Volume 30 Issue 4 | December 2024 & January 2025

VOLUME 30 NO 4
FEBRUARY & MARCH 2025
MUSIC! LISTINGS
live and livestreamed
STORIES
profiles, previews
and interviews
RECORD REVIEWS
and Listening Room
Soulpepper Theatre’s Ladies of the Canyon
co-creators Raha Javanfar and Hailey Gillis

Package these
three concerts
together and
save 20%!
STUNNING MUSIC
TO BEAT THE
WINTER BLUES
TRIPLE ESPRESSO:
Bach, Handel & Fasch
February 21–23, 2025
Directed by Alfredo Bernardini
Italian oboist Alfredo Bernardini’s high-octane concert will
leave you buzzing like three espressos.
This hand-picked concert includes a trio of works sharing
striking orchestral textures by Telemann, Fasch, and Bach.
Don’t miss Bernardini’s “sparkling, communicative approach”
(Gramophone) in Handel’s Oboe Concerto in G Minor.
Presented with the support of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura
BAROQUE & FOLK:
Purcell to Poland
March 7–9, 2025
Directed by Miloš Valent
Jan Rokyta, multi-instrumentalist
Slovakian violinist Miloš Valent is renowned for his deep
curiosity about the intersections between baroque and folk
music traditions. For his Tafelmusik debut, Valent joins multiinstrumental
virtuoso Jan Rokyta, percussionist Naghmeh
Farahmand, and the orchestra to explore the ways in which
baroque composers such as Telemann, Purcell, and Vivaldi
were influenced by folk music from the Ashkenazi, Polish,
Roma, Scottish, and Turkish traditions.
CHORAL SPLENDOURS:
Bach & Zelenka
March 28–30, 2025
Directed by Ivars Taurins
Myriam Leblanc, soprano
Amongst the composers Bach most admired was
the Bohemian composer Jan Dismas Zelenka. This
extravagant program pairs a selection of lesser-known,
intimate gems from Bach’s Lutheran cantatas with
an extravagant Catholic mass by Zelenka, the Missa
Sanctissimae Trinitatis, completing Tafelmusik’s
performance of the five high Masses of Zelenka.
TICKETS: tafelmusik.org
Concerts take place at Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre

An agency of the Government of Ontario
Un organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario
SAMUEL MARIÑO
AT THE OPERA:
Bologne & Mozart
Directed by Julia Wedman
Samuel Mariño, soprano
May 23–25, 2025
Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre
for Performance and Learning
Experience the rare and breathtaking
sound of male soprano Samuel Mariño
in an unforgettable operatic showcase
at Koerner Hall, featuring arias by
Mozart and Gluck, and from Samuel’s
acclaimed Sopranista album. Joined
by Tafelmusik and directed by Julia
Wedman, this concert promises a
thrilling blend of virtuoso singing
and orchestral brilliance.
tafelmusik.org/samuel-marino
PASSION & BEAUTY IN EVERY NOTE
Subscribe to our 2025/26 Season and Save—Available February!
tafelmusik.org/subscribe

EDGE OF YOUR SEAT
INTERNATIONAL
FESTIVAL
Alex Pauk Music Director & Conductor
8:00PM CONCERTS
7:15PM MUSICAL INSIGHTS WITH ALEXINA LOUIE & GUESTS
TICKETS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
ESPRITORCHESTRA.COM
CHASING VITO
TUESDAY MARCH 4, 2025
KOERNER HALL
Ryan Scott CAN Marimba
Vito Žuraj SVN Guest Composer
Keiko Abe JPN The Wave
Caroline Shaw USA Entr’acte
Vito Žuraj SVN Anemoi*
*North American Premiere, commissioned by the
Berlin Philharmonic & Esprit Orchestra
ICEFIRE, DO-RE-MI
& CARING FOR
THE EARTH
THURSDAY MARCH 27, 2025
KOERNER HALL
Akiko Suwanai JPN Violin
Lisa Streich SWE Guest Composer
Andrew Norman USA Guest Composer
Lisa Streich SWE ISHJÄRTA
Peter Eötvös HUN Violin Concerto #2 “DoReMi”
Andrew Norman USA Sustain
CARROT
REVOLUTION
WEDNESDAY APRIL 2, 2025
TRINITY ST. PAUL’S CENTRE
Ryan Scott Percussion
Michael Murphy Percussion
Aline Morales Vocalist
Gabriella Smith USA Carrot Revolution
Keiko Abe JPN Michi
Mark Duggan CAN Maracatu Imaginário
Julia Mermelstein CAN Floral Reef
Roydon Tse CAN Stepwise
Ivan Trevino MEX Wildlings
John Rea CAN Objets perçus
IMAGINARY
PANCAKE
SUNDAY APRIL 6, 2025
TRINITY ST. PAUL’S CENTRE
Wesley Shen Piano
Mark Fewer Violin
Wallace Halladay Saxophone
Quinn Jacobs CAN New Work
Bernhard Lang AUT
D/W 24 ‘Loops for Al Jourgensen’
Ben Nobuto GBR Serenity 2.0
Gabriella Smith USA Imaginary Pancake
Chris Paul Harman CAN Partita for
Solo Violin #2
COSMIC
HEARTBEATS
THURSDAY APRIL 17, 2025
KOERNER HALL
Sophia Burgos USA Soprano
Nicholas Ma CAN Hijinks
James O’Callaghan CAN New Work
Claude Vivier CAN Lonely Child
Unsuk Chin KOR Alaraph ‘Ritus
des Herschlagz’
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
The Michael & Sonja
Koerner Charitable
Foundation
The Clearwater
Foundation
The Mary-Margaret
Webb Foundation
Anonymous
4 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

Soulpepper Theatre’s Ladies of the Canyon
co-creators Raha Javanfar and Hailey Gillis
3004_FebMar25_cover.indd 1
2025-01-26 2:22 PM
Volume 30 No 4 | February & March 2025
Come Sample
The Listening Room!
for online enhanced
reviews
ON OUR COVER
MUSIC! LISTINGS
live and livestreamed
STORIES
profiles, previews
and interviews
RECORD REVIEWS
and Listening Room
PHOTO: DAHLIA KATZ
VOLUME 30 NO 4
FEBRUARY & MARCH 2025
Hailey Gillis: Raha and I spent the day before the
photoshoot rummaging around the Soulpepper wardrobe
department, picking out beautiful and strange pieces from
the late 60’s/ early 70’s. Clothing you can only really find
in the stacked costume racks of a theatre. The next day
Raha drove us to Riverdale farm, I did my makeup in the
car, we got our instruments and walked to a quiet forested
area. Dahlia Katz, the photographer, found a spot where
the sun was shining through the leaves and we sang “You
are my Sunshine” together about 20 times until Dahlia was
happy, and we were happy, and we all walked back past the
chickens, and the goats, to our cars and drove home
through one of those perfect windy fall days in Toronto.
(see page 18)
8 FOR OPENERS | Waxing
nostalgic | DAVID PERLMAN
STORIES & INTERVIEWS
10 CHORAL SCENE | Jean-
Sébastian Vallée’s TMChoir |
ANGUS MACCAULL
12 IN WITH THE NEW | In With a
Bang | WENDALYN BARTLEY
16 PERFORMANCE – SPACE |
D.D. Jackson’s Poetry Project
at the Redwood | ANDREW SCOTT
18 MUSIC THEATRE | Ladies of
The Canyon at Soulpepper |
JENNIFER PARR
13
Look for the yellow arrows!
Starts on page 51
thewholenote.com/listening
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 5

The WholeNote
VOLUME 30 NO 4
FEBRUARY & MARCH 2025
EDITORIAL
Publisher/Editor in Chief | David Perlman
publisher@thewholenote.com
editorial@thewholenote.com
Recordings Editor | David Olds
discoveries@thewholenote.com
Listings Editor | John Sharpe
listings@thewholenote.com
SOCIAL MEDIA
Danial Jazaeri, Colin Story
social@thewholenote.com
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Advertising & Memberships
Ori Dagan & Kevin Harris
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jack@thewholenote.com
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adart@thewholenote.com
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Danial Jazaeri, Kevin King
systems@thewholenote.com
CIRCULATION
Sheila McCoy
circulation@thewholenote.com
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STORIES & INTERVIEWS
20 ON OPERA | La Reine-garçon
– a thoroughly modern
Christina? Or not. |
LYDIA PEROVIC
22 EARLY MUSIC | When
musicians meet at the
crossroads | DAVID PERLMAN
24 FROM UP HERE | Violinist
Angela Garwood-Touw |
SOPHIA PERLMAN
26 THE SOFT SEAT BEAT | Halls of
all sizes … | COLIN STORY
27 MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY
JAZZ | Hot damn, let’s jam! |
ORI DAGAN
70 BACK STORY | "When Music
Meets Mindfulness" - an
introduction | VANIA CHAN
LISTINGS
30 EVENTS BY DATE
Live and/or online
45 MAINLY CLUBS
47 OPERA, MUSIC THEATRE, DANCE
48 RELATED EVENTS &
ETCETERAS
DISCOVERIES:
RECORDINGS REVIEWED
51 Editor’s Corner | DAVID OLDS
52 Strings Attached | TERRY ROBBINS
55 Vocal
58 Classical and Beyond
59 Modern and Contemporary
63 Jazz and Improvised Music
67 Pot Pourri
68 Something in the Air |
KEN WAXMAN
69 Listening Room INDEX
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6 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

Roman Borys,
Artistic & Executive Director
EXTRAORDINARY
CONCERT EXPERIENCES
AT THE JANE MALLETT THEATRE
RACHEL FENLON pianist & soprano
Schubert’s Winterreise —poetic, emotional, timeless
FEBRUARY 11, 2025 | 7:30 PM
ILLIA OVCHARENKO piano
“Technically flawless and impeccably musical” —International Piano
MARCH 4, 2025 | 7:30 PM
WINNER
2022
Banff International
String Quartet
Competition
JANINA FIALKOWSKA piano
“Canada’s First Lady of Chopin”—Classical.net
MARCH 18, 2025 | 7:30 PM
ISIDORE QUARTET
Mozart, Beethoven & Billy Childs
MARCH 27, 2025 | 7:30 PM
For more information and tickets please visit
www.Music-Toronto.com
Or call the box office M-F 1-6 pm 416-366-7723 (1,1)
NAE FUND
Riki Turofsky and
Charles Petersen

The WholeNote
VOLUME 30 NO 4
FEBRUARY & MARCH 2025
IN THIS EDITION
STORIES AND INTERVIEWS
Wendalyn Bartley, Vania Chan, Ori Dagan,
Angus MacCaull, Jennifer Parr, David Perlman,
Sophia Perlman, Lydia Perovic, Andrew Scott,
Colin Story
CD Reviewers
Larry Beckwith, Sophia Bisson, Stephanie Conn,
Max Christie, Sam Dickenson, Raul da Gama,
Fraser Jackson, Richard Haskell, Tiina Kiik,
Lesley Mitchell-Clarke, Cheryl Ockrant, David Olds,
Ted Parkinson, Terry Robbins, Stephen Runge,
Michael Schulman, Sharna Searle, Andrew Timar,
Yoshi Maclear Wall, Ken Waxman.
Proofreading
Ori Dagan, David Olds, Ted Parkinson, John Sharpe
Listings Team
John Sharpe, Kevin Harris, Gary Heard,
Sophia Perlman, Colin Story
Design Team
Kevin King, Susan Sinclair
Circulation Team
Dave Bell, John Bentley, Jack Buell, Jane Dalziel,
Bruno Difilippo, Carl Finkle, Vito Gallucci,
James Harris, Bob Jerome, Marianela Lopez,
Miguel Brito-Lopez, Chris Malcolm,
Sheila McCoy, Lorna Nevison, Janet O’Brien,
Tom Sepp, Mark Zayachkowski
DEADLINES
Weekly Online Listings Updates
6pm every Tuesday for weekend posting
for Volume 30 No. 5, APRIL & MAY 2025
Print listings deadline:
6pm Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Print advertising, reservation deadline:
6pm Friday March 14, 2025
Web advertising can be booked at any time
PUBLICATION DATES
OUR 30th ANNIVERSARY SEASON
includes six print editions:
September 2024 (Aug 27);
October & November (Oct 1);
December & January 2025 (Nov 26);
February & March (Jan 28);
April & May (Apr 1);
Summer (June 3)
Printed in Canada
Couto Printing & Publishing Services
FOR OPENERS
Waxing nostalgic
With publication of this print issue, the mid-point of our 30th year of publication is
now in the rearview mirror; four down, two to go. Almost time to wax nostalgic
about walking four miles in the snow (uphill in both directions of course) in the wee
hours of the morning, to deliver flats to our printer, hoping the wax would hold in the cold.
Flats and stats and waxers and rollers, as the transformative tools of our DIY trade, are at this
point a distant memory – like fax machines as the technology that would “transform forever”
the painstaking task of gathering concert listings from season brochures received by mail, and
flyers gleaned from bulletin boards in churches, community centres and laundromats.
We were wrong about fax machines, of course. There is always a next technology that will
“transform forever” our current “state of the art” ways of doing things. Unless, of course, we
spend so much time learning each new technological next big thing that we lose sight of the
fact that our real work is getting the intel we gather out to its “end users” (that’s you). So you
can act on it.
A lot changes in almost 30 years. But some things don’t change. Our printer, for example.
To whom we owe an inexpressible debt of gratitude for staying with us through thick and thin
from the very beginning.
Or like the way I obsessively fret over this Opener – always the last thing to be ready – into
the wee hours of the morning of the last possible day. For any number of reasons like:
–which global/national/socio-political/ethical issue of the day requires profundity from me
in order for the discussion to be complete;
–Why whatever got left out that shouldn’t have been, was;
–Why the order chosen for the stories in the issue is a perfect arc, so please start at the
beginning and refrain from applause until you’ve read Back Story (p.70).
Shuffle mode
Back in the fall we ran a series of mini-interviews under the overall title “The Art of the
Arc” – in which we asked artistic directors of a range of music-making endeavours to talk a bit
about some individual piece of music coming up in their season: why it was chosen; how it
fits the arc of the concert it’s in; and how that concert fits the arc of their whole season. All of
which presumes, of course, the existence of “the arc.”
Alexander Cappellazzo, founding artistic director of Diapente vocal quintet and
Apocryphonia responded to the fall “art of the arc” invitation and talked about the pleasure of
putting together a concert that creates something new from the sum of its parts.
But he also pointed out that this upcoming June the Diapente-Apocryphonia tag team
will be offering up the second iteration of their “Cabinet of Curiosities” concert which takes
several multi-movement musical works and completely randomizes them on the night of the
show. “I find that especially fun because it highlights musical contrasts in a way only complete
randomization could do.”
Shuffle mode can be hell on the ego of the artist or curator (or magazine editor) who worked
into the wee hours to determine the perfect arc for a set list or concert or recording, or magazine
issue. But try to see it this way (I sez to myself): you’ve laid down in print or on disc, or
committed to the live concert air, a picture of how that set of material reflected your state of
mind in a given moment.
Now pass it on.
David Perlman can be reached at publisher@thewholenote.com
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.
an Ontario government agency
un organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario
8 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

SEASON PRESENTING
SPONSOR
MAHLER’S
FOURTH
Mar 20 & 22
Anna Prohaska
soprano
(2024/25 TSO Spotlight Artist)
Gustavo Gimeno, conductor
Anna Prohaska, soprano
(2024/25 TSO Spotlight Artist)
Mozart, Haydn & Mahler shimmer with
superb soprano Anna Prohaska.
ANGELA HEWITT
PLAYS MOZART
Mar 26, 27, 29 & 30 ✝
Angela Hewitt
piano
Marta Gardolińska, conductor
Angela Hewitt, piano
Celebrated Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt
brings elegance, musicality, and charm to
Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21.
Concerts at Roy Thomson Hall & ✝ George Weston Recital Hall
TSO.CA
For accessible seating, call 416.598.3375
TORONTO
SYMPHONY
FOUNDATION

CHORAL SCENE
Singsations at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, September 2024
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AS A TWO-WAY STREET
Jean-Sébastian Vallée’s
Toronto’s Mendelssohn Choir
ANGUS MACCAULL
TMCHOIR
TAM LAN TRUONG
The comforting smell of coffee lingered in the air
as conductor Jean-Sébastian Vallée listened to the
fading notes of the morning’s final song. More than a
hundred people had gathered in red-carpeted Yorkminister
Park Baptist Church on a Saturday this past September
for a special Mendelssohn Choir Singsation workshop
celebrating the choir’s 130th anniversary. TMChoir, as
Toronto’s largest and oldest choral organization is now
known, has offered Singsations since 1999.
Anyone in the public can join
to experience the joy of participating
in a large choir—even
if you simply want to immerse
yourself in the body of voices
without singing.
The room went silent. Vallée
looked around the diverse group
and could see that the song,
Stephanie Martin’s Nothing
Gold Can Stay, had connected
with each person. An emotional,
communal moment.
Jean-Sébastian Vallée
Two-way streets: There’s a
common perception in the arts
world, and the world generally,
that the larger an organization
becomes, the more disconnected it grows from the very communities
it aims to serve.
But Singsations is a great example of how a big organization can
challenge this notion. “We stopped using the word ‘outreach’,” Vallée
says. “We felt that the word ‘outreach’ was one-way.” Instead, their
focus is now on “exchange.” They don’t just think of themselves as
serving a community. They are part of the community, and important
experiences also move back to the choir through all of their events,
helping them learn and grow, too. A two-way street.
The next Singsation is February 8 at 10:30am, also at Yorkminster.
TMChoir welcomes conductor Scott Pietrangelo of newchoir and
SoundCrowd for a high-energy session of rock and pop hits. Typical
of Vallée’s approach: he discovered the work of Pietrangelo online and
asked him to help offer a session of repertoire that’s usually outside of
the choir’s wheelhouse.
That same evening, at 7:30pm, the TMChoir mounts a multimedia
concert at Trinity St. Paul’s United Church featuring the TMSingers
– the core of full-time professional singers within the choir, reconstituted
at Vallée’s urging after a lengthy hiatus. Visionaries: Vivaldi
& Da Vinci uses state-of-the-art video technology to sync words and
drawings from Leonardo Da Vinci’s Notebooks with the sounds of
Vivaldi’s Gloria.
Fresh outlook: Since Vallée joined as artistic director in 2021, the
organization has had a fresh new outlook. In 2022, they tried introducing
a Director of Community Engagement advisory role, which was in
turn replaced by a two-person Community Engagement Team in 2023.
For the current season, which began in 2024, there is no one individual
or team tasked with community initiatives as a separate silo. Now it’s
a collaborative effort across the organization with everyone working to
make community engagement happen. “We must find ways to stay in
the community,” Vallée says. “So we’ve been trying a number of things.”
10 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

One successful project that’s already come out of these efforts is the
event they call the Exchange. TMChoir organized with other choirs in
Toronto last year to offer a conference-style day where singers register
as individuals. Last year, people from about 50 different singing
groups showed up.
This same conference-style day for singers is coming up again this
year. On February 22, TMChoir hosts a whole day of workshops,
masterclasses, and lectures. Exchange: A Day of Choral Community
Workshops explores different topics in choral music, vocal music,
and musical community building. Venezuelan composer/conductor
Cristian Grases will give the keynote talk. Workshop leaders include
members of TMChoir, as well as members of Orpheus Choir of Toronto
and Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto. “There’s no prerequisite in
terms of level,” Vallée says. “You just come and learn.”
Another example of a willingness to try new things is in their
“We want community engagement to also be
about responding to needs we saw and heard
about in the community”
—JEAN-SÉBASTIAN VALLÉE
approach to mentorship. Within the conducting community, their
traditional day-long Conductors’ Symposium has morphed into a
Conducting Mentoring Program lasting several weeks this spring. It is
an initiative to support young conductors, who are sometimes singers
tasked to lead local singing groups but find it difficult to get extra
training to do so.
“We want community engagement to also be about responding to
needs we saw and heard about in the community,” Vallée says.
Big Sound: Of course, it’s worth remembering that, even though
big isn’t everything it is still something to behold! Amidst all the
community engagement, the full TMChoir is still constantly preparing
for large performances. You can hear them at Roy Thomson Hall
on April 4, when Vallée will conduct Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis,
featuring several guest soloists and the musicians of the Kitchener-
Waterloo Symphony.
Angus MacCaull is a Toronto-based journalist and poet.
He is currently at work on a memoir about coming to terms
with tinnitus as a promising young clarinettist.
BRIEFLY
Closer than they seem?
Nathaniel Dett Chorale’s two concert
appearances, a month apart, will be rearview
mirror moments for Brainerd Blyden
Taylor – back to early fall 1998.
He had been handed the conductor’s
baton at already venerable Orpheus the
previous season – a position he would hold
for 25 years – and, now, a year later, the NDC
had been launched with two principal aims:
to promote (as Nathaniel Dett had done) “an
awareness of Black North American heritage”; and “to honour and
promote Afrocentric composers and their choral music in Canada.”
Both of these concerts reflect those aims to the full. First up is
the NDC’s own concert, Saturday February 22, at Grace Church-onthe-Hill
– the world premiere of God’s Trombones, a poetic song
cycle commissioned by the NDC from Canadian concert pianist
and composer Stewart Goodyear, who will also be the guest artist
for the concert. Next, on March 22, the NDC joins the Thomas
Burton-led Orpheus Choir of Toronto for Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s
rarely performed sacred cantata, The Atonement.
A wintry reflection of a sharply contrasting moment in time: it
was January 2009 when the Nathaniel Dett Chorale, with Blyden-
Taylor in their midst, sang from the US Capitol steps at Barack
Obama’s first inauguration.
CHORAL QUICK PICKS
Ontario Youth Treble Festival: March 1, 2025
Titled “Vibrance”, this full-day festival, at Metropolitan United
Church offers over 200 youth “the chance to connect, learn, and
grow through engaging workshops and collaborative activities. The
festival culminates in a spectacular evening concert where each
choir will showcase their unique talents, followed by two powerful
mass choral performances that unite all voices in harmony.” Join
us for an unforgettable day of music, friendship, and community!
Taken under the umbrella of Choirs Ontario for the first time in
2024, this year’s iteration of the festival involves nine Southern
Ontario childrens’ choirs, and will culminate in a massed choir
presentation conducted by Venezuelan conductor Cristian Grases,
following his appearance as keynote speaker at the TMChoir’s
February 22 Exchange, mentioned earlier.
The Atonement
SPECIAL GUESTS
Nathaniel Dett Chorale
Celebrating composer
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s
150th Anniversary
March 22nd
7:30 pm
Yorkminster Park
Baptist Church
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 11

IN WITH THE NEW
IN WITH A BANG
Toronto Children’s Chorus: The TCC is one of the nine choirs
participating in Ontario Youth Treble Festival, March 1, following
two other significant engagements in February.
“Come Together in Song” is a three choir pay-what-you-can
showcase, February 7 at Calvin Presbyterian Church, with the TCC
joined by two award-winning youth choirs from Eastern Europe:
the St. Stanislav Youth Choir from Ljubljana, Slovenia, conducted
by Damijan Močnik, and the Bulgarian Children’s Choir “Orpheus”
from Haskovo, Bulgaria, conducted by Elena Cvetkova.
And on February 27, the TCC joins the U of T Chamber Choir
and Soprano-Alto Chorus in a concert, at Eglinton St. George’s
United Church, of Latin American choral music, again featuring
guest conductor Cristian Grases.
And still on the topic of children’s and youth choirs, March 28 -
30 the Canadian Children’s Opera Company offers a new production
of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, at Tapestry Opera’s new theatre
at 877 Yonge St..
Finally, Tafelmusik Chamber Choir joins Tafelmusik Baroque
Orchestra from March 28 - 30 for Choral Splendours: Bach &
Zelenka. Tafelmusik’s sing-along Messiah over the holidays
features choruses by a massed audience in full cry. In contrast, this
spring, you can enjoy the famed Chamber Choir’s signature sound.
As always, for full details on these offerings—as well as dozens
of other opportunities to get out and hear great choral works—
you can browse the listings in the middle of the magazine (in
print or at kiosk.thewholenote.com) or you can visit “Listings/
Just Ask” on our website and search by a broad range of musical
categories or key words.
soundstreams.ca
The Orpheus Children’s Choir, Bulgaria
Vancouver
Chamber Choir
FEBRUARY 27
7:30pm, Christ Church Deer Park
“... one of the finest
ensembles in the world.”
—Chorus! Magazine (Atlanta)
PERFORMING COMPOSITIONS BY:
Rikka Talvitie • Nico Muhly • Tarik O’Regan • T. Patrick Carrabré
The new year’s
vibrant sound
array
WENDALYN BARTLEY
February and March bring a vibrant array of new
sounds, kicking off with an energetic start of
multiple concerts in early February. And right in the
middle, in early March, comes International Women’s
Day on March 8 – a time to celebrate progress while
acknowledging the challenges that persist. While one
might hope such a day would no longer be necessary,
recent developments south of the border highlight
persistent threats to women’s rights and freedoms,
underscoring the continued importance of IWD.
In this month’s column, I’ll pay particular attention to how women
composers and performers are amplifying their creative voices, and
a long overdue catch-up conversation with Toronto composer Linda
Catlin Smith.
Early February brings three
notable performances: a very
special tribute to Ann Southam
on February 4 at the Canadian
Music Centre; Soundstreams’
performance of Poitu Varen by
composer and curator Kalaisan
Kalaichelvan on February 5;
and then, on February 8, from
New Music Concerts, a concert
featuring the world premiere of
Linda Catlin Smith’s new work
We have gone forth for dancing
along with a second world
premiere – by Rashaan Allwood,
Composer Kalaisan Kalaichelvan
NMC’s composer-in-residence.
The February 4 concert at the CMC marks the release of pianist
Christina Petrowska Quilico’s new album, More Rivers, the title of
a Frank Horvat composition commissioned by Petrowska Quilico,
inspired by Ann Southam’s iconic water-themed work Rivers – a
work inextricably interwoven with Petrowska Quilico’s own lifetime
of commissioning new work by Canadian composers.
The February 5 Soundstreams performance of Poitu Varen is
unique. It features music created from four pianos and natural
12 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

FRANKHORVAT.COM
Composer Frank Horvat and pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico
Allison Cameron - Woman From Space?
ALLISONCAMERON.COM
materials interconnected through transducer speakers. Set within
the club-like atmosphere of Hugh’s Room Live in its new setting
on Broadview, between Gerrard and Dundas, the audience will be
surrounded by the performers for a “meditative journey exploring
the concept of resonance.”
(Later in the month, on February 27, Soundstreams brings the
Vancouver Chamber Choir to perform the world premieres of six
new works by participants in their Emerging Composer program.)
The February 8 NMC event, along with the Smith and Allwood
premieres, will also offer audiences a rare opportunity to experience
Danish composer Hans Abrahamsen’s Schnee (Snow) written
in 2008, and subtitled Ten Canons for Nine Instruments. The venue
is an unusual one: beside the windows of St. James Cathedral at
Church and Queen Street, giving the audience, weather cooperating,
an evocative backdrop of the hopefully snow-covered
landscape.
Editor’s Note: The recording of Frank Horvat's More RIvers is
featured in the Editor's Corner. See DISCoveries, p50.
Women from Space
Now in its sixth season, at 918 Bathurst St., home of the Music
Gallery, this festival continues to grow and evolve, excelling in
celebrating musical innovation and gender diversity. Running
from March 7 to 9, it intentionally aligns every year with the
weekend closest to International Women’s Day. Everything gets
going this year with a solo performance by composer and improviser
Allison Cameron entitled Small Scale Experimental Machine.
This multidisciplinary set blends field recordings, electronics,
video, surround sound and audience participation. On the same
evening, vocalists Laura Swankey and Christine Duncan along
with guitarist Patrick O’Reilly—known as the trio Plastic Babies —
will celebrate the launch of their debut recording.
One of the distinguishing recurring features of the festival is its
in-house 18-performer large ensemble BIG BANG! Last year, the
ensemble paid tribute to Björk’s music and this year, in the opening
evening’s closing set, the spotlight turns to Nina Simone, whose
iconic songbook will be reimagined with new arrangements by six
different composers.
March 8 reflects another hallmark of this festival: collaboration.
Guest curated by the Toronto Dance Theatre, and highlighting the
concept of spontaneous encounters, the evening brings together
a fascinating mix of experimental performers with the artistry of
different dancers, including Chantelle Mostacho, celebrated for her
mastery of waacking—a street dance style born in the gay clubs of
Los Angeles during the disco era, and TDT member Erin Poole.
On March 9, the festival closes with a performance of LA-based
composer Meara O’Reilly’s work Hocket for Two Voices and an
appearance by the legendary pianist and composer Myra Melford
with her Fire and Water Trio. In her prolific career, Melford has
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 13

YAMAHA
Keiko Abe: six mallet technique, five octave marimba
Linda Catlin Smith
CANADIAN LEAGUE OF COMPOSERS
merged composition and improvisation in a variety of styles, from
jazz to folk and the avant-garde.
Women from Space co-curators, Bea Labikova and Kayla Milmine,
seem to bring an inexhaustible supply of inventiveness to the event.
This year’s festival promises more of the same.
Esprit Orchestra in festival mood
This season Esprit Orchestra made an interesting curatorial decision.
Instead of distributing their season evenly across the fall and
winter/spring, they decided to concentrate their main efforts on the
spring. They did one concert in the fall titled Prelude Concert #1, to
be followed on February 23 with a second Prelude Concert – like the
first, a program of mostly concertos by influential composers, in this
case Hans Abrahamsen, Henryk Gorecki and Esprit’s own Alex Pauk,
alongside the Canadian premiere of Steve Reich’s Runner.
It’s what follows that February 27 concert that could be described
as their main event – their Edge of Your Seat International Festival
with four concerts between March 5 and April 6 featuring a significant
amount of music that will be new to their audiences.
Renowned Japanese composer and virtuoso marimba player Keiko
Abe will have two of her works featured in the festival, celebrating
her enduring influence. Abe has dedicated her career to elevating the
marimba’s profile and expanding its possibilities. Through teaching,
instructional television programs and her collaboration with Yamaha,
she played a pivotal role in extending the instrument’s range from
four to five octaves. She also pioneered the six-mallet technique and
mentored celebrated percussionist Evelyn Glennie. Esprit will perform
her compositions The Wave on March 4 and Michi on April 2, with
Ryan Scott as the marimba soloist.
The festival will showcase not only orchestral works, but also an
array of chamber pieces, including two works by San Francisco-based
composer Gabriella Smith. Smith’s work invites listeners to take delight
in climate action and her string quartet Carrot Revolution, performed
on April 2, is described as “ecstatic.” The piece draws inspiration from
a quote by Cézanne who envisioned a day when “a single, freshly
observed carrot will start a revolution.” Her other work Imaginary
Pancake for solo piano will be part of the April 6 performance.
Schnee:
A Window into Winter
Feb. 8th, 2025
St. James Cathedral Centre Event Venue
Other works by women in the festival include an Esprit Orchestra
commission entitled Floral Reef by Montreal-based Julia Mermelstein
performed on April 2. Swedish composer Lisa Streich will make a
special appearance for the performance of her piece ISHJÄRTA (Ice
Heart) on March 27. Streich is known for integrating motorized
instruments with spectral harmonies, while Mermelstein combines
electronic soundscapes with choreography, creating a surreal and
immersive experience.
Linda Catlin Smith
Returning to our first cluster of early February concerts, I’ve long
been captivated by the subtle shifts and shimmering colours in Linda
Catlin Smith’s music, so her new work for New Music Concerts on
February 8 was one of the first things to catch my eye when I looked at
what February/March has to offer. Completed in 2023, We have gone
forth for dancing is a commission from Tim Moody and serves as a
companion piece to Das Rosen-Innere for cello and piano premiered
by NMC on June 12, 2024 and commissioned by Moody’s partner,
Doina Popescu.
Both are short works (just as challenging, Smith says, as writing
larger-form pieces), and were composed as responses to specific texts
provided by the commissioners (in this case a quote from the tenth
book of the Hindu sacred text, the Rig-Veda.)
In our conversation we explored ideas around her compositional
approach, why creative people are drawn to the things they are, and
how aesthetics come into being.
“As a child, I listened to many recordings and always favoured the
slow movements,” she observed. “They allowed me the time to hear
everything, creating an atmosphere of feeling. There’s space to dwell
in the sound world being created, rather than observing something
exciting happening in front of me. I can wrap myself around this state
of being, and like walking in water, it slows you down so everything
can be felt and observed.”
Arising from this, she says “I approach music as a kind of thinking
in sound—not verbal thinking, but ‘sound thought,’ a state I love
inhabiting. Similar to still life paintings, where subtle shifts of colour,
especially in the shadowy backgrounds, are atmospheric, beautiful
and mysterious. I strive for that kind of thing.
“Over time, I’ve also tried to allow for more harmonic complexity
and have become increasingly drawn to melody— something that
people avoided for a long time. I love meandering melodies, like those
in Gregorian chant, that gently move up and down, creating subtle
delineations of line. It’s like pulling on a thread and seeing where
it leads.”
I am looking forward to hearing where this progression has taken her.
Wendalyn Bartley is a Toronto-based composer and electro-vocal
sound artist. sounddreaming@gmail.com
newmusicconcerts.com
14 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

Visionaries:
Vivaldi & Da Vinci
February 8, 2025
Jeanne Lamon Hall,
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
Jean-Sébastien Vallée, conductor
Toronto Mendelssohn Singers
Instrumental Ensemble
Leonardo da Vinci’s brilliance comes alive
in Jocelyn Hagen’s multimedia concert,
paired with Vivaldi’s Gloria.
Missa solemnis
April 4, 2025
Roy Thomson Hall
Jean-Sébastien Vallée, conductor
Tracy Cantin, soprano
Simona Genga, mezzo-soprano
Frédéric Antoun, tenor
Brett Polegato, baritone
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir
Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
Beethoven’s Missa solemnis, his self-proclaimed
greatest work, closes Toronto Mendelssohn Choir’s
130th season with grandeur, profound emotion,
and timeless resonance.
tmchoir.org | 416.598.0422
Radio Sponsor
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 15

PERFORMANCE - SPACE
D.D. Jackson
AN INTOXICATING ELIXIR
D.D. Jackson’s
Poetry Project at
the Redwood
ANDREW SCOTT
SUN JACKSON
For angsty teenagers (and I know this from personal
experience), relatably disillusioned literary characters
can provide a feeling of connection as the reader works
through their own age-appropriate sense of despondent
ennui. J.D. Salinger’s Holden Caulfield was (and perhaps
still is) the standard bearer in this regard. But it was, even
more so, the work of Jack Kerouac (think October in
the Railroad Earth, backed by pianist Steve Allen) that
for many proved to be an even more intoxicating elixir,
introducing readers and listeners to not only hitchhiking
and counterculture, but to jazz and poetry.
Redwood: A December 2024 visit to East End Toronto’s Redwood
Theatre – itself a venue in revival – brought back some of those feelings
of connection in the form of an evening of deeply satisfying and
ambitious work from several accomplished Toronto poets, paired with
music by the Ottawa-born, New York-based pianist D.D. Jackson.
The historic Redwood Theatre, sitting at Greenwood and Gerrard, is
now, for those who have not yet discovered or rediscovered it, home
to a multidisciplinary centre designed to support an exciting artistic
ecosystem of music, dance, circus, comedy, theatre and film, with
performances in both the larger theatre, where Jackson’s concert
took place, and in some of the smaller lounge spaces (such as Pat
Labarbera’s appearance in the Redwood’s Tetra Listening Room at the
end of January). Additionally, Tim Notter’s Orbit Room, which played
host to so many great concerts for 25 years on College Street, now
has a new home for its unique brand of Hammond-organ forward
programming.
Kerouac and Allen’s “October in the Railroad Earth” on
Poetry for the Beat Generation (Hanover Records 1959)
All in all, ambitious
programming and good acoustics
bode well for an excellent
musical future for the venue.
The poetry project: D.D.
Jackson’s “Poetry Project”
is a case in point – a joint
tenancy of prose and sound
between the pianist and
George Elliott Clarke (Canada’s
former Parliamentary Poet
Laureate, who that evening
curated the poems, wrangled
the poets, read his own
work and emceed). The evening
offered a welcome celebration
of both mediums. Divided
George Elliott Clarke
into two portions, the first
segment featured readings from poets Ayesha Chatterjee, Bruce Meyer,
Giovanna Riccio, C.P. Zemokhol and Clarke himself, broken up by stylistically
broad interpretive piano features. The music, sometimes instrumental,
sometimes featuring the pianist’s own singing, and sometimes
utilizing the considerable talent of the evening’s vocalists, such as
Sammy Jackson and Yoon Sun Choi, was an exemplary testament to
how creative minds can fuse together disparate mediums for beautifully
impressive results.
The standouts were many, of course, but Bruce Meyer’s impassioned
reading of a thoughtful requiem and Choi’s inspired interpretation of
Zemokhol’s I Call were particularly modern, engaging and impactful.
Through it all, the first set was notable, for this listener, for how skillfully
Jackson played with the idea of influence.
Sometimes the influence was direct; as when, for
example, Jackson accompanied a lyrical reading of a poem
in a supportive manner designed principally to platform
the poet and amplify the poem’s message. At other times,
the influence seemed more playful, as Jackson seemed to
foreground an interpretive style of accompaniment replete
with rich chording and extemporized melodic lines that
acted as another poetic voice – a kind of playful counterpart.
Finally, there was what I might describe as an “influence
adjacent” portion, when Jackson seemed to use the
considerable creativity contained within the poems as a
springboard for his own improvisatory statements. It was
in these moments, when he appeared to afford himself
the widest berth creatively, that the music took off in the
most interesting of directions.
GEORGE ELLIOTT CLARKE
16 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

The Redwood Theatre, at 1300 Gerrard Street E., Toronto
The evening’s second set, equally engaging, featured a fleshed-out
aggregation of Roberto Occhipinti on bass, Mark Hundevad doing
double duty on drums and vibraphone, and guitarist Tom Fleming.
This larger group supported the aforementioned singers, along with
the great vocalist Michael Dunston, through Jackson’s complete
Poetry Project, released by the pianist earlier in 2024. Impressive solos
by all, tight ensemble work and a dynamic performance of Daylight
Shooting in Little Italy by the dependably wonderful Dunston
were second set highlights. In addition to the great music, a special
acknowledgement is deserved for the wonderful Bösendorfer piano
that Jackson played so marvellously throughout, contributing much to
the evening’s proceedings.
In addition to the enjoyable music and camaraderie of Toronto’s
artistic community on display that December night, the evening was
notable as a celebration of a great new listening room with a fine stage
(and an even finer piano) now hosting creative shows such as this in
Toronto’s east end. A welcome addition indeed!
Editor’s Note: See the review of Jackson’s Poetry Project in the vocal
section of DISCoveries and check it out in the Listening Room.
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.
UPCOMING AT REDWOOD
Feb 4, 7pm
The Redwood Theatre Singers’s
Workshop a recurring singers’ workshop
with Latoya Hall-Downer
Feb 8, 7pm
Culchaworks presents Global Marley –
a concert of Bob Marley’s hits, performed
Latoya Hall-Downer
by artists from across the globe who call
Canada home, in an array of styles and genres other than Reggae.
Feb 14, 7pm
Lovers’ Valentine Ball featuring The Ross
Wooldridge Orchestra. Open to all lovers
looking for an extravagant evening dancing,
fancy dress, and good times.
Feb 22, 7pm
Triangle D’Or Cabaret’s A Kiss of Paris.
Mystery, elegance and a dash of mischief.
Your trip to Paris without the ticket.
Mar 1, 7pm
BRENDA BROWN
Ross Wooldridge
An evening of blues by longtime Toronto
favourite Jack de Keyzer and his band
Mar 6, 6:30
The Toronto Blues Society’s 10th
Jack de Keyzer
Anniversary Healey’s Hideaway
Celebration. A screening of a 2014
documentary about the Jeff Healey
Club (Toronto 2001-2008), and live
music by The Celebration Band
March 8, 15 & 22, 2pm
Opera 202 Opera singers will
delight you with famous arias and a bit of context about their
place in the repertoire. Expect music of Mozart, Puccini, and Verdi
and more,
Apr 4
Frolick Theatre’s Live Karaoke, featuring the band By Request.
Apr 11, 7pm
Ten Telecaster Tales. Rik Emmett, lead singer/songwriter/
guitarist with Triumph, performs his latest project.
Depending on which Redwood space a show is in, seating may
be limited, and some shows will sell out quickly. Be sure to check
availability, and consider booking ahead.
theredwoodthweatre.com
Mark
Cassius
Quisha
Wint
MEDIA SPONSORS
King & Simcoe, Toronto
(416) 593-5600 x220
With…
The Jordan
Klapman
Quintet
Michael
Dunston
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 17

MUSIC THEATRE
Co-creators Raha Javanfar
and Hailey Gillis (l-r)
Ladies of
the Canyon at
Soulpepper
WORDS & MUSIC
INTERWEAVE
JENNIFER PARR
One of my favourite things at Soulpepper is their
concert series. Under the leadership originally of
creator and music director Mike Ross and now
under Frank Cox-O’Connell, each concert explores a new
theme, artist or group of artists, interweaving words and
music in a uniquely satisfying way particular to the story
or stories that emerge.
Joni Mitchell’s Ladies of the
Canyon (Reprise Records 1970)
This March will see a new
concert, Ladies of the Canyon:
Joni and the California Scene
created by and starring multitalented
Canadian music theatre
artists Hailey Gillis and Raha
Javanfar, both of whom have
been part of the series in the past.
The title refers to Canadian folk
music star Joni Mitchell’s iconic
album of the same name, written
while she was part of the famous
music community in Laurel
Canyon just outside Los Angeles
in the 1970s.
I spoke with Raha Javanfar
to find out more about the upcoming concert and what it is about
the Soulpepper concert formula that keeps bringing her back as a
co-creator and performer.
WN: Why this show and why now? Where did the idea
come from?
RJ: Actually, this was an idea that director Frank Cox O’Connell
brought to us. He was struck by what seems to be a constant
renewed interest in the zeitgeist about Joni Mitchell, and he was
keen on us exploring this time in her life. Although this is a place
in the United States, there were Canadian artists who were part of
that community, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, for example, and Joni
wrote her famous album Ladies of the Canyon while she was there.
We asked “If we take that title Ladies of the Canyon where would
that guide us?” It actually feels now that we are telling a broader
story about Laurel Canyon through a lens of Joni, exploring that very
particular time when so much interesting music was happening
and these artists had this beautiful isolated haven where they could
just create and be so far away from the world while at the same time
being only a five minute drive away from downtown LA.
One of the things I love about the concerts is how they weave
stories with both music and words.
We have a bit of a formula with these concerts now. The text and
the arrangement of the song need to go hand in hand and be doing
something together—not repeating the same thing but more like
finishing each other’s sentences. With a lot of the concerts we come
at the material from a documentary angle which can sometimes be
very historical, factual, scientific even. I think that angle gets inside
the intellect of the audience and the music angle is what gets inside
the heart. To me that’s where the magic happens, where those two
arrows can collide if they are aimed correctly.
So in the process do you explore different things or do you have a
regular method?
It really varies. This concert is about Laurel Canyon and that is
a very specific music-related topic about a place and a time when
specific bands, music and artists existed, so it makes a lot of sense
to start with a set list that might interest us, and then think about
stories that also interest us, then start to fit the puzzle pieces
together; and of course, it’s not the kind of puzzle that just comes out
of a box and is perfect. Sometimes that set list might not be the right
one; the song choice might have helped to get us to a certain story
that we want to tell but then we realize this might not be the right
song for it so we have to go back and find the one that fits.
The arrangement of the song is going to have a lot to do with it too;
we love our medleys and our mashups in these concerts – bringing
together pieces of music that maybe you never would have thought
could work well together before. We’re deep in that middle process
right now confirming whether or not each song is really, truly, the
right one for that moment or if we want to consider something else.
Is it that combination of the stories and music in the format that
pulls you back to being part of these concerts?
To me these concerts are unique, very different from the typical
review or tribute concert that you might go to. I think that comes
DAHLIA KATZ
18 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

JESSICA HAYES
Frank Cox O’Connell
Charlotte Cornfield
from the arrangements, in that we try not to play the song the way
the audience knows it. Really shaking up the arrangement can help
us to hear the lyrics in a new way and that’s a big part of what really
interests me. It’s also that we are not just learning “covers” of the
songs but talking about a life, a mixing of the story and the music.
The combining of the intellect and the heart is also my own personal
north star that I need to come back to in the process, always asking
myself “am I always doing that in the moment?” It’s also always an
amazing group of people and always fun.
Who else is involved with you and Hailey in creating and
performing this concert?
Frank Cox O’Connell is directing, and we have Charlotte Cornfield,
a singer-songwriter who is also an amazing musician and drummer.
The other two members of the cast are actually both graduates of the
most recent round of the Soulpepper Academy which harks back to
the series’ earliest concerts created by Mike Ross and Sarah Wilson
who were recent Academy graduates at the time.
Are you music directing as well?
Hailey and I are working very collaboratively, so the creation
process is very much both of us “all hands on deck;” but for our own
brains we’ve delegated Hailey as the writer and me as the music
director, although our worlds overlap quite a bit in the process.
Are you creating visuals as you often do for these concerts?
We’re not doing projections this time because we will be in the
Michael Young Theatre and we want to really lean into the intimacy
of that space. It makes a lot of sense for the style of the show, the
folkiness of that era and that music. I think there’s going to be
something very intimate about this concert which will hopefully
be magical.
Are there any specific songs you’d like to mention without giving
anything away?
I think we can definitely say that there will be music by the artists
that people would expect for a show like this like Joni Mitchell and
Neil Young and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, but hopefully there
will also be a few surprises.
Anything else you would like to mention?
Yes, a very big shout out to Gary and Donna Slaight who have
been funding these concerts for a really long time at Soulpepper.
We wouldn’t be able to do it without them.
Ladies of the Canyon: Joni and the California Scene runs from
March 13 to 23 at Soulpepper’s Michael Young Theatre.
https://www.soulpepper.ca/performances/ladiesofthecanyon
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.
BRITTANY CARMICHAEL
TWO OTHER SHOWS TO WATCH FOR
The first, The Wolf in the Voice, comes courtesy
of Tarragon Theatre and Nightswimming.
originated with Nightswimming, previews in
early February, then opens mid-February for
a ten-day run. As Nightswimming’s Artistic
Director Brian Quirt explains, the “wolf”
is the vocal break in every singer’s voice,
between registers. “Typically a vulnerable
spot?” we ask.
Brian Quirt
“Yes, that is the sense we are using for the ‘wolf’,” Quirt says.
“The vocal break and the “ahh-whoo” break’ in a wolf howl. I
bumped into the phrase in an Icelandic crime novel many years
ago in relation to a teenager whose voice breaks during a concert
performance!”
Flip side of the “wolf” as a symbol of exposure is the show’s
exploration of how, when a vocal ensemble runs as a pack, they
can cover each other’s vocal vulnerabilities, creating soaringly
seamless moments.
(On the Tarragon website the cast, Neema Bickersteth, Jane
Miller and Taurian Teelucksingh talk intriguingly about the
journey of discovery they are finding themselves on as the show
comes together.)
Inside American Pie, brainchild of Soulpepper concert series
founders Mike Ross and Sarah Wilson, brings our story full
circle. The show is described as “a docu-musical that decodes the
mysteries of Don McLean’s iconic song” – a fitting extension of
Ross and Wilson’s fascination with the interstices between story
and song. The show takes over the CAA Theatre from March 12 to 30,
as part of Mirvish Productions’ Off Mirvish series.
www.mirvish.com/shows/inside-american-pie
NATIVEEARTH.CA
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 19

