Volume 25 Issue 4 - December 2019 / January 2020

25 th SEASON!
Vol 25 No 4
DECEMBER 2019 / JANUARY 2020
CONCERT LISTINGS
FEATURES | REVIEWS
DEC/JAN
COMBINED ISSUE!
BEHIND THE SCENES
And the trombone shall sound?
The orchestra librarian’s nightmare
NEW MUSIC
The art of falling
Laurie Anderson at 21C
IN CONVERSATION
Scarlatti and beyond
Pianist Lucas Debargue
REARVIEW MIRROR
Merry, um, holidays!
Toronto Symphony Orchestra

December 31 • 7:00 pm
O C
S
C
Michelangelo Mazza
conductor
Karine
Babajanyan
soprano
Maria Kataeva
mezzo soprano
Luc Robert
tenor
A glamourous start to
New Year’s Eve, with final
bows at 9:30 pm, leaving plenty
of time for a midnight toast!
Michele Kálmándy
baritone
Celebrate New Year’s
Tickets: 416.872.4255
roythomsonhall.com
European Singers, Ballroom Dancers & Ballet
Enjoy Waltzes & Operetta Hits
Strauss Symphony of Canada
January 1 • 2:30 pm
Michael Zehetner, conductor (Vienna)
Micaëla Oeste, soprano (Berlin)
Tilmann Unger, tenor (Munich)
Co-presented by Attila Glatz Concert Productions and Roy Thomson Hall
Media Partner:

2019/20
Season
HANDEL
Elisa Citterio, Music Director
MESSIAH
Directed by Ivars Taurins
Margot Rood, soprano
Lucile Richardot, mezzo-soprano
Thomas Hobbs, tenor
Peter Harvey, baritone
Tafelmusik Chamber Choir
Dec 17–20, 2019
KOERNER HALL, TELUS CENTRE
Sing-Along
MESSIAH
Directed by Mr. Handel
Dec 21, 2019 at 2pm
ROY THOMSON HALL
tafelmusik.org
'Ev'ry Valley shall be Exalted' (from Messiah):
$1 per Messiah ticket goes to revitalizing the Don River Valley for the Toronto community
Flock, detail, Krzysztof Browko
In partnership with:
tafelmusik.org
UP NEXT
GONE WITH
THE WINDS
SPECIAL CHOIR EVENT
MORE
BACH
MOTETS
Jan 16-19, 2020
Jeanne Lamon Hall
Jan 25, 2020
Jeanne Lamon Hall
Wind music featuring
Mozart, Beethoven & Rossini
Bach family motets + suites
for solo cello

Wednesday February 26, 2020
8:00pm Concert | 7:15pm Pre-Concert Chat | Koerner Hall
Electric
& Eclectic
Sunday March 22, 2020
8:00pm Concert | 7:15pm Pre-Concert Chat | Koerner Hall
Taiko
Returns
April 16th–18th
Trinity St. Paul’s Centre
New Wave Festival
Subscribers entitled to FREE ADMISSION for New Wave Events!
A rendezvous, bridge, crucible, showcase, interface for young
composers, performers, and audiences. More details coming soon!
ESPRIT
ORCHESTRA
Buy Tickets
espritorchestra.com
Koerner Hall Box Office
416 408 0208
Season Sponsor
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Alex Pauk, Founding Music Director & Conductor

2504_DecCover.indd 1
2019-11-20 3:55 PM
ON OUR COVER
25th SEASON!
Vol 25 No 4
Volume 25 No 4 | December 2019 / January 2020
TAKING YOU INTO
DECEMBER 2019 / JANUARY 2020
CONCERT LISTINGS
FEATURES | REVIEWS
DEC/JAN
COMBINED ISSUE!
BEHIND THE SCENES
And the trombone shall sound?
The orchestra librarian’s nightmare
NEW MUSIC
The art of falling
Laurie Anderson at 21C
IN CONVERSATION
Scarlatti and beyond
Pianist Lucas Debargue
REARVIEW MIRROR
Merry, um, holidays!
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
PHOTO: JAG GUNDU
FEATURES
Photographer Jag Gundu has been working with the Toronto
Symphony Orchestra for a number of years and says that
things definitely have become easier over time as they get to
know him, as trust gets built and his presence becomes part
of the routine. During concerts he has to be very low-key and
inconspicuous, keeping to the perimeter, so the options are
more limited. But in rehearsal photos, like this one, it’s easy to
get in very close without disrupting things. “Shooting while
they are playing, whether in performance or rehearsal, is
great because that way it’s all more natural. There’s a flow that
really comes through.”
the latest releases from
ATMA Classique.
7 OPENER | Simple Gifts,
Period | DAVID PERLMAN
8 BEHIND THE SCENES |
And the Trombone Shall
Sound? | GARY CORRIN
12 NEW MUSIC | Laurie
Anderson and The Art of
Falling | WENDALYN BARTLEY
16 TURNING POINTS |
Cheryl Duvall | DAVID JAEGER
20 MUSICAL THEATRE |
Bend It Like Beckham:
The Musical | JENNIFER PARR
22 IN CONVERSATION |
Pianist Lucas Debargue |
PAUL ENNIS
77 WE ARE ALL MUSIC’S
CHILDEN | MJ BUELL
102 REARVIEW MIRROR |
Merry, Um, Holiday! |
ROBERT HARRIS
ACD2 2777
Les SONS
et les parfums...
Tailleferre | Fauré | Poulenc | Chabrier | Debussy | Ravel
Janina Fialkowska
piano
ACD2 2766
3 CD
MOZART
e
Quintettes dédiés à Haydn
Pentaèdre
ACD2 2756
ACD2 3021
ACD2 2784
ACD2 2783
12

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THANKS TO THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS
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Matthew Whitfield
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BEAT BY BEAT
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MENAKA SWAMINATHAN
36 Classical & Beyond |
PAUL ENNIS
39 In with the New |
WENDALYN BARTLEY
42 On Opera | DAVID PERLMAN
44 Music Theatre | JENNIFER PARR
46 Bandstand | JACK MACQUARRIE
71 Mainly Clubs, Mostly Jazz |
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LISTINGS
48 A | Concerts in the GTA
64 B | Concerts Beyond the GTA
69 C | Music Theatre
71 D | In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz)
73 E | The ETCeteras
DISCOVERIES:
RECORDINGS REVIEWED
79 Editor’s Corner | DAVID OLDS
81 Strings Attached |
TERRY ROBBINS
83 Keyed In | PAMELA MARGLES,
IVANA POPOVICH, ADAM SHERKIN,
ROGER KNOX
86 Vocal
88 Classical and Beyond
90 Modern and Contemporary
93 Jazz and Improvised Music
97 Pot Pourri
98 Something in the Air |
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100 Old Wine, New Bottles |
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FOR OPENERS | DAVID PERLMAN
Simple Gifts, Period
Very few topics stir the emotions of copy editors and proofreaders
quite as much as the place and placement of the comma
in written English. At The WholeNote we don’t quite come to
blows about it, but only because we’re either too busy wrestling the
next magazine into the dipping tank or, after the fact, too damned
tired to fight. The formula: the number of correct opinions on whether
or not to use any clearly optional comma is equal to the number of
copy editors and proofreaders who examine the instance, plus one:
the “plus one” being that the editor-in-chief, moi, is free to change
his mind and does, resorting to quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson (A
foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds) or Oscar Wilde
(Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative) whenever
pressed, by a crew member close to counselling mutiny, to explain
why what was perfectly OK two pages ago suddenly isn’t.
As to the definition of a “clearly optional comma,” and when it
should be placed inside or outside quotation marks, these are questions
which, if I am ever going to get to the point of all this, will have
to be left for another day.
The point? That if I, dancing with my angels during the bright
midday of my editorial soul, pause to examine my own fascination
with the comma, what it all boils down to is whether in any specific
context its use either helps or hinders the reader’s ability to hear the
voice of the writer, including when and where they pause, or not,
either to catch breath or to caress some particular phrase.
It’s analogous, perhaps, to the choices a conductor must make
in terms of when to use a baton or set it aside, when to hold the
orchestra tightly by the hand in order to help it across a busy street,
or when letting it run free is the greater gift. Or perhaps it’s like
the difference between the sound of a choir where the singers are
grouped by voice type, rank and file, and the sound of an opera chorus
where little heterogeneous knots of singers deploy all over the stage
in the service of the story being told. Or like the difference between
the sound of a “Hallelujah” chorus, or Frosty the Snowman for that
matter, emanating from a sing-along audience, compared to the same
things being sung by the choir on the stage.
For me it’s all about voices: about the way our writers make room
wherever possible for the words of the people they are writing about;
and about the extent to which their own individual voices shine
through in what they write: whether, like me, they are vicarious
observers of the scene or, as many are, passionate practitioners of
the things they write about. Nothing gives me greater pleasure at
moments like this, giving the pages about to go to press one final read,
than hearing in my mind their individual voices, blending into a great
collective musical murmuring from the heart, rising from these pages.
This struggle and friendship is very satisfying to watch, as
well as fun. I got that first library job in Phoenix. “The reason
I really love the stars, is because we cannot hurt them.” This
time it’s a special project for her, one in which she’s invested
her creativity on many levels. (It’s also been a special project
for me.) Given my carol obsession, I guess I should be sympathetic
to these arguments – but I’m not sympathetic to them at
all. “Everything: concision, precision, savagery, nobility, discomfort,
freedom, knowledge, sweetness... These words are more
relevant to this music than to any other.” During the customary
playing of The Last Post from the rear of the chapel, I was
stunned to hear a real bugle, not a trumpet, being played, in
full uniform, by the bugler from The Queen’s Own Rifles Band,
flawlessly and with beautiful tone. Speaking about children
and sing-along Messiahs reminds me, in a topsy-turvy roundabout
way, of a column I recently wrote … One rarely hears such
candour expressed by an up-and-coming performer. Messing
with Winterreise is a growing and delightful industry within
classical music performance. That the work had the incipient
power to make me care enough to be pissed off about its deficiencies
is a big deal though. Our neighbourhoods begin to look
like those in cheesy TV movies, though perhaps without the
requisite miracles. Listen to how the songs you know are transformed,
revivified, re-presented in ways that break the cynical
purgatorial cycle of streaming-platform playlists, emerging,
finally, alive again.
Finally, here’s jazz columnist Steve Wallace on the act of giving
inherent in jazz: The exchange is circular, as there is an unspoken
pact between jazz players and their audience which goes something
like this: give us your attention, your ears, and we musicians will
give you our very best – or at least try to – and make some music, out
of thin air.
To all our contributors who month in and month out throw your
voices into the thin air, and to all our readers who give us your ears,
thank you for your gifts.
publisher@thewholenote.com
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Publication Date
Tuesday January 28 (online)
Thursday January 30
(print edition)
Volume 25 No 5 “February 2020”
will list events
February 1, 2020 to March 7, 2020
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thewholenote.com December 2019 / January 2020 | 7

BEHIND THE SCENES
The TSO trombone section - Gordon Wolfe, centre
The Trombone
Shall Sound?
Mozart’s Handel’s Messiah
An Orchestra Librarian’s Nightmare
GARY CORRIN
JAG GUNDU
For many North American orchestras, playing in
the pit for ballet performances of Tchaikovsky’s
Nutcracker is a common holiday tradition. This
was my experience, first as a clarinetist and then as an
orchestra librarian. My first encounter with Messiah as
a professional, however, was during my interview for
the librarian position of the Phoenix Symphony when I
was asked, “What edition do you like for the Messiah?”
It is an extraordinarily complex question – much more
so than I would have known at the time. I managed to
offer up something I’d learned from a couple of singalong
Messiahs I had attended – the organizer cautioning
the audience/performers about the different numbering
systems in various publications. But over the succeeding
30 years I have learned that there is much more to it than
that, as I hope to share with you in this article.
The complexity begins with the fact that George Frideric Handel was
a German who spent the last 49 years of his life in London and achieved
his greatest successes there. He composed Messiah – in English – in
1742 and, over the next several years, conducted it 13 times. As might
be expected, these performances featured varying casts of vocal soloists,
so during those years Handel rewrote several of the solo pieces to
better suit these different voices. With its extraordinary popularity (and
copyright protection still in its infancy) came many publications of
the music, each with its own system of organizing and numbering the
content. Moreover, because of its timeless story and memorable tunes,
Messiah became the object of updates by several composers (including
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) who made new orchestrations to capture
an expressive sonority more in keeping with their time. The TSO’s own
Sir Andrew Davis is the most recent example of this.
Let’s pause right here to consider the things that could go wrong
at a first rehearsal. The conductor might ask for “No. 44,” at which
the chorus (reading from the Watkins Shaw edition) would sing,
“Hallelujah!” while the alto and tenor soloists (reading from the
Bärenreiter edition of the Handel version) would launch into “O Death,
Where is Thy Sting?” and the orchestra (reading from Bärenreiter parts
of the Mozart version) would chime in, “We don’t have a number 44!”
Even worse, the additional flutes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, trombones,
tuba and percussion (variously required for versions by Mozart, Prout,
Beecham or Davis) might not even show up! There are, in fact, so many
performance variables that it really is necessary for each conductor to
have a set of parts marked to his or her specifications.
I got that that first library job in Phoenix, and that fall was
presented with a score of Messiah into which the conductor had
entered thousands of performance indications, which I was obliged
to transfer into the parts (first ensuring, of course, that the soloists,
chorus and orchestra would all be performing from that same
edition). It took a couple weeks of constant work, but I vividly
8 | December 2019 / January 2020 thewholenote.com

Long before there was a Toronto Symphony, choral music
was the dominant force in this city’s musical life. The
first performance of Handel’s Messiah in Toronto took
place in February 1873 and the founding of the Toronto
Mendelssohn Choir predates that of the Toronto Symphony
by some 28 years. In his history of the Toronto Symphony,
Begins with the Oboe, Richard Warren suggests that it was
the desire for a better orchestra to accompany oratorio
performances that was partly responsible for the formation
of a regular orchestra. The TSO and TMC collaborated to
perform Messiah first in 1936, again in 1948 and have done
so nearly every Christmas season since.
remember the conductor’s delight when he came to the library,
opened the second violin part to a particular page and found his
performance instructions copied there.
Messiah at the TSO
When I arrived for my first day at the Toronto Symphony in
January 1992, I was greeted by a menacingly sizable pile of eraser bits
on a corner of my new workstation – the remains of the TSO’s most
recent performance of Messiah. At the same time, I learned that we
would be performing it every year. And only a few weeks later, while
sorting through old files, I came across a newspaper article about
one of my predecessors, John Van Vugt, Librarian for the Toronto
Symphony from 1923 to 1967. The title, in large bold letters was,
“Toronto Symphony Librarian Has Nightmares.” It made for a somewhat
ominous beginning.
I should say, however, that my experiences with Messiah at the TSO
have not always been difficult. On several occasions, for instance,
Elmer Iseler, director of the TMC, led our performances using a set of
parts that had been marked and remained unchanged for many years.
“Unchanged,” I should say, except for an accumulation of cartoons drawn
in the first oboe part by our former principal oboe, Perry Bauman.
Tuesday December 17 at 8 pm
Jonathan Plowright
Tuesday January 9 at 8 pm
Miró Quartet
Pre-concert talk at 7:15 pm
Thursday January 30 at 8 pm
St. Lawrence Quartet
with Stephen Prutsman
Pre-concert talk at 7:15 pm
27 Front Street East, Toronto
Tickets: 416-366-7723 | music-toronto.com
A couple of Perry Bauman oboe score cartoons
(from The Trumpet Shall Sound and For Unto Us a Child Is Born).
You’ll have to use your imagination for He Was Cut Off. — GC
thewholenote.com December 2019 / January 2020 | 9

Mozart’s Messiah
This year is less routine. The TSO has engaged Alexander Shelley,
music director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, to conduct
Mozart’s orchestration of Messiah. This eliminates a wide range of
issues, but by no means all. Mozart’s Messiah is originally sung in
German. Shelley wants English, but his preferred edition (Bärenreiter)
does not produce a score with English text. For the chorus, this is no
problem, since the choruses retain the same music and bar count as
Handel’s original. TMC members can read from their familiar parts
with a list that converts the Bärenreiter numbers to Watkins Shaw.
Parts for the vocal soloists are, however, more complicated. Mozart
chose some of Handel’s standard voice assignments, but also some of
his optional ones. Most of these can be taken from the original Handel
vocal score and its Appendix. So far, so good – until you get to an alto
aria reassigned to the bass (the clef doesn’t work) or “The Trumpet
Shall Sound” in which measures are deftly omitted, and the whole is
rescored with horns taking prominence. In these cases, it was necessary
to replace the German text with English in the Mozart vocal
score. Sometimes matching the syllables is quite a challenge.
The TSO’s principal trombone, Gord Wolfe, had no idea what he was
getting into when he first encountered the Mozart Messiah – in more
ways than one.
In keeping with the orchestras of his time, Mozart augmented Handel’s
instrumentation by two flutes, two clarinets, one bassoon, two horns and
three trombones, so players who might usually have enjoyed an extra
holiday week are obliged to work. Trombones appear in only three short
movements of the full score, however it was the performance practice
of Mozart’s time that the three trombones would reinforce the alto,
tenor and bass voices in all the choruses. Only a remark in the critical
commentary, printed in a separate volume of the Bärenreiter edition,
points to this. Bärenreiter doesn’t even print complete trombone parts.
Quite ironically, the “trombone” does appear in the German title of
“The Trumpet Shall Sound,” [Sie schallt, die Posaun’]. (In the German
tradition, the trombone is the instrument of the last judgment, and
Mozart would again use it as such in his Requiem.)
A Match Made by Mozart
Messiah is, as Elmer Iseler was fond of saying, a “big sing” for the
chorus and nobody knew that better than Gord at the end of the first
rehearsal. As he looked skyward in exhaustion, his eyes wandered over
to the choir loft where Stephanie Fung, an alto in the TMC who was
also singing her first Mozart Messiah, happened to be looking back.
“Oh, she’s cute,” Gord thought to himself. He looked for her on the
subway, but she was living in Markham at the time and had driven.
By some electronic holiday miracle, they booked a coffee before the
final concert – and then agreed to a drink afterward. That was 13 years
ago – the last time the TSO performed the Mozart Messiah. Steph and
Gord got married in 2009 so in performing together again in these
concerts they are celebrating the anniversary of their meeting.
On the topic of “Orchestra Librarian Nightmares,” next month the
TSO will be giving four performances of Mozart’s Requiem - a work
left unfinished at Mozart’s death
and which exists in completed
versions by Süssmayr, Robbins
Landon, Beyer, Maunder, Levin,
and Druce. If you want to see and
hear how it goes – the Süssmayr
version, that is – come to Roy
Thomson Hall on January 15,16,17
or 18, 2020: tso.ca/concerts.
Gary Corrin is principal
librarian of the Toronto
Symphony Orchestra, would-be
scholar and eternal romantic.
He met his wife, Ingrid Martin, a
soprano with the Canadian
Opera Company Chorus, at
“Bravissimo!” the annual New
Year’s Eve opera gala at RTH –
but that’s another story.
Gordon Wolfe and Stephanie Fung
Gary Corrin in the Toronto
Symphony Orchestra library
EMMA BADAME
God is in the Trombone
The trombone is said to have been invented in the middle of the
15th century, but until the 18th century was called a “saqueboute”
(in French) or a “sackbut” (in English). Originally it was closely
associated with Christian church music and for this reason was
often used to symbolize God or supernatural phenomena when it
began to be used for other kinds of music during the 18th century.
Mozart is said to have picked up on this from Gluck and Salieri.
In the impressive solo at the end of Mozart’s Requiem, the trombone
announces the Last Judgment. And when Don Giovanni
is sent to hell for his life of debauchery, the trombone is used to
portray a supernatural force that reaches beyond human intellect.
In Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony the trombone represents the
powerlessness of man in the face of nature during the fourth movement
which depicts a thunderstorm, and in the fifth movement the
trombone voices mankind’s gratitude toward God.
10 | December 2019 / January 2020 thewholenote.com

presents
THE MUCH
AWAITED
RETURN OF
Pianist
Lucas
DEBARGUE
SCARLATTI • MEDTNER • LISZT • RAVEL
JANUARY 16, 8 PM
KOERNER HALL
THE ROYAL CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC
There hasn’t been a foreign pianist who has caused such a stir since Glenn Gould’s arrival in
Moscow in the midst of the Cold War, or Van Cliburn’s victory at the Tchaikovsky Competition.”
Huffington Post
“Like a young Rimbaud, his touch is poetic and full of dazzling musical imagery – slightly dangerous even.”
Michael Vincent,, Toronto Star
TICKETS: Rcmusic.com • ShowOneProductions.ca • 416-408-0208

NEW MUSIC
THE ART OF
FALLING
Laurie
Anderson
at 21C
WENDALYN BARTLEY
EBRU YILDIZ
Deep in the heart of Toronto’s upcoming winter, the
poignant and idiosyncratic composer, violinist,
singer, filmmaker, storyteller and electronics
virtuoso, Laurie Anderson, will be appearing at the
seventh edition of the Royal Conservatory’s 21C Music
Festival. The Art of Falling is the title she is giving
this sold-out performance happening on January 18
at Koerner Hall, and during a recent interview I had
an opportunity to ask her about what to expect that
evening. We also discussed other works that are being
programmed as part of the festival: her film Heart of
a Dog, her virtual reality piece To The Moon, and her
string quartet Standing Island.
As to whether or not Anderson considers The Art of Falling a new
work is something she herself questions: “I don’t know to what extent
it will be a brand-new work or to what extent it will be a collection of
things. So much of what I do looks back and forward at the same time,
and so it will probably be something like that. And then again it might
go another direction too.” However, one aspect of this performance she
is unquestionably excited about is the opportunity to work with cellist
Rubin Kodheli. “He’s just an amazing musician and it’s a huge amount
of fun to improvise with him. I’m leaving a lot of accordion-like room
in this piece for us to do things that go off the track a little bit and take
their own time. I never used to have the nerve to do that, so I’m really
happy to make things a little bit more luxurious in that way.”
Even the question of using projected images that are often part of
her performances is unresolved. She is preparing some to use, but
they might get edited out. “Sometimes I think: how about people
just listen to this one. So we’ll see.” Musically, she’ll be using her
familiar electronic setup that includes iPads, laptops, foot pedals and
microphones, as well her electric string instrument which, although
considered a violin in the world of its maker Ned Steinburger, is more
like a viola with its low C string “which I like very much because it
gives you access to a couple octaves down when used with the electronics.
You can really get into double bass land with this instrument.
It’s just a thrill to play down there.”
Later on in our conversation, she offers a few glimpses into what
elements may appear in the Toronto performance of The Art of
Falling. In September of 2019, she along with musicians Tenzin
Choegyal, Jesse Paris Smith, Rubin Kodheli and Shahzad Ismaily
released an album titled Songs from the Bardo. This recording grew
out of an improvisational performance at the Rubin Museum of Art
in 2014, and offers an 80-minute meditation on mortality, through
word and sound, designed to help people face the challenges of being
alive at this time. The chanted and spoken texts are a translation of the
Tibetan Book of the Dead, also called Liberation Through Hearing,
and are designed to guide one through the experiences the consciousness
has after death while in the bardo, the interval between death
and the next rebirth. An adapted version from this album arranged for
two instruments (violin and cello) along with electronics may appear
in The Art of Falling, she told me.
As well, Anderson’s Toronto performance may include a duet
version of her orchestral piece, Amelia, a piece she created using
texts from the legendary Amelia Earhart’s pilot logs and the telegrams
Earhart sent to her husband. These excepts appear alongside
Anderson’s imaginings of Earhart’s experiences while flying solo, with
the constant sound of the plane’s engine in her ears. Earhart was the
first woman to fly nonstop and alone across the Atlantic in 1932, but
disappeared without a trace during her voyage around the world five
years later. Recently, on November 13, an updated version of this piece
was performed by the Brno Philharmonic in the Czech Republic with
duets by Anderson and Kodheli.
12 | December 2019 / January 2020 thewholenote.com

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LE NOUVEL ENSEMBLE MODERNE
LORRAINE VAILLANCOURT
CONDUCTOR

Laurie Anderson amidst the Kronos Quartet in
Chicago after performing Landfall (2015).
Heart of a Dog (2015)
In addition to the Koerner Hall performance, her 2016 film Heart
of a Dog will be screened at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema on
January 19, followed by a Q&A with Anderson present. This work is a
contemplation on the themes of death and loss, and includes excerpts
from the Tibetan Book of the Dead. This time however, her reflections
are delivered through the perspective of her beloved rat terrier,
Lolabelle. And why her dog? “Everyone thinks they have a special
dog, and everyone does because dogs are so empathetic. I felt that
way about my dog and wanted to try and see if I could learn to talk
to her in some way. That was the motivation of all the adventures
we had together, and that’s what the film is about.” One delightful
scene occurs when Lolabelle takes up keyboard playing alongside
Anderson’s music; while in an animated sequence that opens the film,
Anderson’s “dream self” attempts to re-birth Lolabelle. She covers
a great deal of ground in the film, with references to JFK, subversive
software, millennialism, the emotional tone of NYC after 9/11,
and to stories about individuals she has known who have passed over,
including her late husband Lou Reed (who died in 2013,the same year
as Lolabelle), and to whom the film is dedicated.
To the Moon, Laurie Anderson’s recent virtual reality installation, will
be showing at the Royal Ontario Museum from January 11 to 25. She
originally created the work in collaboration with Taiwanese artist Hsin-
Chien Huang, with whom she has worked since 1995, for the Louisiana
Museum of Modern Art in Copenhagen for an exhibit to mark the 50th
anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. “They wanted different
artists to create something about the moon and said to us ‘Make your
own moon. We don’t need a scientific moon. Make a version of it yourself.’
That took the pressure off having to represent anything that was
real, so it was fun to make something like that.” The result is a 15-minute
headset journey towards the moon, with whispered commentary from
Anderson, in part on the state of our planet and our worsening impact
on it. Passing through fields of space debris, the astronaut avatar metamorphoses;
the journey becomes progressively more and more of an
“out of body” experience, fuelled by a mix of fear, anger, exhilaration
and whimsy, to a moon that is at one and the same time a dystopic
dumping ground for plastics and nuclear waste, and the stuff that
dreams, and nightmares, are made of. “The reason I really love the stars,”
Anderson says at one point, “is because we cannot hurt them.”
21C Festival-goers will also have an opportunity earlier in the day
on January 18 to hear Anderson’s 2017 string quartet Shutter Island,
commissioned by the Kronos Quartet as part of their Fifty for the
Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire initiative. As part of the 2016
edition of 21C, Kronos premiered another work from this project,
Sivunittinni (The future children) by Tanya Tagaq, and included Laurie
Anderson’s Flow on this program. Anderson’s collaboration with the
quartet began shortly after the release of her 2010 Homeland album
that led ultimately to her string quartet, Landfall. Their collaboration
entailed improvisations that Anderson initially recorded and subsequently
refined to use in the composition of Landfall. It was this style
of playing that Anderson utilized in Shutter Island. “I was able to
really appreciate the nuance they would put into things. For example,
when playing harmonics, they would pay such strict and beautiful
attention to that, it was easier to say ‘Play harmonics for three bars’
and trust they will make something special.” During the festival, this
work will be performed by musicians from the Glenn Gould School
in a concert that will include pieces by Christos Hatzis, Kaija Saariaho
and a world premiere by Ryan Davis.
My conversation with Anderson ended with her talking about an
event she had just participated in the previous day – a free talk titled
The Size of the Con commissioned by the Brooklyn Public Library.
Audience members were given a copy of the talk in the form of a chapbook
which they used for small group discussions afterwards, a format
Anderson prefers over such activities as the panel discussions or Q&A’s
that happen after a concert performance. One theme of that talk, she
explained, was about how stories influence our lives. “Governments are
like storytelling machines – you figure out which story you like the best,
or which is the most true, and then you vote for that storyteller. The talk
was also about stories that are very difficult to be told; the main one
that is haunting everybody is, of course, climate change. That is a story
that people are terrified to try to tell. It’s a story that has so much fear
and awe in it – the possibility of human extinction.”
Anderson, as storyteller, has never flinched or turned away from
addressing the most pressing concerns of our times, and her influence
as an artist cuts across genres, freely using and combining elements
from diverse art forms. In looking for how her work may have influenced
the local musical community over the years, I found myself
going beyond those boundaries to find some answers. A teacher of
performance art at OCAD, Johanna Householder, mentioned to me
that in the 1990s she inspired her students by introducing them to one
of Anderson’s early pieces where Anderson played the violin while
wearing skates frozen in a block of ice. She also cited Anderson’s
pioneering CD-ROM pieces as being influential to students studying
media-based art practices.
Rob Bowman, a
professor in popular
music studies at York
University, talked about
Anderson’s groundbreaking
work with
interactive technologies.
In my view, the gift
of Laurie Anderson’s
artistic practice is the
way she has combined,
Duets on Ice
and continues to explore, diverse and often complex elements to
create a simple and direct commentary on the multifaceted questions
of life. When one looks around at the plethora of current artistic
expression, one finds traces everywhere of how her quest to bring
meaningful insight on contemporary living has been intuitively
absorbed into 21st-century artistic language and practices.
TONY LEWIS
14 | December 2019 / January 2020 thewholenote.com

21C FESTIVAL PREMIERES
This year’s 21C Music Festival will include eight concerts over three weekends,
from Saturday, January 11, to Saturday, January 25, 2020, including the opportunity
to hear several premieres of new compositions.
In the Afterhours Concert on January 11, violinist Véronique Mathieu and
pianist Stephanie Chua perform the Canadian premiere of Four Seasons by
Alice Ping Yee Ho, and the world premiere of a new work by Odawa First Nation
composer, Barbara Croall.
January 19 sees the Glenn Gould School New Music Ensemble presenting a
concert to honour the late American-Canadian composer Michael Colgrass,
a longtime Toronto residentIn addition to performing his 1999 composition
Hammer and Bow - A Fantasy for Violin and Marimba, they will also present a
world premiere by Bekah Simms titled Bestiary I & II for soprano, ensemble
and electronics.
On January 24, guest conductor Zakir Hussain from the National Symphony
Orchestra of India leads the Royal Conservatory Orchestra in a world premiere
performance of American John Patitucci’s Hypocrisy for orchestra and jazz
trio as well as the Canadian premiere of his own tabla concerto, Peshkar.
A commissioned work, Fronteras (Borders) by Panamanian jazz pianist and
composer Danilo Pérez, receives its Canadian premiere on January 25 during
a concert in which Pérez leads musicians from Palestine, Greece, Jordan,
and Panama. And the world premiere of Canadian saxophonist Allison Au’s
piece, Migrations, will be performed during the same evening by the Allison Au
Quartet and vocalist Laila Biali.
Wendalyn Bartley is a Toronto-based composer and
electro-vocal sound artist. sounddreaming@gmail.com.
Zakir Hussain
Danilo Pérez
JIM MCGUIRE
Konstantinos
Valianatos
with André Mehmari, Roger D. Moore
Distinguished Visitor in Composition
Penderecki String Quartet
January 12 to 21, 2020 | 80 Queen’s Park, Toronto
10 day free celebration of new music
Festival guest artists include Emmanuele Baldini,
Konstantinos Valianatos, Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa and
the Penderecki String Quartet.
Rachel Kiyo
Iwaasa
Emmanuele
Baldini
MUSIC.UTORONTO.CA | @UOFTMUSIC
thewholenote.com December 2019 / January 2020 | 15

TURNING POINTS
CHERYL
DUVALL
From
Harbour Launch
To Innermost
Songs
DAVID JAEGER
SHAYNE GRAY
On Sunday evening, December 8 at 8:30, pianist,
impresario and all-around creative spark plug,
Cheryl Duvall, is doing something at the Tranzac
Club she’s never done before: launching her first fulllength
recording as a piano soloist. It’s not that she hasn’t
been in the recording studio numerous times, but this
time it’s a special project for her, one in which she’s
invested her creativity on many levels. (It’s also been a
special project for me.)
The title of the CD, Harbour, is taken from a major new work by
Victoria-based composer Anna Höstman, commissioned by Duvall
expressly for this project. Duvall told me that when she first encountered
Höstman’s music in 2012, “I was immediately drawn to her
poetic use of harmony, texture and time, as well as her unexpected
melodic turns. I found myself inspired to create pianistic colours that
would help evoke the different atmospheres in her music.” Duvall
and violinist Ilana Waniuk, had co-founded the Thin Edge New Music
Collective in 2011, and they had commissioned Höstman to create a
chamber work for their series. Duvall said, “I loved puzzling my way
through her fascinating uses of rhythms and counterpoint, which
often went from static and sparse to jumbled and tangled within
moments. Since then I have performed at least 15 of her works in
different contexts, and premiered at least seven or eight. She is very
inventive in how she approaches the piano and I feel I am witness to
her ever-evolving relationship with the instrument.”
The broader story of Duvall’s incessant commissioning activity lies
in her experience with the Thin Edge New Music Collective (TENMC).
In its first nine years of operating, TENMC has commissioned 70
new works, a remarkable number for such a small, young organization.
Some of these can be heard on a recording I produced in 2017,
one which Duvall co-organized and co-supervised, Raging Against
the Machine, which features TENMC, alongside the Montreal group,
Ensemble Paramirabo. That recording includes music by American
composer Steve Reich, Dutch composer Louis Andriessen, Canadians
Patrick Giguère, Brian Harman, and, not surprisingly, Anna Höstman.
That recording is available on the Red Shift label at redshiftmusicsociety.bandcamp.com.
This latest recording, Harbour (for which I was, again, happy to serve
as producer) is also available on the Red Shift label, and is a complete
collection of the works for solo piano by Höstman. Harbour, the title
work, is also the longest composition on the recording, a sprawling,
26-minute work that weaves its way through a varied musicscape of
textures, themes, counterpoints and dynamic shadings that leaves
the listener filled with a multiplicity of experiences. The scale and
complexity of Harbour is thrust starkly into relief by the much simpler,
perhaps gentler qualities of the works that surround it. Harbour is
available as both a CD and digital download at: redshiftrecords.org.
The very first commissions for TENMC, Duvall freely acknowledges,
were born out of necessity, to fill repertoire gaps for the available
instrumentation, but they have become a major part of her activities
as co-artistic director of TENMC, as well as in her solo endeavours.
“I loved puzzling my way through her fascinating
uses of rhythms and counterpoint, which often
went from static and sparse to jumbled and
tangled within moments.” — Cheryl Duvall
“They were an exciting step,” she says. “Being the very first person to
hear a piece of music is a fascinating experience and a huge artistic
risk in many ways. You never know what you are going to get and
what challenges you’ll face in the process – but this keeps me motivated,
the constant element of surprise and the always evolving directions
and concepts that different composers are exploring.”
Duvall’s partner in TENMC, Ilana Waniuk tells their story in somewhat
more practical terms. “Cheryl and I decided that we wanted
not only to create a means of exploring/performing contemporary
chamber music on our own terms, but to actively take part in the
commissioning and development of new works,” Waniuk says.
“Starting an ambitious project with limited funds and minimal prior
16 | December 2019 / January 2020 thewholenote.com

administrative experience is an amazing litmus test for the strength
of a collaborator. Cheryl’s passion, tenacity, creative vision and willingness
to take artistic risks was apparent from the outset and has
carried us through nine seasons and counting. Together, we have
tackled scores which have required us to decipher highly complex/
individualistic notation, interpret light sculptures, operate on musical
instruments wearing hospital scrubs and explore virtual sonic worlds
through interactive video game technology ... Perhaps even more
importantly, as a collaborator, she makes it a conscious priority to
ensure that her fellow artists have a safe and welcoming space within
which they can create and rehearse. ”
Anna Höstman echoes Waniuk’s observations about Duvall’s
strengths as a collaborator. “On the one hand, Cheryl has an amazing
ability to crystallize fragments of tumbling when they occur in my
music, allowing direction and impulse to shift with swift fluidity,” she
says. “On the other hand, one sinks into the warm timbre and depth
of feeling she achieves in more shadowed, tender passages. Cheryl is
a remarkably inclusive performer, programmer and thinker – with
energy like a rushing river. She has transformed our Canadian artistic
landscape with her devotion to new music creation.”
Innermost Songs
The concluding track on Harbour is Höstman’s 2019 composition,
Adagio, originally commissioned by Duvall for another of her initiatives,
an upcoming solo piano performance she calls Innermost Songs.
“A year and a half ago,” Duvall explains, “I approached seven Canadian
composers to write new works for me, while I created a documentary
exploring the composer/performer relationship. I chose composers
with completely different aesthetics, processes, sound worlds and
approaches, in order to give my research diversity and scope. Composers
Daniel Brandes, Patrick Giguère, Anna Höstman, Emilie LeBel, James
O’Callaghan, Monica Pearce and Kotoka Suzuki are featured in this
event. There are two pieces with electronics, one with a harmonica,
and another with video, as well as purely acoustic pieces that explore
different aspects of pianism, making an eclectic mix of piano music.”
As wide-ranging as these commissions are, they all refer back
specifically to Duvall, the artist for whom they’re being written. One
example – Monica Pearce describes her work, Silks, as follows: “This
work was written for and dedicated to Cheryl Duvall, a pianist who
has an avid interest in aerial silks. Duvall choreographed, performed
and filmed an aerial silks routine, and for the process of composing,
I mapped each movement of the routine to music. The held poses are
mapped to a series of chords, which were handpicked from my absolute
favourite chords from Romantic/20th-century piano literature
(Brahms, Messiaen, Poulenc, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin). Pearce has
worked with Duvall on many projects over the years. “I’ve written for
Ilana Waniuk
her ensemble, Thin Edge; she has
played in my operas; and so on –
but this was the first time to write
something for her as a soloist.
Knowing her as a good friend as
well as a musical collaborator, I
wanted to write something that
felt very ‘her.’ She is someone
who is always searching and
striving towards musical beauty
and transcendence.”
Innermost Songs will take
place at the Canadian Music
Anna Höstman
Centre, 20 St. Joseph St. in
Toronto on January 16, 2020 at 8pm.
Waniuk gets the last word: “Cheryl is incredibly inventive and has
the ability to examine all facets of an idea, often coming up with
surprising and innovative solutions to complex problems. Whether
insisting we climb Mount Fuji eight hours after arriving in Japan for
a concert tour, or taking aerial silks classes to gain a better understanding
of our ongoing circus/contemporary music project Balancing
on the Edge, she has an adventurous spirit and great sense of humour
– two qualities which I consider essential ingredients in our musical/
artistic partnership. It has been so exciting to watch her branch out
in new directions through her various solo projects. I can’t wait to see
what adventures, artistic and otherwise, await!”
David Jaeger is a composer, producer and broadcaster
based in Toronto.
SHAYNE GRAY
JASMINE VATULOKA
The
Mouths
That
Roar
an evening with Gabriel Dharmoo and Janice Jackson
FRIDAY JANUARY 10, 2020 | The Music Gallery, 918 Bathurst Street | Introduction @ 7:15 | Concert @ 8:00
Works by Jackson, Dharmoo, Derek Charke, Marie Pelletier, Alice Ping Yee Ho and James Rolfe
Reservations 416.961.9594 | www.NewMusicConcerts.com
thewholenote.com December 2019 / January 2020 | 17

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MUSICAL THEATRE
WONDERFUL ALCHEMY
Bend It Like Beckham: The Musical
JENNIFER PARR
BEND IT FILMS
“
Anyone can make aloo gobi, but who can
bend a ball like Beckham?
”
One of the most exciting shows coming up in
December is a new production of Bend It Like
Beckham: The Musical, the musical version of
the beloved hit film by British South Asian filmmaker
Gurinder Chadha. For anyone who loved the movie
this is a must-see event that promises to be both
thrilling and a lot of fun.
What was it about the movie Bend it Like Beckham that resonated
so profoundly on both sides of the Atlantic when it came out
in 2002? Was it the football (soccer)? Yes, in part, particularly in an
exciting World Cup year when the whole world seemed to be mad
about English star player David Beckham; but even more, it was the
universal story of two girls fighting against all odds to follow their
dreams that caught the imagination and hearts of audiences.
Jules – played in the film by Keira Knightley – is a rather bossy,
confident girl who dreams of turning pro. But her mother doesn’t
understand and does everything she can to have her daughter act in
a more ladylike fashion. Jules discovers Jess – played in the film by
Parminder Nagra – playing football in the park and recruits her to join
her girls’ team. Jess, as a younger daughter in a traditional Punjabi
Sikh family, has even tougher obstacles to face, with neither parent
wanting her to play, but instead, to act like a lady, focus on going to
university and learn how to cook traditional Indian dishes such as
aloo gobi. The story is centred on Jess with Jules as the best friend who
encourages her. This struggle and friendship, and the ultimate success
that both girls find – including getting their families to eventually
understand and support them – is very satisfying to watch, as well as
fun. Chadha, the creator, director and co-writer, has a light touch with
her subject matter, and an irreverent, witty hand with the context,
drawing on her own adolescence and struggle to break the rules and
forge a new path.
So successful was the movie’s initial release that, as Chadha told
me, “for the longest time people tried to get [her] to make a sequel,”
something she was never interested in doing. Then, by chance, she
saw the musical version of another hit film, Billy Elliot, and was
struck by how “different and yet the same,” the show was from the
film; here, she thought, might be a way to satisfy people’s longing for
more BILB by exploring the possibility of making a musical version.
Things began to move fairly quickly. She pitched the idea to producer
Sonia Friedman who suggested composer Howard Goodall (Classical
Brit Composer of the Year Winner) and lyricist Charles Hart (Phantom
of the Opera and Aspects of Love); Chadha herself began creating
the new script with her husband and screenwriting partner Paul
Mayeda Berges, then spending intense “wonderful” hours working
with the composer and lyricist, until the show started coming alive –
on the way becoming, Chadha believes, “a much deeper experience
emotionally.”
Composer Goodall echoed much of Chadha’s delight in the working
process and the story when I talked to him, though he told me when
he was first approached that his initial response was, “It was very flattering
to be asked but shouldn’t they be getting an Indian composer
to do it?” He was reassured by the writer and producer saying that
they wanted his expertise in creating musical theatre and that, while
the show “does have a strong Punjabi Bhanghra element to it, it is
20 | December 2019 / January 2020 thewholenote.com

not the only element,” so he said yes. He soon found an associate, “a
wonderful chap named Kuljit Bhamra” who would supply the Indian
percussion and became what Goodall described as “my tutor, in a
way, for the Indian aspect of the score.” This was essential, Goodall
says, to avoid any of the music feeling like a pastiche of another
culture’s sounds; he “passionately wanted to absorb all those influences
and then write from within myself the music that belongs to
each character.”
From the song for Jess’ parents when we first meet the parental
generation, “the ones whose sacrifices made everything possible,”
which is reminiscent of the Indian diaspora, to the lyrical anthemic
solo for Jess, Glorious, which runs through the piece, to the “more
pop-y, thriving rhythmic sounds for the football matches,” all the
music is based on character and story, “not a copy of anything, not
at all anchored to the film’s exact time period, but aiming to create
a musical world that only belongs to this piece – so that it belongs
to these people in this place, to who they are and their feelings at
this moment.”
Part of the process to achieve this goal was the usual one in musical
theatre: holding multiple workshops to zoom in on various aspects of
the show, from a simple piano-and-singers workshop to fine tune the
narrative and score, to a unique workshop where they “got together
with some dancers and the England Women’s Football Team, the
Lionesses, to try and work out how to do the football.”
This, Goodall says, was something that had to be solved through
movement and dance, but it also had to be solved musically and structurally,
“particularly as the great climax of the story, onstage, as in the
film, is when Jess is playing in a final football match at the same time
as her sister is getting married. In a movie you can cut between the
two as much as you like and in the audience’s mind these two things
are happening simultaneously. You can’t really do that onstage. So,
in the end, how we achieved a similar effect was by my creating a
wedding/football final that was one huge piece of music where all the
different songs and themes from the football and Sikh wedding, and
all the other characters from earlier in the story, were interwoven into
a great vertical climax, with everything layered on top of each other
and happening at the same time – and that of course is the wonderful
alchemy of musical theatre.”
This became one of the things the creative team was most proud of
in their original world premiere production in London’s West End in
2015 (that ran for almost a year to full houses and critical acclaim). It
will feature again in the Toronto production currently in rehearsal.
This new production in Toronto came about through an invitation
to Chadha from Canadian Corey Ross, CEO of Starvox
Entertainment, who saw and loved the show in London. Chadha and
the team agreed: as she said, “the movie originally launched at TIFF
years ago, so I thought it was a great idea, and that people in Toronto
would understand and appreciate the sentiments of the show.” The
new production is also giving the creators the chance to fine tune
the musical in preparation for a potential further life on tour in
North America and around the world. To do so they have assembled
a new international team that includes Canadians Madeline Paul
(director), Mark Camilleri (music director), Sue LePage (set designer)
Sean Mulcahy (costume designer), John Lott (sound designer) and –
to heighten the excitement of the football matches – the new choreographic
team of Daniel Ezralow (Sochi Olympics) and Longinus
Fernandes (Slumdog Millionaire). Chadha is overseeing the whole as
artistic producer, and composer Howard Goodall is working with the
team non-stop, though mostly online from London. The cast is also
almost entirely Canadian with a couple of performers from
New York, and one from London.
Bend It Like Beckham: The Musical begins performances on
December 7 and runs to January 5 at the Bluma Appel Theatre at the
St Lawrence Centre: benditmusical.com.
Jennifer Parr is a Toronto-based director, dramaturge, fight director,
and acting coach, brought up from a young age on a rich mix of
musicals, Shakespeare and new Canadian plays.
From L to R: Charles Hart, Gurinder Chadha and Howard Goodall
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thewholenote.com December 2019 / January 2020 | 21

IN CONSERVATION
Scarlatti
and Beyond
PIANIST
Lucas
Debargue
PAUL ENNIS
XIOMARA BENDER
Lucas Debargue has already had a storied career.
When he was 24, he finished fourth in the 2015
Tchaikovsky Piano Competition but, more
importantly, the Moscow Music Critics Association
bestowed their top honours on him as “the pianist whose
performance at the Competition has become an event of
genuine musical significance, and whose incredible gift,
artistic vision and creative freedom have impressed the
critics as well as the audience.”
Immediately SONY signed him to a recording contract. Now he’s
just released his fourth CD for the company – 52 sonatas by Domenico
Scarlatti on four CDs – and he will play ten of them on January 16,
2020 in his fourth appearance in Toronto in less than four years. This,
after sharing a Koerner Hall program with Lukas Geniušas (runner-up
in that same 2015 competition) on April 30, 2016, a TSO debut in
Liszt’s Piano Concerto No.2 in April 2017, and a memorable chamber
music concert with Janine Jansen, Torlief Thedeen and Martin Fröst,
highlighted by Messiaen’s ineffable Quartet for the End of Time in
December 2017. He will make his third Koerner Hall appearance – and
Koerner Hall solo debut – in an impressive program headed by those
ten Scarlatti sonatas. I caught up with him mid-November, via an
email conversation, in Lausanne, Switzerland where he was on tour.
His playing has a spontaneity, an improvisatory quality that
seems to come from getting completely inside the music. “Has this
been a characteristic of your approach from the beginning of your
relationship with the piano?” I asked.
“I always felt that interpretation, improvisation and composition
are the three faces of a healthy musical practice,” he replied.
“Spending eight hours in front of a piano with no interest in the
scores themselves, nor in the musical culture and literature, cinema,
paintings … that always seemed to me like a betrayal of the Arts.
I never think about my relationship with the instrument. I think
about music, and how much more I want to learn about it, to give
more to the people who are in need of Beauty.”
When Debargue was ten in 2000, he writes in the booklet notes
to his Scarlatti CD, and just beginning to play the piano, he was
“devouring one of the early issues of the magazine Pianiste” when he
discovered the shortest of Scarlatti’s 555 sonatas, K431 in G Major.
As he put it, from the beginning there was always something totally
obvious in his relationship with this music.
“I told myself, maybe not now, but I will devote a big part of my
life to this music” he said. “Actually, I couldn’t imagine how right
I was. It’s a visceral reaction, rather than something clicking in
my brain.”
“What was it about Scarlatti’s sonatas that attracted you?” I asked.
“Everything: concision, precision, savagery, nobility, discomfort,
freedom, knowledge, sweetness… These words are more relevant to
this music than to any other.”
He chose the repertoire for the SONY Scarlatti recording by reading
the 11-volume Heugel Edition, the full collection of sonatas (approximately
37 hours of music), several times. “I let my taste lead me in
this.” He selected the ten sonatas for the Toronto recital the way he
always builds a recital program. “It should create the impression of
a little drama, or at least a story,” he said. “Starting gently and going
deeper and deeper.” He chose the tempos and keys to create contrast.
And of course, he added, “These ten are among my favourites.”
As for the overall program selection? “I choose pieces that go
22 | December 2019 / January 2020 thewholenote.com

well together for me
… sensitive logic you
could call it.”
He will follow the
Scarlatti group with
Ravel’s Gaspard de la
nuit, a piece he played in
the second round of the
Tchaikovsky Competition
and on his first SONY
recording, as well as
in his first appearance
in Toronto in 2016.
I asked what it is that
he finds so compelling
about Gaspard.
“It’s one of the few big
masterpieces written
on modern piano,” he
said. “All the techniques
are used there, to create
what I call a pianistic
Sergei Rachmaninoff
trance, and an atmosphere
that is at the same
time magical and scary … It’s a jewel of music writing. Every single
harmony is well thought-out and all construction is insanely precise.
It’s an intellectual and sensual joy to perform this, always a memorable
experience for me …”. Has his approach to it changed over the
years? “Interpretation can never be fixed, otherwise it’s dead music,”
he replied.
As for Medtner’s Sonata in G Minor Op.22 which will follow
the intermission in his Toronto recital: “It’s a very deep and clever
work, impressively compact, considering the density of the musical
material” he said. “The shape is the same as that of the Liszt B-minor
sonata. The subject matter is also quite Faustian, but with a big
Russian touch with the lyrical theme that has a folkish character …
I feel saddened by the lack of recognition for Medtner’s music. He
was a genius of piano writing, very respected by his close friend
Rachmaninoff. They don’t have so much in common: the music of
Medtner really has its own characteristics. It’s important for me to use
the opportunities I have to perform, to share this wonderful music
with the audience …”
Debargue has been playing Liszt’s After a Reading of Dante:
Fantasia quasi Sonata – the piece that concludes his program – for a
long time. “One could wake me up in the middle of the night, I would
perform it with joy! It makes the performer face challenges that are
typical of Liszt’s music: it could easily become a technical demonstration.
But the pianist should overcome this temptation and be like a
conductor on the keyboard, creating the orchestral effects that Liszt
desired and imagined so well through his genius for piano writing.”
If Debargue’s backstory weren’t true, few would believe it as fiction.
He heard the slow movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.21 K467
when he was ten, fell under its spell and into the world of music. He
played a friend’s upright piano by ear before beginning lessons at
11 with his first teacher, Madame Meunier, in the northern French
town of Compiègne. He credits her with helping him to find his way
as an artist, but when he moved to Paris to study literature at Diderot
University – yes, he learned English by reading Joyce’s Ulysses – he
stopped playing piano (“I had no great guide, no one to share great
music with,” he told the BBC), instead turning to the bass guitar as a
musical outlet. After being away from the piano for years, he accepted
an invitation to a competition in his home province. He won, and
began an intense pupil-teacher relationship with Rena Sherevskaya in
Paris at 21. Three years later, he made history.
Now, having just turned 29, his uniqueness as a performer is
becoming more evident with each passing year. “What do you enjoy
about your life as a concert pianist?” I asked. “Stage time, of course,”
was the simple four-word reply. And also, when he’s at home, he
added, working on his programs in order to prepare his next shows.
Back in 2016 I asked him about pianists he admired. “Horowitz,
Bud Powell
Sofronitsky and Gould for their boldness and freedom,” he
replied, then added that no pianist had reached the dimension of
Rachmaninoff’s own playing, and that Sokolov and Pletnev are his
favourite living pianists. And finally: “How can one forget Art Tatum,
Monk, Powell and Erroll Garner?”
So has his relationship with any of these pianists changed since
then, I asked?
“I could repeat exactly what I told you in 2016; this has not
changed at all!”
Show One Productions presents Lucas Debargue in his Toronto solo
debut in Koerner Hall, January 16, 2020 at 8pm.
Paul Ennis is the managing editor of The WholeNote.
thewholenote.com December 2019 / January 2020 | 23

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Beat by Beat | Jazz Notes
Circular Exchange
Jazz and the Spirit of Christmas
STEVE WALLACE
On two recent performances I experienced epiphanies which
reminded me of something that often gets overlooked amid
the hubbub and organized chaos of gigs: that, at the core of live
jazz there is a process of generosity and giving, an exchange of gifts,
which is the essence of what we celebrate during Christmas and other
religious holidays. The exchange is circular, as there is an unspoken
pact between jazz players and their audience which goes something
like this: give us your attention, your ears, and we musicians will give
you our very best – or at least try to – and make some music, out of
thin air, you’ve never heard before and will never hear again. This
commitment to playing one’s very best holds for all good musicians,
but because jazz involves so much improvising, and thus risk, the
giving in a jazz performance is much more personal, coming from
deep inside the musicians themselves in a sort of spontaneous, highwire
communion. It has very little to do with money. Yes, musicians
are paid for performances and must be – after all, it is their work
and they have to survive like everyone else. But the level of effort and
commitment put forth by jazz players has nothing to do with how
much a gig pays; indeed I’ve been involved in many sessions and afterhours
jams where there is no money involved and everyone plays out
of their skin. Why? Simply because they love music and wouldn’t
think of letting it, or each other, down. Jazz players give to each
other, too.
The first of these epiphanies came courtesy of singer Karin Plato in
back-to-back concerts at Jazz in the Kitchen, October 20 and 21. Karin
is one of my favourite singers today, to hear or play with. She has a
beautiful, slightly smoky voice in the alto range and sings with flawless
intonation and unerring musicality. And she has a special brand of
sincerity and open soulfulness as a person and performer; there’s real
feeling there. Beyond her vocal talents, she’s also a first-rate musician
– plays some piano, is a good songwriter and arranger with big ears
and a thorough knowledge of harmony which allow her to improvise
freely. She also has a touch of the poet about her, a love of words
which comes to the fore in her interpretation of other’s lyrics and the
thoughtful ones she writes herself. While utterly contemporary, she
also has a special gift of recasting old songs, finding something new
and fresh in them in quite imaginative ways. Best of all is her open and
generous attitude toward performance. She’s modest to a fault and
there’s never a sense while playing with Karin that she’s “out front”
and the band is simply there to back her. She sees herself as part of the
band and takes great delight in the spontaneous contributions of the
other players; she never wants to get in the way of the creative process.
Indeed she’s a central part of that process; a poised risk-taker, which
makes playing with her so rewarding.
These concerts were to be a reunion of sorts between Karin, pianist
Mark Eisenman and me. Quite a few years ago when the CBC was
adequately funded and still a cultural institution we could all be proud
of, Mark led a quintet accompanying a selection of jazz singers from
across Canada in a series of concerts at the Glenn Gould Studio, which
were recorded and broadcast. Karin, who hails from Saskatchewan
but has lived in Vancouver since 1985, was among the singers and
made a strong impression on Mark and me. On the strength of this
initial bond, Karin asked me to be part of her Ontario tour with
pianist Nancy Walker and drummer Joel Haynes, which culminated in
her 2008 CD, Downward Dancing. We’ve been friends ever since and
have stayed in touch, so I very much looked forward to this chance
to play with her again, knowing she would love the special intimacy
of JITK. I also looked forward to the instant musical rapport I knew
Karin Plato
would form between Karin and drummer Mark Micklethwaite, who
had never even met before. This is a big part of the giving spirit in jazz
I’m referring to, the willingness and capacity of musicians who don’t
know each other to set aside preconceptions or personal agendas and
put out the antennae to make music together. It’s called listening, and
like the listening of an attentive audience, it is perhaps the greatest
musical gift of all.
Karin brought along a selection of charts for songs she loves and
which she thought would be suitable for the JITK audience, a nicely
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thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 25

varied program of standards and some seldom-heard songs, many
bearing her deft arranging touch. She also brought along her ukulele,
a new wrinkle she played on a couple of numbers. As I’ve come to
expect, there was nothing cutesy or gimmicky about this; in her hands
the tiny four-string guitar added a special sound and texture appropriate
to the given songs. And hers is not just any old ukulele, it’s a
J.F. Martin with a lovely plangent sound. In no time at all she had the
audience spellbound, not just with her singing, but with her sincere
presentation and effortless inclusion of them. She has a way of talking
about herself to the audience between numbers which is not selfindulgent,
but serves to draw back the curtain for the listeners and
make them feel a part of what’s happening. She talked about what
some of the songs meant to her or why she chose them and how privileged
she felt to be there making music for people who appreciate it.
The epiphany came as we were about to start the second set and
Karin said that she wanted to begin with a tune accompanying
herself at the piano, with trumpeter John Loach and her friend Geoff
Claridge, who was in the audience and had brought along his clarinet.
I took a chair at the entrance to the music room, glad to unexpectedly
be a part of the audience while in mid-performance. She told
the audience she was going to sing her new arrangement of an old
song that would be very familiar to them, especially to any who had
played piano when they were kids. It was Heart and Soul, along with
Chopsticks; one of the cliché duets all young piano students end up
playing with their teachers or parents.
She began s-l-o-w-l-y with a contemplative pattern of simple gospel
chords voiced in ringing tenths, ascending on off-beats, immediately
stirring and hypnotic. Then she entered with that subtle sultry voice
in unmistakeable jazz rhythm: “Heart and soul, I fell in love with you.
Heart and soul, the way a fool would do, madly…..” and it was goosebump
time. Meanwhile, behind her, John on cup-muted trumpet and
Geoff on clarinet, shared a written obligato part which beautifully
complemented what she was doing. Once again, musicians giving to
each other and to the rapt audience, putting themselves on the line
in a humble and fearless off-the-cuff offering. I was gone, swept away
and surprisingly – or perhaps not – tears welled in my eyes at the
sheer beauty of it. This is it, I thought, this is what music is. It felt like
being in church in the best sense, or like Christmas morning. With
this emotional reaction, there was some self-chiding: ”Steve, you old
softie, you.” But I couldn’t help it, Karin had lifted the song from the
parlour into something haunting and inspiring. Such is the generosity
of her transformative imagination. I’d completely forgotten that
the song had such lovely words and was originally a ballad by Frank
Loesser and Hoagy Carmichael, no slouches. Like all good things in
life, it was over far too soon and in typical fashion, Karin didn’t tie
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it all up in a neat bow but left the song hanging with an unresolved
dominant chord, hovering in the silent air like a question mark.
Disclosure: those who want to hear this wonderful rendition may
do so on Karin Plato’s latest CD, This Could Be the One (and believe,
me, it is), or in a live performance available on YouTube.
The second epiphany came during a gig with Mike Murley’s trio at
The Homesmith Bar on November 6. During the first break, an elderly
lady asked Mike if he could play Love For Sale, and he was so charmed
by her and surprised by her request that he assented, even though
he doesn’t often play that tune and was a little unsure of it in spots.
It came off quite well and indeed may become a permanent part of
our repertoire. On the second break, I was outside taking some nicotine
when a silver-haired elderly lady, well-wrapped against the cold
evening, came out and sat on her walker waiting for her friend to
fetch the car. I went over to her and asked if she had requested Love
For Sale and she smiled shyly and answered in her English accent,
“Yes, and I really enjoyed it. I asked for that tune because I really love
the way Sidney Bechet played it on one of his records.” I replied that
I didn’t know Bechet had recorded it, adding that had Mike known
he might have played it on his soprano rather than tenor, although
Mike plays the curved model rather than the straight horn like Sidney.
“Oh there was nobody like Bechet on that soprano,” she said. “Such
passion and authority, and that sound… God, I love him.”
“And Muggsy!” she continued. I started vibrating a little at this – she
was talking about cornetist Muggsy Spanier, whose playing I’ve loved
since I became a jazz fan. “People talk about Louis (Armstrong) doing
so much to bring jazz out of the rinky-tink and he did, but Muggsy
was great, he could
break your heart!”
I told her I was a
big Muggsy fan, too
and that he had that
heart-on-his-sleeve
streak of Irish sentimentality
that could
make you cry. I asked
her if she knew the
wonderful one-off
session Bechet and
Muggsy recorded
together in 1940 and
her face went blank
for a moment then
her eyes widened in
Muggsy Spanier
recognition. “Oh my, yes! Those two got to some romping!”
She told me that she was 91 and lived in a seniors’ apartment near
Christie and Bloor. “My husband died some years ago but I’ve made
friends with a 93-year-old blind man named George who lives down
the hall. You wouldn’t believe what he has in his apartment, everything
that Muggsy ever recorded and lots of other goodies. I go round
to his flat and we listen to these wonderful records. We have such
fun, jazz makes you feel so happy, so alive.” I thought… at 91 or otherwise,
we should all be so lucky. She was so lovely and interesting that
despite the cold I wanted to stay and talk with her some more, but I
had to go back inside and play. She said “My name is Joyce East and it’s
been so nice meeting you.” I couldn’t resist, I leaned down and hugged
her and she reached up and hugged me back warmly and gave me a
peck on the cheek. The pleasure was all mine, Joyce, nighty-night.
As Fats Waller once said, “One never knows, do one?” Karin Plato’s
stunning transformation of Heart and Soul and this chance encounter
with an nonagenarian hipster brought Christmas early to me this year.
I can’t thank either of them enough. My best wishes to you all for a
joyous Holiday Season and a Happy New Year.
Toronto bassist Steve Wallace writes a blog called “Steve
Wallace jazz, baseball, life and other ephemera” which
can be accessed at wallacebass.com. Aside from the topics
mentioned, he sometimes writes about movies and food.
FRED LYON
26 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

Beat by Beat | Art of Song
Winterreisse
Unmasked
Le Chimera at Koerner
LYDIA PEROVIĆ
Messing with Winterreise is a growing and delightful industry
within classical music performance. Schubert’s best-known
song cycle has been fully staged and orchestrated for a
chamber ensemble (Netia Jones/Hans Zender/Ian Bostridge), divided
between three female singers (Toronto’s Collectìf ensemble), multimediatized
(William Kentridge’s video projections), arranged for
singer, puppet, guitar, and piano with animated drawings (Thomas
Guthrie) and staged with the piano and illustrated backdrops (Ebbe
Knudsen). On January 17, Toronto will have a chance to see another
contribution to the conversation on the meaning of Winterreise, when
Le Chimera Project, with baritone Philippe Sly, bring their klezmerand
Roma-inflected take on it to Koerner Hall.
“The inspiration came when I saw a video clip of two friends, Félix
de l’Étoile and Samuel Carrier, performing Gute Nacht on accordion
and clarinet at a recital,” says Philippe Sly on a Skype call from
San Francisco. “I thought, Oh my God, that sound suits this musical
content so well. I approached Felix and asked what he thought would
be the best arrangement if we were to continue with this klezmer-
Gypsy-like aesthetic and he came up with the idea of having trombone,
clarinet, violin and accordion instead of the piano.” De l’Étoile
and Carrier wrote the draft arrangement and the entire group with Sly
worked intensely on the piece for two secluded wintry weeks at the
Domaine Forget in Charlevoix, where the Chimera Winterreise had
its premiere.
“The interesting thing is that the arranging process became a
process of reduction,” Sly recalls. We realized that there was intimacy
between voice and one instrument which is at the heart of what lieder
is about. You have this dynamic between two people, this dyad – we
wanted to highlight that, even in the multi-instrumental setting.” The
show begins with one version of Gute Nacht, and ends with another
version of it – after the cycle’s final song, Der Leiermann. “The
narrator asks the Leiermann (hurdy-gurdy player) if he would play his
song. And we never get an answer to that. What if Gute Nacht was the
song that the narrator would finally sing? What if singing a song about
one’s suffering lets us transcend it? What if it’s through the artistic
process that we save ourselves and that we elevate the narrative of
our lives?”
Director Roy Rallo’s staging of the piece is open to different kinds
of interpretation; it’s up to the audience to decide if they’d like to
read this Winterreise in the traditional way, as one heartbroken man’s
HUGO AND WILLIE
Philippe Sly
journey through a bleak winter landscape at the end of which perhaps
he meets his end – or to experience it in a very different way. “I work
in the world of opera where we have stories told in a certain way, with
sets and costumes, and you’re getting singers to impersonate somebody
inside of a story that’s not a story of their lives,” says Rallo,
during our joint San Francisco Skype call. “Luckily, Winterreise
doesn’t have a clear narrative. To me the main narrative of the evening
isn’t that we’re all pretending that there’s a guy who’s had something
happen to him and we’re trying to figure out what his story is. What’s
going on is there are some people in the room with you, the audience
members, and they’re making noise, and through the making of
noise and through moving around in space, and through the framing
devices that we use as part of the staging, we are creating a series
of different constellations that may lead to different feelings. That is
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thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 27

Le Chimera Project: Winterreise at Domaine Forget. (from left) Philippe Sly,
Samuel Carrier, Félix de l'Étoile, Karine Gordon, Jonathan Millette.
actually going on – there is no pretending.”
A more abstract, visceral and, to a degree, spontaneous Winterreise,
then? All the musicians will have their music memorized, and within
the preset parameters of the staging, there is freedom for individual
performers to do what they choose in the moment. “We’d like to show
some of the dynamics between musicians in space,” says Sly. “That’s
what I find fascinating about watching musicians in general; whatever
the content might be, the thing that’s
really going on is making an attempt
at communication. I think that going
through this ordeal of performing is
innately dramatic and theatrical.”
While there will always be music lovers
who will find a narrative in Winterreise,
this particular group of creators are more
interested in its symbols, feelings, colours
of language. “The performance of lieder is
not storytelling in the traditional sense,”
Sly says. “The idea is not to subvert the
tradition, but to actually lay it bare. We’re
going deeper into Schubert.” And they are
treating the cycle as if it’s been recently
written. “This is something we talked
about a lot in the course of the making,”
says Rallo. “Because we live in the world
of recordings, video and audio, we can
consume countless versions of Winterreise
today. But the fact of the matter is, somebody
wrote a song and they’d like you
to sing it. I don’t think that Schubert
composed with only one idea in mind
regarding how it should be performed.
And when we freed ourselves from the
piano, a lot of the baggage that comes with
performing Winterreise in recital went away. We are exploring the notes
that are there. We are not changing any music – and some Winterreise
versions do that.”
Sly and Le Chimera – which, aside from Rallo, de l’Étoile and Carrier,
includes designer Doey Lüthi, Jonathan Millette on violin and Karine
Gordon on trombone – have performed the piece a few times, including
in Rouen and Vichy in France, and each time, Sly and Rallo tell me,
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28 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

they’ve effectively performed a different piece. “A lot of the times when
singers work with pianists,” says Rallo, “they work out every little
moment, and the performance becomes replicating this meticulous
process. Whereas this performance, I think, is more about the event of
it happening. Yes, certain things have been worked out in advance, but
every time it happens, it happens in the way that it happens.” The change
of location affects the performance: staging is slightly different each time,
and whether the musicians do a particular action (as we can see in some
of the clips that the group posted on YouTube) it’s to be decided in the
moment. “The show always begins with the first song that Phil doesn’t
sing,” says Rallo. “He basically does an action during that while they’re
playing off stage. And that action, to me, informs the entire evening. And
the way he does that action is never the same. It was never staged; it was
only given as an idea. Never said how it should be done. And it is a kind
of the seed of the evening which informs how the rest of the evening
unfolds.” Adds Sly: “I’m not the only performer, let’s keep that in mind.
All these people have their own agency and they’re making their decisions
that will be different. We’re forced to engage in the moment.”
Which is, for Sly, what performing lieder is all about. Unlike
many singers his age, the young baritone takes the art song, especially
of the German kind, extremely seriously. He eagerly performs
and records Lieder and continues to study the poetry. “It’s meeting
Dr. Deen Larsen, the founder of the Franz Schubert Institute, that
opened a whole new world for me,” he says. “There is deep satisfaction
in making those works intelligible. I am in search of a state of
flow when I’m performing lieder. That flow when it arrives is just
fantastic. Lieder – “little gems that contain the whole universe,” as
he describes them – let you say things about poetry and music that
you can’t say in opera. “In opera, you are not vulnerable continuously
for that amount of time. So there’s an almost masochistic quality to
performing lieder that I enjoy. Just getting through it is something. As
a singer, you’re part of a lineage of interpretation: I am interpreting
Schubert, Schubert is interpreting the poetry – but the only way to
truth is through my experience. In lieder, the mask is off.”
ART OF SONG QUICK PICKS
!!
DEC 5, 8PM: Music Toronto presents bass Robert Pomakov with the Gryphon Trio,
in a program of Beethoven, Mussorgsky (arr. Kulesha) and Dvořák. Never miss a
Robert Pomakov recital, is my advice. Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for
the Arts.
!!
JAN 7, 12:10PM: An onstage conversation with one of the most in-demand
lyric mezzos today, Emily D’Angelo. University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Voice
Performance Class. Walter Hall. Free and open to all.
!!
JAN 10, 8PM: Described as an “outrageous
double bill of vocal pyrotechnics,”
The Mouths That Roared concert will
feature Montreal composer/performer
Gabriel Dharmoo’s piece Anthropologies
imaginaires and soprano Janice Jackson
in a program of solo vocal compositions,
many written especially for her. The Music
Gallery, 918 Bathurst St.
!!
JAN 26, 2PM: Royal Conservatory of
Music presents mezzo Allyson McHardy
and soprano Leslie Ann Bradley in a
siren-themed program that will include
Elizabeth Raum’s Sirens: A Song Cycle for
Two Sopranos. (2003). Mazzoleni Concert
Hall.
!!
FEB 3, 7:30PM: Danika Lorèn curates
Emily D’Angelo
master’s and doctoral-level students from
the U of T Faculty of Music in a program
titled “Vocalis: A Few Figs from Thistles.” Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. Free and
open to the public.
Lydia Perović is an arts journalist in Toronto. Send her your
art-of-song news to artofsong@thewholenote.com.
2019-2020: The Fellowship of Early Music
“...graciously sophisticated yet subtly mischievous
[with] exquisite intonation and refinement.”
– Los Angeles Times
“The Search for
SALAMONE ROSSI”
A documentary film screening and Q&A
TUESDAY, JANUARY 21 at 7pm
INNIS TOWN HALL, U of T, 2 SUSSEX AVE.
COUNTRYSIDE
and COURT
OCTOBER 25 & 26 at 8pm
Artistic Direction by Katherine Hill, with Emilyn Stam
Whether enjoyed in refined 16th-century courts or in
today’s
Hebreo:
traditional music scene, the undeniable appeal
of French
ROSSI’S
music has endured
MANTUA
through the centuries! We
kick off Live the season concert whirling by Profeti and twirling della through Quintathe
popular “voix de ville” songs and exquisite courtly music
of Claude
JANUARY
Le Jeune and
31
his
& FEBRUARY
contemporaries,
1
combined
at 8pm
TRINITY-ST. PAUL’S CENTRE, 427 BLOOR ST. W.
with the magic of guest traditional fiddler and dancer
Emilyn Stam.
Tickets start at only $20! | 416-964-6337 | TorontoConsort.org
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 29

