Volume 24 Issue 5 - February 2019

PRICELESS
Vol 24 No 5
FEBRUARY 2019
CONCERT LISTINGS
FEATURES | REVIEWS
Glenn Gould Prize Laureate
Jessye Norman

Photo Credits: Jessye Norman - Carol Friedman; Glenn Gould Prize Statue - Ruth Abernethy
“To have been chosen to receive this
auspicious recognition is quite simply
breath-taking!” – Jessye Norman,
Twelfth Glenn Gould Prize Laureate
FEATURING UNFORGETTABLE
PERFORMANCES BY:
NINA STEMME
Soprano
SONDRA
RADVANOVSKY
Soprano
PUMEZA MATSHIKIZA
Soprano
WALLIS GIUNTA
Mezzo-soprano
SUSAN PLATTS
Mezzo-soprano
RODRICK DIXON
Tenor
RYAN SPEEDO GREEN
Bass Baritone
CONDUCTORS:
Donald Runnicles,
Jean-Philippe Tremblay,
Bernard Labadie and
Johannes Debus
SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE BY
the Nathaniel Dett Chorale, Brainerd Blyden-Taylor;
the Orchestra of The Canadian Opera Company
GUEST APPEARANCE BY
Glenn Gould Prize jury chair Viggo Mortensen
PROGRAMME: Wagner, Verdi, Mahler, Strauss, Bizet,
Mozart and more.
NOW ON SALE!
GLENN GOULD PRIZE
GALA CONCERT
HONOURING
JESSYE NORMAN
The greatness of music speaks for itself when
Jessye Norman sings.”
– Washington Post
Wednesday, February 20, 2019, 7:30 p.m.
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen St. W.
Purchase Tickets From the Canadian Opera
Company Box Office 416-363-8231
or visit: www.glenngould.ca
The Glenn Gould Foundation in partnership with the
Canadian Opera Company presents the Twelfth Glenn
Gould Prize Gala Concert celebrating Jessye Norman for her
unparalleled artistry and life of humanitarian achievement.
Be sure to join us for this once-in-a-lifetime event honouring
one of the greatest singers of our time, Jessye Norman, as a
stellar array of today’s top artists lift their voices in tribute,
and Ms. Norman takes the stage to receive the Prize.
EXCITING Glenn Gould Prize events in honour of Jessye
Norman, the Glenn Gould Prize and Black History
Month will take place February 11-20, 2019 at the TIFF
Bell Lightbox, the Toronto Reference Library and the
University of Toronto Faculty of Music – Explore Opera in
Film, Black Opera and hear Jessye Norman speak!
Visit www.glenngould.ca for details.

2018/19 Season
TALES OF TWO CITIES:
THE LEIPZIG-DAMASCUS
COFFEE HOUSE
Feb 21–24, 2019
Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre
Elisa Citterio, Music Director
Created by Alison Mackay
Alon Nashman, Narrator
with Trio Arabica
tafelmusik.org
ALSO THIS MONTH:
“Onofri is a magician on the violin.”
—The Guardian
THE
TEMPESTOUS
VIOLIN
Enrico Onofri, guest director and violin
Feb 7–10, 2019
Jeanne Lamon Hall,
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
Feb 12, 2019
George Weston Recital Hall,
Toronto Centre for the Arts
Our 2019/20 season will be announced this month. Sign up online for updates.
GWRH Supported by
MARGARET AND JIM FLECK

Sunday March 24, 2019
8:00pm Concert | 7:15pm Pre-Concert Chat | Koerner Hall
Grand Slam!
Music by Unsuk Chin | Maki Ishii | Christopher Thornborrow
Guest Artists Joseph Johnson, cello | Ryan Scott, percussion
ESPRIT
ORCHESTRA
Alex Pauk, Founding Music Director & Conductor
Season Sponsor
Buy Tickets
espritorchestra.com
Koerner Hall Box Office
416 408 0208
Follow us

2405_FebCover.indd 1
PRICELESS
Vol 24 No 5
2019-01-23 3:28 PM
ON OUR COVER
Volume 24 No 5 | February 2019
HANDEL Dixit Dominus
BACH & SCHÜTZ Motets
FEBRUARY 2019
CONCERT LISTINGS
FEATURES | REVIEWS
Glenn Gould Prize Laureate
Jessye Norman
PHOTO: ANNIE LEIBOVITZ
FEATURES
7 OPENER | Let’s Talk About
Some Other Weather, Shall
We? | DAVID PERLMAN
8 ON OUR COVER |
Celebrating Jessye
Norman | DAVID PERLMAN
12 IN CONVERSATION | The
Angel Speaks: with Edwin
Huizinga | JENNIFER PARR
JESSYE NORMAN, Glenn Gould Prize Laureate
Sometimes, as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand
words. Sometimes, though, it can take a couple of thousand
words to do full justice to a picture. This month’s cover
photograph of Jessye Norman, the 12th Glenn Gould Prize
Laureate, was taken by Annie Leibovitz in 1988, and titled
at the time “Jessye Norman (singing), New York City.” But,
interestingly, that’s not what the cutline to the image we
created the cover from says. The story starts on page 8.
16 IN CONVERSATION |
“Excitement and Danger”:
pianist Danny Driver |
PAUL ENNIS
65 WE ARE ALL MUSIC’S
CHILDEN | March’s Child |
MJ BUELL
86 REARVIEW MIRROR |
Remembering Neil Crory |
ROBERT HARRIS
ACD2 2790
Ottawa Bach Choir
Daniel Taylor countertenor
Ensemble Caprice
Lisette Canton direction
JOHN ZORN
Chamber Music
13
ACD2 2774
Molinari Quartet
JUST RELEASED !
G R I G O R I A N . C O M

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Garry Page, Andrew Schaefer, Tom Sepp, Dagmar
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BEAT BY BEAT
18 Classical & Beyond |
PAUL ENNIS
22 In with the New |
WENDALYN BARTLEY
25 World View | ANDREW TIMAR
27 Choral Scene | BRIAN CHANG
29 Early Music |
MATTHEW WHITFIELD
31 On Opera | CHRISTOPHER HOILE
34 Music Theatre | JENNIFER PARR
36 Jazz Notes | STEVE WALLACE
38 Bandstand | JACK MACQUARRIE
57 Mainly Clubs, Mostly Jazz |
COLIN STORY
LISTINGS
40 A | Concerts in the GTA
53 B | Concerts Beyond the GTA
56 C | Music Theatre
57 D | In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz)
59 E | The ETCeteras
27
DISCOVERIES:
RECORDINGS REVIEWED
66 Editor’s Corner | DAVID OLDS
67 Strings Attached |
TERRY ROBBINS
69 Keyed In | ALEX BARAN
71 Vocal
72 Classical and Beyond
76 Modern and Contemporary
78 Jazz and Improvised Music
81 Pot Pourri
82 Something in the Air |
KEN WAXMAN
84 Old Wine, New Bottles |
BRUCE SURTEES
MORE
6 Contact Information
7 Upcoming dates and
deadlines
63 Classified Ads
SPECIAL SECTION
IN THIS ISSUE | pg 64 & 65
SUMMER MUSIC EDUCATION |
Early Bird Edition
Summer programs with early
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6 | February 2019 thewholenote.com

FOR OPENERS | DAVID PERLMAN
Let’s Talk About Some Other
Weather, Shall We?
There’s a great little anecdote in Paul Ennis’ Classical and
Beyond column this issue. The composer Robert Schumann is
pleading with a conductor, by name of Wilhelm Taubert, to try to
get his charges to buy into the spirit of Schumann’s Symphony
No.1 “Spring” in their playing. “If only you could breathe into
your orchestra, when it plays, that longing for spring!” Schumann
laments, and then goes into a long and detailed programmatic
explanation of all the vernal twists and turns and nuances of
the piece (which was written in the dead of winter). There’s an
additional twist to the story, but I won’t spoil it.
All this is by way of preamble to the following: if you do as
I say, not as I do, you should consider starting to plan right
now for what you are going to do in the way of musical selfimprovement
this coming summer. That way you at least stand
a chance of not finding yourself, as I chronically do, every
September, wondering where the hell the summer went in
terms of any kind of musical growth.
Opportunities for summer music education are not an automatic
hot topic, if you’ll excuse the expression, while you are
shovelling snow. Reality is, though, that lots of places have
application deadlines, or a finite number of spots for applicants.
So chances are if you wait till the weather feels summery
as your cue, you might miss out on something. We’ve traditionally
waited till our March issue to supply readers with information
about summer music educational opportunities, but even
March is too late for some. So this year we’ve made a spot in
the February issue for camps and programs with early deadlines
(there are four such profiles in this issue of the magazine,
all with imminent deadlines). Better still, we’ve started posting
camp and program profiles as we receive them – there were ten
at the moment of writing this with more coming in all the time
– so you don’t even have to wait till March. Just go to thewholenote.com/resources
and start feeling warm and tingly all over.
And a happy new year to you too!
One of the great advantages of publishing a combined
December/January issue, as we have always done, is not having
to deal with the mandatory end of year stuff in the heat of the
moment (if you’ll pardon the expression). You know, looking
grimly back at the (good riddance) old year out of one side of
my face, and determinedly cheerfully forward, out of the other side, at
a year that has to be better than last year was.
This way, I get an extra month to warm to the task. So belatedly, dear
reader, I wish you a musically fruitful 2019. If February’s calendar is
any indication, there’s plenty out there for the picking.
Lydia Perović and David Jaeger will return
Two absentees, this month, from our usual writing corps. David
Jaeger is fulfilling the commitment he made in the December issue –
to head off to Winnipeg for a late January new music getaway, the 2019
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra New Music Festival (WNMF). “The
late Larry Lake, host of the CBC Radio 2 network new music series,
Two New Hours, (1978–2007) called the WSO’s festival, ‘The greatest
new music party in the Universe!’” Jaeger wrote. “What else is there
to do when it’s -18C with windchill making it feel like -30C?” Toronto
cynics might ask. Oh, wait. That’s today’s Toronto weather, as we
dipsy-doodle in the polar vortex. So what are you waiting for, people?
It’s time to party!
Lydia Perović’s Art of Song column will also return, in the spring
(there’s that word again!). Places to go, books to write! That kind of
thing. Meanwhile I said I’d look out for breaking news on her beat so,
to break the ice, how about the news that internationally acclaimed
Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka has been appointed Vocal
Chair and head of the vocal department of the Glenn Gould School
(GGS) at the Royal Conservatory, the first such appointment in the
school’s history?
And for those of you missing Perović’s pointers as to concerts of
art song interest this issue, a friendly reminder that the “Just Ask”
feature in our online listings enables you to select “solo voice” to filter
the listings.
From GGS to GGF
Closer to 40 than 30 years after his death, Glenn Gould’s name is a
permanent fixture in this magazine, as witness the passing reference
to the GGS in the previous paragraph, and to the GGF, in our cover
story starting on the next page. There’s another passing, but pointed,
reference to Gould that I want to call your attention to though, in
this issue: in Robert Harris’s Rear View Mirror on page 86. Genius, as
Harris explains, comes in different forms.
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Thursday February 28 (print
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April 7, 2019
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thewholenote.com February 2019 | 7

FEATURE
CELEBRATING
JESSYE
NORMAN
12TH GLENN GOULD PRIZE LAUREATE
TORONTO, FEBRUARY 11 TO 20, 2019
DAVID PERLMAN
CAROL FRIEDMAN
Jessye Norman (singing), New York City.
Hunt down the photograph of Jessye Norman that
graces our cover in the Prints & Photographs Online
Catalog of the US Library of Congress in Washington
D.C. and you will discover that it was taken in 1988 by
acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz and titled “Jessye
Norman (singing), New York City.” (The cutline for the
image in the version we received from Universal Music to
make our cover from is titled “Jessye Norman is Carmen,”
but we’ll get back to that factoid once we’ve browsed the
Library’s holdings a little further.)
The photo on our cover seems to be the only Leibovitz photo in the
library’s print and photo online catalogue. But it’s far from the only
Jessye Norman image listed there: there are photos of her singing
during Bill Clinton’s 1997 inauguration and, the previous year, at the
1996 Democratic National Convention; there are sketches of her, alone
and with conductor Seiji Ozawa, by illustrator Tracy Sugarman; and
there is a photograph listed of her singing, in the Capitol Rotunda in
June 1999, during a ceremony to award the Congressional Medal of
Honour to Rosa Parks, the Alabama seamstress whose 1955 refusal
to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus to a white man could be
said to have sparked the campaign of disobedience that launched the
American civil rights movement. ‘’This will be encouragement for all
of us to continue until all people have equal rights,’’ the then-86-yearold
Parks said in accepting the medal, just moments after Norman’s
voice filled the Rotunda with the strains of John Rosamond Johnson
and James Weldon Johnson’s anthemic Lift Every Voice and Sing.
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
let us march on till victory is won.
“Jessye Norman is Carmen”
If one searches a list of all the Library’s holdings beyond prints and
photographs, a sense of the full scope and scale of Norman’s artistic
contribution over the decades starts to emerge: films, interviews, her
own 2014 memoir, Stand Up Straight and Sing!, and almost 100 audio
recordings, from spirituals to song cycles, from sacred works to the
grandest of grand opera, reflective of an astounding technical range
(she has sung soprano, mezzo-soprano and alto roles throughout
her career), broad and adventurous musical tastes, and a lifetime of
collaboration with artistic colleagues who, like her, are among the
greatest of the great.
Tucked away among these recordings
is one from 1988, the year in which
our cover photo was taken, which sheds
light on the “Jessie Norman Is Carmen”
cutline under the file of the photograph
sent to us by Universal Music for
our cover use. It is a Philips recording
of Bizet’s Carmen, with Norman in the
title role, and Mirella Freni, Neil Shicoff,
and Simon Estes, among others, in
the cast. It was made between July 13
and 22 1988, in the Grand Auditorium de Radio France, with Seiji
Ozawa conducting the Orchestre national de France. Sure enough, if
you hunt out images of the cover of that record, you will find yourself
face to face with this same photograph, only in colour. You would
never think, though, looking at the photograph in that context, that
it was ever intended for any other purpose. It seems to be a picture
of Norman inhabiting a role as fully and easily as the blanket drawn
around her.
8 | February 2019 thewholenote.com

GREAT CHAMBER
MUSIC DOWNTOWN
Juho Pohjonen
JUHO POHJONEN
Tuesday February 5
Engaging musicality from an
outstanding Finnish pianist
Juilliard Quartet
Marc-André Hamelin
JUILLIARD QUARTET
with MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN
Thursday February 14
The legendary Juilliard Quartet and the
great Marc-André Hamelin come together
to play the Dvorak piano quintet
Our 2019—2020 season will be announced at this concert!
DANNY DRIVER
Tuesday March 5
One of Britain’s most respected
and versatile pianists
Danny Driver
ALL CONCERTS AT 8 PM
TICKETS: 416.366.7723 | www.stlc.com
27 Front Street East, Toronto

It’s worth noting too, though, that by 1988, fully two decades
after a major vocal competition win in Munich in 1969 launched
her on an A-list European career, Norman was only five years into a
Metropolitan Opera mainstage career, albeit one that would continue
until 1996. But Carmen was not a role she ever played at the Met.
JESSYE NORMAN, GGF Laureate, Toronto 2019
On Wednesday February 20, 2019, at the Four Seasons Centre for
the Performing Arts in Toronto, somewhere during the course of a gala
concert titled The Glenn Gould Prize Celebrates Jessye Norman, she
will accept, in person as all the Prize’s laureates do, the Glenn Gould
Foundation’s Glenn Gould Prize awarded her in April 2018. In a line of
12 Laureates stretching back to R. Murray Schafer in 1987, Norman is
the first woman to receive the award.
Glenn Gould Prize laureates seldom perform at their own concerts,
but generally have a significant say in who will perform; even by GGF
standards this year’s promises to be quite a lineup: the Canadian
Opera Company Orchestra; soprano Nina Stemme and lyric soprano
Pumeza Matshikiza; tenor Rodrick Dixon and bass-baritone Ryan
Speedo Green; soprano Sondra Radvanovsky and mezzo-sopranos
Wallis Giunta and Susan Platts; American jazz singer Cécile McLorin
Salvant, and the Nathaniel
Dett Chorale directed
by Brainerd Blyden-
Taylor. Conductors
Bernard Labadie,
Donald Runnicles, Jean-
Philippe Tremblay and
Johannes Debus will also
participate. And Viggo
Mortensen, chair of last
April’s Glenn Gould Prize
Jury that awarded the
prize to Norman will
also be there.
It’s a stellar array (with
of course the attendant
danger of turning into an
all-aria-no-recitative operatic
highlight reel – all
climaxes with no foreplay
or interplay). But what the
heck, there’s a place for
those things too. And there
CHATAUQUAN DAILY
L to R: Cécile McLorin Salvant,
Nathaniel Dett Chorale
are two participants in particular, about whom I’m particularly curious.
One is jazz singer/songwriter, Cécile McLorin Salvant, whom
Norman, as each GGF laureate gets to do, has chosen to receive the
Protégé Prize that goes with the award. It’s always an interesting
insight into the mind of the laureate to see whom they choose as
protégé: in 1996, pioneering Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu
selected fellow composer Tan Dun; in 1999, Yo-Yo Ma chose pipa
player Wu Man who became one of his closest Silk Road collaborators;
in 2008, Sistema founder José Maria Abreu named Gustavo Dudamel,
Sistema’s best-known alumnus; and in 2011 Leonard Cohen, not
untypically, broke the pattern by naming the Children of Sistema
Toronto, rather than an individual, as his protégés. In naming McLorin
Salvant, Norman said this: “Singer, songwriter…a unique voice
supported by an intelligence and full-fledged musicality which light
up every note she sings. There is an intense, yet quiet confidence in
her music-making that I find compelling and thoroughly enjoyable.”
The other participant I’m particularly looking forward to hearing in
the context of the gala is the Nathaniel Dett Chorale, under conductor
Brainerd Blyden-Taylor, for the simple reason that, when people’s
chosen creative pathways intersect, there’s always a chance that, at
one of these intersections, the individuals in question will actually
cross paths to interesting effect.
For Blyden-Taylor and the Chorale, the Norman Celebration concert
comes at an interesting juncture. The week before, on February 13, the
day after Norman arrives in town, they will be celebrating their own
20th anniversary as a choir; the following month, March 23, they will
head to Hampton, Virginia for the 70th anniversary of Nathaniel Dett’s
founding of the school of music there.
Norman has long been part of Blyden-Taylor’s inspirational musical
frame of reference. “My consciousness of her goes back to my youth in
Barbados in the mid-60s” he says, “and even more so after I came to
Toronto in 1973 to be musical director at my uncle’s church. She was
an ongoing part of my listening in terms of a sound ideal in terms of
performance of spirituals, in my work with the Orpheus Choir, and
workshops I was asked to do across the country, helping other choirs
with interpretation of spirituals. You’d have to say she was one of
those voices that were pivotal in terms of reading of the spirituals.”
Norman was top of the list of people Blyden-Taylor approached to
be honorary patron of the Chorale when they started in 1998. “But
she very respectfully declined at the time, and as you know, Oscar
Peterson, also a Glenn Gould Prize laureate, in fact, accepted, and
remained so until his death. Maybe it’s time to ask her again!”
With the number of events Norman will be attending in the week
leading up to the celebration concert on February 20, Blyden-Taylor is
unsure whether the Dett Chorale’s concert at Koerner Hall will make
it onto Norman’s dance card. “It would be nice. But the fact that this is
all happening during Black History month means there’s no shortage
of partners already predisposed to program events this month. So she
will be busy!”
Regarding the fact that, for whatever reasons, this celebration has
been timed to take place during Black History Month, Blyden-Taylor
is philosophical. “I think back to a time in my life when I was rather
upset that I seemed only to be asked to do workshops on Afrocentric
music and spirituals. But one of the people to whom I was lamenting,
invited me to look at it as a glass half full, as a doorway to communication.
We constantly have to be pushing the boundaries, in fact
we are constantly pushing the boundaries, even when nobody is
watching, so it’s better to simply accept that Black History Month gives
an entrée to audiences we might otherwise not reach at all. After all,
to take another example, the United Nations declared 2015 to 2024
to be the decade of people of African descent, and the decade started
then, even if it took till January 2018 for our own Prime Minister to
publicly acknowledge the fact.”
As to the Dett Chorale’s role in the gala concert, they are slated to
perform three pieces. “Two by Moses Hogan, I’d say – our Youtube
video of his Battle of Jericho has logged thousands of hits. And his
Didn’t my Lord Deliver Daniel?” The third piece will, fittingly, be
by Nathaniel Dett himself. “His Go Not Far From Me, O God is a
wonderful example of Dett’s writing, juxtaposing two melodic ideas
from the canon of spirituals and with a wonderfully high baritone/
low tenor solo part to it; I have suggested that one of the visiting operatic
soloists might want to do it with us. I don’t know whether it will
happen or not, but we’ll be ready. I know Jessye asked for there to be
spirituals on the program. It’s music very near and dear to her heart.”
The Glenn Gould Foundation in 1988
Cycling back to the year our cover photograph was taken, it’s worth
noting that in 1988, with Jessye Norman already in her artistic prime,
10 | February 2019 thewholenote.com

the Glenn Gould Foundation was in its infancy, having awarded its
first prize just the previous year to composer and visionary R. Murray
Schafer. In the words of jury member, Sir Yehudi Menuhin – who
went on to be the laureate of the Second Glenn Gould Prize – Schafer
was being honoured for his “strong, benevolent, and highly original
imagination and intellect, a dynamic power whose manifold personal
expression and aspirations are in total accord with the urgent needs
and dreams of humanity today.”
It’s important to note the Janus-like nature of Menuhin’s citation
for Schafer’s award: the words could as easily be about the individual
in whose name, and spirit, the Prize is awarded, as about the laureate
of the day. As such, this first citation was an aspirational benchmark
that has remained fundamental to the GGF’s sense of mission to this
day: Gould himself, as a timelessly creative original, sets a standard
The Prize adds lustre to the
achievements of its laureates;
… the calibre of its laureates adds
lustre to the Prize.
of engaged creativity for the GGF’s jurors that demands of them that
they choose worthy recipients. It’s win-win. The Prize adds lustre to
the achievements of its laureates; over time the consistent, cumulative
calibre of its laureates adds lustre to the Prize.
Another throughline in the GGF’s 30-year history of presenting the
award is the care taken in planning not just a celebration concert, but all
the events leading up to, or surrounding it. For it is often in these other
events that a more fully rounded portrait of the laureate can emerge.
Starting things off, a three-day festival of film, February 11 to 13
in partnership with TIFF, titled “Divine: A Jessye Norman Tribute”
features screenings (including a 1989 film, Jessye Norman Sings
Carmen, by Albert Maysles on the making of of the Seiji Ozawaconducted
recording mentioned earlier in this story), and a conversation
between Norman and the Canadian Opera Company’s
Alexander Neef.
There will also be a rare, public, three-hour Jessye Norman masterclass
for voice and opera students, in Walter Hall at the U of T Faculty
of Music, on Friday February 15. Free to the public, it should afford the
opportunity to witness Norman directly engaged in arts education, a
cause for which she is an untiring and passionate advocate.
And an all-day symposium titled “Black Opera - Uncovering Music
History” at the Toronto Reference Library, on Saturday, February 16
from 11am to 5pm, in partnership with the Toronto Public Library,
will “trace the heroic struggles of pioneering artists of African origin
to enter the operatic world, their fight for acceptance and recognition,
their triumphs and accomplishments.” It will include, in its final
hour, a conversation with Norman herself. Interestingly, the indefatigable
Norman’s own latest multimedia project, launched in 2018, titled
“Call Her By Her Name!” revolves around “the name and legacy of the
first African-American opera singer to perform, in 1893, on the main
stage of Carnegie Hall – Madame Sissieretta Jones.” So this should be a
fascinating conversation.
Of all the events programmed,
so far, for the visit, there’s one that
for me captures the essence of
why the match between the GGF
and Norman is a lustrous one;
and, fittingly, it will happen out
of the public eye. Titled “Freedom
Through the Arts Workshops” it
will bring together students from
the Jessye Norman School of the
Arts and the students of Sistema
Toronto (laureate Leonard Cohen’s
Madame Sissieretta Jones
2011 protégés).
Norman helped establish the Jessye Norman School of the Arts in
her hometown of Augusta, Georgia, in 2003, to provide arts education
to students from economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
In 2011, following the presentation of the Eighth Glenn Gould Prize
to Dr. José Antonio Abreu, Sistema Toronto was founded to bring the
power of music education into the lives of children from this city’s
priority neighbourhoods. In this potentially transformative exchange,
15 students from a Jessye Norman inspired initiative in Augusta will
travel to Toronto for four days of workshops and collaboration with
students engaged in a thriving Toronto initiative directly inspired by
the existence of the Glenn Gould Prize.
Drawing each new role afforded her around her shoulders like a
blanket, out of the spotlight, away from the footlights, Norman’s work
continues, even when no-one is watching.
David Perlman can be reached at publisher@thewholenote.com
GOOGLE ART PROJECT
P A X
•
C H R
I S T
•
C H O R A L E
I
David Bowser
Artistic Director
Miziwe...
(Everywhere...)
Performed in Ojibwe Odawa language with surtitles
The world premiere of
a newly commissioned
oratorio by Barbara Croall
Pax Christi Chorale with Krisztina Szabó,
Justin Welsh, Rod Nettagog, Barbara Croall
and the Toronto Mozart Players
Sunday, March 31 2019, 3:00 p.m.
Koerner Hall in the Telus Centre
for Performance & Learning
FOR TICKETS,
VISIT PAXCHRISTICHORALE.ORG
thewholenote.com February 2019 | 11

FEATURE
The Angel
Speaks:
A Magically New
Theatrical Intervention
In Conversation with
Edwin Huizinga
JENNIFER PARR
BRUCE ZINGER
BRYSON WINCHESTER
When I tell
people about
Opera Atelier’s
ongoing The Angel Speaks
project, I always begin with
when I saw the very first
performance of its first
installment, in May 2017.
I was sitting at the back of the Royal
Chapel at the Palace of Versailles
Edwin Huizinga watching fellow members of Opera
Atelier’s Medea company and
of Tafelmusik perform an attractive selection of Purcell and other
English Baroque music, titled Harmonia Sacra, when suddenly there
appeared high up on the balcony above, the dramatic figure of what
appeared to be a Viking angel playing an exquisite melody on solo
violin.This beautiful mystical thread of music then seemed to bring
forth, and become tangibly present in, the figure of a dancer (Tyler
Gledhill) – another face of the angel – on the ground level with the
singers and audience, a figure in search of something or someone.
That someone, it became clear, was the Virgin Mary in the person
of soprano Mireille Asselin. The violin-playing angel then joined the
other two on the ground level, and we in the audience were transfixed
as the three embodied the story of the Annunciation in music and
choreography in a way that was profoundly moving.
This transformative concert experience was the result of a double
commission by Opera Atelier, their first: an original piece of
contemporary Canadian music for solo violin, Inception, by acclaimed
violinist (and balcony Viking) Edwin Huizinga, combined with new
contemporary choreography by longtime OA artist, and in-demand
contemporary dancer, Tyler Gledhill.
For me, what was truly extraordinary about this piece was the
blending of the Baroque and the new, the music and the choreography,
a seamless interweaving with Purcell’s dramatic cantata, The
Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation, beautifully sung by Asselin. Fascinated
by what OA co-artistic director Marshall Pynkoski calls this “theatrical
intervention” that was so much greater than the sum of its parts,
I contacted composer Edwin Huizinga to learn more about his creative
journey on this project and how it fits in with his already incredibly
multi-faceted career.
When I caught up with him, Huizinga was in California having
just finished recording a new album with his Fire & Grace partner,
guitarist William Coulter, and “phenomenal mandolin player” Ashley
Broder. Like Fire & Grace’s previous albums the new one has a mix
of Baroque and Irish music, but with the addition of Broder to the
ensemble has also mixed in American folk music and bluegrass, while
“still being very much focused on the cross pollination of the two
different genres.”
This cross-pollination of Baroque and folk music can be seen
throughout Huizinga’s career although he “grew up in the middle
of nowhere (Puslinch, Ontario) listening almost exclusively to classical
music on CBC radio,” and from an early age was “fascinated with
the fact that there was so much Baroque dance music out there that I
loved.” The folk side of things didn’t come in until later.
As a young professional violinist, as he became increasingly
immersed in the “world of the Baroque violin, playing with groups
like Tafelmusik and Apollo’s Fire,” he became even more eager to
share this music with other colleagues. Also early in his professional
career, he was beginning to develop his “other love – of the folk world”
playing and writing songs with his Canadian indie band The Wooden
12 | February 2019 thewholenote.com

Sky. It was as the band toured to festivals across the country “playing
folk music for audiences of thousands of amazingly excited young
people” that he first thought “why can’t we mix these two genres
together?” and started brainstorming about ways to do just that.
A chance meeting with kindred spirit William Coulter, a classical
guitarist fascinated with Celtic guitar and Irish music, led to a collaboration
on the first Fire & Grace album where they experimented
with combining classical, Baroque and (primarily Celtic) folk. They
were thrilled with the result, as Huizinga says: “It was so incredibly
fun to accomplish the combination of music genres and to really feel
that they are more similar than not.” Performing the album’s tracks
around the world they found that “people got it, also feeling the real
connection between the two genres, the shared joie de vivre and the
way your body feels when you are playing this music.”
While Huizinga never went as far as step dancing while playing
his violin as Natalie McMaster does (although he has met and greatly
admires her) he often refers to this physicality of the music, both how
it feels in the body when a musician plays it and how it seems meant
to be danced.
All of these things make him an ideal composer for OA to have
chosen for The Angel Speaks, and to actually take part in the choreography
of his music as an integral part of the storytelling.
When I asked him if he had ever done anything like that before,
he explained: “It was a completely different experience! I spent time
really thinking of what it meant to be a composer and performer
today with the knowledge that I have of all this Baroque repertoire
that I love. Then when Tyler and I started working together and I sent
him the music, we spent many weeks together discovering the relationship
– playing with me being part of the voice of the Angel Gabriel
and him being the Angel Gabriel, and with the fact that he and I were
connected and exchanging energies onstage. That piece was an extraordinary
inlet for me, into the world of visualizing what I was trying
to write. By the time we were performing it, it felt very organic, as if
we were moving and working together as a team throughout.”
That first Versailles concert performance of Inception was so
successful that OA was invited to return to Versailles and to expand
the new commission, adding additional instruments, voices and
dancers. This opened the door to expanding on the story and layers of
the new project, taking as a jumping off-point The Annunciation, a
poem by Rainer Maria Rilke, in an evocative translation by acclaimed
American playwright and poet Grace Andreacchi,
“One of the beautiful things as I started to write this piece” says
Huizinga, “was the chance to collaborate with Tyler.” In the new
piece, Annunciation, Jesse Blumberg, the baritone soloist, is another
great friend and colleague, having made an album with Huizinga’s
Baroque band ACRONYM and having just married one of Huizinga’s
Mireille Asselin as the Virgin Mary with Tyler Gledhill as the Angel Gabriel
in the Royal Chapel at Versailles (December 2018) with Edwin Huizinga (left)
leading the music.
best friends. “It’s an unbelievably great feeling,” Huizinga says, “to
be able to call someone at the drop of a hat and ask questions about
the range of their voice and their interests; for example, if they would
be willing to go into a falsetto voice and be singing higher notes than
the soprano. Also, as a composer I’ve decided that I want the artists
that I am writing for to be comfortable. My whole concept behind
performance is that, if you’re able to really enjoy what you are doing,
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that will translate beyond anything
you could technically accomplish.”
The whole process of creation
on Annunciation, as it was with
Inception, seems to have been very
free and collaborative. As Huizinga
started work on Annunciation with
Blumberg’s voice in mind, and
“falling in love with the poem and
understanding it more and more,”
he recalls approaching Opera
Atelier director Marshall Pynkoski:
“I felt there were moments in the
poem where I thought there was
a dialogue in the Angel Gabriel’s
mind and I was wondering if I could
turn that into a real physical thing
and have two singers.” Pynkoski
agreed immediately and suggested
that Mirellle Asselin could be
part of Annunciation as well as
Inception. “I was thrilled” says
Huizinga. “Being able to weave
her voice in adds so much, as for
me there is very little that is more
powerful than two artists trying to
tell a story together.”
Rilke’s poem The Annunciation is
a strange, mystical, almost surreal,
evocation of the arrival of the Angel
Gabriel on earth to find the Virgin
Mary and tell her that she has been
chosen to give birth to the son of
God. It is far from a straightforward
telling, as the angel seems to have
forgotten his mission at first,
and does not recognize Mary or
possibly even know she is real. He (almost) seems to be in conflict
with himself which gives rise to internal tension in the musical scene
and the choreography created to go with it. Asselin, in this section,
is no longer the Virgin Mary, as she was in Inception, but more, as
Huizinga puts it, “an apparition, or avatar, of what is going on in the
Angel Gabriel’s mind” conveying what he is yearning and searching
for and trying to understand.
He continues: “I’ve had so many thoughts and discussions about
the idea of an avatar and how that’s one of the (both modern and
age-old) concepts that we use to describe the transfer of consciousness
and energy into another being. We had to find a way to give
Jesse that responsibility as he and Tyler are both aspects of the Angel
Gabriel.” This concept leads to a beautiful choreographed interaction
as Annunciation begins.
Huizinga himself is not as much part of the choreography in
Annunciation, deciding instead to “lead the band” so as to be able to
observe and be part of the development of all the moving parts of this
much more complex piece that includes two singers, six instrumentalists
and five dancers (and Baroque as well as contemporary choreography).
As he says: “I’m treating it as a chance to see what it’s like
to be writing a dramatic cantata today in the 21st century.”
One moment in the process so far really stands out for him: “I had
written an incredibly calm moment right near the end of the piece –
a long meaningful chord – and [director] Marshall had the two dancer
couples lean in towards each other and hold this moment of repose and
beauty and connection, and it blew my mind. I left that rehearsal basically
speechless because I had never talked to him before about how I felt
about that moment, but I saw I had been completely understood.”
In this new version of the project I first witnessed in Versailles in
2017, titled The Angel Speaks, the various pieces are interwoven.
Annunciation, telling the story of Gabriel’s arrival on earth and struggle
to understand his mission, comes first, followed by Purcell’s The Blessed
Virgin’s Expostulation, interwoven with Inception, with the sweet voice
Tyler Gledhill as the Angel Gabriel and Edwin Huzinga
BRUCE ZINGER
of Huizinga’s violin answering from
above Mary’s cries to Gabriel.
The Angel Speaks will be
performed in the Royal Ontario
Museum’s Samuel Hall Currelly
Gallery for one performance only
on February 21. Interestingly it was
at the ROM that Opera Atelier first
began presenting Baroque performances
in 1985, so it seems extra
fitting that they should debut what
feels like a new phase of creation in
the same setting.
Already, though, the team are
looking ahead to the next expansion
of the project which will begin
with another mystic Rilke poem,
The Annunciation to Mary, in
another wonderful translation by
Grace Andreacchi. At this point,
as Huizinga says, they are “just
scratching the surface” exploring the
meaning of the poem and looking
at possibilities of setting it for a
singer or possibly for an actor to
speak over music. “The next question
for me, for Marshall and OA, is
eventually what is this going to turn
into?” Huizinga sees it as “eventually
having less [musical] support from
the godfathers of Baroque music, and
Marshall has indicated that he would
like to see it become a one-hour
piece that can stand on its own.”
Asked if he could imagine having
undertaken The Angel Speaks
without benefit of all the many
different things that he has in his musical career, Huizinga replied:
“The short answer is that it is impossible to separate anything
that I do in my life from the music that I write. Initially when I was
starting to write this piece I was listening to and performing a lot of
Heinrich Biber. One of the things I love most about him is that he
inspires the performer to improvise, and my life has been guided by
my desire to also improvise and be able to feel freedom in music. True
freedom where you are really being allowed to speak your own voice
in what you do.”
In composing Annunciation, for example, he “wrote three very
short moments of improvisation. I asked each performer individually
‘Would you be interested in doing this? Does it excite you? Because,
if not, I am happy to write it out completely.’ And I would maybe not
have had the courage to follow that path with my new piece without
having had opportunities of shredding and improvising in studios as a
studio musician, and then as a band member, or asking my kids at the
summer camp that I run to forget everything they have learned and
just improvise a piece for me using three notes A, C and E. So, everything
in my life so far is, I feel, definitely being brought out in this
world of writing.”
I suggest to him, as our conversation draws to a close, that, along
with the exhilaration of composing and creating these new works, it
must be a real blast for a musician with his physicality to actually be
on stage, with permission to be part of the scripted visual action.
“Absolutely a blast, and also hard to believe, to be honest,” he replies.
Opera Atelier’s The Angel Speaks will be performed in the Royal
Ontario Museum’s Samuel Hall Currelly Gallery for one performance
only at 8pm on February 21.
Toronto-based “lifelong theatre person” Jennifer (Jenny) Parr works
as a director, fight director, stage manager and coach, and is
equally crazy about movies and musicals.
14 | February 2019 thewholenote.com

2018-2019: The Colours of Early Music
LOVE,
REMIXED
FEBRUARY 15 & 16 at 8pm
Artistic Direction by David Fallis & Katherine Hill
Join us as we reinterpret, remix, and rediscover our love of
Early Music, featuring James Rolfe’s Juno-nominated Breathe.
FOUR QUARTERS
OF JERUSALEM
MARCH 8 & 9 at 8pm
Guest Artistic Director Nina Stern,
with Rose of the Compass
Celebrating the musical diversity of the City of Jerusalem.
416-964-6337 | TorontoConsort.org
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Un organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario

FEATURE
KAUPO KIKKAS
“EXCITEMENT AND DANGER”
Pianist Danny Driver in Conversation
PAUL ENNIS
Danny Driver may be the best pianist you’ve never
heard. The British native, now in his early 40s, is
one of the world-class artists who record for the
prestigious UK record company Hyperion along with
Marc-André Hamelin, Stephen Hough and Angela
Hewitt among others.
Driver’s decade-long relationship with Hyperion Records has
yielded a wide-ranging discography of works by Carl Philipp
Emanuel Bach, Handel, York Bowen, Benjamin Dale, Mili Balakirev,
Robert Schumann and Erik Chisholm. Of his first volume of CPE
Bach Sonatas, Bryce Morrison wrote in Gramophone: “It would
be impossible to overestimate Driver’s impeccable technique and
musicianship … his is one of the finest of all recent keyboard issues.”
His most recent release, cited by The New York Times as one of 2017’s
Best Classical Recordings, featured piano concertos by Amy Beach,
Dorothy Howell and Cécile Chaminade. On March 5, he makes a
welcome return to the Jane Mallett Theatre in the St. Lawrence
Centre under the auspices of Music Toronto. The following afternoon
he gives a masterclass at U of T’s Edward Johnson Building,
something he also did on his last visit here, two years ago. His
empathetic interchanges with the students and musical insights
were impressive then and promise to be equally memorable March 6.
In a revealing eight-minute video available on Facebook and
posted on his website, Driver talked about why Sviatoslav Richter
headed a list of pianists he loved – “because of his meticulous
attention to detail and his refusal to compromise” – and spoke about
being the product of many different influences including science
(which he studied at Cambridge University). “In a sense everything
is connected,” he said. “Part of the excitement and the danger of
musical performance is [that] ultimately I don’t come to it with
really strongly conceived notions. Principles yes, but there’s so much
that can happen, that might happen. It’s very difficult to explain
where that comes from.”
The WholeNote celebrates this singular pianist’s upcoming recital
with the following mid-January 2019 conversation.
WN: What are your first memories of playing the piano?
DD: At school, I watched my schoolmates playing simple pieces on
the piano in front of the class and decided that I too wanted to have a
go. The first time I played in front of my peers I used only my left and
right thumbs (on middle C and middle B respectively)… fortunately
for my audiences things have moved forward somewhat since.
Please describe the musical atmosphere in your home growing up.
I was encouraged to develop my musical skills (I also played the
clarinet and French horn, and composed) but not to the exclusion
of other things. Growing up I had a range of interests, including
languages, science and sport. This breadth helped me to understand
16 | February 2019 thewholenote.com

the way music draws upon and reflects our lives, even at an early age.
Who was the first composer you fell in love with as a child?
Definitely Chopin! I fell in love with Dinu Lipatti’s classic 1950
recording of Chopin’s Waltzes, and remember trying to emulate him
in several of those pieces (unsuccessfully I might add). Even though
my repertoire these days is not necessarily focused on Romanticism, I
am still very attached to Chopin’s music.
Where do you find artistic inspiration?
If I knew the answer then inspiration would be constantly available
and thus ultimately non-existent; special moments often arise when
you least expect them, even while contemplating seemingly mundane
objects or activities. I enjoy reading widely and engaging with a range
of art forms, as well as reflecting on my artistic practice and its relation
to the world around me. Teaching younger artists and playing
chamber music with colleagues are also essential.
Please tell us how you approach each piece on the Music Toronto
program. What is it about CPE Bach’s Fantasie in F-sharp Minor that
speaks to you?
CPE Bach was a true musical game-changer, “exploding” traditional
Baroque idioms in a mercurial style driven by contrast of character
and emotion. The Baroque counterpoint of musical line and its relationship
to the classical art of rhetoric is replaced by a counterpoint of
musical idea and a poetic outlook. There’s something liberating and
improvisatory about playing this typically quirky Fantasia, which
often veers angularly from one harmony to another in ways that
echo sublime poetry, foreshadow Romanticism, and shatter any lazy
notions we might have about 18th-century convention. This music
reminds me that despite the implicit specificity of musical notation,
we are dealing with open texts. Perhaps this is why my time recording
CPE Bach’s keyboard music some years ago was such a happy one.
What fascinates you about Schumann’s Kreisleriana?
The second record I owned as a child (after Lipatti’s Waltzes that
is) was Martha Argerich’s recording of Schumann’s Kinderszenen
and Kreisleriana, and I remember the opening of Kreisleriana
making a particularly strong impression on me. Much later I read ETA
Hoffmann’s collection Kreisleriana, which provides a fascinating if
often sarcastic and comical view of the fictional young 19th-century
Kapellmeister Kreisler. I have often enjoyed pondering how this
literary work (and indeed others by Hoffmann) might have inspired
Schumann’s composition, which for all its rhapsodic surface feels and
sounds completely organic to me.
crystalline quality. All the while there needs to be an elegance and
decorative refinement characteristic of the French Baroque.
And of Medtner’s Sonata No.9 in A Minor?
Medtner was a master of form and through-composition (taking
Beethoven as his inspiration); Rachmaninoff thought of him as the
greatest living composer of his day. This Sonata is perfectly crafted, as
one might expect, but for all its tumult and angularity, it ends somewhat
inconclusively. The music is tonal, formally concise, but nevertheless
open-ended, tricky to bring off. I feel as though it leaves us
with more questions than answers – it is a challenge to performer and
listener alike.
What do you find most rewarding and challenging in your professional
life?
I demand a lot of myself as a performer, and rarely feel as though
I have achieved what I set out to achieve artistically. When I feel I
have come close, it’s an intensely rewarding experience. Sometimes
the challenge of particular repertoire proves addictive: I have been
performing Ligeti’s Piano Études for a number of years and am due
to record them later in 2019. They are without doubt the most difficult
piano pieces I have ever worked on (more so than Beethoven’s
Hammerklavier Sonata), and there’s a thrill to practising them
even if the process is painstaking and requires great patience and
perseverance.
I’m intrigued by the fact that through your mother you are a direct
descendant of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism.
Music and dance are so ingrained in the Hasidic spirit, what part, if
any, does that lineage play in your musical life?
My Jewish heritage is very important to me, and certainly my love
of nature and of music seem to chime very well with the Baal Shem
Tov’s ethos. But I also have “musical genes” from my father’s side (his
grandfather was apparently a very fine amateur pianist). It’s hard for
me to dissect what comes from where.
Paul Ennis is the managing editor of The WholeNote.
I don’t come to it with really strongly
conceived notions. Principles yes, but
there’s so much that can happen, that
might happen.
What drew you to Kaija Saariaho’s Ballade?
I was beguiled by its darkness and brooding. It seems to conjure up
a dimly lit space of great emotional intensity, even over its relatively
short duration.
What are some of the challenges of Ravel’s Le Tombeau
de Couperin?
Everything here is much more difficult to produce than it sounds!
The florid passagework, complex harmony and Ravel’s typical “overlaying
of the hands” all have their technical challenges. The Toccata
finale is probably more difficult for me than Scarbo from Gaspard de
la Nuit – whereas the latter has the possibility of rich, quasi-romantic
sonority and copious resonance to facilitate the pianistic acrobatics,
the Toccata needs a meticulous clarity, great lightness, and an almost
thewholenote.com February 2019 | 17

Beat by Beat | Classical & Beyond
February Heats Up
(Musically Anyway)
PAUL ENNIS
MUSACCHIO & IANNIELLO ACCADEMIA NAZIONALE DI SANTA CECILIA
Escape the February doldrums and get a taste of spring! The
National Arts Centre Orchestra is planting musical seeds with its
February 23 concert at Roy Thomson Hall by making Schumann’s
Symphony No.1 “Spring” the program’s centrepiece. Two years after
he composed it, Schumann sent a letter to the conductor Wilhelm
Taubert, in Berlin: “If only you could breathe into your orchestra,
when it plays, that longing for spring! It was my main source of
inspiration when I wrote the work in February 1841. I should like
the very first trumpet call to sound as though proceeding from on
high and like a summons to awaken. In the following section of the
introduction, let me say, it might be possible to feel the world turning
green; perhaps . . . a butterfly fluttering; and in the Allegro the gradual
assemblage of everything that belongs to spring. However, it was only
after I had completed the composition that these ideas came to my
mind.” Before intermission, Jocelyn Morlock’s Cobalt, a concerto for
two violins and orchestra, sets the table for French pianist David Fray
who joins conductor Alexander Shelley and the NACO for Chopin’s
Piano Concerto No.2 with its lyrical Larghetto. Chopin was 19 when
he wrote this elegant work.
February is a busy month for the TSO. Brahms’ final work for
orchestra (1887), his Double Concerto for Violin and Cello showcases
the considerable talents of concertmaster Jonathan Crow and principal
cellist Joseph Johnson on February 6, 7 and 9. Conductor Sir
Andrew Davis has recorded all nine of Dvořák’s symphonies so we can
look forward to an insightful performance of the Czech master’s Sixth
Symphony (1880). It may not have the cachet of the Eighth or Ninth,
but Dvořák’s inimitable tunefulness is delightful in its own right. And
its Brahmsian nature makes a good pairing with the concerto.
The force of nature that is Barbara Hannigan brings her immersive
soprano voice and burgeoning conducting chops to a program
that places Haydn’s Symphony No.86 squarely in the middle of a
20th-century mindset (Debussy’s sinewy Syrinx for solo flute and
Sibelius’ ominous and icy tone poem for soprano and orchestra,
Luonnotar, open the program). From Haydn to Berg brings
Hannigan into her comfort zone with the Suite from Lulu. Bill Elliot
and Hannigan’s arrangement of Gershwin tunes, Suite from Girl
Crazy, brings the February 13 and 14 evening’s entertainment to
a rousing finish. The orchestra even joins in to sing the chorus of
Embraceable You.
When Casablanca was released in 1942 it marked the beginning a
Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca.
beautiful friendship between moviegoers and this Hollywood classic.
Currently No.2 on the American Film Institute’s Greatest Films List,
this romantic tale of a cynical American expat/nightclub owner whose
idealism triumphs over his broken heart has never lost its lustre –
Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman head the indelible cast. Max
Steiner’s score subtly supports the movie’s mood without intruding
on the action or the dialogue; but when called upon, as in the Paris
flashback, its lush nostalgia rises to the occasion. The Austrian-born
composer (his godfather was Richard Strauss) scored more than 300
films, from King Kong and Gone with the Wind to The Treasure of
the Sierra Madre. Strategically programmed post-Valentine’s Day on
February 15 and 16, the TSO’s live accompaniment to the film will
make for a memorable cinematic experience.
February 20 and 21, Seattle Symphony principal guest conductor
and music director-designate, Thomas Dausgaard, leads the TSO
in Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, one of the touchstones of the
20th century. Before intermission, American cellist Alisa Weilerstein
brings her intensity and sensitivity to Shostakovich’s profound Cello
Concerto No.2.
Reminders
Now to several February concerts that I wrote about more extensively
in our December/January issue. The renowned klezmer
violinist/vocalist/composer, Alicia Svigals, performs her original
score to the 1918 silent film, The Yellow Ticket, along with virtuoso
pianist Marilyn Lerner, at FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
in St. Catharines on February 7, the Burlington Centre for the
Performing Arts on February 8 and the Oakville Centre for the Arts on
February 16.
The Heath Quartet returns to Mooredale Concerts on February 3
following their memorable Toronto debut two years ago. Their
program includes Mozart’s Dissonance Quartet (one of his most
famous string quartets), Britten’s First String Quartet and Beethoven’s
iconic String Quartet No.3, Op.59 No.3 “Razumovsky.”
Celebrated Finnish pianist, 37-year-old Juho Pohjonen – praised
by The New York Times for “his effortless brilliance” – appears
on the Jane Mallett stage February 5 playing Rameau, Mozart and
Beethoven. Even more celebrated are the musicians in Music Toronto’s
February 14 recital. After an early Beethoven quartet and a newly
commissioned work by Lembit Beecher, the latest incarnation of
the legendary Juilliard String Quartet is joined by the illustrious
pianist, Marc-André Hamelin, for a performance of Dvořák’s sublime
Piano Quintet in A Major, Op.81, one of the greatest piano quintets
ever written. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear Hamelin play
chamber music!
The Royal Conservatory presents rising star, violinist Blake Pouliot,
in a free (ticket required) concert in Mazzoleni Hall, February 3. The
appealing program includes music by Mozart, Janáček, Kreisler and
Saraste. Later in the afternoon of February 3, but in Koerner Hall,
RCM presents Charles Richard-Hamelin in a recital of Schumann and
18 | December 2018 / January 2019 thewholenote.com

KOERNER HALL
10 th ANNIVERSARY 2018.19 Concert Season
Johannes Debus
conducts the Royal
Conservatory Orchestra
FRI., FEB. 8, 8PM / PRELUDE RECITAL 6:45PM
PRE-CONCERT TALK 7:15PM
KOERNER HALL
Tickets start at only $25
Canadian Opera Company Music Director,
Johannes Debus, conducts The Glenn Gould
School’s Royal Conservatory Orchestra for this
special performance, which includes Mozart’s
Overture to The Magic Flute, Tchaikovsky’s
Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, and Emily Phernambucq
(flute) in Mozart’s Flute Concerto No. 1 in G Major, K. 313.
Part of the Temerty Orchestral Program
Seiler & Chung
SUN., FEB. 24, 2PM
MAZZOLENI CONCERT HALL
Tickets: $30
BBC Music Magazine states,
violinist “ Mayumi Seiler brings
an exceptional blend of precision
with tonal generosity, finesse
with enthusiasm.”
She performs with pianist
Jeanie Chung.
Taylor Academy Showcase Concert
SAT., FEB. 9, 4:30PM / SAT., MAR. 9, 4:30PM
MAZZOLENI CONCERT HALL
Free tickets for Feb 9 concert will be available starting Fri. Feb. 1, 2019
The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists presents
concerts by leading young classical musicians in Canada. Hear the stars
of tomorrow!
Noa and Mira Awad
SAT., MAR. 2, 8PM KOERNER HALL
Tickets start at only $45
Partners in creating the song
“There Must be Another Way” for
2009’s historic Eurovision Song Contest,
these two astonishing singers from
the Middle East share the stage and
“show a situation that we believe
is possible if we just make the
necessary effort.”
Generously supported by
the Sir Jack Lyons Charitable Trust
Farruquito
THURS., MAR. 7 & FRI., MAR. 8, 8PM
KOERNER HALL
Tickets start at only $50
Flamenco dancer Farruquito,
“heir to one of the most renowned
flamenco dynasties in Spain”
(The New York Times), is joined
on stage by some of the finest
flamenco singers and guitarists
on the scene.
The Magic Flute
THE GLENN GOULD SCHOOL OPERA 2019
WED., MAR. 20 & FRI., MAR. 22, 7:30PM
KOERNER HALL
Tickets start at only $25
The gifted vocal students from
The Glenn Gould School and
The Royal Conservatory Orchestra
present The Magic Flute, Mozart’s
masterful comedy about love, truth,
and the pursuit of enlightenment, conducted
by Nathan Brock and directed by Joel Ivany.
Part of the Price Opera Program
TICKETS & SUBSCRIPTIONS ON SALE NOW! 416.408.0208 RCMUSIC.COM/PERFORMANCE
273 BLOOR STREET WEST
237 (BLOOR ST. STREET & AVENUE WEST RD.)
(BLOOR TORONTO ST. & AVENUE RD.) TORONTO
´ ´ ´ ´

Chopin (all four of the sumptuous Ballades). Jan Lisiecki, now almost
24, continues nurturing his international career. His March 3 Koerner
Hall concert is sold out but a few rush seats will become available on
the day of the performance. Works by Chopin, Schumann, Ravel and
Rachmaninoff comprise the challenging program.
CLASSICAL AND BEYOND QUICK PICKS
!!
FEB 3, 2PM: Chamber Music Hamilton presents the Grammy Award-winning
Parker Quartet playing Shostakovich’s Two Pieces for String Quartet and Janáček’s
“Kreutzer Sonata” Quartet before being joined by Chamber Music Hamilton’s
co-artistic director, violinist Michael Schulte and veteran cellist David Hetherington
for Brahms’ beloved String Sextet No.2.
!!
FEB 3, 7:30PM: The LARK Ensemble takes its name from the first names of its
members: National Ballet Orchestra principal flute Leslie Allt; COC Orchestra concertmaster
and National Ballet Orchestra associate concertmaster Aaron Schwebel; TSO
cellist Roberta Janzen; and COC Orchestra principal viola Keith Hamm. They write that
their program features various combinations of keyboard, flute and strings: “We’ve
put together an evening filled with unexpected gems, beautifully capped off by J.S.
Bach’s joyous Musical Offering in its entirety, with illuminating commentary by [guest
harpsichordist] Christopher Bagan. Also on offer (pardon the pun) are Bach’s D-Major
viola da gamba sonata, along with Bohuslav Martinů’s cheery Promenades (flute, violin
and harpsichord), and the quietly haunting Revenant, by Jocelyn Morlock (Baroque
flute, harpsichord and strings).”
!!
FEB 9, 8PM: Kristian Alexander conducts the Kindred Spirits Orchestra in a rousing
program of Respighi’s crowd-pleasing Fountains of Rome, Prokofiev’s virtuosic
Sinfonia Concertante Op.125 (with cello soloist Andrew Ascenzo) and Rachmaninoff’s
Symphonic Dances Op.45.
!!
FEB 10, 3PM: Amici chamber ensemble, augmented by TSO winds and Glenn
Gould School students, presents Mozart’s marvellous Serenade No.10 in B-flat Major
K361/370a “Gran Partita” and Mozart’s Piano Trio in C Major K548; in Mazzoleni Hall.
Joshua Bell
Joel Quarrington appears in his role as principal bass of the National
Arts Centre Orchestra on February 23 before headlining his recital
with the Women's Musical Club of Toronto on February 28.
Caroline Shaw’s new commission, Entr’acte and First Essay: Nimrod; and Beethoven’s
monumental String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Op.131. Anyone who heard Shaw’s
delightful “ballad” Taxidermy, one of several highlights of Sõ Percussion’s 21C Music
Festival concert on January 19, needs no urging to hear her piece for string quartet.
!!
FEB 28, 1:30PM: The Women’s Musical Club of Toronto presents “Bass Masters
through the Ages” with double bass virtuoso Joel Quarrington and friends Yehonatan
Berick and Blythe Allers, violins; David Jalbert, piano; Alisa Klebanov, viola; Carole
Sirois, cello; and Gabriel Sakamoto, double bass. Music by Schumann, Korngold,
Schubert and Tovey.
!!
MAR 3, 8PM: Gallery 345 presents “Music from Marlboro”: Haydn’s Piano Trio in C;
Kodály’s Serenade Op.12; K. Ueno’s Duo (Marlboro commission/premiere); and Ravel’s
Piano Trio in A Minor. With Robin Scott and Tessa Lark, violins; the inspirational Kim
Kashkashian, viola; Christoph Richter, cello; and Zoltán Fejérvári, piano.
FRED CATROLL
Paul Ennis is the managing editor of The WholeNote.
!!
FEB 12, 8PM: Roy Thomson Hall presents acclaimed violinist (and music director of
the renowned Academy of St Martin in the Fields) Joshua Bell in recital with pianist
Sam Haywood. The program includes sonatas by Beethoven (No.4), Prokofiev (No.2)
and Grieg (No.2). The rest of the program (à la Itzhak Perlman) will be announced
from the stage.
!!
FEB 17, 2PM: The always entertaining Eybler Quartet presents the aptly named
“Esterházy to Vienna, A Road Well Travelled,” comprising string quartets by
Asplmayr (Op.2), Haydn (Op.54, No.2) and Beethoven (the resplendent Op.59, No.2
“Razumovsky”).
!!
FEB 22, 7:30PM: Since its formation in 2010 by four graduate students at U of T, the
Ton Beau String Quartet “aims to highlight voices of young composers, particularly
women composers and composers from under-represented communities.” Their
upcoming recital, presented by 3 in the 6ix, features Joaquín Turina’s La Oracion del
Torero, Toronto-based Laura Sgroi’s String Quartet No.1 and Debussy’s brilliant String
Quartet in G.
!!
FEB 27, 7:30PM: Getting to know Toronto even more since their Mooredale
Concerts recital last September, the Calidore String Quartet, currently in residence
at U of T’s Faculty of Music, performs Haydn’s String Quartet in F major, Op.77, No.2;
SAT., MARCH 9 at 7:30pm
Pergolesi’s
STABAT MATER
and other Neapolitan Masters
with
Ariel Harwood-Jones, soprano and
Valeria Kondrashov, mezzo-soprano
Instrumentalists include
Musicians on the Edge
also featuring
Erika Neilsen in Leonardo Leo’s
Cello Concerto in D major
ADMISSION $20
For more information, contact Dr. Patricia Wright at
patriciaw@metunited.org or 416-363-0331 ext. 26.
MetUnited Music
56 Queen Street East, Toronto www.metunited.org MetUnitedMusic
20 | December 2018 / January 2019 thewholenote.com

