Volume 29 Issue 5 | April & May 2024

VOLUME 29 NO 5 

APRIL & MAY 2024 

MUSIC! LISTINGS 

live and livestreamed 

STORIES 

profiles, previews 

and interviews 

RECORD REVIEWS 

and Listening Room 

Barbe & Doucet’s Don Pasquale

Thursday, April 25, 2024 

SONIC UNIVERSE 

R. Murray Schafer John Adams 

Krisztina Szabo 

Alex Pauk, Conductor 

Krisztina Szabo, Mezzo Soprano 

R. Murray Schafer (Canada) Adieu Robert Schumann (1976) 

for mezzo soprano & orchestra 

John Adams (United States) Harmonielehre (1985) 

I. First Movement 

II. The Anfortas Wound 

III. Meister Eckhardt and Quackie 

2033/2024 — BIG SEASON, BIG ORCHESTRA, BIG REPERTOIRE 

Alex Pauk Founder, Music Director, Conductor 

8:00 pm Concert 

7:15 pm Pre-Concert Chat 

Koerner Hall 

TICKETS 

Koerner Hall Box Office 

416 408 0208 

espritorchestra.com 

The Michael and Sonja Koerner Charitable Foundation The Mary-Margaret Webb Foundation The Max Clarkson Family Foundation Tim & Frances Price Anonymous

EVGENY KISSIN, 

piano & MATTHIAS 

GOERNE, baritone 

SUN APR 21, 2024 • 2PM 

ITZHAK 

PERLMAN, violin & 

ROHAN DE SILVA, piano 

THU MAY 16, 2024 • 8PM 

For tickets, visit 

ROYTHOMSONHALL.COM

2905_AprMay2024_cover.indd 1 

2024-03-25 11:15 AM 

Volume 29 No 5 | April & May 2024 

ON OUR COVER 



MUSIC! LISTINGS 

live and livestreamed 

STORIES 

profiles, previews 

and interviews 

RECORD REVIEWS 

and Listening Room 

Barbe & Doucet’s Don Pasquale 

PHOTO: KK DUNDAS 

“It’s a story that you could say has an old, overused plot 

that's not relevant. It’s about an older man who believes 

he’s irresistible to women. This is a different take on 

that story, but he’s not going to take no for an answer. 

He wants to be able to conquer and have his conquests. 

The good thing is that it’s done in a very funny way,” 

continues Leech on the topic of Pasquale. The season is 

quite heavy, so I think having some levity in there will be 

welcomed by our cast.” 

Story on page 33. 

8 FOR OPENERS | Listening Fresh 

DAVID PERLMAN 

STORIES & INTERVIEWS 

12 CLASSICAL AND BEYOND | 

It’s time to ditch the tails | 

MAX CHRISTIE 

14 IN WITH THE NEW | Keying up 

for an inventive spring | 

WENDALYN BARTLEY 

16 ART OF SONG | A new journey 

- reimagining art song for the 

2020s | STEPHANIE CONN 

18 MUSIC THEATRE | Something 

to crow about, and a toast to 

new creation | JENNIFER PARR 

 

14 

thewholenote.com April & May 2024 | 5

The WholeNote 



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STORIES & 

INTERVIEWS 

24 EARLY MUSIC | Toronto 

Bach Festival: Connecting 

the dots | DAVID PERLMAN 

26 PROFILE | Andrew Burashko 

- the art of timing out | 

ANDREW SCOTT 

28 MOSTLY CLUBS, MAINLY JAZZ | 

Looking forward to the 

JUNOs, after the fact | 

COLIN STORY 

30 FROM UP HERE | Homes for 

music help communities heal 

and grow | SOPHIA PERLMAN 

33 ON OPERA | The COC’s 

Perryn Leech | MICHAEL 

ZARATHUS-COOK 

35 CHORAL SCENE | 

WHOLENOTE STAFF 

36 EVENTS BY DATE 

Live and/or online 

53 Ongoing, on demand 

& other 

32 

DISCOVERIES: 

RECORDINGS REVIEWED 

57 Editor’s Corner | DAVID OLDS 

59 Strings Attached | TERRY ROBBINS 

62 Vocal 

64 Classical and Beyond 

68 Modern and Contemporary 

72 Jazz and Improvised Music 

76 Pot Pourri 

77 Something in the Air | 

KEN WAXMAN 

78 What we're listening to 

this month 

79 THE BACK STORY: Light Work 

DAVID PERLMAN 

LISTINGS 

54 MAINLY CLUBS 

55 INDEX /THE WHOLENOTE 

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2024–25 

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STRINGS 

Juilliard Quartet Oct 24, 2024 

Miro Quartet Nov 14, 2024 

Gryphon Trio with Dec 5, 2024 

Lara St. John, violin; 

Aviva Chernick, vocalist 

JACK Quartet Jan 30, 2025 

Isidore Quartet Mar 27, 2025 

PIANO 

Marc André Hamelin Nov 26, 2024 

Rachel Fenlon, voice & Feb 11, 2025 

piano 

Illia Ovcharenko Mar 4, 2025 

Janina Fialkowska Mar 18, 2025 

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT ® 

Rob Kapilow 

explores Beethoven 

A major Sonata with 

the Cheng 2 Duo 

Rob Kapilow 

explores the Beethoven 

“Archduke” Trio with 

the Gryphon Trio 

Nov 10, 2024 

Apr 13, 2025 

Strings and Piano series concerts take place at 

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STRINGS 

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Gryphon Trio Thurs. Dec. 7, 2023 

Verona Quartet Thurs. Jan. 18, 2024 

Celebration of 

Aizuri Quartet Thurs. Feb. 22, 2024 

St. Lawrence 

Small Tues. Mar. 5, 2024 

Quartet Ensembles 

PIANO 

April 6, 4pm 

Shhh! Ensemble 

Obsidiana Duo Turgeon Duo Tues. Nov. 7, 2023 

May 4, 4pm 

Maria Thompson Tues. Feb. 13, 2024 

Gentileschi Corley Baroque 

Rilian David Fung Trio Tues. Mar. 5, 2024 

June 1, 4pm 

Canadian Chamber Orchestra 

Ladom Ensemble 

APERTURE ROOM 340 Yonge Street 

A new space for small ensembles, 

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The WholeNote 



IN THIS EDITION 

STORIES AND INTERVIEWS 

Wendalyn Bartley, Max Christie, Stephanie Conn, 

Jennifer Parr, Andrew Scott, David Perlman, 

Sophia Perlman, Colin Story, Michael Zarathus-Cook 

CD Reviewers 

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O’Brien, Kathryn Sabo, Tom Sepp, Angie Todesco 

DEADLINES 

Weekly Online Listings Updates 

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for Volume 29 No. 6, SUMMER 2024 

Print listings deadline: 

6pm Tuesday, May 7, 2024 

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6pm Tuesday, May 14, 2024 

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PUBLICATION DATES 

VOLUME 29 includes six print editions: 

September 2023 (Aug 29); 

October & November (Sept 26); 

December & January (Nov 28); 

February & March (Jan 30); 

April & May (Mar 26); 

Summer (May 28) 

Printed in Canada 

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an Ontario government agency 

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FOR OPENERS 

Listening fresh 

I 

have had a lot of fun going to live musical events these past four weeks – 

so much so that I will spare readers my periodic rant about postpandemic 

supply chain woes, and the perilous state of the arts, and 

society in general, when workers, in the arts and otherwise, struggle to 

keep roofs over their heads, both for work and sleep. 

Instead I’m just going to tell you a bit about a couple of events I attended that left 

me feeling as though I had been listening with a new set of ears. So here you go, in 

chronological order. 

Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Spanish Reflections, February 28 and 29 

First a bit of background: four or five times a year, going back to 2014, the TSO offers 

up pre-concert performances by a loosely knit group known as the Toronto Symphony 

Chamber Soloists, drawn from the ranks of the orchestra, with repertoire chosen in some 

way to enhance the listening experience of people attending the concert that follows. 

Sometimes the soloist or conductor of the show that follows joins in. It’s a lovely addition 

to the concert experience, if you’re lucky or savvy enough to have chosen that particular 

night, out of three or four, to attend that particular program. (It’s not the only opportunity 

the Chamber Soloists get to perform – but it’s as far as I know the only one built into the 

TSO’s regular season.) 

Observably, there is some mysterious law of the universe which dictates that the 

ability of an arts organization to impulsively change its way of doing things is inversely 

proportional to the size of the organization. So we should, I suppose, be grateful for what 

we get. But that being said, by dint of ingenious programming, the February 28 and 29 

program offered a glimpse of what the pre-concert performance for the lucky few could 

morph into. 

It was an all-Spanish concert: music director Gustavo Gimeno on the podium; piano 

soloist Javier Perianes; and works by Manuel de Falla (who would have guessed?) and 

Gimeno-protege and rising star in the contemporary compositional firmament, Francisco 

Coll. Coll’s Ciudad sin sueño: fantasia for Piano and Orchestra – a concerto in all but 

name, with Perianes at the keys, closed the first half of the program, and the second half 

opened with de Falla’s devilish solo piano Fantasia Baetica, arranged, note for note by 

none other than Francisco Coll. De Falla’s Suites 1 and 2 from the Three -Cornered Hat 

rounded out the night. 

So here’s where the bit of programming genius kicked in. The concert opened with 

Perianes, alone on stage, performing the 12-minute Fantasia Baetica in its original solo 

form, after which the orchestra came on and the concert continued, with mirroring in 

every direction: the solo Baerga with its energy and quirky rhythms prepared the ear 

for Coll’s City that Never Sleeps; the full-orchestra Baerga reflected the artistry of its 

composer and its arranger, and after all that fury the Three-Cornered Hat, with a vastly 

reduced orchestral contingent, had the listener supplying the amplification to rolling 

river size. 

T'KARONTO 

For thousands of years before European settlement, T’karonto (The Meeting Place) 

was part of the traditional territory of many Nations, including the Mississaugas 

of the Credit River, the Anishinaabe, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the 

Wendat peoples, and remains their home to this day, as it now is for many diverse First 

Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples. 

This Meeting Place lies within the territory governed by the Sewatokwa’tshera’t (Dish 

with One Spoon) treaty between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee 

– a Treaty which bound them to share the territory and protect the land. Subsequent 

Indigenous Nations and Peoples, and all newcomers are invited into this treaty in the 

spirit of peace, friendship, respect and reconciliation. We are grateful to live and work 

here, helping spread the word about the healing power of music in this place. 


Hannaford Street Silver Band, Zombie Blizzard, March 3 

I don’t know if there’s a medical name for the maddening condition 

I have, or how common it is. What it amounts to is a complete 

inability to simultaneously absorb words and music that I am hearing 

for the first time. If I give up on trying to decipher the words, I can 

probably hum you a bit of the music after the fact. But if I focus on 

absorbing the meaning of the words as they are sung, then whatever 

magic is in the music goes straight into my auditory spam folder. 

So what do I usually do? Either I make sure to at least read the texts 

and/or translations in the house program before the house lights go 

down, especially in halls 

where I know it’s going 

to be too dark to read; or 

I obsessively read along – 

surtitles or program text, 

whichever. 

I used to think it was a 

perfect compromise, and 

then something happened 

at Zombie Blizzard that 

reduced to dust the idea of 

program texts and surtitles 

as an acceptable two-state 

solution to placate both 

halves of my divided brain. 

As a phrase, Zombie 

Blizzard is the title of a 

Hannaford Street Silver Band concert I attended this March and of a 

recording (from Leaf Music in Halifax). So in a sense, the concert was 

a CD launch event. As individual words, Zombie and Blizzard are the 

titles of the first two of seven poems, each of which is recited and then 

sung in the performance, before moving on to the next. 

The Hannafords commissioned Zombie Blizzard from composer 

Aaron Davis specifically for Measha Brueggergosman-Lee who 

had latched onto Margaret Atwood’s anthology Dearly during the 

pandemic, and turned to Davis, her partner in musical crime for the 

past several years, convinced it had the potential to take their jazzfocused 

musical partnership into as yet unexplored musical realms. 

The resulting poems/songs are described on the program cover as 

“concert arias by Aaron Davis & Margaret Atwood.” Atwood recites 

each poem (more accurately the voice of Margaret Atwood is heard 

reciting each poem), and each recitation is followed by the equivalent 

“concert aria” sung by Brueggergosman-Lee, with the backing of 

a 12-piece Hannaford and a jazz trio (piano, drums and bass) with 

composer Aaron Davis at the piano. 

But there were no written texts for the poems anywhere: not in the 

program, and not on the big screen at the back of the stage, which 

is where I told myself they were bound to appear if they weren’t in 

the program. But nope. All we got on the screen was the title of each 

poem as Atwood’s voice, previously captured for the Leaf Record, 

rendered each poem in turn. 

And oh what beautiful readings Atwood gave. Completely free of the 

declamatory, angsty bullshit that poets often succumb to when asked 

to perform their work – afraid that their listeners might get something 

different from what they wrote than they intended. 

Instead the poet somehow gave the words permission to speak for 

themselves, landing like arrows or silk in the mind’s eye. At peace, 

fully possessed of all the intelligence it needed, the literary mind 

could let go, so the heart could listen fresh. 

From Brueggergosman too, freed of the responsibility of having 

to mail words to the mind, we got what felt to this listener like the 

performance of her life. 

To close, a quiet but public note of appreciation to Paul Ennis, 

longtime WholeNote associate, who has, for health reasons, stepped 

down from the deadline-driven rigors of writing our regular 

“Classical and Beyond” column. His voice will be missed in our 

coverage of that beat. 

“A TOUR DE FORCE… 

SPECTACULAR AND 

GENUINELY MOVING.” 

—The Scotsman 

APRIL 26 – MAY 18 

A hilarious generational battle of wits and 

wills unfolds in 1960s Technicolor Rome, as 

imagined by Canadian creative duo André 

Barbe and Renaud Doucet. Returning to the 

COC for the first time in 30 years, Donizetti’s 

irrepressible Don Pasquale sparkles like never 

before as the feel-good show of the season! 

Get your tickets today at coc.ca 

or call 416-363-8231. 

David Perlman can be reached at publisher@thewholenote.com 

thewholenote.com April & May 2024 | 9 

Date: Mar 13, 2024 

Filename_ Version# 

COC240605_WN_Pasquale_AprilMay_FNL 

Client: COC Don Pasquale Creative: JF

KOERNER HALL 

2023.24 CONCERT SEASON 

The GGS New Music 

Ensemble 

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 7:30PM 

TEMERTY THEATRE 

Free tickets available starting from 

10am on Tuesday, April 16. 

Experience a captivating contemporary 

music concert featuring The Glenn Gould 

School New Music Ensemble led by 

conductor Brian Current, including Samy 

Moussa’s dynamic Kammerkonzert for a 

large ensemble and Iannis Xenakis’s 

mesmerizing Phlegra for 11 instruments. 

Prepare to be immersed in a diverse 

sonic landscape that pushes the 

boundaries of musical expression. 

John Pizzarelli and 

Caity Gyorgy 

FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 8PM 

KOERNER HALL 

World-renowned guitarist and vocalist 

John Pizzarelli has been hailed by 

The Boston Globe for “reinvigorating 

the Great American Songbook.” He 

returns to Koerner Hall with a new 

album that showcases his versatility 

and virtuosity in exploring the timeless 

songs of Broadway and Hollywood. 

Caity Gyorgy is a two-time Juno 

Award-winning Canadian vocalist who is 

known for singing bebop and swing music. 

Daniel Hope: 

Irish Roots 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 8PM 

KOERNER HALL 

“The most exciting British string player 

since Jacqueline du Pré” (The Observer), 

Koerner Hall favourite Daniel Hope 

returns with his ensemble to explore 

the rich world of Irish music. Through 

traditional Irish music from the 

Renaissance to the present day, Hope 

and his ensemble bring the beauty 

and magic of the Emerald Isle to life. 

Generous support provided from 

The Michael and Sonja Koerner Fund 

for Classical Programming 

Richard Goode, piano 

SUNDAY, APRIL 21, 3PM 

KOERNER HALL 

Beethoven aficionado Richard Goode 

will perform an all-Ludwig van 

Beethoven program, including the 

Bagatelles Nos. 6-11, the intimate 

Piano Sonata No. 30, and the epic 

Diabelli Variations. 

Goode will also give a series of public 

master classes while at the RCM. 

Series generously supported by Michael Foulkes 

& Linda Brennan and an anonymous donor 

Concert generously supported by 

Claudia Krawchuk 

Generous additional support provided from 

The Michael and Sonja Koerner Fund for 

Classical Programming 

The Glenn Gould 

School Piano Showcase 

SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 7:30PM 

MAZZOLENI CONCERT HALL 

The students of The Ihnatowycz 

Piano Program at The Glenn Gould 

School are featured in an evening 

of dazzling works for two pianos 

and piano four hands. 

Dover Quartet 

with 

Leif Ove Andsnes, 

piano 


KOERNER HALL 

The phenomenal Dover Quartet is 

joined by Norway’s foremost pianist 

Leif Ove Andsnes to perform piano 

quintets by Brahms, Dohnányi, and 

Joaquín Turina. 

Generous support provided from The 

Michael and Sonja Koerner Fund for 

Classical Programming 

237 BLOOR STREET WEST 

(BLOOR ST. & AVENUE RD.) TORONTO 

TICKETS & SUBSCRIPTIONS

Academy Chamber Orchestra 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 7:30PM 

KOERNER HALL 

String students from The Phil and Eli Taylor 

Performance Academy for Young Artists 

come together as the Academy Chamber 

Orchestra to perform a special concert. 

Free tickets available starting from 10am 

on Wednesday, April 24,2024. 

Peter Oundjian, Stewart Goodyear, 

and the Royal Conservatory Orchestra 

FRIDAY, MAY 3, 8PM IN KOERNER HALL 

TUESDAY, MAY 7, 8PM IN CARNEGIE HALL 

Conductor Emeritus of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, 

Maestro Peter Oundjian, The Royal Conservatory’s Artist in 

Residence, Stewart Goodyear, and the Royal Conservatory 

Orchestra team up to perform in two extraordinary venues 

– Koerner Hall and Carnegie Hall! Program includes works by 

Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and Kelly-Marie Murphy. 

Part of the Temerty Orchestral Program 

Stacey Kent Trio and 

Alison Young Trio 

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 8PM 

KOERNER HALL 

The award-winning American jazz 

singer performs music from her 

latest release, Summer Me, Winter 

Me. Juno Award nominated 

saxophonist and one of CBC’s ‘Best 

35 Canadian Jazz Artists under 35’ 

Alison Young opens the evening 

with her trio. 

Concert generously supported In Memory 

of Robert Calvin 

Kronos Quartet: 

Five Decades 

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 8PM 

KOERNER HALL 

Celebrate the legacy and impact 

of one of the most illustrious and 

influential groups of our time. 

Series generously supported by an 

anonymous donor 

Generous additional support provided 

from The Michael and Sonja Koerner 

Fund for Classical Programming 

Brentano String Quartet with 

Jonathan Biss, piano, and 

Joseph Conyers, bass 

FRIDAY, MAY 10, 8PM KOERNER HALL 

The critically acclaimed Brentano String Quartet makes its Koerner Hall 

debut, performing Schubert’s “Trout Quintet” with virtuoso pianist 

Jonathan Biss and award-winning Principal Bass of the Philadelphia 

Orchestra Joseph Conyers. 

Generous support provided from The Michael and Sonja Koerner Fund 

for Classical Programming 

The Jon Cowherd Trio 

and Larnell Lewis & Joy Lapps 

SATURDAY, MAY 11, 8PM KOERNER HALL 

Larnell Lewis and Joy Lapps bring their signature Caribbean jazz 

alongside Koerner Hall favourites John Patitucci, Brian Blade, and Jon 

Cowherd. 

ON SALE NOW! 416.408.0208 RCMUSIC.COM/PERFORMANCE

CLASSICAL AND BEYOND 

It’s time 

to ditch 

the tails 

MAX CHRISTIE 

ALAMY 

Eugene Ormandy's Philadelphia Orchestra at the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1966. 

“It’s time” I rumble (fussing with the shirt studs and 

cufflinks) “once again” (muttering while untwisting the 

back strap on my white vest) “to carp and whine about 

this ridiculously outmoded uniform requirement!” 

The occasion? Getting set to join my colleagues in the Hamilton 

Philharmonic, a fine regional orchestra where I am sometimes called 

as a substitute. We are to perform music by Mozart, who wrote his 

beloved Symphony No.40 in G Minor before white tie and tails were 

a thing, and Richard Strauss, who lived during their rise as formal 

evening wear. 

By the time I have finished tying my white tie, a sullen recognition 

has somewhat overtaken my inner protestations: tails are maybe just 

a tiny bit cool. While I dislike every bit of the hassle, I can’t deny that I 

feel a little suave, cultured enough to know how to knot 

my own white (but greying) bow tie, made of fabric 

similar to the impractical (and fraying) vest. Nobody 

should see this stuff up close, but we, like sheep, look 

nice from a distance. But the moment is short-lived. 

What do tails really say? Do they say: “This art form 

is trapped in amber, its practitioners cling to tradition 

for their survival, the concert hall is a museum; the 

exhibits must never be updated.”? Or do they say: “We 

represent the élite, financial and cultural, we are up 

here, you aren’t.”? That’s what they say to me. 

If I consult GQ, I am told why, when and what about 

the tails outfit. In an article published on Hallowe’en 

last year (imagine!) one learns that this mode of dress 

developed in the 19th century, roughly paralleling 

the rise of the romantic-era symphony orchestra and 

concert hall. The article makes no mention of orchestral 

concerts, but most certainly makes the case that 

white tie and tails is de rigueur for events like state dinners or, say, the 

Nobel Prize ceremony. 

Workwear based on a century-old-plus model certainly matches 

staples of our repertoire, so we might be forgiven collectively for maintaining 

this image of social superiority, if it weren’t already so darned 

hard to maintain young audience’s interest. As a kid, I couldn’t have 

cared less what the players wore, it was the sound they produced that 

blew me away. If there’s any worth to what the symphony orchestra 

provides (a debate for a longer and more difficult article), it must be 

that the sounds and ideas we present belong to anyone who can hear 

or otherwise feel them. We benefit neither our craft nor society by 

distancing ourselves, or becoming living artifacts. 

The management view: management typically argues that they 

want to present a uniform image (along with, one hopes, a quality 

product). Where I work (the orchestra pit for the National Ballet) 

it took a few years to convince head office that tuxes and/or black 

jackets for the men were unnecessarily hot, not to mention an odd 

priority when the visual component of the performance was entirely 

on stage. For symphony orchestras, performing in full view, the code 

tends to hold fast: the uniform is the uniform. 

Except it isn’t: only a percentage of the band, those who identify 

as male, are required to dress in these anachronistic and often smelly 

layers. One or two members who present otherwise may opt in; nowadays 

likely no management would balk at a woman choosing to wear 

tails (although several groups seem still to forbid 

pants for women), yet should a man ask whether he 

might choose all-black while still presenting as male, 

he is likely to be subjected to insinuating cracks 

along the lines of “if you want to wear a dress or a 

blouse, go ahead…” And then of course comes the 

answer: “no.” 

Once upon a time, women were only ever in the 

audience at orchestral concerts, and that “once upon 

a time” was not so long ago, when you consider some 

mid-European orchestras. The Berlin Philharmonic 

was mono-gendered until 1982, I read on Google’s 

ever-helpful answer page. The Vienna Philharmonic 

held out for masculine-presenting players until 1997. 

For gosh sakes, even the Boston Symphony had allmale 

membership until 1957. Looking for similar 

information about Canadian orchestras takes a bit 

more digging; it’s so un-Canadian to recognize that 

we were just as bound up in gendering opportunity away from women 

here as elsewhere. There are no doubt similar dates and slow-turning 

changes in the personnel make-up of most Western symphony orchestras. 

And that leaves aside the continued dismally poor reflection of 

human diversity many of our orchestras demonstrate to this day. 

So while a “uniform” orchestra went out the window some time 

ago, the tradition of “tails for males” has been slow to follow. What 

tails really say is “looks are what matter,” and while I agree that one 

should be tidy on stage, presenting a uniform appearance to an audience 

can hardly be achieved by instructing one portion of the group to 


Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s tail-less Philadelphia Orchestra come to Koerner Hall, April 21. 

wear something elegant and fully black and another portion to keep 

on wearing that awkward and busy black-and-white ensemble known 

as tails. And for matinées, once upon a time, it was White Jacket; for 

some other types of shows, tuxedo and black tie. Honestly, whom are 

we trying to fool? 

As far as I can discern from my fairly superficial reading of the facts, 

back in the day Orchestras were comprised of Men. Audiences were 

comprised of Men Wearing Tails (adhering to social 

uniformity of a different era), and Women Wearing 

Whatever Fashion Determined to be Classy. Men in the 

orchestra dressed to match the Men in the audience. 

Women in the orchestra was a contradiction in terms. 

I am not going to answer for my reductiveness in the 

service of humour, but I assume that people going to 

concerts today wear some version of what Women 

once wore. Maybe not, but feeling classy or at least “put 

together” in public is something many of us aspire to. 

The turning tide: It needs to be said that the tide 

is slowly turning, and some important ensembles 

have moved to the “elegant black” model, notably the 

Philadelphia Orchestra, elegant black since 2021. In 

some instances players are allowed to perform in casual 

wear. While I assume the management of any decentsized 

orchestra today would hesitate to allow players 

to match the random sartorial choices in the hall, they 

could at least, with good sense, allow the players equal 

leeway to determine whatever elegant black might 

mean. It won’t be uniform. Hallelujah and amen. 

Finally, is there anything that screams colonialism 

louder than hewing to the Middle-European, Dominant 

Colonialist culture, as we set ourselves on this pedestal 

of dress from the 19th century? Our organizations are 

more and more required to up their game on diversity, on representation 

of the under-represented, and exploration of what makes our 

art-form current and relevant. Let’s just, as a footnote to that very 

important and necessary work, ditch the tails. 

TODD ROSENBERG 

Max Christie is a Toronto-based musician and writer. He performs 

on principal clarinet of the National Ballet Orchestra when restrictions 

allow, and otherwise spends too much time on Twitter. 

KEYED 

UP! 

JANE MALLETT 

THEATRE 

APRIL 18–20, 2024 

A mini-festival celebrating 

new music for piano, 

harpsichord, digital organ 

and electronic keyboard! 

SOUNDSTREAMS.CA 

KEYED UP! #1 

VARIATIONS 

ON GOLDBERG 

VARIATIONS 

APRIL 18, 2024 

KEYED UP! #2 

NOTATIONS: 

RBC BRIDGES COMPOSER 

SHOWCASE 


KEYED UP! #3 

6 PIANOS 

12 HANDS 


The Michael and Sonja Koerner 

Charitable Foundation 

The Mary-Margaret 

Webb Foundation 

Epstein 

Family Trust 

The JB Doherty 

Family Foundation 

The Anne-Marie H. 

Applin Foundation 


IN WITH THE NEW 

Keying up for 

an inventive 

spring 

WENDALYN BARTLEY 

Women from Space: In last month’s issue, I wrote 

about the Women from Space festival, which 

happened from March 8-10. I was delighted to 

attend some of the events, and came away feeling inspired 

and energized by what I heard. The festival opener was 

a spectacular improvisation by Bloop, the duo made 

up of trumpeter Lina Allemano and her performance 

partner Mike Smith, whose electronics wizardry was 

fully on display in the effects processing he conjured from 

the equipment at hand. At times Allemano also played 

various gong instruments, such as a large cow-bell with 

one of her hands, adding different sonorities to the mix. 

The evening ended with the explosive performances of the Women 

From Space Big Bang! 17-piece improvising collective, with most 

of the six commissioned works being conducted by the composers 

themselves. Each composer chose a song by Björk and created their 

own version from it. The band also included four singers whose vocals 

extended and added to the overall soundscapes. At times, it sounded 

like the roof was going to be blown off, the sounds were so magically 

intense. Throughout the performance, colourful and amoeba-like 

visual projections by The Liquid Crystal Display permeated the vaulted 

ceiling and walls of the Music Gallery stage area. 

On the final evening of the festival, I managed to hear the performance 

by Matana Roberts on saxophone, Germaine Liu on percussion 

and Nicole Rampersaud on trumpet and electronics. The musical 

dialogue between these three virtuosos still lingers in my memory, 

each one of them taking turns to offer their own unique sound worlds 

before returning to create a cluster cloud of sound textures that arose 

from the dynamic combination. 

Matana Roberts also included spoken voice in their performance, and 

at one point jammed extensively on various phrases from the American 

Pledge of Allegiance, probing the questions of what it really means to 

be free, and occasionally returning to “Liberty and justice for some” 

as a refrain. At the conclusion of the performance, they encouraged 

everyone to speak out on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves, 

and upon leaving the stage, they proclaimed: “Free Palestine.” 

Soundstreams: One of the intriguing upcoming events on the 

spring horizon, running April 18-20, is another three day event, 

Soundstreams mini-festival for multiple keyboards titled KEYED UP! 

Taking place at the Jane Mallett Theatre. 

Emily Doolittle with a key chime created for her 

composition (re)cycling I: metals 

The opening concert of the festival on April 18 will be a special 

evening devoted to Bach’s Goldberg Variations. The first half of the 

concert is built around a performance of the complete Variations; as 

they are performed, each will be followed by a newly composed one 

commissioned from four Canadian composers (Taylor Brook, Dorothy 

Chang, Emily Doolittle and André Ristic). This will be followed, in the 

second half, by a North American premiere performance by Australian 

composer and pianist Paul Grabowsky of his Improvisations on the 

Aria from Bach’s Goldberg Variations. 

I reached out to Emily Doolittle, one of the commissioned 

composers, who explained that each composer was assigned either 

seven or eight of Bach’s variations, with the further instruction that 

they also write at least once for each of the four keyboard instruments 

that will be used in the performance: piano (Jackie Leung), harpsichord 

(Wesley Chen), organ (John Paul Farahat), and a Nord Stage 4 

electronic keyboard (Gregory Oh). 

Doolittle was assigned variations 16 through 23 and decided to 

focus on Bach’s variation technique rather than on the original theme 

itself. She looked for what was stylistically characteristic of each of her 

assigned variations, whether it was a particular figure or gesture or 

rhythm and wrote her pieces based on that motif. Although she wrote 

her pieces, titled Varia, for the different keyboards, as instructed, 

she told me that she wanted the pieces to be adaptable to any type 

of keyboard instrument for future performances. “They can also be 

performed as a set on their own, and there’s a variety that if you were 

to listen to them one after the other, you’d hear certain patterns or 

chords, or textures that you might hear somewhere else in a different 

piece. There are little connections between the different pieces.” 

(As it turns out, our conversation ranged far beyond her contribution 

to this event. See Emily Doolittle’s Evolving Creative Practice, below.) 

KEYED UP!: the final concert features three works for six grand pianos. 

EMILY DOOLITTLE FACEBOOK 


The second KEYED UP concert on April 19, titled Notations, also 

consists of two distinct halves, and offers free admission. It opens 

with a series of world premieres by the six composers (Uko Abara, 

Alexandra Gorlin-Crenshaw, Gustav Knudson, Maria-Eduarda Mendes 

Martins, Prokhor Protasoff and Hsiu-Ping Patrick Wu) participating 

in Soundstreams week-long RBC Bridges Program, which offers free 

tuition and accommodation to six emerging Canadian and international 

composers. The complementary second half of the evening offers pieces 

by Ana Sokolović, Alvin Singleton, Monica Pearce and Ann Southam. 

The big Finale concert on April 20 will feature three works for six 

grand pianos, including two iconic pieces, Steve Reich’s Six Pianos 

and Terry Riley’s A Rainbow in Curved Air, along with works by Julia 

Wolfe, André Ristic, and Ana Sokolović. 

Emily Doolittle’s Evolving Creative Practice 

What started out as a conversation focused on Emily Doolittle’s 

contribution to the upcoming Soundstreams #Keynotes event 

turned into a wide-ranging and thought provoking discussion of her 

constantly evolving creative practice, worth repeating here. 

On the subject of the Goldbergs, for example, she has her own very 

personal connections with the Variations, predating this commission. 

Because her young daughter has insomnia, over the past year one of the 

ways Doolittle has helped her fall asleep is by listening together to the 

Goldberg Variations. Sometimes this can take at least half an hour, so 

she knows those pieces really well by now. Another personal connection 

is with her former composition teacher Louis Andriessen. After 

a lesson, they would sight-read together various works by Bach. On a 

recent visit to Amsterdam after Andriessen’s passing, she was given his 

signed score of the Goldberg Variations as a gift to remember him by. 

Birdsong: Another noteworthy aspect is her work with birdsong, 

in particular her interest in Hermit Thrush song. In her research, 

published in the Ecomusicology Review, she discovered how colonialism 

and nationalism impacted perceptions of North American birdsong. 

In the late 1700s, an influential European naturalist named 

Comte de Buffon wrote that the birdsongs of North America are 

“harsh, raucous and monotonous,” even though he himself had never 

left European shores. As Doolittle pointed out, “that’s exactly what 

European explorers heard when they arrived and often reported 

that the birds they heard squawked like a chicken. People hear what 

they’re expecting to hear. Obviously these European explorers were 

not talking with Indigenous people who no doubt were very well 

aware of the hermit thrush song,” she said. 

It took the observations of North American-born writers, and in 

particular the pioneering publication of Quebec-born “Mrs. Sheppard 

of Woodfield,” in 1833 to begin changing settler attitudes. Based on 

her field observations, Sheppard argued that North American birdsong 

is appealing and pleasurable to hear and that the Hermit Thrush 

has a really wonderful song. 

This interest in birdsong found its way into a recent project when 

Doolittle was commissioned to write 70 minutes of music for the 

audiobook version of Anne of Green Gables. She paired the different 

characters with bird songs found in Prince Edward Island or Nova 

Scotia, attempting to match each character’s personality with the 

attributes of the birdsong Anne would have heard in her environment. 

As a long-time member of R. Murray Schafer’s Wolf Project and 

performing in many of his outdoor pieces, Doolittle’s interest in the 

connections between sound, music and the environment have deep 

roots and continue to evolve. She noted how birds would respond 

during the outdoor performances and also how Schafer incorporated 

birdsong into his pieces. 

Ecological emergency: Another project she’s been involved with is 

a talk and concert series entitled Art-Making in the Anthropocene, 

co-led with colleagues Sarah Hopfinger and Stuart MacRae. This series 

explored how to approach creative work in this time of ecological 

emergency. When I asked her how these ideas impacted her own 

work, she said: “even though I’ve always cared about the environment, 

and have written music based on animal songs and natural soundscapes 

for over 25 years, my interest in natural sounds really comes 

from my curiosity about the sounds themselves.” 

Hermit Thrush: miskominikesi (raspberry picking bird) 

in Anishnaabmowin 

This is evident in one of her recent works where she began exploring 

sounds made by objects from the trash or recycling bins. For a commission 

from the Rainy Days festival in Luxembourg, she composed for a 

wide array of metal objects such as keys, molded pie foil containers and 

various sizes of tin cans. During the process of collecting and experimenting 

with the sound possibilities of these objects, she also gained 

valuable insights about packaging, visiting various grocery stores to 

purchase food in tin cans from different countries. One large and 

resonant tin can from Greece, filled with stuffed grape leaves, meant her 

family ate nothing but grape leaves for four days! 

“That’s one piece that I wouldn’t have composed without the 

change in thinking fostered by the discussions of the Art-Making in 

the Anthropocene series”, she said. The resulting composition, titled 

(re)cycling I: metals, was performed in the fall of 2023 in Luxembourg 

by the Montreal-based Architek Percussion ensemble. 

Future 

Resonance 

Festival 

April 26-28, 2024 

Various Venues 

Visit newmusicconcerts.com for more information! 

MCELROY PRODUCTIONS 


“Transcending boundaries”: 

poet, teacher, researcher, 

media artist, conductor 

stage director and theatre 

director, Sandeep Bhagwati 

ART OF SONG 

A NEW JOURNEY 

Third of three 

The third event in this month’s account of recent and upcoming 

new music events is coincidentally another three-day festival. 

Titled Future Resonance and brought to us biennially by New Music 

Concerts, it takes place from April 26-28 in three different venues. It 

begins on April 26 at the Canadian Music Centre with a panel discussion 

titled “What Is the Real Sound of Toronto” aimed at stimulating 

a lively conversation about alternate ways of approaching the creation 

and presentation of newly made music. Doors open at 4.30 and the 

event wraps up with a reception from 6:30 to 7pm. 

On April 27, the action shifts to St. George by the Grange, the 

previous home of the Music Gallery, for the concert that promises 

to be the centrepiece of the festival, titled “Swara Sutras Goes 

Electronic.” “Swara sutras” in Sanskrit means an assemblage of notes, 

and the concert lives up to its title. In its first half, it offers four world 

premieres by Canadian composers where the sounds of guzheng, 

tablas, bamboo flute, percussion, kora, and Metis fiddle, are individually 

and in combination blended with new technologies. The 

concert’s final work features a nine-musician Swara Sutras Ensemble 

assembled for the occasion under the direction of Sandeep Bhagwati. 

The final event on April 28 takes the festival uptown to the Aga Khan 

Museum for a full-day immersive event titled “Śabdagatitāra: How 

to Inhabit These Different Temporalities?” “Śabdagatitāra” is again 

from Sanskrit meaning the crossing over (tāra) of methods of making 

(gati) sound (śabda), and promises to be an event “celebrating many 

musical roots and containing wonderfully unexpected sound worlds,” 

including pipa, Bulgarian singing, Turkish violin, double bass and 

musical sculptures. 

Coming full circle, Soundstreams appears again on the calendar 

for a May 4 performance of Grandma’s Shawl which reveals the story 

of the bond built in the early 20th century between Ukrainian and 

Indigenous women. Struggling to cope in their new surroundings, the 

Ukrainian immigrants are welcomed and supported by Indigenous 

women through food and Khustka shawls. The musical narrative for 

soprano, mezzo, piano and violin unfolds through the combining of 

works by both Ukrainian and Canadian composers, and takes place 

at the Redwood Theatre, a classic 1914 theatre, newly renovated, at 

1300 Gerrard St in Toronto’s east end. 

Reimagining art 

song for the 2020s 

STEPHANIE CONN 

Lieder, or art song, might seem a tough sell at times. 

With just two performers on stage, singer and pianist, 

it does not offer the visual dazzle of opera with its 

scenery, orchestra and casts of thousands. Texts are 

usually by 19th-century poets such as Verlaine, Goethe, 

Rilke, Heine and Hesse, and in German or French which 

makes them less accessible to English-speaking listeners. 

To do justice to the texts, songs were often throughcomposed 

and so they lack choruses that might catch the 

audience’s ears. 

Lieder, however, holds all the dramatic possibilities of opera – especially 

when the songs are presented as an entire set or cycle – but the 

responsibility for realizing the poet’s and composer’s intentions lies 

entirely with the singer and pianist. Art song can be compared to short 

story form, eschewing the grandeur of opera, as short stories do novels, 

to instead capture truth in a more compact or even epigrammatic form. 

Confluence: There are several musical organizations in Toronto that 

are taking on art song these days and updating it in a way that hopes 

to win new audiences, and also to afford artists new possibilities 

for interacting and creating. This May, Toronto audiences will have 

the chance to hear an especially inventive re-imagining of Heinrich 

Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野 (L) and pianist David Eliakis 

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

sound artist. sounddreaming@gmail.com 

The creative spirit is alive and kicking! 

Composer / filmmaker Cameron Tingley presents his 

imaginative concert music and humorous short films, 

with colourful descriptions of the creative process. 

“Themusicexpressesmywishesandhopesforabetter 

world, one that celebrates diversity, tolerance, curiosity, 

spontaneity,eccentricity,nuance.Allthegoodstuff.” 

GAETZ PHOTOGRAPHY 

camerontingley.com 

A novel blend of music, film, and creative writing. 


TED PHILLIPS 

"Kasahara’s The Butterfly Project: The Ballade of Chō-Chō San 

Heine’s Dichterliebe as set by Robert Schumann, reinterpreted as 

Dichterliebe: Whose Love? It is presented by Confluence Concerts 

and co-created by Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野 and pianist David Eliakis. 

Kasahara told Wholenote that “David Eliakis and I will look at 

Schumann’s setting of these poems with a queer and trans lens of our 

lived experiences. We started with the central question, ‘Whose love is 

important, valid, and celebrated?’, and that is why we are presenting 

Dichterliebe: Whose Love?” 

“Lieder is where I began my classical vocal education at age 15,” says 

Kasahara. “It was the place I first was able to express myself through 

my singing voice. I think what is special about Lieder is that one 

can take more into consideration their own lived experience in relation 

to the poetry. There is less prescription in dramatic portrayal – in 

“performance” – in comparison to opera, where we are asked to play 

specific characters in usually very structured narratives.” It’s worthwhile 

to note that in a previous project with Confluence, Kasahara 

re-examined Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly in The Butterfly 

Project: The Ballade of Chō-Chō San. 

With this program, Kasahara and Eliakis interrogate “their classical 

music educations, the traditions which they have perpetuated 

in both music and life, and the sex and gender norms that still 

govern much of today’s performance practices and social discourse.” 

Schumann composed the original Dichterliebe (A 

Poet’s Love) song cycle in 1840 during a period when 

he and his beloved Clara were uncertain if they would 

be allowed to marry; for this reason, the music he 

produced sometimes contradicts or belies the seemingly 

sunny content of some poems. Nevertheless 

it is a conventional journey of gender and love that 

is described in his original composition. In this 

new version, Kasahara and Eliakis, too, use Heine’s 

Lyrisches Intermezzo as a starting point and incorporate 

Schumann’s original settings, but they also bring 

in settings by Schumann’s contemporaries, including 

Liszt, Franz Wolf and Fanny Mendelssohn (Hensel), 

with some contemporary electronic additions. 

As Kasahara explained to WholeNote, although 

Dichterliebe’s themes of love, unrequited love, lost 

love, etc. are presented as universal “that isn’t always 

the case for queer and trans people in the stories 

we tell in historical and contemporary mediums. I 

also often wondered why sopranos and mezzos, but 

more specifically women, weren’t seen singing or 

recording this repertoire as much as their counterparts. 

Tradition has seemed to tell another story, but 

what has continued to bring me back to canonical works in Lieder 

and in opera is that my imagination, curiosity and creativity continues 

to inspire me to want to tell another story: queer stories, trans stories, 

BIPOC stories, my story.” 

Larry Beckwith founded 

Confluence Concerts in 

2018, and says they’ve 

programmed “a good deal of 

art song, including Debussy’s 

Cinq Poèmes de Charles 

Baudelaire in the fall of 2018, 

Marion Newman’s program 

of Indigenous Art Song in 

2019, a generous sampling 

from the fascinating Irish Art 

Song Project and a program 

of James Rolfe’s songs in the 

fall of 2023.” Their presentations 

have been creative, and as Beckwith explains, “Most have 

Larry Beckwith 

included art songs juxtaposed with jazz standards, folk or contemporary 

pop songs, such as last season’s All the Diamonds cabaret, 

curated by yours truly, or the Mandala (curated by Suba Sankaran) 

DAHLIA KATZ 

The Secret Hero of the 19 th Century 

June 9 th , 2024 at 3:00 p.m. 

FEATURING: 

Erica Iris Huang, mezzo-soprano; Elina Kelebeev, piano; 

Inna Perkis, piano; Ernesto Ramirez, tenor; Boris Zarankin, piano 

Artistic Directors: Boris Zarankin & Inna Perkis 

For more details and to purchase tickets 

www.offcentremusic.com 


MUSIC THEATRE 

BRUCE ZINGER 

Soprano Meghan Lindsay and Atelier Ballet artist 

Eric César de Mello da Silva in All is Love 

SOMETHING TO 

CROW ABOUT 

and a toast to 

new creation 

and Gracias a la Vida (curated by Patricia O’Callaghan) programs in 

the pandemic.” 

Beckwith teaches music at the secondary school level and adds that 

he plans to bring his students to Matthias Goerne’ and Evgeny Kissin’s 

performance of Dichterliebe this month (April 21, Roy Thomson Hall). 

“The students in the voice program love art songs and often juxtapose 

them with musical theatre songs, which are often not dissimilar 

in their story-telling arcs.” With innovative productions like the 

Confluence show leading the way to spark interest, and the openheartedness 

of young singers, art song might once again take centre 

stage for more listeners. 

As Beckwith says, “Art songs endure because they are tiny perfect 

gems and poignantly marry words and music. We look forward to 

Teiya Kasahara’s re-envisioning of Schumann’s Dichterliebe with 

a goal towards de-mystifying and further popularizing what is in 

essence a very accessible, moving, timeless and entertaining art form.” 

Elsewhere: Some other recent and current performances offering 

insights into art song include Opera Atelier’s upcoming All Is Love, 

showcasing Measha Brueggergosman-Lee and including Reynaldo 

Hahn’s setting of Verlaine’s L’heure Exquise; and the Toronto 

Mendelssohn Singers, just before this issue went to press, presenting 

Franz Schubert’s song cycle Winterreisse in a new arrangement for 

choir, baritone Brett Polegato, and piano. This past March, in a clever 

contemporary turn, Nathan Keoughan and pianist/composer Peter 

Tiefenbach performed Tiefenbach’s dramatic and humorous cycle, 

The Long Walk Home, as part of Against the Grain Theatre’s Opera 

pub at The Drake Hotel. Jokingly referred to as “Die Tinderreise”, this 

original song cycle with text by James Ostime tells the story of a man’s 

one-night journey, echoing cycles such as Winterreise but including 

contemporary details. 

Listing details: Confluence Concerts. Dichterliebe: Whose Love? 

Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野 , vocalist; David Eliakis, piano. Heliconian 

Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. May 3 and 4, 7:30, with pre-concert chat at 

6:45pm. Tickets: www.bemusednetwork.com/events. $25. 

Stephanie Conn is an ethnomusicologist, writer/editor, and 

former producer for CBC Radio. A member of the ensemble Puirt 

a Baroque, she has also sung with Tafelmusik and other period 

ensembles, and is active as a traditional Gaelic singer and piano 

accompanist in Cape Breton. Her podcast “Friend of a Friend” can 

be heard at https://meezstephanie.substack.com 

JENNIFER PARR 

For months there has been speculation, in “the 

business” and out, about what the unannounced 

“secret” seventh show of the upcoming 2024/2025 

Mirvish season might be. Possibilities mooted have 

included Beetlejuice and MJ: the musical among others. 

The real news is much more exciting. It has just been announced 

(March 19) that this “secret show” will actually be a remount (or 

rather a newly enhanced version) of the hit Canadian premiere 

production of Dave Malloy’s Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 

1812, currently finishing a triumphant and record breaking 16-week 

run at Streetcar Crow’s Nest in Toronto’s east end. 

I have been a champion of this production from very early 

in the process, interviewing director Chris Abraham (Dec/ 

Broadway 

Classics 

arranged/directed by Charles Cozens 

featuring 

Jeff Madden 

Stephanie Brandt 

Ella Boich 

ISABEL BADER THEATER MAY 11 8 PM 


The cast of Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 

Jan issue) after a visit to early rehearsals where the chemistry of 

creative team, cast and musicians was boldly on display. When I 

saw the show for the third time a week ago I saw a production at its 

peak: the story telling clear as a bell, the ensemble of performers 

a thrilling display of world class Canadian musical theatre talent 

led by Hailey Gillis as a luminous Natasha and Evan Buliung as 

a tormented Pierre. Director Chris Abraham, choreographer Ray 

Hogg, music director Ryan deSouza and the superb design team 

have given us a fully realized world that immerses the audience in 

a decadent recreation of 1812 Russia that is both true to the period 

and radically contemporary. 

Audiences hungry for exciting musical theatre have been flocking 

to Crow’s to experience this production that could easily have run for 

much longer if the space had been available. How perfect, then, that 

Mirvish should pick it up, giving Great Comet a chance to prolong its 

life and reach even more new audiences. 

George Krissa (Anatole) & Hailey Gillis (Natasha) 

Championing Canadian musical creation is something that one 

always wishes top-flight producers will do, and Mirvish Productions 

are no strangers to the role, having helped to shepherd three shows 

that started off as experiments in much smaller spaces into being 

monster hits: Two Pianos Four Hands, Drowsy Chaperone, and Come 

From Away. 

PHOTOS: DAHLIA KATZ 

GRANDMA’S 

SHAWL 

Experience a poignant musical 

journey intertwining Ukrainian 

and Indigenous cultures, 

celebrating unity, resilience, and 

the enduring bond of women. 

ARTISTS 

Music Director / Soprano 

Natalya Gennadi 

Mezzo-Soprano 

Kristine Dandavino 

Piano 

Jo Greenaway 

Violin 

Oleksandra Fedyshyn 

REDWOOD 

THEATRE 

MAY 4, 2024 

7:30pm 

SOUNDSTREAMS.CA 

The Michael and Sonja Koerner 

Charitable Foundation 

The Mary-Margaret 

Webb Foundation 

Epstein 

Family Trust 

The JB JB Doherty 

Family Foundation 

The Anne-Marie H. H. 

Applin Foundation 


Musical Stage Company's Ray Hogg: fresh from 

co-producing Comet , MSC gets back to basics. 

Also recently 

Shifting Ground: Overlapping with Great Comet in late February, a 

new group of young talented performers and creative team with the 

name of the Shifting Ground Collective emerged seemingly out of the 

blue with an excellent (and also sold out) production of Sondheim’s 

famously problematic 1981 musical Merrily We Roll Along at the 

intimate Annex Theatre. I recommend looking out for more work 

from this talented group! https://shiftinggroundcollective.com/merrily 

Mother of All Shows: In early March another showcase of 

Canadian musical theatre talent was on display in the Toronto 

premiere screening at the Hot Docs Cinema of the musical film 

The Mother of All Shows, co-written by Melissa Agostino and 

David James Brock with music by Rebecca Everett, and co-starring 

Agostino and the brilliant Wendy Malick. While not completely 

successful it was both great fun to watch and exciting to see talented 

Canadian musical theatre writers taking risks to experiment with 

both form and format. www.moasfilm.com 

And just ahead 

Canadian Festival Of New Musicals: Coming up later this spring is 

what promises to be another showcase of new creation and Canadian 

talent: the Musical Stage Company’s new Canadian Festival of New 

Musicals in association with the Canadian Stage Company in their 

Berkeley Street space. Curious to know more details about this new 

festival running from May 22 to 26, I conversed with MSC’s artistic 

director Ray Hogg: 

WN: The new festival seems to be a continuation of the Musical 

Stage Company’s former showcases of new works in progress, 

sometimes in collaboration with the Canadian Musical Theatre 

Project. Now that the CMPT no longer exists will this be the new 

format going forward? Will it be an annual event? 

RH: I’ve often likened creating a new Canadian musical to raising 

a newborn baby - it takes a village of artists. There’s a lot that goes 

into developing and nurturing a musical and the process often takes 

longer than any other form of theatre! As for our Canadian Festival 

of New Musicals (CFoNM), I believe wholeheartedly in creating 

more opportunities to invite audiences behind the scenes to witness 

the many stages of creating a new musical because it truly is a 

fascinating developmental process. 

Can you tell me more about the three new works in progress which 

will be presented during the festival, and why they were chosen? 

L-R: Duncan Lang, Sydney Gauvin, Colette Richardson, Jameson Mosher 

Absolutely! The three new musicals we’re showcasing are all 

works whose developmental history has brought them close to full 

production readiness: In Real Life, After the Rain, and Cowboy 

Tempest. In Real Life is the most production-ready of the three. 

The book is by superstar playwright Nick Green with music & 

lyrics by our latest Crescendo Series artist Kevin Wong, and the 

show is about a near-future society (think a musical episode of 

The Black Mirror) that grapples with the complexities of power, 

technology and freedom in a digital era. We’re very excited to 

share a 60-minute partially staged excerpt in partnership with 

fu-GEN Theatre. 

Our Double Bill presentation will showcase readings from the two 

other shows. After the Rain has a book by Rose Napoli, and music 

and lyrics by Suzy Wilde, and we are co-developing and co-commissioning 

it with Tarragon Theatre. Cowboy Tempest Cabaret (book by 

Niall McNeil, Lucy McNulty and Anton Lipovetsky, music by Anton 

Lipovetsky, lyrics by Niall McNeil) features the latest work from our 

second Crescendo Series artist Anton Lipovetsky. 

They are strikingly different. After the Rain is about a struggling 

composer who sings backup in her parent’s band but agrees to 

teach piano lessons to a terminally ill adult who is only interested 

in learning Gymnopedie No.1. This show is a gorgeous transcendent 

theatrical experience that explores the healing power of music. 

On the flip side, Cowboy Tempest is a totally lawless adaptation of 

Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Think you know Shakespeare? Think 

again! This show was conceived by Niall McNeill, an artist with Down 

Syndrome, and is entirely painted with his world-view. His longtime 

collaborators Lucy McNulty and Anton Lipovetsky help take us on an 

incredible musical tour through Niall’s inspired take on Shakespeare’s 

tale of magic and power. 

Other than the showcase presentations, will there be public 

components to the festival such as question and answer sessions with 

the creative teams, or panel discussions with people in the industry? 

Indeed! We are really looking forward to connecting audiences with 

our writers, composers, and creative teams. We are anticipating some 

lively discussion considering how passionate this group of artists (and 

our audience) is! Aside from Q & A sessions, we›ll be kicking off the 

festival with our second iteration of the Noteworthy New Musicals 

Conference; a one-day musical theatre event dedicated to new musical 

enthusiasts, composers, lyricists and playwrights in Toronto. 

There will be multiple panels made up of international industry 

experts, a keynote speech, networking opportunities, and Musical 

TAYLOR LONG 


COURTESY OF MARIE CHOUINARD 

ROLLINE LAPORTE 

Canadian choreographer Marie Chouinard’s Le Chant du Cygne: Le Lac 

Murmuration 

Stage Company’s 20th Anniversary Birthday Bash! The content of this 

year’s conference is geared toward providing chances to learn more 

about new musical theatre, with a strong emphasis on new work 

development and how to get your new musical produced in Canada. 

Do you see this festival expanding in the future to include more 

shows and even more companies, like some of the festivals in the US? 

I hope this is a possibility! We have already have several other 

Canadian company’s onboard for the inaugural festival including 

Canadian Stage, fu-GEN and Tarragon Theatre. We also have close ties 

and working relationships with other Canadian companies from coast 

to coast and with several US companies. As for future festivals, if other 

companies are looking to come on board, I say the more the merrier! 