Beat by Beat | Early Music
The Season’s
Treasures
Unpacked
MATTHEW WHITFIELD
November’s early twilights serve as a reminder of the upcoming
festive season, a harbinger of what is to come. As the days
grow shorter, we see a transition taking place in the world
around us, a gradual evolution in which sandboxes are overtaken by
Santa and road trips by reindeer. Lights and decorations are extracted
from their hibernating hiding places until, one house at a time, our
neighbourhoods begin to look like those in cheesy TV movies, though
perhaps without the requisite miracles and an ageless, white-bearded
neighbour conspicuously named “Nick.”
Musical programming undergoes similar changes at this time
of year, following the seasonal trajectory in a way that mirrors the
outside world: one by one, concerts are announced which accumulate
in quantity until the month of December is saturated with choral,
orchestral and many other presentations, each celebrating the spirit of
the season in different ways. Scores and parts are extracted from their
boxes – Messiahs, Christmas Oratorios and Concerti - in the same way
as household decorations, ready to be dusted off and brought back to
life for a few short weeks.
But then, on December 26, it’s over – the mad rush has reached
its end. Soon the boxes will appear again, empty this time, to be
filled with the dismantling of previous weeks’ efforts, and we are
soon left with memories (and the realization that our favourite jeans
are perhaps a bit tighter than they were a few days ago) to carry us
through another 330 days. While this annual cycle follows a pattern
as predictable as it is satisfying, this year’s selection of seasonal
sounds features a number of notable inclusions from composers
who, although respected from a historical perspective, are nonetheless
under-performed. These concerts promise to add a little variety
to the standard seasonal setlist, an extra dash of spice to the muchloved,
tried-and-true recipes that have been passed down through
generations.
Tell me a Story of Christmas
Heinrich Schütz is one of antiquity’s most renowned yet infrequently
performed composers. Widely regarded as the most important
German composer before Johann
Sebastian Bach, as well as one of
the most important composers of
the 17th century, Schütz is credited
with bringing the Italian style
to Germany and continuing its
evolution from the Renaissance
into the early Baroque. So recognized
is his influence that Schütz
is commemorated as a musician
in the Lutheran Calendar of Saints
alongside Johann Sebastian Bach
and George Frideric Handel.
Schütz was of great importance
in bringing new musical ideas
to Germany and had a significant
impact on the German music
which was to follow. The style of
the North German organ school
derives largely from Schütz,
Heinrich Schütz
which later culminated in the work of J.S. Bach. After Bach, the
most important composers to be influenced by Schütz were Anton
Webern and Brahms, who is known to have studied his works; an
entire movement of Schütz-based study then permeated 20th-century
German church music, with Hugo Distler, Ernst Pepping and Arnold
Mendelssohn synthesizing Schütz’s modal counterpoint with
modernist musical ideas to create ingeniously original works.
On December 13, 14 and 15, the Toronto Consort presents Schütz’s
Christmas Story alongside works by fellow countrymen Schein,
Scheidt and Praetorius (most famous for his Christmas chorale Es ist
ein Ros’ entsprungen). Unlike Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, which is
a series of cantatas for use during Christmas and the days thereafter,
Schütz’s Christmas Story is a Historia, a setting of the Gospel intended
to be performed during a service instead of the Gospel reading. The
music was likely first performed in a Christmas service at the court
chapel of Johann Georg II, Elector of Saxony, in Dresden in 1660, with
text taken almost exclusively from the Luther-translated version of
the Bible.
The Christmas Story, like many of Schütz’s choral Passion settings,
features an Evangelist narrator singing secco recitative (a tradition
which Bach continued) and other solo characters including an
angel, shepherds and King Herod. The chorus is used to open and
close the work as well as provide chorale interpolations throughout,
while instruments are utilized in what we now consider a traditionally
Baroque manner: recitatives are accompanied only by continuo;
pastoral flutes imply shepherds; and the majestic King Herod is
heralded by trumpets.
Written when he was 75 years old, after living through the ravages
of the Thirty Years’ War, Schütz’s Christmas Story is a testament to the
composer’s skill and ingenuity, melding influences into a style that
would later be adapted and codified by the late-Baroque masters, and
undeniably well worth a listen.
Mr. December
For 11 months of the year, the Italian composer Arcangelo Corelli
makes infrequent appearances on concert programs; perhaps a
concerto grosso will appear from time to time, or even a trio sonata,
but it is much more likely to hear early Italian music from Vivaldi or
even Monteverdi. In December, however, Corelli’s Christmas Concerto
can be heard across the country, played ad infinitum by modern and
period performance ensembles alike, making him classical music’s
own seasonal superstar, a “Mr. December” of the 18th century.
(Historical sidebar: In October 1977, Reggie Jackson hit three straight
home runs in game six of the World Series, earning him the nickname
“Mr. October” for his clutch hitting.)
To uncover more about what Corelli composed for the rest of the
30 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

year, Confluence Concerts and Ensemble
Masques join forces, December 13, to
present “The Boy from Bologna: Corelli
Explored,” with works by Merula, Lonati,
Vitali and Handel, as well as Corelli
himself. Like Schütz, Corelli is a name
that many will recognize, and though his
specific musical contributions may be less
well known in the present day, in his time
Corelli was a highly respected and influential
composer. Received in the highest
circles of the aristocracy and pioneering
the genres of concerto and sonata, Corelli
had a lasting impact on his musical successors,
most notably Handel, who used
Corelli’s concerti as models for his own.
As we have learned many times over,
music and its creators do not exist in a
bubble. There is a constant exchange of
ideas and sonorities that, over time, distill
into unique and notable compositions,
including those by Arcangelo Corelli. This
horizon-broadening concert is certain to
be worthwhile and may prove to widen
Corelli’s popular reputation beyond the
famous Christmas Concerto.
Profeti della Quinta: (from left) Roman Melish, Elam Rotem, Lior Leibovici,
Ori Harmelin, Doron Schleifer, Dan Dunkelblum
MEL ET LAC
In the Bleak Midwinter
Winter arrives in earnest in January and February, the bleakest of
the bleak midwinter months, which often couple with post-holiday
exhaustion to form a brief period of universal hibernation. Fortunately
for us, this January contains a notable exception to that trend –
Toronto Consort’s “Hebreo: Rossi’s Mantua,” with works by Salamone
Rossi and guest ensemble Profeti della Quinta.
An unfamiliar name to many, Rossi was an Italian-Jewish violinist
and composer and a transitional figure between the late Italian
Renaissance period and early Baroque, a time period dominated by
the historical importance of Monteverdi. In fact, Rossi served at the
court of Mantua from 1587 to 1628, where he entertained the ducal
family and their highly esteemed guests and, along with Monteverdi,
provided fashionable music for banquets, wedding feasts, theatre
productions and chapel services. (Rossi was so well-thought-of at this
court that he was excused from wearing the yellow badge that was
required of other Jews in Mantua.)
An innovative composer, Rossi deserves to be mentioned for a
number of reasons: he was one of the first composers to apply the
principles of song to instrumental music, in which one melody
dominates over secondary accompanying parts; and his trio sonatas,
among the first in the literature, provided for the development of an
idiomatic and virtuoso violin technique. Rossi also published a collection
of Jewish liturgical music in 1623, written in the Baroque tradition
and almost entirely unconnected to traditional Jewish cantorial
music, a synthesis of Monteverdian monody and Hebrew texts.
Toronto Consort’s focus on Rossi incorporates two January events:
the first is the Canadian premiere of the 2012 documentary, The
Search for Salamone Rossi, and Q&A with Elam Rotem, founding
director of Profeti della Quinta, on January 21; this is followed by
“Hebreo,” a concert of Rossi’s music itself, taking place on January 31
and repeated on February 1. Although new music nomenclature is
most often understood to refer to contemporary music, it is incredible
to consider that works written almost four centuries ago can be
considered new, in the most practical sense – and how exciting this
is! With expert performers and a captivating back story, “Hebreo”
deserves to be on our must-see list this January.
Although supposedly “the most wonderful time of the year,”
A Baroque
Celebration
Jubilant choral works by the greatest
composers of the Baroque period.
Magnificat, Francesco Durante
Gloria, Antonio Vivaldi
Magnificat, Johann Sebastian Bach
Pax Christi Chorale featuring Megan Miceli & Elizabeth Polese, sopranos;
Georgia Burashko, mezzo-soprano; Daevyd Pepper, tenor;
Bradley Christensen, baritone; and the Toronto Mozart Players
DECEMBER 15, 2019, 3:00PM
St. Andrew’s Church
73 Simcoe Street
BUY TICKETS ONLINE AT
PAXCHRISTICHORALE.ORG
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 31

December can be daunting, full of parties, planning, shopping, and
decorating, so make some time for yourself and take in a concert amid
the seasonal hustle and bustle. I encourage you to explore the vibrant
musical offerings that are on display this December and January,
whether hearing Schütz’s take on a classic biblical story, discovering
the unknown masterworks of Corelli and Rossi, or any of the other
listings in this double issue of The WholeNote.
Happy Christmas, Hanu kkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus and New Year –
see you in February! Until then, keep in touch at
earlymusic@thewholenote.com.
EARLY MUSIC QUICK PICKS
!!
DEC 9, 7:30PM: University of St. Michael’s College. Palestrina’s Missa Gabriel
Archangelus. St. Basil’s Church, University of St. Michael’s College, 50 St. Joseph St.
Not only did he save polyphonic church music from the clutches of a Vatican ban, but
Palestrina also wrote some of the
most stunning and beautiful choral
music in the history of the genre. This
less-known work celebrating the
Archangel Gabriel is sure to please
the ears of all who favour the sound of
Renaissance polyphony.
!!
JAN 24, 7:30PM: University of
Toronto Faculty of Music. “Early
Music Concerts: Music in the Castle
of Heaven.” Trinity College Chapel, 6
Hoskin Ave. This stunning concert will
not only feature cantatas by Johann
Sebastian Bach, the Master himself,
but also the extraordinary Bach
singers Charles Daniels and Peter
Harvey. Led by Daniel Taylor in the
scenic and acoustically sublime Trinity
College Chapel, this performance will
surely be a reason to forge out into a
cold winter’s night.
!!
JAN 25, 8PM: Tafelmusik. “More
Bach Motets.” Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre,
Charles Daniels
427 Bloor St. West. One of Canada’s
finest interpreters of Bach’s choral works, Ivars Taurins and the Tafelmusik Chamber
Choir present a selection of Bach’s motets interwoven with movements from his
suites for solo cello, played by Keiran Campbell. Much like the concert above, this
performance is well worth braving the elements for, as there is perhaps no other
music on earth that warms the soul as thoroughly as Bach’s.
Matthew Whitfield is a Toronto-based harpsichordist and organist.
Beat by Beat | Choral Scene
Handel’s Messiah
and the Glee
Effect
MENAKA SWAMINATHAN
Along with gift exchanges and eggnog giggles with loved ones,
listening to Handel’s Messiah has become a Christmas staple
for me. Especially in recent years, I repeatedly listen to this
masterpiece of a work, my interest for it never wavering. Even after
singing it several times and watching a number of performances, I
have yet to tire of the soaring harmonies and elegant solos.
Grand River Philharmonic: This year, I’m looking forward to Messiah
as performed, in an annual tradition going back decades, by the Grand
Philharmonic Choir in Kitchener. With orchestral accompaniment
by the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the concert will be conducted
by Mark Vuorinen and will feature soloists, soprano Mireille Asselin,
mezzo-soprano Maude Brunet, tenor Asitha Tennekoon and baritone
Samuel Chan. Choosing to see this particular version is part of my quest
to broaden my knowledge of the choirs around me, and attend concerts
outside of the Greater Toronto Area. Their Messiah will be held at the
Centre in the Square in Kitchener, Ontario on December 7. Ever the one
to want to introduce the Messiah to new ears, I have gifted a ticket to a
friend of mine who (aside from knowing the “Hallelujah” chorus) has
never listened to the work in its entirety.
Whether like me you make Messiah attendance a Christmas staple,
or feel that listening to it once was fantastic but also enough, you
may be tempted to rethink things, based on the range of Messiah
performances among the Christmas concert listings provided by The
WholeNote this season. Especially if you are willing to open yourself
up to different interpretations of this beloved work, Messiah is kept
alive, and constantly renewed, by composers and directors making it
their own.
Wayne Gilpin Singers: Snap along if you will, as the Wayne Gilpin
Singers hold an annual Christmas concert where they deliver a jazzy
rendition of the work at the Evangelist Anglican Church in Kitchener
‘TIS WINTER NOW
Tuesday, December 17, 2019 @ 7:30pm
Grace Church on-the-Hill
300 Lonsdale Road, Toronto, ON M4V 1X4
Indulge in the sweet nostalgia of the season! Enjoy a
memorable evening of festive carols and tales, narrated by
Stratford and Shaw Festival’s Benedict Campbell.
Robert Cooper, Artistic Director
Elise Naccarato, Apprentice Conductor
Christopher Dawes, Accompanist
Tickets $20-$45. For information call 416-530-4428
or visit OrpheusChoirToronto.com
VERN & ELFRIEDA
HEINRICHS
SANDRA
PARSONS
ROBERT
SHERRIN
PETER
SIDGWICK
32 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

Electric Messiah, Soundstreams 2017
on December 7 at 8pm. As the choir describes it, they will deliver
“beautiful melodies, rocking sax solos, [and] edgy new jazz arrangements
of Handel’s Messiah, courtesy of resident composer and accompanist
Andrew Gilpin.” Having never witnessed such a performance,
I had trouble imagining it being done, so I used YouTube to hear a
variety of jazz renditions, and I think the Gilpin Singers will deliver a
treat of a concert. Using YouTube to look up different arrangements of
the Messiah is a real eye-opener! Not just jazz, but also soulful renditions
by gospel choirs and solo artists.
Soundstreams: Meanwhile, Soundstreams’
annual Electric Messiah, billed as an “electroimprov
reimagining of Handel’s masterpiece,”
groups four soloists and band “combining jazz,
gospel, blues, hip-hop, classical, world music and
hypnotic dance.” Directed by Rob Kempson, the
evening will also feature DJ SlowPitchSound and
a dancer by the name of Lybido. Tagged as “the
familiar becomes fresh,” these performances are
at the Drake Underground in downtown Toronto,
Dec 10, 11 and 12 at 8pm. On YouTube, there is a
short video giving a taste of what to expect. It is a
performance you will not want to miss.
Pax Christi: If you are looking to introduce children
to the work, there is also Messiah for the
little ones! “Children’s Messiah” is an entertaining
family-friendly night out with the members of Pax
Christi Chorale, where children are called forward
to engage with soloists and the orchestra, and
“simple narration brings the story to life in young
imaginations.”
Singing along: Just because you are in the audience
does not mean you cannot also experience
singing it yourself. Both the Bach Elgar Choir and Tafelmusik
Chamber Choir present a welcoming environment where lovers of
Messiah can sing their hearts out. Under the direction of Alexander
Cann, with soloists soprano Sara Schabas, counter-tenor Richard
Cunningham, tenor Ernesto Ramirez and baritone Dion Mazerolle, the
Bach Elgar Choir will sing at Melrose United Church on December 8
at 3pm. And along with Tafelmusik’s more formal concert performances
of Messiah (December 17 to 20 at Koerner Hall), on December 21
at 2pm, the organization continues an unbroken 34-year tradition of
2019-2020: The Fellowship of Early Music
Great seats start at only $32!
416-964-6337 | TorontoConsort.org
COUNTRYSIDE
Schütz’s
and CHRISTMAS
COURT
OCTOBER
STORY
25 & 26 at 8pm
Artistic Direction by Katherine Hill, with Emilyn Stam
DEC. 13 & 14 at 8pm | DEC. 15 at 3:30pm
Whether Artistic enjoyed Direction in refined by David 16th-century Fallis courts or in
today’s traditional music scene, the undeniable appeal
Celebrate the season with one of the brightest
of French music has endured through the centuries! We
musical jewels of early-Baroque Germany: Heinrich
kick off the season whirling and twirling through the
Schütz’s The Christmas Story. We welcome acclaimed
English popular “voix tenor de Charles ville” songs Daniels and in exquisite the role courtly of the music
Evangelist, of Claude Le with Jeune a and gloriously his contemporaries, colourful band combined of singers,
recorders, with the magic cornetti, of guest sackbuts, traditional violins, fiddler violas and dancer
gamba, Emilyn Stam. keyboards, and theorbos.
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 33

There was a dichotomy between performance-oriented professional
choirs and singing groups such as glee clubs. One was seen to be very
serious, the other, with its fun and relaxed environment, often struggling
to be taken seriously, even though it took as much energy and
enthusiasm to form a glee club. There was rarely an in-between. I
appreciated Lane Osborne and the GCVI choir for pointing to a way to
bring that “in-between” to fruition.
Handel’s Messiah rap, anyone? Maybe next year.
Ivars Taurins as Mr. Handel
sing-along Messiahs, returning to Roy Thomson Hall for the second
year in a row while their usual venue for this (Massey Hall) is under
renovation. The Tafelmusik Chamber Choir is accompanied by the
Tafelmusik Orchestra, with soloists Margot Rood (soprano), Lucile
Richardot (mezzo-soprano), Thomas Hobbs (tenor), and Peter Harvey
(baritone), all under the direction of “Mr. Handel himself.”
The Glee Effect: Speaking about children and sing-along Messiahs
reminds me, in a topsy-turvy roundabout way, of a column I
recently wrote on the Guelph Chamber choir. I subsequently had the
pleasure of seeing the choir perform a few weeks later. The beautifully
arranged concert, titled “Five Days that Changed the World,”
featured the Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute (GCVI) Chamber
Choir, conducted by Lane Osborne, made up of high school students
from GCVI. I left it filled with inspiration at the way choir members
provided various background sounds, and the fact that the concert
was primarily a cappella. One song in particular stayed with me, In
Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel, arranged by Deke Sharon. What I enjoyed
about it was Osborne’s choice to use a student (a young man) to play
percussion. Not in the way you’d expect, however, but rather using his
mouth to provide a percussion line for the choir. I saw what he was
doing and thought, “Oh, he is a beatboxer!” (“Vocal percussionist,”
I learned that day, is the more formal term in choral circles.) I found
myself closing my eyes and focusing on him, such was his accuracy
and skill.
I have noticed a rise in a cappella performances in choral circles
in recent years, but Osborne’s inclusion of a vocal percussionist gave
me Sister Act vibes. As a kid, I would suggest songs from that movie
soundtrack to choir directors, always itching to reproduce that upbeat,
soulful presence in a room. I loved the film for demonstrating that
choirs could be enjoyable and used as a release. And while I was
in choirs, we would be asked to produce sounds mimicking things
like winds and rain to set a tone for the audience, the percussion in
“In Your Eyes” was something more fundamental than that. Today’s
generation would compare the work to songs featured on the TV show
Glee or the film Pitch Perfect.
As someone who started singing in choirs relatively early, I have
always been aware of the extent to which my peers thought of choirs
being stuffy and rigid. Although I always had fun and knew that
the reality of choir environments contradicted these assumptions,
I also knew that it did not always seem this way to unfamiliar eyes.
CHORAL SCENE QUICK PICKS
(details in the listings sections)
SO MUCH MESSIAH, SO LITTLE TIME!
!!
NOV 29 AND 30, 8PM: The Georgetown Bach Chorale present Choruses from
Messiah and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio Parts 1 and 6. Directed by Ron Greidanus with
accompaniment by the Baroque Orchestra. At St. Elias The Prophet Ukrainian Church
on November 29 and Christ Church Anglican on November 30.
!!
DEC 1, 2PM: With the Welland-Port Colborne Concert Association, Choralis
Camerata will present Handel’s Messiah with soloists Melissa-Marie Shriner, soprano;
Christina Stelmakovich, mezzo; Laurence Wiliford, tenor; and Michael York, bass. At
the Dr. J.M. Ennis Auditorium at Welland Centennial Secondary School.
!!
DEC 17, 18, 19 AND 20, 7:30PM: Tafelmusik partners with Evergreen Brick
Works for this year’s Messiah, with one dollar from each ticket sold going towards
Evergreen’s Don River Valley revitalization project. With soloists Margot Rood,
soprano; Lucile Richardot, mezzo-soprano; Thomas Hobbs, tenor; and Peter Harvey,
baritone; under the direction of Ivars Taurins. At Koerner Hall in Toronto.
For a full list of Messiah performances visit thewholenote.com/just-ask and type
“Messiah” into the search.
DECEMBER DEFINITELY NOT THE MESSIAH!
!!
DEC 6, 8PM: The Exultate Chamber Singers present “Holidays with a Twist: A Merry
Romp Through Some Festive Favourites,” at St. Thomas’s Anglican Church in Toronto.
!!
DEC 7, 7:30PM; DEC 8, 2:30PM: Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. Enjoy the music of
the ballet, presented by the Niagara Symphony Orchestra in “A Symphonic Bon-Bon:
The Nutcracker in Concert.” Joined by Chorus Niagara Children’s Chorus with chorus
director Amanda Nelli and conductor Bradley Thachuk. At FirstOntario Performing
Arts Centre in St. Catharines, Ontario.
!!
DEC 8, 4PM: Joined by the Salvation Army North York Temple Band, the Toronto
Youth Choir offers “On Winter’s Night,” showcasing works by Chilcott and Rutter. At St
Andrew’s Church in Toronto.
!!
DEC 10, 11 AND 12, 8PM: Also with a matinee performance DEC 11, 2PM. Vocal
powerhouse Measha Brueggergosman joins the TSO, with the Etobicoke Schools of
the Arts Holiday Chorus, for TSO Holiday Pops at Roy Thomson Hall under the direction
of conductors Steven Reinecke (Dec 10 and 11) and Lucas Waldin (Dec 12).
A CAPPELLA, ANYONE?
!!
DEC 6, 7:30PM: Join local masters of the art form, the a cappella group, Cadence, in
a holiday concert at St. Paul’s United Church in Scarborough.
A FLYING START TO THE NEW YEAR
!!
JAN 12, 3PM: Now in their 54th season, the Vesnivka Choir presents “A Ukrainian
Christmas”. Along with the Toronto Ukrainian Male Chamber Choir, a collection of
traditional and contemporary Ukrainian Christmas carols and New Year’s songs, with
folk instrumental ensemble. At Islington United Church.
!!
JAN 24, 7PM: The VIVA! Youth Singers of Toronto present “Beethoven’s 250th
Anniversary Concert” at the Regis College Chapel.
!!
JAN 25, 7:30PM: “Last Night of the Proms.” Evan Mitchell conducts the Kingston
Choral Society and Kingston Symphony in lively British music. At the Grand Theatre
in Kingston.
!!
FEB 02, 2:30PM: University of Toronto Faculty of Music presents the Macmillan
Singers and Men’s Chorus, under the direction of conductors David Fallis and Mark
Ramsay, in “Choirs in Concert: All Creatures Great and Small.” At Church of the
Redeemer in downtown Toronto.
Menaka Swaminathan is a writer and chorister, currently based in
Toronto. She can be reached via choralscene@thewholenote.com.
34 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

Advent &Christmas
@ Yorkminster Park Baptist Church
CELEBRATE THE SEASON WITH US
A TAPESTRY OF YULETIDE MAGIC
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29 TH
7:00PM
A Fundraiser
for the House of Compassion
TICKETS: $26 at the door
Advance Tickets Call 416-922-1167
• THE ANNUAL •
City
CAROL
SING
In collaboration
with
SATURDAY, DEC. 7 - 2:00 PM
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
Dina Pugliesez • Murray McLauchlan
Marc Jordan • Ian Thomas
FREE ADMISSION
A collection will be taken for
the Churches on-the-Hill Food Bank
GLORIOUS SOUNDS OF HANDEL:
Messiah
Elmer Iseler Singers
with the Amadeus Choir
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13
7:30 PM
TICKETS:
$55 REGULAR
$50 SENIOR
CALL: 416-922-1167
A FUNDRAISER IN SUPPORT
OF THE YPBC REFUGEE FUND
CAROLS BY
CANDLELIGHT
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15
4:30PM
A candlelight choral
presentation featuring
choirs and musicians
of Yorkminster Park
Baptist Church.
FREE ADMISSION. Doors open at 3:30 pm.
DECEMBER 19
7:00PM
Fundraising
Christmas Concert
Tickets $25.00 online
at www.eventbrite.ca
or at the door.
FESTIVAL OF
NINE LESSONS
& CAROLS
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22
4:30PM
Following the historic tradition
of King’s College in Cambridge.
Featuring the Choirs of YPBC.
FREE ADMISSION. Doors open at 3:30 pm.
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church 1585 Yonge St., (1 block north of St. Clair Ave.)
For information on our services and events call (416) 922-1167 or visit yorkminsterpark.com

Beat by Beat | Classical & Beyond
Looking Ahead
to 2020
PAUL ENNIS
Seong-Jin Cho, the 25-year-old South Korean winner of the 2015
Chopin Competition in Warsaw, is a polished performer whose
life changed as a result of his Warsaw triumph. From playing 20
to 30 concerts a year, he went to 80 to 90; and, thankfully, no longer
needed to participate in competitions. Because of The WholeNote’s
production schedule, I missed his sold-out Koerner Hall recital
on October 26, 2018, so I’m looking forward to his upcoming TSO
appearance January 8, 9 and 11 in Beethoven’s revolutionary Piano
Concerto No.4 conducted by Sir Andrew Davis.
Some critics have called Cho’s playing “poetic,” something he
discussed on the British blog, Where Cherries Ripen, published on
October 1, 2019. “What others say about my performances may accurately
reflect some aspects of my playing style, but I cannot say I ever
intend to sound ‘poetic’. If I may put it differently, there are times
when I receive bad reviews, but I never intend to play badly. I think
an instrumentalist’s unique sound is like the human voice. Everyone
has a unique voice given to them, regardless of their intentions. For
example, a tenor can never be a bass. Of course, I can force myself to
perform wearing my heart on my sleeve, but this would not change
who I fundamentally am. Everyone has a natural way of performing,
and I play in my given way. I think audiences have been able to sense
that personality.”
In the same interview, he also had interesting things to say about
how he approaches playing a concerto with an orchestra, commenting
on how most ideas are in the score already, so it is important to carefully
study the score. “In my performances, what is most crucial is
to be confident. That confidence, in my opinion, comes from the
certainty that I know the score more than anyone else. Sitting between
the orchestra and the audience, I must be ready to say, ‘I know this
score much more than all of you.’ For this to happen, I have to carefully
learn the score. For instance, if some dynamics markings are
not taken into account because one wants to be different, such creativity
should not come out from instinctive feelings. One should be
able to explain why such liberties were taken, because one has ideally
thought through one’s decisions before.” With this in mind, he says
that before performances, rather than practise, he prefers to read
the score again. “During performances, I don’t think much, as what
I envisioned is fully internalised in my body and hands.” That being
said, he also admitted that he gets particularly nervous and pressured
when playing with a conductor who knows the piano well.
Signed by the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon yellow label
after his Chopin triumph, he’s already released three CDs, the latest
of which, Debussy, garnered wide acclaim. The Guardian wrote that
Cho “brings his understated, coiled-spring pianism to Debussy, and
his playing is as riveting as ever.”
In another interview, Cho told The Cross-Eyed Pianist
(November 2018) that the most important influence on his musical life
was meeting great musicians, “people like Myung-Whun Chung, Radu
Lupu, Krystian Zimerman, Mikhail Pletnev, Alfred Brendel, Murray
Perahia and many others … I learned a lot even while having a conversation
with them.” And he revealed that taking part in competitions
may have been the greatest challenges of his career so far. “I wanted to
play for audiences across the world and I thought winning the competition
was the easiest way to reach that goal,” he said. “And it was
true. The Chopin Competition gave me a lot of opportunities, but I’m
still against competitions. Many great musicians like Arcadi Volodos
or Piotr Anderszewski didn’t win any competitions. The competition
kills the musical idea, imagination and freedom. I felt so free after I
Seong-Jin Cho
won the Chopin Competition because I realized that I don’t have to do
this kind of thing anymore.”
One rarely hears such candour expressed by an up-and-coming
performer.
Two more must-see TSO programs
Acclaimed French pianist, the prolific Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, brings
his wide-ranging musical compass to bear on Mozart’s first major
piano concerto, the “Jeunehomme” K271, when he joins Bernard
Labadie and the TSO, January 22, 23, and 26. Bavouzet is currently
immersed in a Mozart concert project and Labadie is an expert on the
composer; their confluence augurs well for a delightful concert, made
Cathedral Bluffs
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Norman Reintamm Artistic Director/Principal
Martin Macdonald Guest Conductor
Saturday February 8, 2020 8 pm
DVOŘÁK & GERSHWIN
Weinzweig: Red Ear of Corn Suite
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
with pianist Brett Kingsbury
Dvořák: Symphony No. 5 in F major
TICKETS: from $35 ($30 student/senior; children under 12 are free)
ORDER ONLINE cathedralbluffs.com BY PHONE 416.879.5566
P.C. Ho Theatre 5183 Sheppard Ave East
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cathedralbluffs.com | 416.879.5566
concert 4
36 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com
© HARALD HOFFMANN

all-the-more appealing with the addition of Mozart’s
most melodious and heartfelt symphony, No.40, K550.
On January 31 and February 1, TSO principal cellist,
Joseph Johnson, brings his consummate skill set to
Dvořák’s Cello Concerto, with its contagious passion
trumped only by its lyricism. Rising star – the TSO calls
him “electrifying” – 31-year-old Uzbekistani conductor
Aziz Shokhakimov leads the orchestra in Smetana’s
indelible The Moldau from Ma Vlast and Mendelssohn’s
Symphony No.3 “Scottish,” written 13 years after
the composer’s extensive tour of Scotland when he
was 20, and the last of his five symphonies despite its
designation.The remarkable Shokhakimov, making
his second appearance with the TSO, is currently
the Kapellmeister at Deutsche Oper am Rhein, principal
guest conductor at La Verdi Orchestra, Milan and
artistic director of Tekfen Philharmonic Orchestra.
Music Toronto’s appealing lineup
Now in its 26th year, the much-loved Gryphon Trio has
had a continuous relationship with Music Toronto since
1995, including ten years as their ensemble-in-residence
from 1998. In what has become a regular lateautumn
visit, the Gryphons this time (December 5)
will be joined by Toronto-born international operatic bass, Robert
Pomakov for a performance of Mussorgsky’s Songs and Dances of
Death (arranged by Gary Kulesha). Beethoven’s delightful Kakadu
Variations Op.121 opens the program which ends with Dvořák’s
opulent Piano Trio No.3 in F Minor, Op.65.
With a long list of critically acclaimed, award-winning performances
and recordings to his name, yet another distinguished Hyperion
Records artist, 60-year-old Brit, Jonathan Plowright, has been
described as “one of the finest living pianists” by Gramophone magazine.
For his Toronto recital debut on December 17, Plowright has
chosen an appealing program comprised of Brahms’ early Ballades,
Op.10, Schumann’s ever-popular Kinderszenen, Op.15, Mozart’s
delightful Variations on “Ah! VOus dirai-je, Maman,” K265 and
Paderewski’s rarely heard excerpts from Humoresques de Concert,
Book I Op.14. Once upon a time, the first-movement Menuet was
world famous; it’s still instantly recognizable today. Plowright will
also give a masterclass (free and open to the public) on December 18 at
11am in Walter Hall.
For their fourth concert with Music Toronto since 2001, on
January 9, the Miró Quartet (winners of the Banff International String
Quartet Competition in 1998) will perform a replica of the program
the Kneisel Quartet performed on January 28, 1910 at the Schubert
The Miró Quartet at Weill Hall performing their Kneisal Quartet program
Club in St. Paul, MN. It’s part of the Miró’s Archive Project to evoke the
flavour of a bygone time – the Kneisel Quartet was active from 1885
to 1917; Dvořák was a friend. Unlike concerts today, in which multimovement
works are typically performed in full, the Kneisel Quartet
often programmed individual movements of new and recent works.
This is reflected in the 1910 program, which features selections from
string quartets by their contemporaries César Franck and Reinhold
Glière. Also unlike today, the quartet often devoted a portion of their
programs to the cello repertoire, as evident here in Adrien-François
Servais’ Fantaisie sur deux Airs Russe for cello and piano. When
touring works that required additional players, the quartet was joined
by local musicians. In keeping with this spirit, the Miró collaborates
with a local pianist wherever they perform this program, in this case
with Lydia Wong, head of U of T’s piano department. Two pillars of
the repertoire fill out the bill: Mozart’s Quartet in B-flat Major, K458
“The Hunt” opens the program; Schubert’s Quartet in D Minor, D810
“Death and the Maiden” brings it to a close.
To celebrate their 30th anniversary season, the scintillating
St. Lawrence Quartet (founded in Toronto in 1989) has planned a
special program on January 30 with each piece signifying an aspect
of their musical life. For their love of Haydn, his Quartet Op.20 No.4
in D Major; for their fierce commitment to living composers, R.
SPIRIT IN
THE CITY
Sunday Dec. 8, 1:30pm
DECK THE HALLS! CAROL SING
with The Metropolitan Silver Band
Sunday Dec. 15, 11:00am
THE CHRISTMAS PAGEANT
Sunday Dec. 22, 7:00pm
CANDELIGHT LESSONS & CAROLS
a Toronto favourite
Dec. 24, Christmas Eve
5:00PM - A COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS
11:00PM - CANDELIGHT CHRISTMAS EVE
with The Metropolitan Choir
The downtown church
for a diverse city
56 Queen St. E. (at Church) | www.metunited.ca
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 37

Murray Schafer’s String Quartet No.3 (1981), which the SLSQ played at
Music Toronto in 1996 and 2007; and Franck’s emotionally powerful
Piano Quintet in F Minor, with guest pianist Stephen Prutsman (who
performed the piece with the SLSQ here in 1997).
The Passion of Scrooge
It wouldn’t be Christmas without Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
and its redemptive protagonist Ebeneezer Scrooge. Last year, filmmaker
H. Paul Moon’s adaptation of Jon Deak’s opera, The Passion
of Scrooge: or A Christmas Carol, arrived too late to be included in
our year-end issue, but it’s a worthwhile and timely addition to the
joys of the season and deserves to be mentioned. Not only for Deak’s
acclaimed score but even more so for Moon’s inventive cinematic
adaptation. Part documentary, part performance piece, with a dash
of fiction thrown in, the film is structured as a radio play with baritone
William Sharp (who premiered the opera in 1997) performing
all the parts. Deak, himself takes up the conductor’s baton for the
textual climax that never fails to touch the heart. Moon’s trademark
floating camera, which hovers curiously before guiding us through
the operatic road map with surety and ease, is another key element
and given the medium in which it acts, there is no more important
star. For more information and to stream, buy or rent: scroogeopera.
com. William Sharp can also be found in Moon’s comprehensive and
moving portrait of composer Samuel Barber, Absolute Beauty, which
was a cinematic highlight of 2018: samuelbarberfilm.com.
THE ASSOCIATES
OF THE
TORONTO
SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA
2020 SEASON
January 20, 2020, 7:30 p.m.
Song Before the Storm
Johannes Brahms, Dmitri Shostakovich
February 10, 2020, 7:30 p.m.
Beethoven: Kreutzer and the Archduke
Ludwig van Beethoven
March 30, 2020, 7:30 p.m.
Folk Tunes Made Classic
Carl Czerny, Frank Martin, Antonín Dvořák,
Fernandez Arbos
April 27, 2020, 7:30 p.m.
Clash and Calm: A Folkloric Journey
Joseph Haydn, Béla Bartók, Antonín Dvořák
May 25, 2020, 7:30 p.m.
Augmented 6ix/5
Francis Poulenc, Claude-Paul Taffanel,
Ludwig Thuille
TICKETS
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Tickets $25, Seniors and Students $23
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William Sharp in The Passion of Scrooge, or A Christmas Carol
CLASSICAL AND BEYOND QUICK PICKS
!!
DEC 8, 8PM: Gallery 345 presents CBC Music’s “next big cello star,” 24-year-old
Cameron Crozman and friends (among them, Pocket Concerts’ co-director, pianist
Emily Rho) performing music by Britten, Schubert and Fauré (his masterful Piano
Quartet No.1).
!!
DEC 14, 8PM: Kindred Spirits Orchestra presents 16-year-old prodigy Leonid
Nediak playing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.4 at Flato Markham Theatre.
Another teenager, violinist Ellie Sievers, is the soloist in Vaughan Williams’ exquisite
The Lark Ascending; Kristian Alexander also conducts Prokofiev’s Symphony No.4.
!!
DEC 16, 8PM: The Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society (KWCMS) presents
the Penderecki String Quartet in the first installment of Beethoven’s complete string
quartets – played in chronological order – beginning on his 249th birthday with Op. 18
Nos.1, 2, and 3 and finishing on his 250th birthday, December 16, 2020.
!!
JAN 4, 3PM: 5 at the First Chamber Players presents some fancy string players
– Yehonatan Berick, violin, Theresa Rudolph, viola, and Rachel Mercer, cello, among
others – in “String Extravaganza IX” highlighted by Mendelssohn’s timeless Octet.
!!
JAN 18, 7:30PM: “Tooting Mozart’s Horn, Naturally!” the latest Pay What You Decide
concert from Academy Concert Series features COC Orchestra principal hornist,
Scott Wevers, in Mozart’s Horn Quintet in E-flat Major K407 and Hoffmeister’s Horn
Quintet in E-flat Major. Mozart’s String Quartet in B-flat Major K458 “The Hunt”
rounds out the intriguing program.
!!
JAN 19, 2:30PM: The Gryphon Trio joins with conductor Bradley Thachuk and the
Niagara Symphony Orchestra for a performance of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto.
Completing the Beethoven trifecta are the Egmont Overture and the stirring
Symphony No.5.
!!
JAN 19, 8PM: KWCMS presents Ensemble Made in Canada performing Mahler’s
Piano Quartet and Brahms’ Piano Quartet No.3 in C Minor Op.60, written within a year
of one another.
!!
JAN 20, 7:30PM: Associates of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra presents TSO
principal cellist, Joseph Johnson, and collaborative pianist extraordinaire, Philip
Chiu, among others, in Brahms’ urgent Piano Quartet Op.25 and Shostakovich’s
commanding Piano Quintet Op.57.
!!
JAN 26, 3PM: RCM presents the elegant Louis Lortie playing Beethoven Sonatas
Nos.27, Op.90; 28, Op.101; and 29, Op.106, the demanding “Hammerklavier.” In
Koerner Hall.
!!
JAN 27, 7:30PM: U of T Faculty of Music presents violinist Mark Fewer and pianist
James Parker performing “Half of Beethoven’s Complete Sonatas for Violin and
Piano.” But which five will they play?
!!
FEB 2, 2PM: RCM presents Gábor Tarkövi, principal trumpet of the Berlin
Philharmonic since 2005, with Benjamin Smith, piano, in works by Hindemith, Gliere,
Hovhaness, among others. In Mazzoleni Hall. Tarkövi will give masterclasses (free and
open to the public) in Walter Hall on February 6 at 1:10pm and 5pm and on February 7
at 10am and 2pm in Mazzoleni Hall.
Paul Ennis is the managing editor of The WholeNote.
38 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

Beat by Beat | In with the New
January’s
Distinguished
Visitors
U of T New Music Festival
WENDALYN BARTLEY
One thing that has been consistent with the University of
Toronto’s annual New Music Festival over the years is the
presence of a visiting composer from another country or
Canadian city. During last year’s festival in January 2019, it was Toshio
Hosokawa, a leading composer from Japan, and the year before that
in 2018, Canadian Nicole Lizée was given the honours. This visitorship
is named the Roger D. Moore Distinguished Visitor in Composition,
and was established by Roger Moore, a longtime supporter and
philanthropist of new music. Sadly, Moore passed away in March of
this year, and there will be a concert, as part of the festival, to honour
him on January 21. More about what is on the program for that night
below. This year’s visiting composer is André Mehmari, a leading
Brazilian composer, pianist and arranger in both classical and popular
music. Because of his diverse artistic accomplishments many of the
events of the festival span both the jazz and contemporary music
worlds, with the opening concert on January 12 combining electronic
jazz, visuals and live electronics.
The festival continues to January 21 and interestingly, the various
concerts, masterclasses and talks will be interwoven with the Royal
Conservatory’s 21C Music Festival (see my story on Laurie Anderson
elsewhere in this issue) which runs almost concurrently, a short walk
from the U of T Faculty of Music. Having a plethora of new music
events to choose from in the dead of winter is shaping up to be one
way to beat the cold and gloom of January.
André Mehmari: As has been the case with some U of T festival
Distinguished Visitors in Composition, you probably know less about
André Mehmari now than you will come the end of January, by which
time you will have introduced yourself to his wide-ranging repertoire.
The January 15 concert, “From Bach to Latin America,” will
feature a mixture of Baroque and jazz works with Mehmari on piano
and Emmanuele Baldini on violin. These two performers will team up
again the next evening, January 16, along with members of Orquesta
de Camara de Valdivia, an ensemble from Chile directed by Baldini,
for a concert of chamber works. Mehmari’s jazz and improvised music
will be heard on January 18 in an evening with the U of T’s DOG
Ensemble along with U of T jazz faculty members. Check his two
composition masterclasses, January 14 and 15 at 10am in Walter Hall;
and a songwriting class, January 17 at 7:30pm in Walter Hall, when
students and the public alike will have an opportunity to engage with
Mehmari in a more informal setting.
Karen Kieser Prize Concert: Another regular event at the New Music
Festival is the Karen Kieser Prize Concert, with this year’s happening
on January 14. This award is given annually to a promising graduate
student in composition and this year’s winner is Francis Ubertelli,
whose piece, Quartetto 2, will be performed by Montreal’s Quatuor
Cobalt. The program this year will also feature the work of two
Vancouver artists: Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa, on piano, performing two
works by composer Hildegard Westerkamp – Klavierklang and Like A
Memory – as well as a third electroacoustic work, Attending to Sacred
Matters, to be diffused by Westerkamp.
Clear Things May Not Be Seen
VOCAL CHAMBER MUSIC OF
BOB BECKER
Never in Word (1998)
To Immortal Bloom (2017)
Cryin’ Time (1994)
Clear Things May Not Be Seen (2018)
André Mehmari
Klavierklang, composed in 2017 for piano, spoken voice and twochannel
audio and commissioned by Iwaasa is a sonic-musical
journey into the complexities of piano playing. The piece arose out of
conversations between Iwaasa and Westerkamp on the challenging
and inspiring experiences they have had with piano teachers. This
focus spans topics such as how their mothers’ ears influenced their
musical development and how the piano became both a sanctuary for
exploration and sound making as well as a site of trauma and discouragement.
The sound materials and inspiration for Like A Memory, a
composition from 2002 for piano and two-channel audio, began back
in 1985 when Westerkamp recorded the sounds of an old, broken and
rat-infested piano she discovered in an abandoned house along the
shores of Slocan Lake in B.C. She says in the program note she sent
me after our conversation about this piece that she had discovered
“a prepared piano in the deepest Cage sense and delighted in improvising
on this instrument.” Some years later she travelled back to the
same area to work on another project focusing on ghost towns and
again recorded sounds from abandoned industrial sites she discovered
featuring sopranos
Lindsay Kesselman and
Andrea Ludwig with string quartet,
clarinets, piano and percussion
Tuesday, Feb. 4 (noon)
Four Seasons Centre for the
Performing Arts, COC
FREE CONCERT SERIES coc.ca
Thursday, Feb. 6 (12:10pm)
Walter Hall, University of Toronto
Faculty of Music FREE CONCERT SERIES
music.utoronto.ca
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 39
HEDWIG MARIA

DANIEL FOLEY
Roger D. Moore
there. The piece was originally composed for pianist Jamie Syer and
includes elements of Westerkamp’s improvisational recordings onsite,
along with recordings of steam trains and old machinery from the
sound archives of the World Soundscape Project.
Attending to Sacred Matters, also from 2002, is a work for twochannel
audio based on sounds from the many religious and spiritual
practices the composer encountered while visiting India. During
Westerkamp’s visit to Toronto in January, she will also be participating
in the Weather Soundings series of events supported by the U
of T’s Jackman Humanities Institute. On January 13, a conversation
with Westerkamp, Iwaasa, and British musicologist Daniel Grimley
will take place at the Canadian Music Centre with playback of some
of Westerkamp’s electroacoustic works along with a group discussion
of sonic practices, listening and creative activism in the context of
climate change.
Remembering Roger D. Moore: One final highlight of the U of T
New Music Festival will be the January 21 concert, Speak, Be Silent,
performed by U of T’s Contemporary Music Ensemble and dedicated
to the memory of Roger D. Moore. As I mentioned earlier in the
column, Moore was passionately committed to supporting musical
life in Toronto, with a particular fondness for contemporary music,
supporting both large and small musical organizations and individual
artists. The title of this concert that honours his contribution
comes from the name of one of the works on the program – Speak,
Be Silent – a work composed by Australian-born Liza Lim in 2015 for
solo violin and an ensemble of 15 musicians. Lim was inspired by a
translation of a Rumi poem by Coleman Barks and sought to create a
piece that plays with ideas of union and separation. She was recently
appointed a professorship at Sydney’s Conservatorium of Music and
part of her post is to be involved in a national women composer’s
development program. I mention this here as a way of highlighting
that all the works on this January 21 concert are composed by women,
an important statement towards normalizing the practice of giving all
marginalized genders access to opportunities and visibility.
The other works on the program include Kaija Saariaho’s From the
Grammar of Dreams, composed in 1988 for solo voice(s) and up to
six players; Bekah Simms’ Foreverdark, a 2019 cello concertino work
for amplified cello with live electronics and chamber orchestra; and
Unsuk Chin’s large ensemble work, Gougalon: Scenes from a Street
Theatre, composed in 2009/2011 which is about an imaginary folk
music. An additional note about these featured composers is that
both Saariaho and Chin have been visiting composers during past 21C
Festivals.
The Mouths That Roar: Expect your ears to pop at this lively
January 10 concert, co-produced by New Music Concerts and the
Music Gallery, with vocalists Gabriel Dharmoo and Janice Jackson.
Montreal-based Dharmoo will be performing his Anthropologies
Imaginaires, a work for solo voice and video which has been
described as a mockumentary, all combining to invite the listener to
imagine other possibilities and worlds from those already known.
Using extended vocal techniques and elements of improvisation, this
piece is both satirical, playful and profoundly serious, and is made up
of 11 songs, each with accompanying gestures. Halifax-based Jackson
will perform her solo program, “Voice Dance,” which features several
works of contemporary music. Known as an adventurous performer
of vocal music that pushes all boundaries while conveying a deep
emotional connection with her out-of-the-box soundmaking, Jackson
will perform compositions by Canadian composers Marie Pelletier,
Derek Charke, Alice Ping Yee Ho and James Rolfe. Jackson’s willing
exploration of the voice opens the door to the full array of what
the human voice is capable of, and through her collaboration with
composers, she is able to use her creative intuition to connect to the
underlying stories within each piece.
Tafelmusik Commissions: During the 2019/2020 season, the Baroque
orchestra Tafelmusik has undertaken a commissioning program to
introduce contemporary works to their audiences. This past fall, world
premieres by Cree composer Andrew Balfour, Italian composer Guido
Morini, and Torontonian James Rolfe were performed. Upcoming
from January 16 to 19 during their “Gone with the Winds” concerts,
they will perform a world premiere by Canadian Cecilia Livingston;
and from February 6 to 9 in their “Dreaming Jupiter” program,
Italian composer and gambist Vittorio Ghielmi joins the orchestra
performing various Baroque works and the premiere of a composition
of his own.
IN WITH THE NEW QUICK PICKS
!!
DEC 6 AND 7, 8PM: Music Gallery with Bad New Days present “Melancholiac: The
Music of Scott Walker.” Part concert, part spectacle, part existential talk show.
!!
DEC 8, 8:30PM: Red Shift Records presents the CD launch at the Tranzac Club of
Harbour featuring six works for piano by Anna Höstman and performed by Cheryl
Duvall
!!
DEC 10 TO 12 8PM: Soundstreams presents their annual tribute to the holiday
season with the electro-improv Electric Messiah, an upbeat reimagining of Handel’s
classic Messiah.
!!
DEC 12, 7:30PM: Canadian Music Centre presents both world and Ontario
premieres of works performed by Arraymusic’s artistic director David Schotzko.
Works by Bolton, Sherlock, Smallwood and others.
!!
DEC 12, 7:30PM: Bunker Lane Press and the Piano Lunaire Project present their
monthly full-moon event, “Cold Moon,” with works by Crumb, Kendall, Liebermann,
Copland and Sherkin; with pianists Stephanie Chua, Adam Sherkin, Gregory Millar and
Lisa Raposa.
!!
DEC 13, 8PM: Spectrum Music at the Small World Music Centre presents their
next concert, “Seven Wonders,” with compositions that focus on the theme of celebrating
the beauty and preservation of our planet. New works created by Spectrum
composers and guests James Ervin, William Lamoureux and Sina Fallah, along with
jazz/world musician collective So Long Seven.
Wendalyn Bartley is a Toronto-based composer and electrovocal
sound artist. sounddreaming@gmail.com.
40 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY MUSIC FESTIVAL
JAN 11-25/2020 / TORONTO
FEARLESS MUSICIANS FRESH NEW SOUNDS
Against the Grain
Theatre’s Ayre and
other works by
Osvaldo Golijov
SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 8PM
KOERNER HALL
Performers include Miriam Khalil, Joel Ivany,
Jamey Haddad, Barry Shiffman, Gabriel Radford,
Michael Ward-Bergman, Juan Gabriel Olivares,
Roberto Occhipinti, and Cantor Alex Stein.
21C Afterhours:
Véronique Mathieu
SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 10:30PM
TEMERTY THEATRE
A program titled True North, featuring
works by Alice Ping Yee Ho,
Derek Johnson, Adam Scime,
and Barbara Croall.
Philippe Sly & Le Chimera
Project: Winterreise
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 8PM
PRE-CONCERT TALK 7PM
KOERNER HALL
This fresh 21st century theatrical take on
Schubert’s final masterpiece blurs the line
between concert and theatre.
21C Cinq à Sept
SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 5PM
TEMERTY THEATRE
Musicians from The Glenn Gould
School perform works by
Laurie Anderson and others.
Laurie Anderson:
The Art of Falling
SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 8PM
KOERNER HALL SOLD OUT!
Grammy Award-winning NYC composer
Laurie Anderson will perform solo works and
in collaboration with her long-time musical
partner, cellist Rubin Kodheli.perform solo
works and in collaboration with her longtime
musical partner, cellist Rubin Kodheli.
Zakir Hussain and John Patitucci
with Danilo Pérez, Brian Blade, and
the Royal Conservatory Orchestra
conducted by Zane Dalal
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 8PM / ARTIST TALK 7PM
KOERNER HALL
Hear the Canadian premiere of Hussain’s tabla concerto,
Peshkar, and the world premiere of Patitucci’s Hypocrisy
for orchestra and jazz trio.
The GGS New Music
Ensemble – “For
Michael Colgrass”
SUNDAY, JANUARY 19, 1PM
MAZZOLENI CONCERT HALL
FREE (TICKET REQUIRED)
Works by Michael Colgrass, by Bekah Simms,
Gabriel Dharmoo, and Miguel Azguime.
Generously supported by
Dorothy Cohen Shoichet
Danilo Pérez’s
Global Messengers
and Allison Au Quartet
SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 8PM
POSTLUDE PERFORMANCE
KOERNER HALL
The Royal Conservatory has commissioned
both Pérez and Au to write new pieces,
which will premiere at this concert.
#21Cmusic facebook/koernerhall
Twitter: @the_rcm #KoernerHall
TICKETS FOR ALL CONCERTS START AT $21 ON SALE NOW! 416.408.0208 RCMUSIC.COM/21C
THE 21C MUSIC FESTIVAL IS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF MICHAEL AND SONJA KOERNER
237 BLOOR STREET WEST
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TORONTO
KOERNER HALL
2019.20 Concert Season

Beat by Beat | On Opera
Tapestry Explores
Augmented Opera
Opera by Request & Berlin Wagner Gruppe
Richard Wagner's
DAVID PERLMAN
The only way to stay at the cutting edge of anything for 40 years,
as Tapestry Opera has done, is to zigzag with the changing times
– to go big when opportunity knocks, to hunker down when
danger threatens, and, most important, to be able to recognize the
difference between the two scenarios.
TAP:EX is Tapestry Opera’s instrument for just that – figuring out
when to go for broke and when to duck and cover. The name is short
for Tapestry Explorations and TAP:EX Augmented Opera, presented
this past November 20 to 23 at Sidewalk Labs, was its fifth iteration
since its founding in 2014 by Michael Hidetoshi Mori, Tapestry’s
artistic director.
TAP:EX’s stated goal is to redefine the “elemental bounds of opera
by challenging its notions of tradition, legacy, and purity, emphasizing
emotional and artistic power over rules and norms.” Each of the four
iterations so far has been different from the ones that preceded it:
exploring the limits of the voice’s resistance to extreme physical exertion;
probing the intersections between turntablism, film, soundscape
and opera; inviting “local hard-core heroes F*cked Up to help frame
a work that asked punk to look at opera and opera to look at punk”;
and most recently, in 2018, bringing together Iranian composer Afarin
Mansouri with emcee, playright, librettist, agitator Donna-Michelle
St. Bernard “in a conversation with the devil.”
With Augmented Opera, Tapestry again heads out into uncharted
and potentially dangerous territory, both literally and figuratively.
Sidewalk Labs, at 307 Lakeshore Blvd. E., where the opera was
mounted, is a self-described “sister company” of Google spearheading
the effort to “imagine, design, and develop” Toronto’s eastern waterfront
as a neighbourhood of the future. Their proposal is based in part
on bringing cutting-edge technologies to bear on finding scalable
solutions to profound issues relating to sustainable urban living. One
example: the massive pillars and beams of the one-story Sidewalk Lab
building are fabricated from “sustainable mass timber” (compressed
jack pine) and could support a future 10-to-15 storey building on the
site. Fundamental to their vision is also almost unrestricted aggregation
of personal digital data, from people buying in to the vision.
The imaginative reach of the proposal, manifested everywhere one
looks in the space, is staggering both in scale and fineness of detail –
as well worth a visit as any Museum of Contemporary Art could be.
The implications of the proposal are equally staggering, in both their
social and ethical implications, dividing participants in the ongoing
consultation into camps and houses as plagued as any in the grandest
of operas. The premise of Augmented Opera, might be fanciful elsewhere.
Here (comfortably or uncomfortably, depending on your point
of view), it fits right in.
The
Ring Cycle
S u n g i n e n t i r e t y f o r o n l y t h e s e c o n d t i m e i n C a n a d a
Present...
F e b r u a r y 1 4 - 1 7 , 2 0 2 0 | T O R O N T O
Ringside (see all 4) | $70
Individual tickets at the door | $30
College Street United Church
452 College Street, Toronto
For dates and times: www.operabyrequest.wixsite.com/theringcycle
Soprano Lauren Segal (centre) as Eurydice with mezzo Lyndsay
Promane (right) and soprano Vanessa Oude-Reimerink (left)
The premise is that we, the audience, have walked into a Silicon
Valley-style product launch, where we will be offered the opportunity
to become early adopters of Elysium, “a new cloud-based technology
that re-imagines the afterlife as a perfect curation of our best
memories.” Debi Wong is co-director of the show (and founding
director of Tapestry’s key partner in this project, Vancouver-based
re:Naissance Opera). Playing the role of CEO of Elysium, she calls for
volunteers to test the technology; mezzo-soprano Lauren Segal, in
the role of Eurydice, leaps up from the audience and puts the virtual
reality hood over her head before the rest of us can figure out whether
participating would be likely to result in embarrassment. And it’s
chocks away!
Segal is joined vocally in exploring composer Benton Roark’s
intriguing vocal score by two “memory Eurydices” (mezzo Lyndsay
Promane and soprano Vanessa Oude-Reimerink), as she revisits
younger and older memories of key life events that she will have
to choose between in constructing her ideal afterlife. Roark’s intricate
score is delivered by the composer himself on synth, guitar and
Lumatone, along with Michael Shannon, Tapestry’s music director,
on piano and keyboard. As audience members we don black masks
for the first while – a kind of sympathetic sensory deprivation, only
removing them on instruction at a certain point in the narrative.
I came away from the event with a strong sense of the towering
thing Augmented Opera might potentially turn out to be (a bit like the
potential of the sustainable mass-timber ground floor of the space the
event took place in). But equally with a sense that in its present state it
was annoyingly less than the sum of its considerable parts, because of
inattention to one of the “rules and norms” of legacy opera that, from
a purely pragmatic perspective doesn’t deserve to be ditched – namely
that sopranos singing in English need surtitles, especially in a space
where acoustics are an afterthought. As I sat with my Elysium sleeping
mask on, straining to hear any of the words, let alone follow the plot,
I kept myself going by imagining that when I took the mask off, everything
that had been sung would be there, in all its mundanity and/or
glory, on the giant screens at the back of the stage, and would, from
that point on, become part of the construct of the show itself: the
intersection between virtual and analogue reality. No such luck.
That the work had the incipient power to make me care enough to
be pissed off about its deficiencies is a big deal though, speaking to the
importance of the exploratory work the company is continuing to do.
All the remaining shows in this remarkable 40th season speak to how
learning from exploration is in Tapestry’s DNA. No reason this show
should be any different.
DAHLIA KATZ
42 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

And quickly
Against the Grain: Hard on the heels of the triumphal cross-country
ten-year- anniversary pub crawl of their version of their La bohème,
Against the Grain remounts another of their landmark shows, Figaro’s
Wedding (music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, libretto by Joel Ivany,
with new string quartet arrangement). Staged as a real wedding with
audience members attending as guests, it runs at the Enoch Turner
Schoolhouse (itself an occasional wedding venue) from December 3
to 20. Writing about the original 2013 production for the blog Musical
Toronto, critic John Terauds said: “Stage director Joel Ivany and music
director Christopher Mokrzewski have fashioned an all-new Englishlanguage
libretto that rollicks along at a brisk clip. There is plenty to
entertain an opera newbie – and a steady volley of inside-joke material
to keep opera diehards chuckling from beginning to end.” For details,
see our music theatre listings or visit againstthegraintheatre.com.
Toronto Operetta Theatre: Starting December 28, for a five-show run
that leapfrogs into the new year, Toronto Operetta Theatre continues
its successful tradition of being just about the only show in town to
offer significant musical escapism during the Christmas-to-New Year
artistic doldrums. This year it’s The Gypsy Baron by Johann Strauss
II. Derek Bate, conducts; Guillermo Silva-Marin, stage director, will as
always make the most of the cosy confines of the Jane Mallett Theatre,
with the music itself as the star of the show.
And if operetta is your thing: Starting January 31 and continuing
February 1,7, 8 and 9, at the Don Wright Faculty of Music in London,
Opera at Western offers up The Mikado in the Paul Davenport Theatre,
Talbot College, Western University. See our Beyond the GTA listings
for details. And on January 24, St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society,
the foremost community proponent of the operettas of Gilbert and
Sullivan in these parts, commences a seven-performance run of
Patience in the St. Anne’s Parish Hall, 651 Dufferin St.
Against the Grain: Figaro's Wedding, 2014
took the plunge. The previous year they had acted on a hunch and
rented the George Weston Recital Hall in North York for a New Year’s
Day performance of “Salute to Vienna” (the “salute” of the title being
a nod to the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Concert from the
Golden Hall in Vienna’s Musikverein). The cautionary wise had told
the Glatzes they were crazy – that attempting to get Torontonians to
go out to such a thing on New Year’s Day was folly. So they switched
from the 1,100-seat George Weston to the 2,500-seat Roy Thomson
Hall, at 2:30pm on New Year’s Day, and the rest, as they say, is
history! For details on this year’s Salute to Vienna, and its New Year’s
Eve sister show, Bravissimo! Opera’s Greatest Hits, see the listings or
visit www.glatzconcerts.com.
ATG THEATRE
Salute to Vienna: Twenty-five winters ago, Attila and Marion Glatz
David Pelman can be reached at publisher@thewholenote.com.
KAMOURASKA
By Charles M. Wilson
February 16, 2020
2:30 pm
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ST LAWRENCE CENTRE FOR THE ARTS
27 FRONT ST E, TORONTO
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thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 43

Beat by Beat | Music Theatre
From Pinocchio
to Poppins
A Cornucopia of Family Fun
JENNIFER PARR
CYLLA VON TIEDEMANN
The holiday season is almost here, overflowing with familyoriented
musical theatre offerings, beginning with YPT’s
beautiful new production of The Adventures of Pinocchio
in a musical version by Canadians Neil Bartram and Brian Hill.
Originally commissioned by the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, this
is the Canadian premiere of a delightful 75-minute version of Carlo
Collodi’s classic tale of the wooden puppet who longs to become a real
human boy.
I have to admit that Pinocchio has never been one of my favourite
fairy tales, even in the iconic 1940 Disney animated film, but I was
completely won over by this version. At its heart is a warmth and
gentleness that focuses on how the impulsive puppet learns through
his (sometimes scary) misadventures and impulsive mistakes how
to start thinking of others before himself, that life is about making
(sometimes very hard) choices, but if he has courage, and looks inside
himself, he can find the right choices to make and achieve his dream
of becoming a real boy. Sheila McCarthy’s imaginative production is
fast-paced and fun, with the young dynamic cast moving nonstop
through multiple scene and character changes. Veteran Shawn Wright
as a sympathetic Geppetto and Malindi Ayienga as a majestic Blue
Fairy anchor the story while Connor Lucas as Pinocchio, though
wearing a half Harlequin-like mask, wins the audience’s heart with
his impulsive energy and vulnerability – and fantastic tap dancing.
Joanna Yu’s storybook design for set and costumes perfectly matches
the material, and hearing the children in the theatre reacting audibly
as events unfold adds to the fun.
Pinocchio continues at Young People’s Theatre until January 5
(suggested for ages five and up).
The Nutcracker: Another tale of magic and children learning through
adventure is the National Ballet of Canada’s The Nutcracker, an annual
tradition for many families. In choreographer James Kudelka’s version
set in 19th-century Russia, we meet quarrelling brother and sister,
Misha and Marie, at their family’s fabulous Christmas party complete
with a dancing horse, performing bears, and the magician-like Uncle
Nikolai who gives all the children presents, including a wooden
Nutcracker doll for Marie. That night, while the clock strikes midnight,
the Christmas tree grows immeasurably tall and the children enter
a magical world where first they have to work together to help the
Nutcracker (who has transformed into a real young soldier) in an epic
battle against the evil Mouse Tsar before travelling to the magical lands
of the Snow Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy. One of the delights of this
sumptuous production is the number of young people onstage; 98 out
of the total cast of 233 each night are students from every class of the
National Ballet School as well as younger “associates” from various
public schools who play mice and Little Bo Peep’s sheep. Of course,
there is also Tchaikovsky’s beautiful score underlying everything,
played live by the NBOC orchestra.
The Nutcracker plays from December 12 to January 4 at the Four
Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.
The Panto: On the more raucous side of holiday fare is the “Panto,”
made an indelible part of Toronto’s Christmas season by Ross Petty
Productions for the past 23 years. Following the centuries-old British
tradition of starting with a well-known fairy tale and turning it into a
not-so-veiled commentary on the current state of the world at large,
Connor Lucas (left) in YPT’s Pinocchio, with Arinea Hermans
as Cat (centre) and Joel Cumber as the Fox
then filling it with broad comedy, fabulous dancing and top-notch
singing of well-known tunes with new lyrics, the Panto is a great mix
of entertainment for both children and parents. This year’s offering is
Lil’ Red Robin Hood (with a book by Matt Murray), clearly a mix of a
couple of favourite stories. Aptly for the setting of both stories, it takes
place not in the Elgin Theatre as usual, since the superb company
of Come From Away are still in residence, but upstairs in the same
building in the beautiful Winter Garden Theatre with its ceiling of tree
branches and “real” leaves. Given this setting, director Tracey Flye is
going to literally immerse the audience in Robin Hood’s world using
not just the stage but the entire theatre space to tell this fun-filled tale.
Robert Markus, from Dear Evan Hansen, will have a chance to bring
back the wacky side he showed in Stratford’s The Rocky Horror Show
last season as Lil’ Red, and Sara-Jeanne Hosie, who was a hit in the
Panto last year as the Wicked Witch of the West, returns as the evil
Sheriff of Naughtingham. (No, that’s not a typo, this is Panto.) Lil’ Red
Robin Hood plays until January 4.
Pantos are popping up all over Ontario, summer stock in effect
becoming holiday stock for the next six weeks or so, with versions of
Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Jack and the Beanstalk taking place
alongside lots of musicals, and many versions, both musical and not,
of A Christmas Carol, including Tim Carroll’s adaptation with music
by Paul Sportelli at the Shaw Festival’s Royal St George’s Theatre (with
the charismatic Michael Therriault returning as Scrooge). Shaw is
also presenting a second holiday show this year (running now until
December 22), Irving Berlin’s classic musical, Holiday Inn, (best
known from the film starring Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby) directed
by Shaw Festival associate artistic director, and author of the Last Wife
play series, Kate Hennig.
Mary Poppins: While the Stratford Festival doesn’t offer a holiday
show, nearby in London at the Grand Theatre, a selection of Stratford
and Shaw stars can be found in Mary Poppins including Deborah
Hay (most recently Roxanne in Cyrano at Shaw) as Mary, Ben Carlson
(The Front Page) as Mr. Banks, and Alexis Gordon (Brigadoon,
Guys and Dolls) as Mrs. Banks. This is the stage version of the
beloved 1964 film based on the stories of P.L. Travers, with some
new songs added to favourites such as Chim Chim Chir-ee, and
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, and a revised book by Downton
Abbey’s Julian Fellowes. In Mary Poppins, it is not just the children,
but the whole family, who go on a journey of discovery, and it is
famously the children who begin it all by writing a letter looking for
the perfect nanny. Luckily, it is Mary Poppins who answers and who,
although she is a disciplinarian, is so in a way that always includes
kindness, generosity, and fun. With her philosophy of “anything can
happen if you let it” she helps the Banks family back onto the right
and happy path once more, along the way taking them, and us, on a
wonderful journey full of the discovery of the magic all around us.
Another wonderful show to share with family in the holidays. Mary
Poppins plays November 29 to December 29.
For more musical choices to see in the holidays and new year, both
family friendly and more experimental fare, please see our musical
44 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

theatre listings and the quick picks below.
MUSIC THEATRE QUICK PICKS
!!
ONGOING TO JAN 5, 8PM: Piaf/Dietrich: A Legendary Affair, Mirvish Productions,
CAA Theatre. Not for children unless they have parents who play the songs of Edith
Piaf and Marlene Dietrich all the time, this intriguing show about the deep friendship
between the two stars has been extended again by popular demand.
!!
NOV 26 TO DEC 15, 8PM: Stars: Together. Crows Theatre, Guloien Theatre. Not for
children. Described by its creators as a “theatre/concert hybrid by one of Canada’s
most theatrical Indie-rock bands.” Two years in development by Crows’ Artistic
Director Chris Abraham and members of the band Stars, notably actor/musician
Torquil Campbell, this is a no-holds-barred concert/play about the “family” dynamics
of a band that has played and toured together for 20 years.
!!
NOV 27 TO JAN 5: Cats. Mirvish Productions, Princess of Wales Theatre. The
magical combination of T.S. Eliot and Andrew Lloyd Webber is back, but, in a possibly
audience-polarizing move, with new choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, inspired
by, but replacing, the original dances by Gillian Lynne.
!!
ONGOING FROM NOV 29: Stand! A movie musical in movie theatres. Usually I don’t
include movie musicals in my listings but I am making an exception as this is based on
the acclaimed 2005 Canadian stage-musical Strike!, by Danny Schur and Rick Chafe.
A Romeo-and-Juliet tale set amidst the country-changing Winnipeg General Strike of
1919, there are all too many analogies to be made to our own times.
!!
DEC 3 TO JAN 12: Anastasia. Mirvish Productions. Ed Mirvish Theatre. The longawaited
Canadian premiere of the musical story of the lost Romanov princess,
perhaps best known from the film starring Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brynner, but here
with a book by acclaimed playwright Terrence McNally, and a score from Broadway
veterans Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.
!!
DEC 7 TO JAN 5: Bend It Like Beckham: The Musical. St Lawrence Centre for the
Arts. A highly anticipated new, mostly Canadian, production of the musical based on
the beloved 2002 film.
!!
DEC 12 TO JAN 14: The Nutcracker. Meridan Hall (formerly the Sony Centre). Toronto
International Ballet Theatre and the Bolshoi Ballet join forces to bring a different version
Stars: Together at Crow’s Theatre
of this classic ballet, with a cast including many young Toronto dancers led by two guest
stars from the Bolshoi: Anastasia Stashkevich and Vyacheslav Lopatin.
!!
JAN 7 TO 18: The Solitudes. Aluna Theatre in association with Nightwood Theatre.
Harbourfront CentreTheatre. Inspired by Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred
Years of Solitude, this new experimental-group creation uses original musical
compositions by Brandon Valdivia, along with spoken text, to tell the story of eight
women exploring the threads of history and bloodlines.
!!
JAN 17 TO FEB 1: Legally Blonde, Hart House Theatre.The new year begins with
a high-energy, fun story of female empowerment through witty dialogue, based on
the iconic movie starting Reese Witherspoon, and with a score and lyrics that effect
a perfect translation from screen to stage. This is a university production but it will
be directed by Saccha Dennis who sings the heartbreaking I am Here in the Toronto
company of Come From Away.
Jennifer Parr is a Toronto-based director, dramaturge, fight
director, and acting coach, brought up from a young age on a
rich mix of musicals, Shakespeare and new Canadian plays.
STEVE MCGILL
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 45

