The Latest
By Neil Crory on February 8, 2015
The Canadian Opera Company lost its star tenor, Clifton Forbis, yesterday due to illness. He was scheduled to sing the demanding role of Siegmund in the 4:30 performance of Richard Wagner's Die Walküre.
Fortunately the COC had engaged the young American tenor, Issachah Savage, as the 'cover' for the COC's run of seven performances. Yesterday Savage sang the third performance and, in so doing, has secured his reputation as a major contender for star status among dramatic tenors worldwide...
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By Ludwig Van on February 7, 2015
Kicking off the first a six part video interview series for Musical Toronto called Ultimate Maverick, Canadian composer, Vincent Ho sits down for an exclusive interview with the internationally renowned Austrian composer, Georg Friedrich Haas...
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By Neil Crory on February 6, 2015
Those who have met and/or worked with the American dramatic soprano, Christine Goerke describe her as "fun to be with", "unassuming", "down to earth", "hard working", "a real charmer" - the furthest one can get from your stereotypical, card-carrying Valkyrie...
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By Tyler Versluis on February 5, 2015
The month of February provides a handful of new music experiences to beat the cold weather. Three out of four concert recommendations involve out-of-town ensembles, while jazz-contemporary classical group Spectrum Music gives us an opportunity to contemplate the cosmos- anything to distract Torontonians from trudging through rivers of grey slush on our way to a TTC stop...
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By Paul E. Robinson on February 5, 2015
Telluride, Colorado – My wife and I spend the winter months in Austin, Texas, for the most part, and count ourselves fortunate to be able to avoid the bitter cold and pesky blizzards that beset so much of our native Canada between November and April. Occasionally, however, we succumb to an irrational longing to “enjoy” the romance of winter once again. So it was that we accepted an invitation to spend a week in Telluride, Colorado, one of the skiing capitals of North America, with my brother-in-law and his wife...
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By Michael Vincent on February 4, 2015
Musical Toronto’s weekly Critic’s Picks are a fully curated list of some of the best concerts happening now through the end of the week. Of course this is not to say we are the provocateurs of taste, but simply seek to provide a good weekly summary. For a look at the full breadth of what’s available in and around Toronto, check out the comprehensive concert listings from our friends at Wholenote Magazine...
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By Michael Vincent on February 4, 2015
Since Jeanne Lamon stepped down as music director in 2014, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir have been busy stoking the fire until a new successor can be found. They have instituted Interim Managing Director Alexandra Skoczylas, and a Music Director search committee, consisting of musicians, board members, administrative staff, and community representatives, to search both nationally and internationally to identify possible candidates. Until then, Jeanne Lamon is keeping a close eye on things, and will perform with the orchestra for select Toronto and touring programmes leading up to the appointment of a new Music Director...
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By Jenna Douglas on February 3, 2015
In the last few weeks, a recurring topic has come up among my artist friends. The crux of the issue can actually be boiled down to one question: are you still an artist if you can't survive on your artist income?...
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By Robin Roger on February 3, 2015
In Woody Allen’s film, The Purple Rose of Cairo, the heroine’s world is turned upside down when the matinée idol from the movie she is watching steps from the screen and enters her life. Recently I reversed Allen’s plot device by stepping into a film, when I travelled to New York City to have a piano lesson with Seymour Bernstein, the subject of a new documentary by Ethan Hawke: Seymour, An Introduction...
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By Neil Crory on February 2, 2015
On Saturday, January 31, the Canadian Opera Company officially launched the revival of its lauded 2006 production of Richard Wagner's epic Ring Cycle with seven performances of Die Walküre at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. The production runs through February 22nd...
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