Volume 31 Issue 3

VOLUME 31 NO 3

JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2026

STORIES

profiles, previews

and interviews

EVENT LISTINGS

Music, live & livestreamed

DISCOVERIES

Record reviews & listening room

Concert in the Egg

WARM UP THIS WINTER

WITH BEAUTIFUL MUSIC

BACH

BRANDENBURGS!

Directed by Rachel Podger

JAN 29–FEB 1, 2026

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

Rachel Podger by Broadway Studios

J. S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos encapsulate

all the qualities that affirm his brilliance as a

composer. Creativity, originality, and boldness

are on display in this show-stopping program.

Tafelmusik’s JUNO Award-winning 1995

recording of the Brandenburgs was described

by NPR as “lucid and refreshingly pure, like

water drawn from a cool, clear stream.”

Now Principal Guest Director Rachel Podger

and Tafelmusik revisit four of these seminal

works with newfound curiosity.

RAMEAU &

THE ART OF DANCE

Directed by Robert Mealy

FEB 19–22, 2026

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

Period ensemble Juilliard415 joins Tafelmusik

in a pas de deux that bridges generations of

historically informed expertise. Leap into a

program of theatrical music by Rameau, and

experience it brought to life through the exquisite

choreographies of renowned baroque dancers

Caroline Copeland and Julian Donahue. A

concert that is sure to sweep you off your feet!

Julian

Donahue

Generously supported by Caroline, Sharon and Janet Walker,

Founders of the Artistic Innovation Fund.

GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY tafelmusik.org

Season

Presenting

Sponsor

Season

Partners

NEW PERFORMANCE ADDED IN NORTH YORK

AT GEORGE WESTON RECITAL HALL!

INFLUENCERS

The Bachs, Mozart & Haydn

Directed by Rachel Podger

APRIL 9, 2026

George Weston Recital Hall

APRIL 10–12, 2026

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

Before hashtags and reels, the Bach family shaped

the trends of their time. This stylish program traces

the musical ripple effect of J.S. Bach’s sons—

C.P.E. and J.C.—whose elegant, expressive works

inspired a young Mozart and laid the groundwork

for Haydn’s symphonic genius.

Directed from the violin by the incomparable

Rachel Podger, the concert features C.P.E. Bach’s

dazzling Cello Concerto in A Major with Tafelmusik’s

own Keiran Campbell, Mozart’s radiant Violin

Concerto no. 3, and Haydn’s dramatic Symphony

no. 52. A sparkling celebration of connection,

creativity, and the art of influence.

TICKETS AT tafelmusik.org

2026/27 SEASON

subscriptions on sale February 11

Subscribe today for the best perks in the city, including:

• Savings up to 25% over single tickets

• Priority access to sell-out concerts

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• Access to a free Early Bird Concert

• And more!

SUBSCRIBE AT tafelmusik.org/subscribe

3103_Cover.indd 1

Concert in the Egg

2026-01-04 1:51 PM

The WholeNote

VOLUME 31 NO 3


EDITORIAL

Publisher/Editor in Chief | David Perlman

publisher@thewholenote.com

editorial@thewholenote.com

Recordings Editor | David Olds

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ON OUR COVER

VOLUME 31 NO 3


STORIES

profiles, previews

and interviews

EVENT LISTINGS

Music, live & livestreamed

DISCOVERIES

Record reviews & listening room

PHOTO: Concert in the Egg (c.1561):

painted by an anonymous follower of

Hieronymus Bosch, likely based on a

Bosch drawing (ALAMY)

7 FOR OPENERS | Stumbling

across music as a community

art | DAVID PERLMAN

STORIES & INTERVIEWS

8 ON OUR COVER | Newly

Hatched! A beloved Toronto

early music band is reborn |

STEPHANIE CONN

13

Volume 31 No 3 | January & February 2026

This past summer, an early music band was asked for a

promotional group photo and a name for a concert at Toronto

Harbourfront’s Music Garden. They realized they had neither,

so they searched for a Renaissance painting to capture their

spirit. The image they chose, by a follower of imaginative

painter Hieronymus Bosch, shows a group inside a giant egg

gathered around a book of music, singing and playing – and

so they dubbed themselves The Musicians of the Egg

… (see page 8)

10 IN WITH THE NEW | Composer

Vivian Fung in the spotlight at

U. of T. | WENDALYN BARTLEY

13 MUSIC THEATRE | Theatre

Aquarius – NCNM inaugural

summit | JENNIFER PARR

Circulation Statement - October 22, 2025

6000 printed & distributed

Canadian Publication Product

Sales Agreement 1263846

ISSN 14888-8785 WHOLENOTE

Publications Mail Agreement #40026682

WholeNote Media Inc. accepts no responsibility or

liability for claims made for any product or service

reported on or advertised in this issue.

COPYRIGHT © 2025 WHOLENOTE MEDIA INC

WN

WHOLENOTE

MEDIA INC.

4 | January & February 2026 thewholenote.com

EDGE OF YOUR SEAT

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL II

Alex Pauk, Music Director & Conductor

8:00PM CONCERTS, 7:15PM MUSICAL INSIGHTS

WITH ALEXINA LOUIE & GUESTS

SUPERSTRINGS V

JANUARY 29TH, 2026

KOERNER HALL

ESPRITORCHESTRA.COM

Mark Fewer Violin

Arvo Pärt: Silhouette (2009/15)

Arvo Pärt: Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten (1977)

Anders Hillborg: Bach Materia (2016/17)

Andrew Norman: Gran Turismo (2004)

for 8 violins

Jimi Hendrix: Purple Haze

Alexina Louie: O Magnum Mysterium: In Memoriam

Glenn Gould (1982/1999)

MARK FEWER, VIOLIN

HEAT EFFICIENCY

MARCH 26TH, 2026

KOERNER HALL

Nils Mönkemeyer Viola

Works by Dieter Ammann, Aziza Sadikova,

Nicholas Ma, & Claude Vivier

HALLELUJAH SIM.

APRIL 23RD, 2026

KOERNER HALL

Akiko Suwanai Violin

Elmer Iseler Singers

Concreamus Chamber Choir

Works by Misato Mochizuki, Ben Nobuto,

Poul Ruders & Chris Paul Harman

ESPRIT ORCHESTRA

The Clearview Foundation, The Michael & Sonja Koerner Charitable Foundation & The Mary-Margaret Webb Foundation

thewholenote.com January & February 2026 | 5

The WholeNote

VOLUME 31 NO 3


IN THIS EDITION

STORIES AND INTERVIEWS

Wendalyn Bartley, Vania Chan, Stephanie Conn

Jennifer Parr, David Perlman,

CD Reviewers

Wendalyn Bartley, Sam Dickinson,

Michael Doleschell, Richard Haskell, Tiina Kiik,

Lesley Mitchell-Clarke, Cheryl Ockrant,

David Olds, Ted Parkinson, Cathy Riches,

Terry Robbins, Stephen Runge, Andrew Scott,

Michael Schulman, Sharne Searle,

Andrew Timar, Yoshi Maclear Wall,

Ken Waxman.

Proofreading

David Olds, Ted Parkinson, John Sharpe

Listings Team

John Sharpe, Kevin Harris, Gary Heard,

Kevin King, Sophia Perlman

Design Team

Kevin King, Susan Sinclair

Circulation Team

Dave Bell, John Bentley, Jack Buell, Jane Dalziel,

Bruno Difilippo, Carl Finkle, Vito Gallucci,

James Harris, Miguel Brito-Lopez,

Chris Malcolm, Lorna Nevison, Janet O’Brien,

Tom Sepp

DEADLINES

Weekly Online Listings Updates

6pm every Thursday for the following Thursday

Print listings deadline:

for Volume 31 No. 4, March & April 2026

6pm Tuesday, Feb 10, 2026

Print advertising, reservation deadline:

6pm Tuesday, Feb 10, 2026

Web advertising can be booked at any time

PUBLICATION DATES

OUR 31st SEASON

includes six print editions:

Vol 31 no 1 | September 16, 2025

Vol 31 no 2 | October 21, 2025;

Vol 31 no 3 | January 6, 2026;

Vol 31 no 4 | February 24, 2026;

Vol 31 no 5 | April 21, 2026;

Vol 31 no 6 | June 23, 2026.

Printed in Canada

Couto Printing & Publishing Services

STORIES &

INTERVIEWS, continued

16 MUSIC & HEALTH | When

Music Meets Mindfulness |

VANIA CHAN

18 ROUNDUP

18 Early Music

19 Classical and Beyond

20 On Opera

22 Choral Scene

LISTINGS

24 EVENTS BY DATE

32 MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZ

33 OPERA, MUSIC THEATRE,

DANCE

34 ETCETERAs

35 THE BLUE PAGES: welcome

new members

21

REMEMBERING

36 Raul da Gama

54 Daniel Foley

DISCOVERIES

RECORDINGS REVIEWED

36 Editor’s Corner | DAVID OLDS

38 Strings Attached |

TERRY ROBBINS

41 Vocal

42 Classical and Beyond

43 Modern and Contemporary

47 Jazz and Improvised Music

50 Pot Pourri

51 Something in the Air |

KEN WAXMAN

52 What We’re Listening To |

Listening Room Index

an Ontario government agency

un organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario

6 | November & December 2025 thewholenote.com

FOR OPENERS

Stumbling across music

as a community art

M

ost of our memorable live

musical moments are

things we plan for, but

they are not necessarily the most

memorable. Because there are

other kinds of musical moments

that tend to stand out even more

– the ones where we stumble

across some music unexpectedly

and find ourselves enchanted –

sharing the moment with complete

strangers similarly bewitched.

(Provided that, in such situations,

we are prepared to take a chance

on sticking around, because you

never know, these days, when an

accidental encounter with strangers

might become too personal.)

And it’s getting even harder to do

that – risking socializing in public

space – when we could continue

cocooning in all the ways the

pandemic taught us to like: food

dashed to our doors on demand;

earbuds delivering private playlists

to our blinkered brains when

we’re out in public; and “personal

digital assistants” of ever-increasing

sophistication enabling conversation

with someone half a world

away more comfortably than turning Finding ourselves enchanted – sharing the moment with

to smile wow! to the stranger beside

complete strangers similarly bewitched. Kensington

us, sharing a moment of unanticipated

musical enchantment.

Market Winter Solstice Parade, Dec 21 2025

The thing that makes unanticipated musical moments such as these most memorable is that

they give us permission: to stare or laugh or dance or sing along; or find ourselves listening

with fresh ears to something we thought we knew; or to something it would never have

occurred to us we might like. And that we might actually plan to seek out another time.

DAVID PERLMAN

Come DISCover

The WholeNote

Listening Room!

LISTENING ROOM

Music as a community art continues to page 55

T'KARONTO

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

of the traditional territory of many Nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit River,

the Anishinaabe, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and remains

their home to this day, as it now is for many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples.

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

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

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

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

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

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

ENHANCED REVIEWS

sample tracks

artist videos

a BUY NOW buuon

see page 36 or visit

thewholenote.com/listening


EARLY AND PERIOD PERFORMANCE

NEWLY HATCHED!

A beloved Toronto early music band is reborn

This past summer, an early music band was asked

for a promotional group photo and a name for a

concert at Toronto Harbourfront’s Music Garden.

They realized they had neither, so they searched for

a Renaissance painting to capture their spirit. The

image they chose, by a follower of imaginative painter

Hieronymus Bosch, shows a group inside a giant egg

gathered around a book of music, singing and playing –

and so they dubbed themselves The Musicians of the Egg.

They weren’t a new group at all, though. For decades, they had

delighted audiences with their fresh and engaging renditions of

Medieval and Renaissance music. Known then as the Toronto Consort,

they were accomplished, but never pedantic; as observed in The

WholeNote in October 2024, after the Consort’s core members had

resigned en masse from the organization and had been replaced by a

new group, they always “wore their learning lightly.” In a subsequent

open letter the former members stated, “There were starkly differing

views on what it would mean to see the Consort thrive, and the board

chose to make many bold changes without involving the artists meaningfully

in the process. Hence our departure.”

Undeterred by the loss of their name and despite the premature

death of fellow Consort member, tenor and organist Paul Jenkins, they

regrouped, encouraged by the invitation to perform at Harbourfront’s

Music Garden 2025 summer series, by the support of their audiences,

and by a substantial private donation. On January 24th they will begin

again under the name The Musicians of the Egg with their program

Winter’s Delight: Musical Merriment with Good Company.

STEPHANIE CONN

The Musicians of the Egg: (l-r)

Alison Melville, Jonathan

Stuchbery, Michele Deboer,

Veronika Muggeridge, John

Pepper and Cory Knight. At the

Toronto Music Garden, July 2025.

Alison Melville was a member of Alison Melville

the original ensemble for over

30 years, as well as being involved

in Baroque Music Beside the Grange

(now Northwind Concerts), Polaris,

and more. “The mission stays the

same,” Melville assures us. “The

repertoire we love, the fact that

we like working together, and that

audiences seem to like what we do

and how we do it.” But, she says,

“some things have to change. We

can’t be as active as we were, at

least to start, because a lot of organizational things were taken care of

by a board and staff. [Also,] if you want to start over but you have no

money, that’s difficult.”

They are very grateful to be backed financially by a “very, very

generous” private donor who wished to see them continue, and

administratively by Michelle Knight, former managing director of the

Consort and now the Chair of Northwind Concerts [which presents

this concert on January 26].

The invitation to perform at the Music Garden was a turning point.

“Even in just a very short time of working together for that show, we

realized: it really is good to make music together. It was a reminder

that this didn’t happen because the group blew up. It really was of

great importance in our lives,” Melville says. She muses that the

new beginning might even be seen as a positive thing, since it gave

members an opportunity to re-evaluate their involvement, and the

group a chance to re-shape itself without conflict.

Many of the core members have come over to the Egg from the

old ensemble, and new ones have joined. Alison Melville, recorder

and flute, Michelle Deboer, soprano, and Cory Knight, tenor, remain;

former member Laura Pudwell, mezzo-soprano, returns after an

COLIN SAVAGE MENGLIN GAO


absence, as soprano Katherine Hill has moved on to other projects;

lute player Jonathan Stuchbery replaces Esteban La Rotta, who is now

based in Europe; long-time collaborators Ben Grossman, percussion &

hurdy gurdy, and Olivier Laquerre, baritone, are on board, too.

Board v. artistic leadership: More than a few Canadian arts organizations

have seen open disagreements between their Boards of Directors

and artistic leadership, with widely differing outcomes. In 2024,

for example, the Celtic Colours International Festival dismissed and

replaced its entire board, a move made possible by how their constitution

was written. But how much power does a board have, and what

takes precedence when board objectives and artistic aims clash?

Melville believes that there is no “one-size fits-all” answer, and

that the size and identity of the ensemble are key. With a large organization

like the Toronto Symphony, the relationship seems more

straightforward – you need a board to manage its many moving parts.

Generally speaking, the larger the ensemble the more likely that audience

loyalty is to the organization as an entity rather than to individual

musicians.” Although, Melville adds, “When I was a kid going

to the symphony, I paid great attention to who was in the flute section,

and when there was a change, I noticed that.”

It’s true that organizations with charitable status have significant

responsibilities to donors and granting bodies, but Melville points out,

“You’re responsible to your audience, too. If you don’t have an audience,

you don’t have a band, right? [And] if it’s a smaller band, [audiences

definitely] recognize the people in it, so it seems vital, then, to

have the musicians at the centre of artistic discussions.” Including

orchestra members getting to vote on their new artistic director(s).

Niche within a niche: Melville is hopeful – but also pragmatic –

about the continuing appeal of Medieval and Renaissance repertoire

in a country like this where less than ten percent of the population

is interested in any kind of classical music. [Note: in 2024 classical

music accounted for just 2.5% of digital album sales].

“It’s a niche – and early music is a niche within a niche, right? But

the thing is, the people who like it really like it.” Since the ’90s she’s

heard ‘our audiences are aging,’ but believes that “the three or four

kids from every high school, if they can find a way that they can go

and hear it, those are your new young people coming into the audience

[...] They’re thinking, I really want to play hurdy-gurdy. I really

want to play the harpsichord, or recorder. They’re still there. I teach

some of them.”

Also, despite the ensemble’s deep research, there has never been

pedantry in their performances. Melville says, “It’s really about this

love of the repertoire […] that’s the thing that makes you dig a little

bit deeper. That’s the thing that makes you stay up another hour

because you’re researching and you go down this rabbit hole about

16th-century lute tunings and the next thing you know, it’s 2.30am!

It’s got to do with the love of it as well as the more cerebral thing, and

as a performer you don’t necessarily know that that’s what people see

but one hopes that they do.”

The music in the egg?: In the “Egg” painting, musicians are

performing the 1549 chanson “Toutes les nuitcz” by Thomas

Crecquillon, so of course the piece will be included in this concert.

Crecquillon might not be a household name, but Melville was

already very familiar with his music. “I would say if I had to name

my top ten, he would be on it. He writes beautiful chansons, and

I’ve played a lot of those pieces in recorder consort versions, and

we’ve played his music in previous programs. So I said, wouldn’t it

be fun if we did it. But part of why it fits is because it contains this

idea that we’re in the dark time of the year, and what is it that gets

you through the winter? It’s being with friends, and light increasing,

and things like that.” The program will therefore include contemplative

pieces like the Crecquillon but also “playful, kind of jolly ones,”

some from their old repertoire, but also “some new ones, because

I think that’s also a way that you start developing a new repertoire

and way of working together.”

Melville believes in having a sense of playfulness, which she thinks

is easy to forget about, in classical music especially. “Yes, you need

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Discover a Romantic icon in this musically

sumptuous journey into a young man’s

tortured passions—and the spiral of despair

that consumes him when love is denied.

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IN WITH THE NEW

ALAMY

ALAMY

“Toutes les nuitcz” by Thomas Crecquillon

discipline, and you do need to get most of the notes right – hopefully,

all the notes! [But] especially when you’re reading from written music,

you are not going to have a sense of freedom and playfulness, unless

you lift it off the page.” She also points out the difference in the way

time passes when you are in the state sometimes called “flow” and

how it frees one up for creativity and spontaneity. “Maybe if we [musicians]

had a different approach people would be more connected to

us. That kind of sensation coming from someone on stage— it draws

people. It’s not like anybody’s sitting there analyzing; it’s just something

that happens between people.”

Jan 24 7:30: The Musicians of the Egg/North Wind Concerts present

“Winter’s Delight: Musical Merriment with Good Company.” Michele

DeBoer, Laura Pudwell, Cory Knight, Olivier Laquerre, voices; Ben

Grossman, Jonathan Stuchbery, Alison Melville, instrumentalists.

St. Thomas’s Anglican Church (Toronto), 383 Huron St.

www.bemusednetwork.com/events/detail/1062.

Stephanie Conn is an ethnomusicologist, writer and editor, and

former producer for CBC Radio Music. As a member of the ensemble

Puirt a Baroque she sang on the Juno-nominated recording Return

of the Wanderer. She has also sung with Tafelmusik, La Chapelle

de Québec, Aradia and Sine Nomine, and is active as a traditional

Gaelic singer and piano accompanist in Cape Breton.

Stephanie Conn’s January/February Early Music Roundup follows

on page 18.

Concert in the Egg (c.1561)

Composer

VIVIAN FUNG

in the spotlight

at U. of T.

WENDALYN BARTLEY

January will be a particularly busy month for new

music, with two major festivals presented in close

succession, on campuses (University of Toronto

and the Royal Conservatory) mere minutes away from

each other, both offering works drawing on Chinese and

broader Asian musical traditions.

For this year’s University of Toronto New Music Festival, Vivian

Fung has been selected as the Roger D. Moore Distinguished Visitor

in Composition. With a full schedule of master classes, lectures, and

multiple performances of her works, the festival offers a rich opportunity

to become more acquainted with this prolific, JUNO Award–

winning composer. I spoke recently with Fung, gaining an insider’s

view of the works being presented here and learning more about the

wider scope of her music.

At the festival, her works will be performed by the University of

Toronto Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, and Contemporary Music

Ensemble. On January 31, the Orchestra will perform Earworms

(2018), written for the National Arts Centre Orchestra. Fung composed

the piece when her son was three, during a period when children’s

songs—especially The Wheels on the Bus—were playing constantly.

Rather than resisting the experience, she decided to turn it into

creative material. The result is a playful, phantasmagoric work

that layers fragments of persistent melodies into a swirling soundscape,

which she likens to a Charles Ives-style collage of half-formed

thoughts circling the mind at 3 a.m.

The Percussion Ensemble takes over on February 2, with five works

to be performed. The Ice Is Talking stands out as one of Fung’s most

unconventional pieces. Written for solo percussionist Aiyun Huang

during a Banff residency, the work is performed on three blocks of ice,

played with everyday objects such as butter knives, wooden sticks, and

microplane graters. It was inspired by Fung’s emotional response to

witnessing the dramatic retreat of the Columbia Icefields, landscapes

she had known since childhood, an experience that transformed the

work into a quiet but pointed environmental statement. The piece has

since been recorded, notably by percussionist Steve Schick.

Other percussion works explore sound drawn from everyday

materials. The Voices Inside My Head, written for three percussionists,

incorporates unusual instruments such as newspaper, while

Shimmer and Sparkle use glass bowls as resonant sound sources. (Un)

Wandering Souls, a work for percussion quartet written during the


TITILAYO AYANGADE

Vivian Fung

pandemic for Sandbox Percussion, reflects Fung’s continued interest

in dense rhythmic textures and interior sonic worlds.

On February 3, the Contemporary Music Ensemble will perform

Shaman Speaks, Ominous, and Fung’s flute concerto Storm Within.

Shaman Speaks, originally written for clarinet ensemble, appears

here in a version for saxophone, developed in collaboration with

saxophonist Wallace Halladay. Ominous, created with the Grossman

Ensemble at the University of Chicago, draws on Fung’s experience

witnessing her mother’s dementia, capturing a shifting emotional

landscape marked by unease, suspicion, and volatility. The piece

is highly virtuosic, with a prominent solo role for drum kit. Storm

Within, originally written for the Vancouver Symphony during the

pandemic, will be heard in its chamber version. Fung describes the

solo part as exceptionally demanding and notes that this performance

marks the work’s first outing since its premiere.

Nature and Loss: Our conversation then turned to several of Fung’s

works beyond those being presented at the festival. In WholeNote’s

November–December issue, I had interviewed Sarah Kirkland Snider

about her Mass for the Endangered. In my conversation with Fung, I

noted the presence of a similar concern at the heart of her Lamenting

the Earth, a song cycle for tenor, string quartet, and piano written

for Nick Pon and the Jasper Quartet, who recorded the work this past

summer. The cycle centers on O, a poem by environmental poet Claire

Wahmanholm, built from words beginning with the letter “O” and

unfolding as a meditation on nature and loss. Fung was drawn to the

poem’s layered meanings—O as wholeness, and eau, the French word

for water—which shape the musical world of the piece. It opens in

D-flat major, a cool, murky tonal space suggestive of water and depth.

The completed work will be released on Earth Day 2026.

During Nick Pon’s residency at New York’s Kaufman Music Center,

Fung expanded Lamenting the Earth by inviting high school students

to write poems in response to O, incorporating their texts into the

cycle. For Fung, this was a way of allowing those who will be most

affected by environmental neglect to speak directly.

A parallel impulse informs her ongoing fieldwork-based projects in

southwest China. Fung spoke of her long fascination with Indigenous

minority cultures in Yunnan and neighbouring Guizhou provinces—

regions rich in distinct languages, musical traditions, and identities

often overlooked within dominant narratives. She is currently

arranging songs inspired by this research for soprano Hila Plitmann

and developing a new work for violin and electronics with Bay Area

violinist Nancy Zhou, rooted in Zhou’s Bouyi family heritage and

recent visits to ancestral villages.

Across these projects, a through-line becomes clear: for Fung,

composition is not simply an act of creation, but of listening—one

that links environmental awareness, cultural memory, and the ethical

responsibility to make space for voices that might otherwise remain

unheard. We concluded our conversation with Fung expressing gratitude

for the invitation to serve as guest composer, a role that includes

performances, lectures, master classes, and public talks. Although she

now lives in California, she emphasized her enduring connection to

Canada, describing herself as “a fierce Canadian and very thankful for

my Canadian roots. I’m always grateful to be back in my homeland.”

Traditional Japanese music

Yuki Isami

Saturday, February 21, 8 PM

SPADINA THEATRE


NOW TORONTO

Tony Yike Yang

The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Tonu Kaljuste

RENE JAKOBSON

The annual RCM 21C Festival returns this year, spread over two

weekends in January. Beginning on January 16, The Happenstancers

present Always Darkest … Dawn Always, a program anchored by

Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht. Three settings of Josquin de Prez’s

Mille Regretz are woven together with contemporary chamber

works, each reimagined as a distinct emotional moment over the

course of the night. Pianist and improviser Gabriela Montero appears

on January 18 with a program exploring the westward migration

of Eastern European composers to Hollywood. The highlight is her

spontaneous piano score in dialogue with Charlie Chaplin’s The

Immigrant (1917), a film depicting the arrival of hopeful newcomers

to the United States during a period of tightening immigration laws.

21C celebrates Lunar New Year a week later, on January 23, when

pianist Tony Yike Yang and friends present Ontario premieres from

Vincent Ho’s The Twelve Chinese Zodiac Animals, Book 2. Cast as

preludes and fugues, these works place Chinese cultural expression

within Western formal traditions, reflecting both musical growth

and bicultural identity. The program also includes traditional Chinese

music for bamboo flute and guzheng. In an Afterhours concert on

January 24, the GGS New Music Ensemble presents The Broken

Mirrors of Time, featuring two world premieres: a piano concerto by

Alison Yun-Fei Jiang and a saxophone concerto by Christopher Mayo.

Playing their Pärt

Soundstreams’ winter season brings together timely perspectives

and a major choral celebration, spanning diasporic experimentation

and the transcendent stillness of Arvo Pärt. On January 19,

Transoceanic, curated by Haotian Yu at Hugh’s Room, explores

how diasporic composers navigate technology, identity, and inherited

cultural narratives. Works by Corie Rose Soumah, Kotoka Suzuki,

and Anthony Tan challenge Eurocentric ideas of innovation, tracing

how diaspora—like technology—moves fluidly while carrying deep

cultural memory.

Black Box Music

Feb. 21st, 2026 | Betty Oliphant Theatre| Doors: 7:00PM | Starting at $20

February brings a two-part celebration of Arvo Pärt’s 90th

birthday. Beginning on February 9, the program looks beyond his

sacred choral works to his secular and folk-inspired music, alongside

video excerpts from his early film scores and works by Omar Daniel

and Anna Pidgorna.

The celebrations culminate on February 14 with the return of the

Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, led by founding conductor

Tõnu Kaljuste. Renowned for their precision, warmth, and spiritual

intensity, the choir’s features Pärt’s most beloved choral works

on their program, alongside music by Philip Glass, Evelin Seppar,

and Luciano Berio, and also includes the world premiere of a

new Soundstreams commission by Estonian-Canadian composer

Riho Esko Maimets, in the resonant acoustics of Yorkminster Park

Baptist Church.

Esprit Orchestra enters the Pärt anniversary celebrations on

January 29 with two of his works: one a spacious, slowly cascading

meditation written in memory of Benjamin Britten; the other a light,

compact piece shaped by the soaring lines and elegant engineering

of Gustave Eiffel’s Eiffel Tower. The program continues with a string

version of Alexina Louie’s O Magnum Mysterium: In Memoriam

Glenn Gould and Anders Hillborg’s Bach homage, Bach Materia. Set

against Pärt’s elegant stillness, eight solo violinists then launch into

Andrew Norman’s Gran Turismo, a high-energy collision of Italian

Futurism, Baroque rhetoric, and video-game velocity, capped by a

turbo-charged string version of Purple Haze channeling the spirit of

Jimi Hendrix.

And worth noting

A highly unusual performance event takes place on February 21,

when New Music Concerts presents Danish composer Simon Steen-

Andersen’s Black Box Music. A theatrical work for percussion soloist,

ensemble, amplified box, and video, it places the performer simultaneously

in the roles of soloist and conductor. Set on a traditional

theatre stage that also functions as an instrument, the piece playfully

deconstructs conducting and puppet theatre while exploring the

intertwined relationship between sound, gesture, and visual spectacle

across three movements, culminating in a self-imploding, highspirited

finale. The concert also includes the world premiere of a new

work Break My Hands! by NMC’s Composer-in-Residence, Rashaan

Allwood, and performances of works by Pierre Boulez (to honour his

centenary) and Kaija Saariaho.

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

sound artist. sounddreaming@gmail.com


MUSIC THEATRE

THE TALENT HOUSE

Mary Francis Moore and

Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton

THEATRE AQUARIUS

THEATRE

AQUARIUS

NCNM

inaugural

summit

JENNIFER PARR

The new National Centre for New Musicals (NCNM) at Theatre

Aquarius in Hamilton is presenting its inaugural Summit

this January 25 to 27. The event promises three days filled

with showcases of exciting new musicals in development, panel

discussions, “provocations with leading voices in the sector,” and

opportunities to meet and mingle with creators, directors, music

directors, dramaturgs, producers, and fellow lovers of this art form.

Ever since its launch in the spring of 2023, I have wanted to know more about

the NCNM, its inspiration and its goals. This summit presented the ideal opportunity

for a chat with Theatre Aquarius Artistic Director Mary Francis Moore

to find out more about what was behind the almost unheralded creation of the

new program.

Moore began her tenure as AD of Theatre Aquarius in 2021, at the tail end of

the pandemic, bringing with her the new musical Maggie (Johnny Reid & Matt

Murray) that she had been developing at Sheridan College as part of the Canadian

WHAT’S ON

at the Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre

memorialarts.ca

357 Wilson St East,

Ancaster, ON

Hailee Rose

January 20 • $35

Powerhouse vocals and a

captivating stage presence.

Sandra Bouza

March 31 • $35

Intimate blues with powerful

emotional delivery.

Heather Bambrick

February 24 • $49

Award-winning jazz vocalist

with sparkle and soul.

Angelique Francis

April 28 • $49

Blues, soul, and jaw-dropping

musicianship.


THEATRE AQUARIUS

Mary Francis Moore (r) and fellow NCNM advisor

Michael Rubinoff at a networking event in 2024.

Music Theatre Project (CMTP). As well she brought with her a careerlong

involvement with creating new work (most famously

Bittergirl, both the play and musical created with Annabel

Fitzsimmons and Alison Lawrence). The result? A large number of

submissions of new musicals to Aquarius “unsolicited, out of the

blue.” As she told me, “it was really showing me that people were

looking for a path.”

After many discussions with colleagues and theatres around the

country as well as internationally, including acclaimed producer

Michael Rubinoff who had founded the CMTP, the NCNM came into

being as a small-to-start-with but very ambitious program to not only

fill a need, but do so in a new way.

National from the start: First and foremost, it would be fully

national from the get-go. Every application would be reviewed by

“a jury of interdisciplinary artists from every province and territory,

making sure there would be a variety of representation and identities

as well as a mix of composers, book writers, directors, dramaturgs,

music directors, etc.”

In the first year alone there were 260 applications. The final 25

were then reviewed by an advisory committee co-chaired by Moore,

Michael Rubinoff and well known music director and musical dramaturg

Lily Ling. That first year they chose five shows – four in the

“development” stream, and one in the “incubation” stream.

The four chosen in the development stream were judged to be ready

for some serious development work; the fifth was chosen because

it was at an earlier stage – in need of support in developing the

original idea into a viable musical form amenable to serious development

work.

Crucial to the NCNM vision, Moore told me, was that they did

not want to be limited by looking for shows that could or would be

produced at Theatre Aquarius (although that would be a long term

possibility) but were rather “looking for a way to work together

with other companies also doing development work but not duplicating

what others are already doing so well, like the Musical Stage

Company.”

The answer was to focus on the artists and their projects without

preconceived production expectations; to focus on the “idea” inspiring

each project. “What we wanted to do,” Moore told me “was to meet

the project where it was, to say ‘this is where your project is at now,

what do you need?’” In other words, not every show would get a standard

two week workshop with a showcase at the end but something

more specific, unique to the project and its needs.

For example “one show might need help to develop the vocal score

and piano book; another had had a lot of workshops but the book still

felt as though it needed work and so they worked with a dramaturge;

After the Rain: Annika Tupper as Suzie and Andrew Penner as Suzie’s

father and the leader of the family band (returning cast members).

yet another had a complete score and even a cast album but [they]

were really curious about where the show lived theatrically, so they

did exploration with movement and a director/choreographer to find

the physical language of the piece.”

Also, from the start, the development process has been hybrid: part

in person, part online, enabling the program to be truly national,

with some creative teams and advisors resident during the process in

different parts of the country. And just as crucial: all applications are

submitted anonymously, and the creators are not revealed until after

the final selection. Only the NCNM producer (now Ashley Ireland)

knows the identity of the applicants until projects are chosen.

This January Summit is the culmination of the NCNM’s first two

years of developmental work and will feature showcases of (excerpts

from) six wildly contrasting new musicals. The list of creators

includes some well known names such as Steven Gallagher and Anton

Lipovetsky who will be presenting The Danish Guest, about Hans

Christian Anderson’s 1857 visit to Charles Dickens and the profound

impact this had on both their bodies of work. Others have teams

where one name is well known and the other less so: Scott Christian

and Saleema Nawaz’s period piece, The Blue Castle, a new musical


version of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s romance set in

1900 Muskoka; the Indigenous-themed 7 Fires (Landon

Doak of Bad Hats and the current hit Narnia, is the

composer with Dillan Chiblow creating the book); and

another 19th century “true” story set in Toronto, Clown

Riot (actor Tyrone Savage is one of the creators).

In contrast there are two shows created by artist

teams entirely new to me: the contemporary The Pryce

Academy (book, music and lyrics by Mazin Elsadig

and Philip McKee, with additional music by Juan Ayala

& Jennifer Ayala Moore) and Out (book by Kalos Chu,

music by Ian Chan and lyrics by JuHye Mun).

As Moore said to me “they are all so different, and

so good!” For me, the contrast between the works and

the chance to see six different creative teams at work is

reason to go and see them all.

