Volume 31 Issue 4

VOLUME 31 NO 4

MARCH & APRIL 2026

STORIES

profiles, previews

and interviews

EVENT LISTINGS

Music, live & livestreamed

DISCOVERIES

Record reviews & listening room

BEAUTIFUL MUSIC

TO WELCOME SPRING

A BACH

CELEBRATION

MARCH 12–15, 2026

Jeanne Lamon Hall,

Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre

Myriam Leblanc, soprano

James Reese, tenor

Tafelmusik Chamber Choir

Directed by Ivars Taurins

Bach wrote more than 200 cantatas, yet many remain

rarely heard. For this Bach Celebration, Ivars Taurins

highlights hidden gems—arias and choruses that

showcase Bach’s expressive range, from the jubilant

Cantata 11 to the tender “Die Seele ruht” from Cantata 127.

Soprano Myriam Leblanc and Grammy Award–winning

tenor James Reese join the orchestra and choir, bringing

their acclaimed artistry and fresh, vivid interpretations

to this concert.

NEW PERFORMANCE ADDED IN NORTH YORK

INFLUENCERS

The Bachs, Mozart & Haydn

Directed by Rachel Podger

APRIL 9, 2026

George Weston Recital Hall

APRIL 10–12, 2026

Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St.Paul’s Centre

Before hashtags and reels, the Bach family shaped the

trends of their time. This stylish program traces the

musical ripple effect of J.S. Bach’s sons—C.P.E. and J.C.—

whose elegant, expressive works inspired a young Mozart

and laid the groundwork for Haydn’s symphonic genius.

Directed from the violin by the incomparable Rachel

Podger, the concert features C.P.E. Bach’s dazzling

Cello Concerto in A Major with Tafelmusik’s own Keiran

Campbell, Mozart’s radiant Violin Concerto no. 3, and

Haydn’s dramatic Symphony no. 52. A sparkling celebration

of connection, creativity, and the art of influence.

GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY tafelmusik.org

Season

Presenting

Sponsor

Season

Partners

FUNDED BY

THE CITY OF TORONTO

HEARING

HER VOICE

Amanda Forsythe, soprano

APRIL 30 – MAY 3, 2026

Jeanne Lamon Hall,


GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY tafelmusik.org

Grammy award-winning soprano

Amanda Forsythe returns to Tafelmusik

to bring to life striking music by unjustly

forgotten women composers. Discover

brilliant works by Elisabeth Jacquet de

la Guerre, Barbara Strozzi, Mademoiselle

Duval, Wilhelmine von Beyreuth, Maria Teresa

Agnesi, Maria Margherita Grimani, and the

enigmatic Mrs. Philharmonica. Premiering a

newly commissioned work by Métis composer

Karen Sunabacka, this program celebrates

dramatic and sublime music by women.

BEETHOVEN

EROICA & BOLOGNE

The Winds of Change

Directed by Shunske Sato

EPIC SEASON FINALE AT KOERNER HALL

MAY 29–31, 2026

Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning

"Tafelmusik has always collaborated with legends

in the world of historical performance. This season

brought back Tafelmusik favourites Rachel Podger

and Lina Tur Bonet, and I'm completely stoked to

welcome the amazing Shunske Sato to our stage

in May for Beethoven Eroica & Bologne: The Winds

of Change!" —Brandon Chui, Artistic Co-Director

Our 2025/26 Season Finale salutes the uplifting spirit

of the French Revolution with music by Ludwig van

Beethoven and Joseph Bologne, composers who embraced

the movement’s ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity.

Trailblazing violinist Shunske Sato makes his Tafelmusik

debut directing these blockbuster performances.

3104_Cover.indd 1

2026-02-25 2:30 PM

The WholeNote

VOLUME 31 NO 4

MARCH & APRIL 2026

EDITORIAL

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ON OUR COVER

VOLUME 31 NO 4

MARCH & APRIL 2026

STORIES

profiles, previews

and interviews

EVENT LISTINGS

Music, live & livestreamed

DISCOVERIES

Record reviews & listening room

PHOTO: Black and white photo of

Archie Alleyne, signed ‘to the Pilot’,

COURTESY OF STEVEN CONOVER

Volume 31 No 4 | March & April 2026

STORIES & INTERVIEWS

7 FOR OPENERS | Music's Healing

Ways | DAVID PERLMAN

8 REMEMBERING | Bob Stevenson:

Moving with ease between

musical worlds |

WENDALYN BARTLEY

In her thesis project, Listening to Photographs in the

Archie Alleyne Archive: Black Musicians in Segregated

Toronto, 1940-1960, PhD candidate Keisha Bell-Kovacs

studies the social context within which jazz evolved in

Toronto. Archie Alleyne (1933-2015) was the Canadian jazz

drummer, band leader, advocate and activist for Black jazz

musicians in Canada who donated his collection to York

University. Many of the photos were taken at the Universal

Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) location at

355 College St. (see page 12)

12 HALFTONES | Black History

at the Pilot Tavern |

GLORIA BLIZZARD

14 ANNIVERSARIES | Vesnivka

at 60 | LESLIE FERENC

10

COPYRIGHT © 2025 WHOLENOTE MEDIA INC

WN

WHOLENOTE

MEDIA INC.

4 | March & April 2026 thewholenote.com

ITZHAK

PERLMAN,

violin

Rohan De Silva, piano

Mon APR 20, 2026 • 8PM

HAYATO

SUMINO,

piano

Sat May 2, 2026 • 8PM

EVGENY KISSIN

Fri May 22, 2026 • 8PM

FOR TICKETS, VISIT

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The WholeNote

VOLUME 31 NO 4

MARCH & APRIL 2026

IN THIS EDITION

STORIES AND INTERVIEWS

Wendalyn Bartley, Gloria Blizzard, Vania Chan,

Leslie Ferenc, Jennifer Parr, David Perlman

CD Reviewers

Sam Dickinson, Michael Doleschell,

Richard Haskell, Tiina Kiik, Kati Killaspea,

Lesley Mitchell-Clarke, Cheryl Ockrant,

David Olds, Ted Parkinson, Cathy Riches,

Terry Robbins, Stephen Runge, Andrew Scott,

Michael Schulman, Yoshi Maclear Wall,

Ken Waxman.

Proofreading

David Olds, Ted Parkinson, John Sharpe

Listings Team

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Kevin King, Sophia Perlman

Design Team

Kevin King, Susan Sinclair

Directories Team

Karen Ages , Danial Jazaeri

Circulation Team

Dave Bell, John Bentley, Jack Buell, Jane Dalziel,

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James Harris, Miguel Brito-Lopez,

Chris Malcolm, Lorna Nevison, Janet O’Brien,

Tom Sepp

DEADLINES

Weekly Online Listings Updates

6pm every Thursday for the following Thursday

Print listings deadline:

for Volume 31 No. 5, May & June 2026

6pm Tuesday, Apr 7, 2026

Print advertising, reservation deadline:

6pm Tuesday, Apr 7, 2026

Web advertising can be booked at any time

PUBLICATION DATES

OUR 31st SEASON

includes six print editions:

Vol 31 no 1 | September 16, 2025

Vol 31 no 2 | October 21, 2025;

Vol 31 no 3 | January 6, 2026;

Vol 31 no 4 | February 24, 2026;

Vol 31 no 5 | April 21, 2026;

Vol 31 no 6 | June 23, 2026.

STORIES &

INTERVIEWS, continued

18 MUSIC THEATRE | New

Creations & Happy Returns |

JENNIFER PARR

20 MUSIC & HEALTH | When

Music Meets Mindfulness |

VANIA CHAN

22 ROUNDUP: stories we are

watching

63 MUSIC'S HEALING WAYS |

Watching the excitement

unfold - Carol Olympus |

DAVID PERLMAN

LISTINGS

26 EVENTS BY DATE

41 MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZ

42 OPERA, MUSIC THEATRE,

DANCE

43 ETCETERAs

44 Summer Music Education

22

DISCOVERIES

RECORDINGS REVIEWED

46 Editor’s Corner | DAVID OLDS

49 Strings Attached |

TERRY ROBBINS

52 Vocal

52 Classical and Beyond

55 Modern and Contemporary

56 Jazz and Improvised Music

60 Pot Pourri

61 Something in the Air |

KEN WAXMAN

62 What We’re Listening To |

Listening Room Index

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FOR OPENERS

MUSIC’S HEALING WAYS

Come DISCover

The WholeNote

Listening Room!

U

p until 1751, the thing we now call New Year’s Day (in the Britannic tradition which still

ordains when we are entitled get plastered and when we pay our taxes) wasn’t. Instead

the new year was celebrated right around this time of year. It made sense in lots of

ways with spring busting out all over. A more convincing marker of renewal than a few more

minutes of daily daylight usually accompanied by an intensification of winter cold.

And speaking of “busting out all over” this is also the toughest time of year to set editorial

priorities. There’s a significant uptick in the number of regular season performances. There’s

a steady buildup of information about upcoming summer musical activity (educational and

festival-wise). And the same presenters and venues that are flooding us with press releases

and newsletters about March/April events are also clamoring for coverage of their newly

announced 2026/27 seasons.

So instead, I am just going to mention a couple of things that particularly caught my eye,

while wading knee-deep through the springtime data floodwaters. I chose them because they

both, one way or another, speak to a very hopeful trend: for artists, presenters and venues

to see what they do not just as a showcase for excellence, but as conduits to music as a vital,

participatory community art.

The first is an announcement from the Music Gallery’s latest newsletter (which is, by the

way, chock-a-block with other participatory opportunities). With support from the Ontario

Trillium Fund, they are embarking on a one-year project “to purchase special adaptive equipment,

conduct training and consultations, and deliver programming in partnership with

Deaf and Hard of Hearing artists in partnership with VibraFusionLab, and Phoenix the Fire,

among others.

Phoenix the Fire, a Deaf-led company, “will help design and facilitate a workshop process

for Deaf artists, to “integrate and test haptic devices including vibrotactile belts, pillows, and

floors” into the process, allowing the Deaf artist to experience sonic information converted

into vibrations. “The ability to collaborate in real time, to develop works, and also play in an

improvisatory manner is central to our process” the announcement says.

First up will be an open call “inviting Deaf artists in any creative discipline to participate in

a special residency program in September 2026. Five participants will be selected and paired

into a collaboration with a music/sound artist to experiment with haptic technologies and

workshop their creative ideas through a multi-day residency.”

For my second example, also arising from a newsletter that caught my eye, you’ll have to

make your way, eventually, to the back story in this issue (if you are reading this in print or at

kiosk.thewholenote.com). If you have to search for it digitally, it’s titled Watching the excitement

unfold: A conversation with Carol Olympus.

A happy old-style new year to you all.

David Perlman can be reached at publisher@thewholenote.com.

T'KARONTO

For thousands of years before European settlement, T’karonto (The Meeting Place) was part

of the traditional territory of many Nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit River,

the Anishinaabe, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and remains

their home to this day, as it now is for many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples.

This Meeting Place lies within the territory governed by the Sewatokwa’tshera’t (Dish

with One Spoon) treaty between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee

– a Treaty which bound them to share the territory and protect the land. Subsequent

Indigenous Nations and Peoples, and all newcomers are invited into this treaty in the spirit

of peace, friendship, respect and reconciliation. We are grateful to live and work here,

helping spread the word about the healing power of music in this place.

ENHANCED REVIEWS

sample tracks

artist videos

a BUY NOW buuon

see page 46 or visit

thewholenote.com/listening

thewholenote.com March & April 2026 | 7

REMEMBERING

Moving with ease

between musical worlds

A tribute to

Robert W. Stevenson

(1954-2026)

WENDALYN BARTLEY

“Everybody Loves My Baby” at the Emmet Ray, April 2025

SONNY BALCONES

Shortly after moving back to Toronto following

my graduate studies in composition at McGill

University in the late 1980s, I attended a concert by

Hemispheres in the Great Hall at the Music Gallery, then

located at Queen and Dovercourt. Bob Stevenson was one

of the performers, playing clarinet. I was intrigued by the

ensemble’s sound—a large group bringing classical and

jazz musicians together.

After the concert, I approached Nic Gotham, Hemispheres’ artistic

director, and offered to write a piece for them. Months later, my piece

Matrix was performed. Listening back, I felt unsure about what I had

written. It sounded messy to my ears. With no experience writing for

jazz musicians, I felt I’d taken an embarrassing leap into the dark.

That evening, Bob came up to me. I had met him years earlier when

he performed a student work of mine and often heard him play in

various concerts around the city. He told me simply that Matrix was a

good composition. His generous remarks helped calm my doubts.

Fast forward seven years: Bob – now artistic director and conductor

of Hemispheres – proposed recording my piece for the ensemble’s 1998

CD Chaser. What I heard was transformative. Under his direction, the

music had become something utterly different from that first performance,

shaped with a musical coherence I hadn’t known was there.

This is who Bob was: someone who could hear into the cracks and

breathe musicality into what were, as he liked to say, just a bunch of

dots on the page.

He was a consummate artist, moving easily between roles as

composer, clarinetist and bass clarinetist, conductor, artistic director,

copyist, philosopher, and creative thinker. Yet it wasn’t only his

breadth that distinguished him. It was the way he refused to be boxed

in. As his partner Moira Clark told me, this resistance to classification

was fundamental to who he was. “He hated classifications such as

jazz or classical or rock,” she said, “and loved Miles Davis, who felt the

same way and said it was ‘just all music’.”

Bob’s recent passing came as a shock to many in Toronto’s music

community. His musical influence spanned five decades and an astonishing

range of genres including new music, jazz, classical, opera,

klezmer, gamelan, dance, music theatre, and improvisation. His life

moved through all these worlds as someone who genuinely belonged

in each one. And again and again, he helped build communities where

that kind of artistic crossing was possible.

Early Toronto Experimentation

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Toronto’s experimental scene was

thriving, though often far from the spotlight. Much of this work took

place in artist-run centres and out-of-the-way spaces, within a noncommercial

underground culture of risk-taking and invention whose

contributions have too often faded from public memory. It was, nevertheless,

a period of intense artistic experimentation that mattered

deeply to Bob.

During those years, Bob formed a strong artistic bond with Andrew

Timar, and after completing his studies in the late 1970s at The

University of Western Ontario (as Western University in London,

Ontario was then called), was invited by Timar to join the New Music

Co-op, an ensemble that had its beginnings in the Music Department

at York University. Bob joined once the group became independent,

and was active as both a performer and composer.

Out of this collaboration, Bob and Andrew, together with dancer

Terrill Maguire, formed the MusicDance Orchestra, active from 1979-

1984. Conceived as a performance ensemble that placed musicians

and dancers on equal footing, it became part of Toronto’s avantgarde

ecology.

In MusicDance orchestra, the relationship between movement and

sound was fluid and immediate: musicians interpreted their scores

New Music Cooperative in 1979 at The Music Gallery, Toronto:

(L-R) Andrew Timar, Miguel Frasconi, Bob Stevenson,

Nick Kilbourn, Tina Pearson, Paul Hodge.

VID INGELEVICS


EDGE OF YOUR SEAT

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL II

Alex Pauk, Music Director & Conductor

8:00PM CONCERTS, 7:15PM MUSICAL INSIGHTS

WITH ALEXINA LOUIE & GUESTS

ESPRITORCHESTRA.COM

HEAT EFFICIENCY

MARCH 26TH, 2026

KOERNER HALL

Nils Mönkemeyer Viola

Works by Dieter Ammann, Aziza Sadikova,

Nicholas Ma, & Claude Vivier

HALLELUJAH SIM.

APRIL 23RD, 2026

KOERNER HALL

Elmer Iseler Singers

Concreamus Chamber Choir

Works by Tristan Keuris, Ben Nobuto, Poul

Ruders & Chris Paul Harman

ESPRIT ORCHESTRA

The Clearview Foundation, The Michael & Sonja Koerner Charitable Foundation & The Mary-Margaret Webb Foundation


RAMONA TIMAR

Evergreen Club Gamelan on tour to the Sound Symposium 1986,

St John's. (L-R) 2 local hosts, Andrew Timar, Bob Stevenson,

Jon Siddall, Erika Runstrom and dancer Danielle Belec.

by following, responding to, or anticipating the dancers’ gestures.

Bob’s piece Go ahead Wes was described in one review as dense and

full of clashing sonorities “that were reflected in the dancers who

pulled, pushed, dragged and dangled each other, reacting viscerally

to the blaring extremes of musical colors.” Another piece he wrote

for the ensemble was Cheap Sunglasses (1981) with choreographer

Holly Small.

Bob’s boundless curiosity also led him into the world of Indonesian

music, as a founding member of the Evergreen Club Contemporary

Gamelan – the first performing ensemble of gamelan instruments

in Canada – where once again, he reunited with Timar, performing

some traditional Indonesian repertoire but primarily contemporary

compositions. Bob’s own piece Tombeau d’Alsace was featured in the

ensemble’s first concert in 1983. (Evergreen may also have been one of

the few ensembles in which Bob did not play his primary instrument.)

Arraymusic

If Bob had a central musical home in Toronto, it was Arraymusic,

a pioneering ensemble that has been a leading force in Canadian

contemporary music since 1972. His first performance with the group

took place in March 1982, appearing in Louis Andriessen’s Workers

Union, and in a premiere work jointly composed by Alexina Louie and

(L-R) Roberto Occhipinti, Douglas Perry, Beverley

Johnston, Bob Stevenson and Henry Kucharzyk

Marjan Mozetich. He went on to become a permanent member of the

Array ensemble, and in 2005 stepped into the role of Artistic Director,

a position he held until 2010.

During the 1980s, many of Arraymusic’s concerts included dance

collaborations, and Bob continued working closely with choreographers.

One such work was No Face is Obscured (1984), created

once again with Holly Small. I also remember a magical evening in

March 1989 at the Great Hall when he performed Steve Reich’s New

York Counterpoint, for solo clarinet with multiple pre-recorded

clarinet lines unfolding through Reich’s distinctive process of shifting

rhythmic patterns. A work that demands both disciplined focus and

stamina, it became part of Arraymusic’s touring repertoire and was

later recorded for the ensemble’s 1991 album Chroma.

After John Cage’s death in 1992, and while working on his piece

Journey for Arraymusic, Bob told me he had a dream visitation from

Cage, with the result that the work drew on Cage’s aleatoric techniques,

relying on chance in determining how to ask the performers

to move from station to station across the stage. Another significant

work he wrote for Arraymusic was Nostalgia, a more personal opera

with a libretto based on letters his father wrote to his mother while in

combat during the Second World War.

In the early 1990s, Bob added conducting to his range of creative

activities. His good friend and colleague Shannon Peet told me how

active he was as a composer, performer and conductor in her production

of the New Music Across America Festival. Both this festival and

the 1990 Montreal version involved collaborations with Arraymusic,

5th Species and Hemispheres.

5th Species woodwind quintet commissioned Bob to write

Ephemeron, later broadcast on CBC’s Two New Hours. At the festival,

he conducted this work as well as one by Denys Bouliane. From this

productive and dynamic period emerged Critical Band, an ensemble

devoted to microtonal repertoire, of which Bob was also a member.

But if Bob’s life in new music during this period revealed his rigour

and curiosity, his involvement with klezmer revealed something equally

essential: joy. During the 1990s and into the 2000s, Bob was a member

of the Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band, known for mixing traditional

klezmer repertoire with jazz and improvisation. His involvement led to

countless gigs at Jewish weddings and bar mitzvahs, where his playing

brought both passion and sophistication to the dance floor.

Later Years: Around 2010, Bob made a conscious decision to

focus on playing with jazz and improvising musicians in smaller

club venues such as The Painted Lady and Communist’s Daughter.

Performing with the improvisational group Rambunctious, which

explored different ideas of “dance music,” led him to Corry Ouellette,

leader of the Sonny Balcones—a jazz ensemble that blends 1930s and

40s swing with French and New Orleans styles, as well as torch songs.

Bob played with the group for nine years.

In my conversation with Corry, she shared Bob’s answers to a questionnaire

she had given to the band members to use for writing bios.

His responses offer a window into his musical personality. His first

instrument was “cast aluminum pot lids,” and he began playing

clarinet at ten years old. His musical influences were “all the musicians

I’ve ever heard,” and his preferred performance setting was

“anywhere that I’m in the physical presence of listeners.”

Alongside this openness was a fierce commitment to craft. When

asked what he found most challenging about being a musician, he

answered candidly: “many people think that playing music is an idiot

savant sort of thing. That it just comes to me, that there’s no discipline

or investigation of the material I’m working with. That I’m just feeling

my way. No, I’m not. Truly. True creativity is based on precision and

discipline.”

Musical breadth: As this tribute suggests, the breadth of Bob’s

musical life was extraordinary. When asked what he most wished

others knew about him, he answered: “I work in a lot of different

musical styles and disciplines. Most people I work with in one

approach are unaware of the other aspects of my career.”

Conducting, he added, was one thing he wanted to do more of.


FOUR SEASONS

The Sonny Balcones perform at a Gatsby 1920’s party.

(L-R) Bob Stevenson, Corry Ouellette, Jared Higgins and Rachel Melas.

Closing time: summer on the

Drom Taberna patio. Cheers, Bob.

ORI DAGAN

Bob continued composing into his later years. In 2016 he wrote

Two Fancies for New Music Concerts as a celebration of Robert

Aitken’s 75th birthday. His interest in flute music also led him to write

Symphony of Charms (2019) for the flute ensemble Charm of Finches.

Unfortunately, its premiere was cancelled due to the pandemic, and

the group later disbanded. Over the past few years, Bob had been

working on pieces that combined composition and improvisation for

a small ensemble, with his most recent work titled Coil (2025). And

in 2024 he joined up with Andrew Timar to play again with Evergreen

Club for their 40th anniversary, this time on clarinet.

I knew Bob as a sensitive, intelligent, and soulful person, passionate

about musical ideas and social justice. He listened with rare intensity

and brought that same depth of listening into everything he touched:

the concert hall, the club, the rehearsal studio, the dance floor, and

his personal friendships. May you continue to find your way in sonic

ecstasy, my friend.

There will be a celebration of Bob’s life in April.

Wendalyn Bartley is a Toronto-based composer and

electro-vocal sound artist. sounddreaming@gmail.com

Powerful Voices. Fresh Vision. Future Classics.

AZRIELI MUSIC PRIZES

NEW JEWISH MUSIC, VOL. 5

LISTEN NOW!

analekta.com


HALFTONES

Black History at the Pilot Tavern

GLORIA BLIZZARD

COURTESY STEVE CONOVER

I

didn’t want this to be the story, but it is the story. Jazz,

segregation, the Musicians’ Union and why jazz and

Black musicians at the Pilot (and other venues) is still

a big deal. To begin, let’s be joyful. From January 31 until

the end of February, the Pilot Tavern hosted an event

each Saturday, featuring Black musicians in Toronto.

This series is the brain-child of Trevor Bazilio, longtime

attendee at the venue, who queried the paucity of

Black jazz musicians being featured. Four years ago he

proposed a Black History Month (BHM) celebration that

would feature Black band leaders and musicians during

February, and was invited to book it.

Archie Alleyne 1933-2015: drummer,

bandleader, advocate and activist

A step back

The Pilot Pub was first opened

in 1944 by the Klashoff brothers

on Yonge Street. This was the era

of wartime patriotism. The opera

Transit through Fire: An Odyssey

of 1942, would have been on

the radio airwaves and Gilbert

Watson’s orchestra would have

played the dance pavilions. The

name of the pub was a nod to the

World War II military pilots. At this

time, women didn’t commonly

frequent pubs, so we can only

assume it was a drinking establishment

for the men in downtown

Toronto. And because it was

1944, we can assume that it did not

include Black patrons in the largely

segregated era in the city.

In her thesis project, Listening to Photographs in the Archie

Alleyne Archive: Black Musicians in Segregated Toronto, 1940-

1960, PhD candidate Keisha Bell-Kovacs studies the social context

within which jazz evolved in Toronto. Archie Alleyne (1933-2015)

was the Canadian jazz drummer, band leader, advocate and activist

for Black jazz musicians in Canada who donated his collection to

York University.

Many of the photos were taken at the Universal Negro Improvement

Association (UNIA) location at 355 College St. “These jam sessions

started in 1951 and they were integrated. It’s great you see this room

full of Black and white people in these photographs. It was one

directional integration,” says Bell-Kovacs. When those local Black

players walked out of the frame of the photograph, and onto the

streets, they did not have access to many other venues or even, the

Musicians Union.

“The history of jazz in the city is also connected with prohibition,”

she says. “The first cocktail bar, the Silver Rail, opened in

1947, and with it came a desire to bring a sophisticated element to

drinking alcohol. Prior to that, you had to go to pubs to drink. With

this different environment, there was a sudden surge of interest in

having jazz musicians from the United States come to the city to play

in them.”

“Count Basie came regularly to the city. Duke Ellington came,”

continues Bell-Kovacs. “He had the cultural capital of being Duke

Ellington, and he could play the venues, but still, he and the other

Black musicians couldn’t stay in the hotels. They were billeted with

Black families. Black Canadian musicians were just not booked

to play.”

The musicians developed elegant ways to ensure that, at times,

their Canadian colleagues could join them on stage. A ticket would

be left at the door (along with a few dollars – payment ahead of time)

for said musician. The American musician would suddenly notice

the Canadian player in the audience and encourage the audience to

encourage this great Canadian musician to sit in.

Pubs and taverns to cocktail bars and dance clubs

“I worked with Archie Alleyne for a long time, I was his sort of

writer-for-hire,” says Toronto writer Edward Brown. “Archie told of

sneaking into such venues ‘breaking the colour barrier’. He’d always

reminded me that he was the second Black musician to join the union.

The Musicians’ Union was adamantly adamant against having Black

members. They didn’t even hide their racism. They said it outright.

Archie did a photo exhibit and I wrote the accompanying booklet

about vocalist and pianist, Valeire Abbott Hunt. I think she gets overlooked

because she is female. She was actually the first Black musician

to become a member of the union.”

In the 1940s the Palais Royale on Lakeshore Boulevard, was a dance

hall where the American big bands would play. It became a site of

protests led by musician and later surgeon, Douglas Salmon (1923

– 2005) and the Race Discrimination Committee. Black people also

wanted to listen and dance to the Duke but were excluded.

The first Black Canadian to be booked into a club was pianist

and bandleader, Cy McLean (1916 – 1986). He played the Colonial

Tavern in 1947.

“I always wondered, why Cy McLean? What did he have that the

other musicians didn’t? And I found an interesting story. He had a

friend and booking agent, a white guy, Douglas Widdess (1905-1986).

Widdess was a sax player turned agent. who at that time, worked for

Norman Harris Artists Agency Ltd. He’d advocate for Cy McLean to get

work and he’d be shut out. Widdess eventually said that if his friend

couldn’t play the venue, neither would anyone else on his roster. So, Cy

kind of had the silent backing of this promoter agent. The steps at overcoming

injustice are not ever done alone. We need to work together.”

Archie Alleyne soon brought his own band to Toronto venues

following in McLean’s footsteps.

Aviation and Jazz

I thought this would be an article about some deep connections

between aviation and jazz. That’s not the article that’s emerging

obviously. Those connections are more in my personal experience and

associations … a pilot father who played jazz recordings constantly at

home (along with Calypso and other genres).

The early iteration of Pilot Pub on its Yonge Street location, was a

music-less venue. There was a name change to Tavern, when cocktails


became popular, and women

were allowed on the second

floor. By the 1960s, due to

its location between several

art galleries, it became a hub

for visual artists. “It became

a meeting place, where after

the sale of a painting at an

opening, an artist could wander

over to the Pilot to cash their

cheque and buy drinks for

their friends,” laughs Steve

Conover. Musician Gordon

Lightfoot, writer Austin Clarke

are amongst a couple of notable

artists who like to hang out

there as well.

Conover is one of the trio of

friends from Jarvis Collegiate

who bought the business in

1988 after the land under it was

expropriated. He tells of regulars

helping carry the original

wooden bar on foot, up Yonge Street, across Bloor to its current location

in a former car garage on Cumberland Street. Here, the trio

extended the pilot/aviation theme, with black and white photos from

the Royal Air Force archives and aluminum stairs that mimic the

airstairs from a plane to the tarmac. Without a formal architect, they

found ways to convey a feeling and reinforce the name.

Conover is a musician and jazz enthusiast who recalls going to

the Colonial Tavern as a teen, “It had two storeys – a restaurant (not

licensed) and a bar (licensed). Young people could see Cannonball

Adderley for tea and some rice pudding – along with Dizzy, Roland

Kirk and many others.” He went on to study bass at the York

University jazz program. In the 1990s as part owner of the Pilot, he

floated the idea of booking jazz once a week.

As the booker of this new jazz venue, he was able to book Archie

Alleyne and his band Kollage regularly, every two months or so, for

about six years.

Perhaps Alleyne’s dedication to his regular gigs at this venue were

part of the impulse to take up space. With a living memory of when

there was absolutely no space for such ensembles, it would have been

important to maintain a Black presence on the jazz scene after the

American circuit died. “Archie missed one gig for his father’s funeral,”

says Conover. “It was Trevor Bazilio’s idea to do Black History Month

programming. It builds on this legacy. The events are successful, and

grow every year,” says Conover.

(new) The Pilot, at 22 Cumberland St., in Toronto’s Yorkville district.

Words and deeds

There were many others at work on changing the jazz landscape.

Howard Matthews and Salome Bey owned the 1st Floor Club. The

Underground Railroad Restaurant and many other venues ensured

environments where Black audiences, with an embodied knowledge,

even if not explicit teachings of the history of segregation, could

feel at ease.

The mechanisms of omission or oversight, however, have not been

shaken. This intersection of gaps and absences in both bookings and

opportunities for Black Canadian vocalists and instrumentalists is

explored more fully in the article I Stand On Their Shoulders: My Love

Letter To Toronto’s Black Jazz Musicians by musician Shakura S’Aida.

Five nights of Black jazz musicians programmed to play at the Pilot

Tavern, a jazz venue, calls attention to an absence on the musical landscape.

The absence of Black women musicians in the programming,

however, is perplexing. Both scenarios indicate some of the cultural

patterns that persist in the jazz scene in Toronto.

“Our words speak and our deeds speak,” says Edward Brown.

“What you see on the stage represents the truth in that sense. What we

see on the stage is representative of what our culture thinks.”

I’m part of the culture, and I’m thinking, so here’s my pitch for next

year: Shakura S’Aida sings Nina Simone or Lena Horne or whomever

(old) The Pilot Tavern, at 800 Yonge St,

just north of Bloor.

she wants; Keisha Bell-Kovacs, pianist, plays Hazel Scott; Joy Lapps-

Lewis, composer and pannist, plays tribute to Othello Molineaux and

Rudy “Two Lefts” Smith; Faith Amour, vocalist/flautist and Sheba

Thibideau, bassoonist bring their own ensembles.

Change is a constant. The Pilot Tavern has changed hands once

again and is now owned by Daimin Bodnar’s One Duck Hospitality.

This comes with an updated sound system on the second floor

that can seat a larger audience. For the BHM celebration this year,

Bazilio expanded the programming to include ska, funk, poetry by

Stedmond Pardy and a presentation on Oscar Peterson by Edward

Brown and George Elliot Clarke, opening up the celebration to a

wider range of listeners.

Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda

& Antonio Sánchez

BEATrio

APRIL 25

Buy tickets at

tolive.com

Lead partners

Meridian Arts Centre


PHOTOS: FACEBOOK


ANNIVERSARIES

JEFFREY GRANNUM

Maurice Gordon’s Skafire Roots

Poetry at the Pilot?

At the Saturday February 21 BHM matinee, Maurice Gordon’s

Skafire Roots had the audience hopping, dancing in a long line,

winding between the tables of a full house – an unusual scene in

what has been for many years, a jazz venue. Gordon and the band

(Don Laws – trombone, Michael Kennedy – bass, Austin Rowe Jr. –

drums, Rickie McIntosh – keyboards) led the audience through a

retrospective of ska hits. “It’s pronounced skya” said Gordon, and had

the audience practise how to say it correctly. They played tributes to

Jamaican musical legend Jimmy Cliff, with songs from many famous

bands including the Skatelites, ska versions of pop songs like My Girl

Lollipop, Bob Marley of course, and some original tunes.

After the first set, poet Stedmond Pardy took to the stage. Pardy

told me afterwards that he was nervous performing for a crowd

who came out to hear music. He holds, however, to the words of

Amiri Baraka: “You should be able to read your poems to construction

workers and if they don’t smack you over the head with their

helmets, you know it’s pretty good.” The Pilot audience responded

with laughs at the right places, finger-snapping and enthusiastic

applause.

Pardy’s unique presentation includes powerful images and

percussive vocals. He spoke amongst other things, of the landscape

just outside the doors of the venue in his poem about

Yonge Street: “What did you do to the Big Slice and the Colonial

Tavern and HMV? Why are you dolling yourself up like a cut rate

Times Square?”

With parents from St. Kitts and Newfoundland, he is drawn to

musicians, like Lenny Kravitz and Phil Lynott, with similar mixed

backgrounds. He also lists Jimmy Hendrix and Iggy Pop and the

Stooges as inspirations, and saw the latter perform at Massey Hall

in Toronto. “They really knocked me out, in that they were in their

60s, still breaking the 4th wall, and when you left it, it was like a

power surge out there.”

Stedmond Pardy and Gloria Blizzard

Jazz is also a big influence.