HANDEL & HAYDN!
Experience two great 18th
century works performed by
the Toronto Mendelssohn
Choir and Orchestra:
Handel’s glorious
Coronation Anthems and
Haydn’s deeply-felt
Mass in Time of War.
DAVID
FALLIS
CONDUCTOR
Wednesday, February 27, 7:30 pm
St. Andrew’s Church
(RIGHT ACROSS FROM ROY THOMSON HALL)
MIREILLE
ASSELIN
SOPRANO
CHRISTINA
STELMACOVICH
MEZZO-
SOPRANO
ASITHA
TENNEKOON
TENOR
STEPHEN
HEGEDUS
BASS-BARITONE
Tickets: $35 to $78
Call 416-408-0208
or purchase online at
www.tmchoir.org
thewholenote.com December 2018 / January 2019 | 21

JOHN ARANO
Beat by Beat | In with the New
Concert Music
Meets Indigeneity
WENDALYN BARTLEY
In early December of 2018, the Canadian Opera Company
announced that Ian Cusson had been newly appointed composerin-residence.
A composer of Métis heritage, his work has largely
focused on writing vocal music – both art song and opera – as well as
orchestral music. Currently he is in residence
with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and
will begin this new appointment at the COC
in August 2019. I spoke with him about what
this new position will mean for him, and
also about the broader issues he explores
in his creative work. Being composer-inresidence
will not only offer the opportunity
to compose an opera for the COC, but
also the opportunity for an inside look at
the inner workings of an opera company:
observing and participating in rehearsals
for main productions; as well as observing
vocal coaching and diction sessions. The
commissioned opera will be a 50-minute
work with librettist Colleen Murphy whom
he met this past summer during Tapestry
Opera’s Composer-Librettist Laboratory.
They connected so well that Cusson invited
her to participate in this opera project that
will be geared towards families and young
audiences. It will be a lively adventure story,
he says, based on an urban tale of two young
people trying to rescue a mother who has
been taken captive.
On March 5, three of Cusson’s vocal
works will be presented at the COC’s noonhour
Vocal Series held in the large Richard
Bradshaw Amphitheatre lobby space. The first work will be a song
cycle for mezzo and piano quintet, Five Songs on poems of Marilyn
Dumont, a Cree/Metis poet from Edmonton, and sung by mezzo
Marion Newman, whose heritage combines Kwagiulth and Stó:lo
First Nations, English, Irish and Scottish. The other two works on the
program will be sung by Marjorie Maltais, with Cusson at the piano:
J’adore les orages, a concert aria with text by Michel Marc Bouchard;
and the premiere of Le Récital des anges, a song cycle based on poems
of Émile Nelligan, a Quebecois poet whose life straddled the end of the
19th and early 20th centuries.
For Cusson, finding the natural dramatic arc within the texts he is
working with is key, and he makes it a priority to write for the specific
singer who will be performing the piece. “I have a great respect for
singers and their ability to use their bodies in front of people, and
I keep the fact that they are human beings, not machines, in mind
while writing,” he said. He chooses to work with texts that are in
either English or French, the two languages he speaks. He feels it’s
essential for him to know the specific cadences of the language he is
working with in order to write well for the voice.
He is also drawn to working with Indigenous texts and stories from
his own tradition, seeing this as both an opportunity and a challenge.
One topic we explored more deeply was how he approached integrating
his classical background with his Métis heritage. He spoke
about his current orchestral project, Le Loup de Lafontaine, to be
performed by the National Arts Centre Orchestra in late September,
and based on a particular personal story from his own community. “As
Ian Cusson
I’m writing it, I’m thinking of the fiddle tradition – how it’s used and
how it could exist or be referenced within a larger orchestral piece.
This is the most direct connection I’ve had to my own Metis tradition
in my composing.” In the past, one key way he has approached
Indigenous culture is through texts and story and he has incorporated
one such story in this piece. It tells of “a wolf coming to town and
terrorizing farmers and people from a community comprised of Métis,
First Nations and French settlers, none of whom communicate with
each other. Although the wolf is killed in the end, the animal succeeds
in bringing the community together.”
This question of integrating Indigenous tradition and classical
concert music requires Cusson to think deeply both about how those
stories are being told, and about what story his own participation tells.
“It sounds wonderful to create an Indigenous opera,” he says, “but as
you move into that work, many questions
start to reveal themselves, such as the depiction
and representation of people, and what
it will sound like.”
Many of these pressures are internal and
self-imposed. “I want to do this successfully
and in a way that honours and doesn’t
demean. It takes a process and appropriate
consultation, patience, conversation, learning
and growing. I’ve been doing that, and will
probably continue for the rest of my life, as I
think about how to create works within this
classical tradition that touch on very difficult,
sensitive, painful places, and often involving
people who are still alive and have been
traumatized by events in the past.”
So the question becomes, what stories
should be put on stage, and how should they
be told? “These are very complex questions
with no quick answers. Also, it’s important
to become more aware of the protocols and
processes related to specific types of traditional
music, like ceremonial songs for
example, which are only to be sung at
specific times, by specific people, for specific
purposes, and not by anyone else. I’m also
learning about this, especially within other
Indigenous traditions that are not my own.
There are many different nations and they all
have different processes and protocols.”
Coming up in February, Cusson will be participating in a special
ten-day gathering at the Banff Centre for the Arts that will bring
together various Indigenous musicians involved in classical music.
The goal is twofold: first to have some co-creation time together
and second, to think through best practices and protocols for
artistic companies, presenters and other artists, when working with
Indigenous musicians. “It will be an opportunity to think through
how things are, where things could go, and how we can be a part of
leading that,” Cusson said. The goal is to come out of this meeting
with a tangible document that will outline starting places for the
entire classical musical community who want to have better information
on how to integrate and support Indigenous culture in their
concert productions and creative works. “What are the good steps we
can take to insure that we are making well-informed projects that are
acts of reconciliation? This seems to be missing in a formal sense, so
this document will be helpful in continuing that dialogue.” From my
birds-eye perspective of writing this WholeNote column focused on
the contemporary music world, I envision that this will be a very rich
and valuable conversation that I hope will having lasting impact on
how we think, create and engage in building musical culture.
Pauline Oliveros in February:
The Music Gallery will be co-producing three events in February
centred around the music of Pauline Oliveros, the well-loved
composer, performer and pioneer of the Deep Listening process.
22 | December 2018 / January 2019 thewholenote.com

For a special Valentine’s Day event on February 14, Oliveros’ longtime
partner, IONE, will be presenting a reading titled Today With
All Its Hopes And Sorrows where she will reflect on the topics of
community, lineage, and the potency of text and sound as forms of
remembrance. Two days later on February 16, IONE will join cellist
and improviser Anne Bourne for an afternoon workshop experience
exploring Oliveros’ text scores. And finally, on February 17 there will
be a concert performance of Oliveros’ To Valerie Solanas and Marilyn
Monroe in Recognition of Their Desperation, written in 1968 as a
response to the turbulent political events of the time. Appropriately,
it will be performed by a group of local musicians in the City Hall
council chambers. In order to give the reader a more personalized
account of the impact of these events exploring the ideas within
Oliveros’ music, I am planning a follow-up concert report which
should be available on The WholeNote’s website during the third week
of February.
IN WITH THE NEW QUICK PICKS
!!
FEB 2, 8PM: Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre. Soundstreams offers up a special performance
of Steve Reich’s Different Trains with the Rolston String Quartet performing in
tandem with a video realized by Spanish filmmaker Beatriz Caravaggio. Reich wrote
this Grammy Award-winning work in 1988 as a musical meditation on the Holocaust.
Perhaps the most personal of his works, Reich calls Different Trains a “music documentary”
bearing witness to his childhood train journeys across the US in the 1940s,
and the realization that as a Jew, had he grown up in Europe, his train journeys would
have been very different. The concert will also feature Quartet #2 (Waves) by R.
Murray Schafer, Swans Kissing by Rolf Wallin, and Streams by Dorothy Chang.
!!
FEB 13 AND 14, 8PM: The Toronto Symphony Orchestra conducted by Barbara
Hannigan. For lovers of the virtuosic contemporary music soprano, this will be an
opportunity to experience her work as both conductor and vocal soloist. On the
program is a series of mainly early 20th-century works by Debussy, Sibelius, Berg and
Gershwin, as well as a classical period work by Haydn.
!!
FEB 15 AND 16, 8PM: Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre. The Toronto Consort concert, “Love,
Remixed”, offers a program of contemporary music written for early instruments
and voice. James Rolfe’s Breathe uses texts by the 12th-century abbess, composer,
poet and healer Hildegard of Bingen. Her texts often speak of rapturous experiences
with the divine as well as of the greening life energy of nature. The Consort’s artistic
director David Fallis will be presenting his Eurydice Variations, the story Monteverdi’s
Orfeo tells, but from the point of view of Eurydice.
!!
FEB 17, 7PM: Gallery 345. New Music Concerts offers this special fundraising
event featuring the acclaimed German keyboard virtuoso Moritz Ernst performing
the masterpiece Klavierstück X by Karlheinz Stockhausen, along with works by Mike
Edgerton, Arthur Lourié, Miklos Maros and Sandeep Bhagwati.
!!
FEB 22 AND 23, 8PM: Factory Theatre. The Music Gallery and Fu Gen Theatre
present Foxconn Frequency (no.3) – for three visibly Chinese performers. This interdisciplinary
work of “algorithmic theatre” combines real-time game mechanics, piano
pedagogy, 3D-printing and the poetry of former Foxconn worker Xu Lizhi. The creative
team includes the members of Hong Kong Exile – Natalie Tin Yin Gan, Milton Lim, Remy
Siu, and musical performers Vicky Chow, Paul Paroczai and Matt Poon. The goal is
to expand awareness beyond the musical
instrument itself and bring attention to the
performer’s identity by engaging both the
eyes and ears, and thereby shifting the audience’s
perception to multiple modalities.
!!
FEB 23, 8PM: Gallery 345. Spectrum
Music presents “The Rebel: Breaking Down
Barriers” with the premiere of seven new
works by Spectrum Music members Hanus,
McBride, Victoria, Welchner, Wilde and
others. This concert will be the second of five
concerts this season that are exploring five
prominent Jungian archetypes. Continuing
in Spectrum’s tradition of pushing genre
boundaries, the concert will combine classical
and jazz elements.
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thewholenote.com December 2018 / January 2019 | 23

Beat by Beat | World View
Music and
Calendars
Constructs in Time
ANDREW TIMAR
Welcome to the first WholeNote World View column of 2019.
Calendar years are human constructs, as is time itself. Yet
as we all learned in Music 101, and as Leonard Bernstein
repeated in his 1955 Art of Conducting TV lecture, “music exists in the
medium of time.”
As we all know, the familiar Gregorian calendar, in use since 1582,
and itself a correction of the earlier Julian calendar – both based on
the Earth’s revolution around the Sun – pins January 1 as the very
beginning of the year. The more ancient lunar calendar on the other
hand is built on the monthly cycles of lunar phases.
Chinese culture has observed both a lunar and a solar calendar for
millennia, complex computations resulting in a blended lunisolar
calendar which reckons years, months and days according to astronomical
phenomena, in 12-yearly cycles. The Chinese lunisolar New
Year falls this year on February 5, initiating the Year of the Pig, which
in some related Asian zodiacs is represented by its wild cousin the
boar. Widely called chunjie (Spring Festival), it technically lasts 15 days
in mainland China.
Participants mark the ritual start of a new year by planting crops,
feasting, gifting, praying to the gods and the ancestors, and seeking to
attract good fortune. Bright red auspicious decorations and lanterns
are hung, negative forces are purged, fireworks fill the sky, and
much more.
Lunisolar New Years are celebrated not only in mainland China and
Taiwan but also widely in East and Southeast Asia and by Chinese and
other communities around the world. One estimate pegs the number
of participants at a quarter of the world’s population.
In modern China, workers travel home to enjoy reunion dinners
and family visits at this time of year. Called chunyun, this roughly
40-day period has been tagged as the world’s largest annual migration.
The numbers are truly mindboggling, like many things in
China. Over 2.9 billion individual passenger journeys are projected
during chunyun this year, well over twice the actual population of
the country.
Chinese New Year in the Greater Toronto Area
The Chinese Spring Festival is undoubtedly the most significant
community-wide celebration in China and the diaspora. In the GTA it
already began in January.
I discussed how the Spring Festival season impacts GTA Chinese
musicians, their repertoire and community patronage, in a series
of late January messages with Canadian Chinese Orchestra artistic
director and conductor Amely Zhou. (She was too busy for a sit-down
due to her intensive rehearsal schedule.)
What is the New Year season like for Chinese musicians? Does
it result in performing opportunities? “Very much yes… it’s a busy
time for all Chinese musicians,” replied Zhou. “Private individuals,
businesses and mass entertainment providers like TV stations want
live Chinese music to demonstrate their allegiance to their culture
of origin at this auspicious time of year.” It’s a significant form of
community support for Chinese musicians in the diaspora, as well as
for their Chinese instruments and repertoire.
The patronage of Chinese music and affiliated performing arts such
as dance and opera are closely tied to GTA and international commercial
interests. “These are ultimately linked to the economic strength of
today’s China,” added Zhou. It reflects a complex and ever-evolving
economic, cultural – and even at times political – dynamic between
Canada and China, one which has very recently become significantly
more tense.
Canadian Chinese Orchestra
Fête Chinoise at the AGO
A good example of this patronage at work was the Canadian
Chinese Orchestra’s first Chinese New Year gig at an event organized
by Fête Chinoise, the Markham, Ontario magazine and lifestyle
event programming company. Held at the Art Gallery of Ontario on
January 26, the event, also called Fête Chinoise, seeks to “empower
individuals to deepen the connection between their [Chinese] identity
and culture,” through a “curated lens and critical thinking.”
CCO’s repertoire for this event included Festive Overture for
Chinese orchestra by veteran Chinese composer Jiping Zhao and the
pop instrumental Summer by Japanese film ccomposer Joe Hisaishi,
arranged by Malaysian composer Junyi Chow. CCO’s set was, however,
only one among many experiences that night. They included fashion,
art and design as well as food, drink and stationery that reflected
motifs of abundance, opulence, wealth and philanthropy, all significant
themes in Chinese New Year celebrations. The sold-out event
presented aspirational products and experiences which put a curated,
NEW MUSIC CONCERTS | ROBERT AITKEN ARTISTIC DIRECTOR| WWW.NEWMUSICCONCERTS.COM | RESERVATIONS 416.961.9594
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2019
Gallery 345 | 345 Sorauren
Moritz Ernst
Benefit Piano Recital
SPECIAL EVENT
Tickets $100 (2 for $150)
includes door prizes,
gourmet delights and drinks.
RSVP 416.961.9594
Doors Open @ 7
SUNDAY APRIL 28, 2019
Oliphant Theatre | 404 Jarvis
Luminaries
Pierre Boulez:
Le marteau sans maître
Gilles Tremblay: Envoi
Louise Bessette | Patricia Green
NMC Ensemble
Robert Aitken | Brian Current
Intro @ 7:15 | Concert @ 8
SUNDAY MAY 26, 2019
Oliphant Theatre | 404 Jarvis
Iridescence
concertos and a song cycle
by Matthias McIntire
Samuel Andreyev
and Ana Sokolovic
NMC Ensemble | Robert Aitken
Intro @ 7:15 | Concert @ 8
24 | December 2018 / January 2019 thewholenote.com

Toronto Chinese Orchestra director Patty Chan.
contemporary and urbane spin on ancient Chinese cultural customs.
Chinese New Year Gala 2019 at the Sony Centre
February 4, on the eve of the Year of the Pig, The 6th Chinese New
Year Gala 2019 takes over the substantial stage of the Sony Centre,
Toronto, produced by Canada National TV, a Chinese-Canadian television
station.
The Sony Centre event page describes the event as follows: “Chinese
and Western artists will sing and dance, and we will drum the bell to
welcome the arrival of 2019. It will be Canada’s largest Chinese Spring
Festival Evening by far! … The largest overseas Chinese New Year celebration,
[the show] connects millions of viewers at home and abroad…
through live television.”
A portion of the ticket sales will benefit a local hospital and the Yee
Hong Centre for Geriatric Care. It’s part of a long Chinese tradition of
giving back to the community and taking careful care of elders.
The CCO performs a set at the New Year Gala 2019 including Dance
of the Golden Snake (1934), a fast-paced orchestral composition by
Nie Er, popular during New Year celebrations, drawing on Shanghai
region folk melodies and featuring lively percussion. the CCO plays an
arrangement of this work by Hong Kong composer and conductor Ng
Chiu Shing.
“We’ll also be playing my Chinese orchestra arrangement of Billie
Jean, Michael Jackson’s hit 1982 song…just for fun,” added Zhou (with
smile emoticon attached).
Why choose to cover a 1982 American pop song on Chinese
instruments?
“I wanted to challenge old misconceptions of traditional Chinese
Cathedral Bluffs
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Norman Reintamm
Artistic Director/Principal Conductor
Saturday March 9, 2019 8 pm
THE RITE OF SPRING
STRAVINSKY’S MASTERPIECE
DEBUSSY Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Estonian-Canadian composer
ERIK KREEM Waltz (Premiere)
music being sad and quiet.” And also, “because everyone [in China]
knows Billie Jean … I made the arrangement for the CCO Youth
Orchestra tour to China last summer and it was very well received,
with audiences clapping and dancing. My drummer was particularly
popular with the girls!”
Toronto Chinese Orchestra
City Hall, Pacific Mall
The Toronto Chinese Orchestra (TCO) is the region’s oldest such
orchestra. Under music director Patty Chan on the morning of
February 4 – the eve of the Year of the Pig – it plays festive music
at Toronto City Hall, our region’s civic hub and usually its political
epicentre. Then at 10pm the same day the TCO reconvenes at the
Pacific Mall playing a late-night set just before New Year. Located on
the City of Markham side of Steeles Ave., the three-level Pacific Mall
has reigned as the largest Chinese shopping mall in North America
since opening its doors in 1997, a popular hub of an explicitly
commercial kind. Both free concerts are open to the public.
COC’s World Music Free Noon-Hour Series
February 5 at 12 noon the TCO’s Chamber Players celebrate Chinese
New Year in the Canadian Opera Company’s free World Music Series
at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for the
Performing Arts. Led by its erhu player Patty Chan, the Chamber
Players form the professional core of the TCO, including Kenny
Kwan, percussion; Dora Wang, dizi and Wendy Zhou, pipa. Boosting
the lower end of the sound spectrum is cellist Jaimie Chan who was
TICKETS: from $35 ($30 student/senior; children under 12 are free)
ORDER ONLINE cathedralbluffs.com BY PHONE 416.879.5566
P.C. Ho Theatre 5183 Sheppard Ave East
subscription
(1 block east of Markham Rd), Scarborough
cathedralbluffs.com | 416.879.5566
concert 4
thewholenote.com December 2018 / January 2019 | 25

ecently added to the TCOCP roster.
Their varied program celebrates the Year of the Pig with a mix
of traditional and contemporary Chinese music. It continues with
Colourful Clouds Chasing the Moon composed by Ren Guang,
the traditional Purple Bamboo Tune, Jiang Xianwei’s Journey to
Gusu, Lu Wencheng’s Rising Higher Step by Step, and Romance
on the Grasslands by Wang Luobin/Patty Chan. The program then
concludes with Dance of Yi Tribe by Wang Huiren, Hand in Hand
by Su Shi/Patty Chan, and the popular Racing Horses composed by
Huang Haihuai.
ROM Gods in My Home: Chinese New Year
The TCO remains active during the New Year season playing public
and private events. For example on February 16, 17 and 18, mornings
and afternoons at the Royal Ontario Museum, its youth and small
ensembles perform ensemble pieces and instrumental solos. They will
also offer demonstrations and opportunities for the audiences to try
playing selected instruments.
These interactive performances are part of the ROM’s current
exhibition Gods in My Home: Chinese New Year. Drawn from the
Museum’s permanent collection, the exhibition features a selection of
ancestral portrait paintings and deity prints that were an integral part
of Lunar New Year observances in Chinese households. Gods in My
Home “explores the connections between the domestic, material and
spiritual life of Chinese society…during the late Imperial period to the
early 20th-century Republic era.”
New Year. Please see their website for more details.
Perhaps, as the temple suggests, you will be among those fortunate
enough to “bring home auspicious blessings and wisdom.”
In this KonMari-fuelled “tidying and purging” era, those are two
possessions I wouldn’t mind more of.
WORLD VIEW QUICK PICKS
Jane Bunnett and Macqueque
Fo Guang Shan Temple of Toronto
Plenty of other events
I’ve focused attention on just two Chinese Orchestras in this
account of Chinese New Year music in the GTA. Of course there
are plenty of other events taking place in Chinese communities
throughout the GTA. For example the Chinese Cultural Centre
of Greater Toronto holds its signature Year of the Pig Banquet on
February 8 at its sprawling Scarborough facility, featuring an evening
of community entertainment, many including Chinese music.
Finally, for those seeking musical experiences with a spiritual aim,
the Fo Guang Shan Temple of Toronto marks the Chinese New Year
with several activities in its Mississauga Mahayana Buddhist temple.
In a message from the Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the founder of
Fo Guang Shan, the Year of the Pig both symbolizes endings and
brand new beginnings. “One homophone for pig is ‘all’ or ‘everything,’
which also represents a good wish for everyone to have a wellrounded
and auspicious year.”
From January 26 to February 10, the Temple hosts Chinese New Year
Festival activities such as lighting lamps to the Buddhas, sounding the
bell of peace, and participating in Dharma services to welcome the
New Year.
The Chinese New Year’s Eve Chanting Service is on February 4
starting at 8pm, while the New Year Chanting Service is on February 5
and 10 at 10am. The Temple invites everyone to visit during Chinese
!!
FEB 2, 8PM: Lemon Bucket Orkestra and Aline Morales at Koerner Hall, Royal
Conservatory of Music. Toronto’s guerilla-punk-Balkan-folk-brass band shares the
stage with Aline Morales, the Brazilian-Toronto singer, percussionist and member of
KUNÉ – Canada’s Global Orchestra.
!!
FEB 7, 12:30pm: York University Department of Music presents music professor
Rob Simms playing a rare concert of tanbur and setar solos in its Faculty Spotlight
Series in Room 235, Accolade East Building, York University.
!!
FEB 9, 7:30PM: The “Queen of Klezmer” Alicia Svigals, a founder of the Grammy
Award-winning Klezmatics and “the world’s foremost klezmer violinist” takes the
stage of the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts in Kingston, with her band.
!!
FEB 9, 8PM: The Royal Conservatory of Music presents Cuban-Canadian piano
giant Hilario Durán and his Latin Jazz Big Band with Horacio “El Negro” Hernández and
Sarita Levya’s Rumberos; at Koerner Hall.
!!
FEB 21, 22, 23 AND 24: Tafelmusik restages its moving transcultural Tales of Two
Cities: The Leipzig-Damascus Coffee House at Koerner Hall. Maryem Tollar serves
as the gracious narrator and vocalist while Tafelmusik guests, Persian percussionist
Naghmeh Farahmand and oud specialist Demetri Petsalakis, musically illustrate the
Damascus end of the tale. Elisa
Citterio conducts from the
violin.
!!
FEB 23, 8PM: The powerful
Cuban female bolero, canción
and son vocalist Yaima Sáez and
her group splits the night with
Jane Bunnett and Maqueque,
her band of deep-groove, earlycareer
Cuban women musicians,
at the RBC Theatre, Living
Arts Centre, Mississauga.
!!
MAR 3, 1PM: The Royal
Conservatory of Music presents
Padideh Ahrarnejad, Iranian tar
player and member of KUNÉ,
performing a free concert
(ticket required) with her sextet
Partow at Mazzoleni Concert Hall,
Padideh Ahrarnejad
RCM.
Andrew Timar is a Toronto musician and music writer. He
can be contacted at worldmusic@thewholenote.com.
26 | December 2018 / January 2019 thewholenote.com

Beat by Beat | Choral Scene
Choral Fire in
Winter Snow
BRIAN CHANG
Two upcoming choral concerts promise to take some of the chill
out of winter. The Nathaniel Dett Chorale, joined by alumni,
premieres a new work, Hosea, to perform what artistic director
Brainerd Blyden-Taylor calls a concert of “wonderful, inspirational,
moving music.” This concert continues the Chorale’s 20th anniversary
season. And two of the finest chamber choirs in Canada join forces
to present a joint concert; the Vancouver Chamber Choir (VCC) is
hosted by the Elmer Iseler Singers on their 92nd and last tour with Jon
Washburn at the head of the VCC.
To Return, with Love: Hosea
The Nathaniel Dett Chorale takes the Koerner Hall stage to perform
a new work, Hosea. “This year we have a composer-in-residence,
Dr. Stephen Newby,” shares artistic director Blyden-Taylor. “He has
written a mini-oratorio based on the Old Testament Book of Hosea. It
is a fusion mashup of the classical, jazz and gospel genres.”
“When the Book of Hosea was written, it was a metaphor for
God’s relationship with the children of Israel,” shares Blyden-Taylor.
“Initially God tells Hosea he should marry a prostitute and take in
her children.” Figuratively, Hosea invokes wayward Israelites, who
have turned their backs on God, to turn back to God. “He calls them
to repentance with an open heart of forgiveness should they return to
him.” That path to repentance is one of inclusion, opening doors and
hearts to the denigrated and lowly.
The Book of Hosea is controversial, more so now, for its disparaging
depictions of “wanton women.” The metaphoric reading, though,
is more nuanced than the literal text taken at face value. For Blyden-
Taylor, “looking at it from our point of view today, it’s essentially the
theme of unconditional love, reconciliation, and compassion.”
Composer-in-residence Newby is professor of music at Seattle
Pacific University, a Christian college rooted in the Wesleyan
Methodist tradition. He conducts the University’s Gospel Choir and
teaches composition. Blyden-Taylor describes Hosea as “a combination
of Newby’s two passions: music and theology.”
Hosea will be performed by the current Chorale. The other half
of the concert will include alumni across the 20-year history of the
The Nathaniel Dett Chorale's composer-in-residence, Dr. Stephen Newby
in his role as national anthem singer for the Seattle Sounders FC.
ensemble. Blyden-Taylor says “there are about 18 to 20 alumni who are
coming back to sing with the current ensemble. We’re doing a series
of favourite spirituals in the other half of the concert. We’re doing
pieces by Nathaniel Dett and Moses Hogan.” Added to this, Blyden-
Taylor has programmed songs from young American composer,
Brandon Waddles, making three generations of composers spanning
100 years.
It is a banner year for the Chorale, celebrating its 20th anniversary.
It is also, Blyden Taylor shares, “a big year for Nathaniel Dett too. This
season marks the 75th anniversary of his death, and the 90th anniversary
of the school of music he founded in Hampton University,
Virginia. Dett was also one of the founding members of the National
Association of Negro Musicians in the US, and they’ll be celebrating
their 100th anniversary in Chicago in the summertime.”
The ongoing process of exploring Afrocentric music has become a
life’s work for Blyden-Taylor. “This ensemble is not just to commemorate
Nathaniel Dett, but also his belief in Afrocentric music in its
entirety,” he says. “It’s been a rich 20 years, and we’ve done a lot of
things over that time, always striving to provide wonderful, inspirational,
moving music.”
February 13, 8pm. The Nathaniel Dett Chorale presents Voices
thewholenote.com December 2018 / January 2019 | 27

of the Diaspora… Hosea & Friends. Koerner Hall, Telus Centre for
Performance and Learning, Toronto.
Two of the Finest; One Beautiful Concert
The Vancouver Chamber Choir comes to Toronto on its final tour
with Jon Washburn as artistic director. “We’re singing the top-tenperformed
pieces from the choir’s history,” says Washburn, who
keeps meticulous lists of performances and songs performed. “A lot of
this repertoire is repertoire that has been toured quite a bit over the
years. For example, we’re doing Trois Chansons de Charles d’Orléans
by Debussy; we’ve done 113 performances of that piece. The Imant
Raminsh Ave Verum Corpus we’ve given 64 times.”
The concert will also feature many of
Washburn’s beloved, often-performed
arrangements including music of Stephen
Foster and Rise! Shine!, his setting of four
spirituals. “There are so many concerts
at home and they kind of fade into each
other over time,” shares Washburn.
“But when you’re on tour, you associate
a concert with a certain hall in a
certain community in a certain season of
the year. They are very vivid memories.
For instance, the Schafer A Garden of
Bells, was written for us many years
ago. I remember when we did our tour
of the Soviet Union in 1989, the incredible
reception we got for this piece. We
travelled the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania), the Ukraine, and Moscow,
Russia. We finished that tour with the
Moscow Chamber Choir in the Great
Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.” The
Choir has performed A Garden of Bells 82
times over the years since it was first
written in 1984.
Washburn has named the tour and
the performances “Music Sea to Sea: The
Farewell Tour.” The tour is taking them from
their usual home on the Pacific across the country to the Atlantic.
Starting in Edmonton, then to Calgary, Lethbridge, Regina, Toronto,
St. John’s, Halifax, Antigonish, Wolfville, Truro, Lunenberg, and back
to Vancouver over 18 days. This will be the 92nd tour in the last 48
years and Washburn has been on all but one of them. This is his last
as the artistic director of the VCC as they continue their search for a
new leader.
The Elmer Iseler Singers are hosting this particular visit. “[Artistic
director] Lydia Adams and I go way back and we’ve just always had
a wonderful friendship and so it’s very special to do my last official
event as artistic director in Toronto,” says Washburn. “I think there
will be a lot of feelings that night.”
Adams feels the same. “For me, I’m really looking forward to this
time together. I’ve known Jon since the early 90s when I played for
the Ontario Youth Choir and he was the conductor. We hit it off. I was
so taken by his work with the Youth Choir and the results he was able
to get; his focus and attention. He was able to make great music with
them, and that’s the case every time we work with him.”
The Elmer Iseler Singers, for their portion of the concert, will
perform a selection of choral works new and familiar. For the new,
Adams has chosen The Spheres, which is the opening movement of
Ola Gjeilo’s Sunrise Mass. For the old, William Byrd’s Sing Joyfully.
Rounding out the program is Healey Willan’s anthem, Gloria Deo, and
James MacMillan’s The Gallant Weaver.
“It takes a lot to hand over a choir that you’ve taken care of for
so long,” shares Adams. She knows herself what it is like to give
up the reins; this is her final season at the helm of the Amadeus
Choir. “There’s something about coming to the end of something.
Things become more intense; every moment becomes very precious
and there’s not a moment wasted. There’s nothing thrown away;
everything has meaning.”
Washburn notes the long history of the two choirs: “We have a great
working relationship that has gone back decades. It’s really nice that
we have been able to work together on a regular basis.” Adams appreciates
this history as well. “The choirs are so meshed,” she says, “when
they come together, it’s old friends, with immediate friendship and
music making.”
March 1, 7:30pm. The Elmer Iseler Singers present the Vancouver
Chamber Choir “Music from Sea to Sea: The Farewell Tour.” Eglinton
St. George’s United Church, Toronto. See elmeriselersingers.com for
more information.
The Vancouver Chamber Choir
CHORAL SCENE QUICK PICKS
!!
FEB 16, 8PM: The Guelph Chamber Choir presents “Glory: Music of Light and Joy.”
The search continues for a new artistic director with candidate Charlene Pauls taking
the reins for this concert. Earlier in the season, Patrick Murray tested the baton.
Pauls has programmed Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Somewhere from
West Side Story and a host of smaller works including Sid Robinovitch’s Prayer Before
Sleep, and Morten Lauridsen’s Sure on this Shining Night. St. George’s Anglican
Church, Guelph.
!!
FEB 16, 8PM:The Living Arts Centre presents “O Happy Day: Ben Heppner and the
Toronto Mass Choir.” The Mass Choir has joined Heppner on a few of these concerts
over the last few years. Blending the power of Heppner’s renowned tenor with the
powerful Mass Choir, this collab is surefire. Living Arts Centre, Mississauga.
!!
FEB 21 to 24, various times: York University, Accolade East Building. Finale Concert
FEB 24, 7:30PM, Bayview Glen Church. The Toronto Mass Choir and guests run the
annual PowerUp Gospel Music Workshop. The workshop features an entire gamut
of classes from vocal technique, to keyboards, to running a choir, to gospel technique
and masterclasses. The Workshop week culminates in a Finale Concert featuring the
Workshop Mass Choir, Gospel Chorale and Gospel Youth Choir. Check out the full line
up at powerupgospel.ca
!!
FEB 27, 7:30PM: The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir presents “Handel and Haydn.”
Featuring the iconic Handel Coronation Anthems and Haydn’s Mass in Time of War. St
Andrew’s Church, Toronto.
!!
MAR 2, 8PM: The Toronto Chamber Choir presents “Convivencia: Music Across
Three Faiths.” With funding from the private Pluralism Fund, artistic director Lucas
Harris has assembled a host of music to invoke the multi-religious period in medieval
and Renaissance Spain. Grace Church on-the-Hill, Toronto.
Follow Brian on Twitter @bfchang. Send info/media/
tips to choralscene@thewholenote.com.
28 | December 2018 / January 2019 thewholenote.com

Beat by Beat | Early Music
Discovering
Ancient Music’s
Hidden Gems
MATTHEW WHITFIELD
History’s pruning shears are aggressively pragmatic, trimming
away that which is not tremendously noteworthy, revolutionary,
famous or infamous. Music history is no kinder to its members,
the pantheon of perpetual fame reserved for those select few on
whom we bestow the title of “genius.” In the movie Amadeus,
which, by the way, is screening with live orchestra at the Sony Centre
February 21 and 22, court composer Antonio Salieri “speak[s] for all
mediocrities in the world. I am their champion. I am their patron
saint.” He fully expects to be expunged from the record books because
of his lack of prodigious talent, surpassed in every way by the young
and inexplicably, divinely gifted Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Almost as well-known as Amadeus itself is the understanding that
(spoiler alert!) the vast majority of the drama in the film is entirely
fictitious. Salieri did, in fact, achieve great success during his career,
not only dominating Italian-language Viennese opera, but also
becoming one of the most important and sought-after teachers of
his generation, with such pupils as Franz Liszt, Franz Schubert, and
Ludwig van Beethoven… not too bad for the “patron saint of mediocrities.”
But while this particular instance of historical pruning may be
false, there are many other examples of how time can act as an eraser,
gradually wiping away traces of people, places, and events.
Let us consider, for example, the idea of national “schools” of
music, which ebb and flow depending on the time period and corresponding
socio-political circumstances of each country. Throughout
the history of music there are three countries which consistently
contributed to the development of European music from the medieval
era to the 20th century: Germany, France and Italy; these nations
produced some of the great composers of the past, including Bach and
Beethoven, Couperin and Debussy, and Vivaldi and Puccini, respectively,
as well as virtuoso interpreters. England has made valid contributions
throughout history as well, particularly in the Renaissance
and Baroque, with the Tudors and later composers such as Purcell,
and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through Parry, Elgar,
Howells, Britten and others.
Europe, however, is an expansive continent and currently contains
50 separate countries – what are the musical histories of these other
nations, the ones that have not received the legacies of Mozarts and
Salieris? Who are their “patron saints of mediocrities”? This month’s
listings are full of explorations of these lesser-known composers and
their works; here are some of the highlights:
Poland in the 16th Century
On February 21, Gallery 345 presents harpsichordist Corina Marti,
playing keyboard music from 16th-century Poland. Poland’s influence
on classical music cannot be underestimated, with world-famous
composers such as Frédéric Chopin, Witold Lutosławski, Krzysztof
Penderecki, Karol Szymanowski and Henryk Górecki, and renowned
pianists like Arthur Rubinstein, Ignacy Jan Paderewski and Krystian
Zimerman counted amongst its artistic elite. While these composers
and performers are largely from the 19th and 20th centuries, Poland
has had a national musical identity since the 13th century, from which
manuscripts have been found containing polyphonic compositions
related to the Parisian Notre Dame School. During the 16th century,
two musical ensembles led a rapid development in Polish music –
both were based in Kraków and belonged to the King and Archbishop
of Wawel. Music does not exist in a vacuum, however, and a number
of Italian musicians were guests at the royal courts in the early 17th
century, included Luca Marenzio, Giovanni Francesco Anerio, and
Marco Scacchi. During the 17th century, Polish composers from this
period focused on Baroque religious music and concertos for voices,
instruments and basso continuo, a tradition that continued into the
18th century.
This concert is certainly worth exploring, in part because it provides
more questions than answers: what will this Renaissance-era music
from Eastern Europe sound like? Will it resemble the Tudor school
and the pavanes and galliards of Byrd and Gibbons, or perhaps the
more fantastical style of Frescobaldi? There is only one way to find out!
Convivencia
Another country that has not received significant recognition for its
musical contributions is Spain where, particularly in the renaissance,
creativity and experimentation abounded. The Toronto Chamber Choir
delves into repertoire from mediaeval and renaissance Spain with
their concert “Convivencia: Music Across Three Faiths” on March 2.
Featuring Sephardic folk songs, classical Arabic melodies, and Spanish
polyphony, this performance captures the cross-pollination that took
place in a country with an unusually rich and complex musical and
political history.
Over the course of its history, Spain has had more than 2,000
years of internal and external influences and developments that have
combined to produce a large number of unique musical traditions,
closely related to changing political climates. In the two centuries
before the Christian era, Roman rule brought with it the music and
ideas of Ancient Greece. Early Christians, who had their own differing
versions of church music, arrived during the height of the Roman
Empire, while the Visigoths, a Romanized Germanic people, took
control of the peninsula following the fall of the Roman Empire. The
rule of Moors and Jews in the Middle Ages added another influence
to the musical climate, and the style of Spanish popular songs of the
thewholenote.com December 2018 / January 2019 | 29

Gesualdo in Holy Week
Carlo Gesualdo’s Tenebrae Responsories
set the sombre pre-Lenten tone for
a concert of works by this infamous
homicidal composer, along with works by
his 16th century contemporaries.
Saturday, March 2, 7:30 pm
St. Patrick’s Church
141 McCaul St.
Tales of Two Cities: The Leipzig-Damascus Coffee House
time is presumed to have been heavily influenced by the music of
the Moors.
By the early 16th century, the polyphonic vocal style that developed
in Spain was closely related to that of the Franco-Flemish composers.
Composers from the North of Europe visited Spain, and native
Spaniards travelled within the Holy Roman Empire, which extended
to the Netherlands, Germany and Italy. Tomás Luis de Victoria, for
example, spent a significant portion of his career in Rome, developing
a technique that was said to have reached a level of polyphonic perfection
and expressive intensity equal, or even superior, to Palestrina
and Lassus.
By blending Sephardic, Arabic and Spanish musics, the Toronto
Chamber Choir’s Convivencia will provide an artistic reflection of
the real-world exchanges that took place between the world’s three
great monotheistic religions in a country whose history is punctuated
by fascinating and wide-reaching influences. Featuring Lucas Harris
as conductor and lutenist, as well as guest singers, guitars, oud, ney
Director Peter Mahon
Tickets: $30, Seniors: $25, Students with ID: $10 (only at the door)
Info: 416 286-9798 Order online: boxoffice.tallischoir.com
and percussion, this concert
is ideal for those who wish to
broaden their knowledge of
classical music and get a bigpicture
look at what influenced
the music we hear and
perform today.
Tales of Two Cities
While on the topic of
big-picture performances,
Tafelmusik will remount their
successful multimedia production
“Tales of Two Cities: The
Leipzig-Damascus Coffee
House” from February 21 to
24. Conceived, scripted and
programmed by Alison Mackay,
this musical exploration of the
links between 18th-century
Saxony and Syria became
one of the most talked-about
projects in Tafelmusik’s history
when it was first seen in 2016.
Celebrating the rich musical
traditions of East and West,
and the renewed dialogue
between those traditions in
contemporary, multicultural
Toronto, Tales blurs musical boundaries and alters our perspectives on
musical history.
In terms of artistry, this concert brings an all-star roster to the
Koerner Hall stage, featuring the Tafelmusik orchestra led by Elisa
Citterio and Opera Atelier’s Marshall Pynkoski as stage director. The
Tafelmusik team will be joined on stage by Maryem Tollar, vocalist
and co-narrator, Alon Nashman, co-narrator, Naghmeh Farahmand,
percussion, and Demetri Petsalakis, oud. In case you missed it in 2016,
the musical selections are stellar, and include canonic works by Bach,
Handel, Telemann and more, as well as traditional Arabic song and
klezmer fiddle music.
If last year’s Safe Haven was your first exposure to Mackay’s multimedia
prowess, don’t miss this opportunity to see Tales which is
sure to impress, both through the superb skill of the performers and
the surprising, captivating connections drawn between the “then” of
centuries ago and our very present “now.”
While this month’s concerts might be slightly more outside the box
than usual with regards to programming and presentation, the opportunity
for cross-cultural exploration is one that shouldn’t be missed.
At a time of xenophobic mania, and as the drawing of lines between
“us and them” becomes increasingly aggressive, these performances
provide an essential and contextual reminder that “those who do not
remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Have questions about these or any other early music concerts in this
month’s WholeNote? Get in touch at earlymusic@thewholenote.com.
EARLY MUSIC QUICKPICKS
!!
FEB 3, 2PM: Rezonance Baroque Ensemble. “Italian Celebration.” St. Barnabas
Anglican Church, 361 Danforth Ave. Old and new come together as folk music and
compositions by Neapolitan Baroque composers are performed alongside works by
Toronto composer Romina di Gasbarro.
!!
FEB 15, 8PM: St. Basil’s Church, University of St. Michael’s College. “Litanies de la
Vièrge.” St. Basil’s Church, 50 St. Joseph St. Glorious music from the pinnacle of the
French Baroque, with choir and organ music by Charpentier, de Grigny and Couperin.
!!
FEB 16, 7:30PM: St. George’s Cathedral. “Te Deum Laudamus.” St. George’s
Cathedral, 270 King St. E, Kingston. A survey of music from England and anthems from
the 17th to 20th centuries, including Handel’s Te Deum in D and Stanford’s stunning Te
Deum in B-flat.
an Ontario government agency
un organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario
Matthew Whitfield is a Toronto-based harpsichordist and organist.
30 | December 2018 / January 2019 thewholenote.com

Beat by Beat | On Opera
Hook Up’s
Uncharted Waters
CHRISTOPHER HOILE
Michael Mori, artistic director of Tapestry Opera has said that
his goal for the company is to present one new Canadian
opera per year. This year Tapestry is presenting two. The
first is Hook Up with music by Chris Thornborrow to a libretto by
Julie Tepperman running January 29 to February 9. The second is
Shanawdithit with music by Dean Burry to a libretto by Yvette Nolan
running May 16 to 25. Since Hook Up will be playing through almost a
third of February, I spoke with its creators about how the project came
to be and what it concerns.
Tepperman points out that when Hook Up officially opens
on January 30, it will mark five and a half years that she and
Thornborrow have been working on it. Thornborrow and Tepperman
met at Tapestry’s renowned LibLab (Composer-Librettist Laboratory)
that brings eight composers and eight playwrights together to create
ten-minute operas. These sometimes become the seeds of fulllength
works.
That is exactly what happened when Tepperman and Thornborrow
met. As Thornborrow says, “The seed scene was about online bullying
and slut-shaming at the time we were looking to tell a story that
involves young people and women and a topic that was in the news
quite a lot.”
Tepperman says that “At LibLab we bonded over our both having
worked with youth in schools and communities. Young women on
both sides of Canada had recently committed suicide due to online
bullying because of a sexual assault becoming public. Initially we were
thinking of maybe a grade 7, 8, 9 audience and Tapestry was looking
for an opera to tour schools. The seed scene was mostly filled with
humour with the potential to go darker, which is where we eventually
went with it.”
The final result is very serious in intent. Tepperman explains: “This
is an opera that explores sexual assault and consent in the context of
rape culture in a university setting, and though we are focusing on a
university setting we realize today that these issues are widespread
throughout society far beyond the university campus.”
“The opera follows three young people who enter university and
have the chance to explore their sexuality but for them these are
uncharted waters, and they are not prepared for the pressures of
partying, drinking and having sex, or for the consequences.”
I ask whether there is a paradox here: a hook-up culture on campus
where students have sex with no strings attached; and a culture of
consent and shaming where sex turns out to have all kinds of strings
attached. Both replied. “Within the context of our story we explore
this in different ways,” Thornborrow says. “Two of the young people
are already in a monogamous relationship, but being in university
away from the guardianship of their parents they are free to have
sex whenever they want – except that the woman begins to question
whether that is all there is. She wonders if they are just turning
into their parents. The problem comes with the pressure to drink and
how that affects a person’s moral compass and the ability to make
informed decisions. So we are questioning hook-up culture and the
pressures on teens at university campuses.”
Tepperman continues: “At the same time we’ve been very careful
that this opera does not become simply a lesson or a brochure; we
intentionally end in a place where there are more questions than
answers. Hopefully that will spur further conversation. So from the
very beginning Tapestry has been interested in engaging professionals
who deal with these issues and will be present for talkbacks after
performances. This is not about victims and perpetrators but whether
ANNOUNCEMENT
THE GLENN GOULD SCHOOL HAS APPOINTED
INTERNATIONALLY CELEBRATED CANADIAN
SOPRANO ADRIANNE PIECZONKA AS ITS
INAUGURAL VOCAL CHAIR AND HEAD OF THE
VOCAL DEPARTMENT.
Ms. Pieczonka is the first Vocal
Chair in the school’s history. She
will take on this role in May 2019
as she continues her thriving
career as a performing artist.
Among her many responsibilities,
Ms. Pieczonka will oversee the
casting of the school’s annual
operas and vocal showcase and
will supervise the selection of
conductors and directors for
all department productions. She
will also conduct monthly master
classes and select all other vocal
master class artists.
ggs.rcmusic.ca
Emily Lukasik as Mindy in Hook Up
any piece of art can contribute to a larger conversation.”
Why choose opera as the medium to tell this story? I ask.
Thornborrow answers: “For me as a composer it is just the impulse
to tell stories through music, and I feel opera is a really powerful
medium to tell stories of high stakes. At the same time the aesthetic
of this opera is not according to traditional opera. We’re doing this in
a small theatre; we’re using microphones; the instrumentation is a
drum set and piano; and it moves at a fast clip. People sing usually at
the same speed that people would speak, although there are moments
that call for full voice. You’re getting dialogue at real-time speed
with the explosive power of music, with a fluidity between the sung
dialogue and the moments of intense emotion. I think that the music
amplifies the stories and the emotions from those stories.”
“Opera suits the new emotional environment that these 17-, 18-
and 19-year-olds find themselves in” Tepperman adds. “And the
DAHLIA KATZ
thewholenote.com December 2018 / January 2019 | 31

Chris Thornborrow
gravity of the libretto really supports the world of the characters.
Richard Greenblatt, who has been our dramaturge for the last two and
a half years, has kept reminding us ‘Story, story, story’ and ‘clarity of
intention.’”
Thornborrow also points to the presence of Greenblatt as dramaturge
– he will also direct the opera – as a factor that made composing
this opera a unique experience: “For me it’s been rewarding because
the composing has happened in such close proximity to the writing.
We [Tepperman and I] would get together every couple of weeks and
work on a few more minutes of music and another scene of dialogue.
I would play what I had written for Richard and was totally open to
questions of speed and timing and whether the music was driving the
story forward.
So often when you are composing you are all alone, he says. “With
Richard, he would ask, ‘Why did you make this choice?’ and it was
something I was open to and that I am so grateful for. It was such a
different experience than writing a symphony or chamber music or
even art songs. It was just extraordinary to get that feedback.”
About the five-member cast, Thornborrow says, “We have a mix
of musical theatre people and opera singers to achieve the authentic
voice and aesthetic of this world. For me the show is a hybrid of
opera and music theatre, but people can decide whatever they want
to decide.”
Tepperman and Thornborrow are very curious about how Hook Up
will be received. Theatregoers will be seeing an opera. Operagoers will
be seeing an unconventional opera in an unconventional space for
opera. And the two student matinees will allow students of the same
age range as the characters to see themselves represented onstage.
Tepperman says: “We had an almost endless audition process but
once we chose our cast we made adjustments so that every singer
would have moments when their voice could really soar.”
In the cast, soprano Emily Lukasik, who has recently been at the
Shaw Festival, plays the main character Mindy. Alicia Ault, who is
part of a jazz trio, plays Mindy’s best friend Cindy. In the story, the
two friends had hoped to room together, but that was prevented by
a mix-up in dorm assignments. Nathan Carroll, best known from
musical theatre, plays Tyler, Cindy’s one-and-only boyfriend since
Grade 11. Alexis Gordon, best known from musicals at Stratford,
and Jeff Lillico, best known from acting for Soulpepper and for
musicals with the Musical Stage Company, play all the other characters
including professors, Mindy’s parents and various partygoers at a
climactic party.
When asked why it took so long for the project to come to fruition,
Tepperman answers: “It took five and a half years because the
project kept evolving. We had written two separate 90-minutes
pieces but after various workshops, we decided to throw them out.
Under Richard’s guidance we finally decided exactly the story that
Julie Tepperman
we wanted to tell. In fact, we worked four or five months just on the
story, so when we started to write we were really clear about what the
story was.”
Thornborrow sums up: “Music heightens the emotion of every
moment. Whether it is a pedestrian comedic dispute or a devastating
revelation, all these moments are heightened by music. These kinds
of stories need to be told again and again – first perhaps by theatre
companies and now by opera.”
Hook Up had a preview on January 29, opened on January 30 and
runs until February 9 at the Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace. Richard
Greenblatt directs and Jennifer Tung conducts.
ON OPERA: QUICKPICKS
!!
CONTINUING TO FEB 9: Hook Up, Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Ave. Tapestry
Opera presents the world premiere of this opera/music-theatre hybrid about three
teenagers’ different experiences of sex and alcohol in their first year at university.
The opera explores the issues of consent amidst the pressures to join university
hook-up culture.
!!
FEB 3, 2:30PM: VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert presents Fierabras, Jane Mallett
Theatre, 27 Front St. E. This is an exceedingly rare chance not only to hear Franz
Schubert’s opera written in 1823 (but not staged until 1897), but to hear it with an
orchestra of period instruments played by the Aradia Ensemble under Kevin Mallon.
The Moorish knight
Fierabras, son of the King
of Spain, fights against
Jacques Arsenault
Charlemagne but is in love
with his daughter who
loves someone else, while
in a subplot Fierabras’
sister falls in love with one
of Charlemagne’s knights.
Sung in German with
English surtitles.
!!
FEB 16, 8PM: Against the
Grain Theatre presents (La)
voix humaine, Gallery 345,
345 Soraunen Ave. AtG
usually presents its operas
with a twist and in this case
it’s Francis Poulenc’s monodrama
for soprano, La voix
humaine (1959), with a
tenor, Jacques Arsenault
as Lui instead of Poulenc’s Elle, confronting his ex-lover over the phone. Topher
Mokrzewski is the pianist and Aria Umezawa directs.
Christopher Hoile is a Toronto-based writer on opera and
theatre. He can be contacted at opera@thewhoelnote.com.
32 | December 2018 / January 2019 thewholenote.com

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François Racine | Host & Narrator
Nicole Bellamy | Music Director
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thewholenote.com December 2018 / January 2019 | 33

ERIC RYAN ANDERSON
Beat by Beat | Music Theatre
Site Responsive
Spider Woman:
Eclipse Theatre at the Don
JENNIFER PARR
The winter musical theatre season is off to a thriving start with
the world premiere of Mike Ross and Sara Wilson’s new musical
Rose winning over audiences at Soulpepper. Based on Gertrude
Stein’s only children’s book, The World is Round, this is very much
a children’s or family show, except that Rose’s solo songs transcend
that context through their philosophy and aching vulnerability, as she
tries to understand who, what, where, and why, she is, so that she can
finally say her name out loud.
Although I have never seen Soulpepper’s famous Alligator Pie
shows, I imagine that the staging style of Rose draws from those years
of experience – a talented ensemble of actors and musicians happily
playing myriad parts, slipping in and out of characters and costumes
with the strum of a guitar. Hailey Gillis is superb as Rose, awkward
and gawky as only a nine-year-old little girl can be; but beautiful
in stillness and intensity as she focuses passionately on the goals of
her adventure. Peter Fernandes is an excellent foil as Willie, her best
friend, who is not bothered by existential questions at all until the day
Rose is missing from school. The music is accessible and fun, and the
show has huge potential though it seems still to be teetering between
two plausible personalities, and hasn’t yet decided exactly how
serious or tongue-in-cheek the ensemble should be. (Rose runs until
February 24 at the Young Centre).
From family theatre to rock and roll, Jukebox Hero, based on the
songs of Foreigner, notably I Want To Know What Love Is, Jukebox
Hero and Waiting For A Girl Like You has its official world premiere
at the Ed Mirvish Theatre, February 20 to 24, after successful workshop
performances this past summer in Calgary and Edmonton. A
dream come true for Foreigner founder and front man Mick Jones,
the musical idea was inspired by a passing comment from Diana Ross
back in the 1980s and is now coming to life through the partnering of
the band with Canadian producer and promoter Jeff Parry (Annerin
Theatricals) who says he is determined to develop more new musicals
in Alberta where he is based. Directed by Broadway veteran Randy
Johnson, with a book by prolific British duo Dick Clement and Ian
La Frenais, there is Canadian content on the team with music direction
by Mark Camilleri and choreography by Tracy Flye as well as a
Canadian cast featuring
Geordie Brown and
Richard Clarkin.
Mirvish is also
presenting a very exciting
Canadian premiere:
an exclusive production
created for Toronto
of Sting’s 2014 musical
The Last Ship; at the
Princess of Wales Theatre,
February 9 to March 24.
A deeply personal story
for Sting, who grew up
in Newcastle, and based
on the successful “workin”
staged by the Upper
Strathclyde Shipbuilders
in Scotland in the 1970s, the show tells the story of a young man who
returns home after 17 years at sea to find that the local shipyard is
closing and no one knows what will come next, although a half built
ship looms over the working class homes below. Sting will star in the
role of Jackie White, the union leader who, with his wife, rallies the
community in the face of seemingly impossible odds. Original music
and lyrics by Sting along with some of his best loved songs (Island of
Souls, All This Time, When We Dance) form the score, and the book
is a reworking of the original by director Lorne Campbell. This new
version recently completed a sold-out run at Newcastle’s Northern
Stage and a successful 12 -week UK tour. Perhaps this will be the
beginning of a new North American life for the show. The Celticinfluenced
music and theme irresistibly make me think of Come From
Away, another wonderful story of a community coming together to
do the impossible.
The Kiss of the Spider Woman
Jumping into the hotbed of musical theatre creation that Toronto
has become, is a new company: Eclipse Theatre Company (ETC),
founded by Canadian Broadway star Chilina Kennedy, artistic
producer, Evan Tsitsias, artistic director, and choreographer/performer
Sara-Jeanne Hosie, executive director.
ETC’s mandate is to create site responsive work: reworking traditional
musicals in non-traditional settings; producing new Canadian
works; and laying the groundwork for future site responsive work
through their annual Lab where musical theatre creators are invited
to experiment and create in a hothouse atmosphere. The Lab had its
first outing in 2018, and their first full production will be Kander and
Ebb’s The Kiss ofThe Spider Woman, at Toronto’s old Don Jail, starring
Tracy Michailidis, Kawa Ada, and Jonathan Winsby.
Kiss of the Spider Woman famously began its road to a Tony Awardwinning
run on Broadway here in Toronto in 1992 under the banner
of Livent. Directed by Hal Prince, it starred Chita Rivera as the Spider
Woman and Brent Carver, who leapt to a new level of stardom and
international recognition as Molina, the gay window dresser imprisoned
for a “sexual indiscretion,” who survives the awful reality of his
cell by escaping into Hollywood-fuelled fantasies of another world
ruled by Aurora, the Spider Woman of the title.
Intrigued by the emergence of this company, their mandate, and
their choice of flagship production, I asked two of the founders –
Kennedy and Tsitsias – a few questions about their goals and what we
might expect when Kiss of the Spider Woman opens in March.
WN: Why a new musical theatre company now – and in Toronto?
Eclipse: We are all music theatre performers and creators and
wanted to contribute our share to the Canadian musical theatre landscape.
Creating opportunities for both artists and audience was something
that compelled us. Canadian musicals are exploding right now
and we couldn’t be happier to be part of that ecology. We are also
strong advocates for creation and wanted a chance to incubate new
work to add to the expanding canon.
Sting
How did you come together to share this goal and
why is creating “site responsive theatre” at the heart of
your mandate?
Chilina: When I originally had the idea to start the
journey to what is now the Eclipse Theatre Company, I
wanted to bring on board an artistic director who had a
strong and passionate vision for the company and who
would help add a new colour to the already rich theatre
scene in Toronto. Evan was the perfect choice and I have
been excited by his ideas from our very first phone conversation.
The addition of Sara-Jeanne Hosie made the perfect
triumvirate. Her business skills mixed with a smart and
creative artistic mind made her an easy and clear partner
for Evan and I.
Evan: I have spent the better of ten years travelling
around the world creating site responsive theatre in countries
like Germany and Taiwan, usually creating original
pieces that spoke to the history of the space we were
34 | December 2018 / January 2019 thewholenote.com

creating and performing in and making parallels to
what is happening now in the world. I wanted to bring
that to Toronto, which has a rich history and is full of
stories itself. We wanted to animate spaces that highlight
that history and bring awareness to those spaces.
It’s also a matter of “Why spend all that time and effort
to recreate a space for a piece inside a theatre when we
can find an actual space that exists and bring theatre to
it?” Of course, this poses its own challenges, but in the
end it’s all worth it for this magical experience.
Why did you choose Kiss of the Spider Woman as
your inaugural show, and Toronto’s old (former) Don
Jail as the performance location? Which came first?
Evan: They kind of went hand in hand. I started by
Googling “interesting spaces” in Toronto to see what
would inspire or trigger an idea, while at the same time
I created a list of shows that interested me. When I saw
the Don Jail, those two ideas collided thrillingly into
this production.
Immersive and site specific shows are on the rise again
– what in your approach to using the space will be unique? Also, will
the performers and/or the audience be stationary or moving around
the site?
Without giving much away, there is definitely a walk-through
element to the piece pre-show that will be immersive. We are also
doing our best to animate the space fully during the show to make
that space a character in itself. The space, though extremely high, is
still intimate and has the perfect bones to make the audience feel like
they are experiencing the show inside the actual environment.
Given that the show will be in a non-traditional space, how big
a band/orchestra will you have, and will they be set in one place or
able to move to follow the staging if necessary?
We are using a full orchestra and at the moment they are staying
stationary since that space is an extremely tall echo-filled chamber so
we need to control the sound as much as possible.
The run of Kiss of the Spider Woman is very short, just seven
performances from March 6 to 10. Why such a short run?
This particular Eclipse “event” is something we want to produce
annually. It is based on the New York City Centre’s Encores Series,
where, although it’s “concert” style, it is still as fully realized as
possible, but with scaled-back costumes and set, which is one of the
reasons we are staging it in the Don Jail (where we are literally in the
set). The short run is a way to produce these larger-scale shows on a
more limited budget, otherwise it might not be possible. Musicals are
extremely expensive!
How does this first production connect with the two other main
elements of your season the Lab and the new Canadian show you
will present next?
The Lab was an exhilarating project and the true definition of site
Kawa Ada in The Kiss of the Spider Woman
responsive. We brought the creators to a loft we rented in Leslieville
and, without ever seeing it until the first day of the week long project,
they entered the space and responded to it, writing scenes and songs
about the space itself and the objects they found in it. The results were
tremendous and it was a magical event. We are now incubating a show
from one of the scenes that was written that week based on a toy they
found in the space. The other project is still in development, but again,
we will respond to the piece appropriately once it’s completed. Even if
it ends up being in a traditional theatre, we will do our best to create a
space and environment that feels as immersive as possible.
Kiss of the Spider Woman runs March 6 to 10 at the Don Jail administrative
building. For more information go to eclipsetheatre.ca.
MUSIC THEATRE QUICK PICKS
!!
CONTINUING TO FEB 9: Tapestry Opera/Theatre Passe Muraille. Hook Up. Opera
meets music theatre in this hard-hitting new opera about the issue of consent by Julie
Tepperman and Chris Thornborrow featuring a fabulous young cast of crossover
performers directed by Richard Greenblatt in his opera-directing debut.
!!
FEB 14 TO 24: Canadian Music Theatre Project/Theatre Sheridan. My Bonnie Lass.
A first look at another new Canadian musical, this one with a Scottish theme, by
Johnny Reid and Matt Murray.
!!
FEB 21 TO 24: Canadian Stage. who we are in the dark. Peggy Baker joins forces
with Jeremy Gara and Sara Neufeld of the award-winning Canadian band Arcade Fire,
seven dancers, and light and projection designers, for the world premiere of what
promises to be an exciting new collaboration
Toronto-based “lifelong theatre person” Jennifer (Jenny)
Parr works as a director, fight director, stage manager and
coach, and is equally crazy about movies and musicals.
JOHN GUNDY
The Ward Cabaret
Mon Feb 4, 2019, 7 - 9 pm
Toronto Reference Library
Bram & Bluma Appel Salon
A musical adventure based on the songs and
sounds of Toronto’s historic neighbourhood.
Followed by a panel discussion.
See tpl.ca/wardcabaret
thewholenote.com December 2018 / January 2019 | 35