For more details and to buy tickets, visit 

musicalstagecompany.com/shows/canadian-festival-of-new-musicals/ 

intelligence of contemporary dancers to explore the physical 

instinct that birds – and humans – have for flocking. 

Jennifer Parr is a Toronto-based director, dramaturge, fight 

director and acting coach, brought up from a young age on a rich 

mix of musicals, Shakespeare and new Canadian plays. 

DANCE as MUSIC THEATRE 

April will see three dance productions that reimagine classics 

in wildly different ways. First up, from ShowOne Productions, is 

the new Hamlet from Guillaume Côté and Robert Lepage I wrote 

about in the previous column. It runs April 3-7 at the Elgin Theatre, 

promising a new and visceral physical take on Shakespeare’s classic. 

What is it about Swan Lake that drives so many choreographers to 

articulate their own responses? Over at Harbourfront Centre from 

April 18-20 the Torque dance series plays host to two wildly experimental 

takes on what is probably the most iconic classical ballet with 

the Canadian premiere of the mixed program Swan Lakes and Minus 16 

from Gauthier Dance & Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart. 

The two swan lakes in the program’s title are Canadian choreographer 

Marie Chouinard’s Le Chant du Cygne: Le Lac, a fiercely 

feminist manifesto in which the swans become passionate rebels, 

and choreographer and composer Hofesh Shechter’s Swan Cake, 

which is more playful and light spirited. The mixed program will 

conclude with legendary choreographer Ohad Naharin’s theatrical 

cult classic Minus 16. 

From April 25 to 28 at the ice rink at the Leaside Memorial 

Community Gardens, Montreal company Le Patin Libre are taking 

dance on ice to a new level of excitement and innovation with their 

Canadian/French/Scottish co-production Murmuration. To music 

by Jasmin Boivin and Philippe Le Bon, the wildly innovative work 

performed by a company of 15 “ice mavericks” combines the athletic 

virtuosity of competitive figure skaters with the choreographic 


“Full of clear, 

radiant fervor” 

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY: 

HAYDN & BENDA 

Directed by Zefira Valova 

April 19–21, 2024 

Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre 

18th-century Bohemia is the inspiration behind this 

program marking the Tafelmusik debut of Bulgarian 

violinist and il Pomo d’Oro concertmaster Zefira Valova. 

tafelmusik.org/bohemian 

(Bozar) 

“Mesmerizing” 

(Ludwig van Toronto) 

TRANSFORMATIONS: 

BACH & RAMEAU 

Directed by Kristian Bezuidenhout 

May 10–12, 2024 

Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre 

Kristian Bezuidenhout returns as harpsichordist and 

guest director to explore music’s evolution through 

transcriptions, reworkings, and arrangements. 

tafelmusik.org/transformations

An agency of the Government of Ontario 

Un organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario 

A HANDEL 

CELEBRATION 

“The best periodperformance 

choir anywhere 

in the world” 

(Globe and Mail) 

Directed by Ivars Taurins 

May 31–June 2, 2024 

Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre 

Tafelmusik’s 45th-anniversary season culminates 

with a salute to one of the greatest musical 

dramatists of all time. Join guest soloists Amanda 

Forsythe and Thomas Hobbs, with the Tafelmusik 

choir and orchestra as they weave a gorgeous 

tapestry under the direction of Ivars Taurins. 

tafelmusik.org/handel-celebration 

Image by Paulette Tavormina

EARLY MUSIC 

TORONTO 

BACH 

FESTIVAL 

Connecting the dots 

DAVID PERLMAN 

John Abberger 

Church of the Holy Trinity, site of this year’s Kaffeehaus 

PHOTOS: ELANA EMER 

Toronto Bach Festival was founded in 2016 by 

internationally-recognized Bach authority John 

Abberger (best known to Toronto period music 

devotees as principal oboist of Tafelmusik Baroque 

Orchestra). In the spring of 2019, columnist Matthew 

Whitfield interviewed Abberger for The WholeNote and 

wrote this: “For the past three years, the Toronto Bach 

Festival has presented a three-day intensive series of 

concerts, recitals, and lecture presentations focusing 

on Johann Sebastian Bach, his world, and his works. 

Increasing in size and scale each year, the festival attracts 

magnificent performers and interpreters.” Substitute 

“past five non-pandemic years” for “three” and the 

comment is as accurate today as it was then. 

Back in 2019, the Festival ran from May 24 to 26, book-ended by 

performances of Bach’s Fifth Brandenburg Concerto, among other 

works, on Friday, and his Lutheran Masses on the Sunday. The 

Saturday in between featured solo performances, by harpsichordist 

Luc Beauséjour and cellist Elinor Frey, and a lecture on Bach and the 

French Style featuring renowned musicologist Ellen Exner. 

“This year’s festival features an eclectic mix of Bach’s secular and 

sacred music” Whitfield observed to Abberger. “Is there an organizing 

principle or underlying idea that permeates your concerts and 

programming?” 

“Absolutely!” Abberger replied. “ From day one, a guiding principle 

for the programming has been that the three main genres in which 

_1920x1080 

Carmina 

Burana 

Fate, love, temptation, struggle, 

fulfillment. Timeless storytelling. 

Captivating music. 

Sunday, June 9, 2024 | 5:00 pm 

Tickets at www.paxchristichorale.org 

Bach worked, choral, keyboard and instrumental, should be represented 

at each festival. This is why we will always have a keyboard 

recital, generally alternating between harpsichord and organ. Another 

important artistic mandate is to perform cantatas each year. With 

so many to choose from, we won’t run out for quite a few years! The 

instrumental works comprise works for solo instruments (violin, 

cello and flute) as well as chamber and orchestral music. I strive each 

year to find a nice balance with the great diversity of genres in which 

Bach worked.” 

The pattern: Glance at the titles of the festival concerts over the 

years, and it’s clear that Abberger has stuck to that guiding principle 

from day one. 

Take 2018 for example: an opening concert titled “Two Brandenburg 

with Love,” a Saturday organ recital titled “Bach’s Inspiration” by 

Toronto-born Rachel Mahon (fresh off her appointment as the first 

woman to be appointed organ scholar at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London) 

and a Sunday concert titled “Cantatas and a Passion.” 

2020 and 2021 offered … nothing. 

But in 2022, the festival was back, seemingly unaffected by the 

hiatus. The Friday brought us “Brilliant Brandeburg”; Saturday 

brought an equally brilliant three-pack — a noon organ recital, by 

organist and Bach scholar John Bott, followed by “The Sonatas & 

Partitas for Solo Violin” in two parts, at 4pm and 8pm respectively, 

Rezonance 

Baroque Ensemble 

with 

Emily Klassen 

Madness 

& meaning 

April 28, 4 pm 

rezonanceensemble.com 


An agency of the Government of Ontario 

Un organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario 

PHOTOS: ELANA EMER 

performed by violinists Julia Wedman, Patricia Ahern, Valerie Gordon 

and Cristina Zacharias. Sunday brought the by-now expected public 

lecture, by John Bott. Titled “Bach the Dramatist” it was an in-depth 

look at Bach’s dramatic writing in oratorio settings, particularly the 

Easter Oratorio and Ascension Oratorio; the 4pm final concert of the 

festival then featured those two oratorios. 

2023 gave us “Virtuoso Concerto” on the Friday, featuring concertos 

for one and two harpsichords, followed on Saturday by harpsichordist 

Steven Devine performing The Well-Tempered Clavier in two parts (at 

noon and 2pm). Sunday’s Annual Bach Lecture was “J.S. Bach: Cantor, 

Capellmeister, Director” by musicologist Daniel R. Melamed from 

the Jacobs School of Music in Indiana, and the 4pm Sunday finale, 

“Leipzig Cantatas,” crossed two more cantatas, Die Elenden sollen 

essen, BWV75 and Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes BWV76, off 

Abberger’s list. 

Which brings us to this year’s festival: The opening Friday concert, at 

Eastminster United Church, on the Danforth, is “The Game of Threes” 

and features, among other works, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No.3 

in G Major, Concerto for Three Violins in D Major, and Violin Concerto 

in A Minor. The violin-playing honours are distributed among Adrian 

Butterfield, who directs the concert, and two of Abberger’s longtime 

Tafelmusik cohorts: Patricia Ahern and Cristina Zacharias. 

Saturday brings an intriguing mix of sacred and secular: a noon 

organ recital by Aaron James at St. Andrews Church at 73 Simcoe 

Street, across from Roy Thomson Hall, followed by two performances, 

at 4pm and 8pm, of “Kaffeehaus” – a 2022 festival innovation relocated 

from its theoretically ideal location (the Concert Hall at Yonge and 

Davenport) to the friendlier and more rough-and-ready surrounds of 

Church of the Holy Trinity (19 Trinity Sq, behind the Toronto Eaton 

Centre), where the pews are not bolted to the floor and more than one 

cup of coffee has been spilled over the years!) 

Sunday takes us back across the Bloor viaduct to Eastminster, first 

for the public lecture, provisionally titled “Bach’s Music Library and Its 

Influence on His Style,” presented via live broadcast, by musicologist 

Christoph Wolff – someone, Abberger says, he has been hoping to bring to 

the festival since its inception. The festival’s final concert, “How Brightly 

Shines” is at 4pm and promises to live up to its name. Wie schön leuchtet 

der Morgenstern (how brightly shines the morning star) is the title of two 

of the works on the program – one by Bach and one by Johann Kuhnau. 

And shining stars there will be a-plenty on view: Yeree Suh and Sinéad 

White, sopranos; Daniel Taylor and Nicholas Burns, altos; Charles Daniels 

and Shane Hanson, tenors; Jesse Blumberg and Martin Gomes, basses; 

and whomever comprises the The Toronto Bach Festival Orchestra 

which will have had three days to bond as an ensemble. 

VIA ZOOM: I caught up with John Abberger via Zoom in 

Charlottesville, Virginia on March 12 – the final day of Tafelmusik’s 

recent six city US tour, of a program titled “Passions Revealed,” devised 

by guest director Aisslin Nosky. Here are some snippets from that 

conversation. 

J.A, ON ATTENDANCE: We’ve sold out a number of performances, 

but not so far in Eastminster, so we have good capacity there which 

is good. Last year we had to move the opening concert to Church of 

the Holy Trinity, with a capacity of, I think, 400, so I’m hopeful that 

we can maybe do 450 or 500 at Eastminster this year. Our opening 

concert, the instrumental music, is so far always the most popular, 

which is interesting to me because it’s the vocal music that’s the heart 

of Bach’s output. But we’re building an audience for that, too. We 

have a devoted core, and we add people every year. So I’m confident 

about that. 

ON GUEST ARTISTS: As you know I like to bring in people. And this 

year we’ve got two really interesting new guests: Adrian Butterfield, 

the violinist, is coming from London. And Yeree Suh is this wonderful 

Korean soprano who lives in Stuttgart. Oh, and tenor Charles Daniels 

is coming back, I don’t mean to minimize him. He’s one of the best. 

So those are our big guest artists. But I think it’s important that we 

support people here in Toronto as well, you know. So that’s why I’m 

really pleased to present organist Aaron James for the first time. 

ON “THE GAME OF THREES”: 

Adrian and I did the programming together. I have my opinions, 

it’s part of my job as artistic director to shape each program as a part 

of the whole festival. So there was a lot of really interesting back and 

forth about that. I really wanted the Concerto for 3 Violins. It’s one 

of Bach’s strongest concertos, and it only survived in a version for 

three harpsichords. The first movement is like Vivaldi on steroids. It’s 

almost sonata form, a fantastic movement. I’ve really wanted to do 

that for some time. So from there, the third Brandenburg made sense. 

And so on. 

ON BACH’S INFLUENCES: (last year’s festival was close to all- 

Bach, this year noticeably less so.) 

We are still only scratching the surface. Our idea is to show a little 

bit of what music influenced Bach. What were his models, what influenced 

his compositional style? Vivaldi was a huge one. You know 1711 

was the publication in Amsterdam of his L’Estro Armonico, Opus 3 

concertos for solo instruments, and people in Europe went crazy for 

that music. I talked at the Kaffeehaus last year about Prince Johan- 

Erst of Saxe-Weimar. Bach worked for him as a very young man, in his 

early 20s maybe? But anyway, the Prince went to Amsterdam, I think 

ALL IS LOVE 

DEBUSSY / HAHN / HANDEL 

LULLY / PURCELL / RAMEAU 

April 11 to 14 at Koerner Hall 

A ravishing blend of singing, ballet and 

orchestral music, fully staged in the glorious 

acoustic of Koerner Hall. Featuring Artists of 

Atelier Ballet, and Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. 

“A Miracle.” 

—Robert Harris, 

The Globe and Mail 

operaatelier.com 

Season 

Presenting 

Sponsor 

Radio Sponsor 

Media Partner 

Eric César de Mello da Silva and 

Meghan Lindsay by Bruce Zinger 


in 1713 – Bach’s life is all these little tiny tidbits of information, right? 

So you kind of hope you’re gonna connect the dots with some vague 

sense of accuracy. There is a document that says the prince brought 

home so much music they had to have new shelves constructed in 

the library, and Bach made these harpsichord transcriptions of three 

or four of them. The prince was writing music too, and I think that 

was their way of studying them. 

And [Dieterich] Buxtehude too, in the realm of organ influences 

was huge. There’s a video of a program Tom Allen did recently with 

and for Sweetwater Music Festival. He calls it Bach’s Long Walk In 

the Snow – walking to Lubeck to hear Buxtehude play. He went in 

November, and the people he worked for said “Okay, you can go, 

but be back in time for the Christmas season” and he said he’d be 

gone for four weeks, and he stayed for three months … so there’s a 

nice sub-theme leading from Saturday to Sunday. Aaron James plays 

Buxtehude’s Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern in his organ recital, 

one of my favourite pieces of his. And Bach loved that chorale too. 

David Perlman can be reached at publisher@thewholenote.com 

AND ELSEWHERE 

Toronto Symphony Orchestra: You can get your Bach on in a 

few places this spring. The Toronto Symphony presents “Brilliant 

Bach,” a crowd-pleasing program with some of the concerti for 

multiple violins, including the Concerto for Two Violins & String 

Orchestra BWV 1043 and Concerto for Three Violins & String 

Orchestra BWV 1064R, as well as Brandenburg Concerto No.2 

BWV 1047 and more. Jonathan Crow leads and plays solo violin. 

Wednesday, Apr 24 to Saturday, Apr 27 at 8pm, Roy Thomson 

Hall; Sunday, Apr 28 at 3pm, George Weston Recital Hall 

Trinity Bach on the GO: Increasingly it’s worth the trip to 

Hamilton, and the GO train is at your service, so why not consider 

a program planned there by the Trinity Bach Project, intriguing 

for its contextualization of J.S. Bach’s music. The concert includes 

Bach’s beautiful Motet Jesu, meine Freunde, but also pieces by 

those who influenced him, and those whom he influenced: motets 

by his predecessor Heinrich Schütz, and Monteverdi’s Cantate 

Domino, but also Anton Bruckner’s sacred motet Locus iste. Felix 

Deák offers selected movements of Suites Nos.1 & 2 for unaccompanied 

cello. Nicholas Nicolaidis conducts the chamber choir, and 

Aaron James is at the organ. 

Saturday, Apr 20, at 3pm St. John the Evangelist Church 

(Hamilton). 

Stephanie Conn 

PROFILE 

Andrew 

Burashko 

The Art of Timing Out 

ANDREW SCOTT 

During a particularly compelling moment in The Art 

of Time Ensemble’s recent performance, Dance 

to the Abyss: Music From The Weimar Republic, 

the ensemble, now in its final season, performed 

Cab Calloway’s Minnie the Moocher five times in a 

row. Utilizing a set of detailed instructions from a 

document titled Nazi Germany’s Dance Band Rules 

and Regulations, the ensemble uses each rendition to 

iteratively strip away the lifeblood and very essence of 

what makes that great 1931 song so paradigmatically part 

of the jazz of swing-era Harlem. 

In the Art of Time’s skilled musical hands, the song metamorphoses 

(and I mean this in the most Kafkaesque of ways) into something 

more Joseph Goebbels-approved propaganda, than Lennox 

Avenue swing. 

Far from being repetitive, the successive 

iterations exemplify the adage death 

by 1,000 cuts; the ten rules gradually purge 

any vestige of Black, Jewish and American 

influence from a piece that the Nazis would 

have classified as “degenerate art.” 

In many ways, the piece epitomized 

the sort of work that only The Art of Time 

DAVID LEYES 

Andrew Burashko 

Ensemble could successfully pull off. 

Programmed immediately before the show’s 

intermission, the selection evoked a set 

of conflicting emotions – darkly funny, of 

course, but also horrifyingly revelatory of how easily a vibrant musical 

form could be, and was, co-opted for nefarious fascistic purposes. But 

conflicting emotions are the point. Dance to the Abyss is like so much 

of the work that Art of Time, under the able leadership of pianist and 

Artistic Director Andrew Burashko, has done with consistent aplomb 

over its 25-year history. It is a performance-based challenge to the audience, 

designed to make one both listen with intentionality, and think. 

“One of the things that I’ve been most interested in these last 25 years 

is to offer as mixed and eclectic a program as possible,” states Burashko, 

reflecting upon the expanse of work that the group has done since its 

inception in 1998: pairing the compositions of contemporary American 

jazz pianist Joey Calderazzo with the lieder of Richard Strauss; reimagining 

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band with a cast of musicians 

comprised of this country’s finest jazz, classical, and pop players; or 

finally, the ensemble’s upcoming May 2024 tribute to Joni Mitchell in 


Dance to the Abyss: L-R: Andrew Burashko, Drew Jurecka, Andrew Downing, 

Lydia Munchinsky, Nathan Hiltz, Kelsley Grant, Kris Maddigan, Kevin Turcotte, 

Larry Larson. Text as displayed is from Czech/Canadian fiction writer 

Joseph Škvorecký’s story “Eine Kleine Jazzmusik”, published in 1966. 

Both Sides Now. Fusion, hybridity and a purposeful attempt to reside in 

the musical margins, defying classification, have been the raison d’etre 

for both Art of Time, and Burashko for a quarter century. 

JOHN LAUENER 

Minnie the Moocher 

written and performed 

by band leader, composer 

and singer Cabell "Cab" 

Calloway III, earned him 

the nickname "The Hi De 

Hi De Hi Man" based on 

his scatting in the song. 

traditional program notes. How does one 

convey the context and the story behind 

the music through the music itself? 

“How does one make it both rigorously 

historically accurate, and compelling 

enough to offer audiences an entry point 

into the incredible 400 years of history 

and music that we today call classical?” 

wonders Burashko. 

That question, coming from the 

Art of Time’s director in 2024, is, of 

course, rhetorical. Presenting challenging, 

disparate music to audiences in a 

cohesive manner that combines dramaturgy, 

spoken word, humour, historical 

narration and stylistic intersection 

is exactly the sort of thing that the 

pianist and his ensemble have long since 

figured out how to do. A big part of that, 

and of the Art of Time’s longevity and 

success more generally, is defying the strict performance practices that 

reigned supreme in classical music during the 20th century. “When 

the Art of Time started,” states Burashko, “the idea of someone talking 

and breaking through the fourth wall was almost never done. But I 

have always wanted to speak to, engage with, and entertain the audience; 

I have had no interest in the ‘this is our offering, take it or leave it’ 

approach to concert presentation.” 

The swamp of human desire: Burashko garnered an initial reputation 

at age 17, when he made his debut with the Toronto Symphony 

Orchestra as a classical pianist of note, immersed in the standard 

concertizing repertoire that the role demands. As he explained to me, 

however, he soon became interested in “exploring where high art, for 

lack of a better term, intersects with popular culture.” Many previous 

Art of Time presentations have mined this intersection – Burashko 

cites Igor Stravinsky’s Ebony Concerto, which the Russian composer 

wrote for Woody Herman’s First Herd, or Dmitri Shostakovich’s Jazz 

Orchestra Suites. But it is Berlin’s cabaret scene of the late 1920s in 

Dance to the Abyss that perhaps best exemplifies this fusion. 

“I was always fascinated with the richness of that scene” Burashko 

states. “I love Kurt Weill, Erwin Schulhoff and the composers of that 

era. Plus, the Dadaists like Kurt Schwitters, writers such as Franz 

Kafka and Thomas Mann, and the Berlin Cabaret which contributed to 

what at the time was a swamp of unfettered human desire.” 

The challenge here, as with any Art of Time show, is how to navigate 

the swamp rather than just describe it, especially when you eschew 

Dismantling: Whether Art of Time was a harbinger of change or the 

beneficiary of fortuitous timing, things in the classical music world 

“have changed considerably over the last 25 years,” Burashko says. 

As evidence, he points out that today, even the august and renowned 

pianist András Schiff concertizes with a clip-on Lavalier microphone, 

addressing his audience from the stage between works, something 

that would have been anathema even a few years earlier. 

What, discovered during Art of Time’s inaugural 1999 season 

(listed originally as Chamber Music Unlimited), was that the bringing 

together of disparate music (Cage, Gershwin, Crumb, and Lieberson) 

in combination with dance, evocative staging, and thoughtful on-stage 

commentary (modest initially, but expanded throughout the seasons), 

constituted a gradual dismantling of the restrictive traditions of the art 

form – an intoxicating elixir for an audience hungry for a welcoming 

entry point into a world of great music. 

“It still amazes me: I would meet people who said they don’t 

know how to listen to classical music or even what makes it good,” 

continues Burashko. “But music should elicit a visceral reaction. And 

ETERNAL CITIES 

BY MASMOUDI QUARTET 

Tickets available online at www.alliance-francaise.ca 

© Sandra Sunshine Photography 


MOSTLY CLUBS, MAINLY JAZZ 

JOHN LAUENER 

Shakespeare: If Music Be (2010.) Peggy Baker (left) along with 

Stephen Dann, Barbara Hannigan and Joel Quarrington was 

one of Burashko's earliest Art of Time collaborators. 

while I’m happy if people walk away [from an Art of Time Ensemble 

performance] having learned something, I first and foremost want to 

turn people onto this great music.” 

As much as Burashko’s now well-honed skills as a raconteur, 

presenter of ideas, and a setter of appropriate performance contexts 

now appear effortless, these were, of course, a set of skills that he had 

to develop along the trajectory of the ensemble’s life. “It has been an 

incredible ride,” he acknowledges. “When Art of Time started, I was 

strictly a concert pianist. But since then, who knows how many hours 

I’ve spent conducting, staging, directing and producing. And now, 

the whole curation thing has really become a part of me with things 

unfolding in a way that I could not have predicted.” 

Hierarchical inevitability: With a nod to the inevitability of hierarchical 

career trajectories that promote competent people into opportunities 

requiring an entirely different set of skills from those they 

had mastered in their previous position, the success of Art of Time has 

meant a necessary move away from what initially attracted Burashko to 

a career in music in the first place. “It’s funny,” he says, expanding upon 

this point. “The more successful the organization became, the more 

I’ve had to compete with the machine that surrounds it and now overshadows 

the art. I am just tired of everything that goes into running an 

organization that has nothing to do with the art itself. The fundraising 

and the organizing. It all requires so much energy. And, well, life is 

short, and I just want to play, for lack of a better word.” 

Whether it was the pivotal pause-to-reflect that the COVIDlockdowns 

of the early 2020s unexpectedly bestowed, or the opportunity 

that a 25th anniversary affords to tie a nice bow on things, this 

has been announced as the Art of Time’s coda season. Burashko is 

quick to point out that he is not “hanging up the brand,” citing such 

upcoming projects as an animated film capture of the aforementioned 

Minnie the Moocher performance titled Jackboots to Jazz, a Sgt. 

Pepper’s Ontario summer tour, a Shakespeare show at Stratford, and, 

finally, a creative reimagining of Igor Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale in 

October (complete with a newly commissioned libretto). 

And yet, despite all of this, there is something conclusionary about the 

feel of this season. “We have over 80 projects in our back pocket, at least a 

dozen of which I would love to see given some kind of life, so I’m hoping 

there will be more touring. But, in terms of what’s next, I honestly 

don’t have a clue. And, quite frankly, I’m finding that very exciting.” 

The Art of Time’s presentation of Both Sides Now will run from 

May 9 to 11 at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre. 

Andrew Scott is a Toronto-based jazz guitarist (occasional pianist/ 

singer) and professor at Humber College, who contributes regularly 

to The WholeNote Discoveries record reviews. 

Looking forward 

to the JUNOs 

(after the fact) 

COLIN STORY 

Ah, awards season. That very special time of year 

when artists across a variety of fields experience 

the thrill of being nominated, grapple with 

existential issues of the validity of awards and rankings 

within the arts, eat a moderately expensive banquet 

salad, and rub shoulders with fellow Canadian musicindustry 

colleagues. (When I attended the JUNOs, in 

2016, Canadian hip-hop legend Kardinal Offishall came 

up behind me, patted me on the shoulder and said “keep 

doing what you’re doing, man.” When I turned around, 

he said “oh, sorry, thought you were, uhh…” and promptly 

left. It remains a proud moment.) 

This year, I had a chance to interview four nominated musicians 

(Jocelyn Gould, Noam Lemish, Gentiane MG, and Laila Biali) in anticipation 

of the big event: about their projects, their thoughts on the big 

day, on other musicians, and on what comes after the JUNOs. 

By the time you read this, all that anticipation will be after the fact. 

The event will already have taken place – on Sunday March 24 2024, at 

Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, hosted by national icon Nelly Furtado. 

As the winners themselves will doubtless remind us, looking out at 

their fellow nominees, there are no losers at an event which more 

than anything is a celebration of the Canadian music industry at a 

particularly precarious moment in the history of recorded music. 

So in that celebratory vein, we offer you the thoughts of four 

worthy contenders, and alongside their reflections, a list of the other 

nominees in all the categories we usually cover in the “Mainly Jazz” 

beat of this magazine. The icing on the cake: almost all the nominated 

albums were reviewed in this magazine’sDISCoveries section over the 

past 12 months. So you can see what we said about them before we 

knew they were going to be nominated. 

About their nominated albums 

The artist: Noam Lemish: 

Category: Jazz Album of the Year (Solo) 

Reviewed by us: Vol 28 No.3 

“My album Twelve features my 

original compositions for a chambersized 

jazz orchestra (12tet) featuring 

myself on piano alongside an allstar 

cast from amongst Toronto’s 

finest jazz musicians. The six pieces 

in the record showcase long-form, 


Clockwise from top left: Noam Lemish, 

Gentiane MG, Jocelyn Gould, Laila Biali 

through-composed music that embraces genre-bending as an essential 

feature. My own multi-cultural upbringing and life shapes the 

sounds of this record thus blending my rootedness in jazz and western 

art music alongside musical influences from my Israeli childhood and 

Eastern-European Jewish heritage.” 

The artist: Laila Biali: 

Category: Vocal Jazz Album of the Year 

Reviewed by us: Vol 29 No.1 

“Your Requests was my response 

to 150 song requests submitted by 

friends, fans and followers over social 

media (Facebook, Instagram and “X”). 

I’ve always loved engaging community 

and crowd-sourcing material – and for 

Your Requests I decided to make the 

Great American Songbook the focus. It’s my first full album release of 

jazz standards and it features Kurt Elling, Emilie-Claire Barlow, Caity 

Gyorgy, Anat Cohen, Grégoire Maret, Kelly Jefferson, George Koller, 

Larnell Lewis, Ben Wittman and Manino Costa.” 

Napoleon. The album contains a combination of originals and lesser 

played standards that have significant meaning to me. 

On getting ready for the big event 

Gould: I won Jazz Album Of The Year: Solo in 2021, a year in which 

the JUNOs were hosted online due to Covid. Although I have already 

won a JUNO, I have never had the opportunity to attend. The biggest 

excitement for me is simply to get to be there in person and be 

surrounded by the immense amount of talent that will be present. 

I also love Halifax, and am thrilled to have an opportunity to visit such 

a beautiful city. 

The artist: Gentiane MG 


Reviewed by us: Volume 28 No.2 

“Walls Made of Glass is my third trio 

album with this ensemble. Composing 

this music, my intent was to 

immortalize moments that felt particularly 

meaningful, just like one could do 

with a picture, but in this case, through 

music. I took a long time to create this 

album at every step of the way. Writing, workshopping, creating and 

thinking about the artwork, and every aspect of the recording process. 

A bit more than a year after the release, despite the fact that I am 

excited to start writing again and to explore new territories, there is 

nothing I would want to change about this album, and for me, this is a 

great artistic accomplishment.” 

The artist: Jocelyn Gould 


Reviewed by us: Vol.29 No.4 

Sonic Bouquet is my third album 

as a leader. The personnel spans three 

generations of jazz musicians and 

contains mentors and peers of mine. 

The band is half Canadian and half 

American, and consists of an unusual 

front line of two guitars and clarinet. I 

co-produced this album with my mentor and friend, guitarist Randy 

thewholenote.com April & May 2024 | 29

MG: I’m very proud to be nominated for the Junos alongside so 

many amazing projects and musicians. As a French Canadian from 

Quebec, it means a lot for me to be nominated for the number one 

Canadian music award ceremony. It makes me feel more part of the 

great Canadian musical community. As an artist, I believe strongly 

in the meaning of sharing art as a way of making the world a better 

place, and to be nominated for a JUNO Awards definitely helps the 

music to be more widely shared. 

Lemish: It means a lot for my music to be recognized in this way. 

This nomination is not only an acknowledgment of my work as a 

pianist and composer, but really the collective efforts of everyone that 

was involved in creating this album. I’m really looking forward to 

taking part in the festivities in Halifax with my fellow nominees! 

Biali: This nomination came as quite a surprise. It’s been a tough 

few years for many musicians, so it was a lovely boost – though 

I always remind myself that we create music for the love of it, to 

connect with listeners and hopefully spread some goodness in the 

world. That’s really what drives us, though the recognition of a JUNO 

nomination is helpful and a great honour, of course. 

On other nominees 

Gould: I have always been a huge admirer of Christine Jensen. She’s 

a phenomenal musician, and is also someone that I look up to in the 

music industry. I’ve loved all of her records, including the one that is 

currently nominated. 

Biali: Caity Gyorgy is a phenom and I was very grateful to have her 

guest with me on Your Requests (on Pennies from Heaven). I also 

had the opportunity to share the stage recently with Dominique Fils- 

Aimé and the audience was completely rapt. She is an electrifying 

performer, completely devoted to her art, and a beautiful soul. 

Upcoming Post-JUNO Shows 

Lemish: I’ll be performing at The Rex (in Toronto) May 8-11 with 

the wonderful American guitarist/oud virtuoso and long time musical 

collaborator Amos Hoffman. 

Biali: I will be joining the Mississauga Temple Big Band for the 

first time on Saturday, April 27 at the Mississauga Salvation Army 

Mississauga Community Church. My trio featuring George Koller and 

Ben Wittman will play a few selections on our own, and then I’ll be 

playing and singing with the large ensemble the rest of the night. 

Colin Story is a jazz guitarist, writer, and teacher based 

in Toronto. He can be reached at www.colinstory.com, 

and on Instagram and Twitter. 

The complete list of Jazz Category nominees 

Vocal jazz album of the year 

Songwriter, Alex Bird & Ewen Farncombe Vol 28 No.4 

You’re Alike, You Two, Caity Gyorgy and Mark Limacher Vol 29 No.5 

Little Bit a’ Love, Denielle Bassels Vol 29 No.1 

Our Roots Run Deep, Dominique Fils-Aimé 

Your Requests, Laila Biali Vol 29 No.1 

Jazz album of the year (solo) 

Day Moon, Christine Jensen 

Walls Made of Glass, Gentiane MG Vol 28 No.2 

Sonic Bouquet, Jocelyn Gould Vol 29 No.4 

Twelve, Noam Lemish Vol 28 No.3 

The South Detroit Connection, Russ Macklem 

Jazz album of the year (group) 

Migrations, Allison Au with the Migrations Ensemble Vol 29 No.4 

Septology-The Black Forest Session, Canadian Jazz Collective 

Vol 28 No.6 

Cry Me a River, Hilario Duran and His Latin Jazz Big Band Vol 29 No.3 

Recent History, Mike Murley & Mark Eisenman Quartet Vol 29 No.4 

Convergence, Nick Maclean Quartet feat. Brownman Ali Vol 29 No.5 

FROM FEATURE UP HERE 

HOMES FOR MUSIC 

help communities 

heal and grow 

SOPHIA PERLMAN 

When it comes to defining the line between North 

and South in Ontario, it very much depends on 

who you ask and where you are. 

If you are using The WholeNote’s website to search for listings using 

the JUST ASK feature, you will find the province’s vast geography 

divided into zones, with all of “Northern Ontario” defined as “zone 

10”, the southern border of which starts somewhere near Mattawa, 

and covers anything north of Algonquin Park and Highway 17 – with 

a bit of a dip south to also include Manitoulin Island. And it doesn’t 

seem to know where to classify Sundridge or Emdale, though I suspect 

if you asked people there, their compass would pull north rather 

than east, which is where LUDWIG (Listings Utility for WholeNote 

Information Gathering) – as it was affectionately dubbed back in the 

early 2000s – currently wants to put them. 

In other words, like most government agencies and service sectors, 

The WholeNote lumps “the North” into one big zone that encompasses 

nearly half the province’s geography (if not necessarily the 

equivalent population!) and doesn’t yet have ways of accounting for 

and documenting the variety and richness of Northern musical life. 

The (big) view from up here… 

If I was keeping track of the state of the Ontario music and arts 

community purely from what I see on my social media feeds, or on 

the news, things would seem decidedly gloomy: this morning, for 

example, I woke up to another news story about how many arts festivals 

are on the brink of collapse, and every time an orchestra or arts 

company folds, or another venue or artist-friendly space closes, there 

is an outpouring of very understandable grief, and passionate conversation 

about the state of things and questions about what we “as a 

community” can do. 

It’s why I still eagerly await a print copy of this magazine - because 

it’s physical, tangible proof of all the music that is still alive and 

surviving and even thriving. Similarly, using Orchestra Canada’s 

fantastic database as a starting place, I was able to go from there to 

find 81 orchestras in Ontario alone whose websites indicated they 

were still active. This includes professional “regional” orchestras, auditioned 

or non-auditioned community ensembles and – perhaps more 

important than all of these – youth orchestras training programs. Best 

of all, when I zoom the map in on “Northern Ontario” (as we have 

defined it), I discover that my “less populated” zone is already home 

to eight of these organizations. (As a relatively recent transplant to the 

zone, I know that “discover” is a very loaded word – like thinking you 

have discovered the full extent of food when you open your refrigerator 

door. I am constantly “discovering” things that are obvious to my 

neighbours - musically and otherwise.) 


Dave and Don Carroll - 

The Sons of Maxwell. 

Conductor William 

Rowson (top): 

Sudbury Symphony 

Orchestra and 

Stratford Symphony 

(499km apart). 

Conductor Joshua 

Wood: North Bay 

Symphony to Timmins 

Symphony (362km) 

Five out of eight! 

The Sudbury Symphony Orchestra used 

its season this year to bring in the finalists 

in their search for new leadership. They 

recently announced composer/conductor 

William Rowson as the new Artistic and 

Executive Director. Their April 20th program, 

Lights, Camera, Symphony will serve 

as his debut, which features the world 

premiere of Rowson’s Suite from the 2020 

Film Brotherhood, alongside some of John 

Williams most iconic film scores. Rowson 

also remains on as the music director for 

the Stratford Symphony Orchestra. It will 

be interesting to see whether this creates a 

model for collaboration and resource sharing 

across the north/south divide! 

Rowson is not the only northern conductor 

pulling double duty. Joshua Wood serves as 

Music Director for the symphonies in both 

North Bay and Timmins. His combined 

schedule for the 2023-24 season offers a 

small glimpse into what this kind of collaboration 

between orchestras can look like. 

The Timmins Symphony Orchestra has two 

concerts left in its main concert season – a 

collaboration with local favourites Dave and 

Don Carroll (The Sons of Maxwell) on April 6, 

and a Britain and Bohemia program featuring 

principal cellist Yu Pei with the Timmins 

Symphony Chorus on May 11. The North Bay Symphony is presenting 

a program of Brahms, Elgar and Haydn, featuring mezzo-soprano 

Rachel Wood on April 27, and closing their concert session with the 

Mendelssohn Octet on May 26. The final concert in Wood’s busy 

schedule brings players from both orchestra’s string sections together 

at St. Matthew’s Anglican Cathedral in Timmins for a joint chamber 

concert of works by Mendelssohn and Boccherini. 

Heading west, you find the Sault Symphony Orchestra under the 

leadership of Artistic Director Stephen Mallinger. Their four-concert 

season wraps up on May 12, with The SSO On Broadway. Continue 

along Highway 17 and you find yourself at the western (and southern) 

end of Zone 10, where the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra has four 

concerts left in their masterworks, pops and family programming this 

year. Of particular note: returning by popular demand, on April 13, is 

The Spirit Horse Returns – a concert production that combines traditional 

teachings, original visual art, music and an all-new orchestral 

score by Kevin Lau, with Jodi Contin and Andrew Balfour. Suitable 

for all ages, it tells “the story of the Ojibwe Horses, traditional helpers 

and spirit guides for 

First Nations and Metis 

people. It’s a journey 

of hope and reconciliation 

as Indigenous 

and non-Indigenous 

people come together to 

rescue the last of these 

horses and give them 

new life. Suitable for all 

ages, this production is 

an entertaining opportunity 

to learn about 

Indigenous cultures, 

reconciliation, and how 

we all play a part in the 

future of the land and its 

inhabitants.” 

Rhonda Snow is the Métis visual artist and Ojibwe 

Horse Knowledge Keeper who created the art 

seen in “The Spirit Horse Returns”. This painting 

is called The Small Spanish Mustang jumped 

over Thunder Mountain to Save the Breed. 

RHONDA SNOW 

ATTENTION ZONE 10! 

WHOLENOTE MUSICAL EVENT LISTINGS are free of 

charge and can be submitted by artists, venues or 

presenters at any time, from anywhere in Ontario. 

We invite listings for date-specific LIVE events (including 

events streamed live). They don’t all make it into print but 

are all made available to the public on our website. 

HOW TO LIST 

Use the convenient online form at 

thewholenote.com/applylistings 

or email listings to listings@thewholenote.com. 

Inquiries about WholeNote listings can be addressed to 

John Sharpe, Listings Editor at listings@thewholenote.com 


ROB GOWAN 

Where does music live? 

Of the 81 orchestras in Ontario that I found, only a very few have 

primary or sole occupancy of a “concert hall.” A handful more have 

shared tenancy at one of the regional or municipal “performing arts 

centres.” The further north you go, the wider the variety of spaces you 

see orchestras using: schools, community centres, historical buildings, 

union halls, cultural centres. An overwhelming number of orchestras 

use churches too, in some capacity. As the conversation continues 

to evolve about “who belongs” - in the orchestra, composing for the 

orchestra and in the audience – we need to recognize that how we 

choose the spaces we use is a big part of the picture. 

Churches may be ideal rehearsal spaces, and acoustically good for 

orchestral music. But while the event you are hosting may be inclusive, 

and while your organization may have clearly outlined policies 

on Reconciliation, human rights, diversity and inclusion, it’s 

important to ask yourself whether the space actually lives up to those 

standards. At the very minimum it’s worth asking for the venue’s 

own written policies before you invite an audience into the space – so 

you spend your hard-earned venue money on spaces that are actively 

trying to make everyone feel safe. And no matter what the policies 

say, the question remains as to whether people with various lived 

experiences are ever going to feel safe enough to surrender to the 

magic of what is being created in a space where they are surrounded 

by religious iconography and text. 

A whole other issue needs to be considered when you think about 

church and faith-based spaces as homes for orchestral music: the issue 

of aging and often dwindling congregations. Back down in Zone 1 

(Toronto, this magazine’s birthplace), there are examples of solutions 

to this concern: in some cases music can become the thing that 

revitalizes a church that is committed to inclusivity (like Metropolitan 

Community Church, or Trinity-St. Paul’s). Or when a congregation is 

eventually faced with closing up altogether, you end up, sometimes 

The Harmony Centre in Owen Sound and The (new!) Hugh’s Room, in Toronto. 

years later, with spaces like the new digs for 

Hugh’s Room, or as you head north, other examples 

like the Harmony Centre in Owen Sound. 

Moving toward reconciliation 

As we head back towards Zone 10, I have to 

admit that as a southern Ontario-raised person, 

Thunder Bay was a city which largely existed in 

my consciousness because of “bad news.” Now, 

of all of the orchestras in my zone, Thunder Bay 

Symphony Orchestra seems to be the one putting 

Reconciliation most at the forefront in a way that 

is based in action and focused on creating dialogue 

that helps us start chipping away at these complicated 

questions. 

Their final concert of the season, May 3, is 

a free concert at Fort William Historical Park 

that has been an annual tradition since at least 

2018. This year’s edition of the concert, titled 

Noondaagotoon, features the Thunder Mountain 

Singers, Juno nominated cellist and composer 

Cris Derksen and guitarist Lewis Chapman. 

TBSO’s website says: “Noondaagotoon means play it (so it makes a 

sound) in Ojibway. If you’ve been to a Noondaagotoon concert, you 

know this to be true. This annual collaboration between the TBSO 

and Indigenous performers has become one of the highlights of our 

season. It is an exciting opportunity to strengthen long-standing relationships 

– and establish new ones – while creating space for musical 

reconciliation with Fort William First Nation.” Seems like a good 

precedent for presenters and performers everywhere. 

The Thunder Mountain Singers 

Back home… 

In my own community, the dedicated board at Grace United Church 

decided to disband and give up their home in their 100-year-old church, 

right downtown off the main intersection. The board was deliberate and 

careful as they wound down operations, in considering what they hoped 

the space would turn into, what kinds of other needs it could fill in the 

community, and what kind of legacy they wanted to leave in our township. 

They started by donating the grand piano to the public school. 

They also worked alongside Amanda Drury, a lifelong community 

member, and gave her the time and support in her goal of purchasing 

the space as a home for Rise - a community holistic wellness centre. 

“The goal” Drury says, “is to provide services to help youth, adults 

and seniors connect, heal and grow in their own community.” She 

envisions a space where all feel valued and feel a sense of belonging 

and connection with others. “The arts, specifically music, have the 

power to do just that. One of the best ways to gather and connect 

people is through the arts, through feeling and expressing ourselves 

through different mediums.” She is already making the space available 

to musicians, artists and other community-based practitioners. 

The sanctuary remains a beautiful acoustic space. It’s small, on the 

scale of church sanctuaries, and a whole symphony orchestra might 

be a bit of a squeeze. But the next time one of our northern organizations 

(or any other symphony) decides to send a chamber group on the 

road, our community is a 

bit more ready to give the 

music another home. 

Sophia Perlman grew 

up bouncing around 

the jazz, opera, theatre 

and community arts 

scene in Toronto. She 

now eagerly awaits 

the arrival of her 

monthly WholeNote to 

Hornepayne, Ontario, 

where she uses it to 

armchair-travel and 

inform her Internet 

video consumption. 

32 | April & May 2024 thewholenote.com 

RICK JACOBSON

BEAT BY BEAT PART ONE: theDownBeat 

THE COC’S PERRYN LEECH 

IN CONVERSATION 

compiled and edited by 

MICHAEL ZARATHUS-COOK 

The design team of Renaud Doucet & André Barbe hatched their concept for Scottish Opera’s Don Pasquale among the cats of Rome in 2014. 

KK DUNDAS 

GAETZ PHOTOGRAPHY 

“It’s a story that you could say has an old, overused 

plot that’s not relevant. It’s about an older man who 

believes he’s irresistible to women. This is a different take 

on that story, but he’s not going to take no for an answer. 

He wants to be able to conquer and have his conquests.” 

Perryn Leech 

Perryn Leech – General Director of the Canadian Opera Company 

– is speaking here about Don Pasquale, one of the three final shows 

of the current Canadian Opera Company’s season, in an interview 

that ranged from from his mission to support new operas to the 

opportunities and implications of sharing a venue with the National 

Ballet of Canada (NBoC). After a season of staples of the canon, the 

COC is closing strong with a trio of seldom-staged works, including 

the world premiere of a COC-commissioned work. “The good thing 

is that it’s done in a very funny way,” continues Leech on the topic of 

Pasquale. “The season is quite heavy, so I think having some levity in 

there will be welcomed by our cast.” 

In contrast to that levity is Luigi Cherubini’s Medea, which follows 

Don Pasquale in May. It’s an opera that lives or dies based on the 

soprano singing the title role. When asked what he’s looking forward 

to the most in Sondra Radvanovsky’s take, Leech responds in his characteristically 

colourful way: 

“It’s a bit like asking, ‘What are you most looking forward to in a 

LeBron James performance?’ This is a world superstar who can sing 

anything and I will be entranced. She was the one that approached 

me and said, ‘I really want to sing Medea. Are you interested in doing 

that?’ The reason it’s rarely done is not the quality of the music, but 

the fact that it’s so impossible to cast. So when Sondra comes to you 

with an idea like that, ‘Yes, let’s see how we can make that work.’” 

Leech began his role at the COC amidst the roiling waves of the 

pandemic, tasked with preparing the company to keep the programming 

momentum going during the lockdowns, and preparing for 

live performances when the opportunity arose. In the interview he 

looks back on his first time visiting the Four Seasons Centre for the 

Performing Arts to attend a COC production. 

“I walked up from Union Station and knew it was just past the 

Hilton Hotel. There’s a slight bend in the road on University from 

Union Station, and I saw this hive of activity. The foyer was lit up, 

and there were people inside. It looked like such a welcoming space, 

which is different from some theatres where you just see the sign of 

the show. This was clearly a communal meeting place to share art. 

It was wildly exciting to see it for the first time and know that I was 

going to be part of a 2,000-person audience that night.” 


MARTY SOHL 

HAUI 

Sondra Radvanovsky in Medea, The Metropolitan Opera, 2022 

Leech also spoke in the interview about how the Canadian Opera 

Company Theatre on Front Street offers creative opportunities that the 

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts cannot encompass. 

“We want to present stories that haven’t been told on the operatic 

stage in Toronto. Opera is an expensive business, so a smaller 

and more intimate space is a good starting place for someone new to 

opera. … You can really see the sweat on people’s faces and see them 

get into the story in a way that is hard to do in a larger auditorium. 

You can feel the impact of the human voice pressing on your chest. 

It’s a deeply engaging and immersive way of seeing opera. What I 

want to do in that space is much more of that.” 

Neema Bickersteth 

The season’s final show is a case in point: Aportia Cryptych: a Black 

Opera for Portia White appears to be an example of the COC walking the 

walk in response to all the recent talk about more diverse stories in opera. 

“Portia White was a Nova Scotian Black singer who sang opera 

and would have been an absolute world superstar. However, she 

wasn’t able to perform on stages because of rules that didn’t allow 

Black singers and performers to be on stage. So the telling of her story 

is way overdue. Of course, there are more opportunities now, but 

you also have to consider if there are still those kinds of barriers in 

place for Black singers today. Barriers are coming down, but are they 

coming down quickly enough?” 

Created by composer Sean Mayes and director/librettist HAUI, 

Aportia Cryptych runs June 14 to 16, with Neema Bickersteth, 

Adrienne Danrich and SATE, in the roles of Portia Body, Portia Spirit, 

and Portia Soul respectively. 

Michael Zarathus-Cook is Editor-in-Chief of CANNOPY Visual 

and Performing Arts Newsletter. The interview with Perryn Leech 

quoted here appears in tandem with a similarly-themed conversation 

with Hope Muir, Artistic Director of the National Ballet of 

Canada, in the Hubs & Huddles series presented by CANNOPY. You 

can access the full story by visiting www.performingarts.substack. 

com and subscribing to Hubs & Huddles. 

BEAT BY BEAT PART TWO: OPERA ROUNDUP 

This thing we call opera happens in a diverse range of 

spaces and forms: from plush-seated theatres to barebones 

settings, and from in-concert presentations to 

elaborately staged.. 

Below are some samples to tempt your appetites. You’ll find more in our 

EVENTS BY DATE starting on page 36, or by searching “opera” online at 

thewholenote.com/index.php/listings/just-ask. 

All is Love April 11-14 

Imagine a world where “Amour” cannot resist getting involved, for 

better or worse, in the emotions and choices of everyone else. Opera 

Atelier’s spring production combines music of the French Baroque 

with 19th and 20th century repertoire on this theme, in a blended, 

fully staged program of magnificent singing, ballet and orchestral 

music. Conductor David Fallis leads a stellar cast including tenor 

Colin Ainsworth, soprano Measha Brueggergosman-Lee, tenor Jesse 

Blumberg, and soprano Meghan Lindsay. (Koerner Hall) 

El huésped del sevillano (The Guest at the Inn) May 3-5 

A wealthy young man arrives in Seville seeking adventure, meets a 

group of gypsies including a beautiful singer and things, of course, get 

complicated. This 1926 zarzuela with music by Jacinto Guerrero, blends 

folk elements with the operatic; and spoken dialogue with some lively 

dancing. Toronto Operetta Theatre, founded by Guillermo Silva Marin, 

is Canada’s only professional operetta company. They have presented 

more than 58 operettas, some seldom seen, since their 1985 production 

of Lehar’s The Count of Luxembourg. (Jane Mallett Theatre) 

The Hobbit (May 31- June 2) 

Dean Burry’s critically acclaimed opera The Hobbit was commissioned 

for a 2004 premiere by The Canadian Children’s Opera 

Company, and remounted in 2016. With a cast of over 100 children 

and youth, and accompanied by a chamber orchestra, Bilbo, Gandalf 

and their companions embark on an adventure replete with goblins, 

wolves, spiders; a dethroned dwarf-king, a mysterious ring and a 

terrifying dragon. Suitable for all ages. (Harbourfront Centre Theatre.) 

Opera Masterpieces with Jonathan Kravtchenko (April 5) presented 

by Alliance Française features soprano Antonina Laskarzhevska and baritone 

Bohdan Kirieiev, with pianist Jonathan Kravtchenko and violinist 

Daniel Temnik, in a program of mainly Mozart and Rossini. Kravtchenko 

follows it with Tango for Two (May 5 and 17) about a sailor and his 

soulmate in a Nova Scotia coastal town, with music and libretto by 

Kravtchenko and the same soloists, in a new concert-opera, “where dance 

and opera unite in a revolutionary harmony.” (Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre) 

La battaglia di Legnano (April 7) wraps up VOICEBOX | Opera in 

Concert 50th anniversary season with a rarely seen Verdi opera set in 

1176 against the backdrop of the Lombard League’s triumph over Frederic 

Barbarossa at Legnano, and so welll-received at its Rome premiere in 1849 

that the audience demanded the fourth act be repeated. (Jane Mallett 

Theatre.) VOICEBOX | Opera in Concert’s own remarkable history – 

presenting more than 158 operas, 90 of which were Canadian premieres – 

will be likewise applauded at Opera in Concert’s 50th Birthday (May 11) 

– with a salon in the intimate Edward Jackman Centre. 

Iron Chef d’Orchestre (May 21), co-hosted by 15-year Tapestry 

Opera regular Jennifer Tung and Keith Klassen, is being pitched as a 

“delicious” mix of classical and opera, “with a little game show, some 

improv and maybe even some ventriloquism,” and with the audience 

invited to “participate in the creation process.” Special guests include 

Krisztina Szabó. (Theatre Passe Muraille). Le Kitchen Party (May 22), 

another culinary-themed Tapestry Opera affair, features Julianne 

Gallant who brings infectiously warm Acadian traditional and 

contemporary compositions to Toronto, with everyone encouraged 

to join in singing and dancing that will transport you to small-town 

Maritime Canada: Jacques Arsenault, tenor; Marie Andrée Gaudet, 

violin; Pierre-André Doucet, piano (Theatre Passe Muraille) 


BEAT BY BEAT PART THREE: CHORAL ROUNDUP 

April and May in Ontario are a time of great choral 

activity. A whole season of singing together typically 

culminates in concerts that celebrate a collective love for 

the music shared and the love of sharing the music. 

Friends and family in the audiences rub elbows with people who just 

like the sound of many voices raised together in song, and also people 

who think that maybe…just maybe…they’d like to do some singing 

themselves. They “audition” choirs by going to concerts. 

The WholeNote’s “Canary Pages” is our annual choral directory. The 

online version includes profiles of many Ontario choirs, with more 

being added all the time. On page 55 of this print edition you’ll find an 

index that includes “teasers” for them. 

Our printed event listings include 75 choral performances, with 56 

different choirs named. Online, our online event listings are updated 

weekly and searchable for “choral.” 

You can find the online Canary Pages and the updated event listings 

by visiting thewholenote.com 

Here are a few samples of what all the singing’s about. Details are in 

the event listings, starting on page 36! 

ANNIVERSARIES 

The Upper Canada Choristers celebrate their 30th anniversary with 

their “New Beginnings” concert on May 10, conducted by Laurie Evan 

Fraser.The UCC’s accomplished Latin ensemble Cantemos, pianist Hye 

Won (Cecilia) Lee, and the Boys’ Choir of Maurice Cody Junior Public 

School directed by Carole Snow are also featured in the performance, 

which includes four premieres - one by a grade five student. 

The Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto, conducted by Kathleen 

Allan, celebrates their 50th anniversary season this year. “As we reflect 

on our five decades of artistic excellence, we recognize that it has only 

been made possible through the dedication of our community.” On 

May 15 they are presenting Haydn’s Creation, with soloists Midori 

Marsh, soprano; Andrew Haji, tenor; Tyler Duncan, baritone; and the 

Toronto Symphony Orchestra. 

Common Thread Community Chorus, conducted by Isabel Bernaus 

is an 80-voice SATB choir that promotes community and social 

justice through music. “Sing On!” is their 25th anniversary concert, 

on May 25, with guest artists Anne Lederman and Ian Bell. “With our 

diverse and meaningful repertoire, we aim to change the world one 

song at a time – and have fun doing it!” 

VOICEBOX | Opera In Concert is celebrating their 50th anniversary 

this year, and the OIC Chorus, currently directed by Robert Cooper, 

has sung in nearly every production since 1978. But the chorus itself 

has also had its own rich musical life, performing with orchestras, 

at festivals, and in shared concerts with other choirs. They sang the 

Toronto premiere of Paul Winter’s jazz mass Missa Gaia, and they 

sang in R. Murray Schafer’s Apocalypsis during the International 

Choral Festival. VOICEBOX | VOICEBOX | OIC has two performances 

upcoming, Verdi’s La battaglia di Legnano (April 7) and a salon, 

Opera in Concert’s 50th Birthday (May 11). 