ON OPERA
La Reine-garçon
A thoroughly
modern Christina?
Or not.
LYDIA PEROVIC
La Reine-garcon, Opéra de Montréal & The Canadian
Opera Company's first ever co production, is at
The Four Seasons Center through February 15.
Pictured here, Joyce El-Khoury (Christine) and
Pascale Spinney (Countess Ebba Sparre) from
the February 2024 premiere in Montreal.
VIVIENNE GAUMAND
VIVIENNE GAUMAND
A
feminist before the term existed, an intellectual and
art connoisseur, a friend of René Descartes, a modern
woman demanding freedom to live her life as she
pleases, most likely a lesbian? The Montreal Opera - Canadian
Opera Company co-production La Reine-garçon, libretto by
Michel Marc Bouchard based on his eponymous play, would
suggest so. How historically accurate is it, though? I consulted
Veronica Buckley’s Christina Queen of Sweden: The Life of a
European Eccentric (2004) to start finding out.
Was the actual Queen Christina (1626-1689) an intellectual and an
art expert? Not by any current standards. She received a solid education
thanks to the mentors who’d run her late father’s government
but it stopped at the age of majority, when she was happy to be channeled
to ruling instead of schooling. She was fleetingly interested in
many, many things, but few interests persisted.
Librettist Michel-Marc Bouchard (left) and Composer Julien Bilodeau
As for art collecting, most of her treasures came through pillaging.
As the Westphalian peace was being negotiated at the end of
the Thirty Years War, Christina sent the Swedish army to Bohemia to
complete one last battle. Reaching an impasse in Prague, the army
climbed the Castle and, on Queen’s orders, looted what was left of
the legendary Rudolf II of Habsburg’s collection of art, sculptures and
objects. All of it was schlepped to Sweden, including a live lion cub.
The Queen particularly enjoyed Italian Masters, and when she abdicated
a few years later, she continued to creatively mistake the property
of the state for her own property and packed her favourite items
for the trip south.
Although she always had scholars around and toyed with the idea
of creating a Swedish Academy to match the French model, nothing
came of it.
Was she buddies with Descartes? No. The poor man. After a bout of
correspondence with the philosopher who was lying low in a small town
in the Netherlands trying to avoid getting in trouble with the Catholic
Church, Christina decided she would like to bring Descartes to Sweden
and have him for herself. Descartes really did not want to go, but the
Swedish monarch sent a militia and he had no choice. They did have a
handful of conversations on issues of ethics and natural philosophy, but
Christina’s interests were ricocheting to many other thinkers and theologians
and for the most part the Frenchman didn’t have much to do but
curse the Swedish cold and dream of returning home.
The dissection of the corpse, which gets its own and quite beautiful
scene in the opera and which shows the Queen and the philosopher
looking for the pineal gland “where the soul and the body met,” most
certainly did not happen. She did urge him to contribute to the entertainment
of the court and he had no choice but to produce an opera libretto
for her courtiers-artistes. Otherwise, the Queen was so busy with other
things during the day that she scheduled the philosophical lessons with
Descartes very early in the morning, “before breakfast.” On one of those
dark wintry mornings, the Frenchman caught a cold, which turned to
pneumonia, which then led to his death. The Queen bandied about the
idea of a grand memorial, but never followed through .
Was she a feminist? Not even remotely: though she claimed freedom
for herself, she had nothing but contempt for most other women, and
for anything she perceived as “womanly.” She was aware of Elizabeth I
of England and her successful reign which had concluded a couple of
20 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

generations previously, but avoided mentioning the English queen and
wrote that women are “weak in soul and body and mind” and that there
have been no good women rulers “in our present century.” The odd
capable woman was rather the exception that proved the rule. “Of all
human defects, to be a woman was the worst.”
As the opera would have it, Christina’s mother was hysterical; urging
Christina to marry. Her German mother indeed had mood control
issues—she gets the most delightfully crazy number in the opera for
a reason. But wouldn’t you crack if you had been plucked out of your
German principality, shipped with your new royal spouse to the frozen
and largely rural and empty Sweden, and found yourself living mostly
alone and having one miscarriage after another? (The King was most
often away on military business, and later coupling-out-of-wedlock
business). Christina was her only surviving child and, lucky for the girl,
she was brought up by a benevolent family of royal relatives - until her
father the King was killed in battle. The Queen Mother, who had difficulty
parting with her dead husband’s body (you don’t want to know
the details) insisted the child Christina remain by her side, locked up in
a castle darkened for prolonged bereavement. (This only lasted a couple
of years before they were permanently separated.)
The Queen Mum did not however sashay into adult Christina’s
court urging her to marry, or for any other reason. In fact, by the time
Christina was grown up, the Queen Mother had been long exiled.
Was Christina a lesbian? No, is what I would bet my money on. Just
about every meaningful relationship of her life was with a man, and
Christina had a particular weakness for charming scoundrels whom she’d
repeatedly trust too easily, reward lavishly, and find herself being duped by.
Ebba Sparre, who gets her own role in the opera, was indeed her favourite
for a period, and rumours swirled around another woman or two during
her reign, but rumours always swirl around unconventional nobles,
particulalarly those who are not necessarily eager to quash them.
Besides, were the women in the court, ladies-in-waiting, capable
of giving any kind of genuine consent to a monarch, male or female?
You could argue no. If you became a favourite, whatever that entailed
and however long it lasted, you had no choice in the matter. The
opera doesn’t touch on this back story – presenting Christina and
Ebba’s relationship as genuinely loving – but Christina used Ebba as a
pawn in her ongoing settling of scores with the powerful Chancellor
Oxenstierna. Ebba had been engaged to the Chancellor’s son, but
would this marriage take place on Christina’s watch? No siree: Ebba
was to marry someone else entirely, whom Christina chose. In the
opera, the “Jakob” that the resigned Ebba decides to marry so she
could unwillingly extricate herself from the Queen, was in actual fact
the very noble that Christina imposed on her.
Buckley argues that in spite of her bravado with potential lovers
of both sexes, Christina “does not seem to have followed any of her
passions to their natural conclusion.” Both the opera and the play
accurately portray the Queen as adamantly refusing marriage and
what inevitably follows from it as the night follows the day: childbirth.
And no wonder: childbirth was the most likely cause of death
for women in non-pandemic years.
Fact as a matter of taste? La Reine-garçon is fiction and we should
enjoy it as such. The greatest drama of Christina’s life was probably
her conversion to Catholicism as the sovereign of a staunchly Lutheran
country and her abdication, the planning of the flight, the wrangling
of the apanage, and the move to Rome. But that would have been a
much different opera – a story more suitable for multi-part television.
I went to Montreal for the world premiere in February last year
and for the most part enjoyed the opera from my far-away balcony
seat; the score by Julien Bilodeau was late- romantic-meets-twentieth
century and full of colour; and the audience, doubtless drawn
in part by the opera’s premise, was diverse in age and gender identity,
including many same-sex couples of all ethnicities.
Now, a year later, after checking in with the historical record,
and knowing how far detached from the actual queen the operatic
Christina is, I am having second thoughts.
No, we don’t go to opera for historical accuracy. Don Carlos, Nero
and Poppaea, Titus, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Mehmet II, Xerxes are
all imagined rather than documented in their respective operas. And
yet … perhaps a 21st century audience is too well-informed to indulge
Descartes discusses philosophy with Queen Christina of Sweden in an
illustration for La Ciencia Y Sus Hombres by Luis Figuier (D Jaime Seix, 1876).
The image is a chromolithograph by Josep (or Jose) Planella (Spain 1804–90)
purely fantastical takes on post-Gutenberg historical figures who left
scores of writings behind. (You’re welcome to tell me I’m wrong!)
Lydia Perovic is a writer in Toronto. Find her in The Hub or
her Substack newsletter, Long Play.
la Rondine
BY GIACOMO PUCCINI
ITALIAN OPERA WITH ENGLISH SURTITLES
THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 2025 | 8 PM
FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2025 | 8 PM
JEANNE LAMON HALL,
TRINITY-ST. PAUL’S CENTRE
NARMINA
AFANDIYEVA
MUSIC DIRECTOR
CASSANDRA
AMORIM
BELLE
CAO
RYAN
HOFMAN
NEW VENUE
Jeanne Lamon Hall
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
427 Bloor St W,
ROBERT COOPER, CM
& the Opera in
Concert Chorus
BOX OFFICE INFO:
RCM TICKETS
416-408-0208 OR
OPERAINCONCERT.COM/TICKETS
ALAMY
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 21

OPERA QUICKPICKS
Opera schools ahead of the April rush: Back in the early days
we announced that April was going to be, henceforth, WholeNote
Opera Month. There was a lot of opera happening in April back
then, and still is. But April is already too late for one critical
constituency in the operatic ecosystem – universities and other postsecondary
institutions with opera schools or departments. Their big
shows of the year (usually with double casts) have to be done and
dusted before April, which is when past-due papers and/or partying
tend to start monopolizing campus life.
So for those of you who think of “The Opera” as being the fiefdom
of one or two A-list companies, this is a chance to broaden your
horizons without lowering your standards, at a fraction of the cost.
All the students involved, whether musically or in all the other arts
that have to align for the show to go on, are right on the edge of
careers. Think about it. You’ll have bragging rights for years because
you spotted some of them first.
Here, accordingly, are bare-bones details for four schools that
have operatic March madness honed to a fine art. Interestingly, they
are all presenting operas by Mozart this year (but that will have to
be a pedagogical topic for another day).
First out of the gate, March 6, 7, 8 and 9, in London, is Opera at
Western (University of Western Ontario) with Die Zauberflöte (The
Magic Flute).
Next is a dead-heat (they both open March 13 and have the same
number of performances (four). Opera Laurier is presenting The
Marriage of Figaro in Waterloo, and University of Toronto Opera
School presenting Così fan tutte at Harbourfront Centre Theatre.
Both shows run for four performances.
Glenn Gould School
spring opera in 2019
- Die Zauberflote.
Always a favourite!
EARLY MUSIC
When musicians meet
at the crossroads
DAVID PERLMAN
Tafelmusik Baroque Ensemble is making good use
of its emerging hybrid artistic leadership model:
a three-player artistic co-directorship (Brandon
Chui, Dominic Teresi, and Cristina Zacharias), mentored
by Principal Guest Director Rachel Podger. Together they
are in the process of putting together a storied season.
February and March alone will bring 11 performances of
four different programs.
First up are the final two performances (Feb 1 and 2) of “Brilliant
Baroque” under Podger’s lead, fresh off a sold-out tour to South Korea.
Guest director, Italian oboist Alfred Bernadeschi follows
(Feb 21,22,23) with “Triple Espresso: Bach, Handel & Fasch” (with a
bit of Telemann thrown in for luck) described entertainingly on their
website as “a high-energy concert that unleashes the exponential
power of the oboe.”
And finally (last but definitely not least) Mar 19 and 21, it’s back
to Die Zauberflöte, presented by the RCM Glenn Gould School at
Koerner Hall.
And since April is a long way away for those of us who need our
operatic (or operettic) fix, here are a few more offerings, roughly
grouped into categories. Details on all these are in the listings.
Gilbert & Sullivan
Feb 01 2:00: St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society. The Yeomen
of the Guard. St. Anne’s Anglican Church (Toronto), 276 Gladstone
Ave. www.stannesmads.com. $35; $30(sr/st). Also Jan 31(7:30pm),
2(2pm), 6(7:30pm), 7(7:30pm), 8(2pm), 9(2pm).
Feb 28 8:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre. The Gondoliers. By Gilbert
and Sullivan. Artists to be announced. St. Lawrence Centre for the
Arts - Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723 or 1–800-
708-6754 or www.tolive.com. From $75. Also Mar 1(8pm), 3(3pm).
Mar 8: Bach Elgar Choir. The Trial of Gilbert & Sullivan. Trial
by Jury and scenes from other Gilbert & Sullivan works with the
Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
And variously operatic!
Feb 13,14,15 Opera Revue. Risqué at the Rivoli: An Opera Revue
Burlesque Show.
Feb 22 Toronto City Opera. Second Annual Giuseppe Macina
Operatic Voices Competition.
Mar 27 Metropolitan United Church. Vocal Recital; mixed opera
hits programme. Holly Chaplin, soprano; Amy Moodie.
Apr 6 Orchestra Toronto. Theatrical Operatic Fusion. Works by
Verdi, Puccini, Wagner, and others.
DAVID AND
JONATHAN
A Story of David the Giant Slayer
APRIL 9–13, 2025
On sale now!
operaatelier.com
“Dazzling”
—Musical America Worldwide
The Versailles production of
Marc Antoine Charpentier’s
breathtaking opera/ballet
makes its Canadian debut,
fully staged in Koerner Hall.
22 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

The remaining two programs are
a study in contrasts.
March 7,8,9 offers up “Baroque
& Folk: Purcell to Poland” under
the leadership of Slovakian violinist
Miloš Valent, famed for digging into
the intersections between baroque
and folk music traditions, and
with a couple of equally curious
guests in tow.
After that, we return to
reassuringly familiar ground
(March 28,29,30) with choir and
ensemble reunited under Ivars
Taurins’ direction, for “Choral
Splendours: Bach & Zelenka”,
promising a range of music, from
“intimate gems” to “an extravagant
Catholic mass by Zelenka.
Miloš Valent
It’s the third show, “Baroque and Folk” that really caught my fancy
though. Valent talks about how music is “the unique and universal
language of humankind, and music-making is enriched as it reaches
beyond tribe and clan.” And then says this: “When musicians meet at
the crossroads, unexpected new creativity is unleashed, rewarding
not only the performers, but those who listen and partake.”
To that end, expect to find Tafelmusik journeying from Purcell to
Poland, riding an exquisite musical edge between terror and delight
(in the company of Valent, multi-instrumentalist Jan Rokyta, and
Naghmeh Farahmand, percussion) as they collectively explore “how
Telemann, Purcell, and Vivaldi “were influenced by folk music from
the Ashkenazy, Polish, Roma, Scottish, and Turkish traditions, and as
“Tafelmusik’s baroque strings, winds, and continuo intermingle with
BHS
the sonorities of the hammered dulcimer, the Armenian duduk,
folk recorders, and percussion.”
I’m sold.
PICKS
With Valent’s words about musical crossroads in mind, here are
three upcoming concerts that particularly caught my eye.
Feb 9 3:00: Array Music. Jeff Bird
Plays Music of Hildegard von Bingen.
A concert of 12th century mystic
Hildegard von Bingen arranged for
harmonica, electric guitar and shruti box
by Jeff Bird who got hooked on the music
of Medieval Europe in the 70s, which was
when he discovered Hildegaard, culminating
in his 2016 celebrated recording,
Felix Anima.
Feb 7 and 9: Vice & Virtue. A co-production of Bud Roach’s Capella
Intima in Hamilton and St. Catharine’s-based Gallery Players of
Niagara, Vice & Virtue comes to Toronto Feb 7, with the co-operation
of North Wind Concerts and Music at Met and then plays
St. Catharines Feb 9.
Mar 16: it’s Gallery Players of Niagara again with Bach on Turtle’s
Back - Year 3 - Rebirth, matching a Bach sonata, partita and arias
with a newly commissioned work by Andrew Balfour, scored for
period string quartet and baritone.
I found these three, among dozens more, by visiting “Just Ask”
under Listings on the WholeNote website, and doing an advanced
search for the tag Early Music.
David Perlman can be reached at publisher@thewholenote.com
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 23

FROM UP HERE
ANGELA
GARWOOD-TOUW
living a Zone 10
classical life
SOPHIA PERLMAN
The “up here” in this month’s column is (mostly)
Timmins, where Angela Garwood-Touw has a busy
schedule. The New Brunswick born violinist is
Concertmaster for the Timmins Symphony Orchestra,
regular First Violinist for the Sudbury and North Bay
Symphonies, and is an active contributor to the chamber
music scene with an array of ensembles – as well as
teaching students from across the region and raising a
family. We talked about her musical journey north, and
the joys (and challenges) of playing classical music (and
beyond) in WholeNote’s “Zone 10” region.
WN: You grew up in New Brunswick, and your bio lists a
huge number of different ensembles, large and small. Can you
talk a little bit about the musical community you grew up and
developed within?
AGT: My beginnings in music were relatively
humble. Money was tight and we
moved around and I had to change schools
several times but the two elementary
schools I attended did offer a great introduction
to classical music, singing, movement,
and eventually musical notation. [...]
each had a school funded music program
where you could learn a stringed instrument.
I finally had my chance to join, relatively
late at the age of 10, but thanks to some magical combination
of my exposure to music up to that point, my love for music and the
violin, and a very nurturing teacher, Mr. McCausland, I was able to
learn very quickly.
I was not able to afford regular lessons, except for a few with an
older student one year, however there was always something to strive
for: the school orchestras, the provincial youth orchestra, the music
festival and eventually the symphony. [...] Again with Mr. McCausland,
supporting me and encouraging me all along the way.
Can you tell me a little bit about the decision to move to
Northern Ontario?
[...] My teacher, (who I’ll just call Bob now since he keeps coming
up), first told me about the job. The timing was perfect as I’d recently
moved home after being away at university, I had a day job, and my
only work in music was teaching a few private students through a
local conservatory and the occasional gig. So I was very eager to take
on what seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity – concertmaster
and teacher at the music school. [...] I later met my husband here and
started my own family.
Can you talk a little bit about
what it’s like being based out
of Timmins, and what your
regular “commutable distance”
looks like?
It takes about three and a half
hours to travel to Sudbury and
four to get to North Bay. Those
aren’t commutes I make all of the
time and more often than not,
I’m carpooling with my friends
and colleagues Joanna [Millson]
and Yu [Pei] who also freelance.
We keep ourselves quite busy
in town with teaching, gigs and
so on. Joanna, Yu and I also
recently started a crossover group
called Bella Corda. We’ve been
having a ton of fun planning and
Bella Corda
playing shows that feature a blend of classical and pop arrangements.
Admittedly, getting to wear fancy dresses that AREN’T concert black is
one of the highlights.
Any advice for Northerners of all ages who want to learn to play?
Especially those who live in smaller communities?
Each community is a little different. Both the North Bay and
Sudbury Symphonies have music schools affiliated with them.
Although, I think North Bay might have recently changed their set up.
Then there are other professionals in the community who have their
own private studios and set ups.
My advice to anyone living in a remote area wanting music lessons
would be to start by reaching out to anyone you know in your
community that has any ties to music, whether it be a school teacher,
family friend, church member, and so on. While they may not be able
to teach you, they might be able to point you in the right direction.
Next, I would suggest nearby cities who have community orchestras.
Lastly, online lessons can be a really great option. While they might
KATELYN MALO
24 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

not be perfect for everyone (and I suggest having in-person lessons
whenever possible) you can get pretty far with the right teacher
online. The best part is, you don’t need to limit yourself geographically:
if you hear of a great teacher in the US for instance, there’s
nothing stopping you from studying with them.
I have had students from as far away as Smooth Rock Falls and
Cochrane which are just over an hour away. I’ve had online students
from two hours away in Chapleau, who then came to Timmins to play
in the music festival.
A big adjustment?
Yes, because the landscape here is just so different. In a place like
Toronto, there’s a teacher on every corner. If you don’t jive with
your teacher, there’s 100 more to choose from. If a teacher quits a
job, there’s a line up of people waiting to take that job. A remote
community is very different. When there’s a vacancy, you might have
only a handful of applicants and even fewer of them are qualified,
willing to move here and a good fit.
A student could get lucky and find a great music teacher in a remote
community. Maybe that teacher moved there because they followed
their spouse who works in another field. Maybe that person stays
for 50 years and passes on a love of music to several generations. Or,
maybe they stay for just one year before moving on. My late friend Sue
Steel, who passed away too young of cancer in recent years, was the
perfect example of someone who had a tremendous impact on the
musical community here. She dedicated her life to raising a family
here and permeating every corner of the music landscape here. She
was truly one of a kind, a phenomenal musician and just a truly
special person. Her impact here is still felt though she left some really
big shoes to fill.
Any final thoughts? Things you’d like to share with a primarily
southern Ontario audience, who may not be aware of the classical
music landscape north of the Festival of the Sound?
When you’re one of the few professionals in town, as I am, there are
so many amazing opportunities that you just wouldn’t get elsewhere
because there’s too much competition. I love being able to teach, play
solos, chamber music and orchestral music with amateurs and professionals
alike and still have an amazing husband and two beautiful
children. Did I mention I can get pretty much anywhere I need to go
in town in under ten minutes? You can’t do that in Toronto!
Sophia Perlman grew up bouncing around the jazz, opera,
theatre and community arts scene in Toronto. She now eagerly
awaits the arrival of her regular WholeNote to Hornepayne,
Ontario, where she uses it to armchair-travel and inform her
Internet video consumption.
ADVENTURES IN ZONE 10
Want to catch Angela
in performance?
You might find yourself
visiting some of these venues.
Clockwise from top right:
The Capitol Centre, North Bay;
St. Matthew’s Anglican
Cathedral, Timmins; École
secondaire catholique Thériault,
Timmins; Sheridan Auditorium,
Sudbury Secondary School
Timmins Symphony Orchestra timminssymphony.com
Sun Jan 26, 2pm at St. Matthew’s Cathedral, Timmins
Chamber Voices, featuring the Timmins Symphony Choir and the
TSO Chamber Ensemble. Joshua Wood, conductor $25 / $15
Sat Feb 15, 8pm at École Secondaire Catholique Thériault, Timmins
Flowers & Romance featuring Chloe Weston, piano & the Timmins
Symphony Chorus. Joshua Wood, conductor $45 / $18
Sat Mar 29, 8pm at École Secondaire Catholique Thériault, Timmins
Dancing Queen, the Music of ABBA (Jeans ‘n Classics) Joshua Wood
conductor. tickets $45 / $18
Sudbury Symphony Orchestra sudburysymphony.com
Sat Feb 1, 2pm at Sheridan Auditorium, Sudbury Secondary School.
A Knight of Mozart, SSO with Geoff McCausland, violin.
William Rowson, conductor
Sat Mar 1, 2pm and 7:30pm at Sheridan Auditorium
SSO Goes to Italy with Joey Niceforo, tenor, William Rowson,
conductor. $45 / $25
North Bay Symphony Orchestra northbaysymphony.org
Sat Feb 22, 6:30pm at The Capitol Centre, North Bay
MEET THE ORCHESTRA: An NBSO Family Concert with a 5:30pm
Instrumental Petting Zoo. Conductor Joshua Wood $45 / $18 |
CHILD - FREE*
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 25

THE SOFT SEAT BEAT
The Aurora Cultural Centre is a beautifully restored 1886 schoolhouse - now is home to galleries,
administrative offices, curatorial workspaces, temperature-controlled archives, and performance venues.
Halls of all sizes take the sting out of the season
COLIN STORY
February and March are not the most glamorous
months of the year; between salt-stained boots,
wind-whipped skin, and the knowledge that spring
will mostly just be more winter, it’s a miracle that any
of us get out at all. Things, however, are not all that bad:
though we must endure the season, we are also officially
in the middle of “the concert season” (i.e. the annually
curated sequences of shows booked by presenters
and/or venues, which around here typically run from
September to June).
Southern Ontario’s halls, mid-size, large and small, have a lot of
wonderful programming going on, musicians have worked through
their holiday chops, and the only major impediment to having a good
time at gigs is the concert subzero anxiety about getting sick. (Even a
trip to the grocery store feels like taking a walk through an epidemiological
minefield; please, I beg of you, do not sneeze on the cheese.)
and many nominations, from the late 1990s to the present). Her career
has included collaborations with fellow Canadians Kardinal Offishall,
Saukrates, and Choclair, as well as major American artists such as Nas
and Destiny’s Child. A strong, sophisticated singer with ample vocal
power and control, Black is no stranger to large stages, and her performance
at The Rose is taking place as part of a cross-Canadian tour, with
other stops in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Evans at Aurora: On February 22 at the Aurora Cultural Centre,
another stellar night of vocal performances will be taking place, as
Kellylee Evans takes the stage with an opening set by Sammy Jackson.
Evans will likely be a familiar name to Canadian jazz fans, as she’s
been a mainstay on the vocal jazz circuit for many years. Attending
Carleton University, she originally did degrees in both English and
Law, before turning her attention to music full time. In 2004, she took
second place in the prestigious Thelonious Monk Competition, in front
of a panel that included Quincy Jones, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Kurt
Elling, and won a Juno award in 2011, for her album Nina, inspired by
the life and work of Nina Simone. In 2013, a most unusual misfortune
occurred: Evans was struck by lightning while inside her own home.
Following a long recovery, she returned to making music, and by 2018
Jully Black
Rose for your valentine: If you’re thinking about taking
your partner out for a romantic Valentine’s Day (before
breaking out the erotic dice for a romantic Valentine’s Night),
look no further than The Rose Theatre in Brampton, which
will be hosting Jully Black on February 14. A relatively new
venue – construction was completed in 2006 – The Rose’s
main theatre is a horseshoe-shaped affair just shy of 900
seats, the farthest of which is only 90 feet (27.4 metres, for
the metrically “woke”) from the stage. The stage itself is wide
and deep, allowing performers to stretch out and put on
the kind of show that would otherwise only be possible in a
much larger venue.
Black has been a mainstay of the Canadian music scene
since the mid-2000s, with the release of her albums This Is Me
and Revival, the latter of which won a Juno award for R&B/
Soul recording of the year (one of several major award wins
26 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

Kellylee Evans
MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZ
had been nominated for another Juno award for her album Come On.
In 2024, she had two releases: the EP Show Love, a blend of R&B,
funk and jazz, and the holiday album Winter Song.
Though Evans and Jackson are very different as songwriters and vocal
technicians, the fact that they’re sharing a bill makes a lot of sense.
Like Evans, Jackson has real jazz bonafides – she graduated from the
University of Toronto’s jazz studies program – and has been consistently
active on the music scene. Also like Evans, Jackson is stylistically adventurous,
mixing R&B, pop and other genres with jazz to create a musical
universe all her own. Her newest album, In The Meantime, features the
talents of guitarist Thom Fleming, keyboardist Chris Pruden, bassist
Mark Godfrey and drummer Ian Wright, four musicians with whom
Jackson has regularly collaborated, and sees Jackson concentrating on
soulful, direct vocals to deliver her imaginative original lyrics.
HOT DAMN,
LET’S JAM!
ORI DAGAN
Ted Haberer at
the Jazz Bistro
ORI DAGAN
Kidjo at Koerner: Back in Toronto, Koerner Hall has a number of
returning artists playing in March – a testament to the venue’s comfort,
style and excellent acoustics – both onstage and in the audience. On
March 1, saxophonist Jane Bunnett collaborates with Cuban musicians
Orlando “Maraca” Valle (flute), the Santiago Sax Quartet and pianist
Hilario Durán, with new music written specifically for this performance.
On March 8, Mexican-American rock band Los Lobos takes the
stage, with their Grammy-winning combination of Tex-Mex, blues, folk
and other musical traditions. And on March 25, catch Beninese-French
singer Angélique Kidjo – also a Grammy winner – in her fourth appearance
at Koerner Hall. Kidjo has been a star for some time, boasting
collaborations with the likes of Branford Marsalis, Sting, Tina Turner
and Santana, to name a few. Singing in a variety of languages, including
French, Yorùbá, English and Fon, Kidjo is a captivating presence on
stage, and no stranger to performing in rooms of every size.
Jane Bunnett
Colin Story is a jazz guitarist, writer and teacher based in
Toronto. He can be reached at www.colinstory.com, and on
Instagram and X.
Much like the word “jazz” itself, the origin of the
term “jam session” is up for debate, but there’s
no denying the multi-layered potential that
jam sessions unleash: community building, essential
education, artistic exploration and audience engagement.
Before we dive in, though, for the uninitiated, what can
you expect from such an evening?
Jam sessions typically start with an opening set by the host band,
after which, participants are invited to take the stage. In this informal
atmosphere, musicians will often approach the stage of their own
volition, play a couple of standard tunes and then, ideally, get off the
stage to allow someone else the opportunity. It is ultimately up to the
host to ensure that things go smoothly and that everyone is treated
respectfully. It’s important to find jam sessions which are safe spaces
geared to everyone having a good experience. In this piece I will focus
on a few of my favourite Toronto sessions.
On Friday nights at Jazz Bistro, a rotating band hosts the Late Night
Jam Session from 11:30pm to 2am. This event is the brainchild of Jazz
Bistro’s Manager Ted Haberer, who made it his first mission on the job
to start a jam session. Previously an employee at The Rex Hotel, he is
also an avid vocalist who occasionally gets up to croon a tune.
“I love this music, and hearing strangers meet for the first time and
play it beautifully together is something really special,” says Haberer.
“I wanted to cater the jams to the musicians and thought they’d like a
place to head after their weekend gigs to get some late-night food and
hang with other players.”
As the curator of the space, he is very passionate about giving young
musicians opportunities: “They’re the future of the scene. They need
a place to play together for an audience, and to hear as many players
as possible. There’s a remarkable amount of talent among the young
players right now. They need to make rent. Toronto rent!”
continues to page 46
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 27

KOERNER HALL 2024.25 CONCERT
Takács Quartet with
Sir Stephen Hough, piano
FRI., FEB. 21, 8PM KOERNER HALL TICKETS START AT $50
The world-renowned Takács Quartet brings its innovative musical
thinking to works by Beethoven and Brahms, along with a new string
quartet by the acclaimed pianist Stephen Hough.
Generous support provided from The Michael and Sonja Koerner Fund
for Classical Programming
GGS Percussion
& Friends
SUN,, FEB. 23, 2PM
MAZZOLENI CONCERT HALL
TICKETS: $25
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Principal Percussion Charles Settle
leads a percussion-centric
chamber program of intriguing
works for both pitched and
unpitched instruments, joined
by students from his studio.
Cesária Évora Orchestra
SAT., FEB. 22, 8PM KOERNER HALL TICKETS START AT $45
The Orchestra brings together the cream of Cape-Verdean
musicianship and vocalists to honour the late and legendary Cesária
Évora. This tribute to the “Barefoot Diva” features some of Cape Verde’s
greatest voices, including Elida Almeida, Teófilo Chantre, Lucibela, and
Nancy Vieira alongside band members from Évora’s band.
Presented in association with Batuki Music Society.
Pierre-Laurent Aimard,
piano
FRI., FEB. 28, 8PM KOERNER HALL
TICKETS START AT $50
Considered a “brilliant musician and
an extraordinary visionary” (The Wall
Street Journal), French pianist
Pierre-Laurent Aimard performs
Boulez in honour of the composer’s
100th birthday, as well as works by
Beethoven, Debussy, and Schoenberg.
Series generously supported by Michael Foulkes
& Linda Brennan and an anonymous donor
With generous additional support provided
from The Michael and Sonja Koerner Fund
for Classical Programming
Jane Bunnett:
Warm Winds from Cuba
SAT., MAR. 1, 8PM KOERNER HALL
TICKETS START AT $50
Bunnett invites several Cuban friends
to join the night, including the dean of
Cuban flute, Orlando “Maraca” Valle;
four musicians she recorded with
over 20 years ago, the Santiago
Sax Quartet; and her Toronto-based
piano sympatico, Hilario Durán,
for some new music written just
for Koerner Hall.
Concert generously supported by Rayla & George Myhal
237 BLOOR STREET WEST
(BLOOR ST. & AVENUE RD.) TORONTO
Taylor Academy
Showcase Concert
SAT., MAR. 8, 4:30PM
MAZZOLENI CONCERT HALL
FREE TICKETS AVAILABLE STARTING
FROM 10AM ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28
The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance
Academy for Young Artists presents
a concert by the leading young
classical musicians in Canada. Hear
the stars of tomorrow!
TICKETS & SUBSCRIPTIONS
ON SALE NOW!

SEASON
SEASON SPONSOR:
Taylor Academy:
The Stars
of Tomorrow
THURSDAY, MAR. 20, 7:30PM
MAZZOLENI CONCERT HALL
FREE TICKETS AVAILABLE
STARTING FROM 10AM ON
THURSDAY, MARCH 13,
Winners of the Taylor Academy’s
Junior Concerto Competition
perform Baroque and Classical
concerti in Mazzoleni Concert Hall.
Schaghajegh Nosrati,
piano
SUN., MAR. 23, 3PM KOERNER HALL
TICKETS START AT $40
The exceptionally talented protégé
of Sir András Schiff makes her
Koerner Hall debut with a program
of works by Bach, Mendelssohn,
Charles-Valentin Alkan, and Haydn.
Series generously supported by
Michael Foulkes & Linda Brennan
and an anonymous donor
Concert generously supported by an anonymous donor
With generous additional support provided
from The Michael and Sonja Koerner Fund for
Classical Programming
The Glenn Gould
School Chamber
Competition Finals
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 7PM
KOERNER HALL
FREE TICKETS AVAILABLE STARTING
FROM 10AM ON WEDNESDAY,
MARCH 19, 2025.
Chamber ensembles from the
Glenn Gould School perform
before a celebrated jury,
competing for over $11,000
in awards.
Presented in honour of R.S. Williams & Sons
Company Ltd.
Martin Fröst, clarinet,
Antoine Tamestit,
viola, and
Shai Wosner, piano
FRI., MAR. 28, 8PM KOERNER HALL
TICKETS START AT $50
Three internationally respected soloists
come together for an intimate chamber
music recital, performing works by
Brahms, Dvořák, and more.
Concert generously supported by an anonymous donor
With generous additional support provided from
The Michael and Sonja Koerner Fund for
Classical Programming
Les Arts Florissants with
Théotime Langlois
de Swarte, violin
Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”
at 300
SAT., MAR. 29, 8PM KOERNER HALL
TICKETS START AT $60
Fast-rising violinist Théotime
Langlois de Swarte leads Baroque
superstars Les Arts Florissants in
Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” at 300,
commemorating the work’s original
publication in 1725.
Generous support provided from The Michael and Sonja
Koerner Fund for Classical Programming
Rebanks Family
Fellowship Concert
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 7:30PM
MAZZOLENI CONCERT HALL
FREE TICKETS AVAILABLE STARTING
FROM 10AM ON WEDNESDAY,
MARCH 26, 2025
Solo and chamber works are
performed by young artists
on the cusp of major careers,
who are enrolled in The Rebanks
Family Fellowship and International
Performance Residency Program at
The Glenn Gould School.
Presented with the generous
support of the Rebanks Family
and the Weston Family Foundation
416.408.0208
RCMUSIC.COM/PERFORMANCE

LIVE OR ONLINE | Feb 1 to Apr 7, 2024
Saturday February 1
● 12:00 noon: University of Toronto Faculty
of Music. University of Toronto New
Music Festival: Iranian Music Symposium
with Reza Vali. Panelists: Reza Vali; Professor
Nasim Niknafs, Associate Dean, Research;
Kaveh Mirhosseini, composer and conductor;
Shahab Paranj, composer and tombak virtuoso;
Afarin Mansouri, composer and vocalist;
Hadi Milanloo, Executive Director, Canadian
Golha Orchestra; Professor Farzaneh Hemmasi,
moderator. Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s
Park. www.music.utoronto.ca. Free.
● 2:00: Burlington Performing Arts Centre.
A Family Music Matinee with Darrelle
London. Burlington Performing Arts Centre,
Community Studio Theatre, 440 Locust St.,
Burlington. 905-681-6000. $14.00($10.00
member).
● 2:00: Sudbury Symphony Orchestra.
A Knight of Mozart. Bologne: Overture
to L’Amant anonyme; Mozart: Violin Concerto
No.3 in G K.216; Mozart: Symphony
No.36 in C K.425 “Linz”. William Rowson, conductor;
Geoff McCausland, violin. Sheridan
Auditorium, 154 College St., Sudbury.
www.ci.ovationtix.com/36875/performance/11512493.
$30; $15(under 30). Also
7:30pm.
● 2:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Opera
and Musical Theatre Gala With Early Music
Studio. Western University - Talbot College -
Paul Davenport Theatre, 1151 Richmond St. N.,
London. 519-661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/
events. Free.
● 2:00: St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society.
The Yeomen of the Guard. By Gilbert
and Sullivan. St. Anne’s Anglican Church,
276 Gladstone Ave. www.stannesmads.com.
$35; $30(sr/st). Also Jan 31(7:30pm), 2(2pm),
6(7:30pm), 7(7:30pm), 8(2pm), 9(2pm).
● 4:00: Hillside Festival. Hillside Inside
2025: Rowan Tree. Red Brick Cafe, 8 Douglas
St., Guelph. www.hillsidefestival.ca. Pay what
you can.
● 4:30: Beach United Church. Jazz &
Reflection with the Ferrport Jazz Ensemble.
Beach United Church, 140 Wineva Ave.
416-691-8082. Pay-what-you-can. Suggested
minimum $10.
● 6:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Kenneth
Tse, Saxophone & Casey Dierlam Tse,
Piano. Western University - Music Building
- Von Kuster Hall, 1151 Richmond St. N., London.
519-661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/
events. Free.
● 7:00: Joy of Music. Joy of Music Showcase:
Winterberries. Evoking the glimmer
of hope and joy amidst the chilling and barren
desolation that winter can bring. You are
invited to find solace and beauty in the dazzling
music making and wondrous dancing
- curated to inspire and amaze you! Betty Oliphant
Theatre, 404 Jarvis St. . .Feb 01 7:00:
Timothy Eaton Memorial Church/Royal Canadian
College of Organists Toronto Centre.
Concert for Ukrainian Relief. Introducing
audiences to rarely performed works by
Ukrainian composers of the 19th to 21st centuries.
Gail Archer, organ. Timothy Eaton
Memorial Church, 230 St. Clair Ave. W. www.
TEMC.ca or 416-925-5977. Call or visit website
for further information.
● 7:30: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. VOX Concert. Wilfrid Laurier University
- Theatre Auditorium, 75 University
Ave. W., Waterloo. www.wlu.ca/academics/
faculties/faculty-of-music/events/index. Free.
● 7:30: Sudbury Symphony Orchestra.
A Knight of Mozart. Bologne: Overture
to L’Amant anonyme; Mozart: Violin
Concerto No.3 in G K.216; Mozart: Symphony
No.36 in C K.425 “Linz”. William Rowson,
conductor; Geoff McCausland, violin.
Sheridan Auditorium, 154 College St., Sudbury.
www.ci.ovationtix.com/36875/performance/11512493.
$45; $25(under 30).
Also 2pm.
● 7:30: London Symphonia. A New Moon
Celebration. Blending stories, folk music
and contemporary music from Asian cultures
and traditions in London that celebrate
the Lunar New Year. Rei Hotoda, conductor;
Scott St. John, violin; Derek Kwan, narrator;
Lina Cao, guzheng; and musicians from
the London Youth Symphony. Metropolitan
United Church, 468 Wellington St., London.
226-270-0910 or www.londonsymphonia.ca.
$55 General Admission, $75 Reserved Seating,
and $55 for unlimited Video On Demand
21-day access.
● 7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. University of Toronto New Music Festival:
UTSO - Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2.
Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. www.music.
utoronto.ca. Visit website for ticket pricing.
● 7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Madama
Butterfly. Music by Giacomo Puccini. Eri Nakamura
(Cio-Cio San); Kang Wang (Lt. Pinkerton);
and other soloists. Canadian Opera
Company Chorus & Orchestra; Keri-Lynn Wilson,
conductor; Michael Grandage, director.
FourSeasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231 or 1-800-
250-4653 or tickets@coc.ca. From $45. Also
Feb 6, 8(4:30pm), 12, 14, 16(2pm). At 7:30pm
unless otherwise noted.
● 7:30: Opera by Request. Bach’s Peasant
Cantata and Coffee Cantata. Peasant
Cantata: Miecke: Michaela Chiste, soprano
(Miecke); Nathan Dyck, baritone. Coffee Cantata:
Cameron Mazzei, tenor (Narrator); Taylor
Gibbs, baritone (Schlendrian); Michaela
Chiste, soprano (Lieschen); William Shookhoff,
music director. Crown and Press Gallery
and Cafe, 308 Ottawa St. N., Hamilton. 416-
455-2365. $25. Also Jan 25(College St. United
Church, Toronto).
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Tchaikovsky & Vaughan Williams. Sibelius:
Pohjola’s Daughter; Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto;
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No.4.
Sergey Khachatryan, violin; Tarmo Peltokoski,
conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca. From $30. Also
Jan 31(7:30pm).
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Quiet
Please, There’s a Lady on Stage: Piaf! The
Show. Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS
Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-
408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.
From $50.
● 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre. Caity
Gyorgy. 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham.
905-305-7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre.
ca. From $15.
● 8:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Brilliant Baroque. Handel: Concerto grosso
in G Major; Avison: Concerto no. 6 in D Major,
after Scarlatti; Purcell: Suite from Fairy
Queen & King Arthur; Pisendel: Sonata for
orchestra in C Minor; Bach: Sinfonia from
Cantata 42 & Concerto for violin in A minor,
BWV 1041Reichenauer Suite in B-flat Major.
Rachel Podger, director/violin soloist. Trinity
St. Paul’s United Church. Jeanne Lamon Hall,
427 Bloor St. W. 1-833-964–6337 or www.
tafelmusik.org. $20-$95. Also Jan 31 & Feb. 2.
● 8:00: Brampton On Stage. 54•40. Neil
Osborne, vocals & guitar; Brad Merritt,
bass; Matt Johnson, drums; Dave Genn, guitars/keyboards/backing
vocals; David “Oz”
Osborne, organ & backing vocals. The Rose
Theatre, 1 Theatre Ln., Brampton. www.tickets.brampton.ca/online
or 905-874-2800.
From $20.
● 8:00: Hillside Festival. Hillside Inside
2025: Golden Feather with Special Guests
The Vaudevillian. Royal City Mission (Guelph),
50 Quebec St., Guelph. www.hillsidefestival.
ca. $32.50.
Sunday February 2
● 2:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
GGS Brass & Friends. Gordon Wolfe, trombone;
Stephen Woomert, trumpet; Christopher
Gongos, horn. With students of the
Glenn Gould School. Royal Conservatory of
Music - TELUS Centre - Mazzoleni Concert
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. www.rcmusic.com/tickets.
$25.
● 2:00: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. University of Toronto New Music Festival:
DOG Ensemble & Jazz Faculty. Walter
Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. www.music.utoronto.
ca. Free.
● 2:00: Canadian Opera Company. La
Reine-garçon. Music by Julien Bilodeau.
Libretto by Michel Marc Bouchard. Kristen
MacKinnon / Kirsten LeBlanc (Queen Christine);
Owen McCausland (René Descartes);
Philippe Sly (Count Karl); and other soloists.
Canadian Opera Company Chorus & Orchestra;
Angela Konrad, 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 $45. Also Jan 31, Feb 5, 7,
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30 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

9(2pm), 13, 15(4:30pm). At 7:30pm unless
otherwise noted.
● 2:00: St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society.
The Yeomen of the Guard. See Feb 1. Also
Feb 6(7:30pm), 7(7:30pm), 8(2pm), 9(2pm).
● 3:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Brilliant Baroque. See Feb. 1.
● 3:00: Barrie Concert Association. Hall
& Farley: A Nightingale Sang. Meredith Hall,
soprano; Bernard Farley, classical guitar.
Bethel Community Church (Barrie), 128 St.
Vincent Street, Barrie. www.barrieconcerts.
org or 705-436-1232. $35; $10(st).
● 3:00: Hillside Festival. Hillside Inside
2025: Shane Cook &The Woodchippers.
Miijidaa Café and Bistro, 37 Quebec Street,
Guelph. www.hillsidefestival.ca. Pay what
you can.
● 4:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
Hymn Festival: One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism.
Yorkminster Park Choir and members
from other choirs; Dr. James Abbington,
leader. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,
1585 Yonge St. www.yorkminsterpark.com.
Free.
SAMUEL BONNET TRIO
2025 winter TOUR
SUNDAY
FEBRUARY 2ND
8:30pm
MONDAY
FEBRUARY 3RD
8:30pm
NEW ALBUM
LIVE! IN HARMONY
SAmuelbonnetguitar.com
● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Pari & Chong. Jaeyoung
Chong: Folk Suite for Solo Cello; Anita Pari:
Escape; Prokofiev: Cello Sonata Op.119. Anita
Pari, piano; Jaeyoung Chong, cello. First
United Church, 16 William St. W., Waterloo.
www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms. $25; $10(st).
● 7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. University of Toronto New Music Festival:
Chamber Music Concert - Bedford Trio
& Sirius Duo. Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park.
www.music.utoronto.ca. Free.
● 8:00: FabCollab. La Cueva: Flamenco
Underground. Live flamenco music
and dance. Ben Barrile, guitar; Ana Lía,
vocals; Rocío Conde, dance. BSMT 254,
254 Lansdowne Ave. www.fabcollab.ca/lacueva
or 416-801-6325. $27.
● 8:30: The Rex Hotel. Samuel Bonnet Trio:
Winter Tour. Rex Hotel Jazz and The Blues
Bar, 194 Queen St. W. www.therex.ca or 416-
598-2475. Also Feb 3.
Monday February 3
● 7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. University of Toronto New Music Festival:
Percussion Ensemble. MacMillan Theatre,
80 Queen’s Park. www.music.utoronto.
ca. Free.
● 8:00: The Rex Hotel. Samuel Bonnet Trio:
Winter Tour. Rex Hotel Jazz and The Blues
Bar, 194 Queen St. W. www.therex.ca or 416-
598-2475. Also Feb 2.
Tuesday February 4
● 12:10: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. University of Toronto New Music Festival:
Tuesday Vocal Series - Lieder der Welt.
Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. www.music.
utoronto.ca. Free.
● 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday Organ
Recital. Sebastian Moreno, organ. Cathedral
Church of St. James, 106 King St. E. 416-364-
7865 or www.stjamescathedral.ca/recitals.
Free. Donations encouraged.
● 7:30: Canadian Music Centre. More Rivers
Album Release Concert. Honouring
Ann Southam’s birthday. Post-concert
refreshments. Christina Petrowska Quilico,
piano; Frank Horvat, composer. Canadian
Music Centre, Chalmers Performance
Space, 20 St. Joseph St. 416-880-3580 or
www.on.cmccanada.org. Free with RSVP.
Livestream also available.
● 7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. University of Toronto New Music Festival:
Contemporary Music Ensemble - Graffiti.
Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. www.music.
utoronto.ca. Visit website for ticket pricing.
● 8:00: Centre in the Square. PIAF! The
Show. Starring Nathalie Lermitte. 101 Queen
St. N., Kitchener. 519-578-1570 or www.
centreinthesquare.com. From $59.50.
● 8:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Joo
Won Kang, Baritone & Kyung Kim, Piano.
Schubert: Winterreise. Western University
- Music Building - Von Kuster Hall,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767
or www.music.uwo.ca/events. Free.
Wednesday February 5
● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Jazz Series: Pianists You Ought to Know.
Thompson Egbo-Egbo, piano. Richard Bradshaw
Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for
the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.
coc.ca. Free.
● 7:30: Canadian Opera Company. La Reinegarçon.
See Feb 2. Also Feb 7, 9(2pm), 13,
15(4:30pm). At 7:30pm unless otherwise
noted.
● 7:30: Soundstreams. TD Encounters:
Poitu Varen. Curated by Kalaisan Kalaichelvan.
An evolving conversation of sound, using
four pianos and natural materials connected
through specialized transducer speakers.
Through this unique setup, the performance
explores resonance as a meditative practice,
offering a journey of transformation.
Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson Hall,
296 Broadview Ave. www.soundstreams.
kindful.com/e/td-encounters-poitu-varen.
Free.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. All
Beethoven with Lisiecki. Beethoven: Piano
Concerti 1, 2 & 4. Jan Lisiecki, leader &
piano. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-
598-3375 or www.tso.ca. From $30. Also
Feb 6(Piano Concerti 3 & 5).
Thursday February 6
● 12:00 noon: Wilfrid Laurier University
Faculty of Music. Music at Noon - Katie Schlaikjer
& Anya Alexeyev. Wilfrid Laurier University
- Maureen Forrester Recital Hall,
75 University Ave., Waterloo. www.wlu.ca/
academics/faculties/faculty-of-music/events/
index. Free.
● 12:00 noon: Metropolitan United Church.
Choral Concert. St. Stanislav Institute Choir
(Children’s Choir from Slovenia); Damjian
Mocnik, director. Metropolitan United
Church, 56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 x226.
Freewill donation.
● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Showcase Series: A Brazilian in the World
of Dance. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.coc.ca/community/showcase-series.
Free. Registration
required.
● 12:10: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Thursdays at Noon Series: Laureates
- Irene Miller Chamber Music Fellows. Walter
Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. www.music.utoronto.
ca. Free. Livestream available.
● 3:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Kenneth H. Peacock Lecturer: David
MadDonald (Indiana University Bloomington).
Edward Johnson Building, University
of Toronto, Room 130, 80 Queen’s Park.
www.music.utoronto.ca. Free. Livestream
available.
● 7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Madama
Butterfly. See Feb 1. Also Feb 8(4:30pm), 12,
14, 16(2pm). At 7:30pm unless otherwise
noted.
● 7:30: St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society.
The Yeomen of the Guard. See Feb 1. Also
Feb 7(7:30pm), 8(2pm), 9(2pm).
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
All Beethoven with Lisiecki. Beethoven:
Piano Concerti 3 & 5. Jan Lisiecki, leader &
piano. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-
598-3375 or www.tso.ca. From $30. Also
Feb 5(Piano Concerti 1, 2 & 4).
● 8:00: Grand Theatre. Jeans ‘n Classics
– Heartland: Current and Classic Country.
Grand Theatre, 471 Richmond St., London.
519-672-8800. $86-$98. Visit grandtheatre.
com for tickets.
● 8:00: Brampton On Stage. HYPE. From
sensational singers to mesmerizing dancers,
be captivated by incredible performances in
this high-energy event! The Rose Theatre -
Rose Studio, 1 Theatre Ln., Brampton. 905-
874-2800, tickets.brampton.ca. $10.
Friday February 7
● 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Noontime
Recital. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.31 in
A-flat Op.110; Debussy: Etude No.7; Chopin,
Polonaise-Fantasie in A-flat; Scriabin: Sonata-
Fantasy No.2 in G-sharp. Joyce Zheng, piano.
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 73 Simcoe
St. 416-593-5600 x220. Free. Donations
welcome.
● 12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music.
Fridays at 12:30 Series: Kathryn Patricia
Cobbler, Composer & Violist. Western University
- Music Building - Von Kuster Hall,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767
or www.music.uwo.ca/events. Free. LIVE &
LIVESTREAM.
HYMN FESTIVAL:
ONE LORD, ONE FAITH,
ONE BAPTISM Sun. Feb. 2, 4:30 p.m.
LED BY: DR. JAMES ABBINGTON
An Ecumenical Hymn Sing, featuring the Yorkminster Park Choir
and members from other choirs.
YORKMINSTER PARK BAPTIST CHURCH
1585 Yonge St. (1 block north of St. Clair Ave.) www.yorkminsterpark.com
BLACK
HERITAGE
MONTH
YP | 2025
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 31