Beat by Beat | Bandstand
Sound the Bugle!
JACK MACQUARRIE
Last night, as I drove home after a rehearsal, I heard on the radio
to expect a once-in-a-lifetime event at precisely 11:15pm – the
most spectacular meteor shower in over 30 years. As I looked
out of the window, though, I was barely able to see the road in front
of me, through the dense fog. Now, sitting at the computer, staring
at the screen, I am dealing with a dearth of information, unusual at
this time of year, about happenings in the band world. Usually at this
time of year, I would expect to receive quite a quantity of information
on Christmas concerts, festive-season events or holiday shows. A
temporary blip perhaps, or maybe just a sign of the busy times we live
in. Since I can’t write about what I haven’t been sent, though, it gives
me permission to write about what I like.
Speaking of signs of the times
At a recent concert of the combined bands of HMCS York from Toronto
and HMCS Star from Hamiton, I was stunned to see Lieutenant
Commander Jack t’Mannetje sitting in the audience rather than on
stage conducting. I then learned that Jack, who has been the Director
of the York Band for many years, has been promoted. He is now executive
officer of HMCS York, Navy lingo for second-in-command.
It’s rare to see a military band conductor promoted to a position of
command. Congratulations, Jack. As for the duties of band director,
that falls to longtime band member, chief petty officer Maggie Birtch.
Again, congratulations to Maggie.
At this time of year it is quite common for community bands to
hold a seasonal party for band members and partners, or friends.
After having such a party for years, the Newmarket Citizens Band
is taking a different approach. They will be holding a “Band Festival
Social” at their last rehearsal of the year on Tuesday, December 17,
beginning with a 45-minute rehearsal of selections suggested by all
band members. After that, the rest of the evening will be a time to
mingle, get to know fellow bandmates and guests, and celebrate the
end to another successful band year. If I were to have a say in what
gets rehearsed, I would be requesting the march On the Square. As
mentioned in a previous column, that march is one of my most pervasive
ear worms. I have heard it on recordings over the years, but never
heard it, or played it in a live performance. It’s time.
Bugles again
As my regular readers know, over the past few years I have lamented,
in this column, on the demise of the ceremonial bugle. Whether the
basic bare copper model with the brass trim on the bell, or a more
grandiose silver-plated version, the sound was the same. Since it is
possible to play all bugle music on a standard trumpet, many bands
abandoned the need to own bugles, usually for convenience. The
warm, mellow, soothing tone of the bugle was almost universally
replaced by the more strident crisp tone of the trumpet.
Then, this past summer, during the funeral service for Fred Barnard
of Uxbridge, who, as a member of The Queen’s Own Rifles regiment,
landed on Juno Beach in Normandy on D-Day in 1944, during
the customary playing of The Last Post from the rear of the chapel, I
was stunned to hear a real bugle, not a trumpet, being played, in full
uniform, by the bugler from The Queen’s Own Rifles Band, flawlessly
and with beautiful tone.
As mentioned in previous columns, the key to this unexpected
development was that this bugle was modified to take a standard
trumpet mouthpiece, one of the problems with the traditional copper
bugle being that the mouthpiece has a very different shank from a
trumpet. With most trumpet players reluctant to play bugle calls on
an unfamiliar mouthpiece, this new instrument allows any trumpet
player to just use their regular trumpet mouthpiece. As an additional
benefit, it also has a tuning slide so that it may be tuned with a band
or orchestra. It’s a win-win situation. Best of all, the instrument is
HMCS York Band (2019)
made to order, locally, and I was able to track down the craftsman who
makes them, who, in a recent telephone conversation confirmed that
all of the components to make them to order are now on hand.
Since Fred Barnard had been a longtime member of Branch 170 of
The Royal Canadian Legion in Uxbridge, I raised the idea at a recent
legion meeting that it might be fitting for his branch of the Legion to
acquire such a bugle in Fred’s honour. Within minutes the concept
was approved, and before the end of that meeting, one member made
a substantial financial donation towards such a purchase. A buglepurchase
fund was established. On Remembrance Day many more
donors came forward, and the bugle will soon be a reality. I also
mentioned this new bugle to Jack t’Mannetje of HMCS York, and have
learned that they too will be getting one!
Both of these organizations intend to have these as commemorative
instruments with appropriate engraving. For the one in Uxbridge, the
engraving will be to honour Fred Barnard. In the case of HMCS York,
it will probably commemorate some significant Canadian Naval action
such as the Battle of The Atlantic. Now, these two bands have one final
decision to make: will these bugles be given a lacquer finish, or be
silver plated?
Flutes
In last month’s issue I mentioned a joint concert of Toronto-based
Flute Street choir and Les flûtistes de Montréal. After that concert I
chatted with Flute Street’s founder, Nancy Nourse, about the many
different sizes of flute and suggested that I would love to get a photo
of all of the different sizes with some descriptions of the unique characteristics
of each. I am looking forward to that opportunity. I also
learned that the monster instrument that I referred to as the giant
“sub contrabass flute” has now been renamed the “double contrabass
flute.”
On my local scene
Living in the small hamlet of Goodwood, we are regularly treated to
interesting musical performances in nearby Uxbridge. Last month I
mentioned a concert with The Fanfarones performing a new work,
Canoe Dancing, by local composer Stu Beaudoin. This past month we
were treated to a performance of Tchaikovsky’s little-known Manfred
Symphony, played by the local Orpheus Symphonietta under the
direction of the same Stu Beaudoin. I was stunned to see the wind
section of this small orchestra. There they were: four trumpets, four
French horns, three trombones, four flutes and four clarinets, plus
two oboes and two bassoons. After the performance I was chatting
with Ralston Evans, one of the trombonists who I had played with
some years ago. I had not seen him for some time, since he had moved
to another town some distance away. However, I was sure that he was
playing a new trombone that I had not seen him play before. When I
asked him about this new instrument, his reply stunned me. “It’s the
one that I bought from you years ago.” Great memory!
New instrument
Recently, I learned about a new instrument which has nothing to
do with standard concert bands, but fascinated me. The instrument,
developed by composer and instrument-builder Benton Roark, is a
glass marimba called the lumiphone. When I heard of this instrument
I went to YouTube, and there it was being played by a true virtuoso of
that instrument. I would strongly recommend a visit to that site.
46 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

Just missed
Almost every month we receive notices of concerts which are scheduled
in the last days of a month. They will take place after the due
date for this column, when the copy is headed for the printer, but
before the issue of The Wholenote is printed. One such event will be a
concert on Saturday, November 30 at 2pm in Victoria College Chapel,
University of Toronto. Peter Margolian and Friends will have presented
a chamber music concert featuring a wide range of small chamber
groups. The one number on the program which particularly interested
me was the Sonata for Trombone and Piano by composer Halsey
Stevens. As I write, I hope to attend this performance. A few months
ago, I received a copy of this work from Peter to see if I might be interested
in playing it. As I skimmed over the trombone part, frequently
skipping from bass clef to tenor clef and treble clef, I decided that I
should not attempt it. I showed the music to a number of friends who
are quite proficient on the trombone. They all declined any opportunity
to attempt this work. In the announcement which I received
from Peter, I see that Ian Cowie will be the trombonist. I am looking
forward to hearing him perform it.
Coming events
In addition to its regular monthly noon-hour concert, which
occurs on the first Thursday of every month, the Encore Symphonic
Concert Band will present its annual Christmas concert on Saturday,
December 7 at 7pm, in its regular rehearsal/concert venue, Wilmar
Heights Event Centre, 963 Pharmacy Ave. Featured soloists will
include special guest vocalist Sharon Smith, along with various band
members (including band director John Liddle) in an upbeat program
of holiday favourites. Everyone is invited for a photo op with Santa at
intermission, when refreshments will also be served.
QUICK PICKS
Finally, from our listings, in chronological order, “bare bones” information
about a few upcoming concerts that, while not necessarily
part of my official beat, caught my eye for one reason or another.
Please consult The WholeNote listings sections for details.
!!
DEC 1, 7PM: Barrie Concert Band. Christmas at the Beach. Lighthouse Community
Church, Wasaga Beach.
!!
DEC 1, 3PM: Guelph Concert Band. Holiday Traditions. E.L. Fox Auditorium, John F.
Ross Collegiate Institute, Guelph.
!!
DEC 1, 3PM: York University Department of Music. York University Wind Symphony.
Tribute Communities Recital Hall, Accolade East, YU, Toronto.
!!
DEC 4, 12:30PM: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Western University Symphonic Band.
Paul Davenport Theatre, Talbot College, Western University, London.
!!
DEC 7, 2PM: Barrie Concert Band. A Christmas Chocolate Box. Collier Street United
Church, Barrie.
!!
DEC 8, 1:30PM: Borealis Big Band. A Little Taste of Christmas. Newmarket Old Town
Hall, Newmarket.
!!
DEC 12, 7PM: Blythwood Winds. Be Our Guest: Batman, Dragons and Disney.
Burdock Music Hall, Toronto.
!!
DEC 13, 8PM: Aurora Community Band. Hooked on Classics. Trinity Anglican
Church (Aurora).
!!
DEC 14, 7:30PM: The Salvation Army. Christmas with the Salvation Army. Roy
Thomson Hall, Toronto.
!!
JAN 25, 7:30PM: Flute Street. Goin’ Places. Heliconian Hall, Toronto.
!!
JAN 26, 2PM: St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society. Gilbert & Sullivan’s Patience. St.
Anne’s Parish Hall, Toronto.
!!
FEB 6, 7:30PM: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Wind Ensemble Concerts:
Sharing. MacMillan Theatre, Edward Johnson Building, Toronto.
!!
FEB 7, 7:30PM: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Wind Symphony Concerts.
MacMillan Theatre, Edward Johnson Building, Toronto.
Jack MacQuarrie plays several brass instruments and
has performed in many community ensembles. He can
be contacted at bandstand@thewholenote.com.
CAROLS BY
CANDLELIGHT
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 4:30PM
A traditional candlelight choral
presentation featuring choirs and
musicians of Yorkminster Park.
NINE LESSONS
& CAROLS
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22, 4:30PM
Following the historic tradition
of King’s College in Cambridge.
Admission is FREE
for both events.
Doors open
at 3:30pm.
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church
1585 Yonge Street | (416) 922-1167
YorkminsterPark.com
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 47

The WholeNote listings are arranged in five sections:
A.
GTA (GREATER TORONTO AREA) covers all of Toronto
plus Halton, Peel, York and Durham regions.
B.
BEYOND THE GTA covers many areas of Southern
Ontario outside Toronto and the GTA. Starts on page 64.
C.
MUSIC THEATRE covers a wide range of music types:
from opera, operetta and musicals, to non-traditional
performance types where words and music are in some
fashion equal partners in the drama. Starts on page 69.
D.
IN THE CLUBS (MOSTLY JAZZ)
is organized alphabetically by club.
Starts on page 71.
E.
THE ETCETERAS is for galas, fundraisers, competitions,
screenings, lectures, symposia, masterclasses, workshops,
singalongs and other music-related events (except
performances) which may be of interest to our readers.
Starts on page 73.
A GENERAL WORD OF CAUTION. A phone number is provided
with every listing in The WholeNote — in fact, we won’t publish
a listing without one. Concerts are sometimes cancelled or postponed;
artists or venues may change after listings are published.
Please check before you go out to a concert.
HOW TO LIST. Listings in The WholeNote in the four sections above
are a free service available, at our discretion, to eligible presenters.
If you have an event, send us your information no later than the
8th of the month prior to the issue or issues in which your listing is
eligible to appear.
LISTINGS DEADLINE. The next issue covers the period from
February 1 to March 7, 2020. All listings must be received by
11:59pm, Wednesday January 8.
LISTINGS can be sent by email to listings@thewholenote.com
or by using the online form on our website. We do not receive
listings by phone, but you can call 416-323-2232 x27 for further
information.
LISTINGS ZONE MAP. Visit our website to search for concerts
by the zones on this map: thewholenote.com.
Lake
Huron
6
Georgian
Bay
7
2 1
5
Lake Erie
3 4
8
City of Toronto
LISTINGS
Lake Ontario
Sunday December 1
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Vocal Series: Fairytales and Lullabies. Artists
of the COC Ensemble Studio. Richard Bradshaw
Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for
the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-
363-8231. Free. First come, first served. No
late seating.
●●1:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Sunday
Interludes Series: Jinjoo Cho, violin. Mazzoleni
Concert Hall, TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor
St. W. 416-408-0208. Free(ticket required).
Tickets available a week prior to concert
date.
●●2:00: Canzona. The Music Speaks. Schubert:
Arpeggione Sonata; Mendelssohn:
Sonata No.1 Op.45; Debussy: Sonata; Chopin:
Polonaise Op.26/1; Fauré: Elégie Op.24 and
others. Peter Cosbey, cello; Mariko Kamachi-Cosbey,
piano. St. Andrew by-the-Lake
Anglican Church, Cibola Ave., Toronto Island.
416-822-0613. $30. Brunch ($20) at 12:30pm.
Reservations required. Also Dec 2(7:30pm,
St. George by the Grange - concert only).
●●2:00: Gallery 345. The Art of the Piano:
Shoshana Telner. Chopin: Four Ballades;
Debussy: Twelve Etudes. 345 Sorauren Ave.
416-822-9781 or info@gallery345.com or
eventbrite.ca. $25; $15(st). Cash only at the
door.
●●2:00: Gallery 345. The Art of the Piano:
Shoshana Telner. Alexina Louie: Memories
in an Ancient Garden; Bach: Italian Concerto;
Liszt: Sonetto 104 del Petrac; Liszt:
Vallée d’Obermann; Chopin: Four Ballades.
345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781 or info@gallery345.com
or eventbrite.ca. $25; $15(st).
Cash only at the door.
●●2:00: National Ballet of Canada. Etudes
& Piano Concerto #1 & Petite Mort. Music
by Carl Czerny, Dmitri Shostakovich, and
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Harald Lander,
choreographer. Alexei Ratmansky, choreographer.
Jiří Kylián, choreographer. Four
Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-345-9595. $41 and up.
Opens Nov 27, 7:30pm. Runs to Dec 1. Wed-
Sat(7:30pm), Sat/Sun(2pm).
●●2:00: The Sound Post. Fall Salon Concert.
Duos for violin and viola. Elizabeth Chang, violin;
Nardo Poy, viola. 93 Grenville St. events@
thesoundpost.com. Free with the purchase of
CD. Limited seating. Reception post concert.
●●2:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Choirs in Concert: To Hold Off Winter’s
Chill. Works by Sirett, Schubert, Daley and
Vivancos. Women’s Chorus; Women’s Chamber
Choir; Men’s Chorus; Elaine Choi and Lori-
Anne Dolloff, conductors. MacMillan Theatre,
Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s Park.
416-408-0208. $30; $20(sr); $10(st). U of T
students admitted free with a valid TCard,
space permitting.
Erratum: We accidentally omitted
this listing from the November issue
of the magazine. Our apologies!
Concert details below:
●●Nov 30 2pm: Peter Margolian and
Friends. Chamber Music Concert. Music
for voice, winds, strings, percussion and
piano. Works by Franz Schubert, Stephen
Foster, Halsey Stevens, Henry Cowell and
Darius Milhaud. Victoria College Chapel,
91 Charles St. W.. 647-980-5475. Free.
A. Concerts in the GTA
●●2:30: VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert. Kátya
Kabanová. Music by Leoš Janáček. Sung in
English. Lynn Isnar, soprano (Kátya); Emilia
Boteva, mezzo (Kabanicha); Michael Barrett,
tenor (Tichon); Cian Horrobin, tenor (Boris);
Jo Greenaway, music director/piano; Robert
Cooper, chorus director. Jane Mallett
Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts,
27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-
6754. $20-$50.
●●3:00: Chorus York. Celebrate the Season.
A program of Christmas favorites, with
some audience participation. Stéphane Potvin,
director; Andrea Van Pelt, piano; guests:
The Bells of St. Matthew’s handbell choir;
Joan Plume, director. Thornhill Presbyterian
Church, 271 Centre St., Thornhill. 905-
884-7922. $30/$20(adv); $15(st/under 36);
free(under 12). Also Nov 30(8pm, Richmond
Hill).
●●3:00: Encore! Chorus. Sing Gloria! Britt-
Lynn Winch, harp; Dee Lawrence, conductor;
George Vandikas, piano;. Bethel Community
Christian Reformed Church, 333 Davis Dr.,
Newmarket. 905-722-6535. $18; $15(sr/st).
encoreyr.wixsite.com/choir.
●●3:00: Italian Canadian Symphony Orchestra.
A Winter Wonderland. Gesù Bambino;
Silent Night; Twelve Days of Christmas; Hallelujah
Chorus. Sara Papini, soprano; Rocco
Rupolo, tenor; Paolo Busato, conductor. Villa
Colombo, Sala Caboto, 40 Playfair Ave. 416-
789-2113. $35; $20(youth 13-16); free(12 and
under). Fundraiser for the purchase of new
beds.
●●3:00: Off Centre Music Salon. Runaway
Waltz. Works of Strauss, Debussy, Poulenc,
Glinka, Tchaikovsky and others. Allison
Angelo, soprano; Ernesto Ramirez, tenor;
Ilana Zarankin, soprano; Helen Becque, piano;
Inna Perkis, piano; Boris Zarankin, piano.
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-
466-6323. $50; $40(sr); $15(13-25); $5(12
and under).
●●3:00: Syrinx Concerts Toronto. Chamber
Music Concert. Haydn: Gypsy Trio; Mendelssohn:
Piano Trio No.2; Schumann: Piano Trio;
Ka Nin: “Among Friends”. Jean-Luc Therrien,
piano; Mai Tategami, violin; Zlatomir Fung,
cello. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 416-
654-0877 or syrinxconcerts.ca/tickets. $30;
$20(st). Cash or cheque only at the door.
●●3:00: Thomas Bell. Organ Concert. John
Paul Farahat, organ. St. Paul’s Bloor Street,
227 Bloor St. E. 416-961-8116. Free.
●●3:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. All
Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.1 in
g Op.13 “Winter Dreams”; Violin Concerto in
D Op.35; 1812 Overture. Daniel Lozakovich,
violin; Simon Rivard, TSO RBC Resident Conductor.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-
598-3375. From $32. Also Nov 27, 28, 30.
●●3:00: York Symphony Orchestra. Romantic
Premieres. Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1;
Sibelius: Symphony No.1. Jarred Dunn, piano.
Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts,
10268 Yonge St., Richmond Hill. 905-787-
8811. $32; $27(sr); $15(st). Also Nov 30(8pm,
Trinity Anglican, Aurora).
●●3:00: York University Department of
Music. York University Wind Symphony.
Bill Thomas, director. Tribute Communities
Recital Hall, Accolade East, YU, 4700 Keele St.
416-736-5888. $15; $10(sr/st).
●●4:00: Andrew Adair. Seven Allegorical
Pictures by Sverre Eftestøl. Andrew
Adair, organ. Church of St. Mary Magdalene
48 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

(Toronto), 477 Manning Ave. 416-531-7955.
Free.
●●4:00: Church of St. Peter and St. Simonthe-Apostle.
Advent Lessons and Carols.
Works by Holman, Near, Carter and Bruckner.
525 Bloor St. E. 416-923-8714. Freewill offering.
Fruit cake and sherry reception follows.
●●4:00: St. Olave’s Anglican Church. Christmas
Lights. Choral Evensong for Advent
Sunday. Followed by Christmas Tea. Voices
Chamber Choir. 360 Windermere Ave. 416-
769-5686. Free. Contributions appreciated.
5:00: St. Olave’s Arts Guild presents light
music and light entertainment, including
drama, poetry, music and songs.
●●4:00: Trinity College Chapel. Advent Lessons
and Carols. Anthems, carols, hymns,
and readings for the season of Advent. Trinity
College Chapel Choir. Trinity College Chapel,
University of Toronto, 6 Hoskin Ave. 416-
978-3288. Free (collection taken for college
outreach).
●●7:00: Burlington Performing Arts Centre.
Emilie-Claire Barlow. 440 Locust
St., Burlington. 905-681-6000. $59.50;
$54.50(members).
●●7:00: Cooksville United Church. Christmas
Jazz Vespers. Seasonal favourites. Missisauga
Big Band Jazz Ensemble. 2500 Mimosa
Row, Mississauga. 905-277-2338. Free.
●●7:30: CaféMusic/Windcatcher Production.
Sina Bathaie featuring Javad Bathaie. Small
World Music Centre, Artscape Youngplace,
180 Shaw St. 416-536-5439. $19.99-$34.99.
●●7:30: Echo Women’s Choir. When She Won’t
Back Down. Parra: Volver a los 17; Ain’t Gonna
Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round; Waits: Bella Ciao;
Olsavsky: What Happens When a Woman?;
Roblyn: Fire In My Heart. Guest: Las Brujas
del Barrio; Alan Gasser, conductor. Church of
the Holy Trinity, 19 Trinity Sq. 416-779-5554 or
Eventbrite. $25; $15(sr/child/underwaged).
●●8:00: Arraymusic. Rat-drifting: Karen Ng.
Array Space, 155 Walnut Ave. 647-385-2068.
$15 or PWYC.
●●8:00: Esprit Orchestra. Sustain. Andrew
Norman: Sustain, for orchestra; Adam Scime:
Afterglow, concerto for violin and orchestra;
José Evangelista: Accelerando, for orchestra.
Véronique Mathieu, violin; Alex Pauk, conductor.
Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor
St. W. 416-408-0208. From $20. 7:15pm: preconcert
chat.
Sustain
Sunday
December 1
2019
8pm Concert
Koerner Hall
ESPRIT ORCHESTRA
espritorchestra.com
Monday December 2
●●12:00 noon: University of Toronto Faculty
of Music. UofT Percussion: Post Reset I. Walter
Hall, Edward Johnson Building, University
of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750.
Free. Open to the public.
●●12:30: York University Department of
Music. Instrumental Masterclass in Concert.
Tribute Communities Recital Hall, Accolade
East, YU, 4700 Keele St. 416-736-2100
x20054. Free.
●●7:30: ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.
In Concert. Blessed Sacrament Church,
24 Cheritan Ave. $30; $25(sr/st). Also
Dec 22(Our Lady of Sorrows Church).
●●7:30: Canzona. The Music Speaks. Schubert:
Arpeggione Sonata; Mendelssohn: Sonata
No.1 Op.45; Debussy: Sonata; Chopin: Polonaise
Op.26/1; Fauré: Elégie Op.24 and others. Peter
Cosbey, cello; Mariko Kamachi-Cosbey, piano.
St. George by the Grange Church, 197 John
St. 416-822-0613. $30. Also Dec 1(2pm, St.
Andrew-by-the-Lake Anglican, Toronto Island).
●●7:30: Casey House Foundation. Voices
for World AIDS Day. Shannon Mercer, soprano;
Asitha Tennekoon, tenor; Julie Nasrallah,
host; Emily Steinwall Trio; Pearle Harbour,
tragicomedienne; and others. Glenn Gould
Studio, 250 Front St. W. 416-962-4040. Free.
Suggested donation $20. Fundraiser for
Casey House.
●●7:30: Chorisma. An Evening of Christmas
Music. Guests: Alexa Ball, flute; Damon Richardson,
percussion; Lona Richardson, accompanist;
Bob Richardson, conductor. Thornhill United
Church, 25 Elgin St., Thornhill. 905-731-8318.
Freewill offering. In support of the Thornhill
Christmas Assistance Program. Please bring a
non-perishable offering for the food bank.
●●7:30: Gallery 345. CD Release: The Wild
Swans. Yolanda Bruno, violin; Isabelle David,
piano. 345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781 or
info@gallery345.com or eventbrite.ca. $25;
$10(st). Cash only at the door.
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Guitar Orchestra. Walter Hall, Edward
Johnson Building, University of Toronto,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open
to the public.
●●8:00: University of Toronto Campus Philharmonic
Orchestra. Spring Concert.
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake Suite, Op.20a; Rachmaninoff:
Piano Concerto No.2; Emery: New
work. Alexander Panizza, piano; Lorenzo
Guggenheim, conductor. MacMillan Theatre,
Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-408-0208 or bit.ly/fallconcertcpo.
PWYC($10 suggested).
Tuesday December 3
●●12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation.
Lunchtime Chamber Music. Michael Lee, piano.
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge
St. 416-241-1298. Free. Donations welcome.
●●12:10: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Voice Performance Class: Songs of
the Season. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson
Building, University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
●●7:30: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Festival
of Carols. Works by Berlioz, Tchaikovsky,
Ralph Vaughan Williams and Rutter; and audience
carol sing-along with full orchestra.
Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra; David
Fallis, Simon Rivard, Ezra Burke, conductors.
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge
St. 416-408-0208 or tmchoir.org. $35-$78;
$20(VoxTix 30 and under). Also Dec 4.
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Jazz Concerts. U of T 12tet; Kris Davis
piano and composer; Terry Promane, conductor.
Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building,
University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-
408-0208. $20; $10(st). U of T students admitted
free with a valid TCard, space permitting.
●●8:00: Roy Thomson Hall. Orchestrated:
Royal Wood and Friends. Guests: Toronto
Symphony Orchestra. 60 Simcoe St. 416-872-
4255. $41.70-$62.40.
Wednesday December 4
●●12:30: Organix Concerts/All Saints Kingsway.
Kingsway Organ Concert Series.
Dudley Oakes, organ. All Saints Kingsway
Anglican Church, 2850 Bloor St. W. 416-571-
3680 or organixconcerts.ca. Free-will offering
appreciated.
●●12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
Noonday Organ Recital. Angus Sinclair,
organ. 1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167. Free.
O COME,
SHEPHERDS
Dec 4–8, 2019
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
tafelmusik.org
●●7:00: Tafelmusik. O Come, Shepherds.
Manfredini: Christmas Concerto; Dall’Abaco:
“La zampogna”; Pasquini: “Pastorale”; and
traditional music from Southern Italy.
Guest: Tommaso Sollazzo, zampogna; Vesuvius
Ensemble; Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W.
416-964-6337. From $42. Also Dec 5(8pm),
6(8pm), 7(8pm), 8(3:30pm); 10(8pm at
George Weston Recital Hall).
●●7:00: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Upper Jazz Concerts: UofT Jazz
Ensembles. Upper Jazz Studio, 90 Wellesley
St. W. 416-978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
Set 2 begins at 8pm.
●●7:30: Royal Conservatory of Music. Rebanks
Family Fellowship Concert Series. Mazzoleni
Concert Hall, TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor St. W.
416-408-0208. Free(ticket required). Tickets
available a week prior to concert date.
●●7:30: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Festival
of Carols. Works by Berlioz, Tchaikovsky,
Ralph Vaughan Williams and Rutter; and audience
carol sing-along with full orchestra.
Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra; David
Fallis, Simon Rivard, Ezra Burke, conductors.
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge
St. 416-408-0208 or tmchoir.org. $35-$78;
$20(VoxTix 30 and under). Also Dec 3.
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. World Music: Gospel Ensemble. Walter
Hall, Edward Johnson Building, University
of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750.
Free. Open to the public.
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty
of Music. World Music: Gospel Ensemble.
Edward Johnson Building, Walter Hall,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open
to the public.
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. TD
Jazz Concerts Series: Chucho Valdés: Jazz
Batá. Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor
St. W. 416-408-0208. $40-$95.
●●9:30: Danie Friesen. Opera Revue. Opera
classics, art song and other works. Danie
Friesen, soprano; Claire Harris, piano; and
others. The Emmett Ray, 924 College St. 647-
637-7491. PWYC. Also Oct 2, Nov 6.
Thursday December 5
SONG UNDER
THE STAIR
Beth Anne Cole
new songs and
Yiddish folksongs
Dec 5, 7:30pm
bethannecole.com
CHRISTMAS AT ST PETER AND ST SIMON’S
Advent Lessons and Carols • SUNDAY DEC 1, 4PM
Once Upon A Starry Midnight Children’s Musical
• SUNDAY DEC 15, 4PM
Nine Lessons and Carols • SUNDAY DEC 22, 4PM
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service • TUESDAY DEC 24, 10PM
Christmas Day Joyful Celebration • WEDNESDAY DEC 25, 10:30AM
JOIN US!
stpeterstsimon.ca
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 49

●●7:30: Gallery 345. Song Under the Stair:
Beth Anne Cole. Yiddish songs and music
from upcoming CD. Beth Anne Cole, voice;
Martin van de Ven, clarinet; Tania Gill, piano.
345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781 or info@gallery345.com
or eventbrite.ca. $25; $10(st).
Cash only at the door.
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. U of T Symphony Orchestra: Operatic
Showpieces. UTSO; U of T Opera; MacMillan
Singers; Sandra Horst and Uri Meyer, conductors.
MacMillan Theatre, Edward Johnson
Building, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208.
$30; $20(sr); $10(st). Pre-performance lecture
‘Symphony Talk’. U of T students admitted
free with a valid TCard, space permitting.
December 5 at 8 pm
GRYPHON TRIO
with
ROBERT
POMAKOV
●●8:00: Music Toronto. Gryphon Trio with
Robert Pomakov. Beethoven: Kakadu Variations
Op.121a; Mussorgsky: Songs and Dances
of Death (arr. Kulesha); Dvořák: Piano Trio
No.3 in f Op.65. Annalee Patipatanakoon, violin;
Roman Borys, cello; Jamie Parker, piano;
Robert Pomakov, bass. Jane Mallett Theatre,
St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St.
E. 416-366-7723. $47.50-$52; $10(st).
●●8:00: Raging Asian Women Taiko Drummers.
Undaunted: Into the Open. Japanese
Taiko drumming combined with singing,
movement and video-stories. Betty Oliphant
Theatre, 404 Jarvis St. 416-671-7256. PWYC.
Also Dec 6, 7, 8(2pm). Family-friendly concert
on Dec 8.
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. O Come, Shepherds. See
Dec 4. Also Dec 6, 7, 8, 10.
Friday December 6
●●7:00: University Settlement Music & Arts
School. End of Term Student Concert. St.
George the Martyr Church, 30 Stephanie St.
416-598-3444 x243. Free; donations welcome
at the door. Also Dec 7(11am; 1pm).
●●7:30: Brampton Folk Club. Friday Folk
Night: Songs for the Snowy Season. Coffeehouse-style
folk music concert. Boreal (Tannis
Slimmon, Katherine Wheatley and Jude
Vadala). St. Paul’s United Church (Brampton),
30 Main St. S., Brampton. 647-233-3655. $18;
$15(sr/st).
●●7:30: Burlington Performing Arts Centre.
National Ballet Theatre of Odessa: The
A. Concerts in the GTA
Nutcracker. 440 Locust St., Burlington.
905-681-6000. $69.50; $64.50(members);
$35(youth). Also Dec 7(2pm & 7:30pm).
●●7:30: St. Paul’s United Church. Cadence:
A Capella Holiday Concert. St. Paul’s United
Church (Scarborough), 200 McIntosh St.,
Scarborough. 416-261-4222 or eventbrite.ca.
$20; $10(child under 10).
●●7:30: Surinder S. Mundra. Christmas
Through the Ages. Choral & string music
spanning the 10th Century to modern times.
Works by Bach, Charpentier, Mundra, Scarlatti
and Handel. Vanessa Oude Remerick,
soprano; St. George’s Strings; Surinder S.
Mundra, conductor. St. George’s Anglican
Church (Pickering Village), 77 Randall Dr.,
Ajax. 905-683-7981. $30; $25(sr/st). Wheelchair
accessible; free parking; reception following
with cash bar.
●●7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Home
Alone in Concert. Resonance Youth Choir;
Constantine Kitsopoulos, conductor. Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375.
From $49. Partial-view seats from $35. Also
Dec 7(2pm and 7:30pm).
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. PianoFest. Walter Hall, Edward
Johnson Building, University of Toronto,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open
to the public.
●●8:00: Alliance Française de Toronto.
La Sonate de Saint-Saëns. Saint-Saëns:
Cello Sonata No.3 Op.posth. Juliette Herlin,
cello; Kevin Ahfat, piano. Spadina Theatre,
24 Spadina Rd. 416-922-2014 x37. $28;
$14(members).
●●8:00: De Bouche / À Oreille. In Concert.
Pierre Flynn; Quatuor Étoile Magique (Brielle
Goheen, Aline Hornzy, Catherine Gray, Beth
Silver). Helconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 647-
892-7367 or dbaoproductions.ca. $30.
Friday, December 6, 8:00 p.m.
www.exultate.net
●●8:00: Exultate Chamber Singers. Holidays
with a Twist: A Merry Romp Through Some
Festive Favourites. Mark Ramsay, conductor.
St. Thomas’s Anglican Church (Toronto),
383 Huron St. 416-410-4561. $30; $25(sr);
$20(arts workers/under 30); $10(st).
●●8:00: Music Gallery/Bad New Days. Melancholiac:
The Music of Scott Walker. Part
concert, part spectacle, part existential
talk-show. Music Gallery at 918 Bathurst,
918 Bathurst St. 416-204-1080. $25/$20(adv);
$15(st/members). Also Nov 7(eve & mat).
●●8:00: Raging Asian Women Taiko Drummers.
Undaunted: Into the Open. Japanese
Taiko drumming combined with singing,
movement and video-stories. Betty Oliphant
Theatre, 404 Jarvis St. 416-671-7256. $35;
$25(st/income challenged). Also Dec 5, 7,
8(2pm). Family-friendly concert on Dec 8.
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. O Come, Shepherds. See
Dec 4. Also Dec 7, 8, 10.
●●8:00: Upper Canada Choristers. Christmas
Fantasy. Featuring carols from the 15th
century to the modern era. Boar’s Head Carol
and Noel for the Darkness (arr. L.E. Fraser);
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on Christmas
Carols; and other works. Bradley Christensen,
baritone; Hye Won Cecilia Lee, piano;
Cantemos Latin ensemble; Laurie Evan Fraser,
conductor. Grace Church on-the-Hill,
300 Lonsdale Rd. 416-256-0510 or info@
uppercanadachoristers.org. $25; free(child
with adult). Non-perishable item for the Daily
Bread Food Bank appreciated.
●●8:30: Ensemble Vivant. CD Release - Latin
Romance. Hugh’s Room Live, 2261 Dundas
St. W. 416-533-5483 or ensemblevivant.com.
$40/$35(adv).
Saturday December 7
●●11:00am: University Settlement Music &
Arts School. End of Term Student Concert.
St. George the Martyr Church, 30 Stephanie
St. 416-598-3444 x243. Free; donations welcome
at the door. Also 1pm; Dec 6(7pm).
●●1:00: Tafelmusik/Evergreen Brick Works.
Christmas Choruses from Messiah at Evergreen’s
Winter Village. Tafelmusik Chamber
Choir; Members of Tafelmusik Baroque
Orchestra; Ivars Taurins, conductor. Evergreen
Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave. tafelmusik.org.
Free. Also 2:30pm. In support
of revitalizing the Don River Valley for the
Toronto community.
●●1:00: University Settlement Music & Arts
School. End of Term Student Concert. St.
George the Martyr Church, 30 Stephanie St.
416-598-3444 x243. Free; donations welcome
at the door. Also 11am; Dec 6(7pm).
●●2:00: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
City Carol Sing. Dina Pugliesez, host. Guests:
Murray McLauchlan, Marc Jordan and
• THE ANNUAL •
City
CAROL
SING
In collaboration
with
SATURDAY, DEC. 7 - 2:00 PM
YORKMINSTER PARK BAPTIST CHURCH
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
Dina Pugliese
Murray McLauchlan
Marc Jordan
Ian Thomas
FREE ADMISSION
Ian Thomas. Hogtown Brass; Bach’s Children’s
Chorus; Yorkminster Park Baptist
Church Choir; Hedgerow Singers; William
Maddox, organ; Eric Robertson; conductor.
1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167. Free. A collection
will be taken for the Churches-on-the-
Hill Food Bank.
●●2:00: Burlington Performing Arts Centre.
National Ballet Theatre of Odessa: The
Nutcracker. 440 Locust St., Burlington.
905-681-6000. $69.50; $64.50(members);
$35(youth). Also Dec 6(7:30), 7(7:30pm).
●●2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Home
Alone in Concert. Resonance Youth Choir;
Constantine Kitsopoulos, conductor. Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375.
From $49. Partial-view seats from $35. Also
Dec 6 & 7 (both at 7:30pm).
●●2:30: Bel Canto Singers. Tidings of Comfort
and Joy. Scarborough Bluffs United Church,
3739 Kingston Rd., Scarborough. 416-690-
3858 or belcantosingers.ca. $20; $5(child
under 12). Cash only at the door. Also 7:30pm.
●●2:30: Tafelmusik/Evergreen Brick Works.
Christmas Choruses from Messiah at Evergreen’s
Winter Village. Tafelmusik Chamber
Choir; Members of Tafelmusik Baroque
Orchestra; Ivars Taurins, conductor. Evergreen
Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave.
tafelmusik.org. Free. Also 1pm. In support
of revitalizing the Don River Valley for the
Toronto community.
●●2:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. PianoFest. Walter Hall, Edward
Johnson Building, University of Toronto,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open
to the public.
●●2:30: Village Voices. Comfort and Joy.
Gjeilo: Northern Lights; Janmohamed: Nur
Reflections on Light; Daley: In Remembrance;
Gaudete (arr. Englehardt). Village Voices
Chamber Choir; Naomi Barron, cello; percussion
ensemble. Markham Missionary Church,
5438 Major Mackenzie Dr. E., Markham. 905-
294-7373. $25; $20(sr); $10(st); free(under
12). The choir will also take the opportunity
to honour our veterans and their families
in commemoration of the 75th Anniversary
of D-Day.
●●4:00: Music Gallery/Bad New Days. Melancholiac:
The Music of Scott Walker. Part
concert, part spectacle, part existential
talk-show. Music Gallery at 918 Bathurst,
918 Bathurst St. 416-204-1080. $25/$20(adv);
$15(st/members). 3:30pm: doors open. Also
8pm.
●●4:00: Weston Silver Band. Yule Sing! Timothy
Eaton Memorial Church’s Choir School
and Sanctuary Choir. Timothy Eaton Memorial
Church, 230 St. Clair Ave. W. 416-925-5977
or temc.ca. $15; $45(family).
●●7:30: Bel Canto Singers. Tidings of Comfort
and Joy. Scarborough Bluffs United Church,
3739 Kingston Rd., Scarborough. 416-690-
3858 or belcantosingers.ca. $20; $5(child
under 12). Cash only at the door. Also 2:30pm.
●●7:30: Burlington Performing Arts Centre.
National Ballet Theatre of Odessa: The
Nutcracker. 440 Locust St., Burlington.
905-681-6000. $69.50; $64.50(members);
$35(youth). Also Dec 6(7:30pm), 7(2pm).
●●7:30: Etobicoke Centennial Choir. Sweet
Rejoicing. Vivaldi: Gloria; Rachmaninoff: Ave
Maria; Pearsall: In dulci jubilo. Humber Valley
United Church, 76 Anglesey Blvd., Etobicoke.
416-779-2258. $30. Venue has elevator
access.
50 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

●●7:30: Florivox. A Ceremony of Carols. BrassAckwards
Brass Choir. Metropolitan United
Church (Toronto), 56 Queen St. E.
voxchoirs.com/tickets. $25/$20(adv).
●●7:30: Georgetown Choral Society. Gloria:
The Song of Angels. Vivaldi: Gloria; seasonal
songs and anthems, including some audience
participation. Chris Dawes, director.
Georgetown Christian Reformed Church,
11611 Trafalgar Rd., Georgetown. 905-877-
7795. $25.
●●7:30: Mississauga Festival Choir. An East
Coast Christmas. Seasonal music from the
Maritimes and beyond. Guests: The Barra
MacNeils. Hammerson Hall, Living Arts Centre,
4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905-
306-6000 or livingartscentre.ca. $42.
●●7:30: Oakville Choral. Reflections: Rediscovering
the Women of Music History.
Clearview Christian Reformed Church,
2300 Sheridan Garden Dr., Oakville. 289-351-
1574. $30/$25(adv); $15(st); free(child 12 &
under). Also Dec 8(3pm, Chartwell Baptist
Church, Oakville).
●●7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Home
Alone in Concert. Resonance Youth Choir;
Constantine Kitsopoulos, conductor. Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375.
From $49. Partial-view seats from $35. Also
Dec 6(7:30pm) & 7(2pm).
●●7:30: VOCA Chorus of Toronto. Comfort
and Joy. Vivaldi: Gloria; Vaughan Williams:
Fantasia on Christmas Carols; works
by Gjeilo, Letourneau, Pentatonix and others.
Dallas Chorley, soprano; Lindsay Connolly,
mezzo; Parker Clements, baritone; VOCA
Chamber Orchestra; Elizabeth Acker, accompanist;
Jenny Crober, conductor. Eastminster
United Church, 310 Danforth Ave. 416-947-
8487. $30; $25(sr); $15(st).
●●7:30: York Chamber Ensemble. Joy!
Beethoven: Meeresstille und Glückliche Fahrt;
Mozart: Seranato Notturno & 3 German
Dances; Buzoni: Concertino; Christmas Classics.
Stephen Fox, clarinet; York Chamber
Ensemble; York Festival Chorus. Trinity Anglican
Church (Aurora), 79 Victoria St., Aurora.
905-717-2970. $25; $20(sr/st); $10(under 10).
●●8:00: Acoustic Harvest/Live Music East.
Tony Quarrington’s “For King and Country”.
Tony Quarrington, Zoey Adams, James Gordon,
Roger Clown, Margaret Stowe and
others. St. Paul’s United Church (Scarborough),
200 McIntosh St., Scarborough.
416-729-7564 or stpaulsscarborough.org/
contact-find-us or acousticharvest.ca/2019-
12-07.html. $27/$25(adv).
●●8:00: Gallery 345. Jazz at the Gallery: Dave
Young Quartet. Music of Oscar Peterson.
345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781 or info@gallery345.com
or eventbrite.ca. $25; $10(st).
Cash only at the door.
●●8:00: Healy Willan Singers. Follow the
Star. Works by Rutter and Chilcott. John Stephenson,
organ; Ron Ma King, conductor. St.
Olave’s Anglican Church, 360 Windermere
Ave. 416-519-0528. $20; $15(sr/st).
●●8:00: Music Gallery/Bad New Days. Melancholiac:
The Music of Scott Walker. Part
concert, part spectacle, part existential
talk-show. Music Gallery at 918 Bathurst,
918 Bathurst St. 416-204-1080. $25/$20(adv);
$15(st/members). 7:30pm: doors open. Also
4pm.
●●8:00: North York Concert Orchestra.
Prize-Winners Gala. Mendelssohn: Violin
Concerto (3rd mvt); Mozart: Piano Concerto
No.9; Khachaturian: Violin Concerto; Waldteufel:
Skaters’ Waltz; Ellington: Nutcracker
Suite. Yorkminster Citadel, 1 Lord Seaton
Rd., North York. 416-628-9195. $30; $25(sr);
$10(st). 7:30pm pre-concert chat.
●●8:00: Raging Asian Women Taiko Drummers.
Undaunted: Into the Open. Japanese
Taiko drumming combined with singing,
movement and video-stories. Betty Oliphant
Theatre, 404 Jarvis St. 416-671-7256. $35;
$25(st/income challenged). Also Dec 5, 6,
8(2pm). Family-friendly concert on Dec 8.
●●8:00: Sinfonia Toronto. Mozart and Mendelssohn.
Ka Nin: Salt and Vinegar; Mozart:
Piano Concerto No.21; Burge: Port Milford
Suite; Mendelssohn: String Symphony No.7.
Antonio Di Cristofano, piano; Nurhan Arman,
conductor. Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St.
W. sinfoniatoronto.com. $42; $35(sr); $15(st).
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. O Come, Shepherds. See
Dec 4. Also Dec 8, 10.
Sunday December 8
●●1:30: Borealis Big Band. A Little Taste of
Christmas. A wide selection on jazz and Latin
big band charts. Newmarket Old Town Hall,
460 Botsford St., Newmarket. 905-717-3319
or borealisbigband.com. $20; $10(16 and
ON WINTER’S NIGHT
Toronto Youth Choir
with The Salvation Army
North York Temple Band
Sun. Dec. 8 | 4 PM
St. Andrew’s Church
torontochildrenschorus.com
under). Christmas sweets table and seasonal
drinks for a donation.
●●1:30: Music at Metropolitan. Carol Sing
with the Metropolitan Silver Band & Organ.
Metropolitan United Church (Toronto),
56 Queen St. E. metunited.ca/music. Free.
●●2:00: Raging Asian Women Taiko Drummers.
Undaunted: Into the Open. Japanese
Taiko drumming combined with singing,
movement and video-stories. Betty Oliphant
Theatre, 404 Jarvis St. 416-671-7256. $35;
$25(st/income challenged). Also Dec 5, 6,
7(2pm). Family-friendly concert on Dec 8.
●●2:30: Music Gallery. Sounding Difference.
Music Gallery at 918 Bathurst, 918 Bathurst
St. 416-204-1080. PWYC. Community-centric
event.
●●2:30: St. Anne’s Anglican Church. St.
Anne’s Community Cantate. St. Anne’s Choir;
C’Antilles; Sikuris St. Lawrence; Matthew
Whitfield, organ. 270 Gladstone Ave. 416-536-
3160. $15; free(child under 12). Proceeds to
Four Winds Indigenous Health & Wellness
Program and Oasis Food Bank.
●●2:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. PianoFest. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson
Building, University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
●●3:00: Burlington Symphony Orchestra.
A Christmas Spectacular. Tchaikovsky Nutcracker
Suite; Leroy Anderson: Sleigh Ride;
Sing-along carols; Seasonal favourites. Burlington
Civic Chorale. Burlington Performing
Arts Centre, 440 Locust St., Burlington.
905-681-6000. $46; $39(sr); $25(16-24);
$12(under 16). Group discount for 10 or more.
●●3:00: Oakville Choral. Reflections: Rediscovering
the Women of Music History. Chartwell
Baptist Church, 228 Chartwell Rd., Oakville.
289-351-1574. $30/$25(adv); $15(st); free(child
12 & under). Also Dec 7(7:30pm, Clearview
Christian Reformed Church, Oakville).
●●3:00: Orchestra Toronto. The Winters of
Childhood. Debussy: Children’s Corner Suite;
Richardson-Schulte: The Hockey Sweater;
Tchaikovsky: Selections from The Nutcracker;
Heller: Hanukkah! Hanukkah! Jeff
Marek, narrator; Michael Newnham, conductor.
George Weston Recital Hall, Meridian
Arts Centre (formerly Toronto Centre for the
Arts), 5040 Yonge St. 416-467-7142. $25-$45;
19/20 Season
A CHORUS CHRISTMAS:
CELESTIAL CELEBRATIONS
co-presented by
Sun. Dec. 15 | 2 PM
Roy Thomson Hall
roythomsonhall.com/tcc
$39(sr); $19(OTOpus); $15(under 13). Preconcert
chat (2:15pm).
●●3:00: Roy Thomson Hall. St. Michael’s
Choir School. 60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255.
$37.50-$47.50.
●●3:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Power
Corporation Vocal Series: The Tallis Scholars -
Reflections. Settings of Salve Regina, Ave Maria,
Miserere, and O sacrum convivium. Peter Phillips,
conductor. Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $40-$90.
●●3:00: York Region Chamber Music. Viennese
Classics and Serbian Charm. Mozart:
Clarinet Quintet, K581; Schubert: Quartettsatz
D703; Haydn: String Quartet in d Op.42; Grgin:
Clarinet Quintet. Odin Quartet; Goran Gojevic,
clarinet. Aurora Cultural Centre, 22 Church
St., Aurora. 647-995-3818. $25. odinquartet.
eventbrite.ca.
●●3:30: Tafelmusik. O Come, Shepherds. See
Dec 4. Also Dec 10.
●●4:00: Toronto Youth Choir. On Winter’s
Night. Works by Chilcott and Rutter. Salvation
Army North York Temple Band. St. Andrew’s
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 51

Presbyterian Church (Toronto), 73 Simcoe
St. 416-932-8666 x231 or torontochildrenschorus.com/performances.
$25; $15(under
30); $10(child).
●●4:00: Aurora United Church. Carols by
Candlelight: Gloria! Vivaldi: Gloria (excerpts);
Rutter: Gloria (1st movement); Pote: Glory to
God in the Highest; McChesney: Gloria Hodie;
Lantz III: Christmas Hosanna. Aurora United
Church Chancel Choir & Handbell Ensembles;
Aldbury Gardens Brass Quintet; Tim Birtch,
Margaret Wolf, trumpets. Trinity Anglican
Church (Aurora), 79 Victoria St., Aurora.
905-727-1935 x21. Freewill offering. Also
7:30pm. Refreshments following.
●●4:00: Eglinton St. George’s United
Church. Gloria! Hayes: Gloria; Gjello: The
Rose; Ešenvalds: Stars; Seasonal favourites.
Andrew Adair, organ; Chris Harris, piano;
John Brownell, percussion; Shawn Grenke,
conductor. 35 Lytton Blvd. 416-481-1141 or
esgunited.org. $35; $25(st).
●●4:00: Toronto Classical Singers. Have Seen
a Great Light. Handel: Messiah. Sheila Dietrich,
soprano; Lillian Brooks, mezzo; Cory
Knight, tenor; Michael Nyby, bass; Talisker
Players. Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge
St. 437-344-1719. $30.
●●7:00: Durham Girls’ Choir. Annual Winter
Concert. St. Thomas Anglican Church
(Whitby), 101 Winchester Rd. E., Whitby. 905-
434-7269. $15; $10(sr/st). Reception post
concert.
●●7:00: Guild Festival Theatre. A Christmas
Carol. Eddington: A Christmas Carol for narrator
and string quartet. Odin String Quartet;
Christopher Kelk, narrator. St. Francis
Centre for the Arts, 78 Church St. S., Ajax.
416-265-2934 or guildfestivaltheatre.ca. $35;
$20(12 and under). Fundraiser for theatre’s
2020 season.
●●7:00: Jazz Bistro. 8th Annual Jewish Boy’s
Christmas. Sam Broverman and Whitney
Ross-Barris, vocalists; Peter Hill, piano; Jordan
O’Connor, bass; Drew Jurecka, violin/
clarinet/saxophone; Members of the Toronto
Mendelssohn Choir. 251 Victoria St. 416-363-
5399. $15 cover.
●●7:00: MCS Chorus Mississauga. Christmas
with Anne. Rutter: Carol of the Children;
Angel’s Carol; Daley: Once as I Remember;
Willan: Make We Merry. Leslie Newman,
flute; MCS Chorus. Meadowvale Theatre,
6315 Montevideo Rd., Mississauga. 905-290-
7104. $25; $12(7-18).
●●7:30: Aurora United Church. Carols by
Candlelight: Gloria! Vivaldi: Gloria (excerpts);
Rutter: Gloria (1st movement); Pote: Glory to
God in the Highest; McChesney: Gloria Hodie;
Lantz III: Christmas Hosanna. Aurora United
Church Chancel Choir & Handbell Ensembles;
Aldbury Gardens Brass Quintet; Tim Birtch,
Margaret Wolf, trumpets. Trinity Anglican
Church (Aurora), 79 Victoria St., Aurora.
905-727-1935 x21. Freewill offering. Also 4pm.
Refreshments following.
●●8:00: Gallery 345. The Art of the Cello:
Cameron Crozman and Friends. Fauré: Piano
Quartet No.1; and works by Britten and Schubert.
Cameron Crozeman, cello; Alicia Choi,
violin; Victor Fournelle-Blain, viola; Emily Rho,
piano. 345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781 or
info@gallery345.com or eventbrite.ca. $25;
$15(st). Cash only at the door.
A. Concerts in the GTA
Monday December 9
●●7:00: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
HPO at the Library: Brass Holiday Concert.
Burlington Public Library - Central Branch,
2331 New St., Burlington. 905-526-7756 or
hpo.org. Free.
●●7:30: Royal Conservatory of Music. Discovery
Series: Beethoven’s 6th with Valdepeñas.
Beethoven: Symphony No.6 in F Op.68. Joaquin
Valdepeñas, conductor. Mazzoleni Concert
Hall, TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor St. W.
416-408-0208. $20.
●●7:30: University of St. Michael’s College.
Palestrina, Missa Gabriel Archangelus. Palestrina:
Missa Gabriel Archangelus; Verdelot:
Gabriel Archangelus; Frescobaldi: Organ
music. St. Michael’s Schola Cantorum; John
Paul Farahat, organ; Michael O’Connor, conductor.
St. Basil’s Church, University of St.
Michael’s College, 50 St. Joseph St. 416-926-
7148. Free. Donations welcomed.
Tuesday December 10
●●12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation.
Lunchtime Chamber Music. Rising Stars
Recital featuring students from the Glenn
Gould School. Yorkminster Park Baptist
Church, 1585 Yonge St. 416-241-1298. Free.
Donations welcome.
●●2:30: Glenn Gould School, Royal Conservatory
of Music. Historical Performance Class
of the Glenn Gould School. Works by Corelli,
Purcell, Vivaldi, Rosenmüller, Marini and
others. Kathleen Kajioka, baroque violin/
leader. Mazzoleni Concert Hall, TELUS Centre,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-2824 x322. Free.
●●7:00: Shakespeare in Action/Weston Silver
Band. A Weston Christmas Carol. Actors
of Shakespeare in Action; Weston Silver Band
Quintet. Artscape Weston Common, 35 John
St. shakespeareinaction.org. PWYC. Bring a
non-perishable food item. Also Dec 11 & 12.
●●7:30: City Choir. Winter Concert. Knee Play
1 - Einstein on The Beach; Samra; Song for
the Mira; Above the Birds. Waleed Abdulhamid;
Patricia O’Callaghan; Greg Oh; John Millard.
Dixon Hall, 188 Carlton St. 416-963-9374.
By donation.
●●7:30: Hannaford Street Silver Band. Winter’s
Song. Guests: Bach Children’s Chorus;
Tom Allen, narrator. Yorkminster Park Baptist
Church, 1585 Yonge St. hssb.ca. $42.
●●7:30: The Heart’s Obsession. 3rd Annual
Christmas Concert. Tonia Cianciulli, soprano;
Eugenia Dermentzis, mezzo; Paolo Busato,
piano; Erika Nielsen, cello; Jesse Fegelman,
guitar and others. Islington United Church,
25 Burnhamthorpe Rd. eventbrite.com/e/
christmas-concert-the-hearts-obsessiontickets-80806455283.
$24.95; free(child). In
support of the family of late conductor Kerry
Stratton.
●●7:30: Toronto Community Orchestra.
Spanish Nights. Rossini: Overture to Barber
of Seville; Granados: Intermezzo from
Goyescas; Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio espagnol;
Bizet: Carmen Suite No.2; Anderson:
Sleigh Ride. Leonidas Varahidis, conductor.
Eastminster United Church, 310 Danforth
Ave. 416-358-0783. Free. Wheelchair
accessible.
●●8:00: Alliance Française de Toronto.
Odezenne Performs Au Baccara. Spadina
Theatre, 24 Spadina Rd. 416-922-2014 x37.
$28; $14(members).
●●8:00: Harbourfront Chorus. Winter Showcase
at Waterfront. Waterfront Neighbourhood
Centre, 627 Queen’s Quay West.
416-458-2350 or harbourfrontchorus@gmail.
com. Free.
●●8:00: Soundstreams. Electric Messiah.
Electro-improv reimagining of Messiah. Lindsay
McIntyre, soprano; Chloe Charles, alto;
Jonathan MacArthur, tenor; Andrew Adridge,
bass; SlowPitchSound, DJ and others. The
Drake Underground, 1150 Queen’s St. W. 416-
408-0208. $25-$44. Also Dec 11, 12. Venue not
wheelchair accessible.
O COME,
SHEPHERDS
Dec 10, 2019
Meridian Arts Centre
(formerly Toronto Centre for the Arts)
tafelmusik.org
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. O Come, Shepherds.
George Weston Recital Hall, Meridian Arts
Centre (formerly Toronto Centre for the
Arts), 5040 Yonge St. See Dec 4 for details.
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. TSO
Holiday Pops. Measha Brueggergosman,
vocalist; Etobicoke School of the Arts Holiday
Chorus; Steven Reineke, conductor (Dec 10,
11); Lucas Waldin, conductor (Dec 12). Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255.
Starting at $52. Also Dec 11(2pm & 8pm), 12.
Wednesday December 11
●●12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
Noonday Organ Recital. Stefani Bedin, organ.
1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167. Free.
●●2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. TSO
Holiday Pops. Measha Brueggergosman,
vocalist; Etobicoke School of the Arts Holiday
Chorus; Steven Reineke, conductor (Dec 10,
11); Lucas Waldin, conductor (Dec 12). Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255.
Starting at $37. Also Dec 10(8pm), 11(8pm),
12(8pm).
●●7:00: Shakespeare in Action/Weston Silver
Band. A Weston Christmas Carol. Actors
of Shakespeare in Action; Weston Silver Band
Quintet. Artscape Weston Common, 35 John
St. shakespeareinaction.org. PWYC. Bring a
non-perishable food item. Also Dec 10 & 12.
●●7:30: Edison Singers. In the Bleak Midwinter.
Esenvald: In the Bleak Midwinter;
Darke: In the Bleak Midwinter; Gjeilo: In the
Bleak Midwinter; Britten: Ceremony of Carols.
Noel Edison, conductor. The Carlu, 444 Yonge
St. 416-597-1931. $35. Also Dec 9(Niagara-onthe-Lake),
15(4pm, Elora). See ad on p. 65.
●●7:30: Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir.
Christmas Concert. Calvin Presbyterian
Church, 26 Delisle Ave. welshchoir.ca. $40;
$30(adv before Dec 1).
●●8:00: B-Xalted!Cold Night, Warm Song:
Midwinter Music with B-Xalted! Vivaldi: Magnificat;
Teehan: Dormi Jesu; Gjeilo: Second
Eve; Es ist ein Ros’ Entsprungen (arr. Distler);
S. Martin: Cold is the Night; and other works.
Dallas Chorley & Rebecca Gray, sopranos;
Meagan Larios & Georgia Lin, altos; David
Walsh & Alain Paquette, tenors; and others;
Andrew Adair, organ; Ellen Meyer, piano;
Charles Davidson, assistant conductor &
tenor; Simon Walker, conductor. Church of St.
Mary Magdalene (Toronto), 477 Manning Ave.
647-823-1233. $25-$35; $15(underemployed).
b-xalted.com.
●●8:00: Soundstreams. Electric Messiah.
Electro-improv reimagining of Messiah. Lindsay
McIntyre, soprano; Chloe Charles, alto;
Jonathan MacArthur, tenor; Andrew Adridge,
bass; SlowPitchSound, DJ and others. The
Drake Underground, 1150 Queen’s St. W. 416-
408-0208. $25-$44. Also Dec 10, 12. Venue
not wheelchair accessible.
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. TSO
Holiday Pops. Measha Brueggergosman,
vocalist; Etobicoke School of the Arts Holiday
Chorus; Steven Reineke, conductor (Dec 10,
11); Lucas Waldin, conductor (Dec 12). Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255.
Starting at $52. Also Dec 10, 11(2pm), 12.
Thursday December 12
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Jazz Series: A Cool Yule with Cadence. Seasonal
classics. Cadence, a capella vocal quartet.
Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four
Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free. First
come, first served. No late seating.
●●1:00: Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre.
The Night Is Cold but the Music’s Hot: A
Swing Era Concert and Dance. Alex Pangman
and Her Alleycats. Miles Nadal JCC,
750 Spadina Ave. 416-924-6211 x0 or mnjcc.
org. $18. Post-show reception.
●●7:00: Blythwood Winds. Be Our Guest: Batman,
Dragons and Disney. Music from films.
Menken: Little Mermaid; Beauty and the
Beast; Aladdin; Elfman: Batman Suite; Badelt:
Pirates of the Caribbean; Powell: How to Train
Your Dragon (arr. Curtis Vander Hyden).
Sarah Moon, flute; Elizabeth Eccleston, oboe;
Anthony Thompson, clarinet; Kevin Harris,
bassoon; Curtis Vander Hyden, horn. Burdock
Music Hall, 1184 Bloor St. W. 807-355-8297.
$20/$15(adv). Tickets eligible for free admission
to Nothing Man, starting at 9:30pm following
the Blythwood performance.
●●7:00: Shakespeare in Action/Weston Silver
Band. A Weston Christmas Carol. Actors
of Shakespeare in Action; Weston Silver Band
Quintet. Artscape Weston Common, 35 John
St. shakespeareinaction.org. PWYC. Bring a
non-perishable food item. Also Dec 10 & 11.
●●7:30: Bronze Foundation. A Christmas
Song. Christmas favourites on six octaves
of English handbells including Feliz Navidad,
White Christmas and It's the Most Wonderful
Time of the Year. Guest: Caitlin McCaughey,
soprano. St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
(Scarborough), 115 St. Andrew's Rd., Scarborough.
905-764 6903. $20.
●●7:30: Canadian Music Centre. David
Schotzko. World and Ontario premieres of
works for solo percussion. Works by Bolton,
Sherlock, Smallwood and others. 20 St.
52 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

