Events Search and Views Navigation
October 2018
Soundstreams | Six Pianos
Our season opener showcases a rich and varied contemporary repertoire for multiple pianos, exemplified by Steve Reich’s seminal work Six Pianos. There’s also a world premiere of a newly commissioned work for multiple pianos from Canadian composer André Ristic, alongside works from Cage, Lutosławski, Alexina Louie and Colin McPhee. We feature a who’s who of pianists/percussionists including Russell Hartenberger, Greg Oh, Stephanie Chua, Ryan Scott and Midori Koga.
Find out more »Esprit Orchestra | For Orbiting Spheres
FOR ORBITING SPHERES Wednesday, October 24, 2018 8:00pm Concert / 7:15pm Pre-Concert Chat Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, 273 Bloor St. W. PROGRAM Missy Mazzoli (U.S.A.) Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres) (2016)* Unsuk Chin (Korea) Chorós Chordón (2017)* Charles Ives (U.S.A.) The Unanswered Question (1908) Tristan Keuris (The Netherlands) Sinfonia (1974) *Canadian Premiere Mazzoli’s Sinfonia, cast “in the shape of a solar system”, weaves and coils itself in pulsing loops that twist around each other within a larger orbit while the Sinfonia of Keuris is simply a work of…
Find out more »November 2018
Collectif9 | No Time for Chamber Music – Concert/Album Launch
collectif9 is coming back to Toronto! We're celebrating the launch of our second album at the Lula Lounge. No Time for Chamber Music is inspired by the works of Gustav Mahler. Performance of works from the album and others. Bar service and snack menu available. Come and hang out! Tickets are available at the door. $10 and you're in! Event at 6:30pm / Music starts at 7:30pm *Reservations guarantee seating. Reserve at 416 588 0307 or lula.ca Exploring extreme dualities,…
Find out more »Against the Grain Theatre | Bound v. 2
Kevin Lau’s newly commissioned opera BOUND v. 2 in concert performance with Toronto’s acclaimed indie opera company Against the Grain Theatre Against the Grain Theatre (AtG) has matched one of opera’s most dramatic composers, George Frideric Handel, to a narrative inspired by the current, chilling refugee stories populating our newsfeeds — stories of migration and displacement due to war, discrimination, hate, and intolerance. AtG’s Artistic Director and librettist Joel Ivany alongside composer Kevin Lau begin the indie company's ninth season by digging deeper into the music and text…
Find out more »Esprit Orchestra | North/White
NORTH/WHITE Wednesday, November 28, 2018 8:00pm Concert / 7:15pm Pre-Concert Chat Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, 273 Bloor St. W. PROGRAM Anna Thorvaldsdottir (Iceland) Dreaming (2008)* Alexina Louie (Canada) Take the Dog Sled (2008) R. Murray Schafer (Canada) North/White (1973) *Canadian Premiere In North/White, a snowmobile in the percussion section is counterbalanced by Schafer’s sonic portrayal of the mythic, splendid, indestructible idea of North – spacious, pure, temptationless. Louie’s Take the Dog Sledcaptures the joy, tenderness and energy of life in the arctic, the mystical…
Find out more »December 2018
Soundstreams | Electric Messiah IV
In the world of holiday messiahs, only one is electric! A bona fide Toronto holiday favourite, "Electric Messiah" reimagines George Fredrick Handel’s great masterpiece with fascinating inspirations from jazz, gospel, blues, hip-hop and of course, classical. While audiences will recognize familiar themes, they soon realize this is not how Handel would have heard it. That’s because Ear Candy takes great care in deconstructing this masterpiece, taking it apart, and stripping it down to its essence. Once rebuilt, it takes on…
Find out more »January 2019
University of Toronto Faculty of Music | New Music Festival: Sparks & Wiry Cries songSLAM
songSLAM is a unique opportunity for emerging classical music composer/performer teams to premiere new art songs and compete for cash prizes. For the first time in Canada, teams will present a new song for voice and piano in any language for the voting audience, who - in poetry slam tradition - will vote for their favourites. Visit the Women on the Verge website for more info. Made possible in part by a generous gift from Catherine Ukas. Presented by Women on the…
Find out more »Royal Conservatory | 21C Music Festival: Terry Riley: Live at 85!
