Volume 30 Issue 5 | April & May 2025

VOLUME 30 NO 5
APRIL & MAY 2025
MUSIC! LISTINGS
live and livestreamed
STORIES
profiles, previews
and interviews
RECORD REVIEWS
and Listening Room
THE CANARY
PAGES
23rd annual directory
of choirs
Wozzeck
at COC

CONCERTI
VIRTUOSI
Vivaldi & Telemann
Directed by Rachel Podger
May 2–4, 2025
Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
Tafelmusik’s extraordinary musicians highlight their
undeniable chemistry with Rachel Podger for her
final concert of the season.
In this dynamic showcase of Tafelmusik’s artistry,
Rachel Podger and members of the orchestra flex
their musical muscles as soloists in a bouquet of
concertos that highlight the violin, cello, recorder,
oboe, and bassoon in dazzling works by Telemann,
Heinichen, Corelli, and Vivaldi.
tafelmusik.org/concerti
SAMUEL
MARIÑO
AT THE OPERA
Bologne & Mozart
Directed by Julia Wedman
May 23—25, 2025
Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre
for Performance and Learning
TICKETS
STARTING
AT $35!
A once in a lifetime concert with the rarest voice
in the world, male soprano Samuel Mariño.
Those who witnessed the Tafelmusik debut of
Samuel Mariño in 2023 will never forget the
sheer thrill of his artistry, and his “lyric instincts…
and sincere emotional investment in the musical
material” (Ludwig van Toronto). We are delighted
to welcome Samuel back to join the orchestra for
an operatic tour de force at Koerner Hall.
tafelmusik.org/samuel-marino

MOTETS
Bach as Muse
Directed by Ivars Taurins
June 6, 2025
Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
Only seven motets by Johann Sebastian Bach
have survived, but these works had a profound
influence on generations of German composers.
In this intimate concert, the Tafelmusik Choir
and Orchestra weave a tapestry of choral
colours and textures: works by Bach provide the
warp, and motets by Homilius, Mendelssohn,
Brahms, Rheinberger, and Reger provide the
multi-hued weft.
Don’t miss this stunning one night performance!
tafelmusik.org/bachmuse
2025
2026
SEASON
NEW THURS
EVENING
SERIES!
BEST SEATS
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PASSION & BEAUTY
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early access to our sold-out concerts, premium
seating, and exclusive events. Never miss a sold-out
show again—join the Tafelmusik family today.
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Visit the Box Office or
tafelmusik.org/subscribe

KOERNER HALL CONCERT SERIES
OPENING NIGHT: THE
CORONATION OF POPPEA
Concert Performance
with Cappella Mediterranea and
Leonardo García-Alarcón, conductor
GEORGE LI, PIANO
Performing Beethoven, Debussy, and
Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition
MISSING: IN CONCERT
featuring mezzo-soprano Marion Newman,
tenor Asitha Tennekoon, and more!
FRANCO FAGIOLI:
THE LAST CASTRATO
Franco Fagioli, countertenor
Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal de Versailles
Stefan Plewniak, conductor
Performing Rossini, Nicolini, and more!
AN EVENING IN VIENNA
with Yura Lee, violin
Simone McIntosh, mezzo-soprano
and the TSM Festival Orchestra
Performing Strauss, Mozart, Kreisler, and more!
Jonathan Crow, Artistic Director
For Full Festival Lineup visit
TOSUMMERMUSIC.COM
416.408.0208

Wozzeck
at COC
3005_AprMay2025_cover.indd 2
2025-03-31 2:23 PM
Volume 30 No 5 | April & May 2025
Come DISCOVER
our online
Listening Room
ON OUR COVER
MUSIC! LISTINGS
live and livestreamed
STORIES
profiles, previews
and interviews
RECORD REVIEWS
and Listening Room
THE CANARY
PAGES
23rd annual directory
of choirs
PHOTO: RUTH WALZ
VOLUME 30 NO 5
APRIL & MAY 2025
The Wozzeck set definitely brings with it a unique set
of challenges because it was born out of a very organic
creation process. The “Island” of the set – the risers and
scenery that make up the central stage, is made of stock
scenery plus found elements from the Salzburg Fest spiel
and surrounding area. These pieces were then stacked, and
sculpted to give us what we have today, but with various
alterations throughout its life on the road. Traditionally,
an opera set will have a clear system of assembly and
an intuitive method to go together, and with crating
and carting engineered for efficient loading, unloading,
assembly and storage. This is a literal pile of old bits.
— Mike Ledermueller (see pg 13)
8 FOR OPENERS |
Out-takes, marathons & streetview brigades |
DAVID PERLMAN
STORIES & INTERVIEWS
10 ON OPERA
Versailles to Toronto
A sea-change for Opera Atelier |
DAVID PERLMAN
+ From Ubu to Wozzeck and
beyond. William Kentridge’s
generative journey |
DAVID PERLMAN
14 IN WITH THE NEW
Musical gardens for spring |
WENDALYN BARTLEY
16 CLASSICAL AND BEYOND
A celebration of Sakura -
Ron Korb | ALLAN PULKER
+ COSE at the Aperture Room
+ Noteworthy
20 CHORAL SCENE
What to look for if you’re choir
curious | ANGUS MCCAULL
+ VIVA at Trinity-St. Paul’s
+ Giving voice to the voice
DISCOVERIES
Starts on page 52
17
Look for the yellow arrows!
thewholenote.com/listening
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 5

The WholeNote
VOLUME 30 NO 5
APRIL & MAY 2025
EDITORIAL
Publisher/Editor in Chief | David Perlman
publisher@thewholenote.com
editorial@thewholenote.com
Recordings Editor | David Olds
discoveries@thewholenote.com
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Danial Jazaeri, Colin Story
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Advertising & Memberships
Ori Dagan & Kevin Harris
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Production & Operations | Jack Buell
jack@thewholenote.com
Advertising Art
adart@thewholenote.com
WEBSITE / SYSTEMS
Danial Jazaeri, Kevin King
systems@thewholenote.com
CIRCULATION
Sheila McCoy
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COPYRIGHT © 2025 WHOLENOTE MEDIA INC
WN
WHOLENOTE
MEDIA INC.
STORIES & INTERVIEWS
24 MUSIC THEATRE
Life After’s full circle |
JENNIFER PARR
26 EARLY MUSIC
Reconstitution will take you
far at the Toronto Bach
Festival | DAVID PERLMAN
28 HOMES FOR MUSIC
From up here: viewpoints and
overviews | SOPHIA PERLMAN
Jazz by the book(s) at Sellers
& Newel | ANDREW SCOTT
Mainly clubs: Swingin’ at
Steadfast | ORI DAGAN
70 BACK STORY
When Music Meets
Mindfulness | VANIA CHAN
28
LISTINGS
32 EVENTS BY DATE
Live and/or online
46 MAINLY CLUBS
49 OPERA, MUSIC THEATRE, DANCE
49 RELATED EVENTS & ETCETERAS
50 THE CANARY PAGES:
23rd annual directory of choirs
DISCOVERIES:
RECORDINGS REVIEWED
52 Editor’s Corner | DAVID OLDS
54 Strings Attached |
TERRY ROBBINS
57 Vocal
58 Classical and Beyond
60 Modern and Contemporary
63 Jazz and Improvised Music
67 Pot Pourri
68 Something in the Air |
KEN WAXMAN
69 Listening Room INDEX
6 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

KOERNER HALL
2024.25 CONCERT SEASON
The GGS New Music
Ensemble
TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 7:30PM
TEMERTY THEATRE
Curated and conducted by Brian
Current, the Glenn Gould School
New Music Ensemble returns with
a world premiere by Christina
Volpini as well as Augusta Read
Thomas’s captivating Selene
for four percussionists and
string quartet.
Yellowjackets
SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 8PM
KOERNER HALL
The Grammy Awardwinning
quartet joins
forces with a hand-picked
Toronto big band to blow
the roof off Koerner Hall.
Toronto Sings the
Breithaupt Brothers’
Songbook
FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 8PM KOERNER HALL
The Breithaupt Brothers host the show
as Denzal Sinclaire, Jackie Richardson,
Heather Bambrick, Sarah Slean, Kellylee Evans,
and Shelley McPherson are joined by an
all-star band to bring their songs to life.
Randall Goosby, violin,
with Zhu Wang, piano
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 8PM
KOERNER HALL
American rising star violinist and protégé of
the legendary Itzhak Perlman, Randall Goosby
performs works by Chevalier de Saint-Georges,
Fauré, Chausson, and Schubert with pianist
Zhu Wang at his Koerner Hall debut.
Generously supported by Eileen Mercier
& Chuck Hantho
With generous additional support provided
from The Michael and Sonja Koerner Fund
for Classical Programming
Academy Chamber
Orchestra
SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 7:30PM KOERNER HALL
String students from The Phil and
Eli Taylor Performance Academy for
Young Artists come together as the
Academy Chamber Orchestra to
perform a special concert.
Generously supported by Phil & Eli Taylor
The Glenn Gould
School Piano
Showcase
SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 7:30PM
MAZZOLENI CONCERT HALL
The extraordinary pianists of
The Ihnatowycz Piano Program
at the GGS take centre stage.
Presented in memory of Gary Miles
Sullivan Fortner Trio
and Barbra Lica
Quintet
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 8PM
KOERNER HALL
Celebrate International Jazz Day
with two young artists making their
mark, a Grammy Award-winning
piano virtuoso and a swinging,
Juno nominated vocalist.
Royal Conservatory
Orchestra with conductor
William Eddins
Colin Mackey, baritone
FRIDAY, MAY 2, 8PM KOERNER HALL
Music Director Emeritus of the
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra,
conductor William Eddins leads
baritone Colin Mackey and the
Royal Conservatory Orchestra in a
program of works by Igor Stravinsky,
Ralph Vaughan Williams, and
Giuseppe Verdi.
Part of the Temerty Orchestral Program
TICKETS & SUBSCRIPTIONS ON SALE NOW! 416.408.0208 RCMUSIC.COM/PERFORMANCE
273 BLOOR STREET WEST
(BLOOR ST. & AVENUE RD.) TORONTO

The WholeNote
VOLUME 30 NO 5
APRIL & MAY 2025
IN THIS EDITION
STORIES AND INTERVIEWS
Wendalyn Bartley, Vania Chan, Ori Dagan,
Angus MacCaull, Jennifer Parr, David Perlman,
Allan Pulker, Sophia Perlman, Andrew Scott
CD Reviewers
Stuart Broomer, Sam Dickenson, Michael Doloschell,
Raul da Gama, Fraser Jackson, Tiina Kiik,
Kati Kiilaspea,Lesley Mitchell-Clarke, Cheryl Ockrant,
David Olds, Ted Parkinson, Ivana Popovich,
Terry Robbins, Stephen Runge, Andrew Scott,
Melissa Scott, Sharna Searle, 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. 6, SUMMER 2025
Print listings deadline:
6pm Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Print advertising, reservation deadline:
6pm Friday May 9, 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
Out-takes, marathons &
streetview brigades
“
In 1888, the French dramatist Alfred Jarry wrote the play Ubu Roi as a satirical and
grotesque expression of the way in which arbitrary power engenders madness. He
achieved this through the portrayal of a ridiculous but devastating despot, who was also
a licentious libertine, an emblem of the clumsy and brutal deeds done in the service of
a calculating state. Jarry counters this arbitrary power with what he called ‘pataphysics’
– the science of imaginary solutions, unmasking [the state’s] absurdity through farce,
rather than empowering the tyrant by granting him serious presentation.
— Carolyn Cristov–Bakargiev ”
One kind of out-take is the little goofs
and gaffes that get shoehorned into
the credits at the end of a movie to
keep people in their seats till the last person
to thank has been acknowledged. (They were
more fun in the days when they were genuine
found objects.)
There’s another, genuinely tough kind:
footage the film editor has to leave on the
cutting room floor because the film is
running too long, or because, great as it is, the
footage in question really doesn’t do anything
to advance the story.
In this magazine these kinds of cuts most
often happen so the story will fit the space
assigned without making the designer sad. Or
worse, because you’ve been stealing an extra
couple of inches for every story, and now the
whole book is completely out of hand.
It’s not unlike the situation you are faced
with when the impossibly low price you paid
for your air ticket starts to balloon because
you went over your luggage allowance. So you
end up staring into your carry-on bag trying
to figure out which half-kilo object will cost
you the least to replace when you reach your
destination.
In my line of work, magazine editing, there
are new ways of getting around the problem
of shortage of space. We put links into digital
editions or QR codes into print, or exhort
readers to “google it” whatever it is. Which
is just fine for readers with app-posable
thumbs who are always just a click or tap
or QR code away. But catering only to them
is not a victimless crime. Because this is a
publication with a lot of readers who, for
the very same reason they prefer their music
live, don’t do digital.
T'KARONTO
Why am I telling you all this?
Because there was one particular cut I had
to make this issue that really hurt. So much
so that I have been trying to sneak it back in,
any way I could, and this was my last chance.
It’s the quote at the top of this page, and it
was supposed to be the second paragraph of
this issue’s cover story. In the first paragraph
of that story I stilI tell readers where to find it
– a particular article in the reading room of a
fantastic website. But even including readers
who tap and click with ease, I know that the
percentage of people who will go looking is
about the same as the percentage of people
who voted for the second place candidate in
the recent Liberal Party leadership race.
Why do I care?
Because the situation the quote describes
is just too damned scarily apropos to the
times we are living through to ignore.
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 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

Aaron
James
Aaron James,
marathon man
Sometimes, though, stuff
gets left out for the magazine
for the simple reason that
it falls through the cracks.
Because two or three writers
each think that one of the
others is going to cover it. Or
because it’s going to unfold
over an extended period of
time. And then all of a sudden
it’s gone.
Fortunately that’s not quite the case with Aaron James’ sixteen
part series of organ recitals. Titled Complete Solo Organ Works of J.S.
Bach the series, which takes place at Holy Family Church in Parkdale)
started all the way back in September with a recital titled Bach the
Young Virtuoso and is now just four recitals away (Wed April 9, Sat
Apr 26, Sat May 10 and Sat May 24) from crossing the finishing line,
with a May 24 recital titled Bach Answers His Critics.
One reader who has been attending faithfully, Robert Lennox of
Burlington, wrote this:
This church, in the heart of Toronto’s eclectic and vibrant
Parkdale neighbourhood, has a regular Latin Mass. That’s
right, a Latin Mass. The audience is a congregation of devout
parishioners often praying on their knees, seasoned with a
sprinkling of seminarians in flowing robes; and a wide range
of music lovers of all ages and backgrounds, some of whom
have travelled from afar, who understand and appreciate the
richness and beauty of Aaron’s unique marathon …
The organ console is high up in the balcony at the west
end of the nave and it is from there that Aaron introduces
each concert in a clear and minimalist way in the manner of
a master teacher. There is a Phantom of the Opera feel to the
whole experience which is downright thrilling.
You won’t find anything old or stodgy about these sixteen
sections of a challenging but consistently satisfying race. Each
leg is meticulously mapped out and melded to the seasons
while remaining steadfastly faithful to Bach. The result is a
superb performance worthy of a prize in any marathon.
Streetview brigades
Canadian Canoe Museum, Peterborough
Some regular readers of this issue may notice something of a shift
in emphasis: away from a focus on particular artists or events, wherever
they may be taking place, to starting to look more closely at the
venues where all this activity is or could be taking place. Places where
music is or could become a vital part of a healthy community mix:
small and large, traditional and offbeat, well known already, or yet to
be discovered.
A good example: Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough has just
announced the launch of Music in the Museum, planned to be “an
ongoing concert series in its stunning new waterfront location”, and
showcasing celebrated Canadian artists in an intimate, acoustically
rich setting. The series kicks off on Saturday, May 24 with a performance
by Canadian folk musician Old Man Luedecke a two-time Juno
Award-winning singer-songwriter and banjo player, known for his
unique storytelling and heartfelt lyrics.
“Events like these allow the Museum to be showcased in a different
way to a whole new audience,” says Carolyn Hyslop, Executive
Director of the Museum. “We see ourselves as a community hub, an
energetic space where people can connect, learn, share stories, and
make memories, and the Music in the Museum series is an extension
of this vision.”
Add one more to the more than 2,100 venues of all kinds in our
database! But it takes local knowledge to find them. And people on the
ground to notice when they are threatened or disappear. That knowledge
can only be acquired at street level. It takes people who live a
musical life in their own communities to know and care. “Homes for
Music” is a thread in this issue. Check it out. And there’s contact information
at the bottom of page 29 if this is something you would be
interested in being part of.
publisher@thewholenote.com
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 9

ON OPERA
VERSAILLES TO TORONTO
A sea-change for
Opera Atelier
DAVID PERLMAN
BRUCE ZINGER
Opera Atelier’s All is Love, April 2024 at Koerner Hall
Single tickets of Opera Atelier’s 40th anniversary
season production of Charpentier’s David and
Jonathan went on sale January 13, 2025 and within
minutes of the announcement, OA’s Marshall Pynkoski
was there in our editorial inbox as well – his enthusiasm
even more contagious than usual.
“This is the most significant undertaking in Opera Atelier’s history,”
he wrote. “The first time that we are bringing a production that
originated in France to Toronto … It’s a historic moment for all of
us at Opera Atelier … to be able to present a unique staging of it in
Koerner Hall, before returning the production to Versailles where we
first staged it. I’m attaching some photographs to give you a sense of
what the project looked like and a link to a short video they have just
produced, featuring the prologue with Saul and the witch of Endor –
referred to as the Pythonisse by Charpentier’s librettist.”
It has taken 14 years for the relationship between Opera Atelier and
Royal Opera of Versailles to reach this moment – a de facto co-production
between the two companies, with Opera Atelier’s co-directors as
the tie that binds.
BRUCE ZINGER
Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg has no trouble recalling the 2011 first
invitation to Versailles and the 2012 tour that followed: “It remains
one of our most treasured memories. We had received an email from
Laurent Brunner, the visionary director of Château de Versailles
Spectacles who had seen our film of Jean-Baptiste Lully’s Persée
on the internet. When he heard we were in the theatre preparing a
production of Lully’s Armide, he flew to Toronto at once, and after
seeing the production, immediately invited us to bring our Armide to
the Royal Opera in the Château de Versailles.”
Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg
and Marshall Pynkoski
Arriving in Versailles, she
says, was like an invasion:
“what with all of Tafelmusik
Baroque Orchestra, 16 Artists
of Atelier Ballet, 12 singers,
our entire creative team and
stage management, plus tens
of thousands of pounds of sets,
costumes and machinery.”
And along with all that
tonnage, they arrived burdened
with a weight of trepidation:
“Wondering how the
French public would receive a
Canadian production of such
an important piece of their
musical heritage.”
It was a trepidation shared by pessimists among Opera Atelier’s
home town supporters, who swore we could hear French critics
sharpening their quills clear across the Atlantic. But we needn’t have
worried. Pynkowski recalls the overwhelming audience response on
opening night “with sustained, rhythmic applause that went on for so
long that our curtain calls fell apart entirely …” And Zingg reflects on
the impacts of the tour: “Armide went from Versailles to Glimmerglass
within the space of one miraculous spring and summer,and these
experiences changed our lives.”
Strengths: Stage Door editor (and opera columnist for The WholeNote
at the time) Christopher Hoile had not joined the worry worts. He had
seen the show in its pre-tour run at the Elgin Theatre, and had already
written perceptively about the inherent strength of the company.
“Director Marshall Pynkoski has softened the former rigidity of the
stylized gestural language of the period to allow for a greater sense
of emotional impulse …. a perfect example of how an allegorical
representation of an internal struggle can be absolutely riveting. As
well, Armide is a perfect vehicle for OA since it tells its story as much
through dance as through song. Music frequently passes back and
forth between the singers and the dancers who often share the stage
in beautifully integrated passages choreographed for the full corps of
sixteen by Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg.”
Turning points: A flurry of further invitations followed: Persée
in 2014; Armide again in 2015; Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Médeé
in 2017, followed in 2018 by his Acteon, paired with Jean-Philippe
Rameau’s Pygmalion… but it was a 2019 invitation to Pynkowski and
Zingg, rather than to the company, that laid the groundwork for a
potential sea-change in the Atelier-Versailles relationship.
As Zingg explains: “In 2019, Château de Versailles Spectacles,
entering a new phase since the theatre’s 2010 restoration, made the
decision to create their own opera productions, and Marshall and I
were invited to stage and choreograph the theatre’s premiere production
of Grétry’s Richard Coeur-de-Lion, including some of our
favourite Artists of Atelier Ballet.”
At the close of the opera’s premiere, which took place on Armistice
Day, Zingg and Pynkoski were invested as Officers of the Order of Arts
and Letters by the government of France.
“It was one of the most thrilling and proudest moments of our
lives,” Zingg says.
Since that memorable experience, they have had the privilege of
staging Grétry’s La Caravane du Caire in the Royal Opera and, in 2022,
Charpentier’s greatest masterpiece, David and Jonathan in the Royal
Chapel – the first time in its history it has benn used for a fully staged
performance.
And now it comes to Toronto, on April , 10, 12 and 13, the opening
production of Opera Atelier’s 40th Anniversary season, after which it
goes back home – to Versailles that is – in May.
10 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

Opera Atelier’s David & Jonathan, Versaille Chapelle Royale
VERSAILLES TO TORONTO A COMPARISON
AGATHE POUPENEY
Experience
the Power
of Opera
WN: We’ve been looking at the photos you sent of David and
Jonathan at the Versailles Chapelle Royale, and are trying to picture
it at Koerner.
OA: Believe it or not, the staging of the Royal Chapel production
is identical to the production we will present in Toronto. The venues
couldn’t be more different architecturally, but the footprint of the
performance area is almost identical, except that in Toronto we actually
have greater depth than what we had in Versailles, which gives us the
luxury of twelve dancers as opposed to the eight we had at Versailles.
You two directing and choreographing both shows is a big plus in
terms of continuity.
There are other things too. In Versailles we always include Artists
of Atelier Ballet in addition to our French dancers; Dominic Who is
the fight director for Toronto and Versailles; both set designs (Antoine
Fontaine for Versailles and Gerard Gauci for Koerner) feature major
architectural elements to help define the performing area; and our
staging and choreography remain virtually unchanged.
How does an Opera Atelier idea of what constitutes “period performance”
align with that of a company embedded in the historical?
For us, these two worlds do not collide so much as merge seamlessly.
Our French artists are perhaps more accustomed to the structure
and formality of French Baroque repertoire and work beautifully
within that structure; and that’s something that OA tends to “push
against,” creating a different sort of dramatic tension. So it is a great
pleasure to work within the ethos of both companies: it stretches our
aesthetic in a variety of directions.
So what is the biggest aesthetic stretch?
The costuming, for sure. The Versailles production features the
costumes of the most famous living couturier in France, Christian
Lacroix, sumptuous and valuable beyond imagination. Our Toronto
production is costumed by one of Canada’s finest young costume
designers, Michael Gianfrancesco, who, interestingly enough, has
taken a more tailored, strict approach to the line of the costuming and
a very different colour palette.
But even there, Koerner and the Royal Chapel are extremely neutral
in terms of colour, so create a background in which the actors and their
costumes become the major focus. And both venues are superb acoustically.
So, as always, it’s a two-way street in terms of learning. Our
Canadian performers will learn a great deal from the musical finesse of
our French guest stars. Our French designers in turn have grown enormously
in terms of physicality and energy in their staging.
David Perlman can be reached at publisher@thewholenote.com
coc.ca
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 11

ON OPERA
Opera-goers heading out of the current COC
production of Wozzeck wondering what makes the
show’s director/designer William Kentridge tick
should make their way to the online Kentridge Studio
– a website that is yet another layer to his art. If you do,
check out the 1988 essay by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev
in the Reading Room titled William Kentridge’s
Ubu Projects
Ubu Roi Retitled Ubu Rex,
Jarry’s play arrived in 1975
South Africa as the first show
in the new Nunnery Theatre
at the University of the
Witwatersrand. Kentridge was
in the cast, one of a cluster of
individuals who would go on
to form the original core of
the Junction Avenue Theatre
Company, with Malcolm Purkey
as its artistic director. “He was
in his first year at Wits” Purkey
recalls, “with a wispy mustache
and trademark bowler hat.”
William Kentridge The Purkey/Kentridge/
Junction Avenue connection
would last a decade and a half during which the company collectively
wrote and staged play after play that one way or another
used farce and absurdity to unmask the state’s tyranny. Their
titles tell a story: from The Fantastical History of a Useless Man
(1976) to Sophiatown (1986) and Tooth and Nail (1988). By then
Junction Avenue was running out of steam, but one of the things
Kentridge took away from it was a newly minted relationship with
Handspring Puppet Company founders Adrian Kohler and Basil
Jones. Through the 1990s, Kentridge’s defining collaborations with
Handspring would range froom Woyzeck on the Highveld (1991) to
Ubu and the Truth Commission (1997).
ADINE SAGALYN
FROM UBU TO WOZZECK
AND BEYOND
William Kentridge’s
generative journey
DAVID PERLMAN
Kentridge’s Wozzeck set under construction at the COC
Ubu’s re-entry into Kentridge’s art came two decades after Ubu
Rex at the Nunnery. It was sparked in 1996 when he participated in
a group show celebrating the centenary of the first Ubu performance.
He contributed a series of eight prints in which he layered
chalk representations of Jarry’s original Ubu cartoon with his own
drawings of a naked man, based on photos of himself in the studio.
The resulting blackboard-style prints, titled Ubu Tells the Truth,
later evolved into the complex animations for Ubu and the Truth
Commission.
Kentridge has often talked about how switching to drawing in
charcoal changed his approach to art because it enabled a process
of layering. With Handspring, layering is extended into powerful
new digital realms.
From Woyzeck to Wozzeck The 1991 Handspring/Kentridge
Woyzeck on the Highveld, as did Alban Berg’s Wozzeck, drew
on Georg Büchner’s 1837 stage play Woyzeck. Kentridge’s director’s
notes for Woyzeck on the Highveld are also in the Studio
Reading Room.
In the notes for the original production he writes about seeing
the Büchner play in the 1970s and how characters and images
from the play have floated on the edges of his consciousness since
then, and that it seems to him “that the anguish and desperation
of Büchner’s text does not need to be locked into the context of
Germany in the 19th century.”
In the notes for a European revival of the play (2009-2013) he
comments wryly on “the strange, convoluted world of oppression
and enlightenment that constituted Prussia in the 19th century,
[where] there was a law which stated that anyone condemned to
death, had first to be examined by a psychiatrist before he could be
executed.”
It was one such psychiatric report – about a private in the army
who murdered his wife – that formed the basis of Büchner’s play,
which remained an unfinished series of fragments at the time of
the author’s death at the age of 23.
Since then its mixture of fragmentation, rationality and
irrationality, have made it a central text in 20th century theatre –
a mix that drew both Kentridge and Berg to Büchner, and has now
in turn drawn Kentridge to Berg at this moment in Kentridge’s
layered generative journey.
SCOTT KITCHER
12 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

Roman Borys,
Artistic & Executive Director
2024/ 25 SEASON
KENTRIDGE STUDIO
Left: “Véritable portrait de Monsieur Ubu” by Alfred Jarry’s, in
the 1886 edition of Ubu Roi. Right: “Ubu Tells the Truth, Act II,
Scene 5” one of Kentridge’s eight original prints (1996-97).
KENTRIDGE’S WOZZECK SET
Q & A with Mike Ledermueller: Technical Director, Canadian Opera Company
WN: Looking at images from the Salzburg production, this doesn’t
look like a set that clips together right out of the containers!
ML: It definitely brings with it a unique set of challenges that
make its installation and shipping more complicated than a traditional
opera set because it was born out of a very organic creation
process. The “Island” of the set – the risers and scenery that make up
the central stage, is made of stock scenery plus found elements from
the Salzburg Fest spiel and surrounding area. These pieces were then
stacked, and sculpted to give us what we have today, but with various
alterations throughout its life on the road. Traditionally, an opera set
will have a clear system of assembly and an intuitive method to go
together, and with crating and carting engineered for efficient loading,
unloading, assembly and storage. This is a literal pile of old bits.
So how do you go about it?
Thankfully over its lifetime, our colleagues around the world have
taken documentation photos and labelled the scenery to know which
pieces attach to what. We likened the build process to assembling a
large jigsaw puzzle with no edge pieces. This means a lot more time
sorting through everything to find the part you need next. Where a set
of this scale would normally take us about 4-8 hours to assemble the
first time, this took us about three days.
With all the different media involved, is it a demanding show to run?
Actually, after assembly the show is quite straightforward, with
video being the most complicated part. The original video for this
piece was more like a character in the show, with the designer and
operator adapting to the varying tempi and cast’s gestures, rather than
a rigid cued playlist. Again, with the evolution of the work, we’ll be
striving to keep the process manageable by our crew here at the FSC
– maintaining original intentions of each moment, but within the
confines of our playback system.
This looks like a tough set for the cast to negotiate.
It is. Particularly tough. Given the shape of this set with all of its
rakes(slanted floors), levels, duckboard and steps, it’s imperative the cast
have the time on the set to safely learn how to navigate the “Island” – with
extra precautions in place at first, before we take the training wheels off.
Kentridge talks about about how charcoal changed his way of
working – the capacity for endless erasures: draw, capture, erase,
add, repeat. Does he make opera the way he uses charcoal?
Yes. I think that plays out clearly in the projections. Separate from
the “Island” is what is sometimes called the “Landscape”, the large
rear screen. This gives him the ability to flash through several of his
drawings throughout the show to match with each scene. The structure
of Wozzeck in particular lends itself to that idea as it’s a series of
separate scenes, not a flowing journey, almost like pages in a sketch
book. Not to mention, slightly transposing the time to WW1; the grit,
dust and smudging of charcoal clearly lends itself to imagery we see of
that time. Such a blunt, dark medium, strongly evoking the destruction
of a Passchendaele or Sommes battlescape.
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT? ®
WITH ROB KAPILOW
AND GRYPHON TRIO
Beethoven’s Archduke Trio
SUN. APRIL 13 | 3:00 PM
George Weston Recital Hall, Meridian Arts Centre
Co-presented with TO Live
COSE SERIES
SAT. APRIL 5, 4:00 PM
MADELINE HALL guitar
THALEA STRING QUARTET
SAT. MAY 3, 4:00 PM
VC2 + AMY HILLIS violin
DUO MYCELIA —
ISABELLA PERRON
WITH SIMON GIDORA
SAT. JUNE 7, 4:00 PM
JACQUES FORESTIER violin
WITH JEANIE CHUNG piano
SOLIDARIDAD TANGO
ENSEMBLE
Aperture Room, 340 Yonge St, north of Dundas
FOR TICKETS VISIT
Music-Toronto.com
416-214-1660
Phil and Eli Taylor
Isabel Rose
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 13

IN WITH THE NEW
MUSICAL
GARDENS
FOR SPRING
WENDALYN BARTLEY
DANIEL ALEXANDER DENINO
L to R: Cecilia Livingston, Donna McKevitt, Tim Albery,
Back in the dark days of the pandemic, when
concerts were little more than memories, I
spoke with composer Cecilia Livingston for the
December 2020-January 2021 issue of The WholeNote
about Garden of Vanished Pleasures, a project she was
involved with at the time. Originally presented as a
livestream production by Soundstreams in early 2021, the
piece went on to become a finalist in Opera America’s
Awards for Excellence in Digital Opera. Now, it is set to
receive a fully staged live performance by Soundstreams.
As a refresher, Garden of Vanished Pleasures was conceived by
Canadian/UK theatre director Tim Albery, who took existing works
by Canadian composer Cecilia Livingston and UK-based composer
Donna McKevitt and curated them into a sonic tapestry reflecting on
the life and work of filmmaker and queer rights activist Derek Jarman.
While McKevitt’s music was not originally composed for this production,
it draws heavily onTranslucence, a song cycle by McKevitt set to
Jarman’s poetry.
Seven of Livingston’s compositions were then selected to be part of
the Vanished Pleasures production, requiring Livingston to rescore
some of them to match the instrumentation of two sopranos, mezzo,
countertenor, viola, cello and piano – the instrumentation McKevitt
used in Translucence.
Hyejin Kwon
In the spirit of revisiting past stories shared with WholeNote readers,
I thought it fitting to bring us up to speed on this latest iteration, which
will run for four performances, April 25-27, at Canadian Stage, so I
reached out to the project’s music director and pianist, Hyejin Kwon.
As Kwon explained, this April performance is largely a remount,
with only a few changes – two new singers and Kwon herself stepping
©TIM ALBERY
Countertenor Daniel Cabena, Garden of Vanished Pleasures
in as pianist. Except that this time – the biggest change – it will be
experienced live.
I asked her about her impressions of the video production, which
makes extensive use of projections, both text and images. “I noticed
that the lighting was quite dark, which seemed to really capture the
essence of loss, emptiness and isolation,” she says, commenting that
it took her back to the early days of the pandemic. “The countertenor
character, played by Daniel Cabena wears a minimal costume—just a
long robe—and sings primarily the words of Derek Jarman in pieces
that appeared in McKevitt’s Translucence,” she says. “I view him as
the main narrator, the voice of Jarman.”
The only music written by Livingston that the countertenor sings
comes at the end. “The other three singers weave in and out, each
having solo moments. They could be seen as parts of Jarman’s inner
psyche, but the only time the countertenor and the female voices
join together with the instruments is at the end, when they perform
Livingston’s Kiss Goodnight.” She sees this moment as the beginning
of a resolution or a climactic shift in the story. “I will be having that
conversation with Tim once rehearsals begin,” she says.
“The more I’ve worked on the
Hyejin Kwon
score, I definitely sense a spirit
of resilience. Even in the dark
emotional places—through loss
of loved ones and health—what
I take away is human resilience.
That understanding may shift in
the next few weeks, as I haven’t yet
had a chance to get into the mind
of Tim Albery to understand where
he’s coming from.”
Part of Kwon’s role as music
director will be to coach the
singers. When I asked about
her approach, she emphasized
the importance of staying true
to the score at the beginning,
14 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com
CAMERON DAVIS JNGY PHOTOGRAPHY

“especially when the composers are still alive and available for discussion”.
Interestingly, one of Livingston’s compositions in the production,
Calypso, is a piece Kwon previously coached with singers from
the University of Toronto. (Originally composed as a stand-alone song
for singer and piano, it may require a different interpretation to fit into
the overall narrative.)
Kwon has also had the pleasure of working with Albery before. Back
in 2014, at the end of her first year in opera school at U of T, she worked
with him on Last Days, a staged production commemorating the 100th
anniversary of World War I. That piece, a staging of songs and texts, led
audiences from the gaiety of pre-war Europe to the devastating impact
of the war on both those caught up in it and those at home. The selected
music included works by Schoenberg, Berg, Ives, Ravel and Poulenc.
So when she was invited to be the music director for Garden of
Vanished Pleasures and saw that Albery was part of the team she
jumped at the opportunity. “I really loved the way Tim worked,” Kwon
said. “He has his principles and ideas, and I really respect him for that.
It was the most rewarding experience I could have had as a student.”
Currently Kwon is pursuing her doctorate in collaborative piano at
U of T, specializing in the vocal stream, which focuses on coaching
opera singers. For her dissertation she is researching Korean art songs
written by June-Hee Lim (b.1958), creating an interpretation guide
to Korean art songs for non-Korean singers and vocal coaches. In her
coaching practice, she emphasizes the importance of vocal health,
with her number one priority being that singing should never cause
harm to the voice.
An accomplished pianist, Kwon will also perform in Garden
of Vanished Pleasures. Rather than serving as a conductor from
the keyboard, she sees her role as part of a collaborative chamber
ensemble, offering occasional cues. The only pieces that involve piano
are those composed by Livingston, giving Kwon the opportunity to
assist the performers with balance and other musical aspects—essentially
providing an additional set of ears within the ensemble.
Esprit Orchestra
During April, Esprit Orchestra
will present the final concerts of
their five-concert Edge of Your
Seat International Festival, which
began on March 4 – a concert I
had the pleasure of attending. The
evening was charged with energy
and spirit, opening with an explosive
and masterful performance
Burgos sings Vivier
by Esprit orchestra member Ryan
Scott on solo marimba in Keiko Abe’s The Wave. Scored for soloist
and four percussionists, the piece filled the room with ricocheting
sounds – not just from the instruments, but also from the rhythmic
claps, stomps and shouts of the other percussionists, creating an electrifying
atmosphere. These body percussion elements enhance the
rhythmic intensity of the marimba soloist’s performance. The evening
concluded with the premiere of Vito Žuraj’s work Anemoi, sustaining
the same high energy and dynamic spirit that had opened the concert.
I wrote about concerts two and three of the festival in my column
in the February-March WholeNote. Concerts four and five take place
on April 6 and 17. Both concerts will feature world premieres of Esprit
commissions: a new work by Quinn Jacobs on April 6, and on April 17
works by composers Nicholas Ma and James O’Callaghan. The April 17
concert will also include a performance of Claude Vivier’s Lonely
Child, sung by American soprano Sophia Burgos – aligning with the
festival’s mission to showcase outstanding international performers.
Burgos, one of the leading interpreters of Vivier’s vocal works, promises
to bring a fresh perspective to this beloved piece.
New Music Concerts
New Music Concerts has an intriguing event planned for May 2,
co-presented with Arraymusic, called MAKEWAY. At its core, this
is a composer training program designed to support each participant’s
vision, providing the necessary instrumentation to bring each
composer’s ideas to life. The May 2 concert will showcase the newly
KATE LEMMON
created works, with the composers sharing insights into their pieces.
Building on the program’s 2023 launch, this year’s edition features works by
Tsu Long (Fish) Yu, Alex Matterson, Anju Singh, and Steven Webb. The diverse
instrumentation highlights the program’s commitment to supporting
individual artistic expression—Long’s piece, Home, is scored for erhu and
electronics, while the other works feature a variety of instru-mental
combinations, with Webb’s composition also incorporating elec-tronics. With a
record number of submissions, it’s clear this initiative is meeting a need. The
next cohort of composers will be selected in 2027.
ROUNDUP
May 3, 8PM. 21C Music Festival with Bruce Hornsby & yMusic.
The final event of this year’s festival presents BrhyM, a collaboration
between American singer-songwriter and pianist Bruce
Hornsby and the yMusic ensemble who specialize in performing
music from a variety of genres. They were involved in a tour in
early 2020 before having to stop their travels due to the pandemic,
but they decided to keep the musical exchange going remotely.
The piece BrhyM arose from their musical conversations, and they
have released their debut album Deep Sea Vents.
May 16, 7:30PM. Grace Church on-the-Hill. Venezuela Viva.
Cantemos and the Upper Canada Choristers present an evening
of music by Venezuelan composer and choral conductor César
Alejandro Carrillo. Carrillo will conduct two works the Cantemos
ensemble commissioned from him: El Pajaro que espero (The Bird
I Await), set to a poem by his wife Morales Balza commemorating
the son they lost at an early age; and La Rosa de los vientos (The
Wind Rose), with words by the choir’s own Jacinto Salcedo written
at a time of profound nostalgia and loneliness. Cantemos specializes
in music from Latin America, singing repertoire primarily in
Spanish, Portuguese and Latin, in a variety of styles including folk,
classical, contemporary, and dance.
May 25 4PM. Ensemble
U. As part of Estonian
Music Week that runs
from May 22-25, this
contemporary music
ensemble will offer
an “enhanced cosmic
journey” set to the
music of Canadian-
Estonian composer Udo
Kasemets. Kasemets was
an important figure in Toronto’s new music community, teaching
sound at OCAD and being a voice for the pioneering work of John
Cage. He had a close relationship with composer James Tenney
and influenced many younger composers living in Toronto. Venue
TBA, stayed tuned!
Wendalyn Bartley is a Toronto-based composer and
electro-vocal sound artist. sounddreaming@gmail.com
MAKEWAY 2025
May 2nd, 2025 | Pay What You Can | Doors 7:00PM
St.George’s Grange Park, Toronto, ON
newmusicconcerts.com
RAUL KELLER
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 15

CLASSICAL AND BEYOND
A CELEBRATION
OF SAKURA
Ron Korb, flutist and
multi-instrumentalist
ALLAN PULKER
I
first met Ron almost 45 years ago when we were both
studying with Robert Bick at York University. Bick
had recently returned to Toronto from Brattleboro,
Vermont where he had been studying with the great
French flutist and teacher, Marcel Moyse, who before
the Second World War had been the flute teacher at the
Paris Conservatoire. Moyse’s own roots went back to
Paul Taffanel, remembered as the founder of the French
School of flute playing, and to Philippe Gaubert, Taffanel’s
student and successor at the Conservatoire. After
Taffanel’s premature death in 1908, Gaubert compiled
a collection of “daily exercises” that he had learned
from Taffanel, now known in the flute world simply as
“Taffanel-Gaubert”, the study of which was a central part
of our work with Robert Bick.
Ron Korb in his studio. The flute he is playing is the Bansuri.
On the stand: another bansuri and a shakuhachi.
For me that time (1989-90), was euphoric: the flute class group
lessons with Robert Bick at his home in Toronto’s Annex led not only
to breakthroughs in our playing but also to a profound sense of camaraderie,
from our shared appreciation of and reverence for Marcel
Moyse’s teaching, which our teacher brought to us so authentically.
Our common goal at the time for studying the flute was simply to
realize our potential as musicians by becoming better flutists. Ron
moved on to enter the performance program at the University of
Toronto. “Like most young flute performance majors,” he told me, “we
were inspired by the likes of Galway, Rampal, Bennett, Robert Aitken,
and dreaming of careers similar to theirs. However, for me, my inspiration
also came from jazz flutists like Hubert Laws and Moe Koffman.
Even back then I was already writing, arranging and recording in my
spare time.”
Korb’s craft: After graduating from the performance program at
University of Toronto, Korb began learning the craft of music production
through a company he co-founded, called Oasis Productions
where he spent ten years honing his skills and learning the fundamentals
of putting an album together, while at the same time establishing
himself as a studio musician, playing various flutes on
numerous TV and film productions.
JADE YE
Classical Music
APRIL 24, 8 PM
SPADINA THEATRE
16 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

in Los Angeles, where two projects
in which he had played were
nominated!
SAMPHORS SAY
Sakura cherry blossoms (2024) at the Japanese-Canadian Cultural Centre.
I asked him at what point the idea of playing and performing on
non-western flutes came into focus. “A number of things converged at
once,” was his reply: ”Growing up as a Japanese Canadian, I’ve always
been drawn to the music and culture of Asia. Jean Pierre Rampal
and Lily Laskine’s album, Japanese Melodies for Flute and Harp,
was especially transformative for me. Although it was played on the
silver flute and classical harp, Rampal’s tone and phrasing are absolutely
exquisite and the arrangements by Akio Yashiro are stunning.
When Donald [Quan] and I recorded Tear of the Sun, based on a story
I wrote with strong Asian subject matter, it felt natural to include the
sound of bamboo flutes.”
That project led him to feel a strong desire to immerse himself even
more deeply in Japanese culture and to study the Japanese flute more
seriously. Moving to Tokyo, he studied Gagaku – Japanese court music –
with flute master Akao Michiko, which he described as “a truly magical”
time of his life. Another significant meeting at this time was with
Hiroki Sakaguchi with whom he wrote and recorded his second album,
Japanese Mysteries, which went on to become very successful. The two
of them performed several concerts together, and, as he put it, “one thing
led to another and my touring eventually expanded across Asia.
Fast forward to the present, and at the time of writing this Ron is in
Taiwan, having just returned from India, where he was invited to do a
recording and video project in the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu pilgrimage
festival attended by 660 million pilgrims, marking a full orbital revolution
of Jupiter around the sun. En route he attended the GRAMMYS
We in Toronto will be able to
hear Ron perform at the Japanese-
Canadian Cultural Centre in North
York near Eglinton Avenue East and
the Don Valley Parkway. Described
by the presenter as an interpretation
of a traditional cherry blossom
viewing party, the concert, titled A
Celebration of Sakura, will feature
Ron on Japanese flute as well as the
western flute and bass flute; Taiko
drumming, traditional dance,
singer, koto and shamisen player
Aido Fuji, bass player Steve Lucas,
pianist Bill Evans, drummer Larry
Crowe, and guitarist and koto
player, Ray Hickey Jr..
The concert has been scheduled
to correspond with the blossoming
of the 100 Sakura cherry trees
growing on the grounds of the
Centre. Ron told me that he and
James Heron, the JCCC executive director, “have been discussing the
idea of presenting a concert for years, and James came up with the brilliant
concept of tying it to the blooming of the Sakura cherry blossoms
in spring.” The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre is home to over 100
Sakura cherry trees, which were planted through the generous efforts
of the Consulate General of Japan’s Sakura Project and Shiseido Canada.
In the program Ron wanted to incorporate a mix of his original
compositions with an Asian influence, along with music from his
new album, Global Canvas (reviewed in the February/March issue
of The WholeNote). He will also include “a variety of music from
Celtic, Latin, classical and jazz traditions. After the long winter it will
be a wonderful way to celebrate the coming of the warmer weather.”
Indeed. And, I will add, a fitting way to welcome Ron Korb back from
his late winter travels in the east.
Ron Korb – A Celebration of Sakura takes place Thursday, April 17,
2025, at 7:30pm.
Allan Pulker is a Toronto-based flautist, and The WholeNote’s
founding publisher.
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 17

