Based in Toronto, íchos Collective is a group of women-identifying music and arts producers who aim to curate and present a concert series that will bring together artists and works of many different genres. The series kicked off in February 2025, and continues on March 30 at Hope United Church in the city’s east end.
Both local and international artists will be featured in the diverse music series, with a goal of supporting women in the arts.
We spoke to musicians Carla Perrotta-Pyrgos and Jaye Marsh of íchos Collective about the organization and their plans.
íchos Collective: The Interview
The origins of the íchos Collective come back to a specific event.
“It goes back to […] when the KW Symphony announced they were folding,” explains Perrotta-Pyrgos.
A conversation began among the musicians of the KWS about what was possible going forward. “It’s very apparent that to have a career as a freelancer, you have to forge your own path,” she says.
A woman-based ensemble was an idea that Perrotta-Pyrgos, Marsh, and others had been toying with for a while. The sudden void left by the collapse of the KWS was the catalyst to put their ideas into action.
Jaye recalls connecting in conversations with other women in the arts, and how isolating it could feel at times to shoulder the responsibilities of motherhood and simultaneously attempt to keep a creative career alive.
“Carla and I were chatting just after KW announced its troubles,” Marsh recalls.
Those smaller conversations began to become larger and more frequent, and a decision was made to create the Collective as a means of mutual support. It can be especially difficult to garner the attention of producers and presenters in the classical music world. “It’s hard to find support if you’re not already important,” Marsh says.
She describes how overwhelmingly relieved she felt after their first project came together back in 2024. “I didn’t realize how alone I felt.”
Today, after a well received first concert, there is more reason for cautious optimism.
“I think also, the tide seems to be somewhat turning in this economy,” Carla says. Still, people are cautious with their money, and spending more strategically, as she notes. “It’s a desire to offer not just a concert, but an experience that people will enjoy.”
With so many alternatives and other concert experiences vying for audience dollars, a fresh approach is needed to bring in new audiences. “It’s the new classical way,” Perrotta-Pyrgos says. “You can’t keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.”
“Place” is a spoken word piece commissioned by íchos Collective, music by íchos Collective. Presented during the Freestyle Symphony workshop series, June 2024:
When it comes to the concert series, they’re trying out some new ideas and combinations. Audience reactions will be key to future directions.
Jaye explains, “One of the driving things [is] connecting people, connecting with our audiences.” As she points out, orchestral musicians are traditionally somewhat distant from the audience. “There are so many layers between us and the audience.”
Creating a more informal and immersive atmosphere has proven popular. “We’re finding that a lot of people are responding to our desire to connect.” At the February 2025 concert, for example, audience members were given hand drums, a five-minute talk with drummer Rikki LaCoste, and then invited to participate in one of the pieces.
“He brought a little bit of that magic,” Marsh says. Audience members were eager to know: will this happen for every concert?
“The fact that we’re women led and community minded has been a strong conversation starter wherever we [are],” she says.
It’s that connection with the audience that creates a truly immersive experience.
As Perrotta-Pyrgos notes, the idea isn’t to replace the traditional concert hall, but to offer an alternative.
“Maybe they don’t want to hear a Mahler symphony,” Carla says, “they are looking for some sort of intimate experience that they will have fun with, and leave happy.”
Being closer to the audience creates a different experience for musicians too.
“As a musician, I really enjoy hearing how the music is affecting people,” says Marsh. In terms of atmosphere, it’s more the cheering, talkative vibe of a pops concert than the usual silent solemnity of the concert hall. “It’s a totally different vibe,” she says. “It’s the energy that fuels me as a musician. I really enjoyed that feedback.”
The audience for the first concert in the series was smallish but enthusiastic. One of the pieces performed was in workshop stage, and Marsh talked to the audience about its development.
“People really appreciated that real, behind the scenes look,” Jaye says. “It was really fun to explore that way of playing.”
It’s contrary to the usual concert hall decorum, which dictates that all the works presented be fully prepared and perfected. As a musician, she explains, it’s important to be able to move away from that notion of absolute perfection. The audience seemed to enjoy it.
“I think it was a complete experience.”
The Concerts
Concerts take place on Sundays with doors open at 2:30 p.m. at Hope United Church (2550 Danforth Avenue), part of the HOPE Concerts series.
The Sunday afternoon concerts are free, but donations are welcomed. Future dates include:
- March 30: Ona Ensemble
- April 27: Pet Sounds Reinvented: the Beach Boys classic, Baroque-style
- May 25: Greg Harrison
- June 22: íchos Ensemble
The venue is one of few that offer live classical music in Toronto’s east end. Hope United Church’s music-friendly and community-minded congregation offered a place that was compatible with íchos’ own goals.
Future concerts offer a variety of sounds. The Ona Ensemble’s take on acoustic Brazilian music is gaining in popularity.
“At the risk of sound cliche, they’re so hot right now,” says Perrotta-Pyrgos.
Members of the Collective share duties, inviting musical friends to their programming. “We all finally get a chance to be players as well as presenters,” Carla says. “We’re already planning for next year.”
Pet Sounds is a Baroque take on Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. “It’s a mostly Baroque ensemble doing a Baroque-inspired recreation of this album,” explains Jaye. Greg Harrison, who performs in May, lives not far from Marsh in the east end. “He is a composer percussionist. He uses electronics to manipulate his sound.” The New Brunswick native will workshop new pieces and talk about his process as well as performing. “He’s an amazing pedagogue, and also a leader in improvisation and building creativity,” she says.
The íchos Ensemble closes out the concert series in June. One element the ensemble has been exploring is improvisation. “It’s not really taught anymore,” she says of classical music education. “We’re pushing our own envelopes in playing.”
Marsh calls what they’ll be doing structured improvisation facilitated by technology. “I’m putting my flute through effects pedals and loopers and things like that,” she says. “It’s tapping into that creativity I think we forget we have as classical musicians.”
It’s certainly true that the world of classical music tends to encourage an approach that emphasizes the composer’s original intentions over the individual creative voice of the performer, all while equipping said performers with the technical skills to go far beyond.
“We have a lot of tools already.”
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