5550. Free. 

● ● 8:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. 

Scenes from Opera and Musical Theatre. Paul 

Davenport Theatre, Talbot College, Western 

University, 1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519- 

661-3767. $15; $10(sr/st). Also Mar 12. 


Music Society. Möller-Fraticelli Guitar Duo. 

Three Argentinian tangos; Mertz: three duos; 

Wassrfahrt am Traunsee; Tarantella; Möller: 

Five Chinese Impressions; Shenandoah Fantasy; 

Night Flame; Möller-Fraticelli: RASA- 

LILA. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St. W., 

Waterloo. 519-886-1673. $30; $20(st). 

● ● 8:00: NUMUS. Quasar Saxophone Quartet. 

Jean-François Laporte: Incantation for 4 

trompe-sac; Wolf Edwards: Predator Drone 

for saxophone quartet and electronics; André 

Hamel: Brumes matinales textures urbaines 

for saxophone quartet and electronics; Pierre 

Alexandre Tremblay: Les pâleurs de la lune 

for saxophone quartet and electronics; Alexander 

Schubert: Hello for saxophone quartet 

and electronics. Presented with video. Registry 

Theatre, 122 Frederick St., Kitchener. 519- 

896-3662. $30; $20(sr/arts); $10(st). 

● ● 8:30: Amanda Tosoff. Words CD Release. 

Amanda Tosoff, piano; Felicity Williams, 

vocals; Alex Goodman, guitar; Jon Maharaj, 

bass; Morgan Childs, drums; and others. Jazz 

Room, Huether Hotel, 59 King St N., Waterloo. 

519-886-3350. $20; $10(under 30). Also 

Mar 10(Toronto). 


● ● 7:30: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Cirque de la Symphonie. Circus acts performed 

to classical music. Gemma New, 

conductor. Hamilton Place, 10 MacNab St. S., 

Hamilton. 905-526-7756. $10-$67. 


Arts. Autorickshaw: Bollywood and 

Beyond. 390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-530- 

2050. $29; $24(faculty/staff); $15(st). 


Scenes from Opera & Musical Theatre. Paul 



661-3767. $15; $10(sr/st). Also Mar 11. 



Arts. A Magical Night Featuring Violin, 

Viola and Piano. Works by Schumann, 

Piazzolla and others. Gisèle Dalbec-Szcsesniak, 

violin; Eileen Beaudette, viola; Michel 

Szcsesniak, piano. 390 King St. W., Kingston. 

613-530-2050. $10-$30. 

● ● 2:30: Orchestra Kingston. Masterworks 

for Orchestra. Works by John Williams, J. 

Strauss and Dvořák; new works by John 

Palmer and Daniel McConnachie. Salvation 

Army Citadel, 816 Centennial Dr., Kingston. 

613-634-9312. $20-$25. 


Ensemble Concerts Series. Chamber Orchestra. 

Convocation Hall, UH213, McMaster 

University, 1280 Main St. W., Hamilton. 905- 

525-9140 x27671. Free. 


Music Society. Katie Schlaikjer and Patricio 

Andrés Gutiérrez Vielma, Cellos. Kodály: 

Sonata for solo cello Op.7; Bach: Suite No.4 for 

solo cello; works by Barriere and Boismortier 

for two cellos. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young 

St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. By donation. 

Tax receipts for $20 and up. 



Contemporary Music Studio. Von Kuster 



Free. 




RBC Foundation: Music@Noon. Instrumental 

Students. Cairns Hall, FirstOntario 




Arts. Ensemble Series: House of 

Dreams. Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra; 

Jeanne Lamon, conductor; Alison Mackay, 

creator; Marshall Pynkoski, stage director. 


From $13.50. 


● ● 12:00 noon: Music at St. Andrews. Noontime 

Recital: Organist Jeffrey Moellman 

with Jonathan, Clara and Paul Moellman. 


St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (Barrie), 

47 Owen St., Barrie. 705-726-1181. $5; 

free(st). 



of Arts. Thursday At Noon: McMaster 

Trio. A recital tracing the evolution of the 

piano trio, from Haydn to Canadian composer 

Kelly-Marie Murphy. Goldschmidt Room, 

107 MacKinnon Bldg., 50 Stone Rd. E., Guelph. 

519-824-4120 x52991. Free. 




Brock University Wind Ensemble in Market 

Square. Brock students and community volunteers 

perform. Zoltan Kalman, conductor. 

Market Square (St. Catharines), 91 King St., 

St. Catharines. 905-688-0722. Free. 

● ● 12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Fridays 

@ 12:30: Andrew Aarons, piano. Von 

Kuster Hall, Music Building, Western University, 


3767. Free. 


of Music. Noon Hour Concert: Haydn String 

Quartet. Attacca Quartet. Conrad Grebel University 

College, 140 Westmount Rd. N., Waterloo. 

519-885-0220 x24226. Free. 

● ● 7:30: Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine 

and Performing Arts, Brock University. 

ENCORE! Professional Concert Series: Beverley 

Johnston, percussion and Marc Djokic, 

violin. Partridge Hall, First Ontario Performing 

Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St., St. 

Catharines. 905-688-0722. $29; $23(sr/st); 

$5(eyeGo). 

● ● 7:30: Queen’s University School of Music. 

Queen’s Symphony and Choral Ensemble. 

Schubert: Mass in C D462; other works. 

Queen’s Symphony; Queen’s Choral Ensemble; 

Perth Choir. Grant Hall, 43 University Ave, 

Kingston. 613-530-2050. $10-$30. 


University Jazz Ensemble: Honours. Paul 



661-3767. Free. 


Music Society. Haydn Quartets, Final 

Weekend, Concert No. 21. Haydn: Quartets 

Op.17 No.1; Op.54 No.3; Op.77 No.1. Attacca 

Ask LUDWIG 

String Quartet. KWCMS Music Room, 


$35; $20(st). 


Valérie Milot, harp and Antoine Bareil, violin. 



9140 x27038. $20; $15(sr); $5(st). 



Music Society. Haydn Quartets, Final 

Weekend, Concert No.22. Haydn: Quartets 

Op.20 No.6; Op.33 No.6; Op.76 No.5. 

Attacca String Quartet. KWCMS Music Room, 


$35; $20(st). 

● ● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music 

Society. Haydn Quartets, Final Weekend, 

Concert No. 23. Haydn: Seven Last Words of 

Christ on the Cross. Attacca String Quartet. 

St. Matthews Lutheran Church, 54 Benton St., 

Kitchener. 519-886-1673. $20. 

● ● 7:30: Amaranth Chamber Choir. St. John 

Passion. Chilcott: St. John Passion. Amaranth 

Chamber Choir, Brandon Leis, John Dodington, 

Robert Hall, soloists; Keiko Yoden-Kuepfer, 

organ; and others. Westminster United 

Church (Orangeville), 247 Broadway Ave., 

Orangeville. 519-925-6149. $15. Also Mar 20 

(Alliston) and Mar 20 (7:30) (Collingwood). 

● ● 7:30: Kingston Symphony. Beethoven: 

Symphony No. 9. Tracy Cantin, soprano; 

Emma Parkinson, mezzo; Ernesto Ramirez, 

tenor; Geoffrey Penar, baritone; Evan Mitchell, 

conductor. Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing 

Arts, 390 King St. W., Kingston. 613- 

530-2050. $20-$50. Also Mar 20 (mat). 

● ● 8:00: Jeffery Concerts. Toronto Symphony 

Orchestra Chamber Soloists. Nora 

Shulman, flute; Teng Li, viola; Jonathan Crow, 

violin; Heidi Van Hoesen Gorton, harp; Joseph 

Johnson, cello. Wolf Performance Hall, 

251 Dundas St., London. 519-672-8800. $35; 

$30(sr); $15(st). 



Music Society. Haydn Quartets, Final Concert. 

Haydn: Op.1 No.1; Op.103; audience 

choice piece. Attacca String Quartet. KWCMS 

Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519- 

886-1673. $50; $30(st). 

● ● 2:00: Zula Music & Arts Collective 

Hamilton. Sonoluminescence Trio and Dave 

Gould. Art Gallery of Hamilton, 123 King St. W., 

Hamilton. 905-525-7429. $15. 

● ● 2:30: Kingston Symphony. Beethoven: 

Symphony No. 9. Tracy Cantin, soprano; 

Emma Parkinson, mezzo; Ernesto Ramirez, 

tenor; Geoffrey Penar, baritone; Evan Mitchell, 

conductor. Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing 

Arts, 390 King St. W., Kingston. 613- 

530-2050. $20-$50. Also Mar 19 (eve). 





organ; and others. All Saints’ Anglican 

Church (Collingwood), 32 Elgin St., Collingwood. 

705-445-3841. $15. Also Mar 19 

(Orangeville) and Mar 20 (7:30) in Alliston. 


Ensemble Concerts Series. McMaster 

Women’s Choir and Chamber Choir. Christ 

Church Cathedral, 252 James St. N., Hamilton. 

905-525-9140 x27671. Free. 


Ensemble Concerts Series. Concert Band. 



9140 x27671. Free. 

● ● 3:00: University of Guelph Choirs/Guelph 

Symphony Orchestra. Mozart’s Requiem at 

The Basilica. Marta McCarthy, conductor. 

Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate, 25 Norfolk 

St., Guelph. 519-763-3000. $25; $17(under 

30); $10(child); $5(eyeGO). 

● ● 4:00: Folk Under the Clock. Amelia Curran: 

Song on the Radio. Market Hall Performing 

Arts Centre, 140 Charlotte St., 

Peterborough. 705-749-1146. $35; $25(st). 

● ● 4:30: St. Thomas' Anglican Church (Belleville). 

Intemporal Choral Easter Festival. Service, 

anthems and hymns for Easter; audience 

sing-a-long. St. Thomas' Choir. 201 Church 

St., Belleville. 613-962-3636. Freewill offering. 

Reception to follow. 





organ; and others. St. John’s United 

Church (Alliston), 56 Victoria St. E., Alliston. 

705-434-1846. $15. Also Mar 19 (Orangeville) 

and Mar 20 (3:00) (Collingwood). 

● ● 7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club. North- 

Atlantic Drift. North-Atlantic Drift: Dan 

Georgian 

Bay 

MacDonald, Ross Griffiths, Brian Taheny. 

Chaucer’s Pub, 122 Carling St., London. 519- 

473-2099. $18/$15(adv). 

Monday March 21 

● ● 12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Percussion 

Ensemble. Paul Davenport Theatre, 

Talbot College, Western University, 



● ● 8:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Percussion 

Ensemble. Paul Davenport Theatre, 







RBC Foundation: Music@Noon. Voice Students. 

Cairns Hall, FirstOntario Performing 

Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 

905-688-5550. Free. 


Lunchtime Concert Series. Drew Henderson, 

guitar. Convocation Hall, UH213, McMaster 

University, 1280 Main St. W., Hamilton. 905- 

525-9140 x27671. Free. 

● ● 12:30: McMaster School of the Arts. Drew 

Henderson, Guitar. Convocation Hall, UH213, 

McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W., Hamilton. 

905-525-9140 x27038. $20; $15(sr); 

$5(st). 

● ● 7:30: Queen’s University School of Music. 

Queen’s Jazz Ensemble. Isabel Bader Centre 

for the Performing Arts, 390 King St. W., 

Kingston. 613-530-2050. $15; $7(sr/st). 

● ● 8:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Student 

Composers Chamber Music Concert. 

Von Kuster Hall, Music Building, Western University, 

1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519- 

661-3767. Free. 



of Music. Noon Hour Concert: Immortal 

Beloved. Colin Ainsworth, tenor; William 

Aide, piano. Conrad Grebel University College, 

140 Westmount Rd. N., Waterloo. 519-885- 

0220 x24226. Free. 


Arts. Aldo López-Gavilán. Jazz 

piano. 390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-530- 

2050. $20/$15(adv)/$12(adv st). Portion of 

Lake 

Huron 

7 

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or Quartango or Zone 5 then don't. 

TheWholeNote.com/index.php/listings/ask-ludwig 

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of Arts. Thursday At Noon: Student Soloist 

Day. Goldschmidt Room, 107 MacKinnon 

Bldg., 50 Stone Rd. E., Guelph. 519-824-4120 

x52991. Free. 

● ● 8:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Les 

Choristes and Chorale Choirs: Full Circle. Von 

CAMERON CARPENTER 


MARCH 30 

FirstOntarioPAC.ca | St. Catharines 



3767. Free. 


Music Society. Rachel Mercer, Cello; Angela 

Park, Piano. Complete music of Mendelssohn 

for cello & piano. Mendelssohn: two sonatas; 

several short pieces. KWCMS Music Room, 


$30; $20(st). 


● ● 7:30: Grand Philharmonic Chamber Choir. 

Bach: Mass in B Minor. Carla Huhtanen, soprano; 

Allyson McHardy, mezzo; Colin Ainsworth, 

tenor; James Westman, baritone; 

Grand Philharmonic Choir; Kitchener Waterloo 

Symphony; Mark Vuorinen, conductor. 

Centre in the Square, 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 

519-578-1570. From $25. 


● ● 8:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Early 

Music Studio. Von Kuster Hall, Music Building, 

Western University, 1151 Richmond St. N., London. 

519-661-3767. Free. 




RBC Foundation: Music@Noon. Piano 

& Guitar Students. Cairns Hall, FirstOntario 



● ● 7:30: Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and 

Performing Arts, Brock University. University 

Wind Ensemble. University and high 

school students join the Niagara musical 

community to perform original and arranged 

works. Zoltan Kalman, conductor. Partridge 

Hall, First Ontario Performing Arts Centre, 

250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-688- 

0722. $8; $5(eyeGO); free(current students 

with ID). 


● ● 7:30: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. 

Cameron Carpenter, Organ. Traditional 

and non-traditional works. 250 St. Paul St., 

St. Catharines. 905-688-0722. $55. 

● ● 8:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Symphonic 

Band: Folk and Fantasia. Works by 

Giannini, Grainger, Suchan and Dello Joio. 

Paul Davenport Theatre, Talbot College, Western 

University, 1151 Richmond St. N., London. 

519-661-3767. Free. 


Music Society. Martin Söderberg, Piano. 

Soler: three sonatas in D, F-sharp and g; 

Albeniz: Cadiz; Mallorca; Cordoba; Granados: 

Spanish Dance No.5; Allegro de Concierto; 

Mompou: Song and Dance No.5; Infante: Variations 

on El Vito; and other works. KWCMS 

Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519- 

886-1673. $30; $20(st). 



of Arts. Thursday At Noon: Student Soloist 

Day. Goldschmidt Room, 107 MacKinnon 


x52991. Free. 


Arts. Queen’s Wind Ensemble. 

390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-530-2050. $15; 

$7(sr/st). 

● ● 8:00: Zula Music & Arts Collective Hamilton. 

Michael Vlatkovich Quartet. Michael 

Vlatkovich Quartet (Michael Vlatkovich, 

trombone/percussion; David Mott, baritone 

saxophone; Jonathan Golove, electric cello; 

Christopher Garcia, drums/percussion); 

Guests: Ken Aldcroft, guitar; Mike Gennaro, 

drums. Workers Arts and Heritage Centre, 

51 Stuart St., Hamilton. 905-522-3003. $15. 

Friday April 1 


University Singers: Jubliant Song. Von 



3767. Free. 

● ● 7:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. St. 

Cecilia Singers in Concert with McMaster 

Women’s Chorus: Voices In Splendour. St. 

Peter’s Cathedral Basilica, 196 Dufferin Ave., 

London. 519-661-3767. Free. 

● ● 8:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Wind 

Ensemble Concert: I Pity the Fool. Bernstein: 

Overture to Candide; H.O. Reed: La Fiesta 

Mexicana; and other works. Paul Davenport 

Theatre, Talbot College, Western University, 


Free. 

● ● 8:00: University of Guelph College of 

Arts. Emotion and Commotion. University 

of Guelph Concert Winds; John Goddard, 

conductor. Guelph Youth Music Centre, 

75 Cardigan St., Guelph. 519-824-4120 

x52991. $10; $5(sr/st). 

Saturday April 2 


Conducting Masterclass Concert. University 

of Guelph Choirs. Harcourt Memorial United 

Church, 87 Dean St., Guelph. 519-824-4120 

x52991. Price TBA. 


Arts. Joie-de-Vivre-Brazileiro! 

Bombolessé. 390 King St. W., Kingston. 613- 

530-2050. $29; $24(faculty/staff); $15(st). 

● ● 7:30: Oriana Singers of Northumberland. 

Operetta 101. Works by Lehar, Bernstein, 

Sondheim, and Gilbert & Sullivan. 

Virginia Hatfield, vocals. Trinity United Church 

(Cobourg), 284 Division St., Cobourg. 613- 

392-7423. $25; $22(sr); $10(st). 

● ● 8:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Symphony 

Orchestra. Featuring the winner of 

2015 Maritsa Brookes Concerto Competition. 

Danbee Ko, piano. Paul Davenport Theatre, 



Free. 

● ● 8:00: Public Energy. Dollhouse. Coleman. 

Bill Coleman, dancer; Gordon Monahan, 

sound design/stage design; David Gaucher, 

set design; Pierre Lavoie, lighting. Market Hall 

Performing Arts Centre, 140 Charlotte St., 

Peterborough. 705-745-1788. $17-$24. 

Sunday April 3 

● ● 2:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Symphony 

Orchestra. Featuring a finalist of 

2015 Maritsa Brookes Concerto Competition. 

Rachelle Li, violin. Paul Davenport Theatre, 



Free. 

● ● 2:00: Kawartha Concerts. Little Big Frog. 

Masks, puppetry, poetry, music and dance. 

Faustwork Mask Theatre. Glenn Crombie 

Theatre, Fleming College, 200 Albert Street 

S., Lindsay. 705-878-5625. $15; $5(youth/ 

child). Also Mar 5(Peterborough). 


Arts. Not Your Grandma’s Organist. 

Works by Bach, Chopin, Shostakovich 

and Carpenter. Cameron Carpenter, organ. 

●●Brampton Music Theatre. Jesus Christ 

Superstar. Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, 

lyrics by Tim Rice. Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre 

Lane, Brampton. 905-874-2800. $35, $28(sr/ 

st), $22(children). Opens Mar 31, 7:30pm. 

Runs to April 9. Days and times vary. Visit 

bramptonmusictheatre.com for details. 

●●Canada’s Ballet Jörgen. Sleeping Beauty. 

Music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Oakville 

Centre for the Performing Arts, 130 Navy 

St, Oakville. 1-888-489-7784. $35. Mar 18, 

2:00pm and 7:00pm. 

●●Canada’s Ballet Jörgen. Sleeping Beauty. 

Music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Betty Oliphant 

Theatre, 404 Jarvis St. 1-888-655- 

9090. $34-$80. Opens Mar 24, 7:30pm. Runs 

to Mar 27. Days and times vary. Visit balletjorgencanada.ca 

for details. 

●●Canadian Opera Company. Carmen. Music 

by Georges Bizet. Joel Ivany, stage director; 

Paolo Cariganini, conductor. Opens Apr 12. 

7:30pm. Runs to May 15. Days and times vary. 

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 

C. Music Theatre 


From $13.50. 


Chamber Music Recital. University of Guelph 

Chamber Ensembles; Henry Janzen, conductor. 

Goldschmidt Room, 107 MacKinnon 


x52991. Free; donations welcome. 

Monday April 4 

● ● 8:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Contemporary 

Music Studio Concert. Von 



3767. Free. 

Tuesday April 5 

● ● 6:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Electroacoustic 

Music: Student Composers Concert. 

Paul Davenport Theatre, Talbot College, 

Western University, 1151 Richmond St. N., London. 

519-661-3767. Free. 


Ensemble Concerts Series. Percussion 

Ensemble. Robinson Memorial Theatre, 

McMaster University, 1280 Main Street W., 

Hamilton. 905-525-9140 x27671. Free. 

Wednesday April 6 


Music Society. Pierre Beaudre, Classical 

Guitar. Works by Rodrigo, Brouwer, Villa- 

Lobos and Domeniconi. KWCMS Music Room, 


$30; $20(st). 

Thursday April 7 

● ● 7:00: University of Guelph College of 

Arts. Jazz Concert. University of Guelph Jazz 

Ensemble; Ted Warren, conductor. Manhattan’s 

Pizza Bistro and Music Club, 951 Gordon 

St., Guelph. 519-824-4120 x52991. $2 cover or 

donation at the door. 

MUSIC THEATRE covers a wide range of music types: from opera, 

operetta and musicals to non-traditional performance types where 

words and music are in some fashion equal partners in the drama. 

These listings are sorted alphabetically BY PRESENTER. This section 

is still in development. We welcome your comments and suggestions 

to listings@thewholenote.com. 

CARMEN 

Bizet 

APRIL 12 

to MAY 15 

coc.ca 


145 Queen St. W. $50-$435. 416-363-8231. 

Visit coc.ca for details. 

MAOMETTO II 

Rossini 

APRIL 29 

to MAY 14 

coc.ca 

●●Canadian Opera Company. Maometto II. 

Music by Gioachino Rossini. David Alden, 

stage director; Harry Bicket, conductor. 

Opens April 29. 7:30pm. Runs to May 14. Days 

and times vary. Four Seasons Centre for the 

Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. $50-$435. 

416-363-8231. Visit coc.ca for details. 

●●Canadian Opera Company. Vocal Series: 

Opera Interactive. Interactive concert of 

arias and sing-along choruses. Young artists 

of the COC Ensemble Studio; Kyra Millan, soprano 

and opera educator. Richard Bradshaw 



8231. Free. Mar 15, 12:00pm. Late seating is 

not available. 

●●Canadian Stage. Torobaka. New dance 

work mixing Indian kathak and Spanish flamenco. 

Akram Khan and Israel Galván, creators 

and performers. Bluma Appel Theatre, 

27 Front St. E. 416-368-3110. $69-99. Opens 

Mar 9, 8:00pm. Runs to Mar 12 (Mar 11 

7:00pm). 

●●City Centre Musical Productions. Jekyll 

and Hyde. Music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics 

by Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse, book 

by Leslie Bricusse. Meadowvale Theatre, 

6315 Montevideo Rd, Mississauga. 905-615- 

4720. $26.50; $24.50(sr/st). Opens Mar 11, 

8:00pm. Runs to Mar 20. Days and times vary. 

Visit ccmpmusic.com for details. 

●●Civic Light Opera Company. Two by Two. 

Music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Martin 

Charnin, book by Peter Stone. Joe Cascone, 

director/designer. Zion Cultural Centre, 

1650 Finch Ave. E. 416-755-1717. $28. Opens 

April 6, 7:00pm. Runs to April 17. Days and 

times vary. Visit civiclightoperacompany.com 

for details. 

●●FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. 

Marie-Josée Lord and Quartango: Tangopéra. 

Featuring classics of opera, Bizet to 

Piazzolla. 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 

905-688-0722. $52. Mar 3, 7:30pm. 

●●Lower Ossington Theatre. Avenue Q. Music 

and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, 

book by Jeff Whitty. Seanna Kennedy, stage 

director. The Lower Ossington Theatre, 100A 

Ossington Ave. 416-915-6747. $49.99-$59.99. 

Opens Mar 10, 7:30pm. Runs to April 3. Days 

and times vary. Visit lowerossingtontheatre. 

com for details. 

●●Lower Ossington Theatre. Disney’s 

The Little Mermaid: A Broadway Musical. 

Music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard 

Ashman and Glenn Slater, book by Doug 

Wright. Alan Kinsella, stage director. Randolph 

Theatre, 736 Bathurst St. 416-915- 

6747. $39.99-$69.99. Opens April 2, 12:00pm. 

Sat 12:00/3:30pm; Sun 12:00/3:30pm to 

April 24. 

●●Mirvish. Kinky Boots. Music and lyrics by 

Cyndi Lauper, book by Harvey Fierstein. Jerry 

Mitchell, stage director and choreographer. 

Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St.W. 416- 

872-1212. $35-$130. Ongoing. Tues-Sat(8pm), 

Wed/Sat/Sun(2pm). 

●●Mirvish. Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles. 

Music and lyrics by John Lennon, Paul 

McCartney and George Harrison. Princess 

of Wales Theatre, 300 King St.W. 416-872- 

1212. $32-$119. Opens Mar 15, 8:00pm. Runs 

to Mar 20. Times vary. Visit mirvish.com for 

details. 

●●National Ballet of Canada. La Sylphide. 

Music by Herman Severin Løvenskjold. Johan 

Kobborg, choreographer. Four Seasons Centre 

for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. 

W. 416-345-9595. $55-$235. Opens Mar 2, 

7:30pm. Runs to Mar 6. Times vary. Visit 

national.ballet.ca for details. 

●●National Ballet of Canada. Cacti & Rubies 

& The Four Temperaments. Music by Joseph 

Haydn, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, 

Andy Stein and Gustav Mahler. Alexander 

Ekman, choreographer. Four Seasons 

Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen 

St. W. 416-345-9595. $55-$235. Opens Mar 9, 



●●National Ballet of Canada. Romeo and 

Juliet. Music by Sergei Prokofiev. Alexei Ratmansky, 

choreographer. Four Seasons Centre 

for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. 

W. 416-345-9595. $68-$265. Opens Mar 16, 


An Original 

Gilbert & Sullivan 

Operetta 

Chelsea Moor Castle 

(or, The Contract to Marry) 


www.northtorontoplayers.com 


●●North Toronto Players. Chelsea Moor 

Castle. Music by Arthur Sullivan, book and 

lyrics by W.S.Gilbert, Barb Scheffler and 

Michael Harms. Justin Ralph, tenor; Laurie 

Hurst, mezzo; Barb Scheffler, soprano; Alison 

Boudreau, soprano; Julius Fulop, bass. Jubilee 

United Church, 40 Underhill Dr. 416-481- 

4867. $25; $22(sr); $15(st); free(children 

under 14). Opens Mar 4, 8:00pm. Runs to 

Mar 13. Days and times vary. Visit northtorontoplayers.com 

for details. 


Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge St. 

OPER AATELIER.COM 

DON’T MISS 

TORONTO’S OPER A 


●●Opera Atelier. Lucio Silla. Music by Wolfgang 

Amadeus Mozart, libretto by Giovanni de 

Gamerra. Kresimir Spicer (Lucio); Inga Kalna 

(Cinna); Mireille Asselin (Celia); Peggy Kriha 

Dye (Cecillio); Meghan Lindsay (Giunia); Marshall 

Pynkoski, director; Jeannette Lajeunesse 

Zingg, choreographer; Artists of Atelier 

Ballet; Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra; David 

VOICEBOX | Opera in Concert 

and the Board of Directors 

cordially invite you to 

SPRING OF SONGS 

A benefit concert in support the 

World Premiere of 

Isis and Osiris - Gods of Egypt 

by composer Peter-Anthony Togni 

and librettist Sharon Singer 

Monday, March 7, 2016 

7 pm-10 pm 

Starring: Leigh-Ann Allen, 

Lucia Cesaroni, Julie Nesrallah, 

Michael Nyby, Christopher Wattam 

Pianist Narmina Afandiyeva 

and 

OIC’s Founder Stuart Hamilton, C.M. 

Honorary Guest Speaker 

Reception to follow. 

Ticket: $25 early bird price 

$35 at the door 

Concert, Reception and Cash Bar 

Silent Auction includes 3 works by 

renowned Croatian-Canadian artist 

Anton Cetin. 

Please RSVP by March 4 (Early Bird Deadline) 

via email : admin@operainconcert.com 

Gallery 345* 

345 Sorauren Ave., Toronto, ON M6R 2G5 

*wheelchair accessible. Please call for more details: 

(416) 922-2147 

Fallis, conductor. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge 

St. 1-855-622-2787. $38-$181; $15(under 30). 

Opens April 7, 7:30pm. Runs to April 16. Days 

and times vary. Visit operaatelier.com for 

details. 

●●Opera by Request. La Traviata. Music by 

Giuseppe Verdi, libretto by Francesco Maria 

Piave. Allison Arends, soprano (Violetta); 

Ryan Harper, tenor (Alfredo); Andrew Tees, 

baritone (Germont); soloists and chorus of 

U of T Scarborough Concert Choir (Lenard 

Whiting, conductor); William Shookhoff, conductor 

and piano. Trinity Presbyterian Church 

York Mills, 2737 Bayview Ave. 416-455-2365. 

$20. Mar 4, 7:30pm. 

●●Opera by Request. Così fan tutte. Music by 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, libretto by Lorenzo 

Da Ponte. Ontario Opera Collaborative; Morgan 

Strickland, soprano (Fiordiligi); Heidi Jost, 

mezzo (Dorabella); Jeffrey Boyd, tenor (Ferrando); 

Kyle Merrithew, baritone (Guglielmo); 

Misty Banyard, soprano (Despina); Norman 

Brown, baritone (Don Alfonso); Frederic La 

Croix, conductor and piano. College Street 

United Church, 452 College St. 416-455-2365. 

$20. Mar 5, 7:30pm. 

●●Opera by Request. Weber’s Abu Hassan 

and Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle. Music 

by Carl Maria von Weber and Béla Bartók, 

libretti by Franz Carl Hiemer and Béla Balázs. 

Henry Irwin, baritone (Abu Hassan); Michele 

Danese, soprano (Fatima); Steven Henrikson, 

baritone (Omar); Deena Nicklefork, soprano 

(Judith); Larry Tozer, baritone (Bluebeard); 

Gregory Finney, stage director; William 

Shookhoff, piano/conductor. College Street 

United Church, 452 College St. 416-455-2365. 

$20. April 2, 7:30pm. 

CARING 

by Anton Cetin 


●●Opera in Concert/Voicebox. Isis and 

Osiris: Gods of Egypt. Music by Peter Anthony 

Togni, libretto by Sharon Singer. Lucia Cesaroni 

(Isis); Ernesto Ramirez (Osiris); Julie 

Nesrallah (Nephtis); Michael Nyby (Seth); Stuart 

Graham (The Grand Vizier); and others; 

Orchestra and Chorus of Voicebox: Opera 

In Concert; Robert Cooper, conductor and 

chorus director. St. Lawrence Centre for the 

Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723. $52 and 

$73. April 1, 8:00pm and Apr 3 (2:30pm). 

●●Opera York. Don Pasquale. Donizetti. 

Michael Robert Broder (Don Pasquale); Dion 

Mazerolle (Dr. Malatesta); Anne Marie Ramos 

(Norina); and others; Geoffrey Butler, artistic 

director; Renee Salewski, stage director. 

Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing 

Arts, 10268 Yonge St., Richmond Hill. 905- 

787-8811. $40-$50; $110(gala package). With 

supertitles. Mar 3, 7:30pm. Also Mar 5. 

●●Oriana Singers of Northumberland. Operetta 

101. Music by Lehar, Bernstein, Sondheim, 

Gilbert and Sullivan. Virginia Hatfield, 

soloist. Trinity United Church, Division Street 

at Chapel Street, Cobourg. 613-392-7423. $25; 

$22(sr); $10(st). April 2, 7:30pm. 

●●Royal Conservatory. Glenn Gould School 

Opera - Handel: Alcina. Ivars Taurins, conductor. 

Koerner Hall, Telus Centre, 273 Bloor 

St. W. 416-408-0208. $25-$40. Mar 16, 

7:30pm. Also Mar 18. 

●●Sanderson Centre for the Performing 

Arts and Two Beans Productions. Alexander 

Who’s Not Not Not Not Not Not Going to Move. 

Music by Shelly Markham, lyrics and book by 

Judith Viorst. Sanderson Centre for the Performing 

Arts, 88 Dalhousie Street, Brantford. 

1-800-265-0710. $25; $20(st). Mar 15, 

3:00pm and 6:30pm. 

●●Sony Centre and Alvin Ailey American 

Dance Theater. Alvin Ailey American 

Dance Theatre. Sony Centre for the 

Performing Arts, 1 Front St. E. 1-855-872- 

7669. $69-$99. Opens Mar 4, 8:00pm. Also 

C. Music Theatre 

Mar 5(2:00/8:00). 

●●Sony Centre. Dancing in the Streets. Celebration 

of Motown’s Greatest Hits. Sony Centre 

for the Performing Arts. 1 Front St. E. 

1-855-872-7669. $49.50-$79.50. Mar 26, 

7:30pm. 

●●Sony Centre and Attila Glatz Concert Productions. 

Pixar in Concert. Works include 

“You’ve Got a Friend In Me,” “When She Loved 

Me” and the Oscar-winning “If I Didn’t Have 

You.” Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Sony 

Centre for the Performing Arts. 1 Front St. E. 

1-855-872-7669. $40-$105. Mar 18(3:30pm 

and 8:00pm). 

●●Talisker Players. Spirit Dreaming: Creation 

Myths from Around the World. Somers: 

Kuyas; Beckwith: Tanu; Ravel: Chansons 

Madécasses; Villa-Lobos: Suite for voice 

and violin; Jaubert: Chants sahariens; and 

other works. Ilana Zarankin, soprano; Laura 

McAlpine, mezzo; Andrew Moodie, reader. 

Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 

416- 978-8849. $40; $30(sr); $10(st/un(der) 

employed). Pre-concert talk at 7:15. Mar 1, 

8:00pm. Also Mar 2. 

●●Tapestry Opera/Scottish Opera/Music 

Theatre Wales. The Devil Inside. Music by 

Stuart MacRae, libretto by Louise Welsh. 

Based on Stevenson: The Bottle Imp. Rachel 

Kelly, Ben McAteer, Steven Page; Nicholas 

Sharatt; Players of the Scottish Opera 

Orchestra; Matthew Richardson, director. 

Harbourfront Centre Theatre, 235 Queens 

Quay W. 416-973-4000 x1. $29-$105. Mar 10, 

8:00pm. Also Mar 12, 13(4:00pm). 

●●Toronto City Opera. L’Elisir d’Amore. 

Music by Gaetano Donizetti, libretto by Felice 

Romani. Beatrice Carpino, artistic director; 

Adolfo De Santis, conductor. Sung in Italian 

with English TCOtitles. Bickford Centre 


$20(sr); $15(st). Mar 3, 7:30pm. Also Mar 5. 

●●Toronto City Opera. Die Fledermaus. Music 

by Johann Strauss II, libretto by Ruth Martin. 

If You Love Nights Out At The Theatre— 

Then The Next One’s On Us. 

In the past year, HalfTones readers have 

won over $2000 worth of tickets to opera 

and music theatre events by Soundstreams, 

CanStage, Acting Up Stage and the COC—plus 

tickets to dozens of other concerts, events and 

shows across the GTA. Delivered once a month 

to your email inbox, HalfTones is your place 

to find out the latest local music news, access 

brand-new concert listings, and enter to win. 

Scroll down on thewholenote.com to our 

“Newsletter Signup” box to sign up for 

HalfTones, and keep an eye on your inbox mid- 

March for the next round of prizes—because 

there are going to be opera tickets, and they’re 

going to be good. 

Beatrice Carpino, artistic director; Adolfo De 

Santis, conductor. Bickford Centre Theatre, 

777 Bloor St. W. 416-978-8849. $28; $20(sr); 

$15(st). Sung in English. Mar 4, 7:30pm. Also 

Mar 6(2:00pm). 

●●Toronto Concert Orchestra. Piaf Encore. 

La Vie en Rose, I Love Paris, Rien de rien, 

Pauvre Jean, Milord and other songs. Pandora 

Topp, vocals (Piaf); Kerry Stratton, conductor. 

The Extension Room, 30 Eastern Ave. 

647-352-7041. $45. April 2, 7:30pm. 

●●Toronto Consort. Beowulf. Epic tale of the 

European bardic tradition, the battle between 

the hero Beowulf and the monster Grendel. 

Benjamin Bagby, voice and Anglo-Saxon 

harp. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, Jeanne Lamon 

Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337. $24-$57; 

$22-$52(sr); $10(st/30 and under). Mar 11-12, 

8:00pm. 

●●Toronto Symphony Orchestra. On Broadway. 

Betsy Wolfe, vocalist; Darren Criss, 

vocalist; Steven Reineke, conductor. Roy 


$29.50-$107. Mar 29, 8:00pm and Mar 30 

2:00pm and 8:00pm. 

●●Toy Piano Composers/Bicycle Opera Project. 

TPC Curiosity Festival: Travelogue. 

Works by Monica Pearce, August Murphy- 

King/Colleen Murphy-King, Elisha Denburg, 

and Tobin Stokes. Members of the Bicycle 

Opera Project. Apr 1 & 2, 8:00pm. Festival 

runs to Apr 9. Arts and Letters Club, 14 Elm St. 

647-829-4213. $30(festival pass). 

120 Diner 

120 Church St. 416-792-7725 

120diner.com (full schedule) 

March 1 6pm Ahi; 8pm Arlene Paculan. 

March 3 6pm Lilly Mason; 8:30pm Melissa 

Lauren & Nathan Hiltz; 10:30pm Lucas 

DiPasquale. March 4 6pm John MacMurchy. 

March 5 6pm Ros Kindler; 8:30pm Carlos 

Morgan; 10pm Laura Hubert. March 6 5pm 

Broadsway $20; 8pm Mim Adams & Carolyn 

Credico. March 10 6pm James Dunbar; 

8:30pm Angela Turone & Chris Platt; 10:30pm 

Lucas DiPasquale. March 11 6pm Annie Bonsignore. 

March 12 6pm Kate Unger. March 

13 6pm Debbie Fleming; 8pm Caitlin Holland. 

March 15 8pm Tony Quarrington. March 17 

6pm Janet Whiteway. March 18 6pm Amber 

McLean. March 19 6pm Denielle Bassels & 

Ori Dagan; 8:30pm Brother Neil. March 20 

6pm Gary Krawford. March 22 6pm Leslie 

Huyler. March 24 6pm Davis-Brough Trio. 

March 25 6pm Ragwax. March 29 8pm Heather 

Luckhart. March 31 Vocal Jazz Workshop 

with Sheila Jordan (details TBA). 

Alleycatz 

2409 Yonge St. 416-481-6865 

alleycatz.ca 

All shows: 9pm unless otherwise indicated. 

Call for cover charge info. 

March 3, 17, 31 Solo & Duets Concert Series. 

D. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz) 

●●University of Toronto Faculty of Music. 

Opera Series: Paul Bunyan. Music by Benjamin 

Britten, libretto by W.H. Auden. University 

of Toronto Opera; MacMillan Singers (Hilary 

Apfelstadt, director); Michael Patrick Albano, 

director; Fred Peruzza and Lisa Magill, design; 

Sandra Horst, conductor. MacMillan Theatre, 

Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s Park. 

416-408-0208. $40; $25(sr); $10(st). Opens 

Mar 10, 7:30pm. Also Mar 11 to 13(2:30pm). 

●●University of Toronto Faculty of Music. 

The Art of the Prima Donna. Staged and costumed 

program of romantic opera. Works by 

Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and others. Paul Widner, 



Park. 416-408-0208. $20; $10(st). April 1, 

5:00pm. 

●●Victoria College Chorus. Patience. Music 

by Arthur Sullivan, libretto by W.S. Gilbert. 

Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St.W. 416- 

978-8849. $20; $15(sr); $10(st). April 1, 

8:00pm. Also April 2, 3:00pm. 

●●Victoria College Drama Society. Rent. 

Music, lyrics and book by Jonathan Larson. 

Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St.W. 416- 

978-8849. $15; $10(sr/st). Mar 10-12, 8:00pm. 

●●Young People’s Theatre. The Wizard of 

Oz. Music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and 

E.Y.Harburg, book by L. Frank Baum. Young 

People’s Theatre, 165 Front St.E. 416-862- 

2222. $10-$55. Opens April 4, 10:15am. Runs 

to May 15. Days and times vary. Visit youngpeoplestheatre.ca 

for details. 

IN THE CLUBS covers mainly performances taking place in clubs 

and restaurants where food and beverages are part of the mix but 

the music is not just part of the decor. Our focus is mostly jazz, with 

a more generous listings policy towards venues where jazz is at least 

part of the mix. Send club listings to jazz@thewholenote.com 

March 4 Jamesking. March 5, 12 Soular. 

March 10, 24 The Flow with Carlos Morgan. 

March 11 Poutine 5. March 18 Rock Therapy. 

March 19, 25, 26 Lady Kane. 

Artword Artbar 

15 Colbourne St., Hamilton. 905-543-8512 

artword.net (full schedule) 

March 3 8pm Jazz double bill: Tom Altobelli 

Group, Scott Taplay Group $10. March 

10 8pm Jazz vocal jam with Sue Ramsay Trio 

$10. March 12 8pm Koopa Troop: jazz meets 

video games $10. March 18 7:30pm Brenda 

Brown Quartet $10. 

Bloom 

2315 Bloor St. W. 416-767-1315 

bloomrestaurant.com 

All shows: 19+. Call for reservations. 

March 31 7pm Genevieve “Gigi” Marentette 

$45 (includes dinner). 

Blue Goose Tavern, The 

1 Blue Goose St. 416-255-2442 

Thebluegoosetavern.com 

Every Sun 4pm Blues At the Goose with 

the Big Groove Rhythm Section and special 

guests. 

Burdock 

1184 Bloor St. W. 416-546-4033 

burdockto.com 


Beat by Beat | Mainly Clubs, Mostly Jazz 

Barlow and Vetro 

Backline Leaders 

BOB BEN 

Artie Roth once said to me – and I’m paraphrasing – that the 

drummer is the encyclopedia of the ensemble, the player who 

knows the repertoire most intimately, who can most immediately 

call up what happened on this chorus of that recording in 

Febtober of 19whenever. It’s a generalization, of course; all musicians 

should know these things. And of course, there’s a chance that Artie 

was saying that so that I’d go home and study the repertoire more. But 

when I think of drummers like Morgan Childs, or the guy who sits 

behind that giant bass drum at Grossman’s on Saturday evenings, it 

fits perfectly. 

What doesn’t fit perfectly, however, is how few drummers you’ll 

find leading groups in town in any given month. As far as I know, the 

only drummer-led groups in the clubs this month are those led by 

Harrison Vetro, a young talent with a sound that can best be described 

as crisp, and Brian Barlow. Barlow is someone I’ve only heard live 

once, with his own big band at the Jazz Festival in 2011. He is a thoroughly 

seasoned professional drummer and arranger with experience 

all over the field, having worked with everyone from Ella Fitzgerald 

and Tony Bennett to Alanis Morrisette and Shania Twain to the 

Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Canadian Opera Company. He’s 

played on dozens of film scores and musical theatre productions. He 

was a member of Rob McConnell’s Boss Brass. I could go on and on. 

Barlow’s gigantic beat is something I haven’t forgotten in the five 

years since I heard him play in person. His big band was on the main 

stage in Nathan Phillips Square and his drums were amplified a bit 

too much. The band opened with some standard tune (I want to say 

Satin Doll?) at a relaxed medium tempo swing – somewhere around 

130 to 140 beats per minute. Barlow played the swing beat on the 

hihat while feathering with the bass drum, authoritatively, almost but 

not quite aggressively. It’s said that a drummer’s feathering should be 

“felt not heard.” Due to the almost indecent amplification, every note 

played on the bass drum shook my entire body. So, yes, it was felt. 

Thoroughly felt. 

Anyways, I’m looking forward to hearing that huge beat again 

in a smaller, more intimate, less amplified setting, with a smaller 

ensemble, at the cozy Home Smith Bar at the Old Mill. 

Harrison Vetro, the only other drummer-as-leader I’m aware of 

in the clubs this month, was a classmate of mine at York University. 

Walking around the halls in York’s music building, you can always 

hear people practising, because those doors, thick though they may 

be, are not soundproof by any stretch of the imagination. Drummers 

who used the rooms at York could be divided into two categories: 

those who play, and those who practise. Sometimes, you could walk 

by and hear someone blazing around the drums with (or, you know, 

without) remarkable speed and accuracy. That was a player. Someone 

who was in there to keep playing what they already do well. Or just to 

blow off steam. 

Then, there were practisers. If a practiser was in the room, you 

would know it because you’d walk by and hear them either messing 

up or playing really slowly or both. You’d hear them playing the swing 

beat at 40 or fewer beats per minute, or playing some impossible 

pattern and being slightly less uncomfortable with it after repeating it 

relentlessly for longer than you could even pay attention. 

Someone once said that if you sound good while practising, you’re 

doing it wrong. That might be a slight exaggeration, but you can see 

their point: instead of bolstering your strengths (which is also a valid 

and valuable way to spend your time), the majority of your practice 

time should be spent attacking your weaknesses. The players who did 

that, and remained truly disciplined and focused in the practice room, 

and tolerated not always sounding like a beast, almost invariably 

grew into the players who sounded more professional, cleaner, more 

comfortable and more individual than the rest. 

Harrison was a practiser. And the cool thing about having been 

at York, and having known him as long as I have, is that I watched 

that progress happen. He sounded better every time I heard him. 

Noticeably better. Even after we no longer went to school together, 

when I would occasionally hear him on a gig (like when he led the 

house band at the no longer extant jam at Habits), there would be 

enough time in between that I would hear that improvement in leaps 

and bounds, while he, as each individual player does, only heard it in 

increments. 

Harrison Vetro’s group can and should be heard on the evening of 

March 7 at the Emmett Ray. 

Sheila Scats: One more thing to get ahead of, jazz lovers: Sheila 

Jordan will be in Toronto for at least three nights, starting on the last 

day of March at 120 Diner with a workshop, and the first two nights 

of April at the Jazz Bistro. Book it off now, and I’ll see you folks in the 

clubs, more likely than not. 

Bob Ben is The WholeNote’s jazz listings editor. He 

can be reached at jazz@thewholenote.com. 

Brian Barlow 


Castro’s Lounge 

2116e Queen St. E 416-699-8272 

castroslounge.com (full schedule) 

All shows: No cover/PWYC 

C’est What 

67 Front St. E (416) 867-9499 

cestwhat.com (full schedule) 

March 5, 19 3pm The Boxcar Boys. March 12, 

26 3pm The Hot Five Jazzmakers. 

De Sotos 

1079 St. Clair Ave. W 416-651-2109 

desotos.ca (full schedule) 

Every Sun 11am Sunday Live Jazz Brunch 

No cover. 

Emmet Ray, The 

924 College St. 416-792-4497 

theemmetray.com (full schedule) 

All shows: No cover/PWYC 

March 3 9pm John-Wayne Swingtet: Wayne 

Nakamura (guitar), Abbey Sholzberg (bass), 

John Farrell (guitar). March 7 7pm Harrison 

Vetro Group; 9:30pm Jesse Malone Quintet. 

March 10 9pm Bossa Tres: Victor Monsivais 

(guitar), Abbey Sholzberg (bass). March 13, 

27 6pm Monk’s Music. 

Fat City Blues 

890 College St. 647-345-8282 

Every Sun 8:30pm Fraser/Melvin Band. 

Every Wed 8:30pm The Mercenaries. Every 

Thurs 8:30pm Tyler Yarema & The Fat Boys. 

March 1 Robert Davis Trio. 

Gate 403 

403 Roncesvalles Ave. 416-588-2930 

gate403.com 

All shows: PWYC. 

March 2 9pm Julian Fauth Blues Night. 

March 3 5pm Bruce Chapman Blues Duo with 

feature guests; 9pm Darcy Windover Band. 

March 4 5pm Joanne Morra & The France 

St. Jazz Ensemble; 9pm David Rubel Music. 

March 5 5pm Bill Heffernan and His Friends; 

9pm Melissa Boyce Jazz & Blues Band. 

March 6 5pm Grateful Sunday featuring 

Trevor Cape and The Field; 9pm Célia Karocque 

Jazz Trio. March 7 5pm Mike and Jill 

Daley Jazz Duo. March 9 5pm Michelle Rumball 

with friend; 9pm Julian Fauth Blues Night. 

March 10 9pm Kevin Laliberté Jazz & Flamenco 

Trio. March 125pm Bill Heffernan and 

His Friends; 9pm Julian Fauth Blues Quartet. 

March 13 5pm Hello Darlings. March 14 9pm 

Chris Staig Trio. March 15 5pm Sarah Kennedy 

and Matt Pines Jazz Duo. March 16 5pm 

Rick Maltese: Rick’s Three in One; 9pm Julian 

Fauth Blues Night. March 17 5pm Concord 

Jazz Quintet. March 18 9pm Tiffany Hanus 

Jazz Band. March 19 5pm Bill Heffernan and 

His Friends; 9pm Sweet Derrick Blues Band. 

March 20 5pm Rob Thaller & Joanna Reynolds 

Jazz Duo. March 22 9pm Kalya Ramu 

Jazz Band. March 23 9pm Julian Fauth Blues 

Night. March 25 5pm Whitney Ross Barris 

Jazz Band; 9pm Fraser Melvin Blues Band. 

March 26 5pm Bill Heffernan and His Friends; 

9pm Donné Roberts Band. March 30 9pm 

Julian Fauth Blues Night. March 31 9pm 

Annie Bonsignore Jazz Duo or Trio. 

Grossman’s Tavern 

379 Spadina Ave. 416-977-7000 

D. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz) 

grossmanstavern.com (full schedule) 

All shows: No cover (unless otherwise noted). 

Every Sat The Happy Pals Dixieland jazz jam. 

Harlem Restaurant 

67 Richmond St. E. 416-368-1920 

harlemrestaurant.com (full schedule) 

All shows: 7:30-11pm (unless otherwise 

noted). Call for cover charge info. 

Hirut Cafe and Restaurant 

2050 Danforth Ave. 416-551-7560 

Home Smith Bar – See Old Mill, The 

Hugh’s Room 

2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604 

hughsroom.com 

All shows: 8:30pm (unless otherwise noted). 

March 3 6:30pm The Back Roads Country 

Talent Search $18(adv)/$20(door). 

March 4 Melanie Doane – One Night Only! 

$28.50(adv)/$30(door). March 5 Songs are 

Like Tattoos – Tribute to Joni Mitchell $25 

(adv)/$27.50(door). March 6 Enter the Haggis 

$22.50(adv)/$25(door). March 8 De 

Danann $47.50(adv)/$50(door). March 9 

8pm The JAZZ.FM91 Songwriters Series – The 

Jewish Experience in Hollywood $40. March 

10 Steve Hill $20(adv)/$25(door). March 

11 A Man called Wrycraft presents The 4th 

Annual Live Concert Tribute – The Carole 

King Songbook $25 (adv)/$30(door). March 

12 Judy Collins $90(adv)/$100(door). March 

13 Steve Forbert $27.50(adv)/$30(door). 

March 15 Jayme Stone’s Lomax Project 

$30(adv)/$35(door). March 17 St. Patrick’s 

Day with Rant Maggie Rant $25 

(adv)/$27.50(door). March 18 The Kruger 

Brothers $30(adv)/$32.50(door). March 

19 Anthony Gomes $25 (adv)/$30(door). 

March 24 Sugar Brown & Madagascar Slim 

$20(adv)/$22.50(door). March 30 Stephanie 

Martin – CD Release $30(adv)/$33(door). 

March 31 So Long Seven 

$22.50(adv)/$25(door)/$15(students). 

Jazz Bistro, The 

251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299 

jazzbistro.ca 

Every Wed 6pm Solo Blues Piano with James 

Dunbar No cover. Every Sun 12pm Sunday 

Brunch Solo Piano with Eli Pasic $5. 

March 3, 4, 5 9pm Dave Young and Michael 

Dunston – The Donny Hathaway Show 

$15(Thurs)/$20(Fri, Sat). March 6 7pm 

“Stevie Swings Softly” – A tribute to Rosemary 

Clooney with Steven Taetz (voice), 

Ewen Farncombe (piano), Scott Neary (guitar), 

Irene Harrett (bass), Andrew Miller 

(drums) $12. March 10, 11, 12 9pm Stephanie 

Trick and Paolo Alderighi $15(Thurs)/$20(Fri, 

Sat). March 18, 19 9pm Rebecca Binnendyk 

and her debut release of Some Fun Out of Life 

with Attila Fias (piano), Kevin Laliberte (guitar), 

Drew Birston (bass), Chris Gale (horns), 

Anthony Michelli (drums), Drew Jurecka (violin) 

$20(Fri)/$15(Sat). March 20 7pm Daniela 

Nardi’s (voice) Espresso Manifesto with 

special guest Lina Allemano (trumpet) and 

Ron Davis (piano), Mike Downes (bass), Steve 

Heathcote (drums, percussion) $20. March 

22 7pm Sounds of Italy Jazz FM Piano Series 

with Giovanni Guidi. March 23 8pm Hump 

Day Blues with Jake Chisholm’s CD Release 

$10. March 24 8:30pm Colin Hunter and the 

Anthony Terpstra Seventet $15. March 25, 

26 8:30pm(Fri)/10:30pm(Sat) Colin Hunter 

(voice) and The Joe Sealy (piano) Quartet 

with Paul Novotny (bass), Alison Young 

(sax), Daniel Barnes (drums) $15. March 

27 7pm The Judy Marshak (voice) Quartet 

with Jordan Klapman (piano), Bucky Berger 

(drums), Bob Cohen (guitar) $20. March 30 

8pm Hump Day Blues with Michael Jerome 

Browne $10. 

Jazz Room, The 

Located in the Huether Hotel, 59 King St. N., 

Waterloo. 226-476-1565 

kwjazzroom.com (full schedule) 

All shows: 8:30pm-11:30pm unless otherwise 

indicated. Attendees must be 19+. 

March 11 Amanda Tosoff Group $20. March 

12 Bristles Trio $16. March 18 Derek Hines 

Big Band $20. March 19 Ross Wooldridge: 

Tribute to Artie Shaw $18. March 25 Andriy 

Tikhonov $15. March 26 Myriad3 $18. 

Joe Mama’s 

317 King St. W 416-340-6469 

joemamas.ca 

Every Tue 6pm Jeff Eager. Every Wed 6pm 

Thomas Reynolds. Every Thurs 9pm Blackburn. 

Every Fri 10pm The Grind. Every 

Sat 10pm Shugga. Every Sun 6:30pm 

Organic: Nathan Hiltz (guitar); Bernie 

Senensky (organ); Ryan Oliver (sax), Morgan 

Childs (drums). 

KAMA 

214 King St. W. 416-599-5262 

kamaindia.com (full schedule) 

Every Wed 5:30pm Jazz with the Kama 

House Band. 

Local Gest, The 

424 Parliament St. 416-961-9425 

Lula Lounge 

1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307 

lula.ca (full schedule) 

March 4 7:30pm Diane Roblin $15 (free 

before 8pm); 10:30pm Changui Havana 

$15 (free for women before 10pm). March 

5 10:30pm Salsotika $15. March 6 7pm 

SHINE! $25. March 8 8:30pm Mike Herriott 

$20. March 11 7:30pm Eliana Cuevas $15 

(free before 8pm); 10:30pm Roberto Linares 

Brown $15. March 18 7:30pm David Buchbinder 

Trio $15. March 19 11pm El Quinto $15. 

March 24 7pm Singing for Love $15. March 

25 7:30pm Alexis Baro Quartet $15 (free 

before 8pm); 10:30pm Café Cubano $15 (free 

for women before 10pm). March 30 7:30pm 

AVATAAR $20(adv)/$25(door). 

Manhattans Pizza Bistro & Music Club 

951 Gordon St., Guelph 519-767-2440 

manhattans.ca (full schedule) 

All shows: PWYC. 

March 2, 16 Jamie ‘Giggles’ Mitges. March 

3 Dan Austin Quartet. March 17 Lucas Rogerson 

Band. 

Mezzetta Restaurant 

681 St. Clair Ave. W 416-658-5687 

mezzettarestaurant.com (full schedule) 

All shows: 9pm, $8 (unless otherwise noted). 

March 2 Bill McBirnie (flute) & Bernie 

Senensky (piano). March 9 Ted Quinlan (guitar) 

& Mike Downes (bass). March 16 8pm 

Dino Toledo (guitar) & La Mari (flamenco dancer) 

No cover. March 23 Maureen Kennedy 

(voice) & Ben Bishop (guitar). March 30 Ron 

Davis (piano) & Mike Downes (bass). 

Monarch Tavern 

12 Clinton St. 416-531-5833 

themonarchtavern.com (full schedule) 

March 14 7:30pm Martin Loomer & His 

Orange Devils Orchestra $10. 

Morgans on the Danforth 

1282 Danforth Ave. 416-461-3020 

morgansonthedanforth.com (full schedule) 

All shows: 2pm-5pm. No cover. 

March 27 Lisa Particelli’s Girls Night Out 

Jazz Jam. 

Musideum 

401 Richmond St. W., Main Floor 

416-599-7323 

musideum.com (full schedule) 

Nawlins Jazz Bar & Dining 

299 King St. W. 416-595-1958 

nawlins.ca 

All shows: No cover/PWYC. 

Every Tue 6:30pm Stacie McGregor. Every 

Wed 7pm Jim Heineman Trio. Every Thu 8pm 

Nothin’ But the Blues w/ Joe Bowden (drums) 

and featured vocalists. Every Fri, Sat 8:30pm 

N’awlins All Star Band. Every Sun 7pm 

Brooke Blackburn. 

Nice Bistro, The 

117 Brock St. N., Whitby. 905-668-8839 

nicebistro.com (full schedule) 

March 30 Farrucas Latino Duo $39.99 (dinner 

included). 

Old Mill, The 

21 Old Mill Rd. 416-236-2641 

oldmilltoronto.com 

The Home Smith Bar: No reservations. No 

cover. $20 food/drink minimum. All shows: 

7:30pm-10:30pm 

March 3 Terra Hazelton (voice) Trio with 

Richard Whiteman (piano), Drew Jurecka 

(violin, sax). March 4 Canadian Jazz Quartet 

& Friends with Frank Wright (vibes), Ted 

Quinlan (guitar), Neil Swainson (guest bassist), 

Don Vickery (drums), showcasing William 

Carn (trombone). March 5 Ron Davis (piano) 

Trio with Mike Downes (bass), Ethan Ardelli 

(drums). March 10 Brian Barlow (drums) 

Trio with Robi Botos (piano), Scott Alexander 

(bass). March 11 Bob Brough (sax) Trio with 

Adrean Farrugia (piano), Artie Roth (bass). 

March 12 Lisa Martinelli (voice) Quartet 

with Kevin Turcotte (trumpet) Nancy Walker 

(piano), Kieran Overs (bass). March 17 Sherie 

Marshall (voice) Trio with Mike Cado (guitar), 

Steve Lucas (bass). March 18 Brian 

O’Kane (trumpet, flugelhorn) Trio with Ted 

Quinlan (guitar), Mike Downes (bass). March 

19 Jay Danley (guitar) Trio with Mark Kieswetter 

(piano), Richard Whiteman (bass). 

March 24 Brigham Phillips (piano) Trio with 

Nathan Hiltz (guitar), Jon Maharaj (bass). 

March 26 David Buchbinder (trumpet) Trio 

with Dave Restivo (piano), Artie Roth (bass). 

March 31 Sharon Smith (voice) Trio with Jordan 

Klapman (piano), Shelley Miller (bass). 

Only Café, The 

972 Danforth Ave. 416-463-7843 

theonlycafe.com (full schedule) 

All shows: 8pm unless otherwise indicated. 

March 9, 23 Lazersuzan. 


Paintbox Bistro 

555 Dundas St. E. 647-748-0555 

paintboxbistro.ca (Full schedule) 

Pilot Tavern, The 

22 Cumberland Ave. 416-923-5716 

thepilot.ca 

All shows: 3:30pm. No cover. 

March 5 Kelly Jefferson Quartet. March 

12 Landen Vieira (sax) CD Release party with 

Adrean Farrugia (piano), Malcolm Connor 

(bass), Ethan Ardelli (drums). 

Poetry Jazz Café 

224 Augusta Ave. 416-599-5299 

poetryjazzcafe.com (full schedule) 

Reposado Bar & Lounge 

136 Ossington Ave. 416-532-6474 

reposadobar.com (full schedule) 

Every Wed Spy vs. Sly vs. Spy. Every Thurs, 

Fri 10pm Reposadists Quartet: Tim Hamel 

(trumpet), Jon Meyer (bass), Jeff Halischuck 

(drums), Roberto Rosenman (guitar). 

Reservoir Lounge, The 

52 Wellington St. E. 416-955-0887 

reservoirlounge.com (full schedule). 

All shows: 9:45 

Every Tue, Sat Tyler Yarema and his Rhythm. 

Every Wed The Digs. Every Thu Stacey 

Kaniuk. Every Fri Dee Dee and the Dirty 

Martinis. 

Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Bar, The 

194 Queen St. W. 416-598-2475 

therex.ca (full schedule) 

Call for cover charge info. 

March 1 6:30pm Tonight @ Noon; 9:30pm 

Classic Rex Jazz Jam hosted by Chris Gale. 