Intricate and often improvisational with elements of minimalism, jazz, ragtime, and north Indian raga. Terry Riley was influenced by John Cage and John Coltrane. His works, such as In C and A Rainbow in Curved Air, have influenced virtually every contemporary classical and many rock composers since, including Peter Townshend, Lou Reed, and Radiohead. The first part of the program features Tracy Silverman on electric violin, followed by Terry and his son, Gyan, on electric guitar. Tracy Silverman, electric violin Terry Riley, piano/synthesizer…
Find out more »Royal Conservatory | 21C Music Festival: 21C AfterHours with Continuum
Works by Kati Agócs, Carolyn Chen, Unsuk Chin, Cassandra Miller, Linda Smith, and a world premiere by Monica Pearce. Featuring Wesley Shen, one of Canada’s extraordinary new pianists/harpsichordists, and Continuum’s internationally-renowned ensemble. Program: Cassandra Miller: Overture Monica Pearce: toile de jouy (world premiere) Linda Smith: Sarabande Carolyn Chen: Ache Bind Blind Break (Canadian premiere) Unsuk Chin: 3 Études Kati Agócs: Immutable Dreams (Canadian premiere)
Find out more »Royal Conservatory | 21C Music Festival: Sō Percussion: Amid the Noise
Redefining the scope and vital role of the modern percussion ensemble, Sō Percussion performs Amid the noise by Jason Treuting alongside works by Vijay Iyer, Caroline Shaw, and Donnacha Dennehy. Amid the noise is a patient study of musical spaces, using a few meaningful quotes for material and structure. Each piece is made up of a few layers of melody, harmony, drone, noise, and rhythm. Some of the elements are prescribed, but many are left open for the performer to explore. Program: Vijay…
Find out more »Royal Conservatory | 21C Music Festival: The Glenn Gould School New Music Ensemble: 4D
The concert program includes a world premiere by Anna Höstman, commissioned by The Royal Conservatory, Zosha Di Castri’s Phonotopographie, and two works by Misato Mochizuki. Program: Misato Mochizuki: Halai Anna Höstman: Icefolding for large ensemble (world premiere) * Misato Mochizuki: 4D for 9 instruments (North American premiere) Zosha Di Castri: Phonotopographie for 15 instruments (Ontario premiere) * Commissioned by The Royal Conservatory for 21C Music Festival 2019 Tickets, here.
Find out more »Esprit Orchestra | Constellations
CONSTELLATIONS Sunday, January 20, 2019 8:00pm Concert / 7:15pm Pre-Concert Chat Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, 273 Bloor St. W. PROGRAM Toshio Hosokawa (Japan) Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra (1999)* Alison Yun-Fei Jiang (Canada) TBA Claude Vivier (Canada) Orion (1979) Christopher Goddard (Canada) Les tringles des sistres tintaient (2019)** *Canadian Premiere ** World Premiere commissioned by Esprit with generous support from The Koerner Foundation Goddard’s beguiling new work re-imagines the spellbinding gypsy song that opens act two of Bizet’s Carmen with its fluidity, exoticism and…
Find out more »University of Toronto Faculty of Music | Toshio Hosokawa
New Music Festival U of T Faculty present music composed by Toshio Hosokawa, Roger D. Moore Distinguished Visitor in Composition All works are by Toshio Hosokawa and feature the following U of T faculty, along with special guests: The Gryphon Trio Camille Watts (flute) Younggun Kim (piano) Joseph Macerollo (accordion) Rob MacDonald (guitar) Walter Hall, 80 Queen's Park $30, $20 senior, $10 student | BUY TICKETS ONLINE or call 416-408-0208 (U of T students admitted free with a valid T-Card, space permitting.) Join…
Find out more »Soundstreams | Encounters with Memory
How can music influence the ways in which we remember and connect with history? Soundstreams’ first Encounters of 2019 explores these questions in an evening of performance and discussion, featuring David Buchbinder and Lawrence Cherney with music from David Buchbinder and Hilario Duran from their JUNO award-winning Odessa/Havana. Remembering the past can be painful; it can also be celebratory. Through the lens of two distinct musical projects, Steve Reich’s Different Trains and David Buchbinder’s Odessa/Havana, Lawrence Cherney (Artistic Director, Soundstreams)…