Beat by Beat | Jazz Notes
Departures and
Arrivals
STEVE WALLACE
First of all, a somewhat belated Happy New Year to all the music
fans out there; I hope 2019 holds a lot of happy listening and new
(and/or old) musical discoveries for everyone.
Departures
Since The WholeNote last went to press, the jazz world suffered
significant losses with the deaths of singer Nancy Wilson on
December 13 and trombonist Urbie Green, on December 31. While
the passing of these two giants received ample and timely coverage
in the jazz press, I feel it only right to use some of this space to briefly
look back on the long careers of these artists who brought so much
listening pleasure to us all.
Nancy Wilson: Wilson
died at 81 after a long
battle with kidney
cancer. She retired from
performance in 2011
after a career which
began in the mid-50s
and spanned five
decades. She was born
in 1937 near Columbus,
Ohio and her friendship
with saxophonist
Cannonball Adderley had
a major impact on her
early success. He urged
her to move to New
York, which she did in
1959, and helped secure
for her the services of
manager John Levy,
which in turn led to her
signing with Capitol
records. Her first massive
hit, Guess Who I Saw Today? was so successful it led
Capitol to release five Wilson albums between 1960
and 1962 and she never looked back.
Her smoky voice, overall style and versatility –
she could sing jazz standards, pop, ballads, blues,
soul, and R & B – suggested a smoother, toneddown
version of one of her early idols, the great
Dinah Washington. This versatility, coupled with her
fashion-model good looks and engaging manner,
allowed Wilson to achieve crossover popular success
as an artist in the 1960s and beyond. But even so, her
singing and records often had a high jazz quotient,
as Adderley urged her to stress ballads and jazz
repertoire along with pop. Their 1962 collaboration, Nancy Wilson/
Cannonball Adderley, cemented her place with jazz fans even as she
was reaching a wider audience, and it yielded a rare jazz hit in Please
Save Your Love For Me. She had so much success as an entertainer –
later branching out into acting and hosting her own TV show – that
many forgot or doubted her bona fides as a jazz singer. But the record
with Adderley belongs in any serious jazz record collection and she
returned to singing straight-up jazz in the 1980s until the end of her
career. Few of us will soon forget the glamorous image of her in that
mango-yellow dress on the cover of the album with Cannonball.
Urbie Green: Trombonist Urbie Green died at 92; he had been
inactive for some time and suffering from advanced dementia. He was
born in 1926 in Mobile, Alabama, and both his older brothers also
played trombone. He was a natural – simply stated, Green was put on
this earth to play the trombone perfectly, which he did effortlessly for
six decades. I feel strongly that Jack Teagarden and J.J. Johnson are
the two greatest jazz trombonists in history, but I would place Urbie
very close to their level. While not as original or innovative as either
man, Green combined elements of each into a fluent melodic style
of his own, with an unmatched technical mastery of the horn often
featuring the high tessitura register associated with Jack Jenny and
Tommy Dorsey. Unlike many virtuosos he had musical taste to go
along with all that gleaming technique; he never played a wasted or
spurious note.
After serving an apprenticeship with a series of increasingly prominent
big bands in the mid-to-late 1940s culminating with Woody
Herman’s Third Herd in 1950, he moved to New York City in 1953,
quickly establishing himself as a jazz player and first-call studio musician.
He won the 1954 Down Beat New Star Award in the trombone
category and began making a series of fine jazz albums throughout the
1950s. Because he never had a regular working group and did so much
anonymous studio work buried in trombone sections, his jazz playing
was often overlooked and underrated, though never by other trombonists
– they knew.
Under the circumstances his death was hardly
tragic, yet it hit me personally because I had the privilege
of working with Urbie twice in the early 1980s
at Toronto jazz clubs and came to know him a bit. He
was such a nice man, incredibly modest for someone
so accomplished and so shy and soft-spoken that at
first he seemed almost backward. But once the ice was
broken, Urbie loved talking about music and musicians
and his conversation was laced with wisdom
and insight. He took me under his wing and taught
me some specific things about tunes and chord
changes and he also liked to play duets with the bass.
Trying to match his
level and be heard over
his massive sound was
a challenge that forced
me to up my game. I will
always be grateful for
having known him even
so briefly.
Arrivals
These losses are inevitable
but as always are
assuaged by the knowledge
that jazz keeps
looking forward and
new talent continues to
arrive. What follows is a
cross-section profile of
young musicians in the
U of T jazz program who
have impressed me lately,
either from playing/
working with them as a
teacher or hearing them
perform, or both. It is by no means complete (there are at least three
other post-secondary jazz programs in our catchment area)! These are
simply some I’ve grown aware of in the last few months, and they’re
just beginning to emerge. We’ll begin with three young women.
Jenna Marie Pinard, vocalist: Jenna hails from Montreal and at
25, is a little older than most U of students. She’s been performing
since the age of seven and confesses to still having severe nerves
before a performance, but one would never guess it. She has the gift
of converting this anxiety into positive energy on stage. She has a big
voice, a fearless delivery, an ebullient sense of rhythm and bubbles
36 | December 2018 / January 2019 thewholenote.com

with humour, yet there is also an attractive introversion in her, as in
a recent performance of her own ballad, Green Eyes. She has a flair
for song-writing, both on her own and in collaboration with her close
friend, pianist-singer Hannah Barstow.
Maddy (Madeleine) Ertel, trumpet: Maddy, 20, hails from Kelowna,
B.C and is in her third year. I’ve heard her several times now in a
variety of ensembles and have been impressed by the following: first,
her sound, which is clear and centred, a real brass sound; second,
her concentration and composure: she’s always entirely focused
on the music at hand, always plays with musicality. Most of all,
she’s a thoughtful, lyrical player not given to technical display or
running a bunch of notes, she means what she plays. She’s also very
open to a number of styles without seeming to be beholden to any
particular one.
Charlotte McAfee-Brunner, trombone: There have been very few
female trombonists in jazz and this continues even as there are more
and more women entering the fray. Charlotte, just 18 and in her first
year at U of T, may change this on the local scene, if not beyond. I
heard her recently for the first time and it was immediately apparent
that she is intimately acquainted with early jazz styles. It showed in
her big, extroverted sound and blustery, gutsy delivery using plunger
and mutes with a vocalism echoing trombonists of the 30s, yet she
acquitted herself very well in this ensemble playing contemporary
jazz. She’s from the Toronto area and learned to improvise while
busking in a Dixieland band called The Eighth Street Orchestra. Best
of all she’s something of a live wire who shows a natural joy in playing
jazz. This cannot be taught and will serve her well in the future.
Next, three young pianists brimming with potential:
Anthony D’Alessandro: Anthony, 21 and from Toronto, is a protégé
of Mark Eisenman and he shares many of the older pianist’s virtues:
a natural feeling for swing and groove, the blues vocabulary, and
making a rhythm section happy with buoyant comping. He has a
scintillating technique and a penchant for such feel-good pianists as
Erroll Garner, Oscar Peterson, Wynton Kelly and Monty Alexander.
He also has a knack for arranging tunes for a piano trio with attention
to detail.
Noah Franche-Nolan: Noah is 21, from Vancouver and in his third
year. I’ve heard the name for a while now, but heard him recently
for the first time at The Rex and was very impressed by his originality
and abandon. He’s sturdily built and plays the piano with a
crunchy percussiveness and physicality which recalls Duke Ellington,
Thelonious Monk and the recently departed Randy Weston. He
has plenty of technique but seems delighted to throw it all out the
window in the pursuit of spontaneity. He’s also a gifted composer, as
evidenced by his tune Hey Booboo, which also is redolent of Monk,
without being derivative.
Ben Isenstein: Ben, from Calgary, is 20 and also in third year. He’s
in my small jazz ensemble and I’ve yet to hear him apart from playing
with him, which provides a special window. He has radar ears, is a
very quick study and has a stylistic openness ranging from Phineas
Newborn to Chick Corea and more contemporary players. He also
loves the blues and has real jazz time, which can’t be taught.
And two bassists to watch:
Evan Gratham: Evan, 20, is from Vancouver and (conflict declared)
a private student of mine. He already has a thorough enough technical
grounding on the bass that you feed him raw information and it
comes out sounding like music almost immediately. I recently heard
him play an arrangement that involved playing Scrapple From the
Apple at a brisk tempo but up a fifth in the key of C. He negotiated it
so easily I wanted to cut off his hands. Enough said.
Leighton Harrell: Leighton, 19, hails from North Carolina and is
in second year. I heard him for the first time recently and he sounds
like a bass player – rock-solid time and sound with a natural feel for
groove and the blues. I was also impressed with his tune Cook Out,
based on Sonny Rollins’ Doxy. He also delivered some effective bow
work on a Dave Holland piece.
As a bassist, I pay particular attention to drummers; you sink or
swim with them. One of the most heartening aspects of the local
scene is the recent influx of talented young drummers, starting with,
but by no means limited to, these three:
Nick Donovan: Nick is 22 and in fourth year. He’s slightly built but
powerful, and extremely versatile in his approach. I’ve heard him play
very musically with everything from straight-ahead piano trios to
larger scale ensembles playing ambitious music.
Jacob Slous: Jacob is 19 and in second year; he comes from Toronto
but his family also spent some time in New York. I played with him in
my ensemble last year and was impressed, but he has only improved
since then, very strong in a small group or a big band, and he’s a
talented composer to boot.
Keith Barstow: Keith, the younger brother of the aforementioned
Hannah Barstow, is 19 and from Napanee. Already at a professional
level, he’s a very serious, contained player with no flies on him,
meaning he gets the time off the ground straight away.
I used to worry about where all this young talent will play and
whether they’ll be able to make a living, but not so much anymore.
For one thing, that’s out of my hands. Having made the commitment
to pursue jazz, all I can do is support them and make people more
aware of them, as here. But more importantly, I’ve come to recognize
that these are smart, dedicated, resourceful young people. I have faith
that they’ll figure it out just like I had to, so long ago.
JAZZ NOTES QUICK PICKS
!!
FEB 9, 8PM: Royal Conservatory of Music, Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. Hilario
Durán’s Latin Jazz Big Band with Horacio “El Negro” Hernández and Sarita Levya’s
Rumberos. This promises to be an evening of spirited Cuban-inflected jazz with
Durán’s powerhouse big band and special guests.
!!
FEB 10 AND 24, 4:30PM: Christ
Church Deer Park 1570 Yonge St.
Jazz Vespers. Free Admission.
Allison Au
Feb 10: Allison Au Trio. A chance to
hear one of the best young saxophonists
in the city in an intimate
acoustic setting. Au is a thoroughly
modern player, but her
alto sound has a pleasant sweetness
which suggests Benny
Carter. And on Feb. 24 at the same
time and venue, the wonderful
duo of Chase Sanborn (trumpet)
and Mark Eisenman (piano) will
be performing.
!!
FFEB 14, 9PM: Jazz Bistro, 251 Victoria St. Valentine’s Day with John Alcorn and
Alex Samaras. Two of Toronto’s best male singers with an established chemistry will
be performing a selection of romantic standards with a crack band.
!!
FEB 15, 8PM: Gallery 345, 345 Sorauren Ave. Patrick Boyle Quartet: Boyle, trumpet;
Bernie Senensky, piano; Jim Vivian, bass; Mike Billard, drums. A launch of the innovative
Newfoundland-born trumpeter/composer’s latest release, After Forgetting.
Toronto bassist Steve Wallace writes a blog called “Steve
Wallace jazz, baseball, life and other ephemera” which
can be accessed at wallacebass.com. Aside from the topics
mentioned, he sometimes writes about movies and food.
Sunday, Feb. 10
at 4:30pm
Alison Au
Trio
Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St.
(north of St. Clair at Heath St.)
Admission is free; donations are welcome.
Featuring some of Toronto’s best
jazz musicians with a brief reflection
by Jazz Vespers Clergy
Sunday, Feb. 24
at 4:30pm
Chase Sanborn (trumpet)
& Mark Eisenman (piano)
Sunday, Mar. 10
at 4:30pm
Amanda Tosoff
Quartet
416-920-5211
www.thereslifehere.org
thewholenote.com December 2018 / January 2019 | 37

Beat by Beat | Bandstand
Of Partridges and
the Bugler’s Call
HMS Sheffield
JACK MACQUARRIE
I
have often claimed that procrastination was one of my hobbies, As
I sit down to write this February column, though, I can honestly
say that Mother Nature offers me no pleasant alternatives to
sitting down at the keyboard. Today, with snow, ice and nasty cold
temperatures, getting down to writing is by far the most pleasant of
tasks. Welcome to real winter.
Looking back
In contrast to the weather, January was a very mild musical start
to 2019, with no significant musical events on my agenda other than
some rehearsals. Looking a little further back, however, in December
I had the privilege of attending several entertaining seasonal concerts
which were too late to report on in the December issue of The
WholeNote.
The first of these was the annual Christmas Soiree of the Silverthorn
Symphonic Winds. It was a short but very entertaining program of
their favourite Christmas delights. The Wilmar Heights Event Centre is
a small but very warm and inviting venue, particularly for that event,
where audience members mingled with band
members during intermission to overindulge in the
many taste treats offered.
As for the Wychwood Clarinet Choir, now in
is tenth season, their repertoire spanned a few
centuries from Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri and
Tchaikovsky’ Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy to
Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride. One of the highlights
of the program was Schubert’s Shepherd on the
Rock featuring soprano soloist Christina Haldane
and clarinetist Michele Jacot. Roy Greaves and
Richard Moore deserve special credit for their excellent
arrangements of these works for clarinet choir.
Covey of partridges
Highlights of several of the festive season
concerts which I attended were performances of the
Twelve Days of Christmas (the festive days starting
on the evening of Christmas Day on December 25
through Epiphany on January 6). In each case
audience members were asked to pick a number
corresponding to their birth month. Those born in
January were identified with one, February two and
so forth. In one case, audience members were then
asked to stand up while the verse for their day/
month was performed. In another case, audience
members were asked to take any keys from their purses or pockets,
hold them up and jingle them when their number was called.
The Resa’s Pieces Gala, in which members of the combined band
and string orchestra played on the floor with the choir onstage, had
the most imaginative approach. Audience members stood for their
month, but at each appropriate moment, 12 members in the front row
of the choir, facing the audience, raised large red cards, with pictures
representing the words for each of the days.
As to the origin of the song, it’s generally agreed that it arose in
England, perhaps as a coded catechism song from the era when
Catholicism was outlawed there (1558-1829), and that each line
symbolizes a tenet of the Catholic faith. Setting aside the dozens
of learned line-by-line interpretations, the truest meaning of this
cheerful song for me is the opportunity it provides for audience
involvement in music making.
Back to Bugles
My grumble in the December issue about bugle calls not being
played on bugles, but on trumpets got quite a response, for and
against my comments.
In my life I have heard many bugle calls, but never played on a bugle
myself. My first association with the instrument was in high school
where, one day a week, almost every boy in the school, dressed in the
full kilted highland uniform of our cadet corps, was part of the bugle
band (bagpipes being too expensive and too difficult to maintain).
Since I was already a trombone
player in a boy’s band,
not associated with the school,
however, I missed out on this
glorious opportunity. Some
years later, I served aboard
HMS Sheffield, the Admiral’s
Flagship of the American and
West Indies Squadron. We had
a Royal Marine Band aboard
as well as a few buglers. All
orders over the ship’s sound
system were preceded by the
appropriate bugle call.
The most interesting of the
comments I received came
from reader Robert Frankling.
In his opening salvo he states
in part: “The question you
raised of the too-seldom use
of bugles in military units has
nothing whatsoever to do with
the expense, but everything
to do with an unjustified antibugle
snobbery and laziness of
Bugle from the Royal Montreal Regiment Museum
trumpet players to practise on
the bugle, a tough instrument to master.” In his message he mentions
that he has played the trumpet since age 13 and the bugle since late
middle age. Now, at 67, he tells me that he has done “a fair bit of
bugling in the last 30 years mostly for military events and funerals.”
“Ultimately, the reason more trumpet players do not play on the
bugle,” he says, “is because they can’t, and they can’t because they
won’t practise on the bugle enough to master this tricky instrument.
They just pick up a bugle, try it once and say it sounds terrible, but
that is because of the performer, not the fault of the instrument. Due
to their ignorance of the bugle’s history and their unjustified snobbery,
[they] consider the bugle to be beneath their dignity ... something
that only an unsophisticated rube would use!”
(Taking Mr. Frankling’s comments about the bugle being harder
to play than the trumpet, into account, the title of Leroy Anderson’s
Bugler’s Holiday takes on a new meaning. Could it have been that
38 | December 2018 / January 2019 thewholenote.com

uglers, tired of playing their more challenging instruments,
were being offered a welcome day off?
As for the instrument’s venerable history, the modern bugle
can trace its origins to the Roman bugle around the fourth
century A.D. as early musical and communication instruments
made from animal horns with a narrow opening cut at
the tip. (The word bugle itself comes from buculus, the Latin for
bullock, a castrated bull.) Just as in today’s instruments, the tone
was produced by pursing the player’s lips against this narrow
opening and producing a buzzing sound, with the horn acting
as resonator of the sound, and the pitch dependent on the length
of the air column in the horn. At some stage, someone decided
to make a horn out of metal. A late Roman metal bugle, found in
1904 at Mont Ventoux in France, and now in the British Museum,
is bent completely around upon itself to form a coil between the
mouthpiece and the bell end. (In the case of this British Museum
specimen, the bell end was broken off some time in the long and
distant past).
The use of these instruments as signaling devices, particularly in
military operations, goes back to its earliest days. The ancient Roman
army used an instrument called the buccina. Centuries later, the
purpose of the bugle was laid out in Niccoló Machiavelli’s 1521 treatise
Libro dell’ arte della guerra (The Art of War), in which he wrote
that the commanding officer should issue orders by means of trumpets
because their piercing tone and great volume enabled them
to be heard above the pandemonium of combat. The first verifiable
formal use of a brass bugle as a military signal device was the
Halbmondblaser, or half-moon bugle, used in Hanover in 1758. It first
spread to England in 1764 where it was gradually accepted widely in
foot regiments.
Bugles, and various types of trumpets or horns, without valves or
keys, produce only limited notes (usually five) with the pitch of the
lowest note being the resonant frequency of the horn, based on its
length, and the other notes being harmonics of that.
Historically, the bugle was used in the army to relay instructions
from officers to soldiers during battle. They were used to assemble the
leaders and to give marching orders to the troops. During peace time
the bugle call was used to indicate the daily routines of camp. When
I served in HMS Sheffield, we had several Marine buglers, as well as a
full Royal Marine Band, as befitting the Admiral’s Flagship. All routine
orders throughout the day were by the specific bugle call for such
times as “sunrise, hands to supper, lights out, sunset” etc.
One of the most significant early peacetime uses of the instrument
was the post horn, to signal the arrival in town of the postman with
the mail. The original post horn had no taper until right at the bell
and the tubing was straight and narrow. Its sound is so significantly
different and appealing that many composers have written works
for the post horn either as a featured solo instrument or to add an
unusual voice in their composition.
Mozart composed his “Posthorn” Serenade in 1779. Another
example of post horn use in modern classical music is the off-stage
solo in Mahler’s Third Symphony. In the world of band music the Post
Horn Gallop, written in 1844 by the German cornet player Hermann
Koenig as a solo for post horn with orchestral accompaniment, is a
favourite, if a post horn and player are available. Due to the scarcity of
post horns (and competent players), music written for it is frequently
played on a trumpet, cornet or flugelhorn. Which of course, brings
us back to my original bugler’s lament in December, which got this
thread going.
Over the years, the British Army has retained the bugle for ceremonial
and symbolic purposes. In the Canadian forces, there was still
the rank of “Bugler” until 1945, when the regimental trade of bugler
was discontinued in the Canadian Army. Hence, bugle calls are now
played on trumpets because the bugles went when the buglers went.
By the way, to see the most amazing array of bugles, horns, trumpets
and their valved and unvalved relatives, developed over the ages,
one would have to be lucky enough to be able to visit that portion of
Henry Meredith’s vast collection in London, Ontario. Hopefully that
collection will find a suitable museum as home in the near future.
Post horn from the Grinnell College Musical Instruments Collection
New Horizons
So far we haven’t heard anything about the activities of the
numerous Toronto New Horizons groups, but have received a fine
update from Doug Robertson for the York Region groups. In an invitation
for new members, he has suggestions for potential new members
with references to Your New Year’s Resolution and Your Bucket List.
He summarizes some of the many benefits, particularly for retirees,
of learning to play an instrument in a group. He reminds people that
it’s never too late, and it has the many advantages of remaining active,
having fun with other adults, making new friends, and improving
memory. Their group classes are on Monday evenings at Cosmo Music
in Richmond Hill. For information, contact Doug Robertson,
nhbyrdirector@gmail.com or at 416-457-6316.
BANDSTAND QUICK PICKS
!!
FEB 10, 3PM: The Hannaford
Street Silver Band presents “From
Philip Smith
Russia with Brass” including The
Festive Overture, The Procession of
the Nobles, Polovtsian Dances and
others. Philip Smith, conductor and
trumpet soloist. Jane Mallett Theatre,
St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts.
!!
FEB 24, 3PM: The Weston Silver
Band presents “Heart and Soul. R and
B and Soul with a big brass spin.” Dan
McLean Jr. and Some Honey. Glenn
Gould Studio, 250 Front St. W.
!!
MAR 2, 7:30PM: The King Edward
Choir will join the Barrie Concert
Band in their “Last Night of the
Proms” with Elgar’s Pomp and
Circumstance March No.1; Gilbert
& Sullivan: Medley; Arne’s Rule
Britannia; Handel’s Zadok the Priest, and Hallelujah. Oliver Balaburski, conductor.
Collier Street United Church, 112 Collier St., Barrie.
!!
MAR 3, 2PM: The Markham Concert Band presents “Let’s Dance! Ballet, Waltzes
and Swing,” including Big Band Polka, El Bimbo, Flunky Jim, Waltzes from Der
Rosenkavalier and other tunes. Flato Markham Theatre, 171 Town Centre Blvd.,
Markham.
!!
MAR 3, 3:30PM: The Wychwood Clarinet Choir will have “WCC at the Oscars.”
Selections range from Gershwin’s An American in Paris to Mozart’s Adagio from
Gran Partita; Bernstein’s Tonight from West Side Story; Arlen’s Somewhere Over
the Rainbow; and Loewe’s I Could Have Danced All Night. Michele Jacot, conductor.
Church of St. Michael and All Angels, 611 St. Clair Ave. W.
Jack MacQuarrie plays several brass instruments and
has performed in many community ensembles. He can
be contacted at bandstand@thewholenote.com.
CHRIS LEE
thewholenote.com December 2018 / January 2019 | 39

A. Concerts in the GTA
The WholeNote listings are arranged in five 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 53.
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 56.
D.
IN THE CLUBS (MOSTLY JAZZ)
is organized alphabetically by club.
Starts on page 57.
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 59.
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
March 1 to April 7, 2018. All listings must be received by 11:59pm,
Friday February 8.
LISTINGS can be sent by email to listings@thewholenote.com
or by using the online form on our website. 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 search for concerts
by the zones on this map: thewholenote.com.
Lake
Huron
6
Georgian
Bay
7
2 1
5
Lake Erie
3 4
8
City of Toronto
LISTINGS
Friday February 1
Lake Ontario
●●12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Noontime
Recital. Works by Alkan. Rudin Lengo, piano.
St. Andrew’s Church (Toronto), 73 Simcoe St.
416-593-5600 x231. Free.
●●7:30: St. Anne’s Music & Drama Society.
The Pirates of Penzance. Music by Arthur Sullivan,
libretto by W. S. Gilbert. St. Anne’s Parish
Hall, 651 Dufferin St. 416-922-4415. $30;
$25(sr/st). Opens Jan 25, 7:30pm. Runs to
Feb 3. Thurs/Fri(7:30pm), Sat/Sun(2pm). Also
Jan 26(7:30pm).
●●7:30: Tapestry Opera. Hook Up. Music by
Chris Thornborrow, libretto by Julie Tepperman.
Emily Lukasic, Alicia Ault, Nathan Caroll,
Alexis Gordon and Jeff Lillico. Theatre Passe
Muraille, 16 Ryerson Ave. 416-504-7529. $25-
$35. Content warning: Contains explicit language
and discussion of sexual violence.
Opens Jan 29, 7:30pm. Runs to Feb 9. Various
times.
●●8:00: Small World Music Society. Fojeba
& The Sunshine Band Cameroon War Victims
Benefit Concert. Small World Music Centre,
Artscape Youngplace, 180 Shaw St. 416-536-
5439. $30/$25(adv).
Saturday February 2
●●2:00: Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto.
Songs from a Celtic Heart. Annual fundraising
event featuring Celtic love songs.
Octava Vocal Ensemble; Tom Leighton, guitar
and vocals; Anne Lederman, fiddler; Shawn
Grenke, piano; Lydia Adams, conductor and
others. Jubilee United Church, 40 Underhill
Dr. 416-446-0188. $50; $40(sr); $25(st). $5
discount on tickets purchased before Jan 15.
Also 7pm. Complimentary snacks, cash bar,
games, and silent auction.
●●2:00: St. Anne’s Music & Drama Society.
The Pirates of Penzance. Music by Arthur Sullivan,
libretto by W. S. Gilbert. St. Anne’s Parish
Hall, 651 Dufferin St. 416-922-4415. $30;
$25(sr/st). Opens Jan 25, 7:30pm. Runs to
Feb 3. Thurs/Fri(7:30pm), Sat/Sun(2pm). Also
Jan 26(7:30pm).
●●7:00: Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto.
Songs from a Celtic Heart. Annual fundraising
event featuring Celtic love songs.
Octava Vocal Ensemble; Tom Leighton, guitar
and vocals; Anne Lederman, fiddler; Shawn
Grenke, piano; Lydia Adams, conductor and
others. Jubilee United Church, 40 Underhill
Dr. 416-446-0188. $50; $40(sr); $25(st). $5
discount on tickets purchased before Jan 15.
Also 2pm. Complimentary snacks, cash bar,
games, and silent auction.
●●7:30: Classical Context. Canadian Bird
Song. Martha Hill Duncan: Clear Shining
Moment; Emily Doolittle: Ruby-Throated
Moment; Gary Kulesha: Blue Heron Near the
Old Mill; Serge Garant: Cage d’oiseaux. Clarisse
Tonigussi, soprano; Narmina Efendiyeva,
piano; Andrew James Clark, piano. Heron
Park Baptist Church, 4260 Lawrence Ave. E.,
Scarborough. 647-784-6229. By donation.
●●7:30: Concerts at Scarborough Bluffs. Rising
Stars Concert. Six students from RCM’s
Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy in
voice, violin, and piano. Scarborough Bluffs
United Church, 3739 Kingston Rd., Scarborough.
647-687-6356. $20. All proceeds to
support Springboard to Music.
●●7:30: Free Times Cafe. 60’s Folk Revival
- Where Have All The Folk Songs Gone? If
I Had a Hammer, Blowin’ in the Wind, Walk
Right In, Tom Dooley, Five Hundred Miles, and
other songs. Sue and Dwight; Michelle Rumball;
Tony Laviola. 320 College St. 416-967-
1078. $15. 6pm: doors open. Cash at the door.
Songsheets provided. Dinner reservations
recommended.
●●7:30: Missisauga Festival Choir &
Friends. Festival of Friends. MFC’s annual
massed choir festival. Mississauga Festival
Chamber Choir, Resonance and
others. Cawthra Park Secondary School,
1305 Cawthra Rd., Mississauga. 416-986-
5537. $35; $30(sr/st).
●●7:30: Royal Conservatory of Music. Discovery
Series: The Glenn Gould School Vocal
Showcase. Art songs and opera excerpts.
Mazzoleni Concert Hall, Royal Conservatory,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $20.
●●7:30: Tapestry Opera. Hook Up. See Feb 1.
Also Feb 3(2pm), 5, 6, 7, 8, 9(2pm & 7:30pm).
●●7:30: Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir.
The Valentine’s Dinner & Show. Venise Kousaie,
soloist. The Grand Luxe, 3125 Bayview
Ave. 647-389-8084. $75(dinner/concert);
$30(concert only).
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. U of T Wind Ensemble: Light and
Shadow. Mackey: Aurora Awakes; Sekhon:
Double Percussion Concerto; Etezady:
Anahita; Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis
of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber.
Strings of the U of T Symphony Orchestra;
Aiyun Huang and Beverley Johnston, percussion;
Gillian Mackay, conductor. Mac-
Millan Theatre, Edward Johnson Building,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. $30;
$20(sr); $10(st); free(UofT st).
●●8:00: Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra.
Tango! Repertoire from the height of
Buenos Aires’ Tango tradition to Eastern
European folk music and improvisation. Horvath:
Tangos for Orchestra; Piazzolla (arr.
Franzetti): Four Seasons. Payadora Tango
Ensemble; Robert Horvath, piano. P.C. Ho
Theatre, Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater
Toronto, 5183 Sheppard Ave. E., Scarborough.
416-879-5566. $35-$55; $30-$45(sr/
st); free(under 12). 7:15pm: Pre-concert talk.
cathedralbluffs.com.
●●8:00: Oakville Symphony. Musical Genius.
Kenins: Folk Dance and Fugue; Prokofiev:
Symphony No.7 in c-sharp Op.131; Schumann:
Piano Concerto in a Op.54. Sheng Cai, piano.
Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts,
130 Navy St., Oakville. 905-815-2021. $27-
$56. Also Feb 3(2pm).
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
World Music: Lemon Bucket Orkestra and
Aline Morales. Koerner Hall, Telus Centre,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $30-$75.
●●8:00: Soundstreams. Different Trains.
Reich: Different Trains. Rolston String Quartet.
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W.
416-504-1282 or bit.ly/2qwl5Wx. $22-$67.50.
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Sir
Andrew Davis Conducts Wagner. Wagner:
The Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walküre;
Berg: Three Pieces for Orchestra; Wagner:
Act I of Die Walküre. Lise Davidsen, soprano;
Simon O’ Neill, tenor; Brindley Sherratt, bass;
Sir Andrew Davis, conductor. Roy Thomson
Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. $34.75-
$181.50. Also Jan 31.
●●9:00: Alliance Française de Toronto. Les
Frères Cissoko Bannaya Family. Spadina
40 | February 1 – March 7, 2019 thewholenote.com

Theatre, 24 Spadina Rd. 416-922-2014 x37.
$20; $10(members).
Sunday February 3
●●1:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Sunday
Interludes Series: Blake Pouliot, Violin.
Mozart: Violin Sonata No. 27 in G K379;
Chausson: Poème Op.25; Janáček: Violin
Sonata; Sarasate: Zapateado. Hsini Huang,
piano. Mazzoleni Concert Hall, Telus Centre,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. Free. Ticket
required. Concert is approx. 75 minutes with
no intermission.
●●1:15: Mooredale Concerts. Music and Truffles
Kids Concert Series: Heath Quartet.
Works by Mozart, Britten and Beethoven. Oliver
Heath, violin; Sara Wolstenholme, violin;
Gary Pomeroy, viola; Chris Murray, cello. Walter
Hall, Edward Johnson Building, University
of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-922-3714
x103. $20.
●●2:00: Oakville Symphony. Musical Genius.
Kenins: Folk Dance and Fugue; Prokofiev:
Symphony No.7 in c-sharp Op.131; Schumann:
Piano Concerto in a Op.54. Sheng Cai, piano.
Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts,
130 Navy St., Oakville. 905-815-2021. $27-
$56. Also Feb 2(8pm).
●●2:00: Rezonance Baroque Ensemble. Italian
Celebration. Folk music and compositions
by Neapolitan Baroque composers
and Romina di Gasbarro. Romina di Gasbarro,
voice; Rezan Onen-Lapointe, Baroque
violin; David Podgorski, harpsichord; Benjamin
Stein, theorbo and guitars. St. Barnabas
Anglican Church, 361 Danforth Ave.
647-779-5696 or rezonanceensemble.com.
$25/$20(adv online); $15(st).
●●2:00: St. Anne’s Music & Drama Society.
The Pirates of Penzance. Music by Arthur Sullivan,
libretto by W. S. Gilbert. St. Anne’s Parish
Hall, 651 Dufferin St. 416-922-4415. $30;
$25(sr/st). Opens Jan 25, 7:30pm. Runs to
Feb 3. Thurs/Fri(7:30pm), Sat/Sun(2pm). Also
Jan 26(7:30pm).
●●2:00: Tapestry Opera. Hook Up. See Feb 1.
Also Feb 5, 6, 7, 8, 9(2pm & 7:30pm).
●●2:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Music for a Sunday Afternoon. Works
by Schafer, Martin and Thompson. Mac-
Millan Singers; Women’s Chorus; Women’s
Chamber Choir; Men’s Chorus; David Fallis,
Elaine Choir, Lori-Anne Dolloff and
Mark Ramsay, conductors. MacMillan Theatre,
Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-408-0208. $30; $20(sr); $10(st);
free(UofT st).
●●2:30: VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert.
Fierabras. Music by Franz Schubert. Aradia
Ensemble; Amy Moodie, soprano; Jocelyn
Fralick, soprano; Lawrence Wiliford,
tenor; Evan Korbut, baritone; Opera in Concert
Chorus; Robert Cooper, chorus director;
Kevin Mallon, conductor. St. Lawrence Centre
for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723 or
1-800-708-6754. $29; $50; $65. Sung in German
with English Surtitles.
●●3:00: Off Centre Music Salon. 24th Annual
Schubertiad. Igor Gefter, cello; Andrew Haji,
tenor; Maeve Palmer, soprano; Inna Perkis,
piano; Mark Skazinetsky, violin; and others.
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-
466-6323. $50; $40(sr); $15(13-25); $5(child).
●●3:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Charles Richard-Hamelin. Schumann: Arabesque
in C; Fantasy in C; Chopin: Four Ballades.
Koerner Hall, Telus Centre, 273 Bloor
St. W. 416-408-0208. $35-85.
●●3:00: St. Paul’s Bloor Street Anglican
Church. Music of Our Time. Pärt: Beatitudes;
Praulins: Missa Rigensis; and other works.
Choir of St. Paul’s Bloor Street; Thomas Bell,
director; Gerald Loo, organ. 227 Bloor St. E.
416-961-8116. Free.
●●3:15: Mooredale Concerts. Heath Quartet.
Mozart: String Quartet No.19 in C K465
“Dissonance”; Britten: String Quartet No.1
in D Op.25; Beethoven: String Quartet No.9
in C Op.59, No.3. Oliver Heath, violin; Sara
Wolstenholme, violin; Gary Pomeroy, viola;
Chris Murray, cello. Walter Hall, Edward
Johnson Building, University of Toronto,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-922-3714 ext.103. $30;
$20(under 30).
●●4:00: Georgetown Bach Chorale. The
Beauty of Brahms. Brahms: Piano Quintet in f;
and other works. Ron Greidanus, piano. The
Piano Hall, 157 Main St., Georgetown. 905-
873-9909. $50. Soups, cheese and breads
will be offered.
●●7:30: LARK Ensemble. A Musical Offering.
Bach: Selections from A Musical Offering;
Viola da Gamba Sonata in D BWV1028;
Martinů: Promenades; and other works. Leslie
Allt; flute, Aaron Schwebel; violin, Keith
Hamm; viola, Roberta Janzen; cello. Guest:
Christopher Bagan, harpsichord. Corkin Gallery,
7 Tank House Ln. 416-979-1980. $35;
$20(st).
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Vocalis: The Song Narrative Project.
Curated by Stephen Philcox and Laura Tucker.
Outstanding Master’s and Doctoral level students.
The Extension Room, 30 Eastern Ave.
416-978-3750. Free.
Monday February 4
●●12:30: York University Department of
Music. Music @ Midday: Classical Instrumental
Recital. Featuring student soloists.
Tribute Communities Recital Hall, Accolade
East Building, YU, 4700 Keele St. 647-459-
0701. Free.
●●7:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Roots
and Folk Series: Maple Blues Awards. Raoul
Bhaneja; Maple Leaf Blues Band. Koerner
Hall, Telus Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-
0208. $35-$85.
●●7:00: Toronto Reference Library. The
Ward Cabaret. Four sold-out performances
at Luminato 2018. David Buchbinder, artistic
director and producer; Associate artists:
Michael Occhipinti, Derek Kwan, associate
artists; Vocals: Laura Campisi, Aviva Chernick,
Laurel Tubman, vocals. 789 Yonge St.
416-393-7175. Free. Performance to be followed
by a panel discussion about Black history
in The Ward, featuring Natasha Henry
(President, Ontario Black History Society)
and Dr. Cheryl Thompson (Associate Professor,
School of Creative Industries, Ryerson
University).
●●7:30: Glad Day Bookshop/PFLAG Durham
Region. Fundraiser for Camp Rainbow Phoenix:
Anna & Friends. Anna Gutmanis, Jeffery
Straker, Nadia High, Rakkatak, Troy Jackson
and Katey Morley, performers. Glad Day
Bookshop, 499 Church St. 416-901-6600.
$20.
●●7:30: Shaftesbury Salon Series. What
is this thing called jazz? David Foote, saxophone;
Anthony D’Alessandro, piano; Evan
Grantham, bass; Jacob Slous, drums.
Atrium, 21 Shaftesbury Ave. 416-519-7883 or
647-638-4234. $32/$30(adv).
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Surrounded by Xenakis. U of T Percussion
Ensemble; Ensemble BPM. Walter
Hall, Edward Johnson Building, University
of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208.
Free.
Tuesday February 5
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
World Music Series: Celebrating Chinese
New Year. Patty Chan, erhu; Toronto Chinese
Orchestra Chamber Players. Richard Bradshaw
Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for
the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-
363-8231. Free. First come, first served. No
late seating.
●●12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation/
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. Lunchtime
Chamber Music. Asher Ian Armstrong,
piano. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,
1585 Yonge St. 416-241-1298. Free, donations
welcome.
COSÌ FAN TUTTE
Mozart
FEB 5 – 23, 2018
coc.ca
●●7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Così
fan tutte. Music by Mozart. Kirsten MacKinnon,
soprano (Fiordiligi); Emily D’Angelo,
mezzo (Dorabella); Johannes Kammler, bass
(Guglielmo); Ben Bliss, tenor (Ferrando); Russell
Braun, baritone (Don Alfonso); Tracy Dahl,
soprano (Despina); Bernard Labadie, conductor;
Atom Agoyan, stage director. Four
Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. $35-$250.
Opera runs Feb 5-23. Start times vary.
●●7:30: Tapestry Opera. Hook Up. See Feb 1.
Also Feb 6, 7, 8, 9(2pm & 7:30pm).
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Vocalini. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson
Building, University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-408-0208. Free.
●●8:00: Music Toronto. Juho Pohjonen.
Rameau: Nouvelles suites de pièces de
clavecin; Mozart: Rondo in a K.511; Beethoven:
Sonata in A Op.101. Juho Pohjonen, piano.
Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for
the Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723. $47.50-
$52; $10(st).
February 5 at 8pm
JUHO
POHJONEN
Wednesday February 6
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Jazz Series: Dream. Joanna Majoko Quartet.
Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four
Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free. First
come, first served. No late seating.
●●12:30: Organix Concerts/All Saints Kingsway.
Kingsway Organ Concert Series.
Michael Capon, organ. All Saints Kingsway
Anglican Church, 2850 Bloor St. W. 416-571-
3680 or organixconcerts.ca. Freewill offering.
45-minute concert.
●●12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
Noonday Organ Recital. Aaron James.
1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167. Free.
●●7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Elektra.
Music by R. Strauss. Christine Goerke,
soprano (Elektra); Erin Wall, soprano
(Chrysothemis); Susan Bullock, soprano
(Klytämnestra); William Schwinghammer,
baritone (Orest); Michael Schade,
tenor (Aegisth); Johannes Debus, conductor;
James Robinson, stage director.
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. $35-
$250. Opera runs Jan 26-Feb 22. Start
times vary.
ELEKTRA
R. Strauss
JAN 26 – FEB 22, 2018
coc.ca
thewholenote.com February 1 – March 7, 2019 | 41

●●7:30: Gallery 345. Dennis Kwok Jazz
Orchestra. Original works; selections from
upcoming album. 345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-
9781. $20; $10(st). Cash only at the door.
●●7:30: Tapestry Opera. Hook Up. See Feb 1.
Also Feb 7, 8, 9(2pm & 7:30pm).
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Jazz: U of T 12tet. Terry Promane, director.
Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building,
University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-
978-3750. Free.
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Brahms and Dvořák. Morawetz: Carnival
Overture (side-by-side with the Toronto Symphony
Youth Orchestra); Brahms: Double
Concerto; Dvořák: Symphony No.6. Jonathan
Crow, violin; Joseph Johnson, cello; Sir
Andrew Davis, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. $34.75-$181.50.
Also Feb 7, 9.
Thursday February 7
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Dance Series: Blood Tides. Kaha:wi Dance
Theatre. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free. First
come, first served. No late seating.
●●12:10: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Thursdays at Noon: Plagiarism and
Theft. Bach-Busoni: Chaconne; Godowsky:
Studies on Chopin’s Etudes; Ravel: La Valse.
Younggun Kim, piano. Walter Hall, Edward
Johnson Building, University of Toronto,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. Free.
●●12:30: York University Department of
Music. Faculty Spotlight Series: Rob Simms:
A. Concerts in the GTA
Tanbur and Setar Solos. Accolade East Building,
YU, Room 235, 4700 Keele St. 647-459-
0701. Free.
●●7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Così fan
tutte. See Feb 5. Also Feb 9, 13, 15, 17(2pm), 21,
23(4:30pm).
●●7:30: Tapestry Opera. Hook Up. See Feb 1.
Also Feb 8, 9(2pm & 7:30pm).
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. What Makes It Great?® with Rob
Kapilow: The Music of Duke Ellington. U of T
Jazz Orchestra; Gordon Goote, director; Rob
Kapilow, host. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson
Building, University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-408-0208. $40; $25(sr); $10(st).
●●7:30: York University Department of
Music. Concerto Competition Winners in
Concert. York University Symphony Orchestra;
Mark Chambers, conductor. Tribute Communities
Recital Hall, Accolade East Building,
YU, 4700 Keele St. 416-736-5888. $15; $10(sr/
st).
●●8:00: Mississauga Symphony Orchestra.
La Bohème. Music by Puccini. Romulo Delgado,
tenor (Rodolfo); Shantelle Przybylo,
soprano (Mimì); Denis Mastromonaco, music
director; David Ambrose, stage director. Living
Arts Centre, Hammerson Hall, 4141 Living
Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905-306-6000. $50-
$95. Also Feb 9.
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. The Tempestuous Violin.
Scheidt: Battalia; Locke: Music for The
Tempest; Vivaldi: Concerto for 2 violins in
a. Elisa Citterio, violin; Enrico Onofri, violin
and conductor. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre,
Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-
6337. $42 and up. Also Feb 8, 9, 10(mat), 12(at
THE
TEMPESTUOUS
VIOLIN
Feb 7–10, 2019
Jeanne Lamon Hall,
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
tafelmusik.org
George Weston Recital Hall).
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Brahms and Dvořák. Morawetz: Carnival
Overture (side-by-side with the Toronto Symphony
Youth Orchestra); Brahms: Double
Concerto; Dvořák: Symphony No.6. Jonathan
Crow, violin; Joseph Johnson, cello; Sir
Andrew Davis, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. $34.75-$181.50.
Also Feb 6, 9.
Friday February 8
●●12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Noontime
Recital. Jean-Luc Therrien, piano. St.
Andrew’s Church (Toronto), 73 Simcoe St.
416-593-5600 x231. Free.
●●1:30: York University Department of
Music. Music at Midday: Singfest. Tribute
Communities Recital Hall, Accolade East
Building, YU, 4700 Keele St. 647-459-0701.
Free.
●●6:30: Toronto Reference Library. Hope:
Suubi Fusion Troupe. Featuring authentic
African instruments, drama, dance & music.
789 Yonge St. 416-393-7175. Free.
●●7:30: Tapestry Opera. Hook Up. See Feb 1.
Also Feb 9(2pm & 7:30pm).
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. U of T Wind Symphony. Kulesha:
Overture for Concert Band; Grainger: Lads
of Wamphray March; Clark: Groove; Holst:
Second Suite for Military Band in f Op.28 No.2;
Stamp: Bandancing; and other works. Mac-
Millan Theatre, Edward Johnson Building,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. $30;
$20(sr); $10(st); free(UofT st).
FOUR
NEW
WORKS
THEARRAYENSEMBLE
Performs World Premieres
FEB 8, 8PM
arraymusic.ca
●●8:00: Arraymusic. Four New Works. Works
by Marielle Groven, Christopher Mayo, Francis
Ubertelli and Christina Volpini. Array
Ensemble. Array Space, 155 Walnut Ave. 647-
385-2068. $20. PWYC. 7pm: Artists’ Talks.
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Johannes
Debus Conducts the Royal Conservatory
Orchestra. Mozart: Overture to The Magic
Flute K620; Mozart: Flute Concerto No.1 in
G K313; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.5 in e
Op.64. Emily Phernambuq, flute; Johannes
Debus, conductor. Koerner Hall, Telus Centre,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $25-60.
Prelude Recital at 6:45pm; Pre-concert Talk
at 7:15pm.
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. The Tempestuous Violin.
See Feb 7. Also Feb 9, 10(3:30pm), 12(George
Weston Recital Hall).
42 | February 1 – March 7, 2019 thewholenote.com

●●8:00: York University Department of
Music. Improv Soirée. Improvisation in a participatory
“open mic” set-up. Casey Sokol,
host. Sterling Beckwith Studio, 235 Accolade
East Building, 4700 Keele St. 647-459-0701.
Free. Performers and observers welcome.
Saturday February 9
●●2:00: Tapestry Opera. Hook Up. See Feb 1.
Also Feb 9(7:30pm).
●●4:30: Royal Conservatory of Music. Taylor
Academy Showcase Concert. Mazzoleni Concert
Hall, Royal Conservatory, 273 Bloor St. W.
416-408-0208. Free (ticket required).
●●7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Così fan
tutte. See Feb 5. Also Feb 13, 15, 17(2pm), 21,
23(4:30pm).
●●7:30: Tapestry Opera. Hook Up. See Feb 1.
●●8:00: Alliance Française de Toronto. Tribute
to Claude Nougaro. Bernard Dionne and
Philippe Flahaut. 24 Spadina Rd. 416-922-2014
x37. $25; $20(sr/st); $12(members).
●●8:00: Kindred Spirits Orchestra. The
Fountains of Rome. Respighi: Fontana di
Roma; Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante for
Cello and Orchestra in e Op.125; Rachmaninoff:
Symphonic Dances Op.45. Andrew
Ascenzo, cello; Kristian Alexander, conductor.
Flato Markham Theatre, 171 Town Centre
Blvd., Markham. 905-305-7469. $30-$40;
$25(sr); $15(under 30). 7:15pm pre-concert
recital; 7:30pm pre-concert talk; intermission
discussion with Andrew Ascenzo & Michael
Berec. Post-concert complimentary glass of
champagne.
●●8:00: Mississauga Symphony Orchestra.
La Bohème. Music by Puccini. Romulo Delgado,
tenor (Rodolfo); Shantelle Przybylo,
soprano (Mimì); Denis Mastromonaco, music
director; David Ambrose, stage director. Living
Arts Centre, Hammerson Hall, 4141 Living
Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905-306-6000. $50-
$95. Also Feb 7.
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Hilario
Durán and His Latin Jazz Big Band with
Horacio “El Negro” Hernández and Sarita
Levya’s Rumberos. Koerner Hall, Telus Centre,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $40-$100.
Pre-concert talk at 7pm.
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. The Tempestuous Violin.
See Feb 7. Also Feb 10(3:30pm), 12(George
Weston Recital Hall).
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Brahms and Dvořák. Morawetz: Carnival
Overture (side-by-side with the Toronto Symphony
Youth Orchestra); Brahms: Double
Concerto; Dvořák: Symphony No.6. Jonathan
Crow, violin; Joseph Johnson, cello; Sir
Andrew Davis, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. $34.75-$181.50.
Also Feb 6, 7.
Sunday February 10
●●1:00: Opticianado. Brian Blain. 2919 Dundas
St. W. 416-604-2020. Free.
●●2:00: Canadian Opera Company. Elektra.
See Feb 6. Also Feb 12, 16(4:30pm), 22.
●●2:00: Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra.
Pictures in Sound. Rossini: William Tell Overture;
Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kijé; Vivaldi: Winter
from The Four Seasons. Matthew Jones,
conductor. Humber Valley United Church,
76 Anglesey Blvd., Etobicoke. 416-239-5665.
$20; $10(child).
●●2:00: Gallery 345. Ivana Popovic: Bushes
and Bombshelters CD Release. Popovic: original
works. Ivana Popovic, violin; Perry
Maher, piano; Jesse Dietschi, double bass,
Saman Shahi, piano, Stuart Mutch, cello and
others. 345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781 or
647-515-4727. $25; $15(st). Cash only at the
door.
●●2:00: Visual and Performing Arts Newmarket.
Young Artists’ Showcase. York
Dance Academy; Maria Milenic, mezzo; Miles
Twins, singers/songwriters; Ellie Sievers, violin.
Old Town Hall, 460 Botsford St., Newmarket.
905-953-5122. $40(family); $20; $10(st).
MOZART’S PARTY
FEBRUARY 10, 2019 | 3PM
SERENADES OF A MASTER
●●3:00: Amici Chamber Ensemble. Mozart’s
Party: Serenades of a Master. Mozart:
Gran Partita; Piano Trio K548; and Young
Composers Program Composition. Joaquin
Valdepeñas, clarinet; David Hetherington,
cello; TSO musicians; Rebanks Fellows and
senior students of the Glenn Gould School.
Mazzoleni Concert Hall, Royal Conservatory,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $50; $45(sr);
$30(under 30); $15(st).
●●3:00: Greater Toronto Philharmonic
Orchestra. Winter Classics. Beethoven: Piano
Concerto No.5 (Mvt 1); Schumann: Piano Concerto
(Mvt 1); Dvořák: Cello Concerto (Mvt 1);
Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No.1. Godwin Friesen,
piano; J.J. Bui, piano; Eena Yoon, cello; David
Fallis, conductor. Calvin Presbyterian Church,
26 Delisle Ave. 647-238-0015. $15-$30.
●●3:00: Hannaford Street Silver Band.
From Russia with Brass. The Festive Overture,
The Procession of the Nobles, Polovtsian
Dances and others. Philip Smith, conductor
and trumpet soloist. Jane Mallett Theatre,
St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St.
E. 416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754. $46.50;
$35(sr); $12(st).
●●3:30: Tafelmusik. The Tempestuous Violin.
See Feb 7. Also Feb 12(George Weston
Recital Hall).
●●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: St. Olave’s Church. Music of Handel.
Choral Evensong for the Queen’s Accession.
Handel: Zadok the Priest; Vaughan Williams: O
Taste and See; Smith of Durham: Responses;
Stanford: Canticles. Schola Ecclesiam. St.
Olave’s Anglican Church, 360 Windermere
Ave. 416-769-5686. Contributions
SUN 10 FEB AT 4
Choral Evensong
for the Queen’s Accession
with Schola Ecclesiam
plus Royal Festive Tea and
THE MUSIC OF
HANDEL
An illustrated music feature
with the Choir’s director
Clement Carelse
appreciated. Followed by Royal Festive Tea
and a talk by Clement Carelse on Handel’s
music for royal occasions.
●●4:30: Christ Church Deer Park. Jazz Vespers.
Alison Au Trio. 1570 Yonge St. 416-920-
5211. Freewill offering. Religious service.
●●7:00: Rosedale United Church. Rosedale
In Love. Works by Sondheim, Bernstein,
Porter, Rodgers and Hammerstein and
Lerner and Loewe. Laurie Hurst, soprano;
Brett Polegato, baritone; Robert Kortgaard,
piano. 159 Roxborough Dr. 416-924-0725.
$40/$35(adv).
Rosedale United Church Presents
ROSEDALE
IN LOVE
7 PM
FEB 10
Baritone
BRETT POLEGATO
Soprano
LAURIE HURST
Monday February 11
●●5:30: Canadian Opera Company. Vocal Series:
The Christina and Louis Quilico Awards.
Artists of the COC Ensemble Studio. Richard
Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre
for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W.
416-363-8231. Free. First come, first served.
No late seating. Extended performance to
7:30pm.
Tuesday February 12
●●12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation/Yorkminster
Park Baptist Church.
thewholenote.com February 1 – March 7, 2019 | 43