The Upper Canada Choristers 

UPCOMING CHORAL CONCERTS 

(Greater Toronto Area unless otherwise noted) 

Apr 13 Healey Willan Singers. Spring Delights 

Apr 14 Toronto Classical Singers. Morning and Evening - In the 

Afternoon. 

Apr 20 Elmer Iseler Singers. Triple Choir Splendour: Sonic Light 

Apr 20 Toronto Beach Chorale. W. A. Mozart: Requiem 

Apr 20 Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Singsation: Harmonizing 

Resistance – The Power of Music in Social Change. 

Apr 27 Mississauga Chamber Singers. Fauré’s Requiem 

Apr 27 Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Verdi’s Requiem 

Apr 28 Achill Choral Society. Illuminare (Orangeville) 

Apr 28 Metropolitan United Church. Gala Hymn Festival 

Apr 28 The Edison Singers. Warm Breath of Spring: Folksongs & 

Spirituals (Niagara-on-the-Lake). Also May 4 (Toronto) & May 5 (Elora). 

Apr 30 Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Verdi’s Requiem 

May 02 Serenata Singers. Sing Me A Love Song. Also May 3. 

May 04 Karen Schuessler Singers. Secrets of Old South (London) 

May 04 North Halton Community Singers. Spring Concert: What a 

Wonderful World (Georgetown) 

May 04 Yorkminstrels Show Choir. Celebrating 50 Years of 

Song and Dance 

May 05 Toronto Chamber Choir. The Bard, Reimagined (Kaffeemusik) 

May 05 Toronto Children’s Chorus. True Colours: Let Your Light Shine! 

May10 Exultate Chamber Singers. Home in the 6ix–Part 2! 

May 11 Oriana Singers. A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot. (Port Hope) 

May 11 Orpheus Choir of Toronto. The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci 

May 11 Peterborough Singers. St Matthew’s Passion (Peterborough) 

May 11 Vesnivka Choir. Spring Concert 

May 11 VOCA Chorus of Toronto. Earth, Sea & Sky III 

May 13 West Toronto Community Choir. Singing Across the Generations 

May 25 St. Elizabeth Scola Cantorum. Vespers Spring Concert 

May 25 VIVA Singers Toronto. Poetry in Motion 

May 25 Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Take the Podium 

Conducting Symposium 

May 31 Tafelmusik. A Handel Celebration. Also June 1 & 2. 

Jun 01 Etobicoke Centennial Choir. Musica del sur 

Jun 01 Jubilate Singers. Requiems 

Jun 01 SoundCrowd. Back to Broadway Live 

Jun 01 Voices Chamber Choir. All-Night Vigil 

Jun 02 Jubilate Singers. Requiems. (Newmarket) 

Compiled and edited by WholeNote staff 

TORONTO CITY OPERA’S MACINA COMPETITION 

Saturday May 11, 2pm, Church of the Redeemer, Toronto 

Founded in 1946 by James Rosselino, and transformed by 

Giuseppe Macina into Toronto Opera Repertoire in 1971, 

Toronto City Opera was reborn again in 2017. 

The first annual Giuseppe Macina Operatic Voices Competition, 

made possible by a generous donation from Anthony Fusco Sr, 

honours Macina’s legacy of championing Canadian opera artists of 

tomorrow and culminates in a live public performance featuring 

eight young Canadian opera singers. Thanks to the generosity of the 

Azrieli Foundation, TCO will welcome these eight Emerging Opera 

Artists to their Opera Mentoring Program for each opera in their 

season. torontocityopera.com/macina-competition 


LIVE OR ONLINE | Apr 1 to Jun 7, 2024 

Monday April 1 

● 7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Western 

University Salsa Band. Paul Davenport 

Theatre, Talbot College, Western University, 

1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767 

or www.music.uwo.ca/events. Free. 

Tuesday April 2 

● 12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation. 

Lunchtime Chamber Music: Music for Clarinets. 

Clarinet chamber group; Peter Stoll, 

leader. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 

1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167 or www.yorkminsterpark.com. 

Free. Donations welcome. 

● 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday Organ 

Recital. Sarah Mole, voice; Nathan Jeffrey, 

organ. Cathedral Church of St. James, 

106 King St. E. 416-364-7865 or www. 

stjamescathedral.ca/recitals. Free. Donations 

encouraged. 

● 6:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Electroacoustic 

Composers Concert. Von Kuster 

Hall, Music Building, Western University, 



● 7:30: Brantford Music Club. The Campbell 

Trio. Artsong, chamber, and opera. James 

Campbell, clarinet; Leslie Fagan, soprano; 

Angela Park, piano. Sanderson Centre for the 

Performing Arts, 88 Dalhousie St., Brantford. 

1-800-265-0710 or www.brantfordmusicclub. 

com. $30; $10(st); Free(elementary st). 


University Pop Band. Paul Davenport 




● 7:30: Shen Yun Performing Arts. Shen Yun. 

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 

145 Queen St. W. 1-877-663-7469 or tickets@ 

fldfca.org. From $100. Also Mar 30(2:00 & 

7:30), Apr 3(2:00), 4(7:30), 5(7:30), 6(2:00 & 

7:30), 7(2:00). 

● 8:00: Hugh’s Room Live. A’Court, Spiegel & 

Vinnick. Charlie A’Court, guitar; Lloyd Spiegel, 

guitar, Suzie Vinnick, vocals. 296 Broadview 

Ave. www.showpass.com/acourt-spiegel-vinnick. 

$35. 

Wednesday April 3 

● 2:00: Shen Yun Performing Arts. Shen 

Yun. See Apr 2. Also Apr 4(7:30), 5(7:30), 

6(2:00 & 7:30), 7(2:00). 

● 3:00: Fallsview Casino Resort. World Rock 

Symphony Orchestra. OLG Stage at Fallsview 

Casino, 6366 Stanley Ave., Niagara Falls. 

ticketmaster.ca. From $59. Also 8:30pm, 

Apr 4(3pm, 8:30pm), 5(9pm). 

● 7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Student 

Composers Chamber Music Concert. Von 

Kuster Hall, Music Building, Western University, 

1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661- 

3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/events. Free. 

● 7:30: Soundstreams. TD Encounters: 

Recovered Voices - Piano Works of Unsung 

Masters. Includes a discussion surrounding 

the relationship of featured composers in 

their historical and musical eras, culminating 

with an audience Q&A. Works by Margaret 

Bonds, Ian Cusson, Robert Nathaniel Dett, 

and Florence Price. Elijah Stevens, piano; 

Irene Huang, piano; Jesse Plessis, piano. 

Temerty Theatre, Telus Centre, 273 Bloor St. 

W. www.Soundstreams.ca. Free. 

● 8:00: Show One Productions. The Tragedy 

of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark. Created 

by Robert Lepage & Guillaume Côté. Elgin and 

Wingtergarden Theatre Centre, 189 Yonge 

St. www.ticketmaster.ca. From $57. Also 

Apr 4(8pm), 5(8pm), 6(2pm & 8pm), 7(2pm). 

● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. 

R. Strauss’s Don Quixote. Ligeti: Lontano; 

Wagner: Prelude to Act I of Parsifal; Samy 

Moussa: Trombone Concerto (North American 

première/TSO Co-commission); R. 

Strauss: Don Quixote. Jörgen van Rijen, trombone; 

Michael Casimir, viola; Joseph Johnson, 

cello; Gustavo Gimeno, conductor. Roy Thomson 

Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. From 

$35. Also Apr 6. 


Symphony Orchestra. OLG Stage at Fallsview 


ticketmaster.ca. From $59. See Apr 3(3pm). 

Also Apr 4(3pm, 8:30pm), 5(9pm). 

Thursday April 4 

● 12:00 noon: Metropolitan United Church. 

Noon at Met: Glenn Gould School Chamber 

Music Showcase. Metropolitan United 

Church, 56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 x226. 

Freewill donation. 

WOMEN’S MUSICAL CLUB OF TORONTO 

APRIL 4, 2024 | 1.30 PM 

JANE COOP 

piano 

416-923-7052 | wmct.on.ca 

● 1:30: Music in the Afternoon. Jane Coop. 

Works by Haydn, Beethoven, Ravel, Debussy, 

and Chopin. Jane Koop, piano. Walter Hall, 

Edward Johnson Building, University of 

Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-923-7052 X1. 

$50; free(st with ID at door). NOTE: Artist and 

repertoire have changed. 

● 3:00: Fallsview Casino Resort. World 

Rock Symphony Orchestra. See Apr 3. Also 

Apr 4(8:30pm), 5(9pm). 

● 5:30: Environmental Defence Canada. 

2024 Environmental Defence Gala. Elin Kesley, 

speaker. Musical guests: Chris McKhool from 

Sultans of String; Dr. Duke Redbird, Elder, 

poet, broadcaster and filmmaker; Alyssa Delbaere-Sawchuk 

of the Metis Fiddler Quartet; 

Marc Merilainen, singer & songwriter; 

and Shannon Thunderbird, singer & songwriter. 

Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge 

St. www.act.environmentaldefence.ca/ 

page/142631/event/1. $500(Gala ticket); 

$5000(Table). 

● 6:00: Arraymusic. Prepared Guitar 

Workshop with Nilan Perera. Array Space, 

155 Walnut Ave. 416-532-3019. PWYC. Four 

week course to April 11; Bring an electric guitar 

and amplifier. Also Mar 21, 28, Apr 11. 

● 7:00: Art Gallery of Ontario. Tafelmusik: 

Making Herself Heard. Works of Élisabeth 

Jacquet de la Guerre, Isabella Leonarda, 

Marianne Martinez, and the enigmatic Mrs. 

Philarmonica. Geneviève Gilardeau, violin; 

Cristina Zacharias, violin; Michael Unterman, 

cello; Charlotte Nediger, harpsichord. Art Gallery 

of Ontario, Walker Court, 317 Dundas St. 

W. www.ago.ca/events/tafelmusik-makingherself-heard. 

A seated performance free 

with general admission. Also May 5. 

● 7:30: Brampton On Stage. RENT Presented 

by Brampton Music Theatre. The Rose 

Brampton, 1 Theatre Lane, Brampton. 905- 

874-2800. From $20. Also Apr 5(7:30pm), 

6(1pm & 7:30pm), 7(1pm). 

● 7:30: Burlington Performing Arts Centre. 

Amanda Martinez. Burlington Performing 

Arts Centre - Community Studio Theatre, 

440 Locust St., Burlington. www.burlingtonpac.ca 

or 905-681-6000. From $49.50. 


See Apr 2. Also Apr 5(7:30), 6(2:00 & 7:30), 

7(2:00). 

● 8:00: FabCollab. F for Feria. Flamenco 

dance and music. Isaac Tovar, dancer; Laura 

Peralta, dancer; Bárbara Martínez, singer; 

Alison MacDonald, dancer; Shirlita “La Pili”, 

singer; Nicolas Hernandez, guitar; Benjamin 

Barille, guitar; Nasrine Rahmani, percussion. 

918 Bathurst Centre for Culture, Arts, Media 

and Education, 918 Bathurst St. 647-768-5288 

or www.fabcollab.ca/fforfamilia. $53.32(Premium), 

$39(regular admission). 


of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark. See Apr 3. Also 

Apr 5(8pm), 6(2pm & 8pm), 7(2pm). 

● 8:30: Fallsview Casino Resort. World 

Rock Symphony Orchestra. See Apr 3. Also 

Apr 5(9pm). 

WHOLENOTE Event Listings are free of charge 

and can be submitted by artists, venues or presenters at any time. 

WE INCLUDE 

Daily listings for date-specific events such as live and/or livestream 

performances, workshops, etc. 

A directory of alternative venues - mainly clubs mostly jazz. 

Listings for ongoing, on-demand and other music-related activities not 

tied to a specific date. 

HOW TO LIST 

Use the convenient online form at thewholenote.com/applylistings 

or email listings to listings@thewholenote.com. 

Changes to listings already submitted can usually be accommodated. 

Please note, we do not take listings over the phone. 

Inquiries about WholeNote listings should be addressed to 


DEADLINES 

Weekly Listings Update (our e-letter) 

& JUST ASK (our searchable online listings) 

Eligible listings received by 6pm Tuesday, each week, will be included 

in the following Sunday’s e-letter, and simultaneously posted to our 

searchable online listings database. 

Please note: the weekly listing e-letter typically looks one week ahead. The 

Just Ask database is searchable as far into the future as we have listings. 

The WholeNote, print magazine 

Our next print issue, Volume 29 no.6 covers June to August 2024. 

The print listings submission deadline is Tuesday May 7. 

See page 8 for a list of 2023/24 publication dates. 

Advertising inquiries should be addressed to 

Karen Ages at advertising@thewholenote.com 

REGISTER TO RECEIVE THE WEEKLY LISTINGS UPDATE at thewholenote.com/newsletter 


Friday April 5 

● 12:00 noon: TYT Theatre. The Hunting 

of the Snark. Recommended for ages 

6-12. Wychwood Theatre, 601 Christie St. 

boxoffice@tyttheatre.com. From $31. Also 

Apr 6(12pm & 3pm), 7(12pm & 3pm), 13(12pm 

& 3pm), 14(12pm & 3pm). 

● 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Noon Time 

Recital. Kapustin: Etude No.1; Ravel: Le 

Tombeau de Couperin (selections); Clara 

Schumann: Nocturne Op.6 No.2; and other 

four-hand music for piano. Lisa Tahara, piano; 

Jayne Sakurako Abe, piano. St. Andrew’s 

Presbyterian Church, 73 Simcoe St. 416-593- 

5600 x220. Free. Donations welcome. 

● 5:15: Kingston Baroque Consort. Celebration!: 

Dazzling Baroque Showpieces. 

Bach: Orchestral Suite No.1 in C BWV 1066; 

Mouret: Suite of Symphonies for Brass, 

Strings & Timpani No.1. St. James Anglican 

Church, 10 Union St, Kingston. legerek@ 

queensu.ca or 613-217-5099 or at Novel Idea, 

156 Princess St or www.livemusickingston. 

ca/kingston-baroque-consort-2023/. $25; 

$10(st); Free(under 17). 


by Brampton Music Theatre. See Apr 4. Also 

Apr 6(1pm & 7:30pm), 7(1pm). 


University Wind Ensemble Concert: To 

Amuse and Beguile. Paul Davenport Theatre, 

Talbot College, Western University, 




See Apr 2. Also Apr 6(2:00 & 7:30), 7(2:00). 

● 8:00: Alliance Française de Toronto. Opera 

Masterpieces with Jonathan Kravtchenko. 

Mozart: Don Giovanni’s Aria from Don Giovanni; 

Rossini: “Largo al factotum” from The 

Barber of Seville: Mozart: Papageno Scene 

from The Magic Flute: and other works. 

Antonina Laskarzhevska, soprano; Bohdan 

Kirieiev: baritone; Jonathan Kravtchenko, 

piano; Daniel Temnik, violin. Spadina Theatre, 

Alliance Française de Toronto, 24 Spadina Rd. 

www.alliance-francaise.ca. $20; $15(sr/st). 

● 8:00: Hugh’s Room Live. Jack de Keyzer. 

296 Broadview Ave. www.showpass.com/ 

jack-de-keyzer-2. $40. 

● 8:00: Link Music Lab. Experimental Link 

Series: Pouya Ehsaei Trio with Sadio Sissokho 

and Peter Lutek. Pouya Ehsaei, electronics; 

Sadio Sissokho, kora/percussion/vocals; 

Peter Lutek, reeds. Small World Music Centre, 

Studio 101, 180 Shaw St. 416-536-5439. 

$30; $20(Early Bird). 

● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Fever: A Peggy Lee 

Celebration with Alisha Oliver. Jazz, pop, big 

band, swing, blues, Latin jazz. 21 Old Mill Rd. 

www.oldmilltoronto.com/event/alisha-oliver. 

$20. Minimum $30 food & beverage spend. 

Restricted to ages 19+. Dinner at 6pm. Show 

at 8pm. 

● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. 21C 

Music Festival Series: Laurie Anderson. 

Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 

416-408-0208; of www.rcmusic.com/performance. 

SOLD OUT. 



Apr 6(2pm & 8pm), 7(2pm). 

● 8:00: Toronto Consort. Madrigal Mania. 

Artistic Direction by Paul Jenkins. Trinity-St. 

Paul’s Centre, Jeanne Lamon Hall, 

427 Bloor St. W. www.torontoconsort.org 

or 416-964-6337. From $20. Also Apr 6. 

POSTPONED. 

● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Symphony 

Exploder. A live listening party to 

explore Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, presented 

by Gustavo Gimeno and Hrishikesh 

Hirway in a stageside conversation with the 

full orchestra as they dissect the mesmerizing 

layers of Stravinsky’s work accompanied 

by live replays of musical sections and microscopic 

insight into the orchestra in action 

culminating in a complete performance of 

the work. Gustavo Gimeno, conductor. Roy 

Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or 

www.tso.ca. From $35. 


Symphony Orchestra. See Apr 3. 

Saturday April 6 


of the Snark. See Apr 5. Also Apr 6(3pm), 

7(12pm & 3pm), 13(12pm & 3pm), 14(12pm 

& 3pm). 



Apr 6(7:30pm), 7(1pm). 

● 2:00: Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine 

and Performing Arts. Student Solo Recitals, 

Spring 2024. Andrew Hayes, organ. St. Thomas’s 

Anglican Church, 99 Ontario St., St. 

Catharines. 905-688-0722 or boxoffice@ 

firstontariopac.ca. Free. 


Yun. See Apr 2. Also Apr 6(7:30), 7(2:00). 



Apr 6(8pm), 7(2pm). 

● 3:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Symphonic 

Band Concert: Emblems of Spring. 

Katahj Copley: Riptides; Alfred Reed: The 

Hounds of Spring; Percy Grainger: Ye Banks 

and Braes O’ Bonnie Doon; Roger Cichy: 

Divertimento; E. E. Begley: National Emblem. 

Shawn Cabot, music director. Paul Davenport 




● 3:00: TYT Theatre. The Hunting of the 

Snark. See Apr 5. Also Apr 7(12pm & 3pm), 

13(12pm & 3pm), 14(12pm & 3pm). 

● 4:00: Music Toronto. Celebration of Small 

Ensembles. Includes a short stretch and chat 

between sets. Refreshments will be available 


Small Ensembles 

April 6, 4pm 

Shhh! Ensemble 

Obsidiana Duo 

APERTURE ROOM 

340 Yonge Street 

music-toronto.com 

for purchase. Shhh! Ensemble & Obsidiana 

Duo. Aperture Room, Thornton-Smith Building, 

340 Yonge St. www.musictoronto.com. 

$40(single); $20(st/arts). 

● 4:00: Friends of Music at St. Thomas’s. 

Elinor Frey: Cello Suites of Bach. Bach: Cello 

Suites Nos. 1, 4 & 5. St. Thomas’s Anglican 

Church, 383 Huron St. www.stthomas.on.ca 

or 416-483-5488. Pay What You Wish ($40 

suggested). 3:15pm: Pre-recital talk. See 

also Apr 7. 

● 4:30: Beach United Church. Jazz & Reflection 

with The Octokats. Works by Henry Mancini. 

140 Wineva Ave. 416-691-8082 or www. 

beachunitedchurch.com. Pay what you can. 

● 6:00: St. Paul’s United Church (Dundas). 

Piano Concert. Works by Bach, Mozart, Prokofiev, 

Scott Joplin, Herbie Hancock, and 

others. Benjamin Schmaltz, piano. 29 Park St. 

W., Dundas. 403-437-8267. $25; $20(sr/st); 

$10(12 & under). 



Apr 7(1pm). 

● 7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club. Teilhard 

Frost. Chaucer’s Pub, 122 Carling St., London. 

519-319-5847 or folk@iandavies.com or www. 

ticketscene.ca. $25. 

● 7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Choral 

Concert: Western University Singers - 

Part(ing) Songs. Von Kuster Hall, Music Building, 

Western University, 1151 Richmond St. N., 

London. 519-661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/ 

events. Free. 

● 7:30: London Symphonia. A Bohemian Life. 

Debussy: Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune; 

Scott Good: Lasker-Schüler Songs (first performance); 

Dvořák: Symphony No.8 in G. 

Midori Marsh, soprano; London Symphonia; 

Tania Miller, conductor. Metropolitan United 

Church, 468 Wellington St., London. 226-270- 

0910 or www.londonsymphonia.ca. $70(premium); 

$52(adult); $22(st). 

● 7:30: Oakville Symphony Orchestra. 

Heaven. Verdi: Overture to La forza del destino; 

Verdi: “O don fatale” from Don Carlo; 

Berlioz: La Mort de Cléopâtre; Leokadiya 

Kashperova: Symphony in b (Canadian premiere). 

Guest: Stephanie Yelovich, mezzo. 

Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts, 

130 Navy St., Oakville. www.oakvillecentre. 

ca/whats-on/upcoming-events/heaven or 

905-338-4161. From $35. Also Apr 7. 

● 7:30: Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Beethoven and Brahms. Brahms: Violin 

Concerto in D Op.77; Beethoven: Symphony 

No.4 in B-flat Op. 60. Tiffany Yeung, violin; 

Ronald Royer, conductor. Salvation Army 

Scarborough Citadel, 2021 Lawrence Ave. E., 

Scarborough. 647-482-7761 or www.spo.ca/ 

event/beethoven-and-brahms. $35; $30(sr); 

$15(st). 


See Apr 2. Also Apr 7(2:00). 

● 7:30: Upper Canada Brass. Tenor Horn 

Sheona White in Voice of the Horn. Hermann 

Bellstedt: Capriccio Brilliante; Erik 

Leidzen: The Old Rustic Bridge; Philip Harper: 

Beauty Within; Kevin Lau: Impressions; and 

other works. Upper Canada Brass. Guest: 

Sheona White, tenor horn. St. Mary’s Anglican 

Church, 10030 Yonge St., Richmond Hill. 

www.uppercanadabrass.ca or 705-792-5766 

or www.eventbrite.ca/e/850912952547. $25; 

$20(sr/st); Free(ages 12 and under). 

● 8:00: FabCollab. F for Flamenca. Flamenco 

dance and music. Irene La Sentío, dancer; 

Antonia Jiménez, guitar; Laura Marchal, 

singer; Nasrine Rahmani, percusion; Tamar 

Ilana, singer; Lia Grainger, dancer; Virgina 

Castro, dancer. Paradise Theatre, 1006 Bloor 

St. W. 647-768-5288 or www.fabcollab.ca/ 

fforfamilia. $44.50. 

● 8:00: Kindred Spirits Orchestra. Wind 

Symphonies. Stravinsky, Symphonies of Wind 

Instruments; Stravinsky: Concerto for Piano 

and Wind Instruments; Hindemith: Konzertmusik 

for Piano, Brass and Harps Op.49. 

Henry From, piano; Kristian Alexander, conductor. 

Cornell Recital Hall, 3201 Bur Oak 

Ave., Markham. 905-787-8811. $30-$40; 

$22.50-$30(sr); $15-$20(full time student or 

18 and under). 

● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Global 

Music Series: Ladysmith Black Mambazo. 

Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 

416-408-0208; rcmusic.com/performance. 

From $65. 



Apr 7(2pm). 



● 8:00: Toronto Consort. Madrigal Mania. 

See Apr 5. POSTPONED. 

● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. R. 

Strauss’s Don Quixote. See Apr 3. 

Sunday April 7 


of the Snark. See Apr 5. Also Apr 7(3pm), 

13(12pm & 3pm), 14(12pm & 3pm). 


by Brampton Music Theatre. See Apr 4. 


Elinor Frey: Cello Suites of Bach. Bach: Cello 

Suites Nos. 2, 3 & 6. St. Thomas’s Anglican 

Church, 383 Huron St. www.stthomas.on.ca 

or 416-483-5488. Pay What You Wish ($40 

suggested). See also Apr 6. 

● 2:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Mazzoleni 

Masters Series: ARC Ensemble: The 

Viennese in Los Angeles. Korngold: Piano 

Quintet in E Op.15; Kanitz: Works. Mazzoleni 

Concert Hall, TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 

416-408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance. 

$25. 


Yun. See Apr 2. 


of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark. See Apr 3. 

● 2:30: VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert. La battaglia 

di Legnano. Music by Giuseppe Verdi. 

With English Surtitles. Julia McVicar, Scott 

Rumble, Sebastian Belcourt; Opera in Concert 

Chorus; Robert Cooper, chorus director; 

Helen Becqué. music director & piano. 

Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre 

for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. www.operainconcert.com 

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

From $45. 

● 3:00: Dundas Concert Band. 2024: A Music 

Odyssey. Concert Band Instruments including 

the English Horn. This concert recognizes 

the Eclipse, happening the following day. It 

also celebrates the 150th anniversary of Gustav 

Holst. Holst: First Suite in E-flat for Military 

Band; Jacob de Haan: Ross Roy; Space 

and Beyond - recognizing the Eclipse Apr.8; 

Highlights from Chess; Star Trek: Into Darkness. 

St. Paul’s United Church, 29 Park St. 

W., Dundas. 905 523-9500. Free. Donations 

gratefully accepted. Receipts will be given for 

$10 or more. 

● 3:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music 

Society. Special 4-hands Team from WLU. 

Scriabin: 24 Preludes; Schumann: Allegro 

in b Op.8; Karol Rathaus: Zwei Stücke aus 

dem Ballett “Der letzte Pierrot”; Ming Hsiu 

Yen: Two Old Postcards from Formosa. 

Joseph Ferreti & Elaine Lau, piano. Keffer 

Memorial Chapel, Wilfrid Laurier University, 

75 University Ave. W., Waterloo. 519-569- 

1809 or www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms. $30; 

$20(st). 


Snark. See Apr 5. Also Apr 13(12pm & 3pm), 

14(12pm & 3pm). 

● 3:00: Uxbridge Chamber Choir. The 

Grand Finale. Past and present choir members 

reassembled to present “Greatest Hits”. 

Works by Mozart, Vivaldi, Willan, Fauré, Barber, 

and others. SATB choir; Tom Baker, director; 

Ian Sadler, organ. St. Paul’s Anglican 

Church, 59 Toronto St. S., Uxbridge. 416-931- 

0640. $25. 

● 4:00: FabCollab. F for Familia. Flamenco 

dance and music. Kiyo Asaoka, dancer; Rocío 

Conde, singer; Ana Lía, singer; Matt Sellick, 

guitar; Ten Ten Music Collective. BSMT 254, 

254 Lansdowne Ave. 647-768-5288 or www. 

fabcollab.ca/fforfamilia. $25(standing room), 

$35(middle seats). 

● 4:00: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. 

Hear! Here! with Mark Lalama Trio. 

FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Robertson 

Theatre, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 

905-688-0722; boxoffice@firstontariopac.ca. 

$35; $186(table of 6). 

● 4:30: The Emmet Ray. Alex Lakusta Quintet. 

Works by Mingus, Hubbard, Silver, and 

others. 924 College St. reso@erbar.ca. 

$10(with advance reservations); $15(at door). 

● 7:00: Fallsview Casino Resort. Blue Suede 

Tunes - Frankie Moreno. Avalon Theatre 

(Fallsview Casino), 6380 Fallsview Blvd., Niagara 

Falls. ticketmaster.ca. From $51. Also 

Apr 8(3pm), 9(3pm), 10(3pm & 8:30pm). 

● 7:30: Oakville Symphony Orchestra. 

Heaven. Verdi: Overture to La forza del destino; 

Verdi: “O don fatale” from Don Carlo; 

Berlioz: La Mort de Cléopâtre; Leokadiya 

Kashperova: Symphony in b (Canadian premiere). 

Guest: Stephanie Yelovich, mezzo. 

Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts, 

130 Navy St., Oakville. www.oakvillecentre. 

ca/whats-on/upcoming-events/heaven or 

905-338-4161. From $35. Also Apr 6. 

● 7:30: The Jeffery Concerts. Calidore 

String Quartet. St. John the Evangelist Anglican 

Church, 280 St. James St., London. 

jefferyconcerts@gmail.com or www.jefferyconcerts.com 

or www.Grandtheatre.com 

or 519-672-8800 or in person at the Grand 

Theatre Box Office, 471 Richmond St. $40; 

Free(st). 



Tunes - Frankie Moreno. See Apr 7. Also 

Apr 9(3pm), 10(3pm & 8:30pm). 

● 7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Contemporary 

Music Studio: Con Certo. Von 

Kuster Hall, Music Building, Western University, 

1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661- 

3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/events. Free. 


● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company. 

Instrumental/Vocal Series: Stories from the 

Front Lines of Music & Medicine. Combining 

storytelling, chamber music alongside vocal 

repertoire, invitingaudiences into a music 

therapist’s experience of working withindividuals 

with life-limiting illnesses. Pulse 

members: Dr. Andrew Ascenzo, cello & Dr. 

SarahRose Black, music therapist. With narration 

by an oncology/palliative care music 

therapist. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, 


145 Queen St. W. www.coc.ca/free-concertseries. 

Free. Tickets required. 


Lunchtime Chamber Music: Violin Recital. 

Satchi Kanashiro, violin. Yorkminster Park 

Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167 

or www.yorkminsterpark.com. Free. Donations 

welcome. 


Recital. Peter Merrick, organ. Cathedral 

Church of St. James, 106 King St. E. 416-364- 

7865 or www.stjamescathedral.ca/recitals. 

Free. Donations encouraged. 



Apr 10(3pm & 8:30pm). 


Classic Albums Live: The Police - Synchronicity. 

FirstOntario Performing Arts 

Centre, Partridge Hall, 250 St. Paul St., St. 

Catharines. 905-688-0722; boxoffice@ 

firstontariopac.ca. $59; $49(members). 

● 7:30: Smoke Show BBQ & Brew. Tuesday 

Horns: Live and in Person! Music by Blood, 

Sweat & Tears, Lighthouse, Stevie Wonder, 

and others. Smoke Show BBQ and Brew, 

744 Mount Pleasant Rd. 416-901-7469. Performing 

every second Tuesday. 



Instrumental Series: Chamber Connections. 

Winners of The Glenn Gould Chamber Music 

Competition. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, 

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing 

Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.coc.ca/free-concert-series. 


● 12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. 

Noonday Organ Recital. Michelle M. Chung, 

organ. 1585 Yonge St. www.yorkminsterpark. 

com. Free. Donations welcome. 



Apr 10(8:30pm). 


Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn. FirstOntario 

Performing Arts Centre, Partridge Hall, 

250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-688- 

0722; boxoffice@firstontariopac.ca. $69; 

$59(members). 


Tunes - Frankie Moreno. See Apr 7. 



Dance Series: Highlights from Anne of Green 

Gables – The Ballet®. Ballet Jörgen presents 

highlights from its newest full-length ballet. 

Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four 

Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 




Noon at Met. Joshua Duncan Lee, organ. 

Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. E. 

416-363-0331 x226. Freewill donation. 

● 6:00: Arraymusic. Prepared Guitar 

Workshop with Nilan Perera. Array Space, 

155 Walnut Ave. 416-532-3019. PWYC. Four 

week course to April 11; Bring an electric guitar 

and amplifier. Also Mar 21, 28, Apr 4. 

● 7:30: Opera Atelier. All Is Love. Works by 

Handel, Lully, Purcell, Rameau, Hahn and 

others. Measha Brueggergosman-Lee, soprano; 

Eric da Silva, Artist of Atelier Ballet; 

Colin Ainsworth, tenor; Jesse Blumberg, 

baritone; Douglas Williams, bass-baritone; 

Karen White, soprano and others. Tafelmusik; 

David Fallis, music director. Koerner 

Hall, TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-703- 

3767 x700; Opera Atelier.com. From $55. Also 

Apr 12(2:30pm), 13(7:30pm), 14(2:30pm). 


Yun. FirstOntario Concert Hall, 1 Summers 

Ln., Hamilton. 1-877-663-7469 or tickets@fldfca.org 

or 1-855-416-1800. From $100. Also 

Apr 12(7:30). 

● 8:00: Brampton On Stage. Hype. Performers: 

J. O. Mairs, Ghostboyrj, Crooks. The Rose 


874-2800. $10. 

● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Jaymz Bee’s 

Caravan of Music. A fundraiser curated by 

Jaymz Bee. 24 bands performing across 

12 rooms, with over 100 talented musicians, 

attendees will enjoy a diverse range of 

musical styles, including jazz, soul, blues, pop, 

and more. 21 Old Mill Rd. www.unisonfund.ca/ 

events. $40. Supporting The Unison Fund. 



Recital. Brahms: Fantasie Op.116; Schubert: 

Sonata in a; and works by Scriabin, Kuzmenko, 

and Debussy. Adrian Tsui, piano. St. 

Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 73 Simcoe 

St. 416-593-5600 x220. Free. Donations 

welcome. 

● 2:30: Opera Atelier. All Is Love. See Apr 11. 

Also Apr 13(7:30pm), 14(2:30pm). 

● 6:00: North York Central Library. Open 

Mic at the Library: North York Edition. Music, 

poetry & storytelling. Are you a musician, 

poet, or storyteller? If so, then you are invited 

to share your talents at the North York Central 

Library Open Mic. Guitar, piano & djembe 

provided. 7 minutes for each performance. 

For adults, teens, and seniors. North York 

Central Library Auditorium, 5120 Yonge St. 

Sign-up is at 5:30pm. For more information, 

contact the Language, Literature & Fine Arts 

Department at 416-395-5639. Free. 

● 7:00: Jazz at Durbar. Rebecca Enkin Trio. 

Rebecca Enkin, vocals; Mike Allen, guitar; 

Bassam Bishara, vocals & oud. Durbar Indian 

Restaurant, 2469 Bloor St. W. 416-762-4441. 

Free. Reservations strongly recommended. 


See Apr 11. 

● 8:00: Massey Hall. Choir! Choir! Choir!: 

Epic 80s Sing-Along! 178 Victoria St. www. 

mhrth.com/tickets. $51. 

● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. The Ken Peplowski 

Quartet – An Evening of Songs and Stories. 

Swing, Dixieland, Traditional Pop, Guitar Jazz, 

Jazz Instrument, Mainstream Jazz. 21 Old 

Mill Rd. www.oldmilltoronto.com/event/kenpeplowski. 

$25. Minimum $30 food & beverage 

spend. Restricted to ages 19+. Dinner at 

6pm. Show at 8pm. 

● 8:00: Sinfonia Toronto. Mozart’s Spring. 

Marjan Mozetich: Concerto for Viola with 

Strings and Vibraphone; Nina Grigoryan: 

Prayer (first performance); Saverio Mercadante: 

Flute Concerto in e; Mozart: String 

Quartet No.14 in G “Spring” (string orchestra 

version). Sharon Wei, viola; Mario Carbotta, 

flute; Sinfonia Toronto; Nurhan Arman, conductor. 

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

W. 416-499-0403 or www.sinfoniatoronto. 

com. $52; $40(sr); $20(st). 


● 12:00 noon: TYT Theatre. The Hunting of 

the Snark. See Apr 5. Also Apr 14(12pm & 

3pm). 

● 2:00: Living Arts Centre. An Afternoon of 

Benny Goodman Music with Toronto All-Star 

Band. Featuring Ken Peplowski, clarinet. Living 

Arts Centre, RBC Theatre, 4141 Living 

Arts Dr., Mississauga. www.livingartscentre. 

evenue.net or 905-306-6000. $59. 


Snark. See Apr 5. Also Apr 14(3pm). 

● 7:30: Barrie Concerts Association. Sinfonia 

Toronto. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto 

No.1 in b-flat Op. 23; and works by Dvořák and 

Rachmaninoff. Dmitri Levkovich, piano; Mario 

Carbotta, flute; Nurham Arman, conductor. 


Hiway Pentecostal Church, 50 Anne St. N., 

Barrie. www.barrieconcerts.org or 705-436- 

1232. Up to $55. Livestream: $20; $10(st). 

Available for up to 30 days after the concert. 

● 7:30: Kingston Symphony. Sax Attack with 

Leo P. Kingston Symphony; Leo P (Leo Pellegrino), 

baritone saxophone. Grand Theatre, 

218 Princess St., Kingston. 613-530-2050 or 

www.kingstonsymphony.ca. From $20. 

● 7:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra. NSO 

NOW! 4: Classic Rock Radio. FirstOntario Performing 

Arts Centre, Partridge Hall, 250 St. 

Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-688-0722 or 

boxoffice@firstontariopac.ca. $75(regular); 

$100(diamond); $52(arts worker with valid 

id); $46(35 under 35); $29(student-university/college 

with valid id); $24(youth 18 and 

under with valid id). 


Also Apr 14(2:30pm). 

● 7:30: Stratford Symphony Orchestra. 

Brahms Violin Concerto with Sarah Pratt. 

Beethoven: Egmont Overture Op.84; Brahms: 

Violin Concerto in D Op.77; Beethoven: Symphony 

No.1 in C Op.21. Guest: Sarah Pratt, violins; 

William Rowson, conductor. Avondale United 

Church, 194 Avondale Ave., Stratford. 519-271- 

0990; info@stratfordsymphonyorchestra.ca. 

$45; $15(st); Free(under 12). 

● 7:30: Trinity Bach Project. Bach and Tallis. 

Tallis: Lamentations of Jeremiah I and 

selected motets; Bach: Cantata BWV 131 “Aus 

der Tiefen” and Motet BWV 228 “Fürchte 

dich nicht”; Arvo Pärt: The Deer’s Cry. Ten 

voices with Nicholas Nicolaidis, conductor; 

Aaron James, organ; Daniel Brielmaier, oboe; 

Felix Deák, cello; Matt Antal, viola. Little Trinity 

Anglican Church, 425 King St. E. 306-250- 

4256. Pay what you can. Suggested: $30; 

$20(st); Free(child). One-hour concert with 

no intermission. 

● 8:00: Healey Willan Singers. Spring 

Delights. Fauré/Messager: Messe des 

pêcheurs de Villerville; and works by Brahms, 

Mendelssohn, Mozart, and others. Ellen 

Meyer, piano; Conrad Gold, organ; Ron Cheung, 

conductor. St. Martin-in-the-Fields 

Anglican Church, 151 Glenlake Ave. 416-519- 

0528. $20; $15(sr/st). Cash only. 

● 9:00: Fallsview Casino Resort. Lonestar. 

OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino, 6366 Stanley 

Ave., Niagara Falls. www.ticketmaster.ca. 

$70.20-$81.50. 

● 9:30: MRG Live. An Evening with Mars Hotel 

- Canada’s Premier Grateful Dead Tribute. 

Annabel’s, 200 Princes Blvd. www.admitone. 

com/events/mars-hotel-toronto-9330264. 

$27.50. Early bird price: $20 until Jan 15. 

Ages 19+. 


● 11:00am: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. 

Relaxed Concert: Bhangra & Beyond. 

Designed to be more welcoming to the neurodiverse 

community, including those on the 

autism spectrum, those with sensory and 

communications disorders, ADHD, learning 

disabilities, or dementia, or those who simply 

prefer a more relaxed concert experience. 

Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, conductor. 

Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598- 

3375. From $23. Regular concerts at 1:30pm 

& 4pm. 

● 12:00 noon: TYT Theatre. The Hunting of 

the Snark. See Apr 5. Also Apr 14(3pm). 

● 1:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Bhangra 

& Beyond. Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, 

conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 

416-598-3375. From $30. Also 4pm. Relaxed 

Concert at 11am. 


● 3:00: Magisterra Soloists. Magisterra at 

the Museum: The Glorious Voice of Russell 

Braun. Songs for baritone and piano with violin 

or cello by Beethoven, Spohr, Brahms, and 

John Estacio. Guests: Russell Braun, baritone; 

Carolyn Maule, piano. Museum London, 

421 Ridout St. N., London. www.magisterra. 

com. $35; $30(sr); $15(st); $10(under 10). 

● 3:00: Orchestra Toronto. A Brave New 

World. Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis 

on themes by Carl Maria von Weber; 

Dvořák: Cello Concerto in b Op.104. Winona 

Zelenka, cello; Michael Newnham, conductor. 

George Weston Recital Hall, Meridian Arts 

Centre, 5040 Yonge St. 416-467-7142 or www. 

ticketmaster.ca. From $14. Pre-concert chat 

at 2:15pm. 


Snark. See Apr 5. 

10TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON! 

The 

Flute Street 

Concerto 

and 

the 

Folk 

Song 

PRESENTS 


www.flutestreet.ca 

● 4:00: Flute Street. Tenth Anniversary Season: 

The Concerto and the Folk Song. Works 

by Handel, Vivaldi, Vaclav Nelhybel (Canadian 

premiere), John Rutter, and Kelly Via. Joshua 

McFaul, bass-baritone; Robin Davis, organ; 

Nancy Nourse, artistic director; Isaac Page, 

conductor. Church of St. Peter and St. Simonthe-Apostle, 

525 Bloor St. E. 416-462-9498 or 

www.flutestreet.ca. Pay what you can (cash 

only) - $20-$30 suggested. 

● 4:00: Toronto Classical Singers. Morning 

and Evening - In the Afternoon. Schubert: 

Mass in C D.452; Mozart: Vesperae solennes 

de confessore (Solemn Vespers for a Confessor) 

K.339. Kendra Dyck, soprano, Catharin 

Carew, mezzo: Ross Mortimer, tenor; Alan 

Macdonald, baritone; Toronto Classical Singers 

& Players; Jurgen Petrenko, conductor. 

Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. 416- 

986-8749. $30. 

● 4:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Bhangra 

& Beyond. Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, 

conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe 

St. 416-598-3375. From $30. Also 1:30pm. 

Relaxed Concert at 11am. 

● 7:00: Ancestral Harmonies. Hildegard 

Meets Maestro Irshad Khan. Chants by Hildegard 

of Bingen, traditional ragas, and original 

compositions by Irshad Khan. Irshad Khan, 

ANCESTRAL 

HARMONIES 2024 

HILDEGARD 

MEETS MAESTRO 

IRSHAD KHAN 

A unique collaboration 

of chants and ragas 

SUNDAY APRIL 14 

sitar; Andrea Gerhardt, voice; Sadaf Amini, 

Iranian santur; Pedram Khavarzamini, tonbak. 

Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, Jeanne Lamon 

Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. 647-979-1898 or 

andrea-gerhardt.ticketleap.com/ancestralharmonies-2024. 

$25. Cash only at door. 

● 7:30: Brampton On Stage. The Jazz Mechanics 

and The Brampton Concert Band with 

Special Guest Liberty Silver. The Rose Brampton, 

1 Theatre Lane, Brampton. 905-874- 

2800. From $20. 



Lunchtime Chamber Music: Rising Stars 

Recital. Featuring students from the Glenn 

Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of 

Music. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 




Recital. Michael Pirri, organ. Cathedral 




● 5:30: Canadian Opera Company. Jazz Series: 

Chamber Swing. Drew Jurecka Trio: 

Drew Jurecka, violin; Clark Johnson, string 

bass; Ewen Farncombe, piano. Richard Bradshaw 

Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre 

for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 

www.coc.ca/free-concert-series. Free. Tickets 

required. 

● 8:00: Brampton On Stage. This Is Brampton: 

B-Jazzed - Salsa in the Spring. Carmen 

Spada and The B-Jazzed Band. The Rose 


874-2800. From $20. 

● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Pops: 

The Music of Star Wars. Steven Reineke, conductor. 

Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416- 

598-3375. From $62. Also Apr 17(2pm). 



Dance Series: Surrendered Spirits. This program 

is influenced and inspired by the impact 

of familial displacement and upbringing as 

children of racialized, marginalized, and 

immigrant families. The work encompasses 

the relationship of two femme, queer, black, 

and brown women who face each other seeking 

to heal the inherited ancestral and familial 

TORONTO CLASSICAL SINGERS & TORONTO CLASSICAL PLAYERS 

JURGEN PETRENKO, CONDUCTOR 

MORNING AND EVENING – IN THE AFTERNOON 

SCHUBERT 

MASS IN C 

MOZART 

VESPERS K. 339 

KENDRA DYCK, SOPRANO 

CATHARIN CAREW, MEZZO SPORANO 

ROSS MORTIMER, TENOR 

ALAN MACDONALD, BARITONE 

4:00 PM APRIL 14, 2024 

CHRIST CHURCH DEER PARK , 1570 YONGE STREET AT HEATH 

TICKETS $30: TORONTOCLASSICALSINGERS.CA/TICKETS 



wounds. dance Immersion. Richard Bradshaw 

Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre 



required. 


Noonday Organ Recital. Ryan Baxter, organ. 

1585 Yonge St. www.yorkminsterpark.com. 



The Music of Star Wars. See Apr 16. 

● 3:00: Fallsview Casino Resort. The Simon 

& Garfunkel Story. Fallsview Casino Resort, 

Avalon Theatre, 6380 Fallsview Blvd., Niagara 

Falls. 1-877-833-3110 or www.ticketmaster. 

ca. From $45. Also Apr 18(3pm & 8:30pm), 

19(9pm), 20(3pm & 9pm), 21(3pm & 7pm). 

● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber 

Music Society. Jui-Sheng Li, Piano. Scriabin: 

24 Preludes; Schumann: Allegro in b Op.8; 

Karol Rathaus: Zwei Stücke aus dem Ballett 

“Der letzte Pierrot”; Ming Hsiu Yen: Two Old 

Postcards from Formosa. First United Church 

(Waterloo), 16 William St. W., Waterloo. 519- 

569-1809 or www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms. 

CANCELLED. 

● 7:30: Toronto Shape Note Singers. Sacred 

Harp Singing. Shape note music selections 

from the Sacred Harp tunebook. Singing 

is participatory, not a performance. No 

experience necessary. All are welcome and 

there are books to borrow. Friends House, 

60 Lowther Ave. 647-838-8764. Pay what you 

can. Also May 15, Jun 19, Jul 17, Aug 21, Sep 18, 

Oct 16, Nov 20 & Dec 18. 

● 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre. Kiran Ahluwalia. 

171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham. 

905-305-7469; flatomarkhamtheatre.ca. 

$58(regular); $68(prime); $15(YTX). 

● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. International 

Orchestras Series: The Philadelphia 

Orchestra with Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Price: 

Symphony No.4 in d; Rachmaninov: Symphony 

No.2 in e Op.27. Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre, 

273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www. 

rcmusic.com/performance. SOLD OUT. 



Instrumental Series: 2024 Toronto Summer 

Music Festival Preview. Jonathan Crow, artistic 

director. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, 





Noon at Met: University of Toronto Piano 

Showcase. Metropolitan United Church, 

56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 x226. Freewill 

donation. 

● 3:00: Fallsview Casino Resort. The 

Simon & Garfunkel Story. See Apr 17. Also 

Apr 18(8:30pm), 19(9pm), 20(3pm & 9pm), 

21(3pm & 7pm). 

● 7:30: Harbourfront Centre. Torque Contemporary 

Dance Series: Swan Lakes + 

Minus 16. Performed by Gauther Dance/ 

Dance Theaterhaus Stuttgart. Fleck Dance 

Theatre, Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens 

Quay W. www.harbourfrontcentre.com. From 

$29. Also Apr 19 & 20. 

● 7:30: Soundstreams. Variations on Goldberg 

Variations (Keyed Up! #1). Works by 

Grabowsky, Sokolovic and others. Paul 

Grabowsky, piano. Jane Mallett Theatre, 

Toronto Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. 

416-504-1282 or www.Soundstreams.ca. 

From $25. 



Apr 19(9pm), 20(3pm & 9pm), 21(3pm & 

7pm). 



Recital. Dane Ko, piano. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian 

Church, 73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 

x220. Free. Donations welcome. 



Minus 16. See Apr 18. Also Apr 20. 

● 7:30: Monday Morning Singers. Begone, 

Dull Care. St. Paul’s Anglican Church, 

59 Toronto St. S., Uxbridge. 416-452-6549 or 

www.mondaymorningsingers.com. $25. 

● 7:30: Soundstreams. RBC Bridges (Keyed 

Up! #2). New works. Jane Mallett Theatre, 

Toronto Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. 

416-504-1282 or www.Soundstreams.ca. 

From $25. 

● 8:00: Brampton On Stage. Kiran Ahluwalia. 

The Rose Brampton, 1 Theatre Lane, Brampton. 

905-874-2800. From $20. 

● 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre. Jeans ‘n 

Classics: An Innocent Man - The Music of 

Billy Joel. Jean Meilleur, vocals/guitar; John 

Regan, piano; 40 piece orchestra. 171 Town 

Centre Blvd., Markham. 905-305-7469; 

flatomarkhamtheatre.ca. $78(regular); 

$83(prime); $15(YTX). 

● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Sammy Jackson. 

Jazz and rhythm & blues. 21 Old Mill Rd. www. 

oldmilltoronto.com/event/sammy-jackson. 



at 8pm. 

● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Special 

Performances: John Pizzarelli and 

Caity Gyorgy. Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre, 


rcmusic.com/performance. From $60. 

● 8:00: Tafelmusik. Bohemian Rhapsody: 

Benda & Haydn. Benda: Violin Concerto in A; 

Stamitz: Symphony in d; Haydn: Cello Concerto 

in C; Works by Lully, Purcell, Handel, 

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY 

Directed by 

Zefira Valova 

April 19–21 

Jeanne Lamon Hall, 

Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre 

tafelmusik.org 

Elmer 

Iseler 

Singers 

Lydia Adams, Conductor 

Sat. Apr 20, 2024 @ 4:00pm 

Eglinton St. George’s United Church 

Triple Choir Splendour 

Sonic Light 

Mass for Double Choir by Frank Martin 

including works by 

MacMillan, Whitacre, Gjeilo and Daley 

ELMER ISELER SINGERS 

Lydia Adams, conductor 

VIVA CHAMBER SINGERS 

Carol Ratzlaff, conductor 

CHROMA VOCAL ENSEMBLE 

Mitchell Pady, conductor 

416-217-0537 elmeriselersingers.com 


Piatti, Bach, Vivaldi, and Jonathan Woody. 

Zefira Valova, guest director and violin; Keiran 

Campbell, cello; Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. 

Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 

427 Bloor St. W. www.tafelmusik.org/ 

bohemian or 416-964-6337. From $47. Also 

Apr 20(8pm) & 21(3pm). 



Apr 20(3pm & 9pm), 21(3pm & 7pm). 


● 10:30am: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. 

Singsation: Harmonizing Resistance – The 

Power of Music in Social Change. Music is 

a powerful vehicle of expression that has 

inspired political and cultural change across 

the world. This Singsation workshop session 

will explore songs of resistance, their cultural 

context, and personal connections to these 

songs through storytelling and singing with 

TMChoir members. Conducted by TMChoir 

Collaborative Pianist, Irene Gregorio. Yorkminster 

Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St. 

www.tmchoir.org. $10. 

● 2:30: Heliconian Club. Hel’s Belles - Compositions 

by Heliconian Club Members. Works 

by Taivi Alexander, Jana Skarecky, Kye Marshall, 

and Maria Soulis. Janet Catherine Dea, 

soprano & Caitlin Holland, soprano. Heliconian 

Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 416-922-3618 

or www.torontoheliconianclub.wildapricot. 

org/event-5390306. $30 at door or online; 

Free(child 12 and under accompanied by an 

adult). 



Apr 20(9pm), 21(3pm & 7pm). 

● 4:00: Elmer Iseler Singers. Triple Choir 

Splendour: Sonic Light. Frank Martin: Mass 

for Double Choir; and works by MacMillan, 

Whitacre, Gjeilo and Daley. Elmer Iseler Singers 

(Lydia Adams, conductor); VIVA Chamber 

Singers (Carol Ratzlaff, conductor); and 

Chroma Vocal Ensemble (Mitchell Pady, conductor). 

Eglinton St. George’s United Church, 

35 Lytton Blvd. www.elmeriselersingers.com 

or 416-217-0537. $45; $40(sr); $25(under 30). 

● 7:30: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Rachmaninoff & Tchaikovsky. Jiang: Flowing 

Waters; Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.3; 

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.6. Kevin Chen, 

piano; Mateusz Molęda, conductor. FirstOntario 

Concert Hall, 1 Summers Ln., Hamilton. 

905-526-7756; boxoffice@hpo.org. $20-$80. 

6:30pm pre-concert talk. 



Minus 16. See Apr 18. 

● 7:30: Oakville Chamber Orchestra. Spring 

Concert. Johann Strauss II: Voices of Spring 

Waltz Op.410; Schumann: Symphony No.1 in 

B-flat Op.38 “Spring”; Mozart: Piano Concerto 

No.18 in B-flat K.456. Sunny Zhai, piano. St. 

John's United Church (Oakville), 262 Randall 

St., Oakville. www.oakvillechamber.org/program-4-spring-symphony. 

From $20. Also 

Apr 21(3pm). 

● 7:30: Soundstreams. 6 Pianos 12 Hands 

(Keyed Up! #3). Reich: Music for Six Pianos; 

Works by Riley, Ristic, Sokolovic and Louie. 

Jane Mallett Theatre, Toronto Centre for the 

Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-504-1282 or www. 

Soundstreams.ca. From $25. 

● 7:30: Toronto Beach Chorale. W. A. Mozart: 

Requiem. Toronto Beach Chorale; Leanne 

Kaufman, soprano; Deborah Overes, contralto; 

Jacob Abrahamse, tenor; Matthew 

Cassils, bass-baritone; Chamber Orchestra; 

Mervin W. Fick, conductor. Knox Presbyterian 

Church, 630 Spadina Ave. www.torontobeachchorale.com. 

$30; $15(youth). 

● 7:30: Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus of 

North America. Ukraine Lives! George 

Weston Recital Hall, Meridian Arts Centre, 

5040 Yonge St. 416-366-7723 or 1-800-708- 

6754 or www.tolive.com or www.ticketmaster.ca. 

From $60. 

● 8:00: Acoustic Harvest. Boreal’s Spring 

Show with Katherine Wheatley, Tannis Slimmon 

& Angie Nussey. St. Paul’s United 

Church, 200 McIntosh St., Scarborough. 

www.acousticharvest.ca or 416-729-7564. 

$30. 

● 8:00: Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra. 

Orchestra Concert. Smetana: The Moldau 

from Má vlast; John Williams: Tuba 

Concerto; Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade 

Op.35. Jennifer Stephen, tuba; Martin 

MacDonald, conductor. P.C. Ho Theatre, 

Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto, 

5183 Sheppard Ave. E., Scarborough. 416- 

879-5566 or www.cathedralbluffs.com. 

From $25. 

● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Global 

Music Series: Oumou Sangaré. Koerner Hall, 

TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408- 

0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance. 

From $45. 


Benda & Haydn. See Apr 19. Also 

Apr 21(3pm). 

