The excellent Pacifica Quartet performs at Toronto Summer Music Festival on Friday and there are two “Mentors & Fellows” concerts at Walter Hall on Saturday (details here).
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
ELORA FESTIVAL
Friday: Festival artistic director Noel Edison reprises the orchestra-free version of Carl Orff’s ever-popular Carmina Burana (with accompaniment by the TorQ Percussion Ensemble and two pianos) that he and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir presented at Koerner Hall last season. The website says nothing about who the vocal soloists are. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Gambrel Barn.
Saturday: Toronto Masque Theatre presents George Frideric Handel’s pastorale Acis and Galatea at the John’s Church at 3 p.m. The Elora Festival Singers provide choral backup.
The Elora Festival continues to Aug. 4. You’ll find all the details here.
MUSIC NIAGARA
Sunday: The most fun of this week’s classical concerts is likely to be the “2 Pianos — 8 Hands” affair featuring James Anagnoson and Leslie Kinton versus Lithuanians Ruta and Zbignevas Ibelhauptas playing Clementi, Brahms and Dvorák. They are also tackling Benjamin Britten’s Gemini Variations, with violinist (and festival artistic director) Atis Bankas and Toronto Symphony flutist Suzanne Shulman.
Britten was inspired in 1964 by two talented young twin brothers in Budapest. Both played the piano, while one also played the flute, the other violin. The Gemini Variations include music for all the possibilities, in different configurations.
This is the second half of this wonderful piece of music (I have no idea who the artists are other than a note on the YouTube video that there are three 12-year-olds involved in the performance):
Music Niagara runs to Aug. 11. You’ll find all the details here.
WESTBEN
Running to Sunday: Some great singing talent — including soprano Virginia Hatfield and tenor Colin Ainsworth — are part of a revue of Broadway tunes put together by festival artistic director Brian Finley.
Westben runs to Aug. 4. You’ll find all the details here.
STRATFORD SUMMER MUSIC
To Sunday: The Bicycle Opera gang is peddling its musical wares in local coffee shops every morning at 11 and every evening at 7.
Also to Sunday, the Vienna Boys Choir sing at St Andrew’s Church at 7 p.m.
Stratford Summer Music runs to Aug. 25. You’ll find the all the details here.
FESTIVAL OF THE SOUND
Sunday: Baritone Benjamin Covey and soprano Charlotte Corwin are joined by pianist Melody McShane and host R.H. Thomson in an evening of words and music celebrating Scots poet Robbie Burns. The performance begins at the Stockey Centre at 7 p.m.
The Festival of the Sound runs to Aug. 11. You’ll find all the details here.
John Terauds
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