Joseph St. 416-961-6601 x202. $20/$15(adv);
$15/$12(CMC members/arts workers/adv);
$10(st).
●●7:30: The Piano Lunaire. Cold Moon.
Crumb: A Little Suite for Christmas, Processional;
Kendall: Processional; Liebermann:
Impromptu Op.68/1; Copland: The Cat and
the Mouse; Sherkin: Postludes from Adlivun
Op.29. Stephanie Chua, Adam Sherkin, Gregory
Millar, Lisa Raposa, piano. Bunker Lane
Press, 1001 Bloor St. W. Rear. 416-825-2744 or
universe.com. $15.
●●8:00: DB Works & The Ward Productions/
Small World Music Society/Harbourfront
Centre. The Ward Cabaret. David Buchbinder,
trumpet, flugelhorn, alto horn; Jacob
Gorzhaltsan, double bass, bass clarinet, saxophone,
flute; Derek Kwan, vocals, actor, flute;
Michael Occhipinti, guitar, banjo, bass; Zi Wen
Qin, guzheng; Louis Simão, acoustic bass,
accordion, piano. Harbourfront Centre Theatre,
235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000.
$27.50-$60. Also Dec 13, 14, 15(2pm), 17, 18, 19,
20, 21(2pm & 8pm), 22(2pm).
●●8:00: Soundstreams. Electric Messiah.
Electro-improv reimagining of Messiah. Lindsay
McIntyre, soprano; Chloe Charles, alto;
Jonathan MacArthur, tenor; Andrew Adridge,
bass; SlowPitchSound, DJ and others. The
Drake Underground, 1150 Queen’s St. W. 416-
408-0208. $25-$44. Also Dec 10, 11. Venue
not wheelchair accessible.
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. TSO
Holiday Pops. Measha Brueggergosman,
vocalist; Etobicoke School of the Arts Holiday
Chorus; Steven Reineke, conductor (Dec 10,
11); Lucas Waldin, conductor (Dec 12). Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255.
Starting at $83. Also Dec 10, 11(2pm & 8pm).
Friday December 13
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Opera Express: Winter Whimsy. Opera highlights.
Artists of the COC Ensemble Studio.
West Wing of Union Station, 65 Front St. W.
(at York St.). coc.ca/operaconnect. Free. No
ticket required.
●●7:30: Confluence & Ensemble Masques.
The Boy from Bologna: Corelli Explored.
Works by Corelli, Merula, Lonati, Vitali and
Handel. Tuomo Suni, Kathleen Kajioka, violins;
Octavie Dostaler-Lalonde, cello; Olivier Fortin,
harpsichord. St. Thomas’s Anglican Church
THE
BOY
FROM
BOLOGNA
Ensemble Masques
December 13, 7:30pm
ensemblemasques.org
(Toronto), 383 Huron St. 647-678-4923 or
bemusednetwork.com. $40; $30(sr/st).
●●7:30: Elmer Iseler Singers. Glorious
Sounds of Handel: Messiah. Elmer Iseler
Singers; Amadeus Choir; Leslie Fagan, soprano;
Daniel Cabena, countertenor; Michael
Colvin, tenor; Alexander Dobson, baritone.
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge
St. 416-962-1167. $55; $50(sr); $35(under 30).
A fundraiser in support of the Yorkminster
Park Baptist Church Refugee Fund.
Great Joy II:
Around the World
Fri. Dec. 13, 2019
7:30pm
nathanieldettchorale.org
●●7:30: Nathaniel Dett Chorale. An Indigo
Christmas: Great Joy II - Around the World.
Nathaniel Dett Chorale; Brainerd Blyden-Taylor,
conductor. All Saints Kingsway Anglican
Church, 2850 Bloor St. W. 416-736-2100
x33068. $30; $25(sr); $15(st).
●●7:30: St. Andrew’s College. An Andrean
Christmas. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-872-4255. $30-$60.
●●7:30: Vesuvius Ensemble. Quanno Nascette
Ninno: Christmas in Southern Italy. Tomasso
Solazzo, zampogne/guitar; Romina di Gasbarro,
voice/guitar. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave.
416-921-3802. $30; free(under 12).
●●8:00: Aurora Community Band. Hooked
on Classics. Works by Beethoven, Miller,
Gershwin, Bach, Copland and others.
Gord Shephard, conductor. Trinity Anglican
Church (Aurora), 79 Victoria St., Aurora.
Auroracommunityband@gmail.com. $15;
$10(sr/st).
●●8:00: DB Works & The Ward Productions/
Small World Music Society/Harbourfront
Centre. The Ward Cabaret. See Dec 12. Also
Dec 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21(2pm & 8pm), 22.
●●8:00: Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Gift of Christmas. Bach: Brandenburg
Concerto No.4; Fantasia on Greensleeves;
Sleigh Ride; and other works. Matthew Jones,
Nate Houston, recorders; Mark Whale, violin.
Humber Valley United Church, 76 Anglesey
Blvd., Etobicoke. 416-239-5665. $30;
$25/$22(adv sr); $15(st).
●●8:00: Spectrum Music. Seven Wonders.
Spectrum composers turn to the natural
world as a muse to inspire new works that
celebrate the beauty and preservation of
our planet. Seven new works by the Spectrum
composers and guests James Ervin,
William Lamoureux and Sina Fallah. So Long
Seven (jazz/world musician collective). Small
World Music Centre, Artscape Youngplace,
180 Shaw St. www.bemusednetwork.com/
events/detail/729. $20/$15(adv); $15/$10(st/
adv).
Schütz’s
CHRISTMAS
STORY
DEC. 13 & 14 at 8pm
DEC. 15 at 3:30pm
TorontoConsort.org
● ● 8:00: Toronto Consort. Schütz’s Christmas
Story. Schütz: The Christmas Story; and
works by Schein, Scheidt and Praetorius.
Charles Daniels, tenor (Evangelist); David Fallis,
artistic director. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre,
427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337. $20-$77. Also
Dec 14(8pm), 15(3:30pm).
Elmer
Iseler
Singers
Leslie Fagan
soprano
Daniel Cabena
countertenor
●●8:00: York Symphony Orchestra. YSO Holiday
Spectacular. Seasonal favourites and
audience sing-a-long. St. Mary’s Anglican
Church, 10030 Yonge St., Richmond Hill. 647-
849-8403. $30; $25(sr); $15(st). Also Dec 21
(3:30pm, Aurora).
Saturday December 14
●●1:30: Oakville Choir for Children and
Youth. Community Carol Concert. St. John’s
United Church (Oakville), 262 Randall St.,
Oakville. oakvillechoir.org. $25; $20(sr);
$15(12 and under). Also 4pm.
●●3:00: The Neapolitan Connection - Musical
Matinées at Montgomery’s Inn. Viva Verdi!
Cecilia Arends, soprano. Montgomery’s Inn,
4709 Dundas St. W. 416-231-0006. $15-$30.
Tea, historical tour, cookies included. Tour
at 2:15pm.
●●4:00: Oakville Choir for Children and
Youth. Community Carol Concert. St. John’s
United Church (Oakville), 262 Randall St.,
Oakville. oakvillechoir.org. $25; $20(sr);
$15(12 and under). Also 1:30pm.
●●7:00: Richmond Hill Philharmonic Orchestra.
Sounds of the Season. Anderson: A
Christmas Festival; Prokofiev: Overture
on Hebrew Themes; Hutchinson: A Carol
Symphony; Lawson: Christmas in Lapland;
Rebikov: Christmas Tree Suite; Harris: Christmas
Festival Medley. Jessica Kun, conductor.
Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing
Arts, 10268 Yonge St., Richmond Hill. 905-
787-8811. $34; $29(sr); $20(st). rhpo.ca.
●●7:00: Ruckus: The UTSC Alumni & Community
Choir. Christmas Through the Ages.
Works and arrangements by Victoria, Handel,
Darke and Langford/King’s Singers;
Lydia Adams, Conductor
Fri. Dec. 13, 2019 @ 7:30pm
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church
Glorious Sounds of Handel
Messiah
With special guest artists, The Amadeus Choir and soloists
Michael Colvin
tenor
Alexander Dobson
baritone
416-217-0537 elmeriselersingers.com
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 53

sing-along finale. Ruckus Choir; Jonathan
Wong, conductor; Lydia Shan, piano; small
ensembles and guests. St. Dunstan of Canterbury
Anglican Church, 56 Lawson Rd., Scarborough.
647-994-0968. PWYC (suggested
$5/$10/$20). Venue fully accessible; free
parking; intermission refreshments included.
●●7:00: St. Elizabeth Scola Cantorum Hungarian
Choir. Christmas Concert. Britten:
Ceremony of Carols; Christmas songs.
Christa Lazar, soprano; Bettina Toth, harp;
Renee Anton, violin; Imre Olah conductor. St.
Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic Church,
432 Sheppard Ave. E. scola.cantorum@gmail.
com. $20; $10(st). Post-concert reception.
●●7:30: After Hours A Cappella Harmony/
Bonar-Parkdale Presbyterian Church. He
Lives in You: Farewell to the Lion. Bonar-Parkdale
Presbyterian Church, 250 Dunn Ave.
bonarparkdalepc.ca/2019-christmas-concert.
PWYC or advance tickets.
●●7:30: Annex Singers. Winter Light. Works
by Harris, Thompson, Ingari, Lightfoot and
others. Guest: Ariko; Maria Case, conductor.
Grace Church on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd.
416-458-4434. $30; $ $25(sr); $15(st); free(12
and under).
●●7:30: Canadian Sinfonietta. Chamber
A. Concerts in the GTA
Concert I. Dohnányi: Piano Quintet No.1 Op.1;
Brahms: Piano Quintet in f Op.34. Michael
Esch, piano; Joyce Lai and Marcus Scholtes,
violins; Ian Clarke, viola; Andras Weber,
cello. Infiniti Music Hall, 351 Ferrier St. #1,
Markham. 647-812-0839. $35; $30(sr);
$25(st).
●●7:30: Common Thread Community Chorus.
Women in Song. Songs by and about inspiring
women. Repertoire derives from multicultural
folk music traditions. Guests: Echo Women’s
Choir; Common Thread Kids. Eastminster
United Church, 310 Danforth Ave. eventbrite.
ca/e/women-in-song-tickets-80385433997.
$25/$20(adv); $10(under 19); free(under 6).
●●7:30: Counterpoint Community Orchestra.
Winter Celebrations. Bach: Orchestral Suite
No.2; Prokofiev: Trioka from Lieutenant Kijé;
Mozart: 3 German Dances K605; Hely-Hutchinson:
Carol Symphony. Jennifer Langton,
flute. Church of St. Peter and St. Simon-the-
Apostle, 525 Bloor St. E. ccorchestra.org.
$20; $15(st); $10(under 12).
●●7:30: Gallery 345. The Art of the Piano:
Marilyn Lerner. 345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-
9781 or info@gallery345.com or eventbrite.
ca. $30; $10(st). Cash only at the door.
●●7:30: Royal Conservatory of Music. Taylor
Performance Academy for Young Artists Series
- Academy Chamber Orchestra. Features
string students. Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. Free(ticket
required). Tickets available a week prior to
concert date.
●●7:30: St. Philip’s on-the-hill Anglican Church.
Christmas Celebration with the Toronto Welsh
Male Voice Choir. 9400 Kennedy Rd., Unionville.
905-477-1991. $25.
●●7:30: The Salvation Army. Christmas
with the Salvation Army. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255. $25-$35.
●●8:00: Burlington Performing Arts Centre.
Buzz Brass Christmas with the Elmer Iseler
Singers. 440 Locust St., Burlington. 905-681-
6000. $59.50; $54.50(members).
●●8:00: Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra.
Subscription Concert #3: Beethoven
and More. Beethoven: Symphony No.5 in c;
Mozart: Overture to The Magic Flute; Finals
of the 2019 CBSO Clifford Poole Vocal Competition.
Village Voices Community Choir of
Markham; Rafael Luz, guest conductor; Norman
Reintamm, conductor. P.C. Ho Theatre,
Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto,
5183 Sheppard Ave. E., Scarborough. 416-
879-5566 or cathedralbluffs.com. $35-$55;
$30-$45(sr/st); free(under 12). 7:15pm: Preconcert
talk.
●●8:00: DB Works & The Ward Productions/
Small World Music Society/Harbourfront
Centre. The Ward Cabaret. See Dec 12. Also
Dec 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21(2pm & 8pm), 22.
●●8:00: Kindred Spirits Orchestra. Redemption.
Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending;
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.4; Prokofiev:
Symphony No.4. Leonid Nediak, piano;
Ellie Sievers, violin; Kristian Alexander, conductor;
Michael Berec, host. Flato Markham
Theatre, 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham.
905-305-7469. $15-$40. 7:15pm pre-concert
recital; 7:30pm pre-concert talk; intermission
discussion; post-concert champagne
reception.
●●8:00: Mississauga Symphony Orchestra.
Highlights from Messiah. Angela Yoo, soprano;
Lillian Brooks, mezzo; Zachary Rioux,
tenor; Christopher Dunham, baritone; Mississauga
Festival Chamber Choir. Living Arts
Centre, Hammerson Hall, 4141 Living Arts
Dr., Mississauga. 905-306-6000 or
mississaugasymphony.ca. $40-$50.
●●8:00: Oakville Performing Arts Centre.
Sultans of String Christmas Caravan. Caribbean
Sleigh Ride; Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring;
Little Drummer Boy; Greensleeves; Django
Christmas. Guests: Rebecca Campbell, Lynn
Miles, Donné Roberts, Shannon Thunderbird
and Ken Whiteley. 130 Navy St., Oakville.
905-815-2021 or oakvillecentre.ca/sultansof-string-christmas-caravan.html.
$46-$57.
In support of the United Nations Agency for
Refugees.
●●8:00: Ontario Pops Orchestra. The Sounds
of Christmas. Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite;
Schubert: Ave Maria; How the Grinch Stole
Christmas; Mendelssohn: Symphony No.4 “Italian”;
Moffett: Orchestral Suite No.2. Gabrielle
Turgeon, soprano; Swansea Dance School;
Carlos Bastidas, conductor. Humber Valley
United Church, 76 Anglesey Blvd., Etobicoke.
416-473-1502. $25; $5(25 and under).
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Quiet
Please, There’s a Lady Onstage Series: Holly
Cole: Happy Holidays. Koerner Hall, TELUS
Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208.
$50-$100.
●●8:00: That Choir Carols. That Choir Carols.
Guests: Bach Youth Chamber Choir;
Craig Pike, conductor. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian
Church (Toronto), 73 Simcoe St.
thatchoir.com. PWYC.
●●8:00: Toronto Consort. Schütz’s Christmas
Story. Schütz: The Christmas Story; and
works by Schein, Scheidt and Praetorius.
Charles Daniels, tenor (Evangelist); David Fallis,
artistic director. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre,
427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337. $20-$77. Also
Dec 13(8pm), 15(3:30pm).
present
Winter Light
with guest artists Ariko
Saturday, December 14 at 7:30 pm
Grace Church on-the-Hill
www.annexsingers.com
54 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

●●8:00: Univox. The Light Has Come. Christ
Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. 416-697-
9561. $25/$20(adv).
●●8:00: Voices Chamber Choir. Christmas
Rose. Britten: A Ceremony of Carols (SATB version);
Works by Howells, Gjeilo, Hovhaness and
others. John Stephenson, organ; Ron Ma King,
conductor. Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields,
151 Glenlake Ave. 416-519-0528. $20; $15(sr/st).
Sunday December 15
●●10:30: Humbercrest United Church. Messiah
- Part I. Jennifer Krabbe, soprano; Lindsay
Connelly, alto; Jason Lamont, tenor; Alex
Halliday, bass; TSO Players. 16 Baby Point
Rd. 416-767-6122. Freewill offering. Religious
service.
●●11:00am: Music at Metropolitan. Christmas
Pageant. Metropolitan United Church
(Toronto), 56 Queen St. E. metunited.ca/
music. Free.
●●2:00: Boyanna Toyich Leadership in Music
Scholarship. The Boyanna Toyich Inaugural
Memorial Concert. Nathalie Paulin,
soprano; Clare Scholtz, oboe; Lydia Wong,
Stephen Philcox, piano. Walter Hall, Edward
Johnson Building, University of Toronto,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-346-1955. Free. Donations
welcomed.
●●2:00: DB Works & The Ward Productions/Small
World Music Society/
Harbourfront Centre. The Ward Cabaret.
See Dec 12. Also Dec 17, 18, 19, 20, 21(2pm &
8pm), 22.
Humbercrest
United Church
presents
MESSIAH
— Christmas portion —
Sunday, Dec 15, 10:30 am
humbercrest.ca
●●2:00: Toronto Children’s Chorus/Roy
Thomson Hall. A Chorus Christmas: Celestial
Celebrations. Tchaikovsky: Dance of the
Sugar Plum Fairy; Vaughan Williams: Fantasia
on Christmas Carols; and other works.
TCC Alumni Choir; Toronto Youth Choir; Artists
from Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Russell
Braun, baritone. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255 or roythomsonhall.com/tcc.
$37.50-$47.50.
Cathedral Bluffs
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Norman Reintamm Artistic Director/Principal Conductor
Rafael Luz Guest Conductor
Saturday Dec. 14, 2019 8 pm
BEETHOVEN & MORE
Mozart: Overture to The Magic Flute
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor
concert also features the finals of the
2019 CBSO Clifford Poole Vocal Competition
Village Voices Community Choir of Markham
TICKETS: from $35 ($30 student/senior; children under 12 are free)
ORDER ONLINE cathedralbluffs.com BY PHONE 416.879.5566
P.C. Ho Theatre 5183 Sheppard Ave East
subscription
(1 block east of Markham Rd), Scarborough
cathedralbluffs.com | 416.879.5566
concert 3
2019/20
conducted by Craig Pike
Featuring the
Bach Youth Chamber Choir
COUNTERPOINT
C O M M U N I T Y
O R C H E S T R A
CANADA’S FIRST LGBTQ+ ORCHESTRA
2019/2020 Season
WINTER CELEBRATIONS
Bach | Mozart |Hely-Hutchinson
Saturday, December 14, 2019
7:30PM | THE St.Peter and St.Simon the Apostle Church
525 Bloor Street East - Toronto, ON
tickets at ccorchestra.org
DECEMBER 14, 8PM
St. Andrew's Presbyterian
73 Simcoe Street, Toronto ON
All tickets are PAY WHAT YOU CAN
and available at thatchoir.com
LISTEN TO US ON YOUTUBE
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 55

TORONTO
CHILDREN’S
CHORUS
A Chorus Christmas:
Celestial Celebrations
SUN DEC 15 ◆ 2 PM
ROYTHOMSONHALL.COM
●●3:00: Gallery 345. Charmes et Divertissements:
An Afternoon of Chamber Music for
Piano and Winds. Works by Stravinsky, Mozart
and Poulenc. Monique de Margerie, piano;
Fraser Jackson, bassoon; Hugo Lee, oboe;
Eric Abramovitz, clarinet; Léonie Wall, flute
and others. 345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781
or info@gallery345.com or eventbrite.ca.
$25; $10(st). Cash only at the door.
●●3:00: Greater Toronto Philharmonic
Orchestra. Christmas at Columbus Centre.
Rossini: Overture from Il Barbiere
de Siviglia; Johann Strauss II: Tales from
the Vienna Woods; Roses from the South;
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on Greensleeves;
Bellini: Overture to Il pirata; and
other works. Inga Williams, soprano; Stanislas
Vort, tenor; John Palmer, conductor.
Columbus Centre, 901 Lawrence Ave. W.
647-238-0015 or gtpo.ca. $30; $25(sr);
$15(st).
●●3:00: Harmony Singers. It’s Christmas
Time! Seasonal favourites by Bacharach,
A. Concerts in the GTA
Berlin, Carey, McCartney and Lightfoot.
Harvey Patterson, conductor; Bruce Harvey,
piano. Humber Valley United Church,
76 Anglesey Blvd., Etobicoke. 416-239-5821.
$20; free(child under 10).
●●3:00: Mississauga Symphony Orchestra/
Mississauga Symphony Youth Orchestra. A
Merry Little Christmas. Guests: Mississauga
Children’s Choir. Living Arts Centre, Hammerson
Hall, 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga.
905-306-6000 or mississaugasymphony.ca.
$40-$50.
●●3:00: Pax Christi Chorale. A Baroque Celebration.
Durante: Magnificat; Vivaldi: Gloria;
Bach: Magnificat. Megan Miceli and Elizabeth
Polese, sopranos; Georgia Burashko,
mezzo; Daevyd Pepper, tenor; Bradley Christensen,
baritone; Toronto Mozart Players.
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (Toronto),
73 Simcoe St. 416-729-3630. $50; $45(sr);
$25(under 30).
●●3:30: Toronto Consort. Schütz’s Christmas
Story. Schütz: The Christmas Story; and
works by Schein, Scheidt and Praetorius.
Charles Daniels, tenor (Evangelist); David Fallis,
artistic director. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre,
427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337. $20-$77. Also
Dec 13 & 14(8pm).
●●4:00: Church of St. Peter and St. Simonthe-Apostle.
Children’s Musical: Once Upon
a Starry Midnight. 525 Bloor St. E. 416-923-
8714. Free.
●●4:00: Good Kind Productions/Small World
Music Society. TBA Series Chapter 4. Small
World Music Centre, Artscape Youngplace,
180 Shaw St. 416-536-5439. To $50.
●●4:00: St. Phillip’s Etobicoke. Jazz Vespers.
Ori Dagan; Nathan Hiltz; Jake Koffman. St.
Philip’s Anglican Church, 31 St. Phillips Rd.,
Etobicoke. 416-247-5181. PWYC.
●●4:30: Christ Church Deer Park. Jazz Vespers:
Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite. Brian Barlow
Big Band. 1570 Yonge St. 416-920-5211.
Freewill offering. Religious service.
●●4:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
Carols by Candlelight. Choir and Musicians of
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. 1585 Yonge
St. 416-922-1167. Freewill offering.
CAROLS BY
CANDLELIGHT
SUN., DEC. 15, 16, 4:30pm
NINE LESSONS
& CAROLS
SUN., DEC. 22, 23, 4:30pm
Yorkminster Park
Baptist Church
yorkminsterpark.com
●●6:00: Diar. Syrian & Arabic music with
Diar. Tarek Ghriri, guitar; Nour Kaadan, cajon;
Leen Hamo, vocals. Burdock, 1184 Bloor St.
W. eventbrite.ca/e/diar-tickets-79273421939.
$20/$15(adv).
●●7:00: Kingston Road Village Concert Series.
Sultans of String Christmas Caravan. Turkish
Greensleeves; Jesous Ahatonhia (Huron Carol);
The Little Swallow (Carol of the Bells) / Al Vuelo;
Little Drummer Boy; A Django Christmas. Chris
McKhool, violin; Kevin Laliberte, guitar; Drew Birston,
bass; Eddie Paton, guitar, Chendy Leon, percussion.
Guests: Rebecca Campbell, Lynn Miles,
Donné Roberts, Tamar Ilana, Shannon Thunderbird.
Kingston Road United Church, 975 Kingston
Rd. 416-699-6091. $30/$25. In support of the
United Nations Agency for Refugees.
Tuesday December 17
●●12:00 noon: Roy Thomson Hall. Noon Hour
Choir & Organ Concerts: The Metropolitan
Choir. Wassail! 60 Simcoe St. 416-872-
4255. Free.
FREE
A Part of 23 rd Annual Free Noon
Hour Choir & Organ Concerts
THE METROPOLITAN
CHOIR
Wassail!
TUE DEC 17 ◆ 12 PM
Made possible by the generous
support of Edwards Charitable Foundation
ROYTHOMSONHALL.COM
●●7:00: Rosedale Concerts. RH Thomson
in Charles Dickens’ Solo Touring Version
of A Christmas Carol. FreePlay A
Capella; Sarah Sugarman. Rosedale United
Church, 159 Roxborough Dr. 416-924-0725.
$40/$35(adv).
●●7:30: Toronto Chinese Orchestra. Nocturne:
An Evening of Chinese Music. Small
Town Story; Yi Drinking Song; and music from
ABBA and Star Wars. Yorkminster Citadel,
1 Lord Seaton Rd., North York. 647-229-9209
or torontochineseorchestra.com. $20.
HANDEL
MESSIAH
Dec 17-20, 2019
Koerner Hall,
TELUS Centre
tafelmusik.org
56 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

●●7:30: Tafelmusik. Handel: Messiah. Margot
Rood, soprano; Lucile Richardot, mezzo;
Thomas Hobbs, tenor; Peter Harvey, baritone;
Tafelmusik Chamber Choir; Ivars
Taurins, conductor. Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. From
$39(Tue, Wed, Thur)/from $46(Fri); discounts
for sr/under 36/under 19. Also Dec 18, 19, 20.
●●7:30: Orpheus Choir of Toronto. ‘Tis Winter
Now. Benedict Campbell, narrator; Christopher
Dawes, accompanist; Robert Cooper,
conductor; Elise Naccarato, conductor. Grace
Church on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd. 416-
530-4428. $20-$45.
●●8:00: DB Works & The Ward Productions/
Small World Music Society/Harbourfront
Centre. The Ward Cabaret. See Dec 12. Also
Dec 18, 19, 20, 21(2pm & 8pm), 22.
December 17 at 8 pm
JONATHAN
PLOWRIGHT
pianist
●●8:00: Music Toronto. Jonathan Plowright,
Piano. Brahms: Four Ballades Op.10; Schumann:
Kinderszenen Op.15; Mozart: Variations
on “Ah! Vous dirai-je, Maman” K265;
Paderewski: From “Humoresques de Concert”
Book II: 1.Menuet, 2.Sarabande,
3.Caprice. Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence
Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-
7723. $47.50-$52; $10(st).
MESSIAH
DEC 17, 18, 20, 21 & 22
SEASON PRESENTING
SPONSOR
TSO.CA
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Messiah.
Handel/arr. Mozart. Jane Archibald,
soprano; Emily D’Angelo, mezzo; Isaiah Bell,
tenor; Russell Braun, baritone; Toronto Mendelssohn
Choir and others. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255. Starting at $44.
Also Dec 18, 20, 21, 22(3pm).
●●8:00: Massey Hall presents at the Danforth
Music Hall. Good Lovelies: Christmas
Concert. Danforth Music Hall, 147 Danforth
Ave. 416-872-4255. $29.50.
Wednesday December 18
●●12:30: Organix Concerts/All Saints Kingsway.
Kingsway Organ Concert Series.
Jean-Willy Kunz, organ. All Saints Kingsway
Anglican Church, 2850 Bloor St. W. 416-571-
3680 or organixconcerts.ca. Free-will offering
appreciated.
●●7:30: Tafelmusik. Handel: Messiah. Margot
Rood, soprano; Lucile Richardot, mezzo;
Thomas Hobbs, tenor; Peter Harvey, baritone;
Tafelmusik Chamber Choir; Ivars
Taurins, conductor. Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. From
$39(Tue, Wed, Thur)/from $46(Fri); discounts
for sr/under 36/under 19. Also Dec 17, 19, 20.
●●8:00: DB Works & The Ward Productions/
Small World Music Society/Harbourfront
Centre. The Ward Cabaret. See Dec 12. Also
Dec 19, 20, 21(2pm & 8pm), 22.
●●8:00: Toronto Chamber Choir. Kaffeemusik:
Mary, The Rose. Donaldson: Mary, the
Rose; Britten: Hymn to the Virgin, Ceremony
of Carols (excerpts). Julia Seager-Scott,
harp. Calvin Presbyterian Church, 26 Delisle
Ave. 416-763-1695 or torontochamberchoir.
ca. $30; $25(sr); $12.50(under 30).
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Messiah.
See Dec 17. Also Dec 20, 21, 22.
Thursday December 19
●●7:00: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
John McDermott: Family Christmas. Guests:
DALA. 1585 Yonge St. eventbrite.ca. $25.
Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 8 p.m.
Kaffeemusik:
Mary, the Rose
Calvin Presbyterian Church
26 Delisle Ave.
torontochamberchoir.ca
@torontochamberchoir
@torchamberchoir
Fundraising Christmas concert.
●●7:30: Tafelmusik. Handel: Messiah. Margot
Rood, soprano; Lucile Richardot, mezzo;
Thomas Hobbs, tenor; Peter Harvey, baritone;
Tafelmusik Chamber Choir; Ivars
Taurins, conductor. Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. From
$39(Tue, Wed, Thur)/from $46(Fri); discounts
for sr/under 36/under 19. Also Dec 17, 18, 20.
●●8:00: DB Works & The Ward Productions/
Small World Music Society/Harbourfront
Centre. The Ward Cabaret. See Dec 12. Also
Dec 20, 21(2pm & 8pm), 22.
●●8:00: DDA. Glenn Miller Orchestra: In
the Christmas Mood. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255. $75-$96.
Friday December 20
●●7:00: Sharon Hope United Church. Ron
Korb Christmas Concert in Sharon. Ron Korb,
flutes; Bill Evans, piano; Steve Lucas, bass;
Larry Crowe, percussion. 18648 Leslie St.,
Sharon. 905-478-2231. $30.
●●7:30: Tafelmusik. Handel: Messiah. Margot
Rood, soprano; Lucile Richardot, mezzo;
Thomas Hobbs, tenor; Peter Harvey, baritone;
Tafelmusik Chamber Choir; Ivars
Taurins, conductor. Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. From
$39(Tue, Wed, Thur)/from $46(Fri); discounts
for sr/under 36/under 19. Also Dec 17, 18, 19.
●●8:00: DB Works & The Ward Productions/
Small World Music Society/Harbourfront
Centre. The Ward Cabaret. See Dec 12. Also
Dec 21(2pm & 8pm), 22.
●●8:00: Georgetown Bach Chorale. Winter
Dreams. Seasonal music. Ron Greidanus, director.
The Piano Hall, 157 Main St., Georgetown.
905-873-9909. $50(adv). Also Dec 21,
22.
●●8:00: Sine Nomine Ensemble for Medieval
Music. Christmas Roots and Branches.
Medieval vocal and instrumental music for
the Advent and Christmas seasons, together
with later folk “offshoots” of the tradition.
sine nomine
Christmas Roots
and Branches
Medieval & folk music for
Advent and Christmas
Friday, December 20, at 8 pm
Trinity College Chapel
6 Hoskin Avenue
Information 416-638-9445
Tickets $20 / $15 at the door or
brownpapertickets.com/event/
4442935
Trinity College Chapel, University of Toronto,
6 Hoskin Ave. 416-638-9445. $15-$20. brownpapertickets.com/event/4442935.
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Messiah.
See Dec 17. Also Dec 21, 22.
Saturday December 21
●●2:00: DB Works & The Ward Productions/
Small World Music Society/Harbourfront
Centre. The Ward Cabaret. See Dec 12. Also
Dec 21(8pm), 22(2pm).
●●2:00: Tafelmusik. Sing-Along Messiah.
Margot Rood, soprano; Lucile Richardot,
mezzo; Thomas Hobbs, tenor; Peter Harvey,
baritone; Tafelmusik Chamber Choir; Ivars
Taurins, conductor (in character as Mr. Handel).
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-
872-4255. $20-$49.50.
●●2:30: Polina Chernik and Julia Tchernik.
Music and Miracles Youth Charity Concert.
Polina Chernik; Karim Khakimov; Elizabeth
Gilerovitch; Alexander Dondish; Grace Zemlyak.
Array Space, 155 Walnut Ave. 416-638-
8226. $10 or PWYC. In support of Music
Therapy Program at Sick Kids Hospital.
●●3:30: York Symphony Orchestra. YSO Holiday
Spectacular. Seasonal favourites and
audience sing-a-long. Trinity Anglican Church
(Aurora), 79 Victoria St., Aurora. 647-849-
8403. $30; $25(sr); $15(st). Also Dec 13(8pm,
Richmond Hill).
●●7:30: Amadeus Choir. Concert Series 2:
Mystic Light - Solace in the Darkest Days.
Works by women composers to mark the
Winter Solstice and ring in the holiday season.
Works by Donkin, Trites, Luengen, Valverde,
Hagen and others. Eglinton St.
George’s United Church, 35 Lytton Blvd.
416-446-0188 or amadeuschoir.com. $45;
$40(sr); $25(st).
●●7:30: Canadian Men’s Chorus. Not Another
Christmas Concert. Church of the Redeemer,
162 Bloor St. W. canadianmenschorus.ca/
concerts. $20-$45.
●●8:00: Burlington Performing Arts Centre.
The Andy Kim Christmas. Ron Sexsmith,
Tom Cochrane, Bif Naked, Sarah Slean, performers;
Andy Kim & Sean Cullen, hosts.
440 Locust St., Burlington. 905-681-6000.
$69.50; $64.50(members). Proceeds to Burlington
Performing Arts Centre’s Golden
Ticket Program providing access to underserved
schools and students.
●●8:00: DB Works & The Ward Productions/
Small World Music Society/Harbourfront
Centre. The Ward Cabaret. See Dec 12. Also
Dec 22(2pm).
●●8:00: Georgetown Bach Chorale. Winter
Dreams. Seasonal music. Ron Greidanus, director.
The Piano Hall, 157 Main St., Georgetown.
905-873-9909. $50(adv). Also Dec 20,
22.
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Messiah.
See Dec 17. Also Dec 22 (3pm).
Sunday December 22
●●2:00: DB Works & The Ward Productions/
Small World Music Society/Harbourfront
Centre. The Ward Cabaret. See Dec 12.
●●3:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Messiah.
See Dec 17.
●●4:00: Church of St. Peter and St. Simonthe-Apostle.
Nine Lessons and Carols. Works
by Holman, Sirrett, Grayston, Ives and Rutter.
525 Bloor St. E. 416-923-8714. Free. Reception
follows.
●●4:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 57

Nine Lessons and Carols. Choirs of Yorkminster
Park Baptist Church. 1585 Yonge St. 416-
922-1167. Freewill offering.
●●7:00: Music at Metropolitan. Candlelight
Service of Lessons and Carols. Metropolitan
Choirs; Patricia Wright, conductor. Metropolitan
United Church (Toronto), 56 Queen St. E.
metunited.ca/music. Free.
Music for a Winter’s Eve
Ron Korb, flutes
Sharlene Wallace, harp
Sunday Dec. 22, 7pm
downtown Oakville
ronkorb.com sharlenewallace.com
●●7:00: Sharlene Wallace. Music for a Winter’s
Eve. Christmas, Celtic and original music
for the season. On Christmas Night (Sussex
carol); Nino Lindo; Huron Carol; New Years
Eve and Day Jigs; In the Bleak Midwinter. Ron
Korb, flutes; Sharlene Wallace, classical and
Celtic harp. Knox Presbyterian Church (Oakville),
89 Dunn St., Oakville. 416-346-6600 or
harp@sharlenewallace.com. $20.
●●7:30: Victoria Scholars Men’s Choral
Ensemble. ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.
Our Lady Of Sorrows Catholic Church,
3055 Bloor St. W. victoriascholars.ca. $30;
$25(sr/st). Also Dec 23(Blessed Sacrament
Church).
●●8:00: Georgetown Bach Chorale. Winter
Dreams. Seasonal music. Ron Greidanus,
A. Concerts in the GTA
director. The Piano Hall, 157 Main St., Georgetown.
905-873-9909. $50(adv). Also Dec 20,
21.
Monday December 23
●●7:30: Victoria Scholars Men’s Choral
Ensemble. ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.
Blessed Sacrament Church, 24 Cheritan
Ave. victoriascholars.ca. $30; $25(sr/st). Also
Dec 22(Our Lady of Sorrows Church).
Tuesday December 24
●●5:00: Music at Metropolitan. A Community
Christmas. Metropolitan United Church
(Toronto), 56 Queen St. E. metunited.ca/
music. Free.
●●7:00: St. Andrew’s Church. Candlelight
Service of Lessons and Carols. Aldbury Garden
Brass Quintet; Dan Bickle, organ. St.
Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (Toronto),
73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x220. Freewill
offering.
●●9:00: Metropolitan Community Church.
Christmas Eve Service. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255. $75-$96.
●●10:00: Church of St. Peter and St. Simonthe-Apostle.
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service.
525 Bloor St. E. 416-923-8714. Freewill
offering.
●●11:00: Music at Metropolitan. Candlelight
Christmas Eve. Metropolitan Choir. Metropolitan
United Church (Toronto), 56 Queen St. E.
metunited.ca/music. Free.
●●11:00: St. Andrew’s Church. Traditional
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. St.
Andrew’s Gallery Choir; Dan Bickle, organ.
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (Toronto),
73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x220. Freewill
offering.
Wednesday December 25
●●10:30am: Church of St. Peter and St.
Simon-the-Apostle. Christmas Day Joyful
Celebration. 525 Bloor St. E. 416-923-8714.
Freewill offering.
Saturday December 28
●●7:30: Roy Thomson Hall. Piano Recital.
Yiruma, piano. 60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255.
$99-$189.
●●8:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre. The Gypsy
Baron. Music by Johann Strauss II. Meghan
Lindsay, soprano; Beste Kalender, mezzo;
Michael Barrett, tenor; Derek Bate, conductor;
Guillermo Silva-Marin, stage director.
St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St.
E. 416-366-7723. $55-$95. Also Dec 29(3pm),
31, Jan 3, 5(3pm).
Sunday December 29
●●3:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre. The Gypsy
Baron. See Dec 28. Also Dec 31, Jan 3, 5.
Tuesday December 31
New Year’s Eve • 7:00 pm
416.872.4255
roythomsonhall.com
Four Opera Stars,
Chorus & Full Orchestra
Roy Thomson Hall
●●7:00: Attila Glatz Concert Productions.
Bravissimo! Opera’s Greatest Hits. Karine
Babajanyan, soprano; Maria Kataeva, mezzo;
Luc Robert, tenor; Michele Kálmándy, baritone;
Opera Canada Symphony and Chorus;
Michelangelo Mazza, conductor. Roy Thomson
Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416- 872-4255.
$55- $145.
●●7:30: Free Times Cafe. 60’s Folk Revival -
Where Have All The Folk Songs Gone? Sue
& Dwight; Henry Lees; Tony Laviola, bass.
320 College St. 416-967-1078. $110(advance
tickets required). Deluxe buffet, favours,
champagne at midnight.
●●8:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre. The Gypsy
Baron. See Dec 28. Also Jan 3, 5.
Wednesday January 1
416.872.4255
roythomsonhall.com
January 1 • 2:30 pm
Roy Thomson Hall
●●2:30: Attila Glatz Concert Productions/
Roy Thomson Hall. Salute to Vienna New
Year’s Concert. Micaëla Oeste, soprano; Tilmann
Unger, tenor; Michael Zehetner, conductor;
dancers from Kiev-Aniko Ballet of
Ukraine; International Champion Ballroom
Dancers; Strauss Symphony of Canada. Roy
Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-323-1403.
$65-$155.
Friday January 3
●●8:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre. The Gypsy
Baron. See Dec 28. Also Jan 5.
Sunday January 5
● ● 2:00: Canzona Chamber Players. Trio Ink.
Beethoven: Trios. Yosuke Kawasaki, violin; Wolfram
Koessel, cello; Vadim Serebryany, piano.
Candlelight
Christmas Eve
St. Andrew’s,
Toronto
7 PM Service of 11 PM Service of
Lessons & Carols Holy Communion
St. Andrew’s,
standrewstoronto.org
Toronto
St. Andrew’s,
Toronto
St. Andrew
St. Andrew
St
58 | December 2019 – January 2020 St. Andrew’s, thewholenote.com
Toronto
St. Andrew

St. Andrew by-the-Lake Anglican Church,
Cibola Ave., Toronto Island. bemusednetwork.
com/groups/member/100. $30; $50(concert
+ 12:30pm brunch). Also Jan 6(7:30pm, St.
George the Martyr, Toronto - concert only).
●●3:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre. The Gypsy
Baron. See Dec 28.
SUN 5 JAN AT 4
Choral Evensong
plus Epiphany Tea and at 5
city flutes
IN WINTER
directed by
Lana Chou Hoyt
●●4:00: St. Olave's Anglican Church. Choral
Evensong for Epiphany Eve. 360 Windermere
Ave. 416-769-5686 or stolaves.ca. Free. Contributions
appreciated. Followed by Epiphany
Tea. 5pm: City Flutes in Winter. Classical,
popular and contemporary flute pieces for
the season, Lana Chou Hoyt, director.
Monday January 6
●●7:30: Canzona Chamber Players. Trio Ink.
Beethoven: Trios. Yosuke Kawasaki, violin;
Wolfram Koessel, cello; Vadim Serebryany,
piano. St. George the Martyr Church,
30 Stephanie St. bemusednetwork.com/
groups/member/100. $30. Also Jan 5(2pm,
St. Andrew-by-the-Lake, Toronto Island).
Tuesday January 7
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
World Music Series: East Meets West.
Padideh Ahrarnejad, Persian tar. Richard
Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre
for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W.
416-363-8231. Free. First come, first served.
No late seating.
Wednesday January 8
●●5:30: Canadian Opera Company. Jazz Series:
Got a Light? Jeremy Ledbetter Trio (Jeremy
Ledbetter, piano; Larnell Lewis, drums;
Rich Brown, bass). Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231.
Free. First come, first served. No late seating.
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Beethoven 7. Beethoven: King Stephen Overture,
Piano Concerto No.4, Symphony No.7.
Seong-Jin Cho, piano; Sir Andrew Davis, conductor.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-
872-4255. Starting at $35. Also Jan 9, 11.
Thursday January 9
●●12:10: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Thursdays at Noon: (Half of) The
Complete Sonatas for Piano and Violin by
Beethoven. Mark Fewer, violin; James Parker,
piano. Edward Johnson Building, Walter Hall,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open to
the public. Also see Jan 27.
January 9 at 8 pm
MIRÓ
QUARTET
●●8:00: Music Toronto. Miró Quartet. Mozart:
Quartet in B-flat K458 “The Hunt”; Glière:
Quartet in A Op.2 (Mvt 3 - Andante con variazioni);
Franck: Quartet in D (Mvt 2 - Scherzo
vivace); Servais: Fantasie sur deux airs russes
Op.13 ; Schubert: Quartet in d D810 “Death
and the Maiden”. Daniel Ching and William
Fedkenheuer, violins; John Largess, viola;
Joshua Gindele, cello; Lydia Wong, piano. Jane
Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the
Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723. $47.50-$52;
$10(st). 7:15pm pre-concert talk.
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Beethoven 7. Beethoven: King Stephen Overture,
Piano Concerto No.4, Symphony No.7.
Seong-Jin Cho, piano; Sir Andrew Davis, conductor.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-
872-4255. Starting at $35. Also Jan 8, 11.
Friday January 10
● ● 7:30: The Piano Lunaire. Wolf Moon. Mac-
Millan: After the Tryst; Adams: Postmark; Turnage:
Two Elegies Framing a Shout; Sherkin:
TheMouths
ThatRoar
FRI. JAN. 10•THE MUSIC GALLERY
www.NewMusicConcerts.com
Wolfsszenen, Op.33; Elegiac Variants, Op.25;
Bray: Circling Point. David Zucchi, saxophone;
Adam Sherkin, piano. Bunker Lane Press,
1001 Bloor St. W. Rear. 416-825-2744. $15 at
the door; online tickets at universe.com.
●●8:00: New Music Concerts/The Music
Gallery. The Mouths That Roar: An Evening
with Gabriel Dharmoo and Janice Jackson.
Works by Dharmoo, Jackson, Derek Charke,
Marie Pelletier, Alice Ping Yee Ho and James
Rolfe. Gabriel Dharmoo, voice & movement;
Janice Jackson, soprano. Music Gallery at
918 Bathurst, 918 Bathurst St. 416-961-9594
or newmusicconcerts.com. $35; $25(sr/arts
workers); $10(st). 7:15pm introduction.
Saturday January 11
●●8:00: The Royal Conservatory of Music.
21C Music Festival Series: Against the Grain
Theatre’s Ayre and other works by Osvaldo
Golijov. Miriam Khalil, soprano; Joel Ivany,
stage director; Jamey Haddad, Barry Shiffman,
Gabriel Radford and others. Koerner
Hall, TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-
0208. $21-$90.
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Beethoven 7. Beethoven: King Stephen Overture,
Piano Concerto No.4, Symphony No.7.
Seong-Jin Cho, piano; Sir Andrew Davis, conductor.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-
872-4255. Starting at $35. Also Jan 8, 9.
●●10:30: The Royal Conservatory of Music.
21C Music Festival Series: 21C Afterhours:
Véronique Mathieu. Works by Alice Ping Yee
Ho, Derek Johnson, Adam Scime and Barbara
Croall. Temerty Theatre, Telus Centre,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $21.
21C MusiC Festival
AgAinst the grAin
theAtre’s Ayre
And other works by
osvAldo golijov
Sat., Jan. 11, 8pm
Koerner Hall
TICKETS ON SALE NOW! 416.408.0208
rcmusic.com/performance
Sunday January 12
●●3:00: Vesnivka Choir. A Ukrainian Christmas.
Toronto Ukrainian Male Chamber Choir;
Folk instrumental ensemble; Guest soloists
from Ukraine. Islington United Church,
25 Burnhamthorpe Rd. 416-246-9880. $30;
$25(sr/st). Post-concert reception. Complimentary
CD included.
●●3:30: Li Delun Music Foundation. New
Year’s Concert 2020 Celebrating Beethoven’s
250th Birthday. Beethoven: Piano Concerto
No.1; Violin Concerto; Wagner: Rienzi
Overture; Rossini: William Tell Overture;
New Year’s Concert 2020
Celebrating Beethoven's 250th Birthday
Sunday January 12, 2020 3:30 p.m.
George Weston Recital Hall, Meridian Arts Centre, 5040 Yonge St.
Toronto Festival Orchestra
Conductor: Junping Qian
Assistant Conductor of Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Piano: Haochen Zhang
First Prize Winner, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Violin: Ti Zhang
Prize winner, The IX International Tchaikovsky Competition
Host: Kemin Zhang
Music by:
Beethoven, Wagner, Rossini, John Williams and Chinese music
Tickets: $98 (VIP includes 1 free CD), $68, $55, $50 $45, $39, $35
Box Office, Meridian Arts Centre
www.meridianartscentre.com 416-250-3708
www.ticketmaster.ca 1-855-985-2787
Enquiry & Group tickets:
The Li Delun Music Foundation 416-490-7962, info@lidelun.org
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 59

SCARLATTI • MEDTNER • LISZT • RAVEL
John Williams: Schindler’s List; and works by
Chinese composers. Haochen Zhang, piano;
Ti Zhang, violin; Kemin Zhang, host; Toronto
Festival Orchestra; Junping Qian, conductor.
George Weston Recital Hall, Meridian Arts
Centre (formerly Toronto Centre for the
Arts), 5040 Yonge St. 416-490-7962 or 416-
250-3708 or 1-855-985-2787. $35-$98.
info@lidelun.org.
●●4:30: Christ Church Deer Park. Jazz Vespers.
Russ Little Quintet. 1570 Yonge St. 416-
920-5211. Freewill offering. Religious service.
NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL
SUN JAN 12 to TUE JAN 21
with André Mehmari
All events are free
music.utoronto.ca
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. New Music Festival: Composing for
Theatre Concert. Edward Johnson Building,
Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750.
Free. Open to the public.
Monday January 13
●●12:00 noon: University of Toronto Faculty
of Music. New Music Festival: ACTOR 1: Sound
Tools vs. Tool Sounds. Edward Johnson Building,
Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-
3750. Free. Open to the public.
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. New Music Festival: Electric Jazz Plus!
Eliot Britton; Gordon Hyland. Edward Johnson
Building, Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-
978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
Tuesday January 14
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Chamber Music Series: Sensational Strings.
Senior string students from The Phil and Eli
Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists;
Academy Chamber Orchestra. Richard
Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre
for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W.
416-363-8231. Free. First come, first served.
No late seating.
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. New Music Festival: Karen Kieser
Prize Concert. Edward Johnson Building,
Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750.
Free. Open to the public.
Wednesday January 15
●●12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
Noonday Organ Recital. Rashaan Allwood,
A. Concerts in the GTA
organ. 1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167. Free.
●●7:00: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Upper Jazz Concerts: UofT Jazz
Ensembles. Upper Jazz Studio, 90 Wellesley
St. W. 416-978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
Set 2 begins at 8pm.
●●7:30: KOERNER University of Toronto HALL
Faculty of
THE Music. ROYAL New Music CONSERVATORY Festival: From Bach OF MUSIC to
Latin America with André Mehmari, piano
and Emmanuele Baldini, violin. Edward Johnson
Building, Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park.
416-978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
MOZART
REQUIEM
JAN 15–18
SEASON PRESENTING
SPONSOR
TSO.CA
p r e sents
JANUARY 16, 8 PM
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Mozart
Requiem. Mozart: Symphony No.39 K543,
Requiem K626. Jenavieve Moore, soprano;
Jillian Bonner, mezzo; Charles Sy, tenor;
Trevor Eliot Bowes, bass; Toronto Mendelssohn
Choir and others. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255. Starting at $35.
Also Jan 16, 17(7:30pm), 18.
Thursday January 16
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Chamber Music Series: Brahms Viola
Sonatas. Brahms: Viola sonatas. Theresa
Rudolph, viola; Philip Chiu, piano. Richard
Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre
for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W.
416-363-8231. Free. First come, first served.
No late seating.
●●12:10: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. New Music Festival at Thursdays at
Noon: André Mehmari, solo piano. Edward
Johnson Building, Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. New Music Festival: André Mehmari
Chamber Works. Emmanuele Baldini, violin.
Edward Johnson Building, Walter Hall,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open
to the public.
●●8:00: Cheryl Duvall & The Canadian Music
Centre. Innermost Songs. New works by Höstman,
Lebel, O’Callaghan, Pearce, Suzuki and
others. Cheryl Duvall, piano. Canadian Music
Centre, 20 St. Joseph St. 416-961-6601. $20;
$15(sr/st/arts worker). Accessible venue.
●●8:00: Show One Productions. Lucas
Debargue, Piano. Scarlatti: Sonatas (K6,
K438, K404, K405, K206, K447, K27, K14, K115,
p r e sents
p r e sents
Pianist
Lucas Pianist
Lucas
DEBARGUE
Pianist
SCARLATTI • MEDTNER • LISZT • RAVEL
DEBARGUE
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DEBARGUE
JANUARY 16, 8 PM
SCARLATTI • MEDTNER • LISZT • RAVEL
JANUARY KOERNER 16, 8 PM HALL
THE ROYAL CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC
KOERNER HALL
THE ROYAL CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC
JANUARY 16, 8 PM
KOERNER HALL
THE ROYAL CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC
K308); Medtner: Sonata in g Op.22; Liszt:
After a Reading of Dante: Fantasia quasi
Sonata S109. Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $45-$90.
GONE
WITH
THE
WINDS
Jan 16–19, 2020
Jeanne Lamon Hall
tafelmusik.org
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. Gone with the Winds.
Mozart: Serenade in c K388; Beethoven: Sextet
Op.71; Rossini: Barber of Seville (selections);
Mozart: Così fan tutte (selections);
Cecilia Livingston: World premiere. Tafelmusik
Baroque Orchestra. Trinity-St. Paul’s
Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337. From
$42. Also Jan 17(8pm), 18(8pm), 19(3:30pm).
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Mozart
Requiem. Mozart: Symphony No.39 K543,
Requiem K626. Jenavieve Moore, soprano;
Jillian Bonner, mezzo; Charles Sy, tenor;
Trevor Eliot Bowes, bass; Toronto Mendelssohn
Choir and others. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255. Starting at $35.
Also Jan 15, 17(7:30pm), 18.
Friday January 17
●●12:00 noon: University of Toronto Faculty
of Music. New Music Festival: Face to
Face. Hatzis: Solo Piano Works. Konstantinos
Valianatos, piano. Edward Johnson Building,
Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750.
Free. Open to the public.
●●7:30: The Piano Lunaire. Composers’ Symposium
2020: The Shadow of the North.
Opening night of Piano Lunaire’s Composers’
Symposium 2020. Lemay: Tanze vor
Angst ... Hommage a Paul Klee (2006), Memoire
et oubli (2013); Mather: Eight Songs without
Words (2012); Leroux: Dense... englouti
(2011); Harman: Inverno (2014); Current:
Leaps of Faith (2009). Yoko Hirota, piano.
Bunker Lane Press, 1001 Bloor St. W. Rear.
416-825-2744. $20; $10(st).
●●7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Mozart
Requiem. Mozart: Symphony No.39 K543,
Requiem K626. Jenavieve Moore, soprano;
Jillian Bonner, mezzo; Charles Sy, tenor;
Trevor Eliot Bowes, bass; Toronto Mendelssohn
Choir and others. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255. Starting at $35.
Also Jan 15(8pm), 16(8pm), 18(8pm).
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. New Music Festival: Songwriting Class
Concert. André Mehmari. Edward Johnson
Building, Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-
978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. 21C
Music Festival/Power Corporation Vocal
Concerts Series: Philippe Sly & Le Chimera
Project: Winterreise. Koerner Hall, TELUS
Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $21-
$90. 7pm pre-concert talk.
●●8:00: Sinfonia Toronto. Beeethoven Triple!
Beethoven: Triple Concerto (chamber version
by Roberto Gianello); Symphony No.6 “The Pastoral”
(chamber version by Fischer). Zhenguy
Chen, piano; Xiaohan Guo, violin; Daniel Hass,
cello; Nurhan Arman, conductor. Glenn Gould
Studio, 250 Front St. W. sinfoniatoronto.com.
$42; $35(sr); $15(st).
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. Gone with the Winds.
Mozart: Serenade in c K388; Beethoven: Sextet
Op.71; Rossini: Barber of Seville (selections);
Mozart: Così fan tutte (selections);
Cecilia Livingston: World premiere. Tafelmusik
Baroque Orchestra. Trinity-St. Paul’s
Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337. From
$42. Also Jan 16(8pm), 18(8pm), 19(3:30pm).
SINFONIA TORONTO
BEETHOVEN TRIPLE!
Zhengyu Chen, Piano
Xiaohan Guo, Violin
Daniel Hass, Cello
Nurhan Arman, Conductor
January 17 8 pm
Glenn Gould Studio
sinfoniatoronto.com
60 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

Saturday January 18
●●12:00 noon: University of Toronto Faculty
of Music. New Music Festival: Noon Jazz
Session. André Mehmari. Edward Johnson
Building, Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-
978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
●●5:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. 21C
Music Festival Series: 21C Cinq à Sept. Works
by Laurie Anderson and others. Musicians
from the Glenn Gould School. Temerty Theatre,
Telus Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-
0208. $21.
●●7:30: Academy Concert Series. Tooting
Mozart’s Horn, Naturally! Hoffmeister: Horn
Quintet in E-flat; Mozart: String quartet No.17
in B-flat K458 “The Hunt”; Mozart: Horn quintet
in E-flat K407. Scott Wevers, horn; Michelle
Odorico, violin; Emily Eng, violin/viola; Shannon
Knights, viola; Kerri McGonigle, cello. Eastminster
United Church, 310 Danforth Ave.
416-629-3716 or academyconcertseries.com.
PWYC.
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. New Music Festival: UofT Jazz Faculty
and Guests Concert. University of Toronto
DOG Ensemble; Members of the UofT Jazz
Faculty; André Mehmari, piano. Edward Johnson
Building, Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park.
416-978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
●●8:00: Acoustic Harvest. Winterfolk Preview
Concert. St. Paul’s United Church (Scarborough),
200 McIntosh St., Scarborough.
416-729-7564. $27/$25(adv).
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. 21C
Music Festival Series: Laurie Anderson -
The Art of Falling. Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre,
273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $21-$95.
SOLD OUT!
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. Gone with the Winds.
Mozart: Serenade in c K388; Beethoven: Sextet
Op.71; Rossini: Barber of Seville (selections);
Mozart: Così fan tutte (selections);
Cecilia Livingston: World premiere. Tafelmusik
Baroque Orchestra. Trinity-St. Paul’s
Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337. From
$42. Also Jan 16(8pm), 17(8pm), 19(3:30pm).
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Mozart
Requiem. Mozart: Symphony No.39 K543,
Requiem K626. Jenavieve Moore, soprano;
Jillian Bonner, mezzo; Charles Sy, tenor;
Trevor Eliot Bowes, bass; Toronto Mendelssohn
Choir and others. Roy Thomson Hall,
60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255. Starting at $35.
Also Jan 15, 16, 17(7:30pm).
Sunday January 19
●●11:00am: The Piano Lunaire/The Canadian
Music Centre. Composers’ Symposium 2020:
Six Ushebtis and the Contemporary Piano.
Lecture presentation and performance; Robert
Lemay: Six Ushebtis. Yoko Hirota, piano.
Canadian Music Centre, 20 St. Joseph St. 416-
961-6601. Free.
●●1:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. 21C
Music Festival/Sunday Interlude Series: The
Glenn Gould School New Music Ensemble -
“For Michael Colgrass”. Works by Michael
Colgrass, Bekah Simms, Gabriel Dharmoo
and Michael Azguime. Brian Current,
conductor. Mazzoleni Concert Hall, TELUS
Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208.
Free(ticket required). Tickets available a
week prior to concert date.
●●2:00: Canadian Opera Company. The Barber
of Seville. Music by Gioachino Rossini,
libretto by Cesare Sterbini. Emily D’Angelo,
JAN. 19 – FEB. 7, 2020
416-363-8231 | coc.ca
mezzo (Rosina); Vito Priante, baritone
(Figaro); Santiago Ballerini, tenor (Almaviva);
Renato Girolami, bass (Bartolo); Brandon
Cedel, bass (Basilio); Speranza Scappucci,
conductor; Joan Font, stage director. Four
Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. $35-$225.
Runs Jan 19-Feb 7. Start times vary.
●●2:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. New Music Festival: Opera Student
Composer Collective presents “Maid and
Master: The Massey Murder”. MacMillan Theatre,
Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
●●3:00: Canadian Sinfonietta. Chamber Concert
II. Bach: Piano Concerto in d BWV1052;
Schubert: Piano Quintet in A D667 “Trout”.
Erika Crino, piano; Joyce Lai & Alain Bouvier,
violins; Ian Clarke, viola; Andras Weber,
cello; Tim FitzGerald, double bass. Baker Tran
Centre, 226 Geary Ave. 647-812-0839. $35;
$30(sr); $25(st).
●●3:30: Tafelmusik. Gone with the Winds.
Mozart: Serenade in c K388; Beethoven: Sextet
Op.71; Rossini: Barber of Seville (selections);
Mozart: Così fan tutte (selections);
Cecilia Livingston: World premiere. Tafelmusik
Baroque Orchestra. Trinity-St. Paul’s
Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337. From
$42. Also Jan 16(8pm), 17(8pm), 18(8pm).
●●7:30: The Piano Lunaire. Composers’ Symposium
2020: New Lunarities. Closing night
of Piano Lunaire’s Composers’ Symposium
2020. Lachenmann: Guero; Dubedout: Filtrages;
Lerous: Repeter... Opposer; Sherkin:
Tagish Fires; Six world premieres by composers
from the Symposium. Stephanie Chua,
piano; Adam Sherkin, piano. Bunker Lane
Press, 1001 Bloor St. W. Rear. 416-825-2744.
$20; $10(st).
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. New Music Festival: Penderecki String
Quartet. Edward Johnson Building, Walter
Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Free.
Open to the public.
Monday January 20
●●7:30: Associates of the Toronto Symphony
Orchestra. The Small Concerts: Song Before
the Storm. Brahms: Piano Quartet No.1 in g
Op.25; Shostakovich: Piano Quintet in g Op.57.
Shane Kim, violin; Clare Semes, violin; Theresa
Rudolph, viola; Joseph Johnson, cello;
Philip Chiu, piano. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre,
SONG BEFORE
THE STORM
Monday, Jan 20,
7:30pm
Brahms, Shostakovich
www.associates-tso.org
427 Bloor St. W. 416-221-8342. $25; $23(sr/st).
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. New Music Festival: U of T Percussion:
Reset II: Percussion Classics. MacMillan Theatre,
Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
●●8:00: Roy Thomson Hall. Chilly Gonzales.
60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255. $39.50-$79.50.
Tuesday January 21
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
World Music/Dance Series: The Magpie and
the Iron Rat. Joo Hyung Kim, zither; Soojung
Kwon, traditional Korean dancer; Ensemble
Jeng Yi. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free. First
come, first served. No late seating.
●●12:10: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Voice Performance Class: Orastoryo.
Singers from 4th year and graduate course in
Oratorio; Darry Edwards; Mia Bach. Edward
Johnson Building, Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. New Music Festival: Contemporary
Music Ensemble: Speak, Be Silent In memory
of Roger D. Moore. Edward Johnson Building,
Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750.
Free. Open to the public.
Wednesday January 22
●●12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
Noonday Organ Recital. Angus Sinclair,
organ. 1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167. Free.
●●7:00: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Upper Jazz Concerts: UofT Jazz
Ensembles. Upper Jazz Studio, 90 Wellesley
St. W. 416-978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
Set 2 begins at 8pm.
●●7:30: Canadian Opera Company. The Barber
of Seville. See Jan 19. Also Jan 25, 30,
Feb 1, 2, 4, 7.
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Mozart
40. Mozart: Overture to Così fan tutte
K588; Piano Concerto No.9 K271 “Jeunehomme”;
Symphony No.40 K550. Jean-Efflam
Bavouzet, piano; Bernard Labadie, conductor.
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-872-
4255. Starting at $35. Also Jan 23, 26(3pm,
Meridian Arts Centre).
Thursday January 23
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Dance Series: DanceOntario's DanceWeekend
Preview. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free.
First come, first served. No late seating.
●●12:10: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Thursdays at Noon: Music and Poetry
- 25th Anniversary. Lawrence Wiliford, tenor;
Steven Philcox, piano; Eric Domville, speaker.
Edward Johnson Building, Walter Hall,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open
to the public.
●●7:30: Canadian Music Centre. CMC Presents:
Rebecca Bruton & Ways. Rebecca Bruton,
composer/songmaker/vocalist; Ways
(Brodie West, sax; Evan Cartwright, percussion).
20 St. Joseph St. 416-961-6601 x202.
$20/$15(adv); $15/$12(CMC members/arts
workers/adv); $10(st).
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Mozart
40. Mozart: Overture to Così fan tutte
K588; Piano Concerto No.9 K271 “Jeunehomme”;
Symphony No.40 K550. Jean-
Efflam Bavouzet, piano; Bernard Labadie,
conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 61

416-872-4255. Starting at $81. Also Jan 22,
26(3pm, Meridian Arts Centre).
Friday January 24
●●7:00: VIVA! Youth Singers of Toronto.
Beethoven’s 250th Anniversary Concert.
Mass in C. Everyone Can Sing & Community
Choirs. Regis College Chapel, 100 Wellesley
St. W. 416-788-8482. $25; $20(sr/st).
●●7:30: Brampton Folk Club. Friday Folk
Night: Songs for the Snowy Season. Coffeehouse-style
folk music concert. Global Blues
with Donne Roberts and Ken Yoshioka. St.
Paul’s United Church (Brampton), 30 Main St.
S., Brampton. 647-233-3655. $18; $15(sr/st).
●●7:30: St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society.
Patience. Music by Arthur Sullivan, libretto
by W. S. Gilbert. Laura Schatz, artistic director;
Kate Carver, musical director; Jennie
Garde, choreographer. St. Anne’s Parish
Hall, 651 Dufferin St. 437-233-MADS (6237)
or stannesmads.com/contact. $30; $25(sr/
st). Also Jan 25(2pm); 26(2pm); 30(7:30pm);
OKTOPUS
&
CONCERT
FRIDAY,
JANUARY 24 8PM
VENDREDI 24 JANVIER 20H
BEYOND
THE PALE
A. Concerts in the GTA
31(7:30pm); Feb 1(2pm), 2(2pm).
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Early Music Concerts: Music in the
Castle of Heaven. Bach: Cantatas. Charles
Daniels, tenor; Peter Harvey, baritone; Daniel
Taylor, conductor. Trinity College Chapel,
U of T, 6 Hoskin Ave. 416-408-0208. $30;
$20(sr); $10(st). U of T students admitted free
with a valid TCard, space permitting.
●●8:00: Alliance Française de Toronto. Oktopus
& Beyond the Pale: In Concert. Spadina
Theatre, 24 Spadina Rd. 416-922-2014 x37.
$28; $14(members).
●●8:00: Roy Thomson Hall. Yamato: The
Drummers of Japan - Jhonestsu. 60 Simcoe
St. 416-872-4255. $49.50-$89.50.
21C MusiC Festival
Zakir Hussain and
JoHn PatituCCi with
Danilo PéreZ, Brian BlaDe,
and tHe royal Conservatory
orCHestra
Fri. Jan. 24, 8pm / artist talk 7pm
kOErnEr Hall
TICKETS ON SALE NOW! 416.408.0208
rcmusic.com/performance
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
21C Music Festival Series: Zakir Hussain &
John Patitucci with the Royal Conservatory
Orchestra. Hussain: Reshkar; Patitucci: Hypocrisy;
and other works. Zane Dalal, conductor;
Danilo Perez, piano; Brian Blade,
drums; Patitucci, bass. Koerner Hall, TELUS
Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $21-
$105. 7pm artist talk.
Saturday January 25
●●2:00: Home Music Club of Toronto. An
Afternoon of Chamber Music. Tchaikovsky:
Violin Concerto (1st mvmt) arr. for violin/piano;
and other works. Northern District
Public Library, Room 224, 40 Orchard View
Blvd. 416-393-7610. Free.
●●2:00: St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society.
Patience. See Jan 24. Also Jan 26, 30,
31, Feb 1, 2.
●●4:30: Canadian Opera Company. The Barber
of Seville. See Jan 19. Also Jan 30, Feb 1,
2, 4, 7.
●●7:30: SoundCrowd. Winter Getaway! Songs
by Adams, Crow, Madonna and others. Scott
Pietrangelo, conductor. Bloor Street United
Church, 300 Bloor St. W. soundcrowd.ca or
info@soundcrowd.ca. $25.
●●7:30: Flute Street. Going Places. Coleman:
Goin’ Uptown; Hirose: Blue Train; Gates:
Sails, Winds and Echoes; Delius: Sleigh Ride.
Louis Papachristos, soloist. Heliconian Hall,
35 Hazelton Ave. 416-462-9498. $25; $20(sr/
arts worker); $10(st-full time). Cash only.
HUGO AND WILLIE:
SONGS OF THE SOUL
●●8:00: Confluence Concerts. Hugo and Willie:
Songs of the Soul. Lieder by Hugo Wolf
and songs by Willie P. Bennett. Giles Tomkins,
baritone; Andrew Downing, doublebass;
Patricia O’Callaghan, soprano; Kate
Tremills, piano. St. Thomas’s Anglican Church
(Toronto), 383 Huron St. 647-678-4923. $30;
$25(sr); $20(30 and under). Pre-concert talk
at 7:15pm.
●●8:00: Guitar Society of Toronto. In Concert.
Xuefei Yang, guitar. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian
Church (Toronto), 73 Simcoe St.
416-964-8298 or guitarsocietyoftoronto.com.
$40; $35(sr); $30(st); $35(adv); $30(sr adv);
$25(st adv).
●●8:00: Mississauga Symphony Orchestra.
La Traviata. A fully staged opera.
Music by Giuseppe Verdi. Cristina Pisan,
soprano (Violetta); Keith Klassen, tenor
(Alfredo); Denis Mastromonaco, music
director; David Ambrose, stage director.
Living Arts Centre, Hammerson Hall,
4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga. 905-
306-6000 or mississaugasymphony.ca.
$50-$90. Also Jan 28.
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. 21C
Music Festival Series/TD Jazz Concerts:
Danilo Pérez’s Global Messengers & Allison
Au Quartet. Postlude Performance.
Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor St. W.
Flute Street
presents
Going Places
with soloist,
Louis Papachristos
Sat. Jan 25, 7:30pm
Heliconian Hall
35 Hazleton Ave
416-408-0208. $21-$90.
●●8:00: St. Jude’s Celebration of the Arts.
Café in Paris. Works by Debussy, Rachmaninoff,
Schoenfeld and Lau. Bedford Trio. St.
Jude’s Anglican Church, 160 William St., Oakville.
905-844-3972. $25; $15(st).
Elisa Citterio, Music Director
MORE
BACH
MOTETS
Jan 25, 2020
Jeanne Lamon Hall
tafelmusik.org
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. More Bach Motets. J.
S. Bach: motets; suites for solo cello. Keiran
Campbell, cello; Tafelmusik Chamber
Choir; Ivars Taurins, conductor. Trinity-St.
Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337.
From $42.
Sunday January 26
●●1:00: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. UofT Symphony Orchestra Concerto
Competition Finals. Edward Johnson Building,
Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750.
Free. Open to the public.
●●2:00: Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra.
A Musical Journey Through Time.
Gabrielli: Canoni VII & X; Mozart: Piano Concerto;
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture; Estacio:
Frenergy; and works by Bach. Elijah Orienko,
piano. Humber Valley United Church,
76 Anglesey Blvd., Etobicoke. 416-239-5665.
$20; $10(child).
●●2:00: Missisauga Big Band Jazz Ensemble.
Jazz at the Legion. Port Credit Legion,
35 Front St. N., Port Credit. 905-270-4757.
PWYC.
●●2:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Mazzoleni
Masters: Songmasters Series: Sirens.
Raum: Sirens and others. Leslie Ann Bradley,
soprano; Allyson McHardy, mezzo. Mazzoleni
Concert Hall, TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor St. W.
416-408-0208. $30.
●●2:00: St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society.
Patience. See Jan 24. Also Jan 30, 31, Feb 1, 2.
●●3:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Invesco Piano Concerts Series: Louis Lortie.
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.27 in E-flat
Op.90; No.28 in A Op.101; No.29 in B-flat
Op.106 “Hammerklavier”. Koerner Hall, TELUS
Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208.
$50-$110.
●●3:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Mozart
40. Mozart: Overture to Così fan tutte
K588; Piano Concerto No.9 K271 “Jeunehomme”;
Symphony No.40 K550. Jean-Efflam
Bavouzet, piano; Bernard Labadie, conductor.
62 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