● 8:00: Trinity Bach Project. Bach and 

Schütz. Bach: Motet BWV 227 “Jesu, meine 

Freude”; Schutz: “Selig sind die Toten” and 

other motets; Monteverdi: Cantate Domino; 

Bruckner: Locus iste; Bach: Selected movements 

of Suites Nos.1 & 2 for unaccompanied 

cello. Ten-voice choir with Nicholas Nicolaidis, 

conductor; Felix Deák, cello; Aaron James, 

organ. St. John the Evangelist Church (Hamilton), 

320 Charlton Ave. W., Hamilton. 306- 

250-4256. Pay what you can. Suggested: $30; 

$20(st); Free(child). One-hour concert with 

Toronto Beach Chorale 

Mervin W Fick - Conductor 

W A Mozart 

Requiem 

Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 7:30pm 

Knox Presbyterian Church 

630 Spadina Avenue, Toronto 

no intermission. 



Apr 21(3pm & 7pm). 


● 1:15: Mooredale Concerts. Music & Truffles 

KIDS. Cheng² Duo. Walter Hall, Edward 

Johnson Building, University of Toronto, 

80 Queen’s Park. 416-922-3714 x103; 647-988- 

2012 (eve/wknd). $25. 

● 2:00: HCA Dance Theatre. Serenade to 

Humanity: A Duet of Passion and Harmony. 

Works by Alice Ho, Beethoven, and Schubert. 

La Fiammata: Linda Ruan & Charissa Van, 

pianos. 126 James St. S., Hamilton. 905-528- 

4020 or www.hcadancetheatre.com/shopstandard. 

From $15. 

● 2:00: Metropolitan United Church. “Shine 

On”: Celebrating the 90th Anniversary of 

the Metropolitan Silver Band. Metropolitan 

United Church, 56 Queen St. E. 416-363- 

0331 x226 or www.metband.ca. $25; $15(sr); 

$10(st); Free(children under 12). 

● 2:00: Roy Thomson Hall. Evgeny Kissin, 

Piano & Matthias Goerne, Baritone. 

60 Simcoe St. www.tickets.mhrth.com. 

From $51. 



Apr 21(7pm). 

● 3:00: Oakville Chamber Orchestra. Spring 

Concert. See Apr 20. 

● 3:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Piano 

Concerts Series: Richard Goode. Beethoven: 

Bagatelles No.6-11 Op.119, Piano Sonata No.30 

in E Op.109, 33 Variations on a Waltz by Anton 

Diabelli Op.120. Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre, 




Benda & Haydn. See Apr 19. 

● 3:15: Mooredale Concerts. Cheng² Duo. 

Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building, University 

of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-922- 

3714 x103; 647-988-2012 (eve/wknd). $55; 

$50(sr); $30(st). 

● 7:00: Brampton On Stage. Re-Imagined - A 

Theatre Concert. Lester B. Pearson Theatre, 

150 Central Park Dr., Brampton. 905-874- 

2800. From $20. 

● 7:00: Fallsview Casino Resort. The Simon 

& Garfunkel Story. See Apr 17. 

● 7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club. Joe Crookston. 

Chaucer’s Pub, 122 Carling St., London. 

519-319-5847 or folk@iandavies.com or www. 



● 5:00: Canadian Opera Company. Opera 

Lab: The Art of Appearance. For youth aged 

16 to 28. An interactive workshop in which 

you’ll learn how designers create characters 

and enhance storytelling through costumes 

and wigs! Includes an in-depth discussion 

and Q&A session with COC’s Head of Costumes, 

Sandra Corazza, and Wigs & Makeup 

Supervisor, Sharon Ryman, before participants 

attending the Don Pasquale dress 

rehearsal where they can see the sets and 

costumes first-hand. Presenters: Sandra 

Corazza, Head of Costumes, & Sharon Ryman, 

Wigs & Makeup Supervisor. Four Seasons 

Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. 

W. Register at www.coc.ca/OperaLab. $15. 


Dancers of Damelahamid: Spirit and 

Tradition. FirstOntario Performing Arts 

Centre, Partridge Hall, 250 St. Paul St., St. 

Catharines. 905-688-0722 or boxoffice@ 

firstontariopac.ca. $20. 



Lunchtime Chamber Music: Jialiang Zhu & 

Friends. Works piano and violin. Jialiang Zhu 

& friends. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 




Recital. Bill O’Meara, organ. Cathedral 




● 7:30: Royal Conservatory of Music. Discovery 

Series: GGS New Music Ensemble. 

Samy Moussa: Kammerkonzert for a large 

ensemble; Iannis Xenakis: Phlegra for 11 

instruments. Temerty Theatre, Telus Centre, 


rcmusic.com/performance. Free. 

● 8:00: Friends in Art. Italia da Favola (Fairytale 

Italy). Trio La Scala di Seta: Bianca 

D’amore, soprano; Giacomo Celluci, piano; 

Pasquale Di Giannantonio, guitar & actor. 

Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery, 901 Lawrence 

Ave. W. www.friendsinart.ca. $45. 

● 8:00: Reid’s Distillery. Gypsy Jazz. Experience 

the magic of Gypsy Swing! Let the soulful 

melodies of guitars, violins, and upbeat 

rhythms transport you to a world of joy and 

excitement of Django Reinhardt’s music. 

32 Logan Ave. www.reidsdistillery.com. 



Noonday Organ Recital. Aaron James, organ. 



● 1:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Young 

People’s Concert: Bhangra & Beyond. Daniel 

Bartholomew-Poyser, conductor. Roy 

Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. 

From $30. 

● 8:00: Fallsview Casino Resort. George 

Thorogood & The Destroyers - Bad All Over 

the World - 50 Years of Rock. OLG Stage at 

Fallsview Casino, 6366 Stanley Ave., Niagara 



Falls. ticketmaster.ca. From $70. 

● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Chamber 

& String Concerts Series: Daniel Hope 

- Irish Roots. Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre, 

273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208; rcmusic.com/ 

performance. From $55. 

● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Brilliant 

Bach. Bach: Concerto for Two Violins & 

String Orchestra BWV 1043; Bach: Concerto 

for Three Violins & String Orchestra BWV 

1064R; Bach: Concerto for Oboe BWV 1059R; 

Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 BWV 1049; 

Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No.2 BWV 1047. 

Yolanda Bruno, violin; Eri Kosaka, violin; Clare 

Semes, violin; Kelly Zimba Lukić, flute; Leonie 

Wall, flute, Sarah Jeffrey, oboe; Jonathan 

Crow, leader & violin. Roy Thomson Hall, 

60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. From $35. Also 

Apr 25(8pm - RTH), 27(8pm - RTH), 28(3pm - 

George Weston Recital Hall). 



Instrumental Series: Ebony and Ivory. Solo 

piano works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Luke 

Welch, piano. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, 

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing 

Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.coc.ca/free-concert-series. 



Noon at Met. Jonathan Oldengarm, organ. 



● 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Early Music 

at St. James: Lazzolli Baroque. Cathedral 





The Circle - Indigenous Songwriters’ 

Showcase. FirstOntario Performing Arts 

Centre, Cairns Recital Hall, 250 St. Paul St., 

St. Catharines. 905-688-0722 or boxoffice@ 

firstontariopac.ca. PWYC. 

● 8:00: Brampton On Stage. Colin James 

Trio. Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Ln., Brampton. 

905-874-2800. From $20. 

● 8:00: Esprit Orchestra. Sonic Universe. 

R. Murray Schafer: Adieu Robert Schumann, 

for mezzo and orchestra; John Adams: Harmonielehre. 

Krisztina Szabó, mezzo; Alex 

Pauk, conductor. Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre, 

R. Murray Schafer 

Adieu Robert Schumann 

for mezzo soprano & orchestra 

(1976) 

Thu Apr 25 

SONIC UNIVERSE 

espritorchestra.com 


espritorchestra.com or www.rcmusic.com/ 

events-and-performances/esprit-orchestrapresents-sonic-universe. 

From $20. 7:15pm - 

Pre-concert chat. 

● 8:00: Fallsview Casino Resort. Godsmack 

Vibez Tour. OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino, 

6366 Stanley Ave., Niagara Falls. www.ticketmaster.ca. 

Pricing TBA. 

● 8:00: TO Live. Murmuration by Le Patin 

Libre. Fifteen ice-mavericks combine the athletic 

virtuosity of competitive figure skaters, 

the choreographic intelligence of contemporary 

dancers, and the physical instinct for 

flocking. Leaside Memorial Community Gardens, 

Bert F. Grant Rink, 1073 Millwood Rd. 

www.universe.com/events/murmuration-byle-patin-libre-tickets-YDBF01 

or www.tolive. 

com. $25; $15(under 12). Also Apr 26(8pm), 

27(4pm & 8pm), 28(2pm). 


Bach. Also Apr 24 (8pm - RTH), 27(8pm - 

RTH), 28(3pm - George Weston Recital Hall). 



Recital. Works by Saint-Saëns, Paganini, 

Debussy, and David Jaeger. Jialiang Zhu, 

piano; Julia Mirzoev, violin. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian 



● 5:00: New Music Concerts. What Is the 

Real Sound of Toronto? Sandeep Bhagwati, 

Chair. Participants: Anthony R. Green, Parmela 

Attarwala, Dylan Robinson, and Patty 

Chan. Canadian Music Centre, 20 St. Joseph 

St. www.eventbrite.com/e/future-resonance-festival-what-is-the-real-sound-oftoronto-ticket. 

Free. 5pm: Panel Discussion. 

6:30pm: Reception. 

● 7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Don 

Pasquale. Music by Gaetano Donizetti. Misha 

Kiria (Don Pasquale); Joshua Hopkins (Dr. 

Malatesta); Simone Osborne (Norina); Santiago 

Ballerini (Ernesto); and other soloists. 

Canadian Opera Company Chorus & Orchestra; 

Jacques Lacombe, conductor; Renaud 

Doucet & André Barbe, stage direction. Four 


145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231 or 1-800- 

250-4653 or tickets@coc.ca. From $55. Also 

May 2, 4, 8, 10, 12 (2pm), 18 (4:30 pm). 

● 7:30: Friends in Art. In Cibo Musica (Food in 

Music). A black-tie, sit-down dinner and performance 

event. Trio La Scala di Seta: Bianca 


Pasquale Di Giannantonio, guitar & actor. 


Ave. W. www.friendsinart.ca. $150. Cocktail 

reception at 6pm. 


Prelude to Hope. Maghan McPhee, 

soprano; Danielle MacMillan, mezzo; Odin 

Quartet; Kate Royer, clarinet; Gilles Thibodeau, 

horn; Lisa Tahara, piano; Ronald Royer, 

conductor. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 

647-482-7761 or www.spo.ca. Pay What You 

Can. 

● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Raoul and The Big 

Time. Jazz and rhythm & blues. 21 Old Mill Rd. 

www.oldmilltoronto.com/event/raoul-andthe-big-time. 


spend. Restricted to ages 19+. Dinner 

at 6pm. Show at 8pm. 

● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Music 

Mix Series: Alex Cuba & Raul Midón. Koerner 


0208; rcmusic.com/performance. From $50. 


Libre. See Apr 25. Also Apr 27(4pm & 8pm), 

28(2pm). 


● 2:00: Avenue Road Music & Performance 

Academy. Revolution Through Music. Chopin: 

Mazurka Op.63 No.3 & Mazurka Op.30 No.2; 

Rachmaninoff: Etude Tableaux Op.39 No.5; 

Silvestrov: Silent Songs No.1; Shervin 

Hajipour: Ba’de Ma (arranged by Ricker Choi; 

Rweski: People United Will Never Be Defeated 

(excerpts); and other works. Ricker Choi, 

piano. Avenue Road Music and Performance 

Academy, Gordon Lightfoot Concert Hall, 

460 Avenue Rd. www.avenueroadmusic.com 

or info@avenueroadmusic.com or 416-922- 

0855. Pay what you can or donation. 

● 3:00: 5 at the First. Szivi Saxophone Quartet. 

Chase Griffin, soprano saxophone; Paula 

Kokot, alto saxophone; Lexi Graham, tenor 

saxophone; Glimmer Ng, baritone saxophone. 

First Unitarian Church, 170 Dundurn St. S., 

Hamilton. 905-399-5125. $20; $15(sr); $5(st/ 

unwaged); free(under 12). 


Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra: Titan - A 

Celebration of the TSYO’s 50th Anniversary. 

Mahler: Symphony No.1; and other works. 

Ciyan Bryson, bassoon; Simon Rivard, conductor. 

Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416- 

598-3375. From $34. 


Libre. See Apr 25. Also Apr 27(8pm), 28(2pm). 

● 7:00: Beach United Church. Spring Fling 

with Special Guest Barbra Lica. 140 Wineva 

Ave. 416-691-8082 or www.beachunitedchurch.com. 

$40; $15(child). A fundraiser for 

Beach United Church. 


Society. A Mystical Evening: Music for Violin 

and Harp. Saint-Saëns: Fantaisie for violin 

and harp; Caroline Lizotte: Partita Op.52; Arvo 

Pärt: Spiegel im Spiegel; Piazzolla: Café 1930. 

Lori Gemmel, harp; Sheila Jaffe, violin & viola. 

Keffer Memorial Chapel, Wilfrid Laurier University, 

75 University Ave. W., Waterloo. 519- 

569-1809 or www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms. 

$20; $10(st). 

● 7:00: Singing Together 2024. A Multicultural 

Choral Concert. Cantemos - Upper Canada 

Choristers; Chinese Canadian Choir of 

Toronto; Colourful Voices Choir; Coro San 

Marco; Joyful Singers; La Petite Musicale of 

Toronto; Shevchenko Choir; St. Paschal Baylon’s 

Church Children Choir; Yangtze River 

Performing Arts. St. Paschal Baylon Church, 

92 Steeles Ave. W., Thornhill. 416-931-1439. 

$20. 

● 7:30: Brampton On Stage. The Rose 

Orchestra: Strolling into Summer. Rose Theatre, 

1 Theatre Ln., Brampton. 905-874-2800. 

From $15. 

● 7:30: Duke Ellington Society - Toronto 

Chapter. Martin Loomer’s Orange Devils: 

Celebrating the 125th Anniversary of Duke 

Ellington’s Birth. Al Green Theatre, Miles 

Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Ave. www.eventbrite.ca. 

$50. 

● 7:30: Mississauga Chamber Singers. Fauré’s 

Requiem. Fauré: Requiem Op.48 and 

other late-19th-century French choral works. 

Christ First United Church, 151 Lakeshore Rd. 

W., Mississauga. 647-549-4524. $30; $15(7- 

18); free(under 7). 

● 7:30: Royal Conservatory of Music. Discovery 

Series: GGS Piano Showcase. Works for 

two pianos and piano four hands. Mazzoleni 

Concert Hall, TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 

416-408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance. 

$20. 


Songs of Hope. Works by Ronald Royer, 

Ted Runcie, Rachel McFarlane, Bruno 

Degazio, Daniel Mehdizadeh, Leela Gilday, and 

others. Maghan McPhee, soprano; Danielle 

MacMillan, mezzo; Odin Quartet; Kate Royer, 

clarinet; Gilles Thibodeau, horn; Lisa Tahara, 

piano; Ronald Royer, conductor. St. Paul 

L'Amoureaux Anglican Church, 3333 Finch 

Ave. E., Scarborough. 647-482-7761 or www. 

spo.ca/event/songs-of-hope. $35; $30(sr); 

$15(st). 

● 7:30: The Jeffery Concerts. Jaeden Izik- 

Dzurko, Piano. Scriabin: Sonata No.5 Op.53; 

Liszt: Sonata in b S.178; Chopin: Scherzo No.1 

in b Op.20; Chopin: Scherzo No.2 in b-flat 

Op.31; Chopin: Scherzo No.3 in c-sharp Op.39. 

Wolf Performance Hall, 251 Dundas St., London. 

jefferyconcerts@gmail.com or www. 

jefferyconcerts.com or www.Grandtheatre. 

com or 519-672-8800 or in person at the 

Grand Theatre Box Office, 471 Richmond St. 

$40; Free(st). 

April March 27, 8pm 16th 

George 7:30pm Weston 

VERDI 

SCHUBERT 

Recital Hall 

WINTERREISE 

REQUIEM 

For more information 

visit tmchoir.org 

● 8:00: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Verdi’s 

Requiem. Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野 , soprano; 

Rose Naggar-Tremblay, mezzo; Andrew 

Haji, tenor; Matthew Treviño, bass; Toronto 

Mendelssohn Choir; Members of the Toronto 

Symphony Orchestra; Jean-Sébastien Vallée, 

conductor. George Weston Recital Hall, Meridian 

Arts Centre, 5040 Yonge St. www.tmchoir. 

org. From $25. Also Apr 30(Koerner Hall). 

● 8:00: Mississauga Symphony Orchestra. 

Pops: Symphonic Pops. From The Beatles 

to Queen, Metallica to Michael Jackson, 

this concert will feature your favourite pop 

music in symphonic form. Complementing 

the orchestra will be an all-star band comprised 

of some of Canada’s finest musicians, 

and a roster of fantastic soloists. Living Arts 

Centre, Hammerson Hall, 4141 Living Arts Dr., 

Mississauga. www.mississaugasymphony.ca 

or 905-306-6000. From $40. 

● 8:00: New Music Concerts. Swara Sutras 

Goes Electric. Suzuki: New Work for Tablas 


and Electronics (World Premiere); Boucher: 

New Work for Métis Fiddle and Electronics 

(World Premiere); Radford: New Work for 

Bamboo Flute, Percussion, Kora and Electronics 

(World Premiere); Staniland: New 

Work for Guzheng and Electronics (World 

Premiere); Swara Sutras Ensemble: Group 

Compositions. Gurpreet Chana, tabla; Alyssa 

Delbaere-Sawchuk, Métis fiddle; Lasso Sanou, 

bamboo flute; Lina Cao, guzheng. St. George 

by the Grange Church, 30 Stephanie St. 416- 

961-9594. TBA. 7:30 pm pre-concert chat. 

● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. 

Quiet Please, There’s a Lady on Stage Series: 

Lizz Wright & Sanah Kadoura. Koerner 



From $45. 


Libre. See Apr 25. Also Apr 28(2pm). 


Bach. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 

416-598-3375. From $35. Also Apr 24 (8pm - 

RTH), 25(8pm - RTH), 28(3pm - George Weston 

Recital Hall). 


● 8:00am: New Music Concerts. How to 

Inhabit These Different Temporalities? with 

Śabdagatitāra. Bhagwati: How to Inhabit 

These Different Temporalities? for Seven 

Musicians. Aga Khan Museum, 77 Wynford 

Dr. 416-961-9594. TBA. Full day installation. 

Times TBA. 

● 2:00: CAMMAC Toronto Region. Reading 

for Singers and Instrumentalists of Ralph 

Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony. Samuel 

Tak-Ho Tam, conductor. Christ Church 

Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. www.cammac.ca/ 

toronto. $15; $10(members). 


Libre. See Apr 25. 

● 2:30: Barrie Concerts Association. 

Beethoven Rebooted. VC2 Cello Duo: 

Amahl Arulanandam & Bryan Holt. Bethel 

Community Church, 128 St. Vincent Street, 

Barrie. www.barrieconcerts.org or 705-436- 

1232. Up to $35. Livestream: $20; $10(st). 

Available for up to 30 days after the concert. 

● 2:30: Georgian Music. Beethoven 

Rebooted. VC2, cello duo. Bethel Community 

Church, 128 St. Vincent Street, Barrie. www. 

barrieconcerts.org. $35; $10(st). Livestream: 

$20; $10(st). 

● 3:00: Amici Chamber Ensemble. Diasporic 

Bridges. Christos Hatzis: Anaktoria; TJ 

Anderson: Shouts for Cello and Piano; Serouj 

Kradjian: Bachianas Bossa-Tangos; Gideon 

Klein: String Trio; Serouj Kradjian: Rondo alla 

libanesa; and works by Alexina Louie, Robert 

Sierra, Anna Sokolovic, and Florence B. Price. 

Guest Artists: Rebecca Cuddy, mezzo; Aline 

Morales, soprano; Erika Raum, violin; Barry 

Shiffman, violin; Anwar Kuhrshid, sitar; Naghmeh 

Farahmand, percussion; Amici Chamber 

Ensemble: Joaquin Valdepenas, clarinet; 

David Hetherington, cello; Serouj Kradjian, 

piano. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, Jeanne Lamon 

Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. www.amiciensemble. 

com/diasporic-bridges. $50; $30(under 30); 

$100(donor/VIP). 

● 3:00: Metropolitan United Church. Gala 

Hymn Festival. Massed choir, brass quintet, 

organ, and piano. Metropolitan United 


Freewill donation. 

● 3:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Chamber 

& String Concerts Series: Dover Quartet 

& Leif Ove Andsnes. Turina: La oración 

del torero Op.34 (The Bullfighter’s Prayer); 

Dohnányi: Piano Quintet No.2 in e-flat Op.26; 

Brahms: Piano Quintet in f Op.34. Koerner 



From $60. 


Bach. George Weston Recital Hall, 

Meridian Arts Centre, 5040 Yonge St. 416- 

598-3375. From $54. Also Apr 24(8pm - RTH), 

25(8pm - RTH), 27(8pm - RTH). 

● 4:00: Achill Choral Society. Illuminare. 

Elaine Hagenburg: Illuminare (Ontario premiere); 

Elaine Hagenburg: O Love; Paul Halley: 

Song for Canada; Stephen Hatfield: All Too 

Soon. Nancy Dettbarn, collaborative pianist. 

Westminster United Church, 247 Broadway 

Ave., Orangeville. www.achill.ca or 647-712- 

3039. $30; $15(st). 

● 4:00: Friends in Art. Inno All’amore 

(Hymn to Love). Trio La Scala di Seta: Bianca 


Pasquale Di Giannantoni0, guitar & actor. 


Ave. W. www.friendsinart.ca. $45. 

● 4:00: Rezonance Baroque Ensemble. Madness 

and Meaning. Works by Handel, Barbara 

Strozzi, Antonio Sartorio, and others. 

Emily Klassen, soprano; Rezonance Baroque 

Ensemble. St. David’s Anglican Church, 

49 Donlands Ave. www.rezonanceensemble. 

com/concerts. $30; $20(st). 

● 4:00: Silent Revue. The Phantom of the 

Opera. A 1925 silent film screening from 

the US with live musical accompaniment. 

Director: Rupert Julian. Cast: Lon Chaney, 

Norman Kerry, Mary Philbin. Live accompaniment 

by Tania Gill. Curated by Alicia Fletcher. 

Revue Cinema, 400 Roncesvalles Ave. 416- 

531-9950 or info@revuecinema.ca. $17; 

$14(Bronze/Loyalty Members, st/sr); $13(Silver 

Members); Free(Gold/Individual/Family 

Members). 

SUNDAY 28 APRIL AT 4 

Choral Evensong 

plus at 4:45 p.m. 

THE BEST OF 

THE BARD 

Drama, poetry and music with 

St. Olave’s Arts Guild 

● 4:00: St. Olave’s Anglican Church. Best of 

the Bard. Opens with Choral Evensong for St. 

George, a religious service. Followed directly 

by a special feature at 4:45pm with St. Olave’s 

Arts Guild presenting short extracts from 

William Shakespeare’s drama, poetry, music, 

and songs to mark his birth on St. George’s 

Day in 1564. 360 Windermere Ave. www.You- 

Tube.com/StOlavesAnglicanChurch or 416- 

769-5686. Contributions appreciated. LIVE 

OR ONLINE. 

● 4:00: The Edison Singers. Warm Breath 

of Spring: Folksongs & Spirituals. Celebrating 

the long traditions of folk music and spirituals, 

with commentary about the songs, by 

our singers. The Edison Singers; Noel Edison, 

conductor. St. Mark’s Anglican Church, 

41 Byron St., Niagara-on-the-Lake. www. 

theedisonsingers.com/performances or 226- 

384-9300. $45; $25(st/18 and under). Also 

May 4(Toronto) & May 5(Elora). 

● 7:00: INNERchamber Inc. Signing Off. 

Brahms: String Quintet No.2 in G Op.111; 

Shostakovich: String Quartet No.15 in e-flat 

Op.144. Sharon Wei, viola; Julie Baumgartel, 

violin; Andrew Chung, violin; Jody Davenport, 

viola; Ben Bolt-Martin, cello. Factory 

163, 163 King St., Stratford. tickets@innerchamber.ca. 

$45; $30(arts workers/st). 

5:30pm - Pre-show dinner. A light meal is 

available to in-person patrons. 

● 7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club. Bill Garrett 

& Sue Lothrop with Paul Mills. Chaucer’s 

Pub, 122 Carling St., London. 519-319-5847 

or folk@iandavies.com or www.ticketscene. 

ca. $25. 

Monday April 29 

● 7:00: Array/ECCG Gamelan. Evergreen 

Club Contemporary Gamelan Monthly 

Meetup. Array Space, 155 Walnut Ave. 416- 

532-3019. Free. 



Lunchtime Chamber Music: Violin Recital. 

Hee-Soo Yoon, violin. Yorkminster Park Baptist 

Church, 1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167 or 

www.yorkminsterpark.com. Free. Donations 

welcome. 


Recital. Chris Dawes, organ; Daniel Rubinoff, 

saxophone. Cathedral Church of St. 

James, 106 King St. E. 416-364-7865 or www. 

stjamescathedral.ca/recitals. Free. Donations 

encouraged. 


360 Allstars. FirstOntario Performing 

Arts Centre, Cairns Recital Hall, 250 St. Paul 

St., St. Catharines. 905-688-0722; boxoffice@firstontariopac.ca. 

$30. 


Society. Brahms’ Third Symphony (4-hands 

piano). Angela Park and Stephan Sylvestre, 

4-hands piano. Keffer Memorial Chapel, Wilfrid 

Laurier University, 75 University Ave. W., 

Waterloo. 519-569-1809 or www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms. 

$30; $20(st). 

April March 30, 8pm 16th 

Koerner 7:30pm Hall 

VERDI 

SCHUBERT 

WINTERREISE 

REQUIEM 

For more information 

visit tmchoir.org 

● 8:00: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Verdi’s 

Requiem. Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre, 

273 Bloor St. W. www.tmchoir.org. From $25. 

Also Apr 27(George Weston Recital Hall). 

Wednesday May 1 


Instrumental Series: Reflections with 

Brahms and Debussy. Cathy Yang, piano; 

Simon Tetzlaff, cello. Richard Bradshaw 

Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for the 

Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www. 

coc.ca/free-concert-series. Free. Tickets 

required. 


Noonday Organ Recital. William Maddox, 




Intimate & Immersive: Suspended Doorways. 

Maevskiy: New Work; Shahi: Suspended 

Doors; Jacobs: New Work; Sokolovic: 

...and I need a room to receive five thousand 

people with raised glasses...; Livingston: 

Noyade; Derksen: Rebellion; and other works. 

Gemma New, conductor. The Cotton Factory, 

270 Sherman Ave. N., Hamilton. 905-526- 

7756; boxoffice@hpo.org. $40. 

● 7:30: Royal Conservatory of Music. Academy 

Chamber Orchestra. Chamber orchestra 

repertoire and Senior winners of the 

Concerto Competition. Koerner Hall, TELUS 

Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or 

www.rcmusic.com/performance. Free. 

● 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre. MOTUS O 

dance theatre: Confessions of a Professional 

Dancer. 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham. 




$48(regular); $58(prime); $15(YTX). 


Brahms’s First. Alison Yun-Fei Jiang: New 

Work (World première/TSO Commission); 

Von Bingen, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Missy Mazzoli 

& Sarah Kirkland Snider (arr. Jarkko 

Riihimäki): enargeia (North American première); 

Brahms: Symphony No.1. Emily 

D’Angelo, mezzo; Gustavo Gimeno, conductor. 


3375. From $35. Also May 2. 

Thursday May 2 


Noon at Met. Henry From, piano. Metropolitan 


0331 x226. Freewill donation. 

WOMEN’S MUSICAL CLUB OF TORONTO 

MAY 2, 2024 | 1.30 PM 

JOYCE EL-KHOURY 

AND 

SEROUJ KRADJIAN 

416-923-7052 | wmct.on.ca 

● 1:30: Music in the Afternoon. Joyce El- 

Khoury and Serouj Kradjian. Bellini: La ricordanza; 

Vaga luna; Per pietà, bell’idol mio; Liszt: 

Pace non trovo; I’ vidi in terra angelici costumi; 

Fauré: Les Roses d’Ispahan; Bizet: 

Adieux de l’hôtesse arabe; Delibes: Les Filles 

de Cadix; Lebanese Song Collection, and 

other works. Joyce El-Khoury, soprano; Serouj 

Kradjian, piano. Walter Hall, Edward 

Johnson Building, University of Toronto, 

80 Queen’s Park. 416-923-7052 X1 or www. 

wmct.on.ca. $50; free(st with ID at door). 

● 2:30: Serenata Singers. Sing Me A Love 

Song. Celebrating the many moods of love. 

Carl Strommen: Danny Boy; Steven Decesare: 

Loch Lomond; Elton John & Tim Rice: 

Can You Feel The Love Tonight?; Mark Hayes: 

You Raise Me Up; Jay Althouse: Shenandoah. 

Michael Morgan, director. Scarborough 

Bluffs United Church, 3739 Kingston Rd., 

Scarborough. www.serenatasingers.ca or 

416-449-4053. $20; Free(12 and under). Also 

May 3(7:30pm). 


Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre: 

Teasing Gravity. Burlington Performing Arts 

Centre - Main Theatre, 440 Locust St., Burlington. 

www.burlingtonpac.ca/events or 

905-568-1600. . 


Pasquale. See Apr 26. Also May 4, 8, 10, 12 

(2pm), 18 (4:30 pm). 


X (Dix) by Côté Danse. FirstOntario Performing 

Arts Centre, Partridge Hall, 250 St. 

Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-688-0722 ; or 

www.boxoffice@firstontariopac.ca. $45; 

$39(members). 

● 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre. Matthew 

Whitaker. 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham. 

905-305-7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre. 

ca. $68(regular); $78(prime); $15(YTX). 


Brahms’s First. See May 1. 

● 8:30: Fallsview Casino Resort. Straight 

No Chaser. OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino, 

6366 Stanley Ave., Niagara Falls. ticketmaster.ca. 

$45.85-$70.20. 

Friday May 3 


Recital. Works by Mozart, Chopin, Mozetich, 

Ravel, and Liszt. Yuling Chen, piano; Elena 

Wang, piano; Cathy Wang, piano. St. Andrew’s 

Presbyterian Church, 73 Simcoe St. 416-593- 

5600 x220. Free. Donations welcome. 

● 7:00: Art Gallery of Ontario. Tafelmusik: 

Making Herself Heard. Works of Élisabeth 

Jacquet de la Guerre, Isabella Leonarda, 

Marianne Martinez, and the enigmatic Mrs. 

Philarmonica. Geneviève Gilardeau, violin; 

Cristina Zacharias, violin; Michael Unterman, 

cello; Charlotte Nediger, harpsichord. Art Gallery 

of Ontario, Walker Court, 317 Dundas St. 

W. www.ago.ca/events/tafelmusik-makingherself-heard. 

A seated performance free 

with general admission. Also Apr 4. 

● 7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Medea. 

Music by Luigi Cherubini. Sondra Radvanovsky 

/ Chiara Isotton (May 15 & 17) (Medea); 

Matthew Polenzani (Giasone); Janai Brugger 

(Glauce); and other soloists. Canadian Opera 

Company Chorus & Orchestra; Lorenzo Passerini, 

conductor; Sir David McVicar, stage 

director. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing 

Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231 

or 1-800-250-4653 or tickets@coc.ca. From 

$55. Also May 5(2pm), 9, 11, 15, 17. 

● 7:30: Confluence Concerts. Dichterliebe: 

Whose Love? A reimagining of Robert Schumann’s 

romantic song cycle in its pure form, 

from a gender inclusive perspective. Teiya 

Kasahara 笠原貞野 , vocalist; David Eliakis, 

piano. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. www. 

bemusednetwork.com/events. $25. Also 

May 4. Pre-concert chat at 6:45pm. 

● 7:30: Serenata Singers. Sing Me A Love 

Song. Celebrating the many moods of love. 

Carl Strommen: Danny Boy; Steven Decesare: 

Loch Lomond; Elton John & Tim Rice: 

Can You Feel The Love Tonight?; Mark Hayes: 

You Raise Me Up; Jay Althouse: Shenandoah. 

Michael Morgan, director. Scarborough 

Bluffs United Church, 3739 Kingston Rd., 

Scarborough. www.serenatasingers.ca or 

416-449-4053. $20; Free(12 and under). Also 

May 2(2:30pm). 

● 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre. Elton Rohn. 

171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham. 905-305- 

7469; flatomarkhamtheatre.ca. $65(prime); 

$60(regular). 

● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. The Bettys. Swing, 

cabaret, Motown, 80s rock. 21 Old Mill Rd. 

www.oldmilltoronto.com/event/the-bettys. 



at 8pm. 

● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Royal 

Conservatory Orchestra Series: Peter Oundjian, 

Stewart Goodyear and the Royal Conservatory 

Orchestra. Murphy: Curiosity, 

Genius, and the Search for Petula Clark; 

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat 

Op.73 (“Emperor”); Tchaikovsky: Symphony 

No.5 in e Op.64. Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre, 



● 8:00: Toronto Consort. Strike the Lute. Co- 

Artistic Direction by Marc Lewon & Esteban 

La Rotta. Works by Conrad Paumann. Esteban 

La Rotta and Marc Lewon, lutes. Trinity-St. 

Paul’s Centre, Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor 

St. W. www.torontoconsort.org or 416-964- 

6337. From $20. Also May 4. POSTPONED. 

● 8:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre. El 

huésped del sevillano (The Guest at the Inn). 

Music by Jacinto Guerrero. Canadian premiere. 

Soloists: Tonatiuh Abrego, Diana Di 

Mauro, Lucia Santilly, and Stuart Graham; 

Kate Carver, conductor. Jane Mallett Theatre, 

St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. 

E. 416-366-7723 or 1–800-708-6754 or www. 

tolive.com. From $75. Also May 4 & 5. 

Saturday May 4 

● 10:00am: Metropolitan United Church. 

Organ Masterclass by Professor Kola 

Owolabi, Notre Dame University. Metropolitan 


0331 x226. Free. 

● 2:00: Avenue Road Music & Performance 

Academy. Across Borders. Debussy: Cello 

Sonata L.135; Sibelius: Malinconia Op.20; 

Ulrich Menzefricke: Afterglow; Brahms: 

Cello Sonata No.2 in F Op.99; Wienawski: 

Scherzo tarantelle Op.16. Simon Tetzlaff, 

cello; Cathy Yang, piano. Avenue Road Music 

and Performance Academy, Gordon Lightfoot 

Concert Hall, 460 Avenue Rd. www. 

avenueroadmusic.com or info@avenueroadmusic.com 

or 416-922-0855. Pay what you 

can or donation. 

● 3:00: The Cellar Singers. HMS Pinafore. 

By Gilbert and Sullivan. St. James’ Anglican 

Church, 58 Peter St. N., Orillia. 905-830- 

3039. $30. 

● 4:00: Flato Markham Theatre. 360 ALL- 

STARS. 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham. 

905-305-7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre. 

ca. $58(regular); $68(prime); $15(YTX). Also 

8pm. 



May 4, 4pm 

Gentileschi 

Baroque 

Rilian Trio 

APERTURE ROOM 






for purchase. Gentileschi Baroque & Rilian 

Trio. Aperture Room, Thornton-Smith Building, 

340 Yonge St. www.musictoronto.com. 

$40(single); $20(st/arts). 






conductor. Church of St. Peter and St. 

Simon-the-Apostle, 525 Bloor St. E. www. 

theedisonsingers.com/performances or 226- 

384-9300. $45; $25(st/18 and under). Also 

Apr 28(Niagara-on-the-lake) & May 5(Elora). 

● 7:00: North Halton Community Singers. 

Spring Concert: What a Wonderful World. 

Featuring a musical tribute to the planet 

Earth. Members of the North Halton Community 

Singers. Christian Reformed Church, 

11611 Trafalgar Rd., Georgetown. 647-203- 

7795. $25. 


Pasquale. See Apr 26. Also May 8, 10, 12 

(2pm), 18 (4:30 pm). 

● 7:30: Confluence Concerts. Dichterliebe: 

Whose Love? See May 3. Pre-concert chat 

at 6:45pm. 


Gemma Conducts Beethoven 9. Balfour: 

Mamachimowin; Vivier: Lonely Child; 

Beethoven: Symphony No.9. Gemma New, 

conductor. FirstOntario Concert Hall, 

1 Summers Ln., Hamilton. 905-526-7756; 

boxoffice@hpo.org. $20-$80. 6:30pm preconcert 

talk. 

● 7:30: Karen Schuessler Singers. Secrets 

of Old South. A night of song, story and laughter 

with host and storyteller, Adam Corrigan 

Holowitz, as he shares the secrets of one of 

London’s beloved neighbourhoods, Old South. 

Performers: Adam Corrigan Holowitz, Denise 

Pelley, and Steve Holowitz. Wesley-Knox 

United Church, 91 Askin St., London. 519- 

681-8129. $25; $10(st); Free(ages 6-13 when 

accompanied by an adult). No intermission. 

● 7:30: London Symphonia. An Elegant Fire. 

Haydn: Symphony No.6 in D Hob.I/6; C. P. E. 

Bach: Cello Concerto in A; C. P. E. Bach: Symphony 

in D; Boccherini: Cello Concerto in D; 

Boccherini: Excerpt from Sinfonia No.4 in d 

Op.12. Elinor Frey, cello soloist and leader; 

London Symphonia. Metropolitan United 

Church, 468 Wellington St., London. 226-270- 

0910 or www.londonsymphonia.ca. $70(premium); 

$52(adult); $22(st). 

● 7:30: Soundstreams. Grandma’s Shawl. 

Works by Stefania Turkevych, Lesya Dychko, 

Oleksandra Fedyshyn, Alla Zagaykevych, 

Anna Pidgorna, Ian Cusson, and Andrew 

Balfour. Natalya Gennadi, soprano; Kristine 

Dandavino, mezzo; Jo Greenaway, piano; 

Oleksandra Fedyshyn, violin. Redwood Theatre, 

1300 Gerrard Ave. E. www.rcmusic. 

com/events-and-performances/soundstreams-presents-grandmas-shawl. 

$26.20. 

● 7:30: The Isabel Voices. A Night on Broadway. 

Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing 

Arts, Jennifer Velva Bernstein Performance 

Hall, 390 King St. W., Kingston. www. 

queensu.ca/theisabel/whats-on. $30; 

$25(sr); $15(st). Livestream: Pay What You 

Can Donation $10/$25/$35/$50/$100/$200. 

LIVE & LIVESTREAM. 

● 7:30: Yorkminstrels Show Choir. 


Celebrating 50 Years of Song and Dance. 

St. George on Yonge Anglican Church, 

5350 Yonge St., North York. info@yorkminstrels.com. 

$20. 

● 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre. 360 ALL- 

STARS. 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham. 


$58(regular); $68(prime); $15(YTX). Also 

4pm. 

● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Quiet 

Please, There’s a Lady on Stage Series: Stacey 

Kent Trio & Alison Young Trio. Koerner Hall, 


0208; rcmusic.com/performance. From $45. 

● 8:00: Sinfonia Toronto. Viva Violins / 

Bach to Tchaikovsky. Bach: Double Violin 

Concerto in d BWV 1043; Malcolm Arnold: 

Concerto for Two Violins (first Toronto performance); 

Stanley Grill: Artemis, Her Silver 

Bow (first performance); Tchaikovsky: Serenade 

for Strings in C Op.48. Christos Galileas, 

violin; Jannis Georgiadis, violin; Sinfonia 

Toronto; Nurhan Arman, conductor. George 

Weston Recital Hall, Meridian Arts Centre, 

5040 Yonge St. 416-499-0403 or www.sinfoniatoronto.com. 

$52; $40(sr); $20(st). 

● 8:00: Toronto Consort. Strike the Lute. See 

May 3. POSTPONED. 



See May 3. Also May 5. 

● 9:00: Fallsview Casino Resort. Billy Ray 

Cyrus + FIREROSE. OLG Stage at Fallsview 


ticketmaster.ca. From $70. 

Sunday May 5 


See May 3. Also May 9, 11, 15, 17. 

Z 

647-450-9806. From $20. Also May 17(8pm). 

● 2:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra. NSO 

Classic 5: Mahler’s Symphony No.2. Jocelyn 

Frank, soprano; Beste Kalendar, mezzo; Buffalo 

Philharmonic Chorus; Laura Secord S.S. 

Choir. FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 

Partridge Hall, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 


$15.64-$82.90. 

● 3:00: Metropolitan United Church. Gala 

Organ Recital. Works by Guilmant, Widor, 

Laurin, and others. Kola Owolabi, Notre 

Dame University, organ. Metropolitan United 


$20 at door. 

● 3:00: West Plains United Church. Live!@ 

WestPlains: Corey Gemmell, Violin; Benjamin 

Smith, Piano. Triumph Over Tragedy - Works 

by Mozart, Schumann, Ysaÿe, and Poulenc. 

Corey Gemmell, violin; Benjamin Smith, piano. 

549 Plains Rd. W., Burlington. 905-320- 

4989 or www.westplains.ca or westplainsconcerts@gmail.com. 

PWYC or $30; $20(st); 

$10(ages 10 & under); $15(Livestream). Tickets 

include access to livestream video for 30 

days. LIVE & LIVESTREAM. 

● 3:30: Toronto Chamber Choir. The Bard, 

Reimagined (Kaffeemusik). Music inspired 

by the plays and sonnets of William Shakespeare. 

Toronto Chamber Choir; Lucas Harris, 

artistic director. Church of the Redeemer, 

162 Bloor St. W. 416-922-4948 or www.torontochamberchoir.ca. 

Pay what you choose: 

$30, $20, $5. 






conductor. Knox Presbyterian Church (Elora), 

51 Church St., Elora. www.theedisonsingers. 

com/performances or 226-384-9300. $45; 

$25(st/18 and under). Also Apr 28(Niagaraon-the-lake) 

& May 4(Toronto). 

● 7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club. Streetlight 

Cadence. Chaucer’s Pub, 122 Carling St., London. 

519-319-5847 or folk@iandavies.com or 

www.ticketscene.ca. $25. 

● 8:00: Markham Concert Band. MCB Rocks 

Again. Flato Markham Theatre, 171 Town Centre 

Blvd., Markham. 905-305-7469; flatomarkhamtheatre.ca. 

$10-$26. 



See May 3. 

Monday May 6 

● 2:30: Orchestra Kingston. Lord of the 

Rings. Howard Shore: Lord of the Rings Trilogy 

and works by Wagner, Walton, Rimsky-Korsakov, 

Cameron, Mendelssohn, and 

Mascagni. Guests: Canta Arya School for 

Strings. The Spire/Sydenham Street United 

Church, 82 Sydenham St., Kingston. manager.orchestrakingston@gmail.com. 

$25; 

$20(sr/st); Free(16 & under). 

● 7:00: High Notes Avante Productions Inc. 

High Notes Gala for Mental Health. Shiner/ 

Taheri: We All Have a Story (world premiere); 

Milhaud: Scaramouche; and a variety of programming 

including dance & spoken word. 

Dan Hill, Ron Korb, Ernesto Ramirez, Nova 

Sounds, and Evan Carter. Richmond Hill Centre 

for the Performing Arts, 10268 Yonge St., 

Richmond Hill. 905-787-8811. $40; $20(st); 

$65(VIP, includes drink voucher and La Rocca 

dessert and artist meet & greet with Luba 

Goy). Supporting High Notes Avante’s free 

music lessons and other programming for 

people touched by mental illness. 

Tuesday May 7 


Lunchtime Chamber Music: Flute Recital. 

Gillian Derer, flute. Yorkminster Park Baptist 



welcome. 


Recital. William Lupton, organ. Cathedral 




● 3:00: Fallsview Casino Resort. 5th Dimension. 

Avalon Theatre (Fallsview Casino), 

6380 Fallsview Blvd., Niagara Falls. ticketmaster.ca. 

$45.85-$75.85. Also May 8(3pm 

& 8:30pm). 


Society. An Unusual Trio: Viola, Oboe, Piano. 

Loeffler: Two Rhapsodies; Klughardt: Schifflieder; 

Beethoven: Trio in B-flat Op.11 (arr. for 

English horn, piano, and viola). Judith Souman, 

viola; David Vanbiesbrouck, oboe; Beth 

Ann de Sousa, piano. First United Church, 

16 William St. W., Waterloo. 519-569-1809 or 

www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms. $20; $10(st). 


The Trans-Canada Highwaymen. Steven 

Paige, Chris Murphy, Craig Northey, Moe 

Berg. FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 

Partridge Hall, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 


$59; $49(members). 



Vocal Series: Les Adieux. Charlotte Siegel and 

GALA for 

MENTAL HEALTH 

● 2:00: Toronto Children’s Chorus. True Colours: 

Let Your Light Shine! Zimfira Poloz, conductor. 

George Weston Recital Hall, Meridian 

Arts Centre, 5040 Yonge St. www.torontochildrenschorus.com/performances. 

● 2:00: Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church. 

Tango for Two. A new concert-opera with original 

music and libretto by Jonathan Kravtchenko. 

Antonina Laskarzhevska, soprano; 

Bohdan Kirieiev, baritone. Jeanne Lamon 

Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor 

St. W. www.eventbrite.com/e/tango-fortwo-may-5-2024-tickets-781421882887 

or 

“ 

Anniversary 

Celebration 

MONDAY MAY 6TH, 7:00pm 

Richmond Hill Centre for Performing Arts 

highnotesavante.ca • 905.787.8811 

#WEALLHAVEASTORY #MUSICISMEDICINE 



Queen Hezumuryango, COC Ensemble Studio 

Artists. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, 





Noonday Organ Recital. Sharon L. Beckstead, 




See May 7. Also May 8(8:30pm). 


Pasquale. See Apr 26. Also May 10, 12 (2pm), 

18 (4:30 pm). 





Instrumental Series: Chopin, Poetry, and 

Death. Chopin: Piano Sonata No.2 in b-flat; 

and selected Preludes, Mazurkas, Nocturnes, 

and Polonaises. Ludmil Angelov, 

piano. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four 





Noon at Met. Parker Clements, baritone; 

Dakota Scott-Digout, piano. Metropolitan 

United Church, 56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 

x226. Freewill donation. 


See May 3. Also May 11, 15, 17. 

● 8:00: Art of Time Ensemble. Both Sides 

Now. New arrangements of 14 of Joni Mitchell’s 

classics. Art of Time Ensemble with 

Hawksley Workman, Sarah Slean, Jasmyn, 

Abigail Lapell, and Gregory Hoskins. Harbourfront 

Centre Theatre, 235 Queens Quay W. 

416-973-4000. From $39. Also May 10(8pm) 

& 11(8pm). 


The Transcanada Highwaymen. Burlington 

Performing Arts Centre - Main Theatre, 

440 Locust St., Burlington. www.burlingtonpac.ca 

or 905-681-6000. From $69.50. 


21C Music Festival Series: Kronos Quartet: 

Five Decades. Works by Lizée, Riley, Rini 

and Vrebalov. Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre, 



● 8:00: TO Live. Eve Egoyan: Longing and 

Belonging. Music by Armenian composers. 


Arts Centre, 5040 Yonge St. 416-366-7723 or 

www.tolive.com. $45.25-$56.75. 



Recital. Works by William Bolcom, Chopin, 

and Franck. Jin Lee Youn, violin; Su Jeon 

Higuera, piano. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian 

Church, 73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x220. 


● 7:00: Sinfonia Ancaster. Unabashedly 

Romantic Featuring Valerie Tryon. Grieg: 

Piano Concerto in a Op.16; Tchaikovsky: Symphony 

No.2 in c Op.17. Valerie Tryon, piano; 

Sinfonia Ancaster; Jeffrey Pollock, music director 

& conductor. Ancaster Memorial Arts 

Centre, Peller Hall, 357 Wilson St. E., Ancaster. 

www.sinfoniaancaster.com or 905-304- 

3232. $25; $20(sr); $15(under 25). 


Pasquale. See Apr 26. Also May 12 (2pm), 18 

(4:30 pm). 


Mezzopiano: Histoires naturelles - An Animated 

Feature. Ravel: Histoires naturelles; 

Poulenc: Le Bestiaire; and other works. St. 

Thomas’s Anglican Church, 383 Huron St. 

www.stthomas.on.ca or 416-483-5488. Pay 

What You Wish ($40 suggested). 

● 7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Tchaikovsky 

+ Brahms. Julia Mermelstein: New 

Work (May 10 only. World première/TSO 

Commission); Christina Volpini: New Work 

(May 11 only. World première/TSO Commission); 

Brahms: Violin Concerto; Tchaikovsky: 

Symphony No.4 (performed side by side with 

Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra). Frank 

Peter Zimmermann, violin; Toronto Symphony 

Youth Orchestra; Gustavo Gimeno, conductor. 


3375. From $35. Also May 11(8pm). 

● 7:30: Upper Canada Choristers/Cantemos. 

New Beginnings. Celebrating the 30th 

anniversary of Upper Canada Choristers. 

Gwyneth Twyford: We’ll Live in Harmony 

(world premiere); David Archibald: To Greet 

the Sun (world premiere); Matthew Secaur: 

Little Robin (world premiere); Laurie Evan 

Fraser: Heartshine – Brilla Corazón (world 

premiere); and other works. Upper Canada 

Choristers; Cantemos; Boys’ Choir of 

Maurice Cody Junior Public School; Hye 

Won (Cecilia) Lee, piano; Laurie Evan Fraser, 

conductor. Grace Church on-the-Hill, 

300 Lonsdale Rd. www.uppercanadachoristers.org 

or info@uppercanadachoristers.org 

or 416-256-0510. $25 via Eventbrite or at the 

door; Free(children under 16 with an adult). 

Free streaming at www.uppercanadachoristers.org. 

Donations are welcome. LIVE & 

STREAMED. 


Now. See May 9. Also May 11(8pm). 

● 8:00: Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Lightning, Storms and the Quiet City. Elfrieda 

Andrée: Overture in G Minor; Copland: 

Quiet City; Mendelssohn: Hebrides Overture 

Op.26; Brahms: Symphony No.2 in D Op.73; 

Jonah Gallas: Lightning. Cris Sewerin, oboe; 

Sam Cancellara, trumpet; Matthew Jones, 

conductor. Martingrove Collegiate Institute, 

50 Winterton Dr., Etobicoke. www.eporchestra.ca/season/2324/lightning-storms-andthe-quiet-city. 

$30; $25(sr); $15(st); Free(12 

and under). 

● 8:00: Exultate Chamber Singers. Home 

in the 6ix–Part 2! Premiere of a new work by 

Andrew Balfour, as well as music by Shireen 

Abu Khader, Larysa Kuzmenko, and John 

Beckwith. Mark Ramsay, artistic Director 

and conductor; Mira Jung, piano. Calvin Presbyterian 

Church, 26 Delisle Ave. 416-971- 

9229 or www.exultate.net/performances. 

Pay What You Wish: $5, $20, $40 or over. Tax 

receipt. 7:15pm: Pre-chat chat with Toronto 

composers. 

● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. “A Night in Vegas” 

with Micah Barnes, Billy Newton-Davis and 

Stu Harrison. Pop, R&B, Broadway, Country, 

MAY 11 • 3 pm 

All Saints Kingsway 

Anglican Church 

Rock, Jazz, Gospel. 21 Old Mill Rd. www.oldmilltoronto.com/event/a-night-in-vegas. 



at 8pm. 


Chamber & String Concerts Series: Brentano 

Quart, Jonathan Biss & Joseph 

Conyers. Schubert: Piano Quintet in A D.667 

op.posth.114 (“The Trout”); Beethoven: String 

Quartet No.13 in B-flat Op.130. Koerner Hall, 



From $45. 

TRANSFORMATIONS 

Directed by 

Kristian Bezuidenhout 

May 10–12 




● 8:00: Tafelmusik. Transformations: Bach 

& Rameau. Handel: Trio Sonata in G; Purcell: 

Ayres for the Theatre; Bach: Harpsichord 

Concerto in g; and works by Rameau. Kristian 

Bezuidenhout, guest director and harpsichord; 

Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. 

Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 

427 Bloor St. W. www.tafelmusik.org/transformations 

or 416-964-6337. From $47. Also 

May 11(8pm) & 12(3pm). 

● 8:00: TO Live. Kaha:wi Dance Theatre’s 

SKéN:NEN. Bluma Appel Theatre, St. Lawrence 

Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416- 

366-7723 or www.tolive.com. From $30. Also 

May 11. 


● 2:00: Toronto City Opera. Macina Competition. 

Features eight competition winners. 

Church of the Redeemer, 162 Bloor St. 

W. www.tickettailor.com/events/torontocityopera/1171496. 

General admission: $20. 

● 3:00: Church of St. Peter and St. Simonthe-Apostle. 

Can We Sing the Darkness to 

Light? - Music of Hope and Reflection. Haydn: 

Mass in the Time of War; Kyle Pederson: Can 

We Sing the Darkness to Light?; John Rutter: 

Hymn to the Creator of Light; Charles Wood: 

Hail Gladdening Light. Choir of St. Peter and 

St. Simon-the-Apostle and Instrumentalists 

from Arcady; Robin Davis, conductor. 

525 Bloor St. E. 416-923-8714 or www.eventbrite.ca/manage/events/852630238997/tickets. 

$30; Free(under 15). 

● 3:00: Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Music for Moms. Elfrieda Andrée: Overture 

in G Minor; Copland: Quiet City; Mendelssohn: 

Hebrides Overture Op.26; Brahms: Allegro 


from Symphony No.2 in D Op.73; Jonah Gallas: 

Lightning. Cris Sewerin, oboe; Sam 

Cancellara, trumpet; Matthew Jones, conductor. 

All Saints Kingsway Anglican Church, 

2850 Bloor St. W. www.eporchestra.ca/season/2324/music-for-moms. 

$20; $10(child). 

Opera Salon 

OIC's 50th 

Birthday Party 

Saturday, May 11, 2024 4 pm 

The Edward Jackman Centre 

(947 Queen Street East, Toronto) 

Tickets: $25 

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

operainconcert.com 

● 4:00: VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert. 