For the full program of the summit as well as cost

and other details please see https://theatreaquarius.

org/2026-summit/

The return of After the Rain

After a brilliant premiere at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre

this past summer the new Canadian musical After the

Rain created by Rose Napoli (book) and Suzy Wilde

(music and lyrics) has been through some further workshopping

of their already excellent material and will

appear in the Azrieli Studio, at Ottawa’s National Arts

Centre, from February 25 to March 7. Based loosely

on real life events, After the Rain, commissioned and

produced by the Musical Stage Company and Tarragon

Theatre, and directed by Marie Farsi, won rave reviews

and sold out houses for its immersive and compelling

story of Suzie, a young musician trying to navigate

between the demands of performing with the family

rock band and figuring out what her own path should

be. Alternately moving and very funny, and often both at

once, this is a show not to be missed. Apparently there

will be some casting changes to be announced soon for

the NAC run but Annika Tupper who soared as Suzie and

Andrew Penner who gave a powerful performance as her

father and leader of the band are both returning.

https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/38312

QUICK PICKS

Louise Pitre as Kimberly (centre) and Kimberly Akimbo cast members.

Kimberly Akimbo: Excitement has been brewing since early in the fall about

seeing legendary Canadian musical theatre star Louise Pitre (Piaf/Dietrich,

Mamma Mia, Les Misérables, Great Comet) take on the role of Kimberly in a

new Canadian production of the Broadway hit Kimberly Akimbo. A co-production

between the Segal Centre in Montreal where it is already receiving rave

reviews and Mirvish Productions, KA will come to the CAA Theatre as part of

the Off-Mirvish season January 15-February 8. With a Tony Award-winning

book by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole) and a Tony

Award-winning score by Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home; Caroline, or Change; Shrek,

The Musical), KA tells the story of a teenage girl afflicted with a rapid ageing

syndrome as she navigates family dysfunction, first love, and potential felony

charges but stays adamantly optimistic. Directed by Robert McQueen with choreography

by Canadian Allison Plamondon with an all Canadian cast including

Tess Benger (Titanique) as Kimberly’s mother.

www.mirvish.com/shows/kimberly-akimbo

Company: Sondheim is always on the

cutting edge even with his older works, and

with the pro-shot of his Merrily We Roll Along

currently in movie theatres Barrie’s awardwinning

Talk is Free Theatre (TIFT) is bringing

a new production of the Sondheim classic

Company to the Theatre Centre January 15 to

February 1. www.tift.ca/

Aidan Desalaiz as Bobby, in

Sondheim’s Company

Jennifer Parr is a Toronto-based director, dramaturg, fight director and

acting coach, brought up from a young age on a rich mix of musicals,

Shakespeare and new Canadian plays.

EMILIA HELLMAN

TALK IS FREE THEATRE

Celebrating R&B, Gospel & Much More

QUISHA WINT

FEB 27

7:30 $25

Eventbrite / At the door

www.standrewstoronto.org

MARK CASSIUS

MICHAEL DUNSTON

Quisha

Wint

MEDIA

SPONSORS

King & Simcoe, Toronto

(416) 593-5600 x5

WITH THE

JORDAN

KLAPMAN

QUINTET


MUSIC & HEALTH

WHEN MUSIC MEETS

MINDFULNESS

In conversation with

MARION

NEWMAN

VANIA LIZBETH CHAN

The start of a New Year can represent

a turn of the page, a change in

direction, and the anticipation of

new challenges. There’s a fresh resolve to

hit the ground running, sometimes with

Vania Chan an eagerness to leave the past year behind

entirely. However, one must keep the value of reflection in

mind – looking back and learning from doing so.

Take this series, for example. A year ago “When Music Meets

Mindfulness” was just the kernel of an idea that has blossomed and

developed with each succeeding interview into a kind of cumulative

forum for communal learning, with each of the nine people interviewed

adding nuance and personal perspective to the three central

topics in our ongoing exploration of Mindfulness: Calming the Mind,

Organizing Thoughts, and achieving a State of Flow – so that by

reflecting on the past in ways which help to ground us in the present,

we can be better prepared for the future.

In this series’ first year, cellist Erika Nielsen talked about finding

balance through understanding and embracing her bipolar condition.

Pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico reflected on a virtuosic and

adventurous career, built on the premise that the role of an artist is

to serve the art form not the ego. Composer Alice Ho spoke about

becoming highly attentive to the subtle nudges of her own artistic

instincts. David Fallis described his role as a conductor as listening

first to what the musicians had already discovered. And mezzosoprano

Krisztina Szabó talked about how refining her own process of

musical preparation in turn enables her to offer expertise and sympathetic

support to vocal students.

Composer Britta Johnson offered up striking insights into her

creative process by recounting how she channelled life experience

into her critically acclaimed musical Life After. Composer and musical

director Aaron Jensen described how sharing stories with musical

colleagues and friends was at the heart of his creative approach.

Percussionist Beverley Johnston described how she starts preparation

Featured artists to date, from top (l-r):

Erika Nielsen, Alice Ho, Christina Petrowska Quilico;

David Fallis, Krisztina Szabó, Sundar Viswanathan;

Beverley Johnston, Aaron Jensen, Britta Johnston.

by getting to know every detail of her repertoire in order to plan the

placement of her instruments for ease of performance. And saxophonist/composer

Sundar Viswanathan described how his experience

of Vipassana Meditation guides and informs his musical

practice, performance and creation.

Our second season begins with yet another accomplished artist,

known for her beautiful voice, warmth of presence, and confidence

in leadership roles. Award-winning Marion Newman is a mezzosoprano

of Kwagiulth and Stó:lō First Nations with English, Irish

and Scottish heritage. Her vocal repertoire ranges from traditional

opera to premiering roles in ground-breaking new works, including

the lead role in Shanawdithit (Nolan/Burry) with Tapestry Opera,

and the role of Dr. Wilson in Missing (Clements/Current) with

Vancouver City Opera – a role she reprised this past summer at

Koerner Hall for Toronto Summer Music.

Marion and I first met working together on The Lesson of Da Ji

(Chan/Ho), an opera commissioned by Toronto Masque Theatre.

It was a pleasure to catch up with her in a wide-ranging, deeply

reflective conversation.

All of these interviews are available on my YouTube channel –

Vania Chan Music.

On calming the mind

After twenty-four years of living in Toronto, Marion says that

moving back to her hometown has allowed for a much needed

shift in pace:

“It’s become much easier to engage in calm since I moved back

out West, to the town where I grew up. I’m in Victoria, and I live

right on the ocean. There are seals, otters, and lots of different

birds that hang out right here in front of me. I can just open the

deck door, walk outside and breathe in the salty air. Suddenly,

nothing else matters. You remember that you’re part of a much

larger thing. Immediately, stress is relieved. I definitely like to go

for walks or ride my bike. They’re great ways of getting that extra

energy out, and letting my brain be free to think. If you’re engaged

in some sort of motor skill then your brain is generally released to

imagine, to ponder and to solve problems.”


Marion Newman (l) interviewed by Vania Chan (r)

On organizing thoughts

Marion recounted specific life moments, calling them “pivot”points.

Shifting from aspiring concert pianist to successful professional singer

was one. She found levity in the change, learning not to weigh down

the joy of singing with the gravitas of “over-thinking.”

Moving to Toronto was “a wild pivot,” which led to exciting

performance opportunities, and also growth in self-perception: “I

found that Toronto really embraced me. Nobody knew a version of

me from when I was younger, when I hadn’t figured things out yet. I

could just authentically be me without having to undo perceptions.

I could allow for all of those changes to occur and for a more adult

version of me to emerge.”

The pandemic was another significant pivot point – stepping into

the role of dramaturge, working with Calgary opera on Namwayut, a

collaborative project calling on Marion’s Indigenous perspective and

capacity for leadership:

“That experience helped me to talk, to express what I’ve always

had huge feelings about. A lot of those feelings I poured into music.

Through that time of not being able to sing in public, I learned how

to talk. Finding the courage to do something new, or that feels new …

involves listening to what others are inviting you into, and believing

in them, because they see you from an angle that you won’t look at

yourself.”

– the air, the sky, the bugs, the birds, the bees, the fish, and the killer

whales. It’s amazing how much it matters to be connected to that…to

listen. It has become more and more important to me to think about

how I can give back – what I can do to help other people realize

how much listening they could be doing, giving back the immense

amount of care that’s been given to us from the earth.”

And coming next:

March/April: Lawrence Cherney, artistic director, Soundstreams

May/June: Lynn Helding, American voice teacher/vocologist.

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.

Marion Newman in Shanawdithit (Tapestry Opera, 2019)

On achieving a state of flow

Marion has continued to flourish as she has added other key roles

to her creative life – Assistant Professor of Voice at the University

of Victoria, the host of CBC’s Saturday Afternoon at the Opera,

and co-founder of Amplified Opera, an organization committed to

supporting artists from diverse backgrounds – all projects necessitating

positive collaboration with colleagues and emotional and

creative commitment, in a spirit of joy, gratification and fulfillment,

knowing the hard work has already been done. She recalls entering

one such moment of ease and spontaneity while singing the role of

Shanawdithit.

“I remember the feeling of being the only person in the light, with

that room so full of people. I gave away the worry about what comes

next, and let myself go with the music. I realized that all the work

has already been done by the composer and the librettist. All I have

to do is listen to what they wrote, to go with the phrasing, the feeling,

the meaning. There’s no more time to rehearse … what will happen,

will happen. It would be best if I just quiet my mind and let my body

do what it knows how to do, what we’ve been practicing, what I’ve

been rehearsing.”

And on reflection

At the end of our interview, Marion offered this thought:

“I’m recognizing that it has come full circle, our conversation. I’m

thinking about where I am … about going back closer to home. In

my culture, we learn who we are, and what we need to know, from

where we are … from the land. The land has so much to teach us

DAHLIA KATZ


ROUNDUP: JAN 5 TO MAR 7, 2026

Early Music by STEPHANIE CONN

The first months of 2026 are jam-packed with

inviting options, including lots of Bach,

Renaissance vocal music, and concerts placing

early music alongside contemporary pieces.

DIAPENTE

The Diapente Renaissance Vocal Quintet: (Left to Right):

Peter Koniers (countertenor), Jonathan Stuchbery (tenor

+ plucked strings), .Jane Fingler (soprano), Alexander

Cappellazzo (tenor), and Martin Gomes (bass).

Kim André Arnesen, composer

Recently, someone complained to me that in Toronto, “all the

music happens downtown.” But Trinity Bach Project’s program,

Bach & Anguish, will ‘tour’ to three venues around the city

including one at York Mills. The concert is named for Bach’s Cantata

“Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen” (“Weeping, lamenting, worrying,

fretting”), which you could argue is appropriate for our time, but

it’s also full of sublime moments of sweetness. The program

includes more by Bach; the beloved Ave Verum Corpus by Byrd;

a motet by Palestrina; and Kim André Arnesen’s 2011 work Even

When He Is Silent, inspired by one individual’s Holocaust experience,

with a text full of hope and light despite despair and darkness.

Jan 22 University of Toronto - Trinity College Chapel, 6 Hoskin

Ave. 306-250-4256. Also Jan 23 Little Trinity Anglican Church;

Feb 4 Holy Roman Catholic Church; and Feb 11 St. John’s York Mills

Anglican Church.

PAULA COURT

Dowland:This year marks 400 years since composer and lutenist

John Dowland’s death. It’s a rich repertoire which deserves to

endure, if that may be said of any music, but its reworking and

re-arranging seems to point to its continuing appeal. There is a

plethora of celebratory events planned worldwide (see www.lutesociety.org

for more) and in Toronto on February 28th, Apocryphonia

Concert Series/Diapente Renaissance Vocal Quintet presents Time’s

Eldest Son: Celebrating 400 Years of John Dowland. The program

will also include works by Marenzio, Morley, Tomkins, and more.

Feb 28 Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 514-378-2558

Caroline Copeland

Rameau: If you need any

encouragement to hear

Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra

play French Baroque repertoire,

their concert Rameau & The Art

of the Dance entices with the

addition of accomplished New

York choreographer and dancer

Caroline Copeland. Rameau’s

music begs to be danced; he was

known equally for plaintive slow

airs and driving rhythms that

some liken to Stravinsky. Robert

Mealy, violinist and head of the

Juilliard Early Music Program,

leads the orchestra for a program

that also includes music by

Marais. Sparkle guaranteed!

Feb 19-22 Rameau & The Art of

the Dance: Tafelmusik Meets

Juilliard. Jeanne Lamon Hall,

Trinity-St. Paul Centre.

416-408-0208 or

www.tafelmusik.org.

Classical concerts, with their formal settings and codes of behaviour

(such as‘Don’t clap until the whole piece is over!’), might not

seem inviting to some potential listeners. Xenia Concerts aims to

make concerts more inclusive by presenting music in a familyfriendly

style that embraces neurodiversity and disability. On

February 7 you can relax or react, as you wish, at a concert by The

Eybler Quartet—four accomplished musicians known for their

work with Tafelmusik and in other Baroque ensembles and as soloists.

I checked in with them and they plan on a program of short

pieces with a variety of characters, and some rhythmically-driven

music. Whatever the program, they are sure to please both new and

experienced audiences with their skill and charm.

Meridian Hall, 1 Front St. E. Rory McLeod at 437-441-7543 or

Paolo Griffin at paolo.griffin@xeniaconcerts.com.

Eybler Quartet

ALEKSANDAR ANTONIJEVIC



Classical and beyond by DAVID PERLMAN

Bruce Liu and Gustavo Gimeno, with the Luxembourg Philharmonic

Orchestra, at San Sebastian’s Kursaal Auditorium, opening night

of the San Sebastián Musical Fortnight in August 2024.

THE TSO ON TOUR

As the Crow flies (Jonathan Crow that is), the Toronto Symphony

Orchestra will chalk up 17,000 km during their upcoming 14-day,

eight-city European tour. They head out from TO on January 27

bound for Madrid. February 9 their return flight, from Vienna

this time, touches down at Pearson, after three concerts in

Spain (Madrid, Zaragoza and Barcelona), followed by concerts in

Luxembourg, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp, and finally Vienna.

It will be TSO music director Gustavo Gimeno’s first intercontinental

tour with the orchestra, and the itinerary strongly

reflects what he brings to the orchestra.

Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw, for example, is where

Gimeno made his professional musical start, as principal percussionist,

in 2002. He was music director of the Luxembourg

Philharmonic Orchestra (OPL) for ten years, starting in 2015 – his

first full time orchestral conducting appointment. And Spain is,

of course, home ground for him. The Teatro Real Opera in Madrid

has announced his appointment as its next music director,

effective this season, with an initial contract of 5 years – a post he

will maintain concurrent with the second half of his TSO music

directorship.

“Proudly bringing Canadian music and music-making to

Western Europe” is how the TSO is billing the tour, which will

feature seven works in various combinations. Rachmaninoff’s

Piano Concerto No. 2, Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5, Bartók’s

Violin Concerto No.1 and Mahler’s Symphony No.4 are the four

major European works they will tour – the yardstick by which

the calibre of the orchestra’s “Canadian music-making” will

most often be judged. Haydn’s Scena de Berenice rounds out the

“masterworks” list.

The “Canadian music” component of the tour consists of two

works by Canadian composers: Kelly-Marie Murphy’s Curiosity,

Genius, and the Search for Petula Clark; and Rufus Wainwright’s

“A Woman’s Face (Sonnet 20)”.

Murphy’s piece was commissioned in 2017 by the TSO to celebrate

the 70th anniversary of Glenn Gould’s first appearance

with the orchestra, and is also featured on the TSO’s recording

of Stravinsky’s Pulcinella – their second, with Gimeno – on

the Harmonia Mundi label. Reviewing that recording for The

WholeNote in April 2025, Michael Doleschell said of the Murphy

piece that “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.” It should tour well!

The Wainwright song is from 2016: one of the nine Shakespeare

sonnets on a Rufus Wainwright album titled Take All of My Loves,

timed to coincide with the 400-year anniversary of Shakespeare’s

SAN SEBASTIÁN FORTNIGHT

death, reviewed here in Editor’s

Corner, by David Olds. (Tour

guest artist Anna Prohaska, a

2024/25 TSO Spotlight artist,

who sings the piece in the

tour’s second Madrid concert

shared vocals with Wainwright

on this particular song on the

2016 album.)

Toronto audiences wanting

a taste of the tour can catch

the Murphy/Rachmaninoff//

Prokofiev version of the program

January 22 and 23, before the

orchestra takes wing for Madrid.

Soloist in the Rachmaninoff is

rising Canadian pianist Bruce Liu,

as he will be for the three-city

Spanish leg of the tour.

Kelly-Marie Murphy

GREAT LAKES

PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

“I am a Vienna-trained

refugee conductor, and Canada

has become my new home” wrote Ukrainian music director

Anton Yeretsky to The WholeNote back in the fall. “When the war

upended my plans with Ukrainian theatres and symphony orchestras,

I started over and founded from scratch in Etobicoke the

professional orchestra Great Lakes Philharmonic to help and serve

the community.”

His journey from Vienna to Etobicoke was, to say the least, circuitous:

Vienna to Halifax; then Halifax to Vancouver via the Panama

Canal (working as a cruise ship music director). So he arrived

in Ontario with a sense of Canada’s geographic vastness and of

welcoming communities small and large within that vastness.

“We bring together diverse groups—families, newcomers,

youth, and long-time music lovers – at 60-90-minute, familyfriendly

concerts with early start times and accessible pricing” he

explains. “It’s a format that removes barriers: steps-free venues,

warm, welcoming presentations from the stage, collaborations

with community choirs, and a Young Talents: Solo with Orchestra



On Opera by MJ BUELL

When is opera NOT about extraordinary

events and complicated emotions?

January and February offer plenty of

operatic opportunities to step away from your winter

blues into another story that might make your own life

seem a bit more manageable by comparison.

The Great Lakes Philharmonic Orchestra

program – Viennese quality at a neighborhood scale, classical music

close to home, where everyone can feel part of one community.”

Yeresky visited The WholeNote in early November, with the

GLPO second season well under way – two of three planned fall

concerts at Humber Valley United Church complete, and preparation

for a third – Handel’s Messiah – in rehearsal.

Based on the information on their website https://glpho.art/

concerts.html, their early 2026 programming as planned is

unorthodox, to say the least – two visits to the Garden Banquet and

Convention Centre (Highway 410 and Steeles, in Brampton): the

first a January 3 invitation-only New Year Ball; and the second a

2pm May 4 “Star Wars Day” ticketed event. And with an intriguing

“by invitation only Rome Concert” (venue to be announced) sandwiched

in between.

Their final concert for 2025/26 is back on more traditional concert

turf at Humber United on May 31, with if all goes as planned, new

faces in the audience and lessons learned along the way.

MOOREDALE CONCERTS

David Jalbert plays Prokofiev

No stranger to Mooredale concerts

over the years, David Jalbert returns

February 22, with “an all-Prokofiev

programme, from his recent twovolume

ATMA Classique recordings,”

says Mooredale’s description of

the recital.

Both volumes mentioned in the

Mooredale release were reviewed in

the WholeNote DISCoveries section

at the time of their release. Vol. 1

(March 2022) covers Sonatas 1 to 4 and

Vol. 2 (September 2024) Sonatas 5 to

7. Probably not entirely coincidentally,

in terms of the timing of this recital,

Vol. 3, Sonatas 8 and 9, has just been

released, and is reviewed by Michael

Doleschell on page 42 of this issue of

The WholeNote.

A recital of all nine of the sonatas

would run close to three hours. So it

will be fascinating to hear the choices

Jalbert has made in structuring the

February 22 recital to reflect the extraordinary

44-year compositional, historical

and personal arc (1907 to 1953) of

some of the greatest piano music of the

early-to-mid 20th century.

Morten Grove Frandsen in Tapestry Opera’s LOL: Laughing Out Lonely

Tapestry Opera presents LOL: Laughing Out Lonely

Produced by Danish company OPE-N, LOL is the first international

production to be presented at the new Nancy & Ed

Jackman Performance Centre. It’s a new opera by the Danish

composing team Matilde Böcher and Asger Kudahl and it takes a

deep dive into “the faceless existence of life on the internet.”

LOL: Laughing Out Lonely is a thought-provoking look at

loneliness in the digital age. This solo performance by countertenor

Morten Grove Frandsen requires him to play a whole cast

of outsiders: including “the girl with The Fucking Ugly Face, who

cuts herself to forget her pain, or The Lamb, a shameful boy who

dreams of being slaughtered.” Be prepared for a journey into

dark corners of the internet, “where misogynists, self-harmers,

racists, and other marginalized existences have found an absurd

community.” The texts are based on social media posts from

young people, and the opera is staged as a theatrical echo chamber

with the audience as part of the setting.

January 16 & 17, at the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance

Centre, 877 Yonge St., Toronto. tapestryopera.com/performances/

laughing-out-lonely/

TOM INGVARDSEN


Fancy Some Italian?

January and February offers an operatic All-You-Can Eat Italian

menu. Don’t know whether to laugh or cry these days? Why not

go out and over-indulge in some cathartic emotional excess? Like

these next four productions.

Bellini, at Voicebox: La Sonnambula. In a peaceful Swiss village

lives Amina, a young woman who is unfortunately prone to sleepwalking.

On the eve of her wedding to Elvino, she is discovered in

the bedroom of a visiting nobleman, Count Rodolfo, and Elvino

breaks off their engagement. Poor crushed Amina’s innocence

is only revealed when she goes sleepwalking again, but this time

across a rickety bridge …

With Jeremy Scinocca, Austin Larusson, Julia Renda, Diana

Rockwell and Minerva Lobato. Narmina Afandiyeva, music director

and pianist, Robert Cooper, chorus director

Feb 14, 3 pm, at Trinity-St-Paul’s United Church, Toronto

416-408-0208 operainconcert.com/tickets

Donizetti, at Opera York: Lucia di Lammermoor is set in nineteenth-century

Scotland, and is actually based on The Bride of

Lammermoor by Scottish novelist, poet and playwright, Sir Walter

Scott. Apparently based on a true story, it’s about rival families,

thwarted love and nasty obsession. Lucia gets caught up in a family

feud by falling in love with Edgardo, her family’s sworn enemy. She

makes a desperate attempt to take control of the situation, and …

This opera is famous for the third act’s “mad scene,” when Lucia

descends into insanity. Mad scenes were a popular convention in

the bel canto era of opera.

With Holly Chaplin, Andrew Tees, Handaya Rusli, Maddy

Cooper, and Cameron Mazzei,

Geoffrey Butler, music director; Penelope Cookson, director.

Friday Feb 27 (7:30 pm) and Sunday March 1 (2pm), Richmond

Hill Centre for the Performing Arts 905 787 8811 or operayork.com

Verdi, at the Canadian Opera Company

Rigoletto is desperately trying to hide his only daughter, Gilda,

from his lecherous boss, The Duke. But Gilda has fallen in love

with the Duke who is disguised as a poor student. When things get

nasty for Gilda in the Duke’s court, Rigoletto vows revenge, but his

daughter overhears his plans and …oh no!

With Quinn Kelsey as Rigoletto, Sarah Dufresne as Gilda (Jan 24,

28, and Feb 6 & 8) and Andriana Chuchman as Gilda (Feb 10, 12, 14).

Johannes Debus, conductor and Christopher Alden director.

Jan 24 – Feb 14, at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

coc.ca

Rossini, at the Canadian Opera Company

The Barber of Seville Rosina is the object of Count Almaviva’s

hopeless love. Her guardian Doctor Bartolo is keeping her locked

up, wanting to marry her himself for her dowry. So the Count hires

the barber/schemer Figaro, to help him with some disguises so he

can fool the Doctor, get into the house, and …. This very colourful

production features some really whimsical costumes and oversized

sets. It’s a bit of a circus, and a good introductory opera.

Luke Sutliff is Figaro; Dave Monaco is Count Almaviva (Feb 5 – 15);

Pietro Adaini is Count Almaviva (Feb 17 to 21); Deepa Johnny is Rosina.

Daniela Candillari, conductor; Joan Font, director

Feb 5 – Feb 21 at the Four Seasons Centre for the

Performing Arts

coc.ca

Dark and darker

And then with spring just around the corner, if you’re still hungry

for more love, obsession, dark secrets, and big emotions, look ahead

at the COC season.

A Canadian Opera Company double bill: Bartók’s symbolist

fairy tale Bluebeard’s Castle, paired with Schoenberg’s modernist

one-act monodrama for soprano, Erwartung. A new wife discovers

seven locked doors in her husband’s home concealing gruesomeness

…. A woman searches for her missing lover through a dark

forest at night. And then a single moment explodes into a descent

into madness.

Apr 25 – May 16 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

coc.ca

Massenet’s Werther is another tragedy about impossible love

and obsession. This is a new production by director Alain Gauthier

of an opera that hasn’t been staged by the COC for 30 years. The

young poet Werther falls in love with Charlotte, the eldest daughter

of a widowed bailiff. Charlotte loves Werther but she promised her

dying mother that she would marry an older man named Albert,

and she cannot bring herself to break off the engagement, Werther

is overwhelmed by the prospect of life without her with some

shocking results …

May 7 - 23 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

coc.ca

If all that doesn’t put your own woes in perspective, I’m not sure

what will.

Lucia

di Lammermoor

February 27, 2026 7:30 pm

March 2, 2026 2:00 pm

Geoff Butler, Music Director

Penelope Cookson, Stage Director

Tickets : 905 787. 8811 • rhcentre.ca

Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts



Choral Scene by MJ BUELL

This is a relatively quiet time of year for choirs:

many are recovering from large-scale November

or December concerts, and getting ready to start

working up fresh folders of new music, as choristers

return to their routines after the holiday season.

St. John’s Anglican

Church, Elora

Another way to perk up your choral appetite would be to explore

Exchange: A day of choral community workshops presented by the

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. There will be a whole day (10am-5pm)

of interactive workshops, masterclasses and lectures on a variety

of topics centred around choral music, vocal music and musical

community building. Facilitators come from across our choir

communities and musical community. “This one day event will

include events for every choral music enthusiast, from the armchair

music fan to active choral singers of every level. All are welcome!”

Feb 7, at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church tmchoir.org/exchange

Nathaniel Dett Chorale: Mark your calendars for Voices of the

DIaspora: Hosea and Hope with guest artists Dr. Stephen Newby,

the Corey Butler Trio, and the Odin String Quartet.

Feb 21 at Grace Church-on-the-Hill, Toronto nathanieldettchorale.org

Soundstreams: The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir: Arvo

Pärt at 90

The renowned choir led by founder and conductor Tõnu Kaljuste

has been presented by Soundstream many times since 2000, and

these concerts usually sell out. They’re returning to Toronto for a

concert tribute to Arvo Pärt’s 90th birthday. (For more information

about this concert and the Arvo Pärt celebrations, see Wendalyn

Bartley’s “In with the New” article on page 12)

Feb 14 at Yorkminster Park United Church soundstreams.ca/events

Elora Singers

You could warm up for the new year like this: the Elora Singers

are offering a hot soup lunch and then a lunchtime concert “Motets

Through the Centuries” – part of their “Soup and Song” series.

This concert explores motets as they evolve through five centuries

from the Renaissance (Palestrina, Tallis), to J.S. Bach’s Komm,

Jesu, komm, through modern composers William Harris, James

MacMillan, Arvo Pärt, and Imant Raminsh. Soup (optional) is at

12:30, and the ticket is a separate purchase. The concert is at 2:30,

repeated at 5pm

Feb 7, at St. John’s Anglican Church, Elora elorasingers.ca

The Choral Creation Lab is

the Amadeus Choir’s residency

for poets and composers who

co-create original choral works,

with mentorship from both

composer and poet mentors. The

Choral Creation Lab Showcase,

conducted by Artistic Director

Kathleen Allan, features new

Canadian choral works by

this year’s participants (Sami

Anguaya, Rebecca Gray, Rohini

Bannerjee, Christina Wells, and

Qurat Dar), and by mentors and

alumni of the program, including

Iman Habibi, Mari Alice Conrad,

Luke Hathaway and Emily Hiemstra.

Feb. 21 at Eglinton St. George’s

United Church.

Kathleen Allan

CHORAL

CREATION LAB

SHOWCASE

presented by

Saturday, February 21

Eglinton St George’s United Church

Tickets available at

amadeuschoir.com


Exception to the rule: In

spite of their having given a

December 14 concert, a brave

exception to the usual early

new year choral doldrums,

is Toronto Beach Chorale’s

concert “Songs of Spirit and

Nature” offering Schubert’s

Mass No. 2 in G major, D 167,

Brahms’ Opus 92 4 Part Songs

and other choral music by

Mendelssohn and Bruckner.

Guest soloists are soprano Sara

Mervin W.Fick

Schabas, tenor Benjamin Done,

and bass Alexander Hajek. Led

by Mervin W. Fick.

Feb 22, 2pm at St Aidan’s on the Beach, in Toronto torontobeachchorale.com

Chanticleer: Looking further ahead, because you might want

to get your tickets now, the Royal Conservatory is presenting

Chanticleer, at Koerner Hall, with a program of a cappella choral

music ranging from Renaissance masterworks to roof-raising

spirituals. Founded in San Francisco in 1978 by singer and musicologist

Louis Botto, Chanticleer has been hailed as “the world’s

reigning male chorus” by The New Yorker and is known around

the world as “an orchestra of voices” who have sold over a million

recordings, and who have performed thousands of live concerts to

audiences around the world.

Mar 1, 3pm at Koerner Hall in Toronto

Chanticleer

Singsational! And finally, how about a Saturday morning singing

workshop, with other people who love to sing? Each Singsation

workshop is led by a member of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir

artistic community. Each workshop is a guided exploration of their

choral music of choice across a variety of genres, cultures and musical

eras. The March Singsation is called “Bach’s Passions – Drama,

Devotion, and Music.” Led by TMChoir’s own artistic director, Jean-

Sébastien Vallée, you will explore Bach’s extraordinary settings of the

Passion story — St. John and St. Matthew Passions and the intriguing

reconstructions of the lost St. Mark Passion.

Mar 7 at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. tmchoir.org/

singsation.


LIVE OR ONLINE | Jan 5 to Mar 7, 2026

Monday January 5

● Jan 05 3:30: University of Toronto Faculty

of Music. Neville Austin Graduate Colloquium

Series: Asaf Heilig (Hebrew University

of Jerusalem). Jackman Humanities Building,

170 St. George St. www.music.utoronto.

ca. Free.

● Jan 06 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.

Vocal Series: Pictures from the Private

Collection of God. 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.

Tuesday January 6

● Jan 06 12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation.

Lunchtime Chamber Music: Naomi

Wong, Piano. Yorkminster Park Baptist

Church, 1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167 or www.

yorkminsterpark.com. Free. Donations

welcome.


of Music. Tuesday Voice Series: In Conversation

with Ineza Mugisha. Walter Hall

(University of Toronto), 80 Queen’s Park.

www.music.utoronto.ca. Free.

● Jan 06 6:00: St. Olave’s Anglican Church.

A Celebration of Epiphany. St. Olave’s Anglican

Church, 360 Windermere Ave. 416-769-

5686 or watch live or later at www.youtube.

com/StOlavesAnglicanChurch. Contributions

appreciated.

Wednesday January 7

● Jan 07 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company/DanceWorks/Dancemakers.

Dance

Series: Dance Showcase. 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.

Thursday January 8


Instrumental Series: Songs Without

Words. 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.

● Jan 08 7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. Roy Thomson

Hall, 60 Simcoe St. www.tso.ca or 416-598-

3375. Also Jan 9(7:30pm), 10(7:30pm).

Friday January 9

● Jan 09 8:00: Hugh’s Room. The Hogtown

Allstars. Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson

Hall, 296 Broadview Ave. 647-347-4769 or

www.showpass.com/the-hogtown-allstars.

From $20.

Saturday January 10

● Jan 10 3:00: 5 at the First Chamber Concerts.

Strings in Conversation. First Unitarian

Church of Hamilton, 170 Dundurn St. S., Hamilton.

647-339-3434. $20; Free(under 12).

● Jan 10 7:00: Toronto Gilbert and Sullivan

Society. SongFest. St. Andrew’s United

Church (Bloor St., Toronto), 117 Bloor St E.

416-616-1462. $5.

● Jan 10 7:30: JCC Chamber Music Series.

Likht Ensemble: The Shoah Songbook.

Prosserman Jewish Community Centre -

Leah Posluns Theatre, 4588 Bathurst St.,

North York. www.eventbrite.ca/e/jcc-chamber-music-series-ft-likht-ensemble-theshoah-songbook-tickets-1685045920709.

$30. NOTE: RE-SCHEDULED FROM NOV 2025.


Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. Roy Thomson

Hall, 60 Simcoe St. www.tso.ca or 416-598-

3375. Also Jan 8(7:30pm), 9(7:30pm).

● Jan 10 8:00: Hugh’s Room. Melanie Doane.

Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson Hall,

296 Broadview Ave. 647-347-4769 or www.

showpass.com/melanie-doane-2. $35.

Sunday January 11


of Music. UTSO Concerto Competition

Finals. Walter Hall (University of Toronto),

80 Queen’s Park. www.music.utoronto.ca.

Free.


Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. Meridian

Arts Centre - George Weston Recital Hall,

5040 Yonge St. www.tso.ca or 416-598-3375.

● Jan 11 4:00: Vesnivka Choir. Rejoice!

- Ukrainian Christmas Concert. Our Lady

of Sorrows Catholic Church (Toronto),

3055 Bloor St. W. www.VesnivkaChristmas2026.eventbrite.ca

or 416-617-2736. $40;

Free(under 16).

● Jan 11 8:00: Rex Hotel Jazz and The Blues

Bar. In the Wonder of the Night. 194 Queen

St. W. www.therex.ca. Also Jan 12.

Tuesday January 13


Vocal/Jazz Series: Uplifted Voices.

Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four

Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,



updates.


Lunchtime Chamber Music: Sumi

Kim, Piano. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,

1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167 or www.yorkminsterpark.com.

Free. Donations welcome.

● Jan 13 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday

Organ Recital. Cathedral Church of St.

James, 106 King St. E. 416-364-7865 or www.

stjamescathedral.ca/recitals. Free. Donations

encouraged.

Wednesday January 14

● Jan 14 12:00 noon: Yorkminster Park Baptist

Church. Noonday Organ Recital. Yorkminster

Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St.

www.yorkminsterpark.com. Free. Donations

welcome.

● Jan 14 5:30: Canadian Opera Company.