Meridian Arts Centre (formerly Toronto Centre
for the Arts), 5040 Yonge St., North
York. 416-872-4255. Starting at $78. Also
Jan 22(8pm, Roy Thomson Hall), 23(8pm, Roy
Thomson Hall).
●●4:30: Christ Church Deer Park. Jazz Vespers.
Colleen Allen Quartet. 1570 Yonge St.
416-920-5211. Freewill offering. Religious
service.
Monday January 27
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Chamber Music Concert Series: (Half
of) The Complete Sonatas for Piano and Violin
by Beethoven. Works of remembrance from
Handel to Sting. Mark Fewer, violin; James
Parker, piano. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson
Building, University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-408-0208. $40; $25(sr); $10(st).
U of T students admitted free with a valid
TCard, space permitting. Also see Jan 9.
Tuesday January 28
●●8:00: Mississauga Symphony Orchestra.
La Traviata. A fully staged opera. Music
by Giuseppe Verdi. Cristina Pisan, soprano
(Violetta); Keith Klassen, tenor (Alfredo);
Denis Mastromonaco, music director; David
Ambrose, stage director. Living Arts Centre,
Hammerson Hall, 4141 Living Arts Dr.,
Mississauga. 905-306-6000 or mississaugasymphony.ca.
$50-$90. Also Jan 25.
Wednesday January 29
●●10:00am: Royal Conservatory of Music.
Discovery Series: Glenn Gould School Concerto
Competition Finals. Koerner Hall,
TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-
0208. Free(ticket required). Tickets available
a week prior to concert date.
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Vocal/Chamber Series: Meet the Orchestra
- Songs and Dances of Death. Artists of the
COC Ensemble Studio; COC Orchestra Academy.
Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four
Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free. First
come, first served. No late seating.
●●7:00: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Upper Jazz Concerts: UofT Jazz
Ensembles. Upper Jazz Studio, 90 Wellesley
St. W. 416-978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
Set 2 begins at 8pm.
●●7:30: York Region Chamber Music. Pride
& Prejudice & Song. Songs and piano works
by Handel, Mozart and Pleyel. Ellen McAteer,
soprano; Geoffrey Conquer, piano. Richmond
Hill Centre for the Performing Arts,
10268 Yonge St., Richmond Hill. 905-787-
8811. $25; $20(st). rhcentre.ca.
Thursday January 30
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Dance Series: Eden Planted. Zata Omm
Dance Projects; William Yong, choreographer.
Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free. First
come, first served. No late seating.
●●12:10: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Thursdays at Noon: DMA Competition
Winner Bryn Blackwood, solo piano. Upper
Jazz Studio, 90 Wellesley St. W. 416-978-3750.
Free. Open to the public. Set 2 begins at 8pm.
●●7:30: Canadian Opera Company. The Barber
of Seville. See Jan 19. Also Feb 1, 2, 4, 7.
●●7:30: St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society.
Patience. See Jan 24. Also Jan 31, Feb 1, 2.
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Jazz Composers Concert. Edward
Johnson Building, Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
January 30 at 8 pm
ST. LAWRENCE
QUARTET
with STEPHEN
PRUTSMAN
●●8:00: Music Toronto. St. Lawrence Quartet
with Stephen Prutsman, Piano. Haydn: Quartet
Op.20 No.4 in D; Schafer: String Quartet
No.3 (1981); Franck: Piano Quintet in f. Geoff
Nuttall and Owen Dalby, violins; Lesley Robertson,
viola; Christopher Costanza, cello; Stephen
Prutsman, piano. Jane Mallett Theatre,
St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St.
E. 416-366-7723. $47.50-$52; $10(st). 7:15pm
pre-concert talk.
●●8:00: Soundstreams. The Lost Karaoke
Tapes. Australian Art Orchestra; Nicole Lizée,
composer. The Great Hall, 1087 Queen St. W.
416-408-0208. $25-$77.
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Dvořák & Mendelssohn. Smetana: “The Moldau”
from Má vlast; Dvořák: Cello Concerto;
Mendelssohn: Symphony No.3 “Scottish”.
Joseph Johnson, cello; Aziz Shokhakimov,
conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-872-4255. Starting at $81. Also Feb. 1.
Friday January 31
●●7:30: St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society.
Patience. See Jan 24. Also Feb 1, 2.
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Instrumentalis. Edward Johnson
Building, Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-
978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Quiet
Please, There’s a Lady Onstage Series: Lisa
Fischer & Grand Baton. Koerner Hall, TELUS
Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208.
$50-$100.
●●8:00: The Mozart Effect: Live! A Symphony
for the Senses. Works by Mozart. Meridian
Hall (formerly Sony Centre), 1 Front St. E. 416-
368-6161 or 1-800-708-6754. $33-$127+.
Hebreo:
ROSSI’S MANTUA
BY PROFETI DELLA
QUINTA
JAN 31, FEB 1 at 8pm
TorontoConsort.org
●●8:00: Toronto Consort. Hebreo: Rossi’s
Mantua. Works by Ralamone Rossi. Guest
Ensemble: Profeti della Quinta. Trinity-St.
Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337.
$15-$72. Also Feb 1.
Saturday February 1
●●2:00: St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society.
Patience. See Jan 24. Also Feb 2.
●●4:30: Royal Conservatory of Music. Taylor
Performance Academy for Young Artists
Series: Showcase Concerts. Features classical
musicians aged 8-18. Mazzoleni Concert
Hall, TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-
0208. Free(ticket required). Tickets available
a week prior to concert date.
●●7:30: Canadian Opera Company. The Barber
of Seville. See Jan 19. Also Feb 2, 4, 7.
●●7:30: Mississauga Festival Choir. Festival
of Friends. Eden United Church,
3051 Battleford Rd., Mississauga. For ticket
information: info@mississaugafestivalchoir.
com. Ticket prices: TBA.
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. U of T Symphony Orchestra. He: Four
Myths from Ancient China; Shostakovitch:
Cello Concerto No.1 Op.107 in E-flat; Respighi:
Fontane di Roma; Bartók: The Miraculous
Mandarin (Suite). Christopher Chan, cello;
Uri Meyer, conductor. MacMillan Theatre,
Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s Park.
416-408-0208. $30; $20(sr); $10(st). Preperformance
lecture ‘Symphony Talk’. U of T
students admitted free with a valid TCard,
space permitting.
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Power
Corporation Vocal Concerts Series: Lagrime
di San Pietro. Orlando di Lasso. Los Angeles
Master Chorale; Staged by Peter Sellars.
Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor St. W.
416-408-0208. $50-$105. Also Feb 2(3pm).
●●8:00: Toronto Consort. Hebreo: Rossi’s
Mantua. Works by Ralamone Rossi. Guest
Ensemble: Profeti della Quinta. Trinity-St.
Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337.
$15-$72. Also Jan 31.
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Dvořák & Mendelssohn. Smetana: “The Moldau”
from Má vlast; Dvořák: Cello Concerto;
Mendelssohn: Symphony No.3 “Scottish”.
Joseph Johnson, cello; Aziz Shokhakimov,
conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-872-4255. Starting at $35. Also Jan 30.
●●9:00: Alliance Française de Toronto.
Élage Diouf, Percussion. Spadina Theatre,
24 Spadina Rd. 416-922-2014 x37. $28;
$14(members).
Sunday February 2
●●2:00: Canadian Opera Company. The Barber
of Seville. See Jan 19. Also Feb 4, 7.
●●2:00: Canzona Chamber Players. Duke
Ellington and the Suite. Colleen Allen, woodwinds;
Fern Lindzon, piano/vocals; George
Koller, bass; Ethan Ardelli, drums. St. Andrew
by-the-Lake Anglican Church, Cibola Ave.,
Toronto Island. bemusednetwork.com/
groups/member/100. $30; $50(concert +
12:30pm brunch). Also Feb 3(7:30pm, St.
George the Martyr, Toronto - concert only).
●●2:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Mazzoleni
Masters Series: Gábor Tarkövi, trumpet.
Works by Neruda, Hindemith, Glière, Hovhaness
and Hidas. Mazzoleni Concert Hall, TELUS
Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $30.
●●2:00: St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society.
Patience. See Jan 24.
●●2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Beethoven Lives Upstairs. Classical Kids
LIVE!; Simon Rivard, conductor. Roy Thomson
Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255. Starting at
$22. Also 4pm.
●●2:30: University of Toronto Faculty of Music.
Choirs in Concert: All Creatures Great and
Small. Works by Stanford, Tavener and others.
MacMillan Singers; Men’s Chorus; David Fallis
and Mark Ramsay, conductors. Church of the
Redeemer, 162 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208. $30;
$20(sr); $10(st). U of T students admitted free
with a valid TCard, space permitting.
●●3:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Power
Corporation Vocal Concerts Series: Lagrime
di San Pietro. Orlando di Lasso. Los Angeles
Master Chorale; Staged by Peter Sellars.
Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor St. W.
416-408-0208. $50-$105. Also Feb 1(8pm).
●●4:00: Georgetown Bach Chorale. Duelling
Sopranos. Works by Mendelssohn; Opera
arias; Brahms: Neue Liebeslieder. The Piano
Hall, 157 Main St., Georgetown. 905-873-
9909. $45 in advance only. Meal to follow.
●●4:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Beethoven Lives Upstairs. Classical Kids
LIVE!; Simon Rivard, conductor. Roy Thomson
Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-872-4255. Starting at
$22. Also 2pm.
Monday February 3
●●7:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Music
Mix Series: Maple Blues Awards. Koerner
Hall, TELUS Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-
0208. $35-$80.
●●7:30: Canzona Chamber Players. Duke
Ellington and the Suite. Colleen Allen,
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 63

woodwinds; Fern Lindzon, piano/vocals;
George Koller, bass; Ethan Ardelli, drums. St.
George the Martyr Church, 30 Stephanie St.
bemusednetwork.com/groups/member/100.
$30. Also Feb 2(2pm, St. Andrew-by-the-
Lake, Toronto Island).
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Vocalis: A Few Figs from Thistles. Masters
and doctoral level singers; Danika Lorèn,
curator. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 416-
978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
Tuesday February 4
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
New Music Series: Clear Things May Not Be
Seen. Bob Becker: Never in Word; To Immortal
Bloom; Cryin’ Time; Clear Things May
Not Be Seen. Lindsay Kesselman, soprano;
Andrea Ludwig, soprano; with string quartet,
clarinets, piano and percussion. Richard
Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre
for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W.
416-363-8231. Free. First come, first served.
No late seating.
●●7:00: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Student Composer Concert. Edward
Johnson Building, Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
●●7:30: Canadian Opera Company. The Barber
of Seville. See Jan 19. Also Feb 7.
Wednesday February 5
●●5:30: Canadian Opera Company. Vocal
Series: An Evening of Song. Brandon Cedel,
bass-baritone; Sandra Horst, piano. Richard
Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre
for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W.
416-363-8231. Free. First come, first served.
No late seating.
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. UofT 12tet. Edward Johnson Building,
Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750.
Free. Open to the public.
Thursday February 6
●●12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.
Piano Virtuoso Series: For the One Who Listens
in Secret. Scriabin: Piano Sonata No.2;
Schumann: Fantasie in C. Jingquan Xie,
piano. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four
Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,
145 Queen St. W. 416-363-8231. Free. First
come, first served. No late seating.
●●12:10: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Thursdays at Noon: Bob Becker and
Guests: Clear Things May Not Be Seen. Bob
Becker: Never in Word; To Immortal Bloom;
Cryin’ Time; Clear Things May Not Be Seen.
Lindsay Kesselman, soprano; Andrea Ludwig,
soprano; with string quartet, clarinets, piano
and percussion. Edward Johnson Building,
Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750.
Free. Open to the public.
●●7:30: Canadian Opera Company. Hansel
and Gretel. Music by Engelbert Humperdinck,
libretto by Adelheid Wette. Emily
Fons, mezzo (Hansel); Simone Osborne,
soprano (Gretel); Russell Braun, baritone
(Peter); Krisztina Szabó, mezzo (Gertrude);
Michael Colvin, tenor (The Witch); Anna-
Sophie Neher, soprano (Sandman/Dew
Fairy); Johannes Debus, conductor; Joel
Ivany, stage director. Four Seasons Centre
for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St.
W. 416-363-8231. $35-$225. Runs Feb 6-21.
Start times vary.
A. Concerts in the GTA
FEB. 6 – 21, 2020
416-363-8231 | coc.ca
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of Music.
Wind Ensemble Concerts: Sharing. Björk: Overture
to Dancer in the Dark; Kulesha: Streets of
Fire (double trombone concerto); Maslanka: A
Child’s Garden of Dreams. Vanessa Fralick and
Gordon Wolfe, trombones; Gillian MacKay, conductor.
Guests: Central Band of the Canadian
Armed Forces; Captain John Fullerton, conductor.
MacMillan Theatre, Edward Johnson
Building, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208. $30;
$20(sr); $10(st). U of T students admitted free
with a valid TCard, space permitting.
Elisa Citterio, Music Director
DREAMING
JUPITER
Feb 6–9, 2020
Jeanne Lamon Hall
tafelmusik.org
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. Dreaming Jupiter.
Marais: La Rêveuse; Forqueray: Jupiter; and
works by Lully, Rebel, Marais and Rameau;
Vittorio Ghielmi: World premiere. Tafelmusik
Baroque Orchestra; Vittorio Ghielmi, guest
director and viola da gamba. Trinity-St. Paul’s
Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337. From
$42. Also Feb 7(8pm), 8(8pm), 9(3:30pm).
●●8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Joshua Bell with NACO. Boulanger: D’un soir
triste; Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto; Morlock:
My Name Is Amanda Todd; Prokofiev:
Symphony No.3. Joshua Bell, violin; National
Arts Centre Orchestra; Alexander Shelley,
conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-872-4255. Starting at $39.
Friday February 7
●●12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s/Guitar Society
of Toronto. Noontime Guitar Recital. St.
Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (Toronto),
73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x231. Free.
Harriet Tubman:
The Opera
Fri. Feb. 7, 2020
7:30pm
nathanieldettchorale.org
B. Concerts Beyond the GTA
●●7:30: Nathaniel Dett Chorale. Voices of
the Diaspora - Harriet Tubman: The Opera.
Nathaniel Dett Chorale; Brainerd Blyden-Taylor,
conductor. Tribute Communities Recital
Hall, Accolade East Building, YU, 4700 Keele
St. 416-736-2100 x33068. $30; $25(sr);
$15(st).
●●7:30: Canadian Opera Company. The Barber
of Seville. See Jan 19.
●●7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of
Music. Wind Symphony Concerts. Mctee:
Notezart; Whitacre: Cloudburst; McAllister:
X2 Concerto for Saxophone Quartet; Bedford:
Sea and Sky and Golden Hill; Nelson: Courtly
Airs and Dances. Karisyg Saxophone Quartet;
Jeffrey Reynolds, conductor. MacMillan Theatre,
Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-408-0208. $30; $20(sr); $10(st).
U of T students admitted free with a valid
TCard, space permitting.
●●8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. Susan
Aglukark and Lacey Hill. Koerner Hall, TELUS
Centre, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208.
$35-$75.
●●8:00: Tafelmusik. Dreaming Jupiter.
Marais: La Rêveuse; Forqueray: Jupiter; and
works by Lully, Rebel, Marais and Rameau;
Vittorio Ghielmi: World premiere. Tafelmusik
Baroque Orchestra; Vittorio Ghielmi, guest
director and viola da gamba. Trinity-St. Paul’s
Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-964-6337. From
$42. Also Feb 6(8pm), 8(8pm), 9(3:30pm).
IN THIS ISSUE: Ancaster, Barrie, Belleville, Brantford, Cobourg,
Dryden, Dundas, Elmira, Elora, Fergus, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston,
Kitchener, London, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Norwood, Orangeville,
Ottawa, St. Catharines, Stratford, Wasaga Beach, Waterloo, Welland.
Sunday December 1
●●1:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. New
Horizons Band 20th Anniversary. Roy Ernst,
guest conductor. Paul Davenport Theatre,
Talbot College, Western University,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767.
Free.
●●2:00: Choralis Camerata. Handel’s Messiah.
Melissa-Marie Shriner, soprano; Christina
Stelmakovich, mezzo; Laurence Wiliford,
tenor; Michael York, bass; Lynn Honsberber,
accompanist. Welland Centennial Secondary
School, 240 Thorold Rd., Welland. 905-646-
9225. $40; $15(st).
●●2:00: Les AMIS. In Concert. Works by
Debussy, Chopin, Ravel, Lavallée and Šipuš.
Erika Crinó, piano. Cobourg Loft, 201 Division
St., Cobourg. 905-372-2210. $30.
●●2:30: Kingston Symphony. Beethoven and
Rachmaninoff. Rzewski: Coming Together;
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.1;
Beethoven: Symphony No.4. Avan Yu, piano;
Evan Mitchell, conductor. Isabel Bader Centre
for the Performing Arts, 390 King St. W.,
Kingston. 613-546-9729 or 613-530-2050.
$10-$50.
●●3:00: Achill Choral Society. Glorious
Sounds Christmas Concert. Chilcott: Gloria;
and other works. Audience sing-along.
Shawn Grenke, conductor. Westminster
United Church (Orangeville), 247 Broadway
Ave., Orangeville. 905-857-2737 or achill.ca.
$25; $10(13-17); $5(child).
●●3:00: Guelph Chamber Choir. Guelph
Chamber Choir’s Christmas Lessons and
Carols with Brass Quintet. Charlene Pauls,
conductor. St. George’s Anglican Church
(Guelph), 99 Woolwich St., Guelph. 519-763-
3000. $25/4 for $80; $10(st/30 and under);
$5(youth 14 and under).
●●3:00: Guelph Concert Band. Holiday
Traditions. Hallelujah Chorus; Russian
Christmas Music; ‘Twas in the Moon
of Wintertime; Greensleeves; Nutcracker
Suite (selections). Chris Cigolea, conductor;
guest choirs. E.L. Fox Auditorium,
John F. Ross Collegiate Institute, 21 Meyer
Dr., Guelph. 416-357-2813. $30(family); $15;
$10(sr/st); $5(under 12).
●●3:00: Musicata. With One Accord. Works
by Piazzolla, Luengen and Chatman. Michael
Bridge, accordion. Central Presbyterian
Church (Hamilton), 165 Charlton Ave.
W., Hamilton. 905-531-0345. $25; $20(sr);
$5(st).
●●3:00: Westben. A Westben Christmas
Carol. Rob Winslow; Soloists; Westben
Youth, Teen and Festival Choruses. Norwood
United Church, 4264 Hwy 7, Norwood. 705-
653-5508 or 1-877-883-5777. $28(ad/sr);
$15(under 30); $5(youth). Also Nov 23(1pm,
Campbellford), 24(3pm, Campbellford),
30(3pm, Peterborough).
●●7:00: Barrie Concert Band. Christmas at
the Beach. Lighthouse Community Church,
800 Sunnidale Rd., Wasaga Beach. 705-735-
0720. Donation to the local food bank. Proceeds
to the Wasaga Beach Ministerial Food
Bank. Sponsored by Waterside Retirement
64 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

Lodge and Lighthouse Community Church.
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society. Chamber Music Concert. Debussy:
Cello Sonata; Fauré: Three Pieces for Violin
and Piano (Berceuse Op.16; Romance
Op.28; Andante Op.75); Ravel: Trio. Kayaleh/
Dolin/Ouellet Trio (Laurence Kayaleh, violin;
Elizabeth Dolin, cello; Claire Ouellet, piano).
KWCMS Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo.
519-569-1809. $35; $20(st).
Monday December 2
●●7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Contemporary
Music Studio. Von Kuster
Hall, Music Building, Western University,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767.
Free.
Tuesday December 3
●●12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Western
University Wind Ensemble. Works by Stetner,
Khachaturian, Stamp and Ticheli. Paul
Davenport Theatre, Talbot College, Western
University, 1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-
661-3767. Free.
●●12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Electroacoustic
Music Compositions. Von Kuster
Hall, Music Building, Western University,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767.
Free.
Wednesday December 4
●●12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Western
University Symphonic Band. Works by
Barnes, Ticheli, Can der Roost, Holst and
George. Paul Davenport Theatre, Talbot College,
Western University, 1151 Richmond St.
N., London. 519-661-3767. Free.
●●7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club. Doug Eunson
and Sarah Matthews. Chaucer’s Pub,
122 Carling St., London. 519-319-5847.
$25/$20(adv).
Thursday December 5
●●12:15: St. George’s Cathedral (Kingston).
Advent Concert. Douglas Handforth, violin;
Jennifer Tindale, cello; Fran Harkness, piano.
270 King St. E., Kingston. 613-548-4617 or
stgeorgescathedral.ca. Freewill offering.
●●8:00: Wolf Performance Hall. Sultans of
String Christmas Caravan. Caribbean Sleigh
Ride; Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring; Little Drummer
Boy; Greensleeves; Django Christmas.
Guests: Rebecca Campbell and Shannon
Thunderbird. 251 Dundas St., London. 5196-
661-5120 or wolfperformancehall.ca. $25.
In support of the United Nations Agency for
Refugees.
Friday December 6
●●12:00 noon: Hamilton Philharmonic
Orchestra. Music at the Library: Brass Holiday
Concert. Hamilton Public Library, 55 York
Blvd., Hamilton. 905-526-7756 or hpo.org.
Free.
●●7:30: Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing
Arts. To Gini with Love. Works by
Beethoven, Brahms and Dvořák. Gryphon
Trio. 390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-533-2424
or queensu.ca/theisabel/tickets. $42-$59;
$39-$56(faculty/staff); $19-$29(st).
●●7:30: Melos Choir and Period Instruments.
In Dulce Jubilo. German Advent & Christmas
music, 12th-18th centuries. Medieval chants,
familiar carols, and music of Schutz, Praetorius
and Bach. St. George’s Cathedral (Kingston),
270 King St. E., Kingston. 613-767-7245.
$25; $10(st).
●●7:30: Octave Theatre. Sultans of String
Christmas Caravan. Caribbean Sleigh Ride;
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring; Little Drummer
Boy; Greensleeves; Django Christmas. Guests:
Rebecca Campbell and Lynn Miles. 711 Dalton
Ave., Kingston. 613-353-6650 or livewiremusicseries.ca.
$30/$25(adv). In support of
the United Nations Agency for Refugees.
●●8:00: TD Sunfest World Music & Jazz Series.
A Charlie Brown Christmas. Aeolian Hall,
795 Dundas St. E., London. sunfest.on.ca.
$40/$35(adv).
Saturday December 7
●●11:00am: Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing
Arts. Celebrate! Holidays of the
Global Village. Recommended for ages 6 to
12. Chris McKhool and Friends. Isabel Bader
Centre for the Performing Arts, Rehearsal
Hall, 390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-533-2424
or queensu.ca/theisabel/tickets. $16; $12(faculty/staff);
$8(st). Post-concert workshop:
Storytelling and Throat Music.
●●2:00: Barrie Concert Band. A Christmas
Chocolate Box. Collier Street United Church,
112 Collier St., Barrie. 705-735-0720. $25;
$10(st); free(under 13).
●●2:30: Lyrica Chamber Choir of Barrie. I
Will Light Candles This Christmas. Works
by Atnesen, Gjeilo and others. Guests: Tost
String Quartet; Steve Winfield, conductor;
Brent Mayhew, piano. Burton Avenue United
Church, 37 Burton Ave., Barrie. 705-722-
0271 or lyricachoir.ca. $20; $16(sr/st). Also
7:30 pm.
●●4:00: Hamilton Children’s Choir. Somewhere
in My Memory. HCC seasonal favourites.
Alumni will be welcomed on stage to join
in the singing of music from their time in the
choir. Ryerson United Church (Hamilton),
842 Main St. E., Hamilton. hamiltonchildrenschoir.com.
$25-$30; $20(sr); $15(alumni);
$10(st/child).
●●7:00: Brownman Akoustic 4-Tet. Holiday
Concert! Frosty the Snowman; We Three
Kings; Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer; Jingle
Bells; Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.
Brownman Ali, trumpet; Nick Maclean, piano;
Ben Duff, bass; Jacob Wutzke, drums. Midtown
Stage, 34 Whyte Ave., Dryden. 416-389-
2643 or eventbrite.ca/e/75188038447. $10.
●●7:30: Bach Elgar Choir. Handel’s Messiah.
With choir and orchestra. Melrose United
Church, 86 Homewood Ave., Hamilton. 905-
527-5995. $40; $35(sr); $20(st).
●●7:30: Chorus Hamilton. Christmas Concert.
Respighi: Laud to the Nativity. The Concert
Sinfonia; David Holler, conductor; Erika Reiman,
accompanist. St. Paul’s United Church
(Dundas), 29 Park St. W., Dundas. 905-318-
9381 or chorushamilton.ca. $25; free(under
18).
●●7:30: Grand Philharmonic Choir. Messiah.
Handel. Mireille Asselin, soprano; Maude
Brunet, mezzo; Asitha Tenekoon, tenor; Samuel
Chan, baritone; Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony;
Grand Philharmonic Choir. Centre in
the Square, 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 519-
578-5660 x5290. $30-$82; $14(st/under 30);
$5(child/HS student).
●●7:30: Lyrica Chamber Choir of Barrie. I
Will Light Candles This Christmas. Works
by Atnesen, Gjeilo and others. Guests: Tost
String Quartet; Steve Winfield, conductor;
Brent Mayhew, piano. Burton Avenue United
Church, 37 Burton Ave., Barrie. 705-722-0271
or lyricachoir.ca. $20; $16(sr/st). Also 2:30
pm.
●●7:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra. A
Symphonic Bon-Bon: The Nutcracker in Concert.
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (complete
music from the ballet). Chorus Niagara
Children’s Chorus; Amanda Nelli, chorus director;
Bradley Thachuk, conductor. FirstOntario
Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul
St., St. Catharines. 905-688-0722 or 1-855-
515-0722. $69; $64(sr); $33(30 and under);
$20(arts worker); $12(st/child); $5(eyeGO).
Also Dec 8(2:30).
●●7:30: Peterborough Symphony Orchestra.
Christmas Fantasia: A Holiday Concert
for the Entire Family. Vaughan Williams: Fantasia
on Christmas Carols; Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker
Suite; and other works. Toronto
Children’s Chorus; Bradley Christensen, baritone;
Michael Newnham, conductor. Showplace
Performance Centre, 290 George St. N.,
Peterborough. 705-742-7469 or showplace.
org. $35; $10(st).
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music
Society. A Renaissance Christmas. Capella
Intima Vocal Quartet: Sheila Dietrich, soprano;
Jennifer Enns Modolo, mezzo; Bud
Roach, tenor; David Roth, baritone. KWCMS
Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterloo. 519-
569-1809. $35; $20(st).
●●8:00: Wayne Gilpin Singers. Never Been
a Night Like This! Handel’s Messiah reimagined
with jazz quartet; Christmas carols and
songs. Andrew Gilpin, piano; Bob Brough,
saxophone; Russ Boswell, bass; Ernie Porthouse,
drums. St. John the Evangelist Anglican
Church, 23 Water St. N., Kitchener.
1-800-867-3281. $20; $15(sr/st).
Sunday December 8
●●2:30: Canadian Celtic Choir. Christmas
Concert. Special guests: Celtic Shift. Lambeth
United Church, 4268 Colonel Talbot Rd.,
London. celtichoir.ca. $25/$20(adv). Also
Nov 30(Royal View Church).
●●2:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra. A
Symphonic Bon-Bon: The Nutcracker in Concert.
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (complete
music from the ballet). Chorus Niagara Children’s
Chorus; Amanda Nelli, chorus director;
Bradley Thachuk, conductor. FirstOntario
Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St.,
St. Catharines. 905-688-0722 or 1-855-
515-0722. $69; $64(sr); $33(30 and under);
$20(arts worker); $12(st/child); $5(eyeGO).
Also Dec 7(7:30).
●●3:00: Bach Elgar Choir. Messiah Sing-along.
Join the members of the Bach Elgar
Choir for this biannual tradition. Melrose
United Church, 86 Homewood Ave., Hamilton.
905-527-5995. $20.
●●3:00: Rosewood Consort. Six Christmas
Stories. Nameth: Magnificat; Rivers: Ecce
Dominus Veniet; and others. John Terpstra,
narrator; David Federman, director. Grace
Lutheran Church (Hamilton), 1107 Main St. W.,
Hamilton. 905-648-5607 or rosewoodconsort.ca.
By donation at the door. Tax receipts
upon request for donations of $20 or more.
●●3:00: Victoria Hall. Sultans of String
Christmas Caravan. Caribbean Sleigh Ride;
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring; Little Drummer
Boy; Greensleeves; Django Christmas. Guest:
Rebecca Campbell. Victoria Hall, Cobourg,
55 King Street W., Cobourg. 855-372-2210 or
tinyurl.com/y6ykdg67. $39 + fee. In support
of the United Nations Agency for Refugees.
●●7:30: Elora Singers. Singers Messiah. Elora
Singers Festival Orchestra; Mark Vuorinen,
conductor. St. Joseph’s Church (Fergus),
760 St. David St. N., Fergus. 519-846-0331.
$45.
Monday December 9
●●3:00: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
Seniors’ Symphony Experience: Brass Holiday
Concert. St. Joseph’s Villa, 56 Governors Rd.,
Dundas. 905-526-7756 or hpo.org. Free.
●●7:30: Edison Singers. In the Bleak Midwinter.
Esenvald: In the Bleak Midwinter;
Darke: In the Bleak Midwinter; Gjeilo: In the
Bleak Midwinter; Britten: Ceremony of Carols.
Noel Edison, conductor. Court House Theatre,
26 Queen St., Niagara-on-the-Lake.
226-384-3100. $35. Also Dec 11(Toronto),
15(4pm, Elora).
Tuesday December 10
● ● 12:00 noon: City of St. Catharines. 29th
Annual Civic Christmas Carol Concert. Area
secondary school choirs and brass; Ross
Stretton, conductor. St. Thomas Anglican
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 65

Church (St. Catharines), 99 Ontario St., St.
Catharines. 905-688-5600. Freewill offering.
Collection for Community Care.
●●7:30: Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing
Arts. A Folk Christmas. David Archibald,
with Dunstan Holt, Jesse MacMillan,
Doug Raensbury and Anna Sudao. 390 King
St. W., Kingston. 613-533-2424 or queensu.
ca/theisabel/tickets. $42-$59; $39-$56(faculty/staff);
$19-$29(st).
Wednesday December 11
●●2:00: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
Seniors’ Symphony Experience: Tchaikovsky -
His Life and Music. Caroline Place, 118 Market
St., Hamilton. 905-526-7756 or hpo.org. Free.
●●2:30: Seniors Serenade. A Chroi Celtic
Band Christmas. Christopher Dawes, piano;
Jenna Gallagher, fiddle; Doug MacNaughton,
guitar; Gord Simmons, bodhran. Bethel Community
Church, 128 St. Vincent Street, Barrie.
705-726-1181. Free.
Thursday December 12
●●12:15: St. George’s Cathedral (Kingston).
Advent Concert. Poetry recital by Phil Rogers.
270 King St. E., Kingston. 613-548-4617 or
stgeorgescathedral.ca. Freewill offering.
●●2:00: Canadian Celtic Choir. Celtic Christmas
Spirit: Women’s Canadian Club of London.
Centennial Hall, 550 Wellington St.,
London. celtichoir.ca. $20.
●●7:30: Empire Theatre. Sultans of String
Christmas Caravan. Caribbean Sleigh Ride;
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring; Little Drummer
Boy; Greensleeves; Django Christmas.
Guests: Rebecca Campbell and Shannon
Thunderbird. 321 Front St., Belleville. 613-
939-0099 or theempiretheatre.com/empirelive-events.
$34.50; $74.50(dinner/show).
In support of the United Nations Agency for
Refugees.
Friday December 13
●●7:00: Hamilton Civic Museums. The Big
Sing! Embrace the holiday spirit and enjoy live
music with hot cider and treats. Strata Vocal
Ensemble. Ancaster Old Town Hall, 310 Wilson
St. E., Ancaster. 905-648-8144 or stratavocalensemble.ca.
$10; $20(family). Pre-registration
is required.
●●7:00: Sanderson Centre for the Performing
Arts. Sultans of String Christmas
Caravan. Caribbean Sleigh Ride; Jesu, Joy of
Man’s Desiring; Little Drummer Boy; Greensleeves;
Django Christmas. Guests: Rebecca
Campbell, Donné Roberts, Shannon Thunderbird,
and Ken Whiteley. 88 Dalhousie St.,
Brantford. 519-758-8090. $40. In support of
the United Nations Agency for Refugees.
B. Concerts Beyond the GTA
Syd Birrell & the 100 Voices of the
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Yuletide Spectacular. Waterloo Region Mass
Choir; Grand Philharmonic Choir; Grand Philharmonic
Children’s Choir; Contemporary
School of Dance; Tania Miller, conductor. Centre
in the Square, 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener.
519-745-4711 or 1-888-745-4717 or or kwsymphony.ca.
$36-$95. Also Dec 14(2:30 & 8 pm),
15(2:30 pm).
Saturday December 14
●●2:30: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Yuletide Spectacular. Waterloo Region Mass
Choir; Grand Philharmonic Choir; Grand Philharmonic
Children’s Choir; Contemporary
School of Dance; Tania Miller, conductor. Centre
in the Square, 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener.
519-745-4711 or 1-888-745-4717 or kwsymphony.ca.
$36-$95. Also Dec 13(8 pm) 14(2:30
& 8 pm), 15.
●●7:30: Chorus Niagara. Welcome Christmas!
Benedict Campbell, actor; Krista Rhodes,
piano; Christopher Dawes, organ. Partridge
Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre,
250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-
688-0722. $47; $45(sr 60+); $30(under 30);
$20(st valid id); $15(ch under 15 valid id);
$5(eyeGO high school st valid id).
●●7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club. Steel City
Rovers: “Winter Tidings”. Chaucer’s Pub,
122 Carling St., London. 519-319-5847.
$25/$20(adv).
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Yuletide Spectacular. Waterloo Region Mass
Choir; Grand Philharmonic Choir; Grand Philharmonic
Children’s Choir; Contemporary
School of Dance; Tania Miller, conductor. Centre
in the Square, 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener.
519-745-4711 or 1-888-745-4717 or kwsymphony.ca.
$36-$95. Also Dec 13, 14(2:30 & 8
pm), 15(2:30 pm).
●●8:00: TD Sunfest World Music & Jazz Series.
Matt Dusk: “Old School Yule”. Aeolian Hall,
795 Dundas St. E., London. sunfest.on.ca.
$45/$40(adv).
Sunday December 15
●●3:30: Huronia Symphony Orchestra. Celebrate!
Shostakovich: Festive Overture; Saint-
Saëns: Oratorio de Noël; Guaraldi: A Charlie
Brown Christmas; Waldteufel: Skater’s Waltz;
Traditional Christmas favourites and carolsing.
Oliver Balaburski, conductor. Collier
Street United Church, 112 Collier St., Barrie.
705-721-4752. $25; $10(st); $5(child).
●●4:00: Edison Singers. In the Bleak Midwinter.
Esenvald: In the Bleak Midwinter;
Darke: In the Bleak Midwinter; Gjeilo: In the
Bleak Midwinter; Britten: Ceremony of Carols.
Noel Edison, conductor. Knox Presbyterian
Handel’s
Messiah
Monday, Dec. 16 • 7:30 PM
Emmanuel United Church
FEATURING
Twelve Young Musicians
from the U of T, Historical
Performance Programme
UNDER THE DIRECTION OF
Countertenor Daniel Taylor
peterboroughsingers.com
Church (Elora), 51 Church St., Elora. 226-384-
3100. $35. Also Dec 9(7:30, Niagara-on-the-
Lake), 11(7:30, Toronto).
●●4:00: St. George’s Cathedral (Kingston).
Christmas Lessons and Carols. Selection
of Christmas anthems. Cathedral Christmas
Choir, Youth Choir, and Children’s Choir.
270 King St. E., Kingston. 613-548-4617 or
stgeorgescathedral.ca. Freewill offering.
Congregation is invited to join in the singing
of favourite Christmas carols.
●●4:30: Music at St. Thomas’. Carols by
Candlelight. Ireland: Adam Lay Ybounden;
Des Prez: Ave Maria; Tchaikovsky: The Crown
of Roses; Victoria: O magnum mysterium;
Traditional carols. Francine Nguyen-Savaria,
Matthieu Latreille, organ/conductors. St.
Thomas’s Anglican Church (Belleville),
201 Church St., Belleville. 613-962-3636. By
donation.
Monday December 16
●●7:30: Kingston Symphony. Candlelight
Christmas. The Nutcracker; Sleigh Ride; and
other seasonal music. Kingston Choral Society;
Ian Juby, artistic director; Evan Mitchell,
conductor. Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing
Arts, 390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-
546-9729. $10-$35. Also Dec 17 & 18.
●●7:30: Peterborough Singers. Handel’s Messiah.
Selected arias. Young artists from the
UofT Historical Performance program; Ian
Sadler, organ; Paul Otway, trumpet; Sydney
Birrell, choral conductor; Daniel Taylor, director.
Emmanuel United Church (Peterborough),
534 George St. N., Peterborough.
705-745-1820 or paxchristichorale.org. $40;
$10(st).
Tuesday December 17
●●5:00: Elora Singers. Festival of Carols.
Mark Vuorinen, conductor. St. John’s Anglican
Church (Elora), 36 Henderson St., Elora.
519-846-0331. $45; $20(st); $10(child). Also
7:30pm, Dec 18(5pm & 7:30pm).
●●7:30: Elora Singers. Festival of Carols.
See 5pm.
●●7:30: Kingston Symphony. Candlelight
Christmas. The Nutcracker; Sleigh Ride; and
other seasonal music. Kingston Choral Society;
Ian Juby, artistic director; Evan Mitchell,
conductor. Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing
Arts, 390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-
546-9729. $10-$35. Also Dec 16 & 18.
Wednesday December 18
●●12:00 noon: Music at St. Andrews. Music
for Christmas. Simon Irving, organ; Janice
Benninger, piano. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian
Church (Barrie), 47 Owen St., Barrie. 705-
726-1181. $10; free(st).
●●5:00: Elora Singers. Festival of Carols.
Mark Vuorinen, conductor. St. John’s Anglican
Church (Elora), 36 Henderson St., Elora.
519-846-0331. $45; $20(st); $10(child). Also
7:30pm; Dec 17(5pm & 7:30pm).
●●7:30: Elora Singers. Festival of Carols.
See 5pm.
●●7:30: Kingston Symphony. Candlelight
Christmas. The Nutcracker; Sleigh Ride; and
other seasonal music. Kingston Choral Society;
Ian Juby, artistic director; Evan Mitchell,
conductor. Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing
Arts, 390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-
546-9729. $10-$35. Also Dec 16 & 17.
Thursday December 19
●●12:15: St. George’s Cathedral (Kingston).
Advent Concert. Valery Lloyd-Watts and
Clare Miller, piano duo. 270 King St. E., Kingston.
613-548-4617 or stgeorgescathedral.ca.
Freewill offering.
●●4:00: Gallery Players of Niagara. The
Heart of Christmas Past. Douglas Miller,
flute; Deborah Braun, harp; David Braun, violin;
Guy Bannerman, narrator. Silver Spire
United Church, 366 St. Paul St., St. Catharines.
905-468-1525 or galleryplayers.ca. $42;
$39(sr); $15(st/arts worker); $88(family).
Also Dec 20(7:30 pm, Grace United Church,
Niagara-on-the-Lake).
●●7:30: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.
Maceo Parker. Works by Brown, Charles,
Clinton. 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-
688-0722 or 1-855-515-0722 or FirstOntarioPAC.ca.
$59; $49(Hot Ticket members);
$25(st-univ/college); $5(st-high school).
Friday December 20
●●7:30: Cantabile Choirs. Wings of Angels.
The Spire/Sydenham Street United Church,
82 Sydenham St., Kingston. 613-549-0099
or cantabilechoirs.ca. $27; $25(sr); $15(child
12 and under). Also Dec 21(2 pm & 7:30
pm). Dec 21, 2 pm performance especially
designed for young families.
●●7:30: Gallery Players of Niagara. The Heart
of Christmas Past. Douglas Miller, flute; Deborah
Braun, harp; David Braun, violin; Guy
Bannerman, narrator. Grace United Church
(Niagara-on-the-Lake), 222 Victoria St., Niagara-on-the-Lake.
905-468-1525 or galleryplayers.ca.
$42; $39(sr); $15(st/arts worker);
$88(family). Also Dec 19(4 pm, Silver Spire
United Church, St. Catharines).
Saturday December 21
●●2:00: Cantabile Choirs. Wings of Angels.
The Spire/Sydenham Street United Church,
82 Sydenham St., Kingston. 613-549-0099
or cantabilechoirs.ca. $27; $25(sr); $15(child
12 and under). Also Dec 20(7:30 pm).
Dec 21(7:30 pm). Dec 21, 2 pm performance
especially designed for young families.
●●2:00: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre/TD
Niagara Jazz Festival. The Music of
a Charlie Brown Christmas. Music of Guaraldi.
Peter Shea Trio; Terry Clarke. FirstOntario
Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St.,
St. Catharines. 905-688-0722 or 1-855-515-
0722 or FirstOntarioPAC.ca. $35; $186(table
of six). Also 8 pm.
●●7:30: Cantabile Choirs. Wings of Angels.
The Spire/Sydenham Street United Church,
82 Sydenham St., Kingston. 613-549-0099
or cantabilechoirs.ca. $27; $25(sr); $15(child
12 and under). Also Dec 20, 21(2 pm). Dec 21,
2 pm performance especially designed for
young families.
●●7:30: Guelph Chamber Choir. Messiah.
Handel. Bethany Horst, soprano; Jennifer
Enns-Modolo, alto; Lawrence Wiliford,
tenor; Bradley Christensen, bass; Musica
Viva Orchestra on period instruments;
Charlene Pauls, conductor. River Run Centre,
35 Woolwich St., Guelph. 519-763-
3000. $160(4 adults); $45; $10(st/under 31);
$5(under 15).
●●7:30: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Snowman. Hamilton Philharmonic Youth
66 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

Orchestra; Hamilton Children’s Choir; Gemma
New, conductor. FirstOntario Concert Hall,
1 Summers Ln., Hamilton. 905-526-7756 or
hpo.org. $10-$71.
●●8:00: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre/TD
Niagara Jazz Festival. The Music of
a Charlie Brown Christmas. Music of Guaraldi.
Peter Shea Trio; Terry Clarke. FirstOntario
Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St.,
St. Catharines. 905-688-0722 or 1-855-515-
0722 or FirstOntarioPAC.ca. $35; $186(table
of six). Also 2 pm.
Sunday December 22
●●2:00: First-St. Andrew’s United Church.
Music at FSA: Sing-along Messiah. Terry
Head, conductor. First-St. Andrew’s United
Church (London), 350 Queens Ave., London.
519-679-8182. Freewill donation. Church fully
accessible.
Friday December 27
●●2:00: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.
Sing-a-long Sound of Music. 250 St. Paul
St., St. Catharines. 905-688-0722 or 1-855-
515-0722 or FirstOntarioPAC.ca. $20. Onscreen
lyrics, costume contest.
Sunday December 29
●●2:30: Attila Glatz Concert Productions.
Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert. Strauss
Symphony of Canada; Micaëla Oeste, soprano;
Tilmann Unger, tenor; Michael Zehetner,
conductor. FirstOntario Concert Hall,
1 Summers Ln., Hamilton. 1-855-872-5000.
$51.10-$112.49.
ticketmaster.ca
905.546.4040 and press 0
Dec. 29 • 2:30 pm
FirstOntario Concert Hall
Wednesday January 1
●●3:00: Stratford Symphony Orchestra.
New Year in Vienna. Music of Strauss; Viennese
waltzes; Brahms: Hungarian Dances.
Catherine and Mark Gardner, singers. Avondale
United Church, 194 Avondale Ave., Stratford.
519-271-0990. $40; $10(st); free(under
12).
Saturday January 4
●●3:00: 5 at the First Chamber Players.
String Extravaganza IX. Kodály: Duo for violin
5 at the First
CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES
— PRESENTS —
String
Extravaganza IX
SATURDAY JAN 4, 3PM
Hamilton
5ATTHEFIRST.COM
and cello; Bridge: Duo for two violas; Flores:
Release; Mendelssohn: Octet. Yehonatan
Berick, Csaba Koczo, violins; Caitlin Boyle,
Theresa Rudolph, violas; Rachel Desoer,
Rachel Mercer, cellos. First Unitarian Church
(Hamilton), 170 Dundurn St. S., Hamilton.
905-399-5125. $20; $15(sr); $5(st).
Wednesday January 8
●●12:00 noon: Midday Music with Shigeru.
Chamber Music Concert. Works by Bach,
Beethoven, Vitali. Michael Adamson, violin;
Philip Adamson, piano. Hi-Way Pentecostal
Church, 50 Anne St. N., Barrie. 705-726-1181.
$10; free(st).
Friday January 10
●●12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Fridays
at 12:30 Concert Series. Caitlin Boyle,
Theresa Rudolph, violas; Brett Kingsbury,
piano. Paul Davenport Theatre, Talbot College,
Western University, 1151 Richmond St.
N., London. 519-661-3767. Free.
Saturday January 11
●●12:00 noon: Don Wright Faculty of Music.
Maritsa Brookes Concerto Competition. Von
Kuster Hall, Music Building, Western University,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-
3767. Free.
Sunday January 12
●●2:30: Kingston Symphony. Beethoven &
Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky: Pezzo Capriccioso;
Trew: Symphony No.1; Beethoven: Symphony
No.5. Wolf Tormann, cello; Evan Mitchell, conductor.
Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing
Arts, 390 King St. W., Kingston.
613-546-9729 or 613-530-2050. $10-$50.
Wednesday January 15
●●2:30: Seniors Serenade. Jazz Pianist Mike
Lewis performs his “G” list. Bethel Community
Church, 128 St. Vincent Street, Barrie. 705-
726-1181. Free.
Thursday January 16
●●7:00: Magisterra Soloists. Holocaust:
Music in Exile. Hindemith: Piano Trio for
December
Concert
Series
Book
Today!
Festival of Carols
December 17th & 18th at 5:00PM & 7:30PM
St John’s Anglican Church 36 Henderson Street, Elora
Is there a grinch in your life that could use a dose of Christmas spirit? Then bring
them to experience the Christmas season with The Elora Singers! Join us for an
evening of laughter and joy as we present a medley of your favourite Christmas
carols and stories sure to melt even the iciest of hearts!
Singers Messiah
December 8th at 7:30PM
St Joseph’s Church 760 St David Street North, Fergus
On December 8th, join the Elora Singers to hear Handel's Messiah performed as
you perhaps have never heard it before. Listen and watch breathtaking solo
performances by singers who step out of the choir itself. Close your eyes
and be swept away as you share in this seasonal favourite!
GET YOUR TICKETS AT ELORASINGERS.CA OR CALL 519-846-0331
HURRY BEFORE THEY’RE GONE!
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 67

MIKADOdispposter64x47_BACKGROUND.pdf 1 2019-11-19 10:16 AM
piano, tenor sax & viola; Röntgen: Piano Quintet;
Zeisl: String Quartet No.2; Kuti: Serenade
for String Trio. Guests: Bobbi Thompson,
saxophone; Brian Cho, piano. Museum London
Theatre, 421 Ridout St. N., London. 519-
661-0333. $30; $25(sr); $15(st); $10(child
under 10).
Friday January 17
●●12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Fridays
at 12:30 Concert Series. Marie Johnson,
clarinet; Eliza Lam, harp; Alexandre von Wartburg,
bassoon; Tina Tanchus-Hibbard, piano.
Von Kuster Hall, Music Building, Western University,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-
661-3767. Free.
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Mozart: Drama and Beauty. Mozart: Overture
from Idomeneo, Piano Concerto No.24 in
c, Symphony No.39 in E flat. Pascale Giguère,
violin/leader; Serhiy Salov, piano. Centre in
the Square, 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 519-
745-4711 or 1-888-745-4717 or kwsymphony.
ca. $35-$92. Also Jan 18(2:30 pm & 8 pm).
Saturday January 18
●●2:30: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Mozart: Drama and Beauty. Mozart: Overture
from Idomeneo, Piano Concerto No.24 in
c, Symphony No.39 in E flat. Pascale Giguère,
violin/leader; Serhiy Salov, piano. Centre in
the Square, 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 519-
745-4711 or 1-888-745-4717 or kwsymphony.
ca. $35-$92. Also Jan 17(8 pm), 18(8 pm).
●●7:30: Barrie Concerts. A Beethoven Celebration.
Beethoven: Symphony No.6 “Pastoral”,
Triple Concerto. Xiaohan Guo, violin;
Zhengyu Chen, cello; Daniel Hass, piano; Sinfonia
Toronto; Nurhan Arman, conductor.
Hiway Pentecostal Church, 50 Anne St. N.,
Barrie. 705-726-1181. $85.
●●7:30: Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
Triumphant Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky: Polonaise
from Eugene Onegin; Piano Concerto
No.1; Symphony No.5. Jon Kimura Parker,
piano; Dina Gilbert, conductor. FirstOntario
Concert Hall, 1 Summers Ln., Hamilton. 905-
526-7756 or hpo.org. TBA.
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Mozart: Drama and Beauty. Mozart: Overture
B. Concerts Beyond the GTA
Gilbert & Sullivan’s
January 31 – February 9
from Idomeneo, Piano Concerto No.24 in c,
Symphony No.39 in E flat. Pascale Giguère,
violin/leader; Serhiy Salov, piano. Centre in
the Square, 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 519-
745-4711 or 1-888-745-4717 or kwsymphony.
ca. $35-$92. Also Jan 17, 18(2:30 pm).
●●8:00: Serenata Music. Oliver Whitehead
and Friends. Oliver Whitehead, guitar; Sonja
Gustafson, soprano; Chad Lowerse, bassbaritone;
Christine Newland, cello; Stephen
Holowitz, piano. Wolf Performance
Hall, 251 Dundas St., London. 519-672-8800
or onstagedirect.com/serenatamusic or
grandtheatre.com/cbo/serenatamusic. $40;
$20(st).
Sunday January 19
●●2:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra. Triumph
of Destiny. Beethoven: Egmont Overture;
Triple Concerto; Symphony No.5.
Gryphon Trio, piano trio; Bradley Thachuk,
conductor. FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre,
250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-688-
0722 or 1-855-515-0722. $69; $64(sr); $33(30
and under); $20(arts worker); $12(st/child);
$5(eyeGO).
●●4:30: Music at St. Thomas’. An Oboe and
Organ Concert. Krebs: Fantasia; Marcello:
Oboe Concerto; Britten: Six Metamorphoses
after Ovid; Debussy: Syrinx pour flute seule;
Telemann: Fantasia No.5. Mélissa Tremblay,
oboe; Francine Nguyen-Savaria, Matthieu
Latreille, organ. St. Thomas’s Anglican
Church (Belleville), 201 Church St., Belleville.
613-962-3636. By donation.
●●7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club. Andrew Collins
Trio. Chaucer’s Pub, 122 Carling St., London.
519-319-5847. $25/$20(adv).
Tuesday January 21
●●12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music.
Ensemble Made in Canada. Von Kuster
Hall, Music Building, Western University,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767.
Free.
Wednesday January 22
Opera Spring Gala
Favourite Scenes
March 13 & 14
●●12:00 noon: Music at St. Andrews. The
Orient (Organ) Express. Music from London
to Bucharest. Christopher Dawes, organ.
Western University
London
music.uwo.ca/events
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (Barrie),
47 Owen St., Barrie. 705-726-1181. $10;
free(st).
Thursday January 23
●●8:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music.
2019 Pattison Competition Winner’s Recital.
Kevin Lu, piano. Von Kuster Hall, Music Building,
Western University, 1151 Richmond St. N.,
London. 519-661-3767. Free.
Friday January 24
●●12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Fridays
at 12:30 Concert Series. Sofya Bugayan,
piano. Von Kuster Hall, Music Building, Western
University, 1151 Richmond St. N., London.
519-661-3767. Free.
●●7:30: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.
Mosaïque Project. Newly commissioned
piano quartets by 14 Canadian composers.
250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-688-
0722 or 1-855-515-0722 or FirstOntario-
PAC.ca. $29; $23(sr); $5(st-high school);
$13(child).
●●8:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music.
2020 Pattison Competition – Final Round. Von
Kuster Hall, Music Building, Western University,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-
3767. Free.
Saturday January 25
●●10:30am: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Sun and Moon, Way High Up. Kait
Taylor, storyteller. Woolwich Memorial Centre,
24 Snyder St. S., Elmira. 519-745-4711
or 1-888-745-4717 or kwsymphony.ca. $13;
$11(child). Also Feb 8(Waterloo Region
Museum, Kitchener), 22(Conrad Centre,
Kitchener).
●●7:30: Kingston Symphony. Last Night of
the Proms. Kingston Choral Society; Ian Juby,
artistic director; Evan Mitchell, conductor.
Grand Theatre (Kingston), 218 Princess St.,
Kingston. 613-546-9729. $10-$50.
●●7:30: Stratford Symphony Orchestra. Natalie
MacMaster in Concert with the SSO.
Avon Theatre, 99 Downie St., Stratford.
1-800-567-1600. $60-$70.
Sunday January 26
●●2:30: Pianofest. Younggun Kim & Benjamin
Smith. Beethoven: Moonlight Sonata; Ravel:
La Valse; Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No.2;
Chopin: Fantasie Impromptu. Bethel Community
Church, 128 St. Vincent Street, Barrie.
705-726-1181. $20; $5(st).
●●3:00: Les AMIS. VC2: Amahl Arulanandam
& Bryan Holt. Works by Barrière, Boccherini,
Romberg, Kraft, Popper and others.
Cobourg Loft, 201 Division St., Cobourg. 905-
372-2210. $30.
Monday January 27
●●7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Early
Music Studio. Von Kuster Hall, Music Building,
Western University, 1151 Richmond St. N., London.
519-661-3767. Free.
Wednesday January 29
●●7:30: Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing
Arts. Safe Haven. Works by Corelli,
Lully, Bach, Telemann and Vivaldi. Tafelmusik
Baroque Orchestra; Elisa Citterio, music director;
Maryem Tollar, narrator/vocalist; Diely
Mori Tounkara, kora; Naghmeh Farahmand,
percussion; conceived by Alison Mackay.
390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-533-2424
or queensu.ca/theisabel/tickets. $42-$59;
$39-$56(faculty/staff); $19-$29(st).
●●8:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Quasar
Saxophone Quartet. Von Kuster Hall, Music
Building, Western University, 1151 Richmond
St. N., London. 519-661-3767. Free.
Thursday January 30
●●7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Western
University Jazz Ensemble. Wolf Performance
Hall, 251 Dundas St., London.
519-661-3767. Free.
Friday January 31
●●12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Fridays
at 12:30 Concert Series. James Westman,
baritone; Margie Bernal, soprano;
Simone Luti, piano. Von Kuster Hall, Music
Building, Western University, 1151 Richmond
St. N., London. 519-661-3767. Free.
●●7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Opera
at Western: The Mikado. Paul Davenport Theatre,
Talbot College, Western University,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767.
$30/$20(adv). Also Feb 1(2 pm), 7, 8(2 pm),
9(2 pm).
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Growing Up Ella. Capathia Jenkins, vocalist;
Edwin Outwater, conductor. Centre in the
Square, 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 519-745-
4711 or 1-888-745-4717 or kwsymphony.ca.
$20-$90. Also Feb 1.
●●8:00: TD Sunfest World Music & Jazz Series.
Aurora. Aeolian Hall, 795 Dundas St. E.,
London. sunfest.on.ca. $33/$28(adv).
Saturday February 1
●●2:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Opera
at Western: The Mikado. Paul Davenport Theatre,
Talbot College, Western University,
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767.
$30/$20(adv). Also Jan 31(7:30 pm), 7(7:30
pm), 8, 9.
●●2:30: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
Youth Orchestra. Land and Wind. Jane Maness,
tuba. Centre in the Square, 101 Queen St.
N., Kitchener. 519-745-4711 or 1-888-745-4717
or kwsymphony.ca. $18; $11(child). Free preconcert
activities from 1:15 pm.
●●8:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Growing Up Ella. Capathia Jenkins, vocalist;
Edwin Outwater, conductor. Centre in the
Square, 101 Queen St. N., Kitchener. 519-745-
4711 or 1-888-745-4717 or kwsymphony.ca.
$20-$90. Also Jan 31.
Sunday February 2
●●2:30: Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing
Arts. The Magic of Music. Works by
Mozart, Kreisler, Bartók, Janáček, Prokofiev
and Sarasate. Blake Pouliot, violin; Hsein-i
Huang, piano. 390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-
533-2424 or queensu.ca/theisabel/tickets.
$42-$59; $39-$56(faculty/staff); $19-$29(st).
●●2:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra. Simply
Irresistible. Kevin Lau: Dark Angels; Barber:
Violin Concerto; Sibelius: Symphony
No.5. Jinjoo Cho, violin; Bradley Thachuk, conductor.
FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre,
250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. 905-688-
0722 or 1-855-515-0722. $69; $64(sr); $33(30
and under); $20(arts worker); $12(st/child);
$5(eyeGO).
Tuesday February 4
●●7:30: Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing
Arts. All We Are Saying. Crumb:
68 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

Black Angels; and works by Frederic Rzewski,
John Prine, Bob Dylan and Shostakovich.
●●Clarkson Music Theatre. The Addams
Friday February 7
Thurs-Sat(8pm), Sun(2pm).
●●
Art of Time Ensemble; Ralston String Quartet.
390 King St. W., Kingston. 613-533-2424 days at 12:30 Concert Series. Leslie Kinton, book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice.
12:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Fri-
Family. Music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa,
or queensu.ca/theisabel/tickets. $42-$59; piano. Von Kuster Hall, Music Building, Western
University, 1151 Richmond St. N., London. Mississauga. 905-615-4720. $35; $32(sr);
Meadowvale Theatre, 6315 Montevideo Rd.,
$39-$56(faculty/staff); $19-$29(st).
519-661-3767. Free.
$31(st). Opens Nov 22, 8pm. Runs to Dec 1.
Wednesday February 5
●●7:30: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Opera Thurs-Sat(8pm), Sun(2pm). Note: extra show
●●12:00 noon: Midday Music with Shigeru. at Western: The Mikado. Paul Davenport Theatre,
Talbot College, Western University,
●●Crow’s Theatre. STARS: Together. Created
Nov 30, 2pm.
Soprano Ellen McAteer & Pianist Geoffrey
Conquer. Works by Mozart, Debussy, and 1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767. by STARS, Chris Abraham and Zack Russell.
Britten. Hi-Way Pentecostal Church, 50 Anne $30/$20(adv). Also Jan 31, Feb 1(2 pm), 7, 8(2 Guloien Theatre, 345 Carlaw Ave. 647-341-
St. N., Barrie. 705-726-1181. $10; free(st). pm), 9(2 pm).
7390. $20-$73.45. Opens Nov 26. Runs until
●●
●●
6:00: Don Wright Faculty of Music. Western
Performs! Concert Series. Weldon
tre. Kaumakaiwa Kanaka’ole. 250 St. Paul St., ●●Danie Friesen. Opera Revue. Danie Friesen,
7:30: FirstOntario Performing Arts Cen-
Dec 15. Days and times vary.
Library Atrium, 1151 Richmond St. N., London. St. Catharines. 905-688-0722 or 1-855-515- soprano; Claire Harris, piano; and others. The
519-661-3767. Free.
0722 or FirstOntarioPAC.ca. $30; $23(st-univ/ Emmett Ray, 924 College St. 647-637-7491.
college); $5(st-high school).
PWYC. Dec 4, 9:30pm.
●●DB Works/Ward Productions. The Ward
C. Music Theatre
Cabaret. Harbourfront Centre Theatre,
231 Queen’s Quay W. 416-973-4000. $30-$60;
These music theatre listings contain a wide range of music theatre types including $27.50-51(st). Opens Dec 12, 8pm. Runs to
opera, operetta, musicals and other performance genres where music and
Dec 22. Tues-Sun(8pm). Note: Dec 22 show
drama combine. Listings in this section are sorted alphabetically by presenter.
at 2pm.
●●Don Wright Faculty of Music. Opera at
●●Against the Grain Theatre. Figaro’s Wedding.
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, tre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. van, libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Paul Davenport
Joel Ivany, stage director. Four Seasons Cen-
Western: The Mikado. Music by Arthur Sulli-
libretto by Joel Ivany. Enoch Turner Schoolhouse,
106 Trinity St. 647-367-8943. $35-$90. times vary.
1151 Richmond St. N., London. 519-661-3767.
416-363-8231. $35-$225. Runs Feb 6-21. Start Theatre, Talbot College, Western University,
Opens Dec 3, 8pm. Runs to Dec 20. Days and ●●Capitol Theatre. Cinderella, The Panto. Written
and directed by Caroline Smith. Cameco 9(2 pm). Opens Jan 31, 7:30pm. Runs to Feb 9.
$30/$20(adv). Also Feb 1(2 pm), 7, 8(2 pm),
times vary. Visit againstthegraintheatre.com
for details.
Capitol Arts Centre, 20 Queen St., Port Hope. Fri(7:30pm), Sat(2pm). Note: also Feb 9(2pm).
●●Angelwalk Theatre. A Whole New World: 1-800-434-5092. $21-$35. Opens Nov 15, 8pm. ●●Drayton Entertainment. Good Ol’ Country
Gospel. Conceived by David Rogers. St.
The Magical Music of Alan Menken. Jane Mallett
Theatre, 27 Front St. E. 416-901-2299. $65. itoltheatre.com for details.
Jacob’s Schoolhouse Theatre, 11 Albert St.
Runs to Dec 22. Days and times vary. Visit cap-
Dec 8, 2pm.
●●Casey House Foundation. Voices for World W., St. Jacob’s. 1-855-372-9866. $29-$48.
●●Attila Glatz Concert Productions. Salute to AIDS Day. Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St. W. Opens Sep 11, 2pm. Runs to Dec 22. Days and
Vienna New Year’s Concert. FirstOntario Concert
Hall, 1 Summers Ln., Hamilton. 1-855-872- Fundraiser for Casey House. Dec 2, 7:30pm. for details.
416-962-4040. Free. Suggested donation $20. times vary; visit draytonentertainment.com
5000. $51.10-$112.49. Dec 29, 2:30pm.
●●Drayton Entertainment. Elf. Music by Matthew
Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, book by
●●Attila Glatz Concert Productions/Roy
Thomson Hall. Bravissimo! Opera’s Greatest
Hits. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-
the film. Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge,
Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin, based on
872-4255. $55- $145. Dec 31, 7pm.
46 Grand Ave. S., Cambridge. 1-855-372-
●●Attila Glatz Concert Productions/Roy
9866. $29-$48. Opens Nov 20, 10:30am. Runs
Thomson Hall. Salute to Vienna New Year’s
to Dec 22. Days and times vary. Visit draytonentertainment.com
for details.
Concert. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-
323-1403. $65-$155. Jan 1, 2:30pm.
●●Drayton Entertainment. Sleeping Beauty:
●●Brampton Music Theatre. Frozen Jr. Music
The Panto. Written by Caroline Smith. St.
and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert
Lopez. Lester B. Pearson Theatre, 1 Theatre
E., Waterloo. 1-855-372-9866. $29-$48. Opens
Jacob’s Country Playhouse, 40 Benjamin Rd.
Ln., Brampton. 905-874-2800. $15-$20. Opens
Nov 27, 10:30am. Runs to Dec 22. Days and
Dec 6, 7pm. Also Dec 7(4pm, 7pm).
times vary. Visit draytonentertainment.com
●●Canadian Opera Company. Opera Express:
for details.
Winter Whimsy. Artists of the COC Ensemble
●●Dreamtheatre Productions. The Sound of
Studio. West Wing of Union Station, 65 Front
Music. Music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by
St. W. (at York St.). coc.ca/operaconnect. Free.
Oscar Hammerstein II, book by Howard Lindsay
and Russel Crouse. Richmond Hill Cen-
Dec 13, 12pm.
●●Canadian Opera Company. The Barber of
tre for the Performing Arts, 10268 Yonge St.,
Seville. Music by Gioachino Rossini, libretto by
Richmond Hill. 905-787-8811. $40.50. Opens
Cesare Sterbini. Emily D’Angelo, mezzo (Rosina);
Vito Priante, baritone (Figaro); Santiago
Sat(2pm).
Jan 2, 8pm. Runs to Jan 4. Thurs-Sat(8pm),
Ballerini, tenor (Almaviva); Renato Girolami,
●●First-St. Andrew’s United Church. Amahl
bass (Bartolo); Brandon Cedel, bass (Basilio);
and the Night Visitors. Music and libretto by
Speranza Scappucci, conductor; Joan Font,
Gian Carlo Menotti. First-St. Andrew’s United
stage director. Four Seasons Centre for the ●●Church of the Holy Trinity. The Christmas Church, 350 Queens Ave, London. 519-679-
Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-363-HTCS_WholeNote_2019_01_outinetext.indd Story. Church of the Holy Trinity, 2019-11-17 19 Trinity 1 8:378182. PM $20; $10(st). Opens Dec 6, 7:30pm. Also
8231. $35-$225. Runs Jan 19-Feb 7. Start times Sq. 416-598-4521. Suggested donation $25; Dec 7(2pm/7:30pm).
vary.
$5(ch). Opens Dec 6, 7:30pm. Runs to Dec 22. ●●Grand Theatre. Mary Poppins. Music and
●●Canadian Opera Company. Hansel and Gretel.
Music by Engelbert Humperdinck, libretto Dec 22 shows at 2pm and 5pm. Note: no
Sherman, with George Stiles and Anthony
Fri/Sat(7:30pm), Sat/Sun(4:30pm). Note:
lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B.
by Adelheid Wette. Emily Fons, mezzo (Hansel);
Simone Osborne, soprano (Gretel); Rus-
●●Civic Light Opera Company. Scrooge! The atre, 471 Richmond St., London. 519-672-
7:30pm on Dec 7.
Drewe, book by Julian Fellowes. Grand Thesell
Braun, baritone (Peter); Krisztina Szabó, Musical. Music, lyrics and book by Leslie Bricusse,
based on the film. Zion Cultural Cen-
Runs to Dec 29. Days and times vary. Visit
8800. $30-$87. Opens Nov 26, 7:30pm.
mezzo (Gertrude); Michael Colvin, tenor (The
Witch); Anna-Sophie Neher, soprano (Sandman/Dew
Fairy); Johannes Debus, conductor; Opens Dec 11, 7pm. Runs to Dec 22. Wed (7pm), ●●Greater Toronto Philharmonic
tre, 1650 Finch Ave. E. 416-755-1717. $28.
grandtheatre.com for details.
Orchestra.
Christmas at Columbus Centre. Columbus
Centre, 901 Lawrence Ave. W. 647-238-0015.
$30; $25(sr); $15(st). Dec 15, 3pm.
●●Hart House Theatre. Legally Blonde: The
Musical. Music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe
and Nell Benjamin, book by Heather Hach,
based on the film. Hart House Theatre, 7 Hart
House Circle. 416-978-8849. $28; $20(sr);
$15(st). Opens Jan 17, 8pm. Runs to Feb 1. Wed-
Sat(8pm), Feb 1(2pm/8pm).
●●Kempenfelt Community Players. Mamma
Mia! Music and lyrics by Benny Andersson,
Björn Ulvaeus, and some songs with Stig
Anderson, book by Catherine Johnson. Georgian
Theatre, 1 Georgian Dr., Georgian College
Campus, Building C, Barrie. 705-739-4228.
$25.97-$32.95. Opens Feb 6, 8pm. Runs to
Feb 16. Thurs-Sat(8pm), Sat/Sun(2pm).
●●Lower Ossington Theatre. Annie. Music
by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin,
book by Thomas Meehan. Randolph Theatre,
736 Bathurst St. 1-888-324-6282. $59.99.
Opens Nov 16, 3:30pm. Runs to Dec 29. Fri/
Sat(7:30pm), Sat/Sun(3:30pm). Note: no show
Dec 8.
●●Lower Ossington Theatre. Motherhood The
Musical. Written by Sue Fabisch. Lower Ossington
Theatre, 100A Ossington Ave. 1-888-
324-6282. $59.99. Opens Jan 17, 7:30pm. Runs
to Feb 16. Fri/Sat(7:30pm), Sat/Sun(3:30pm).
●●Mainstage Theatre Company. Matilda.
Music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, book by
Dennis Kelly, based on the novel. Papermill
Theatre, Todmorden Mills, 67 Pottery Rd. mainstagetheatre.com.
$35; $20(st). Opens Dec 13,
7:30pm. Runs to Dec 15. Fri/Sat(7:30pm), Sat/
Sun(2pm).
●●Meadowvale Music Theatre. The Wedding
Singer. Music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by
Chad Beguelin, book by Tim Herlihy and Chad
Beguelin, based on the film. Meadowvale Theatre,
6315 Montevideo Rd., Mississauga. 905-
615-4720. $31-$35. Opens Feb 7, 8pm. Runs to
Feb 16. Thurs-Sat(8pm), Sun(2pm). Note: also
Feb 15(2pm).
●●Mirvish. Come From Away. Music, lyrics and
book by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. Royal
Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St. W. 416-872-
1212. $69 and up. Ongoing. Tues-Sat(8pm),
Wed(1:30pm), Sat/Sun(2pm).
●●Mirvish. Piaf/Dietrich: A Legendary Affair.
CAA Theatre, 651 Yonge St. 416-872-1212. $39
and up. Opens Sep 17, 8pm. Runs to Dec 22.
Tues-Sat(8pm), Wed(1:30pm), Sat/Sun(2pm).
●●Mirvish. Cats. Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber,
libretto by T. S. Eliot. Princess of Wales
Theatre, 300 King St. W. 416-872-1212. $49 and
up. Opens Nov 27, 7:30pm. Runs to Jan 5. Days
and times vary. Visit mirvish.com for details.
●●Mirvish. Anastasia. Music by Stephen
Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, book by
Terrence McNally. Ed Mirvish Theatre,
244 Victoria St. 416-872-1212. $39 and up.
Opens Dec 3, 7:30pm. Runs to Jan 12. Tues-
Sat(7:30pm), Wed/Sat/Sun(1:30pm). Note:
variations Dec 23-Jan 3.
●●Mirvish. The Phantom of the Opera. Music
by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles
Hart and Richard Stilgoe, book by Lloyd Webber
and Stilgoe. Princess of Wales Theatre,
300 King St. W. 416-872-1212. $44 and up.
Opens Jan 8, 8pm. Runs to Feb 2. Days and
times vary. Visit mirvish.com for details.
●●Mississauga Symphony Orchestra. La Traviata.
Fully staged opera; Music by Giuseppe
Verdi, libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. Living
Arts Centre, Hammerson Hall, 4141 Living Arts
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 69