VOICEBOX Opera Salon: Opera in Concert’s 

50th Birthday Party. Celebrating OIC’s 50th 

Anniversary in an intimate setting. Edward 

Jackman Centre, 947 Queen St. E., 2nd Floor. 

416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754 or www. 

operainconcert.com or www.tolive.com. $25. 

RE-SCHEDULED FROM MAR 9. 

● 7:00: Peterborough Singers. St Matthew’s 

Passion. Janelle Lucyk, soprano; Ian 

Sabourin, counter tenor; Adam Bishop, tenor; 

Alex Dobson, bass; Ian Sadler, organ; Christopher 

Bagan, harpsichord; Felix Deák, cello/ 

continuo; chamber orchestra. Emmanuel 

United Church (Peterborough), 534 George 

St. N., Peterborough. 705-745-1820 or www. 

peterboroughsingers.com. $40; $10(st). 

● 7:00: Vesnivka Choir. Spring Concert. 

Feauturing traditional music reflecting spring 

and summer rituals from both Ukrainian and 

Indigenous cultures, including multimedia 

elements. Vesnivka Choir; Toronto Ukrainian 

Male Chamber Choir. Guests: Red Sky 

Performance. Runnymede United Church, 

432 Runnymede Rd. Contact Nykola Parzei 

at 416-246-9880. Tickets available through 

Eventbrite or at the door. $25; Free(child 

under 16). 


See May 3. Also May 15, 17. 

● 7:30: Chorus York. Spring Treasures. Special 

Guest: Luminis Choir. St. Mary’s Anglican 

Church, 10030 Yonge St., Richmond Hill. 

www.chorusyork.ca or 905-884-7922. $25, 

Free(12 yr & under). 

● 7:30: Kingston Choral Society. Choral 

Masterworks. Rheinburger: Stabat Mater; 

Vivaldi: Gloria in D. Ian Juby, conductor & 

music director; Charlotte Stewart-Juby, 

soprano; Colleen Renihanm mezzo. The 

Spire/Sydenham Street United Church, 

82 Sydenham St., Kingston. www.kingstonchoralsociety.ca. 

$30(adults/sr); $20(st); 

Free(16 and under). 

● 7:30: Milton Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Renewal. Rossini: Overture to The Barber of 

Seville; Mendelssohn: Incidental Music to A 

Midsummer Night’s Dream; and music from 

Jurassic Park, Star Trek Through the Years, 

Star Wars, and other works. FirstOntario 

Arts Centre Milton, 1010 Main St. E., Milton. 

905-878-6000. $30; $25; $15(st/child). 

● 7:30: Oriana Singers. A Tribute to Gordon 

Lightfoot. Marking the first anniversary 

of Gordon Lightfoot’s passing. Guest artists: 

Toast. Lynn James, artistic director; Robert 

Grandy, accompanist. Port Hope United 

Church, 34 South St., Port Hope. www.orianasingers.com. 

$30(door); $25(adv); 

$10(st). 

● 7:30: Orpheus Choir of Toronto. The Notebooks 

of Leonardo da Vinci. Jocelyn Hagen: 

The Notebooks of Leonardo DaVinci. Eglinton 

St. George’s United Church, 35 Lytton Blvd. 

416-420-9660 or www.orpheuschoirtoronto. 

com. $45; $35(sr); $20(st). 


Saint-Saëns: "The Egyptian". Saint- 

Saëns: Piano Concerto No.5 in F Op.103 "The 

Egyptian"; Dvořák: Symphony No.6 in D Op. 

60. Vanessa Yu, piano; Ronald Royer, conductor. 

Salvation Army Scarborough Citadel, 

2021 Lawrence Ave. E., Scarborough. 647- 

482-7761 or www.spo.ca/event/egyptian. $35; 

$30(sr); $15(st). 

● 7:30: St. James Cathedral. Haydn: Nelson 

Mass & Te Deum. Also works by Mozart, 

Wesley and others. Choir of St. James Cathedral 

with orchestra; Thomas Bell, conductor. 

Cathedral Church of St. James, 106 King St. E. 

416-364-7865 or www.stjamescathedral.ca 

or info@stjamescathedral.ca. $30. 

● 7:30: VOCA Chorus of Toronto. Earth, 

Sea & Sky III. Works by Andrew Balfour, Ola 

Gjeilo, Sarah Quartel, Sherryl Sewepagaham, 

Scott Macmillan, and others. Alex Cheung, 

violin / fiddle; Suhashini Arulanandam, 

violin; Laurence Schaufele, viola, mandolin; 

Sybil Shanahan, cello; Jamie Drake, percussion; 

Jenny Crober, conductor; Dakota Scott- 

Digout, collaborative pianist. Eastminster 

United Church, 310 Danforth Ave. 416-947- 

8487. $30; $15(st). 

● 8:00: Acoustic Harvest. The Healing Garden 

Fundraiser. Featuring Stephen Fearing. 

St. Paul’s United Church, 200 McIntosh St., 

Scarborough. www.acousticharvest.ca or 

416-729-7564. $30. 

● 8:00: Alliance Française de Toronto. Eternal 

Cities by The Masmoudi Quartet. Blending 

Mediterranean-African musical traditions. 

Mohamed Masmoudi, oud/double bass/classical 

guitar & other musicians. Spadina 

Theatre, Alliance Française de Toronto, 

24 Spadina Rd. www.alliance-francaise.ca. 

$20; $15(sr/st). 


Now. See May 9. 

● 8:00: Greater Toronto Philharmonic 

Orchestra. Broadway Classics. Music from 

Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, Peter Pan: The 

Return; Sunday in the Park with George, The 

Phantom of the Opera, and The Sound of 

Music. Jeff Madden, Stephanie Brandt, Daniela 

(Ella) Boich, vocalists; Charles Cozens, 

conductor & arranger. Isabel Bader Theatre, 

93 Charles St. W. www.gtpo.ca or 647-238- 

0015. $35-$45. NOTE: Venue has changed. 

● 8:00: Kindred Spirits Orchestra. Per 

Aspera ad Astra. Falla: The Three-Cornered 

Hat Suites Nos.1 & 2; Chopin: Piano Concerto 

No.2 in f Op.21; Tchaikovsky: Symphony 

HAYDN: 

NELSON MASS & TE DEUM 

with choral music by Mozart, Wesley and others 

The Choir of 

St. James Cathedral 

in concert 

with orchestra 

Thomas Bell 

CONDUCTOR 

SCAN FOR 

TICKETS 

HERE: 

SATURDAY, MAY 11 

7:30PM 

St. James Cathedral, 

Toronto 

Tickets: $ 30 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: 

E: info@stjamescathedral.ca 

T: 416-364-7865 

W: stjamescathedral.ca 


Kindred Spirits Orchestra 

Krissan Alexander | Music Director 

PER ASPERA AD ASTRA 


No.5 in e Op.64. Ludmil Angelov, piano; Daniel 

Vnukowski, host; Kristian Alexander, conductor. 

Meridian Arts Centre, 5040 Yonge St., 

North York. 905-787-8811. $30-$40; $22.50- 

$30(sr); $15-$20(full time student or 18 and 

under). 7:10pm: Prélude pre-concert recital. 

7:20pm: pre-concert talk. Intermission discussion 

and Q&A with Ludmil Angelov and 

Daniel Vnukowski. Post-concert reception. 

● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Jazz 

Concerts Series: The Jon Cowherd Trio & 

Larnell Lewis & Joy Lapps. Koerner Hall, 



From $40. 

● 8:00: Tafelmusik. Transformations: Bach & 

Rameau. See May 10. Also May 12(3pm). 

● 8:00: TO Live. Kaha:wi Dance Theatre’s 

SKéN:NEN. See May 10. 

● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Tchaikovsky 

+ Brahms. See May 10(7:30pm). 



Pasquale. See Apr 26. Also May 18 (4:30 pm). 

● 3:00: Burlington Symphony Orchestra. 

Symphonic Fairy Tales. Rimsky-Korsakov: 

Scheherazade Op.35; Tchaikovsky: Waltz from 

Sleeping Beauty Op.66; Prokofiev: Peter and 

the Wolf Op.67; Humperdinck: Overture to 

Hansel and Gretel. Trevor Copp, mime; Christopher 

Gray, narrator. Burlington Performing 

Arts Centre, 440 Locust St., Burlington. 905- 

681-6000 or www.burlingtonsymphony.ca. 

$15-$50. 

● 3:00: Tafelmusik. Transformations: Bach & 

Rameau. See May 10. 


● 7:00: Array/ECCG Gamelan. Evergreen 

Club Contemporary Gamelan Monthly 

Meetup. Array Space, 155 Walnut Ave. 416- 

532-3019. Free. 

● 7:30: West Toronto Community Choir. 

Singing Across the Generations. A mix of pop, 

folk, musical theatre and oldies. Roncesvalles 

United Church, 214 Wright Ave. westtorontocommunitychoir@gmail.com. 

Free. 



Lunchtime Chamber Music: Piano Recital. 

Joyce Zhang, piano. Yorkminster Park Baptist 



welcome. 


Recital. Jonghee Yoon, organ. Cathedral 




● 5:30: Canadian Opera Company. Instrumental 

Series: Dream. Tim Beattie, guitar. 





● 7:30: Toronto Community Orchestra. 

We Danced All Night! Saint-Saëns: Danse 

macabre Op.40; Shostakovich: Jazz Suite 

No.2; Dvořák: Slavonic Dances; Loewe: 

Excerpts from My Fair Lady; Berlioz: Excerpts 

from Symphonie fantastique. Nicolo Arrigo: 

artistic director & conductor. East End United 

Church, 310 Danforth Ave. 416-358-0783. 

Admission by donation. 



Vocal Series: Over the Sea and Back Again. 

Time-honoured songs paired with contemporary 

Canadian works in a celebration of the 

past, present, and future of classical song, 

including music by Cecilia Livingston, COC 

Composer-in-Residence. Simone Osborne, 

soprano. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, 





Noonday Organ Recital. Christopher Dawes, 




Society. Brahms’ Fourth Symphony (4-hands 

piano). Angela Park and Stephan Sylvestre, 

4-hands piano. Keffer Memorial Chapel, Wilfrid 


THE NOTEBOOKS 

OF LEONARDO DAVINCI 

MAY 11TH - 7:30 PM 

EGLINTON ST GEORGE'S UNITED 

35 LYTTON BLVD 

THE AMADEUS CHOIR PRESENTS 

Featuring the Toronto Symphony 

Orchestra and incredible soloists 

MAY 15, 2024 7:30PM 

@ GEORGE WESTON 

RECITAL HALL 

AMADEUSCHOIR.COM 



$30; $20(st). 

● 7:30: Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto. 

Haydn’s Creation. Celebrates the 50th anniversary 

season. Amadeus Choir; Midori 

Marsh, soprano; Andrew Haji, tenor; Tyler 

Duncan, baritone; Toronto Symphony Orchestra. 


Arts Centre, 5040 Yonge St. www.amadeuschoir.com/haydns-creation. 

From $42. 


See May 3. Also May 17. 

● 7:30: Toronto Shape Note Singers. Sacred 

Harp Singing. Shape note music selections 

from the Sacred Harp tunebook. Singing 

is participatory, not a performance. No 

experience necessary. All are welcome and 

there are books to borrow. Friends House, 

60 Lowther Ave. 647-838-8764. Pay what you 

can. Also Jun 19, Jul 17, Aug 21, Sep 18, Oct 16, 

Nov 20 & Dec 18. 

● 8:00: Payadora Tango Ensemble. A Night 

of Tango with Payadora. Classic and modern 

tango, originals, and South American folk 

music. Rebekah Wolkstein, violin & vocals; 

Drew Jurecka, bandoneon/violin/mandolin; 

Robert Horvath, piano; Joe Phillips, doublebass 

& guitar; Elbio Fernandez, vocals. Jazz 

Bistro, 251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299. $25. 

Also Jul 17, Sep 18, Nov 13. 

● 8:00: TO Live. John Coltrane: Legacy. 

Joe Lavano, saxophone; Toronto Symphony 

Orchestra. Meridian Hall, 1 Front St. E. 416- 

366-7723; tolive.com. $50-$110. 



Noon at Met. John Paul Farahat, organ. 



● 8:00: Roy Thomson Hall. Itzhak Perlman, 

Violin & Rohan De Silva, Piano. 60 Simcoe St. 

www.tickets.mhrth.com. From $99. 



Recital. Bach: Suites for Solo Cello. Mansur 

Kadirov, cello. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian 

Church, 73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x220. 




● 7:30: TO Live/Glatz Concerts. Disney’s 

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the 

Black Pearl Live In Concert. Music by Klaus 

Badelt and Hans Zimmer. Film screening with 

live orchestra. Toronto Symphony Orchestra; 

Evan Mitchell, conductor. Meridian Hall, 

1 Front St. E. 416-366-7723 or www.tolive. 

com/Event-Details-Page/reference/Amadeus-2024. 

From $39. Also May 18. 

● 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre. Ballet Jörgen’s 

Anne of Green Gables - The Ballet. 

171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham. 905-305- 

7469; flatomarkhamtheatre.ca. $68(regular); 

$78(prime); $15(YTX). Also May 18(2pm). 

● 8:00: Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church. Tango 

for Two. A new concert-opera with original 

music and libretto by Jonathan Kravtchenko. 

Antonina Laskarzhevska, soprano; Bohdan 

Kirieiev, baritone. Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. 

Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. www.eventbrite. 

com/e/tango-for-two-may-5-2024-tickets-781421882887 

or 647-450-9806. From $20. 

● 8:30: Fallsview Casino Resort. TLC. OLG 

Stage at Fallsview Casino, 6366 Stanley Ave., 

Niagara Falls. ticketmaster.ca. From $76. 


● 2:00: Flato Markham Theatre. Ballet Jörgen’s 

Anne of Green Gables - The Ballet. See 


● 3:00: 5 at the First. String Extravaganza 

XII. Scott St. John & Csaba Koczo, violins; 

Caitlin Boyle & Theresa Rudolph, violasRachel 

Desoer & Rachel Mercer, cellos. First Unitarian 

Church, 170 Dundurn St. S., Hamilton. 

905-399-5125. $20; $15(sr); $5(st/unwaged); 

free(under 12). 


Pasquale. See Apr 26. 

● 7:00: TO Live/Glatz Concerts. Disney’s Pirates 

of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black 

Pearl Live In Concert. See May 17. 

● 7:30: Barrie Concerts Association. 

Pianofest. Eveleyn Liang, piano; Henry From, 

piano; and Elijah Orlenko, piano. Hiway Pentecostal 

Church, 50 Anne St. N., Barrie. www. 

barrieconcerts.org. Live: $35; $10(st). 

Livestream: $20; $10(st). Available for up to 

30 days after the concert. 

● 9:00: Fallsview Casino Resort. Diana Ross. 

OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino, 6366 Stanley 

Ave., Niagara Falls. www.ticketmaster.ca. 

From $88. 

● 9:00: Fallsview Casino Resort. Joey Fatone 

& AJ McLean: A Legendary Night. OLG Stage 

at Fallsview Casino, 6366 Stanley Ave., Niagara 

Falls. www.ticketmaster.ca. From $71. 


● 3:00: Trio Arkel. Chamber Music Concert. 

Brahms: Piano Quartet in g Op.25; Janáček: 

Selected movements from On an Overgrown 

Path; Beethoven: Trio No.3 in c Op.1 No.3. 

Marie Bérard, violin; Rémi Pelletier, viola; 

Winona Zelenka, cello. Guest: David Louie, 

piano. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, Jeanne Lamon 

Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. www.eventbrite.ca or 

admin@trioarkel.com or 647-229-6918. $40. 


● 3:00: Zula Presents. Something Else! Creative 

Music Series: Sophie Agnel & John 

Butcher + IPE Ceramix. Sophie Agnel, piano; 

John Butcher, saxophone; Imaginary Percussion 

Ensemble: Germaine Liu, Joe Sorbara, 

and Mark Zurawinski, percussion. With ceramic 

artist Chiho Tokita, ceramic artist. St. 

Cuthbert’s Presbyterian Church, 2 Bond St. 

N., Hamilton. Advance tickets at www.eventbrite.com/cc/2023-24-something-else-series-2783859 

or www.somethingelsefestival. 

com. From $15. 



Instrumental Series: Early Music Exploration. 

Join artists from The Toronto Consort 

in an exploration of early music with 

ties tocontemporary societal values. Richard 

Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre 



required. 


Lunchtime Chamber Music: Ragtime! Autumn 

Debassige, mezzo; Angus Sinclair, piano. 

Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge 

St. 416-922-1167 or www.yorkminsterpark. 



Recital. Organ soloist TBA. Cathedral Church 

of St. James, 106 King St. E. 416-364-7865 

or www.stjamescathedral.ca/recitals. Free. 

Donations encouraged. 

● 8:00: Tapestry Opera. Iron Chef 

d’Orchestre. A mix of classical and opera. 

Jennifer Tung, co-host; Keith Klassen, cohost; 

Krisztina Szabó, mezzo. Theatre Passe 

Muraille, 16 Ryerson Ave. 416-504-7529. Pay 

what you can $25, $45, or $65. 


Pops: Respect - A Tribute to Aretha Franklin. 

Shaleah Adkisson, vocalist; Blaine Alden 

Krauss, vocalist; Tamika Lawrence, vocalist; 

Dina Gilbert, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 

60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. From $62. Also 

May 22(2pm & 8pm). 



Noonday Organ Recital. Jeremy Tingle, 




Respect - A Tribute to Aretha Franklin. See 

May 21. Also May 22(8pm). 

● 8:00: Tapestry Opera. Le Kitchen Party. A 

mix of classical and opera. Julianne Gallant, 

host; Jacques Arsenault, tenor; Marie Andrée 

Gaudet, violin; Pierre-André Doucet, piano. 

Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Ave. 416- 

504-7529. Pay what you can $25, $45, or $65. 


Respect - A Tribute to Aretha Franklin. See 




Noon at Met. Simon Farintosh, guitar. Metropolitan 

United Church, 56 Queen St. E. 416- 

363-0331 x226. Freewill donation. 

● 7:00: Fallsview Casino Resort. 54•40, The 

Watchmen & The Pursuit of Happiness. OLG 

Stage at Fallsview Casino, 6366 Stanley Ave., 

Niagara Falls. ticketmaster.ca. From $65. 


Society. Guelph Festival Trio. Beethoven: 

Piano Trio in E-Flat Op.1 No.1; Charlotte 

Bray: Those Secret Eyes and That Crazed 

Smile; Schubert: Trio No.1 in B-flat Op.99. 

Sadie Fields, violin; Paul Pulford, cello; Ken 

Gee, piano. Keffer Memorial Chapel, Wilfrid 


Sunday, May 19, 2024 3pm 

Brahms Piano Quartet in G Minor/ 

Janáček/ On an Overgrown Path, 

selections/ Beethoven Trio in C Minor 

Guest Artist: 

David Louie, Piano 


$30; $20(st). 

● 8:00: Musical Stage Company. Canadian 

Festival of New Musicals: After the Rain. Book 

by Rose Napoli. Music & Lyrics by Suzy Wilde. 

A double bill with Cowboy Tempest Cabaret. 

Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley St. 

www.my.canadianstage.com/overview/9023. 

$22. Also May 25(3:30pm). 


Festival of New Musicals: Cowboy 

Tempest Cabaret. Book by Niall McNeil, 

Lucy McNulty & Anton Lipovetsky. Music 

by Anton Lipovetsky. Lyrics by Niall McNeil. 

A double bill with After the Rain. Berkeley 

Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley St. www. 

my.canadianstage.com/overview/9023. $22. 

Also May 25(3:30pm). 



Recital: Between Worlds. Works by Kevin Lau, 

Bartók, Ravel, and Kapustin. Melody Chan, 

piano; Alvin Tran, violin. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian 



● 7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club. Tom Lewis. 

Chaucer’s Pub, 122 Carling St., London. 519- 

319-5847 or folk@iandavies.com or www. 



Game On! Featuring soundtracks from an 

unprecedented lineup of blockbuster video 

game titles including Guild Wars 2, World of 

Warcraft, The Witcher 3, Bioshock, Assassin’s 

Creed, and many others, Game On! combines 

gorgeous symphonic arrangements with 

stunning, never-before-seen HD video. Roy 

Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or 

www.tso.ca. From $67. Also May 25. 


Festival of New Musicals: In Real Life. 

Book & Lyrics by Nick Green. Music & Lyrics 

by Kevin Wong. Berkeley Street Theatre, 

26 Berkeley St. www.my.canadianstage.com/ 

overview/9023. $31. Also May 25(8pm) & 

26(2pm). 

● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Fifth Element Jazz 

Quintet. Jazz, swing, ballad, Latin and hard 

bop. Nina Richmond, vocals; Jack Gelbloom, 

piano; Ron Johnston, bass; Glenn Anderson, 

Season Sponsors 

Trinity St. Paul's Centre 

https://trioarkel.eventbrite.ca 



drums; Dave Coules, tenor sax. 21 Old Mill 

Rd. www.oldmilltoronto.com/event/fifth-element. 


spend. Restricted to ages 19+. Dinner at 6pm. 

Show at 8pm. 

Collegiate Institute; and VIVA’s inaugural 

Composition Competition winner. Trinity-St. 

Paul’s Centre, Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor 

St. W. 416-788-8482. $25. 

● 7:00: Common Thread Community Chorus. 

Sing On! 25th Anniversary Concert. Guest 

artists: Anne Lederman & Ian Bell. Church 

of the Redeemer, 162 Bloor St. W. www.commonthreadchorus.ca. 

$35; $20(under 12). 

Pay what you can at the door. 

● 7:03: London Symphonia. Transformed. 

Ireland: Dowland Suite (arr. Shawn Spicer); 

Poulenc: Suite française (arr. Scott Harrison); 

Byrd: Earl of Oxford’s March (arr. Shawn 

Spicer); Praetorius/Tielman Susato: Danses 

from Terpsichore (arr. Shawn Spicer); Ives: 

Variations on America (arr. Scott Harrison); 

and other works. Shawn Spicer, trumpet; 

Brass and Winds of London Symphonia. 

Metropolitan United Church (London), 

468 Wellington St., London. 226-270-0910 or 

www.londonsymphonia.ca. $70(premium); 

$52(adult); $22(st). 

Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto, 

5183 Sheppard Ave. E., Scarborough. 416- 

879-5566 or www.cathedralbluffs.com. 

From $25. 

● 8:00: Mississauga Symphony Orchestra. 

Season Finale Masterworks: Alpine 

Symphony. R. Strauss: An Alpine Symphony 

Op.64. Living Arts Centre, Hammerson Hall, 

4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga. www.mississaugasymphony.ca 

or 905-306-6000. 

From $40. 







26(2pm). 

● 8:00: Toronto Bach Festival. The Game of 

Threes. Bach: Concerto for Three Violins in D 

BWV 1064R; Bach: Violin Concerto in a BWV 

1041; Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in 

G BWV 1048. Adrian Butterfield, violin; Patricia 

Ahern, violin; Cristina Zacharias, violin; 

John Abberger, oboe; The Toronto Bach Festival 

Orchestra. Eastminster United Church, 

310 Danforth Ave. www.torontobachfestival. 

org/2024-festival. Single tickets available Apr 4. 


● 12:00 noon: SING! The Toronto International 

Vocal Arts Festival. Free Concert. 

Distillery Historic District, 55 Mill St. www. 

singtoronto.com or 416-524-8123. Free. 

Common Thread 

Community Chorus 

presents 

SING ON! 

25TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT 

FEATURING GUEST ARTISTS 

Anne Lederman 

and Ian Bell 

SAT. MAY 25, 2024, 7pm 

Church of the Redeemer 

162 Bloor Street West 

TICKETS: $35 / UNDER 12: $20 

Pay-what-you-can available at the door 

To purchase tickets, visit 

commonthreadchorus.ca 

● 12:00 noon: Toronto Bach Festival. Organ 

Recital. Bach: Toccata and Fugue in d BWV 

565; Bach: An Wasserflüssen Babylon, BWV 

653bÀ 2 Clav. e Pedale doppio; Johann Adam 

Reinken: An Wasserflüssen Babylon; Buxtehude: 

Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern 

BuxWV 223; Bach: Wie schön leuchtet der 

Morgenstern BWV 739; Bach: Prelude and 

Fugue in C BWV 547. Aaron James, organ. St. 

Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 73 Simcoe St. 

www.torontobachfestival.org/2024-festival. 

Single tickets available Apr 4. 

● 1:00: Metropolitan United Church. Demonstrations 

of Canada’s largest pipe organ 

as part of Doors Open Toronto. Metropolitan 




Festival of New Musicals: After the Rain. Book 

by Rose Napoli. Music & Lyrics by Suzy Wilde. 

A double bill with Cowboy Tempest Cabaret. 

Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley St. 

www.my.canadianstage.com/overview/9023. 

$22. Also May 25(3:30pm). 


Festival of New Musicals: Cowboy Tempest 

Cabaret. Book by Niall McNeil, Lucy McNulty 

& Anton Lipovetsky. Music by Anton Lipovetsky. 

Lyrics by Niall McNeil. A double bill 

with After the Rain. Berkeley Street Theatre, 


overview/9023. $22. Also May 25(3:30pm). 

● 4:00: Toronto Bach Festival. Kaffeehaus. 

Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F BWV 

1046 (select movements); Bach: Hunt Cantata 

BWV 208. Yeree Suh, soprano; Ellen 

McAteer, soprano; Charles Daniels, tenor; 

Jesse Blumberg, bass; The Toronto Bach Festival 

Orchestra; With special guestRH Thomson; 

John Abberger, director. Church of the 

Holy Trinity, 19 Trinity Sq. www.torontobachfestival.org/2024-festival. 

Single tickets available 

Apr 4. Also 8pm. 

● 5:00: St. Elizabeth Scola Cantorum. Vespers 

Spring Concert. Works by Pachelbel, 

Bach, Canniciari, and Eleanor Daley. Imre 

Olah, conductor. St. Elizabeth of Hungary 

Roman Catholic Church, 432 Sheppard Ave. E. 

416-606-4144. Freewill offering. 

● 6:00: VIVA Singers Toronto. Poetry 

in Motion. Featuring all 7 of VIVA’s youth 

and adult choirs; Dancers from Oakwood 

● 7:30: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Take the 

Podium Conducting Symposium. The annual 

Choral Conducting Symposium returns this 

season under the leadership of Artistic Director 

Jean-Sébastien Vallée and invites emerging 

conductors and those who wish to refine 

their skills to participate in a five-day series 

of workshops and masterclasses with 

Jean-Sébastien. Participants will have the 

opportunity to conduct the 140 voices of the 

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the 24-voice 

professional TMSingers in rehearsals 

throughout the week and in the concluding 

public performance, which is live-streamed. 

Repertoire: Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem in d 

Op.48; Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir. 

Additional works by Lili Boulanger and Mel 

Bonis and a new commission by our composer-in-residence, 

Tracy Wong. Yorkminster 

Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St. www. 

tmchoir.org. TBA. 

● 7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Game 

On! See May 24. 

● 8:00: Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra. 

Orchestra Concert. Bruch: Violin Concerto 

in d Op.26; Mahler: Symphony No.1 

in D “Titan”. Joelle Kriger, violin; Martin 

MacDonald, conductor. P.C. Ho Theatre, 

● 8:00: Toronto Bach Festival. Kaffeehaus. 

Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F BWV 

1046 (select movements); Bach: Hunt Cantata 

BWV 208. Yeree Suh, soprano; Ellen 

McAteer, soprano; Charles Daniels, tenor; 

Jesse Blumberg, bass; The Toronto Bach Festival 

Orchestra; With special guestRH Thomson; 

John Abberger, director. Church of the 

Holy Trinity, 19 Trinity Sq. www.torontobachfestival.org/2024-festival. 


Apr 4. Also 4pm. 


● 12:00 noon: SING! The Toronto International 

Vocal Arts Festival. Free Concert. 

Kew Gardens, 2075 Queen St. E. www.singtoronto.com 

or 416-524-8123. Free. 

● 1:00: Toronto Bach Festival. Annual Lecture: 

Bach’s Music Library and Its Influence 

on His Style. A special lecture via live stream 

from Germany will examine the music found 

in Bach’s personal library, and discuss how 

this collection demonstrates the composer’s 

familiarity with a significant expanse of European 

music history, from Palestrina to Pergolesi. 

Christian Wolff, presenter. Eastminster 

United Church, 310 Danforth Ave. www. 

torontobachfestival.org/2024-festival. Single 

tickets available Apr 4. 

● 2:00: CAMMAC Toronto Region. Reading 

for singers and instrumentalists of Marc- 

Antoine Charpentier’s Te Deum in D H146. 

Nathan Gritter, conductor. Christ Church 

Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. www.cammac.ca/ 


toronto. $15; $10(members). 

● 2:00: Metropolitan United Church. Metropolitan 

Silver Band Concert as part of Doors 

Open Toronto. Metropolitan United Church, 

56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 x226. Freewill 

donation. 







25(8pm). 

● 3:00: Metropolitan United Church. Demonstrations 

of Canada’s largest pipe organ 

as part of Doors Open Toronto. Metropolitan 



● 4:00: Toronto Bach Festival. How Brightly 

Shines. Johann Schelle: Gott, sende dein 

Licht; Johann Kuhnau: Wie schön leuchtet der 

Morgenstern; Bach: Wie schön leuchtet der 

Morgenstern BWV 1; Bach: Es wartet alles auf 

dich BWV 187. Yeree Suh and Sinéad White, 

sopranos; Daniel Taylor and Nicholas Burns, 

altos; Charles Daniels and Shane Hanson, 

tenors; Jesse Blumberg and Martin Gomes, 

basses;The Toronto Bach Festival Orchestra; 

John Abberger, director. Eastminster United 

Church, 310 Danforth Ave. www.torontobachfestival.org/2024-festival. 


Apr 4. 

● 4:00: Wychwood Clarinet Choir. Southern 

Rhythms. Pujol: Suite Buenos Aires; Jobim: 

No More Blues; Jobim: Quiet Nights of Quiet 

Stars; Luigi Denzal: Funiculi, Funicula; Robert 

Sjölin: Plaza de Cataluna; Luiz Bonfa: Manha 

de Carnaval. Wychwood Clarinet Choir; Tim 

Phelan, guitar; Michele Jacot, director & 

clarinet solo. St. Michael and All Angels Anglican 

Church, 611 St. Clair Ave. W. www.wychwoodclarinetchoir.ca. 

$25; $15(sr/st). 

● 7:00: INNERchamber Inc. Meditations. 

Raymond Luedeke: Aurora; Barbara Pentland: 

Trance; Isaac Albéniz: Mallorca; Jean- 

Michel Damase: Trio for flute, cello and harp. 

Liesel Deppe, flute; Julia Seager-Scott, harp; 

Ben Bolt-Martin, cello. Factory 163, 163 King 

St., Stratford. tickets@innerchamber.ca. 

$45; $30(arts workers/st). 5:30pm - Preshow 

dinner. A light meal is available to inperson 

patrons. 

● 7:30: SING! The Toronto International 

Vocal Arts Festival. Countermeasure 

with Quayside Voices. Redwood Theatre, 

1300 Gerrard Ave. E. www.singtoronto.com 

or 416-524-8123. $40. 


● 7:00: Apocryphonia. Strozz-ulana! Madrigals 

by Barbara Strozzi & Maddalena 

Casulana. Diapente Renaissance Vocal 

Quintet: Jane Fingler, soprano; Peter Koniers, 

countertenor; Alexander Cappellazzo, 

tenor; Martin Gomes, bass. Heliconian Hall, 

35 Hazelton Ave. 514-378-2558. Pay What You 

Can: suggested $20-$30. 


Vocal Arts Festival. SING! from Home - Aca- 

Film Festival and Concert. www.singtoronto. 

com or 416-524-8123. Free. ONLINE. 

● 8:00: Summerhill Orchestra. In Concert. 

Schumann: Overture to Manfred Op.115; 

Sibelius: Violin Concerto in d Op.47. Jonathan 

Crow, violin; Natalie Wong, concertmaster; 

Sarah John, conductor. Church of the Holy 

Trinity, 19 Trinity Sq. summerhillorchestra@ 

gmail.com or www.summerhillorchestra. 

wordpress.com. From $20. 



Lunchtime Chamber Music: Flute Recital. 

Hannah Silverberg, flute. Yorkminster Park 

Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167 

or www.yorkminsterpark.com. Free. Donations 

welcome. 


Recital. Jennifer Goodine, organ. Cathedral 





Vocal Arts Festival. Art Battle with Beatsync 

and Beatboxer Scott Jackson. The Great Hall, 

1087 Queen St. W. www.singtoronto.com or 

416-524-8123. Ticket prices to be announced. 

Wednesday May 29 


Instrumental Series: Tell Me a Story. Dustin 

Peters: Ekphrasis, for celesta and ensemble 

(world premiere); Stravsinky: Dunbarton 

Oaks; Haydn: Symphony No.60 in C Hob.I/60 

“Il Distratto”. Artists of the COC Orchestra. 






Vocal Arts Festival. Ruach Singers. Beach 

Hebrew Institute, 109 Kenilworth Ave. www. 

singtoronto.com or 416-524-8123. Free. 

Advance ticket required. 


Vocal Arts Festival. Pressgang Mutiny Singalong. 

Saulter Street Brewery, 31 Saulter St., 

Suite #1. www.singtoronto.com or 416-524- 

8123. Free. 


James Ehnes + An American in Paris. Guillaume 

Connesson: “Celephais” from The 

Cities of Lovecraft (Canadian première); 

Bernstein: Serenade (after Plato’s Symposium); 

Poulenc: Suite from Les biches; Gershwin: 

An American in Paris. James Ehnes, 

violin; Stéphane Denève, conductor. Roy 

Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. 

From $35. Also May 30 & Jun 1. 


for violin & cello; Martinu: Madrigals for violin 

and viola; Dvořák: String Quartet No.10 

in E-flat Op.51. Museum London, 421 Ridout 

St. N., London. www.magisterra.com. $35; 

$30(sr); $15(st); $10(under 10). 


James Ehnes + An American in Paris. See 

May 29. Also Jun 1. 



Recital. Luke Welch, piano. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian 



● 7:30: Canadian Children’s Opera Company. 

The Hobbit. Music by Dean Burry. Based on 

the book by J. R. R. Tolkien. Harbourfront 

Centre Theatre, 235 Queens Quay W. www. 

canadianchildrensopera.com/thehobbit. 

$40; $30(sr); $25(18 years and younger/arts 

workers/school & community groups). Please 

contact CCOC for student group pricing. Also 

Jun 1(3pm & 7:30pm); Jun 2(3pm). 

● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Julie Michels. Jazz. 

21 Old Mill Rd. www.oldmilltoronto.com/ 

event/julie-michels. $20. Minimum $30 food 

& beverage spend. Restricted to ages 19+. 

Dinner at 6pm. Show at 8pm. 


Vocal Arts Festival. Celebration of Asian 

Heritage Concert. Asian Riffing Trio; Two.H, 

beatboxer, and others. Redwood Theatre, 

1300 Gerrard Ave. E. www.singtoronto.com 

or 416-524-8123. $40. 

A HANDEL 

CELEBRATION 

Directed by 

Ivars Taurins 

May 31–June 2 




May 26, 4 pm 

SOUTHERN 

RHYTHMS 

MICHELE JACOT, 

Conductor 

Guest Artist: 

TIM PHELAN, 

Guitar 

wychwoodclarinetchoir.ca 


Vocal Series: Les Adieux. Ariane Cossette 

and Alex Hetherington, Ensemble Studio Artists. 






Noon at Met. Mark Valenti, piano. Metropolitan 




Music Society. Piano Recital. Program to 

be announced. Mark Valenti, piano. Venue 

TBA. 519-569-1809 or www.ticketscene.ca/ 

kwcms. $30; $20(st). 

● 7:00: Magisterra Soloists. Magisterra at 

the Museum: Bohemian Rhapsody. Fibich: 

Theme and Variations; Martinu: Duo No.1 

● 8:00: Tafelmusik. A Handel Celebration. 

Arias, duets, and choruses from Solomon, 

Hercules, Semele, and Judas Maccabeus. 

Amanda Forsythe, soprano; Thomas Hobbs, 

tenor; Tafelmusik Chamber Choir; Tafelmusik 

Baroque Orchestra; Ivars Taurins, director. 

Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor 

St. W. www.tafelmusik.org/handel-celebration 

or 416-408-0208. $48. Also Jun 1(8pm) 

& 2(3pm). 

Saturday June 1 


The Hobbit. See May 31. Also Jun 1(7:30pm); 

Jun 2(3pm). 








June 1, 4pm 

Canadian Chamber 

Orchestra 

Ladom Ensemble 

APERTURE ROOM 



for purchase. Canadian Chamber Orchestra 

& Ladom Ensemble. Aperture Room, Thornton-Smith 

Building, 340 Yonge St. www. 

musictoronto.com. $40(single); $20(st/arts). 


Vocal Arts Festival. Great North Battle Beatboxers, 

Workshops, and Competition. Two.H, 

beatboxer & River, beatboxer. El Mocambo, 

464 Spadina Ave. www.singtoronto.com or 

416-524-8123. Ticket prices to be announced. 


Vocal Arts Festival. SING! with Pride! Singing 

Out and Tempo Choirs plus special guests. 

Redwood Theatre, 1300 Gerrard Ave. E. www. 

singtoronto.com or 416-524-8123. $40. 


The Hobbit. See May 31. Also Jun 2(3pm). 

● 7:30: Etobicoke Centennial Choir. Musica 

del sur. Gorgeous melodies and infectious 

Bossa Nova rhythms of Latin American music 

from composers including Carlos Jobim, 

Moisés Simon and Raphael Hernandez. 

Runnymede United Church, 432 Runnymede 

Rd. 416-779-2258 or www.etobicokecentennialchoir.ca. 

$30. 

● 7:30: Jubilate Singers. Requiems. Faure: 

Requiem Op.48; Aharon Harlap: Requiem. Jubilate 

Singers; York Chamber Ensemble. Christ 

Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. 416-485- 

1988 or www.jubilatesingers.ca. $35; $25(sr); 

$15(st/arts workers). Also Jun 2(4pm). St. 

Paul’s Anglican Church, Newmarket. 

FASCINATING 

RHYTHM 

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 2024 

AT 7:30 PM 

ANNEXSINGERS.COM 

● 7:30: The Annex Singers. Fascinating 

Rhythm. Works by Hildegard von Bingen, 

Monteverdi, Gershwin, McGlynn, Balfour, and 

others. Alejandro Céspedes and Michelle Colton, 

percussion; Maria Case, artistic director. 

Grace Church on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale 

Rd. www.annexsingers.com. From $15. LIVE 

& STREAMED. 

BACK TO 

● 8:00: SoundCrowd. Back to Broadway 

Live. A cappella arrangements of songs from 

Broadway hits like Wicked, Spamalot, Les 

Misérables, Sound of Music, and Guys and 

Dolls. Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St. 

W. 647-970-1397 www.soundcrowd.ca. $35. 

Tickets on sale Apr 1. 


See May 31. Also Jun 2(3pm). 


James Ehnes + An American in Paris. See 

May 29. 

● 8:00: Voices Chamber Choir. All-Night 

Vigil. Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil Op.37. Ron 

Cheung, conductor. St. Martin-in-the-Fields 

Anglican Church, 151 Glenlake Ave. 416-519- 

0528. $20; $15(sr/st). Cash only. 

Sunday June 2 


The Hobbit. See May 31. 



10TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON! 

Flute Street 

Jubilate 

singers 

PRESENTS 

Crossing 

the 

Bridge 

SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 4PM 

www.flutestreet.ca 

● 4:00: Flute Street. Tenth Anniversary Season: 

Crossing the Bridge. Cecila McDowall: 

Crossing the Bridge; Gregory Lee Newsome: 

Corruscating; Alexandra Molnar-Suhajda: 

Voices of the Deep; Kelly Via: Meditation 

on Abide with Me. Nancy Nourse, artistic 

Requiems 

GABRIEL FAURÉ & 

AHARON HARLAP 

Christ Church Deer Park, 

Toronto, Sat June 1, 7:30 

St. Paul’s Anglican Church, 

Newmarket, Sun June 2, 4:00 

www.jubilatesingers.ca 

director; Isaac Page, conductor. Church of St. 

Peter and St. Simon-the-Apostle, 525 Bloor 

St. E. 416-462-9498 or www.flutestreet. 

ca. Pay what you can (cash only) - $20-$30 

suggested. 

● 4:00: Jubilate Singers. Requiems. Faure: 

Requiem Op.48; Aharon Harlap: Requiem. 

Jubilate Singers; York Chamber Ensemble. 

St. Paul’s Anglican Church, 227 Church St., 

Newmarket. 416-485-1988 or www.jubilatesingers.ca. 

$35; $25(sr); $15(st/arts 

workers). Also Jun 1(7:30pm). Christ Church 

Deer Park, Toronto. 


Music Society. Piano Recital. Program to be 

announced. Peter Vinograde, piano. Keffer 

Memorial Chapel, Wilfrid Laurier University, 

75 University Ave. W., Waterloo. 519-569- 

1809 or www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms. $30; 

$20(st). 

Tuesday June 4 


Lunchtime Chamber Music. Bedford Trio. 

Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge 

St. 416-922-1167 or www.yorkminsterpark. 



Recital. Paul Jenkins, organ. Cathedral 




Wednesday June 5 


Noonday Organ Recital. Dan Norman, organ. 



Thursday June 6 


Noon at Met. Manuel Piazza, organ. Metropolitan 




Chamber & String Concerts Series: Hilary 

Hahn with Andreas Haefliger. Brahms: 

Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Op.78 (“Regensonate”), 

Violin Sonata No.2 in A Op.100 

(“Thun” or “Meistersinger”), Violin Sonata 

No. 3 in d Op.108. Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre, 



Friday June 7 

● 7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Mendelssohn’s 

Violin. Ian Cusson: New Work 

(World première/Art of Healing Program 

Commission in Partnership with CAMH); 

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto; Bartók: Divertimento 

for String Orchestra; Mozart: Symphony 

No.38 K.504 “Prague”. Randall Goosby, 

violin; Gustavo Gimeno, conductor. Roy Thomson 

Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375. From 

$35. Also Jun 8(8pm) & 9(3pm). 

● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Alison Young. Jazz. 

21 Old Mill Rd. www.oldmilltoronto.com/ 

event/alison-young. $20. Minimum $30 food 

& beverage spend. Restricted to ages 19+. 

Dinner at 6pm. Show at 8pm. 


Ongoing, On Demand & Other 

FILMS 

● Apr 28 4:00: Silent Revue. The Phantom of 

the Opera. A 1925 silent film screening from 

the US with live musical accompaniment. 

Director: Rupert Julian. Cast: Lon Chaney, 

Norman Kerry, Mary Philbin. Live accompaniment 

by Tania Gill. Curated by Alicia Fletcher. 

Revue Cinema, 400 Roncesvalles Ave. 416- 

531-9950 or info@revuecinema.ca. $17; 

$14(Bronze/Loyalty Members, st/sr); $13(Silver 

Members); Free(Gold/Individual/Family 

Members). 

LIVE REHEARSAL 

& PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES 

● A New Quartet is an emerging Toronto 

area ensemble that rehearses traditional 

repertoire and writes new music. The quartet 

is currently seeking saxophone players 

and composers. For details please visit www. 

anewquartet.net. 

● The Choralairs is a non-audition, adult 

choir that welcomes new members in September 

and January. Rehearsals are on Tuesday 

6:45-8-45pm at Edithvale C.C. 131 Finch 

Ave. W, Toronto. Please contact Elaine at 

choralairs.delighted.720@silomails.com to 

RSVP. Check out our new website at www. 

Choralairs.com. 

● Etobicoke Community Concert Band. Full 

rehearsals every Wednesday night at 7:30pm. 

309 Horner Ave. Open to all who are looking 

for a great band to join. Text Rob Hunter at 

416-878-1730. 

● Harmony Singers of Etobicoke. The 

women of The Harmony Singers survived 

COVID and are regrouping for 2024! If you’d 

like to sing an exciting repertoire of pop, jazz, 

folk and light classics, the group will give you 

a warm welcome! Rehearsals start in January 

on Wednesday nights from 7:15 to 9:30 

p.m. at Richview United Church in Etobicoke. 

Contact Conductor Harvey Patterson 

at: theharmonysingers@ca.com or call 

416-239-5821. 

● New Horizons Band of Toronto. All levels 

from beginners to advanced for brass, woodwind, 

and percussion instruments. Weekly 

classes led by professional music teachers. 

Loaner instrument provided to each new 

registrant in the beginners’ program. Visit 

www.newhorizonsbandtoronto.ca. 

● North Toronto Community Band. Openings 

for drums, clarinets, trumpets, trombones, 

French horns. Rehearsals held at Willowdale 

Presbyterian Church 38 Ellerslie Ave. 

(just north of Mel Lastman Square). Monday 

evenings 7:30-9:30 pm. Contact ntcband@ 

gmail.com. 

DO YOU DRIVE? 

Do you love The WholeNote? 

Share the love and earn a little money! 

Join our circulation team, and deliver 

6 times a year. Currently 

seeking circulation associates 

for the GTA. 

Interested? 

Contact: 

circulation@thewholenote.com 

● Open Mic at the Library: North York 

Library: Open Mic. (Music, Poetry & Storytelling). 

Musicians, poets, and storytellers 

are invited to come share your talents at the 

North York Central Library open mic! Acoustic 

guitar & piano provided. 7 minutes performance. 

For adults, seniors and teens. No 

registration required. Sign-up is at 5:30pm. 

For more information, contact the Language, 

Literature & Fine Arts Department at 

416-395-5639. 2024 Sessions: Fri, Apr 12, 

6-7:30pm. North York Central Library - 

5120 Yonge St. Auditorium (2 nd Floor). 

● Strings Attached Orchestra, North York. 

All string players (especially viola, cello, 

bass) are welcome. Mondays 7 to 9 p.m. 

from Sep to Jun. Email us first at info.stringsattached@gmail.com 

to receive music and 

other details or visit our website at www. 

stringsattachedorchestra.com for more 

information. 

● Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Singsation. 

See listing page 41. 

● Toronto Shape Note Singers. Sacred 

Harp Singing. Shape note selections from 

the Sacred Harp tunebook.Singing is participatory, 

not a performance. No experience 

necessary. All are welcome and there are 

books to borrow. Monthly on the third Wednesday 

from Feb 21 to Dec 8, 2024. Friends 

House, 60 Lowther Ave. 647-838-8764. Pay 

what you can. 

ONGOING EVENTS 

● Trinity College, University of Toronto. 

Evensong. Traditional Anglican choral music. 

Trinity College Chapel Choir; Thomas Bell, director 

of music; Peter Bayer, organ scholar. 

Trinity College Chapel, University of Toronto, 

6 Hoskin Ave. 416-978-2522 or Trinity College. 

Free. Evensong is sung every Wednesday at 

5:15pm in the beautiful Trinity College chapel 

during term time. 

● Encore Symphonic Concert Band. Monthly 

Concert Band Concert. The first Thursday of 

every month at 11am. 35-piece concert band 

performing band concert music, pop tunes, 

jazz standards (2 singers) and the occasional 

march. Trinity Presbyterian Church 

York Mills, 2737 Bayview Ave. www.encoreband.ca. 

$10. 

Saturday 

April 20 

10:30 am 

ONLINE EVENTS 

● Arts@Home. A vibrant hub connecting 

Torontonians to arts and culture. Designed to 

strengthen personal and societal resilience 

through the arts. www.artsathome.ca. 

● North Toronto Community Band. Openings 

for clarinet, trumpet, trombone, tuba 

and auxiliary percussion. Rehearsals held at 

Willowdale Presbyterian Church 38 Ellerslie 

Ave. (just north of Mel Lastman Square). 

Monday evenings 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Contact 

ntcband@gmail.com. 

BUSINESS 

CLASSIFIEDS 

Economical and visible! 

Promote your services 

& products to our 

musically engaged readers, 

in print and on-line. 

BOOKING DEADLINE: TUESDAY MAY 14 

advertising@thewholenote.com 

A vacation 

for your dog! 

Barker Avenue Boarding 

in East York 

call or text 416-574-5250 

Free listings: 

listings@thewholenote.com 

15% off your 1st clean 

If you can read this, 

thank a music teacher. 

MosePianoForAll.com 

AUDITION 

Apply to sing with Canada’s 

most renowned choir. 

Learn more at tmchoir.org 

● Recollectiv. For anyone living with cognitive 

challenges from Alzheimer’s, dementia, traumatic 

brain injury, stroke or PTSD. The group 

meets weekly to rediscover the joy of making 

music. Community members and music students 

are welcome to this fun, rewarding and 

inter-generational experience. Sessions take 

place from 2 to 3pm (with sound checks and 

socializing at 1:30pm). Please contact recollectiv@gmail.com 

for more information. 


Bebop Joe’s Coffee House 

960 Queen St W. 416-534-5298 

A cozy spot with great vibes, Bebop Joe’s Coffee 

House is the place for Armenian coffee, 

collectible vinyl, and live jazz on Queen Street. 

BSMT 254 

254 Lansdowne Ave. 416-801-6325 

bsmt254.com 

A cozy music venue with an underground 

vibe, BSMT 254 has a wide variety of shows, 

from jazz to hip-hop to DJ nights. 

Burdock 

1184 Bloor St. W. 416-546-4033 

burdockto.com 

A sleek music hall with exceptional sound 

and ambience, featuring a draft list of housemade 

brews. 

Cameron House 

408 Queen St. W. 416-703-0811 

thecameron.com 

An intimate, bohemian bar with ceiling 

murals & nightly performances from local 

roots acts on 2 stages. 

Capone’s Cocktail Lounge 

1573 Bloor St. W. 416-534-7911 

caponestoronto.com 

A self-described perfect marriage of an 

intimate cocktail den and comfortable neighbourhood 

bar, with live music Wednesday 

through Sunday. 

Castro’s Lounge 

2116 Queen St. E. 416-699-8272 

castroslounge.com 

Featuring an ever-changing selection of specialty 

beers, Castro’s hosts a variety of local 

live music acts, including bluegrass, jazz, 

rockabilly, and alt-country. 

C’est What 

67 Front St. E. 416-867-9499 

cestwhat.com 

A haven for those who appreciate real cask 

ale, draught beer from local Ontario breweries, 

and live music. 

Drom Taberna 

458 Queen St. W. 647-748-2099 

dromtaberna.com 

A heartfelt homage to the lands that stretch 

from the Baltic to the Balkans to the Black 

Sea, with a wide variety of music. 

MAINLY CLUBS 

The Old Mill’s legacy - over a century of live music history - continues in 

The Old Mill Jazz Lounge, where the golden age of jazz is still alive and 

well. At 9 Old Mill Rd. in Etobicoke, steps from the Old Mill subway. 

Emmet Ray, The 

924 College St. 416-792-4497 

theemmetray.com 

A whisky bar with a great food menu, an everchanging 

draft list, and live jazz, funk, folk and 

more in the back room. 

Golden Pigeon Beer Hall, The 

424 Parliament St. 416-392-1039 

goldenpigeonbar.com 

A classic beer hall with sophisticated food offerings, 

Golden Pigeon features a weekly Tuesday 

jazz night, as well as other special events. 

Grossman’s Tavern 

379 Spadina Ave. 416-977-7000 

grossmanstavern.com 

One of the city’s longest-running live music 

venues, and Toronto’s self-described “Home 

of the Blues.” 

Hirut Cafe and Restaurant 

2050 Danforth Ave. 416-551-7560 

hirut.ca 

A major destination for delicious and nutritious 

Ethiopian cuisine, with monthly jazz 

residencies and jam sessions. 

Hugh’s Room 

296 Broadview Ave. 647-960-2593 

hughsroom.com 

A dedicated listening room with an intimate 

performing space, great acoustics, and 

an attentive audience, Hugh’s Room recently 

made the move to their new permanent home 

on Broadview Avenue. 

Jazz Bistro, The 

251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299 

jazzbistro.ca 

In an historic location, Jazz Bistro features 

great food, a stellar wine list, and world-class 

jazz musicians in airy club environs. 

Jazz Lounge – See Old Mill, The 

Jazz Room, The 

Located in the Huether Hotel, 59 King St. N., 

Waterloo. 226-476-1565 

kwjazzroom.com 

A welcoming music venue dedicated to the 

best in jazz music presentations, and home to 

the Grand River Jazz Society, which presents 

regular series throughout the year. 

Lula Lounge 

1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307 

lula.ca 

Toronto’s mecca for salsa, jazz, afro-Cuban, 

and world music, with Latin dance classes 

and excellent food and drinks. 

Manhattans Pizza Bistro & Music Club 

951 Gordon St., Guelph 519-767-2440 

manhattans.ca 

An independently owned neighbourhood restaurant 

boasting a unique dining experience 

that features live music almost every night 

of the week. 

Mekan Toronto 

817 Queen St. W. 647-901-6280 

mekantoronto.com 

A new Queen St. spot with an emphasis on lively 

music, good times, and Turkish culture, Mekan 

features world music, jazz, swing, and more. 

Mezzetta Restaurant 

681 St. Clair Ave. W. 416-658-5687 

mezzettarestaurant.com 

With a cozy atmosphere and a menu of Middle-Eastern 

cuisine, Mezzetta hosts music on 

Wednesday evenings. 

Monarch Tavern 

12 Clinton St. 416-531-5833 

themonarchtavern.com 

With a café/cocktail bar on the main floor and 

a pub with microbrews upstairs, Monarch 

Tavern regularly hosts indie, rock, and other 

musical genres on its stage. 

Nice Bistro, The 

117 Brock St. N., Whitby. 905-668-8839 

nicebistro.com 

A French restaurant with Mediterranean flair, 

Nice Bistro hosts ticketed live music events 

once every month or so. 

Old Mill, The 

21 Old Mill Rd. 416-236-2641 

oldmilltoronto.com 

Jazz Lounge: 

An updated space in the Old Mill’s main dining 

room, the Jazz Lounge features an updated 

sound system, a new shareable menu, and listenable 

straightahead jazz. 

Oud and the Fuzz, The 

21 Kensington Ave. 647-283-9136 

With a focus on Armenian-inspired food and 

cocktails, The Oud and the Fuzz regularly presents 

a wide variety of musical genres, as 

well as poetry nights, themed Arabic events, 

and more. 

Pamenar 

307 Augusta Ave. 

cafepamenar.com 

One of the city’s best third-wave coffee shops 

by day and bar by night, Pamenar hosts live 

music, DJs, comedy, and more. 