Instrumental Series: Master and Pupil.





updates.

● Jan 14 8:00: St. Lawrence Centre. Singing

Through the Darkness. St. Lawrence Centre

for the Arts - Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front

St. E. www.ticketmaster.ca. From $36.

Thursday January 15


Dance Series: Preview of DanceWeekend

2026. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,




updates.

● Jan 15 7:30: Flato Markham Theatre. No

Sugar Tonight. 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham.

905-305-7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre.ca.

From $35.


The Firebird. Roy Thomson Hall,

60 Simcoe St. www.tso.ca or 416-598-3375.

Also Jan 17(7:30pm).

● Jan 15 8:00: Alliance Française de

Toronto. Luna Llena. Alliance Français de

Toronto - Spadina Theatre, 24 Spadina Rd.

www.alliance-francaise.ca. $18; $16/sr/st);

$15(AFT loyalty card); $12(ages 5-12); Free

(ages under 5).

● Jan 15 8:00: Talk Is Free Theatre. Company.

Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen St. W. www.

tift.ca/shows/company. From $40. From

Jan 15 to Feb 1.

Friday January 16

● Jan 16 11:00am: Hamilton Philharmonic

Orchestra. Talk & Tea: The Classics. FirstOntario

Concert Hall, 1 Summers Ln., Hamilton.

www.hpo.org/event/talk-tea-the-classics.

$17.


of Music. Masterclass: Xin Wang, Soprano.

Edward Johnson Building, University of

Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. www.music.utoronto.ca.

Free.

● Jan 16 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber

Music Society. Coriolis Trio. Venue to be

confirmed, Address to be confirmed. www.

ticketscene.ca/kwcms. $35; $10(st).

● Jan 16 8:00: Massey Hall. Classic Albums

Live: The Beatles 1967-1970 (The Blue

Album). 178 Victoria St. www.tickets.mhrth.

com/6887/6892. From $59.

● Jan 16 8:00: Roy Thomson Hall. Drum Tao:

The Best. 60 Simcoe St. www.tickets.mhrth.

com/6958/6959 or 416-598-3375. From $65.

WHOLENOTE Event Listings

are free of charge and can be submitted by venues, artists, or presenters.

Welcome to our 31st season of documenting one significant slice of live musical activity

in Southern Ontario and beyond. Regular readers of this listings section will notice a big

change: that the amount of detail in the listings as they appear here has been significantly

reduced –namely descriptions of repertoire, and details about the performers.

There are two reasons for this. First, detailed listings in print push up the cost of print

unsustainably, so we need to economize where we can. And second, that our new

bimonthly cycle reduces the usefulness of the listings themselves. Too much gets

announced between print issues for us to be able to keep up with the constant inflow

of new listings along with changes and corrections.

This does not however mean we have given up on collecting and publishing listings

at the same level of detail as you have been accustomed to.

● Our Weekly Listings Update contains listings at our previous level of detail. It goes

out, by email, every Thursday, and covers a 10-day period, from the weekend immediately

ahead to the Sunday of the following week. Deadline for inclusion in the Weekly

Update is 6pm Thursday of the previous week. Readers can sign up for the Weekly

Update on our website or via the QR code below.

● Our Just Ask feature, under Listings on our website gets you full details of any listing

direct from our database. It also has an advanced options feature that allows you

to specify date ranges, types of music, and regions of Ontario.

● Our online Kiosk (kiosk.thewholenote.com) gives you access to this, or any,

issue of The WholeNote on screen, or downloadable as a PDF file. All the websites

you see only as text in these print listings can be accessed with a click from the kiosk.

Print publication dates and deadlines

Next print issue: March/April 2026

Publication date: Tuesday February 24

Listings deadline: Tuesday February 10

All listings inquiries should be addressed to

John Sharpe, Listings Editor at

listings@thewholenote.com.

Advertising inquiries should be addressed to


REGISTER TO RECEIVE THE WEEKLY LISTINGS UPDATE at thewholenote.com/newsletter


● Jan 16 8:00: Royal Conservatory of

Music. The Happenstancers: Always Darkest

… Dawn Always. Royal Conservatory of Music

- TELUS Centre - Temerty Theatre, 273 Bloor

St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/

performance. From $21.

Saturday January 17

● Jan 17 3:00: Hamilton Philharmonic

Orchestra. Monomyth: The Hero’s Journey.

FirstOntario Concert Hall, 1 Summers Ln.,

Hamilton. www.hpo.org/event/monomyththe-heros-journey.

From $20. 2pm: Pre-concert

talk.

● Jan 17 5:00: Canadian Sinfonietta. Canadian

Sinfonietta-Unionville Music Competition

Winners. Agricola Finnish Lutheran

Church, 25 Old York Mills Rd. www.canadiansinfonietta.com.

$50; $45(ages 45 and

up); $40(ages 6-17).

● Jan 17 7:30: Toronto Consort. A Spotless

Rose – 1200 Years of Carols for New Year’s.

Trinity St. Paul’s United Church and Centre for

Faith, Justice and the Arts, 427 Bloor St. W.

www.torontoconsort.org. $34.


The Firebird. See Jan 15. TSO Chamber

Soloists performance on Jan 17(6:15pm).


of Music. Musical Performance: Essential

Music for the Spirit - A Spotless Rose - A

Choral Pilgrimage. Trinity St. Paul’s United

Church and Centre for Faith, Justice and the

Arts, 427 Bloor St. W. www.music.utoronto.

ca. $40; $35(sr); $10(st). No ticket reservation

necessary.

● Jan 17 8:00: Hugh’s Room. The Arrogant

Worms. Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson

Hall, 296 Broadview Ave. 647-347-4769 or

www.showpass.com.

● Jan 17 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.

Echoes of an Era featuring Lisa Fischer, Javon

Jackson, Orrin Evans, John Patitucci, Michael

Rodriguez, and Lenny White. Royal Conservatory

of Music - TELUS Centre - Koerner

Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.

rcmusic.com/performance. From $65.

● Jan 17 8:00: Small World Music. Fränder.

Revival Bar, 783 College St. www.smallworldmusic.com.

$45.

Sunday January 18

● Jan 18 2:00: Avenue Road Music & Performance

Academy. Tristan Savella, Piano.

Avenue Road Music and Performance

Academy - Gordon Lightfoot Concert Hall,

460 Avenue Rd. www.avenueroadmusic.com/

events/200/tristan-savella-piano-recital.

Free. Donations encouraged.


of Music. U of T Opera Student Composer

Collective: With the Telling Comes the Magic

- Five Tales from Antiquity to the Present.

Marilyn and Charles Baillie Theatre, Canadian

Stage, 26 Berkeley St. www.music.utoronto.

ca. Link to purchase tickets will be available

soon. Also 5pm.

● Jan 18 3:00: Les AMIS Concerts. Chamber

Music Concert. Trinity United Church,

284 Division St., Cobourg. www.tickets.

cobourg.ca/TheatreManager. $40.


Music. Gabriela Montero, Piano. Royal Conservatory






Collective: With the Telling Comes the Magic

- Five Tales from Antiquity to the Present.

Marilyn and Charles Baillie Theatre, Canadian



soon. Also 2:30pm.

● Jan 18 6:00: One-of-a-Kind Home Concerts.

Peer Gynt’s Adventures. Lawrence

Park Community Church, 2180 Bayview Ave.

www.eventbrite.ca/e/peer-gynts-adventures-tickets.

$40.

● Jan 18 8:00: Hugh’s Room. Debt Dreams

and Miranda Mulholland. Hugh’s Room Live

- Green Sanderson Hall, 296 Broadview

Ave. 647-347-4769 or www.showpass.com/

miranda-mulholland-and-debt-dreams.

$42/$25(adv).

Monday January 19


of Music. Masterclass: Judicael Perroy,

Guitar. Walter Hall (University of Toronto),


Free.

● Jan 19 7:30: Soundstreams. TD Encounters:

Transoceanic. Hugh’s Room Live -

Green Sanderson Hall, 296 Broadview

Ave. www.soundstreams.ca/events/

td-encounters-transoceanic.

Tuesday January 20


Instrumental/Dance Series: Musicians

and Dancers in Concert. Richard Bradshaw



ca/freeconcerts. Free. Please check website

for any programming updates.


Lunchtime Chamber Music: Rising

Stars Recital Featuring Students from the

Glenn Gould School. Yorkminster Park Baptist

Church, 1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167 or


welcome.


of Music. Tuesday Vocal Series: OraS-

TORYo! Walter Hall (University of Toronto),


Free.





encouraged.

● Jan 20 7:30: Ancaster Memorial Arts

Centre. Sisters in Song: Hailee Rose.

357 Wilson St. E., Ancaster. 905-304-3232 or

www.memorialarts.ca. $35.


Academy. DUO J² - Jean-Samuel

Bez and Jean-Luc Therrien. Avenue Road

Music and Performance Academy - Gordon

Lightfoot Concert Hall, 460 Avenue Rd. www.

avenueroadmusic.com/events/199/jean-samuel-bez-and-jean-luc-therrien.

Free. Donations

encouraged.


of Music. Student Composers Concert. Walter

Hall (University of Toronto), 80 Queen’s

Park. www.music.utoronto.ca. Free.


● Jan 21 12:00 noon: Yorkminster Park Baptist




welcome.


of Music. Recital: Judicael Perroy, Guitar.

Walter Hall (University of Toronto),


Registration required.

Thursday January 22


Instrumental/Vocal Series: Simply

Mozart. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,




updates.


of Music. Thursdays at Noon: Laureates

- Shalom Ben-Uri DMA Recital Competition

Winner. Walter Hall (University of Toronto),


Free.

● Jan 22 1:00: Trinity Bach Project. Bach &

Anguish. University of Toronto - Trinity College

Chapel, 6 Hoskin Ave. 306-250-4256.

Free. Donations gratefully accepted ($30

suggested). Also Jan 23 @ 8pm (Little Trinity

Anglican Church); Feb 4 @ 8pm (Holy Roman

Catholic Church); Feb 11 @ 7:30pm (St. John’s

York Mills Anglican Church).


Bruce Liu Plays Rachmaninoff 2. Roy

Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. www.tso.ca or

416-598-3375. Also Jan 23(7:30pm).


of Music. Instrumentalis. Walter Hall (University

of Toronto), 80 Queen’s Park. www.music.

utoronto.ca. Free.


Music. Orchestrated: Kishi Bashi. Royal Conservatory




Friday January 23

● Jan 23 12:00 noon: Fellowship Christian

Reformed Church (Toronto). Classical Piano

Concert in Etobicoke. 800 Burnhamthorpe

Rd. 416-622-9647. Freewill donation.

● Jan 23 7:00: Jazz at Durbar. The Matt

Pines Trio. Durbar Indian Restaurant,

2469 Bloor St. W. 416-762-4441 or www.durbar.ca.

No cover. Reserve a table for dinner or

come by for a drink at the bar.

● Jan 23 7:30: Flato Markham Theatre. Ballet

Jörgen: A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham. 905-305-

7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre.ca.

From $15.

● Jan 23 7:30: Sinfonia Toronto. Four Centuries

- Berlin / Montreal / TO. Trinity St.

Paul’s United Church. Jeanne Lamon Hall,

427 Bloor St. W. www.sinfoniatoronto.com.

$52; $40(ages 60+); $20(st).


Bruce Liu Plays Rachmaninoff 2. See

Jan 22.


of Music/Sinfonia Toronto. UofT New Music

Festival: Four Centuries - Berlin Montreal TO.

Trinity St. Paul’s United Church and Centre for

Faith, Justice and the Arts, 427 Bloor St. W.

www.music.utoronto.ca. $44.25; $35.40(sr -

60+); $20(st).

● Jan 23 8:00: Massey Hall/Live Nation.

Blue Rodeo: “Lost Together” - The 40th Anniversary

Tour. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St.

www.ticketmaster.ca/blue-rodeo-losttogether-the-40thanniversary-torontoontario-01-23-2026/event.

From $272. Also

Jan 24.


Music. Tony Yike Yang and Friends Celebrate

Chinese New Year. Royal Conservatory




● Jan 23 8:00: Trinity Bach Project. Bach

& Anguish. Little Trinity Anglican Church

(Toronto), 425 King St. E. 306-250-4256. $30;

$20(Budget); $10(st). Also Jan 22 @ 1pm

(Trinity College Chapel); Feb 4 @ 8pm (Holy

Roman Catholic Church); Feb 11 @ 7:30pm (St.

John’s York Mills Anglican Church).

Saturday January 24

● Jan 24 2:00: Aurora Cultural Centre.

John Sheard’s British Invasion + Charmie.

Aurora Town Square - Davide De Simone Performance

Hall, 50 Victoria St., Aurora. 365-

500-3313 or www.auroraculturalcentre.ca.

$55; $15(st). Also 7:30pm.



Festival: Christoph Gaartmann, Berlin Philharmonic

Oboist. Walter Hall (University of

Toronto), 80 Queen’s Park. www.music.utoronto.ca.

Free.

● Jan 24 3:00: Stratford Symphony

Orchestra. Under Celtic Skies: Steel City Rovers.

Avondale United Church, 194 Avondale

Ave., Stratford. 519-271-0990 or www.stratfordsymphony.ca.

From $10. Also 7:30pm.

● Jan 24 7:30: Aurora Cultural Centre. John

Sheard’s British Invasion + Charmie. Aurora

Town Square - Davide De Simone Performance

Hall, 50 Victoria St., Aurora. 365-500-

3313 or www.auroraculturalcentre.ca. $55;

$15(st). Also 2pm.


Rigoletto. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing

Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-

8231 or 1-800-250-4653 or tickets@coc.

ca. From $45. Also Jan 28, Feb 6, 8(2pm),

10, 12, 14(4:30pm). At 7:30pm unless otherwise

noted.

● Jan 24 7:30: Guitar Society of Toronto.

Carlotta Dalia, Guitar. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian

Church, 73 Simcoe St. www.guitarsocietyoftoronto.com.

From $25.



● Jan 24 7:30: The Musicians of the Egg/

North Wind Concerts. Winter’s Delight:

Musical Merriment with Good Company.

St. Thomas’s Anglican Church, 383 Huron

St. www.bemusednetwork.com/events/

detail/1062. $30; $20(st) $12(ages 12 &

under).

● Jan 24 7:30: Orchestra Toronto. Darth

Vader Meets The Godfather. Meridian


5040 Yonge St. 416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-

6754 or boxoffice@tolive.com. From $15. Preconcert

chat at 6:45pm.

● Jan 24 7:30: Stratford Symphony Orchestra.

Under Celtic Skies: Steel City Rovers.

Avondale United Church, 194 Avondale Ave.,

Stratford. 519-271-0990 or www.stratfordsymphony.ca.

From $10. Also 3pm.



Festival: Wind Ensemble - Intrinsic Light.

Tribute Communities Recital Hall, 83 York

Blvd. www.music.utoronto.ca. $30; $20(sr);

$10(st); $10(Livestream). UofT students with

a valid T-Card are admitted free at the door

(space permitting, some exceptions apply).

No ticket reservation necessary.

● Jan 24 8:00: Acoustic Harvest. Anne

Walker - CD Release Concert. St. Paul’s United

Church, 200 McIntosh St., Scarborough.

www.ticketscene.ca/events/53316/; www.

acousticharvest.ca. $35.

● Jan 24 8:00: Massey Hall/Live Nation.

Blue Rodeo: “Lost Together” - The 40th Anniversary

Tour. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St.

www.ticketmaster.ca/blue-rodeo-losttogether-the-40thanniversary-torontoontario-01-24-2026/event.

From $272. Also

Jan 23.


Music. 21C Afterhours: GGS New Music

Ensemble. Royal Conservatory of Music -

TELUS Centre - Temerty Theatre, 273 Bloor

St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/

performance. From $21.


Music. Jens Lindemann: Tribute to the Trumpet

Greats. Royal Conservatory of Music -

TELUS Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St.

W. 416-408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.

From $65.

Sunday January 25

● Jan 25 1:00: Japan Foundation, Toronto.

Cinema Kabuki 2026 Toronto: Rakuda - Party

with a Dead Man. TIFF Lightbox, 350 King

St. W. 416-599-2033 or in person at the TIFF

Lightbox box office. $24.80 (assigned seating).

Also Princess Sakurahime Part II @ 3pm

& The Zen Substitute @ 6:25pm.


Academy. Schubert: Die schöne

Müllerin. Avenue Road Music and Performance

Academy - Gordon Lightfoot Concert

Hall, 460 Avenue Rd. www.avenueroadmusic.

com/events/197/schubert-die-schoenemuellerin-john-holland-baritone-kathleenpenny-piano.


Also Feb 1.


Music. New Worlds: Music of Golijov. Royal

Conservatory of Music - TELUS Centre - Mazzoleni

Concert Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-

0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.

From $21.

● Jan 25 2:30: Live!@WestPlains. Colour

Film - Life in Song. West Plains United Church

(Burlingto, 549 Plains Rd. W., Burlington.

905-320-4989 or westplainsconcerts@

gmail.com or www.westplains.ca/events.

$25/$20(adv); Free(ages 16 & under);

$15(Livestream video). Ticket includes access

to concert video for 14 days following the

concert.

● Jan 25 2:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra.

Postcards from Vienna. FirstOntario

Performing Arts Centre - Partridge Hall,

250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. www.niagarasymphony.com

or 1-855-515-0722. From

$24.


Cinema Kabuki 2026 Toronto: Princess

Sakurahime Part II. TIFF Lightbox, 350 King

St. W. 416-599-2033 or in person at the TIFF

Lightbox box office. $24.80 (assigned seating).

Also Rakuda - Party with a Dead Man @

1pm & The Zen Substitute @ 6:25pm.


Cinema Kabuki 2026 Toronto: The Zen Substitute.

TIFF Lightbox, 350 King St. W. 416-

599-2033 or in person at the TIFF Lightbox

box office. $24.80 (assigned seating). Also

Rakuda - Party with a Dead Man @ 1pm &

Princess Sakurahime Part II @ 3pm.


Music Society. Dane Ko, Piano. Venue

to be confirmed, Address to be confirmed.

www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms. $35; $10(st).


of Music/Sinfonia Toronto. UofT New

Music Festival: MinMax Electroacoustic

Orchestra. Walter Hall (University of


Free.

Monday January 26

● Jan 26 10:00am: University of Toronto

Faculty of Music/Sinfonia Toronto. UofT

New Music Festival: Masterclass - Vivian

Fung, Composer. Edward Johnson Building,

University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. www.

music.utoronto.ca. Free.

● Jan 26 12:00 noon: University of Toronto

Faculty of Music/Sinfonia Toronto. UofT New

Music Festival: Nordic Voices A Cappella. Walter





Festival: Canadian Art Song Project. Walter

Hall (University of Toronto), 80 Queen’s Park.


● Jan 26 8:00: Massey Hall/Collective

Concerts. An Intimate Acoustic Evening

with Gregory Alan Isakov. Massey

Hall, 178 Victoria St. www.tickets.mhrth.

com/7128/7129. No tickets available. Tickets

may become available closer to the event.

Tuesday January 27








Lunchtime Chamber Music: Harrison

Vandikas, Piano. Yorkminster Park Baptist



welcome.


of Music/Sinfonia Toronto. Tuesday Vocal

Series: UofT New Music Festival - Canadian

Art Song Showcase. Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s



Organ Recital: Mozart Birthday Celebrations.

Cathedral Church of St. James,

106 King St. E. 416-364-7865 or www.


encouraged.

Jan 27

GRYPHON TRIO

with

NORDIC VOICES

● Jan 27 6:30: Music Toronto. Gryphon Trio

with Nordic Voices. St. Lawrence Centre for

the Arts - Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St.

E. 416-366-7723 or www.music-toronto.com/

concerts/nordic-voices. From $60.


of Music/Music Toronto. UofT New

Music Festival: Gryphon Trio + Nordic Voices.

St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts - Jane Mallett

Theatre, 27 Front St. E. tickets@musictoronto.com.

From $60.



Instrumental Series: From Ballades

to Blues. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,




updates.


Faculty of Music. UofT New Music Festival:

Nordic Voices Vocal Composition Workshop.

Walter Hall (University of Toronto), 80 Queen’s


● Jan 28 12:00 noon: Yorkminster Park

Baptist Church. Noonday Organ Recital.

Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge

St. www.yorkminsterpark.com. Free. Donations

welcome.


Rigoletto. See Jan 24. Also Feb 6, 8(2pm),


noted.


of Music. UofT New Music Festival: CLC

75th Anniversary Past Presidents’ Piano

Recital. Walter Hall (University of Toronto),


Registration required.

Thursday January 29


Jazz Series: String Swing. 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.


of Music. Thursdays at Noon: UofT New

Music Festival - Made in Manitoba. Walter



BACH

BRANDENBURGS!

JAN 29 – FEB 1

Jeanne Lamon Hall

Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre

tafelmusik.org

● Jan 29 7:30: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.

Bach Brandenburgs! 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. From $23.50. Also

Jan 30(8pm), 31(8pm) & Feb 1(3pm).


of Music. UofT New Music Festival: Rob

MacDonald, Guitar. Walter Hall (University of


Free.

● Jan 29 8:00: Esprit Orchestra. Superstrings

V. Royal Conservatory of Music -

TELUS Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St.

SUPERSTRINGS V

JANUARY 29TH, 2026

KOERNER HALL

WORKS BY

ARVO PÄRT

ANDREW NORMAN

ALEXINA LOUIE

ANDERS HILLBORG

JIMI HENDRIX

ESPRIT ORCHESTRA


W. www.espritorchestra.com/events/superstrings.

From $20. 7:15pm - Pre-concert

musical insights with Alexina Louie & guests.

● Jan 29 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre.

Andy Milne & Unison. 171 Town Centre Blvd.,

Markham. 905-305-7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre.ca.

From $15.

Friday January 30



Lecture - Vivian Fung, Composer. Edward

Johnson Building, University of Toronto,


Free.

● Jan 30 7:30: St. Anne’s Music and Drama

Society. H.M.S. Pinafore & Trial by Jury.

St. Anne Parish Hall, 651 Dufferin St. www.

stannesmads.com. $37; $32(sr 65+ & st);

$27(for groups of 4 or more only on Jan 30

or Feb 5). Also Jan 31(2pm), Feb 1 (2pm),

5(7:30pm), 6(7:30pm), 7(2pm), 8(2pm).


of Music. UofT New Music Festival: Electroacoustic

Music Concert. Walter Hall (University


utoronto.ca. Free.


Bach Brandenburgs! See Jan 29. Also

Jan 31(8pm) & Feb 1(3pm).

Saturday January 31



See Jan 30. Also Feb 1 (2pm), 5(7:30pm),

6(7:30pm), 7(2pm), 8(2pm).


of Music. UofT New Music Festival: Composition

Prizewinners’ Concert. Walter Hall (University

of Toronto), 80 Queen’s Park. www.


● Jan 31 3:00: 5 at the First Chamber Concerts.

Sounds of Resilience. First Unitarian

Church of Hamilton, 170 Dundurn St. S., Hamilton.

647-339-3434. $20; Free(under 12).

● Jan 31 3:00: SoundCrowd. Lady Gaga vs

Bruno Mars. Paradise Theatre (Toronto),

1006 Bloor St. W. 647-970-1397 www.soundcrowd.ca.

$35. Also 8pm.

● Jan 31 4:00: VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert.

Opera Salon: Romanticism and Beautiful

Singing. Edward Jackman Centre,

947 Queen St. E., 2nd Floor. www.operainconcert.ca/tickets.

$30.

Opera Salon

Romanticism

and Bel Canto

HOLLY

CHAPLIN

ALEXANDER

CAPPELLAZZO

DIANA

ROCKWELL

EVAN

KORBUT

SAT. JAN 31, 2026 4PM

www.operainconcert.com


Music Society. Daniel Ramjattan, Guitar.

Venue to be confirmed, Address to be confirmed.

www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms. $30;

$10(st).

● Jan 31 7:30: Arts and Letters Club. Tacamis

Album Launch - Goldberg Variations.

14 Elm St. www.eventbrite.ca/e/tacamisalbum-launch-goldberg-variations-tickets-1964549763226

or 416-535-6728. Pay

what you can. Suggested donation of $20 but

if you pay $30 or more you can receive a CD

at the event.

● Jan 31 7:30: Aurora Cultural Centre.

Lance Anderson’s Oscar Peterson - “The Jazz

Legend and the Man I Knew”. Aurora Town

Square - Davide De Simone Performance Hall,

50 Victoria St., Aurora. 365-500-3313 or

www.auroraculturalcentre.ca. $45; $15(st).


of Music. UofT New Music Festival:

UTSO - Korngold Sinfonietta. Tribute Communities

Recital Hall, 83 York Blvd. www.

music.utoronto.ca. $30; $20(sr); $10(st);

$10(Livestream). UofT students with a valid

T-Card are admitted free at the door (space

permitting, some exceptions apply). No ticket

reservation necessary.


Music. Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca

Searching for Goya. Royal Conservatory




● Jan 31 8:00: SoundCrowd. Lady Gaga

vs Bruno Mars. Paradise Theatre (Toronto),

1006 Bloor St. W. 647-970-1397 www.soundcrowd.ca.

$35. Also 3pm.


Bach Brandenburgs! See Jan 29. Also

Jan 30(8pm) & Feb 1(3pm).

Sunday February 1

● Feb 01 2:00: Avenue Road Music & Performance

Academy. Schubert: Die schöne

Müllerin. Avenue Road Music and Performance

Academy - Gordon Lightfoot Concert

Hall, 460 Avenue Rd. www.avenueroadmusic.

com/events/198/schubert-die-schoenemuellerin-john-holland-baritone-kathleenpenny-piano.


Also Jan 25.

● Feb 01 2:00: St. Anne’s Music and Drama


See Jan 30. Also Feb 5(7:30pm), 6(7:30pm),

7(2pm), 8(2pm).

● Feb 01 2:00: University of Toronto Faculty

of Music. UofT New Music Festival: DOG

Ensemble & Jazz Faculty. Walter Hall (University


utoronto.ca. Free.

● Feb 01 3:00: Royal Conservatory of

Music. Víkingur Ólafsson, Piano. Royal Conservatory




● Feb 01 3:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.

Bach Brandenburgs! See Jan 29.

SUN 1 FEB AT 4

Choral Evensong

plus at 4.45 p.m.

GEORGE

HERBERT

(1593-1633)

with Rt. Rev. Dr. Susan Bell

● Feb 01 4:00: St. Olave’s Anglican Church.

George Herbert (1593-1633). St. Olave’s Anglican

Church, 360 Windermere Ave. 416-769-

5686 or watch live or later at www.youtube.

com/StOlavesAnglicanChurch. Contributions

appreciated.

● Feb 01 7:00: INNERchamber Inc. Typeface:

A Concert of Characters. Factory 163,

163 King St., Stratford. www.innerchamber.

ca. $55; $37(st/arts worker). A light dinner is

served from 5:45pm.

● Feb 01 7:00: Piano Lunaire. Snow Moon.

nanoSTAGE, 1001 R Bloor St. W. www.simpletix.com/e/snow-moon-at-the-nanostagetickets-249411.

$32.64.


of Music. UofT New Music Festival: Chamber

Music Concert. Walter Hall (University of


Free.

Monday February 2


of Music. UofT New Music Festival: Percussion

Ensemble - Vis a Vis. Walter Hall (University


utoronto.ca. Free.

Tuesday February 3

● Feb 03 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.


of Music. Tuesday Vocal Series: UofT

New Music Festival - Exploratory Year, Music

Education & Interdisciplinary Musical Studies

Singers in Performance. Walter Hall (University


utoronto.ca. Free.

● Feb 03 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday




encouraged.


of Music. UofT New Music Festival: CME - A

Storm Within: The Music of Vivian Fung. Walter


Park. www.music.utoronto.ca. $30; $20(sr);

$10(st). UofT students with a valid T-Card are

admitted free at the door (space permitting,

some exceptions apply). No ticket reservation

necessary.

Wednesday February 4

● Feb 04 12:00 noon: Yorkminster Park

Baptist Church. Noonday Organ Recital.

Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge

St. www.yorkminsterpark.com. Free. Donations

welcome.


Music. An Evening with Nicola Benedetti and

Friends. Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS

Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-

408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.

From $55.

● Feb 04 7:30: Roy Thomson Hall/GTP

Entertainment. The Hellenic Music Ensemble.

Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. www.

tickets.mhrth.com/7215/7216 or 416-598-

3375. From $88.

● Feb 04 8:00: Trinity Bach Project. Bach

& Anguish. Holy Family Roman Catholic

Church (Toronto) - Oratory, 1372 King St. W.

306-250-4256. $30; $20(Budget); $10(st).

Also Jan 22 @ 1pm (Trinity College Chapel);

Jan 23 @ 8pm (Little Trinity Anglican Church);

Feb 11 @ 7:30pm (St. John’s York Mills Anglican

Church).

Thursday February 5

● Feb 05 12:00 noon: Metropolitan United

Church. Noon at Met:. Metropolitan United

Church, 56 Queen St. E. 416-363-0331 x226.

Freewill donation.


of Music. Kenneth R. Peacock Lecture:

Sumanth Gopinath (University of Minnesota).

Edward Johnson Building, University

of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. www.music.utoronto.ca.

Registration required for this event.


of Music. A Celebration of Black History

through Music: Lecture. Walter Hall (University


music.utoronto.ca. Free. Also Lecture-Recital

at 8pm.

● Feb 05 7:00: Lula Lounge. Jeremy Ledbetter

Trio. 1585 Dundas St. W. www.lula.ca

or 416-522-0307. $25(Early Bird); $30(Regular);

$40(At the Door).

● Feb 05 7:00: Massey Hall. Alex Cuba. TD

Music Hall, 178 Victoria St. 416-823-9193 or

www.tickets.mhrth.com/7278/7279. $34.50.

● Feb 05 7:30: Canadian Opera Company.

The Barber of Seville. 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 Feb 7, 11, 13, 15(2pm),




noted.


Society. H.M.S. Pinafore & Trial by Jury. See

Jan 30. Also Feb 6(7:30pm), 7(2pm), 8(2pm).

● Feb 05 8:00: Massey Hall. Dominique

Fils-Aimé: The Sunshine Tour. TD Music Hall,

178 Victoria St. 416-823-9193 or www.tickets.

mhrth.com/7237/7238. $42.



through Music: Lecture-Recital. Walter


www.music.utoronto.ca. Free. Also Lecture

at 6:30pm.

Friday February 6

● Feb 06 12:00 noon: St. Andrew’s Presbyterian

Church. Classical Piano Concert

in Downtown Toronto. 73 Simcoe St.

416-593-5600. Pay What You Can ($20

recommended).

● Feb 06 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s.

Noontime Recital. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian

Church, 73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x5

or www.standrewstoronto.org. Free. Donations

welcome.

● Feb 06 7:00: Aurora Cultural Centre.

Blain & Milatz Duo. Aurora Town Square

- Davide De Simone Performance Hall,

50 Victoria St., Aurora. 365-500-3313 or

www.auroraculturalcentre.ca. $45; $15(st).


Rigoletto. See Jan 24. Also Feb 8(2pm), 10,

12, 14(4:30pm). At 7:30pm unless otherwise

noted.



Jan 30. Also Feb 7(2pm), 8(2pm).


of Music. Wind Symphony: Reminiscence.

Tribute Communities Recital Hall, 83 York

Blvd. www.music.utoronto.ca. $30; $20(sr);


admitted free at the door. No ticket reservation

necessary.

● Feb 06 8:00: Roy Thomson Hall. Classic

Albums Live: Led Zeppelin - Houses of

the Holy. 60 Simcoe St. www.tickets.mhrth.

com/6888/6895 or 416-598-3375. From $59.


Music. Royal Conservatory Orchestra with

Peter Oundjian, Conductor. Royal Conservatory




Saturday February 7

● Feb 07 10:30am: Toronto Mendelssohn

Choir. Exchange: A Day of Choral Community

Workshops. Yorkminster Park Baptist

Church, 1585 Yonge St. www.tmchoir.org or

416-598-0422. $30. Workshop open to all

singing abilities.

● Feb 07 11:00am: Xenia Concerts/TO Live.

The Eybler Quartet. Meridian Hall, 1 Front

St. E. Rory McLeod at 437-441-7543 or Paolo

Griffin at paolo.griffin@xeniaconcerts.com.

Registration fee $5. To eliminate financial

barriers, we will refund your tickets when you

attend the event. If you wish to donate your

tickets, please let us know when you check in.

● Feb 07 1:00: Hamilton Philharmonic

Orchestra. HPYO Winter Concert. McMaster

University - L. R. Wilson Hall, 1280 Main St. W.,

Hamilton. www.hpo.org/event/hpyo-winterconcert.

$15. 1pm: Concert Orchestra Feature.

4pm Philharmonic Orchestra Feature.



Jan 30. Also Feb 8(2pm).

THE ELORA SINGERS

Soup & Song:

Motets Through

the Centuries

Saturday, Feb. 7 at 2:30PM & 5:00PM

St. John’s Anglican Church

36 Henderson St., Elora

EloraSingers.ca

519-846-0331

● Feb 07 2:30: Elora Singers. Soup

and Song: Motets through the Centuries.

St. John’s Anglican Church (Elora),

36 Henderson St., Elora. 519-846-0331

or www.elorasingers.ca. $55; $20(st);

$10(child). Also 5pm.

● Feb 07 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber

Music Society. Fournelle-Blain & Milatz.



$10(st).

● Feb 07 7:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

National Arts Centre Orchestra’s Eroica.

Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. www.tso.ca

or 416-598-3375.

● Feb 07 7:30: North Wind Concerts.

Encircling the World - Harps! Heliconian Hall,

35 Hazelton Ave. www.bemusednetwork.

com/events/detail/1046. Pay-What-You-Wish

($35 or $20 suggested).


The Barber of Seville. See Feb 5. Also Feb 11,

13, 15(2pm), 17, 19, 21(4:30pm). At 7:30pm

unless otherwise noted.


Orchestra. Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Ancaster

Memorial Arts Centre, 357 Wilson St. E.,

Ancaster. www.hpo.org/event/hpo-don-giovanni.

From $20.


of Music. Gospel Choir: A Celebration of

Black Music Through Music. Lyric Theatre,

5040 Yonge St. www.music.utoronto.ca. Link

to purchase tickets will be available soon.

