{"id":116781,"date":"2025-08-15T12:39:20","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T16:39:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=116781"},"modified":"2025-08-15T15:14:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T19:14:09","slug":"interview-violist-rivka-golani-featured-york-region-classical-music-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/08\/15\/interview-violist-rivka-golani-featured-york-region-classical-music-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Violist Rivka Golani, Featured In The York Region Classical Music Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_116784\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-116784\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-116784\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-97.jpg\" alt=\"Violist Rivka Golani (Photo courtesy of the artist)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-97.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-97-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-97-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-97-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-116784\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Violist Rivka Golani (Photo courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Violist Rivka Golani will be returning to Canada to perform in the York Region Classical Music Festival. The Festival is presented by Visual and Performing Arts Newmarket (VPAN).<\/p>\n<p>Golani has curated, and will be performing for two of the concerts in the Festival on September 6 and 7. A third concert on September 14 rounds out the Festival program.<\/p>\n<h2>Rivka Golani, viola<\/h2>\n<p>Viola player Rivka Golani was born in Israel. Her father came from Warsaw, and arrived in Israel after having lost his family in the Holocaust. Rivka began violin lessons at the age of seven, and proved to be a mathematics prodigy. She\u2019d make the switch to viola, which became her preferred instrument, at the age of 21.<\/p>\n<p>Golani went on to build an international career as a soloist, performing with the Boston Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, BBC Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, Hong Kong Symphony, Singapore Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, Tokyo Metropolitan, Montreal Symphony and the Toronto Symphony. Golani married Hungarian luthier Otto Erdesz, and the couple made the move to Canada in 1974.<\/p>\n<p>Her son was born in Canada, and Rivka became a Canadian citizen in 1983. While Otto Erdesz continued to manufacture her instruments throughout her career, their marriage ended in divorce. Golani married German conductor Thomas Sanderling, and lived in London, UK for a few years, returning to Canada briefly before returning to the UK. She is now based in London.<\/p>\n<p>Along with her performing career, Golani has recorded a number of releases, including Chaconne by Pulitzer Prize winning composer Michael Colgrass with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the Elgar Cello Concerto arranged for viola with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the UK.<\/p>\n<p>Golani has been an advocate for new music throughout her career, and more than 350 works have been composed for her, including more than 80 concertos.<\/p>\n<p>For seven years, Golani was the artistic director of the Fort MacLeod Music Festival, and through it, developed a collaborative relationship with the Canadian First Nation Blackfoot, which has resulted in several performances and other events. She was Ambassador of Canadian Music for the Canadian Music Centre in 2009.<\/p>\n<p>She is currently a professor at the Trinity-Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in Greenwich, UK.<\/p>\n<p>Golani is also a painter whose works have been exhibited in North America, the UK, and Israel.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sMnFKdp0d1g?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h3>Rivka Golani, The Interview<\/h3>\n<p>Despite living in the UK since the 1990s, Golani has kept in touch with the Toronto and area classical music scene.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have [&#8230;] connections with musicians and composers, and there is ongoing work all the time,\u201d she says. She was invited to curate her upcoming concerts. \u201cIt was my idea for the festival.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She points out that she\u2019s also bringing more than her suitcases for the occasion. \u201cIt is very unusual, because I bring the violinist from here,\u201d Rivka says. \u201cHe\u2019s Japanese, he came to study in the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s <strong>Tadasuke Iijima<\/strong>. Iijima was born in Japan, where he first studied the violin with a variety of teachers. He moved to the UK to continue his studies, and is a former student of Golani\u2019s at the Trinity Laban Conservatory of Music and Dance. He\u2019s a multiple prize-winner including First Prize in the Soloist Competition with the Hamamatu Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, and First Prize at the Uralsk International Violin Competition. He\u2019s performed as a soloist with the Japan Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo New City Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, the Kanagawa Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, and West Kazakhstan Orchestra.<\/p>\n<p>Tadasuke will be performing with her in both concerts. Local cellist Roman Borys makes it a trio on September 6, and Angela Park performs with them on September 7.