Find out more »Canadian Women Composers Project | Canadian Bird Song
The Canadian Women Composers Project and Classical Context join forces to present an evening of Canadian art song. Soprano Clarisse Tonigussi, pianist Narmina Efendiyeva, and pianist/composer Andrew James Clark will perform an exciting programme of exclusively Canadian repertoire, all about birds! You will hear just over an hour of repertoire by Amice Calverley, Martha Hill Duncan, Emily Doolittle, Gary Kulesha, Serge Gallant, and Diane Chouinard. Also included in the concert will be the premiere of Songs from the Aviary by…
Find out more »February 2019
University of Toronto Faculty of Music | Wind Ensemble: Light and Shadow
Light and Shadow U of T Wind Ensemble Gillian MacKay, conductor with the UTSO Strings with Aiyun Huang and Beverley Johnston, percussion MACKEY, Aurora Awakes SEKHON, Double Percussion Concerto ETEZADY, Anahita HINDEMITH, Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber MacMillan Theatre, 80 Queen's Park $30, $20 senior, $10 student | BUY TICKETS ONLINE or call 416-408-0208 (U of T students admitted free with a valid T-Card, space permitting.)
Find out more »Soundstreams | Different Trains
Get on board with the celebrated Rolston String Quartet for Different Trains, like you’ve never experienced it! The Rolston String Quartet will create the aural engine for a special performance with video hauntingly realized by Spanish filmmaker Beatriz Caravaggio (Toronto premiere). Rounding out the evening, the Rolston String Quartet will perform works by Zosha Di Castri and R. Murray Schafer.
Find out more »Schulich Singers | A Clear Midnight
A Clear Midnight Jean-Sébastien Vallée, artistic director FRANCIS CHOINIÈRE* A Clear Midnight (premiere) Works by JOHN ESTACIO, JOHN TAVENER, UǴIS PRAULIŅŠ, et al. *Composer in Residence Free Admission
Find out more »March 2019
University of Toronto Faculty of Music | Choirs In Concert: A Celebration of Faculty of Music Composers
A Celebration of Faculty of Music Composers David Fallis, Lori-Anne Dolloff, conductors To celebrate the Faculty of Music's 100th anniversary, the MacMillan Singers and Women's Chamber Choir present choral works from across the century by faculty and students. Selections will include music by MacMillan, Kuzmenko, Holman, and emerging student composers. MacMillan Theatre, 80 Queen's Park Tickets, here. (U of T students admitted free with a valid T-Card, space permitting.)
Find out more »Esprit Orchestra | Grand Slam!
GRAND SLAM! Sunday, March 24, 2019 8:00pm Concert / 7:15pm Pre-Concert Chat Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, 273 Bloor St. W. PROGRAM Christopher Thornborrow (Canada) Trompe l'œil (2019)** Maki Ishii (Japan) Afro-Concerto (1982) Unsuk Chin (Korea) Cello Concerto (2006; rev. 2013)* *Canadian Premiere ** World Premiere commissioned by Esprit with generous support from Ontario Arts Council Music by Maki Ishii and a World Premiere of music by Christopher Thornborrow combine in a concert of maximum resonance and musical excitement. Single Tickets on sale as…
Find out more »Tapestry Opera | Songbook IX
Canada’s brightest emerging artists perform alongside Soprano Jacqueline Woodley (M’Dea Undone, Oksana G., Tapestry Briefs: Winter Shorts) and pianist Andrea Grant (Wexford Musical Festival). A 3-day Masterclass, New Opera 101, culminates in three performances where the opera professionals of tomorrow stretch their voices alongside their mentors. Hear highlights from Tapestry’s 39-year collection of absurd, tragic, and beautiful Canadian repertoire in the intimate Ernest Balmer Studio. Tickets, here.