● Feb 07 8:00: Alliance Française de

Toronto/Batuki Music Society. Donkoroba.

Alliance Français de Toronto - Spadina Theatre,

24 Spadina Rd. www.alliance-francaise.ca.

$18; $16/sr/st); $15(AFT loyalty card);

$12(ages 5-12); Free (ages under 5).

● Feb 07 8:00: Kindred Spirits Orchestra.

Operatic Rhapsodies. Flato Markham

Theatre, 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham.

www.ksorchestra.ca or or 905-305-7469.

From $25. 7:10pm: Pre-concert talk. 7:20pm:

Prélude - Pre-concert recital. Intermission

discussion and Q&A with Mary Kenedi and

Daniel Vnukowski. Post-concert reception.


Music. Cowboy Junkies. Royal Conservatory




Sunday February 8


Rigoletto. See Jan 24. Also Feb 10, 12,

14(4:30pm). At 7:30pm unless otherwise

noted.

● Feb 08 2:00: HCA Dance + Theatre. Performing

Arts Sunday Series (PASS): Valerie

Tryon, Piano. Hamilton Conservatory for the

Arts - Black Box Theatre, 126 James St. S.,

MICHELE JACOT

artistic director

CARTOONS

AND

ADVENTURE!

Sunday, February 8

4:00 pm

WYCHWOODCLARINETCHOIR.CA


Hamilton. 905-528-4020 or www.hcadancetheatre.com/events/valerie-tryon-6.

$35;

$25(sr); $50(supporter).



Jan 30.

● Feb 08 3:00: Metropolitan United

Church. Masterclass. Metropolitan United

Church (Toronto), 56 Queen St. E. 416-363-

0331 x226. Donations for Patricia Wright

Fund requested.

Feb 8

WHAT MAKES IT

GREAT? ® with

ROB KAPILOW

● Feb 08 3:00: Music Toronto. MUSE Series:

What Makes It Great® - Dvořák’s Piano Quintet.

St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts - Jane

Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723

or www.music-toronto.com/concerts/wmigdvorak.

From $60.

● Feb 08 3:00: Off Centre Music Salon.

Chopin’s Preludes: A Life, in Fragments. Trinity

St. Paul’s United Church. Jeanne Lamon

Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. www.offcentremusic.

com. From $15.

● Feb 08 3:00: The Jeffery Concerts.

Chamber Music Concert. London Public

Library - Wolf Performance Hall, 251 Dundas

St., London. www.grandtheatre.com or 519-

672-8800 or jefferyconcerts@gmail.com.

$40; Free(st).


of Music. Choral Studies Concert.

Church of St. Mary Magdalene, 477 Manning

Ave. www.music.utoronto.ca. $30; $20(sr);


admitted free at the door. No ticket reservation

necessary.

● Feb 08 4:00: Wychwood Clarinet Choir.

Cartoons and Adventure! St. Michael and All

Angels Anglican Church, 611 St. Clair Ave. W.

www.wychwoodclarinetchoir.ca. $25; $15(sr/

st) or Pay What You Can.

Monday February 9

● Feb 09 7:30: Soundstreams. TD Encounters:

Another Side of Arvo Pärt. Hugh’s Room

Live - Green Sanderson Hall, 296 Broadview

Ave. www.soundstreams.ca/events/

td-encounters-another-side-of-arvo-part.

Tuesday February 10

● Feb 10 12:00 noon: Roy Thomson Hall.

Free Noon Choir & Organ Concert Series:

Exultate Chamber Singers - Home in the

Six. 60 Simcoe St. www.tickets.mhrth.

com/7305/7308 or 416-598-3375. Free.







welcome.

● Feb 10 12:10: University of Toronto

Faculty of Music. Tuesday Vocal Series:

Masterclass - Carrie-Ann Matheson, Pianist

& Conductor. Walter Hall (University of


Free.





encouraged.


Rigoletto. See Jan 24. Also Feb 12, 14(4:30pm).

At 7:30pm unless otherwise noted.

● Feb 10 8:00: Hugh’s Room. Jimmy Webb.

Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson Hall,

296 Broadview Ave. 647-347-4769 or www.

showpass.com/jimmy-webb. $95; $50(st/

arts workers/underemployed).




15(2pm), 17, 19, 21(4:30pm). At 7:30pm unless

otherwise noted.

● Feb 11 7:30: Theatre Aquarius. Off Aquarius:

The Buddy Holly Concert. 190 King William

St., Hamilton. www.theatreaquarius.

org. $55(subscriber); $60(regular).


& Anguish. St. John’s York Mills Anglican

Church (Toronto), 19 Don Ridge Dr. 306-250-

4256. $30; $20(Budget); $10(st). Also Jan 22

@ 1pm (Trinity College Chapel); Jan 23 @ 8pm

(Little Trinity Anglican Church); Feb 4 @ 8pm

(Holy Family Roman Catholic Church).


of Music. Jazz Composers. Walter Hall (University



Thursday February 12


Church. Noon at Met. Metropolitan United


Freewill donation.



- Irene Miller Chamber Music Fellows. Walter




of Music. Masterclass: Carrie-Ann Matheston,

Pianist & Conductor. Walter Hall (University


utoronto.ca. Free.



Series: Tadling Sauvey (UofT). Walter




of Music. Q+A: Carrie-Ann Matheston, Pianist



Free.

● Feb 12 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo

Chamber Music Society. Radzeviciute & Levkovich,

Piano Four-Hands. Venue to be confirmed,

Address to be confirmed. www.

ticketscene.ca/kwcms. $35; $10(st).


Rigoletto. See Jan 24. Also Feb 14(4:30pm). At

7:30pm unless otherwise noted.

Lovesick!

SARAH HAGEN

FEB 12, 7:30pm

sarahhagen.com

● Feb 12 7:30: Heliconian Hall. Lovesick!

- An Evening of Storytelling & Music.

35 Hazelton Ave. 416-454-2363. $30; $15(st/

arts workers).

● Feb 12 8:00: Hart House Orchestra. Winter

Concert. University of Toronto - Hart

House - Great Hall, 7 Hart House Circle. www.

harthouseorchestra.ca. Free.

● Feb 12 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.

Budapest Festival Orchestra Plays Mahler

Symphony No. 3. Royal Conservatory of Music

- TELUS Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St.


From $120.

Friday February 13



Church (Toronto), 73 Simcoe St. 416-593-

5600 x5 or www.standrewstoronto.org.


● Feb 13 7:00: Small World Music. Orchestral

Qawwali Project Featuring Abi Sampa

& Rushil Ranjan. Meridian Hall, 1 Front St. E.

www.ticketmaster.ca. From $65.


The Barber of Seville. See Feb 5. Also

Feb 15(2pm), 17, 19, 21(4:30pm). At 7:30pm

unless otherwise noted.

● Feb 13 7:30: Confluence Concerts. Centuries

of Souls II. St. Thomas’s Anglican Church

(Toronto), 383 Huron St. 647-678-4923. $30;

$20(st/arts worker). Also Feb 14.

● Feb 13 8:00: Massey Hall/Live Nation.

Josh Ross. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St. www.

ticketmaster.ca. From $64.

Saturday February 14

● Feb 14 3:00: Georgian Bay Symphony.

Love Is in the Air. East Ridge Community

School, 1550 8th St. E., Owen Sound. 519-372-

0212. $41.

● Feb 14 3:00: VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert.

La sonnambula. Trinity St. Paul’s United

Church. Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W.

www.rcmusic.com/tickets/seats/408201 or

416-408-0208. $55.


Rigoletto. See Jan 24.

● Feb 14 7:30: Confluence Concerts. Centuries

of Souls II. St. Thomas’s Anglican

Church, 383 Huron St. 647-678-4923. $30;

$20(st/arts worker). Also Feb 13.


Orchestra. From Hamilton, With Love: HPO

& Dwayne Gretzky. FirstOntario Concert

Hall, 1 Summers Ln., Hamilton. www.hpo.

org/event/hpo-dwayne-gretzky. From $20.

6:30pm: Pre-concert talk.

● Feb 14 7:30: Kitchener Waterloo Community

Orchestra. Celebrate Love, Music,

and Togetherness This Valentine’s Day! Knox

Presbyterian Church, 50 Erb St. W., Waterloo.

519-744-2666 or www.kwco.org. $25;

$22(sr); $18(univ/college st); Free(high school

st & younger).

● Feb 14 7:30: Soundstreams. Estonian Philharmonic

Chamber Choir: Arvo Pärt at 90.

Yorkminster Park Baptist Church (Toronto),

1585 Yonge St. www.rcmusic.com/event-calendar/soundstreams-estonian-philharmonicchamber-choir-arvo-part-at-90.

From $23.

February 14, 8:00 PM

Flamenco Fire

with Robert Michaels

guitar/vocal

www.gtpo.ca

● Feb 14 8:00: Greater Toronto Philharmonic

Orchestra. Flamenco Fire. Isabel

Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St. W. www.gtpo.

ca. From $45.

Sunday February 15



19, 21(4:30pm). At 7:30pm unless otherwise

noted.


Music Society. Valtchev & Tchekoratova,

Piano Duo. Registry Theatre, 122 Frederick

St., Kitchener. www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms.

$35; $10(st).

● Feb 15 3:00: Les AMIS Concerts. Chamber

Music Concert. Trinity United Church,

284 Division St., Cobourg. www.tickets.

cobourg.ca/TheatreManager. $40.

● Feb 15 7:00: Massey Hall/Innovation Art

and Entertainment. Gregory Porter. Massey


com/7269/7270. From $98.



Tuesday February 16



Stars Recital Featuring Piano Students from

the Studio of Emily Chiang. Yorkminster Park

Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167

or www.yorkminsterpark.com. Free. Donations

welcome.





encouraged.



21(4:30pm). At 7:30pm unless otherwise

noted.


● Feb 18 12:00 noon: Yorkminster Park Baptist




welcome.





Freewill donation.


The Barber of Seville. See Feb 5. Also

Feb 21(4:30pm). At 7:30pm unless otherwise

noted.

VINCENZO BELLINI

La

Sonnambula

AN ITALIAN OPERA WITH ENGLISH SURTITLES

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2026

3 PM

NARMINA AFANDIYEVA, Music Director and Pianist

JEREMY

SCINOCCA

AUSTIN

LARUSSON

JULIA

RENDA

DIANA

ROCKWELL

MINERVA

LOBATO

RCM Tickets

416-408-0208 or

rcmusic.com/performance/

concerts-presented-by-others

RAMEAU &

THE ART OF DANCE

FEB 19–22

Jeanne Lamon Hall

Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre

tafelmusik.org


Rameau & The Art of the Dance: Tafelmusik

Meets Juilliard. 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. From $23.50. Also

Feb 20(8pm), 21(8pm) & 22(3pm).


Mahler’s Ninth. Roy Thomson Hall,


Also Feb 21(7:30pm), 22(3pm).

Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church

427 Bloor St W

(Bloor x Spadina)

Friday February 20

● Feb 20 11:00am: Canadian Opera Company.

The Barber of Seville - Student Performance.


145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231 or 1-800-250-

4653 or tickets@coc.ca. Call or visit website for

student performance tickets and information.





welcome.

● Feb 20 8:00: Massey Hall. Matt Andersen.

178 Victoria St. www.tickets.mhrth.

com/7161/7162. From $53.


Music. Luka Coetzee, Cello, with Jon Kimura

Parker, Piano. Royal Conservatory of Music

- TELUS Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St.


From $45.



Meets Juilliard. See Feb 19. Also

Feb 21(8pm) & 22(3pm).



TSYO: Death & Transfiguration. Meridian




The Barber of Seville. See Feb 5.

● Feb 21 7:30: Guitar Society of Toronto.

L’Atelier Romantique. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian

Church, 73 Simcoe St. www.guitarsocietyoftoronto.com.

Advance tickets from $20

or from $25 at the door.

● Feb 21 7:30: Oakville Chamber Orchestra.

Party! Oakville Centre for the Performing

Arts, 130 Navy St., Oakville. www.oakvillechamber.org.

$60(premium); $45(regular);

$40(groups of 10 or more); $20(ages 13-30);

$15(ages 12 and under).


Mahler’s Ninth. See Feb 19. Also

Feb 22(3pm).


of Music. Choral Creation Lab: Chamber

Choir with Amadeus Choir. Eglinton St.

George’s United Church, 35 Lytton Blvd. www.

music.utoronto.ca or www.amadeuschoir.

com. $45; $25(Community Ticket).

● Feb 21 8:00: Nathaniel Dett Chorale.

Voices of the Diaspora: Hosea and Hope.

Grace Church on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd.

www.nathanieldettchorale.org. $45; $39(sr);

$15(st); Free(under 12).

● Feb 21 8:00: Acoustic Harvest. Mary Kelly,

John Sheard and Friends. St. Paul’s United

Church, 200 McIntosh St., Scarborough.

www.ticketscene.ca/events/53317/; www.

acousticharvest.ca. $35.

● Feb 21 8:00: Alliance Française de

Toronto. Yuki Isami. Alliance Français de

Toronto - Spadina Theatre, 24 Spadina Rd.

www.alliance-francaise.ca. $18; $16/sr/st);

$15(AFT loyalty card); $12(ages 5-12); Free

(ages under 5).

Black Box Music

Feb. 21st, 2026

Betty Oliphant Theatre

Doors: 7:00PM

Starting at $20

newmusicconcerts.com

● Feb 21 8:00: New Music Concerts. Black

Box Music. Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis

St. 416-961-9594 or www.eventbrite.com/e/

black-box-music-tickets-1968308241937.

$35; $30(arts workers/sr); $20(st). 7:15pm:

Conversation with Simon Steen-Anderson

& Rashaan Allwood. 7:45pm: Young Artists

Overture.



Meets Juilliard. See Feb 19. Also

Feb 22(3pm).

Sunday February 22

● Feb 22 1:15: Mooredale Concerts. Music

& Truffles KIDS: David Jalbert, Piano. Walter


Park. 416-922-3714 x103; 647-988-2102 (eve/

wknd). $30.

● Feb 22 2:00: HCA Dance + Theatre. Performing

Arts Sunday Series (PASS): Janina

Fialkowska, Piano. Hamilton Conservatory for

the Arts - Black Box Theatre, 126 James St.

S., Hamilton. 905-528-4020 or www.hcadancetheatre.com/events/janina-fialkowska-1.

$35; $25(sr); $50(supporter).

● Feb 22 2:00: Toronto Beach Chorale.

Songs of Spirit and Nature: Schubert and the

Romantics. Church of St. Aidan, 2423 Queen

St. E. www.eventbrite.ca/e/songs-of-thespirit-and-nature-schubert-and-the-romantics-tickets-1538146320049.

$35; $25(youth).

● Feb 22 2:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra.

Wagner / Estacio / Eroica. FirstOntario

Performing Arts Centre - Partridge Hall,


250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. www.niagarasymphony.com

or 1-855-515-0722. From

$24.


Music. Yefim Bronfman, Piano. Royal Conservatory






Meets Juilliard. See Feb 19.


Mahler’s Ninth. See Feb 19.

● Feb 22 3:15: Mooredale Concerts. David

Jalbert, Piano. Walter Hall (University of

Toronto), 80 Queen’s Park. 416-922-3714 x103;

647-988-2102 (eve/wknd). From $40.


Music Society. Atelier Romantique.



$10(st).

Monday February 23

● Feb 23 8:00: Roy Thomson Hall. RENT In

Concert. 60 Simcoe St. www.tickets.mhrth.

com/7000/7001 or 416-598-3375. From $65.

Tuesday February 24

● Feb 24 11:00am: University of Toronto

Faculty of Music. Masterclass: François Le

Roux, Baritone & Jeff Cohen, Piano. Walter









welcome.





encouraged.

● Feb 24 7:30: Ancaster Memorial Arts

Centre. Sisters in Song: Heather Bambrick.

357 Wilson St. E., Ancaster. 905-304-3232 or

www.memorialarts.ca/sisters-in-song/heather-bambrick.

$49.



of Music. Vocalini. Walter Hall (University of


Free.

● Feb 25 8:00: MRG Live. Freya Skye.

Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St. www.hosted.

pushplanet.com/themrggroup/freya-skyetoronto-waitlist.

Visit website to join wait list.





Freewill donation.



- Small Jazz Ensembles. Walter Hall (University


utoronto.ca. Free.



Series: Héctor Vásquez Cordoba (University

of Victoria). Edward Johnson Building, University

of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. www.



& Triumph. Knox Presbyterian Church,

630 Spadina Ave. 306-250-4256. $30;

$20(Budget); $10(st). Also Mar 1(4pm):

Grace Church-on-the-Hill; Mar 4(8pm):

St Matthew’s Riverdale Anglican Church;

Mar 7(8pm): St. Martin-in-the-Fields Anglican

Church.

● Feb 26 7:30: Flato Markham Theatre. Epic

Eagles: The Definitive Eagles Tribute. 171 Town

Centre Blvd., Markham. 905-305-7469 or

www.flatomarkhamtheatre.ca. From $65.

Friday February 27

● Feb 27 12:00 noon: Music at St. Andrew’s.




welcome.

● Feb 27 5:15: Kingston Baroque Consort.

Virtuosi of the Kingston Baroque Consort.

St. James’ Anglican Church, 10 Union St. W.,

Kingston. legerek@queensu.ca or or www.

kingstonbaroqueconsort.ca or 613-217-5099.

$25; $10(st); Free(under 17).

● Feb 27 7:30: Music at St. Andrew’s. Lift

Every Voice: A Black History Month Celebration.

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church,

73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x5 or www.standrewstoronto.org.

$25 on Eventbrite or at

the door.

● Feb 27 7:30: Opera York. Lucia di Lammermoor.

Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing

Arts, 10268 Yonge St., Richmond

Hill. www.operayork.com or 905-787-8811.

$35-$40(General); $30(sr). Also Mar 2(2pm).


of Music. Voice: Celebrating Our Humanity.

Edward Johnson Building, University of

Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. www.music.utoronto.ca.


● Feb 27 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre.

Nomfusi. 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham.

905-305-7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre.

ca. From $15.

● Feb 27 8:00: Small World Music/Chrysalis

at the Creative School/Hispanic Canadian

Arts. Omar Sosa & Yilian Cañizares:

AGUAS Trio. Toronto Metropolitan University

- Chrysalis at the Creative School, 43 Gerrard

St. E. www.eventbrite.ca/e/omar-sosa-yilian-canizares-aguas-trio-featuring-gustavoovalles-tickets-1917500448459.

From $50.



Opera Salon: Commemorating Kurt

Weill’s New Musical Voice. Edward Jackman

Centre, 947 Queen St. E., 2nd Floor. www.

operainconcert.ca/tickets. $30.

● Feb 28 7:00: Apocryphonia Concert Series/Diapente

Renaissance Vocal Quintet.

Time’s Eldest Son: Celebrating 400 Years of

John Dowland. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton

Ave. 514-378-2558 or /www.eventbrite.ca/e/

times-eldest-son-celebrating-400-years-ofjohn-dowland-tickets-1501667831909.

$30;

$20(discounted).

● Feb 28 7:00: Chorus Niagara. Requiem for

Water. FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre

- Partridge Hall, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines.

www.firstontariopac.ca. $68(Diamond);

$52(adult); $48(sr); $35(under 35) $15(university/college

st/child under 15); $5(highschool

st with valid ID).

● Feb 28 7:00: Massey Hall/Outback. Fortune

Feimster: Takin’ Care of Biscuits Tour.

Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St. www.tickets.

mhrth.com/7194/7195. From $42.

● Feb 28 7:30: Sinfonia Toronto. Pathétique

- Songs from the Heart. Meridian Arts Centre

- George Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge

St. www.sinfoniatoronto.com. $52; $40(ages

60+); $20(st).


of Music. United in Song. Walter Hall (University


utoronto.ca. Free.

● Feb 28 8:00: Massey Hall/Joy Bullen, Culturepreneur.

An Evening with Julian Taylor

and His Band. TD Music Hall, 178 Victoria

St. 416-823-9193 or www.tickets.mhrth.

com/7124/7125. $45.


Music. Danish String Quartet. Royal Conservatory




Sunday March 1

● Mar 01 2:30: Live!@WestPlains. Joelle

Crigger - Celtic Celebration. West Plains

United Church, 549 Plains Rd. W., Burlington.

905-320-4989 or westplainsconcerts@gmail.com

or www.westplains.ca/

events. $30/$25(adv); $20(ages 16 & under);

$20(Livestream video). Ticket includes

access to concert video for 14 days following

the concert.

● Mar 01 3:00: Amici Chamber Ensemble.

From Mozart to Mamma Mia. Trinity St.

Paul’s United Church and Centre for Faith,

Justice and the Arts, 427 Bloor St. W. . $50;

$30(under 30); $100(donor ticket with a $50

tax receipt).

● Mar 01 3:00: Orchestra Toronto. Exploration

of the Soul: Tchaikovsky & Adler. Meridian


5040 Yonge St. 416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-

6754 or boxoffice@tolive.com. From $15. Preconcert

chat at 2:15pm.

● Mar 01 3:00: Royal Conservatory of

Music. Chanticleer. Royal Conservatory

of Music - TELUS Centre - Koerner Hall,

273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.

Folk of the Baroque 2:

Cooompooosseerss

Gooonee

Wild

st

Sunday March 1 , 4pm

49 Donlands Ave.

www.rezonanceensemble.com


● Mar 01 4:00: Rezonance Baroque Ensemble.

Folk of the Baroque 2: “Composers Gone

Wild”. St. David’s Anglican Church (Toronto),

49 Donlands Ave. www.eventbrite.ca/e/

rezonance-folk-of-the-baroque-2-composers-gone-wild-tickets-1595746032339.

$38.95.

● Mar 01 4:00: Trinity Bach Project.

Bach & Triumph. Grace Church on-the-

Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd. 306-250-4256. $30;

$20(Budget); $10(st). Also Feb 26(12 noon):

Knox Presbyterian Church; Mar 4(8pm):

St Matthew’s Riverdale Anglican Church;

Mar 7(8pm): St. Martin-in-the-Fields Anglican

Church.

● Mar 01 7:00: INNERchamber Inc. In the

Steps of O’Carolan. Factory 163, 163 King

St., Stratford. www.innerchamber.ca. $55;

$37(st/arts worker). A light dinner is served

from 5:45pm.



Monday March 2

● Mar 02 2:00: Opera York. Lucia di Lammermoor.

See Feb 27.

● Mar 02 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber

Music Society. Sydney Bulman-Fleming

Tribute. Venue to be confirmed, Address to

be confirmed. www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms.

Ticket prices to be confirmed.

● Mar 02 7:30: University of Toronto Faculty

of Music. Jazz: Symmetry Ensemble.



Free.

Tuesday March 3

● Mar 03 12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation.

Lunchtime Chamber Music: Ginger

Lam, Piano. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,

1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167 or www.yorkminsterpark.com.



of Music. Tuesday Vocal Series: Miriam

Khalil, Soprano & David Eliakis, Piano. Walter



● Mar 03 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday




encouraged.


of Music. Masterclass: Miriam Khalil,

Soprano. Walter Hall (University of Toronto),


Free.

● Mar 03 7:00: Piano Lunaire. Worm Moon.

nanoSTAGE, 1001 R Bloor St. W. www.simpletix.com/e/worm-moon-at-the-nanostagetickets-249415.

$32.64.

● Mar 03 8:00: Massey Hall/Small

World Music. DakhaBrakha. Massey


com/6909/6910. From $53.

Wednesday March 4

● Mar 04 2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Revolution: The Music of The Beatles - A

Symphonic Experience. Roy Thomson Hall,


Also Mar 4(7:30pm) & 5(7:30pm).

● Mar 04 8:00: Trinity Bach Project. Bach &

Triumph. St. Matthew’s Anglican Church (Riverdale),

135 First Ave. 306-250-4256. $30;

$20(Budget); $10(st). Also Feb 26(12 noon):

Knox Presbyterian Church; Mar 1(4pm):

Grace Church-on-the-Hill; Mar 7(8pm): St.

Martin-in-the-Fields Anglican Church.

Thursday March 5

● Mar 05 1:30: Women’s Musical Club of

Toronto. Music in the Afternoon: VC2 Cello

Duo with Amy Hillis. Walter Hall (University

of Toronto), 80 Queen’s Park. 416-923-

7052. $50; Free(accompanying caregivers/

st with ID).

● Mar 05 7:30: Music Toronto. Leonkoro

Quartet. St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts -

Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-

7723 or www.music-toronto.com/concerts/

leonkoro-quartet. From $60.


Revolution: The Music of The Beatles - A

Symphonic Experience. See Mar 4.

2025

2026

MARCH 5, 2026 | 1.30 PM

VC2

CELLO DUO

+

AMY HILLIS, violin

Bach, Beethoven,

Matt Brubeck and more

Tickets/Info: 416.923.7052 • wmct.on.ca

Friday March 6

● Mar 06 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber

Music Society. Magisterra Piano Trio.



$10(st).


of Music. UTSO Graduate Conductors.



Free.

● Mar 06 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre.

The 3 Impersonators. 171 Town Centre Blvd.,

Markham. 905-305-7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre.ca.

From $15.

● Mar 06 8:00: Roy Thomson Hall. Classic

Albums Live: Supertramp - Breakfast in

America. 60 Simcoe St. www.tickets.mhrth.

com/6888/6896 or 416-598-3375. From $59.

Saturday March 7

● Mar 07 10:30am: Toronto Mendelssohn

Choir. Singsation: Bach’s Passions - Drama,

Devotion, and Music. Yorkminster Park Baptist

Church, 1585 Yonge St. www.tmchoir.org

or 416-598-0422. $15(online); $20(at door).

Workshop open to all singing abilities.

● Mar 07 11:00am: Xenia Concerts/TO

Live. Trio Carnaval. Meridian Arts Centre -

George Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St.

Rory McLeod at 437-441-7543 or Paolo Griffin

at paolo.griffin@xeniaconcerts.com. Registration

fee $5. To eliminate financial barriers,

we will refund your tickets when you attend

the event. If you wish to donate your tickets,

please let us know when you check in.

● Mar 07 4:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre.

TOT Cabaret Series: Strauss - The Waltz King.

Edward Jackman Centre, 947 Queen St. E.,

2nd Floor. 416-366-7723 or 1–800-708-6754

or www.ticketmaster.ca. $45.

● Mar 07 7:30: Mississauga Chamber Singers.

Lord Nelson Mass. Christ First United

Church, 151 Lakeshore Rd. W., Mississauga.

www.mcsingers.ca or 647-549-4524. $30;

$15(under age 18).

● Mar 07 7:30: Roy Thomson Hall/Bounty/

Major Talent. Abbamania Canada With

Night Fever & Tribute to Cher. Roy Thomson

Hall, 60 Simcoe St. www.tickets.mhrth.

com/7006/7007 or 416-598-3375. From $59.


Dvořák Symphony No.7. Meridian



Also Mar 8(3pm).

● Mar 07 8:00: MRG Live. Emily King. TD

Music Hall, 178 Victoria St. 416-823-9193 or

www.tickets.mhrth.com/7338/7339. 39.50.

● Mar 07 8:00: Royal Conservatory of

Music. TD Jazz Concerts: Arturo O’Farrill

Octet. Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS



From $65.

● Mar 07 8:00: Trinity Bach Project. Bach

& Triumph. St. Martin-in-the-Fields Anglican

Church (Toronto), 151 Glenlake Ave. 306-

250-4256. $30; $20(Budget); $10(st). Also

Feb 26(12 noon): Knox Presbyterian Church;

Mar 1(4pm): Grace Church-on-the-Hill;

Mar 4(8pm): St Matthew’s Riverdale Anglican

Church.

MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZ

Berczy Tavern, The

69 Front Street East

theberczy.com @theberczy

Music 6 nights a week.

Black Bear Pub

1125 O’Connor Drive

blackbearpub.ca @blackbearpubonoconnor

Instrumental jazz on Tuesday nights.

Black Swan Tavern

154 Danforth Avenue

blackswantavern.com @

blackswantavern1972

A Toronto Blues fixture since 1972.

BSMT 254

254 Lansdowne Ave. 416-801-6325

bsmt254.com @bsmt254toronto

Wide variety from jazz to hip-hop to DJ nights.

Bluebird Bar, The

2072 Dundas St. W. 416-535-0777

bluebirdbarto.com @thebluebirdto

Live music every Thursday.

Burdock

1184 Bloor St. W. 416-546-4033

burdockto.com @burdockbrewery

A sleek music hall with exceptional sound.

Cameron House, The

408 Queen St. W. 416-703-0811

thecameron.com @the.cameronhouse

Nightly local roots acts on 2 stages.

Castro’s Lounge

2116 Queen St. E. 416-699-8272

castroslounge.com @castroslounge

Local live bluegrass, jazz, rockabilly, & more.

C’est What

67 Front St. E. 416-867-9499

cestwhat.com @cestwhatto

Real cask ale and live music.

Communist’s Daughter, The

1149 Dundas Street W.

@thecommunistsdaughtertoronto

Live music Saturday & Sunday afternoons.

Drom Taberna

458 Queen St. W. 647-748-2099

dromtaberna.com @dromtaberna

Wide variety of music 7 nights a week.

Duke Live, The

1225 Queen Street East. 416-466-2624

theduketoronto.com

Live music including a Sunday big band series.

Emmet Ray, The

924 College St. 416-792-4497

theemmetray.com @theemmetray

Live music 7 nights a week.

Epochal Imp

123 Danforth Avenue

epochalimp.com @epochal_imp

Specialty coffee, bar, entertainment & books


MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZ

Free Times Cafe, The

320 College St. 416-967-1078

freetimescafe.com @freetimescafeofficial

Weekly Klezmer series, every Sunday.

Function Bar + Kitchen

2291 Yonge St. 416-440-4007

functionbar.ca @functionbarto

Open mic Tues & Sun; Soul and R&B Fri & Sat.

Grossman’s Tavern

379 Spadina Ave. 416-977-7000

grossmanstavern.com @grossmanstavern

Toronto’s self-described “Home of the Blues.”

Handlebar

159 Augusta Ave. 647-748-7433

thehandlebar.ca @handlebar_to

Ongoing, including open mic Tuesdays &

monthly jazz jam.

Hirut Cafe and Restaurant

2050 Danforth Ave. 416-551-7560

hirutjazz.ca @hirutcafe

Quality live jazz and a quiet policy.

Hugh’s Room Live

296 Broadview Ave. 647-960-2593

hughsroomlive.com @hughsroomlive

Intimate performing space, great acoustics,

attentive audience.

Jazz Bistro, The

251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299

jazzbistro.ca @jazzbistroto

Historic location and world-class jazz.

Jazz Room, The

Located in the Huether Hotel, 59 King St. N.,

Waterloo. 226-476-1565

kwjazzroom.com @thejazzroom

Dedicated to the best in jazz music presentations.

Jean Darlene Piano Room, The

1203 Dundas Street West.

jeandarlene.ca @jeandarlenepianoroom

“Singalong karaoke open mic” Thurs, Fri & Sat.

Joni Restaurant at the Park Hyatt Hotel

4 Avenue Rd

jonirestaurant.com @jonirestaurant

Live music Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun..

Linsmore Tavern, The

1298 Danforth Ave. 416-466-5130

linsmoretavern.com @linsmoretavern

Rock, cover bands and Sunday blues.

Local, The

396 Roncesvalles Ave 416-535-6225

@thelocaltoronto

Pub fare, local beers and live music

Lula Lounge

1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307

lula.ca @lulalounge

Salsa, jazz, afro-Cuban, and world music.

Manhattans Pizza Bistro & Music Club

951 Gordon St., Guelph 519-767-2440

manhattans.ca @manhattans_guelph

Live music almost every night of the week.

Monarch Tavern

12 Clinton St. 416-531-5833

themonarchtavern.com @monarchtavern

Indie, rock, and other genres on stage.

Motel Bar

1235 Queen Street W. 416-399-4108

@motelparkdale

Casual and up-close live music.

My House in the Junction

2882 Dundas Street W. 416-604-4555

myhouseinthejunction.com @

myhouseinthejunction

Regular live music, including jazz every Friday.

Neu Lokal Social House

3047 Dundas St. W. 647-834-6363

neulokal.com @neulokal_social

Turkish restaurant with live music Thurs, Fri & Sat.

Noonan’s Pub

141 Danforth Ave. 416-778-1804

noonanspub.ca @noonansirishpub

Live music includes swing, blues, rock and country.

Old Mill, The

21 Old Mill Rd. 416-236-2641

oldmilltoronto.com @oldmilltoronto

Jazz Lounge:

Listenable straight ahead jazz.

Only Cafe, The

962 Danforth Ave. 416-463-3249

theonlycafe.com @theonlycafe

Wide range of music includes jam sessions &

young artist showcases.

Painted Lady, The

218 Ossington Avenue

thepaintedlady.ca @paintedladyossington

Cheeky saloon serving burlesque, & live

music.

Pamenar

307 Augusta Ave.

cafepamenar.com @pamenar_km

Live music, DJs, comedy, and more.

Pilot Tavern, The

22 Cumberland Ave. 416-923-5716

thepilot.ca @thepilot_to

Around for over 75 years, live Saturday afternoon

jazz.

Poetry Jazz Café

1078 Queen St W. 416-599-5299

poetryjazzcafe.com @poetryjazzcafe

Live jazz, hip-hop, and DJs nightly.

Redwood Theatre, The

1300 Gerrard Street East. 647-547-4410

theredwoodtheatre.com @

theredwoodtheatre

Music, dance, circus, comedy, and more.

Reposado Bar & Lounge

136 Ossington Ave. 416-532-6474

reposadobar.com @reposadobar

Top-shelf tequila, tapas, and live music.

Reservoir Lounge, The

52 Wellington St. E. 416-955-0887

reservoirlounge.com @reservoirlounge

Live music four nights a week.

Rev, La

2848 Dundas St. W. 416-766-0746

larev.ca @la.rev.toronto

A welcoming performance space, wide

musical range.

Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Bar, The

194 Queen St. W. 416-598-2475

therex.ca @therextoronto

Over 60 shows per month, Toronto’s longestrunning

jazz club.

Sauce on Danforth

1376 Danforth Ave. 647-748-1376

sauceondanforth.com @sauceondanforth

Live music Tues through Sat (and sometimes

Sun).