Music Toronto’s
COSE at the
Aperture Room
DAVID PERLMAN
The Aperture Room is the crown jewel of a beautifully
preserved building at 340 Yonge St., a couple of
blocks north of Yonge and Dundas, designed and
built in 1922 for the Thornton-Smith Company – an
antique furniture and interior design firm.
COSE concerts all take place from 4pm to 6pm on Saturday afternoons,
with the sun (if there is any), streaming in through the three
recessed skylights that give the room its name. “The broad range of
music, time of day, and the room aesthetic all contribute to the series’
popularity” says Music Toronto’s Roman Borys.
With the music at COSE events being primarily acoustic, it makes
sense to centre the performers on the long uninterrupted north wall
of the room, with the audience radiating out in a semi-circle around
them. “Not the exact centre though,” says Ken Rutherford, who
supplied the photo, pointing toward the bar at the Yonge St windows
end of the building. “It’s that wide open space opposite the elevator
and stairs as people come in that defines the central purpose of the
space – a room designed for people to engage,” he says.
The building has been in Rutherford’s family for over half a century,
with his own involvement increasing over time. It’s no accident, for
example, that he could come up with a photograph from a previous
Music Toronto COSE event right away, when we asked, because he
attends every event. “People like to meet the owner,” he says.
There are, consequently, only as many events in the space as he is
willing to be there for. “Around twenty a year,” he says. “Well maybe
25.” And the events that happen there tend to reflect his own, broadly
eclectic interests. He rhymes off a few: an S&P Global conference on
sustainable development; a UHN [University Health Network] staff
appreciation party; Club Canadien de Toronto; a PETA fundraiser;
Ladom Ensemble (Adam Campbell, percussion; Beth Silver, cello; Michael
Bridge, accordion; and Pouya Hamidi, piano) at the third and final concert
of Music Toronto’s Celebration of Small Ensembles series, June 1 2024
Rotary Wintergrow; Impact AI [artificial intelligence discussion];
Future Skills; Music Toronto’s COSE series: and (the event I first met
him at) a gathering to hear a progress report on how consultations are
going about programming Sankofa Square just down the street.
True to his “meet the owner” mantra, he was stationed between
the elevator and the door to the stairwell, and the event illustrated his
observation about the room’s design being conducive to interpersonal
engagement: around 160 attendees able to move freely around or cluster
as they chose; a comfortable feeling. And then plenty of room, once
attention was asked for, to cluster, standing or seated, in the aforementioned
semi-circle around the (not-quite) centre of the north wall.
Music Toronto’s COSE formula suits the room well; three concerts
about four weeks apart, one each in April, May, and June; always two
hours long, always from 4-6pm; always on a Saturday; and always two
45-minute sets, by contrasting ensembles, with a break in between.
This year’s COSE dates (third season!) are April 5, May 3, and June 7,
and the pairings are as creative as ever. Check them out in our listings.
“The artists enjoy the challenge of putting together a 45-minute set”
says Roman Borys. “It captures the spirit of the salon – as much social
as it is discovery.”
A gem of a series in a jewel of a room.
David Perlman
J KEN RUTHERFORD
Arkel
CHAMBER
CONCERTS
Marie Bérard - Winona Zelenka
Under a Veil of Stars
SUNDAY, MAY 18th 2025 3pm
Franz Schubert piano trio in E flat
and Kevin Lau piano trio
Guest Artist:
Philip Chiu, piano
Season Sponsors
Trinity St. Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor St. W
eventbrite.ca
18 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

Noteworthy
SIAN RICHARDS
CBC
On April 9 and 11 Ron Korb (featured on pages 16-17) will perform
in the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Japanese-themed concert
“Kimko’s Pearl and Romantic Treasures,” playing the Shinobue, a
Japanese transverse flute, providing an entr’acte, between Takemitsu’s
Requiem for Strings and the premiere of Kevin Lau’s Kimiko’s Pearl
Symphonic Suite.
The TSO really has something for everybody in April and May:
there are ten different programs, from masterworks to pops. There’s
a performance on April 26 by the TSYO, a young people’s concert
on May 4, and on May 28 you can hear a TSO Chamber soloists
concert at 6:45 if you have a ticket to the 8pm masterworks concert
“Beethoven’s Eroica.”
Aisslinn Nosky
Tom Allen
Orchestras: If you’re looking
for orchestral fare on a different
scale or outside of downtown
Toronto, consider this: a quick
search of our online listings
at thewholenote.com/justask
offered 21 different programs
by 19 individual orchestras
in Brampton, Burlington,
Hamilton, North York, Oakville,
Scarborough, Milton, Mississauga,
Niagara, Stratford and Sudbury.
Most of these are included in this
print magazine, but new concerts
are listed online every week. So
you might like to sign up to get
our weekly updates by email.
thewholenote.com/newsletter
Above: Nosky Performs Handel,
Haydn & Bach and leads the Hamilton
Philharmonic at FirstOntario
Concert Hall in Hamilton, April 12.
Below: Music From Earth and
Beyond: Tom Allen and Friends
Gallery Players of Niagara. Tom
Allen, story teller; Sheila Jaffé,
violin; Lori Gemmell, harp &
guitar, in St. Catharines, May 11.
Chamber: Prefer a smaller ensemble? Chamber music is a very
busy scene at this time of year. 5 at the First Chamber Concerts in
Hamilton has three different concerts upcoming (Apr 12, May 17,
Jun 7). The Gallery Players of Niagara have events in St Catharines
(April 13 and May 11), with an adaptive performance (May 31). The
Alliance Francaise de Toronto (Apr 24, Apr 26, May 3, Jun 7) has four
interesting programs coming up. Have a look at Amici Chamber
Ensemble (Apr 13); Confluence Concerts (May 2/3); Arkel Chamber
Concerts (May 18); Friends of Music at St. Thomas’s (Apr 26 and
May 9); Mooredale concerts (May 4); and Music in the Afternoon
(Apr 3 and May 8).
Or select “chamber” for a search of our online listings at
thewholenote.com/justask
The 2025 JUNO Awards were announced March 31, and celebrate
some remarkable classical performances and artists that
you’ll want to hear, or hear again
Classical Composition of the Year: “Angmalukisaa” by Inuk classical
singer Dorothea Edwards. The title means “round” in Inuktut.
It’s a personal composition about human connections, and you
can hear it on a recording called Alikeness which features the
Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra Sinfonia directed by Mark
Fewer. (Reviewed by David Olds in Dec 2024/Jan 2025 edition,
and included in our online Listening Room) Leaf Music LM296
Classical Album of the Year (Large Ensemble): Messiaen:
Turangalîla-Symphonie. This recording by The Toronto
Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Gustavo Gimeno
features pianist Marc-André Hamelin and ondes Martenot
specialist Nathalie Forget (Reviewed by Daniel Foley in our April/
May 2024 edition) Harmonia Mundi HMM905336
Classical Album of the Year (Small Ensemble): Rituæls
(Reviewed on page 60 of this edition) by the Montreal-based
string ensemble collectif9. This recording brings together music
dating from the Middle Ages to the 21st century. originally
performed as a live artistic and spiritual experience, and then a
film-concert (released in 2021). Analekta. AN955
Classical Album of the Year (Solo Artist): Freezing. Mezzo-soprano
Emily D’Angelo’s second solo recording includes 17 songs spanning
five centuries: folk and art song, John Dowland to Philip
Glass, and recent works by Randy Newman, Cecilia Livingston,
and US band Ween. Deutsche Grammophon 4866571
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 19

CHORAL SCENE
L’ensemble vocal Les voix du coeur
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IF YOU’RE CHOIR CURIOUS
ANGUS MACCAULL
The other day there was a detailed message on
The WholeNote voicemail. It was from a longtime
Toronto resident who explained that she was
wanting to join a choir for the first time in many years,
wanting to reconnect with the sense of community she’d
felt singing with others in her youth, especially now
because she was confident being in a choir would help
her recovery from a recent stroke.
Her message was very specific about certain things she wanted and
didn’t want: it was important to her that the choir not be religious or
competitive; gathering to sing was more important than preparing to
perform for an audience; adjacency to her neighbourhood would be
nice, but as a lifelong transit user, she was happy to go where the TTC
would take her.
And she said this: “I would like to sing again, for fun – to be part
of a group of people using their own voice to create music. Before I
emigrated here, and especially as a youth, I was always in choirs. I
would like to resuscitate that part of myself.”
Her words struck a deep chord with me, because I too have been
actively looking for a choir to join this year. I too had great experiences
with music in my youth. My early musical training was on clarinet,
then I enjoyed singing in a choir during college. I knew if I could
find a choir that fit my busy schedule as a parent, I would make new
friends and feel healthier.
I found my choir. The eclectic mix of music at City Choir, which is
led by six choral directors, was what caught my attention first. And I
was fortunate that their Tuesday night rehearsal slot worked for me.
So far, it’s been a lot of fun. Since joining, I’ve even started bringing
music home: director Gregory Oh’s selection for this season of The
Highwomen’s Crowded Table has become a family favourite: my wife
and kids sing along to it with me while we do the dishes.
The Canary Pages: Every spring for 23 of the past 25 years, The
WholeNote has published The Canary Pages – a directory of choirs
in our region, ranging from purely social to highly competitive. It’s
always been a spring thing, because that’s the time of year when
people who want to sing start looking for a choir to join, sometimes
for the first time, or one that offers a greater (or lesser) challenge
than the one they are in.
Each of you will have criteria as personal and specific as mine
or as those of the reader who left that lovely voicemail for us. So
here are a few questions to help you sift through what might be
important (or not) for you.
Is there an audition? I didn’t need to audition for City Choir. The
organization does ask accomplished singers to volunteer as section leads,
but it’s not even necessary to read music to join. Another non-auditioned
choir in Toronto is Harbourfront Chorus. Or, if you’re in Richmond Hill,
there’s Chorus York. It’s also worth checking at churches in your neighbourhood
for non-auditioned opportunities to sing.
If you want to audition, Jubilate Singers may be worth considering.
Or Toronto Classical Singers. Both of these organizations strive for
higher artistic standards while still offering a very supporting environment.
There are also auditioned choirs like Pax Christi Chorale and
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir where you can sing alongside some paid
professional singers. Some churches, like Leaside United, use the
model of a professional core as well.
What style of music do you want to sing? Like with food, sometimes
you’re open to just singing whatever. Music is sustenance for
the soul after all! As long as it’s healthy, does it matter the style? Many
choirs aim to bring an eclectic mix of repertoire to satisfy the appetites
of their choristers.
But other times you may have a particular sound in mind. For
women wanting to sing with women, there’s Echo Women’s Choir.
They sing a range of songs, including socially conscious music about
women. The Vesnivka Choir is also a women’s ensemble. It focuses on
Ukrainian music and has been bringing the wonderful sounds of that
tradition to Toronto for 60 years.
For men wanting to sing with men, MenAloud Chorus seeks to offer
camaraderie. They also seek input from choir members for repertoire.
The Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir is another men’s ensemble. Most
of their music is sung in Welsh and they tour to perform.
The Canadian Celtic Choir also features the songs of Wales; along
with Scotland, England, Ireland, and the Maritimes. It’s open to both
men and women in its home base of London. Or there’s L’ensemble
vocal Les voix du coeur if you want to spend time exploring the deep
and varied tradition of French-language music.
20 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

Toronto Chamber Choir
Take a look at the early birds in our Canary Pages, on pages 50-51,
and see if anything piques your interest. If you’re curious about a
particular style or wondering what any given choir sounds like, it’s
always a good idea to take in one of their concerts or see if you can
attend an open rehearsal first.
Do you like the vibe? Many factors in addition to the musical style
affect the vibe of a choir. Size is one. Toronto Chamber Choir, for
example, has 30–40 singers. The Mississauga Chamber Singers are
more intimate, with under 25 singers. When I walk into rehearsals for
City Choir, there’s a buzz of friendly chatter: the membership includes
well over 100 singers. The history of a choir is also going to affect its
vibe. How long has it been around? What’s the structure of the organization
supporting it? What kind of funding has it secured in the past?
Of course, logistics! The best choir to join is the one you CAN join—
regardless of any of the above. The rehearsal time, location, and
accessibility have to work for your life. Maybe you never thought you’d
join a group focused on a style of music you’d never heard of; but if
the choir you want to join, because of what you already know you like,
is across town, and there’s a choir only 20 minutes away that meets on
a night you are free singing unfamiliar songs, I say try the latter!
Any size choir is a commitment, so consider what size commitment
you want make, beyond weekly rehearsals. How much will you have
to do at home to prepare? How many concerts are there each season
along with any travel to perform? Unless you’re a paid singer, most
choirs will have dues, possibly on a sliding scale. Some choirs will also
need you to purchase specific attire for performances. And remember,
choirs change, and people do, too. Maybe a group that didn’t work for
you before, will now!
In any case, if you’re still reading at this point, I’d definitely
consider you “choir curious” and encourage you to take the next step.
Maybe like me you’ll soon find yourself filling your home with the
sounds of a new song. Maybe you’ll find your loved ones are even
singing along, and the dishes get done!
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.
Bernstein
& Duruflé
METROPOLITAN
UNITED CHURCH
MAY
04
2025
7:00PM
KATHLEEN ALLAN, CONDUCTOR
JONATHAN OLDENGARM, ORGAN
Alex Hetherington, Mezzo
Jesse Blumberg, Baritone
Amahl Arulanandam, Cello
Zane Mallett, Harp
Yang Chen, Percussion
AMADEUSCHOIR.COM
Canadian Childrens Opera Company
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 21

One of VIVA's seven choirs, at Trinty-St. Paul's
Fertile soil
VIVA SINGERS TORONTO
AT TRINITY-ST. PAUL’S
The time: Jun 1 2:30: VIVA Singers Toronto. Metamorphosis.
Featuring all 7 VIVA Singers Toronto choirs, plus a special alumni
choir, and guest artists Amiel Ang, percussion, and Tatsuki Shimoda,
recorder.
The place: Trinity St. Paul’s United Church. Jeanne Lamon Hall.
Twenty-five years ago, Carol Woodward Ratzlaff, a Toronto-based
conductor, music educator and professional choral singer, was acutely
aware of the widespread impact of dramatic government cuts to
public school arts programs in downtown Toronto. VIVA’s beginning
was a grassroots response to these cuts – two choirs: the Preparatory
Chorus for singers ages 4-6 and the Main Chorus for those 7-10; and a
handful of volunteers. “In the early days, it was our own kids and a lot
of our friends,’” she recalls.
Over time VIVA has evolved to fill a gap in choral music education
practice as the steady decline of music education continues. Today,
under one organizational umbrella, VIVA encompasses seven choirs
in service of singers across the lifespan, with a staff team of more than
30 and a continued emphasis on youth music education, inclusive
practices - particularly with respect to singers with disabilities - and
providing next-generation artists with opportunities for experience
and growth through the Choral Mentoring and Leadership program.
Here, Ratzlaff reflects on Trinity St. Paul’s Centre (TSP) as fertile
soil for VIVA’s growth.
CWR: TSP has been a good rehearsal, administrative, and performance
home for VIVA. It is a stimulating environment with great and
supportive tenant colleagues. TSP Church has been particularly
supportive, and a constant musical collaborator over our 25 years. We
enjoyed a number of joint performances with the Toronto Consort
under David Fallis, with our youth choir on their shows and their
players on ours. We are grateful for the fabulous renovation of Jeanne
Lamon Hall, spearheaded by Tafelmusik. VIVA draws many part time
staff members from students at University of Toronto due to its proximity
and our Choral Mentoring and Leadership Program.
In 2000, I chose TSP initially because the cuts to arts and music
education were most severe in the downtown core. VIVA’s beginnings
were an activist response to a lack of understanding by educational
policy-makers of what choral music education can bring to all children
and youth, and we remain steadfast in that vision. TSP as an
activist and accessible space has nurtured and empowered that vision.
Ironically, although TSP is at the heart of the Annex, we draw most
of our 140 singers (now both youth and adult) from outside the Annex
area, and are working to make connections with Annex area schools
over the next three years – to share our work locally and to celebrate
our Indigenous partners. Our choral work remains responsive to our
choristers, but with broad impact as we share our work with others in
the choral community at national and international conferences. Part of
that impact is due to our rich and supportive home base of TSP Centre.
Passiontide
DEVOTION
PALM SUNDAY, APRIL 13, 4:30 pm
A choral expression of faith for
Holy Week and Easter.
Featuring the Yorkminster Park Choir, led by
William Maddox, Organist and Director of Music,
and Sharon L. Beckstead, Associate Musician.
Arise, Jerusalem (Tenebrae) – Healey Willan
The Reproaches – Plainsong | O vos omnes – Pablo Casals
Crucifixus (in 8) – Antonio Lotti
Nolo mortem peccatoribus – Thomas Morley
Organ works – W. S. Lloyd-Webber and Josef Rheinberger
YORKMINSTER PARK BAPTIST CHURCH
1585 Yonge Street | yorkminsterpark.com
22 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

Giving voice to the voice
SING! The Toronto International Vocal Arts Festival
returns this year from May 24 to June 2 with concerts
and workshops galore – with all things a cappella!
Dylan Bell
Deke Sharon
This year the festival launches The SING! Canadian A Cappella
Championships, giving Canadians the opportunity to shine in a local
competition. The International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella
(ICCA) competition is in the USA, this kind of travel is a barrier for
many Canadian groups. The SING! prizes are significant, and can help
groups create recordings, pay for arrangements, go on tour, hire expert
conductors, pay for costumes, or other expenses. There are cash prizes
in each of 3 ensemble categories, plus performance and recording
opportunities.
Two judges have been announced to date. One is Deke Sharon,
considered the “godfather of contemporary a cappella,” the force
behind the “Pitch Perfect” movies and the “Sing Off” TV series. The
other is Dylan Bell, an internationally-renowned a cappella performer
and former co-artistic Director of SING! Bell is also co- author of two a
cappella arranging books with Deke Sharon,
The competition will take place at the Royal Ontario Museum, in
the Signy & Cléophée Eaton Theatre on May 30th, and there will be 10
ensembles competing. It’s sure to be a fine event.
Some festival concerts are ticketed and some are free, with events
happening in outdoor and indoor spaces. There’s an entire afternoon
of free concerts at the Alex Christie Bandstand in Kew Garden.
Estonian Voices (Estonia) and Countermeasure (Toronto) will give a
concert, in partnership with Estonian Music Week. You can hear Black
Unfolosi, an award winning a cappella singing and traditional dance
ensemble from Zimbabwe, and Beatsync – pop, alternative, and a
cappella music fusion. There’s a night of music and comedy with
the Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet, The Kinsey Sicks, and opening
for them will be On That Note, a competitive a cappella group from
Toronto Metropolitan University.
And on May 31 at the Isabel Bader Theatre, you can hear
Soundcrowd – Toronto’s own large-scale a cappella ensemble, with
Deke Sharon. This concert will feature the winner of the SING!
Canadian A Cappella Championships!
JUST ASK! The WholeNote’s April & May listings already
include 76 choral concerts!
This is the best time of year to go listen to some choirs - especially
if you’re thinking of joining one. Or just for the pure pleasure of it.
thewholenote.com/justask
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 23

MUSICAL THEATRE
Life After’s
full circle
JENNIFER PARR
First rehearsal of Life After. L to R: Alex Edwards, Mariand Torres,
Britta Johnson, Ryan Lewis, Kaylee Harwood
MICHAEL COOPER
This April, acclaimed
Canadian composer,
writer, and lyricist Britta
Johnson’s Life After returns to
the city where it began, in a
new production at the CAA Ed
Mirvish Theatre. I saw the first
professional production back
in 2017 at Canadian Stage’s
Britta Johnson
Berkeley Street Theatre and remember being captivated
by the fluidity of the staging, the deeply felt yet often
funny writing, and the way the songs carried the
audience into the heart of the characters’ emotions.
Life After is not your typical musical, focusing as it does on an inner
journey – that of 16-year-old Alice, trying to come to terms with the
sudden death of her father, famous self-help guru, Frank Carter. The
show’s own journey, from first inspiration to its first fully commercial
production, is also an absorbing one, so I took the opportunity to find
out more, by talking to its creator and some of her collaborators.
Coming of age: “It started,” Johnson told me, “when I participated,
at age 19, in the Paprika Festival in Toronto – a free program for writers
under 21 – as one of their playwrights in residence. I had lost my dad
when I was 13, and then, while I was 19, one of my best friends passed
away.” In both cases, she told me, she found herself at visitations,
feeling so clumsy, not knowing what to do or say. “But also finding
the richness of comedy in the situation; so Life After started as a few
songs sung from a single character’s point of view at one of these
visitations. It wasn’t necessarily about me. I was just processing the
complexity of how your reality is temporarily altered when you are
actively grieving, and I thought music could help me explore that.”
Very quickly it became a show that wasn’t about her at all. “[It’s
about] a family that is SO different from mine, and much more about
the texture of coming of age through the experience of grief, and how
we can use music to illustrate that specific experience in a way that
feels honest and funny and warm, and that’s what I’ve been trying to
do. I didn’t even know it would BE a musical when I started.”
First full Life: The first full musical version of Life After debuted
at the Toronto Fringe Festival in the summer of 2016, and the show
took off from there. As Johnson told me, “I remember at one of
MICHAEL COOPER
our fringe shows, I was onstage playing the piano and I could see
everyone in the audience and there was this row that had Matthew
Jocelyn from Canadian Stage, Mitchell Marcus from the Musical
Stage Company and Natalie Bartello and Linda Barnett of Yonge
Street Theatricals (YST) – and I remember looking out and thinking
‘oh, we better nail it tonight!’ I saw them all talking outside the
theatre afterwards and very soon after that it all came together.”
It’s unusual to have commercial producers enter the picture so early
in the development of a show. “It was an admirable thing,” Johnson
says: “YST collaborated with both Canadian Stage and the Musical
Stage Company to create the first production in 2017, then stayed and
have been ushering it along in collaboration with various people ever
since. It’s been such a game changer and it’s really exciting to be back
in Toronto with them.”
Yonge Street Theatricals, based in Toronto, is a Tony, Olivier,
and Dora Award-winning production company led by founders
Barnett and Bartello. The duo have been quietly working together on
creating new musicals at the grassroots level for 18 years with a focus
on developing new Canadian talent. Their Broadway credits include:
Maybe Happy Ending, A Strange Loop, and Come From Away,
among others. They told me about their first meeting with Johnson
when she was part of one of the first cohorts of their Noteworthy
program (created with Musical Stage) where playwrights and
composers are paired to create mini musicals.
“Britta was paired with Sara Farb and from the minute she put
her fingers on the keys, Linda and I were astonished at her talent.”
When they saw Life After at the Fringe their immediate reaction
was “how can we get this up as quickly as possible with this amount
of money.” They immediately joined forces with Musical Stage
and Canadian Stage for the Berkeley Street production. Under YST
production auspices, Life After’s journey took it next to the Old
Globe Theatre in San Diego in 2019, then to Chicago’s Goodman
Theatre in 2022 directed by Annie Tippe, who is also directing the
upcoming Toronto production.
Enter the Furies: Workshops and rewriting have been a constant in
Life’s journey, before each iteration of the show. But “the big pillars”
of the show, as Johnson describes them, have stayed the same from
the get-go. “The first songs that I wrote – Alice’s Poetry and Snow,
and the mum’s Wallpaper - are the things that have been altered
the least. I wrote them even before I knew I was going to be a writer
and this is important as it feels like that is where the most honest
versions of this teenage grief lives.”
One big change post-Fringe was the addition to the cast of an
unexpected trio of shapeshifting figures called the Furies. “So much
of what Alice goes through,” Johnson explains “is in her own head,
24 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

JJ GEIGER
but if she can be in conversation, if there is something leading her
on, then there can be a kind of hero’s journey that she is going on.
I think of the Furies as the funeral guests that never leave and then
animate her world around her. They are also helpful to fill out the
comedy of the story.”
Overall, the structure of the show has remained remarkably
constant, Johnson says, “but I’ve had the chance to decorate the
show with more and more detail [and] as I grow I get better at
writing the adult characters. At the beginning I really had access to
Alice but I didn’t know what her mum was really thinking about;
now I’m closer to her mum’s age, and it gives me perspective on the
many chapters of life and where that fits in with grief.”
That being said, there is one substantial change for the upcoming
production – a new song near the beginning replacing a spoken
scene between Alice and her dad, Frank. “We had been asking for
the song very patiently for a while,” producers Bartello and Barnett
told me. “We always felt that Frank needed another song. It’s a very
fun number, a duet for Frank and Alice at a very happy time in their
relationship. It’s really fleshed out the show.” The show’s director
agrees: “A brand new song within the first 20 minutes of the show
[was] something we had all craved, but had needed the benefit of
the full process of the last production (in Chicago) to know that that
scene needed to become a song.”
Annie Tippe: Tippe is the third director
Johnson has worked with on Life After.
“I have loved working with each of them
and learned so much,” Johnson says.
“What I really love about working with
Annie is that she is close to my age, we
share the loss of a dad, and she is deeply,
deeply funny and very collaborative. … She
really understands the teenage girl world,
really shares that point of view with me;
collaborating with her unlocks really
exciting and theatrical things.”
Annie Tippe
Tippe echoes Johnson: “I was sent the script by my agent and the
demos from the show, and I had a reaction that I have truly never had
before. Not only did I instantly fall in love with the material but all of
a sudden felt immediate excitement and anger at the possibility that
I might not be given the chance to direct the show. I lost my father
ten years ago now, and the thing that I received, even just reading the
libretto right off the page, was the remarkable humour and the perfect
capture of the absurdity of losing someone when you are young and
having to process the world after they’re gone. I found myself laughing
and crying as I read it and I just knew that I had to fight to have the
chance to have this opportunity to direct it. We met and I remember
us within 30 minutes of meeting crying together, and I thought ‘okay
this is going to be a good partnership’.”
The cast: Another constant in the show’s evolution has been how
to go about casting it. “Always,” says Johnson, “you first have to find
an Alice as she is only 16 years old, and then build the rest of the cast
around her. We needed to find someone with Olympic vocal chops
as she carries the show, but also a true vulnerability so that our
audience can access her.”
It’s a tough combination to find but, as Bartello and Barnett
remarked, “We were really lucky [this time]. Isabella Esler walked into
the room and her resume was like a blank sheet – with just one credit
(two years playing Lydia on the U.S. national tour of Beetlejuice) – and
yet very quickly we knew this was the person we needed.” “She is the
youngest Alice we have ever had,” Johnson adds. “She’s truly astonishing.
She has this huge emotional world, she’s so funny and has an
amazing voice. I think her star has just begun to rise.”
And they have built a standout majority-Canadian cast around her:
Jake Epstein as Frank, Chilina Kennedy as Ms Hopkins, Julia Pulo as
Hannah, and Kaylee Harwood, Arinea Hermans and Zoë O’Connor as
the furies. “We fought for that,” say Bartello and Barnett, “it’s been
Isabella Esler (Alice) sings “Poetry” from Life After in rehearsal.
part of our life’s work educating our New York colleagues that there
are excellent performers here.”
With this Toronto production, Life After comes full circle. “It
feels incredible and the exact right next step to bring it home,”
Johnson says. “This is the community that raised me. This is the
community that raised this show, and to have so many Canadians
in it that I have shared so much of my creative life with, it feels like
the amalgamation of everything beautiful I have got to be part of
in my career. A perfect homecoming. I am truly so proud to be a
Canadian artist.”
Life After plays at the CAA Mirvish Theatre April 16 to May 10.
https://www.mirvish.com/shows/life-after
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.
RobeRt
le diable
BY GIACOMO MEYERBEER
FRENCH OPERA WITH ENGLISH SURTITLES
FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2025 | 8 PM
JEANNE LAMON HALL
TRINITY-ST.PAUL’S CENTRE
427 BLOOR ST W
NEW VENUE!
HELEN BECQUÉ, MUSIC DIRECTOR
WITH
ROBERT COOPER, CM
& THE OPERA IN CONCERT CHORUS
RCM TICKETS
416-408-0208 OR
OPERAINCONCERT.COM/TICKETS
KEVIN LEE SMITH
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 25

MUSIC THEATRE ROUNDUP
April 8 - 26 MAHABHARATA
Part 1: Karma: The Life We
Inherit (Apr 8 - Apr 26)
Part 2: Dharma: The Life
We Choose (Apr 11 - Apr 27)
Presented in two parts,
Mahabharata is both a journey
through the past and a compelling
call to a desirable future. Co-composer Suba Sankaran talks
Based on an epic Sanskrit story about the music in Mahabharata,
that is more than 4000 years
along with co-composer John
old and foundational to South
Gzowski, and traditional music
consultant Hasheel Lodhiaty
Asian culture, this contemporary
spectacle explores profound philosophical and spiritual
ideas: “How can one end the spiral of revenge when everyone
believes they are right and their opponents wrong?” “In times of
division, how do we find wholeness?” “Are we destined to repeat
the mistakes of our ancestors?” “Can we build a new world?”
Music and dance play a vital role. A six-piece band performs onstage
in Part 1, while Part 2 features a digital soundscape and soprano
Meher Pavri singing an adaptation of the Bhagavad Gita Opera. The
musical team is John Gzowski, Suba Sankaran, Dylan Bell, Gurtej
Singh Hunjan, Zaheer-Abbas Janmohamed and Hasheel Lodhia.
Created and written by Ravi Jain and Miriam Fernandes,
using poetry from Carole Satyamurti’s Mahabharata: A Modern
Retelling, originally commissioned and presented by the Shaw
Festival, in association with Barbican, London.
A Why Not Theatre Production presented with Canadian Stage
at the Bluma Appel Theatre in Toronto.
April 22 - June 1 A STRANGE LOOP
Usher is a Black gay man…who’s also writing a musical about a
Black gay man. He dreams of a full-time career as a successful playwright,
while working front-of-house at Broadway’s The Lion King
while grappling with his own artistic aspirations and personal identity.
A “poignant, subversive, and unflinching exploration of identity, sexuality,
self-expression, and the power of art to transcend barriers.”
Book, music, and lyrics by Michael R. Jackson. Directed by Ray Hogg.
Featuring Malachi McCaskill.
A co-production between The Musical Stage Company,
Soulpepper Theatre, Crows Theatre, and TO Live, at the Young
Centre for the Performing Arts, in Toronto.
May 22-24 IDENTITY: A SONG CYCLE
In June 2020, Toronto baritone Elliot Madore opened up on social
media about his struggles with “unabashedly expressing [his] identity”
as a biracial person. Joel Ivany and Madore in collaboration with
composer Dinuk Wijeratne and acclaimed poet Shauntay Grant, have
created a song cycle which sets new and original Canadian poetry to
music that fuses classical music with an array of influences.
Composer - Dinuk Wijeratne; Poet - Shauntay Grant; directed by
Joel Ivany. Featuring Elliot Madore.
Presented by Against The Grain Theatre, at Toronto’s El Mocambo
May 27 - Jun 22 AFTER THE RAIN
When she accepts a mature piano student obsessed with
mastering only one song, Erik Satie’s Gymnopedie No. 1, struggling
songwriter Suzie’s life takes an unforeseen turn. A musical based
on a true story about the healing power of music. With Joe (Jojo)
Bowden, Deborah Hay, Andrew Penner, and Sheamus Swets.
Book by Rose Napoli, music & lyrics by Suzy Wilde, directed by
Marie Farsi.
Presented by The Musical Stage Company & Tarragon Theatre,
at Tarragon Theatre (main space) in Toronto.
BUT WAIT - THERE’S MORE!
For a sumptuous array of additional Music Theatre, Opera and
Dance listings, please see page 49!
DEVIN MCNULTY | CANADIAN STAGE
EARLY MUSIC
Reconstitution will take
you far at the Toronto
Bach Festival
DAVID PERLMAN
While researching this piece, I stumbled across
this comment by John Terauds (founder and
first editor of the blog Musical Toronto, now
Ludwig van Toronto). “Earlier this year, we needed to
pity Argentinean composer Osvaldo Golijov as he was
attacked for quoting other composers’ music in his
own,[but] if we only look back two to three centuries,
we find composers borrowing, quoting and parodying
themselves and each other — proving that imitation
once was the sincerest form of flattery.”
The comment came in a 2012 review of a just-released recording
of six concertos composed by University of Montreal Early Music
specialist Bruce Haynes, who had died the previous year. Although
“composed” is not exactly the right word.
Haynes, in Terauds’ words, “had scoured 13 of Johann Sebastian
Bach’s cantatas, the Mass in G Minor and the Concerto for 3
Harpsichords in D Minor for material he could adapt into a set of
six concertos in the style of the six original Brandenburgs. … [and]
Eric Milnes and the period-instrument Bande Montréal Baroque …
including Haynes’ widow, gamba master Susie Napper turned it into
glorious sound only a couple of weeks after his death.”
The recording was released by ATMA Classique under the title
Nouveaux “Brandebourgeous” Reconstitution/Reconstruction.
Brandenbourgeous, indeed: We’ll be hearing the final one of these
six Brandenbourgeous “reconstitutions” at this year’s Toronto Bach
Festival — Brandenburg Concerto No.12, as TBF is calling it in their
literature. But it’s not there as an oddity. More like a musical keynote
address for the whole festival, first work in the festival’s Friday night
opening concert, titled “Brandenburg Reimagined”.
“Bach re-imagined is not a new idea,” proposes oboist John
Abberger, TBF’s Artistic Director. “Bach went about reimagining Bach
all the time. Revising and revisiting himself, an inveterate miner of
his own work, reusing bits like crazy. And that’s kind of my point of
departure for this year’s festival.
From Left: Susie Napper; Bruce Haynes; Nouveaux
“Brandebourgeous” Reconstitution/Reconstruction CD cover
26 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

John Abberger
“To me, this is what a Bach festival should do – play these things
that you’re not going to hear very often, or contextualized like this, in
the regular rest of the year.”
Seen through this lens, the program for the May 30 opening concert
has an imaginative unity greater than the sum of its parts. Haynes’
Brandenburg 12, drawn in its entirety from the congregational
intimacy of three of Bach’s sacred cantatas (BWV 163, 80, and 18)
opens the concert, The intimate richness of Brandenburg No.6 draws
it to a close.
Every note of Haynes’s reconstitution is pure Bach, but Abberger
confesses to “tweaking things a little bit, with Susie Napper’s
blessing, so as to emphasize even more Bruce’s conception of the
piece as a kind of doppelganger of the sixth Brandenburg. Bruce’s
was a piece for four gambas. And I thought, well, wouldn’t it be
interesting if you could make that two violas and two gambas,
just like Brandenburg No.6. So we did, and we changed the key to
make it work”
The middle two works on the Friday evening program evoke the
same “sounds familiar but” feeling that the outer works do. “They
are Bach’s own re-use of Brandenburg Concerto No.4 in a thrillingly
intimate version for harpsichord, with our beloved Christopher
Bagan as soloist. And another harpsichord concerto will be heard,
in its probable original form, as a soaring violin concerto, with Julia
Wedman as soloist,” Abberger says.
Lautenwerk: “One
swallow doth not a summer
make” as the saying goes.
Similarly one should not
assume that a festival’s
opening concert necessarily
sums up the festival. But in
this year’s TBF, “strangely
familiar” easily transposes to
the Saturday.
Illustration of a Lautenwerk One of the constants of
TBF’s Saturday has been a
midday recital that explores all of Bach’s keyboard music over time. It
typically switches between organ and various precursors of the piano
in alternate years.This is a “piano precursor” year, and this year’s
instrument is the lautenwerk – a kind of lute-harpsichord.
“We know Bach owned two of these instruments, but none of
them have survived into the 20th century. Dongsok Shin, this year’s
keyboard artist is a friend of mine for many, many years, back to my
New York days,” Abberger explains. “He is an expert on historical
keyboards, and the instrument he will be playing is a replica built to
his needs and wishes. It doesn’t look much like the sketch you’ll find
of a Bach era instrument, which looks like a giant lute on its side, but
it’s absolutely gorgeous, and the sound is ravishing.”
True to our reconstitutional theme, the repertoire for the recital draws
on a wide range of Bach’s music, including works written for lute and
for harpsichord, and more, including a sonata for harpsichord and oboe
which gives Abberger the opportunity to get into the action.
Kaffeehaus: Saturday’s other event, the Kaffeehaus, was a relatively
late addition to TBF, and has moved around a bit, but is now well and
truly entrenched in the welcoming downtown surrounds of Church
of the Holy Trinity. New this year is an extra show at 8pm for this
increasingly popular festival centrepiece.
“Join us again for our acclaimed Kaffeehaus concert, as we continue
to explore Bach’s secular vocal music, headlined by his Wedding
Cantata, as well as instrumental gems by Bach and his contemporaries
in the spacious acoustic of the Church of the Holy Trinity which
will be transformed for our recreation into an 18th-century Leipzig
coffee house” proclaims the TBF website.
But if it’s a reconstituted 18th century coffee house, you don’t know
for sure who will come through the door, or what you will hear. Other
than that, in the spirit of the time, you’d have been most likely to
observe (as John Terauds described it earlier), “composers borrowing,
quoting and parodying themselves and each other. Imitation … as the
sincerest form of flattery.”
Especially, in Bach’s case, when imitating himself.
The Passion(s) of St. John: There
is an obvious usefulness to readers
in describing a three-day event in
chronological order. But Sunday’s “big
finish” St. John Passion, with visiting
director and Bach Scholar John Butt
at the helm, would have been as good
a place to start in terms of the overarching
construct of the festival. In the
festival’s annual Sunday lecture (same
venue, Eastminster United, as the
John Butt
performance but with time enough
between to stroll the Danforth), Butt will talk about Bach’s creative
process with particular reference to the St. John Passion, which
survives in no fewer than four distinct versions. This performance will
be the 1725 second version, which has striking differences from the
1724 version – the one you’re most likely to hear performed.
“It has a different opening chorus, and a different closing chorus,”
Abberger says. “Well he actually retains the famous closing chorus but
adds another, something that he’d previously tacked on to one of the
cantatas that he played as his audition piece when he applied for the
position of Thomaskantor director of church music in Leipzig, which
would have been, hmm, in February 20, 1723, and it’s a fantastic
piece. The new opening chorus shows up later, by the way, in the
St. Matthew Passion …”
We’ll have to wait another year to see where that idea takes him!
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 27

FROM UP HERE
HOMES FOR MUSIC
Viewpoints and
overviews
SOPHIA PERLMAN
For more than a year now, I have been using this
little bit of column space to explore the landscape
of arts and culture in Ontario from the viewpoint
of my home in a remote community in the north of the
province, a hop-skip-jump over the 49th parallel.
“From Up Here” has been my
loosely defined beat, and the idea
has woven its way into this space
in different ways: highlighting the
people making music, and the
spaces they are making it in, in the
“up here” region; featuring artists
who are bridging the “up-down”
divide in different ways; and
trying to offer a “bird’s eye view”
of the creative life (and well-being)
of remote and rural communities
that aren’t necessarily seen as
having a “music scene.”
Luckily for me, I’ve also been granted “backstage access” to an
incredible resource for my armchair travelling. Over the last year,
and particularly through the cold and dark of winter, I’ve been
digging into the wealth of current and historical information in The
WholeNote listings archive – at least as far back as 2012 when the
current listings database came online: tens of thousands of individual
music listings, extensive databases of artists and presenters; and, most
fascinating from my point of view, a database titled “venues” in which
there are well over 2,100 venues and spaces that have been home to
the events that have found their way into The WholeNote.
I’ve replaced much of my regular internet scrolling time with
mapping, updating and analysing the data. It has been a fascinating
and useful exercise.
Views and overviews: The “up here” idea is fine for overviews, but
not so helpful when you are trying to trace the human connections
that make artistic life possible in the community you are actually in.
Unless of course you are just climbing to the top of the roof on the
tallest building in that particular community to trace possible routes
to explore when you are back in street view mode.
Speaking of possible routes to follow in a column about musical life,
I admit there has probably been too much talk here over the past year
about travelling by train: but the advantage of travelling on the ground
is that you don’t just arrive at a destination, you arrive with an understanding
of how you got there. And instead of the journey being just
two points on a map, you realize that there are all kinds of places, and
people, in between. It’s a start for a new kind of awareness, but it’s far
from a perfect solution. In the 1,100 or so kilometres on my trip home,
there is only one stop (Capreol, around 5am) where I could actually
get off the train long enough to explore or talk to anyone who wasn’t
getting back onboard with me to continue on.
GEE-WONG LUCA PERLMAN
At some point, if you’re serious about documenting the scene, you
need boots on the ground.
Over the last several weeks, therefore, I’ve been in touch with friends
and colleagues (some of whom have contributed to this column over
the past year) to try to get their takes on “their community,” however
they define it. Over the next couple of columns, I am hoping they will
help me paint a picture of the cohesive “micro-zones” which are fundamental
to community-based artistic life across Ontario.
Dafyyd
Hughes
Kensington-Chinatown, Toronto
There were three tallest places from
which I remember getting an overview of
my neighbourhood as a child – my village
in the town. Two were private property
and required getting a current tenant to
let me onto their rooftops. The third is the
top of the Green P municipal parking lot
that runs from St. Andrew to Baldwin,
just west of Spadina Avenue. Locally based
musician Dafydd Hughes and I have spent
some time sharing memories of that
particular neighbourhood lookout point.
He agreed to take on reviewing the venues in our listings database, for
the “M5T” zone of Toronto, where The WholeNote was born.
He quickly spotted a few venues that aren’t on that list – including
the Free Times Cafe, a fixture for decades. A quick search of the
concert listings shows lots of events at that venue, so it’s some quirk of
the venue database that’s at issue here. But it took a street’s eye view
of the community to spot the omission.
Similarly for the 37 venues on the list I gave him: he mentioned a
few venues that are still open but don’t seem to be presenting music
anymore. And he noted a few venues that are annual and eventspecific
(like Tom’s Place during the Kensington Market Jazz Festival),
or “for special occasions only” (like the venue that is simply listed as
“Green P Parking Lot across from Drom Taberna”). He also added a
couple of other venues to the list, and pointed me in the right direction
for us to invite them to start contributing their listings.
Maybe it’s a hopeful sign in troubled times, but he confirmed that
only six of those 37 venues are now listed as “permanently closed.”
What was most interesting to me was that he agreed to actually photodocument
what was at those locations now. On my next trip home,
I’m curious to see whether any of the new things that have sprung
up include music. Sometimes when a venue closes, the creative echo
of the property carries on with the next use - under the curation of
whoever moves in next.
28 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

The Boathouse, in Kitchener, open again!
From the roof of the Green
P parking lot in Kensington
Market: Global Rainbow -
created by Yvette Mattern.
Nuit Blanche, Toronto (2014)
A Different View
Alyssa DVM
The wonderful Hamilton-based musician,
theatre artist and creative mentor,
mover and shaker Treasa Levasseur once
told me (she isn’t quite sure who she
heard it from) this quote: that “anyone
over the age of 40 who doesn’t have
at least one mentor under 30: you are
doing life wrong”. I introduced one such
“under-30,” Alyssa DVM, a few months
ago in this column when she shared her
experience of coming to play “up here.”
Having returned to Kitchener-Waterloo,
where she had her creative beginnings, she was kind enough to gather
some intel and observations about her home turf. Again, I gave her a
list of the venues we knew about to start.
As Dafydd had done, Alyssa noted a few venues I’ve missed, and
confirmed the closing of a few. One of the things that struck me in her
response was her frank assessment of the venues that, for one reason
or another, present barriers to younger artists or emerging or smaller
ensembles. Things like “pay-to-play” are still very much an obstacle for
younger artists, and practices like food and drink minimums, while likely
very necessary to a venue’s survival, are becoming less and less manageable
for audiences – particularly younger ones. From my perspective,
the message was loud and clear: the powers that be (i.e. that control the
places music happen) need to find their mentors under 30, and to better
consider the perspective of the new generation of artists who are collectively
trying to find a home - both creatively and quite literally.
And while we consider those under 30, Alyssa’s survey of the
community also highlights the need to include and affirm those
who are under the age of 19 and therefore aren’t legal to drink (and
depending on the license may not even be allowed into the venue). An
example, she mourns the loss of Rhapsody Barrel Bar: “I was so sad
when this venue closed, they supported all sorts of bands and even
let a bunch of high schoolers (our School of Rock) play there all the
time.” Letting young musicians in to listen is an important piece of the
equation, and making established venues available to the young musicians
who will one day inhabit them to actually perform and build
relationships is equally so.
In better news, she celebrates the re-opening of The Boathouse: “I
went to a couple shows here when I was in high school (2017/2018)
and was super excited to get the chance to play here when I got a band
together. [The venue] actually closed in fall of 2019, which obviously
sucked. They reopened in November 2024, and have been hosting a
ton of open mics and shows!”
She also noted that relationships with venues don’t necessarily
mean for an audience, pointing out that while she hasn’t performed
at the Kitchener Public Library, she and collaborators have often used
the studio spaces there which she describes as amazing and “super
well equipped - we love it here!”
Overall, her report leaves me thinking about artists’ relationships
with physical spaces over time: the venues that mark milestones past,
the ones that sustain them for long stretches of the journey, and the
ones that become goals to strive for. From the venues on my list, she
recalls singing the national anthem during the Canada Day celebrations
in 2016 at Carl Zehr Square at City Hall - an experience she
describes as “surreal and incredible.” And she and her brothers all had
their high-school graduations at Centre in the Square. “This is a larger
venue, and often used by orchestral ensembles,” she noted, “so I have
not been able to play here (yet!)”.
Continuing the journey.
I am writing this as I prepare for another trip south (mostly by
train!). My first landing point is St. Catharines, where over the last
number of years I’ve started to find another “home away from home.”
I am looking forward to continuing the homes-for-music exploration
and engaging in some ground-level discovery of my own. I know some
of the venues on the St. Catharines-and-environment list quite well.
There are others I am less familiar with I can find out more about. And
I am certain there are others I can, with help, add to my map – even if
some of them are parking lots used “for special occasions only.”
And then I have a quick trip to Kensington-Chinatown, my original
home base, where I’ll get to see for myself the changes Dafydd Hughes
documented.
But my time in both places will be short, and besides, the train
home won’t give me time to explore any of the places in-between. So
if you would like to give me the street (or road, or track)-level view of
your creative zone, I would love to hear from you, and am happy to
send you a list and a map to build on!
Happy exploring.
Sophia Perlman grew up bouncing around the jazz, opera, theatre
and community arts scene in Toronto. She joined the creative exodus
to Hamilton in 2014, and 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.
Join the streetview brigade!
If you would like to join The WholeNote’s Ontario-wide,
homes-for-music venue-finding brigade, contact
Sophia Perlman at breve@thewholenote.com, and we’ll
send you a list of what we know about your community
already, so you can set us straight about what we don’t!
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 29