March 2 6:30pm Ernesto Cervini Trio; 

9:30pm JV’s Bugaloo Squad. March 3 6:30pm 

Kevin Quain; 9:30pm Andrew Boniwell & 

Uncertainty Principle. March 4 4pm Hogtown 

Syncopators; 9:45pm Chuck Jackson’s Big 

Bad Blues Band. March 5 12pm The Sinners 

Choir; 3:30pm Swing Shift Big Band; 7:30pm 

Justin Bacchus; 9:45pm Way North. March 6 

12pm Excelsior Dixieland Jazz Band; 3:30pm 

Club Django; 7pm Ken Aldcroft’s Convergence 

Ensemble; 9:30pm Ben Ball Quartet. March 

7 6:30pm University of Toronto Student Jazz 

Ensembles; 9:30pm Humber College Student 

Jazz Ensembles. March 8 6:30pm 

Tonight @ Noon; 9:30pm Classic Rex Jazz 

Jam hosted by Chris Gale. March 9 6:30pm 

Ernesto Cervini Trio; 9:30pm Scott Marshall. 

March 10 6:30pm Kevin Quain; 9:30pm Montreal/Brooklyn/Japan’s 

Split Cycle. March 11 

4pm Hogtown Syncopators; 9:45pm Lorne 

Lofsky. March 12 12pm The Sinners Choir; 

3:30pm Chris Hunt Tentet +2; 7:30pm Justin 

Bacchus; 9:45pm John MacMurchy Septet. 

March 13 12pm Excelsior Dixieland Jazz Band; 

3:30pm Red Hot Ramble; 7pm Ken Aldcroft’s 

Thread Ensemble; 9:30pm Stacey Y’s Dovira. 

March 14 6:30pm University of Toronto Student 

Jazz Ensembles; 9:30pm Humber College 

Student Jazz Ensembles. March 15 

6:30pm Tonight @ Noon; 9:30pm Classic Rex 

Jazz Jam hosted by Chris Gale. March 16 

6:30pm Ernesto Cervini Trio; 9:30pm Mike 

Janzen Trio. March 17 6:30pm Kevin Quain; 

9:30pm N.O.J.O.: Neufeld Occhipinti Jazz 

Orchestra. March 18 4pm Hogtown Syncopators; 

9:45pm Dave Young Quintet. March 

19 12pm The Sinners Choir; 3:30pm Jerome 

Godboo; 7:30pm Justin Bacchus; 9:45pm 

New York’s Dave Liebman with Mike Murley 

Quartet. March 20 12pm Excelsior Dixieland 

Jazz Band; 3:30pm Jake Chisholm Quartet; 

7pm Ken Aldcroft’s Hat & Beard: Monk 

Tribute; 9:30pm New York’s Eric Divito Trio. 

March 21 6:30pm University of Toronto Student 

Jazz Ensembles; 9:30pm Humber College 

Student Jazz Ensembles. March 22 

6:30pm Tonight @ Noon; 9:30pm Classic Rex 

Jazz Jam hosted by Chris Gale. March 23 

6:30pm Ernesto Cervini Trio; 9:30pm New 

York’s John Raymond Trio. March 24 6:30pm 

Kevin Quain; 9:45pm Columbus, Ohio’s Tony 

Monaco Organ Trio. March 25 4pm Hogtown 

Syncopators; 9:45pm Columbus, Ohio’s Tony 

Monaco Organ Trio. March 26 12pm The Sinners 

Choir; 3:30pm George Lake Big Band; 

7:30pm Justin Bacchus; 9:45pm William & 

William Sextet. March 27 12pm Excelsior Dixieland 

Jazz Band; 3:30pm Freeway Dixieland 

Jazz Band; 7pm Ken Aldcroft; 9:30pm Three 

Blind Mice. March 28 6:30pm University of 

Toronto Student Jazz Ensembles; 8:30pm 

John MacLeod’s Rex Hotel Orchestra. March 

29 6:30pm Tonight @ Noon; 9:30pm Montreal’s 

Sam Dickinson Trio. March 30 6:30pm 

Ernesto Cervini Trio; 9:30pm Ernesto Cervini’s 

Turboprob feat. New York’s Joel Frahm. 

March 31 6:30pm Kevin Quain; 9:30pm 

Ernesto Cervini’s Turboprob feat. New York’s 

Joel Frahm. 

Salty Dog Bar & Grill, The 

1980 Queen St. E. 416-849-5064 (full 

schedule) 

Sauce on the Danforth 

1376 Danforth Ave. 647-748-1376 

sauceondanforth.com 

All shows: No cover. 

Every Mon 9pm The Out Of Towners: Dirty 

Organ Jazz. Every Tue 6pm Julian Fauth. 

Seven44 

(Formerly Chick n’ Deli/The People’s Chicken) 

744 Mount Pleasant Rd. 416-489-7931 

seven44.com (full schedule) 

All shows: 7:30pm 

March 7 Advocats Big Band. March 

21 George Lake Big Band. March 28 Mega 

City Swing Band. 

Toni Bulloni 

156 Cumberland St. 416-967-7676 

tonibulloni.com (full schedule) 

No cover. Saturday shows: 9pm. $30 food/ 

drink minimum. Sunday shows: 6pm. $25 

food/drink minimum. 

Tranzac 

292 Brunswick Ave. 416-923-8137 

tranzac.org 

3-4 shows daily, various styles. Mostly PWYC. 

Every Mon 10pm Open Mic Mondays. Every 

Thurs 7:30pm Bluegrass Thursdays: Houndstooth. 

Every Fri 5pm The Foolish Things 

(folk). This month’s shows include: March 1 

7:30pm Ali Berkok; 10pm Peripheral Vision. 

March 6, 20 5pm Monk’s Music. March 7 

7:30pm Continental Shift with the Blythwood 

Winds. March 11 10pm ZimZum. March 15 

10pm The Ken McDonald Quartet. March 20 

7:30pm Diane Roblin. March 25 10pm The 

Ryan Driver Sextet. March 29 10pm Nick Fraser 

Presents. 

Benefits/Fundraisers 

●●March 07 7:00-10:00: Join VOICEBOX- 

Opera in Concert for a benefit concert, 

“Spring of Songs,” at Gallery 345, in celebration 

of the world premiere of Isis and Osiris 

– Gods of Egypt. Sneak preview of the opera 

performed by Lucia Cesaroni, Julie Nesrallah 

and Michael Nyby and others; opportunity to 

bid on paintings by artist Anton Cetin; silent 

auction, post-concert reception and cash 

bar. Space is limited, so please RSVP via email 

to admin@operainconcert.com by March 4 

to receive the early-bird price of $25. Door 

price $35. 

Festivals, Festivities 

●●March 20: Canadian Music Therapy Trust 

Fund (CMTTF) / Canadian Association for 

Music Therapy (CAMT). 3rd Annual March 

for Music Therapy. A grassroots, family and 

community focused event. 1:00: Check-in at 

The Music Therapy Centre, 1175 Bloor St. W.; 

1:30: March commences with music for 2 km 

to the Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. W.; ends 

with a fun community event in celebration of 

the CMTTF’s efforts to provide music therapy 

services to underserved populations. Online 

registration for individuals and teams: 

www.musictherapytrust.ca $25 per adult; 

children pledge what you can. 

●●April 02 7:00: Toronto Gilbert and Sullivan 

Society. April Meeting. Join us for song, 

snacks and cheer, with spectacular performers. 

St. Andrew’s United Church, 117 Bloor St. 

E. 416-763-0832. $5 for non-members. 

●●April 15 (deadline): Coalition for Music 

Education. 12th annual Music Monday. All 

music makers are invited to submit videos 

that showcase learning and making music 

in their schools and communities. All videos 

received by the deadline April 15, 2016 will be 

considered for inclusion in the Music Monday 

- Coast2Coast (#MMC2C) powered Music 

Monday webcast. For more information: 

www.musicmonday.ca 

Lectures, Salons, Symposia 

●●March 08 1:30: Oakville Opera Guild. 

Wounded Animals, Tragic Heroes and Flawed 

Figures – Exploring the Dark and Distinctive 

Artistry of Jon Vickers. Lecture by Wayne 

Gooding, editor of Opera Canada magazine. 

E. The ETCeteras 

THE ETCETERAS covers a diverse range of musical 

events that don’t fit comfortably into our other, 

performance-based listings. The ETCeteras are sorted 

alphabetically by category, such as Lectures, Master 

Classes and Workshops. We welcome submissions. 

Please send listings to etcetera@thewholenote.com. 

Oakville Public Library Central Branch, 

120 Navy St. Oakville. 905-827-5678; Oakville. 

Opera.Guild@outlook.com $10 (proceeds go 

towards our scholarship fund, to be awarded 

to a student attending the Faculty of Music 

at the U of Toronto and support our annual 

donation to the Canadian Opera Company). 

●●March 10 7:30: Darchei Noam Synagogue. 

Jews’ Muse: Felix Mendelssohn. A mix of lecture, 

music and discussion with lecturer Rick 

Phillips as he explores the music of Mendelssohn 

- the influences that shaped his music, 

the impact he left on his times and his lasting 

legacy. 864 Sheppard Ave. W. 416-638-4783; 

darcheinoam.ca/event/JewishComposers 

$20 or $45 for all four dates. 

●●March 11 6:00: The Music Gallery / Musicworks 

Magazine / OCADU Student Gallery. 

Musicworks: The Cassette Years. Opening 

of exhibition and listening salon bringing 

the public into contact with cassette tapes 

distributed with each issue of Musicworks 

between 1983 and 1997. Covering a diversity 

of voices, music, field recordings and 

sound collections from across the country. To 

March 13: 197 John St.; March 14 to 18: OCAD’s 

Open Gallery, 49 McCaul. 416-204-1080; 

musicgallery.org Free. 

PASQUALE BROTHERS 

PURVEYORS OF FINE FOOD 

CATERING 

(416) 364-7397 WWW.PASQUALEBROS.COM 


●●March 13 2:00: The Toronto Consort. BEO- 

WULF: A Lecture by Benjamin Bagby.The 

lecture and Q&A will be followed by a reception 

with cash bar and complimentary nibbles. 

Alliance Française, 24 Spadina Road. 

416-966-1045; eventbrite.ca $40 (fundraiser 

in support of the Toronto Consort). 

●●March 18 7:00: Soundstreams Salon 21. 

Minimalism Remixed. Learn about minimalism, 

the musical movement that has inspired 

artists from Radiohead to DJ Spooky, through 

discussion and performances. Gardiner 

Museum, 111 Queen’s Park. 416-504-1282. 

Free, PWYC preferred seating available. 

●●March 20 2:00: Toronto Opera Club. The 

Three Queens. Guest speaker Iain Scott, 

opera reviewer, lecturer and director of 

Opera-Is, discusses operas of Donizetti. Room 

330, Edward Johnson Bldg., Faculty of Music, 

80 Queen’s Park. 416-924-3940. $10. 

●●March 21 1:30: Miles Nadal JCC. Opera 

Appreciation – It’s All in the Family. From ferociously 

protective mothers to fraternal bonds 

that lead to murderous tensions, discover the 

panoply of family, friendships, rivalries and 

loyalties in some of the greatest operas. Lecturer: 

Opera educator Iain Scott. 750 Spadina 

Ave. To register: 416-924-6211 x0.$22. 

●●March 31 1:30: Miles Nadal JCC. What is an 

Operetta? Lecturer Guillermo Silva, general 

director of Toronto Operetta Theatre; inside 

information on this musical art form filled 

with humour, romance, comedy, dance, satire 

and fun. 750 Spadina Ave. For more information: 

416-924-6211 x155; lisar@mnjcc.org. $4. 

●●April 07 7:30: Darchei Noam Synagogue. 

Jews’ Muse: Gustav Mahler. See March 10. 

Screenings 

●●March 22 6:30: Istituto Italiano di Cultura. 

Screening of Verdi’s Falstaff (2001). Director: 

Ruggiero Cappuccio; starring: Ambrogio 

Maestri, Roberto Frontali, Juan Diego 

Flores, Barbara Frittoli; conductor: Riccardo 

Muti; Orchestra & Coro del Teatro Alla Scala. 

Hosted by the Opera House in Busseto with 

original scenography from 1913. Alliance 

Française Theatre, 24 Spadina Rd. 

iictoronto.esteri.it/IIC_Toronto/Menu/ 

Istituto/ Free. 

●●April 03 4:00 and 7:30: Toronto Jewish 

Film Society/ Ashkenaz Foundation. Rock 

in the Red Zone (Israel, 2015). Documentary. 

War, music, love and fate come together. Director 

Laura Bialis travels to Siderot, the small 

town that revolutionized Israeli rock music 

and whose proximity to the Gaza Strip puts 

it on the front lines of the current conflict. Al 

E. The ETCeteras View Blvd. To register (before Feb 28): 416- 

Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina 

Ave. 416-924-6211 x606. $15; $10 (age 18-35). 

Master Classes 

●●March 04, 05, April 01, 02 10:00-12:00; 

2:00-4:00. The Royal Conservatory. Leon 

Fleisher, piano. Mazzoleni Hall, 273 Bloor St. 

W. 416-408=0208. Observers welcome. Free. 

●●March 04 1:00-5:00. The Royal Conservatory. 

Libby Larsen, composer. Conservatory 

Theatre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. 

Observers welcome. Free. 

●●March 10 10:00-12:00. The Royal Conservatory. 

Håkan Hardenberger, trumpet. Mazzoleni 

Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. 


●●March 11 10:00-12:00; 2:00-4:00. The Royal 

Conservatory. Ronan O’Hora, piano. Mazzoleni 

Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. 


●●March 11. The Royal Conservatory. Atar 

Arad, violin. 10:00-12:30 Conservatory Theatre.;2:00-4:30, 

Classroom 319. 273 Bloor St. 

W. 416-408-0208. Observers welcome. Free. 


Conservatory. John Perry, piano. Mazzoleni 

Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. Observers 

welcome. Free. 


Conservatory. Joel Quarrington, double 

bass. Classroom 310, 273 Bloor St. W. 416- 

408-0208. Observers welcome. Free. 


Conservatory. Don Liuzzi, timpani. Conservatory 

Theatre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. 


●●April 03 2:00: North York Music Festival. 

Open Violin Master Class. Violinist Moshe 

Hammer will coach six senior level students. 

Open to auditors. Lawrence Park Community 

Church, 2180 Bayview Ave. 416-788-8553; 

northyorkmusicfestival.com/ $20. 

Workshops 

●●March 05 10:30am-1:00: Toronto Mendelssohn 

Choir. Singsation Saturday: Choral 

Workshop with Guest Conductor Caron 

Daley. Join members of the Toronto Mendelssohn 

Choir, conductor Caron Daley and an 

enthusiastic community of singers to read 

through Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man. Yorkminster 

Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St. 

416-598-0422 x223; 

tmchoir.org/singsation-saturdays/ $10. 

●●March 05 2:00-4:30: CAMMAC Toronto 

Region. Sight-Singing Workshop. Led by Art 

Levine. Northern District Library, 40 Orchard 

386-0258. $30; $25(members). 

●●March 10 6:45-8:45: World Fiddle Day 

Toronto. Workshop led by musician Anne 

Lederman. Join players of bowed string 

instruments to learn world folk repertoire for 

our community event at Fort York on May 21. 

Long & McQuade Clinic Space, 935 Bloor 

St. W. For more information and repertoire: 

worldfiddledaytoronto.ca; 647-217-4620. 

Practice sessions by donation. 

●●March 11 7:30: CAMMAC Recorder Players’ 

Society. Amateur recorder players 

are invited to join in the playing of early 

music. Mount Pleasant Road Baptist Church, 

527 Mount Pleasant Rd. 416-597-0485 or 

cammac.ca $15 (non-members). Refreshments 

included. 

●●March 20 1:00–3:30: World Fiddle Day 


Lederman. See March 10. 

●●March 20 2:00-4:30 CAMMAC Toronto 

Region. Reading of Mendelssohn’s Elijah 

for singers and instrumentalists. Joan 

Andrews, conductor. Christ Church Deer 

Park, 1570 Yonge St. 416-781-4745. $10; $6 

(members). 

●●April 01 7:30: CAMMAC Recorder Players’ 

Society. Amateur recorder players 

are invited to join in the playing of early 

music. Mount Pleasant Road Baptist Church, 

527 Mount Pleasant Rd. 416-597-0485; cammac.ca 

$15 (non-members). Refreshments 

included. 

●●April 03 1:00–3:30: World Fiddle Day 


Lederman. See March 10. 

Canadian Vocal Ensemble 

Looking for a musical experience unlike any 

other? Want to tour with a great bunch of 

singers? 

Consider joining MOSAIC today! 

MOSAIC Canadian Vocal Ensemble directed by Gordon Mansell 

was formed in 2012 as a touring concert choir in advance of its 

first performance tour to Italy 

and the Vatican in 2013. The 

vocal ensemble rehearses at Our 

Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church 

in the Etobicoke area of Toronto 

every Tuesday night. In addition 

to its concerts and tours, 

MOSAIC often collaborates with 

the music program at OLS on special events. However, it is not a 

church or liturgical choir and is accepting of all beliefs. MOSAIC 

has a varied contemporary and classical repertoire that mixes Karl 

Jenkins, Ruth Watson Henderson, Mark Hayes and Stephen 

Chatman with Palestrina, Mozart, Bach and Fauré. 

If you are interested in learning more about 

MOSAIC and want to tour with us, drop the 

director a note today at 

gdmansell@sympatico.ca 

or tweet him @gdmansell. 

You can also phone or text him at 416-571-3680 


Classified Advertising | classad@thewholenote.com 

WholeNote CLASSIFIEDS can help you 

recruit new members for your choir or 

band / orchestra or find a new music 

director! Advertise your help wanted 

needs or promote your services starting 

at only $24/issue. Inquire by March 22 for 

APRIL. classad@thewholenote.com 

AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES 

Available pro bono positions with the 

KINDRED SPIRITS ORCHESTRA: 1st Horn; 

2nd Trumpet; 1st, 2nd and 3rd Trombones; 

Principal Pianist; sectional Violins, Violas, 

Cellos and Contrabasses. The KSO is 

an auditioned-based civic orchestra in 

residence at Flato Markham Theatre. 

Weekly rehearsals are held on Tuesday 

evening at Cornell Recital Hall. For more 

information visit ksorchestra.ca/about/ 

auditions.html or e-mail Jobert Sevilleno at 

GM@KSOrchestra.ca 

The Celtic Fiddle Orchestra of Southern 

Ontario is looking for additional musicians: 

violin, viola, cello, bass and flute. We practice 

twice a month on Sunday afternoons from 

1:30 to 4:00 at the QEPCCC in Oakville. Please 

contact Jill Yokoyama at 905-635-8079 or 

email cfoso.exec@gmail.com 

COUNTERPOINT COMMUNITY ORCHESTRA 

(www.ccorchestra.org) welcomes volunteer 

musicians for Monday evening rehearsals 

at the 519 Church Street Community Centre 

in downtown Toronto. No audition. We’re 

especially looking for harp, trombone and 

strings players. Email info@ccorchestra.org. 

DO YOU LOVE TO SING? Are you looking for 

a choir that performs every type of sacred 

music, from Byrd to Britten, Howells to 

Hogan? The Anglican Church of St. John the 

Baptist seeks all voice types to enhance their 

Mass Choir. Services take place on Sundays 

at 10:30 AM in the Beaches, one of Toronto’s 

most active and artistic neighbourhoods. For 

more information, contact 

music@stjohnsnorway.com or 

(647) 302-2074 

NORTH YORK CONCERT ORCHESTRA is 

interested in welcoming new players. We 

are a community orchestra which rehearses 

throughout the year on Weds. nights, York 

Mills Collegiate in Don Mills. There are four 

subscription concerts and several outreach 

opportunities. Especially interested in 

hearing from first violinists and string bass 

players. Please contact personnel@nyco. 

on.ca for further information 

INSTRUCTION & COURSES 

FLUTE LESSONS. Classical flute lessons for 

all ages and levels. Located near Davenport- 

Lansdowne. Contact Meghan at 647-226- 

5488, meghan@meghancornett.com 

www.meghancornett.com 

FLUTE, PIANO, THEORY LESSONS. RCM 

exam preparation. RCM certified advanced 

specialist. Samantha Chang, FTCL, 

FLCM, Royal Academy of Music PGDip, 

LRAM, ARCT. Toronto, Scarborough 416-293- 

1302, samantha.studio@gmail. com 

www.samanthaflute.com. 

LESSONS FOR ALL! Friendly and firm - 

I’m an experienced musician and mom 

teaching piano and singing to children (and 

young at heart) in my Toronto home (East 

Leslieville). To discuss your child’s need for 

music-making please contact 

kskwhite@gmail.com. 

PIANO LESSONS WITH CONCERT PIANIST 

EVE EGOYAN eveegoyan.com All ages, 

all levels welcome, at Earwitness Studio, 

Artscape Youngplace (downtown Toronto). 

Eve’s own exposure to exceptional teachers 

during her developmental years makes her a 

communicative, intuitive and creative teacher 

with over 25 years teaching experience 

(private lessons, masterclasses, adjudication) 

Each student is an individual. Email Eve to 

set up a free introductory meeting at eve. 

egoyan@bell.net 

PRIVATE VIOLIN LESSONS: All ages 

welcome! Beginner to professional. Lessons 

in English and French, music studio in the 

Annex. info@andreatyniec.ca 

PRIVATE VOICE/PIANO/THEORY 

LESSONS: Experienced, BFA Certified 

Teacher located at Christ Church Deer 

Park (Yonge & St. Clair). Prepares you or 

your child for RCM exams, competitions & 

auditions. Contact Jessika: 

jwithakmusic@gmail.com (647) 214-2827. 

VegasNorth’s 2016 BIG BAND WORKSHOPS 

These big band workshops focus on teaching 

intermediate/advanced musicians how to 

rehearse/perform in a big band ensemble 

while having a ton of fun rehearsing 

great charts. 12 sessions - Noon - 2 PM on 

Sundays from April - June 2016 Location - 

The Rehearsal Factory 330 Geary. Toronto 

Registration is now open. 

info@vegasnorth.ca 

WARMHEARTED PIANO TEACHER with 

sterling credentials, unfailing good humour, 

and buckets of patience. Royal Conservatory 

washouts and nervous learners especially 

welcome. Lovely Cabbagetown studio. “Best 

teacher ever!” - Beaches tween. “Beats 

studying with those Quebec nuns!” - Rosedale 

senior. Peter Kristian Mose, 416.923.3060. 

www.MoseMusicalArts.com. My students 

have never won any prizes, except for love of 

music. (And loyalty.) 

FOR SALE / WANTED 

CLASSICAL RECORD AND CD COLLECTIONS 

WANTED. Minimum 350 units. Call, text or 

e-mail Aaron 416-471-8169 or A@A31.CA. 

FRENCH HORN suitable for advanced student 

or working musician. One owner since 1978, 

excellent condition. mjbuell@gmail.com 

SAXOPHONE Bundy Selmer alto student 

model; BASSOON Linton student 

model; EUPHONIUM Besson four valve 

compensating with laquer finish. 

Phone 416-964-3642. 

SPRING CLEANING TIME! Is that accordion 

gathering dust in your closet? Are your 

band days just a hazy memory? Someone 

out there would love to give your nice old 

musical instrument a new life. Advertise your 

unused instruments or find one for sale with 

a WholeNote classified ad! Contact classad@ 

thewholenote.com. 

STOLEN FROM CAR – Lorée OBOE 

& ENGLISH HORN: $700 reward for 

information leading to return. Serial #’s: 

oboe TA 78, English horn HV 25. Please call 

Karen 416-656-4312 or 416-323-2232 x.26 

MUSICIANS AVAILABLE 

SWEETHEART PARTY BAND? Do you provide 

live music for weddings? Maybe also for 

wakes, roasts & retirements, and all kinds of 

occasions? Advertise your ensemble right 

here for as little as $24 plus tax!! Contact 

classad@thewholenote.com by March 22 for 

the April edition! 

Press kits, 

image consulting, 

& social media 

for performers 

www.lizpr.com 

SERVICES 

ACCOUNTING AND INCOME TAX SERVICE 

for small business and individuals, to save 

you time and money, customized to meet 

your needs. Norm Pulker, B. Math. CMA. 

905-251-0309 or 905-830-2985 

CD LINER NOTES, PROMO MATERIAL, 

CONCERT PROGRAMS, LIBRETTI, WEB SITE 

CONTENT AND MEMOIRS need proofreading 

and editing for correct spelling and grammar, 

clarity and consistency. Contact Vanessa 

Wells, wellsread@editors.ca, for a copy editor 

with a music background. Quick turnaround 

and reasonable rates! wellsreadediting.ca 

VENUES AVAILABLE / WANTED 

ARE YOU PLANNING A CONCERT OR 

RECITAL? Looking for a venue? Consider 

Bloor Street United Church. Phone: 416-924- 

7439 x22. Email: 

tina@bloorstreetunited.org. 

PERFORMANCE / REHEARSAL / STUDIO / 

OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE: great acoustics, 

reasonable rates, close to Green P Parking, 

cafés & restaurants. Historic church at 

College & Bellevue, near Spadina. Phone 

416-921-6350. E-mail 

ststepheninthefields@gmail.com. 

DO YOU DRIVE? 

Do you love 

The WholeNote? 

Share the love and earn a little 

money! Join The WholeNote’s 

circulation team: 9 times a year, 

GTA and well beyond. Interested? 

Contact: 

circulation@thewholenote.com 

RESTORE & PRESERVE 

YOUR MEMORIES 

Recital and gig tapes | 78’s 

& LPs | VHS and Hi8 | 35mm 

Slides |News clippings | Photos 

& more, transferred to 

digital files: CD’s, DVD’s, 

or Video slideshow 

ArtsMediaProjects 

416.910.1091 

Introducing 

BUSINESS 

CLASSIFIEDS! 

Ideal for ongoing promotion 

of your services and products 

to the WholeNote’s musically 

engaged readership, in print and on-line. 

Book by March 22, 2016 for our April edition! 

classad@thewholenote.com 

Ace your Auditions 

Mental Skills for 

Performing Artists 

Lisa Chisholm 

www.masterperforming.ca 

NEED HELP WITH 

YOUR TAXES? 

Specializing in personal 

and business tax returns 

including prior years 

and adjustments 

HORIZON TAX SERVICES INC. 

• free consultation • accurate work 

For CRA stress relief call: 

1-866-268-1319 

hts@horizontax.ca 

www.horizontax.ca 

salukimusic@gmail.com 

www.salukimusic.com 


JVL SUMMER SCHOOL FOR PERFORMING ARTS 

Summer 

time and 

the Learnin' 

is Easy! 

Summer is often a time of departure 

from our regular schedules, a time to 

devote energies toward activities and 

passions in a focused way. If you are 

thinking about music programs for 

yourself, your children or your whole 

family, our annual Summer Music 

Education directory is a significant 

resource. Whether you are an amateur 

musician or an emerging professional, 

there are many options to choose 

from. The profiles below, submitted 

by the organizations themselves, display 

a wealth of opportunities to hone 

your skills and make valuable friendships 

and connections. The offerings 

are varied: some are geared toward 

classical musicians and vocalists, with 

performance opportunities at the culmination 

of the programs, and others 

offer such diverse sessions as songwriting, 

jazz, rock, music theatre and 

guitar. There are even programs for 

kids and toddlers! Residential camps 

will get you out of the city (or province) 

and day camps are available for 

those of you who prefer something 

closer to home. We’ve also included 

programs for which the application 

deadline may have passed: we want 

you to be aware of what’s out there, 

if not for this summer, then for the 

future. We’ll be updating the directory 

online, so check back at thewholenote. 

com under resources for updates. 

●●AlgomaTrad Family Camp 

for Traditional Music, 

Dance and Heritage Arts 

St. Joseph Island, Richards Landing, Ontario 

August 14 to 20, 2016 

Contact: Julie Schryer 

705-257-6106 

music@algomatrad.ca 

www.algomatrad.ca 

Deadline: August 1, 2016 

Cost: $300 - $650 (bursaries available) 

Residential program (day 

camper options available) 

!! 

AlgomaTrad is a not-for-profit arts organization 

that is dedicated to the sharing, celebration 

and learning of traditional music, dance, arts 

and craft that embraces our Canadian heritage. 

AlgomaTrad practises inclusivity and nurtures 

joyous, intergenerational community through 

its annual Family Camp – a week of classes in a 

wide variety of instruments, singing, theatre, 

dance, arts and heritage craft. Each day offers 

community gatherings, great food and evening 

contra/square/ceili dances and concerts. 

Renowned professional, vibrant, communityoriented 

staff are invited to teach and perform. 

Oral/aural traditions are the foundation of the 

curriculum and are shared with learners with 

respect to those traditions. 

●●Arcadia Academy of Music 

- Summer Programs 

Bolton, Maple, Newmarket, North Brampton, 

Richmond Hill, South Brampton, West 

Brampton, Woodbridge, Ontario 

June to August, 2016 

Contact: 905-850-3701 

headoffice@arcadiamusicacademy.com 

www.arcadiaacademyofmusic.com 

!! 

Arcadia Academy of Music is an awardwinning 

franchise music school with eight 

locations in the GTA. The Arcadia Academy of 

Music concept is simple yet effective – providing 

a personalized approach to delivering music 

education programs through quality and vision. 

This concept amalgamated with honesty, 

integrity and transparency has provided our 

longevity for the last 30 years. We believe that 

every child should be given the opportunity to 

be exposed to music, enriching their lives inside 

and outside the classroom and delivering music 

programs that revolutionize the way music is 

TheWholeNote 2016 Summer Music 

Education Directory Team 

Project Coordinator: Karen Ages 

Project Editor: Kevin King 

Proofreading: Vanessa Wells, Karen Ages 

taught and learned. Some of our exciting summer 

programs include: band program, theory 

course and $180 two-month music lessons ($200 

vocal lessons). Visit www.arcadiaacademyofmusic.com 

to learn more or contact an Arcadia 

school near you. 

●●CAMMAC Music Centre 

Harrington, Quebec 

June 26 to August 14, 2016 

Contact: Margaret Little 

1-888-622-8755 

mlittle@cammac.ca 

www.cammac.ca 

Cost: $500 - $1,300 per week 

(bursaries available) 

Residential program 

!! 