LIVE OR ONLINE | Feb 1 to Apr 7, 2024
● 2:00: HCA Dance Theatre. PASS Presents
Valerie Tryon: Valerie’s Favourites. Chopin:
Ballade No.3 in A-flat Op.47; Chopin: Selections
from Études Op.25; and works by Ravel,
Debussy, and Liszt. Valerie Tryon, piano.
Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts - Dance
Theatre, 126 James St. S., Hamilton. 905-
528-4020 or www.hcadancetheatre.com.
From $35.
● 6:30: Toronto Children’s Chorus. Come
Together in Song: A 3-Choir Showcase.
Guests: St. Stanislav Youth Choir from Ljubljana,
Slovenia, (Damijan Močnik, conductor);
Bulgarian Children’s Choir “Orpheus” from
Haskovo, Bulgaria (Elena Cvetkova, conductor);
and TCC Chamber Choir, (Zimfira
Poloz, conductor). Calvin Presbyterian
Church, 26 Delisle Ave. www.torontochildrenschorus.com
or www.eventbrite.ca/e/
come-together-in-song-three-choir-showcase-tickets-1146496665389?aff=oddtdtcrea
tor. Pay What You can ($25 recommended).
● 7:00: Meridian Centre for the Arts. Fort
Erie Rocks! Benefit Concert: Epic Eagles Tribute.
1640 Garrison Road, Fort Erie, ON, Fort
Erie. www.ticketscene.ca. .
● 7:00: Jazz at Durbar. The Matt Pines Trio.
Featuring Maddie Leroy on vocals. Durbar
Indian Restaurant, 2469 Bloor St. W. 416-762-
4441. No cover. Reserve a table for dinner or
come by for a drink at the bar.
● 7:30: Centre in the Square. Kim Mitchell
& David Wilcox. 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener.
519-578-1570 or www.centreinthesquare.
com. From $56.50.
● 7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music.
Wind Ensemble: Meditation and Exultation.
Western University - Talbot College - Paul
Davenport Theatre, 1151 Richmond St. N., London.
519-661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/
events. Free.
● 7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. DM@X Conference: Wind Symphony -
What Dreams May Come. Venue TBA. www.
music.utoronto.ca. Visit website for ticket
pricing. Livestream available.
● 7:30: Canadian Opera Company. La
Reine-Garçon. See Feb 2. Also Feb 9(2pm),
13, 15(4:30pm). At 7:30pm unless otherwise
noted.
● 7:30: St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society.
The Yeomen of the Guard. See Feb 1. Also
Feb 8(2pm), 9(2pm).
● 7:30: North Wind Concerts. Vice & Virtue.
Luigi Rossi’s “Giuseppe” and secular music by
Monteverdi, Sances, and others. Bud Roach,
tenor & director; Capella Intima; The Gallery
Players of Niagara. Metropolitan United
Church, 56 Queen St. E. www.bemusednetwork.com/events/detail/1041.
Pay-What-You-
Can. Suggested amount $20 or $35.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Naomi Woo Conducts the Royal Conservatory
Orchestra. Program to be announced
in June. Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS
Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-
408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.
From $25.
● 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre. ProArteDanza:
The 9th. 171 Town Centre Blvd.,
Markham. 905-305-7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre.ca.
From $15.
● 8:00: Roy Thomson Hall. Classic Albums
Live: The Beatles - Revolver. 60 Simcoe St.
www.tickets.mhrth.com. From $34.
● 8:00: Hugh’s Room Live. The Moulettes.
Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson Hall,
296 Broadview Ave. www.showpass.com/
the-moulettes. $35.
Saturday February 8
● 10:30am: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.
Singsation with Scott Pietrangelo. A workshop
featuring Scott Pietrangelo, Artistic
Director of newchoir, and SoundCrowd,
Toronto’s large-scale contemporary a cappella
ensemble in a high-energy session featuring
your favourite rock and pop hits.
Whether you’re a seasoned vocalist or just
love to sing along to the classics, this dynamic
workshop will have you harmonizing with
the best. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,
1585 Yonge St. www.tmchoir.org/event/singsation-with-scott-pietrangelo.
From $15.
● 2:00: St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society.
The Yeomen of the Guard. See Feb 1.
Also Feb 9.
● 2:00: Hugh’s Room Live. The Lightfoot
Band. Rick Haynes, bass; Barry Keane, drums;
Michael Heffernan, keyboards; Carter Lancaster,
lead guitar; Andy Mauck, guitar &
vocals. Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson
Hall, 296 Broadview Ave. www.showpass.com/the-lightfoot-band-matinee.
$65.
Also 8pm.
● 3:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Symphonic
Band: Diverse Dances. Western University
- Talbot College - Paul Davenport
Theatre, 1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-
661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/events. Free.
● 4:00: VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert.
VOICEBOX Opera Salon: A Night of Fancy -
Puccini’s Swallow. 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.
● 4:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music.
Tafelmusik Musicians with Early Music Studio.
Western University - Music Building
- Von Kuster Hall, 1151 Richmond St. N., London.
519-661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/
events. Free.
● 4:30: Canadian Opera Company. Madama
Butterfly. See Feb 1. Also Feb 12, 14, 16(2pm).
At 7:30pm unless otherwise noted.
● 7:30: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Visionaries:
Vivaldi & DaVinci. A multimedia concert
brings DaVinci’s words and drawings to
life with state-of-the-art video syncing technology,
harmonized with the live voices of the
Toronto Mendelssohn Singers in The Notebooks
of Leonardo Da Vinci and Vivaldi’s
Gloria. Toronto Mendelssohn Choir; Instrumental
Ensemble; Jean-Sébastien Vallée,
conductor. Trinity St. Paul’s United Church.
Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. www.
tmchoir.org/event/visionaries-vivaldi-davinci.
From $25.
● 7:30: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
Shaken Not Stirred: HPO Performs the Music
of James Bond. Music from the films License
to Kill, Goldfinger, Skyfall, and others. Hamilton
Philharmonic Orchestra; Darcy Hepner,
conductor. FirstOntario Concert Hall (Hamilton)
- Boris Brott Great Hall, 1 Summers Ln.,
Hamilton. www.hpo.org/shaken-not-stirredjames-bond.
From $20. 6:30pm: Pre-concert
talk.
● 7:30: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Laurier Jazz Orchestra Concert.
Wilfrid Laurier University - Theatre
Auditorium, 75 University Ave. W., Waterloo.
www.wlu.ca/academics/faculties/faculty-ofmusic/events/index.
Free.
● 7:30: Brampton On Stage. The Rose
Orchestra: Too Darn Hot! Featuring Adi
Braun. Music by Cole Porter. Adi Braun, vocalist;
Samuel Tak-Ho Tam, conductor. The Rose
Theatre, 1 Theatre Ln., Brampton. www.tickets.brampton.ca/online
or 905-874-2800.
From $15.
● 7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club. Langille &
Sims: Blue Valentines No.6 - Reality Check!
Chaucer’s Pub, 122 Carling St., London. 519-
319-5847 or folk@iandavies.com. Tickets
available at Marienbad Restaurant, Chaucer’s
Pub, Grooves (Wortley Village), Long &
McQuade North. $30/$25(adv).
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. An
Evening With Branford Marsalis. Royal Conservatory
of Music - TELUS Centre - Koerner
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.
rcmusic.com/performance. From $65.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Special
Performance: Year of the Snake - A Lunar
New Year Celebration. Special guests to be
announced. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca. From $30.
● 8:00: Kindred Spirits Orchestra. Kaleidoscopic
Sentiments. Ravel: Valses nobles et
sentimentales; Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue;
Scriabin: Poem of Ecstasy. Michael Berkovsky,
piano; Daniel Vnukowski, host; Kristian
Alexander, conductor. Flato Markham Theatre,
171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham. 905-
305-7469. $50-$40 (adult) $40-$30 (senior)
$30-$25 (youth). 7:10pm: Prélude (pre-concert
recital). 7:20pm: Pre-concert talk. Intermission
discussion and Q&A with Michael
Berkovsky and Daniel Vnukowski. Post-concert
reception.
● 8:00: New Music Concerts. Schnee: A
Window into Winter. 7:45pm: Young Artist
Overture – Norma Beecroft: Jeu III, for
Viola and Tape, performed by Mary Deck,
The Glenn Gould School. 8pm: Main Concert.
Linda Catlin Smith: We’ve Gone Forth for Dancing
(World Premiere) for Trumpet, Horn
and Trombone; Rashaan Allwood: Black Ice
(World Premiere) for Nine Instruments; Hans
Abrahamsen: Schnee - Ten Canons for Nine
Instruments. New Music Concerts Ensemble.
St. James Cathedral Centre - Snell Hall,
65 Church St. 416-961-9594. $35; $30(sr)
Schnee:
A Window into Winter
Feb. 8th, 2025
St. James Cathedral
Centre Event Venue
newmusicconcerts.com
32 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

$30(arts workers); $20(st).
● 8:00: Mississauga Symphony Orchestra.
Sultans of String: Refuge. A concert of
songs that speak to the challenges facing the
world’s displaced peoples - their stories, their
songs, their perspective and their humanity.
Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga.
905-306-6000. Tickets start at
$40. Visit livingartscentre.ca for tickets.
● 8:00: Centre in the Square. Forever
Tango. Fourteen world-class tango dancers,
one vocalist and an on-stage eleven-piece
orchestra, including the instrument of the
tango, the Bandoneon, in an evening celebrating
the passionate music and dance of
Argentina. 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 519-
578-1570 or www.centreinthesquare.com.
From $39.50.
● 8:00: Alliance Française de Toronto.
Coup de Coeur. A West African group based
in Montreal: Seydina Ndiaye, singer; Sadio
Sissokho, kora/percussion/vocals; Assane
Seck, electric guitar; Diely Mori Tounkara,
kora/guitar/vocals; Carlo Birri, bass. Alliance
Français de Toronto - Spadina Theatre,
24 Spadina Rd. www.alliance-francaise.
ca. $18.
● 8:00: Hugh’s Room Live. The Lightfoot
Band. Rick Haynes, bass; Barry Keane, drums;
Michael Heffernan, keyboards; Carter Lancaster,
lead guitar; Andy Mauck, guitar &
vocals. Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson
Hall, 296 Broadview Ave. www.showpass.
com/the-lightfoot-band. $65. Also 2pm.
● 8:00: North York Concert Orchestra.
From the New World. Brahms: Violin Concerto
in D Op.77; Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 in
e Op.95 B.178 “From the New World”. Joelle
Crigger, violin; Rafael Luz, conductor. Toronto
Public Library - Fairview Branch - Theatre,
35 Fairview Mall Dr. www.nyco.ca or 1-888-
687-6926. $30; $25(sr); $15(under 30);
$10(under 12); $40(Premium seats).
● 8:00: NuFunk Concerts/Dubwise Canada.
Bob Marley Birthday Tribute. Reggadiction,
Kairo McLean, Kirk Diamond, Selectors
Pressure Drop, and surprise guest appearances.
Lee’s Palace, 529 Bloor St. W. . From
$16. Attendees are encouraged to bring nonperishable
food donations in support of the
Parkdale Food Bank.
Sunday February 9
● 2:00: Canadian Opera Company. La Reinegarçon.
See Feb 2. Also Feb 13, 15(4:30pm).
At 7:30pm unless otherwise noted.
● 2:00: St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society.
The Yeomen of the Guard. See Feb 1.
● 2:30: Kingston Symphony. Ligeti & Tchaikovsky.
Ligeti: Violin Concerto; Tchaikovsky:
Symphony No. 6. Mark Fewer, violin. Isabel
Bader Centre for the Performing Arts,
390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-530-2050 or
www.kingstonsymphony.ca. From $20.
● 3:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Louie
Lortie, Piano. An all-Ravel program in celebration
of his 150th birthday. Royal Conservatory
of Music - TELUS Centre - Koerner
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.
rcmusic.com/performance. From $60.
● 3:00: Amici Chamber Ensemble. Piaf
and Poulenc. Poulenc: Mvts @ & 3 from Cello
Sonata; Poulenc: Clarinet Sonata; Poulenc:
Hommage a Edith Piaf; Piaf: Hymne à l’amour;
Piaf: Non, je ne regrette rien. Guest Artists:
Pandora Topp, vocalist; Timothy Ying,
violin; Amici Chamber Ensemble: Joaquin
Valdepeñas, clarinet; David Hetherington,
cello; Serouj Kradjian, piano. Trinity St. Paul’s
United Church. Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor
St. W. www.amiciensemble.com/piaf-poulenc/.
$50; $30(under 30); $100(donor/VIP).
● 3:00: Gallery Players of Niagara. Virtue
and Vice: Roman Oratorio and Venetian
Extravagance! Attributed to Luigi Rossi: Giuseppe;
and works by Monteverdi, Sances, and
their contemporaries. Capella Intima, vocal
quartet; Bud Roach, director. St. Catharines
Mennonite United Church (Linwell Church),
335 Linwell Rd., St. Catharines. Call 905-468-
1525 or email info@galleryplayers.ca. From
$10(Live); $10(Virtual).
● 3:00: Array Music. Jeff Bird Plays Music of
Hildegard von Bingen. Limited seating (approx.
60 people). Array Space, 155 Walnut Ave. www.
eventbrite.ca/e/jeff-bird-plays-hildegard-vonbingen-tickets-1129579345229.
$27.96.
● 3:00: Burlington Symphony Orchestra.
Music Across Cultures. Special guests:
The Canadian Arabic Orchestra; Sampraday
Classical Indian Dance; Shannon Thunderbird,
Indigenous vocals; and Katelyn Emery,
violin. Burlington Performing Arts Centre,
440 Locust St., Burlington. www.burlingtonsymphony.ca.
From $15.
Tuesday February 11
● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Vocal Series: Détournons-nous du chemin.
Satie: Socrate plus curated music from diverse
traditions including songs written by Isaiah Bell.
Isaiah Bell, tenor. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.coc.ca. Free.
● 12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music.
Lunchtime Choral Series: Chorale. Western
University - Talbot College - Paul Davenport
Theatre, 1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-
661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/events. Free.
● 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday Organ
Recital. Manuel Piazza, organ. Cathedral
Church of St. James, 106 King St. E. 416-364-
7865 or www.stjamescathedral.ca/recitals.
Free. Donations encouraged.
● 7:30: Music Toronto. Rachel Fenlon.
Schubert: Winterreise, song cycle for voice
& piano D.911. Rachel Fenlon, soprano and
piano. St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts -
Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St. E. 416-
366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754 or tickets@
RACHEL
FENLON
Schubert’s haunting
Winterreise
FEB 11 | 7:30PM
Music-Toronto.com
music-toronto.com or www.musictorontoconcerts.com/concerts/rachel-fenlon.
From
$55. $20(arts workers).
Wednesday February 12
● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Instrumental Series: Early Music Exploration.
Toronto Consort. Richard Bradshaw
Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for the
Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.coc.
ca. Free.
● 12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music.
Lunchtime Choral Series: Les Choristes.
Western University - Music Building - Von
Kuster Hall, 1151 Richmond St. N., London.
519-661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/events.
Free.
● 7:30: Music at the Toronto Oratory.
Complete Organ Works of J. S. Bach, Part
IX: Songs of Farewell. Includes Trio Sonata
No.5, Prelude and Fugue in a, Valet will ich dir
geben, and other chorale preludes. Aaron
James, organ. Holy Family Roman Catholic
Church - Oratory, 1372 King St. W. 416-532-
2879. Free admission. Donations accepted.
● 7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Madama
Butterfly. See Feb 1. Also Feb 14, 16(2pm). At
7:30pm unless otherwise noted.
Thursday February 13
● Theatre Orangeville. One Step at a Time.
Written, composed & performed by Andrew
Prashad. 87 Broadway, Orangeville. www.
theatreorangeville.ca/show/one-step-at-atime.
Apr 3-6.
● Theatre Passe Muraille. Blind Dates. Theatre
Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Ave. www.
passemuraille.ca. Feb 13-Mar 9.
● 11:45am: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Student Recital - Community
Music. Wilfrid Laurier University - Maureen
Forrester Recital Hall, 75 University Ave.,
Waterloo. www.wlu.ca/academics/faculties/
faculty-of-music/events/index. Free.
● 12:00 noon: Metropolitan United Church.
Chamber Music Concert. David Baik, violin.
Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. E.
416-363-0331 x226. Freewill donation.
● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Showcase Series: In the Key of Life. Richard
Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre
for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W.
www.coc.ca/community/showcase-series.
Free. Registration required.
● 12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music.
Lunchtime Choral Series: Western University
Singers. Western University - Music Building
- Von Kuster Hall, 1151 Richmond St. N., London.
519-661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/
events. Free.
● 7:00: TO Live. Titanic Live. The Oscar-winning
film with the biggest-selling orchestral
soundtrack of all time presented live
to picture, featuring the TO Live Orchestra.
Meridian Hall, 1 Front St. E. 416-366-7723.
$69.99-$174.99. Visit www.tolive.com for
tickets. Also Feb 14 & 15.
● 7:30: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Laurier Wind Orchestra Concert.
Wilfrid Laurier University - Theatre Auditorium,
75 University Ave. W., Waterloo. www.
wlu.ca/academics/faculties/faculty-of-music/
events/index. Free.
● 7:30: Confluence Concerts. A Canadian
Valentine: Sighs Too Deep for Words.
Curated by Larry Beckwith. A celebration
of love songs and poetry from Canadian
songwriters, composers and authors. Three
world premieres and Neruda Canciones by
Omar Daniel. Anaïs Kelsey-Verdecchia, voice;
Dion Mazerolle, voice; Patricia O’Callaghan,
voice;Jonathan Stuchbery, lute and voice;
Anika Venkatesh, voice. Heliconian Hall,
35 Hazelton Ave. 647-678-4923 or www.confluenceconcerts.ca.
$30. 6:45pm: Pre-concert
chat. Also Feb. 14.
● 7:30: Canadian Opera Company. La Reinegarçon.
See Feb 2. Also Feb 15(4:30pm). At
7:30pm unless otherwise noted.
● 7:30: Opera Revue. Risqué at the Rivoli:
An Opera Revue Burlesque Show. Works by
Mozart, Jerome Kern, Andrew Lloyd Webber,
and Debussy. Danie Friesen, soprano; Alexander
Hajek, baritone; A’Slayna von Hunt,
dancer; Tucker, dancer; Claire Elise Harris,
piano. Rivoli, The, 334 Queen St. W. 647-637-
7491 or www.bit.ly/3W8w7QT. From $20. Also
Feb 14 & 15.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Michael Feinstein in “Because of You”: My
Tribute to Tony Bennett Featuring the Carnegie
Hall Ensemble. Royal Conservatory
of Music - TELUS Centre - Koerner Hall,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.
rcmusic.com/performance. From $70.
● 8:00: Hugh’s Room Live. Kellie Loder.
Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson Hall,
296 Broadview Ave. www.showpass.com/kellie-loder-3.
$35.
Friday February 14
● 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Noontime
Recital. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.30 in E
Op.109; Brahms: Intermezzi Op.117 Nos.1 & 2;
Rachmaninoff: Etude tableaux Op.39 No.5;
Liszt: Ballade No. 2 in b S.171. Cathy Wang,
piano. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church,
73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x220. Free.
Donations welcome.
● 12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Symphony
Orchestra Featuring 2023-24 Maritsa
Brookes Concerto Competition Winners.
Western University - Talbot College - Paul
Davenport Theatre, 1151 Richmond St. N., London.
519-661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/
events. Free.
● 7:00: TO Live. Titanic Live. The Oscar-winning
film with the biggest-selling orchestral
soundtrack of all time presented live
to picture, featuring the TO Live Orchestra.
Meridian Hall, 1 Front St. E. 416-366-7723.
$69.99-$174.99. Visit www.tolive.com for
tickets. Also Feb 13 & 15.
● 7:30: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Laurier Symphony Orchestra Concert.
Wilfrid Laurier University - Theatre
Auditorium, 75 University Ave. W., Waterloo.
www.wlu.ca/academics/faculties/faculty-ofmusic/events/index.
Free.
● 7:30: Trio Arkel. “If Music Be the Food of
Love...”. Music for harp, flute, and strings by
Debussy and Roussel. Guest artists: Heide
Elise Bearcroft, harp; Julie Ranti, flute; Theresa
Rudolph, viola; Trio Arkel: Marie Bérard,
violin; Rémi Pelletier, viola; Winona Zelenka,
cello. Trinity St. Paul’s United Church. Jeanne
Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. www.eventbrite.ca
or admin@trioarkel.com or 647-229-
6918. $40.
● 7:30: Confluence Concerts. A Canadian
Valentine: Sighs Too Deep for Words. See
Feb 13.
● 7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Madama
Butterfly. See Feb 1. Also Feb 16(2pm). At
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 33

LIVE OR ONLINE | Feb 1 to Apr 7, 2024
7:30pm unless otherwise noted.
● 7:30: Caliban Arts Theatre. Kahil El Zabar
and The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble. This is
a special limited-capacity concert. Please
reserve tickets early. Ticket holders may
arrive earlier for table and dinner service.
Please reserve ahead of time. Room opens at
5pm. Kahil El Zabar, drums/percussion/voice;
Corey Wilkes, trumpet & percussion; Alex
Harding, baritone sax & percussion. CONTXT
by Trane, 254 Lansdowne Ave. info@calibanartstheatre.com.
$65; $55(adv).
● 7:30: Opera Revue. Risqué at the Rivoli:
An Opera Revue Burlesque Show. Works by
Mozart, Jerome Kern, Andrew Lloyd Webber,
and Debussy. Danie Friesen, soprano; Alexander
Hajek, baritone; A’Slayna von Hunt, dancer;
Tucker, dancer; Claire Elise Harris, piano.
Rivoli, The, 334 Queen St. W. 647-637-7491 or
www.bit.ly/3W8w7QT. From $20. Also Feb 13.
● 8:00: Burlington Performing Arts Centre.
Classic Albums Live - Queen - News of
the World. Burlington Performing Arts Centre
- Main Theatre, 440 Locust St., Burlington.
905-681-6000. $69.50($64.50 member)
- $89.50($84.50 member).
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Mardi Gras Mambo Featuring The Dirty
Dozen Brass Band and Nathan & The Zydeco
Cha-Chas. Royal Conservatory of Music -
TELUS Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St.
W. 416-408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.
From $65.
● 8:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music.
Musicians from Marlboro. Western University
- Music Building - Von Kuster Hall,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767
or www.music.uwo.ca/events. Free.
● 8:00: Brampton On Stage. Jully Black.
Recipient of Canada’s Walk of Fame
Award, Jully Black has been named one of
‘The 25 Greatest Canadian Singers Ever’. The
Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Ln., Brampton. 905-
874-2800, tickets.brampton.ca. $20-$34.
● 8:00: Hugh’s Room Live. Hurtin’ Songs.
Jeremy Voltz, Kevin Quain, Emily Schultz, T.
Thomason, Eliana Cueves, and Jeremy Ledbetter.
Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson
Hall, 296 Broadview Ave. www.showpass.
com/hurtin-songs. Visit website for ticket
pricing.
Saturday February 15
● 11:00am: TYT Theatre. Disney’s the Little
Mermaid. Music by Alan Menken. Recommended
for ages 4 and up. Evan Harkai,
director & producer; Quinton Naughton,
music director; Sydney LaForme, choreographer.
Wychwood Theatre, 76 Wychwood
Ave. www.tyttheatre.com/ticketterms. Visit
website for ticket information. From Feb 15 to
Apr 13 with Fri shows beginning Mar 14. See
Musical Theatre on page xx.
● 2:00: Brampton On Stage. Hot! Hot! Hot!
Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Set sail on a
Caribbean adventure with Captain Daniel
Bartholmew-Poyser and special guests for
an exhilarating day of calypso rhythms and
orchestra magic! Dance in your seat, feel the
beat, and dive into the vibrant world of island
music with your Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Daniel Bartholmew-Poyser, conductor.
The Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Ln., Brampton.
www.tickets.brampton.ca/online or 905-874-
2800. From $20.
● 3:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra: May the
Fifth Be with You - Beethoven & Star Wars.
Kevin Lau: Artemis; John Williams: Star Wars
- Suite for Orchestra; Beethoven: Symphony
No.5. Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra;
Trevor Wilson, TSO RBC Resident Conductor
& TSYO Conductor. Meridian Arts Centre -
George Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St.
416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca. $35; $22(35
and under).
● 4:30: Canadian Opera Company. La Reinegarçon.
See Feb 2.
● 7:00: TO Live. Titanic Live. The Oscar-winning
film with the biggest-selling orchestral
soundtrack of all time presented live
to picture, featuring the TO Live Orchestra.
Meridian Hall, 1 Front St. E. 416-366-7723.
$69.99-$174.99. Visit www.tolive.com for
tickets. Also Feb 13 & 14.
● 7:30: Opera Revue. Risqué at the Rivoli:
An Opera Revue Burlesque Show. Works by
Mozart, Jerome Kern, Andrew Lloyd Webber,
and Debussy. Danie Friesen, soprano; Alexander
Hajek, baritone; A’Slayna von Hunt,
dancer; Tucker, dancer; Claire Elise Harris,
piano. Rivoli, The, 334 Queen St. W. 647-637-
7491 or www.bit.ly/3W8w7QT. From $20. Also
Feb 13 & 14.
● 8:00: Acoustic Harvest. Julian Taylor.
Opening Act: Quoth the Raven. St. Paul’s
United Church, 200 McIntosh St., Scarborough.
ticketscene.ca; acousticharvest.ca;
acousticharvest@proton.me(for e-transfer).
$40(door cash only); $35(advance). Fully
accessible venue.
● 8:00: Hugh’s Room Live. Alfie Zappacosta.
Featuring: Marco Luciani, keyboards;
Etric Lyons, bass; Blake Manning, drums.
Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson Hall,
296 Broadview Ave. www.showpass.com/
alfie-zappacosta-2. $55.
Sunday February 16
● 11:00am: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Young People’s Concert: Hot, Hot, Hot!
Calypso, Cumbia & More (Relaxed Performance).
Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, conductor.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca. From $30.
Regular performances at 1:30pm & 4pm.
● 2:00: Canadian Opera Company. Madama
Butterfly. See Feb 1.
● 2:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra. The
Four Seasons Reimagined. Max Richter: The
Four Seasons Recomposed; Piazzolla: The
Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. Maureen Conlon-Gutierrez,
violin; Hector Del Curto, bandoneon.
FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
- Partridge Hall, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines.
905-688-0722 or boxoffice@firstontariopac.ca.
From $39; $52(arts workers);
$46(under 35); $29(st); $24(18 and under).
● 4:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Young People’s Concert: Hot, Hot, Hot!
Calypso, Cumbia & More. Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser,
conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca.
From $30. Also 1:30pm. Relaxed performance
at 11am.
● 4:00: Burlington Performing Arts Centre.
Ensemble Vivant - Bach to Piazzolla.
Works by Bach and Piazzolla. Burlington Performing
Arts Centre, Community Studio
Theatre, 440 Locust St., Burlington. 905-681-
6000. $49.50($44.50 member).
● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Lauziere + Park. Mozart:
Sonata in C K.303; Amy Beach: Sonata
Op.34; R. Strauss: Sonata Op.18. Benedicte
Lauziere, violin; Angela Park, piano. Keffer
Memorial Chapel, Wilfrid Laurier University,
75 University Ave. W., Waterloo. www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms.
$40; $10(st).
● 7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club. New Cumberland.
Chaucer’s Pub, 122 Carling St., London.
519-319-5847 or folk@iandavies.com.
Tickets available at Marienbad Restaurant,
Chaucer’s Pub, Grooves (Wortley Village),
Long & McQuade North. $30/$25(adv).
● 8:00: Burlington Performing Arts Centre.
Jukebox Saturday Night - Music of Mancini.
Peter Gunn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The
Pink Panther. Burlington Performing Arts
Centre - Main Theatre, 440 Locust St., Burlington.
905-681-6000. $59.50($54.50
member)-$79.50($74.50 member).
Monday February 17
● 1:00: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.
Family Day at the PAC: Samajam. Sam &
Ajam are two musical superheroes who use
their charismatic stage presence and extraordinary
abilities to take the audience on
an electrifying participatory musical journey
around the world in a fully participatory,
fun and highly engaging musical experience
where the audience actively performs 90% of
the show. It combines interactive participation,
musical learning, rhythmic challenges,
video games, comedic sketches, and exploration
of diverse songs and rhythms from
around the world. Everyone can participate,
regardless of their age, musical experience
or skill level. 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines.
www.firstontariopac.ca. Visit website for
tickets and information.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Special
Event: Yuja Wang and Víkingur Ólafsson,
duo piano. Includes Rachmaninov: Symphonic
Dances (for two pianos) and Schubert: Fantasia
in f (for piano four hands). Royal Conservatory
of Music - TELUS Centre - Koerner
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.
rcmusic.com/performance. From $100. Also
Feb 18.
Tuesday February 18
● 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Choral Concert.
St. Stanislav Institute Choir (Children’s
Choir from Slovenia); Damjian Močnik, conductor.
Cathedral Church of St. James,
106 King St. E. 416-364-7865 or www.
stjamescathedral.ca/recitals. Free. Donations
encouraged.
● 5:30: Canadian Opera Company. Vocal
Series: The Christina and Louis Quilico
Awards. Awards will be presented at the end
of the evening. Artists of the COC Ensemble
Studio. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. www.coc.ca. Free.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Special
Event: Yuja Wang and Víkingur Ólafsson,
duo piano. Includes Rachmaninov: Symphonic
Dances (for two pianos) and Schubert: Fantasia
in f (for piano four hands). Royal Conservatory
of Music - TELUS Centre - Koerner
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.
rcmusic.com/performance. From $100. SOLD
OUT. Also Feb 17.
Wednesday February 19
●
12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Instrumental Series: The True North. Exploring
the Canadian landscape of contemporary
classical music through the works of Cecilia
Livingston, Ian Cusson, and Julien Bilodeau.
COC Orchestra. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.coc.
ca. Free.
● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Roman Smirnov, Guitar.
Works by the artist, Rameau, and others. First
United Church, 16 William St. W., Waterloo.
www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms. $30; $10(st).
● 8:00: St. Wulfric’s Concert Society. Third
Annual Concert. Works by Eccles, Strozzi,
Purcell, Schop, Oswald, Britten, and Colin
Eatock. Emily Klassen, soprano; Alexander
Cappellazzo, tenor; Rezan Onen-Lapointe,
violin; Amahl Arulanandam, cello; Ben Stein,
theorbo. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave.
416-926-8954. Admission by donation ($20
suggested).
Thursday February 20
● 12:00 noon: Metropolitan United Church.
Harpsichord Recital. Jonathan Oldengarm,
harpsichord. Metropolitan United Church,
56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 x226. Freewill
donation.
● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Showcase Series: Steelpan - Exploring Range
& Diversity. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.coc.ca/community/showcase-series.
Free. Registration
required.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Harold
López-Nussa With Grégoire Maret and
Hilario Durán With His Latin Big Jazz Band.
Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS Centre
- Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-
0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.
From $60.
● 8:00: Centre in the Square. Jeans ‘N Classics:
Never Break the Chain – The Music of
Fleetwood Mac. Johnny Rutledge, Kathryn
Rose, Rique Franks, lead vocalists. 101 Queen
St. N., Kitchener. 519-578-1570 or www.
centreinthesquare.com. From $39.50.
Friday February 21
● 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Noontime
Recital. Featuring the soulful music of New
Orleans jazz legend Sidney Bechet. Jordan
Klapman, piano; Laurent Humeau, clarinet;
John Collin, drums. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian
Church, 73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600
x220. Free. Donations welcome.
● 7:00: Jazz at Durbar. The Matt Pines Trio.
Featuring Francine Kirsh on vocals. Durbar
Indian Restaurant, 2469 Bloor St. W. 416-762-
4441. No cover. Reserve a table for dinner or
come by for a drink at the bar.
● 7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Lisiecki Plays Chopin. Lutosławski: Overture
for Strings; Chopin: Piano Concerto No.1;
Bruckner: Symphony No.1. Jan Lisiecki, piano;
Gustavo Gimeno, conductor. Roy Thomson
Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or www.tso.
ca. From $30. Also Feb 22(8pm).
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Takács Quartet With Sir Stephen Hough,
Piano. Hough: String Quartet No.1 (Les
Six Rencontres) and works by Beethoven,
Brahms, and others. Royal Conservatory
of Music - TELUS Centre - Koerner Hall,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.
34 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

rcmusic.com/performance. From $50.
● 8:00: Burlington Performing Arts Centre.
Maestro Fresh Wes. Burlington Performing
Arts Centre - Main Theatre,
440 Locust St., Burlington. 905-681-6000.
$49.50($44.50 member)-$69.50($64.50
member).
TRIPLE
ESPRESSO
Directed by Alfredo Bernardini
FEB 21–23
Jeanne Lamon Hall,
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
tafelmusik.org
● 8:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. Triple
Espresso: Bach, Handel & Fasch. Alfredo
Bernardini – guest director & oboe soloist –
returns with a program that unleashes the
exponential power of the oboe. Fasch: Ouverture-Suite
in G Minor; Telemann: Concerto
in B-flat Major; Handel: Oboe concerto in G
Minor; Bach: Suite in D Major. Trinity St. Paul’s
United Church. Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor
St. W. 1-833-964–6337 or www.tafelmusik.
org. $20-$95. Also Feb. 22 & 23.
● 8:00: Brampton On Stage. Choir! Choir!
Choir! We Will CHOIR! You: An Epic Queen
Sing-Along. An interactive experience that
turns the audience into performers. Laugh,
dance, and sing with hundreds of musiclovers.
All voices welcome, no experience
necessary. They teach, you sing! This time,
experience WE WILL CHOIR! YOU! for an epic
Queen sing-along and unleash your inner
Freddie Mercury. The Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre
Ln., Brampton. www.tickets.brampton.ca/
online or 905-874-2800. From $20.
● 8:00: Hugh’s Room Live. The Sattalites.
Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson Hall,
296 Broadview Ave. www.showpass.com/
the-sattalites-2. From $33.
● 10:00am: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.
Exchange: A Day of Choral Community Workshops.
Join the TMChoir for a day of interactive
workshops, masterclasses and
lectures on a variety of topics centred around
choral music, vocal music and musical community
building. Cristian Grases, keynote
speaker. Workshop leaders from Toronto
Mendelssohn Choir and partner organizations
Orpheus Choir of Toronto and Amadeus
Choir of Greater Toronto. Yorkminster Park
Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St. www.tmchoir.
org/exchange or 416-598-0422. $30 General
admission. Pre-registration is required to
select workshops.
Saturday February 22
● 5:00: Toronto City Opera. Second Annual
Giuseppe Macina Operatic Voices Competition.
Church of the Redeemer, 162 Bloor St.
W. www.tickettailor.com/events/torontocityopera/1444309.
General admission: $20.
● 7:00: Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto.
Choral Creation Lab Showcase. Experience
the performance of new Canadian choral
works created through our Choral Creation
Lab residency program presenting
works from the collaborations of composers
Andrew Clark, Mari Alice Conrad and
Katharine Petkovski, and poets Coco Collins,
Wendy Duschenes and Jovan Shadd. Lydia
Adams, conductor. Jubilee United Church,
40 Underhill Dr. www.amadeuschoir.com/
choral-creation-lab. Free.
● 7:30: Oakville Chamber Orchestra.
Super Talented Youth! Ibert: Flute Concerto
(3rd mvmt); Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
(1st mvmt); Verdi: Overture to Nabucco;
Saint-Saëns: Violin Concerto No.3. Karen
Kobayashi, flute; Adriel Sloss, violin; Christie
Chung, violin; Oakville Chamber Orchestra.
Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts,
130 Navy St., Oakville. www.oakvillechamber.
org/program-3-super-talented-youth/ or
905-815-2021. $45(regular); $60(premium);
$20(st); $15(child).
● 7:30: London Symphonia. The Life and
Troubled Times of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.
Roy Lewis, poet & actor. Metropolitan
United Church, 468 Wellington St., London.
226-270-0910 or www.londonsymphonia.ca.
$55 General Admission, $75 Reserved Seating,
and $55 for unlimited Video On Demand
21-day access.
● 7:30: Barrie Concert Association. Vivaldi
on Fire. Vivaldi: Concerto in C P81; Trio
Sonata F RV 69; Concerto in C RV 443; and
other Baroque works. Ensemble Caprice:
Baroque strings, recorder, and voice. Hiway
Pentecostal Church, 50 Anne St. N., Barrie.
www.barrieconcerts.org or 705-436-1232.
$55; $10(st).
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Lisiecki Plays Chopin. See Feb 21.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Cesária Évora Orchestra. Presented in association
with Batuki Music Society. Vocalists:
Lucibela, Nancy Vieira, Elida Almeida,
Teófilo Chantre. Royal Conservatory of Music
- TELUS Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St.
W. 416-408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.
From $45.
● 8:00: Mississauga Symphony Orchestra.
One Vision - The Music of Queen. Jeans ‘n
Classics with choir team up with the MSO for
an amazingly musical night to pay homage to
Freddie Mercury and Queen. Living Arts Centre,
4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905-
306-6000. Tickets start at $55+fees. Visit
livingartscentre.ca for tickets.
● 8:00: Centre in the Square. Dwayne
Gretzky. 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 519-
578-1570 or www.centreinthesquare.com.
From $39.50.
● 8:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Triple Espresso: Bach, Handel & Fasch. See
Feb 21. Also Feb 23.
● 8:00: Nathaniel Dett Chorale. Voices of
the Diaspora: God’s Trombones. Stewart
Goodyear: God’s Trombones (world premiere
of a new commission). Guest artist: Stewart
Goodyear, piano. Grace Church on-the-Hill,
300 Lonsdale Rd. www.nathanieldettchorale.
org. From $15.
Sunday February 23
● 1:15: Mooredale Concerts. Music and
Truffles Kids. Andrew Wan, violin; Charles
Richard-Hamelin, piano. Walter Hall,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-922-3714 x103; 647-988-
2102 (eve/wknd). $25.
● 2:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. GGS
Percussion & Friends. Charles Settle, percussion.
Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS
Centre - Mazzoleni Concert Hall, 273 Bloor St.
W. www.rcmusic.com/tickets. $25.
● 2:00: Brampton On Stage. Brampton Concert
Band & The Jazz Mechanics Featuring
Lee Siegal. Acclaimed Broadway star Lee Siegel
joins Brampton Concert Band and The
Jazz Mechanics for a memorable afternoon.
Experience a blend of captivating melodies
and powerful performances in an afternoon
of musical magic. The Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre
Ln., Brampton. www.tickets.brampton.ca/
online or 905-874-2800. From $20.
● 2:00: Toronto Beach Chorale. G. F. Handel:
Coronation Anthems. St. Aidan’s in the
Beach, 2423 Queen St. E. www.torontobeachchorale.com.
$35; $25(youth).
● 3:00: Orchestra Toronto. Virtuosic Journeys.
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.3
in d Op.30; Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice;
Sibelius: Symphony No.5 in E-flat Op.82.
David Jalbert, piano; Michael Newnham, conductor.
Meridian Arts Centre - George Weston
Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St. 416-366-7723
Toronto Beach Chorale
Mervin W Fick - Conductor
GF HANDEL
or 1-800-708-6754 or boxoffice@tolive.com.
From $14. Pre-concert chat at 2:15pm.
● 3:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Triple Espresso: Bach, Handel & Fasch. See
Feb 21.
● 3:00: Metropolitan United Church. Vocal
Concert. Diapente, Renaissance vocal quintet.
Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. E.
416-363-0331 x226. Freewill donation.
● 3:15: Mooredale Concerts. Andrew Wan,
violin & Charles Richard-Hamelin, piano.
Works by Brahms and Mendelssohn. Dior
Quartet. Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-
922-3714 x103; 647-988-2102 (eve/wknd).
$30-$55.
● 4:00: Elora Singers. Choral Tapestry:
The Elora Singers with the Vancouver Chamber
Choir. Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate,
28 Norfolk St., Guelph. 519-846-0331 or
www.elorasingers.ca. $45, $20 (student),
$10 (12 & under).
● 4:00: Wychwood Clarinet Choir. Musicals!
Selections from musicals by Sullivan,
Rogers, Campbell, Sondheim and Bernstein.
Michele Jacot, guest conductor and clarinet
soloist. St. Michael and All Angels Anglican
Church, 611 St. Clair Ave. W. www.wychwoodclarinetchoir.ca.
$25; $15(sr/st) or Pay What
You Can.
● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Tselyakovs & Friends Play
Ravel. Ravel: Mother Goose Suite for piano
4 hands; Gaspard de la Nuit Suite; Jeux
d’eau;Trio for piano, violin, cello. Alexander
Tselyakov, piano; Daniel Tselyakov, piano;
Jerzy Kaplanek, violin; Katie Schlaikjer, cello.
Keffer Memorial Chapel, Wilfrid Laurier University,
75 University Ave. W., Waterloo. www.
ticketscene.ca/kwcms. $40; $10(st).
● 8:00: Esprit Orchestra. Prelude Concert
#2: Runner. Steve Reich: Runner (Canadian
premiere); Hans Abrahamsen: Double
Concerto; Alex Pauk: Concerto for Harp &
Orchestra; Henryk Gorecki: Concerto for
Harpsichord & Orchestra. Alex Pauk, music
director & conductor; Mark Fewer, violin;
Kevin Ahfat, piano; Erica Goodman, harp;
Wesley Shen, harpsichord. Royal Conservatory
of Music - TELUS Centre - Koerner
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.
espritorchestra.com or www.rcmusic.com/
events-and-performances. From $20. 7:15pm
- Musical Insights with Alexina Louie and
guests.
Monday February 24
● 3:00: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Music Research Festival 2025: Faculty
Research Showcase. Edward Johnson Building,
University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park.
www.music.utoronto.ca. Free.
CORONATION ANTHEMS
Sunday, February 23, 2025 at 2:00pm
St Aidan’s in the Beach
2423 Queen Street East, Toronto
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 35