HOMES FOR MUSIC
Jazz by the book(s) at
SELLERS &
NEWEL
ANDREW SCOTT
PHOTOS: ANDREW SCOTT
In the recent Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown,
there is an early moment in which Timothée
Chalamet, as a young Dylan, performs alongside Ed
Norton as Pete Seeger at a hootenanny. In that scene,
there is a passing shot of the actor Norbert Leo Butz as
the famous ethnomusicologist, Alan Lomax, ensconced
behind mobile recording gear.
Here as elsewhere, Lomax is portrayed as unflinchingly puritanical
(he hated when Dylan “went electric”) and cantankerous. And while he
may well have been those things, the legacy of his recorded work, like
that of such other American sonic chroniclers as Harry Smith and Dean
Benedetti, has proven invaluable for its documentation of musicians and
musical scenes that otherwise would have been lost to the annals of time.
I was reminded of the importance of live music documentation, and
of the often-unsung individuals behind this process, while attending
a recent concert at the great little Toronto bookshop Sellers & Newel
(672 College Street). Trumpeter Kyle Pogline with his talented trio
of pianist Eric Liang and bassist Max Simpson was there to perform
the music of Kenny Dorham, and the evening was being recorded for
future broadcast on CIUT-FM by Henry Lewis, the local station’s live
music and events coordinator.
At left, Mike T. Kerr with Max Simpson and
Jared Higgins; Peter Sellers at far right.
It’s no accident that the cozy book shop – it seats approximately
30 patrons – is now doing double-duty as a desirable site for live
recording. “The room is acoustically perfect,” elaborates guitarist Mike
T. Kerr, who himself has just completed recording four live trio shows
at S&N for a future album release. Kerr, a Canadian, grew up in the
U.S. near Arlington, Virginia. He cites the DIY influence of Virginia’s
indie-label “Dischord House” in the aughts in motivating him to pitch
S&N proprietor Peter Sellers on the idea of recording there.
“I learned after that initial concert,” states Sellers, “that the room
sounds great. But equally important is the fact that everyone in the
audience is respectful and listens, making this one of the quietest
performance and recording spaces in the city.”
That rare combination of a great room sound, an engaged audience and
the abundance of musical talent in Toronto has resulted in some excellent
new releases: from Kerr, recorded trio sessions by saxophonist Patrick
Smith, pianist Max Donaldson, and a solo recording by singer-songwriter
Pete Larkin. Clearly, the blue-chip environment S&N affords resonates
with musicians regardless of instrument or genre. “It is a really special
thing that has been happening here,” continues Kerr. “By making this
room available for recordings, Peter is able to offer something to the
community that is accessible and can help those who cannot afford to
go into a traditional studio for five days to make an album.”
Kerr’s enthusiasm for live documentation connects him to the
bootlegging archivists that followed and recorded blue-grass bands,
festival performances, and yes, the Grateful Dead for eons, and whose
collective work has provided source material for generations of fledgling
musicians. CIUT’s Lewis sees his job in a similar vein – as an
important bridge between the more ephemeral aspects of the city’s
live music scene and the permanence of the recorded artifact.
“Documenting, chronicling and archiving what is happening in the
city right now is important,” states Lewis, who has brought his mobile
recording setup to events at Tapestry, Drom Taberna, 918 Bathurst, the
Music Gallery, as well as S&N. “While what I am doing is not particularly
unique,” he continues, “I feel lucky that I can capture great music that
takes place on one night and will never happen again quite the same way.”
Kyle Pogline, a terrific young trumpeter who has recorded multiple
live dates at S&N and whose contributions to albums by vocalist Caity
Gyorgy have earned him two JUNO awards, agrees. “People who really
SELLERS & NEWEL
30 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

care about music gravitate towards
live and bootleg recordings, especially
in the world of jazz and
Black American music,” he states.
Accordingly, Pogline and trio have
prioritized live recording to both
work on their craft, and to capture
the in-the-moment experience of
the music. “When playing live,” he
continues, “your sole focus is the
Kyle Pogline
present and trying to bring your
best to each tune. As a result, recording in such a welcoming place as
Sellers helps capture more genuine and authentic musical moments.”
The bookshop’s low ceiling, intimate listening environment, and
chock-a-block books that act as impromptu recording baffles all
contribute mightily to the uniqueness of the space. As big a part of the
success of S&N’s performance and recording policy, however, is the
proprietor himself. “While it is true that Sellers & Newel is among the
coolest spots in the city because of its DIY, casual, and low barrier of
entry approach,” states Lewis, “it is also because of Peter, who has that
rare combination of a great ear and a keen vision for picking the right
artists for the room. It is great that someone like him acts as a bit of a
gatekeeper to ensure the music is always special.”
Fast approaching its ten-year anniversary as a live music venue,
having hosted 385 shows since an inaugural Kevin Quain performance
on June 13, 2015, Sellers and Newel has no plans of slowing down.
“I fell in love with jazz in my early twenties hearing bands at such
iconic places as Bourbon Street,” reminisces Sellers, whose 100-yearold
family piano is kept tuned and at the ready in the bookshop. “And
even with all the memorable shows we’ve had here, I still can’t believe
the calibre of jazz players in the city. And there is a lot more to come!”
Andrew Scott is a Toronto-based jazz guitarist (occasional piano/
singer) and professor at Humber College, who contributes regularly
to The WholeNote DISCoveries record reviews.
JAZZ>FM91
MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZ
MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZ
SWINGIN’ AT
STEADFAST
ORI DAGAN
ORI DAGAN
I’m
I’m
sitting
sitting
in
in a
Parkdale
Parkdale
coffee
coffee
shop
shop
with
with
multiinstrumentalist
multiinstrumentalist
Sean
Sean
McCarthy,
McCarthy,
whose
whose
weekly
weekly
Monday
Monday
evening
evening
jazz
jazz
gig
gig
at
at
Steadfast
Steadfast
Brewery
Brewery
(301
(301
Lansdowne
Lansdowne
Avenue)
Avenue)
has
has
quickly
quickly
blossomed
blossomed
into
into a
joyous
joyous
oasis
oasis
of
of
trad
trad
jazz.
jazz.
On
On
this
this
gig
gig with
with
the
the
“Tap
“Tap
Room
Room Gang”
Gang”
band
band
he
he
put
put
together,
together, McCarthy
McCarthy
plays
plays
the
the
19-pound
19-pound
bass
bass
saxophone
saxophone –
more
more
on
on
that
that
later
later –
first,
first,
just
just
how
how
did
did
he
he
land
land
this
this
weekly?
weekly?
THE
OSTARA
PROJECT
MAY 2, 2025
Meridian Arts Centre
George Weston Recital Hall, North York
Buy tickets at tolive.com
Lead partners
In association with Toronto Jazz Festival
Supported by
& ELIANA CUEVAS
with The Angel Falls Orchestra
Sean McCarthy
Sean McCarthy
“For a while I’ve been thinking about trying to find a regular gig,
“For while I’ve been thinking about trying to find regular gig,
just to have a place to build a repertoire that you can’t really do with a
just to have place to build repertoire that you can’t really do with one-off pickup gig here and there. I explored my neighbourhood and
one-off pickup gig here and there. explored my neighbourhood and
made a list of possible venues. I hit up over 15 places, and all of them
made list of possible venues. hit up over 15 places, and all of them
said no. So I went to the Farmer’s Market, sat on the grass and had a
said no. So went to the Farmer’s Market, sat on the grass and had beer, and I said to myself, “I’ll try tomorrow,” and since I was right
beer, and said to myself, “I’ll try tomorrow,” and since was right
beside Steadfast Brewery, I decided to go in.
beside Steadfast Brewery, decided to go in.
I sat at the bar and there was one regular there and the bartender.
sat at the bar and there was one regular there and the bartender.
Before you know it, music and events came up and the bartender
Before you know it, music and events came up and the bartender
said “the owner wants me to try and find some musicians but I don’t
said “the owner wants me to try and find some musicians but don’t
really know what we should book here.” So of course I said, “what
really know what we should book here.” So of course said, “what
about some jazz?” and he said “yeah but I don’t know any jazz musicians,”
so I said “what about me?” and he said “What ABOUT you?” so
about some jazz?” and he said “yeah but don’t know any jazz musicians,”
so said “what about me?” and he said “What ABOUT you?” so
I handed him my card and he gave me Graham [Pinchin’s] email, and
handed him my card and he gave me Graham [Pinchin’s] email, and
Graham emailed me back instantly and said “yes let’s do weekly!”
Graham emailed me back instantly and said “yes let’s do weekly!”
Why early jazz? I asked.
Why early jazz? asked.
Swingin’ at Steadfast continues on page 47
Swingin’ at Steadfast continues on page 47
thewholenote.com April May 2025 31
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 31
thewholenote.com April May 2025 31
ORI ORI DAGAN

LIVE OR ONLINE | Apr 1 to Jun 7, 2024
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.
● 12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation.
Lunchtime Chamber Music. Adrian Tsui,
piano. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,
1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167 or www.yorkminsterpark.com.
Free. Donations welcome.
● 12:10: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Riki Turofsky Master Class in Voice:
Ambur Braid, Soprano. Walter Hall, University
of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. www.music.
utoronto.ca. 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.
● 7:00: Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine
and Performing Arts, Brock University.
Department of Music: Spring Concert.
Works by Corelli, Warlock, Finzi, Villa Lobos,
and Zelter. The University String Orchestra;
George Cleland, conductor. Concerto performance
by Brock University graduate Zack
Guo, viola. FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
- Cairns Recital Hall, 250 St. Paul St., St.
Catharines. Tickets: 905-688-0722 or 1-855-
515-0722 or www.firstontariopac.ca. $15;
$10(sr); $10(ages up to 14); $5(high school st
with valid ID).
● 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.
● 7:30: Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine
and Performing Arts, Brock University.
Department of Music: Shall We Dance. The
University Wind Ensemble; Zoltan Kalman,
conductor. FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
- Cairns Recital Hall, 250 St. Paul St., St.
Catharines. Tickets: 905-688-0722 or 1-855-
515-0722 or www.firstontariopac.ca. $15;
$10(sr); $10(ages up to 14); $5(high school st
with valid ID).
● 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.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Pop
Goes to the Movies: The Music of Hans Zimmer.
Amadeus Choir (Katheleen Allan, artistic
director & conductor); Trevor Wilson,
conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca. From $112. Also
Apr 2(2pm & 8pm).
Wednesday April 2
● 10:00am: Don Wright Faculty of Music.
Vancouver Recital Society Visiting Artist
Series Master Class 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.
● 12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
Noonday Organ Recital. William Maddox,
organ. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,
1585 Yonge St. www.yorkminsterpark.com.
Free. Donations welcome.
● 2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Pop
Goes to the Movies: The Music of Hans Zimmer.
Amadeus Choir (Katheleen Allan, artistic
director & conductor); Trevor Wilson,
conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca. From $112. Also
Apr 2(2pm & 8pm).
● 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.
● 7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Contemporary Music Ensemble -
Re:strung. Walter Hall, University of Toronto,
80 Queen’s Park. www.rcmusic.com/tickets/
seats/353803. From $10.
● 7:30: University of Toronto Faculty
of Music. Guitar Ensembles & Flute/Guitar
Duos. Walter Hall, University of Toronto,
80 Queen’s Park. www.music.utoronto.ca.
Free.
● 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.
● 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.
● 8:00: Jazz Bistro. The Bob Brough Quartet.
Bob Brough, saxophone; David Occhipinti,
guitar; Artie Roth, bass; Terry Clarke, drums.
251 Victoria St. www.jazzbistro.ca or 416-
363-5299. Call or visit website for info.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Pop
Goes to the Movies: The Music of Hans Zimmer.
Amadeus Choir (Katheleen Allan, artistic
director & conductor); Trevor Wilson,
conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca. From $112. Also
Apr 1(8pm), 2(2pm).
Thursday April 3
● 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).
● 7:00: FabCollab. F for Flamenco Festival
presents: “F for Fino y Film”. Traditional
WHOLENOTE Event Listings are free of charge
and can be submitted by artists, venues or presenters at any time.
WE INCLUDE
Daily listings for date-specific events such as live and/or livestream
performances, workshops, etc.
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Listings for ongoing, on-demand and other music-related activities not
tied to a specific date.
HOW TO LIST
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or email listings to listings@thewholenote.com.
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Inquiries about WholeNote listings should be addressed to
John Sharpe, Listings Editor at listings@thewholenote.com
DEADLINES
Weekly Listings Update (our e-letter)
& JUST ASK (our searchable online listings)
Eligible listings received by 6pm Tuesday, each week, will be included
in the following Sunday’s e-letter, and simultaneously posted to our
searchable online listings database.
Please note: the weekly listing e-letter typically looks one week ahead. The
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The WholeNote, print magazine
Our next print issue, Volume 30 no. 6 covers June, July & August 2025.
The print listings submission deadline is Tuesday May 13.
See page 6 for a list of publication dates.
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REGISTER TO RECEIVE THE WEEKLY LISTINGS UPDATE at thewholenote.com/newsletter
32 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

flamenco guitar performance accompanied
by guided sherry tasting and followed by a
screening of flamenco documentary “Triana,
Pura y Pura”. Matt Sellick. Small World Music
Centre, Artscape Youngplace, 180 Shaw St.
www.fabcollab.ca/flamencofest or 647-768-
5288. $39.
● 7:30: Brampton On Stage. Brampton
Music Theatre: Beautiful - The Carole King
Musical. Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Ln., Brampton.
905-874-2800, tickets.brampton.ca.
$20-$45. Also Apr. 4, 5 & 6.
● 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: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Woodwind Chamber Music. Walter
Hall, University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park.
www.music.utoronto.ca. Free.
● 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.
● 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
● 12:00 noon: Music at First-St. Andrew’s
United Church. Second Friday Noon Spring
Recital. Works by Bach. Katy Clark, soprano;
Paul Grambo, bass; Ken Baldwin, trumpet;
Chris Fischer, piano. First-St. Andrew’s United
Church, 350 Queens Ave., London. 519-679-
8182 or www.fsaunited.com/music-concerts/.
Freewill donation.
● 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Noontime
Recital. Works by Schubert, Bach, Debussy,
and Scriabin. Andrey Torgovtsev, piano. St.
Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 73 Simcoe St.
416-593-5600 x220 or www.standrewstoronto.org.
Free. Donations welcome.
● 5:00: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. U of T Opera: L’amour und Liebe. A
program of staged scenes featuring operatic
treasures from the French and German
repertoire. Walter Hall, University of Toronto,
80 Queen’s Park. www.rcmusic.com/tickets/
seats/357601. From $10.
● 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.
● 7:00: 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: TD Music Hall. Just B: Just Odd -
Just B World Tour. 178 Victoria St. www.
tickets.mhrth.com. Visit website for ticket
information.
● 7:30: Brampton On Stage. Brampton
Music Theatre: Beautiful - The Carole King
Musical. Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Ln., Brampton.
905-874-2800, tickets.brampton.ca.
$20-$45. Also Apr. 3, 5 & 6.
● 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: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Vocalis III: A Celebration of Chinese
Art Song. Coached & curated by Jialiang Zhu.
Walter Hall, University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s
Park. www.music.utoronto.ca. Free.
● 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.
● 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: FabCollab. F for Flamenco Festival
presents: “F for Feria”. Traditional and contemporary
flamenco music and dance. Rosi
Navarro “La Divi” (Seville); Milena Tejada
(Seville); Alvaro Mora (Seville); Dani Carbonell
(Seville); Dennis Duffin (Seville). Parkdale Hall,
1605 Queen St. W., #2. www.fabcollab.ca/flamencofest
or 647-768-5288. $39.
● 8:00: Hugh’s Room Live. Maria Doyle Kennedy.
Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson
Hall, 296 Broadview Ave. www.showpass.
com/mariadoylekennedy. $40.
● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Jazz Lounge: Shannon
Butcher. 21 Old Mill Rd. 416-207-2020 or
www.oldmilltoronto.com. $20 cover. Minimum
$30 food & beverage spend. Restricted
to ages 19+. Dinner reservations open at
6pm. Show at 8pm.
● 8:00: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.
Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. Beethoven:
Missa solemnis in D Op.123. Tracy Cantin, soprano;
Simona Genga, mezzo; Frédéric Antoun,
tenor; Brett Polegato, baritone; Toronto
Mendelssohn Choir; Musicians of the Kitchener-Waterloo
Symphony Orchestra; Jean-
Sébastien Vallée, conductor. Roy Thomson
Hall, 60 Simcoe St. www.tmchoir.org/event/
beethoven-missa-solemnis or 416-872-4255.
From $20.
Saturday April 5
● 1:00: Brampton On Stage. Brampton
Music Theatre: Beautiful - The Carole King
Musical. Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Ln., Brampton.
905-874-2800, tickets.brampton.ca.
$20-$45. Also 7:30pm. Also Apr. 3, 4 & 6.
● 2:00: Avenue Road Music & Performance
Academy. Marbin Matinees Series:
Jean Luc Therrien & Tristan Savella, Duo
Pianos. Works by Poulenc, Debussy, Barber,
and others. Avenue Road Music and Performance
Academy - Gordon Lightfoot Concert
Hall, 460 Avenue Rd. www.avenueroadmusic.
com/events/2025/04/05/duo-pianos-jeanluc-therrien-tristan-savella-marbin-mondayseries.
Register online for free admission.
Reception to follow.
● 2:00: Hugh’s Room Live. My Darling Clementine.
Michael Weston King and Lou Dalgleish.
Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson
Hall, 296 Broadview Ave. www.showpass.
com/my-darling-clementine-matinee. $30;
$15(arts workers/st/underemployed).
CONCERT SERIES
MADELINE HALL
AND
THALEA STRING
QUARTET
APR 5 | 4:00 PM
APERTURE ROOM
Music-Toronto.com
● 4:00: Music Toronto. COSE (Celebration
of Small Ensembles). 4pm: Madeline Hall, guitar.
5pm: Thelea String Quartet. Aperture
Room, 340 Yonge St. www.music-toronto.
com. $40. Refreshments will be available for
purchase.
● 4:30: Bloor Street United Church. Sacred
Jazz: Leaning to the Light. Come celebrate
the start of spring and the return of longer
days in community at Leaning to the Light!
Everyone is warmly welcomed. Rev. Douglas
will lead us through reflection and poetry.
Jacob Pozin, trumpet; Nick Fraser, drums;
Rob Clutton, upright bass; Christopher Chan,
vocals; Randi Helmers, vocals; Mikey Zahorak,
piano. St. Matthew’s United Church, 729 St.
Clair Ave. W. In-person visits only. Freewill
donations welcomed.
● 5:30: Arraymusic. Sounding Bombe: Enigmatic
Music. A musical/compositional work
based on the mathematics used to crack the
enigma code during the Second World War.
Written in collaboration with the National
Museum of Computing in Bletchley Park.
Array Space, 155 Walnut Ave. www.eventbrite.ca/e/sounding-bombe-enigmaticmusic-tickets.
Admission by donation.
● 7:00: Brampton On Stage. Crate Clash.
Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Ln., Brampton. www.
tickets.brampton.ca/online or 905-874-
2800. $10.
● 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.
● 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: 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: 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: Ontario Cross-Cultural Music Society.
Sounds of Healing. Music meditation with
registered music therapist Jacob De Rose.
Barber: Adagio for Strings; Bizet: Farandole
from L’Arlesienne Suite No.2; Grieg: Peer Gynt
Suite; Beethoven: Symphony No.5 in c Op.67;
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in e Op.64;
and other works. OCMS Symphony Orchestra;
Andrew Hsu, concertmaster; Joanne Ng,
conductor. Toronto Public Library - Fairview
Branch - Theatre, 35 Fairview Mall Dr. www.
ocms-ca.com. $35; $25(sr/st).
● 7:30: Opera by Request. Don Pasquale.
Music by Gaetano Donizetti. Andrew Tees
(Pasquale); Keith O’Brien (Malatesta); Xavier
Flory (Ernesto); Roanna Kitchen (Norina);
Sebastien Belcourt (Notary); William Shookhoff,
pianist & music director. College Street
United Church, 452 College St. 416-455-
2365. $20.
● 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 Nguyen, cello; William Rowson,
conductor. Avondale United Church,
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, 111 Larch St., Sudbury.
www.ci.ovationtix.com/36875/performance/11512490.
$35; $20(under 30).
● 8:00: FabCollab. F for Flamenco Festival
presents: “F for Flamenca”. Traditional and
contemporary flamenco music and dance in
a rare all-women and gender diverse gala flamenco
performance featuring artists from
across Spain and North America. Manuela
Barrios (Seville); Antonia Jiménez (Madrid);
Lakshmi Basile (San Diego); Ana Brenes (Barcelona);
Sabrina Romero (Málaga). Parkdale
Hall, 1605 Queen St. W., #2. www.fabcollab.
ca/flamencofest or 647-768-5288. From $45.
● 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre. The Cookers.
Eddie Henderson, David Weiss, Donald
Harrison, George Cables, Cecil McBee, and
Billy Hart. 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham.
905-305-7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre.
ca. Visit website for tickets and info.
● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Dining & Dancing
Series: Prince Tribute Show. 21 Old Mill Rd.
416-207-2020 or www.oldmilltoronto.com.
From $15. Minimum $30 food & beverage
spend. Restricted to ages 19+. Dinner reservations
open at 6pm. Show at 8pm.
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 33

LIVE OR ONLINE | Apr 1 to Jun 7, 2024
● 8:00: TD Music Hall. Emel Mathlouthi.
178 Victoria St. www.tickets.mhrth.com. $45.
● 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 or
416-964-6337. From $10.
● 8:00: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. University of Toronto Symphony
Orchestra (UTSO) - Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé
(Suite No. 2). Coached & curated by Jialiang
Zhu. Metropolitan United Church,
56 Queen St. E. www.rcmusic.com/tickets/
seats/369801. From $10. NOTE: MacMillan
Theatre is temporarily closed. New venue and
start time.
Sunday April 6
● 1:00: Brampton On Stage. Brampton
Music Theatre: Beautiful - The Carole King
Musical. Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Ln., Brampton.
905-874-2800, tickets.brampton.ca.
$20-$45. Also Apr. 3, 4 & 5.
● 2:00: CAMMAC Toronto Region. Reading
for Singers and Instrumentalists: Haydn’s
Paukenmessen (Mass in a Time of War). Dr.
Mark Ramsay, conductor. Christ Church
Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. www.cammac.ca/
toronto. $15; $10(members).
● 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.
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 5(7:30pm).
● 2:45: Canadian Children’s Opera Company.
Mulligan’s Toy Shoppe. Music by Elizabeth
Raum. St. Clement’s Anglican, 70 St.
Clements Avenue. www.canadianchildrensopera.com/mulligans-toy-shoppe
or 437-
326-9410. $25; $15(ages 18 and younger).
Also at 4:30pm.
● 3:00: Orchestra Toronto. Theatrical
Operatic Fusion. Puccini: “Nessun dorma”
from Turandot; Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries;
Delibes: Bell Song from Lakmé; Bizet:
Duet from The Pearl Fishers; Verdi: Selections
from Rigoletto; and other works. Soloists:
Karoline Podolak, Scott Rumble, and
James Westman; Michael Newnham, conductor.
Meridian Arts Centre - George Weston
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. 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: FabCollab. F for Flamenco Festival
presents: “F for Familia”. Traditional and contemporary
flamenco music and dance. Marcos
Marin, Alison MacDonald, Kiyo Asaoka,
Nicolas Hernández, and Chendy León. Residence,
422 Brunswick Ave. www.fabcollab.
ca/flamencofest or 647-768-5288. From $25.
● 4:00: Novi Singers Toronto. Te Deum:
From Lament to Glory. Allegri: Miserere Mei,
Mozart: Regina Coeli; Mozart: Laudate Dominum;
Haydn: Te Deum Laudate; Biebl: Ave
Maria. Jennifer Krabbe, soprano; Douglas
Tranquada, baritone; Novi Singers Toronto
Choir; Mosaic Canadian Vocal Ensemble;
Toronto Sinfonietta Chamber Orchestra. Our
Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, 3055 Bloor
St. W. www.novisingerstoronto.ca. $40;
$35(adv at Eventbrite).
● 4:00: Rezonance Baroque Ensemble. Venetian
Carnival. St. David’s Anglican Church,
49 Donlands Ave. www.RezonanceEnsemble.com
or 647-779-5696. $30; $20(st);
Free(child).
● 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 (Etobicoke),
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.
● 4:30: Canadian Children’s Opera Company.
Mulligan’s Toy Shoppe. See 2:45pm.
● 5:00: Nocturnes in the City. Violin &
Accordion Recital. Jaroslav Sveceny, violin;
Marketa Lastovickova, accordion. St. Wenceslaus
Church, 496 Gladstone Ave. 416-481-
7294. $25.
● 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 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.
Tuesday April 8
● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Vocal/Instrumental Series: Bards
of Bloor Street. Works by English composers
such as John Danyel and Thomas Morley
will appear alongside the premiere of
Stuchbery’s Toronto Book of Ayres. Sinéad
White, soprano; Jonathan Stuchbery, lute
& theorbo. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.coc.ca/freeconcerts.
Free.
● 12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation.
Lunchtime Chamber Music. Satchi Kanashiro,
violin. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,
1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167 or www.yorkminsterpark.com.
Free. Donations welcome.
● 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday Organ
Recital. Sebastian Moreau, organ. Cathedral
Church of St. James, 106 King St. E. 416-364-
7865 or www.stjamescathedral.ca/recitals.
Free. Donations encouraged.
● 7:00: Columbus Concert Band. Spring
Fling. Columbus Centre - Joseph D. Carrier
Gallery, 901 Lawrence Ave. W. ccbtoronto@
gmail.com or www.columbusconcertband.
com. Email or visit the website for tickets
and information. NOTE DATE CHANGE FROM
APR 15.
● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Beethoven Piano Sonata
Cycle: Part 5. Beethoven: Piano Sonatas
Nos.10, 14 “Moonlight”, 24 “à Thérèse”, 28,
30 Op.109. 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.
Wednesday April 9
● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Instrumental Series: Chamber Connections.
Rising stars present a chamber music program
in honour of R.S. Williams & Sons Company
Ltd. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.coc.ca/freeconcerts.
Free.
● 12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
Noonday Organ Recital. Matthew Larkin,
organ. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,
1585 Yonge St. www.yorkminsterpark.com.
Free. Donations welcome.
● 7:30: Music at the Toronto Oratory. Complete
Organ Works of J. S. Bach, Part XIII:
Music for Passiontide. Includes Fantasia and
Fugue in c, O Mensch bewein dein Sunde
gross, O Lamm Gottes, 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: Opera Atelier. David and Jonathan.
Music by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. David
Witczak, bass (Saul); Antonin Rondpierre,
tenor (Joabel); Colin Ainsworth, tenor
(David); Mireille Asselin, soprano (Jonathan);
Tafelmusik Baroque Choir; Nathaniel Dett
Chorale; Artists of Atelier Ballet; Tafelmusik
Baroque Orchestra; David Fallis, conductor.
Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS Centre
- Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-703-3767
x700 or www.OperaAtelier.com. From $55.
Also Apr 10(7:30pm), 12(7:30pm), 13(2:30pm).
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Kimiko’s Pearl and Romantic Treasures. Takemitsu:
Requiem for Strings; Kevin Lau: Symphonic
Suite from Kimiko’s Pearl (world
premiere & TSO co-commission); Saint-
Saëns: Cello Concerto No.1 in a Op.33; Ravel:
Suite No.2 from Daphnis et Chloé. Amadeus
Choir (Katheleen Allan, artistic director &
conductor); Trevor Wilson, conductor. Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or
www.tso.ca. From $36. Also Apr 11(7:30pm).
Thursday April 10
● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Vocal/Dance Series: Celtic Celebration. A
mix of traditional and contemporary songs,
Celtic tunes, and percussive step-dancing.
Emily Jean Flack, singer/songwriter/piano/
step-dancer. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.coc.ca/freeconcerts.
Free.
● 12:00 noon: Metropolitan United Church.
Organ Concert. Franck: Trois Chorals. Jonathan
Oldengarm, organ. Metropolitan United
Church, 56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 x226.
Freewill donation.
● 7:30: Opera Atelier. David and Jonathan.
Music by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. See
Apr 9. Also Apr 12(7:30pm), 13(2:30pm).
Friday April 11
● 12:00 noon: Music at First-St. Andrew’s
United Church. Third Friday Noon Spring
Recital. Opera selections, arias, duets, and
trios. Madeline Berman, soprano; Chantel
Bennett, soprano; Yuqi Cui, mezzo; Chris
Fischer, piano. First-St. Andrew’s United
Church, 350 Queens Ave., London. 519-679-
8182 or www.fsaunited.com/music-concerts/.
Freewill donation.
● 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Noontime
Recital. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.17
in d Op.31 No.2 “The Tempest”; and works
by Rachmaninoff, Chopin, and Scriabin.
Adrian Tsui, piano. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian
Church, 73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x220
or www.standrewstoronto.org. Free. Donations
welcome.
● 7:00: Jazz at Durbar. The Matt Pines Trio.
Featuring Rebecca Enkin 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: Folk Under The Clock. Final Concert
- Lennie Gallant. Market Hall Performing Arts
Centre, 140 Charlotte St., Peterborough. 705-
749-1146 or www.markethall.org or www.
folkundertheclock.ca. $54.
● 7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Kimiko’s Pearl and Romantic Treasures. See
Apr 9.
● 8:00: Massey Hall. Classical Albums Live:
Pink Floyd - The Wall. 178 Victoria St. 416-872-
4255 or www.tickets.mhrth.com. From $52.
● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Jazz Lounge: Hilario
Duran. 21 Old Mill Rd. 416-207-2020 or
www.oldmilltoronto.com. $20 cover. Minimum
$30 food & beverage spend. Restricted
to ages 19+. Dinner reservations open at
6pm. Show at 8pm.
● 8:00: Sinfonia Toronto. Italiana / Soaring
Strings. Respighi: Ancient Airs and Dances,
Suite No.3; Macdonald: A Distant Point in the
Vast Heavens - Violin Concerto (World premiere);
Wolf-Ferrari: Serenade for Strings
in E-flat. Christina Bouey, violin; Sinfonia
Toronto; Giulio Marazia, guest conductor.
Trinity St. Paul’s Centre. Jeanne Lamon Hall,
427 Bloor St. W. 416-499-0403 or www.sinfoniatoronto.com.
$52; $40(sr); $20(st).
34 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

Saturday April 12
● 3:00: 5 at the First Chamber Concerts.
Flute, Viola, and Harp Delight. Dubois: Terzettino
for Flute, Viola, and Harp; Derrick Skye:
Crossings for Flute, Viola, and Harp; Bax:
Trio for Viola, Flute, and Harp “Elegiac”; Ron
Royer: Romance and Impromptu for Flute
and Harp; Ravel: Sonatine for Flute, Viola, and
Harp. Erica Goodman, harp; Suzanne Shulman,
flute; Caitlin Boyle, viola. First Unitarian
Church of Hamilton, 170 Dundurn St. S.,
Hamilton. www.universe.com/events/fluteviola-and-harp-delight-tickets-D0Q9K5.
$20;
$15(sr); $(st/unwaged); Free(under 12).
● 4:00: VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert.
VOICEBOX Opera Salon: Grand Opera in
Paris. 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.
● 5:00: Canadian Sinfonietta. Young Artists
Concerto Showcase. Kye Marshall: About
The Trees in five movements - Poplar, Spruce,
Pine, Weeping Willow, and Maple (world premiere).
Featuring a Young Artists Concerto
Showcase with works by Beethoven, Mozart,
and Puccini. Canadian Sinfonietta String;
Tak Ng Lai, conductor. Agricola Finnish
Lutheran Church, 25 Old York Mills Rd. www.
canadiansinfonietta.yapsody.com/event/
index/819699/CS-Young-Artist-Concert. $50;
$45(ages 45 and up); $40(ages 6-17).
● 6:30: Kitchener Waterloo Community
Orchestra. KWCO Opernball Dinner, Concert,
and Silent Auction. 6:30pm(dinner);
8pm(concert). Works by Bellini, Wagner, and
others. Guest artists: Jennifer Carter, soprano;
Ernesto Ramirez, tenor. St. George
Banquet Hall, 665 King St. N., Waterloo.
kwcommunityorchestra@gmail.com or kwco.
org. $40(children).
● 7:30: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
Nosky Conducts Handel, Haydn & Bach. Handel:
Concerto Grosso Op.3 No.2; Bach: Violin
Concerto in a; Bach: Brandenburg Concerto
No.2; Haydn: Symphony No.94 in G “Surprise”.
Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra; Aisslinn
Nosky, conductor & violin soloist. FirstOntario
Concert Hall - Boris Brott Great Hall,
1 Summers Ln., Hamilton. www.hpo.org/
nosky-performs-handel-haydn-bach. From
$20. 6:30pm: Pre-concert talk.
● 7:30: Opera Atelier. David and Jonathan.
Music by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. See
Apr 9. Also Apr 13(2:30pm).
● 8:00: Healey Willan Singers. In Paradisum.
Fauré: In Paradisum from Requiem
Op.48; Kim André Arnesen: Stabat Mater
(Toronto premiere). Conrad Gold, organ; Ron
K. M. Cheung, conductor. St. Martin-in-the-
Fields Anglican Church, 151 Glenlake Ave. 416-
519-0528. $25; $20(sr/st); Free(under 12).
● 8:00: International Music Festival &
Competition. Recital Series. Chopin: Étude
Op.25 No.11; Chopin: Polonaise in A-flat Op.53;
Rachmaninoff: Prelude Op.23 No.2; Shchedrin:
Basso Ostinato; Mozart: Violin Concerto
No.2 in D K.211; Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto
No.1 in a Op.33. Wayne Lu, piano; Elen Meyer,
piano; Claire Wang, cello; Younggun Kim,
piano. Cornell Community Centre - Recital
Hall, 3201 Bur Oak Ave., Markham. Visit www.
international-music-competition.square.site
for tickets and information. $10.
● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Dining & Dancing
Series: Otis Wonder & The Hustle. 21 Old Mill
Rd. 416-207-2020 or www.oldmilltoronto.
com. From $15. Minimum $30 food & beverage
spend. Restricted to ages 19+. Dinner
reservations open at 6pm. Show at 8pm.
● 8:00: Roy Thomson Hall. Bond Symphonic.
Rose Nagger-Tremblay & Sam Champagne,
vocalists; FILMharmonic Orchestra; Francis
Choinière, conductor. 60 Simcoe St. www.
tickets.mhrth.com. From $70.
Sunday April 13
● 2:00: HCA Dance Theatre. PASS: Payadora
Tango Ensemble. Hamilton Conservatory
for the Arts - Dance Theatre, 126 James
St. S., Hamilton. 905-528-4020 or www.
hcadancetheatre.com. From $35.
● 2:30: Opera Atelier. David and Jonathan.
Music by Marc-Antoine Charpentier.
See Apr 9.
● 3:00: Amici Chamber Ensemble. Hidden
Treasures. Arno Babadjanian: 24’ Piano
Trio; Marko Tajčević: Seven Balkan Dances
for clarinet, cello, and piano; Fauré: Trio
Op.120 for clarinet, cello, and piano; Ravel:
Tzigane, for violin and piano; Alexander
Artiunian: Suite for clarinet, violin, and piano.
Guest Artist: Chee-Yun, 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/hidden-treasures/. $50;
$30(under 30); $100(donor/VIP).
● 3:00: Barrie Concert Association. The
World of Yesterday. Agnė Radzevičiutė and
Dnmitri Levkovich. Bethel Community Church,
128 St. Vincent Street, Barrie. www.barrieconcerts.org
or 705-436-1232. $35; $10(st).
● 3:00: Gallery Players of Niagara. Joy,
Sorrow, and the Spaces In Between. Dinuk
Wijeratne: The Disappearance of Lisa Gherardini;
Christos Hatzis: String Quartet No.2
“The Gathering”; Ravel: String Quartet in F.
Dior Quartet. Silver Spire United Church,
366 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. Call 905-468-
1525 or email info@galleryplayers.ca. From
$10(Live); $10(Virtual).
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT? ®
WITH ROB KAPILOW
AND GRYPHON TRIO
Beethoven’s Archduke Trio
APR 13 | 3:00 PM
Music-Toronto.com
● 3:00: Music Toronto/TO Live. What
Makes It Great?® with Rob Kapilow and the
Gryphon Trio. Beethoven: Piano Trio in B-flat
Op.97 “Archduke”. Meridian Arts Centre -
George Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St.
www.tolive.com or 416-366-7723 or 1-800-
708-6752. $40.
● 3:00: Oakville Chamber Orchestra. Darkness
to Light. Ron Beckett: Nature’s Cry;
Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No.1; Beethoven:
Symphony No.1 in C. Lexi Krakowski, cello; Oakville
Chamber Orchestra. St. John’s United
Church, 262 Randall St., Oakville. www.oakvillechamber.org
or 1-877-532-6787. $40(regular);
$10(teenager); $5(child under 12).
● 3:00: Opera Revue. Opera Revue at Castro’s
Lounge. Works by Mozart, Verdi, Delibes,
Weill, and Sondheim. Danie Friesen, soprano;
Alexander Hajek, baritone; Claire Elise Harris,
piano. Castro’s Lounge, 2116 Queen St. E. 647-
637-7491 or www.operarevue.com. PWYC.
● 4:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
Passiontide Devotion. Willan: Arise, Jerusalem
(Tenebrae); Plainsong: The Reproaches; Casals:
O vos omnes; Lotti: Crucifixus (in 8); Morley:
Nolo mortem peccatoribus; and organ works
by W. S. Lloyd-Webber and Josef Rheinberger.
Yorkminster Park Choir; William Maddox,
organ & director of music; Sharon L. Beckstead,
associate musician. Yorkminster Park Baptist
Church, 1585 Yonge St. www.yorkminsterpark.
com. Free. Donations welcome.
● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Ensemble Vivant. Works by
Bach, Vivaldi, Piazzolla, and Milhaud. Keffer
Memorial Chapel, Wilfrid Laurier University,
75 University Ave. W., Waterloo. www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms.
$40; $10(st).
Monday April 14
● 8:00: St. Thomas’s Anglican Church. Baroque
Music by Candlelight. Pergolesi: Stabat
Mater. St. Thomas’s Choristers, soloists,
and chamber ensemble led by Manuel Piazza.
383 Huron St. www.stthomas.on.ca or 416-
979-2323. Pay what you wish.
Tuesday April 15
● 1:00: Lorne Park Baptist Church. Classical
Piano Concert in Mississauga. Bach:
Toccata in g BWV 915; Schubert: Piano
Sonata No.4 in a D.537. Oliver Peart, piano.
1500 Indian Rd., Mississauga. 905-278-7833.
Voluntary contribution.
● 5:30: Canadian Opera Company. Instrumental
Series: Totally Klezmerizing. Original
klezmer and Yiddish arrangements. Schmaltz
& Pepper: Eric Abramovitz, clarinet; Drew
Jurecka, violin. Also featuring Jeremy Ledbetter,
piano; Michael Herring, bass; Rebekah
Wolkstein, violin. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.coc.ca/
freeconcerts. Free.
● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. KW Woodwind Quintet. F.
Danzi: Woodwind Quintet in B-flat Op.56 No.1;
A. Reicha: Woodwind Quintet in E-flat
Op.88 No.2; P. Hindemith: Kleine Kammermusik
Op.24 No.2; J. Medaglia: Suite “Belle
Époque in Süd-Amerika”. A. Running: Quodlibet.
Keffer Memorial Chapel, Wilfrid Laurier
University, 75 University Ave. W., Waterloo.
www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms. $35; $10(st).
● 7:30: Columbus Concert Band. Spring
Is in the Air. Villa Colombo, Sala Caboto,
40 Playfair Ave. ccbtoronto@gmail.com or
www.columbusconcertband.com. Email or
visit the website for tickets and information.
NOTE DATE CHANGE TO APR 8.
● 8:00: Brampton On Stage. It Might as
Well Be Spring. B-Jazzed Orchestra. Rose
Theatre, 1 Theatre Ln., Brampton. www.tickets.brampton.ca/online
or 905-874-2800.
From $20.
Wednesday April 16
● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Vocal Series: Come Closer – Sneak Peek of
a New Canadian Opera. Opera 5 presents
a sneak peek of composer Ryan Trew and
librettist Rachel Krehm’s brand-new chamber
opera Come Closer, which premieres in
Toronto this June. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.coc.ca/
freeconcerts. Free.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Ukulele
Orchestra of Great Britain. 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 Symphony Orchestra. Yuja
Wang Plays Tchaikovsky. Jocelyn Morlock: My
Name Is Amanda Todd; Janáček: Sinfonietta;
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 in b-flat
Op.23. Yuja Wang, piano; Gustavo Gimeno,
conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca. From $126. Also
Apr 17 & 19.
Thursday April 17
● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Instrumental Series: Dialogues. Centered
around works dear to the artists, this concert
is a bridge between two worlds, a conversation
between two musicians and three
composers, and the audience and the performers.
Sonatas by Rebecca Clarke & Sergei
Rachmaninoff and a new creation by Christian
Thomas. Noémie Raymond, cello; Zhenni
Li-Cohen, piano. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.coc.ca/
freeconcerts. Free.
● 7:00: Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre.
Ron Korb: A Celebration of Sakura. Ron
Korb, Japanese flutes; Kyowa Taiko Group;
Sakura Kai and Ayame Kai Dance Troupes;
Aiko Fujii, vocalist/koto/shamisen; Bill King,
piano; Steve Lucas, bass; Larry Crowe,
drums; Ray Hickey, Jr., guitar & koto; and
others. Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre
- Kobayashi Hall, 6 Sakura Way. www.jccc.
on.ca. $45; $40(JCCC members). Doors open
at 7pm. Refreshments available.
Sakura Concert
Ron Korb,
Japanese flutes
Thursday April 17
jccc.on.ca
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 35

LIVE OR ONLINE | Apr 1 to Jun 7, 2024
● 7:00: Magisterra Soloists. Magisterra
at the Museum: From Occident to Orient.
Exploring the rich musical traditions of
the West and the East showcasing influences
that have shaped classical music across
the globe. Guest: Shoshana Telner, piano.
Museum London, 421 Ridout St. N., London.
www.magisterra.com. $35; $30(sr); $15(st);
$10(under 10).
● 8:00: Esprit Orchestra. Edge of Your Seat
International Festival #5: Cosmic Heartbeats.
Nicholas Ma: Hijinks (World premiere
& Esprit Orchestra Commission); James
O’Callaghan: New Work (World premiere &
Esprit Orchestra Commission); Claude Vivier:
Lonely Child; Unsuk Chin: Alaraph “Ritus des
Herschlagz” (Canadian premiere). Alex Pauk,
music director & conductor; Sophia Burgos,
soprano. 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.
● 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre. The Jim
Cuddy Band. 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham.
905-305-7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre.ca.
From $88. Limited availability.
● 8:00: Grand Theatre. Jeans ‘n Classics –
The Ultimate Symphonic Rock Show. Grand
Theatre, 471 Richmond St., London. 519-672-
8800. $86-$98. Visit grandtheatre.com for
tickets.
● 8:00: Redwood Theatre. The Hogtown Allstars:
First Annual Bad Thursday Show. Chuck
Jackson, vocals & harmonica; Pat Carey, tenor
saxophone; Gary Kendall, bass; Jim Casson,
drums; Tyler Yarema, piano; Teddy Leonard,
guitar; and Howard Moore, trumpet. Redwood
Theatre, The, 1300 Gerrard Ave. E. www.
theredwoodtheatre.com/event-details/thehogtown-allstars.
$40.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Yuja
Wang Plays Tchaikovsky. Jocelyn Morlock: My
Name Is Amanda Todd; Janáček: Sinfonietta;
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 in b-flat
Op.23. Yuja Wang, piano; Gustavo Gimeno,
conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca. From $126. Also
Apr 16 & 19.
Friday April 18
● 3:00: Cantorei sine Nomine. Bach B
Minor Mass. Cantorei sine Nomine; Orchestra;
Stuart Beaudoin, director. St. Paul’s
Anglican Church (Uxbridge), 59 Toronto St.
S., Uxbridge. www.starticketing.com/tktweb.
$30.
● 4:00: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation.
The Good Friday Concert: Music and Readings
for a Most Holy Day. Anne Lindsay, Celtic
fiddle; Sharlene Wallace, Celtic harp. Yorkminster
Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St.
416-922-1167 or www.yorkminsterpark.com.
Free. Donations welcome.
● 7:30: Metropolitan United Church. Choral
Concert. Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem
Op.45; Rheinberger: Stabat Mater. Jonathan
Oldengarm, organ. Metropolitan United
Church, 56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 x226.
From $15.
● 7:30: The Edison Singers. J. S. Bach The
Passion According to St. John. Basilica of
Our Lady Immaculate, 28 Norfolk St., Guelph.
226-384-9300 or www.theedisonsingers.
com/performances/. $50; $25(ages 13-21);
$15(ages 12 & under).
Saturday April 19
● 2:00: Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra.
Appalachian Spring. Ravel: Le tombeau
de Couperin Suite; Mascagni: Intermezzo
from Cavalleria rusticana; Schumann: First
Movement from Piano Concerto in a Op.54;
Alexina Louie: Music for a Celebration; Copland:
Appalachian Spring Suite. Dayou Kim,
piano; Martin MacDonald, conductor & music
director. P.C. Ho Theatre, Chinese Cultural
Centre of Greater Toronto, 5183 Sheppard
Ave. E., Scarborough. 416-879-5566 or www.
cathedralbluffs.com. From $25; Free(ages 12
& under).
● 8:00: Burlington Symphony Orchestra.
The Music of Spain. Burlington Performing
Arts Centre, 440 Locust St., Burlington.
www.burlingtonsymphony.ca. From $15.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Yuja
Wang Plays Tchaikovsky. Jocelyn Morlock: My
Name Is Amanda Todd; Janáček: Sinfonietta;
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 in b-flat
NINE SPARROWS ARTS FOUNDATION
PRESENTS
THE GOOD FRIDAY
CONCERT
Music and Readings for a Most Holy Day
SPECIAL GUESTS
Anne Lindsay, celtic fiddle
Sharlene Wallace, celtic harp
FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2025 | 4:00 PM
YORKMINSTER PARK BAPTIST CHURCH
Op.23. Yuja Wang, piano; Gustavo Gimeno,
conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca. From $126. Also
Apr 16 & 18.
Tuesday April 22
● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Instrumental Series: Looking to the Future.
Senior strings students from The Taylor
Academy showcase their sensational talent
as the Academy Chamber Orchestra, the program’s
flagship chamber ensemble. Richard
Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre
for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St.
W. www.coc.ca/freeconcerts. Free. Please
check website for any programming updates.
● 12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation.
Lunchtime Chamber Music: Rising Stars
Recital. Featuring performers from the
Glenn Gould School,. Yorkminster Park Baptist
Church, 1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167 or
www.yorkminsterpark.com. Free. Donations
welcome.
● 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday
Organ Recital. Jacob Wiens, organ. Cathedral
Church of St. James, 106 King St. E. 416-364-
7865 or www.stjamescathedral.ca/recitals.
Free. Donations encouraged.
● 7:30: Royal Conservatory of Music.
GGS New Music Ensemble. Royal Conservatory
of Music - TELUS Centre - Temerty Theatre,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.
rcmusic.com/performance. Free.
● 8:00: Massey Hall. Chilly Gonzales.
178 Victoria St. 416-872-4255 or www.tickets.
mhrth.com. From $45.
Wednesday April 23
● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Vocal Series: G’zaagidiwin. Performing powwow
and round dance songs, advocating for
Indigenous issues and uplifting the spirits of
their audience. A Q&A session with the artists
follows the performance. Manitou Mkwa
Singers (Spirit Bear Singers). Richard Bradshaw
Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for
the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.
coc.ca/freeconcerts. Free. Please check
website for any programming updates.
● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Chamber Music Concert. Vivaldi:
Sonata No.5 in e; Bruch: Kol Nidrei; Van
Goens: Scherzo; Rachmaninoff: Sonata in g
Op.19. Michael Kevin Jones, cello; Henry Wong
Doe, piano. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
(Kitchener), 54 Queen St. N., Kitchener.
www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms. $35; $10(st).
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Randall
Goosby, Violin with Zhu Wang, Piano.
Works by Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Fauré,
Chausson, and Schubert. Royal Conservatory
of Music - TELUS Centre - Koerner
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.
rcmusic.com/performance. From $40.
● 8:00: TD Music Hall. Rachel Platen: Set
Me Free Tour. 178 Victoria St. www.tickets.mhrth.com.
Visit website for ticket
information.
Thursday April 24
● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Dance Series: DaCo – Dance Collaboration
Lab 2025. Works-in-progress by Toronto’s up
and coming choreographers. Richard Bradshaw
Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for
the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.
coc.ca/freeconcerts. Free. Please check
website for any programming updates.
● 12:00 noon: Metropolitan United Church.
Vocal Concert. Joel Goodfellow, piano; Jordana
Goddard, soprano; William Salinas-
Crosby, tenor. Metropolitan United Church,
56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 x226. Freewill
donation.
● 7:30: Arraymusic. Cascading Creativity
Modifies Conception. Featuring new works
by Morgan-Paige Melbourne, Maria-Eduarda
Mendes Martins, Pouya Hamidi, and Eldritch
Priest. Casey Sokol, grand piano; Nobuo
Kubota, sound singing; Paul Dutton, sound
singing; John Oswald, alto saxophone; Jacobus
Kamevaar, electronics. Array Space,
155 Walnut Ave. generaldirector@arraymusic.ca.
Email for ticket information. Also
Mar 27, May 29, Jun 26.
● 8:00: Alliance Française de Toronto.
Quatuor Élysée. Works by Beethoven, Rachmaninov,
Puccini, and Debussy. Vadim Tchijik
and Pablo Schatzman, violins; Andrei
Malakhov, viola; Igor Kiritchenko, cello. Alliance
Français de Toronto - Spadina Theatre,
24 Spadina Rd. www.alliance-francaise.
ca. $18.
● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Classical Thursday
Series: A Taste of Vienna – An Evening of Elegance
with Anton Yeretsky. Anton Yeretsky,
Yuliia Kryzhanivska, Liubomyr Kliufinskyi, and
Zaida Nassirov. 21 Old Mill Rd. 416-207-2020
or www.oldmilltoronto.com. From $25.
DOBET GNAHORÉ
and Okavango
African Orchestra
APRIL 24, 2025
Buy tickets at tolive.com
● 8:00: TO Live. Dobet Gnahoré and Okavango
African Orchestra. Meridian Arts Centre
- George Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge
St. www.tolive.com. From $29.50.
Friday April 25
● 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s/Guitar Society
of Toronto. Noontime Recital. Works by
Beethoven and Barrios. Adam Batstone, guitar;
Bahar Ossareh, guitar; Shawn Pickup,
guitar. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church,
73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x220 or www.
standrewstoronto.org. Free. Donations
welcome.
● 7:00: Jazz at Durbar. The Matt Pines Trio.
Featuring Francine Kirsch 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.
36 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