Lunchtime Chamber Music. Jailiang Zhu,
piano. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,
1585 Yonge St. 416-241-1298. Free, donations
welcome.
●●3:00: Roy Thomson Hall. Joshua Bell, Violin
and Sam Haywood, Piano. Beethoven: Violin
Sonata No.4 in a Op.23; Prokofiev: Violin
Sonata No.2 in D Op.94a; Grieg: Violin Sonata
No.2 in G Op.13. 60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255.
$39.50-$129.50.
●●7:00: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Student Composers Concert. Walter
Hall, Edward Johnson Building, University
of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208.
Free.
●●7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Elektra.
See Feb 6. Also Feb 16(4:30pm), 22.
THE
TEMPESTUOUS
VIOLIN
Feb 12, 2019
George Weston Recital Hall,
Toronto Centre for the Arts
tafelmusik.org
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. The Tempestuous Violin.
See Feb 7.
Wednesday February 13
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Dance Series: who we are in the dark. Peggy
Baker Dance Projects. Richard Bradshaw
Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for the
Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-
8231. Free. First come, first served. No late
seating.
●●12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
Noonday Organ Recital. TBA. 1585 Yonge St.
416-922-1167. Free.
A. Concerts in the GTA
●●7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Così fan
tutte. See Feb 5. Also Feb 15, 17(2pm), 21,
23(4:30pm).
●●8:00: Nathaniel Dett Chorale. Voices of
the Diaspora: Hosea & Friends. Stephen
Newby: Hosea; and works by Dett, Waddles
and Hogan. Nathaniel Dett Chorale Alumni.
Koerner Hall, Telus Centre, 273 Bloor St. W.
416-408-0208 or nathanieldett.org. $50;
$46(sr); $20(st).
TS
Toronto
Symphony
Orchestra
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Barbara
Hannigan Sings and Conducts. Debussy:
Syrinx for Solo Flute; Sibelius: Luonnotar for
Soprano and Orchestra; Haydn: Symphony
No.86; Berg: Suite from Lulu; Gershwin: Suite
from Girl Crazy (arr. Bill Elliot). Kelly Zimba,
flute; Barbara Hannigan, conductor and soloist.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-
3375. $34.75-$148. Also Feb 14.
Thursday February 14
●●12:10: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Thursdays at Noon: Opera Spotlight. A
preview of U of T Opera’s production of Mozart’s
La finta giardiniera. Walter Hall, Edward
Johnson Building, University of Toronto,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. Free.
●●12:30: York University Department of
Music. Music at Midday: Student Showcase.
Martin Family Lounge, Accolade East Building,
YU, 4700 Keele St. 647-459-0701. Free.
●●1:00: Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre.
Can’t Give You Anything But Love Valentine’s
Day Jazz Concert. Featuring love songs,
jazz standards and romantic ballads. Tanya
Wills Quartet (Jordan Klapman, piano; Bill
Bridges, guitar; Ron Johnston, bass; Tanya
Wills, vocals). Spadina Theatre, Alliance Française
de Toronto, 24 Spadina Rd. 416-924-
6211 x0. $10.
●●2:00: Toronto Public Library, Northern
District. Songs of Love, Loss and Longing in
Four Languages. I Can’t Get Started With You;
You Belong to Me; Cry Me a River; Les Feuilles
Mortes; Solamente Una Vez and others. John
Christoper, guitar/vocals; James McKie, violin/electric
guitar; Roman Tome, percussion.
Northern District Public Library, Room 224,
40 Orchard View Blvd. 416-393-7610. Free.
●●7:00: Brampton Folk Club. Love Is in
the Air. Carlos Medina and Credit River
Time. Council Chambers, Peel Art Gallery,
Museum and Archives, 9 Wellington
St. E., Brampton. 647-233-3655. Free with
museum admission.
●●8:00: Hart House Orchestra. Mahler Symphony
No. 7. Great Hall, Hart House, 7 Hart
House Circle. 416-978-2452. Suggested donation
of $10.
●●8:00: Living Arts Centre. Ramin Karimloo:
From Now On. Hammerson Hall, Living Arts
Centre, 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga.
905-306-6000. $50-$80; $79.95 and up (dinner
& show package).
February 14 at 8 pm
JUILLIARD
QUARTET
with MARC-ANDRÉ
HAMELIN
●●8:00: Music Toronto. Juilliard Quartet with
Marc-André Hamelin. Beethoven: Quartet in
D Op.18 No.3; Beecher: new commissioned
work; Dvořák: Piano Quintet in A Op.81. Juilliard
Quartet; Marc-André Hamelin, piano.
Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for
the Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723. $47.50-
$52; $10(st).
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. John
Pizzarelli and Freddy Cole: Celebrating Nat
King Cole @ 100. Koerner Hall, Telus Centre,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $55-$125.
Pre-concert talk at 7pm.
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Barbara
Hannigan Sings and Conducts. Debussy:
Syrinx, for solo flute; Sibelius: Luonnotar for
Soprano and Orchestra; Haydn: Symphony
No.86; Berg: Suite from Lulu; Gershwin: Suite
from Girl Crazy (arr. Bill Elliot). Kelly Zimba,
flute; Barbara Hannigan, conductor and
vocalist. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-598-3375. $34.75-$148. Free pre-concert
performance at 6:45pm. Also Feb 13.
Friday February 15
●●12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Noontime
Recital. Jialiang Zhu, piano. St. Andrew’s
Church (Toronto), 73 Simcoe St. 416-593-
5600 x231. Free.
●●6:45: COSI Connection. Trial by Jury and
HMS Pinafore In Concert! Darryl Edwards,
conductor; Helen Becqué, piano; soloists of
the COSI Connection. Christ Church Deer
Park, 1570 Yonge St. 647-272-6232. $20;
$10(st).
●●7:30: Beverly Taft. The Love Hangover 5.
Duets from country, jazz, blues, pop and rock.
Tania Gill, piano, vocals; Victor Bateman, bass,
guitar, vocals; Ilana Waldston, Teddy Hawkins
and Whitney Ross-Barris, vocals. Tranzac
Club, 292 Brunswick Ave. 647-393-8238.
$25/$20(adv). Net proceeds will go to support
Recollectiv, a weekly music gathering for
people with memory challenges.
●●7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Così
fan tutte. See Feb 5. Also Feb 17(2pm), 21,
23(4:30pm).
●●7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Casablanca:
Film with Live Orchestra. Steiner:
Casablanca. Evan Mitchell, conductor. Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375.
$57-$126. Also Feb 16.
●●8:00: Gallery 345. Patrick Boyle Quartet:
After Forgetting Album Release. Patrick
Boyle, trumpet; Bernie Senensky, piano; Jim
Vivian, double bass; Michael Billard, drums.
345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781. $20. Cash
only at the door.
44 | February 1 – March 7, 2019 thewholenote.com

●●8:00: Living Arts Centre. Get the Led
Out. Hammerson Hall, Living Arts Centre,
4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905-306-
6000. $50-$70.
●●8:00: St. Basil’s Church, University of
St. Michael’s College. Litanies de la Vièrge.
Charpentier: Litanies de la Vièrge; De Grigny:
Pièces d’orgue; Louis Couperin: Pièces
de clavecin; Plainchant. Choir, period-instrument
ensemble, and orchestra. 50 St. Joseph
St. 289-380-0790. Free. Donations welcome.
Affiliated with the Annual Conference of the
Society for Christian Scholarship in Music.
2018-2019: The Colours of Early Music
LOVE,
REMIXED
FEBRUARY 15 & 16 at 8pm
Tickets starting at $ 26!
TorontoConsort.org
●●8:00: Toronto Consort. Love, Remixed. A
program of 20th- and 21st-century music
written for early instruments and voice. Rolfe:
Breathe; Fallis: Eurydice Variations. Jurgen
Petrenko, conductor; David Fallis,and Katherine
Hill, artistic directors. Trinity-St. Paul’s
Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337 or
torontoconsort.org. $15-$69. Also Feb 16.
Artistic Direction by David Fallis and Katherine
Hill.
●●8:30: Caliban Arts Theatre/Trane Live
Events/Berkeley Events. Ethnic Heritage
Ensemble: Be Known EP Release. Corey
Wilkes, trumpet; Alex Harding, baritone sax;
Kahil El’Zabar, percussion/composer. La
Maquette, 111 King St. E. 416-361-9666. $25-
$35. From 6:30pm: drinks and light menu
items.
Saturday February 16
●●2:00: Music Gallery. Sounding Difference.
Music Gallery at 918 Bathurst, 918 Bathurst
St. 416-204-1080. Free.
●●4:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre. Doyle à la
Carte Part II. Music from Gilbert & Sullivan
operas. Henry Ingram, MC. Edward Jackman
Centre, 947 Queen St. E., 2nd Floor. 416-366-
7723. $45. Cabaret-style fundraising concert.
●●4:30: Canadian Opera Company. Elektra.
See Feb 6. Also Feb 22.
●●6:30: Nexus D9. Meet Greet Play. Shaho
Andalibi, ney flute; and others. Bloordale
United Church, 4258 Bloor St. W., Etobicoke.
416-988-8427. $10.
●●7:00: Farfarones Orchestra. Second
Annual Benefit Concert. St. Paul’s Church,
Runnymede, 404 Willard Ave. 416-769-
2340. $20; $10(sr/st); free(under 13). Silent
Auction.
●●7:30: Academy Concert Series. Inspired by
Italy: Corelli and Handel. Handel: Trio Sonata
Op.5 No.4 in G; Corelli: Violin Sonata Op.5 No.4
in F; Vivaldi: Trio Sonata Op.1 No.8 in d; Handel:
Alpestre Montre Cantata HWV81; Vivaldi:
Lungi di vago volto; and other works. Nathalie
Paulin, soprano; Christopher Bagan, harpsichord;
Emily Eng, violin; Michelle Odorico, violin;
Kerri McGonigle, cello. Eastminster United
Church, 310 Danforth Ave. 416-629-3716. $20;
$14(sr/st);$5(under 18).
●●7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Casablanca:
Film with Live Orchestra. Steiner:
Casablanca. Evan Mitchell, conductor. Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375.
$57-$126. Also Feb 15.
●●8:00: Aga Khan Museum. SpaceTime: An
Evening with Narcy. 77 Wynford Dr. 416-646-
4677. $25; $22.50(Friends); $18.75(sr/st). $5
return shuttle available from 918 Bathurst.
●●8:00: Against the Grain Theatre. (La) voix
humaine. By Jonathan MacArthur. Jacques
Arsenault, tenor; Topher Mokrzewski, conductor;
Aria Umezawa, stage director.
Gallery 345, 345 Sorauren Ave. 647-367-
8943. $35.
●●8:00: Chorus York. Romantic Melodies.
Fundraising Gala on a Valentine’s theme. Stéphane
Potvin, conductor; Andrea Van Pelt,
piano; Guest Duo: Natalie Wong, violin; Drew
Henderson, classical guitar. Richmond Hill
Centre for the Performing Arts, 10268 Yonge
St., Richmond Hill. 905-787-8811. $50(with
$20 tax receipt). 7pm: cocktails (cash bar),
appetizers, silent auction.
SEASON 2018 / 2019
Toronto Mass Choir +
Ben Heppner
February 16 I 8 PM
www.livingartscentre.ca
Petrenko, conductor; David Fallis,and Katherine
Hill, artistic directors. Trinity-St. Paul’s
Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337 or
torontoconsort.org. $15-$69. Also Feb 15. Artistic
direction by David Fallis and Katherine Hill.
Sunday February 17
●●2:00: Canadian Opera Company. Così fan
tutte. See Feb 5. Also Feb 21, 23(4:30pm).
CHARM OF FINCHES
INTO
T H E
NIGHT
SUN FEB 17, 3PM
CHARMOFFINCHES.CA
●●3:00: Charm of Finches. Into the Night.
Music for flute ensemble, including piccolos,
alto and bass flutes. Saint-Saëns (arr.
Hinze): Danse Macabre; Rozman: Medusa; Liu:
Unearthed; Padgett: Into The Night; Clarke:
Spells. Charm of Finches (Laura Chambers,
Tristan Durie, Terry Lim, Amelia Lyon, Katherine
Watson). Victoria Chapel, 91 Charles St.
W. 647-892-8251. PWYC.
●●3:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. TSYO
Winter Concert. Morawetz: Carnival Overtures;
Sibelius: Violin Concerto (Mvt 1); Rachmaninoff:
Symphony No.2. Toronto Symphony
Youth Orchestra; Hannah Corbett, violin;
Simon Rivard, TSO Resident Conductor &
TSYO Conductor. George Weston Recital Hall,
5040 Yonge St. 416-598-3375. $17.75-$31.25.
●●7:00: Gallery 345/New Music Concerts.
New Music Concerts Special
MORITZ ERNST•PIANO
NMC BENEFIT RECITAL
●●8:00: Living Arts Centre. O Happy Day. Ben
Heppner and Toronto Mass Choir. Hammerson
Hall, Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts
Dr., Mississauga. 905-306-6000. $40-$55:
$80.95-$95.95 (dinner & show package).
●●8:00: Richmond Hill Philharmonic Orchestra.
Heroes and Icons. Music from 007 films,
Superman Returns, The Dark Knight Rises,
Spider-Man, Pan, highlights from the motion
picture soundtrack of Bohemian Rhapsody.
Jessica Kun, conductor. Richmond Hill Centre
for the Performing Arts, 10268 Yonge St.,
Richmond Hill. 905-787-8811. $30; $25(sr/st).
●●8:00: Toronto Consort. Love, Remixed. A
program of 20th- and 21st-century music written
for early instruments and voice. Rolfe:
Breathe; Fallis: Eurydice Variations. Jurgen
SUN. FEB. 17•GALLERY 345 @ 7
RESERVATIONS•CALL 416.961.9594
www.NewMusicConcerts.com
thewholenote.com February 1 – March 7, 2019 | 45

Non-subscription Event: An Evening With
Moritz Ernst. Stockhausen: Klavierstück X;
and works by Mike Egerton, Arthur Lourié,
Miklos Maros, and Sandeep Bhagwati. Moritz
Ernst, piano. Gallery 345, 345 Sorauren Ave.
416-961-9594. $100;2 for $150. Reservations
required. Includes door prizes and refreshments.
Proceeds to benefit New Music Concerts;
charitable receipts for CRA allowable
portion.
●●7:00: Music Gallery/Public Recordings. In
Concert. Pauline Oliveros: To Valerie Solanas
and Marilyn Monroe in Recognition of Their
Desperation. Toronto City Hall Council Chambers,
100 Queen St. W. 416-204-1080. Free.
Tuesday February 19
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Vocal Series: On Shining Wings. Works by
Wagner, Duparc, R. Strauss and others.
Susan Bullock, soprano; Liz Upchurch, piano.
Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four
Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free. First
come, first served. No late seating.
●●12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation/
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. Lunchtime
Chamber Music. David Potvin, piano.
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge
St. 416-241-1298. Free, donations welcome.
●●5:00: Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre.
MNjcc Suzuki Winter Ensemble Concert.
Presentations from note-reading classes,
ukulele classes, chamber music ensembles
and adult string ensembles. Al Green Theatre,
750 Spadina Ave. 416-924-6211 x0. Free.
A. Concerts in the GTA
Wednesday February 20
GLENN GOULD
PRIZE GALA
CONCERT
HONOURING
JESSYE NORMAN
Wed Feb 20, 7:30PM
www.glenngould.ca
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Vocal Series: Les Adieux: A Poetic Diary.
Works by Schubert. Samuel Chan, baritone;
Stéphane Mayer, fortepiano. Richard Bradshaw
Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for
the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-
363-8231. Free. First come, first served. No
late seating.
●●12:30: Organix Concerts/All Saints Kingsway.
Kingsway Organ Concert Series. Four
Hands, Two Feet Duo (Simon Irving, organ;
Janice Beninger, piano). All Saints Kingsway
Anglican Church, 2850 Bloor St. W. 416-571-
3680 or organixconcerts.ca. Freewill offering.
45-minute concert.
●●12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
Noonday Organ Recital. Andrew Adair, organ.
1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167. Free.
●●7:30: Glenn Gould Foundation/Canadian
Opera Company. Glenn Gould Prize Gala
Concert Honouring Jessye Norman. COC
Orchestra conducted by COC Music Director
Johannes Debus; Nina Stemme, soprano;
Sandra Radvanovsky, soprano; Pumeza Matshikiza,
soprano; Wallis Giunta, mezzo; Susan
Platts; mezzo; and others. Four Seasons Centre
for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W.
416-363-8231. From $50. Gala reception following
the concert. Proceeds in support of
The Glenn Gould Foundation.
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Alisa
Weilerstein. Langgaard: Prelude to Antikrist;
Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No.2; Bartók:
Concerto for Orchestra. Alisa Weilerstein,
cello; Thomas Dausgaard, conductor. Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375.
$34.75-$181.50. Also Feb 21.
Thursday February 21
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Vocal Series: Les Adieux: Poèmes pour Mi.
Messiaen: Poèmes pour Mi. Lauren Eberwein,
soprano; Rachael Kerr, piano. Richard Bradshaw
Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for
the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-
363-8231. Free. First come, first served. No
late seating.
●●12:00 noon: Roy Thomson Hall. Noon-Hour
Concert Series: Youthful Impressions. Bach
Children’s Chorus. 60 Simcoe St. 416-872-
4255. Free.
●●7:30: Canadian Music Centre. CMC Presents:
Lindsay Dobbin & Kat Estacio. 20 St.
Joseph St. 416-961-6601 x201. General:
$20/$15(adv); CMC Members/arts workers:
$15/$12(adv); Students: $15/$10(adv).
●●7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Così fan
tutte. See Feb 5. Also Feb 23(4:30pm).
●●7:30: TO Live/Attila Glatz Concert Productions.
Amadeus Live. Amadeus movie screening
with live full orchestra and choir. Sony
Centre for the Performing Arts, 1 Front St. E.
1-855-872-7669. $55-$111. Also Feb 22.
●●8:00: Art of Time Ensemble. Best of
Music. Works by Tom Waits, Schubert,
Queen, Beethoven, Bruce Cockburn, and
others. Hawksley Workman, vocalist; Martin
Tielli, vocalist; Benjamin Bowman, violin;
Mark Fewer, violin; Shauna Rolston-Shaw,
cello; and others. Harbourfront Centre
Theatre, 235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-
4000. $25-$64; $15(st/under 30). Also
Feb 22, 23.
●●8:00: Gallery 345. The Art of the Harpsichord:
Corina Marti. Keyboard music from
16th-century Poland. 345 Sorauren Ave. 416-
822-9781. $25; $15(st). Cash only at the door.
●●8:00: Opera Atelier. The Angel Speaks.
Huizinga: Annunciation; and works by Purcell.
Mireille Asselin, soprano; Jesse Blumberg,
baritone; Artists of Atelier Ballet in baroque
costume, and members of Tafelmusik Baroque
Orchestra. Royal Ontario Museum,
100 Queen’s Park. 416-703-3767 x222 or
operaatelier.com. $69. Informal reception
post concert. Light refreshments/cash bar
available.
OPERA ATELIER
The
Angel
Speaks
Feb 21 8pm @ the ROM
operaatelier.com
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. Tales of Two Cities:
The Leipzig-Damascus Coffee House. Conceived,
scripted and programmed by Alison
Mackay. Telemann: Ouverture in D; Monteverdi:
Ritornello from Orfeo; Lully: Chaconne
from Cadmus et Hermione; Concerto for
4 Violins (Largo - Vivace); Handel: Sonata in
g Op.2 No.5 (Allegro); and traditional Arabic
music. Alon Nashman, narrator; Maryem Tollar,
narrator & vocalist; Naghmeh Farahmand,
percussion; Demetri Petsalakis, oud;
Marshall Pynkoski, stage director; Elisa Citterio,
music director. Koerner Hall, Telus Centre,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $36 and
up. Also Feb 22, 23, 24(mat).
TALES OF
TWO CITIES:
THE LEIPZIG-
DAMASCUS
COFFEE HOUSE
Feb 21–24, 2019
Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre
tafelmusik.org
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Alisa
Weilerstein. Langgaard: Prelude to Antikrist;
Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No.2; Bartók:
Concerto for Orchestra. Alisa Weilerstein,
cello; Thomas Dausgaard, conductor. Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375.
$34.75-$148. Also Feb 20.
Friday February 22
●●12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Noontime
Recital. Works by Villa-Lobos, Hildegard von
Bingen, Tarrega, and Albéniz. Louis Lawlor,
guitar. St. Andrew’s Church (Toronto),
73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x231. Free.
46 | February 1 – March 7, 2019 thewholenote.com

●●1:00: Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre/Bernard
Betel Centre/Healthy at Home.
Celebrating Shabbat in Song. Jewish-themed
concert featuring Rabbi Miriam Margles, as
well as a participatory Shabbat ceremony,
challah and traditional treats. Miles Nadal
JCC, 750 Spadina Ave. 416-924-6211 x0. Free.
●●7:00: Small World Music Society. Thomas
Francis’ The Jazz Gene. Acoustic performance
focused on the aesthetics of jazz from
a post-jazz perspective. Small World Music
Centre, Artscape Youngplace, 180 Shaw St.
416-536-5439. $15; $25(2 shows). Also 9pm.
●●7:30: 3 in the 6ix. Ton Beau String Quartet.
Joaquin Turina: La Oracion del Torero;
Laura Sgroi: String Quartet No.1; Debussy:
String Quartet in G. Bijan Sepanji, violin; Jeremy
Potts, violin; Alex McLeod, viola; Sarah
Steeves, cello. Runnymede United Church,
432 Runnymede Rd. 416-578-6993. $20;
$15(sr/st/arts workers); $5(under 18).
●●7:30: Brampton Folk Club. Friday Folk
Night: Simon and Garfunkel. Coffee-housestyle
folk music concert. Eve Goldberg and
Jory Nash. St. Paul’s United Church (Brampton),
30 Main St. S., Brampton. 647-233-3655.
$18; $15(sr/st).
●●7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Elektra.
See Feb 6.
●●7:30: Living Arts Centre. OKAN. RBC Theatre,
Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts
Dr., Mississauga. 905-306-6000. $35-$45:
$68.25-$78.25 (dinner & show package).
●●7:30: TO Live/Attila Glatz Concert Productions.
Amadeus Live. Amadeus movie screening
with live full orchestra and choir. Sony
Centre for the Performing Arts, 1 Front St. E.
1-855-872-7669. $55-$111. Also Feb 21.
●●8:00: Alliance Française de Toronto. Fleur
persane. Duo Perséides (Amir Amiri, santur;
Jean Félix Mailloux, bass). 24 Spadina Rd. 416-
922-2014 x37. $25; $20(sr/st); $12(members).
●●8:00: Art of Time Ensemble. Best of Music.
Works by Tom Waits, Schubert, Queen,
Beethoven, Bruce Cockburn, and others.
Hawksley Workman, vocalist; Martin Tielli,
vocalist; Benjamin Bowman, violin; Mark
Fewer, violin; Shauna Rolston-Shaw, cello;
and others. Harbourfront Centre Theatre,
235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000. $25-$64;
$15(st/under 30). Also Feb 21, 23.
●●8:00: Mosaic Canadian Vocal Ensemble.
Pre-Holy Land Tour Concert. Works by
Ronan, Alcaraz, Roth, Elderbin, Levine and
Lauridsen. Members of St. Michael’s Choir
School Alumni. Church of St. Mary Magdalene
(Toronto), 477 Manning Ave. 416-571-3680.
Free-will offering accepted.
●●8:00: Music Gallery/Fu Gen Theatre. Foxconn
Frequency No. 3 for Three Visibly Chinese
Performers. Natalie Tin Yin Gan, Vicky
Chow, Matt Poon, keyboards. Factory Theatre,
125 Bathurst St. 416-504-9971 or musicgallery.org.
$35/$30(adv); $25(Music Gallery
members/st). Also Feb 23.
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. Tales of Two Cities: The
Leipzig-Damascus Coffee House. See Feb 21.
Also Feb 23, 24(3:30pm).
●●8:00: TO Live. Youn Sun Nah. Jazz singer.
Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge St.,
North York. 1-855-985-2787. $47-$71.
●●8:00: Winterfolk XVII Blues and Roots
Festival. In Concert. Bywater Blues Band
(8pm); Chloe Watkinson (9pm); Dan McKinnon
Band (10pm). Black Swan, 154 Danforth
Ave. 416-469-0537. $20/$15(adv). 2nd Floor.
●●9:00: Small World Music Society. Thomas
Francis’ The Jazz Gene. Electric performance
focused on hip-hop and its influences from
the beginnings of jazz. Small World Music
Centre, Artscape Youngplace, 180 Shaw St.
416-536-5439. $15; $25(2 shows). Also 7pm.
Saturday February 23
●●1:00: Winterfolk XVII Blues and Roots Festival.
For King and Country: A World War I
Musical Documentary. Written by Tony Quarrington.
Tony Quarrington, Brian Gladstone,
Noah Zacharin, Stuart Laughton, David Storey
and others. Harpin’ Norm Lucien and Friends
(3pm); Stav (4pm). Black Swan, 154 Danforth
Ave. 416-469-0537. $20/$15(adv). 2nd Floor.
●●2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Play It
by Ear! Young People’s Concert. Kevin Frank,
host; Alumni from The Second City; Simon
Rivard, TSO Resident Conductor. Roy Thomson
Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. $20-
$33.75. Also 4pm.
●●3:00: Annex Singers. Camerata: A Day in
Song. Works by U2, Mendelssohn, Morley
The Annex Chamber Choir
presents
Camerata:
A Day in Song
Saturday, February 23, 2019
3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
www.annexsingers.com
and others. Annex Chamber Choir; Raffi Altournian,
guitar; Maria Case, conductor. St.
Andrew’s United Church, 117 Bloor St. E.
416-458-4434. $25; $20(sr/st); free(12 and
under). Also 7:30pm.
●●4:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Play
It by Ear! Young People’s Concert. Kevin
Frank, host; Alumni from The Second City;
Simon Rivard, TSO Resident Conductor. Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375.
$20-$33.75. Also 2pm.
●●4:30: Canadian Opera Company. Così fan
tutte. See Feb 5.
●●6:15: Winterfolk XVII Blues and Roots Festival.
In Concert. James Gordon (6:15pm);
Emilyn Stam and John Williams (7:15pm);
Mose Scarlett (8:15pm); Ken Whiteley
(9:15pm). Black Swan, 154 Danforth Ave. 416-
469-0537. $20/$15(adv). 2nd Floor.
●●7:30: Annex Singers. Camerata: A Day
in Song. Works by U2, Mendelssohn, Morley
and others. Annex Chamber Choir; Raffi
Altournian, guitar; Maria Case, conductor.
St. Andrew’s United Church, 117 Bloor St. E.
416-458-4434. $25; $20(sr/st); free(12 and
under). Also 3pm.
●●7:30: Opera by Request. Handel’s Alcina.
Celebration of Handel’s birthday. In concert
with piano accompaniment. Antonina
Ermolenko, soprano (Alcina); Meagan Larios,
mezzo (Ruggiero); Michaela Dickey, mezzo
(Bradamante); Bree Horton, mezzo (Morgana);
Josh Zajac, treble (Oberto); Fabian
Arciniegas, tenor (Oronte); John Holland,
baritone (Melisso); William Shookhoff,
piano and music director. College St. United
Church, 452 College St. 416-455-2365. $20.
Also Mar 3 (2pm, Windsor).
David Lang’s
love fail
featuring choreography
by Ceinwen Gobert
●●8:00: Acoustic Harvest. The Slocan Ramblers.
Opening set: Ben Sures. St. Paul’s United
Church (Scarborough), 200 McIntosh St.,
Scarborough. lillian.wauthier@gmail.com or
acousticharvest.ca. $25/$22(adv).
●●8:00: Aga Khan Museum. William Franklyn
Leathers in Concert. Jazz and blues, gospel,
reggae, classical and other music. William
Franklyn Leathers, trumpet and piano; Howard
Leathers, trumpet and vocals; and others.
77 Wynford Dr. 416-646-4677. $45; $40(sr/st);
$40(friends of the museum).
●●8:00: Art of Time Ensemble. Best of Music.
Works by Tom Waits, Schubert, Queen,
Beethoven, Bruce Cockburn, and others.
Hawksley Workman, vocalist; Martin Tielli,
vocalist; Benjamin Bowman, violin; Mark
Fewer, violin; Shauna Rolston-Shaw, cello;
and others. Harbourfront Centre Theatre,
235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000. $25-$64;
$15(st/under 30). Also Feb 21, 22.
●●8:00: Greenbank Folk Music Society.
Michal Jerome Brown in Concert. Greenbank
Hall, 19965 Highway #12, Greenbank. 905-
985-8351. $25.
●●8:00: Living Arts Centre. Yaima Sáez y Su
Grupo and Jane Bunnett & Maqueque. RBC
Theatre, Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts
Dr., Mississauga. 905-306-6000. $45-$60:
$65.95-$100.95(dinner & show package).
●●8:00: Music Gallery/Fu Gen Theatre. Foxconn
Frequency No. 3 for Three Visibly Chinese
Performers. Natalie Tin Yin Gan, Vicky
Chow, Matt Poon, keyboards. Factory Theatre,
125 Bathurst St. 416-504-9971 or
musicgallery.org. $35/$30(adv); $25(Music
Gallery members/st). Also Feb 22.
●●8:00: Oriana Women’s Choir. love fail.
2018 / 2019
Season
Presents
Saturday, February 23, 2019 ~ 8 pm
WATCH THE FULL FILM ON A 35-FT SCREEN
WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA AND CHOIR
FEB. 21 & 22
Calvin Presbyterian Church ~ 26 Delisle Ave. ~ Toronto
Tickets available through the Oriana Choir website at
www.orianachoir.com
or at at www.tickets.harthouse.ca or 416-978-8849
Adults: $25 Seniors/under 35: $20 Students: $10
ORIANA Women’s Choir gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of
ticketmaster.ca
Co-presented by Sony Centre for the Performing Arts and Attila Glatz Concert Productions
www.orianachoir.com
info@orianachoir.com
thewholenote.com February 1 – March 7, 2019 | 47

Choreography by Ceinwen Gobert. David Lang:
love fail (arr. for women’s choir) (Canadian premiere).
Calvin Presbyterian Church, 26 Delisle
Ave. 416-978-8849 or orianachoir.com. $25;
$20(sr/under 25); $10(st).
●●8:00: Small World Music Society. Oriental
Blue CD Launch. Samuel Bonnet,
acoustic guitar; Mathias Wallerand: saxophones.
Small World Music Centre, Artscape
Youngplace, 180 Shaw St. 416-536-5439.
$20/$15(adv).
●●8:00: Spectrum Music. The Rebel: Breaking
Down Barriers. Seven new works premiere.
Works by Hanus, McBride, Victoria,
Welchner, Wilde and others. Musicata:
Hamilton’s Voices; Andrew Downing, bass;
Aline Homzy, violin; Chris Pruden, piano.
Gallery 345, 345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781.
$20; $15(st).
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. Tales of Two Cities: The
Leipzig-Damascus Coffee House. See Feb 21.
Also Feb 24(3:30pm).
●●8:00: Toronto Guitar Society. Jérémy
Jouve from France. Church of St. Peter
and St. Simon-the-Apostle, 525 Bloor St. E.
416-964-8298. $35/$30(adv); $30/$25(sr/
st adv).
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Romantic Chopin. Jocelyn Morlock: Cobalt;
Chopin: Piano Concerto No.2; Schumann:
Symphony No.1 “Spring”. National Arts Centre
Orchestra; Yosuke Kawasaki, violin; Jessica
Linnebach, violin; David Fray, piano;
Alexander Shelley, conductor. Roy Thomson
Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375.
$34.75-$181.50.
A. Concerts in the GTA
TS
Sunday February 24
Toronto
Symphony
Orchestra
●●1:00: Winterfolk XVII Blues and Roots
Festival. Jack de Keyzer Double Bill. Evolution
of Blues Guitar (1pm): Jack de Keyzer
(solo); Guitar Jam (2:15pm): Mike McKenna,
Noah Zacharin, Danny Marks, D’Arcy Wickham,
Tony Quarrington, Dan McKinnon,
Brian Blain, Donné Roberts and others. Black
Swan, 154 Danforth Ave. 416-469-0537.
$20/$15(adv). 2nd Floor.
Seiler & Chung
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2PM
MAZZOLENI CONCERT HALL
TICKETS ON SALE NOW! 416.408.0208
www.rcmusic.com/performance
●●2:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Seiler
& Chung. Mayumi Seiler, violin; Jeanie Chung,
piano. Mazzoleni Concert Hall, Royal Conservatory,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $30.
●●2:00: Mississauga Big Band Jazz Ensemble.
Jazz at the Legion. Port Credit Legion, 35 Front
St. N., Port Credit. 905-270-4757. PWYC.
●●2:30: Gallery 345. The Art of the Piano:
Brahms and the Question of Biography.
Works by Brahms and Chopin. Bruce Vogt,
piano. 345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781. $25;
$15(st). Cash only at the door.
●●3:00: Orchestra Toronto. Come Together:
50 Years After Abbey Road. Herriott: An Electric
Organ, a Ladder and a Persian Rug (Rock concerto
for piano and orchestra); Jeans ‘n Classics:
Abbey Road. Richard Herriott, piano; Jeans ‘n
Classics, rock ensemble; Michael Newnham, conductor.
George Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge
St. 1-855-985-2787. $45; $39(sr); $19(under 30).
●●3:00: Symphony on the Bay. The Silk Road.
Chen and Zhanhao He: Butterfly Lovers Concert;
Borodin: In the Steppes of Central Asia;
Iranian-Canadian Composers of Toronto:
Five Tableaux from Khosro and Shirin; Holst:
Japanese Suite Op.33; Nielsen: Aladdin Suite.
Angela Wang, violin; Michael Berec, guest conductor.
Burlington Performing Arts Centre,
440 Locust St., Burlington. 905-681-6000 or
905-320-5773 or burlingtonpac.ca/tickets.
$43; $36.50(sr); $24.50(16-24); $12(under 16).
●●3:00: Toronto Beach Chorale. Maple
Sugar Music. La Messe Québécoise; Songs
of Early Canada; Un Canadien errant; Revoici
venir du printemps; Tourdion. SATB Choir;
piano; Christine Vachon; violin; percussive
spoons; double bass. Beach United
Church, 140 Wineva Ave. 416-690-5503.
$30/$25(adv); $15/$12.50(adv) (youth 7-18);
free(child under 7). Cash only at the door.
●●3:00: Weston Silver Band. Heart and Soul.
R & B and Soul with a big brass spin. Dan
McLean Jr. and Some Honey. Glenn Gould
Studio, 250 Front St. W. 1-866-908-9090 or
ticketpro.ca. $27/$25(adv); $22(sr)/$20(adv);
$17(st)/$15(adv).
●●3:30: Tafelmusik. Tales of Two Cities: The
Leipzig-Damascus Coffee House. See Feb 21.
A Song for
Every Child
at the Movies
SUN. FEB. 24 | 4PM
Timothy Eaton Memorial Church
torontochildrenschorus.com
Sunday Feb 24/19
3:00 pm
torontobeachchorale.com
●●4:00: Toronto Children’s Chorus. A Song
for Every Child at the Movies. TCC’s Training
Choirs; Main Choir’s Cantare and Chorealis
ensembles. Guests: Fantasy Fables. Timothy
Eaton Memorial Church, 230 St. Clair
Ave. W. 416-932-8666 x231. $30; $20(st/sr);
$10(child). Audience invited to dress as their
favourite children’s movie characters.
●●4:30: Christ Church Deer Park. Jazz
Vespers. Chase Sanborn; trumpet; Mark
48 | February 1 – March 7, 2019 thewholenote.com

Eisenman, piano. 1570 Yonge St. 416-920-5211.
Freewill offering. Religious service.
●●7:30: Gallery 345. Be My Love: Almost a Valentine’s
Day Concert. Songs by Tosti, Falvo,
Puccini, Valente, Debussy and others. Korchinskaya
Kogan, piano; Solomon Tencer,
bass, Sara Papini, soprano. 345 Sorauren
Ave. 416-822-9781. $35; $15(st). Cash only at
the door.
●●7:30: Toronto Mass Choir. PowerUp Gospel
Finale Concert. PowerUp Workshop Mass
Choir, Gospel Chorale, and Gospel Youth
Choir. Bayview Glen Church, 300 Steeles Ave.
E., Thornhill. 905-794-1139 or
powerupgospel.ca. $15; $10(st). Concert and
live recording.
Tuesday February 26
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Dance Series: Tounkande. Ballet Creole; Patrick
Parson, artistic director. Richard Bradshaw
Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for
the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-
363-8231. Free. First come, first served. No
late seating.
●●12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation/
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. Lunchtime
Chamber Music: Rising Stars Recital.
Performance students from the UofT Faculty
of Music. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,
1585 Yonge St. 416-241-1298. Free, donations
welcome.
●●7:00: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Celebrating Our Diversity. Vocal Studies
students. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson
Building, University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-408-0208. Free.
Wednesday February 27
●●12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
Noonday Organ Recital. TBA. 1585 Yonge St.
416-922-1167. Free.
University of Toronto
Faculty of Music presents
Calidore String Quartet
FEBRUARY 27
7:30 PM
Tickets: 416-408-0208
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Calidore String Quartet. Works by
Haydn, Shaw and Beethoven. Jeffrey Myers,
violin; Ryan Meehan, violin; Jeremy Berry,
viola; Estelle Choi, cello. Walter Hall, Edward
Johnson Building, University of Toronto,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. $40;
$25(sr); $10(st).
Thursday February 28
●●10:00am: Canadian Children’s Opera Company.
The Snow Queen. Harbourfront Centre,
235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000. $35;
$25(sr); $20(st). School preview performance
Feb 28(1pm), Mar 1(10am); Also Mar 1(7:30pm),
Mar 2(2pm,7:30pm), Mar 3(2pm).
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Dance Series: No Woman’s Land. Jaberi
Dance Theatre. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free.
First come, first served. No late seating.
●●12:30: York University Department of
Music. Jazz at Midday: Luciana Souza, Jazz
Artist-in-Residence. Martin Family Lounge,
Accolade East Building, YU, 4700 Keele St.
647-459-0701. Free.
●●1:00: Canadian Children’s Opera Company.
The Snow Queen. See Feb 28. Also Mar 1
(10am & 7:30pm); 2(2pm & 7:30pm); 3(2pm).
●●1:30: Women’s Musical Club of Toronto.
Music in the Afternoon: Joel Quarrington
and Friends. Schumann: Adagio and Allegro;
Korngold: Garden Scene from Much Ado
About Nothing; Schubert: Sonata in a “Arpeggione”;
Bass Masters through the Ages: with
Jeffrey Stokes, host; Bramwell Tovey: Double
Bass Quintet commissioned by the WMCT.
Joel Quarrington, double bass; Yehonatan
Berick, violin; Blythe Allers, violin; David Jalbert,
piano; Alisa Klebanov, viola; Carole Sirois,
cello; and Gabriel Sakamoto, double bass.
Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building, University
of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-923-
7052 or wmct.on.ca. $45.
●●7:00: Klavierhaus Toronto. Jazz Piano &
Vocals: Sophia Perlman & Adrean Farrugia.
Original compositions, improvisations,
and fresh takes on best-loved songs by Cole
Porter, Joni Mitchell, Kurt Weill, and more.
Adrean Farrugia, piano; Sophia Perlman,
vocals. 1159 Dundas St. E., Unit 155. 647-965-
6747. $25.
●●8:00: Living Arts Centre. Lizt
Alfonso Dance Cuba. Hammerson Hall,
Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts Dr.,
Mississauga. 905-306-6000. $40-$60:
$60.95-$100.95(dinner & show package).
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Ladysmith
Black Mambazo. Koerner Hall, Telus
Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208.
$45-$100.
Friday March 1
●●10:00am: Canadian Children’s Opera Company.
The Snow Queen. See Feb 28. Also
Mar 1 (7:30pm); 2(2pm, 7:30pm); 3(2pm).
●●12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Noontime
Recital. A taste of Mardi Gras 2019. Jordan
Klapman and friends. St. Andrew’s Church
(Toronto), 73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x231.
Free.
●●7:00: Music at St. Andrew’s. Goin’ Back to
New Orleans: Mardi Gras 2019. The Tevlin-
Klapman All Stars (Patrick Tevlin, trumpet;
Jordan Klapman, piano/vocals; Tom Kublics,
reeds, Paul Neufeld, sousaphone; Dan
Douglas, trombone). St. Andrew’s Church
(Toronto), 73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x231
or standrewstoronto.org. $20-$25.
●●7:00: Organix Concerts/Canadian International
Organ Competition/St. Michael’s
Cathedral Basilica. In Concert. Alcée Chriss,
organ. St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica, 65 Bond
St. 416-571-3680 or organixconcerts.ca. Freewill
offering ($25 suggested).
●●7:30: Canadian Children’s Opera Company.
The Snow Queen. See Feb 28. Also Mar 2(2pm
& 7:30pm); 3(2pm).
●●7:30: Elmer Iseler Singers. EIS Present
The Vancouver Chamber Choir: Music from
Sea to Sea - The Farewell Tour. Works by Britten,
MacMillan, Gjeilo, Washburn. Elmer Iseler
Singers; Vancouver Chamber Choir; Lydia
Adams and Jon Washburn, conductors. Eglinton
St. George’s United Church, 35 Lytton
Blvd. 416-217-0537. $40; $35(sr); $15(st). Concert
celebrating Jon Washburn’s 48 years as
artistic director of VCC.
●●7:30: Gallery 345. Payadora: Tango and
Argentine Folk Music. Rebekah Wolkstein,
violin; Drew Jurecka, bandoneon; Robert
Horvath, piano; Joseph Phillips, double bass.
345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781. $25; $15(st).
Cash only at the door.
●●7:30: National Ballet of Canada. Apollo
ORGANIX CONCERTS PRESENTS
WOMEN’S MUSICAL CLUB OF TORONTO
●●7:30: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Handel
and Haydn. Handel: Coronation Anthems;
Haydn: Mass in Time of War. Mireille Asselin,
soprano; Christina Stelmacovich, mezzo-soprano;
Asitha Tennekoon, tenor; and Stephen
Hegedus, bass-baritone; Toronto Mendelssohn
Choir; David Fallis, conductor. St.
Andrew’s Church, 73 Simcoe St. 416-408-
0208 or tmchoir.org. $35-$78; $20(VoxTix for
30 and under).
FEBRUARY 28, 2019 | 1.30 PM
JOEL QUARRINGTON
& FRIENDS
416-923-7052
wmct.on.ca
Alcée Chriss
Friday March 1
7:00 p.m.
St. Michael's Cathedral
Basilica – Toronto
Free admission. Suggested free-will
donation of $25.00 welcomed.
thewholenote.com February 1 – March 7, 2019 | 49
19
A Music Series unlike any other
www.organixconcerts.ca 416-571-3680
In collaboration with
Canadian International Organ Competition and
St. Michael's Concerts
www.stmichaelscathedral.com/concerts

OperaYork
Mozart
Don
Giovanni
March 1, 2019 at 7:30 pm
March 3, 2019 at 2 pm
Geoffrey Butler, Music Director,
Penny Cookson, Stage Director
Tickets:
905 787. 8811 • online: rhcentre.ca
Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts
Elmer
Iseler
Singers
Lydia Adams, Conductor
Present
Fri. March 1, 2019 @ 7:30pm
Eglinton St. George’s
United Church
& Night & The Sea Above, The Sky Below &
Paquita. Music by Igor Stravinsky, Matthew
Pierce, Ludwig Minkus and Riccardo Drigo,
and Gustav Mahler. Julia Adam, Robert Binet
and Christopher Stowell, choreographers.
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-345-9595. $40
and up. Opens Mar 1, 7:30pm. Runs to Mar 21.
Days and times vary; visit national.ballet.ca
for details.
●●7:30: Opera York. Don Giovanni. Music
by Mozart. Geoffrey Butler, music director;
Penny Cookson, stage director. Richmond Hill
Centre for the Performing Arts, 10268 Yonge
St., Richmond Hill. 905-787-8811. $25-$110.
Also Mar 3(2pm).
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. DJ
Skratch Bastid, DJ Nu-Mark, and Friends.
Koerner Hall, Telus Centre, 273 Bloor St. W.
416-408-0208. $40-$55.
●●8:00: York University Department of
Music. Improv Soirée. Improvisation in a participatory
“open mic” set-up. Casey Sokol,
host. Sterling Beckwith Studio, 235 Accolade
East Building, 4700 Keele St. 647-459-0701.
Free. Performers and observers welcome.
Saturday March 2
●●2:00: Canadian Children’s Opera Company.
The Snow Queen. See Feb 28. Also
Mar 2(7:30pm); 3(2pm).
●●2:00: National Ballet of Canada. Apollo
& Night & The Sea Above, The Sky Below
& Paquita. See Mar 1. Also Mar 2(7:30pm);
3(2pm).
●●7:30: Canadian Children’s Opera Company.
The Snow Queen. See Feb 28. Also
Mar 3(2pm).
●●7:30: Counterpoint Community Orchestra.
Folk Melodies. Andrew Chung, conductor.
Church of St. Peter and St. Simon-the-Apostle,
525 Bloor St. E. 647-970-8057. $25;
$15(st).
A. Concerts in the GTA
LE COMTE ORY
Something Funny is
Happening at the Castle!
MARCH 2 | 7:30pm
www.domoneyartists.com
●●7:30: DAM Concert Opera. Le Comte Ory.
Music by Rossini. Caitlin Wood, soprano; Marjorie
Maltais, mezzo; Maria Soulis, mezzo;
Asitha Tennekoon, tenor; Dion Mazerolle,
baritone; Clarence Frazer, baritone; François
Racine, stage director/host/narrator;
Nicole Bellamy, music director/piano. Trinity-St.
Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 1-800
-838-3006 or brownpapertickets.com. $30;
$25(sr/st).
●●7:30: Jubilate Singers. Home. Eastminster
United Church, 310 Danforth Ave. 416-485-
1988. $25; $20(sr); $15(st); free(under 13).
●●7:30: Living Arts Centre. Memories of
Louis Jannetta and the Imperial Room. RBC
Theatre, Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts
Dr., Mississauga. 905-306-6000. $40-$55.
●●7:30: MCS Chorus Mississauga. Mozart’s
Legacy. Haydn: Lord Nelson Mass and Salve
Jon Washburn
Conductor
Saturday, March 2 at 8 p.m.
Pre-concert chat at 7:15 p.m.
with Nell Snaidas,
Ronnie Malley, & Daphna Mor
Sharing in Vancouver Chamber Choir’s
Music Sea to Sea: The Farewell Tour
416-217-0537 elmeriselersingers.com
Convivencia:
Music Across
Three Faiths
Grace Church on-the-Hill
300 Lonsdale Rd.
(416) 763-1695
torontochamberchoir.ca
50 | February 1 – March 7, 2019 thewholenote.com

Regina. MCS Chamber Choir; Virginia Hatfield,
soprano; Megan Quick, mezzo; Ryan
Downey, tenor; Joel Allison, bass; MCS Chamber
Orchestra. First United Church (Mississauga),
151 Lakeshore Rd. W., Mississauga.
905-278-7059. $25; $12(st under 18).
●●7:30: National Ballet of Canada. Apollo
& Night & The Sea Above, The Sky Below &
Paquita. See Mar 1. Also Mar 3(2pm).
●●7:30: Northwinds Concerts. Encircling the
World: Flutes. Musical traditions from Canada’s
First Nations, China, the Arab world,
Peru and early Western Europe. Barbara
Croall, pipigwan; Ernie Tollar, ney; Ernesto
Cardeñas, quena & sikus; Dora Wang, dizi
& xun; Alison Melville, recorder & traverso.
Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave.
bemusednetwork.com/events/detail/498.
$30; $25(sr); $20(st/arts).
●●7:30: Oleg Samokhin. In Concert.
Beethoven: Sonata f Op.2 No.1; Schumann:
Symphonic Etudes Op.13; Schubert: Sonata
G Op.78. Oleg Samokhin, piano. St. Luke’s
Parish Church, 39 Green Lane, Thornhill.
647-296-6851 or brownpapertickets.com/
event/4056351. $20-$30.
●●7:30: Tallis Choir. Gesualdo in Holy Week.
Gesualdo: Telebrae Responsories; and other
works. Peter Mahon, conductor. St. Patrick’s
Church, 131 McCaul St. 416-286-9798
or boxoffice.tallischoir.com. $30; $25(sr);
$10(st).
●●8:00: Aga Khan Museum. Wajd: Songs of
Separation with Performance by Rumi Canada.
Whirling dervishes accompanied by
traditional Sufi music; screening of the documentary
Wajd. 77 Wynford Dr. 416-646-4677.
$20; $12(sr/st); $18(friends of the museum).
Includes same-day Museum admission
(redeem at Ticket Desk).
SINFONIA TORONTO
VALERIE MILOT, Harpist
March 2 • 8 pm
Mahler, Shostakovich,
Mozetich, Hovhannes
●●8:00: Toronto Chamber Choir. Convivencia:
Music Across Three Faiths. Music from
Medieval and Renaissance Spain. Sephardic
folk songs, classical Arabic melodies, and
Spanish polyphony. Lucas Harris, lute/conductor;
Nell Snaidas, guest curator/voice/guitar;
Ronnie Malley, oud/voice; Daphna Mor,
recorder/ney/voice; Ben Grossman, percussion.
Grace Church on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale
Rd. 416-763-1695. $30; $25(sr); $12.50(under
30). 7:15pm: Pre-concert chat with Nell Snaidas,
Ronnie Malley and Daphna Mor.
Sunday March 3
●●1:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Padideh Ahrarnejad Ensemble and Friends.
Mazzoleni Concert Hall, Royal Conservatory,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. Free(ticket
required).
●●2:00: Canadian Children’s Opera Company.
The Snow Queen. See Feb 28.
●●2:00: Markham Concert Band. Let’s Dance!
Jubilate
singers
Ballet, Waltzes and Swing. ‘Big Band Polka’, ‘El
Bimbo’, ‘Flunky Jim’, Waltzes from Der Rosenkavalier
and other tunes. Flato Markham
Theatre, 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham.
905-305-7469. $25; $20(sr/st); free(under
12).
●●2:00: National Ballet of Canada. Apollo
& Night & The Sea Above, The Sky Below &
Paquita. See Mar 1.
●●2:00: Opera York. Don Giovanni. Music
by Mozart. Geoffrey Butler, music director;
Penny Cookson, stage director. Richmond Hill
Centre for the Performing Arts, 10268 Yonge
St., Richmond Hill. 905-787-8811. $25-$110.
Also Mar 1(7:30pm).
●●3:00: Durham Chamber Orchestra. Classics:
Past and Present. Beethoven: Romance
in F; Paul Alexander: Peggy’s Medicine; Grieg:
Peer Gynt Suite No.1; Bizet: L’Arlésienne Suite
No.2. The Young Singers; Royce Rich, violin;
Carlos Bastidas, conductor. Forest Brook
Community Church, 60 Kearney Dr., Ajax.
905-493-4277. $20; free(under 12).
●●3:00: Mississauga Symphony Youth
Orchestra. Symphonic Classics. Works by
Mozart, Beethoven, Brahm and Dvořák. Living
Arts Centre, RBC Theatre, 4141 Living Arts Dr.,
Mississauga. 905-306-6000. $30.
●●3:00: Music From Marlboro. In Concert.
Haydn: Piano Trio in C; Kodály: Serenade
Op.12; K. Ueno: Duo (Marlboro commission/
premiere); Ravel: Piano Trio in a. Robin Scott
and Tessa Lark, violins; Kim Kashkashian,
viola; Christoph Richter, cello; Zoltán Fejérvári,
piano. Gallery 345, 345 Sorauren Ave.
416-822-9781. $25; $10(st). Cash only at the
door.
●●3:00: Oakville Symphony. Young People’s
Concert. Guests: Oakville Symphony Youth
Orchestra. St. Matthew’s Catholic Church,
1150 Monks Passage, Oakville. 905-815-2021.
$14; $7(child/st).
●●3:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Jan
Lisiecki. Chopin: Two Nocturnes Op.55; Schumann:
4 Nachtstücke Op.23; Ravel: Gaspard
de la Nuit; Rachmaninov: Cinq Morceaux de
fantaisie Op.3; Chopin: Nocturne No.19 in e
Op.72 No.1; Chopin: Scherzo No.1 in b Op.20.
Koerner Hall, Telus Centre, 273 Bloor St. W.
416-408-0208. $55-120.
●●3:00: St. Paul’s Bloor Street Anglican
Church. Organ Concert. Hanné Becker,
organ. 227 Bloor St. E. 416-961-8116. Free.
●●3:00: Syrinx Concerts Toronto. Spirited
Strings: Music for Violin and Guitar. Paganini:
Sonata in a for violin and guitar; Rebay:
Sonata in e for violin and guitar; Falla: Spanish
Dance (arr. Kreisler/Kolk; Suite Populaire
Espagnole; Piazzolla: Histoire du Tango; Roux:
Soledad. Laurence Kayaleh, violin; Michael
Kolk, guitar. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave.
416-654-0877. $30; $20(st).
●●3:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre. Perchance
to Dream. Music by Ivor Novello. Lynn
Isnar; Cian Horrobin; Eugenia Dermentzis,
mezzo; Caitlin McCaughey, soprano; Peter
Tiefenbach, music director and piano. St.
Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E.
416-366-7723. $29-$49.
10TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
Celebrating our
Noa and Mira Awad
SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 8PM
KOERNER HALL
50th
Anniversary
WCC AT
THE OSCARS
SUN, MAR 3, 2019
TICKETS ON SALE NOW! 416.408.0208
www.rcmusic.com/performance
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Noa
and Mira Awad. Koerner Hall, Telus Centre,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $45-$95.
●●8:00: Sinfonia Toronto. Heavenly Harp.
Mahler: Adagietto; Hovhaness: Concerto
for Harp and String Orchestra; Mozetich: El
Dorado for Harp and Strings; Shostakovich:
Chamber Symphony Op.118a. Valerie Milot,
harp; Nurhan Arman, conductor. George
Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St. 416-499-
0403 or online at sinfoniatoronto.ca. $42;
$35(sr); $15(st).
Home
A concert of music
to warm the heart
Sat. March 2, 7:30 pm
Eastminster United Church
jubilatesingers.ca
Michael Kolk
Laurence Kayaleh
spirited strings
Sunday
March 3, 3pm
SyrinxConcerts.ca
WYCHWOODCLARINETCHOIR.COM
●●3:30: Wychwood Clarinet Choir. WCC at
the Oscars. Gershwin: An American in Paris;
Mozart: Adagio from Gran Partita; Bernstein:
Tonight from West Side Story; Arlen: Somewhere
Over the Rainbow; Loewe: I Could
Have Danced All Night. Michele Jacot, conductor.
Church of St. Michael and All Angels,
611 St. Clair Ave. W. 647-292-4204 or wychwoodchoir.com.
$25; $15(sr/st).
●●4:00: Church of St. Mary Magdalene.
Organ Music by Bach. Andrew Adair, organ.
thewholenote.com February 1 – March 7, 2019 | 51

Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Toronto),
477 Manning Ave. 416-531-7955. Free.
●●4:00: Toronto Classical Singers. The Path
of Genius. Mozart: Requiem and Solemn Vespers.
Talisker Players; Irina Medvedeva, soprano;
Sandra Boyes, mezzo; Chris Fischer,
tenor; Bruce Kelly, baritone. Christ Church
Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. 416-444-7863 or
torontoclassicalsingers.ca. $30.
●●7:30: Victoria Scholars. Male Voices:
Masterpieces of the 19th and 20th Centuries.
Rheinberger: Mass in F for male choir
and organ Op.190; and works by Britten,
Elgar, Thompson and R. Strauss. Our Lady of
Sorrows Church, 3055 Bloor St. W., Etobicoke.
416-761-7776 or victoriascholars.ca.
$30/$25(adv); $25(sr/st)/$20(adv).
●●8:00: TO Live. Jazz at the George: Holly
Cole. Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge
St., North York. 1-855-985-2787. $47-$71.
Musicians
from Marlboro
A. Concerts in the GTA
●●8:00: Nagata Shachu. Illuminate.
Directed by Tony Nguyen. Al Green Theatre,
750 Spadina Ave. 416-978-8849. $20-$35.
Monday March 4
●●12:30: York University Department of
Music. Music at Midday: Classical Instrumental
Concert. Tribute Communities Recital Hall,
Accolade East Building, YU, 4700 Keele St.
647-459-0701. Free.
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. What Makes It Great?® with Rob
Kapilow: Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings.
Rob Kapilow, host; U of T Strings. Walter
Hall, Edward Johnson Building, University
of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208.
$40; $25(sr); $10(st).
Tuesday March 5
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Vocal Series: Le Récital des Anges: Songs of
Ian Cusson. Ian Cusson, piano/composer;
Marion Newman, mezzo; Marjorie Maltais,
mezzo. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free. First
come, first served. No late seating.
●●12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation/
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. Lunchtime
Chamber Music. Gina Lee, piano. Yorkminster
Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St.
416-241-1298. Free, donations welcome.
●●12:30: York University Department of
Music. Music at Midday: Singing Our Songs.
Tribute Communities Recital Hall, Accolade
East Building, YU, 4700 Keele St. 647-459-
0701. Free.
●●7:30: Bach Children’s Chorus and Bach
Chamber Youth Choir. Beauty Non-Conforming.
Charissa Bagan, James Pinhorn,
conductors. Beach United Church,
140 Wineva Ave. 416-431-0790. $15; $10(st).
The Second City Guide to the Symphony.
Colin Mochrie, host; The Second City; Steven
Reineke, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. $43.25-$107.
Also Mar 6(mat), Mar 6(eve), Mar 7.
Wednesday March 6
●●12:30: Organix Concerts/All Saints Kingsway.
Kingsway Organ Concert Series.
Imre Olah, organ. All Saints Kingsway Anglican
Church, 2850 Bloor St. W. 416-571-3680
or organixconcerts.ca. Freewill offering.
45-minute concert.
●●2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. The
Second City Guide to the Symphony. See
Mar 5. Also Mar 6(8pm); 7.
●●5:30: Canadian Opera Company. Jazz
Series: Vegas Breeze. Micah Barnes Quartet.
Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four
Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free. First
come, first served. No late seating.
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Jazz: U of T 12tet. Tony Malaby, saxophone;
Terry Promane, director. Walter
Hall, Edward Johnson Building, University of
Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. $20;
$10(st); free(UofT st).
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. The
Second City Guide to the Symphony. See
Mar 5. Also Mar 7.
●●8:30: Mosaic Canadian Vocal Ensemble.
Pre-Holy Land Tour Concert. Works by
Ronan, Alcaraz, Roth, Elderbin, Levine and
Lauridsen. Members of St. Michael’s Choir
School Alumni. Our Lady Of Sorrows Catholic
TORONTO
CLASSICAL
SINGERS
THE PATH
OF GENIUS
FROM SALZBURG TO VIENNA,
AN EVENING PRAYER AND A PROFOUND GOODBYE.
MOZART
SOLEMN VESPERS
REQUIEM
Church, 3055 Bloor St. W. 416-571-3680.
Free-will offering accepted.
Thursday March 7
●●12:10: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Thursdays at Noon: DMA Competition
Winner - Jialiang Zhu, Piano. Walter
Hall, Edward Johnson Building, University of
Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. Free.
●●7:00: Westwood Concerts. Trio Dell’Aria:
Memories of Places Past. Spohr: Six German
Songs Op.103; Horvat: Memory of a Place
Past St. Joe’s; Colin Eatock: Ashes of Soldiers.
Kripa Nageshwar, soprano; Michael
Westwood, clarinet; Ruta Vaivade, piano.
Gallery 345, 345 Sorauren Ave. 416-843-
9274. $25.
●●7:30: National Ballet of Canada. Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland. Music by Joby
Talbot. Christopher Wheeldon, choreographer.
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-345-9595.
$40 and up. Opens Mar 7, 7:30pm. Runs to
Mar 17. Tues-Sun(7:30pm), Sat/Sun(2pm).
Note: only 2pm on Mar 17.
●●7:30: York University Department of
Music. Faculty Concert Series: Avataar. Tribute
Communities Recital Hall, Accolade East
Building, YU, 4700 Keele St. 416-736-5888.
$15; $10(sr/st).
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Farruquito.
Koerner Hall, Telus Centre, 273 Bloor
St. W. 416-408-0208. $50-$110. Also Mar 8.
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. The
Second City Guide to the Symphony. See
Mar 5.
SUN 3 March, 2 pm
Hear Haydn, Kodály,
Ravel, and a brand
new commission
from chamber music’s
most coveted retreat.
345 Sorauren Ave, Toronto
$25 / 416-822-9781
gallery345.com
March 5 at 8 pm
DANNY
DRIVER
●●8:00: Music Toronto. Danny Driver. C.P.E.
Bach: Fantasie in f-sharp H300; Schumann:
Kreisleriana Op.16; Saariaho: Ballade for
Piano; Ravel: Le tombeau de Couperin; Medtner:
Sonata No.9 in a. Danny Driver, piano.
Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for
the Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723. $47.50-
$52; $10(st).
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
JURGEN PETRENKO, CONDUCTOR
THE TALISKER PLAYERS
IRINA MEDVEDEVA, SOPRANO
SANDRA BOYES, MEZZO-SOPRANO
CHRIS FISCHER, TENOR
BRUCE KELLY , BARITONE
SUNDAY MARCH 3, 2019 4PM
CHRIST CHURCH DEER PARK
1570 YONGE STREET AT HEATH
TICKETS $30.00
BUY AT : torontoclassicalsingers.ca
OR CALL: 416 444 7863
transcending tradition
52 | February 1 – March 7, 2019 thewholenote.com

