{"id":121883,"date":"2026-02-19T14:51:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T19:51:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=121883"},"modified":"2026-02-19T14:51:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T19:51:27","slug":"interview-pianist-angela-hewitt-talks-upcoming-concert-torontos-hughs-room","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/02\/19\/interview-pianist-angela-hewitt-talks-upcoming-concert-torontos-hughs-room\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Pianist Angela Hewitt Talks About Her Upcoming Concert At Toronto\u2019s Hugh\u2019s Room"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_121885\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-121885\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-121885\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-02-19T144346.143.jpg\" alt=\"Pianist Angela Hewitt (Photo: Bernd Ebele)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-02-19T144346.143.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-02-19T144346.143-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-02-19T144346.143-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-02-19T144346.143-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-121885\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pianist Angela Hewitt (Photo: Bernd Ebele)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Toronto\u2019s Hugh\u2019s Room will present renowned pianist Angela Hewitt in a special chamber recital on March 9. Broadcaster, writer and speaker <strong>Eric Friesen<\/strong> plays host, and Hewitt will be joined by the woodwinds of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in a varied program.<\/p>\n<p>The concert will open with Hewitt\u2019s solo performance of Bach\u2019s Partita No. 5 in G major, BWV 829. She\u2019ll then be joined by the principals of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra\u2019s woodwind section, including <strong>Sarah Jeffrey<\/strong> (oboe), <strong>Kelly Zimba<\/strong> (flute), <strong>Eric Abramovitz<\/strong> (clarinet), <strong>Marlene Ngalissamy<\/strong> (bassoon) and <strong>Neil Deland<\/strong> (horn).<\/p>\n<p>Together, they\u2019ll perform Mozart\u2019s Piano and Wind Quintet in E-flat major, K452 followed by Ludwig Thuille\u2019s Sextet for Piano and Winds in B-Flat major, Op 6.<\/p>\n<p>Host <strong>Eric Friesen<\/strong> is a Member of the Order of Canada, and has carved out a unique career as a broadcaster, writer, speaker, and consultant. His work revolves around music, culture, broadcasting and religion in North America, and he\u2019s served as a network host and executive for both CBC Radio and Minnesota Public Radio (NPR).<\/p>\n<p>LV caught up with Angela Hewitt to talk about the concert.<\/p>\n<p>Angela Hewitt performs Bach&#8217;s French Suite No. 5 at Koerner Hall in February 2012.<\/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\/P_kgfaR4Dms?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<h2>Angela Hewitt<\/h2>\n<p>Angela Hewitt is a native of Ottawa, where she first studied music from the age of three. She gave her first recital at Toronto\u2019s Royal Conservatory of Music at the age of nine. Angela is a graduate of the University of Ottawa. She\u2019s performed around the globe, both as a solo recitalist and with the world\u2019s major orchestras.<\/p>\n<p>She is perhaps best known worldwide as an interpreter of the works of Bach. The four-time JUNO Award winner is a companion of the Order of Canada. Her impressive recording catalogue includes an award-winning cycle for Hyperion Records of all the major keyboard works of Bach, and a JUNO winning album of Mozart Concertos recorded with Canada\u2019s National Arts Centre Orchestra, among many others.<\/p>\n<p>Along with Bach and Mozart, her discography includes French music (Francois Couperin, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Olivier Messiaen, Emmanuel Chabrier, Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy and Gabriel Faur\u00e9), and German masters Robert Schumann and Ludwig van Beethoven, along with Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Chopin and others.<\/p>\n<h3>Angela Hewitt: The Interview<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s not the first time Hewitt has performed an unexpected <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2024\/12\/11\/angela-hewitt-toronto-hughs-room\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">chamber concert at Hugh\u2019s Room<\/a>. Her ties to Toronto are many, and stretch back to her student days.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI studied in Toronto,\u201d she points out.<\/p>\n<p>The first Hugh\u2019s Room appearance came about as a result of ties with someone on the venue\u2019s Board who had attended the <strong>Trasimeno Music Festival<\/strong> in Italy where Hewitt serves as Artistic Director, as she explains.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI looked at the history of the place, and it seems very interesting,\u201d she says. Hugh\u2019s Room was founded in 2001 by <strong>Richard Carson<\/strong>, and named after his late brother. The original location was on Dundas Street West, where it became known largely for presenting folk, jazz, and roots music. It relocated to Broadview Avenue, it\u2019s current address, in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Hewitt asked her major promoters in Toronto, and they gave the idea thumb\u2019s up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then they asked myself and Eric Friesen,\u201d she continues \u201cthe whole idea was to present the artist and have an interview on the stage, and no one\u2019s better than that than Eric,\u201d she says. \u201cThey asked Eric and I to put together sort of a classical series.<\/p>\n<p>We had one other concert last year,\u201d she notes. It featured <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/03\/11\/interview-canadian-pianist-jaeden-izik-dzurko-talks-career-toronto-concert-hughs-room-live\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Leeds International Competition winner Jaeden Izik-Dzurko<\/a>. \u201cThen they asked me to return, and I had the idea \u2014 I played with the symphony in Toronto last year, but I actually didn\u2019t have a concert in Toronto in 2025\/26.