Find out more »April 2019
Canadian Opera Company | Chamber Music Series: Castalian String Quartet
Free Concert Series: Haydn and BrittenCastalian String QuartetAPRIL 4, 2019 AT 12:00 PM CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES The UK-based Castalian String Quartet is rapidly emerging as an exciting voice on the international chamber music scene, having won numerous prizes including the prestigious inaugural Merito String Quartet Award and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship Award. They perform Haydn’s masterful String Quartet Op. 76, No. 2 “Fifths” and Britten’s String Quartet No. 2, which is a tribute to English composer Henry Purcell.
Find out more »Esprit Orchestra | New Wave Reprise
NEW WAVE REPRISE Friday, April 5, 2019 7:30pm Concert Trinity St. Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor St W PROGRAM Eugene Astapov (Canada)— New Work (2019)* Maria Atallah (Canada)— New Work (2019)** Quinn Jacobs (Canada) — New Work (2019)** Bekah Simms (Canada) — Cello Concerto (2019)* Christina Volpini (Canada) — New Work (2019)* Alison Yun-Fei Jiang (Canada)— New Work (2019)** *World Premiere commissioned by Esprit with generous support from the Ontario Arts Council **World Premiere commissioned by Esprit Orchestra More and more exceptional young Canadian composers are cropping up every day and our New Wave…
Find out more »Soundstreams | Seven Deadly Sins
An original evening of sinful songs, served up naughty but nice by an eclectic group of composers and performers, each with their own errant point of view on these timeless transgressions. Join Soundstreams as we take a sly and sometimes irreverent look at these taboos across a spectrum of styles, genres and cultures. With new works and performances by singer-songwriters Elizabeth Shepherd, Aviva Chernick, Robin Dann; composers Christopher Mayo and Analia Llugdar, and more. It would be a sin to miss this! Tickets
Find out more »May 2019
Canadian Music Centre | Prehistoric Ligeti/Classical Context
Prehistoric Ligeti / Classical Context Closing its 2018 / 2019 season, Classical Context will be hosting a concert-lecture featuring the music of Ligeti written prior to his escape from the Soviet Union. Andrew James Clark will guide listeners through the staggering events of Ligeti’s early life while he and other former graduate students from the University of Toronto tackle the unique technical virtuosity of Ligeti’s music, much of which was forbidden to be performed at the time. Metamorphoses Nocturnes will be showcased by Montreal’s…
Find out more »June 2019
Canadian Music Centre | The Canadian Piano Left-Hand Commissioning Project
In order to cope with some recent serious injuries to his right arm, composer Adam Scime has commissioned eight Canadian composers to write works for piano left hand. He will premiere the pieces in this concert alongside a wonderful set of Canadian and international piano repertoire performed by Adam Sherkin. The event is PWYC, so come on out to the CMC on June 5 for 8pm! You can purchase the full set of new left hand piano compositions at the…
Find out more »Tapestry Opera | Book of My Shames
In the premiere of his new solo show – part confessional comedy, part opera séance, part love letter to lost innocence – Canadian tenor, writer, and composer Isaiah Bell (Antinous in the world premiere of Rufus Wainwright and Daniel MacIvor’s Hadrian) traces the roots and ramifications of the war inside. The Book of My Shames takes a unique perspective on the conflict between our naked primal longing and that basic modern need to make everything seem OK. It manages to find the…
Find out more »Soundstreams | Hell’s Fury, The Hollywood Songbook
Hanns Eisler’s life was the story of exile. The brilliant Austrian, Jewish, Marxist composer fled to Hollywood in 1938, only to be deported a decade later, an early casualty of the McCarthy era. Between film scores, he wrote these passionate songs of nostalgia, horror and longing, adapting lyrics by Brecht, Goethe and Shakespeare. Despite his troubles, this song cycle established Eisler’s reputation as one of the 20th century’s great composers of German lieder.