B. Concerts Beyond the GTA
IN THIS ISSUE: Barrie, Belleville, Cambridge, Elmira, Elora,
Ganonoque, Gravenhurst, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener,
London, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Owen Sound, Peterborough,
Port Hope, St. Catharines, Waterloo, Welland, Windsor.
Friday February 1
●●12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Fridays
at 12:30 Concert Series. Jean Marchand,
piano; Brigitte Poulin, piano. Von
Kuster Hall, Music Building, Western University,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-
3767. Free.
●●8:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Opera
at Western: Le nozze di Figaro. Tyrone Paterson,
music director; Theodore Baerg, stage
director. Paul Davenport Theatre, Talbot College,
Western University, 1151 Richmond St.
N., London. 519-661-3767 or 519-672-8800.
$35/$30(adv); $25/$20(st/adv). Also Jan 25,
26(2pm), Feb 2(2pm), 3(2pm).
●●8:00: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.
Choir! Choir! Choir! 250 St. Paul St., St.
Catharines. 905-688-0722. $20. Robertson
Theatre.
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society. Annual Program by Composers and
Improvisers of WLU Faculty of Music. Christopher
Austin, flute; Chris Clarke, harp; Lindsay
Walker, euphonium; Hayden Spence,
trombone; Nic Dennison, tuba. KWCMS Music
Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-
1673. $15; $10(st).
Saturday February 2
●●10:30am: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Footprints in the Snow. Doors open 30 minutes
before the concert for children and
parents to participate in music activities provided
by Music for Young Children. Barbara
Croall, storyteller, KWS Musicians. Waterloo
Region Museum, 10 Huron Rd., Kitchener.
519-745-4711 or 1-888-745-4717. $13;
$11(child). Also Feb 9(Elmira); 16(Conrad
Centre).
●●2:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Opera
at Western: Le nozze di Figaro. Tyrone Paterson,
music director; Theodore Baerg, stage
director. Paul Davenport Theatre, Talbot College,
Western University, 1151 Richmond St.
N., London. 519-661-3767 or 519-672-8800.
$35/$30(adv); $25/$20(st/adv). Also Jan 25,
26(2pm), Feb 1, 3(2pm).
●●2:30: Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing
Arts. Dancing Bows and Skipping
Strings! TRIOLA (Gisèle Dalbec Szcsesniak,
violin; Melinda Raymond, violin; and Eileen
Beaudette, viola). 390 King St. W., Kingston.
613-533-2424. $16; $12(faculty/staff); $8(st).
Recommended for ages 5-10.
●●3:00: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
Marz Homes Family Concert Experience:
Compose Yourself. Daniel Bartholomew-
Poyser, conductor. McIntyre Performing Arts
Centre, Mohawk College, 135 Fennell Ave. W.,
Hamilton. 905-526-7756. $10-$85. 11am: Preconcert
activities. Recommended for ages
4 and up.
●●7:30: Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing
Arts. The Kingston Connection:
Miss Emily and Friends. Emily Fennell, vocals.
390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-533-2424. $26-
$39; $22-$35(faculty/staff); $13-$19(st).
●●7:30: Peterborough Symphony Orchestra.
Classical Roots. Tchaikovsky: Variations
on a Rococo Theme; Brahms: Symphony
No.2; Mozetich: Steps to Ecstasy. Stéphane
Tétreault, cello; Michael Newnham, conductor.
Showplace Performance Centre,
290 George St. N., Peterborough. 705-742-
7469. $20-$49; $10(st). 6:40pm: “Meet the
Maestro” pre-concert chat.
●●7:30: Windsor Classic Chorale. With
Hearts Ablaze: Reflections on Love. Louie:
Love Songs for a Small Planet; Britten: Five
Flower Songs; Henderson: Shades of Love;
McDowall: A Fancy of Folksongs. Amy Ley,
harp. All Saints Anglican Church (Windsor),
330 City Hall Square W., Windsor. 519-567-
7407. $25/$20(adv).
Sunday February 3
●●2:00: Chamber Music Hamilton. Parker
Quartet. Shostakovich: Two String Quartet
Pieces; Janáček: String Quartet No.1 “Kreutzer
Sonata”; Brahms: String Sextet No.2 in G
Op.36. Parker Quartet; Michael Schulte, violin;
David Hetherington, cello. Art Gallery of Hamilton,
123 King St. W., Hamilton. 905-719-6457.
$35; $30(sr); $15(st).
●●2:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Opera
at Western: Le nozze di Figaro. Tyrone Paterson,
music director; Theodore Baerg, stage
director. Paul Davenport Theatre, Talbot College,
Western University, 1151 Richmond St.
N., London. 519-661-3767 or 519-672-8800.
$35/$30(adv); $25/$20(st/adv). Also Jan 25,
26(2pm), Feb 1, 2(2pm).
●●2:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra.
Game On! Richardson-Schulte: The Hockey
Sweater; Reineke: Casey at the Bat. Bradley
Thachuk, conductor. Cairns Hall, FirstOntario
Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St.,
St. Catharines. 905-688-0722. $33; $12(st/
child); $20(arts worker); $5(EyeGO).
Monday February 4
●●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.
Wednesday February 6
●●12:00 noon: Midday Music with Shigeru.
Odin String Quartet. Brahms: Piano Quintet.
Alex Toskov & Tanya Charles, violins;
Laurence Schaufele, viola; Samuel Bisson,
cello; Talisa Black, piano. Hi-Way Pentecostal
Church, 50 Anne St. N., Barrie. 705-726-1181.
$10; free(st).
●●7:30: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.
Rumble: The Concert. 250 St. Paul St.,
St. Catharines. 905-688-0722. $45; $38(Hot
Ticket Members); $25(univ/college); $5(high
school).
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society. Piano Recital. Liszt: Transcendental
Etudes (complete). Steven Vanhauwaert,
piano. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St. W.,
Waterloo. 519-886-1673. $35; $20(st).
Thursday February 7
●●7:30: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.
Alicia Svigals: The Yellow Ticket. Live
score for a screening of the 1918 silent film
The Yellow Ticket featuring Pola Negri. Alicia
Svigals, composer/violin; Marilyn Lerner,
piano. 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-
688-0722. $35; $30(member); $25(st).
●●7:30: Tom Allen. Bohemians in Brooklyn.
An evening in the house that once held W. H.
Auden, Benjamin Britten, Carson McCullers
and Gypsy Rose Lee. A potent mix of cabaret,
social history, very juicy gossip, glorious
music and all parts fun. Patricia O’Callaghan
and Bryce Kulak, singers; Lori Gemmell, harp;
Tom Allen, storyteller. Market Hall Performing
Arts Centre, 140 Charlotte St., Peterborough.
705-749-1146. $35.
●●8:30: Waterloo Winter Jazz Festival. Steve
McDade Sextet. Jazz Room, Huether Hotel,
59 King St N., Waterloo. 519-886-3350 or
ticketscene.com. $20; $10(under 30).
Friday February 8
●●12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Fridays
at 12:30 Concert Series. Duo Concertante
(Nancy Dahn, violin; Timothy Steeves,
piano). Von Kuster Hall, Music Building, Western
University, 1151 Richmond St. N., London.
519-661-3767. Free.
●●8:00: Waterloo Winter Jazz Festival.
Larry Larson’s Jazz Guys. Registry Theatre,
122 Frederick St., Kitchener. 519-578-1570 or
registrytheatre.com. $30.
●●8:30: Waterloo Winter Jazz Festival. Glenn
Buhr and Margaret Sweatman with Penderecki
String Quartet. Jazz Room, Huether
Hotel, 59 King St N., Waterloo. 519-886-3350
or ticketscene.ca. $20: $10(under 30).
Saturday February 9
●●10:00am: Chorus Niagara. Singathon
2019. Chorus Niagara Children’s Choir; Krista
Rhodes, piano; celebrity guest conductors.
Seaway Mall, 800 Niagara St., Welland. 905-
934-5575. Free. Donations welcome. Fivehour,
non-stop singing marathon.
●●10:30am: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Footprints in the Snow. Doors open
30 minutes before the concert for children
and parents to participate in music activities
provided by Music for Young Children.
Barbara Croall, storyteller, KWS Musicians.
Woolwich Memorial Centre, 24 Snyder St.
S., Elmira. 519-745-4711 or 1-888-745-4717.
$13; $11(child). Also Feb 2(Waterloo Region
Museum); 16(Conrad Centre).
●●12:30: Elora Singers. Soup and Song: The
Music of Sir James MacMillan. St. John’s
Anglican Church (Elora), 36 Henderson St.,
Elora. 519-846-0331. $43.
●●2:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Western
University Symphony Orchestra. Paul
Davenport Theatre, Talbot College, Western
University, 1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-
661-3767. $15/$10(adv).
●●2:30: Kingston Symphony. Gene Kelly: A
Life in Music. Music from Singin’ in the Rain,
An American in Paris, Brigadoon, Les Girls,
and Anchors Aweigh. Patricia Ward Kelly,
host. Grand Theatre (Kingston), 218 Princess
St., Kingston. 613-546-9729. $10-$50. Also
7:30pm.
●●7:00: Gravenhurst Opera House. Carl
Dixon; Whole ‘Nother Thing. Mark Santer
and Pat Gowan. 295 Muskoka Rd. S., Gravenhurst.
705-687-5550. $25; $10(st).
●●7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club. Paul Langille
with Paul Sims. Chaucer’s Pub, 122 Carling St.,
London. 519-319-5847. $25/$20(adv).
thewholenote.com February 1 – March 7, 2019 | 53

●●7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Choral
Concert: Of Struggle and Strength. Les
Choristes and Chorale. Paul Davenport Theatre,
Talbot College, Western University,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767.
Free.
●●7:30: Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing
Arts. Global Series: Queen of Klezmer
with Alicia Svigals. 390 King St. W.,
Kingston. 613-533-2424. $39; $32(faculty/
staff); $16(st).
●●7:30: Kingston Symphony. Gene Kelly: A
Life in Music. Music from Singin’ in the Rain,
An American in Paris, Brigadoon, Les Girls,
and Anchors Aweigh. Patricia Ward Kelly,
host. Grand Theatre (Kingston), 218 Princess
St., Kingston. 613-546-9729. $10-$50. Also
2:30pm.
●●7:30: Menno Singers. Emancipation. Songs
of freedom from South Africa and around the
world. Laurier Percussion Ensemble. Trillium
Lutheran Church, 22 Willow St., Waterloo.
519-576-8751. $20.
●●7:30: Tom Allen. Bohemians in Brooklyn.
An evening in the house that once held W. H.
Auden, Benjamin Britten, Carson McCullers
and Gypsy Rose Lee. A potent mix of cabaret,
social history, very juicy gossip, glorious
music and all parts fun. Patricia O’Callaghan
and Bryce Kulak, singers; Lori Gemmell, harp;
Tom Allen, storyteller. Firehall Theatre, Thousand
Islands Playhouse, 185 South Street,
Ganonoque. 613-382-7020. $35.
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society. Bellows and Brass. All Baroque program.
Works by Couperin, Scarlatti, Rameau,
Viviani, Boismortier and Krebs. Joseph Petric,
button accordion; Guy Few, trumpet/
piano; Eric Vaillancourt, trombone. KWCMS
Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-
886-1673. $35; $20(st).
●●8:00: Waterloo Winter Jazz Festival.
Mary-Catherine Pazzano Sings Bernstein
at 100. Registry Theatre, 122 Frederick St.,
Kitchener. 519-578-1570 or
registrytheatre.com. $30.
●●8:30: Waterloo Winter Jazz Festival. Robi
Botos Trio. Jazz Room, Huether Hotel, 59 King
St N., Waterloo. 519-886-3350 or
ticketscene.ca. $25; $15(under 30).
Sunday February 10
●●2:00: Waterloo Winter Jazz Festival.
Finale Concert. JAZZ.FM91 Youth Big
Band; Sir John A. Macdonald High School
Jazz Band. First United Church (Waterloo),
16 William St. W., Waterloo. ticketscene.ca.
$25; $5(st).
●●2:30: Pianofest. Pianists Dimitri Levkovich
and Agne Radzevicuite. Works by Schubert,
Chopin, Mendelssohn and Gershwin. Bethel
Community Church, 128 St. Vincent Street,
Barrie. 705-726-1181. $15; $5(st); free(Barrie
Concerts and Georgian Music subscribers).
●●3:30: Huronia Symphony Orchestra &
Huronia Symphony Youth Program Participants.
Family Concert: Love, Trust, and
Fairy Tales. Rossini: Overture to The Barber
of Seville; Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake Suite;
John Williams: Harry Potter; Andrew Lloyd
Weber: Phantom of the Opera (selections);
Beethoven: Symphony No.5 (mvt.1). Oliver
Balaburski, conductor. Collier Street United
Church, 112 Collier St., Barrie. 705-721-4752.
$50(family); $25; $10(st); $5(child).
●●4:00: FirstOntario Performing Arts
B. Concerts Beyond the GTA
Centre. Toronto Mass Choir with Ben Heppner.
250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-
688-0722. $55; $46(member); $25(st).
Tuesday February 12
●●12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Western
University Jazz Ensemble. Paul Davenport
Theatre, Talbot College, Western
University, 1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-
661-3767. Free.
Wednesday February 13
●●12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Western
University Symphonic Band: Masterworks.
Paul Davenport Theatre, Talbot
College, Western University, 1151 Richmond
St. N., London. 519-661-3767. Free.
●●2:30: Seniors Serenade. Pianist Thomas
Torok. Works by Beethoven, Chopin and
Dohnányi. Bethel Community Church, 128 St.
Vincent Street, Barrie. 705-726-1181. Free.
●●6:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Choral
Concert: Lamentations for the Earth. St.
Cecilia Singers and Western University Singers.
Von Kuster Hall, Music Building, Western
University, 1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-
661-3767. Free.
●●7:30: Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing
Arts. Ensembles: Juilliard String
Quartet. Dvořák: American Quartet; and
works by Beethoven and Kurtág. 390 King
St. W., Kingston. 613-533-2424. $40-$58;
$37-$55(faculty/staff); $19-$29(st).
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society. Trio Concertante. Milhaud: Suite
for violin, clarinet and piano; Poulenc: Invitation
to the Castle; Menotti: Trio; Khachaturian:
Trio. Christine Carter, clarinet; Nancy Dahn,
violin; Timothy Steeves, piano. KWCMS Music
Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-
1673. $35; $20(st).
Thursday February 14
●●12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Western
University Wind Ensemble: Passion and
Patronage. Paul Davenport Theatre, Talbot
College, Western University, 1151 Richmond
St. N., London. 519-661-3767. Free.
●●7:30: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.
An Evening with Holly Cole. 250 St. Paul
St., St. Catharines. 905-688-0722. $55;
$46(member); $25(st).
Friday February 15
●●7:00: Vera Causa Opera. Dracula. By Dylan
Langan. Cambridge Centre for the Arts,
60 Dickson St., Cambridge.
vcopera.ca. $15; free(st/child). Also
Feb 16(Waterloo); Feb 17(Guelph).
●●8:00: Jeffery Concerts. Chamber Music.
Roussel: Divertissement; Messiaen: La
Merle Noir; Mozart: Quintet for Piano and
Winds in E-flat; Harberg: Suite; Bach: Concerto
No.2 after Vivaldi. Dorian Wind Quintet;
Arthur Rowe, piano. Wolf Performance Hall,
251 Dundas St., London. 519-672-8800. $40.
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Pictures
at an Exhibition. Enescu: Romanian
Rhapsody No.1; Kodály: Dances of Galánta;
Ravel: Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D;
Mussorgsky (arr. Ravel): Pictures at an Exhibition.
Teo Gheorghiu, piano; Andrei Feher,
conductor. Centre in the Square, 101 Queen
St. N., Kitchener. 519-745-4711 or 1-888-745-
4717. $19-$85. Also Feb 16.
●●8:00: Oscar Peterson International Jazz
Festival. Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra
featuring Ingrid Jensen. Music of Jensen and
Peterson. Christine Jensen, Allison Au, saxophone;
Ingrid Jensen, Rebecca Hennessy,
trumpet; Lorne Lofsky, guitar. St. Mark’s
Anglican Church (Niagara-on-the-Lake),
41 Byron St., Niagara-on-the-Lake. 289-868-
9177. $30-$60.
Saturday February 16
●●10:30am: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Footprints in the Snow. Doors open 30 minutes
before the concert for children and
parents to participate in music activities
provided by Music for Young Children. Barbara
Croall, storyteller, KWS Musicians. Conrad
Centre for the Performing Arts, 36 King
St. W., Kitchener. 519-745-4711 or 1-888-
745-4717. $13; $11(child). Also Feb 2(Waterloo
Region Museum); 9(Elmira).
●●2:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Youth Orchestra Concert 2. Centre in the
Square, 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 519-745-
4711 or 1-888-745-4717. $13; $11(child).
●●3:00: Georgian Bay Symphony. A Concert
for the Young at Heart. Prokofiev: Peter
and the Wolf; Haydn: Toy Symphony; Britten:
Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
François Koh, conductor. OSCVI Regional
Auditorium, 1550 8th St. E., Owen Sound.
519-372-0212. $29; $27(sr); $5(st).
●●7:00: Vera Causa Opera. Dracula. By Dylan
Langan. Knox Presbyterian Church (Waterloo),
50 Erb St. W., Waterloo. vcopera.ca.
$15; free(st/child). Also Feb 15(Cambridge);
Feb 17(Guelph).
●●7:30: Guelph Chamber Choir. Glory: Music
of Light and Joy. Argento: Gloria; Bernstein:
Chicester Psalms. Christopher Dawes,
organ; Alison MacNeill, piano; David Robilliard,
percussion; Sharlene Wallace, harp;
Charlene Pauls, guest conductor. St. George’s
Anglican Church (Guelph), 99 Woolwich St.,
Guelph. 519-763-3000. $25/$20(4 or more);
$10(under 30); $5(under 14).
●●7:30: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
From The Beatles, With Love. Darcy Hepner,
conductor. FirstOntario Concert Hall,
1 Summers Ln., Hamilton. 905-526-7756.
$10-$71.
●●7:30: St. George’s Cathedral. Te Deum Laudamus.
Music from England and anthems
from 17th to 20th centuries. Handel: Te Deum
in D “Queen Caroline”; Stanford: Te Deum
in B-flat; Boyce: Symphony No.1; Bach: Concerto
in A. Fran Harkness, clavier; Cathedral
Chamber Orchestra; Concert Choir; David
Cameron, conductor. St. George’s Cathedral
(Kingston), 270 King St. E., Kingston. 613-
548-4617. Freewill donations. Proceeds to the
Cathedral’s Heritage Preservation Trust.
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Pictures
at an Exhibition. Enescu: Romanian
Rhapsody No.1; Kodály: Dances of Galánta;
Ravel: Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D;
Mussorgsky (arr. Ravel): Pictures at an Exhibition.
Teo Gheorghiu, piano; Andrei Feher,
conductor. Centre in the Square, 101 Queen
St. N., Kitchener. 519-745-4711 or 1-888-745-
4717. $19-$85. Also Feb 15.
●●8:00: Oscar Peterson International Jazz
Festival. Singin’ and Swingin’: A Jazz Summit.
Joe Lovano, saxophone; Jeremy Pelt,
trumpet; Niki Haris, vocals; Renee Rosnes,
piano; Russell Malone, guitar. FirstOntario
Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St., St.
Catharines. 289-868-9177. $30-$75.
Sunday February 17
●●1:00: Oscar Peterson International Jazz
Festival. Music With No Borders. Kenny Barron,
piano; Kirk MacDonald, saxophone;
Reg Schwager, guitar; Neil Swainson, bass;
Lewis Nash, drums. Stratus Vineyards,
2059 Niagara Stone Rd., Niagara-on-the-
Lake. 289-868-9177. $60-$80. Includes glass
of Stratus wine.
●●2:00: Gallery Players of Niagara. Eybler
Quartet: Esterházy to Vienna, A Road
Well Travelled. Beethoven: String Quartet
Op.57 No.2; Haydn: String Quartet Op.59 No.2;
Asplmayr: String Quartet Op.2. Silver Spire
United Church, 366 St. Paul St., St. Catharines.
905-468-1525. $39; $36(sr); $14(st/arts
worker); $80(family).
●●3:00: Vera Causa Opera. Dracula. By
Dylan Langan. Harcourt Memorial United
Church, 87 Dean Ave., Guelph. vcopera.ca.
$15; free(st/child). Also Feb 15(Cambridge);
Feb 16(Waterloo).
●●4:30: Music at St. Thomas’. Canadian Guitar
Quartet in Concert. St. Thomas’ Anglican
Church (Belleville), 201 Church St., Belleville.
613-962-3636. By donation.
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Violin & Piano. Schubert:
Sonata in A for violin and piano “Grand Duo”;
Beethoven: Piano Sonata in E Op.109; Prokofiev:
Sonata for violin and piano No.1 in f minor.
Jerzy Kaplanek, violin; Leopoldo Erice, piano.
KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo.
519-886-1673. $35; $20(st).
Wednesday February 20
●●12:00 noon: Music at St. Andrews. Organ
Recital. Works by Bach, Prokofiev, and Harley.
Konrad Harley, organ. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian
Church (Barrie), 47 Owen St., Barrie.
705-726-1181. $10; free(st).
Friday February 22
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Pops & Paints. Maxime Goulet: Chocolate
Symphony; and works by David Bowie,
George Gershwin, The Beatles, and others.
Jessica Gorlicky (JESSGO), speed painter;
Lucas Waldin, conductor. Centre in the
Square, 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 519-745-
4711 or 1-888-745-4717. $19-$88. Also Feb 23.
Saturday February 23
●●1:00: 5 at the First Chamber Players. The
Mosaïque Project. A 14-movement suite by
Canadian composers. Ensemble Made In
Canada. First Unitarian Church, Hamilton,
170 Dundurn St. S., Hamilton. 905-399-5125.
$20; $15(sr); $5(st).
●●2:00: Peterborough Singers. Soul II: Roots
and Rights. Redding: Respect; Charles: Hallelujah
I Love Her So; Cooke: A Change is
Gonna Come. Rob Phillips, piano; Jeff Bemrose,
guitar; Andrew Affleck, bass guitar;
Aiden Church, Divine Brown, singers. Calvary
Church Peterborough, 1421 Lansdowne
St. W., Peterborough. 705-745-1820. $30;
$20(30 and under); $10(st). A concert of Soul
music in celebration of Black History Month.
●●2:30: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Music in Your House. Alexander Cannon, conductor.
Centre in the Square, 101 Queen St.
N., Kitchener. 519-745-4711 or 1-888-745-4717.
$18; $11(child). 1:15pm: interactive pre-concert
activities (free with ticket purchase).
●●7:30: Avanti Chamber Singers. Voices
54 | February 1 – March 7, 2019 thewholenote.com

Raised. Featuring unaccompanied sacred and
secular vocal music. Premieres of Moffett
and Hawley. St. Thomas Anglican Church (St.
Catharines), 99 Ontario St., St. Catharines.
905-650-9962. $25/$20(adv); $20(sr); $5(st/
eyeGo). Includes audience sing-along.
●●7:30: Barrie Concerts. A Fun Night!:
Beyond the Pale. Bret Higgins, bass; Alexander
Gajic, violin; Milos Popovic, accordion;
Eric Stein, mandolin; Martin van de
Ven, clarinet. Hi-Way Pentecostal Church,
50 Anne St. N., Barrie. 705-726-1181. $85 or
by subscription.
●●7:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra.
Women Rock! Jeans ‘n Classics Band; Mélanie
Léonard, conductor. Partridge Hall, FirstOntario
Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St.,
St. Catharines. 905-688-0722. $69; $64(sr);
$12(st/child); $33(30 and under); $20(arts
worker); $5(EyeGO). Also Feb 24(mat).
●●7:30: Orchestra Kingston. Organ and
Orchestra. Works by Debussy, Fauré, Gounod
and Saint-Saëns. Michael Capon, organ. St.
George’s Cathedral (Kingston), 270 King St.
E., Kingston. 613-766-4345. $25; $20(sr/st);
free(under 14).
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society. Piano Recital. Haydn: Sonata No.52
in E-flat; Beethoven: Sonata No.28 Op.101 in
A; Brahms: Sonata No.3 in f minor Op.5. Heidi
Wall, piano. KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young
St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673. $35; $20(st).
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Pops & Paints. Maxime Goulet: Chocolate
Symphony; and works by David Bowie,
George Gershwin, The Beatles, and others.
Jessica Gorlicky (JESSGO), speed painter;
Lucas Waldin, conductor. Centre in the
Square, 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 519-745-
4711 or 1-888-745-4717. $19-$88. Also Feb 22.
●●8:00: Night Kitchen Too. In Concert.
Invited musicians, poets and spoken word
artists. Pinnacle Playhouse, 256 Pinnacle St.,
Belleville. 613-295-9115 or 613-849-1976. $10.
Sunday February 24
●●2:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra.
Women Rock! Jeans ‘n Classics Band; Mélanie
Léonard, conductor. Partridge Hall, FirstOntario
Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul
St., St. Catharines. 905-688-0722. $69;
$64(sr);$12(st/child); $33(30 and under);
$20(arts worker); $5(EyeGO). Also Feb 23.
●●3:00: La Jeunesse Youth Orchestra. In The
Spotlight. Port Hope United Church, 34 South
St., Port Hope. ljyo.ca/contact. $25; free(child
under 12).
●●4:00: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.
Hear! Here! Niagara Music Series.
The Mark Lalama Trio; Sarah Slean; Leroy
Emmanuel. 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines.
905-688-0722 or 1-855-515-0722. $35.
Tuesday February 26
●●7:30: Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing
Arts. The Soloists: Narek Hakhnazaryan,
Cello. Works by Debussy, Fauré,
Saint-Saëns, Massenet, Tchaikovsky and
Shostakovich. With Noreen Cassidy-Polera,
piano. 390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-
533-2424. $40-$58; $37-$55(faculty/staff);
$19-$29(st).
●●7:30: Royal Canadian College of Organists
Kingston Centre. In Concert. Sarah Svendsen,
organ. St. George’s Cathedral (Kingston),
270 King St. E., Kingston. 647-989-1920 or
rcco-kingston.ca. PWYC.
Wednesday February 27
●●7:30: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.
Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba: Made in Cuba.
250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-688-
0722. $59; $49(member); $25(st).
●●8:00: Inside the Music. Donovan Woods
and the Opposition. Gravenhurst Opera
House, 295 Muskoka Rd. S., Gravenhurst.
705-687-5550. $41.
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society. Guitar & Violin. Paganini: Sonata
in a for violin & guitar Op.64 No.1; Rebay:
Sonata in e for violin & guitar; Falla: Spanish
Dance No.1 from La Vida Breve; Suite Populaire
Espagnole; Roux: Soledad; Piazzolla:
Histoire du Tango. Michael Kolk, guitar; Laurence
Kayaleh, violin. KWCMS Music Room,
57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673.
$35; $20(st).
Friday March 1
●●12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Fridays
at 12:30 Concert Series. Brianna DeSantis,
soprano; Chad Louwerse, bass-baritone;
Simone Luti, piano. Von Kuster Hall, Music
Building, Western University, 1151 Richmond
St. N., London. 519-661-3767. Free.
●●7:30: Melos Choir and Period Instruments.
A Venetian Carnevale Fundraiser. A raucous
evening of music, drama, food, drink and all
round revelry. Period music from Baroque
Venice. Italo-Canadian Club, 1174 Italia Lane,
Kingston. 613-767-7245. $60. Silent auction.
Transportation available from downtown.
Snow date Mar 2.
Saturday March 2
●●1:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. London
Music Scholarship Foundation Competition
- Second and Final Rounds. Von Kuster
Hall, Music Building, Western University,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767.
Free. Also 7:30pm.
●●7:00: Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing
Arts. Ensembles: Naughty but Nice
- Soundstreams Canada. Weill: Seven Deadly
Sins; and works by Christopher Mayo, Analia
Llugdar and others. Elizabeth Shepherd,
Aviva Chernick, Robin Dann, singer/songwriters.
390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-533-2424.
$40-$58; $37-$55(faculty/staff); $19-$29(st).
●●7:30: Barrie Concert Band. Last Night at
the Proms. Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance
March No.1; Vaughan Williams: Folk Song
Suite; Holst: Nimrod from Enigma Variations;
and other works. King Edward Choir. Collier
Street United Church, 112 Collier St., Barrie.
705-252-3484. $20; $10(st); free(5 and
under).
●●7:30: Cellar Singers. Inspired. Works by
Bach and Eleanor Daley. St. James Anglican
Church (Orillia), 58 Peter St. N., Orillia. thecellarsingers.com.
$25; $10(st).
●●7:30: Chorus Niagara. King David (Le Roi
David). Music by Honegger. Chorus Niagara
Children’s Choir; Chorus Niagara Side
By Side High School Chorale; Chorus Niagara
Chamber Ensemble. FirstOntario Performing
Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St., St.
Catharines. 1-855-515-0722 or 905-688-
0722. $45; $43(sr); $30(under 30); $20(st);
$15(under 15).
●●7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. London
Music Scholarship Foundation Competition
- Second and Final Rounds. Von Kuster
Hall, Music Building, Western University,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767.
Free. Also 1pm.
●●7:30: Grand Philharmonic Choir. Beauty
Within. Brahms: Nänie, Schicksalslied, Liebeslieder
Waltzes; Whitacre: Five Hebrew Love
Songs; and other works. St. Peter’s Lutheran
Church, 49 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 519-578-
5660 x5290. $30; $14(st/under 30); $5(child/
HS student).
●●7:30: Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing
Arts. Ensembles: Smetana Trio.
Works by Rachmaninoff, Martinů and Smetana.
390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-533-2424.
$40-$58; $37-$55(faculty/staff); $19-$29(st).
●●7:30: King Edward Choir/Barrie Concert
Band. Last Night of the Proms. Elgar:
Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1; Gilbert
& Sullivan:Medley; Arne: Rule Britannia;
Handel: Zadok the Priest, Hallelujah. Oliver
Balaburski, conductor. Collier Street United
Church, 112 Collier St., Barrie. 705-733-7955.
$20; $10(st).
●●7:30: Music at First-St. Andrew’s United
Church. Organ Recital. Celebrating the
50th anniversary of the First-St. Andrew’s
Casavant organ. Isabelle Demers, organ.
First-St. Andrew’s United Church (London),
350 Queens Ave., London. 519-679-8182 or
music@fsunited.com. $25; $10(st/under 25).
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society. String Quartet and Harp. Bax: Quintet
for harp and strings; Menotti: Cantilena
and Scherzo for Harp and String Quartet;
Mozart: Quartet in G K156; Schafer: Theseus
for harp and strings. Toronto Serenade Quartet;
Lori Gemmel, harp. KWCMS Music Room,
57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-886-1673.
$35; $20(st).
Sunday March 3
CUARTETO
CASALS
Sunday, March 3rd,
2pm
Art Gallery of Hamilton
CHAMBER
MUSIC
HAMILTON.CA
●●2:00: Chamber Music Hamilton. Cuarteto
Casals. Haydn: Quartet in C Op.33 No.3
“The Bird”; Bartók: Quartet No.3 Sz.85; Purcell:
Fantasias for String Quartet; Debussy:
Quartet in g Op.10. Art Gallery of Hamilton,
123 King St. W., Hamilton. 905-719-6457. $35;
$30(sr); $15(st).
●●2:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Studies
in Motion 2019: Dance Showcase. Paul
Davenport Theatre, Talbot College, Western
University, 1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-
661-3767. $10(adv).
●●2:00: Opera by Request. Handel’s Alcina.
Celebration of Handel’s birthday. In concert
with piano accompaniment. Antonina
Ermolenko, soprano (Alcina); Meagan Larios,
mezzo (Ruggiero); Michaela Dickey, mezzo
(Bradamante); Bree Horton, mezzo (Morgana);
Josh Zajac, treble (Oberto); Fabian
Arciniegas, tenor (Oronte); John Holland,
baritone (Melisso); William Shookhoff,
piano and music director. All Saints Anglican
Church (Windsor), 330 City Hall Square
W., Windsor. 416-455-2365. $20. Also Feb 23
(7:30pm, Toronto).
●●7:30: Gravenhurst Opera House. Opry
Gold. Leisa Way, Bobby Prochaska, Fred
Smith, Nathan Smith, Sam Cino and others.
295 Muskoka Rd. S., Gravenhurst. 705-687-
5550. $30; $10(st).
●●7:30: Lyrica Chamber Choir. Wondrous
Love. Rheinberger: Mass in G; and works by
Fauré, Imant Raminsh, Lee Parker and Alice
Parker. Brent Mayhew, piano; Steve Winfield,
director. Burton Avenue United Church,
37 Burton Ave., Barrie. 705-722-0271. $20;
$16(sr/st).
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society. Halcyon Woodwind Quintet. Ligeti:
Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet; Reicha: Wind
Quintet in E-flat Op.88; Hindemith: Kleine
Kammermusik für fünf Bläser. Advanced WLU
music students: Jillian Carney, flute; Mark
Pinder, oboe; Shirley Constable, clarinet;
Ian Fong, bassoon; Isabelle Marcucci, horn.
KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo.
519-886-1673. $20; $10(st).
Monday March 4
●●7:30: Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing
Arts. The Soloists: Jan Lisiecki,
Piano. Works by Chopin, Schumann, Ravel
and Rachmaninoff. 390 King St. W., Kingston.
613-533-2424. $40-$58; $37-$55(faculty/
staff); $19-$29(st).
Wednesday March 6
●●12:00 noon: Midday Music with Shigeru.
Paula Kowalchuk Conducts Eastview Secondary
Orchestra. Hi-Way Pentecostal Church,
50 Anne St. N., Barrie. 705-726-1181. $10;
free(st).
●●7:00: Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing
Arts. The Ka’tarohkwi Festival of
Indigenous Arts: I Lost My Talk and Qiksaaktuq.
I Lost My Talk; Estacio: Film score; Taqaq:
Qiksaaktuq. National Arts Centre Orchestra;
Alexander Shelley, conductor; Monique
Mojica, narrator; Tanya Taqaq, vocalist; Christine
Duncan, improvisation leader. 390 King
St. W., Kingston. 613-533-2424. $40-$58;
$37-$55(faculty/staff); $19-$29(st).
●●7:30: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
Intimate & Immersive: Escape to Paradise.
Lau: Prelude to Dawn; Fisher: Lune dans les
nuages; Dharmoo: Ninaivenjali; Evangelista: O
Bali; Morlock: Zart. Gemma New, conductor.
FirstOntario Concert Hall, 1 Summers Ln.,
Hamilton. 905-526-7756. $25.
Search listings online at
thewholenote.com
thewholenote.com February 1 – March 7, 2019 | 55

C. Music Theatre
These music theatre listings contain a wide range of music theatre types including
opera, operetta, musicals and other performance genres where music and
drama combine. Listings in this section are sorted alphabetically by presenter.
●●Canadian Children’s Opera Company. The
Snow Queen. Music by Matthew King, libretto
by Andrew McKinnon. Harbourfront Centre,
235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000. $35;
$25(sr); $20(st). Opens Feb 28, 10am. Runs to
Mar 3. Times vary. Visit
canadianchildrensopera.com for details.
●●Canadian Opera Company. Elektra. Music
by Richard Strauss, libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal.
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231.
$35-$250. Opens Jan 26, 7:30pm. Runs to
Feb 22. Days and times vary; visit coc.ca for
details.
●●Canadian Opera Company. Così fan tutte.
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, libretto
by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Atom Agoyan, stage
director. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-
8231. $35-$250. Opens Feb 5, 7:30pm. Runs
to Feb 21. Days and times vary; visit coc.ca
for details.
●●Canadian Opera Company. Vocal Series:
On Shining Wings. Works by Wagner, Duparc,
R. Strauss and others. Susan Bullock, soprano;
Liz Upchurch, piano. Richard Bradshaw
Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for the
Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-
8231. Free. Feb 19, 12pm.
●●Canadian Opera Company. Vocal Series:
Les Adieux: A Poetic Diary. Works by
Schubert. Samuel Chan, baritone; Stéphane
Mayer, fortepiano. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231.
Free. Feb 20, 12pm.
●●Canadian Opera Company. Vocal Series:
Les Adieux: Poèmes pour Mi. Lauren Eberwein,
soprano; Rachael Kerr, piano. Richard
Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre
for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W.
416-363-8231. Free. Feb 21, 12pm.
●●Canadian Opera Company. Vocal Series: Le
Récital des Anges: Songs of Ian Cusson. Ian
Cusson, piano/composer. Richard Bradshaw
Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for the
Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-
8231. Free. Mar 5, 12pm.
●●Canadian Stage. Who We Are in the Dark.
Music written and performed by Sarah
Neufeld and Jeremy Gara. Peggy Baker, concept,
choreography and direction. Bluma
Appel Theatre, 27 Front St. E. 416-368-3110.
$51-$111. Opens Feb 21, 8pm. Runs to Feb 24.
Thurs/Sat(8pm), Fri(7pm), Sun(2pm).
●●COSI Connection. Trial by Jury and HMS
Pinafore In Concert! Darryl Edwards, conductor;
Helen Becqué, piano; soloists of the
COSI Connection. Christ Church Deer Park,
1570 Yonge St. 647-272-6232. $20; $10(st).
Feb 15, 6:45pm.
●●DAM Concert Opera. Le comte Ory. Music
by Gioachino Rossini. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre,
427 Bloor St. W. 1-800-838-3006. $30;
$25(sr/st). Mar 2, 7:30pm.
●●Don Wright Faculty of Music. Opera at
Western: Le Nozze di Figaro. Music by Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart, libretto by Lorenzo
Da Ponte. Paul Davenport Theatre, Talbot
College, Western University, 1151 Richmond
St. N., London. 519-661-3767. $35/$30(adv);
$25/$20(st/adv). Opens Jan 25, 8pm. Runs to
Feb 3. Fri(8pm), Sat/Sun(2pm).
●●Drayton Entertainment. Rocky: The Musical.
Music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn
Ahrens, book by Thomas Meehan and Sylvester
Stallone, based on the film. Hamilton
Family Theatre Cambridge. 46 Grand Ave. S.,
Cambridge. 1-855-372-9866. $29-$48. Opens
Mar 6, 7:30pm. Runs to Mar 31. Days and
times vary; visit draytonentertainment.com
for details.
●●Eclipse Theatre Company. Kiss of the Spider
Woman. Music by John Kander, lyrics
by Fred Ebb, book by Terrence McNally. The
Don Jail, 550 Gerrard St. E. 1-800-656-0713.
$48; $29(st). Opens Mar 6, 7:30pm. Runs to
Mar 10. Wed-Sun(7:30pm), Sat/Sun(1:30pm).
●●Hart House Theatre. Hair. Music by Galt
MacDermot, lyrics and book by Gerome Ragni
and James Rado. Hart House Theatre, 7 Hart
House Circle. 416-978-8849. $28; $17(sr);
$15(st). Opens Jan 18, 8pm. Runs to Feb 2.
Wed-Sat(8pm), Feb 2(2pm/8pm).
●●Kempenfelt Community Players. Shrek
the Musical. Music by Jeanine Tesori, lyrics
and book by David Lindsay-Abaire, based on
the film. Georgian Theatre, 1 Georgian Drive,
Georgian College Campus, Building C, Barrie.
705-739-4228. $22; $19(sr/st). Opens Feb 7,
8pm. Runs to Feb 17. Thurs-Sat(8pm), Sat/
Sun(2pm).
●●Lower Ossington Theatre. Once on This
Island. Music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics and
book by Lynn Ahrens. Lower Ossington Theatre,
100A Ossington Ave. 1-888-324-6282.
$44.99-$54.99. Opens Dec 6, 7:30pm. Runs
to Mar 3. Thurs-Sat(7:30pm), Sat(3:30pm).
Sun(12pm/4pm).
●●Lower Ossington Theatre. Million Dollar
Quartet. Features music of Johnny Cash,
Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley.
Lower Ossington Theatre, 100A Ossington
Ave. 1-888-324-6282. $54.99-$64.99.
Opens Jan 17, 7:30pm. Runs to Mar 10. Thurs-
Sat(7:30pm), Sun(4pm).
●●Meadowvale Music Theatre. Mary Poppins.
Music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman
and Robert B. Sherman, with George Stiles
and Anthony Drewe, book by Julian Fellowes.
Meadowvale Theatre, 6315 Montevideo Rd.
905-615-4720. $23-$30. Opens Feb 8, 8pm.
Runs to Feb 17. Thurs-Sat(8pm), Sun(2pm).
Extra show Feb 16(2pm).
●●Mirvish. Come From Away. Music, lyrics
and book by Irene Sankoff and David Hein.
Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge St. 416-872-1212.
$69 and up. Ongoing. Tues-Sat(8pm),
Wed(1:30pm), Sat/Sun(2pm).
●●Mirvish. The Last Ship. Music and lyrics by
Sting. Princess of Wales Theatre, 300 King
St. W. 416-872-1212. $79 and up. Opens
Feb 9, 8pm. Runs to Mar 24. Tues-Sat(8pm),
Wed(1:30pm), Sat/Sun(2pm).
●●Mirvish. Jukebox Hero, the Musical. Featuring
music of Foreigner. Ed Mirvish Theatre,
244 Victoria St. 416-872-1212. $30-$100.
Opens Feb 20, 8pm. Runs to Feb 24. Wed-
Sat(8pm), Sat/Sun(2pm), Sun(7:30pm).
●●Mirvish. Jersey Boys. Music by Bob Gaudio,
lyrics by Bob Crewe, book by Marshall
Brickman and Rick Elice. Ed Mirvish Theatre,
244 Victoria St. 416-872-1212. $29-
$185. Opens Mar 5, 8pm. Runs to Mar 17.
Tues-Sat(8pm), Wed(1:30pm), Sat/Sun(2pm).
●●Mirvish. Dear Evan Hansen. Music and
lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, book
by Steven Levenson. Royal Alexandra Theatre,
260 King St. W. 416-872-1212. $69 and
up. Opens Mar 5, 8pm. Runs to June 30. Tues-
Sat(8pm), Wed(1:30pm), Sat/Sun(2pm).
●●Mississauga Symphony Orchestra. La
Bohème. Music by Giacomo Puccini, libretto
by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Living
Arts Centre, Hammerson Hall, 4141 Living
Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905-306-6000. $50-
$95. Opens Feb 7, 7:30pm. Also Feb 9.
●●Musical Theatre Productions. The Wedding
Singer. Music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics
by Chad Beguelin, book by Beguelin and Tim
Herlihy, based on the film. McManus Stage at
the Grand Theatre, 471 Richmond St, London.
519-672-8800. $30. Opens Feb 1, 7:30pm.
Runs to Feb 9. Wed-Sat(7:30pm), Sat/
Sun(1:30pm).
●●National Ballet of Canada. Apollo & Night
& The Sea Above, The Sky Below & Paquita.
Music by Igor Stravinsky, Matthew Pierce,
Ludwig Minkus and Riccardo Drigo, and
Gustav Mahler. George Balanchine, choreography.
Julia Adam, Robert Binet and
Christopher Stowell, choreographers. Four
Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-345-9595. $40 and up.
Opens Mar 1, 7:30pm. Runs to Mar 21. Days
and times vary; visit national.ballet.ca for
details.
●●National Ballet of Canada. Alice’s Adventures
in Wonderland. Music by Joby Talbot.
Christopher Wheeldon, choreography. Four
Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-345-9595. $40 and up.
Opens Mar 7, 7:30pm. Runs to Mar 17. Tues-
Sun(7:30pm), Sat/Sun(2pm). Note: only 2pm
on Mar 17.
●●Opera Atelier. The Angel Speaks. Works
by Purcell; Huizinga: Annuciation. Mireille
Asselin, soprano; Jesse Blumberg, baritone;
Artists of Atelier Ballet in baroque costume,
and members of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park.
416-703-3767 x222. $69. Feb 21, 8pm.
●●Opera by Request. Handel’s Alcina. In concert
with piano accompaniment. William
Shookhoff, piano and music director. College
St. United Church, 452 College St. 416-455-
2365. $20. Feb 23, 7:30pm. Also Mar 3 (2pm,
Windsor).
●●Opera by Request. Handel’s Alcina. In
concert with piano accompaniment. William
Shookhoff, piano and music director. All
Saints Anglican Church (Windsor), 330 City
Hall Square W., Windsor. 416-455-2365. $20.
Mar 3, 2pm. Also Feb 23 (7:30pm, Toronto).
●●Rose Theatre. Invincible You, Invincible
Me. Cabaret for kids featuring Sharron Matthews.
Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Lane, Brampton.
905-874-2800. $25. Feb 18, 2pm. Also
6:30pm.
●●Ryleepuss Productions. Jesus Christ
Superstar. Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber,
lyrics by Tim Rice. Uxbridge Music Hall,
16 Main St. S., Uxbridge. 1-866-808-2006.
$25; $22(sr); $15(st). Opens Feb 14, 7:30pm.
Runs to Feb 23. Thurs-Sat(7:30pm), Sat/
Sun(2pm). Also Newmarket (Mar 2-3).
●●Ryleepuss Productions. Jesus Christ
Superstar. Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber,
lyrics by Tim Rice. Old Town Hall,
460 Botsford St, Newmarket. 905-953-5122.
$29; $25(sr/st); $23(ch). Opens Mar 2, 2pm.
Runs to Mar 3. Sat/Sun(2pm), Sat(7:30pm).
Also Uxbridge (Feb 14-23).
●●Scarborough Music Theatre. Next to Normal.
Music by Tom Kitt, lyrics and book by
Brian Yorkey. Scarborough Village Community
Centre, 3600 Kingston Rd. 416-267-9292.
$30; $27(sr/st). Opens Feb 7, 8pm. Runs to
Feb 23. Thurs-Sat(8pm), Sun(2pm). Note:
Feb 23 show at 2pm.
●●Soulpepper. Rose. Music by Mike Ross,
lyrics by Sarah Wilson. Young Centre for the
Performing Arts, 50 Tank House Lane. 416-
866-8666. $36-$97. Opens Jan 17, 7:30pm.
Runs to Feb 24. Days and times vary. Visit
soulpepper.ca for details.
●●St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society. The
Pirates of Penzance. Music by Arthur Sullivan,
libretto by W. S. Gilbert. St. Anne’s Parish
Hall, 651 Dufferin St. 416-922-4415. $30;
$25(sr/st). Opens Jan 25, 7:30pm. Runs to
Feb 3. Thurs/Fri(7:30pm), Sat/Sun(2pm). Also
Jan 26(7:30pm).
●●Theatre Ancaster. Valentine Love Notes...
With a Double Twist. Old Firehall Arts Centre,
334 Wilson St. E., Ancaster. 905-304-7469.
$30; $27(sr); $12(st). Opens Feb 9, 8pm. Also
Feb 10, 2pm.
●●Theatre Ancaster. Seussical the Musical.
Music and book by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics
and book by Lynn Ahrens. Co-conceived
by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, and
Eric Idle, based on the works of Dr. Seuss.
Ancaster High School, Theatre Auditorium,
374 Jerseyville Rd., Ancaster. 905-304-7469.
$20; $18(sr); $10(st). Opens Feb 22, 7:30pm.
Runs to Mar 2. Fri/Sat(7:30pm), Sun(2pm).
●●Theatre Aurora. Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb,
book by Terrence McNally. Theatre Aurora,
150 Henderson Dr, Aurora. 905-727-3669.
$25; $23(sr); $10(st). Opens Feb 28, 8pm.
Runs to Mar 9. Thurs-Sat(8pm), Sun(2pm).
●●Theatre Orangeville. Across The Pond -
The British Invasion. Featuring Leisa Way
and The Lonely Hearts Club Band. Orangeville
Town Hall Opera House, 87 Broadway,
Orangeville. 519-942-3423. $44; $22(st).
Opens Feb 14, 8pm. Runs to Mar 3. Wed/
Sun(2pm), Thurs/Fri(8pm), Sat(7pm).
●●Theatre Passe Muraille/Tapestry Opera.
Hook Up. Music by Chris Thornborrow,
libretto by Julie Tepperman. Theatre Passe
Muraille Mainspace, 16 Ryerson Ave. 416-504-
7529. $38; $33(sr); $30(st). Opens Jan 29,
7:30pm. Runs to Feb 9. Tues-Sat(7:30pm),
Sun(2pm). Also Feb 9(2pm).
●●Theatre Sheridan. On the Town. Music
by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics and book by
Betty Comden and Adolph Green, conceived
by Jerome Robbins. Mainstage Theatre,
1430 Trafalgar Rd, Oakville. 905-815-4049.
$25. Opens Feb 12, 7:30pm. Runs to Feb 24.
Tues-Thurs(7:30pm), Fri/Sat(8pm), Sat/
Sun(2pm). Note: no mat Feb 17.
●●Theatre Sheridan. My Bonny Lass. Music,
lyrics and book by Johnny Reid and Matt Murray,
additional music by Bob Foster. Studio
Theatre, 1430 Trafalgar Rd, Oakville. 905-
815-4049. $25. Opens Feb 14, 7:30pm. Runs
to Feb 24. Tues-Sat(7:30pm), Sat/Sun(2pm).
Note: no mat Feb 17. Note: this run is sold out.
●●TO Live. Amadeus Live. Amadeus movie
screening with live full orchestra and choir.
Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, 1 Front
St. E. 1-855-872-7669. $55-$111. Opens Feb 21,
7:30pm. Also Feb 22.
●●Toronto Operetta Theatre. Doyle à la Carte
56 | February 1 – March 7, 2019 thewholenote.com