He lists Thelonious

Monk, Duke Ellington,

and Coltrane, recently

performed one of his

poems with Canadian jazz

musician D.D. Jackson,

and has a limited edition

book-cd coming out soon.

“It’s been a great honour

to be amongst first poets to

grace the Pilot stage during

Black History Month”, says

Pardy. Let’s hope there will

be many more.

Gloria Blizzard writes on music, dance, culture and is the

author of Black Cake, Turtle Soup, and Other Dilemmas.

SHELDON COOPER

Vesnivka

Choir

at 60

LESLIE FERENC

Sixty years ago, Vesnivka Choir stepped onto the

Toronto music scene – young girls whose voices

were uncertain but full of promise. Their conductor

Halyna Kvitka Kondracki wasn’t much older but had

clarity of vision and purpose – to share her passion for

Ukrainian choral music and culture.

A content creator and influencer long before the Internet and

TikTok, Kondracki’s acuity, stewardship and commitment to musical

excellence was aspirational. Little did she know then that Vesnivka

would blossom into an internationally acclaimed women’s choir and

cultural tour de force, connecting the Ukrainian diaspora to its roots.

Nor could she have imagined that she would empower generations

of women, giving them a voice, and creating a family bound by song.

I was fortunate to be part of that sisterhood for almost 40 years and

despite the passage of time, the sense of belonging has endured far

beyond being on the Vesnivka stage.

Then, in 2016, I took a walk down memory lane, attending a rehearsal

in the basement of St. Nicholas Ukrainian School where Vesnivka’s

and my musical journey had begun, and sharing my homecoming in

The WholeNote. Fast forward ten years, and I’m excited to hear about

Vesnivka’s 60th season, which was launched at the annual Christmas

concert. The choir has never sounded better.

Afterwards, I spoke with Kondracki, curious as to what has sustained

the choir’s success and longevity when other arts and culture groups

have been shuttered or are struggling to survive. “Vesnivka members are

extremely loyal,” says Kondracki. “Many have been in the choir for more

than 30 years. I’ve been very lucky: supportive women sharing the music

we love with the world; a great team of volunteers from the choir; and a

board of directors taking care of everything behind the scenes.”

Discipline is key. “You can’t be a successful choir without it.”

Kondacki runs weekly rehearsals with precision. It’s no coffee klatch.

Programs and schedules are set a year in advance “and we roll up

our sleeves.” Rehearsals are purposeful, focused and members

are expected to be prepared. Vocal workshops are ongoing and

Kondracki’s door is always open to help members who don’t have

formal musical training or can’t read the music. Ukrainian lyrics are

transliterated as needed.

Commissioning

But it’s not all work and no play. Throughout every season the choir

finds ways to celebrate its successes, of which there have been many


VESNIVKA CHOIR

Vesnivka Girls' Choir in 1968, at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church, Toronto. Front

row, centre, wearing a brown vest, is conductor Halyna Kvitka Kondracki. Vesnivka's

longest standing current member, Olenka Wasley, is in the back row on the far left.

during the last decade alone. For the 50th anniversary, for example,

Vesnivka commissioned a new liturgy by Canadian composer Roman

Hurko. It was sung at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church where

Vesnivka had performed its first mass five decades previously. “It had

a great impact on all of us,” says Kondracki. “His liturgy was very

moving and spiritual.”

In 2017, Vesnivka joined the Orpheus Choir of Toronto and artistic

director Robert Cooper commissioning a new work Golden Harvest

by another Canadian composer Larysa Kuzmenko to mark the 125th

anniversary of Ukrainian immigration to Canada. The program

included John Estacio’s The Houses Stand Not Far Apart. “It was

a magnificent concert and a wonderful experience for Vesnivka.

Collaborations with other choirs, conductors and composers inspire

us to do better.”

A second tour of Ukraine in 2019, before the pandemic and Russia’s

invasion, was as emotional as the choir’s first. “Concert halls were

filled with people who were so happy that we, as Canadians, were

preserving the Ukrainian language, customs and traditions.”

simple. Vesnivka members brought their

own chairs to rehearsals which were held

in Kondracki’s back yard and in the parking

lot of a community centre. When inclement

weather forced members indoors, they

joined online via ZOOM, keeping the choir

connected and singing. After restrictions

eased, members wore masks and followed

distancing rules.

Then, when war did break out in Feb.

2022, Vesnivka was front and centre at

events across the GTA to raise awareness

about the Russian invasion and

suffering. Members were deeply moved

after performing A Prayer for Ukraine,

the country’s spiritual anthem in Dundas

Square. Prayer for Ukraine Concert -

Dundas Square

Vesnivka continues to support the war

effort, raising funds to help Ukrainian children

affected by the war and to purchase

medical supplies for soldiers injured on the

frontlines. Kondracki couldn’t believe the

line outside St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica

as concert goers waited for the doors to

open for a sold-out Christmas concert in

2023, dedicated to Ukrainians who arrived

in Canada after Russia invaded their homeland. Featured guests

included the St. Michael’s Choir School and the Ukrainian Bandurist

Chorus, as well as the Toronto Ukrainian Male Chamber Choir. “The

audience wound all the way around the church. It was amazing to see

such support.”

Vesnivka survived and continues to flourish, staying true to its cause

as it renews itself, fostering new talent, expanding repertoire and

Prayer for Ukraine: Vesnivka at Yonge-Dundas Square in April of 2022

COVID and beyond

Never one to rest on laurels, Kondracki continues to propel the

choir forward, through thick and thin. Even a worldwide pandemic

couldn’t silence Vesnivka. “COVID was our biggest hurdle and we

didn’t know how long it would last,” she says. The solution was

CHFI

The Amadeus Choir presents

WANUSKEWIN

Seeking Peace of Mind

with cellist/composer Cris Derksen

Featuring the world premiere of

“Wanuskewin” by Andrew Balfour

Saturday, May 9

The Playground, 388 Carlaw Ave

Tickets available at

amadeuschoir.com


VESNIVKA / NYKOLA PARZEI

Vesnivka and Toronto Ukrainian Male Chamber

Choir, Christmas Concert, January 2025

attracting new audiences. It’s a strategy that is tried and true. Each

year, Kondracki scours archives for new music and often commissions

Canadian and Ukrainian composers to create works that engage and

challenge the choir.

Old favourites and new songs will be featured during Vesnivka’s

Diamond Jubilee concert March 29. The world premiere of an epic

work by Ukrainian composer Maksym Kuchmet will be presented

by Vesnivka and the Canadian Bandurist Capella with the Canadian

Children’s Opera Company April 26 at a memorial concert marking

the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster (link to

vesnivka.com for details).

“New music excites me. It moves and uplifts,” she says. “You can’t

keep repeating the same repertoire. The choir would get bored.”

Old and new

Vesnivka’s reputation continues to attract new voices, most recently

from Ukraine. Among them is Liliia Yaremchuk. She and her husband

immigrated a few years ago and settled in Niagara Falls. A friend who

sings in the choir suggested she attend a concert. “The music was so

beautiful,” she recalls adding some of the songs in Vesnivka’s repertoire

are those her grandmother sang to her. It brought her to tears.

“Ukrainian music touches the soul.”

After a busy day Yaremchuk often plays the piano to relax. “It helps

me disconnect and be in the moment.” Singing has the same effect,

but getting to rehearsals isn’t easy. Every second Tuesday she hops

on the GO train from Niagara and heads into the city. After practice

a choir friend drives her to Burlington where Yaremchuk’s husband

picks her up for the last leg of the journey home. On alternate

Tuesdays she joins rehearsals online. The effort is well worth it.

Another new face is Nazar Lozynskyy. He only knew two people

when the family arrived in Canada. One of them was Kondracki

who welcomed them with open arms and helped them settle. He

was no stranger having performed with Vesnivka while on tour with

the Ukrainian National Boy’s and Men’s choir Dudaryk in 2018.

Lozynskyy was immediately impressed with the high level of professionalism,

His own portfolio is impressive – as a gifted soloist and

Dudaryk’s long-time head choirmaster.

Since arriving in Canada, he was named assistant conductor and is

a soloist with the Toronto Ukrainian Male Chamber Choir, established

by Kondracki in 2001. On Sunday’s he is a cantor at Toronto’s Holy

Protection Mother of God Ukrainian Church and assistant conductor

of the church choir at St. Nicholas. For the last three seasons he has

been a member of the Canadian Opera Company Chorus. His wealth

of experience made him the ideal candidate to serve as Vesnivka’s

first assistant director. He understands the music and the spirit of

Vesnivka, and is a natural in the line of succession, says Kondracki.

“I thought I would retire last year but my kids asked ‘why?’” she says


with a laugh. “I suppose if I couldn’t think or hear or raise my hands

and arms to conduct then I would. I’m not there yet.” And for her there

is no greater satisfaction than seeing choir members enjoying themselves

and singing well during a rehearsal and performance.

“We’re doing it better and better, but there’s still more to learn and

to be done.” There’s unfinished business too, namely the reconstruction

of Vesnivka’s e-library. Once it’s back up and running the collection

will make Vesnivka’s vast repertoire accessible to music lovers

worldwide, free of charge.

The first phase focuses on the early music, most of it unpublished

and only available on the choir’s e-library, says Lesia Komorowsky

who manages the project. The music was originally written for boy’s

and men’s voices. Kondracki rearranged it for Vesnivka. “If not for

e-library, it will be lost forever.”

Like many members, Komorowsky took a break from the choir to

raise her children. “My heart tugged every Tuesday,” she says, so she

returned a few years later. Travelling with the choir was always a highlight

but it was the music and “poetry of the language” that captured

her heart. “Vesnivka is also the only connection I still have with

Ukrainian language and culture – to my roots.”

Olenka Wasley is the longest standing member of Vesnivka and

hasn’t missed a single season. “For 60 extraordinary years, I can

truthfully say that this has been one of the most delightful joys and

proudest achievements of my life,” she tells me. “It has always been

a genuine pleasure, season after season, to unite with other choir

members in harmony and spirit.” For her, each season has been a

celebration of community “and enduring delight in singing together.

The success of this great choir has been built in no small measure

upon the willingness, the cooperation of all members but especially

the drive, resilience and creativity of the founder and conductor

Kvitka Kondracki. Congratulations to the sparkle that leads us ahead

in the Diamond Jubilee year.”

The 60th season

is just beginning,

and Kondracki is

already planning for

what’s next.

“I got this drive

from my parents,”

she says, adding

she too has found

her voice, thanks to

Vesnivka. “I’m not

afraid of speaking

out to right a wrong

and I will fight for my

choir. I do.

And I defend my

culture because I

believe multiculturalism

is very

important – it built

this country. Our

parents and all those

who came before

built this country.

Like them I can be a

good Canadian and a

good Ukrainian too.”

She’s doing it one song at a time.

Kondracki receiving the Markian Ochrymowych

Humanitarian Award (Ukrainian Canadian

Social Services Toronto, March 2025).

Leslie Ferenc is a former member of Vesnivka Choir and continues

to champion its musical and cultural mission.

The Garifuna Collective

with Special Guest

Mis Blandine

THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 7PM KOERNER HALL

Experience The Garifuna Collective’s

electrifying Koerner Hall debut as they bring

Belize’s rich Garifuna rhythms and global

world music grooves to life. Congolese

rumba opens the night.

TICKETS START AT $50

Presented in association with Batuki Music Society

Lisa Batiashvili with

Giorgi Gigashvili

SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 3PM KOERNER HALL

One of the most accomplished violinists of

her generation, Lisa Batiashvili performs

works by Beethoven, Bartók, Franck, and

fellow Georgian Ioseb Bardanashvili, with her

compatriot, pianist Giorgi Gigashvili.

TICKETS START AT $60

Generous support provided from

the Michael and Sonja Koerner Fund

for Classical Programming

Jane Archibald,

soprano, with

Liz Upchurch, piano

WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 7PM

TEMERTY THEATRE

Juno Award-winning Canadian opera star

Jane Archibald performs a romantic program

of intimate works by Robert and Clara

Schumann, as well as Brahms, with the

Canadian Opera Company’s Liz Upchurch.

TICKETS: $25

Generously supported by

Mai Why & Peter Levitt

TICKETS & SUBSCRIPTIONS ON SALE NOW! 416.408.0208 RCMUSIC.COM/PERFORMANCE

PRESENTING PERFORMANCE PARTNER


MUSIC THEATRE

NEW

CREATIONS

& HAPPY

RETURNS

JENNIFER PARR

Deborah Hay as Édith Piaf, Terra C. MacLeod as Marlene Dietrich

MAI TILSON

The musical Piaf/Dietrich is about to open in a

new production at the Grand Theatre in London

(Ontario). It was a hit in Europe in 2013 when it

was first produced (performed in German). The original

book by Daniel Große Boymann and Thomas Kahry was

subsequently adapted in 2018 for Montreal’s Segal Centre

by decorated Canadian playwright Erin Shields whose

new play You, Always is currently wowing audiences at

Canadian Stage.

Erin Shields

Shields is known for her feminist

reworking of classics such as

Paradise Lost and the recent

Ransacking Troy and here, as

director Rachel Peake says in her

press release, “demonstrates yet

again her ability to reach into the

heart of a story to show us something

we didn’t understand until

now. We see how the real friendship

of these two incredible women

(Édith Piaf the ‘French sparrow’

and the glamorous Hollywood

star Marlene Dietrich) helps them

survive under the heat of the spotlight

in a post WWII world.”

Filled with iconic songs, this

production of Piaf/Dietrich is also

a wonderful chance to see Deborah

Hay, who thrilled audiences last

summer with her versatility as

singer and musician as well as actor

in the world premiere of After the

Rain, take on the role of Piaf which

demands the skills of a powerful

singer/actor.

Feb 17-March 7.

www.grandtheatre.com

Martin Julien: Shifting Ground

Collective’s Man in the Chair.

DAHLIA KATZ

MARTIN JULIEN

Drowsy Chaperone

Also in March, one of the most successful Canadian musicals in recent

history will be remounted by young powerhouse company Shifting

Ground Collective. Although only founded in 2022 this young company,

dedicated to showcasing emerging Canadian musical theatre talent,

is already a success story. Their 2023 production, Sondheim’s Merrily

We Roll Along, was extraordinary for its professional polish, impressive

staging and exciting young cast and last season they won three Dora

awards for their production of The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee.

This spring they will present a new production of The Drowsy

Chaperone by Bob Martin & Don McKellar (book) and Lisa Lambert &

Greg Morrison (music & lyrics) which famously began its life in 1998

as a wedding gift for Bob Martin and his bride Janet van de Graaf. An

expanded version then played a sold out run at the Toronto Fringe in

1999 before moving successfully a few months later to Theatre Passe

Muraille (TPM). By 2006 this wonderfully funny pastiche of 1920s

musicals took Broadway by storm winning three Tony awards including

best book and best score. Now Drowsy returns to TPM directed by

Shifting Ground Collective co-founder Joshua Kilimnik with a young

company of emerging artists and Martin Julien as “Man in Chair.”

March 7-21. https://shiftinggroundcollective.com/

Coincidentally, Theatre Sheridan will also be presenting a student

production of Drowsy Chaperone in their spring season March 30

- April 11. https://www.sheridancollege.ca/theatre/whats-on/

drowsy-chaperone

Drowsy Chaperone: Comedian Bob Martin originated the role of the

reclusive Man in the Chair - who invites the audience along to enjoy his

favourite 1928 musical - and stayed with the show: from the Toronto Fringe,

through Broadway, London, and North American touring productions.


drowsycmu

In Real Life

In late March/early April a new musical that I have been following

in development over the past seven years will be presented for the first

time in full. In Real Life, a musical created by composer Kevin Wong

(UnCovered) and playwright Nick Green (Casey and Diana) grabbed

me immediately with its premise and setting — students caught in a

claustrophobically dystopian future yet with a window opening on

hope if they have the courage to take a leap of faith. I have seen the

first act of it at least three times, most recently at a public workshop at

Canadian Stage last spring. So, when I saw that Theatre Sheridan (one

of the country’s top university musical theatre programs) was going

to be presenting the world premiere of the complete show in association

with the Musical Stage Company, I reached out to composer Kevin

Wong for some more details of both the inspiration behind the show

and the development process to date:

WN: Where did the original idea

come from?

KW: Nick Green and I were introduced

to one another at the 2017

Dora Awards! Soon after, we talked

about collaborating on a project.

Nick brought me a number of ideas,

one of which was a dystopian story

about a world of people in physical

isolation, able to connect to others

only via digital screens (note that

this was 2017, three years before it

happened to us all in real life!).

Kevin Wong With Recommender Grant

support from Musical Stage that

allowed us to generate an initial song prototype, we brought the

idea to Michael Rubinoff who was then the Artistic Producer of the

Canadian Music Theatre Project (CMTP) at Sheridan College. At CMTP,

we wrote and developed a first draft of the first act and presented it

in the fall of 2018. A Musical Stage Company commission followed

soon after.

SAM GAETZ

The cast of In Real Life at the Canadian Festival of New Musicals, May 24-26 2024.

KURT WEILL

Lost in

The Stars

A MUSICAL

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2026 3 PM

JOEL GOODFELLOW,

Conductor

partially staged (without a public showcase)

in Sudbury in an October 2022 workshop that

was jointly supported by MSC and Sudbury’s

Yes Theatre.

Where would you say you are in the

journey to a full professional production of

In Real Life? Will you have further workshops

after witnessing the reception by audiences

of the complete story?

Ah, the age old adage: “Musicals don’t get

written, they get rewritten.” Even with all the

workshops we’ve been generously supported

with (particularly through the pandemic

period, with thanks to MSC, Sheridan,

fu-GEN, and Yes Theatre), we’re continuing

to make small tweaks, cuts, and rewrites

through this process (particularly with Act II).

We’ll be paying very close attention to how

the audience receives Act II, and how the

piece’s ending comes across, and that information

will be invaluable for future adjustments.

That said, after this student production, I do

think In Real Life will be ready for a developmental

professional production.

DAHLIA KATZ

The student cast of In Real Life will be working with a professional

creative team: director Gregory Prest, music director Chris Barillaro,

and choreographer Barbara Johnston. The world premiere plays

March 31- April 11. https://www.sheridancollege.ca/theatre/whats-on/

in-real-life

Am I right in thinking that the upcoming production at Sheridan

will be the first public showing of the second half?

You are correct! This is the first time Act II will be publicly

presented/staged. The first act has been workshopped and rewritten

quite a bit over the last seven or so years. “Realer Life,” Max’s Act I

solo, is the fifth song I’ve written for that spot in the show. Act II was

RCM Tickets

416-408-0208 or

rcmusic.com/performance/

concerts-presented-by-others

Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church

427 Bloor St W

(Bloor x Spadina)


MUSIC & HEALTH

DAHLIA KATZ

Ahmed Moneka and Jesse LaVercombe in a workshop

for It's a Good Life If You Dont Weaken

It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken

At Theatre Aquarius (in association with Thousand Island

Playhouse) another new Canadian musical is taking the step from

workshop to main stage production in late April.

Inspired by an idea from prolific producer Michael Rubinoff, It’s a

Good Life If You Don’t Weaken takes its name from a popular song by

one of the most beloved Canadian bands: The Tragically Hip — and

not only its name: the score will be made up of an as yet undisclosed

mix of Hip songs written by late frontman Gord Downie and fellow

band members guitarists Paul Langlois and Rob Baker, bassist Gord

Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay.

This world premiere will be directed by Theatre Aquarius Artistic

Director Mary Francis Moore who is known for developing new work,

including Canadian musicals Bitter Girl and Maggie, and will have

orchestrations and music supervision by well-known music director

Bob Foster. The book is being written by Ahmed Moneka and Jesse

LaVercombe, best known, perhaps, for their creation (with Seth

Bockley) of (and performance in) the Dora award-winning exciting

“theatre-music production” King Gilgamesh & the Man of the Wild

– in which a contemporary story of the unlikely friendship between

two men of wildly different backgrounds is woven together with the

ancient Mesopotamian epic of Gilgamesh, underpinned by a live score

performed by Moneka Arabic Jazz.

Set in 2002, their book for It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken tells

the story of Waleed – an exiled journalist – who finds himself stranded

in small-town Canada, where he unexpectedly falls for Kate, the

owner of a local music store. When he’s called back to Baghdad, Iraq,

their love is tested across continents. Together, they discover what it

truly means to belong – and what it means to call someplace home.

It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken promises another powerfully

original story, with the timeless hits of the Tragically Hip as its

emotional glue. Alive with raw energy, heartfelt lyrics, and unmistakable

spirit, the music that shaped a nation becomes the soundtrack to

a deeply human journey of love, identity, and home.

April 22 - May 16. https://theatreaquarius.org/events/

its-a-good-life-if-you-dont-weaken/

Jennifer Parr is a Toronto-based director, dramaturg, fight

director and acting coach, brought up from a young age on a rich

mix of musicals, Shakespeare and new Canadian plays.

WHEN MUSIC MEETS

MINDFULNESS

LAWRENCE

CHERNEY,

Artistic Director of SOUNDSTREAMS

VANIA LIZBETH CHAN

A

fixture in the Toronto music

scene for half a century, Lawrence

Cherney is the Artistic Director

of Soundstreams. Often referred to as

Canada’s “Ambassador of New Music”, he

Vania Chan founded Soundstreams back in 1982, and

has continually worked with the company to produce an

eclectic annual series, featuring new music in groundbreaking

concerts, music theatre and opera.

Musicians who have worked with him and with Soundstreams have

been exposed to an assortment of diverse repertoire, challenging our

musical skills and encouraging us to expand our artistic perspectives.

From when I first performed years ago in the company’s staged production

of Airline Icarus (Current/Piatigorsky) to the present season, I’ve

been able to chat with Lawrence every once in a while. I’ve always

enjoyed hearing about his unique musical experiences and his thoughts

on artistic culture and on music’s relevance and role in today’s society.

Lawrence generously offered his time for another conversation, this

time as a guest on “When Music Meets Mindfulness”. We structured our

conversation around the core concepts of mindfulness, highlighted in

this series: Calming the Mind, Organizing Thoughts, and Flow.

Our discussion of ways to “Calm the Mind” began on a light-hearted

note, with Lawrence offering a lovely example through his connection

with his dog Jonah:


we absorb information in our daily lives. There’s a lot of grief and

fear and emotions that are difficult to deal with. With great music

– we can’t save the world, but what we can do is give expression to

those emotions. It isn’t a cure, but sometimes the arts help us to come

to terms with grief. In coming to terms with those things, sometimes

it enables us to take action. It empowers us to do something positive.

VANIA CHAN

I have the most

wonderful eight year old

collie. When I go out with

my dog on walks … I enter

into his world. It’s not

that his world is so simple

compared to mine, but

it’s really different. He’s

very much in the moment.

Whether it’s enjoying

a trail out in a forest or

even in a city park, either

way, I relax and connect

with people and things

and the environment

around us in a way that’s

really different from my

ordinary life. Even in the

bitter, bitter cold of winter,

late in the evening when

it’s time for a dog walk …

Lawrence Cherney and Jonah

maybe I’m not sure I want

to go out … but, 30 seconds

into the walk, I’m so glad I did. Maybe that’s my favourite way of

changing my connection to the world. Jonah is quite famous! Pretty

much around the city, everybody knows Jonah. I’m the guy with the

dog. I’m the guy with the beautiful collie.

Organizing Thoughts: Last November, Soundstreams opened its

43rd season at Trinity St. Paul’s with a program titled “Mass for the

Endangered”. The title work was an oratorio for chamber ensemble

and choir, written by American composer Sarah Kirkland Snider

with poetry by American artist Nathaniel Bellows. According to the

composer, the work “embodies a prayer for endangered animals

and the imperilled environments in which they live.” The program

was rounded out by works in keeping with the theme of environmental

crisis and raising awareness, including Olivier Messiaen’s

Catalogue d’Oiseaux (The Catalogue of Birds), featuring 13 pieces for

solo piano. Soundstreams partnered with FLAP Canada, an organization

dedicated to protecting birds from harm in the built environment

(human-made/modified physical surroundings). The alignment of this

program’s creative goals with environmental concerns is an example

of organized thinking. Lawrence shared his thoughts on how the arts

and artists can creatively respond to a world encumbered by chaotic

thoughts and emotions:

What we can do in the arts is speak about the unspeakable.

Whether it’s climate justice, or some of the terrible things that do go

on in our world, we need to find a way to come to terms with those

things that is different from watching it on the news, or in the way

“Flow”: As a solo oboist of international distinction, Lawrence

was no stranger to the phenomenon of “the flow state” when the

performer’s mind-body connection is fine-tuned to the point that

the resulting performance seems effortless. In our conversation,

he recounted a more recent flow experience from the perspective

of an audience member – pianist Louise Bessette’s performance of

Messiaen’s Catalogue d’Oiseaux in this season’s opening concert:

In watching and listening to Louise play, I have this sense of total

calm. At the same time she’s playing a million notes, all correctly,

all in the right place. No matter how frenetic or how calm the music

actually is, there’s a sense of serenity to what she’s doing. The last

thing you ever want an audience to think is – boy is that ever hard!

What one wants and hopes for is that it seems impossibly easy.

That’s a deceptive term, because what does it mean to be easy? It

means there’s this sense of calmness and serenity being transmitted

by the performer to the audience. I think it’s that kind of serenity

that allows the audience to absorb it (the music and its meaning) to

the maximum.

We discussed Canadian composer Claude Vivier, who Lawrence

claims, “defies being categorized.” Known for drawing creative inspiration

from living dangerously, Vivier had his life cut short, murdered

at the age of 34 by a serial killer. His compositional themes revolving

around the search for eternity, death, love and connection with others,

continue to resonate. His work Love Songs composed for seven voices

is being remounted this season by Soundstreams, as part of their

upcoming April 9 program called “I Want to Tell You Everything.” The

show’s title is the name of a newly commissioned work by composer

Thierry Tidrow, who was tasked to write a companion piece to Vivier’s

work. Following the program’s April 9 debut in Toronto, at the Jane

Mallett Theatre, the Soundstreams ensemble then goes on tour,

bringing the program to Dublin, Ireland and to Chicoutimi, Quebec.

Lawrence made a strong case for remounting and “coming back to

works”: music is transient, reflecting the flow of time; music changes

with people, and there are endless possibilities for creativity and growth

with each interpretation; when a work is performed multiple times at

different points in time, it connects everyone involved, and contributes

to a sense of unity, a wholeness that is much bigger than all of us:

What is most rewarding is to come back to works. It’s true of all

good music. There’s no time when one feels that somehow this is

the definitive interpretation. All good music, whether it’s old or new,

no matter what period it’s written in, every time it’s performed it’s

literally being born again. That’s why touring is important … with

more performances an interpretation never stays the same. Two

years later, the performers may be the same, but they’re not the

same as they were two years ago. It’s going to be a different audience.

Every time a piece is done, somehow it’s building on and

connecting to the hundreds of performances that might have already

been done of that piece. It’s never an isolated thing. It’s an organism

that lives every time in relation to what was before, in the present

and even into the future. That’s what I find really exciting about good

music that’s well-played.

This featured artist interview is available in its entirety (along

with previous artists interviews), on my YouTube channel – Vania

Chan Music.

And coming next, in May/June, Lynn Helding, American voice

teacher/vocologist.

Author and creator of this series, Vania Chan is a lyric coloratura

soprano, artist researcher, and educator. Visit her website:

www.vaniachan.com to learn more about upcoming projects.


ROUNDUP: CHORAL PLUS

The Golem, hunting down the Squire: at 59:23, the Apprentice has been

trying to get his crush Maryam to come out of her room, and the horrible

truth dawns on him that she’s not coming outside because the Squire is with

her. I have scored this moment with a triangle hit that leads to repeated

relentless percussion patterns ... the choir joins... long and tense crescendo

… By 1:03:02 the Apprentice has manipulated Golem into tossing the Squire

off a high tower (as the full ensemble roars). — Charles Demuynck

Silent no longer

Bach Elgar Choir and Charles Demuynck

bring Der Golem (1920) to musical life

April 11 at Melrose United Church in Hamilton, the Bach

Elgar Choir is presenting the 1920 silent film Der Golem with a

BEC-commissioned newly composed concert-length film score by

Oakville-resident composer and conductor Charles Demuynck on

April 11 at Melrose United Church in Hamilton, scored for choir,

TorQ percussion quartet and soprano soloist.

It is the choir’s third foray into film: the other two were Fritz

Lang’s 1927 Metropolis, and Space Journey, a BEC-commissioned

film project directed by local filmmaker and cinematographer

Mark Boschler, featuring vivid cosmic imagery and a live score

comprising works by Vaughan Williams, Vierne, Tomlinson,

Balfour, and others.)

Der Golem is, according to the BEC’s artistic director, Alex Cann,

their most ambitious to date. “The project has been many years in

the making and we are really proud of it: we think this is a fantastic

work which takes the art in a new direction.”

Cann’s enthusiasm for the film itself matches his praise of

Demunck’s score, which he calls “fantastic and otherworldly,

matching the fervid and charged atmosphere of the film [and]

Der Golem deserves attention in its own right — it shares with a

small number of films the distinction of a 100% rating on Rotten

Tomatoes! We hope it will gain the attention of other groups and be

a hit for Demuynck and BEC, and appeal to choral societies looking

to engage with audiences in new ways.”

Sarah Kirkland Snider

rather than to a deity. “We wanted this Mass to be a plea for mercy

and intervention, not to Jesus or God, but to Mother Nature,” Snider

said, in Wende Bartley’s article last November. Traditional texts are

intertwined with poetry by Nathaniel Bellows, in a work where

choral beauty meets urgent environmental reflection: an elegy and a

plea for the planet and its threatened creatures. Joined by an instrumental

chamber ensemble, The Elora Singers will also perform

works by Andrew Balfour, Alberto Grau, Christopher Tin, Caleb

Burhans, and others that grapple with belonging, loss, and renewal.

May 2 (7:30pm) Eglinton St. George’s United Church: When

Music Sounds - VOCA Chorus of Toronto is joined by acoustic

guitarist and singer/songwriter Jason Fowler, and string quartet

members Alex Cheung and Jean-Paul Desaulniers, violin/fiddle,

Laurence Schaufele, viola, mandolin and Sybil Shanahan. Works

by Norway’s Ola Gjeilo, and Canadian composers Sarah Quartel,

Mark Sirett, Stephanie Martin, Sherryl Sewepagaham and Katharine

Petkovski.

May 9 (7:30pm), The Playground: Amadeus Choir premieres

Andrew Balfour’s Wanuskewin: Seeking Peace of Mind. The choir is

joined by Indigenous artists and an instrumental ensemble, and the

concert will include a new arrangement of Mass for Nîpîy: A Prayer

for Water by acclaimed cellist and composer Cris Derksen, who is

one of the choir’s guests for the evening.

Cris Derksen

March 21 (7:30pm), Yorkminster Park United Church: the

combined 100+ voices of the Orpheus Choir and Durham’s

RESOUND choir, with an orchestra, will perform works by

composers from the United Kingdom: Karl Jenkins’ Requiem Gustav

Holst’s Psalm 148, as well as the Canadian premiere of Imogen

Holst’s orchestration of Rejoice in the Lamb by Benjamin Britten.

The concert will be repeated on March 22 (3pm), at Oshawa’s

Regent Theatre (this one didn’t make it into our print listings!).

March 29 (4pm), St. Matthew’s Centre (Kitchener): The Elora

Singers perform Mass for the Endangered. Sarah Kirkland Snider’s

reimagining of the Latin Mass is a contemporary choral work that

reimagines the structure of the Mass as a prayer to the natural world


ROUNDUP: NEW MUSIC

Eve Egoyan

Eve Egoyan

Self Portrait in Stone

March 12 at 12:10pm at Walter Hall, Jackman Humanities

Institute: Artist in Residence, Eve Egoyan performs the world

premiere of In Stone, a New Composition for Augmented Acoustic

Piano, reflecting on the Armenian Genocide in response to the

Institute’s overarching theme during her residency: Dystopia

and Trust,

As she explains it in her notes for the performance: “the

augmented acoustic piano uses an optical sensor that tracks the

movement of piano keys, [so] I am able to reveal sounds I have

recorded as well as manipulate a flexible software simulation of an

acoustic piano. In this way, I can augment and extend the sound

range of the piano while maintaining the physical relationship that

exists between piano and pianist.”

And in this case that physical relationship is vital. “I consider the

instrument I perform on a self-portrait. It holds my ancestral past

(recordings of Armenian folkloric instruments), present (a recent

field recording and voices of close friends) and an unknown future

(explorative use of AI to ‘speak’ the unspeakable by inverting my

voice into piano).”

That the Armenian Genocide is still interpreted differently

by its perpetrators and successor states is an agonizing reality.

“Armenians around the world hold within themselves resonances

from this violent past [and] living with a distorted past raises the

haunting question, who then is entrusted with the truth? It is

excruciatingly painful for Armenians to have to defend the truth

of the Armenian genocide and, in our own lifetime, of ethnic

cleansing of Armenians in Arstakh, the Nagorno-Karabakh region

now occupied by Azerbaijan.”

The key question for her: “How as an artist do I express this

un-speakable past in this equally distressing present moment?”

In Stone is one answer. “On Armenian ancestral lands there

remain hand-carved stones including Khachkar, our crosses, and

remnants of our stone churches amongst other stone remains …”

she explains. “My ancestors live deeply in my soul. In Stone is an

attempt to sing their song amidst the plethora of human songs that

need to be heard in our time … attempting to situate nature as a

witness to human atrocity… stones on ancient land holding resonances

of the past, the past both human and non-human.”