● 7:00: League of Ukrainian Canadian
Women - Toronto Branch. Musical Fridays:
Chamber Concert. Works by Brahms, Chopin,
Beethoven, and Barvinsky. Christopher Burton,
piano; Halyna Dziuryn, violin; Olga Kostianiuk,
violin; Stephanie Numan Scholman,
viola; Susan Naccache, cello. Old Mill Toronto,
21 Old Mill Rd. www.MusicalFridays-04-25-25.
eventbrite.ca. $35(online); $40(at door); Free
for children under 15. A portion of the proceeds
will be donated towards humanitarian
aid to Ukraine.
● 7:00: Soundstreams. Garden of Vanished
Pleasures. Tim Albery, director; music by
Cecilia Livingston & Donna McKevitt. A world
premiere opera, inspired by the life and work
of English filmmaker and queer rights activist
Derek Jarman. Hyejin Kwon, music director
& piano; Mireille Asselin & Danika Lorèn, sopranos;
Daniel Cabena, counter-tenor; Brenna
Hardy-Kavanagh, viola; Amahl Arulanandam,
cello. Marilyn and Charles Baillie Theatre,
Canadian Stage, 26 Berkely St. www.soundstreams.ca.
Visit website for ticket information
and showtimes. Also Apr 26(2pm & 7pm)
& 27(2pm).
● 7:15: Massey Hall. Lucy Dacus. 178 Victoria
St. 416-872-4255 or www.tickets.mhrth.com.
From $122. Also Apr 26.
● 7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Wozzeck.
Music by Alban Berg. Michael Kupfer-
Radecky (Wozzeck); Ambur Braid (Marie);
Matthew Cairns (Drum Major); Michael
Schade (Captain); Anthony Robin Schneider
(Doctor); and other artists. Canadian Opera
Company Chorus & Orchestra; Johannes
Debus, conductor; William Kentridge, original
director; Luc De Wit, co-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
Apr 27(2pm), May 3, 8, 10(4:30pm), 14, 16. At
7:30pm unless otherwise noted.
● 7:30: The Jeffery Concerts. Chicago
Brass Quintet: Music of the Americas. Repertoire
to include: Anthony DiLorenzo: Fire
Dance; Fisher Tull: Exhibition; Copland (arr.
Erik Morales): The Promise of Living; Jobim
(arr. Bob Driggs): Girl from Ipanema; Ignacio
Calvo (arr. Jay Lichtmann): Andean Op.16;
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: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Bizet’s Carmen Suites. Jimmy López: Perú
Negro; Piazzolla (arr. Desyatnikov); The Four
Seasons of Buenos Aires: Liam Ritz: Dance
Scenes from the Living Room (world premiere
& TSO commission); Bizet (arr. Hoffman):
Suites No. 1 & 2 from Carmen. Karen
Gomyo, violin; Gustavo Gimeno, conductor.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-
598-3375 or www.tso.ca. From $61. Also
Apr 26(8pm), 27(3pm).
● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Jazz Lounge: Jay
Douglas. 21 Old Mill Rd. 416-207-2020 or www.
oldmilltoronto.com. $35 cover. Minimum $30
food & beverage spend. Restricted to ages
19+. Dinner reservations open at 6pm. Show
at 8pm.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Toronto Sings the Breithaupt Brothers’ Songbook.
Denzal Sinclaire, vocalist; Jackie Richardson,
vocalist; Heather Bambrick, vocalist;
Sarah Slean, vocalist; Kellylee Evans, vocalist;
Shelley McPherson, vocalist; and others.
Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS Centre
- Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-
0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.
From $45.
● 8:00: VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert. Robert
le Diable. Music by Giacomo Meyerbeer.
Sung in French with English Surtitles. Scott
Rumble as Robert; Opera in Concert Chorus;
Robert Cooper, chorus director; Helen Becqué,
music director & pianist. Trinity St. Paul’s
United Church. Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor
St. W. www.operainconcert.com/tickets or
416-408-0208. From $42.
Saturday April 26
● 10:30am: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.
Singsation with Jean-Sébastien Vallée. A
community singing workshop and a wonderful
way to spend a Saturday morning with
people who love to sing! Join TMChoir’s Artistic
Director, Jean-Sébastien Vallée, as he
leads you through Brahms’ beloved German
Requiem. Discover the genesis, structure,
and intricate construction of this masterwork
while raising your voice alongside singers
from across Toronto. Yorkminster Park Baptist
Church, 1585 Yonge St. www.tmchoir.org/
event/singsation-with-jean-sebastien-vallee-apr-26
or 416-598-0422. $15; $20(door).
Workshop open to all singing abilities.
● 2:00: Magisterra Soloists. Magisterra
at the Museum: Sensory Concerts - Tunes
Across Time. Specifically designed to accommodate
the needs of individuals with autism,
learning disabilities, sensory or communication
disorders, and other disabilities, as
well as anyone who may benefit from a more
relaxed concert setting. Feel free to express
yours. Magisterra Fellows. Museum London,
421 Ridout St. N., London. www.magisterra.
com. Free. Reservations not required.
● 2:00: Soundstreams. Garden of Vanished
Pleasures. See Apr 25. Also Apr 26(7pm) &
27(2pm).
● 2:00: Toronto Gilbert and Sullivan Society.
A Gilbert and Sullivan Sing-along. Bring
your scores or borrow ours and join the choruses
of The Mikado, Iolanthe and The Gondoliers.
Church of the Redeemer, 162 Bloor St.
W. For further information, please go to the
Toronto Gilbert and Sullivan Society Facebook
page. Freewill offering.
● 2:30: Heliconian Club. Music for Planet
Earth. E. K. R. Hammell: Songs from the
Aviary; John Cage: In a Landscape; Jana
Skarecky: 1st Mvmt from Sonata for Viola
and Piano. Kathryn Rose Johnson, piano; Kye
Marshall, cello; Ruth Kazdan, piano; Velma
Ko, viola; Louise Morley, piano. Heliconian
Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 416-922-3618 or
www.torontoheliconianclub.wildapricot.org/
event-5795008. $30; Free(child 12 and under
accompanied by an adult).
● 3:00: Hamilton Children’s Choir. 50th
Anniversary Concert. FirstOntario Concert
Hall - Boris Brott Great Hall, 1 Summers
Ln., Hamilton. www.universe.com/events/
hamilton-childrens-choir-tickets. From $17;
Free(ages 12 and under).
● 3:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra: Shostakovich’s
Fifth. Boulanger: D’un matin de
printemps; Ravel: Alborada del gracioso;
Shostakovich: Symphony No.5 in d Op. 47.
Trevor Wilson, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca.
From $22.
● 4:00: Friends of Music at St. Thomas’s.
Apocryphonia Presents Tracing the Tunes:
Ralph Vaughan Williams and the English Folk
Song. Alexander Cappellazzo, tenor; Ivan
Jovanovic, piano; Beverly Wang, oboe. St.
Thomas’s Anglican Church, 383 Huron St.
www.stthomas.on.ca or 416-979-2323. Pay
what you wish. Suggested: $40; $20(st).
● 5:00: St. Elizabeth Scola Cantorum.
Spring Concert. Works by Telemann, Bach,
Volly, Tallis, and others. Imre Olah, musical
director. St. Elizabeth of Hungary Roman
Catholic Church, 432 Sheppard Ave. E. 416-
971-9754. $20 suggested offering.
● 6:00: Gallery Players of Niagara. Movie
Night - The Camerman. Film screening starring
Buster Keaton. With an improvised live
score and an introduction to the film by film
critic Joan Nicks. Douglas Miller, flute; Patricia
Ahern, violin; Nick Braun, percussion.
FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St.
Paul St., St. Catharines. Call 905-468-1525 or
email info@galleryplayers.ca. From $10(Live);
$10(Virtual).
● 7:00: Bravo Niagara! Festival of the Arts.
Oscar Peterson Centennial Quartet. Robi
Botos, piano; Mike Downes, bass; Jim Doxas,
drums; Ulf Wakenius, guitar; Justin Kauflin,
piano; Lex French, trumpet; Andrew McAnsh,
trumpet; Colleen Allen, saxophone; Matt
Woroshyl, saxophone; Céline Peterson, host.
FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre - Cairns
Recital Hall, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines.
www.bravoniagara.org or www.firstontariopca.ca.
From $60.
● 7:00: Singing Together 2025. A Multicultural
Choral Concert. Featuring Latin American,
Chinese, Italian, Ukrainian, Georgian,
Caribbean, Korean and Philippine choirs. St.
Paschal Baylon Church, 92 Steeles Ave. W.,
Thornhill. 416-931-1439. $20.
● 7:00: Soundstreams. Garden of Vanished
Pleasures. See Apr 25. Also Apr 27(2pm).
● 7:15: Massey Hall. Lucy Dacus. 178 Victoria
St. 416-872-4255 or www.tickets.mhrth.com.
From $122. Also Apr 25.
● 7:30: Brampton On Stage. The Rose
Orchestra: Natural Melodies, Life, Love.
Works by Rachmaninoff and Dvořák. Samuel
Tak-Ho Tam, conductor. Rose Theatre,
1 Theatre Ln., Brampton. www.tickets.
brampton.ca/online or 905-874-2800. From
$15.
● 7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club. Graham
Lindsey Trio. Graham Lindsey, Maddy
O’Regan, and Paul Mills. 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).
● 7:30: Mississauga Chamber Singers.
Haydn’s The Creation. Jennifer Crabbe, soprano;
Arieh Sacke, tenor; Matthew Cassils.
Christ First United Church, 151 Lakeshore Rd.
W., Mississauga. www.mcsingers.ca or 647-
549-4524. $30; $15(ages 7-18).
● 7:30: Music at the Toronto Oratory. Complete
Organ Works of J. S. Bach, Part XIV:
Music for Easter. Includes Prelude and Fugue
in D, Trio in G, and Easter chorale preludes.
Aaron James, organ. Holy Family Roman
Catholic Church - Oratory, 1372 King St. W.
416-532-2879. Free admission. Donations
accepted.
● 7:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra.
Blockbuster Broadway. Conceived, Produced,
and Directed by Scott Coulter. Arrangements
by John Boswell & Scott Coulter. Orchestrations
by Ryan Shirar. Music from Wicked, The
Phantom of the Opera, Annie, Jersey Boys,
The Sound of Music, Chicago, CATS, The Lion
King, and A Chorus Line. 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 27(2:30pm).
● 7:30: St. Luke’s Parish Church. Oleg
Samokhin in Concert. Bach: Italian Concerto
BWV 971; Mozart: Rondo in D K.485;
Beethoven: Sonata No.15 in D Op.28; Schumann:
Novelettes Op.21 Nos.1 & 4; Brahms:
8 Piano Pieces Op.76. Oleg Samokhin, piano.
39 Green Lane, Thornhill. www.olegpianoconcert2.eventbrite.com
or call Greg at 647-
296-6851. $40(at door); From $25(online).
LIVE AND ONLINE.
● 8:00: Acoustic Harvest. Jory Nash
CD Release. St. Paul’s United Church,
200 McIntosh St., Scarborough. ticketscene.
ca; acousticharvest.ca; acousticharvest@
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 37

LIVE OR ONLINE | Apr 1 to Jun 7, 2024
proton.me(for e-transfer). $40(door cash
only); $35(advance). Fully accessible venue.
● 8:00: Alliance Française de Toronto.
Léonie Langa. Alliance Français de Toronto
- Spadina Theatre, 24 Spadina Rd. www.alliance-francaise.ca.
$18.
● 8:00: Mississauga Symphony Orchestra.
Opera - A Pavarotti & Friends Tribute. Romulo
Delgado, Tenor; Sara Papini, Soprano; Carmen
Spada, Accordion; Mississauga Festival
Choir. Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts Dr.,
Mississauga. 905-306-6000. Tickets start at
$40. Visit livingartscentre.ca for tickets.
● 8:00: North York Concert Orchestra.
France & the Saxophone. Cesar Guerra-
Peixe: Mourouão; Milhaud: “Scaramouche”
and “Le Boeuf sur le toit”; Franck: Symphony
in d. Wallace Halladay: saxophone; Rafael Luz,
conductor. Toronto Public Library - Fairview
Branch - Theatre, 35 Fairview Mall Dr. www.
nyco.ca or 1-800-687-6926. $30; $25(sr);
$15(under 30); $10(under 12); $40(Premium
seats).
● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Dining & Dancing
Series: Toronto All Star Big Band. 21 Old Mill
Rd. 416-207-2020 or www.oldmilltoronto.
com. From $15. Minimum $30 food & beverage
spend. Restricted to ages 19+. Dinner
reservations open at 6pm. Show at 8pm.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Yellowjackets. Royal Conservatory of Music
- TELUS Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St.
W. 416-408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.
From $60.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. GGS
Piano Showcase. Royal Conservatory of
Music - TELUS Centre - Mazzoleni Concert
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.
rcmusic.com/performance. $20.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Bizet’s Carmen Suites. Jimmy López: Perú
Negro; Piazzolla (arr. Desyatnikov); The Four
Seasons of Buenos Aires: Liam Ritz: Dance
Scenes from the Living Room (world premiere
& TSO commission); Bizet (arr. Hoffman):
Suites No. 1 & 2 from Carmen. Karen
Gomyo, violin; Gustavo Gimeno, conductor.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-
598-3375 or www.tso.ca. From $61. Also
Apr 25(7:30pm), 27(3pm).
Sunday April 27
● 2:00: Canadian Opera Company. Wozzeck.
See Apr 25. Also May 3, 8, 10(4:30pm),
14, 16. At 7:30pm unless otherwise noted.
● 2:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra.
Blockbuster Broadway. Conceived, Produced,
and Directed by Scott Coulter. Arrangements
by John Boswell & Scott Coulter. Orchestrations
by Ryan Shirar. Music from Wicked, The
Toronto Beach Chorale
with Missisauga Chamber Singers
Mervin W Fick - Conductor
FJ HAYDN
CREATION
Sunday, April 27, 2025 at 7:30pm
St Anne Anglican Church Parish Hall
651 Dufferin Street, Toronto
Phantom of the Opera, Annie, Jersey Boys,
The Sound of Music, Chicago, CATS, The Lion
King, and A Chorus Line. 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 26(7:30pm).
● 3:00: Dundas Conservatory of Music.
Springtime Serenade. Works by Vivaldi, Bach,
Handel, Mozart, Schubert, Liszt, Dvořák,
Sondheim, , and others. Michaela Chiste, soprano;
Benjamin Paul Schmalz, piano. St. Paul’s
United Church, 29 Park St. W., Dundas. www.
dundasmusic.eventbrite.ca. $20; $15(sr/st),
$10(child).
● 3:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Bizet’s Carmen Suites. See Apr 25. Also
Apr 26(8pm).
● 5:00: Nocturnes in the City. Piano
Recital. Radka Hanakova, piano. St. Wenceslaus
Church, 496 Gladstone Ave. 416-481-
7294. $25.
● 7:00: Soundstreams. Garden of Vanished
Pleasures. See Apr 25.
● 7:30: Royal Conservatory of Music. Academy
Chamber Orchestra. Royal Conservatory
of Music - TELUS Centre - Koerner
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.
rcmusic.com/performance. Free.
● 7:30: Toronto Beach Chorale. Creation
Oratorio by Haydn. Jennifer Krabbe, soprano;
Arieh Sacke, tenor; Matthew Cassils, bass;
Toronto Beach Chorale; Mississauga Chamber
Singers and Orchestra; Mervin W. Fick,
conductor. St. Anne’s Parish Hall, 651 Dufferin
St. www.torontobeachchorale.com. $35;
$25(youth).
Tuesday April 29
● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Instrumental Series: Piano Celebrations. Students
of the Ihnatowycz Piano Program at
The Glenn Gould School perform repertoire
for two pianos. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.coc.ca/freeconcerts.
Free. Please check website for any programming
updates.
● 12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation.
Lunchtime Chamber Music. Joyce Zheng,
piano. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,
1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167 or www.yorkminsterpark.com.
Free. Donations welcome.
● 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday Organ
Recital. Peter Merrick, organ. Cathedral
Church of St. James, 106 King St. E. 416-364-
7865 or www.stjamescathedral.ca/recitals.
Free. Donations encouraged.
● 2:00: Toronto Public Library - Wychwood
Public Library. Life as We Know It. Humorous
short films about modern society set to a
dynamic musical score. 1431 Bathurst St. 416-
469-3033 or www.bitly.com/flying-spot-players.
Free.
● 8:00: Massey Hall. Max Richter with the
American Contemporary Music Ensemble.
Performing The Blue Notebooks and In
a Landscape. 178 Victoria St. 416-872-4255
or www.tickets.mhrth.com. Visit website for
ticket information.
Wednesday April 30
● 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Instrumental Series: Rock Talk. Works by
Debussy and Carmen Braden, and others.
Edana Higham, piano; Zac Pulak, percussion.
Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four
Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. www.coc.ca/freeconcerts.
Free. Please check website for any programming
updates.
● 12:00 noon: Yorkminster Park Baptist
Church. Noonday Organ Recital. Joshua Duncan
Lee, organ. Yorkminster Park Baptist
Church, 1585 Yonge St. www.yorkminsterpark.com.
Free. Donations welcome.
● 2:30: Heliconian Club. Mary Rezza Student
Recital. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave.
416-922-3618. Free.
● 5:00: Canadian Opera Company. Opera
Lab: The Art of the Dance. Designed for young
adults aged 16 - 28, in conjunction with the
COC’s upcoming production of Tchaikovsky’s
Eugene Onegin. Explore how dance is used
to tell a story and spotlight the emotions of
our characters. Participants will engage in
a hands-on workshop and pre-performance
discussion alongside Eugene Onegin choreographer
Serge Bennathan and COC Teaching
Artist Annemarie Cabri before attending
the dress rehearsal. Four Seasons Centre for
the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.
coc.ca/OperaLab. $15 registration fee. Please
check website for any programming updates.
● 7:30: Brantford Music Club. Louise Pitre.
Songs of Edith Piaf and Judy Garland plus
selections from Broadway musicals. Sanderson
Centre for the Performing Arts,
88 Dalhousie St., Brantford. 519-758-8090.
$35; $10(st); Free(elementary st).
● 8:00: Hugh’s Room Live. Valdy. Michael
Weston King and Lou Dalgleish. Hugh’s Room
Live - Green Sanderson Hall, 296 Broadview
Ave. www.showpass.com/valdy-3/. $40;
$20(arts workers/st/underemployed).
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Sullivan
Fortner Trio and Barbra Lica Quintet.
Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS Centre
- Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-
0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.
From $50.
Thursday May 1
● 12:00 noon: Metropolitan United
Church. Vocal Concert. Rebanks Fellows
Elias Theocharidis, tenor & Matthew Li, bass.
Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. E.
416-363-0331 x226. Freewill donation.
● 8:00: Hugh’s Room Live. David Essig.
Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson Hall,
296 Broadview Ave. www.showpass.com/
david-essig. $30; $15(arts worker/st/
underemployed).
Friday May 2
● 12:00 noon: Music at First-St. Andrew’s
United Church. Fourth Friday Noon Spring
Recital. Music for handbells. Laudamus Bells
(Richard Frank, director). First-St. Andrew’s
United Church, 350 Queens Ave., London.
519-679-8182 or www.fsaunited.com/musicconcerts/.
Freewill donation.
● 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Noontime
Recital. Works for piano four hands. Xuan He,
piano; SaeHae Bae, piano. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian
Church, 73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600
x220 or www.standrewstoronto.org. Free.
Donations welcome.
● 7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Eugene
Onegin. Music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Andrii Kymach (Eugene Onegin); Lauren
Fagan (Tayana); Evan LeRoy Johnson (Lensky);
Niamh O’Sullivan (Olga); Dimitry Ivashchenko
(Gremin); and other artists. Canadian Opera
Company Chorus & Orchestra; Speranza
Scappucci, conductor; Robert Carsen, original
director; Peter McClintock, revival 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
May 4(2pm), 7, 9, 15, 17, 24(4:30pm). At 7:30pm
unless otherwise noted.
● 7:30: Confluence Concerts. Temporalysis.
Curated by Teiya Kasahara 笠 原 貞 野 .
Pre-concert chat at 6:45pm. A queer exploration
of artistries, musings and fancies that
bends time, genre and medium with multifaceted
artist Adanya Dunn. Heliconian Hall,
35 Hazelton Ave. 647-678-4923. $30. Visit confluenceconcerts.ca
for tickets. Also May 3rd.
● 8:00: Living Arts Centre. Talib Kweli. The
Brooklyn-based MC earned his stripes as one
of the most lyrically gifted, socially aware,
and politically insightful rappers to emerge
in the last 20 years. 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga.
905-306-6000. Tickets start at
$49+fees. Visit livingartscentre.ca for tickets.
Contains profanity and mature themes, 18+.
MAKEWAY
May 2nd, 2025
Doors 7:00PM
Pay What You Can
St. George’s Grange Park
newmusicconcerts.com
● 8:00: New Music Concerts. Makeway
2025: An Empowerment Program for Early
Career Creators. At this showcase concert,
you’ll get to meet the creators, hear them introduce
their works, and witness firsthand the
innovative music they’ve crafted. Get in on the
ground floor and experience a night of fresh,
38 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

bold, and exciting new works! Tsz Long (Fish)
Yu: New Work for Erhu and Electronics (world
premiere); Alex Matterson: New Work for
8 Instruments (world premiere); Anju Singh:
New Work for 9 Instruments (world premiere);
Steven Webb: New Work for 5 Instruments
and Electronics (world premiere). St. George’s
Grange Park Church (formerly St. George the
Martyr Church), 30 Stephanie St. www.eventbrite.com/e/makeway-2025-showcase-concert-tickets-1009401325537?aff=oddtdtcrea
tor. Pay What You Can donation. 7:30pm Conversations
with Composers, 8pm Concert.
● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Jazz Lounge:
Homeward Bound - A Tribute to the music
of Simon and Garfunkel. 21 Old Mill Rd. 416-
207-2020 or www.oldmilltoronto.com. $35
cover. Minimum $30 food & beverage spend.
Restricted to ages 19+. Dinner reservations
open at 6pm. Show at 8pm.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Royal
Conservatory Orchestra Conducted by William
Eddins. Colin Mackey, baritone. Royal Conservatory
of Music - TELUS Centre - Koerner
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.
rcmusic.com/performance. From $25.
CONCERTI
VIRTUOSI
Vivaldi &
Telemann
Directed by Rachel Podger
MAY 2–4
Jeanne Lamon Hall,
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
tafelmusik.org
● 8:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Concerti Virtuosi: Vivaldi & Telemann. Rachel
Podger (director & violin soloist) and members
of the orchestra flex their musical muscles
as soloists in a bouquet of concertos.
Telemann: Overture in C Minor; Vivaldi: Concerto
for 2 cellos in G Minor & Concerto da
camera in G Minor; Telemann: Concerto for
3 violins in F Major, from Musique de table;
Corelli: Concerto grosso in D Major, op. 6, no.
1; Vivaldi: Concerto for bassoon in G Major,
RV 493Bach Concerto for violin and oboe
in C Minor. Trinity St. Paul’s United Church.
Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. 1-833-
964–6337 or www.tafelmusik.org. $20-$95.
Also May 3 & 4.
● 8:00: TO Live. The Ostara Project &
Eliana Cuevas With the Angel Falls Orchestra.
Meridian Arts Centre - George Weston
Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St. www.tolive.com.
From $25.
Saturday May 3
● 2:00: Sudbury Symphony Orchestra. Animals
at the Symphony! Saint-Saëns: Carnival
of the Animals; Rowson: Carnival of OUR Animals
(includes world premiere); Haydn: Vivace
from Symphony No.82 in C “The Bear”.
William Rowson, conductor; Charlene
Biggs, piano I; Yoo Young Park, piano II; Will
Morin, guest artist. Sheridan Auditorium,
154 College St., Sudbury. www.ci.ovationtix.
com/36875/performance/11513347. $30;
$15(under 30). Also 7:30pm.
● 2:30: Bel Canto Singers. Fears, Fancies,
and Fairytales. Scarborough Bluffs United
Church, 3739 Kingston Rd., Scarborough.
www.belcantosingers.ca. $25; $5(child). Also
7:30pm.
● 3:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Canadian Guitar Quartet.
Music from the album Mappa Mundi including
works by Bach, Mozart, Bonfa, Jobim, Roux,
Côté-Giguère, and Amelkina-Vera. Steve
Cowan, Jérôme Ducharme, Christ Habib, and
Louis Trépanier. Registry Theatre (Kitchener),
122 Frederick St., Kitchener. www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms.
$40; $10(st).
CONCERT SERIES
ISABELLA PERRON
& SIMON GIDORA
AND
VC2 + AMY HILLIS
MAY 3 | 4:00 PM
APERTURE ROOM
Music-Toronto.com
● 4:00: Music Toronto. COSE (Celebration
of Small Ensembles). 4pm: Duo Mycelia
- Isabella Perron, violin/voice/piano; Simon
Gidora, violin/voice/piano. 5pm: VC2 + Amy
Hillis. Aperture Room, 340 Yonge St. www.
music-toronto.com. $40. Refreshments will
be available for purchase.
● 7:00: North Halton Community Singers.
Sing for Joy. Georgetown Christian Reformed
Church, 11611 Trafalgar Rd., Georgetown.
www.northhaltonsingers.ca or 647-203-7795.
$30. Visit website for special prices for families
and groups.
● 7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Wozzeck.
See Apr 25. Also May 8, 10(4:30pm), 14, 16. At
7:30pm unless otherwise noted.
● 7:30: Confluence Concerts. Temporalysis.
Curated by Teiya Kasahara 笠 原 貞
野 . Pre-concert chat at 6:45pm. A queer
exploration of artistries, musings and fancies
that bends time, genre and medium with
multi-faceted artist Adanya Dunn. Heliconian
Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 647-678-4923. $30.
Visit confluenceconcerts.ca for tickets. Also
May 2nd.
● 7:30: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
James Ehnes Plays Tchaikovsky.
Massimo Guida: New Work (world premiere);
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D Op.35; Mahler:
Symphony No.1 in D. James Ehnes, violin;
Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra; James
Kahane, conductor. FirstOntario Concert
Hall - Boris Brott Great Hall, 1 Summers Ln.,
Hamilton. www.hpo.org/james-ehnes-playstchaikovsky.
From $20. 6:30pm: Pre-concert
talk.
● 7:30: London Symphonia. Genevieve
Fisher: Thank You Music! Genevieve Fisher,
singer & songwriter; Scott Good, conductor
& arranger. 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: Sudbury Symphony Orchestra. Animals
at the Symphony! Saint-Saëns: Carnival
of the Animals; Rowson: Carnival of OUR
Animals (includes world premiere); Haydn:
Vivace from Symphony No.82 in C “The
Bear”. William Rowson, conductor; Charlene
Biggs, piano I; Yoo Young Park, piano II; Will
Morin, guest artist. Sheridan Auditorium,
154 College St., Sudbury. www.ci.ovationtix.
com/36875/performance/11513347. $45;
$25(under 30). Also 2pm.
● 7:30: Tallis Choir of Toronto. Rachmaninoff:
The All Night Vigil. Peter Mahon,
conductor. 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: Aga Khan Museum. Labyrinth
Ensemble with Âriâ Mohâfez. 77 Wynford
Dr. www.agakhanmuseum.org. $40;
$36(Friends); $30(sr/st).
● 8:00: Alliance Française de Toronto.
Debi Botos Quintet. Debi Botos blends the
music of her Hungarian Gypsy roots with that
of Django Reinhardt to create an inventive
swing, in an electric atmosphere that is both
traditional and modern. Alliance Français de
Toronto - Spadina Theatre, 24 Spadina Rd.
www.alliance-francaise.ca. $18.
● 8:00: Massey Hall. Rock Orchestra by
Candlelight. 178 Victoria St. 416-872-4255 or
www.tickets.mhrth.com. From $85.
● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Dining & Dancing
Series: Material Girls - An Adele, Madonna,
Cher, Anne Wilson, Blondie, and Lady Gaga
Concert Experience. 21 Old Mill Rd. 416-207-
2020 or www.oldmilltoronto.com. From
$15. Minimum $30 food & beverage spend.
Restricted to ages 19+. Dinner reservations
open at 6pm. Show at 8pm.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. 21C
Music Festival: Bruce Hornsby & yMusic
Present BrhyM. Royal Conservatory of Music
- TELUS Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St.
W. 416-408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.
From $21.
● 8:00: Sinfonia Toronto. Sunny’s
Beethoven / Flowering Moon. Beethoven:
Piano Concerto No.3 in c Op.37; Barbara
Assiginaak: Waawaaskone-giizis (Flowering
Moon) (World premiere); Shostakovich:
Chamber Symphony in F Op.73a. Sunny Ritter,
piano; 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: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Concerti Virtuosi: Vivaldi & Telemann. Rachel
Podger (director & violin soloist) and members
of the orchestra flex their musical
muscles as soloists in a bouquet of concertos.
Telemann: Overture in C Minor; Vivaldi:
Concerto for 2 cellos in G Minor & Concerto
da camera in G Minor; Telemann: Concerto
for 3 violins in F Major, from Musique de table;
Corelli: Concerto grosso in D Major, op. 6, no.
1; Vivaldi: Concerto for bassoon in G Major,
RV 493Bach Concerto for violin and oboe
in C Minor. Trinity St. Paul’s United Church.
Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. 1-833-
964–6337 or www.tafelmusik.org. $20-$95.
Also May 2 & 4.
● 8:00: TD Music Hall. Ishq Ke Saat
Muqaam. 178 Victoria St. www.tickets.mhrth.
com. $40.
Sunday May 4
● 1:15: Mooredale Concerts. Music and Truffles
Kids. Stéphane Tétreault, cello; Olivier
Hebert-Bouchard, piano. Walter Hall, University
of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-922-3714
x103; 647-988-2102 (eve/wknd). $25.
● 1:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Young People’s Concert: Adizokan. Eliot Britton:
Adizokan Suite (TSO commission, 2017);
and other works. Red Sky Performance; Eliot
Britton, laptop; Nelson Tagoona, throat boxer;
Trevor Wilson, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca.
From $31. Also 4pm.
● 2:00: Canadian Opera Company. Eugene
Onegin. See May 2. Also May 7, 9, 15, 17,
24(4:30pm). At 7:30pm unless otherwise
noted.
● 2:00: HCA Dance Theatre. PASS: Valerie
Tryon - Valerie’s Favourites. Hamilton
Conservatory for the Arts - Dance Theatre,
126 James St. S., Hamilton. 905-528-4020 or
www.hcadancetheatre.com. From $35.
● 3:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Concerti Virtuosi: Vivaldi & Telemann. See
May 2.
● 3:00: Toronto Children’s Chorus. Can You
Hear Me? A concert featuring all eight TCC
choirs and guest instrumentalists performing
music grounded in different traditions. New
works by Cristian Grases, Jude Roldan, and
Tracy Wong. Meridian Arts Centre - George
Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St. www.
torontochildrenschorus.com/our-season or
1-800-708-6754. $45.
● 3:15: Mooredale Concerts. Stéphane
Tétreault, cello & Olivier Hebert-Bouchard,
piano. All-Debussy concert. Walter Hall,
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 39

LIVE OR ONLINE | Apr 1 to Jun 7, 2024
University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-
922-3714 x103; 647-988-2102 (eve/wknd).
$30-$55.
● 3:30: Vesnivka Choir. Spring Love. A
program of traditional and contemporary
Ukrainian music celebrating spring, love, and
romance. Vesnivka Choir; Toronto Ukrainian
Male Chamber Choir. Ukrainian National Federation
of Canada, Trident Hall, 145 Evans Ave.
www.vesnivka.com or Eventbrite and at door.
$30; Free(child under 16).
● 4:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Young People’s Concert: Adizokan. Eliot Britton:
Adizokan Suite (TSO commission, 2017);
and other works. Red Sky Performance; Eliot
Britton, laptop; Nelson Tagoona, throat boxer;
Trevor Wilson, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca.
From $31. Also 1:30pm.
● 7:00: Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto.
Bernstein & Duruflé. Bernstein: Chichester
Psalms; Duruflé: Requiem. Amadeus Choir
of Greater Toronto; Jonathan Oldengarm,
organ; Alex Hetherington, mezzo; Jesse
Blumberg, baritone; Amahl Arulanandam,
cello; Zane Mallett, harp; Yang Chen, percussion;
Kathleen Allan, conductor. Metropolitan
United Church, 56 Queen St. E. 416-446-0188
or www.amadeuschoir.com. $49; $25(arts
workers & under 30).
● 7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club. David
Essig. 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: Hugh’s Room Live. Robert Thomas
and The Sessionmen. Hugh’s Room Live -
Green Sanderson Hall, 296 Broadview Ave.
www.showpass.com/robert-thomas. Visit
website for ticket information.
Monday May 5
● 7:30: Soundstreams. Poitu Varen. Chris
Pruden, piano; Zoe Markle, bass; Nick Walker
Grimshaw, electronics. Hugh’s Room Live -
Green Sanderson Hall, 296 Broadview Ave.
www.soundstreams.ca/events/td-encounters-poitu-varen
or 416-504-1282. Free.
● 8:00: Massey Hall. Japanese Breakfast:
v
MARK FEWER
Sonatas and Partitas for
Solo Violin by J.S. Bach
Performed over the course of two recitals
Friday, May 9 | 7:30 pm
Saturday, May 10 | 4:00 pm
Presented by Friends of Music
St. Thomas’s Church
383 Huron Street, Toronto
Pay what you wish:
Suggested for one recital $40 regular,
$20 students; for both $70/$30
Scan code or visit stthomas.on.ca
The Melancholy Tour. 178 Victoria St. 416-
872-4255 or www.ticketmaster.ca. From $74.
Also May 6.
Tuesday May 6
● 12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation.
Lunchtime Chamber Music. Mattia Mihajlovic,
piano. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,
1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167 or www.yorkminsterpark.com.
Free. Donations welcome.
● 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday Organ
Recital. William Lupton, organ. Cathedral
Church of St. James, 106 King St. E. 416-364-
7865 or www.stjamescathedral.ca/recitals.
Free. Donations encouraged.
● 8:00: Massey Hall. Japanese Breakfast:
The Melancholy Tour. 178 Victoria St. 416-
872-4255 or www.ticketmaster.ca. From $74.
Also May 5.
Wednesday May 7
● 7:00: Friends of Music at St. Thomas’s.
Brass Ensembles from the Glenn Gould
School. St. Thomas’s Anglican Church,
383 Huron St. www.stthomas.on.ca or 416-
979-2323. Free admission.
● 7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Eugene
Onegin. See May 2. Also May 9, 15, 17,
24(4:30pm). At 7:30pm unless otherwise
noted.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique. Daníel Bjarnason:
I Want to Be Alive - Trilogy for Orchestra
(world premiere & TSO co-commission);
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.6 in b Op.74. Gustavo
Gimeno, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca.
From $36. Also May 10.
Thursday May 8
● 12:00 noon: Metropolitan United Church.
Organ Concert. Jonathan Oldengarm, organ.
Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. E.
416-363-0331 x226. Freewill donation.
● 1:30: Women’s Musical Club of Toronto.
Music in the Afternoon: Asitha Tennekoon.
Danika Lorèn: The Thread of Life (New Work
commissioned by the WMCT); Vaughan
Williams: On Wenlock Edge; Ian Cusson:
Where There’s a Wall; Nico Muhly: Stranger;
WOMEN’S MUSICAL CLUB OF TORONTO
MAY 8, 2025 | 1.30 PM
ASITHA
TENNEKOON
416-923-7052 | wmct.on.ca
Barber: Knoxville - Summer of 1915. Asitha
Tennekoon, tenor; Steven Philcox, piano; Aysel
Taghi-Zada, violin; Terri Croft, violin; Laurence
Schaufele, viola; Amahl Arulanandam,
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).
● 2:30: Serenata Singers. Tuned In: Songs
from TV & Film. Matthew Morgan, conductor;
Stan Farrow, piano; Matthew Coons,
piano. Scarborough Bluffs United Church,
3739 Kingston Rd., Scarborough. 416-
449-4053. $25; $10(ages under 12). Also
May 9(7:30pm).
● 7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Wozzeck.
See Apr 25. Also May 10(4:30pm), 14, 16. At
7:30pm unless otherwise noted.
● 7:30: Unbridled Theatre Collective.
The Threepenny Opera. By Bertolt Brecht,
Kurt Weill, and Elisabeth Hauptman.
Adapted by Simon Stephens. VideoCabaret,
10 Busy St. www.ticketscene.ca/list.
php?q=threepenny+opera. $33; $22(sr/st/
artsworker). Also May 9, 10(2pm & 7:30pm),
11(2pm), 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. Start time is 7:30pm
unless otherwise indicated.
● 8:00: Hugh’s Room. Little Misty.
Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson Hall,
296 Broadview Ave. www.showpass.com/
little-misty/. $30; $15(st/arts workers/
underemployed).
Friday May 9
● 7:30am: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.
Duruflé’s Requiem. Duruflé: Requiem Op.9;
Mendelssohn: Richte mich, Gott; Stephanie
Martin: Nothing Gold Can Stay; Aaron
Manswell: One Thing at a Time (world premiere
& TMChoir commission); and a new
work by the Choral Composition Competition
Winner (world premiere). Jonathan Oldengarm,
organ; Irene Gregorio, piano; Toronto
Mendelssohn Choir; Jean-Sébastien Vallée,
conductor. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,
1585 Yonge St. www.www.tmchoir.org/event/
durufle or 416-598-0422. $20.
● 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Noontime
Recital. Celtic Ceilidh Fusion. A spirited celebration
of Irish and Celtic folk music. Saskia
Tompkins, nickelharpe & viola; Steafan Hannigan,
multiple instruments; Jordan Klapman,
piano. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church,
73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x220 or www.
standrewstoronto.org. Free. Donations
welcome.
● 6:00: Collingwood Music Festival. Spring
Fundraiser: A Dazzling Night of Music, Fine
Dining, and Giving. All funds raised will directly
support the 2025 Collingwood Music
Festival. Guests will indulge in an exquisite
buffet dinner curated by Peasemarsh Farm,
led by Chef Chris Bishop. The evening concludes
with an exciting live auction, offering
exclusive experiences while supporting a
wonderful cause. Quartetto Gelato. Craigleith
Ski Club, 164 Craigleith Rd, Blue Mountains.
www.collingwoodfestival.com/festival-events.
$250. Includes a $150 tax receipt.
Limited tickets available.
● 7:30: Canadian Opera Company.
Eugene Onegin. See May 2. Also May 15, 17,
24(4:30pm). At 7:30pm unless otherwise
noted.
● 7:30: Friends of Music at St. Thomas’s.
Mark Fewer, Violin. Bach: Sonatas and
Partitas for solo violin. St. Thomas’s Anglican
Church, 383 Huron St. www.stthomas.
on.ca or 416-979-2323. Pay what you wish:
suggested $40; $20(st). Pre-concert chat
at 6:45pm. A similar program is also on
May 10(4pm).
● 7:30: Serenata Singers. Tuned In: Songs
from TV & Film. Matthew Morgan, conductor;
Stan Farrow, piano; Matthew Coons,
piano. Scarborough Bluffs United Church,
3739 Kingston Rd., Scarborough. 416-
449-4053. $25; $10(ages under 12). Also
May 8(2:30pm).
● 7:30: Unbridled Theatre Collective.
The Threepenny Opera. See May 8. Also
May 10(2pm & 7:30pm), 11(2pm), 13, 14, 15,
16, 17. Start time is 7:30pm unless otherwise
indicated.
● 8:00: Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra.
Jubilations of Spring. Schumann: Symphony
No.1 Op.38 "Spring"; Johann Strauss II: Overture,
"Mein Herr Marquis, ein Mann wie Sie"
(Laughing Song), and "Klänge der Heimat"
We celebrate
the season!
Schumann
Spring Symphony
Operatic Arias
Jennifer Taverner
Soprano
..........
or a shorter matinee
performance in a more
intimate setting
40 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

from Die Fledermaus; Alice Ho: Jubilations of
Spring; John Estacio: "There Will be a Storm
Tonight" from Filumena; Ivor Novello: We'll
Gather Lilacs in The Spring. Natalya Gennadi,
soprano; Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra;
Matthew Jones, music director. Martingrove
Collegiate Institute, 50 Winterton Dr., Etobicoke.
416-239-5665 or www.eporchestra.
ca/season/2425/jubilations-of-spring. $30;
$25(sr); $15(st); Free(child under 12). Also
May 10(2pm) at Humber College Cultural Hub.
● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Jazz Lounge: Mark
Kelso. 21 Old Mill Rd. 416-207-2020 or www.
oldmilltoronto.com. $20 cover. Minimum $30
food & beverage spend. Restricted to ages
19+. Dinner reservations open at 6pm. Show
at 8pm.
● 8:00: Roy Thomson Hall. NARUTO: The
Symphonic Experience. Music by Toshio
Masuda. 60 Simcoe St. www.tickets.mhrth.
com. From $101.
● 8:00: Small World Music. Fareed Ayaz &
Abu Muhammad Qawwali. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian
Church, 73 Simcoe St. www.smallworld.com.
From $55. Also May 10(4pm).
Saturday May 10
● 1:00: Royal Canadian College of Organists
Toronto Centre. Organ Maintenance
Workshop. Join us for an intro to organ maintenance
led by organ-builder Hal Gober.
Sisterhood of St. John the Divine Chapel,
233 Cummer Ave., North York. www.rcco.ca/
toronto. Visit website for more information.
● 2:00: Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra.
Jubilations of Spring. Johann Strauss
II: Overture from Die Fledermaus; Alice Ho:
Jubilations of Spring; Schumann: Symphony
No.1 Op.38 “Spring”. Etobicoke Philharmonic
Orchestra; Matthew Jones, music director.
Humber College - Lakeshore Campus - A
Building - Recital Hall, 3199 Lakeshore Blvd.
416-239-5665 or www.eporchestra.ca/season/2425/jubilations-of-spring-hch/.
$20;
$10(child). Also May 9(8pm) at Martingrove
Collegiate.
● 2:00: Unbridled Theatre Collective.
The Threepenny Opera. See May 8. Also
May 10(7:30pm), 11(2pm), 13, 14, 15, 16, 17.
Start time is 7:30pm unless otherwise
indicated.
● 4:00: Friends of Music at St. Thomas’s.
Mark Fewer, Violin. Bach: Sonatas and Partitas
for solo violin. St. Thomas’s Anglican
Church, 383 Huron St. www.stthomas.on.ca
or 416-979-2323. Pay what you wish: suggested
$40; $20(st). A similar program is also
on May 9(7:30pm).
● 4:00: Small World Music. Fareed Ayaz &
Abu Muhammad Qawwali. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian
Church, 73 Simcoe St. www.smallworld.com.
From $55. Also May 9(8pm).
● 4:30: Canadian Opera Company. Wozzeck.
See Apr 25. Also May 14, 16. At 7:30pm
unless otherwise noted.
● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Piano Recital. Clementi:
Sonata in C Op.33 No.3; Brahms: Variations
and Fugue on a Theme by Handel Op.24; Mussorgsky:
Pictures at an Exhibition. Sofya Gulyak,
piano. Keffer Memorial Chapel, Wilfrid
Laurier University, 75 University Ave. W., Waterloo.
www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms. $35;
$10(st).
● 7:00: Peterborough Singers. Mozart
Requiem. A complete performance of Mozart’s
Requiem and music performed by the
Peterborough Singers on their 2025 cathedral
tour to Durham, England. Lesley Bouza,
soprano; Lillian Brooks, mezzo; David Walsh,
tenor; Christopher Dunham, bass; Ian Sadler,
organ. Emmanuel United Church (Peterborough),
534 George St. N., Peterborough. 705-
745-1820 or www.peterboroughsingers.com/
concerts/mozart-requiem. $40; $10(st).
● 7:30: Church of the Redeemer. Human
Strife and Passion. An a cappella choral concert
featuring music with the topics of struggle,
passion, faith, and love. Featuring works
by Matthew Emery, Roydon Tse, Orlando
Gibbons and Natalie Wong. Church of the
Redeemer, 162 Bloor St. W. www.eventbrite.ca/e/human-strife-and-passion-tickets.
Adults: $30(online); $35(door); Youth:
$15(online); $20(door); Free(ages 12 and
under).
● 7:30: Chorus York. Voices of Spring. Mozart:
Missa Brevis in C K.259 and selected
madrigals, musicals, and folk Songs. Grace
Voices
of
Spring
May 10
chorusyork.ca
Quinsey, Alessia Naccarato, Nicholas Gough,
and Moji Abella, soloists; Chamber Orchestra;
Hannah Mok, accompanist. St. Mary’s Anglican
Church (Richmond Hill), 10030 Yonge
St., Richmond Hill. www.chorusyork.ca/concerts
or 905-884-7922. $25; Free(12 yr &
under with ID).
● 7:30: Milton Philharmonic Orchestra.
Modern Classics. Mozetich: Concerto
for Bassoon and Strings with Marimba; and
other works. Taran Massey-Singh, bassoon.
FirstOntario Arts Centre (Milton), 1010 Main
St., Milton. 905-875-5399. $30; $25; $15(st/
child).
● 7:30: Music at the Toronto Oratory. Complete
Organ Works of J. S. Bach, Part XV:
Music for Pentecost. Includes Toccata and
Fugue in F, Komm Heiliger Geist, and excerpts
from the Clavierubung, Part III. Aaron James,
organ. Holy Family Roman Catholic Church -
Oratory, 1372 King St. W. 416-532-2879. Free
admission. Donations accepted.
● 7:30: Orpheus Choir of Toronto. Mass
Transmission. Music for choir and fixed
electronics. Jocelyn Hagen: Hummingbird
(Canadian premiere); Mason Bates:
Mass Transmission. Grace Church on-the-
Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd. 416-420-9660 or
www.orpheuschoirtoronto.com or tickets@
orpheuschoirtoronto.com. $50; $40(sr 60+);
$25(st/arts workers).
● 7:30: Pax Christi Chorale. We Are Phoenix.
Timothy Takach: We Are Phoenix (Toronto
premiere). Odin Quartet; Joshua Tamayo,
piano; Elaine Choi, conductor. Eglinton St.
George’s United Church, 35 Lytton Blvd. Visit
www.paxchristichorale.org. $45; $40(sr);
$20(ages 19-35); $10(st 18 and under).
● 7:30: Stratford Symphony Orchestra.
HMS Mother’s Day. Enjoy your favourite
Gilbert and Sullivan selections, paired
with songs from Vaughan Williams, Delius,
Granger and Elgar - this promises to be an
extra special Mother’s Day! William Rowson,
conductor. Avondale United Church,
194 Avondale Ave., Stratford. 519-271-0990
or www.stratfordsymphony.ca/hms_mothers_day.
$50; $15(st); Free(under 12).
● 7:30: Toronto Chamber Choir. Dayspring
of Eternity: The Music of Johann Rudolph
Ahle. Celebrating the 400th anniversary of
his birth. Baroque strings, organ, and soloists
from the Toronto Chamber Consort. Calvin
Presbyterian Church, 26 Delisle Ave.
416-923-9030 or www.torontochamberchoir.
ca. From $5.
● 7:30: Unbridled Theatre Collective.
The Threepenny Opera. See May 8. Also
May 11(2pm), 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. Start time is
7:30pm unless otherwise indicated.
● 7:30: VOCA Chorus of Toronto. Carmina
Burana. Orff: Carmina Burana along with
works by Andrew Balfour, Brian Tate, Mark
Sirett, and others. Jenny Crober, music director
& conductor; Dakota Scott-Digout, piano.
Guests: Andrew Haji, tenor; Noelle Slaney,
soprano; Parker Clements, baritone; Shawn
Grenke, piano; Jamie Drake, Michelle Colton,
Richard Burrows, and Timothy Francom,
percussion. East End/Eastminster United
Church, 310 Danforth Ave. www.vocachorus.
ca/concerts or www.eventbrite.ca/e/vocachorus-of-toronto-carmina-burana-saturday-may-10-2025-tickets-1286995932479.
$35; $15(st).
● 8:00: Kindred Spirits Orchestra. Poems
We Are
Phoenix
Presenting the Toronto premiere of
Timothy Takach’s We are Phoenix.
Saturday, May 10, 2025, 7:30 pm
ESG United Church 35 LYTTON BLVD., TORONTO
TICKETS PAXCHRISTICHORALE.ORG
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 41