Find out more »September 2019
Art of Time Ensemble | The Beatles’ Abbey Road
Art of Time Ensemble revives its loving exploration of Abbey Road on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the album’s release. The company’s roster of accomplished composers was set loose upon the source material, creating arrangements that maintain The Beatles’ impeccable vocal lines while pushing the boundaries of the underlying textures. The result: an imaginative journey through a towering work of music. Tickets, here.
Find out more »October 2019
Soundstreams | Top Brass
Three virtuoso trumpeters together for the first time, complete with full string orchestra, performing works ranging in style from baroque to jazz to established new music and world premieres. Immerse yourself as the entire concert hall becomes our stage with spatial and theatrical elements. FEATURED PERFORMERS Norway’s trumpet god Ole Edvard Antonsen, trumpet Juno award-winning jazz artist Ingrid Jensen, trumpet Classical brass soloist and Order of Canada recipient Jens Lindemann, trumpet Virtuoso String Orchestra, conducted by Joaquin Valdepeñas Heather Schmidt, piano PROGRAM* R. Murray…
Find out more »Esprit Orchestra | I Hit My Head And Everything Changed
A blast of powerful orchestral sound, Adès’ opera overture provides for the dramatic launch of Esprit’s season. Harman’s integration of video art projections inspired by his collaboration with artist Moira Ness, brings new treasure to multimedia orchestral life. One of Louie’s most expressive choral works embellishes her receiving the Molson Prize in the Arts and Abrahamsen’s compelling concerto for the left-hand showcases Avan Yu as one of Canada’s hottest young pianists. Overture to "The Tempest" op.22a (2004) or orchestra — Thomas Adès (England)…
Find out more »November 2019
Loose Tea Music Theatre | Singing Only Softly
World Premiere of Singing Only Softly Presented with Grigory Frid’s The Diary of Anne Frank During Holocaust Education Week November 2-4, 2019 Heliconian Club 35 Hazelton Avenue, Toronto Cecilia Livingston Composer Monica Pearce Librettist Alaina Viau Director & Dramaturge What version of Anne Frank are you familiar with? Did you know that passages of The Diary of Anne Frank were censored and redacted? Inspired by the original, unedited texts of the diary, Loose Tea Music Theater created Singing Only Softly. This Chamber…
Find out more »Piano Lunaire | Beaver Moon
Join us for THE PIANO LUNAIRE, a performance event that takes place on the full moon of every month in Toronto. This is an informal, 50-minute private recital at the Bunker Lane Press in Toronto's west end, intended as a get-together for artists and friends alike. Save the date and join us for this unique performance anniversary event. In November, we celebrate the BEAVER MOON and welcome captivating soprano Christina Haldane in a premiere performance of the song cycle I…
Find out more »Soundstreams | Two Odysseys: Pimooteewin / Gállábártnit
In this double-bill, discover the world’s first music drama works sung and narrated in the Indigenous languages Cree and Sámi, and rooted in those traditional legends from Canada and the Nordic countries. These cross-cultural odysseys examine how we live on earth, how we pass to the land of the dead, and the consequences of love and sacrifice. FEATURED ARTISTS Michael Greyeyes, Cole Alvis, co-directors Melissa Hui, Britta Byström, composers Tomson Highway, Rawdna Carita Eira, librettists David Fallis, musical director Yolanda Bonnell, Heli Huovinen, narrators…
Find out more »Tapestry Opera | TAP:EX Augmented Opera
TAP:EX Augmented Opera, delves into the world of analog and digital storytelling augmentation, challenging our notion of what is real. TAP:EX Augmented Opera invites us to submerge ourselves in a night of experiential and experimental opera.