And in the same way it engages fully with the question inherent

in the annual theme of her Jackman artist residency: who and how

to trust in dystopian times.

“I trust in nature as witness and guardian of the truth”

she writes.

World Live Premiere

from the acclaimed movie soundtrack

Janelle Lucyk

Ziya Tabassian

TheToronto Consort

March 21, 2026 - 7:30 PM

Knox College Chapel

Tickets: www.torontoconsort.org

WWW.TORONTOCONSORT.ORG

The Sweet Hereafter


MICHAEL SLOBODIAN

ROUNDUP: NEW MUSIC

Quatour Bozzini

Also on the New Music radar:

Love in 100 languages

March 26 (7pm), Nancy and Ed Jackman Performance Centre:

New Music Concerts/Tapestry Opera. Ana Sokolović’s Love Songs

in a theatrical adaptation by Michael Hidetoshi Mori, featuring Xin

Wang, soprano. Love has no single language. This libretto weaves

together poetry sung in English, French, Serbian, Irish, and Latin

and the score includes declarations of love spoken in 100 different

tongues –a soundscape that could be as universal as it is personal.

Edge of Your Seat II

March 26 (8pm), and April 23 (8pm), both at Koerner Hall,

Esprit Orchestra presents the final two concerts in their second

annual Edge of Your Seat International Festival.

March 26, “Heat Efficiency” features several world/North

American/Canadian premieres in a programme that includes

Nicholas Ma: Memory of a Breath; Claude Vivier: Orion; Dieter

Ammann: No templates (Nils Mönkemeyer, viola); and two works

by Aziza Sadikova: Angelo di fuoco and, right at the centre of the

program, the concert’s title work, Heat Efficiency, commissioned

for a climate project, and evoking mechanical sounds, pipes, and

waves of heat.

April 23, with The Elmer Iseler Singers and Concreamus

Chamber Choir as guests, the orchestra will perform Ben Nobuto’s

Hallelujah Sim. As its title suggests, this work is structured like

a game: a choir of 72 singers, with simple rules for progressing

through levels of play that create “a dreamlike scenario where

old traditions and symbols—hallelujahs, choirs, the Royal Albert

Hall – gain strange new intensity” – looping, shifting, starting

and stopping as if the music were writing itself in real time. The

program also includes Chris Paul Harman’s Coyote Soul and Poul

Ruders’ Tundra.

May 21 (7;30), Jane Mallet Theatre: Quatuor Bozzini: With

Strings Attached, presented by Soundstreams. Works by Taylor

Brook, Zosha Di Castri, and Cassandra Miller; also the Toronto

premieres of six short, compelling new works by participants in

Soundstreams’ Bridges Emerging Composers Program. The Bridges

Program is an annual week-long tuition-free program that brings

together celebrated mentors (in this case DiCastri and Miller), a

professional resident ensemble (Quatuor Bozzini), and six emerging

composers from around the world who each develop and

premiere a new work, presented as part of Soundstreams’ main

stage concert series. This year’s composers are Alexander Bridger,

Ana Maria Oancea, Ho-Chi So, Justine Leichtling, Liam Gibson,

and Lily Koslow.

ROUNDUP: EARLY MUSIC AND OPERA/MUSIC THEATRE

This is the point in the ROUNDUP at which instead of cherrypicking

a handful of events that caught our eye, we do our readers a

service by pointing out that you can do the same for yourselves, by

using JUST ASK on our website to call up listings in particular areas

that interest you. There’s a handy QR code on page 41 to get you there.

And for those of you who prefer to let your fingers do the walking,

what follows is a summary, in alphabetical order. of the listings you

will find, in the next 18 pages, in two areas of music: early music and

opera/music theatre.

The Daniel Taylor Touch

On March 20, Schola Cantorum from

the U of T’s historical music division, and

choristers from the Theatre of Early Music,

make the short stroll to Trinity-St. Paul’s,

for an inn-concert performance of Handel’s

opera Theodora, joined by musicians from

Tafelmusik (who along with Toronto Consort

have had TSP as home base for decades).

Then the following night, it’s Toronto

Daniel Taylor Consort’s turn to take their show on the

road to Knox’s cosy confines for a premiere

concert presentation of composer Mychael Danna’s score (and the other

music) comprising the soundtrack for director Atom Egoyan’s 1997 film

“The Sweet Hereafter” - with Janelle Lucyk, soprano, Ziya Tabassian,

percussion and the newly reassembled Toronto Consort, following the

departure of several of its long-time core members.

The cross fertilization taking place in the back-to-back events is an

early sign of what Daniel Taylor, newly appointed artistic director of

Toronto Consort, brings to the mix in his new role. He remains a key

player in Historical Music at U of T and remains at the helm of his own

Theatre of Early Music.

Nicest touch in all this: The Sweet Hereafter tells the story of a small

town school bus accident that robs the town of 14 of its children and is

replete with references to the Pied Piper of Hamelin, manifesting itself

in medieval references in Danna’s score and instrumentation. And it

was the Toronto Consort – 1997-style – hired to record the score.

EARLY MUSIC

Mar 09 7:30: Confluence Concerts. Ahlam مالحأ - Dreams.

Mar 20 7:30: Friends of Music at St. Thomas’s. The Eybler Quartet:

Live in Concert.

Mar 22 3:00: Gallery Players of Niagara. Playful Partners: Oboe &

Violin.

Apr 19 7:00: Heliconian Hall. Bach to Bop: A Journey into Jazz.

Apr 03 7:30: Metropolitan United Church. Bach: St. John Passion

BWV 245.

Mar 20 7:30: North Wind Concerts. A Playlist for Louis

Mar 01 4:00: Rezonance Baroque Ensemble. Folk of the Baroque 2:

“Composers Gone Wild”.

May 03 4:00: Rezonance Baroque Ensemble. Pallade e Marte.

Mar 15 2:00: Royal Conservatory of Music. An Afternoon of Bach.

Mar 18 8:00: Small World Music/Constantinople. DIALOGOS: The

Sultan and the Bird.

Mar 08 4:00: Spiritus Ensemble. Bach Vespers in Lent.

Apr 03 4:00: St. Paul’s Anglican Church (Uxbridge). Good Friday

Concert Meditation.

Mar 12 7:30: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. A Bach Celebration. Also

Mar 13(8pm), 14(8pm) & 15(3pm).

Apr 09 7:30: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. Influencers: The Bachs,

Mozart & Haydn. Also Apr 10(8pm), 11(8pm) & 12(3pm).

Apr 30 7:30: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. Hearing Her Voice. Also

May 1(8pm), 2(8pm) & 3(3pm).

Mar 07 7:30: Tallis Choir of Toronto. Songs of Sorrow.

Mar 28 7:30: Toronto Chamber Choir. Responde Mihi!

Mar 08 1:30: Toronto Early Music Players Organization (TEMPO).

Lully: Bourgeois gentilhomme.


Mar 01 4:00: Trinity Bach Project. Bach & Triumph. Also Feb

26(12 noon): Knox Presbyterian Church; Mar 4(8pm): St Matthew’s

Riverdale Anglican Church; Mar 7(8pm): St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Anglican Church.

May 07 1:00: Trinity Bach Project. Bach & Wings. Also May

13(7:30pm): St. John’s York Mills & 2 other locations to be determined.

Mar 16 7:30: University of Toronto - Trinity College Chapel. Spem

in Alium - The Yesterday and Today of Thomas Tallis.

Mar 20 7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Historical

Performance: Essential Music for the Soul - Handel’s Theodora.

Mar 21 8:00: Voices Chamber Choir. Bach at 341.

OPERA/MUSIC THEATRE

Apr 10 8:00: Against the Grain Theatre. Canuck Cantatas. Also Apr

11(8pm) & 12(3pm).

Mar 14 7:30: Arcady Ensemble. Arcady Opera Showcase.

Mar 06 7:30: Canadian Children’s Opera Company. Alice in

Wonderland. Also Mar 7(3pm & 7:30pm), 8(4pm).

Mar 18 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company. Vocal Series: 25th

Anniversary Performance of Dean Burry’s The Brothers Grimm.

Mar 06 7:00: Fonitika Vocal Ensemble. City by the Lake (world

premiere).

Apr 28 7:30: Grand Theatre. Come From Away. Various times from

Apr 28 to May 24.

Mar 01 7:00: INNERchamber Inc. In the Steps of O’Carolan.

Apr 12 7:00: INNERchamber Inc. Reverence.

Mar 01 3:00: Mississauga Symphony Youth Orchestra. The Opera

Experience.

Apr 04 8:00: Nagata Shachu. Rhythms in Flight.

Mar 26 7:00: New Music Concerts/Tapestry Opera. Ana Sokolović’s

Love Songs. Also Mar 27(7pm), 28(4pm), 29(2pm).

Mar 06 7:30: North Toronto Players. Starship Pinafore, or, The

Lass that Loved a Trekkie. Also Mar 7(7:30pm); 8(2pm); 13(7:30pm);

14(2pm & 7:30pm); 15(2pm).

Apr 15 7:30: Opera Atelier. Pelléas et Mélisande. Also Apr

16(7:30pm), 18(7:30pm) & 19(2:30pm).

Mar 14 7:00: Opera Q/Tapestry Opera. La Maupin premiere.

Apr 10 7:30: Piano Lunaire. Room of Keys: A New Monodrama by

David James Brock. Also Apr 11(7:30pm), 12(2pm & 7:30pm).

Apr 17 8:00: Roy Thomson Hall. A Whole New World of Alan

Menken Stories and Songs by the Oscar-Winning Composer.

Mar 18 7:30: Royal Conservatory of Music. Glenn Gould School

Spring Opera: Il cambiale di matrimonio & Gianni Schicchi. Also Mar

20(7:30pm).

Mar 07 7:30: Shifting Ground Collective. The Drowsy Chaperone.

Until Mar 21.

Apr 24 8:00: Show One Productions. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince

of Denmark. Also Apr 25(8pm) & 26 (2pm).

Mar 06 7:30: Sound the Alarm Music/Theatre. Music of the Night:

The Concert Tour. Also Mar 7, 10, 11, 13(7:30pm); Mar 14 & 15(2pm);

Mar 18, 19, 20, 21(7:30pm); Mar 22(2pm); Mar 24, 25, 27, 28(7:30pm);

Mar 07 4:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre. TOT Cabaret Series: Strauss

- The Waltz King.

Apr 17 7:30: Toronto Operetta Theatre. A Night in Venice. Also Apr

18(3pm) & 19(3pm).

Mar 03 7:30: Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival. Amish Famous: The

Musical. Also Mar 5 & 14.

Apr 19 1:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. She Holds Up the Stars.

Also 4pm.

Mar 12 7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. U of T Opera:

The Rape of Lucretia. Also Mar 13(7:30pm), 14(7:30pm), 15(2:30pm).

Mar 27 5:00: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. U of T Opera:

The First Viennese School.

Apr 01 7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Vocalis II:

Cycles on Stage.

Mar 21 3:00: VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert. Lost in the Stars.

PELLÉAS et

MÉLISANDE

by Claude Debussy

Experience the dream world of

Debussy’s haunting fairy tale in

this groundbreaking production.

April15–19, 2026

Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre

for Performance and Learning

Tickets at operaatelier.com

Cynthia Akemi Smithers

Measha Brueggergosman-Lee

Meghan Lindsay

Antonin Rondepierre

Philippe Sly

Douglas Williams

Artists of Atelier Ballet

Tafelmusik Orchestra

Composite image by Zinger Imagery / Tenor Douglas Williams supplied by artist / Soprano Meghan Lindsay by Jennifer Toole


LIVE OR ONLINE | Mar 1 to May 7, 2026

Sunday March 1

● Mar 01 2:00: National Ballet of Canada.

Flight Pattern / Suite en Blanc. Four

Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,

145 Queen St. W. www.national.ballet.ca/productions/2526/flight-pattern/.

From $56.

Also Feb 27(7:30pm); 28(2pm & 7:30pm);

Mar 4(7:30pm); 5(2pm & 7:30pm); 6(7:30pm).

● Mar 01 2:30: Live!@WestPlains. Joelle

Crigger - Celtic Celebration. West Plains

United Church (Burlington), 549 Plains Rd.

W., Burlington. 905-320-4989 or westplainsconcerts@gmail.com

or www.westplains.ca/

events. $30/$25(adv); $20(ages 16 & under);

$20(Livestream video). Ticket includes

access to concert video for 14 days following

the concert.

● Mar 01 3:00: Amici Chamber Ensemble.

From Mozart to Mamma Mia. Trinity St.

Paul’s United Church and Centre for Faith,

Justice and the Arts, 427 Bloor St. W. . $50;

$30(under 30); $100(donor ticket with a $50

tax receipt).

● Mar 01 3:00: Mississauga Symphony

Youth Orchestra. The Opera Experience.

Famous opera overtures and arias. Daniela

Carreon Herrera, soprano; Nicholas Kluftinger,

tenor; Tyler Prince, baritone. Living

Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga.

www.mississaugasymphony.ca or www.

ticketmaster.ca/event/100062BB4D12523F.

From $30.

● Mar 01 3:00: Orchestra Toronto. Exploration

of the Soul: Tchaikovsky & Adler. Meridian

Arts Centre - George Weston Recital Hall,

5040 Yonge St. 416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-

6754 or boxoffice@tolive.com. From $15. Preconcert

chat at 2:15pm.

● Mar 01 3:00: Royal Conservatory of

Music. Chanticleer. Royal Conservatory

of Music - TELUS Centre - Koerner Hall,

273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.

rcmusic.com/performance. From $50.

● Mar 01 4:00: COSA Canada/Kiever

Shul. Ester: A Purim Oratorio. Kiever Shul,

25 Bellevue Ave. 416593-9702 or www.eventbrite.ca/e/ester-1774-a-purim-oratorio-tickets.

$40.

● Mar 01 4:00: Rezonance Baroque Ensemble.

Folk of the Baroque 2: “Composers Gone

Wild”. St. David’s Anglican Church (Toronto),

49 Donlands Ave. www.eventbrite.ca/e/

rezonance-folk-of-the-baroque-2-composers-gone-wild-tickets-1595746032339.

$38.95.

● Mar 01 4:00: Trinity Bach Project. Bach

& Triumph. St. Clement’s Anglican (Toronto),

70 St. Clements Avenue. 306-250-4256. $30;

$20(budget); $10(st). Also Feb 26(12 noon):

Knox Presbyterian Church; Mar 4(8pm):

St Matthew’s Riverdale Anglican Church;

Mar 7(8pm): St. Martin-in-the-Fields Anglican

Church.

● Mar 01 7:00: INNERchamber Inc. In the

Steps of O’Carolan. Factory 163, 163 King

St., Stratford. www.innerchamber.ca. $55;

$37(st/arts worker). A light dinner is served

from 5:45pm.

● Mar 01 7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club.

Portage: Canadian Fiddle Show. Chaucer’s

Pub, 122 Carling St., London. 519-319-5847 or

folk@iandavies.com. Tickets available at Marienbad

Restaurant, Chaucer’s Pub, Grooves

(Wortley Village), Long & McQuade North.

$30/$25(adv).

Monday March 2

● Mar 02 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber

Music Society. Sydney Bulman-Fleming

Tribute. Keffer Memorial Chapel, Wilfrid Laurier

University, 75 University Ave. W., Waterloo.

www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms. Ticket

prices to be confirmed.

● Mar 02 7:30: Array Space. Ensemble

Contrechamps with Daniel Zea and Nicole

Lizée. Daniel Zea: Autorretrato Extendido;

Nicole Lizée: Crxssfaaz. . 155 Walnut

Ave. www.tickettailor.com/events/arraymusic1/2077791.

Live: $25 or Pay What You

Want.

● Mar 02 7:30: University of Toronto Faculty

of Music. Jazz: Symmetry Ensemble.

Walter Hall (University of Toronto),

80 Queen’s Park. www.music.utoronto.ca.

Free.

Tuesday March 3

● Mar 03 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.

Vocal Series: Midday Mélodies - Canada

Meets France. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing

Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.coc.ca/freeconcerts.

Free. Please check website for any programming

updates.

● Mar 03 12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation.

Lunchtime Chamber Music: Ginger

Lam, Piano. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church

(Toronto), 1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167 or

www.yorkminsterpark.com. Free. Donations

welcome.


of Music. Tuesday Vocal Series: Miriam

Khalil, Soprano & David Eliakis, Piano. Walter

Hall (University of Toronto), 80 Queen’s Park.

www.music.utoronto.ca. Free.

● Mar 03 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday

Organ Recital. Cathedral Church of St.

James (Toronto), 106 King St. E. 416-364-7865

or www.stjamescathedral.ca/recitals. Free.

Donations encouraged.

● Mar 03 7:00: Great Hall. Live Video Game

Orchestra: The Music of Pokemon & Zelda.

Great Hall, The, 1087 Queen St. W. www.

thegreathall.ca/calendar. Visit website for

information.

● Mar 03 7:00: Piano Lunaire. Worm Moon.

nanoSTAGE, 1001 R Bloor St. W. www.simpletix.com/e/worm-moon-at-the-nanostagetickets-249415.

$32.64.

● Mar 03 7:30: FirstOntario Performing

Arts Centre. Dwayne Gretzky. FirstOntario

Performing Arts Centre - Partridge Hall,

250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. www.firstontariopac.ca.

From $36.

● Mar 03 7:30: Toronto Sketch Comedy

Festival. Amish Famous: The Musical. Comedy

Bar, 945 Bloor St. W. torontosketchfest.com/2026-festival/#/en/show/3903/

Amish-Famous:-The-Musical. Single tickets

from $25. Festival passes from $129. Also

Mar 5 & 14.

● Mar 03 8:00: Massey Hall/Small

World Music. DakhaBrakha. Massey

Hall, 178 Victoria St. www.tickets.mhrth.

com/6909/6910. From $53.

Wednesday March 4


Instrumental Series: Rebanks Family

Fellowship Showcase. Richard Bradshaw

Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for the

Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.coc.

ca/freeconcerts. Free. Please check website

for any programming updates.

● Mar 04 2:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Revolution: The Music of The Beatles - A

Symphonic Experience. Roy Thomson Hall,

60 Simcoe St. www.tso.ca or 416-598-3375.

Single ticket prices to be announced. Also

Mar 4(7:30pm) & 5(7:30pm).





From $56.

Also Feb 27(7:30pm); 28(2pm & 7:30pm);

Mar 1(2pm); 5(2pm & 7:30pm); 6(7:30pm).






Mar 4(2pm) & 5(7:30pm).

● Mar 04 8:00: Hugh’s Room. Ndidi O.

Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson Hall,

296 Broadview Ave. 647-347-4769 or www.

showpass.com/bill-charlap-renee-rosnes.

$35; $17(arts workers/underemployed).

● Mar 04 8:00: Trinity Bach Project. Bach &

Triumph. St. Matthew’s Anglican Church (Riverdale),

135 First Ave. 306-250-4256. $30;

$20(budget); $10(st). Also Feb 26(12 noon):

Knox Presbyterian Church; Mar 1(4pm): St.

Clement’s Anglican; Mar 7(8pm): St. Martinin-the-Fields

Anglican Church.

Thursday March 5

● Mar 05 12:00 noon: Sound Break. Neda

Mohamadpour, Vocalist / Mehdi Rostami,

Setar & Tambour. Meridian Arts Centre,

5040 Yonge St., North York. www.tolive.com.

Visit website for tickets and information.

● Mar 05 1:30: Women’s Musical Club of

Toronto. Music in the Afternoon: VC2 Cello

Duo with Amy Hillis. Walter Hall (University

WHOLENOTE Event Listings

are free of charge and can be submitted by venues, artists, or presenters.

Welcome to our 31st season of documenting one significant slice of live musical activity

in Southern Ontario and beyond. Regular readers of this listings section will notice a big

change: that the amount of detail in the listings as they appear here has been significantly

reduced –namely descriptions of repertoire, and details about the performers.

There are two reasons for this. First, detailed listings in print push up the cost of print

unsustainably, so we need to economize where we can. And second, that our new

bimonthly cycle reduces the usefulness of the listings themselves. Too much gets

announced between print issues for us to be able to keep up with the constant inflow

of new listings along with changes and corrections.

This does not however mean we have given up on collecting and publishing listings

at the same level of detail as you have been accustomed to.

● Our Weekly Listings Update contains listings at our previous level of detail. It goes

out, by email, every Thursday, and covers a 10-day period, from the weekend immediately

ahead to the Sunday of the following week. Deadline for inclusion in the Weekly

Update is 6pm Thursday of the previous week. Readers can sign up for the Weekly

Update on our website or via the QR code below.

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of Toronto), 80 Queen’s Park. 416-923-7052.

$50; Free(accompanying caregivers/st with

ID).





From $56.

Also Feb 27(7:30pm); 28(2pm & 7:30pm);

Mar 1(2pm); 5(7:30pm); 6(7:30pm).

● Mar 05 7:00: Magisterra Soloists.

Magisterra Piano Trio. Works by Beethoven

and Brahms. Museum London - Theatre,

421 Ridout St. N., London. www.eventbrite.

ca/e/magisterra-at-the-museum-masterworks-piano-trios-tickets.

From $11.98.

Also Mar 6 presented by Kitchener-Waterloo

Chamber Music Society at Wilfrid LaurierUniversity,

Keffer Memorial Chapel,

Waterloo.

● Mar 05 7:30: Hugh’s Room. Bill Charlap

& Renee Rosnes. Hugh’s Room Live - Green

Sanderson Hall, 296 Broadview Ave. 647-347-

4769 or www.showpass.com/bill-charlaprenee-rosnes.

$60. Also 9:30pm.

● Mar 05 7:30: Music Toronto. Leonkoro

Quartet. St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts -

Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-

7723 or www.music-toronto.com/concerts/

leonkoro-quartet. From $60.





From $56.

Also Feb 27(7:30pm); 28(2pm & 7:30pm);

Mar 1(2pm); 5(2pm); 6(7:30pm).

● Mar 05 7:30: Toronto Sketch Comedy

Festival. Amish Famous: The Musical. Comedy

Bar, 945 Bloor St. W. torontosketchfest.com/2026-festival/#/en/show/3903/

Amish-Famous:-The-Musical. Single tickets

from $25. Festival passes from $129. Also

Mar 3 & 14.






Mar 4(2pm & 7:30pm).

● Mar 05 8:00: TO Live. The Bad Plus, Chris

Potter, and Craig Taborn. Meridian Arts Centre

- George Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge

St. www.tolive.com/Event-Details-Page/reference/The-Bad-Plus-2026.

From $45.

● Mar 05 9:30: Hugh’s Room. Bill Charlap

& Renee Rosnes. Hugh’s Room Live - Green


4769 or www.showpass.com/bill-charlaprenee-rosnes-2.

$60. Also 8pm.

Friday March 6

● Mar 06 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s.

Noontime Recital: Last Thoughts. St.

Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (Toronto),

73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x5 or www.standrewstoronto.org.

Free. Donations welcome.

● Mar 06 6:00: Kingston Road Village Concert

Series. Chris McKhool: Village Leaf.

Kingston Road United Church (Toronto),

975 Kingston Rd. www.freefamilyshow.eventbrite.ca.

Free.

● Mar 06 7:00: Fonitika Vocal Ensemble. City

by the Lake (World Premiere). Heliconian

Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. www.eventbrite.ca/e/

city-by-the-lake-a-new-canadian-musicaltickets-1980119129620.

$30.


Music Society. Magisterra Piano Trio.

Keffer Memorial Chapel, Wilfrid Laurier University,

75 University Ave. W., Waterloo. www.

ticketscene.ca/kwcms. $35; $10(st).

● Mar 06 7:30: Canadian Children’s Opera

Company. Alice in Wonderland. The Fleck at

Harbourfront Centre Theatre, 231 Queen’s

Quay West. 416-973-4000. $45; $40(sr);

$35(art worker); $30(youth - 30 & under /

groups of 10+). Also Mar 7(3pm & 7:30pm),

8(4pm).





From $56.

Also Feb 27(7:30pm); 28(2pm & 7:30pm);

Mar 1(2pm); 5(2pm & 7:30pm).

● Mar 06 7:30: North Toronto Players.

Starship Pinafore, or, The Lass that Loved a

Trekkie. Todmorden Mills - Papermill Theatre,

67 Pottery Rd. 905-274-2863 or www.northtorontoplayers.com/tickets.

$35; $30(st);

$25(groups of 10 or more); Free (children 14

& under when accompanied by an adult). Also

Mar 7(7:30pm); 8(2pm); 13(7:30pm); 14(2pm

& 7:30pm); 15(2pm).

● Mar 06 7:30: Sound the Alarm Music/

Theatre. Music of the Night: The Concert

Tour. Mohawk College - McIntyre Performing

Arts Centre, 135 Fennell Ave. W., Hamilton.

www.musicofthenight.live. $69; $59(sr/st);

$55(Economy Relief).


of Music. UTSO Graduate Conductors.



Free.

● Mar 06 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre.

The 3 Impersonators. 171 Town Centre Blvd.,

Markham. 905-305-7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre.ca.

From $15.

● Mar 06 8:00: Roy Thomson Hall. Classic

Albums Live: Supertramp - Breakfast in

America. 60 Simcoe St. www.tickets.mhrth.

com/6888/6896 or 416-598-3375. From $59.

● Mar 07 10:30am: Toronto Mendelssohn

Choir. Singsation: Bach’s Passions - Drama,

Devotion, and Music. Yorkminster Park Baptist

Church (Toronto), 1585 Yonge St. www.

tmchoir.org or 416-598-0422. $15(online);

$20(at door). Workshop open to all singing

abilities.

Saturday March 7

● Mar 07 11:00am: Xenia Concerts/TO Live.

Trio Carnaval. Meridian Arts Centre - George

Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St. Rory

McLeod at 437-441-7543 or Paolo Griffin at

paolo.griffin@xeniaconcerts.com. Registration

fee $5. To eliminate financial barriers,

we will refund your tickets when you attend

the event.




Quay West. 416-973-4000. $45; $40(sr);

$35(art worker); $30(youth - 30 & under

/ groups of 10+). Also Mar 6(7:30pm),

7(7:30pm), 8(4pm).

● Mar 07 4:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre.

TOT Cabaret Series: Strauss - The Waltz King.

Edward Jackman Centre, 947 Queen St. E.,

2nd Floor. 416-366-7723 or 1–800-708-6754

2025

2026

MARCH 5, 2026 | 1.30 PM

VC2

CELLO DUO

+

AMY HILLIS, violin

Bach, Beethoven,

Matt Brubeck and more

Tickets/Info: 416.923.7052 • wmct.on.ca

or www.ticketmaster.ca. $45.




Quay West. 416-973-4000. $45; $40(sr);


groups of 10+). Also Mar 6(7:30pm), 7(3pm),

8(4pm).

● Mar 07 7:30: Cantabile Chamber Singers.

Faith in Every Breath. Works by Bach and Purcell

and contemporary works by Rosephanye

Powell and others. Church of the Redeemer

(Toronto), 162 Bloor St. W. www.zeffy.com/

en-CA/ticketing/faith-in-every-breath or

4196-282-1506. $30.

● Mar 07 7:30: Counterpoint Community

Orchestra. A Thousand and One Notes. East

End/Eastminster United Church (Toronto),

310 Danforth Ave. www.ccorchestra.org.

$20; $12(youth).

● Mar 07 7:30: Mississauga Chamber Singers.

Lord Nelson Mass. Christ First United

Church, 151 Lakeshore Rd. W., Mississauga.

www.mcsingers.ca or 647-549-4524. $30;

$15(under age 18).

● Mar 07 7:30: North Toronto Players. Starship

Pinafore, or, The Lass that Loved a Trekkie.

Todmorden Mills - Papermill Theatre,


$35; $30(st);



Mar 6(7:30pm); 8(2pm); 13(7:30pm); 14(2pm

& 7:30pm); 15(2pm).

● Mar 07 7:30: Roy Thomson Hall/Bounty/

Major Talent. Abbamania Canada With

Night Fever & Tribute to Cher. Roy Thomson

Hall, 60 Simcoe St. www.tickets.mhrth.

com/7006/7007 or 416-598-3375. From $59.

● Mar 07 7:30: Shifting Ground Collective.

The Drowsy Chaperone. Theatre Passe

Muraille, 16 Ryerson Ave. www.shiftinggroundcollective.com/drowsy.

$48. Until

Mar 21. At 7:30pm except for matinees on

Mar 11, 15 & 21 at 2pm. No performances on

Mar 8, 12 & 18.



Tour. Niagara Falls Convention Centre,

6815 Stanley Ave., Niagara Falls. www.

musicofthenight.live. From $45.

● Mar 07 7:30: Tallis Choir of Toronto.

Songs of Sorrow. St. Patrick’s Catholic

Church (Toronto), 131 McCaul St. 416-286-

9798 or www.tallischoir.com. $35; $30(sr -

60+); $15(st - with ID).


Dvořák Symphony No.7. Meridian


5040 Yonge St. www.tso.ca or 416-598-3375.


Mar 8(3pm).

● Mar 07 8:00: Hugh's Room. Jack de

Keyzer. Hugh's Room Live - Green Sanderson

Hall, 296 Broadview Ave. 647-347-4769 or

www.showpass.com/jack-de-keyzer-3. $40;

$20(st/arts workers/underemployed).

● Mar 07 8:00: MRG Live. Emily King. TD

Music Hall, 178 Victoria St. 416-823-9193 or

www.tickets.mhrth.com/7338/7339. 39.50.


Music. TD Jazz Concerts: Arturo O’Farrill

Octet. Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS

Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-

408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.

From $65.



● Mar 07 8:00: Trinity Bach Project. Bach

& Triumph. St. Martin-in-the-Fields Anglican

Church (Toronto), 151 Glenlake Ave.

306-250-4256. $30; $20(budget); $10(st).

Also Feb 26(12 noon): Knox Presbyterian

Church; Mar 1(4pm): St. Clement’s Anglican;

Mar 4(8pm): St Matthew’s Riverdale Anglican

Church.

Sunday March 8





$35; $30(st);

$25(groups of 10 or more); Free (children

14 & under when accompanied by an adult).

Also Mar 6(7:30pm); 7(7:30pm); 13(7:30pm);

14(2pm & 7:30pm); 15(2pm).

● Mar 08 2:30: OperOttawa. Tribute to

the Works of Ralph and Ursula Vaughan

Williams. First Baptist Church (Ottawa),

140 Laurier Ave. W., Ottawa. www.eventbrite.

ca/e/1313131314109. $50; $25(st); Free(under

10).


Dvořák Symphony No.7. Meridian


5040 Yonge St. www.tso.ca or 416-598-3375.

From $57. Also Mar 7(7:30pm).




Quay West. 416-973-4000. $45; $40(sr);


groups of 10+). Also Mar 6(7:30pm), 7(3pm

& 7:30pm).


Nathaniel Dett Chorale: Walk Together, Children.

171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham. 905-

305-7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre.ca.

From $15.

● Mar 08 4:00: Spiritus Ensemble. Bach

Vespers in Lent. St. John the Evangelist Anglican

Church (Kitchener), 23 Water St. N.,

Kitchener. www.spiritusensemble.com.

Admission by donation.

● Mar 08 5:00: Bach Children’s Chorus.

The Road Ahead. Scarborough Bluffs United

Church, 3739 Kingston Rd., Scarborough.

416-431-0790 or www.bachchildrenschorus.

ca/upcoming-events. $20; $15(sr); $10(children/youth

ages 6-17); Free(children ages

under 6).

● Mar 08 7:00: Dr. Mike Daley. Dr. Mike Daley

Presents: The Story of The Doors. Church

of the Redeemer (Toronto), 162 Bloor St. W.

www.eventbrite.ca/e/dr-mike-daley-presents-the-story-of-the-doors-evening-showtickets-1982558055513.

$44.

● Mar 08 8:00: Hugh's Room. Turkwaz &

Medusa Quartet. Hugh's Room Live - Green


4769 or www.showpass.com/turkwaz-andmedusa-quartet.

$30; $25(st/arts workers/

underemployed).

● Mar 08 8:00: Massey Hall/We Are in the

Future. Jesse Welles - With S.G. Goodman.

Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St. www.masseyhall.

mhrth.com/tickets/jesse-welles. Visit website

for tickets and information.

Monday March 9

● Mar 09 7:30: Confluence Concerts.

Ahlam مالحأ - Dreams. Heliconian Hall,

35 Hazelton Ave. 647-678-4923. $30; $20(sty/

arts worker).

● Mar 09 7:30: Hugh’s Room. Angela Hewitt

with Toronto Symphony Orchestra Woodwinds.

Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson


www.showpass.com/angela-hewitt-with-tsowoodwinds.

$100.

● Mar 09 8:00: Summerhill Orchestra.

Saint-Saëns, Debussy & Ravel. Church of the

Messiah (Toronto), 240 Avenue Rd. 905-808-

9998. $25.

Tuesday March 10


Jazz Series: Jazz Grooves. Richard

Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre

for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St.

W. www.coc.ca/freeconcerts. Free. Please

check website for any programming updates.


Lunchtime Chamber Music: Rising Stars

Recital Featuring Performance Students

from the UofT Faculty of Music. Yorkminster

Park Baptist Church (Toronto), 1585 Yonge St.

416-922-1167 or www.yorkminsterpark.com.








Music. Taylor Academy: The Stars of Tomorrow.

Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS

Centre - Mazzoleni Concert Hall, 273 Bloor St.

W. 416-408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.

Free.



Tour. Sanderson Centre for the Performing

Arts, 88 Dalhousie St., Brantford. www.

musicofthenight.live. Visit website for tickets

and information.

Wednesday March 11


Instrumental Series: Wind Trio - Music

for Piano, Oboe, and Bassoon. Richard Bradshaw

Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for

the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.

coc.ca/freeconcerts. Free. Please check

website for any programming updates.

● Mar 11 7:30: F7LIVE. Chris de Burgh: 50LO

Canada Tour. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St.

www.masseyhall.mhrth.com/tickets/chrisde-burgh.

From $80.

● Mar 11 7:30: Music at First-St. Andrew’s

United Church. First-St. Andrew’s Strings –

Striving for the Sublime. First-St. Andrew’s

United Church (London), 350 Queens Ave.,

London. 519-679-8182 or www.fsaunited.

com/music-concerts. Freewill donation.

● Mar 11 7:30: Sound the Alarm Music/Theatre.

Music of the Night: The Concert Tour.

First Ontario Arts Centre (Milton), 1010 Main

St. E., Milton. www.musicofthenight.live. $69;

$59(sr/st); $55(Indigenous Community/Arts

Worker/Economic Relief).


of Music. Jazz 12tet. Walter Hall (University of

Toronto), 80 Queen’s Park. www.music.utoronto.ca.

Free.

Thursday March 12


Instrumental Series: Postcards - From

Isaac Albeniz to John Williams. Richard Bradshaw

Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for


coc.ca/freeconcerts. Free. Please check

website for any programming updates.

● Mar 12 12:00 noon: Sound Break. Nia

Nadurata. St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts

- Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St. E. www.

tolive.com. Visit website for tickets and

information.


of Music. Thursdays at Noon: Jackman

Humanities Institute Artist in Residence: Eve

Agoyan. Walter Hall (University of Toronto),


Free.

A

CELEBRATION

BACH

MAR 12–15

Jeanne Lamon Hall


tafelmusik.org

● Mar 12 7:30: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.

A Bach Celebration. Trinity St. Paul’s

United Church and Centre for Faith, Justice

and the Arts, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208

or www.tafelmusik.org. From $23.50. Also

Mar 13(8pm), 14(8pm) & 15(3pm).


Dvořák’s Cello. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe

St. www.tso.ca or 416-598-3375. From $67.

Also Mar 13(7:30pm), 14(7:30pm).


of Music. U of T Opera: The Rape of Lucretia.

Harbourfront Centre Theatre, 235 Queens

Quay W. www.music.utoronto.ca. Link to purchase

tickets will be available soon. Also

Mar 13(7:30pm), 14(7:30pm), 15(2:30pm).

Friday March 13

● Mar 13 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s/Guitar

Society of Toronto. Noontime Recital:

Images of Spain and the Antiquity of Romanticism.

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church

(Toronto), 73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600 x5

or www.standrewstoronto.org. Free. Donations

welcome.





$35; $30(st);



Mar 6(7:30pm); 7(7:30pm); 8(2pm); 14(2pm &

7:30pm); 15(2pm).



Tour. Rose Theatre, The (Brampton),

1 Theatre Ln., Brampton. www.musicofthenight.live.

From $37.

● Mar 13 7:30: The Jeffery Concerts. Winner

of 2025 Banff International String Quartet

Competition. Metropolitan United Church

(London), 468 Wellington St., London. www.

grandtheatre.com or 519-672-8800 or jefferyconcerts@gmail.com.

$40; Free(st).


Dvořák’s Cello. Roy Thomson Hall,


From $67. Also Mar 12(7:30pm), 14(7:30pm).






Mar 12(7:30pm), 14(7:30pm), 15(2:30pm).

● Mar 13 8:00: dance Immersion/TO Live.

ZAYYO. Meridian Arts Centre, 5040 Yonge St.,

North York. www.danceimmersion.ca/zayo.

$40. Also Mar 14(8pm): Performance & talkback;

Mar 15(2pm): Performance.

● Mar 13 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre. Jazz

at Lincoln Center Presents Great American

Crooners. 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham.

905-305-7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre.

ca. From $15.






Mar 12(7:30pm), 14(8pm) & 15(3pm).

Saturday March 14





$35; $30(st);



Also Mar 6(7:30pm); 7(7:30pm); 8(2pm);

13(7:30pm); 14(7:30pm); 15(2pm).

● Mar 14 2:00: North York Central Library.

Piano Recital: From East to West. 5120 Yonge

St. 416-395-5639 or www.tpl.ca. No advance

registration nor free tickets required. All

ages welcome.



Tour. Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing

Arts, 2 Bay St., Parry Sound. www.

musicofthenight.live. Visit website for tickets

and information.

● Mar 14 2:00: TO Live/Attila Glatz Concert

Productions. Shrek 2 in Concert. Meridian

Arts Centre - George Weston Recital

Hall, 5040 Yonge St. www.tolive.com. From

$63.50. Also Mar 15.


Music Society. Winners of the 2025 Banff

International String Quartet Competition.




● Mar 14 7:00: Opera Q/Tapestry Opera.

La Maupin Premiere. Nancy and Ed Jackman

Performance Centre, 877 Yonge St. www.

operaqto.com/la-maupin. Pay-What-You-Can

($5 minimum). Digital release access will be

available Mar 14–Apr 14.

● Mar 14 7:30: Arcady Ensemble. Arcady

Opera Showcase. Waterford Old Town Hall,


76 Main St. S., Waterford. www.arcady.

ca/performances/upcoming/opera-showcase-2026

/ info@arcady.ca / 519-428-3185.

$40.

● Mar 14 7:30: Aurora Cultural Centre.

Jane Bunnett and Maqueque. Aurora Town

Square - Davide De Simone Performance Hall,

50 Victoria St., Aurora. 365-500-3313 or

www.auroraculturalcentre.ca. $45; $15(st).





$35; $30(st);



Also Mar 6(7:30pm); 7(7:30pm); 8(2pm);

13(7:30pm); 14(2pm); 15(2pm).

● Mar 14 7:30: That Arts Group. That Community

Choir: Folk Songs. Church of St. Mary

Magdalene (Toronto), 477 Manning Ave. www.

zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/that-community-choir-folk-songs.

From $10 (Pay What

You Can).

● Mar 14 7:30: Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival.

Amish Famous: The Musical. Comedy

Bar, 945 Bloor St. W. torontosketchfest.

com/2026-festival/#/en/show/3903/Amish-

Famous:-The-Musical. Single tickets from

$25. Festival passes from $129. Also Mar 3

& 5.


Dvořák’s Cello. Roy Thomson Hall,


From $67. Also Mar 12(7:30pm), 13(7:30pm).






Mar 12(7:30pm), 13(7:30pm), 15(2:30pm).


ZAYYO. Meridian Arts Centre, 5040 Yonge

St., North York. www.danceimmersion.

ca/zayo. $40. Also Mar 13(8pm): Performance,

talk-back & reception; Mar 15(2pm):

Performance.

● Mar 14 8:00: Live Nation. Alan Doyle:

Already Dancing Tour with support The East

Pointers. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St. www.

masseyhall.mhrth.com/tickets/alan-doyle.

From $54. Also Mar 15.






Mar 12(7:30pm), 13(8pm) & 15(3pm).

● Mar 14 8:00: The Old Mill. Prince Tribute

Dinner & Dancing Evening. Old Mill Toronto

- Restaurant, 21 Old Mill Rd. www.oldmilltoronto.com.

Visit website for information.

Sunday March 15


ZAYYO. Meridian Arts Centre, 5040 Yonge St.,

North York. www.danceimmersion.ca/zayo.

$40. Also Mar 13(8pm): Performance, talkback

& reception; Mar 14(8pm): Performance

& talk-back.





$35; $30(st);



Also Mar 6(7:30pm); 7(7:30pm); 8(2pm);

13(7:30pm); 14(2pm & 7:30pm).

● Mar 15 2:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.

An Afternoon of Bach. Royal Conservatory

of Music - TELUS Centre - Mazzoleni Concert

Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.




Tour. Algonquin Commons Theatre - Robert

C. Gillett Student Commons, 1385 Woodroffe

Ave., Nepean. www.musicofthenight.live.

From $45.

● Mar 15 2:00: TO Live/Attila Glatz Concert

Productions. Shrek 2 in Concert. Meridian

Arts Centre - George Weston Recital

Hall, 5040 Yonge St. www.tolive.com. From

$63.50. Also Mar 14.

● Mar 15 2:30: Barrie Concert Association.

March Madness. Bethel Community Church

(Barrie), 128 St. Vincent Street, Barrie. www.

barrieconcerts.org or 705-436-1232. $40;

$10(st).


of Music. U of T Opera: The Rape of

Lucretia. Harbourfront Centre Theatre,

235 Queens Quay W. www.music.utoronto.ca.

Link to purchase tickets will be available soon.

Also Mar 12(7:30pm), 13(7:30pm), 14(7:30pm).






Mar 12(7:30pm), 13(8pm) & 14(8pm).

● Mar 15 7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club/

Irish Folk Club. Steáfán Hannigan & Saskia

Tomkins. German Canadian Club, 1 Cove Rd.,

London. 519-319-5847 or folk@iandavies.

com. Tickets available at Marienbad Restaurant,

Chaucer’s Pub, Grooves (Wortley Village),

Long & McQuade North. $30/$25(adv).

● Mar 15 8:00: Live Nation. Alan Doyle:

Already Dancing Tour with support The East

Pointers. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St. www.

masseyhall.mhrth.com/tickets/alan-doyle.

From $54. Also Mar 14.

Monday March 16

● Mar 16 7:30: University of Toronto - Trinity

College Chapel. Spem in Alium - The Yesterday

and Today of Thomas Tallis. 6 Hoskin

Ave. 416-978-2522. Pay-What-You-Can. Proceeds

towards chapel organ restoration.

Register via Eventbrite.

Tuesday March 17


Lunchtime Chamber Music: Rising Stars

Recital Featuring Performance Students

from the UofT Faculty of Music. Yorkminster

Park Baptist Church (Toronto), 1585 Yonge St.

416-922-1167 or www.yorkminsterpark.com.



of Music. Galamir Award Winner Concert.



Free.






● Mar 17 7:30: Music Toronto. Louis Lortie,

Piano. St. Lawrence Centre for the

Arts - Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St. E.

416-366-7723 or www.music-toronto.com/

concerts/louis-lortie. From $60.


of Music. Student Composers Concert. Walter

Hall (University of Toronto), 80 Queen’s

Park. www.music.utoronto.ca. Free.

Wednesday March 18


Vocal Series: 25th Anniversary Performance

of Dean Burry’s The Brothers

Grimm. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts,

145 Queen St. W. www.coc.ca/freeconcerts.


updates.

● Mar 18 12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist

Church. Noonday Organ Recital. Yorkminster

Park Baptist Church (Toronto), 1585 Yonge

St. www.yorkminsterpark.com. Free. Donations

welcome.


Music. Glenn Gould School Spring Opera: Il

cambiale di matrimonio & Gianni Schicchi.

Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS Centre -

Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208

or www.rcmusic.com/performance. From

$25. Also Mar 20(7:30pm).



Aultsville Theatre, 2 St. Lawrence Dr., Cornwall.

www.musicofthenight.live. From $55.


of Music. Vocal Jazz Ensemble. Walter


www.music.utoronto.ca. $10.

● Mar 18 8:00: Small World Music/Constantinople.

DIALOGOS: The Sultan and the

Bird. Trinity St. Paul’s United Church and Centre

for Faith, Justice and the Arts, 427 Bloor

St. W. www.tickets.smallworldmusic.com/e/

dialogos-the-sultan-and-the-bird. From $30.

Thursday March 19

● Mar 19 12:00 noon: Sound Break. Nimkii.

Meridian Arts Centre, 5040 Yonge St., North

York. www.tolive.com. Visit website for tickets

and information.


of Music. Thursdays at Noon: Laureates

- Lilian Goh DMA Piano Recital Competition

Winner: Marilyn Orlenko. Walter Hall (University

of Toronto), 80 Queen’s Park. www.music.

utoronto.ca. Free.

● Mar 19 7:30: GD Entertainment Productions.

Genna G at the NAC: Album Launch

Party. National Arts Centre - Fourth Stage,

53 Elgin St., Ottawa. www.nac-cna.ca/en/

event/40553. $25.

● Mar 19 7:30: Northumberland Learning

Connection. Magic of Music: CBC Radio’s

Tom Allen at Victoria Hall – “Who Loads the

Canon?”. Victoria Hall, 55 King Street W.,

Cobourg. www.connectnlc.ca. $25.



Tour. Brockville Arts Centre, 235 King St.

W., Brockville. www.musicofthenight.live.

From $44.

Friday March 20

● Mar 20 12:00 noon: University of Toronto

Faculty of Music. Lobby Concert: Celebrating

the Journée internationale de la francophonie.

Edward Johnson Building, University

of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. www.music.utoronto.ca.

Free.


Noontime Recital. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian

Church (Toronto), 73 Simcoe St. 416-593-

5600 x5 or www.standrewstoronto.org.


● Mar 20 7:00: A Cappella Jam Sessions.

Spring Equinox A Cappella Jam – Toronto. St.

Matthew’s United Church (Toronto), 729 St.

Clair Ave. W. www.bit.ly/AYI8S_Spring. $35.

Visit website for special prices on a sliding

scale or for low income patrons.


Music Society. Tomoko Inui + Friends.




● Mar 20 7:30: Forum for Music. Eras. Knox

Presbyterian Church (Toronto), 630 Spadina

Ave. contactforumformusic@gmail.com or

www.forumformusic.org. $20 or pay as you

wish.

● Mar 20 7:30: Friends of Music at St. Thomas’s.

The Eybler Quartet: Live in Concert.

St. Thomas’s Anglican Church (Toronto),

383 Huron St. www.eventbrite.ca/e/

the-eybler-quartet-live-in-concert-tickets-1520390802819.

PWYC: $40 suggested;

$20(st).

● Mar 20 7:30: North Wind Concerts. A

Playlist for Louis: Music for Private Evenings

in 18th-century Versailles. Heliconian Hall,



35 Hazelton Ave. www.bemusednetwork.

com/events/detail/1045. Pay-What-You-Wish.

● Mar 20 7:30: Hamilton Philharmonic

Orchestra. Inside the Orchestra: Ravel.

FirstOntario Concert Hall (Hamilton),

1 Summers Ln., Hamilton. www.hpo.org/

event/inside-the-orchestra. $50.

● Mar 20 7:30: Roy Thomson Hall. Harry

Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in Concert.

60 Simcoe St. www.tickets.mhrth.com

or 416-598-3375. From $95. Also Mar 21(2pm

& 7:30pm).


Music. Glenn Gould School Spring Opera: Il

cambiale di matrimonio & Gianni Schicchi.

Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS Centre

- Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208

or www.rcmusic.com/performance. From

$25. Also Mar 18(7:30pm).



Tour. FLATO Academy Theatre, 2 Lindsay

St. S., Lindsay. www.musicofthenight.live.

From $58.


of Music. Historical Performance: Essential

Music for the Soul - Handel’s Theodora.

Trinity St. Paul’s United Church and Centre

for Faith, Justice and the Arts, 427 Bloor St.

W. www.music.utoronto.ca. $40; $25(sr);

$10(st). UofT st free with valid ID.

● Mar 20 8:00: Live Nation. Rin. TD Music

Hall, 178 Victoria St. 416-823-9193 or www.

tdmusichall.mhrth.com/tickets/rin. $32.

Saturday March 21

● Mar 21 11:00am: Aurora Cultural Centre.

Fireside Munsch. Aurora Town Square - Brevik

Hall, 50 Victoria St., Aurora. 365-500-

3313 or www.auroraculturalcentre.ca. $25;

$15(st). Also 2pm.


Fireside Munsch. Aurora Town Square - Brevik



$15(st). Also 11am.

● Mar 21 2:00: Roy Thomson Hall. Harry

Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in Concert.

60 Simcoe St. www.tickets.mhrth.

com or 416-598-3375. From $95. Also

Mar 20(7:30pm) & 21(7:30pm).

● Mar 21 2:00: TO Live. Peppa Pig: My First

Concert. Meridian Hall, 1 Front St. E. www.

tolive.com/Event-Details-Page/reference/

Peppa-Pig-2026. From $49.50.

● Mar 21 3:00: VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert.

Lost in the Stars. Trinity St. Paul’s United

Church. Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W.

www.rcmusic.com/tickets/seats/408401 or

416-408-0208. $55.


of Music. Wind Symphony: Shine. Tribute

Communities Recital Hall, 83 York Blvd. www.

music.utoronto.ca. $30; $20(sr); $10(st).

UofT st free with valid ID.

● Mar 21 7:30: The Annex Singers.

Theodora

MARCH 20, 2026 7:30 PM

TRINITY-ST. PAUL'S UNITED CHURCH

427 BLOOR STREET WEST

Handel’s great oratorio is one of his

most celebrated choral works,

– a radical vision of love, faith

and sacrifice.

University of Toronto Schola Cantorum

with musicians from Tafelmusik

and the Theatre of Early Music.

Free tickets available upon request

by registering with

ryan@torontoconsort.org

FREE TICKETS


LOST & FOUND

MARCH 21, 2026

AT 7:30 PM

ANNEXSINGERS.COM

Lost & Found. Grace Church on-the-Hill,

300 Lonsdale Rd. www.annexsingers.com/

performances/. From $15. LIVE & STREAMED.

● Mar 21 7:30: Barrie Concert Association.

Music in a Time of War. Hiway Pentecostal

Church, 50 Anne St. N., Barrie. www.barrieconcerts.org

or 705-436-1232. $50; $10(st).

● Mar 21 7:30: Guitar Society of Toronto.

Drew Henderson, Guitar. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian

Church (Toronto), 73 Simcoe St.

www.guitarsocietyoftoronto.com. Advance

tickets from $20 or from $25 at the door.


Orchestra. Dancing Through Life. FirstOntario

Concert Hall (Hamilton), 1 Summers

Ln., Hamilton. www.hpo.org/event/dancingthrough-life.

From $20. 6:30pm: Pre-concert

talk.

● Mar 21 7:30: Oakville Chamber Orchestra.

We Love Beethoven! (and Saint-Saëns!). Oakville

Centre for the Performing Arts, 130 Navy

St., Oakville. www.oakvillechamber.org.

$60(premium); $45(regular); $40(groups

of 10 or more); $20(ages 13-30); $15(ages 12

and under).

● Mar 21 7:30: Orpheus Choir of Toronto.

Rejoice in the Lamb. Yorkminster Park Baptist

Church (Toronto), 1585 Yonge St. www.

Hindemith Mélancholie

Borodin / Goddard / Holst

Trinity St. Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor St. W

orpheuschoirtoronto.com/2025-2026-concert-season/.

Visit website for tickets and

information.

● Mar 21 7:30: Roy Thomson Hall. Harry Potter

and the Philosopher’s Stone in Concert.

60 Simcoe St. www.tickets.mhrth.

com or 416-598-3375. From $95. Also

Mar 20(7:30pm) & 21(2pm).



Tour. Empire Theatre (Belleville), 321 Front

St., Belleville. www.musicofthenight.live.

From $43.

● Mar 21 7:30: Soundstreams. Quatuor

Bozzini: With Strings Attached. St. Lawrence

Centre for the Arts - Jane Mallett Theatre,

27 Front St. E. www.ticketmaster.ca/soundstreams-with-strings-attached-quatuorbozzini-toronto-ontario-03-21-2026/event.

From $40.

● Mar 21 7:30: Stratford Concert Choir.

Mozart Requiem. Avondale United Church

(Stratford), 194 Avondale Ave., Stratford.

www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/mozartrequiem.

$40; $20(st); Free(under 16).

● Mar 21 7:30: Toronto Consort. “The Sweet

Hereafter” - World Live Premiere. University

of Toronto - Knox College Chapel, 59 St.

George St. www.torontoconsort.org. $45.


Mike Stern Band. 171 Town Centre Blvd.,


From $15.

● Mar 21 8:00: Kindred Spirits Orchestra.

Virtuosity and Revolution. Meridian Arts Centre

- George Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge

St. www.ksorchestra.ca or 416-733-9388.

From $25. 7:10pm: Prélude - Pre-concert

recital. Intermission discussion and Q&A with

Antonio Di Cristofano & Daniel Vnukowski.

● Mar 21 8:00: Massey Hall. William Prince

with Boy Golden. 178 Victoria St. www.masseyhall.mhrth.com/tickets/william-prince.

From $53.

● Mar 21 8:00: OutShout Entertainment.

The Bowie Lives. The Duke, 1225 Queen St.

E. www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-bowie-livesin-toronto-tickets-1971985528801

or www.

thebowielives.com or 416-466-2624. Visit

websites or call for further information.

● Mar 21 8:00: The Old Mill. Motown Mania

Arkel

CHAMBER

CONCERTS

Marie Bérard - Winona Zelenka

MARCH 22nd ‘26, 6 pm

Four Temperaments

Guest Artists:

Monica Whicher, Soprano

Yolanda Bruno, Violin

Theresa Rudolph, Viola

Season Sponsors

eventbrite.ca

with Groove Marmalade. Old Mill Toronto -

Restaurant, 21 Old Mill Rd. www.oldmilltoronto.com.

Visit website for information.

● Mar 21 8:00: Voices Chamber Choir. Bach

at 341. Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields,

151 Glenlake Ave. 416-519-0528. Tickets available

at the door: $25(adults); $20(sr/st).

Sunday March 22

● Mar 22 1:15: Mooredale Concerts. Music

& Truffles KIDS: Eric Abramovitz x 4 TSO

Strings. Walter Hall (University of Toronto),

80 Queen’s Park. 416-922-3714 x103; 647-988-

2102 (eve/wknd). $30.



Tour. River Run Centre, 35 Woolwich St.,

Guelph. www.musicofthenight.live. $69;

$59(sr/st); $55(Indigenous Community/Arts

Worker/Economy Relief).

● Mar 22 3:00: Les AMIS Concerts. Chamber

Music Concert. Trinity United Church

(Cobourg), 284 Division St., Cobourg. www.

tickets.cobourg.ca/TheatreManager. $40.

● Mar 22 3:15: Mooredale Concerts. Eric

Abramovitz x 4 TSO Strings. Walter Hall (University

of Toronto), 80 Queen’s Park. 416-

922-3714 x103; 647-988-2102 (eve/wknd).

From $40.

● Mar 22 4:00: St. Philip’s Recital Series.

Duo 330: Grand Works for Piano and Organ

Duet. St. Philip’s Anglican Church (Etobicoke),

31 St. Phillips Rd., Etobicoke. 416-247-5181.

Pay-what-you can. Suggested: $20.

● Mar 22 6:00: Arkel Chamber Concerts.

Four Temperaments. Trinity St. Paul’s United

Church. Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W.

www.eventbrite.ca/e/four-temperamentstickets-1545593715409.

$40.

Monday March 23


of Music. The Graduate & Fourth-Year

Oratorio Classes in Concert. Trinity St. Paul’s


and the Arts, 427 Bloor St. W. www.music.

utoronto.ca. Free.


of Music. Percussion Ensemble: UofT

Composer-in-Residence Showcase. Walter



Tuesday March 24

● Mar 24 12:00 noon: University of Toronto

Faculty of Music. Chamber Music Concert:

Simon Blendis, Violin. Walter Hall (University


utoronto.ca. Free.


Lunchtime Chamber Music: Adrian

Tsui, Piano. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church



welcome.








Kiwanis Theatre - Chatham Cultural Centre,

75 William St. N., Chatham. www.musicofthenight.live.

From $59.


of Music. Global Musics Ensemble. Walter




of Music. Voice Studies: Britta Johnson’s

Musical World. University of Toronto - Hart

House - Great Hall, 7 Hart House Circle. www.

music.utoronto.ca. Free.

Wednesday March 25


Dance Series: Highlights from A Midsummer

Night’s Dream. Richard Bradshaw

Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for the

Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.coc.

ca/freeconcerts. Free. Please check website

for any programming updates.





welcome.



Tour. Centennial Hall, 550 Wellington St., London.

www.musicofthenight.live. From $55.


of Music. Noriko Ueda, Bass with 10

O’Clock Jazz Orchestra & Small Jazz Ensembles.



$10. UofT st free with valid ID.

Thursday March 26


Vocal Series: An Afternoon of Lieder.

Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four


145 Queen St. W. www.coc.ca/freeconcerts.


updates.

● Mar 26 12:00 noon: Sound Break. Kubla.

St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts - Jane Mallett

Theatre, 27 Front St. E. www.tolive.com.

Visit website for tickets and information.


of Music. Thursdays at Noon: Laureates

- Norcop & Koldofsky Prize Winners’

Recital. Walter Hall (University of Toronto),


Free.

● Mar 26 7:00: New Music Concerts/



Tapestry Opera. Ana Sokolović’s Love Songs.

Nancy and Ed Jackman Performance Centre,

877 Yonge St. www.tapestryopera.

my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket. $65. Also

Mar 27(7pm), 28(4pm), 29(2pm).


Joshua Bell Plays Bruch + Beethoven.

Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. www.

tso.ca or 416-598-3375. From $67. Also

Mar 28(7:30pm), 29(3pm).


of Music. Global Musics Ensemble. Walter



HEAT

EFFICIENCY

MARCH 26, 2026

KOERNER HALL

WORKS BY

DIETER AMMANN

AZIZA SADIKOVA

NICHOLAS MA

CLAUDE VIVIER

ESPRIT

ORCHESTRA

● Mar 26 8:00: Esprit Orchestra. Heat Efficiency.


Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. www.

espritorchestra.com/events/heat-efficiency.

From $20. 7:15pm - Pre-concert musical

insights with Alexina Louie & guests.

● Mar 26 8:00: Hart House Orchestra.

Spring Concert. University of Toronto - Hart

House - Great Hall, 7 Hart House Circle. www.

harthouseorchestra.ca. Free.

Friday March 27






● Mar 27 5:00: University of Toronto

Faculty of Music. U of T Opera: The First

Viennese School. Walter Hall (University

of Toronto), 80 Queen’s Park. www.

music.utoronto.ca. $30; $20(sr); $10(st);

$10(Livestream). UofT students with a valid

T-Card are admitted free at the door (space

permitting, some exceptions apply). No ticket

reservation necessary.

● Mar 27 7:00: New Music Concerts/Tapestry

Opera. Ana Sokolović’s Love Songs.




Mar 26(7pm), 28(4pm), 29(2pm).



Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga.

www.musicofthenight.live. From

$44.

● Mar 27 8:00: Alliance Française de

Toronto. Mimi O’Bonsawin. Alliance Français

de Toronto - Spadina Theatre, 24 Spadina

Rd. www.alliance-francaise.ca. $18; $16/sr/

st); $15(AFT loyalty card); $12(ages 5-12); Free

(ages under 5).

● Mar 27 8:00: MRG Live/RAPSEASON.

DVSN - SEPT 5TH 10 Year Anniversary Shows.


mhrth.com/tickets/dvsn. From $68.

Saturday March 28

● Mar 28 2:00: Amadeus Choir. Celtic

Kitchen Party. Jubilee United Church,

40 Underhill Dr. www.amadeuschoir.com.

$70(single tickets) or purchase VIP tables for

groups of four. Also at 7pm.

● Mar 28 2:30: Music at First-St. Andrew’s

United Church. Harbinger of Spring. First-

St. Andrew’s United Church (London),

350 Queens Ave., London. 519-679-8182 or

www.fsaunited.com/music-concerts. From

$15.






Mar 26(7pm), 27(7pm), 29(2pm).


Music. Taylor Academy Showcase Concert.


- Mazzoleni Concert Hall, 273 Bloor St. W.

416-408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance.

Free.

● Mar 28 7:00: Amadeus Choir. Celtic

Kitchen Party. Jubilee United Church,

40 Underhill Dr. www.amadeuschoir.com.

$70(single tickets) or purchase VIP tables for

groups of four. Also at 2pm.


Music Society. Pierre Beaudry, Guitar.



Jubilate Singers

University of Guelph Choirs &

Woodsworth College Spirit Singers

present

Ambe

Choral Reflections from

Indigenous Composers

with special guest

Andrew Balfour

Sat. March 28, 7:30 pm

Harcourt Commons

87 Dean Ave., Guelph

Sun. March 29, 4:00 pm

Calvin Presbyterian Church

26 Delisle Ave., Toronto



Jason Wilson and Ashara + Kazdoura. Aurora

Town Square - Davide De Simone Performance



$15(st).

● Mar 28 7:30: Etobicoke Centennial Choir.

Sing it HIgh, Swing it Low. Humber Valley

United Church (Etobicoke), 76 Anglesey Blvd.,

Etobicoke. 416-779-2258 or www.etobicokecentennialchoir.ca.

$35; $25(st/arts workers);

Free(12 and under when accompanied

by an adult).

● Mar 28 7:30: Jubilate Singers. Ambe:

Choral Reflections from Indigenous Composers.

Harcourt Memorial United Church

(Guelph), 87 Dean Ave., Guelph. 416-485-1988

or www.jubilatesingers.ca. $35; $25(sr);

$15(st/arts workers). Also Mar 29(4pm) - Calvin

Presbyterian Church, Toronto.

● Mar 28 7:30: Scarborough Philharmonic

Orchestra. French Meditations. Salvation

Army Scarborough Citadel Community

Church, 2021 Lawrence Ave. E.,

Scarborough. 647-956-1182 or www.spo.

ca. $40; $30(sr); $15(st ages 14 & older);

Free(children under 14).



Tour. Pickering Casino Resort - The Arena,

888 Durham Live Ave., Pickering. www.

musicofthenight.live. From $45.

● Mar 28 7:30: Toronto Chamber Choir.

Responde Mihi! Church of St. Mary Magdalene

(Toronto), 477 Manning Ave. 416-923-

9030 or www.torontochamberchoir.ca.

$40/$30/$5.





Mar 26(7:30pm), 29(3pm).


of Music. Wind Ensemble: Harvest. Tribute

Details here...

Communities Recital Hall, 83 York Blvd. www.


UofT students free with a valid ID card.

● Mar 28 8:00: Acoustic Harvest. The

Slocan Ramblers. St. Paul’s United Church

(Scarborough), 200 McIntosh St., Scarborough.

www.ticketscene.ca/events/53318/;

www.acousticharvest.ca. $35.

● Mar 28 8:00: Mississauga Symphony

Orchestra. The Nordic Experience. Living

Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga.

www.mississaugasymphony.ca. From $55.

● Mar 28 8:00: Music Toronto. Hugh’s

Room: Gryphon Trio and the Hilario Durán

Trio. Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson


www.hughsroomlive. $40.


Music. TD Jazz Concerts: Kurt Elling and

Charlie Hunter - Super Blue. Royal Conservatory

of Music - TELUS Centre - Koerner



Sunday March 29






Mar 26(7pm), 27(7pm), 28(4pm).

● Mar 29 2:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra.

Waves of Sound. FirstOntario Performing

Arts Centre - Partridge Hall, 250 St. Paul St.,

St. Catharines. www.niagarasymphony.com

or 1-855-515-0722. From $24.

● Mar 29 3:00: Ken Prue’s Cobourg Jazz.

Marc Jordan. Victoria Hall, 55 King Street

W., Cobourg. 1-855-372-2210 or htpps://tickets.cobourg.ca/TheatreManager/1/tmEvent/

tmEvent1745.html. $35.

● Mar 29 3:00: Off Centre Music Salon.

We’ve Got Rhythm (in 1, in 2, in 3, in 4, in 5, in

6... in Ten!). Trinity St. Paul’s United Church.

Jeanne Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. www.offcentremusic.com.

From $15.


Music. Marc-André Hamelin with Charles

Richard-Hamelin, Duo Piano. Royal Conservatory









Mar 26(7:30pm), 28(7:30pm).


of Music. Choral Studies Concert. Grace

Church on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd. www.


UofT students free with a valid ID card.

● Mar 29 4:00: Jubilate Singers. Ambe:

Choral Reflections from Indigenous Composers.

Calvin Presbyterian Church (Toronto),

26 Delisle Ave. 416-485-1988 or www.jubilatesingers.ca.

$35; $25(sr); $15(st/arts

workers). Also Mar 28(7:30pm) - Harcourt

Memorial United Church, Guelph.

● Mar 29 4:00: The Edison Singers. Fauré

& Duruflé Requiems. St. Mark’s Anglican

Church (Niagara-on-the-Lake), 41 Byron

St., Niagara-on-the-Lake. 226-384-9300

or www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/faureand-durufle-requiems-niagara-on-thelake.

$45; $40(sr); $20(st); $10(child). Also

Apr 3(7:30pm) - St. Andrew’s Presbyterian

Church, Guelph; Apr 4(4pm) - Church of St.

Peter & St. Simon the Apostle, Toronto.

● Mar 29 4:00: Vesnivka Choir. Celebrating

60 Years of Song! Palais Royale Ballroom,

1601 Lake Shore Blvd. W. www.Vesnivka60yearsofsong.eventbrite.ca

or 416-617-

2736. $40; Free(under 16).

● Mar 29 4:00: Elora Singers. Sarah Kirkland

Snider: Mass for the Endangered. St.

Matthew’s Centre, 54 Benton St., Kitchener.

519-846-0331 or www.elorasingers.ca. $50;

$20(st); $10(child).

