Toronto Summer Music: Sasha Cooke. Songs by Copland, Barber, Heggie, Ives, Adams, Granados, Rachmaninoff, Alma Mahler, Korngold, Weill, Bernstein, Thomas, Sondheim, Gershwin. Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano; Warren Jones, piano; Walter Hall, July 13, 2026.
In the short few days since its official opening on July 9, Toronto Summer Music has already flooded the city with fabulous music. As a classical music omnivore, I have been attending — and enjoying — as many concerts as I could fit into my schedule.
I can honestly say that I enjoyed everything I have seen and heard. As an inveterate voice fan, I have a soft spot for song recitals.
Sasha Cooke
Last evening, I heard an extraordinary recital given by American mezzo Sasha Cooke, who is in town to give mainstage concerts and to mentor young artists in the Academy wing of the TSM. I am told that some eight years ago, she was at the TSM as a mentor.
This time we get to hear her do both — teach as well as sing, in not just one but two concerts. I had the pleasure of attending both. In the first concert, her four Aaron Copland songs were lovely. It certainly made me look forward to this second recital.
Her instrument has a big, beautiful gleaming tone – with plenty of squillo. It’s even throughout its range, with a strong top and a wide dynamic range, from hall-filling fortes to honeyed pianissimos. It was on full display last evening, to be sure.
Of Thee I Sing
The Of Thee I Sing program is particularly meaningful given this year marks the 250th anniversary of America, and Cooke has taken it on tour to Washington DC, New York, Boston, and elsewhere.
She opened with “At the River” from Copland’s famous cycle, Old American Songs, followed by Samuel Barber’s “Sure on this Shining Night,” two of the most iconic of American songs. It set the tone for the rest of the evening.
The program consisted of a combination of mostly vocal chestnuts with a few less familiar pieces mixed in. The composers were mostly American, plus other nationals like Kurt Weill and Korngold who moved to America to escape political persecution.
In addition to her gorgeous tone, Cooke sang with lots of expression, both in the sounds she produces and in her body language — she definitely does not belong to the “hands clasped, stand and sing” school of vocalists.
It may sound a bit ironic, but her timbre is so rich that sometimes it can be a bit difficult to hear the text being clearly articulated.
Final Thoughts
Her lovely singing plus charismatic stage presence was such that she had the audience enraptured. The recital also featured the solid pianism of Warren Jones, the elder statesman among collaborative pianists. He offered solid support to the vocalist.
I should mention that both of them spoke at length to the audience about what the recital and the song texts meant to them. It was clear that they were sharing their art, straight from the heart.
The recital, at about an hour of music, was relatively short but fulfilling. The audience response was very enthusiastic, with warm applause and shouts of bravos. We were rewarded with an encore, the name of which unfortunately I had forgotten.
All in all, a terrific way to spend a warm summer evening.
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