LIVE OR ONLINE | Apr 1 to Jun 7, 2024
and Portraits. Debussy: Prélude à l’aprèsmidi
d’un faune (Prelude to the Afternoon of a
Faun); Bartók: Piano Concerto No.1; Shostakovich:
Symphony No.7. Dmitri Levkovich, piano;
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 Dmitri Levkovich
and Daniel Vnukowski.
presents:
MAY 10, 8:00 PM
Charles Cozens, conductor
Isabel Bader Theatre
Tickets $35-45, www.gtpo.ca
● 8:00: Greater Toronto Philharmonic
Orchestra. Movie Magic. Pirates of the Caribbean,
Star Wars Suite, Selections from ET,
Harry Potter Suite, Cinema Paradiso, Theme
from Star Trek. Charles Cozens, conductor.
Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St. W. www.
gtpo.ca or 647-238-0015. From $32.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Eliades
Ochoa. 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 Symphony Orchestra.
Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique. See May 7.
Sunday May 11
● 2:00: Unbridled Theatre Collective. The
Threepenny Opera. See May 8. Also May 13,
14, 15, 16, 17. Start time is 7:30pm unless
otherwise indicated.
● 3:00: Gallery Players of Niagara. Music
From Earth and Beyond: Tom Allen and
Friends. Exploring the rhythm of the seasons,
the nature of time, and the mysteries
of the skies. Works by Caroline Lizotte, Piazzolla,
Pärt, and others. Tom Allen, story teller;
Sheila Jaffé, violin; Lori Gemmell, harp & guitar.
Silver Spire United Church, 366 St. Paul
St., St. Catharines. Call 905-468-1525 or
email info@galleryplayers.ca. From $10(Live);
$10(Virtual).
● 3:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
String Concerts: James Ehnes with Orion
Weiss. Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS
Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-
408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.
From $70.
SUNDAY 11 MAY AT 4
Choral Evensong
for King Charles III
followed by
WORDS & MUSIC FOR
ROYAL OCCASIONS
with St. Olave’s Arts Guild
● 4:00: St. Olave’s Anglican Church. Words
and Music for Royal Occasions. Opens with
Choral Evensong for King Charles III, a religious
service marking the second anniversary
of His Majesty’s Coronation followed
at 4:45pm by an illustrated feature with St.
Olave’s Arts Guild coordinated by Donna Morrison-Reed.
St. Olave’s Anglican Church,
360 Windermere Ave. www.YouTube.com/
StOlavesAnglicanChurch or 416-769-5686.
Contributions appreciated.
Monday May 12
● 7:30: Apocryphonia. Faignient: Music
and War in Antwerp 1568–1598. Music from
Renaissance Antwerp’s Golden Age including
works by Noë Faignient, Orlando Lassus,
Clemens non Papa, and others. Diapente Renaissance
Vocal Quintet: Jane Fingler, soprano;
Peter Koniers, countertenor; Jonathan
Stuchbery, tenor & theorbo; Alexander Cappellazzo,
tenor; Martin Gomes, bass; St. Basil’s
Schola Cantorum; John Paul Farahat,
director & organ. University of Toronto - St.
Michael’s College - St. Basil’s Church, 50 St.
Joseph St. www.apocryphonia.com/apocryphonia-concerts/.
Pay What You Want: Suggested
$30; $20(st).
● 8:00: Summerhill Orchestra. Vivaldi &
Bruch. Brahms: Symphony No.1 in c Op.68;
Bruch: Romanze for Viola Op.85. Sarah de
Niverville, viola; Sarah John, conductor. Calvin
Presbyterian Church, 26 Delisle Ave. 905-
808-9998. $50.
Tuesday May 13
● 12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation.
Lunchtime Chamber Music. Eleanor Song,
flute. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,
1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167 or www.yorkminsterpark.com.
Free. Donations welcome.
● 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday Organ
Recital. Joshua Duncan Lee, organ. Cathedral
Church of St. James, 106 King St. E. 416-364-
7865 or www.stjamescathedral.ca/recitals.
Free. Donations encouraged.
● 7:30: Unbridled Theatre Collective. The
Threepenny Opera. See May 8. Also May 14,
15, 16, 17. Start time is 7:30pm unless otherwise
indicated.
● 8:00: Massey Hall. Nils Frahm.
178 Victoria St. 416-872-4255 or www.ticketmaster.ca.
From $54.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Pops: La Vida Loca. Jackie Mendez, vocalist;
Ender Thomas, vocalist; Jose Sibaja, trumpet;
Luisito Quintero, percussion; Enrico
Lopez-Yañez, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca.
From $62. Also May 14(2pm & 8pm).
Wednesday May 14
● 7:00: Upper Canada Choristers/Cantemos.
Choral Workshop. Workshop ends
at 9:30pm. Workshop for the Upper Canada
Choristers, Cantemos, and La Petite Musicale.
Other choirs and choristers are invited
to attend. César Alejandro Carrillo, workshop
presenter. Grace Church on-the-Hill,
300 Lonsdale Rd. Registration via Eventbrite
at www.bit.ly/43xr4hl. $50. Includes a ticket
to the May 16 performance.
● 7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Wozzeck.
See Apr 25. Also May 16. At 7:30pm unless
otherwise noted.
● 7:30: Unbridled Theatre Collective. The
Threepenny Opera. See May 8. Also May 15,
16, 17. Start time is 7:30pm unless otherwise
indicated.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Pops: La Vida Loca. Jackie Mendez, vocalist;
Ender Thomas, vocalist; Jose Sibaja, trumpet;
Luisito Quintero, percussion; Enrico
Lopez-Yañez, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca.
From $62. Also May 13(8pm), 14(2pm).
Thursday May 15
● 12:00 noon: Metropolitan United Church.
Vocal Concert. Alexander Cappellazzo, tenor.
Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. E.
416-363-0331 x226. Freewill donation.
● 7:30: Bravo Niagara! Festival of the Arts.
Samara Joy. Central Niagara, 680 York Rd.,
Niagara-on-the-Lake. www.bravoniagara.
org or www.admitone.com. From $30.
● 7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Eugene
Onegin. See May 2. Also May 17, 24(4:30pm).
At 7:30pm unless otherwise noted.
● 7:30: Unbridled Theatre Collective. The
Threepenny Opera. See May 8. Also May 16,
17. Start time is 7:30pm unless otherwise
indicated.
● 8:00: Massey Hall. Classic Albums Live:
Michael Jackson - Thriller. 178 Victoria St.
416-872-4255 or www.tickets.mhrth.com.
From $52.
● 8:00: Roy Thomson Hall. Alessia Cara.
60 Simcoe St. www.tickets.mhrth.com. $256.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Rhiannon Giddens & The Old-Time Revue.
Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS Centre -
Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208
or www.rcmusic.com/performance. From
$80. Also May 16.
Friday May 16
● 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Noontime
Recital. Laura Nashman, flute. St. Andrew’s
Presbyterian Church, 73 Simcoe St. 416-593-
5600 x220 or www.standrewstoronto.org.
Free. Donations welcome.
● 7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Wozzeck.
See Apr 25.
● 7:30: Kashamara Productions. Marvel
Studio’s Infinity Saga Concert Experience.
Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Sarah Hicks,
conductor. Meridian Hall, 1 Front St. E. www.
ticketmaster.ca. From $101. Also May 17.
● 7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Beethoven’s Fifth with the National Arts
Centre Orchestra. Keiko Devaux: Listening
Underwater; Mozart: Piano Concerto No.22
in E-flat K.482; Beethoven: Symphony No.5 in
c Op.67. Yeol Eum Son, piano; National Arts
Centre Orchestra; Alexander Shelley, conductor.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-
598-3375 or www.tso.ca. From $67.
● 7:30: Unbridled Theatre Collective.
The Threepenny Opera. See May 8. Also
May 17. Start time is 7:30pm unless otherwise
indicated.
● 7:30: Upper Canada Choristers/Cantemos.
Venezuela Viva: A Celebration of
Venezuelan Choral Music. Highlighting elements
of vibrant African, Spanish, Caribbean,
and Indigenous cultural influences in the
music of Venezuela and neighbouring Trinidad
and Tobago. César Alejandro Carrillo:
Missa sine nomine; César Alejandro Carrillo:
El pajaro que espero (The Bird I Await); César
Alejandro Carrillo: La rosa de los vientos (The
Wind Rose); Pedro Elías Gutiérrez: Alma llanera
(Soul of the Plains). Guest artists: La
Petite Musicale of Toronto (Lindy Burgess,
director); César Alejandro Carrillo, composer;
Laura Morales Balza, poet. Upper Canada
Choristers; Cantemos; Hye Won (Cecilia)
Lee, piano; Laurie Evan Fraser, conductor.
Grace Church on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd.
www.uppercanadachoristers.org or info@
uppercanadachoristers.org. $40; Free(under
16 when accompanied by an adult). LIVE &
STREAMED.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Rhiannon Giddens & The Old-Time Revue.
Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS Centre -
Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208
or www.rcmusic.com/performance. From
$80. Also May 15.
● 8:00: Vesuvius Ensemble. Le Tarantelle:
Spiders’ Night! Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton
Ave. www.bemusednetwork.com/events/
detail/1029. $40.
Saturday May 17
● 3:00: 5 at the First Chamber Concerts.
Sextet Extravaganza XIII. Yolanda Bruno &
Csaba Koczo, violins; Caitlin Boyle & Theresa
Rudolph, violas; Rachel Desoer & Rachel Mercer,
cellos. First Unitarian Church of Hamilton,
170 Dundurn St. S., Hamilton. https://
www.universe.com/events/sextet-extravaganza-xiii-tickets-5TCRZH.
$20; $15(sr); $(st/
unwaged); Free(under 12).
● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Chicago Brass Quintet. Works
by Piazzolla, Copland, and others. Trillium
Lutheran Church, 22 Willow St., Waterloo.
www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms. $50; $10(st).
● 7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Eugene
Onegin. See May 2. Also May 24(4:30pm). At
7:30pm unless otherwise noted.
● 7:30: Kashamara Productions. Marvel
Studio’s Infinity Saga Concert Experience.
Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Sarah Hicks,
conductor. Meridian Hall, 1 Front St. E. www.
ticketmaster.ca. From $101. Also May 16.
● 7:30: Unbridled Theatre Collective. The
Threepenny Opera. See May 8.
Sunday May 18
● 2:00: Heliconian Hall. Raise the Roof! A
fundraising concert to replace the Heliconian
42 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

Hall Roof. Kye Marshall, cello; Dan Ionescu,
guitar. 35 Hazelton Ave. www.torontoheliconianclub.wildapricot.org/event-6116746.
From $35.
● 3:00: Arkel Chamber Concerts. Under
a Veil of Stars. Schubert: Piano Trio No.2 in
E-flat for piano, violin, and cello D.929; Kevin
Lau: Piano Trio. Guest artist: Philip Chiu,
piano. Marie Bérard, violin; Winona Zelenka,
cello. Trinity St. Paul’s United Church. Jeanne
Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. www.eventbrite.
ca or admin@arkelchamberconcerts.com or
647-229-6918. $40.
● 7:00: One-of-a-Kind Concerts. Piazzolla
& Tango. An homage to the Argentinian
composer Astor Piazzolla. Argentinian
tango dancers; Catherine Sulem, violin;
Janusz Borowiec, cello; Maya Vasserman,
piano; Alina Grunina, guitar; Boris Thlobushevsky,
piano. Lawrence Park Community
Church, 2180 Bayview Ave. 416-357-8345
or www.eventbrite.ca/e/piazzolla-tango-tickets-1246368193819.
$40.
● 8:00: Massey Hall. Samara Joy.
178 Victoria St. 416-872-4255 or www.tickets.
mhrth.com. From $76.
Tuesday May 20
● 12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation.
Lunchtime Chamber Music: Ragtime! Angus
Sinclair, piano and Autumn Debassige, mezzo.
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge
St. 416-922-1167 or www.yorkminsterpark.
com. Free. Donations welcome.
● 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday Organ
Recital. Ying Qan, organ. Cathedral Church
of St. James, 106 King St. E. 416-364-7865
or www.stjamescathedral.ca/recitals. Free.
Donations encouraged.
Wednesday May 21
● 7:00: Toronto Chamber Choir. Spring
Fundraiser: A Mysterious Teen Prodigy - The
Music of Maria Francesca Nascinbeni. Heliconian
Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 416-923-9030 or
www.torontochamberchoir.ca. Free admission.
RSVP required.
● 8:00: TD Music Hall. Amanda Rheaume.
178 Victoria St. www.tickets.mhrth.com.
$34.50.
Thursday May 22
● 12:00 noon: Metropolitan United Church.
Vocal Concert. Michelle Simmons, mezzo.
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. Martin: Trio on Irish Folktunes;
Chausson: Trio in g; Beethoven: Piano Trio in
B-flat Op.97 “Archduke 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).
NEW DATE.
● 7:00: SweetWater Music Festival. Philip
Chiu & Friends. Chabrier: Bourrée fantasque;
Debussy: La soirée dans Grenade; Ginastera:
Sonata No.1; Schumann: Piano Quintet in E-flat
Op.44. Philip Chiu, piano; Edwin Huizinga, violin;
Sheila Jaffé, violin; Keith Hamm, viola; Julie
Hereish, cello. L.E. Shore Memorial Library
(The Blue Mountains Public Library), 173 Bruce
St. S., Thornbury. www.eventbrite.ca/e/
sweetwater-presents-philip-chiu-and-friendstickets.
General admission: $45.
● 7:00: Estonian Music Week. Launch Party.
Mix and mingle with your friends and fellow
community members, VIP guests as you
enjoy appetizers and an open bar. Say hello
to the artists and get a taste of the festival
programming all set against the backdrop
of the magnificent ROM. Gardiner Museum,
111 Queen’s Park. www.piletikeskus.ee/en/
select-ticket/5wghbh. From $95.
● 7:00: TD Music Hall. Four Chords and the
Truth. 178 Victoria St. www.tickets.mhrth.
com. $40.
● 7:30: Against the Grain Theatre. Identity:
A Song Cycle. Music by Dinuk Wijeratne.
Poetry by Shauntay Grant. Elliot Madore, baritone;
Nick Halley, percussion; Tyler Emond,
bass; Joel Ivany, stage director. El Mocambo,
464 Spadina Ave. www.atgtheatre.com/
upcoming/identity-song-cycle. From $20.
Also May 23 & 24.
● 7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Film
With Live Orchestra - Star Wars: The Empire
Strikes Back in Concert. John Williams: Star
Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.
Nicholas Buc, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca.
From $55. Also May 23(7:30pm), 24(7:30pm),
25(2pm).
● 8:00: Centre in the Square. Jeans ‘N
Classics: An Evening of Pink Floyd – The Wall
& Dark Side of the Moon. 101 Queen St. N.,
Kitchener. 519-578-1570 or www.centreinthesquare.com.
From $39.50.
● 8:00: Massey Hall. Chilliwack. 178 Victoria
St. 416-872-4255 or www.tickets.mhrth.com.
From $53.
Friday May 23
● 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Noontime
Recital. Romance of the Violin. Works by Falla,
Rachmaninoff, and Beethoven. Andrew Sords,
violin; Cheryl Duvall, piano. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian
Church, 73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600
x220 or www.standrewstoronto.org. Free.
Donations welcome.
● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Chamber Music Concert.
Details to be announced. First United Church,
16 William St. W., Waterloo. www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms.
$25; $10(st).
● 7:00: SweetWater Music Festival. Sweet-
Water Springtime Live. Sarah Slean: John
Pippy; Lekeu: Piano Quartet; Schumann:
Piano Quintet in E-flat Op.44; and other
works. Historic Leith Church, 419498 Tom
Thomson Ln., Leith. www.eventbrite.ca/e/
sweetwater-springtime-live-at-leith-churchtickets.
$45.
● 7:30: Against the Grain Theatre. Identity:
A Song Cycle. Music by Dinuk Wijeratne.
Poetry by Shauntay Grant. Elliot Madore, baritone;
Nick Halley, percussion; Tyler Emond,
bass; Joel Ivany, stage director. El Mocambo,
464 Spadina Ave. www.atgtheatre.com/
upcoming/identity-song-cycle. From $20.
Also May 22 & 24.
● 7:30: Avenue Road Music & Performance
Academy. Marbin Matinees Series:
Chopin, Schubert, and Pletnev. Chopin:
Four Mazurkas Op.30; Tchaikovsky: Suite
from The Nutcracker (arr. Mikhail Pletnev);
and works by Schubert. Maxime Alberti,
piano. Avenue Road Music and Performance
Academy - Gordon Lightfoot Concert
Hall, 460 Avenue Rd. www.avenueroadmusic.
com/events/2025/05/23/chopin-shubertand-pletnev-maxime-alberti-piano-marbin-fridays-series.
Register online for free
admission. Reception to follow.
● 7:30: Guelph Musicfest 2025. Bénédicte
Lauzière, Violin & Ken Gee, Piano. Opening
concert of the 2025 five-concert series
on consecutive Friday evenings. Tchaikovsky:
Mélodie in E-flat Op.42; Amy Beach: Violin
Sonata Op.34; Debussy: Clair de lune
(arr. Roelens); Brahms: Violin Sonata No.2
in A Op.100; Chopin: Nocturne in c-sharp
(arr. Milstein). Bénédicte Lauzière, violin;
Ken Gee, piano. Guelph Youth Music Centre,
75 Cardigan St., Guelph. Visit www.guelphmusicfest.ca
or 519-993-7591. From $25.
● 7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Film
With Live Orchestra - Star Wars: The Empire
Strikes Back in Concert. John Williams: Star
Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.
Nicholas Buc, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca.
From $55. Also May 22(7:30pm), 24(7:30pm),
25(2pm).
SAMUEL
MARIÑO
AT THE
OPERA
Bologne
& Mozart
Directed by Julia Wedman
MAY 23–25
Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre
for Performance and Learning
tafelmusik.org
● 8:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Samuel Mariño at the Opera: Bologne & Mozart.
Considered the world’s rarest voice type,
the male soprano sound defies categorization.
Opera arias & orchestral sinfonias by
Mozart, Bologne, Salieri, Haydn & Gluck. Julia
Wedman, director; Samuel Mariño, soprano
soloist. Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS
Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-
408-0208 or www.tafelmusik.org. $47-$134.
Also May 24 & 25.
● 8:00: Estonian Music Week. Curly Strings,
The Crosslegs, Les Rats d’Swompe. Mix and
mingle with your friends and fellow community
members, VIP guests as you enjoy appetizers
and an open bar. Say hello to the artists and
get a taste of the festival programming all set
against the backdrop of the magnificent ROM.
Revival Bar, 783 College St. www.piletikeskus.
ee/en/select-ticket/wtt9ty. From $27.
● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Jazz Lounge: Fifth
Element. 21 Old Mill Rd. 416-207-2020 or
www.oldmilltoronto.com. $20 cover. Minimum
$30 food & beverage spend. Restricted
to ages 19+. Dinner reservations open at
6pm. Show at 8pm.
● 11:30: Estonian Music Week. EMW Official
Afterparty: Dumai Dunai. Drom Taberna,
458 Queen St. W. Tickets at the door. .
Saturday May 24
● 2:00: Estonian Music Week. Estonian
Voices & Countermeasure. A cappella jazz
innovators blending folk, pop, and jazz into
ethereal vocal harmonies. Innis Town Hall,
2 Sussex Ave. www.sviby.com/en/e/152jk0.
$29.79; $19.29(st).
● 4:00: The Edison Singers. Choral Mystics.
Works by Palestrina, Byrd, Ešenvalds,
Whitacre, and Arvo Pärt. St. Mark’s Anglican
Church, 41 Byron St., Niagara-on-the-Lake.
226-384-9300 or www.theedisonsingers.
com/performances/. $45; $20(ages 13-21);
$10(ages 12 & under). 80 minutes. No intermission.
Also May 31(Church of St. Peter and
St. Simon-the-Apostle, Toronto), Jun 1(Basilica
of Our Lady Immaculate, Guelph).
● 4:30: Canadian Opera Company. Eugene
Onegin. See May 2.
● 7:00: Estonian Music Week. Tuulikki Bartosik
x Sander Mölder, Caracol. Sculptors of
folktronic soundscapes. St. Anne’s Parish
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 43

LIVE OR ONLINE | Apr 1 to Jun 7, 2024
Hall, 651 Dufferin St. www.sviby.com/en/e/
f4jx1j. $26.79; $16.79(st).
● 7:30: Against the Grain Theatre. Identity:
A Song Cycle. Music by Dinuk Wijeratne.
Poetry by Shauntay Grant. Elliot Madore, baritone;
Nick Halley, percussion; Tyler Emond,
bass; Joel Ivany, stage director. El Mocambo,
464 Spadina Ave. www.atgtheatre.com/
upcoming/identity-song-cycle. From $20.
Also May 22 & 23.
● 7:30: Jubilate Singers. Treasures: Jubilate
Favourites. Works by Mendelssohn, Lauridsen,
Powell, Robinovitch, and others.
Isabel Bernaus, conductor. Calvin Presbyterian
Church, 26 Delisle Ave. 416-485-1988 or
www.jubilatesingers.ca. $35; $25(sr); $15(st/
arts workers).
● 7:30: Music at the Toronto Oratory. Complete
Organ Works of J. S. Bach, Part XVI:
Bach Answers His Critics. Includes “St. Anne”
Prelude and Fugue in E-flat and chorale preludes
from the Clavierubung, Part III. Aaron
James, organ. Holy Family Roman Catholic
Church - Oratory, 1372 King St. W. 416-532-
2879. Free admission. Donations accepted.
● 7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Film
With Live Orchestra - Star Wars: The Empire
Strikes Back in Concert. John Williams: Star
Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.
Nicholas Buc, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca.
From $55. Also May 22(7:30pm), 23(7:30pm),
25(2pm).
● 8:00: Acoustic Harvest. The Healing Garden
Fundraiser for MacKenzie Health. The
Laws; James Gordon; Katherine Wheatley,. 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: Cathedral Bluffs Symphony
Orchestra. Pictures at an Exhibition. Verdi:
Overture to La forza del destino; Ian Cusson:
Jubilate
singers
Isabel Bernaus
conductor
Treasures
JuBIlAte FAvourIteS
MenD elSSohn
lAurIDSen
Powell
r o BInovI t C h
Calvin Presbyterian
Church 26 Delisle Ave
Sat May 24 7:30 pm
jubilatesingers.ca
Tableau Vivant; Gliere: Horn Concerto; Mussorgsky-Ravel:
Pictures at an Exhibition.
Samir Abd-Elmessih, horn; Martin MacDonald,
conductor & music director. P.C. Ho Theatre,
Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater
Toronto, 5183 Sheppard Ave. E., Scarborough.
416-879-5566 or www.cathedralbluffs.
com. From $25; Free(ages 12 & under).
● 8:00: Mississauga Symphony Orchestra.
Masterworks - Symphonic Grandeur. Mozart:
Violin Concerto No. 5; Shostakovich: Symphony
No. 5. Guest Artist: Corey Gemmell,
Violin. Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts Dr.,
Mississauga. 905-306-6000. Tickets start at
$40. Visit livingartscentre.ca for tickets.
● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Dining & Dancing
Series: The British Legends Featuring David
Bowie, Mick Jagger, Elton John, Rod Stewart,
and Freddie Mercury. 21 Old Mill Rd. 416-
207-2020 or www.oldmilltoronto.com. From
$15. Minimum $30 food & beverage spend.
Restricted to ages 19+. Dinner reservations
open at 6pm. Show at 8pm.
● 8:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Samuel Mariño at the Opera: Bologne & Mozart.
See May 23. Also May 25.
● 8:00: TD Music Hall. Indigenous Grooves
2025. 178 Victoria St. www.tickets.mhrth.
com. Visit website for ticket information.
● 11:00: Estonian Music Week. Mart Avi.
St. Anne’s Parish Hall, 651 Dufferin St. www.
piletikeskus.ee/en/select-ticket/17kt6s. $20.
Sunday May 25
● 2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Film
With Live Orchestra - Star Wars: The Empire
Strikes Back in Concert. John Williams: Star
Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.
Nicholas Buc, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca.
From $55. Also May 22(7:30pm), 23(7:30pm),
24(7:30pm).
● 2:30: Music at St. Matthew’s. Poetry and
Force. Anton Yeretsky, violin; Maria Dolnycky,
piano. St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Islington,
3962 Bloor St. W., Etobicoke. 416-231-
4014. Pay What You Can. $20 recommended.
Tickets only available at the door.
● 3:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Samuel Mariño at the Opera: Bologne & Mozart.
See May 23.
● 4:00: Wychwood Clarinet Choir. From
Britain to Canada. Vaughan Williams (arr.
Greaves): Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus;
James Rae (arr. Greaves): Southwold
Sonatina; Peterson (arr. Macdonald): Hymn
to Freedom; Greaves: Canadian Folksong
Suite; Macdonald: Haida Nation Suite; Beverley
McKiver: New commissioned work. Guest:
Deborah Brown, harp. Michele Jacot, conductor
and solo clarinet. St. Michael and All
Angels Anglican Church, 611 St. Clair Ave. W.
www.wychwoodclarinetchoir.ca. $25; $15(sr/
st) or Pay What You Can.
● 4:00: Estonian Music Week. Ensemble U.
A groundbreaking concert by leading contemporary
music ensemble featuring an
augmented reality enhanced cosmic journey
set to the music of Canadian-Estonian
composer Udo Kasemets. Venue to be confirmed.
www.sviby.com/en/e/x0h4aw. $35;
$25(st).
● 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber
Music Society. Piano Recital. Bach: Fantasy
and Fugue in a BWV 944; Beethoven: “Waldstein”
Sonata Op. 53 and Andante Favori,
WoO 57 (original slow movement); Schubert:
Hūttenbrenner Variations D.576; Brahms:
4 Klavierstücke Op.119. Peter Vinograde,
piano. First United Church, 16 William St. W.,
Waterloo. www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms. $35;
$10(st).
● 7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club. Alan Reid.
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: Estonian Music Week. Vox Clamantis.
Works by Arvo Pärt, Veljo Tormis, and
others. Vox Clamantis, choir; Estonian Voices;
Countemeasure; and other artists. Trinity St.
Paul’s United Church and Centre for Faith,
Justice and the Arts, 427 Bloor St. W. www.
sviby.com/en/e/mom57b. From $44.
● 8:00: Massey Hall. Guy Manoukian: World
Tour 2025. 178 Victoria St. 416-872-4255 or
www.ticketmaster.ca. From $66.
Monday May 26
● 6:00: Toronto Reference Library. Cold
Glitter: The Untold Story of Canadian Glam.
Join us for a book launch and panel discussion
on the history of glam music in Canada.
Host Robert Dayton will reveal mind-blowing
stories of musicians trapped by geography,
colonial mindsets, and the difficulties of penetrating
the cultural behemoth that is the
United States. A panel discussion will follow
featuring local glam rock veterans Edmund
Pilling (Fludd), and Robert Swartz (Lynx), and
Robbie Rox. Toronto Public Library - Toronto
Reference Library, Beeton Hall (1st Floor),
789 Yonge St. For information, call the Arts
Department at 416-393-7157. Free. No registration
required.
Tuesday May 27
● 12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation.
Lunchtime Chamber Music. Xuan He & Saehae
Bae, piano 4-hands. Yorkminster Park
Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167
or www.yorkminsterpark.com. Free. Donations
welcome.
● 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday Organ
Recital. Derrick Meador, organ. Cathedral
Church of St. James, 106 King St. E. 416-364-
7865 or www.stjamescathedral.ca/recitals.
Free. Donations encouraged.
● 8:00: Massey Hall. Paul Simon: A Quiet
Celebration. 178 Victoria St. 416-872-4255
or www.ticketmaster.ca. From $400. Also
May 29 & 30.
Wednesday May 28
● 6:45: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. TSO
Chamber Soloists. Stewart Goodyear: Introduction
and Rondo Capriccioso; Stewart
Goodyear: Piano Quartet. Stewart Goodyear,
piano; Eri Kosaka, violin; Ashley Vandiver,
viola; Emmanuelle Beaulieu Bergeron, cello.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-
3375 or www.tso.ca. Available with the purchase
of a ticket to the May 28 Masterworks
concert.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Beethoven’s Eroica. Arvo Pärt: Cantus in
Memory of Benjamin Britten; Stewart Goodyear:
Callaloo - A Caribbean Suite for Piano
and Orchestra; Beethoven: Symphony No.3
in E-flat Op.55 “Eroica”. Stewart Goodyear,
piano; Kristiina Poska, conductor. Roy Thomson
Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or
www.tso.ca. From $36. Also May 30(7:30pm)
& 31(8pm).
Thursday May 29
● 12:00 noon: Metropolitan United Church.
Vocal Concert. Noelle Slaney, soprano.
Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. E.
416-363-0331 x226. Freewill donation.
● 7:30: Arraymusic. Cascading Creativity
Modifies Conception. Featuring new works
by Morgan-Paige Melbourne, Maria-Eduarda
Mendes Martins, Pouya Hamidi, and Eldritch
Priest. Casey Sokol, grand piano; Nobuo
Kubota, sound singing; Paul Dutton, sound
singing; John Oswald, alto saxophone; Jacobus
Kamevaar, electronics. Array Space,
155 Walnut Ave. generaldirector@arraymusic.ca.
Email for ticket information. Also
Mar 27, Apr 24, Jun 26.
● 8:00: Grand Theatre. Jeans ‘n Classics
– The Who and Led Zeppelin. Grand Theatre
(London), 471 Richmond St., London. 519-
672-8800. $86-$98. Visit grandtheatre.com
for tickets.
● 8:00: Massey Hall. Paul Simon: A Quiet
Celebration. 178 Victoria St. 416-872-4255
or www.ticketmaster.ca. From $400. Also
May 27 & 30.
Friday May 30
● 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Noontime
Recital. Stephanie Chua, piano; Colin Savage,
clarinet; Mary-Katherine Finch, cello. St.
Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 73 Simcoe St.
416-593-5600 x220 or www.standrewstoronto.org.
Free. Donations welcome.
● 7:30: Canadian Children’s Opera Company.
The Monkiest King. Music by Alice Ping
Yee Ho. Libretto by Marjorie Chan. William
Yong, stage director; Teri Dunn, conductor &
music director. Harbourfront Centre Theatre,
235 Queens Quay W. www.harbourfrontcentre.com/event/the-monkiest-king.
From
$27. Also May 31(3pm & 7:30pm), Jun 1(3pm).
● 7:30: Guelph Musicfest 2025. Festival
Trio. Haydn: Piano Trio No.35 in C Hob.
XV:21; Pál Hermann: Suite for solo violin;
Falla: Suite populaire espagnole, for cello
& piano; Shostakovich: Piano Trio No.2 in e
Op.67. Sadie Fields, violin; Paul Pulford, cello;
Ken Gee, piano. Guelph Youth Music Centre,
75 Cardigan St., Guelph. Visit www.guelphmusicfest.ca
or 519-993-7591. From $25.
Also Jun 1(3:30pm) at Grace United Church,
44 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

Thornbury.
● 7:30: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
Video Games Live. Bryan Deans, guest conductor.
FirstOntario Concert Hall - Boris Brott
Great Hall, 1 Summers Ln., Hamilton. www.
hpo.org/video-games-live-hpo. From $20.
● 7:30: Toronto Bandura Festival. Bandura
on Bloor 2025 Concert Series. Mariia Smolinska,
bandura; DIVKA, bandura & viola. Royal
York Road United Church, 851 Royal York Rd.
416-845-2691 or www.torontobandurafestival.ca.
$35; $25(Early Bird); $30(sr & under
30); Free(under 12). All net proceeds from
this concert will be donated to the Canada-
Ukraine Foundation.
● 7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Beethoven’s Eroica. See May 28. Also
May 31(8pm).
● 8:00: Massey Hall. Paul Simon: A Quiet
Celebration. 178 Victoria St. 416-872-4255
or www.ticketmaster.ca. From $400. Also
May 27 & 29.
● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Jazz Lounge: Alex
Pangman. 21 Old Mill Rd. 416-207-2020 or
www.oldmilltoronto.com. $20 cover. Minimum
$30 food & beverage spend. Restricted
to ages 19+. Dinner reservations open at
6pm. Show at 8pm.
● 8:00: Toronto Bach Festival. Brandenburg
Reimagined. Brandenburg Concerto
No.12, after BWV 163, 80, and 18; Concerto in
F for Harpsichord BWV 1057 (Bach’s adaptation
of Brandenburg 4); Concerto in g for Violin
and Strings, after BWV 1056; Brandenburg
Concerto No.6 BWV 1051. Julia Wedman, violin;
Patrick Jordan, viola; Matt Antal, viola;
Christopher Bagan, harpsichord; The Toronto
Bach Festival Orchestra. East End/Eastminster
United Church, 310 Danforth Ave. www.
torontobachfestival.org/2025-festival. Visit
website for tickets and information.
Saturday May 31
● 11:00am: TYT Theatre. A Year With
Frog and Toad. Music by Robert and Willie
Reale. 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.
Every Sat & Sun from May 31-Jul 13 at
11am & 3:30pm.
● 12:00 noon: Toronto Bach Festival. Bach’s
Keyboard. Including works for lute and
harpsichord,including Prelude, Fugue, and
Allegro, BWV 998 and Sonata for oboe and
harpsichord, BWV 1030a. Dongsok Shin,
lautenwerk. East End/Eastminster United
Church, 310 Danforth Ave. www.torontobachfestival.org/2025-festival.
Visit website for
tickets and information.
● 2:00: Gallery Players of Niagara.
Declassified. 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. Leanne Vida,
soprano; Karlie Boyle, viola; Annie Slade, violin;
Ian Slade, double bass. Thorold Senior Citizen’s
Centre, 8 Carleton St. S., Thorold. Call
905-468-1525 or email Margaret at info@galleryplayers.ca.
Free.
● 3:00: Canadian Children’s Opera Company.
The Monkiest King. See May 30. Also
May 31(7:30pm), Jun 1(3pm).
● 4:00: Toronto Bach Festival. Kaffeehaus.
Directed by John Abberger. Programme to
include Chaconne from Violin Partita No.2
BWV 1002 (arr. Jeanne Lamon); Wedding
Cantata BWV 202. R.H. Thomson, actor; B
Solomon, dancer; Mariana Medellín Canales,
dancer; Sinéad White, soprano; The Toronto
Bach Festival Orchestra. Special guests: Students
from the Collegium Musicum, University
of Toronto. Church of the Holy Trinity,
19 Trinity Sq. www.torontobachfestival.
org/2025-festival. Visit website for tickets
and information. Also 8pm.
● 4:00: The Edison Singers. Choral Mystics.
Works by Palestrina, Byrd, Ešenvalds,
Whitacre, and Arvo Pärt. Church of St. Peter
and St. Simon-the-Apostle, 525 Bloor St. E.
226-384-9300 or www.theedisonsingers.
com/performances/. $45; $20(ages 13-21);
$10(ages 12 & under). 80 minutes. No intermission.
Also May 24(St. Mark’s Anglican
Church, Niagara-on-the-Lake), Jun 1(Basilica
of Our Lady Immaculate, Guelph).
● 7:00: Associated Male Choruses of
Ontario (AMCO). You Have Voice-Male! Six
male choirs in concert, each featuring their
own solo numbers. Burlington Performing
Arts Centre - Main Theatre, 440 Locust St.,
Burlington. www.burlingtonpac.ca/events/
you-have-voice-male. $35; $20(ages 11-18);
Free(ages 10 & under). Early Bird discount
until Mar 31.
● 7:30: Bach Elgar Choir. Martin and
Brahms. Frank Martin: Mass for Double
Choir; Brahms: Zigeunerlieder. Melrose
United Church, 86 Homewood Ave., Hamilton.
416-888-8249 or www.bachelgar.ca/
events. Visit website for ticket information.
Also Jun 1(3pm).
● 7:30: Canadian Children’s Opera Company.
The Monkiest King. See May 30. Also
Jun 1 (3pm).
● 7:30: The Annex Singers. Sing, Pray,
Love! A light-hearted cabaret-style concert
with selections from Hildegard von Bingen
to The Spice Girls. Maria Case, artistic director.
Grace Church on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale
Rd. www.annexsingers.com. From $15. LIVE
& STREAMED.
● 8:00: Bravo Niagara! Festival of the
Arts. Tony Siqi Yun, Piano. Stratus Vineyards,
2059 Niagara Stone Rd., Niagara-on-the-
Lake. www.bravoniagara.org or www.admitone.com.
From $30.
● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Dining & Dancing
Series: Neil Diamond and Tom Jones Tribute
Show. 21 Old Mill Rd. 416-207-2020 or www.
oldmilltoronto.com. From $15. Minimum $30
food & beverage spend. Restricted to ages
19+. Dinner reservations open at 6pm. Show
at 8pm.
● 8:00: SING! In Concert Presents. Sound-
Crowd & Deke Sharon. Toronto’s a cappella
ensemble with the “Pitch Perfect” music
director in concert! Isabel Bader Theatre,
93 Charles St. W. www.singtoronto.tickit.ca/
events/27976. $45.
● 8:00: Toronto Bach Festival. Kaffeehaus.
Directed by John Abberger. Programme to
include Chaconne from Violin Partita No.2
BWV 1002 (arr. Jeanne Lamon); Wedding
Cantata BWV 202. R.H. Thomson, actor; B
Solomon, dancer; Mariana Medellín Canales,
dancer; Sinéad White, soprano; The Toronto
Bach Festival Orchestra. Special guests: Students
from the Collegium Musicum, University
of Toronto. Church of the Holy Trinity,
19 Trinity Sq. www.torontobachfestival.
org/2025-festival. Visit website for tickets
and information. Also 4pm.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Beethoven’s Eroica. Arvo Pärt: Cantus in
Memory of Benjamin Britten; Stewart Goodyear:
Callaloo - A Caribbean Suite for Piano
and Orchestra; Beethoven: Symphony No.3
in E-flat Op.55 “Eroica”. Stewart Goodyear,
piano; Kristiina Poska, conductor. Roy Thomson
Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or
www.tso.ca. From $36. Also May 28(8pm) &
30(7:30pm).
● 8:00: Voices Chamber Choir. From Psalm
to Songs: A Journey through Songs Sacred
and Secular. Brahms: Geistliches Lied Op.30;
John Rutter: Five Childhood Lyrics; and other
works. 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).
Sunday June 1
● 12:00 noon: Toronto Bach Festival. Lecture:
St. John Passion BWV 245.2. Presented
by John Butt. The annual lecture will examine
and illuminate Bach’s creative process as he
revised this great work, which survives in no
fewer than four distinct versions. East End/
Eastminster United Church, 310 Danforth
Ave. www.torontobachfestival.org/2025-festival.
Visit website for tickets and information.
● 2:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra. Symphonie
Fantastique. Saint-Saëns: Bacchanale
from Samson et Dalila; Wijeratne: Tabla
Concerto; Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique
(Fantastic Symphony). Gabriel Dionne, tabla.
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).
● 2:30: VIVA Singers Toronto. Metamorphosis.
Featuring all 7 VIVA Singers Toronto
choirs, plus a special alumni choir, and guest
artists Amiel Ang, percussion, and Tatsuki
Shimoda, recorder. Trinity St. Paul’s United
Church. Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W.
416-788-8482. $30.
● 3:00: Bach Elgar Choir. Martin and
Brahms. Frank Martin: Mass for Double
Choir; Brahms: Zigeunerlieder. Melrose
United Church, 86 Homewood Ave., Hamilton.
416-888-8249 or www.bachelgar.ca/
events. Visit website for ticket information.
Also May 31(7:30pm).
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 45