THE ELORA SINGERS

Mass for the

Endangered

Sarah Kirkland Snider

Sunday, March 29 at 4:00PM

EloraSingers.ca


Church. Passiontide Devotion for Palm

Sunday. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church

(Toronto), 1585 Yonge St. www.yorkminsterpark.com.


● Mar 29 5:00: Nocturnes in the City. Piano

Recital. St. Wenceslaus Church (Toronto),

496 Gladstone Ave. 416-481-7294. $25.

● Mar 29 7:00: Joy Entertainment. Keung To.


mhrth.com/tickets/keung-to. From $158.

● Mar 29 7:30: Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club/

Irish Folk Club. Pressgang Mutiny. German

Canadian Club, 1 Cove Rd., London.

519-319-5847 or folk@iandavies.com. Tickets

available at Marienbad Restaurant, Chaucer’s

Pub, Grooves (Wortley Village), Long &

McQuade North. $30/$25(adv).


of Music. Collegium Musicum. Walter



Monday March 30

● Mar 30 7:00: Toronto Blues Society.

2026 Canadian Blues Music Awards Gala.

Phoenix Concert Theatre, 410 Sherbourne

St. www.ticketweb.ca/event/canadian-bluesmusic-awards-celebrating-the-phoenix-concert-theatre-tickets/14708623.

From $40.


of Music. Brass Chamber Music. Walter



Tuesday March 31


Music. The Glenn Gould School Chamber

Competition Finals. Royal Conservatory



rcmusic.com/performance. Free.

● Mar 31 7:30: Ancaster Memorial Arts

Centre. Sisters in Song: Sandra Bouza.

357 Wilson St. E., Ancaster. 905-304-3232 or

www.memorialarts.ca/sisters-in-song/sandra-bouza.

$42.


of Music. Contemporary Music Ensemble:

Graal Théâtre. Walter Hall (University


utoronto.ca. $30; $20(sr); $10(st). UofT free

with a valid ID.

● Mar 31 8:00: Good Dye Young. Hayley Williams

at a Bachelorette Party. Massey Hall,

178 Victoria St. www.masseyhall.mhrth.com/

tickets/hayley-williams. Visit website for tickets

and information. Also Apr 1.

Wednesday April 1

● Apr 01 7:00: Piano Lunaire. Pink Moon.

nanoSTAGE, 1001 R Bloor St. W. 416-825-

2744. $30.

● Apr 01 7:00: University of Toronto Faculty

of Music. Guitar Ensembles & Flute/Guitar

Duos. Walter Hall (University of Toronto),


Free.


of Music. Vocalis II: Cycles on Stage. Trinity

St. Paul’s United Church and Centre for Faith,

Justice and the Arts, 427 Bloor St. W. www.


● Apr 01 8:00: Good Dye Young. Hayley Williams

at a Bachelorette Party. Massey Hall,


tickets/hayley-williams. Visit website for tickets

and information. Also Mar 31.

Thursday April 2

● Apr 02 12:00 noon: Roy Thomson Hall.

Free Noon Choir & Organ Concert Series: O

Radiant Dawn. 60 Simcoe St. www.roythomsonhall.mhrth.com/tickets/viva-chambersingers

or 416-598-3375. Free.

● Apr 02 12:00 noon: Sound Break. Rhyan

Douglas. Meridian Arts Centre, 5040 Yonge

St., North York. www.tolive.com. Visit

Inna Perkis & Boris Zarankin,

founders and artistic directors

SEASON SPONSOR

HORATIO KEMENY

30th anniversary

SEASON:

to dream the impossible dream

PASSIONTIDE

DEVOTION

PALM SUNDAY

MARCH 29, 4:30 PM

We’ve got rhythm!

featuring

Tom Allen

Mira Kardan

Elina Kelebeev

Clara Nguyen Tran

Maeve Palmer

Inna Perkis

Mark Skazinetsky

Boris Zarankin

Ilana Zarankin

March 29, 2026 | 3 PM

427 Bloor Street West

Toronto, ON

offcentremusic.com

FEATURING WORKS BY

SIRETT • BRUCKNER • WEELKES • WILLAN

Presented by the Yorkminster Park Choir

William Maddox, Organist and Director of Music

Sharon L. Beckstead, Associate Musician

YORKMINSTER PARK BAPTIST CHURCH

1585 Yonge Street | yorkminsterpark.com



website for tickets and information.

● Apr 02 1:30: Women’s Musical Club of

Toronto. Music in the Afternoon: Stéphane

Tétreault. Walter Hall (University of Toronto),

80 Queen’s Park. 416-923-7052. $50;

Free(accompanying caregivers/st with ID).

● Apr 02 2:30: Barrie Concert Association.

From Bach to Piazzolla. Bethel Community

Church (Barrie), 128 St. Vincent Street, Barrie.

www.barrieconcerts.org or 705-436-

1232. $40; $10(st).

● Apr 02 7:00: Royal Conservatory of

Music. The Garifuna Collective with Special

Guest Mis Blandine. Royal Conservatory



rcmusic.com/events-and-performances/

danilo-perez-john-patitucci-and-brianblade.

From $50. NOTE: These artists replace

Orchestra Baobab.

● Apr 02 7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Boléro. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.

www.tso.ca or 416-598-3375. From $69. Also

Apr 4(7:30pm).


of Music. Woodwind Chamber Music. Walter



Friday April 3

● Apr 03 4:00: St. Paul’s Anglican Church

(Uxbridge). Good Friday Concert Meditation.

59 Toronto St. S., Uxbridge. 705-357-3299.

Freewill offering.

● Apr 03 7:30: Metropolitan United Church.

Bach: St. John Passion BWV 245. Metropolitan

United Church (Toronto), 56 Queen St. E.

416-363-0331 x226. From $15.

● Apr 03 7:30: The Edison Singers. Fauré

& Duruflé Requiems. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian

Church (Guelph), 161 Norfolk St.,

Guelph. 226-384-9300 or www.zeffy.com/

en-CA/ticketing/faure-and-durufle-requiems.

$45; $40(sr); $20(st); $10(child). Also

Mar 29(4pm) - St. Mark’s Anglican Church,

Niagara-on-the-Lake; Apr 4(4pm) - Church of

2025

2026

APRIL 2, 2026 | 1.30 PM

STÉPHANE

TÉTREAULT

Stéphane Tétreault, cello

Denis Plante, bandoneon

with Chloé Dumoulin, piano

Bach to Piazzolla to Plante


St. Peter & St. Simon the Apostle, Toronto.

Saturday April 4

● Apr 04 4:00: The Edison Singers. Fauré

& Duruflé Requiems. Church of St. Peter and

St. Simon-the-Apostle, 525 Bloor St. E. 226-

384-9300 or www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/faure-and-durufle-requiems-toronto.

$45; $40(sr); $20(st); $10(child). Also

Mar 29(4pm) - St. Mark’s Anglican Church,

Niagara-on-the-Lake; Apr 3(7:30pm) - St.

Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Guelph.

● Apr 04 7:00: Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber

Music Society. Andrew Yang, Piano.





Boléro. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.


Apr 2(7:30pm).


of Music. UTSO: Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique.

Tribute Communities Recital Hall,

83 York Blvd. www.music.utoronto.ca. $30;

$20(sr); $10(st). UofT st free with valid ID.

● Apr 04 8:00: Burlington Symphony

Orchestra. Mozart Requiem. Burlington Performing

Arts Centre, 440 Locust St., Burlington.

www.burlingtonsymphony.ca. From $15.

● Apr 04 8:00: Nagata Shachu. Rhythms

in Flight. The Fleck at Harbourfront Centre

Theatre, 231 Queen’s Quay West. www.

harbourfrontcentre.com/event/nagatashachu-x-ryunosuke-yamazumi-rhythms-inflight.

From $36.

● Apr 04 8:00: ProArts Production. Ceza.

TD Music Hall, 178 Victoria St. 416-823-9193

or www.tdmusichall.mhrth.com/tickets/

ceza. $75.

Tuesday April 7

● Apr 07 12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation.

Lunchtime Chamber Music: Rising

Stars Recital Featuring Students from the

Glenn Gould School. Yorkminster Park Baptist

Church (Toronto), 1585 Yonge St. 416-922-

1167 or www.yorkminsterpark.com. Free.

Donations welcome.

● Apr 07 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday





● Apr 07 8:00: Live Nation. Lily Allen Performs

West End Girl. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria

St. www.masseyhall.mhrth.com/tickets/lilyallen.

From $216. Also Apr 8.

Wednesday April 8


Symphonically Spielberg: The Music of

John Williams. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe


Also Apr 8(7:30pm), 9(7:30pm), 11(7:30pm).


Music. Rebanks Family Fellowship Concert.


- Mazzoleni Concert Hall, 273 Bloor St. W.

416-408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/eventsand-performances/danilo-perez-johnpatitucci-and-brian-blade.

Free.

● Apr 08 7:30: Hamilton Philharmonic

Orchestra. Intimate & Immersive: Earth

Songs. Cotton Factory, The, 270 Sherman

Ave. N., Hamilton. www.hpo.org/event/earthsongs.

$40.

● Apr 08 7:30: The Jeffery Concerts. Chamber

Music Concert. London Public Library

- Wolf Performance Hall, 251 Dundas St., London.

www.grandtheatre.com or 519-672-

8800 or jefferyconcerts@gmail.com. $40;

Free(st).





Also Apr 8(2pm), 9(7:30pm), 11(7:30pm).

● Apr 08 8:00: Live Nation. Lily Allen Performs

West End Girl. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria

St. www.masseyhall.mhrth.com/tickets/lilyallen.

From $216. Also Apr 7.

Thursday April 9

● Apr 09 12:00 noon: Sound Break. Chynna

Lewis. St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts -

Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St. E. www.


information.

● Apr 09 7:30: Northumberland Learning

Connection. Magic of Music: Canada’s Guitar

– Six String Nation. Cobourg Columbus

FFOOORR GOOOOOODD FFRRIIDDAY

MUSIC FOR GOOD FRIDAY

MUSIIC

METROPOLITAN

FESTIVAL CHOIR & ORCHESTRA

Nicholas Nicolaidis | Evangelist

Jonathan Oldengarm | Direction

J. S. Bach

St. John Passion

Bach S.. J..

St. Joohnn Passssioonn

FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2026

7:30 P.M. | 6:30 TALK

$40 Adults | $15 Students

In-person | 56 Queen St East, Toronto

Livestream | metunited.ca/live


Community Centre, 232 Spencer St. E.,


● Apr 09 7:30: Soundstreams. I Want to

Tell You Everything: An Anthology of Love

Songs. St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts -


ticketmaster.ca/soundstreams-presentslove-songs-toronto-ontario-04-09-2026/

event. From $40.

INFLUENCERS

The Bachs, Mozart & Haydn

APRIL 9


APRIL 10–12

Jeanne Lamon Hall


tafelmusik.org

● Apr 09 7:30: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.

Influencers: The Bachs, Mozart & Haydn.

Meridian Arts Centre - George Weston

Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St. 416-408-0208 or

www.ticketmaster.ca (Apr 9 only). From $68.

Also Apr 10(8pm), 11(8pm) & 12(3pm).





Also Apr 8(2pm & 7:30pm), 11(7:30pm).

Friday April 10

● Apr 10 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s. Noontime

Recital. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian




● Apr 10 7:30: Piano Lunaire. Room of Keys:

A New Monodrama by David James Brock.

nanoSTAGE, 1001 R Bloor St. W. 416-825-2744.

$25. Limited seating! 30 per performance.

Please purchase tickets as far in advance

as possible. Also Apr 11(7:30pm), 12(2pm &

7:30pm).

● Apr 10 7:30: Sinfonia Toronto. Serenade

- Romance Rules. St. Lawrence Centre for

the Arts - Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St.

E. www.sinfoniatoronto.com. $52; $40(ages

60+); $20(st).

● Apr 10 8:00: Against the Grain Theatre.

Canuck Cantatas. Redwood Theatre,

The, 1300 Gerrard Ave. E. www.atgtheatre.

com/upcoming/canuck_cantatas. $45;

$65(reserved seat); $30(st/arts workers).

Also Apr 11(8pm) & 12(3pm).



Trinity St. Paul’s United Church and Centre for

Faith, Justice and the Arts, 427 Bloor St. W.

416-408-0208 or www.tafelmusik.org. From

$23.50. Also Apr 9(7:30pm @ George Weston

Recital Hall); 11(8pm @ Trinity-St. Paul’s) &

12(3pm & Trinity-St. Paul’s).

Saturday April 11

● Apr 11 3:00: Stratford Symphony Orchestra.

Symphony at the Cinema. Avondale

United Church (Stratford), 194 Avondale Ave.,

Stratford. 519-271-0990 or www.stratfordsymphony.ca.

From $10. Also 7:30pm.

● Apr 11 6:45: Toronto Blues Society/

Music for the City. TBS Member Appreciation

Concert. Phoenix Concert Theatre,

410 Sherbourne St. www.torontobluessociety.com

/ info@torontobluessociety.com

/ www.musicforthecity.com. Free for TBS

members.

● Apr 11 7:30: Aurora Cultural Centre.

Champagne Weather (James Hill & Anne

Janelle) + Jaron Freeman-Fox. Aurora Town

Square - Davide De Simone Performance Hall,

50 Victoria St., Aurora. 365-500-3313 or


● Apr 11 7:30: Confluence Concerts. Mandala:

The Beauty of Impermanence. Heliconian

Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 647-678-4923. $30;

$20(sty/arts worker). Also Apr 12(3pm).





Please purchase tickets as far in advance

as possible. Also Apr 10(7:30pm), 12(2pm &

7:30pm).

● Apr 11 7:30: Stratford Symphony Orchestra.

Symphony at the Cinema. Avondale

United Church (Stratford), 194 Avondale Ave.,

Stratford. 519-271-0990 or www.stratfordsymphony.ca.

From $10. Also 3pm.


Symphonically Spielberg: The Music of John

Williams. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.


Apr 8(2pm & 7:30pm), 9(7:30pm).







● Apr 11 8:00: Continuum Contemporary

Music. Outside Hollow. St. George’s Grange

Park Church (formerly St. George the Martyr

Church), 30 Stephanie St. www.continuummusic.ca.

Advance: $20; $17(sr/arts worker);

$10(st). Door: $25; $20(sr/arts worker).

● Apr 11 8:00: Kindred Spirits Orchestra.

Architecture and Conversations. Cornell

Community Centre - Recital Hall, 3201 Bur

Oak Ave., Markham. www.ksorchestra.ca or

905-604-8339. From $25.

● Apr 11 8:00: Live Nation. Sam Roberts

Band. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St. www.masseyhall.mhrth.com/tickets/sam-robertsband.

From $48.









● Apr 11 8:00: The Old Mill. Sugar Heat – Latin

Dance Party. Old Mill Toronto - Restaurant,

21 Old Mill Rd. www.oldmilltoronto.com. Visit

website for information.

● Apr 11 8:00: We Are in the Future. Haley

Heynderickx and Max Garcìa Conover. TD

A Silent Film. A New Score.

One Unforgettable Night.

The 1920 silent film masterpiece

Der Golem comes to life on the big

screen with a newly commissioned

score performed live.

Saturday, April 11, 2026, 8:30 pm

at Melrose United Church,

86 Homewood Ave, Hamilton

Tickets at bachelgar.ca




www.tdmusichall.mhrth.com/tickets/haleyheynderickx-max-garcia.

$49.

● Apr 11 8:30: Bach Elgar Choir. Der

Golem. Melrose United Church (Hamilton),

86 Homewood Ave., Hamilton. www.

zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/der-golem. $50;

$45(ages 60 & over); $20(ages 25 & under).

Sunday April 12





Please purchase tickets as far in advance as

possible. Also Apr 10(7:30pm), 11(7:30pm),

12(7:30pm).


Music. ARC Ensemble. Royal Conservatory

of Music - TELUS Centre - Mazzoleni Concert


rcmusic.com/events-and-performances/arcensemble-(7).

From $40.







● Apr 12 3:00: Confluence Concerts. Mandala:

The Beauty of Impermanence. Heliconian

Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 647-678-4923. $30;

$20(sty/arts worker). Also Apr 11(7:30pm).

● Apr 12 3:00: Hannaford Street Silver

Band. Pictures at an Exhibition: The Music

of Mussorgsky & the Visual Art of Paula

Elmer

Iseler

Singers

Arciniega. Daniels Spectrum - Ada Slaight

Auditorium, 1585 Yonge St. www.hssb.ca/

events/pictures-at-an-exhibition. From $11.









● Apr 12 4:00: Elmer Iseler Singers. The

Earth Sings. Eglinton St. George’s United

Church, 35 Lytton Blvd. www.elmeriselersingers.com/events/the-earth-sings

or 416-

217-0537. $45; $50(sr); $30(under 30).

● Apr 12 7:00: INNERchamber Inc. Reverence.

Factory 163, 163 King St., Stratford.

www.innerchamber.ca. $55; $37(st/

arts worker). A light dinner is served from

5:45pm.





Please purchase tickets as far in advance as

possible. Also Apr 10(7:30pm), 11(7:30pm),

12(2pm).

Monday April 13

● Apr 13 8:00: The Old Mill. Jaymz Bee’s

Caravan of Music. Old Mill Toronto - Restaurant,

21 Old Mill Rd. www.oldmilltoronto.com.

Door: From $55; VIP Gala Dinner: $250. Gala

dinner @ 6pm.

Lydia Adams, Conductor

Sun. April 12, 2026 at 4:00 pm

Eglinton St. George’s United Church

The Earth Sings

Lydia Adams, Conductor

Tuesday April 14


Lunchtime Chamber Music: Peter

Eom, Cello; Brad Cherwin, Clarinet; Joonghun

Cho, Piano. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church



welcome.






● Apr 14 7:00: J-Rock North Promotions Inc.

JMFEST JYOU ( 上 ): J-POP LIVE IN TORONTO

Featuring MADKID × Zenbu Kimi no Sei da. TD


www.tdmusichall.mhrth.com/tickets/jmfest.

From $55.


Music. The Glenn Gould School New Music

Ensemble. Royal Conservatory of Music -

TELUS Centre - Temerty Theatre, 273 Bloor

St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/

events-and-performances/ggs-new-musicensemble-(2).

Free.

● Apr 14 7:30: Columbus Concert Band.

Spring Concert. Columbus Centre - Joseph

D. Carrier Gallery, 901 Lawrence Ave. W. 416-

789-7011 or www.columbusconcertband.

com. $10.

● Apr 14 7:30: Live Nation. Diana Krall. Massey

Hall, 178 Victoria St. www.masseyhall.

mhrth.com/tickets/diana-krall. From $89.

Also Apr 15.

● Apr 14 8:00: Flato Markham Theatre.

Cheng² Duo. 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham.

905-305-7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre.ca.

From $65.

Wednesday April 15

● Apr 15 12:30: Yorkminster Park Baptist




welcome.


Music Society. SHHH!! Ensemble. Keffer

Memorial Chapel, Wilfrid Laurier University,

75 University Ave. W., Waterloo. www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms.

$30; $10(st).

● Apr 15 7:30: Live Nation. Diana Krall. Massey

Hall, 178 Victoria St. www.masseyhall.

mhrth.com/tickets/diana-krall. From $89.

Also Apr 15.

● Apr 15 7:30: Opera Atelier. Pelléas et Mélisande.



703-3767 x700 or www.OperaAtelier.com/

shows/pelleas-et-melisande/. From $85. Also

Apr 16(7:30pm), 18(7:30pm) & 19(2:30pm).

Thursday April 16

● Apr 16 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company.

Instrumental Series: Beyond Bluebeard

– Adam Sherkin. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre,

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing

Arts, 145 Queen St. W. www.coc.ca/

community/free-concert-series or 416-363-

8231. Free. Please check website for any programming

updates.

● Apr 16 12:00 noon: Sound Break. Ankur

Sinha. Meridian Arts Centre, 5040 Yonge St.,

North York. www.tolive.com. Visit website







Apr 15(7:30pm), 18(7:30pm) & 19(2:30pm).

● Apr 16 8:00: Massey Hall. Royal Wood

and Fortunate Ones: Have a Heart Tour.


tickets/royal-wood-and-fortunate-ones.

From $53.

Friday April 17

● Apr 17 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s.





● Apr 17 7:00: Apocryphonia Concert Series/Diapente

Renaissance Vocal Quintet.

The Collective of Cool Cats: Jazz-Classical

from Beyond the Iron Curtain. Heliconian

Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. 514-378-2558

or www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-collective-ofcool-cats-jazz-classical-from-beyond-theiron-curtain-tickets-1501675685399.

$30;

$20(discounted).


Orchestra. Inside the Orchestra: Brahms.

FirstOntario Concert Hall (Hamilton),


event/inside-the-orchestra-brahms. $50.

● Apr 17 7:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra.

Symphonic Pink Floyd: The Wall. FirstOntario


250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. www.niagarasymphony.com

or 1-855-515-0722. From

$24. Also Apr 18(2:30pm).

● Apr 17 7:30: TO Live/Attila Glatz Concert

Productions. West Side Story: Film with Live

Orchestra. Meridian Hall, 1 Front St. E. www.

tolive.com. From $69.50. Also Apr 18(2pm).

● Apr 17 7:30: Toronto Operetta Theatre.

A Night in Venice. St. Lawrence Centre for


E. 416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754 or www.

tolive.com or www.ticketmaster.ca. From

$35. Also Apr 18(3pm) & 19(3pm).

Luminous choral

sounds celebrating

the earth

416-217-0537 elmeriselersingers.com

HANNAFORD STREET SILVER BAND


● Apr 17 8:00: Massey Hall. Classic Albums

Live: Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction.

178 Victoria St. www.masseyhall.mhrth.

com/tickets/cal-guns-n-roses-appetite-fordestruction.

From $59.

● Apr 17 8:00: Massey Hall. Jenn Grant. TD


www.tdmusichall.mhrth.com/tickets/jenngrant.

$62.

● Apr 17 8:00: Roy Thomson Hall. A Whole

New World of Alan Menken Stories and Songs

by the Oscar-Winning Composer. 60 Simcoe

St. www.roythomsonhall.mhrth.com/tickets/

alan-menken or 416-598-3375. From $89.

Saturday April 18

● Apr 18 2:00: Aurora Cultural Centre. The

Fitzgeralds. Aurora Town Square - Brevik

Hall, 50 Victoria St., Aurora. 365-500-3313 or


● Apr 18 2:00: TO Live/Attila Glatz Concert

Productions. West Side Story: Film

with Live Orchestra. Meridian Hall, 1 Front

St. E. www.tolive.com. From $69.50. Also

Apr 17(7:30pm).

● Apr 18 2:30: Niagara Symphony Orchestra.

Symphonic Pink Floyd: The Wall. FirstOntario


250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines. www.niagarasymphony.com

or 1-855-515-0722. From

$24. Also Apr 17(7:30pm).




E. 416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754 or www.


$35. Also Apr 17(7:30pm) & 19(3pm).


Orchestra. Myth & Memory. FirstOntario

Concert Hall (Hamilton), 1 Summers Ln., Hamilton.

www.hpo.org/event/myth-memory.

From $20. 6:30pm: Pre-concert talk.

● Apr 18 7:30: London Symphonia. The

Brahms Effect with Tom Allen. Metropolitan

United Church (London), 468 Wellington St.,

London. www.londonsymphonia.ca/brahmseffect-tom-allen.

From $26.

● Apr 18 7:30: Mod Club. Mars Hotel with

Special Guests Zuffalo. 22 College St. www.

ticketmaster.ca/event/100063921777DD3D.

$38.50.






Apr 15(7:30pm), 16(7:30pm) & 19(2:30pm).

● Apr 18 7:30: Pax Christi Chorale. Benjamin

Britten’s St. Nicolas. Yorkminster Park Baptist

Church (Toronto), 1585 Yonge St. www.paxchristichorale.org.

Choose your price: $10,

$20, or $40.

● Apr 18 8:00: Acoustic Harvest. The Laws

- Live in Concert. St. Paul’s United Church

(Scarborough), 200 McIntosh St., Scarborough.

www.ticketscene.ca/events/53345/;

www.acousticharvest.ca. $35.

● Apr 18 8:00: Healey Willan Singers.

Women and Songs VI: A Biennial Celebration

of Women Composers and Poets. Church

of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, 151 Glenlake Ave.

416-519-0528. Tickets available at the door:

$25(adults); $20(sr/st).

● Apr 18 8:00: Live Nation. Owen Riegling:

One Night Only Live from Massey Hall. Massey

Hall, 178 Victoria St. www.masseyhall.mhrth.

com/tickets/owen-riegling. From $48.

● Apr 18 8:00: The Old Mill. Simply the Best

– A Tribute to Tina Turner by Karen Durrant.

Old Mill Toronto - Restaurant, 21 Old Mill Rd.

www.oldmilltoronto.com. Visit website for

information.

Sunday April 19


She Holds Up the Stars. Roy Thomson Hall,


From $33. Also 4pm.






Apr 15(7:30pm), 16(7:30pm) & 18(7:30pm).

● Apr 19 3:00: Les AMIS Concerts. Chamber




● Apr 19 3:00: Orchestra Toronto. Pardon

Our French: Music from Ravel & Gershwin.


Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St. 416-366-7723 or

1-800-708-6754 or boxoffice@tolive.com.

From $15. Pre-concert chat at 2:15pm.




E. 416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754 or www.


$35. Also Apr 17(7:30pm) & 18(3pm).

● Apr 19 4:00: Toronto Classical Singers.

Choral Music Concert. Christ Church Deer

Park, 1570 Yonge St. www.TorontoClassical-

Singers.ca/Tickets. $40.


She Holds Up the Stars. Roy Thomson

Hall, 60 Simcoe St. www.tso.ca or 416-598-

3375. From $33. Also 1:30pm.

● Apr 19 7:00: Heliconian Hall. Bach to Bop:

A Journey into Jazz. Don Thompson, piano;

Kye Marshall, cello. 35 Hazelton Ave. www.

torontoheliconianclub.wildapricot.org/event-

6566599. $30.

Monday April 20

ITZHAK

PERLMAN,

violin

Rohan De Silva, piano

Mon APR 20, 2026 • 8PM

● Apr 20 8:00: Roy Thomson Hall. Itzhak

Perlman, Violin with Rohan De Silva, Piano.

60 Simcoe St. www.roythomsonhall.mhrth.

com/tickets/itzhak-perlman or 416-598-3375.

From $101.

Tuesday April 21


Lunchtime Chamber Music: Duo

Esprit - Emily Chaing & Megan Chang, Pianos.

Yorkminster Park Baptist Church (Toronto),

1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167 or www.yorkminsterpark.com.







Wednesday April 22





welcome.


Music Society. Quatuor Magenta. Keffer

Memorial Chapel, Wilfrid Laurier University,

75 University Ave. W., Waterloo. www.ticketscene.ca/kwcms.

$40; $10(st).

● Apr 22 8:00: Alliance Française de

Toronto. Beltuner. Alliance Français de

Toronto - Spadina Theatre, 24 Spadina Rd.

www.alliance-francaise.ca. $18; $16/sr/st);

$15(AFT loyalty card); $12(ages 5-12); Free

(ages under 5).

Thursday April 23

● Apr 23 12:00 noon: Sound Break. Thelonious.

St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts -



information.


Abbamania with Night Fever. 171 Town Centre

Blvd., Markham. 905-305-7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre.ca.

From $65.

● Apr 23 7:30: Music Toronto. Steven Isserlis,

Cello & Connie Shih, Piano. St. Lawrence

Centre for the Arts - Jane Mallett Theatre,

27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723 or www.musictoronto.com/concerts/isserlis-shin.

From

$60.




Connection. Magic of Music: Songs of Protest

– Music for Change. Cobourg Columbus Community

Centre, 232 Spencer St. E., Cobourg.

www.connectnlc.ca. $25.


Tchaikovsky’s Fifth. Roy Thomson Hall,


From $65. Also Apr 25(7:30pm) & 26(3pm).

● Apr 23 8:00: AEG. The Last Dinner Party

Plus support Florence Road. Massey Hall,


tickets/the-last-dinner-party. From $88.

HALLELUJAH

SIM.

APRIL 23, 2026

KOERNER HALL

St. www.masseyhall.mhrth.com/tickets/

waxahatchee-mj-lenderman. Visit website


Friday April 24

● Apr 24 12:10: Music at St Andrew’s/Guitar

Society of Toronto. Noontime Recital.

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (Toronto),

73 Simcoe St. 416-593-5600, x5 or www.

standrewstoronto.org. Free. Donatons

welcome.

● Apr 24 7:00: Hugh’s Room. Tom Rush.

Hugh’s Room Live - Green Sanderson Hall,

296 Broadview Ave. 647-347-4769 or www.

showpass.com/tom-rush-2. $70; $45(st/arts/

underemployed).

● Apr 24 7:00: Jazz at Durbar. The Matt

Pines Trio. Featuring Rebecca Enkin on

vocals. Durbar Indian Restaurant, 2469 Bloor

St. W. 416-762-4441 or www.durbar.ca. No

cover. Reserve a table for dinner or come by

for a drink at the bar.

● Apr 25 7:30: Chorus Niagara. Mystical

Songs. FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre

- Partridge Hall, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines.

www.firstontariopac.ca. $68(Diamond);

$52(adult); $48(sr); $35(under 35) $15(university/college

st/child under 15); $5(highschool

st with valid ID).

● Apr 25 7:30: Guitar Society of Toronto.

Toronto Guitar Weekend. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian

Church (Toronto), 73 Simcoe St.

www.guitarsocietyoftoronto.com. Visit website

for tickets and information. Get details

from GST

● Apr 25 7:30: Mississauga Chamber Singers.

Carmina Burana. Christ First United

Church, 151 Lakeshore Rd. W., Mississauga.

www.mcsingers.ca or 647-549-4524. $30;

$15(under age 18).


Music. The Glenn Gould School Piano Showcase.


Centre - Mazzoleni Concert Hall, 273 Bloor

St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/

events-and-performances/the-glenn-gouldschool-piano-showcase-(13).

$20.




From $65. Also Apr 23(7:30pm) & 26(3pm).


Jeans ‘n Classics: Strange Magic - The Music

of ELO. 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham. 905-

305-7469 or www.flatomarkhamtheatre.ca.

From $15.

● Apr 25 8:00: Massey Hall. AHI. TD Music

Hall, 178 Victoria St. 416-823-9193 or www.

tdmusichall.mhrth.com/tickets/ahi. $32.

● Apr 25 8:00: Mississauga Symphony

Orchestra. Brass Transit: The Music of Chicago.

Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts Dr.,

Mississauga. www.mississaugasymphony.

ca. From $55.


Music. Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci, and

Brian Blade. Royal Conservatory of Music

- TELUS Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St.

W. 416-408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/

events-and-performances/danilo-perezjohn-patitucci-and-brian-blade.

$65.

● Apr 25 8:00: Show One Productions. The

Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Elgin

and Wintergarden Theatre Centre - Elgin

Theatre, 189 Yonge St. www.ticketmaster.ca/

the-tragedy-of-hamlet-prince-of-tickets/artist/3086227.

From $64. Also Apr 24(8pm) &

26(2pm).

● Apr 25 8:00: The Old Mill. Shania Twain

Tribute Dinner & Dance featuring Carla

Sacco. Old Mill Toronto - Restaurant, 21 Old

Mill Rd. www.oldmilltoronto.com. Visit website

for information.

● Apr 25 8:00: TO Live. Béla Fleck, Edmar

Castañeda & Antonio Sánchez - BEATrio.


Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St. www.tolive.com/

Event-Details-Page/reference/BEATrio-2026.

From $45.

Sunday April 26

● Apr 26 2:00: HCA Dance + Theatre. Performing

Arts Sunday Series (PASS): Quatuor

Magenta. Hamilton Conservatory for the

Arts - Black Box Theatre, 126 James St. S.,

Hamilton. 905-528-4020 or www.hcadancetheatre.com/events/quatuor-magenta.

$35; $25(sr); $50(supporter).







25(8pm).

● Apr 26 3:00: Intrada Brass of Oakville.

The Rouges Gallery. St. John’s United Church

(Oakville), 262 Randall St., Oakville. intradabrass@gmail.com.

E-mail for information.


Music. Lisa Batashvili, Violin - with Giorgi

Gigashivili, Piano. Works by Beethoven,

WORKS BY

BEN NOBUTO

CHRIS PAUL HARMAN

POUL RUDERS

MISATO MOCHIZUKI

ESPRIT

ORCHESTRA

● Apr 23 8:00: Esprit Orchestra. Hallelujah

Sim. Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS

Centre - Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. www.

espritorchestra.com/events/hallelujah-sim.

From $20. 7:15pm - Pre-concert musical

insights with Alexina Louie & guests.

● Apr 23 8:00: We Are In The Future. Ichiko

Aoba. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St. www.

masseyhall.mhrth.com/tickets/ichiko-aoba.

From $56.

● Apr 23 8:00: We Are In The Future/Not

Dead Yet. Waxahatchee & MJ Lenderman

with Brennan Wedl. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria

● Apr 24 7:30: North Wind Concerts.

Encircling the World – Clarinets! Heliconian

Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. www.bemusednetwork.com/events/detail/1060.

Pay-What-You-Wish.


Men of the Deeps. 171 Town Centre Blvd.,


From $15.







26(2pm).

Saturday April 25


TSYO: Rachmaninoff Symphony No.2. Roy

Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. www.tso.ca or

416-598-3375. $24.