Seven weeks of music for all tastes, ages and 

levels! Come with friends and family: choose 

your favourite week (or two) this summer and 

join in the pleasure of making music with others. 

Choir, orchestra, chamber music, Broadway, 

jazz, Celtic, early music – a full menu to suit your 

fancy! At CAMMAC, you can make music in a 

relaxed and non-competitive atmosphere, meet 

people who share your interests, learn from 

passionate teachers and discover new repertoire 

both in class and in concert. It is not surprising 

that so many new participants tell us that 

CAMMAC has changed their lives! No matter 

your skill level or age, our outstanding teachers 

will help you take that next step in your musical 

journey. 

●●Canadian Opera Company 

Summer Opera Camps 


Arts, 145 Queen St. W., Toronto, Ontario 

July 4 to 8 (grades 1-3), July 11 to 15 (grades 

4-6), July 18 to 22 (grades 7-8), July 25 to 30 

(grades 9-12) 

Contact: COC Box Office 

416-363-8231 

education@coc.ca 

www.coc.ca/Camps 

Cost: $310 (grades 1-6), $320 (grades 7-8), 

$360 (grades 9-12) 

Camp Hours: 9am - 3:30pm (grades 

1-8) and 9am - 4pm (grades 9-12) 

!! 

This July, the Canadian Opera Company’s 

Summer Opera Camps offer children and youth 

entering grades 1 to 12 an immersive operatic 

experience. Participants playfully explore opera 

as both creators and performers, while developing 

their skills in a fun, yet intensive, one-week 

camp. Weekly activities include story creation, 

singing, composition, acting, improvisation, 

and costume, props and set design. Each week 

ends in a special rehearsal open to family and 

friends. 

How To Join The Wholenote 

Summer Music Education Directory 

Missed the print edition? Your camp or program can still be part of our online directory. 

Please e-mail karen@thewholenote.com or call 416-323-2232 x26 for information. 


●●Centauri Arts Camp 

Wellandport, Ontario 

July 3 to August 21, 2016 (1 or 2 

week sessions) 

Contact: Julie Hartley 

416-766-7124 

info@centauriartscamp.com 

www.centauriartscamp.com 

Cost: $995 - $1,840 


!! 

Centauri Summer Arts Camp is an overnight 

centre for the arts based in the Niagara Region. 

We offer more than 40 intensive arts programs, 

many of them music-based: songwriting, musical 

theatre, garage band, rock/pop/jazz music 

and “How to Be a Musician in the Real World.” 

Young people aged 9 to 18 are immersed in the 

unique atmosphere of overnight camp while 

working with industry professionals to improve 

their music skills and participating in varied 

arts electives. The atmosphere is collaborative, 

and all campers take part in concerts and performances 

on the final day. Be part of a unique arts 

community this summer and make memories 

and friends to last a lifetime. 

●●Connecting Through 

Song at Westben 

Westben Arts Festival Theatre, 

36 Front St. S., Campbellford, Ontario 

June 25 to July 3, 2016 

Contact: Donna Bennett 

705-653-5508 

westben@westben.ca 

www.westben.ca 

Deadline: June 1, 2016 

Cost: Varies from Free to $20-$50 per session 

!! 

Connecting Through Song is a nine-day 

exploration of the themes of human connection 

as inspired by Brian Finley’s opera The Pencil 

Salesman, premiered at Westben in June 2016. 

Seminars, chats, workshops and studio tours 

investigate various connections between people 

and technology, society and multiple generations. 

Events offer hands-on opportunities using 

music to explore and connect through solo and 

choral singing, technology, recording and improvisation. 

A vocal intensive led by Dr. Michael 

Warren, DMA, is a powerful three-day immersion 

experience designed for all levels and genres of 

singers, age 16 and older. Participants work oneon-one 

with Dr. Warren in half-hour lessons that 

are observed by the other participants, allowing 

all to share vocal strengths and benefit from 

each other’s progress. 

●●Le Domaine Forget International 

Music and Dance Academy 

Saint-Irénée, Quebec 

June 5 to August 21, 2016 

Contact: Rachel Tremblay 

418-452-8111 

admission@domaineforget.com 

www.domaineforget.com/en/1/music-anddance-academy 

Deadlines: February 15, 2016, except Guitar 

and Dance (April 1, 2016) and Choir and Vocal 

Jazz (May 1, 2016) 

Cost: $375 - $3,215 

!! 

Le Domaine Forget Academy offers serious 

students the opportunity to perfect their skills 

under the auspices of world-renowned artists. 

The beauty and tranquility of the setting at 

Domaine Forget inspire creativity and the 

facilities are perfectly suited to the needs of 

both students and teachers. Whether you are 

a young professional or an advanced student, 

you will benefit from the opportunity to further 

your musical training through the tutelage of 

established teachers and the participation in 

master classes given by distinguished international 

artists. 

●●Don Wright Faculty of Music 

Summer Programs 

Western University, 1151 Richmond St. N., 

London, Ontario 

Programs for all ages June 27 to July 24, 2016 

Contact: Program Coordinator 

519-661-2043 

music@uwo.ca 

www.music.uwo.ca/outreach 

Deadlines: open 

Cost: $339 - $2,600 

Day programs 

!! 

The Don Wright Faculty of Music is pleased to 

offer several musical workshops this summer 

tailored to musicians of various ages and experience 

levels. Our Kodály Certification Program (2 

weeks) engages music educators in an innovative 

pedagogical workshop, strengthening their 

musicianship and enhancing their teaching 

ability. Music Theatre on the Thames (4 weeks) – 

a unique intensive, ideal for the emerging musical 

theatre professional – integrates learning in 

singing, acting and movement and will present 

a full-scale production of Stephen Sondheim’s 

Company. Percshop (grades 9 to adult) provides 

more than 30 hours of hands-on instruction and 

playing, culminating in a final concert. Musical 

Futures (2 weeks) provides tools to create 

sustainable, student-centred, 21st-century music 

learning experiences using informal learning 

and non-formal teaching. Kodály Certification 

Program (July 3 to 15, $695); Music Theatre on 

the Thames (June 27 to July 24, $2,600); PercShop 

(July 4 to 8, $339); Musical Futures Workshop 

(July 4 to July 15; $695). 

●●DownTown Summer Strings 

Lord Lansdowne P.S., 33 Robert St., Toronto, 

Ontario 

Monday - Friday, July 20 to July 31 

Contact: Rebecca Kurtis-Pomeroy and Ian 

Guenther 

416-712-1329 (Ian Guenther) 

Rebecca.Kurtis-Pomeroy@tdsb.on.ca 

www.tdsb.on.ca/AboutUs/Innovation/ 

SummerPrograms/TDSBMusicCamps/ 

DownTownSummerStrings.aspx 

Deadline: First day of camp. Walk-ins are 

accepted on first day provided there are still 

spaces left. 

Cost: $240 

Camp Hours: 8:30am - 12pm 

!! 

DownTown Summer Strings benefits students 

who have at least one year experience playing 

the violin, viola, cello or double bass. Instructors 

will provide master classes, coach small 

ensembles and conduct a string orchestra. 

DownTown Summer Strings concludes with a 

concert open to the public. It is open to all students 

in Grades 3 to 8 and enrolls a maximum of 

80. Register early to guarantee your spot! There 

is a $10 material fee per session to be paid to the 

instructor on the first day. Instruments are not 

provided. Students should consult with their 

school’s string instructor/teacher to borrow an 

instrument for the summer. Please indicate on 

the registration form which instrument(s) you 

play. Walk-in registrations are welcome starting 

the first day of camp! 

●●Guitar Workshop Plus 

San Diego, CA: June 19 to 24, 2016 

Nashville, TN: July 31 to August 5, 2016 

Toronto, ON: session 1, August 7 to 12; session 

2, August 14 to 19, 2016 

Contact: 905-567-8000 

www.guitarworkshopplus.com 

For ages 10 to 90, beginner to professional 

!! 

Guitar Workshop Plus offers week-long 

workshops in a musical environment at superb 

facilities. Professional music faculty and worldfamous 

guest artists teach and perform for 

our participants. Guitar, bass, drum, keyboard, 

songwriting and vocal courses are offered for all 

LE DOMAIN FORGET INTERNATION MUSIC AND DANCE ACADEMY 


levels, ages and styles including rock, blues, jazz, 

acoustic and classical. Our top-ranked summer 

music program provides the opportunity to participate 

in daily classes, clinics, ensemble and 

student performances, and evening concerts. 

Participants also take away a DVD of their live 

performances! Past guest instructors include 

Steve Vai, Alex Lifeson, John Scofield, Robben 

Ford, Tommy Emmanuel, Andy Summers, Billy 

Sheehan and many others! GWP is much more 

than just a guitar camp or summer music camp. 

You’ve seen the rest…now come learn from the 

best! 

●●Interprovincial Music Camp 

Camp Manitou, McKellar, Ontario 

August 21 to September 4, 2016 

Contact: Anne Fleming-Read 

416-488-3316 

anne@campimc.ca 

www.campimc.ca 

Cost: $799 - $998 


!! 

IMC offers programs for orchestra, band, 

rock, jazz, choir, musical theatre, songwriting 

and sound engineering. The camp has been 

providing young musicians exceptional musical 

training and unforgettable summer-camp 

experiences since 1961. Campers fine-tune skills 

as musicians, develop friendships and forge a 

lifelong love of music while enjoying the setting 

of one of Canada’s finest camp facilities. The 

IMC experience includes housing, meals, master 

classes, sectionals, large and small ensembles, 

faculty concerts, recreational activities and 

evening programs. Each session IMC concludes 

with performances for family and friends. Our 

faculty includes Canada’s finest performers and 

educators. For more information, visit www. 

campIMC.ca. IMC - the highlight of a young 

musician’s summer! 

●●JVL Summer School for 

Performing Arts International 

“Music in the Summer” Festival 

Geneva Park on Lake Couchiching, Orillia, 

Ontario 

July 2 to 12, 2016 

Contact: Jacob Lakirovich 

416-735-7499 

jvl@musicintheusmmer.com 

www.musicinthesummer.com 

Deadline: May 2, 2016 


!! 

The Festival will feature a full program of 

master classes, concerts and competitions. The 

programs of the School encompass private 

instrumental lessons with internationally 

renowned teachers, master classes and workshops, 

chamber music classes, orchestral and 

ensemble classes, concert solo performances 

with the Academy orchestras, solo and chamber 

music recitals, as well as special seminars for 

Ear Training, Composition and Theory of Music. 

Performances in an acoustically superb concert 

hall and Serenade Concerts under the moonlight 

shore of Lake Couchiching will mesmerize 

our audiences and guests. Participation in the 

Festival is incredibly valuable for musicians 

of all ages and levels. The extensive musical 

training they will receive during this period will 

inevitably have a great impact on their personal 

growth as musicians and as individuals. 

●●Kincardine Summer 

Music Festival 

Huron Heights Public School, 785 Russell St., 

Kincardine, Ontario 


Contact: John Schnarr 

519-396-9716 

info@ksmf.ca 

www.ksmf.ca 

Deadline: early discount June 30 

Cost: $180 - $200 

Camp Hours: 9am - 3:50pm 

!! 

Our 25th anniversary! Daytime music classes 

combine with the renowned KSMF Concert 

Series to produce a unique musical event. We offer 

beginner, junior, senior and adult classes in 

guitar, bands and strings programs. Many adult 

students register for all levels. Our teachers 

are experienced professionals. Free recreation 

program supervises young students. After class, 

enjoy the free KSMF 4 O’Clock in the Park Concert 

Series in nearby Victoria Park. Registration 

includes tickets to the fabulous KSMF Evening 

Concert Series featuring jazz, blues, classical, 

world and chamber music concert performances 

August 8 to 11. The Concert Series artists 

will also be featured in free, short afternoon 

outreach performances for registrants. A great 

fun family music opportunity on beautiful Lake 

Huron! 

●●Kingsway Conservatory 

Summer Music 

Kingsway Conservatory of Music, 

2848 Bloor St. W., Toronto, Ontario 

Weekly programs from July 4 to August 19, 


Contact: Sharon Burlacoff 

416-234-0121 

sharonkcm@bellnet.ca 

www.kingswayconservatory.ca 

Deadlines: open; early-bird discount deadline 

April 15, 2016 

Cost: various 

Camp Hours: various 

Day Programs 

!! 

Committed to “Inspired Learning,” the 

Kingsway Conservatory of Music provides summer 

programs for various ages and experience 

levels that engage, challenge and excite on 

many levels. Offerings for summer 2016 include: 

Kingsway Chamber Music Festival (1 week) for 

string players (min RCM Gr 3 for Intermediate 

/ Gr 5 for Senior) and pianists (min RCM Gr 5 

for Intermediate / Gr 7 for Senior) including 

chamber coachings, orchestra rehearsals, group 

composition, workshops and guest artists; Alice 

in Wonderland Jr. Musical Theatre Camp (2 weeks) 

for youth and teens, preparing and presenting 

a fantastic, full-scale musical production; Triple- 

Threat Arts Discovery Camp (4-8 years) inspiring 

self-expression through music, art and drama; 

Suzuki/Traditional Strings Camp (4-10 years) 

for string players in their beginning years; and 

Private Instruction on all instruments. 

●●Lake Field Music Camp 

Lakefield College School, Lakefield, Ontario 


Contact: Andrew Wolf 

647-692-3463 

info@lakefieldmusic.ca 

www.lakefieldmusic.ca 


Residential programs 

!! 

Lake Field Music camp brings together adult 

amateur musicians of all ages with intermediate 

to advanced skills in a friendly and supportive 

environment. The one-week program focuses on 

classical and jazz with a sampling of world and 

popular music. Participants build their own program 

from more than 50 workshops, technique 

and master classes, choirs and instrumental 

ensembles coached by 20 experienced instructors 

specializing in vocals, strings, woodwinds, 

brass, piano, guitar, bass and percussion. Classes 

for beginners are also offered for those wanting 

to try something new. Evening concerts provide 

performance opportunities and a chance to 

hear the instructors. The beautiful waterfront 

campus includes air-conditioned classrooms 

and a theatre. Dormitory (air-conditioned and 

fresh-air) and meal plans are available. 

●●Little Voices, Dancing Feet 

2171 Queen St E., Toronto, Ontario 

Baby, Toddler & Pre-school Classes: June 28 

to July 28; Camps: (JK-Gr 1): July 11 to 15, 

July 18 to 22; (Gr 1-3) July 25 to 29, 2016 

Contact: Jodie Friesen 

416-461-9989 

littlevoices@sympatico.ca 

www.littlevoices.ca 

Cost: Classes: $85, Camps: $198/wk 

Camp Hours: 1pm - 3:45/4pm 

!! 

Quality classes and camps with an experienced 

and enthusiastic Master Orff teacher. 

Integrated Arts Camps include musical exploration 

with xylophones and a multitude of 

multicultural percussion instruments (pretty 

much anything that can be struck, rubbed or 

shaken to make sound!), art (painting, drawing, 

sculpture, collage), drama, dance, stories, and 

even a themed snack! Camps are limited to 12 

participants, in an air-conditioned space. 

The weekly, active and interactive parent/caregiver 

and child (newborn to preschool) music 

classes are also in small, age-specific groups and 

led by Jodie. They feature age-appropriate material 

(traditional, global, classical and original) 

and instruments (drums, tambourines, shakers, 

bells, castanets, rhythm sticks, etc.), and songs 

and rhymes for clapping, tickling, peekaboo, 

bouncing, swinging, dancing and rocking. 

Almost 25 years in the Beach! 


●●Marjorie Sparks Voice 

Studio Summer Program 


August 12 to 15 and August 20 to 23, 2016 

Contact: Marjorie Sparks 

416-893-8648 

mheitshu@sympatico.ca 

www.marjoriesparksvoicestudio.com 


Cost: $525 

Camp Hours: 1pm - 6pm 

!! 

The Marjorie Sparks Voice Studio is offering an 

intensive vocal program for soloists and choral 

singers. Each singer is immersed in daily master 

classes, private lessons and performances. Six 

singers are accepted per week. Small classes 

equal greater participation. There are no formal 

auditions. Entry requirements are several selections 

of well-prepared songs and arias as well 

as some performance experience. The course 

facility is located near the subway and has excellent 

rooms and pianos. The staff are innovative 

and professional. The program aims to enhance 

your vocal skills and bring out the best in your 

performances. 

●●Music at Port Milford 

Prince Edward County, Ontario 

July 10 to August 7, 2016 

Contact: Meg Hill 

914-439-5039 

director@mpmcamp.org 

www.mpmcamp.org 

Deadline: rolling admissions 

Cost: $900/week 

Residential programs 

!! 

2016 marks Music at Port Milford’s 30th year 

of bringing internationally renowned artist 

faculty and students with a passion for chamber 

music together to create an inspiring summer 

music experience. Throughout July and August, 

this experience is proudly shared with Prince 

Edward County, as the students and faculty 

bring the highest calibre of chamber music to 

Ontario. 2016 Faculty Artists include Canadian 

ensembles: The Afiara and Tokai string quartets, 

Ensemble Made in Canada and select members 

of the Canadian Opera Company, Toronto Symphony 

Orchestra and National Ballet of Canada. 

●●NAC Orchestra Young 

Artists Program 

University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario 

June 6 to 25, 2016 

Contact: Kelly Symons 

613-947-7000 x302 

ksymons@nac-cna.ca 

www.nac-cna.ca/en/summermusicinstitute/ 

youngartists 

Deadline: February 8, 2016 

Cost: $930 and $540 


!! 

The Young Artists Program, founded by 

Pinchas Zukerman in 1999 and now in its 18th 

edition, offers outstanding private instruction 

and chamber music coaching with additional 

career-related sessions and mentoring as well as 

performance opportunities – including public 

chamber music concerts, public master classes, 

closed works-in-progress sessions and recitals. 

Seventy exceptionally talented, classically 

trained young artists from around the world, 

keen to steep themselves in individual instruction 

and to explore “musical conversation” 

within a chamber music community of peers, 

will be selected to study with an internationally 

renowned faculty in a comprehensive program 

in Ottawa. Senior and Pre-college students will 

be immersed in music playing and networking 

with like-minded young artists, all at the 

University of Ottawa School of Music and at the 

National Arts Centre nearby. 

●● 

No Strings Theatre 

Summer Programs 

601 Christie St., Toronto, Ontario 


Contact: Denise Williams 

416-551-2093 

directors@nostringstheatre.com 

www.nostringstheatre.com 

Deadline: March 30 Early Bird, June 15 for 

Summer Intensive 

Cost: $300/week 

Camp Hours: 9am – 5pm 

!! 

Whether you are an aspiring musical theatre 

star or a social musical theatre enthusiast, No 

Strings Theatre’s Summer Intensive will challenge 

you to be the best that you can be. Artistically, 

students will flourish with advanced universityprep-styled 

workshops in fundamental musical 

theatre techniques in acting, singing and 

dancing, including seminars and master classes 

with industry professionals. The training and 

fun culminates with the staged performance 

of Alan Menken’s “Little Shop of Horrors.” No 

Strings Theatre also introduces two new weeklong 

summer workshop programs: Acting for the 

Camera – an introduction to acting on camera 

for commercials, film and television, and Comedia 

Dell’Arte – discovering your skills of acting, 

creating, improv, playwriting, improvisation, 

storytelling and mask work. 

●●Royal Conservatory School 


July to August, 2016 

Contact: 416-408-2825 

conservatoryschool@rcmusic.ca 

www.rcmusic.ca/camps 

Day programs 

!! 

Looking for a vibrant summer camp to 

explore creative potential while meeting new 

friends? Whether new to music or a seasoned 

young artist, the Royal Conservatory School 

is the place to be. We offer engaging full- and 

half-day camps for all ages and musical abilities: 

RCS Summer String Institute (ages 4 – 17) July 4 

to 8, 9am – 4pm; From Toot to Flute (ages 4 – 7) 

July 4 to 8, 9am – 11am; Instrument Exploration 

(ages 4 – 7) July 11 to 15 & 25 to 29, 9am – 4pm; 

Keyboard Exploration, July 4 to 8, (ages 4 and 5) 

9am – 12pm, (ages 6 and 7) 1pm – 4pm; Twist & 

Shout Children’s Choir (ages 7 – 11) July 18 to 22 

and 25 to 29, 9am – 4pm; RCS Beginning Band 

(ages 9 – 13) August 8 to 12, 9am – 4pm; Cabarazz 

– Vocal Ensemble! (ages 14 – 20), July 6 to 9, 1pm 

– 4:15pm; RCS Summer Camps en français in 

partnership with Alliance Française! (ages 5 – 15) 

July 4 to 15 & 18 to 29, August 2 to 12 & 15 to 26. 

Join the fun! Register online at 

www.rcmusic.ca/camps, by phone at 416-408- 

2825, or in person at 273 Bloor St. W. 

●●SICA Singers 

Miles Nadal JCC, 

750 Spadina Ave., Toronto, Ontario 


Contact: Deanna Di Lello 

416-924-6211 x250 

www.mnjcc.org 

Cost: $400 

Camp Hours: 9:30am - 4:30pm 

INTERPROVINCIAL MUSIC CAMP 

!! 

Want a singing staycation? Our goal is to 

excite participants about what they can do with 

their voice, determination and exposure to different 

musical genres. Experience over 25 hours 

of musical instruction, including group work 

and master classes in vocal production, choral 

singing, jazz, cabaret, opera, a cappella, performance 

strategies and more. Classes are handsthewholenote.com 

March 1, 2016 - April 7, 2016 | 57

on. Great faculty include Micah Barnes, Dylan 

Bell, Adi Braun, Ori Dagan, Kobi Hass, Aaron 

Jensen, Heather Bambrick and Gillian Stecyk. All 

teachers love to work with adult learners. Some 

amateur choral/singing experience is required 

to ensure you enjoy your time to the fullest. 

Andante (recreational experience) and Allegro 

(intensive training) levels. 

●●Southwestern Ontario 

Suzuki Institute (SOSI) 

Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave. 

W., Waterloo, Ontario 

Students August 7 to 12; 

Teachers August 6 to 14, 2016 

Contact: Tracy Jewell, administrative 

coordinator 

519-240-6995 

sosi@artset.net 

www.mysosi.ca 

Deadline: Early Bird May 1, 2016 

Cost: Varies by program 

Camp Hours: Classes begin at 8:30 am; many 

optional evening activities available. 

Day programs but accommodation 

on campus available. 

!! 

Canada’s largest Suzuki institute offers student 

programs for all ages and a wide range of 

Teacher Development courses at Wilfrid Laurier 

University in Waterloo, Ontario . Participate in 

master classes, group classes and enrichment 

activities in Suzuki violin, viola, cello and piano, 

including our one-day Viola Fest. For advanced 

students, we offer university-calibre Young Artist 

Programs. There are optional classes such as 

handbells, fiddling, improvisation, flute, percussion, 

string/piano duo, operetta and more! We 

have a special seminar on Alexander Technique 

with optional private lessons, a morning Mini 

Institute and a Suzuki Baby & Toddler Class. 

When you’re not in classes, enjoy the many free 

concerts, soccer, swimming, crafts and our annual 

Barn Dance! Come to SOSI for the ultimate 

family summer experience! 

●●TorQ Percussion Seminar 

Stratford Central Secondary School, 

Stratford, Ontario 


Contact: Jamie Drake 

tps@torqpercussion.ca 

www.torqpercussion.ca/tps 

Deadline: March 31, 2016 

Cost: $600 (partial scholarships available) 

Camp Hours: 9am - 5pm (tbc) 

Day Camp but accommodation can 

be arranged for an extra cost 

!! 

TorQ Percussion Quartet was formed by four 

Canadian percussionists looking to add new vitality 

to percussion repertoire and performance. 

Renowned for their engaging performances and 

repertoire, members Richard Burrows, Adam 

Campbell, Jamie Drake and Daniel Morphy are 

committed to making new music accessible to 

audiences that span generations and geography. 

Join the members of TorQ Percussion Quartet 

along with special guests percussionist Beverley 

Johnston and composer Christos Hatzis and a 

community of like-minded percussionists for 

a week of chamber music rehearsals, master 

classes, discussions and performances. Now in 

its fifth year, TPS has developed a reputation as 

one of the finest percussion seminars in North 

America. Scholarships are available. Accommodation 

is also available for an extra cost. Please 

contact Lana at 519-271-2101 for more information. 

●●Stratford Summer Music 

Vocal Academy 

Stratford, Ontario 

August 11 to 21, 2016 

Contact: Lana Mau 

519-271-2101 

lmau@stratfordsummermusic.ca 

www.stratfordsummermusic.ca 


Cost: $1,000 

Camp Hours: 10am - 5pm 

Lodging available 

!! 

The Vocal Academy at Stratford Summer Music 

will offer intensive training in professional 

preparation (opera, oratorio, art song) and 

in-performance skills for up to eight graduate, 

postgraduate and early professional-level singers, 

and for two pianists pursuing a career in 

vocal accompaniment. Participants will receive 

daily individual sessions with the internationally 

renowned faculty – Michael Schade, Phillip 

Addis and Emily Hamper – and will take part 

in master classes which will be open to the 

public. The program will culminate in a public 

performance by all participants. Applicants 

may request scholarships of $500 to help with 

expenses. Lodging can be arranged by Stratford 

Summer Music. Daily meals are the responsibility 

of each participant. Go to website for more 

information and to apply. 

●●Summer@Eastman 

Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New 

York 

June 26 to August 5, 2016 (varies by program) 

Contact: Andrea Schuler 

585-274-1074 

aschuler@esm.rochester.edu 

www.summer.esm.rochester.edu 


!! 

The Eastman School of Music's Summer at 

Eastman program offers students and the community 

an individualized and world-class music 

education experience. Choose between residential 

music programs and camps for middle- and 

high-school students (Summer Jazz Studies, 

Music Horizons, and Eastman@Keuka), weeklong 

institutes devoted to various instruments 

or specialties (for students and adults), half-day 

music workshops for youth, and collegiate 

classes in music education, music history and 

music theory. Please visit www.summer.esm. 

rochester.edu for course information, schedules 

and registration details! 

●●Suzuki Music Camp 

Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Ave., Toronto, 

Ontario 


Contact: Gretchen Paxson-Abberger 

416-924-6211 x0 

suzuki@mnjcc.org 

www.mnjcc.org 

Camp Hours: 9am - 4pm (Extended 

care 8-9am, 4-6pm) 

!! 

Our 2016 MNjcc Suzuki Summer Music Camp, 

running July 4 to 8, is open to all violin, viola, 

cello and piano students who study by the Suzuki 

method. We offer all levels, from those who 

have learned Twinkles with fingers to beyond 

Suzuki Book 8. Along with a basic daily foundation 

of semi-private lessons and Suzuki group 

repertoire lessons, campers will also participate 

in three enrichment classes. All camp activities 

will take place within the MNjcc facility. Please 

check the MNjcc website. Alternatively, if you 

would like more information and/or would like 

to be mailed a brochure with registration forms, 

please contact camp director Gretchen Paxson- 

Abberger at suzuki@mnjcc.org Registration can 

also be done in person at the MNjcc Info Desk. 

●●Tafelmusik Baroque 

Summer Institute 

University of Toronto, Ontario 

June 5 to 18, 2016 

Contact: Caitlin Cross 

416-964-9562 x241 

tbsi@tafelmusik.org 

www.tafelmusik.org/tbsi 


Cost: $1,350 

Day program 

!! 

The Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute 

(TBSI) is a world-renowned training program in 

instrumental and vocal baroque-performance 

practice, led by some of the world’s finest 

musicians in the field. This comprehensive 

training program includes orchestra and choir 

rehearsals, master classes in solo repertoire, 

chamber ensembles, opera scene study for 

singers, private lessons, lectures and workshops, 

classes in baroque dance and concerts by both 

participants and faculty. The Institute is held 

at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto. 

Advanced students and professional musicians 

are invited to apply. Visit 

www.tafelmusik.org/TBSI for details. 

●●Toronto School for Strings 

and Piano (TSSP) Summer 

Music and Arts Day Camp 

Deer Park Public School, 

23 Ferndale Ave., Toronto, Ontario 

July 18 to July 29, 2016 

Contact: Mary Fisher 

416-968-0303 

info@torontoschoolforstrings.com 

www.torontoschoolforstrings.com 


Cost: $445 

Camp Hours: 9am to 4pm 

!! 

The TSSP Summer Music and Arts Day Camp 

offers children ages 4 to 12 an enriched artistic 

experience featuring strings (Suzuki, traditional 

and fiddling), piano and guitar, as well as art, 

Orff music and movement, theory, orchestra, 

chamber music, African drumming, dance, rap 

and choir. The faculty are highly trained, experienced 

professionals. Each week concludes with 

a concert showcasing what the children have 

learned. Friendships are made which continue 

from year to year. Teenagers are welcome to 


apply to volunteer to receive community service 

hours. The camp has been running for seven 

years. 

Chamber Music with TSO Principals. 

●●The Tuckamore Festival 

●●Vancouver Symphony Orchestral 

Institute at Whistler 

●●Toronto Summer Music 

Community Academy 

Edward Johnson Building, 

University of Toronto, Ontario 


Contact: Natasha Bood 

647-430-5699 

nbood@torontosummermusic.com 

www.torontosummermusic.com/communityacademy 


Cost: $500 - $750 

Day programs 

!! 

Are you an advanced amateur musician looking 

for an opportunity to connect with other 

musicians who share your passion? The TSM 

Community Academy invites you to play and 

sing for pleasure and to push your abilities to a 

new level, while spending a week with artists of 

the Toronto Summer Music Festival. The Community 

Academy offers advanced amateur musicians 

a unique opportunity to hone their skills 

and take part in Toronto’s premier summer 

classical-music festival. Participants will enjoy 

access to all mainstage TSM Festival Concerts, 

lectures and events (July 31 to August 7), and the 

program includes the possibility of a performance 

onstage at Walter Hall. Choose from 

three programs: Chamber Choir with Matthias 

Maute, Piano Master Class with David Jalbert, or 

St. John’s, Newfoundland 

August 8 to 21, 2016 

Contact: Krista Vincent 

709-330-4599 

manager@tuckamorefestival.ca 

www.tuckamorefestival.ca 

Deadline: February 15, 2016. Late applications 

may be considered. 

Cost: $1,000 tuition, $800 meals and 

accommodations; scholarships available. 


!! 