Pilot Tavern, The 

22 Cumberland Ave. 416-923-5716 

thepilot.ca 

With over 75 years around Yonge and Bloor, 

the Pilot is a multi-level bar that hosts live jazz 

on Saturday afternoons. 

Poetry Jazz Café 

1078 Queen St W. 416-599-5299 

poetryjazzcafe.com 

A sexy, clubby space, Poetry hosts live jazz, 

hip-hop, and DJs nightly on Queen St. West. 

Reposado Bar & Lounge 

136 Ossington Ave. 416-532-6474 

reposadobar.com 

A chic, low-light bar with top-shelf tequila, 

Mexican tapas, and live music. 

Reservoir Lounge, The 

52 Wellington St. E. 416-955-0887 

reservoirlounge.com 

Toronto’s self-professed original swingjazz 

bar and restaurant, located in a historic 

speakeasy near St. Lawrence Market, with 

live music four nights a week. 

Rev, La 

2848 Dundas St. W. 416-766-0746 

larev.ca 

La Rev offers their guests and authentic taste 

of comida casera (Mexican homestyle cooking), 

and a welcoming performance space 

featuring some of Toronto’s most talented 

musicians. 

Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Bar, The 

194 Queen St. W. 416-598-2475 

therex.ca 

With over 60 shows per month of Canadian 

and international groups, The Rex is Toronto’s 

longest-running jazz club, with full bar and 

kitchen menu. 

Sauce on Danforth 

1376 Danforth Ave. 647-748-1376 

sauceondanforth.com 

With Victorian lighting, cocktails, and an 

extensive tap and bottle list, Sauce on Danforth 

has live music Tuesday through Saturday 

(and sometimes Sunday). 

The Senator Winebar 

249 Victoria St 416 364-7517 

thesenator.com 

An intimate, upscale French-inspired bistro 

with live music serving hearty, delicious comfort 

food alongside a curated selection of 

wine and cocktails. 

Smokeshow BBQ and Brew 

744 Mt. Pleasant Rd 416-901-7469 

Smokeshowbbqandbrew.com 

A laid-back venue with an emphasis on barbecue 

and beer, Smokeshow hosts cover artists 

and original music Thursday through Sunday, 

with Bachata lessons on Tuesdays and Karaoke 

on Wednesdays. 

Tapestry 

224 Augusta Ave. 

In the space formerly occupied by Poetry, 

Tapestry features jazz, electronic music, soul, 

and more. 

Tranzac 

292 Brunswick Ave. 416-923-8137 

tranzac.org 

A community arts venue dedicated to supporting, 

presenting, and promoting creative 

and cultural activity in Toronto, with 

live shows in multiple rooms every day of 

the week. 


THE WHOLENOTE 

MUSICAL WHO’S WHO 

2024 CHORAL 

DIRECTORY 

Our 22nd annual “Canary Pages” choral directory is now 

available online, for readers interested in choirs, and for choirs 

wanting to make themselves known to our readers! If you are 

looking for a choir to join, support or listen to, you will find 

choirs of all skill levels and genres in the directory, across the 

GTA and in other parts of Ontario. You’ll need to go online 

(thewholenote.com/canary) for detailed profiles, but we’ve 

provided some “teaser” information below to get you interested. 

We will continue adding profiles online as they come in, 

up till the end of June, so please check back periodically. And 

for choirs interested in joining our Canary Pages, please email 

canary@thewholenote.com 

Achill Choral Society 

“Love to sing choral music? Join our 

vibrant musical community lead by generous, 

knowledgeable professionals. We 

have been singing in the Caledon, Dufferin 

and South Simcoe areas for almost 

40 years.” 

achill.ca 

Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto 

“Led by Kathleen Allan, the award-winning 

90-voice Amadeus Choir has 

enlivened Toronto’s arts community for 

more than 50 years through an annual 

concert series, guest performances and 

special events.” 

amadeuschoir.com 

Bel Canto Singers 

“A four-part community choir whose repertoire 

includes classical masters, Broadway 

and movie tunes, opera choruses and 

pop songs.” 

belcantosingers.ca 

Canadian Celtic Choir 

“Canadian Celtic Choir sings “Songs To 

Touch Your Heart and Warm Your Spirit.” 

Our SATB auditioned choir has over 50 

members and has been singing together 

since 1996.” 

celticchoir.ca 

Cantabile Chamber Singers 

“Cantabile Chamber Singers is a nonprofit, 

Toronto-based chamber choir, 

formed in 2006 by artistic director 

Cheryll Chung with the purpose of raising 

social awareness through music.” 

cantabilechambersingers.com 

Chorus York 

“A mixed voice community choir for 

adults of all ages, based in Richmond Hill, 

Ontario. We strive to inspire the growth 

and enjoyment of choral music in our 

community through the performance of 

repertoire from Bach to Broadway, Show 

Tunes to Classical.” 

chorusyork.ca 

City Choir 

“A non-auditioned SATB choir devoted to 

all types of choral singing.” 

citychoir.ca 

Common Thread Community Chorus 

“Common Thread Community Chorus is 

a non-audition chorus that promotes a 

sense of community by performing joyful 

and empowering music.” 

commonthreadchorus.ca 

Cummer Avenue United Church Choir 

“Cummer Ave United Church choir is a 

group of volunteer singers, supported by 

professional section-leads, that provides 

strong musical leadership for Sunday 

morning worship services throughout 

the year.” 

cummeravenueuc.ca 

Echo Women’s Choir 

“Echo is a 30-voice, non-auditioned community 

choir in the heart of downtown 

Toronto, with a strong, varied, and vibrant 

singing culture accessible to all.” 

echochoir.ca 

The Edison Singers 

“Ground-breaking, nostalgic, classical, 

spiritual... The Edison Singers is a fully 

professional chamber choir led by internationally-acclaimed 

Artistic Director and 

Conductor, Dr. Noel Edison.” 

theedisonsingers.com 

Elmer Iseler Singers 

“Elmer Iseler Singers is a 20-singer professional 

choir based in Toronto under the 

artistic direction of Lydia Adams.” 

elmeriselersingers.com 

Etobicoke Centennial Choir 

“Etobicoke Centennial Choir is dedicated 

to celebrating the art and joy of choral 

singing with vibrant and diverse musical 

performances to enrich and engage our 

community.” 

etobicokecentennialchoir.ca 

Exultate Chamber Singers 

“A welcoming group of skilled, musical 

singers with a wide-ranging repertoire 

and a commitment to the development of 

singers, composers, and conductors both 

within Exultate and in the larger choral 

community.” 

exultate.net 

Harbourfront Chorus 

“Friendly community choir.” 

facebook.com/harbourfrontchorus 

Healey Willan Singers 

“Friendly, fun and welcoming: A closeknit 

group of women that love to sing and 

make music together.” 

healeywillansingers.com 

Jubilate Singers 

“A mixed-voice auditioned choir specializing 

in world music sung in original languages, 

orchestral choral works and 

20-21C choral pieces. Director: Isabel 

Bernaus.” 

jubilatesingers.ca 

Karen Schuessler Singers 

“MISSION: Enriching lives through choral 

excellence and community engagement… 

VISION: Creating an environment where 

hearts are lifted, souls are deepened and 

spirits are raised. VALUES: Excellence 

Integrity Innovative Audience-friendly.” 

kssingers.com/#/kss/2 

Leaside United Church Choirs 

“Music is central to worship at Leaside 

United Church. The rich music program 

includes the Chancel Choir and the Junior 

Choir.” 

leasideunited.org 

London Pro Musica Choir 

“London Pro Musica Choir’s current season 

is titled “Taking Root,” a grateful 

acknowledgement of our London community, 

the natural world, ancient wisdom, 

and our choir’s rich history. We look 

forward to taking this musical journey 

together.” 

londonpromusica.ca 

Metropolitan United Choirs 

“We’re a fun-loving, semi-professional and 

family-like liturgical and concert choir, 

who sing rep from Lassus to Bach to Lady 

Gaga.” 

metunited.org 

Milton Choristers 

“A non auditioned Adult Community choir 

in Milton.” 

miltonchoristers.com 

Mississauga Chamber Singers 

“Mississauga Chamber Singers - a New 

Sound in the City!!” 

mcsingers.ca 

North Halton Community Singers 

“Formerly the Georgetown Choral Society, 

the NHCS now has a new name, logo 

and web site as well as a new approach 

to music selection to appeal to a broad 

audience.” 

northhaltonsingers.ca 

Open Voices Community Choir 

“Always fun, always quirky, occasionally 

beautiful”. 

openvoices.ca 

Oriana Singers 

“A focused, fun-loving choir working 

hard to develop musical knowledge 

and abilities, and deliver quality choral 

programs.” 

orianasingers.com 

Oriana Women’s Choir 

“Oriana explores the possibilities in choral 

music for upper voices, and fosters the 

creation of new Canadian choral music. 

New singers are welcome to join us at any 

rehearsal!” 

orianachoir.com 

Orpheus Choir of Toronto 

“Expect something different with the 

Orpheus Choir of Toronto.” 

orpheuschoirtoronto.com 

Pax Christi Chorale 

“Experience the deep joys of choral 

singing in a diverse and welcoming 

community.” 

paxchristichorale.org 

Peterborough Singers 

“In 2024/25 the Peterborough Singers 

will perform Yuletide Cheer, Handel’s 

Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, and the 

music of ABBA.” 

peterboroughsingers.com 

Serenata Singers 

“A friendly, welcoming group of retirees 

of all ages, singing a wide variety of choral 

music. Professional Music Leadership, 

rehearsing during the daytime. Auditions 

are of an informal nature. Check our Website 

and Facebook for more details.” 

serenatasingers.ca 

SoundCrowd 

“Are you a fan of Pitch Perfect? Does harmonizing 

with people bring you joy? Then 

this is the group for you!” 

soundcrowd.ca 

St. Elizabeth Scola Cantorum 

“A Hungarian choir whose repertoire 

ranges from early Baroque to contemporary 

choral music. Sight reading abilities 

and a knowledge of Hungarian are 

assets.” 

facebook.com/ 

StElizabethScolaCantorum 

Tafelmusik Chamber Choir 

“The Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, specializing 

in historically informed performances 

of baroque and classical repertoire, 

was formed in 1981 as a complement to the 

Tafelmusik Orchestra. Under the direction 

of its founder, Ivars Taurins, the choir 

has been praised for its clarity, nuance, and 

brilliance.” 


Toronto Beach Chorale 

“A vital musical presence in the Beach, 

Toronto Beach Chorale conducted by 

Mervin W Fick continues to enhance its 

reputation for artistic excellence, performing 

a growing and rich repertoire.” 

torontobeachchorale.com 

Toronto Chamber Choir 

“Toronto Chamber Choir: Bringing new 

light to early music.” 

torontochamberchoir.ca 


Toronto Children’s Chorus 

“The Toronto Children’s Chorus consists 

of seven choirs: four Training Choirs 

ages 6-12 and three Main Choirs ages 

12-18. Through exceptional choral training 

and performance experiences, we 

inspire growth, teamwork, and artistic 

excellence in our choristers. We foster 

collaboration, peer leadership, self-discipline, 

creativity and a lifelong passion for 

music.” 

torontochildrenschorus.com 

Toronto Choral Society 

“The Toronto Choral Society embraces 

the history and diversity of our city 

through our concerts. We present 3 or 4 

concerts a year.” 

torontochoralsociety.org 

Toronto Classical Singers 

“With its exuberant approach, TCS celebrates 

the choral tradition with the 

complex sonority of large choir with professional 

orchestra.” 

torontoclassicalsingers.ca 

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir 

“Marking its 130th anniversary, the 

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir stands as 

one of Canada’s most celebrated choral 

groups.” 

tmchoir.org 

Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir 

“Fun, tours, camaraderie... Come & Join 

our choir, we are seeking new members 

to enhance the choir!!” 

torontowelshchoir.com 

Univox Choir 

“Univox Choir is a mixed-voice non-auditioned 

community choir for young adults.” 

voxchoirs.com 

Upper Canada Choristers 

“Excellence, community service, diversity, 

fun - these are our touchstones.” 

uppercanadachoristers.org 

Vesnivka Choir 

“We are a friendly inclusive community 

choir that performs Ukrainian classical, 

sacred and traditional folk repertoire. 

Join us for a unique singing experience!” 

vesnivka.com 

VIVA Singers Toronto 

“VIVA Singers Toronto is a not-for-profit 

family of choirs with a mandate to give 

members, ages four through adult, the 

opportunity to achieve artistic excellence 

in a singer-centred, collaborative choral 

community.” 

vivasingerstoronto.com 

VOCA Chorus of Toronto 

“VOCA is a dynamic, auditioned ensemble 

which performs a wide range of repertoire 

in collaboration with superb guest 

artists.” 

vocachorus.ca 

Voices Chamber Choir 

“Unique programming that inspires and 

nourishes our hearts and minds.” 

voiceschoir.com 

The Wayne Gilpin SINGERS 

“Beautiful melodies, rocking sax solos, 

inspired new jazz arrangements of Handel’s 

Messiah, gospel, show tunes, spirituals 

- if any of this appeals to you, check 

us out.” 

waynegilpinsingers.com 

West Toronto Community Choir 

“Our vibe is fun and social, with a focus 

on community engagement and shared 

music-making. We have a mix of seasoned 

choristers and novices, and there are no 

auditions.” 

westtorontocommunitychoir.com 

Windsor Classic Chorale 

“Founded in 1977 by director emeritus 

Richard Householder, the Windsor Classic 

Chorale has become a core component 

of the local arts community, dedicated 

to achieving artistic excellence by maintaining 

a high level of musicianship with 

a rich palette of ambitious choral works. 

The “WCC” considers it a privilege to perform 

in the Windsor-Essex County community. 

Their love for choral music is what 

brings them together.” 

windsorclassicchorale.org 

Yorkminstrels Show Choir 

“A warm, fun-loving and welcoming 

group, bringing the music of Broadway, 

oldies, contemporary and seasonal songs 

into the community.” 

theyorkminstrelsshowchoir.weebly.com 

THE WHOLENOTE 

SUMMER MUSIC 

EDUCATION 

DIRECTORY 

Our 23rd annual directory of summer music education is now available 

online, for readers interested in summer music education, and for 

summer music education programs wanting to reach interested readers. 

The directory accepts profiles for summer music music educational 

opportunities at all levels of skill, from day camps to extended residential 

programs, across Ontario and beyond. We will continue to add programs to 

the directory up till the end of June. 

Interested readers will need to go online (thewholenote.com/summered) 

for detailed profiles, but we’ve provided some “teaser” information below 

to get you interested. People or organisations offering programs should 

contact Karen Ages at karen@thewholenote.com for information on how to 

join the directory. 

CAMMAC Music Centre 

“Pair your summer vacation fun with a 

unique musical experience in the heart of 

the Laurentians. Eight one-week immersive 

programs feature a wide variety of 

classes & activities for amateur musicians 

of all ages and levels.” 

cammac.ca/en/summer-music-retreats 

Canadian Opera Company 

Summer Music Camps 

“Create, Compose, Design, Perform! 

Explore music and the performing arts 

through our innovative and engaging 

Summer Music Camps held at the Four 

Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts!” 

coc.ca/learn/summercamps 

Eastman School of Music 

Summer@Eastman 

“The Eastman School of Music Summer at 

Eastman program offers students and the 

community an individualized and worldclass 

music education experience.” 

summer.esm.rochester.edu 

Guitar Workshop Plus 

“GWP is much more than just a guitar 

camp or summer music camp. You’ve 

seen the rest … Now come learn from the 

best! Tuition options include day and overnight 

options.” 

guitarworkshopplus.com 

Interprovincial Music Camp 

“IMC - the highlight of a young musician’s 

summer!” 

campimc.ca 

JazzWorks Annual Composers’ 

Symposium & Jazz Camp 

“Join JazzWorks’ residential summer Jazz 

Camp and take your musicianship to the 

next level!” 

jazzworkscanada.com 

Kodály Certification Program 

Levels I & II 

“Participants will strengthen their personal 

musicianship and pedagogical skills, 

with content grounded in a contemporary 

understanding of the philosophy inspired 

by Zoltán Kodály.” 

music.uwo.ca/outreach/music-education/ 

kodaly-certification-program.html 

Lake Field Music 

“A music camp for adults to play, sing, 

and be inspired in a collegial environment. 

Stay on campus and immerse yourself 

in workshops, ensembles, choirs, and 

performances.” 

lakefieldmusic.ca 

Music at Port Milford 

“Joyful focused chamber music study on 

the shores of Lake Ontario.” 

musicatportmilford.org 

Stratford Summer Music’s 

Jazz Academy 

“Calling all budding jazz cats! Join us for 

Stratford Summer Music’s Jazz Academy 

to hone your skills alongside some of the 

leading jazz musicians in the country.” 

stratfordsummermusic.ca/education/ 

the-stratford-summer-jazz-academy 

Stratford Summer Music’s 

Vocal Academy 

“Exciting news for singers everywhere! 

Stratford Summer Music’s Vocal Academy 

is an opportunity for singers to work 

through repertoire with professionals at 

the top of their game.” 

stratfordsummermusic.ca/education/ 

vocal-academy 

JOIN US IN 

JULY FOR 

MUSIC 

CAMPS! 

coc.ca/Camps 

SummerStage: The Magic Flute 

“An exciting line-up of summer opera by 

No Strings Theatre and Opera by Request 

featuring Mozart’s The Magic Flute at the 

Farm plus other opera excerpts!” 

nostringstheatre.com 

Summer Vocal Intensive 

“3-Day Vocal Intensive for High School 

Singers at Western University’s Don 

Wright Faculty of Music featuring workshops, 

tours, lessons, training seminars 

and masterclasses! Culminating with 

a Finale Concert, the program introduces 

students to the Don Wright Faculty of 

Music, faculty members, facilities, resources, 

library and campus at large.” 

music.uwo.ca/outreach/ 

vocal-intensive.html 


DISCOVERIES | RECORDINGS REVIEWED 

DAVID OLDS 

Although you will not be reading this until April, or even May, as 

I write it is not yet March. While I try to keep on top of the 

many, many releases that have come in for consideration since 

our last issue, I am also having to consider a number of discs that we 

overlooked in the past year. While we will not know the results of the 

Juno Awards before we go to press, the nominations have been 

recently announced and although we have covered most of discs in 

the categories most relevant to The WholeNote, there are a few we 

overlooked. You’ll find a couple of these – Caity Gyorgy/Marc 

Limacher and Nick Maclean Quartet featuring Brownman Ali – in our 

Jazz and Improvised section, and two from the Classical Album of the 

Year (soloist) category right here. 

Matt Haimowitz is the soloist in the digitalonly 

release Thomas de Hartmann – Cello 

Concerto Op.57 (Pentatone PTC 5187159 

pentatonemusic.com/product/de-hartmann-cello-concerto). 

Dennis Russell 

Davies conducts the MDR Leipzig RSO in 

the first commercial recording of this work 

by one of the significant Ukrainian 

composers of the first half of the 20th 

century. De Hartmann (1885-1956) was an important compositional 

voice during his lifetime, but since then his colourful and compelling 

music has been largely ignored. This recording is part of a larger 

undertaking aimed to remedy that situation, and Haimowitz’s stunning 

performance bodes well for the success of the venture (thomasdehartmannproject.com). 

The concerto, which reflects the anxiety of 

the times, was composed in 1935 and first performed three years later 

by Paul Tortelier and the Boston Symphony under Serge Koussevitzky. 

Although not himself a Jew, de Hartmann was troubled by the acute 

antisemitism of the rising Nazi regime in Germany and the work 

incorporates Jewish musical folklore and other Eastern European folk 

traditions. Indeed the playful third movement, with its moto-perpetuo 

cello line, opens with a (presumably Hungarian) theme that Bartók 

would use in sketches for a viola concerto a decade later. The at times 

cinematic, 36-minute concerto is an excellent introduction to this 

often-overlooked composer, and with the current horrific situation in 

Ukraine its rediscovery is a timely reminder of the glorious musical 

heritage of that nation. 

James Ehnes is the soloist for Carl Nielsen 

– Violin Concerto with the Bergen 

Philharmonic under Edward Gardner 

(Chandos CHSA 5311 chandos.net/products/ 

catalogue/CHSA%205311). An extended slow 

introduction – likened by Paul Griffiths in 

the excellent booklet notes to a folk fiddler 

playing with “classical elegance,” gently fades 

away before an abrupt orchestral explosion 

into the Allegro cavallerésco, a “chivalric” episode evoking knights on 

horseback. The Poco Adagio begins gently with winds before morphing 

into a contemplative violin solo. The final movement is also gentle but 

quite mischievous where, in Griffiths’ words “comedy is overplayed 

[…] making riot of its ebullience. [But] the cadenza goes another way, 

back to a moment of drone-accompanied melody, as if this had all been 

the dream of a wandering fiddler.” Nielsen began the work in Norway 

and Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang has said “I think every violinist 

should play this concerto, because you get challenged not only technically, 

but also structure-wise. You have to take a bird’s eye view of this 

concerto, you need this kind of perspective.” Ehnes seems to have had 

no problem attaining this vantage point. He rises to all the challenges 

and there are passages that shine like jewels. It’s easy to see why this 

performance was short-listed for a Juno. 

Gardner also leads the orchestra in a magnificent performance of 

Nielsen’s Symphony No.4 “The Inextinguishable” recreating the same 

pairing of works that Nielsen conducted in a program in London in 

1923, 100 years before this recording was made. 

Another one that slipped through the cracks 

last year is a fabulous new recording of 

Ravel – Daphnis et Chloé complete ballet 

(Chandos CHSA 5327 chandos.net/products/catalogue/CHAN 

5327) featuring the 

Sinfonia of London Chorus and Sinfonia 

of London. Director John Wilson used the 

COVID-19 lockdown period to prepare a 

new performing edition of the ballet that 

we are more familiar with from the two suites that the composer 

extracted from the near-hourlong original. It was conceived in 1909, 

the year Serge Diaghilev brought his Ballet Russe to Paris, as a collaboration 

between Ravel, Diaghilev and dancer/choreographer Michel 

Folkine. Although there were myriad complications and disagreements 

along the way, the project was eventually brought to fruition 

culminating in, much to Ravel’s chagrin, only two performances at 

the end of the 1912 season. Although Diaghilev did mount three more 

performances at the end of the following year, he never thereafter 

presented it in Paris. This new recording is accompanied by extensive 

notes by Wilson detailing the history of the ballet’s creation and 

his own challenges in recreating what he feels is an authentic version 

of the historic ballet. There is also a detailed libretto/mis en scene by 

Folkine, making a very impressive booklet in three languages totaling 

42 pages. The performance is stunning and the recording itself is 

immaculate, with a dynamic range that has to be heard to be believed. 

thewholenote.com/listening 

Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 

The Thirteen, Children’s Chorus of 

Washington, Dark Horse Consort 

Recorded in the sumptuous 

acoustic of the Franciscan 

Monastery in Washington DC, this 

album evokes the sun setting on 

the lagoon by St Mark's, Venice. 

La sposa dei cantici 

Ars Lyrica Houston 

A soprano and three countertenors 

(including John Holiday) mix 

the heavenly with the playful in 

Alessandro Scarlatti's divine romp 

in the Italian vocal style. 


One more disc lost in the shuffle before we 

move on. New Stories features saxophonist 

Joseph Lulloff and pianist Yu-Lien The 

performing works by colleagues from 

Michigan State University, Canadian 

Dorothy Chang and Americans David 

Biedenbender, Stacy Garrop and Carter 

Pann (Blue Griffin Records BGR607 bluegriffin.com). 

Chang’s lyrical title work is the 

earliest on the disc, dating from 2013. The composer says the commission 

“was the perfect opportunity to explore the combination of 

Eastern and Western influences in my music, a composition puzzle I 

was grappling with at the time.” Biedenbender’s one-movement 

Detroit Steel is an unaccompanied work intended to honour “the grit, 

strength and resolve of the people of the city.” Garrop’s Wrath is a 

follow up to her earlier Tantrum for alto sax and piano, and its three 

movement titles – Menace, Shock and Amok – aptly describe the 

moods of the piece. At 25 minutes, Pann’s Sonata for Alto Saxophone 

and Piano is the most extended and developed work on the disc, 

comprising six tracks of varied aspect from the opening This Black Cat 

to the closing Lacrimosa in memory of Joel Hastings. Throughout the 

disc Lulloff and The rise to every challenge and nuance pitched by the 

four composers, from languid and emotive melodies to brash, abrasive 

and sometimes jocular outbursts. 

And on to more recent arrivals… Another 

saxophone disc CONVERGENCE – Music for 

Saxophone and Mixed Media (Navona 

Records nv6608 navonarecords.com/ 

catalog/nv6608) features Heidi Radtke in 

works for soprano, alto and tenor saxes in a 

variety of settings. The eight compositions 

– each by a different contemporary 

composer – span a plethora of moods and 

emotions, from raucous and playful, to morose and meditative. The 

disc opens with a lush reimagining by Jenni Watson of Debussy’s first 

Arabesque in which the sax is surrounded by a gorgeous wash of prerecorded 

sounds, primarily those of violin and piano. Two particularly 

moving works are Andy Scott’s Wind Telephone, inspired by the 2011 

tsunami in Otsuki, Japan and Rahsaan Barber’s Breonna Taylor (How 

Many More?), a gentle lament for a Black woman killed by police in 

Louisville, KY in 2020. It uses field recordings from Iroquois Park 

close to Taylor’s home in which calls of red-winged blackbirds are 

prominent. British-born Canadian composer Peter Meecham’s 

contemplative 3 Pieces for Solo Saxophone depict “A lonely man, on 

the New York subway, playing his saxophone, not for money, but for 

himself.” The title work is a 2011 collaboration between Radtke and 

Sang Mi Ahn in which the solo saxophone interacts with an electronic 

soundtrack generated from sounds made by Radtke’s sax. I might have 

expected an hour’s worth of solo” saxophone to be a bit “much of a 

muchness,” but to the contrary, Radtke’s compelling playing, the 

varying compositional palettes and diverse accompaniments made for 

an engaging listening experience throughout. 

The Emily Carr String Quartet (emilycarrstringquartet.com) 

released its second 

album in January. Portraits, a digital release 

on Leaf Music “is inspired by the work of 

Emily Carr. […] It is through music, one of 

the most abstract of art forms, that we can 

connect ourselves to her. The rhythm of a 

piece can be likened to the movement of 

brush strokes. The musical notes can be 

described as the pigments of colour chosen 

to convey the deep, dark and wild nuances of B.C.’s coastal rainforest. 

Musical phrases can begin to suggest Emily’s connection with the land 

and the First Nations she was friends with.” Four Canadians – Tobin 

Stokes, Jocelyn Morlock, Jared Miller and Iman Habibi – have written 

works that reflect their feelings about or inspired by the iconic artist. 

Stokes’ Feathers is a nine-movement work with each brief sketch, 

with such titles as Nesting, Nightingale and Hummingbirds, prefaced 

by a short quotation from the writings of Carr. Morlock’s Big Raven 

evocatively reflects Carr’s desire to “bring loneliness to this canvas and 

haunting broodiness, quiet and powerful.” Miller was inspired by 

another of Carr canvas, Strangled by Growth, which juxtaposes a 

human construction (totem pole) with the natural world (forest). 

Habibi’s Beloved of the Sky pays homage to the painting of the same 

name in the second movement, with impressions of Carr’s depictions 

of Forest, her pet monkey Woo and an introspective Self Portrait 

completing the work. The disc concludes with Stoke’s suite Klee 

Wyck, interpretations of five stories from the book of the same name. 

Each of the composers bring their own frame of reference and 

personal language to the project and the ensemble successfully 

bridges the divides effectively and convincingly, make for a truly 

enjoyable disc. 

The Fine Arts Quartet was founded in 

Chicago in 1946 so of course there have been 

personnel changes over the decades. The 

current violinists, Ralph Evans and Efim 

Boico, have been members since 1982 and 

1983 respectively, with violist Gil Sharon and 

cellist Niklas Schmidt joining in 2018. The 

ensemble is still going strong and has just 

released the tenth and final volume of the 

complete string quartets (plus other related works) of Antonin Dvořák, 

Dvořák – String Quartet No.2; Bagatelles; Rondo (Naxos 8.574513 

naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=8.574513). String Quartet No.2 in 

B-flat Major was one of three quartets written in 1869 during a period 

when Dvořák was markedly influenced by Wagner. He later destroyed 

the scores and the quartets were thought to have been lost until sets of 

parts were discovered after his death. According to the website 

antonin-dvorak.cz/en, although there had been a private performance 

in Prague back in 1932, the first public performance of Quartet No.2 

was not until September 2021 in that same city by the Zemlinsky 

Quartet. This recording of the 50-minute work took place just over a 

year later in Marienmunster, Germany. It is hard to tell why it 

languished so long without acceptance, or for that matter why it was 

rejected by the composer. It’s a lovely and fully developed work, if, 

according to Paul Griffiths, a bit “prolix.” [I had to look that up.] The 

disc is completed by the humourous Bagatelles of 1878 for two violins, 

cello and harmonium (Ryoko Morooka) and the rollicking Rondo in G 

Minor from 1891 for cello and piano (Stepan Simonian). With Dvořák 

in its rear-view mirror and a discography of some 200 other works 

spanning the history of the string quartet genre, I look forward to 

seeing what the future holds for this fine (arts) quartet. 

The Neave Trio is back again – five reviews 

in these pages since 2017 – and their latest, A 

Room of Her Own (Chandos CHAN 20238 

chandos.net), features four turn-of-the-20th 

century composers Lili Boulanger, Cécille 

Chaminade, Dame Ethyl Smyth and 

Germaine Tailleferre. It’s a bit of misnomer 

to designate Tailleferre as turn-of-thecentury 

however as she lived and remained 

active as a composer until 1983. As a matter of fact, although her Trio 

originated in 1917, she reworked the version included here in 1978, 

replacing the middle movement and adding a fourth. These new, ebullient 

movements add a sunny quality to the work while still maintaining 

the characteristic voice she had established some six decades 

earlier. Boulanger completed her Deux piéces en trio in 1918, the year 

of her untimely death at the age of 24. The first of these is a cheerful, 

brief depiction of a spring morning. The second is a sombre, more 

extended exploration of a sad evening. The other two trios date from 

almost 40 years earlier, both composed in 1880. Chaminade’s Trio 

No.1, Op.11 in G Minor is a fetching work in four movements, with a 

particularly charming Presto leggiero featuring waterfall-like textures 

in the piano. British composer Smyth is the only non-French national 

included here and her formative studies took place in Leipzig, 


grounding her firmly in the Austro-German romantic tradition. She 

was born one year later than Chaminade, in 1858, and both died in 

1944. Her Trio, at 31 minutes the longest offering here, like her 

coeval’s is also in a minor key, in this case G Minor. In spite of this 

there are many bright moments, especially in the scherzando section 

of the second movement and throughout the Scherzo. Presto con brio 

third. The Neave Trio in, as always, in top form and is to be 

commended for bringing these rarely heard gems to light is such 

stellar performances. 

Poet and author Robert Priest has been 

active on the Toronto scene as long as I 

can remember, going back to the early 

80s when we were both denizens of Ye 

Olde Brunswick House open mic nights. 

I’ve often thought of him over the years, 

fondly remembering a line (with a tip of 

the hat to Allen Ginsberg) “I saw the best 

minds of my generation falling off streetcars” 

or something to that effect. [Priest tells 

me the phrase may have actually been “the best mimes of my generation.”] 

He’s obviously been active in the years since, with half a 

dozen albums, myriad poetry collections and novels to his credit, as 

well as co-writing Alannah Myles’ hit Song Instead of a Kiss. I was 

disappointed to miss his recent album launch at Hugh’s Room – I 

was asleep at the wheel I guess – but am glad to have received a copy 

of People Like You and Me (vesuviusmusic.com/robert-priest). It’s a 

combination of spoken word and song, all accompanied by some fine 

players from Toronto’s jazz community including Kevin Breit, Alison 

Young, Great Bob Scott and George Koller, who also share writing 

credits with Priest. The music is diverse, running a gamut of styles. 

Most surprising to me is the jazzy torch song You and I and Faraway 

co-written with Allen Booth and featuring Young’s honey-dripping 

sax, in which Priest turns in a convincing Brian Ferry-esque performance. 

Some of the clever turns of phrase I particularly enjoyed were 

“In my country we don’t have free speech, but the speech we do 

have is really, really cheap” and “I’m so prophetic I get pre-traumatic 

stress disorder!” from [I strive for] Outer Peace and “Love is a many 

gendered thing” from a tune of the same name. I wish I hadn’t missed 

the show! 

Concert note: I do intend to be at Priest’s next performance at the 

Great Sunday Night Folk Off at the Tranzac on April 21 (5pm start). 

We invite submissions. CDs, DVDs and comments should 

be sent to: DISCoveries, The WholeNote c/o Music Alive, 

The Centre for Social Innovation, 720 Bathurst St. Toronto 

ON M5S 2R4 or to discoveries@thewholenote.com. 

STRINGS 

ATTACHED 

TERRY ROBBINS 

The three French sonatas that form the bulk 

of Le Temps retrouvé, the new CD from the 

brilliant husband-and-wife duo of violinist 

Elena Urioste and pianist Tom Poster, were 

all published during the decade 1916-26, a 

period of great change in the musical landscape 

(Chandos CHAN 20275 chandos.net/ 

products/catalogue/CHAN%2020275). 

Despite initial parental opposition and 

a life of domestic upheaval Mélanie, Bonis 

(1858-1937) composed a huge amount of music, most of which still 

lies unexplored. Her Violin Sonata in F-sharp Minor Op.112 is a 

fascinating and profoundly musical work. 

Fauré’s Violin Sonata No.2 in E Minor Op.108 from 1916-17 is from 

his late, forward-looking period, but those typical sweeping piano 

arpeggios and flowing melodies still abound. 

Apart from the remarkable Veloce middle movement (literally a 

short ride in a fast car) Reynaldo Hahn’s lyrical and warm Violin 

Sonata in C Major from 1926 looks back nostalgically to a gentler time. 

Lili Boulanger’s popular Nocturne, published in 1914, provides a 

suitably dreamy ending to a superb disc. 

On A Lionel Tertis Celebration the violist 

Timothy Ridout, winner of the 2016 Lionel 

Tertis Competition, pays tribute to the 

legendary English viola player with an 

outstanding 2CD recital featuring compositions 

and arrangements by Tertis himself as 

well as works by his friends and students. 

Frank Dupree is the pianist on CD1, and 

James Baillieu on CD2 (harmonia mundi 

HMM9053767.77 harmoniamundi.com/en/ 

What we're listening to this month: 


BACH: Clavier-Übung III, The 

Pedal Settings 

Renée Anne Louprette 

Built to a 1776 design, Bach would 

have recognized this organ. 

Featuring revisions in Bach’s own 

hand, Louprette's latest album is a 

must-have. 

Portraits 

Emily Carr String Quartet 

Portraits is where the arts meet 

music. This album is inspired by 

Emily Carr's paintings and her 

words that gave insight into her 

artistic life 

People Like You and Me 

Robert Priest 

The greatest poet/songwriter 

since Leonard Cohen teams up 

with the cream of modern jazz 

musicians to bring you the best of 

both worlds. 

Upheaval 

Janne Fredens & Søren Rastogi 

An exceptional project featuring 

four compositions for cello and 

piano written by female composers 

from the first part of the 20th 

century. 


albums/a-lionel-tertis-celebration) 

Stirring performances of two major works by Tertis students 

bookend the recital, York Bowen’s Viola Sonata No.1 in C Minor Op.18 

opening CD1 and Rebecca Clarke’s Viola Sonata closing CD2. Sunset 

and Hier au Soir are Tertis originals, and there are arrangements by 

him of short pieces by Brahms, Schumann, Fauré and Mendelssohn, 

as well as by John Ireland and William Wolstenholme. 

Other composers represented are Frank Bridge, Eric Coates, Cecil 

Forsyth, Vaughan Williams, Bowen and Wolstenholme again, and W. 

H. “Billy” Reed of Elgar violin concerto fame, whose lovely Rhapsody 

opens CD2. Two Kreisler works close CD1: Ridout’s own arrangement 

of Liebeslied; and a stunning performance of Alan Arnold’s arrangement 

of the Praeludium and Allegro. 

That same tumultuous period is central to 

Upheaval, with cellist Janne Fredens and 

pianist Søren Rastogi presenting compositions 

by four female composers active 

around the First World War years (OUR 

Recordings 6.220683 ourrecordings.com). 

The Dutch pianist and composer 

Henriëtte Bosmans (1895-1952), whose 

career was disrupted by the Nazi occupation 

in the1940s and never recovered, is represented by her 1919 Cello 

Sonata in A Minor. The reputation of the prolific Croatian composer 

Dora Pejačević (1885-1923) continues to grow following the recent 

revival of her terrific Symphony in F-sharp Minor. Her 1913 Cello 

Sonata in E Minor Op.35 is a striking and substantial late-Romantic 

work, showing the clear influence of Brahms and Dvořák. 

Two pieces by the Boulanger sisters, Lili’s Nocturne again and 

Nadia’s Trois pièces from 1911 complete an excellent disc full of sensitive 

and finely judged playing. 

William T. Horton’s fantastic image The Path to the Moon was the 

inspiration for the new album from cellist Laura van der Heijden 

three unstoppable women 

who also composed 

#trailblazingwomen #violasonatas 

#queercomposers 

www.acisproductions.com 

and pianist Jâms Coleman, their CD Path 

to the Moon including music relating to 

the moon and the night, as well as works 

evoking mankind’s striving for new heights 

(Chandos CHAN 20274 chandos.net/ 

products/catalogue/CHAN%2020274). 

It’s an eclectic program anchored by 

three 20th-century sonatas: the 1957 Cello 

Sonata by the American George Walker; 

Britten’s Sonata Op.65 and Debussy’s 1915 

Cello Sonata. 

Fittingly, given the singing nature of van der Heijden’s playing, 

virtually all of the transcriptions are of vocal music: Korngold’s 

Schönste Nacht; Lili Boulanger’s Reflets; Florence Price’s Night; 

Britten’s Sonetto XXX; Debussy’s Beau soir; Fauré’s Clair de lune; 

Takemitsu’s Will Tomorrow, I Wonder, Be Cloudy or Clear?; and Nina 

Simone’s take on Jonathan King’s Everyone’s Gone to the Moon. 

Debussy’s Clair de lune ends a lovely disc. 

The South Korean double-bassist Mikyung 

Sung is the remarkable soloist on The 

Colburn Sessions, a brilliant two-disc set 

where she is ably supported by pianist 

Jaemin Shin, the two having worked 

together in the Artist Diploma course 

at the Colburn School in Los Angeles in 

2017 (Modus Vivendi Media MVM 2301 

mikyungbass.bandcamp.com/album/ 

the-colburn-sessions). 

Bottesini’s Tarantella is a dazzling opening track, Sung displaying 

stunning facility and clarity. The same composer’s Capriccio di 

Bravura and the more lyrical Elegy No.1 are followed by a transcription 

of the Meditation from Massenet’s Thaïs. Hindemith’s Sonata for 

Double Bass and Piano and the impressive 1967 Sonata for Double 

Bass and Piano by Hungarian composer Vilmos Montag (1908-91) 

end disc 1. 

The second CD is even more impressive, with the Andante from 

Rachmaninoff’s Cello Sonata Op.19 sandwiched between two 

outstanding sonatas: Mendelssohn’s Cello Sonata No.2 Op.58 with an 

astonishing final movement that takes your breath away, and Franck’s 

Violin Sonata in A Major in the composer-endorsed transcription for 

cello by Jules Delsart, Sung playing direct from the cello part – which 

she presumably also does with the Mendelssohn. 

Superb playing from both performers is beautifully captured in 

single continuous takes live to stereo. Complete performances of the 

Hindemith, Mendelssohn and Franck sonatas can be viewed on Sung’s 

website, mikyungbass.com. 

Wanchi Huang is the violinist on Imagining 

Worlds – Music for Solo Violin, a CD that 

features new music by composers described 

as compelling voices in contemporary 

American music (Navona Records NV6592 

navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6592). 

The recital comprises Adolphus 

Hailstork’s rather bland Suite for Solo 

Violin, Judith Shatin’s somewhat oppressive 

For the Fallen – for Amplified Violin 

and Electronics, Meira Warshauer’s Jewish-influenced In Memoriam 

and Brach (Blessing), and Jeffrey Mumford’s an expanding distance 

of multiple voices, the five movements totaling only 11 minutes. John 

Corigliano’s Red Violin Caprices completes the disc. 

There’s interesting writing on display here, but only the Corigliano 

really leaps out and separates itself from the crowd; it certainly brings 

by far the best playing from Huang. 

The music of a Brazilian composer who lived from 1943 to 

2010 is explored on José Antônio de Almeida Prado Works for 

Violin and Cello, a new addition to The Music of Brazil series 

featuring violinist Emmanuele Baldini and cellist Rafael Cesario 


(Naxos 8.574459 naxos.com/Search/ 

KeywordSearchResults/?q=Almeida%20 

Prado%20-%20Works%20for%20Violin%20 

and%20Cello). 

Only two works – Le livre magique de 

Xangô from 1985 and Das Cirandas from 

1999 – are duets. The 2004 Praeambulum 

for solo cello was commissioned as an 

intro to Bach’s Cello Suite No.3 in C Major 

BWV1009, while The Four Seasons for solo 

violin was written for a young performers’ national competition in 

1984, each brief movement a study in various violin techniques. 

The lyrical and extremely brief – under two minutes – Capriccio für 

Constança und Ana Luiza from 1998 and the Solo Violin Sonata from 

2000, dedicated to his daughter, one of Brazil’s leading violinists and 

the most substantial work on the CD, end a recital of solid performances 

but with few real musical high points. 

The Trio con Brio Copenhagen, which 

celebrates its 25th anniversary this year 

performs piano trios by Mieczyslaw 

Weinberg and Franz Schubert on The 

Passenger, a CD that surveys two young 

composers whose compositions offer 

poignant reflections on life, mortality 

and ethereal beauty (Orchid Classics 

ORC100282 orchidclassics.com). 

Weinberg was a Polish Jew who fled 

Warsaw when the Nazis invaded. His Piano Trio Op.24 was written 

in Moscow in 1945 when he was 25; characterized by unrest and 

despair, it occupies much the same sound world as that of his friend 

Shostakovich. The finale features a waltz that foreshadows his opera 

The Passenger, where a waltz links the evil of a concentration camp to 

an uncertain future. 

Written in 1827, just a year before his early death, Schubert’s Piano 

Trio No.2 in E-flat Major Op.100 grew from Schubert’s encounter with 

the Swedish song Se solen sjunker, which describes the sinking sun 

and all hope being chased away by night’s shadows. The funeral march 

of the second movement, based on the song, is the emotional centre of 

the work. 

The Weinberg work is also heard on Piano 

Trios of Weinberg, Auerbach & Dvořák, 

a top-notch debut CD by Trio Zimbalist 

intended as “a heartfelt response to the 

enduring human struggle unfolding around 

the world” (Curtis Studio curtis.edu/ 

curtis-studio). 

The album is cast in the spirit of the 


Dumka, a Ukrainian term meaning “thought.” In music, Dumky 

were sung by traveling minstrels, and often expressed the laments of 

oppressed people. It was this form that Dvořák used as the basis for 

his Piano Trio No.4 in E Minor Op.90, “Dumky”, an extensive sixmovement 

work that closes the disc. 

We have already noted the circumstances surrounding the composition 

of the Weinberg trio. Lera Auerbach’s quite brief but striking 

three-movement Piano Trio No.1 Op.28 with its impassioned middle 

Andante lamentoso movement and eerie and aggressive finale, was 

written following her defection from the Soviet Union in 1991. The 

Dvořák also fits in here: it is often overlooked that performances of his 

works were suppressed in the Czechoslovak Republic for a while 

after 1945. 

There are two Stravinsky Violin Concerto 

CDs this month, one featuring James 

Ehnes with the BBC Philharmonic under 

Sir Andrew Davis (Chandos CHSA5340 

chandos.net/products/catalogue/ 

CHSA%205340) and the other with Frank 

Peter Zimmermann and the Bamberger 

Symphoniker under Jakub Hrůša (BIS-2657 

prestomusic.com/classical/products/95571 

– Igor-stravinsky-bartok-martin). 

Written for – and premiered by – Samuel Dushkin in 1932, the 

concerto is a four-movement work in Stravinsky’s neo-classical style. 

Ehnes is his usual flawless self in a supremely confident performance, 

as smooth as ever and with a clear, pure tone, especially in the two 

middle Arias. The rest of the Chandos Stravinsky disc is orchestral 

music in really fine performances: the Scherzo à la Russe, a showpiece 

written for the Paul Whiteman band on the composer’s arrival 

in California in the early 1940s; the Suites Nos.1 & 2, arranged from 

piano duets from the 1910s; and Apollo Musagète, a ballet in two parts 

for strings from 1927-28 that marked a complete rejection of his 

previous ballets and a move to pure form. 

The Zimmermann disc, on the other 

hand, is all violin and orchestra, linking 

composers who put down roots in the West 

without abandoning their Eastern European 

identities. Zimmermann’s Stravinsky 

concerto is another outstanding performance, 

albeit a fair bit faster than Ehnes: the 

Zimmermann timings for the four movements, 

which only range from four to six 

minutes in length, are a significant 20 to 30 

seconds shorter than those of Ehnes. There’s no real sense of a faster 

or spikier approach here though, with Ehnes and Davis possibly just 

more relaxed in tempo. Dushkin also premiered Bartók’s Rhapsodies 


The Colburn Sessions 

Mikyung Sung 

Gorgeously expressive, richly 

luminous performances of violin, 

cello, and double bass favorites in a 

dazzling, virtuosic 2CD album from 

Mikyung Sung. 

Fire - Flowers 

Timothy Shantz 

Fire-Flowers brings solace and 

comfort to listeners with these 

musical works on death and 

renewal by Johannes Brahms and 

contemporary composer Zachary 

Wadsworth 

In the Crystalline Vault of Heaven 

Margot Rejskind 

In The Crystalline Vault of Heaven 

captivates their "sublimely 

beautiful" music that reflects the 

diversity and breadth of choral 

music written on the East Coast. 

Dall'Abaco and the Art of 

Variation 

Accademia de' Dissonanti, 

Elinor Frey 

This new CD explores the art of 

variation through world premiere 

recordings of two cello trios and 

three sonatas. 


Nos.1 & 2, given outstanding performances here, as well as the 1943 

New York version with piano of Martinů’s Suite concertante, which 

has two versions. The second, heard here, was started in 1938 in Paris 

before Martinů left Europe, and completed in New York and orchestrated 

in 1945. While still in Paris Martinů apparently wrote three 

movements for another version of the suite, one of which – Méditation 

– completes a terrific CD. 

Eugène Ysaÿe: Rêves features worldpremiere 

recordings of two newly discovered 

concertos by the Belgian virtuoso 

and composer in performances by 

Philippe Graffin and the Royal Liverpool 

Philharmonic Orchestra under Jean- 

Jacques Kantorow (Avie Records AV2650 

avie-records.com). 

Following the recent discovery of a first 

movement of an early Violin Concerto in E 

Minor a fully orchestrated second movement and a third movement in 

violin and piano score both came to light, the latter being orchestrated 

by Ysaÿe expert Xavier Falques to complete the concerto. Composed 

in 1884-85 it was apparently intended to establish a new approach 

to instrumental technique, which Ysaÿe felt had stagnated since the 

works of Vieuxtemps. 

It’s not clear why he abandoned the concerto, but in 1893 Ysaÿe 

wrote his Poème concertant, a single-movement work imbued with 

love for his student Irma Sèthe. Recently discovered in manuscript 

form, it was orchestrated by Erika Vega with advice from Falques. 

Pianist Marisa Gupta joins Graffin for the 2 Mazurkas de salon 

Op.10 and the Rêve d’enfant Op.14 that close a fascinating CD. 

There’s a glorious CD of Vaughan Williams 

music that would normally be well outside 

the limits of this column, but Vaughan 

Williams: Retrospect with the London 

Choral Sinfonia under Michael Waldron 

contains not only some simply beautiful 

works for voices and string orchestra 

but also a lovely performance of the 

Violin Concerto in D Minor – Concerto 

Accademico with the always reliable Jack 

Liebeck as soloist (Orchid Classics ORC100289 orchidclassics.com). 

It’s not a substantial work – only about 16 minutes long – but the 

glorious middle movement, which takes up almost half of the work, is 

Vaughan Williams at his pastoral best and Liebeck is in his element. As 

an added bonus, cellist Thomas Carroll is the lovely soloist in the 

world-premiere recording of the composer’s arrangement of Bach’s 

Schmücke dich,o liebe Seele. 

On ALAS cellist Patrick Langot and violinist 

Alexis Cardenas and the Orchestra de 

Lutetia under Alejandro Sandler pay 

tribute to the Argentinian music so dear to 

their hearts by presenting world-premiere 

recordings of works by three contemporary 

Argentinian composers (Évidence Classics 

EVCD108 orchestredelutetia.com/alas). 

The title track, the 2021 Alas – fantaisie 

for violin, cello and string orchestra by 

Gerardo di Giusto (b.1961) is a strong, strident work with malambo 

and baguala rhythms, while the atmospheric 2020 Descaminos for 

solo cello, string orchestra and percussion by Gabriel Sivak (b.1979) 

was inspired by the vast Pampas region. Both works were commissioned 

by the orchestra. 

The fascinating 1986 Llorando silencios, six Quechua songs for solo 

cello by Alejandro Iglesias Rossi (b.1960) evokes ancestral sonorities, 

the cello sounding in turn like the traditional instruments the quena, 

charango and erke. 

The remainder of the CD is given over to the 1953 Variaciones 

concertantes Op.23 by Alberto Ginastera, the cello and harp being 

joined by various orchestral soloists to develop the thematic material, 

with an explosive malambo finale. 

In a 1953 essay the Domenico Scarlatti biographer 

Ralph Kirkpatrick (who implemented 

the K. numbering system) noted 

the clear influence of the Spanish guitar on 

Scarlatti’s music, and the extent to which 

it permeated his keyboard works is beautifully 

illustrated on the digital-only release 

Scarlatti 12 Sonatas by the two guitarists 

Matteo Mela and Lorenzo Micheli (Evidence 

EVCD107 soloduo.it). 

As Micheli’s booklet notes point out, Scarlatti’s language often 

echoes guitar playing, the Hispanic character stemming from timbres, 

techniques and stylistic traits derived from the guitar, and the light, 

volatile style of writing in the sonatas, most often for two voices is 

perfectly suited to the nature of the guitar. The 12 sonatas here are 

those numbered K.8, K.24, K.32, K.87, K.99, K.162, K.202, K.386, 

K.455, K.466, K.519 and K.531. 

Superb transcriptions (uncredited, but by the performers, presumably) 

and simply outstanding playing, beautifully recorded, result in a 

truly captivating release. 

VOCAL 

Claudio Monteverdi – Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria 

Soloists; I Gemelli; Emiliano Gonzalez Toro; Mathilde Etienne 

Gemelli Factory audiobook (gemelli-factory.com/nos_releases/ 

il-ritorno-dulisse-in-patria) 

! There are as many ways to perform 

Claudio Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse 

in Patria as there are performances. The 

earliest known score contains just the vocal 

parts, the text and the bass line. Even the 

instrumental passages indicate nothing 

about what instruments are to play. So vital 

decisions about basic elements like orchestration 

and harmonization must be made. 

Terrific recordings have appeared in 

recent years – those under Gardiner, Cavina 

and Fuget come happily to mind (not to 

overlook Harnoncourt’s landmark recording 

from 1972). But none for me has matched René Jacobs’ 1992 recording 

for momentum and spirit – that is, until this production from I 

Gemelli, led by musical director Emiliano Gonzalez Toro and artistic 

director Mathilde Etienne (with both performing as singers). 

A fine-tuned sense of early Baroque style and an adventurous 

sense of theatre have shaped this recording. The cast here is large – 

it includes nine tenors! That means remarkably few doublings, so 

characters are easily distinguishable. And every performer, whether 

singer or instrumentalist, projects the kind of commitment that 

gives their time in the spotlight, no matter how brief or extensive, 

dramatic impact. 

It’s unlikely Monteverdi’s instrumental ensemble for the first 

performance in 1640 would have been as large, or as varied. 

Historically authentic instruments like the gorgeous triple harp of 

Marie-Domitille Murez and the delightful trio of mellifluous cornetts 

add colour. But they never swamp the singers, since they are featured 

in smaller groups. Instead, they provide vivid counterparts to the 

resonant phrases of Giacomo Badoaro’s libretto, a skillful adaption of 

the final verses of Homer’s Odyssey. 

Monteverdi gives the gods the most florid passages. Emőke Breath as 

Minerva ravishes with her lucid elegance. Philippe Jarroussky is an 

eloquent Fragilitá Umana (Human Fragility), Juan Sancho an impassioned 

Mercurio. Jérôme Varnier’s petulant, vindictive Nettuno captivates 

with his rich, agile basso profundo. 


Among the mortals, Gonzalez Toro’s Ulisse 

is deftly theatrical as he disguises himself 

as an old beggar, and affectingly tender as 

he pleads with Penelope to recognize him. 

Rihaieb Chaib brings highly charged urgency 

and a complex range of emotional states to 

the role of the faithful Penelope. The exciting 

Canadian mezzo-soprano has not been 

known for Baroque opera. But that is bound 

to change with her powerful performance 

here. Right from the opening phrases of her 

heart-rending lament, she commands our 

empathy. When she does recognize Ulisse 

– and they finally sing together – it’s all the 

more expressive for the contrast in their 

voices. The word “yes” has never sounded 

more sensual than in their magnificent duet, 

“Yes, my life, yes, my heart, yes!” 

I love how Alix Le Saux as Ulisse’s old 

nurse Ericleia colours the word “languise” 

(languishes). Fulvio Bettini’s virtuosic Iro 

delights as he moves from comedy to tragedy. 

Zachary Wilder creates a poignant Telemaco, 

while Etienne brings playful charm to 

Melanto. Her extensive background essays 

are bound with the libretto – more than 200 

pages in all – with three CDs in an attractive 

hardbound case. It’s certainly indicative of 

the loving care that has gone into this superb 

recording. 