● Apr 25 7:00: Aurora Cultural Centre.

Mark Fewer’s “The Seasons” with the UofT

String Virtuosi. Aurora Town Square - Davide

De Simone Performance Hall, 50 Victoria St.,

Aurora. 365-500-3313 or www.auroraculturalcentre.ca.

$45; $15(st).

Toronto Beach Chorale

Mervin W. Fick, Artistic Director

SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 2026, 7:30PM

KINGSTON ROAD UNITED CHURCH

975 KINGSTON ROAD, TORONTO

www.TORONTOBEACHCHORALE.com


Bartók, Franck, and Ioseb Bardanashvili.

Royal Conservatory of Music - TELUS Centre -

Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208

or www.rcmusic.com. From $60.



60 Simcoe St. www.tso.ca or 416-598-

3375. From $65. Also Apr 23(7:30pm) &

25(7:30pm). TSO Chamber Soloists performance

on Apr 16(1:45pm).

● Apr 26 3:30: Vesnivka Choir/Toronto

Ukrainian Male Chamber Choir. Chornobyl

40: Commemorating the 40th Anniversary

of the Chornobyl Disaster in Ukraine. St.

Paul’s Basilica (Toronto), 83 Power St. www.

Chornobyl40.eventbrite.ca / 416-617-2736 /

647-229-9531. $40; Free(under 16).

THE ELORA SINGERS

The Passing

of the Year

With Participants of The Elora Singers

Studio for Ensemble Singing

Sunday, April 26 at 4:00PM

EloraSingers.ca

● Apr 26 4:00: Elora Singers. The Passing

of the Year. St. George’s Anglican Church

(Guelph), 99 Woolwich St., Guelph. 519-846-

0331 or www.elorasingers.ca. $50; $20(st);

$10(child).

Flute Street

TORONTO’S

PROFESSIONAL

FLUTE CHOIR

PRESENTS

Fantasies

AND

Flutes

● Apr 26 7:30: Toronto Beach Chorale. Carmina

Burana. Kingston Road United Church

(Toronto), 975 Kingston Rd. www.torontobeachchorale.com/2025-26-season.

$35;

$25(youth).

Tuesday April 28


Lunchtime Chamber Music: Rising

Stars Recital Featuring Students from the

Glenn Gould School. Yorkminster Park Baptist

Church (Toronto), 1585 Yonge St. 416-922-

1167 or www.yorkminsterpark.com. Free.

Donations welcome.






● Apr 28 7:30: Ancaster Memorial Arts

Centre. Sisters in Song: Angelique Francis.

357 Wilson St. E., Ancaster. 905-304-3232

or www.memorialarts.ca/sisters-in-song/

angelique-francis. $59.

● Apr 28 7:30: Grand Theatre. Come From

Away. Grand Theatre (London) - Auburn

Stage, 471 Richmond St., London. 519-672-

8800 or www.grandtheatre.com/event/

come-away. From $45. Various times from

Apr 28 to May 24.

● Apr 28 8:00: Live Nation. Zinadelphia. TD


www.tdmusichall.mhrth.com/tickets/zinadelphia.

From $37.

Wednesday Apil 29





welcome.

● Apr 29 8:00: Live Nation. Calum Scott - The

Avenoir Tour. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St.

www.masseyhall.mhrth.com/calum-scott.

From $53.

Thursday April 30

● Apr 30 12:00 noon: Sound Break. Nat Beja

Trio. Meridian Arts Centre, 5040 Yonge St.,

North York. www.tolive.com. Visit website



Hearing Her Voice. Trinity St. Paul’s




May 1(8pm), 2(8pm) & 3(3pm).


Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.3. Roy

Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. www.tso.ca or

416-598-3375. From $69. Also May 1(7:30pm).

Friday May 1

● May 01 11:00am: Hamilton Philharmonic

Orchestra. Talk & Tea: Rachmaninoff and

Tchaikovsky. FirstOntario Concert Hall (Hamilton),

1 Summers Ln., Hamilton. www.hpo.

org/event/talk-tea-rachmaninoff-and-tchaikovsky.

$17.

● May 01 12:10: Music at St. Andrew’s.





● May 01 7:30: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.3.



Apr 30(7:30pm).

● May 01 8:00: Exultate Chamber Singers.

Songs of the Stage and Screen. Calvin Presbyterian

Church (Toronto), 26 Delisle Ave.

www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/music-ofthe-stage-and-scren.

Pay What You Will. Suggested

prices $20 & $40.

● May 01 8:00: Royal Conservatory of

Music. Royal Conservatory Orchestra

with Earl Lee, Conductor. Royal Conservatory




● May 01 8:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.

Hearing Her Voice. Trinity St. Paul’s




Apr 30(7;30pm), May 2(8pm) & 3(3pm).

Saturday May 2

● May 02 2:30: Bel Canto Singers. British

Invasion. Scarborough Bluffs United Church,

3739 Kingston Rd., Scarborough. www.belcantosingers.ca.

$25; $5(child). Also 7:30pm.

● May 02 7:00: Les AMIS Concerts. Chamber




● May 02 7:30: Barrie Concert Association.

Tango Fantasia. Hiway Pentecostal Church,

50 Anne St. N., Barrie. www.barrieconcerts.

org or 705-436-1232. $50; $10(st).

● May 02 7:30: Bel Canto Singers. British

Invasion. Scarborough Bluffs United Church,

3739 Kingston Rd., Scarborough. www.belcantosingers.ca.

$25; $5(child). Also 2:30pm.

● May 02 7:30: Hamilton Philharmonic

Orchestra. Tchaikovsky’s Fate. FirstOntario


www.hpo.org/event/tchaikovskys-fate.

From $20. 6:30pm: Pre-concert talk.

● May 02 7:30: London Symphonia.

Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Marsh.

Metropolitan United Church (London),

468 Wellington St., London. www.londonsymphonia.ca/beethoven-shostakovich-andmarsh.

From $26.

● May 02 7:30: Orpheus Choir of Toronto.

Sound / Space. Runnymede United Church,

With special guest

Laurel Swinden

SUNDAY APRIL 26, 4PM

flutestreet.ca

www.flutestreet.ca

● Apr 26 4:00: Flute Street. Fantasies and

Flutes. St. Andrew’s United Church (Bloor

St., Toronto), 117 Bloor St. E. 416-462-9498 or

www.flutestreet.ca. Call or visit website for

information.

HEARING

HER VOICE

APRIL 30 – MAY 3

Jeanne Lamon Hall


tafelmusik.org



432 Runnymede Rd. www.orpheuschoirtoronto.com/2025-2026-concert-season/.

Visit

website for tickets and information.

● May 02 7:30: Scarborough Philharmonic

Orchestra. The Romantics. Salvation Army

Scarborough Citadel Community Church,

2021 Lawrence Ave. E., Scarborough. 647-

956-1182 or www.spo.ca. $40; $30(sr); $15(st

ages 14 & older); Free(children under 14).

● May 02 7:30: Sinfonia Toronto. The

Emperor - Beethoven / Shostakovich / Bach.


Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St. www.sinfoniatoronto.com.

$52; $40(ages 60+); $20(st).

● May 02 7:30: Stratford Symphony

Orchestra. New and Distant Worlds. Avondale

United Church (Stratford), 194 Avondale

Ave., Stratford. 519-271-0990 or www.stratfordsymphony.ca.

From $10.

● May 02 7:30: VOCA Chorus of Toronto.

When Music Sounds. Eglinton St. George’s

United Church, 35 Lytton Blvd. www.vocachorus.ca.

$35; $20(st).

● May 02 8:00: Alliance Française de

Toronto/Batuki Music Society. Joyce

N’Sana. Alliance Français de Toronto -

Spadina Theatre, 24 Spadina Rd. www.alliance-francaise.ca.

$18; $16/sr/st); $15(AFT

loyalty card); $12(ages 5-12); Free (ages

under 5).

● May 02 8:00: Tafelmusik Baroque

Orchestra. Hearing Her Voice. Trinity St.


Justice and the Arts, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-

408-0208 or www.tafelmusik.org. From

$23.50. Also Apr 30(7;30pm), May 1(8pm) &

3(3pm).

Sunday May 3

● May 03 11:00am: Xenia Concerts/City of

Mississauga. Ladom Ensemble. Living Arts

Centre, 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga.

Rory McLeod at 437-441-7543 or Paolo Griffin

at paolo.griffin@xeniaconcerts.com. Registration

fee $5. To eliminate financial barriers,

we will refund your tickets when you attend

the event. If you wish to donate your tickets,

please let us know when you check in.

● May 03 1:15: Mooredale Concerts. Music

& Truffles KIDS: Kerson Leong, Violin. Walter

Hall (University of Toronto), 80 Queen’s

Park. 416-922-3714 x103; 647-988-2102 (eve/

HAYATO

wknd). $30.

● May 03 3:00: Hannaford Street Silver

SUMINO,

Band. Gabriel’s Sister. St. Lawrence Centre

for the Arts - Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front

piano

St. E. www.hssb.ca/events/gabriels-sister/.

Sat May 2, 2026 • 8PM

From $13.

● May 03 3:00: Tafelmusik Baroque

● May 02 8:00: Roy Thomson Hall. Hayato

Orchestra. Hearing Her Voice. Trinity St.

Sumino, Piano. 60 Simcoe St. www.roythomsonhall.mhrth.com/tickets/hayato-sumino

or


Justice and the Arts, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-

416-598-3375. From $65.

408-0208 or www.tafelmusik.org. From

$23.50. Also Apr 30(7;30pm), May 1(8pm) &

2(8pm).

● May 03 3:00: Toronto Children’s Chorus.

Journey East Music: Repertoire from Japan,

Korea, China, Singapore, Malaysia, and the

Philippines. Meridian Arts Centre - George

Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St. 416-872-

4255 or www.torontochildrenschorus.com/

our-season#journey-east. $45; $30(ages

17 & under). NOTE: Tickets will be on sale in

early Mar.

● May 03 3:15: Mooredale Concerts. Kerson

Leong, Violin. Walter Hall (University of

& Paaallllaaadee Pallade &

Marte Maaartee

Sunday May 3rd, 4pm

rezonanceensemble.com

Toronto), 80 Queen’s Park. 416-922-3714 x103;

647-988-2102 (eve/wknd). From $40.

● May 03 4:00: Rezonance Baroque Ensemble.

Pallade e Marte. St. David’s Anglican

Church (Toronto), 49 Donlands Ave. www.

rezonanceensemble.com/concerts. Visit

website for tickets & information.

● May 03 4:00: St. Olave’s Anglican Church.

To Live Like a Flower. St. Olave’s Anglican

Church (Toronto), 360 Windermere Ave.

416-769-5686 or watch live or later at www.

youtube.com/StOlavesAnglicanChurch. Contributions

appreciated.

SUNDAY 3 MAY AT 4

Choral Evensong

for King Charles III

followed by words and music

TO LIVE

LIKE A FLOWER

with St. Olave’s Arts Guild

● May 03 5:00: Nocturnes in the City.

Chsmber Music Recital. St. Wenceslaus

Church (Toronto), 496 Gladstone Ave. 416-

481-7294. $25.

Monday May 4

● May 04 7:30: The Jeffery Concerts.

Chamber Music Concert. London Public

Library - Wolf Performance Hall, 251 Dundas

St., London. www.grandtheatre.com or 519-

672-8800 or jefferyconcerts@gmail.com.

$40; Free(st).

Tuesday May 5

● May 05 12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation.

Lunchtime Chamber Music: Frank

Yu, Piano. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church



welcome.

● May 05 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday





2025

2026

MAY 7, 2026 | 1.30 PM

FIERBOIS

Caitlin Broms-Jacobs, oboe

Madeline Hildebrand, piano

Oscar Peterson, Mozart,

David Braid and more

HANNAFORD STREET SILVER BAND



Wednesday May 6


She’s Got Soul. Roy Thomson Hall,


From $51. Also May 6(7:30pm), 7(7:30pm).

● May 06 7:00: Royal Conservatory of

Music. Jane Archibald, Soprano, with Liz

Upchurch, Piano. Works by Brahms and

Robert & Clara Schumann. Royal Conservatory

of Music - TELUS Centre - Temerty Theatre,

273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.

rcmusic.com/events-and-performances. $25.




From $51. Also May 6(2pm), 7(7:30pm).

Thursday May 7

● May 07 1:00: Trinity Bach Project. Bach &

Wings. Knox Presbyterian Church (Toronto),

630 Spadina Ave. 306-250-4256. $35;

$25(Budget); $15(st). Also May 13(7:30pm):

St. John’s York Mills & 2 other locations to be

determined.

● May 07 1:30: Women’s Musical Club

of Toronto. Music in the Afternoon: Fierbois.


80 Queen’s Park. 416-923-7052. $50;

Free(accompanying caregivers/st with ID).



Jadin, Haydn

& Mozart

SUN MAY 10, 3PM

Heliconian Hall, Toronto

TICKETS

bemusednetwork.com/

events/detail/1059


From $51. Also May 6(2pm & 7:30pm).

● May 07 8:00: Massey Hall/Departure Festival.

Good Grief Presents: The Inner Circle

Songwriting Showcase. TD Music Hall,

178 Victoria St. 416-823-9193 or www.tdmusichall.mhrth.com/tickets/good-grief.

$30.

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Hirut Cafe and Restaurant: quality live jazz and a quiet policy.

Berczy Tavern, The

69 Front Street East

theberczy.com @theberczy

Piano bar 6 nights a week.

Black Bear Pub

1125 O’Connor Drive

blackbearpub.ca @blackbearpubonoconnor

Tuesday night jazz; also karaoke & open mic.

Black Swan Tavern

154 Danforth Avenue

blackswantavern.com @

blackswantavern1972

A Toronto Blues fixture since 1972.

BSMT 254

254 Lansdowne Ave. 416-801-6325

bsmt254.com @bsmt254toronto

Wide variety from jazz to hip-hop to DJ nights.

Bluebird Bar, The

2072 Dundas St. W. 416-535-0777

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Live music every Thursday.

Burdock

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A sleek busy music hall with great sound.

Cameron House, The

408 Queen St. W. 416-703-0811

thecameron.com @the.cameronhouse

Nightly local roots acts on 2 stages.

Castro’s Lounge

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castroslounge.com @castroslounge

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cestwhat.com @cestwhatto

Real cask ale and live music.

Communist’s Daughter, The

1149 Dundas Street W.

@thecommunistsdaughtertoronto

Live music Saturday & Sunday afternoons.

Drom Taberna

458 Queen St. W. 647-748-2099

dromtaberna.com @dromtaberna

Wide variety of music 7 nights a week.

Duke Live, The

1225 Queen Street East. 416-466-2624

theduketoronto.com

Live music including a Sunday big band series.

Emmet Ray, The

924 College St. 416-792-4497

theemmetray.com @theemmetray

Live music 7 nights a week.

Epochal Imp

123 Danforth Avenue

epochalimp.com @epochal_imp

Specialty coffee, bar, entertainment & books

Free Times Cafe, The

320 College St. 416-967-1078

freetimescafe.com @freetimescafeofficial

Weekly Klezmer series, entertainment nightly

Function Bar + Kitchen

2291 Yonge St. 416-440-4007

functionbar.ca @functionbarto

Open mic Tues & Sun; Soul and R&B Fri & Sat.

Grossman’s Tavern

379 Spadina Ave. 416-977-7000

grossmanstavern.com @grossmanstavern

Toronto’s self-described “Home of the Blues.”

Handlebar

159 Augusta Ave. 647-748-7433

thehandlebar.ca @handlebar_to

Ongoing, including open mic Tuesdays &

monthly jazz jam.

Hirut Cafe and Restaurant

2050 Danforth Ave. 416-551-7560

hirutjazz.ca @hirutcafe

Quality live jazz and a quiet policy.

Hugh’s Room Live

296 Broadview Ave. 647-960-2593

hughsroomlive.com @hughsroomlive

Intimate performing space, great acoustics,

attentive audience.

Jazz Bistro, The

251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299

jazzbistro.ca @jazzbistroto

Historic location and world-class jazz.

Jazz Room, The

Located in the Huether Hotel, 59 King St. N.,

Waterloo. 226-476-1565

kwjazzroom.com @thejazzroom

Dedicated to the best in jazz music presentations.

Jean Darlene Piano Room, The

1203 Dundas Street West.

jeandarlene.ca @jeandarlenepianoroom

“Singalong karaoke open mic” Thurs, Fri & Sat.

Joni Restaurant at the Park Hyatt Hotel

4 Avenue Rd

jonirestaurant.com @jonirestaurant


MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZ, continued

MUSIC THEATRE: alphabetical by presenter

Live music Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun..

Linsmore Tavern, The

1298 Danforth Ave. 416-466-5130

linsmoretavern.com @linsmoretavern

Rock, cover bands and Sunday blues.

Local, The

396 Roncesvalles Ave 416-535-6225

@thelocaltoronto

Pub fare, local beers and live music

Lula Lounge

1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307

lula.ca @lulalounge

Salsa, jazz, afro-Cuban, and world music.

Manhattans Pizza Bistro & Music Club

951 Gordon St., Guelph 519-767-2440

manhattans.ca @manhattans_guelph

Live music almost every night of the week.

Monarch Tavern

12 Clinton St. 416-531-5833

themonarchtavern.com @monarchtavern

Indie, rock, and other genres on stage.

Motel Bar

1235 Queen Street W. 416-399-4108

@motelparkdale

Casual and up-close live music.

My House in the Junction

2882 Dundas Street W. 416-604-4555

myhouseinthejunction.com @

myhouseinthejunction

Regular live music, including jazz every Friday.

Neu Lokal Social House

3047 Dundas St. W. 647-834-6363

neulokal.com @neulokal_social

Turkish restaurant with live music Thurs, Fri & Sat.

Noonan’s Pub

141 Danforth Ave. 416-778-1804

noonanspub.ca @noonansirishpub

Live music includes swing, blues, rock and country.

Old Mill, The

21 Old Mill Rd. 416-236-2641

oldmilltoronto.com @oldmilltoronto

Jazz Lounge:

Listenable straight ahead jazz.

Only Cafe, The

962 Danforth Ave. 416-463-3249

theonlycafe.com @theonlycafe

Wide range of music includes jam sessions &

young artist showcases.

Painted Lady, The

218 Ossington Avenue

thepaintedlady.ca @paintedladyossington

Cheeky saloon serving burlesque, & live

music.

Pamenar

307 Augusta Ave.

cafepamenar.com @pamenar_km

Live music, DJs, comedy, and more.

Pilot Tavern, The

22 Cumberland Ave. 416-923-5716

thepilot.ca @thepilot_to

Around for over 75 years, live Saturday afternoon

jazz.

Poetry Jazz Café

1078 Queen St W. 416-599-5299

poetryjazzcafe.com @poetryjazzcafe

Live jazz, hip-hop, and DJs nightly.

Redwood Theatre, The

1300 Gerrard Street East. 647-547-4410

theredwoodtheatre.com @

theredwoodtheatre

Music, dance, circus, comedy, and more.

Reposado Bar & Lounge

136 Ossington Ave. 416-532-6474

reposadobar.com @reposadobar

Top-shelf tequila, tapas, and live music.

Reservoir Lounge, The

52 Wellington St. E. 416-955-0887

reservoirlounge.com @reservoirlounge

Live music four nights a week.

Rev, La

2848 Dundas St. W. 416-766-0746

larev.ca @la.rev.toronto

A welcoming performance space, wide

musical range.

Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Bar, The

194 Queen St. W. 416-598-2475

therex.ca @therextoronto

Over 60 shows per month, Toronto’s longestrunning

jazz club.

Sauce on Danforth

1376 Danforth Ave. 647-748-1376

sauceondanforth.com @sauceondanforth

Live music Tues through Sat (and sometimes

Sun).

Sellers & Newel

672 College Street. 647-778-6345

sellersandnewel.com @sellersandnewel

Intimate bookstore doubling as a live evening

music venue.

Smokeshow BBQ and Brew

744 Mt. Pleasant Rd 416-901-7469

smokeshowbbqandbrew.com @

smokeshowjohn

Cover artists and original music Thurs

through Sun.

Steadfast Brewery

301 Lansdowne Ave 416-343-9595

steadfastbrewingco.com @

steadfastbrewing

Live Trad Jazz, Mon nights; Bluegrass, Sun

afternoons; & more.

Tapestry

224 Augusta Ave.

@tapestry_to

Jazz, electronic music, soul, and more.

Tranzac

292 Brunswick Ave. 416-923-8137

tranzac.org @tranzac292

Community arts venue, live shows, multiple

rooms, every day..

TO ADD A VENUE, contact

listings@thewholenote.com

with "Mainly Clubs"

in the subject line.

● Against the Grain Theatre. Canuck Cantatas.

The Redwood Theatre, 1300 Gerrard

Ave. E. www.atgtheatre.com/upcoming.

Apr 10(8pm), 11(8pm) & 12(3pm).

● Arcady Ensemble. Arcady Opera Showcase.

Waterford Old Town Hall, 76 Main St. S.,

Waterford. www.arcady.ca/performances/

upcoming or info@arcady.ca or 519-428-

3185. Mar 14.

● Canadian Children’s Opera Company.

Alice in Wonderland. The Fleck at Harbourfront

Centre Theatre, 231 Queen’s Quay West.

416-973-4000. Mar 6(7:30pm), 7(3pm &

7:30pm), 8(4pm).

● Canadian Opera Company.

Vocal Series: 25th Anniversary Performance

of Dean Burry’s The Brothers Grimm. Free.

Mar 18(12pm).

Dance Series: Highlights from A Midsummer

Night’s Dream. Ballet Jörgen. Free.

Mar 25(12pm)

Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four


145 Queen St. W. www.coc.ca/freeconcerts. .

● dance Immersion/TO Live. ZAYYO.

Includes performance, talk-back & reception.

Meridian Arts Centre, 5040 Yonge

St., North York. www.danceimmersion.

ca/zayo. Mar 13(8pm), 14(8pm); 15(2pm):

Performance.

● Fonitika Vocal Ensemble. City by the

Lake: A New Canadian Musical - at Heliconian

Club, 35 Hazelton, Ave., Toronto. www.eventbrite.ca/e/city-by-the-lake-a-new-canadianmusical-tickets-1980119129620

● Mar 6. Grand Theatre, London.

Come From Away. Apr 28–May 24.

Piaf/Dietrich. Mar 1–7.

Grand Theatre - Auburn Stage, 471 Richmond

St., London. 519-672-8800.

www.grandtheatre.com/event

● Hamilton Festival Theatre Company/Theatre

Aquarius/The Staircase. Frost Bites.

Theatre Aquarius, 190 King William St., Hamilton;

Bernie Morelli Recreation Centre,

876 Cannon St. E., Hamilton; The Staircase

Theatre + Lounge, 27 Dundurn St. N., Hamilton.

www.hftco..ca/frost-bites. Mar 1–8.

● Mirvish. & Juliet. Created by Canadian

David West Read and starring an all-Canadian

cast. Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St.

W. www.mirvish.com. Extended to July 5.

● Mirvish. Shucked. Princess of Wales Theatre,

300 King St. W. www.mirvish.com.

Mar 3–Apr 5.

● Mirvish. Some Like It Hot. CAA Ed Mirvish

Theatre, 244 Victoria St. www.mirvish.

com. Mar 1–15.

● National Arts Centre, Azrieli Studio.

After the Rain by Rose Napoli and Suzy Wilde.

www.nac-cna.ca/en/event/38312. Mar 1–7.

● National Ballet of Canada. Flight Pattern

/ Suite en Blanc. Four Seasons Centre for


national.ballet.ca/productions. Mar 1(2pm),

4(7:30pm); 5(2pm & 7:30pm); 6(7:30pm).

● New Music Concerts/Tapestry Opera.

Ana Sokolović’s Love Songs. Nancy and Ed

Jackman Performance Centre, 877 Yonge

St. www.tapestryopera.my.salesforce-sites.

com/ticket. Mar 26(7pm), 27(7pm), 28(4pm),

29(2pm).

● North Toronto Players. Starship Pinafore,

or, The Lass that Loved a Trekkie. Todmorden

Mills - Papermill Theatre, 67 Pottery Rd. 905-

274-2863 or www.northtorontoplayers.com/

tickets. Mar 6, 7(7;30pm; 8(2pm); 13(7:30pm);

14(2pm & 7:30pm); 15(2pm).

● Opera Atelier. Pelléas et Mélisande.


- Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-703-

3767 x700 or www.OperaAtelier.com/shows.

Apr 15, 16, 18(7:30pm) & 19(2:30pm).

● Opera Q/Tapestry Opera. La Maupin Premiere.

Nancy and Ed Jackman Performance

Centre, 877 Yonge St. www.operaqto.com/lamaupin.

Mar 14(7pm). Digital access Mar 14–

Apr 14. .

● Opera York. Lucia di Lammermoor. Richmond

Hill Centre for the Performing Arts,

10268 Yonge St., Richmond Hill. www.

operayork.com or 905-787-8811. Mar 1(2pm).

● Piano Lunaire. Room of Keys: A New

Monodrama. nanoSTAGE, 1001 R Bloor

St. W. 416-825-2744. Limited seating!

Apr 10,11(7:30pm), 12(2pm & 7:30pm).

● Royal Conservatory of Music. Glenn

Gould School Spring Opera: Il cambiale di

matrimonio & Gianni Schicchi. Koerner Hall,

273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.

rcmusic.com. Mar 18(7:30pm) & 20(7:30pm).

● Shaw Festival. Funny Girl. Festival Theatre.

www.shawfest.ca. Apr 24–Oct 3.

● Shifting Ground Collective. The Drowsy

Chaperone. Theatre Passe Muraille,

16 Ryerson Ave. www.shiftinggroundcollective.com/drowsy.

Mar 7–21. At 7:30pm except

fMar 11, 15 & 21 at 2pm.

● Show One Productions. The Tragedy

of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Elgin Theatre,

189 Yonge St. www.ticketmaster.ca/


Apr 24 and 25(8pm), & 26(2pm).

● Theatre Aquarius/Thousand Islands

Playhouse. It’s a Good Life If You Don’t

Weaken. theatreaquarius.org. Apr 22–May 16.

● Theatre Sheridan. The Drowsy Chaperone.

https://www.sheridancollege.ca/theatre.

Mar 30–Apr 11.

● Theatre Sheridan/Musical Stage Company.

In Real Life. Music & Lyrics by Kevin

Wong. Book & Lyrics by Nick Green. www.

sheridancollege.ca/theatre Mar 31–Apr 11.

● Toronto Operetta Theatre. A Night in Venice.

St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts - Jane

Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723

or www.tolive.com or www.ticketmaster.ca.

Apr 17(7:30pm), 18 & 19(3pm).

● Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival. Amish

Famous: The Musical. https://torontosketchfest.com/2026-festival/#/en/show/3903/

Amish-Famous:-The-Musical. Mar 3, 5 & 14.

● Toronto Symphony Orchestra. She

Holds Up the Stars. Roy Thomson Hall,


FApr 19(1:30pm & 4pm).

● TYT Theatre. You’re a Good Man Charlie

Brown. Wychwood Theatre, 76 Wychwood

Ave. www.tyttheatre.com. From $33. Sat &

Sun to Mar 22 @ 11am & 3:30pm.

● University of Toronto Faculty of Music.

U of T Opera: The Rape of Lucretia. Harbourfront

Centre Theatre, 235 Queens Quay W.

www.music.utoronto.ca. Mar 12(7:30pm),

13(7:30pm), 14(7:30pm), 15(2:30pm).

● VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert. Lost in the

Stars. Trinity St. Paul’s United Church. Jeanne

Lamon Hall, 427 Bloor St. W. www.rcmusic.

com/tickets/seats/408401 or 416-408-0208.

Mar 21(3pm).


ETCETERA: workshops, masterclasses and more

The ETCETERAS are listings for date-related events - live and virtual - that are of musical

interest but which are not performances. This includes, for example, conferences and

symposia, masterclasses, workshops, and film screenings. Just like our daily concert listings,

the ETCETERAS are updated weekly online, and are free of charge. Please contact our

listings team for more information at etc@thewholenote.com.

Please note that the ETCETERAS do not include audition and recruitment notices or job

postings.To promote these opportunities, please contact advertising@thewholenote.com.


of Music. Masterclass: Miriam Khalil,

Soprano. Walter Hall (University of Toronto),


Free.

● Mar 07 10:30am: Toronto Mendelssohn

Choir. Singsation: Bach’s Passions - Drama,

Devotion, and Music. Led by Jean-Sébastien

Vallée. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church

(Toronto), 1585 Yonge St. www.tmchoir.org

or 416-598-0422. $15(online); $20(at door).

Workshop open to all singing abilities.

● Mar 08 7:00: Dr. Mike Daley. Dr. Mike

Daley Presents: The Story of The Doors. Told

by a renowned music historian with songs

performed live by a four-piece band. Church

of the Redeemer (Toronto), 162 Bloor St. W.

www.eventbrite.ca/e/dr-mike-daley-presents-the-story-of-the-doors-evening-showtickets-1982558055513.

$44.


Faculty of Music. Brass Chamber Music

Masterclass: Jamie Somerville, Hornist

& Conductor. Walter Hall (University of


Free.


of Music. Neville Austin Graduate Colloquium

Series: Daphne Leong (University of

Colorado Boulder). Edward Johnson Building,

University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. www.



Connection. Magic of Music: CBC Radio’s

Tom Allen at Victoria Hall – “Who Loads the

Canon?”. Tom Allen, host & musicologist.

Then Let Us Sing!

HYMN SING &

PRESENTATION

SUNDAY APRIL 19

St Andrew’s United Church,

117 Bloor St E Toronto

3:00pm: Meet & Mingle

3:30-5:00pm: Experience TLUS

Register Free for online or in-person event

by April 15 at www.sochs.org/events

Victoria Hall, 55 King Street W., Cobourg.

www.connectnlc.ca. $25.

● Mar 20 11:00am: University of Toronto

Faculty of Music. Masterclass: Simon

Blendis, Violin. Walter Hall (University of


Free.


Orchestra. Inside the Orchestra: Ravel.

Sit on stage for a rehearsal of Ravel’s Le

Tombeau de Couperin. Music Director James

Kahane hosts this unique event. FirstOntario


www.hpo.org/event


of Music. Masterclass: Simon Blendis,

Violin. Edward Johnson Building, University

of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park. www.music.utoronto.ca.

Free.


Faculty of Music. Brass Chamber Music

Masterclass: Jamie Somerville, Hornist

& Conductor. Walter Hall (University of


Free.


of Music. Neville Austin Graduate Colloquium

Series: Matt Rahaim (University of

Minnesota). Edward Johnson Building, University

of Toronto, Room 130, 80 Queen’s

Park. www.music.utoronto.ca. Free.


Connection. Magic of Music: AI – Disruptor

or Revolution? Gregory Lee Newsome,

presenter. Cobourg Columbus Community

Centre, 232 Spencer St. E., Cobourg. www.

PRESENTERS:

Dr Debbie Fingas,

Dawn Duncliffe

With support from St Andrew’s UC

connectnlc.ca. $25.


Connection. Magic of Music: Canada’s Guitar

– Six String Nation. Jowi Taylor, presenter.

Cobourg Columbus Community Centre,

232 Spencer St. E., Cobourg. www.connectnlc.ca.

$25.


Connection. Magic of Music: How We

Respond to Music. Mary Lee, presenter.

Cobourg Public Library, 200 Ontario St.,



Connection. Magic of Music: Music & Healthy

Aging. Dr. Frank Russo, presenter. Cobourg

Columbus Community Centre, 232 Spencer

St. E., Cobourg. www.connectnlc.ca. $25.

● Apr 19 3:00: Southern Ontario Chapter

of the Hymn Society. Then Let Us Sing: Hymn

Sing and Presentation. Clinicians Dr Debbie

Fingas and Dawn Duncliffe introduce Then

Let us Sing!, the new United Church of Canada

Hymnal Supplement, and lead singing

through selections. www.sochs.org. Free.

Register online for in-person or online attendance

by Apr 15. St. Andrew’s United Church

(Bloor St., Toronto).


Connection. Magic of Music: Songs of Protest

– Music for Change. Alan Cross, presenter.

Cobourg Columbus Community Centre,

232 Spencer St. E., Cobourg. www.connectnlc.ca.

$25.


Connection. Magic of Music: The Evolution

of the Music Business. Stephen Stohn,

presenter. Cobourg Columbus Community

Centre, 232 Spencer St. E., Cobourg. www.

connectnlc.ca. $25.

● May 01 11:00am: Hamilton Philharmonic

Orchestra. Talk & Tea: Rachmaninoff and

Tchaikovsky. Abigail Richardson-Schulte,

host. FirstOntario Concert Hall (Hamilton),


event/talk-tea-rachmaninoff-and-tchaikovsky.

$17.

Lake Field Music Camp

new location

adult amateur singers + instrumentalists

choirs ~ ensembles ~ workshops ~ concerts

classical ~ jazz ~ folk ~ pop

August 16 - 23, 2026

Laurier University, Waterloo

www.lakefieldmusic.ca

A vacation

for your dog!

Barker Avenue Boarding

in East York

call or text 416-896-4995

15% off your 1st clean If you can read this,

thank a music teacher.

MosePianoForAll.com

BUSINESS

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Economical and visible!

Promote your services

& products to our

musically engaged readers,

in print and on-line.