MUSIC
RESEARCH
FESTIVAL
2025
LIVE OR ONLINE | Feb 1 to Apr 7, 2024
Tuesday February 25
● 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday Organ
Recital. Angus Sinclair, organ. Cathedral
Church of St. James, 106 King St. E. 416-364-
7865 or www.stjamescathedral.ca/recitals.
Free. Donations encouraged.
● 3:00: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Music Research Festival 2025: Postdoc
Research Showcase. Edward Johnson
Building, University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s
Park. www.music.utoronto.ca. Free.
Wednesday February 26
● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Showcase Series: Son Cubano. Richard Bradshaw
Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for
the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.
coc.ca/community/showcase-series. Free.
Registration required.
● 12:00 noon: University of Toronto Faculty
of Music. Music Research Festival 2025:
Undergraduate Showcase. Edward Johnson
Connecting Research-Creation Communities
Join us for a week-long celebration
of the vibrant research-creation
practices at the Faculty of Music.
Faculty Research Showcase
Mon, Feb 24 | 3-5pm
Postdoc Research Showcase
Tue, Feb 25 | 3-5pm
Undergraduate Showcase
Wed, Feb 26 | 12-1pm
Graduate Showcase
Thu, Feb 27 | 12-1pm
Centre BMPC & TaPIR Lab
Presentation, featuring Prof.
Aiyun Huang
Fri, Feb 28 | 7:30-9:30pm
All events are FREE and open
to the public, learn more at
music.utoronto.ca
Building, University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s
Park. www.music.utoronto.ca. Free.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Holst’s The Planets. Thomas Adès: “Paradiso”
from Dante; Thomas Adès: Piano Concerto
(Canadian première); Holst: The Planets. Kirill
Gerstein, piano; Thomas Adès, conductor. Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or
www.tso.ca. From $30. Also Feb 27 & Mar 1.
● 8:00: Brampton On Stage. Bluebird
Brampton. Johnny Rivex curates an acoustic
evening showcase with music from some of
Southern Ontario’s most promising country
music talent. Cyril Clark Theatre, 20 Loafer’s
Lake Lane, Brampton. 905-874-2800, tickets.
brampton.ca. .
● 8:00: Brampton On Stage. Finger 11. The
Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Ln., Brampton. www.
tickets.brampton.ca/online or 905-874-2800.
From $20.
Thursday February 27
● 12:00 noon: Wilfrid Laurier University
Faculty of Music. Music at Noon - Nicole
Cherry & Friends. Wilfrid Laurier University -
Maureen Forrester Recital Hall, 75 University
Ave., Waterloo. www.wlu.ca/academics/faculties/faculty-of-music/events/index.
Free.
● 12:00 noon: Metropolitan United Church.
University of Toronto Chamber Music Concert.
Katie Kirkpatrick & Josh Chong, flute;
Cedric Theriault & Scott Jolicoeur, guitar.
Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. E.
416-363-0331 x226. Freewill donation.
● 12:00 noon: University of Toronto Faculty
of Music. Music Research Festival 2025:
Graduate Showcase. Edward Johnson Building,
University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park.
www.music.utoronto.ca. Free.
● 1:00: Trinity Bach Project. Bach & Passages.
Bach: Cantata BWV 196 “Der Herr denket
an uns”; Cantata BWV 106 “Gottes Zeit
ist die allerbeste Zeit” (Actus Tragicus); and
a cappella works by Monteverdi, MacMillan,
and Harris. Choir and chamber orchestra
with Nicholas Nicolaidis, conductor; Felix
Deák, viola da gamba; Laura Jones, viola da
gamba; Alison Melville, recorder; Colin Savage,
recorder. University of Toronto - Trinity
College Chapel, 6 Hoskin Ave. 306-250-4256
or www.trinitybachproject.org/concerts or
at the door. Free. Also Mar 1(8pm), 15(8pm),
23(8pm).
● 6:00: Art of Time Ensemble. The Revolution
Will Not Be Televised. A concert film
screening followed by a Q&A with artists
from the film. Featuring Abel Meeropol:
Strange Fruit; Bob Dylan: A Hard Rain’s
A-Gonna Fall; Joni Mitchell: Big Yellow Taxi;
Nina Simone: To Be Young, Gifted, and Black;
Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On. Shakura
S’Aida, Jackie Richardson, and Tom Wilson.
Palmerston Library - Palmerston Theatre,
560 Palmerston Ave. 416-973-4000. Free.
● 7:30: Soundstreams. Vancouver Chamber
Choir. Tarik O’Regan: The Spring from
The Colloquy of the Ancients; and world premieres
of six short new works by participants
in Soundstreams’ RBC Bridges Emerging
Composer Showcase mentored by Tarik
O’Regan. Kari Turunen, music director. Christ
Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. www.
soundstreams.ca. Visit website for ticket
information.
● 7:30: Toronto Children’s Chorus. University
of Toronto Chamber Choir and
Soprano-Alto Chorus, with Toronto Children’s
Chorus. Latin American choral music. Cristian
Grases, guest conductor. Eglinton St.
George’s United Church, 35 Lytton Blvd. www.
torontochildrenschorus.com. Visit website
for information.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Holst’s The Planets. See Feb 26. Also Mar 1.
● 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre. Musical
Icons. 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham. 905-
305-7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre.ca.
From $60.
Friday February 28
● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Vocal Series: Salon Français - Tea for Two.
Piano-vocal duos. U of T Faculty of Music’s
France-Canada Academy of Vocal Arts / Académie
Francis Poulenc. Richard Bradshaw
Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for the
Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.coc.
ca. Free.
● 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Dialogues.
Liszt: Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude;
David Jaeger: Meditations & Nocturnes;
Edward Enman:”Remember My Heart” and
“Luminosity. Jialiang Zhu, piano. St. Andrew’s
Presbyterian Church, 73 Simcoe St. 416-593-
5600 x220. Free. Donations welcome.
● 12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Fridays
at 12:30 Series: Sebastien Malette, Bassoon
/ Contrabassoon & Allison Wiebe, Piano.
Western University - Music Building - Von
Kuster Hall, 1151 Richmond St. N., London.
519-661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/events.
Free. LIVE & LIVESTREAM.
● 2:00: CAMMAC Toronto Region. Reading
for Singers and Instrumentalists: Mendelssohn’s
Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise), Op.52.
amie Hillman, conductor. Christ Church
Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. www.cammac.ca/
toronto. $15; $10(members).
● 7:00: Vesuvius Ensemble. Viaggio a Napoli:
Il ballo del ritorno, with Geneviève Gilardeau
& Friends. Works by Valente, Falconieri,
Uccellini and Matteis mixed with traditional
Neapolitan songs. Geneviève Gilardeau, violin
featuring an ensemble of her favourite
collaborators. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton
Ave. www.bemusednetwork.com/events/
detail/1028. $40.
● 7:30: Bond Street Event Centre. Eli Young
Band with Special Guests Hailey Benedict and
Alexa Goldie. 44 Bond St., Oshawa. www.ticketscene.ca/events/50337.
$79.50.
● 7:30: Music at St. Andrew’s. Echoes of the
Soul: Celebrating R & B, Gospel, and More.
Bridge Over Troubled Water; Love Is What
We Need; Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s
Hand; Oh, Happy Day; A Change Is Gonna
Come. Mark Cassius, Quisha Wint, Michael
Dunston, and The Jordan Klapman Quintet.
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 73 Simcoe
St. 416-593-5600 x220 or www.standrewstoronto.org.
$25 (single); $20 (groups of 3 or
more). Donations welcome.
● 7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Music Research Festival 2025: Centre
BPMC & TaPIR Lab Presentation. Featuring
Prof. Aiyun Huang. Edward Johnson Building,
University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. www.
music.utoronto.ca. Free.
● 7:30: Untitled Ensemble Chamber Music
Society. A Celebration of Black Classical
Music: Chamber Music Edition! Dorothy Rudd
Moore: Twelve Quatrains from the Rubáiyát;
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (arr. Elizabeth
Brown): Nourmahal’s Song; Florence Price
(arr. Elizabeth Brown): Three Negro Spirituals
for Violin and Piano and Adoration. Maria
Milenic, mezzo; Jaye Marsh, flute; Elizabeth
Brown, oboe; Emma Vachon, violin & viola;
Kate Acone, piano; Chris Buchner, horn.
Annette Studios, 566 Annette St. 604-505-
0454. $35; $25(sr).
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano. Works by
Beethoven, Debussy, Boulez, Webern, and
Schoenberg. Royal Conservatory of Music -
TELUS Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St.
W. 416-408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.
From $50.
● 8:00: Burlington Performing Arts
Centre. The Northern Pikes & Grapes of
Wrath. Burlington Performing Arts Centre
- Main Theatre, 440 Locust St., Burlington.
905-681-6000. $59.50($54.50 member)-$79.50($74.50
member).
● 8:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre. The Gondoliers.
By Gilbert and Sullivan. Artists to be
announced. St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts
- Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-
7723 or 1–800-708-6754 or www.tolive.com.
From $75. Also Mar 1(8pm), 3(3pm).
● 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre. We Will
Choir! You: An Epic Queen Sing-Along.
171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham. 905-305-
7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre.ca. Limited
seating available. From $15.
● 8:00: Hugh’s Room Live. Venuti String
Quartet. Rebekah Wolkstein, violin; Drew
Jurecka, violin; Shannon Knights, viola; Amahl
Arulanandan, cello. Hugh’s Room Live - Green
Sanderson Hall, 296 Broadview Ave. www.
showpass.com/the-venuti-string-quartetalbum-launch/.
Visit website for ticket pricing.
Saturday March 1
● 2:00: Sudbury Symphony Orchestra.
SSO Goes to Italy With Joey Niceforo. William
Rowson, conductor; Joey Niceforo,
tenor. Sheridan Auditorium, 154 College St.,
Sudbury. www.ci.ovationtix.com/36875/
Jubilate
singers
Isabel Bernaus
conductor
Dance
ChorA l
MuSIC &
D A n C E
TrADITIonS
w i t h
South Asian,
Ukrainian &
English country
dance groups
Calvin Presbyterian
Church 26 Delisle Ave
Sat Mar 1 7:30 pm
jubilatesingers.ca
36 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

performance/11512493. $30; $15(under 30).
Also 7:30pm.
● 2:00: Gallery Players of Niagara. Eybler
Quartet - Adaptive Performance. Adaptive
performances are presented with Thorold
Public Library and Thorold Senior Citizen’s
Centre as family-friendly, accessible, and
inclusive, perfect for music lovers from
the neurodiverse and disability communities,
or anyone wanting a more relaxed concert
experience. Eybler Quartet offers a mix
of baroque and classical favourites. Thorold
Senior Citizen’s Centre, 8 Carleton St. S.,
Thorold. Call 905-468-1525 or email Margaret
at info@galleryplayers.ca. Free.
● 2:00: Peterborough Singers. The Music of
ABBA. Take a Chance on Me; Dancing Queen;
Mamma Mia; Anthem; Money! Money! Money!
Barry Haggarty, guitar; Andrew Affleck, bass;
Curtis Cronkwright, drums; Alexia Preston,
piano. Emmanuel United Church (Peterborough),
534 George St. N., Peterborough. 705-
745-1820 or www.peterboroughsingers.com/
concerts/the-music-of-abba. $40; $10(st).
● 5:00: Nocturnes in the City. Duo Ambros.
Works by Dvořák, Smetana, and Mozart. St.
Wenceslaus Church, 496 Gladstone Ave. 416-
481-7294. $25.
● 7:30: Cantabile Chamber Singers. Celebrating
Human Diversity. New works by
Nicholas Ryan Kelly, Joshua Tamayo, and Aiko
Tomi. Church of the Redeemer, 162 Bloor St.
W. www.cantabilechambersingers.com. $30;
$15(youth 13-18); Free(12 & under).
● 7:30: Music at the Toronto Oratory. Complete
Organ Works of J. S. Bach, Part X:
Songs of Celebration. Includes Preludes and
Fugues in C, Trio Sonata No.1, Herr Gott dich
loben wir, and other chorale preludes. Aaron
James, organ. Holy Family Roman Catholic
Church - Oratory, 1372 King St. W. 416-532-
2879. Free admission. Donations accepted.
● 7:30: Sudbury Symphony Orchestra.
SSO Goes to Italy With Joey Niceforo. William
Rowson, conductor; Joey Niceforo, tenor.
Sheridan Auditorium, 154 College St., Sudbury.
www.ci.ovationtix.com/36875/performance/11512493.
$45; $25(under 30).
Also 2pm.
● 7:30: Jubilate Singers. Dance! Choral
music from the 14th to 20th centuries about
TallIs
ChoIr
Victoria:
dance and dancing from different cultures in
works by Schubert, Berlin, Morley, Piazzolla,
and others. English Country Dancing Assembly
and The Desna Ukrainian Dance Company.
Calvin Presbyterian Church, 26 Delisle Ave.
416-485-1988 or www.jubilatesingers.ca.
$35; $25(sr); $15(st/arts workers).
● 7:30: Toronto Concert Band. Ragtime
to Riches. Robert Sheldon: Glorious Revolution;
Alfred Reed: Alleluia! Laudamus te; Donald
Hunsberger: Dancin’ into the 20’s; Handel:
Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah. Toronto
Concert Band; with guest organist. Islington
United Church, 25 Burnhamthorpe Rd. 647-
479-2941 or www.torontoconcertband.com.
$30; $15(st); Free(12 and under).
● 7:30: Apocryphonia. Brews, Beauties
& Brawlers. Rowdy choral, vocal and
piano Works by Stanford, Coleridge-Taylor,
Vaughan Williams, and Purcell. St. Olave’s
Anglican Church, 360 Windermere Ave. www.
eventbrite.ca/e/brews-beauties-brawlers-
classical-music-with-a-rebellious-heart-tickets-
1119093411519?aff=WNM. Pay What You Want.
● 7:30: Mississauga Chamber Singers.
Mozart: Solemn Vespers. Mozart: Vesperae
solennes de confessore (Solemn Vespers for
a Confessor) K.33; Haydn: Missa in tempore
belli in C (Mass in a Time of War) Hob.XXII: 9
“Paukenmesse”. Christ First United Church,
151 Lakeshore Rd. W., Mississauga. www.
mcsingers.ca. $30; $15(ages 7-18).
● 7:30: Karen Schuessler Singers. Saints
& Sinners. Stories of the good and the bad
drawing on the worlds of opera, Broadway,
and more. Wesley-Knox United Church,
91 Askin St., London. 519-681-8129. $25;
$10(st); Free(ages 6-13 when accompanied
by an adult).
● 7:30: Tallis Choir of Toronto. Victoria:
Tenebrae of Good Friday. Victoria: Works
from the Holy Week collection. St. Patrick’s
Catholic Church, 131 McCaul St. www.tallischoir.com
or www.tallischoir.square.site
or 416-286-9798. $30; $25(sr - 60+); $10(st
- with ID).
● 8:00: Sinfonia Toronto. Death and the
Maiden / Prayers for Peace. Berliner: Jacob’s
Dream Violin Concerto (Canadian premiere);
Schubert: String Quartet No.14 in d
D.810 “Death and the Maiden” (orchestra
Peter Mahon
Artistic Director
Tenebrae Of Good Friday
Hear some of Victoria’s
finest works from his
magnificent collection
of music for Holy Week,
the Officium
Hebdomodae Sanctae.
Saturday, March 1, 7:30pm
St. Patrick's Church: 141 McCaul St.
Order tickets online: tallischoir.square.site
www.tallischoir.com
version). Haik Kazazyan, violin; Sinfonia
Toronto; Nurhan Arman, conductor. Meridian
Arts Centre - George Weston Recital Hall,
5040 Yonge St. 416-499-0403 or www.sinfoniatoronto.com.
$52; $40(sr); $20(st).
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Holst’s The Planets. See Feb 26.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Global Music Series & Quiet Please, There’s a
Woman Onstage Series: Jane Bunnett - Warm
Winds from Cuba. With Orlando “Maraca”
Valle, flute; Santiago Sax Quartet; Hilario
Duran, piano. Royal Conservatory of Music
- TELUS Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St.
W. 416-408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.
From $50.
● 8:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre. The Gondoliers.
See Feb 28. Also Mar 3.
● 8:00: Trinity Bach Project. Bach & Passages.
Bach: Cantata BWV 196 “Der Herr denket
an uns”; Cantata BWV 106 “Gottes Zeit
ist die allerbeste Zeit” (Actus Tragicus); and
a cappella works by Monteverdi, MacMillan,
and Harris. Choir and chamber orchestra
with Nicholas Nicolaidis, conductor; Felix
Deák, viola da gamba; Laura Jones, viola
da gamba; Alison Melville, recorder; Colin
Savage, recorder. St. Matthew’s Anglican
Church (Riverdale), 135 First Ave. 306-250-
4256 or www.trinitybachproject.org/concerts
or at the door. Free. Also Feb 27(1pm),
Mar 15(8pm), 23(3pm).
Sunday March 2
● 3:00: The Jeffery Concerts. Paul Merritt
and Friends. Music drawn from the Baroque
era to the modern day, all involving the organ
including Bach: Prelude & Fugue in a for organ
BWV 543; Krebs: Fantasia in F for oboe and
organ Krebs-WV 603; Krebs: Chorale “Gott der
Vater wohn uns bei” Krebs-WV 701; Krebs: Fantasia
in f for oboe and organ, Krebs-WV 604;
Homilius: Chorale for oboe, cello, and organ
“Jesu, meine Zuversicht”; and other works.
Paul Merritt, organ; Jennifer Short, oboe; Katerina
Juraskova, cello; Richard Frank, soprano
& alto saxophones. St. John the Evangelist
Anglican Church, 280 St. James St., London.
www.grandtheatre.com or 519-672-8800.
$40; Free(st).
● 3:00: Greater Toronto Philharmonic
Orchestra. Winter Classics: Yolanda Bruno
Sunday March 2, 3:00 PM
Calvin Presbyterian Church
Winter Classics
Yolanda Bruno, violin
David Fallis, conductor
www.gtpo.ca
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 37

LIVE OR ONLINE | Feb 1 to Apr 7, 2024
Plays Mendelssohn. Andrew Balfour: Pyotr’s
Dream; Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Suite No,1;
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto. Soloist:
Yolanda Bruno, violin; David Fallis, conductor.
Calvin Presbyterian Church, 26 Delisle Ave.
www.gtpo.ca or 647-238-0015. From $25.
● 3:00: Living Arts Centre. The Unfinished.
Presented by the Mississauga Symphony
Youth Orchestra. 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga.
905-306-6000. Tickets start at $25.
Visit livingartscentre.ca for tickets.
● 7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club. Newberry
& Verch. Chaucer’s Pub, 122 Carling St., London.
519-319-5847 or folk@iandavies.com.
Tickets available at Marienbad Restaurant,
Chaucer’s Pub, Grooves (Wortley Village),
Long & McQuade North. $30/$25(adv).
● 8:00: Orion Symphony Orchestra. The
Magic of Cinema. Soundtracks from Star
Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Superman, Jurassic
Park, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, E.T.,
How to Train Your Dragon, and other films.
Kristian Alexander, conductor. Royal Conservatory
of Music - TELUS Centre - Koerner Hall,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. From $57.
Monday March 3
● 3:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre. The Gondoliers.
See Feb 28.
Tuesday March 4
● 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday Organ
Recital. Jean-Paul Feo, organ. Cathedral
Church of St. James, 106 King St. E. 416-364-
7865 or www.stjamescathedral.ca/recitals.
Free. Donations encouraged.
K ri s ti a nAl e xander|Musi c Di r ector
ILLIA
OVCHARENKO
piano
MAR 4 | 7:30PM
Music-Toronto.com
● 7:30: Music Toronto. Illia Ovcharenko.
Scarlatti: Sonata in b K.87; Liszt: Sonata in b;
Valentin Silvestrov: Bagatelles Nos.1-3; Levko
Revutsky: Sonata in b; Chopin: Heroic Polonaise
in A-flat Op.53 in A. Illia Ovcharenko,
piano. St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts -
Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St. E. 1-800-
708-6754 or tickets@music-toronto.com
or www.musictorontoconcerts.com/concerts/illia-ovcharenko.
From $55. $20(arts
workers).
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. 21st-
Century Broadway. Hailey Kilgore, vocalist;
Derek Klena, vocalist; Javier Muñoz, vocalist;
Ali Stroker, vocalist; Steven Reinke, conductor.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca. From $30. Also
Mar 5(2pm & 8pm).
● 8:00: Esprit Orchestra. Edge of Your Seat
International Festival: Concert #1: Chasing
Vito. Keiko Abe: The Wave; Caroline Shaw:
Entr’acte; Vito Žuraj: Anemoi (North American
premiere, commissioned by the Berlin
Philharmonic & Esprit Orchestra). Alex Pauk,
music director & conductor; Ryan Scott,
marimba. Royal Conservatory of Music -
TELUS Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W.
416-408-0208 or www.espritorchestra.com
or www.rcmusic.com/events-and-performances.
From $20. 7:15pm - Musical Insights
with Alexina Louie and guests.
Wednesday March 5
● 2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
21st-Century Broadway. See Mar 4. Also
Mar 5(8pm).
● 7:30: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Laurier Community Music Concert.
Wilfrid Laurier University - Maureen Forrester
Recital Hall, 75 University Ave., Waterloo.
www.wlu.ca/academics/faculties/faculty-ofmusic/events/index.
Free.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. 21st-
Century Broadway. See Mar 4.
● 8:00: Alliance Française de Toronto.
Fabula Femina: Cordâme. A vibrant tribute
to women poets from the Renaissance to the
present day, set to music by composer and
bassist player, Jean Félix Mailloux. Coral Egan,
voice; Marie Neige Lavigne, violin; Sheila Hannigan,
cello; Jean Felix Mailloux, double bass;
Eveline Grégoire-Rousseau, harp; Louis-Vincent
Hamel, drums. Alliance Français de
Toronto - Spadina Theatre, 24 Spadina Rd.
www.alliance-francaise.ca. $18.
Thursday March 6
● Native Earth Performing Arts & Aki Studio.
The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee.
Shifting Ground Collective. Theatre Passe
Muraille, 16 Ryerson Ave. www.nativeearth.
ca. Mar 6-15.
● 11:45am: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Student Recital - Winds, Brass
and Percussion. Wilfrid Laurier University -
Maureen Forrester Recital Hall, 75 University
Ave., Waterloo. www.wlu.ca/academics/faculties/faculty-of-music/events/index.
Free.
● 12:00 noon: Metropolitan United
Church. Chamber Music Concert. Matthew
Hakkarainen, violin. Metropolitan United
Church, 56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 x226.
Freewill donation.
● 7:00: Magisterra Soloists. Magisterra
at the Museum: Masterworks - Magisterra
Piano Trio. Beethoven: Piano Trio in B-flat
Op.97 “Archduke Trio”; and other works for
piano trio. Guests: Annette-Barbara Vogel,
violin; Mehdi Ghazi, piano; Tom Landschoot,
cello. Museum London, 421 Ridout St. N., London.
www.magisterra.com. $35; $30(sr);
$15(st); $10(under 10).
● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. New Orford String Quartet.
Mozart: String Quartet No.15 in d K.421; Schubert:
String Quartet No.14 in D D.810 “Death
and the Maiden”; and 3 new short quartets
by Canadian composers Carmen Braden,
Vincent Ho, and Cecilia Livingston. Andrew
Wan, violin; Jonathan Crow, violin; Sharon
Wei, viola; Brian Manker, cello. First United
Church, 16 William St. W., Waterloo. www.
ticketscene.ca/kwcms. $40; $10(st).
● 7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Opera
at Western: Die Zauberflöte (The Magic
Flute). Also Mar 7(7:30pm), 8(2pm), 9(2pm).
● 8:00: Brampton On Stage. Mimi
O’Bonsawin. Cyril Clark Theatre, 20 Loafer’s
Lake Lane, Brampton. www.tickets.brampton.ca/online
or 905-874-2800. From $20.
● 8:00: Hugh’s Room Live. Shuffle Demons.
Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson Hall,
296 Broadview Ave. www.showpass.com/
the-shuffle-demons-2. From $33.
Friday March 7
● 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Noontime
Recital: The Dark Side of the Piano.
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.14 in c-sharp
“Moonlight”; and works by Chopin, Debussy,
and others. David Potvin, piano. St. Andrew’s
Presbyterian Church, 73 Simcoe St. 416-593-
5600 x220 or www.standrewstoronto.org.
Free. Donations welcome.
● 7:00: Living Arts Centre. Bif Naked.
Throughout her remarkable career, armed
with her unique talent and instantly identifiable
look, Bif has embarked on seemingly
endless international tours, several feature
films, and multiple television roles. 4141 Living
Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905-306-6000. Tickets
start at $30. Visit livingartscentre.ca for
tickets.
● 7:00: Jazz at Durbar. The Matt Pines Trio.
Featuring Maddie Leroy on vocals. Durbar
Indian Restaurant, 2469 Bloor St. W. 416-762-
4441. No cover. Reserve a table for dinner or
come by for a drink at the bar.
● 7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Opera
at Western: Die Zauberflöte (The Magic
Flute). See Mar 6. Also Mar 8(2pm), 9(2pm).
● 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre. Classic
Albums Live Performs Eagles - The Greatest
38 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

Hits. 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham. 905-
305-7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre.ca.
From $15. Limited availability.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Music
Mix Series: Rosanne Cash with John Leventhal.
Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS
Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-
408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.
From $55.
● 8:00: Centre in the Square. An Evening
with Los Lobos. 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener.
519-578-1570 or www.centreinthesquare.
com. From $49.50.
BAROQUE
& FOLK
Directed by Miloš Valent
Jan Rokyta, multi-instrumentalist
MARCH 7–9
Jeanne Lamon Hall,
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
tafelmusik.org
● 8:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Baroque & Folk: Purcell to Poland. Explore
the ways in which baroque composers such
as Telemann, Purcell, and Vivaldi were influenced
by folk music from the Ashkenazy,
Polish, Roma, Scottish, and Turkish traditions.
Miloš Valent, director/violin soloist;
Jan Rokyta, multi-instrumental soloist; Naghmeh
Farahmand, percussion. Trinity St. Paul’s
United Church. Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor
St. W. 1-833-964–6337 or www.tafelmusik.
org. $20-$95. Also Mar. 8 & 9.
● 8:00: Women From Space Festival. Night
1. Allison Cameron: Small Scale Experimental
Machine; Plastic Babies special album release
celebration; BIG BANG! plays Nina Simone
arranged by Vanese Smith, Mingjia Chen,
Madeleine Ertel, Olivia Shortt, Tania Gill, and
Alexa Belgrave. Christine Duncan, vocals &
theremin; Laura Swankey, vocals & electronics;
Patrick O’Reilley, guitar & electronics;
Tara Kannangara, voice & trumpet; Shn Shn,
voice/guitar/synth; Elisabeth Dorion, voice;
tUkU, voice), Atcheleh Aryee, trumpet, and
others. 918 Bathurst Centre for Culture, Arts,
Media and Education, 918 Bathurst St. www.
womenfromspace.com. From $15.
Saturday March 8
● 2:00: Avenue Road Music & Performance
Academy. Marbin Matinees Series: David
Potvin - The Piano After Dark. Works by Chopin,
Beethoven, Debussy, Bolcom, Assiginaak,
and Liszt. David Potvin, piano. Avenue Road
Music and Performance Academy - Gordon
Lightfoot Concert Hall, 460 Avenue Rd. www.
avenueroadmusic.com/events/2025/03/08/
david-potvin-piano-recital-marbin-matinees-
series. Register online for free admission.
Reception to follow.
● 2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Special Performance: Disney’s Encanto - In
Concert. Film screening. Steven Reineke,
conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca. From $30. Also
Mar 8(7:30pm) & 9(2pm).
● 2:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Opera
at Western: Die Zauberflöte (The Magic
Flute). See Mar 6. Also Mar 9(2pm).
● 4:30: Royal Conservatory of Music. Taylor
Concerts Series: Taylor Academy Showcase
Concert. Royal Conservatory of Music
- TELUS Centre - Mazzoleni Concert Hall,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.
rcmusic.com/performance. Free.
● 7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Special
Performance: Disney’s Encanto - In Concert.
See Mar 8(2pm). Also Mar 9(2pm).
● 7:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra. Classical
Mystery Tour: A Tribute to The Beatles.
FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
- Partridge Hall, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines.
905-688-0722 or boxoffice@firstontariopac.ca.
From $39; $52(arts workers);
$46(under 35); $29(st); $24(18 and under).
Also Mar 9(2:30pm).
● 7:30: Pax Christi Chorale. Bruckner’s
Mass in E Minor. Bruckner: Unaccompanied
Motets; Koechlin: Septet for wind ensemble;
Bruckner: Mass in e. Pax Christi Chorale
(Elaine Choi, conductor); University of
Toronto Wind Ensemble (Gillian MacKay, conductor).
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,
1585 Yonge St. www.paxchristichorale.org.
$45; $40(sr); $20(ages 18-35); $10(under 18).
● 7:30: Bach Elgar Choir. The Trial of Gilbert
& Sullivan. Gilbert & Sullivan: Trial by
Jury and scenes from other Gilbert & Sullivan
works. Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre, 357 Wilson
St. E., Ancaster. 416-888-8249 or www.
bachelgar.ca/events. Visit website for ticket
information.
● 8:00: Kindred Spirits Orchestra. A Night
at the Opera. Bizet: Carmen Suite No.2; Bartók:
Violin Concerto No.1; Bruckner: Symphony
No.5. Heng-Han Hou, violin; Daniel
Vnukowski, host; Kristian Alexander, conductor.
Meridian Arts Centre - George
Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St. 416-733-
9388. $50-$40 (adult) $40-$30 (senior) $30-
$25 (youth). 7:10pm: Prélude (pre-concert
recital). 7:20pm: Pre-concert talk. Intermission
discussion and Q&A with Heng-Han Hou
and Daniel Vnukowski.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Music Mix Series: Los Lobos. Royal Conservatory
of Music - TELUS Centre - Koerner
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.
rcmusic.com/performance. From $60.
● 8:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Baroque & Folk: Purcell to Poland. See Mar.
7. Also Mar 9.
● 8:00: Brampton On Stage. Bif Naked.
JUNO Award-winning, Indian-born American-Canadian
rock singer songwriter, poet,
motivational speaker, and actress, BIF NAKED
is a true icon. The Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Ln.,
Brampton. 905-874-2800, tickets.brampton.
ca. $20-$45.
● 8:00: Women From Space Festival/
Toronto Dance Theatre. Night 2. Shn Shn,
keyboard/voice/electronics; Chantelle
Mostacho, movement; Rose Kazi, voice; Erin
Poole, movement; Yuniya Edi Kwon, violin &
vocals; EUCADEMIX & azumi OE; Yuka Honda,
electronics. 918 Bathurst Centre for Culture,
Arts, Media and Education, 918 Bathurst St.
www.womenfromspace.com. From $15.
Sunday March 9
● 2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Special
Performance: Disney’s Encanto - In Concert.
See Mar 8.
● 2:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Opera
at Western: Die Zauberflöte (The Magic
Flute). See Mar 6.
● 2:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra. Classical
Mystery Tour: A Tribute to The Beatles.
See Mar 8.
● 3:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Baroque & Folk: Purcell to Poland. See Mar 7.
● 3:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Leslie
Kinton, Piano. Western University - Music
Building - Von Kuster Hall, 1151 Richmond St.
N., London. 519-661-3767 or www.music.uwo.
ca/events. Free.
● 4:00: St. Philip’s Recital Series. The Piano
After Dark. Beethoven: Moonlight Sonata;
Chopin: Nocturnes (selection); Debussy: Preludes;
and works by Assiginaak, Bolcom, and
Liszt. David Potvin, piano. St. Philip’s Anglican
Church, 31 St. Phillips Rd., Etobicoke. 416-247-
5181. Admission by donation. Suggested: $20.
● 8:00: Women From Space Festival. Night
3. Meara O’Reilly: Hockets For Two Voices;
Myra Melford: Fire and Water Trio. Mingjia
Chen, voice; Linnea Sablosky, voice; Arushi
Jain, modular synth & vocals; Myra Melford,
piano; Ingrid Laubrock, saxophones; Lesley
Mok, drums & percussion. 918 Bathurst Centre
for Culture, Arts, Media and Education,
918 Bathurst St. www.womenfromspace.
com. From $15.
Monday March 10
“ WONDER
WOMEN!”
SARAH HAGEN
PIANO
MARCH 10 - 7:30 PM
HELICONIAN HALL
SarahHagen.com
● 7:30: Heliconian Hall. Wonder Women!
Piano works by 18th- and 19th-century
female composers, including Cécile Chaminade,
Marianna Martines, Agathe Backer-
Grøndahl, and others. Sarah Hagen, piano.
35 Hazelton Ave. 416-454-2363. $30; $10(st/
arts workers).
Tuesday March 11
● 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday Organ
Recital. Michael Pirri, organ. Cathedral
Church of St. James, 106 King St. E. 416-364-
7865 or www.stjamescathedral.ca/recitals.
Free. Donations encouraged.
Wednesday March 12
● Mirvish. Inside American Pie. Created
by Mike Ross and Sara Wilson. CAA Theatre,
651 Yonge St. www.mirvish.com. Mar 12-30.
● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
COC March Break: Stories of Opera through
Art Song. An interactive workshop led by COC
Teaching Artists from the Community Partnerships
& Programs department, exploring
the world’s most beloved art songs and their
role in understanding opera through the language
of cultural storytelling. Richard Bradshaw
Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for
the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.
coc.ca. Free.
Thursday March 13
● Soulpepper Theatre. Ladies of the Canyon:
Joni and the California Scene. Created by
Hailey Gillis and Raha Javanfar. Mar 13-23.
● 11:45am: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Student Recital - Keyboard.
Wilfrid Laurier University - Maureen Forrester
Recital Hall, 75 University Ave., Waterloo.
www.wlu.ca/academics/faculties/faculty-ofmusic/events/index.
Free.
● 12:00 noon: Metropolitan United Church.
University of Toronto Pianists Recital. Angela
Ng, Chiya Hou, Phoebe Lin, and Claire Xiao.
Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. E.
416-363-0331 x226. Freewill donation.
● 1:00: University of Toronto - Trinity College
Chapel. Organ Concert. Organ Performance
Major students from the Faculty
of Music. 6 Hoskin Ave. 416-978-2522. Free.
Donations to the Trinity College organ restoration
project are welcome.
● 1:30: Women’s Musical Club of Toronto.
Music in the Afternoon: Marmen Quartet.
Haydn: String Quartet in E-flat Op.33 No.2;
Bartók: String Quartet No.3; Salina Fisher:
Heal; Debussy: String Quartet in g Op.10.
Johannes Marmen, violin; Laia Valentin
Braun, violin; Bryony Gibson-Cornish,
viola; Sinead O’Halloran, cello. University of
Toronto - Edward Johnson Building - Walter
Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-923-7052 X1
or www.wmct.on.ca. $50; free(st with ID
at door).
WOMEN’S MUSICAL CLUB OF TORONTO
MARCH 13, 2025 | 1.30 PM
MARMEN
QUARTET
416-923-7052 | wmct.on.ca
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 39

LIVE OR ONLINE | Feb 1 to Apr 7, 2024
● 7:30: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Opera Laurier: The Marriage of
Figaro. Music by W. A. Mozart. Wilfrid Laurier
University - Theatre Auditorium, 75 University
Ave. W., Waterloo. www.wlu.ca/academics/
faculties/faculty-of-music/events/index. Free.
Also Mar 14, 15, 16.
● 8:00: Centre in the Square. Chris Botti.
101 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 519-578-1570 or
www.centreinthesquare.com. From $59.50.
Friday March 14
● 12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Fridays
at 12:30 Concert Series: The Looking
Glass Ensemble. Western University - Music
Building - Von Kuster Hall, 1151 Richmond St.
N., London. 519-661-3767 or www.music.uwo.
ca/events. Free. LIVE & LIVESTREAM.
● 2:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Percussion
Ensemble with TORQ. Western University
- Talbot College - Paul Davenport
Theatre, 1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-
661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/events. Free.
Also 7:30pm.
● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Janina Fialkowska, Piano.
Weber: Invitation to the Dance; Grieg: Three
Lyric Pieces; Schumann: Fantasiestücke
Op.12; Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales;
Chopin: Berceuse and Scherzo No.1. Keffer
Memorial Chapel, Wilfrid Laurier University,
75 University Ave. W., Waterloo. www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms.
$45; $10(st).
● 7:30: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Opera Laurier: The Marriage of
Figaro. See Mar 13. Also Mar 15 & 16.
● 7:30: TO Live. How To Train Your Dragon
– In Concert. Performed live to picture! Featuring
the TO Live Orchestra. Meridian Hall,
1 Front St. E. 416-366-7723. $39.99-$99.99.
Visit www.tolive.com for tickets. Also Mar 15.
● 7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Percussion
Ensemble with TORQ. Western University
- Talbot College - Paul Davenport
Theatre, 1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-
661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/events. Free.
Also 2pm.
● 8:00: Burlington Performing Arts Centre.
Classic Albums Live - The Who - Who’s
Next. Burlington Performing Arts Centre -
Main Theatre, 440 Locust St., Burlington.
905-681-6000. $69.50($64.50 member)-$89.50($84.50
member).
Saturday March 15
● 2:00: TO Live. How To Train Your Dragon –
In Concert. See Mar 14.
● 7:30: Music at the Toronto Oratory. Complete
Organ Works of J. S. Bach, Part XI: By
the Waters of Babylon. Includes An Wasserflussen
Babylon, Trio Sonata No.2, Little Fugue
in g, Fantasia and Fugue in g, and chorale
preludes. Aaron James, organ. Holy Family
Roman Catholic Church - Oratory, 1372 King
St. W. 416-532-2879. Free admission. Donations
accepted.
● 7:30: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Opera Laurier: The Marriage of
Figaro. See Mar 13. Also Mar 16.
● 7:30: Bravo Niagara! Festival of the Arts.
Marcus Miller: Voices of Freedom. FirstOntario
Performing Arts Centre - Partridge
Hall, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. www.
bravoniagara.org or www.firstontariopca.
ca. From $40.
● 8:00: Trinity Bach Project. Bach &
Passages. Bach: Cantata BWV 196 “Der Herr
denket an uns”; Cantata BWV 106 “Gottes
Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit” (Actus Tragicus);
and a cappella works by Monteverdi, MacMillan,
and Harris. Choir and chamber orchestra
with Nicholas Nicolaidis, conductor; Felix
Deák, viola da gamba; Laura Jones, viola da
gamba; Alison Melville, recorder; Colin Savage,
recorder. St. Martin-in-the-Fields Anglican
Church, 151 Glenlake Ave. 306-250-4256
or www.trinitybachproject.org/concerts or
at the door. $30; $20(budget); $10(st). Also
Feb 27(1pm), Mar 1(8pm), 23(3pm).
● 8:00: North York Concert Orchestra.
The Music of Freddie Mercury. Tolga Kashif:
The Queen Symphony. Rafael Luz, conductor.
Eglinton St. George’s United Church, 35 Lytton
Blvd. www.nyco.ca or 1-888-687-6926. $30;
$25(sr); $15(under 30); $10(under 12).
Sunday March 16
● 2:00: HCA Dance Theatre. PASS Presents
Janina Fialskowska: The Legend Returns.
Janina Fialskowska, piano. Hamilton Conservatory
for the Arts - Dance Theatre, 126 James
St. S., Hamilton. 905-528-4020 or www.
hcadancetheatre.com. From $35.
● 3:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Brahms & Shostakovich with the Vancouver
Symphony Orchestra. Marcus Goddard:
Mountain Visions; Brahms: Violin Concerto;
Shostakovich: Symphony No.5. Vadim Gluzman,
violin; Vancouver Symphony Orchestra;
Otto Tausk, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca.
From $30.
● 3:00: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Opera Laurier: The Marriage of
Figaro. See Mar 13.
● 3:00: Off Centre Music Salon. When Paris
Sizzled: The Fabulous 1920s! Ravel: Sonata
for violin and piano and selected mélodies by
Debussy, Poulenc, Milhaud, and Satie. Jonathan
Crow, violin; Sheila Jaffé, violin; Elina Kelebeev,
piano; Andrea Ludwig, mezzo; (OCMS
Artist-in-Residence); Rémi Pelletier, viola;
Inna Perkis, piano; Giles Tomkins, bass-baritone;
Boris Zarankin, piano; Winona Zelenka,
cello. Trinity St. Paul’s United Church. Jeanne
Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. www.offcentremusic.com.
$50; $40(sr); $15(ages 13-25);
$15(ages 12 and under).
● 3:00: Gallery Players of Niagara. Bach
on Turtle’s Back - Year 3 - Rebirth. Bach: Violin
Sonata in C; Bach: Partita in E; Bach arias
(selection); Andrew Balfour: A Newly Commissioned
Work for period string quartet
and baritone. Eybler String Quartet; Brian
Solomon, choreographer & director; Jonathan
Adams, baritone. FirstOntario Performing
Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St., St.
Catharines. Call 905-468-1525 or email
info@galleryplayers.ca. From $10(Live);
$10(Virtual).
● 4:00: Flute Street. Myths and a Legend.
Johann Stamitz: Concerto in D; Franz Doppler:
Chanson d’amour; Robert Aitken: Solemnes;
Alan B. Leech: Mount Olympus Scenes
(Canadian premiere); Alexandra Molnar-
Suhajda: Greek Tableaux. Guest artist: Robert
Aitken, composer & flute. Church of St. Peter
and St. Simon-the-Apostle, 525 Bloor St. E.
416-462-9498 or www.flutestreet.ca. $25;
$20(sr/arts workers); $15(full-time st).
Flute Street
MYTHS
AND A
LEGEND
presents
ROBERT AITKEN
SUNDAY MARCH 16, 4 PM
www.flutestreet.ca
Monday March 17
● 7:30: University of Toronto - Trinity College
Chapel. A Season of Choral Music: Trinity
College Chapel Choir in Concert. Works by
Purcell, Holst, Lassus, Victoria, and others.
Guest: Arthur Jones, trumpet. 6 Hoskin Ave.
416-978-2522. Admission by donation.
Tuesday March 18
● 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday Organ
Recital. William O’Meara, organ. Cathedral
Church of St. James, 106 King St. E. 416-364-
7865 or www.stjamescathedral.ca/recitals.
Free. Donations encouraged.
JANINA
FIALKOWSKA
“Canada’s First Lady of Chopin”
—Classical.net
MAR 18 | 7:30PM
Music-Toronto.com
● 7:30: Music Toronto. Janina Fialkowska.
Weber: Aufforderung zum Tanz (Invitation
to the Dance); Grieg: Der var engang
(Once Upon a Time) Op.71; Schumann: Fantasiestücke
Op.12; Chopin: Polonaise in c-sharp
Op.26 No.1; Chopin: Ballade No.2 in F. Janina
Fialkowska, piano. St. Lawrence Centre for
the Arts - Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front
St. E. 1-800-708-6754 or tickets@musictoronto.com
or www.musictorontoconcerts.
com/concerts/janina-fialkowska. From $55.
$20(arts workers).
Wednesday March 19
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. The
Glenn Gould School Spring Opera: Mozart’s
Die Zauberflöte. Music by W. A. Mozart. Jennifer
Tung, conductor; Alsion Grant, stage director.
Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS
Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-
408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.
$25. Also Mar 21.
Thursday March 20
● 11:45am: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Student Recital - Strings | RH.
Wilfrid Laurier University - Maureen Forrester
Recital Hall, 75 University Ave., Waterloo.
www.wlu.ca/academics/faculties/faculty-ofmusic/events/index.
Free.
● 12:00 noon: Metropolitan United Church.
Piano Recital. Alexander Jacob, piano. Metropolitan
United Church, 56 Queen St. E. 416-
363-0331 x226. Freewill donation.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Mahler’s Fourth. Paradis: Overture to Der
Schulkandidat; Mozart: “Temerari! Sortite!
... Come scoglio” from Così fan tutte K.588;
Haydn: Scene di Berenice Hob.XXIVa:10; Mahler:
Symphony No.4. Anna Prohaska, soprano;
Gustavo Gimeno, conductor. Roy Thomson
Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or www.tso.
ca. From $30. Also Mar 22.
● 8:00: VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert. La
Rondine. Music by Giacomo Puccini. Sung
in Italian with English Surtitles. Cassandra
Amorin as Magda; Opera in Concert Chorus;
Robert Cooper, chorus director; Narmina
Afandiyeva, music director & pianist. Trinity
St. Paul’s United Church. Jeanne Lamon Hall,
427 Bloor St. W. www.operainconcert.com or
416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754. From $42.
Also Mar 21.
● 8:00: Centre in the Square. Classic
Albums Live performs David Bowie – Changesonebowie.
101 Queen St. N., Kitchener.
519-578-1570 or www.centreinthesquare.
com. From $34.50.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Taylor
Academy Series: The Stars of Tomorrow.
Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS Centre
- Mazzoleni Concert Hall, 273 Bloor St. W.
416-408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.
Free.
Friday March 21
● 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s/Guitar Society
of Toronto. Noontime Recital. Luis Angel
Medina, guitar. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian
Church, 73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x220
or www.standrewstoronto.org. Free. Donations
welcome.
● 12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music.
Fridays at 12:30 Series: Theodore Baerg,
Baritone & Mark Payne, Piano. Western University
- Music Building - Von Kuster Hall,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767
or www.music.uwo.ca/events. Free.
● 7:00: Jazz at Durbar. The Matt Pines Trio.
Featuring Francine Kirsh on vocals. Durbar
Indian Restaurant, 2469 Bloor St. W. 416-762-
4441. No cover. Reserve a table for dinner or
come by for a drink at the bar.
● 7:30: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Laurier Student Composer Concert.
Wilfrid Laurier University - Maureen
Forrester Recital Hall, 75 University Ave.,
Waterloo. www.wlu.ca/academics/faculties/
faculty-of-music/events/index. Free.
40 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

● 7:30: Milton Philharmonic Orchestra.
Spring Blossoms. Brahms: Symphony No.2
in D; Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel: Overture in
C; Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto in g. Isabella
Misquitta-Yip, piano. FirstOntario Arts Centre
(Milton), 1010 Main St., Milton. 905-875-
5399. $30; $25; $15(st/child).
● 7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Wind
Ensemble: The Psychological Sigh. Western
University - Talbot College - Paul Davenport
Theatre, 1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-
661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/events. Free.
● 7:30: Toronto Bandura Festival. Bandura
on Bloor 2025 Concert Series. Teryn Kuzma,
bandura & soprano; Yarko Antonevych, bandura.
Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 416-
845-2691 or www.torontobandurafestival.ca.
$35; $25(Early Bird). All net proceeds from
this concert will be donated to the Canada-
Ukraine Foundation.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. The
Glenn Gould School Spring Opera: Mozart’s
Die Zauberflöte. See Mar 19.
● 8:00: VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert. La
Rondine. See Mar 20.
Matthew Jones
Brahms
Tragic Overture
Shostakovich
Symphony #10
THE FRIENDS OF MUSIC
AT ST. THOMAS’S present
Classical Guitarist
Daniel Ramjattan
Bach, Mertz and contemporary composers
Saturday, March 22 at 4:00 pm
St. Thomas’s Anglican Church, 383 Huron St., Toronto
Pay what you wish:
Suggested $40 regular; $20 students
Tickets: Scan code or visit stthomas.on.ca
● 8:00: Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra.
Agony and Ecstasy. Brahms: Tragic Overture
Op.81; Simon Rivet: Ellipse of a Cry; Shostakovich:
Symphony No.10 in e Op.93. Etobicoke
Philharmonic Orchestra; Craig Doyle of CDH-
Live; Matthew Jones, music director. Martin
Grove United Church, 75 Pergola Rd., Etobicoke.
416-239-5665 or www.eporchestra.ca.
$20; $10(child).
● 8:00: Brampton On Stage. Alan Cumming
& Ari Shapiro: Och & Oy! A Considered Cabaret.
Alan Cumming (Cabaret, The Good Wife)
and Ari Shapiro (NPR’s All Things Considered,
Pink Martini) both transport audiences to
other worlds through their stories. The Rose
Theatre, 1 Theatre Ln., Brampton. 905-874-
2800, tickets.brampton.ca. $40-$89.
Saturday March 22
● 2:30: Heliconian Club. “…and the world
smiles with you”. Satie: Sports et Divertissements;
Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody; Vanilla
Ice Cream from She Loves Me. Kathryn
Rose Johnson. soprano; Caitlin Holland, soprano
and piano; Ruth Kazdan, piano; Velma
Ko, violin. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave.
416-922-3618 or www.torontoheliconianclub.wildapricot.org/event-5795002.
$30;
Free(child 12 and under accompanied by an
adult).
● 3:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Symphonic
Band: Resplendent Reflections.
Western University - Talbot College - Paul
Davenport Theatre, 1151 Richmond St. N., London.
519-661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/
events. Free.
● 4:00: Elmer Iseler Singers. Springburst.
Norbert Palej: Missa Super Terminos (North
American premiere). Guests: MacMillan Singers
(Dr. Jamie Hillman); Elmer Iseler Singers
(Lydia Adams, conductor). Eglinton St.
George’s United Church, 35 Lytton Blvd. Visit
www.bit.ly/springburst2025 or call 416-217-
0537. $45; $40(sr); $25(under 30).
● 7:00: Annette Studios. My Shadow y yo.
Works by Capó, Schumann, Díaz, Sondheim,
and Handel. Fabián Arciniegas, vocalist; Claire
Harris, piano. 566 Annette St. 647-458-3330.
$30; $25(sr/st).
● 7:30: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
Pictures at an Exhibition. Ravel: Mother
Goose Suite; Ravel: Piano Concerto in G; Mussorgsky
(arr. Ravel): Pictures at an Exhibition.
Jane Coop, piano; Hamilton Philharmonic
Orchestra; Earl Lee, conductor. FirstOntario
Concert Hall (Hamilton) - Boris Brott Great
Hall, 1 Summers Ln., Hamilton. www.hpo.org/
pictures-at-an-exhibition. From $20. 6:30pm:
Pre-concert talk.
● 7:30: Soundstreams. with you and without
you. Curated by Brad Cherwin, winner of
the 2024/25 Soundstreams New Voices Curator
Mentorship Program. Works by Fanny
Mendelssohn, Oliver Knussen, Matthew
Ricketts, Tansy Davies, Shawn Jaeger, Ana
Sokolovic. Danika Lorèn, soprano; Ensemble
Soundstreams. St. Lawrence Centre for
the Arts - Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St.
E. www.soundstreams.ca. Visit website for
ticket information.
● 7:30: Orpheus Choir of Toronto. The
Atonement. Samuel Coleridge Taylor: The
Atonement. Guests: The Nathaniel Dett
Chorale. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,
1585 Yonge St. 416-420-9660 or www.
orpheuschoirtoronto.com or tickets@
orpheuschoirtoronto.com. $50; $40(sr 60+);
$25(st/arts workers).
● 7:30: North Wind Concerts. New Tricks!
The Cinderella story reimagined in music by
Simon & Garfunkel, Cyndi Lauper, Queen,
and others. Susan St. John, Carol Ann Treitz,
Kathy Hanneson, Laura Pudwell, voices.
Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. www.
bemusednetwork.com/events/detail/1040.
Pay-What-You-Can. Suggested amount $20
or $35.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Mahler’s Fourth. See Mar 20.
Elmer
Iseler
Singers
● 8:00: Acoustic Harvest. Garnet Rogers.
St. Paul’s United Church, 200 McIntosh
St., Scarborough. ticketscene.ca; acousticharvest.ca;
acousticharvest@proton.
me(for e-transfer). $40(door cash only);
$35(advance). Fully accessible venue.
● 8:00: Voices Chamber Choir. Lux
Aeterna: Music for Lent. Morten Lauridsen:
Lux Aeterna; Cherubini: Requiem in c. Conrad
Gold, accompanist; Ron Cheung, conductor.
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Anglican Church,
151 Glenlake Ave. 416-519-0528. $25; $20(sr/
st); Free(under 12).
● 8:00: Voices Chamber Choir. Light Eternal.
Morten Lauridsen: Lux Aeterna; Luigi Cherubini:
Requiem. Conrad Gold, piano & organ;
Ron K. M. Cheung, conductor. Church of St.
Martin-in-the-Fields, 151 Glenlake Ave. www.
voiceschoir.com. $25; $20(sr/st - cash only).
Sunday March 23
● 1:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Young People’s Concert: Beethoven Lives
Upstairs. Classical Kids LIVE!, actors; Trevor
Wilson, TSO RBC Resident Conductor. Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or
www.tso.ca. From $30. Also 4pm.
● 3:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Piano
Recitals Series. Works by Bach, Mendelssohn,
Charles-Valentin Alkan, and Haydn.
Schaghajegh Nosrati, piano. Royal Conservatory
of Music - TELUS Centre - Koerner
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.
rcmusic.com/performance. From $40.
● 3:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Pop
Band. Western University - Talbot College -
Paul Davenport Theatre, 1151 Richmond St. N.,
London. 519-661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/
Lydia Adams, Conductor
Sat. Mar 22, 2025 at 4:00 pm
Eglinton St. Georges United Church
Springburst
Elmer Iseler Singers
Lydia Adams, Conductor
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
MacMillan Singers
Dr. Jamie Hillman, Conductor
TORONTO PREMIERE
Missa Super Terminos by Norbert Palej, Composer
416-217-0537 elmeriselersingers.com
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 41