Since 2001, the Young Artist Program has offered 

an opportunity for talented musicians to 

immerse themselves in chamber music and solo 

repertoire. Each year, up to 25 string players and 

pianists are selected for this intensive two-week 

program that offers private lessons, chamber 

music coachings, workshops and master classes 

at Memorial University’s School of Music in 

historic St. John’s, Newfoundland. Led by artistic 

directors Nancy Dahn and Timothy Steeves of 

Duo Concertante, guest faculty has included: the 

Gryphon Trio, Antares Ensemble, André Laplante, 

Janina Fialkowska, Jon Kimura Parker and 

the Shanghai, Fitzwilliam and Borromeo String 

Quartets. In addition to providing professionallevel 

performance and mentorship opportunities, 

the Festival offers participants a chance to 

experience a truly unique region of Canada. 

High School 

Musicality 

Whistler, BC 

June 26 to July 5, 2016 

Contact: VSO Education Department 

604-684-9100 ext 246 

info@vsoinstitute.ca 

www.vsoinstitute.ca 


Cost: $1,325 (incl. tuition and lodging) 


!! 

The second annual Vancouver Symphony 

Orchestral Institute at breathtakingly beautiful 

Whistler, BC will be presented from June 26 to 

July 5, 2016. Offering young musicians a one-ofa-kind 

educational experience, the VSO Institute 

at Whistler brings together the GRAMMY®- and 

JUNO®-award winning VSO with one of the 

world’s finest mountain resorts. Students will 

be mentored by the VSO during an intensive 

ten-day program, culminating in a performance 

of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and R. Strauss’ 

Don Juan by the Whistler Institute Orchestra, led 

by the VSO’s Maestro, Bramwell Tovey. We are 

currently accepting applications from advanced 

students, ages 15 to 25. 

The VSO Institute features: a faculty comprised 

of VSO musicians; a comprehensive chamber 

music program; master classes, seminars, 

faculty recitals, student recitals; individual and 

group lessons; attendance at rehearsals and 

performances of the entire VSO; performance 

opportunities; and talented young musicians 

from around the globe. 

CLAUDE WATSON MUSIC PROGRAM 

Come and study at Toronto’s 

specialized High School of the Arts 

MUSIC PROGRAMS IN: 

Strings | Woodwinds | Brass | 

Percussion | Piano | Voice | Composition 

Choral Night 

April 18, 7pm 

Grace Church-on-the-Hill 

Symphony-Band Night 

May 3, 7:30pm 

Cringan Hall, Earl Haig Secondary School 

The Earl Haig Singers 

Claude Watson Secondary Arts Program, Earl Haig Secondary School 

100 Princess Avenue, North York, ON | (416) 395-3210 x20137 

Other Claude Watson Programs: DANCE | VISUAL ARTS | DRAMA | FILM 

PHOTO: CINDY CHIN 

Tickets and info 

416- 395-3210 x 20141 

claudewatson.ca 

For more information visit 

www.earlhaig.ca 

View our YouTube channel 

Visit us on Facebook & Twitter 


HEATHER HOLBROOK 

In Lucas’ studio you’ll 

find one theorbo, two 

archlutes, three renaissance 

lutes (8, 10 and 12 

courses), two 13-course 

baroque lutes, two baroque 

guitars, a bandora, a 

cittern, a renaissance 

guitar. Also an Ibanez jazz 

guitar, plus eventually an 

1831 Guadagnini classical 

guitar now being restored. 

One of North America’s 

busiest early-music 

performers, Lucas Harris 

grew up in Tempe, Arizona, 

where his father worked 

in computer technology 

and later taught computer 

classes at a community 

college. His mother was 

the director of a social service 

agency and a marriage/family 

therapist. Harris studied early 

music in Italy at the Civica 

Scuola di Musica di Milano (as 

a Marco Fodella Foundation 

scholar) and in Germany at 

the Hochschule für Künste 

Bremen. He was based in 

New York City for five years before relocating 

to Toronto. 

In Southern Ontario you have probably seen 

and heard him in regular engagements with 

Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, the Toronto 

Consort and I Furiosi Baroque Ensemble. He’s 

a founding member of the Toronto Continuo 

Collective, the Vesuvius Ensemble (dedicated 

to Southern Italian folk music) and the 

Lute Legends Ensemble (a multiethnic-trio 

of lute, pipa and oud). He’s also played with 

several modern-instrument groups, including 

the Boston, St. Louis and Montreal Symphony 

Orchestras, the Metropolitan Opera, the 

Orchestra of St. Luke’s and Via Salzburg. 

Harris is on the faculty of Tafelmusik’s 

Baroque Summer Institute, the Vancouver Early 

Music Festival’s Baroque Vocal Programme and 

Oberlin Conservatory’s Baroque Performance 

Institute, and in ongoing demand for lectures 

WE ARE ALL MUSIC’S CHILDREN 

March’s Child 

Lucas Harris 

Lutenist and conductor Lucas Harris 

has made Canada his home for the 

past 12 years. He lives in Toronto’s 

east end with his spouse (Tafelmusik 

violinist) Geneviève Gilardeau, their 

daughter Daphnée (age 4) and 

their Irish doodle Ciaccona (named 

after the ground bass pattern). 

MJ BUELL 

and master classes at 

several universities. He’s 

been guest music director 

with the Pacific Baroque 

Orchestra, the Ohio State 

University Opera program, 

Vox Angelica and Les Voix 

Baroques. He recently 

created and directed a 

program of Austrian sacred 

music with the Toronto 

Consort and is the artistic 

director of the Toronto 

Chamber Choir. 

If you could travel back 

through time and meet the 

young person in that childhood 

photo? I’d say “Stop 

watching television and use 

your time to learn something 

that could be useful 

to somebody someday.” I 

want those hours back. 

Earliest memories of 

music? I remember my 

mother occasionally playing 

the upright piano in our 

living room. I think she 

stopped completely when I 

started taking piano lessons. I 

remember a weekly music class in elementary 

school. I have one flashback of being invited to 

improvise on the xylophone while the teacher 

played some chords on the piano. I suppose 

that was my first jam over a ground bass. 

NEW CONTEST 

Who is April’s child? 

Ready to follow her star, Quispamsis (near 

St. John), New Brunswick circa 1993. 

• COC Ensemble 2011/12, Toronto 

Summer Music Academy 

Fellow 2012; 

• stepped in for an ailing soprano in 

the role of Adele, opening night of 

the Met’s December 2015 Die 

Fledermaus; 

• has a March 6 recital featuring 

works evoking paintings; 

• sings “Strider sento la procella …” in 

April – invoking hope and love to 

overcome tyranny (with a little help 

from fabulous costumes and a period 

orchestra). 

Know our Mystery Child’s 

name? WIN PRIZES! 

Send your best guess by 

midnight on March 23. 

musicschildren@thewholenote.com 

First instruments? I didn’t have a great fit with my piano teacher and at around age 12 

asked if I could quit. My mother insisted I should take up another instrument and so I 

asked (obviously!) if I could take electric guitar. They found a really unique teacher who did 

both electric and classical guitar, Chris Hnottavange. I studied with Chris for six years (age 

12 to 18), starting with AC/DC Back in Black. I soon moved into playing in jazz combos/big 

bands and finished that period with a full-on classical guitar recital which featured works 

by Bach and Couperin. I do feel it’s amazing that all of that was with the same teacher. 

A first performance? I sang the role of Fasttalk Freddy in my school musical The 

Amazing Snowman. He was a greasy agent trying to get rich from managing a 

talking snowman. 

And right after high school? I tried to get away from music and started college as a 

literature major. I imagined myself as a humanities professor who would give inspiring 

lectures that flit between literature, philosophy, art and music. Halfway through college I 

changed my mind and threw myself into the core music-major courses… 

Please read the full-length interview at thewholenote.com 

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS! 

March 13, 3pm “A Voice Of Her Own”: The Toronto Chamber Choir’s Kaffeemusik premieres a new program created by Lucas 

Harris about women composers (from Hildegard von Bingen to Clara Schumann), with guest conductor Elizabeth Anderson 

and Katherine R. Larson, narrator. TICKETS! Joan Rosenfield 

April 23, 8pm “I’ll Be Watching You”: I FURIOSI Baroque Ensemble presents stalking, before harassment laws were 

conceived, with guests: Marco Cera, oboe and guitar; Lucas Harris, lutes and guitar. TICKETS! a pair each for Mary Ella 

Magill and Matthew Benenson 

May 6 and 7, 8pm and May 8, 3pm “Monteverdi Vespers Of 1610”: The Toronto Consort with 

tenor Charles Daniels (UK), tenor Kevin Skelton, and Montreal’s premier cornetto and sackbut 

ensemble, La Rose des Vents. TICKETS! Marilyn Turner 


JOIN US IN RAISING FUNDS 

AND AWARENESS FOR MUSIC THERAPY! 

VANCOUVER 

CALGARY 

TORONTO 

MONTRÉAL 

MARCHFOR 

MUSIC 

THERAPY 

s s 

r 

SUNDAY 

MARCH 

More information: march4mttoronto@gmail.com 

20 


GO TO MUSICTHERAPYTRUST.CA 

TO REGISTER + DONATE 

In support of 

In partnership with

DISCOVERIES | RECORDINGS REVIEWED 

It was my mother’s record collection that whetted my appetite for a 

broad spectrum of music at a young age, from the warhorses of the 

classical repertoire on her Reader’s Digest boxed set of LPs, to such 

“modern fare” as Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite, through the New 

Orleans jazz of Louis Armstrong and Pete Fountain (my introduction 

to St. James Infirmary Blues), and a gamut of what we now call roots 

music. Of particular note were albums by Carl Sandburg (including 

the memorable My name is Yon Yonson), Burl Ives (Goober Peas), 

Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (Rock Island Line), Pete Seeger 

with and without the Weavers (too numerous to mention), Woody 

Guthrie (ditto) and Lead Belly (Pick a Bale of Cotton). Mom is now 

well into her ninth decade and still an active concertgoer and “record” 

collector, as well as a devotee of public television. 

It was this latter that provided her introduction 

to the late Leon Bibb and his son Eric 

some years ago. She spoke so enthusiastically 

of this blues duo that when I realized Eric 

Bibb was coming to Hugh’s Room in January, 

accompanied by Michael Jerome Browne 

(whose CD Sliding Delta I discussed in this 

column last March), I knew it was time for a 

family outing. Now as I mentioned, mother is getting on in years and 

mostly prefers matinee performances, but that evening she happily 

stayed for both sets. Bibb is a storyteller-singer-songwriter who picks 

a mean guitar – fingerstyle, no actual picks – and has a powerful and 

gruff, yet melodic voice. His own compositions span a variety of styles 

but his repertoire also encompasses acoustic blues and roots standards 

of the last century from field calls to gospel (and he does a mean 

James Brown). 

Bibb’s most recent project focuses on the seminal work of Huddie 

Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly. On Lead Belly’s Gold (Stony 

Plain Records SPCD 1387 stonyplainrecords.com) Bibb is joined by 

French harmonica wizard JJ Milteau whose credits include work with 

Yves Montand and Charles Aznavour but whose main focus is the 

Blues, an idiom in which he is very well versed. What strikes me most 

about his playing is the way he incorporates a world of styles into 

these classic tunes, from the blue note-bending that we’ve come to 

expect in the genre to sounds that mimic Zydeco accordion produced 

on his tremolo harmonica. 

There are a few Bibb original tunes dedicated to Lead Belly in the 

mix, but mostly we are presented with songs written by or associated 

with Lead Belly, including Grey Goose, Midnight Special, Pick a Bale 

of Cotton, Rock Island Line, Goodnight Irene and House of the Rising 

Sun. The CD features both live (at the Sunset) and studio recordings, 

with Bibb and Milteau joined on some tracks by drummer Larry 

Crockett and bassist Gilles Michel with backing vocals by Big Daddy 

Wilson and Michael Robinson. If you didn’t have the opportunity to 

hear these songs thanks to your mother in your formative years – 

thanks, Mom! – or even if you did, this tribute to one of the true 

originals of roots music is a great introduction/reminder of where it 

all began. 

One of the discs to cross my desk over 

the holiday season was the latest from 

Newfoundland jazz and swing guitarist Duane 

Andrews entitled Conception Bay (duaneandrews.ca). 

The shadow of Django Reinhardt 

looms large, as it always does in Andrews’ 

repertoire, both in the form of Reinhardt 

covers and original compositions in the Hot 

Club style. I was delighted to find Reinhardt’s Swing 39, which I first 

heard on a Quintet of the Hot Club of France LP some 40 years ago, 

DAVID OLDS 

in a lively and convincing rendition which sees Andrews in duet with 

fellow Newfoundlander, violinist Mark Fewer. As a matter of fact all 

four members of the string quartet who make up the band here are 

originally from Newfoundland: Lynn Kuo, violin; Angela Pickett, viola 

and Amahl Arulanamdam, cello. 

Not all of the music is in the swing style and fittingly there are some 

Newfoundland-inspired tunes including Andrews’ Gigues plus traditional 

Reels and Otto Kelland’s Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary’s. The 

quartet members all have strong careers in classical music (although 

not to the exclusion of other musical forms – they are remarkably 

eclectic) and we find nods to the world of composed music in the 

form of the Lullaby from Stravinsky’s Firebird and a suite of 

Improvisations on Chopin’s Op.64, No.2. The darkly impressionistic 

title track, another Andrews original, is a stark portrayal of the landform, 

presumably in the dead of winter. But we are not left out in the 

cold – the disc ends with a sunny, breakneck version of Sweet Georgia 

Brown. Highly recommended! 

Quebec harp virtuoso Valérie Milot’s latest 

CD Orbis (Analekta AN 2 9880) is an eclectic 

release of 20th century fare. Minimalist offerings 

by Marjan Mozetich and Steve Reich are 

featured along with works of John Cage and 

Antoine Bareil plus Bareil’s arrangements 

of music by Gentle Giant and Frank Zappa. 

Mozetich’s El Dorado for harp and strings 

opens the disc in a dramatic performance 

with Les Violons du Roy under Mathieu Lussier’s direction. The quiet, 

almost ominous, opening gradually builds like an ancient steam locomotive 

coming into town – you can almost see the smoke chuffing 

into the sky on the horizon – but over the 15 minutes of the work the 

textures gradually lighten and change into what Mozetich describes 

as a dreamscape. Commissioned by New Music Concerts for Erica 

Goodman back in 1981, El Dorado has become something of a modern 

classic and this is the third recording that I’m aware of. Goodman’s 

performance with the Amadeus Ensemble and Caroline Léonardelli’s 

with the Penderecki String Quartet are available from the Canadian 

Music Centre (musiccentre.ca). 

The locomotive relentlessness of the opening of the Mozetich is 

mirrored in a gentler way in Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint. 

Originally written for jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, the work is scored for 

solo guitar, 12 guitars and two bass guitars. As in many works by Reich 

it can be played by an ensemble or by a single musician overdubbing 

the multiple parts. In her arrangement for harps, it is this latter 

approach taken by Milot, giving her an opportunity to showcase “the 

distinctive colours of the harp’s different registers and its exceptional 

resonance.” The result is very effective and the hypnotic rhythms are 

tantalizing in this performance. 

John Cage’s In a Landscape is hypnotic in a different way, with 

dreamlike arpeggiated melodies spiralling gently and only occasionally 

punctuated by belling chords in the bass. Composed in 1948 for 

the choreography of Louise Lippold it was conceived for performance 

on either piano or harp. Milot’s depiction of the meditative landscape 

is exquisite. 

Composer/violinist Antoine Bareil’s Castille 1382 continues the 

mood with a meditation on Jacob de Senleches’ fourteenth-century 

virelai La harpe de mélodie. Bareil’s title recalls the year of the 

death of Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Castile. It is in two sections, 

an extended harp solo in which the medieval melody is presented 

unadorned and then in a harmonized rendition; and in the final 

minutes the haunting soprano voice of Marianne Lambert joins the 

harp in canon. It’s otherworldly. 


At this point the disc takes a hard left turn and we are immersed 

in the world of pop music. But the transition is seamless as the solo 

harp introduction of Bareil’s arrangement of the Gentle Giant song As 

Old as You’re Young is in a lilting folk idiom. Harp is soon joined by 

an edgier violin statement of the melody (played by Bareil) and as the 

piece develops it gets harder and harder with the addition of marimba 

and raunchy bowed double bass. This sets us up for the culminating 

storm, Frank Zappa’s iconic G-Spot Tornado. Zappa initially conceived 

it as an electronic piece for his album Jazz from Hell because he felt 

that live musicians could simply not perform its complexities at the 

desired tempo. He was later proved wrong and there is YouTube video 

of an athletically choreographed performance with modern dancers 

and the Ensemble Modern conducted by Zappa in 1992. Since that 

time G-Spot Tornado has received myriad live performances and here 

it is vigorously and very effectively played by Milot and Bareil with 

Jocelyne Roy, flute, François Vallières, viola, and Raphaël Dubé, cello, 

providing a tornadic finale to a very fine disc. 

Concert Note: Valérie Milot and Antoine Bareil can be heard in 

recital on March 18 at Convocation Hall, McMaster University in 

Hamilton. On March 19 at 5pm they will give a free performance at 

the Consulate of the Republic of Poland, 2603 Lake Shore Blvd W. here 

in Toronto (limited seating, first come first served). Soundstreams will 

present a performance of Electric Counterpoint and other works by 

Steve Reich on March 19 at the Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen St. W. 

Glass Houses Volumes 1 & 2 (Centrediscs 

CMCCD 22215) is a simple repackaging of 

two previous releases featuring Christina 

Petrowska Quilico. As I said in my original 

review in 2011, “Glass Houses Revisited is a 

reworking of Ann Southam’s ‘fiendishly difficult 

etudes’ the pianist was working on with 

the composer at the time of her death in 

November 2010. Originally composed in 1981, the title Glass Houses 

refers to minimalist composer Philip Glass, the best-known proponent 

of this style at the time of writing, and to choreographer Christopher 

House with whom Southam worked extensively. The mostly ebullient, 

busily joyful pieces were revised in 2009 for Petrowska Quilico 

and further edited by her with the composer’s permission for this 

recording in 2010. The disc features nine ‘favourite’ selections from 

the set, arranged with four lively pieces on either side of the solitary 

‘broody and moody’ track, Glass House No.13. Overall they 

are a weaving and embroidering of various melodic motifs that, in 

Ann Southam’s words ‘reflect the nature of traditional women’s 

work – repetitive, life-sustaining, requiring time and patience.’ One 

can only imagine the patience and diligence required of Petrowska 

Quilico to master these complex and exhilarating gems, and master 

them she has.” 

While the first disc purports to comprise Petrowska Quilico’s 

“favourite” selections, no less care or enthusiasm is given to the 

remaining six etudes on Glass Houses Volume 2. Here’s what Dr. Réa 

Beaumont had to say in her review in June 2014: “The pianist and 

production team have given careful thought to the order that the 

pieces appear on the album. From a shimmering opening to intense, 

driving movements, there are also playful moments with unexpected 

jazz riffs. Petrowska Quilico’s recording exemplifies the artistry and 

physical endurance that are required to create this seamless musical 

vision for one of Ann Southam’s masterpieces.” 

If you didn’t take our word for it first time round, this new edition 

is a cost effective ($20 at musiccentre.ca) way to rectify that and to get 

the whole collection. 

We welcome your feedback and invite submissions. CDs and 

comments should be sent to: DISCoveries, WholeNote Media Inc., 

The Centre for Social Innovation, 503 – 720 Bathurst St. Toronto 

ON M5S 2R4. We also encourage you to visit our website thewholenote.com 

where you can find added features including direct links 

to performers, composers and record labels, “buy buttons” for online 

shopping and additional, expanded and archival reviews. 

David Olds, DISCoveries Editor 

discoveries@thewholenote.com 

TERRY ROBBINS 

Volksmobiles is the quite fascinating first CD from collectif9 

(collectif9.ca), the Montreal string ensemble that made its debut 

in 2011 and is composed of four violins, 

two violas, two cellos and a bass. The players 

met through their studies at McGill University 

and the Université de Montréal, and their 

assertion that the ensemble size enables them 

to combine the power of an orchestra with the 

crispness of a chamber ensemble is more than 

justified by the results here. 

Two arrangements by the group’s bass 

player Thibault Bertin-Maghit open the program: a simply dazzling 

version of Brahms’ Rondo alla zingarese (check out the video on their 

website!) and a short but effective transcription of the Allegretto from 

Alfred Schnittke’s Violin Sonata No.1. 

The central work on the disc is the title track, a short three-part 

piece commissioned by the group from the Guelph composer Geof 

You can find enhanced reviews of all discs below the yellow line in The WholeNote listening room. 

Listen in! 

• Read the review 

• Click to listen 

• Click to buy 

New this month to 

the Listening Room 

TheWholeNote.com/Listening 

For more information 

Thom McKercher at 

thom@thewholenote.com 

Orbis is an album through which 

contemporary works are given a 

new and vibrant life. The harp like 

you’ve never heard it before! 

collectif9: 

Volksmobiles 

Winner of the 17th International 

Fryderyk Chopin Piano 

Competition. 

The #1 best-seller in his native 

South Korea! Incl. the Préludes and 

the Piano Sonata No. 2 


Holbrook. Its opening movement has more than a hint of Marjan 

Mozetich about it (no bad thing!) and the third movement is a clever 

mixture of percussive effects and pizzicato. 

A condensed Allegro assai from Bartok’s Divertimento is a more 

substantial piece played with a great sense of style, and André 

Gagnon’s really short but exuberant Petit concerto pour Carignan, an 

homage to the legendary Quebecois fiddler Jean Carignan, rounds out 

the disc with a wicked cross-mixture of Bach and fiddle music. 

I have only one complaint, and although it’s a big one it’s also 

a positive one: clocking in at just over 29 minutes for the seven 

tracks, the disc feels more like a sampler CD than a debut disc, and it 

certainly leaves you really wanting to see what the group does with a 

more substantial program. Hopefully we will be hearing a great deal 

more – in both quantity and length – from this dynamic ensemble in 

the not-too-distant future. 

Concert Note: You can hear collectif9 live courtesy of Music Toronto 

at Jane Mallett Theatre on March 10. The program will include the 

Holbrook mentioned above and works by Brahms, Shostakovich, 

Bartók, Schnittke, Hindemith and Prokofiev. 

The Swiss-based Argentinian cellist 

Sol Gabetta is simply stunning in Vasks 

Presence, the world premiere recording of the 

Concerto No.2 for Cello and String Orchestra, 

“Klātbūtne – Presence,” which was written 

for her by the Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks 

(Sony 88725423122). The work, premiered 

in October 2012, was commissioned by the 

Amsterdam Sinfonietta, which is conducted 

here by Candida Thompson. 

The concerto is described as portraying the hope that the individual 

may find peace and purification in a conflict-ridden here and now, 

and consequently has passages of both great beauty and dissonant 

struggle. There’s a glorious build-up throughout the opening Cadenza 

– Andante cantabile, a tough and choppy Allegro moderato with 

distinct shades of Shostakovich, and another lovely build through 

the Adagio final movement, Gabetta adding a really lovely and almost 

Bachian vocalise at the end, as the cello soars to the highest and 

quietest of endings. 

Grāmata čellam – The Book is a two-movement work for solo cello, 

with a strong, percussive and impassioned Fortissimo followed by a 

Pianissimo that again requires Gabetta to add a vocalise. Written in 

1978, it was the first work of Vasks that Gabetta heard and led directly 

to their ongoing friendship. 

For Musique du soir for Cello and Organ, Gabetta is joined by her 

mother, the organist Irène Timacheff-Gabetta. Vasks has said that the 

evening of the title refers to the evening both of the day and of life; it’s 

a strongly tonal and very effective work. 

The standard of Gabetta’s playing and interpretation throughout a 

challenging program is quite astonishing, especially in view of the 

amount of solo writing and the remarkably high and demanding 

technical level of the music. It is the Cello Concerto that really stands 

out here though, and as Vasks assisted with the recording this is 

clearly a definitive performance of what is a significant addition to the 

contemporary cello concerto repertoire. It’s a simply indispensable CD 

for anyone interested in the genre. 

There’s another excellent cello CD this 

month, this time with cellist Truls Mørk as 

soloist in the Cello Concertos Nos.1 and 2 

of Saint-Saëns on a Chandos Super Audio 

CD (CHSA 5162). Neeme Järvi conducts the 

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Saint-Saëns was an astonishingly gifted 

musician whose life spanned a period of enormous 

musical change – he was born eight 

years after Beethoven’s death and was still alive three years after 

the end of the First World War – but his music was often regarded 

as out-of-date almost as soon as it was written. Still, what music it 

is at times! 

The two concertos, written in 1872 and 1902, must have been 

welcome additions to the solo cello orchestral repertoire, which was 

still quite thin on the ground by the late 1800s. Concerto No.1 in A 

Minor Op.33 is a three-movement work with a lovely Allegretto as 

the middle movement, while the Concerto No.2 in D Minor Op.119 is 

a shorter two-movement work with equally beautiful lyricism in the 

slower passages. Mørk plays with a warm tone and fine sense of style 

throughout both concertos. 

The additional works on the CD offer ample proof of the composer’s 

all-round ability. Pianists Louis Lortie and Hélène Mercier join 

Alasdair Malloy on glass harmonica and members of the orchestra for 

a joyous performance of Le Carnaval des animaux, Grande Fantaisie 

zoologique for Two Pianos, Flute, Clarinet, Glass Harmonica, 

Xylophone and Strings. The work grew out of a cello solo – Le Cygne 

– which the composer wrote for a cellist friend in 1886, but while 

the famous Swan was soon published Saint-Saëns never allowed the 

entire work to be performed outside of a small circle of his friends; 

it remained unpublished until 1922, after the composer’s death. Not 

surprisingly, Mørk shines in his famous solo turn. 

Two concert pieces for piano and orchestra complete a diverse and 

highly entertaining CD: the well-known Caprice-Valse Op.76 

“Wedding Cake,” and the fantasia Africa Op.89, both of them showcasing 

the terrific talents of Louis Lortie. 

The outstanding Hyperion series The 

Romantic Violin Concerto reaches Volume 19 

with three works by Max Bruch – the Violin 

Concerto No.1 in G Minor Op.26, the Romance 

in A Minor Op.42 and the Serenade in A 

Minor Op.75 – in performances by the English 

violinist Jack Liebeck and the BBC Scottish 

Symphony Orchestra under Martyn Brabbins 

(CDA68060). 

Bruch wrote three works officially designated as violin concertos, 

but that wasn’t the full extent of his compositions in that form; both 

the Scottish Fantasy and the Serenade included here are four-movement 

works that are concertos in all but name. The former was 

coupled with the Violin Concerto No.3 on Volume 17 of this series in 

performances by the same personnel. 

Bruch was constantly exasperated by the popularity of the G minor 

concerto at the expense of his other – and in his opinion, better – 

violin concertos, but it remains probably the most popular of all the 

Romantic violin concertos. It’s given a lovely performance here. 

Bruch’s other violin concertos are much better served by recordings 

now than they used to be, but even if you do know the other two 

concertos and the Scottish Fantasy the chances are that the Serenade 

will be new to you; if so, you’re in for a real treat. It’s a lengthy work 

from 1899, when the composer was 61 but still had more than 20 

years left in his life. Written for and at the prompting of the Spanish 

virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate, it’s a simply beautiful work by a mature 

composer in complete control of his craft; the third movement 

Notturno in particular is absolutely gorgeous. 

The single-movement Romance dates from 1874, some six years 

after the first concerto, and was intended as the opening movement 

of what Bruch thought would be a second concerto. The booklet notes 

describe it as “rather uneventful, although very beautiful,” the latter a 

word that regularly seems to crop up in discussions of Bruch’s music. 

The noted English musicologist Sir Donald Tovey once said that “it 

is not easy to write as beautifully as Max Bruch.” That’s quite true – 

and it’s not easy to play as beautifully as Jack Liebeck, either. Add the 

outstanding orchestral support and the lovely recorded sound and you 

have a supremely satisfying CD. 

Johannes Brahms was notoriously self-critical, often ruthlessly 

destroying early compositions as well as his ongoing revisions of 

existing works. As a result, musicologists rarely have the opportunity 

to observe the compositional process and to make comparisons 

between initial and final versions of Brahms’ works. 

One welcome exception to this is the Piano Trio No.1 in B Major 


Op.8, presented in its original 1854 version along with the Piano 

Quartet No.3 in C Minor Op.60 on a new harmonia mundi CD by the 

Trio Wanderer (HMC 902222). 

The trio was completed in early 1854, when 

Brahms was still only 20. By the time it was 

accepted by the Leipzig publisher Breitkopf 

and Härtel, Brahms was already having 

serious doubts about the work and considered 

withdrawing it, as he “would certainly have 

made changes in it later.” Although he did 

not prevent its publication he had nothing 

to do with the work’s premiere. When he did finally revisit the 

work 35 years later his revisions were so all-encompassing that they 

amounted to a virtual recomposition of the piece, and the admittedly 

more focused and structured result is the version usually performed 

today. The original version, though, is a delightful and by no means 

lightweight snapshot of the young Brahms, and makes us wonder 

again what we may have lost in the large number of destroyed early 

string quartets. 

Trio Wanderer is joined by Christophe Gaugué on viola for 

the piano quartet, a work whose seeds were sown in 1855 in an 

unfinished quartet in C-sharp minor, two of the three movements 

being extensively reworked for the completed Op.60 in 1875. 

The period of the work’s gestation, covering his relationship with 

Clara Schumann, together with Brahms’ comments to the publisher 

Simrock in which he likened himself to Goethe’s Romantic poet 

Werther (who committed suicide over an unrequited love) have led 

to suggestions that the quartet embodies Brahms’ unfulfilled love for 

Clara; certainly the passion and yearning – not exactly uncommon 

traits in Brahms’ music, it must be said – would seem to make it much 

more than a mere possibility. 

Trio Wanderer performers – violinist Jean-Marc Phillips- 

Varjabédian, cellist Raphaël Pidoux and pianist Vincent Coq – all 

graduated from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in 

Paris in the 1980s and went on to study at the Juilliard School in New 

York. The trio was formed in 1987, and the lineup has been unchanged 

since Phillips-Varjabédian replaced the initial violinist in 1996. Their 

sensitive and beautifully recorded performances here make this new 

release a welcome addition to their impressive discography of some 

two dozen discs. 