Part II. Music from Gilbert & Sullivan operas.
Henry Ingram, MC. Edward Jackman Centre,
947 Queen St. E., 2nd Floor. 416-366-7723.
$45. Feb 16, 4pm.
●●Toronto Operetta Theatre. Perchance to
Dream. Music by Ivor Novello. St. Lawrence
Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-
7723. $29-$49. Mar 3, 3pm.
●●Toronto Singing Studio. Brigadoon Highlights
– In Concert. Music by Frederick
Loewe, lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. Bloor Street
United Church, 300 Bloor St W. 416-455-
9238. $25; $20 (sr/st) at the door (cash only).
D. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz)
120 Diner
120 Church St. 416-792-7725
120diner.com (full schedule)
All shows: PWYC ($10-$20 suggested)
Alleycatz
2409 Yonge St. 416-481-6865
alleycatz.ca
All shows: Call for cover charge info.
Mondays 8:30pm Salsa Night with DJ
Romantico with free lessons.
Tuesdays 8:30pm Bachata Night with Weekly
Guest DJ with free lessons.
Wednesdays 7pm Midtown Blues Jam hosted
by Andrew “Voodoo” Walters.
Thursdays 7pm Spotlight Thursdays.
Fri & Sat 9:30pm Funk, Soul, R&B Top 40 $10
cover after 9pm.
Sat 3pm-6pm Matinee Jazz.
Sun 4pm Blues in The Alley w/ Big Groove.
Feb 1 Lady Kane. Feb 2 Soular. Feb 8 Red
Velvet. Feb 9 URequest. Feb 15 Gyles Band.
Feb 16 Lady Kane. Feb 22 Graffiti Park.
Feb 23 York Jazz Ensemble (matinee), Soular
(evening).
Artword Artbar
15 Colbourne St., Hamilton. 905-543-8512
artword.net (full schedule)
The Black Swan
154 Danforth Ave. 416-469-0537
Winterfolk XVII Blues and Roots Festival
$25 wristband
Ground Floor
Feb 22 7pm Sebastian Agneto; 8pm Jerome
Tucker Band; 9pm Glen Hornblast Band;
10pm Gary Kendall Band; 11pm Wayne Neon
and the Amazing Tubular Orchestra. Feb 23
1pm Ken Yoshioka; 2pm Doris Folkens; 3pm
STAV; 4pm The Lifers; 5pm Peter Verity; 6pm
Maggie & Mr. Rogers; 7pm The Barrel Boys
Trio; 8pm Sue & Dwight; 9pm HOTCHA!; 10pm
Brian Gladstone; 11pm Q&A - Tony Quarrington
& Zoe Adams. Feb 24 1pm Brampton Folk
Club. Glenn McFarlane, David MacLachlan,
Karl Widmeyer, Mark Yan & Barry Mulcahy,
Sally Campbell, Jamie Reilly; 3pm Seneca College
Independent Music Program; 6pm Noah
Zacharin; 7pm Lynn Harrison; 8pm Danny
Marks; 9pm Alessia Cohle.
2nd Floor
Feb 22 11pm Jack de Keyzer Band. Feb 23 3pm
Harpin’ Norm Lucien & Friends; 4pm STAV;
10pm David Storey CD release with the Side
Road Scholars. Feb 24 4pm Donné Roberts;
5pm Brian Blain & Friends; 6pm Jon Brooks;
7pm D’Arcy Wickham CD Release; 9pm Cassie
& Maggie
Feb 9, 7:30pm.
●●University of Toronto Faculty of Music.
Thursdays at Noon: Opera Spotlight. A preview
of U of T Opera’s production of Mozart’s
La finta giardiniera. Walter Hall, Edward
Johnson Building, University of Toronto,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. Free. Feb 14,
12:10pm.
●●VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert. Fierabras.
Music by Franz Schubert, libretto by Joseph
Kupelwieser. St. Lawrence Centre for the
Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723. $29; $50;
$65. Feb 3, 2:30pm.
3rd Floor
Feb 23 1pm Become a One-Man Band. Sammy
Duke shows how to play 8 instruments at
once; 2pm Fingerpicking the Blues with Brian
Blain, D’Arcy Wickham; 3pm Accordion Summit.
Dwight Peters, Liv Cazzola, Bev Kreller;
4pm Songs of Canada. David Storey, Maggie
MacDonald, James Gordon; 5pm Fiddle Styles
and Traditions. Emilyn Stam, Cassie MacDonald
and Alana Cline. Feb 24 5pm Songs of Protest
and Social Change. Sebastian Agnello,
Jon Brooks, Sue and Dwight; 6pm Songs of
Canada. David Storey, Maggie MacDonald,
and James Gordon; 7pm Harmonica Workshop.
Harpin’ Norm Lucien and Ken Yoshioka;
8pm Masters of Guitar. In the style of old guitar
masters. Brian Gladstone; Lynda Kraar,
and D’Arcy Wickham; 9pm Simone Morris.
See also Mambo Lounge and Dora Keogh.
The Blue Goose Tavern
1 Blue Goose St. 416-255-2442
thebluegoosetavern.com (full schedule)
Bloom
2315 Bloor St. W. 416-767-1315
bloomrestaurant.com (full schedule)
All shows 7pm 19+. Call for reservations.
Burdock
1184 Bloor St. W. 416-546-4033
burdockto.com
Ticket prices vary by show, but typically
$10-$20; check website for individual show
prices.
Feb 1 6:30pm RedFox, 9:30pm Paddy N’ Rob
+ The Harmony Heroes. Feb 2 6:30pm Sikuris
St. Lawrence, 9:30pm Cold Tea & Marshall
Veroni. Feb 3 9:15pm Thomas Steele Group.
Feb 4 6:30pm Michael Eckert, Christine Bougie,
Joshua Van Tassel & Hugh Marsh. Feb 5
6:30pm Probably Poetry: An Evening of New
Work, 9:30pm Carl Lorusso Jr., Noah Zacharin
& MIP Power Trio. Feb 6 7:30pm Confabulation
presents Good Date / Bad Date,
9:30pm Aerialists with Robert Alan Mackie.
Feb 7 6:30pm Pugs & Crows w/ Sam Tudor.
9:30pm The Techno Hall of Fame & Merival.
Feb 8 9:30pm Sunshine State Album Release.
Feb 9 6:30pm Deep Waters EP Release.
Feb 10 2pm 4 th Ave Initiation Tour 2.0 w/
Aja9, 6:30pm Carly Dow & Madeleine Roger.
Feb 14 and 15 6:30pm Khari Wendell McClelland.
Feb 16 6:30pm Alanna Matty EP Release,
9:30pm Marker Starling Album Release
w/ Sing Leaf. Feb 19 6:30pm Kaili Kinnon.
Feb 20 6:30pm Massey Hall Presents: Martin
Kerr. Feb 23 9:30pm Lula Wiles. Feb 24
6:30pm Lunar Bloom + Jessica Pearson And
The East Wind. Feb 27 9:30pm Abigail Lapell
Beat by Beat | Mainly Clubs, Mostly Jazz!
A Jazz Room
Shout Out
COLIN STORY
As I write this, the temperature is hovering just about zero
degrees Celsius, there is a considerable amount of snow on the
ground, and it is raining. It will continue to rain until tomorrow
morning, apparently, as per the forecast, which is typical of Toronto
between New Year’s Day and the Ides of March: slushy, unpleasant and
thoroughly inconvenient. It isn’t all bad, of course, as such weather
affords us the opportunity to indulge in unique seasonal activities,
such as Snowbank Roulette, in which we try to guess which section
of the ugly pile of once-pristine snow adjoining the crosswalk is solid
enough to step on, and which will give way immediately, soaking
our feet for the rest of the day; Being Uncomfortable All The Time,
in which we attempt to wear the right outfit for the day’s weather
(winter jacket, toque, no gloves, umbrella?) but invariably miss the
mark, resulting in profoundly unpleasant transit experiences; and, my
personal favourite, Never Going To The Grocery Store, as we justify our
daily desire to just order something fun tonight, and, seriously this
time, pick up some real food tomorrow.
Thankfully, February isn’t all wet socks, streetcar woes, and
ballooning Pad Thai-related credit card debt. We are fortunate, in
Southern Ontario, to have some compelling reasons to brave the
outdoors, not least of which are a number of stellar shows taking place
this month, including at Toronto clubs such as The Rex and Burdock.
I’d like to take a moment, however, to highlight the programming
at a different venue: The Jazz Room, located in the Huether Hotel, in
Waterloo. (The Huether Hotel building has existed, in various iterations,
since 1899; check out their website for more interesting historical
information.)
The Jazz Room is a comfortable, oak-heavy listening space, with
consistently great sound courtesy of their in-house engineer. With
shows presented by the Grand River Jazz Society, the Jazz Room
has a mandate “to support exceptional musicians from [their] own
community and to invite talent from elsewhere for local audiences to
hear.” Included in the category of exceptional local musicians is the
Penderecki String Quartet, a well-known group that has performed
worldwide from their home base at Wilfrid Laurier University, where,
since 1991, they have occupied the position of quartet-in-residence.
The PSQ joins two different acts at the Jazz Room this month: the first,
pianist/composer David Braid, has been working with string quartets
for some time; his 2016 JUNO-nominated album Flow features
the Epoque String Quartet. The second act to be joined by the PSQ
at the Jazz Room this month is the duo of Glenn Buhr and Margaret
Sweatman, who will be presenting a “jazz cabaret featuring words and
music with a jazz twist.”
Also at The Jazz Room in February: Pianist Florian Hoefner, who
makes two appearances
in our listings
this month – at The Jazz
Florian Hoefner
Room, on February 22
and, two days earlier,
at The Old Mill’s Home
Smith Bar in Toronto,
on February 20. Born
in Germany, Hoefner
attended the University
of Arts in Berlin before
being admitted to the
MMus program at the
Manhattan School
thewholenote.com February 1 – March 7, 2019 | 57

of Music, where he studied with Jason Moran and Dave Liebman,
amongst other notable names; now, as an adjunct professor in the
music program at Memorial University, he is based in Newfoundland.
Hoefner – part of the collective Subtone, whose album Moose Blues
was reviewed in the November 2018 issue of The WholeNote – is an
accomplished pianist, who performed in Toronto multiple times last
year, as a leader, in trio settings, and as part of Subtone. His appearances
at The Old Mill and The Jazz Room come as part of a threecity
mini-tour and follow a performance at Ottawa’s National Arts
Centre on February 19. Playing in trio format, he will be joined by
drummer Nick Fraser and bassist Jim Vivian in Toronto, and by Fraser
and bassist Andrew Downing in Waterloo. As his choice of collaborators
suggests, Hoefner is a sensitive, communicative pianist, whose
technical prowess is deployed in service to the music he makes; with
a deft, modern touch, he is equally exciting playing ballads as he is
playing up-tempo swing. He typically only makes a couple of trips to
Ontario each year, so take advantage of this opportunity to hear one of
Canada’s most exciting young resident pianists.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention at least one of February’s
Valentine’s Day-themed shows, with the acknowledgment that
Valentine’s Day can inspire very different emotions, depending on a
person’s relationship status, tolerance for public displays of affection
and appetite for subpar grocery-store milk-chocolate products. If you
wish to celebrate your love – or if you don’t, but you’d like to enjoy
an evening of excellent music (and also, perhaps, to glance spitefully
at happy couples) – Jazz Bistro will feature the vocal duo of John
Alcorn and Alex Samaras on February 14 th . Both singers are confident,
experienced students of the Great American Songbook, and they have
performed together at the Bistro on multiple occasions over the past
few years.
For those who definitely want to go out on February 14, but definitely
do not want to see music with a specific Valentine’s Day theme:
don’t worry, as there are some excellent options. Taking place on
February 14 and 15 at Burdock Music Hall, Khari Wendell McClelland
brings his brand-new show We Now Recognize, a new group of songs
“that explores the power of apologies, the nature of community and
the redemptive potential of music.” Touring five Canadian cities in
February in celebration
Khari Wendell McClelland
of Black History Month,
We Now Recognize
is the follow-up to
the Freedom Singer
project, an album and
documentary theatre
musical created by
McClelland, Andrew
Kushnir, and Jodie
Martinson. Freedom
Singer is anchored by
songs that recreate
the music that “fugitive
slaves carried [with them] on their journey north into Canada,”
filtered through McClelland’s background in gospel, hip-hop and folk;
We Now Recognize seems likely to occupy a similar space at the intersection
of music, community, and social justice.
MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZ QUICKPICKS
!!
FEB 7 AND 8, 9:45PM: Claire Daly with Adrean Farrugia, The Rex. New York-based
baritone saxophonist Claire Daly visits The Rex for two nights, joined by pianist Adrean
Farrugia, vocalist Sophia Perlman, bassist Mike Downes, and drummer Ernesto
Cervini.
!!
FEB 14, 9PM: John Alcorn and Alex Samaras, Jazz Bistro. Two top interpreters of
the Great American Songbook, appearing together in celebration of Valentine’s Day.
!!
FEB 14 AND 15, 6:30PM: Khari Wendell McClelland, Burdock Music Hall. Part of a
Canadian tour in celebration of Black History Month, singer Khari Wendell McClelland
brings his new project, We Now Recognize, to Burdock for two consecutive evenings.
!!
FEB 22, 8:30PM: Florian Hoefner Trio, The Jazz Room, Waterloo. From Germany,
by way of New York, modern jazz pianist Florian Hoefner is joined by bassist Andrew
Downing and drummer Nick Fraser for a night of communicative, meaningful music.
Colin Story is a jazz guitarist, writer and teacher based in Toronto.
He can be reached at www.colinstory.com, on Instagram and
on Twitter.
D. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz)
LP Release w/ Bird City. Feb 28 6:30pm and
9:30pm (two shows) Murray A. Lightburn.
Cameron House
408 Queen St. W. 416-703-0811
thecameron.com
Castro’s Lounge
2116 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)
All concerts are PWYC unless otherwise
noted.
Feb 1 9pm Blueswinder. Feb 2 3pm The Hot
Five Jazzmakers, 9pm Jay Dee Band and
Michelle Rubinov. Feb 9 3pm The Hot Five
Jazzmakers. Feb 10 7pm Pale Criminal. Feb 16
3pm The Hot Five Jazzmakers. Feb 23 3pm
The Boxcar Boys.
Dora Keogh
141 Danforth Ave. 416-778-1804
dorakeogh.ca
Winterfolk XVII Blues and Roots Festival
$25 wristband
Feb 23 1pm The Best of Dr. B’s Acoustic Medicine
Show with Steve Raiken, Roger Zuraw,
Josh Walker; 2pm Mike Weidman, Dougal
Bichan, Bill Isen; 3pm Black Suit Devil; 4pm
HOTCHA! & Shake the Bellows; 5pm Lynn
Harrison presents The Bridge with the theme
of Life Stores with Chloe Watkinson and
others; 7pm Howard Gladstone; 8pm Vocal
Jazzercise with Ori Dagan and Simone Morris;
9pm Mr. Rick; 10pm Cassie & Maggie;
11pm Alessia Cohle. Feb 24 1pm Brian Gladstone;
2pm Moscow Apartment; 3pm Sammy
Duke; 4pm Lynda Kraar; 5pm Tragedy Ann;
6pm Dual Guitars and Yorkville Stories with
Mike McKenna and Danny Marks; 7pm The
Guitar Boys of Alderon with Noah Zacharin,
Mr. Rick, and Brian Gladstone; 8pm Americana
Pie with HOTCHA!, Mr. Rick and The
Barrel Boys.
See also The Black Swan and Mambo Lounge.
Emmet Ray, The
924 College St. 416-792-4497
theemmetray.com (full schedule)
All shows: No cover/PWYC
Grossman’s Tavern
379 Spadina Ave. 416-977-7000
grossmanstavern.com (full schedule)
All shows: No cover (unless otherwise noted).
Every Sat 4:30pm The Happy Pals Dixieland
Jazz Jam. Every Sun 4:30pm New Orleans
Connection All Star Band; 10pm Sunday Jam
with Bill Hedefine. Every Wed 10pm Action
Sound Band w/ Leo Valvassori.
Hirut Cafe and Restaurant
2050 Danforth Ave. 416-551-7560
hirut.ca
Every Sunday 3pm Hirut Sundays Open Mic.
First and Third Tuesday 8pm Fingerstyle Guitar
Association.
Dec 7 8pm Marty Harris Jazz Quintet.
Dec 13 8pm Uptown Jazz Swing Band.
Dec 14 8:30pm Jazz of the Americas w/ Don
Naduriak and Friends. Dec 15 8pm Andrea
Kuzmich presents: Holiday Spirit Cabaret.
Dec 20 8pm John Findlay Holiday Jazz &
Blues & Originals. Dec 22 8pm Bruce Cassidy
Jazz Trio. Dec 28 9pm Hirut Hoot Pre-New
Year’s Eve Comedy. Jan 10 8pm Bright Lit, Big
City. Jan 11 8:30pm Jazz of the Americas w/
Don Naduriak and friends. Jan 25 9pm Hirut
Hoot Comedy.
Home Smith Bar – See Old Mill, The
Hugh’s Room
2261 Dundas St. W 416 533 5483
hughsroom.com
All shows at 8:30pm unless otherwise noted.
See website for individual show prices.
Feb 1 Western Swing Authority. Feb 2 8pm
French Squeeze. Feb 5 10am Toronto Ravel
Study, 8:30pm The Ward Cabaret. Feb 7 John
McDermott Ft. Paul Langlois. Feb 8 John
McDermott Ft. Dala. Feb 9 John McDermott
Ft. Chad Matthews. Feb 11 MOXIE. Feb 12 Rory
Block. Feb 14 Wintergarten Orchestra.
Feb 15 Alfie Zappacosta. Feb 17 Willie Nile.
Feb 18 Tim Booth’s Toronto Art Orchestra.
Feb 22 Michael Jerome Browne w/ Harrison
Kennedy. Feb 23 Van Morrison Tribute w/
Matt Weidinger. Feb 24 2pm Ken Whiteley’s
Gospel Brunch, 8:30pm Don Ross: Louder
Than Usual. Feb 25 Romani Jazz. Feb 26 Jeff
Lang.
Jazz Bistro, The
251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299
jazzbistro.ca (full schedule)
Feb 1, 2 9pm Irwin Hall. Feb 6 7pm Lisa Particelli’s
GNO Jazz Jam. Feb 7 8:30pm Colin
Hunter and The Anthony Terpstra Seventet.
Feb 8, 9 8:30pm Colin Hunter and The Joe
Sealy Quartet. Feb 12 7pm Christine & Tom
Sing The Mildly Amusing Songs of Eli Pasic.
Feb 14 9pm Valentine’s Day w/ John Alcorn
and Alex Samaras.
Jazz Room, The
Located in the Huether Hotel, 59 King St. N.,
Waterloo. 226-476-1565
kwjazzroom.com (full schedule)
All shows: 8:30-11:30pm unless otherwise
58 | February 1 – March 7, 2019 thewholenote.com

indicated. Attendees must be 19+. Cover
charge varies (generally $12-$25)
Feb 1 Paul Mitchell and the Jitterbugs.
Feb 2 William Sperandai Quintet. Feb 3 David
Braid + Penderecki Quartet. Feb 7 Steve
McDade Sextet. Feb 8 Glen Buhr and Margaret
Sweatman + Penderecki Quartet.
Feb 9 Robi Botos Trio. Feb 15 Derek Hines
Quartet. Feb 16 Richard Whiteman Quartet.
Feb 22 Florian Hoefner Trio. Feb 23 Steve
D’Angelo Quintet.
Lula Lounge
1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307
lula.ca (full schedule)
Every Fri 7:30pm Afterwork Global Party
Series free before 8pm; Every Fri 10:30pm
Havana Club Fridays $15; Every Sat 10:30pm
Salsa Saturdays $15.
Feb 4 6:30pm Launch of Socialist Register
2019: The World Turned Upside Down.
Feb 5 6:30pm Book Launch: Managing Without
Growth. Feb 7 6:30pm Lorraine Klaasen
w/ Special Guests. Feb 10 12pm Lula’s Drag
Brunch Extravaganza. Feb 10 6:30pm The
Heart of a Man. Feb 11 6:30pm The Jazz-
Poetry Exchange. Feb 12, 13 6:30pm Spectacle
Cabaret. Feb 14 Valentine’s Day w/
Payadora Tango Ensemble + special guest
Elbio Fernandez. Feb 17 7pm The Salida Project
CD Release Party. Feb 19 6:30pm Richard
Herfeld and Sascha Kommer: An Evening of
The American Songbook. Feb 23 12pm African
Dancing and Drumming Workshop In
French (free). Feb 24 4pm Projeto Forrobodó.
Mambo Lounge
120 Danforth Ave. 416-778-7004.
mambolounge.ca
Winterfolk XVII Blues and Roots Festival
$25 wristband
Feb 22 7pm Black Suit Devil; 8pm Maggie &
Mr. Rogers; 9pm Emilyn Stam & John David
Williams; 10pm Alana & Leigh Cline; 11pm
Simone Morris. Feb 23 1pm David McLachlan;
2pm Sammy Duke; 3pm Moscow Apartment;
4pm Steve Raiken; 5pm Tragedy Ann; 6pm
Doris Folkens; 7pm Evaristo Machado; 8pm
Donné Roberts; 9pm Alfie Smith; 10pm Lynda
Kraar; 11pm Glen Hornblast; Feb 24 1pm Peter
Verity; 2pm Harpin’ Norm Lucien; 3pm Ken
Yoshioka & Donné Roberts; 4pm Howard
Gladstone; 5pm TBA; 6pm Sue & Dwight; 7pm
Ori Dagan; 8pm The Lifers; 9pm Q&A with
Tony Quarrington and Zoe Adams.
See also The Black Swan and Dora Keogh.
Manhattans Pizza Bistro & Music Club
951 Gordon St., Guelph 519-767-2440
manhattans.ca (full schedule)
All shows: PWYC.
Every Tue Open Stage hosted by Paul and
Jamie.
Mây Cafe
876 Dundas St. W. 647-607-2032
maytoronto.com (full schedule)
Mezzetta Restaurant
681 St. Clair Ave. W. 416-658-5687
mezzettarestaurant.com (full schedule)
Every Wed 9 & 10:15pm Wednesday Concert
Series.
Monarch Tavern
12 Clinton St. 416-531-5833
D. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz)
themonarchtavern.com (full schedule)
Feb 1 8:30pm The Lay Awakes w/ Drew
Brown, David Krystal. Feb 5 8pm Belleville-
Ville. Feb 11 7:30pm Martin Loomer & His
Orange Devils Orchestra. Feb 15 9pm Yellow
Magnolia, Feather Weight, Hollow Graves.
N’awlins 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 The Jim Heineman Trio. Every Thur
8pm Nothin’ But the Blues with Joe Bowden.
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)
Live jazz and dinner, $45 per person. Dinner
from 6pm and music from 7pm to 9pm.
Feb 13 Paper Moon Duo (Tony Quarrington &
Zoey Adam).
Old Mill, The
21 Old Mill Rd. 416-236-2641
oldmilltoronto.com (full schedule)
The Home Smith Bar: No reservations. No
cover. $20 food/drink minimum. All shows:
7:30-10:30pm unless otherwise listed.
Feb 1 Canadian Jazz Quartet & Friends.
Feb 2 Eliana Cuevas Trio. Feb 5 Gene DiNovi.
Feb 6 Avery Cantello Blues Band. Feb 7 John
Sherwood Quartet. Feb 8 Genevieve Marentette
Trio. Feb 9 Brian Blain’s Blues Campfire
Jam. Feb 13 John MacLeod + 3. Feb 14 Cal
Dodd & The Tom Szczesniak Trio. Feb 15 Steve
Amirault Trio. Feb 16 Neil Swainson Trio.
Feb 20 Florian Hoefner Trio. Feb 22 Kathleen
Gorman Quartet. Feb 23 Griffith/Hiltz Quartet.
Feb 27 Russ Little Quartet. Feb 28 Bob
DeAngelis & Friends.
Only Café, The
972 Danforth Ave. 416-463-7843
theonlycafe.com (full schedule)
Pilot Tavern, The
22 Cumberland Ave. 416-923-5716
thepilot.ca
All shows: 3pm. No cover.
Feb 2 Jim Gelcer Quartet. Feb 9 Jake Koffman
Quartet. Feb 16 Steve Amirault Quartet.
Feb 23 Landen Vieira Quartet.
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)
Reservoir Lounge, The
52 Wellington St. E. 416-955-0887
reservoirlounge.com (full schedule).
Every Tue & Sat, 8:45pm Tyler Yarema
and his Rhythm. Every Wed 9pm The Digs.
Every Thurs 9:45pm Stacey Kaniuk. Every
Fri 9:45pm 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.
Feb 1 4pm Hogtown Syncopators, 6:30pm
Amanda Tosoff, 9:45pm Raoul and the BIG-
GER Time. Feb 2 12pm Sinners Choir, 3:30pm
Paul Reddick Blues, 7pm Neon Eagle, 9:45pm
Dave Young / Terry Promane Octet. Feb 3
12pm Excelsior Dixieland Jazz Band, 3:30pm
Club Django, 7pm Boogaloo Squad, 9:30pm
Tim Hamel Quintet. Feb 4 6:30pm U of T Jazz
Ensembles, 9:30pm Mike Murley & The Jazz
Mechanics. Feb 5 6:30pm Lauren Falls Quartet,
9:30pm Bill Todd Trio. Feb 6 6:30pm
Trevor Giancola Quartet, 9:30pm Nick Teehan
Group. Feb 7 6:30pm Noam Lemish Trio +,
9:45pm Claire Daly w/ Adrean Farrugia. Feb 8
4pm Hogtown Syncopators, 6:30pm Amanda
Tosoff, 9:45pm Claire Daly w/ Adrean Farrugia.
Feb 9 12pm Sinners Choir, 3:30pm Laura
Hubert Group, 7pm Neon Eagle, 9:45pm Howard
Moore & The Vipers. Feb 10 12pm Excelsior
Dixieland Jazz Band, 3:30pm Red Hot
Ramble, 7pm Boogaloo Squad, 9:30pm Ethio-
Jazz Project. Feb 11 6:30pm U of T Jazz
Ensembles, 9:30pm Ben Edgecombe & Super
Breakfast. Feb 12 6:30pm Lauren Falls Quartet,
9:30pm Classic Rex Jazz Jam. Feb 13
6:30pm Trevor Giancola Quartet, 9:30pm
Tom Richards’ The Big Butter & Egg Men.
Feb 14 6:30pm Noam Lemish Trio +, 9:30pm
Marika Galea Group. Feb 15 4pm Hogtown
Syncopators, 6:30pm Amanda Tosoff, 9:45pm
Griffith/Hiltz Trio. Feb 16 12pm Sinners Choir,
3:30pm George Lake Big Band, 7pm Neon
Eagle, 9:45pm Jeremy Ledbetter. Feb 17 12pm
Excelsior Dixieland Jazz Band, 3:30pm Red
Hot Ramble, 7pm Boogaloo Squad, 9:30pm
Ethio-Jazz Project. Feb 18 6:30pm U of T
Jazz Ensembles, 9:30pm Chris Hunt Tentet
+2. Feb 19 9:30pm Classic Rex Jazz Jam.
Feb 20 6:30pm Trevor Giancola Quartet,
9:30pm Kurt Nielsen Trio. Feb 21 6:30pm
Noam Lemish Trio +, 9:45pm Dave Turner
Quartet. Feb 22 4pm Hogtown Syncopators,
6:30pm Amanda Tosoff, 9:45pm Dave Turner
Quartet. Feb 23 12pm Sinners Choir, 3:30pm
Competitions
●●Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater
Toronto. CCC Toronto Piano and Violin Competition
2019. Competition dates: Feb 21-28.
Gala Concert and Award Ceremony at 2pm on
E. The ETCeteras
Conor Gains, 7pm Neon Eagle, 9:30pm Bernie
Senensky Group. Feb 24 12pm Excelsior
Dixieland Jazz Band, 3:30pm Heavy on the
Willie, 7pm Boogaloo Squad, 9:30pm Barry
Romberg Quartet. Feb 25 6:30pm U of T Jazz
Ensembles, 9:30pm John MacLeod’s Rex
Hotel Orchestra. Feb 26 6:30pm Lauren Falls
Quartet, 9:30pm Classic Rex Jazz Jam. Feb 27
6:30pm Trevor Giancola Quartet, 9:30pm
Vaughan Misener Trio. Feb 28 6:30pm Noam
Lemish Trio +, 9:30pm Suyun Kim Memorial
Concert & Humber Fundraiser.
Salty Dog Bar & Grill, The
1980 Queen St. E. 416-849-5064
thesaltydog.ca (full schedule)
Every Tue 7-10pm Jazz Night. Every
Thu 8:30pm Karaoke. Every Fri 9:30pm
Blues Jam - house band with weekly featured
guest. Every Sat 3pm Salty Dog Saturday
Matinée.
Sauce on Danforth
1376 Danforth Ave. 647-748-1376
sauceondanforth.com
All shows: No cover.
Every Mon 9pm Gareth Parry’s Book Club.
Every Tue 6pm Julian Fauth. Every Wed Paul
Reddick & Friends. Every Thu 8pm Steve
Koven and Artie Roth. Sat and Sun Matinees
4pm various performers.
The Senator WineBar
249 Victoria St 416 364-7517
thesenator.com (full schedule)
All shows with $10 cover charge ($5 after
10pm arrival, free after 11pm arrival)
Tranzac
292 Brunswick Ave. 416-923-8137
tranzac.org (full schedule)
3-4 shows daily, various styles, in four different
performance spaces. Mostly PWYC.
Kingston. (Snow date March 2nd, in case of
storm.) Transport available from downtown
Kingston. Tickets $60, available on Snapd, at
Novel Idea, St George’s Cathedral Office, Long
& McQuade, and through our website:
melos-earlymusic.org. Information from the
website or by email at meloskingston@gmail.com
or by phone at 613-767-7245.
Lectures, Salons and Symposia
●●Feb 01 3:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music.
Music Graduate Colloquium. Eva Saether,
Lund University, Sweden. “Habitus Crises,
Politics of Diversity, and Sensuous Scholarship:
When Music Asks the Questions.” Talbot
College, Room 101. For FAQ, parking and other
useful patron information visit music.uwo.ca/
events/useful-information.html. Western University,
London. Admission is free, and all are
welcome to attend.
●●Feb 01 5:00: Canadian Opera Company.
Youth Opera Lab: Costumes and Wigs. For
teens and young adults aged 16 to 24 offering
an opportunity to dissect and explore an
opera being presented on the COC’s mainstage.
Led by opera educator Bryna Berezowska
and special guests, participants will
focus on the costumes and wigs that appear
in the COC’s production of Così fan tutte. No
thewholenote.com February 1 – March 7, 2019 | 59

Apr 14 at P.C. Ho Theatre, 5183 Sheppard Ave.
E. For details, visit cccmusicfestival.com or
call 416-292-9293 x229.
●●International Music Festival and Competition.
Piano, voice, guitar, harp, strings, woodwinds,
brass, conducting, and composition.
Competition dates: May 23-June 2, at Cornell
Recital Hall 3201 Bur Oak Ave., Markham.
Application deadline: April 12. For details, visit
intermusic.ca or contact 905-604-8854 or
office@intermusic.ca
●●Yip’s Music Festival Competition. Piano,
violin, musical theatre, and chamber music.
Competition dates: Apr 13-14, 27-28, May 4-5.
Application deadline: Feb 19. For details, visit
ymf.yips.com or call 905-948-9477 x2211.
Film Screenings
●●Feb 07 7:30: FirstOntario Performing Arts
Centre. Alicia Svigals: The Yellow Ticket. Live
score for a screening of the 1918 silent film
The Yellow Ticket featuring Pola Negri. Alicia
Svigals, composer/violin; Marilyn Lerner,
piano. 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-
688-0722. $35; $30(member); $25(st).
●●Feb 11 6:30: Toronto International Film
Festival. Divine: A Jessye Norman Tribute.
The Tales of Hoffman (1951), directed
by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.
TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. W. 1-888-599-
8433. $14; $11.50(sr/st); $10(child/youth).
●●Feb 12 8:30: Toronto International Film
Festival. Divine: A Jessye Norman Tribute.
Jessye Norman Sings Carmen (1989), director
Albert Maysles’ behind-the-scenes documentary
of Norman’s recording of Bizet’s
opera with conductor Seiji Ozawa; followed
by Oedipus Rex (1993), director Julie Taymor’s
theatrical adaptation of Stravinsky’s operaoratorio
featuring Jessye Norman as Jocasta.
TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. W. 1-888-599-
8433. $14; $11.50(sr/st); $10(child/youth).
●●Feb 13 6:30: Toronto International Film
Festival. Divine: A Jessye Norman Tribute.
Diva (1981), an exhilarating fusion of
high culture and pulp thriller directed by
Jean-Jacques Beineixta. TIFF Bell Lightbox,
350 King St. W. 1-888-599-8433. $14;
$11.50(sr/st); $10(child/youth).
●●Feb 26 6:30: Royal Conservatory of Music.
E. The ETCeteras
Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds:
The Conductor Zubin Mehta. Germany, 2016,
98 min. Filled with stirring performances
and interviews with friends, family, and colleagues,
this is a dazzling tribute to the international
career of musical maestro Zubin
Mehta. On his 80th birthday, join his son Mervon
Mehta, Executive Director of Performing
Arts at The Royal Conservatory, for a magnificent
tribute to one of the world’s greatest living
conductors. Q&A hosted by well-known
critic and teacher William Littler with Mervon
Mehta. Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema,
506 Bloor St. W. Tickets at the Hot Docs Ted
Rogers Cinema box office or at hotdocscinema.ca.
$17 each (Members: $12/$10/Free).
Galas and Fundraisers
●●Feb 02 2:00: Amadeus Choir. Songs From a
Celtic Heart Annual Fundraising Event. Jubilee
United Church, 40 Underhill Dr. amadeuschoir.com.
For tickets: 416-446-0188. $50,
$40, $25, $5 off on tickets purchased before
Jan 15. Also at 7pm.
●●Feb 16 4:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre.
Doyle à la Carte Part II. Music from Gilbert &
Sullivan operas. Henry Ingram, MC. Edward
Jackman Centre, 947 Queen St. E., 2nd Floor.
416-366-7723. $45. Cabaret-style fundraising
concert.
●●Feb 17 7:00: Gallery 345/New Music Concerts.
New Music Concerts Special Non-subscription
Event: An Evening with Moritz Ernst.
Stockhausen: Klavierstück X; and works by
Mike Egerton, Arthur Lourié, Miklos Maros,
and Sandeep Bhagwati. Moritz Ernst, piano.
Gallery 345, 345 Sorauren Ave. 416-961-9594.
$100/2 for $150. Reservations required.
Includes door prizes and refreshments. Proceeds
to benefit New Music Concerts; charitable
receipts for CRA allowable portion.
●●Mar 01 7:30: Melos. Venetian Carnevale
Fundraiser. Join Melos in Baroque Venice for a
raucous evening of music, drama, food, drink
and all-round revelry while helping to support
Melos’ ongoing educational outreach and
excellent period performances! Silent auction
featuring art and music lessons, gift packages,
weekend getaways in Prince Edward County,
and more! Italo-Canadian Club, 1174 Italia Lane,
previous experience with opera is necessary.
Participants are selected based on
the interest and relevance demonstrated in
their online applications. Four Seasons Centre
for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W.
(at University Ave.). Participate in the lab and
you will receive two free tickets to the dress
rehearsal of Così fan tutte on Sunday, Feb 3.
To apply, complete the application available at
coc.ca/YOL or e-mail education@coc.ca for
more information.
●●Feb 12 6:30: Toronto International Film
Festival. In Conversation with…Jessye Norman.
This in-depth conversation between
Jessye Norman and Canadian Opera Company
general director Alexander Neef will
focus on Ms. Norman’s tremendous career
in opera, her own experience in film, and the
ability of gifted filmmakers to translate the
operatic art form into the medium of cinema.
TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. W. 1-888-599-
8433. $23.75; $19.25(sr/st).
●●Feb 12 7:30: Toronto Duke Ellington Society.
General Meeting. Jack Chambers will
make a presentation titled “The Human Voice
Is Not Disdained”. An evening of vocals and
special songs taken from Ellington’s vast
works. Montgomery’s Inn, 4709 Dundas St.
W., Etobicoke. For further information, visit
torontodukeellingtonsociety.com or call 416-
239-2683. Membership is $35(single) or
$50(couple). First visit is free.
●●Feb 14 7:00: Canadian Opera Company.
Opera Insights: Fashion and Fantasy - Costumes
and Wigs. Costume Supervisor Sandra
Corazza and Wig and Make-Up Supervisor
Sharon Ryman share how they balance
unbridled imagination with stage and historic
requirements to bring the director’s vision
to life. Education Centre, Four Seasons Centre
for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W.
(at University Ave.). Reserve free tickets in
advance by visiting coc.ca/operainsights or
calling the COC Box Office at 416-363-8231.
●●Feb 16 11am-5pm: Toronto Reference
Library. Black Opera: Uncovering Music History.
Presented in partnership with the Glenn
Gould Foundation, this symposium traces the
heroic struggles of pioneering artists of African
origin to enter the operatic world, their
fight for acceptance and recognition, their
triumphs and accomplishments. This event is
part of a week of celebrations in Toronto for
Jessye Norman, winner of the Twelfth Glenn
Gould Prize.
11am-11:30am: Opening concert with soprano
Nadine Anyan, soprano; Tristan Scott, tenor;
Korin Thomas-Smith, baritone; and Angela
Park, piano.
11:30-12:30: Black Voices in the Opera. A conversation
between Dr. Naomi André (University
of Michigan) and Dr. Gregory Hopkins
(Artistic Director of the Harlem Opera Theatre),
moderated by Dr. Melanie Zeck (Centre
for Black Musical Research, Columbia
College) Inspired by Dr. André’s book Black
Opera, this conversation on the history of
black opera will explore how artists and composers
have used opera to reclaim black
people’s place in history.
1:00-2:00: Three Scenes from Black Opera
That Changed the History of Music. Gregory
Hopkins will present a selection of key performances
from the history of Black Opera.
2:30-3:30: Not Your music: A Conversation
on Cultural Appropriation. Robert Harris and
Naomi André discuss cultural appropriation
in the opera and the performing arts, and
explore recent examples.
3:45-4:00: Second concert. Presented by the
Glenn Gould Foundation.
4:00-4:45: 12th Glenn Gould Prize Laureate:
Jessye Norman. A Conversation with Jessye
Norman About Her Life in Opera.
All events are at the Toronto Reference
Library, Bram & Bluma Appel Salon,
789 Yonge St. 416-393-7175. This day of events
is free, but you must register to attend. Please
call 416-393-7175 for further information.
●●Feb 24 2:00: Classical Music Club Toronto.
Masaaki Suzuki’s Bach. A major recording
project of the 21st century was completed
in 2014: a 55-volume set of the complete
church cantatas of Bach by the Bach Collegium
Japan led by its founder and conductor
Masaaki Suzuki. We will experience
a selection of audio and video performances
from his vast recorded legacy. For further
information, visit classicalmusicclubtoronto.
org or contact John Sharpe at 416-898-2549
or torontoshi@sympatico.ca. Annual membership:
$25(regular); $10(sr/st). Free for
Piano, Voice, Guitar, Harp
Strings, Woodwinds, Brass
Conducting, Composition
Awards, Prizes and Scolarships
Recitals, Concerts, Workshops
Career advancement
Marketing and promotions
JURORS
Christina Petrowska-Quilico (YorkU), Dr. Lynn Kuo
Gary Kulesha (UofT), Dr. Jeffrey McFadden (UofT)
Leslie Newman (UofT), Dr. Michael Berkovsky (RCM)
Kristian Alexander, Andrew Ascenzo, Andrea Ludwig
Dr. Teresa Suen-Campbell, Michael Fedyshyn
InterMusic.ca | 905.604.8854 | office@InterMusic.ca
Don’t miss the opportunity!
60 | February 1 – March 7, 2019 thewholenote.com

first-time visitors. Donations accepted for
refreshments.
●●Mar 01 7:00: Yorkminster Park Speakers
Series. Rites of Passion: The St. Matthew
Passion by J.S. Bach. A lecture by musicologist
Rick Phillips. Yorkminster Park Church,
1585 Yonge St. Admission is $10 or PWYC.
Visit ypspeakersseries.com.
●●Mar 04 7:30: Confluence. Walter Unger
Memorial Salon. Words and music in a warm
space, featuring a short lecture by Canadian
composer and historian John Beckwith on
his long association and friendship with the
great Hungarian-Canadian composer Istvan
Anhalt (1919–2012). The Shaftesbury Atrium,
21 Shaftesbury Ave. $25 at the door or preorder
at bemusednetwork.com/events/
detail/611.
Masterclasses
●●Feb 01 10:00am: Royal Conservatory Violin
Masterclass. Led by Jinjoo Cho. Mazzoleni
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. Free admission. All are
welcome to attend. For further information
visit rcmusic.ca. Also at 2pm.
●●Feb 15 3:00: University of Toronto. Jessye
Norman Master Class. Jessye Norman,
John R. Stratton Visitor in Music, is one of the
world’s most celebrated performing artists
and a passionate advocate of arts education.
Ms. Norman will lead a rare public 3-hour
masterclass for Voice and Opera students
from University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music.
The masterclass is open to the public. University
of Toronto, Faculty of Music, Walter Hall,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. Free general
admission.
Readings
●●Feb 14 7:00: The Music Gallery, Public
Recordings, A Different Booklist and Art
Metropole. today with all its hopes and sorrows:
a reading by IONE. Composer Pauline
Oliveros’ long-time collaborator and spouse:
author, director, and text-sound artist IONE. A
Different Booklist, 770 Bathurst St. 416-538-
0889. $7 or PWYC. No advance tickets, pay at
the door only.
Sing-alongs, Jams, Circles
●●Feb 02 12:30: Recollectiv. Rekindling and
rediscovering joy through music for people
with memory challenges. Southern Cross
Room, Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Ave. Free
with advance registration at recollectiv.ca/
participate. Also Feb 9, 16, 23, Mar 2.
Tours
●●Feb 03 10:30am: Canadian Opera Company.
90-Minute Tour of the Four Seasons
Centre. Led by a trained docent. Includes
information and access to the Isadore and
Rosalie Sharp City Room, the Richard Bradshaw
Amphitheatre and R. Fraser Elliott Hall,
as well as backstage areas such as the wig
rooms and dressing rooms, the orchestra
pit, and other spaces that only a stage door
pass could unlock. Four Seasons Centre for
the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-
363-8231. coc.ca. $20(adults); $15(sr/st). Also
Feb 10 and Mar 3. A tour is available in French
on Feb 17.
Workshops
●●Feb 02 9:30am: Don Wright Faculty of
Music. Music Education Teacher Workshop:
Eva Saether. Join us for a series of music education
workshops (open to teachers) presented
by the Music Education Department at
the Don Wright Faculty of Music. For the complete
schedule and information about other
music education workshops, visit the Music
Education Workshops webpage. Western
University, Talbot College, Room 307, London.
●●Feb 02 10:30am: Toronto Mendelssohn
Choir. Singsation Saturday Choral Workshop.
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir Associate Conductor
Ezra Burke presents Songs of Milk and
Honey, a sing through of music drawn from
the Hebraic tradition, including excerpts from
Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Handel’s Israel in Egypt
and contemporary works. Bring your voice,
we provide the music. Cameron Hall, Yorkminster
Park Baptist Church. 1585 Yonge St.
More info at tmchoir.org/singsation-saturdays/.
$10 fee includes refreshments.
●●Feb 03 1:30: Toronto Early Music Players
Organization. Workshop coached by viol
player Elin Søderstrom. St. Leonard’s Church,
Canon Dykes Memorial Room, 25 Wanless
Ave. Bring your early instruments and a music
stand. 416-779-5750. tempotoronto.net. $20.
●●Feb 07 9:00: Moodset. Live Writing Project.
Combining elements of both a workshop
and showcase, the Live Writing Project
brings the creative process to the forefront
for an interactive evening. Moodset, a jazz
and R&B collaborative quintet comprised of
students and alumni from the University of
Toronto’s jazz performance program, will create
new arrangements based on suggestions
provided by the audience. Moodset is Alexa
Belgrave, keyboards; Jacqueline The, vocals;
Madeleine Ertel, trumpet; Caleb Klager, bass;
and Mackenzie Read, drums. Yauca’s Lounge,
755 Dovercourt Rd. Tickets: $10. For more
information, visit torontojazz.com.
●●Feb 08 7:30: Toronto Recorder Players
Society. Renaissance and Baroque
Workshop for Recorders and Other Early
APPLY TODAY!
TAFELMUSIK BAROQUE
SUMMER INSTITUTE
JUNE 2–15, 2019 TORONTO, CANADA
An intensive 14-day residency in instrumental
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Deadline: March 1, 2019
tafelmusik.org/TBSI
TAFELMUSIK BAROQUE
SUMMER INSTITUTE SPONSOR
YIP’S
Music Festival
COMPETITION
$10,000 in trophies
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2019 Competition Dates:
Apr 13/14, 27/28, May 4/5
Application Deadline:
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(905) 948-YIPS (9477) x2211
Celebrating Today’s Talent
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RITES OF PASSION –
THE ST. MATTHEW PASSION
BY J. S. BACH
A LECTURE BY
RICK PHILLIPS
Writer and broadcaster
Friday, March 1, 2019 | 7:00pm
Yorkminster Park Church
Admission: $10 or ‘pay what you can’ at the door.
Offering continuing education
lectures by outstanding
speakers on topics of general
interest to the wider community
CAMERON HALL
Yorkminster Park Church
1585 Yonge Street
(2 blocks north of St. Clair Ave.)
For more information visit
ypspeakersseries.com
thewholenote.com February 1 – March 7, 2019 | 61

E. The ETCeteras
Instruments. Mount Pleasant Road Baptist
Church, 527 Mount Pleasant Rd. (entrance
off Belsize). 416-480-1853. rpstoronto.ca.
Guests: $15. Refreshments included.
●●Feb 09 9:30am: St. Paul’s Anglican Church.
Hymn Writing Workshop. Led by Dr. Lydia
Pedersen, BA, Mus.Bac., M.Ed., D.Min. St.
Paul’s Anglican Church, 59 Toronto St. S.,
Uxbridge. For information call 905-852-
7016. $20.
●●Feb 09 2:00: Dr. Penny Johnson. Piano Listening
for Kids. Comparative listening, guided
discussion and other activities designed to
develop a sense of independent investigation
and personal curiosity at the piano. This
program is for piano students and those
interested in the piano. Recommended for
ages 11-17. Log Cabin at the Bradley Museum,
1620 Orr Rd., Mississauga. For information
call 647-457-0208. $25 registration fee per
student.
●●Feb 15 12:30: Canadian Opera Company.
Exploring Opera. For families with children
of all ages. Explore an opera in the COC’s
2018/19 season through accessible music
and drama activities. This one-hour workshop
focuses on Così fan tutte by Mozart. No
previous experience with opera or the performing
arts is required. Education Centre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. (at University Ave.). Reserve
free tickets in advance by visiting coc.ca/EO.
●●Feb 16 1:00: The Music Gallery and
918 Bathurst. Sounding Difference: Anne
Bourne + special guest IONE. This event is
a continuation of The Music Gallery’s celebration
of Pauline Oliveros’ Deep Listening
practices. As part of the weekend’s programming,
Anne Bourne will impart Oliveros’ Text
Scores, and with plain words, invite participants
to an experience of shared creative
expression. This event features IONE as special
guest. The Music Gallery, 918 Bathurst St.
The event is free, but requires registration at
eventbrite.com/e/sounding-differencelistening-and-sounding-the-text-scoresof-pauline-oliveros-tickets-53877074781.
The event is currently at capacity but we
will reopen the registration process a week
before the event.
●●Feb 17 2:00: CAMMAC Toronto Region.
Mendelssohn: Magnificat in D and Vaughan
Williams: Toward the Unknown Region. Reading
for singers and instrumentalists. Jennifer
Lee, conductor. Christ Church Deer
Park,1570 Yonge St. 647-458-0213. $10;
$6(members).
●●Mar 01 7:30: Toronto Recorder Players
Society. Renaissance and Baroque Workshop
for Recorders and Other Early Instruments.
Mount Pleasant Road Baptist Church,
527 Mount Pleasant Rd. (entrance off Belsize).
416-480-1853. rpstoronto.ca. Guests:
$15. Refreshments included.
●●Mar 03 1:30: Toronto Early Music Players
Organization. Workshop coached by
recorder player Femke Bergsma. Armour
Heights Community Centre, 2140 Avenue Rd.
Bring your early instruments and a music
stand. 416-779-5750. tempotoronto.net. $20.
62 | February 1 – March 7, 2019 thewholenote.com

WholeNote CLASSIFIEDS can help you
recruit new members for your choir, band
or orchestra; find a new music director or
accompanist; sell your banjo! Starting at only
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AUDITIONS & EMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITIES
Available pro bono positions with the KINDRED
SPIRITS ORCHESTRA: Oboe, Bassoon, Horn,
Trumpet, Violins, Violas, Violoncellos and
Contrabasses. For information, visit KSOchestra.
ca or email GM@KSOrchestra.ca
OPENINGS AVAILABLE FOR TENOR
AND BASS CHORISTERS for April 27
performance of Mozart Requiem and
excerpts from Magic Flute at St. Andrew’s
Church with Oakham House Choir and
Toronto Sinfonietta. Rehearsals Mondays,
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www.oakhamchoir.ca.
BUY & SELL
CLASSICAL RECORD AND CD COLLECTIONS
WANTED. Minimum 350 units. Call, text or
e-mail Aaron 416-471-8169 or A@A31.CA.
FRENCH HORN: double horn in excellent
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to practice your sight-singing skills? Or need
a little help learning your notes or rhythms?
Or experience the joy of singing duets?
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available Monday-Saturday afternoons.
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LESSONS FOR ALL! Friendly and firm - I’m
an experienced musician and mom teaching
piano and singing to children (and the
young at heart) in my Toronto home (East
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music-making please contact
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MUSIC LESSONS IN WEST TORONTO in a
relaxed and friendly environment. Piano,
bass, guitar, ukelele, banjo and voice.
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ACCOUNTING AND INCOME TAX SERVICE
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thewholenote.com February 1 – March 7, 2019 | 63

2019 SUMMER
MUSIC
EDUCATION
DIRECTORY
EARLY BIRD
EDITION
While we’re still in the thick of winter, why not
start planning your summer musical activities?
We’ll publish our annual Summer Music
Education directory in the March issue
as usual, but some programs have early
application deadlines, and a profile in March
would be too late to be helpful for potential
participants. So, as a prelude to the March
directory, we present below a few summer
programs with deadlines in February or
early March.
The full up-to-date directory is available
year-round at www.thewholenote.com/
resources
●●
Domaine Forget International
Music and Dance Academy
St-Irénée, Charlevoix, Quebec, Canada
June 2 to August 18
Contact: Rachel Tremblay
418-452-8111
admission@domaineforget.com
www.domaineforget.com
Deadline: February 15
Cost: Depending on session and duration of stay
Residential program
!!
Domaine Forget is an academy of music and dance recognized internationally
for its outstanding quality of instruction. It is here, on the
heights of Saint-Irénée in the magnificent Charlevoix region, that some
500 young students from around the world gather every summer. On the
program: masterclasses, individual lessons, chamber music, lectures,
special workshops and concerts for every taste.
●●Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute
Faculty of Music, University of Toronto
June 2 to 15, 2019
Contact: Laëtitia Lancellotta
416-964-9562 x241
tbsi@tafelmusik.org
www.tafelmusik.org
Deadline: March 1
Cost: $1,395
Residential 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. Since its
inception in 2002, TBSI has continued to attract high-calibre musicians
from far and wide. Consider joining an amazing group of musicians to
delve into the world of baroque music: we promise you an intensive learning
experience, and lots of wonderful music-making.
The TBSI program includes orchestra and choir rehearsals, masterclasses
in solo repertoire, chamber ensembles, opera scene study for vocalists,
private lessons, lectures and workshops, classes in baroque dance and
public concerts by both participants and faculty.
Tuckamore Festival Young Artist Program
●●Tuckamore Festival Young Artist Program
St. John’s, NL
August 5 to 18
Contact: Krista Vincent
709-330-4599
info@tuckamorefestival.ca
www.tuckamorefestival.ca
Deadline: February 15
Cost: $1,100 + accommodations
Residential program
!!
Each August in historic St. John’s, the Tuckamore Festival brings together
aspiring young string players and pianists, aged 16 and over, for an
immersive two-week chamber music program. In addition to providing
professional-level performance opportunities, workshops, masterclasses
and private and small-group coaching by award-winning faculty and
guest artists, the festival offers participants a chance to experience the
cultural heritage of this unique region of Canada. Participants stay on the
64 | February 2019 thewholenote.com

WE ARE ALL MUSIC’S CHILDREN
NEW CONTEST
Who is
MARCH’s Child?
MJ BUELL
Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute
Memorial University campus, just a short walk from colourful downtown
St. John’s and organized trips outside the city are offered. Scholarships are
also available for successful applicants. Guest artists for 2019 include the
Parker Quartet, Bergmann Piano Duo, Erika Raum and Duo Concertante.
●●Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute
Vancouver, BC
June 24 to July 3
Contact: Ryan Kett
604-684-9100 x246
info@vsoinstitute.ca
www.vsoinstitute.ca
Deadline: March 3
Cost: $1,350
Residential program
!!
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute, on the exquisite oceanfront
campus of the University of British Columbia, offers young musicians
an experience and education like no other. Students are immersed
in a collaborative musical environment, mentored by musicians of the
Grammy & Juno Award-winning VSO and music director Otto Tausk. At
the VSOI, students participate in the Institute Orchestra, chamber music,
masterclasses, and a variety of exceptional performance opportunities.
Playing and learning in the breathtaking, arts-rich surroundings of the
city of Vancouver, your time at the VSOI will be an unforgettable musical
experience close to nature, a world-class orchestra, and outstanding
young musicians from around the world. Ages 15-25. Concerto Competition.
Conducting residencies.
SUMMER MUSIC EDUCATION
DIRECTORY MARCH 2019
Deadline for submissions: February 8, 2019
Does your organisation have summer
programs that you’d like us to include in the
March directory?
Contact karen@thewholenote.com or
416-323-2232 x26
Circa 1959 in Heelsum, Holland with bows in her hair,
not her hand.
Today she has three of them named Dodd,
Louis Emilio, and Bouman.
No more pigtails these days – she favours silk
scarves, hand-painted by her sister, and shoes
from Paris.
In the same chair at the same musical table since
1981, she’s looking forward to a feast of passionate
Bach with Matthew in March, followed by some happy
Haydn-go-seek with Jeanne in April (and beyond).
CIRCLE THESE DATES:
March 21-24, April 25-28.
Know our Mystery Child’s name? WIN PRIZES!
Send your best guess by February 22 to
musicschildren@thewholenote.com
Previous artist profiles and full-length interviews
can be read at thewholenote.com/musicschildren
thewholenote.com February 2019 | 65