Sellers & Newel

672 College Street. 647-778-6345

sellersandnewel.com @sellersandnewel

Intimate bookstore doubling as a live evening

music venue.


Dance Series: Preview of DanceWeekend

2026. Dance Ontario’s signature

celebration DanceWeekend 2026 brings

together a dynamic mix of genres, artists,

and communities from across the province.




Free.


Instrumental/Dance Series: Musicians

and Dancers in Concert. New choreographic

works by Peggy Baker, Robert Stephen, and

Jera Wolfe. Sonja Boretski, Miyeko Ferguson,

Katherine Semchuk, dancers; Chris Au, piano;

Isabella Perron, violin. Richard Bradshaw



ca/freeconcerts. Free.


Rigoletto. Music by Giuseppe Verdi. Quinn

Kelsey, baritone (Rigoletto); Andrea Carroll,

soprano (Gilda); tenor Ben Bliss, tenor

(Duke of Mantua); and other artists; Canadian

Opera Company Chorus & Orchestra;

Johannes Debus, conductor; Christopher

Alden, stage director. Four Seasons Centre

for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W.

416-363-8231 or 1-800-250-4653 or tickets@

coc.ca. From $45. Also Jan 28, Feb 6, 8(2pm),


noted.

● Jan 07 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company/DanceWorks/Dancemakers.

Dance

Series: Dance Showcase. An exciting program

featuring Toronto dance stars. Audience

members are invited to participate in an

artist Q&A and audience engagement session

following the show. Mel Hart, guest curator.




Free.


Orchestra. Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Hamilton

Philharmonic Orchestra; Centre for

Opera Studies & Appreciation (COSA); James

MUSIC THEATRE

Smokeshow BBQ and Brew

744 Mt. Pleasant Rd 416-901-7469

smokeshowbbqandbrew.com @

smokeshowjohn

Cover artists and original music Thurs

through Sun.

Steadfast Brewery

301 Lansdowne Ave 416-343-9595

steadfastbrewingco.com @

steadfastbrewing

Live Trad Jazz, Mon nights; Bluegrass, Sun

afternoons; & more.

Tapestry

224 Augusta Ave.

@tapestry_to

Jazz, electronic music, soul, and more.

Tranzac

292 Brunswick Ave. 416-923-8137

tranzac.org @tranzac292

Community arts venue, live shows, multiple

rooms, every day..

Kahane, conductor. Ancaster Memorial Arts

Centre, 357 Wilson St. E., Ancaster. www.

hpo.org/event/hpo-don-giovanni. From $20.

● Feb 01 7:00: INNERchamber Inc. Typeface:

A Concert of Characters. Hidden behind

the vast selection of typefaces to which we

now have instant access at the click of a button

are the stories of inventors and designers

who altered history. Christopher Moorehead,

narrator; INNERchamber Ensemble: Andrew

Chung, violin; Ben Bolt-Martin, cello; Anna

Ronai, piano. Factory 163, 163 King St., Stratford.

www.innerchamber.ca. $55; $37(st/

arts worker). A light dinner is served from

5:45pm.

● Mar 01 7:00: INNERchamber Inc. In the

Steps of O’Carolan. Turlough O’Carolan, considered

by many to be Ireland’s National Composer,

travelled across the country in the

early eighteenth century. Enjoy the remarkable

story of this composer, including his artistic

influences and enduring impact on folk

music. Cedric Smith, narrator; Dan Stacey,

violin; INNERchamber Ensemble: Andrew

Chung, violin; Ben Bolt-Martin, cello; Julia

Seager-Scott, harp. Factory 163, 163 King

St., Stratford. www.innerchamber.ca. $55;

$37(st/arts worker). A light dinner is served

from 5:45pm.

● Mar 01 2:30: Live!@WestPlains. Joelle

Crigger - Celtic Celebration. Joelle Crigger,

fiddle/piano/step-dance; and her band

ALCHEMY, with Julie Fitzgerald, fiddle/piano/

step-dance; Andrew Dawydchak, fiddle &

mandolin. West Plains United Church (Burlington),

549 Plains Rd. W., Burlington. 905-

320-4989 or westplainsconcerts@gmail.com

or www.westplains.ca/events. $30/$25(adv);

$20(ages 16 & under); $20(Livestream video).

Ticket includes access to concert video for 14

days following the concert.


Chopin’s Preludes: A Life, in Fragments. A film

screening of the original film “Chopin’s Preludes:

A Life, in Fragments”, a feature-length

documentary film about the ways that Chopin’s

Preludes intersect with our lives blending

live performance with our own immigrant


MUSIC THEATRE

ETCETERA

story. Followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker,

Marcel Canzona, and Off Centre’s founders,

pianists Boris Zarankin and Inna Perkis. Trinity



com. From $15.


Music. Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca

Searching for Goya. Choreographed by Bessie

Award-winning principal dancer Soledad

Barrio and artistic director Martín Santangelo,

the extraordinary paintings of Francisco

de Goya are brought to life through the

language of flamenco dance, vocals, and guitar.

Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS



From $60.



By Gilbert and Sullivan. St. Anne Parish

Hall, 651 Dufferin St. www.stannesmads.

com. $37; $32(sr 65+ & st); $27(for groups

of 4 or more only on Jan 30 or Feb 5). Also

Jan 30(7:30pm), Feb 1 (2pm), 5(7:30pm),

6(7:30pm), 7(2pm), 8(2pm).



Meets Juilliard. Works by Marais, Rebel,

and Rameau. Juilliard415; Tafelmusik Baroque

Orchestra; Caroline Copeland, choreographer;

Robert Mealy, violin & director.

Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St. 416-408-0208

or www.tafelmusik.org. From $23.50. Also

Feb 20(8pm), 21(8pm) & 22(3pm).

● Mar 07 4:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre.

TOT Cabaret Series: Strauss - The Waltz King.

Edward Jackman Centre, 947 Queen St. E.,

2nd Floor. 416-366-7723 or 1–800-708-6754

or www.ticketmaster.ca. $45.

● Feb 07 11:00am: TYT Theatre. You’re a

Good Man Charlie Brown. Based on the comic

strip by Charles M. Schulz. Recommended

for ages 4 and up. No intermission. Wychwood

Theatre, 76 Wychwood Ave. www.tyttheatre.com.

From $33. Sat & Sun from Feb 7

to Mar 22 @ 11am & 3:30pm.



Collective: With the Telling Comes

the Magic - Five Tales from Antiquity to the

Present. Libretto by Michael Patrick Albano.

Narratives which date back to the very creation

of theatre. Sandra Horst, conductor;

Michael Patrick Albano, stage director. Marilyn

and Charles Baillie Theatre, Canadian



soon. Also 5pm.


La sonnambula. Music by Vincenzo Bellini.

Sung in Italian with English Surtitles.

Robert Cooper, chorus director; Narmina

Afandiyeva, music drector & pianist. Trinity

St. Paul’s United Church. Jeanne Lamon Hall,

427 Bloor St. W. www.rcmusic.com/tickets/

seats/408201 or 416-408-0208. $55.

● Hamilton Festival Theatre Company/Theatre

Aquarius/The Staircase. Frost Bites.

Programming to be announced in Jan 2026.

Theatre Aquarius, 190 King William St., Hamilton;

Bernie Morelli Recreation Centre,

876 Cannon St. E., Hamilton; The Staircase

Theatre + Lounge, 27 Dundurn St. N., Hamilton.

www.hftco..ca/frost-bites. Feb 27-Mar 8.

● Mirvish. & Juliet. Created by Canadian

David West Read and starring an all-Canadian

cast featuring Vanessa Sears and George

Krissa with songs from the catalogue of Max

Martin. Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St.

W. www.mirvish.com. Extended to May 17.

● Mirvish. Some Like It Hot. CAA Ed Mirvish

Theatre, 244 Victoria St. www.mirvish.com.

Feb 10-Mar 15.

● Mirvish. We Will Rock You The Musical. By

Queen and Ben Elton. With an all-Canadian

cast. CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre, 244 Victoria St.

www.mirvish.com. To Jan 18.

● Royal Theatre. The Unauthorized

Hallmark(ish) Parody Musical. Written by

Tim Drucker & Bonnie Milligan. Music by

Joel Waggoner. Lyrics by Tim Drucker, Bonnie

Milligan & Joel Waggoner. 608 College St.

www.hallmarkish.com. To Jan 4.

The ETCETERAS are listings for date-related events - live and virtual - that are of musical

interest but which are not performances. This includes, for example, conferences and

symposia, masterclasses, workshops, and film screenings. Just like our daily concert listings,

the ETCETERAS are updated weekly online, and are free of charge. Please contact our

listings team for more information at etc@thewholenote.com.

Please note that the ETCETERAS do not include audition and recruitment notices or job

postings.To promote these opportunities, please contact advertising@thewholenote.com.

● International Music Festival and Competition.

Apr 29-May 17, 2026. In-person and

via video recordings. Piano, voice, strings,

woodwinds, brass, harp, guitar, percussion,

conducting, composition, chamber music,

masterclasses. Registration deadline: Mar 1,

2026. www.intermusic.ca. 905-604-8854.

office@intermusic.ca.

● Jan 06 6:00: St. Olave’s Anglican Church.

A Celebration of Epiphany. Followed by a light

supper and at 7pm an illustrated feature on

The Spirit in the Music: a Journey through

Jesus, Jazz and John Lennon, with the Very

Reverend Dr. Stephen Hance, the Dean of

Toronto and Rector of St. James Cathedral.

St. Olave’s Anglican Church, 360 Windermere

Ave. 416-769-5686 or watch live or later at

www.youtube.com/StOlavesAnglicanChurch.

Contributions appreciated.

● Jan 16 11:00am: Hamilton Philharmonic

Orchestra. Talk & Tea: The Classics. Explore

the life and music of Mozart and Beethoven.

Abigail Richardson-Schulte, host. FirstOntario

Concert Hall, 1 Summers Ln., Hamilton.

www.hpo.org/event/talk-tea-the-classics.

$17.









Nordic Voices Vocal Composition Workshop.



Free.



Lecture - Vivian Fung, Composer. Edward

Johnson Building, University of Toronto,


Free.

● Feb 01 4:00: St. Olave’s Anglican Church.

George Herbert (1593-1633). Opens with

Choral Evensong, a religious service with the

Choir of St. James Cathedral at 4 p.m.; followed

directly by an illustrated music feature

about Herbert, with the Right Rev. Dr.

Susan Bell. St. Olave’s Anglican Church,

360 Windermere Ave. 416-769-5686 or

watch live or later at www.youtube.com/

in Stratford, Ontario

SEEKING NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

to plan and present our fall and winter programs

beginning with the 2026 fall series in Oct-Nov 2026

Each year MOA offers two series (winter and fall)

of music and opera in Stratford,

each comprising six two-hour afternoon programs.

Remuneration to be discussed.

Please send resumé by February 3, 2026 to:

musicandopera15@gmail.com

Attention: Karen Mychayluk

For more details visit www.musicandopera.weebly.com

Prizes and Scholarships, Recitals, Concerts, Workshops

Career advancement, Marketing and promotions


StOlavesAnglicanChurch. Contributions

appreciated.


of Music. Kenneth R. Peacock Lecture:

Sumanth Gopinath (University of Minnesota).

Edward Johnson Building, University

of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. www.music.utoronto.ca.




through Music: Lecture. Walter Hall (University


music.utoronto.ca. Free. Also Lecture-Recital

at 8pm.



through Music: Lecture-Recital. Walter


www.music.utoronto.ca. Free. Also Lecture

at 6:30pm.

● Feb 07 10:30am: Toronto Mendelssohn

Choir. Exchange: A Day of Choral Community

Workshops. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church

(Toronto), 1585 Yonge St. www.tmchoir.org

or 416-598-0422. $30. Workshop open to all

singing abilities.

● Feb 08 3:00: Metropolitan United

Church. Masterclass. Isabelle Demers,

organ. Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen

St. E. 416-363-0331 x226. Donations for Patricia

Wright Fund requested.

● Feb 08 3:00: Music Toronto. MUSE Series:

What Makes It Great® - Dvořák’s Piano

Quintet. Rob Kapilow explores Dvořák’s

Piano Quintet in A Op.81. Rob Kapilow, host;

Gryphon Trio; Noa Sarid, violin; Sharon Wei,

viola. St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts - Jane

Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723

or www.music-toronto.com/concerts/wmigdvorak.

From $60.


Chopin’s Preludes: A Life, in Fragments. A film

screening of the original film “Chopin’s Preludes:

A Life, in Fragments”, a feature-length

documentary film about the ways that Chopin’s

Preludes intersect with our lives blending

live performance with our own immigrant

story. Followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker,

Marcel Canzona, and Off Centre’s founders,

pianists Boris Zarankin and Inna Perkis. Trinity



com. From $15.

● Feb 10 12:10: University of Toronto

Faculty of Music. Tuesday Vocal Series:

Masterclass - Carrie-Ann Matheson, Pianist



Free.



Series: Tadling Sauvey (UofT). Walter




of Music. Q+A: Carrie-Ann Matheston, Pianist



Free.

● Feb 24 11:00am: University of Toronto

Faculty of Music. Masterclass: François Le

Roux, Baritone & Jeff Cohen, Piano. Walter





Series: Héctor Vásquez Cordoba

(University of Victoria). Edward Johnson

Building, University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s



of Music. Masterclass: Miriam Khalil,

Soprano. Walter Hall (University of Toronto),


Free.

● Mar 07 10:30am: Toronto Mendelssohn

Choir. Singsation: Bach’s Passions - Drama,

Devotion, and Music. Led by Jean-Sébastien

Vallée. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,

1585 Yonge St. www.tmchoir.org or 416-598-

0422. $15(online); $20(at door). Workshop

open to all singing abilities.

THE WHOLENOTE BLUE PAGES

Welcome to the latest supplement to our annual Blue Pages

directory of Music Makers. We welcome seven new presenters

below, who have joined as members since our last print issue.

Full profiles for these and the other 75 organisations who

joined earlier can be found at thewholenote.com under our

Who’s Who tab (2025-26 Presenter Profiles). We thank all of

our Blue Pages members - your support helps keep our daily

listings section alive and free-to-all.

Civic Light Opera Company

AMADEUS (the highly fictionalized lives

of Mozart and Salieri and their fascinating

musical and professional relationships)

by Peter Shaffer - presented at the historic

VideoCabaret Theatre, in July 2026.

www.CLOtoronto.com

Common Thread Community Chorus

27 years of changing the world, one song at

a time…

www.commonthreadchorus.ca

Confluence Concerts

Join us on February 13th and 14th for Centuries

of Souls II curated by Larry Beckwith

and featuring some of the most dynamic

and engaging singers in Toronto, at Heliconian

Hall.

www.confluenceconcerts.ca

Opera York

Professional opera at the Richmond Hill Centre

for the Performing Arts. Full productions

of traditional operas with chorus, orchestra

and supertitles. Join us for Lucia di Lammermoor,

Feb 27 & Mar 1.

www.operayork.com

Piano Lunaire

PIANO LUNAIRE is a contemporary classical

music organization based in Toronto and New

York, pursuing the presentation of artistic

excellence in the 21st Century, with performances

on every FULL MOON.

www.pianolunaire.org

Tapestry Opera

Tapestry Opera is an award-winning Torontobased

company dedicated to creating, developing,

and performing original Canadian

opera.

www.tapestryopera.com

Victoria Scholars

Men’s Choral Ensemble

Under the musical direction of Dr. Jerzy

Cichocki, the Victoria Scholars Men’s Choral

Ensemble presents a 2-3 concert series

annually in Toronto. Visit our website for

details.

www.victoriascholars.ca

For more information about the

benefits of joining the Blue Pages

or any of our other directories,

please contact Karen at


If you can read this,

thank a music teacher.

MosePianoForAll.com

A vacation

for your dog!

Barker Avenue Boarding

in East York

call or text 416-574-5250

15% off your 1st clean

BUSINESS

CLASSIFIEDS

Economical and visible!

Promote your services

& products to our

musically engaged readers,

in print and on-line.

BOOKING DEADLINE: TUESDAY FEBRUARY 10

classad@thewholenote.com

EXCHANGE

A Day of Choral

Community Workshops

Workshops, masterclasses, and lectures for

every choral music enthusiast – of all abilities

and experience!

February 7, 2026 | 10:30 AM – 5 PM

Yorkminster Park Baptist Church (Yonge & St. Clair)

$30 | Register at www.tmchoir.org/exchange

BACH’S PASSIONS

Drama, Devotion, and Music

with Jean-Sébastien Vallée

Explore the Bach Passions in our

Saturday morning workshop series.

Saturday, March 7, 2026 | 10:30 AM

Yorkminster Park Baptist Church (Yonge & St. Clair)

$15 online (+fees) | $20 door

Register at www.tmchoir.org/singsation


DISCOVERIES | RECORDINGS REVIEWED

DISCOVERIES | RECORDINGS REVIEWED

DAVID OLDS

DAVID OLDS

DAVID OLDS

REMEMBERING

Raul da Gama

Some say April is the cruelest month, but in 2025 I think it

was December, when The WholeNote DISCoveries lost two

beloved members of the team. I’ll come back to my dear

friend Daniel Foley at the end of this column, but for openers I

want to talk about Raul Luiz D’Gama Rose, or Raul da Gama as

I knew him, who passed at the age of 70 after a long and valiant

struggle with cancer.

Raul was a celebrated poet who came from a distinguished

musical family. He began his studies at Trinity Music College in

London and went on to achieve a Masters’ degree in Romance

Languages. He wrote for numerous publications, notably CODA

and Downbeat magazines and allaboutjazz.com. He helped Danilo

Navas develop latinjazz.net, Jazz Global Media and the worldmusicreport.com.

Raul joined the WholeNote team in the fall of 2015, contributing

three reviews to Volume 21, Number 4 – Contact

Contemporary Music, Kronos Quartet and jazz singer Andrea

Superstein – giving us a hint of his eclectic tastes.

Since that time, he filed nearly 450 reviews of releases in every

genre that we cover, showing a depth of knowledge and understanding

in virtually every field. Raul was my go-to reviewer

when I had something a little off the beaten track, but also for

mainstream releases and standard repertoire. I could always

count on him to file on time, no matter how many assignments

I burdened him with, and to find something interesting and

enlightened about each disc. These pages just won’t be the same

without his insights and observations. I will miss him dearly.

Remembering continues on page 54.

Why do I so often talk about myself as I write this column?

Personal connections open doors, and ears, especially with

the esoteric field of contemporary music. As I learned during

my time as general manager of New Music Concerts from founder

Robert Aitken, hearing firsthand from the composer – for the audience

at pre-concert chats and post-concert receptions – can really

foster understanding and curiosity about challenging repertoire and

approaches to music-making. Of course, I also had the opportunity to

get to know the composers during their often-week-long rehearsal

sessions with our musicians.

Brady: New Music Concerts was not my first

opportunity to meet composers in person

and discuss their work, however. From 1984

through 1991 I was the host of “Transfigured

Night” on CKLN-FM and in my first year of

broadcasting I had the pleasure of meeting

Tim Brady, an accomplished jazz guitarist

who also composes for the concert hall. I

believe he was the first guest on my overnight

radio program. We discussed an album

of his piano music recorded by Marc Widner on the Apparition label.

This was the first of many encounters with this prodigious artist

over the past 40 years, including a subsequent interview about his

Chamber Concerto commissioned for New Music Concerts’ 15th anniversary

event in 1986. There were numerous collaborations during my

own tenure with NMC, most notably when we presented his opera

Three Cities in the Life of Doctor Norman Bethune in 2005 and the

evening-long multi-media creation My 20th Century in 2009. I also

had the opportunity to perform in Brady’s Instruments of Happiness

project While 100 Guitars Gently Weep – Concerto for George at

Luminato in 2018, so my relationship with Tim is many-faceted.

In my column last issue, I speculated that Alice Ping Yee Ho may be

Canada’s most prolific and most recorded composer, but I now realize

that Brady’s output rivals hers, with some 30 CDs of his own, plus a

dozen more that include his work. There are also four no longer available

vinyl LPs, three of which are still in rotation on my turntable,

including the abovementioned Music for Solo Piano.

2025 saw two releases, a double CD of

solo (although many layered) works, For

Electric Guitar (peopleplacesrecords.bandcamp.com/album/for-electric-guitar)

and

The Possibility of a New Work for String

Quartet: Tim Brady String Quartets Nos.

3-5 which features the Montreal-based

Warhol Dervish String Quartet (leaf.

music/leaf-music-tim-brady-and-warholdervish-string-quartet-present-the-possibility-of-a-new-work-forstring-quartet).

This album’s name is derived from the String Quartet

No.3 “The (Im)Possibility of a New Work for String Quartet.”

Brady says “In March 2019 I woke up one morning with this idea

in my head: It’s impossible to write another string quartet – so

many have been written – there is literally nothing left to do with

the medium. I needed to think of the string quartet not as a finished

product (a score) but as a process for making music. So, I wrote

a bunch of instructions on how the members of a quartet should

compose their own quartet. These instructions are… ‘Write a fake folk

tune,’ ‘Sustain notes in F minor’ ‘Make a big noise,’ etc.—it never tells

them precisely where to go or what to do but jump-starts the collaborative

process.” I find this iteration of the work – the players are

instructed to tear up the score at the end of the performance to insure


no two presentations will be alike – very convincing, and I was captivated

by the “fake folk song,” a kind of a dirge reminiscent of some of

the rustic children’s songs that Béla Bartók collected. Not having read

the program note in advance, I had no clue that this wasn’t throughcomposed,

it seemed so organic.

Since sketching the outline for that work Brady has evidently found

a way to reconcile himself to the medium, and the two subsequent

quartets are fully fledged contributions to the genre. Brady says String

Quartet No.4 from 2020 is “quite sparse and transparent, and generally

slow and meditative. I also use quarter-tone harmonies in a few

places in this piece... It gives a soft, almost fuzzy feel to these chords

which suits the reflective nature of the work.”

“#5 was also totally unbidden. I woke up one morning in

October 2022 (near the end of the pandemic when we all had time to

sit and ruminate on many things, including string quartets) and had

this idea: a really big multi-movement string quartet with lots of notes

and big contrasts—why not? Say 30 minutes: a good chunk of time,

something that the players and listeners could really sink their teeth

(ears) into. The plan is five movements—including two slow movements,

with ample opportunity for the players to push their rhythmic

agility and ensemble acuity. It’s a bit of a ‘chops-buster,’ but Warhol

Dervish give an impressive performance.” And that’s true of all three

works. By the way, Brady tells us that he has since written a sixth

string quartet.

Regarding For Electric Guitar I’ll simply quote from the press

release: “The three works it encompasses are all solo guitar pieces that

he composed for himself to play. Throughout its 80+ minute runtime…

Brady manages to embrace a plethora of styles and approaches with

languid ambiences and textures, driving post-minimalist composition,

nods to prog and jazz, and vital gestural moments that relate to

modern concert music. The titular piece even echoes the format of a

concerto, with Brady varying his tone to allow him to behave as both

the soloist and ensemble.” It’s a striking achievement.

And if you found my mention of Brady’s 100 Guitars project

intriguing you can check out the latest

Installment from the 2025 Brisbane Festival on YouTube (youtube.

com/watch?v=Kqfjd4aAsO4&t=11s), where you can also find the

George Harrison tribute (youtube.com/watch?v=3M_4_FTW1wY).

Boulez: A couple of issues ago I wrote extensively

about having the opportunity to spend

some time with Pierre Boulez, one of the

truly great composers and conductors of

our era, during my time as general manager

of New Music Concerts. The context of that

reminiscence was the release of a seemingly

definitive set of recordings of his collected

works, Boulez the Composer (DG 4847513,

13 CDs) which came out to commemorate the 100th anniversary of

his birth. I recently found a stunning complement to that collection,

Quatuor Diotima’s own tribute to Boulez’s centenary, a recording of

his Livre pour quatuor (pentatonemusic.com/product/boulez-livrepour-quatuor).

The album features the world premiere of the piece’s

fourth movement, which the composer conceived in close cooperation

with the members of Diotima (who, incidentally, performed for New

Music Concerts back in 2011).

“Working on Pierre Boulez’ Livre pour quatuor was one of the

founding projects of the quartet when we began in 1996. However, the

project had to be postponed due to an ongoing collaboration on the

same score with the Parisii Quartet. About fifteen years later, Boulez

agreed to initiate a new collaboration with us around this piece.

This took place within the context of a four-concert cycle project,

‘Schoenberg / Beethoven’ in which we proposed to include each of the

six movements of the Livre pour quatuor between the works of those

two Viennese masters, involving the creation of the fourth movement,

which had previously remained unfinished… Unfortunately, severe

vision problems forced [Boulez] to give up composing and conducting.

The task of reconstructing this unfinished movement was therefore

entrusted to Philippe Manoury. We are proud to have been associated

with this project and delighted to have finally been able to record this

complete version of the Livre pour quatuor.”

The Parisii’s 2001 recording of the then existing five movements was

included in the DG set mentioned above. Thanks to this exquisite new

release by the Diotima I can now consider my Boulez collection

complete.

Lachenmann: Another iconic composer I

had the pleasure of meeting through New

Music Concerts is Helmut Lachenmann

(b.1935). Known for his “musique concrète

instrumental,” Lachenmann’s music makes

extreme demands on the players, utilizing

a plethora of unconventional playing techniques

which produce unusual sounds from

conventional instruments. Often entire

pieces unfold without any traditionally “musical” tones, melodies or

harmonies. This is exemplified on Lachenmann: Works for String

Quartet (pentatonemusic.com/product/lachenmann-works-forstring-quartet),

the fruit of a 25-year collaboration between Quatuor

Diotima and that visionary composer.

Their first meeting in 1998, originally just a one-week workshop,

sparked a deep artistic bond and a shared fascination with his radical

approach to sound and listening. This album is the result of hundreds

of hours spent in rehearsal, performance, and conversation with the

composer. It doesn’t make for easy listening, even in comparison to

the rigours of the music of Boulez, but patient and careful listening

will reward the adventurous musical soul.

Quatuor Diotima is not the only ensemble to have benefited from

working with Helmut Lachenmann. Back in 2003 an early iteration of

the JACK Quartet came to Toronto for an intensive masterclass with

him under the auspices of New Music Concerts. Fully matured, JACK

would return to headline a concert co-presented by NMC with Music

Toronto a dozen years later, but this encounter with Lachenmann was

a formative experience for the young quartet.

Wourinen: another iconic composer who

graced the stage of NMC during my tenure

is Charles Wuorinen (1938-2020). Perhaps

best known for his opera Brokeback

Mountain, Wuorinen’s uncompromising

oeuvre encompassed solo works to large

orchestral scores and included electronic

compositions, such as 1970’s Time’s

Encomium for which he won a Pulitzer

Prize. A recent addition to his discography, MEGALITH (rezrecordz.

com/megalith), comprises six works from the composer’s later

years. JACK is joined by violist Miranda Cuckson and cellist Jay


ORDO VIRTUTUM Jeff Bird plays

Hildegard of Bingen volume two

Jeff Bird

Jeff Bird's arrangements for

harmonica of Hildegard of Bingen’s

transcendent music strike a balance

between reverence and reinvention.

A ritual of breath and tone.

The Possibility of a New Work

for String Quartet

Warhol Dervish & Tim Brady

Pushing the boundaries of the

string quartet, these works treat

composition not only as a written

score but as an exploratory, everevolving

process of music making.


Cambell for Zoe (2012) which to my ear harkens back to the serialism

of the Second Viennese School (rather than to the lush textures of

Schoenberg’s own string sextet Verklärte Nacht).

The disc begins with Spin 5, a concerted work from 2006 for solo

violin (Alexi Kenney) and an ensemble of 18 musicians conducted by

James Baker, and also includes a piano concerto, the title work from

2014, featuring Peter Serkin and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra

under Matthias Pintscher. Filled out with an extended work for solo

oboe (Jacqueline Leclair) and mixed sextet, Buttons and Bows for cello

(Michael Nicolas) and accordion (Mikko Luoma), and Scherzo for solo

piano (Tengku Irfan) this collection is a testament to the importance

of one of the most challenging American composers of the last

half century.

Laplante: While JACK Quartet is only peripherally

involved in the Wuorinen recording,

they are front and centre on Travis Laplante

– String Quartets 1 & 2 (New Amsterdam

Records travislaplante.bandcamp.com/

album/string-quartets). The Brooklynbased

composer and saxophonist was deeply

moved by the experience of reading W. A.

Mathieu’s seminal theory book The Harmonic

Experience. This led to an interest in resonance which led to studies with

Mathieu, and ultimately to a PhD in composition at Princeton University.

Laplante’s fascination with resonance guided him into the world

of just intonation using the Helmholtz-Ellis notation system, and

into collaborating with JACK Quartet who have extensive experience

working within this musical framework. This is particularly noticeable

in the first movement of String Quartet No.1 where the slowly

unfolding muted opening has a medieval quality. The second movement,

which also opens quietly, develops into minimalist textures and

arpeggios referred to as [Philip] Glass-esque by the composer.

“String Quartet No.2 leads the listener to harmonic spaces that challenge

our perception of beauty and resonance. The longing melodic

payoff at the end of the piece comes only after moving through an

intense harmonic passage that pushes and pulls consonant harmony

to its extremes. JACK Quartet performs at the very edge of intensity

where any push can break the music, yet they remain in total

control…”

I see I have, as usual, used up most of my allotment talking about

myself, but there are several other striking discs which came our

way that I want to bring to your attention before they get too “long

of tooth.” To keep things brief, I’ll rely on the accompanying press

releases for the basic info. I want to assure you, however, that after

repeated listenings I can, in all cases, wholeheartedly embrace the

publicists’ enthusiasms.

Editor’s Corner continues on page 53.

What we're listening to this month:

STRINGS

ATTACHED


TERRY ROBBINS

Violinist Roman Simovic, who has been

a leader with the London Symphony

Orchestra since 2010, steps into the solo

spotlight with Ysaÿe Sonatas, his recording

on the orchestra’s label of the Six Sonatas

for Solo Violin, Op.27 by the Belgian

violinist and composer (LSO Live LSO5130

lsolive.lso.co.uk/products/lso5130-ysaye?

srsltid=AfmBOopL6egsa4v3PWG1Q22V_

sVFs0tBo5QtT2glavRI-d2JUGYw7X9G).

Inspired by a Joseph Szigeti Bach recital, Ysaÿe wrote the Sonata

No.1 in G Minor in early 1923, dedicating it to – and tailoring it to the

style of – Szigeti. By July he had written another five, the dedicatees

being contemporary violinists Jacques Thibaud, Georges Enesco, Fritz

Kreisler, Mathieu Crickboom and Manuel Quiroga. They are inspired

works, looking back to Bach but also to the future with a variety of

progressive techniques.

They continue to attract recording attention, this being my eighth

CD review during the life of this column. This performance by

Simovic, who is superb throughout, can stand shoulder to shoulder

with any of them.

Violinist Tomás Cotik describes his decision

to record a selection of the Paganini 24

Caprices, Op.1 as a search for another challenge

after recording solo violin music by

Bach and Telemann. The result is his new

CD Capriccio, a project that was clearly a

labor of love (Centaur CRC 4130 tomascotik.

com/album/paganini-capriccio).

Seventeen of the caprices are included –

numbers 3, 4, 7, 8, 12, 15 and 19 are omitted

– and Cotik opens and closes the disc with two Paganini pieces for

violin and piano: the Cantabile in D Major, Op.17 and the Sonata a

For Electric Guitar

Tim Brady

A double album of dramatic

contrasts and many musical

colours, both with and without

electronics, but all: For Electric

Guitar.

Invented Folksongs

Anna Pidgorna

A fusion of Ukrainian folk idioms

and contemporary classical

techniques, Anna Pidgorna's

songs explore gender norms,

sexuality, and tensions between

societal expectations and personal

freedom.

Beethoven: Cello Sonatas, Op. 5

Keiran Campbell & Sezi Seskir

Featuring the fortepiano’s straightstrung

leather hammers alongside

a gut-strung cello played with a

classical bow, this interpretation

restores Beethoven’s original

balance and vitality.

Maier | Franck | Schumann

Duo Concertante

Nancy Dahn, violin and Timothy

Steeves, piano bring emotionally

engaged, stylistically insightful

playing to this compelling

exploration of the Romantic violin

sonata.


Preghiera, Op.24 “Moses Fantasy,” the virtuosic set of variations on

a theme from Rossini’s opera played entirely on the G string. Monica

Ohuchi is the pianist.

Cotik’s playing is never flashy and always has a feeling of intelligent

thoughtfulness. His booklet essay is, as usual, extensive and

fascinating.

The Duo Concertante team of violinist

Nancy Dahn and pianist Timothy Steeves

is back with another top-notch recital on

Maier-Franck-Schumann Sonatas for Violin

& Piano (Delphian DCD34316 delphianrecords.com/collections/new-releases/

products/maier-franck-schumannsonatas-for-violin-piano).

There’s a connecting thread running

through the three works here. In his 1851

Violin Sonata No.1 in A Minor, Op.105 Robert Schumann began

moving away from balanced classical forms, employing a cyclical

use of musical themes and material which was further developed by

Amanda Maier in her 1874-75 Violin Sonata in B Minor, Op.6 and in

particular by César Franck in his 1886 Violin Sonata in A Major.

Tempos are never rushed, but as always with this outstanding duo

this never results in a loss of intensity. The Digipak liner note describes

their playing as emotionally engaged and stylistically insightful, qualities

that are fully evident on an excellent CD.

The back of the CD package, incidentally, says “Limited Edition 500

CDs”, but I can’t find anything to back this up.

On the 2CD set Johann Sebastian Bach

Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord violinist

Ilya Gringolts, making his Arcana label

debut, and harpsichordist Francesco Corti

perform the six Bach sonatas BWV1014-

1019, described as “the first great example

of concertante sonatas for keyboard

and melodic instrument” (Arcana A583

outhere-music.com/en/albums/j-s-bachsonatas-violin-and-harpsichord).

Completed no later than 1725, the works brought the trio sonata

to its fullest form, one of the two upper voices being assigned to the

keyboard right hand and the bass to the left hand. These are superb

performances, the deep, rich harpsichord sound in perfect balance

with the crystal-clear, warm violin in playing that is vibrant and alive

from beginning to end.