LIVE OR ONLINE | Apr 1 to Jun 7, 2024
● 3:00: Canadian Children’s Opera Company.
The Monkiest King. See May 30.
● 3:00: Magisterra Soloists. Magisterra at
the Museum: Musical Jokes. Dohnányi: Sextet
in C for piano, violin, viola, cello, clarinet
and horn Op.37 and works by Satie, Mozart,
and others. Guests: Cordula Hacke, piano;
Peter Shackleton, clarinet; Ron George, horn.
Museum London, 421 Ridout St. N., London.
www.magisterra.com. $35; $30(sr); $15(st);
$10(under 10).
● 3:00: Toronto Bach Festival. St. John Passion.
Directed by John Butt. St. John Passion
BWV 245.2 (1725 version). Ellen McAteer
and Sinéad White, sopranos; Daniel Taylor
and Nicholas Burns, altos; Charles Daniels
and Shane Hanson, tenors; Jonathan
Woody and Jesse Blumberg, basses; The
Toronto Bach Festival Orchestra. East End/
Eastminster United Church, 310 Danforth
Ave. www.torontobachfestival.org/2025-festival.
Visit website for tickets and information.
Also 4pm.
● 3:30: Guelph Musicfest 2025. Festival
Trio. Haydn: Piano Trio No.35 in C Hob.
XV:21; Pál Hermann: Suite for solo violin; Falla:
Suite populaire espagnole, for cello & piano;
Shostakovich: Piano Trio No.2 in e Op.67.
Sadie Fields, violin; Paul Pulford, cello; Ken
Gee, piano. Grace United Church, 140 Bruce
St. S., Thornbury. Visit www.guelphmusicfest.ca
or 519-993-7591. From $25. Also
May 30(7:30pm) at Guelph Youth Music
Centre.
● 4:00: The Edison Singers. Choral Mystics.
Works by Palestrina, Byrd, Ešenvalds,
Whitacre, and Arvo Pärt. Basilica of Our Lady
Immaculate, 28 Norfolk St., Guelph. 226-384-
9300 or www.theedisonsingers.com/performances/.
$45; $20(ages 13-21); $10(ages 12
& under). 80 minutes. No intermission. Also
May 24(St. Mark’s Anglican Church, Niagaraon-the-Lake),
31(Church of St. Peter and St.
Simon-the-Apostle, Toronto).
Tuesday June 3
● 12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation.
Lunchtime Chamber Music. Sophie Lanthier,
flute. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,
1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167 or www.yorkminsterpark.com.
Free. Donations welcome.
● 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday Organ
Recital. Adam MacNeil, organ. Cathedral
Church of St. James, 106 King St. E. 416-364-
7865 or www.stjamescathedral.ca/recitals.
Free. Donations encouraged.
● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
String Concerts: Sheku Kanneh-Mason
with Isata Kanneh-Mason. Royal Conservatory
of Music - TELUS Centre - Koerner
Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.
rcmusic.com/performance. SOLD OUT.
Wednesday June 4
● 8:00: Massey Hall. Ben Harper & The
Innocent Criminals. 178 Victoria St. 416-872-
4255 or www.ticketmaster.ca. From $84.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Mozart’s Jupiter. Allison Loggins-Hull: Grit,
Grace, Glory (Canadian premiere & TSO cocommission);
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G;
Mozart: Symphony No.41 in C K.551 “Jupiter”.
Beatrice Rana, piano; Gustavo Gimeno, conductor.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-
598-3375 or www.tso.ca. From $36. Also
Jun 5(8pm), 7(8pm), 8(3pm, George Weston
Recital Hall, Meridian Arts Centre).
Friday June 6
● 7:30: Guelph Musicfest 2025. Payadora.
Tango and beyond! Rebekah Wolkstein, violin
& vocals; Drew Jurecka, bandoneon & violin;
Elbio Fernandez, vocals; Mark Camilleri,
piano; Jesse Dietche, double-bass. Guelph
Youth Music Centre, 75 Cardigan St., Guelph.
Visit www.guelphmusicfest.ca or 519-993-
7591. From $25. Third concert of the 2025
five-concert series on consecutive Friday
evenings.
● 8:00: Massey Hall. Classic Albums Live:
Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet. 178 Victoria
St. 416-872-4255 or www.tickets.mhrth.com.
From $52.
● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Jazz Lounge: KellyLee
Evans. 21 Old Mill Rd. 416-207-2020 or
www.oldmilltoronto.com. $35 cover. Minimum
$30 food & beverage spend. Restricted
to ages 19+. Dinner reservations open at
6pm. Show at 8pm.
● 8:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Bach as Muse. Motets by Bach, Homilius,
Mendelssohn, Brahms, Rheinberger, and
Reger. Michael Unterman, cello; Charlotte
MOTETS
Bach as Muse
Directed by Ivars Taurins
JUNE 6
Jeanne Lamon Hall,
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
tafelmusik.org
Nediger, organ; Tafelmusik Chamber Choir;
Ivars Taurins, director. Trinity St. Paul’s United
Church and Centre for Faith, Justice and the
Arts, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.
tafelmusik.org. $45.
● 8:00: Roy Thomson Hall. An Evening with
Yo-Yo Ma. 60 Simcoe St. www.tickets.mhrth.
com. Visit website for ticket information. Also
Jun 7: An Afternoon with Yo-Yo Ma.
Saturday June 7
● 2:00: Roy Thomson Hall. An Afternoon
with Yo-Yo Ma. 60 Simcoe St. www.tickets.
mhrth.com. Visit website for ticket information.
Also Jun 6: An Evening with Yo-Yo Ma.
● 3:00: 5 at the First Chamber Concerts.
The Poetic Voice. Brahms: Zwei Gesänge
Op.91; Ian Cusson: Five Songs on the Poems
of Gwendolyn MacEwen; Canteloube: Selections
from Chants d’Auvergne. Marion Newman
- Nege’ga, mezzo; Caitlin Boyle, viola;
Angela Park, piano. First Unitarian Church of
Hamilton, 170 Dundurn St. S., Hamilton. www.
universe.com/events/the-poetic-voice-tickets-HL6G1J.
$20; $15(sr); $(st/unwaged);
Free(under 12).
● 4:00: Music Toronto. COSE (Celebration
of Small Ensembles). 4pm: Jacques Forestier,
violin; Jeanie Chung, piano. 5pm: Solidaridad
Tango. Aperture Room, 340 Yonge St. www.
music-toronto.com. $40. Refreshments will
be available for purchase.
● 8:00: Alliance Française de Toronto.
Simon Boisseau. Neoclassical Music. Alliance
Français de Toronto - Spadina Theatre,
24 Spadina Rd. www.alliance-francaise.
ca. $18.
● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Dining & Dancing
Series:The Beach Boys Tribute Show. 21 Old
Mill Rd. 416-207-2020 or www.oldmilltoronto.com.
From $15. Minimum $30 food &
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
MAINLY CLUBS
beverage spend. Restricted to ages 19+. Dinner
reservations open at 6pm. Show at 8pm.
● 8:00: Orchestra Toronto. Obsessions
Unraveled. Rota: Divertimento Concertante
for Double-Bass and Orchestra; Berlioz: Symphonie
fantastique Op.14. Joel Quarrington,
double-bass; Michael Newnham, conductor.
Meridian Arts Centre - George Weston
Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St. 416-366-7723
or 1-800-708-6754 or boxoffice@tolive.com.
From $14. Pre-concert chat at 7:15pm.
● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Mozart’s Jupiter. See Jun 4(8pm). Also
Jun 8(3pm, George Weston Recital Hall,
Meridian Arts Centre).
CONCERT SERIES
JACQUES FORESTIER GUITAR
WITH JEANIE CHUNG PIANO
AND
SOLIDARIDAD TANGO
ENSEMBLE
JUNE 7 | 4:00 PM
APERTURE ROOM
Music-Toronto.com
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.
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.
46 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZ
Swingin’ at Steadfast, continued from page 31
Why early jazz? I asked.
“Years ago I was living in Montreal and playing a lot of avant garde
music, a lot of free jazz,” McCarthy said. “The scene there was very
segregated: the swing scene was mainly Francophone, and avant garde
was very Anglophone. Since I didn’t speak a ton of French I sort of by
necessity went where I could make moves.
I was soon really into Steve Lacy, Cecil Taylor, Roswell Rudd, Buell
Neidlinger. It’s interesting because a lot of those guys who were associated
with free jazz in the 1960s actually started out playing traditional
jazz. I think there is a real connection between the collective
improvisation of trad jazz and free music.
I played in the Toronto All-Star Big Band in 2018 and that was the
first time I ever played for swing dancers, and that was a revelation,
that’s the stuff! So when I moved back to Toronto I wanted to play
for dancers again, and I wanted to play a lot. There are a lot of people
doing really amazing creative music who don’t necessarily have the
opportunity to play weekly or have two weekly gigs. So I decided that
in this stage of my development I just went all in on Early Jazz.”
What made you pick up the bass saxophone?
“I started thinking about the bass sax seriously in January of
2024. I had been playing the soprano saxophone for about four
years at that point, but I had been getting really into Adrian Rollini
through studying the music of Bix Beiderbecke, and I sort of became
infatuated…
So I got together with my friend Conrad Gluch to give his horn a try.
He said “don’t feel bad if you don’t make a sound right away, it’s a hard
instrument.” I picked it up and let out a big roaring low C and he said
“that’s your instrument when you’re ready for it!” So I sold one of my
soprano saxophones and put a payment down on the bass and started
playing it. The idea for the Tap Room Gang band was to pay tribute to
Adrian Rollini and the music he played with Bix. So I sort of planned
this before I even started playing the instrument – before I could even
afford to own it... The bass saxophone cost me $7500 and then, thanks
to a fall in October, another $2200 to repair. It is a huge investment
Steadfast Brewing Co. on Lansdowne Ave.
but it really felt like home to me.
I grew up being a guitar player; my father and brother are bass
players. I played string bass all through high school, then electric bass
in a disco band. So to then spend ten years playing reed instruments
and pick up a bass reed instrument and go back to that bass role that
was so central to my early musical experience really felt like all these
disparate parts of my musical personality all in once place…there
aren’t a lot of bass saxophone players in Toronto, so I’ve had to make a
lot of my own work but it has been incredibly rewarding.”
How is the Pay-What-You-Can Monday working out?
“I feel like with the state of the economy, no one has as much
money as they’d like to have. We arranged a small fee with the bar and
the show is really supported by the people who come every week and
contribute. Some people put in $2, some people put in $50. We have
had one $100 bill which was crazy and made us feel like we made it!
FAREEN KARIM
MAINLY CLUBS
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.
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
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 47

ORI DAGAN
Sean McCarthy's Tap Room Gang: Peter Turner on trombone, Matt Smith
on trumpet, Tak Arikushi on guitar, Conny Nowe on washboard, Sean
McCarthy on bass sax, Jared Higgins on banjo and Stuart Mein on spoons.
(laughs). We are not getting rich but I haven’t had anyone turn down
the gig or turn down coming back after doing the gig, so I think it’s
working. At the end of the day we are trying to build a community
and the community has been supporting us in turn. In just a few
months Mondays at Steadfast have attracted a slew of swing-loving
regulars including Ottawa-based trombonist Peter Turner who comes
down frequently to sit in when he has gigs in town.”
Turner chimes in. “I drive to Toronto and/or Kitchener from
Ottawa 2-3 times per month,” That amount of driving can be tiring,
but I think it’s worth it because the Toronto traditional jazz scene is so
vast – and there is such a depth of talent. I take inspiration from the
fact that there are so many young players taking the music seriously
and performing it at such a high level. Sean McCarthy’s weekly
Monday sessions at Steadfast Brewing Company are a particular
highlight for me, as he and the other musicians in his group are
outstanding. Whenever possible, I like to extend my weekend in
Toronto so I can catch Sean’s Monday session!”
Steadfast Brewery’s co-owner Graham Pinchin, who took the
chance on live music, is thrilled he did:
“Having the Sean and the Tap Room gang in has been wonderful,
and it’s incredible to see how the show has grown. What started as
something to try for a month has now been going on for almost half
a year, and it feels like every time it happens there’s somebody new
asking me if the music is this good every Monday, or thanking me
for providing an accessible space to hear such great music, and every
month it gets a little busier. I hear from the musicians that play [here]
that it can be very hard to find a consistent place to play in the city,
and after having the band in for this long I can’t understand why –
the energy is incredible, the social media content makes itself, and
everyone who comes in seems to have such an excellent time.”
Sean McCarthy’s Tap Room Gang features Matt Smith on cornet,
Jared Higgins on banjo and a rotating guest at Steadfast Brewery,
Mondays from 7-10pm. Sit-ins and swing dancers welcome, and $5
pints on special. Cheers to that!
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.
MAINLY CLUBS
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.
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.
48 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

At a Glance: OPERA, MUSIC THEATRE, DANCE
UNDATED EVENTS & ETCETERAS
DAHLIA KATZ
Unless otherwise indicated see DAILY LISTINGS for details
Waitress, at the Grand Theatre. (L-R) Stacey Kay, Julia McLellan and Elysia Cruz.
● A Gilbert and Sullivan Sing-along.
(Apr 26) Choruses from The Mikado, Iolanthe
and The Gondoliers. Toronto Gilbert
and Sullivan Society at Church
of the Redeemer. facebook.com/
GilbertAndSullivanSocietyofToronto
● A Strange Loop Book (Apr 21-Jun 1)
Music & lyrics by Michael R. Jackson. Soulpepper/
Musical Stage Company/ Crow’s
Theatre/ TO Live at Young Centre for the Performing
Arts. crowstheatre.com.
● A Year With Frog and Toad (May 31-Jul 13,
Sat & Sun only) Music by Robert and Willie
Reale. Ages 4 and up. TYT Theatre at Wychwood
Theatre. tyttheatre.com/ticketterms
● After the Rain (May 27-Jun 22) Book by
Rose Napoli, music & lyrics by Suzy Wilde.
At Tarragon Theatre. tarragontheatre.com/
plays/current-season/after-the-rain.
● Beautiful - The Carole King Musical
(Apr 3, 4, 5 & 6) Brampton Music Theatre
at The Rose Theatre. 905-874-2800. tickets.
brampton.ca.
● Canadian Opera Company Lobby concerts
(Apr 16, noon) Vocal Series: Come Closer –
Sneak Peek of a New Canadian Opera.
(Apr 24, noon) Dance Series: DaCo – Dance
Collaboration Lab 2025.
(Apr 30, 5pm) Opera Lab: The Art of the
Dance. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, in
The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts. coc.ca/freeconcerts
● David and Jonathan (Apr 9, 10, 12, 13)
(Charpentier) Opera Atelier at Koerner Hall.
operaatelier.com/tickets
● Don Pasquale (Apr 5) (Donizetti) Opera
by Request at College Street United Church.
416-455-2365. operabyrequest.ca
● Eugene Onegin (May 2, 4, 7, 9, 15, 17, 24)
(Tchaikovsky) Canadian Opera Company at
The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts. coc.ca.
● F for Flamenco Festival (Apr 4-6) “F
for Feria”(Parkdale Hall); “F for Flamenca”
(Parkdale Hall) “F for Familia” (residence,
422 Brunswick Ave). fabcollab.ca/flamencofest
or 647-768-5288.
● Garden of Vanished Pleasures
(Apr 25-27) Texts by Derek Jarman, music
by Cecilia Livingston and Donna McKevitt.
Soundstreams at Marilyn and Charles Baillie
Theatre, Canadian Stage. soundstreams.ca.
● KWCO Opernball Dinner, Concert, and
Silent Auction: Apr 12. Works by Bellini, Wagner,
and others. Kitchener Waterloo Community
Orchestra at St. George Banquet
Hall, Waterloo. kwcommunityorchestra@
gmail.com.
● Life After (Apr 16-May 10) Music & lyrics
by Britta Johnson. Mirvish Productions at
CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre. mirvish.com.
● Louise Pitre (Apr 30) In concert – the
music of Edith Piaf, Judy Garland and Broadway.
Brantford Music Club, at Sanderson Centre
for the Performing Arts, 519-758-8090.
● Monkiest King (May 30 - Jun) Music by
Alice Ping Yee Ho, book by Marjorie Chan.
Canadian Children’s Opera Company at
Harbourfront Centre Theatre harbourfrontcentre.com/event/the-monkiest-king.
● Mulligan’s Toy Shoppe (Apr 6) Music
by Elizabeth Raum. Canadian Children’s
Opera Company at St. Clement’s Anglican
Church. canadianchildrensopera.com/
mulligans-toy-shoppe.
● Opera - A Pavarotti & Friends Tribute
(Apr 26) Mississauga Symphony Orchestra
and the Mississauga Festival Choir, at The
Living Arts Centre, Mississauga. livingartscentre.ca
● Opera Revue at Castro’s Lounge (Apr 13).
Mozart, Verdi, Delibes, Weill, and Sondheim.
647-637-7491 or operarevue.com.
● Piazzolla & Tango (May 18) An homage.
One-of-a-Kind Concerts at Lawrence Park
Community Church. 416-357-8345 or eventbrite.ca/e/piazzolla-tango-tickets.
● Robert Le DIable (Apr 25) (Meyerbeer)
VOICEBOX Opera in Concert at Trinity-St.
Paul;’s Centre 416-408-0208. operainconcert.com/tickets
● The Threepenny Opera (May 8-17)
By Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill, and Elisabeth
Hauptman. Unbridled Theatre Collective
at VideoCabaret. ticketscene.ca/list.
php?q=threepenny+opera.
● Theatrical Operatic Fusion (Apr 6) Puccini;
Wagner; Delibes; Bizet; Verdi; and other
works. Orchestra Toronto at George Weston
Recital Hall. 416-366-7723 or boxoffice@
tolive.com.
● Third Friday Noon Spring Recital (Apr 11,
noon). Opera selections, arias, duets, and
trios. First-St. Andrew’s United Church,
London. 519-679-8182 or.fsaunited.com/
music-concerts.
● U of T Opera: L’amour und Liebe (Apr 4)
Staged scenes featuring operatic treasures
from the French and German repertoire. University
of Toronto Faculty of Music at Walter
Hall rcmusic.com/tickets/seats/357601
● VOICEBOX Opera Salon: Grand Opera in
Paris (Apr 12) At Edward Jackman Centre.
416-366-7723 or operainconcert.com/tickets
● Waitress (Mar 25-Apr 12) Music & lyrics
by Sara Bareilles; book by Jessie Nelson,
based on the motion picture. Grand Theatre,
London. 519-672-8800. grandtheatre.com
● Wozzeck (Apr 25, 27, May 3, 8, 10, 14, 16)
(Berg) Canadian Opera Company at The Four
Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.
coc.ca.
MUSICAL THEATRE
● Mirvish Productions. Disney’s The
Lion King. Directed by Julie Taymor. Princess
of Wales Theatre, 300 King St. W.
1.800.461.3333. $59-$259. Runs to Apr 27,
2025. Visit www.mirvish.com for tickets.
● Mirvish Productions. Come From Away.
Book, Music & Lyrics by Irene Sankoff &
David Hein. Directed by Christopher Ashley.
Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St. W.
1.800.461.3333. Runs to May 4. Visit www.
mirvish.com for tickets.
● 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.
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 p.m. at Richview
United Church in Etobicoke. Contact Conductor
Harvey Patterson at: theharmonysingers@
ca.com or call 416-239-5821.
● Music for Life Adult Choir meets every
Tuesday afternoon from 12:30pm-2pm at
Avenue Road Music and Performance Academy,
Sing Brahms’
Requiem with
Jean-Sébastien Vallée
Sat. Apr 26
10:30am
tmchoir.org
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 49

UNDATED EVENTS & ETCETERAS
460 Avenue Road, just south of St. Clair. It’s a
great way to meet other adult singers in the
community, and learn some new music, all
under the direction of Dr. John Holland. We
focus on growing our voice and our abilities,
and we are open to anyone with a desire to sing,
regardless of experience. Join us for snacks
afterwards. Register here, or call 416-922-
0855. We’d love to have you sing with us. All are
welcome!
● 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 annual 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
15% off your 1st clean
If you can read this,
thank a music teacher.
MosePianoForAll.com
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 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.
● Toronto Summer Music. Chamber Choir. A
chance to refresh vocal skills and study inspiring
works of choral literature in the intimacy
of a chamber vocal ensemble. Aside from daily
choir rehearsals with director Kathleen Allan,
you will also enjoy sectionals with various vocal
coaches. The week will culminate with a performance
on the final day of the Festival. Spend
a week singing and rehearsing exciting works
with fellow choral enthusiasts! Applications for
the 2025 Chamber Choir are now open. Application
deadline: June 26, 2025. Information at
TSM Application Form.
● 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.
A vacation
for your dog!
Barker Avenue Boarding
in East York
call or text 416-574-5250
BUSINESS
CLASSIFIEDS
Economical and visible!
Promote your services
& products to our
musically engaged readers,
in print and on-line.
BOOKING DEADLINE: FRIDAY MAY 9
classad@thewholenote.com
THE WHOLENOTE
MUSICAL
WHO’S WHO
2025 CHORAL
DIRECTORY
Our 23rd annual “Canary Pages” choral directory is now
available online, for readers interested in choirs, and for
choirs wanting to make themselves known to our readers!
If you are looking for a choir to join, support or listen to,
you will find choirs of all skill levels and genres in the directory,
across the GTA and in other parts of Ontario. You’ll
need to go online (thewholenote.com/canary) for detailed
profiles, but we’ve provided some “teaser” information
below to spark your curiosity. We'll add profiles online as
they come in, until the end of June. So please check back
periodically!
Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto
Enlivening Toronto’s arts community for
more than 50 years, the award-winning
Amadeus Choir is a semi-professional
choir of auditioned voices from Toronto
and the surrounding areas.
www.amadeuschoir.com
Canadian Celtic Choir
The Canadian Celtic Choir is a Londonbased
SATB choir of about 50 members
that has built a solid reputation as one of
the most in-demand choirs in SW Ontario.
www.celticchoir.ca
Canadian Children’s Opera Company
(CCOC)
As Canada’s only permanent children’s
opera company, the Canadian Children’s
Opera Company (CCOC) has ignited a
passion for opera in thousands of young
voices over 57 years.
www.canadianchildrensopera.com
Chorus York
We bring enjoyment to our community
and members through participation in
choral singing.
www.chorusyork.ca
Cummer Avenue United Church Choir
Be a part of a vibrant church music program
that offers a wide range of styles of
music from all across the globe.
www.cummeravenueuc.ca
Echo Women’s Choir
Teaser” for print index: ECHO, established
in 1991, is a group of harmonizing women
of all ages and backgrounds, directed by
Alan Gasser and Katie White in the heart
of downtown Toronto.
www.echochoir.ca
L’ensemble vocal Les voix du coeur
Ensemble vocal communautaire
d’expression francophone dans la grande
région de Toronto.
www.lesvoixducoeur.com
Etobicoke Centennial Choir
Etobicoke Centennial Choir is a community
choir dedicated to celebrating the art
and joy of choral singing. We offer vibrant
and diverse performances of repertoire,
guided by professional artists.
www.etobicokecentennialchoir.ca
Harbourfront Chorus
We are a fun community choir!
www.facebook.com/
harbourfrontchorus
Jubilate Singers
Mixed-voice auditioned choir specializing
in world music sung in original languages,
orchestral choral works and 20-21C
choral pieces. Director: Isabel Bernaus.
www.jubilatesingers.ca
Leaside United Church Choirs
Music is central to worship at Leaside
United Church. The rich music program
includes the Chancel Choir and the Junior
Choir.
www.leasideunited.org
London Pro Musica Choir
London Pro Musica Choir (LPMC) was
founded in 1970 as a chamber choir,
organized and run by its members. We
were the first, and remain the oldest,
unaffiliated concert choir in London with
a current membership of over 40 singers.
www.londonpromusica.ca
MenAloud Chorus
Relaxed atmosphere with music you love
to hear.
www.menaloud.ca
50 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

Jonathan Crow, Artistic Director
ECHO Women's choir, in a workshop with South African choral composer
and teacher Bongani Magatyana.
COMMUNITY PROGRAM
CHAMBER CHOIR
July 28 – August 2, 2025
Milton Choristers
“Teaser” for print index: A four-part adult
community choir that has entertained
audiences in the Halton Region since
1968, the Milton Choristers’ season runs
from September to May.
www.miltonchoristers.com
Mississauga Chamber Singers
“Teaser” for print index: Come and hear
the difference . . .
www.mcsingers.ca
North Halton Community Singers
A non-profit organization run entirely by
volunteers, the North Halton Community
Singers is a registered charity performing
a variety of musical genres,
including classical, pop and folk, and from
sacred to secular.
www.northhaltonsingers.ca
Pax Christi Chorale
Under the artistic direction of Dr. Elaine
Choi, Pax Christi Chorale presents five
choral programs over the 2025/26 season.
Come back in May for details.
www.paxchristichorale.org
Tafelmusik Chamber Choir
The Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, specializing
in historically informed performances
of Baroque and Classical repertoire, was
formed in 1981 as a complement to the
Tafelmusik Orchestra.
www.tafelmusik.org
Toronto Chamber Choir
Toronto Chamber Choir - Early Music.
New Light!
www.torontochamberchoir.ca
Toronto Children’s Chorus
A vibrant musical community of eight
choirs that has been nurturing young
voices from 6-18 for almost 50 years.
Internationally acclaimed for its music
program, artistic director, and touring
Chamber Choir.
www.torontochildrenschorus.com
Toronto Classical Singers
Toronto Classical Singers is passionately
committed to the great choral tradition.
We have a reputation for artistic excellence,
and as an auditioned choir we welcome
singers of all backgrounds.
www.torontoclassicalsingers.ca
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir
The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir
(TMChoir) is one of Canada’s oldest and
largest choral organizations. Founded
in 1895 during Massey Hall’s inaugural
season, it has been a leader in Canadian
choral music since.
www.vesnivka.com
Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir
Come on out to one of our rehearsals. You
will be assured of a warm welcome. You
will grow musically for sure, and have a
great time while you learn and eventually
perform with us. See you there!
www.torontowelsh.com
Vesnivka Choir
We are a friendly and inclusive organization.
Come join us in celebrating Vesnivka’s
60th anniversary.
www.vesnivka.com
VIVA Singers Toronto
VIVA Singers Toronto is an inclusive notfor-profit
family of choirs for ages four
through adult. We provide singers with
educational opportunities to co-create
and achieve artistic excellence in an
accommodating, collaborative community.
At VIVA, “Every Voice Matters.”
www.vivasingerstoronto.com
VOCA Chorus of Toronto
The VOCA Chorus of Toronto, a dynamic,
auditioned ensemble directed by Jenny
Crober performs a wide range of repertoire
(including numerous Canadian
premieres) in collaboration with superb
guest artists.
www.vocachorus.ca
The Chamber Choir is a chance to study inspiring
works of choral literature in the intimacy of a
chamber vocal ensemble. Enjoy daily choir
rehearsals led by Kathleen Allan, Artistic Director
and Conductor of the Amadeus Choir of Greater
Toronto, and sectionals with our vocal coaches.
The week will culminate with a performance on
the final day of the Festival.
Repertoire includes: Bach’s Magnificat in
D Major, BWV 243, and works by Andrew Balfour,
Marie-Claire Saindon, Beethoven, Susan Labarr,
Thomas Morley, Samih Choukeir, and more!
Kathleen Allan, conductor
Joy Lee, piano
Program fee: $700.00 +HST
ATTENTION CHOIRS!
Interested in joining The WholeNote Canary Pages?
It's not too late!
canary@thewholenote.com
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 51

DISCOVERIES | RECORDINGS REVIEWED
DAVID OLDS
In the last issue, due to my misreading of a liner note on Daniel
Lipel’s ADJACENCE, I mistakenly said that Tyshawn Sorey’s Ode to
Gust Burns was a memorial tribute. It has come to my attention that
Mr. Burns is alive and well in Seattle. I would like to express my
sincere apologies to both Burns and Sorey for my error and any
annoyance it caused. I would also welcome you to check out Ode to
Gust Burns for yourself at youtube.com/watch?v=xefu3QupKEs.
Pianist Stewart Goodyear was the Royal
Conservatory’s inaugural artist-in-residence
at Koerner Hall, where in 2022 (after
numerous delays due to COVID) he and the
Penderecki String Quartet gave the world
premiere of his Piano Quintet “Homage”
which the quartet had commissioned
several years earlier. At that time the piece
comprised three movements, but since
then Goodyear has added two interludes and a cadenza, resulting
in a dazzling 22-minute work that was recorded at Wilfrid Laurier
University last Spring by Chestnut Hall Music and is available on all
major streaming platforms.
The quintet is primarily inspired by the works of Beethoven, with
which Goodyear is intimately familiar having frequently performed,
and also recorded all 32 piano sonatas and the five piano concertos.
Goodyear says the first movement is “a passacaglia on the almost
atonal 11-note sequence from the finale of Beethoven’s Ninth
Symphony.”
There are myriad other works by the master referenced throughout
the piece – one of my favourites is a nod to the Grosse Fugue in the
finale – often infused by other diverse styles. Goodyear tells us the
fourth movement is “a ländler fused with gestures of rhythm and
blues and calypso,” while the last movement is “a fast toccata,
sampling themes of Beethoven similarly to a hip-hop track.” You can
watch a performance on YouTube (youtube.com/
watch?v=WjVeWgAmYfY).
Speaking of Beethoven, it is mostly thanks
to him that the name of Count Andrey
Razumovsky is still known to music lovers
today some two centuries after his passing
– through the set of three “Razumovsky”
quartets, opus 59, commissioned in 1806.
Razumovsky was a Ukrainian-born
Russian ambassador and amateur musician
based in Vienna, where he established a
house quartet which included Polish violist
Franz Weiss. Weiss was an accomplished composer who also wrote
quartets for the count, and it is thanks to the Eybler Quartet that the
Two String Quartets Op.8 “Razumovsky” have come to my attention
(Gallery Players of Niagara GPN 24001 eyblerquartet.com/discography).
I find both of these works delightful, and it is a mystery to
me why they are not better known and part of the standard repertory.
They are virtuosic, alternately lyrical and playful with some extended
developmental sections.
The Toronto-based Eybler Quartet was established in late 2004 to
explore the first century and a half of the string quartet, with special
attention to lesser-known voices such as their namesake Joseph
Leopold Edler von Eybler. Since that time, they have released eight
compact discs, first with Analekta (Eybler; Backofen & Mozart; Haydn)
and later on the Gallery Players of Niagara label (Vanhal; Asplmayr;
Weiss) as well as two discs for CORO Connections of Beethoven’s six
Op.18 quartets.
Current membership includes violinists Julia Wedman and Patricia
Ahern (who replaced founder Aisslinn Nosky in 2022) and violist
Patrick G. Jordan, all of whom are members of Tafelmusik Baroque
Orchestra, with Margaret Gay, renowned in both period and modern
performance, on cello. Together their approach to this little-known
repertoire is committed and consummate, with nuanced dynamics
and balanced performances that really shine. Kudos to the Eybler for
bringing these fine works to light.
Montreal’s Quatuor Cobalt was founded
in 2017 for the purpose of exploring early
music on period instruments and at the
same time championing contemporary
repertoire with modern bows, instruments
and strings. Their breadth of vision is
amply displayed on this debut disc Reflets
du Temps (GFN Productions gfnproductions.ca/albums/reflets-du-temps).
Touted
as “a vibrant tribute to three female composers” – Maddalena Laura
Lombardini Sirmen (1745-1818), Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-
1847) and Alicia Terzian (b.1934) – it certainly lives up to that.
Sirmen, an Italian contemporary of Haydn, was one of the first
women to achieve significant success as both a violinist and composer
in Europe. Her String Quartet No.2 in B-flat Major, Op.3 begins with
a lyrical Andantino and concludes with a sprightly Allegro at times
suggestive of a Mozart overture. Hensel’s String Quartet in E-flat
Major, known to me through several other recordings (including that
of Victoria’s Lafayette String Quartet for CBC Records), is a delight
from its stately Andante opening through its caccia-like Allegretto and
somewhat sombre Romanza, to the rollicking Allegro Molto Vivace, to
my ear somewhat reminiscent of lighter moments in brother Felix’s A
Midsummer Night’s Dream. And Argentinian Terzian is represented
by an early work, Tres piezas for String Quartet Op.5, dating from
1954. According to the press release it has rarely been recorded in
the quartet version, most recently in 1968. It’s difficult to understand
why. Based on traditional Armenian music, it is lyrical and tonal in its
opening movements, ending in a lively and percussive Danza Rústica.
Whatever the repertoire, which spans more than a century and a
The WholeNote
Listening Room
Hear tracks from any of
the recordings displayed in
this section:
Plus
Watch Videos
Click to Buy
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.
52 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

half, these Montrealers rise to every challenge in sparkling
performances.
Terzian’s Danza Rústica leads me to
American Ketty Nez’s recording through
the light (Albany Records TROY1991
albanyrecords.com/catalog/troy1991).
This disc features two works that draw on
the composer’s family heritage, using folk
traditions of Central Europe and Turkey,
and more specifically the groundbreaking
recordings Bela Bartók made in peasant
villages in the early 20th century documenting the music of soon to
disappear cultures.
Through the light for string quartet references three Anatolian folk
songs Bartók transcribed in 1936, a Romanian violin tune recorded
in 1908 and the “ojkanje” style of singing found in Croatia. The first
movement is abrasive, percussive, wild and uninhibited. The second
movement is more relaxed, taking the form of a duet between two of
the songs from the first movement, the cello (bachelor’s song) being
juxtaposed with high voices (gazing out the window at one’s beloved)
in the violins. The last movement features gentle keening representing
the Croatian women singing in sustained dissonant intervals with the
use of elaborate trills. The players (violinists Gabriela Diaz and Lilit
Hartunian, violist Samuel Kelder and cellist David Russell) capture all
the rustic cragginess and charm with enthusiasm.
5 Fragments in 3 are musical “reflections” of Romanian violin and
flute tunes recorded in the 1910s by Bartók, scored for piano (Nez),
viola (Daniel Doña) and soprano saxophone (Jennifer Bill). The saxophone
part can also be played on clarinet, but I find the distinctive
timbre of the saxophone especially appealing. The movement titles are
descriptive and apt: “in the rain, an introduction,” “organum, and a
dance,” “calling lost sheep,” “dance steps” and finally “postlude, a
horn call” at the end of which the saxophone gently floats above the
pizzicato viola and tinkling piano. A very effective performance.
It was perhaps a coincidence, but a happy
one, that as I was preparing this article
a new recording, Bela Bartók – Viola
Concerto; 44 Duos featuring Paul Neubauer
and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by David Atherton, arrived on my
desk (First Hand Records FHR175 firsthandrecords.com/products-page/upcoming/
bartok-viola-concerto-1995-revisedversion-44-duos-for-two-violins-arr-viola-viola-and-viola-cello).
When approached by music publisher Erich Doflein, Bartók
embraced the idea of writing a graduated pedagogical series in which
“students would play works which contained the natural simplicity of
the music of the people, as well as its melodic and rhythmic peculiarities.”
His 44 Duos for two violins could have been mere didactic exercises
with little inherent musicality, but a plethora of recordings by
professional musicians belie this.
Peter Bartók arranged many of his father’s violin duos for two
violas. I wondered why not all of the duos were included but managed
to find the following on the publisher’s website: “Most of the pieces
have been transposed down by a fifth interval, so that all open
strings would correspond to those of the original instruments. Where
lowering of the key seemed undesirable and the original key a bit too
high for violas, the piece was not included in the album for violas” (P.
Bartók). He also arranged some of the duos for viola and cello, saying
“Only 23 of the duos were deemed suitable for this kind of arrangement.”
In all, 39 of the duos are included here. Neubauer is joined
alternately by violist Cynthia Phelps and cellist Ronald Thomas in very
fine performances, giving these “didactic” works renewed life.
The viola concerto, which was left unfinished at the time of Bartók’s
death in 1945 and later completed from his sketches by Tibor Serly,
appears here in a version revised in 1995 by Nelson Dellamaggiore and
the composer’s son Peter. It is one of my favourites of Bartók’s orchestral
works, and of 20th century concertos of any kind. While this
version differs somewhat from the Serly completion I have been
familiar with for nearly half a century, I have to agree with Neubauer,
who edited the solo part, when he says “that the revised version […] is
a more effective and stronger work than the original version of the
concerto and no doubt closer to Bartók’s intent.” It’s a stunning
achievement.
Another of my favourite 20th century
concertos is featured on the new release
Kabalevsky 2nd & Schumann CELLO
CONCERTOS (Our Recordings 8.226926
ourrecordings.com/albums/celloconcertos)
with Theodor Lyngstad and the
Copenhagen Phil under Eva Ollinkainen.
I first heard Dmitri Kabalevsky’s Cello
Concerto No.2 in C Minor, Op.77 on a 1968
Angel LP release of a Melodiya recording of the premiere, featuring
dedicatee Daniel Shafran and the Leningrad Philharmonic Symphony
Orchestra under the direction of the composer.
I mentioned above how much I enjoyed the timbre of the saxophone
in the classical context and I believe that this recording was my
first exposure to this phenomenon. The alto sax plays a pivotal role
in this concerto, trading lines with the solo cello in a way that makes
them almost indistinguishable. I was floored when I first heard it.
This new recording, which features the young principal cellist of the
Copenhagen Phil (just 25 when appointed in 2019) is just as engaging,
and I hear even more of the sax in the orchestral textures later in
What we're listening to this month:
Frank Horvat: More Rivers
Christina Petrowska Quilico
Experience glimpses of
impressionism, Prokofievian
harmonies and Pärtian spirit,
textures reminiscent of Messiaen,
and a pianist’s impeccable
interpretation. Wonderfully
timeless and universal.
soft winds and roses
Diana Panton
Panton's voice enchants
on modern classics from
1960 onward with stunning
instrumentation by Don Thompson
(O. C.) and Reg Schwager (C. M.).
Kinetic
Michael Jinsoo Lim
A collection of dance-themed music
from the concertmaster and solo
violinist for Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Works by Corigliano, Lanzilotti,
Piazzolla, Prestini and Watras.
Mozart String Duos
Dorian Komanoff Bandy
& Catherine Cosbey
Lively, embellished performances
of Mozart’s Duos for Violin and
Viola, alongside newly discovered
arrangements of the Violin Sonata
K.305 and La clemenza di Tito.
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 53

the work.
Kabalevsky was a somewhat controversial composer, often berated
in the west for adherence to “socialist realist” doctrines and toadying
to the powers that be of the Soviet Union. But this work seems
removed from that. As Lyngstad points out “there is a darkness and
nostalgic feel to the music. It is undeniably inspired by his professor
Myaskovsky’s cello concerto in the same key, a composer that became
an accused ‘formalist’ by the Soviet regime. Myaskovsky was dead by
the time Kabalevsky wrote this concerto, but it could easily be seen as
a tribute to him, and perhaps even a subtle criticism or defiance of the
Soviet regime.”
Lyngstad has chosen to pair the Kabalevsky with the more familiar
Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op.129 by Schumann. He says “I find them
bound together in an introspective and somewhat defiant spirit. They
are similar in form, with three continuous movements, written out
cadenzas and the overall development of minor to major. But even
more interestingly I see a strong link in the personality and psychology
of the pieces […] Neither are written for the soloist to show off.
To me they are equal conversations between the soloist and orchestra,
where the music tells us something rather intimate, honest and true.
With melodic styles they show a tension between minor and major,
darkness and light, hope and despair.” In his intimate interactions
with the orchestra Lyngstad brings all this and more to fore. It’s a very
satisfying recording; one I will treasure.
I began with a piano quintet, and I shall
close with another quartet “plus one”
project. In this case it was initiated by
flutist/composer Allison Loggins-Hull in
collaboration with the string quartet ETHEL.
In my years of working with flutist extraordinaire
Robert Aitken at New Music
Concerts, one of his ongoing laments was
that ever since Mozart wrote his quartets
for flute, violin, viola and cello, that formation has become the norm.
Aitken’s disappointment stemmed from the fact that when he is
invited to perform with string quartets, one of the violinists inevitably
must sit out. To rectify that Aitken sought out the few existing works
that combined flute with full quartet and commissioned new works
by Diego Luzuriaga, Alex Pauk and Roger Reynolds among others.
I assume that Loggins-Hull experienced the same frustration as a
flutist. In Persist (Sono Luminus DSL-92281 sonoluminus.com/sonoluminus/persist?rq=persist)
we are presented with post-lockdown
new works by Loggins-Hull, Xavier Muzik, Migiwa “Miggy” Miyajima,
Sam Wu and Leilehua Lanzilotti.
Loggins-Hull’s title work features percussive, often driving, strings
and soaring flute lines “inspired by concepts of perseverance, motivation
and positive outlook […] the efforts of my relatives, and ancestors
and what they went through so that I could be who I am today.”
Muzik’s Pillow Talk begins ethereally with flute providing a “once
upon a time” opening setting the stage for a “surreal journey that
illustrates the nebulous emotions we feel when the sun is low as we
bask in the morning glow with our partners…”
Miyajima’s The Reconciliation Suite is in four movements, three
depicting various traumatic episodes from the Great East Japan
Earthquake of 2011 of which the composer was a survivor, and the
Pandemic a decade later. The final movement celebrates renewal. It
“vividly depicts the city coming to life with the sound of blooming
flowers.” Sam Wu’s gentle Terraria explores the myriad ways of
terrarium building and Lanzilotti’s we began this quilt there is a
colourful tribute to Queen Liliuokalani, the only queen regnant and
the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom. It features some
extended techniques and breath sounds from the flute.
All in all, Persist is an intriguing album and a major and welcome
contribution to the flute quintet repertoire.
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
It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost
ten years since we lost violinist Jacques
Israelievitch. To mark the anniversary
the Navona label has reissued as a
set the six volumes of Mozart: Complete
Sonatas & Variations for Piano & Violin
(Navona NV6697 navonarecords.com/
catalog/nv6697) recorded in partnership
with Christina Petrowska Quilico at York
University between November 2014 and
May 2015 and originally released on the Fleur de Son Classics label.
Retiring after 20 years as concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony
Orchestra, Israelievitch joined the faculty at York in 2008 where he
formed a duo with Petrowska Quilico that resulted in their wanting
to record all the Mozart sonatas. Part way through the project he was
diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, and after a break for hospital
treatment was able to find the strength to complete the project just
four months before his death. The last six sonatas were recorded
in less than four hours, but there’s no hint of physical weakness in
his playing, although the final sessions were apparently marked by
extreme pain and fatigue.
The early juvenile sonatas are essentially piano sonatas with
violin embellishments, Israelievitch weaving delightful lines around
Petrowska Quilico’s finely measured playing, but the mature sonatas
see a genuine partnership, two players clearly of one mind.
There’s no booklet with the set, but information can be accessed at
the Navona Records website, including Petrowska Quilico’s touching
memories of that final summer.
It’s truly a worthy and lasting memorial tribute to a fine and greatly
What we're listening to this month:
Witraż
Shannon Lee and Arseniy Gusev
Hear the voices of Eastern
European composers who lived
through devastation of two world
wars and carried the light of
humanism in their music
Forgotten Spring:
The Early Lieder of Fanny Hensel
Harry Baechtel, Chuck Dillard
These 21 artsongs – including
several premiere recordings
– demonstrate why Hensel is
increasingly appreciated as a
significant nineteenth-century
composer in her own right.
54 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

missed violinist and what was clearly a very special musical and
personal partnership and friendship.
Kinetic is the remarkable solo album
by violinist Michael Jinsoo Lim, who as
concertmaster and soloist with the Pacific
Northwest Ballet felt himself to be “at
the intersection of music and dance” for
over 15 years; each piece here has a dance
connection (Planet M Records PMR-006
planetmrecords.bandcamp.com/album/
michael-jinsoo-lim-kinetic).
There are personal connections with all
but one of the composers: Lim and his wife, the violist/composer
Melia Watras, were founding members of the Corigliano Quartet,
named for American composer John Corigliano; Watras has collaborated
with fellow violist/composer Leilehua Lanzilotti; Lim has known
Paola Prestini since their Juilliard days.
All three works by Watras - Doppelgänger Dances, A dance of
honey and inexorable delight and Homage to Swan Lake – were
written for this project and are world-premiere recordings, as are
Lanzilotti’s where we used to be and Prestini’s A Jarful of Bees.
Corigliano is represented by The Red Violin Caprices and the glorious
fiddle-inspired Stomp, which requires the player to do exactly that.
Piazzolla’s Tango-Études Nos.1, 3 and 4 are interspersed throughout
a fascinating recital of quite brilliant playing by Lim.
On BACH | ABEL | HUME, her first solo
album for the ECM label, cellist Anja
Lechner brings together three different
composers from two centuries for an
intriguing musical recital inspired by the
tonal language of the viola da gamba (ECM
New Series 2806 ecmrecords.com/product/
bach-abel-hume-anja-lechner).
Little is known about the Scottish
composer Tobias Hume (c.1579-1645) whose
skill on the viola da gamba contributed significantly to its establishment
as a solo instrument. His short pieces, seven of which are heard
here, were mostly notated in tablature and appeared in The First Book
of Ayres printed in 1605.
The German Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-87), represented by an
Arpeggio and an Adagio, both in D minor, helped the instrument
achieve renewed prominence before it finally faded from
regular usage.
At the heart of the CD are Bach’s Suites for Violoncello Solo No.1 in
G Major, BWV1007 and No.2 in D Minor, BWV1008, written when the
solo cello was establishing independence but incorporating much of
the sound and language of the declining viola da gamba – in fact, they
may possibly have been written for Abel’s father, a cellist and gambist
in Bach’s Köthen court orchestra.
Lechner’s effortless and sensitive playing, resonantly recorded,
makes for a delightful disc.
There’s some fascinating content on Mozart
String Duos, violinist Catherine Cosbey and
violinist/violist Dorian Komanoff Bandy
presenting period-instrument performances
of the two Duos for Violin and Viola
in G Major, K423 and in B-flat Major, K424,
alongside newly discovered historical
arrangements of a Mozart violin sonata and
several arias from a late opera (Leaf Music
LM297 leaf-music.ca/music/lm297).
Cosbey and Bandy apparently insert “extensive embellishments and
cadenzas” into their performances, although they are not particularly
noticeable. The two Duos receive idiomatic readings, but while there
are numerous alternative recordings available you won’t have heard
any of the fascinating violin duets here before.
The Violin Sonata in A Major K305 was transcribed for two violins
by an anonymous Parisian arranger in 1799 and it’s really effective,
drawing some of the best playing on the CD from the duo. Mozart’s
opera La Clemenza di Tito was premiered in September 1791, just
three months before the composer’s death; five arias were arranged
for two violins by Johann Christian Stumpf, a German composer
active in Parisian publishing in the 1780s who died in 1801.
The duets were discovered in rare book libraries in Texas and
Germany, and have in all probability not been heard since the early
1800s. Who knows what other gems we’ve been missing?
You’d have to go a long way to find a more
exciting duo than violinist Alina Ibragimova
and her long-time partner of 16 years,
pianist Cédric Tiberghien. Sparks fly
when they play together, and their latest
CD of the Schumann Violin Sonatas adds
another dazzling recital to their discography
(Hyperion CDA68354 hyperion-records.
co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA68354).
The Violin Sonata No.1 in A Minor
Op.105 and the Violin Sonata No.2 in D Minor Op.121 were both
written in 1851. The Violin Sonata No.3 in A Minor, Wo027 has had a
varied history. In late 1853 Schumann suggested the composition of
a collaborative sonata for violinist Joseph Joachim to be written by
himself, Brahms and Albert Dietrich and based on the initial letters
of Joachim’s personal motto: F-A-E for “Frei aber einsam” (Free but
lonely). Schumann contributed the slow movement and finale, shortly
afterwards adding two new movements to replace those of Brahms
thewholenote.com/listening
Beethoven: The Forgotten
Concerto for Pianoforte Op. 61a
Anders Muskens
Beethoven's piano transcription
of his famous Violin Concerto
Op. 61, performed on an original
fortepiano by John Broadwood &
Sons, London, c. 1806.
Sing to Me Again
Caitlin Broms-Jacobs
& Madeline Hildebrand
Fierbois Duo reimagines Eastern
European works, blending folk
influences and rich melodies with
the expressive contrast of the
oboe’s dark power and the piano’s
warm resonance.
For the Time, Being
Andy Haas
"Time has never sounded so
warped and amorphous...a
unique physically effective sound
experiment that is impossible to
define." Monolith Cocktail website.
Voix Jetées
Ensemble Paramirabo
A bold and immersive journey
through contemporary Canadian
and American music. Now
available at ATMA Classique!
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 55