<\/p>\n<p>Golani enjoys following the careers of her students. \u201cFor me, it\u2019s very important to think about the future,\u201d she says. She relates attending a music festival in Spain a few days prior. \u201cEight of my students were involved,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s gratifying to see them in busy performing careers. \u201cIt is absolutely. It makes me very happy. It makes me feel like I leave something behind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her own education largely took place in Israel. As she points out, it was a place where many elite musicians had come from Eastern Europe, including her professor was Oedoen Partos, who was principal violist of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra from 1938 to 1956. \u201cIn my book, he was one of the greatest musicians I have ever met. We were so lucky at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>The Concerts<\/h3>\n<p>Cellist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2024\/05\/02\/interview-music-toronto-artistic-executive-director-roman-borys-talks-exciting-season\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Roman Borys<\/strong><\/a> joins the viola and violin duo for the first concert on September 6.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe start with Divertimento by Mozart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The program for the first concert opens with Divertimento in E\u266d major, K. 563, written by the composer in 1788. It\u2019s followed by Ernst von Dohn\u00e1nyi\u2019s String Quartet No. 1 in A major, Op. 7, written in 1899, and the Schubert String Trio, D 581, written in 1817.<\/p>\n<p>The next concert takes place the following day, on September 7.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a wonderful pianist,\u201d Golani says.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s <strong>Angela Park<\/strong>, The busy local pianist is a member of Ensemble Made in Canada, and an Assistant Professor of Piano and Collaborative Piano at Western University. She\u2019s a sought after chamber musician who performs regularly across the province, and recently garnered a JUNO nomination with the St. John-Mercer-Park trio for their recording of music by Kevin Lau.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe start with Mozart,\u201d she says. The Kegelstatt Trio in E-flat major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, K. 498, was originally scored for clarinet, viola and piano.<\/p>\n<p>The program continues with Max Bruch\u2019s Piano Trio, Op. 5.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhich is very much Schumann-esque writing. Wonderful music,\u201d Golani adds. \u201cAnd then, of course, Schumann.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s happy to be coming back in Canada in late August to begin rehearsals. \u201cBack home in my other home in Canada,\u201d she says. She\u2019s also eager to begin rehearsals with the Canadian musicians. \u201cI am so happy to play with them.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Rqt8g-MzZbE?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h3>Final Thoughts<\/h3>\n<p>Golani is under the impression that appreciation for Western classical music is growing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it is spreading.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The York Region Classical Music Festival is part of that trend.<\/p>\n<p>What keeps her going at this stage of her career?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot fame,\u201d she laughs. \u201cMy fascination is how much we can learn. It\u2019s an endless process,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor me, I\u2019m also fascinated with of course playing, and I have a long history of commissioning. I\u2019m very much involved in contemporary music as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s also recorded music of the Romantic period, though, as she points out. There is something to be learned from all of it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is fascinating,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Golani says she enjoys the way Western art music has become part of the general stream of contemporary music. \u201cIt is very much enriched with all the styles,\u201d she says. \u201cNow they mix. It\u2019s very interesting.\u201d She calls it part of a constant evolution.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLots of curiosity.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>York Region Classical Music Festival: The Concerts<\/h2>\n<p>There are three concerts.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Golani-Borys-Iijima String Trio: Saturday, September 6 at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts<\/li>\n<li>Golani-Park-Iijima Piano Trio: Sunday, September 7 at the Sharon Temple National Historic Site (East Gwillimbury)<\/li>\n<li>Baritone <strong>Peter McGillivray<\/strong> in Recital with Pianist <strong>Steven Philcox<\/strong>: Sunday, September 14 at Newmarket Old Town Hall<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Find more details and tickets for the York Region Classical Music Festival [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vpan.ca\/page-18199\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Are you looking to promote an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/advertising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0e101a;\"><u>event<\/u><\/span><\/a>? 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The Festival is presented by Visual and Performing Arts Newmarket (VPAN). Golani has curated, and will be performing for two of the concerts in the Festival on September 6 and 7. A third concert on September 14 rounds [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":116784,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[41660,9,10,76,19,41496,29,3693,43,63],"tags":[2852,9527,42187,42186],"yst_prominent_words":[6715,7434,6616,7410,6826],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-97.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-unz","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116781"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116781"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116781\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116789,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116781\/revisions\/116789"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116781"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=116781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}