Dr., Mississauga. 905-306-6000. $50-$90.
Jan 25, 8pm. Also Jan 28.
●●Musical Stage Company/Obsidian Theatre
Company. Caroline, or Change. Music by
Jeanine Tesori, lyrics and book by Tony Kushner.
Jully Black, performer. Measha Brueggergosman,
performer. Winter Garden Theatre,
189 Yonge St. 416-872-1212. $39 and up. Opens
Jan 30, 7:30pm. Runs to Feb 15. Days and
times vary; visit musicalstagecompany.com
for details.
●●Musical Theatre Productions/Allswell
Productions. Sweeney Todd. Music and
lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Hugh
Wheeler. McManus Stage at the Grand Theatre,
471 Richmond St., London. 519-672-8800.
$33.90. Opens Nov 28, 7:30pm. Runs to Dec 7.
Wed-Sat(7:30pm), Sun(1:30pm). Note: also
Dec 7, 1:30pm.
●●National Ballet of Canada. Etudes & Piano
Concerto #1 & Petite Mort. Music by Carl
Czerny, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart. Harald Lander, choreographer.
Alexei Ratmansky, choreographer.
Jiří Kylián, choreographer. Four Seasons Centre
for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St.
W. 416-345-9595. $41 and up. Opens Nov 27,
7:30pm. Runs to Dec 1. Wed-Sat(7:30pm), Sat/
Sun(2pm).
●●National Ballet of Canada. The Nutcracker.
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, with libretto
by James Kudelka. James Kudelka, choreographer.
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing
Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416-345-9595.
$45 and up. Opens Dec 12, 7pm. Runs to Jan 4.
Days and times vary. Visit national.ballet.ca
for details.
●●Next Stage Theatre Festival. Every Silver
Lining. Written by Laura Piccinin and Allison
Wither. Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst St.
416-966-1062. $18. Opens Jan 8, 7pm. Runs to
Jan 19. Days and times vary; visit fringetoronto.
com for details.
●●Off Centre Music Salon. Runaway Waltz.
Works of Strauss, Debussy, Poulenc, Glinka,
Tchaikovsky and others. Trinity-St. Paul’s
Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-466-6323. $50;
$40(sr); $15(13-25); $5(12 and under). Dec 1,
3pm.
●●Orangeville Music Theatre. Mamma Mia!
C. Music Theatre
Music and lyrics by Benny Andersson, Björn
Ulvaeus, and some songs with Stig Anderson,
book by Catherine Johnson. Town Hall Opera
House, 87 Broadway, Orangeville. 519-942-
3423. $30. Opens Jan 10, 8pm. Runs to Jan 19.
Fri(8pm), Sat(7pm), Sun(2pm).
●●Orangeville Music Theatre. Elf Jr. Music and
lyrics by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin,
book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin.
Town Hall Opera House, 87 Broadway,
Orangeville. 519-942-3423. $30; $20(ch).
Opens Jan 24, 8pm. Runs to Jan 26. Fri(8pm),
Sat(2pm/7pm), Sun(2pm).
●●Peterborough Theatre Guild. 33 Variations.
By Moisés Kaufman. The Guild Hall, 364 Rogers
St., Peterborough. 705-745-4211. $15-$25.
Opens Jan 17, 8pm. Runs to Feb 1. Thurs-
Sat(8pm), Sun(2pm).
●●Randolph Academy. Cabaret. Music by John
Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, book by Joe Masteroff.
Annex Theatre, 730 Bathurst St. 416-924-
2243. $28. Opens Dec 3, 8pm. Runs to Dec 7.
Tues-Sat(8pm), Sat(2pm).
●●Ross Petty Productions. Lil’ Red Robin Hood.
Written by Matt Murray. Tracey Flye, director
and choreographer. Winter Garden Theatre,
189 Yonge St. 416-872-1212. $27-$99. Opens
Nov 29, 7pm. Runs to Jan 4. Days and times
vary. Visit rosspetty.com for details.
●●Scarborough Music Theatre. Little Shop
of Horrors. Music by Alan Menken, lyrics and
book by Howard Ashman. Scarborough Village
Community Centre, 3600 Kingston Rd. 416-
267-9292. $30; $27(sr/st). Opens Feb 6, 8pm.
Runs to Feb 22. Thurs-Sat(8pm), Sun(2pm).
Note: Feb 22 show at 2pm.
●●Shakespeare in Action/Weston Silver
Band. A Weston Christmas Carol. Actors of
Shakespeare in Action; Weston Silver Band
Quintet. Artscape Weston Common, 35 John
St. For information, contact shakespeareinaction.org.
PWYC. Bring a non-perishable food
item. Opens Dec 10. Also Dec 11 & 12.
●●Shaw Festival. A Christmas Carol. Adapted
by Tim Carroll, music by Paul Sportelli. Royal
George Theatre, 85 Queen St., Niagara-onthe-Lake.
1-800-511-7429. $30 and up. Opens
Nov 13, 1pm. Runs to Dec 22. Days and times
vary. Visit shawfest.com for details.
●●Shaw Festival. Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn.
St. Anne’s Music & Drama Society
presents Gilbert and Sullivan’s
Patience
Artistic Director - Laura Schatz
Musical Director - Kate Carver
Choreographer - Jennie Garde
Jan 24, 30, & 31, 7:30pm
Jan 25, 26, Feb 1 & 2, 2pm
St. Anne’s Parish Hall
651 Dufferin Street, Toronto
FOR TICKETS: www.stannesmads.com
or 437-233-MADS (6237)
Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin, book by Gordon
Greenberg and Chad Hodge, based on the
film. Festival Theatre, 10 Queen’s Parade, Niagara-on-the-lake.
1-800-511-7429. $30 and up.
Opens Nov 16, 1pm. Runs to Dec 22. Days and
times vary. Visit shawfest.com for details.
●●Soulpepper Theatre. Peter Pan. Adapted
by Fiona Sauder and Reanne Spitzer, music by
Landon Doak, based on the play. Young Centre
for the Performing Arts, 50 Tank House Ln.
416-866-8666. $30-$45. Opens Dec 6, 7pm.
Runs to Dec 24. Days and times vary. Visit soulpepper.ca
for details.
●●St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society.
Patience. Music by Arthur Sullivan, libretto
by W. S. Gilbert. St. Anne’s Parish Hall,
651 Dufferin St. 437-233-6237. $30; $25(sr/st).
Opens Jan 24, 7:30pm. Runs to Feb 2. Thurs/
Fri(7:30pm), Sat/Sun(2pm).
●●St. Francis Centre. Broadway Divas Live!
Jennifer Walls, performer. St. Francis Centre,
78 Church St. S., Ajax. 905-619-2529. $30.
Jan 25, 7pm.
●●Starvox Entertainment. Bend It Like Beckham:
The Musical. Music by Howard Goodall,
lyrics by Charles Hart, book by Gurinder Chadha
and Paul Mayeda Berges, based on the film. St.
Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E.
416-366-7723. $79 and up. Opens Dec 7, 8pm.
Runs to Dec 24. Tues-Sun(8pm), Sat/Sun(2pm).
Note: Dec 24 shows at 1pm and 5pm.
●●Stratford Symphony Orchestra. New
Year in Vienna. Avondale United Church,
194 Avondale Ave., Stratford. 519-271-0990.
$40; $10(st); free(under 12). Jan 1, 3pm.
●●Theatre Ancaster. Christmas at the Movies.
Old Firehall Arts Centre, 334 Wilson
St. E., Ancaster. 905-304-7469. $28;
$26(sr); $12(st). Opens Dec 13, 7:30pm. Also
Dec 14(2pm/7:30pm).
●●Theatre Aquarius. Hairspray. Music by Marc
Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc
Shaiman, book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas
Meehan, based on the film. Theatre Aquarius,
190 King William St, Hamilton. 905-522-
7529. $40 and up. Opens Nov 27, 7:30pm. Runs
to Dec 24. Tues-Sat(7:30pm), Sat/Sun(1:30pm).
Note: Dec 24 show at 1:30pm.
●●Theatre Aurora. Assassins. Music and lyrics
by Stephen Sondheim, book by John Weidman.
Theatre Aurora, 150 Henderson Dr., Aurora.
905-727-3669. $25; $23(sr); $10(st). Opens
Nov 28, 8pm. Runs to Dec 7. Thurs-Sat(8pm),
Sun(2pm).
●●Theatre Orangeville. Little Women. Music
and lyrics by Jim Betts, book by Nancy
Early. Orangeville Town Hall Opera House,
87 Broadway, Orangeville. 519-942-3423. $44;
$22(st). Opens Nov 28, 8pm. Runs to Dec 22.
Days and times vary. Visit theatreorangeville.
ca for details.
●●Theatre Sheridan. Newsies. Music by Alan
Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman, book by Harvey
Fierstein, based on the film. Macdonald-Heaslip
Hall, 1430 Trafalgar Rd, Oakville.
905-815-4049. $30; $27(sr). Opens Nov 26,
7:30pm. Runs to Dec 8. Tues-Thurs(7:30pm),
Fri/Sat(8pm), Sat/Sun(2pm). Note: no show
Dec 1.
●●Theatre Sheridan. Nine. Music and lyrics
by Maury Yeston, book by Arthur Kopit. Studio
Theatre, 1430 Trafalgar Rd., Oakville.
905-815-4049. $30; $27(sr). Opens Nov 29,
7:30pm. Runs to Dec 8. Tues-Sat(7:30pm), Sat/
Sun(2pm).
●●TO Live. Taj Express: The Bollywood Musical
Revue. St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts,
27 Front St. 1-855-985-2787. $49-$69. Opens
Nov 24, 2pm. Runs to Dec 1. Tues-Sat(8pm),
Sat/Sun(2pm).
●●TO Live. The SpongeBob Musical. Meridian
Hall, 1 Front St. E. 1-855-985-2787. $55 and
up. Opens Dec 18, 7:30pm. Runs to Dec 22.
Wed-Sat(7:30pm), Sat(2pm), Sun(12:30pm,
6:30pm).
●●Toronto International Ballet Theatre. The
Nutcracker. Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Meridian Hall, 1 Front St. E. 416-368-6161. $96
to $147. Dec 14, 2pm and 7pm.
●●Toronto Operetta Theatre. The Gypsy
Baron. Music by Johann Strauss II, libretto by
Ignaz Schnitzer. St. Lawrence Centre for the
Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723. $55-$95.
Opens Dec 28, 8pm. Runs to Jan 5. Days and
times vary; visit torontooperetta.com.
●●Toronto Youth Theatre. Cinderella: The
Panto. Annex Theatre, 730 Bathurst St. 1-888-
324-6282. $29.99-$34.99. Opens Dec 14,
3:30pm. Runs to Jan 5. Days and times vary;
visit tyttheatre.com for details.
●●Torrent Productions. Jack and the BeansTalk:
A Merry Magical Pantomime. Royal
Canadian Legion #001, 243 Coxwell Ave.
1-800-838-306. $38; $28(ch). Opens Dec 20,
7pm. Runs to Dec 29. Mon/Tues/Thurs-
Sun(2pm), Fri/Sat(7pm).
●●Tweed and Company Theatre. A Tweed and
Company Christmas. St. Andrew’s Church,
55 Victoria St. N., Tweed. Tweedancompany.
com. $20. Dec 21, 2pm/7pm.
●●University of Toronto Faculty of Music.
U of T Symphony Orchestra: Operatic Showpieces.
MacMillan Theatre, Edward Johnson
Building, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-408-0208.
$30; $20(sr); $10(st). U of T students admitted
free with a valid TCard, space permitting.
Dec 5, 7:30pm.
●●University of Toronto Faculty of Music.
New Music Festival: UofT Opera presents Coffee
with the Composers. Colin McMahon.
Geiger-Torel Room, Edward Johnson Building,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Free.
Jan 19, 1pm.
●●University of Toronto Faculty of Music. New
Music Festival: Opera Student Composer Collective
presents “Maid and Master: The Massey
Murder”. MacMillan Theatre, Edward
Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-
3750. Free. Jan 19, 2:30pm.
●●VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert. Kata
Kabanová. Music by Leoš Janáček. Sung in
English. Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence
Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-
7723. $20-$50. Dec 1, 2:30pm.
●●White Mills Theatre Company. A Christmas
Carol. Adapted by Brandon White, based on
the book. Spadina Museum, 285 Spadina Rd.
whitemillstheatreco.com. $35-$46.50. Opens
Nov 29, 7pm. Runs to Dec 14. Fri/Sat(7pm).
Also Dec 4.
●●Young People’s Theatre. The Adventures of
Pinocchio. Music and lyrics by Neil Bartram,
book by Brian Hill. Young People’s Theatre,
165 Front St. E. 416-862-2222. $10-$54. Opens
Nov 11, 10:15am. Runs to Jan 5. Days and times
vary. Visit youngpeoplestheatre.ca for details.
●●Young People’s Theatre. A Million Billion
Pieces. By David James Brock, music by Gareth
Williams. Young People’s Theatre, 165 Front St.
E. 416-862-2222. $24; $19(st). Opens Nov 25,
10:30am. Runs to Dec 13. Days and times vary.
Visit youngpeoplestheatre.ca for details.
70 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

Beat by Beat | Mainly Clubs, Mostly Jazz!
If Only in Our
Dreams
COLIN STORY
Later on, we’ll conspire
As we dream by the fire
To face unafraid
The plans that we’ve made
Walking in a winter wonderland
Winter Wonderland, Felix Bernard/Richard B. Smith. 1934.
starts on November 1;” so goes the knowing
refrain, spoken in tones of world-weary authority to
“Christmas
those affronted by the instant shift from Halloween to
Christmas in retail displays, both digital and physical. Those who
repeat this defeatist bromide are not necessarily less affected by the
sudden onslaught of candy canes and evergreens, of reindeer and
elves, of living in a dystopian paternalistic surveillance state ruled by
the Clauses. No, they are simply stating the obvious: that the secular
advertorial spectacle of Christmas constitutes an overwhelming,
inescapable part of our experience of the season, even in households
for which the holiday holds a primarily religious significance.
It is inevitable, in many ways, that this is the case. Christmas has a
lengthy and complicated history, with the central conflict playing out
between the holiday’s status as a solemn religious event, as a site of
feast and drunken revelry, or as some combination thereof. This was
the case in the 17th century, when Christmas was briefly banned, the
Puritans having never really taken to drunken revelry. It is still the
case today, to some extent, though the holiday’s Christian significance
is largely outweighed by its secular rituals. In the commercial imagination,
Christmas is nothing if not a feast: a celebration of plenty, an
Alex Pangman, part of Jazzcast n’ Joy, Hugh’s Room, December 11
opportunity for sharing, for generosity, for giving gifts. It is, for better
or worse, a holiday centred on consumption. That so much Christmas
iconography – Christmas trees in living rooms, holly wreaths decorating
doors, mistletoe hung slyly in conspicuous locations – tends
to consist of bits of nature snipped and transplanted indoors is no
mistake. Christmas, as a celebration of plenty, of the results of the
harvest, tends to work better in urban environments, in which people
are cut off from the labour that produces the goods to be consumed.
It is no mistake that Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, one of the
foundational texts of our current conception of Christmas, takes place
in London, in the mid-19th century, at a time in which the material
resources of half the world flowed to the Empire’s hegemonic centre.
And yet, to return to the lyrics quoted at the beginning of this
article, it is precisely the late-capitalist commodification of every facet
of our waking lives, of which the commercialization of Christmas is
but a symptom, that produces one of the holiday’s most enduringly
appealing charms: the realization of a period of mutually agreedupon
respite from the work week, from emails, from the burden
NIRUPAM SINGH
D. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz)
120 Diner
120 Church St. 416-792-7725
120diner.com (full schedule)
Most shows $10-$20
All shows: PWYC ($10-$20 suggested)
Alleycatz
2409 Yonge St. 416-481-6865
alleycatz.ca
All shows: Call for cover charge info.
Mon 8:30pm Salsa Night with DJ Romantico
with free lessons.
Tues 8:30pm Bachata Night with Weekly
Guest DJ with free lessons.
Wed 7pm Midtown Blues Jam hosted by
Andrew “Voodoo” Walters.
Thurs 7pm Spotlight Thursdays.
Fri & Sat 9:30pm Funk, Soul, R&B Top 40 $10
cover after 9pm.
Sat 3pm-6pm Matinee Jazz.
Sun 4pm Blues in The Alley w/ Big Groove.
Dec 5 Johnny Cox & Magnetic Line.
Dec 6 Lady Kane. Dec 7 Blonde Ambition.
Dec 12 20 Flight Rockers. Dec 13 DJ
Marlon. Dec 14 Soular. Dec 19 The Garden.
Dec 20 Lady Kane. Dec 21 York Jazz
Ensemble (matinee) URequest (evening).
Dec 26 Cheryn Lynn & The Catalysts.
Dec 27 Red Velvet. Dec 28 URequest.
Dec 31 New Year’s Eve Party w/ Blonde Ambition.
Jan 3 Red Velvet. Jan 4 Veronika &
The Sound. Jan 10 Switchbeat. Jan 11 Lady
Kane. Jan 17 Blonde Ambition. Jan 18 Disco
Night w/ Escapade. Jan 24 Lady Kane.
Jan 25 Soular. Jan 31 Red Velvet.
Bloom
2315 Bloor St. W. 416-767-1315
bloomrestaurant.com (full schedule)
All shows 7pm 19+. Call for reservations.
Burdock
1184 Bloor St. W. 416-546-4033
burdockto.com
Ticket prices vary by show, but typically
$10-$20; check website for individual show
prices.
Dec 1 6:30pm Mandy Lagan Origins, 9:30pm
LaZz: Dreams of a Hustler. Dec 2 9:30pm
Homer. Dec 4 7:30pm Replay Storytelling:
All in the Family. Dec 6 9:30pm Graven
w/ Merival / Brian MacMillan / Owen
Davies. Dec 7 2:30pm Hannah Ana w/ Chris
Molyneaux Jazz Trio and Chris Assad. Dec 8
9:30pm Melissa Paju, Felix Quastel, Savannah
Shea, and Georgia Harmer. Dec 10 9:30pm
Chelsea McBride’s Socialist Night School.
Dec 12 7pm Blythwood Winds: Be Our Guest.
Dec 14 2pm A Fung Farewell: Kristin Fung’s
Blast-Off to the Fungtuary. Dec 15 6:30pm
Diar. Dec 16 6:30pm and 9:30pm (two shows)
The Barrel Boys & The O’Pears. Dec 20
9:30pm Blue Sky Miners. Dec 21 Longest
Night. Dec 23 9:30pm North America: Canadiana
feat. D.E.Z., Stretch, Jazzy Monika, &
Mighloe.
Cameron House
408 Queen St. W. 416-703-0811
thecameron.com
Castro’s Lounge
2116 Queen St. E. 416-699-8272
castroslounge.com (full schedule)
All shows: No cover/PWYC
C’est What
67 Front St. E. (416) 867-9499
cestwhat.com (full schedule)
All concerts are PWYC unless otherwise
noted.
Dec 6 9pm George Westerholm & The Wild
Wildcats. Dec 7 3pm The Boxcar Boys. Dec 8
6pm Too Dumb to Quit!. Dec 14 3pm The Hot
Five Jazzmakers. Dec 15 6pm Kristin Lindell,
Matt Bentley, and friends. Dec 20 9pm Jack
Walker’s 8 th Annual Festivus Miracle. Dec 21
3pm The Victor Monsivais Trio, 9pm The Soul
Maitre D’s. Dec 22 6pm Too Dumb to Quit!.
Dec 28 3pm The Hot Five Jazzmakers. Jan 4
3pm The Boxcar Boys. Jan 11 3pm The Hot
Five Jazzmakers. Jan 25 3pm The Hot Five
Jazzmakers.
The Emmet Ray
924 College St. 416-792-4497
theemmetray.com (full schedule)
All shows: No cover/PWYC
Grossman’s Tavern
379 Spadina Ave. 416-977-7000
grossmanstavern.com (full schedule)
All shows: No cover (unless otherwise noted).
Every Sat 4:30pm The Happy Pals Dixieland
Jazz Jam. Every Sun 4:30pm New Orleans
Connection All Star Band; 10pm Sunday Jam
with Bill Hedefine. Every Wed 10pm Action
Sound Band w/ Leo Valvassori.
Hirut Cafe and Restaurant
2050 Danforth Ave. 416-551-7560
hirut.ca
Every Sunday 3pm Hirut Sundays Open Mic.
First and Third Tuesday 8pm Fingerstyle Guitar
Association.
Dec 3 8pm Finger Style Guitar Association
Open Stage. Dec 4 8pm Elite Music Academy
Open Mic. Dec 5 8pm John Fraser Findlay.
Dec 6 8pm The Steven Cole Trio. Dec 12
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 71

of productivity. Not for all, and not for very long, but the prospect
remains one of Christmas’ central myths: to “dream by the fire” with
a loved one is to return, however briefly, to the carefree days of youth,
to enjoy a holiday from the outside world, to finally, at the end of the
calendar year, have some time – a few days, a week, maybe, between
December 24 and January 2 – to focus on ourselves, to be present, to
enjoy the company of an intimate few. This is the promise of so much
secular holiday music: chestnuts roast on an open fire as we enjoy the
play of being exposed to the elements from the comfort of a comfortable
middle-class home. We have ourselves a merry little Christmas
and imagine that our troubles are miles away, out of sight; we come
home for Christmas, if only in our dreams. The core component of
any secular Christmas celebration, we are told, is a collective, wistful
imagination of Christmas.
Christmas music plays a key part in the yearning for contentment
that fuels our holiday daydreams, but its ubiquity, from November 1
onwards, can corrupt its intended effect. In the hands of retailers eager
to drive the holiday sales that have become essential to their survival,
Christmas music becomes one of the tools with which nostalgia is
weaponized as a sales tactic. Come mid-December, at the time when
the holidays are actually in sight, we’ve spent six weeks of mental
energy fending it all off: Mariah Carey at the grocery store, Michael
Bublé in the mall, the insipid, twee, ukulele-and-sleigh-bell chime of
every YouTube advertisement for poorly made clothing. To be consistently
bombarded by Christmas music in so many areas of our lives
is to be forced to inoculate ourselves to these songs’ nostalgic effects,
and to the genuine joy that they are capable of producing in the
appropriate doses (if a listener is inclined to find joy in such music).
Participation in the very capitalist structures that make the secular
experience of a collective Christmas break so necessary also ruins one
of the holiday’s chief joys: the experience of nostalgia through music,
and the precious comfort that nostalgia is capable of providing.
There is, however, something to be done, if you find yourself
yearning to yearn again, to recapture the joy of music that seems to
have been rubbed clean of the lustre it once possessed: go listen to
some musicians play Christmas music, and listen to how the songs
you know are transformed, revivified, re-presented in ways that
break the cynical purgatorial cycle of streaming-platform playlists,
emerging, finally, alive again. Some holiday gigs are good, some bad.
But in the fortuitous times when they are very good, they deliver on
the basic promise of secular Christmas music: to daydream, to create
the sensation of presence, to provide the listener with an opportunity
to indulge in the imagination of their own history. Ultimately,
the nostalgic core of this music is more involved than simply thinking
fondly on the past: it is about taking a moment to reflect on our
previous experiences, so that we might more happily celebrate the
present moment, and move confidently forward, facing, unafraid, the
plans that we’ve made for the future. This may not be true, of course.
But it’s nice to think that it could be.
MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZ QUICK PICKS
!!
DEC 11, 8:30PM: Jazzcast n’ Joy, Hugh’s Room. Drew Jurecka, Alex Pangman,
Jeremy Ledbetter, and more, play at Hugh’s Room for Jazzcast’s December
extravaganza.
!!
DEC 15, 4PM: The Woodhouse featuring
Barbra Lica. The Jazz Room. The
Woodhouse, an instrumental collective
that has been playing holiday shows for
over ten years, brings Juno-nominated
singer, Barbra Lica, to Waterloo for an
afternoon show of Christmas classics.
!!
DEC 21, 8PM: Dave Barrett, Hirut Cafe.
Dave Barrett plays solo guitar arrangements
of holiday favourites in the intimate
setting of Hirut Cafe.
!!
DEC 21, 9PM: Robi Botos and Hilario
Duran, Jazz Bistro. Now an annual event,
two of Toronto’s leading jazz pianists play
Christmas music, jazz standards, and
music that reflects each player’s unique
roots.
Colin Story is a jazz guitarist,
Dave Barrett
writer and teacher based in
Toronto. He can be reached at
www.colinstory.com, on Instagram and on Twitter.
D. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz)
8pm John Fraser Findlay. Dec 13 8:30pm
Don Naduriak: Jazz of the Americas. Dec 15
5pm Holiday Spirit Cabaret. Dec 17 8pm Finger
Style Guitar Association Open Stage.
Dec 18 8pm The BTBs. Dec 19 8pm John Fraser
Findlay. Dec 20 8pm Steve Koven Trio.
Dec 21 8pm Dave Barrett Christmas Solo Guitar
Show. Dec 22 8pm Clara Engel Winter
Solstice Show. Dec 26 8pm Blues Jam. Dec 27
9pm Hirut Hoot Comedy Night. Dec 28 8pm
Donne Roberts Duo. Dec 31 Hirut New Year’s
Eve Extravaganza.
Home Smith Bar – See The Old Mill
Hugh’s Room Live
2261 Dundas St. W 416 533 5483
hughsroomlive.com
All shows at 8:30pm unless otherwise noted.
See website for individual show prices.
Dec 1 Oh Susanna and Friends. Dec 4 8pm
Patricia O’Callaghan. Dec 5 Luke McMaster:
The Christmas Show. Dec 6 Ensemble
Vivant. Dec 7 Carlos del Junco. Dec 8 10am
Broadway Arts Recital, 8:30pm Quartette.
Dec 11 Jazzcast n’ Joy. Dec 12 Dr.
Draw. Dec 13 Craig Cardiff. Dec 14 Jack
de Keyzer. Dec 15 2pm The Ault Sisters,
8:30pm Boreal Songs for the Snowy Season.
Dec 16 Broadsway. Dec 17 9am Ravel,
8:30pm Bluesin’ Toronto Presents: Another
Blues Christmas. Dec 18 The Mistletones.
Dec 19 The Arrogant Worms. Dec 20 Kellylee
Evans: Winter Song. Dec 22 Anthony
Gomes. Dec 27 Suzie Vinnick. Dec 28 Don
Ross. Dec 30 Wintergarten Orchestra.
Dec 31 9:30pm New Year’s Eve 2020 w/
Oakland Stroke. Jan 4 Luke and the Apostles.
Jan 8 Connie Kaldor and Garnet Rogers.
Jan 10 Homeward Bound: The Music of
Simon and Garfunkel. Jan 11 8pm A Birthday
Tribute to Elvis feat. The Lustre Kings.
Jan 13 Sammy Miller and the Congregation.
Jan 14 Eric Andersen and Scarlet Rivera.
Jan 17 Matt Weidinger: A Tribute to Van Morrison.
Jan 18 Sweet Baby James: A Tribute to
James Taylor. Jan 19 2pm Ken Whiteley Gospel
Brunch. Jan 25 Celebrating the Music
of Tina Turner. Jan 26 7:30pm Lynn Harrison.
Jan 29 Albert Lee. Jan 30 Albert Lee.
Jan 31 Midge Ure.
The Jazz Bistro
251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299
jazzbistro.ca (full schedule)
Dec 1 6pm Opimian Wine Club de Vin – Champagne
& Jazz. Dec 4 9pm Irwin Hall. Dec 5
9pm Irwin Hall. Dec 8 7pm Sam Broverman’s
Jewish Boy’s Christmas. Dec 10 8pm Lauren
Ferraro’s Christmas. Dec 11 8pm David
Rubel’s 251 Jazz Jam Session. Dec 12 9pm
Mike Murley Quartet. Dec 13 9pm Genevieve
Marentette: The Music of Don Franks. Dec 14
9pm Stu Mac’s Christmas Show. Dec 15 7pm
Stacey MacIntyre Sings Christmas. Dec 16
8pm Christopher Wilson’s Cocktails and
Candy Canes. Dec 17 8pm Christopher Wilson’s
Cocktails and Candy Cane. Dec 18 8pm
David Rubel’s 251 Jazz Jam Session. Dec 19
8:30pm 106 Collective Quartet. Dec 20 9pm
The Freeman Brothers Band. Dec 21 9pm
Robi Botos and Hilario Duran Piano Duo.
Dec 22 7pm Robert Scott: A Charlie Brown
Christmas. Dec 27 9pm Galen Weston Band.
Dec 28 9pm Gabi Epstein’s LaPepstein
Hanukkah Party. Dec 31 9pm New Year’s w/
Coldjack.
The Jazz Room
Located in the Huether Hotel, 59 King St. N.,
Waterloo. 226-476-1565
kwjazzroom.com (full schedule)
Attendees must be 19+. Cover charge varies
(generally $12-$25)
Dec 6 8:30pm Andriy Tykhonov Quintet.
Dec 7 8:30pm Brian Dickinson Trio. Dec 13
8:30pm Mary-Catherine Quartet. Dec 14
3pm Saturday Afternoon Jazz Jam, 8:30pm
Ted Quinlan Group. Dec 15 4pm The Woodhouse
feat. Barbra Lica. Dec 20 8:30pm Tom
Nagy Christmas. Dec 21 8:30pm Jason White
Trio. Dec 27 8:30pm Carlos Morgan Quartet.
Dec 28 8:30pm Adrean Farrugia’s Playdate.
Dec 31 7pm New Year’s Eve at The Jazz Room
w/ Jason White and The Jitterbugs.
Lula Lounge
1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307
lula.ca (full schedule)
Every Fri 7:30pm Afterwork Global Party
Series free before 8pm; Every Fri 8:30pm
Havana Club Fridays $15; Every Sat 10:30pm
Salsa Saturdays $15.
Dec 1 6:30pm Gregg Stafford – New Orleans
Stomp!. Dec 8 2pm Terreiro do Samba.
Dec 10 6pm TEA Green City Celebration: Holiday
Party 2019 & Ecobunk Awards. Dec 11
7pm The Double Cuts Western Swing Band:
Let Us Be Frank. Dec 12 6pm Ori Dagan: The
Rat Pack Songbook Show. Dec 12 9pm Badge
Époque Ensemble & André Ethier: Double
Album Release Party. Dec 22 6pm Dang
Show: Winter SOULstice 2019. Dec 29 12pm
Drag Brunch.
Manhattans Pizza Bistro & Music Club
951 Gordon St., Guelph 519-767-2440
manhattans.ca (full schedule)
72 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

Mezzetta Restaurant
681 St. Clair Ave. W. 416-658-5687
mezzettarestaurant.com (full schedule)
Dec 4 9pm Jordana Talsky Duo. Dec 11 9pm
Lorne Lofsky / David Occhipinti Duo. Dec 18
9pm Rebecca Enkin Holiday Show.
Monarch Tavern
12 Clinton St. 416-531-5833
themonarchtavern.com (full schedule)
Dec 2 7:30pm Martin Loomer & His Orange
Devils Orchestra. Dec 3 8pm Belleville-Ville.
Dec 7 9pm Cherry Garcia Band w/ Drupe.
Jan 7 8pm Belleville-Ville. Jan 13 7:30pm Martin
Loomer & His Orange Devils Orchestra.
N’awlins Jazz Bar & Dining
299 King St. W. 416-595-1958
nawlins.ca
All shows: No cover/PWYC.
Every Tue 6:30pm Stacie McGregor. Every
Wed 7pm The Jim Heineman Trio. Every Thur
8pm Nothin’ But the Blues with Joe Bowden.
Every Fri & Sat 8:30pm N’awlins All Star
Band; Every Sun 7pm Brooke Blackburn.
The Nice Bistro
117 Brock St. N., Whitby. 905-668-8839
nicebistro.com (full schedule)
Live jazz and dinner, $45.00 per person. Dinner
from 6pm and music from 7pm to 9pm.
Dec 11 Farrucas Latin Duo (Jorge & Laura).
Dec 31 New Year’s Eve: Larry Bond & Bob
Mills.
The Old Mill
21 Old Mill Rd. 416-236-2641
oldmilltoronto.com (full schedule)
The Home Smith Bar: No reservations. No
cover. $20 food/drink minimum. All shows:
7:30-10:30pm unless otherwise listed.
Dec 3 Gene DiNovi. Dec 4 John MacLeod
and Friends. Dec 5 Shannon Butcher Trio.
Dec 6 Canadian Jazz Quartet and Friends.
Dec 7 Sherie Marshall Quartet. Dec 12 Sophia
Perlman & Adrean Farrugia’s Jazz Party.
Dec 13 Brigham Phillips Trio. Dec 14 Brian
Blain’s Blues Campfire Jam. Dec 18 Russ Little
Quartet. Dec 19 Bob DeAngelis & Friends
Dec 20 Carol McCartney Quartet. Dec 21 Paul
Novotny Trio. Dec 31 New Year’s Eve Jazz
Party w/ June Garber.
The Only Café
972 Danforth Ave. 416-463-7843
theonlycafe.com (full schedule)
The Pilot Tavern
22 Cumberland Ave. 416-923-5716
thepilot.ca
All shows: 2:30pm. No cover.
Dec 7 Pat LaBarbera Quartet. Dec 14 Dan
Faulk Quartet. Dec 15 Sugar Daddies Xmas.
Dec 21 Tony Peebles Quartet. Dec 28 Bob
Brough Quartet. Jan 4 Alexander Brown
Quartet. Jan 11 Tune Town Jan 18 Terry Logan
Quartet Jan 25 Norbert Botos Quartet
Poetry Jazz Café
224 Augusta Ave. 416-599-5299
poetryjazzcafe.com (full schedule)
Reposado Bar & Lounge
136 Ossington Ave. 416-532-6474
reposadobar.com (full schedule)
The Reservoir Lounge
52 Wellington St. E. 416-955-0887
reservoirlounge.com (full schedule).
Every Tue & Sat, 8:45pm Tyler Yarema
and his Rhythm. Every Wed 9pm The Digs.
Every Thurs 9:45pm Stacey Kaniuk. Every
Fri 9:45pm Dee Dee and the Dirty Martinis.
The Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Bar
194 Queen St. W. 416-598-2475
therex.ca (full schedule)
Call for cover charge info.
Rex listings unavailable at time of going to
press. Please consult therex.ca for details
and visit thewholenote.com/just-ask for
updates in early December and again at the
beginning of January.
The Salty Dog Bar & Grill
1980 Queen St. E. 416-849-5064
thesaltydog.ca (full schedule)
Every Tue 7-10pm Jazz Night. Every
Thu 8:30pm Karaoke. Every Fri 9:30pm
Blues Jam - house band with weekly featured
guest. Every Sat 3pm Salty Dog Saturday
Matinée.
Sauce on Danforth
1376 Danforth Ave. 647-748-1376
sauceondanforth.com
All shows: No cover.
Every Mon 9pm Gareth Parry’s Book Club.
Every Tue 6pm Julian Fauth. Every Wed Paul
Reddick & Friends. Every Thu 8pm Steve
Koven and Artie Roth. Sat and Sun Matinees
4pm various performers.
The Senator Winebar
249 Victoria St 416 364-7517
thesenator.com (full schedule)
Tranzac
292 Brunswick Ave. 416-923-8137
tranzac.org (full schedule)
3-4 shows daily, various styles, in three different
performance spaces. Mostly PWYC.
Dec 1 3pm Howard Gladstone Trio, 7:30pm
Harrington and Sweet Pea, 10pm The Woodchoppers
Association. Dec 3 10pm Peripheral
Vision with The Lina Allemano 4. Dec 6
7:30pm Starfires, 10pm Heavy Ethics. Dec 7
7:30pm Abigail Lapell – Early Birds. Dec 8 1pm
The Toronto Improvisers Orchestra, 7:30pm
Nilan Perera’s Synaptic Circus Sundays,
8:30pm Red Shift Records CD Launch Harbour
featuring Anna Höstmann and Cheryl
Duvall, 10pm The Lina Allemano 4. Dec 10
7:30pm Ornate Presents Tyrannick Love,
10pm Mic Touching featuring Laura McCoy
and Christof Migone. Dec 11 7:30pm Brodie
West Quintet, 10pm Ertel/Harrett/McCaroll-
Butler/Sorbara. Dec 12 10pm Collette Savard
and the Savants. Dec 13 7:30pm Nick Teehan
solo, 10pm Colin Fisher/Evan Cartwright/
Ted Crosby. Dec 14 6:30pm Q&A (Tony Quarrington
& Zoey Adams). Dec 15 7:30pm
Diane Robins Presents: A Christmas Jam, 10
pm Makeshift Island. Dec 16 6pm The Holiday
Brass Christmas Party. Dec 17 7:30pm
Three Ring Circus, 10pm Aidan Funston Quintet.
Dec 18 10pm Lina Allemano, Karen Ng,
Rob Clutton and Blake Howard, 10pm Lauren
Barnett’s Drawing Free For All. Dec 21
6:30pm Jameison Mackay with Merival and
Ten Moon, 10pm Blunt Object. Dec 22 3pm
Michael Laderoute with Rob Fenton, 5pm
Steve Paul Simms, 7:30pm Gathering Sparks
featuring Eve Goldberg and Jane Lewis, 10pm
Emilie Mover with Blake. Dec 27 7:30pm Aurochs,
10pm The Ryan Driver Sextet. Dec 28
6:30pm Kyp Harness, 9:30pm Tony Peebles
Trio tribute to Sonny Rollins. Dec 29 3pm Cosmic
Homeostasis, 5pm Ships, 7:30pm The
Space Trio, 10pm the SPECIAL INTEREST
group. Jan 3 7:30pm Tania Gill Quartet, 10pm
Heavy Ethics, Jan 4 7:30pm Abigail Lapell -
Early Birds, 10pm Arkose. Jan 5 5pm Howard
Gladstone Trio, 7:30pm Harrington, 10pm The
Woodchoppers Association. Jan 7 7:30pm
Tzevi Sherman and the 401 Express, 10pm
Clubs & Groups
●●Dec 07 1:00: Recollectiv. A unique musical
group whose members are affected by
memory challenges caused by Alzheimer’s,
dementia, traumatic brain injury, stroke, or
PTSD. Volunteers of all ages also form part
of the band making a positive intergenerational
experience for all participants. The
group’s mission is to help people with memory
challenges find joy and a sense of community
through music-making. Meets
weekly and is free with pre-registration.
For information visit recollectiv.ca or call
Smile Theatre at 416-599-8440. Tranzac
Club, 292 Brunswick Ave. Also Dec 14, 21, 28,
Jan 4, 11, 18, 25, and Feb 1.
●●Dec 01 2:00: Classical Music Club
Toronto. Bach: Christmas Oratorio. For further
information, visit classicalmusicclubtoronto.org
or contact John Sharpe at
416-898-2549 or torontoshi@sympatico.ca.
Annual membership: $25(regular); $10(sr/
st). Free for first-time visitors. Donations
accepted for refreshments.
●●Jan 19 2:00: Classical Music Club
Toronto. Beethoven Bicentennial I. For further
information, visit classicalmusicclubtoronto.org
or contact John Sharpe at
416-898-2549 or torontoshi@sympatico.ca.
Annual membership: $25(regular); $10(sr/
E. The ETCeteras
Peripheral Vision with Lina Allemano 4. Jan 8
7:30pm Brodie West Quintet, 10pm Ertel/HarrettMcCarroll-Butler/Sorbara.
Jan 9 10pm
Collette Savard and the Savants. Jan 10
7:30pm Katherine Walker-Jones (music and
performance art), 10pm Colin Fisher/Patrick
Smith/Mike Gennaro/Andrew Furlong. Jan 11
6:30pm Constant Blue EP Release Party with
Emma, 10pm Marilyn Lerner. Jan 12 7:30pm
Nilan Perera’s Synaptic Circus Sundays, 10pm
The Lina Allemano 4. Jan 14 7:30pm Ornate
Music Presents, 10pm Mic Touching: Bit By Bit
(Evan Cartwright), Karen Ng and Chris Wordon
and Chris Wordon Stand-up.
st). Free for first-time visitors. Donations
accepted for refreshments.
Competitions and Applications
●●DEADLINE Dec 01: Toronto Mozart
Vocal Competition. Applications are being
accepted now. Further information at mozartproject.ca.
●●DEADLINE Jan 06: Artists’ International
Music & Dance Association. Lorenzo Bellini
International Vocal Competition 2020. Audition
dates: Jan 11 & 12, 2020. Registration
and information: 416-250-1882 or torontoschoolofmusiccanada@yahoo.ca.
●●Jan 11 12:00noon: Don Wright Faculty of
Music. Maritsa Brookes Concerto Competition.
Von Kuster Hall, Music Building, Western
University, 1151 Richmond St. N., London.
519-661-3767. Free.
●●DEADLINE Feb 01: International Music
Festival and Competition. All ages and levels.
Piano, voice, guitar, harp, strings, woodwinds,
brass, conducting, composition.
Competition dates: Mar 21-Apr 5, 2020. For
information: intermusic.ca or 905-604-
8854 or office@intermusic.ca.
●●DEADLINE Feb 18: Yip’s Music Festival
Competition. Piano, violin, musical theatre
and chamber music. Competition dates:
Apr 18, 19, 25, 26, May 2, 3, 2020. For information:
ymf.yips.com or 905-948-9477 x2211.
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 73

E. The ETCeteras
Films
●●Jan 19 6:30pm; Royal Conservatory.
Music on Film: Heart of a Dog. Director:
Laurie Anderson, 75 min, 2015, USA. Laurie
Anderson takes us on a magical journey
through the nature of love, loss, and
absence. Centered on her beloved dog
Lolabelle, who died in 2011, and dedicated to
her late husband, Lou Reed, the film seamlessly
weaves together childhood memories,
video diaries, and philosophical musings
FILM SCREENING, Q&A:
“The Search for
SALAMONE ROSSI”
TUES. JAN 21 AT 7PM
TorontoConsort.org
on the meaning of life. Hot Docs Ted Rogers
Cinema, 506 Bloor St. W. Post-film talk with
Laurie Anderson, hosted by Mervon Mehta.
Tickets & information: hotdocscinema.ca
●●Jan 21 7:00: Toronto Consort. The Search
for Salamone Rossi. A documentary film
screening and Q&A. Innis Town Hall, U of T,
2 Sussex Ave. 416-964-6337 or torontoconsort.org.
$20.
Galas, Tributes and Fundraisers
●●Dec 02 7:30: Casey House Foundation.
Voices for World AIDS Day. A fundraising
concert for Casey House, Ontario’s HIV/
AIDS hospital. A mixed program of classical
and jazz for the whole family. Shannon Mercer,
soprano; Asitha Tennekoon, tenor; Julie
Nasrallah, host; Emily Steinwall Trio; Pearle
Harbour, tragicomedienne; and others.
Glenn Gould Studio. CBC Building, 250 Front
St. W. 416-962-4040. For further information:
caseyhouse.com. Free (suggested
donation $20).
●●Dec 21 2:30: Polina Chernik and Julia Tchernik.
Music and Miracles Youth Charity
Concert. In support of the Music Therapy
Program at SickKids Hospital. Polina Chernik,
piano, Alexander Dondish, violin/guitar,
Elizabeth Gilerovitch, voice, Karim Khakimov,
flute, Grace Zemlyak, voice. Array Music,
155 Walnut Ave. 416-638-8226. $10 or PWYC.
●●Jan 23 7:00: Echo Women’s Choir. An
Evening with Singer/Songwriter Andrea
Ramolo and Special Guests. A benefit concert
for Echo Women’s Choir. Tranzac Club,
292 Brunswick Ave. Free snacks, cash bar
and silent auction. Tickets: $20 available at
TORONTO SUMMER MUSIC
COMMUNITY
ACADEMY
July 27-August 1
Attention adult amateur musicians! Join the
artists of the Toronto Summer Music Festival
for a week of music making and fun!
Choose from four programs:
Chamber Music
Piano Masterclass
Chamber Choir
Bass Workshop with Joel Quarrington
For application information, visit
torontosummermusic.com
74 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

the door or via Eventbrite: echo_presents_
andrea_ramolo.eventbrite.ca. Further information
at echowomenschoir.ca or facebook.
com/events/1301762543366645/.
Lectures, Salons and Symposia
●●Dec 02: 1:30: Miles Nadal Jewish Community
Centre. Mozart at the Opera. Presented
by opera educator Iain Scott. By
December 1791, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
had written the defining compositions
in every available musical genre of his
time: symphony, chamber music, masses,
and – above all – three types of operas:
Opera Seria, Opera Buffa and Singspiel.
Iain will discuss a spectrum of directorial
approaches to these masterworks, providing
fresh insights into these multi-layered
experiences. Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina
Ave. To register, call 416-924-6211 x0 or
visit mnjcc.org. $22.
●●Dec 05 1:00: Miles Nadal JCC. Are You
Hep to the Jive?: The Music of Cab Callloway.
Led by musician Jonno Lightstone. Cab
Calloway (the legendary “Hi De Ho” man)
was a larger-than-life showman known for
scat singing, dancing, and flashy elegance.
He catapulted to fame with performances
at The Cotton Club, created signature songs
like “Minnie the Moocher”, and led one of the
greatest bands of the Swing Era. Enjoy this
historical lecture complete with live music.
Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Ave. Admission:
$5. Spaces limited. To register, call 416-
924-6211 x0 or visit www.mnjcc.org.
●●Dec 09 2:00: Hamilton Philharmonic
Orchestra. Classical 101 Talk. Presented
by Composer Abigail Richardson-Schulte.
Caroline Place, 118 Market St., Hamilton.
905-526-7756 or hpo.org. Free.
●●Dec 11 2:00: Hamilton Philharmonic
Orchestra. Seniors’ Symphony Experience:
Tchaikovsky - His Life and Music. Presented
by composer Abigail Richardson-Schulte.
Talk with piano demonstrations. Caroline
Place, 118 Market St., Hamilton. 905-526-
7756 or hpo.org. Free.
●●Jan 07 12:10: University of Toronto Faculty
of Music. Voice Performance Class: In
Conversation with Emily D’Angelo, mezzo.
Edward Johnson Building, Walter Hall,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open
to the public.
●●Jan 17 5:10: University of Toronto Faculty
of Music. New Music Festival: Lecture
by Women on the Verge “Evolution of an
Idea: Bringing your artistic vision to market”.
Edward Johnson Building, Walter Hall,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open
to the public.
●●Jan 19 1:00: University of Toronto Faculty
of Music. New Music Festival: UofT Opera
presents Coffee with the Composers. Presented
by Colin McMahon. Geiger-Torel
Room, Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
●●Jan 23 7:30: University of Toronto Faculty
of Music. Lecture: James W. Wright - They
Shot, He Scored: Eldon Rathburn and the
Legacy of the National Film Board. Edward
Johnson Building, Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s
Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open to the public.
Master Classes
●●Jan 14 10:00am: University of Toronto
Faculty of Music. New Music Festival: Composition
Master Class I with André Mehmari.
Edward Johnson Building, Walter Hall,
80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open
to the public. Also Jan 15.
●●Feb 06 1:10: University of Toronto Faculty
of Music. Brass Chamber Master Class with
Gábor Tarkövi. Edward Johnson Building,
Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750.
Free. Open to the public.
●●Feb 06 5:00: University of Toronto Faculty
of Music. Trumpet Master Class with
Gábor Tarkövi. Edward Johnson Building,
Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750.
Free. Open to the public.
Singalongs, Jams, Circles
●●Dec 01 7:00: Jazz United Jam. A spot
where dancers, singers and musicians are
all equal. Everybody contributes to make
the songs come alive. The Jam is practice at
a more democratic approach to music and
dance. Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Ave.
416-923-8137. Free/PWYC. Also Dec 8, 15, 22,
29, Jan 5, 12, 26.
SING-ALONG
MESSIAH
Dec 21, 2019
Roy Thomson Hall
tafelmusik.org
●●Dec 21 2:00: Tafelmusik. Sing-Along Messiah.
Margot Rood, soprano; Lucile Richardot,
mezzo; Thomas Hobbs, tenor; Peter
Harvey, baritone; Tafelmusik Chamber Choir;
Ivars Taurins, conductor (in character as Mr.
Handel). Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.
416-872-4255. $20-$49.50.
●●Dec 31 7:00: Art Gallery of Burlington.
Crystal Journey Welcomes 2020. Paiste
planet gongs, Persian santoors, harmonica
and quartz crystal bowls. Doors open
at 6pm. Drum circle at 7pm with Tom Wolf.
Crystal Journey will perform two sets at
8:30pm-9:30pm and 10:30pm-11:30pm. At
midnight we will “gong” in 2020 with the Big
Earth Gong. We encourage you to gather
around the Gong. Vendors, chill and zen
areas, kids zone with supervision. Includes
access to Art Gallery displays, Garden Area
and Zen Room. Coffee/tea and vegan snacks.
Art Gallery of Burlington, 1333 Lakeshore
Rd., Burlington. www.eventbrite.ca/e/crystal-journey-new-years-eve-2019-2020-tickets-63602930076.
$60; free(under 12). Only
220 tickets will be available and only a few
at the door.
●●Jan 11 7:15: Toronto Gilbert & Sullivan
Society. Songfest. An annual gathering of
great G&S groups from around the city performing
excerpts of G&S operettas. A fantastic
evening with refreshments included.
St. Andrew’s United Church, 117 Bloor St. E.
Free parking off Hayden St. below church.
For more information, please call 416-763-
0832. $5 for non-members.
Tours
● ● Dec 01 10:30am: Canadian Opera Company.
90-Minute Tour of the Four Seasons
Centre. Led by a trained docent. Includes
information and access to the Isadore
and Rosalie Sharp City Room, the Richard
Piano, Voice, Guitar, Harp
Strings, Woodwinds, Brass
Conducting, Composition
Awards, Prizes and Scolarships
Recitals, Concerts, Workshops
Career advancement
Marketing and promotions
JURORS
Christina Petrowska-Quilico (YorkU), Gary Kulesha (TSO)
Margarete von Vaight, Dr. Jeffrey McFadden (UofT)
Dr. Enrico Elisi (UofT), Dr. Angela Schwarzkopf (UofT)
Kristian Alexander, Andrew Ascenzo, Andrew Chan,
Dr. Conrad Chow (UofT), Michael Fedyshyn
InterMusic.ca | 905.604.8854 | office@InterMusic.ca
Don’t miss the opportunity!
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 75

E. The ETCeteras
Classified Advertising
Bradshaw Amphitheatre and R. Fraser Elliott
Hall, as well as backstage areas such as the
wig rooms and dressing rooms, the orchestra
pit, and other spaces that only a stage
door pass could unlock. Four Seasons Centre
for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W.
416-363-8231. coc.ca. $20(adults); $15(sr/
st). Also Dec 8, Jan 12, 26 (also available in
French).
Workshops & Classes
●●Dec 01 1:30: Toronto Early Music Players
Organization. Workshop coached by
recorder player Colin Savage. Armour
Heights Community Centre, 2140 Avenue Rd.
Bring your early instruments and a music
stand. 416-779-5750 or tempotoronto.net.
$20.
●●Dec 06 7:30: Toronto Recorder Players
Society. Renaissance and Baroque Workshop
for Recorders and Other Early Instruments.
Coach: Avery MacLean. Mount
Pleasant Road Baptist Church, 527 Mount
Pleasant Rd. (entrance off Belsize). 416-480-
1853. rpstoronto.ca. $20. Refreshments
included.
●●Jan 05 1:30: Toronto Early Music Players
Organization. Workshop coached by viola
da gamba player Valerie Sylvester, Armour
Heights Community Centre, 2140 Avenue Rd.
Bring your early instruments and a music
stand. 416-779-5750 or tempotoronto.net.
$20.
●●Jan 11 1:00. Durham Girls’ Choir. Winter
Workshop. Girls aged 7 through 18
from across the Durham Region are invited
to join us for an afternoon of singing and
musical fun. Bring a friend, make new
friends, and be amazed by the beautiful
sounds you create in just one afternoon. A
great way to experience what a performing
choir is all about, without the commitment
of a full year. Choir membership is NOT
required. Parents are welcome to observe
the workshop and are invited to our special
performance at the end of the day. Durham
Girls’ Choir is not church-affiliated. Location:
TBD. 905-434-7269. Free workshop
Pret
A COMPREHENSIVE
MIND AND BODY WORKSHOP
(reservation required).
●●Jan 17 7:30: Toronto Recorder Players
Society. Renaissance and Baroque Workshop
for Recorders and Other Early Instruments.
Mount Pleasant Road Baptist Church,
527 Mount Pleasant Rd. (entrance off Belsize).
416-480-1853. rpstoronto.ca. $20.
Refreshments included.
●●Jan 19 2:00: CAMMAC Toronto Region.
Reading for Singers and String Players of
Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostri. Mark
Vuorinen, conductor. Christ Church Deer
Park, 1570 Yonge St. 647-458-0213. $10;
$6(members).
●●Jan 25 10:30am: Toronto Mendelssohn
Choir. Singsation Saturday Choral Workshop.
Conductor Jordan Travis will explore
two types of close-harmony singing. Now’s
the time to give some Barbershop a try.
Cameron Hall, Yorkminster Park Baptist
Church, 1585 Yonge St. $10 fee includes
refreshments. More info: tmchoir.org/
singsation-saturdays.
●●Jan 26 2:30: Fit for the Stage. Elevated
Performance for Singers: A Comprehensive
Mind and Body Workshop. Overcome
physical and mental blocks to performing
at your highest level in this day of hands-on
learning. Led by Leigh Graham, fitness and
mindset coach and vocalist. 918 Bathurst
Centre for Culture, Arts, Media and Education,
918 Bathurst St. For information and
registration: fitforthestage.com
●●Feb 02 1:30: Toronto Early Music Players
Organization. Workshop coached by
recorder player Francis Colpron. St. Leonard’s
Church, Canon Dykes Memorial Room,
25 Wanless Ave. Bring your early instruments
and a music stand. 416-779-5750 or
tempotoronto.net. $20.
●●Feb 07 7:30: Toronto Recorder Players
Society. Renaissance and Baroque Workshop
for Recorders and Other Early Instruments.
Mount Pleasant Road Baptist Church,
527 Mount Pleasant Rd. (entrance off Belsize).
416-480-1853. rpstoronto.ca. $20.
Refreshments included.
ELEVATED PERFORMANCE
FOR SINGERS
At last, overcome physical and mental
blocks to performing at your highest level
in this day of hands-on learning with 15-
year Fitness and Mindset Coach (B.KIN) and
Vocalist (Art Dip Perf), Leigh Graham.
SUN JAN 26 | 2:30-7:30PM
918 BATHURST, TORONTO
FITFORTHESTAGE.COM FOR INFO AND SIGN UPS
WholeNote CLASSIFIEDS can help you
recruit new members for your choir,
band or orchestra; find a new music
director or accompanist; sell your banjo!
Starting at only $24/issue. INQUIRE BY
JANUARY 25 for the FEBRUARY 2020
issue. classad@thewholenote.com
AUDITIONS & EMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITIES
Available pro bono positions with the
KINDRED SPIRITS ORCHESTRA: Horn,
Trumpet, Violins, Violas, Violoncellos
and Contrabasses. For information, visit
KSOchestra.ca or email GM@KSOrchestra.ca
MUSIC DIRECTOR NEEDED for Men of
Note Male Voice Choir, a well-established
community male choir (30+ voices) in
Stouffville, ON. Applicants should have
Bachelor of Music or greater, 3+ years
Auditions
open for Jan/Feb
www.canadianmens
chorus.ca/sing
DO YOU DRIVE?
Do you love
The WholeNote?
Share the love and earn a little
money! Join The WholeNote’s
circulation team: 9 times a year,
GTA and well beyond. Interested?
Contact:
circulation@thewholenote.com
BUSINESS
CLASSIFIEDS
Economical and visible!
Promote your services
& products to our
musically engaged readers,
in print and on-line.
BOOKING DEADLINE: JANUARY 20
classad@thewholenote.com
of choral experience. Resume/CV to
directorsearch@menofnote.com Visit www.
menofnote.com for more information.
MUSIC DIRECTOR, St. Mark’s United Church,
Scarborough. Progressive, Inclusive and Life
Affirming congregation offers a part-time
position (11 hours/week). Remuneration per
RCCO guidelines. E-mail resume to jobs@
st-marks.ca and visit www.st-marks.ca for
further information.
NAVAL RESERVE BAND IN DOWNTOWN
TORONTO IS LOOKING FOR MUSICIANS:
Clarinet, French Horn, other positions
available. Take pride and join. Get paid to play.
Email david.pottinger@forces.gc.ca
ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION CONCERT BAND
has openings for wind, brass, and percussion
players. Be part of an exciting ensemble.
Please contact John Walker for more
information jwwalker75@yahoo.com
BUY & SELL
CLASSICAL RECORD AND CD COLLECTIONS
WANTED. Minimum 350 units. Call, text or
e-mail Aaron 416-471-8169 or A@A31.CA
FRENCH HORN: Selmer prototype by
Reynolds. Double horn in excellent condition.
mjbuell@gmail.com
JAZZ COLLECTION FOR SALE: Thousands of
new/like-new jazz LPs, CDs, DVDs, VHSs and
books for sale to appreciative collectors. Call
Levon (905-727-7094) or email: levonyaz@
sympatico.ca
PIANO and BENCH: Franz Schubert by
Canrus International Ltd, Studio 47”x55”x24”.
Near Neilson and Sheppard. Call Shirley.
416-282-8402
TRUMPET Bach Stradivarius model 37
(never used); TENOR saxophone, Yamaha;
TRUMPET, Olds Ambassador; EUPHONIUM
Besson silver, compensating. Phone
416-964-3642.
NEED HELP WITH
YOUR TAXES?
Specializing in personal
and business tax returns
including prior years
and adjustments
HORIZON TAX SERVICES INC.
• free consultation • accurate work
For CRA stress relief call:
1-866-268-1319
hts@horizontax.ca
www.horizontax.ca
PRECIOUS MEMORIES
& PERFORMANCES
transferred to CD, DVD.
records | tapes
VHS | Hi-8 | mini DV
slides | photos | clippings
RESTORED &
PRESERVED
ArtsMediaProjects
416-910-1091
76 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

classad@thewholenote.com
WE ARE ALL MUSIC’S CHILDREN
WHAT’S IN YOUR CLOSET? Does your old
guitar gently weep? Would that nice old
accordion / clarinet / drum kit make someone
else really happy? Find it a new owner
with a WholeNote classified ad, starting
at just $24.00 INQUIRE BY JANUARY 25
for the FEBRUARY 2020 issue. classad@
thewholenote.com
INSTRUCTION
CELLO LESSONS DOWN TOWN TORONTO
Individual approach to every student. Young
professionals, adults and beginners. Dr.
Dobrochna Zubek zubekdobrochna@hotmail.
com http://dobrochnazubek.com http://
celloteaching.ca
DO YOU SING IN A CHOIR? Would you like
to practice your sight-singing skills? Or need
a little help learning your notes or rhythms?
Or experience the joy of singing duets? Treat
yourself! Private and group lessons available
near Woodbine subway. Call or text Sheila at
416-574-5250, or woodbine.joyofsinging@
gmail.com
FRIENDLY, WISE PIANO TEACHER with loyal
following and buckets of patience. Royal
Conservatory refugees and nervous adults/
teens most welcome. Lovely Cabbagetown
studio. “Best teacher ever!” - Beaches tween.
“Beats studying with those Quebec nuns!” -
Rosedale senior. Peter Mose, 416.923.3060.
MosePianoForAll.com. (My students have
never won any prizes, except for love of
music.)
FLUTE, PIANO, THEORY LESSONS. RCM
Certified Advanced Specialist. Samantha
Chang, FTCL, FLCM, LRAM, PGDip, ARCT.
Toronto, Scarborough 416-801-9196,
samantha.studio@gmail.com www.
samanthaflute.com
LESSONS FOR ALL! Friendly and firm - I’m
an experienced musician and mom teaching
piano and singing to children (and the
young at heart) in my Toronto home (East
Leslieville). To discuss your child’s need for
music-making please contact kskwhite@
gmail.com
SIGHT-SINGING WORKSHOPS: sacred/
secular Renaissance music, on the last
Monday of the month. 7:30-9:30pm. Drop-in
$10. Free for members of the Toronto Early
Music Centre. All levels are welcome. Near
Woodbine subway. Call/text 416-574-5250.
SERVICES
ACCOUNTING AND INCOME TAX SERVICE
for small business and individuals, to save you
time and money, customized to meet your
needs. Norm Pulker, B. Math. CMA. 905-251-
0309 or 905-830-2985.
DOG BOARDING (near Woodbine subway).
Heading away for a while and can’t bring
your favourite canine companion? I take just
one dog at a time and give it a very special
vacation. Your dog will pull you to my door on
repeat visits! Call or text Sheila at 416-574-
5250 or eastyork.dogboarding@gmail.com
RESTORE PRECIOUS MEMORIES lost on
old records, tapes, photos etc.? Recitals,
gigs, auditions, air checks, family stuff. on
78’s, cassettes, reels, 35mm slides etc?.
ArtsMediaProjects will lovingly restore them
to CD’s or DVD’s. Call George @ 416-910-1091.
VENUES AVAILABLE / WANTED
ARE YOU PLANNING A CONCERT OR
RECITAL? Looking for a venue? Consider
Bloor Street United Church. Phone: 416-924-
7439 x22. Email: tina@bloorstreetunited.org.
STUDIO RENTAL IN EAST YORK - Home/
studio with piano available September-June.
Long or short term rentals. Great acoustics.
Free street parking. Wednesday or Thursday
evenings. Suitable for unplugged vocal or
instrumental rehearsals. Max 12 people.
Barker.studiorental@gmail.com
MJ BUELL
If you’re a new reader, a word of explanation is in order. In
our regular photo contest, We Are ALL Music’s Children, readers
identify members of the music community from a childhood
photo, for an opportunity to win tickets and recordings.
WHO IS FEBRUARY’S CHILD?
Leader of the pack even then – her recording Woman Runs With Wolves
features the many instruments she gets a bang out of today, and teaches.
Before returning to
a more grown-up
women’s musical club
in April, a confluence of
opportunities will hear
her premiere a new
commission featuring
five percussion set-ups,
on February 21, with
Alice’s witch on thin ice
channelling Yoko.
A Canadian Music Centre
Ambassador.
This band sure needs a
little drummer girl!
Lachine (Montréal) Québec, 1963
Know our Mystery Child’s name?
WIN PRIZES!
Send your best guess by January 25 to
musicschildren@thewholenote.com
Previous artist profiles and full-length interviews can be read at
thewholenote.com/musicschildren.
Or – you can view them in their original magazine format by visiting
our online back issues https://kiosk.thewholenote.com
Excellent Recording
Venue: Humbercrest
United Church
www.humbercrest.ca
416-767-6122
Steinway Grand
Available
Sessions as
short as 4 hours
If you can read this,
thank a music teacher.
MosePianoForAll.com
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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS!
December’s Child is?
Brian Current
Brian’s full interview appears
on page 78.
New Music Concerts’ third concert of
the season is “Serious Smile” directed
by Brian Current, on Thursday
February 13, 8pm (with an introductory
chat at 7:15pm) at Harbourfront
Centre Theatre. “We showcase the
future of NMC by celebrating talented
young composers and the latest in
mind-blowing technology. We top it
off with the stellar Chamber Concerto
(1970) by Gyorgy Ligeti. If you have
not heard this piece live, this is your
chance!” MARY LOUIS
and CHRISTIAN
MUELLER each win a
pair of tickets.
But meanwhile, you can hear the
RCM Glenn Gould School’s New Music
Ensemble concert “For Michael
Colgrass” on Sunday, January 19,
at 1pm in Mazzoleni Concert Hall,
curated and conducted by Brian
Current. In honour of Colgrass they
will play a world premiere of Bestiary
I & II by Bekah Simms for soprano,
ensemble and electronics; Gabriel
Dharmoo’s the fog in our poise; and
the North American premiere of
Aguas Marinhas by Miguel Azguime.
The tickets to this concert are FREE,
but will go quickly. Get yours starting
Monday January 13!
thewholenote.com December 2019 / January 2020 | 77
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 77

December’s
Child is
Brian Current
I’m so grateful that my parents
made me practise – I still use the
piano in my work every day.
Composer and conductor Brian Current is co-artistic director,
along with Robert Aitken, of New Music Concerts and has been
composer adviser for the RCM’s 21C Music Festival. He’s the
director of the New Music Ensemble at the RCM Glenn Gould School,
and the main conductor for Continuum Contemporary Music.
As a conductor he leads a wide range of 20th/21st century repertoire,
and is the champion of close to a hundred works by Canadian
composers including commissioned premieres by Linda Catlin Smith,
Brian Harman, Christopher Mayo, Bekah Simms, So Jeong Ahn,
Andrew Staniland, Alice Ho and many others.
Current’s compositions are programmed frequently by major
professional orchestras, opera companies and ensembles across
Canada and internationally. The Naxos recording of his opera Airline
Icarus won the 2015 JUNO Award, Classical Composition of the
Year. He was the inaugural winner of the Azrieli Commissioning
Competition in 2016. Current’s 2017 opera, Missing, with Métis
playwright Marie Clements, is about Canada’s missing and
murdered Indigenous women. Missing has just completed a tour
of Victoria, Regina, and Prince George and was featured on our
November 2019 cover.
Current was born in London Ontario, and grew up in Ottawa
with his older brother Grant and younger sister Catherine. “Both my
parents and siblings are very musical. My parents still sing in the
Ottawa Choral Society. They may be its longest-serving members. My
Dad played Gershwin and Chopin at our living-room piano, and my
Mom still plays piano in retirement homes around Ottawa.”
If a friendly child asks what your job is? I draw the music so people
know what to play. I also wave my arms so people know when and
how to play it.
Where did hearing music fit into your life, growing up? In the car
with my parents. Listening to my 80s cassette Walkman while delivering
The Globe and Mail (before 7am! Ottawa winter!) as a teenager.
Your very first recollection of making up music yourself? Trying
to fake out my mom by pretending to practise Mozart and Beethoven,
but rather attempting (poorly) to improvise in that style. She knew.
First instruments other than your own voice? Piano, guitar and
euphonium.
A first music teacher? I’d go to the home of Karen Sutherland who
was a fantastic local teacher with a half-dozen children of her own.
Early collaborative experiences? My first ensemble experience was
as a choirboy at Christchurch Cathedral where the starting salary was
$2.10 per week.
After high school? I didn’t know that formal composition as an art
form was a thing, but I nevertheless somehow convinced my parents
that I should study piano and composition, rather than commerce,
at McGill.
When did composing music arise? I knew before high school that I
wanted to compose but didn’t know about any existing practices until
John Rea inspiringly introduced the composition world to us in a third
year undergrad introduction class at McGill.
When did you first conduct? I wrote a piece for tenor, bassoon,
overtone singing, bowed banjo and piano and needed to put it
together for a concert, and just did it. The first time conducting professional
musicians was the National Arts Centre Orchestra in my 20s
and it was terrifying but a huge learning experience.
Experiences that formed your adult musical appetites? When I
was in the Ottawa Youth Choir, we performed Michael Colgrass’ The
Earth’s A Baked Apple which was like music from another planet at
the time, and in retrospect was a fantastic introduction to contemporary
music.
When did you began to think of yourself as a career musician?
I still don’t know about this. It remains a struggle. We should all ask
ourselves every five years if this life is for us.
Ever think you would do something else? My secret other fantasy
job is to be a political journalist in foreign countries for Harpers, The
Atlantic, NPR.
Music-making in your own family today? My three kids take piano
and violin, but I don’t push them to be professional musicians. More, I
would just like them to get a glimpse of the world that I work in daily
and love. When the kids were little – one still is – we would listen to
Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, or the Goldberg Variations every night
as they went to sleep. We would listen to the same pieces for years and
not get tired of them.
What should we say to parents/grandparents hoping their young
children will grow up to love and make music? They won’t regret it if
they take music lessons, or if they are introduced to great works.
UPCOMING
Brian Current is a proud Toronto resident who bikes around to
rehearsals. He has three kids, a ridiculously accomplished wife
and a small white dog. Outside of music he enjoys time with his
kids, reading, travel and playing (but not watching) hockey.
For January 19 (21C Festival at Mazzolini Hall), and
February 13 (New Music Concerts at Harbourfront), please see
“Congratulations to our Winners!” on page 77
On May 7 we bring the Glenn Gould School ensemble to the
movies, performing with an orchestra alongside projected film
and moving images, in collaboration with the Toronto Images
Festival. It’s free!
Look out for a new opera about Glenn Gould climbing along the
inner wall of The Royal Conservatory, way up in the air, as part of
the 21C Festival in January 2021.
There has been some OAC funding and other interest in producing
a recording of my oratorio The River of Light, a full evening
work for choir, orchestra and soloists that premiered in Vancouver
last May. It looks at Dante’s vision of “light in the form of a river”
from the point of view of writers across Canada from different
backgrounds: Jewish, Chinese, Indigenous, secular, Christian,
Islamic and Hindu. We’re planning to record it with the Amadeus
Choir and a local orchestra.
78 | December 2019 / January 2020 thewholenote.com