Keyed In 

ALEX BARAN 

We have the pleasure this month to consider two laureates of 

the Honens Piano Competition, Hinrich Alpers from 2006 

and Gilles Vonsattel from 2009. Their discs, part of the prize 

intended to help launch their professional careers, are remarkably 

unlike each other. 

The ambitious Hinrich Alpers Complete 

Piano Works of Ravel (Honens 201502CD) 

will have been several years in preparation 

before its extensive recording sessions at The 

Banff Centre in 2015. There’s so much that’s 

superb about this recording and virtually no 

space in this column to say even a fraction of 

it. We’ll settle then, for some praise lavished 

on a few of the many exceptional tracks. 

Pavane pour une infant défunte has never been more lovingly 

played, perched just on the threshold of deep melancholy. Alpers’ 

touch and tone are impeccable. Oiseaux tristes from Miroirs also 

benefits from Alpers’ tactile genius at the keyboard where the gentlest 

of hammer strokes evoke unimaginable bird calls. His Gaspard 

de la nuit is entirely brilliant but its Ondine is especially fluid and 

sparkling. In the closing track, Alpers holds nothing back in La Valse 

and its devastation of the old order. 

Six bonus tracks add homages to Ravel by composers like Honegger 

and Casella. This 2-CD set is a wonderful and complete document for 

all enthusiastic Ravellians. 

The 2009 laureate takes a very different 

direction in Gilles Vonsattel, Shadowlines 

(Honens 201501CD). The central and title 

work of the recording is George Benjamin’s 

Shadowlines, around which Vonsattel 

programs related material. Three Scarlatti 

sonatas open the CD. They’re crisp, emphatically 

punctuated and use every performance 

advantage the modern piano offers. 

With tonality and rhythm established, the Messiaen Quatre etudes 

de rythme: No.4 moves sharply toward a new form that along with 

the Webern Variations Op.27 influenced George Benjamin’s work. 

Vonsattel thus far proves himself capable of both incisive playing and 

introspective repose. 

In Shadowlines, Vonsattel opens beautifully to freer form before 

returning to Messiaen whose Préludes are a perfect bridge to the 

closing tracks by Debussy. It’s a very satisfying and well-constructed 

program that Vonsattel holds together both intellectually and artistically. 

His particular gift seems to be understanding how best to 

The Listening Room. Enhanced reviews. Click to listen. Click to buy. 

This release presents a selection 

of the Italian-Jewish 20th c. 

composer Mario Castelnuovo- 

Tedesco’s works for piano, a small 

but appealingly evocative and 

tuneful oeuvre. 

Saffo is full of surprising & striking 

elements, with a strong musical 

realisation of the text, supportive 

string and woodwind writing and 

vivid choral effects. 

Culled from recent concerts in 

Warsaw, Pianist Magazine says 

"the word 'divinely' probably sums 

it up best". Includes Schubert 

Impromptus and Beethoven's 

"Hammerklavier" 

Jan Lisiecki performs the complete 

works of Robert Schumann for 

piano and orchestra with Antonio 

Pappano leading the Orchestra 

dell'Accademia Nazionale di S. 

Cecilia 


highlight the stylistic differences of each composer. 

He’s an adventurous and intelligent musician who brings obvious 

rationale to a convincingly expressive keyboard style. 

South Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho won the 17th International 

Chopin Piano Competition last year, taking top prize after five rounds 

of competitive performance. 163 pianists began the odyssey that is 

now the world’s oldest piano competition – six emerged as finalists. 

Winning this event is a career-making achievement, especially 

at age 21. 

This recording, Seong-Jin Cho – Winner 

of the 17th International Chopin Piano 

Competition (Deutsche Grammophon 479 

5332) is Cho’s live performance at the Warsaw 

Philharmonic Concert Hall in October last 

year. He delivers all the bombast and meets 

the blazing technical demands of the repertoire 

with confidence. It’s also a very moving 

listening experience for its mature approach 

to the familiar fragilities that Chopin requires. Cho spends critically 

important fractions of seconds delaying passing notes and dissonances 

to intensify each moment of uncertainty. 

The Préludes Op.28 contain a universe of emotions beautifully 

portrayed with complete conviction. The Piano Sonata No.2 in B-flat 

Minor Op.35 demonstrates Cho’s command of Chopin’s rich vocabulary. 

This is particularly evident in his treatment of the third movement’s 

central passage where the simple melody moves slowly, 

unhurried and with minimal accompaniment. Cho lingers courageously 

creating a powerful contrast to the gravity of the surrounding 

Marche funèbre. 

The recording ends appropriately with the Polonaise in A-flat Major 

Op.53 (Polonaise héroïque) upon whose closing chord the audience 

erupts in cheers and applause. 

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco occupies that 

sparse region of Italian composers whose 

works were not principally operatic. Perhaps 

best known for his guitar and film works, his 

small body of piano compositions is often 

overlooked. Claudio Curti Gialdino’s recent 

disc, Castelnuovo-Tedesco Piano Music 

(Brilliant Classics 94811) offers a fine example 

of how this composer blended his own voice 

with the French and Russian influences of the early 20th century. The 

repertoire represents the composer’s early work before he fled fascist 

Italy in 1939, to settle in the US. 

Alt Wien Op.30 has a strong feel of Ravel’s La Valse about it. While 

it’s not nearly as deconstructionist, it does share a similar scale and 

language. The work’s unique feature is the anti-rhythmic way the 

composer has cast the dances of the opening and closing movements. 

Gialdino captures this wonderfully by holding back the Waltz and 

Fox-Trot, never letting them emerge as quite the dances we expect. 

Despite its programmatic title, Le danze del Re David Op.37 is a 

freely impressionistic collection of eight rhythmic caricatures. It’s 

clever writing and fine playing. Gialdino brings a distinctive bounce 

to this set that is very appealing. He goes even further in his performance 

of Piedigrotta Op.32 (Rapsodia napoletana). Here, an underlying 

sense of Russian grandness supports a series of five colourful vignettes 

that concludes with some serious keyboard muscle. 

Gialdino plays a Kawai in this recording, and I suspect it might be 

less than full concert size. It’s brightly voiced and delivers the 

music well. 

Eric Huebner is a versatile musician with eight recordings to 

his credit. Many of them are ensemble performances of contemporary 

music, so it’s a thrill to hear what he does on this new solo 

CD Eric Huebner Plays Schumann, Carter and Stravinsky (New 

Focus Recordings FCR159). Huebner’s performance of the Schumann 

Kreisleriana Op.16 is competent and direct with memorable 

tenderness flowing through the Sehr langsam 

movement. It is, however, his playing of three 

movements from Stravinsky’s Petrouchka that 

really tempts one to reach for superlatives. 

While many pianists begin the Danse 

Russe at full throttle, Huebner holds back 

throughout this section and saves his energy 

for the maniacal marathon of playing required 

for La semaine grasse. His clarity and endurance are truly impressive. 

Better still is the intervening movement, Chez Petrouchka, which 

I have never heard played with such impish energy and mysticism. He 

uses the silence between notes to powerful effect and adds unexpected 

hesitations to rests. It’s a brilliant performance. 

The recording also includes the rather dense Night Fantasies by 

Elliott Carter. Huebner is very much at home with this material. It’s 

unstructured and leaves the performer to create an episodic map that 

makes interpretive sense for the listener. Its length requires intellectual 

discipline to sustain interest and Huebner has no difficulty doing 

this, effectively conveying Carter’s world of half wakefulness in the 

middle of the night. 

The dynamism of dual piano performance 

asserts itself powerfully in American 

Intersections (Two Pianists Records 

TP1039220). Nina Schumann and Luis 

Magalhäes have performed together since 

1999. Their latest recording seeks to reflect 

the melting pot of influences that defines 

American music, Blues, Latin, Ragtime, etc. 

Souvenirs Op.28 is Samuel Barber’s collection of dances for piano 

four hands. Schumann and Magalhäes, however, play an arrangement 

for two pianos and take advantage of the opportunity for the 

richer performance that this offers. They adhere faithfully to Barber’s 

strong romantic leaning without neglecting his frequent modernist 

flirtations. 

William Bolcom’s Recuerdos is a three-part set of homages to 

composers like Nazareth and Gottschalk. The Paseo opens and closes 

with a sublime Latin-influenced rag that is utterly captivating. But the 

show-stealer is the final homage to Delgado Palacios, in which the duo 

brings explosive energy to Bolcom’s Valse Venezolano. 

When Leonard Bernstein arranged Copland’s El Salón México for 

two pianos in 1941, it soon eclipsed the version for single keyboard. 

This recording of the piece captures every orchestral nuance and turn 

of phrase. It’s a terrific performance. 

Frederic Rzewski echoes the powerful pulse of American industry 

in Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues. The pounding episode that opens 

the piece surrenders to a mildly dissonant blues segment beautifully 

played, which then blends back into a combined machine-pulsed 

blues to close the piece. 

Hallelujah Junction by John Adams is a complex and difficult piece. 

Schumann and Magalhäes perform this superbly. There’s a devilishly 

complex rhythm just before the slower middle section which they 

handle flawlessly. The work’s relentless drive to its finish seems no 

challenge at all to this very gifted pair. 

Peter Hill’s latest recording project is 

JS Bach – The French Suites (Delphian 

DCD34166). Hill is perhaps best known for 

his recordings of contemporary repertoire, his 

books on Stravinsky and Messiaen, and his 

master classes at major music schools around 

the world. His recording of the Bach French 

Suites is, therefore, especially interesting. 

Hill plays this music with a great deal of 

affection. While Bach’s pedagogical intent is always clear in the twoand 

three-voice counterpoint, Hill reaches further to find the beauty 

in every melodic fragment. He’s not the least shy about using the 

piano’s expressive potential to colour the main ideas. He’s quite disciplined 

about the regulated speed at which this baroque repertoire 


needs to proceed and reserves his subtle ritardandos exclusively for 

phrase endings. He also makes a practice of lightening up on the touch 

at the same time. The combined effect of these creates a reverent and 

respectful closing punctuation. Hill’s ornamental technique is tasteful 

and well considered. It’s always clean and of just the right length. 

His playing overall is somewhat understated and he makes the 

Steinway concert grand sound both delicate and fragile. He rarely 

rises beyond mezzo forte, even in the Gigue of Suite No.5 in G Major 

where it could credibly happen. This is also true of the Mozart Suite 

in C K399 which many have played much more aggressively. Hill’s 

performance is beautifully articulate, completely unpedalled and has 

a meditative quality about it. 

VOCAL 

Handel – Acis and Galatea 

Boston Early Music Festival; Paul O’Dette; 

Stephen Stubbs 

CPO 777 877-2 

!! 

There have been 

several fine recordings 

of Acis and Galatea 

in the recent past. I 

myself am especially 

fond of the recording 

conducted by John 

Eliot Gardiner with 

Norma Burrowes and 

the late Anthony Rolfe Johnson in the main 

parts (on Archiv). Still, this new recording is 

something else. It is fast-paced and light on 

its feet. The singing and the playing are exceptional. 

I especially enjoyed the tenor Jason 

McStoots, who sings Damon, the lovely oboe 

playing by Gonzalo X. Ruiz and the virtuoso 

sopranino recorder obbligato by Kathryn 

Montoya in Hush, ye pretty warbling quire! It 

was also a pleasure to hear our own Dominic 

Teresi, the principal bassoon of Tafelmusik. 

The recording seeks to reconstruct the 

first performance of 1718 and uses not a 

choir in the modern sense of the word but 

a group of six singers, five of whom are also 

soloists. The minimum number of orchestral 

players needed is seven; this recording 

uses ten, presumably because an archlute, a 

theorbo and a double bass have been added. 

The recording includes the chorus Wretched 

lovers, which signals the arrival of the Cyclops 

Polyphemus and marks the shift from rural 

innocence to impending violence. Here the 

directors have not been altogether consistent 

as that chorus is a later addition and is generally 

thought to have been added in 1739. 

The record also includes a substantial 

bonus in the cantata Sarei troppo 

felice (1707), beautifully sung by soprano 

Amanda Forsythe. 

Hans de Groot 

Johann Simon Mayr – Saffo 

Brown; Schafer; Yun; Papenmeyer; 

Ruckgaber; Preis; Bavarian State Opera; 

Franz Hauk 

Naxos 8.660367-68 

!! 

Johann Simon 

Mayr was born in 

Bavaria in 1763 

but moved to the 

northern Italian city 

of Bergamo in 1787. 

He spent the rest 

of his life there and 

in Venice. Saffo was his first opera: it was 

commissioned by the then new La Fenice 

in Venice and first performed there in 1794. 

From our perspective Mayr can be seen 

as a transitional figure, transitional that is 

between the reforms of Gluck and the revolutions 

of Rossini. 

That Mayr is to some extent still working 

in the opera seria tradition is most obviously 

seen in the fact that the role of the male 

protagonist was written for a castrato, in 

this case the famous Girolamo Crescentini. 

On these CDs it is beautifully sung by the 

soprano Jaewon Yun. The plot would seem to 

lead logically to Sappho’s suicidal leap from 

a rock but in the opera she is saved at the last 

moment by the lover who had previously 

rejected her. The happy ending is also a standard 

item in most, though not all, opere serie. 

On the other hand, gone are the da 

capo and exit arias. The tenor has become 

important (as had already been the case in 

Mozart’s Idomeneo and La clemenza di Tito), 

the chorus is now more substantial and many 

of the recitatives are given orchestral accompaniments 

(there are precedents for that, 

including, again, Idomeneo). 

Mayr wrote almost 70 operas. Someday I 

would like to hear some of the others, especially 

if they are as well sung and played as 

Saffo is on this recording. 

Hans de Groot 

Rossini – Il Signor Bruschino 

de Candia; Lepore; Aleida; Alegret; 

Orchestra Sinfonica G Rossini; Daniele 

Rustioni 

Opus Arte OA 1109 D 

!! 

For your next vacation, 

why not go to 

Pesaro on the sunny 

beaches of the Adriatic 

and if you are an opera 

lover, to the Rossini 

festival, a really fun 

destination judging by 

this video. Venice is 

not too far away either 

where the 20-year-old 

Rossini spent his first 

creative period writing 

operas for a near bankrupt theatre company 

that took a chance on the young fellow with 

no previous experience in writing anything, 

let alone opera. Amusingly, the elders of the 

Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro did much the 

You can find enhanced reviews of all discs below the yellow line in The WholeNote listening room. 

The reissue of an all-but-forgotten 

album of music from revered 

conductor Gerard Schwarz, made 

in his earliest days as a stunning 

trumpet virtuoso. 

Ches Smith: The Bell 

Dynamic chamber music 

compositions written for masterful 

improvisers. With drummer Ches 

Smith, pianist Craig Taborn and 

violist Mat Manieri. 

"This dazzling debut album features 

pure, emotionally eloquent vocals, 

refreshingly eclectic selections 

and stylistic arrangements that are 

sure to leave you smiling." 

Critically acclaimed world-jazz 

group AVATAAR explores rhythmic 

hypnotism, cinematic sonic 

landscapes and soaring melody 

through a seamless marriage 

of ancient and modern musical 

sounds. 


same thing in trusting this revival of Il Signor 

Bruschino to a young theatre group, Teatro 

Sotteraneo, with no previous experience in 

opera. The directors of the group are all in 

their 20s and full of ideas, energy and fun. 

The scene for this one-act farsa giocosa is a 

modern-day theme park complete with Coke 

machines, popcorn, balloons and silly hats. 

Tourists of all ages wander in and out snapping 

photos and are invited to join in the 

even sillier plot where everyone lies except 

the poor put-upon protagonist, Bruschino. In 

fact they confuse him so much that he ends 

up wondering who he is and there is typical 

Rossinian mayhem, except for the wonderful 

music and the singing. The polished cast are 

mainly young people such as the soprano, 

Maria Aleida, spectacular in her high register, 

and her suitor, David Algret, a fine tenor. 

The principal baritones: Roberto de Candia 

(Signor Bruschino) and Carlo Lepore, the 

guardian of the bride, who arrives on a 

Segway, singing his cavatina riding on it 

up and down the stage, are a bit older and 

undoubtedly best in show. In charge of it all is 

the conductor Daniele Rustioni who is barely 

out of his teens, just like the composer. 

Janos Gardonyi 

Verdi – Macbeth 

Zeljko Lucic; Anna Netrebko; René Pape; 

Joseph Calleja; Metropolitan Opera; Fabio 

Luisi 

Deutsche Grammophon 073 5222 

!! 

For me the most 

sublime moment in 

Macbeth is the Gran 

concertato just after 

the murder of King 

Duncan when out 

of the anguished a 

cappella chorus the 

orchestra finally joins 

in with a melody 

direct from heaven 

(and how beautifully 

did Sinopoli do 

it!), but that was nothing compared to the 

intense joy and outburst of the Met audience 

following Vieni! T’affretta, Anna 

Netrebko’s first salvo as Lady Macbeth. And 

that Sleepwalking Scene! Oh my! It was 

an inspired decision to revive Macbeth for 

the 2014 season with Netrebko as the lead 

soprano. The woman had never sung the 

role before, her voice more suited to the 

lyrical and coloratura repertory or so people 

thought. But they didn’t know Netrebko! 

After 2007, when she sang a few bel canto 

roles at the Met, she went back to Europe 

scoring triumph upon triumph in the most 

challenging prima donna roles: Manon in 

Berlin, Anna Bolena in Vienna, Donna Anna 

at La Scala. Nevertheless, here she is, Lady 

Macbeth in New York, seductive in her silk 

chiffon dress, packing the house again to 

capacity, her voice extending to a high D flat 

and also extending the Met’s sagging profits. 

Fortunately, the rest of the cast is not 

outclassed by Netrebko’s radiance. The great 

basso René Pape (Banquo) is a distinguished 

credit to a rather short role (as he gets killed 

quickly) and so is the tenor, Joseph Calleja 

(Macduff), but at least he survives. Serbian 

baritone Zeljko Lucic (Macbeth) is a fine 

character actor with a strong voice, but no 

match for the great Italian baritones (e.g. 

Leo Nucci or Renato Bruson) of yesteryear. 

Exciting yet sensitively refined conducting 

by new Met principal conductor Fabio Luisi 

amply compensates for the still unsurpassed 

legendary Sinopoli reading. 

Janos Gardonyi 

Szymanowski – Król Roger 

Kwiecień; Jarman; Pirgu; Chorus and 

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House; 

Antonio Pappano 

Opus Arte OA 1151 D 

!! 

It took almost 

a century from its 

premiere in Warsaw 

in 1926 for Król Roger 

(King Roger) to reach 

the stage of the Royal 

Opera House, Covent 

Garden, in London. 

Belated though it is, 

this debut is nothing 

short of a triumph. 

It is by far the finest 

production of this modernist opera that I have 

seen. The great strength of Szymanowski’s 

music is its exuberant, ecstatic orchestral 

colour, making it more neo-romantic 

than modernist. Mariusz Kwiecień, whose 

portrayal of King Roger may be a careerdefining 

moment, put it like this: “To 

compose this music, you must be either 

on drugs or mad.” Think Ravel, Scriabin, 

Bartók, but also Górecki. In the past, infrequent 

as they were, many productions of the 

opera faltered on stage because of its halting 

rhythms. The work jumps from bacchanal 

celebration to a standstill oratorio within its 

slim, 90-minute timeframe. Director Kasper 

Holten brilliantly unites the two polar opposites, 

with some help from the gorgeous set 

designed by Steffen Aarfing. Among the many 

charms of this work are wonderful choral 

passages and showcase arias for the female 

protagonist, Queen Roxana, masterfully delivered 

by Georgia Jarman. Saimir Pirgu as the 

Shepherd is beguiling and free. All the cast 

benefit from having a native Polish speaker 

(Kwiecień) on hand – the language coaching 

is well beyond the typical, cringe-inducing 

sound imitation that plagues the productions 

of many Czech, Polish and Russian operas in 

the West. Antonio Pappano not only conducts 

the work, he breathes Szymanowski’s music. 

This production will likely propel King Roger 

into the sphere of interest of the major opera 

houses in the world. Bravi! 

Robert Tomas 

Cloud Light – Songs of Norbert Palej 

Bogdanowicz; McGillivray; Wiliford; 

Woodley; Philcox 

Centrediscs CMCCD 22315 

!! 

The song or 

chanson or lied 

died with Benjamin 

Britten – or that is the 

impression you might 

have gotten by visiting 

your neighbourhood 

record store or any 

concert hall. While 

Brahms, Strauss, Schubert and Mahler song 

cycles are everywhere, very little in that genre 

seems to have originated since the middle of 

the 20th century. It is more that the song itself 

has changed, rather than disappeared. Pianist 

Steven Philcox and tenor Lawrence Wiliford, 

directors of the Canadian Art Song Project, 

summed it up succinctly in the liner notes 

to this recording: “…the experimentation of 

the 20th century avant-garde rejected the 

intimacy that is inherent to the genre…” 

Enter Norbert Palej (Pah-Lay), a Polishborn 

composer, still in his 30s, currently 

teaching at the University of Toronto. He 

restores to the song what for centuries was 

its golden measure: the intricate relationship 

between poetry and music, the latter being 

an emotional outgrowth of the former. All 

cycles included on this disc evoke an earlier 

era, with respect for the text and an intimacy 

of interpretation. Cloud Light, not written 

for any specific voice, invites comparisons 

with les nuits d’été by Berlioz. Most surprisingly, 

despite being an homage to the 19thand 

early 20th-century tradition of song, 

the work sounds utterly contemporary and 

modern. It is as if after 50 years in the wilderness, 

the genre is coming back into its own. A 

welcome return! 

Robert Tomas 

Sacred Reflections of Canada – A Canadian 

Mass 

Canadian Chamber Choir; Julia Davids 

Independent (canadianchamberchoir.ca) 

!! 

The working style 

of the Canadian 

Chamber Choir 

is unique; with 

members spread 

across the country, 

they convene at least 

twice a year for short 

projects after learning 

their parts at home. A rehearsal period of 

a few days is hosted by a school, choir or 

community and the choir then returns the 

favour by providing workshops before they 

embark on tour. Their mandate, therefore, is 

not just to perform, but to build community 

by educating and engaging as many singers 

as possible on each tour while introducing 

the works of established as well as emerging 

Canadian composers. 


This recording, nominated for the 2016 

JUNO Awards Classical Album of the Year, is 

organized into the format of a mass, incorporating 

19 works by 17 Canadian composers. 

Amongst the five movements of the Mass 

Ordinary (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and 

Agnus Dei) are interspersed a number of 

other reflective sacred pieces in exquisite a 

cappella renderings. For example, composerin-residence 

Jeff Enns’ O magnum mysterium 

begins with the purist soprano solo by Megan 

Chartrand; Robert Ingari’s beautiful and rich 

setting of Ave Maria is contrasted by another, 

mysterious and dissonant, by James Fogarty. 

Director Julia Davids has chosen the pieces 

well, and woven the parts into a flowing and 

cohesive whole, whilst directing the itinerant 

choir in a stunning performance. 

Dianne Wells 

Voices of Earth 

Amadeus Choir; Lydia Adams; Bach 

Children’s Chorus; Linda Beaupré 

Centrediscs CMCCD 21915 

!! 

Lydia Adams’ 

Amadeus Choir 

has produced its 

eighth CD, featuring 

the music of four 

Canadian composers, 

two of whom 

perform on the 

recording. The title 

piece is composed and played by pianist 

Ruth Watson Henderson, joined by a percussion 

ensemble along with another featured 

composer, Eleanor Daley, playing the celeste. 

This, and others on the recording, afford 

another opportunity for the choir to partner 

with the Bach Children’s Chorus, celebrating 

28 years of collaboration. Voices of 

Earth is a multi-movement work with a 

great variety of harmonic colour and everchanging 

rhythms which mirror the dynamic 

character of nature and creation. Similarly, 

the next piece, Of Heart and Tide by Sid 

Robinovitch, portrays another force of nature, 

the sea, with musical undercurrents evoking 

the awesome power therein. Eleanor Daley’s 

pieces are of a different character altogether 

and contrast nicely; her Salutation of the 

Dawn and Prayer for Peace are essentially 

quiet, heartfelt devotionals. I Will Sing Unto 

the Lord by Imant Raminsh is joyful and jubilant, 

rounding out the program nicely. It is, 

as always, truly wonderful to experience the 

convergence of excellent singers, instrumentalists, 

conductor and composers who are 

unequivocally passionate about choral music. 

Dianne Wells 

CLASSICAL AND BEYOND 

Schubert & Beethoven 

Grigory Sokolov 

Deutsche Grammophon 479 5426 

!! 

Although not the 

most recognized 

figure by the record 

buying public, to 

pianophiles Sokolov 

is an icon on the same 

short list that would 

include Richter, 

Argerich and few others. A first prize winner 

of the 1966 International Tchaikovsky Piano 

Competition, it was Emil Gilels, who headed 

the jury that unanimously awarded him the 

Gold Medal. This new release is his second on 

DG, following the sensational Salzburg Recital 

issued last year which included an unequalled 

performance of the 24 Chopin Preludes (DG 

4784342, 2 CDs). As he does in that first set, 

he transforms each and every track into a 

listener’s instantaneous personal favourite. 

Sokolov is capable of making the piano sing 

in a very particular way. He demonstrates 

breathtaking sensitivity, a seamless pianistic 

style and a low key projection that sweeps the 

listener away. 

Sokolov’s Schubert Impromptus Op.90 

D899 are quite different from the same music 

in other hands. If one listens without any 

distractions there are feelings of the realization 

of his mortality and his struggles against 

it. Simple but profound in spirit. Similarly 

the Three Piano Pieces D946 convey the same 

story. These performances were recorded in 

concert in Warsaw on May 12, 2013. 

All Sokolov’s unique qualities make his 

performance of the Hammerklavier a breathtaking 

event, and I am curious to hear him 

in the other 31 sonatas of Beethoven. This 

performance and the Rameau and Brahms 

encores were recorded at the Salzburg Festival 

on August 23, 2013. The Rameau encores 

are very interesting as Sokolov maintains a 

quasi-Romantic approach that happens to 

work very well. A splendid choice exposing 

his versatility. The Brahms Intermezzo Op.117 

No.3 takes us home. 

Mention must be made of the astonishing 

dynamic sound from both concerts. 

Although the engineers are different the 

sound is remarkably similar. As realistic as 

I’ve ever heard. 

Bruce Surtees 

Schumann 

Jan Lisiecki; Orchestra dell’Accademia 

Nazionale di Santa Cecilia; Antonio 

Pappano 

Deutsche Grammophon 4795327 

!! 

There are so many 

recorded versions 

available of the 

Piano Concerto in 

A Minor Op.54 that 

any newcomer has 

to be extraordinary 

to justify itself. This 

enticing performance 

is just that. Jan Lisiecki, the 20-year-old born 

in Calgary, came into prominence as a child 

prodigy, making his orchestral debut aged 

nine. Today he is internationally acclaimed 

and is one of the most respected pianists of 

this generation. 

The first hearing was most disappointing. 

Lisiecki seemed to be uninvolved and 

Visit TheWholeNote.com/Listening 

Surkalén is returning to the stage 

to present a new album, "Ethno- 

Charango". An original creation. A 

journey to the confines of the world. 

Special limited edition 35 CD set 

celebrating Charles Dutoit and 

the Orchestre symphonique de 

Montréal. Incl. Holst, Ravel, Debussy 

and much more. 

Brahms String Quartets, Op. 51 

Nos. 1 & 2 

New Orford String Quartet 

"A flawless interpretation." 

Classical Music Sentinel 

neworford.com 

The complete piano works of 

African-descent composer 

Nathaniel Dett recorded for the 

first time. Enjoy Dett’s wonderful 

melodies, harmonic colours, and 

narratives. 


somehow unresponsive to the score…a nonstarter. 

Easy to understand, as we are so 

firmly imprinted with the usual bravura 

performances that anything less energetic 

sounds injudicious and/or simply wrong. 

The following week listening again to make 

sure, I heard a very convincing performance, 

thoughtful and searching. Lisiecki’s 

Schumann is so natural and unforced that 

his playing does not come between composer 

and listener. 

Also, I was playing it softly at the “audition” 

level and now, at a more robust volume, the 

true character emerged. 

There are many attributes of this performance; 

excitement, communication, delicacy 

and tonal beauty. It is such a perfect blend 

and unanimity of soloist and orchestra that 

it sounds as if were executed by one mind. 

There is cross inspiration between piano and 

the solo instruments of the orchestra, particularly 

the creamy winds that, in spite of perfect 

ensemble, still sound spontaneous. The 

recording is a model of a naturally balanced 

soloist and these delectable orchestral 

textures. The two shorter and less familiar, 

later-concerted works – Introduction and 

Allegro appassionato Op.92, Introduction 

and Concert Allegro Op.134 – receive similarly 

attentive performances, making this 

release even more attractive. Time stands still 

during the little encore, Träumerei, adding a 

thoughtful adieu on this attractive CD. 

Bruce Surtees 

Mahler – Symphony No.6 

Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen 

Rundfunks; Daniel Harding 

BR Klassik 900132 

!! 

Daniel Harding 

makes all the right 

moves in this new 

recording of Mahler’s 

mighty Sixth 

Symphony, scrupulously 

following the 

letter of the score and 

observing every indicated 

tempo fluctuation with considerable 

élan, but what really caught my attention was 

the magnificent, totally committed playing of 

the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. It 

more than compensates for the missed opportunities 

(particularly in the first movement) 

for Harding to set his stamp on this work as 

decisively as a Bernstein or Kubelik. My only 

frustration is that this recording uses the New 

Critical Edition of the score, which swaps 

places between the Andante and Scherzo 

of the middle movements. Though there 

are good historical arguments for doing so, 

musically I prefer Mahler’s original conception. 

Perhaps in his own performances of the 

work Mahler found it less taxing for the musicians 

of the day to perform the slow movement 

second; or possibly he was keen to 

stress the traditional symphonic order as 

a purely musical structure, though it is far 

more than that. Nonetheless thematically 

the scherzo serves as a relentless expansion 

of the previous movement in a relationship 

consistent with that of the first two movements 

of his Fifth Symphony. 

The four movements have been shoehorned 

into a single disc for this release and 

the applause excised from the live performances 

recorded in Munich in March of 2014. 

The mixing is superb and finely detailed. 

The booklet oddly features electrocardiac 

diagrams of the response of the percussion 

section and the conductor at the second 

cataclysmic hammer blow of the finale. Big 

spike from the musicians, flat line from 

the conductor. That sums it up nicely. As a 

member of the Vienna Philharmonic once 

remarked of a certain music director, “We like 

him. He doesn’t get in the way.” 