\u201d (That\u2019ll change next season, by the way, with Hewitt recently named as one of the TSO\u2019s Spotlight Artists.)<\/p>\n<p>There was a preconcert event where she mingled and played informally with the group, and she says she enjoyed it immensely. \u201cThat\u2019s when I had the idea to have a concert with the wind players of the Toronto Symphony.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>The Concert<\/h3>\n<p>The intimate venue is a change from the usual major concert halls that fill her calendar.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s like playing in somebody\u2019s living room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That atmosphere has an appeal for both the performer and the audience. The host\/interview aspect adds to the ambience. \u201cThey also appreciate getting to know the artist through the interview.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hewitt had the opportunity to choose repertoire that she loves, beginning with the Bach Partita. \u201cI don\u2019t get a lot of opportunity to do [chamber music],\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll though my career, I\u2019ve played in smaller places, and it\u2019s always a great joy.\u201d That includes getting closer to the audience. In many larger venues, it can be difficult to even see the audience from the stage. \u201cIn a lot of big halls, it\u2019s the case.\u201d Hewitt says she insists that the lighting be adjusted so she can view audience members better.<\/p>\n<p>One of the pieces on the recital will be a reprisal of sorts from her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/03\/27\/scrutiny-angela-hewitt-and-toronto-symphony-orchestra-offer-thoughtful-takes-on-chopin-mendelssohn-masterworks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Roy Thomson Hall concert in 2025<\/a>. \u201cWe actually played Mozart together,\u201d she notes.<\/p>\n<p>She concludes the concert with the lesser known Sextet for Piano and Winds in B-Flat major, Op 6 by Ludwig Thuille. Thuille (1861 \u2013 1907) was a contemporary, and friend, of Richard Strauss.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI very much wanted to do the piano sextet.\u201d It\u2019s a work she performed some 45 years ago as a student. \u201cIt\u2019s a piece I learned as a student. Also, because there\u2019s not many pianists who play it,\u201d she adds<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a nice showcase for the wind players. \u201cThey all get to show off,\u201d Hewitt says. \u201cIt\u2019s a big, big piece. It sounds a bit like Brahms, a bit like Richard Strauss. It\u2019s a big romantic piece,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s very tuneful, very appealing to an audience even if they\u2019re hearing it for the first time. Lots of catchy tunes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s also performing the Thuille sextet at Ottawa\u2019s Chamberfest a few days before her Toronto appearance, and at the Trasimeno Music Festival.<\/p>\n<h3>Woodwinds<\/h3>\n<p>Piano and woodwinds is not such a common combination in the classical music world, despite its sonic appeal. Angela\u2019s connection with woodwinds also goes back to her student days.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I did a lot of chamber music when I was a student at the University of Ottawa,\u201d she explains. \u201cIn fact I was kind of the unofficial accompanist to the clarinet section.\u201d She credits the great teachers in the UofO music program, including clarinetist James &#8220;Jay&#8221; Morton, founding principal clarinet of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and husband to National Ballet of Canada founder and artistic director Celia Franca.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI learned a lot as a soloist playing chamber music.\u201d Hewitt also worked closely with a wind ensemble when she first moved to London, UK in 1985. \u201cWind players, they\u2019re always so happy to find a pianist who wants to play,\u201d she laughs.<\/p>\n<p>The woodwind section of the TSO is another talented group. \u201cThey\u2019re terrific players in the Toronto Symphony,\u201d Hewitt says.<\/p>\n<p>Her ties to wind instruments also come from personal experience. \u201cI was also a great recorder player,\u201d she explains. Hewitt studied the recorder at The Royal Conservatory for several years. \u201cI know what it is to play a wind instrument,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>It gives her insight into performing with a wind ensemble, and comes in contrast to the experience of many pianists. \u201cPianists are the worst, they don\u2019t breathe,\u201d she laughs.<\/p>\n<h2>Details<\/h2>\n<p>Angela Hewitt will be performing with the woodwinds of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra on <strong>March 9<\/strong> in the Green Sanderson Hall at Hugh\u2019s Room in Toronto.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Find tickets and show details [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.showpass.com\/angela-hewitt-with-tso-woodwinds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Hewitt will also perform a chamber recital in Ottawa, presented by Chamberfest, on March 6 just before the Toronto event. Info <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chamberfest.com\/event\/2025\/angela-hewitt-mozart-odyssey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/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>? Have a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/masthead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>news tip<\/u><\/a>? Need to know the best\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/events\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>events<\/u><\/a>\u00a0happening this weekend? 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