DISCOVERIES | RECORDINGS REVIEWED
DAVID OLDS
Having retired from my day job at New Music Concerts and
recently undergone knee replacement surgery which involves
an extended recovery, I have found myself lately with a luxury
of leisure time. This has given me the opportunity to listen in more
depth to the discs I select for my own column. It has also enabled me
to select a bumper crop to write about, without however, providing
any extra space in which to do so. With apologies to the artists, I will
try to keep my assessments brief.
In my formative years, while immersing
myself in the music of the 20th century, I set
out to collect recordings of all the works of
Arnold Schoenberg and Béla Bartók.
Schoenberg proved to be the greater challenge,
because in those days there was not
yet a definitive collection of his oeuvre, so I
had to gather the recordings wherever I
could. The quest for Bartók was simplified by a comprehensive
Complete Edition Bartók Béla issued in 33 volumes by the Hungaroton
label. It was there that I first encountered the quintet for string quartet
and piano dating from 1904, an unpublished student work that
although well received at its first performance, was later withdrawn
by the composer. I was pleased to receive a new recording of the
youthful work on Veress – String Trio; Bartók – Piano Quintet
featuring violinists Vilde Frang and Barnabás Kelemen, violists
Lawrence Power and Katalin Kokas, cellist Nicolas Altstaedt and
pianist Alexander Lonquich (ALPHA 458 alpha-classics.com).
Frankly, the disappointment I had felt on my initial encounter some
decades ago was confirmed upon re-listening to the quintet. Although
I’m sure purists would not agree, to my ear the accomplished and
virtuosic work would be more at home in Brahms’ catalogue than in
Bartók’s. It shows a masterful control of late-Romantic-period
nuances and exuberant bombast, especially in the czardas of the final
movement, but none of the subtlety of the night music, nor the
harmonic and rhythmic complexity of later Bartók. I was pleased to
find that the music of Sándor Veress (1907-1992), who was a piano
student of Bartók and later his assistant at the Hungarian Academy of
Sciences, fits better into my idea of what modern Hungarian music
should sound like. The trio dates from 1954 and incorporates
Schoenberg’s 12-tone method of composition, thus providing a
convincing hybrid of the styles of two of my favourite composers.
Veress’ music was a welcome discovery for me, and I look forward to
hearing more of this under-sung composer.
Tchaikovsky & Babajanian features violinist
Vadim Gluzman, pianist Yevgeny Sudbin
and Canadian-born cellist Johannes Moser
(BIS-2372 SACD bis.se). The bread and
butter of this disc is the Tchaikovsky Piano
Trio in A Minor, Op.50 which receives a
stellar performance, amply illustrating the
points addressed in the comprehensive liner
notes by Horst A. Scholz. But of more
interest is the Piano Trio from 1952 by Armenian composer Arno
Babajanian (1921-1983) who was previously unknown to me. The work
is both rooted in the Romantic world of Rachmaninoff and imbued
with folkloristic flourishes from Babajanian’s native land. The notes
point out that it was written under the constraints of the Stalin regime
and go on to say that after Stalin’s death in 1953, Babajanian’s style
opened up to embrace atonality, aleatoric music and microtonality,
among other modern techniques. It makes me wish we were
presented with a later example of his work, but my preferences
notwithstanding, this is a solid composition that holds its own in a
crowded field of late-Romantic chamber music, and once again the
performance is committed and convincing. The “encore” piece on this
CD is Sudbin’s trio arrangement of the Tango from Alfred Schnittke’s
Concerto Grosso No.1 for two violins, harpsichord and strings from
1976, which draws this eclectic disc to a somewhat tongue-in-cheek
conclusion.
This year saw the passing of numerous
cultural icons, but two in particular are
brought together on Kira Braun’s new
disc Mosaic (Centaur Records CRC 3779
centaurrecords.com), Glenn Gould Prizewinner
André Previn and Nobel Prize
Laureate Toni Morrison. Previn first set the
poetry of Morrison in the cycle Honey and
Rue in 1992 for soprano Kathleen Battle,
jazz trio and symphony orchestra. Two years later he went to the well
once more, to set Four Songs for the more modest forces of soprano,
cello and piano. On this disc Braun is joined by cellist Kirk Starkey
and pianist Linda Ippolito in performances recorded February 23,
2019 just three days before Previn’s death at the age of 89. Morrison
died just six months later making this an apt memorial tribute,
although that was not the intention of the recording. Braun’s voice is
well suited to the dark opening poem Mercy, the wistful Shelter and
the concluding poem The Lacemaker, but I wish there was a little
nsemble
ivant
latin romance
With Special Guests: Don Thompson, O.C., Kevin Turcotte, Luisito Orbegoso and Juan Carlos Medrano
LATEST CD AVAILABLE NOW
“... wonderful collection by Ensemble Vivant. The music leaps off the page in these
performances, which are joyful, attentive to detail, and interpretively clairvoyant.
The musicians in the ensemble are individually brilliant and, collectively, greater than
the sum of their parts. Thank you Catherine Wilson and Ensemble Vivant...”
Phil Dwyer C.M., J.D.
Noted Canadian Jazz Musician
ensemblevivant.com
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 79

more edge to the brash and boastful Stones. Starkey’s cello is warm
and lyrical throughout and Ippolito’s accompaniment balanced and
tasteful. Although Braun’s diction is clear, I wish the texts had been
included, along with some information about the composer and poet,
their fame notwithstanding. The disc concludes with Previn’s Vocalise
written for, and first recorded by, Sylvia McNair and Yo-Yo Ma with the
composer at the piano in 1995. It makes a beautiful conclusion to this
all-too-brief, 22-minute tribute.
Concert note: Kira Braun is featured in the Salvation Army’s
Christmas Gala at Roy Thomson Hall on December 14.
One disc I’ll certainly not be able to do
justice in this limited space is guitarist
Daniel Lippel’s double CD Mirrored Spaces
(FCR239 NewFocusRecordings.com). I
would normally be daunted by the prospect
of two and a half hours of solo guitar music,
but to my delight Lippel has produced such
a diverse program that I didn’t notice the
time passing. First and foremost, let me state
that although he is a truly accomplished classical guitarist, from the
dozen composers represented here, there are very few offerings that
would be at home on a traditional Spanish guitar recital. Even in
pieces such as Lippel’s own Reflected with its quasi-Renaissance feel,
our equilibrium is thrown off-kilter by rapid microtonal passages. A
number of the pieces involve electronics, live or otherwise. One that
particularly struck me was Christopher Bailey’s Arc of Infinity in
which I found myself wondering “What if?” the subtle electronic part
was transcribed for live cimbalom – how different would that piece
be? At any rate, it is extremely effective. While most of the recital is
played on a traditional nylon string acoustic guitar, a number of tracks
employ an electric instrument, from the gentle harmonics of Sidney
Corbett’s Detroit Rain Song Graffiti, to the distortion, feedback and
note bending of Lippel’s concluding Scaffold (live). Interspersed
throughout the two discs are the nine movements of Kyle Bartlett’s
Aphorisms, all using a traditional Spanish guitar, but utilizing a
number of extended techniques. If you think you already know what a
guitar sounds like, or think that a double CD would be a bit “much of
a muchness,” I urge you to check out this remarkable disc.
Last month I wrote about Rebecca Clarke’s
Viola Sonata, and the controversy it caused
at the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge-sponsored
competition where the judges considered
that such a beautiful piece “could not have
been written” by a woman. This month
Clarke has reappeared on my desk with
another work that also was a runner-up in
that Berkshire Festival of Chamber Music
Competition, the Trio from 1921. Her Voice
features the Neave Trio playing works by Clarke, Amy Marcy Cheney
Beach (1867-1944) and Louise Farrenc (1804-1875) (Chandos CHAN
20139 naxosdirect.com/). Although Clarke (1886-1979) was a generation
younger than Beach, her trio was written 17 years before that
of her older colleague. Beach’s Trio, Op.150 was a mature work,
written in late-Romantic style while showing the influence of French
Impressionism. French composer Farrenc on the other hand, whose
Trio No.1 Op.33 dates from 1843, writes in a much more Germanic
fashion, honouring the genre’s origins with Haydn, and more specifically
the music of Beethoven. As a matter of fact, as an amateur who
has enjoying playing Beethoven trios, I feel that Farrenc’s is a welcome
contribution to the repertoire and I’m glad that it has come to light.
Kudos to the Neave Trio for continuing to bring lesser-known works
to life in sparkling fashion.
Two more composers previously unknown to me appear on the
next disc, Piano Concertos by Dora Bright and Ruth Gipps (Somm
Recordings SOMMCD 273 somm-recordings.com/). Both English,
Bright lived from 1862-1951 and Gipps from 1921-1999. Bright
was an accomplished and celebrated pianist of whom Liszt said
“Mademoiselle, vous jouez a merveille!”
and who was described by George Bernard
Shaw as “a thorough musician.” In 1888
she became that first woman awarded the
Lucas Medal for Composition, and, after
leaving the Academy of Music in London,
established herself as a double threat,
performing her own Concerto in A Minor at
the Crystal Palace in 1891. That impressive
work is featured in its first recording on this disc with Samantha Ward
as soloist.
Gipps was also a stellar pianist, celebrated as a child prodigy both as
performer and composer. A hand injury thwarted her performing
career, but she then focused on composition and added conducting to
her portfolio, becoming the first notable British woman in the field
and founding several orchestras. She went on to produce five
symphonies and several significant concerted works. Her Piano
Concerto in G Minor dates from immediately after the Second World
War and Ambarvalia, Op.70 is from 1988. Both are performed with
conviction by Murray McLachlan. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
Orchestra’s nuanced performances on this important disc are directed
by Charles Peebles.
Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957) was
another child prodigy. Born in Vienna, his
ballet Der Schneemann (The Snowman)
caused a sensation when he was just 11, and
his Second Piano Sonata, written at 13, was
played throughout Europe by Artur
Schnabel. At 21 his opera Der Tote Stadt (The
Dead City) was produced in Hamburg and
Cologne. Korngold composed a wealth of
concert music and six operas, but is best known for the Hollywood
film scores he wrote following an invitation to America from director
Max Reinhardt in 1934. He stayed in Hollywood for the duration of
WWII, and never returned to his homeland. Although his film scores
were a huge success, revolutionizing the field along with Max Steiner
and Alfred Newman, his later concert music was dismissed by the
critics and cognoscenti of the time who were by then focused on the
post-war avant-garde doctrines of Boulez and Stockhausen. The
Symphony Op.40, was begun in 1947 while on vacation in Canada
and completed in 1952. With its lush orchestration, rich melodic
content and cinematic scope, the symphony was rejected by the
cultural powers that were, and was not revived until the 1970s when
Korngold’s star began to rise again. Korngold: Symphony in F Sharp;
Theme and Variations; Straussiana is a new recording on the Chandos
label featuring Sinfonia of London under John Wilson (CHSA 5220
naxosdirect.com/). It is a stunning realization of the symphony, but
unfortunately I find the companion pieces – one written for school
orchestra and the other a pastiche – to be just too much fluff. But the
symphony is well worth the price of admission.
The final disc is a little strange in that it
no longer exists as such. Daisy DeBolt –
Ride Into the Sunset was a limited edition
archival collection produced by George
Koller for a memorial tribute to DeBolt
at Hugh’s Room back in 2011. Although
perhaps best known as half of the iconic
Canadian acid-folk duo Fraser & DeBolt,
active in the late 1960s and early 1970s,
DeBolt’s career continued as a solo artist active on the concert stage,
composing for the National Film Board and participating in various
theatrical productions throughout her lifetime. The recordings
included in this compilation date from as early as 1971 – a track with
Allan Fraser, presumably an outtake from their first album – right
up to four tracks from 2008 co-written with Koller. There’s a 1975
DeBolt composition which she later choreographed for Ballet Ys, and
eight tracks from the 1989 cassette-only release Dreams Cost Money.
This latter features a number of familiar names including Robert
80 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

David (woodwinds), David Woodhead (bass), Brent Titcomb (vocal
and percussion), Chris Whitely (trumpet), Zeke Mazurek (violin) and
Scott Irvine (tuba) to name but a few. Fraser & DeBolt were a formative
influence on me and it is a great pleasure to discover this trove of
material as a reminder of just how innovative DeBolt was. Last month
DeBolt’s estate decided to reissue Ride Into the Sunset digitally. It is
available on all the major platforms, including iTunes, Apple Music,
Spotify, Pandora and CD Baby.
We invite submissions. CDs, DVDs and comments should be sent
to: DISCoveries, WholeNote Media Inc., The Centre for Social
Innovation, 503 – 720 Bathurst St. Toronto ON M5S 2R4.
David Olds, DISCoveries Editor
discoveries@thewholenote.com
STRINGS
ATTACHED
TERRY ROBBINS
Space restrictions make it difficult to fully
describe Time & Eternity, the remarkable
new CD from the brilliant and visionary
violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja with
Camerata Bern (Alpha Classics ALPHA
545 naxosdirect.com). This is the fifth in a
series of “staged concerts,” a concept that
Kopatchinskaja has been developing since
2016, and her second with this ensemble, of which she has been
artistic director since autumn 2018.
Described as “music made out of the blood and tears of tortured
souls,” the core works are the Concerto funèbre by Karl Amadeus
Hartmann, written in 1939 in response to the Nazi outrages,
and Frank Martin’s violin concerto Polyptyque, inspired by six
14th-century altar panels of the Passion of Christ.
That barely scratches the surface of a continuous performance that
often feels like a religious service: there’s John Zorn’s solemn and moving
Kol Nidre; contributions by cantors and Polish and Russian Orthodox
priests; song; and, around and between the six Polyptyque movements,
the Kyrie from Machaut’s Messe de Nostre Dame, transcriptions of five
Bach chorales and – in place of the Crucifixion panel that Martin omitted
– Luboš Fišer’s pain-laden Crux for violin, timpani and bells.
It’s an enthralling and emotional journey from the opening spoken
Kol Nidre to the fading tolling bell of the final track, with faultless
performances from all involved.
The Canadian violinist Olivier Brault
is Professor of Baroque Violin at McGill
University and has been active in the
Baroque music world for over 30 years.
In 2007 he completed a doctorate on
French music for violin and figured bass,
so it’s no surprise to find that his new CD,
Boismortier Sonates pour Violon Op.20,
beautifully performed here by Sonate 1704,
the ensemble Brault formed in 2003 with Dorothéa Ventura on harpsichord
and Mélisande Corriveau on bass viol, is an absolute gem
(Analekta AN 2 8769 analekta.com/en).
The six sonatas by the French composer Joseph Bodin de
Boismortier were published in Paris in 1727, and while they show the
increasing influence of Italian violin playing, the French style is still
much in evidence, especially in the use of dance movements, with
Giga, Corrente, Gavotta, Allemande and Sarabanda accounting for
more than half of the movements.
Warm, sparkling playing of richly inventive works makes for an
immensely satisfying CD.
You can always count on violinist Christian Tetzlaff for something
insightful and challenging, and so it proves
to be again in Beethoven and Sibelius Violin
Concertos, his new CD with Robin Ticciati
and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester
Berlin (Ondine ODE 1334-2 naxos.com/).
Tetzlaff has recorded both concertos
before, but clearly feels he has more to say –
or to add, perhaps – this time around. Quite
striking, given our being accustomed to the
Auer, Joachim and Kreisler cadenzas, is the use of the first movement
cadenza with added timpani that Beethoven wrote for his transcription
for piano and orchestra, as well as cadenzas and ornamentation
by Beethoven in the other two movements (again presumably backsourced
from the piano version, as there were none in the original
violin score), although Tetzlaff says in the booklet conversation that he
has never done it differently.
Insightful comments on both the Beethoven and Sibelius help to
illuminate his approach to their performance and both the physical
and intellectual demands. The performers are clearly of one mind in
engrossing, intelligent and deeply satisfying performances.
Annabelle Berthomé-Reynolds is the soloist
on Bacewicz Complete Violin Sonatas,
with pianist Ivan Donchev joining her
in a 2-CD recital of works by the Polish
composer Grażyna Bacewicz (muso
mu-032 muso.mu).
Bacewicz was an outstanding violinist
as well as a more than capable pianist, and
numbered seven violin concertos, seven string quartets and concertos
for piano, viola and cello in her output. The five numbered sonatas for
violin and piano span the period 1945-1951, with the Partita for Violin
and Piano following in 1955. All display a high level of both structural
assurance and familiarity with the technical and expressive potential
of the instruments.
There are also two powerful Sonatas for Solo Violin – the clearly
Bach-inspired No.1 from 1941, written in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, and
the quite progressive No.2 from 1958, with its haunting Adagio and
What we’re listening to this month:
Surefire Sweat
" ... toe-tapping rhythms and
powerful melodic lines delivered
by a strong horn section, Surefire
Sweat is a worthy addition to the
world of world beats"
- Jazz Journal, UK. Album launch
at the Small World Music Centre,
Toronto, January 31st!
A Cheerful Little Earful
Diana Panton
Sweet, sparkling gems from the
Great American Songbook and
children's classics from Sesame
Street to Walt Disney.
Next performance: Registry
Theatre in Kitchener, Feb. 8th.
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 81

ief but dazzlingly virtuosic final Prelude, described in the excellent
booklet notes as a “breathtaking frenzy of double-note glissandi
spiccato.”
Engrossing performances make for an exceptional set.
Another exceptional 2-CD set of complete
works is Miecysław Weinberg Complete
Sonatas for Solo Viola in quite superb
performances by Viacheslav Dinerchtein
(Solo Musica SM 310 naxosdirect.com).
The four numbered sonatas were
composed between 1971 and 1983, and are
issued here in a centenary edition in celebration
of the 100th anniversary of the composer’s birth.
Weinberg’s music continues to be reassessed and promoted, and
outstanding releases like this one will clearly help to cement his
standing in 20th-century music.
The American violinist Tessa Lark makes
a stunning solo CD debut with Fantasy, a
selection of fantasies and rhapsodies from
four centuries (First hand Records FHR86
firsthandrecords.com).
Three of Telemann’s 12 Fantasias for Solo
Violin – No.1 in B-flat, No.4 in D and No.5
in A – are spread throughout the disc, with
Lark’s own Appalachian Fantasy providing
a breathtaking display of virtuosic fiddling in her native Kentucky
tradition, reworking the Schubert song that opens his Fantasie in C
Major and melding it with tunes from Appalachia. Pianist Amy Yang
joins Lark for an outstanding performance of the Schubert Fantasie,
as well as for Fritz Kreisler’s Viennese Rhapsodic Fantasietta – Lark
producing ravishing tone and perfect style – and a simply dazzling and
passionate performance of Ravel’s Tzigane – Rhapsodie de concert.
It’s a recital of the highest calibre.
Cellist Yorick-Alexander Abel is outstanding
in Hommage à Pablo Casals, a program
honouring the legendary Catalan cellist
(Naxos 8.551418 naxos.com).
Two of Abel’s own improvisations –
Prélude “Lampes de Sagesse” (Lamps of
Wisdom) from 2000 and Prélude “Sagesse
Amérindienne” (Native American Wisdom)
from 2010 – frame a fine performance of
Bach’s Suite in G Major BWV1007.
The Suite Per Violoncel Sol “A Pau Casals” is a striking work
in remembrance of his older brother written by Casals’ violinist/
composer younger brother in 1973, the year of Pablo’s death. Arthur
Honegger’s brief Paduana from 1945 and Pablo Casals’ own Cant dels
Ocells (Song of the Birds), based on a Catalan Christmas song, round
out a memorable CD.
There are two excellent string quartet CDs from Alpha Classics this
month, both featuring Mozart’s String Quartet No.15 in D Minor K421
and with little to choose between them.
Quatuor Voce is the ensemble on Mozart
Schubert Quartets Nos.15, the Mozart paired
with Schubert’s String Quartet No.15 in G
Major D887 in recordings made with a mix
of live concert and studio sessions – not that
you can tell (ALPHA 559 outhere-music.
com/en). There’s a warm, measured opening
to the Mozart, a work often played with a
stress on the inner turmoil of this significant key for Mozart – the key
of Don Giovanni, the Piano Concerto No.20 K466 and the Requiem.
There’s passion here though, albeit implied rather than explicit, with
the hint of despair always restrained.
The same sensitivity and depth is equally evident in the monumental
Schubert quartet.
On the Quatuor Van Kuijk’s MOZART
the K421 quartet is paired with the String
Quartet No.14 in G Major K387 and the
Divertimento in F Major K138, the latter
in its original form for four solo strings
(ALPHA 551 outhere-music.com/en).
The D-minor quartet leans more towards
the dramatic here than in the Quatuor Voce
performance, with less vibrato, more articulation
and dynamic contrast and more overt anguish – in the final
chords, for instance. There’s never a shortage of warmth, however, and
the same qualities are evident in a vibrant performance of the K387
G-major work.
Violinist Ilya Gringolts and cellist Dmitry
Kouzov are the performers on Eisler Ravel
Widman Duos, a CD that features two
20th-century works and one from the 21st
(Delos DE 3556 delosmusic.com).
Hans Eisler studied with Arnold
Schoenberg, and the latter’s influence can
be heard in the brief two-movement Duo
for Violin and Cello Op.7 from 1924, albeit
with the 12-tone approach given a softer and
more audience-friendly treatment.
The central work on the disc is the two-volume 24 Duos for Violin
and Cello from 2008 by the German composer Jörg Widmann. Nine
of the pieces are under one minute in length and the longest only just
over three minutes, but the double stopping and special effects present
technical difficulties that bring brilliant playing from Gringolts and
Kouzov in music that is challenging but always interesting. With
Widmann himself saying “Sensational!!! You understand every fibre of
my music” about the performances, these world-premiere recordings
can be considered definitive.
A fine reading of Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Cello from 1922
completes a fine CD.
The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and
their concertmaster Margaret Batjer perform
concertante works for violin from across
three centuries on Jalbert & Bach Violin
Concertos, with Jeffrey Kahane conducting
(BIS-2309 bis.se).
The 2017 two-movement Violin Concerto
by the American composer Pierre Jalbert
was co-commissioned by the LACO and is
heard here in a world-premiere recording. The violin’s lyrical qualities
are fully exploited from the quiet and ethereal opening through the
rhythmic contrasts of the energy-filled second movement.
Bach’s Violin Concerto In A Minor BWV1041 follows in a solid
performance, and the disc closes with two 20th-century works by
Baltic composers: Arvo Pärt’s Fratres, written in 1977 and heard here
in the composer’s own 1992 arrangement for violin, string orchestra
and percussion; and Pēteris Vasks’ quite beautiful Lonely Angel, a
2006 re-working of the final movement from his 1999 Fourth String
Quartet. Batjer shows gorgeous tone and control in a solo line written
mostly in the highest register.
The excellent cellist Martin Rummel is back
with Volume 2 of Ferdinand Ries Complete
Works for Cello with pianist Stefan
Stroissnig (Naxos 8.573851 naxos.com).
Volume 1 is available on Naxos 8.57726.
Ries left a sizeable œuvre of over 200
compositions on his death in 1838, few of
which are remembered. Included here are:
the Cello Sonata in C Minor WoO2 from
1799, one of the earliest of its genre and written when Ries was only
15; the Trois Aires Russes Variés Op.72 from 1812; the Introduction
and a Russian Dance Op.113 No.1 and the Cello Sonata in F Major
82 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

Op.34, both from 1823. Eric Lamb is the flutist in the 1815 Trio for
Flute, Cello and Piano in E-flat Major Op.63.
Violinist Emmanuele Baldini and pianist Karin Fernandes perform
sonatas by two leading figures in Brazilian classical music at the turn
of the last century on Miguez and Velásquez Sonatas in the Naxos
Music of Brazil series (8.574118 naxos.com/).
The Sonata No.1 for Violin and Piano, “Delirio” from 1909 and the
Sonata No.2 for Violin and Piano from 1911 by Glauco Velásquez, who
was only 30 when he died in 1914, are really attractive works with a
warm Latin feel. The Sonata for Violin and
Piano Op.14 by Leopoldo Miguez (1850-
1902) is from 1885, and while it feels structurally
stronger than the Velásquez works
and more in the standard 19th-century
sonata mode, it also has less of a Latin feel.
Baldini’s playing is radiant and idiomatic,
with Fernandes particularly brilliant
in the demanding piano writing in the
Miguez sonata.
Keyed In
Scarlatti – 52 Sonatas
Lucas Debargue
Sony Classical 19075944462 (lucasdebargue.com)
!!
When the jury at the 2015 International
Tchaikovsky Competition placed French
pianist Lucas Debargue fourth (which was
actually sixth, since the second and third
prizes were each shared by two contestants),
the outrage was predictable. For it was
Debargue who had won over the audience
– and the critics – with his dazzling mix of
brilliant technique and poetic sensibility.
In any case, Debargue’s career has flourished.
In January he’ll make his third appearance at Koerner Hall in
Toronto. And Sony has just released his fifth recording, a four-disc
set of sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti, the innovative Italian Baroque
composer who was born in 1685 – the very same year as Bach and
Handel – and spent his later, most productive, years at the royal courts
in Portugal and Spain.
These short works are fundamental to the repertoire of harpsichordists.
Though heard less often in piano recitals, they have been championed
by pianists from Vladimir Horowitz and Alicia de Laroccha to
András Schiff, Glenn Gould and Angela Hewitt. Many last just three or
four minutes, even with Scarlatti’s repeats. But they have the impact
of much grander works. Debargue’s selection of 52 sonatas represents
less than a tenth of the 555 that Scarlatti wrote. But that’s four hours
of some of the most glorious keyboard music ever written.
What we're listening to this month:
Scarlatti, a virtuoso harpsichordist, wrote these sonatas to play
on his own instrument. So Debargue, ever mindful of the perils of
playing them on a piano, makes minimal use of one of the piano’s
most valued assets, the sustaining pedal. As a result, he is able to
weave textures of delectable lightness and harpsichord-like clarity. But
right from the first – and longest – work here, K206, Debargue makes
full use of other resources offered by the piano to create an orchestrascale
range of colours and a variety of textures not possible on the
earlier instrument. In K115 he highlights Scarlatti’s alluring harmonic
shifts by shaping the broken chords and chromatic scales with
dramatic crescendos and diminuendos. He does rush the tempo at
times, though there are definite payoffs. K25, which is marked allegro,
becomes more dramatic at his presto tempo, with the exquisite
melodic lines emerging magically. I especially enjoy his bold use of
rubato throughout. His ornaments are gorgeous, especially in episodic
works like K268, though they can disrupt the pulse and prevent the
Iberian rhythms from dancing.
The way Debargue combines the clarity of the harpsichord with
the expressive power of the piano is fresh, imaginative and invariably
enjoyable – a thoroughly modern approach to these exquisite works.
Pamela Margles
Concert Note: Show One presents Lucas Debargue at Koerner Hall on
January 16 in a recital which will include sonatas by Scarlatti.
Bach – The Well-Tempered Clavier I & II
Heidrun Holtmann
Musicaphon M56922 (cantate-musicaphon.de)
!!
The Well-Tempered Clavier compositions have always represented
a sanctuary of sorts for me; a sonic space for contemplation and stillness,
unaffected by the fast pace of modern living, and a doorway
to a singular notion of the reciprocity between the laws of music
and the cosmos. A collection of two sets of preludes and fugues in
24 major and minor keys for solo keyboard, it is also a wonderfully
thewholenote.com/listening
Mosaic
Kira Braun, Kirk Starkey,
Linda Ippolito
André Previn's Four Songs &
Vocalise are intimately brought to
life by soprano Kira Braun, along
with Kirk Starkey, cello, and Linda
Ippolito, piano.
Mirrored Spaces
Daniel Lippel
Guitarist Daniel Lippel releases
Mirrored Spaces, an eclectic
double album of premieres for solo
classical and electric guitar, some
with electronics.
Her Voice
Neave Trio
Neave Trio’s Her Voice honors
three distinguished women
composers and features a wide
range of voices - Louise Farrenc,
Amy Beach, Rebecca Clarke.
Mozart: Sonatas K 283,
K 282, K 280, K 517
David Fung
David Fung makes his Steinway
label debut with four Mozart
sonatas: three early and one late,
demonstrating sensitive and lyrical
interpretations of Mozart's music.
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 83

useful treatise on the forms and style of
Baroque times.
The Well-Tempered Clavier is structurally
complex and creatively abundant, yet orderly
and conceived with a teaching purpose in
mind. And that is precisely what Heidrun
Holtmann connects to in her interpretation –
the magnificent architecture that varies from
one key to another comes alive vibrantly on
this album. She clearly outlines the relationships
between preludes and fugues and subtly indicates the different
characters of each key (not an easy task in a well-tempered tuning).
Although the term clavier applied to a number of keyboard instruments
in Bach’s time (hammerklavier, clavichord, spinet, harpsichord
and organ) and it is clear that some of the pieces are better suited to
a specific kind of keyboard, Holtmann succeeds easily in displaying
how the richness and diversity of the piano supports and enriches the
colours in the preludes and the virtuosity in the fugues.
Compositional masterpiece, insightful performance – perfect for
solitary late autumn musings.
Ivana Popovich
Haydn – Early and Late Sonatas
Denis Levaillant
DLM Editions DLM 3018 (denislevaillant.net)
!!
The keyboard sonatas of Franz Joseph
Haydn represent a great feat of an opus, broad
in range, dating from the composer’s youthful
period to his final decades. The early 1790s –
about 15 years before his death – saw Haydn in
London, where he encountered new-fangled
Broadwood pianos, outfitted with damper
pedal and an extended range. Three irresistibly
inventive London Sonatas were spawned.
Today, so often are these late Beethovenian sonatas performed and celebrated
that a listener rarely hears Haydn’s early essays for the keyboard,
even in our contemporary age of rediscovery, mining the catalogues of
infamous composers for their un-famous works.
French composer, writer and pianist, Denis Levaillant, celebrates
Haydn’s early works – as foil to later ones – in his new disc featuring
Sonatas No.13 in E, No.14 in D, No.41 in B-flat, No.48 in C, No.49 in
E-flat and No.51 in D, all recorded on a modern (Yamaha) grand.
As is stipulated in the artist’s eloquent afterword to the liner notes,
Levaillant has chosen to access the interpretive world of Haydn’s early
sonatas through the stylistic lens of the later ones. He imagines (and
supplements) “missing” indications from the composer and offers
touches of pedal, pauses and anachronistic colours.
The results are satisfying, for the most part. A correlative access point for
Levaillant’s readings is the functionality of early keyboard instruments: the
harpsichord and clavichord. Sonatas Nos.13 and 14 most surely would have
been realized on such instruments and Levaillant approaches the music
with a certitude of form and fortitude of style that permeate the disc’s 15
tracks. The slightly rough and tumble edges – the rustic origins – of Franz
Joseph Haydn’s art are brought into relief through Levaillant’s rendering.
Adam Sherkin
Mozart Piano Sonatas
David Fung
Steinway & Sons 30107 (steinway.com/music-and-artists/label)
!!
Steinway artist David Fung offers four
lesser-known piano sonatas on his new
album: the Piano Sonatas No.2 in F Major,
K280, No.4 in E-flat, K282, No.5 in G Major,
K283 and No.17 in B-flat, K570. Upon first
hearing, Fung’s vision of Mozart’s keyboard
music is immediately apparent. The (scant)
liner notes make much of Fung’s musical
upbringing and exposure to the opera – the Mozartian operatic
stage in particular – but these references seem status quo and rather
obvious in analogy; the comparisons do not quite do justice to Fung’s
interpretive approach.
His is a unique and bold reading. Often, contemporaneous interpreters
attempt to subdue their own (romantic) leanings, fearing
to obscure the ideals of neoclassicalism as manifested in the music
of W.A. Mozart. Fung, however, has no such qualms. He portrays a
pianistic tableau of striking contrasts, unusual voicings and wanton
manipulation of the dimension of time.
Employing a declamatory style, Fung directs the musical action
from his keyboard with a strong command of phrasing and rhythmic
impetus. He goes far beyond the customary approach to pulsation and
accompaniment figures, in search of an inner energy of syncopated
beats and subtle ostinati.
Upon repetition of A and B sections, Fung offers fresh takes on
voicings that surprise the listener, challenging established conceptions
of such material. By far his boldest strokes come in the form of timescale
bending: the stretching out of rests, fermati and cadences, as
he pushes values to the limit of neoclassical good taste. The resultant
effect is generally pleasurable but does, on occasion, turn to parody.
Notwithstanding, variety is the spice of life and let’s applaud Fung’s
triumph in delivering his singular vision.
Adam Sherkin
Mozart Piano Concertos Vol.1
Anne-Marie McDermott; Odense Symfoniorkester; Scott Yoo
Bridge Records 9518 (bridgerecords.com)
Mozart – Piano Concertos Nos.17 & 24
Orli Shaham; St. Louis Symphony Orchestra; David Robertson
Canary Classics CC18 (canaryclassics.com)
!!
Charm, grace and cordiality are fading
qualities in today’s hard-hitting, egodriven
age. Attributes from an older world
and its refined modes of human interaction
continue to recede from us, seemingly
destined for near extinction. Every
now and then, however, a specialized, sensitive
artist will draw us back, time-capsulelike,
to a continental European past where
art and music existed to elevate, illuminate
and beguile.
Ushering the listener toward this very world of period sensibility,
Anne-Marie McDermott’s most recent Mozart disc features two lesserknown
piano concerti, the Concerto in C, K415/387a and an earlier
work of the same genre, in B-flat, K238. McDermott’s exceedingly
good taste and technical prowess make for an ideal blend of musical
pleasantries, delighting the listener with her innate ability to shape
Mozartian lines, equal in parts lyrical, harmonic and rhythmic. This is
an 18th-century pianism of poise and courtliness, neoclassical
elegance and Viennese affability.
Another such record of Mozart keyboard
concerti hails from a collaboration between
pianist Orli Shaham and the St. Louis
Symphony, under the direction of David
Robertson. Here, two later concertos are
presented: the airy No.17 in G Major, K453
and the brooding No.24 in C Minor, K491.
Soundworlds apart, these pieces juxtapose
handsomely on disc, showcasing the
dazzling musicianship of pianist, conductor and orchestra with the
personal relationship between Shaham and Robertson clearly audible.
This fruitful partnership gleans splendour and lucidity from every
note; the conversational exchange between soloist and orchestra is
delectable – hefty at times – but largely cajoling in nature. Robertson
encourages his players to take their rightful place in crafting the
beauty of line and sculpting of colour that behooves the performance
84 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

of any Mozart concerto. Like McDermott, Shaham enlivens each
phrase with a graciousness and purpose, nearly anachronistic with its
old-fashioned aplomb.
Shaham’s readings of Mozartian slow movements are of particular
note. Her keen ear for colouristic novelty and lucid intonation
rewards the listener again and again. Both Shaham and Robertson
divine such a spirit of warmth – such love – from the heart of
Mozart’s art that even the most probing pundit or cantankerous
curmudgeon couldn’t help but be disarmed. What a thrill to hear
Mozart’s music expressed with such timeless insight and overarching
reverence for those inventive masterstrokes, born of another
time and place.
McDermott and Shaham, in league with conductors Scott Yoo and
David Robertson, are integral, generous artists who have conceived
these four concerti in a manner both simple and satisfying. In today’s
discographic landscape awash with record upon record of Mozart’s
piano music, here we meet an old school oasis of felicity and joy, on
par with the sublime Mozart interpretations that celebrated pianist
Emanuel Ax is so well known for. Such recordings highlight, for the
contemporary listener, the true nature and benefit of classical masterpieces,
penned by the hand of that perennial favourite of involuntary
geniuses: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Adam Sherkin
Schubert – The First Romantic
Mathieu Gaudet
Analekta AN 2 9181 (analekta.com/en/)
!!
In view of his broad-based career
Mathieu Gaudet should not be typecast, but
this CD certainly adds to his credentials as
a Schubert pianist. Consistency and longrange
projection of moods, whether meditative,
passionate or joyful, are required of
the artist. Consider what Gaudet writes of
the G Major Sonata (D894; 1826) finale: “The
coda strives for transcendence, giving the
impression of rising all the way to heaven.” I didn’t quite get that far
— but his recording I find very moving. In the opening movement,
with its sustained chords paced and balanced perfectly, this listener
became meditative. The contrasting dotted-rhythm episodes and huge,
anguished development section climax unfolded naturally; the long
(19-minute) movement that I dread hearing in superficial readings
achieved unforced inevitability here. Skipping the middle movements,
I’ll just mention the rustic Austrian charm in Gaudet’s playing of the
finale, with its festive character and bagpipe drones.
The early Schubert Sonata in F-sharp Minor (1817; its tangled
history is too complex for this review) begins like a lied with the
melody in plain octaves and the accompaniment figure’s rhythm
repeated — excessively. Some interesting harmonic twists hint at
what was to come from the prodigious composer. Gaudet convinces
in the attractive middle movements: a sweet Romance and folk-like
Scherzo and Trio. This disc is especially significant in view of plans for
Gaudet’s 12-disc box-set comprising Schubert’s complete sonatas plus
other major works, on the highly regarded Analekta label.
Roger Knox
First and Last Words
Yerin Kim
Sheva SH 217 (yerinkim.com)
! ! Yerin Kim’s new solo disc features
early and (very) late piano music by
Robert Schumann, plus two novel cycles
by Alfred Schnittke. Schumann’s “Abegg”
Variations, Op.1, opens the album: an
earnest curatorial choice and one that
sets a high standard of interpretive credibility
to impress the listener thereafter.
Kim’s playing is supple and clear with a
sincere directness of expression. Following
Schumann’s first opus, we greet the sturdy Allegro, Op.8 with
similar pianistic appreciation. Onwards to the last of Schumann’s
pieces: the Geistervariationen, (“Ghost Variations”) WoO 24 of 1854
were eerily written during the time leading up to the composer’s
admission into a mental asylum, ostensibly the darkest period of
his life. Kim’s own program notes identify the “angels and demons”
that pervaded Schumann’s mind and pen during those haunted
late years.
True standouts come next: the Five Preludes and a Fugue (1953-54)
and Aphorisms (1990) by Alfred Schnittke. Kim evidently has a knack for
this unusual repertoire in which her virtuosity – of both the technical and
intellectual variety – can be aptly demonstrated. This is highly focused
music with a taut contrapuntal sense and localized formal design – an
appropriate complement to Schumann’s first and last piano works.
The final cycle on this disc, Five Aphorisms, represents a late stage
in Schnittke’s output, less accessible in its abstracted lyricism and
esoteric brevity. Suddenly, the listener is thrust into a contemporary
soundscape of jarring gesture: the sonic by-products of an age where
man has made, met and managed machines. Here are the very real
angels and demons of our own brave new world. And Kim governs
them all, with just as much assurance as she does the last, ghostly
“words” of Robert Schumann.
Adam Sherkin
What we're listening to this month:
thewholenote.com/listening
Seasons of Life and Landscape
Canadian Chamber Choir
A stunning exhibit of 18 Canadian
choral works that evoke the forces
of nature across our four seasons
and throughout the human
journey.
New York Rising
New Hudson Saxophone Quartet
A diverse collection of original
works and arrangements for
saxophone quartet by New York
composers, portraying different
aspects of the New York region.
Mike Holober and The Gotham
Jazz Orchestra: Hiding Out
Mike Holober
"With the release of this longanticipated,
epic work, Holober has
confirmed his standing as one of the
finest modern composer/arrangers
of our time” Ed Enright, Downbeat
Patria
Mazacote
WCMA nominated world/latin band
MAZACOTE is a hard-hitting six
piece. Inspired by Afro-Caribbean
percussion and tropical party sounds,
they play heavy latin dance beats with
a socially conscious message.
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 85

VOCAL
Dowland – Whose Heavenly Touch
Mariana Flores; Hopkinson Smith
Naïve E 8941 (naxosdirect.com)
!!
Perhaps the most
renowned composer
of music for lute
and voice in the
history of the genre,
John Dowland’s
songs continue to
captivate modern
performers and
audiences with their esoteric melancholy
and expressivity. Far from being a downer,
Dowland’s seemingly depressing themes
were as much a practical choice as an artistic
one, reflecting the melancholia that was so
fashionable in music at that time. In fact,
Dowland wrote a consort piece with the
punning title Semper Dowland, semper
dolens (always Dowland, always doleful),
reflecting his tongue-in-cheek self-awareness.
Whose Heavenly Touch presents selections
from Dowland’s First and Second Book
of Songs, published in 1597 and 1600 respectively,
and begins with the striking and enduringly
popular Flow, my tears. This recording
features Argentinian soprano Mariana Flores
and American lutenist Hopkinson Smith, who
has received numerous accolades for his work
in a wide range of early music, from Dowland
to lute arrangements of Bach’s sonatas and
partitas. From the beginning of this first song
through to the disc’s end, Smith’s mastery of
the lute is apparent in his clarity and control,
arpeggiations and scalic interpolations
providing rhythmic motion through tasteful
and virtuosic interpretation.
Perhaps the most conspicuously atypical
aspect of this recording is Flores’ distinct
Spanish accent, a rather disorienting imposition
on this Tudor music which can occasionally
mask textual subtleties through
excessively rolled “R”s and unexpectedly
modified vowels and diphthongs. While
her tone and interpretations are delightful,
it occasionally takes attentive listening to
discern the words that Flores considers
worthy of such thoughtful expression.
Matthew Whitfield
Gluck – Orfeo ed Euridice
Iestyn Davies; Sophie Bevan; Rebecca
Bottone; La Nuova Musica; David Bates
Pentatone PCT 5186 805
(pentatonemusic.com)
Gluck – Orphée et Euridice
Marianne Crebassa; Hélène Guilmette; Lea
Desandre; Ensemble Pygmalion; Raphaël
Pichon
Naxos 2.110638 (naxos.com)
!!
Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice is a landmark
work in the operatic canon, as famous for its
restoration of the
ideals of Greek art
in opera seria as it
is for its musical
and dramatic
content. As well
as being aesthetically
progressive
through its deliberate
conservativism, Orfeo merges French
and Italian styles into a synthetic whole,
combining the Italianate style utilized by
Handel and Vivaldi with the influence of
Lully and Rameau. First premiered in Vienna
in 1762, Gluck later re-adapted the opera to
suit the tastes of a Parisian audience at the
Académie Royale de Musique and several
alterations were made in vocal casting and
orchestration to suit French tastes.
Between 1784 and 1859 the concert pitch in
Paris rose so significantly that the French
government passed a law which set the A
above middle C at 435 Hz. To combat the
effects of this inflation in pitch, Hector Berlioz
prepared a version of Gluck’s opera (Orphée
et Eurydice) in which he adapted the title role
for a female alto using the key scheme of the
1762 Vienna score, and incorporating much of
the additional music of the 1774 Paris edition.
Although Berlioz’s version is one of many
which combine the Italian and French scores,
it is the most influential and well regarded
and has since been revised and reissued in
numerous editions.
It is Berlioz’s
1859 version of
Gluck’s opera
which the Opéra
Comique presents
in their DVD
Orphée et Eurydice,
a wonderful
representation of
Gluck’s artistry
and reflection of
Berlioz’s craft as
adapter. The style
and performance practice are decidedly classical,
rooted in the 18th-century tradition,
and Berlioz’s personal influence is appropriately
indiscernible. There are, however, some
notable modifications to Gluck’s original
score: the overture has been replaced with
another of Gluck’s orchestral overtures; and
the harpsichord is nowhere to be found, a
decision that is open to interpreters, as the
instrument was removed from the Parisian
orchestral pit around the time of Orphée’s
premiere. This is an overall weightier
approach to Gluck, with a larger orchestra
playing with full sound and prominently
voiced soloists, suggesting a 19th-century
approach commensurate with the sound
Berlioz likely had in mind.
In contrast with the Opéra Comique’s
presentation, Pentatone has issued a new
recording of the 1762 Orfeo which includes
both harpsichord and the original overture, as
well as a countertenor Orfeo. This version is,
although very similar to the Berlioz edition,
considerably leaner in its orchestral timbre
and more fluid with its Italian text, further
emphasized through an interpretation that is
deliberately direct and essentially Baroque,
rather than bold and Romantic. In both
instances the singers, choruses and orchestras
are magnificent, presenting Gluck’s music in
equally superb and successful ways.
Matthew Whitfield
Wagner – Der Fliegende Holländer
Samuel Yuon; Lars Woldt; Ingela Brimberg;
Bernard Richter; Les Musiciens du Louvre;
Marc Minkowski
Naxos 2.110637 (naxos.com)
! ! Richard
Wagner’s opus,
Der Fliegende
Holländer was
completed in 1840,
and then revised
three times during
the next 20 years.
Arguably the opera
in which Wagner
found his voice, it
was inspired by the
story of a Dutchman
whose blasphemy led to his being condemned
to sail the seas for eternity unless he could be
redeemed by a faithful woman.
The action begins in a Norwegian fjord
where a sailor named Daland is sheltering
his vessel from a storm. A ghostly ship pulls
alongside and its captain – the Dutchman –
offers Daland vast wealth in exchange for a
single night’s hospitality. Daland’s daughter,
Senta, who is obsessed by the tales she has
heard about the Dutchman’s fate, vows to be
his salvation. Forsaking her lover, Erik, she
joins the Dutchman and proves her fidelity to
him unto the end, when she throws herself
into the sea after him. In the climax that
follows, the lovers are seen transfigured,
rising above the waves.
Der Fliegende Holländer is set in three
acts but is often performed as a continuous
two-and-a-half-hour whole. Highlights are
Die Frist ist um and Johohoe! Johohoe! Marc
Minkowski’s conducting is triumphant.
Olivier Py’s direction – amid a bleak set –
brilliantly captures Wagner’s opera with
cohesion and fluency. Samuel Youn’s fullvoiced,
bass-baritone Dutchman has anguish
and desperation, Ingela Brimberg’s Senta is
sweet and effortless and Lars Woldt’s Daland
is resonant and noble. Orchestra and chorus
are in glowing form too.
Raul da Gama
86 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

Mussorgsky – Boris Godunov
Tsymbalyuk; Paster; Kares; Skorokhodov;
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra; Kent
Nagano
BIS BIS-2320 SACD (bis.se)
!!
Mussorgsky’s
Boris Godunov
with its grandeur,
epic sweep and
forward-looking
music is possibly
the greatest Russian
opera, but it had
a difficult time.
The original “dark and raw” 1869 score had
to be revised drastically to be acceptable
for the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg;
later Rimsky-Korsakov (and Shostakovich)
changed the orchestration to suit Western
ears. It was Rimsky-Korsakov’s version that
became successful outside of Russia. Now
there is a trend towards authenticity so Kent
Nagano, music director of the Bavarian State
Opera, chose the original score for the opera’s
visionary avant-garde and very successful
revival in 2013, in Munich. He later performed
it in Stockholm in concert form which is the
basis of this recording.
The original version is brutal, concise
and dark-hued and concentrates mainly on
the Tsar Boris – who came to the throne by
murdering the legitimate heir – his ascent, his
struggle with a guilty conscience and a final
decline into madness.
Nagano’s selection of Alexander
Tsymbalyuk, relatively young and a voice
more lyrical than that of the legendary
Chaliapin (who owned the role for decades),
was ideal for the vulnerable and tormented
Boris. Of the other bass voices, young Finnish
basso Mika Kares (Pimen) and Alexey
Tikhomirov (Varlaam) with his iconic song
Once upon a time in the city of Kazan, stand
out. The tenor Grigory, the false pretender
who causes Boris’ downfall but curiously
disappears from the plot after a short appearance,
is Sergei Skorokhodov. Another protagonist,
the Chorus, “the voice of Russia” ,has
tremendous power, but the real star is Nagano
who is by now one the greatest conductors of
our time. His superb control and total immersion
into the score remind me of Abbado a
generation before him.
Janos Gardonyi
Bartók – Bluebeard’s Castle
John Relyea; Michelle DeYoung; Bergen
Philharmonic Orchestra; Edward Gardner
Chandos CHSA 5237 (naxosdirect.com)
!!
There are
many fine recordings
of Bartók’s
gothic, two-character
psychodrama;
this one is special
because both
singers have made
this opera their own, performing it around
the world. As a tandem, American mezzo
Michelle DeYoung and Toronto native, bass
John Relyea, have sung these signature roles
on many stages from Carnegie Hall to the
Sydney Opera House.
It’s essential that Judith and Bluebeard be,
as here, evenly matched vocally and dramatically,
in their life-or-death battle of wills.
(I’ve attended performances featuring very
unequal pairings.) DeYoung’s impassioned
singing convinces us of Judith’s love for
Bluebeard and her determination to bring
light into his gloomy abode, demanding to
see what lies behind his castle’s seven locked
doors. Relyea’s firm, resonant bass, plumbing
the emotional depths of Bluebeard’s ghastly
secrets, makes him today’s definitive
Bluebeard.
Conductor Edward Gardner relishes the
phantasmagoric colours and textures of the
largest orchestra Bartók ever used, creating
vivid sonic imagery of the grim, blood-soaked
scenes behind the opened doors. The fortissimo
tutti when the fifth door opens to reveal
the magnificence of Bluebeard’s realm and
Judith’s ecstatic, sustained high-C reaction,
is truly one of the most thrilling moments in
all opera.
The Hungarian-sung text is included along
with an English translation. Librettist Béla
Balázs’ two-minute spoken Prologue, not
always performed, is also heard here, asking
(in Hungarian) “Where did this happen?
Outside or within? Ancient fable, what does it
mean…? Observe carefully.”
Listen to this CD carefully, too.
Michael Schulman
Mahler – Orchestral Songs: The Organ
Transcriptions
David John Pike; David Briggs
Analekta AN 2 9180 (analekta.com/en)
!!
The English
organist David
Briggs, a student
of the renowned
Jean Langlais,
is no stranger to
these parts, having
served as artistin-residence
at the
Cathedral Church of St. James in Toronto from
2012 to 2017 before moving on to his current
post at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine
in New York City. Briggs is also a composer,
a stalwart transcriber of the improvisations
of the legendary Pierre Cochereau, and an
arranger with a particular interest in the
symphonies of Mahler, five of which he has
refashioned for the organ. He is joined on this
recording by the excellent young Canadian
baritone David John Pike (now based in
Luxembourg) in commanding performances
of Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen,
Kindertotenlieder and Rückert-Lieder orchestral
song cycles.
One might think it a bit of a stretch to
re-imagine these works in this unusual
context, but in truth Mahler rarely ventures
beyond three-part writing even at his most
gargantuan moments and these works are
routinely performed in the composer’s own
piano versions. Briggs’ thoughtful choice of
timbres reflect Mahler’s own instrumentations
quite convincingly. The recording venue
is quite an interesting one: The Basilica of
Constantine (Konstantin-Basilika) at Trier,
Germany dates from the beginning of the
fourth century. Burned in an air raid in 1944,
subsequent repairs exposed the original inner
brick walls; at the back of this spartan edifice
hangs a newly built organ from 2014 designed
by the firm of Hermann Eule. Though
Eule normally specializes in neo-Baroque
Silbermann-era designs, this particular
installation is symphonically arranged with
87 stops (over 6000 pipes) on four manual
works and pedal, making it the largest organ
in Trier and offering a vast palette of exceptionally
beautiful tones to choose from.
Daniel Foley
Soirée
Magdalena Kozena & Friends
Pentatone PTC 5186 671
(pentatonemusic.com)
! ! How nice it is
that a singer would
take some time out
of her crazy, busy
life, sit down with
friends and a few
drinks and sing her
favourite songs. And
that’s exactly what
by-now-world-famous-Czech mezzo, awardwinning
recitalist, recording artist and opera
star, Magdalena Kožená, does here. This is
her debut issue on the Pentatone label. The
“friends” include a string quartet, a clarinet,
a flute and a piano, the latter played by her
husband, Sir Simon Rattle. Each combination
of these instruments creates different tonal
effects and colouring for an idiomatic and
unique accompaniment.
Her choice of program gives a cross section
of lieder literature from the late Romantics
(Chausson, Dvořák, Brahms and R. Strauss)
through French Impressionism (Ravel) and
some Moderns (Stravinsky and Janáček). In
fact we can follow the development of the art
song with a fascinating variety and style where
the golden thread of Kožená’s imagination,
wonderfully expressive voice, beautiful intonation
and some lovely inflections are evident
throughout. Just listen to her inflection on
“Vögelein” in Gestillte Sehnsucht, by Brahms!
Naturally she is strongest in her native
Czech and Moravian idiom. She sings with
youthful freshness and confidence. Especially
impressive and unique are the Nursery
Rhymes by Janáček; some are outrageously
funny. And I am happy she included one of
my all-time favourite songs by Dvořák, When
my mother taught me.
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 87

A lovely, relaxed musical evening you
will cherish.
Janos Gardonyi
Rencontre – Debussy; Delage; Poulenc;
Ravel
Raquel Camarinha; Yoan Héreau
Naïve V 5454 (naxosdirect.com)
!!
Despite competition
in this repertoire
from other
discs, I think that
readers partial to
the mélodie (art
song) will find
much to appreciate
in this first
recording by the young French duo of Raquel
Camarinha, soprano, and Yoan Héreau, piano.
Already these artists have busy European
careers as recitalists, chamber musicians and
opera professionals.
On this disc Camarinha’s tone stays rich
and consistent through the top register, while
Héreau rises to the works’ colouristic challenges
whether playing rapid figuration
or subtle sonorities. In Ravel’s three-song
Schéhérazade, Asia’s imagined voyage
receives evocative treatment. The Enchanted
Flute, a favourite of mine, is concise and
flowing. Turning to well-known Debussy
settings of two groups of symbolist Paul
Verlaine’s poems, the combination of langour
and sadness in Ariettes oubliées is conveyed
effectively; the wonderful Fairground Horses
breaks those moods with brio and virtuosic
pianism from Héreau. In Fêtes galantes
I was struck by soft floating high tones from
Camarinha at the close of Clair de lune (incidentally,
this music is completely different
from Debussy’s identically titled piano piece).
Quatre poèmes hindous by Maurice Delage
(1879-1961) adds the influence of Eastern
scales and melody to idioms of Debussy and
Ravel. Lahore is especially worth hearing
for Camarinha’s vocal flexibility and sensitivity
in a gorgeous extended vocalise. Finally,
a generous selection of songs with exquisite
syllabic text settings by Poulenc demonstrates
her wonderfully clear diction – including the
adept execution of the rapid tongue-twisters
Fêtes galantes and He steals!
Roger Knox
Seasons of Life and Landscape
Canadian Chamber Choir
Independent CCCCD003
(canadianchamberchoir.ca)
!!
A truly national
ensemble, the
Canadian Chamber
Choir draws its
membership from
across the country,
gathering for seven
to ten-day projects
in different regions
in order to actualize a mandate to bring
Canadian choral music to every corner of
the land. This particular project is meant to
guide the listener, as if walking through an
art exhibit that draws on different media but
is built around a common theme; in this case,
the ever-changing seasons.
At the beginning of the recording, a
gorgeous Intro featuring Jeff Reilly on bass
clarinet, Keith Hamm, viola, and Beverley
Johnston, vibraphone, sets a high bar
for the rest of the program. The forces of
nature and its effect on the human spirit
are then conjured through pieces like Laura
Hawley’s undulating Le Rideau and effervescent
Singing Summer’s Praises while
mystic elements shine forth in Imant
Raminsh’s In the Night We Shall Go In and
Cree composer Andrew Balfour’s Vision
Chant, as well as Antiphon by Peter Togni
and Jeff Reilly. Reminiscences shape shift like
clouds in Levasseur-Ouimet’s Parlez-moi
and composer-in-residence Jeff Enns’ Le
pont Mirabeau. Throughout these offerings,
members of the choir execute a myriad
of styles soulfully, meticulously and with
remarkable quality of tone. They also do a
fine job with arrangements of Joni Mitchell’s
River and Gordon Lightfoot’s Song for a
Winter’s Night.
Dianne Wells
CLASSICAL AND BEYOND
Paladin
Alex McCartney
Veterum Musica Vm022
(alexmccartney.co.uk)
!!
This serene
disc is an exploration
of the underrepresented
lute
composer Jean
Paul Paladin
(c1500-1565),
who was known
as Giovanni Paulo
Paladino before his move to France around
1516. Among the monarchs he entertained
was Mary Queen of Scots, of interest to
the performer Alex McCartney who lives
in Scotland.
The disc comes with a single fold insert that
gives McCartney space to give us detail about
the composer’s life and style. His notes finish
with a philosophical discussion about his
choice of cover art, a gorgeous French-Gothic
illumination from a late-medieval book of
hours: Paladin’s fantasies for him contain a
sense of the “multi-layered ritual and meditation”
that the book of hours would have
also provided.
Indeed, the disc comes across as very
contemplative. The playing is smooth,
poised, and well balanced, if a little static
at times. McCartney explains that Paladin’s
ten fantasias in particular attracted him to
the composer, and he includes nine of the
ten here. The other tracks offer two madrigal
intabulations and four anonymous preludes,
all of which are polyphonic in nature. This
means that the whole disc is restricted to
contrapuntal genres in slow duple meter –
so if you’re hoping for something you can
tap your foot to, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
Paladin did publish a bit of dance
music, but McCartney is not trying to give
us a complete picture of the composer’s
output. His disc offers instead a meditative
escape using Paladin’s soothing and exquisite
counterpoint.
Lucas Harris
Fantasia Bellissima
Bernhard Hofstotter
TYXart TXA 18115 (tyxart.de;
bernhardhofstotter.org)
! ! As if you hadn’t
heard enough
about Ukraine in
the news lately,
this superb disc
features premiere
recordings from the
so-called Lviv Lute
Tablature, named
for its current location. The booklet includes
excellent notes on this interesting source by
Dr. Kateryna Schöning -- though I believe
she may be mistaken when she states that
“besides two lost sources… the manuscript
is the only lute tablature from the Polish-
Lithuanian region.” Canada’s own Magdalena
Tomsinska of Waterloo edited the Gdansk
Lute Tablature MS 4022 and recorded selections
in 2014.
Beyond just music, the source’s 124 folios
also contain Latin aphorisms, graphic
patterns and other visual ornaments, as well
as some Polish poetry. The manuscript’s
music comes from a variety of different
nations, composers, and time periods. On
the disc you’ll find pieces from the early
16th century, such as Joan Ambrosio Dalza’s
Pavana alla Ferrarese, yet also two fantasias
by John Dowland which were composed
towards the end of the century. This makes for
a nice variety.
Bernhard Hofstötter’s lute playing is
superb, as is the sound of his Renatus Lechner
seven-course lute in the acoustic of the
Landesmusikakademie Sachsen in Colditz
Castle. The dance rhythms have articulation
and buoyancy, the counterpoint clarity
and grace. Chanson intabulations by Sermisy,
Sandrin, and Jannequin are high points.
However, purists should be prepared for
what I assume is an off-book strum-fest in
the anonymous Tarzeto which opens and
closes the disc.
Lucas Harris
88 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

Morel – Premier Livre de Pièces de Violle
Alejandro Marias; La Spagna
Brilliant Classics 95962 (naxosdirect.com)
!!
French composer
and viola da gamba
player Jacques
Morel (c.1690 -
c.1740)’s biography
is so obscure that
even the dates
and places of his
birth and death
are unknown. Sadly, he doesn’t even have
a wiki page. We do know he was a pupil of
Marin Marais, the composer and foremost
viola da gambist of his day, to whom Morel
dedicated this Premier Livre de Pièces de
Violle (c.1709), his major legacy and the
subject of this CD.
There hasn’t been a complete recording
of these suites, prompting virtuoso gambist
Alejandro Marias to spearhead this project
to record several of them for the first time.
At the core of the album are Marias’ stylish
and musically secure performances of four
suites from the Premier Livre for the sevenstring
bass viola da gamba in differing keys.
The continuo parts are provided by members
of the award-winning Spanish period music
group La Spagna.
Morel’s music is attractively varied in the
best high-French Baroque tradition. Seven
or eight characteristic period dance movements
typically follow the emotive rubato
opening prelude in each suite. Judging from
this album, Morel’s attractive oeuvre is
imbued with his idiosyncratic voice, even
though the influence of his teacher Marais’
style is also present. My album picks: Suite in
A minor’s Sarabande l’Agréable, the Gigue à
l’anglaise and the Échos de Fontainebleau in
the Suite in D.
Even though long neglected, this music is
full of delightful discoveries and should be
better known.
Andrew Timar
Johann Sebastian Bernard Ludwig Bach
– Ouvertures for Orchestra
Concerto Italiano; Rinaldo Alessandrini
Naïve OP 30578 (naxosdirect.com)
!!
How pleasant to
explore music by
relatives of Johann
Sebastian Bach
other than his sons.
Johann Ludwig
was a third cousin
of Bach, Johann
Bernhard a second
cousin. On this
CD, they each contribute an Ouverture to
accompany the four by the Bach.
So is Concerto Italiano’s choice justified?
The works by the two cousins are
substantially shorter than the great man’s.
Yet listening to them shows how highly
enjoyable they are: listen to the Rigaudons
and Gavotte en Rondeaux in Johann
Bernhard’s Ouverture-Suite in E Minor.
Then there is Johann Ludwig’s contribution
to the CD, namely, his Ouverture in
G Major. This is even shorter than Johann
Bernhard’s work but much more spritely. The
movements all ask to be danced to, whether
or not they actually were at the time. Indeed
the Ouverture by Johann Ludwig could even
be played as background music at any event,
no matter how formal.
And so to the four Orchestral Suites by
Johann Sebastian. From the movement
which opens the CDs (the Ouverture to the
Orchestral Suite No.3) there is a complexity
to Bach’s composition which marks him
out for the composer he was. Real demands
are made on the string-players, an aspect
repeated throughout the four Suites. It is
quite clear that by Bach’s time the movements
named after French country dances were well
advanced from their original rural simplicity.
Although his own writing shines through
on these CDs, the sleeve-notes state how
much Johann Sebastian respected his two
cousins. The beautiful pieces selected by
Concerto Italiano and their sheer vivaciousness
demonstrate why.
Michael Schwartz
Tommaso Giordani – Sonatas Op.30;
Antonin Kammell – Sonata in D Major
Luchkow-Stadlen-Jarvis Trio
Marquis Classics MAR 81495
(marquisclassics.com)
!!
The viola da
gamba’s persistence
in late-18th-century
England owed
something to the
aristocracy. It
appears that Lady
Lavinia Spencer
(1762-1831) was
the gamba-playing
dedicatee of this CD’s Giordani sonatas,
and yes, she is a direct ancestor of the late
Princess Diana Spencer and sons William
and Harry! From a musical standpoint gamba
players could by then hold an equal role in
sonatas for violin, viola da gamba and fortepiano,
such as the Three Sonatas, Op. 30
(published c.1782) by Naples-born, later
Ireland-based, Tommasso Giordani (c.1738-
1806). The textures Giordani achieves through
familiarity with the gamba’s high register
liberated the instrument from bass-playing,
allowing imitation and echoing between
instruments and octave doubling of melody
in the violin and gamba, for example in the
opening movement of Sonata No.2 in D
Major. I find this to be the best of the sonatas,
with a particularly fine slow movement;
Giordani was a natural melodist whose use
of contrasting minor keys and quiet fortepiano
solos is notable. His active gamba part
in the finale illustrates the instrument’s
development towards virtuosity.
The Canadian Luchkow-Stadlen-Jarvis Trio
is convincing, with clean solo and ensemble
playing free of affectation, with attractive tone
and balance, and expressive inflections in the
slow movements. And although the Sonata
in C Major, Op.1, No.1 by Czech composer
Antonin Kammell (1730-1785) that ends this
disc has other requirements – ornamentation,
accentuation and hairpin crescendos – they
meet those demands equally well.
Roger Knox
The Enlightened Trumpet
Paul Merkelo (principal trumpet OSM);
Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra; Marios
Papadopoulos
Sony Classical S80463C
(paulmerkelotrumpet.com)
! ! With repertoire
spanning
the Baroque
through the classical
eras; Telemann
through Haydn,
Leopold Mozart
and Hummel,
The Enlightened
Trumpet showcases the bona fide genius
of Paul Merkelo, principal trumpet of the
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. After
his epic confrontations with Baroque
Transcriptions and French Trumpet
Concertos, Merkelo deftly combines trumpet
and strings in the incisiveness of Haydn’s
Concerto in E-flat Major (Hob.Vlle.1) with its
famously breathtaking Allegro finale, the not
inconsiderable demands of which he takes in
his stride.
Merkelo then nimbly navigates his
way between the rhetoric and energy of
Telemann’s Concerto in D Major (TWV
51:D7) and Leopold Mozart’s Concerto in D
Major for trumpet, two horns and strings
with appealing melodiousness and – in the
second instance – robust interplay with the
other horns. The performance of the Hummel
Concerto in E Major (S.49) sees its melodic
ingenuity projected with due vitality, as well
as a stunning degree of spontaneity and
expressive poise redolent of Maurice André,
Merkelo’s legendary predecessor to whom he
has been likened. Not without good reason, as
this disc attests.
The crowning moments come during the
Rondo finale of the Hummel, the cadenza
of which has been credited to Timofei
Dokshizer. By then, of course, Merkelo has
already made his mark, through a bracing
workout across three other famous trumpet
concertos, with heartfelt eloquence worthy
of the reputation he has gained among his
trumpet-playing orchestral peers across
the globe.
Raul da Gama
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 89

Old Souls
Gili Schwarzman; Guy Braunstein; Susanna
Yoko Henkel; Amihai Grosz; Alisa
Weilerstein
Pentatone PTC 5186 815 (naxosdirect.com)
!!
This recording
of four works,
transcriptions of
two solo violin
pieces and of two
string quartets,
in which flutist
Gili Schwarzman
plays the solo part
in the solo pieces and the first violin part in
the quartets, presents the reviewer with the
double challenge of considering both the
arrangements and the performances.
The arranger is Guy Braunstein, a former
concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic
Orchestra, and now a soloist, conductor and
arranger. He is also Schwarzman’s husband.
His skill as an arranger, deeply informed by
his knowledge of the violin, is formidable.
The first composition on the disc, Beethoven’s
Violin Sonata No.4, is a masterful orchestration
for flute and string quartet. Braunstein
did not merely assign the notes of the piano
part, according to their pitch, to the corresponding
instruments, but rewrote it for string
quartet. One could be forgiven for assuming
that it was an original composition by
Beethoven himself.
The performances are energetic and
nuanced, models of musical artistry. My
favourite moment in the entire CD is the
second movement of Dvořák’s String Quartet
Op.96, which sounds absolutely natural
played on the flute. The long, languorous
melodic line, as played by Schwarzman, is
never rushed and at the same time, never
loses energy.
So it is great having this recorded new take
on some well-known chamber music. Now let
us hope that Braunstein’s arrangements will
be published.
Allan Pulker
Antonin Dvořák – Locale
Alexander String Quartet; Joyce Yang
Foghorn Classics FCL 2020
(foghornclassics.com)
!!
If I was asked to
describe Dvořák’s
chamber music, I
would say it has
the characteristics
of an abundant ball
of energy, the one
that brings joy no
matter what and
is enriched by the occasional touch of Slavic
melancholy. The Alexander Quartet and
Joyce Yang seem to be particularly attuned
to that joy – here is a recording of exuberant
energy and vitality that never crosses the line
of being too much.
The “American” quartet is probably one
of the most beloved pieces in the chamber
music repertoire and it shares a number of
similar elements with the Piano Quintet
Op.81, thus making it a perfect pairing for
this album. Although they were written some
years apart and on different continents, both
pieces are wonderful creations of a showcase
of rhythms, dramatic gestures and, above all,
memorable melodies, all of which are tastefully
presented by the artists on this album.
What I find the most pleasurable is the intricate
tapestry of textures created by the
Alexander Quartet. Their playing brings forth
the elegance and lavishness of 19th-century
Europe yet it does have a slight contemporary
edge in terms of expression. Joyce Yang is on
fire here – she displays a perfect interpretational
balance between virtuosic agility and
grandiose statements so typical for piano
music of the Romantic period. Together they
make this recording unapologetically exciting.
Ivana Popovich
Mahler – Symphony No.10
Lapland Chamber Orchestra; John
Storgårds
BIS BIS-2376 SACD (bis.se)
!!
When Gustav
Mahler died in 1911
at the age of 50 he
left behind sketches
for his tenth and
final symphony. Of
the five movements,
we have Mahler’s
full scores of the
first and third movements with the remainder
in an abbreviated short score format. These
preliminary sketches, skeletal though they
may be, define the entire melodic structure
of the work. In this sense Mahler’s final testament
is less unfinished than unrealized. It was
not until the mid-1920s that efforts were made
to bring the symphony to light with the publication
of Ernst Krenek’s edition of the first and
third movements and the release of a facsimile
edition of the sketches. Numerous subsequent
efforts have been made to refine the other
three movements; the most successful of these
has proved to be the “performing version” by
Deryck Cooke first heard in 1960.
Over 30 recordings of the complete work
in various versions have been issued since.
This new chamber orchestra arrangement,
by the Maltese conductor and musicologist
Michelle Castelletti, is an exceptional accomplishment,
quite brilliantly executed by the
phenomenal John Storgårds and his Lapland
Chamber Orchestra. I was initially quite skeptical
that an orchestra of a mere 24 players
(single woodwinds, a lone trumpet and horn,
14 strings, piano, harmonium, harp and
percussion) would prove adequate to convey
the impact of the 100 musicians Mahler
normally employed. I was mistaken; even
in these reduced circumstances the pathos
of Mahler’s message still shines through in
Storgårds sublime interpretation. This ranks
as one of the most exciting and accomplished
performances I have heard in my lifetime of
terminal Mahleria.
Daniel Foley
Inspirations
Buzz Brass
Analekta AN 2 8776 (analekta.com/en)
!!
Canada’s
renowned Buzz
Brass ensemble
presents “brand
new transcriptions
of major works”
from celebrated
composers Antonín
Dvořák, Maurice
Ravel and Erik Satie. Victor Ewald’s Quintet
No.3 in D-flat Major (Op.7) is the only work
on this disc originally intended for brass.
Inspirations is an attractive recital with
each of four gems in this repertoire being
polished to a glittering sparkle. This is the
work of two Québécois arrangers, François
Vallières and Hugo Bégin who – judging by
these inspired re-imaginings – certainly
ought to be better known than they might
be in Québec. The imaginative arrangement
of Satie’s Gymnopédies ought to be
proof enough. But if there needs to be further
evidence of highly original musical transcriptions,
there is also proof in the transformations
of Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major
(Op.35) and Dvořák’s String Quartet No.12
in F Major “American” (B.179). All are highly
creative re-arrangements; wholly satisfying
both structurally and expressively.
The Buzz Brass parley with the familiarity
of old friends, yet their playing always retains
the sense of gracious etiquette associated
with noble academies for which this music
was no doubt originally intended. Nothing
is forced, exaggerated or overly mannered;
tempi, ensemble and balance all seem effortlessly
and intuitively right. The brass sound is
lucid. These are, in sum, sincere and poised
accounts, a fitting tribute to the faultless character
of the original music of the composers.
Raul da Gama
MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY
New Jewish Music Vol.2
Lara St. John; Sharon Azrieli; Couloir;
Orchestre classique de Montreal; Boris
Brott
Analekta AN 2 9262 (analekta.com)
! ! This Analekta
release of new
orchestral works
features the
powerful musical
abilities of the
Orchestre Classique
de Montréal under
90 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

the internationally respected Canadian
conductor Boris Brott. The disc centres
around the Azrieli Foundation’s prizes for
newly created works. Two prizes are awarded:
The Azrieli Prize for Jewish Music – recognizing
an existing work – and the Azrieli
commission for Jewish music, an initiative
created to encourage composers to critically
engage with the question of “What is
Jewish music?”
The first piece on the disc – the premiere
performance of En el escuro es todo uno
(In the Darkness All is One) by Canadian
composer Kelly-Marie Murphy – is a tour de
force of orchestral imagination. Murphy is
clearly a confident orchestral writer and it
shows in this piece. The work is scored for
solo harp, cello and orchestra, and Murphy
expertly delivers a fine example of the
concertante idiom. This piece represents the
results of the 2018 Azrieli Commission Prize
and features B.C. duo Couloir, Heidi Krutzen
(harp) and Ariel Barnes (cello), as soloists.
The 2018 Azrieli Prize for Jewish Music was
awarded to the Israeli-born composer Avner
Dorman for Nigunim – a violin concerto in
four movements. Dorman writes highly idiomatic
and playful passages for the soloist
answered by equally light dances and trifles
in the orchestra. This work makes for an
excellent showpiece for the soloist, Lara
St. John in this instance, while not being
overly dramatic in the virtuosic sense.
Last on the disc is a new recording of Seven
Tableaux from the Song of Songs by the late
Canadian composer Srul Irving Glick. This
music is lyrical and melancholy. Glick had a
particular affinity for creating an emotional
painting with his music without being overtly
sentimental. Soprano soloist Sharon Azrieli
performs this work with stunning colour and
musical prowess.
Adam Scime
James O’Callaghan – Alone and Unalone
Ensemble Paramirabo
Ravello Records rr8020
(ravellorecords.com)
!!
While listening
to music one might
consider, “I like
these sounds” or “I
like how this music
moves forward.”
While neither of
these thoughts can
provide an adequate
basis for the judgement of artistic value, the
latter says more than the former and also
comes closer to being such a basis. One might
say that “I like how it goes” captures a feature
fundamental to music’s being good at a level
less abstract than that of the experience of it
being intrinsically rewarding.
When listening to the highly personal,
compelling and frankly compulsory environments
created by Canadian composer James
O’Callaghan, one invariably approves of how
it sounds and how it goes. In this release of
works written especially for the Montrealbased
Ensemble Paramirabo, the “I like how
it goes” nature of the music connects the
listener with the absolutely crucial notion of
following music with anticipation – but also
with harmonious and welcomed disassociation.
With titles such as subject/object and
Alone and unalone, there is a certain amount
of obfuscation – delivered on an abstract
level – but also literally, as admitted by the
composer himself in an effort to provide a
conceptual motivation of the “transference
of concrete sound into abstraction, returned
to the conditions from which they were
derived.” While the musico-philosophical
liminality of this music would make for interesting
discussion, one can’t help but simply
appreciate the raw and unfettered imagination
produced by O’Callaghan’s manner of
putting pen to page, and with the electronic
aspects of the works, world to speaker.
The ensemble brings a high amount of
musical excellence and an intimate bravura
to this recording – a testament to their
ongoing commitment to O’Callaghan’s music.
Bravo to all.
Adam Scime
Origins
Duo Kalysta
Leaf Music LM226 (duokalysta.com)
!!
Flutist Lara
Deutsch and harpist
Emily Belvedere
first met when
collaborating in
2012 at McGill
University. Since
then Duo Kalysta
has been playing chamber music to artistic
acclaim, as demonstrated by this clearsounding
release recorded in Montreal.
TSO harpist Judy Loman’s colourful flute
and harp arrangement of Claude Debussy’s
Prelude à l’après-midi d’un faune opens the
CD. The flute beginning catches the listener’s
attention, with sparkling arpeggiated harp,
dreamy flute and astounding tight ensemble
playing in the more rubato sections.
Two Canadian compositions follow. R.
Murray Schafer’s three-movement Trio
for Flute, Viola and Harp (2011) has violist
Marina Thibeault joining them. Freely,
flowing has melodic lines with changing
volumes, tempi and note lengths creating
the soundscape. The sonic space of Slowly,
calmly is highlighted by long atmospheric
viola notes doubled by the flute underneath.
Dance-like Rhythmic is like listening to a
musical story with viola plucks, high-pitched
flute, harp flourishes and abrupt stops in a
race to the end.
Composer Jocelyn Morlock notes that her
two-movement Vespertine (2005) refers
to night-blossoming plants and nocturnal
animals. Twilight presents musically darker
colours with longer phrases and more
independent parts. Verdigris is performed
with sweetly delicate harp staccato lines and
contemplative flute notes, bird-like trills and
higher notes.
Violinist Alexander Read, violist Thibeault
and cellist Carmen Bruno add an orchestral
feel to André Jolivet’s Chant de Linos (1944),
an intense, dramatic composition highlighted
by impressive flute playing.
Here’s to a promising musical future!
Tiina Kiik
Finding Your Own Voice
Gidon Kremer
Accentus Music ACC20414
(naxosdirect.com)
! ! In the September
WholeNote,
Terry Robbins
reviewed the CD
of Gidon Kremer’s
recording of the late
Polish composer
Mieczyslaw
Weinberg’s 24
Preludes to a Lost
Time, Op. 100.
Written for solo
cello, Kremer plays his own transcription
for solo violin. Robbins concluded that “His
superb performance befits such a towering
achievement, one which is a monumental
addition to the solo violin repertoire.”
Accentus Music has since issued a DVD of
that unique performance and we now see
Kremer spotlit alone on the dark stage in the
Gogol Centre in Moscow. Behind him in the
darkness is a theatre-size, rear-projection
screen on which, at appropriate times, are
seen original images from the 1960s taken by
photographer Antanas Sutkus. Each selected
photograph illuminates the mood of the
particular prelude being played, often stark,
sometimes sad, sometimes amusing but so
appropriate. Genius.
The documentary, Finding Your own Voice,
is a film by Paul Smaczny that is a totally
engrossing biography of Kremer and his
world of music. It revolves about music that
embraces Kremer’s life and we hear and see
him with musicians including conductors
and composers whose music touches
him. Listen in as he discusses passages in
rehearsals with the likes of Arvo Pärt and
others. There are so many thought-provoking
observations and philosophical reflections
that one may be immediately prompted to
watch it again in case you missed something.
Whether or not you are a Kremer fan, you
will get a lot out of this unusual and illuminating
film.
Bruce Surtees
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 91