Find out more »December 2019
Esprit Orchestra | Sustain
Afterglow is the third panel of an orchestral tryptique commissioned from Scime by Esprit. In composing Sustain, Norman, America’s most celebrated young composer, considered how audiences one hundred years from now might perceive and be affected by orchestral music. He then set out in a major new creative direction to produce what some have labeled a masterpiece. With inexorable force, Evangelista’s piece draws listeners in and excites heartbeats in the same way his score affects the orchestra’s playing. Andrew Norman (U.S.A.) — Sustain (2018)* for…
Find out more »Soundstreams | Electric Messiah
Experience a theatrical reimagining of Handel’s masterpiece infused with jazz, gospel, blues, hip-hop, classical, and world music, complete with hypnotic dance. Never the same two years in a row, the intimacy of this performance creates a deep personal connection to universal themes of love, betrayal and redemption. Tickets, here.
Find out more »January 2020
Royal Conservatory of Music | 21C Music Festival: 21C Afterhours: Veronique Mathieu
Violinist Véronique Mathieu and pianist Stephanie Chua perform a program titled True North, featuring the Canadian premiere of 4 Seasons by Alice Ping Yee Ho alongside works by Derek Johnson and Canadian composer Adam Scime. The evening also includes the world premiere of a piece by Odawa First Nations composer, Barbara Croall, co-commissioned by The Royal Conservatory.
Find out more »Royal Conservatory | 21C MUSIC FESTIVAL: Against the Grain Theatre’s Ayre and other works by Osvaldo Golijov
Osvaldo Golijov has been awarded Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellowships, has won two Grammy Awards for composition, and was Musical America’s Composer of the Year in 2006. 21C goes deep into his catalogue with Ayre, a thrill to experience with its lush fusion of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean folk melodies. Starring Canadian soprano Miriam Khalil and staged by AtG’s Joel Ivany, Ayre is presented along with other works such as Mariel, K’vakarat, and Tenebrae. An all-star roster of musicians includes Jamey Haddad, Barry Shiffman, Gabriel Radford, Michael…
Find out more »University of Toronto Faculty of Music | New Music Festival: Karen Kieser Prize Concert
Vancouver pianist Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa performs Hildegard Westerkamp’s Klavierklang on a program of Canadian music for piano, along with a performance of Francis Ubertelli’s prize-winning Quartetto 2 for string quartet. Presented in conjunction with the Jackman Humanities Institute. Presented by Greg Newsome.
Find out more »University of Toronto Faculty of Music | New Music Festival: From Bach to Latin America
With André Mehmari piano and Emmanuele Baldini violin Presented by Norbert Palej.
Find out more »Piano Lunaire | Composers’ Symposium 2020: The Shaw of the North
Providing a dynamic setting for collaboration and educational experience in the craft of composing for solo piano, TPL welcomes you to our inaugural Composers' Symposium as we jump into 2020! Each composer has creating a new work for solo piano, in mentorship with Christopher Mayo. This weekend centres around two performances, a lecture and workshop for emerging composers runs the weekend of January 17th through 19th. Locations are either Bunker Lane Press or the Canadian Music Centre. TPL COMPOSERS: Paul…
Find out more »Royal Conservatory | 21C MUSIC FESTIVAL: 21C Cinq à Sept
Musicians from The Glenn Gould School perform works by Laurie Anderson and others. Tickets, here.
Find out more »Royal Conservatory | 21C MUSIC FESTIVAL: Laurie Anderson: The Art of Falling
Grammy Award-winning NYC composer, Laurie Anderson, is one of America’s most renowned – and daring – creative pioneers, known for her multimedia presentations. In this concert, Anderson will perform solo works and in collaboration with her long-time musical partner, cellist Rubin Kodheli. Tickets, here.
Find out more »University of Toronto Faculty of Music | New Music Festival: Penderecki String Quartet
Including the Toronto premiere of Christos Hatzis’s String Quartet No. 4 (The Suffering) and more. Presented by Norbert Palej.
