Forget the Oscars (everyone else will in a few days, anyway) and think pub. Think art music. Think informal. Think make-it-up-as-you go (Uh oh, I think we’re back to Seth MacFarlane) — as in Classical Social.
This group of Toronto-area professional and student musicians has been getting together at Fionn MacCoul’s pub at 181 University Ave on Sunday nights and, from the accounts of organiser Simon Capet, the crowd is getting more boisterous every week.
The informal, come-as-you-are and listen or sight-read event starts at 7 p.m.
Here’s how Capet described tonight’s edition on Facebook yesterday:
Classical Social #5 is coming up tomorrow and, as always, we have a big pile of music to sight-read through. We also have some special guests coming by to give a little show and tell.
The Junction Trio, Jamie Thompson (flute), Yvanna Mycyk (violin) and Lucas Tensen (cello) will be joined by special guests Jesse Stewart (crystal bowls), Branko Džinović (accordion), Alex Toškov (viola), Erica Williamson (violin), and Cheryl Duvall (piano) to play, amongst other things, some Dvorák American Quartet. Very exciting.
For those of you who have not yet attended a Classical Social, the atmosphere is very relaxed. People start arriving around 7 p.m. and as soon as we have enough folks for a piece we start playing and keep playing until about 11:30.
The music’s great as is the atmosphere in the room. Socials are a great venue to relax with some friends and catch up on news, they are fabulous place to wind down after a busy week and get inspired for the week to come. Oh and the beer’s good too!