BOOKING DEADLINE: TUESDAY APRIL 7

classad@thewholenote.com


2026 Summer Music

Education Profiles

Welcome to the 2026 edition of WholeNote’s Summer Music

Education guide. Whether you are an avid amateur musician,

professional, or looking for music education programs for

children and youth, it’s time to start planning your summer

musical activities. Don’t delay, as some have application deadlines

coming up! The profiles below represent what we’ve received

by our current print deadline, but we’ll be posting profiles to

thewholenote.com under our “Who’s Who” section as more arrive.

If you’d like to be part of this (or any other) WholeNote directory,

please contact advertising@thewholenote.com

● CAMMAC Music Centre Summer Music Retreats

Harrington, QC

June 28 to August 23, 2026

Contact: Customer Service

819-687-3938 / 1-888-622-8755, x25

reservations@cammac.ca

www.cammac.ca/en/summer-music-retreats

Deadline: Registrations begin in March 2026.

Cost: $1200-$2000 per adult, for the full program

including lodging, meals and music program

Residential Program

! Immerse yourself in the best of what nature and music have to offer!

Pair your summer vacation with a unique musical experience in

the heart of the Laurentians. Each of our eight one-week immersive

programs features a different theme, including classical, jazz, Broadway,

blues, world music and more. Amateur musicians of all levels (beginner

to advanced) will enjoy a diverse selection of classes and activities:

chamber music, choir, various instrumental and vocal workshops and

masterclasses, early music ensembles, orchestra, Broadway theatre, cello/

piano/sax/harp/vocal intensive programs, song writing, art classes, yoga,

tai chi, swimming, tennis and more. Kids, teens, and adults participate

in separate programs, allowing everyone to play, learn, relax, and grow

according to their own rhythm.

● Collingwood Music Festival 5-day Youth Masterclass

Osler Bluff Ski Club, The Blue Mountains, ON

July 6 to 10, 2026

Contact: Liesbeth Halbertsma

705-416-1317

liesbeth@collingwoodfestival.com

www.collingwoodfestival.com/event/masterclass-2026

Deadline: March 15, 2026

Cost: $299

Residential Program

Discover, create, and perform!

The Collingwood Music Festival invites musicians aged 25 and under to

audition for an immersive 5-day masterclass.

Personalized instruction, mentorship from internationally recognized

artists in a focused, supportive learning environment. Including private

lessons, collaborative coaching, and performance preparation. Culminating

in a final public concert. Set on the beautiful Niagara Escarpment, the

masterclass also incorporates outdoor activities.

Faculty: Andrea Ludwig, Gino Quilico(voice), Sharon Lee (violin), Daniel

Vnukowski(piano)

Trio in Residence: Gryphon Trio

Auditions: Register online and submit a 5–10-minute unedited audition

video by March 15, 2026, to liesbeth@collingwoodfestival.com.

Missed the deadline? Contact us by email.

● JazzWorks Annual Composers’ Symposium/

Practice Retreat & Jazz Camp

CAMMAC Music Centre, Harrington, QC

August 24-27 & August 27-30, 2026

Contact: Catherine Schwartz

613-220-3819

jazz@jazzworkscanada.com

www.jazzworkscanada.com

Deadline: July 1, 2026

Cost: Varies - see website

Residential Program

Boasting a highly esteemed international faculty, JazzWorks’ annual

Composers’ Symposium/Practice Retreat and Jazz Camp are open to adult

community musicians and talented youth. Join us at the beautiful Lac

MacDonald in Quebec for one or both of these residential summer camps

and take your musicianship to the next level!

Aug 27-30: Our 3-day Jazz Camp includes workshops, vocal intensives,

combo practices, jazz theory and history, masterclasses, jam sessions and

performances for community jazz musicians of all levels.

Aug. 24-27: Unique in Canada, our 3-day Composers’ Symposium/Practice

Retreat offers two options: participants can work on original compositions

and perform them with professional musician-educators or choose

to get away from everyday commitments for quality practice time.

● Lake Field Music

Laurier University, Waterloo, ON

August 16-23, 2026

Contact: Andrew Wolf

647-692-3463

info@lakefieldmusic.ca

www.lakefieldmusic.ca

Deadline: June 30, 2026

Cost: See website

Residential, Day Programs

LFM camp brings together adult amateur musicians of all ages with

intermediate to advanced skills in a friendly and supportive environment.

The one-week program focuses on classical and jazz with a sampling of

folk and popular music. Participants build their own program from 50+

workshops, choirs and instrumental ensembles from chamber, jazz and

pop groups to bands and orchestra. Led by 20+ experienced instructors

specializing in vocals, strings, woodwinds, brass, piano, guitar, bass and

percussion. Classes for beginners are also offered for those wanting to

try something new. Evening concerts provide performance opportunities

and a chance to hear the instructors. Located in Laurier’s air-conditioned

music building, concert hall, residence and dining hall. All inclusive.

● Music at Port Milford

Prince Edward County, ON

July 5 to 11, 2026: Junior Program

July 12 to August 2nd: Senior Program

Contact: Meg Hill

914-439-5039

director@musicatportmilford.org

www.musicatportmilford.org

Deadline: Rolling Admissions

Cost: $940 to $1275/week

Residential Program


Summer 2026 Chamber Music Academy in Prince Edward County, ON,

since 1987. Strings & Piano, Ages 10-19.

Immersive chamber music program on the shores of Lake Ontario, celebrating

40 summer seasons. Resident faculty include the Thalea Quartet,

Tokai Quartet, principal players of the Toronto Symphony and Canadian

Opera Company Orchestra, and pianists Angela Park, Madeline Hildebrand,

and Mikael Darmanie.

● Stratford Summer Music Academies

The Avondale, Stratford, ON

July 13 to August 1, 2026

Contact: Crystal L. Spicer

519-271-2101

info@stratfordsummermusic.ca

www.stratfordsummermusic.ca

Deadline: April 15, 2026

Cost: $800 before March 1, 2026, $900 after March 1

Residential, Day Programs

Stratford Summer Music offers a jazz program and a vocal program during

its summer season. Visit the links below for more information or to

apply to one of our academies:

Jazz Academy: www.stratfordsummermusic.ca/jazz-academy

Vocal Academy: www.stratfordsummermusic.ca/vocal-academy

CAMMAC MUSIC CENTRE SUMMER MUSIC RETREATS

● Summer Music Theatre and Opera Intensives

Oakwood & St. Clair, Toronto, ON


Contact: Denise Williams

416-898-6538

directors@nostringstheatre.com

www.nostringstheatre.com

Deadline: May 30, 2026

Cost: $1500

Day Program (9:30AM to 4:30PM)

Are you a teen with a passion for the performing arts? Or an emerging

artist seeking to further develop your opera craft? Check out our Summer

Music Theatre and Opera Intensive Programs, designed for artists who

want to further develop their performing arts skills. Over the four- or fiveweek

intensives, participants will train with experienced instructors and

collaborate with peers, culminating in a fully staged production. Participants

receive hands-on training in performance, including voice and vocal

coaching, singing masterclasses, and acting techniques, guided by industry

professionals. Dive into a dynamic 4-or 5-week program where you’ll work

alongside industry professionals, collaborate with like-minded peers, and

discover your voice in a supportive and creative environment.

● Summer Professional Development & Performance

Training at The Royal Conservatory.

The Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto, ON


Contact: Isabel Struik, Programs Manager

416-408-2825

opsm@rcmusic.ca

www.rcmusic.com/OPSM

Deadline: Varies, see website

Cost: Varies, see website

Day Program (9AM to 5PM)

Every summer, the Oscar Peterson School of Music (OPSM) turns The

Royal Conservatory into a Summer Professional Development and Performance

Training Hub.

A destination for classroom music teachers, OPSM offers 10-day intensive

courses focusing on Orff, Instrumental, Vocal pedagogy and Music in Early

Childhood.

For intermediate- to advanced-level students, OPSM hosts the annual

two-week High School Vocal Performance Intensive and the annual 12-day

RCM Summer Piano Festival.

All courses take place at our stunning downtown Toronto location. Visit

rcmusic.com/OPSM for more information.


DISCOVERIES | RECORDINGS REVIEWED

DISCOVERIES | RECORDINGS REVIEWED

DAVID OLDS

DAVID OLDS

DAVID OLDS

As Torontonians learned several years ago when Dundas Square

was renamed, the word Sankofa, originating from the Akan

people of Ghana, comes from a Twi expression whose literal

meaning is “Go back and get it!” a command to pay due regard to the

lessons and practices of the past and to draw on them to inform the

present and the future. The symbol of Sankofa, is often depicted as a

bird with its feet facing forward (progress) while its head is turned

backward (reflection), carrying a precious egg in its mouth

(future/wisdom).

In October 2024 the Art of Time Ensemble

produced Sankofa: The Soldier’s Tale

Retold under Andrew Burashko’s direction,

Nigerian-Canadian poet Titilope Sonuga’s

reimagining of Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du

Soldat. As their contribution to this year’s

Black History Month Leaf Music released

a recording of this stunning work (LM304

leaf-music.lnk.to/lm304c).

The original story by Charles-Ferdinand

Ramuz told of a First World War soldier who encounters the devil to

whom he barters his violin for the promise of eternal riches, a bargain

that has dire consequences. Sonuga’s version tells of a (fictional)

Jamaican man of African heritage in Halifax in 1914 who wants to

enlist in the Canadian army but is turned down because people of his

skin colour are not welcome to join. He meets the devil who cajoles

him into accepting a magic violin in exchange for his bird amulet, a

gift from his mother. “Sankofa, is what he calls the bird, who holds his

history in a word. A symbol, an ancient guide, resting near his heart

with pride.” With the devil’s help he is accepted into the only entirely

black battalion in the Canadian army, the historical No.2 Construction

Battalion, which suffered abuse at the hands of their white officers

and was relegated to digging ditches because their commanders

refused to give them arms.

Spoiler alert: As in the original, and many other such tales, selling

your soul to the devil never turns out well, although there are a

number of exhilarating moments along the way.

Stravinsky’s music is used throughout the hour-long performance.

Burashko says “I asked [Sonuga for] an homage to the original

in the following ways: that the libretto be written in rhyming verse;

for the same characters (Soldier, Devil and Narrator); that it follow the

original structure by having the Devil appear in different guises and

that the new libretto make perfect sense with the original music.” It

does indeed, and also makes for a powerful story.

The skeletal orchestration – violin, clarinet, trumpet, trombone,

bassoon, double bass and percussion – is said to represent the scarcity

of musicians in Stravinsky’s Paris in the wake of the devastation

of WWI. The excellent members of the Art of Time Ensemble, led

by violinist Benjamin Bowman, capture the score brilliantly, and the

actors – Ordena Stephens-Thompson (Narrator), Olaoluwa Fayokun

(Soldier) and Diego Matamoros (Devil) – bring the story compellingly

to life. The jam-packed disc also includes a stellar performance

of the 28-minute instrumental suite that Stravinsky extracted from

L’Histoire. Kudos to all concerned.

There are many parallels between

Stravinsky’s tale and Kevin Lau’s Kimiko’s

Pearl, a ballet developed in conjunction with

Bravo Niagara in 2024, now available on CD

(BNCD001 kimikospearl.com). The story is

centred around the internment of Japanese

Canadians during the Second World War

and, like the Stravinsky, also uses minimal

instrumental forces: harp (Mariko Anraku),

violin (Conrad Chow), Japanese and Western flutes (Ron Korb) and

cello (Rachel Mercer).

Founded in 2014 by mother-daughter duo Christine Mori and Alexis

Spieldenner, Bravo Niagara is based in Niagara-on-the-Lake and

dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices through the arts.

Lau says Mori and Spieldenner’s family experience of the Japanese

Canadian internment inspired the narrative with its encompassing of

universal themes: love, devastation, grief, resilience, and the reclamation

of identity. Based on a story by Howard Reich, four generations

of the Ayukawa family are represented from the great-grandfather’s

arrival in Canada in 1917 through to 15-year-old Kimiko’s discovery of

a mysterious trunk in their basement in Toronto a century later. There

are some magical moments, such as when an antique radio broadcasts

news of the Second World War, along with a wedding dress, a pearl

ring and the diary also found in the trunk that help bring the family

story to life for Kimiko.

The Ayukawa family trunk, currently in the collection of the

Canadian War Museum, is a real artifact built by Shizuo Ayukawa

in the New Denver internment camp in British Columbia. Kimiko’s

Pearl reflects the tragedies, triumphs and perseverance of Japanese

Canadians before, during and after the internment they endured

during WWII. A parable particularly relevant today, it attests to

heroism and hope in the face of racism and intolerance.

Lau’s lush yet crystalline score is brilliantly realized by the quartet

of musicians with supplemental sound design aspects (including taiko

drums and other enhancements) developed by Aaron Tsang. The CD

booklet is beautifully illustrated with stunning photos from the stage

production. It includes a detailed synopsis of each of the eight scenes

and biographies of all involved. It’s easy to see why this very impressive

package has received two JUNO-nominations, for Classical Album

of the Year (small ensemble) and Classical Composition of Year.

Perhaps the most famous example of

military imprisonment leading to the

creation of a masterpiece is the story behind

Olivier Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du

temps. Messiaen was serving in the medical

auxiliary of the French army when he was

captured by the Germans near Verdun in

1940 and transported to Stalag VIII-A, a prisoner-of-war

camp in Görlitz, Silesia (then

German territory, now Poland). During the nine months he spent

there he was treated decently and with the help of a friendly German

guard, Carl-Albert Brüll, who provided manuscript paper and pencils,

Messiaen was able to compose. Using the meagre materials at hand


– a dilapidated upright piano, a cello with just three strings, a violin

and a clarinet – he wrote what would go on to be recognized as one

of the greatest chamber works of the last century. The quartet reflects

Messiaen’s profound religious faith, with each of its eight movements

devoted to a different aspect of praise to God and Nature. The instrumentation

changes from movement to movement, with each musician,

except for the piano, given a solo turn. Most striking is the

Abîme des oiseaux, where the clarinet, alone, rises out of nothingness

to depict the abyss of the birds.

There are two new recordings of this iconic work, and I confess that

I am hard-pressed to choose between them. Thankfully I don’t have

to! The first features Montrealer Louise Bessette, renowned for her

performances and recordings of Messiaen’s solo piano music, having

worked extensively with the composer’s wife Yvonne Loriod. She is

joined by young cellist Cameron Crozman, the recipient of the 2021

Canada Council for the Arts Virginia Parker Prize, the Council’s largest

award for emerging classical musicians, Dominic Desautels, principal

clarinetist at the Canadian Opera Company and violinist Mark Lee,

assistant concertmaster of Symphony Nova Scotia. This new disc

(ATMA ACD22940 atmaclassique.com/en/produit/olivier-messiaenquatuor-pour-la-fin-du-temps-fantaisie)

is available on streaming

platforms in the immersive Dolby Atmos process with exceptional

clarity and depth of sound. As a bonus the disc also gives a taste of a

younger, pre-mystical Messiaen with the less frequently performed

and somewhat bombastic Fantasie for violin and piano (1933).

Formed in 2020, the Anzû Quartet is

dedicated to the music of our time and

the recent canon. Comprising Olivia De

Prato (violin), Ashley Bathgate (cello), Ken

Thomson (clarinet) and Karl Larson (piano),

Anzû pays homage to Olivier Messiaen’s

Quatuor pour la fin du temps by actively

commissioning and performing new

works for this iconic instrumentation.

The name anzû refers to a massive, fire and water breathing bird

found in Babylonian and Sumerian mythology. In these ancient texts,

Anzû is linked to death and destruction as well as birth and creation,

reflecting the juxtaposing themes of calamity and salvation often

expressed through birdsong in Messiaen’s quartet.

The notes to this recording (Cantaloupe Music anzuquartet.com/

quatuor-pour-la-fin-du-temps) include “Thoughts about Quatuor

pour la fin du temps” by Anzû’s mentor, cellist Fred Sherry, whose

own group Tashi studied the work with Messiaen in the late 1970s, so

advice from the horse’s mouth, if once removed. The resulting

performance is one to be treasured, with all the nuance and dynamic

range this exhilarating work demands.

The music of Argentine-born American

composer Osvaldo Golijov is featured on a

new disc entitled Ever Yours (Phenotypic

Recordings phenotypicrecordings.com).

Golijov tells us “Ever Yours was the last

piece I wrote for and dedicated to Geoff

Nuttall, who was, and still is, my brother in

music and life. I was inspired primarily by

two things: brotherhood, as embodied in

the letters that Vincent van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo—which

he always signed with the words ‘Ever Yours’—and the String Quartet,

Op.76, No.2 by Joseph Haydn, who was the composer Geoff loved and

admired the most […] I wrote Ever Yours, primarily, as a conversation

about music, Haydn, friendship, life, and death, between Geoff and

me. Geoff is now gone, and his (and my) beloved St. Lawrence String

Quartet, which he co-founded and led for more than 30 years, has

disbanded. But the idea of a conversation between friends continues

to live…”

Haydn’s quartet finds its way into each of the four movements,

but we also hear snatches of Beethoven’s final quartet in the third.

Originally written for string octet, Golijov has added a double bass in

the current version for which the Arethusa and Animato Quartets

are joined by bassist Nicholas Schwartz. For Tintype, violist Barry

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Art Songs by Charles Ives

Reynaldo Hahn and William Bolcom

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VIOLA AL-MASHURA

The Enchanted Viola

Christina Ebersohl-Van Scyoc viola

Melissa Terrall piano

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Shiffman, another founder of the St. Lawrence Quartet joins the

Arethusa in a work that began its life as a soundtrack for the film Elie

Wiesel: Soul on Fire. A theme inspired by several animated sequences

in the film, in which Wiesel dreams of his father, who died in the

Holocaust, was later expanded and became the second movement of

Tintype. The first movement is based on a traditional Hebrew melody,

and the third is based on a version of the prayer, “Ani Maamin” [I

Believe], that Wiesel sings in the last minutes of the documentary.

Here, Golijov says, “it alternates between sparse, expressionistic fragments

of the prayer, and driven, motoric sections inspired by Philip

Glass’s string writing. I hear the spirit of Schubert in his chamber

music, as I hear it in my own music.”

The disc concludes with two shorter tracks. K’vakarat [As a

Shepherd…] is a prayer from the Yom Kippur liturgy originally written

for cantor Misha Alexandrovich and string quartet here performed in

an arrangement for viola and strings by Shiffman. The concluding

Esperanza [Hope] from 2025 is a love theme composed for the soundtrack

of Francis Ford Coppola’s film Megalopolis, performed by the

same nine musicians from Ever Yours, bringing the disc full circle.

In June 2023 the Toronto Symphony

Orchestra under the direction of Gustavo

Gimeno gave the premiere performances

of Daniel Bjarnason’s Trilogy for

Orchestra: I Want to be Alive, a work they

had co-commissioned with the Cincinnati

and Iceland Symphony Orchestras and

the Helsinki Philharmonic. Bjarnason is

currently Artist in Collaboration: Iceland

Symphony Orchestra, where he previously held posts as Principal

Guest Conductor and Artist in Residence. He has also worked extensively

with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and one of his collaborations

there resulted in the piano concerto FEAST performed by its

dedicatee Vikingur Ólafsson in 2021 under Gustavo Dudamel.

That majestic near-half-hour work opens the CD The Grotesque and

the Sublime in a new performance with pianist Frank Dupree and

the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, who are featured throughout the

recording with the composer conducting (Sono LuminusDSL-92287

sonoluminus.com/sonoluminus/grotesque-and-sublime). Bjarnason

is a hub-like figure in the group of composers who could be said to

constitute a First Icelandic School. But his own music sprawls beyond

the borders of the school’s typical aesthetic, its characteristic gradual

transformation of vaporous orchestral sounds, akin to the shifting

shape and colour of a North Atlantic cloud. This difference is amply

displayed in FEAST with its seven dramatic and dynamically boisterous

movements. Also of note here is an external narrative – Edgar

Allan Poe’s short story The Masque of the Red Death – reflected in

the phantasmagorical movement titles such as “the brazen lungs of

the clock” and “domination over all (skeletal procession).” The score

follows the trajectory of Poe’s story, opening with a dense and decadent

party punctured by its own ‘reverie’ for solo piano. Some 25

minutes later, after the skeletal procession, the flamboyant concerto

dissolves into dust.

The centrepiece of this recording, Fragile Hope – In memory of

Jóhann Jóhannsson, is more like the atmospheric works of the Iceland

School, and fittingly so as Jóhannsson was a seminal figure in that

movement. It is dark and brooding, full of angst and longing, although

there are bright moments where hope shines through.

The final work Inferno is a percussion concerto featuring the rising

young German star Vivi Vassileva. Although the three orchestral

percussionists play a vast range of instruments, the soloist is limited to

only a few: drum kit, wood blocks, txalaparta (a traditional Basque

instrument constructed of wooden boards on a platform), marimba,

Japanese taiko drums, kick drum and timpani. Bjarnason says “the

primary objective was sonic: a focus on particular sound worlds,

rather than a mad dash between many instruments.” The unusual

sound of the txalaparta, which is featured extensively in the first and

third movements, is especially intriguing and to my ear reminiscent of

some of the instruments invented by Harry Partch. There is an

extended and effective timpani cadenza reinforced by low strings and

woodwinds. Inferno provides a stimulating climax to a scintillating

disc.

Britten – Suites pour violoncelle 1-3 (revisitées)

features Montreal cellist Pierre-Alain

Bouvrette. This is a digital release which

unfortunately does not come with much

documentation. I say this because these are

very complex works, unlike most of Britten’s

oeuvre and it would be useful to be given

some analysis or at least some background

and context to their composition. When I

asked Bouvrette about this absence he responded that many digital

platforms don’t support anything but audio files and cover art, so he

did not produce a programme booklet. He did however send me an

artist’s statement from which I have adapted the following:

The leading element of my approach was driven by the nature of

these works with their polyphonic ambitions for an instrument that

is mostly monophonic. The cello can certainly be bi-phonic but it is

realistically impossible to play more than 2 notes at the same time.

Therefore, polyphony becomes a pure illusion. […] I have produced a

studio recording, exempt from the constraints of a false linear time

frame, existing only as a sound object on its own. Using every tool

available in the studio I have created a version of this music, one that

could be imagined through the lens of an interpreter/sound technician/sound

designer. […] This was made with utmost respect for these

works that I love but not without a touch of humour and lightness,

which I hope may be forgiven. This version should not be taken as a

reference for these works and I hope that if a listener falls in love with

what they hear, they will also go listen to a more traditional version.

That all being said, I find Bouvrette’s renditions convincing and

satisfying, with all the extreme dynamics and rhythmic nuances

intact. The recorded sound is exemplary, and I was not aware of any

obvious instances of studio manipulation. I did, however, take his

advice and listened to my traditional favourite performances, those

by the dedicatee Mstislav Rostropovich, and more recent recordings

by Truls Mørk and Pieter Wispelwey. It was great to have an excuse to

immerse myself again in these masterworks. You can find Bouvrette’s

Britten on most streaming platforms, or here: palmaresadisq.ca/en/

artist/pierre-alain-bouvrette/album/britten-suites-pour-violoncelle-

1-3-revisitees.

David Olds can be reached at discoveries@thewholenote.com.

Stravinsky: The Soldier’s Tale Retold

& Histoire du soldat Suite

Art of Time Ensemble

& Andrew Burashko

This retelling of L’Histoire du soldat

follows a soldier from Canada’s historic

No. 2 Construction Battalion, the only all-

Black battalion in the Canadian Army.

Kevin Lau: Kimiko's Pearl

Mariko Anraku, Conrad Chow,

Ron Korb & Rachel Mercer

Blending a contemporary

sound with traditional Japanese

elements, Kevin Lau’s score

from the ballet Kimiko’s Pearl

is a powerful tribute to a true

Canadian story.


STRINGS

ATTACHED

TERRY ROBBINS

There’s another complete set of the Bach

Cello Suites, this time from the New

Zealand-based cellist Inbal Megiddo

(Atoll Records ACD233 atoll.co.nz/album.

php?acd=233).

From the opening notes of the Suite

No.1 in G Major, BWV1007 there’s a lovely

use of rubato – no strict tempo here, but

a rhythmic freedom which her mentor

Aldo Parisot rightly says “gives an improvisatory feel to the music.”

Beautifully shaped, expressive and sensitive, it sets the tone for all

that follows.

Megiddo likens the Suites to an emotional and spiritual journey that

mirrors life’s experience, convincingly equating each suite with a

progressively later stage of life. Gorgeous tone, faultless intonation, all

beautifully recorded – it’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed listening

to these wonderful works this much.

Reflection, the new CD from violinist

Tamsin Waley-Cohen and her long-standing

duo partner pianist/composer Huw Watkins

was inspired by Reflection Op.31a, written

for the duo in 2016 by British composer

Oliver Knussen, who died in July 2018

(Signum Records SIGCD968 signumrecords.com/product/reflection/SIGCD968).

The duo immediately wanted to record it,

but it wasn’t until they performed Watkins’

own Violin Sonata in 2020 that Waley-Cohen felt they had found the

right accompanying piece; both works are world-premiere recordings.

The Watkins sonata is a striking work, written for Waley-Cohen and

influenced by the qualities he sees and admires in her playing; despite

some climactic passages, it has what the composer calls a prevailing

mood of calm introspection.

Also on the CD are Stravinsky’s Duo Concertant, K054 and

Prokofiev’s Violin Sonata No.1 in F Minor, Op.80, works by two

favourite composers of Waley-Cohen, Watkins and Knussen.

Violinist Jerilyn Jorgensen and pianist

Cullan Bryant are the duo on Schubert:

The Sonatinas for Piano & Violin (Albany

Records TROY2012 albanyrecords.com/

catalog/troy2012).

The three Violin Sonatas in D Major

D.384, in A Minor D.385 and in G Minor

D.408 from 1816 were published posthumously

in 1836 as Sonatinas Op.137. In

her insightful notes Lidia Chang suggests

that the term sonatina was a deliberate marketing choice, indicating

a lesser degree of difficulty with the many capable amateur players

of the time in mind, a view supported by the fact that the style of the

works suggests that they were intended not for the concert hall but for

private performance.

Jorgensen and Bryant established a career presenting classical

period historical performances, and this CD appears to be in that vein.

The violin playing is low-key and understated, with very little

consistent vibrato, and the keyboard is presumably a period instrument,

the CD having been recorded in Ashburnham MA, home of the

Frederick Collection of Historic Pianos, which Bryant has used as an

instrumental source since the late 1990s. No confirmation in the

notes, however.

If the thought of a Cuban pianist and

a French cellist playing and improvising

together appeals to you then you

really should listen to Nuit Parisienne à la

Havane, the new CD from pianist Roberto

Fonseca and cellist Vincent Segal (Artwork

Records ARTR0016CD store.pias.com/

release/559357-vincent-segal-robertofonseca-nuit-parisienne-la-havan).

Fonseca – who includes the Buena Vista

Social Club among his early activities – and Segal have created an

intimate, finely crafted encounter that bridges classical influences,

Afro-Cuban traditions and contemporary improvisation. The CD was

recorded spontaneously over five days, with no preparation – they

“simply sat down and began to play,” balancing carefully composed

material with moments of improvisation.

Fonseca admits to being strongly influenced by classical music,

especially Bach and Chopin, and the interplay here between classical

and jazz piano is captivating and immensely entertaining. Segal’s cello

is a joy throughout.

What we're listening to this month:


Bach Suites

Inbal Megiddo

Recorded in an intimate New

Zealand chapel sanctuary,

played with mastery, grace and

spontaneity, these familiar Suites

become a wholly new and joyous

discovery.

Bach: Goldberg Variations ( Arr.

for Double Reed Trio by Caitlin

Broms-Jacobs)

Tacamis Trio

An arrangement for oboe, English

horn, and bassoon reimagines

Bach’s intricate contrapuntal

writing through the warm,

expressive voices and blended

colours of the double-reed family.

From Dusk Till Dawn

Dobrochna Zubek & Caitlin Boyle

Join us for this unique exploration

of repertoire for viola and cello, a

journey through the light and dark

textures of these two remarkable

instruments.

Caity Gyorgy with Strings

Caity Gyorgy and Mark Limacher

The new JUNO-nominated vocal

jazz album features vocalist

Caity Gyorgy with a forty-piece

studio orchestra arranged and

conducted by Mark Limacher


BEYOND WORDS – A Collection of Art

Songs for Cello and Piano features cellist

Meredith Blecha-Wells and pianist Sun Min

Kim in a recital of vocal works reimagined

for their instruments, highlighting music’s

power to communicate emotion beyond

language (Navona NV6788 navonarecords.

com/catalog/nv6788).

Two American works are at the heart

of the recital: the lovely Aria for Cello and

Piano by H. Leslie Adams (1932-2024) and Jennifer Bellor’s three-part

Smile and a Sigh – Song of Flight, Echo and Long These Days – originally

for soprano, electric guitar and piano, and arranged here by the

performers.

Blecha-Wells and Kim are also responsible for all the remaining

transcriptions on the disc. The CD opens with eight Rachmaninoff

songs, selected from his various Romances Opp.4, 21, 34 and 38, and

closes with de Falla’s six-part Suite populaire espagnole.

Blecha-Wells has a warm, smooth tone and a lovely sense of line,

with Kim a fine accompanist. Cello and piano sound are both beautifully

recorded on an excellent release.

In Beethoven complete string quartet

news, the three volumes of The

Complete Beethoven String Quartets

released by the Calidore String

Quartet between February 2023 and

January 2025 have now been reissued

as a 9CD box set (Signum Classics

SIGCD925 signumrecords.com/product/

beethoven-cycle-4-complete-box-set/

SIGCD925).

From the outset the releases garnered a very positive response, with

reviews in this column noting ensemble playing of the highest quality

and expecting the resulting box set to be an exceptionally strong

option – which, in a highly competitive field, it clearly is.

Out of Vienna – Berg, Webern, Schulhoff,

the outstanding debut album on the Alpha

Classics label by the Leonkoro Quartet

is a fascinating exploration of Viennese

music for string quartet in the early 20th

century ALPHA1196 leonkoroquartet.com/

en/media).

Berg’s 1926 Lyric Suite is an intimate and

passionate depiction of his deep love for

Hanna Fuchs-Robettin, the sister of Franz

Werfel and the wife of an industrialist friend of the composer. Hanna’s

annotated copy of the study score from Berg (“May it be a small monument

to a great love”) details the use of their initials (B-F and A-Bb

in German notation) and personal numerology, as well as significant

quotes from other works.

Schulhoff’s Five Pieces for String Quartet from 1923-24 are

described as looking at the Baroque genre through surrealist – and

sometimes sarcastic and mocking – lenses.

Webern’s Five Movements for String Quartet, Op.5 from 1909 was

the first string quartet work to use the free atonal style that Webern

had started in his Lieder Op.3 – “a concentration of means that tended

towards aphorism.” He told Berg that the work mourned the 1906 loss

of his mother. His beautiful Langsamer Satz, an early work from 1905

is essentially a love poem to his future wife.

Concert note: The Leonkoro Quartet perform Haydn, Bosmans and

Schubert at Music Toronto on March 5.

Works by Shostakovich and Kaija Saariaho are presented on Terra

Memoria, the new CD from the Dudok Quartet Amsterdam

(Rubicon Classics RCD 1218 dudokquartet.com/albums/

terra-memoria-saariaho-shostakovich).

Shostakovich’s String Quartet No.3 in F Major, Op.73 was highly

regarded by the composer, who originally gave each of the five

movements a title suggesting an anti-war

stance – Blithe ignorance of the future cataclysm;

The eternal question: why? and

for what?, for instance – before deciding

to withdraw them. It remains a powerful

personal statement in his unmistakeable

style.

The title track is Saariaho’s atmospheric

2007 Terra Memoria for String Quartet, her

second work in the genre. It has the dedication

“for those departed,” remembering those no longer with us,

“Terra” (earth) referring to the material of their complete lives and

“memoria” to its transformation in our memories.

Transcriptions of seven of Shostakovich’s 1933 24 Preludes Op.34

complete the disc, with two (numbers 1 and 22) arranged by the

Dudok’s violinist Judith van Driel and five (numbers 2, 4, 6, 7 and 12)

by their cellist David Faber.

On Elena Ruehr: The Northern Quartets

the Quartet ES performs the programmatic

set of three string quartets that

Ruehr wrote for them following a casual

suggestion that she write some new

quartets about places she loves (AVIE

AV2798 avie-records.com/releases/

elena-ruehr-the-northern-quartets).

String Quartet No.9 “Keweenaw”

explores the Keweenaw Peninsula on

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where Ruehr grew up. The five movements

include A Thimbleberry Ripens in the Sun, A Blizzard and Lake

Superior at Night. String Quartet No.10 “Long Pond” evokes the small

lake in Cape Cod where Ruehr has spent a lot of time, the quartet

opening with Moonrise and ending with a Nor’easter storm.

Iceland was the inspiration for the String Quartet No.11 “Reykjavik”

in anticipation of its premiere there, Ruehr admitting to having been

inspired by Górecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Psalms and Barber’s

Adagio for Strings when writing it.

The works are all strongly tonal and immediately accessible,

creating a distinctive array of soundscapes and fully supporting

Ruehr’s remark that you don’t need to know the programmatic

elements to enjoy the music.