and Dietrich, hence completing a third sonata, his last surviving
major work.
Although originally delighted with the sonata, Clara Schumann and
Joachim grew to view it negatively; it was not included in the
Collected Edition prepared by Clara, Joachim and Brahms, and
remained unpublished until 1956.
Described as a poignant tribute to resilience
and artistic reassembly, the new CD
Witraż - the Polish word for Stained-Glass
Window – references the shattered windows
of Winchester Cathedral during the English
Civil War and the rearranging of the shards
into mosaics by the local people, comparing
it to the way beliefs and values were shattered
in Eastern Europe between the two
World Wars. Shannon Lee is the excellent
violinist and pianist Arseniy Gusev her equal partner (Azica
ACD-71373 shannonleeviolin.com/projects/witraz).
Szymanowski’s shimmeringly beautiful Mythes – La fontaine
d’Arethuse (actually from 1915) opens a recital of the highest quality,
book-ended by the two major works, Bartók’s Violin Sonata No.1 from
1922 (with a really terrific Allegro finale) and Stravinsky’s 1932 Duo
Concertante. In between are several short works: Gusev’s arrangement
of Come di lontananza, No.5 of the 1925 piano solo Reflections Op.16
by Ukrainian composer Boris Lyatoshynsky (1895-1968); Bohuslav
Martinů’s 1927 Impromptu H.116 and two items by Grażyna Bacewicz,
her Kolysanka (Cradle Song) and the CD’s 1932 title track.
I’m not sure if the works always fit with the purported inspiration
for the CD, but there’s no doubting the standard of the playing.
Francisco Mignone (1897-1986) was a
leading figure in 20th-century Brazilian
music and part of the first generation of
modernist Brazilian composers. The excellent
new CD of his Complete Violin Sonatas
in the Naxos Music of Brazil series features
violinist Emmanuele Baldini and pianist
Lucas Thomazinho (8.574595 naxos.com/
CatalogueDetail/?id=8.574595).
The three numbered sonatas – No.1 from
1964 and Nos.2 & 3, both from 1966, a period when Mignone was
writing atonal music – are all world premiere recordings, and not
exactly what you might expect from mid-century Brazilian chamber
music, the first two being quite strident, experimental and fragmented
in character and technically challenging. No.3 was reworked from
1962’s Sonata for Flute and Piano, and shows less fragmentation and
a greater clarity of form.
Two early unnumbered sonatas complete the disc, the substantial
three-movement Sonata in A Major from 1919 and the quite lovely
single remaining movement from the 1916 Sonata in G Major both
belonging to a different world, one infused with the French influence
of Fauré and Debussy.
With Debussy – The Nash Ensemble
the British chamber group celebrates
its 60th anniversary season with a
recital of Debussy’s three late sonatas
and his early string quartet (Hyperion
CDA 68463 hyperion-records.co.uk/
dc.asp?dc=D_CDA68463).
The Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune
in a really effective arrangement for wind
quintet, string quartet, harp and crotales
by the French composer David Walter opens the disc, followed by the
three sonatas from 1915-17 that Debussy completed from a planned
set of six.
Stephanie Gonley is the violinist and Alasdair Beatson the pianist
in a simply beautiful performance of the Violin Sonata in G Minor,
and the standard never drops through the Sonata for Flute, Viola
and Harp – Philippa Davies, Lawrence Power and Lucy Wakeford the
respective soloists – and the Cello Sonata, with cellist Adrian Brendel
and pianist Simon Crawford-Phillips the excellent performers.
A passionate and immensely satisfying performance of the 1893
String Quartet, Debussy’s first mature chamber music work,
completes a CD of the highest quality.
The Calidore String Quartet completes its
Beethoven project with Beethoven: The
Early Quartets, a 3-CD set that ends their
release of the complete cycle of Beethoven’s
string quartets (Signum Classics
SIGCD883 signumrecords.com/product/
beethoven-the-early-quartets/SIGCCD883).
Although the six Op.18 quartets are
often the first ones that players tackle, the
Calidore members note that “they are by
no means the easiest. Their transparency, elegance and robust shifts
of character demand the most exacting levels of execution, poise and
feeling,” and that’s exactly what you get in these outstanding performances.
When The Middle Quartets was reviewed in this column a
few months ago I commented that the unity of the ensemble playing
was of the highest quality, and that there was a wonderfully varied
dynamic range, and exactly the same can be said of this issue as well.
Hopefully the three volumes will be issued as a box set at some
point, when they would offer an exceptionally strong option for a
complete set.
It wasn’t only with the creation of
symphonies that Johannes Brahms felt the
heavy tread of Beethoven holding him back:
he admitted that he had destroyed over 20
string quartets before publicly presenting
his two Op.51 quartets in 1873, when
he was 40 years old. On the 2CD release
Brahms The Complete String Quartets the
Korean Novus Quartet gives absolutely
ravishing performances of the composer’s
three completed quartets (Aparte AP366 apartemusic.com/en/
album-details/brahms-string-quartets).
CD1 has String Quartets No.1 in C Minor, Op.51 No.1 and No.2 in A
Minor, Op.51 No.2, while the second CD is devoted to the String
Quartet No.3 in B-flat Major, Op.67 from 1876. This is Brahms playing
of the highest quality – warm, vibrant, rich and passionate, and
beautifully recorded. I’ve never heard them sound better – it’s a
simply outstanding release.
The Finnish composer Kalevi Aho (b.1949)
started writing string quartets at the very
beginning of his composing career, although
he did not return to the form until 2021. His
early works in the genre are presented on
Kalevi Aho String Quartets 1-3 in powerful
performances by the Stenhammar Quartet
(BIS-2609 SACD bisrecords.lnk.to/2609).
Initially self-taught and taking inspiration
from essentially tonal music heard on
the radio, Aho wrote his String Quartet No.1 in 1967 at the age of 18,
an earlier work from 1966 not being included in his official quartet
canon. Even so, a self-imposed performance ban on the newer work
resulted in its not being premiered until June 2019.
The String Quartet No.2 from 1970 was written in his second year
of studies with Einojuhani Rautavaara at the Sibelius Academy in
Helsinki, its lovely opening Adagio and short, slow Adagio finale
book-ending a brilliant, fugal and virtuosic middle Presto that brings
Shostakovich to mind.
The String Quartet No.3 from 1971 marked the end of his studies
with Rautavaara and the emergence of a personal language, its eight
short, continuous movements forming a symmetrical journey from
innocence to increasing complexity.
56 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

The Marmen Quartet was formed in 2013
at London’s Royal College of Music, and is
committed to contemporary music. Their
new CD Ligeti – Bartók, featuring strong
and committed performances of three major
20th-century string quartets is their first
recording for the BIS label (BIS-2693 SACD
bisrecords.lnk.to/2693).
Ligeti’s String Quartet No.1,
Métamorphoses nocturnes is a work of
eight short movements from 1953-54, representing the peak of his
“Hungarian” period before leaving the country for the West in 1956.
Bartók’s middle quartets were a big influence on Ligeti, and one of
them – the String Quartet No.4 from 1928 – is the middle work of the
CD. Performances of the work were strictly forbidden in communist
Hungary, and Ligeti knew it only from the score.
Ligeti’s String Quartet No.2 from 1968 is from his second period,
and is a challenging work accurately described here as being calculated
anarchy, with dynamic extremes and sublime climaxes.
You can always expect something different, inventive, insightful and
immensely satisfying from violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, and so
it proves yet again with her latest CD Exile, described as bringing
together composers who for the most part were compelled to flee
their homeland, and featuring cellist
Thomas Kaufmann and the Camerata
Bern (ALPHA1110 outhere-music.com/en/
albums/exile).
Alfred Schnittke left Soviet Russia in
1990. His 1978 Cello Sonata No.1 is heard
here in the 2020 version for cello, strings
and harpsichord by Martin Merker, the
haunting tonal picture of the opening Largo
followed by a dazzling Presto with remarkable
playing by Kaufmann.
Soviet oppression and the banning of his works forced Andrzej
Panufnik to flee Poland in 1954. His Concerto for Violin and Strings
is a charming work commissioned by Yehudi Menuhin. Ivan
Wyschnegradsky (1893-1979), known for his use of quarter tones and
micro intervals was another composer to flee Russia, in his case to
Paris in 1920. His three-movement String Quartet No.2, Op.18 from
1931 is a delight.
Eugene Ysaÿe left Belgium at the start of the Great War, ending up in
the U.S.A. via England; his Exil! Poème symphonique for high strings,
Op.25 from 1917 is a passionately elegiac work for four violins and
four violas. Two folk tunes and a short Schubert quartet movement
arranged for strings by Kopatchinskaja complete the disc.
Performance and recording levels are superb throughout.
VOCAL
Handel – Nine German Arias
Nicole Palmer; Marika Holmqvist; Rebecca
Humphrey; Barbara Weiss
Zenith Ensemble (zenithensemble.org)
! Of Georg
Frideric Handel it
is believed – and
certainly true –
that of his contemporaries,
only J.S.
Bach produced
work in which
such qualities of
robustness, lucidity and passion were so delicately
balanced. These Nine German Arias,
an exposition of rarely performed gems by
baroque Zenith Ensemble - Nacole Palmer
co-artistic director and soprano, Markia
Holmqvist baroque violin, Rebecca Humphrey
baroque cello, Barbara Weiss harpsichord -
are an indisputable testament to this fact.
With immaculate consistency of sound and
approach the Zenith Ensemble makes a more
than fitting and generous celebration of this
repertoire, confirming the organization’s high
achievement of this period work. These are
live-wire performances, technically excellent
and propelled with exactly the right degree of
eloquence and driving energy by Palmer. Her
Handelian qualities are superbly showcased.
Palmer’s interpretations combine great
imagination and musicality with a special
ability to find details in the music that you
maybe hadn’t registered before. Magically,
she draws them out and thrills you with
them. In Den Angenedmen Büschen and
Süsser Blumen Ambraflocken are but two
outstanding examples.
I must leave room to laud the instrumental
performers. They make things easier for
Palmer. Bright but strong in tone, virtuoso but
pressingly expressive, Holmqvist, Humphrey
and Weiss display just enough distinctiveness
that can touch the heart by revealing there
are three other persons to Zenith, not just
Palmer’s superb voice.
Raul da Gama
What we're listening to this month:
thewholenote.com/listening
Vraiment plus de Snipettes !!!
Martin Tétreault
“… this [album] further
cements Tétreault’s playful and
experimental legacy.” “… brilliant,
thought-provoking work” “… fresh
every time, every day.”
Alexandre David: Photogrammes
Quatuor Bozzini, Plaisirs du
Clavecin, Orchestre de l'Agora
“…a major young voice on the
Canadian art music scene.” “… a
stunningly beautiful, insistent and
demanding album that is worth
immersing yourself in.”
What no one else sees...
Edward Smaldone
Five new works blend influences
from the worlds of twelve-tone
music, jazz, and extramusical
realms such as architecture and
poetry.
Live! In Harmony
Samuel Bonnet
A first trio live album by Montrealbased
Samuel Bonnet, a rising star
who fuses the natural acoustics
of classical guitar with jazz
improvisation.
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 57

Forgotten Spring – The Early Lieder of
Fanny Hensel
Harry Baechtel; Chuck Dillard
Acis APL53882 (acisproductions.com/
forgotten-spring-fanny-hensel-liederharry-baechtel-chuck-dillard)
! A quarter of a
century into our
next millennium
we are in the thrall
of remarkable
discovery, that of
incredible music by
women composers.
These works include
buried masterpieces by composers such as
Clara Schumann, Florence Price – and most
remarkable of all – hidden gems by the brilliant
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel.
Some of Hensel’s work has been performed
and recorded (and reviewed here too). And
now we have a disc of some of her most
remarkable work. In fact, The Early Lieder of
Fanny Hensel, displays a genius akin to her
illustrious brother Felix.
Listening to this recording is a heady
experience. It almost feels as if no expression
would be hyperbole enough to express
admiration for Hensel’s lieder. Her maturity
– rare erudition with regard to the poetics of
lied, sensitivity to lyric and finding the absolute
perfectly suited melodic and harmonic
conception to employ – is breathtaking.
The extraordinary music interprets poems
by Johann Peter Eckermann who lived in
the long shadow of Goethe. Among other
poets represented are works by Luise Hensel,
Ludwig Tieck, Johann Henrich Voß and Sir
Walter Scott.
Meanwhile the deep and resonant baritone
of Harry Baechtel captures the textural luminosity
distilled into wondrous music. Moreover,
the delicate pianism of Chuck Dillard makes
for a perfect musical partnership.
Raul da Gama
Gerald Cohen – Steal a Pencil for Me
Opera Colorado; Ari Pelto
Sono Luminus SLE-20034 (sonoluminus.
com/sonoluminus/steal-a-pencil-forme?rq=pencil)
! The evil Nazi era
of the 30s and 40s
stole more than
six million lives.
But that Holocaust
during World War II
held many miracles
in secret. One of
these unfolds on
this exquisite double-disc, in a deeply expressive
opera with short solo and duet arias and
powerful recitatives, which goes like a bolted
arrow directly to the heart.
Steal a Pencil for Me, by composer Gerald
Cohen and librettist Deborah Brevoort, is
a story of joy, hope and the imperative to
survive in tender, requited eternal love (mixed
in with elemental sadness and despair). Let’s
also not forget a magnificent cast of opera
stars playing principal characters and the
cast of supporting artists together part of
Opera Colorado, expertly shepherded by the
conductor Ari Pelto.
Based on the book of the same name, the
narrative is a quadrangular love story: among
principal Jaap Polak (played with lyrical
tenderness and strength by baritone Gidean
Dabi) and his deeply empathetic wife Manja
(brilliant Adriana Zabala), Jaap’s true love Ina
Soap (the liquid soprano Inna Dukach) and
her fiancé Rudi Cohen (the sublime, dramatic
Daniel McGrew). Other roles are superbly
played and include friends and family, three
Nazis, and a chorus of nine with chorusmaster
Sahar Nouri, who is also a pianist in
the orchestra.
Act 1 telling of persecution in Amsterdam
and the unfolding of the love story in
Westerbork is brought to dramatic life. Act 2
depicts survival in Bergen-Belsen, a secret
Passover celebration, lovers lost and reunited
in a happy conclusion back in Amsterdam.
The package includes booklet essays,
Brevoort’s libretto driven by excellent cultural
anthropology. Cohen’s vent is dramatic and
dark, and atmospherically sinister. And operatically
grand. The tenderness of the dénouement
after short, outstanding operatic arias
and recitatives is sustained throughout
making for a memorable event.
Raul da Gama
CLASSICAL AND BEYOND
Un Basson Sous L’Empire: Etienne Ozi - Six
grandes sonates pour le basson
Matthieu Lussier; Amanda Keesmaat;
Christophe Gauthier
ATMA ACD2 2876 (atmaclassique.com/en/
product/a-bassoonist-during-the-firstfrench-empire-the-music-of-etienne-ozi)
! Étienne Ozi
was the greatest
French bassoonist
of his day. Living
from 1754 to 1813,
he was active as a
performer in Paris
all through the
Revolution and was
instrumental (sorry!) in helping to found the
Paris Conservatory. His method book for the
bassoon was published in 1803 and remained
an essential part of every French bassoonist’s
training for at least the next 50 years.
As well as advice on reeds, scales, and ornamentation,
the method included 12 progressively
more difficult sonatas composed by Ozi
himself. The six most advanced of these make
up the bulk of this recording with soloist
Mathieu Lussier accompanied by Amanda
Keesmaat on cello and Christophe Gauthier
playing some on harpsichord and some on
fortepiano.
This is not profound music by any means,
but it is well-crafted and pleasant and sits
solidly in the mainstream of French pre-
Romantic style. The performers are excellent,
adding tasteful embellishments and articulations
throughout; Lussier’s tone is always
rich and clean and the fortepiano is a delight,
even sounding like a guitar at times. Lussier
deserves a hearty pat on the back for making
this carefree music available to bassoonists
and their fans. The last three tracks on
the disc, however, are where things get really
interesting. Inspired by the similarity in the
two names, François Vallières composed
settings of three of Ozzy Osbourne’s greatest
hits: for bassoon, cello and fortepiano.
I happen to love hearing familiar music
re-interpreted using older styles, so I was
delighted by these works: tasteful, stylistic
and fun, but also full of genuine affection.
Who knew Osbourne was so melodic?
Fraser Jackson
Beethoven – The Forgotten Concerto for
Fortepiano, Op.61a
Anders Mustens; Das Neue Mannheimer
Orchester; Rachel Beesley
Leaf Musi Distribution n/a (leaf-musicdistributes-new-beethoven-album-fromanders-muskens)
! In recent
decades, artists
have increasingly
extended the reach
of period instrument
performance
practice forward
in time, moving
from the Baroque to
Classical works of
Mozart and Beethoven through the Romantic
era. Now, very fine recordings are available
of music by Mahler and Ravel, performed on
instruments and in a style that the composers
would likely have recognized. This new
recording from Canadian pianist Anders
Muskens and the New Mannheim Orchestra
reflects their desire not only to play on instruments
from Beethoven’s time, but also in a
style drawn from practices common in the
first decade of the 19th century.
The work in question is better known
as Beethoven’s sole violin concerto (1806),
which Beethoven himself arranged as a piano
concerto in 1807 at the request of composer
and publisher Muzio Clementi. Though not
heard nearly as often as the original for
violin, the revised version for piano is not
actually “forgotten” today – there are at least
two dozen recordings of the piano concerto,
including by pianists as well-known as
Barenboim, Berezovsky and Mustonen.
There is a notable flexibility of tempo
throughout this performance, lending the
music an improvisatory quality, particularly
in lyrical passages. Muskens exploits the
full range of sonority of his 1806 Broadwood
58 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

piano, from the delicacy of his first movement
entry and the tinkling high register in the
first statement of the third movement’s main
theme, to the stormy bass tremolos of his
improvised cadenza leading from the second
into the third movement. The frequent use of
portamenti in the strings takes more getting
used to: listen to how they swoop between
notes in the first movement before the pianist’s
entry (3:01) or during the second theme
(5:23). Nevertheless, this is an engaging and
committed performance which encourages
us to listen to a familiar masterwork with
fresh ears.
Stephen Runge
Schubert – Sonatas D784; D894
Young-Ah Tak
Steinway & Sons 30235 (steinway.com/
music-and-artists/label/schubert-sonatasyoung-ah-tak)
! Recorded on
a fine-sounding
Steinway grand in
New York City’s
Steinway Hall
in 2023, pianist
Young-Ah Tak
presents bold, fullblooded
readings
of two of Schubert’s better-known
piano sonatas. The opening of the Sonata in
A Minor, D784 immediately gives us a sense
of Tak’s general approach. The main theme
is more impulsive than usual, featuring a
forward momentum that carries over into
the lyrical second theme, here pushing ahead
in contrast to its more typical presentation
as an oasis of calm. Tak prioritizes drama
throughout, emphasizing dynamic contrasts
and not afraid to employ liberal rubato. This is
Schubert the Romantic rather than Schubert
the Classicist, making use of the full resources
of the modern Steinway.
Some listeners may miss the peace and
serenity that others find in the large first
movement of the Sonata in G Major, D894;
as with the A minor sonata, Tak does not take
the repeat of the first movement’s exposition.
The early turn to the minor mode (0:49)
already presses anxiously ahead. The sonatas’
slow movements, both marked Andante,
are generously and sensitively phrased and
taken at a rather brisk pace. While the finale
of the A minor work seems more monumental
than usual, particularly in the thick
chordal writing where Tak again prioritizes
stormy drama over any reminiscence of the
dance, the finale of the G major sonata shows
a lighter touch that allows for some grace and
humour to conclude the album on a more
smiling note.
Stephen Runge
Sing to Me Again
Fierbois Duo
Leaf Music LM286
(leaf-music.ca/music/lm286)
! Sing to Me
Again, the debut
album by the oboe
and piano duo
Fierbois, is a captivating
exploration
of lesser-known
composers, many
from the Soviet
Socialist Realism
movement, such as Gayane Chebotaryan and
Fikret Amirov, and the Moravian composer
Pavel Haas who was murdered at Auschwitz.
Caitlin Broms-Jacobs (oboe) and Madeline
Hildebrand (piano) create a beautifully intricate
and emotionally charged soundscape,
drawing out the lyrical essence of each piece
with remarkable sensitivity.
The album showcases several striking
compositions, starting with Chebotaryan’s
6 Preludes (Nos.1,3 and 6), where Broms-
Jacobs’ dark, resonant oboe voice converses
fluidly with the piano, producing hauntingly
beautiful and contemplative melodies.
Sevdana by Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin, a
Bulgarian classic, highlights the mournful
depth of the oboe, further emphasizing the
duo’s virtuosity and emotional control. In
Vítězslava Kaprálová’s 2 Pieces: Jitro, the pair
brings forth the youthful yet poignant beauty
of a 17-year-old’s art song, with a perfect
balance of expressive character.
The album also features an engaging
arrangement of Glinka’s Dances from Ruslan
and Lyudmila, with quirky, sparkling energy,
and Srul Irving Glick’s Suite Hébraïque
No.6, where the duo beautifully interprets
klezmer influences with elegance. Finally,
the emotional depth of Haas’ Suite for Oboe
and Piano resonates deeply, as the musicians
stay true to the composer’s intended vision,
offering a heartrending rendition.
Fierbois’ Sing to Me Again is a dynamic
and evocative album, with performances that
perfectly capture the rich timbres and cultural
stories embedded in each piece.
Melissa Scott
Stravinsky – Pulcinella; Divertimento
Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Gustavo
Gimeno
Harmonia Mundi HMM905384 (tso.ca/
about/orchestra/pulcinella)
! It was about time
for the TSO to get
a regular recording
contract with a
multinational label.
French Harmonia
Mundi is now
releasing their
second disc from
the TSO conducted by Gustavo Gimeno.
The disc starts with the fairly rare
Divertimento from The Fairy’s Kiss,
Stravinsky’s balletic tribute to Tchaikovsky,
a labour of love, mostly based on fragments
from songs and piano pieces orchestrated
to suggest the very essence of Tchaikovsky’s
style, while maintaining a subtle Stravinskian
presence.
The orchestration of Pulcinella is far more
spare and Neo-classical, providing the clarity
What we're listening to this month:
thewholenote.com/listening
Breath of Fresh Air
Diane Roblin and Life Force
An exhilarating showcase of
Roblin’s compositional talent with a
powerhouse ensemble; masterful
collaboration- an extraordinary,
musical journey that sparks the
imagination, uplifts the spirit.
The Answer
Ilya Osachuk
Jazz bassist and composer
Osachuk’s acclaimed debut
album offers his unique take
on jazz standards and original
compositions. Streaming
everywhere, purchase on
Bandcamp!
Stradivatango
Denis Plante and
Stéphane Tétreault
A vibrant fusion of classical
elegance and fiery tango rhythms:
Now available at ATMA Classique!
Distilled Extractions
Emad Armoush’s Rayhan
Great traditional Arabic songs, and
original compositions, with free
jazz improvisation, experimental
music, and electronics.
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 59

and simplicity of combinations of basic
colours. The tunes contain frequent earworms,
largely gleaned from Paisilello and
others, which are hard to get out of one’s
head. This dynamic performance of the
complete ballet features vocal soloists Isabel
Leonard (mezzo-soprano), Paul Appleby
(tenor), and Derek Welton (bass-baritone).
Canadian Kelly-Marie Murphy was
commissioned by the TSO to write Curiosity,
Genius and the search for Petula Clark to
commemorate Glenn Gould, and the 70th
anniversary of his debut as a teenager with
the TSO. It was premiered by Peter Oundjian
in 2017. Although only 11 minutes in length
it is packed with a myriad of brightly scored
events, saturated with quicksilver fragments
that course by with fierce speed in a stunning
orchestral display.
Gimeno leads the orchestra with his usual
precision and meticulous control. The sound
is perfect to capture the slight resonance of
the soundstage giving it a natural depth. The
performances are meticulous but also affectionate.
Pucinella is less mannered than fun.
This is a most auspicious release and is not
to be missed by anyone who cares for this
orchestra and their new conductor.
Michael Doloschell
Rituæls
Collectif9
Analekta AN 955 (collectif9.ca/en/rituaels)
! With the recent
announcement
that Rituæls has
earned Collictif9
a 2025 JUNO
Award nomination
in the Classical
Album of the Year
(Small Ensemble)
category, the intrepid ensemble may finally
become celebrated for daring to go where
proverbial “angels fear to tread.” Collectif9
sweeps into the musical continuum going
back and forth in time stretching their
distinctive interpretations of seminal repertoire
as they do so. From the medieval ecstatic
mystic Hildegard von Bingen through mid-
20th century Neo-Romantic Michael Tippett,
“Holy Minimalist” Arvo Pärt to musically
omnivorous Bryce Dessner, and the daring
Canadians Nicole Lizée and Jocelyn Morlock,
Collectif9 justifies the JUNO nomination.
On Rituæls Collectif9 explores the nature
of connections, a voyage departing way back
in time to arrive at some point in an elegant
21st century conservatoire. Yet somehow, to
describe it as such might give the impression
of overcooking, when in fact this is a masterpiece
of subtlety.
The music floats gorgeously –
from the opening Drone across the
sound of von Bingen’s O vis æternitatis
and Pärt’s Psalom, through to
Dessner’s Tenebre – executed to perfection
by the ensemble. The rich and unpredictable
and eloquent musicality of the Canadians’
work – Lizée’s ethereal Another Living Soul
and Morlock’s penitent Exaudi – add to
the surprises, to every delicate curlicue of
a bassline melody and close-knit ensemble
passages which this extraordinary Canadian
nonet executes to perfection.
Raul da Gama
MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY
For the Time, Being
Andy Haas
Resonant Music 019 (andyhaas.bandcamp.
com/album/for-the-time-being)
! Be ready for
the unexpected:
intense, at
times blasting
loud, unforgettable,
disturbing,
boundary-pushing
avant guard jazz/
improvised/
composed music in
this solo release by Canadian experimental
saxophonist Andy Haas.
After performing with Toronto’s Martha
and the Muffins, Haas moved to New York
City in 1984 where he collaborated with
avant-garde musicians John Zorn, Marc Ribo
and others. Here, four decades later, Haas
controls self-generated tremolos, guitar
pedals, extreme panning and manipulated
vinyl LPs while playing saxophone to create
unique, multi-layered sonic landscapes. Haas
suggests listening on a good low-end response
system to get the full effect.
This is not noise; Haas has thought out his
music well in these seldom heard frequencies.
Opening (de)compose starts with repeated
different pitch notes. Drama is created as the
repeated notes get a little slower, then are
separated by silences then back to repeats.
Swells, drones, low grumbles, descending
pitch effects, intriguing at times squeaky
sax notes create a chaotic feel. The next
tracks expand on these sonic ideas. But Still
Madness has different higher sound colours
with a sudden change to lower pitches. Clear
sections with an unexpected louder crashing
element add intensity midstream in the noisy
A Strange Nothingness. Its louder closing
effects add an unexpectedly reflective nature
to the work.
Haas’ undefinable perplexing music is
highlighted by low frequency machines and
saxophone effects in this brilliant sound
experiment. It may be difficult listening, but
it’s well worth the effort!
Tiina Kiik
Voix Jetées
Paramirabo; Sarah Albu
ATMA ACD2 2887 (atmaclassique.com/
produit/voix-jetees)
! Not to wade
into politics, but a
movement has been
afoot in early 2025
to “buy Canadian,”
a citizenry reaction
that is perhaps
equal parts jingoism
and an extended
middle-finger to our
neighbours to the south. And if such a nationalistic
approach works for the purchase and
consumption of beer and groceries, then why
not for music too? As such, add Voix jetées by
Montreal’s Ensemble Paramirabo to your
list, as this excellent chamber music group
serves up a compelling selection of largely
contemporary Canadian classical pieces on its
newest, and fifth, recording.
Under the fine artistic direction of flutist
Jeffrey Stonehouse, Paramirabo’s six musicians
(plus guest vocalist Sarah Albu on
Keiko DeVeaux’s haunting L’écoute du
perdu) traverse musically through five new
pieces penned by a cohort of exciting young
composers. While the specific compositional
styles vary, of course, with avant-gardism
(Nicole Lizée’s Music for Body-Without-
Organs), chamber ensemble interplay, and
the bio- or eco-musical “natural sounds”
of whale cries (Jared Miller’s Leviathan)
all represented beautifully, it is cohesive
ensemble playing and an assured sense of
musicianship that unite this terrific 2024
ATMA Classique release. Further, according
to Stonehouse’s liner note comments, it is
constructs of memory and the displacement
of self that thematically cleave together
the selection of pieces heard here, representing
some of Ensemble Paramirabo’s
most performed repertoire of the last five
years. Good for Stonehouse and ATMA for
immortalizing these sounds on this fine
digital capture.
Andrew Scott
Frank Horvat – Anatomy of the Recovering
Brain
Kathryn Ladano
I Am Who I Am Records LTLP21 (iamrecords.com/releases/anatomy-of-therecovering-brain)
! The story
of Anatomy of
the Recovering
Brain began in the
fall of 2020 when
Kathryn Ladano
was rear ended at
a Toronto intersection.
Although
the impact was not physically rough, it
changed her life in very major ways as she
60 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

fought to keep teaching and recover from
the trauma. Brain injuries can be extremely
deceptive, showing little outward evidence
of their effects, but internally one’s world
is completely transformed with headaches,
concentration problems and many
other issues. In addition to teaching university
music courses, Dr. Ladano was also
Artistic Director of Kitchener-Waterloo’s
contemporary music organization NUMUS.
In 2021 composer Frank Horvat and Ladano
“conceived the idea of creating a composition
that would shine a light on the profound
challenges of living with an acquired brain
injury. At the time, even playing her instrument
for five minutes caused severe pressure
in her head, making the completion of this
hour-long piece a remarkable achievement in
her recovery.”
Anatomy of the Recovering Brain is an
important and original work that brings
together several “guest” musicians (Richard
Burrows - vibraphone, Morgan Lovell - cello,
Greg Turner - piano, Pam Patel - soprano)
who complement the stories of Ladano and
five other acquired brain injury survivors.
The six ten-minute movements are named
after the individuals (Kathryn, Russ, Paul,
Melanie, Lucy, Jeffrey) and Ladano plays bass
clarinet throughout over a moving palate of
electronic sounds. The 60 minutes flow from
one story to another: the bass clarinet and
backing electronics are a constant throughout
with the guest musicians supplying different
timbres. Each person narrates their own story
and their words mix with the acoustic and
electronic sounds. I was fortunate enough to
attend the premier of this work in Kitchener
in June of 2023 where the event was attended
by friends, musicians, politicians and individuals
from the brain injury community. It
was exciting that this work brought together
so many people from different backgrounds
and this recording should also reach beyond
the traditional “new music” audience.
Great thanks is owed to Horvat, Ladano and
everyone else involved in this production.
Ted Parkinson
Christian Thomas – Dragon Pipa Concerto
Liu Fang; FILMharmonique Orchestra;
Francis Choinière
GFN Productions (gfnproductions.ca/
albums/pipa-concerto)
! The pipa, a
stringed instrument
capable of a unique
percussive sound
that is beautiful
and was previously
unknown to
me, is a plucked (as
opposed to bowed)
traditional Chinese instrument perhaps most
analogous to that of the European lute. In the
skilled hands of Liu Fang, the Chinese-born
Montreal resident heard here on Christian
Thomas’ Concerto for Pipa and Orchestra
“Dragon,” the instrument is given a wide
creative berth to be featured in front of a rich
orchestral backdrop for impressive results.
Recorded at Maison Symphonique in
Montreal in September of 2024, Thomas’ fourmovement
concerto is handled with aplomb
by Orchestre FILMharmonique under the
direction of conductor Francis Choinière. A
musical fusion in the truest sense of the word,
here blending Eastern and Western musical
styles and traditions, Thomas’ concerto
musically charts the life cycle of a dragon
from babe to matured Dragon Emperor as a
celebration of 2024’s designation as Chinese
Year of the Dragon.
The recording, and subsequent live
performances, also represents a celebration of
the creativity (particularly when it comes to
classical music) that is found and supported
within Quebec. The project’s two principals,
Fang and Thomas, both based out of La belle
province, collaborate meaningfully together,
demonstrating that creative purpose and
artistic excellence can traverse country of
origin, background, and cultural context.
Finally, GFN Productions, the label on
which this fine recording has been released
is a Quebec-based production and promotion
company formed in part by conductor
Choinière, proves once again that creative
genre-bending projects whose unifier is
musical excellence will always find an audience
and a home.
Andrew Scott
Vraiment plus de Snipettes!!!
Martin Tetrault
ambiences magnetiques AM 280 CD
(actuellecd.com/en/album/6706-vraimentplus-de-snipettes)
! If ever there
was an embodiment
of organic
music this would be
it. Veteran improvisor,
skilled turntablist
and sound
technician Martin
Tétrault once again
mines his collection
of archival works to complete the third
in a series beginning with Snippettes, Plus
de Snippettes, and now Vraiment Plus de
Snippettes!!!
The album is filled with gems and insights,
and includes so many profound predictions
it seems almost impossible that the source
materials are entirely vintage. Tétrault’s
immense skill in assembling his past works,
mostly from cassette and reel-to-reel archival
material, makes the album seem effortless,
almost accidental, but that is a large part of
his prowess as the truest form of his artistry
is being able to make music from nearly
anything. So many of the quoted texts seem to
be evaluations of our current social and political
climate (such as my favourite quote from
track 9 “Because people who don’t know
what they’re talking about are always against
the issue.” And from track 11 “In short,
what you are thinking is that, in the current
climate, society is losing much more than it
is gaining from its ostracism. Absolutely, not
recognizing people as they are is always a loss
for society.”) The tracks are each phantasmal
in their montages of sources yet remain very
direct in composition. They are united in
brilliant uses of rhythm and texture as well
cohesiveness throughout.
As a whole the album flows as an extremely
fun listen, a vintage cocktail of memorabilia
(much of the technologies in the collections
are no longer in use) but don’t hesitate
to reach into the English translations of
the French source texts if needed (included
on the album’s website) to fully appreciate
the dry wit and humour of the selections.
In one sense, bring your party hat
and enjoy Tétreault’s share of wonder and
exploration; in another sense the album is
deeply profound.
Cheryl Ockrant
Alexandre David – Photogrammes
Quatuor Bozzini; Plaisirs du clavecin;
Orchestre de l’Agora
Collection Quatuor Bozzini CQB 2434
(collectionqb.bandcamp.com/album/
alexandre-david-photogrammes)
! What distinguishes
the
music on this
disc – particularly
the final work,
Photogrammes –
is the manner in
which music is
created by applying
dramatically a new,
decidedly spectral, musical chromatograph (à
la Gérard Grisey) of colours and tone textures.
This is evidence of the highly fecund intellect
of composer Alexandre David. Lest this
idea of “musical chromatography” makes
this sound as if the music were expelled from
the innards of a machine, it should be made
eminently clear that conventional acoustic
instruments have been used to make this
striking music.
Spectacularly, David has emerged from
the tradition like a man with a resonant
hallelujah and a dramatic epiphany. All the
conventional tools of music are clearly present
here – melody, harmony, rhythm – complete
with surprising tempi, startlingly moody
accelerando and ritardando, the lot.
However, what is notable about David’s
music is that gone are the melodic, structural
and harmonic hooks that have been expressively
blunted through overuse. David has
tossed all of this dross overboard, rebuilding
his music from what might – or mightn’t
– be left.
Nanimissuat Île-tonnerre – with text by
the Innu poet Natasha Kanapé Fontaine and
throat-singing melded into the chorale – is
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 61

the most riveting moment on the disc. This
is not easy music to nail. But Orchestre de
l’Agora, with Nicolas Ellis conducting, shepherds
these crack musicians through David’s
masterly opuses realising his ideas faithfully,
without compromising his sound-world.
Raul da Gama
Almost As Soft As Silence
Christopher Whitley (solo violin, free
improvisation)
Independent (christopherwhitley.
bandcamp.com/album/almost-as-soft-assilence)
! Is there a perfect
composition to
showcase one of
the finest violins in
the world? Violinist
Christopher Whitley
was inspired to
record some free
expressions with
his 1770 Taft Stradivarius violin (on generous
loan at the time from the Canada Council
Instrument Bank) for a shorter, 30-minute
disc of what could best be described as love
poems to the violin. Recorded in one single
take, unedited, each miniature composition
reflects the relationship between the
violinist and his prized loan and the resonance
of the St. Stephens church in Belvedere,
CA. Whitley, a stunningly versatile performer
with everything from classical, new music,
improvisation, jazz, folk and rock in his skill
set, takes a breather to play freely, thoughtfully,
and authentically, allowing the instrument
to sparkle unadorned. Whitley chooses
to record the miniature compositions in
single takes, one leading to the other almost
as gestures. The title track almost as soft as
silence is a mere sparkle at 15 seconds long,
whereas the others such as seven and a5
b5 g5 range between two to four minutes of
divine simplicity, allowing the instrument to
breathe, and capturing the essence of both
artists – the player and the maker. The album
recording was videotaped and is available
on YouTube, but I found listening was even
better on its own.
This album was perfect scoring for the
snowstorm raging outside my window;
wind sweeping in gestural gusts kept perfect
pace with the sonic explorations. Less about
technical wizardry and more about a duet
between player and instrument, in a sense it
felt more like being back at the beginning of
the life of the 1700 Stradivarius. Without the
clutter of pyrotechnics or dramatic composition,
we have an intimate and pure setting to
enjoy the offering, like fine morsels of cheese
without the bread.
Cheryl Ockrant
Fluid Dynamics
Rachel Lee Priday; David Kaplan
Orchid Classics ORC100323
(orchidclassics.com/releases/orc100323-
fluid-dynamics)
! What strikes
me the most about
this album is the
sheer beauty of the
music. Flowing,
poetic, immeasurable,
visceral
and cinematographic,
the music
is an alluring ode to what lies deep within.
The collaborative musical/visual project of
violinist Rachel Lee Priday, oceanographer
Georgy Manucharayan and six contemporary
composers is beaming with imagination
and curiosity. Manucharayan’s job
includes studying the motion of the oceans
and the reasons for it, and in the process he
makes experimental videos of these fluid
dynamics, using classical music to amplify
the movements. It is out of his work that the
idea arose to pair the commissioned pieces
with selected videos, resulting in a stunning
project whose depth is best experienced in
live performances.
Rachel Lee Priday’s playing is captivating
and intense. Virtuosic, with clear direction,
and the imagination and sonority of an exceptional
artist, Priday reflects the dance of the
ocean effortlessly and naturally. All but one of
the compositions are written for solo violin
and require an exceptional amount of stamina
and energy in performance. Four are commissioned
for this project while the remaining
three are earlier commissions by Priday.
The album opens with Gabrielle Smith’s
Entangled on a Rotating Planet, a wild, energetic,
mesmerizing piece. Waterworks by Paul
Wiancko, inspired by the energy of a whirling
red vortex, brings in a masculine, rhythmical
pulse. Convection Loops by Cristina Spinei
and Three Suns by Timo Andres are consummately
poetic; witnesses to the vastness and
colours of the oceans. In addition to two
lovely compositions by Leilehua Lanzilotti,
ko’inoa and to speak in a forgotten language,
the last piece on the album, Violin Sonata
by Christopher Cerrone, featuring David
Kaplan on piano, is an edgy expedition into a
sonic palette.
Ivana Popovic
sedgeflowers MANTRA
HereNowHear
False Azure Records FAR no.2
(falseazurerecords.com/2024/12/06/
no-2-sedgeflowers-mantra)
! Aleatory
approaches to art,
where chance and
randomness play
a central role in
determining the
outcome and direction
of an object
(material, musical
or otherwise), is a 20th-century creative technique
that found legs in literature (the cut-up
technique of William S. Burroughs and John
Lennon), as well as music (perhaps most
famously associated with John Cage’s Music
of Changes). Said technique is also associated
with the German composer Karlheinz
Stockhausen. Often, however, his work utilizing
this method is overshadowed by his
seminal electronic compositions (Studie
I and Studie II) that have made a more pervasive
cultural impact, influencing everyone
from Aphex Twin, Thurston Moore and Sonic
Youth, Miles Davis, Frank Zappa and the
Grateful Dead.
What is sometimes lost in the application of
the labels “controversial,” “modernistic” and
“groundbreaking,” that are so often attached
to Stockhausen’s output, is the fact that many
of his pieces are also beautiful, accessible and
imminently listenable. This is particularly so
when performed by the talented young piano
duo of American Ryan MacEvoy McCullough
and Canadian Andrew Zhou. Recording for
False Azure Records at various points between
2018 and 2022, this newly released album
pairs Stockhausen’s famous 1970 Mantra
(which utilizes a 13-note tone-row) with
two new “companion” compositions by John
Liberatore and Christopher Stark, for a satisfying
listening experience.
With McCullough and Zhou doing doubleduty
on both piano and various cymbals and
hand percussion instruments, this beautifully
recorded and mixed double-CD offers
a welcome introduction for anyone interested
in the music of Stockhausen, or in the
exciting new talents of these fine pianists.
Andrew Scott
62 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

Edward Smaldone – What no one else
sees…
Brno Philharmonic; Royal Scottish National
Orchestra; Opus Zoo Woodwind Quintet
New Focus Recordings FCR425
(newfocusrecordings.bandcamp.com/
album/what-no-one-else-sees)
! By calling his
2024 disc What
No One Else Sees…
Edward Smaldone
was not telling us
(unless you read
between the lines
of his booklet
notes) that he was
a musical omnivore. But that’s exactly what
he comes across as. Every important musical
dialect today collides in his music.
According to his Bandcamp page
“Smaldone blends influences from the worlds
of twelve tone music, jazz, and extramusical
realms like architecture and poetry to write
attractive, sophisticated works that highlight
his penchant for vibrant orchestrations and
instrumental virtuosity.”
If that introduction hasn’t piqued your
interest in listening to Smaldone’s music,
nothing may move you to. You would, of
course, be missing out on something exquisitely
different: a volcanic mix of “Bebop… jazz
harmony, improvisation” and myriad idioms
from classical music.
You would also miss out on Prentendo
Fuoco, and pianist Niklas Sivelöv’s incendiary
solo, with the Brno Philharmonic responding
in kind, plus three other remarkable works.
The ghosts of Charlie Parker, Ravel, Ligeti and
Boulez all surface on this disc.
Even if Smaldone hasn’t read De Andrade,
his artistic “cannibalism” may have helped
shape the burgeoning career of a unique
musical omnivore.
Raul da Gama
JAZZ AND IMPROVISED
Horizon Song
Scott Grant 5
Cellar Music CMR221123 (scottgrant5.
bandcamp.com/album/horizon-song)
! Horizon Song by
the Scott / Grant 5
offers tasty twists
to a detail-oriented
listener, while
being palatable
and polite enough
to put on over
dinner. A friend
described a track they’d heard on the radio as
“smooth,” but this was a positive nod to the
group dynamic rather than an accusation of
innocuousness.
The album is right at home within the
Cellar Music Group catalog, and with
excellent casting. Scott and Grant are guitarist
Andrew Scott and trombonist Kelsley Grant,
with Amanda Tosoff, Neil Swainson and Terry
Clarke rounding out the quintet. This rhythm
section gives Horizon Song’s nine tracks the
ample swing and groove they require, while
sounding current and interactive enough
to appeal to a contemporary audience. This
might just be the through-line of the album:
embracing classic aesthetics, but never
trapped in a time capsule.
All of Horizon Song’s tracks are originals,
with Scott penning seven tunes and Grant
contributing two beautiful waltzes. The tracks
go together seamlessly and feature each
member of the quintet. The album’s title track
might just be the aforementioned “smooth”
sounding piece, and there’s plenty of contrast
from the snappy Punctuality to the groovy
The Problems of Your Future.
Scott breaks up his guitar sound with
nylon-strings on a few tracks, and Tosoff
doubles on electric keyboard, all captured
beautifully at the Gordon Wragg Recording
Studio in Toronto. I have critiqued an album
or two from this studio for sounding “cold”
while precise, but there is grit and warmth to
Horizon Song that brings to mind recordings
from the 60s and 70s. Whatever your usual
listening tendencies, you’ll find something
here to enjoy.
Sam Dickinson
Live! In Harmony
Samuel Bonnet Trio
Divertissement Mercier
(samuelbonnetguitar.bandcamp.com/
album/live-in-harmony)
! Samuel Bonnet
is a jazz guitarist
currently living in
Montreal. Born in
Israel, he studied
classical and jazz
guitar in France,
graduating in
musicology at the
University of Paris.
In 2009 he moved to Montreal to study classical
guitar. Bonnet’s unique jazz sound relies
on using a nylon stringed classical guitar
amplified to produce a rich and nuanced
sound. Jazz has a history of including classical
guitar: for example in the bossa nova
tunes of Carlos Jobim and the legendary New
York guitarist Gene Bertoncini who, decades
ago, studied classical guitar to reinvent his
jazz playing.
Live! In Harmony is Bonnet’s second trio
recording and the performances are from
the Jazz Room (Waterloo, ON) and Rucher de
Bolton (Quebec). This album shows jazz at its
essential elements: a clean amplified acoustic
guitar, upright bass (Jonathan-Guillaume
Boudreau) and drums (Simon Bergeron)
playing unique arrangements of eight standards.
All the arrangements are thoughtful
and original. For example, the Nardis cover
is quite beautiful beginning with a swishing
drum intro which introduces the delicate
guitar melody, where Bonnet throws in a few
harmonics, and includes a contrapuntal interplay
with the bass. The audience’s applause
on all tracks adds to a sense of immediacy.
The trio’s performances of these and
other tunes can also be found on Bonnet’s
YouTube Channel.
Ted Parkinson
Particules Sonores
Alain Bedard Auguste Quartet
Effendi FND174 (alainbedardauguste.com)
! For the nearly 20
years, in six albums
and numerous
tours that have
taken this ensemble
throughout the
globe, Alain Bédard
and his storied
Auguste Quartet
have been considered one of Canada’s most
prestigious quartets. Now, with their latest
release, the ensemble helmed by bassist/
composer Bédard explores the nature of
particle physics and music. The compositions
have been penned by quartet members
Bédard, Marie Fatima Rudolph and Michel
Lambert The quartet is comprised of these
stellar, primarily Quebec-based musicians,
along with Mario Allard on saxophones.
There are ten envelope-pushing tracks
here, all at once challenging, innovating
and thrilling, including Bédard’s inveigling
Profumo Chaneleone. It features a visceral,
facile piano solo from Rudolf and superb
drumming from Lambert, while Bédard’s
solid bass lines anchor what chooses to be
anchored and propels the rest through this
complex, modal composition. Also, Lambert’s
A Goose Story captures both the delight and
horror of fairy tales, incising us with percussive
arrows and mesmerizing us with his
dynamic percussion.
Another delight is the light-hearted Il
Cappello de mia Sorella (My Sister’s Hat),
which steps out of the stratosphere for a
bit, bringing us a thoroughly lovely track,
filled with the highest possible musicianship.
Celestes (adapted by Bédard) deep dives
into bebop heaven, replete with a ridiculous
tenor solo from Allard and another dose of
stirring piano from Rudolf. The closer, Bis du
Gras Mollet (Bédard) is another example of
divine quantum entanglement and the power
of music-driven sound particles to communicate,
calm, thrill and amaze within the organized
chaos of jazz.
Lesley Mitchell-Clarke
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 63