LIVE OR ONLINE | Feb 1 to Apr 7, 2024
events. Free.
● 3:00: Trinity Bach Project. Bach & Passages.
Bach: Cantata BWV 196 “Der Herr denket
an uns”; Cantata BWV 106 “Gottes Zeit
ist die allerbeste Zeit” (Actus Tragicus); and
a cappella works by Monteverdi, MacMillan,
and Harris. Choir and chamber orchestra
with Nicholas Nicolaidis, conductor; Felix
Deák, viola da gamba; Laura Jones, viola da
gamba; Alison Melville, recorder; Colin Savage,
recorder. St. Jude’s Anglican Church
(Oakville), 160 William St., Oakville. 306-
250-4256 or www.trinitybachproject.org/
concerts or at the door. $30; $20(budget);
$10(st). Also Feb 27(1pm), Mar 1(8pm),
15(8pm).
● 3:00: Hannaford Street Silver Band. War
and Art. An exploration of the intersection
between two of the most powerful forces in
the world. Sarah Slean, singer & composer;
Hannaford Street Smaller Band. St. Lawrence
Centre for the Arts - Jane Mallett Theatre,
27 Front St. E. Call Thomas at 416-366-1656
x8277 or visit www.ticketmaster.ca. $45.
● 4:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Young People’s Concert: Beethoven Lives
Upstairs. See 1:30pm.
● 5:00: Nocturnes in the City. Piano Recital.
Works by Chopin, Ravel, and Mozart. Adam
Zuckiewicz, piano. St. Wenceslaus Church,
496 Gladstone Ave. 416-481-7294. $25.
Tuesday March 25
● 1:00: St. James Cathedral. The Life and
Music of Orlando Gibbons. Lecture-recital by
Thomas Bell & Jean-Paul Feo, organ. Cathedral
Church of St. James, 106 King St. E.
416-364-7865 or www.stjamescathedral.ca/
recitals. Free. Donations encouraged.
● 7:30: Grand Theatre. Waitress. Music &
Lyrics by Sara Bareilles; Book by Jessie Nelson;
Directed by Rachel Peake; based on the
motion picture by Adrienne Shelly. Grand
Theatre, 471 Richmond St., London. 519-672-
8800. $24-$101. Runs until Apr. 12th. Visit
grandtheatre.com for full performance dates
and pricing. See Musical Theatre on page xx.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Global Music Series: Angélique Kidjo. Royal
Conservatory of Music - TELUS Centre -
Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208
or www.rcmusic.com/performance. From
$65.
Wednesday March 26
● 1:00: University of Toronto - Trinity College
Chapel. The Life and Music of Orlando
Gibbons, the last of the Tudors. Thomas Bell
& Peter Bayer, organ. 6 Hoskin Ave. 416-978-
2522. Free.
● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Cinzia Milani, Guitar. Program
to be announced. First United Church,
16 William St. W., Waterloo. www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms.
$35; $10(st).
● 7:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Discovery
Series: GGS Chamber Competition
Finals. Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS
Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-
408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.
Free.
● 7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Early
Music Studio. Western University - Music
Building - Von Kuster Hall, 1151 Richmond St.
N., London. 519-661-3767 or www.music.uwo.
ca/events. Free.
8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
●
Angela Hewitt Plays Mozart. Reicha: Overture
in D Major; Mozart: Piano Concerto
No.21 K.467; Mendelssohn: Symphony No.3
“Scottish”. Angela Hewitt, piano; Marta
Gardolińska, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or www.tso.
ca. From $30. Also Mar 27(RTH @ 8pm),
Mar 29(RTH @ 8pm), Mar 30(George Weston
Recital Hall @ 3pm).
● 8:00: Burlington Performing Arts Centre.
Alan Frew’s 80’s Rewind. Burlington
Performing Arts Centre - Main Theatre,
440 Locust St., Burlington. 905-681-6000.
$59.50($54.50 member)-$79.50($74.50
member).
● 8:00: Alliance Française de Toronto.
Jeanne Côté. Alliance Français de Toronto -
Spadina Theatre, 24 Spadina Rd. www.alliance-francaise.ca.
$18.
● 8:00: Brampton On Stage. Brett Kissel.
The Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Ln., Brampton.
905-874-2800, tickets.brampton.ca.
$40-$89.
Thursday March 27
● Mandy Patinkin in Concert: BEING
ALIVE, to Massey Hall for one performance
only on Thursday, March 27, 2025. Tickets
go on sale this Friday, January 17 at 10AM
online or by calling the box office at (416)
872-4255
● 11:45am: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Student Recital - Voice. Wilfrid
Laurier University - Maureen Forrester
Recital Hall, 75 University Ave., Waterloo.
www.wlu.ca/academics/faculties/faculty-ofmusic/events/index.
Free.
● 12:00 noon: Metropolitan United Church.
Vocal Recital. Mixed opera hits programme.
Holly Chaplin, soprano; Amy Moodie; Austin
Larusson. Metropolitan United Church,
56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 x226. Freewill
donation.
● 6:45: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. TSO
Chamber Soloists. Repertoire and artists to
be announced. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe
St. 416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca/chambersoloists.
Access included with TSO concert
ticket for Mar 27.
● 7:30: Music Toronto. Isidore Quartet.
Mozart: String Quartet No.19 in C K.465
ISIDORE
QUARTET
Mozart, Beethoven
& Billy Childs
MAR 27 | 7:30PM
Music-Toronto.com
“Dissonance”; Billy Childs: String Quartet
No.3 “Unrequited”; Beethoven: String Quartet
No.12 in E-flat Op.127. Adrian Steele, violin;
Phoenix Avalon, violin; Devin Moore, viola;
Joshua McClendan, cello. St. Lawrence
Centre for the Arts - Jane Mallett Theatre,
27 Front St. E. 1-800-708-6754 or tickets@
music-toronto.com or www.musictorontoconcerts.com/concerts/isidore-quartet.
From $55. $20(arts workers).
● 7:30: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Improvisation Convergence
Ensemble (ICE) Concert. Wilfrid Laurier University
- Maureen Forrester Recital Hall,
75 University Ave., Waterloo. www.wlu.ca/
academics/faculties/faculty-of-music/events/
index. Free.
● 7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Jazz
Ensemble With Colleen Clark, Drums. Western
University - Talbot College - Paul Davenport
Theatre, 1151 Richmond St. N., London.
519-661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/events.
Free.
● 8:00: Massey Hall. Mandy Patinkin In Concert:
Being Alive. 178 Victoria St. 416-872-
4255 or www.masseyhall.mhrth.com. Visit
website or call for ticket info.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Angela Hewitt Plays Mozart. See Mar 26 for
concert details. Also Mar 29(RTH @ 8pm),
Mar 30(George Weston Recital Hall @ 3pm).
● 8:00: Burlington Performing Arts Centre.
Wide Mouth Mason. Burlington Performing
Arts Centre - Main Theatre,
440 Locust St., Burlington. 905-681-6000.
$49.50($44.50 member)-$69.50($64.50
member).
● 8:00: Esprit Orchestra. Edge of Your
Seat International Festival #2: Icefire, Do-
Re-Mi & Caring for the Earth. Lisa Streich:
ISHJÄRTA (North American premiere); Peter
Eötvös: Violin Concerto #2 “DoReMi” (Canadian
premiere); Andrew Norman: Sustain.
Alex Pauk, music director & conductor;
Akiko Suwanai, violin; Guest Composers:
Lisa Streich & Andrew Norman. Royal Conservatory
of Music - TELUS Centre - Koerner
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.
espritorchestra.com or www.rcmusic.com/
events-and-performances. From $20. 7:15pm
- Musical Insights with Alexina Louie and
guests.
Friday March 28
● 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Noontime
Recital. Haydn: Sonata in A-flat; Rachmaninoff:
Prelude Op.32 No.10; Debussy:, Ballade;
Scriabin: Etude in d-sharp. Ginger Lam, piano.
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 73 Simcoe
St. 416-593-5600 x220 or www.standrewstoronto.org.
Free. Donations welcome.
● 12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Fridays
at 12:30 Series: Stéphan Sylvestre,
Piano. Western University - Music Building -
Von Kuster Hall, 1151 Richmond St. N., London.
519-661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/events.
Free. LIVE & LIVESTREAM.
● 3:00: Canadian Children’s Opera Company.
Dido and Aeneas. Music by Purcell.
CCOC Young Artist Studio. Tapestry Opera
Theatre, 877 Yonge St. www.canadianchildrensopera.com.
Details to be announced.
Until Mar 30. Incomplete details on website
● 5:15: Kingston Baroque Consort. Baroque
Celebration. Handel: Music for the Royal
Fireworks; Bach: Orchestral Suite No.2 in b
BWV 1067. Gisele Dalbec-Szczesniak, Andrew
Dicker, Lisa Draper, Venetia Gauthier, Danielle
Lennon, and Julia McFarlane, violins;
Eileen Beaudette, viola; Jeff Hamacher, cello
& gamba; William Egnatoff, flute; Heather
Schreiner, recorder. Katie Legere, bassoon
& recorder; Michael Capon, harpsichord.
St. James Anglican Church, 10 Union St. W.,
Kingston. legerek@queensu.ca or 613-217-
5099 or www.kingstonbaroqueconsort.ca.
$25; $10(st); Free(under 17). Tickets available
at Novel Idea, 156 Princess St.
● 7:30: The Jeffery Concerts. Kevin Chen,
Piano. Chopin: Ballade No.4 in f Op.52; Chopin:
Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat Op.61; Chopin:
Variations on “Là ci darem la mano”
Op.2; Liszt: Ballade No.2 in b S.171; Schubert
(arr. Liszt): Erlkönig S.558 No.4; and other
works. London Public Library - Wolf Performance
Hall, 251 Dundas St., London. www.
grandtheatre.com or 519-672-8800. $40;
Free(st).
● 7:30: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. VOX Concert. Wilfrid Laurier University
- Theatre Auditorium, 75 University
Ave. W., Waterloo. www.wlu.ca/academics/
faculties/faculty-of-music/events/index. Free.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Chamber Music Series. Works by Dvořák,
Brahms, and Bizet. Martin Fröst, clarinet;
Antoine Tamestit, viola; and Shai Wosner,
piano. Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS
Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-
408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.
From $50.
● 8:00: Burlington Performing Arts Centre.
Forever Simon & Garfunkel: A Tribute.
Burlington Performing Arts Centre
- Main Theatre, 440 Locust St., Burlington.
905-681-6000. $49.50($44.50 member)-$69.50($64.50
member).
CHORAL
SPLENDOURS
Directed by Ivars Taurins
Myriam Leblanc, soprano
MARCH 28–30
Jeanne Lamon Hall,
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
tafelmusik.org
● 8:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Choral Splendours: Bach & Zelenka. Bach:
Excerpts from cantatas; Zelenka: Missa Sanctissimae
Trinitatis. Ivars Taurins, director;
Myriam Leblanc, soprano; Tafelmusik Chamber
Choir. Trinity St. Paul’s United Church.
Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. 1-833-
964–6337 or www.tafelmusik.org. $20-$95.
Also Mar 29 & 30.
● 8:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Dance
at Western: Studies in Motion. Western University
- Talbot College - Paul Davenport
42 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

Theatre, 1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-
661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/events. Free.
Saturday March 29
Saturday, March 29
2pm & 7pm
Enjoy a choral concert
with a lively Celtic band!
amadeuschoir.com/celtic
● 2:00: Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto.
Celtic Kitchen Party. Live music from Celtic
band North Atlantic Drift, a cash bar, delicious
food, silent auction, raffles, games, and
more. Lydia Adams, conductor. Jubilee United
Church, 40 Underhill Dr. www.amadeuschoir.
com/celtic. From $65. Also 7pm.
● 3:00: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Laurier Percussion Ensemble
Concert. Wilfrid Laurier University - Maureen
Forrester Recital Hall, 75 University Ave.,
Waterloo. www.wlu.ca/academics/faculties/
faculty-of-music/events/index. Free.
● 3:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Western
University Symphony Orchestra. Western
University - Talbot College - Paul Davenport
Theatre, 1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-
661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/events. Free.
● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Carpe Diem String Quartet.
Emilie Mayer: String Quartet in A; Glazunov:
Five Novelettes Op.15; Puccini: Crisantemi;
Prokofiev: String Quartet No.2 in F Op.92.
Sam Weiser, violin; Marisa Ishikawa, violin;
Korine Fujiwara, viola; Ariana Nelson, cello.
Keffer Memorial Chapel, Wilfrid Laurier University,
75 University Ave. W., Waterloo. www.
ticketscene.ca/kwcms. $40; $10(st); $65;
$15(st) for both concerts. Also Mar 31.
● 7:00: Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto.
Celtic Kitchen Party. Live music from Celtic
band North Atlantic Drift, a cash bar, delicious
food, silent auction, raffles, games, and
more. Lydia Adams, conductor. Jubilee United
Church, 40 Underhill Dr. www.amadeuschoir.
com/celtic. From $65. Also 2pm.
● 7:30: Music at the Toronto Oratory. Complete
Organ Works of J. S. Bach, Part XII:
Music for Lent. Includes Prelude and Fugue
in e, “Dorian” Toccata and Fugue, Trio Sonata
No.4, and chorale preludes. Aaron James,
organ. Holy Family Roman Catholic Church -
Oratory, 1372 King St. W. 416-532-2879. Free
admission. Donations accepted.
● 7:30: Confluence Concerts. A Suba Surprise.
Curated by Suba Sankaran. Pre-concert
chat at 6:45pm. A musician, composer,
educator, choral director, and sound
designer; Suba’s shows are always full
of discovery and delight. Heliconian Hall,
35 Hazelton Ave. 647-678-4923. $30 or www.
confluenceconcerts.ca. Also Mar 30.
● 7:30: Brampton On Stage. The Rose
Orchestra: Legendary Journeys. From mystical
warriors to star-crossed lovers, experience
the tales of legends and fate through
unforgettable compositions. Join The Rose
Orchestra as they explore the music of John
Williams and Richard Wagner. Samuel Tak-Ho
Tam, conductor. The Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre
Ln., Brampton. www.tickets.brampton.ca/
online or 905-874-2800. From $15.
● 7:30: Metropolitan Winds of Toronto.
Journey through the Night. Deciduous,
Illumination and more! Conducted by Travis
Grubissi and Kevin Vuong. Salvation Army
Scarborough Citadel Community Church,
2021 Lawrence Ave. E., Scarborough. Tickets
available at the door. $15(adult//sr/st); Free12
and under).
● 7:30: Barrie Concert Association. Things
Lived and Dreamt. Dvořák: Two Humoresques;
Suk: Spring from Things Lived and
Dreamt; Kaprálová:April Preludes; Debussy:
Three Preludes; and works by Silvestrov and
Chopin. Francine Kay, piano. Hiway Pentecostal
Church, 50 Anne St. N., Barrie. www.
barrieconcerts.org or 705-436-1232. $45;
$10(st).
● 7:30: The Annex Singers. Carmina
Burana. Orff: Carmina Burana, and works
by Willan, Whitacre, Antognini, and others.
Melanie Conly, soprano; Joshua Clemenger,
tenor; Lutzen Riedstra, bass-baritone; Maria
Case, artistic director. Grace Church on-the-
Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd. www.annexsingers.
com. From $15. LIVE & STREAMED.
● 8:00: Nagata Shachu. Japanese and
Korean Music with Nagata Shachu, Haneum,
and Eunji Kim. Harbourfront Centre Theatre,
235 Queens Quay W. www.harbourfrontcentre.com/event/nagata-shachu-and-haneum.
From $30.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Chamber Music Series: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
at 300. A celebration of Vivaldi and his
contemporaries. Les Arts Florissants; Théotime
Langlois de Swarte, violin. Royal Conservatory
of Music - TELUS Centre - Koerner
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.
rcmusic.com/performance. From $60.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Angela Hewitt Plays Mozart. See Mar 26. Also
Mar 30(George Weston Recital Hall @ 3pm).
● 8:00: Kindred Spirits Orchestra. Gods
and Griffons. Gary Kulesha: Concerto for
Piano Trio and Strings (world premiere);
Stravinsky: Apollon Musagète. Gryphon Trio
(James Parker, piano; Annalee Patipatanakoon,
violin; Roman Borys, cello); Daniel Vnukowski,
host; Kristian Alexander, conductor.
Cornell Community Centre - Recital Hall,
3201 Bur Oak Ave., Markham. 905-604-8339.
$50-$40 (adult) $40-$30 (senior) $30-$25
(youth). Intermission discussion and Q&A
with Gary Kulesha and Daniel Vnukowski.
● 8:00: Mississauga Symphony Orchestra.
Masterworks - Beethoven & Schumann.
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1; Schumann:
Symphony No. 4. Guest Artist: Daniel Vnukowski,
Piano. Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living
Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905-306-6000. Tickets
start at $40. Visit livingartscentre.ca for
tickets.
● 8:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Choral Splendours: Bach & Zelenka. See
Mar 28. Also Mar 30.
Sunday March 30
● 1:15: Mooredale Concerts. Music and
Truffles Kids. Duo Sonidos. Walter Hall,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-922-3714 x103; 647-988-
2102 (eve/wknd). $25.
● 3:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Angela Hewitt Plays Mozart. See Mar 26.
● 3:00: Confluence Concerts. A Suba Surprise.
See Mar 29.
K ri s ti a nAl e xander|Musi c Di r ector
● 3:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Choral Splendours: Bach & Zelenka. See
Mar 28.
● 3:15: Mooredale Concerts. Duo Sonidos.
Music from Brazil, USA, and Spain. Walter
Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-922-3714 x103; 647-
988-2102 (eve/wknd). $30-$55.
● 4:00: St. Olave’s Anglican Church. Bruckner
200. Opens with Choral Evensong, a
religious service followed at 4:45pm by an
illustrated music feature Jeremy Tingle,
St. Olave’s Music Director who will present
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 43

LIVE OR ONLINE | Feb 1 to Apr 7, 2024
SUN 30 MARCH AT 4
Choral Evensong
plus at 4.45 p.m.
BRUCKNER 200
Anniversary music feature
with Jeremy Tingle
excerpts from Bruckner’s First, Sixth, and
Seventh Symphonies, as well as examples of
his church music. St. Olave’s Anglican Church,
360 Windermere Ave. www.YouTube.com/
StOlavesAnglicanChurch or 416-769-5686.
Contributions appreciated.
● 6:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Los
Gansitos Salsa Band. Western University
- Talbot College - Paul Davenport Theatre,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767
or www.music.uwo.ca/events. Free.
● 7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club. Genticorum.
Yann Falquet, guitar/bass/jaw harp/
vocals; Pascal Gemme, fiddle & vocals; Nicholas
Williams, wooden flute/piano/accordion/
vocals. Chaucer’s Pub, 122 Carling St., London.
519-319-5847 or folk@iandavies.com.
Tickets available at Marienbad Restaurant,
Chaucer’s Pub, Grooves (Wortley Village),
Long & McQuade North. $30/$25(adv).
Monday March 31
● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Carpe Diem String Quartet.
Haydn: String Quartet Op.33 No.3 “The
Bird”; Laura Kaminsky: Vanishing Point; Emilie
Mayer: String Quartet in e; Korine Fujiwara:
Fiddle Suite Montana. Sam Weiser, violin;
Marisa Ishikawa, violin; Korine Fujiwara, viola;
Ariana Nelson, cello. Keffer Memorial Chapel,
Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave.
W., Waterloo. www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms.
$40; $10(st); $65; $15(st) for both concerts.
Also Mar 29.
● 7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Contemporary
Music Studio. Western University
- Music Building - Von Kuster Hall,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767
or www.music.uwo.ca/events. Free.
Tuesday April 1
● 11:45am: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Student Recital. Wilfrid Laurier
University - Maureen Forrester Recital Hall,
75 University Ave., Waterloo. www.wlu.ca/
academics/faculties/faculty-of-music/events/
index. Free.
● 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday Organ
Recital. James Mooney-Dutton, 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
Concert by Student Composers.
Western University - Talbot College - Paul
Davenport Theatre, 1151 Richmond St. N., London.
519-661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/
events. Free.
● 7:30: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Chamber Music Concert - Strings.
Wilfrid Laurier University - Maureen Forrester
Recital Hall, 75 University Ave., Waterloo.
www.wlu.ca/academics/faculties/faculty-ofmusic/events/index.
Free.
● 7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Vancouver
Recital Society Visiting Artist Series
With Steven Osborne, Piano. Western University
- Music Building - Von Kuster Hall,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767
or www.music.uwo.ca/events. Free.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Pops Goes to the Movies: The Music of Hans
Zimmer. Special guests to be announced. Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375
or www.tso.ca. From $41. Also Apr 2(2pm
& 8pm).
Wednesday April 2
● 10:00am: Don Wright Faculty of Music.
Vancouver Recital Society Visiting Artist
Series Masterclass With Steven Osborne,
Piano. Western University - Music Building
- Von Kuster Hall, 1151 Richmond St. N., London.
519-661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/
events. Free.
● 2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Pops
Goes to the Movies: The Music of Hans Zimmer.
See Apr 1. Also Apr 2(8pm).
● 7:30: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Laurier Wind Orchestra Concert.
Wilfrid Laurier University - Maureen Forrester
Recital Hall, 75 University Ave., Waterloo.
www.wlu.ca/academics/faculties/faculty-ofmusic/events/index.
Free.
● 7:30: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Rebanks Family Fellowship Concert. Solo and
chamber works are performed by young artists
on the cusp of major careers, who are
enrolled in The Rebanks Family Fellowship
and International Performance Residency
Program at The Glenn Gould School. Royal
Conservatory of Music - TELUS Centre - Mazzoleni
Concert Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. www.
rcmusic.com/tickets. Free.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Pops Goes to the Movies: The Music of Hans
Zimmer. See Apr 1.
● 8:00: Esprit Orchestra. Edge of Your
Seat International Festival #3: Carrot Revolution.
Gabriella Smith: Carrot Revolution;
Keiko Abe: Michi; Mark Duggan: Maracatu
Imaginário (previously commissioned
by Esprit); Julia Mermelstein: Floral Reef
(World premiere & Esprit Orchestra Commission);
Roydon Tse: Stepwise (World premiere
& Esprit Orchestra Commission); and
other works. Alex Pauk, music director &
conductor; Ryan Scott, percussion; Michael
Murphy, percussion; Aline Morales, vocalist.
Trinity St. Paul’s United Church. Jeanne
Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208
or www.espritorchestra.com or www.
rcmusic.com/events-and-performances.
From $20. 7:15pm - Musical Insights with
Alexina Louie and guests.
Thursday April 3
● Theatre Orangeville. One Step at a Time.
Written, composed & performed by Andrew
Prashad. 87 Broadway, Orangeville. www.
theatreorangeville.ca/show/one-step-at-atime.
Apr 3-6.
● April 3-6, One Step at a Time, Theatre
Orangeville
● 11:45am: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Student Recital. Wilfrid Laurier
University - Maureen Forrester Recital Hall,
75 University Ave., Waterloo. www.wlu.ca/
academics/faculties/faculty-of-music/events/
index. Free.
● 12:00 noon: Metropolitan United Church.
Chamber Music from the Glenn Gould School
of Music. Metropolitan United Church,
56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 x226. Freewill
donation.
WOMEN’S MUSICAL CLUB OF TORONTO
APRIL 3, 2025 | 1.30 PM
MIDORI MARSH
416-923-7052 | wmct.on.ca
● 1:30: Women’s Musical Club of Toronto.
Music in the Afternoon: Midori Marsh.
Themes of Sisterhood with works by Malibran,
Viardot, and Nadia and Lili Boulanger.
Midori Marsh, soprano; Alex Hetherington,
mezzo; Frances Armstrong, piano;
Laura Chambers, flute. University of Toronto
- Edward Johnson Building - Walter Hall,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-923-7052 X1 or www.
wmct.on.ca. $50; free(st with ID at door).
● 7:30: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Chamber Music Concert - Winds
& Brass. Wilfrid Laurier University - Maureen
Forrester Recital Hall, 75 University Ave.,
Waterloo. www.wlu.ca/academics/faculties/
faculty-of-music/events/index. Free.
● 7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Western
University Singers Choir. Western University
- Music Building - Von Kuster Hall,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767
or www.music.uwo.ca/events. Free.
● 7:30: Brampton On Stage. Brampton
Music Theatre: Beautiful - The Carole King
Musical. The Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Ln.,
Brampton. 905-874-2800, tickets.brampton.
ca. $20-$45. Also Apr. 4, 5 & 6.
● 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre. Classic
Albums Live Performs Eagles - The Greatest
Hits. 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham. 905-
305-7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre.ca.
From $60.
Friday April 4
● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Beethoven Piano Sonata
Cycle: Part 3. Beethoven: Piano Sonatas
Nos.2, 16, 25, 18. Heather Taves, piano. Conrad
Grebel University College - Chapel,
140 Westmount Rd. N., Waterloo. www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms.
$30; $10(st). Ticket bundle
for entire series $150.
● 7:00: Jazz at Durbar. The Matt Pines Trio.
Featuring Maddie Leroy on vocals. Durbar
Indian Restaurant, 2469 Bloor St. W. 416-762-
4441. No cover. Reserve a table for dinner or
come by for a drink at the bar.
● 7:30: Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty
of Music. Laurier Choirs Concert. Wilfrid
Laurier University - Theatre Auditorium,
75 University Ave. W., Waterloo. www.wlu.ca/
academics/faculties/faculty-of-music/events/
index. Free.
● 7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Student
Composers and Chamber Music Gala
Concert. Western University - Music Building
- Von Kuster Hall, 1151 Richmond St. N., London.
519-661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/
events. Free.
● 7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Chorale
& Les Choristes Choirs. Western University
- Talbot College - Paul Davenport Theatre,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767
or www.music.uwo.ca/events. Free.
● 7:30: Brampton On Stage. Brampton
Music Theatre: Beautiful - The Carole King
Musical. See Apr 3. Also Apr 5 & 6.
● 8:00: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.
Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. Tracy Cantin,
soprano; Simona Genga, mezzo; Frédéric
Antoun, tenor; Brett Polegato, baritone;
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir; Instrumental
Ensemble; Jean-Sébastien Vallée, conductor.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. www.
tmchoir.org/event/beethoven-missa-solemnis.
From $25.
● 8:00: Centre in the Square. Zakir
Hussain,Tabla. 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener.
519-578-1570 or www.centreinthesquare.
com. From $44.50.
● 8:00: Hugh’s Room Live. Maria Doyle Kennedy.
Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson
Hall, 296 Broadview Ave. www.showpass.
com/mariadoylekennedy. $40.
Saturday April 5
● 1:00: Brampton On Stage. Brampton
Music Theatre: Beautiful - The Carole King
Musical. See Apr 3. Also Apr 6.
● 7:00: Brampton On Stage. Crate Clash.
The Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Ln., Brampton.
www.tickets.brampton.ca/online or 905-874-
2800. $10.
● 7:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra. Pastorale.
Beethoven: Symphony No.6 in F Op.68
“Pastorale”; Beethoven: Overture to Fidelio;
Copland: Appalachian Spring. FirstOntario
Performing Arts Centre - Partridge
Hall, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-
688-0722 or boxoffice@firstontariopac.ca.
From $39; $52(arts workers); $46(under
35); $29(st); $24(18 and under). Also
Apr 6(2:30pm).
● 7:30: Stratford Symphony Orchestra.
Orchestral Fireworks! Brahms:Academic
Festival Overture Op.80; Popper: Hungarian
Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra Op.68;
Prokofiev: Lt. Kije Suite Op.60; Rimsky-Korsakov:
Capriccio espagnol Op.34. Gwendolyn
44 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

Nguyen, cello; William Rowson, conductor.
Avondale United Church (Stratford),
194 Avondale Ave., Stratford. 519-271-0990
or www.stratfordsymphony.ca/Orchestral_
Fireworks. $50; $15(st); Free(under 12).
● 7:30: Sudbury Symphony Orchestra.
Ravel at 150. Haydn: String Quartet in D
Op.76 No.2 “Quintenquartett”; Ravel: String
Quartet in F. Beth Schneider-Gould, violin;
Melissa Schaak, violin; Geoff McCausland,
viola; Dobrochna Zubek, cello. St. Andrew’s
United Church (Sudbury), 111 Larch St., Sudbury.
www.ci.ovationtix.com/36875/performance/11512490.
$35; $20(under 30).
● 7:30: London Symphonia. Beethoven
and Sibelius With Kerson Leong. Beethoven:
Violin Concerto; Sibelius: Symphony No.2.
Kerson Leong, violin; Tania Miller, conductor.
Metropolitan United Church, 468 Wellington
St., London. 226-270-0910 or www.londonsymphonia.ca.
$55 General Admission,
$75 Reserved Seating, and $55 for unlimited
Video On Demand 21-day access.
● 7:30: Etobicoke Centennial Choir. Mass in
Blue. Will Todd: Mass in Blue. Connor Crone,
bass; Jake Koffman, saxophone; Raul Pineda,
drums; Carl Steinhauser, piano. Runnymede
United Church, 432 Runnymede Rd. 416-779-
2258 or www.etobicokecentennialchoir.ca.
$35; Free(12 and under when accompanied
by an adult).
● 7:30: Axis Club Theatre. Mars Hotel with
Special Guests Zuffalo. Ages 19+. 722 College
St. www.ticketweb.ca/event/mars-hotelwith-special-guest-the-axis-club-tickets/14075743.
$32.81.
● 8:00: Toronto Consort. English Madrigals:
“April Is in My Mistress’ Face”. Trinity
St. Paul’s United Church. Jeanne Lamon Hall,
427 Bloor St. W. www.torontoconsort.org.
Visit website for ticket information.
Sunday April 6
● 1:00: Brampton On Stage. Brampton
Music Theatre: Beautiful - The Carole King
Musical. See Apr 3.
● 2:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. ARC
Ensemble: Hollywood Exiles. Works by Franz
Waxman and Miklós Rózsa. Erika Raum, violin;
Marie Bérard, violin; Steven Dann, viola;
Thomas Wiebe, cello; Jaoquin Valdepenas,
clarinet; Kevin Ahfat, piano. Royal Conservatory
of Music - TELUS Centre - Mazzoleni
Concert Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. www.rcmusic.
com/tickets. $40.
● 2:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra. Pastorale.
See Apr 5.
● 3:00: Orchestra Toronto. Theatrical
Operatic Fusion. Works by Verdi, Puccini,
Wagner, and others. Soloists to be
announced; Michael Newnham, conductor.
Meridian Arts Centre - George Weston
TORONTO CLASSICAL SINGERS
JURGEN PETRENKO, CONDUCTOR PRESENTS:
BEETHOVEN MASS IN C MAJOR
MOZART REQUIEM
FEATURING:
Lesley Bouza
Christina Campsall
Paul Genyk-Berezowski
APRIL 6 2025, 4PM
Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St. 416-366-7723 or
1-800-708-6754 or boxoffice@tolive.com.
From $14. Pre-concert chat at 2:15pm.
● 4:00: Elora Singers. Burning Measures:
Bach, Pärt, O’Regan. Three choral masterpieces,
spanning centuries. Join us for an
afternoon where the past and the present
converge, and where music becomes a gateway
to the divine. Tarik O’Regan: The Ecstasies
Above; Arvo Pärt: Te Deum; Bach: Nach
dir, Herr, verlanget mich, BWV 150; Bach:
Sanctus in D, BWV 238. St. Matthew’s Centre,
54 Benton St., Kitchener. 519-846-0331
or www.elorasingers.ca. $55, $20 (student),
$10 (12 & under).
● 4:00: St. Philip’s Recital Series. Baila. A
celebration of global rhythms through the
music of Astor Piazzolla, Phillip Houghton,
Clarice Assad, and world-premiere performances
of a new work by Kalaisan Kalaichelvan.
Quartet Malamatina, classical guitar
quartet. St. Philip’s Anglican Church, 31 St.
Phillips Rd., Etobicoke. 416-247-5181. Admission
by donation. Suggested: $20.
● 4:00: Toronto Classical Singers.
Beethoven C Major Mass & Mozart Requiem.
Mozart: Requiem in d K.626; Beethoven: Mass
in C Op.86. Soloists: Lesley Bouza, Christina
Campsall, and Paul Genyk-Berezowski;
Toronto Classical Singers & Players; Jurgen
Petrenko, conductor. Christ Church Deer
Park, 1570 Yonge St. www.TorontoClassical-
Singers.ca/Tickets. $40.
● 4:00: Rezonance Baroque Ensemble. Venetian
Carnival. St. David’s Anglican Church,
49 Donlands Ave. www.RezonanceEnsemble.
CHRIST CHURCH DEER PARK
1570 YONGE STREET
TICKETS:
TorontoClassicalSingers.ca/Tickets
com or 647-779-5696. $30; $20(st);
Free(child).
● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Beethoven Piano Sonata
Cycle: Part 4. Beethoven: Piano Sonatas
Nos.11, 22, 29 “Hammerklavier”. Heather
Taves, piano. Keffer Memorial Chapel, Wilfrid
Laurier University, 75 University Ave. W.,
Waterloo. www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms. $30;
$10(st). Ticket bundle for entire series $150.
● 8:00: Esprit Orchestra. Edge of Your
Seat International Festival #4: Imaginary
Pancake. Quinn Jacobs: New Work (World
Berczy Tavern, The
69 Front Street East
theberczy.com @theberczy
An upscale dining room and piano bar, with
music 6 nights a week
Black Bear Pub
1125 O’Connor Drive
blackbearpub.ca @blackbearpubonoconnor
A neighbourhood pub and family restaurant
with instrumental jazz on Tuesday nights
Black Swan Tavern
154 Danforth Avenue
blackswantavern.com @
blackswantavern1972
Since 1972, a fixture on Toronto’s blues since,
including several open mics each week
BSMT 254
254 Lansdowne Ave. 416-801-6325
bsmt254.com @bsmt254toronto
A cozy music venue with an underground
vibe, BSMT 254 has a wide variety of shows,
from jazz to hip-hop to DJ nights.
Bluebird Bar, The
2072 Dundas St. W. 416-535-0777
bluebirdbarto.com @thebluebirdto
A friendly spot for drinks and local beers, featuring
live music every Thursday including
jazz, folk, blues and country.
Burdock
1184 Bloor St. W. 416-546-4033
burdockto.com @burdockbrewery
A sleek music hall with exceptional sound
and ambience, featuring a draft list of housemade
brews.
Cameron House, The
408 Queen St. W. 416-703-0811
thecameron.com @the.cameronhouse
An intimate, bohemian bar with ceiling
murals & nightly performances from local
roots acts on 2 stages.
Castro’s Lounge
2116 Queen St. E. 416-699-8272
castroslounge.com @castroslounge
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.
MAINLY CLUBS
premiere & Esprit Orchestra Commission);
Bernhard Lang: D/W 24 “Loops for Al Jourgensen”;
Ben Nobuto: Serenity 2.0; Gabriella
Smith: Imaginary Pancake; Chris Paul Harman:
Partita for Solo Violin No.2. Alex Pauk,
music director & conductor; Wesley Shen,
piano; Mark Fewer, violin; Wallace Halladay,
saxophone. Trinity St. Paul’s United Church.
Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-408-
0208 or www.espritorchestra.com or www.
rcmusic.com/events-and-performances.
From $20. 7:15pm - Musical Insights with
Alexina Louie and guests.
C’est What
67 Front St. E. 416-867-9499
cestwhat.com @cestwhatto
A haven for those who appreciate real cask
ale, draught beer from local Ontario breweries,
and live music.
Communist’s Daughter, The
1149 Dundas Street W.
@thecommunistsdaughtertoronto
Beloved intimate dive bar with live music on
Saturday and Sunday afternoons
Drom Taberna
458 Queen St. W. 647-748-2099
dromtaberna.com @dromtaberna
A heartfelt homage to the lands that stretch
from the Baltic to the Balkans to the Black
Sea, with a wide variety of music 7 nights a
week.
Duke Live, The
1225 Queen Street East. 416-466-2624
theduketoronto.com @theduketoronto.
com_
An assuming destination with casual pub fare
with live music including a big band series on
Sundays.
Emmet Ray, The
924 College St. 416-792-4497
theemmetray.com @theemmetray
A whisky bar with a great food menu, an everchanging
draft list, and live jazz, funk, folk and
more in the back room; live music 7 nights
a week.
Epochal Imp
123 Danforth Avenue
epochalimp.com @epochal_imp
Specialty coffee house, bar, entertainment
& books
Free Times Cafe, The
320 College St. 416-967-1078
freetimescafe.com @freetimescafeofficial
Home of the world’s longest-running weekly
Klezmer series, every Sunday afternoon with
brunch.
Function Bar + Kitchen
2291 Yonge St. 416-440-4007
functionbar.ca @functionbarto
Friendly atmosphere with open mic Tuesdays
& Sundays and mostly Soul and R&B on Fridays
and Saturdays.
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 45

MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZ
continued from 27
In terms of hiring hosts for the jam, here is what he looks for: “Being
able to draw a crowd of players and listeners helps, but it’s not everything.
I think a good host encourages people to participate and also
protects the integrity of the performances. There is jam etiquette that a
lot of people don’t know about. For example, the jams are as much or
more about hearing people play as they are about playing. Doing more
than two songs is frowned upon unless nobody else wants to play. You
have to know the tune, too. If you don’t, I’d suggest calling one that you
do know, or stepping down and choosing another moment to play. A
good host will be able to keep those things in order.”
In the heart of the Annex neighbourhood, every Sunday at the
Tranzac Living Room space from 7-10pm, find The Conversation Jam.
This is a unique session specifically designed to blend the worlds of
tap dancing and jazz music. A similar concept, “The Jazz United Jam”
took place in the same space between 2018 and 2019 spearheaded
by dancer Travis Knights, singer-songwriter Jennarie (then known
as Jenna Marie) and musician Kristian Fourier. It was there that tap
dancer Vincent Marchesano first fell in love with dancing to live
music, which changed his approach to dance entirely.
“I can only tap dance to live music because of Jazz United – I
remember that first day, my mind was blown – I brought my shoes but
I didn’t even put them on, I actually had to step back and relearn how
to dance. I came from the competitive dance circuit, which was all
with tracks.”
When Jazz United came to an end in late 2019, Marchesano along
with dancer Tatiana Palfaro and vocalist Maggie Keogh decided to start
hosting The Conversation Jam in the very same space. Within a few
months, the world had shut down. For the past 18 months he has been
Vincent Marchesano at Jazz United
running the jam on his own, booking a rotating host band and supervising
the proceedings. He is looking for volunteers who wish to help,
as long as they honour the roots of the jam as a meeting place where
tap dancing and live music co-exist every week.
Speaking of dancing – it is sad to report that the Swing Dance Tuesday
jam at Drom Taberna has just come to an end, after a three-year
run. Led by swing guitarist-vocalist Nat Beja, the event was a warm
and harmonious union between trad jazz and swing dancers, and is
looking for a new home – any venue interested in housing this event
can contact @nat.beja on Instagram.
On that note: audience members who wish to support the scene
should remember that due to lack of patronage, most jams are as
ephemeral as springtime. So show up and tell your friends – because
without an audience, none of this magic can thrive, let alone survive.
ORI DAGAN
MAINLY CLUBS
Grossman’s Tavern
379 Spadina Ave. 416-977-7000
grossmanstavern.com @grossmanstavern
One of the city’s longest-running live music
venues, and Toronto’s self-described “Home
of the Blues.”
Handlebar
159 Augusta Ave. 647-748-7433
thehandlebar.ca @handlebar_to
Ahip night spot with a variety of entertainment
including open mic Tuesdays and a
monthly jazz jam.
Hirut Cafe and Restaurant
2050 Danforth Ave. 416-551-7560
hirutjazz.ca @hirutcafe
A major destination for delicious and nutritious
Ethiopian cuisine, with monthly jazz
residencies and jam sessions.
Hugh’s Room Live
296 Broadview Ave. 647-960-2593
hughsroomlive.com @hughsroomlive
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 @jazzbistroto
In an historic location, Jazz Bistro features
great food, a stellar wine list, and world-class
jazz musicians.
Jazz Room, The
Located in the Huether Hotel, 59 King St. N.,
Waterloo. 226-476-1565
kwjazzroom.com @thejazzroom
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.
Jean Darlene Piano Room, The
1203 Dundas Street West.
jeandarlene.ca @jeandarlenepianoroom
An intoxicating atmosphere, cool cocktails
and great talent including “singalong karaoke
open mic” on Thursday, Fridays and
Saturdays.
Linsmore Tavern, The
1298 Danforth Ave. 416-466-5130
linsmoretavern.com @linsmoretavern
An old-school tavern with rock, cover bands
and a weekly Sunday blues night.
Local, The
396 Roncesvalles Ave 416-535-6225
@thelocaltoronto
Neighbourhood bar with pub fare, local beers
and live music
Lula Lounge
1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307
lula.ca @lulalounge
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 @manhattans_guelph
An independently owned neighbourhood restaurant
boasting a unique dining experience
that features live music almost every night
of the week.
Monarch Tavern
12 Clinton St. 416-531-5833
themonarchtavern.com @monarchtavern
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.
Motel Bar
1235 Queen Street W. 416-399-4108
@motelparkdale
Casual spot for drinks, laid back atmosphere
and up-close live music
My House in the Junction
2882 Dundas Street W. 416-604-4555
myhouseinthejunction.com @
myhouseinthejunction
Unique bar, lounge, restaurant, event space
and live music venue, including jazz every
Friday.
Noonan’s Pub
141 Danforth Ave. 416-778-1804
noonanspub.ca @noonansirishpub
Traditional Irish pub with casual atmosphere
and live music including swing, blues, rock
and country.
Old Mill, The
21 Old Mill Rd. 416-236-2641
oldmilltoronto.com @oldmilltoronto
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
straight ahead jazz.
Only Cafe, The
962 Danforth Ave. 416-463-3249
theonlycafe.com @theonlycafe
A casual backroom of a friendly bar with a
wide variety of music programmed including
weekly jam sessions and young artist
showcases..
Painted Lady, The
218 Ossington Avenue
thepaintedlady.ca @paintedladyossington
Cheeky saloon serving burlesque, live music,
craft beer & clever nibbles
Pamenar
307 Augusta Ave.
cafepamenar.com @pamenar_km
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 @thepilot_to
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 @poetryjazzcafe
A sexy, clubby space, Poetry hosts live jazz,
hip-hop, and DJs nightly on Queen St. West.
46 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