Daniel Foley 

Bucoliques: French Album III 

Richard Sherman; Minsoo Sohn 

Blue Griffin Records BGR 379 

(bluegriffin.com) 

!! 

Kudos to flutist 

Richard Sherman 

and pianist Minsoo 

Sohn for this selection 

of little-known 

music for flute and 

piano by four more 

or less forgotten 

20th-century 

composers. Sherman’s readings are disciplined 

and spirited. Sohn’s, to my ears 

anyway, somehow capture the French-ness of 

the music. 

The title Bucoliques raises questions about 

the composers, their intentions and the world 

in which they lived. Neither the lives of the 

composers, Gabriel Grovlez (1879-1944), 

Raymond Gallois Montbrun (1918-1994), 

Louis Durey (1888-1979) and Alfred Desenclos 

(1912-1971), nor Paris, the city where they 

lived and worked, were bucolic. “Bucoliques” 

is borrowed from the title of the work by 

Desenclos. The program notes suggest that 

“the classical titles of its movements recall 

those of 19th-century academic forebears, 

such as Théodore Dubois, and reflect the 

academic rigour of his work.” I don’t quite 

get the connection between Arcadian allusion 

and academic rigour, although it may reflect 

a taste for irony and self-deprecating humour! 

The notes also bring to light something of 

Desenclos’ approach to composition: “...I do 

not deny the past on the pretext of creating 

the future.” The turbulence of Durey’s 

career is hinted at, with the references to 

his involvement in left-wing politics and 

the French Resistance; and we are also told 

of Montbrun’s rise “to the top of the French 

musical establishment.” 

Bucolic or not, their music gives us a 

glimpse into the ideals and accomplishments 

of another time, so close and yet so remote. 

Allan Pulker 

The French Influence: Music for Trumpet 

and Piano 

Gerard Schwarz; Kun Woo Paik 

Delos DE 1047 

!! 

Celebrated 

trumpet virtuoso and 

conductor Gerard 

Schwarz revisits his 

roots in this release 

– a 1971 New York 

concert with collaborative 

pianist Kun 

Woo Paik. Schwarz has woven together an 

attractive series of works and explained in 

excellent program notes the interrelated 

developments of trumpet performance, 

composition, and manufacture in 19th- and 

20th-century France. A limitation is the disc’s 

length of only 42 minutes. 

The recording opens with Arthur 

Honegger’s Intrada, a staple of the trumpet 

repertoire in which Schwarz demonstrates 

excellent tone and technique. George Enescu’s 

Légende is the disc’s highlight for me. Wellknown 

as a virtuoso violinist, Enescu remains 

underrated in composition, which he studied 

with Fauré and Massenet in Paris. The work’s 

originality shows in an atmospheric and 

meditative opening, soft trumpet filigree 

passages, and a complex yet effective piano 

part. Eugène Bozza’s Caprice is idiomatic to 

the instrument, as is always the case with this 

prolific composer. Schwarz is more than equal 

to sprightly technical passages including challenging 

triple tonguing, but the duo also 

capture mysterious Debussy-like flavours 

elsewhere in the piece, including muted and 

echoed fanfares. Brief pieces represent other 

well-known 20th-century French composers: 

Jacques Ibert (Impromptu) and André Jolivet 

(Air de Bravoure). The two earlier works on 

the disc are Theo Charlier’s Solo de Concours 

and Henri Senée’s Concertino; I particularly 

like Senée’s composition for the cornet, 

especially the Romance movement, whose 

attractive melody is capped with a sudden 

pianissimo climax that Schwarz achieves 

impeccably. 

Roger Knox 

MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY 

Ives – Symphonies Nos.3 & 4; Unanswered 

Question; Central Park in the Dark 

Seattle Symphony; Ludovic Morlot 

Seattle Symphony SSM1009 

(seattlesymphony.org) 

!! 

Charles Ives had 

a beautiful musical 

mind, far ahead 

of his time. In my 

youth I watched a 

televised performance 

by Stokowski 

with the American 

Symphony of Ives’ 


Symphony No.4 (1910-16). Each subsequent 

hearing magnifies my appreciation of 

this masterpiece. Conductor Ludovic Morlot 

and the Seattle Symphony seem comfortable 

with the work’s contradictions. Ethereal 

high strings evoke night uncannily in the 

short Prelude yet orchestral interruptions 

are harsh; meanwhile a hopeful chorus sings 

the hymn Watchman. Is it right to have all 

of this going on? Ives would say, “Sure – why 

not?” Then a complex movement, Comedy, 

goes much further. It opens with quarter-tone 

string glissandi, the quiet soon intruded on 

by other material including marches and full 

brass, sentimental tunes, a piano waltz and a 

violin solo, often with different simultaneous 

tempi. Conductor, orchestra and engineer still 

manage to keep everything in balance in this 

musical funhouse! The following strict hymntune-based 

Fugue could not contrast more 

vividly. In the visionary Finale, despite diverse 

interruptions, Morlot maintains the unifying 

sense of a parade bookended by percussionalone 

passages that emerge from and return 

to silence. 

The classics The Unanswered Question 

(1908) and Central Park in the Dark (1898- 

1907) receive scrupulous, loving treatment, 

with impeccable intonation. In Symphony 

No. 3, “The Camp Meeting” (1901 - 14) a 

different side of Ives appears, as turn-of-thecentury 

classical music language combines 

seamlessly with nineteenth-century 

American hymnody; this recording presents a 

persuasive case for the result. 

Roger Knox 

Prokofiev – Symphonies Nos. 4, 6, & 7; 

Piano Concertos Nos. 4 & 5 

Alexei Volodin; Sergei Babayan; Mariinsky 

Orchestra; Valery Gergiev 

Mariinsky MAR0577 

!! 

The Swiss 

composer Arthur 

Honegger once 

claimed that 

Prokofiev would 

“remain the greatest 

figure of contemporary 

music.” 

These were strong 

words of praise indeed and whether or not 

one agrees, this splendid two-disc set on 

the Mariinsky label offers the listener ample 

opportunity to decide. The collection is the 

first in a series the label is issuing to honour 

the 125th anniversary of Prokofiev’s birth and 

features the piano concertos Four and Five 

and symphonies Four, Six and Seven, appropriately 

performed by the Orchestra of the 

Mariinsky Theatre with soloists Alexei Volodin 

and Sergei Babayan all under the direction of 

Valery Gergiev. 

The set opens with the Piano Concerto 

No.4 for the left hand, music completed in 

1931, and the second concerto written for 

the pianist Paul Wittgenstein who had lost 

his right arm in the Great War (Ravel had 

provided the first). The opening movement 

– the first of four – is sprightly and virtuosic, 

with Alexei Volodin easily handling the technical 

demands for the left hand that would 

challenge all but the most competent of 

artists. An expansive and introspective second 

movement follows a quirky Moderato before a 

lickety-split finale where soloist and orchestra 

prove a formidable pairing. 

The Fifth Concerto from 1932 also presents 

considerable technical challenges. Its five brief 

movements are true studies in contrasts, from 

the cheeky and extroverted opening to the 

calm Larghetto. Throughout, Sergei Babayan’s 

dexterity and keyboard style are much in 

evidence; the virtuosic demands are conveyed 

with great finesse. 

Judging from the relatively small number 

of recordings of the Symphony No.4 – originally 

composed in 1930 but expanded 17 years 

later – it would seem to be the most underappreciated 

of all seven symphonies. The 

light and playful mood attests to its origins in 

the ballet The Prodigal Son on which it was 

based. Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra 

provide a spirited and thoroughly convincing 

performance, bringing together a wealth 

of timbres and colours. Symphony No.6 

was completed in 1947 and has long been 

regarded as the darker twin of the more optimistic 

No.5. Nevertheless, Gergiev draws a 

sensitive performance from the orchestra 

throughout the solemn march-like opening 

movement, the anguished and lengthy Largo 

and the optimistic and rambunctious Vivace, 

performed with panache. To a degree, the 

ballet spirit is also found in Symphony 

No.7 from 1952. The gracious second movement 

waltz and elegiac andante are further 

enhanced by the warmly resonant strings, 

while the spirited finale seems meant to be 

danced to! A surprisingly placid ending brings 

the symphony – and the set – to a satisfying 

conclusion. 

In all, these are exemplary performances 

and the collection is destined to be a staple in 

the catalogue. 

Richard Haskell 

social sounds 

Catherine Lee 

Teal Creek Music TC-2035 

(catherinemlee.com) 

!! 

The difficulty 

and excitement of 

a solo instrumental 

performance arises 

from the fact that 

the entire sound 

envelope is, from 

beginning to end, 

from top to bottom, exposed. A note’s attack, 

its approach towards silence, the sound of 

keys, the performer’s breath – all these come 

under the listener’s scrutiny, amplified by 

the surrounding stillness. On social sounds, 

Portland oboist Catherine Lee, instead of 

merely navigating these choppy waters, 

makes them her destination. Almost all of the 

pieces feature an improvisatory aspect, tools 

which Lee uses to prod the boundaries of her 

instrument’s sound. 

The first such piece presented here is 

Jérôme Blais’ Rafales. Scored for solo oboe 

and piano with depressed sustain pedal, the 

work is this disc’s standout. Inspired by the 

composer’s encounters with Nova Scotian 

wind, Blais supplies the performer only with 

loosely defined long-tone gestures, leaving 

their lengths at the performer’s discretion. 

These, combined with the timbral shifts 

caused by the choreographed movement of 

the oboe in relationship to the microphone, 

result in a gripping tension: Lee’s tone, at 

first pushed and pulled along its edges, finally 

disintegrates into the murk of sympathetic 

vibrations with the piano. 

A similar effect is achieved in Emily 

Doolittle’s Social sounds from whales at 

night, only here it’s improvised timbral 

fingerings and pitch bends which cause the 

tension, and pre-recorded whale sounds 

rising to the ocean’s surface which give 

release. The sum of these is a CD as compelling 

as it is eminently listenable. 

Elliot Wright 

Mangabeira 

Trio Virado 

Soundset Recordings SR1075 

(triovirado.com) 

!! 

Trio Virado 

was created after 

member guitarist 

João Luiz heard the 

Leo Brouwer piece 

Paisajes, Retratos y 

Mujeres in a Brazilian 

concert at the Leo 

Brouwer Festival. 

So enthralled was the musician with its 

successful instrumentation that he asked 

his manager to bring flutist Amy Porter and 

violist Juan-Miguel Hernandez together for 

a concert of this piece and Luiz’s arrangement 

of three Astor Piazzolla tangos. The 

musical chemistry clicked with a permanent 

trio, more concerts, more pieces and this 

debut release. 

The unusual instrumentation works as each 

instrument and each performer can convincingly 

take on lead or accompaniment roles in 

various styles. The above-mentioned Brouwer 

piece is given a clear, energetic performance 

in its subtle three note ideas, unison 

sections and stylistic shifts from Renaissance 

to minuet dance rhythms. Likewise the three 

Luiz-arranged Piazzolla tracks are spirited, 

tight, rhythmic, and true to the bandeonist/ 

composer’s musical vision. The other three 

works by Sergio Assad, Hermeto Pascoal and 

Luiz are well-played good pieces in a more 

popular music genre – for example Luiz’ 

theme and variations work Todas as Manhas 

draws on the familiar Luiz Bonfa song Manha 

de Carnaval, and showcases the trio’s ability 


to transcend lighter styles. 

Trio Virado’s musicianship is world class 

yet the group still feels slightly like a work in 

progress before it is fully grounded. But this 

is a first release which still needs to be heard 

and appreciated. And the future should be 

exciting for them! 

Tiina Kiik 

Thirst – Ana Sokolović; Julia Wolfe 

Turning Point Ensemble; musica intima 

Vocal Ensemble 

Redshift Records TK442 

(redshiftrecords.org) 

!! 

Thirst. The name 

of this CD evokes a 

primal human need 

and fear – our absolute 

reliance on 

water for survival. 

The album offers 

four works by two 

composers – Ana 

Sokolović from Montreal and Julia Wolfe from 

New York City – whose composing styles 

share some similarities while also exhibiting 

quite contrasting approaches. The four works 

on the album are expertly performed by two 

Vancouver-based groups, the Turning Point 

Ensemble and musica intima. 

Beginning with three works by Sokolović, 

one immediately is struck by her compelling 

and driving use of rhythm. This feature can in 

part be attributed to her Serbian background 

and the influence of traditional Balkan music 

with its characteristic irregular rhythms. 

The first track is inspired by songs from a 

Serbian rock band, whereas the third track 

Vez, a Serbian word for embroidery, creates 

an atmosphere of furious and energetic 

patterns and gestures for solo cello. Her other 

work Dring, dring plays with both sounds 

and words associated with the experience of 

using a telephone. Humourous and dramatic 

exchanges are tossed amongst the singers in 

four different languages. 

Wolfe’s epic work Thirst immediately casts 

a spell upon the listener with its long expansive 

and timeless gestures, all the while maintaining 

a driving movement forward. Using 

text from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, 

the composer creates an intense drama, plunging 

the listener into an act of contemplating 

the precious need for and precarious presence 

of water. 

Wendalyn Bartley 

JAZZ AND IMPROVISED 

Forest Grove 

Allison Au Quartet 

Independent AA-15 (allisonau.com) 

!! 

Saxophonist and composer Allison Au’s 

aptly titled Forest Grove is a lush and inviting 

recording that takes the listener on a journey 

through a suite-like series of tunes. The 

compositions retain 

a remarkable unity of 

purpose despite the 

obvious sonic and 

stylistic differences 

between them. Au’s 

writing embodies an 

approach that blends 

arrangement with improvisation in a way that 

seems perfectly natural. One idea flows seamlessly 

into the next, regardless of whether the 

ideas are improvised or composed. The addition 

of vocalist Felicity Williams on three of 

the nine tunes ties the record together and 

helps to deepen its compelling mood. 

The opening track, Tides, establishes 

many of the hallmarks of Au’s writing and 

the band plays through them with ease 

and assurance. Complex harmonies are 

played over unexpected rhythmic shots and 

melodies are doubled with bass and Fender 

Rhodes piano. Drummer Fabio Ragnelli and 

bassist Jon Maharaj mesh effortlessly on the 

tricky arrangement, providing both groove 

and conversation. Au solos confidently, 

displaying a rich alto tone and a sophisticated 

linear concept. 

Bolero features bassist Maharaj, improvising 

a lyrical solo over Au’s and Williams’ ethereal 

melody. The post-bop-tinged Aureole showcases 

the band’s convincing, hard swinging 

up-tempo chops. Au’s strong sense of the 

tradition is highlighted by Todd Pentney’s 

bluesy B-3 playing. They Say We Are Not Here 

closes the journey with Felicity Williams’ 

voice spinning textures over its gorgeous, 

hypnotic, two-chord vamp. 

Ted Quinlan 

Manifesto 

Linsey Wellman 

Independent (linseywellman.com) 

!! 

Recent publicity 

suggests that alto 

saxophonist Linsey 

Wellman is at the 

pinnacle of his improvisational 

powers. 

That remains to be 

seen (he may scale 

greater heights in the future) but even if he 

never achieves anything better than this 

album he has ample reason to be proud. 

This set of seven songs, Manifesto, carves 

its own niche in the realm of solo alto saxophone 

performances. The opener, la culture 

is a joyous, dancing piece which engages 

you and gets the album off to a decidedly 

flying start. It is followed by dans laquelle 

on investit (literally, In Which It Invests) 

a profound, slow and slightly mysterious 

ballad edged with a rueful feel. This chart 

features some thoughtful, melodic soloing by 

Wellman as does avec laquelle (With Which), 

which reminds me a little of the work of Greg 

Osby, another great and unjustly overlooked 

experimentalist. 

The fact that the titles of the songs in 

French and English have a distinct phrase-like 

abruptness to them suggests the interconnectedness 

of the music on the album. This extraordinary 

linearity continues to intrigue and 

delight as Wellman rings in the changes in 

mood, structure and tempo, making for a 

constantly interesting program. The degree 

of balance, integration and melody, harmony 

and rhythm, of composition and improvisation, 

of exploration, individuality and tradition 

is impressively maintained throughout 

the program. It’s a manifesto that truly sings. 

Raul da Gama 

Thanks… 

Linton Garner 

Cellar Live CL062402 (cellarlive.com) 

!! 

The late, great 

pianist Linton 

Garner spent the 

last 30 years of his 

life as a beloved and 

respected member 

of the Vancouver jazz 

scene. Garner relished 

his younger brother 

Erroll’s success, but focused his own musical 

career on orchestral, ensemble and small 

venue performance work – often sharing the 

stage with jazz luminaries, including Billy 

Eckstein, Nancy Wilson, Lester Young, Dizzie 

Gillespie and Miles Davis – all the while 

acting as a treasured teacher and mentor to 

several generations of Vancouver-centric jazz 

musicians. 

This superb project is the brainchild of Don 

Fraser, who acts as producer here. Fraser 

enjoyed a long professional and personal relationship 

with Garner and was the drummer 

in his trio for more than six years. Thanks… 

is a labour of love for Fraser, and as Garner 

would have wanted – all proceeds from the 

project are earmarked for the Linton Garner 

Scholarship Fund at Capilano University in 

North Vancouver. 

The album itself is comprised of remastered 

CBC recordings, from 1993 through 

2002 (featuring Fraser on drums, Stewart 

Loseby on sax and bassist Peter Trill) as well 

as live tracks from a memorable B.C. concert 

performance (I Never Said Goodbye) dedicated 

to Garner’s late brother, Erroll. 

Highlights of this fine recording and 

tribute include the gospel-infused piano solo 

Pittsburgh Blue; the evocative I Never Said 

Goodbye and the elegant trio tune Won’t You 

Come Dance With Me. The final track on the 

CD is saxophonist Loseby’s deeply moving 

Lament for Mr. G, which features Miles Black 

on piano and was recorded following Garner’s 

passing in 2004. 

Lesley Mitchell-Clarke 

The Bell 

Ches Smith; Craig Taborn; Mat Maneri 

ECM 2474 

!! 

Ches Smith is a young American 


percussionist/ 

composer whose 

CV criss-crosses a 

musical landscape 

in which jazz, rock 

and experimentation 

have tumbled 

into one another, 

working with musicians like John Zorn, Tim 

Berne, Mark Ribot and Mr. Bungle. For his 

ECM debut, his musical language is shaped 

by impulses from post-serial classical music 

to free improvisation. He’s joined here in his 

longstanding trio by pianist Craig Taborn and 

violist Mat Maneri to play a series of pieces 

that consistently blur the lines between the 

composed and the improvised. 

From the opening clang of a bell on the 

title track, there’s an air of high drama and 

mystery emerging from the muffled undercurrent 

of the piano and Maneri’s vibrant 

sustained tones. Repeating motifs may 

temporarily stabilize the pieces, but it’s an 

illusion, as patterns either disappear or build 

to menacing intensity amidst a maelstrom of 

sound. The furies loosed on I’ll See You on the 

Dark Side of the Earth give way to the subtle, 

almost random prettiness of the vibraphone 

and piano beginnings of I Think. Moods turn 

subtly from joyous to pensive in a piece like 

It’s Always Winter (Somewhere). 

Smith’s music succeeds on its mix of 

unlikely elements and its own internal 

tension patterns, its successively reimagined 

drives to order and freedom, but it could 

only arise from the trio’s instrumental brilliance. 

Smith can wittily deploy assorted rock 

and jazz beats, as well as reveal the beauty 

of a bowed vibraphone; Taborn can bring a 

precise and distinguishing touch to individual 

notes in the most complex flurry; while 

Maneri practises an exemplary combination 

of passion and control. 

Stuart Broomer 

One Night in Indy 

Wes Montgomery 

Resonance HCD-2018 

(resonancerecords.org) 

!! 

In October 1959, 

Wes Montgomery 

recorded his debut LP, 

The Wes Montgomery 

Trio, for Riverside 

Records. It would 

rapidly make him 

the most eminent 

guitarist in jazz, 

famed for his sheer invention and drive as 

well as his unorthodox thumb-picking and 

improvised lines in unison octaves. The 

previous January, when this was recorded, 

Montgomery was a 35-year-old Indianapolis 

factory worker who regularly played in 

local bars and astonished visiting stars. 

Documenting a performance in an unnamed 

venue put on by the Indianapolis Jazz Club, a 

loose association of fans, One Night in Indy 

presents the Chicago-based trio of pianist 

Eddie Higgins with Montgomery as a special 

local guest. 

Passed down by members of the club until 

it reached Resonance Records (even the 

name of the bass player is unknown), the 

tape documents a great set of club jazz from 

a year when the modern mainstream was in 

full flower. It’s a joyous meeting of musicians 

who speak the same idiom with fluency and 

imagination, no doubt with spirits raised by 

the sheer surprise of Montgomery’s creative 

energy and distinctive approach, complete 

with runs executed in chords. The program 

begins and ends with standards – Give Me 

the Simple Life, You’d Be So Nice to Come 

Home To – and relies on classic jazz anthems 

in between, delivering liquid beauty to 

Ellington’s Prelude to a Kiss and plenty of 

momentum to Stompin’ at the Savoy and the 

Basie hit Li’l Darlin’. 

It’s all carried forward by the masterful 

drumming of Walter Perkins and that 

solid, anonymous bassist, with Higgins 

and Montgomery matching one another in 

swing, invention and sheer elan. One of the 

most special moments comes on Thelonious 

Monk’s subtly dissonant ballad Ruby, My 

Dear, with Higgins supplying an abstract, 

bell-like introduction. 


The Fictive Five 

Larry Ochs 

Tzadik TZ 4012 (rova.org) 

!! 

Clues to saxophonist 

Larry Ochs’ 

expansive cinematic 

approach to 

composition are 

that three of four 

lengthy tracks here 

salute filmmakers 

Wim Wenders, Kelly Reichardt and William 

Kentridge. Just as those cineastes advanced 

diverse takes on the language of film, so Ochs 

references the free music breakthroughs of 

John Coltrane and Albert Ayler. More crucially 

though, in the same way that none of these 

filmmaker’s work replicates earlier productions 

– or each other’s ideas – so too is The 

Fictive Five project a step beyond the visions 

of Ayler and Trane. Plus like filmmaking 

this project is a group effort, the concepts of 

Ochs as writer-director are interpreted by 

a cast of Nate Wooley’s truculent trumpet 

sneers, drummer Harris Eisenstadt’s irregular 

splashes and snare splatters, the dynamolike 

pressure that emanates from dual bassists 

Ken Filiano and Pascal Niggenkemper, 

and like auteurs such as Orson Welles or John 

Cassavetes, a role for jagged abrasions that 

make up Ochs’ outlay on tenor and sopranino 

saxophone on the CD. 

Take By Any Other Name, the appropriately 

animated salute to South African 

artist and animator Kentridge, for instance. 

Here the bassists reveal their Internet-era 

adaptation of experimental music, judiciously 

tinging the thumping interchange with virtuosic 

strumming and twanging amplified by 

preparations and effects. As excitement is 

intensified via crying reed split tones, rimshot 

pitter-patter and bugle call-like brassiness 

from Wooley, the bass lines eventually 

divide, with one bassist ruggedly advancing 

the theme while the other comments on it 

with an archer’s bow-like vibrations. 

It’s this sort of intuitive communication 

that characterizes the rest of the CD 

as well. But expressiveness doesn’t have to 

mean stringent discordance. Translucent for 

example, dedicated to Reichardt, begins with 

Eisenstadt’s metal garbage-can lid approximating 

commotion intersecting with slobbering 

puffs and smears from the horns as 

the bassists put a choke hold on their instruments’ 

necks for more percussive pummelling. 

But by its climax – and the CD’s 

completion – tongue slaps and snarls turn 

to gnarly harmonies aided by banjo-like 

rhythmic plinks from the bassists. 

Like the themes engendered in a well-made 

film, the sounds here highlight affinity, as 

well as agitation, for proper dramatic effects. 

Ken Waxman 

Live at Literaturhaus 

The Living Room; Barry Guy 

Ilk 239 CD (ilkmusic.com) 

!! 

Demonstrating the 

distinction between 

fission and fusion, 

veteran British bassist 

Barry Guy partners 

the Danish 

Living Room trio in 

a timbre-suturinglike 

program that sounds like three improvisations 

from an integrated quartet rather 

than from a trio plus one. Sophisticated in the 

use of multifold string techniques, Guy has 

spent a half century intersecting with improv 

visionaries, so the challenges advanced by 

reedist Torben Snekkestad, keyboardist Søren 

Kjærgaard and drummer Thomas Strønen 

don’t faze him. 

However Live at Literaturhaus doesn’t 

become a Guy quartet session. Strønen’s 

cross-cut cymbal scratches and percussive 

buzzing; Kjærgaard’s high-frequency piano 

chording and judicious electric keyboard 

interjections; plus Snekkestad’s timbres from 

soprano and tenor saxophones and reed 

trumpet which often seem to be aggressively 

forced through a stainless steel strainer, are 

just as prominent. These pared guttural blows 

alongside the telephone static-like crackling 

from the other two Living Roomers in 

Part 1 bring out staccato stops from Guy, that 

alternate between lowing and squeaking. 

Before the 51-minute performance wraps up 

with an evocative yet muscular finale at the 

completion of Part 3, it’s only one strategy 

advanced by the four. Midway through Part 2, 

for instance, Snekkestad’s tenor timbres 


turns boudoir-like sensuous with equivalent 

hedonistic splashes from Kjærgaard’s 

piano. While Part 3 eventually locks together 

winnowing reed draughts, bass string 

pounding and drum ruffs, the first part of the 

last selection is as belligerent as a declaration 

of war. Triple-stopping sul ponticello strokes 

from the bassist, crowded, circularly breathed 

pitch alternations bubbling from Snekkestad’s 

horns and swelling dynamics from the 

keyboard(s), and descending accents and 

pauses from the drummer, lead to a narrative 

that slowly disappears, leaving echoes of 

peace and power. 

Ken Waxman 

From the Attic of My Mind 

Sam Most 

Xanadu Master Edition 906074 

(elemental-music.com) 

!! 

Herbie Mann may 

have been the most 

prolific; Pail Horn 

the most mystical; 

and Moe Koffman the 

one who composed 

the tune most closely 

identified with the 

instrument, but the 

musician who assuredly created a niche 

for the flute in modern jazz was Sam Most. 

Most (1930-2013) was an unprepossessing 

journeyman who spent most of his career 

in Hollywood studios and Las Vegas show 

bands. But by the early 1950s, his rhythmic 

overblowing and expanded colour palette 

fully confirmed the flute’s improvisationary 

dexterity. Backed matchlessly by pianist 

Kenny Barron, bassist George Mraz, drummer 

Walter Bolden and percussionist Warren 

Smith, the reissued 1978 session, From the 

Attic of My Mind, is doubly valuable since it’s 

the only CD made up completely of Most’s 

compositions. 

With an economy of phrasing and an 

extravagance of taste, Barron amplifies Most’s 

tonal strategies, whether it’s moderato lowpitched 

sonority on the bossa nova-like 

Breath of Love or the funky boogaloo of Keep 

Moving. In the latter, the flutist’s Rahsaan 

Roland Kirk-like note popping coupled 

with unison throat vocalizing is given extra 

impetus by Smith’s swiveling pulses and 

ratcheting pressures. Most also demonstrates 

his flexibility by transforming a romantic 

introduction that evolves from Mraz’s bowed 

bass lines into a jumping romp on Child of 

the Forest, and performing a similar feat 

with You Are Always the One that expands 

from a backwards turning ballad to a finger 

snapper with a solo that encompasses a quote 

from Manhattan, ornamental cadenzas and 

peeping beats. But it’s the simplicity of the 

blues that best showcase Most’s balance 

of passion and precision. His low-pitched 

rhythmic stutters intensify the earthy mood 

that a groove engendered by locked double 

bass and piano chording on Blue Hue begins; 

while Out of Sight in Mind contrasts his 

muscular flute lines with Barron’s most delicate 

pianism. 

Like an author whose freshness of style 

grew out of his initial ingenuity, and is recognized 

only after it has been put in the context 

of others’ prose that this CD confirms Most’s 

historical importance as a pioneering flutist 

while also preserving high-quality sounds. 

Ken Waxman 

POT POURRI 

Blackout 

Worst Pop Band Ever 

Independent (wpbe.bandcamp.com/music) 

!! 

The satirically 

named Worst Pop 

Band Ever (WPBE) 

has been crafting its 

eclectic blend of jazz, 

pop, funk, dance, 

soundtrack music 

and humour for a 

decade. Blackout is a 

fresh and successful take on a genre-hopping 

approach to music making that has seen a 

growing number of exponents in recent years. 

The two-keyboard mix of Dafydd Hughes and 

Adrean Farrugia combine with DJ LEO37’s 

turntables to create varied and unique 

textures over the rhythm section of Tim 

Shia and Drew Birston on drums and bass. 

Saxophonist Chris Gale is a powerful voice 

and the de facto singer in a group that doesn’t 

have one but certainly could. 

The group grafts wide-ranging musical 

elements onto each other that serve to 

subtly or not so subtly transform the source 

materials. Peachy Keen features modern jazz 

piano comping over a reggae feel that creates 

a surprisingly ideal setting for Chris Gale’s 

soulful saxophone solo. The abrupt switch to 

a full-out rock groove with electronica for the 

tune’s ending somehow seems completely 

appropriate. 

Satie-like chords float in from the crowd 

noise of Group Scene. The evocative piano 

melody gives way to Drew Birston’s melodic 

bass solo and synth textures heighten the 

atmosphere. Electric piano and Hammond 

B3 provide a classic backdrop for Adrean 

Farrugia’s funky Gospel. Farrugia and Gale 

solo exuberantly in the spirit of the tune. 

WPBE veers between being ironic and overt 

but it always wears its pop influences proudly. 

Ted Quinlan 

Some Fun Out of Life 

Rebecca Binnendyk 

Alma Records RBM63052 

(almarecords.com) 

!! 