György Kurtág – Scenes
Viktoriia Vetrenko; David Grimal; Luigi
Gaggero; Niek de Groot
Audite 97.762 (naxosdirect.com)
!!
The nonagenarian
Hungarian
composer György
Kurtág ranks
among the leading
living modernist
music masters.
His precisely
crafted, intense,
compressed, emotion-filled and dramatic
style evokes a kind of sonic haiku, demanding
the utmost from instrumentalists and
singers alike.
This album presents six previously
unreleased songs and instrumentals by
Kurtág, with lyrics from literary works in
Hungarian, Russian and German. Scenes
from a Novel, Op.19 (1984) for example,
consisting of 15 extremely varied short
movements, is a prime example of Kurtág’s
oeuvre. With melancholic, introspective
texts by the Russian writer Rimma Dalos,
the songs feature virtuoso soprano Viktoriia
Vitrenko, who nails the shifting emotionaltonal
terrain. She is impressively supported
by violinist David Grimal, bassist Niek de
Groot and cimbalomist Luigi Gaggero. Given
its masterful composition, imbued gravitas,
dramatic and emotional range and the near-
20-minute length of this series of epigrams,
the work takes on an operatic magnitude.
And I found the rest of the songs here just as
compelling.
The Hungarian cimbalom is a stylistic and
national marker on much of the album, a
sonic through-line in addition to the voice,
although novice listeners should not expect
even a tinge of Magyar folkloric colour. The
cimbalomist Gaggero makes a solo appearance
at the end of the album on Kurtág’s
Hommage à Berényi Ferenc 70. His soft, wistfully
sensitive rendition feels like a relaxed
puff of gently perfumed smoke after the
intense multicourse sonic dinner we had just
experienced.
Andrew Timar
Soli for Tuba, Zheng, Horn, with Percussion
McCormick Percussion Group; Robert
McCormick
Ravello Records rr8014
(ravellorecords.com)
!!
The awardwinning
Floridabased
McCormick
Percussion Group
specializes in interpreting
non-mainstream
percussion
scores, often collaborating
with guest
non-percussionists.
Its latest album presents five works by four
American composers featuring one or more
non-percussion soloist backed by the forces of
the MPG, the size of a modest orchestra.
Album opener Loam by Kentucky composer
Tyler Kline is a substantial four-movement
concerto for tuba and percussion ensemble.
Metaphorically, it seeks to convey the notion of
natural cycles: the earth being tilled, life being
born from the soil and ultimately returning
to it after death. Prize-winning Taiwanese-
American composer Chihchun Chi-sun Lee’s
attractive Double Concerto for Tuba, Zheng
and Percussion Orchestra is perhaps the first
work scored for these instruments. She effectively
juxtaposes the expressive upper register
of the plucked strings of the zheng with the
lower wind tones and multiphonics of the
tuba, the texture filled in by the spatially
arrayed percussion sounds. While the first
movement blends colour, timbre and gesture
among these disparate instruments, movement
II focuses on tuba and zheng solos. The final
movement balances all three forces in an energetic
finale.
Lee’s other score on the album,
Zusammenflusses (Confluences), is a duet for
zheng and percussion, distinguishing it from
the concerto forms of the other works on the
album. Using a non-tonal language, Lee deftly
counterposes the differences and similarities
between the plucked and bowed zheng,
vibraphone and various cymbals.
This album, a journey into unexpected
combinations of sounds and cultures, is one
well worth taking in.
Andrew Timar
Jimmy López Bellido – Symphonic Canvas
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra; Miguel
Harth-Bedoya
MSR Classics MS 1737 (msrcd.com)
!!
Two novels,
written nearly 400
years apart, inspired
these two works,
both from 2016,
by Jimmy López
Bellido (b.1978),
composer-inresidence
of the
Houston Symphony.
Miguel de Cervantes’s final literary creation
described two Scandinavian nobles’ adventurous
pilgrimage to Rome. López Bellido says
his Symphony No.1 – The Travails of Persiles
and Sigismunda wasn’t intended to portray
the novel’s events, but “to convey [its] spirit,
greatness and humor.” Nevertheless, the fourmovement,
45-minute symphony contains
many dramatic “events” – eerie forebodings
leading to garishly scored, violent climaxes.
The Latino-tinted third movement provides
the only “humor” – jazzy and snarky.
In December 1996, Túpac Amaru terrorists
took hundreds of people hostage after
storming a reception at the Japanese ambassador’s
residence in Lima, Peru, López
Bellido’s native city. His 2015 opera, Bel
Canto, was based on Ann Patchett’s 2001
novel of the same name, itself based on
the four-month-long hostage crisis. The
three-movement, 30-minute Bel Canto –
A Symphonic Canvas, encapsulates the
opera. Perú, Real and Unreal begins with the
Overture and ends with the climax of Act
I, the shooting of diva Roxane Coss’ accompanist.
La Garúa depicts an enshrouding
fog and several hostages’ plaintive emotional
outpourings. The End of Utopia derives
from the final scene, the attack that frees
the hostages and Coss’ anguished aria, here
“sung” by a trumpet, over the desolation.
Both works show López Bellido has clearly
mastered the knack of building suspense and
effectively ending it with climaxes of exceptional
sonic power and brilliance.
Michael Schulman
Morton Feldman Piano
Philip Thomas
Another Timbre at144x5
(anothertimbre.com)
! ! 2019 marks
the 20th anniversary
of John
Tilbury’s signal All
Piano, a four-CD
set approaching
almost all of Morton
Feldman’s piano
music. Here the
younger Philip
Thomas presents a five-CD, six-hour set of
even more of these works. There’s a direct
lineage: in 2014, the two pianists recorded
Two Pianos and other pieces, 1953-1969
(also on Another Timbre), covering Feldman’s
works for multiple pianos and some for
pianos with other instruments.
Thomas explores the breadth of Feldman’s
solo piano music, omitting only a few student
pieces from the 1940s, while resurrecting
others, like an archival minute-long Untitled
piano piece, dated 1947, for a glimpse of
Feldman’s nascent vision. There are also transcriptions
of two pieces with lost scores,
including the piano part in the soundtrack for
the film Sculpture by Lipton.
Thomas brings a reflective depth to the
work, emphasizing the composer’s preoccupation
with sonic detail. Although Feldman
didn’t alter the piano’s physical character
like his colleague John Cage, he explored its
sonic character and notation with a unique
depth, including silent fingerings to create
harmonic resonance, varied approaches to
grace notes and allowing sounded notes to
decay in full, the sounds isolated and appreciated
individually.
While sometimes developing a kind of
dislocation – even writing two-hand parts as
if they were synchronous, then instructing
that they be played separately – Feldman
put a new emphasis on attack, duration and
decay. There’s great detail in Thomas’ 52-page
liner essay, including his description of a
92 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

year-long recording process with producer
Simon Reynell that emphasizes the music’s
sound from the performer’s perspective and
suggests the albeit quiet music be played loud
enough for all its detail to emerge.
Landmarks and masterworks will draw
attention first. Disc One creates an immediate
overview, gathering significant pieces that
run throughout Feldman’s career and last
between 22 and 27 minutes, from 1959’s
diverse Last Pieces, to 1977’s Piano with its
greater formal concerns and his final Palais
de Mari (1986), with its geometric construction
and enduring resolution. Still more
commanding are the late and large-scale
Triadic Memories and For Bunita Marcus,
vast explorations of form and scale that can
suggest compound bells.
Feldman’s relative miniatures, however, are
just as significant: the collaborative nature of
his music, including unspecified durations
and sequences, clearly inspires Thomas. It’s
most notable in Intermission 6 (1953), with
the performer determining order and repeats.
Thomas provides three versions of the piece,
one in the published score, two of his own
design, one of those with repetitions, the
three running from less than five to over
11 minutes.
Feldman produced one of the most
resonant and intimate bodies of 20th-century
piano music, conditioning and opening time
in the process. Philip Thomas is an ideal
collaborator.
Stuart Broomer
New York Rising – American Music for
Saxophone Quartet
New Hudson Saxophone Quartet
Independent (store.cdbaby.com)
!!
The New Hudson
Saxophone Quartet
is led by Paul Cohen
(soprano), who also
arranges two of the
selections on this
CD. Avi Goldrosen
(alto), David
Demsey (tenor)
and Tim Ruedeman
(baritone) complete the group which plays
cleanly and expressively, delivering nuanced
performances of several conceptually
related works.
The opening New York Rising (2003) was
composed by Joseph Trapanese who evokes
his sense of “curiosity and determination”
from the time he moved to New York as a
freshman music student and watched the
sun rise from his small practice room. The
piece is descriptive as it moves us through
the day in this fabled city, from the Prelude,
to the Chorale and then ending with
the Fugue which represents the city at its
busiest. The album’s centrepiece, the fivemovement
Diners (Robert Sirota, 2009),
written for this quartet, was inspired by
three of the composer’s favourite diners
and his travels to them through the city
and suburbs. A highlight is the final Taking
the N train to Dinner at the Neptune,
Astoria, Queens where we hear the quartet
emulating the rattling of the elevated
subway as a counterpoint to the dining
experience.
The three-movement Saxophone Quartet
No.1 by David Noon (2001), two works
by Aaron Copland (arranged by Cohen)
and Lisbon by Percy Grainger, round out the
album. The quartet sound is excellent on all
tracks and the range of compositions create
diverse and engaging portraits of New York.
Ted Parkinson
JAZZ AND IMPROVISED
Aftermath
Chelsea McBride’s Socialist Night School
Independent (crymmusic.com)
!!
Chelsea
McBride’s Socialist
Night School is
a modern jazz
orchestra that’s
been producing
contemporary
music only since
about 2014 yet this
is the group’s third recording and second
full-length album. This is no mean feat for a
small group, but for a 19-piece big band it’s
extremely impressive. Even more impressive
is the scope of this album. With ten tracks
mostly clocking in at seven to eight minutes
each, it tackles all kinds of ideas both musically
and lyrically with all the songs written,
arranged and conducted by McBride.
The main theme of Aftermath is conflict and,
as such, it’s not surprising that the overall feel of
the music is driving and angular and that there
are sometimes less-than-pretty sounds used to
convey the ideas. The opening track, Revolution
Blues, was inspired by the 2016 U.S. presidential
election. (The one and only good thing I can
say about Trump is he’s inadvertently inspired
some great art.) House on Fire with its carnival
vibe, delves into the impact corporate greed
has on our world. There are some melancholy
beauties here too, like Say You Love Me and The
Void Becomes You.
McBride formed the band shortly after
graduating from Humber College and the
majority of the players are her 20-something
contemporaries along with a few veterans
like trombonist William Carn and saxophonist
Colleen Allen, the latter of whom is
featured on the Me Too ode, Porcelain along
with Naomi Higgins. Trumpeter Tom Upjohn
takes an epic turn on Ballad of the Arboghast.
The musicianship throughout the recording
is superb but singer Alex Samaras deserves
special mention. He executes the challenging
melodies with skill and adds much musicality
and warmth with his beautiful voice.
Aftermath is a big, ambitious project well
worth the attention of fans of modern big
band music.
Cathy Riches
Life Force
Diane Roblin
Independent (dianeroblin.com)
!!
Following her
successful 2014
comeback, noted
composer and
multi-keyboardist
Diane Roblin has
once again created
an eclectic, deeply
personal and musically
meaningful project that unabashedly
celebrates life, and the inevitable, invigorating
roller-coaster ride that is part of a well-lived
human experience. Roblin’s gifted collaborators
here include CD producer and acoustic/
electric bassist, George Koller; trumpet/EVI
player Bruce Cassidy (who also contributes
the exceptional horn arrangements); Kevin
Turcotte on trumpet and flugelhorn, Jeff
LaRochelle on tenor sax and bass clarinet and
Ben Riley on drums.
Back on Track is the sassy opener, with
Roblin laying it down on Fender Rhodes,
deftly establishing the spine of the funk.
Cassidy’s EVI solo, followed by Turcotte’s
trumpet solo, propel things to a higher
vibrational level, while Koller’s gymnastic,
supportive bass work and Riley’s drums are
the soulful glue that gently hold the expandable
structure of the tune together. Another
standout is Snowy Day (which reappears at
the end of the CD). LaRochelle’s bass clarinet
is simply stunning and perfectly complements
the introspective mood of the tune, as
well as Roblin’s skilled and intuitive acoustic
piano work. All the while, Cassidy’s horn
arrangement weaves a silken web of harmonically
complex ideas.
Another fine track is Suspend Yourself,
where Roblin reminds us of her skill, not only
as a pianist, but as a new music composer.
The ensemble breaks into the piano intro
with considerable pumpitude, morphing into
a straight-ahead bop motif, spurred on by
Cassidy’s EVI. Of special note is the tender
Ballad in 3-4, which displays the gentle,
contemplative aspects of Roblin’s musicality,
gorgeously framed by Koller’s bass solo and
the Kenny Wheeler-ish horn parts.
Lesley Mitchell-Clarke
Dream a Little…
Champian Fulton; Cory Weeds
Cellar Live CLO22519 (cellarlive.com)
! ! It is probably
pure happenstance,
but a song
such as Dream a
Little Dream of Me
seems to have been
written for just such
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 93

an intimate encounter as between pianist and
vocalist, Champian Fulton, and saxophonist
and impresario, Cory Weeds. What is no accident,
however, is the fact that these two musicians
seem to automatically fall in with each
other, melodically, harmonically and rhythmically,
so that axiomatic sparks begin to fly.
Weeds plays with quiet brilliance
throughout Dream a Little… His uniquely
sophisticated and sonorous style weaves
in and out of the vibrant and affectionate
expressivity of Fulton’s pianism, her voice
often becoming the crowning glory of the
songs here. Both musicians seem to connect
in a rarefied realm, but they then descend
to earth where they each inhabit a palette of
sumptuous colour. Then, like a couple in love,
playfully oblivious of the attention they have
attracted, they hold each other’s music in a
tight embrace.
There is too much proverbial gold on this
album, but I am going to risk suggesting that
the biggest ear-opener is Darn that Dream.
This performance burns in the quietude
of the bluest part of a musical flame; its
languid, seemingly interminable narrative
made to simmer forever in a rhythmic
and sonic intensity where Weeds contributes
lyrical prowess, while Fulton offers her brilliant
vocalastics, which sustain the music’s
emotional mood while bringing the text’s
poetic imagery to life.
Raul da Gama
High and Low
Sam Kirmayer; Ben Paterson; Dave Laing
Cellar Live CLO 20118 (cellarlive.com)
!!
During an era
in which even the
most straight-ahead
jazz guitarist tends
to have a sprawling
array of pedals
on stage, Sam
Kirmayer is something
of an anomaly.
A traditionalist who tends to eschew effects
in favour of the unmediated connection
between instrument and amplifier, Kirmayer
has found a voice for himself in the bluesy,
hard bop style of guitarists like Grant Green,
Wes Montgomery and Peter Bernstein. His
newest album, High and Low, is his first to be
released on Vancouver’s Cellar Live Records;
an apposite fit, for a label that has become
Canada’s leading outlet for hard bop. High
and Low is an organ trio album, a rarity
in and of itself in Canada. Drummer Dave
Laing – who also played on Kirmayer’s debut
album – is a faculty member in McGill’s jazz
program, and is a stalwart of the Montreal
scene. New York organist Ben Paterson, whose
résumé includes work with Bobby Broom,
Johnny O’Neal, and Peter Bernstein, rounds
out the trio.
High and Low delivers amply on the
premise that it sets out for itself: it is a
swinging hard-hitting album, with crisp,
tasteful playing from all involved. It is also,
from the opening notes of the title track,
a sonically beautiful experience, with all
of the richness and depth that one hopes
for in an organ trio recording. Kirmayer is
in his element throughout High and Low,
and Laing and Paterson make for a strong
rhythmic team.
Colin Story
Trane of Thought (Live at The Rex)
Pat LaBarbera/Kirk MacDonald Quintet
Cellar Live CLO71819 (cellarlive.com)
!!
When two extraordinary
jazz saxophonists
team up
for a John Coltrane
tribute, you know
it’s going to be
explosive. And
that’s exactly
what this live recording, featuring both Pat
LaBarbera and Kirk MacDonald along with
their band, is. The record is a well-picked
and thought-out selection of songs from
the two Coltrane tribute shows that the duo
performed at our city’s beloved jazz joint,
The Rex, in 2018. Ranging from the legendary
saxophonist’s earlier works to some of his
most lasting and obscure ones, LaBarbera
and MacDonald have achieved, in their own
words, “a thoughtful balance.” The album
stems from a love for Coltrane that the duo
has, LaBarbera seeing him live when he was
studying at the Berklee School of Music and
MacDonald discovering Coltrane on record at
an early age.
The songs on the record, although from
separate live shows, have been picked in
such a way that it tells a thorough story;
starting off sultry and well-paced with On
a Misty Night and Village Blues, building
up to a wonderful and fevered climax with
Impressions and coming to a scintillating
end with Acknowledgment/Resolution.
Coltrane’s works can be appreciated very well
here, especially with the excellent backing
musicians – Brian Dickinson on piano, Neil
Swainson on bass and Joe LaBarbera on
drums. Fan of Coltrane or not, this album
should definitely be a part of any jazz aficionado’s
collection.
Kati Kiilaspea
Chrysalis
Sonia Johnson
Independent PSJCD1911
(soniajohnson.com)
!!
Creating an
album of music
where disparate
musical styles come
together can seem
burdensome on
paper. But when
there is just too
much in the essence
of music to be left out, indulging everything
becomes imperative. This is the raison d’être
for Chrysalis the first English language album
from the francophone artist Sonia Johnson.
The title suggests a bringing to birth of something
transformative. It certainly seems so
after the last notes disappear into the air.
But more than anything else, you get
the sense that Chrysalis is a labour of love.
Featuring beautifully crafted arrangements
of beguiling variety and sensuousness, in
every lovingly caressed phrase, Chrysalis
lays bare Johnson’s adoration of music in all
its harmonic sumptuousness. Her chosen
material consists of original songs – either
written by her, or co-written with others
whose work she delights in – so that listening
to this music feels like opening an ornate box
to reveal hidden gems.
For instance, listening to the way in which
Johnson seductively bends the notes in Storm
and Monsters, and how she sculpts the long,
sustained invention of We Need to Know, it’s
clear that there’s not a single semiquaver that
hasn’t been fastidiously considered vocally
and instrumentally by an ensemble attuned
to Johnson’s artistic vision. Two other vocalists
– Judith Little-Daudelin and Elie Haroun
– deliver powerful performances. Meanwhile
Johnson’s mellifluous timbre beguiles
throughout as she digs deep into her nasal,
throat and chest voice.
Raul da Gama
Fundamentally Flawed
Dan Pitt Trio
Independent (dan-pitt.com)
! ! Over the past
few years, guitarist
Dan Pitt has been
steadily establishing
a presence
for himself on the
Toronto jazz scene.
Fundamentally
Flawed, the debut
album for both Pitt and his eponymous
trio, is a showcase for Pitt’s playing and his
unique compositional style; in both, one can
find complementary elements of modern
jazz and creative/improvised music, with a
tendency to employ the former in service of
the latter. This being the case, Pitt has done
well in choosing his bandmates: bassist Alex
Fournier, whose recently released album
Triio is a stylistic cousin to Fundamentally
Flawed, and drummer Nick Fraser. A generation
removed from Pitt and Fournier, Fraser’s
artful drumming has been an increasingly
common presence on the projects of younger
Toronto musicians, and it is affecting to see
him continue to contribute to a scene that
he helped to establish in the late 90s and
early 2000s.
Though Pitt plays electric guitar,
Fundamentally Flawed is, at its core, an
acoustic trio album, with an emphasis on the
interactivity, excitement and close listening
94 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

that seem uniquely possible in the trio
format. From the raucous, heavily distorted
moments of Overdewitt and Mark III to lush,
slow sections in Balmoral and January Blues,
Pitt’s music has a transparent quality that
allows the individual characteristics of each
band member to be clearly heard at any given
time, highlighting minute shifts in improvisational
trajectory. A solid debut from a
compelling band.
Colin Story
City Abstract
Dan McCarthy
Origin Records 82788 (originarts.com)
!!
Vibraphonist
Dan McCarthy’s
newest album,
City Abstract,
heralds the Toronto
native’s return to
his hometown,
after 15 years living
in New York and
working with the likes of Steve Swallow, Ben
Monder and George Garzone. City Abstract
is a Canadian affair: recorded earlier this
year at the Canterbury Music Company, it
features the quartet of McCarthy, guitarist Ted
Quinlan, bassist Pat Collins and drummer Ted
Warren; of the nine tracks, six are McCarthy
compositions.
McCarthy is an accomplished vibraphonist,
with a strong technical command of his
instrument and well-developed artistic intuition.
This combination of taste and judgment
serves him well throughout City Abstract,
whether on up-tempo numbers like Bleyto
and Go Berserk or on more reflective songs,
such as Coral and Other Things of Less
Consequence. Quinlan, Collins and Warren
share this approach; though this is a band
with chops to spare, they are always deployed
in service to the music, rather than for
personal glory.
City Abstract has many highlights to
choose from. Bleyto, the album’s opener,
is a tight, swinging song, with an athletic
melody played ably in unison by Quinlan
and McCarthy. The 7/4 Go Berserk is also an
unexpected treat, if only because the juxtaposition
of the vibraphone with distorted,
high-gain guitar still seems relatively novel.
Overall, City Abstract is a well-crafted
modern jazz album from a talented bandleader
whom the Toronto jazz scene should be
glad to have back.
Colin Story
Andy Ballantyne: Play on Words
Andy Ballantyne; Rob Piltch; Adrean
Farrugia; Neil Swainson; Terry Clarke
GB Records GBCD190307 (gbrecords.ca)
!!
Toronto-native,
saxophonist Andy
Ballantyne has
decided to pay
tribute to some of
his greatest influences
on this new
release. Ballantyne
describes the
thought behind this record as being a showcase
of how it’s possible to make something
your own and add your personal touch
and flare to it, even within the bounds of
certain stylistic constraints you often have as
a freelance musician. It’s very much about
showing how a musician can add their own
unique perspective within a piece of music.
Ballantyne composed all of the pieces except
Till the Clouds Roll By, written by Jerome
Kern, a famed musical theatre and popular
music composer from the early 1900s.
All of the songs stand out in their own right
and, if the listener knows about the greats
Ballantyne is paying tribute to, it is easy to
hear their influence. Some pieces that really
come forth are Gordian Knot, a catchy and
rhythmically pleasing opening track dedicated
to Dexter Gordon, Round Shot, a song
that is positively groovy and is a shout out to
the great Cannonball Adderley and Mr. P.L.,
a quite cleverly named tune to honour one
of our amazing local saxophonists (maybe
the reader will be able to figure out who.)
Featuring Adrean Farrugia on piano, Rob
Piltch on guitar, Neil Swainson on bass and
Terry Clarke on drums, this record is nothing
short of excellent.
Kati Kiilaspea
Offering
Rob Clutton with Tony Malaby
Snailbongbong SBB006
(robclutton.bandcamp.com)
!!
Bassist Rob
Clutton has long
been a mainstay
of Toronto’s jazz
community, as diligent
supporting
player in the mainstream
and a
creative catalyst in
more adventurous settings. Clutton leads his
own Cluttertones, combining songs, synthesizer
and banjo, and he’s explored individualistic
inspirations on solo bass. Here he’s
playing a series of duets with New York
saxophonist Tony Malaby, a fellow member
of drummer Nick Fraser’s Quartet, and a
standout soloist, whether for the animated
gravel of his tenor or the piquant air of his
soprano.
That pared-down instrumentation reveals
its rationale on the hymn-like title track, one
of Clutton’s seven compositions here, his
bowed bass complementing Malaby’s warm,
airy tenor sound. On Refuge, as well, the two
reach toward the grace and intensity of John
Coltrane. Often admirably concise, the two
can also stretch out, extending their spontaneous
interaction on Crimes of Tantalus.
Among the three improvisations, Swamp
Cut has both musicians reaching deep into
their sonic resources, Malaby’s grainy soprano
meeting its double in the high harmonics of
Clutton’s bowed bass. The rapid-fire Twig
has Clutton to the fore, plucking a kind of
compound ostinato that fires Malaby’s lyricism.
Swerve has as much focused energy
and raw expressionism as bass and tenor
might provide, while Nick Fraser’s Sketch #11
possesses a special melodic attraction.
Throughout, one hears the special camaraderie
that two gifted improvisers can
achieve in a stripped-down setting, while
Clutton’s compositions could support a larger
ensemble and further elaboration.
Stuart Broomer
Concert Note: The Clutton/Malaby duo play
at The Rex on a double bill with Fraser/
Malaby/Davis on December 2.
Liminal Spaces
Simon Legault Trio
Effendi Records (effendirecords.com)
! ! Simon Legault’s
previous album was
titled Hypnagogia
Polis (2017) which
referred to a transitional
state from
wakefulness to
sleep and featured
a quintet. Liminal
Spaces (2019) is a trio album which includes
Adrian Vedady on electric and acoustic bass
and Michel Lambert on drums. Liminal
means “relating to a transitional or initial
stage of a process.” Therefore the theme of
“transitions” can explain many of the melodic
and compositional elements of his work.
Legault’s guitar playing is both clean and
precise and includes a spacey quality that
hints at other worlds and explorations beyond
the immediacy of the groove.
Many of the pieces seem to have evolved
from improvisations and work organically
through several organizing ideas or movements.
The opening Liminal Spaces contains
many rubato portions which draw on
Legault’s melodic scampering; a pastiche of
percussive nuances from Lambert provides
a nuanced and shifting backdrop. Solus I, II,
III and IV are shorter solo guitar works that
explore a variety of melodic and harmonic
ideas, all in relatively free time. On the
other hand, Inflexion has a solid groove
and a harder bop feel which Vedady and
Lambert accentuate with great ensemble
backing. Interwoven’s title could refer to
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 95

the opening contrapuntal interplay between
guitar, bass and drums which propels us
forward to the busier middle section that
showcases some excellent and articulate
guitar chops leading to a thoughtful bass solo.
Legault’s “process” works to create a fascinating
album that is introspective with bursts
of melodic and rhythmic intensity.
Ted Parkinson
Perdidox
Aurochs
All-Set Editions (all-set.org)
!!
Aurochs is an
improvising group
consisting of Ali
Berkok (piano),
Pete Johnston
(bass), Jake Oelrichs
(drums) and
Mike Smith (live
signal processing
electronics) with a monthly Friday
night residency at the Tranzac club in
Toronto. Perdidox contains two longer
improvisations, Grammar Architect and
Perfect Future, which the group describes as
“long slow atmospheric disturbances.” These
works contain many elements including
minimalism, jazz, funk, pointillism and
general avant-garde mayhem. The addition
of Smith’s electronics to the classic jazz
trio instrumentation creates sounds that are
repeated with delay, reverb and other treatments
that blur distinctions between what is
live and what is sampled and regenerated.
Both works have a strong rhythmic
impulse for most of their span which drives
the narrative forward. Grammar Architect
maintains a sustained and funky forward
momentum with many tasty riffs from
Oelrichs, from shuffle to hypnotically
off-centre snare, which plays off Johnston’s
juicy bass sound. Perfect Future has a great
break around the seven-minute mark where
a simple bass riff is sampled and looped but
most of the bass timbre has been taken away.
The other players drop away and allow this
riff to create a space before the second major
section of the work which involves much
tapping and scratching of instruments. The
final portion contains many piano interjections
that mix some Romantic elements with
angular modernist riffs; towards the end, the
drums and bass find a jazzy marching groove.
Perdidox is being released on SoundCloud
which is becoming common in this age of
multiple streaming platforms.
Ted Parkinson
amplified clarinet & trumpet, guitars, nimb
Sound of the Mountain with Tetuzi Akiyama
and Toshimaru Nakamura
Mystery & Wonder MW008 (mwrecs.com)
!!
Sound of the
Mountain is the
duo of clarinetist
Elizabeth Millar and
trumpeter Craig
Pedersen, significant
younger figures
in the Montreal
musique actuelle
community. Their work includes orchestral
roles, free jazz and free improvisation. This
CD, titled by its instrumentation, comes from
a 2017 Tokyo encounter with guitarist Tetuzi
Akiyama and Toshimaru Nakamura, who
plays “nimb” or no-input mixing board, plugging
its output into its input and creating an
array of controlled feedback sounds.
There are two improvisations here, identified
by the numbers 1 (clocking in at 18:39)
and 2 (16:51) and that instrument list. The
music proceeds with its own developing
form, a collection of shifting sounds, sometimes
spacious, like an isolated guitar passage,
some gently picked reflective notes, some
longitudinally scraped strings, these matched
with a few electronic burbles. At other times
there’s a crumbling wall of sound: diverse
feedback, a delicate clicking of clarinet keys,
some lip-smacking kissing sounds from
the trumpet.
Such literal description gives nothing of
the actual experience of the music, which
possesses an inner logic, sometimes jangling,
sometimes a reverie in an industrial park. It’s
a communion of sounds, linked in an experiential
continuum rather than through fixed
harmonies and rhythms. Ten minutes into
2, there’s a passage that sounds like a very
wise child is gently plucking at a guitar for
the first time, a trumpet plays muffled lines
and there’s a hive of electronic sound. It’s a
moment of perfect multi-dimensional calm.
Stuart Broomer
internal/external/focused/broad
PCP Trio
Mystery & Wonder MW 004 (mwrecs.com)
!!
Specializing in
the outer limits of
tones and timbres,
Montreal’s PCP
Trio works through
one short and one
extended improvisation
on this brief –
less than 25 minutes
– CD, where the distinctions among pure
sounds are exalted without a need for melody,
harmony or rhythm. Writ large on Extended
Listening Blues, the parameters set up include
laconic watery burbles from Craig Pedersen’s
amplified trumpet, off-handed slaps from
drummer Eric Craven and a cornucopia of
licks from guitarist Alex Pelchat that sputter,
twang and clang among high-volume
distortions.
Except for the occasional percussion thump
or cymbal crash, the guitarist and trumpeter
dominate the action with broken octave lines
and dual counterpoint that initially evolves
in a parallel fashion without intersection.
By the mid-point however, the trumpeter’s
dissected whistles and hums and the guitarist’s
harsh string rubbing and metallic clangs
reach a droning concordance, culminating
in a finale of vibrating strings and measured
brass breaths.
Not easy listening in any way, internal/
external/focused/broad shouldn’t be frightening
either. In their own ways free music
and heavy metal practitioners have set up
challenges to familiar and comfortable music.
Stripping sounds to primeval levels is what
the PCP Trio also does here, and the adventurous
should want to check it to see how
these experiments are proceeding.
Ken Waxman
Blue World
John Coltrane
Impulse B0030157-02
(vervelabelgroup.com)
! ! John Coltrane
is among jazz history’s
most influential
musicians, and
any unheard work
demands attention,
witness last
year’s reception for
Both Directions at Once, a lost session from
1963. Blue World isn’t quite so startling: it’s
a June 1964 soundtrack session for Montreal
filmmaker Gilles Groulx’s Le chat dans le sac,
a film that’s been available online. However,
the one complete take and three fragments
on the soundtrack total less than 11 minutes,
so there’s plenty of unheard material on this
37-minute CD of the studio session.
Groulx’s request list favoured Coltrane’s
work from 1957 to 1960: all but one composition
originated then, most prior to Coltrane
assembling the “classic quartet” heard here,
with pianist McCoy Tyner, drummer Elvin
Jones and bassist Jimmy Garrison. It’s an
opportunity to hear some of Coltrane’s
earlier material performed by his most celebrated
band, at its peak, in Rudy Van Gelder’s
legendary studio.
What’s here may be relatively brief, but it’s
very special: there are two takes of Coltrane’s
luminous Naima. A couple of tracks run past
six minutes, but they’re half the length of
earlier versions. The title work, a blues recast
from Coltrane’s 1962 arrangement of Harold
Arlen’s Out of this World, has comparable
power with added tension from Coltrane’s
evolving tone and focus. There’s also a driving
version of Traneing In, a piece dating from
his earlier harmonic investigations. Often
a relentless explorer, Coltrane was also a
96 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

masterful editor: here he’s emphasizing that
side of his extraordinary craft.
Stuart Broomer
Hiding Out
Mike Holober’s Gotham Jazz Orchestra
Zoho Music ZM 201906 (zohomusic.com)
!!
With the release
of his new double-
CD project, wellrespected
and
in-demand New
York City-based jazz
pianist, composer
and band leader,
Mike Holober has
done the near
impossible – assembled an A-list group (The
Gotham City Orchestra) to perform 11 fresh,
original, large ensemble jazz compositions
in a way that displays each musician’s gifts
within the framework of ego-less, challenging
arrangements. Holober is at a point in
his musical maturity and creativity that this
contemporary take on the traditional big band
jazz format is all about the music itself.
Esteemed members of the GTO include
many of Holober’s longtime collaborators,
all of whom have paid their metaphorical
New York dues many times over… such as
reed players Billy Drewes, Jon Gordon, Dave
Pietro, Steve Kenyon and Adam Kolker; trumpeters
Tony Kadleck and Marvin Stamm and
guitarist Jay Azzolina. The two-CD collection
(arranged in two Suites, entitled Flow
and Hiding Out) is comprised of Holober’s
original compositions as well as a compelling
rendition of Jobim’s Caminhos Cruzados.
The first suite kicks off with Jumble,
featuring some face-melting solo work from
guitarist Jesse Lewis, and then segues into the
ambitious four-movement work, Flow, which
includes the evocative Tear of the Clouds,
Opalescence, Interlude and the high-energy,
bop-infused Harlem, featuring the always
swinging Drewes on alto.
The second disc contains the five-movement,
Hiding Out, beginning with Prelude,
featuring a woodwind intro followed by
the thrilling entrance of brass, followed
by Compelled, Four Haiku and Interlude…
ending with the skillfully crafted, dynamic,
full-band opus It Was Just the Wind. This
brilliant project closes with an inspired take
on Jobim’s classic, which was made even
more stunning by the work of iconic trumpeter/flugelhornist,
Stamm.
Lesley Mitchell-Clarke
Plastový Hrad
Elliott Sharp
Infrequent Seams IS 20
(infrequntseams.com)
!!
Aural essays in
bass clarinet adaptation
Plastový
Hrad’s three tracks
composed by
American Elliott
Sharp challenge
the player(s) in
varied fashions.
Commissioned by the Brno Contemporary
Orchestra to celebrate the 100th anniversary
of the Czech Republic, the opaque moody
title track has Lukasz Daniel chiselling a place
for the horn’s distinctive harmonies among
the polyphonic narrative propelled by the
ensemble. Lyrical yet rhythmic, in contrast,
Gareth Davis’ bass clarinet on Turning Test
is the sole foil to the Neue Vocalsolisten
Stuttgart, whose six singers harmonize and
hocket as they move through this contemporary
art song. Based on a graphic score,
rather than through-composed like the
others, Oumuamua features extended and
unexpected sonic techniques expressed by
Sharp’s own bass clarinet and programmed
electronics.
Propelled full force, the episodic structure
of Plastový Hrad allows for several dramatic
moments as when bass clarinet trills flutter
upwards to maintain the narrative among
gathering motifs propelled by kettle-drum
smashes and flaring horn-section harmonies.
Eventually the caustic horizontal theme is
maintained with speedy coloratura emphasis
from Daniel. On Oumuamua, intonation
that can sound like two separate clarinets
is broken into shards or reconstructed,
then amplified with signal-processed
pumps before ending with straight-ahead
twisting trills. As for Turing Test, lower case
continuum from the clarinetist finally blends
with the layered voices for a lyrical finale.
Overall both the country and reed exploration
are properly honoured musically here.
Ken Waxman
Masked
Kathryn Ladano
Independent (kathrynladano.com)
!!
I have it on good
authority from the
most celebrated
virtuosos of the bass
clarinet that it is a
challenging instrument
to play and
certainly diabolically
difficult to
master. In ensemble, the ink-dark character
of its sound is featured prominently in
the wall of lower register instruments, used
almost percussively by its virtuosos to often
create the effect of deep, staccato repetitions,
played beneath the melody to conjure a
feeling of slowly fluctuating cycles. Those
who approach the instrument are extremely
brave. The great bass clarinetist Eric Dolphy
certainly was. Together with Gunter Hampel,
Don Byron, James Carter and Paul Austerlitz
he led a tiny tribe of others that now includes
Kathryn Ladano.
Masked is the second solo album for bass
clarinet by Ladano. Its title comes from her
PhD thesis, The Improvising Musician’s
Mask: Using Musical Instruments to Build
Self-Confidence and Social Skills in Collective
Free Improvisation. Like Austerlitz, an
academic and performer whose work probes
the relationship between Vodou, improvised
music and altered states of being, Ladano also
pays close attention to extra-musical aspects
of improvisation as she translates elements of
her thesis in the music of Masked.
Things socio-psychological, philosophical
and spiritual apart, Ladano’s music gives wing
to emotion. The plaintive bleats, nasal drones
and breath-like human smears combine in
yammering snorts, phrases and long, loping
lines whose long and winding improvisations
don’t always have beginnings and ends but
often make you gasp in abject wonderment.
Raul da Gama
POT POURRI
From a Dream
Orchid Ensemble
Independent OE 2018
(orchidensemble.com)
! ! Lan Tung (erhu,
vocals), Yu-Chen
Wang (zheng) and
Jonathan Bernard
(percussion) are
the Vancouverbased
trio Orchid
Ensemble.
Established in 1997,
the trio incorporates Chinese musical instruments
and traditions with global sounds,
regularly commissioning scores from North
American composers. One of its goals is
to develop “an innovative musical genre
based on the cultural exchange between
Western and Asian musicians.” True to its
mandate, this album is a collection of works
by Canadian composers, along with two
arrangements of Chinese originals.
The title track From a Dream by American-
Canadian composer Dorothy Chang was
inspired by images of China’s Huangshan
(Yellow Mountain). Chang reflects the poetic
qualities of this spectacular landscape, by
turns evoking in her deftly wrought impressionistic
score the stillness, strength, delicacy
and resilience of this iconic site.
No Rush, by Vancouver composer and
conductor Jin Zhang, also explores contrasts –
though here sourced from within – segueing
from tenderness and strength, forcefulness
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 97

and tranquility. Each instrumentalist gets a
solo turn. Veteran percussionist Bernard gets
a workout on a wide spectrum of metal, wood
and skin, struck and bowed instruments,
erhu virtuosa Tung shines as the dramatic
melodic voice, and zheng player Wang imbues
her part with rhythmic incision and energy.
Fire (2007) also by Zhang, was inspired by
stories of the 1960 fire that burned Nanaimo’s
Chinatown to the ground. This near-cinematic
work, with a chorus of four voices,
evokes human struggle, hardship and the
opportunity for regeneration: an uplifting
theme with which to close to this enjoyable
album.
Andrew Timar
Patria
Mazacote
Justin Time JTR 8620-2 (justin-time.com)
!!
Patria is simply
one of the most
exceptional Latin
music projects that
has been released
in recent memory.
The recording is
a vibrant celebration
of the brave,
indefatigable Nicaraguan people and their
culture; and the beautiful, sibilant Spanish,
in symbiosis with the African and Indigenous
musics that emanate from Central America,
are the jewels that propel this potent and
passionate music. Although not overtly
a political album, Mazacote has said the
following, “This album is dedicated to the
people of Nicaragua and to those who fight
injustice and intolerance around the world.”
The CD is produced by Adam Popowitz
and trumpeter/flugelhornist Malcolm Aiken.
All lyrics were written by lead vocalist and
guitarist David Lopez and all music was
written by the ensemble. This invigorating,
dynamic group also includes Niho Takase
on piano; Chris Couto on congas, timbales,
bongos and percussion; Fito Garcia on bass;
Rod Murray on trombone; Mario Sota on
guitar and Frankie Hidalgo on vocals.
The opening salvo is Levanta La Copa
(Raise the Cup) – a joyous celebration of life,
expressed by dynamic vocals, a tight, relentless
rhythm section, authentic horn arrangements
and supernatural percussion. Garcia’s
distinctive, stand-up, electric bass is essential
for this genre of authentic Latin music. A true
masterpiece is the sinuous ballad, Pueblo,
filled with longing and nostalgia; these and
other emotions are not only expressed musically,
through the skill of the players, but also
in the superb vocal by Lopez. Mi Patria (My
Native Land) features Aiken on flugelhorn,
whose sumptuous tone and perfect intonation
contribute massively to the technical sophistication
of the ensemble.
Lesley Mitchell-Clarke
Sketches
Natalie MacMaster
Linus Entertainment 270431
(linusentertainment.com)
!!
There is so much
joy and sparkle in
the performances,
arrangements and
compositions in
Canadian superstar
Celtic fiddler
Natalie MacMaster’s
first new solo album
in eight years. A mix of traditional Celtic and
original tunes, she is joined by one of her
favourite musicians, Tim Edey, on nylon and
steel string guitars and accordion, and other
instrumentalists on select tracks in this toetapping
collection.
Her solid musical stylistic takes are
supported by the combination of perfectly
segueing different tunes in single tracks. The
upbeat opening Father John Angus Rankin in
Three Reels sets the mood for the rest of the
music with her effortless style mastery. Great
accordion clog violin transcription opens
The Golden Eagle set. In Tribute to John
Allan, MacMaster asked her cousin the late
John Allan Cameron’s son Stuart to play his
dad’s guitar in the opening Glasgow House
March, a tune she learned from John, which
is then followed by numerous faster reels
and strathspeys played with spirited fiddle
rhythmic bounce.
The Macmaster/Edey arrangement of
James Scott Skinner’s Professor Blackie is a
mellower violin/guitar ballad with precise
phrasing, soaring lines and effortless pitch
jumps. As composers, MacMaster and Edey’s
Morning Galliano, named after the French
accordionist, has a perfect French/Celtic feel
with Edey’s accordion flourishes and chords
playing in tight, happy duets with the violin.
Of MacMaster’s own compositions, noteworthy
is her closing same-named bluegrass/
jazz-tinged tune from the Judy’s Dance track.
Lots of fun!
Tiina Kiik
Something in the Air
Double bassists Score from the Background
KEN WAXMAN
Probably the most misunderstood instrument in popular music, the double bass is hard to
hear when any ensemble is playing full throttle. Yet the history of jazz, at least, would be
markedly different if not for the rhythmic impetus propelled by sophisticated bassists.
Not only that, but starting with iconoclasts like Charles Mingus and Oscar Pettiford in the
1950s, double bassists’ talents directing groups and as composers have kept pace with their
burgeoning skill in playing both arco and pizzicato. This situation has only expanded over the
years and these CDs offer some fine examples. Bassists may not be the designated leaders of all
of them, but each highlights the bull fiddlers’ talents as accompanists, soloists, arrangers and
composers.
Michael Formanek, who recently retired from teaching bass and
jazz/improvised music at the conservatory level, combines those
playing and composing attributes/ And Even Better (Intakt CD 335
intaktrec.ch) demonstrates this with the all-American Very Practical
Trio, featuring longtime foil Tim Berne on alto saxophone and
younger guitarist Mary Halvorson. Combining lilt and literalness,
Formanek’s nine compositions are melodic, but work in enough
space for the tang Berne brings with triple tonguing and slides into
high-pitched peeps, along with Halvorson’s precise chording, that
includes string distortion and Hawaiian-guitar-like shakes. With the exception of brief insertions,
the composer’s solo skills stay in the background. Instead he fluidly propels the tunes
with rhythmic pumps and stops. Still Here, for instance, finds the saxophonist’s slinky trills
and the guitarist’s flowing surf-music-like wriggles adhering to the sparkling narrative
advanced by bass string finesse, so that by the end modulating echoes from all are harmonized.
The brief Bomb the Cactus and the introductory Suckerpunch may have similar countryfolk,
finger styling from Halvorson, yet Berne’s response with slurred altissismo variations,
plus Formanek’s barely there thumps, convert both sequences into echoing essays in refined
counterpoint. The Shifter demonstrates that the bassist can write a fast bebop theme with the
instruments in triple counterpoint, as Berne’s stop-time snarls add emotion. Yet the trio’s
98 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

eading of the concluding Jade Visions is even more telling. Written by
Scott LaFaro, who helped liberate bass playing in the early 1960s,
Formanek’s earthy polyrhythms pull the theme away from a nearlullaby
and serve as a fitting salute to one master bassist from another.
The UK’s Barry Guy has done even more to
redefine the role of double bassist/
composer/bandleader over the years with
his large and small ensembles. As part of a
trio on Illuminated Silence (Fundacja
Sluchaj FSR01/2019 sluchaj.org), with
Japanese pianist Izumi Kimura and
American drummer Gerry Hemingway, he
contributes three compositions, adds his
muscular accents to the free-form improvisations and even recites a
relevant verse at the beginning of one selection. Kimura, who sometimes
purrs vocally as she plays, generates delicate, winnowing
melodies, as her composition The Willow Tree Cannot Be Broken by
the Snow demonstrates. But Guy’s spiccato string rappelling and
Hemingway’s cymbal shatters add rhythmic heft to that piece. More
emblematic of Guy’s skill are his tunes. Blue Horizon moves from an
atmospheric introduction with lowing string patterns and keyboard
runs to intersection among high-frequency key clinks, drum thumps
and sluicing bass motion. Ancients is even better as crescendo buildup
during the performance separates an exposition of keyboard
sweeping lower-case moroseness with a fluid theme elaboration by
Kimura that concludes at a slower pace. Finding It, the Guy composition
which concludes this live concert, comes from his comic side, as
the bassist’s resonating smacks and pumps are interrupted and amplified
by Kimura’s Monkish asides that build up to a cascading climax,
downshift to bass string-plucked pulses and finally let the pianist
alternate between meandering theme variations and near frenetic key
shading. In spite of their experience, both veteran players still give
Kimura space to display her technique and voicing which is flawless at
any pitch or tempo. That she keeps her cool in such fast company and
is confident enough to assay Guy’s compositions and hardcore improvisations
make this CD a celebration of her talents as much as the
bassist’s.
A similar situation exists on Areas (Leo
Records CD LR 828 leorecords.com).
Although the leader is Swiss pianist Gabriela
Friedli, half the compositions are those of
her countryman, bassist Daniel Studer;
Dieter Ulrich is the drummer. The main
contrast in creative architecture between the
bassist and pianist is how her reactively
straightforward playing is nudged to more expressive freedom by
Studer’s constant string pressure. A track like the Studer-composed
Largo, which opens the disc, featuring dark contrapuntal bass-string
scrubbing and lighter keyboard chording, seamlessly slides into
Friedli’s Fil de Ramosa, whose dramatic impetus comes from plucks
and stops on the piano’s inner strings in such a way that both bass and
piano share the same pitch and emphasis as the tune evolves. With
such compositional accord displayed throughout, elation comes in
noting how the trio moulds turbulent dissonance into unexpected
narrative sequences while maintaining flowing concordance. Studer’s
Mildew Lisa, for example, uses sul tasto string thumps to push the
theme forward as the pianist’s high-energy percussive notes, strengthened
by Ulrich’s cowbell peals and drum ruffs, climaxes with highfrequency
comping that is simultaneously imaginative and straight
ahead. More complex, Masse, another Studer theme, introduces spurts
of atonality as the bassist’s arco thrusts are echoed by dynamic
patterning and asides from the pianist. The theme becomes more
splintered as the speed intensifies. Sudden cymbal clatter adds to a
finale of gradual tension release. Although there’s only one brief drum
solo, Ulrich’s strangled bugle (!) cries on Um Su animate the program
in a distinctive manner, as inner string cascades from Friedli and
buzzing bass string sweeps, almost shatter the exposition before adroit
keyboard flexibility calms the finale. Perfectly capable of composing a
prototypical contemporary jazz piece with a walking bass line, a shuffling
drum beat and a bouncing and sinewy exposition, as on Miedra,
the pianist’s most exciting work, and that of the trio, confirms
Friedli’s response to the challenge of Studer’s playing and writing.
A younger bassist moving front and centre
with his playing and writing is Canadian-in-
Berlin Miles Perkin, who, on The Point in
Question (Clean Feed CF 529 CD cleanfeedrecords.com),
has put together an international
quartet to improvise on his
compositions. Consisting of British trumpeter
Tom Arthurs, French pianist Benoît
Delbecq and American drummer Jim Black,
inclusive symmetry is maintained by contrasting dappled fluidity
from the trumpeter with the chiming bulk of keyboard and drum
strategies. As well as slick background prods, Perkin mostly confines
himself to relaxed, vibrating scene-setting, as on the title tune.
Leaving the best for last, however, the first three minutes of the
concluding Blue Cloud are given over to an unaccompanied display of
unhurried, often sul tasto double-bass pacing before the piece opens
up into a semi-march. Arthurs’ lyricism is then harmonized with
rhythmic percussion and piano key clipping before gradually upping
the tempo to end with solidly measured arco sweeps. A leisurely pace
is maintained throughout but never at the expense of subtle swing.
The title tune also serves as a showcase for Arthurs, whose burbling
flutters and smears move upwards to brassy shakes and slides. Before
the conclusion is realized with additional capillary fillip, more
spanked piano tones are added to the sequence. Additionally, when
bass and drums lay back on Sea Drop, this ambulatory track is
enlivened by a middle section of pointed trumpet smears and snarls,
doubled by forceful and frequent bass string pops.
Another bassist of similar age and experience
as Perkin is Swede Torbjörn Zetterberg.
However, Live (Corbett vs. Dempsey CvsD
CD 058 corbettvsdempsey.com), is a rawer
and more raucous affair than the Canadian’s
carefully modulated creations. Recorded
live in a Stockholm club, members of his
Great Question sextet expand on six of
Zetterberg’s compositions. Another EU
affair, the band includes Portuguese trumpeter Susana Santos Silva
and Italian baritone saxophonist/clarinetist/flutist Alberto Pinton plus
Scandinavians, tenor saxophonist/flutist Jonas Kullhammar, trombonist
Mats Äleklint and drummer Jon Fält. With an effervescent
stylist like Äleklint in the band there are times when it’s best to get
out of the way. This is proven on 1+1=1, The Oracle in Finnåker and the
extended Song from the End of the World, which also demonstrate
the bassist’s compositional versatility. A hard bop stomper driven
by the composer’s slap bass runs, the first piece is quickly broken
up with slurs and stutters from the other horns as Äleklint moves
from plunger growls to gutbucket blats, whinnying cries and staccato
smears until Fält’s measured bangs end the program. Midway
between jolly oomph-pah-pah and parade-ground music, The Oracle
in Finnåker features the trombonist working up and down the scale
with tailgate slides plus disruptive assault-rifle-like blasts. Torquing
the tension with an extended series of pats and smacks from the
drummer, drooling clarinet squeezes and trumpet peeps keep the
narrative moving until a final release. Although supple guitar-like
fingering characterizes Zetterberg’s work elsewhere, in contrast on
Song from the End of the World, his chiming pulse sets up a crepuscule-tinged
muted trumpet solo and a series of puffs and whistles
from one flutist which confirm the theme’s exotica. Reflecting the
introduction, the bassist brings the tune to a close with double-andtriple
stops and low-pitch string swabs.
Varied as they may be, each of these discs – and the bassists directing
them – show how 21st-century bassists are moving music forward.
thewholenote.com December 2019 – January 2020 | 99

Old Wine, New Bottles
Fine Old Recordings Re-Released
BRUCE SURTEES
In the day… a rather long-gone day, if you
listened to the ABC’s classical radio station
in Sydney, Australia you would immediately
recognize the name William Murdoch. Next
to Percy Grainger, who today is remembered
almost solely as the composer, Murdoch was
acknowledged to be the finest Australian
pianist in the first half of the 20th century.
Born in Victoria in 1888, he showed an
early aptitude for music but wished for a
career in law. He won a preliminary legal scholarship at the University
of Melbourne, all the while continuing his musical studies at the
Melbourne Conservatory of Music. At the age of 17 he won a scholarship
to the Royal College of Music in London. He travelled there in
1906 and studied four years under Frits [sic] Hartvigson, gaining two
gold medals, a Bechstein grand piano and the praise of Sir Hubert
Parry who described Murdoch as “gifted and charming.” His London
debut was in 1910. However, it was his reception on his tour of South
Africa as accompanist for contralto Clara Butt (not yet a Dame) that
finally decided him on music. He concertized and toured Scandinavia,
also Canada and the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
He began making acoustic recordings which he criticized openly
because of the engineer’s manipulation of the dynamics. From 1925
he was heard on electrical recordings, collected here as The Complete
Columbia solo electrical recordings from 1925 to 1931 (Appian
Recordings APR6029, 2CDs naxosdirect.com). The two Beethoven
sonatas, Pathétique and Appassionata, sonically most impressive
and interpretively unique, were recorded at Murdoch’s insistence
in an empty Wigmore Hall in London on October 12, 1926 and
January 19-20, 1927. These recordings pre-date the Schnabel recordings
by at least five years and it is obvious that Murdoch’s interpretations
are the product of his original thinking which holds our close
attention to the very last note. I played a few tracks for my friend, a
renowned critic, whose attention did not waver.
There are 43 tracks of the most beautiful versions imaginable of
piano favourites, all reflecting his original thinking. As an example,
Murdoch’s gentle, poetic performance of the dramatic Rachmaninoff
Prelude in C Sharp Minor, Op.3 No.2 will convince with newly found
eloquence. The entire contents may be checked at Amazon UK for
titles. William Murdoch, the consummate musician, died on
September 9, 1942.
Another fine set of interest has arrived from
Appian Recordings. The label is devoted
exclusively to restoring historic recordings
by pianists both universally known and,
in many cases, those known only to the
cognoscenti. Here we have The Complete
French Columbia Recordings 1928-1939 by
Robert Casadesus (APR7404, 4 CDs naxosdirect.com).
Included are all the commercial
releases from 78rpms together with
a first release of a performance of the Mozart Piano Concerto K537
“Coronation” recorded in March 1931 by Casadesus with the Walther
Straram Orchestra. Casadesus was born in Catalonia. He lived in
France and changed his name to Casadesus, meaning the house above
the village. English-speaking people were at a loss to pronounce
his name correctly. It is “Cazadsu.” Robert was a child prodigy who
played The Harmonious Blacksmith at the age of nine without using
any pedals… he couldn’t reach them. At the Paris Conservatoire be
was friends with Fauré, who much admired his playing, particularly
playing the composer’s own works. He was also good friends with
Ravel. When Ravel came to the studio to make piano rolls, he found
two sections beyond him, La Gibet and the Toccata from Le Tombeau
de Couperin and he persuaded Casadesus to record them instead. The
Aeolian Company released the rolls as the playing of Ravel but sister
Gaby Casadesus later admitted that her brother was very well paid.
Other concerted works in this collection include Fauré’s Piano
Quartet No.1 in C Minor, Op.15 with Joseph Calvet, violin, Léon
Pascal, viola, and Paul Mas, cello, recorded in May 1935. Also, Georges
Witkowski conducting his Mon Lac with the Orchestra Symphonique
de Paris as recorded in June 1928. Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.24 in C
Minor K491 was conducted by Eugène Bigot with the same orchestra
in December 1927. Weber’s well known Konzertstück in F Minor finds
Bigot conducting again on June 8, 1925.
There are some interesting duos here, including the Debussy Cello
Sonata and Caplet’s Danse des petits nègres both with Maurice
Maréchal from June 3, 1930. Casadesus’ own Flute Sonata Op.13
finds him in the studio with René Le Roy on that same date five
years later. Some of the major works included in this historic collection
are 11 Scarlatti Sonatas recorded on June 15,1937, Schumann’s
Études symphoniques, Op.13 together with Vogel als Prophet from
Waldszenen from 1928. He plays lots of Schubert, Mozart, Schumann,
Chopin, Fauré, Beethoven, Chabrier and a lone piece by Marie-Joseph-
Alexandre Déodat de Séverac titled Le retour des Muletiers. That was
on November 21, 1935. This set will be welcomed by those who would
enjoy these pre-WWII performances collected nowhere else. The
transfers are, as always with this label, state of the art. In this case by
Mark Obert-Thorn.
Vladimir Ashkenazy was never regarded as a child prodigy at the
Moscow Conservatory where he was studying in 1955, aged 18.
Nevertheless, he received second prize in the International Chopin
Competition that year and gained attention in Soviet cultural circles. A
year later he won the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Brussels.
That drew him into touring but after winning the International
Tchaikovsky Competition in 1962 his life changed. He was free to
spend six months in London with his family and then decided to live
there permanently. He was lauded by the critics as the most exceptional
pianist of his generation. The critics were right. He was not only
an exceptional pianist but a complete musician who today is known
also as a symphony orchestra conductor of the first order. His
recording of the Rachmaninoff symphonies with the Concertgebouw
Orchestra are, to my ears, way ahead of the competition in every
aspect. Also, there are his complete Shostakovich and Sibelius
symphonies.
Profil has issued a four-CD set, Vladimir
Ashkenazy The First Recordings (PH19030
naxosdirect.com), gathered from various
sources. The first disc, recorded at the 1955
Chopin Competition contains 11 familiar
Chopin works including the Ballade No.2,
two Mazurkas, a Nocturne, four Etudes,
the Prelude Op.45, the Polonaise in A flat
Major, Op.53 and the Scherzo Op.54. The
Barcarolle Op.40 from 1961 rounds out the disc.
The second disc, recorded in Moscow in 1959 and 1960 contains
the two sets of Chopin Etudes, Opp.10 and 25. Disc three opens with
the Liszt Mephisto Waltz and the Fifth Transcendental Etude, Feux
Follets, followed by two Chopin waltzes and mazurkas and the Third
Piano Sonata, Op.58 finishing with Rachmaninoff’s Variations on a
Theme of Corelli from Berlin 1957 and Moscow 1953. Finally, disc four
gets serious with performances from 1957 in Berlin: Prokofiev’s Piano
Sonata No.7 Op.83 and two Beethoven sonatas, the Waldstein and
No.32, Op.111. Hearing the playing on these four discs is a rare chance
to knowingly hear greatness in the making. The playing is supported
by full-bodied, uncluttered, dynamic sound with negligible variation
between the venues.
100 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com

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HANSEL
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FEBRUARY 6 – 21, 2020
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REAR VIEW
MIRROR
LUCA PERLMAN
Merry,
Um,
Holiday!
ROBERT HARRIS
It’s getting to be that time of the year again.
When once more I have to bear witness
to my follies.
Here goes.
I’m Jewish.
And I love Christmas carols.
There, now I’ve said it.
I’ve loved carols ever since I piled into the yellow school buses
waiting for us kids outside Hillcrest Public School at Bathurst and
St. Clair to ferry us down to Simpson’s basement at Yonge and Queen
in early December to sing our little hearts out for harried shoppers.
(As you can see, I’m also old.) And, while there, little Robert would
thrill to the music in ways I only later learned why. We Grade Fours
loved to end the first stanza of Good King Wenceslas with an exaggerated
“gath - ring winter few – oooo – el.” Only later did I realize
we were singing a plagal cadence, which had basically disappeared
from Western music 600 years previously. And there was something
remarkably brilliant and beautiful in Angels We Have Heard on High,
because, I now know, the Gloria in excelsis Deo which I was belting
out in my innocence had been sung in the West since the 13th century,
due to an injunction from Pope Leo IV, more or less exactly as I was
singing it beside the men’s sock department in Toronto in 1958.
The music of Christmas is one of the great cultural treasures of
modern Western Civilization. It’s like a musical archaeological dig.
Without realizing it in the slightest, at this time of year, we happily
and unselfconsciously (or we used to) sing music from medieval
times, the Renaissance, the classical period, and on up to the present
day, with contributions by Felix Mendelssohn (Hark the Herald Angels
Sing is based on a tune from one of his cantatas), Handel (Joy to the
World is a clever variation on two sections of Messiah) and many
other less-famous but no-less-able composers. I’ve always loved the
music of Christmas, much to the consternation and bewilderment of
my Jewish friends, who cannot for the life of them understand why
I’m glorifying the Christ child and the theological axioms of the religion
based on his teachings, in my enthusiasm for Adeste Fidelis.
And I try to tell them that the traditional music of the season isn’t
about religion at all, really – that there are lots of carols that have no
religious content in the least, from O Tannenbaum to Good King
Wenceslas; that, in fact, carols were first sung outside of the church as
an explicit populist repudiation of the morose theological seriousness
around Christmas, that they’re really a form of ancient pop music,
(which is why the modern carols, from White Christmas to Have
Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, almost all written by Jews, fit so
easily into the Christmas spirit). My Jewish friends are having none of
it. Christmas, for them, is dim sum on December 25. I’m a traditionalist
without a tradition.
So you might think that I would be somewhat sympathetic to what
has become a recently newly minted holiday ritual, the bleatings
and screechings from certain quarters about “a War on Christmas,”
a war, it seems, waged by means of insidious demands that we say
“Happy Holidays” instead of ”Merry Christmas” to people we meet on
the street, and re-name, in an act of blazing and audacious political
correctness, those excruciating musical gatherings in our local schools
“Holiday Concerts” instead of their rightfully named “Christmas
Concerts.” The “Holiday Tree,” shocking in its blasphemy, is part of the
conspiracy as well.
Given my carol obsession, I guess I should be sympathetic to these
arguments – but I’m not sympathetic to them at all.
At their best, they are stupid and childish, at their worst, dare I say
it, defiantly un-Christian in their intent and spirit. As I understand it,
the person whose birthday we’re celebrating on December 25 was the
one named the Prince of Peace, the one who endorsed the sentiment
to love thy neighbour as thyself. Can’t imagine he would have minded
that we adjusted the traditions and rituals around his birthday to
make them more inclusive, more sensitive, more welcoming.
If I thought the argument about the “War on Christmas” was
even remotely made in good faith, there’s a lengthy discussion I
could initiate about the history of changes to the celebration of
Christmas over a millennium, which make our contemporary
adjustments in effect, very traditional. The Christmas celebrations
we revere now as ancient and unchangeable, in fact go back
just over 150 years, to Victorian England. Christmas was banned by
Cromwell’s Puritan Revolution in the mid-1660s in England, (as it
was in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, jail time the penalty for celebrating
the season in early Boston); it wasn’t really until Dickens’ A
Christmas Carol that the celebration of the season was recovered.
And the so-called traditions of Christmas, which supposedly cement
their Christian heritage, were all borrowed from other cultures –
gift-giving from pagan Roman solstice rituals, the evergreen tree
as a symbol of life in death from ancient Egypt, even Santa Claus
from the Dutch name for Saint Nicholas, Sinter Klaas, although the
December 2019 thewholenote.com

otund, jolly, white-bearded Santa we now
revere was popularized in 1931 by that most
“santafied” of organizations, The Coca-Cola
Company. The Christmas against which the
“war” is being launched is the most syncretic,
the most accommodating, the most everchanging
season on our holiday calendar.
But the real argument in favour of modifications
to our Christmas rituals has less
to do with our past, and more to do with
our present. Simply put, we used to be a
predominantly Christian country, and we
increasingly aren’t anymore. And that’s a
good thing. Our understanding of ourselves,
and the complexity of the world in which we
live, is improving, and clinging to the letter
of the way things used to be reduces
that understanding. And remember, if
it needs noting, that no one is remotely
being prevented from celebrating the
season exactly as they choose. What we
are removing is the right of some people
to impose their manner of celebration on
others who do not share it, a right they
shouldn’t have had in the first place.
So what does that mean for me and
my love of O Come All Ye Faithful? Can I
still “come and adore Him, born the King
of Angels”?
Of course I can, and I will. Modifying the
spirit of Christmas doesn’t mean deleting
the history of Christmas. It’s essential that
we know who we were and where we came
from as we navigate our future. Our repertoire
of Christmas music, as I said before,
is one of the great treasures of our culture.
Why would we abandon it? What we need
to do, however, is place it in a different
context, to discover the spirit behind the
traditions, the spirit of the season that is
in the end about trying to find unity in
our community, sharing values of joy
and unselfishness. It means getting to
the truth behind the old customs.
Does that mean that the kids in Hillcrest
Public School today, who are not being bussed
Simpsons carol book
and catalogue, 1959
Simpsons, at left on Yonge Street, decorated for
the Christmas holidays, December 1962.
down to the Bay to sing carols, might have a different, far less
innocent, relationship to the music that thrilled me when I
was sitting in those classrooms? It might. And that’s a shame,
I admit. Innocence is a charming and beautiful virtue. But
nostalgia is not innocence; it can be and is clearly being used
today as a weapon in a larger cultural battle. What we need
to do is establish new traditions for our society, new ceremonies
of celebration for our developing century. Until then,
we’ll struggle with Christmas Concerts re-named Holiday
Concerts, in all their ambiguity and confusion, and we’ll
survive. As we have many times before when our values and
traditions were challenged. So, in that spirit, I’ll wish you all
both a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Me, I’ll be listening
to Johnny Mathis and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for the next
little while.
As for the Holiday Tree? Call it what you like – and let others
do the same.
Robert Harris is a writer and broadcaster on music in all its
forms. He is the former classical music critic of the Globe and
Mail and the author of the Stratford Lectures and Song of a
Nation: The Untold Story of O Canada.
ELLIS-WILEY
thewholenote.com December 2019

The 41 piece Ontario Philharmonic orchestra performs the most popular works
by the world's most famous composer accompanied by immersive high definition
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One night only, Toronto premiere engagement.
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January 31, 2020 AT 8:00PM
Get tickets at Meridianhall.com
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(Formerly Sony Centre for the Performing Arts)