TORONTO JAM SESSIONS
There are countless Open Mics happening
in this city, which are different from jazz
jams. At Open Mics all genres are welcome;
performers sign up and present a song or
two of their choosing (often original tunes).
Jazz jams are more focused on spontaneous
collaborations and usually the songs are
well-known standards or blues. Most jams
welcome vocalists as well as instrumentalists,
and some are more singer-friendly than
others. I invite readers to contact me if you
need any advice on where to go or how to get
prepared: @oridaganjazz on Instagram.
! Girls Night Out Jazz (“GNO”) is a Toronto
institution which was founded by Lisa
Particelli in 2005. It functions more as a “Jazz
open mic” than a jam in the sense that there
is a sign-up sheet - but I am including it here
because it is a cherished safe space for vocalists
of all levels, with top-notch jazz musicians
who are provided. Currently taking
place on the third Sunday of the month at
The Kingston House, on Kingston Rd. e. of
Main, February 16 is the next edition: follow
Girls Night Out Jazz on Facebook to stay connected.
! Friday Night Blues Jam
Hosted by guitarist Mike Sedgewick, this weekly tradition now takes
place at The Black Swan Tavern. This jam is so deeply communityoriented
that they even have an annual awards show featuring
Lisa Particelli, founder of Girls Night Out
GNO FACEBOOK
citations for different instrument categories,
as well as “new talent,” “most improved” and
“superfan.” Always a welcoming environment
where talent is celebrated. Let the good
times roll!
! The Classic Rex Jazz Jam has been going
on for decades on Tuesday evenings at The
Rex Hotel, currently hosted by bassist extraordinaire
Chris Banks. Musicians from all
ranks of the scene come by and sit in – one of
the most cross-generational events around.
And you never know who will show up – one
time Wynton Marsalis did, and he sat in!
As I mentioned earlier, most jams are as
ephemeral as springtime, but the flip side of
that is that they spring up unexpectedly as
well. Our Mainly Clubs, Mostly Jazz listings,
commencing on page 45 offer digital links to
these venues’ most up-to-date event information.
So check them out. You never know
what you may discover.
Singer/songwriter Ori Dagan has toured across Canada
and internationally, and has been a staple on the Toronto
scene for over 20 years. Locally he also works as a curator,
producer, host and artistic director of JazzInToronto.
OPERA, MUSIC THEATRE, DANCE
Redwood Theatre, The
1300 Gerrard Street East. 647-547-4410
theredwoodtheatre.com @
theredwoodtheatre
A multi-disciplinary space for music, dance,
circus, comedy, theatre and more.
Reposado Bar & Lounge
136 Ossington Ave. 416-532-6474
reposadobar.com @reposadobar
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 @reservoirlounge
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.toronto
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 @therextoronto
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 @sauceondanforth
With Victorian lighting, cocktails, and an
extensive tap and bottle list, Sauce on Danforth
has live music Tuesday through Saturday
(and sometimes Sunday).
Sellers & Newel
672 College Street. 647-778-6345
sellersandnewel.com @sellersandnewel
Intimate bookstore that doubles as a live
music venue in the evenings.
Smokeshow BBQ and Brew
744 Mt. Pleasant Rd 416-901-7469
smokeshowbbqandbrew.com @
smokeshowjohn
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.
@tapestry_to
In the space formerly occupied by Poetry,
Tapestry features jazz, electronic music, soul,
and more.
Tranzac
292 Brunswick Ave. 416-923-8137
tranzac.org @tranzac292
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.
For details of short-run productions, see daily listings; for extended runs
(8 shows or more) consult presenter websites for more information.
● Bach Elgar Choir. The Trial of Gilbert &
Sullivan. Gilbert & Sullivan: Trial by Jury and
scenes from other Gilbert & Sullivan works.
Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. Ancaster
Memorial Arts Centre, 357 Wilson St. E.,
Ancaster. 416-888-8249 or www.bachelgar.
ca/events. Visit website for ticket information.
Mar 8(7:30pm).
● Brampton On Stage. Alan Cumming &
Ari Shapiro: Och & Oy! A Considered Cabaret.
Alan Cumming (Cabaret, The Good Wife)
and Ari Shapiro (NPR’s All Things Considered,
Pink Martini) both transport audiences to
other worlds through their stories. Rose Theatre,
The (Brampton), 1 Theatre Ln., Brampton.
905-874-2800, tickets.brampton.ca.
$40-$89. Mar 21(8pm).
● Brampton On Stage. Brampton Music
Theatre: Beautiful - The Carole King Musical.
The Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Ln., Brampton.
905-874-2800, tickets.brampton.ca. $20-
$45. Also Apr. 3, 4, 5 & 6.
● Don Wright Faculty of Music. Opera and
Musical Theatre Gala With Early Music Studio.
Western University - Talbot College - Paul
Davenport Theatre, 1151 Richmond St. N., London.
519-661-3767 or www.music.uwo.ca/
events. Free. Feb 1(2pm).
● Grand Theatre. Waitress. Music &
Lyrics by Sara Bareilles; Book by Jessie
Nelson; Directed by Rachel Peake; based
on the motion picture by Adrienne
Shelly. Grand Theatre, 471 Richmond St.,
London. 519-672-8800. $24-$101. Visit www.
grandtheatre.com for full performance dates
and pricing. Mar 27 until Apr 12.
● Massey Hall. Mandy Patinkin In Concert:
Being Alive. 178 Victoria St. 416-872-4255 or
www.masseyhall.mhrth.com. Visit website or
call for ticket info. Mar 27(8pm).
● Metropolitan United Church. Vocal
Recital. Mixed opera hits programme. Holly
Chaplin, soprano; Amy Moodie; Austin Larusson.
Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen
St. E. 416-363-0331 x226. Freewill donation.
Mar 27(12 noon).
● Mirvish. Come from Away. Royal Alexandra
Theatre, 260 King St. W. www.mirvish.
com. Ongoing to Apr 6.
● Mirvish. Disney’s The Lion King. Princess
of Wales Theatre, 300 King St. W. www.mirvish.com.
Ongoing until Aug 30.
● Mirvish. Inside American Pie. Created
by Mike Ross and Sara Wilson. CAA Theatre,
651 Yonge St. www.mirvish.com. Mar 12-30.
● Native Earth Performing Arts & Aki Studio.
The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee.
Shifting Ground Collective. Theatre Passe
Muraille, 16 Ryerson Ave. www.nativeearth.
ca. Mar 6-15.
● Orchestra Toronto. Theatrical Operatic
Fusion. Works by Verdi, Puccini, Wagner, and
others. Soloists to be announced; Michael
Newnham, conductor. Meridian Arts Centre
- George Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge
St. 416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754 or
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 47

OPERA, MUSIC THEATRE, DANCE
boxoffice@tolive.com. From $14. Pre-concert
chat at 2:15pm. Apr 6(3pm).
● Soulpepper Theatre. Ladies of the Canyon:
Joni and the California Scene. Created by
Hailey Gillis and Raha Javanfar. Mar 13-23.
● St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society. The
Yeomen of the Guard. By Gilbert and Sullivan.
St. Anne’s Anglican Church, 276 Gladstone
Ave. www.stannesmads.com. $35; $30(sr/
st). Jan 31(7:30pm), Feb 1(2pm), 2(2pm),
7(7:30pm), 8(2pm), 9(2pm).
● Tarragon Theatre/Nightswimming. The
Wolf in the Voice. Created by Martin Julien &
Brian Quirt. Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman
Ave. www.tarragontheatre.com. Feb 4-23.
● Theatre Orangeville. One Step at a Time.
Written, composed & performed by Andrew
Prashad. 87 Broadway, Orangeville. www.
theatreorangeville.ca/show/one-step-at-atime.
Apr 3-6.
● Theatre Passe Muraille. Blind Dates. Theatre
Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Ave. www.
passemuraille.ca. Feb 13-Mar 9.
● Toronto Operetta Theatre. The Gondoliers.
By Gilbert and Sullivan. Artists to be
announced. St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts
- Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-
7723 or 1–800-708-6754 or www.tolive.com.
From $75. Feb 28(8pm), Mar 1(8pm), 3(3pm).
● Toronto Symphony Orchestra. 21st-Century
Broadway. Hailey Kilgore, vocalist; Derek
Klena, vocalist; Javier Muñoz, vocalist; Ali
Stroker, vocalist; Steven Reinke, conductor.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-
3375 or www.tso.ca. From $30. Mar 4(8pm),
5(2pm & 8pm).
● TYT Theatre. Disney’s the Little Mermaid.
Music by Alan Menken. Recommended for
ages 4 and up. Evan Harkai, director & producer;
Quinton Naughton, music director; Sydney
LaForme, choreographer. Wychwood
Theatre, 76 Wychwood Ave. www.tyttheatre.
com/ticketterms. Visit website for ticket
information. From Feb 15 to Apr 13 with Fri
shows beginning Mar 14.
● VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert. VOICE-
BOX Opera Salon: A Night of Fancy - Puccini’s
Swallow. 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. Feb 8(4pm).
● VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert. La Rondine.
Music by Giacomo Puccini. Sung in
Italian with English Surtitles. Cassandra
Amorin as Magda; Opera in Concert Chorus;
Robert Cooper, chorus director; Narmina
Afandiyeva, music director & pianist. Trinity
St. Paul’s United Church. Jeanne Lamon Hall,
427 Bloor St. W. www.operainconcert.com or
416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754. From $42.
Mar 20(8pm) & 21(8pm).
● Wychwood Clarinet Choir. Musicals!
Selections from musicals by Sullivan, Rogers,
Campbell, Sondheim and Bernstein.
Michele Jacot, guest conductor and clarinet
soloist. St. Michael and All Angels Anglican
Church, 611 St. Clair Ave. W. www.wychwoodclarinetchoir.ca.
$25; $15(sr/st) or Pay What
You Can. Feb 8(4pm).
Prizes and Scholarships, Recitals, Concerts, Workshops
Career advancement, Marketing and promotions
UNDATED EVENTS & ETCETERAS
Rik Emmett today: Hold On (1979) by classic Canadian hard rock power trio,
Triumph, has been chosen as the 2025 Music Monday anthem with a new
arrangement created by Rik Emmett especially for Music Monday. “The
song Hold On was a tipping point for me as a recording artist: I felt I'd finally
come up with a song that spoke directly to why the band I was in called
itself ‘Triumph’ …” says the Triumph vocalist, guitarist and songwriter.
Each year, on the first Monday of May thousands of students, musicians,
parents and community members across the country simultaneously
sing and/or play the Music Monday anthem creating the world's largest
single event dedicated to raising awareness for music education.
COMPETITIONS
● International Music Festival and Competition.
May 1-18. In-person and via video
recordings. Registration deadline: Mar 2,
2025. Piano, voice, strings, woodwinds,
brass, harp, guitar, percussion, conducting,
composition, chamber music, masterclasses.
Jurors: professors from the University
of Toronto, York University, the Royal
Conservatory of Music, and the Glenn Gould
Professional School. Awards: prizes and
scholarships, recitals, concerts, workshops,
career development, marketing, and promotions.
For information visit www.intermusic.
ca, call 905-604-8854, or email office@intermusic.ca.
ONGOING EVENTS
● 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.
● 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.
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.
● 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.
REHEARSAL & PERFORMANCE
OPPORTUNITIES
● A new community Baroque orchestra is
being launched in Toronto! All instruments
(particularly violin and oboe) and all levels of
playing accommodated. Interested? Please
contact me, Jane Ubertino, at lucindabell56@
hotmail.com
● 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.
● Columbus Concert Band. Rehearsals:
Tuesdays 7:30-9:30pm at Villa Colombo,
40 Playfair Ave., Toronto. Openings for flute,
clarinet, tenor sax, and trumpet; however, all
who are in search of being a part of a great
band are welcome. Our members are warm
and welcoming. For more information, contact
ccbtoronto@gmail.com or visit our website
at www.columbusconcertband.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
48 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

UNDATED EVENTS & ETCETERAS
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.
● Quinte Regional Youth Chorus. This is
a new group based in Belleville, Ontario,
for singers aged 6-16. St. Thomas Anglican
Church, Parish Centre, 201 Church St., Belleville.
Call 613-962-3636 for information.
● Serenata Singers. Are you free Wednesday
mornings? Do you love the joy of singing
and the camaraderie it brings? Join the Serenata
Singers who have sparkled in Toronto’s
constellation of choral gems since 1976!
Seniors singers, come together with voices
united in song. Inspire generations to follow!
This 55-voice adult SATB community
choir, ranging in age from 55 to 97, will
gather again under accomplished choral director
Michael Morgan who shares his talents
and expertise to perform a “Winter
Cabaret” on November 30, 2024, with other
performances during the year at seniors’
residences. Our season crescendos with two
annually spring concerts on May 8 & 9, 2025.
Our spring concerts entitled “Tuned In” will
feature favourites from the movies, Broadway,
and television. Consider joining this
caring, friendly group of retirees at Scarborough
Bluffs United Church, 3739 Kingston Rd,
every Wednesday from 10:30am to 12:30pm.
Two free trial rehearsals are allowed before
deciding to join! Check us out at our website
BUSINESS
CLASSIFIEDS
Economical and visible!
Promote your services
& products to our
musically engaged readers,
in print and on-line.
BOOKING DEADLINE: FRIDAY MARCH 14
classad@thewholenote.com
If you can read this,
thank a music teacher.
MosePianoForAll.com
at www.serenatasingers.ca or call Charlotte
at 416-449-4053! Come join us!
● String Orchestra TO is a new string
orchestra in Toronto for amateur intermediate
and advanced string players. No auditions. Our
season runs from Sep 11, 2024 to May 28, 2025.
Wed rehearsals: 7:15-9:15 pm at St. Barnabas
Church, 361 Danforth Ave.. Visit www.sites.
google.com/view/stringorchestrato/home or
email us at StringOrchestraTO@gmail.com.
● 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.
● VOCA Chorus of Toronto. Openings
for experienced tenors and basses. VOCA
is an auditioned ensemble, currently preparing
a broad range of selections (including
premieres) for our Dec 14 “Season
Songs” concert, featuring Michael Occhipinti,
guitar and Jamie Drake, percussion. On
May 10, 2025, we’ll be performing “Carmina
Burana”, featuring special guest, Andrew
Haji, tenor. Rehearsals are held at Eastminster,
310 Danforth Ave. (Chester subway) on
Monday evenings. Contact Jenny Crober at
crober.best@gmail.com for more info.
TRAINING PROGRAMS
● Toronto Summer Music. TSM Academy
- Emerging Artists Program. Designed for
musicians who are launching their professional
careers and provides unique educational
opportunities for chamber musicians
and singers from 18 to 35 years old. String
players and pianists are invited to apply for
the Chamber Music Institute Program; vocalists
and pianists are invited to apply for the
Art of Song Program. Please visit our website
for more information on program dates and
applications at tosummermusic.com/theacademy/emerging-artist-program/.
Applications
are open until Jan 23, 2025.
15% off your 1st clean
A vacation
for your dog!
Barker Avenue Boarding
in East York
call or text 416-574-5250
Do you love to sing?
Interested in building
your musical skills?
The St. Paul’s Choral Academy
offers free Voice Lessons, Beginner,
Intermediate, and Advanced Music
Theory, and Repertoire Workshops in
sacred music.
More details at
stpaulsbloor.org/choral-academy
227 Bloor St E, Toronto ON
(416) 961-8116
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 49

DISCOVERIES | RECORDINGS REVIEWED
Bruce Surtees
I’m writing this the day after saying a fond farewell to a beloved
colleague in the company of his family and a large cohort of friends
from the music community. Bruce Surtees, best known in these pages
for his contributions over two decades in the form of his column Old
Wine in New Bottles, died peacefully on December 28 surrounded by
family at Humber River Hospital after a brief illness.
Bruce’s legacy began in 1961 when he and his wife Vivienne opened
The Book Cellar in the basement of a music store on Yonge Street, a
shop that would become a mainstay of Toronto’s literary industry for
the next three decades. The store moved several times, eventually to
its flagship location (there were several subsidiaries) across from the
Four Seasons Hotel in Yorkville. With the bookstore thriving, Bruce
branched out to embrace his first love, music, opening The Classical
Record Shop, as the first tenant and cornerstone of the tony Hazelton
Lanes complex.
Bruce and I first crossed paths during my tenure at CJRT-FM in the
mid-1990s where he was the co-host of Records in Review, first with
the station’s music director, conductor Paul Robinson, and later with
Toronto Star music critic William Littler. But it was not until I invited
him to become part of the review team here that I really got to know
Bruce. In July 2001, for the inauguration of the DISCoveries section,
he wrote his first review for us under the banner “Worth Repeating:
Older Recordings Worthy of Note,” writing about one of his favourite
pieces, Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder, in an EMI reissue with the Danish
Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Janos Ferencsik.
Some 75 stand-alone reviews followed over the next four years.
April 2005 marked the beginning of a new chapter, when his Old
Wine column became a monthly feature in the magazine. By the time
of his final column in October 2023 Bruce had brought more than a
dozen historic performances of Gurrelieder to our attention, along
with countless opera sets, symphonic cycles and lieder recitals—nigh
on 1,000 reviews, in many cases involving multiple discs.
I don’t know how he found the time to listen to it all, but
listen he did.
Over the course of the last two decades, Bruce and his family
became very special friends to my wife Sharon and me, as they
attended chamber recitals by amateur groups I played cello in, under
the auspices of University Settlement Music and Arts School, and
joined us for musical gatherings in our backyard. One treasured
memory is learning Taylor Swift’s Safe and Sound on my guitar in
order to accompany Bruce’s granddaughter Alexis, but there are so
many memories of Bruce and “his girls” that I will cherish forever.
Especially the visits to Baycrest where his caregivers took such good
care of Bruce over the past year (thank you Christine and Kristine!)
making him comfortable and making us feel welcome. Bruce my
friend, we miss you so.
Ives at 151
2024 marked both the sesquicentennial of the birth of Charles Ives in
1874, and 70 years since his death at the age of 80. I’ve spent the last
month immersed in a set that would in happier days have fallen into
the purview of Bruce Surtees’ Old Wine in New Bottles – although in
this particular case perhaps Old Wine in Old
Bottles would be more apt.
I say that because Charles Ives: The
RCA and Columbia Album Anthology –
Recordings for the Analog Era 1945-76
(Sony Classical 19658885962 amazon.ca/
Charles-Ives-Columbia-Album-Anthology/
dp/B0DBP3VXTH) is a 22-CD boxed set
that consists of reissues of more than 30
DAVID OLDS
vinyl records packaged in miniature reproductions of the original LP
jackets. Although the booklet includes recording details and release
dates for all the pieces and has a five-page introductory essay by Kevin
Sherwin, the only actual program notes are those printed on those
original LP covers which are reduced to a size nearly impossible to
read even with a strong magnifying glass. And in cases where a CD
contains material from more than one LP, only one cover is included,
leaving some works with no notes at all. So, there’s my quibble out
of the way right from the start. Other than that, I find it a marvellous
collection. It spans three decades of recordings during which time Ives
went from being perceived as an esoteric crackpot with his integration
of marching band themes, popular tunes and hymns into his erstwhile
“classical” compositions, to being a revered visionary, the epitome of
the American composer.
I wrote last month about Ives’ Piano Sonata No.2 “Concord, Mass.
1840-1860” and its first champion John Kirkpatrick. Disc One
contains Kirkpatrick’s historic 1948 recording of the sonata (made
11 years after he had given its first public performance), along with
a brief movement from the first sonata. Disc Two features William
Masselos’ 1951 78rpm recording of Piano Sonata No.1 which appeared
on LP in 1953 (reissued in 1961). For comparison of the approaches
and developments in understanding these extremely complicated
works by the two performers over the period of two decades, Disc 8
presents Masselos’ 1967 revisiting of the first sonata and Disc 13 gives
Kirkpatrick’s 1968 second recording of the “Concord.” Masselos’
1951 recording is accompanied by Patricia Travers, and the disc also
includes Otto Herz’s 10” recording of the Sonata for Violin and Piano
No.2 from the same year. I’ll mention that this is the only one of Ives’
four violin sonatas included in this mostly comprehensive collection
(Tone Roads No.1 is also conspicuous by its absence).
That being said, there is a CD (Disc 16) of chamber music that
includes a piano trio, A Set of Three Short Pieces for string quartet,
four diverse pieces for piano quintet, his Largo for Violin, Clarinet
and Piano, and another largo for violin and piano. The two numbered
50 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

string quartets appear on Disc 10 performed by the Juilliard Quartet
(1967), with the second of the two reappearing on the final collection’s
final CD, performed by the Cleveland Quartet (1976), paired
with Samuel Barber’s String Quartet in B Minor with its iconic molto
adagio second movement.
Ives’ vocal music is amply represented with a CD of songs (Disc 17)
sung by soprano Evelyn Lear and baritone Thomas Stewart, and Disc 7
features choral works performed by the Gregg Smith Singers and the
Columbia Chamber Orchestra, among others; a highlight of the disc
for me is General William Booth Enters into Heaven featuring the
gorgeous bass voice of Archie Drake. There is also a disc (18) of “Old
Songs Deranged” which comprises familiar tunes refashioned for
theatre orchestra with Ives’ usual cryptic wit. There are four recordings
of Variations on “America” (same tune as God Save the King),
one in the organ version with E. Power Biggs, and William Schuman’s
arrangement for orchestra conducted by Morton Gould (1966), Eugene
Ormandy (1969) and André Kostelanetz (1976).
The bulk of the set, though, is devoted to Ives’ original music for
orchestra. Ives wrote four numbered symphonies and another entitled
A Symphony: New England Holidays. He also wrote three orchestral
“sets” (the first of which is subtitled Three Places in New England),
the surprisingly boisterous Robert Browning Overture, the mostly
subdued and at times ghostly Central Park in the Dark, and The
Unanswered Question, as well as a number of smaller works. Some
of these orchestral works also include choral movements (Symphony
No.4, Orchestral Set No.2, A Symphony: New England Holidays) and
most of the pieces appear in multiple performances. Most notable
among these are the Symphony No.4 in a 1968 performance under
the baton of Leopold Stokowski with assistants José Serebrier and
David Katz (because Stokowski felt it too difficult for one conductor to
realize) and one from 1974 with Serebrier alone at the podium. Also
notable: Symphony No.2 conducted by Leonard Bernstein in 1960 and
Eugene Ormandy in 1974. The Bernstein recording is supplemented
with a lecture by the maestro extolling the virtues (and difficulties) of
Ives’ music.
I must say that listening to 25 hours of the quirky music of Ives is
daunting and not for the faint of heart. To paraphrase the sometimescantankerous
composer you need to be able to “stand up and take
your dissonance like a man.” An invaluable tool I found for
approaching the task is a book that was published in 2021, Listening
to Charles Ives: Variations on his America by past president of the
Charles Ives Society J. Peter Burkholder (Amadeus Press charlesives.
org/listening-charles-ives-variations-his-america). It’s a marvellous
resource, especially when read in conjunction with the listening tools
on the Charles Ives Society website (charlesives.org). My only frustration
came when I could find neither Piano Sonata No.1 nor
Symphony No.4 in the detailed discussion of Ives’ works.
The same year that Burkholder published
his book, the current president of the Ives
Society Donald Berman published Charles
E. Ives: Piano Studies - Shorter Works for
Piano, Volume 2 - Ives Society Critical
Edition (Peermusic Classical), and in 2024
Berman released what may be, thus far, the
definitive recording of the “Concord” Sonata,
Charles Ives - Sonata No.2; The St. Gaudens
(Avie Records AV2678 avie-records.com/
releases/ives-piano-sonata-no-2-concord-mass-1940-1860-•-the-stgaudens-black-march).
I say”thus far” because it is likely there will never be such a thing
as definitive where Concord is concerned. As I said in last month’s
column, Ives continued to revise the work until 1947 when he
published a supposedly definitive second edition after a decade of
collaboration with John Kirkpatrick who had given the first public
performance of the complete sonata in 1937 and would go on to
record it in 1948. But the evolution of the sonata did not stop there,
with scholars like Kirkpatrick and later Jay Gottlieb continuing to
make “improvements” based on Ives’ innumerable sketches and notebooks.
With the resources of the Charles Ives Society at his disposal,
Berman has been able to draw on most of a century’s scholarship to
foster his understanding of the iconic work and the result is stunning.
He has chosen to pair the sonata with The St. Gaudens which is
subtitled “Black March.” The music depicts marching soldiers of the
Massachusetts 54 th , one of the first Union armies of African Americans
during the Civil War and one that suffered heavy casualties. In an
annotation to the score Ives pays tribute to the regiment and says
“Your country was made from you – images of a divine law carved in
the shadow of a saddened heart.” Berman offers it as a prelude to the
Concord, and it is an effective set-up for an outstanding disc.
And these just in
In September 2007 I reviewed composer/pianist Frank Horvat’s first
CD and said his “compositions are diverse enough that it’s hard to
describe exactly what the disc is about. Sometimes bordering on the
improvisations of Keith Jarrett (but without the audible humming), at
moments reminiscent of boogie-woogie, at others dark ballad-like
musings and occasional fugal passages, this is truly an eclectic mix.”
Over almost two decades since then, with 22 releases in his discography
(16 of which have been reviewed in DISCoveries), Horvat has
persisted in his eclecticism and is still hard to pin down.
His latest release, More Rivers (navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6689),
explores yet
another side of his creativity in a tribute to
Ann Southam inspired by her ebullient and
rollicking series Rivers. Southam’s frequent
collaborator Christina Petrowska Quilico
is the pianist here, as she was so often for
Southam’s pieces. Her discography, which
numbers more than six dozen releases,
includes Southam’s Rivers, Pond Life, Glass
Houses, Glass Houses Revisited and Soundspinning, a collection of
early works including my introduction to Southam’s music, Three in
Blue, which was included in the Royal Conservatory of Music syllabus
when I was studying piano more than half a century ago.
Horvat says that although “Southam’s work in the area of
minimalist composition has been a big influence on my life […] More
Rivers is not intended to be a sequel or continuation of Rivers, but my
hope is that my own unique musical minimalist voice will be a tribute
to this body of work that has impacted me so profoundly.” The set
comprises seven pieces constructed with overlapping looping textures
evoking water; murmuring, babbling, racing or gently flowing. A
number of the movements are calm and meditative, reflecting in the
composer’s words “a spiritual sentiment,” but there are also dynamic
and forceful moments reminding us of the power of water. Petrowska
Quilico rises to all the challenges, making even the most intricate
passages sound effortless and natural.
In his programme note Horvat implores us to remember “Water is
thewholenote.com/listening
Adjacence
Daniel Lippel
Compilation of chamber works
featuring guitar recorded with
various collaborators (ICE, counter)
induction, Flexible Music, etc..) that
integrate varied aesthetics into one
programmatic arc.
One: New Music for
Unaccompanied Violin
Patrick Yim
Yim plays with virtuosity and
powerful expression throughout,
convincingly framing these new
pieces within the strong lineage of
the music that has come before them
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 51

intrinsic to life. As living beings on this planet, it is one of our most
important resources that requires our full respect and protection.”
Amen to that.
Elsewhere in these pages you will find
reviews of guitar-centric discs featuring
“classical” composers Graham Flett and Tim
Brady, and jazz guitarists Jocelyn Gould and
the late Emily Remler. Each of those discs
showcases, primarily, one style of music,
albeit there is quite a range in each of the
presentations. The next disc also focuses on
guitar, but in this case it appears in many
forms and contexts. ADJACENCE – new
chamber works for guitar (new focus recordings FCR 423 danlippelguitar.bandcamp.com/album/adjacence)
features the talents of Dan
Lippel on traditional and microtonal classical guitars, electric guitar
and electric bass in a variety of ensembles and settings.
The 2CD set features the work of a dozen living composers and
includes pieces by the late Mario Davidovsky (Cantione Sine Textu for
wordless soprano, clarinet/bass clarinet, flutes, guitar and bass) and
Charles Wuorinen (Electric Quartet performed by Bodies Electric in
which Lippel is joined by electric guitarists Oren Fader, John Chang
and William Anderson). There are works for solo guitar, multi-tracked
guitars, an unusual string trio comprised of guitar, viola and hammer
dulcimer, a variety of duets such as piccolo and guitar and percussion
and guitar, and a number of quartets of varied instrumentation.
One of my favourites is Tyshawn Sorey's homage to a Seattle-based
pianist/composer. Titled Ode to Gust Burns it is an extended work
scored for bassoon, guitar, piano and percussion, with the bassoon
adding a particularly expressive note to the tribute. Another is Lippel’s
own Utopian Prelude that opens the set, on which he plays both electric
guitar and a micro-tonally tuned acoustic instrument. Ken Ueno’s
Ghost Flowers is another extended work, composed for the unusual
trio mentioned above. It begins with eerie string rubbing sounds from
the guitar before droning viola and percussive dulcimer join the mix.
The next ten minutes get busier and busier with overlapping textures
and rhythms before subsiding gradually into gentle harmonics.
Peter Adriaansz’s Serenades II to IV (No.23) for electric guitar and
electric bass ends the first disc, with Lippel playing both parts. Sidney
Marquez Boquiren’s Five Prayers of Hope is performed by counter)
induction, a quartet consisting of violin, viola, guitar and piano. The
haunting opening prayer Beacon is juxtaposed with a variety of
moods in the subsequent Bridges, Silence Breakers, Sanctuary and
Home. The second disc ends with Dystopian Reprise which Lippel
describes as “a fusion-inspired improvisation using the final minutes
of Adriaansz’s Serenade IV as a canvas.” Throughout the more than
two hours of Adjacence Lippel and his colleagues kept me enthralled
with the breadth and range of an instrument it is all too easy to take
for granted.
In closing I will mention one guilty pleasure
of the past month. Although I certainly
didn’t need another recording of Olivier
Messiaen’s mammoth symphonic work,
as it is one of favourites I was pleased to
add Messiaen – Turangalîla Symphony
(Deutsche Grammophon deutschegrammophon.com/en/catalogue/products/
messiaen-turangalla-nelsons-13655)
to my collection. Featuring Yuja Wang, Cécile Lartigau and the
Boston Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Andris Nelsons,
the recording offers all the excitement, scintillating effects and
dynamic range that this exhilarating work requires. Another one for
the ages!
We invite submissions. CDs and DVDs should be sent to: DISCoveries,
The WholeNote c/o Music Alive, The Centre for Social Innovation,
720 Bathurst St. Toronto ON M5S 2R4. Comments and digital
releases are welcome at discoveries@thewholenote.com.
STRINGS
ATTACHED
TERRY ROBBINS
Baroque violinist Marie Nadeau-Tremblay
admits to having an obsessive personality
and to having crafted her new album
Obsession with that in mind. She is
supported by Mélisande Corriveau on viola
da gamba, Eric Milnes on harpsichord and
organ, and Kerry Bursey on lute (ATMA
Classique ACD2 2825 atmaclassique.com/
en/product/obsession).
Nadeau-Tremblay notes that obsessive
characteristics are present in each of the works here – as themes and
variations, repeated ground bass lines or returning rondo themes –
with the album consisting entirely of minor key pieces adding to the
feeling of being stuck in an obsessive loop.
An engrossing recital of predominantly late 17th-century works
includes two by Biber – his Sonata No.2 in D Minor, C139 and Rosary
Sonata No.1 in D Minor, “Annunciation” – two by Buxtehude – his
Trio Sonata in A Minor, BuxWV272 and Trio Sonata in G Minor,
BuxWV261 – Michel Farinel’s Faronells Division Upon a Ground (La
Folia) and François Francœur’s Sonata for Violin and Continuo in G
Minor, Op.2 No.6.
Bursey is the tenor soloist in the lovely, anonymous Une jeune
fillette, and Nadeau-Tremblay is terrific in Louis-Robert Guillemain’s
extremely difficult Amusement for violin solo, Op.18 No.1 “La
Furstemberg” from 1755.
Nadeau-Tremblay plays with outstanding clarity and beauty, her
flawless technical facility married to an innate and sensitive musicianship
in a superb release.
One – New Music for Unaccompanied
Violin, a collection of world premiere
recordings, is violinist Patrick Yim’s third
album of solo violin music and features
six works commissioned between 2020
and 2023 (New Focus Recordings FCR411
newfocusrecordings.com/catalogue/
patrick-yim-one-new-music-for-unaccompanied-violin).
Ilari Kaila’s high-energy moto perpetuo
Solitude opens the disc. Juri Soo’s title track One is a cycle of 12
widely-varied vignettes representing the months of the year. All four
opening works on the CD were written during the pandemic lockdown,
Takuma Itoh’s A Melody from an Unknown Place and Páll
Ragnar Pálsson’s Hermitage are both meditations on the loneliness
and spirituality of the isolation. Matthew Schreibeis’ Fragile
Remembrance and John Liberatore’s Strange, High Sky are both from
2023, the former essentially an ABA arc and the latter inspired by Lu
Sun’s Wild Grass stories.
“Yim plays with virtuosity and powerful expression,” says the
release blurb in a perfect assessment.
52 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

On the digital release Viola Fantasies
violist Mischa Galaganov presents the 12
Fantasies for Bass Viol (1735) by Georg
Philip Telemann, the first recording on viola
of the only known solo works from a major
Baroque composer to almost ideally complement
the modern viola’s range and tonal
characteristics (Navona NV6692 navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6692).
Galaganov uses gut strings and
modern tunings in his own arrangements of the works, with such
issues as dynamics, tempi and ornamentation being determined
by his research, experience and instincts. If you are familiar with
Telemann’s12 Fantasies for Solo Violin then you will know what to
expect here: a set of short, inventive works, mostly of three brief and
contrasting movements, that require a great deal more technical skill
than you might imagine given the deceptively easy flow of the music.
Galaganov is superb throughout a fascinating recital, with the two
Vivaces and the Presto in the four-movement Fantasie No.2 particular
standouts.
The release publicity referred to these works as “soon-to-be viola
standards,” and it’s easy to see – and hear – why.
Violinist Francesca Dego completes her
celebration of Ferruccio Busoni’s centenary
year with Busoni Violin Sonatas & Four
Bagatelles, accompanied by her regular
recital pianist Francesca Leonardi (Chandos
CHAN 20304 chandos.net/products/
reviews/CHAN_20304).
The two sonatas, No.1 Op.29 K234 and
No.2 Op.36a K244 are both in E minor
and reflect the composer’s grounding in
the German Romantic tradition. The first, from 1890 is close to the
Brahms D minor sonata in feel, while the second, from 1900 is a
more complex work centred on a chorale from the Anna Magdalena
Notebook and feeling like a single-movement arc, its ten mostly short
sections played without a break.
The Four Bagatelles Op.28 K229 from 1888 that end the disc are
brief – only just over six minutes in total – early works written for
the 7-year-old child prodigy Egon Petri, who would later become a
Busoni student.
As always, Dego plays with warmth and style, sensitively supported
by Leonardi.
Inspired by her research project “Latvian Classical Violin Music in
Transition, c.1980-2000” the Australia-based Latvian violinist Sophia
Kirsanova presents world premiere recordings of stylistically diverse
works for violin by Latvian composers on The Morning Mist, a musical
What we're listening to this month:
reflection on a significant period that saw
the collapse of the Soviet Union and Latvia
regaining its independence (SKANI LMIC167
sophiakirsanova.com).
Three works represent music of today’s
Latvia: Ēriks Ešenvalds’ title track, with
pianist Agnese Eglina; Linda Leimane’s
Architectonics of a Crystal Soul, with the
Syzygy Ensemble; and Platon Buravicky’s
Angel’s Gaze, with pianist Georgina Lewis.
Amir Farid is the pianist for Pēteris Vasks’ Little Summer Music, a set
of five brief but delightful pieces, but the highlight here is Aivars
Kalējs’ monumental Toccata for Solo Violin Op.40, a striking work,
heavily influenced by Bach, that draws particularly outstanding
playing from Kirsanova, who handles a variety of styles and techniques
with ease and musical intelligence throughout the CD.
James Ehnes switches to viola on
Ehnes & Armstrong Play Brahms &
Schumann, accompanied by his regular
recital partner Andrew Armstrong –
and it’s not just any viola, but the 1696
“Archinto” Stradivarius viola on loan
from the Royal Academy of Music (Onyx
ONYX4256 onyxclassics.com/release/
ehnes-armstrong-play-brahms-schumann-brahms-sonatas-op-120-weigenliedschumann-marchenbilder).
The Schumann work that opens the disc is the Märchenbilder
(Fairy-Tale Pictures) Op.113, a group of four pieces written in a
mere few days in March 1851. They create a sense of fantasy rather
than depicting specific scenes, and are full of strong rhythmic and
melodic contrast.
Brahms had advised his publisher that he was considering retirement
when he encountered the exceptional playing of clarinetist
Richard Mühlfeld, the four works he wrote for him – the Clarinet Trio
Op.114, the Clarinet Quintet Op.115 and the two Clarinet Sonatas
Op.120 – being the last chamber compositions of Brahms’ career. It’s
the latter works that are featured here: the Sonata in F Minor Op.120
No.1 and the Sonata in E Major Op.120 No.2, both in the arrangements
made by the composer. His Wiegenlied Op.49 No.4 – the well-known
Brahms Lullaby – completes the recital.
The playing is all that you would expect: warm, expressive perfection
from Ehnes and sensitive, resonant support from Armstrong.
Encircling, the new CD from violist Daphne Gerling and pianist
Tomoko Kashiwagi, features music by the English violist and
composer Rebecca Clarke and three of her female contemporaries.
It was inspired by Gerling’s doctoral research that celebrated
thewholenote.com/listening
encircling
Daphne Gerling, viola
Tomoko Kashiwagi, piano
A rich strand by French and British
women long overdue thorough
exploration. "Outstanding
ambassadors, finely recorded,
and the booklet is first class".
MusicWeb International
Learn To Wait:
Britten, Asheim & Ligeti
Oslo String Quartet
OSQ, one of Scandinavia's most
renowned chamber ensembles,
showcases their virtuosity on
a new album that spans both
tradition and modernity.
The Mata Hari Songbook
Patricia O'Callaghan
& John Burge
Soprano Patricia O'Callaghan
stars in this two-act, cabaret-style
musical that brings to life the
remarkable story of exotic dancer
and courtesan Mata Hari.
Poetry Project
D.D.Jackson
Jazz ambitiously set to poetry in
song by the multi-Emmy & Junowinning
pianist/composer - “A true
Canadian classic.” “[Five stars out
of 5]” - The Free Press
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 53

the centennial of the 1919 Berkshire
Composition Competition in America
(Acis APL53974 acisproductions.com/
encircling-daphne-gerling).
Clarke’s Passacaglia on an Old English
Tune opens the disc. The Viola Sonata Op.7
by the virtually unknown English composer
Kalitha Dorothy Fox (1894-1934) was rediscovered
as one result of the project to find as
many of the 72 entries in the 1919 competition as possible; it’s a world
premiere recording.
The Viola Sonata Op.25 by the French composer Marcelle Soulage
(1894-1970) may possibly have been entered in the competition,
although the entry deadline preceded the sonata’s November 1919
completion. The Fantaisie Op.18 by Hélène Fleury-Roy (1876-1957)
completes the CD.
There’s nothing spectacular here, but it’s still a beautifully played
and recorded recital of finely crafted and fascinating works.
Cellist Alisa Weilerstein and her longtime
recital partner Inon Barnaton are in
fine form on Brahms Cello Sonatas, pairing
the two works with their own arrangement
of one of the violin sonatas (Pentatone
PYC5187215 pentatonemusic.com/product/
brahms-cello-sonatas).
The Cello Sonata No.1 in E Minor, Op.38
from 1865 clearly illustrates Brahms’ intention
to treat the piano as an equal partner in
the duo – it should “under no circumstances assume a purely accompanying
role.” The Cello Sonata No.2 in F Major, Op.99 from 1886 is
a mature work, although not with the autumnal nature of so many of
his late chamber works.
In between the two sonatas is the duo’s arrangement of the Violin
Sonata No.1 in G Major, Op.78. There was a contemporary arrangement
of this work, transposed into D major, by Paul Klengel, but
Barnaton always felt that the loss of the original key’s timbre and
colour, together with the changes to the piano part and the high
register cello writing rendered it unconvincing.
Played here in the original key with the cello mostly an octave
lower, Barnaton feels that “those dark colours” are restored, albeit
more so now that the cello part is in the middle of the piano range for
much of the time. Still, there’s no doubting the quality of the playing
on a simply lovely CD.
The Oslo String Quartet launches their very
own label with Learn To Wait, a digital-only
release that features music by Benjamin
Britten, György Ligeti and Nils Henrik
Asheim, whose third quartet gives the
project its title (OSQ01 stringquartet.com).
Britten’s String Quartet No.1 from 1941
was written while he was in the United
States, having left England at the start of
the war. Although a relatively early work,
its brilliance of invention, scoring and technique is a clear indicator of
how the composer’s career would develop.
The central work in the recital is Asheim’s String Quartet No.3,
Learn To Wait, composed during the pandemic lockdown. It’s a tenminute
single movement featuring note clusters, harmonics and
extended bowing techniques that apparently seemed a logical choice
for the disc as the Oslo players happened to be working on it at the
same time as the other two quartets; however, it has trouble holding
its own in such company.
Ligeti’s String Quartet No.1, Métamorphoses nocturnes from
1953-54 clearly has more to say right from the start, the range of its
fascinating soundscape showing a personal voice emerging from the
influence of both Bartók and Schoenberg’s 12-tone system.
Works by Vivaldi and the Irish composer Ailbhe McDonagh (b.1982)
are featured on The Irish Seasons, the debut
solo album from the Irish violinist Lynda
O’Connor. David Brophy conducts the
Anamus string ensemble (Avie AV2688 avierecords.com/releases/the-irish-seasonsailbhe-mcdonagh-•-antonio-vivaldi).
O’Connor feels that there are similarities
between Irish and Baroque music,
both structurally and in ornamentation,
and the pairing of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with the world premiere
recording of McDonagh’s The Irish Four Seasons was a natural choice.
The former is an intimate, warm and upbeat performance, but it’s
really the McDonagh work that drives the CD – and it’s a real gem.
Each of the four seasons is represented by a single movement. The
lovely Spring – Earrach (pronounced AH rakh) has a slow Irish air on
each side of a lively reel, the ABA form mirroring the fast-slow-fast
pattern of each of the Vivaldi concertos. Summer – Samhradh (SAU
rah), also in ABA form, is in the same G minor key as Vivaldi’s
Summer, and quotes from the latter’s third movement. Autumn –
Fómhar (FOHR) with its jig and turbulent cross-string patterns, has a
clear Vivaldi feel, and Winter – Geimhreadh (GEE rah) includes
themes from the three previous movements.
“Has there ever been a composer of more
consistent eloquence?”, says cellist Steven
Isserlis about the subject of his new CD
Music of the Angels – Cello Concertos,
Sonatas & Quintets by Luigi Boccherini
on which he also directs the Orchestra
of the Age of Enlightenment (Hyperion
CDA68444 hyperion-records.co.uk/
dc.asp?dc=D_CDA68444).
Boccherini (1743-1805) spent most of his
adult life in Spain in what Isserlis, in his customary exemplary booklet
essay calls “his own idyllic realm of the senses.” The CD’s title comes
from a musical dictionary published a few years after Boccherini’s
death that described his adagios as giving one “an idea of the music of
the angels.”
Faithful editions of Boccherini’s music, however, are a relatively
recent development. The two concertos here – the Concerto No.2 in A
Major G475, the authenticity of which was originally questioned, and
the Concerto No.6 in D Major G479, are from Boccherini’s early years
as a touring virtuoso.
Maggie Cole is the harpsichordist in the Sonata in C Minor G2b, and
Luise Buchberger the second cellist in the gorgeous Sonata in F Major
G9. The String Quintet in D Minor G280 is at the centre of the recital,
and the famous Minuetto & Trio from the String Quintet in E Major
G275 ends an outstanding CD of beautiful – and, yes, eloquent
– playing.
There’s more fine cello playing on Dvořák
Cello Concerto & Pieces, with cellist
Benedict Kloeckner accompanied by the
Romanian Chamber Orchestra under
Cristian Măcelaru and by pianist Danae
Dörken in a recital of Dvořák’s cello works
“all of which,” it is claimed, “are collected
here for the first time on a CD.” There’s no
sign of the Slavonic Dance Op.48 No.3,
though (SWR Berlin Classics 0303412BC berlin-classics-music.com/
en/album/885470035130-dvorak-cello-concerto-pieces).
Kloeckner’s warm tone and outstanding technique make for a fine
reading of the Cello Concerto in B Minor Op.104, recorded in a live
single-take performance in the Stadttheater Koblenz and featuring a
particularly lovely middle movement. The cello and piano versions
of Waldsruhe Op.68 No.5 (Silent Woods) and the Rondo in G Minor
Op.94 were both used in Dvořák’s farewell tour of Bohemia before
leaving for America.
The Slavonic Dance Op.46 No.8 and the rarely-performed Polonaise
in A Major Op.Post.B94 are both Dvořák originals, and Kloeckner’s
54 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

own arrangements of Songs my mother taught me Op.55 No.4 and
Leave me alone Op.82 No.1, the song that makes a crucial emotional
contribution to the concerto, are the remaining tracks on an excellent
disc.
A warm and finely-judged performance
of Robert Schumann’s Cello Concerto
in A Minor, Op.129 anchors the 2CD set
Love Letters – Tribute to Clara & Robert
Schumann, with cellist Christian-Pierre
La Marca supported by the Philharmonia
Orchestra under Raphaël Merlin and pianist
Jean-Frédéric Neuberger (Naïve V7364
christianpierrelamarca.com/en/music).
Described as “an anthem to eternal love” the release was inspired
by the intimate love letters exchanged between Robert and Clara
Schumann, while seeking to root those letters in a modern context by
inviting four contemporary composers to add their own vision of love
in a world of digital connection.
CD1 opens with the concerto and also includes Robert’s
Fantasiestücke Op.73 and his Adagio and Allegro Op.70. It ends with
La Marca’s arrangements of the two movements from the collaborative
F-A-E Sonata written by Schumann, Brahms and Albert Dietrich
for the violinist Joseph Joachim: the Intermezzo by Schumann and the
Scherzo by Brahms, the latter a close associate of both Schumanns.
CD2 is a somewhat less successful mixed bag, with three works by
Clara and four by Robert interwoven with world-premiere recordings
of Fabien Waksman’s Replika, Michelle Ross’ Désenvoyé, Neuberger’s
Vibrating and Patricia Kopatchinskaja’s Klingelnseel & Choral
and SMS.
VOCAL
Art Choral Vol.2 – Baroque I
Ensemble Artchoral; Matthias Maute
ATMA ACD2 2421 (atmaclassique.com/en/
product/art-choral-vol-2-baroque-i)
! Those seeking
the mesmerizing
and magical in their
choral listening will
enjoy this album of
works by 16th and
17th century experimenters
such as
Gesualdo, Schütz,
Monteverdi and Purcell —part of an ATMA
series comprising fifteen volumes of music
from 16th to the 21st centuries. Matthias
Maute and Quebec’s Ensemble ArtChoral
achieve a deft ensemble dynamic while also
delivering the soloist flair that is so needed in
this repertoire.
The opening track, Il Lamento d’Arianna
by Claudio Monteverdi, sparkles with the
“meraviglia” (wonderment) which the
composer sought to depict, as discussed
in the recent book Monteverdi and the
Marvellous by Canadian scholar Roseen Giles.
From the first words, (“Lasciatemi morire /
Let me die”), their intensity and precision
dissolves at times to sweetness, as it should.
Carlo Gesualdo’s music is known for its
colourful word-painting, involving shifts
from exaggerated chromaticism to melodious
diatonicism. Especially effective on this
recording is the reading of Tristis et anima
mea, a church responsory set with the florid
and dramatic style of a madrigal and delivered
with the panache that Gesualdo deserves.
Maute approaches the Purcell pieces differently
than this reviewer has heard or sung
before. Especially with Man that is Born of a
Woman – and In the Midst of Life, into which
it segues without credit – the pace feels so
rushed that in places the dissonances and
text settings fly by rather than lingering painfully
as seems apt for a funeral piece. It is a
bold choice, but the madrigal-like delivery is
effective in such sections as “He fleeth as it
were a shadow / and ne’er continuith...” One
can’t imagine that the choir of Westminster
Abbey sung it this way at Queen Mary’s
funeral, for which it was composed, but
this performance cleverly points to Purcell’s
Italian influences and stands as an alternate
interpretation of this rich and beloved
repertoire.
Stephanie Conn
Monteverdi – The “Lost” Vespers
The Thirteen; Matthew Robertson
Acis APL54148 (acisproductions.com/
the-thirteen-monteverdi-lost-vespers)
! The Thirteen
is an acclaimed
professional
orchestra and
choir of soloists
that reimagines
vocal music,
from early chants
and masterworks
to contemporary
world premieres. Their most recent recording,
The ‘Lost’ Vespers, is the culmination of a
five years passion project by the ensemble’s
artistic director and founder, Matthew
Robertson. The ‘Lost’ Vespers is a curated
compilation that draws from Monteverdi’s
end of life volumes, Selva morale e spirituale
(1640-1641) and Missa et salmi (1650).
What we're listening to this month:
thewholenote.com/listening
Three of Twelve and Another
Graham Flett
This recording features
experimental works for electric
guitar(s), performed by Elliot
Simpson, who multitracked the
quartet during the darkest hours
of the 2020 pandemic.
Imagine Many Guitars
Tim Brady
Includes :Symphony #11 (eight
guitars and twelve voices), works
for twenty, four and solo guitar.
The electric guitar - re-imagined.
Rebecca Bruton + Jason Doell: a
root or mirror, blossom, madder,
cracks; together
Quatuor Bozzini, junctQín
keyboard collective
“…this music is touching…” “Not to
be missed if you love the best of
today's music.” Selected on many
critics’ 2024 end-of-year lists.
Awake and Dreaming
Katherine Dowling
Alice Ping-Yee Ho’s solo piano
works shine with hyper-virtuosity
and emotional expression. This
striking collection features worldpremiere
recordings
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 55