Emerging Canadian jazz/pop-influenced 

vocalist/composer Rebecca Binnendyk has 

fired her opening 

professional salvo 

with an impressive 

and eclectic collection 

of standards from 

the Great American 

Songbook, contemporary 

pop tunes 

and original compositions. Equally impressive 

are her chosen collaborators, including 

exceptional producer/engineer John “Beetle” 

Bailey and yeoman musicians of her core 

group, Attila Fias on piano, Kevin Laliberte on 

guitar, bassist Drew Birston, drummer Davide 

Direnzo and dynamic percussionist Rosendo 

“Chendy” Leon. The tasty arrangements are 

credited to pianist Steve Wingfield, vocalist/ 

keyboardist Don Breithaupt and pianist/ 

composer/arranger (and Elton John alum), 

Charles Cozens. 

Thankfully, no gratuitous, uninformed scat 

singing will be found here – but what the 

listener will happily find is a pure, appealing 

vocal instrument, interesting musical choices, 

and a refreshingly forthright skill with the 

interpretation of a lyric – whether that lyric 

emanates from her own tunes, Tin Pan Alley 

or the mind of Jon Bon Jovi. 

As a composer, Binnendyk contributes two 

gorgeous offerings here: Stars, inspired by 

the untimely passing of troubled music icon 

Amy Winehouse, and also the inspiring Live 

Now. Additional standouts include the zesty 

title track (featuring a historically correct, 

depression-era arrangement) and Corinne 

Baily Rae’s mega-hit, Put Your Records On. 

Presented here as a horn-infused, soulful 

anthem of youth and longing, this performance 

works – whether sung in Waterloo, 

Ontario or Manchester, U.K. Another gem is 

a moving take on Joni Mitchell’s Night Ride 

Home, which features the masterful William 

Sperandei on trumpet. 

The eloquent closer is Charlie Chaplin’s 

Smile – simply presented – crystalline, classic 

and without artifice, not unlike a mine-cut 

diamond solitaire. 

Lesley Mitchell-Clarke 

Rock Bach 

Double-Double Duo 

Independent (doubledoubleduo.com) 

!! 

Think and listen 

before you make any 

assumptions about 

the musical combination 

of accordion 

and clarinet. Double- 

Double Duo is more 

than a sweet sugary 

sound. The imaginative musical mastery, 

unorthodox arrangements/transcriptions 

and tight ensemble playing of accordionist/ 

pianist Michael Bridge and clarinettist/pianist 

Kornel Wolak stretches boundaries in both 

the acoustic and electronic realms in this 

release featuring works from their live concert 

repertoire. 


The Brahms Rondo alla Zingarese is a 

more traditional transcription and exciting 

performance. In contrast, the four Scarlatti 

keyboard sonatas are given an eclectic transcription 

with the clarinet leading the contrapuntal 

lines and the free bass accordion 

offering harmonic and contrapuntal support. 

The title track Rock Bach is a musical stretch 

as J.S. Bach’s baroque style is shoved into 

modern-day sound machinations, complete 

with drum-kit crashes from the Roland electronic 

accordion. One may wonder what 

happened to the accordion in Petit Fleur 

(Bechet) and Flying Home (Goodman), 

as a flip of a switch and press of a button 

have Bridge’s Roland accordion emulate 

guitars, drums, keyboards etc. while Wolak 

wails through his clarinet leads. A traditional 

Bulgarian piece and Vivaldi’s Summer 

complete the package. 

Kudos for taking risks with listener favourites 

– one may not like the sound but there 

is so much care, energy, compassion and 

knowledge of divergent styles that their ideas 

must be respected. Detailed liner notes and 

more than the 35 minutes of music included 

here would be appreciated though. Looking 

forward to the next “refill” release! 

Tiina Kiik 

Petal 

Avataar 

InSound Records IS003 

(sundarmusic.com) 

!! 

For years before 

this first CD release, 

the Toronto worldjazz 

band Avataar 

paid its dues in workshops 

and gigs across 

Ontario. Reflecting 

the interest in the 

album, recently Petal 

received the 2016 Toronto Jazz Festival’s 

Special Projects Initiative award. What’s the 

buzz about? Avataar is led by the multiple 

JUNO-nominated jazz saxophonist, bansurist 

and composer Sundar Viswanathan. 

He’s solidly supported by an all-star band 

including local jazzers and world music 

heroes (several of whom lean heavily on 

Hindustani musical accents): Michael 

Occhipinti (guitar), Justin Gray (bass), Felicity 

Williams (voice), Ravi Naimpally (tabla) and 

Giampaolo Scatozza (drums). 

There are numerous solos by all concerned 

I could cite for praise, starting with wispy 

long lyrical melodies and searing hard bop 

gestures in the sax solos by Viswanathan. 

I also want to earmark the superb, always 

sensitive and sometimes exploratory guitar 

work throughout by Occhipinti – but 

each musician gets a solo to command in 

the album. 

Outstanding performances abound in 

the title track Petal (the space between). 

In it, guest Toronto keyboardist Robi Botos 

begins quietly by playing the grand piano’s 

strings muted with one hand, thus rendering 

a remarkably Hungarian cimbalom-like 

sonority and non-metric rhythmic density. 

Botos masterfully builds themes and textures 

with two hands aboard the keyboard. He’s 

joined by Viswanathan’s sax and Williams’ 

vocals in twinned melodic lines, sometimes 

in unison, while other times diverging 

into harmony with the rest of the band in 

supporting roles. 

Enhancing listening satisfaction is the 

initial sprinkling of atmospheric sounds in 

Agra, opening up the track’s soundscape to 

a glimpse of the world outside the Toronto 

studio. The pre-recorded spoken texts woven 

into the uplifting jazz hymn-like Petal 

(Ephemerata) are also handled skillfully. 

These are not just any words, but those which 

reflect the evanescence of human life spoken 

by Mahatma Gandhi, Osho, the Dalai Lama, 

Alan Watts, Swami Vivekananda and others, 

spiritual seekers all. They greatly amplify the 

positive emotion many listeners will experience 

in this music. 

Andrew Timar 

Ethno-Charango 

Surkalén 

Independent (surkalen.ca) 

!! 

Surkalén is a 

Quebec quartet of 

relatively recent 

vintage, which identifies 

its music as 

“ethno-fusion.” 

Three members of 

the band are Chileans 

who met in 2006 in Montreal. Claudio Rojas 

plays plucked strings, flutes and electric 

bass, the vocalist Sanda Ulloa also specializes 

on cuatro and percussion, while bass 

player Rony Dávila also plays guitar, cuatro 

and flutes. In 2009 the Russian-Canadian 

violinist Maria Demacheva joined them and 

Surkalén was born. 

The album title refers to the charango, a 

small guitar-like instrument of the Andes, 

whose sound permeates the entire album. As 

the group explains it, their name is derived 

from several languages. The “Sur” stands 

for their South American birthplaces, and 

“kalén” means “different” in the Selk’nam 

language of the indigenous people of the 

Patagonian region of southern Argentina and 

Chile, a culture referenced on the last track. 

While their geographies of origin define a 

significant part of their work here (particularly 

that of South America), Surkalén also 

embraces musical features of Europe, Africa, 

North India and the Middle East. These manifold 

transcontinental influences are at times 

startling, if not jarring, in their superimposition. 

For example the work Patagonia…, 

which at its core is almost new-age-y in its 

violin-led lyricism – played by Demacheva, 

who exhibits beautiful, secure classicallytrained 

tone – is at one point disturbed by 

an aggressive rock-like fuzz-toned electric 

bass solo. 

After repeated listing, it seems to me that 

despite referencing multiple geographically 

diverse musical performance aesthetic 

sources, Surkalén’s unifying feature is best 

characterized as a mix of vernacular music 

vocabularies and contemporary popular 

music studio values. It’s that approachable 

quality which probably accounts for 

most of the group’s warm reception and 

popular success. 

Andrew Timar 

Kalo-Yele 

Aly Keïta; Jan Galega Brönnimann; Lucas 

Niggli 

Intakt CD 261 (intaktrec.ch) 

!! 

This record marks 

a kind of homecoming 

for the Swiss 

drummer Lucas Niggli 

and reed player Jan 

Galega Brönnimann. 

The two became 

childhood friends 

in Cameroon and 

later played together in numerous bands in 

Switzerland and France during their teenage 

years. In the 30 years since, Niggli has 

focused on free jazz and composition while 

Brönnimann has played electronic jazz and 

world music. Presented with an opportunity 

to work with Aly Keïta, Côte d’Ivoire master of 

the balafon, a marimba-like instrument with 

calabash resonators, Niggli invited his old 

friend to make this a trio. 

The musical results are consistently 

remarkable. Niggli is at once one of the 

world’s most precise percussionists and 

one of the most creative, exploring a host of 

sounds from drums, cymbals and gongs while 

layering complex patterns and interacting 

with his partners. Aly Keïta has transformed 

the traditional balafon, crafting a chromatic 

version of the hyper-resonant instrument. 

Emphasizing his bass and contrabass clarinets, 

Brönnimann is as apt to play rhythmic 

patterns as traditional melodies. The parts 

all course together into a series of highly 

distinctive pieces, from the jazz-like beats of 

Niggli’s Bean Bag, to the piquant sweetness 

of Brönnimann’s wriggling soprano saxophone 

on Keïta’s joyously complex Abidjan 

Serenade, which gains layer upon layer of 

rhythm. Other fine moments include the 

sudden contrast of scraped cymbals and gritty 

contrabass clarinet on Brönnimann’s Bafut 

and the explosive riffing of Keïta’s Adjamé 

Street that concludes the CD. 

The music resounds with the discovery of a 

new world, an Africa of the imagination that 

has coalesced in a Bern recording studio. 



Something in the Air 

Young Blood Still Pumps in Jazz 

KEN WAXMAN 

Child prodigies really don’t exist in improvised music. Occasionally 

there may be some youngster known for jazz playing. But unlike other 

musics which depend on a performer having a cute image or being 

able to copy what’s on the score paper, improvising demands full 

exposure of an inner self. Lacking maturity, the majority of these tyros 

soon disappear. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t young improvising 

musicians. But to create notable works, like the skills of exceptional 

actors or visual artists, true musical talent is almost always 

refined during the player’s 20s or 30s. 

Take German percussionist Christian 

Lillinger, 31, for instance. An in-demand 

sideman and leader of smaller bands for the 

past few years, the septet he assembles on 

Grund (Pirouet PIT 3086 pirouet.com) allows 

him to craft interlocking arrangements for the 

11 tunes he composed. Except for his singular 

incisive drum beats which underline or put 

into bold face the cumulative sound, Grund is an exercise in parallelism. 

There are two saxophonists, Pierre Borel and Tobias Delius; two 

double bassists, Jonas Westergaard and Robert Landfermann; while 

Christopher Dell’s vibraphone and Achim Kaufmann’s piano are the 

chordal instruments. Like a well-drilled military unit this is a group 

effort. Lean and taut, each of the drummer’s tunes is directed from 

behind via stick-slapping nerve beats, cymbal taps or positioned rolls, 

allowing Kaufmann’s piano or tongue-slapping reeds to create the 

declarative theme statement, with Dell’s vibes scattering reflective 

tone colours like new paint glittering on a surface. Most reflective of 

the moods the seven engender are the adjoining Blumer and Malm. 

The latter is pitched so that it sounds like a Jazz Messengers LP played 

at 45 rpm with Delius’ sharp clarinet tones adding atonality, while the 

vibes lighten the mood. When barroom piano-styled pumps and dual 

horn flutter tonguing threaten to derail the narrative, regular drum 

thwacks push the theme back on track. In contrast Blumer is organized 

like a gentle chamber piece with first vibes, then piano and 

finally swaying horns voicing the melody. What could be jejune is 

transformed as the low-energy narrative is agitated by a clip-clop 

drum beat. Buzzing dual bass lines, rolling piano chords or atonal sax 

explorations are prominent elsewhere. But whether the results are 

balladic or bombastic, the spackle-like fills from Lillinger’s percussion 

patterns consistently and distinctively glue the parts together. 

French alto saxophonist Pierre Borel, 28, is 

also one of the voices in the Berlin-based 

quartet Die Hochstapler, along with fellow 

Gaul, trumpeter Louis Laurain, 31; Italian 

bassist Antonio Borghini, 38; and German 

drummer Hannes Lingens 35. Dedicated to 

aleatoric strategies that mix notation and 

improvisation, Die Hochstapler’s The Music of 

Alvin R. Buckley (Umlaut ub007 umlautreords.com) 

is inspired by the probability theory of researcher and 

musician Buckley (1929-1964) who apparently abandoned music after 

an encounter with Karlheinz Stockhausen. Never particularly jazzy, 

although the concluding Playing Cards easily fits into that idiom with 

walking bass and parry-and-thrust movement from the horns as if 

participants in a speed-chess match, the CD’s five tunes are instead 

concerned with how many unexpected strategies can be teased out of 

an initial theme statement. Lingens’ rhythm accents are placed with 

clocklike regularity or expressed in free metre to intensify the 

steaming emotionalism from Laurain and Borel. A further trope slyly 

combines martial-like beats with oblique exaggerations related to 

modern chamber recitals. Layered horn tones are particularly evident 

on…ce que le ver est a la pomme as phrasing ranges from those replicating 

wind-shaking trees to fortissimo porcine snorts. Elaborating 

the tune as they deconstruct it, the saxophonist’s squeaks, runs and 

the drummer’s press rolls move in and out of bop emulation before 

torrid trumpet toots thrust the piece back to swing underpinnings. 

Other performances include players lobbing divergent sequences until 

a melody connects as if plopping pieces in winning order in a game of 

Chinese checkers. Dribbling reed vibrations, smoothly bowed bass 

strings and focused paradiddles suggest calming cool jazz swing on 

every bird must be catalogued; or an unexpected foot-tapping melody 

can arise after bellicose brass plunger tones and body tube sax growls 

are regularized into an upbeat theme on le musician est au son. 

Another musician who has created his own 

sound is French violinist/violist Théo Ceccaldi, 

29, whose quartet on Petit Moutarde (ONJazz 

JP-001 onj.org), performs music he composed 

inspired by French director René Clair’s 1924 

Dadaist short film Entr’acte. The CD is twice 

the length of the movie, but its initial tracks 

are crafted organically enough to accompany 

the film. (Try it yourself with a muted Internet version of Entr’acte). 

But Petit Moutarde is much more than that. Balancing his superior 

training in notated music with the jazz sophistication of Alexandra 

Grimal, 35, who plays tenor, soprano and sopranino saxophones plus 

vocalizes wordlessly here, the music isn’t some hybrid jazz/classical 

soundtrack but a melange that stands on its own. With drummer 

Florian Satche both time-keeping and layering the tracks with cymbal 

scratches and other unconventional percussion techniques plus 

bassist Ivan Gélugne alternating between string slaps and rubbing arco 

concordance with Ceccaldi or Grimal, visuals aren’t necessary. 

Although some portions of the tracks are purposefully as herky-jerky 

as the movements in Clair’s film, overall blistering modernism overcomes 

bal musette-like nostalgia. Bowed bass strings make a proper 

backing for the fiddler’s Paganini-like display on Petit Wasabi for 

instance, as curbed and cantilevered swipes fly with upwards 

enthusiasm. Double counterpoint from violin and saxophone complement 

one another like steak and frites on Petit Chipotle, as Grimal’s 

fragile stutters are reflected by Ceccaldi’s delicate stops. Swing can also 

be displayed at breakneck speed as on Petit Harissa, when tenor saxophone 

tonal squirts and fused staccato rubbing from double bass and 

violin strings join focused press rolls to produce limitless excitement. 

More excitement is apparent on Green Light 

(MultiKulti MPTO 12 multikulti.com), where 

Poles, clarinetists Wacław Zimpel, 32, and 

percussionist Hubert Zemler 35, play on equal 

terms with well-known American new music 

improvisers, clarinetist Evan Ziporyn and 

guitarist Gyan Riley. Beginning as if the tracks 

present a sonic slide show of someone’s recent 

travels, tambura, frame drum and bell-like echoes intermingle with 

Western chamber music tropes including delicate guitar plinks and 

reed tone layering. The CD reaches an early climax with the instant 

composition Chemical Wood, as Ziporyn pecks out spangled bent 

notes through the harsh continuum created by Zimpel blowing both 

melody and drone from an alghoza or Punjabi woodwind. Since the 

idea of Green Light is cooperative not solipsistic, the American clarinetist 

joins in congruent improvisation with his Polish counterpart on 

tunes like Melismantra. Backed by hard strokes from Riley’s guitar, 

reed tones are tensely intermingled, with Ziporyn’s clear tones puffing 

out lines in unison with Zimpel’s rugged altissimo gulps. Even more 

cross-culturally cooperative is Gupta Gamini, the Zimpel-composed 

final track. Processional, with echoes of Polish as well as subcontinent 

folk music, the narrative is kept in motion by tremolo layering from 

the two horns. Using electric guitar, Riley’s corrosive licks reverberate 

like torn electrical wires adding a barbed interface. After a pause, the 

theme finally relaxes into a coda that is a dual showpiece for the reeds’ 

spectacular upward flutter tonguing. 

There's more "... In the Air" at thewholenote.com 


Old Wine, New Bottles | Fine Old Recordings Re-Released 

Thinking Inside the Box 

The Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal was known as the best 

French orchestra outside France, thanks to their conductor, 

Charles Dutoit and Decca Records. With the death of Ernest 

Ansermet in 1969 Decca had lost their man-about-French-repertoire 

and were very concerned about having no long-term exclusive 

replacement. Ray Minshull, a producer for Decca was visiting 

an artist in Montreal in February 1980 and, fortuitously, attended a 

rehearsal with the Montreal Symphony. “Immediately” he writes, “it 

was apparent that our search was over and that I had stumbled upon 

the solution to our problem. Within two days an exclusive contract 

was agreed and the following July we recorded the OSM in a CD of 

violin concertos with Kyung-Wha Chung, another of Rodrigo’s guitar 

concertos and Ravel’s complete Daphnis and Chloe. When the new 

recordings were launched, the reception from both critics and public 

was so enthusiastic…especially in France and Great Britain that we 

knew that, at last, we had found what we had missed for so long.” 

Decca has issued a boxed set of their recordings, simply titled Dutoit 

Montreal (4789466) comprised of 35 CDs in replicas of the original 

cover art, an 83-page booklet with recording details, two essays by Ray 

Minshull and an appreciation by Andrew Stewart. 

Decca proceeded with its original intention, 

recording the orchestra playing mainly 

works by French composers while leaving the 

German repertoire to others in their stable. 

In this really impressive collection, therefore, 

there is no Bach, Beethoven or Brahms 

although there are four Mendelssohn overtures 

from 1986 and a 1983 reading of Orff’s 

Carmina Burana. 

The discs are arranged by date of recording and here are but some 

of the highlights. The complete Daphnis et Chloé (1980); Boléro, 

Rapsodie Espagnole and La Valse (1981); The Three-Cornered Hat 

and El Amor Brujo (1981); Saint-Saëns Symphony No.3 (1982) 

and Chausson Symphony in B-Flat Op.20 (1995); the two Ravel 

Piano Concertos with Pascal Rogé (1982); Respighi Pines of Rome, 

Fountains of Rome and Roman Festivals (1982); Rimsky-Korsakov’s 

Scheherazade (1983); Gaîté Parisienne (1983); Le Sacre du Printemps 

[1921 version], The Firebird, etc. (1984) and Petrouchka (1986); the 

Fauré Requiem with Kiri Te Kanawa and Sherrill Milnes (1987); The 

Planets (1986); Bartók Concerto for Orchestra and Music for Strings, 

Percussion and Celesta (1987); Debussy Images and Nocturnes (1988); 

Franck Symphony in D Minor and D’Indy Symphony on a French 

Mountain Air with Jean-Yves Thibaudet (1989); two Tchaikovsky 

complete ballets, Swan Lake (1991) and The Nutcracker (1992); 

Piazzolla Tangazo (2000), etc. 

In addition to the above, there are other major works and about 50 

other pieces ranging from Hugo Alfrén’s Swedish Rhapsody No.1 to 

Ambroise Thomas’ once-popular Raymond Overture. A most desirable 

and attractive collection. Last year Decca signed a five-year 

contract with Kent Nagano and the OSM. 

Emil Gilels (1916-1985) was one of the very greatest pianists of the 

20th century. He was born in Odessa the legendary city that produced 

so many other extraordinarily gifted musicians. Arthur Rubinstein, 

after hearing the 16-year-old Gilels play in Odessa, proclaimed that 

“If that boy ever comes to America I might just as well pack my bags 

and go.” As the liner notes mention, Gilels did and Rubinstein didn’t. 

Gilels graduated from the Odessa Conservatory in 1935 and moved to 

the Moscow Conservatory where he studied with Heinrich Neuhaus 

and later became a teacher there. He won competitions galore and 

BRUCE SURTEES 

made his North American debut in 1955 when 

he played the Tchaikovsky B-Minor Concerto 

(surprise!) with Eugene Ormandy and the 

Philadelphia Orchestra. His debut in Britain 

was in 1959. 

Acclaimed for his astonishing power 

and stupendous technique, the depth of 

his artistry and interpretive insights went 

unrecognized for a time. He made recordings 

in Russia and after taking the West by storm in 1955 his name 

appeared on many labels including EMI, RCA and Westminster (whose 

issues were of Soviet origin). However, his very best recordings were 

made with DG who consistently provided the best venues and associates 

and engineers. They are all in this boxed set, Emil Gilels, The 

Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon (4794651) with 24 

CDs and a 68 page booklet telling all. 

The superiority of these mighty performances and the dynamics of 

the recordings immediately put these releases in a class by themselves 

and they happily remain so in these flawlessly engineered reissues. 

Here are some examples. 

All but six of the Beethoven Piano Sonatas. The two Brahms Piano 

Concertos with Jochum and the BPO; Brahms’ First Piano Quartet 

with members of the Amadeus Quartet; Chopin, Sonata No.3 and 

three Polonaises; 20 Grieg Lyric Pieces; Mozart’s Piano Concerto 

No.27 and Concerto No.10 for two pianos with daughter Elena, both 

with Karl Böhm and the VPO; Schubert’s Trout Quintet with the 

Amadeus Quartet. 

The last seven discs contain recordings derived from the 

Westminster copies of the Melodiya originals from which the highlight 

for me is a sparklingly articulate, Prokofiev Third Piano Concerto with 

Kondrashin and the USSR Radio Symphony Orchestra recorded in 

March 1955. As an aside, in 1946 the New York Philharmonic 

Symphony performed the Prokofiev Third under Artur Rodzinski with 

pianist Nadia Reisenberg who was the only one of the big name pianists 

prepared to do so. Other disc-mates include an Emperor Concerto 

with Kurt Sanderling from Leningrad and Kabalevsky’s Piano 

Concerto No.3 conducted by the composer. Also a wealth of encoretype 

solos, sonatas and trios with Leonid Kogan, Rostropovich and 

Rudolf Barshai. 

Known for his poetic approach, pianist 

Dino Ciani remains a cult figure since his 

untimely death at the age of 32 in a car accident 

in Rome in 1974. Ciani’s recordings for 

DGG are available on CD and, as is usual with 

cult figures, his followers seek out releases 

of his live performances. Following Doremi’s 

Volume One which includes live performances 

of the Beethoven First and Third Piano 

Concertos, Volume Two features a newly discovered live performance 

in excellent stereo sound from the French radio archives of Chopin’s 

First Piano Concerto with Aldo Ceccato conducting the ORTF 

orchestra in the Salle Pleyel in 1971. The performance is very much his 

own, sensitive and communicating. 

The rest of this edition (DHR-8044-6, 3 CDs) includes works by 

Chopin, Liszt, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, 

Bartók and Beethoven…all new to CD. His performances of three 

Beethoven sonatas live from Verona in 1973 reveal Ciani to be an 

outstanding Beethoven performer. 


® 

CBC Radio Two: The Golden Years 

Brett Dean, James MacMillan and the 

New Music Festival Phenomenon 

DAVID JAEGER 

The presence of both Australian 

composer/conductor/violist Brett 

Dean and Scottish composer/ 

conductor Sir James MacMillan in Toronto 

for concerts the same week (March 5 to 

12) creates the possibility of the artistic 

equivalent of a seismic event. Dean is the 

curator of this year’s TSO New Creations 

Festival at Roy Thomson Hall and MacMillan 

conducts Soundstreams’ Choir 21 at the 

Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, as well as concerts 

in Waterloo and Kingston. Dean and 

MacMillan, both in their mid-50s, are both 

prolific composers and winners of major 

international honours. They’re also in great 

demand, conducting their music around the 

world; it’s a fortunate coincidence that they 

should both be in Toronto the same week. It’s 

also fortunate that the concert dates do not 

conflict: the New Creations dates are March 5, 

9 and 12; the Soundstreams Toronto concert 

is March 8. 

Another interesting coincidence is the 

fact that both these artists came into prominence 

in the early 1990s, the same time as 

many Canadian orchestras seized upon the 

new music festival format as a way of introducing 

audiences to contemporary repertoire. 

This happened first in Winnipeg, and in fact, 

this past January, the Winnipeg Symphony 

Orchestra celebrated the 25th anniversary of 

their New Music Festival. The WSO’s festival 

has been so successful that it remains one of 

their signature events, one that has contributed 

to the rebranding of the orchestra, so much 

so that its last two music directors, Andrey Boreyko and Alexander 

Mickelthwate, were both attracted to Winnipeg on 

the reputation of the New Music Festival. The WSO’s 

concept of presenting new orchestral music in a 

festival format was copied soon after by orchestras 

in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton 

and other communities. The music of Dean and 

MacMillan was first heard in Canada in such 

festivals. 

The significance of the WSO’s bold initiative in 

1992 cannot be overstated. It was the first time a 

major Canadian orchestra had committed its full 

organizational resources to the production of a 

week-long contemporary music festival, one that 

featured both new Canadian orchestral works 

as well as important international works. Music 

director Bramwell Tovey, composer-in-residence 

Glenn Buhr and the late executive director Max 

Tapper had contacted me in 1991 to ask whether I, 

as executive producer of Two New Hours on CBC 

Radio Two, would be interested in broadcasting 

music from the contemporary music festival they 

were planning. I saw this as an exciting opportunity 

and immediately promised that not only 

would we broadcast as many concerts from their 

festival as the Two New Hours budget could 

afford, but I would also be prepared to contribute 

an event which we would broadcast live, to show 

our support for the WSO’s innovative programming 

approach. 

On Sunday night, January 19th, 1992, Two 

New Hours presented a contemporary piano 

recital by Christina Petrowska Quilico, live to air 

on CBC Radio Two, from the Centennial Concert 

Hall in Winnipeg. The recital included music by 

Canadians Omar Daniel, Steven Gellman, Peter 

Paul Koprowski, Sid Robinovitch and Ann Southam and acclaimed 

Let your journey through 5,000 years of civilization begin… 


international composers Frederic Rzewski 

and Toru Takemitsu. The WSO’s production 

team, not sure how best to market a recitalist 

in their 2,500-seat hall, decided to put up 

risers on the stage, as the main seating area, 

in case the attendance was small. Those 700 

riser seats filled quickly, and the WSO’s 

management team watched in amazement 

as another 1,000 people then took “overflow” 

seats in the main section of the hall. It was 

clear from that moment that the New Music 

Festival would be a great success. And needless 

to say, Christina played a brilliant program, 

cheered on, as she was, by the enthusiastic mob 

of listeners who surrounded her, which 

in turn made a wonderfully sparkling 

live broadcast. 

The early success of the WSO’s festival 

attracted more than just ticket buyers. 

Composers, publishers, arts councils, 

soloists and indeed other CBC Radio 

Two network music programs also took 

notice. By the next year, the WSO’s New 

Music Festival could already call itself 

an international festival, thanks to the 

worldwide distribution of our CBC 

Radio broadcasts over the programexchange 

protocol managed by the 

European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 

Through an alliance I built with other 

CBC radio music shows, we were able 

to broadcast all the festival concerts 

for the next several seasons. By the 

time the WSO’s New Music Festival 

celebrated its tenth anniversary the 

list of international “star” composers 

who had been featured incuded 

Americans John Corigliano, Aaron 

Jay Kernis, David Del Tredici and 

Christopher Rouse; Estonian 

Arvo Pärt, Englishmen Gavin 

Glenn Buhr 

The New Music Festival: the Early Years. 

All photographs courtesy Don Anderson from 

his book Tuning the Forks - A Celebration 

of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra 

Bryars and Mark-Anthony Turnage; Dutchman Louis Andriessen and 

Austrian HK Gruber. Literally hundreds of Canadian works had been 

performed. A memorable moment at the end of the 1996 New Music 

Festival was the spectacle of the usually taciturn Arvo Pärt, receiving 

an ovation on stage, and crying out, “Thank you, Winnipeg.” 

Bramwell Tovey 

The success of the Winnipeg festival 

proved that a well-programmed and 

properly promoted new music festival 

could draw substantial audiences. It 

also made for exciting, irresistible 

radio programming. Brett Dean, this 

year’s TSO New Creatons curator, 

was featured as both viola soloist and 

composer in the 2003 edition of the 

WSO’s festival, including a showstopping 

performance of Styx, the 

dramatic viola concerto by Georgian 

composer Giya Kancheli. Dean had 

been introduced to Canadian radio 

listeners when we programmed his 

clarinet concerto, Ariel’s Music, on 

Two New Hours in 1995, after it 

was selected at the International 

Rostrum of Composers in Paris. 

At that time Dean was just emerging 

as a composer, having spent 

14 years in the viola section of the Berlin 

Philharmonic Orchestra. 

But now, Dean and the aforementioned Sir James 

MacMillan are both recognized as mature composers, and 

we’ll have excellent examples of their best works during 

their respective appearances here, thanks to Soundstreams 

and the TSO. MacMillan will conduct a choral program 

with Soundstreams’ Choir 21 that includes his profound 

and powerful Seven Last Words from the Cross and his 

lovely setting of Robbie Burns’ The Gallant Weaver, along 

with works by Canadians James Rolfe and Murray Schafer 

and Norwegian Knut Nystedt. Dean and the TSO, with 

music director Peter Oundjian, will bring us Dean’s Viola 

Concerto (with Dean as viola soloist), his trumpet concerto, 

Dramatis Personae (Hakån Hardenberger, trumpet soloist) 

and the cantata, Knocking at the Hellgate (Russell Braun, 

baritone soloist), along with world premieres by Canadian 

composers Kevin Lau and Paul Frehner and other international 

repertoire. 

March 5 to 12 promises to be a sublimely raucous and 

exciting week of new music in the community. I’ll definitely be going 

to it all! 

David Jaeger is a composer, producer and 

broadcaster based in Toronto. 


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Volume 21 Issue 6 - March 2016

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