The set includes the fascinating world premiere recording of Tertia

deficiens by the American Baroque violinist Andrew McIntosh,

commissioned specifically for this project. The title refers to “false” or

enharmonic thirds in early 18th-century tunings, written as


augmented seconds but sounding in practice as small or “deficient”

thirds.

The outstanding Baroque violinist Rachel

Podger is in brilliant form on Just Biber, a

CD featuring the remarkable violin music of

the Austrian composer Heinrich Ignaz Franz

Biber, with Podger’s own Brecon Baroque

ensemble providing sensitive and effective

support (Channel Classics CCS48525

outhere-music.com/en/albums/just-biber).

There are five sonatas from Biber’s 1681

collection Sonatæ Violino Solo: Nos. 1 in

A Major, 2 in D Minor, 3 in F Major, 5 in E Minor and 6 in C Minor.

They were dedicated to the Archbishop Maximilian Gandalf, Biber

describing them as effectively a prayer for the Archbishop’s good

health. They are extremely virtuosic, with extensive multiple stopping

and occasional scordatura, although Podger handles everything with

jaw-dropping ease and fluency.

Also here is the Sonata Violino solo Representativa in A Major, with

its imitations of different birds and animals. Its authorship is disputed

in some quarters as possibly being a copy of the “Birdsong” work of

Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, with whom Biber may have studied.

Métamorphoses is a new CD featuring

transcriptions and performances of ten of

Francis Poulenc’s songs, plus the violin

and oboe sonatas, by violinist Hongyi

Mo, together with pianist John Etsell

(Azica ACD-71382 azica.com/albums/

metamorphoses-poulenc-on-violin-piano).

Mo describes the core intent of the album

as being his desire to highlight the literary

quality of Poulenc’s songs, the texts producing

intense emotions in the engaging music. All ten songs – the

three Métamorphoses, the Banalités Nos.2 (Hôtel) and 4 (Voyage),

Deux Poèmes de Louis Aragon, Fiançailles pour rire No.5 (Violon),

Bleuet and Les Chemins de l’amour – are from the period 1939-43,

as is the sonate pour violin et piano, revised in 1949. The charming

sonate pour hautbois et piano of 1962 is Poulenc’s last chamber work,

written in his final year.

Mo has a warm, sweet sound ideally suited to these delightful

works, and has a fine and sympathetic partner in Etsell in a beautifully

judged recital.

The start of musical modernism in the early years of the 20th century

is at the heart of Frank Peter Zimmermann plays Szymanowski,

Bartók, the new CD from violinist Zimmermann and pianist Dmytro

Choni (BIS-2787 bisrecords.lnk.to/2787).


Métamorphoses:

Poulenc on Violin and Piano

Hongyi Mo & John Etsell

Violin and piano explore

Poulenc’s world through original

sonatas and newly crafted song

transcriptions, balancing lyricism,

irony, elegance, intimacy, modern

color, and refined French spirit.

American Vignettes

Aron Zelkowicz,

Christina Wright-Ivanova

Popular idioms like blues, jazz,

Broadway, gospel, and folksong

merge into this virtuosic and

colourful tapestry of Americana

for cello and piano.

Passages: French Cello Music

Louise Dubin with Spencer Myer

and Julia Bruskin

This new collection of French cello

works features works by Debussy

and Fauré alongside rarities by

Koechlin, contemporary composer

Hersant, and Franchomme

(premieres).

Re/String

CC Duo & collectif9

Six world-premiere works for

two guitars and strings explore

the expressive range of this rare

instrumentation, from intimate,

delicate timbres to expansive

orchestral sonorities.


The central work on the CD,

Szymanowski’s three-piece Mythes, Op.30

from 1915 was created with violinist Pawel

Kochański, a player noted for his beautiful

tone and whose collaboration was fundamental

to Szymanowski’s writing for the

violin, a new style emerging with sound

colour becoming of greater significance.

A violinist also contributed creative

impetus to the two works by Béla

Bartók on the CD – this time Jelly d’Arányi, who introduced him

to Szymanowski’s works, including Mythes. Some elements of the

latter’s new mode of expression appear in Bartók’s Violin Sonatas

Nos.1 & 2, Sz.75 and Sz.76 from 1921 and 1922 respectively, although

other contemporary and folk music influences can also be felt.

Zimmermann and Choni deliver solid performances of three technically

challenging but highly significant works.

AMERICAN VIGNETTES Contemporary

Works for Cello and Piano features cellist

Aron Zelkowicz and pianist Christina

Wright-Ivanova, two Canadian expats

now based in Boston, in works drawing

from influences as varied as the blues, jazz,

Broadway, spirituals, folksong and the Wild

West (Toccata Next TOCN 0023 toccataclassics.com/product/american-vignettescontemporary-works-for-cello-and-piano).

The five-piece Differences from 1996 by Carter Pann (b.1972) makes

a terrific opener. The very effective 1995 jazzy triptych Manhattan

Serenades by Gabriela Lena Frank (b.1972) is a first recording, as is the

2014 Noir Vignettes, four pieces of 1940s cinematic imagery by Stacy

Garrop (b.1969).

Margaret Bonds (1913-72) was a protégée of Florence Price. Her

Troubled Water from c.1952, originally for solo piano was based on

the jubilee song “Wade in the Water” and arranged for cello by her in

1964.The 2004 Air by Kevin Puts (b.1972) and 1988’s six American

Vignettes by Stephen Paulus (1949-2014) complete the recital.

Highly entertaining works, superbly played and with outstanding

booklet notes by Zelkowicz make for a really impressive release.

There’s another really lovely recording of

the Brahms Cello Sonatas to add to the

list, this time featuring the Welsh cellist

Steffan Morris partnered by the Scottish

pianist Alasdair Beatson (Rubicon Records

RCD1196 rubiconclassics.com/release/

brahms-cello-sonatas-stanford-ballata).

The Cello Sonata No.1 in E Minor, Op.38

was written in 1865 at an emotional time

for the composer. It was originally in four

movements before Brahms discarded the second movement. The fourmovement

Cello Sonata No.2 in F Major, Op.99, on the other hand, is

a late work written during a summer lakeside holiday in Switzerland,

the music being essentially warm and sunny throughout. Fullblooded

playing, a lovely balance and recorded sound all contribute to

outstanding performances.

The English composer Charles Villiers Stanford wrote his twomovement

Ballata and Ballabile for Cello and Orchestra, Op.160

in 1918, and made a cello and piano arrangement the same year. It’s

almost a cello concerto, just lacking an opening movement. The lovely

Ballata, Op.160 No.1 closes an immensely satisfying disc.

On Trace Johnson: Works for Cello the American cellist presents what

he describes as an audio diary in which he has assembled some of his

most cherished pieces. Hsin-I Huang is the pianist (Albany Records

TROY1984 albanyrecords.com/catalog/troy1984).

The CD is book-ended by two substantial works: a strong but tender

reading of Samuel Barber’s Cello Sonata, Op.6 and the rapturous

and quite beautiful three-movement Les Chants de L’Agartha from

2008 by the French composer Guillaume

Connesson.

Violinist Sahada Buckley joins Johnson in

the central work on the disc, Erwin

Schulhoff’s lovely 1925 Duo for Violin and

Cello, which is heard between two works for

unaccompanied cello: Laura Schwendinger’s

2018 All the Pretty Little Horses and

Melinda Wagner’s really effective 2023

Limbic Notes. Jonathan Harvey’s Ricercare

una melodia for Cello and Electronics from 1985 completes an

excellent CD.

Cellist Louise Dubin has undertaken extensive

research into the works of the French cellistcomposer

Auguste Franchomme (1808-84),

and world premiere recordings of several of

his cello pieces are featured on her new CD

Passages, together with music by Debussy,

Fauré, Poulenc, Charles Koechlin and Philippe

Hersant. The pianist is Spence Meyer (Bridge

Records 9597 bridgerecords.bandcamp.com/

album/passages-french-cello-works).

Koechlin’s 1917 Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op.66 opens the disc

and an exact contemporary – Debussy’s 1915 Sonata for Cello and

Piano – closes it. The Franchomme works are his arrangement of

Chopin’s Étude, Op.25/7, his Air Irlandais, Variè, Op.25/3 and his

Nocturne, Op.14/2 for two cellos (Julia Bruskin joining Dubin in this)

as well as Hersant’s three Caprices and the recently discovered Fauré

Allegro moderato.

Maurice Gendron’s arrangement of Poulenc’s Sérénade completes

an enjoyable recital of predominantly brief pieces.

Violinist Christian Tetzlaff and the BBC

Philharmonic Orchestra under John

Storgårds present two English concertos

written almost 100 years apart on Elgar,

Adès, Elgar’s Violin Concerto in B Minor,

Op.61 from 1910 being paired with Thomas

Adès’ Violin Concerto (‘Concentric Paths’)

from 2005 (Ondine ODE 1480-2 naxos.

com/CatalogueDetail/?id=ODE1480-2).

The booklet notes consist entirely of an

interview with Tetzlaff, with valuable insight into his approach to

both concertos. Interestingly, he first played the Elgar just six years ago

with this same orchestra and conductor, and had only played the Adès

once before this recording. His tempi in the Elgar are closer to those in

early recordings of the work, and although his performance is faster

than some recent recordings there is never any sense of undue haste,

especially in the slow movement, which Tetzlaff describes as “divine

contentment.”

The Adès is a fascinating work of three movements – Rings, Paths,

Rounds – with the lengthy middle Paths accounting for over half of

the concerto. Tetzlaff sounds as if he has been playing it his whole life.

If you know the names Robert Russell

Bennett and Vernon Duke at all it’s almost

certainly in connection with their Broadway

musical careers, in which case a new CD of

their Violin Concertos with Chloë Hanslip

and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra

under Andrew Litton will be a revelation

(Chandos CHSA 5371 chandos.net/

products/catalogue/CHSA%205371).

Bennett (1894-1981), one of the great

Broadway show orchestrators, had already started his Broadway career

when studying with Nadia Boulanger in 1926-29; he wrote seven

symphonies and at least five concertos. His Violin Concerto from 1941,

written for Louis Kaufman is an attractive work very much aligned

with the music of the period.


The Broadway composer Vernon Duke (1903-69), born Vladimir

Dukelsky, entered the Kiev Conservatory at 11 and studied composition

with Glière. He wrote for the Ballets Russe in Paris in 1924,

and continued to compose under his birth name after settling in the

United States and anglicising his name. His really impressive Violin

Concerto from 1941-43, while an exact contemporary of the Bennett,

inhabits a different world, being much less of the period and more

purely classical, with occasional hints of his friend Prokofiev.

Litton is the pianist in Bennett’s brief but entertaining Hexapoda

(Five Studies in Jitteroptera).

On Silenced – Shostakovich, Bosmans, her

first album for the label, violinist Hyeyoon

Park with Gergely Madaras and the WDR

Sinfonieorchester performs works by two

composers who both had performances of

their music banned by oppressive regimes

(LINN CKD772 outhere-music.com/en/

albums/silenced).

Shostakovich was working on his

Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op.77 when

the February 1948 Zhdanov decree on music made its performance

impossible, the composer making several revisions before the work

was finally premiered in 1955 after Stalin’s death.

Performances of the music of the Dutch composer Henriëtte

Bosmans (1895-1952) were banned following the Nazi invasion of the

Netherlands in 1940. The work here, though – her Concert Piece for

Violin and Orchestra – is from 1934, written after the death of her

fiancé, the violinist Francis Koene. Despite several early performances

it remained unpublished until 2022. It’s virtually a concerto,

with three linked sections in a single movement of a passionate, restless

intensity.

A student work by the teenage Shostakovich, his Theme and

Variations in B-flat Major, Op.3 from 1921-22, apparently never

performed in his lifetime, completes a fascinating CD.

There’s even more of Bosmans’ music on

Henriëtte Bosmans Cello Concertos 1 &

2, with Raphael Wallfisch and the BBC

Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Ed

Spanjaard providing world premiere recordings

on CD of her two cello concertos,

although I believe the second concerto

has since been recorded again (cpo 555

694-2 naxosdirect.co.uk/items/henriëtte-

bosmans-cello-concertos-nos.-1-2-

poème-1281531).

The opening work on the disc is Bosmans’ second Poème for cello

and piano from 1922, orchestrated in 1923, a simply gorgeous piece

that, despite a hugely successful premiere, fell into obscurity along

with the rest of her music in the 1950s. The Cello Concerto No.1 from

May 1922 was premiered in February 1923 by Marix Loevensohn, principal

cellist of the Concertgebouw Orchestra from 1915 to 1936, whose

student Frieda Belinfante was the dedicatee of the Cello Concerto

No.2, which was finished in May 1923 and premiered the following

January. After several further performances by Belinfante and

Loevensohn it was never performed again after 1933.

It seems inconceivable that music of this quality and significance

should languish in obscurity for so long, but hopefully these

outstanding performances will put an end to such a huge injustice.

VOCAL

ArtChoral Volume 9 : Canada

ArtChoral

ATMA ACD 2428 (atmaclassique.com/en/

product/art-choral-vol-9-canada-13-worksby-canadian-women-composers/?srsltid=

AfmBOopAONdJfzD6t3YmW7bD2DEbyjHsqpwqZxPkm1UC1VJ_Qq5Pzkv)

! Volume 9 in the series of CDs by Montreal’s

Ensemble ArtChoral presents 13 brief works

by Canadian women, commissioned by

ArtChoral with

“complete freedom

to choose their

texts, themes and

musical styles.”

Of those setting

their own words,

I particularly

enjoyed Sandy

Scofield’s The Sacred One, a strophic chant

celebrating Indigenous women’s spiritual

wisdom; Carmen Braden’s Now, at the First

Fire of the Fall, a rhapsodic evocation of

nature; and Sophie Dupuis’ Souv’nirs, sung

in New Brunswick’s Brayon French dialect,

confronting painful childhood memories

with folk music-like simplicity.

Two spirited pieces employ Latin texts. In

Marie Alice Conrad’s merry, foot-stomping

Dum felis dormit, the chorus repeatedly sings

the words of an ancient proverb – “While the

cat sleeps, the mouse celebrates.” Kati Agócs’

propulsive Arise, Be Enlightened!, adapted

from the Book of Isaiah, steadily gathers

momentum until its final ecstatic climax.

I found two works especially moving. The

emotionally stirring Dreamer’s Rock by

Beverley McKiver, a Sixties Sweep survivor,



From Grimsby to Milan

Gayle Young & Robert Wheeler

A vital and eccentric release,

showcasing both artists’ inventive

approach to music-making.

Wheeler’s EML synthesizer

and Young’s amaranth create

a singular acoustic-electronic

instrumental pairing.

György Kurtág: Játékok

Brigitte Poulin

A personal path through Kurtág’s

miniature works, where memory,

play, homage, and fragile

intimacy unfold across five acts,

including several world-premiere

recordings of rare selections.

Daniel Strong Godfrey:

Toward Light (Three Quintets)

Daniel Strong Godfrey

The album presents three quintets

for string quartet and piano, guitar,

and cello respectively, showcasing

Godfrey’s expressive, finely crafted

chamber music.

The Soundmakers Project

Ineke Vandoorn & Marc van Vugt

50 Soundmakers, guided by

Christine Duncan, improvise

sounds, and soundscapes to the

songs and improvisations of singer

Ineke Vandoorn and guitarist

Marc van Vugt.


is set to an inspirational, aspirational poem

by Lisa Shawongonabe Abel, addressed to an

Indigenous child. The haunting You’re Free

to Love by Afarin Mansouri, herself a refugee

from Iran, is adapted from her opera The

Refugees, with text by Jennifer Wise.

Pieces by Amy Brandon, Alice Ping Yee Ho,

Katya Pine, Fiona Ryan, Karen Sunabacka and

Leslie Uyeda complete this CD. Many thanks

to Ensemble ArtChoral and its artistic director

Matthias Maute for this remarkable compendium

of Canadian (female) creativity.

Michael Schulman

CLASSICAL AND BEYOND

Vivaldi – Les Quatre Nations

(reconstructed)

Ensemble Caprice; Matthias Maute

ATMA ACD2 2879 (atmaclassique.com/en/

product/vivaldi-the-four-nationsreconstructed)

! At the end of his

lifetime Antonio

Vivaldi hoped to

remedy some financial

challenges

through the creation

of four concertos

paying homage to

four specific countries

– France, England, Spain and the Mughal

Empire (present day India). Sadly, the first

three of the concertos are lost, but the fourth,

titled (Il Gran Mogol) was discovered by a

musicologist in Scotland in 2010. Matthias

Maute, a composer and also director of the

Montreal-based baroque orchestra Ensemble

Caprice embarked upon a project to recreate

the missing three concertos scoring them for

recorder or transverse flute with strings and

continuo. The result is this splendid recording

on the ATMA label.

In undertaking the new works, Maute

explained it was all about giving a voice to

one that was silenced by closely adhering to

Vivaldi’s musical idiom and respecting the

compositional techniques.

His efforts are admirable, and from the

beginning, the listener is struck by how

successfully he captures Vivaldi’s Venetian

style with specific musical elements associated

with each nation. Moreover, each

concerto is preceded by a short prelude

musically connected to the work to follow.

As an example, La Francia is preceded by an

excerpt from Charpentier’s Mercure Galante

while The Duke of Norfolk from The Division

Violin by John Playford seems a fitting introduction

to L’Inghilterra.

Throughout, Ensemble Caprice delivers a

polished and energetic performance while the

skilful playing by Maute and Sophie Larivière

– each doubling on recorder and flute – melds

perfectly with the strings.

While most of the music on this recording

is inspired, rather than composed, by Vivaldi,

Maute’s finely-crafted scores seamlessly

blend with the one existing concerto and

together they comprise a cohesive grouping.

How could the red-headed priest not

have approved?

Richard Haskell

Sheng Cai plays Tchaikovsky

Sheng Cai


product/sheng-cai-plays-tchaikovsky/?srsl

tid=AfmBOorK53RO9QaedPk34LVW93FD0

Mo6O1kKQdfSQxkcBO6hMMZPEEeP)

! History has

never been overly

kind in its appraisal

of Tchaikovsky’s

works for solo

piano, some critics

referring to it as

unimaginative

and even unpianistic.

Nevertheless, this opinion is not shared

by everyone, and the Chinese-born pianist

Sheng Cai presents a formidable program on

this ATMA recording.

Cai began his musical studies at the Royal

Conservatory of Music in Toronto, continuing

at the Juilliard School and the New England

Conservatory where he studied with Gary

Graffman and Anton Kuerti. Since then,

he has earned an international reputation

through solo recitals and appearances

with such orchestras as the Vienna Radio

Symphony, the Vancouver Symphony, and the

North Czech Philharmonic.

The disc opens with Dumka Op.59

completed in 1886 for the Parisian publisher

Félix Mackar. The lyrical, introspective

opening is followed by more animated,

dance-like sections, where Cai’s performance

carefully balances technical brilliance with

carefully nuanced phrasing.

The Six Pieces for Solo Piano Op.19 from

1873 are charming studies in contrasts,

including the familiar Feuillet d’album,

the capricious Scherzo humoristic, and the

rousing Theme and Variations finale.

The most important work on the

recording is the impressive four-movement

Grand Sonata in G Major Op.37 from

1878. Grandiose is indeed the word here –

the work has a decidedly symphonic feel to

it to the point that it could be referred to as

a “symphony for piano.” The first and final

movements abound with technical difficulties,

but Cai easily rises to the challenges with

much bravado.

Rounding out the program are movements

from the ballets Swan Lake and The

Nutcracker. Here, the carefully conceived

arrangements by Mikhail Pletnev and Cai

himself artfully capture the essence of the

original scores.

Unimaginative or unpianistic? Hardly.

There is much to appreciate in this music

and kudos to Cai, not only for a satisfying

performance, but for shedding light on some

deserving repertoire.

Richard Haskell

Prokofiev – Piano Sonatas Vol.III

David Jalbert


product/prokofiev-piano-sonatas-vol-iii)

! David Jalbert

has for years now

been numbered

amongst Canada’s

very best pianists.

He has been

recording sensitive

renditions of

Russian repertoire,

and here he is in the third and final instalment

of the Complete Piano Sonatas of Sergei

Prokofiev which stand as a pinnacle amongst

mid-20th century piano composition. They

are not often assayed because of their stringent

technical demands, especially these

last few, written in close collaboration with

Sviatoslav Richter. Richter premiered most of

Prokofiev’s later sonatas, and this is rarefied

territory which Jalbert masters with aplomb.

These pieces are not only intense, they have

to be displayed in a relaxed way no matter the

storm of notes creating the aesthetic tension.

The thrilling climaxes in the Eighth Sonata

never threaten to become clotted, with absolutely

clear articulation through the tangled

but never muddy Iines. The dynamics can

become suddenly thunderous, or fall into

transparent mid-distance textures, the

volume wells up in a complex of contrapuntal

lines, but there is never any banging

on chords. Amazing stuff, and Jalbert really

brings out the Prokofievian earmarks.

There is a bit of chord banging in the

makeweight Sarcasms from 1911 however,

when Prokofiev was still working on being a

musical “Bad boy.”

This is all borne by the absolutely exemplary

capture of the piano sound, which is the

best imaginable, placed in a resonant but not

too roomy acoustic in the Isabel Bader Center

in Kingston. The piano is not named.

This is urgently recommended, and I will

now seek out the first two volumes of this

series, which augur to be the best integral set

of some of Prokofiev’s greatest music.

Michael Doleschell

Poema 2. Terra Nova

Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra;

Alexander Shelley

Analekta AN 2 8892 (nac-cna.ca/en/

orchestra/recordings/poema-2)

! This is the second

issue from Analekta

of an ambitious

series of recordings

that feature

works of Richard

Strauss, juxtaposed

with newly


commissioned concert items by young

composers. It may be the first Canadian attempt

to present a series of Strauss Tone Poems with

a single orchestra, in this case the National Arts

Center Orchestra conducted by their resident

maestro Alexander Shelley. The commissioned

Canadian composers are invited to reflect,

critique, embrace, reject or deconstruct Strauss’

language at will.

This series has been titled Poema, and

this is Poema2, further mysteriously

subtitled Terra Nova. In much smaller print

we discover the listing of Ian Cusson’s 1Q84

Sinfonia Metamoderna, paired with the

ubiquitous Also Sprach Zarathustra. The

Cusson piece does not seek to de-construct

or criticize Strauss, but manages to extend

his orchestral practices into an impressive

style, using an extended instrumentation, but

differing from Strauss’ orchestra.

The orchestral lists show that the National

Art Center Orchestra has been much extended

with guest artists to provide the required

massive forces. The venue, Southam Hall, is

roomy, but not reverberant, and there is a good

sense of space. An organ [digital] has been

brought in, but it is merely adequate in that

big open space. Shelley’s performance is a

well paced 34 minutes long, and it has a great

sense of coherence and flow. The strings have

enough impact but are recorded a bit diffusely.

On repeated listening the Cusson piece is

for me by far the more interesting piece on

this disc. Cusson, of French speaking Métis

extraction, has produced a brilliant orchestral

movement of some depth and complexity.

At only ten minutes, it could have been much

longer, but this is a commissioned piece,

which usually comes with a time limitation

(R. Murray Schafer’s No Longer Than Ten

Minutes, a TSO commission based on Strauss’

Ein Heldenleben comes to mind). With a

capacity of another 30 minutes of music on

this disc, it is a pity that the commission

should not have been for a longer piece from

this evidently able composer. As it is, the new

piece could seem like an afterthought, except

that it is sure to grow on anyone who listens

to it a few times.

Michael Doleschell

Nebulæ

Valerie Milot

2xHD 2XHDVM1286 (valeriemilot.com/

audio)

! Quebecoise

harpist Valérie Milot

has performed on

over 100 recordings.

She appears both

as a soloist and in

ensemble settings

with such orchestras

as Les Violons

du Roy and Orchestre symphonique de

Montréal. In 2008 she became the first harpist

in nearly a century to win Prix d’Europe.

Milot’s latest release, Nebulæ, features an

intriguing cross section of solo harp music.

Her album liner notes state that it is the audio

portion of a dual project, in conjunction

with a live performance tour which includes

projections and “exposes scientific and philosophical

themes through the science of astral

phenomena.” She encourages her listeners

to reflect and meditate on their place in

the universe.

New works by Denis Gougeon and Amelie

Fortin are featured, along with works by

Debussy, Gluck, Liszt, etc. Harpist Carlos

Salzedo’s composition Jeux d’eau, Op.29 has

sudden descending glissandos, vibratos,

lower and higher pitched sounds, repeated

notes and a melody section adding colourful

“watery” interest. The closing soft section

with single detached notes is so enticing.

Milot’s colleague Amélie Fortin composed

Lux, a solemn piece with atonal sounds at

times. An unexpected sudden silent space

leads to more classic harp sounds like diverse

pitches, high notes and melodies leading

to a sudden ending. Milot’s arrangement of

William Bolcom’s Graceful Ghost Rag has a

more rock/jazz feel with accented melody,

low notes and grooves. A full band sound is

created by her virtuosic playing.

Regardless of whether you do or don’t

meditate, Milot’s colourful harp playing here

in 14 solo tracks is amazing musical listening.

Tiina Kiik

MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY

Linda Catlin Smith – The Complete Piano

Solos (1989-2023) Volume One: The Plains

Cheryl Duvall

Redshift Records TK565

(redshiftmusicsociety.bandcamp.com/

album/linda-catlin-smith-the-completepiano-solos-1989-2023-vol-1-the-plains)

! Most music

is best appreciated

and understood

when listened

to intently and

without distraction.

Opportunities for

such immersive and

focussed listening

experiences are, however, increasingly rare in

our complicated and busy lives. The Plains,

a single hour-long piece for solo piano

composed by the American-born Canadian

composer Linda Catlin Smith, comprises this

entire 2025 album of the same name, is such

a composition that not only benefits from

such intense listening but demands it from its

audience.

Released on Redshift Records and

performed here with aplomb by the Torontobased

pianist Cheryl Duvall, The Plains

unfurls over some 65 exquisite minutes,

drawing listener attention to the probing

nature and soft intensity of this unique piece.

Duvall, who has commissioned a series of

hour-long compositions from Smith and

other Canadian composers, clearly has the

training and well-honed skill of interpreting

fine contemporary music, as well as the

ability to move freely across style and discipline

that is needed to tackle an ambitious



I Am Here

Steve Amirault

Solo piano from a veteran

Canadian, revealing masterful

command, emotional depth, and

a unique voice shaped through

spacious pacing and resonant

tone.

Put it There

Bari-ed Alive

A unique sextet featuring three

baritone saxes with organ, guitar

and drums. Led by Alex Dean, this

is ‘feel good’ jazz at its best!

Mi Pequeña

Eliana Cuevas

A stunning collection of classic

Venezuelan folk songs and

originals, reimagined through

virtuosic vocal and cuatro

performances — creating an

intimate love letter to Venezuela.

sayr: salt | thirst

Jussi Reijonen

"Jussi Reijonen has an almost

mystical connection to his

instruments [guitar and oud] ...

an album of rare poetic power."

–JazzFun.de (Germany)


project such as this.

Punctuating a relationship that began in

the early 2000s when Smith was Duvall’s

professor for a contemporary composition

course at Wilfrid Laurier University, the

process of recording The Plains inspired the

pianist to take on Smith’s complete piano

catalogue. As such, Vol 1. The Plains, which

is available for purchase on Bandcamp,

marks the initial foray, with three subsequent

volumes forthcoming. Be on the lookout for

those and enjoy.

Andrew Scott

Re/String

Adam Cicchillitti; Steve Cowan; Collectif9

Leaf Music LM298 (leaf-music.ca/music/

lm298)

! Whoever said

that nothing good

ever comes from

conferences clearly

has not heard

the music on Re/

String. The CC

Duo, composed of

Canadian guitarists

Adam Cicchillitti

and Steve Cowan, joined forces in 2019 at the

21st Century Guitar Conference in Ottawa

with the goal of exploring the bleeding edge

of classical guitar in both performance and on

record. And that they do.

Here, on this 2025 release from Nova

Scotia’s Leaf Music, the duo is joined by

Montreal’s collectif9, a nine-piece string

ensemble under the artistic direction of

Thibault Bertin-Maghit, to creatively mine

a fresh program of new musical work by

a largely Canadian collection of exciting

composers that includes Amy Brandon, Kelly-

Marie Murphy, Patrick Roux, Bekah Simms

and Harry Stafylakis. The music is both

beautiful and engaging but also dark, creative,

and exploratory, challenging Cicchillitti and

Cowan to stretch the limits of their already

considerable technique with virtuosic fingerstyle

passages, percussive playing, alternate

instrumental tunings, and cross-genre stylistic

leaps that traverse the worlds of classical,

rock, and even heavy metal.

A highly fêted group who has already

been recognized with multiple awards at the

prestigious Guitar Foundation of America’s

International Ensemble Competition, Re/

String will undoubtedly mark another

creative and commercial success for this

impressive duo who are committed to touring

and keeping alive this vibrant collection of

exciting new string music.

Andrew Scott

Found Objects | Sound Objects

Marc-André Hamelin

Hyperion Records CDA68457 (hyperionrecords.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA68457)

! I should

disclose that I have

been a follower

of this artist for

several decades,

even before he

came full time to

Hyperion. Marc-

André Hamelin has

followed a process of constant refinement of

his unique set of assets and musical strengths.

He has a recent disc of Beethoven’s Hammerk

lavier sonata, and now we have a collection of

thorny, magnificent items that hover beyond

traditional harmony, and explore challenging

new forms of pianistic expression.

This new disc has perhaps one of the most

impressive programs in recent years, and

it seems to extend the challenging tone of

his recent album of his own compositions,

with seven pieces by six composers, many

of whom are not generally familiar, plus one

new item by Hamelin himself.

Frank Zappa starts the program with Ruth

is Sleeping which is quite atonal and sets the

tone of a searching modernism found in most

of these pieces. Salvatore Martriano’s Stuck

on Stella is full of pianistic surprises, but the

third item Tip by John Oswald from 2021 is

waywardly tonal, and it lapses into sudden

snippets of hackneyed piano repertoire by

composers such as Chopin and Ravel, that

are woven into the texture but only as wisps

of quotes that suddenly appear and dissolve

without any development. This can be heard

as a crossover piece, but there may be irony in

the bluntness of the quotes.

In the middle place we get a John Cage

piece for prepared piano, The Perilous

Night, from 1944, which reduces and restricts

the enormous pianistic potential to the scale

of a tiny percussion ensemble, sometimes

evoking a Gamelan, in simplistic rhythmic

music that conjures primitive folk elements.

The pianist plays percussively and is given

many little rhythmic twists and changes, and

there are no tunes or harmonies.

For me the major interest is Stefan Volpe’s

hyper-complex tour-de-force Passacaglia,

from 1936, revised in 1971, which seems

to cram in every possible compositional

device which Hamelin manages with perfect

expressive poise in spite of the torrent of

notes. Another 14-minute complex musical

organism is the Refrain by Jehudi Winer, a

friend of Hamelin’s, which has a sense of very

personal commitment. This piece from 2012,

is one of my favourites with moments of a

kind of lyricism.

The final Witches Sabbath, Hamelin’s

own Hexxensabbath, seems an absolute

release of fury, and frenzied dancing, and

is almost a stunt in its complete abandon at

banging at the piano the way I never thought

possible from this always poised artist.

The piano sound is, as usual with Hamelin,

sumptuous and rich. I urge this collection for

anyone who is ready for a bracing wake-up,

since the program can have an eruptive effect

on one’s disposition.

Michael Doleschell

Songs for Glass Island

Experimental Music Unit and Camille

Norment

Redshift Records TK569

(redshiftmusicsociety.bandcamp.com/

album/songs-for-glass-island)

! Songs for Glass

Island unfolds

as a continuous

50-minute soundscape

divided into

ten songs although

the work behaves

like a single

evolving organism

in two parts. Its conceptual spark comes from

Robert Smithson’s unrealized 1969 land-art

proposal to encrust Miami Islet in the Salish

Sea with 100 tons of tinted glass, a project

eventually abandoned due to public opposition.

Rather than illustrating the idea, the

artists imagine the acoustic life of such a

place: the resonances and spectral ecologies

that might arise from a glass-covered island.

Created by Camille Norment with

Experimental Music Unit members Tina

Pearson, George Tzanetakis and Paul Walde,

the album immerses the listener in the raw,

elemental acoustics of glass—shattered,

bowed, blown, rubbed and coaxed into states

that feel both organic and otherworldly.

Part I opens with a burst of shattering

textures that gradually dissolve into

long, breath-infused tones. Low, whalelike

undulations emerge for an extended

sequence, with higher gestures appearing

as counterpoint. The soundscape then shifts

into bell-like and whistling tones in close

harmonic clusters before giving way to

rougher grating timbres. Part II enters in stark

contrast, with spacious, resonant bell-like

tones. Gradually, short articulations gather in

layers over a low-register drone, bringing this

glass-born world to a close.

Throughout, the absence of electronic

processing heightens the music’s intensity.

Songs for Glass Island is a rare achievement,

an acoustic world of glass rendered with

breathtaking imagination and precision.

Wendelyn Bartley


From Grimsby to Milan

Gayle Young; Robert Wheeler

Farpoint Recordings fp104 (farpoint.

bandcamp.com/album/from-grimbsy-tomilan)

! From Grimsby to

Milan is six avantgarde

experimental,

eclectic, at times

loud/stormy, instrumental

improvisations.

Canadian

composer, multiinstrumentalist,

author and instrument

designer Gayle Young (Grimsby, ON)

plays her invention, the acoustic Amaranth,

a microtonal zither that features 21 steel

strings and 3 double-bass strings using a

mix of guitar tuning pegs and triangular

wooden bridges for tuning. American Robert

Wheeler (Milan, OH), former Pere Ubu

band synthesist, plays the electronic 1960s

analogue synthesizer EML Electrocomp 101.

Young and Wheeler first collaborated in a

2008 Toronto performance. This release was

recorded in spring 2024 at Hamilton’s Grant

Avenue Studios.

It may be difficult for some to enjoy this

music but give it a try! Seaweed Slowly

Shifting starts with single held notes, ripples,

and high notes, then Young playing softer

with pizzicato. More electronic louder held

“in tune,” sometimes wobbling, notes move

above string plucks and quasi melodies.

