Here are a few concerts we are attending, wishing we could attend, or thinking about attending between 19-25 August, 2024. For more details on what’s happening around Toronto, visit our calendar here.
Music Around the Corner: Kiri Quartet- Music from the Heart
Wednesday, August 21, 7 p.m., Chalmers Performance Space, Canadian Music Centre, 20 St. Joseph St., $27.96
The Kiri quartet (Emma Meinrenken, Astrid Nakamura on violins, Toby Winarto on viola, Matthew Christakos on cello) presents Kelly-Marie Murphy’s ‘Another little piece of my heart,’ and Schubert’s ‘Death and the Maiden,’ in the intimate space at the Canadian Music Centre this evening. Many Toronto audience members would recognize members of the Kiri Quartet, from their days at the Phil and Eli Taylor Academy, and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, performing and finessing their craft before leaving for the wider world. There will be a chance to meet-and-greet with the quartet members post-concert, so come with curiosity and enjoy this hour-long program from the heart. Info here.
Summer Music in the Garden: The Family That Sings Together
Thursday, August 22, 7 p.m., Toronto Music Garden. Harbourfront Centre, free.
Between Turkey and Russia, some many ethnic groups and cultures remain magically elusive to outsiders, and on this Thursday, ‘Ori Shalva’, the Makharashvili family, present the culture of Georgia, its coast open to the Black Sea, with its neighbours Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey. Especially rich in songs and ballads, Georgians are fiercely proud of their polyphonic vocal tradition- do come out, on the cusp towards the weekend, and open your ears to the melodies and stories from another place, generously offered by the Makharashvili family. Info here.
Hannaford Street Silver Band: St. Anne’s Benefit Concert
Saturday, August 24, 3 p.m., St. Anne’s Parish Hall, 651 Dufferin St., Donate What You Can.
In early June 2024, St. Anne’s Anglican, a national landmark adorned with beautiful architecture and art, including murals by the Group of Seven artists, went up in flames. The church, despite the immense loss, is continuing its service to the community, and is currently working from its Parish Hall. The Hannaford Street Silver Band is performing a benefit concert this Saturday, with the entry donation collection towards rebuilding St. Anne’s. Come out for a great cause, and enjoy that special ambiance of a great brass band- such richness simply cannot be duplicated on streaming or recording, it needs to be experienced in person. Info here.
BIGLAKE Festival: Beethoven Marathon
Sunday, August 25, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Wellington Music Hall, 42 West St., Wellington, ON.
BIGLAKE Festival is on its second phase for the summer in the lovely Ontario countryside- Prince Edward County, starting on the eve of August 23rd, and this Sunday’s program brings all 10 Beethoven Violin and Piano Sonatas to the stage. Written between 1797 and 1812, the evolution of compositional language and expression in these sonatas is quite amazing in its variety and temperament. In three concerts (in one day!), four pianists (Phil Chiu, Jane Coop, Ilya Poletaev, Louis Lortie) and six violinists (Matthew Chin, Hiu Sing Fan, Pui Ying Wong- MUSICUS young artists, and Timothy Chooi, Elissa Lee, Sheila Jaffé), will be performing all 10 sonatas, and such a marathon, though it may seem a bit ‘crazy’ initially, can be a great opportunity- certainly unique, to experience the genre in a true panoramic sense. One can attend all three concerts ($165/adult, $150/students and seniors; includes full catered board for the day), or choose to attend individual concerts ($55/adult, $50/students and seniors). Info here.
Summer Music in the Garden: University of Toronto Percussion Ensemble: From Toronto to Kyoto
Sunday, August 25, 4 p.m., Toronto Music Garden, Harbourfront Centre, free.
One of my favourite ensembles in this city is the Percussion Ensemble at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto. The foundation laid by the Nexus percussion ensemble in 1971, with original members Bob Becker, Bill Cahn, Michael Craden, Robin Engelman, Russell Hartenberger, and John Wyre, has given Toronto a great base for the in-depth exploration and education for classical percussion studies, and the contemporary music scene. The current percussion students of the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, are constantly challenged, and their ensemble performances are always packed with high-octane, superb-quality music. For this Sunday, they will present works by Steve Reich: ‘Music for Pieces of Wood’, and ‘Mallet Quartet’, John Psatha’s “Kyoto,’ Vijay Iyer’s ‘Torque’ and a new work by Michael Oesterle. If you thought percussion means: drum kits, timpani, and perhaps cymbals clashing at a school band, make sure that you do come out, ready to be amazed. Info here.
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