Pam Margles 

Penitence & Lamentation (Gombert; Byrd; 

Tallis; Crecquillon; Ramsey; Muhly; Carver) 

Byrd Ensemble; Markdavin Obenza 

Scribe Records SRCD12 (byrdensemble. 

com/recordings) 

! Ten Renaissance 

pieces set to religious 

texts 

expressing, say 

the booklet notes, 

“guilt and grief” 

are movingly 

performed by the 

Seattle-based Byrd 

Ensemble under artistic director Markdavin 

Obenza. Four selections are by the a cappella 

group’s inspiration, William Byrd. Particularly 

affecting are Emendemus in Melius and 

Byrd’s elegy for his late friend, Thomas Tallis, 

Ye sacred muses. Tallis himself is represented 

by two pieces – Absterge Domine and In 

jejunio et fletu, the latter darkly solemn, sung 

by only one alto, two tenors and two basses. 

Nicolas Gombert’s intense Lugebat David 

Absalon dramatically sets David’s howling 

lament over his rebellious son, while Robert 

Ramsey’s How are the mighty fallen effectively 

expresses David’s anguish over his 

beloved Jonathan. Thomas Crecquillon’s 

earnest Pater peccavi presents the Prodigal 

Son’s rueful plea to his father. Although only 

five to ten singers perform the forementioned 

works, the reverberant acoustic creates the 

illusion of much larger forces. 

American composer Nico Muhly’s Fallings, 

especially commissioned for this CD, 

involves 12 singers. Set to verses from Isaiah 

describing the destruction of Solomon’s 

temple, the music is often tumultuous and 

discordant, yet not out of place among the 

Renaissance works. Ending the CD, 19 singers 

– 14 of them tenors and basses – join in the 

longest selection, Robert Carver’s grandiloquent, 

12-minute O bone Jesu. The maleheavy 

sonorities add depth and richness to 

this cry for mercy – “O good Jesus, let not 

my sin destroy me.” Texts and translations 

are included. 

Michael Schulman 

Wagner – Dei Meistersinger von Nurnberg 

Soloists; Orchestra and Chorus of the 

Deutsche Oper Berlin; John Flore 

Naxos DVD 2.110766-67 (naxos.com/Catalo 

gueDetail/?id=2.110766-67) 

! Deutsche Oper has always been famous 

for thought-provoking, even iconoclastic, 

productions so this latest incarnation of 

Wagner’s lengthy masterpiece comes to us 

certainly as very different from anything 

I’ve ever seen 

before. The scene 

is a Conservatory 

with the Masters 

as professors, the 

Apprentices as 

students, all in a 

modern setting. The 

school is owned by 

the wealthy Veit 

Pogner (Albert 

Posendorfer, bass) 

who intends to turn 

it over to the public by organizing a singing 

contest but stipulating that the winner 

must be a Master and should marry his only 

daughter Eva (Heidi Stober, soprano). The 

contest is held on Midsummer Day and there 

are numerous complications, but we all know 

the story. In this provocative staging the 

music and the text remain unchanged; there 

is constant action, and the show is entertaining 

throughout. But the question remains 

for someone who has never seen/heard 

this opera before should I recommend this 

production rather than an opulent, glorious 

traditional one such as I grew up with? 

The directorial team has decided to “remove 

the deadweight of previous productions to 

get closer to the opera itself” which is all 

about music, the composition and delivery of 

music. This translates itself into composing a 

master song and it all comes together beautifully 

in the wonderful third act. The master 

song is composed by Walther von Stolzing, 

the tenor lead (beautifully sung by the latest 

German heldentenor sensation, Klaus Florian 

Vogt, who aspires to be a Master and is in 

love with Eva. The elderly Hans Sachs (Johan 

Reuter, baritone), a Master and the real hero 

of the opera, is also in love with Eva but 

having to give her up, realizes Walther’s song 

is, although different, truly beautiful. He 

magnanimously offers advice to improve the 

song according to the established rules. The 

master song is then baptized (on St. John’s 

day) by the glorious quintet Selig wie die 



Schubert: 

The Complete Impromptus 

Gerardo Teissonnière 

The acclaimed pianist's second 

album for the Steinway & Sons 

label brings new and authoritative 

interpretations to these beloved 

complete impromptus. 

Album Leaf: Piano Works 

by Felix Mendelssohn 

Sophia Agranovich 

Ranging from poetic intimacy 

and serenity to tragedy and 

overwhelming drama, sublime 

emotions awakened by 

masterpieces on this album stir 

the depths of soul 

Rachmaninoff 

Ian Gindes 

Pianist Ian Gindes presents a 

captivating elucidation of Sergei 

Rachmaninoff’s solo piano works 

on RACHMANINOFF, a new album 

of discerning artistry! 

American Spiritual 

Michael Lee 

Intersect European Art Music and 

American spirituals, featuring 

works by Florence Price, Margaret 

Bonds, and Robert Nathaniel Dett, 

sharing powerful stories of Black 

Americans. 


Sonne, with all five principals, and later 

Walther wins the contest and Eva’s hand. A 

happy ending, indeed. 

Deutsche Oper’s giant orchestra pit 

much resembles the one at the Bayreuth 

Festspielhaus and the large orchestra is led 

by John Fiore, an internationally famous 

American conductor from Seattle. He is much 

praised by the world’s opera houses as a 

respected leader with unusual musical sensitivity. 

The show was enthusiastically received. 

What more can we ask ? 

Janos Gardonyi 

Fire-Flowers 

Luminous Voices; Timothy Shantz 

Leaf Music LM275b (leaf-music.ca) 

! The Calgarybased 

choir 

Luminous Voices, 

directed by 

Timothy Shantz, 

is a diverse and 

prolific ensemble, 

performing 

and recording a 

range of repertoire 

with consistently excellent results. 

In 2023 they released Ispiciwin, with music 

by Indigenous composers Andrew Balfour, 

Sherryl Sewepagaham and Walter MacDonald 

White Bear, which is followed now by Fire- 

Flowers, featuring Johannes Brahms’ stunning 

Requiem. 

Originally written for chorus and orchestra, 

this performance uses Brahms’ own alternative 

version of the full seven-movement work, 

performed with piano duet accompaniment, 

which gives this rich and robust composition 

an introverted and subdued atmosphere. 

It also makes the choir’s task much more 

challenging, as the warm (and rather more 

forgiving) tones of strings and woodwinds are 

replaced by the percussive keys and hammers 

of the piano. Any indiscretion in pitch or 

rhythm would be immediately apparent, and 

the lack of asynchronicity is a testament to 

Luminous Voices’ collective talent. 

In addition to these general hazards, there 

are a few notably challenging moments in 

Brahms’ Requiem that serve as a barometer 

of an ensemble’s skill, including the “Herr, du 

bist würdig” fugue at the end of movement 

VI. Rather than being in peril, the choir gives 

a masterclass in phrasing and fugal execution, 

turning potential danger into five minutes of 

sonic bliss. 

While Brahms is the centrepiece of this 

recording, it is bookended by two works by 

Zachary Wadsworth, including his dramatic 

Battle-Flags with text by Walt Whitman, and 

Fire-Flowers, based on an excerpt from Emily 

Pauline Johnson’s Flint and Feather. Both 

pieces are extraordinarily compelling reflections 

on life, loss and hope, and this recording 

is highly recommended as what will undoubtedly 

be one of the best choral discs of this year. 

Matthew Whitfield 

In the Crystalline Vault of Heaven 

Luminos Ensemble; Dr. Margot Rejskind 

Leaf Music LM290 (luminosensemble.com) 

! Writing about 

second-wave 

feminism in 1970, 

Carol Hanisch either 

created or popularized 

the phrase 

“the personal is 

political.” Since 

that time, the 

aphorism has expanded in both meaning and 

application to point out the shared synergies 

and interactions that exist between political 

and personal issues. In many ways, the 

arts, such as music, have become a lightning 

rod for these kinds of conversations. Music 

makers in 2024, whether they like it or not, 

are making choices often read as political 

simply by the repertoire they choose, venues 

at which they perform and the ensemble 

company they keep. 

The Luminos Ensemble, a terrific 

Charlottetown-based choir of 16 East Coast 

voices that was formed in 2017 by artistic 

Director Dr. Margot Rejskind, seems acutely 

aware of this fact. In fact, articulated on their 

website is a mission statement and an expansion 

of values that suggests that a kind of 

Canadian East Coast social justice (albeit one 

that is married to beautiful choral voices) 

is their very raison d’être. Living the stated 

value that PEI voices “deserve to be promoted 

and supported,” the ensemble has released a 

fine new recording, In the Crystalline Vault 

of Heaven that features several tremendous 

Atlantic Canadian compositional talents 

deserving of wider recognition. While the 

title track by Nova Scotia composer Derek 

Charke is moving indeed, the work of Prince 

Edward Island composers David Buley and 

EKR Hammell, who contribute meaningfully 

to this recommended recording, was particularly 

captivating. 

Andrew Scott 

Arvo Pärt – Odes of Repentance 

Cappella Romana; Alexander Lingas 

Cappella Records CR428 (cappellarecords. 

com) 

! Esteemed senior 

Estonian composer 

Arvo Pärt’s current 

idiomatic musical 

style is rooted in 

Gregorian chant 

and later European 

polyphonic liturgical 

music, yet 

his early career compositional language 

embraced 20th century serialism and then 

minimalism. In addition, his use of Christian 

liturgical texts triggered censure from Soviet 

cultural authorities in the 1960s, leading to 

a personal reckoning. After years of personal 

renunciation, Pärt emerged in the 1970s 

with a new compositional style he dubbed 

“tintinnabula.” 

In an unexpected twist of history, his often 

austere, meditative, faith-based music has 

found a wide audience in the decades since. 

He’s frequently ranked among the world’s 

most performed composers, particularly of 

choral music. And that’s what we hear on 

the Odes of Repentance album: a prayerful 

suite of choral works over 12 tracks. The selections 

were compiled by Alexander Lingas 

the music director of Portland Oregon’s 

Cappella Romana, a professional mixed choir 

known for its rigorous historically-informed 

performances of Orthodox church music. 

For example, Cappella Romana hired an Old 

Church Slavonic coach to aid in pronouncing 

that language for these performances. 

Cappella Romana is an ideal match for 

Pärt’s sacred music. For example, The Woman 

with the Alabaster Box is a Gospel reading; 

there are also Orthodox hymns, heartfelt 

prayers and psalmody, all capped by Prayer 

after the Kanon. The album feels like a timeless 

liturgical service, the elegant leanness of 

its musical language kept in aesthetic tension 

and given additional meaning by the ritual 

lyrics and frequent short pauses for silent 

reflection. 

Andrew Timar 

CLASSICAL AND BEYOND 

Dall’Abaco and the Art of Variation 

Elinor Frey; Accademia De’Dissonanti 

Passacaille 1141 (passacaille.be) 

! While the term 

“supergroup” is 

usually applied 

to bands like The 

Traveling Wilburys 

and Temple of the 

Dog, the term also 

suits the Accademia 

de’ Dissonanti, 

composed of members who are each gifted 

performers in their own right and come 

together to make consistently stunning 

recordings. 

This disc features music by Giuseppe 

Clemente Dall’Abaco (1710-1805), and is the 

premiere recording of his two cello trios and 

three cello sonatas. If the name is unfamiliar, 

that is because Dall’Abaco’s compositions 

are relatively new to modern audiences: 

The musical output of this cellist-composer 

has only emerged in recent decades, and its 

craftsmanship and charm have won over both 

performers and listeners alike. 

Born in Brussels, Dall’Abaco spent the 

majority of his childhood at the Bavarian 

court in Munich, where his father, composer 

Evaristo Felice Dall’Abaco, was employed as 

Kapellmeister. Throughout the 1730s and 

1740s, the cellist’s reputation grew as he 

began to travel and perform in important 

European cities such as London, York, Paris 


and Vienna, eventually becoming renowned 

as Europe’s most gifted cellist. 

Featuring the equally gifted (and very much 

alive) cellists Octavie Dostaler-Lalonde, Elinor 

Frey and Eva Lymenstull, as well as harpsichordist 

Federica Bianchi and theorbist 

Michele Pasotti, each work on this recording 

is a delight to listen to. The cello trios are rich 

and complex, with intertwining melodic 

lines and timbral blends that create fascinating 

polyphonic effects. The cello sonatas, 

with variations composed by Elinor Frey, are 

grin-inducing in their joviality, but never 

superficial. 

This recording is a revelatory introduction 

to one of history’s “newest” composers, and 

a welcome return to the masterful musicians 

that make up early music’s own supergroup, 

the Accademia de’ Dissonanti. 


Concert Note: Elinor Frey performs April 6 & 

7 for Friends of Music at St. Thomas' Toronto 

(Bach Cello Suites); May 4 Frey is guest leader 

and soloist with London Sinfonia, London 

Fantasia 

Igor Levit 

Sony 19658811642 (igor-levit.com) 

! Notated improvisatory 

style has 

been a facet of 

western music 

as far back as 

the Renaissance 

and this two-disc 

Sony recording 

simply titled 

Fantasia featuring pianist Igor Levit in an 

attractive exploration of piano repertoire 

following this principle spanning a 300-year 

period. The Russian-born soloist began his 

musical studies at the Salzburg Mozarteum 

and in 2005, was the winner of the Arthur 

Rubinstein International Piano Master 

Competition in Tel Aviv. 

An arrangement of the Air from Bach’s 

Orchestral Suite No.3 may seem an unusual 

opening for a recording of music focusing 

on extemporization, but Levit’s interpretation 

is refined and understated. In contrast 

is the renowned Chromatic Fantasy and 

Fugue BWV903, very much a bravura piece 

of formidable invention. Levit delivers a 

compelling and well-balanced performance, 

his phrasing always clearly articulated. Even 

more challenging is the Piano Sonata in B 

Minor by Liszt, a composition of herculean 

difficulties. Levit is seemingly unfazed by the 

technical challenges and easily fashions the 

ever-contrasting moods into a cohesive whole. 

Disc two opens with Berg’s angular and 

at times unsetting Piano Sonata Op.1, a 

fine example of his early style. Nevertheless, 

the magnum opus of the disc and the 

set itself is Busoni’s 34-minute Fantasia 

Contrappuntistica. The piece is truly substantial 

in scope and borrows from several 

musical styles involving a subdued and introspective 

opening, a complex Bach-like fugue 

followed by a dramatic section with dissonant 

chordal progressions leading to an unexpectedly 

quiet conclusion. Kudos to Levit for tackling 

this oddity and making the most of it. 

The inclusion of shorter pieces such as 

Liszt’s Der Doppelganger and Busoni’s 

Nuit de Noel further contribute to a wellbalanced 

program. 

Richard Haskell 

Beethoven – Hammerklavier Sonata; 

Stockhausen – Klavierstück X 

Marc Ponthus 

Bridge Records 9584 (bridgerecords.com) 

! The French 

pianist Marc 

Ponthus is a fascinating 

individual, 

devoting much of 

his career to the 

performance of 

the 20th century’s 

most demanding 

avant-garde music. Known for presenting 

monographic recitals in which only compositions 

by Stockhausen, Boulez or Xenakis 

are performed, Ponthus has carved a unique 

niche for himself in a pianistic world 

overrun by repeated presentations of Mozart, 

Schumann and Chopin. 

Not that there’s anything wrong with 

canonic repertoire, of course, and Ponthus 

demonstrates this first-hand with his latest 

recording, putting Beethoven’s monolithic 

“Hammerklavier” Sonata on the 

same program as Stockhausen’s landmark 

Klavierstück X. Aside from the fact that both 

works are performed on the same instrument, 

these pieces – composed nearly 150 years 

apart – are decidedly different: one is the 

pinnacle of classical sonata form, while the 

other is a masterwork of contemporary piano 

literature, an eruption of ordered disorder. 

Ponthus’ performance of Klavierstück X 

is thrilling, his control of this physically and 

intellectually demanding score immediately 

apparent. (There are so many glissandi 

that the pianist is required to wear gloves 

with the fingers cut off.) Although the first 

impression of this music may be of chaos, 

every component of this music is highly 

prescribed and structured, and Ponthus 

wrestles Stockhausen’s complex ideas into a 

profoundly convincing performance. 

If the “Hammerklavier” receives a shorter 

mention here, it is only because of its status 

as one of Beethoven’s most renowned and 

striking piano works. Ponthus approaches 

this music like a chameleon, and it is difficult 

to believe that this is the same person 

who was tackling Klavierstück X only a 

few moments prior. The rhythmic vitality of 

Beethoven’s writing is brought to the forefront 

here, and this performance is full of 

vigour and bravado, while never becoming a 

caricature of itself. 




Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphony 

Toronto Symphony Orchestra, 

Gustavo Gimeno, Marc-André 

Hamelin, Nathalie Forget 

Quite possibly the most unique 

musical experience you’ll ever 

have — Gustavo Gimeno leads a 

21st-century TSO in this all-new, 

epic recording. 

Recurrence 

Saman Shahi 

In these five new Canadian 

compositions, Recurrence explores 

repetition that ripples through 

physics, psychology, philosophy, 

and economics, evoking curiosity, 

perplexity, and awe. 

Night And Day 

(The Cole Porter Songbook) 

Adi Braun 

Adi Braun’s love affair with Cole 

Porter’s music runs long and deep 

- “his music is delicious, naughty, 

provocative, sensuous, witty and 

devastatingly beautiful”. 

Tide Rises 

Lauren Bush 

The new contemporary vocal jazz 

album from Canadian, British-based 

vocalist featuring arrangements 

of popular standards and brand 

new originals. “Highly, unreservedly 

recommended." Jazz Views 


Schubert – The Complete Impromptus 


Steinway & Sons 30220 (steinway.com/ 

music-and-artists/label/Schubert-thecomplete-impromptus-gerardoteissonnière) 

! Impromptu 

means “improvised,” 

a genre 

popular in 

19th-century salons. 

It seems to be easily 

dashed off in one 

sitting although 

it’s hard to believe 

this, given their melodic richness, level of 

invention and perfection of form. Schubert’s 

eight pieces are part of the curriculum for 

any aspiring piano student about grade 

eight and up and I tried my hand on at least 

three of them. My greatest accomplishment 

was Op.90 No.4 in A-flat Major, with those 

gorgeous cascades rippling down like water 

with a wonderful melody emerging in the left 

hand and a passionate Trio I loved playing. 

But I must admit that the difference between 

amateur and professional pianists being 

immeasurable (Somerset Maugham), so this 

new issue of The Complete Impromptus, all 

eight of them, under two opus numbers (90 

& 142) by a pianist critics regard as an artist of 

“extraordinary musicianship and rare sensibility,” 

Puerto Rican-born American Gerardo 

Teissonnière, is most welcome. In fact, the 

pianist is having a remarkable career on two 

continents, recipient of many awards; this 

recording is his second one on the prestigious 

Steinway & Sons label. 

Some of my favourites are the popular, 

very impressive No.2 Op.90 in E-flat Major, 

perpetuum mobile-like, light hearted and fast 

with an exquisite contrasting Impromptu. 

No.3, Op.90 in G-flat Major (with 6 flats) is 

relaxed and introspective with a harp-like 

mid-register in the right hand that reminds 

me of Schubert›s ever-present obsession 

with water and a fearsome undercurrent in 

the left hand bass. 

I loved the most the ambitious Impromptu 

No.1 Op.90 in C Minor, with its notable key 

change into major in the Trio that›s absolute 

heaven, like a dreamy dialogue of questions 

and answers. No.3 in B-flat Major Op.142 is 

a set of lovely variations on a simple theme 

from Rosamunde where the level of invention 

is amazing. The final piece is No.4 Op.142 

in F Minor, a wild rondo that sums up this set 

that gave me a lot of enjoyment in these bleak 

winter days. 


Robert Schumann – Piano Works 

Llŷr Williams 

Signum Classics SIGCD756 

(signumrecords.com) 

! The name Llŷr Williams may not be an 

overly familiar one, but since his graduation 

from the Royal 

Academy of music, 

this 48-year-old 

pianist has quietly 

carved out a name 

for himself as a 

soloist, accompanist 

and chamber musician. 

Born in North 

Wales in 1976, he studied music at Queen’s 

College, Oxford before pursuing further 

studies at the RAM from 2003 to 2005. His 

recent recordings have included the complete 

sonatas of Beethoven and Schubert; he now 

turns his attention to the music of Schumann 

on this 2CD set. 

The first disc opens with the renowned 

Fantasie in C Major Op.17, long regarded as 

one of Schumann’s greatest works. Willliams’ 

approach is suitably expansive and lyrical, 

at no time losing control of the shifting 

parameters within. Papillons, from 1831 is 

a charming set of 12 kaleidoscopic miniatures. 

Based on a novel by Jean Paul Richter 

and intended to represent a masked ball, the 

successive dance movements flow by in quick 

succession. Williams delivers an elegant and 

polished performance, adroitly capturing the 

ever-contrasting moods. Concluding the first 

disc is the six-movement Humoresque Op.20 

from 1839, a score that has possibly never 

earned the reputation it deserves. 

Williams continues to demonstrate a 

real affinity for this archly Romantic repertoire 

in the famed Davidsbündlertanze Op.6 

which opens the second disc. The movements 

here are not true dances, but character 

pieces aptly showcasing the dualistic 

nature of Schumann’s personality. The 

four reflective Nachtstücke Op.23 were 

composed during a particularly stressful time 

in the composer’s life owing to the imminent 

death of his older brother. In contrast 

is the jovial Faschingsschwank aus Wien 

Op.26, a wonderful depiction of a Viennese 

carnival which Williams performs with much 

bravado, bringing the set to a most satisfying 

conclusion. 


Album Leaf – Piano Works by Felix 

Mendelssohn 

Sophia Agranovich 

Centaur Records CRC 4038 

(sophiagranovich.com) 

! Thanks to 

YouTube I feel as if 

I’ve seen and heard 

this magnificent 

pianist live whose 

new recording I am 

pleased to introduce. 

In fact I am 

simply mesmerized 

by Sophia 

Agranovich‘s tremendous talent, virtuosity, 

emotional involvement and thorough musicianship. 

Fanfare magazine calls her a “tigress 

of the keyboard” and I could listen to her 

for hours. Her credentials include concert 

pianist, recording artist, teacher, computer 

scientist and vice president of Merrill/ Lynch, 

no less. This is her 12th recording to date. 

Agranovich is no stranger to these pages – 

we reviewed her very impressive Liszt recital 

in November 2022 – and now she turns to 

Mendelssohn and surely doesn’t disappoint. 

Her virtuosity immediately becomes evident 

in the extremely difficult last movement 

Presto of the Fantasia in F-sharp Minor, a 

perpetuum mobile that ends the first piece. 

Her lightness of touch makes the piano 

sing at the Albumblatt in A Minor, a typical 

Mendelssohn Lied ohne Worte that the set is 

named after. 

Mendelssohn was probably one of the most 

gifted composers who ever lived. As a child 

prodigy he composed a symphony for full 

orchestra at the age of 12! As the program 

continues the composer’s immense talent 

shines through beautiful pieces like the 

Caprices, a set of Variations Serieuses and 

the murderously difficult Etudes that rival 

Chopin. They are all executed in a lovely 

singing tone, with virtuosity and elegance. 

My beloved, since childhood, Rondo 

Capriccioso, a favourite concert piece where 

I see elves dancing every time I hear it, ends 

the program and I cannot recommend it 

highly enough. 


Chopin – Ballades and Nocturnes 

Jonathan Phillips 

Divine Art DDX 21111 (divineartrecords. 

com) 

! What more 

can be said about 

Chopin – all too 

frequently referred 

to as the “poet of 

the piano?” More 

than 170 years 

after his death, his 

music continues 

to enthrall connoisseurs and amateurs alike 

and this disc presenting the four Ballades 

and a selection of Nocturnes played by 

British pianist Jonathan Phillips is bound 

to be a welcome addition. A graduate of the 

Royal Northern College of Music, Phillips 

was winner of the National Youth Orchestra 

of Wales Soloist award in 1986. He has 

performed throughout Europe, but in 1998, 

began studies for a degree in philosophy, after 

which he was less inclined to pursue a career 

as a performing artist. 

Seldom is Chopin’s creativity so evident 

than in the four Ballades, written over a 

17-year period between 1836 and 1843. 

Phillips’ approach is elegant and understated 

– his tempos are never rushed, nor 

does he resort to empty virtuosity, instead 

letting the music speak for itself. This is no 

more apparent than in the glorious fourth 

Ballade. From the calm and hesitant opening 


measures to the turbulent coda, Phillips is 

clearly in full command of this daunting 

repertoire, but never seeks to impress. 

Of the five Nocturnes Phillps chose for this 

program, three – Op.9 No.2, Op.15 No.1 and 

Op.32 No.1 are early works, while two – Op.55 

No.1 and Op.62 No.1 – were written considerably 

later. Phillips treats this lyrical and introspective 

music with a sensitive poignancy 

concluding the disc with a mood of true 

serenity. 

With his fine musicianship and impressive 

technique, it seems a pity that Phillips has too 

often forsaken the limelight, choosing instead 

to lead a more unassuming life with his 

family in the English Cotswolds. His talents 

most definitely deserve greater exposure. 


Bruckner – Symphony No.7 

London Symphony Orchestra; Sir Simon 

Rattle 

LSO Live LSO00887 (lso.co.uk) 

! It is said that 

Otto Kitzler, a 

decade younger 

than his student 

Anton Bruckner, 

helped inspire a 

momentous change 

in his illustrious 

pupil. The defining 

moment that enabled Bruckner to find his 

true musical vocation was when he heard 

Kitzler conduct a performance of Wagner’s 

Tannhäuser in Linz. 

Bruckner had spent 40 years assimilating 

every rule of composition. However, Kitzler’s 

performance of Wagner led Bruckner on a 

voyage of discovery of Wagner that enabled 

him to break the rulebook he had so assiduously 

assimilated. Indeed Wagner, the operatic 

iconoclast, enabled Bruckner to create 

symphonic music that mirrored Wagner’s 

achievements as a master of music drama. 

Nowhere is the newly discovered 

dramaturgy more evident than in this version 

of Bruckner’s most enraptured Symphony 

No.7. It features the long radiant phrase by the 

cellos and the first horn, which unfolds over 

tremolando strings. The portentous Adagio 

presages Wagner’s death with the sombre, 

glowing tone of four Wagner tubas. The neardemonic 

and extreme tension generated by 

the violins’ restless accompaniment in the 

dramatic Scherzo is evocative of Bruckner’s 

discovery of the devastating fire that killed 

386 patrons in the Ringtheater. This is 

followed by the near-euphoric airy pastoral 

character in the climax of the finale. 

Sir Simon Rattle’s shaping of Bruckner’s 

arching phrases, the exactness of his control 

of the London Symphony Orchestra and the 

sumptuousness of the orchestral tone majestically 

reinforce the idea of Bruckner as a 

master builder. 

Raul da Gama 

Rachmaninoff Piano Works 

Ian Gindes 

Navona Records NV6582 (iangindes.com) 

! The twin 

centrepieces of 

Rachmaninoff 

Piano Works by 

American Ian 

Gindes are selections 

from the 

composer’s celebrated 

Preludes and 

Études Tableaux. 

These are complemented by Rachmaninoff’s 

arrangement of Fritz Kreisler’s Liebeslied 

and Zoltan Kocsis’ arrangement of 

Rachmaninoff’s masterwork, the Vocalise 

Op.34, No.14. The surprise is the finale: Jerry 

Goldsmith’s Alone in the World arranged by 

Jed Distler. 

Like Chopin’s 24 Preludes, Rachmaninoff’s 

comprise a sequence of miniatures in every 

major and minor key and, as with Chopin, 

the self-imposed constraints inspired some 

of the composer’s most original ideas. This 

selection includes the famous C-sharp Minor 

Prelude Op.3 No.2 as well as a selection of 

four from Op.23 and one from Op.32. Melody 

is the less dominant element, for many of 

these pieces are built upon rhythmic patterns 

that lead towards the establishment of a 

melodic pattern reflecting the rhythmic pulse. 

As with the Chopin of the Ballades, Études 

and Preludes, the Études Tableaux take a 

motif or a technical challenge as their starting 

point, and weave poetic musical fabrics from 

that. Mordant, terse and visionary in their 

endless chromaticism, luminously simple 

and spectrally poignant, they are distinguished 

by their brevity and a new level of 

virtuoso pianism. 

Gindes’ interpretations fall somewhere 

between Alexis Weissenberg’s punchy 

sound and Sviatoslav Richter’s tremendous 

performances. Gindes’ illustrious renditions 

reveal a visionary glow behind the eloquent, 

melancholy virtuosic exteriors of these 

Rachmaninoff masterworks. 

Raul da Gama 

Shooting Star – Étoile Filante 

Reverso 

Alternate Side Records (ryankeberle. 

bandcamp.com/album/shooting-star-toilefilante) 

! If you are 

wondering how, 

on Étoile Filante, 

a trombone, a 

cello and a piano 

might come to be 

evocative of the 

musical voice of 

Lili Boulanger you 

might have no need to look further than the 

intrepid trio Reverso, comprising the trombone 

of Ryan Keberle, the cello of Vincent 

Courtois and the piano of Frank Woeste. 

But how did they succeed in recreating the 

ephemeral beauty of Boulanger’s music? 



You're Alike, You Two 

Caity Gyorgy and Mark Limacher 

A collection of Jerome Kern 

compositions that has gained 

international recognition for its 

unadorned presentation and 

fresh adaptations of the classic 

songbook composer's repertoire. 

Spring Comes Early 

John Herberman 

Eight original tunes featuring 

John on piano and rhodes, 

joined by some of Canada’s finest 

musicians. “...a mature and tasteful 

recording!” - Jaymz Bee, JazzFM 

A Canadian Songbook 

Ernesto Cervini's Turboprop 

Following his JUNO Awardnominated 

album Joy, Cervini 

leads his dynamic sextet into new 

territory, celebrating the rich 

tapestry of Canadian music. 

DISTANCIA 

Solidaridad Tango 

"An album that is without 

hesitation placed in the short list 

of the best albums of the decade.” 

Frankie Pfeiffer Editor-in-chief 

(Paris-Move, 2023) 


The answer is quite clearly in the use of 

uncommon instrumental voicing to mirror 

the poetics of a composer’s work that once 

combined vocal sensuousness with spectral 

imagery daubed onto the darkened sonic 

canvas. The cello’s bow sweeps across the 

strings of the instrument in an alternating 

movement of flux and flow. Meanwhile the 

trombone moans – almost always pianissimo 

– with a deeply religious intensity pouring out 

in solemn, elliptical melodic lines. Meanwhile 

the piano provides the harmonic glue as an 

overwhelming sense of mystery pervades the 

ensuing music. 

As sculpted phrases are created from notes 

that leap off the staved paper dancing and 

pirouetting in rarefied air around us, we find 

ourselves in the ephemeral world – literally 

and figuratively speaking – of Boulanger, 

the younger of the two legendary French 

musician-sisters. 

The subtle chromaticism of Boulanger’s 

songful music comes brilliantly alive. These 

are songs without words, every bit as compellingly 

delicate in a Mendelssohnian way, and 

the music sparkles like stars shooting across a 

glittering soundscape. 

Raul da Gama 

American Spiritual 

Michael Lee 

Independent ML202301 (leaf-music.ca) 

! Although 

some more than 

others (professors, 

teachers, music 

critics, authors), 

we are all canon 

formers one way or 

another. While we 

may think that our 

musical decisions 

about what we “like” or “don’t like” is based 

upon our individual agency and personhood, 

in truth our tastes have been shaped 

and formed by friends, teachers, disc jockeys, 

books, or, increasingly, a Stockholm-based 

AI chatbot that algorithmically suggests playlists 

based upon our Spotify listening habits. 

Next, we in turn pass on said formed tastes 

to others, reinforcing our personal musical 

canon with our listening, artistic preferences 

and the concerts we choose to attend. 

The point of this review, however, is not to 

go down a Theodor Adorno-inspired Marxist 

rabbit hole about the illusion of choice, but 

rather to say that musical canons, like taste, 

are both fluid and malleable. And a good 

thing too. In the last number of years, there 

has been a concerted effort by symphonies, 

artistic societies and record labels to feature 

greater diversity and inclusion in their offerings, 

broadening the range of the artists 

whom they have chosen to platform. 

Michael Lee, a DMA scholar, current faculty 

member at his alma mater the University of 

Toronto, and a tremendous pianist, has taken 

on this responsibility of canon expansion 

with seriousness, aplomb and care. And, 

supported by an arts grant from ArtsNL (The 

Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council), 

Lee has made a beautiful recording capturing 

a number of major piano works from BIPOC 

composers. American Spiritual seamlessly 

bridges European Art Music with important 

American Spiritual compositions of Florence 

Price, Margaret Bonds and the Niagara Fallsborn 

Canadian/American composer Robert 

Nathaniel Dett. The 2023 recording is top 

shelf, and the canonic expansion to include 

these important compositional voices 

most welcome. 

Andrew Scott 

Luna 

Anna Lapwood (organ) 

Sony Classical 19658831402 (sonyclassical. 

com/releases/releases-details/luna) 

! The pipe organ 

is considered by 

many to be a fossil: 

an academic, inflexible 

instrument 

that exists in large, 

inaccessible places 

and plays long, 

complex music – 

or a hymn-churning jukebox – depending on 

who you ask. “My grandmother played the 

organ at [insert small local church here]” is a 

line that organists hear dozens of times a year, 

and it is this relatively limited window of 

exposure that makes the organ a public relations 

challenge. 

Enter Anna Lapwood. With over one 

million followers on social media, Lapwood 

is introducing a new international audience 

to the pipe organ through behind-thescenes 

videos, genre-bending collaborations 

and open access to some of the world’s finest 

instruments. According to the album’s press 

release, “The power of social media gives the 

ability to demystify the outdated baggage the 

organ once carried along with it, throwing 

open the doors to new music, new possibilities, 

and new audiences.” 

Luna, Lapwood’s recently released 

recording, features 15 tracks including transcriptions 

of film and piano scores, as well 

as new music. There is a great range of 

material here, from the Interstellar and Pride 

and Prejudice soundtracks to Philip Glass, 

Chopin and Debussy, as well as two selections 

performed by Lapwood’s choir at the Chapel 

of Pembroke College, Cambridge. 

Much like Lapwood’s social media presence, 

this recording is an ideal vehicle 

for acquainting new audiences with the 

organ. The music is light and easy to listen 

to, expertly prepared and performed, and 

recorded in a way that captures the rich 

acoustic palate of the instrument. For experienced 

organophiles desiring the depth and 

density of Bach and Widor, it is best to look 

elsewhere; for those seeking an accessible and 

enjoyable introduction to the organ, however, 

there is a wealth of material here that will be 

utterly delightful. 


MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY 

Messiaen – Turangalîla Symphony 

Marc-André Hamelin; Nathalie Forget; 

Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Gustavo 

Gimeno 

Harmonia Mundi HMM 905366 

(harmoniamundi.com/en/albums/ 

messiaen-turangalila-symphonie/) 

! As I was 

preparing this 

review, I learned 

that the long-ailing 

Seiji Ozawa had 

died in Tokyo on 

February 6th at the 

age of 88. It seems 

a fitting memorial 

then in any discussion 

of this centennial celebration recording 

from the Toronto Symphony to also honour 

the legacy of the musician whom Olivier 

Messiaen (1908–1992) described as “the 

greatest conductor I have known.” 

Messiaen’s monumental ten-movement 

hymn to love was commissioned for the 

Boston Symphony, by Serge Koussevitzky. 

Leonard Bernstein, filling in for an indisposed 

Koussevitzky, premiered the work in 1949, 

though he never recorded it himself. Among 

Bernstein’s many conducting assistants 

during his legendary tenure at the New York 

Philharmonic a young Japanese conductor 

by the name of Seiji Ozawa stood out. In 1965 

Bernstein called TSO managing director 

Walter Homburger to recommend Ozawa as 

an ideal candidate to replace the departing 

Walter Susskind. Homburger eagerly signed 

him up and Ozawa soon rose to international 

prominence, culminating in his directorship 

of the Boston Symphony for an unprecedented 

three decades. He later confided in 

a 1996 interview with the Globe and Mail 

that “Every repertoire I ever conducted in 

Toronto, I did for the first time in my life – 

Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Mahler, everything.” 

Canada’s Centennial Commission saw 

fit to subsidize the landmark recording 

of Messiaen’s Turangalîla Symphony in 

1967. It was a wise investment indeed. The 

acclaim this recording received promptly 

landed Ozawa, the Toronto Symphony and 

the composition itself firmly on the map of 

great performances. Subsequently the thoroughly 

hyped Ozawa eagerly suggested to 

Homberger that the TSO should stage a 

festival of Messiaen’s music. Alas, his proposal 

was summarily dismissed. For some reason 

Messiaen is a tough sell in Toronto; perhaps 

there is too much of a muchness about it all 

for some. I myself witnessed how the TSO 

audience trickled away in a 2008 performance 

(in the series “Messiaen at 100” – yet 


another centennial!) of this sprawling work 

under Peter Oundjian’s direction. Let us 

return to our recordings however. 

In comparison to Gimeno’s bold and 

impulsive interpretation, Ozawa’s tempi for 

all ten movements are consistently fractionally 

slower than their modern counterpart by 

an average of 30 seconds. The analog sound 

of the era and the rich acoustic of the Massey 

Hall venue lend a welcome warmth to the 

sound – the bass register projects wonderfully. 

Our modern Roy Thomson Hall is comparatively 

weak at those frequencies but provides 

greater clarity for the often dense orchestral 

textures. This is especially notable in 

Gimeno’s superbly performed fifth movement 

whose complicated rhythms are dispatched 

at a blistering pace that would have been a 

severe technical challenge for the musicians 

of the 1960s. Kudos as well to the precision of 

the expanded percussion section, a sterling 

example of what a hotbed of the percussive 

arts Toronto has become. 

It is also important to note that the 

performance is that of the revised orchestration 

of the work that Messiaen issued in 1990. 

The 2023 recording is mostly sourced from 

live performances and a patching session 

without, as far as I can tell, any digital jiggerypokery 

from the Harmonia Mundi engineers. 

The Ozawa performance (originally released 

on vinyl in 1968) was recorded under the 

supervision of Messiaen himself with Yvonne 

Loriod as piano soloist and her sister Jeanne 

Loriod playing the ondes Martenot. It was 

remastered for a Japanese CD release in 2004 

on the RCA Red Seal label and is also available 

on a 2016 compilation disc from Sony 

(88875192952). Both TSO recordings are 

essential components in the discography of 

this seminal masterpiece of the 20th century. 

Daniel Foley 

Recurrence 

ICOT Chamber Orchestra 

Leaf Music LM256 (leaf-music.ca) 

! The ICOT 

Chamber Orchestra 

was founded by 

five Torontobased 

composers 

and musicians of 

Iranian descent who 

set out to produce 

concerts that 

musically bridge 

Canadian and Iranian culture. Over the last 

13 years it has produced operas, ballets and 

works for orchestra, chamber ensemble and 

voice. ICOT’s newest release Recurrence 

explores the many nuances of the notion of 

musical repetition through new compositions 

by Canadian composers Jordan Nobles, Nicole 

Lizée, Keyan Emami, Maziar Heidari and 

Saman Shahi. For this project ICOT consisted 

of strings (New Orford String Quartet), flute, 

clarinet, bass clarinet, upright and electric 

bass, piano and two percussionists. 

A notion such as repetition is an intriguing 

theme for a series of compositions – one 

which each of the composers decided to make 

their own via real-world lenses. Ecology, 

geological processes, social (in)justice, mathematics 

and fashion design were all themes 

harnessed. 

Two approaches caught my attention. Lizée 

cites visionary fashion designer Alexander 

McQueen as a direct inspiration for her 

Blissphemy. It reflects his work’s embrace 

of beauty in unexpected places and reach 

for artistic risks – much like the composer 

herself. Emami’s Kian in Rainbows is a 

moving musical memorial to those who died 

in 2022 in Iran, shot by government security 

forces during the crackdown on the Mahsa 

Amini protests. The nine-year old Kian 

Pirfalak was one of the victims, his memory 

evoking the innocence and fleeting beauty of 

childhood. Another sad inspiration for Kian 

in Rainbows: the sudden death last year of 

Canadian composer Jocelyn Morlock at 53. 

Andrew Timar 

Primavera IV the heart 

Matt Haimowitz 

PentaTone Oxingale Series 

(theprimaveraproject.com) 

! I was excited to 

find that the new 

Matt Haimovitz 

album The 

Primavera Project 

is based on a collaboration 

between 

two great works of 

art and 81 contemporary 

composers. The dynamic and athletic 

cellist’s latest release is number four in a 

cycle of six CDs; with his vast experience in 

contemporary and classical music, the cellist 

makes this major undertaking look easy. 

The two visual works in the spotlight are 

Botticelli’s Renaissance Primavera (c.1480) 

and contemporary artist Charline von Heyl’s 

triptych Primavera (2020). You could just 

dive into the CD with no reference at all, but I 

would recommend starting with the website 

accompaniment which displays the von Heyl 

painting and the accompanying map of the 

corresponding musical chapters: The Wind, 

The Rabbits, The Vessel and now the fourth in 

the collection, The Heart. Seeds of inspiration 

are sprinkled on von Heyl’s painting as live 

hyperlinks, which then open to each playlist. 

A stark contrast to the Botticelli version, 

Von Heyl notes “Kitsch is not ironic the way 

I use it. Kitsch, for me, means a raw emotion 

that is accessible to everybody, not just somebody 

who knows about art. That’s where 

kitsch comes from to begin with: it was basically 

art for the people.” (evenmagazine.com/ 

charline-von-heyl) 

Haimovitz tears into every nuance of colour 

from the compositions, and our journey takes 

on many of this decade’s greatest composers 

and musical storytellers. Each track 

references a particular motif notated in either 

painting. Justine Chen’s playful Iridescent 

Gest and Nina C. Young’s pentimento for solo 

cello and electronics are standouts, as are 

Tyshawn Sorey’s edgy and cinematic Three 

Graces and Canadian Vincent Ho’s jazzinspired 

Blindfolded Cupid (which Haimovitz 

pulls off as if he wrote it). The album closes 

with Gordon Getty’s richly melodic miniature-sonata 

Winter Song. 

Explore the website dedicated to the 

project. The creative and beautiful videos 

include visuals of von Heyl’s work on 

YouTube; they bring the artwork to life, 

anchoring the disc within the scope of the 

project. Haimovitz plays with an energetic 

and powerful core, and a dedication to each 

composition that only his stunning skills 

could match. 

Cheryl Ockrant 

Jean Derome – La chaleur de la pensee 

Various Artists (including Ensemble 

SuperMusique) 

ambiences magnetiques AM 276 CD 

(actuellecd.com/en/accueil) 

! I looked at some 

images from the 

great early surrealist 

artist Francisco 

Goya while listening 

to the new release 

of quasi-improvisatory 

pieces by Jean 

Derome. Somehow 

the one activity made the other more terrifying. 

It’s hard to express praise or admiration 

for this composer’s output, but the effectiveness 

of his creativity is undeniable. This is 

high-concept and/or/but high-quality artistic 

material. 

Derome provides a visual reference to Onze 

Super (petit) Totems: pictures of his own 

somewhat crude sculptures; protections, 

per the liner notes, against various evils. 

A through-composed sectional work, the 

totems are distinct sonic explorations, with 

one or two segues. The first one is full of mad 

birdsong alternating between chaotic twittering 

chirps and sustained chords of close 

treble voices, punctuated by deep huffing 

yells that spur the switching between those 

textures. 

The Tombeau de Marin Mersenne provides 

relief of a kind. Three movements (Tombeau, 

Rigaudon, Galope), materially determined by 

the arcane formulae of a16th century mathematician. 

At first blush they just seem a bit 

mechanical and dispassionate. Perhaps that’s 

the point. I’m not sure how flattered I’d be by 

this Tombeau if I were the ghost of Mersenne, 

but Derome has a fascination with the crossover 

of music and math. The inaptly titled 

Galope hobbles from slightly up-tempo to 

the near opposite, like a click track disturbed 

by the percussive interjections to continuous 

running hemi- or semi-quavers in the piano. 

The title track features improvisatory 


esponses to a middle C doinked or plunked 

out at varying intervals, a sort of torture for 

any mind given to expectation. Allowing 

one’s thoughts to warm up around the steady 

pitch is a more receptive attitude. And stay 

away from Spanish painters. 

Max Christie 

Jürg Frey – String Quartet No.4 

Quatuor Bozzini 

Quatuor Bozzini CQB 2432 (quatuorbozzini. 

ca/en) 

! About his 

String Quartet 

No.4 (2021), Swiss 

composer Jürg Frey 

(b.1953) laconically 

observed, 

“My music is slow, 

sometimes static, 

often delicately 

shifting between standstill and movement. 

And yet, after more than an hour, this music 

has arrived at another place.” Music critic 

Alex Ross aptly compared Frey’s music to a 

“Mahler Adagio suspended in zero gravity.” 

One of Canada’s leading string quartets, 

Bozzini specializes in contemporary 

music with an impressive 36 releases to date. 

Fostering a long and deep working relationship 

with Frey, their premiere recording of 

his sprawling five-movement Quartet No.4 

is a remarkably poised musical testament to 

their collaboration. Beginning with whisps 

of sound the Bozzini morphs into a virtual, 

though still totally acoustic, orchestra. From 

pianissimo sustained string chords ghostly 

instrumental resemblances emerge; they 

sound like a French horn, harmonica, woodwinds, 

bandoneon and a soft pipe organ 

in succession. In Frey’s expansive soundscapes, 

timbral colour takes centre stage in 

the sonic field. 

“… little happens – it is this atmosphere 

from which my music emerges and to which 

it always returns,” explains the composer. 

Listeners can choose to lay back and relax 

in Frey’s sound world observing the timbral 

transformations, the attractive chord and 

shifting mood changes. But then – just as we 

were enjoying the slowly scuttling clouds on a 

sunny Swiss summer day – those mysterious 

insistent pulsed cello pizzicati at the very 

end emerge to remind us of … what? … the 

passage of time? 

Andrew Timar 

Problematica 

India Gailey 

People Places Records 

(peopleplacesrecords.bandcamp.com/ 

album/problematica) 

! As a huge fan of 

cellist India Gailey’s 

first album, I was 

lucky to be in town 

for the launch of 

her latest release 

Problematica (“… 

used for organisms 

whose classification 

can’t be decided”) at the Canadian Music 

Centre. I was pleasantly surprised to see that 

even the most heavily multi-tracked or added 

effects were performed solo with laptop at 

hand. The final product is just as polished live 

as it is on the album. 

A more personal work than her previous 

album, Gailey gathers her closest collaborators 

to surround herself with a musical 

and spiritual base which she uses to launch 

herself into a plural universe. Beginning 

with Sarah Rossy’s I Long, gorgeous ethereal, 

long tones expand into harmonies and voice, 

growing and evolving into a beautiful vocal 

space-out before returning to Earth, deeply 

grounded in self. 

Nicole Lizée’s Grotesquerie employs foot 

stomps, loops, vocals and breath to become, 

as described, “a four-minute opera” of an 

amusing story best read in the notes. (There 

is also a video on Gailey’s website.) The subtle 

opening of Julia Mermelstein’s Bending, 

breaking through layers strand upon strand 

of delayed and effected cello, sneaking out 

quietly to leave a wonderous after-vision. 

Joseph Glaser’s Joinery uses an interesting 

combination of soundwalks and nature, to 

culminate into a question posed to a cello 

made from a tree: “did it hurt?” Andrew 

Noseworthy’s supremely delicate Goml_v7…. 

Final.wav is a testament to the collaborative 

partnerships Gailey continues to build. Fjóla 

Evans’ Universal Veil is exquisitely played, 

beautifully layered acoustic cello. The album 

closes with Thanya Iyer’s — Where I can be as 

big as the Sun, another opportunity for Gailey 

to circle back to her personal grounding. 

The whole album is coloured in textures, 

harmonies and vocals that continues Gailey’s 

path to be open and genuine. 


Wanderings 

Andree-Ann Deschenes 

Independent (aadpiano.com) 

! The peripatetic 

pianist Andree-Ann 

Deschenes, 

possessed of a most 

wonderfully restless 

creative instinct, 

has put her prodigious 

musicianship 

on the line once again. She could be forgiven, 

of course, for plunging herself – body and 

soul – into the that tumbling ocean of 

Brazilian rhythm. The album that results is 

titled Wanderings although, truth be told, 

this is anything but an aimless journey into 

the musical heartland of a country brim-full 

and flowing over with the most extraordinary 

rhythm-driven musical culture. 

Displaying the mind of a wizened musical 

apothecary Deschenes knows exactly where 

to go for the ingredients that make from 

this music a potion so potently magical that 

listeners are – in one elegantly executed 

rippling rhythmic phrase of her left hand – 

permanently seduced to enter her world of 

“brazilliance.” This she fashions out of hands 

that are delicate enough to lend themselves 

to the wondrous colourscape of Brazilian 

melody and harmony – powerful enough 

to handle the sinewy rhythm of the forró 

and the maracatu, even the mysticism of 

capoeira. 

The pianist reveals an intimacy with the 

poetics of Brazilian music that often eludes 

even the most well-meaning musicians. 

Moreover, she assiduously avoids the wellworn 

route to Brazil, taking, instead, the 

road less travelled. Music such as Andanças 

(Cassio Vianna), Chardi Kala (Jasnam Daya 

Singh), Two Moons (Bianca Gismonti), Nalad 

Ochun (Jovino Santos Neto) – and especially 

– Tanguinho (André Mehmari) suggest that 

Deschenes bears the mark of a maverick. 

Raul da Gama 

American Counterpoints 

Curtis Stewart; Experiential Orchestra; 

James Blachly 

Bright Shiny Things BSTC-0200 

(brightshiny.ninja) 

! I’m writing this 

quickly so I can get 

back to hearing the 

music of Julia Perry 

(1924-1979) and 

Coleridge-Taylor 

Perkinson (1932- 

2004), the two 

absurdly neglected 

Black American composers featured on 

American Counterpoint. Included is a brief 

finale from Curtis Stewart, the violin soloist 

for several tracks, with orchestra leader James 

Blachly co-curator of the album. 

Both composers were recognized and 

successful to a degree in their lifetimes. So 

why does one hear about Barber and Ives and 

Copland and Bernstein but not Perry and 

Perkinson? Guess. 

It sure isn’t because they weren’t excellent 

at their craft. Just compare the first 

cut, Perkinson’s Louisiana Blues Strut: A 

Cakewalk with his Sinfonietta No.1 two 

tracks later. It would be impressive to have 

either piece in one’s catalogue, but having 

the range shown by owning both puts one 

in the company of the greats. With his skills 


in conducting and performing, the obvious 

comparison is with Leonard Bernstein. 

Two maestros, one celebrated, the other 

overlooked. The neo-classical Sinfonietta 

opens with a Sonata Allegro movement 

in which Perkinson deploys counterpoint 

that might put Copland’s to shame (but 

evokes Hindemith); the third movement, 

Rondo-Allegrf furioso, doubles down on 

rhythmic energy; in between he summons 

Romanticism à la Samuel Barber in Song 

Form: Largo. 

Then there’s Perry, who composed in a 

thoroughly modernist and individual style, 

had studied with Luigi Dallapiccola and Nadia 

Boulanger, but went largely unregarded by 

mid-century audiences. How audacious, 

to write a serious string orchestra work, 

Symphony in One Movement for Violas 

and Basses, sans violin and cello voices. 

Astonishing dark colour, beautiful and sad 

or angry utterances. All respect to Perkinson, 

who achieved material success as a commercial 

composer, but Perry’s light is brighter, 

or deeper. 

Fine playing by Stewart and the 

Experiential Orchestra. Great disc. 

Max Christie 

Samuel Jones – Three Concertos 

Joseph Alessi; Jeffrey Khaner; Michael 

Ludwig; Boston Modern Orchestra Project; 

Gil Rose 

BMOP Sound 1095 (bmop.org/audiorecordings) 

! “My music 

always has a lyrical 

basis,” writes 

American Samuel 

Jones (b.1935). 

That’s evident as 

three superb soloists 

join with the Boston 

Modern Orchestra 

Project conducted by Gil Rose. 

Montreal-born Jeffrey Khaner, principal 

flute of the Philadelphia Orchestra, ranges 

from haunting plaintiveness to breathless 

exuberance in Flute Concerto (2018). 

Lament memorializes two brothers – Jones’ 

and Khaner’s. Interludio is a cheerful scherzo. 

Dream Montage – The Great Bell: America 

Marching incorporates familiar patriotic 

tunes, Jones’ hymn The Great Bell Rings for 

All and a jubilantly ascending, final flourish 

from the flute. 

New York Philharmonic principal trombone 

Joseph Alessi brings mellow tone and technical 

wizardry to Jones’ Trombone Concerto, 

subtitled Vita Accademica (2009). The trombone 

represents a university student and Jones 

has composed what he calls “a universalized 

‘Alma Mater’ and a stylized ‘Fight Song’.” 

Andante vigoroso is warmly sentimental; 

Romanza: Andante amabile is a tender love 

song. Chimes launch Allegro moderato, the 

student’s triumphal graduation. 

Violin Concerto (2014) begins darkly. 

Andante con moto features ominous, softly 

throbbing timpani, grumbling winds and 

menacing orchestra tuttis, the violin alternating 

between a sombre, upward, yearning 

melody and agitated downward figurations, 

all ending in tentative serenity. In Larghetto 

con moto: Largo cantabile the violin sings a 

long-lined, sweetly nostalgic melody over a 

gentle chordal cushion. Allegro inquieto ed 

appassionato mixes rapid violin passagework 

with yet more extended lyricism. 

Michael Ludwig, former Buffalo Philharmonic 

concertmaster, brilliantly masters the 

expressive and virtuosic extremes of this 

splendid concerto. 

Michael Schulman 

Russell Hartenberger – Arlington 

Ryan Scott; Russell Hartenberger; Various 

percussionists 

Nexus Records 11053 (russellhartenberger. 

bandcamp.com/album/arlington) 

! Despite 

Ionisation (1931), 

that great work 

for percussion by 

Edgard Varèse, and 

many other fine 

works by the great 

Michael Colgrass, 

David Saperstein, 

Henry Cowell and Charles Wuorinen (to 

name but a few), literature written specifically 

for percussion remains relatively rare. 

One reason could be that outside of contemporary 

blues and rock ensembles with 

prominently featured drum sets, in classical 

music, string instruments are often 

called upon to play pizzicato and col legno 

battuto to simulate percussion. 