Find out more »University of Toronto Faculty of Music | New Music Festival: Speak, Be Silent
Contemporary Music Ensemble In memory of Roger D. Moore Wallace Halladay, director with Amahl Arulanandam, cello Mark Fewer, violin, and Xin Wang soprano SAARIAHO From the Grammar of Dreams SIMMS Foreverdark LIM Speak, Be Silent CHIN Gougalon 7:30 pm in Walter Hall, 80 Queen's Park Free admission
Find out more »Royal Conservatory | 21C MUSIC FESTIVAL: 21C Afterhours: Véronique Mathieu
Volinist Véronique Mathieu performs a program titled True North, with new works by Derek Johnson and Canadian composers Alice Ping Yee Ho and Adam Scime. The evening also includes the world premiere of a piece by Odawa First Nations composer, Barbara Croall, commissioned by The Royal Conservatory. Tickets, here.
Find out more »Royal Conservatory | 21C Music Festival: Zane Dalal conducts the Royal Conservatory Orchestra with Zakir Hussain, John Patitucci, Danilo Pérez, and Brian Blade
Legendary tabla master, Zakir Hussain, and jazz trailblazer/bassist, John Patitucci, bring an extraordinary program conducted by Zane Dalal, Associate Music Director of the Symphony Orchestra of India. Hear the Canadian premiere of Hussain’s tabla concerto, Peshkar, and the world premiere of Patitucci’s Hypocrisy for orchestra and jazz trio, featuring Danilo Pérez on piano, Brain Blade on drums, and Patitucci on bass. The concert will open with an improvisation by Hussain and the trio. The Glenn Gould School (GGS)’s Royal Conservatory Orchestra (RCO) is…
Find out more »Soundstreams | The Lost Karaoke Tapes
Renowned for her fusion of pop, cinema, psychedelia and turntablism, Juno-nominated composer Nicole Lizeé is inspired by the glitches of retro technology. Lizée takes you on a multimedia trip using 80’s karaoke videotapes that she found in a dumpster. Revisit hits by Olivia Newton-John, the Bee Gees, INXS, The Models, Icehouse, Avalanches, Men at Work, Kylie Minogue, Air Supply, Midnight Oil, Platinum Blonde, Honeymoon Suite, Corey Hart, Anne Murray, Rush, Alanis Morissette, Bryan Adams, Loverboy, Joni Mitchell and The Guess…
Find out more »February 2020
The Piano Lunaire | Snow Moon “Phases” with the Happenstancers
Program: Mozart - Trio in Eb, ‘Kegelstatt,’ K. 481 Augusta Read Thomas - Dancing Helix Rituals Beethoven - Trio in Bb, ‘Gassenhauer,’ Op. 11 Bram van Camp - Music for 3 Instruments Brenna Hardy-Kavanagh, violin & viola Brad Cherwin, clarinet Lisa Tahara, piano
Find out more »Esprit Orchestra | Electric & Eclectic
Electronic treatment of orchestral sound in concerts is rare so O’Callaghan’s multi-speaker, surround-sound blending of transformed orchestral sound with computer sound files radiates new sonic dimensions. Changing meters rapidly and scurrying all over the place, Adams’ score is riveting and full of surprises. Schnittke looms large in recent music history and his remarkable Concerto Grosso No.1 reveals the astounding vision and creative force of one of the greatest composers of the past century. John Adams (U.S.A.) — Son of Chamber Symphony (2007) for orchestra…
Find out more »March 2020
Soundstreams | Improvised Components
Rarefied early instruments and improvisation: joined at the hip? You bet, says curator Nick Storring, who invites us to hear this alluring sound world anew through 21st-century ears. Journey through music from the renaissance and baroque, solo improvisations created on the spot. There will also be contemporary works, including a world premiere composed by Nick Storring for the complete ensemble. FEATURED PERFORMERS: Nick Storring, composer, curator Katelyn Clark, harpsichord/organetto Emily Redhead, baroque violin Pierre-Yves Martel, viola da gamba Ben Grossman, hurdy-gurdy Dwight…
Find out more »Esprit Orchestra | Taiko Returns
Ishii demands physical power, delicate precision, emotional strength and willpower from our guest taiko drummers to make Mono-Prism the explosive conclusion of our concert. Goddard’s musical mastery extends to his performance as a pianist in what is, for the composer, a project of passion that Esprit is thrilled to foster. Astapov brings his Russian heritage to the fore in setting a text by one of today’s most important under-forty Russian poets. Croall’s presence as a performer brings a powerful Anishinaabekwe plea for…
Find out more »April 2020
Esprit Orchestra | New Wave Festival
A rendezvous, bridge, crucible, showcase, interface for young composers, performers, and audiences. The festival features concerts and events with music by young composers, mentors and others, including Stephanie Orlando, Misato Mochizuki, Christina Volpini, Žibuoklė Martinaitytė, Alison Yun-Fei Jiang, Quinn Jacobs, John Rea, Chris Paul Harman, Nico Muhly.