Electronic drum-like banging leads to a

relaxed decrescendo ending. Iceberg Star

Chart starts subtly with lower held electronic

notes below Young’s strums. A short silence

is followed by high held notes and bangs;

string strums with electronic backdrop of

high notes and “watery” effect. Clear separate

blending lines each match changing louder

volumes making for accessible listening. Then

a gradual more atonal low pitched zither

solo melody. Ripple effect enters with an

ascending line, electronic interjections and a

sudden ending.

These improvised duets vary from unified

and close to contrasting, distant, detached

tonal/atonal lines. Wheeler’s intriguing

synthesizer percussion, howls, birdy chirps

and sound bursts, and Young’s colourful

sounds are majestic, breathtaking, attentiongrabbing

and smart!

Tiina Kiik

György Kurtág – Játékok

Brigitte Poulin

Leaf Music LM 302 (leaf.music/music/

lm302)

! Now 99 years

old, György Kurtág

has been writing

tiny pieces for piano

since 1973, gradually

accumulating

these miniatures

into ten volumes of

Játékok (“Games”).

They are gaining

increasing attention from major pianists, with

excerpts recorded by Leif Ove Andsnes (2009)

and Vikingur Ólafsson (2022). This year

has now seen two releases dedicated exclusively

to selections of these works: a two-disc

set from Pierre-Laurent Aimard appeared

in April, and October saw the release of a

single-disc survey from Montreal-based

Brigitte Poulin.

The 50 pieces on Poulin’s album range in

length from 21 seconds to a little under three

minutes, and include several world-premiere

recordings. In these “Games,” Kurtág was

inspired to explore sounds on the piano just

as occurs with “children playing spontaneously,

children for whom the piano still

means a toy. They experiment with it, caress

it, attack it and run their fingers over it.”

Poulin is attuned to the intensity and variety

Kurtág brings to these pieces, creating whole

moods in just seconds of music. They range

from playful to gentle, mournful to energetic,

capable of communicating deep emotion

in only a few moments and often in only a

few notes.

Poulin’s range of sound is wide, from

the most delicate pianissimi to resonant

chordal clusters, fully attuned to Kurtág’s

immense sound palette. She is attentive to

Kurtág’s instructions when the music is

notated precisely, but also creative when

the composer provides only an approximate

graphic notation. Listen to the sparkle

of Thistles, the contrasts in Scherzo, and the

quiet intensity of Quiet Talk with the Devil to

get an idea of Poulin’s range and naturalness

in this music.

Whether sampled a few at a time, or taken

together as a 70-minute suite, this recital is an

impressive achievement that should be heard

by all admirers of contemporary piano music.

Stephen Runge

The Han & Heung Odyssey – Global Sounds

of Resilience & Joy

Cecilia Kang; Angela Park

Albany Records TROY 2005

(albanyrecords.com/catalog/troy2005)

! Korean-

Canadian clarinetist

Celia Kang

commissioned

seven of these ten

short pieces to

express musically

two essences

of Korean culture –

han (suffering) and

heung (joy); Canadian pianist Angela Park

contributes in seven selections.

The WenYun Ensemble – vocalist Yeowan

Choi and live-electronics performer Haeyun

Kim – joins Kang in two pieces by Kim.

Arirang Madrigal and Poetree share yearning

vocalises and dreamy sensuality. Marc Mellits’

Andromeda portrays his grandparents’ migration

from Eastern Europe to the U.S. with

jaunty clarinet tunes over repeated electronic

figurations. Kang’s clarinet turns jazzy in

SiHyun Uhm’s Echoes of Hahoe: A Masked

Reverie for clarinet, piano and electronics,

based on Korean ritual dances.

The slow, ruminating Peace reflects Jessie

Montgomery “making peace with sadness

as it comes and goes.” Texu Kim’s Sweet,

Savory and Spicy!! depicts a Korean chili

paste with lively syncopations and discordant

wails. Fragmented clarinet melodies over

pulsating piano ripples evoke “boat song traditions,

and how they resonate with people

facing exile” in Kalaisan Kalaichelvan’s Do the

waters stutter?

Eleanor Alberga’s Duo features abrupt

clarinet phrases and pounding piano chords

“internalizing han (a deep unresolved

sorrow).” Kevin Lau’s Cradle embraces

both han and heung in a disturbed lullaby,

“honouring my mother’s resilience” (after

childhood internment in India) “and the pain

that must have accompanied the joy of raising

her own family.” Sang Jin Kim’s gentle, bluesy

Ballade ends the disc with “the quiet ache of

han and the uplift of heung, where sorrow

and joy intertwine.”

Michael Schulman

Four Generations

Patrick Moore; Andrew Staupe

Navona Records nv6766 (navonarecords.

com/catalog/nv6766)

! Like the biblical

series of “begat”s,

these four works for

cello and piano are

linked by sequential

relationships,

in this case, those

between teachers

and students:

Darius Milhaud taught William Bolcom,


who taught Arthur Gottschalk, who taught

Karl Blench.

Lasting only a little over four minutes,

Milhaud’s Elégie (1945) is no lamentation;

instead, it’s sweetly nostalgic, the cello’s

long-lined lyricism shifting gently between

major and minor modalities. Pulitzer-laureate

Bolcom’s 18-minute Cello Sonata No.1 (1989)

mixes, he writes, “traditional, popular and

modernist musical languages…to form a

serious piece of music with a serious sense of

humor.” The always-eclectic Bolcom channeled

Broadway blues (Allegro inquieto),

Brahms (the lovely, sentimental Adagio

semplice) and Bartók (the motorized Allegro

assai) in this always-entertaining pastiche.

Gottschalk’s 23-minute Cello Sonata: In

Memoriam (2006) presents, says Gottschalk,

three “personality sketches” of “men who

meant so much to me personally.” The first is

alternatingly enigmatic and rambunctious,

the second intensely melancholy, the third

aggressively assertive. It’s a work with its own

intriguing, multifaceted “personality.”

The seven movements of Blench’s gripping

26-minute Dreams and Hallucinations (2014,

rev.2022) depict, writes Blench, the delusions

of “The Man…a tragic character, trapped

in his own mind.” Ominous, tolling chords,

anguished wails, obsessive rhythms and

nightmarish dissonances effectively create

a disturbing sonic mirror of “The Man’s”

disturbed mind.

Cellist Patrick Moore and pianist Andrew

Staupe, both Texas-based, bring passion

and depth to these very different, yet very

engrossing compositions.

Michael Schulman

NÁND – Works for Solo Cello

Sigurgeir Agnarsson

Crescendo CRESC001 (crescendo.is/nand)

! I can’t think of

a more descriptive

title for this

debut solo album

by cellist Sigurgeir

Agnarsson than

Nánd – meaning

“Intimacy” in

Icelandic – and the

beauty and serenity of the works are drawn

out by the purity and nearly effortless

playing of this principal cellist of the Iceland

Symphony Orchestra. Of the five solo cello

works included, all but one – Hallgrimsson’s

1969 Solitaire I – are world premiere

recordings by two of Iceland’s premier

composers; works by cellist/composer Hafliði

Hallgrímsson and his nephew Hugi

Guðmundsson.

Beginning with

Guðmundsson’s Coniunctio (translating from

Latin to “Presence/Intimacy”) the most recent

work on the album was composed for and

dedicated to Agnarsson. The work is divided

into five short movements, each inspired

by a specific memory the composer had of

Agnarsson, delicately tracing visual poems

and often employing double stops reminiscent

of the iconic spare, open harmonies

Icelandic music is known for. I was instantly

captivated.

Guðmundsson’s next Alluvium is a

beautiful mix of left-hand pizzicatos and

double stops. Written in 2015 for Danish

cellist Brian Friisholm for a concert series

where he paired a new composition with J.S.

Bach’s fifth suite and for which he matched

the suite’s scordatura tuning, Alluvium

beautifully depicts the natural Icelandic

phenomenon where glacial rivers “flow over

vast sands and fork into different directions

before rejoining and flowing to the sea.” Veris

(“Youth” in Latin), commissioned in 2019

for Danish cellist Toke Møldrup, inspired by

the work Youth by Ditlev Blunck (part of a

series of works about the human life cycle)

employs a spare use of electronics to “freeze”

short moments in time while the cello moves

on. It’s unclear whether the electronics are

written to be played by the cellist or by some

other means, but the effect is truly stunning.

Hallgrímsson’s Solitaire is a work of five

short movements originally written in 1969

and premiered by the composer, an esteemed

cellist who turned to composition full time in

1989. It was revised and dedicated to cellist

Gunnar Kvaran who premiered this version

in 1991. It shares the intense spareness of the

previous compositions while enriched with

textures. The fifth movement Jig is a favourite

and could stand alone. Hallgrímsson’s

Solitaire ll ends with an energetic Perpetuum

Mobile to close the album.

I’ve always been a fan of solo instrumental

works and this album will be close by for a

long time.

Cheryl Ockrant

Daniel Strong Godfrey – Toward Light

Cassatt String Quartet; Ursula Oppens;

Eliot Fisk; Nicole Johnson

New Focus Recordings FRC467

(newfocusrecordings.bandcamp.com/

album/daniel-strong-godfrey-toward-lightthree-quintets)

! Pianist Ursula

Oppens, cellist

Nicole Johnson

and guitarist Elliott

Fisk join the New

York-based Cassatt

String Quartet

in three quintets

by American

Daniel Strong

Godfrey (b.1949).

Godfrey says his piano quintet from 2006,

Ricordanza-Speranza (Recollection-Hope)

“is shaped by a sense that both memory and

hope remain elusive and at odds.” Adagio

poco rubato begins tentatively, builds to an

intense climax, then subsides, returning to

the opening uncertainty. Con fuoco’s swirling

strings and Oppens’ percussive outbursts are

followed by lyrical calm. The brief Interlude,

a cadenza for solo piano, leads to the finale,

Adagio poco rubato; con anima, a celebratory

dance gradually fading to silence.

The title of the string quintet. To Mourn,

To Dance (2013), is taken from Ecclesiastes’

list of opposites, each thing having its own

“season.” The grim Prelude is an adagio filled

with dense, chromatic textures. Danza is

transparent, graceful and wistful. Interlude,

another adagio, spotlights the “extra” cello’s

extended lament. The vigorous Fugue-

Tarantella, with violins cheering over

grinding cello strokes, ends the work in

thrilling fashion.

Godfrey’s dark-hued guitar quintet, Toward

Light (2023), was composed, he writes, amid

widespread “fear, exasperation and tenuous

optimism.” Constantly shifting in tonality,

meter and string sonorities, it describes,

says Godfrey, “a journey from faltering light

and prayerful expression” (Dusk: Prayer)

“to a somewhat macabre minuet-like dream

music” (Midnight: Dance), the Cadenza

for solo guitar leading to the finale (Dawn:

Escape) “that runs desperately toward the

light – one hopes – of a better day.”

Michael Schulman

Penumbra

Gamelan Alligator Joy

Songlines (songlines.com/release/

penumbra)

! Founded in 1990,

Gamelan Alligator

Joy is a Vancouver

area composermusician

collective

here represented

by 13 musicians.

Fifteen years in the

making, Penumbra

is its third release. During that time five

longtime composers of the group – Michael

O’Neill, Mark Parlett, Sutrisno Hartana,

Andreas Kahre, Sam Salmon – kept busy

composing and workshopping new works.

Seven new compositions for Javanese

gamelan gadhon are featured, exploring the

expressive potential of gamelan to render “a

multiplicity of emotions and thoughtscapes.”

The opening track, Hartana’s Bahureksa,

incorporates instruments and songs from

the Indonesian island of Sulawesi skilfully

blended with Javanese gamelan, plus solo and

choral sections. As a Javanese-born gamelan

player, teacher and composer in Canada,

Hartana’s inspiration is culled from his own

extensive cross-cultural musical journeys.

Parlett’s Dice Over Easy superimposes

his minimalistic rhythmic, structural and

harmonic language onto Javanese tonal modes

and performance practices. His compositional

strategy here features instruments timbrally

outside the gadhon’s tuned and untuned

percussion. An example: high keening suling

slendro solos. Softly plucked strings of the

ukelin (a rare hybrid zither) also meander


across the soundscape, while occasional fretless

bass lines add the frisson of surprise.

Peregrinations in Palindromnia is Parlett’s

through-composed meditation for gadhon,

driven by the eloquently dramatic poetic

narration by DB Boyko. Spare music and text

evoke aspects of place, transience, death and

return in the natural world, finding solace in

a sense of suspension.

Salmon’s terse 96 Tiers references the

1966 proto-punk song 96 Tears, yet musically

it quickly develops into a richly sonorous

process piece, divided into 96-beat sections.

96 Tiers also pays homage to early minimalist

music – roots of which were coloured

by gamelan.

Don’t adjust your playback volume: Kahre’s

Let N = N requires musicians to play instruments

with their fingers, dispensing with

typical mallets. This focus on delicate tactility

extends to the bowed string rebab melodies

sensitively played by Hartana woven through

the gauzy percussive textures.

O’Neill’s ambitious 15-minute Mode of

Attunement features a prominent part for

retuned piano dynamically rendered by

Rory Cowal in dialogue with the gadhon.

O’Neill cautions that it’s “not a concerto

for retuned piano, [but rather it] artfully

explores subtleties around integrating the

two forces.” A totally unexpected yet effective

outsider instrument here is the jaw harp,

outlining piano rhythms in one movement.

The work takes us on a “nocturnal journey

in 11 episodes filtered through hypnogogic

consciousness.”

O’Neill’s Grotto: Ventriloquial

Investigations on the other hand is a

Beckettian spoken-word mini-opera with

O’Neill voicing both himself and Seamus,

his wisecracking baritone puppet. Adapting

original and borrowed texts, it’s set in an

underground grotto evoking both Plato’s cave

and Jung’s unconscious. We hear songs, jokes,

instrumental gamelan interludes and philosophical

sparring, all “circling around the

ultimate unanswerable questions.”

Penumbra stands as Gamelan Alligator

Joy’s latest statement of its long commitment

to creating new music beyond the received

borders of Javanese gamelan genre, style and

approach. Both an eloquent summing up of

Vancouver’s gamelan founding generation

and a collection of accomplished postclassical

music looking to the future, Penumbra

represents a high-water mark on Canada’s

gamelan-centred music shores.

Andrew Timar

Dreaming in Gamelan

Bill Brennan; Andy McNeill w/Hugh Marsh

Independent (brennanmcneill.bandcamp.

com/album/dreaming-in-gamelan)

! Traditional West

Javanese gamelan

sounds are explored

in new memorable,

soothing soundscapes

by Canadian

composers/multiinstrumentalists

Bill

Brennan and Andy

McNeill, with electric violinist Hugh Marsh

contributing on a few tracks. Brennan’s

wide-ranging percussion, piano performance

career includes being a member of the

Toronto-based Evergreen Club Contemporary

Gamelan. Film/television composer McNeill

(bass, electronics, etc.) is also fascinated by

the gamelan.

Brennan and McNeill worked together

scoring a CBC documentary in 2001 and then

decided to record their compositions one

week in Brennan’s living room on borrowed

Evergreen Club traditional gamelan instruments.

After studio mixing and overdubbing,

it was put away and untouched for

years. A recent Evergreen Club performance

at Massey Hall inspired Brennan and McNeill

to expand and complete this release.

The first nine short tracks are about three

minutes each. Tunnels of Light introduces the

listener to diverse ambient sounds, starting

with a repeated single note. A form of gong

is followed by a repeated gamelan melody.

The blending of traditional gamelan with

western instrumental and electronic sounds,

rhythms, dynamics and textures creates a

unified soundscape to single note fade. Title

track Dreaming In Gamelan has a calming,

reflective repeated melodic start. Attentiongrabbing

minimalist lines and multi-layering

of instruments ground this sparse/gentle to

dense/sonic composition. The closing tenminute

Reverie is mysterious and comforting,

featuring held notes.

Brennan and McNeill highlight the gamelan

with sparse bell tones, ambient jazz, experimental

musical styles, electroacoustics,

instrumentation, arrangements, improvisations

and unexpected effects, producing

hypnotic new sounds to relish!

Tiina Kiik

JAZZ AND IMPROVISED

The Soundmakers Project

Ineke Vandoorn; Marc van Vugt; Christine

Duncan; The Soundmakers

Baixim Records (baiximrecords.bandcamp.

com/album/the-soundmakers-project-2)

! Canadian

vocalist Christine

Duncan has covered

the waterfront

when it comes to

inventing ways to

use a human voice

and is no stranger to

virtually all styles of

music. Born into a travelling fundamentalist

Pentecostal musical family, she wove her way

through R+B, blues, jazz and contemporary

opera before she hit the ground running

when she arrived in Toronto from Vancouver

in the early 2000s, eventually landing in the

improvising scene.

In 2007, Duncan and her partner, drummer

Jean Martin, applied for a grant for her to

develop a vocabulary of hand signals for

improvising choir and to assemble a group

on a more permanent basis. Their successful

application allowed the duo to develop the

concept of the Element Choir, both by taking

cues from other vocal improvising directors

before her such as Butch Morris, the London

Improvisers Orchestra, Anthony Braxton,

John Zorn and others, as well as creating

Duncan’s own unique conducting style, and

her hand signals have become a fluid and

organic response to her musicality.

Her joy of sharing her love of sound and

community is profoundly evident as well

as her expert leadership and experience

(Duncan is also an active educator, teaching

in the jazz programs at Humber College and

the University of Toronto since 2003). For

anyone not familiar with the choir, she leads

the group of non-professional vocalists into

challenging soundscapes of noises, chatters,

whispers and wails all with practiced hand

gestures and signals, and has continued to

refine her skills to become the world leader in

structured improvisational vocal ensemble.

In walks The Soundmakers, a Dutch

Grammy-winning duo Ineke Vandoorn,

vocalist, and Marc van Vugt, guitarist,

who lead an ensemble of 50 improvising

(again, non-professional) vocalists, and

who witnessed Duncan’s work with the

Element Choir. By 2024 they invited Duncan

to combine their music with vocal soundscapes

under her direction with their own

Soundmakers, leading to the creation of the

Soundmakers Project. Featuring compositions

by Vandoorn and van Vugt, Duncan so

expertly guides the group that on occasion –

such as the first track Hatfield 22 – it’s hard to

believe the sounds coming from the group.

The third track Soundmakers Choir

Improvisation demonstrates the range of


colour Duncan draws from the group. The

Collar is a dense, humorous collection of

expressive meows and melodies that perfectly

backs the jazzy libretto and guitar breakdown.

A truly beautiful track La Caresse is

expansive and ethereal along with the final

Soundmakers Improv 1. The album is a

beautiful showcase of music and community,

and kudos to the Dutch group for bringing

Duncan together with their compositions.

To see Christine Duncan live is to marvel

at the skill, musicianship and sheer joy she

imparts. Check out the teaser video for this

album online, or find her with the Element

Choir collaborations with Inuit singer Tanya

Tagaq and the Toronto Symphony.

Cheryl Ockrant

I am Here

Steve Amirault

Independent (steveamirault.bandcamp.

com/album/i-am-here)

! Montreal-based

pianist, composer,

vocalist and B3

organist, Steve

Amirault has been

referred to by noted

journalist Paul Wells

as “a Grand Master,”

and nothing could

be more true or

well-deserved. Nova Scotia born Amirault

has graced international stages with an array

of iconic jazz musicians, including the late

Sheila Jordan, Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman and

Eddie Gomez. In his new recording, Amirault

plums his emotional and artistic depths with

12 original solo piano compositions that run

the gamut stylistically, often incorporating

subtle influences of his jazz heroes, which

include Monk, Bud Powell, Ahmad Jamal

and the Michel Petrucciani. Having begun

his musical journey as a drummer, Amirault

easily imbues every track here with a palpable

rhythmic backbone as well as nearly unbearably

gorgeous melodic lines.

The programme opens with Wednesday

Waltz. Sweet, lilting and intricate – Amirault’s

fingers and ridiculous chops literally dance

across the keys, on this nostalgia-tinged track.

Of special beauty is Empathy – stark, moving

and rife with almost Gospel-like motifs that

Amirault utilizes to explore the uplifting

process and sometimes the bitter dues of

being an essentially empathetic human being

at this time, on this earth.

Another stand-out is Soho Dreams, a

lyrical, groovy reverie that paints a picture of

a beloved NYC neighborhood – with all of its

fabulous contradictions. The deeply moving

title track closes the project, and wraps this

stunner of a recording with Amirault’s incandescent

and soulful art – a heady cocktail of

stunning technique, emotion and a wealth of

complex musical ideas fearlessly and lovingly

presented. Bravo!

Lesley Mitchell-Clarke

It’s All So

Brad Turner; Trio Plus One

Cellar Music CMF090924 (bradturner.

bandcamp.com/album/it-s-all-so)

! Much of what I

wanted to discuss

about It’s All So is

already covered in

the album’s detailed

and eloquent liner

notes. The music

speaks for itself

too, and hopefully

this review provides context in the form of a

glowing recommendation for those who have

yet to listen.

Brad Turner is a stalwart Vancouverbased

multi-instrumentalist, composer, and

educator who I first heard on trumpet. Unlike

some who merely dabble on other instruments,

Turner brings a unique and masterful

voice to any tool of expression. That tool

is piano on It’s All So, and the “plus one”

of Turner’s Trio Plus One is percussionist

Jack Duncan.

Duncan is a creative guest, joining Turner’s

longstanding rhythm section of Darren

Radtke on bass and Bernie Arai on drums. The

piano trio format offers ample creative space,

and Duncan adds steady grooves without

“boxing in” any of the album’s eight selections.

Turner penned each composition for

the musicians present, save for an arrangement

of Cole Porter’s Love For Sale that is

unique enough to sound like another original.

Jazz is at the heart of It’s All So, but the

album features grooves equally appropriate

under the “Latin” umbrella. The compositions

and playing remind me of Woody Shaw and

Clare Fischer at times, among other artists

who expertly fused these genres. This could

suggest a departure from the hard-swinging

catalogue of Cellar Music, but after repeated

listening the album fits their mandate to a tee.

This is a unique and memorable addition to

Turner’s discography.

Sam Dickinson

Noam Lemish – There’s beauty enough in

being here

Noam Lemish; Sundar Viswanathan;

Andrew Downing; Nick Fraser

TPR Records (noamlemish.bandcamp.com/

album/theres-beauty-enough-in-beinghere-2)

! In mid-

November 2025, I

attended the album

release concert

for jazz pianist/

composer Noam

Lemish’s newest

project, There’s

Beauty Enough in

Being Here. The house was full, the energy

warm and inviting, the music-making superb

and uplifting! While indeed there was beauty

enough in being “there” in person, this

“gently ravishing” (an irresistible one-sheet

quote) CD effortlessly conveys those same

elements of warmth, grace and beauty.

A consummate musician on every front –

player, composer, accompanist, collaborator,

innovator, pedagogue – Lemish continues on

his “trademark” multicultural, boundaryexpanding,

genre-blurring journey with this

album. Inspired by the “be in, and appreciate,

the moment” sentiment of Portuguese

poet, Fernando Pessoa’s poem titled, Beyond

the Bend in the Road, the nine captivating,

original tracks incorporate jazz idioms,

Middle Eastern sounds, Classical music and

Himalayan folk tunes.

Joining Lemish are first call musicians on

the Canadian jazz scene: Sundar Viswanathan

on saxes and bansuri, bassist Andrew

Downing and Nick Fraser, drums. With ease

and sensitivity, this all-star quartet delivers

the contemplative, mysterious, expansive

and hopeful sounds and sensibilities that

permeate the album. Aviv (Hebrew for the

spring season) is lyrical and moody, with

gorgeous overlays between sax and piano.

Kadrin Gatshor (Gratitude) is a beautifully

melodic homage to the Bhutanese people.

About 20 years ago, Lemish wrote It Was

There All Along, and recently “rescued”

the then untitled piece from languishing

in an old, composition notebook. It is

lovely. So are the remaining tracks, particularly

the stunning, Schumann-inspired The

Poignancy of Now.

There’s more than enough beauty here.

Sharna Searle

Concert Note: Noam Lemish Quartet

will perform on: January 15 & 16 at Hirut

Café (Toronto); January 24 at Jazz Room

(Waterloo); January 28, 29, 30, 31 at The Rex

(Toronto); and also on January 29 at Jazz at

Midday, York University (Toronto).

Put It There

BARI-ed Alive

Cornerstone Records CRST CD 171

(cornerstonerecordsinc.com/pages/

cat171.html)

! Most jazz fans

will remember

Gerry Mulligan and

Pepper Adams as

two famous baritone

sax players but

otherwise this large

full-throated instrument

is usually

consigned to the end of the saxophone line in

a big band. But we now have BARI-ed Alive,

a Toronto jazz sextet featuring Alex Dean,

Shirantha Beddage and Chris Gale all playing

the baritone saxophone, with Jeff McLeod on

Hammond B3 organ, Andrew Scott on guitar

and Morgan Childs on drums.

Put it There is the new release from this

group and contains nine original tunes


all written by members of the band. The

album begins with the high energy and

quick tempos of Abraca-Pocus and Baritone

Boogaloo which provide great grooves and

some high-voltage solos. Blues for Owl is

slower and bluesier with lots of feeling and

a few growls in the solos. Turrentrane is (I

assume) a play on the two tenor sax players

Stanley Turrentine and John Coltrane and

its beginning seems inspired by Smoke On

the Water.

The tunes are all fairly standard, and offer

not surprises but many swinging delights. The

“bari” sax is a remarkably expressive instrument

and the team of Dean, Beddage and Gale

swing hard and blow the heck out of all the

tunes. Their rhythm section is also rock solid;

McLeod gives us many tasty organ solos and

Scott’s guitar intro to Don’t Call Me Victor is

simply gorgeous. May I suggest their next

album be titled: Three Baris, No Waiting?

Ted Parkinson

Concert Note: BAIRI-ed Alive performs at the

Jazz Room in Waterloo on February 7.

Saku Mantere – Divine Apology

Saku Mantere; Various artists

Orchard of Pomegranates (sakumantere.

bandcamp.com/album/divine-apology)

! So-called

universal themes

are bridges, not

capsules. They

serve to connect

and relate our

lived experiences,

not fold them into

each other neatly.

Divine Apology is a wonderful network

of these bridges. Pulling from the written

works of artists from various disciplines

including Norman Cristofoli, Dylan Thomas

and Kalervo Hämäläinen, the sonic poetry

of Saku Mantere breathes new meaning into

every line.

Lapin Äidin Kehtolaulu turns a lullaby

into a fleet-footed waltz in which everyone

involved rips their solos with such a vigorous

fervor that invokes the mother-child dynamic

found in the song’s lyrics racing through eternity.

Mantere’s vocals personify care and

wistfulness, each syllable its own delectable

morsel, vibrato conveying more compassionate

feeling for the song’s address with

each passing beat. There is a bittersweetness

constantly permeating through how harmony

interacts with lyric, lines like “the circle of

life is closing in” from Mantere’s own Not Fair

being more an observation or acceptance than

a lament.

On a personal note, I love albums that feel

like windows into the room in which they

were recorded, and as Adrian Vedady takes

an eloquent bass solo while Kate Wyatt paints

in the margins with her comping, I feel like

I can find physical refuge in the surrounding

calm. Divine Apology is a window through

and through. It is a window into familiar

notions of love, grief, smallness, earnestness

and connection. It is a window into how these

notions tint Mantere’s world.

Yoshi Maclear Wall

Trio of Bloom

Craig Taborn; Nels Cline; Marcus Gilmore

Pyroclastic Records PR42 (trioofbloom.

bandcamp.com/album/trio-of-bloom)

! Besides the

abundantly obvious

fact that it is scientifically

impossible

to go wrong with

this lineup of musicians,

one striking

thing about the

debut recording

of this super trio is how it stands as a testament

to how much more experimenting

and boundary-obliterating still remains to

be done in careers this storied. Each musician

is a loose spigot of cascading ideas and

moments of profound motivic force, the

union of which gives each improvisation a

shapeshifting quality.

Signposts reached in soft alignment,

growths develop organically rather than

methodically, an unspoken knowing that

renders even the dizzying Unreal Light fivefive-four-four

metric cycle intrinsic to owning

a pulse. Craig Taborn’s keys and Nels Cline’s

guitar bite, ravage, warmly embrace, coalesce,

and repel the air, while drummer Marcus

Gilmore channels fluid deposits of universal

energy, dancing currents through the mind’s

eye. Music that finds itself woven into the

fabric of everything that has been and will

follow, all while finding its own outpost in the

midst of the living. Even as time is manipulated

by phrases that feel unsusceptible to

the trappings of any bar lines, it is seldom

wasted. When a song like Diana is three

minutes, it need not run a second longer, even

as sentences run on without periods, and a

simple gesture contains all the narrative depth

of an epic.

Trio of Bloom is music for rare moments of

stillness in our world, letting one’s imagination

run amok, and for awesome music’s sake.

Yoshi Maclear Wall

A Life in the Day Of

Gabriella Cancelli; Lori Freedman; Stefano

Giust; Giorgio Pacorig; Paolo Pascolo

Setola Di Maiale SM 4950 (setoladimaiale.

net/catalogue/view/SM4950)

! Souvenir of a

busperson’s holiday

in Italy by Canadian

bass clarinetist Lori

Freedman, the two

long improvisations

that make up A Life

in the Day Of find

her in buona compagnia with sympatico local

improvisers flutist Paolo Pascolo, trumpeter

Gabriele Cancelli, percussionist Stefano Giust

and pianist Giorgio Pacorig.

Introduced by keyboard clips and trumpet

yelps, the players pound, project and pepper

the expositions with all manner of distinct,

dissonant and defining sounds while maintaining

a logical flow. As Freedman’s thickened

chalumeau snores and clarion tongue

stops emerge, she infrequently trades places

with Pacorig’s percussive key clips and

strummed strings or Giust’s crunches and

shuffles to preserve the continuum. Cancelli’s

brassy grace notes constantly move up the

scale when not intersecting with the others

for linear motion, while Pascolo’s flute trills

create ethereal counterpoint, except for rare

pivots when his bass flute pressure reaches a

low-pitch ostinato.

As passages shift from mellow to multiphonics,

each player seems determined to

expose every variable tone from plunger

growls to ascending peeps to distant breaths.

Climax is reached during the final section of

A Life In The Day Of (Part II). The pianist’s

shift to indicative swing draws out drum rim

shots and vocalized half-valve trumpeting so

that even Freedman’s intense split tones fit

into the finale.

With its concluding rhythmic emphasis and

continuous sound explorations the session

fascinates and proves how improvisers from

different countries can efficiently reach the

same groove.

Ken Waxman

Unseparate

Webber/Morris Big Ban

Out of Your Head Records OOYH 037

(outofyourheadrecords.com/

news/2025/7/22/pre-orderwebbermorris-big-band-unseparateooyh-037)

! Recalibrating

big band music for

the 21st century

with sophisticated

arrangements

and solo space for

most members of

this 19-piece New

York ensemble

are two expatriate Canadians, who co-lead,

conduct and play tenor saxophones and

flutes: Ontario’s Angela Morris and B.C.’s

Anna Webber.

Led by Morris and Webber since 2015 and

continuing the sonic experiments of the

band’s debut release from 2019, Unseparate

includes the four-part Just Intonation Etudes

For Big Band; segments of the title suite

interspaced throughout the disc; and three

standalone compositions. The latter pseudoconcertos

include interludes like Yuhan Su’s

vibraphone resonations, alto saxophonist Jay

Rattman’s tongue stops and Jen Baker’s trombone

plunger growls. An unabashed blues,

balanced on Dustin Carlson’s guitar twangs


Microchimera is most notable as brass and

reed sections bolster and buttress Webber’s

flute trills and Jake Henry’s heraldic trumpet

screeches.

Even more assured are the long form

compositions, especially the Etudes. Morris’

clarion reed stops introduce the throbbing

theme which steadily ascends alongside

group dynamics as contrapuntal sequences

dominate the brass and reeds. While the

tracks inflate and ascend, tolling vibe slaps,

Jeff Davis’ drum ruffs and Lisa Parrott’s baritone

saxophone burbles preserve linear

evolution as overlapping respites from Tim

Vaughn’s plunger trombone blasts and

squeezed brass triplets. Before dissolving into

cacophony, sections return to straight-ahead

emphasis with artful reed pulses and percussion

thumps.

An exemplar of cultivated big band writing

and playing, Unseparate may have been

created in the U.S., but like the Auto Pact

needs Canadian input to be put into motion.

Ken Waxman

POT POURRI

Walkin’ Each Other Home

Clela Errington

Independent (clelaerrington.bandcamp.

com/album/walkin-each-other-home)

! In today’s

musical world of

autotune, synthesized

everything

and the outright

fakery of AI, having

a new album of

genuine artistry

and strippeddown

arrangements is a refreshing treat.

Imagine someone simply sitting at a mic with

an acoustic guitar and singing good songs.

What a concept. But that’s exactly what

veteran singer-songwriter-guitarist, Clela

Errington has done.

Yes, she’s gotten a little help from some

very musical friends, most notably blues/

roots master Jimmy Bowskill, who does

co-producer duty, and plays guitar, mandolin

and bass. Other main musicians include Steve

O’Connor on keyboards and accordion and

Ian McKeown on drums and percussion. But

it’s Errington’s soulful vocal interpretations

that carry the album, which explores a few

styles, but leans heavily toward slow and midtempo,

bluesy numbers. It opens strongly

with a traditional song, I Know You Rider,

that kind of puts me in mind of early Stevie

Winwood. Careless Love is another traditional

song, but in more of a country vein, with a

distinct lilt. Got to Make a Change Blues, is

a fun sassy cover of a Memphis Minnie blues

shuffle designed to get you up on your feet.

If you’ve not yet heard of Errington, despite

this being her fifth album, you could be

forgiven, since she spent much of her adult

life in Prince Edward Island. But she’s been

back in the Toronto area for a while now and

can regularly be seen gracing stages here

with her warm presence. She often performs

with her daughter, singer Jocelyn Barth, who

lends her voice to two tracks here, including

the Errington original that closes out the

album, Full Moon Dark Time, and the blend

is exquisite.

Overall, Errington’s warm vocals and

accessible style, along with the intimate

recording technique, make Walkin’ Each

Other Home feel like a good friend is

sitting right over there singing these songs

just for us.