But the paucity of literature is not 

the reason why we must praise Russell 

Hartenberger’s disc Arlington; for it is a disc 

where melody, harmony and certainly rhythm 

are all celebrated in abundance. Hartenberger 

is a composer and a virtuoso percussionist 

as well. A founding member of Nexus, he 

is also what you may call a musical anthropologist 

who has mined the art and sculppure 

of percussion of drummers from West 

Africa and Europe and Indigenous drummers 

from the Near and Far East to North and 

South America. 

However, it is not simply uncommon scholarship 

that informs the two large works 

for percussion on this disc. Hartenberger’s 

works seem not simply designed to show off 

the instruments that play them but also to 

illuminate the music itself: Arlington rises 

above being a funerary tattoo to celebrate 

the spectral spirits dancing in the rarefied air 

above every tombstone. The symphonic Red 

River is a large-scale musical metaphor that 

gushes with exuberance celebrating earthly 

life in all its protean variety. 

Raul da Gama 

Heino Eller – Works for Violin and Piano 

Andres Kaljuste; Sophia Rahman 

First Hand Records FHR149 

(firsthandrecords.com) 

! Estonian 

composer/teacher 

Heino Eller (1887- 

1970) is considered 

the founding father 

of Estonian professional 

instrumental 

music. He 

primarily composed 

small form instrumental works but did 

compose some larger canvasses including 

three symphonies. This release is the first to 

feature only Eller’s violin works, including 

ten premiere recordings. Violinist/violist/ 

teacher Andres Kaljuste has a diverse career 

in Europe and champions music by fellow 

Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, with whom 

he and his duo pianist Sophia Rahman have 

a long working association. Heino Eller was 

Pärt’s composition teacher! 

Three divisions of musical style may be 

made. Eller’s early works written 1907- 

1920 are simpler. Canzonetta (1912) is a fun, 

easy to listen to, slightly upbeat duet with 

unexpected extremely high violin pitches. 

Emotional Moment musical (Muusikaline 

moment) (1912) is rubato in feel with late 

Romantic tonalities. 

Eller tried to combine modern sounds 

with his personal aesthetics in mid-career 

works1920-1940. Fantasy for Solo Violin 

(1931) is the first Estonian work for violin 

alone. Kaljuste shines creating a symphonic 

sound blending contrasting lines from lower 

dark to higher rhythmic ones with exciting 

fast descending lines. Pines (Männid) (1929) 

is an Estonian chamber repertoire favourite. 

Eller combines folk intonation and inflections 

in lyrical music about Estonian nature. 

Late career works (1940-1970) include 

Cross-stick Dance (Ristpulkade tants) (1953) 

with Estonian folk-like rhythmic melodies in 

conversations and accented notes breaking up 

the phrases. 

My Estonian parents introduced me to 

Eller’s Pines. Here I have heard more of his 

music as Kaljuste and Rahman perform with 

an amazing understanding of Eller’s artistry. 

Tiina Kiik 

they/beast 

Pat Posey 

Avie AV2638 (avie-records.com) 

! The Belgian 

inventor and musician 

Adolphe Sax 

is responsible for 

the saxophone 

being one of the 

few instruments to 

have a clear patent 

date (June 28,1846). 

He built different sizes of saxophones but the 


most familiar are the soprano, alto, tenor and 

baritone models. The bass saxophone is much 

rarer and, although the contrabass exists, its 

size and structure made it almost unplayable. 

The Tubax is a new version of the contrabass 

created by the German instrument maker 

Benedikt Eppelsheim in 1999 and is smaller 

with a much better fingering mechanism. 

Pat Posey’s solo album they/beast displays 

the Tubax›s incredible sound with a wide 

variety of materials, from Bach cello suites 

to Philip Glass› Melodies for Saxophone. 

If listening to Paul Desmond’s alto sax is 

like sipping a fine white wine, Posey’s 

Tubax is like drinking a delicious porter. 

Its lows are glorious and Posey dexterously 

wrestles ithrough some very complex 

material. they/beast is a unique and sonically 

adventurous treat. 

Ted Parkinson 

Ispilu – Works for Quarter-Tone Accordion 

Lore Amenabar Larrañaga 

Metier mex 77108 (divineartrecords.com) 

! Talented 

accordionist 

Lore Amenabar 

Larrañaga 

researched and selfdesigned 

her microtonal 

quarter-tone 

accordion. The 

sounds are produced in both left and right 

hand manuals, with the range and timbres 

expanded by 15 right hand and 7 left hand 

registers. Custom built by Bugari Armando, 

this is her first recording playing it. She 

commissioned eight composers to write 

collaborative solo compositions to explore 

her organ’s capabilities between 2020 and 

2022, during her PhD studies at the Royal 

Academy of Music. 

Fleeting Puddles by Claudia Molitor is an 

accessible minimalist work. The sounds 

below water are created with fast repeated 

notes like ripples or waves while slower 

chords, subtle atonal held notes with added 

melodies and intriguing low-pitched notes 

create water stillness. My Time Is Your 

Time by Donald Bousted has fast, ringing 

high notes, detached lower chords, meditative 

held-notes, descending lines and held 

clusters separated by welcome reflective 

silences. Lore’s held-notes bellow control at 

different volumes is amazing. Feast by Mioko 

Yokoyama features percussive accordion 

hits mixed with pitched and quarter tone 

accented chords, glisses and lower notes. 

Der Stimme der Stadt composer Christopher 

Fox writes his work grew out of a series of 

bell resonances exemplified by extended 

rippling atonal/quarter-tone chords, repeated 

intervals, then slower calming held-chords 

with slight tonal changes and melody. 

Compositions by David Gorton, Electra 

Perivolaris, Michael Finnissy and Veli Kujala 

are also performed. 

Lore’s musical virtuosic performances 

make this a must-listen release for all. 

Tiina Kiik 

JAZZ AND IMPROVISED 

Night Flight 

Barry Elmes Quintet 

Cornerstone Records CRST CD 168 

(cornerstonerecordsinc.com) 

! Renowned musician 

and composer 

Barry Elmes has 

again gathered up 

the best of the best 

in the Canadian 

jazz industry and 

released a captivating 

new record. 

The quintet he started in 1991 has seen a 

couple of changes recently with Chris Gale 

on sax and Pat Collins on bass added to the 

existing lineup of Brian O’Kane on trumpet 

and Lorne Lofsky on guitar. The album is 

a compilation of standards by greats such 

as Charles Mingus and Keith Jarrett, which 

Elmes and crew have revived in an enticing 

manner. Also featured in the tracklist is a 

new composition by the drummer himself, 

which starts off the record with a mellow and 

catchy groove. 

The bandleader has this to say about this 

latest release, “Each of these songs left a deep 

impression on me and this album serves 

as both a tribute to the composers and an 

opportunity to present new arrangements of 

their music.” Elmes’ appreciation and respect 

for these tunes and their composers is evident 

throughout the album, especially in the way 

that each piece has a unique, new take on it 

without changing the feel and charm found 

in the original songs. An example of that is 

Mingus’ Opus 3, which takes on a more laidback 

feel in Elmes’ arrangement, but the drive 

and rhythmic prowess of the original is not 

lost in this relaxed version. A great album as a 

whole, perfect for any jazz-lover! 

Kati Kiilaspea 

Ballads 

Brian Dickinson 

Modica Music (modicamusic.bandcamp. 

com/album/ballads) 

! Although I 

have not had the 

good fortune to 

perform with the 

great pianist Brian 

Dickinson often, I 

do remember one 

opportunity in 

Vancouver that was 

both memorable and instructive. Between 

tunes, the band fielded questions from an 

audience that was comprised largely of music 

students. After one particularly inspired 

cascading passage of improvised up-tempo 

16th notes by Dickinson, a student asked 

the Canadian pianist how he approached 

these sorts of speedy extemporizations. His 

answer, which was both practical and hilariously 

banal, was that one should take all the 

musical language that one knows how to 

do using eighth notes and simply play them 

twice as fast. I have learned a lot from Brian 

over the years, both as a colleague at work, 

but also by listening to him play live, and I 

found this advice to be eminently prudent. 

I was reminded of this exchange while 

enjoying Dickinson’s terrific new recording 

Ballads, which features nine gorgeous solo 

piano pieces recorded on a beautiful Yamaha 

C7 during the COVID lockdown of 2020. 

I wondered if Dickinson would describe 

playing solo piano as like playing with 

a rhythm section, but only without one. 

Although I have not asked Brian about this, 

I imagine that the answer would be “no.” 

As is evident on this recommended 2023 

release, Dickinson is fulfilling many roles as 

a solo pianist, coaxing forward the expansive 

and expressive range of the instrument 

as only an artist of his level of accomplishment 

is capable. The entire listening experience 

is pleasurable. Dickinson plays with 

the dependable greatness that jazz fans have 

come to expect from him, and the fact that 

this recording is a touching dedication to the 

late great jazz vocalist and educator Shannon 

Gunn makes it all the more special. 

Andrew Scott 

Moment to Moment 

Bernie Senensky 

Eric Alexander; Kieran Overs; Joe 

Farnsworth 

Cellar Music CM080923 (cellarlive.com) 

! The pandemic 

knocked the 

performing arts into 

a near-total hiatus, 

and many speculated 

on whether 

we’d see a postpandemic 

renaissance, 

or a tepid 

return to “normal.” Jazz’s return has been 

one marred with ups and downs, but it does 

feel like it’s brought the global community 

together in the highs and lows of the new 

normal. Veteran pianist Bernie Senensky’s 

Moment to Moment was recorded prepandemic 

at the CBC back in 2001 with two 

live tracks from 2020 added, and released 

in 2023. Today it sounds as current as ever, 

while maintaining a connection to the 

“before times.” 

Andrew Scott’s liner notes are also quick to 

point out Moment to Moment’s modern yet 

classic duality, for which Senensky selected 

the perfect personnel. American cohorts 

Eric Alexander and Joe Farnsworth are both 

sought-after leaders and sidemen in the 

New York area, where the group’s Canadian 

contingents have all paid their respective 


dues at one point or another too. Alexander 

and Senensky are featured on each of the 

album’s eight tracks, with Morgan Childs and 

Farnsworth alternating the drum chair, and 

Kieran Overs and Dave Young trading bass 

duties. Overs’ and Childs’ contributions to 

the quartet are from a live hit in Waterloo, 

Ontario and sound right at home amongst the 

six studio tracks. 

During my initial listening, I noted that 

Moment to Moment features more than one 

blues and a few tracks at similar tempos. 

With a less creative and engaging band, this 

could feel repetitive, but not in the hands of 

these masters! 

Sam Dickinson 

Night and Day – The Cole Porter Songbook 

Adi Braun 

Alma Records ACD91532 (almarecords. 

com) 

! Backed by Don 

Breithaupt’s gargantuan 

arrangements, 

Adi Braun’s 

endlessly expressive 

voice embodies the 

world of every lyric, 

her choice of Cole 

Porter repertoire 

helps to weave a compelling thematic narrative 

and her gracefully imaginative phrasing 

refracts off the pristine orchestration to create 

a warm, celestial glow. Breithaupt’s orchestra 

in all of its exuberance and luster, seems to 

exist for Braun’s effortlessly unhurried time 

feel to envelope it; these two forces’ moments 

of impalpable coalescence feeling like proximity 

to a subdued fireplace, where nearness 

is best paired with the faintest layer of 

distance. 

In terms of the success of this symbiotic 

razor’s-edge dance, it would be tempting 

to say that credit goes to Breithaupt for not 

crowding Braun’s frequencies (and credit is 

certainly due as Breithaupt cultivates sweet, 

colourful, lush orchards of sound), but it is 

Braun who is largely playing both the mindful 

accompanist and driver of mood. Just One of 

those Things kicks off with an adrenaline shot 

of an upright bass intro courtesy of Pat Collins 

and the sheer steadfast vigour of his tone, 

with the strings resonating at a frequency 

that could slice right through the fingerboard. 

Braun finds herself occupying the space in the 

decay within each note Collins hammers out, 

nearing a whisper while staying just detached 

enough to allow the bass line to act as a buoy 

for our monologue of ephemeral affiliations. 

Then the extravaganza returns and Braun 

finds a renewed purpose for those gaps. 

Yoshi Maclear Wall 

Tide Rises 

Lauren Bush 

Mighty Quinn Records MQR1166 

(mightyquinnrecordsmusic.bandcamp. 

com/album/tide-rises) 

! Canadian born, 

UK-based singer 

Lauren Bush has 

released an eclectic 

album of both 

original songs and 

original-sounding 

covers. Although 

there are forays 

into other genres, the group mainly focuses 

on jazz with a mix of standards and modern 

takes. We’re put on notice about the serious 

skills at play with the opening track as Bush 

tackles the Clifford Brown vocal-cord twister 

Joy Spring with ease. 

As a sucker for a Fender Rhodes, I was 

taken by the more soulful/groovy numbers 

like the title track, which is a Longfellow 

poem given an urban ballad treatment. It 

has the bonus of showing Bush’s voice in a 

different light, as her straight tone can sound 

a bit strident in the upper register and on 

some of the up-tempo tunes. However, here 

and on some of the other laid-back tracks, 

her tone is softened and more relaxed. 

Throughout, Bush’s ability to put across a 

lyric is consistent and is one of her strong 

suits along with her improvising ability. 

The players – in particular keyboardist 

Liam Dunachie, who also doubles as arranger 

– are comfortable on acoustic and electric 

instruments as the style of song demands 

and Madrugada is a lovely lesser known 

bossa nova which highlights their versatility. 

It seems no Canadian singer’s album is 

complete without a Joni Mitchell tune; Bush 

and crew don’t disappoint with their beautifully 

reharmonized cover of The Circle Game. 

Cathy Riches 

You’re Alike, You Two 

Caity Gyorgy; Mark Limacher 

Independent (caitygyorgy.bandcamp.com/ 

album/youre-alike-you-two) 

! Two-time Juno 

Award-winner in 

the Best Vocal Jazz 

Album category, 

Caity Gyorgy is back 

again with a fresh, 

snazzy album. The 

scintillating songstress 

has put her 

own twist on a few 

classic tunes by renowned composer Jerome 

Kern as well as thrown one of her own new 

songs into the mix, so this album does double 

duty – freshening up traditional pieces 

in addition to showcasing her skills as a 

composer. Throughout the album and taking 

into account her past releases, a unique 

streak runs through them, one that only a 

few talented musicians can truly master: the 

ability to breathe new life into traditional 

pieces and bring them into the modern day. 

Charm, wit and a certain je ne sais quoi from 

a bygone era are brought into the present 

through Gyorgy’s composition and her takes 

on famed tunes. 

The multi-talent’s soaring yet mellow 

vocals are complemented and showcased 

perfectly by pianist Mark Limacher’s 

melodies and riffs. There’s something 

wonderfully satisfying about a record that 

is focused around the interplay between a 

voice and the piano; it’s simple, yet the way 

the two work together and collaborate brings 

in an intriguing level of complexity that one 

must really listen to in order to fully comprehend. 

Gyorgy’s own tune The Bartender is a 

standout and a snappy little musical response 

to some of her critics. Yet another fabulous 

release, this is a worthy addition to the jazz 

aficionado’s collection. 

Kati Kiilaspea 

Concert Note: Caity Gyorgy and her quartet 

perform on April 18 Aeolian Hall, London; 

April 19 Koerner Hall, Toronto; April 20 Jazz 

Room, Kitchener 

Spring Comes Early 

John Herberman 

Ceola Records CR0003 (johnherberman. 

com) 

! Composer 

and pianist, John 

Herberman is not 

primarily known as 

a jazz musician, but 

has enjoyed a long, 

successful career as 

a screen composer/ 

producer. He has 

received many international accolades for his 

45 successful albums as well as record sales in 

the millions. Like his debut jazz recording of 

2021, his new project also focuses on the jazz 

of the 50s and 60s, as exemplified by pianists 

such as the late Bill Evans and Ahmad 

Jamal. All of the well-constructed tunes here 

were written by Herberman, who performs 

on acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes, and he 

has surrounded himself here with a superb 

ensemble of noted jazz musicians. 

The program begins with the lovely 

Courtenay Circle, which memorializes 

a street and time in Rochester where 

Herberman jammed with wonderful friends 

who have sadly both passed. This sweet track 

features both Mark Eisenman and Herberman 

on piano, and a stunner of a solo from bassist 

Paul Novotny. Next up is the thoroughly 

gorgeous Central Park West, which was 

inspired by a New York City Busker, wailing 

on his sax into the sticky, NYC summer night. 

Herberman brilliantly captures the mood 

on Rhodes here, with eminent alto saxophonist 

Verne Dorge, hauntingly soloing in 

the spotlight. 

Another sumptuous track is Modalities 


– this delicious composition includes the 

evocative muted trumpet of John MacLeod, 

with a visceral harkening back to 1950sera 

Miles Davis. Vibraphonist Mark Duggan 

adds his own luminous work to this stunner. 

Another highlight is the title track, which is 

a diaphanous homage to the iconic Evans, 

with Duggan and MacLeod (on flugelhorn) 

moving contiguously through the piece, 

propelled by Herberman on Rhodes. The 

exquisite Kevin Turcotte is featured on flugelhorn 

in the closer, Ballad for M.T., which also 

features Herberman on mesmerizing, sylphlike 

acoustic piano and Novotny on sinuous, 

emotive bass. 

Lesley Mitchell-Clarke 

Home Cookin’ 

Cory Weeds with little big band 

accompaniment 

Cellar Music CMR120522 (cellarlive.com) 

! The latest 

offing from master 

tenorist/producer/ 

record label director 

Cory Weeds is 

unequivocally 

loaded with delight. 

For this new expression 

of joy, Weeds 

has formed an ensemble comprised of many 

of the top, Vancouver-based jazz players. The 

material here is powerful, featuring compositions 

by Horace Silver, Weeds, Michael Weiss 

and Thad Jones, as well as a superb re-tooling 

of Oliver Nelson’s original arrangement of 

the classic Lullaby of the Leaves. Bill Coon 

and Jill Thompson are the brilliant arrangers/producers 

of the majority of the material 

here, with a pumpitudinous arrangement of 

Weiss’ Power Station by Weiss himself. 

The opening salvo and title track, Home 

Cookin’ (a Silver composition) gets going with 

a bass intro, followed by synchronous brass 

and rhythm section work. The track bobs and 

swings in all of the right places, replete with a 

fine solo from Weeds. Next up is Corner Kisses 

– a Weeds original – it’s loaded with energetic 

bop and penned as a celebration of his 

beautiful, amazing wife. Weeds and his horn 

take off into the stratosphere here, along with 

pianist Chris Gestrin, trumpeter Brad Turner 

and drummer Jesse Cahill. Blossoms in May, 

is another Weeds original, and on this track, 

the art of the ballad is not only explored, but 

manifested. Weeds’ warm, languid tone is a 

balm for whatever ails you, and the ensemble 

plays together as a one-celled organism. 

Standouts include Jones’ Thedia – John 

Lee’s bass solo is brief but potent and the 

band just kills it at every opportunity – and 

the above mentioned Lullaby of the Leaves, 

adapted and transcribed by Fred Stride. 

Pianist Gestrin digs in, really getting into 

the chordal meat. Weeds is nothing short of 

exceptional here, and remains a guiding light 

in jazz. Bravo! 


Gratitude 

Kevin Goss; Brian O’Kane; Dave Restivo; 

Nathan Hiltz; Jim Vivian; Ted Warren 

Independent (kevingoss.bandcamp.com/ 

album/gratitude) 

! Gifted composer 

and baritone saxophonist 

Kevin 

Goss has recently 

released a compelling 

recording of his 

original compositions 

(save one), 

propelled by gratitude, 

family, friendship and the love of music. 

As he faced and recovered from a life-threatening 

illness, he felt the need to both celebrate 

and explore these three key aspects 

of life. Goss has surrounded himself here 

with an excellent ensemble: Dave Restivo 

on piano, Brian O’Kane on trumpet, Nathan 

Hiltz on guitar, Jim Vivian on bass and Ted 

Warren on drums. 

First up is the groovy “boogaloo 

blues” Ted’s Kick, which was written in 

honour of the great Ronnie Cuber as well 

as a tip of the hat to drummer Warren, who 

detests the term “kick drum.” Restivo’s satisfying 

Fender Rhodes and Hiltz’s George 

Benson-esque motifs imbed a whiff of the 70s 

in this track. O’Kane renders a fine trumpet 

solo here as well superb bass work from 

Vivian and Goss’ dynamic and fluid soloing. A 

true stand out is Mists of Fundy, a sumptuous 

ballad and a tribute to the iconic Phil Woods 

as well as to Goss’ hometown of St. John NB – 

where the magical mists rise with regularity 

– as does the talent! Goss plays from the heart 

here, each note rife with emotional content. 

Also dynamic is the spicy Latin 

groove, Cayenne (for Pepper) written for 

Pepper Adams, “the Father of modern baritone 

playing,” and the stunning Adanac 

– a waltz based on the changes of Sonny 

Rollins’ standard, Airegin. Goss soars on 

soprano here, and O’Kane provides a splendid 

solo. Not to be missed is the funky-cool By 

George, which is another Benson-infused 

tune, written with B3 in mind. Goss lays it 

down on baritone here, and is joined in the 

groove by the masterful Hiltz, Restivo and the 

concise, skilled and thrilling percussion work 

by Warren. 


Convergence 

Nick Maclean Quartet feat. Brownman Ali 

Browntasaurus Records NCC-1701N 

(browntasauras.com) 

! It may be a tad 

late – some may 

say outdated – to 

use terms, such as 

“bop” and “hardbop” 

today. It’s 

either music that 

beckons you to be 

still and listen with 

your heart, or listen 

with your heart and then get up and dance, 

on the beat, behind it or ahead of it. The 

music on Convergence by the Nick Maclean 

Quartet does all those things and it does each 

of them exceedingly well. 

The pianist Maclean has a prodigious gift 

for the melodic. Together with trumpeter 

Brownman Ali he has been a magnet for 

some fine young musicians – a bassist and 

drummer for instance – who certainly appear 

to be big on heart and technique, but low on 

ego. This makes for superbly natural sounding 

performances. 

There is a heady appeal to music that 

is simple – Herbie Hancock’s ostinatodriven 

Butterfly and its later metamorphosis 

into a Caribbean species – and complex. 

Two beautiful examples are songs where 

long, sculpted inventions (Maclean’s Why 

the Caged Bird Sings and Ali’s Wisdom of 

Aurelius) draw you into their ornamental 

spiderwebs with their alluring mix of 

elegance, energy and precision. 

It is not as if the brilliant soli and ensemble 

is shared just between Maclean and Ali. 

Bassist Ben Duff and drummer Jacob Wutzke 

also get in on the action. Even foundingbassist 

Jesse Dietschi displays his rhythmic 

chops in all their unearthly beauty on 

Hancock’s Dolphin Dance to kick off this 

celebrated recording. 

Raul da Gama 

Elegy for Thelonious 

Frank Carlberg Large Ensemble 

Sunnyside Records SSC 1716 

(sunnysiderecords.bandcamp.com/album/ 

elegy-for-thelonious) 

! Chick Corea’s 

Trio Music (ECM, 

1981) and Trio 

Music, Live in 

Europe (ECM, 

1986) represent 

the high watermarks 

of smallensemble 

homages 

to Thelonious Monk. Similarly, nothing by 

a large group on either side of the Atlantic 

comes close to matching the intrigue, riveting 

power and consequence of two recordings by 

the Frank Carlberg Large Ensemble. The first 

of these was a 2017 recording Monk Dreams, 


Hallucinations and Nightmares (Red Piano 

Records, 2017), and this brilliant Elegy for 

Thelonious. 

Monk broke free of his much-loved quartet 

format only twice. The first time was when 

he was persuaded by Hall Overton, which 

resulted in The Thelonious Monk Orchestra 

Live at the Town Hall (Columbia, 1959), and 

Big Band and Quartet (Columbia, 1963), 

featuring Oliver Nelson’s arrangements. 

Frank Carlberg’s Monk is cut from the 

same iconic musical tapestry, but his vision 

of Monk’s singular jagged melodies, off-kilter 

harmonies and rhythmic rhetoric is metaphysical, 

spectral. The music upends even 

Monk-conventions about what is logical and 

permissible in music. Sure, Carlberg’s music 

reflects Monk, but the vision is much darker 

than Monk’s crepuscular one. 

Listening to this recording is like viewing 

Monk as a shimmering hologram evocative of 

Supreme Leader Snoke’s appearances in Star 

Wars: The Force Awakens looming over Kylo 

Ren and General Hux. 

Back in the real world, the spikey lines 

of melody, harmony and rhythm of Monk’s 

often-impenetrable music unite in these 

glorious elliptical arcs of Carlberg’s visionary 

re-imaginations of Monk’s music. 

Raul da Gama 

Gordon Grdina’s The Marrow with Fathieh 

Honari 

Gordon Grdina; Hank Roberts; Mark 

Helias; Hamin & Fathieh Honari 

AttaboyGirl Records ABG-8 

(gordongrdinamusic.com) 

Duo Work 

Gordon Grdina; Christian Lillinger 

AttaboyGirl Records ABG-7 

(gordongrdinamusic.com) 

! The music of the 

inimitable Gordon 

Grdina – prodigious 

oudist and guitarist 

– is nothing if not 

full of glorious 

drama and surprise. 

As a musician, 

Grdina’s love of delightful whimsy, caprice 

and of music’s volatile ever-changing nature 

may be the reason that no two recordings of 

his – indeed, often no two songs he composes 

– come from the same place in his mind’s eye. 

Even though his oeuvre can be divided into 

music played on oud and music played on 

guitar, he is able to extract such a wide and 

varied palette of colour from each instrument 

that you could easily describe his music as 

chameleonic. 

Grdina’s grasp of the Middle Eastern 

(Persian) Beyati Modes, the Asiatic musical 

Maqam and the other modes – Phrygian, 

Ionian, Lydian, etc., associated with Greek 

and Western music – enable him to sculpt 

and chisel phrases with extraordinary finger 

vibrato. Thus, he crafts lines that are drenched 

in the very depth of emotion – swinging from 

unfettered exuberance to the heart-aching 

and tearful sadness. 

Whether he is playing oud or guitar the 

essence of Grdina’s poetics is the same; born 

of an extraordinary lyricism. This enables him 

to play notes that seem to ululate although he 

employs little tremolo. He also has a thrilling 

ability (especially on the oud) to make notes 

seem to hang in the air, and often even pirouette 

with a wailing voice like dervishes 

engaged in mesmeric dances, willing the 

music to ascend to a celestial realm. 

This is the kind of riveting magic that he 

brings to the music of The Marrow, which 

brings to life the poetry of 13th century 

Persian Sufi poet Jalal al-Din Rumi. On the 

disc Grdina shares headline credits – rightfully 

so – with the Persian vocalist Fathieh 

Honari. Extraordinary performances by 

bassist Mark Helias, cellist Hank Roberts and 

percussionist Hamin Honari also grace this 

recording. Together they shine the spotlight 

on loping lines of music awash in a palette of 

wet colours. From the long, lyrical lines of Not 

of Them through Raqib and Raqs e Parvaneh 

and Qalandar, Grdina and the rest of the 

performers join Honari in igniting little 

emotional fires made of Rumi’s poetry. 

Compared to the 

quiet blue flames 

of The Marrow, the 

music on Grdina’s 

Duo Work recording 

with percussionist 

Christian Lillinger 

crackles to life right 

out of the gate. 

Before long both musicians come together 

seemingly butting creative heads in one 

outsize offering after another, their demoniac 

temperaments (also blessed with an ethereal 

delicacy and the most fine-spun sonority) 

seem to turn the 12 tracks from Song One 

through Ash and Jalopy, to Song Two, into an 

irresistible musical inferno. 

Raul da Gama 

A Canadian Songbook 

Ernesto Cervini’s Turboprop 

TPR Records TPR-017-02 (ernestocervini. 

com/artist/turboprop) 

! Ernesto Cervini 

mines the more 

esoteric entries 

in the Canadian 

songbook to put 

together this fabulous 

album. When 

I Fall (Barenaked 

Ladies) 

and Clumsy (Our 

Lady Peace) are the only two songs included 

with more mainstream exposure. In 

fact, When I Fall might not be recognized 

even by fans of the «Ladies» because 

Cervini’s jazz arrangement stretches it out 

and includes an emphatic and gospel-tinged 

saxophone solo by Joel Frahm. However, this 

version’s emotional core manages to match 

and even rise above that of the original. 

Cervini includes two originals: If/Then is 

a quirky off-metre tribute to his early 

computer programming days and Stuck 

Inside is his reflection on the pandemic. The 

Turboprop musicians (Tara Davidson, alto 

sax; Frahm, tenor sax; William Carn, drums; 

Adrean Farrugia, piano; Dan Loomis, bass; 

Cervini, drums) deliver sparkling and precise 

ensemble playing and inspired solo performances 

throughout. 

Ted Parkinson 

Concert Note: Ernesto Cervini's Turboprop 

performs May 24 & 25 at the Jazz Bistro, 

Toronto 

Hometown Zero 

Felix Tellier Pouliot; Christian Bailet; Martin 

Auguste 

Independent (ftpmusic.bandcamp.com/ 

album/hometown-zero) 

! Slick production 

overtop irresistible 

labyrinthine grooves 

that ebb, flow, wind 

and reroute defy 

any forecast or 

notion as to where 

they’ll end up next. 

One second, the 

mix is skeletal and airy, driven more than 

anything by implication of metamorphosis 

into something much larger. The very next 

second, Félix Tellier Pouliot’s soaring guitar 

tremolo balloons into a supernatural feeling 

akin to the climax of a Godspeed You! Black 

Emperor (post-rock legends, also of Montreal 

origin) suite. This rhythm section consistently 

transcends any preconceived ideas of what a 

trio can accomplish when it comes to unadulterated 

expressive range, largely due to how 

comfortable they are working within radical 

contrasts. 

Pouliot’s solo on 7 O’Clock is a barnstormer 

of a thing, its every gesture reverberating 

through the cosmos and back. Shot 

out of a cannon, Pouliot’s virtuosic display 

sounds like it would be perfectly at home in a 

progressive metal piece bursting at the seams 

with energy whilst overtop a bottom-heavy, 

cyclonic blast beat. However, that is not what 

is happening here; it is closer to the inverse, 

as Christian Bailet’s crisp bass tone nonchalantly 

outlines a pinpoint 11-pattern and 

Martin Auguste skates past on his highest, 

tightest frequencies: the rim of the snare, the 

bell of the ride. Each member provides something 

distinct that the others are not, proving 

you can cover more ground if you aren’t 

retreading your bandmate’s. Despite being 

groove-heavy, this album resists stasis at every 

turn. All systems go. 

Yoshi Maclear Wall 


Openness 

François Carrier Quintet 

Fundacja Sluchaj FSR 10/2023 (sluchaj. 

bandcamp.com) 

! Released 18 years 

after recording, 

Openness is three 

CDs of high-quality 

improvisation and 

also a historic document. 

The two 

free jazz pioneers, 

Polish trumpet 

Tomasz Stańko (1942-2018) and American 

bassist Gary Peacock (1935-2020), invited 

to participate in 13 instances of free-flowing 

sonic exchange by younger Montrealers, 

alto/soprano saxophonist François Carrier 

and drummer Michel Lambert, have since 

died. New York violinist Mat Maneri is still 

very much alive and the interchange transcendedage 

and geography. 

Non-hierarchical, each player gets to 

originate some tracks, with the Québécois on 

their own for Dance. Otherwise each player 

sticks to his individual approach, though 

all bond seemingly seamless throughout. 

Lambert mostly accents the tracks, the 

string players move between rugged slices 

and intricate guitar-like or even sitar-like 

strokes, while Stańko’s leaps among brassy 

bugling, grace notes and portamento linearity 

is heartbeat-quickly matched by Carrier’s 

double tonguing, flutters and thick smears. 

One-on-one interaction involves all. 

Wide Awake is an instance of this where 

Stańko’s scatter-shot triplets are met by 

Maneri’s spiccato jabs, then with interactive 

vamps from Carrier’s ascending smears, 

with Lambert’s percussion pumps helping 

to ease the fragments together by the finale. 

Insightful is another example as corkscrew 

reed tones challenge mewling brass lines as 

swelling string patterns cushion the turn to 

horizontal tonality. 

With more than three hours of music on 

Openness it’s best to savour each high-quality 

disc separately rather than trying to assimilate 

all in one aural gulp. 

Ken Waxman 

ALIVE! In the Studio 

Charlotte Keeffe Right Here, Right Now 

Quartet 

DISCUS MUSIC 160 CD (discus-music.org) 

! Prominent as 

part of the new 

wave of young brass 

players conversant 

with free and standard 

improvisation, 

the UK’s Charlotte 

Keeffe convenes her 

working quartet to 

confirm this stance. Affiliated with guitarist 

Moss Freed’s string clips and frails, Ashley 

John Long’s double bass plunks and stops and 

Ben Handysides’ cymbal clatter and drum 

slaps, Keeffe’s trumpet/flugelhorn stylings 

range from open horn flourishes to half-valve 

smears and timbral plunger examinations. 

Nowhere is this clearer than in Wholeness 

and 1200 Photographs III. A companion to 

the previous tune’s run-throughs, the latter 

expands the tongue-stopping techniques 

and note hiccups of the other versions to 

expand their indirect bossa nova suggestions 

to upfront swing where strangled brass 

bugling is perfectly matched with centred 

guitar strums. 

Freed’s frails are transformed into irregular 

chording and string shakes on Wholeness 

as arco bass buzzes and clanging rim shots 

further expand the extraterrestrial tone references 

brought to fruition by Keeffe’s plunger 

scoops, unexpected whiny variations and 

low-pitched portamento runs. 

Never sacrificing tunefulness for technique, 

the quartet members maintain a tenacious, 

but subdued groove throughout the nine 

tracks, while integrating interludes of bowed 

bass expositions and rapid surf-music-like 

guitar licks. It also allows Keeffe to dig into 

her horn’s innards for heraldic blasts and 

bitten-off bleats. 

On the final Brentford the players conclude 

the instrumental playing by harmonizing 

vocally on a bouncy melody. This too confirms 

the teamwork that went into creating 

this session. 

Ken Waxman 

POT POURRI 

Distancia 

Solidaridad Tango 

3AM FISH RECORDS 3AMFR02 

(solidaridadtango.ca) 

! Toronto-based 

Aparna Halpé 

is a Sri Lankan- 

Canadian tango 

violinist, arranger 

and composer 

with over a decade 

of experience in 

the traditional 

Argentinian form. In early COVID-time 

2021, she founded Solidaridad, an all-female 

Toronto tango ensemble comprised of Valeria 

Matzner (vocals), Halpé and Suhashini 

Arulanandam (violins), Esme Allen-Creighton 

(viola), Sybil Shanahan (cello), Shannon 

Wojewoda (bass), Elizabeth Acker (piano) and 

special guest Eva Wolff (bandoneon). 

Halpé’s English lyrics are not in traditional 

tango Spanish. Thu opening track’s 

intense spoken poem Winter’s Coming sets 

up the tango. The moving recitation And 

I Have Been Looking is about the deaths 

of three indigenous women. The closing 

poem The Dance with unexpected background 

subtle instrumental held notes, 

gives thanks to indigenous peoples and land 

acknowledgements. 

Solidaridad expands tango soundscapes 

throughout. Argentinian Petalo Selser’s 

complex Deriva’s opening traditional tangos 

develop into the low string groove as other 

instruments play percussive beats, held notes, 

high pitched strings with slides, melodic 

conversations, a short slow section and 

closing rhythmic cadence. Wolff’s arrangement 

of José Dames’ Fuimos features a 

comforting calm bandoneon with technically 

challenging musical tango flavours in varying 

tempos. In YYZ, Halpé takes on arranging 

her self-described tango homage to the rock 

instrumental by Rush’s Geddy Lee and Neil 

Peart with contrasting Sri Lankan folk music 

and rhythms in riveting tango/rock sounds 

with alternating loud and quieter sections, 

rhythmic banging, faster repeated melody, 

slow final crash and closing laughter!! 

Inspired by COVID grief to exuberant 

happiness, Solidaridad’s “Toronto tangos” 

are perfect! 

Tiina Kiik 

Ancestor Song 

Janice Jo Lee 

Independent (janicejolee.ca) 

! Multiinstrumentalist 

and 

vocalist Janice Jo 

Lee has had seven 

years between 

albums, during 

which time she has 

peeled away several 

layers of her former 

self in order to lay bare her spiritual, political, 

cultural and environmental bones. Lee, 

a well-known artist in both Kitchener and 

Toronto, is more than music. A poet, folk 

artist, improvisor, facilitator, creator and 

comedy workshop leader, she is nearing the 

height of her powers in this latest album, a 

beautiful collaboration with another Ontario 

native, producer JoJo Worthington. 

Overture: Ancestral Song opens the album 

with a medley similar to the opening of a 

musical, leading into Oil in the Grand, a 

story of contamination on the Grand River, 

with beautiful vocal harmonies. Here I am is 

Lee’s statement of her new anthem of taking 

space and commanding control of her own 

power. Moonlight Tide is fun and slightly 

campy, featuring Lee’s poetic lyrics and vocal 

range. She Looked like Me is a folk-inspired 

gem about her ancestral Korean heritage, but 

could be an anthem to anyone feeling disconnected 

from their own lineage. Swim Forever 

features Korean lyrics to a strongly rhythmic 

melody and features the beautiful flugelhorn 

playing of Rudy Ray (probably my favourite 

track on the album). The jazzy Crumpled 

Heart Unfolding and Account Ability, the 

folksy Child Inside and her vocal looping on 

Take Space, the catchy Ancestral Song itself, 

and the power rock-inspired closer Patient as 

the Land will give you the vast range of Lee’s 


style, skill and passion. 


Babylonia Suite 

Ilios Steryannis; Sundar Viswanathan; 

Jessica Deutsch; Nawras Nader 

Independent (iliosjazz.ca) 

! The names 

Babylonia Suite and 

Ilios Steryannis are 

incorporated into 

the circumference 

of a pictogram on 

the top right-hand 

corner of this CD 

cover. This otherwise 

rather unobtrusive icon of a tree with 

spreading roots and branches that seem to be 

encapsulated by both title and name is both 

intriguing and revealing. For in these roots 

and branches – fascinating in their ancient 

modes and modern interpretations – lies a 

thrilling musical ride. 

You are treated to a series of works that 

begin with the title song Babylonia itself. The 

tumbling Middle Eastern groove oscillates 

between a 6/4 and a 12/8 pulse and sets the 

tone for the rest of the disc. The first six songs 

make up the narrative suite of the title that 

spans the cultural topography of the ancient 

region which Steryannis’ maternal ancestors 

once called home. 

The drummer has, of course, called Canada 

home for many years, but like so many 

Canadians celebrates diversity as he knows 

best. His Greek-Hebrew culture unfolds as 

if in a parade of Middle- and Near-Eastern 

street musicians whose passionate ululating 

melodies, eloquent harmonies and infectious 

rhythms emerge through a modern vortex. 

While Steryannis has sought to celebrate 

the ancient origins of his maternal heritage 

this music is far from a sentimental journey 

written in odd metres. The brawny, polyrhythmic 

Blue Rumba, meditative Sun Song 

and vivid 400 North and Laplante also reveal 

a composer with a refined, multi-dimensional 

melodic voice. 

Raul da Gama 

Collective Wisdom 

Sybarite5 

Bright Shiny Things (brightshiny.ninja) 

! New York string 

quintet Sybarite5 

is back with their 

first studio album 

in five years 

performing nine 

single movement 

tracks combining 

classical, contemporary, 

improvisations and folk sounds. The 

two original band members double bassist 

Louis Levitt and violinist Sami Merdinian are 

now joined by three new members – violinist 

Suliman Tekalli, violist Caeli Smith and cellist 

Laura Andrade. 

Paul Sanho Kim’s arrangement of Punch 

Brothers’ Movement and Location is zippy 

with repeated violin fast lines, grooves and 

ideas keeping listeners enthralled. Three 

short Komitas Armenian Folk Songs are 

arranged by Sybarite5’s Merdinian (himself 

of Armenian heritage). In The Red Shawl a 

yearning sense is depicted by low held strings 

with above lines. Spring is tearjerking, with 

slow and solemn low bass held notes and 

gradual instrumental entries. Oh Nazan 

features a faster rhythmic hopeful opening 

with high pitched lines. 

Tight ensemble playing featuring Greek 

melodies with reggae rhythms embodies 

Curtis Stewart’s Mangas. Jessica Meyer’s Slow 

Burn is held together by similar danceable 

Something in the Air 

Reed-Keyboard Recitals Create Variations 

on Chamber Improvisation 

KEN WAXMAN 

ideas in different sections. Composed earlier 

during a period of loss, Pedro Giraudo’s 

own arrangement of his Con un nudo en la 

garganta is a slow dark tango that builds 

to closing intensity. Michael Gilbertson’s 

Collective Wisdom third movement starts 

with snappy percussive string pizzicatos that 

continue to add tension until the sudden 

accented loud closing with bangs. Jackson 

Greenberg’s so different Apartments has rain, 

coffee machines, AM radio news sound and 

electronics while each musician is given the 

freedom to play their lines as they wish. 

Sybarite5 brilliantly play breathtaking 

music to be enjoyed over and over. 

Tiina Kiik 

Although many might imagine most free music as intense and raucous, the first adjective 

may be applied, but the second is sparingly used for the special sounds created by these 

five reed-keyboards duos. Some may argue that chamber-improv foreshortens the 

creative urge; however these duos have come up with various strategies to project multiple 

timbral arrangements without bluster or bellicosity. 

Recorded in a venerable spacious church in Copenhagen, Locusts 

and Honey (ILK Records 349 ilkmusic.com) was created by two 

Danish residents who are both from other countries. Pianist Matt 

Choboter is Canadian, while alto saxophonist Calum Builder is 

Australian. Putting aside any country-associated shibboleths, both 

players operate in the realm of pure sound with the nine improvisations 

reflecting the church’s spatial properties as well as Builder’s 

extended reed techniques and the preparations of Choboter’s 

keyboard. Harsh squawks and irregular trills issue from the saxophonist, yet are balanced by 

passages in which muffled snarls dissolve into distant no-key-pressure moments as 

unaccented air is pushed through the horn. Celeste-like tinkles and suspended echoes share 

space with wood slaps, inner string jiggling and soundboard hammering from the pianist. Duo 

synergy is reflected on a track like Crossing on Akróasis when understated saxophone vibrations 

and horizontal key pumping create a delicate, almost mainstream expression. More 

compelling are those performances when seemingly incompatible motifs amalgamate as 

kindred expressions. Honey for instance manages to meld as reflective patterns, Builder’s deep 

inside the body tube hunting-horn-like resonance and Choboter’s implement juddering piano 

string clangs. Needle-thin top-of-range snarls from the saxophonist on Hark! are balanced by 

music-box-like chiming created by subtle piano string agitation. This leeches tension from the 

reed tones to attain a muffled connection. 

Enhanced textures also characterize the work of another duo, each 

member of which is an accomplished improviser on an acoustic 

instrument. Here though, heightening timbres are added from the 

live electronics used by Russian-American pianist Simon Nabatov. 

The oscillations’ span suggests the addition of a third instrument to 

Nabatov’s keyboard on Entanglements (Acheulian Handaxe AHA 

2301 handaxe.org) recorded with fellow Cologne resident, German 

tenor saxophonist Matthias Schubert. Free jazz despite the additional 


voltage, Schubert’s Trane-like tongue slaps, overblowing and sirenlike 

honks are not only integrated into the narratives, but given added 

oomph when live processed or cushioned by the oscillations. At the 

same time, Nabatov’s acoustic piano patterns include enough crashing 

chords and sympathetic plinks to preserve the improvisational aura. 

Brushed is an instance of this as the saxophonist spews out puffs and 

whines in the form of toneless air blocked by an obstruction in his 

horn’s bell as Nabatov’s synthesized echoes create percussion backing. 

Tensile raps are then replaced with keyboard thumps as the saxophonist 

reed bites and blows out snuffles and split tones. The electronically 

produced squeaks and air-raspberries however don’t prevent the 

two from sounding like an expected jazz duo on tracks like Scratch. 

The grumbling oscillations have to share space with key clips and 

clanks and sax buzzes and smears. Squeezing out multiphonics or 

overblowing an emphasized fruity tone, Schubert then foils the electronics’ 

spatial tendency to overwhelm acoustic properties. By the 

concluding track, Closing, the duo confirms the appropriate electroacoustic 

balance. A melange of reed growls and tongue stops mixed 

with crashing piano chords, the flanged wave form variations that are 

subsequently heard soon dissolve into faint rumbles to make common 

cause with and accompany the saxophonist’s angled split tone 

squeaks and a tone-shaking summation. 

Bringing novel sounds to a reed/piano duo 

doesn’t have to venture into the electronic 

world however. On Crusts (FOU records 

CD 48 fourecords.com) for instance, French 

improviser Jean-Luc Petit’s playing tenor 

and soprano saxophones and bass clarinet 

is amplified by the elaborations from Didier 

Fréboeuf on piano, objects and clavietta, a 

mouth-blown piano keyboard instrument with accordion-like tones. 

Meanwhile Norwegian Isach Skeidsvoll on Chanting Moon, Dancing Sun 

– Live at Molde International Jazz Festival (Clean Feed CF 617 CD cleanfeed-records.com) 

and Japanese Yoko Miura on Zanshou Glance at the 

Tide (Setola Di Maiale SM 4620 setoladimaiale.net) both use a similar 

handheld instrument, the melodica, with its mouthpiece and keyboard 

sounds in their duets with Lauritz Skeidsvoll playing soprano and tenor 

saxophones and Italian soprano saxophonist Gianni Mimmo respectively. 

Used more sparingly than electronics, Fréboeuf’s mouthpieceattached 

instrument doesn’t make its appearance until the final track, 

but even before that his measured responses perfectly complement 

Petit’s expositions, depending on which reed is used. Squeezed alphorn 

like blows and crying treble reflux from the tenor saxophone are 

met with inner piano string jangles and wood smacks that speed up 

the interface to gentling connections. More descriptively thickened 

chalumeau register bass clarinet slaps and snorts move the pianist 

deeper into pedal point expression on the appropriately named Scab, 

with the musical skin further exposed with bottom board echoes and 

brutal key clanging. As piano abrasions pull away, strangled reed cries 

confirm that the sonic wound still throbs. The clavietta’s music boxlike 

tinkles and shaking variations simply solidify Fréboeuf’s 

distinctive exposition on Crisp, with Petit’s equally crisp rejoinders on 

soprano saxophone move into droning telephone-wire-like shrilling 

without key movements. Dynamic near-honky-tonk keyboard 

patterns however, push that sequence to the bursting point with the 

resulting timbral explosion drawing the saxophonist to a forced air 

and altissimo squeaking finale. 

More use is made of the melodica on 

Chanting Moon, Dancing Sun with the title 

track based on a do-si-do of that instrument’s 

barrel-organ-like textures in unison 

or counterpoint with the saxophone. While 

the plastic melodica does create an interesting 

contrast to a reed instrument, as 

quickly as a modal sequence is advanced 

Isach Skeidsvoll returns to percussive piano 

tones as Lauritz Skeidsvoll’s nasal soprano saxophone adds Carnaticlike 

squeaks. By the conclusion, reed work begins to quiet as intricate 

piano chording moves forward. Perhaps more a physiological than a 

musical observation, but despite the Skeidsvolls literally being 

brothers – Lauritz is two years older than Isach – their playing appears 

more distant from one another than that of the other duos. Exploring 

freer playing at points with reed split tones, tongue stops and slide 

whistle-like squeaks plus energetic piano shifts in and out of tempo, 

their fluid improvising also veers toward pseudo gospel dynamics. 

Earlier spiritual music inferences come out into the open on the 

concluding From the Wasteland I Ascend. Waves of ecclesiastical 

piano glissandi and intensified saxophone honks and squawks suggest 

Southern Baptists feeling the spirit, with the potent beat all 

consuming but somewhat odd coming from Norwegian musicians at a 

Norwegian jazz festival. 

Miura and Mimmo offer a different and 

distinct duo conception on Zanshou Glance 

at the Tide, another live concert. That’s 

because the pianist and saxophonist play 

solo on the first two tracks, only uniting for 

Further Towards the Light, the extended 

finale. The first track is a threnody for the 

Finnish bassist Teppo Hauta-aho, one of the 

many Occidental musicians with whom Miura has played. Yet melancholy 

is mixed with muscle as her light touch is overtaken by pressurized 

energy and key slaps at near player-piano speed. Continuing 

up the scale with chiming notes and plucks; melodica puffs also echo 

sparingly. With detours into suggestions of Charles Mingus and Jimmy 

Rowles themes on the second track, the saxophonist is both lyrical 

and literal, building a mellow exposition from tune variations mixed 

with double tonguing, tonal slides and the odd screech. As a duo the 

two also scramble expectations by introducing a lengthy meditation 

on ‘Round Midnight as a secondary motif. At first Miura adds energy 

with bell tree shakes and melodica trills that underline Mimmo’s 

more emotional pitch undulations and near circular breaths. With 

each taking turns interpreting the Thelonious Monk ballad, she not 

only comps aggressively but uses the mouth-blown keyboard to 

double and strengthen the saxophonist’s ascending and descending 

single line expositions. The entire piano keyboard is brought into play 

in the final sequence, uniting textures from all three instruments for a 

broadened referential conclusion. 

Overall, using add-ons or playing acoustically each duo distinctively 

defines its territory and the combination. 

Vol 29 Issue 4 

59 Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 | The Thirteen, 

Children’s Chorus of Washington, 

Dark Horse Consort 

59 La sposa dei cantici | Ars Lyrica 

Houston 

63 BACH: Clavier-Übung III, The Pedal 

Settings | Renée Anne Louprette 

In This Issue 

58 Portraits | Emily Carr String Quartet 

59 People Like You and Me | Robert Priest 

60 Upheaval | Janne Fredens & Søren 

Rastogi 

60 The Colburn Sessions | Mikyung Sung 

64 Fire - Flowers | Timothy Shantz 

64 In the Crystalline Vault of Heaven | 

Margot Rejskind 

64 Dall'Abaco and the Art of Variation | 

Accademia de' Dissonanti, Elinor Frey 


66 Schubert: The Complete Impromptus | 


66 Album Leaf: Piano Works by Felix Mendelssohn 

| Sophia Agranovich 

67 Rachmaninoff | Ian Gindes 

68 American Spiritual | Michael Lee 

68 Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphony | 

Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Gustavo 

Gimeno, Marc-André Hamelin, Nathalie 

Forget 

69 Recurrence | Saman Shahi 

73 Night And Day (The Cole Porter Songbook) 

| Adi Braun 

73 Tide Rises | Lauren Bush 

73 You're Alike, You Two | Caity Gyorgy 

and Mark Limacher 

73 Spring Comes Early | John Herberman 

75 A Canadian Songbook | Ernesto Cervini's 

Turboprop 

76 DISTANCIA | Solidaridad Tango 


Breve: the backstory 

PART TWO: LIGHT WORK 

The story so far 

Last time we told you that we are well underway with a project to launch 

an autonomous not-for-profit organisation capable of building on the 

foundational listings-gathering work The WholeNote has been doing for 

nearly 30 years. We’ve called the initiative BREVE because in the musical 

terminology used in some places what we call a wholenote is called a 

semibreve, so a breve is two wholenotes, linked by a common purpose. 

We are doing this not because we want to become a one-stop Ontario 

listings mega mall, but because we believe we are part of an interdependent 

listings-gathering ecosystem with a united purpose: strengthening 

community engagement with live music in all its forms, because we believe 

that engagement with live music strengthens community. 

Baby steps 

We know from almost 30 years of experience that an initiative like this 

takes time, patience and constant renewal. 

And that it can only happen community by community. 

So this is what we are asking you to do. 

1. Help us spread the word 

• that WHOLENOTE MUSICAL EVENT LISTINGS are free of charge 

and can be submitted by artists, venues or presenters at any time, 

from anywhere in Ontario 

• that we invite listings for date-specific LIVE musical events (including 

events streamed live), not just performances 

• and that even if they don’t make it into print in our magazine, these 

listings will be made available to the public free of charge on our 

website, and for republication by other individuals or groups who 

share the vision that engagement with live music in all its forms 

strengthens community. 

2. If you don’t already do so, share your own information with us 

• Use the convenient online form at thewholenote.com/applylistings 

• or email listings to listings@thewholenote.com. 

All inquiries about WholeNote listings can be addressed to 


And aside from all this 

There’s an old joke I still love even though it depends 

for maximum effect on poking fun in a stereotypical 

way at the way the central protagonist speaks English. 

The joke has consequently fallen out of favour which 

is a pity because it’s funny, and in this context right to 

the point. So I am going to tell it anyway. 

There’s a new conductor is in town - let’s call her/ 

him Yoda. The choir is elated. This is the individual 

that will propel them into the upper echelons of 

artistry in their aspiring-to-be-world-class town. 

Rehearsals have been wonderful - no, better than 

wonderful. 

Choirs are, of all forms of artistic grapevine, the 

most potent way of getting the word out in the 

community, and the word has spread like wildfire. 

Every ticket to Yoda’s debut concert with the choir 

has been sold. On the big night the hall’s woefully 

inadequate lobby is packed, and people are crowding 

the equally inadequate sidewalk and spilling into 

the street, while they wait for the doors to open. 

The choir is in the hall, doing final warmups. 

Doors open in ten minutes - time to clear the 

stage! And, right on cue, the power goes out in the 

hall. Loud clicks as backstage breakers are reset … 

and reset … and reset. The dark remains stygian. All 

members of the choir remain frozen in place. 

And then a tap tap tap. The unmistakable sound of 

the new conductor’s baton, and then their quiet voice 

in the dark. “Raise your hands please.” Which, as 

one, in perfect unison, the choir does. And the lights 

come back on. Eyes wide, the choir turns to Yoda – 

a collective “what the heck just happened?” 

“Many hands make light work” their new 

conductor says. 

So, to repeat, right now we need you to lend 

a hand – not to make the light work, but to make 

the work light. 

To lend your support to the BREVE initiative, contact 

David Perlman at publisher@thewholenote.com. 


APRIL 2024 

BHANGRA & BEYOND 

TORONTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 


THE JAZZ MECHANICS & 

BRAMPTON CONCERT BAND 

WITH LIBERTY SILVER 


B-JAZZED 

CURATED BY CARMEN SPADA 


STROLLING INTO SUMMER 

THE ROSE ORCHESTRA 


THE ROSE | 1 THEATRE LANE

Volume 29 Issue 5 | April & May 2024

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