Breath of Fresh Air
Diane Roblin & Life Force
Zsan Records ZSAN2415 (dianeroblin.com)
! Diane Roblin
is one of our most
gifted and creative
jazz pianists and
composers. She is
well respected on
both electronic and
acoustic keyboards,
as well as for her
penchant for genre blending, and expressing
her ideas through compositions and motifs
that cover the gamut from free, avant-garde
jazz modalities into the realms of soul, fusion,
rock and everything in between. Her latest
salvo (produced by composer/bassist extraordinaire,
George Koller) finds Roblin in an
expansive musical wonderland, drawing on
her many diverse influences, and performed
by her expert, dynamic ensemble featuring
Kevin Turcotte on trumpet and flugelhorn;
John Johnson on soprano and alto sax; Jeff
LaRochelle on tenor sax and bass clarinet;
George Koller on acoustic and electric bass
and Tim Shia on drums.
First up is, Ladyfinger, funky cool,
rhythmic and chordally complex. Roblin
never over-plays here and is always focused
on the conversation with her ensemble, while
Koller provides a lush spine for Roblin to slide
up and down. A tight, sibilant horn arrangement
is the perfect contextual partner, as well
as the beautifully rendered and articulated
solo from Johnson. The title track has Roblin’s
pianistic dynamism and facility at the forefront,
while Turcotte’s trumpet moves sinuously
throughout – his lovely tone infusing
every note with musical eloquence, segueing
into a fine tenor solo from LaRochelle.
Another gem is Drifting into Dreamland,
again underscoring Roblin’s special skill for
constructing challenging melodic lines. On
Renewed on Thanksgiving Day, LaRochelle’s
bass clarinet intro seems to carry a veil of
nostalgia and melancholy which is also
reflected by the arrangement. This superb
recording closes with Cadenza – a solo
offering from Roblin that takes the listener
on a trip through the vistas and valleys of
her pianistic skill as well as her natural
communicative abilities. A breath of fresh
air, indeed.
Lesley Mitchell-Clarke
Russ Brannon – Sojourn
Russ Brannon; Various Artists
Independent (russbrannon.com)
! Cruising,
nocturnal, tasteful,
groove-laden,
melodic and
velvety in equal
measure, Sojourn
is a pleasure to sit
through, and then
sit through again,
and then again. The ensemble Russ Brannon
recruits here is on the larger side, and yet
rather than a wall of sound, what greets the
listener is more like a warm breeze.
Consisting entirely of Brannon’s original
compositions, the subtleties are what arrest
and surprise the most here. Pauline’s shuffling
beat gives way to a buoyant waltz, one
that feels lighter than air while also being on
the looser side, hanging back nicely in the
beat. Thistle Street moves effortlessly through
unison lines between the guitar and saxophone,
into more open sections that give the
piece time to breathe. Soloing is nicely paced,
while the actual blowing has a feeling of palpable
intent (not to be mistaken for sounding
contrived, there is still much freedom here)
behind it, as if each catchy melody was
contending with the others for real estate in
the listener’s mind.
When the band arrives in a spot together,
it feels like second nature, even down to
every last premeditated rhythmic hit. Adding
considerable richness to these arrangements
are a full string section and Lori
Cullen’s voice; the former uplifting numerous
sections with ambient swells while the latter
provides a unique ethereal quality to the
more harmonic passages. To sojourn is to stay
temporarily, but Sojourn will remain with
you for a while.
Yoshi Maclear Wall
Sam Broverman – Memories of You
Sam Broverman; Morgan Childs; Jacob
Gorzhaltsan; Peter Hill; Leslie Huyler; Drew
Jurecka; Jordan O’Connor; Tony
Quarrington
Independent (brovermusic.com)
! Toronto-based,
Winnipeg-born
jazz singer and
songwriter Sam
Broverman is back
with 11 original
songs written alone
or in collaboration
with others, and
two covers. Broverman, perfect and inspirational
in his musicianship, has performed
worldwide. He also has a Ph.D in math and is
Professor Emeritus in Actuarial Mathematics
at the University of Toronto.
Broverman sings about the ups and downs
of love relationships in a positive reflection.
He is joined by seven A list musicians. The
title track is upbeat rhythmical storytelling.
He sings his memorable melodies with clear
phrasing and colour, with instrumental solos
midstream. The heart wrenching lyric “now
a ghost of you is all I have” becomes positive
with the held note “memories” at the ending.
Broverman’s voice is emotional and
controlled in the cover Have a Heart by
DiNovo and Mercer. Tony Quarrington’s
guitar performances give powerful support
to Broverman’s vocals here, with a beautiful
jazzy solo. Broverman and Quarrington’s
unforgettable jazz composition I’ll Still be
Loving You features great Quarrington solos
and Broverman’s passionate clear, emotional
singing. Their composition As a Matter of
Fact opens with a drumkit solo. Broverman’s
upbeat singing gives a positive feel and
encourages singing along. Jordan O’Connor’s
bass solo with Peter Hill’s virtuosic piano
accompaniment are both so musical.
Perfect songs, singing, instrumentals
and production are simultaneously jazzy
and contemporary: it is impossible to feel
depressed while listening to Broverman.
Tiina Kiik
Ilya Osachuk – The Answer
Ilya Osachuk; Tyler Henderson; Donald
Vega; Kai Craig; Billy Drummond
Independent IOM01 (ilyaosachuk.com)
! It is always
exhilarating to
hear the upright
bass harnessed as a
melodic instrument
to the extent that
Ilya Osachuk does
on his delightful
debut album. It is
even more satisfying
when it is in a piano trio (or perhaps,
bass trio in this case) format, as the bass is
allowed more space to breathe in the higher
registers, and there is infinite potential for
musical interplay. It helps even further then,
that the trios on this album are just about the
tightest and most dynamic on planet Earth.
Piano duties are shared by Tyler Henderson
and Donald Vega, with drums provided alternately
by Kai Craig and Billy Drummond.
Osachuk’s intricate, labyrinthine original
works are a joyful listen, particularly when
played with such clarity and verve. The
rhythmic hits on Lviv Perspective are incredibly
lively without ever once masking the
melody, which itself brings to mind the Geri
Allen Trio with how seamlessly all the minisections
are weaved together; moments of
pure synchronicity between bass and piano
occurring organically yet also selectively.
February and its intro have their own music
video, which among other things offers an
incredibly moving glimpse into the moments
of real quietude in the studio, particularly
leading out of Osachuk’s spellbinding solo,
when there is a glance shared, a head nod,
64 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

but that second of true silence also finds a
profound moment of rest. It is a beautiful
thing when music can afford to do that, fill
the air with an abundance of gestures that
all come together perfectly, and then catch
its breath.
Yoshi Maclear Wall
Forbidden West
Robert Lee; various artists
In The Sun Records ITSCD 102
(inthesunrecords.com/robert-leeforbidden-west)
! Within a country
that celebrates
multiculturalism
as Canada does, it’s
truly great to see
a musician with
a diverse cultural
heritage diving into
where his roots
come from. Such is the focus of Canadianborn
Korean bassist and composer Robert
Lee’s newest record. In his own words, he
has “delved deeper into exploring his identity
as a Korean Canadian, questioning what
it means to simultaneously straddle two
contrasting cultural identities.” He has showcased
this exploration in a beautiful way in
his compositions. The album features some
renowned players, such as Allison Au on the
saxophone, Andrew McCarthy on drums and
Todd Penteny on piano. It is also a treat to see
several Asian-identifying musicians featured,
adding to the authenticity of the cultural
experience of the tunes.
What really stands out is a certain openness
and soul-baring quality, present throughout
the album. It is as if Lee is exposing a part
of his soul and being, exploring his multifaceted
cultural background and the struggles
- but mostly positivity - which comes out of
trying to balance two cultures simultaneously.
Lee manages to prolifically weave elements
of Korean traditional music into his modern
compositions, the zither-like sound of the
gayageum, played by Roa Lee, intertwining
with expressive bass melodies, soaring saxophone
solos and captivating piano chords
which are reminiscent of the pentatonic scale
often used in Asian cultures. If you’re looking
for a true cultural and musical experience in
one, this album is for you.
Kati Kiilaspea
Little Knox
Gary Williamson Trio
Modica Music (modicamusic.bandcamp.
com/album/little-knox)
! The late inspired
and inspiring
jazz pianist, Gary
Williamson, left us
in 2019. Although a
much-in-demand
figure in the
Toronto/Canadian
jazz scene and his
musical legacy is extensive (including jazz
education and sharing the stage with an
impressive array of jazz luminaries), it still
seems as if Williams was under-acknowledged.
Although often compared to the
iconic Bill Evans, ironically, he rarely listened
to Evans. Williamson’s intuitive melodic
ideas, his technical facility and of course his
deep understanding of lyrics – the intent of
a tune, and of a particular song’s emotional
vocabulary – are his own.
Modica Music has just released this posthumous,
historic and pristine trio album,
recorded at Williamson’s home on August 12
and 15, 2003. Joining Williamson on the date
was the iconic percussionist Marty Morrell
and bassist Dave Young. Beautifully produced
by noted bassist, Roberto Occhipinti, the CD
features 14 tracks – an elegant mash up of
gorgeous ballads, jazz standards and bebop
burners. This fine CD (Williamson’s only trio
recording) is not only a tribute to a magnificent
musician, but it should be a primer to
every emerging jazz musician.
Although every track is a gem, a highlight
is Fun Ride. On this snappy opener,
Williamson’s dynamic, lush sound is literally
breathtaking, and the work of Morrell and
Young is both enhancing and supportive
– just as it should be. Williamson’s facile
pianistic attack insures that every melodic
nuance lays itself before his feet. His soloing
is exquisite and takes a swinging turn when
Morrell switches from brushes to sticks.
The title track, Little Knox, again showcases
Williamson’s incredible sensitivity, enhanced
by Morrell’s brilliant percussive choices. Also
superb are Williamson’s delicious, swinging
performance on Rodgers and Hart’s classic I
Didn’t Know What Time it Was, and of sheer,
nearly unbearable beauty is the trio’s rendition
of Ellington’s sensual ballad, Prelude
to a Kiss.
Lesley Mitchell-Clarke
The Lockdown Sessions
106 Ontario Collective
Modica Music (modicamusic.bandcamp.
com/album/the-lockdown-sessions)
! Roberto
Occhipinti is
truly a jack of all
trades, staunchly
eschewing the
“master of none”
trap that can
accompany that
descriptor. He is a
multi-genre bassist, a contractor of bands and
orchestras, a music educator, and someone
who’s occupied most roles in countless
recording studios. Occhipinti’s latest offering
The Lockdown Sessions features its leader not
only performing the double-bass parts but
producing and mixing the record as well.
It’s essentially three albums in one,
featuring two trios and a quartet. Maybe 2.5,
as the final product comes out to 13 tracks.
This is too much music to describe track by
track in a short review, but each group has
a distinct sound that gives a great context
through which to discuss the album.
The quartet portion of The Lockdown
Sessions features guitarist Lorne Lofsky and
pianist Adrean Farrugia, with Occhipinti
and drummer Terry Clarke rounding out the
rhythm section. They play contemporary
arrangements of four jazz standards, with
a synchronized yet exploratory approach.
Lofsky’s stellar 2021 release The Song is
New is also on Modica Music, and to me, his
playing on The Lockdown Sessions is more
probing and “live” than the shorter studio
arrangements heard prior.
The rest of the album is piano trio, featuring
Ewen Farncombe on the next four pieces
with drummer Davide Corazza, and Farrugia
returning for the final five with Ernesto
Cervini on drums. Listeners get to hear three
different drummers approach this repertoire,
but it’s a testament to the album’s leader that
all three groups coexist organically.
Sam Dickenson
Living Things
Nicola Miller
Cacophonous Revival Recordings CRR-025
(cacophonousrevivalrecordings.
bandcamp.com/album/living-things)
! Nicola Miller
is an Ontarioborn,
Nova Scotiaresident
alto
saxophonist and
composer who has
taken a circuitous
route to her first
recording as leader,
earning a BA in jazz performance from a
Toronto college nearly 20 years ago, teaching
fiddle to children in Mohawk territory near
Montreal and getting an MA from the Jazz
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 65

Institüt Berlin. Based on Living Things, it was
all worth it. It’s as impressive a debut as one
might want to hear – mature, thoughtful,
passionate work in the company of masters.
She’s assembled a fine Canadian band
(trombonist Doug Tielli, as witty as he is
exploratory, drummer Nick Fraser, both
precise and energetic, and bassist Nicholas
D’Amato, a sensitive bulwark of form), topped
off by her German mentor Frank Gratkowski,
playing mostly bass clarinet here with just a
single turn on his more usual alto saxophone.
Loading a debut with stellar sidemen can
conceal a neophyte’s virtues, but that doesn’t
happen here. Miller‘s conception may be
rooted in Ornette Coleman’s mercurial voice,
but hers is lighter, a voice that is engaged in
its own discoveries.
Her compositions welcome elastic interpretation,
but they also have strengths of
their own, summoning up the soundscape of
Miller’s Maritime home. The opening Barge Is
a night-time description of dock, water and
whistles, while Seaweed and Seagulls are
similar tone poems, but all go
beyond programmatic atmosphere to
summon a sense of teeming life, a continuum
between sonic subject and the quintet’s
creative impulses.
Stuart Broomer
Folio #5
Brulez les meubles
(tourdebras.bandcamp.com/album/folio-5)
! Electric bassist
Éric Normand
is best known
for somehow
making Rimouski,
Quebec a national
hotbed of improvised
music with
his improvising
orchestra GGRIL and frequent international
guests. Normand has also developed a far
gentler (and composed) side with Brûlez
les meubles (Burn the furniture), his duo
with electric guitarist Louis Beaudoin-de la
Sablonnière. Here they are joined by special
guests: tenor saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock,
pianist Marianne Trudel and vibraphonist
Jonathan Huard.
There are seven pieces here, with compositions
contributed by Normand, Beaudoin-de
la Sablonnière and Trudel, but the effect is
virtually that of a linked suite, a series of
ethereal nocturnes, often with moonlight
glittering in Beaudoin-de la Sablonnière’s
sustained lyricism, whether subtly lifted or
trailed by Normand’s muted bass lines. The
ensemble shifts through multiple combinations,
sometimes reduced to just the essential
duo, at other times in permutations
that range to full quintet. The guitarist’s
Conscience de tragique is particularly multihued,
with Laubrock, generally emphasizing
her pastoral side here, beginning with
a contrasting a capella explosion that dances
between Stan Getz-like lyricism and expressionist
multiphonic pitch-bending. Trudel’s
opening exposition of her La vie commence
aujourd’hui is as limpidly graceful as flowers
floating on water, her long solo piano exploration
gradually opening to ringing electric
guitar and gauze-like saxophone.
The concluding Folio is serenely beautiful,
its suspended melody passing evocatively
among Laubrock, Trudel and Beaudoin-de la
Sablonnière in a final performance that’s at
once spectral and sublime.
Stuart Broomer
Horizontal Depths
Dan Pitt Quintet
Independent DP005
(danpitt.bandcamp.com)
! This album’s
oxymoronic
name, Horizontal
Depths, exemplifies
the quirky
and playful nature
of the Dan Pitt
Quintet. This band
plays hard, as in
the opener 27 Hours which spends a couple
of minutes getting its funk on with a solid
ensemble riff before a ripping tenor sax solo
from Patrick Smith brings us to a sputtering
and rockingly distorted guitar solo from
Pitt himself. Eventually everyone returns to
the opening riff and slams it home. Naomi
McCarroll-Butler’s bass clarinet provides
some excellent background texture and Nick
Fraser’s drums are, as always, solid, intelligent
and innovative. Let’s not forget the great
bass work from Alex Fournier which is a
solid, and often contrapuntal underpinning
for the rest of the hijinks.
On This is Fine, Fournier shows off some
nice bowing work. Horizontal Depths -
Part One is a shorter and more delicate
piece displaying nice jazzy minor scale runs
from Pitt’s guitar. The Sorrow shows off the
cleaner, more traditional jazz side of Pitt’s
guitar chops before a languorous bass clarinet
solo. All the tunes on Horizontal Depths were
composed by Pitt and display his combination
of inventiveness and effortless groove and the
players excel in their interpretations.
Ted Parkinson
Rare
Sophie Agnel; John Butcher
Victo CD 138 (lesdisquesvicto.bandcamp.
com/album/rare)
! French pianist
Sophie Agnel
and British saxophonist
John
Butcher are among
the most distinguished
members
of the European
free improvisation
community. Agnel is one of the elite musicians
featured on the soundtrack of The
Brutalist – winner of the 2025 Academy
Award for best original soundtrack (Daniel
Blumberg). Butcher is a sonic creator with
few peers, exploring for over three decades
the specific resonances of his tenor and
soprano saxophones, creating compound
sounds, sometimes investigating hyperresonant
spaces (a mine, a gasometer, caves).
The duo’s music is a model of close listening
and multi-dimensional response, their
continuously shifting roles expanding the
moment’s potential.
Rare documents their first North American
performance at the 2024 edition of Festival
International Musique Actuel Victoriaville
(FIMAV), Canada’s premier festival of
“outside” music. Attending the concert was
a significant experience, but the detail of the
recording adds more sonic subtext and microscopic
detailing. From the outset, one Is in an
exalted acoustic world. The grand piano can
suggest an enormous ukulele or a steel mill;
the saxophone’s multiphonic burble passes
from woodland birds to a bank of oscillators.
Instruments’ interiority becomes our interiority.
Then, at any moment, not birds but
intense free jazz takes flight.
The longest of the five improvisations, the
18-minute rare ii, is both tour de force and
Odyssey, stretching between looming terror
and impending revelation, then moving to
microscopic details, reveries of air and materiality,
wind and touch, memory and futurity.
Rare validates an essential possibility of
free improvisation: no matter what you’ve
heard, you haven’t heard this.
Stuart Broomer
Temporal Driftness
Floris; Bauer; Hertenstein
Evil Rabbit ERR 3738 (matthiasbauer.
bandcamp.com/album/temporal-driftness)
! Still innovating
at 72, veteran Greek
reedist Floros Floris
has created this
11-track program of
abstract improvisation
with the same
zeal and confidence
he’s exhibited since
recording Greece’s first free jazz LP in 1979.
On Temporal Driftness he’s joined by slightly
younger players, bassist Matthias Bauer and
percussionist Joe Hertenstein, in Berlin where
he now lives.
Floris, who also composes film music,
and the others, make each of the tracks
as distinctive as individual movie scenes.
Overall, they harmonize enough to make
the equivalent of a feature film. Moving
among clarinet, bass clarinet and alto saxophone
Floris will frequently mate chalumeau
register bass clarinet tones with double bass
thumps to toughen the low pitch textures of
the improvisations. Elsewhere squeaky bites
66 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

from one of the higher-pitched reeds amplify
Bauer’s clenched arco slides. Meanwhile
Hertenstein adds tom-tom slaps, bass drum
pounding or cymbal scratches accenting the
unrolling sound picture.
Some of the most spectacular scenes
occur as Floris alternates his actorly persona
as on Drift 7 where his continuous flutters
move from arched trills to strained
honks and double-tongued bites with the
timbres surrounded by the bassist’s spiccato
buzzes and the drums measured patter. A
track like Drift 3 on the other hand abstracts
the thematic scenario further and faster
connecting comb-and-tissue paper-like reed
strains, string strops and boiling drum ruffs.
As cinema this CD wouldn’t be standard
popcorn fare, but would be appealing as wellwrought
experimental film making.
Ken Waxman
POT POURRI
Stradivatango
Denis Plante; Stephane Tetrault
ATMA ACD2 2886 (atmaclassique.com/en/
product/stradivatango)
! The Canadian
duo of bandoneonist/composer/
arranger Denis
Plante and cellist
Stéphane Tétreault
are back with
memorable tango
performances. The
title Stradivatango is
a contraction of the words Stradivarius and
tango, the cello Tétreault plays and the music
style the duo performs, respectively. Their
close collaboration since 2018 makes for
beautiful, tightly performed, colourful sounds
that expand the sonic world of tango.
Plante’s composition Stradivatango is an
eight-movement work influenced by baroque,
classical and tango elements. The first movement,
Le prince écarlate is Plante’s selfdescribed
tribute to Antonio Vivaldi, with
both styles’ repeated notes, accents, melodic
conversations and descending cello lines.
There are more baroque theme and variations
references with tangos in Chaconne. La
camarde is a rhythmic dance with bandoneon
opening and cello backdrop. A higher
pitched bandoneon solo is even more tango
flavoured, with close back and forth with
the cello.
There are inspirational performances of
Plante arrangements of “classic” tangos by
Piazzolla, Gardel, Pugliese and Villoldo.
Plante reorchestrates three of Piazzolla’s
popular works including Libertango which
has a bright and light cello melody with a
nicely percussive bandoneon backup. Plante’s
original Tango romance is a slower sombre
piece with subtle tango feel in the rhythmic
groove and colourful virtuosic melodic
embellishments on the bandoneon.
Plante and Tétreault’s continued dedication
to the development of the tango style,
and their intelligent moving musicianship is
inspirational.
Tiina Kiik
Ajdad – Ancestors | Echoes of Persia
Amir Amiri Ensemble
Fifth House FH-101 (amiramiriensemble.
bandcamp.com/album/ancestors-ajdad)
! Amir Amiri
Ensemble’s latest
recording project
is nothing short of
masterful. Sadly,
this celebration of
Iranian/Persian
culture could never
have been manifested
under Iran’s
current theocratic, repressive regime. Amiri,
an icon of the santur, and his gifted collaborators,
Reza Abaee (ghaychak), Omar Abu
Afach (viola), Abdul-Wahab Kayyali (oud)
and Hamin Honari (tombak, dayereh and daf)
have gifted us with 12 original compositions
that explore the ancient connections between
Persian and other Middle Eastern musics –
relationships that were obliterated following
Iran’s 1979 cultural and political upheaval.
Amiri wears several hats here, as performer,
producer, arranger and composer, and the
project is rife with musical complexities
rendered on primarily traditional instruments
by his coterie of skilled musicians. This CD
is an emotional journey framed by a series of
original compositions. In particular Baran
(Rain) contains diatonic descending lines
intertwined with unison motifs, invoking the
cleansing, healing rain, woven into a fabric of
melancholy. Amiri and Afach shine here, with
stunning, facile technique. Another delight
is Raghseh Choobi (Dance of the Wooden
Sticks), which clearly and harmonically illustrates
the joy of the unfettered Iranian and
other Middle Eastern peoples. Also stunning
is the melancholy Sarzamineh Madaran
(Towards My Motherland) – a moving lament
that will resonate with every newcomer and
ex-patriot. Afach is featured in a solo viola
sequence here, filled with sonorous, motifs of
lament and longing.
Kayyali displays breathtaking technique in
his solo sequence, Sarzamin (Spirit of Our
Land) on a stringed instrument that pre-dates
the Western Lute, and the ensemble unites
on the rousing Raghseh Sama (Sama Dance)
utilizing dynamics and incendiary percussion
to flame the excitement. This gorgeous
disc closes with the title track, an ode to the
ensemble’s ancestors – brave, courageous and
artistic, whose unique DNA lives on in the
Iranian people.
Lesley Mitchell-Clarke
Breath | Ah |Aliento
Farnaz Ohadi
AIR Music Group (Farnazohadi.com)
! Persia and Spain
seem too geographically
apart for
the musical traditions
to collide. But
ancient travel does
throw up incredible
surprises, such
as when the Persian
scholar Zaryab established a conservatoire in
Cordoba 1000 years ago. Persia’s music also
bears the influence of Mughal North India.
Afghan, Azeri traditions are also intertwined
with Persian ones as are those of Andalusia
that might have come via Arabia.
The Canadian-created double-CD Breath
owes its magical veritas to Farnaz Ohadi who
“blends” Persian maqam (modes) seamlessly
with the flamenco guitar of Gaspar Rodríguez.
Listening to Farsi lyrics sung, mystically,
Sufi-style by the smoky-voiced Ohadi is quite
eye-popping and spectacular. Moreover, the
flamenco-style strumming and dark chords
by Rodríguez makes for a very unusual, but
spectacular encounter with Ohadi’s vocals.
Ohadi’s and Rodríguez’s musical ingenuity
goes a step further by orchestrating the music
incorporating Lebanese or Phoenician traditions.
This provides a brilliant new fluid
dynamics, making everything fit like a
velvet glove.
Both discs are superb. Disc one’s Anda
jaleo – the bulerias flamenco – is exquisite,
providing much freedom for improvisation,
and variable metre. The song Oriyan,
a hypnotic solea, and Resurrection, which
melds the chanted seguidillas rhythms to
close out the disc, are superb. After three
eloquent vocal songs – especially the Persian
folk song, Yar – disc two closes out with five
instrumentals. Of these, the song Erev and
the instrumental rendition of Oriyan are truly
spectacular.
Raul da Gama
Distilled Extractions
Emad Armoush’s Rayhan
Afterday AA2401 (afterday.bandcamp.
com/album/distilled-extractions)
! Bringing
together the
ensemble Rayhan
for Distilled
Extractions
becomes a stroke
of genius when
paired with Emad
Armoush’s lineup of
traditional Arabic songs and original compositions.
The ensemble – all veteran Canadian
improvisors – have both the skill and the
chemistry to explore beyond the basic songs
to bring an evolutionary vision to the album.
The result is simply beautiful.
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 67

Armoush’s oud, ney, and vocals lead the
ensemble through these pieces but leave
space for the group to expand with improvisations
and occasional electronics, giving
the album a modern feel but never losing
the essence of the traditional tunes. Rayhan,
comprising clarinetist François Houle, Jesse
Zubot on violin and effects, JP Carter on
trumpet, Kenton Loewen on drums (and
Marina Hassleberg guesting on cello) is
exquisite in their delicate balance and chemistry,
but much could be also be praised
for Houle’s perfectly balanced and creative
mastering ensuring the primary focus
and authenticity remains with the traditional
songs.
The entire album flows seamlessly, enriched
by the group’s improvisations, electronic
explorations and occasional jazz influences,
and I loved every track. From the opening
improvisation of El Helwa Di, to Lahza,
beginning with a breathtaking trumpet and
effects solo before evolving into a rhythmic
groove, to Zourouni, starting with a free
improvisation featuring Houle’s clarinet at
the forefront, the album effortlessly blends
traditional and contemporary elements, eventually
gathering the entire ensemble and
bringing the album to a conclusion that left
me seeking out where this group will be
performing next.
Cheryl Ockrant
תונורכז / Zikhroynes
Yosl and the Yingles
(josephlandau.com/yosl-and-the-yingels)
! It’s not often
an EP of original
Yiddish songs lands
in one’s inbox;
rarer, still, for it to
be reviewed in The
WholeNote. Well,
that’s exactly what
has transpired with
Zikhroynes, “Memories,” the lovely debut by
Yosl and the Yingels.
Led by Toronto-based singer-songwriter
and accordionist, Joseph Landau,
this Yiddish swing and folk band arose out
of a busking project during the pandemic.
For Zikhroynes, Landau, one of only a few
Canadian composers currently penning
songs in Yiddish, chose four of his favourites
(from the dozens he has written), each
embodying classic aspects of Klezmer instrumentation,
form and style, and the familiar
Yiddish musical theatre themes of nostalgia
and yearning.
Mayn Haymshtetele, “My Hometown,”
evokes the longing for the shtetl (think
“Anatevka” from Fiddler) or in Landau’s case,
his childhood Jewish enclave in Thornhill,
just north of Toronto. Blimele, “Little Flower,”
is a beautiful, lilting waltz, reminiscent of
Tumbalalaika. Listen for the spectacular
clarinet solo by the always-astonishing
Jacob Gorzhaltsan in Lomir Freylekh Zayn,
“Let’s Be Happy.” And the Yiddish swing era
of the Barry Sisters is perfectly captured in
Shternbild, “Constellation.”
Enjoyment of this enchanting gem is
greatly enhanced by the essential, highly
informative “Lyric Explainers” found on
Landau’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/@
josephdavidlandau/videos.
Sharna Searle
Concert Notes: Yosl and the Yingels will
perform at the JCC in London, June 8. A
duo version of Yosl and the Yingels, the
Yosl Landau Duo, is at the Free Times Cafe
Klezmer Brunch on April 6, May 25 and
June 1.
Something in the Air
The Cello’s decided
adaptation to Free Music
and Beyond
KEN WAXMAN
A
mainstay of so-called classical music since its creation in the
16th century, the cello is prominent in orchestral, string
ensemble and solo settings. Innovators like Oscar Pettiford and
Fred Katz created roles for the four-string instrument in mainstream
jazz during the 1950s, but it was only with free improvisers’
acceptance of new sounds and instruments about 20 years later that
cellos became almost as common on bandstands as guitars and double
basses. Today while the cello is most often found in small ensembles,
numerous musicians are finding new ways to use the instrument.
One outfit that presents a variant of improvised
chamber music consists of German
cellist Ulrich Mitzlaff and two Portuguese,
flutist Carlos Bechegas and bassist João
Madeira, although the four tracks of Open
in Finder (4DaRecord 4DRCD 009 joaomadeira.bandcamp.com/album/open-infinder)
are anything but standard concert
hall fare. Complementing the bassist’s thick
pizzicato throbs and woody arco strains and the flutist’s transverse
trills and peeps, Mitzlaff’s timbres slide between the extremes. At
points his connection is with Madeira as he doubles the woody sul
ponticello emphasis. Elsewhere his kaleidoscopic angling extends the
flutist’s turn towards refinement, mating mid-range cello slices with
Bechegas’ aviary flutters. Nowhere is the disc background music
though. The flutist’s range encompasses circular-breathed whines and
shallow stop time, and for every segue into linear advancement there
are interludes where the strings’ strategy is both staccato and spiccato.
On the extended Drag After Two for instance, Bechegas mines
unexpected metallic tones from inside his instrument as the string
players extend the line at a speedy pace while working up and down
the scale. Sequences are unexpectedly cut off or extended and during
the introductory Stream for One percussive and prestissimo horizontal
movement is interrupted by one player vocally yodelling, scatting
and mumbling rhythmically before a jab on the strings below the
cello’s bridge wraps up the track.
Another trio, but with a more conventional
chamber music line up is the Quebec-Berlin
String Trio. On Thuya: Live @ the Club
(Creative Sources CS 378 CD creativesources.bandcamp.com/album/live-theclub),
Germans, violinist Gerhard Uebele
and bassist Klaus Kürvers plus Québecois
cellist Remy Belanger de Beauport perform
two multi-part instant compositions
recorded at the same place but a half year apart. Throughout both
dates de Beauport too plays the mediator’s role, creating thick double
stops and mid-range slides that knit together Uebele’s frequent
squeaky sul ponticello stings and Kürvers’ buzzing string stops. With
the three players unleashing scrapes, plinks and squeaks as often as
intertwined glissandi, May 6 is the climax of the first set. Working up
to prestissimo with prods from the bows’ frogs as well as a pinched
interface, apogee is reached as elevated violin tones arch over the
undulating lower strings with an interlude of swelling hoedown-like
phrasing from the cellist. More aggressive and confident six months
previously, November’s track doubles down on the trio’s cohesion at
68 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

the same time as raucous fiddler screeches frequently interrupt linear
evolution. Although this is quickly countered with warm drones from
the lower pitched strings. Again before completing the sequences with
layered rubs from all, the penultimate November 10 finds this midrange
interlude alternating fragmenting and connecting as the trio
members swop sweetened sul tasto affiliations with wood-rending
strains and stops from the bassist, string bounces from the violinist
and biting mandolin-like strokes from the cellist.
A more expanded identity for the cello is
expressed by Bruno Ducret during the ten
tracks that make up Woodlands (BMC CD
314 bmcrecords.hu/en/albums/la-litaniedes-cimes-woodlands),
One third of
violinist Clément Janinet’s all French La
Litanie des Cimes – clarinetist Elodie
Pasquier is the other member – the group’s
blend of folkloric melodies, reiterated minimalist pulses and the rock
music-like thrusts wrapped in creative improvisation, has Ducret
replicating the sounds of a double bass, a 12-string guitar or percussion
at various points. Janinet’s super spiccato string stabs are also
splayed to resemble tones that could come from a Medieval vielle, a
Bluegrass fiddle or the most contemporary electrified four-string
instrument. Pasquier who mostly sticks to clarion emphasis usually
provides the linear stasis. With thumps midway between those of a
doumbek and a conga drum the cellist become a percussionist on
Shadows for example as the violinist exuberantly piles notes upon
notes from his string set until a sudden stop when he and the cellist
suddenly appear to be playing guitars. It takes broken-chord reed
snorts to wrap up the track. Alternately on Quiet Waltz – which is
neither quiet nor a waltz – the cello snakes around stops and slides
and replicates walking bass plucks as soaring violin glissandi frame
the clarinet’s andante horizontal line. Narrowly missing screech
timbres at points, Pasquier’s most notable expression is on With The
New (Tribute To Bina Koumaré) where her evolution from simple
flutters to precise double tonguing presents a contrapuntal challenge
to Janinet’s ecstatic strokes which vibrate at twice the speed of her
output in this tribute to the West African fiddle master. Eventually it
takes Ducret’s double bass emulation to steady the disparate parts.
Enlarging a band and its affiliated timbres
even more is the Kairos quartet (Label
Rives 7 labelrives.com). On Fragments de
temps the basic duo of French cellist Gaël
Mevel and drummer Thierry Waziniak is
joined by fellow Gaul trumpeter/flugelhornist
Jean-Luc Cappozzo and American
violist Matt Maneri. The result is inventive
and invigorating improvised chamber-jazz.
With nods towards classic traditions some tunes are contrafacts of
Ravel or Rodgers & Hart lines, while at the disc’s centre are two affiliated
pieces called Bach 1 and Bach 2. Slyly beginning the first with a
delicate meld of flugelhorn flutters and well-tempered string smoothness,
drum clips and low-pitched cello slides soon chip away at the
pseudo-Baroque delicacy. Half-valve and toneless brass explorations,
double bass-like throbs from Mevel and Maneri’s mandolin-like
strums create a polyphonic lamination that is resolved on Bach 2.
Sustained sharp strokes from the cello (andante) and the viola (adagio)
coupled with irregular drum smacks maintain the exposition as bass
bites and Maneri’s staccato jabs transform the narrative. With themes
expressed by motifs including cello-trumpet harmonies or viola-cello
refractions, the quartet additionally maintains horizontal expressions
even as pivots and note bending fragment the time.
Although much of the cello’s appeal over the
centuries has been melodic tones that can
be created with its four strings, the instrument’s
percussive and discordant qualities
can also be featured. More so than
on the other discs this happens on Parr’s
Ditch (Confront CORE 41 confrontrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/parrs-ditch).
Brooklyn-based cellist T.J. Borden highlights
many of these barbed timbres in this duo with clarinetist Tom
Jackson of London, England. Heard during three lengthy improvisations
are a few linear and lyrical interludes. But the key idea of the
duo is to express as wide a variety of rugged and pointed strokes with
a bow, fingers and a minimal number of strings as the clarinetist can
produce with his reed and multiple keys. While Jackson’s collection of
altissimo squeaks, watery trills and intensified breaths set up the challenge
from the first sequences, Borden’s exposition of sul ponticello
stabs and strident string whistles match tones with similar aggression.
Often these spiccato slices also cut through the clarinetist’s clarion
calls. By the time Parr’s Ditch 2 arrives, stop-and-start reed elevation
is supplemented by equally belligerent arco timbres which are sourced
from below-the-bridge strings and often sound as if they’re lacerating
the wood itself. Additionally, as Borden’s col legno stops and Jackson’s
flutters intertwine they reach such prestissimo affiliations that if the
program was visual the result would be a blur. Later the clarinet’s
transverse slobber and the cello’s harsh flanges almost meld. Until
more generalized reed puffs and descending string vibration mark a
final concordance, strained ruggedness has defined the interaction.
The crafts people who evolved the cello from the viola de gamba and
bass violin centuries ago to become the instrument it is today, likely
couldn’t imagine the multiple roles exemplified by the sounds on
these discs. But we can hear them.
What we're listening to this month:
thewholenote.com/listening
Volume 30 Issue 4:
51 Frank Horvat: More Rivers
Christina Petrowska Quilico
52 Adjacence
Daniel Lippel
64 soft winds and roses
Diana Panton
In This Issue:
55 Kinetic
Michael Jinsoo Lim
55 Mozart String Duos
Dorian Komanoff Bandy &
Catherine Cosbey
56 Witraż
Shannon Lee and Arseniy Gusev
58 Forgotten Spring: The Early
Lieder of Fanny Hensel
Harry Baechtel, Chuck Dillard
58 Beethoven: The Forgotten
Concerto for Pianoforte Op. 61a
Anders Muskens
59 Sing to Me Again
Caitlin Broms-Jacobs & Madeline
Hildebrand
60 For the Time, Being
Andy Haas
60 Voix Jetées
Ensemble Paramirabo
61 Vraiment plus de Snipettes !!!
Martin Tétreault
61 Alexandre David:
Photogrammes
Quatuor Bozzini, Plaisirs du
Clavecin, Orchestre de l’Agora
63 What no one else sees...
Edward Smaldone
63 Live! In Harmony
Samuel Bonnet
64 Breath of Fresh Air
Diane Roblin and Life Force
64 The Answer
Ilya Osachuk
67 Stradivatango
Denis Plante and Stéphane
Tétreault
67 Distilled Extractions
Emad Armoush’s Rayhan
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 69

BACK STORY
“When Music Meets Mindfulness”
Christina Petrowska Quilico
and Alice Ping Yee Ho
VANIA LIZBETH CHAN
International Women’s Day,
which was celebrated globally
this year on March 8, is still
fresh on my mind as I write this
article casting the spotlight on
two inspirational, in-demand and
industrious musicians, celebrated
for their contributions to
Canadian music: virtuoso pianist
Christina Petrowska Quilico and
award-winning composer Alice
Ping Yee Ho.
My first encounters with each
of them occurred during the early stages of my career – Christina,
through the Christina and Louis Quilico Awards Vocal competition
and Alice, through being cast in her opera The Lesson of Da Ji. They
subsequently joined artistic forces in 2023, and released the album
Blaze, featuring solo pieces for piano. In early February this year,
Petrowska Quilico and composer Frank Horvat celebrated the launch
of their collaborative album More Rivers at the Canadian Music Centre
in Toronto. I was there in the audience, and so was Alice Ho.
Two-way street: More Rivers is Horvat’s suite of solo piano pieces,
evoking the flow of water, composed as a tribute to composer Ann
Southam and her seminal 1978 work Rivers, also championed and
performed by Petrowska Quilico. I felt lucky in that audience that
evening, witnessing Christina’s fingers flowing effortlessly across the
keyboard. Listeners were immersed in the overlapping and looping
textures of Frank’s water music. Based on my own personal experience
and on what I gleaned both from the surrounding silence during
the performance and the audience chatter after, the music induced a
trance-like state. It calmed and cleansed the mind, providing a much
needed reprieve from the everyday chaos of the world.
Just as composers dream of an ideal performer to bring their works
to life, performers share an equal desire to work with a composer who
understands their instrument, and offers repertoire that rewards both
technical mastery and musical depth. With numerous commissions in
the works and premieres all over the world, it is clear that Alice Ho is
one such composer.
She has been praised for her ability to combine the tonal textures
of Eastern and Western instruments, especially evident in the
scoring of her operas. Her children’s opera The Monkiest King is
being remounted by the Canadian Children’s Opera Company, and
will run from May 30 to June 1 at Harbourfront Centre. Her evergrowing
list of awards now includes the 2025 Jules Léger Prize for
New Chamber Music, for her 2024 composition Femme de Glace. In
addition, the Toronto Arts Council and the Ontario Arts Council have
now granted funding for her to record a second piano album with
Petrowska Quilico.
The interviews: Both of this issue’s featured artists have reached the
mastery level of expertise in their disciplines over the course of years
of mindful cultivation of their musical skills – developing a deeper
sense of self-awareness and a better understanding of how they function
best. They think clearly, plan steps, and follow their creative
instincts.
Thanks to both of them for taking the time with me to talk about
the three key aspects of mindfulness this interview series seeks to
elucidate: Calming the mind, organized thinking, and the state of
FLOW (a balanced mind-body connection, resulting in effortless
performance). What follows in this article are summarized comments
extracted from each artist’s interview.
The full interviews, as always, are available on the YouTube channel
Vania Chan Music.
A scene from Alice Ping Ye Ho's The Monkiest King.
CCOC
70 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

Christina Petrowska Quilico
Calming the Mind: I like to
paint … I write poetry … and
when I sit backstage, I like to
read mysteries … keep my mind
off myself. One of my teachers
always used to say “Get over yourself!
It’s not about you, it’s about
the music.” I always calm myself
down by thinking – it’s not my
ego, it’s not vanity, it’s doing
service to the art form. We’re the
interpreters; we have to give the composer their voice. I want to give
something to the audience that’s important … so it’s not worth getting
too nervous about.
Organizing Thoughts: I usually visualize the tonal colour, the
sound first, and then the technique will come. I think … where does
the fluidity and the energy come from? It’s the fingertips, because
we touch the keys. We tend to resonate like a tuning fork to certain
sounds … especially voice; you can feel it resonate through your body
right into your fingertips. So I often try to think of myself singing at
the piano. You need to have a balance of being calm and energized at
the same time, like an equal balance in nature. I change tempos when
I’m practicing. So slow music I’ll play faster and fast music I’ll play
slower, just to start balancing myself.
FLOW: When I’m recording, and it’s going really well, the producer
(will say) “Oh, you’ve been in the zone!” It’s kind of a still point at
which a time shift occurs, and your nervous tension is used as direction.
Music is not written in stone, it’s of the moment. You get into
that moment; don’t think about anything else – how you’ve played it
before, where you’ve played it before. We have to feel the flow. We have
to feel spontaneous in our music making. Sometimes I think we live,
as performers, too much glued to performance practice. To stay interested
in the music is the most important thing.
Alice Ho
Calming the Mind: I function
the best in the morning. I
think for any creative person,
the criterion is good health … a
good rest. I feel my mind is much
clearer after a restful night … I
feel calm. My routine – I get up, I
make myself Hong Kong style tea,
which I enjoy a lot … with plenty
of sugar and Carnation milk.
After that, I go to the computer
and work on my projects.
Organizing Thoughts: It depends on the kind of piece I’m creating.
I don’t enclose myself in a certain style or approach. It depends on the
purpose of the work. The three operas that I wrote so far all tie in with
Chinese culture. I have to write for Chinese instruments, and I really
have to do some research – study some scores, listen to the music,
and go to the performers to ask about how to execute effects. I like to
develop a gesture or an element that is unique, that is interesting. It
could be a colour, an unusual effect, a melody, or a harmonic treatment
that excites me.
FLOW: During the creative process, once I start an idea, I start
to shape it like a sculptor or painter. The more I shape it, the more
exciting it gets. Sometimes I can hit a wall, but then I always try to
find solutions to turn it around. I’m guided by my ears … by listening,
and by my conscience … that I have to write from my heart. Not
writing something just to impress or to make a big impact. I want
the music to touch people. One has to believe in oneself. When I was
a student … there was so much information from academics, and it
can be confusing. One has to learn the craft and be disciplined … but
creatively, it’s about YOU! You find yourself. If you capture the flow
process in every single work…it’s a joy.
Christina Petrowska Quilico and Alice Ping Yee Ho at the launch of Petrowska
Quilico’s recording “More Rivers” (Feb 4, 2025, Canadian Music Centre)
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.
Vania Chan Music
Where Music Meets
Mindfulness
Available
Erika Neilsen, cello
Christina Petrowska Quilico, piano
Alice Ping Yee Ho
Upcoming
David Fallis, conductor
Krisztina Szabó, mezzo-soprano
Sundar Viswanathan, jazz & world artist
Beverly Johnston, percussionist
VANIA CHAN
thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 71

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May 28, 30 & 31
Stewart Goodyear
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Kristiina Poska, conductor
Stewart Goodyear, piano
Canadian pianist Stewart Goodyear
brings his joyous Callaloo to complement
Beethoven’s grand Third Symphony.
MOZART’S
JUPITER
Jun 4, 5, 7 & 8 ✝
Gustavo Gimeno, conductor
Beatrice Rana, piano
Experience a dazzling program of
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Beatrice Rana
piano
Concerts at Roy Thomson Hall & ✝ George Weston Recital Hall
TSO.CA
For accessible seating, call 416.598.3375
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