To open the 2025/26 season, North Wind Concerts will be taking their audience off the beaten path of the Baroque era for a cross-cultural journey titled Ephemera: Corelli in China. The concert takes place September 20.
We know that the works of 18th-century European composers reached listeners in China, including the Imperial Court. Harpsichordist and NWC Artistic Co-Director Louise Hung has made a passion of exploring how and why those centuries old cross-cultural exchanges took place.
The concert program for Ephemera: Corelli in China features works that were performed and composed in the Chinese Imperial Court of Emperor Kangxi, including Italian sonatas and trio sonatas. The works of Lazarist missionary Teodorico Pedrini are featured. Pedrini, born in Fermo, spent 36 years at the Chinese Imperial court, and became music teacher to Kangxi, of the Qing dynasty. He also wrote a book on Western musical theory that was published in the Chinese language, titled the LǜlǚZhèngyì-Xùbiān, and included in the Siku Quanshu, an encyclopedia that was completed in 1782.
Projected visuals and soundscapes add to the experience, which begins with chamber music by chamber music of Corelli and Bononcini. The audience then follows Accademia dell’Arcadia member Teoderico Pedrini to China and the Forbidden City.
The program includes Corelli’s Op. 5 sonatas for violin and basso continuo, and his Op. 4 trio sonatas, along with Pedrini’s Op. 3 violin sonatas. The concert is rounded out by a glimpse of what Pedrini would have taught Emperor Kangxi and the third, fifteenth and sixteenth princes in their very private lessons.
The Concert
The performers include Cristina Zacharias, violin; Jin Cho, flute; Margaret Jordan Gay, cello; and Louise Hung, harpsichord. Projected visuals and soundscapes by Matthew Antal.
About the performers
Flutist Jin Cho, a native of South Korea, Jin specializes in historical and contemporary performance on baroque flute, modern flute and Korean daegeum. Jin has studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University where he received a Master’s degree and Artist Diploma in modern flute performance. He studied historical performance at the master’s level at the University of Toronto. Jin is currently based in Toronto.
Toronto based Margaret Gay is a sought after freelance musician who performs regularly on both modern and period instruments with ensembles such as Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony, Opera Atelier, the Eybler Quartet, and Ensemble Polaris, a group that dive into the traditional music of various Nordic countries.
Louise Hung earned a BMus in Piano Performance at the University of Victoria and her MMus in Piano Performance and Pedagogy program at the University of Toronto. She also completed an ACP and MMus in Harpsichord Performance at UofT. She’s performed with a variety of ensembles and organizations, including Hammer Baroque, Musicians in Ordinary, Stratford Summer Music Festival, Cor Unum ensemble, Opera Q, Theatre of Early Music, and Tafelmusik Winter Institute.
Canadian violinist Cristina Zacharias has been a core member of the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra since 2004. She is often featured in solo and chamber music repertoire, and has performed on stages across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Her work can be heard on over 25 recordings for a number of classical music labels.
A native of Toronto, Ontario, Matthew Antal attended Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts. He began playing viola at age 12, and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in viola performance from the University of Toronto, followed by a master’s degree from the University of Victoria. Matthew performs regularly with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra/Opera Atelier, Theatre of Early Music, Elixir Ensemble, and Odin Quartet.
- Tickets are available at the door, or in advance [HERE].
- Subscriptions for North Wind Concerts 2025/26 season are also available [HERE].
The 2025/26 season includes concerts of Baroque, Renaissance and global music which explore questions and themes that are sometimes historical, sometimes whimsical.
- How did Italian Baroque music reach the 18th-century Chinese court of Emperor Kangxi?
- What were the musical career options for talented young English women around the year 1600?
- What would Louis XIV have put on his Chill Vibes playlist?
- What happens when three harpists from European, South American and African traditions get together and compare notes?
In a collaboration with the Toronto Silent Film Festival, North Winds will also screen Jean Cocteau’s The Blood of a Poet, accompanied by an improvised soundtrack of acoustic, electronic, and kitchenware instruments.
Workshops include free improvisation with Ben Grossman (November 22) and another on Syrian and Klezmer clarinet traditions.
Renaissance Big Band
This brand new initiative is designed for people with some musical skills between the ages of 12 and 26. It’s a monthly coached playing session that gives you the opportunity to learn about and experiment with Renaissance dance music, battle tunes, and fantasias. Participants will play both modern and period instruments.
- Details will be announced soon. In the meantime, if you (or someone you know) wants to get the updates on the Renaissance Big Band, you can emails North Winds here.
The Rest Of The Season
In The Key Of Cocteau (November 21, 2025)
Jean Cocteau’s remarkable film Le sang d’un poète (The Blood of a Poet) will screen in a collaboration with the Toronto Silent Film Festival, with a soundtrack of live improvised acoustic/electronic musical accompaniment by Ben Grossman, Debashis Sinha, Alison Melville and Colin Savage.
Encircling The World — Harps! (February 7, 2026)
North Winds’ Encircling the World happenings feature short solo sets, an open-floor Q&A session, and a three-part improvisatory musical ending. Performers include Julia Seager Scott, Scottish clarsach; Martha Mazzoleni, Paraguayan harp; and another guest to be confirmed.
A Playlist For Louis (March 20, 2026)
Chamber music by Hotteterre, Couperin, members of the Philidor family, and other musicians working at the court of Louis XIV epitomize the intimate side of French Baroque. Performers include Alison Melville, recorder & traverso; Jin Cho, traverso; Jonathan Stuchbery, theorbo; Louise Hung, harpsichord; and Felix Deak, bass viol.
Queen Of Hearts (May 9, 2026)
A concert that delves into the musical lives of women around the year 1600, featuring English domestic music by Bull, Byrd, Coprario, Johnson and Hume, and Italian works by Claudia Rusca, Francesca and Settimia Caccini, and Luciana Quinciani. Performers include Jane Fingler, soprano; Louise Hung, virginal; Jonathan Stuchbery, lute; Felix Deak, bass viol.
- All concerts start at 7:30 p.m., at the Heliconian Hall.
- Single concert admission is pay-what-you-wish. Tickets are available in advance, or at the door.
More info on all the concerts can be found [HERE].
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