DISCOVERIES | RECORDINGS REVIEWED
DAVID OLDS
One of the most memorable moments while courting my wife
Sharon was one evening visiting my friend Sheryl’s mom’s
farm in Bowmanville on a warm August summer night back in
1979 or 80. The occasion was a birthday party for one of Sheryl’s
brothers – a tradition carried on to this day, now with the most
incredible live music gatherings in Sheryl and Brian’s backyard
overlooking Musselman Lake. It has become a multigenerational affair
and a great time is always had by young and old and everyone in
between. But it is that first occasion which has stuck with me over all
these years, specifically the visceral experience of hearing Led
Zeppelin’s Kashmir blasting out from an incredible sound system set
up across farm fields more than a quarter of a mile away. From then
on Kashmir became an anthem of sorts for Sharon and me. Since that
time I have heard a vast array of interpretations of that iconic work in
any number of instrumental combinations. Some of the most effective
have been cello ensemble performances, a formation close to my
heart, but I must say as impressive as they have been, none hold a
candle to the original.
These thoughts came to me when I put
on the latest release from Canadian cellist
Margaret Maria – Heroines in Harmony
(enchanten.com), which won a silver medal
at the Global Music Awards in 2018 – not
because it includes the Led Zeppelin classic
– it doesn’t – but because of the sheer power
of the opening track Stand Tall. As I listened
in awe to Maria’s multi-layered cello – a
virtual wall of sound – I had no idea of the
context of the music. In fine print on the cardboard slip case it states
“Each track is honouring a CANADIAN woman who inspires me.” I
had to visit the website noted above to find out “Who they are and
how the music embodies their legacy.” It turns out that the dedicatee
of that most powerful first piece is Buffy Sainte-Marie whose
authorized biography by Andrea Warren I had just finished reading
(cf. the coincidences/connections I was talking about in December’s
column!). Other tracks are inspired by such notables as astronaut
Roberta Bondar, Snow Birds commander Maryse Carmichael, ballerina
Evelyn Hart and civil-rights icon Viola Desmond, among many others.
In an almost industrial setting, Chaos Reigns honours “the creative life
force of novelist, poet, inventor and activist,” Margaret Atwood.
All but two of the 16 tracks are composed and performed by Maria
in a brilliant display of virtuosity, both in her command of the cello
in all its facets, from warm lyricism to growling grunge, and in her
command of technology enabling almost orchestral realizations of
her conceptions. The two exceptions are collaborations with flutist
Ron Korb: the lush Dream Painting celebrating the unsung life of
the painter and writer Emily Carr, and the moving To What End
honouring the missing and murdered Indigenous women with its
three sections subtitled Death, Darkness, and Spirits Awakening. All
in all this is another exceptional outing from Margaret Maria. If she
ever does decide to perform Kashmir, Sharon and I will be at the front
of the line. Or perhaps across the field letting the waves of sound wash
over us in the night.
The Icelandic chamber ensemble Nordic Affect presents a very
different celebration of women, in this case Icelandic and Estonian
women composers, on the disc H e (a) r (Sono Luminus DSL-92224
sonoluminus.nativedsd.com). Six mostly sparse sonic landscapes
are framed and separated by the seven sections of the disc’s namesake,
brief poetic statements by artistic director Halla Steinunn
Stefánsdóttir. In her introductory statement Stefánsdóttir says “H e
(a) r is an ode to hear, here, hér (Icelandic
for here) and her. It springs from treasured
collaborations that allowed us to ‘send
sound and receive sound’ (Pauline Oliveros).
We now extend it to you, this meditation on
embodiment, acoustics and ecology.”
The award-winning Nordic Affect was
founded in 2005 by a group of female period
instrument musicians “united in their
passion for viewing familiar musical forms from a different perspective
and for daring to venture into new musical terrain […] From the
group’s inception, [it has] combined new compositions with the
music of the 17th and 18th centuries [and] has brought its music
making to contemporary and rock audiences alike to critical acclaim.”
The booklet is quite extensive, including complete texts for H e (a)
r and program notes provided by the composers but contains no
biographical information about them. I had to Google Mirjam Tally to
find out she is Estonian.
Nordic Affect comprises violin, viola, cello and harpsichord and all
four women also vocalize. I must say that in most of the atmospheric
compositions included here, only the harpsichord is recognizable with
any certainty, although Hildur Guodnadóttir’s Point of Departure uses
the instruments in a fairly traditional way. The other works, including
two by María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir, are more mysterious and
ethereal, ambient pastel washes depicting a mystical northern world.
Having spent an enchanted ten days touring Iceland with my wife
Sharon, Bob Aitken and his wife Marion about a decade ago,
memories of that stark and magical landscape came flooding back as I
listened to this enthralling disc. Highly recommended!
I heard a stunning live performance of
Norwegian composer Kaija Saariaho’s Cloud
Trio last March when New Music Concerts
presented Trio Arkel – Marie Bérard, Teng
Li and Winona Zelenka – at Gallery 345. I
was happy to find the string trio included in
a new recording by violinist Jennifer Koh,
Saariaho X Koh (Cedille CDR 90000 183
cedillerecords.org). Koh is joined by violist
Hsin-Yun Huang and cellist Wilhelmina Smith in the four-movement
work that begins in a meditative calm, then a Sempre dolce, ma
energico movement followed by an energetic third before a tranquil
and expressive finale. Next is a one-movement piano trio, Light and
Matter, for which Koh is joined by cellist Anssi Karttunen and pianist
Nicolas Hodges. This world-premiere recording starts quietly with
both the piano and the cellist roiling darkly in their lower registers
before the entry of the violin with harmonics and trills high above.
Over its 13 minutes there is dramatic development, with furious
arpeggiated passages interrupted by pounding piano chords, moments
of angst juxtaposed with calm and lyrical intensity. A captivating
performance.
The disc also includes a short violin and piano duo, Tocar, with
Hodges, and the first recording of the violin and cello version of
Aure, originally for violin and viola. The latter was written in honour
of Henri Dutilleux’s 95th birthday and takes its material from a line
of text from Anne Frank’s diary – “Why us, why the star?” – which
Dutilleux set for a single child’s voice in his large orchestral work The
Shadows of Time. The question is first asked by the cello alone and
then passed back and forth with the violin, transforming according
to instructions in the score to be “calm,” then “intense” and “fragile”
until the end when there is just a memory of the motif, “just a breath
66 | February 2019 thewholenote.com

or breeze – aure – now lost in time.”
The most substantial work on this intriguing disc is a chamber
orchestra version of Saariaho’s violin concerto, Graal théâtre, a
28-minute work inspired by a novel of Jacques Roubaud of the same
name. Saariaho says “I was interested in the combination of the words
Graal (Grail) and theatre, thinking of an abstract search for the holy
grail – whatever it would mean for each of us – and the concrete art
form of the theatre. I imagined the violinist as the main character in a
play.” The work was originally written for Gidon Kremer in 1994. Koh
first performed it in 2006 with the LA Philharmonic and has played it
many times since. This recording features the Curtis 20/21 Ensemble
under the direction of Conner Gray Covington. It was recorded at the
Curtis School of Music in 2016. The concerto complements the smaller
chamber works to present a rewarding portrait of one of the most
successful composers of the generation born after the Second World
War. The playing is outstanding throughout.
The final disc, by Guelph’s Silence
Collective, is a bit out of my comfort zone,
but I found the premise intriguing enough
to want to have a go at it myself, rather than
assigning it to one of our more specialized
reviewers. The Apprehension Engine
is a unique all-acoustic instrument originally
envisioned by Canadian composer
Mark Korven for use in creating “an eerie
film soundtrack.” It was realized by master luthier Tony Duggan-
Smith and is a strange-looking contraption pictured on the cover of
The Murmuring (barcodefreemusic.com). It is comprised of various
strings, fret boards, a hurdy-gurdy-like rotator for sustained drones,
metal teeth for banging and bowing, thinner wire extensions that act
as flexitones, springs and a host of resonators, to mention just some
of its potential sound making sources. To get a fuller understanding of
this wondrous instrument, check it out on YouTube: Horror Musical
Instrument - The Apprehension Engine. It’s hard to tell the scale of
it from the image on the CD package, and I imagined the members
of the Silence Collective all gathered around the “Engine” and each
playing a different aspect of it. Before doing any further research I put
on the disc and marvelled at all the different sounds that were seemingly
coming out of this one source. It turns out my initial impression
was mistaken and that it is just the right size for one performer,
Korven himself. The other players – Matt Brubeck (cello), Gary Diggins
(trumpet and too many other things to enumerate), Daniel Fischlin
(guitar, also constructed by Duggan-Smith, and flutes), Lewis Melville
(pedal steel and banjo) and Joe Sorbara (percussion) – all brought their
own instruments to interact with Korven in three sets which took
place at Silence – an independent, not-for-profit venue in Guelph –
one evening in September 2017. The results are beyond my capacity to
describe but not to enjoy, and I urge you to do the same.
STRINGS
ATTACHED
TERRY ROBBINS
English cellist Natalie Clein and Norwegian
pianist Christian Ihle Hadland are quite
superb on a new CD of Sonatas by Rebecca
Clarke and Frank Bridge (Hyperion
CDA68253; hyperion-records.co.uk).
Clarke’s Viola Sonata – here in the alternate
cello version – is a sweeping, passionate
work completed in 1919, and seems to
benefit from the added depth the cello
brings. And what inspired playing it draws from Clein! Bridge’s twomovement
Cello Sonata in D Minor is also from the Great War period.
Begun in 1913, it was finished in 1917, the second movement reflecting
the darker times and the composer’s deep dismay at the course of
world events. Three brief pre-war pieces precede the sonata: the
Serenade (1903); Spring Song (1912); and the Scherzo (1901-03) that
was rediscovered in 1970.
Besides the obvious English connection there is another link with
Ralph Vaughan Williams here, his Six Studies in English Folk Song
having been written in 1926 for cellist May Mukle, Rebecca Clarke’s
longtime chamber music partner. They provide a lovely end to an
outstanding disc.
The German violinist Sabrina-Vivian
Höpcker is the brilliant soloist in Brahms
Hungarian Dances, a recital of all 21 pieces
originally written for piano four hands and
heard here in the arrangements by Joseph
Joachim; Fabio Bidini is a perfect collaborator
(Delos DE 3558; delosmusic.com).
Only a few of the dances were actually
written by Brahms, the remainder being
a mixture of contemporary Hungarian Roma compositions, some of
which were probably settings of traditional tunes. Höpcker’s playing
of these technically demanding pieces has everything you could
possibly wish for: stunning technique; faultless intonation; great
dynamics; passion; energy; style; and a tone that is brilliant in the
upper register and deep and warm in the lower. Bidini knows the
WE 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
David Olds, DISCoveries Editor
discoveries@thewholenote.com
What we're listening to this month:
thewholenote.com/listening
AND
Visit thewholenote.com/listening
where you can hear tracks from
any of the recordings in these ads.
Johannes Brahms / Elliott Carter:
Clarinet Quintets
Phoenix Ensemble
The mission of New York
City-based Phoenix Ensemble
is resolute and clear: to bring
diverse chamber music to diverse
audiences.
Heroines in Harmony
Margaret Maria
Each track honours a Canadian
woman who has inspired
Margaret Maria. Who they are
and how the music embodies their
legacy, visit www.enchanten.com
Remember the Fallen: Ravel,
Debussy, Bridge
David McGory
Available on iTunes, Amazon and
CDBaby
thewholenote.com February 2019 | 67

original piano settings well, and it shows.
There are some familiar old favourites here, but all are gems. There’s
never a dull moment in an outstanding disc.
The Indianapolis Commissions 1982-
2014 is a fascinating CD issued for the
tenth Quadrennial International Violin
Competition of Indianapolis (IVCI) in 2018,
and presents all nine specially commissioned
works written through the 2014
competition (Azica Records ACD-71321;
naxosdirect.com).
Violinist Jinjoo Cho, the Gold Prize
Winner in the 2014 IVCI, is quite stunning in a wide range of pieces
that include three – by Joan Tower, Leon Kirchner and Ellen Taaffe
Zwilich – for solo violin. Pianist Hyun Soo Kim supplies first-rate
collaboration in works by Richard Danielpour, George Rochberg,
Bright Sheng (the particularly dazzling A Night at the Chinese Opera),
Joonas Kokkonen, Witold Lutosławski and Ned Rorem. One gets the
impression that Cho could probably have won every one of the other
eight competitions as well.
There’s another 2CD volume available in
the outstanding ongoing series of Haydn
String Quartets by The London Haydn
Quartet, this time the Six Quartets Op.64
from the London Forster edition (Hyperion
CDA68221; hyperion-records.co.uk/
dc.asp?dc=D_CDA68221).
The previous six volumes over the past 11
years have garnered rave reviews, and
rightly so. These are period instrument performances simply bursting
with life and energy, and with faultless intonation on gut strings – no
easy feat. Hyperion’s two-CDs-for-the-price-of-one deal makes these
terrific issues even more of a bargain.
Cellist Anja Lechner and guitarist Pablo
Márquez team up on Die Nacht, a recital
of works by Schubert and his contemporary
Friedrich Burgmüller (ECM New
Series 2555; ecmrecords.com/catalogue).
A lovely performance of Schubert’s
Arpeggione Sonata is the centrepiece of the
disc, surrounded by five Schubert songs
interspersed with Burgmüller’s Trois
Nocturnes for cello and guitar. Songs with guitar accompaniment
were a strong tradition in 19th-century Vienna, many of Schubert’s
being published in guitar versions. The songs here are Nacht und
Träume D827, Fischerweise D881, Meeres Stille D216, Der Leiermann
from Die Winterreise and the Romanze from Rosamunde, the last two
in transcriptions by the artists. A rich cello sound and warm guitar
tone add greatly to a simply lovely CD.
Schumann is the latest CD from cellist Sol
Gabetta and features three works for cello
and piano with her long-time collaborator
Bertrand Chamayou and the Cello
Concerto in A Minor Op.129 with the
Kammerorchester Basel under Giovanni
Antonini (Sony Classical 88985352272;
sonyclassical.de).
The works with piano are 5 Pieces in
Folk Style Op.102, the Adagio and Allegro Op.70 (originally for horn
and piano), and the Fantasiestücke Op.73 (originally for clarinet and
piano), Schumann allowing that the latter two could be played “also
on melody instrument.”
Gabetta has a deep strong tone but never lacks warmth and subtlety.
She has performed with and known the members of the Basel
orchestra for many years, and the comfort level is apparent in a warm
and engaging performance.
I don’t recall receiving any CDs of the music of German composer
Walter Braunfels (1882-1954) before,
which made his Works for String
Orchestra performed by the Münchner
Rundfunkorchester under Ulf Schirmer all
the more interesting (cpo 777 579-2;
naxosdirect.com).
Both works here are relatively late
compositions from the mid-1940s. The
Quintet for String Orchestra Op.63a is
a setting of Braunfels’ Op.63 String Quintet by his student, the
conductor and musicologist Frithjof Haas. It’s a fine work with a
particularly lovely Adagio movement, although one gets the feeling
that some of the intimacy of the original is lost in the bigger sound.
The Sinfonia Concertante Op.68 for Violin, Viola, 2 Horns and
String Orchestra is a shorter but more substantial and impressive
work. Described in the notes as “more modern and radical” it
is decidedly in the German Romantic tradition with a strong post-
Mahlerian and Straussian feel to it, the prominence of the solo violin
in particular giving the work more the feel of a concerto.
The excellent recordings were made in 2007 and 2009, presumably
for radio broadcast.
The Great Necks – original arrangements for
three guitars is the excellent debut CD from
the guitar trio of Scott Borg, Adam Levin
and Matthew Rohde
(thegreatnecks.com/shop).
Borg is the arranger for the first four offerings:
Sibelius’ Finlandia, the three-fold
heavy strumming making for a rather thick
texture; four unrelated individual movements
by J. S. Bach; Villa-Lobos’ Chóros No.5 “alma brasileira”; and
Albeniz’s Asturias. Rohde joins him in transcribing four brief preludes
from Scriabin’s Op.11 keyboard set, but is solely responsible for, by far
the most effective track on the disc, an engrossing arrangement of the
hypnotic Danzón No.2 by Arturo Márquez.
Recorded in Toronto and engineered by the always reliable guitarist
Drew Henderson, the sound is clear and resonant.
The Orchestre d’Auvergne under Roberto
Fores Veses performs string works by
Dvořák, Janáček and Martinů on a new
CD described as “a testimony to the Czech
musical soul over a period of more than a
century.” (Aparté AP 195D;
apartemusic.com/discography).
Dvořák’s Serenade in E Major Op.22 from
1875 is heard here in its complete version,
the composer’s cuts and corrections from 1879 reinstated. Janáček’s
Suite for String Orchestra was written in 1877, a year in which the
composer spent the summer walking in Bohemia with Dvořák. The
latter’s influence is apparent in a delightful work. Martinů’s String
Sextet dates from 1932, and is heard here in the string orchestra
arrangement made by the composer in 1951.
Performances full of warmth of works that all came from happy
periods in the composers’ lives make for a highly satisfying disc.
Two rarely performed works by the Polish/
Russian composer Mieczysław Weinberg
are presented on Weinberg – Concertino,
24 Preludes, with the Russian cellist Marina
Tarasova and the Music Viva Chamber
Orchestra under Alexander Rudin in the
Northern Flowers St. Petersburg Musical
Archive series (NF/PMA 99131; altocd.com/
northernflowers/nfpma99131/).
The Concertino for Violoncello and String Orchestra Op.43 was
written in 1948; never played, it became the basis for the Cello
Concerto with the same opus number, and was not discovered until
2016. It’s a lovely if brief work – the four movements are each under
five minutes long – with a strong Jewish klezmer influence and
68 | February 2019 thewholenote.com

more than a hint of Weinberg’s close friend Shostakovich. This is its
premiere studio recording.
Weinberg’s 24 Preludes for Cello Solo were written for Rostropovich
in 1960 but never performed by him. In 1979 the composer presented
the score, inscribed with his compliments, to the young Marina
Tarasova, although again they remained unplayed for nearly four
decades. Wide-ranging in style and quoting from Schumann, Mozart
and Shostakovich as well as his own works and popular song, they
draw outstanding playing from Tarasova.
The Danish composer Rued Langgaard never
gained acceptance in his home country
during his lifetime, his rejection of his
contemporary Carl Nielsen’s modernist path
assuring him of a life in the musical backwaters.
The last 50 years, however, have
seen a reassessment and major change
of opinion.
Complete Works for Violin and Piano
Vol.2 is the second of three planned CDs of Langgaard’s compositions
in the genre, with outstanding performances by violinist Gunvor Sihm
and pianist Berit Johansen Tange (Dacapo 8.226131;
dacaporecords.dk/en). Sihm is a member of the Nightingale String
Quartet, which released an outstanding 3CD set of Langgaard’s
complete string quartets between 2012 and 2015.
The Sonata No.1 “Viole” is a large work from 1915, the first and third
movements being thoroughly revised by the composer in 1945. It’s a
sweeping, passionate work, its changing moods brilliantly captured
by the performers. The Andante Religioso, Langgaard’s final work for
violin and piano following a burst of activity in the genre in the late
1940s, is a short work from 1950.
The final work here, the Søndagssonate (Sunday Sonata) for violin,
piano, organ and orchestra is accurately described in the notes as
“bizarre and unpredictable.” It was originally three separate compositions:
the Sunday Sonata for violin and piano (movements 1 and 2);
the Marble Church Prelude for organ (movement 3); and the Small
Grand Symphony for orchestra with organ (movement 4 – and small
indeed, at 2’47”). Organist Per Salo and the Danish National
Symphony Orchestra under Thomas Søndergård are the additional
performers in a world premiere recording of a unique work not heard
until 2016.
Violinist Eric Grossman and pianist Susan
Kagan are the performers in the third
volume of Ferdinand Ries Sonatas for Violin
and Piano (Naxos 8.573862; naxos.com).
Ries was an exact contemporary and close
friend of Beethoven, both composers having
studied with Ries’ father Franz. The three
sonatas here – in E-flat Major Op.18 from
1810, in G Minor Op.38 No.3 from 1811 and D
Major Op.83 from 1818 – are clearly a
continuation of the Viennese style developed by Mozart, but are closer
to Beethoven in sound. They are delightful and charming works
though, and the performances, balance and recorded sound here are
all first class.
Works for Cello and Piano Book 1 is a CD
of music by the American composer Maria
Newman with the Murasaki Duo of cellist
Eric Kutz and pianist Miko Kominami
(Montgomery Arts House Press MAHMR
1205209; store.cdbaby.com).
The two excellent three-movement works,
Peccavi Duo and Tri Follis were commissioned
for these performers, but the real
gem here is Othmar, An Eccentric Tone Poem for Violoncello Alone
based on characters by the 19th-century English author and suffragette
Mary De Morgan, whose fairy-tale stories often featured women
noted for their personal – as opposed to physical – qualities. Kutz is
simply outstanding in a quite dazzling and virtuosic work.
Keyed In
ALEX BARAN
Adam Johnson introduces a lesser known
Finnish composer in his new recording
Kuula – Complete Works for Solo Piano
(Grand Piano GP 780;
grandpianorecords.com). Toivo Kuula
(1883-1918) was a conductor and composer
who studied in a number of European
centres and spent some time as a composition
student of Sibelius. His piano works
represent only a modest portion of his oeuvre which includes more
than 50 works plus a few posthumous items.
Kuula was a self-taught pianist whose earliest compositions date
from 1900. While he never achieved virtuosic stature with the instrument,
his eloquent writing suggests that he understood it profoundly.
Johnson’s playing immediately captures the stylistic brew of Kuula’s
late Romantic and early modern influences. His technique is fluid and
confident and suits this music perfectly.
The disc’s program includes Two Song Transcriptions Op.37 which
are especially beautiful and whose distinctive character easily sets
them apart from the piano pieces. Johnson has done a wonderful job
of drawing attention to a worthwhile creative voice not often heard.
Luiz Carlos De Moura Castro’s new disc
Musica Brasileira II (store.cdbaby.com) is a
collection of three substantial works: one by
José Antônio Almeida Prado and the others
by Villa-Lobos.
Prado’s Sonata No.5 “Omulu” is part of
his cycle of Afro-Brazilian compositions. It’s
a wild conception of ideas, dense, colourful
and highly energized. The architecture is formal but the spirit of
the piece is raw and untamed. De Moura Castro performs it with
astonishing force and insight in an impressive combination of wild
abandon and discipline. The composer dedicated the work to him and
he premiered it in 1986 in Switzerland.
Villa-Lobos dedicated Rudepoema to Arthur Rubinstein. It’s a
huge work of nearly half an hour and reflects, in an extended fantasy
format, the composer’s deep affection for and artistic admiration of
Rubinstein’s playing.
The other Villa-Lobos work is the fantasy for piano and orchestra
Momo Precoce. This track was recorded live at a March 1985 performance
and carries the acoustic colour of its period’s recording technology.
It too is a lengthy piece, with some programmatic content
depicting a Brazilian children’s carnival. Despite its vintage, the
performance is first rate and completely engaging.
Mikolaj Warszynski is an accomplished
performer and teacher. His latest recording
Liszt-O-Mania (University of Alberta -
Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central
European Studies WIR07/2018;
mikolajwarszynski.net/lisztomania) is a
well-chosen program of favourites by Liszt,
and therefore, an easy program to sell but
a tough one to perform. As an academic,
Warszynski brings his love of history and research to his liner notes.
They are concise, captivating and inspiring. Moreover, they create the
right expectation for his performances.
Warszynski sees Liszt as a spiritual explorer rather than solely a wild
keyboard demigod. He expresses this by creating greater distances
between moments of ferocity and moments of repose. This contrast
thewholenote.com February 2019 | 69

is powerful, spellbinding and reflects a mature understanding of the
composer’s intentions. Ballade No.2 in B Minor is a fine example of
this device but the bonus track, Sonetto del Petrarca 123 is the most
memorable, because of its artful application.
Lisztomania is less manic than its title might suggest, and it offers
far more than a recital of “favourites” can usually manage. There’s
some arrestingly beautiful playing on this disc.
Peter Schaaf has released a third recording
following his return to the keyboard after
a lengthy hiatus pursuing other creative
ventures. Chopin: 17 Waltzes (Schaaf
Records SR 103; schaafrecords.com) is a
collection of waltzes divided between those
published during Chopin’s lifetime and
those published posthumously.
Schaaf’s approach is relaxed and the
tempos reflect this, often being a touch slower than is commonly
heard. His playing is wonderfully clear and articulate. The allimportant
ornaments that give Chopin’s writing its identifying signature
are unerringly executed with impressive consistency. Waltzes
Op.34, No.3 and Op.69, No.2 are terrific examples of this splendid
technique. Schaaf also brings a welcome degree of introspection to
this music that is especially poignant in the minor keys. He creates a
feeling of heightened mystery that, combined with a slower tempo,
make pieces like the Waltz in C Sharp Minor Op.64 No.2 an entirely
new experience.
Shoshana Telner’s latest release is a 2CD set
titled Johann Sebastian Bach – The Six
Partitas BWV825-830 (Centaur CRC
3642/3643; centaurrecords.com). The joy of
playing or hearing Bach lies in the search for
melody. Regardless of how familiar a work
may be, chances are that a hidden fragment
of melody will reveal itself, making the
already beautiful impossibly better. This is
how Telner plays. From her first phrase she declares her intention to
mine every treasured nugget in Bach’s motherlode of counterpoint.
These French dance suites are replete with ideas great and small lying
in every range of the keyboard voice. Telner’s technique unfolds each
one carefully. The versatility of the nine-foot Fazioli she plays allows
for rich dynamic contrasts and subtle touch variations to highlight
each new idea she encounters, as if to coax them out of hiding. It’s a
mindful, disciplined and loving way to handle this music and the
result is a breadth of beauty difficult to describe.
Steven Beck and Susan Grace are the second
incarnation of the piano duo Quattro
Mani. Their new recording Re-Structures
(Bridge 9496; bridgerecords.com/
products/9496) is a wonderfully
programmed disc of contemporary works
for two pianos plus a variety of other
instruments.
Poul Ruders’ Cembal D’Amore for piano
and harpsichord places the piano mostly
on the left audio channel while the harpsichord occupies the centre
and right of the audio spectrum. Not only is the stereo effect immediately
engaging but the writing too grabs the attention with very clever
keyboard combinations and colouristic effects.
György Kurtág’s Életút Lebenslauf Op.32 uses a normally tuned
piano in combination with another tuned a quarter tone lower and
also calls for a pair of basset horns.
The title track Re-Structures by Tod Machover is written for two
pianos and live electronics. It’s dedicated to Pierre Boulez for his
90th birthday and is inspired by Boulez’s own works for two pianos
Structures.
The opening and closing tracks are for the duo alone. The final one
is particularly intriguing for its relentless adherence to a Latin beat.
Ofer Ben-Amots’ Tango for the Road provides a memorable finish to
this excellent production.
David McGrory’s new release Remember
the Fallen (store.cdbaby.com) marked the
100th anniversary of the end of the Great
War, 1914-1918. He’s chosen three works
to represent the responses of composers
affected by the conflict.
Le Tombeau de Couperin is Maurice
Ravel’s memorial to people he knew who
had lost their lives in military service. Each
of the work’s movements is dedicated to
them. It’s not a directly programmatic piece and doesn’t set out to
capture the mood of the period. It’s simply a contemporary expression
inspired by Couperin’s 17th-century keyboard suites. McGrory
has an impressive facility with the speed Ravel requires to execute
the Prelude, Rigaudon and Toccata but he makes his greatest impact
with the very tender and heartfelt Minuet. There’s a tremendous
feeling of suspended melancholy that hangs over the entire movement.
Gorgeous.
Frank Bridge’s Piano Sonata gives McGrory a similar opportunity.
Its second movement is an extended calm between the work’s violent
outer movements and his performance of it is profoundly moving.
Concert note: David McGrory performs at the Newton Free Library in
Massachusetts on March 3.
Duncan Honeybourne performs an entire
disc full of world premieres in his recent
recording A Hundred Years of British Piano
Miniatures (Grand Piano GP 789;
grandpianorecords.com). Eleven composers’
works arranged chronologically give an
illuminating view of the piano miniature’s
evolution. English composers seem to have
a deep and abiding affection for a sense of
place, and they allow this to spark their creativity. Whether city streets
or countryside, experiences had there are the prime resource for these
miniatures.
The disc is full of these very short tracks, beautifully selected for
their contribution to the program and historical relevance. Those from
the first half of the last century seem to share a common language
despite the great upheavals that changed the world in which they were
conceived. The more contemporary ones are somewhat less tied to the
charm of a place and are more outward-looking in concept. There is a
remarkable degree of originality throughout all these works that
makes this disc an engaging listen from start to finish.
Lorenzo Materazzo takes a freely modern
approach in his newest recording of Baroque
repertoire Lorenzo Materazzo Plays Scarlatti
& Bach (Austrian Gramophone AG 0010;
naxosdirect.com). He’s an active performer,
composer and musicologist bringing a thorough
rationale to his performance decisions.
Materazzo extracts the greatest amount
of emotional content possible from every
phrase and thematic idea. His tempos are unconstrained by conventional
practice and his dynamics are unashamedly romantic. He
argues that both composers would have spoken this musical language
had they lived today and points to the way his interpretation realizes
more fully the potential of each work.
Scarlatti’s familiar Sonata in E Major K.380 proves an instructive
comparison with almost any other version. Like all the other
tracks, it’s an intimate recording with the mics very near the
strings. Materazzo’s effort is persuasive, credible and very much
worth hearing.
Zuzana Šimurdová introduces the music of a hitherto unrecorded
composer in her new world premiere recording release Fišer
70 | February 2019 thewholenote.com

– Complete Piano Sonatas (Grand
Piano GP 770;
grandpianorecords.com). Luboš Fišer was a
20th-century Czech composer whose works
are becoming better known through their
publication by Barenreiter. His eight piano
sonatas span the period from 1955 to 1995.
He discarded the second sonata of which he
was highly critical and the work was never
recovered. Sonatas No.1 and No.3 are in three and two movements
respectively while all the rest are single movements only.
Šimurdová is a powerful performer completely capable of the
turmoil that is central to Fišer’s writing. Her ability to retreat into
more tender moments of his music is what makes it truly human.
Kudos to her for championing this voice.
Anna Shelest delivers a powerhouse performance in the new release
Anton Rubinstein Piano Concerto No.4 (Sorel Classics SC CD 013
sorelmusic.org). She shares the stage at the Lincoln Center with The
Orchestra Now (TON as they like to be
called). This ensemble comprises specially
chosen musicians from leading conservatories
around the world. Their youthful
approach breaks the mould of traditional
orchestral players with their avid participation
in pre-concert talks, onstage introductions
and other forms of audience
engagement.
The Rubinstein Concerto No.4 is gargantuan and Shelest is simply
brilliant in her navigation of this iconic 19th-century Russian’s work.
She captures the rich beauty of all Rubinstein’s melodies, both broad
orchestral statements and intimate piano utterances. Conductor
Neeme Järvi brings his extraordinary skill to the podium to direct the
energies released by the music.
The CD also includes Rubenstein’s Caprice Russe Op.102 whose
strong national folk content stands in contrast to the more European
flavour of the concerto. It’s a thrilling live recording.
VOCAL
Monteverdi – Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria
Monteverdi Choir; English Baroque
Soloists; John Eliot Gardiner
Soli Deo Gloria SDG730
(solideogloria.co.uk)
!!
Few musicians
have devoted
themselves to the
Baroque repertoire
with the sustained
passion of John
Eliot Gardiner;
and his relationship
with Claudio
Monteverdi’s music is unique. Gardiner
launched the Monteverdi Choir in 1966
and the Monteverdi Orchestra in 1968,
renaming it the English Baroque Soloists in
1976 with the switch to period instruments.
This recording of one of Monteverdi’s three
surviving operas was recorded in Wrocław
during a 2017 tour celebrating the 450th
anniversary of Monteverdi’s birth.
Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria (1640), is based
on the conclusion of Homer’s Odyssey,
as Ulysses reaches home to find his wife
Penelope and his lands besieged by suitors.
It was composed more than 30 years after
Orfeo, when the 73-year-old composer was
convinced to write again for the stage at the
end of a career devoted largely to composing
for the church.
This is a masterful realization of the work,
with Gardiner, his choir and orchestra
attuned to its pageantry, drama and sheer
beauty, as well as Monteverdi’s sudden shifts
through a broad emotional range. In the first
act, the orchestra caresses and supports the
sorrowful Penelope; the second concludes
with rising battle music; and in the third the
choirs of Heaven and Sea are graced with the
elemental clarity and grace of Monteverdi’s
madrigals. Il ritorno is a key document in
opera’s early history, with an increasing shift
from intoned text to dramatic song: Gardiner
and company’s performance is both vigorous
and authentic.
Stuart Broomer
Wagner – Der Ring des Nibelungen
Soloists; Hong Kong Philharmonic
Orchestra; Jaap van Zweden
Naxos 8.501403 (14 CDs + USB card;
naxos.com)
! ! The conductor
of this new audio
recording, Jaap
van Zweden, has
now taken over
the New York
Philharmonic after
being the music
director of the
Dallas Symphony since 2009. TV audiences
recently saw him conducting the New Year’s
Eve concert with the Philharmonic featuring
Renée Fleming. He is also active in Europe
and Asia, including Hong Kong where he
has been their Philharmonic’s conductor
since 2012.
This new Ring Cycle was recorded in
concert performances in the Hong Kong
Cultural Centre each January from 2015
to 2018. In Das Rheingold from 2015 we
What we're listening to this month:
thewholenote.com/listening
AYRE: LIVE
Miriam Khalil and Against the
Grain Theatre Ensemble
A lush fusion of Arabic, Hebrew,
Sardinian, and Sephardic folk
melodies and texts; Osvaldo Golijov’s
Ayre is a brilliant example of 21stcentury
cultural counterpoint.
1717. Memories of a Journey
to Italy
Scaramuccia Ensemble
In 1717 Pisendel returns from his
trip through Italy with a suitcase
full of music and the memories of a
personal and intimate journey.
No Time for Chamber Music
collectif9
"Brilliant arrangements,
exuberantly performed ...
collectif9’s next visit to Toronto
cannot come too soon."
- The WholeNote
Isang Yun: Sunrise Falling
Matt Haimovitz
A centennial commemoration of the
Korean composer’s life and music.
“Energetic virtuosity and great
expressiveness … an impressive
and moving masterpiece.”
- Süddeutsche Zeitung
thewholenote.com February 2019 | 71

hear Matthias Goerne’s Wotan, Michelle
DeYoung’s Fricka and Kim Begley as Loge.
The 2016 Die Walküre adds Stuart Skelton
as Siegmund, Heidi Melton is Sieglinde
and Falk Struckmann is Hunding. The
Brünnhilde is Petra Lang. Siegfried in 2017
has Simon O’Neill as Siegfried and David
Cangelosi as Mime. Heidi Melton is now
Brünnhilde and Falk Struckmann is Fafner
and the Forest Bird is sung by Valentina
Farcas. Götterdämmerung, from 2018, adds
choruses of the Bamberg Symphony, the
Latvian State and the HK Philharmonic with
Brünnhilde now sung by Gun-Brit Barkmin,
Siegfried is Daniel Brenna, Michelle DeYoung
is Waltraute, Gunther is Shenyang and
Hagen, who gets the very last words, is Eric
Halfvarson.
For these performances, Van Zweden maintains
very steady tempi and does not bury
the usually unheard pulse in the music.
This strengthens the continuity of events
and goes far in holding our attention to
the unfolding epic involving the foibles of
the driven principals. The recording engineers
have achieved a superb job with a wide
dynamic range, no spotlighting of any instruments
and maintaining a firm bass line,
seating us in the concert hall for these live
concert performances. The casting couldn’t
be better, with impeccable, secure soloists
before the Hong Kong Philharmonic that,
by Götterdämmerung, has become a first
class Wagner orchestra. Not quite the Vienna
Philharmonic but they have only been professional
since 1974.
There are many spellbinding occasions
on these performances that come readily to
mind. Here are just a few: The last scene of
Die Walküre from Wotan’s heartbreaking
farewell to Brünnhilde and then his calling
upon Loge to surround his sleeping daughter
in an impassable ring of fire, the ethereal
Magic Fire Music; in Siegfried, the Forest Bird
telling Siegfried about a beautiful sleeping
woman surrounded by a circle of flames
and then leading him to her; the conversation
between the sleeping Hagen and his
dead father, Alberich in the second act of
Götterdämmerung; the Immolation scene
and the redeeming, all-is-well, short epilogue
that follows a momentary pause. Altogether a
brilliant achievement.
The four operas are available separately but
the boxed set contains the four plus a USB
stick with the complete librettos in German
alongside English translations, together
with talks about the project with photos and
interviews.
This is the second Ring Cycle from Naxos,
the first consisting of live performances of
New York’s Metropolitan Opera productions
from 1936 to 1941 (8.501106, 11 CDs).
Luminaries of the era include Schorr,
Varnay, Traubel, Melchior, Flagstad and
Marjorie Lawrence who rides off on Grane
on January 11, 1936. A collector’s collection.
Noisy.
Bruce Surtees
Britten – Death in Venice
Soloists; Teatro Real Chorus and
Orchestra; Alejo Pérez
Naxos 2.110577 (naxos.com)
!!
Adapted from
Thomas Mann’s
1912 novella, Death
in Venice (1973)
was 20th-century
English composer,
conductor and
pianist Benjamin
Britten’s final opera.
Its libretto has a
stark, dark plotline:
Gustav von
Aschenbach, a
famous but failing German novelist, travels
to Venice for invigorating inspiration only to
find disturbing mystery, a troubling infatuation
with a boy called Tadzio, internal vacillation
and melancholy, cholera – and as the title
states, death.
The spare narrative, however, allows librettist
Myfanwy Piper and composer Britten
room to meditate on a rich tapestry of grand
themes, primarily through the voice of
Aschenbach. These include reflections on
dichotomous Apollonian vs Dionysian philosophies
rooted in Nietzsche’s writing, Greek
mythology and ideals, and the perilous
dignity accorded even an acclaimed artist (as
Britten was by this time in his career).
Propelling the drama however is the
doomed homoerotic May-December longing
at the core of the story. It’s lent poignant
authenticity by Mann and Britten’s own biographies,
underscored by Britten’s dedication
of the score to Peter Pears, his longtime
professional and life partner, who premiered
the role of Aschenbach.
Musically, Britten’s score is a study in brilliant
orchestration of refreshing invention,
vigour and chamber music delicacy.
Characters are deftly rendered in contrasting
musical styles and genres. Italian opera buffa
is parodied and Aschenbach’s vocals are
supported by orchestral strings and winds.
By way of contrast a five-piece percussion
section provides a very adroit evocation of the
timbre and texture of Balinese gamelan music
– representing the “other” – underpinning all
of the boy Tadzio’s stage appearances.
John Daszak is exemplary as Aschenbach,
and Willy Decker’s 2014 Teatro Real, Madrid
production brilliantly supports the cumulative
impact of the final tragic scene of Britten’s
last, emotionally resonant, opera.
Andrew Timar
Golijov – Ayre: Live
Against the Grain Theatre; Miriam Khalil
Against the Grain Records ATG001CD
(againstthegraintheatre.com)
!!
After I heard
Ayre: Live for the
first time, I knew
this recording was
going to be one
of my favourite
albums of 2018.
The immediacy of
the live recording
is always exciting and Osvaldo Golijov’s
song cycle for soprano and a small chamber
ensemble is beyond gorgeous – it is intimate
yet powerful, piercing with emotion and
mesmerizing in its tonal expression. Like the
air we breathe (the album’s title means air in
medieval Spanish), it transcends the boundaries
between music traditions, languages and
cultures.
Based on the interweaving melodies,
rhythms and poetry of Arab, Christian and
Sephardic Jewish culture in Spain, Golijov
also weaves in his own compositional
language thus making Ayre an elaborate
historical and emotional narrative. Eleven
songs flow inherently from one to another
while the energy rises and falls effortlessly
with each one. Una madre comió asado and
Nani are heavenly sounding, tranquil lullabies
(though the texts are implying more complex
emotions). Combinations of electronica and
traditional melodies in Wa Habibi makes
this song surprisingly fresh and captivating.
Tancas serradas a muru, with its bewitching
vocals and tribal rhythms, is a whirl of primal
energies and, in contrast, Kun li-guitari
wataran ayyuha al-maa’, a poem spoken in
Arabic, creates a wonderful aural sparseness.
The superb chamber ensemble of Toronto’s
Against the Grain Theatre has a wonderful
synergy with the company’s co-founder,
soprano Miriam Khalil, a true star of this
recording. Her immense range of colours and
fascinating vocal transformations made her
performance on this album both spectacular
and touching.
Ivana Popovic
CLASSICAL AND BEYOND
1717 – Memories of a Journey to Italy
Scaramuccia
Snakewood Editions SCD201801
(snakewoodeditions.com)
! ! Imagine a
journey to Florence,
Rome and Venice.
In 1717. Imagine,
too, that you could
take home with
you your choice
of manuscripts by
composers based in
72 | February 2019 thewholenote.com

those cities. This was the opportunity granted
to Johann Georg Pisendel, in his own journey
to Italy that same year. As if being allowed
to take home manuscripts of contemporary
Italian composers was not enough, Pisendel
joined with some of them in composing.
These joint efforts make up two tracks on this
highly imaginative CD – there are even two
CD world premieres.
Scaramuccia itself comprises just violinist,
cellist and harpsichordist. From the start,
a vigorous performance of the first Allegro
from Tomaso Albinoni’s Sonata for violin
and continuo proves this is no handicap.
Scaramuccia’s detailed notes are more than
helpful in finding out how Pisendel fared.
In the case of the Sonata for violin and
continuo in D Major by Giuseppe Maria
Fanfani, which here receives its world
premiere, one wonders why this is so. Javier
Lupiáñez’s enthusiastic violin playing in the
Largo, Allegro and Tempo Giusto is first class.
Giuseppe Valentini’s Sonata for violin and
continuo in A Major starts imposingly before
a really fervent Allegro, Minuet and Giga – at
last, someone has discovered that a giga does
not have to last less than two minutes! And
then two pieces by Antonio Maria Montanari,
the second in cooperation with Pisendel. Both
opening Largos give us the chance to appreciate
sensitive harpsichord playing and, once
again, the passionate playing of Lupiáñez
(Scaramuccia’s musicologist founder) in both
Allegro movements.
This imaginatively created CD ends with
its best-known composer working with
Pisendel: the result a Sonata for violin and
continuo which reminds us of everything that
Vivaldi could create.
Michael Schwartz
Forgotten chamber works with oboe from
the Court of Prussia
Christopher Palameta; Notturna
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 19075821552
(naxosdirect.com)
!!
The Montrealborn,
Parisbased
musician
Christopher
Palameta is widely
fêted for oboe
performances that
are suffused with
equal amounts
of aesthetic beauty and historical rigour.
Working since 2007 to broaden world understanding
and appreciation for the music of
German Baroque composer Johann Gottlieb
Janitsch, Palameta has mined Janitsch’s
repertoire, finding rarely heard chamber
pieces that are now welcome additions to
the canon of Baroque works. Collaborating
on record here with the chamber music
collective Notturna – which Palameta directs
– Janitsch’s music, along with selections by
Johann Gottlieb Graun and the little-known
Christian Gottfried Krause, are captured
beautifully on this 2018 release. The recording
is certain to expand Palameta’s reputation
as a singular musician dedicated to 18thand
19th-century period piece work that
showcases the oboe, and should be greeted
enthusiastically by fans of early music.
Although music from this era could
certainly be opulent and regal – the decorative
ornamentations of the melodic line
mirroring the exaggerated royal lifestyle, dress
and mannerisms –Janitsch plumbs a galant
style that fetishizes authenticity and aims
for a return to more simple music-making
practices. In fact, blurring the lines between
the professional and amateur, Janitsch led
community-wide sessions for musicians at
a variety of levels to perform together called
“Freitagsakademien” (Friday academies).
Like many composers of the Baroque era,
Janitsch was indentured to royalty (in this
case Frederick the Great, King of Prussia)
and while his compositional style reflected
the changing aesthetics of this time period,
his considerable output was well supported
by Frederick’s strong patronage of the arts
and music. Thanks to Palameta, Jan Van den
Borre, Catherine Martin, Emily Robinson and
Brice Sailly, this important and underrepresented
music lives on for future audiences.
Andrew Scott
Kreüsser – 6 Quintettos Opus 10
Infusion Baroque
Leaf Music LM223 (leaf-music.ca)
!!
Thanks to the
Montreal-based
ensemble Infusion
Baroque, Georg
Anton Kreüsser
(1746-1810)
joins the list of
composers whose
works were lost to
us until diligent research brought them to
light. Kreüsser himself did not deserve to be
lost – his music flourished in Mainz while he
was konzertmeister of its Kapelle. His musical
education took in Bologna and Amsterdam
and it was there that he met Wolfgang,
Leopold and Marianne Mozart – and the
admiration was mutual as Leopold noted,
which makes Kreüsser’s disappearance even
more surprising.
The Quintettos feature flute and the four
instruments of a traditional string quartet,
a rare combination as most similar works
follow the flute, violin, viola, cello model
of Mozart’s flute quartets. It is Alexa Raine-
Wright’s flute-playing that dominates this CD:
listen in particular to the Tempo di menuetto
of the Quintetto in C Major and the lively
Allegro moderato of the G Major. Strings do,
for all that, enjoy considerable prominence.
For example, the violin and viola playing of
the Allegro moderato and Allegretto in D
What we're listening to this month:
thewholenote.com/listening
Celebrating Piazzolla
Neave Trio
The Neave Trio captures Piazzolla’s
rich legacy through arrangements
of The Four Seasons of Buenos
Aires and select songs, featuring
mezzo-soprano Carla Jablonski.
Cgambery
Fie Schouten
The quality of Klein’s compositions
suit Fie Schouten’s supple and
subtle virtuoso use of Jazz
traditions while trained as a
classical musician.
Electroclarinet
Jean-Francois Charles
This dreamlike blend of acoustic
performance and live electronics
showcases the complete clarinet
family, from Mozart's cherished
basset horn to the exuberant
contrabass clarinet.
The UncertaintyPrinciple - Live at
The Rex
Andrew Boniwell
Jazz compositions for uncertain
times. Embrace the Uncertainty.
thewholenote.com February 2019 | 73

major are highly enjoyable.
Overall, the Quintetto in G Major is the
most spirited of the six on the CD, whichever
instrument is being played. For intensity
and gravitas, however, the Adagietto of the
E-flat Major is highly worthy of the music of
this period. All in all, a spirited and successful
attempt to restore Kreüsser to the ranks of
18th-century composers of note.
Michael Schwartz
Péchés – Rossini Salons & Horn Virtuosi
Alessandro Denabian; Lucia Cirillo;
Francesca Bacchetta
Passacaille 1039 (naxosdirect.com)
Luigi Legnani – Rossini Variations
Marcello Fantoni (guitar)
Naxos 8.573721 (naxos.com)
!!
If you were an
educated musicloving
dilettante
living in Italy during
the early 19th
century, musical
evenings might
well have been a
primary source
of entertainment. And if you happened to
know a horn player, a soprano and someone
adept at the keyboard, the pieces on the
delightful new disc titled Péchés d’Opéra on
the Passacaille label might well have been
the type you would have chosen for an evening’s
program. It features natural horn player
Alessandro Denabian, pianist Francesca
Bacchetta (performing on an 1823 fortepiano)
and mezzo-soprano Lucia Cirillo in
an engaging program of duets and trios.
Sins of Old Age was the name Rossini gave
to numerous compositions for small ensembles
he created long after he ceased writing
operas. The charming and lyrical Prelude,
Theme and Variations for horn and piano is
one of them, which not surprisingly, has a
very vocal quality about it. Denabian handles
the virtuosic melodies with apparent ease, no
mean feat on a natural (i.e. valveless) instrument.
Less well-known composers include
Antoine Clapisson and Frederic Duvernoy
whose duets are performed with a particular
bravado with Bacchetta providing a stylish
and solid accompaniment. The group expands
to include a soprano soloist in pieces such
as Fuis, laisse-moi by Donizetti and the
most familiar piece on the disc, Una furtiva
lagrima from his opera L’elisir d’amore.
Cirillo delivers a solid performance with
well-balanced phrasing, subtly nuanced. My
only quibble is that at times her voice tends
to overshadow the other musicians, but
in no way does this mar an otherwise fine
performance.
Remaining in the land of olive trees, a
Naxos recording titled Rossini Variations
presents music by Luigi Legnani, whose name
is undoubtedly forgotten today. Nevertheless,
during his lifetime, Legnani – an almost
exact contemporary
of Rossini
– was famous as a
virtuoso guitarist,
composer and
instrument maker.
The disc features
guitar transcriptions
and variations
on music
from Rossini operas performed by guitarist
Marcello Fantoni. To reduce full-scale orchestral
works for a solo guitar would take
considerable skill. Nevertheless, the enjoyment
of this disc is twofold – not only are
the compositions finely crafted, but they are
also well performed. In Fantoni’s competent
hands, the guitar becomes a complex
and expressive instrument, whether in the
familiar overture to William Tell or the more
obscure Variations on O quanto lagrime
from La Donna del lago. While he possesses
a formidable technique, his performance
is never mere virtuosity; rather, he lets the
music speak for itself.
Two fine discs with music from sunny
Italy to cast away the winter darkness – both
recommended.
Richard Haskell
Dvořák – Piano Trios 3 & 4
Christian Tetzlaff; Tanja Tetzlaff; Lars Vogt
Ondine ODE 1316-2 (naxosdirect.com)
!!
Violinist
Christian Tetzlaff,
cellist Tanja Tetzlaff
(his sister) and
pianist Lars Vogt
are three of the
most eminent
and sought-after
performers in classical
music, gracing
the world’s most prestigious stages, both as
soloists and chamber musicians. They are the
crème de la crème.
With their 2015 release of the Brahms piano
trios having garnered a Grammy nomination,
the Tetzlaff-Tetzlaff-Vogt (T-T-V) Trio
once again dazzles in their new recording of
two Dvořák piano trios: No. 3 in F Minor and
No. 4 in E Minor. The latter, also known as
the “Dumky Trio,” consists of six movements,
each one a “dumka,” a musical term taken
from the Slavic folk tradition. Under Dvořák’s
treatment, each movement comprises alternating,
strongly contrasting passages, from
moody and melancholic to rhythmically
exuberant.
These two Dvořák masterpieces are brought
to extraordinary life by the consummate
musicianship of Tetzlaff, Tetzlaff and Vogt.
Their virtuosic playing is muscular, raw,
dramatic, intensely expressive – ideal for the
sweeping, rhapsodic and near-symphonic
– Brahmsian – F Minor trio. Written a few
months after the death of Dvořák’s mother,
the heart-achingly beautiful third movement
is exquisitely executed by the T-T-V Trio.
As for the “Dumky,” with so many recordings
of this beloved trio available, one might
think that nothing new could possibly be
brought into the recording studio. But one
would be seriously mistaken. In the impeccable
hands of the T-T-V Trio the “Dumky” is
revelatory: fresh and exhilarating, reflective,
tender and radiant. This CD is a must!
Sharna Searle
Concert note: While the Tetzlaff-Tetzlaff-Vogt
Trio does not have any scheduled Toronto
performances in 2019 – as far as I can tell,
the closest they get is Carnegie Hall’s Zankel
Hall on May 3 – violinist Christian Tetzlaff
will be guest soloist with the TSO on April 10,
12 and 13; on April 12 only, he’ll join the TSO
Chamber Soloists in a pre-concert performance
of Beethoven’s Sextet for Horns and
String Quartet.
Bruckner – Quintet in F Major; Ouverture in
G Minor (Large Orchestra versions)
Prague RSO; Gerd Schaller
Profil Edition Hanssler PH16036
(haensslerprofil.de)
! ! Featuring
conductor Gerd
Schaller’s new
arrangement –
the first for large
orchestra – of Anton
Bruckner’s String
Quintet in F Major
(1878), this disc
counts as a major
success. Already Schaller has recorded the
Bruckner symphony cycle; here he adds the
composer’s major chamber work, in orchestral
garb. The Prague Radio Symphony
Orchestra’s immaculate performance is wellpaced,
the musicians rising to the technical
and interpretive challenges of this
premiere; they produce excellent tone quality
at all dynamic levels. The string quintet was
composed following Bruckner’s Fourth
Symphony revision. Schaller’s well-informed
arrangement really sounds like a Bruckner
orchestral work of that era.
The pastoral first movement sets out the
orchestral palette, with comforting strings
followed by more varied winds, leading to
brass climaxes at pivotal points. Then the
Scherzo-Trio adds witty contrasts – pauses
and harmonic surprises. The acclaimed
Adagio makes a profound centrepiece, the
organ-like orchestration reminding me that
Bruckner’s genius in improvisation was
legendary. Next comes Schaller’s interpolation
of a shortened version of the Intermezzo that
Bruckner originally composed as a simple
alternative to the Scherzo-Trio. Although
I don’t see the interpolation as necessary,
it does serve as a transition in emotional
terms from the Adagio to the Finale, whose
charming opening alternates with knotty
wide-ranging passages. In closing, the
74 | February 2019 thewholenote.com

Quintet’s material is wonderful in both the
chamber work and this orchestral arrangement;
Bruckner’s early Ouverture in G Minor
(1863) merely adds to the disc’s attractions.
Roger Knox
Gustav Mahler – Symphony No.9
Essener Philharmoniker; Tomáš Netopil
Oehms Classics ODC 1890
(naxosdirect.com)
!!
The city of Essen
is located at the
heart of the industrial
Ruhr area
of Germany. Its
rise to prominence
is intimately
tied to the fortunes
of the Krupp
family dynasty, who settled in this coalrich
region some 400 years ago and began
building steel foundries mainly dedicated to
the manufacture of heavy artillery. Gustav
Mahler conducted the premiere of his sixth
symphony there in 1906, prompting the
Viennese critic Hans Liebstöckl to acerbically
observe, “Krupp makes only cannons, Mahler
only symphonies.”
Throughout the 20th century the orchestra
maintained a low profile labouring under a
series of provincial kappelmeisters. Judging
by the present performance under their
current director, the Czech conductor Tomáš
Netopil, this highly capable orchestra makes
a compelling case for greater international
renown. Recorded in Essen’s Alfried Krupp
Hall in April 2018 (from what I assume are
edits of live performances), for the most part
this rendition of Mahler’s Symphony No.9
is quite a revelation. Only the interpretation
of the droll second movement Ländler
shows a few interpretive seams, as Netopil
sentimentalizes the structural ritardandos by
consistently beginning them far earlier than
indicated in the score. By contrast, the vehement
pacing of the accelerandos towards the
end of the subsequent daemonic Scherzo are
electrifying. The cataclysmic first movement
receives an immensely powerful performance,
while the finale achieves a Zen-like
transcendence superbly conveyed through the
carefully modulated tone of the dark-hued
Essen string section.
Too much is made in the liner notes of the
allegedly “fateful” nature of this work, begun
in 1909, two years before Mahler’s demise.
Death, with few exceptions, was always a leitmotif
in his works. It is not death, but life and
love that make this work so exceptional.
Daniel Foley
No Time for Chamber Music
collectif9
Independent (collectif9.ca)
!!
The title of this
disc by collectif9,
one of the most
exciting string
contemporary
ensembles today,
comes by way of
that musical omnivore,
Luciano
Berio, whose Sinfonia uses texts from Le cru
et le cuit (The Raw and the Cooked) by the
French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss.
The sardonic cue from the title is given
sharper angularity with the interpretation
of Mahler’s profound music, which almost
always expressed the composer’s innermost
thoughts. These peremptory readings
of Mahler’s portentous music are gaunt and
shard-like.
Together with the oblique Fantaisie à la
manière de Callot by Phillipe Hersant, contrabassist
Thibault Bertin-Maghit’s imaginative
arrangements create a new excitement
around Mahler, a composer who received due
recognition after many decades of proselytizing
by conductors such as Bruno Walter,
Wilhelm Mengelberg and later, Leonard
Bernstein.
Although what we have here are vignettes
of symphonies from Mahler, collectif9 has
masterfully recreated the composer’s soundworld
infusing much into the music. These
suggest – even conjure – every Mahlerlike
spectacle from Marche funèbre from
Symphony No.5 to the vast images of nature
especially in Comme un bruit de la nature
from Symphony No.1. There is also the extraordinary
lyricism of Lieder eines fahrenden
Gesellen that unfolds in J’ai un couteau à
la lame brûlante and the eloquently wistful
performance of L’adieu from Das Lied von
der Erde. All of this repertoire by collectif9
is highly charged and intensely dynamic,
making for a uniquely impactful disc.
Raul da Gama
Franz Schreker – The Birthday of the
Infanta Suite
Berlin RSO; JoAnn Falletta
Naxos 8.573821 (naxosdirect.com)
!!
Almost forgotten
after the Nazis
banned them
in the 1930s,
Franz Schreker’s
feverish, hyperromantic-expressionist
operas have,
in recent years,
received welcome
new stage productions and recordings. For
anyone unfamiliar with Schreker’s gripping
sound-world, there’s no better introduction
than the first work on this CD, Prelude to a
Drama, Schreker’s 18-minute elaboration of
the Prelude to Die Gezeichneten (1914), incorporating
themes from his operatic masterpiece.
JoAnn Falletta, known locally as
music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic,
leads the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
in a radiant performance of this gorgeous,
numinous music.
The other works on this disc, from
Schreker’s earlier years, present him in
What we're listening to this month:
thewholenote.com/listening
True Stories
Mike Field
Mike Field, the award-winning
trumpeter, music producer,
vocalist & composer, presents his
newest album, True Stories. Now
available on all major streaming
sites and www.mikefieldjazz.com
No Codes
Benjamin Deschamps
Up-and-coming Montreal-based
saxophonist Benjamin Deschamps,
named Révélation Radio-Canada
Jazz 2017-2018, launches his third
album featuring new
original music.
Les vents orfèvres / Les entrailles
de la montagne
Jean-François Bélanger
Over the years, the composer and
multi-instrumentalist has refined his
own personal and poetic vision of
traditional music. His recent diptych
is dedicated to the influences of
Scandinavian music.
Bushes and Bombshelters
Ivana Popovich
A fusion of classical, gypsy and
Eastern European folk, Ivana's
music is cinematic and haunting.
These compositions are intimate
stories about journeys
and crossroads.
thewholenote.com February 2019 | 75

more genial moods. His 1908 score for The
Birthday of the Infanta, a ballet-pantomime
after Oscar Wilde’s fairy tale, was his first
major success as a composer for the theatre.
It obviously remained close to his heart, as he
conducted the Berlin State Opera Orchestra
in two recordings – an acoustic (1923) and a
better-sounding electrical (1927) – of the Suite
he arranged from his first hit. Falletta clearly
delights in the scintillating sonorities and
touches of sentiment in the ten-movement,
20-minute Suite.
Similarly, the 25-minute Romantic Suite
(1903) by the then 25-year-old Schreker
bathes in warm lyricism throughout its four
movements, a symphony in all but its name.
Adding considerably to this CD’s appeal is
the brilliant recorded sound and equally brilliant
playing of the orchestra under maestra
Falletta. Brava!
Michael Schulman
Serenades & Sonatas for Flute and Harp
Suzanne Shulman; Erica Goodman
Naxos 8.573947 (naxosdirect.com)
!!
Flutist Suzanne
Shulman and
harpist Erica
Goodman are
popular, brilliant
and esteemed
Canadian
performers who,
when asked to
participate in a
summer festival concert of music for an
English garden, gathered pieces evoking an
outdoor setting. Here they perform a selection
of these compositions/arrangements with
stellar ensemble and musical skills.
A single standing bird on the CD booklet
cover sets the visual stage for joyous flute
and harp garden sounds. The catchy
opening of Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on
Greensleeves (arranged by Jennifer Grady)
leads to the familiar melody on flute with
harp accompaniment at a faster tempo
than some may expect. A key change leads
to a middle section based on the folk tune
Lovely, and then back to the closing sensitive,
musical lead section. Love the opening
Prelude’s florid singing birdlike flute lines,
and the lush Mists’ slow-moving flute and
harp trills/flourishes in Paul Reade’s fivemovement
Victorian Kitchen Garden Suite.
Alphonse Hasselmans’ technically challenging
harp solo La Source, Op.44 features an
arpeggiated harp part reminiscent of rushing
stream water played with subtle tone
choices. William Alwyn’s virtuosic Naiades –
Fantasy-Sonata for Flute and Harp encompasses
arpeggios, staccato jumps and florid
runs, like running water and dancing
nymphs, to trills and high-pitched gardenlike
sounds. Works by Couperin, Woodall,
Marson, Chausson, Rota and Elgar complete
the collection.
Listening to this luscious musical garden
tended by two breathtaking musicians should
help make waiting for springtime easier!
Tiina Kiik
Concert note: Suzanne Shulman and Erica
Goodman perform at Toronto-Concerts@100
on October 5.
MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY
Pulling the Light
Land’s End Ensemble; James Campbell
Centrediscs CMCCD 25718
(musiccentre.ca)
!!
Calgary’s Land’s
End Ensemble
presents six
Canadian works
composed since the
violin-cello-piano
trio was formed 20
years ago. In Omar
Daniel’s Piano
Trio No.2, two heavily accented rhythmic
movements precede two slow, misteriosostyle
movements, all highly effective thanks
to Daniel’s knack for combining dramatic
contrasts, piquant sonorities and constant
forward motion.
Alexandre David’s Auprès et au loin takes
its title from a description of Pierre Boulez’s
music as “coherent, closely and from afar.”
Composed while David was studying Boulez’s
music, it begins with alternating agitato
and ruminative passages, eventually gaining
momentum and its own coherence. The next
three works offer subtle evocations of nature
and landscape. Allan Gordon Bell’s Markings
depicts three states of water – clouds (wispy
strings, piano tinkles), streams (string pizzicati,
running piano arpeggios) and glaciers
(rapid string figures, thumping piano
bass notes).
James Campbell, Canada’s preeminent
clarinetist, joins with the trio in Emilie
Cecilia Lebel’s Navigational View of South
Foreland Point and the Kent Coast, 1840,
inspired by drawings from that year. The
slow, moody music suggests a mist-shrouded
vista lacking any sharply defined landmarks.
Campbell also participates in Kelly-
Marie Murphy’s Postcards from Home, tone
pictures of a winter storm, sunrise and a
rousing hoedown. Finally, Laurie Radford’s
Event Horizon plays with acoustic space,
squiggles of energy and textures enhanced by
electronics and science-fiction colours, with
section titles including Pulling the Light, Red
Shifted and Escape Velocity.
You’re sure to find something to enjoy on
this disc; I did.
Michael Schulman
Jordan Nobles – Rosetta Stone
Various Artists
Redshift Records TK461
(redshiftrecords.org)
!!
Prolific Canadian
postclassical
composer Jordan
Nobles has won
numerous awards
for his scores,
including a 2017
JUNO. He also
serves as the artistic
director of Redshift Music Society, among
Vancouver’s most active contemporary music
groups. In 2007 it launched Redshift Records,
its own label, with an ambitious regionally
rooted catalogue that today lists some 39 CDs.
Nobles’ minimalistic collection of nine
works collectively titled Rosetta Stone: Music
for Multiples is among Redshift Records’
latest releases, selected from the composer’s
Open Score Collection of 25 experimental
compositions for non-fixed instrumentation.
In the liner notes flutist Mark Takeshi
McGregor notes that the idea of multiples –
musical works composed for several identical
or like-sounding instruments – has been
a decades-long preoccupation of Nobles.
“Whether it’s eight saxophones, six harps,
or 24 vibraphones, the monochromatic
ensemble presents a creative restriction”
capable of surprisingly complex and attractive
musical results.
Using multitrack studio recording techniques
Nobles opted to have each work on the
album performed by a single musician, such
as möbius (for ten grand pianos), or air (for 16
bass flutes).
The musical results are remarkably varied,
ranging from the dramatically breathy, dense,
natural harmonics-based stereophonic swirl
of air to the plucked string overtone-rich
sound clouds of ephemera (for four sevenstring
electric guitars).
Perhaps, like me, you’ll find the evermodulating,
plush but never saccharine basscentric
chords of still life (for eight five-octave
marimbas) the peaceful six-minute soundbath
you crave on a hectic day.
Andrew Timar
Wired
Transient Canvas
New Focus Recordings FCR218
(transientcanvas.com)
! ! Wanna know
two sounds I love?
Marimba and bass
clarinet. Wanna
know how I know?
This disc is how.
Transient Canvas is
the duo in question,
and their recent release is Wired. Each track
features the duo plus electronics, mercifully
the latter enhancing rather than distracting
76 | February 2019 thewholenote.com