Find out more »Soundstreams | Secrets
Inspired by the anonymous secrets of Torontonians collected especially for this concert, this brilliant Dutch ensemble traverses classical, jazz, and soul to plumb the full range of emotion embedded in our secrets. From love lost and the depths of despair, through to the very heights of joy and ecstasy— will you let them tell your secret? FEATURED PERFORMERS Claron McFadden, vocals Michel Massot, tuba, euphonium, trombone Tuur Florizoone, chromatic accordion Marine Horbaczewski, cello Tickets, here.
Find out more »May 2020
Soundstreams | Musik für das Ende
At the age of 34, Quebec composer Claude Vivier was murdered by a man he picked up in a Parisian bar. On his desk, an unfinished piece of music appeared to foretell his own death. The man and myth are inseparable from Vivier’s music, driven by a dangerous life lived at the very extremes of human experience. From there, he brought back a vision of the pure sound and light of eternity. In this immersive spectacle for 10 singers, actor,…
Find out more »July 2020
LUDWIG VAN | Interview with pianist, Alexis Ffrench
Alexis Ffrench discussed his career, the COVID-19 lockdown, the future of classical music, and talk about the journey to create his follow-up album ‘Dreamland’.
Find out more »November 2020
ESPRIT ORCHESTRA | Take The Dog Sled – Virtual Album Launch
The Program will include a conversation between composer Alexina Louie and Inuit throat singer Evie Mark, excerpts from the recording, and a short documentary film of the original MSO tour of Nunavik in northern Quebec. Composed in 2008, TAKE THE DOG SLED was commissioned by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra for their first tour of Nunavik. This event will be streamed on Twitch, Facebook, and YouTube. Hosted by Canadian Music Centre and Esprit Orchestra.
Find out more »TAPESTRY OPERA | Love Songs: A Saxophony
A Tapestry Opera and New Music Concerts co-production By Ana Sokolovic | Starring soprano Xin Wang and saxophonist Wallace Halladay | Direction and concept by Michael Hidetoshi Mori, co-developed with Xin Wang Details, HERE.
Find out more »December 2020
ART OF TIME ENSEMBLE | To All A Good Night
Art of Time Ensemble's Virtually Live season continues December 17th at 7:30 pm with To All A Good Night - a holiday concert like no other, it is at once humorous, nostalgic and irreverent. Available for free streaming on YouTube until 7:30 pm on Sunday, December 20th.
Find out more »Soundstreams | Electric Messiah
Registration for this event will be open in late November. Sign up to be an Insider for free to be the first in line! The music escapes the confines of in-person venues and transforms into a full-length music video, complete with a mix of on-location outdoor filming in the public spaces of Toronto, studio recordings, and a unique cinematic approach. Featuring a theatrically exciting cast, a brand new commission, and a feast of musical styles ranging from jazz to soul/hip-hop, Electric Messiah brings the past…
Find out more »January 2021
Royal Conservatory | 21C Music Festival — ARC Ensemble: Marc Neikrug’s A Song by Mahler
A celebrated concert singer, famous for a particular Mahler love song, develops early-onset Alzheimer’s. The drama follows her (mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano) and her husband (baritone Kelly Markgraf), who is also her pianist, as they confront their new reality. The tragic end result resolves in a new, elevated understanding of their love. A Canadian premiere.
Find out more »