With Robertson as conductor and Adrienne
Post as concertmaster, The Thirteen presents a
meticulously historically informed performance
of Monteverdi’s sacred work. The
ensemble is comprised of eight singers and
seven instrumentalists, including violin,
organ, cello, cornetto and theorbo. The songs
alternate in the typical style of a vespers,
generally between joyful celebrations and
solemn reflections.
The carefully considered musical choices
are reflected throughout the album; the
exquisite push-pull of pure sonorities that
represents different parts of a vespers; the
word painting, specific shape of sounds
and rhythms executed with craftsmanship
and precision, especially noteworthy in the
Magnificat primo and in the Nisi Dominus;
and the virtuosity that not only creates the
expected beautiful outcome of technical
capacities, but also a deeply intimate and
affecting musical experience.
The liner notes of the album provide a valuable
source of information on the project.
Robertson first shares the journey that led
to the recording of The ‘Lost’ Vespers and
Dr. Steven Plank, Professor of Musicology
at Oberlin College and Conservatory, then
provides a wealth of information that can
guide or enhance the listener’s experience.
The ‘Lost’ Vespers was recorded at the
Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in
America in Washington, DC in October 2023.
Sophie Bisson
Remember – 130 Years of Canadian Choral
Music
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir; Jean-
Sebastien Vallee
ATMA ACD2 2882 (atmaclassique.com/en/
product/remember-130-years-ofcanadian-choral-music)
! Fifteen a
cappella works,
variously sung in
English, French,
Latin, German,
Hebrew and Arabic,
offer what Rena
Roussin, Toronto
Mendelssohn
Choir’s musicologist-in-residence, calls in
her booklet notes “a time capsule of musical
touchstones and reflections across 130
years of Canadian choral music history,”
the span of the choir’s existence. (Seven
selections are performed by the choir’s
24-member professional nucleus, the Toronto
Mendelssohn Singers.)
The two-CD set opens with the collection’s
title work, Stephen Chatman’s hauntingly
beautiful Remember, the second of
his Two Rossetti Songs. It’s followed by
the gentle hymn, Jesus, Lover of My Soul,
by the TMC’s founder and first conductor,
Augustus Stephen Vogt. The one piece
not by a Canadian, Mendelssohn’s robust
setting of Psalm 43, Richte mich, Gott, was
performed at the eponymous choir’s debut on
January 15, 1895.
Other standouts are Harry Somers’ elaborate
arrangement of She’s Like the Swallow,
Healey Willan’s much-loved An Apostrophe
to the Heavenly Hosts (at nine minutes,
the collection’s longest work) and Imant
Raminsh’s luminous Ave verum corpus. Also
represented are Ernest MacMillan, Srul Irving
Glick, Peter-Anthony Togni, Christopher
Ducasse, Andrew Balfour, Jocelyn Morlock,
Stuart Beatch, Shireen Abu-Khader and
Stephanie Martin, the last six by pieces
composed between 2018 and 2022.
At only 84 minutes, this wide-ranging
collection could easily have been augmented
with works by three significant Canadian
choral composers, surprisingly absent – R.
Murray Schafer, Ruth Watson Henderson and
Eleanor Daley. Nevertheless, there’s much
lovely music and lovely singing here to enjoy.
Michael Schulman
John Burge – The Mata Hari songbook
Patricia O’Callahan; John Burge
Centrediscs CMCCD 34424 (cmccanada.
org/shop/cmccd-34424)
! The early 20th
century erotic
Javanese dancer
and European courtesan,
Mata Hari
(1876-1917) is still
surrounded by an
aura of mystery,
more than a century
since her passing at
the hands of a French firing squad, following
her rather dubious and hasty conviction on
charges of spying for Germany during World
War I. Notorious is the word irrevocably tied
to this fascinating and complex character…
was it her so-called traitorous activities that
caused her downfall, or was it a generalized
male fear of her seductive, political powers?
Thrilling, versatile and accomplished soprano
Patricia O’Callahan in a creative partnership
with composer/pianist John Burge and
writer/director Craig Walker explore these
questions (and more) in their brilliant onewoman,
two-act, high-end cabaret production
One Last Night with Mata Hari. The
recording of that presentation has resulted in
the stunning ten-song collection presented
here, focused on the night before Hari faced
her death.
The plot sees Hari recalling her life and
times for the staff and holy sisters in the place
of her internment. First up is the lilting An
Officer to Marry where O’Callahan deftly
captures the irony of young Hari’s desire to
upgrade her social situation by her assignation
with the sadistic and vile Rudolph
McLeod. Burge’s superb pianistic skill injects
each composition with energy and verity,
while the equally superb libretto by Walker
paints a sometimes terrifying and complex
picture of Hari’s life. Of special beauty is the
love song to her sickly child, You’ll Be My
Sun, where Burge and O’Callahan perform
with a near telepathic communication and
O’Callahan soaring to the outer reaches of her
remarkable register.
Each of the compositions here contain
undeniable elements of German Art Song.
O’Callahan creates a three-dimensional
portrait of a survivor, traumatized by her
times as well as by her peripatetic and
unstable reality. This is a thoroughly compelling
and satisfying cycle of songs – expertly
performed and recorded.
Lesley Mitchell-Clarke
D.D. Jackson – Poetry Project
D.D. Jackson; various artists and vocalists
Independent (ddjackson.bandcamp.com)
! D.D. Jackson is
a JUNO and Emmy
winning composer,
producer and jazz
pianist. In the
spring of 2021,
eminent Canadian
poet George Elliott
Clarke commissioned
Jackson to set music to one of his
poems. This initial collaboration snowballed
into The Poetry Project, an album of 13 songs
mostly arranged for piano and voice with
small ensembles of varying instruments.
The last song in the set, Daedalus’ Lament
(Giovanna Riccio) is performed by D.D.
Jackson and the Czech National Symphony
Orchestra via Musiversal.
In addition to Clarke and Riccio, The Poetry
Project features poems by Canadian writers
Ayesha Chatterjee, Luciano Iacobelli, Irving
Layton, Micheline Maylor, Bruce Meyer, Al
Moritz, Libby Scheier, Choucri Paul Zemokhol
and Chinese poet Xiaoyuan Yin. The
performers on the album include many wellknown
names, including Laila Biali, Dean
Bowman, Yoon Sun Choi, Ethan Cronin,
Sammy Jackson, John Lindsay-Botten and
Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez.
The Poetry Project includes a variety of
themes. For example, I call (Zemokhol)
is about the poet rediscovering his mother’s
Egypt. Daylight Shooting in little Italy
(Iacobelli) is about an incident Iacobelli and
his family witnessed. On Silence (Chatterjee) is
a layered and imaged interpretation of silence
and how in its stillness we can truly hear. Self-
Composed (Clarke) is a song from a father to
his daughter and 2641 Fuller Terrace (also by
Clarke) is an homage to guitarist Gilbert Daye.
For all of the intensity of the words chosen
for The Poetry Project, Jackson writes surprisingly
dynamic and rhythmic music with both
fluid and, at times, challenging vocal lines
that sway in all of the right places. Kudos to
him for transforming sometimes long pages
of poetry with its own rhythmical pacing into
song length material that has retained the
writers’ intentions and emotions.
Sophie Bisson
56 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

Song of Songs
Anastasia Minster; Canadian Studio
Symphony Orchestra; Felipe Tellez
Independent (anastasiaminster.com)
! The title of
this disc Song of
Songs by Anastasia
Minster may
suggest it contains
works based on
The Song of Songs,
that biblical book
sometimes attributed
(albeit erroneously) to King Solomon,
legendary for his superlative wisdom and
extraordinary wealth. But don’t let that
distract you for it does – in a not-so-oblique
way – reference themes of love, the heart and
soul and metaphor of its biblical namesake.
Moreover, what the recording is may also
not be everyone’s idea of an orchestral one –
although it is quite extraordinary. Survey the
performance of pianist and vocalist Minster,
and you will discover someone incapable of
being temperamentally innocuous, bland
or emotionally disengaged from the blackvelvet-dark
content. With her silvery timbre –
lustrous in the high notes and like molten lava
in the lower ones – Minster rises to the challenge;
nay she bursts through the glass ceiling
of this impassioned, shadowy repertoire.
In the artistic execution – vocal and orchestral
– and in the warmth and detail of its
recording, the disc is flawless. I do miss
printed lyrics and believe (too punctilious a
demand on my part perhaps) that every vocal
disc ought to come with a booklet of texts. In
her defense, I have to say that this gorgeously
poetic disc may be a worthy exception.
Minster is an uber-articulate vocalist and it
is not particularly difficult to follow these
contemporary art songs without the guide of
printed lyrics.
Raul da Gama
Benedict Sheehan – Akahist
Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Artefact
Ensemble; Novus NY
Bright Shiny Things (BSTC-0210
brightshiny.ninja/akathist)
! Benedict
Sheehan’s epic
oratorio came to
be as a poignant
reminder of the
dark days of the
Stalinist purges.
The language of this
work has at its heart
Akathist: Glory to God for All Things, an
Eastern Orthodox service in plainchant, as a
hymn of thanksgiving. However, the musical
topography traversed by Sheehan’s work
references all of fallen humanity – from the
earliest times to that of our day.
The sweeping chorales on two discs centre
on the theology of Ecclesia (the community of
the church) and Sapientia (holy wisdom) and
appear to proffer the blinding light of God’s
invisible spiritual wisdom emanating from
the Heavens as a salve to heal the grief of the
evils on earth.
Melding liturgical songs (antiphons,
responsories, sequences and hymns) sung
by the glorious voices of several soloists
and choral groups, accompanied by an
instrumental ensemble into a modern-day
symphonia harmoniae caelestium revelationum
(a symphony of heavenly revelations)
Sheehan has created a harmonious combination
of different musical sounds, woven into
the divine cosmic harmony.
In fact Sheehan has created a powerful
metaphor that unites the physical and the
spiritual realms that brings both participant
and listener into a closer – mystical – relationship
with the divine. The Choir of Trinity Wall
Street, the Trinity Youth Chorus, combined
with the voices of the Artefact Ensemble
and the Downtown Voices, together with
instrumental ensemble NOVUS NY bring the
spontaneity of Akathist to life.
Raul da Gama
Zibuokle Martinaityte – Aletheia: Choral
Works
Latvian Radio Choir; Sigvards Klava
Ondine ODE 1447-2 (ondine.net/index.
php?lid=en&cid=2.2&oid=7307)
! On Aletheia,
celebrated
Lithuanian
composer Žibuoklė
Martinaitytė has
used the wordless
language of the
heart to drive the
emotional spirituality
of these four outstanding choral works.
Using thrillingly sensuous music of bright
acoustic colours and resonant fades, she
has created a vocabulary defined by note
durations, attack and intensities through
throat-singing, drones and other vocal
devices. In fact, she has brought new meaning
and beauty to the mystique of spiritual music.
In the titular first work on this disc
Martinaitytė evokes the horrors of the Russian
invasion of Lithuania, a personal trauma that
was triggered by the more recent Russian
invasion of Ukraine. Ululations is a work
similar to Aletheia. Although it is not born of
the despair and trauma of the latter work, it is
born of an elemental, “ululating” wail.
Chant des Voyelles employs voices to
mimic the curves of sculptures by the cubist
sculptor Jacques Lipchitz. And although The
Blue of Distance has no particular setting,
this sweeping Whitmanesque piece completes
the exquisite cycle of mystical chorales vividly
interpreted by the Latvian Radio Choir
conducted by Sigvards Kļava.
Raul da Gama
What we're listening to this month:
thewholenote.com/listening
Hush
Roberta Michel
The five pieces engage in a
dynamic dialogue, ranging from
acrobatic passagework to deep
timbral excavation, each expanding
the instrument's sonic footprint.
Tryptique
Fern Lindzon, Colleen Allen, George
Koller
“Tryptique combines the talents of
three extraordinary performers
into a sweeping musical fusion that
delights, inspires, and blazes its own
unique path. Highly recommended!”
Midwest Book Review
Cannon
Dan Fortin
An electric bass and synthesizer
driven collection of duets with
some of Canada’s leading
improvisers.
You Are The Right Length
Exit Points
Celebrate Toronto's improvised
music scene with Exit Points:
You Are The Right Length, a
groundbreaking vinyl LP featuring
35 musicians. Available now!
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 57

CLASSICAL AND BEYOND
Scherzi Forastieri
Flute Alors!
ATMA ACD2 2818 (atmaclassique.com/en/
product/scherzi-forastieri)
! Speaking as a
former recorder
player, I can say,
with good authority,
that it can be a frustrating
instrument:
limits to timbre
and dynamics can
quickly outweigh
the joys of how easy it is to make your first
decent sounds. The Montreal-based recorder
quartet Flûte Alors! is a shining example of
the other side of this coin, revealing for years
now how astonishing this instrument can be
when it’s well played.
Although known for its eclectic repertoire,
the latest offering from the quartet
focuses solely on Italian music of the early
Baroque. The title is taken from a collection of
canzoni written in 1611 by Giovanni Cangiasi
and translates roughly as “pleasantries of a
foreigner.” Of the 18 tracks on this CD, ten are
by Cangiasi and they really are very cheerful
and inventive. Like most music from this
period, the curiosity for modern ears lies
in all the ways in which the conventions of
the high baroque have not yet been formed:
vestiges of renaissance harmonies and dance
forms present themselves again and again.
I particularly liked the “clucking hens”
of Cangiasi’s La Furugada and the athletic
and sinuous theme of Nicolò Corradini’s La
Bizzarra; both of these feature that lightspeed
tonguing only possible on the recorder.
Execution throughout is spectacular: virtuosic
and tasteful ornaments, spot-on tuning,
infallible passage work. Yes, the colours are
limited but the group has selected interesting
and varied music and as far as taking
the listener back in time, it is thoroughly and
delightfully convincing.
Fraser Jackson
More Bach, Please!
Concerto Italiano; Rinaldo Alessandrini
Naïve OP8454 (arkivmusic.com/products/
more-bach-please)
! Over the years,
composers and
performers as
diverse as Anton
Webern, Procol
Harem and the
Modern Jazz
Quartet have all
drawn inspiration from the music of J.S Bach.
The Rome-based Baroque ensemble Concerto
Italiano directed by Rinaldo Alessandri is
the latest ensemble to refashion the music
of the Leipzig cantor in this intriguing Naïve
label recording titled More Bach, Please!.
The aim of the endeavour was to create three
new works based upon pre-existing material
by Bach with Alessandrini drawing from a
number of sources.
The Ouverture in the French Style BWV831
for solo keyboard was originally published
in 1735 as the second half of the Clavier-
Übung (paired with the Italian Concerto).
Here, the appeal is three-fold. Not only
are Alessandrini’s arrangements meticulously
constructed but the movements were
thoughtfully chosen. Furthermore, the
playing itself is stylish and elegant with the
ten-member ensemble producing a warmly
cohesive sound in which violinist Boris
Begelman and violist Ettore Belli deliver
particularly polished performances.
The Partita for flute, strings and continuo
and the eight-movement Ouverture in G
Major for strings and continuo utilize various
sources including those from the Violin
Sonata BWV1016, the keyboard Partitas
BWV825 and 828 and the Ouverture BWV820.
Again, the ensemble performs with a solid
conviction with flutist Laura Pontecorvo’s
sensitive and controlled tone melding
perfectly with the string ensemble.
How could Bach not have approved of these
arrangements? He himself frequently transcribed
and reused his own music (and that
of others). With modern technology AI can
undoubtedly produce a competent refashioning
of a composer’s work, but there is
still ample room for the human touch and
creativity, as this recording so admirably
demonstrates.
Richard Haskell
Schumann: Carnaval and Kinderszenen
Edna Stern
Orchid Classics ORC100338 (edna-stern.
com/recordings)
The Young Schumann
Charles Owen
Avie Records AV2647 (avie-records.com/
releases/the-young-schumann-carnaval-
op-9-•-papillons-op-2-•-intermezzi-op-4-•-
abegg-variations-op-1)
! The evergreen
Carnaval is the
main work on two
new recordings of
music for solo piano
by Robert
Schumann. There is
an exciting sense of
youthful impetuousness
in Edna Stern’s recording, with fast
movements taken very quickly and slower
movements treated flexibly, with a generous
use of rubato throughout. The quirkiness of
Schumann’s language is brought to the fore as
Stern emphasizes Schumann’s many sudden
accents and contrasts of dynamics. Listen to
the sense of improvisation in the Valse noble
and the breathtaking abandon Stern brings to
the infamously difficult Paganini. The final
pages of the closing March are truly thrilling.
This is high-octane playing, capturing a sense
of live performance on the wing in a warmly
recorded acoustic.
In comparison,
Charles Owen’s
performance
prizes sensitivity
of phrasing and
clarity of texture
over sheer visceral
excitement. Accents
and inner voices
are less prominent,
and tempos are less extreme. This is a carefully
considered performance, though this
serious-mindedness doesn’t always translate
into the same thrill of excitement that
Stern produces. Owen fills out his album
with Schumann’s first two published works,
the Abegg Variations, Op.1 and Papillons,
Op.2. I find Papillons, in particular, a much
fresher performance, with light textures and
dancing rhythms that emphasize this music’s
roots in the ballroom. Owen also includes the
rarely heard Intermezzi, Op.4, in a committed
performance that makes one wish these six
pieces were heard more often. The confident
swagger of the first piece, the syncopated
playfulness of the second, and the varied
moods of the fifth are all vintage Schumann.
The clarity of the recorded sound complements
Owen’s overall textural precision and
beauty of tone.
Stern’s coupling is the popular and oftenrecorded
Kinderszenen, Op.15. These “Scenes
from Childhood” can sound overly precious
in the wrong hands, but Stern manages an
appealing freshness and innocent charm.
There is originality too, in Stern’s own
composition which ends her recording. The
title, To-nal or not-to-nal, refers to the pull
in contemporary writing between tonal
and atonal harmonies. In five short sections
inspired by literary quotations (Schumann,
too, took much inspiration from the literature
of his time), Stern’s work is a constantly
shifting kaleidoscope of textures and colours.
Lovers of Schumann’s piano music will
enjoy the contrasting approaches Stern and
Owen bring to these inspired works.
Stephen Runge
Chamber Works by Frederick Block
ARC Ensemble
Chandos CHAN 20358 (shop.rcmusic.com/
products/chamber-works-by-frederickblock)
! After fleeing
from Europe to
New York City
in 1940, Viennaborn
Friedrich
Bloch (1899-1945)
resumed composing
as “Frederick
Block.” In the
58 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

few remaining years before his death from
cancer, Block busily composed many works,
including three symphonies, his seventh
opera and the brief, five-movement Suite,
Op.73 for clarinet and piano (1944) in which
jaunty playfulness alternates with wistful
lyricism.
Far more substantial are three works dating
from 1928-1930, filled with the lush songfulness
of Viennese late-Romanticism. In the
Piano Quintet, Op.19, two buoyant movements,
with melodies resembling those of
Erich Korngold, frame a nostalgia-perfumed
slow movement. The sweet, slightly decadent
sentimentality of a fin-de-siècle Viennese
ballroom permeates the four lively movements
of Block’s String Quartet, Op.23.
Echoes of Korngold re-emerge in the
opening Andante of Block’s Piano Trio
No.2, Op.26, followed by a sprightly scherzo
marked Molto vivace, a ruminative Adagio
and the cheerful Vivace-Tango, not only predating
but also, for me, more entertaining
than anything by Astor Piazzolla.
This is the latest in the Music in Exile
series curated by Simon Wynberg, artistic
director of Toronto’s ARC Ensemble, devoted
to unheralded composers displaced or
suppressed by war or dictatorship. Wynberg
discovered Block’s compositions while
exploring archives at the New York Public
Library. Thanks to him, and the ensemble’s
fine musicians – violinists Erika Raum
and Marie Bérard, violist Steven Dann, cellist
Thomas Wiebe, clarinetist Joaquin Valdepeñas
and pianist Kevin Ahfat – the music of yet
another deserving composer lives again.
Michael Schulman
Works for Piano and Orchestra – Prokofiev;
Rimsky-Korsakov; Tsfasman
Zlata Chochieva; BBC Scottish Symphony
Orchestra; Karl-Heinz Steffens
Naïve V8448 (zlatachochieva.com/music)
! Recordings
of two of the
three composers
(certainly not
these compositions,
though), may
be abundant and
varied. They may be
performed with attention to historical practices
or conceived as a series of romantic
flights. But what strikes you through her
performances of Rimsky-Korsakov, Prokofiev,
Tsfasman is that Zlata Chochieva doesn’t
impose doctrinaire impulses on these three
orchestral works but explores – with the BBC
Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by
Karl-Heinz Steffans – a range of expressive
and rhythmic nuances.
Her playing is absorbing and sensitive,
full of insightful phrasing, reflective subtlety
and joie de vivre. Rimsky-Korsakov’s Piano
Concerto in C-sharp Minor, Op.30: Note that
the choice of this work (not operatic extracts
from Scheherazade) puts a spotlight on the
composer’s genius for infusing his works
with primary instrumental colours, and
progressive harmonies, particularly in the
third, Allegro movement.
Prokofiev, on the other hand, was a genius
of the piano, but his concertos – among the
most inventive ever written – are rarely
performed. This Piano Concerto No.2 in G
Minor, Op.16 is a case in point. It begins as
an almost backward-looking composition
but the performer in him soon takes over
and by the time we get to the Finale - Allegro
tempestoso movement we are presented with
the composer’s barnstorming prowess.
Tsfasman’s Jazz Suite is a glowing echo of
his idol, Gershwin. Consummate performances
by pianist and orchestra bring an
alluring dénouement to this programme.
Raul da Gama
MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY
Two Orchestras, One Symphony: Jacques
Hetu – Symphony No.5
National Arts Centre Orchestra Canada;
Orchestre Symphonique du Québec;
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir; Alexander
Shelley
Analekta AN2 8890 (nac-cna.ca/en/
orchestra/recordings/hetu-5)
! The combined
forces of two
orchestras and a
symphonic choir,
all under the
superb leadership
of conductor
Alexander Shelley,
came together in
March, 2024 for this magnificent recording
of Jacques Hétu’s bold work. Indeed, it was
a work the composer was never to hear in
performance, as he passed away three weeks
before its premiere in February, 2010.
This recording is a reminder of Hétu’s skill
and significance as one of Canada’s finest
composers. Having studied as a young man
with Clermont Pépin and Jean-Papineau
Couture in Canada and Lukas Foss at
Tanglewood, he went to Paris in 1961, won
the Prix D’Europe and furthered his studies
with Henri Dutilleux and Olivier Messiaen.
Paris is the subject of the fifth symphony,
with programmatic titles depicting pre-World
War II, the Invasion, the Occupation and,
finally, a complex and glorious choral finale
to the text of Liberté by Paul Elouard (brilliantly
set previously by Francis Poulenc in
his cantata Figure humaine). Hétu’s setting is
defiant and harmonically thrilling. The whole
symphony packs an emotional punch and
possesses an anti-totalitarian message that’s
important to hear at this particular time.
The performance is sincere and committed,
with some fine wind and brass solo work.
The choir’s sound is full and strong. The
recording was the culmination of a number
of live performances during an extensive tour
through Ontario and Québec. It is a tribute
to the close association that the NACO had
with the composer over many years, having
premiered his third symphony in 1971 (under
Mario Bernardi’s direction) and taken it on
a tour of Europe in 1990. Alexander Shelley
continues to develop important large-scale
projects at the National Arts Centre for which
we can be grateful and proud.
Larry Beckwith
Three of Twelve and Another
Graham Flett
Redshift Records (redshiftmusicsociety.
bandcamp.com/album/three-of-twelveand-another)
! Ontario
composer Graham
Flett’s album
of two electric
guitar works
has an intriguing
backstory. The
composer writes,
“One summer I
happened upon
an old 12-string guitar that was extremely
but very intriguingly out-of-tune. Hearing it
made me consider how an ensemble of such
out-of-tune guitars might sound.” Inspired
by that untuned chance encounter Flett
began to explore four separate, yet related
guitar tunings of the conventional 6-string
electric guitar. In the final score he meticulously
stipulates the tuning of each of the 24
strings of the four guitars, their web of interrelationships
taking into consideration string
harmonics and other acoustic phenomena.
There’s also poetry. Flett took inspiration
from W.H. Auden’s Twelve Songs. Thus,
the three movements of his Music for Four
Retuned Electric Guitars are tagged with
Auden’s poetic phrases characterising each
movement: the silent statue; the smokeless
hill; the hot sun. Stillness, heat and perhaps
negative space are being evoked.
The second work Unadorned, for solo electric
guitar, is no less complex sounding. Here
Flett explores a continuous series of threenote
chords employing many harmonic
groupings. The use of messa di voce - a
musical swell here applied to a guitar note
or chord - removes the initial attack of the
plucked guitar strings, leaving puffs of sonic
clouds to linger, gently pulse or grate against
each other. It’s an album signature.
Spain-based guitarist Elliot Simpson, who
took on the considerable task of retuning and
then multi-tracking the guitars, renders these
enigmatic, challenging works with commitment,
elegant musicianship and attention
to detail.
Andrew Timar
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 59

Imagine Many Guitars
Tim Brady; Instruments of Happiness;
Bronwyn Thies-Thompson; Janelle Lucyk;
Sarah Albu; Marie-Annick Beliveau
Redshift Records TK550
(redshiftmusicsociety.bandcamp.com/
album/imagine-many-guitars)
! Imagine Many
Guitars is real; a
well-thought out
and brilliantly
performed electric
guitar recording
by Montreal-based
Tim Brady, who
composed, played
and recorded all the guitar lines, which he
multi-tracks in the four compositions here.
The opening 25-minuteThis one is broken
in pieces: Symphony #11 (2019-2024) is held
together by Brady’s eight electric guitars
(with effects pedals), and overdubbed
sopranos Bronwyn Thies-Thompson, Janelle
Lucyk, Sarah Albu and Marie-Annick Béliveau
singing texts taken from the late Ian Ferrier’s
book Coming & Going (2015). This very
symphonic music with classical and contemporary
overtones features guitar effect backdrops
to guitar grooves alternating with
vocals – suspenseful a cappella singing and
moving spoken lines. Guitar strums and held
notes add an echo effect to high sung notes.
Slow, Simple (2022) for 20 electric guitars
is not really simple sonically but is easylistening!
The tempo is slow, with Brady’s low
held chords opening and the guitars build as
the chords slowing change with simultaneous
descending lead lines, held notes, strumming,
single note atonal lines and held note effects.
Five Times: four guitars (2022), a shorter
five-movement change of pace, features a
more open and playful style and a rocking
lead guitar in Everywhere, and more atonal
experimental lines resembling playing at
home sounds in Alone.
The earlier four-part work (very) Short
Pieces for (jazz) Guitar (1979) shows off a
jazzier side of Brady’s playing with clean
lines, rhythmic strums and accents.
Brady is amazing and inspirational
throughout Imagine Many Guitars.
Tiina Kiik
Rebecca Bruton – a roof or mirror,
blossom, madder, cracks; Jason Doell -
together
Quatuor Bozzini; junctQin keyboard
collective
Collection Quatuor Bozzini CQB 2433-2
(collectionqb.bandcamp.com/album/
rebecca-bruton-jason-doell-a-root-ormirror-blossom-madder-cracks-together)
! Montreal’s
internationally
renowned contemporary
string
quartet Quatuor
Bozzini is known
for championing
composers. On
this album of two
new works, they
join forces with Toronto’s junctQín keyboard
collective, a trio of expert advocates of the
rare art of six-hand piano playing.
Toronto composer Jason Doell in his
performance notes reflects on his work
together in poetic terms. It’s “a work born
of strange conversation caught in webs
that cling to beliefs still continuously being
spun….” Early in together a mysterious ppp
drone appears. Unlike most drones however,
it continuously and very slowly, drifts down
in pitch by a disciplined half-tone. While the
string quartet skilfully tunes to the shifting
drone, the piano cannot. For much of the
work’s 20 minutes therefore Doell creates
the perception of a transient out-of-tuneness
in the slowly flowing texture as the two
sonic components drift apart. The consequent
tension is finally relieved by a complex tonal
quasi-resolution at the work’s close.
Alberta composer Rebecca Bruton’s eightpart
The Faerie Ribbon consists of four
initial movements each with its own magical
subtitle, each mirrored by its own alterversion.
The string quartet textures are punctuated
by deep sustained piano chords,
contrasted in two sections by voices singing
consonant harmonies. What to make of
the title? Faeries in folklore are anthropomorphic
liminal creatures associated with
nature and magic. In some myths they haunt
specific locations and dangerously lead travelers
astray. Could Bruton - and Doell - be
evoking the power of music to catch us
unaware, acting as a transformative agent of
the musical medium and listeners alike?
Andrew Timar
Butterfly Lightning Shakes the Earth
India Gailey; Symphony Nova Scotia; Karl
Herzer
Redshift Records TK552
(redshiftmusicsociety.bandcamp.com/
album/butterfly-lightning-shakes-theearth)
! Cellist India
Gailey’s latest
album continues
her dedication to
the fusion of natural
and supernatural
worlds, depicting
powerful images
of our changing
environment while revealing early influences
of her Buddhist lineage.
Opening with three miniatures,
Mountainweeps (originally written for cellist
Arlen Hluska for Instagram posts needing to
be around 1 min each), Gailey uses her vast
range of minimalist colours to paint the scene
of melting glaciers and the migration of creatures
following the disappearing ice. With
the use of fleeting harmonics, the composer
sets the scene for frigid temperatures, and the
flowing arpeggiated passages describe fleeing
plants and animals.
This short set aptly sets the stage for
Gailey’s first symphonic composition
Butterfly Lightening Shakes the Earth, a
concerto for cello and orchestra composed
during a Banff Residency and premiered with
Symphony Nova Scotia under the baton of
Karl Hirzer. The first movement, SKY, beginning
with heavenly high notes on the cello
paired with fluttering harmonics and high
triangle chimes throughout the orchestra,
is textural while supporting the melody of
the cello. The second movement, GOLDEN,
blends the double basses and lowest reeds to
bring a dark and mysterious element behind
the gorgeous melody in the cello, morphing
into tonal shifts and scattered drums like
oncoming rain and a sudden storm, leading to
the third movement, JOINING, where we hear
a rainstorm beautifully rendered throughout
the orchestra. The heavens seem to break
open with a string quartet of almost plaintive
chant which quickly grows throughout
the ensemble, when the cello bursts into the
group with a storm of its own. The sound
of birds ebbs and swells again to end in a
majestic firestorm of cello pyrotechnics and
a mountain of sound. It’s worth a trip over to
YouTube to see the capture of this performance
as the storm effects are wonderous to
watch, and Gailey’s playing is exact and clear
while maintaining a natural and relaxed
delivery. The future looks very bright for this
exceptional artist.
Cheryl Ockrant
60 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

Awake and Dreaming – Music of Alice Ping
Yee Ho
Katherine Dowling
Independent (katherinedowling.com)
! In her first solo
album, pianist
Katherine Dowling
presents music by
Chinese-Canadian
composer Alice Ping
Yee Ho. Colourful
and dynamic, Ho’s
writing makes
impressive use of the piano’s resources,
including some imaginative strumming and
plucking of strings, and Dowling relishes
the significant technical and interpretive
demands of these works with assurance.
Dowling has a keen ear for texture and colour,
but also an impassioned – even impulsive –
sense of forward momentum and line.
Inspired by Dali, the album’s opening
work, Aeon (2012), provides a good sense
of Ho’s piano writing as a dramatic and
resonant slow introduction leads into a brilliant
and driving toccata. Dowling’s characterization
of the non-stop passagework
is impressive. The most recent work on the
album, There is no night without a dawning
(2023) was commissioned by Dowling
herself for this recording. An elegiac, meditative
beginning works up to an agitated
climax featuring ringing chords and trills.
The album’s emotional high point is The
Weeping Woman (2022), inspired by a series
of portraits by Picasso. Dowling movingly
captures the work’s depiction of the suffering
of war, ranging from hushed mystery to
searing intensity. Lighter, more playful moods
are explored in shorter works such as the
scherzo-like Fire of Imagination (1991) and
Cyclone (1994), a repeated-note toccata.
Recorded at the Polaris Centre in Calgary
in a resonant but detailed acoustic, Katherine
Dowling’s portrait of Ho is an impressive
achievement. Her extensive experience with
and commitment to contemporary music
results in authoritative interpretations, underlining
both the drama and the atmosphere
of Ho’s piano writing. Highly recommended
for anyone interested in contemporary piano
music, and the chance to hear music by one
of Canada’s most acclaimed composers in
compelling and virtuosic performances.
Stephen Runge
landscapes of memory – solo piano music
by Emilie Cecilia LeBel
Wesley Shen; Luciane Cardassi
Redshift Records TK551
(redshiftmusicsociety.bandcamp.com/
album/landscapes-of-memory)
! Alberta-based
Canadian composer
Emilie Cecilia
LeBel’s landscapes
of memory features
her subtle, delicate
compositional style
in two solo piano
works with extensions.
Both are over 30 minutes in length,
inspired by nature, and each is performed by
the work’s commissioner. A distinct highlight
is LeBel’s use of EBows, electromagnetic
exciters which are commonly used on electric
guitars. The E-Bow is placed inside the piano
causing the strings it is put on to create a
continuous vibrating drone effect dependent
on the pianist’s articulation, volume
and tempo.
Toronto pianist Wesley Shen performs
ghost geography (2022) which is inspired
by the North Saskatchewan River. This is
slow, very hypnotic and reflective, using
a wide piano range with a repeated held
chord, higher interspersed notes, ascending
single notes and low tones blending with
one continuous quasi-background drone.
Especially moving is how the ends of the
piano held notes blend with the drone sound.
Brazilian-Canadian pianist Luciane
Cardassi performs the five-movement pale
forms in uncommon light (2023) which is
inspired by the Montane ecoregion in Alberta
and its filtering light patterns through trees.
The middle register positioned EBow drone
is louder throughout, moving string position
with each movement. Alternating low, midrange
and high piano notes against the midpitched
drone creates a shimmer effect.
Both pianists perform brilliantly, effortlessly
combining each composition’s inherent
texture, resonance and tone colour with the
drone. The unique hypnotic slower tempos,
chromatic harmonics, held notes and drones
are worth the possibly challenging listen.
Tiina Kiik
Kaleidoscope – Contemporary Piano Music
by Female Composers from Around the
World
Isabel Dobarro
Grand Piano GP944 (naxos.com/
CatalogueDetail/?id=GP944)
! The Spanish
pianist Isabel
Dobarro has long
championed music
by contemporary
female composers.
Born in Santiago de
Compostela in 1992,
she studied at the Madrid Royal Conservatory
and has been a prize-winner in several
competitions. While she has frequently
taken part in premieres, this recording, titled
Kaleidoscope and featuring the music of 12
female composers all born between 1943 and
1996 is even further proof of her commitment
to modern music. The names are
perhaps unfamiliar to the average listener and
come from different backgrounds, but all are
composersDobarro particularly admires for
their individualism.
These compositions may have been written
during the last 25 years, but there is little
of the avant-garde here; instead, a decidedly
neo-Romantic flavour pervades the
program, which is marked by contrasts. The
disc opens with the languorous Nocturne by
the Grammy-nominated Bulgarian composer
Dobrinka Tabakova – do I hear echoes of
Rachmaninov? Very different in style is
the Estudio 3 by Gabriela Ortiz, an angular
perpetuum mobile composed in 2007. While
Nkeiru Okoye’s Dusk and Suad Bushnak’s
Improvisation are quietly introspective, Tania
Léon’s Tumbao is all frenetic energy.
Clearly, Dobarro has a deep love for this
repertoire. She truly makes these works
come alive, combining a sense of tonal
warmth with a fine resonance, while demonstrating
a flawless technique in the more
demanding compositions. At almost 14
minutes, the lengthiest piece on the program
is Gustav le Grey by the American Grammy
and Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw.
Just as Tabakova’s Nocturne harkens back to
Rachmaninov, this piece is more than a nod
to Chopin in its quasi-extemporary style and
use of mazurka-type rhythms.
Kaleidoscope is aptly titled - a fine
performance of engaging music by 12 living
female composers whose works deserve
greater recognition.
Richard Haskell
Passages
Blackwood
Sanctuary Concerts (jeffreilly.bandcamp.
com/album/passages)
! For over 25
years, the Canadian
instrumental duo
Blackwood has
performed their
lyrical music
touching on jazz,
classical, improvisation,
minimalism
and contemporary soundscapes. Talented
musicians/improvisors/composers Peter-
Anthony Togni (pipe organ/piano) and Jeff
Reilly (bass clarinet) work closely together
“inspired by plainchant, improvisation and
holy minimalism.” Passages features Togni on
three different Atlantic Canada pipe organs,
and Reilly on bass clarinet in three Togni, and
two Togni and Reilly compositions. They are
joined by special guest cellist India Gailey on
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 61

two tracks.
Togni/Reilly’s Passages is a colourful
accessible duet. Repeated lower organ notes
form an accompaniment to a glamorous
bass clarinet melody. The piece builds much
louder and then, after a a short silence,
birdlike clarinet sounds and organ flourishes
are enchanting. Togni’s multi-sectional
Benedicite (To Alison Howard) opens with
Gailey’s calming cello lines above organ
sounds. A short silent break is followed by
reflective slow clarinet and cello conversations
above organ held notes. It makes for
gratifying listening as organ chordal modulations,
lyrical cello melody, clarinet flourishes
and organ volume builds to another
silent break. The next “orchestral” section
is highlighted by lyrical cello and clarinet
lines to an intriguing closing low organ stop.
There are mysterious cello and clarinet lines,
cello slides, hilarious low clarinet notes and
held organ notes in Togni’s To Look Out
Beyond Oneself. Togni’s duet Silentio features
contrasting lower clarinet below higher
organ notes. Togni/Reilly’s Feathery Spirit is
mood-lifting, subtle jazz flavoured with slow/
fast bass clarinet, and loud wide-ranging
pitched organ.
Blackwood performs their musical sections
as one, creating calming, mesmerizing music.
Tiina Kiik
Esfahan – Chamber Music of Reza Vali
Various Artists
Navona Records NV6647
(navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6647)
! At the University
of Toronto’s recent
New Music Festival,
Reza Vali (b.Qazvin,
Iran 1952),
professor emeritus
at Pittsburgh’s
Carnegie Mellon
University, was
the Roger D. Moore Distinguished Visitor
in Composition. This two-CD collection of
his music is named for its longest work, the
rhapsodic 15-minute Esfahân (Calligraphy
No.17) for string quartet. Persian-infused
modal melodies and rhythms celebrate the
cultural riches and architectural splendour
of everyone’s favourite Iranian city (mine,
too; I visited there in 1996). The Carpe Diem
String Quartet also performs Vali’s melismatic
Châhârgâh (Calligraphy No.19) and
the drone-filled Dashti (Calligraphy No.18),
featuring vocalises by the musicians and
contralto Daphne Alderson.
The shortest work, the four-minute Zand
(Calligraphy No.2) for ney (end-blown
flute) and string trio is sweet and soulful. I
found the over-repetitive, minimalist figurations
of Hajiani (Reality Music No.1) for
karnâ (valveless trumpet) and electronics
less pleasing. Four Persian Mystic Poems for
mezzo-soprano, guitar, percussion, harp and
piano are set to verses about “love,” “sorrow,”
and “eternity” by Hafez, Rumi and Sepehri.
They’re sung in Farsi by Kara Cornell, the
instrumentalists occasionally adding their
voices to the fervent, ecstatic music.
The five-movement Persian Suite No.2 for
flute(s), piano and string quintet contains
lighter fare, suggesting cinematic travelogue
music, except for the fourth movement,
a mournful solo for alto flute. Winds and
percussion dominate Vali’s four-movement
Sornâ (Folk Songs. Set No.17) for Persian
wind instruments and ensemble, ending this
intriguing collection with a richly exotic,
colour-drenched sonic barrage.
Michael Schulman
From the Sea to the Stars
Lindsay Flowers; Andrew Parker
Navona Records NV6666
(navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6666)
! In From the
Sea to the Stars,
Americans Lindsay
Flowers and
Andrew Parker
present a rich and
varied exploration
of works for oboe
and English horn.
The album showcases both contemporary
and classical compositions, highlighting the
expressive potential of these often overlooked
instruments.
Andrea Clearfield’s Daughter of the Sea, a
seven-movement piece for oboe and English
horn, opens the album with quirky charm.
The work is a fascinating blend of timbres,
featuring moments where the musicians
vocalize to enhance the emotional depth
of the piece. Flowers and Parker’s playing
is beautifully expressive, with a rich tone
color that allows the instruments to blend
seamlessly.
Alyssa Morris’ Brokenvention, accompanied
by pianist Satoko Hayami, offers a
lyrical, introspective moment in the album.
This short duet is delicate, with subtle interplay
between the oboe and English horn. Erin
Goad’s Overheard on a Saltmarsh takes a
more melancholy turn, with pensive melodies
and dissonant interjections. The work evokes
the imagery of nature, with the oboe and
English horn creating haunting, almost otherworldly
sounds.
Federigo Fiorillo’s Sinfonia Concertante is a
delightful nod to the Classical era, showcasing
the technical skill and stylistic playing of
both performers. The album concludes with
Eugene Bozza’s lush Shepherds of Provence:
Sous les Étoiles, a beautifully atmospheric
duet that complements the unique timbres of
the two instruments.
From the Sea to the Stars is a captivating
celebration of musical diversity, demonstrating
Flowers and Parker’s artistry and the
versatility of the oboe family.
Melissa Scott
The Dawn of the Bicameral Clarinetist
Gary Dranch
Navona Records nv6693 (navonarecords.
com/catalog/nv6693)
Pulse-Tide
Liam Hockley
Aural Terrains (liamhockley.bandcamp.
com/album/pulse-tide)
! What have we
done with music?
We didn’t invent
it, but we have
certainly messed
around with it.
Music is a way we
have of organizing
sound (I owe
John Cage a beer); sound is pervasive, even
maddeningly so. No wonder humans take
stimuli and organize them, visually or sonically,
even kinetically, and often all at once.
Such deep thoughts help me cope with my
own prejudices, especially my dislikes, when
it comes to assessing the discs I have before
me. The Dawn of the Bicameral Clarinetist is
a survey of works for solo clarinet and electronic
media, dating between 1968 and 1979,
by composers whose names may be familiar
to those who pay attention to this type of art.
Comprehensive accompanying notes about
performers, composers as well as performance
dates, fill out the story. Clarinetist Gary
Dranch demonstrates commitment and virtuosity
in service of this niche (one decade, all
clarinet, plus or minus electronics), or as he
puts it, “time capsule.” It’s interesting, even
fascinating. My aesthetic sense is rewarded,
and my skepticism about the value of such a
retrospective is forced to sit in the back and
listen.
By preference I gravitate to the traditional
form of James Drew’s St. Dennis Variations,
the most recent work with the most ancient
roots. Dranch is an expressive and able player;
these recordings may sound a bit raw but it’s
because they were initially recorded live on
cassette tape! Talk about ancient.
More up-to-date,
and yet less satisfying
in terms of
recording quality,
is Liam Hockley’s
Pulse Tide. The
B.C.-based Hockley
performs spectral
works for
the hound of the
clarinet family, the basset horn. Ana-Maria
Avram exploits the wolf-ish tone of this
somewhat balky beast in Penumbra. Hockley
produces a hypnotic, ASMR-inducing quality
from a series of multiphonics, flutter and slap
tonguing, key clicks and vibrato-laden micro
melodies. The dry recording environment
sponges up any reverb, which works in a way
and seems artificial at the same time; roombounce
has been sponged up.
62 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