from the acoustic sounds.
I’m writing in a manner as close as I can
manage to their joyful goofy playing (clean
and excellent goofiness, disciplined joy).
This is like listening to two of your favourite
flavours, say dark chocolate and roasted
almonds, that go really well together. Or
listening to two of your most beloved colours,
say turquoise and deep brown, that set one
another off, yet seamlessly blend. Much of
the material is pop-sounding enough that
the madness of the harmonies and jagged
rhythms don’t jar the ear, they toy with it.
It isn’t because it’s all from one composer
who gets them or caters to their strengths:
each track is from a different composer.
Maybe the two (Amy Advocat on bass clarinet,
Matt Sharrock on marimba) are really good
at commissioning only composers who
get them, or maybe the composers themselves
just can’t find a way to put them
off their game. After three bouncy tracks,
there’s a complete change of pace in Hyggelig
(Danish for chillaxin’), by Lainie Fefferman.
The longest cut, at almost 11 minutes, is
the aptly solemn solm by Mischa Salkind-
Pearl. The final track, Epidermis by Dan
VanHassel, is the most hard-core progressive,
yet kinda bebop. Peter Van Zandt Lane’s
Exergy Bubblebath wins the Most Whimsical
Title award.
Max Christie
Isang Yun – Sunrise Falling
Dennis Russell Davies; Matt Haimovitz;
Yumi Hwang-Williams; Maki Namekawa;
Bruckner Orchester Linz
Pentatone PTC 5186 693 (naxosdirect.com)
!!
Isang Yun:
Sunrise Falling
is a centennial
commemoration
of the uncompromising
life and
music of Korean-
German composer
Isang Yun (1917–
1995). Maestro
Dennis Russell Davies, long a Yun collaborator
and advocate, curated the program, ably
conducting the Bruckner Orchestra Linz.
Born in present-day South Korea and later
re-establishing himself in West Germany,
Yun certainly has one of the most unusual
biographies of any composer of Western
concert music. His is an epic story of a lifelong
fight for Korean national independence
and unity, thwarted by exile, all framed
by the creation of some of the most emotionally
gripping and transculturally cogent
music of the 20th century. After establishing
an award-winning composing and teaching
career in Korea after WWII, in 1956 Yun
relocated to Europe to further study composition,
settling in Germany. His idiosyncratic
style fully emerged in Gasa (1963) for violin
and piano, evocatively performed on this
album by violinist Yumi Hwang-Williams and
pianist Dennis Russell Davies. Its score overlays
Schoenberg-derived 12-tone gestures
with complex sustained tones imbued with
high emotion, the latter, an essential quality
of traditional Korean music.
On June 17, 1967 Yun’s life took an extraordinarily
dramatic and life-threatening turn.
He was kidnapped by the South Korean secret
service from his West Berlin home. Taken to
Seoul to face trumped-up charges, he was
accused of being a North Korean spy even
though he had only visited there as a tourist.
Tortured in prison, he attempted suicide. He
was forced to confess to espionage resulting
in a death sentence, subsequently commuted
to a lengthy prison term. Yun was eventually
released in 1969, in great measure as a result
of international outrage at his mistreatment
and the injustice of the charge. He returned to
a divided Germany never again to go back to
his Korean birthplace.
Yun’s dramatic biography informs his
mature music – a convincing blend of Korean
and European musical instruments, idioms
and sensibilities – accurately reflecting the
human and political drama and intercultural
fabric of his life story. The album’s key works
are the full-length Concerto for Violoncello
and Orchestra (1976), and Concerto for Violin
and Orchestra No.1 (1981), both imbued with
autobiographical allusion. Virtuoso cellist
Matt Haimovitz assays Yun’s intense score
jam-packed with despair, as well as exultation
over personal tragedy, with deep musicality
and passion. Innovative timbral textures,
such as the use of a plectrum on the cello
to emulate the kŏmun’go (Korean zither),
delight the ear. That technique also adroitly
bridges the composer’s mid-20th-century
Korean and Central European classical
music worlds.
The double album’s booklet concludes on
a hopeful note. “100 years after Isang Yun’s
birth, the two Koreas still teeter on a razor’s
edge, with ever more global ramifications.
His music opens the gate to a lost, united
land, with Yun’s own heart bleeding but
ever hopeful.”
Andrew Timar
Celebrating Piazzolla
Neave Trio
Azica Records ACD-71324
(naxosdirect.com)
!!
The Neave
Trio, comprised
of violinist Anna
Williams, cellist
Mikhail Veselov
and pianist Eri
Nakamura, perform
arrangements of
Astor Piazzolla
compositions in this
new release without, in a refreshing change
of musical pace, the composer’s ever present
bandoneon. The resulting soundscape brings
a new life to Piazzolla’s music. José Bragato
is a cellist/composer who played in several
of Piazzolla’s ensembles and here arranged
the four-movement Las cuatro estaciones
porteňas for the trio. Each movement is true
to the Piazzolla sound, with the musicians
playing abrupt tempo changes, rhythms, high
pitches and mournful sounds with passion.
Great extended solos showcase their commitment
to the composer’s work in the final
Invierno Porteňa movement.
The trio is then joined by mezzosoprano
Carla Jablonski in five Piazzolla
songs arranged by Leonardo Suárez Paz,
son of Piazzolla’s band member violinist
Fernando. Jablonski’s voice captures all the
emotive sentiments especially in the familiar
Oblivion, where the vocals are surprisingly
able to emulate the bandoneon sound, especially
in the lengthy held notes, while the
trio continues to create a larger band sound.
Lyrics and translations would be appreciated.
The recording ends with a performance of
Suárez Paz’s work Milonga de los Monsters.
Though more atonal, touches of Piazzolla
sounds surface in this technically amazing
fun-filled performance. The Neave Trio is to
be congratulated for their passionate fresh
ideas of ensemble and instrumental performance.
Their expertise in sound creation,
playing and improvising create a new way to
hear Piazzolla’s work.
Tiina Kiik
Tobias Klein – Chambery
Fie Schouten
Attaca ATT 2018156
(attacaproductions.com)
! ! Tobias Klein
looks out from the
cover photo on
this disc with an
ingenuous expression
of innocent
gratitude that you
might want to
listen to his music.
Don’t be fooled. He knows you want to dislike
it and him and yet he still expects to win
you over. His ally in the effort is bass clarinetist
Fie Schouten, with accomplices too
numerous to list.
As if to sucker the listener, he starts with
Leichte Überlappungen (2018), a bass clarinet
duet composed, according to his own words
in the notes, using a rigorous mathematical
method contrary to his normal practice
of unrigorous, intuitive construction. Not a
great opening gambit, it says here. I disagree
with the composer that the result of his decision
“sounds like it was composed with a lot
of passion.” Still, the quality of performance
and the interesting structure leave one maybe
slightly more inclined to like the guy and
his music. Then he whacks you with all the
winning arguments to follow.
Far more successful, and interesting,
is Kengboginn (2014), a lyrical conversation
between bass clarinet and harpsichord,
thewholenote.com February 2019 | 77

the latter somewhat overmatched in the
mix. Back in time we go to 2009, a far more
primitive time where drums, breaking
glass, and bass clarinet dance about naked,
without inhibition, in (deep breath)
SteinHolzGummiWasser. Bogus Bogey, a trio
with piano and flute (2005), is neither scary,
golf-related, nor as far as one can hear, bogus;
it’s just pretty cool, as in Mission Impossible
(the television series) cool. Vermutung (2008)
is a very hip pairing of accordion with bass
clarinet (what could be hipper?).
Well played, Mr. Klein, well played.
Extremely well played, Ms. Schouten et al.
Max Christie
Electroclarinet
Jean-Francois Charles
Independent (electroclarinet.com)
!!
I must say
it’s refreshing to
consider a CD that
includes a poem
instead of traditional
liner notes.
The untitled poem
written in French,
by Alice Gervais-
Ragu, seems to refer specifically to the beast
that is the clarinet (most especially the contrabass
and the basset). Jean-François Charles has
tamed these hounds, the whole pack in fact,
who wag their tails with delight on this disc.
Clarinetist and composer Charles, whose
series of six pieces titled ElectroClarinet
make up the bulk of the disc, gives no other
accounting for his work than the audible
evidence: Ten tracks, recorded in Iowa City
over a two-day period roughly one year ago.
His métier is acoustic instrument with live
electronics. He grapples with every member
of the broad range of horns, from contrabass
(an octave below the bass clarinet),
through bass, basset horn, A, B-flat, and E-flat.
Electroclarinet 1 dates from 2009; the latest
and longest, Electroclarinet6, from 2014.
The four in between are subtitled as Homage
to… (in order) Debussy, Weber, Messiaen and
Stravinsky.
Delays, reverb, and a variety of granulating
effects create soundscapes distinctly
unclarinet-like. Anyone so inclined is
welcome to delve into how the homages
relate to the various composers and the
works they notably added to the repertoire.
(There’s something reminiscent of L’Abyme
des Oiseaux in number four and flat-out
quotes from Stravinsky’s Three Pieces in
number five.) I recommend putting these on
and enjoying the path to wherever the pooch
wants to go.
Max Christie
JAZZ AND IMPROVISED
The Romance of Improvisation in Canada:
The Genius of Eldon Rathburn
Petr Cancura; Kevin Turcotte; Marianne
Trudel; Adrian Vedady; Jim Doxas
Justin Time JTR 8613-2
(justin-time.com/en)
!!
The Romance
of Improvisation
in Canada – The
Genius of Eldon
Rathburn celebrates
the music
of the late, titular
composer, who
wrote more than
250 film scores, the majority of them during
his long career as a staff composer for the
National Film Board. This album – released
through Justin Time, and helmed by Adrian
Matte and Allyson Rogers, who co-produce
and arrange all the album’s music – is a
labour of love to the memory of Rathburn,
whose music will be familiar to multiple
generations of Canadians, even if his name
is not. Playing Matte and Rogers’ arrangements
is the top-notch ensemble of Petr
Cancura, saxophone, Kevin Turcotte, trumpet,
Marianne Trudel, piano, Adrian Vedady, bass,
and Jim Doxas, drums.
Working for the NFB, many of Rathburn’s
assignments involved composing music for
educational shorts, including the endearingly
titled Fish Spoilage Control; the theme gets
an up-tempo swing treatment on this album,
with a jagged melody set atop a tense pedal
point. The Industrial Revolution Comes to
Canada, at a mere 31 seconds, is a brief foreboding
delight; likewise the three sections of
the Ox Driver’s Blues suite. Fresh Fish Delish!
Le Poisson se mange frais! is a bouncy, bluesy
number, which, like so much of the album,
balances humour and levity with the ensemble’s
sophisticated improvisational prowess;
Vedady, Turcotte, Cancura and Trudel all take
concise solos. An excellent and unique album,
appropriate for those interested in Rathburn,
jazz, Canadiana or any combination thereof.
Colin Story
This Is Autumn to Me
Ben D’Cunha
Independent (bendcunha.com)
!!
On his debut
recording, compelling
pianist, vocalist
and composer, Ben
D’Cunha culled
the selection of
tunes here from
27 original songs
captured in a single
four-hour recording
session this past summer. D’Cunha’s voice is
rich and lustrous, and his jazz sensibility and
phrasing are superb. As a pianist, he is in the
pocket, connecting on a psychic level with the
superb musicians also featured on this fine
recording – Bob Brough on tenor saxophone,
Jordan O’Connor on acoustic bass and Mike
McClelland on drums.
The CD gets going with Earworm – an
up-tempo, beboppish salute to the great
vocalese progenitors, such as Lambert,
Hendricks and Ross. D’Cunha bops and scats
joyously throughout this delightful tune,
punctuated by the trading of fours with
Brough, O’Connor and McClelland. Of special
note is the title track, a lilting bossa with
a charming lyric and thoroughly gorgeous
vocal. D’Cunha seems to channel the late,
great, Kenny Rankin here with his pitchpure
and vibrato-controlled vocal sound.
Also of note is Where Are You Now – a
touching ballad of a past love, loss and reflection.
The pristine canvas of piano, bass and
drums is the perfect setting for this deeply
moving piece.
The ten tasty tracks continue with Sweet
Honey Bee (Won’t You Walk With Me) – a
bluesy, funky tune featuring the soulful tones
of Brough on tenor; and also the brilliantly
lyricized, You Expletive You – a contemplative
ballad about toxic love. O’Connor sets
the sultry tone with the wonderful voice/
bass duet that kicks off this boppish ballad,
and Brough’s languid solo is masterful, as is
O’Connor’s.
Lesley Mitchell-Clarke
Trioliloquy
A/B Trio
Chronojazz CR065
(chronographrecords.com)
! ! While the slyly
clever play on words
in the title may
suggest drama and
a certain angular
structure to the
music, nothing can
really prepare you
for the fierce energy
that leaps out of the opening chords of the
A/B Trio’s opening chart Lenny’s Beat. It’s an
immensely exciting start to a recording that
has you on the edge of your seat.
Primary colours abound in the textures
that often rustle in the raw silk of Dan Davis’
saxophones that receive a mighty fillip from
the brassy ones that special guest, trumpeter
Kevin Turcotte, brings to the trio. All
this while bassist Josh McHan and percussion
colourist Thom Bennett keep the music on a
tight rein, with rhythms and phrasing that are
tight and alert.
It’s quite a shock to also see how fast
the music can move from the tempestuous
opening chart to the stately canter of
the romantically inclined How Suite It Is,
where the musicians take an elegiac view of
the written material and work around it to
produce something quite magical even in a
78 | February 2019 thewholenote.com

walking rhythm.
The poetic waltz Leda’s Song later in in the
repertoire keeps things deliriously romantic
and balletic at the same time; this before
the heat is turned up once again with the
raw and gutsy Bluesaholic and the tantalizing
interplay of Secondary Opinion that
closes this edifying music. Capture that in a
recording that gives space to sound and you
have a winner.
Raul da Gama
Live at The Rex
The Uncertainty Principle
Independent (andrewboniwell.com)
!!
With the
release of pianist
and composer
Andrew Boniwell’s
second CD with his
stellar ensemble,
The Uncertainty
Principle, he has
once again established
himself as
one of the most creative, non-Euclidian, improvisational
jazz musicians on the scene today.
For this live recording (expertly engineered by
Neil MacIntosh at Toronto’s Rex Hotel and Jazz
and Blues Bar), he has once again coalesced the
considerable talents of Richard Underhill on alto
saxophone, Kevin Turcotte on trumpet, Artie
Roth on bass and Mike McClelland on drums.
Boniwell serves as producer here, and has
written all but one of the compositions. He is
also fluent in what is possibly the only universal
language – mathematics – and although the
sophisticated quantum concepts that are integral
to his music may not be readily understood,
the exciting and unpredictable aspects of
it certainly communicate the plasticity of space/
time, as well as the thrilling idea of participating
in a perfect, unexpected and unplanned
moment of creation.
Boniwell’s opening salvo, Getting Higgy
With It, Part #1 is a dream-like piano and
percussion exploration which segues into
the evocative Sleeping Giant, which features
superb work from Underhill and McClelland.
Another standout is Probability Wave #1 /
HUP Poem, in which a superb bass solo and
profound trumpet work lead the ensemble into
a free flight of beauty and majesty punctuated
by a stirring, hip, thought-provoking spoken
word sequence by Boniwell. Winding up the
CD are two exceptional tracks, Suite 60, where
Underhill’s alto and Turcotte’s muted trumpet
cling together like particles attracting, and
Monk’s Well, You Needn’t, re-imagined with
Latin underpinnings. Both are triumphs, as is
the entire recording.
Lesley Mitchell-Clarke
Concert note: The Uncertainty Principle will
celebrate the release of Live at The Rex on
April 7 at Dakota, 249 Ossington Ave.
True Stories
Mike Field
Independent MFJCD 1801
(mikefieldjazz.com)
!!
Following three
previous awardwinning
CDs, trumpeter/composer/
vocalist Mike Field
presents a heady
blend of his actual
diverse, peripatetic
road experiences
expertly merged with compelling bits of pure
fantasy. Field serves as composer here, as
well as co-producer/co-arranger with noted
guitarist Dominic Mancuso. In order to bring
his eclectic concept into reality, Field has
assembled a cast of fine musicians, including
Mark Camilleri on piano/organ, Russ Boswell
and George Koller on bass, Davide Direnzo on
drums, Rosendo “Chendy” León on percussion,
Mancuso and Tony Zorzi on guitar and
Jerry Caringi on accordion.
The project kicks off with Mechanic, a
hard-rocking anthem, replete with burning
horns, face-melting guitar and impassioned
vocals by Field that tell the story of a lonely,
travelling space mechanic. Following immediately
is another standout, The Hotel by
the Mansion, which features a klezmer-like
arrangement about a very peculiar circus
act, starring a woman with fire in her hair
(the kind of act that you can only do once!)
Field soars on Tu vuo’ fa’ l’americano – a
lusty reworking of Carosone and Salerno’s
Neapolitan classic, most recently heard in the
film, The Talented Mr. Ripley, replete with a
bombastic accordion solo from Caringi.
Also of note are Magnolia, a swinging, jazzlike
tune that features not only a fine vocal by
Field, but also a dynamic trumpet solo, and
the lyrical closer, Autumn Lovesong, which
is a tender reflection on love, life, family,
the turning of the seasons and the inevitable
passage of time. Field sings deeply and
emotionally, in symbiosis with gorgeous
piano work by Camilleri.
Lesley Mitchell-Clarke
Concert notes: Mike Field will be far afield in
the coming months with a number of dates
in Germany in April and May and British
Columbia next November. Check
mikefieldjazz.com/dates for full details.
No Codes
Benjamin Deschamps
Independent (benjamindeschamps.com)
!!
Put these four
gentlemen together
in the warmth
of an acoustically
perfect room
and you instantly
have a heavyweight
quartet bursting
forth from bar one, then continuing to carve
out a niche for itself. No Codes suggests allegiance
to no single style within the realm of
jazz but there is certainly a reference to the
rippling boppish groove that soon unfolds
into music with tantalizing angular melodies
couched in complex tempi and abruptly
changing rhythms.
Alto saxophonist Benjamin Deschamps,
playing his heart out, shows that he can hold
his own with his veteran colleague tenor
saxophonist Frank Lozano. Bassist Sébastien
Pellerin and drummer Louis-Vincent Hamel
frame the broodingly percussive rhythm
section but every now and then they come
forth from playing in the pocket to ring in the
changes in mood, structure and tempo. All of
this makes for a highly interesting program,
from the blistering bop runs of Rules of
Compression that lift the lid on this pressurecooker
atmosphere around the band to the
loose and funky swagger of Cool Cats and the
tart, party-time thrills and spills of Double
Meaning and My Steps.
There is a considerable degree of balance
and integration of melody, harmony and
rhythm from this piano-less quartet. This
is touching and toe-tapping music in equal
measure. Again, composition and improvisation,
exploration, individuality and tradition
are all impressively maintained throughout,
which makes No Codes a disc to absolutely
die for.
Raul da Gama
Concert notes: Benjamin Deschamps
performs at Stewart Hall in Pointe-Claire QC
on April 14 and can be heard at jazz festivals
in Toronto, Medicine Hat, Tofino, Cumberland
and Calgary in June.
Wander Wonder
Allison Au Quartet
Independent AA-18 (allisonau.com)
! ! The Allison Au
Quartet has been
together since
2009 and their
first album, The
Sky Was Pale Blue,
Then Grey (2013)
was nominated
for a JUNO. The
second album, Forest Grove, won a JUNO in
2016 for Best Jazz Album of the Year: Group.
Wander Wonder is their third release and
is a thoughtful and subtle work with each
musician contributing their technique and
inspiration to Au’s complex and layered
compositions. For example, the group’s casual
precision is demonstrated during the drum
solo which ends Force Majeure: Fabio Ragnelli
plays with abandon while Todd Pentney
(piano) and Jon Maharaj (bass) lay down
an understated and contrasting, repeating
chordal vamp. Throughout the album, Au’s
alto saxophone is light but intense and
reminds me a little of Paul Desmond but
leaner; it fits well with her writing where
thewholenote.com February 2019 | 79

solos are interspersed with ensemble sections
and melodic fragments.
Highlights include Looking Up which
begins with Ragnelli’s subtle drum intro.
Then Au plays a beautiful looping melody
over clever rhythmic punctuation, an ostinato
bass pattern interrupts before the melody
returns and leads into an elegant piano solo.
Red Herring begins with a syncopated minor
melody over funky and jagged beats. As the
piece progresses, Pentney’s Prophet Rev2
adds an ominous texture for some additional
tension. The piece winds its way down
a number of genre alleys (as its title suggests)
and is ultimately satisfying and not at all
misleading. Wander Wonder is an exquisite
album that balances introspection with some
terrific solos.
Ted Parkinson
Autoschediasm
Karoline Leblanc; Ernesto Rodrigues;
Nicolas Caloia
Atrito-Afeito 010 (atrito-afeito.com)
!!
Autoschediasm
(the term indicates
something improvised,
offhand or
casual) presents
a three-segment
collective improvisation
created
by Montreal-based
pianist Karoline
Leblanc and bassist Nicolas Caloia and
Portuguese violist Ernesto Rodrigues. All are
accomplished improvisers, but each brings
different threads: Leblanc’s background
stresses the classical avant-garde; Caloia’s
career emphasizes free jazz; Rodrigues, who
leads several distinct improvising orchestras
in Lisbon, has championed free improvisation
for over 30 years, appearing on scores of CDs.
While the title suggests something
casual, the music sounds appropriate to
its Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal
setting, the trio bringing a high modernist
discipline and precision to the work. The
opening movement flows with an energy
that is dense and light. Sparked initially by
LeBlanc’s imaginative keyboard flights, in its
later stages it settles into a churning rhythmic
pattern that ignites Rodrigues’ radical virtuosity,
resulting in a flurry of microtonal lines
that sometimes create their own counterpart.
Offhand? Casual? The only thing that distinguishes
it from composed music is the challenge
of writing it down.
The second movement takes a contrasting
approach, developing little sounds, arising
discreetly, sometimes pointillist, at times
muffled, at others percussive, a gently
humming underbrush alive with detail. The
final segment moves from delicate sonic
events to a turbulent, vibrant world that
recalls the opening, a formal motion that
exaggerates a pattern evident since the early
classical era. It’s an act of “autoschediasm”
rich in taut attention to nuance and form.
Stuart Broomer
Pressing Clouds Passing Crowds
Kim Myhr; Quatuor Bozzini; Caroline
Bergvall; Ingar Zach
Hubro HUBRO CD 2612 (hubromusic.com)
!!
Initially commissioned
and
performed at FIMAV
in Victoriaville,
Quebec, Pressing
Clouds Passing
Crowds is a musical
rumination on
immutable nature and human disruption,
composed by Kim Myhr, the Norwegian
guitarist whose strums underscore the narrative
that ululates through this six-track suite.
Accompanied by Norwegian percussionist
Ingar Zach and framed by the harmonies of
Montreal string ensemble Quatuor Bozzini
(QB), the music shares space with the idiosyncratic
recitation by French-Norwegian
poet Caroline Bergvall. Her distinctive
phrasing helps set up a rhythmically charged
program where her vocal narrative adds as
much to individual sequences as the QB’s
intermittently buzzing glissandi, the percussionist’s
hand pops and vibrations, plus
the guitarist’s string strokes and spanks on
12-string acoustic, which constantly move the
theme forward. Moving efficiently through
word images that range among simple
instances of nature appreciation, chimerical
retelling of dreamlike surprises, and astute
allusions to political events involving refugees
and dangerous water crossings, Bergvall
sets up hypnotic sequences whose resolution
depends as much on the feints and fancies of
instrumental virtuosity as the players’ strategies
depend on her verbal concoctions.
With its echoes of folksay, impressionism,
stark improvisation and poetics, Pressing
Clouds Passing Crowds is a distinctive
creation which can be experienced more than
once – which is precisely what can be done by
listening to this CD.
Ken Waxman
Linger
Benoît Delbecq; Jorrit Dijkstra; John
Hollenbeck
Driff Records CD 1801 (driffrecords.com)
!!
Reshaping
improvisational
parameters, Dutch
alto saxophonist
Jorrit Dijkstra and
French pianist
Benoît Delbecq
add flexible oscillations
to the ten
performances here by also improvising on,
respectively, Lyricon and preparations for
synthesizer, aided by the flexible percussion
patterning of Montreal-based John
Hollenbeck.
With instrumental additions that can
process tones as they’re created, the
Europeans’ secondary voices multiply interactions
past standard trio voicings to suggest
enhanced melodic lyricism and rhythmic
vigour, often simultaneously. On Stir for
instance, reed smears and outer-spacelike
oral currents vie for supremacy challenged
by wave-form squibs and measured
keyboard chording. Unfazed by timbre multiplicity,
the drummer not only keeps a backbeat
going, most powerfully on Push, but also
bluntly asserts his agenda with individualistic
rolls and ruffs plus cymbal splashes there and
throughout the CD.
Dijkstra and Delbecq don’t just depend on
texture supplements as they aptly demonstrate
on Dwell, where irregular saxophone
trills and split tones confront a flowing
keyboard narrative plus inner piano string
stops; or on Stalk, where modulated piano
clusters create an impressionistic theme that
complements inchoate Lyricon echoes as well
as cursive beats plus drum-rim rubbing from
Hollenbeck.
Contrapuntal yet communicative, the
textural sound-melding throughout the disc
suggests that Dijkstra and Delbecq, who first
met at the Banff Jazz Workshop in 1990,
should collaborate more often. As it is, the
two, plus Hollenback’s fluid and inventive
patterning, have created a session over which
one can beneficially linger.
Ken Waxman
Eric Dolphy – Musical Prophet
Eric Dolphy
Resonance Records HCD-2035
(resonancerecords.org)
! ! When Eric
Dolphy died in
a diabetic coma
in 1964 at 36, he
represented a
special loss to jazz:
a master of three
distinct woodwinds
(alto saxophone, bass clarinet and
flute) whose exalted technical acumen and
creative intensity contributed immeasurably
to great recordings by John Coltrane, Ornette
Coleman, Charles Mingus, George Russell and
Oliver Nelson, among many others.
Musical Prophet is a 3CD set that expands
the 1963 sessions that produced the LPs
Conversations and Iron Man. Ranging from
unaccompanied saxophone solos (Love Me is
an expressionist masterpiece heard here in
three versions) to a tentet, from jazz standards
like Fats Waller’s Jitterbug Waltz (on flute)
to Dolphy’s own dense, swarming Burning
Spear, it’s the finest portrait of the breadth of
Dolphy’s genius available. There are no finer
examples of the “third stream” impulse than
Dolphy’s duets with bassist Richard Davis,
abstract weavings that press Ellington’s Come
Sunday and the standard Alone Together into
80 | February 2019 thewholenote.com

classics of improvised chamber music. On
Music Matador, his bass clarinet roars with
celebratory abandon.
Dolphy’s breadth is as apparent in his range
of collaborators, from bassoonist Garvin
Bushell, who recorded with Mamie Smith in
1922, to 18-year-old trumpeter Woody Shaw,
here making his recording debut. Along with
the expansive and illuminating alternate
takes, the set includes a remarkable bonus,
A Personal Statement, with an extended
musical dialogue that includes pianist Bob
James (yes, that Bob James) and countertenor
David Schwartz.
Stuart Broomer
La Fenice
Keith Jarrett
ECM ECM2601-02 (ecmrecords.com/
catalogue)
!!
A new release
from the Keith
Jarrett concert
archive is always a
welcome occasion.
Such is the case
with La Fenice, the
ECM label’s latest
offering from the
virtuoso pianist, which comes to us as a twodisc
set featuring an improvised solo concert
recorded at Gran Teatro La Fenice, Venice,
in 2006. By this time, Jarrett had adopted
a concert format during which he would
improvise a series of relatively short pieces, as
opposed to the long uninterrupted sets that
he favoured on earlier iconic recordings such
as La Scala and Bremen/Lausanne.
Interestingly though, Jarrett begins La
Fenice by breaking these self-imposed format
limits, as he launches into a mostly atonal
musical exploration which clocks in at over 17
minutes, until its final unexpected resolution
in F-sharp Major. In Part 3, the pianist visits
one of his more familiar trademark styles
wherein his left hand lays down an ostinato
pattern while the right hand improvises fluid
gospel/blues lines. Rhythmic clarity, direction
and superb melodic development are
present throughout, as Jarrett pulls off one
amazing pianistic feat after another with
apparent ease. The music then segues into an
achingly beautiful ballad, possibly one of the
most breathtaking improvised pieces he has
ever recorded.
On disc two, the pianist breaks up more
complex harmonic territory with a bittersweet
Gilbert and Sullivan tune (The Sun
Whose Rays), before proceeding on to a
straight-out blues romp. We are also treated to
several encores, including My Wild Irish Rose,
Stella by Starlight and a stunning Jarrett
original, Blossom. On Stella, the pianist
is clearly enjoying himself as he weaves
complex bop lines over a left hand walking
bass, while also tapping his foot on beats two
and four: a one-man band!
All told, La Fenice is a deserving
addition to Jarrett’s long and distinguished
recording legacy.
Barry Livingston
POT POURRI
(I) Les vents orfèvres;
(II) Les entrailles de la montagne
Jean-François Bélanger
Les Productions de l’homme Renard
(jfbelanger.com)
!!
Jean-François
Bélanger is a
specialist in period
and contemporary
string instruments.
Between 2015 and
2018 he completed
an enduring diptych
dedicated principally
to the Swedish folk instrument the
nyckelharpa. However, unlike Olov Johansson
of the Swedish group Väsen and renowned
exponent of the three-rowed nyckelharpa, the
music created by the Montréalais Bélanger
seems to fuse a myriad of musical idioms,
drawing from Swedish and Celtic ones, on his
single-rowed instrument.
The first of Bélanger’s diptych of recordings
is Les vents orfèvres, a piercing journey
into the interior landscape of the artist’s
mind, “dedicated to matters of the spirit,”
as Bélanger explains. There is an astonishing
variety of music here, from the spinetingling
and airy Ouverture tirée à quatre
épingles and Le pensoir with their eloquent
silences punctuated only by the sound of the
keys as they are depressed, to serve as frets to
change the pitch of the string, to the knockabout
Suite norvégienne with its highly theatrical
and dance-like gestures that closes out
this disc.
Throughout we hear music-making of great
vividness and immediacy; the songs seem to
traverse not just time, but also a musical
topography infinitely more vast than the relative
insularity of the instrument. It bears
mention too that Bélanger also plays
numerous other stringed and percussion
instruments and is accompanied by 12 other
virtuoso musicians who play a staggering
range of instruments from the Jew’s harp and
the Brazilian caxixi to the Indian bansuri and
the viola da gamba.
The second
part of his celebrated
diptych Les
entrailles de la
montagne is infinitely
more adventurous.
The music
unfolds and with it
the metaphor of the
mountain takes shape. As the disc progresses
the music seems to pour out of the instruments
in a proverbial volcanic mix that melds
opulent orchestral arrangements with a
percussive folksy theatre that seems to crisscross
the earth’s music. But to describe it as
such gives the impression of overcooking
when in fact the whole project is a masterpiece
of subtlety.
Somehow Bélanger’s nyckelharpa appears
to give way more frequently to other instruments
from his pandora’s box that even
includes the sitar and tampuri-swarmandal.
Here too, Bélanger is accompanied
by 15 musicians plus a string quartet, each
deeply attuned to his vision. The surprises,
when they come, are effective but discreet:
a gamelan-like riff played as pizzicato
harmonics and a delicate curlicue of a bass
line that sounds like a Gaelic lament and, as
in La brouseaille – Chemin de traverse, a
close-knit passage that develops from a single
phrase. Small wonder that Bélanger received
the Instrumental Solo Artist of the Year prize
at the 2018 Canadian Folk Music Awards for
Les entrailles de la montagne.
Raul da Gama
Concert notes: Jean-François Bélanger has
many performances around the province of
Quebec in February and March. Full details
can be found at jfbelanger.com/spectacles/.
Before You
Alicia Hansen
Independent (aliciahansen.com)
!!
Alicia Hansen
does not write party
music. What the
Vancouver-based
singer and piano
player does write
are artistic, original
and harmonically
complex songs.
Her propensity for
minor keys and stark lyrics make her latest
album, Before You, feel a little dark at times,
but her beautiful voice and vulnerability more
than make up for it.
Hansen’s third studio release comprises
11 tracks all written by her and produced by
JUNO Award-winner, Jesse Zubot, who also
plays violin on the album. Zubot and cellist
Peggy Lee’s string work add to the haunting
quality of many of the tunes, such as Who I
Am or the opener Disintegrating Heart which
explores themes of love and relationships,
as many of the songs do. Other themes are
emotional growth, self-acceptance and the
rejection of standards set by others. In Fame
and Glory Hansen writes, “So I hope that
you’re not waiting for me, to turn into something
that I’ll never be.” And that sums this
record up well. Hansen’s work is worth
exploring for anyone tired of formulaic pop
offerings and keen for fresh, interesting, yet
accessible songs.
Cathy Riches
Concert note: Alicia Hansen performs at
Merge in Vancouver February 15.
thewholenote.com February 2019 | 81

You’re Fine
Barbra Lica
Justin Time JUST 260-2
(justin-time.com/en)
!!
Barbra Lica is on
a songwriting and
album-releasing
tear. Her fifth CD
in six years has
just come out and
it’s populated by
all original songs,
almost all written
or co-written by Lica. For this album, she
travelled to the mecca of American music,
Nashville, where she collaborated on songwriting,
enlisted players and recorded tracks,
all under the tasteful oversight of Toronto
bassist and producer Marc Rogers. So while
this album is a bit of a departure from Lica’s
previous jazzy records, it’s still true to her
signature, sunny style. Even when she’s
singing about heartbreak and longing, such as
in Everybody Else, you need to listen closely
to know it, since the songs are so consistently
upbeat.
Besides Lica’s pretty, lithe voice, guitars
are the stars of You’re Fine courtesy of Tom
Fleming and Nashville session players Paul
Franklin and Wanda Vick Burchfield, whether
it’s the acoustic on the opening track Before I
Do, which sets the tone for the album with its
lovely simplicity, or the pedal steel, dobro and
mandolin that enrich a number of the tracks.
Heck, a banjo even makes an appearance
on one song (Jolie Oiseau)! Joel Visentin’s
keyboard work deserves mention as it subtly
supports throughout the album then shines
on the closing track, When I’m Gone, a lovely
lilting number featuring piano and the instrument
that’s most dear to this reviewer’s heart,
accordion. Aaahh.
Cathy Riches
Bushes and Bombshelters
Ivana Popovic
Long Play CD 034 (ivanapopovic.com)
!!
While it’s generally
not my practice
to mix reviews
with politics, in
this current political
climate of
hateful, anti-immigration
rhetoric
being hurled by
xenophobic politicians (from both sides of
our southern border and beyond), it delights
me to review violinist and composer Ivana
Popovic’s lovely debut album, Bushes and
Bombshelters, which paints a poignant,
musical portrait of a successful immigration
story – her journey from Serbia to a creatively
rich life in Canada.
An accomplished classical musician,
Popovic’s compositional influences run the
gamut from Bach and Shostakovich to Gypsy
and Eastern European folk music. The ten
original tracks on Bushes and Bombshelters
cover the themes of longing and belonging,
nostalgia, connection, homeland and new
beginnings, and are crafted with the passion
of someone who has experienced them all,
intimately. Accompanying Popovic on her
musical journey are pianists Saman Shahi and
Perry Maher, double bassist Jesse Dietschi,
trombonist Don Laws, percussionist Max
Senitt, violist Nikray Kowsar, cellist Stuart
Mutch and flutist Jamie Thompson. Popovic
sings on three tracks; John MacLean lends
vocals on one.
With the spirited clippity-clop of the
voyage, the mood shifts from sombre to celebratory,
brilliantly depicted by Popovic on
electric 5-string violin with outstanding
contributions from Laws and Senitt; this
titular first track sets the tone for the entire
album. From the evocative violin and piano
duo, Sketches From Serbia, to the plaintive,
prayer-like Blue for solo violin, and Memory’s
exquisite interplay of flute, violin and cello,
Popovic’s Bushes and Bombshelters is a
journey worth taking.
Sharna Searle
Concert Note: February 10, 2pm, Bushes
and Bombshelters CD Release Party at
Gallery 345.
Something in the Air
CD Reissues help define the massive
musical changes of the 1960s and 1970s
KEN WAXMAN
As the advances, musical and otherwise, that transformed the 1960s and 70s recede into
history, new considerations of what happened during those turbulent times continually
appear. Reissues of advanced music recorded during that time, some needlessly obscure,
some better known, help fill in the details of exactly what transpired.
Probably the most historically relevant set to become available for
the first time on CD is Bäbi (Corbett vs. Dempsey CvsDCD052;
corbettvsdempsey.com) by master-drummer Milford Graves.
Recently the subject of Full Mantis (a documentary about Graves’
contribution to sessions by the likes of Albert Ayler and Paul Bley
and his years teaching at Bennington College), Graves is acknowledged
as one of the originators of multi-pulsed, free-form drumming.
This legendary 1976 disc, with the sophisticated drum
patterns evolving alongside frenetic screeching and jumping
multiphonics from saxophonists Arthur Doyle and Hugh Glover, captures that trio at its
zenith, and the 2CD set includes an additional four tracks recorded in 1969 by the same
band. If anything 1969 Trio 1 to 1969 Trio 4 are even further out than the sounds Graves,
Doyle and Glover would record seven years later. With sabre-sharp altissimo cries, and
fractured split tones plus near bloodcurdling vocal interruptions, the performance is the
epitome of 1960s ecstatic jazz. Yet beneath the reed gurgling and glossolalia, Graves’ press
rolls, cymbal-splashing and elastic textures create a thundering counterpoint and moderating
influence on the saxophone astringency. The drummer may be kicking off and timemarking
his performance with more speaking in tongues and whooping in 1976, but he’s
refined his percussion strategy still further. Pounding ruffs and rebounds at a whirlwind
pace, his patterning pushes reed peeps and fissures to a higher plane, and then brings them
back to earth. Meanwhile on the concluding Bäbi, his verbal counting-off and vocal time
and tempo shifts for the others resemble Africanized tribal chants. With Glover and Doyle
becoming more exaggerated in their screeching and slathering irregular vibrations, Graves
empties his percussion trick bag, fluidly jerking from steel-drum-like rhythms to bellringing,
wood and Mylar block thumps and skin slaps. The horns may be heading for outer
82 | February 2019 thewholenote.com

space, but the drummer’s pacing ensures
that the pieces judder with foot-tapping
rhythms as well.
If Bäbi has been more legendary than
listened to over the past 45 years, then
saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell’s defining
work from 1966, Sound (Delmark DE 4408;
delmark.com), has an opposite history.
Constantly available since its release, this
new reissue uses the original analog mix and includes alternate,
longer takes of the title track and Ornette. A breakthrough which
put the burgeoning Association for the Advancement of Creative
Musicians’ (AACM) sound on disc for the first time, two of the
members of the sextet – trumpeter Lester Bowie and bassist Malachi
Favors – soon joined Mitchell and others to form the influential Art
Ensemble of Chicago. At that time Ornette confirmed that Ornette
Coleman’s early 1960s advances were now accepted additions to
contemporary jazzers’ vocabulary, though granted the mix of ducklike
quacks and piercing kazoo-like peeps from Mitchell and tenor
saxophonist Maurice McIntyre on both takes probably draws more
from the AACM’s sardonic viewpoint than Coleman’s more naïve
concepts. Plus reed trills are artfully balanced by sophisticated
guitar-like patterning from Favors and cellist Lester Lashley. Even
cursory listening to the alternate takes reveals subtle differences
between them with different emphases and climaxes. With its
harmonica breaths and cogwheel ratchet cracks, The Little Suite is
even more indicative of how Mitchell compositions could be
moderato and spiky simultaneously, as advanced Coleman-John
Coltrane-like reed-tone explorations share space with vocal yelps in
a tambourine-smacking pseudo march. With over 20 minutes to
elaborate his sonic concepts on either take of Sound, Mitchell creates
a mercurial sound kaleidoscope. His sometimes snarling, sometimes
circular-breathed alto saxophone line negotiates a distinctive exposition
that ambles past near-breathless trombone signs, spectacular
trumpet accelerations, driving cymbal rattles and tough sul
ponticello string nips. No matter how abstract the exposition
however, the composition advances harmonically with the initially
available track even concluding with a recapped head. Sound maintains
its reputation since it synthesizes the music that preceded it
and adumbrates sounds to come.
Experiments in free-form sounds were
spreading outwards from New York and
Chicago all during that time, and 1976’s
The Haunt (NoBusiness Records NBCD 105;
nobusinessrecords.com) documents the
now almost-forgotten New Haven scene.
Ironically, although Connecticut-based
clarinetist Perry Robinson was from New
York, and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, an
AACM linchpin, a Chicago expat, local vibraharpist Bobby Naughton
was the third trio member and composed all the tunes. Stripped to
chamber improv, the six tracks don’t suffer from lack of conventional
chordal or percussion timbres, since Naughton’s just-in-time
steel bar resonations purposely and craftily fill any gaps left from
the sonic contrasts among Smith’s heraldic open-horn keens and
Robinson’s abstruse glissandi or whinnies. While gorgeous trumpet
storytelling on tracks such as Places moves with contrapuntal injections
from shrill clarinet pitches, from polychromatic expanse
to uncomfortable abstraction, mallet-chiming pops prevent this.
Instead, shimmering vibes tones help assume a forward-moving
group pulse. Skillful in adding diaphanous, but not delicate, mallet
strokes that ring like toy piano keys; or adding extra weightiness by
striking while diminishing the motor speed, the vibist’s skill and
The Haunt’s individuality are highlighted on the concluding Ordette.
With calm mallet-on-metal strokes preserving the narrative, textures
resulting from blending Robinson’s note spews and Smith’s graceful
slurs are now harmonized, moderated but no less powerful on this
disc recorded a decade after Sound.
Midway between when Sound and The
Haunt were recorded is the 1970 instance
of truth-in-packaging Groupcomposing
(Corbett vs. Dempsey CvsDCD056;
corbettvsdempsey.com), which shows off
the free-music conceptions European
players had been developing on their own
during the previous half-decade, only
peripherally influenced by stateside experiments. Trans-European
long before the 1993 Maastricht Treaty created the European Union,
the Instant Composers Pool here includes three players from the
United Kingdom, three from The Netherlands and a German. A
couple of years after such defining LPs as Machine Gun and
European Echoes were recorded (featuring most of these players),
sound-searing saxophonists Peter Brötzmann and Peter Bennink,
slippery-toned trombonist Paul Rutherford plus unpredictable
drummer Han Bennink were still producing oppressive timbres that
bounce from polyphony to cacophony to multiphonics. Meanwhile
guitarist Derek Bailey’s distinctive, spiky twangs occasionally peer
from the near-solid sound mass and saxophonist Evan Parker, two
months away from recording the BritImprov-defining Topography of
the Lungs (with Bailey and [Han] Bennink), tries out both the
agitated and allayed approaches in his solos. One defining moment
occurs midway through Groupcomposing2 when the guitarist’s
astringent clanks join Parker’s split tones and pinched snores from
the trombone for a caustic lull that is soon swallowed by long tones
from the saxophones, plus belligerent cracks and blunt ruffs from
Bennink’s hand bells, cymbals and odd percussion add-ons. Other
eventful sequences among the claustrophobic mass of upwards
spiralling broken-reed glissandi and trombone gutbucket smears, are
sardonic intermezzos from pianist Misha Mengelberg, who defies the
others by clanking keys at divergent speeds and pitches. Like Sound,
Groupcomposing is suggesting alternate improvisational paths for
the future.
The most inclusive sonic snapshot of the
1960s and 1970s is, however, Cosmic
Forest – The Spiritual Sounds of MPS
(MPS 4029759122562; mps-music.com)
which collects 13 tracks by American and
European musicians trying out conflicting
musical strands to unite with jazz. A few
which foretold the intellectual dead end
of vocal-led smooth jazz are best forgotten, but others such as saxophonist
Nathan Davis’ Evolution, find a committed bopper adopting
modal currents to his own style; still others inaugurating a version of
expansive Nordic narratives; while Timbales Calientes from the MPS
Rhythm Combination & Brass is a reimaging of Latin-jazz rock with
the layered section work goosed by Palle Mikkelborg’s stratospheric
trumpet lines. More compelling are players pioneering a fusion
between improvised and so-called world music. For instance clarinetist
Tony Scott’s Burungkaka Tua is a notable melding of Scott’s
moderated tone, tough ethnic blowing from Javanese flutist Marjono
and a decisive blues underpinning from Chinese pianist Bubi Chen.
Pianist George Gruntz’s Djerbi takes a traditional Bedouin dance
melody played by Sadi El Nadi on ney and unites it with the pianist’s
chromatic thrusts aided by Daniel Humair’s foot-tapping drumming.
A crucial harbinger of what was to come is Yaad, which, propelled
by tabla slaps, unites the exploratory comping of pianist Irène
Schweizer and Barney Wilen’s whispery flute with the sitar twangs
and vocalized chants of Dewan Motihar mirrored by trumpet blats
from Manfred Schoof.
Free music orchestrator Schoof’s presence confirms that improvisers
of the time were committed to experimenting with all sorts of
sounds. Many exceptional projects were recorded in the 1960s and
70s, and the more that become available again, the more they increase
our knowledge of what was attempted and accomplished.
thewholenote.com February 2019 | 83

Old Wine,
New Bottles
Fine Old Recordings Re-Released
BRUCE SURTEES
Bach333: J.S. Bach – The New Complete Edition
Various Artists
Deutsche Grammophon 4798000 (222 CDs; bach333.com/en/)
When I was presented with this edition
for review a little while ago I was
delighted. Now I can play absolutely any
Bach work at any time, I rejoiced. Then
it sunk in. What exactly can be written
to appraise excellence? “Are you going
to recommend it?” “Will you listen to
222 CDs?” were typical questions from
friends. After assessing the enormity
of the collection and playing something
from just about every category,
I settled down to watch the one DVD in the box, Bach: A Passionate
Life, a documentary written and presented by Sir John Eliot Gardiner.
This is an engrossing documentary and unfolding story, an appreciation
with conversations with colleagues and others. Gardiner
describes Bach’s life from his birth in Eisenach on March 21, 1685
through his early years and Lutheranism in Eisenach, his family and
musical education. Gardiner follows his life and works in Arnstadt,
Mülhausen, Weimar and finally on July 28, 1750, at the age of 65, his
death in the Thomasschule in Leipzig following a botched operation.
Interwoven in the narrative are period-informed performances of
significant passages from several genres, the ensemble works mostly
directed by Gardiner. I mention this most informative and absorbing
DVD because, quite unexpectedly, my appreciation of many of Bach’s
original works in the collection, all of them, choral, concertos,
concerted works, string solos, organ and keyboard works, etc. has
been heightened.
So, what’s in the box? Everything. There are 48 CDs of sacred
cantatas conducted mainly by Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir
with some performed by Masaaki Suzuki and the Bach Collegium,
Japan. Others are by Philippe Herreweghe and the Collegium Vocale
Gent, Ton Koopman and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and
Choir, Joshua Rifkin and the Bach Ensemble, and more. The 22
secular cantatas are directed by Suzuki, Rifkin, Hogwood, Goebel,
Koopman, Leonhardt, Gardiner, Alexander Grychtolik and Helmut
Rilling. The three Magnificats are under Gardiner, Simon Preston and
Paul McCreesh. The Mass in B Minor is from Frans Brüggen. Peter
Schreier conducts Masses BWV 234-236. Two versions of St John
Passion are by Gardiner and Suzuki, two versions of St Matthew
Passion, by Gardiner and McCreesh. Two Christmas Oratorios,
Gardiner and Chailly. And there are many more works for voice and
voices including, as the title states, everything else. Complete texts
with translations are in four accompanying booklets. Before leaving
the vocal works there are 23 CDs of historic recordings from 1933 on.
They include conductors Mengelberg, Scherchen, Karl Ristenpart,
Fritz Lehmann, Karl Münchinger, Neville Marriner, Benjamin Britten,
Raymond Leppard and Roger Norrington. Karl Richter and the Munich
Bach Orchestra and Choir has 13 CDs including another complete
Matthew Passion. Vocalists include Karl Erb, Magdá Laszló, Hilde
Rössel-Majdan, Waldemar Kmentt, Helmut Krebs, Alfred Poell,
Fischer-Dieskau, Agnes Giebel, Elly Ameling, Ileana Cotrubas, Hugues
Cuénod, Julia Hamari, Birgit Finnilä, Helen Watts, Werner Krenn,
Tom Krause, Janet Baker, Robert Tear, Peter Pears, Matthias Goerne,
Peter Schreier, Anna Reynolds, Hertha Töpper, Ursula Buckel and
about 50 more including Emma Kirkby, Gundula Janowitz and Fritz
Wunderlich.
The second half of this everything collection is devoted to instrumental
works beginning with the entire catalogue of organ works
on 20 discs played by distinguished soloists. Bach was a superlative
organist and composer, hence his compositions are best served
by virtuoso performers, as these are here, playing organs throughout
Europe, Scandinavia and England. Mavens will recognize their names
including: Simon Preston, Ton Koopman, Peter Hurford, Wolfgang
Rübsam, Helmut Walcha, Daniel Chorzempa, Graham Barber and
Christian Schmitt. CD124 presents 20 “Free Works of Unproven
Authenticity.” They are organ works and each has a BWV number
assigned to it, BWV898 with the rest spotted between BWV 533 to
598. Played by Hurford and Preston and two others, the risk is leaving
them out of a complete edition… they may be authentic.
The keyboard works are shared by harpsichordists and pianists.
Harpsichordists include Trevor Pinnock, Gustav Leonhardt, Justin
Taylor, Kenneth Gilbert, Huguette Dreyfus, Ton Koopman, Keith
Jarrett, Masaaki Suzuki, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Christopher Hogwood,
Christophe Rousset, Mahan Estahani and others, both familiar and
unfamiliar. Pianists include Brendel, Argerich, Hewitt, Jarrett and
Ashkenazy, Schiff and Nelson Freire, Murray Perahia, Maria João
Pires, Benjamin Grosvenor and Pogorelich. There are five CDs of
keyboard legends; pianists Edwin Fischer, Gulda, Lipatti, Gieseking,
Backhaus, Tureck, Myra Hess (Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring), Richter,
Horowitz, Gilels and others. Organists include Albert Schweitzer and
Helmut Walcha.
The Brandenburg Concertos, the violin and keyboard concertos
and the orchestral suites are directed by Goebel and Pinnock and
Hogwood, all with period instrument soloists. Following six CDs
of a miscellany of “Orchestral Traditions” there are seven CDs of,
“Instrumental Traditions” containing famous pre-informed versions
from 1935 on. A group of Bach works include “Solo and Chamber
Works” played by alternative instrumentalists. The first alternative
is a rather unexpected version of the mighty Toccata and Fugue in
D minor, BWV565 played on a lone period instrument by violinist
Andrew Manze. So simply perfectly correct and satisfying in every
respect, one could easily believe that this is the original, not an
alternative version.
There are many other sub-groups: “The Bach Family”; “Concertos
at Weimer,” arrangements of Telemann, Vivaldi and Marcello; “Bach
Renewed – From Bach’s Sons to Mahler”; “Bach Reimagined,” with
orchestrations by Schumann, Mendelssohn and Brahms, Busoni,
Respighi and Stokowski; “Bach Orchestrated – Reger to Stokowski”;
“Inspired by Bach – Gounod to Pärt”; “Bach & the Virtuoso Piano –
Liszt to Busoni”; “Bach & The Virtuoso Piano – The 20th century”;
“Bach à la Jazz”; and finally, on CD222, “New Colours of Bach.”
Each CD sleeve is numbered 1 to 222, and colour-coded. Finding
a certain CD is easy, either categorically or finding the location
within from the directory listing by BWV number, title or artist. The
CDs sit vertically on an A-frame construction within the box. Very
clever. Deutsche Grammophon has, once again, outdone themselves
and everyone else in preparing this uniquely unmatched collection
containing “every known note from the great master.” There are over
280 hours of music, including 10 hours of new recordings, totaling
750 performers. For this monumental edition, DG collaborated with
Decca and 30 other labels and the Leipzig Bach Archive. Three books
are included, the scholarly up-to-date BWV listing, a fine quality 222
page hard-bound with an appreciation of every composition on every
disc, and a matching hardcover book covering every aspect of Bach’s
life, complete with essays by noted authorities.
So, my reply to the questions in the first paragraph is Yes and No.
84 | February 2019 thewholenote.com

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REAR VIEW
MIRROR
Remembering
Neil Crory
ROBERT HARRIS
Genius,
if the word has any
meaning at all, comes in
many forms. There’s the
exuberant, demonstrative,
egomaniacal, smoking-hot
pistol of genius –
think Glenn Gould.
But there’s also a quieter form of whatever
genius is – and if it’s anything, it is originality
combined with integrity, uncompromisability,
single-mindedness, assurance.
And by that definition, Neil Crory had genius.
Neil, friend to so many, longtime CBC Music producer, writer,
mentor, proselytizer, imp, beauty, died on January 10, after he and
the Parkinson’s disease which had invaded him a decade earlier had
finally had enough of each other and decided to part ways in mutual
disgust. Neil, to the disease’s fury, had bent to its destructive evil, but
had never broken.
Working at CBC Radio Music, as I had done for decades, meant that
I knew of Neil Crory. He was the ultimate music producer, famous for
his discoveries and crusades, picky, prickly, notoriously indulgent with
other people’s money, hard-nosed to a fault, a bit of an elitist, slow in
his projects and obsessions, not everyone’s favourite colleague. In fact,
far from everyone’s favourite colleague. It always used to make me
laugh that a radio department devoted to musical artists never really
knew what to do when it actually stumbled across one.
I knew of Neil Crory, but never really knew him until 2007, when
I was handed an unenviable assignment – to produce a single,
four-hour long, weekend classical music program, hosted by Bill
Richardson (another artist people were confused by) called Sunday
Afternoon in Concert. Today, the program is simply called In Concert,
is still four hours, and is produced by Denise Ball in Vancouver and
very ably hosted by Paolo Pietropaolo. Denise and Paolo approach
their monstrous broadcast time like any sensible production team –
they divide their program into sections and segments and weave a
tapestry of music throughout their program. They do a fine job.
However, for reasons I now forget, I decided not to follow this
approach with Sunday Afternoon in Concert. I wanted instead to do
the impossible – weave a single theme through a four-hour long broadcast,
create a program that was not a kaleidoscope of various parts,
but a unified whole unfolding over four hours, a Wagnerian opera of a
radio program, different every week. It was insane, counter-intuitive (no
one listens for a four-hour long period of time), impossible. Everyone
thought I was crazy. Everyone, that is, except Neil Crory.
I’m not sure whether the mischievous imp in Neil was simply
attracted to the sheer perversity of what I was trying to do. I’d like to
think he shared my enthusiasm for trying something different. For
whatever reason, he became my chief partner in crime, with his aweinspiring
ability to come up with novel programming and repertoire
selections. He didn’t contribute to every program, but the ones he did
contribute to were very special. Our mutual boss, Mark Steinmetz,
told me once that Neil had come up to him after one of my shows –
the four-hour Bach show where we played, among other things, two
versions of Brandenburg 5 by two different Canadian orchestras, back
to back – and told Mark he thought SAIC should be taken off the air.
“Why?” Mark asked. “Because it’s too good,” was Neil’s reply.
86 | February 2019 thewholenote.com

It remains the single best compliment I’ve ever received in 40 years in
the business.
But the true worth of Neil Crory’s talent, and genius, and the love
and respect he inspired was in evidence when Sunday Afternoon
in Concert decided to present a live Christmas concert in the Glenn
Gould studio in mid-December 2007. It was one of the first things we
talked about at our first story meeting in September. Neil said he’d
produce it, and rolled off a roster of A-list Canadian opera stars that
he’d try to convince to come perform. All the greats Neil had discovered
and mentored and encouraged and inspired when they were just
starting out, now regularly appearing in the greatest opera houses in
the world. We all looked at each other in disbelief. A concert like that
would take a normal person six to eight months to pull off, if they
could pull it off at all. Neil assured us it would work. We believed him.
And then, because these things happen, we got busy and Neil got
busy, and it was now the first week in November and we really hadn’t
done anything at all to plan the Christmas show. I convened a special
meeting where we all reluctantly agreed that we’d have to shelve the
live concert idea until next year. All, that is, except Neil. No, he said, I
think we can make this happen. In five weeks? Yep. Five weeks? Let
me see what I can do.
And, of course, he pulled it off.
It wasn’t quite Michael Schade saying to the Vienna State Opera
– sorry, you’re going to have get someone else to perform Tamino
next Tuesday – I have to go back to Canada to sing Christmas carols
in front of 250 people in the Glenn Gould Studio because Neil Crory
asked me to, but it was damn close. Performers who are routinely
booked five years in advance all showed up within a month’s notice
because Neil asked them to – Schade, Russell Braun, I don’t think
Isabel Bayrakdarian could make it, but many other stars were there.
The green room was such a Who’s Who of Canadian vocal talent you
couldn’t help but laugh in astonishment at the treasures all assembled
in one place. I on the other hand, wasn’t laughing. As the executive
producer of a show that came together so quickly -- was there even
a dress rehearsal, don’t think so – I sat in the audience in anxious
anticipation, until the first act strode on stage – I think it was two
brothers from Newfoundland – and thereafter spent the entire afternoon
in blissful tears. It was one of the greatest things I ever witnessed
– and it was all Neil – the love in the room, the excellence on stage,
the commitment of the performers , the passion behind it all – it was
everything that Neil Crory represented coming to life and exploding
in beauty in one tiny concert hall one December afternoon. It was
special, to say the least. It was Neil.
Of course, sadly, Neil was predeceased by about a decade by the
CBC Radio Music department he loved and had helped shape. It’s a
tale for another day, but the destruction of CBC Radio Music remains,
whether noticed or not, acknowledged or not, one of the great moral
and artistic tragedies of Canadian cultural life. The organization that
helped create everyone from Glenn Gould to… well, to Neil Crory, was
a beacon for creativity and originality in this country, and the world
beyond, and it was snuffed out in a blizzard of bad ideas, creative
amnesia and Lilliputian thinking in a matter of a few months. The end
of Radio Music didn’t kill Neil Crory, but it didn’t inspire him in his
later years, either.
I’m told that Neil died listening to Schwarzkopf singing Strauss, a
fresh yellow rose in his lapel, surrounded by friends, a true producer
to the end. Those of us who were touched by him, who felt the breeze
of his unique presence pass by us and change the atmosphere around
us, won’t forget him, ever. A country produces few individuals with
his depth of humanity, caring, intelligence and wit. Another like him
won’t be coming along any time soon.
Robert Harris is a writer and broadcaster on music in all its
forms. He is the former classical music critic of the Globe and
Mail and the author of the Stratford Lectures and Song of a Nation:
The Untold Story of O Canada.
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