Inspired by Nelson Mandela’s dream and Desmond Tutu’s hope when he named post-apartheid South Africa the “Rainbow Nation,” Soundstreams offers a one-night-only exploration of Canadian and South African cultural identity through song and theatre.

Over time, with sufficient interactions and conversations, we come to discern and trust the taste of certain individuals and groups. This is the basis for word-of-mouth marketing, and not the soap-box-in-the-square method that has become synonymous with online social media platforms. Where is the space for thoughtful recommendations, the kind akin to an exchanged between friends, in a world where we have less and less one-on-one time?

We show our love of particular pieces in a variety of ways. We put the track on infinite loop in the background, we bring the score with us to follow along in concerts, or we perform it as often as possible. Soundstreams shares with us its reverence for Vivaldi with violinist Daniel Hope and Max Richter reimagining of this iconic work.

Christina Loewen, Executive Director of Opera.ca, has a front row seat to the changes in the performing arts industry. As a member of Canada’s Performing Arts Alliance, she is a part of a conversation at a national level and across disciplinary boundaries about the realities of dwindling audience numbers, and the sustainability of the performing arts sector.

Toronto Consort’s Sunday afternoon performance of Giasone (Jason) by Francesco Cavalli at the Trinity St. Paul Centre— of one of the most popular operas of the mid-17^th century—reminded me of all the reasons why music from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque period are anything but boring.

At the Heliconian Hall on Saturday night, there was a great buzz as a full house gathered for Essential Opera’s production of three original operatic works, Etiquette/Regina/Heather, written by Monica Pearce, Elisha Denburg and Chris Thornborrow, all of whom are prolific young composers.

 

The Annex Theatre is an intimate venue not usually associated with contemporary music, but it offered Spectrum Music, founded in 2010, unique opportunities to experiment with lighting, staging, and sound.

The first half of the program featured original piano-guitar arrangements by Kradjian and Goryachev of well-known 20^th century Spanish music. It was a rare treat to hear the music performed by the arrangers themselves, both of whom are masters of their instruments and musical traditions beyond the Western idiom.