Cathy Riches

Mi Pequeña

Eliana Cuevas; Jorge Glem

Lula World Records (lulaworldrecords.ca/

product-page/mi-penqueña-by-elianacuevas)

! Venezuelan/

Canadian/

International chanteuse

and composer,

Eliana Cuevas,

has long been

acclaimed for her

previous six wellreceived

albums

and dynamic live

performances, as well as for her vision as a

bandleader and composer. Her choices are

rife with diverse cultural and cross-ethnic

musical influences. Cuevas’ Mi Pequena (My

Little Girl) was created in collaboration with

the well-respected multi-Latin GRAMMYwinning

cuatro player, Jorge Glem. The cuatro

(sometimes mis-identified as a Ukelele by

the un-enlightened) is at the very core of

indigenous Venezuelan music, and Glem is

one of the foremost cuatro artists to be found

on the globe.

The opening title track was composed by

former Cuevas collaborator, the late, iconic

Aquilas Baez and features a diaphanous intro

by Glem, which is joined by Cuevas’ sensual,

sibilant and resonant voice, dancing through

this lovely, melodic, folk-inspired composition.

Cuevas is blessed with not only a

supple vocal instrument, but is also a master

communicator – beyond language or culture

– existing in the shared musical stratosphere.

On La Partida (Simon Diaz/Carlos Bennett)

Glem reaches levels of artistry and technique

on the cuatro which are breathtaking, as is

Cuevas’ powerful and gymnastic vocal.

Other exquisite tracks include Henry

Martinez’ muy romantico ballad, Venme a

Buscar. Cuevas exposes her very soul here,

using vocal dynamics like a paintbrush. On

Glem’s delightful Cambur Pinton, rapid fire

Spanish lyrics rendered exquisitely by Cuevas

intensify the rhythmic dynamism of Glem

and the under-exposed scope of the essential

cuatro. Cueva’s only composition here, El

Quarto Venezolano (The Venezuelan Fourth)

is a stunner, with Cuevas on piano, re-enforcing

the rhythmic spine, with Glem’s cuatro

and Cuevas’ sumptuous voice weaving a

powerful Venezuelan spell that will captivate

all listeners of this finely crafted and exceptionally

performed recording.

Lesley Mitchell-Clarke

Schmaltz & Pepper

Schmaltz & Pepper

Independent SP01 (schmaltzandpepper.

com/store)

! During a

“random” chamber

music gig he

played back in

November 2023,

stellar musician

and principal

TSO clarinettist,

Eric Abramovitz,

commented to fellow virtuoso, violinist

Rebekah Wolkstein, that he had always

wanted to be in a klezmer band. Wolkstein’s

reaction? “Let’s do it!” And right there, she

got out her computer, started scheduling stuff

and Schmaltz & Pepper was born.

Six months later, the band was playing

concerts and summer festivals, wowing

audiences with their dazzling mastery and

musicianship, performing original, sassy,

sophisticated and, yes, schmaltzy (in a good

way) material in breathtaking arrangements!

And now we have their brilliant,

eponymous debut CD. Rounding out this

klezmer supergroup are three more top-tier,

award winning musicians: Drew Jurecka

on violin and bandoneon; pianist Jeremy

Ledbetter; and Michael Herring, bass. Their

jazz, swing, classical, Roma and European

folk music infused brand of klezmer is virtuosic,

soul-stirring, innovative and just plain

fun! The track titles, alone, are entertaining:

Mozart the Mensch, Gefilte Fugue, Tango

Shmango, Manischewitz Mazurka, to name

a few. And then there’s the rip-snorting (pun

intended) The Yiddish Bullfighter. Wolkstein,

also an accomplished vocalist, treats us to

both a humorous lament about trying to

find the perfect (non-musician) man in I’m

Sorry Mama, and a delightful, “Modern Major

General-esque” romp in Evil Eye.

Schmaltz & Pepper have upended the traditional

boundaries of klezmer music, joyously

Stirring the Pot (see track 1) on the Jewish

and world music stage.

Sharna Searle

Concert Notes: Schmaltz & Pepper will

perform on: February 15 in Milton (Halton

Music Project); April 18 in Caledon (Caledon

Chamber Concerts); June 15 in Kingston

(Isabel Bader Theatre); and July 15in Collingwood

(Collingwood Music Festival).


sayr: salt | thirst

Jussi Reijonen

unmusic (jussireijonen.bandcamp.com)

sayr: kaiho - live in Helsinki

Jussi Reijonen

unmusic (jussireijonen.bandcamp.com)

! Guitarist and

oud player Jussi

Reijonen was

born in Finland

and raised in

Finland, Jordan,

Tanzania, Oman

and Lebanon, and

has spent much of

his adult life in the

USA. In 2025 he released two albums: Sayr:

salt / thirst recorded in a studio and Sayr:

kaiho, recorded “Live in Helsinki.” Reijonen’s

liner notes explain that the Arabic concept of

“sayr” means a “course” or “motion” and in

his own music it refers to “a musical pathway

unfolding through improvisation” to a “a

memory palace of sound.”

One of the fascinating aspects of these

works is the guitar at their centre: a late-40s

Gibson LG-2 acoustic that was “gifted to him

by a former student.” It is common to hear

this kind of guitar playing folk, country or

roots music where its lineage has been built,

but in these two albums its acoustic properties

are moved into a much more exploratory

realm and the result is a unique beauty. The

music is not as melodic as it is “sonorous”

with plucking, eastern minor scales, silences

and melancholy riffs that pull a different and

inspired resonance from the instrument.

Reijonen has

stated “sayr is an

exploration of the

small, the simple

and the sparse;

the rugged earth”

which takes the idea

of “roots music” off

in a much different direction. For example,

the piece salt is 17 minutes long with several

different sections and moods: it begins softly

with many complex chords plucked and

sustained, then moves into a faster section

with lyrical swirls and a tonality revealing

more of an eastern influence. Repetition is

used throughout but each succeeding statement

is changed as it reveals another emotion

or thought.

It is an inspiration to hear such meditatively

beautiful sounds released from this 80-yearold

instrument and I recommend repeated

listening for everyone.

Ted Parkinson

Something in the Air

Besides Tulips, Free Music also Blooms

in the Netherlands

KEN WAXMAN

Despite its many other attributes, the Netherlands was never known as a major centre for

Jazz and Improvised Music. At least that is until the late 1960s, when ensembles such as

the Willem Breuker Kollektief and the Instant Composers Pool led by Misha Mengelberg

and Han Bennink began touring internationally and cementing interactions with other international

players. Since that time the Dutch scene has blossomed with successive generations of

local musicians playing there and, especially in this century, numerous innovative musical

stylists from not only Europe but also elsewhere migrating there for a time or permanently.

One fine example of this enriched cross fertilization is the

Amsterdam-based Spinifex group which celebrates its 20th anniversary

with the release of Maxximus (Trytone Records TT59-114

spinifex.bandcamp.com/album/maxximus). True to the country’s

recent musical history, Spinifex’s members hail from all over.

Trumpeter Bart Maris is Belgian; bass clarinetist/alto saxophonist

Tobias Klein is German; tenor, bass saxophonist John Dikeman is

American; bassist Gonçalo Almeida is Portuguese; while percussionist

Philipp Moser and guitarist Jasper Stadhouders are Dutch. Confirming the Maxximus

title, the sextet is augmented with American violist Jessica Pavone, German cellist Elisabeth

Coudoux and Greek vibraphonist Evi Filippou. However, the added string emphasis and some

slower tunes don’t dimmish the dynamism of Spinifex’s performances. While the band’s palate

encompasses textures from relaxed (Smitten) to rasping (The Privilege of Playing the Wrong

Notes), the basic interface remains the same. Most tracks don’t stay languid for long and

throughout spiccato string stops and vibraphone chiming join brass smears, reed bites, percussion

ratamacues and guitar twangs to define the session.

Annie Golden includes a guitar-propelled theme revealed after cow bell clangs, brusque

string stops and a bass sax ostinato introduce the track. Rounded guitar frails are soon replaced

by buzzing sul ponticello slices from Pavone and Coudoux as the saxophone outputs becomes

ferocious enough to blend R&B-like honking and atonal Free Jazz until hard drum pumps

propel the nonet into descending harmonies. Group unity is also expressed on Phoenix when

Maris puts aside his stinging piccolo trumpet rips for a connection between his muted trumpet

lines and pizzicato strings ambulation. While later string sweeps almost resemble parody

Mittle (sic) European formalism, the resulting cushioning is transformed by the climax into

polyphonic horn lines and string projections while cymbal slaps and trumpet slurs pierce the

interface.

A more compact band, which takes some of its focus from saxophone

and trumpet is So We Could Live (Zennez Records ZR 202515

zacklober.bandcamp.com/album/so-we-could-live) except this

time Jasper Blom the veteran tenor saxophonist and Suzan Veneman,

the younger trumpeter are both from the Netherlands. But also true

to the scene’s internationalism, the quartet’s leader is ex-Montrealer

Zack Lober, and the drummer is South Korean Sun-Mi Hong.

More in the modern mainstream mode than some sessions, this

LP-length (38 minutes) CD is a group effort. That’s because except

for Dad/Bésame Mucho, an unaccompanied threnody for his father, featuring an emphasized,

multiple-stroked melody, Lober’s pumps and stops are embedded within the band’s narratives.

Hong locks in with the bassist with cymbal sizzles and paradiddles that complement cadenced

forward motion. However when the horns’ unison intersection isn’t emphasized each player

expresses individuality.

On Feathered Head, for instance, a swinging pseudo-Hard Bopper, Veneman works her

brass draughts higher and higher, exposing triplets that aren’t screechy or distended and

when mated with a sliding reed interjection replicates lively harmonies. Balancing on a thick

bass pulse Landscape is an attentive foot tapper where the ambulatory exposition is coloured

by Bloom’s wobbly near-(Stan) Getzian vibrato shifts. With most improvisations never overbearing,

the most advanced line is the polytonal Vignette where the saxophonist’s multitongued

slides and slurs sometimes ascend to squeaks and Veneman’s note-bending breaths

are a bit strained. Still, the climax is fully harmonized.


Spikier than the other discs and with an

augmented ensemble is bass clarinetist Ziv

Taubenfeld’s Nomads (Full Sun Records

FSR 001 fullsunrecords-zivtaubenfeld.

bandcamp.com/album/ziv-taubenfeldfull-sun-nomads),

as his Full Sun septet

includes players from at least two generations

of Netherlands-based, but not necessarily

Dutch, players. First there’s Israeli-born Taubenfeld, who after

a decade in Amsterdam recently relocated to Lisbon. Additionally

reflecting the CD title that would be appropriate for the players on

all discs here, the band is filled out by veteran and younger players.

There’s experienced American alto saxophonist/clarinetist Micheal

Morre and Dutch trombonist Joost Buis joined by slightly younger

arrivals: Argentinean pianist Nico Chientaroli and Taiwanese vibraphonist

Yung-Tuan Ku. Also in hand are drummer Onno Govaert and

bassist Rozemarie Heggen who are actually from the Netherlands.

Interestingly enough though, despite the leader’s reed adaptations,

Nomads’ four tracks are as concerned with percussion as horn

textures. That’s because, especially on Rozemarie’s Flying Carpet, and

frequently elsewhere, Buis joins Govaert and Ku with additional idiophone

vibrations as well as the introduction of extra shakes and

pulsations from Taubenfeld’s gongs and Chientaroli’s vibrating

objects. This schism and connection is made even more obvious on

Balbalus. The track expands the swirling polyphony of piano patterns,

slinky clarion reed stops, measured vibe pops, drum rolls and bass

string buzzes emphasized elsewhere to accentuate swaths of experimental

textures. After a formalist piano intro linked to key stops and

soundboard echoes, Boppish hi-hat slaps and a walking bassline

adumbrate horn harmonies that soon splinter into gutbucket trombone

blasts and slippery clarinet twitters that could arise in a

Dixieland session. As the pianist exposes first angled key slaps then

bluesy chording, pinched double bass sweeps and a collection of

multiphonic barks and yelps move the three horns into a crammed

Free Jazz mode until the entire band climaxes with an andante

pseudo march.

Onno Govaert is also a part of Brazilian

bassist Pedro Ivo Ferreira’s Orè quartet

whose Matter Antimatter (Trytone TT

519-113 trytonerecords.bandcamp.com/

album/matter-antimatter) is a foursome

like Lober’s, but features musicians from

other countries who play different instruments.

They are Portugues alto saxophonist

José Soares and Uruguayan guitarist Miguel Petruccelli. Proving

once again the Netherlands’ attraction for international musicians

and sound experimentation, what could have been a Lusitanian or

Hispanic session instead takes elements of each player’s tradition and

mixes them with Dutch exactness while adding free jazz touches.

Separating the longer tracks are around one minute unaccompanied

solo interludes for each musician, although the only exceptional

instance is Overpass where stretched and scraped strings bounce

and buzz with door-stop-like resonance. While there are a couple of

instances where the gentle reed-guitar blend threatens to slink back to

Bossa Nova-like gentleness or Ode where berimbau string samples are

worked into the mix, overall Matter Antimatter maintains a tougher

stance. Linear advancement is never abandoned nor are turns towards

foot tapping patterns. Notably though a touch of dissonance is audible

throughout. Pastor for instance may begin in lento tempo with gentle

drum plops, but its elaboration encompasses double bass string slaps,

guitar frails, sneaky reed burbles that work up in pitch and cymbal

patterning that turns to a concluding echoing smash. Soares isolates

snarls, yelps and split tones on the title track that are coordinated

with drum top scratches and bass string stops. Orè’s lyrical direction

is pleasant but perhaps more antimatter with extended tracks

and improvisational experiments would have created more than some

turns to matter of fact melodies in this musical formula.

Another expatriate South American, Venezuelan guitarist

Andrew Moreno leads Axiom (Honolulu

Records HR 34 andrewmoreno.bandcamp.

com/album/axiom). Yet with the musical

freedom offered by Amsterdam, he like

others here has his music interpreted by

an international cast. Alto/soprano saxophonist

Tineke Postma is Dutch; baritone

saxophonist Bo Van Der Werf is Belgian;

Jonathan Ho Chin Kia, who plays bass

and no-input mixing board is from Singapore and drummer Tristan

Renfrow is American. Also a bit different than the other more experimental

sessions, a few of the ten tracks have an over-reliance on

guitar licks with some emphasizing Moreno’s jagged rock music-like

buzzes, fuzz tones and elevated flanges rather than the string chiming,

emphasized slides and logical horizontal riffs he plays elsewhere.

Luckily these excesses are kept tot a minimum, with guitar playing

comping in connection with harmonized or contrapuntal saxophone

runs or the drummer’s ruffs and paradiddles more common.

What does really set Axiom apart from the other sessions though

are the feedback loops and resonant frequencies from Kia’s no-input

mixing board introduced on some tracks. These signal processed

sound waves create unpredictable electrified flutters that are alternating

staccato and smooth. At the same time Postma’s ethereal

soprano trills are more present than Van Der Werf’s baritone snores

and expositions are usually most focused on group interaction. Even

tracks like Vanilla Song and Matrix which reduce interplay among

only guitar, bass and drums evolve in that context. The first matches a

spraying guitar exposition with the drummer’s march tempo, so that

concentrated twangs and echoes are as straight-ahead as well as spectacular.

Meanwhile the clouds of rasping mixing board tones heard on

Matrix actually frame unadorned double bass thumps and edgy guitar

lines pumped with echo in an original fashion.

The Netherlands’ economic world primacy may have ended centuries

ago, but as a hub for exploratory music it hasn’t lost its international

appeal.


Volume 31 Issue 2

45 ORDO VIRTUTUM Jeff Bird plays Hildegard

of Bingen volume two

Jeff Bird

In This Issue

36 The Possibility of a New Work for

String Quartet

Warhol Dervish & Tim Brady

36 For Electric Guitar

Tim Brady

39 Maier | Franck | Schumann

Duo Concertante

39 Métamorphoses: Poulenc on Violin

and Piano

Hongyi Mo & John Etsell

40 American Vignettes

Aron Zelkowicz, Christina

Wright-Ivanova

40 Passages: French Cello Music

Louise Dubin with Spencer Myer and

Julia Bruskin

44 Re/String

CC Duo & collectif9

45 From Grimsby to Milan

Gayle Young & Robert Wheeler

45 György Kurtág: Játékok

Brigitte Poulin

46 Daniel Strong Godfrey: Toward Light

(Three Quintets)

Daniel Strong Godfrey

47 The Soundmakers Project

Ineke Vandoorn & Marc van Vugt

48 I Am Here

Steve Amirault

48 Put it There

Bari-ed Alive

50 Mi Pequeña

Eliana Cuevas

51 sayr: salt | thirst

Jussi Reijonen

53 Invented Folksongs

Anna Pidgorna

54 Beethoven: Cello Sonatas, Op. 5

Keiran Campbell & Sezi Seskir


Editor’s Corner continued from page 38.

To start, I want to make amends to one of

our reviewers, Sam Dickinson, whose disc

Gemini Duets (tqmrecordingco.com/samdickinson-gemini-duets)

somehow fell

through the cracks when it was released

last spring. “Gemini Duets was envisioned

as a mainly solo guitar album ‘with a few

overdubs,’ but quickly grew into a broader

project offering dense contemporary soundscapes,

multi-tracked duets, and unaccompanied vignettes. This

exciting new music was captured at the historic Sharon Temple in

Aurora, Ontario by Ron Skinner.

“Effects and electronics have been part of Dickinson’s sound since

he first began playing guitar, and Gemini Duets has a healthy helping

of these sounds without them taking away from the notes and songforms.”

Dickinson describes this mandate as “I’ve always been interested

in how differently I play depending on my instrument and setup

of choice. That said, I’m amply careful not to stray from the core of the

music itself just to ‘experiment’ with new gadgets and gizmos.”

The result is a solid offering based in straight-ahead jazz idioms

ranging from contemplative and balladic tracks to playful turns and

rich, resonant soundscapes.

A co-commission and co-production of

City Opera Vancouver and Pacific Opera

Victoria, MISSING was created to confront

the ongoing crisis of Canada’s Missing and

Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

(MMIWG). More than half the cast and crew

are of Indigenous background, yet as librettist

Marie Clements – herself of Métis/Dene

heritage – comments: “To me and to so

many other people, this is not an Indigenous issue; it’s a human issue.

As human beings we have a responsibility to end this, and so we’re

asking for people to open their hearts, to be able to comprehend on an

emotional level what’s really happening.” Guggenheim Fellowship and

Juno Award-winning composer Brian Current (now artistic director

of New Music Concerts) joined the project after the libretto was

completed and composed the music in close partnership with the cast

and cultural advisors.

Set in Vancouver and along the Highway of Tears, MISSING was

premiered in November 2017 at City Opera Vancouver and toured

by Pacific Opera Victoria in British Columbia and Saskatchewan in

2019. This recording (Bright Shiny Things brightshiny.ninja/missing)

features ATOM (Artists of the Opera Missing, including sopranos Cait

Wood and Melody Courage and mezzo Marion Newman) and Toronto’s

Continuum Ensemble. Conductor and musical director Timothy

Long, says: “Being a Muscogee/Choctaw man, I have often felt alone in

this musical world, but MISSING revealed the purpose of my path. The

victims and the families looked like my family and me. It pivoted my

life trajectory towards representing all Indigenous people.”

According to Current, “Working on MISSING alongside Indigenous

artists and listening to families of the missing quietly shifted how I see

the world. I hope this recording invites the same kind of awakening.” I

think it will.

In 2015 New Music Concerts commissioned

Canadian Anna Pidgorna to create

a piece based on her Ukrainian heritage for

a concert featuring a new work by Odessa

native Karmella Tsepkolenko. The result

was Weeping, for mixed sextet based on

rural Ukrainian traditional mourning songs,

which Pidgorna had discovered through

archival recordings during field work in

Ukraine in 2012. Mesmerized by the sonic

qualities and emotional power of these songs, a new chapter in her

musical development began.

“Invented Folk Songs (redshiftmusicsociety.bandcamp.com/album/

invented-folksongs) is a set of songs resulting from her traveling to

Ukraine to study with traditional music practitioners. Returning from

this period abroad, she subsequently arranged to study voice [at]

Princeton with the intention of building her own hybrid vocal

sound. The bold, powerful voice she has since cultivated, is couched

here in matching ensemble textures that capture the drive and raw

emotion of folk music, yet stray far from traditionalism in their form

and sound. She has harnessed the strengths of both musical realms,

rather than blending superficially. She finds the places where traditional

playing overlaps with so-called extended techniques, and

expands upon the compositional features of these folk songs that are

ripe for experimentation… The lyrics, also written by Pigorna, function

similarly, drawing on folkloric imagery and tropes to formulate

relevant commentary, often with a strong feminist bent.” The booklet

includes the lyrics in her hybrid Ukrainian dialects with full English

translations.

Pidgorna is accompanied by the Ludovico Ensemble, a Bostonbased

chamber group specializing in modern music, known for

focusing on specific and often unusual instrumentations. For this

recording the instruments are violin, cello, double bass, cimbalom,

piano and percussion.

When I first started collecting contemporary

“classical” music, I was intrigued to find

that the Louisville (Kentucky) Orchestra,

contrary to common wisdom, was specializing

in modern music and trying to support

itself by commissioning and recording new

orchestral works. Evidently the practice

continues to this day, some 90 years after

the orchestra’s founding by Robert Whitney.

Cellostatus (brightshiny.ninja/cellostatus), is the debut album from

Louisville Orchestra principal cellist Nicholas Finch and the NouLou

Chamber Players (Louisville), conducted by Jason Seber. Comprising

three world premiere works – by Dorian Wallace, Alyssa Weinberg,

and Ljova – commissioned by Finch and the ensemble, the album’s

far-flung inspirations include the Kübler-Ross stages of grief (Wallace),

the Latin word caligo meaning darkness or obscurity (Weinberg), and

the ubiquity of the smartphone and social media (Ljova). Finch is in

fine form, ably rising to all the diverse challenges in these

attractive works.

My introduction to Johann Sebastian Bach’s

sonatas for viola da gamba and obbligato

harpsichord was a recording on modern

instruments by Leonard Rose (cello) and

Glenn Gould (piano). I became enamoured

of these “true contrapuntal jewels,”

but I must say that hearing them on period

instruments has opened my ears in a

whole new way (atmaclassique.com/en/

product/the-sonatas-by-bach-for-viola-da-gamba-and-obbligatoharpsichord).

“These works offer a dialogue of remarkable eloquence between two

instruments engaging on equal footing, revealing both the expressive

depth and architectural refinement of Bach’s chamber writing.

Margaret Little and Christophe Gauthier offer a performance that is

at once precise, flexible, and deeply expressive. Their musical rapport

highlights the nuanced palette of the viola da gamba and the brilliance

of the harpsichord, illuminating the emotional power of Bach

in a recording that is both vibrant and elegant.”

Two pieces by Antoine Forqueray — La Couperin and La Buisson

— complete the program with their virtuosity and distinctly French

refinement. A truly refreshing experience.

As with the Bach sonatas, I first heard Beethoven’s cello sonatas

recorded by Mstislav Rostropovich and Sviatoslav Richter, and my

current favourite recording features Pieter Wispelwey and Dejan

Lazić, again on modern instruments (Channel Classics CCS SA 22605).


I must say, however, that a new period

performance of Beethoven Cello Sonatas,

Op. 5 by cellist Keiran Campbell and Sezi

Seskir (fortepiano) (leaf.music/keirancampbell-seziseskir-beethoven)

is growing on me

for its sheer rawness and exuberance.

“Performing on a fortepiano with its

leather hammers, and on a gut-strung

cello with a supple classical bow allows the

players to recapture these beloved sonatas’

intended original sound. The two cello sonatas (Nos. 1 and 2) were

composed in 1796, and saw Beethoven attempting to make the two

instruments more equal while celebrating the capabilities of the fiveoctave

piano.”

Campbell is co-principal cello of Tafelmusik, and on faculty at the

Chamber Music Collective, an intensive chamber music program on

period instruments which focuses on post-1750 performance practice.

Seskir is a co-founder of the Chamber Music Collective, and an associate

professor of Music at Bucknell University. Together they bring

new life to these timeless pieces.

Canadian cellist and composer Daniel Hass has built an impressive

career that encompasses a diverse range of pursuits, genres, and

achievements. He has performed as soloist with orchestras across

ANDRÉ LEDUC

REMEMBERING

Daniel Foley

I

will end on a very sad note. My long-time friend and colleague

Daniel Foley died in December at the age of 73. I worked with

Daniel at New Music Concerts for my entire 20-year tenure

there, and he was also a frequent contributor to these pages with

285 reviews published since the inaugural edition of DISCoveries

back in July 2001. Daniel, best known here for his astute assessment

of practically every Mahler recording to grace our pages in recent

years, was an extremely talented, multi-faceted individual active as a

composer, music copyist, graphic designer, webmaster, programme

annotator and photographer. All of this came in handy at NMC,

where he wore many hats. He also served as the tour coordinator for

Canada, the United States, and Europe;

and has received numerous commissions,

including one from the Glenn Gould

Foundation, The Lord of Toronto, His

Pavin, for cello and piano dedicated to

Glenn Gould.

He wrote to me earlier this year to say

“I’m excited to share my next milestone:

my debut album Love and Levity (travislaplante.bandcamp.com/album/string-quartets).

[…] This recording

features my original compositions for string quartet and piano quartet,

performed by the Renaissance String Quartet and other collaborating

artists. These quartets are Beethovenian at heart, in their thematic

and structural tautness, but draw from contemporary musics such as

Jazz and Folk along the way… [They] were written in the summer of

2021. There was a pandemic going on, and I spent most of the summer

in my apartment, reading books and feeling the momentum of life

melting away in the heat.”

While the COVID lockdown was not such a productive time for

many people, Hass certainly put his isolation to good use, crafting

these fine chamber works.

David Olds can be reached at discoveries@thewholenote.com.

NMC’s trip to China as the invited resident ensemble for the Beijing

International Composition Workshop in 2016. Many-faceted indeed!

As mentioned, Daniel was an exceptional Mahler scholar – he

owned scores of all the symphonies, which he would consult

while preparing his reviews – but he was also partial to the music

of Richard Strauss and Edgard Varèse, Paul Hindemith, Ferruccio

Busoni, Charles Koechlin, and the Second Viennese School of Arnold

Schoenberg and company. He was very discerning in his tastes, and

particular in his views. He would only accept an assignment if he

could properly praise the performance, all the while insisting on

mentioning any flaws or shortcomings he found. He was steadfast in

his integrity.

As a composer Daniel wrote for a wide range of instruments and

occasions, making important contributions to the repertoire of

some otherwise neglected instruments including double bass, bass

clarinet, accordion, organ and flute ensemble. I received a note of

condolence from renowned accordionist Joseph Petric saying “Dan

wrote the first work I ever commissioned on an OAC grant (1979)

followed by four other small chamber works, all of them strategic

and innovative contributions to the canon. His St. George Blues for

viola (Doug Perry) and accordion is a masterwork.”

I also knew Daniel Foley as a dear friend. In honour of my 50th

birthday he composed the piano trio Chanterelle dedicated to “le

Trio Poulet,” so-called because my amateur ensemble would get

together on Sunday afternoons to play trios in my living room while

a chicken roasted in the kitchen for our dinner. Fond memories! I

also had the pleasure of making music with Daniel himself at the

piano, as we explored the music of Arvo Pärt (Spiegel im Spiegel)

and Olivier Messiaen (Louange à l’Eternité de Jésus). These were

real milestones in my development as a cellist, getting to know

some favourite pieces from the inside out, and with his vast understanding,

Daniel was a truly inspired guide on that voyage.

In a Facebook posting flutist Nancy Nourse shared “Truly upsetting

news! This fall we at Flute Street were honoured to receive a

wonderful surprise-- a new major composition, Concertiina, that

Daniel Foley had just completed for us. We have it scheduled to

perform next season, but it will be so sad, not to have him there in

person to hear it. Yes, we must continue to keep his music in the

air. RIP Daniel.” It’s a consolation to know there is still more of his

music to come, and players who will keep the music alive.

I will not be alone in missing him. He leaves behind a whole

community of friends and admirers, as well as a legacy of scores at

the Canadian Music Centre.


Music as a community art continued from page 7

Strangers Need Strange

Moments Together:

Designing Interaction

for Public Spaces by

Mouna Andraos and

Melissa Mongiat is

available from the book’s

publisher, Set Margins

Press www.setmargins.

press and from the Daily

tous les jours website .

“Enchanted moments as resistance”

The phrase above is from a book I was

lucky enough to stumble across this past

holiday season, courtesy someone who

lives in Montreal but came to Toronto for

a bit of family time. The book is called

Strangers Need Strange Moments Together:

Designing Interaction for Public Spaces.

It was co-written by Mouna Andraos and

Melissa Mongiat, owners of a woman-led

Montreal-based company called Daily tous

le jours engaged in “seeking new models

for living together.”

As they describe it: “We have been

creating interactive art in public spaces

around the world for fifteen years. Using

music, dance, art, and other mediums

to emphasize the joyful, magical, and

unexpected, we create moments of connection

and care between strangers.”

Make no mistake though: “enchantment”

the way Andraos and Mongiat use

the word isn’t fluffy. It’s serious business.

“How we socialise is at the root of how values are nurtured and shared

– holding together what we call society today. We need informal social

connections to survive. Public places that notably supported ad hoc

connections are now filled with zombies on phones.”

How to “coax the public out of their bubbles” is, for them, the

critical question: “Beyond memes. In the flesh … After all, we are

living in times of acute global polarization … yet we connect mostly to

people we agree with, and mostly in images and videos – and mostly

online – through communication channels aimed at manipulating our

thoughts, endlessly dividing us, for the profit of only a few.”

“It may feel strange to smile, dance or make music with a stranger

these days. But connecting with others through joy, bringing bodies

together in laughter is a proposition we need for the survival of what’s

left of our humanity. Enchanted moments as resistance. Whether you

call it art or infrastructure, strangers need strange moments together.”

“Is there a more straightforward invitation

to play than a set of swings, so evocative of

the lightness and freedom of childhood?

... But we added our own special touch:

using music as a reward mechanism

through which cooperative behaviour

would be encouraged ... that people

would adjust the way they swung as a

group – their speed and motions in relation

to each other – if given the opportunity

to make beautiful music together.”

Music as a

congregational art

Set aside for a

moment the idea

that “congregating”

only means

getting together for

overtly religious

reasons (although

it certainly can).

Melissa Mongiat (l) and Mouna Andraos

If instead we take

it to mean voluntarily gathering together with a mutually agreed

purpose in mind, then the idea of music as a congregational art fits

the description of how Andraos and Mongiat think of music – as a “

powerful tool in the interaction designer’s kit … as a feedback mechanism

for participation.”

Not when people are “stuck in their heads or on their phones, and

not terribly aware or connected to their surrounding or each other …

but when music become a collective experience – whether you are

there as a spectator or part of the performance – a kind of magic

happens: we become present, grounded for a moment in time and

place along with a group of strangers.”

For all these reasons, talking about Andraos and Mongiat’s book in

this spot felt like a hopeful place to start 2026. The digital communication

channels they describe as “aimed at manipulating our thoughts,

endlessly dividing us” are now, thanks to AI, entering an even more

menacing state of being. We are rapidly approaching a time where the

only way of verifying the “fake” from the “real” (whether it be musical,

visual, or political) will be when we congregate in real time and space.

And that is where danger translates into opportunity. The core work

The WholeNote has done for the past 30 years documenting public

opportunities to congregate for live music, takes on an even greater

significance: an analogue confirmation of our collective humanity in

the face of digital bewilderment.

So for you, our faithful readers, we wish you many “enchanted

moments” of live music in 2026. And welcome to the resistance.

David Perlman can be reached at publisher@thewholenote.com.

PHOTOS: DAILY TOUS LES JOURS DAILY TOUS LES JOURS


´

KOERNER HALL

2025.26 CONCERT SEASON

PRESENTING PERFORMANCE PARTNER:

Gabriela Montero

SUN., JAN.18, 3PM KOERNER HALL

TICKETS START AT $45

An exploration of the westward

migration of Eastern European

composers to Los Angeles for work

in the film industry, coupled with

the delight and buoyancy

of Gabriela Montero’s

classical improvisations,

accompanying

Charlie Chaplin’s

film The Immigrant.

Kishi Bashi

Thurs., Jan.22, 7pm

Koerner Hall

Tickets start at $55

Virtuoso violinist, Berklee

College of Music alumnus,

singer, songwriter, and multiinstrumentalist,

Kishi Bashi

makes his Koerner Hall debut.

Series generously supported by

Michael Foulkes & Linda Brennan

and an anonymous donor

Concert generously supported by

an anonymous donor

Generous additional support provided from

The Michael and Sonja Koerner Fund for

Classical Programming

Your favourite artists.

The Royal Conservatory

Orchestra.

Toronto’s best DJs.

One unforgettable night

at Koerner Hall.

´

Tony Yike Yang and

Friends celebrate

Chinese New Year

FRI., JAN.23, 7PM

KOERNER HALL

TICKETS START AT ONLY $21

Hailed by CBC Music as one of

Canada’s finest young musicians,

pianist Tony Yike Yang performs

an eclectic program which includes

the Ontario premieres of selections

from Vincent Ho’s The Twelve

Chinese Zodiac Animals,

Book 2: Preludes and Fugues.

Jens Lindemann:

Tribute to the

Trumpet Greats

SAT., JAN.24, 8PM

KOERNER HALL

TICKETS START AT $65

The world-renowned virtuoso

pays homage to some of the

greatest trumpet players

in history including Herb

Alpert, Doc Severinsen,

Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis,

Chuck Mangione, and

Chet Baker, accompanied by

Robi Botos, Mike Downes,

Kristian Alexandrov, and a

string ensemble.

Generous support provided from

The Michael and Sonja Koerner

Fund for Classical Programming

Generously supported

In Memory of Robert Calvin

´

TICKETS & SUBSCRIPTIONS ON SALE NOW! 416.408.0208 RCMUSIC.COM/PERFORMANCE

237 BLOOR STREET WEST

(BLOOR ST. & AVENUE RD.) TORONTO

Volume 31 Issue 3 - January & February 2026

Transform your PDFs into Flipbooks and boost your revenue!

Volume 31 Issue 3 - January & February 2026

Transform your PDFs into Flipbooks and boost your revenue!

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