Artifice also characterizes the charming
Egress, by Thanos Chrysakis. An overlay of
five tracks all played by Hockley. What an
oddity, a humoresque of argumentative fowl.
Next, Hockley plays un-self-accompanied,
i.e. solo, in Aura by Iancu Dumitrescu. I have
trouble connecting the title to the series of
new-music-y effects. A second listen might
have been in order, but life is, after all, short.
On content, I think 75% is a good average,
and who can account for other tastes than
one’s own?
In contrast, Horatiu Radulescu’s
Capricorn’s Nostalgic Crickets, is the capper
at 25+ minutes. Not content to provide a mere
five voices, Hockley here plays seven overlay
tracks. I wonder whether a Basset choir
(pack?) would be possible in practical terms
(few owner-operators, fewer gigs). In this
incarnation it’s not easy to discern separate
parts, or whether he overlayed the same
material seven times, the overlap generating
the interest. Imagine a slow repeated kind of
organic instrumental respiration. This one is
the oldest work by more than two decades.
It serves, like Avram’s, to induce a meditative
Beta state. The crickets are certainly
extra-terrestrial, but benign. Perhaps they’re
angels? Give this track time and space, it’s the
coolest.
Max Christie
Hush – New Works for Flute and
Electronics
Roberta Michel
New Focus Recordings FCR422
(newfocusrecordings.com/catalogue/
roberta-michel-hush)
! Roberta Michel’s
intrepid musicianship
has caught the
attention of avantgarde
artists and
groups such as
the Art Ensemble
of Chicago, Bang
on a Can, the Wet
Ink Ensemble and
others. On Hush she takes the flute – her
chosen instrument – out of the confines of the
chamber (or orchestral) context on solo flights
following, unfettered, wherever this audacious
music beckons.
Ditching what certainly appears to be a
reliable technique, she puts paid to predictable
finger movement and conventional
breath controls to seemingly turn her body’s
whole cardio-pulmonary machinery into a
system plotted around the efforts and exertions
required to make a multi headed
monolith of pure sound made from mouthfuls
of air.
The whirling ellipses of Jane Rigler’s
Red are eminently suited to Michel’s restless
creativity, and it surges in a mad rush
of blood to the head, and her flute. Victoria
Cheah’s edifice, And for you, castles sees
Michel mindfully abseiling through its sonic
architecture. Jen Baker’s piece, The Great
Bridge and a Lion’s Gate is painted in washes
of muted and vivid coloured brushstrokes by
Michel. Mert Morali’s Quintet sends pungent
sonorities through Michel’s bass flute echoing
through four speakers. Meanwhile Angélica
Negrón’s Hush echoes the silvery quietude
of Michel’s father Fred’s plant photographs.
Cheah, Morali and Negrón join Michel to
perform on their works.
Meanwhile the conventional meaning
of the word “hush” apart, metaphorically
speaking Michel blows her way through her
flutes right past the sound barrier.
Raul da Gama
Ink Traces
Julia Glenn; Konstantinos Valianatos
Navona Records NV6670 (navonarecords.
com/catalog/nv6670)
! American
violinist Julia Glenn
has lived, taught
and performed in
China, immersing
herself in China’s
language, music,
dance and poetry.
Together with
Athens-born pianist
Konstantinos Valianatos who, like Glenn,
has taught at Tianjin Juilliard School, she
plays works by composers who embrace both
Chinese and Western classical idioms.
Chen Yi’s Romance and Dance (1995-
1999) begins with the very Chinese-sounding
Romance, the violin’s bent notes wailing
plaintively over sporadic pianistic water-droplets.
Dance is a wild ride, with frenzied violin
flourishes and rapid piano ostinatos. Chen’s
Memory for solo violin (2010) movingly mixes
Chinese and Western elements, progressing
emotionally from apprehensiveness to
determination.
The fragmented melodies and rhythmic
inertia of the other solo violin pieces – Yao
Chen’s Air (2015) and Pan Kai’s Ink Traces of
Sigh (2017/2022) sound thoroughly European,
as does Gao Weijie’s The Road (1996), though
with longer violin melodies and some
momentum from the piano.
Much more enjoyable are Sang Tong’s Night
Scenery (1947), the violin ruminating above
the piano’s irregular walking bass, the lovely
melodies of Nostalgia from Ma Sicong’s Inner
Mongolia Suite (1937) and, most of all, Chen
Gang’s delightful, unmistakably Chinese
Drum and Song (1974-1976) in which
rollicking jollity frames blissful dreaminess.
Whining Chinese glissandi and martial
Western propulsion clash violently in the
CD’s longest work, Chen Yihan’s 11-minute
EHOHE for baroque violin and electronics
(2022), commissioned by Glenn. Happily, the
disparate cultures eventually reconcile and
the disc ends in peaceful serenity.
Michael Schulman
Playfair Sonatas
Ethan Iverson
Urlicht Audiovisual (musicalconcepts.net/
recording/ethan-iverson-playfair-sonatas)
! Ethan Iverson
is a pianist and
composer who
helped found the
American jazz
group The Bad
Plus in 2000. He
has performed jazz
with a diverse group
of musicians over the years (Lee Konitz, Ron
Carter, Ingrid Jensen etc.) and composed
for a variety of groups along with writing
on music for several magazines. Playfair
Sonatas is named after Piers Playfair who
agreed to pay Iverson’s studio’s rent for six
months in exchange for him composing six
sonatas where Playfair would choose the
instrumentation.
Along with piano accompaniment, the six
instruments are: violin, marimba, clarinet,
trombone, alto saxophone and trumpet. All
the works are lively and take advantage of
each solo instrument’s unique characteristics.
For example, Violin Sonata is relatively
classical sounding while Alto Saxophone
Sonata includes classical, Broadway and jazzy
lines. One of the most intriguing aspects is
where Iverson dedicates a movement to well
known musical figures. For example, Clarinet
Sonata II (Music Hall) is dedicated to Carla
Bley and it has a sultry and ironic melodicism
which matches Bley’s musical personality.
Violin Sonata II Blues (for Ornette
Coleman) is melodic with brief forays into
atonal territory which matches Coleman well.
Playfair Sonatas is an elegant and innovative
addition to the world of chamber music.
Ted Parkinson
JAZZ AND IMPROVISED
Forever Stories of Moving Parties
Peggy Lee; Cole Schmidt
Earshift Music (peggyleecoleschmidt.
bandcamp.com/album/forever-stories-ofmoving-parties)
! Cellist Peggy Lee
and guitarist Cole
Schmidt have been
playing together
since 2017 and their
deep trust and easy
communication
naturally extend to
their community
of exceptional improvisors, many of whom
add their voices to the conversations on this
album. “The initial concept for the record had
to do with hosting a party,” remarks Schmidt,
“[one] that included all kinds of people and
characters connecting on different conversations
in different rooms of the house.”
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 63

Lee and Schmidt have a way of being lyrically
tight compositionally while at the same
time being flexible and open to new ideas.
Their generous co-leadership has resulted
in them structuring compositions which
leave lots of room for improvisation. The
result is exactly what the album describes it
to be; a group of friends getting together to
float through the album like conversations
at a house party, no two being alike. Many
of the tracks were made remotely between
studios in Vancouver, Melbourne, Montreal
and home recordings, retaining the album’s
genuine feeling of collaboration and conversation,
as well as allowing for multi-tracking
and effects.
It Will Come Back features the vocals and
electronics of Sunny Kim with exquisite
backing from the band. Lisen Rylander Löve’s
vocals on Dr. Dawn is a breathless standout
and flows freely with experimental and
layered cello. The melodic and dreamy for Ron
Miles (featuring bassoonist Sara Schoenbeck)
is gorgeous. Wayne Horwitz’s Wurlitzer on
the seamless funk-out of Gloop stealthily
creeps up inside the tune to a gloried end, and
Dylan van der Schyff’s knockout drumming
in Sungods is a whole trip on its own.
The final track Coda, featuring only Lee
and Schmidt, feels like the exhausted end of a
house party, when everyone has gone home,
and two good friends finally have a sit-down
on the sofa and feel warm and satisfied for
having hosted a great gathering.
Cheryl Ockrant
Utopia Ontario
Andrew Downing; Maggie Keogh; Justin
Orok; Kevin Turcotte; Ian McGimpset
Independent AD00107
(andrewdowning.com)
! The latest release
from eminent
bassist, multiinstrumentalist
and composer
Andrew Downing
is a love letter to
a rural, smalltown
in Ontario,
perhaps ironically named Utopia. All eight
compositions are from the amazing brain
of Downing, with lyrics by Downing and
vocalist Maggie Keogh who contributes lyrics
on three tracks. Like much of Downing’s
work, the music itself defies category… a
mash-up of jazz, folk and art song. Downing
has said that his diverse group of influences
include Bill Frisell and Joni Mitchell, with a
blast of Debussy, Billy Strayhorn and Carla
Bley, and he has manifested here a singular
musical palate involving Ian McGimpsey on
pedal steel guitar, Justin Orok acoustic guitar
as well as his long-time coterie member on
trumpet, Kevin Turcotte.
The programme kicks off with Tiger Lilly –
a folk-inspired, mystical reverie that conjures
up the deep peace of a woodsy sunset, as well
as the earthy power of the feminine mystique,
elegantly negotiating the seasons. The tasteful
execution of slide guitar by McGimpsey is
inspired. Turcotte also shines here on muted
trumpet, while Keough’s diaphanous, pure
vocal instrument is both delightful and
abundantly refreshing in this era of overwrought,
vibrato-clad divas. Of particular,
subtle beauty is Girl – an almost unbearably
romantic ballad replete with a cleverly poetic
lyric – a treat for both musical sensibility and
the emotional self. Turcotte enhances the
elegant melody while Downing’s bass is the
anchor to which all attaches.
Downing’s facile arco technique is on full
display in the melancholy, nostalgic Sideroad,
and again, Keogh’s honest and pure vocal
effortlessly evokes deep, profound emotions
connected to what is precious to all humans –
while Downing’s unique artistic perspective,
vision and masterful musical skill saturate
every moment of the experience.
Lesley Mitchell-Clarke
Soft Winds and Roses
Diana Panton; Reg Schwager; Don
Thompson
Independent (dianapanton.com/releasesnew.html)
! With Soft Winds
and Roses, vocalist
Diana Panton
offers listeners an
album that will
appease nostalgic
music fans, without
sounding out of
place in the eclectic
sonic world of the 2020s. This is a commendable
feat, and perhaps the key to Panton’s
ability to appeal to such a wide range of audiences.
Her music has gained more commercial
traction than many comparable Canadian
musical acts, without failing to appeal to
jazz purists.
Some of the well-rounded nature of Soft
Winds and Roses is a result of Panton’s excellent
casting choices. Veteran musicians Reg
Schwager and Don Thompson round out a
trio “and then some.” Schwager contributes
beautiful accompaniment on acoustic and
electric guitars, and Thompson is responsible
for the arrangements and piano work.
The “then some” comes in the form of the
aforementioned arranger adding vibraphone
and bass to a handful of tracks. Thompson is
a master of several instruments and has an
uncanny ability to showcase ample musicality
on all of them.
On my first listen I thought that more
liberties could have been taken when arranging
some of the better-known pop songs
covered by Panton. I changed my tune on
this, so to speak, after delving further into
the recording. The vocal melodies and song
forms are treated beautifully by Panton, and
they still leave room for improvisation from
Schwager and Thompson.
I’m confident that this album does not
require my hype to reach a broad audience,
but I’m happy to give it a positive review, as it
indeed contains something for everyone.
Sam Dickinson
Tryptique
Fern Lindzon; Colleen Allen; George Koller
Zsan Records ZSAN7458 (fernlindzon.com/
tryptique)
! What a compelling
mixed metaphor
it is that draws
you into the seductive
mystique of the
three parts of the
painting that adorns
the package (bigger,
and better explicated
if folded out) of this disc. Of course,
that magnetic pull only serves to intensify
the effect of that metaphor on its transposed
metamorphosis into the music of the
album Tryptique. Indeed, the pianist Fern
Lindzon, saxophonist (and flutist) Colleen
Allen and contrabassist George Koller employ
the sublime melodic, harmonic and rhythmic
subterfuge in their arrangements of jazz standards
(Satin Doll) and several originals. In
turn, this music finds reflection in each
section of Mythology, the beckoning painting
by artist Rose Lindzon, and the unique character
of the group’s collaboration brings it to
fruition.
I could spiral into a frenzy trying to define
this music and trace its influences. Is it jazz
so evasively polyrhythmic that a clear, regular
beat rarely emerges? (Cue Kerl Berger’s
Zeynebim or Moe Koffman’s A Flower for
Amadeus). Do these oh-so-seductive arrangements
of standards and originals perfectly
define the creativity of the players?
The sensible thing to do would be to get out
of the way and let each song do the “singing.”
It bears mention that this is a perfect
encounter of musicians whose individual and
collective work redefines the very process
of improvisation around composition. The
result: overall performances that are crisply
articulate, rich in hue and gesture.
Raul da Gama
Reverence
Carn Davidson 9
Independent CD9-004 (taradavidson.ca/
cd9)
! The Carn
Davidson 9 is an
ensemble comprising
nine of the “finest
players of their
generation.” Those
five words would be
quite a meaningless
epithet to describe
this nonet were it not for the fact that virtuosity
and individuality are almost always
64 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

completely eschewed except in the case of
total immersion in the music at hand. This is
but one reason why Reverence is such a flawless
musical production
The utter brilliance of the album is that it
features beautifully crafted arrangements of
beguiling variety and sensuousness. And this
is evident in every lovingly caressed phrase
of music composed in a myriad of musical
idioms beloved of the husband and wife
duo: trombonist William Carn and alto saxophonist
Tara Davidson.
Listen to the manner in which the judiciously
chosen – and featured – soloists
seductively bend and stretch notes, and
propel phrases in glorious, airy arcs on
Groove and If Not Now, Then When?, and
how Davidson sculpts the long inventions
of Carn’ Saudé, or how Carn and trumpeter
Kevin Turcotte do likewise on Wonderment.
From such brilliant playing, solo or
in ensemble, clearly there’s not a single
semiquaver that hasn’t been fastidiously
considered. Featuring the longtime rhythm
section of drummer Ernesto Cervini and
bassist Andrew Downing, every musician is
completely attuned to the artistry of Carn and
Davidson. What better way to honour revered
musical icons.
Raul da Gama
Discovery
Luke Sellick
Sellick Sounds (lukesellick.com/
discography)
! I review albums
from Canada, the
US and beyond.
Luke Sellick’s latest
album Discovery
is a hybrid of sorts,
with its New York
City based bassist
and leader hailing
from Winnipeg originally. Great music transcends
geography, but New York is a city that
has attracted the best and brightest improvising
musicians for nearly a century. Sellick
and his band sound right at home there.
Discovery has an uplifting and energetic
tone to it, without eschewing any of the
playful edginess one would expect from a
group of young musicians in 2024. I was not
familiar with most of the artists on this album
prior to listening, and I postponed my usual
internet sleuthing until I’d heard Discovery in
its entirety. This was a fresh way to listen, and
I was not disappointed!
If I were to make an initial criticism, it
would be centered on the production aspects
of Discovery. Although the individual sounds
on this recording are clear, and everyone is
present in the mix as a whole, at times subtle
additions like the organ on Fun and vocals
on Discovery felt a little out of place in the
sonic landscape. These were no doubt musical
additions, but they toe the line between
embracing “studio magic” and obscuring the
live-sounding nature of the music. This is a
nitpicky and subjective observation, but I’m
including it because my other comments are
all positive.
Bassists as bandleaders often have an internalized
sense of “programming,” whether in a
live or recorded setting. Sellick demonstrates
this brilliantly, with the album’s opening and
closing tracks being perfect “bookends” to the
music they surround.
Sam Dickinson
Dan Fortin – Cannon
Dan Fortin; various artists
Elastic Recordings
(danfortin.bandcamp.com)
! The voluptuous
sound of Dan
Fortin’s bass echoes
with dark, sustained
murmuration on
Cannon, a fascinating
programme
conceived and
executed in a series
of duets. Each track features Fortin and a
procession of intrepid experimentalists, restless
in nature, who allow themselves to be led
into the unknown seemingly by following the
vibrations of a single note.
There is a kind of propulsive energy in each
of the works and this gives poignant meaning
to the title of the recording – Cannon – where
notes and phrases appear (metaphorically and
literally) to be slingshot out of the principal
instrument (which is Fortin’s bass) rather
than played in the customary sense that
music might be played. Thus Fortin succeeds
in drawing his duet-partners into the elliptical
gravitational force of his music.
Moreover, using pedals plugged into his
electric instrument, as well as through what
seem like an array of effects mixed in from
synthesizers, Fortin creates a kind of seductive,
otherworldly atmosphere beckoning the
other instruments. Each of these – saxophone,
guitar, piano, trumpet and drums – then
becomes fused into the impressive wall of
sound created by Fortin to become a shifting
panoply of sound. Surrealist and intergalactic
pictures emerge.
Instruments seem drawn to the bass’
powerful centrifugal force. Uh Hundred is
a good example. Other works evoke thunderous
natural power, such as the rippling
musical groove tumbling down the Eastern
Side of The Ural Mountains. What a forceful
musical ride…!
Raul da Gama
Lumination
Joel Frahm Trio
Anzic Records ANZ-0091 (joelfrahm.
bandcamp.com/album/lumination)
! When I reviewed
the Joel Frahm
Trio’s debut album,
The Bright Side, for
The WholeNote’s
Sep/Oct 2021 issue,
I closed with the
hope that we’d
hear more from
this tenor sax master in the cordless trio
format. Lumination is the exciting follow
up, featuring Frahm, once again, with longtime
musical friends, collaborators and fellow
Turboprop members, bassist Dan Loomis and
drummer Ernesto Cervini.
Here again we are treated to ten original
tracks: six by Frahm and two each by Cervini
and Loomis, “illuminating” their talents not
only as dynamic, virtuosic players, but also as
gifted composers. Peppered throughout with
good humour, the fun begins with Cervini’s
The Nurse Is In, a swinging tribute to his
beloved Toronto Raptors’ former head coach,
jazz lover Nick Nurse, where, alongside the
tight-knit, rhythmic interplay and improvisational
“lay-ups,” you can catch Frahm’s
quick quote of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.
There’s some good-natured teasing in Frahm’s
Disco Nern, a jaunty tribute to Cervini, with
a cheeky quote this time from Istanbul (Not
Constantinople).
Frahm’s signature warmth and mellifluous
playing are heard on his poignant Moonface
Lament, written, apparently, during a sleepless
night on tour. The mood changes with
Loomis’ driving and kinetic False Spring,
followed by Frahm’s cool contrafact, Kern You
Dig It?, based on All The Things You Are by,
you guessed it, Jerome Kern, and featuring
Cervini’s deft brush work.
The Joel Frahm Trio is a classy, cohesive,
collective of consummate musicians.
Lumination is an ideal vehicle for their exceptional
talents.
Sharna Searle
You Are the Right Length
Exit Points
Independent EP-501 (exitpoints.square.
site/product/vinyl-lp-you-are-the-right-len
gth/45?cp=true&sa=true&sbp=false&q=fal
se)
! Now a staple of
the Toronto improvised
music scene,
Michael Palumbo’s
monthly Exit Points
series at Arraymusic
strikes a perfect
balance of genrebending
collaboration
between
musicians across disciplines and capturing
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 65

moments of pure serendipity. It is extremely
fitting that an LP release featuring different
performances from this series feels like it
transcends the live album medium into something
that feels significantly more alive,
breathing.
Track lengths range from under a minute
to over ten, and these lengths feel quite deliberate;
each piece brimming with energy and
momentum, trains of collective thought that
clearly state their destination without having
to arrive there. Sitting at the extremes of this
spectrum of duration are the pieces Falling
into Echoes and Sonoluminescence, which
bear incredible resemblances to each other,
setting a tranquil groundwork, then eventually
opting to draw from reserves of tension
that are not pollutants; merely a texture
etched a little deeper, or a new source of light.
The consequence of choosing excerpts
of larger pieces and then sequencing them
a certain way is that the profound power
of spontaneous composition is apparent
in an entirely different manner than the
act of circumstantially stumbling upon it.
Instances that did not inform each other in
the literal sense begin to touch on meaning
they would not have in isolation, moments
collide to change each other irrevocably.
When unfettered process becomes crystallized
in product form, there exists a chance of
reincarnation as shimmering as this.
Yoshi Maclear Wall
Concert Note: Exit Points takes place the last
Friday of each month at Arraymusic.
Simpletrio2000
Anna Webber
Intakt CD 430 (annawebber.bandcamp.
com/album/simpletrio2000)
! Away from their
academic roles,
Canadian tenor
saxophonist/flutist
Anna Webber now
at the New England
Conservatory and
American drummer
John Hollenbeck
who teaches at McGill, join long-time associate
New York pianist Matt Mitchel, for a
tenth anniversary reunion of their Simpletrio.
The playing focus: ten enigmatically titled
Webber compositions.
Bookended by two modest groove tunes
that expose their innate interaction as they
blend reed honks, patterning and splattering
keyboard strokes and metronomic
drum beats, the exuberant mood they
express animates the entire album. Although
a track like 8va is languid enough to highlight
Webber’s expressive bass flute lowing
matched with intermittent piano clips, tough
pressure and sophisticated linear melodies
with mercurial timbral divergences characterize
most of the other tunes.
Idiom VII for instance is built around
a repeated unison riff, with interludes of
reed tongue slapping, drum press rolls and
carousing piano pumps. Meanwhile Miiire is a
spidery tune that becomes speedier and more
dissident as it unrolls without losing its horizontal
flow. Prominent are Webber’s transverse
flutters and peeps and Hollenbeck’s
rim clanks, which at points unfold in tandem
with the piano for more prominent sound
coloration.
Countering the old saw that those who can
do, and those who can’t teach, is this session
involving Webber, who is Co-Chair of NEC’s
Jazz Studies Department and Hollenbeck who
has taught jazz drumming at McGill’s School
of Music since 2015. Alongside Mitchell they
prove they can definitely do.
Ken Waxman
Peaks and Valleys
Teri Parker’s Free Spirits
Modica Music (teriparkermusic.com)
! Paying homage
to two irreplaceable
legends of
improvised music,
Peaks and Valleys is
about as refreshing,
moving and ingenious
as a tribute
can be. Playing two
pieces each from the expansive works of Geri
Allen and Mary Lou Williams, Toronto pianist
Teri Parker’s group makes the absolute most
of them, with these renditions being sobering
in their clarity and the care taken in bringing
out every nuance of the original recordings,
while feeling like something entirely new is
constantly taking place.
Geri Allen’s classic Drummer’s Song starts
out as exactly that, with Mackenzie Longpre’s
exhilarating drum intro slyly and gradually
implying the song’s central pulse, and then
when Allison Au enters with the saxophone
ostinato near the one-minute mark, everything
somehow perfectly falls into place, a
moment that captures that intangible feeling
of rhythmic alchemy unique to Allen’s music,
where a listener is fully along for the ride
without ever entirely reaching an understanding
of why all these moving parts are so
perfect for each other.
Parker’s own original pieces comprise
the other half of the tracklist, with some
containing more easily identifiable parallels
to the album’s influences (Gemini II for
example, both shares a title with an iconic
Mary Lou Williams piece and an opening
progression that could easily be a nod to her
later period). Others, like the mesmerizing,
goosebump-inducing Bear Hug, sound like
a heartfelt message expressed entirely sonically,
the kind that offers receiving ears a sense
of belonging.
Yoshi Maclear Wall
Brett Hansen – Confluence
Brett Hansen; Mallory Chipman; Chris
Pruden; Murray Wood; Joel Jeschke; Luis
Tovar
Independent (bretthansen.bandcamp.com/
album/confluence)
! Confluence, the
debut album from
Edmonton guitarist
and composer
Brett Hansen, has
its roots in jazz,
but also injects
many folk, rock
and impressionistic
elements. Most of the tunes feature the voice
of Mallory Chipman. Perfect Intentions floats
through its opening with Chipman singing
the wordless melody, rocks out briefly, and
then quiets down for Hansen’s solo which
works through several restrained jazz moods.
Chris Pruden adds a sparkling piano solo
before it ends as it began. Starbathing is a
winding and exploratory duet featuring Joel
Jeschke (drums) and Luis Tovar (percussion).
Moonshower begins with some nice
guitar work before evolving into another
Brazilian-influenced melodic section with
Chipman singing. Jane’s Song is more folk
influenced beginning with an arpeggiated
guitar section before moving into a jazzy
sung melody.
Confluence is an engaging album where
all the musicians contribute to the jazz/folk/
fusion vibe giving it a coherent and identifiable
sound. I look forward to Hansen’s next
release and wonder what other moods he and
his musicians will conjure.
Ted Parkinson
Portrait of Right Now
Jocelyn Gould
Independent JGCD2405
(jocelyngould.com)
! Sporting a
water-tight tracklist,
a phenomenal
rhythm section,
captivating soloing
and a swing feel
that never ceases
to compel the feet
to move, Portrait of
Right Now is yet another exceptional offering
from guitarist Jocelyn Gould, who yet again is
in complete control of her craft.
Alongside a pair of beautifully interpreted
standards, eight Gould originals can be
found here, all featuring a thoroughly catchy
approach to melodicism, as well as harmony
that beguiles and eludes in equal measure,
forcing the listener’s hand at keeping the
repeat button firmly pressed as their day
progresses. Largely exchanging solos between
them for most of the album’s runtime, Gould
and pianist Will Bonness are equal parts
inimitable and playful, wowing with their
66 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

fleet-fingered runs, while constantly turning
heads with the clarity and audacity of their
rhythmic ideas.
Accompanying them is a linkup of Jared
Beckstead-Craan on bass and Curtis Nowosad
on drums, simply a beautiful partnership.
They effortlessly sit directly on top of the
time, providing a sturdy foundation for the
adventurous phrasings of the chordal voices,
while also exhibiting deep listening, never
missing a beat, a notion or an opportunity
to jump on a synchronized comping figure.
This album has the added benefit of sounding
virtually perfect, with each instrument given
ample room in the mix to articulate everything
to the last syllable, and the physicality
of every note played is palpable. What
a breeze.
Yoshi Maclear Wall
Cookin’ at the Queen’s Live in Las Vegas
1984 &1988
Emily Remler
Resonance Records HCD-2076
(resonancerecords.org/product/emilyremlercookin-at-the-queens-live-in-lasvegas-1984-1988-2cd)
! Gifted jazz
guitarist, Emily
Remler, left this
earthly coil in 1990
at the tender age of
34, having already
established herself
as one of the finest
jazz musicians of
her time. Embodying elements of the guitarists
that she idolized, she blazed her own
successful trail. Remler once said, “I may look
like a nice Jewish girl from New Jersey, but
inside I’m a 50-year-old, heavyset black man
with a big thumb, like Wes Montgomery.”
This archival, two-disc recording project
just released on Resonance Record is
co-produced (along with Zev Feldman)
by noted jazz writer Bill Milkowski. Both
discs were recorded live at The French
Quarter Room in The Four Queens, located
on the old Vegas strip on May 28, 1984 and
September 19, 1988. It features a quartet
with Remler on guitar, Cocho Arbe on piano,
Putter Smith on bass and Tom Montgomery
on drums, and also a trio format with Remler
on guitar, Smith on bass and John Pisci
on drums.
Stand out tracks include a tasty, up-tempo,
swinging arrangement of Autumn Leaves,
with Remler fluidly incorporating influences
here of Herb Geller all-the-while completely
prescient of her own style. Also on this track
is superb solo work from Arbe and Smith.
Polka Dots and Moonbeams is a tender and
vulnerable take on the Van Heusen and Burke
classic, bringing to mind the great Lenny
Breau, another guitar genius gone way too
soon. Particularly inspired is the cooking
medley of Tad Dameron’s Hot House and
Cole Porter’s What Is This Thing Called Love.
Remler is fearless, and takes no prisoners here
– channeling her hero, Montgomery, all the
while literally burning up the stage with her
stultifying technique, taste and communicative
sensibility.
Incredibly moving is Gene DePaul’s You
Don’t Know What Love Is. On this languid
ballad, Remler’s emotional maturity and
interpretive skill comes to the fore, while
another stellar track is an up-tempo arrangement
of Jerome Kern’s Yesterdays. Remler’s
facile soloing is nothing short of breathtaking,
and her intensity wrings the nuance
out of every single note played or implied.
This recording not only displays a great artist
at perhaps the peak of her skills, but is also an
essential part of jazz history.
Lesley Mitchell-Clarke
Verdi Remix
Le Mirifique Orchestra; Alban Darche;
Emmanuel Bénèche
Pepin & Plume P&P 009 (pepinetplume.
bandcamp.com/album/verdi-remix)
! Putting a new
spin on the oeuvre
of Giuseppi Verdi
(1813-1901) is
daunting, especially,
if as French
saxophonist Alban
Darche has done,
the transformation involves Le Mirifique
Orchestra, which is only a nonet. Yet by
inserting his own compositions among the
familiar tunes and using different harmonies,
polyrhythms and internal cycles to reorchestrate
others, he’s created a standalone work.
Transcending history these 14 melodies
comfortably fit an ensemble of four brass, two
reeds, plus flute, guitar and drums.
Without being reductive, the Verdi themes
often move with a bouncy oomph, propelled
by Matthias Quilbault’s tuba burps, and are
given a swing and marching band foundation
by Meivelyan Jacquot’s measured drumbeats.
With many tracks expressed tutti or
with emphasis such as Darche’s tremolo alto
sax bites following Hervé Michelet’s trumpet
fanfare and preceding a swelling reed/
brass crossover on Variations sur la marche
triomphale d’Aïda, the distance between
village square brass band and chamber
orchestra is minimized. So is the gap between
opera and traditional songs.
Within a piece like La Forza del Destino/
Destino variations may include blasting
crescendos contrasted with guitarist Alexis
Thérain’s lyrical finger picking and Thomas
Saulet’s flute flutters, but the changes don’t
suppress the initial themes. Other tracks
include faint circus music or film score
inferences.
Deepening not destroying the composer’s
canon is the aim here so that Verdi
Remix honours both the composer and the
interpreters.
Ken Waxman
POT POURRI
Feel With Blood – Echoes of Theresienstadt
Lenka Lichtenberg
Six Degrees (open.spotify.com/
album/6Dj5Uf3eCSgVNUCOePO6fr)
! This album of
songs is a continuation
of the experiences
of Anna Hana
Friesová (1901-
1987), and of Lenka
Lichtenberg, her
granddaughter.
These stories of
Friesová’s life in a concentration camp were
first sung in the Czech language on Thieves
of Dreams (2022) by Lichtenberg, an artist
with a gorgeously spellbinding and agile
soprano that sometimes swoops down into
a dark lower register, eminently suited to
bringing the elemental sadness of Friesová’s
poetry to life.
The crimson-coloured outer package is
the first sign that what you are about to hear
are especially heartbreaking songs based
on Friesová’s diaries that documented life
during the Holocaust. In Feel With Blood,
Lichtenberg has grown to deeply inhabit
more than just her grandmother’s character,
but her very life. She sings with great feeling
and intensity and an always vivid response
to the text documented in Friesová’s diaries.
Lichtenberg’s voice is sharp as a knife, penetrating
the depth of life and poetry with each
beauteously soft – sung or recited – phrase.
The vocalist often employs chilling chest tones
as she draws us into Friesová’s world, making
her Holocaust life leap off the page.
The superb song poetry features matchless
depictions of Friesová’s loneliness and
suffering. Lichtenberg displays sublime
artistry, with an uncanny ability to make
the North Indian tabla and its polyrhythms
perfectly suited to the ululations of a voice
soaked in Czech folk melodies on this
wonderfully orchestrated recording.
Raul da Gama
Azadi
Tamar Ilana & Ventanas
Lula World Records LWR04551A
(lulaworldrecords.ca/product-page/
azadi-by-tamar-ilana-ventanas-cd)
! Toronto-based
multilingual
singer and dancer
Tamar Ilana, of
Jewish, Indigenous,
Romanian and
Scottish descent,
grew up on the
road learning from
and performing with her ethnomusicologist
mother Dr. Judith Cohen.
In three well-received previous albums
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 67

Ilana’s world music band Ventanas
(“windows” in Spanish), drew on her multiple
roots and those of her Toronto bandmates.
Their new studio album Azadi vividly extends
the group’s musical purview, effectively
mixing highly contrasting vocal and instrumental
numbers over 12 tracks. As well as
showcasing traditional Flamenco, Sephardic,
Balkan and Brazilian songs in inventive
arrangements, compositions by Ventanas
members contribute contemporary themes.
Ilana renders the lyrics in an impressive range
of languages: Spanish, Ladino, French, Urdu,
Greek, Portuguese and Bulgarian.
Meaning “freedom” in Urdu and Farsi,
the album’s title track was inspired by
the women’s freedom movement in Iran
opening with the uplifting lines, “Sun breaks
through the darkened and cloudy skies /
Shining bright on open and peaceful eyes /
Moving free with liberty…” As for the song
Ventanas Altas, within the charm of its
vocal melody lies a secret earworm power.
I was compelled to listen to it several times.
This old wedding-courtship song, popular
among Sephardic Jews of Salonika Greece,
was collected by Cohen in Montréal. Ilana’s
unaffected light soprano sounds just right.
Ilana shares that she’s “always struggled
with my multiple identities, both cultural and
genetic. As the world also struggles with these
issues on multiple fronts, this album is a deep
reflection of these questions, and a musical
response in the form of peace, collaboration
and acceptance.” I’m feeling it too.
Andrew Timar
Something in the Air
Downunder Jazz
and Improvised Music
Offers both Unusual
and Expected Sounds
KEN WAXMAN
Often thought of as our rough-hewn, republican cousins from
down under, Canadians and Australians share a similar history
as the best-known outposts of the former British Empire now
on our own within the Commonwealth. Situated on their own
continent, distant from many other countries, Aussies have arguably
had an easier time establishing their own cultural identity not being
stuck beside the American behemoth as we are. Australia’s creative
scene reveals variations of sounds you’d hear elsewhere as well as
those unique to the continent-country, as the following discs prove.
Probably the most genuinely Australian of
this group is With Weather Volume 2:
Gadigal Country (Split Rec 32 CD splitrec.
bandcamp.com/album/with-weathervolume-2-gadigal-country),
part of a
recorded musical trilogy by Jim Denley and
the Eternity Orchestrating Sonoverse.
Recorded in various locations in rural parts
of Australia, it features the flute, wooden flute and voice of Denley
with the so-called Eternity Orchestrating Sonoverse actually being
sonic reproduction using two hard disc recordings of his improvisations
in the context of nature’s avian, mammalian, arboreal,
amphibian, industrial and elemental sounds. Captured in real time in
Gadigal Country, a harbour area just east of the city of Sydney, the
two-CD set makes natural sounds the backdrop, partner and contrapuntal
motif alongside Denley’s restrained and consistent playing.
What that means in essence is that widening hollow puffs, transverse
flutters, triple tonguing and circular breathed interludes share aural
space with ever-changing rustic and natural occurrences. In this way
instrumental and vocal textures are framed by or play alongside the
cacophony caused by impending storms, watery gurgles from nearby
ponds, lapping waves, children nattering, seagull squawks, cockatoo
and other aviary cries, excited dog barks, cricket songs, pelting and
dripping rain droplets, distant boat whistles and other Arcadian interruptions.
One notable sequence is when a couple of crows nearby
decide to add their penetrating caws to Denley’s flute motif leading to
a pseudo bird-and-human jam session. Singular itself, With Weather
specifically defines the true sound of non-urban Australia.
While there’s also plenty of conventional
jazz in Oz – as there is in Canada – more
meaningful are those musicians in both
countries who stretch the form. A fine
example of this is Tapestry (Earshift Music
EAR 092 vazesh.bandcamp.com/album/
tapestry) by the Vazesh trio which unites
locals tenor and soprano saxophonist/bass
clarinetist Jeremy Rose – who often switches
among the horns on single tracks – and bassist Lloyd Swanton, who is
also one-third of The Necks, and Iranian-born, Sydney-based Hamed
Sadeghi, an adept player of the Persian tar, a long-necked lute with
three double courses of strings and 28 adjustable gut frets. On 14
tracks, in length from slightly over two to more than seven minutes,
the tunes logically flow one into another almost without pause.
Crucially, there are no gaps among the textures of the so-called exotic
instrument with the conventional ones during these notable improvisations.
Rose’s chalumeau register clarinet slurs, feathery soprano
saxophone soars and Swanton’s paced pizzicato strops or sul tasto
elaborations, harmonize, contrast or meld with the tar’s deep strums
or advanced finger picking. While a track such as Azure includes faint
ney-like twitters from Rose, despite being coupled with Sadeghi’s
widening strokes, thick double bass stops keep it from becoming
Persian music. Additionally while multiple tracks such as Zircon and
Calabash for instance feature the tar’s pinched picking and ringing
clicks that could come from a banjo, any intimations of Bluegrass or
Dixieland are swiftly dispensed by undulating tenor sax tongue stops
as Swaton’s arco buzzes create call-and-response interludes joining
slurred fingering from the tar. Overall the program takes into account
multiple string interaction and a reed output that is alternatingly
gritty and glossy. This is storytelling that is as deliberate as it is
dashing, and confirms the trio’s strategy when the low pitches of the
concluding Saffron harken back to similar basement tones that began
the suite.
The country’s geographical location doesn’t
preclude Australian improvisers from
collaborating with sympathetic international
players, on home turf, overseas or telematically.
For example since Vancouver drummer
Dylan van der Schyff is now a professor at
the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, his
68 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

wife cellist Peggy Lee is a frequent visitor. Not only have the two
formed a quartet with local improvisers, but also via the internet are
able to collaborate with associates in B.C. and elsewhere. That’s
precisely what Forever Stories of Moving Parties (Earshift Music EAR
098 peggyleecoleschmidt.bandcamp.com/album/forever-stories-ofmoving-parties)
preserves. An outgrowth of the band Lee and
Vancouver guitarist Cole Schmidt lead at home, it expands the 14
tracks with affiliated sounds from players in Vancouver, Montreal,
Gothenburg, Amsterdam and Melbourne. While there are some
understated folksy sequences from the two principals plus locals such
as drummer Mili Hong and trumpeter JP Carter, other tracks are more
striking. An example is for Ron Miles, where widening tones from
Carter and Vancouver violinist Meredith Bates plus Lee and Schmidt
are supplemented by van der Schyff’s steady drumming. Van der
Schyff also provides the backing on it will come back to intersect with
a formal cello sweep and country-styled guitar licks, yet the vocalizing
is from Melbourne’s Sunny Kim. More geographically unique is
mercy. Synth bass pacing is from Vancouver’s James Meger, crackling
electronics from Amsterdam’s Frank Rosaly, with the elevated trumpet
and cello harmonies complementing intersecting wordless vocals
sung by Montreal’s Erika Angell and Kim. Variations of this multicontinent
mix and match are prominent throughout the disc. Yet the
electronic wizardry never interferes with the cohesion or flow of the
disc. Notwithstanding interjections in some tunes from unexpected
sources like Swede Lisen Rylander Löve’s mixture of electronically
fractured Nordic chanting and saxophone flutters or Wayne Horvitz’s
keyboard pressure, balance in the form of Carter’s linear portamento
trumpet, Schmidt’s finger-style comping and glissandi sweeps and
stops from Lee, equilibrium is maintained. Instances of rocking out
uniting Schmidt’s elevated riffs and Horvitz’s pressurized organ
pumps from Vancouver and splash cymbals and drum backbeat from
Melbourne via van der Schyff are also taken in stride.
Homebody Aussies are also members of
international ensembles as evidenced by
Sydney-based keyboardist Alister Spence.
While he leads his own bands and is
involved in other collaborations, since 2017
he’s been part of the Kira Kira quartet,
which on Kira Kira Live (Alister Spence
ASM 015 alisterspence.bandcamp.com/
album/kira-kira-live) includes Japanese
players trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, pianist Satoko Fujii and drummer
Tatsuya Yoshida. Unlike many Tamura/Fujii combos, a good part of
this CD’s five tracks focuses on the oscillations created by Spence’s
fender Rhodes piano, effect pedals, preparations and percussion.
These slippery and shifting dynamics mated with Yoshida’s drum
strategies, ranging from cymbal shivers to brawny backbeats, means
that Fujii’s acoustic patterns are responsible for the lyrical, formalist
and ultimately linear evolution of the sequences. Forthright, the
trumpeter’s interpolations include jagged bites, sudden rips, half-valve
strains and plunger expositions. Supple or striated interconnections
are frequently set up between say drum paradiddles and trumpet riffs
or jiggling slaps from the electric keyboard challenged by triplet
skyrockets from Tamura. With interludes such as those on Bolognaise
where motifs encompass both jittery nonsense syllables vocalized by
all, the drummer’s understated swing beat and an antique harpsichord-like
interlude from Fujii’s prepared piano jabs, discord is sometimes
suggested, but is finally rightened to horizontal progression.
More subtle than showy, these textural shifts can involve tempo
redefinition with electro-acoustic wriggles, gutbucket brass emphasis
and cascading acoustic piano runs. Yet more spectacularly, on the
extended Kite, and hovering elsewhere, rappelling or plummeting
group sequences usually led by robust Rhodes keyboard dabs settle
into a persistent groove cemented by drum pops and trumpet peeps.
Because of the distances involved, some
Aussie musical innovators expatriate permanently
when they find a sympathetic situation.
That’s the case with Melbourne
percussionist Steve Heather who has been
based in Berlin since the turn of the century.
Part of multiple bands, a notable one is
**Y**, whose group Four Star Y (Grammar
Phone Records GPHLP 102 danpetersundland.bandcamp.com/album/four-star-y)
also includes Norwegian
electric bassist Dan Peter Sundland and American synthesizer player
Liz Kosack. Sophisticated drone-improv, the six selections include
an underlying low-pitch throb, with Kosack using her instrument to
also add seeping pipe-organ-like undulations, elevated squeaks and
stops, tremolo jabs and celestial-styled signal processing. Alternating
between surging pacing, occasional stops and jagged runs, Sundland
maintains the rhythmic core, often in tandem with Heather’s backbeat.
When not in that mode, the drummer’s Mylar and metal fluctuations
keep the buzzing expositions from becoming too oppressively
repetitive, with rim shot clicks, snare pitter patter, hi-hat slaps and
extra beats from wood blocks. These roles are most obvious on the
oddly placed at midpoint Closing Credits. Still, the concluding Dream
Picnic wraps up the session in distinctive form by concentrating
synthesizer keyboard stabs, metallic percussion jutting and electrified
bass string glides into a triple defined timbral termination.
Often confused as residents of other English speaking countries,
as Canadians are, creative Australian musicians continue to produce
exceptional music at home and abroad.
What we're listening to this month:
62 Adjacence
Daniel Lippel
62 One: New Music for
Unaccompanied Violin
Patrick Yim
53 encircling
Daphne Gerling, viola Tomoko
Kashiwagi, piano
54 Learn To Wait:
Britten, Asheim & Ligeti
Oslo String Quartet
56 The Mata Hari Songbook
Patricia O’Callaghan & John
Burge
56 Poetry Project
D.D.Jackson
59 Three of Twelve and Another
Graham Flett
60 Imagine Many Guitars
Tim Brady
60 Rebecca Bruton + Jason
Doell: a root or mirror, blossom,
madder, cracks; together
Quatuor Bozzini, junctQín keyboard
collective
61 Awake and Dreaming
Katherine Dowling
63 Hush
Roberta Michel
64 Tryptique
Fern Lindzon, Colleen Allen,
George Koller
65 Cannon
Dan Fortin
65 You Are The Right Length
Exit Points
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 69

BACK STORY
“When Music Meets Mindfulness”
An Introduction
VANIA LIZBETH CHAN
I
was living in New York, completing my
master’s degree in classical voice at the
Manhattan School of Music. Worries about
being successful in my burgeoning career
were constantly on my mind. Truth be told, I
felt like a headless chicken. I knew something
was off when I missed my bus stop more than
once, and when I knocked over a bowl of hot
soup in the cafeteria. A mentor of mine told
me that she could feel my energy ten feet in
front of me – like I was always grasping for
something ahead. She was right. My mind
was already in the future – on the professional
artist I wanted to be, not on where, and who
I was at the moment. This was the start of my
own personal journey with mindfulness, and
the root of inspiration for this interview series
– “When Music Meets Mindfulness.”
Many people associate mindfulness with
the practice of meditation – a connection
established in Wherever You Go, There You
Are, the best-selling book on “Mindfulness
Meditation” by author and renowned
researcher Jon Kabat-Zinn (published in
1994). Indeed, meditating by paying attention
to your breath is a natural and basic way
to ignite mindfulness and reconnect with
the present moment. From there, mindfulness
can blossom into something even more
significant – making the most out of the
present moment. Performance demands both
focus and heightened awareness. We must
be creatively and emotionally in the present
moment, whilst executing at high levels of
technique. In other words, musicianship
challenges us to be mindful.
For this series, I’ve decided to highlight
three key aspects of mindfulness:
a calm mind, organized thinking, and the
state of flow.
Mindfulness meditation is just one of many
methods, activities and approaches that can
calm the mind. It is utilized to build awareness
through focusing energy and attention
on the task at hand. As our focus improves,
we also get better at organizing our thoughts.
This involves honest self-reflection and disciplined
self-regulation, in order to construct
and establish an efficient and consistent
process of practice and performance. When
this detailed “self-work” is accomplished,
one can more easily access the “flow” state, in
which the mind-body connection has been
finely tuned to the point that performance
seems effortless and spontaneous.
It is most often accomplished in retrospect
when musicians realize the heightened
level of focus and awareness they managed
to attain and to sustain while absorbed in an
activity they enjoy. Actively engaging with
music can cultivate mindfulness. In turn, the
state of being mindful can improve the efficacy
of musical learning, performance and
creation.
“When Music Meets Mindfulness” will
share examples of mindfulness in musical
practice, performance and collaboration. I
hope that it will inspire positive patterns of
behaviour, and will encourage everyone to
make mindfulness part of their daily routines
and conversations.
The first four interviews feature discussions
with highly accomplished musicians – cellist
and author Erika Nielsen, virtuoso pianist
Christina Petrowska Quilico, renowned
conductor David Fallis, and award winning
composer Alice Ping Yee Ho.
The video recording of the introduction
to this series, and of the Erika Nielsen interview
are now available in their entirety on the
YouTube channel “Vania Chan Music”.
Author and creator of this series, Vania
Chan is a lyric coloratura soprano, artist
researcher and educator. Visit her website:
www.vaniachan.com to learn
more about upcoming projects.
70 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

UPCOMING
Erika Nielsen (Cellist and Author)
The first artist featured in “When Music
Meets Mindfulness” is Erika Nielsen. We met
a few years ago, embarking on a journey
together to perform Handel’s music with
the Rezonance Baroque Ensemble at the
Bloomington Early Music Festival in Indiana.
A versatile artist and educator, her musicianship
spans from Baroque and Classical
traditions to contemporary popular genres.
She is also the author of the bestselling
memoir, Sound Mind, in which she shares
her discovery of and journey with bipolar
disorder, detailing the mindful steps that she
took, day by day, to bring herself to a place of
stability and health. Below are a few excerpts
of Erika’s responses during our interview.
On achieving a calm mind:
What I find most effective for calming
my mind in any situation is getting into my
body in some form. If I have time for a longer
activity, I love a really long brisk walk in my
neighbourhood, or in the park, getting out in
nature. Getting into my body could also be
really simple…really small… say it’s between
activities – between an e-mail and waiting
for a student – I will just drop down into a
forward bend, touch my toes, stretch my
arms behind my back, take a few breaths,
and then just roll to standing a few times. It
really gets me connected and away from my
day. The most important thing being is that
it’s physical. It’s not looking up another thing.
It’s not reading another article. It’s not getting
back to a text. I’m really in my body.
On organized thought:
It’s a well-known phenomenon that
creating outer calm in our environment has
a direct effect on our inner calm. My embracing
a more minimalist approach to living has
had an enormous effect on my focus, feeling
relaxed, and for me personally, just reducing
distractions. I find that when something is
out of sight, it’s out of mind. I’ve been greatly
enjoying my life, living overall with just fewer
possessions. I find that just leaves more time
for items that I need, that I love, or that are
just beautiful.
I’ve also worked really hard on my “digital
clutter”, and this is a hot topic right now. I
found an app that works really well for me.
It’s called “minimalist phone.” To search
for an app, one must type it in. There are no
candy-coloured icons to tap on for instant
satisfaction. (She shows me her phone screen
which only has a simple white background
and a column of about seven headings.)
On the state of “flow”:
There is a specific quote from Erika’s book
that exemplifies the contentment and true
enjoyment of an artist being fully immersed
in the tasks of creating, educating and
collaborating through music. I asked Erika to
share that quote in our interview.
“A wonderful part of my work as a musician
and educator is that I have to be physically
present and mentally focused to do my
job well. I can’t play the cello while I’m on
my phone or computer. My acoustic instrument
is a low-tech refuge from the deluge of
digital: I sit down with my stringed maple and
spruce box and horsehair-strung Pernambuco
bow. I read from paper and write in pencil.
When I teach I am with my students and their
stringed wooden box, present and listening,
face to face, cello to cello. When I’m playing
with an ensemble, I am totally immersed
in realizing sound from the notes on the
page in front of me and connecting with my
colleagues.”
To learn more about Erika and her book
Sound Mind, visit www.celloerika.com
Watch the full interview on the YouTube
Channel – Vania Chan Music
David Fallis discusses the mindful discipline
of musical analysis. To conduct and guide
musicians, he must first understand
the music, deciphering the composer's
intentions, logic and musical language.
Alice Ping Yee Ho reflects on the mindful
consideration it takes to compose a
piece of music. She shares how she
honed her compositional instinct and
developed her unique style of writing.
Christina Petrowska Quilico covers the
mindful approaches she applies to her
practice and performance. She credits
her insightful teachers from Juilliard
for imparting this wisdom that she
now shares with her own students.
Watch the first interview, with Erika
Nielsen, on the YouTube channel
Vania Chan Music
PAUL ORENSTEIN BO HUANG BO HUANG
thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 71

KOERNER HALL
2024.25 CONCERT SEASON
SEASON SPONSOR:
The Glenn Gould School Spring Opera:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s: Die Zauberflöte
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 7:30PM, FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 7:30PM
KOERNER HALL
The Glenn Gould School’s vocal program presents Mozart’s
popular Magic Flute, conducted by Jennifer Tung and directed
by Allison Grant. Sung in German with English surtitles.
Part of the Price Opera Program
TICKETS & SUBSCRIPTIONS ON SALE NOW! 416.408.0208 RCMUSIC.COM/PERFORMANCE
237 BLOOR STREET WEST
(BLOOR ST. & AVENUE RD.) TORONTO