Mussorgsky’s blockbuster Pictures at an Exhibition is showcased in the programme for the upcoming concert by the Bloor-Annex Brass Ensemble. The concert takes place November 2 in Walter Hall at the University of Toronto.
The Bloor-Annex Brass is a student-led ensemble composed of young professional musicians from across the GTA. They hail largely from the RCM’s Glenn Gould School as well as the University of Toronto Faculty of Music.
The group was formed to give young brass players opportunities to perform at a high level, network, and collaborate to explore the rapidly growing repertoire for brass ensemble.
The Bloor-Annex Brass Ensemble perform Mogen Adresen’s Three Norwegian Dances in March 2023:
The Programme
Along with Modest Mussorgsky’s seminal Pictures at an Exhibition arranged for brass orchestra, the concert will showcase a variety of music.
That includes works by Grammy Award-winning American composer Eric Whitacre, Toronto-based Canadian composer, musician, and educator Cait Nishamura, and Argentine tango composer Astor Piazolla.
The ensemble will be performing the North American premiere of award-winning Australian composer Nicole Murphy’s Glide. From the programme notes, the piece “captures themes of noise and silence, light and dark”.
Two of the pieces have close connection to the ensemble, including:
- Selections from Sergei Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil, transcribed for brass by ensemble alumnus Samuel Kerr;
- The world premiere of a commission for the ensemble composed by current tubist and composer Umberto Quattrociocchi.
Co-founder & Conductor Ilan Mendel
Conductor Ilan Mendel is a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia. He’s currently completing his bachelor’s degree in trombone performance at the University of Toronto. His studies at the UofT have been recognized with several awards, including the Plotenyi Bekassy-Tassonyi Award for Undergraduate Study, the Walter Homburger Scholarship and the President’s Scholars of Excellence Award. During the summer of 2023, Ilan was one of two members of the Denis Wick Canadian Wind Orchestra Young Conductors Residency at MusicFest Canada.
Along with co-founding and conducting the Bloor-Annex Brass Ensemble, he is the co-founder and former Managing Artistic Director of the Toronto Chamber Symphony.
As a conductor, he’s a passionate supporter of new music and young composers. Ilan has premiered several works, and commissioned two compositions.
Details
Along with the ensemble, members of the University of Toronto Percussion Studio will join the Bloor-Annex Brass Ensemble in the performance of Nicole Murphy’s Glide.
Admission is PWYC by donation, with all proceeds going towards the costs of the performance. A livestream link will also be made available. More information [HERE].
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