The string quintet developed alongside

the string quartet, but never matched the

latter’s prominence in the chamber music

world. The new 3-CD set Mozart String

Quintets, featuring violinists Oleg Kaskiv

and Alexander Grytsayenk, violists Eli

Karanfilova and Valentyna Pryshlyak and

cellist Pablo de Naverán presents all six of

the works Mozart wrote for the genre, with

a viola instead of a cello as the fifth instrument

(Claves Records CD 50-3127-29 claves.ch/products/mozart-thestring-quintets?srsltid=AfmBOoqfo6k0fgxKgUYsw9OI9DT5AGRFn3

Ltpzw-14bjh4tbwIdE1pxu).

Michael Haydn has been credited with creating the form in 1773,

the same year that Mozart wrote his String Quintet in B-flat Major,

K174 on returning from a trip to Italy. The String Quintets in C Major

K515, in G Minor K516 and in C Minor K406/516b (the latter a transcription

of an earlier Serenade for Wind octet) date from 1787, the

String Quintet in D Major K593 from 1790 and the String Quintet in

E-flat Major K614, the last chamber work he completed, from 1791.

There’s bright, joyful playing here that still plumbs the emotional

depths of these superb works.

Two remarkable works by teenage composers are featured on Enescu

& Mendelssohn Octets, with the Paris-based Quatuor Ébène and

the London-based Belcea Quartet continuing a relationship they

first began ten years ago (Erato 5021732997296 warnerclassics.com/

release/octets-mendelssohn-enescu).


“Phenomenally gifted,” says the release

blurb of both composers – if anything, an

understatement. It’s still difficult to believe

that Mendelssohn’s wonderful Octet in

E-flat Major, Op.20 from 1825 was written

by a 16-year-old, and George Enescu’s

Octet in C Major, Op.7 from 1900, when the

18-year-old composer was living in Paris,

inspires equal admiration. It’s an expansive

and passionate work that reflects the influences

of the time – Strauss, Wagner, Debussy – as well as folk music

from the Romanian composer’s homeland.

Both works receive full-blooded performances. There are numerous

recordings of the Mendelssohn available, but the addition of the

Enescu renders this excellent release even more attractive.

The Brazilian Rafaell Altino has been principal

viola with the Odense Symphony

Orchestra for 28 years, and they join him in

three 21st-century Danish Viola Concertos

by Karsten Fundal (b.1966), Christian

Winther Christensen (b.1977) and Søren Nils

Eichberg (b.1973), all written for him. David

Danzmayr conducts the Christensen, Pierre

Bleuse the Fundal and Eichberg (Dacapo

DAC-DA2044 dacapo-records.dk/en/

recordings/fundal-viola-concertos).

Fundal’s 2008 Viola Concerto (Lightened Darkness/Darkened

Light/Dwindling Recall) is an engrossing work, brilliantly orchestrated

with a full range of textures and sonorities. The three sections

grow less dense in texture, with the solo viola gradually disappearing

over the final six minutes against a barely audible background of what

sounds like falling water.

To call Christensen’s 15-minute composition from 2019 a Viola

Concerto seems a misnomer: seven brief sections, mostly mixtures

of sounds and effects with barely a hint of orchestration. The release

sheet mentions “strings tapped with rods rather than bowed, instruments

patted and scraped, and woodwinds blown without reeds.

Rarely does anything sound fully or in the foreground.” Make of that

what you will.

Eichberg’s 2016 Charybdis (Wirbeirausch ) restores our faith.

It’s named for the whirlpool and sea monster in Homer’s Odyssey

and was inspired by the force of natural destruction, the viola being

“caught in the spiraling vortex of the orchestra.” Brilliant stuff!

Compositions by Edward Elgar, John Ireland and Frank Bridge are

featured on English Cello Works, a new Naxos CD with the Danish

cellist Andreas Brantelid, the Swedish pianist Bengt Forsberg and the

Royal Danish Orchestra under Thomas Søndergård (8.573690

naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=8.573690).

Brantelid digs deep in an expansive and

passionate opening to the Elgar in a live

recording of a 2021 Copenhagen concert.

It’s a terrific performance all through, with

lovely phrasing, plenty of nuance and a fine

mix of intensity and expressive sensitivity.

The orchestral support is equally fine.

Ireland’s Cello Sonata in G Minor from

1928 is fittingly described here as fusing

brooding, terse muscularity with lyricism and bravura. Brantelid and

Forsberg provide a compelling reading, as they do with Bridge’s Cello

Sonata in D Minor, H125, a two-movement work begun in 1913 but

not completed until 1917, the trials and tribulations of the First World

War which intervened possibly accounting for the differences between

the Romantic opening movement and the more melancholic and

defiant second.

Elgar wrote Liebesgruß (Love’s Greeting) in 1888 as an engagement

present for his piano student Caroline Alice Roberts; it was published

by Schott the following year in various arrangements under the title

Salut d’amour. The cello and piano version closes an outstanding CD.

The two Shostakovich Cello Concertos

were both written in collaboration with

Rostropovich, whose artistry inspired the

composer to expand the cello’s expressive

capabilities with virtuoso technique

and profound emotional depth. They are

presented on a new Avanti Classic CD in live

performances by Alexander Kniazev and

the Yokohama Sinfonietta under Kazuki

Yamada (AVA 10672 avanticlassic.com/

releases/shostakovich-cello-concerto-cd).

Both concertos offer insights into Shostakovich’s relationship with

the Soviet regime. Concerto No.1 in E-flat Major, Op.107 from 1959,

with its extraordinary solo cello cadenza third movement is from a

relatively relaxed period following the 1953 death of Stalin, but it is

still somewhat ambivalent and cautious.

Concerto No.2 in G Major, Op.126 from 1966 is darker and more

introspective; the composer’s health was deteriorating, and he was

under increased scrutiny after reluctantly joining the Communist

Party in 1960.

The two concertos were recorded in performance in Philia Hall,

Yokohama in January 2015 and February 2018 respectively, and are

accurately described as capturing the dark intensity and emotional

richness of Shostakovich’s music.



Haunted Melody

Peter Campbell

“Campbell moves through an

eclectic repertoire with playful

authority, interpreting songs as if

offering each composer the best of

his artistry.”

- Thierry De Clemensat

Curtains of Light

Whitney Ross-Barris

A dynamic new record – blending

jazz, choral, neo-soul, spoken

word, and folk elements – that

crystallizes deeply human stories

of disconnection, longing, and

beautiful resilience.

Heart's Pace

Josh Rager

Montreal based pianist and

composer teams up with NY

guitarist Peter Bernstein on

original compositions that blend

sophisticated harmony, warm

interplay, and expressive melodies.

Northbound to Finch

Maria Kaushansky

A contemporary instrumental

jazz album featuring all original

compositions inspired by Toronto.

Paul Gill on bass and Anthony

Pinciotti on drums. Available on all

platforms.


VOCAL

Paul Frehner – Horizon: Madog

Jeremy Huw Williams; Ensemble

Paramirabo; Angela J. Murphy

Navona Records NV6819 (navonarecords.

com/catalog/nv6819)

! In the realm of

rock music, the

question “what was

the first ‘concept’

album” is a good

conversation starter

for audiophiles

and amateur music

historians alike.

While the debate often ends in a tie (between

Frank Zappa’s Freak Out and The Beatles’ Sgt

Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band), a better

question might be: “what constitutes a

so-called concept record in the first place?”

And while that question will not be solved

within this column, I am confident that a trilanguage

opera (French, English, and Welsh)

that explores the theme of post-apocalyptic

environmental renewal through the

life of a “back-to-the-lander” named Madog

who looks for non-technologically mediated

means of connecting communication

practices across diverse communities, would

certainly count as “conceptual.”

Released on Navona Records earlier this

year and composed by Western University

professor Paul Frehner, with what I can only

imagine was an extraordinarily challenging to

write libretto by Angela J. Murphy, Horizon:

Madog creatively takes fans of contemporary

classical music and opera on exactly

such a conceptual and exploratory journey.

Calling upon his background as rock guitarist,

Frehner takes inspiration from progressive

rock and avant-garde jazz, blending diverse

musical styles on this interesting and exciting

project. Also featuring a new composition for

analog synthesiser, the entire recording is a

welcome addition to the canon of Canadian

operatic composition and electroacoustic

music, as well as offering a testimony to the

creativity that can result when collaborations

across composers, soloists, and ensembles

work effectively and musically together

to good end.

Andrew Scott

CLASSICAL AND BEYOND

Bach – Goldberg Variations for double reed

trio

Tacamis Trio

Leaf Music LM 307 (leaf-music.lnk.to/

lm307PR)

Bach – Goldberg Variations

Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado;

Frank Nowell

Navona Records nv6821 (navonarecords.

com/catalog/nv6812)

! Even in 2026,

the genius of J.S.

Bach is revealed in

new and exciting

ways. His Goldberg

Variations, a war

horse within the

Baroque canon,

was originally

composed for

the two-manual harpsichord, but has been

interpreted using just about every instrumental

and vocal combination imaginable.

A hallmark of technical difficulty, the piece

demands much from its performers who need

to find their own opportunities for dynamism

(the original harpsichords offered no dynamic

touch sensitivity) and personalization within

what at this point is a plethora of wonderfully

recorded and creatively interpreted performances.

Good thing then that there are still

imaginative and skilled musicians out there

willing to take up the mantle of responsibility

and find ever new ways of approaching this

great work. And two fine new 2026 recordings,

Bach – Goldberg Variations by the

Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado

and Bach: Goldberg Variations for double

reed trio by the Tacamis Trio do just that.

I had the good fortune to attend the

Tacamis Trio’s album launch party at the

wonderful Arts & Letters Club of Toronto

recently and to hear the skilled doublereed

maneuvering and interpretive aplomb

that this talented young trio brings to the

Goldbergs. Comprised of oboist Caitlin

Broms-Jacobs, English hornist Tracy Wright,

and bassoonist Allen Harrington, who

collectively form the double reed section

of the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra,

Tacamis’ unique instrumental combination

and compelling ensemble sound mined

the expressive expansiveness of a wellchosen

selection of the 30 variations, plus a

few beautiful Renaissance pieces. Both the

performance and their most recent recording

on Leaf Music highlight the groups musicality,

ability to weave together compelling

contrapuntal lines using an unorthodox,

but beautiful, collection of instruments,

and their symbiotic performance style that

undoubtedly comes from working together,

as they have done, in both the MCO and

the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for

over a decade.

While the

intimacy of the trio

format can tease out

the delicate intricacies

of Bach’s

piece. It is indeed an

impressive undertaking

when an

orchestra, in this case the terrific Baroque

Chamber Orchestra of Colorado (featuring a

new arrangement by violist Alexander Vittal),

takes on Bach’s famous aria and its subsequent

creative inventions. Vittal’s version

captures both said delicacy, along with the

intensity and expansiveness that, for example,

Variation 2 deserves, and which an impressive

large scale orchestra such as this can

handle admirably.

Both recordings are excellent and while

listening to them back-to-back, one gets the

sense of not only how seamlessly Bach’s timeless

piece can move within various ensemble

shapes and sizes, but how in the skilled hands

of the many wonderful musicians represented

here, there is still much to discover and much

joy to be had from a work that is nearly

300-years old.

Andrew Scott

Opus 109 – Beethoven | Bach | Schubert

Vikingur Ólafsson

Deutsche Grammophon 13812

(deccaclassics.com/en/catalogue/

products/opus-109-beethoven-bachschubert-vkingur-olafsson-13812)

! Born in

Reykjavik in 1984,

Grammy award

winning pianist

Víkingur Ólafsson

completed his

studies at the

Juilliard School,

and since then

has earned an international reputation,

performing with such orchestras as the Berlin

Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw.

Ólafsson signed a contract with DG in 2016

and in ten years, has made some 30 recordings,

this latest one featuring music by Bach,

Schubert and Beethoven.

The disc opens with the Prelude No.9 in E

Major from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier –

all of a minute and 44 seconds – a seemingly

odd choice for an opener. Equally intriguing

is his decision that every composition on the

recording be in the key realm of E, stemming

from Ólafsson’s synaesthesia (in his mind, the

key translates into vibrant shades of green.)

Beethoven’s Sonata Op.90 from 1814 that

follows is sometimes referred to as “a struggle

between head and heart.” Ólafsson plays

with a strong assurance, easily meeting the

demands of the two contrasting movements.

He returns to Bach with the Partita No.6,

long regarded as the grandest of all the

Partitas and a true study in contrasts. While


the notes are well articulated, both the

Corrente and Air are taken at a much brisker

pace than is commonly heard.

The early Sonata in E Minor D586 by

Schubert precedes the final composition,

Beethoven’s three-movement Sonata

No.30 Op.109. The work is a marked departure

from the traditional sonata form and

Ólafsson offers an energetic and expressive

interpretation.

A quibble in this recording is the sound

quality. It seems possible that the mic may

have been placed too closely to the keyboard,

resulting in a particular imbalance and a

somewhat less resonant sound. While this

might be overlooked, it somewhat mars an

otherwise engaging performance.

Richard Haskell

Chopin & Scriabin: Preludes

Mikhail Pletnev

Deutsche Grammophon 5419773735 (store.

deccaclassics.com/products/chopinscriabin-24-preludes-cd?srsltid=AfmBOor

vIu8gwUT_6TdcZw2LGlc5Be-

7qAj3MxSpSnUCrf-ejgPCWJqz)

! Since winning

the gold medal at

the International

Tchaikovsky

competition in

1978, Mikhail

Pletnev has enjoyed

a stellar career, not

only as a pianist but

also as a composer and pedagogue. Included

among his activities are a large number of

recordings for the DG label, both as soloist

and conductor. Nevertheless, this latest

one presenting Chopin’s 24 Preludes Op.28

and the 24 Preludes Op.11 by Alexander

Scriabin, is his first studio recording after a

19-year hiatus.

Romantic legend has it that Chopin

composed the preludes while on his ill-fated

sojourn in Mallorca with George Sand during

the winter of 1839. Yet contemporary sources

indicate that they were probably completed

before the couple departed. Pletnev

approaches these well-loved gems with an

elegant sensitivity, perfectly capturing the

ever-contrasting – and fleeting – moods while

infusing his own personal mark within.

The opening prelude is taken at a much

more leisurely pace than is commonly

heard and the “Raindrop” Prelude No.15 in

D-flat Major makes much less use of the

pedal so the repetitive A-flat in the bass-

Iine indeed resembles the sound of its namesake.

Préludes such as the Third and Eighth

reinforce Pletnev’s reputation for formidable

technique, while demonstrating keenly

balanced phrasing.

Less well known are the Preludes by

Scriabin. The Russian composer greatly

admired Chopin’s music, and this set similarly

covers all 24 major and minor keys

while following the same key sequence.

Nevertheless, many have a mood of quiet

introspection utilizing a lush harmonic

language. Pletnev delivers a refined performance,

always carefully nuanced, from the delicacy

of No.5 to the more strident Nos.6 and 11.

A program of music both familiar and less

so – welcome back Mr. Pletnev. It has been a

long wait and we hope you’ll favour us with

another recording soon.

Richard Haskell

Bartók – Miraculous Mandarin; Concerto

for Orchestra

Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Gustavo

Gimeno

Harmonia Mundi HMM 905365 (store.

harmoniamundi.com/format/1871527-

bartk-the-miraculous-mandarin-concertofor-orchestra)

! This third issue

of the Toronto

Symphony

Orchestra

conducted by

Gustavo Gimeno for

French Harmonia

Mundi is the best

yet. Bartók is

another 20th century giant whose masterpiece,

the Concerto for Orchestra has been

paired with one of his most imposing

works, The Miraculous Mandarin in its

seldom performed complete version.

This includes some brief but telling

choral elements, provided by the Toronto

Mendelssohn Choir, and this is far preferable

to the usually programmed Suite. The

style of this ballet-pantomime is in Bartók’s

most challenging Expressionistic vein, a

constant and colourful, mostly atonal setting,

with a stream of motives and musical events

that are hard to fit into any sense of a narrative

just from the volatile music. For me this

piece is best taken as purely sonic experience,

and in this production the TSO gives an overwhelming

performance.

The famous Concerto for Orchestra is one of

the more frequently done and recorded works

of the 20th century, and always shows any

orchestra at its best, being not only a challenge

for countless solo instrumental turns,

but also in ensemble and orchestral discipline.

The competition is daunting on recordings,

starting with the first great recording

by the Chicago Symphony conducted by Fritz

Reiner, who commissioned the piece from the

dying Bartók in 1941 after he made it to the

United States. The Concerto has since been



hORs TempS

Géraldine Eguiluz, Michel F Côté

“Resolutely unclassifiable…” “…

intriguing…extraordinary soul of

creativity.” Géraldine Eguiluz and

Michel F Côté create mutating

collages using music that Eguiluz

recorded on cassettes in Paris in

the 1990s

This Thing Called Love

Liona Boyd

Liona Boyd invites listeners into a

lush and lyrical world that spans

genres and emotions with an

album as heartfelt as it is timeless.

Archipelago

Jonas Kocher

Across seven improvised pieces,

this work explores tension between

control and unpredictability. Rich

in contrasts, the music navigates

resonant chords, fragmented

melodies, and hypnotic repetitions—

presenting accordion anew.

18 monologues élastiques

Samuel Blaser

Blaser transforms architecture

into instrument, exploring

trombone's raw sonic possibilities

through space and echo.

Experimental yet rooted in

tradition, revealing surprising new

dimensions of mastery.


recorded by most major orchestras and many

aspiring conductors, and this new recording

must be one of the best in recent times.

Gimeno is competitive with Reiner.

There is a short, commissioned piece,

the sediments, by TSO associate composer

Emile Cecilia Lebel. This welcome work

contrasts the event-packed Bartók pieces with

calmer, sustained sonorities of complex overlaid

chords later mixed with tam-tams.

The sound has been perfectly captured

with careful microphone placement in Roy

Thompson Hall to create a resonant soundstage

with a good sense of depth and uncluttered

spatial openness. The annotations are

especially informative.

Michael Doloschell

Mahler – Symphony 9

London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir

Jurowski

LPO LPO-0139 (lpo.org.uk/recording/

mahler-nine)

! No composer

ever expressed

more turbulent

inner demons in

his music than

Gustav Mahler. In

his last completed

symphony, the

Ninth, he even

confronted his own mortality, having been

diagnosed with a life-threatening heart

condition.

The symphony’s hesitant opening phrases,

likened by Leonard Bernstein to Mahler’s

irregular heartbeat, lead to nearly half-anhour

of musical angst, struggle, nostalgia

and cataclysmic fortissimo climaxes before

ending with serene resignation. The second

movement sardonically parodies ländler

folk dances using “wrong notes” and heavyfooted

accents. The following Rondo-Burleske

frames longing lyricism with music of angry

aggression.

The extended Adagio has been called “a

foreshadowing of eternity,” its tormented

dissonances dissolving into a profoundly

moving evocation of transfiguration, comparable

to the sublime Adagios of two other

Ninths, those by Beethoven and Bruckner.The

extraordinarily drawn out closing minutes

have always suggested to me a long series of

faltering heartbeats, inexorably diminishing

until the symphony’s final note, marked

“ersterbend” (dying).

On December 3, 2022, Vladimir Jurowski

returned to London’s Royal Festival Hall to

conduct the London Philharmonic Orchestra,

having served as its principal conductor

from 2007 to 2021. In this “live” performance,

Jurowski combined intense energy

with generous rubatos, drawing superbly

balanced, massive sonorities from Mahler’s

huge orchestra, including an immense string

section – 18 first violins, 16 seconds, 14

violas, 12 cellos and 10 double-basses – while

carefully spotlighting the many beautifully

played woodwind and brass solos. Bravi

Jurowsky and the LPO!

Michael Schulman

Youth – Krása | Ancerl | Schulhoff

Krása Quartet

Supraphon ANI-145-2

(wearewarpedrecords.com/

UPC/8594211850674)

! The Praguebased

Krása

Quartet’s debut

album honours

three Czech-Jewish

victims of the Nazis,

including Hans

Krása (1899-1944),

the ensemble’s

inspiration, who was murdered in Auschwitz.

Influenced by Zemlinsky and Mahler, Krása’s

early String Quartet, Op.2 (1921) mixes lyricism,

harmonic instability and highly imaginative

part-writing, juxtaposing sonorities

from the violin’s highest register to the

cello’s lowest. The opening Moderato features

brooding, disquieted chromaticism; the

whimsically titled Prestissimo-Molto Calmo-

Volgare is a fantastical excursion through strident

dissonances and kitschy clichés; the

predominantly meditative Molto lento e tranqillo

is interrupted by an intense, far-from-

“tranquil” climax before slowly subsiding

into silence. This youthfully audacious work

contrasts markedly with Krása’s Theme with

Variations (1935-1936) which tries too hard to

please with its excessive sentimentality.

Karel Ančerl (1908-1973) survived internment

in Auschwitz, albeit with permanently

impaired health; his wife and son, however,

died there. Ančerl, the Czech Philharmonic’s

artistic director (1950-1968), emigrated after

the Soviet invasion, becoming the Toronto

Symphony’s music director from 1969 until

his death. His robust Two Fugues (ca.1926-

1927), brief student exercises, suggest Ančerl’s

compositional potential before he opted

instead for the baton.

Erwin Schulhoff (1894-1942), who died

of tuberculosis while interned at Wälzburg,

embraced diverse styles including jazz and

musical Dadaism – his absurdist, silent

piano piece In Futurum, consisting solely

of rests, possibly inspired John Cage’s 4’33”.

The young Schulhoff’s five-movement

Divertimento (1914) alternates cheerful and

melancholy folk-flavoured melodies. It’s an

appealing work, but the real gem here is

Krása’s boldly ingenious String Quartet.

Michael Schulman

The Korngold Collection

Pacifica Quartet; Orion Weiss; Milena

Pajaro van de Stadt; Eric Kim

Cedille CDR 90000 240 (cedillerecords.

org/albums/the-korngold-collection)

! Having created a

legacy of gorgeous

operatic and instrumental

works,

including four of

the five pieces in

this two-CD set,

Erich Wolfgang

Korngold fled

Austria in 1938, just ahead of the Nazi

Anschluss, to flourish anew as a Hollywood

film composer.

Beauties abound in this album’s nearly

two-and-a-half hours of music. In the richlytextured

String Sextet in D Major, Op.10 by

the teenaged Korngold, two joyously surging

movements frame the moody Adagio and

the Intermezzo’s charming Viennese waltz.

Korngold’s signature combination of longlined,

achingly beautiful melodies and jaunty

cheerfulness illuminate his Piano Quintet in

E Major, Op.15 (incorporating themes from

his song cycle Lieder des Abschieds) and

his pre-Hollywood string quartets, No.1 in A

Major, Op.16 and No.2 in E-Flat Major, Op.26.

As with his other final masterworks – the

much-loved Violin Concerto and still underperformed

Symphony – Korngold drew from

his film scores for his String Quartet No.3 in

D Major, Op.34. The Trio of the spiky Scherzo

uses a nostalgia-laden theme from Between

Two Worlds, the tender slow movement is

based on The Sea Wolf’s haunting love music,

and the bumptious Finale features a lighthearted

tune from Deception.

Strangely, despite their loveliness, these five

works are seldom heard in the concert hall.

Bravi, then, to the Pacifica Quartet, quartetin-residence

at Indiana University, pianist

Orion Weiss, violist Milena Pájaro-van de

Stadt and cellist Eric Kim for their stirring

performances that should help bring these

unjustly neglected works to a wider audience.

Michael Schulman

Tulevaisuus

Mackenzie Melemed

Bright Shiny Things BSTC-0227

(brightshiny.ninja/tulevaisuus)

! Finnish

for “future,”

Tulevaisuus is the

title of an engaging

and moving recital

of music from

the 18th to the

21st centuries by

American pianist

Mackenzie Melemed. A disparate combination

of music at first glance, Melemed pairs

works from the classical canon by Bach, Liszt,

and Brahms with contemporary works that


respond to these older works.

Melemed employs a wide range of tone

colour for Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in B-flat

Minor (from book one of the Well-Tempered

Clavier). His beautiful control of textures and

contrasts in the following Prelude and Fugue

by Stephen Hough is proof that this music is

effective even in hands other than Hough’s

own. Not linked by title alone, Hough’s

fugue features a sudden re-appearance of

the opening motif from Bach’s prelude at its

climax. Liszt’s Funérailles is suitably dramatic

and brooding, if lighter in texture than

normally heard. Laura Kaminsky’s Threnody…

October 2024 follows with dramatic use of

sonority and a bell-like resonance which

recalls Liszt’s own dramatically tolling work.

In Brahms’ early Variations on a Theme by

Schumann, Melemed gives a performance

of sombre lyricism, a mood that continues

in Avner Dorman’s Lament and Variations,

which quotes directly from the Brahms in

the course of an emotional arc that ranges

from sorrow to resilience, and concludes in

peaceful stillness.

Drawing these works together is an overall

mood of elegiac reflection. Liszt’s Funérailles

was inspired by the failed Hungarian

Revolution of 1848, Brahms’ variations were

composed in the aftermath of Schumann’s

attempted suicide by drowning, Dorman’s

work is dedicated to the victims of the

October 2023 attack in Israel, and Kaminsky’s

Threnody was written in response to the

incessant conflict of our present time.

Stephen Runge

MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY

Bow & Brush – 12 Scores of Nadina Tandy

Stefan Smulovitz

Redshift Records TK548

(stefansmulovitz.ca)

! Vancouver multiinstrumentalist

and

technology artist

Stefan Smulovitz is

known throughout

the west-coast as a

diverse musician,

collaborator and

organiser, and founder of the ensemble Eye of

Newt, a group creating live scores to enduring

movies. Inspired by a series of painted images

from visual artist Nadina Tandy designed

to be interpreted musically, Smulovitz has

released his first album Bow & Brush: 12

Scores of Nadina Tandy. Using his diverse

experiences as a multi-disciplinary artist,

violist, sound artist, electronic creator and

improvisor, as well as the creator of his own

software Kenaxis, Smulovitz gathers together

a full album from what was originally a single

commission from Vancouver New Music’s

One Page Scores program (visual artists were

invited to create a one-page visual score to

be interpreted by a partnered musician).

Smulovitz went on to commission 11 further

visual scores from Tandy to create this album.

Suffused with electronic extensions and

additional soundscapes, Smulovitz expands

his colours and expressions into multitudes

of hues and textures from various

sources: playing acoustic violin, viola and

bass, with the addition of Dvina, Enner, Lyra,

Noon, Perkons, Waterphone, gongs, and

layers of electronic treatments and instruments.

The result is a cinematic audioscape

one might describe as “ambient grunge.” The

album comes with a booklet of Vancouverborn

Tandy’s abstract paintings, which may

enhance the listening experience and are

worthy on their own. My favourite track is

Maple Seed Pods, a slow, grounded course of

water drifting out to a wide expanse of light.

Cheryl Ockrant

From Dusk Till Dawn

Dobrochna Zubek; Caitlin Boyle

Redshift Records TK 570

(redshiftmusicsociety.bandcamp.com/

album/from-dusk-till-dawn)

! Hamilton-based

violist Caitlin Boyle

and Toronto-based

cellist Dobrochna

Zubek collaborate

in 13 short

pieces, most of

them composed

for this pairing of

instruments.

Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979) was herself

a virtuoso violist; her Viola Sonata ranks

among today’s most-often performed, alongside

the two by Brahms. Her Two Pieces,

Lullaby and Grotesque, are respectively

dreamy and mischievously brusque.

Before joining the modernist avant-garde,

Witold Lutosławski (1913-1994) drew inspiration

from traditional Polish folk melodies

and dances, as heard in the five miniature

pieces that make up his Bucolics for piano,

here arranged by Boyle and Zubek. The

fourth, a soulful, songful Andantino, is especially

lovely.

The engaging pizzicato-dominated

Limestone & Felt by American Caroline Shaw

(b.1982) begins with unpredictable dancing

syncopations before shifting to sustained,

slow, pensive pulsations. (The title, writes

Shaw, refers to hard and soft surfaces.)

In the duo’s arrangement, Song of Ophelia

from Seven Verses of Alexander Blok, Op.127

by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975), originally

written for soprano Galina Vishnevskaya

and her husband, cellist Mstislav

Rostropovich, retains its haunting sense of

sorrowful plaintiveness.

The Break of Dawn by the cellist’s father,

Andrzej Zubek (b.1948), progresses gradually

from darkness to light, encountering subtle

touches of Gershwin and Viennese waltz

along the way.

A moody Prelude, sprightly Gavotte and

warm-hearted Berceuse from Eight Pieces,

Op.39 by Reinhold Glière (1875-1956) end this

entertaining disc. Lasting only 33 minutes,

the CD left me wanting much more entertainment

from this very talented pair of

musicians.

Michael Schulman

Thomas Adès – The Exterminating Angel

Symphony; Violin Concerto

Leila Josefowicz; Minnesota Orchestra;

Thomas Sondergard

Pentatone PCT 5187 487 (pentatonemusic.

com/product/ades-the-exterminatingangel-symphony-violin-concerto)

! Thomas Adès has

had one of the more

successful compositional

careers in

England for at least

25 years now, with

compositions in all

forms, including

three operas. He has

written many orchestral pieces in unconventional

forms, and his style seems unpredictable,

but always holds the attention with

surprising musical gambits and constantly

spectacular and very personal orchestration.

The Violin Concerto from 2005 has now

been recorded at least three times, including

an out-of-print EMI disc by violinist Anthony

Marwood with the composer at the podium.

This latest production, featuring the highoctane

Canadian-born Leila Josephowicz

accompanied by the under recorded

Minnesota Orchestra with their new chef

Thomas Søndergård, offers the most compelling

treatment. Slightly faster, this performance

fulfills the stratospheric demands of the

score which are handled with quicksilver

dexterity and a deft expertise by both soloist

and orchestra.

The main work here is the debut recording

of the symphony Adès has extracted from his

last, phantasmagorical opera, commissioned

by the Met: The Exterminating Angel inspired

by the eponymous surrealist film by Louis

Buñuel. This symphony provides a sampling

of some of the tumultuous music from the

opera. The first two movements are derived

from the restless orchestral background score

which evades and overwhelms the listener.

The last movement ends up as an almost

wild waltz. The orchestral performance and

recording here are focussed and very clear in

the orchestra’s famous unobtrusive acoustic.

This enterprising, very successful disc heralds

Pentatone’s arrival to record this group and

their new conductor in the cleanest most

direct sound. May they continue with the

enterprising repertoire.

Michael Doloschell


Prophecy: Tüür; Korvits; Vasks

Ksenija Sidorova; Estonian Festival

Orchestra; Paavo Järvi

Alpha Classics ALPHA1198 (outhere-music.

com/en/albums/prophecy)

! Prophecy,

performed

by renowned

Estonian conductor

Paavo Järvi and

his Estonian

Festival Orchestra

comprised of his

handpicked musicians,

and Latvian solo accordion superstar

Ksenija Sidorova, who has collaborated with

Järvi for over ten years, pays tribute to Baltic

Estonian and Latvian music.

Prophecy (2007) by Erkki-Sven Tüür for

accordion and orchestra, a work in four

movements played without pauses, explores

the concept of the Seer, a person who can

see the future but is often despised by the

society in which they live. The opening has

the orchestral holding slow soft notes and

building in volume, then soft again, blending

with Sidorova’s virtuosic accordion playing.

An accordion bellows shake creates dramatic

rhythmic sense with loud orchestra playing.

Tõnu Kõrvits’ four movement Dances

(2024) opens with I. Darkness containing

quiet held notes on the accordion to short

silence to contemporary dance flavoured

full orchestral crescendo and upfront accordion.

Closing full “band” decrescendo to soft

accordion is breathtaking. II.Passacaglia is

serious with big volume changes. Accessible

sounds in III.Siciliana. Closing IV. Sarabande

is loud with orchestra, percussion and accordion

rhythmic lines to unexpected accented

closing. Pēteris Vasks’ The Fruit of Silence

(2007), inspired by a prayer by Mother Teresa,

is arranged by George Morton for accordion,

vibraphone and string orchestra. Sidorova’s

beautiful musical high single note melody

followed by vibraphone solo, and orchestral

and accordion accompaniments are

mellow, calming and reassuring. These

two works were performed live in Toronto

with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra,

Järvi and Sidorova October 31 through

November 2, 2025.

Järvi’s passionate conducting draws out

tight orchestral and accordion performances

in this clearly recorded release with

contrasting blasting and subtle sounds. Hästi

tehtud -- well done!

Tiina Kiik

Arid Landscapes

Noah Franche-Nolan; Dan Pitt

Signal Chain Records SC001

(aridlandscapes.bandcamp.com/album/

arid-landscapes)

! As a fan of

Toronto jazz

guitarist Dan

Pitt’s minimalist

solo album

Monochrome: Songs

For Travel, I was

richly rewarded by

his new duo’s debut

album Arid Landscapes with Vancouver

pianist Noah Franche-Nolan. Ten tracks of

deep explorations into expressive treatments

of both instruments unfurl delicate nuances

of artistry; the resulting partnership is so

immersive I found myself at times forgetting

I was listening. It’s not clear how much of the

music is written vs improvised (my hunch is

a lot of both). As with many creative partnerships

during the COVID era the pair began by

exchanging recordings online before meeting

up in person, adding electronics both live and

in post-production. The resulting project is a

warm and enveloping creative journal leaning

at times toward textural soundscapes, blossoming

into a beautifully sparkling album I

could not put down.

I love the pairing of acoustic piano and

guitar delays in the fantastical explorations

of RTMK. Weathered could be a soundtrack

for a moon-landing, feeling spontaneous yet

grounded in harmonic notes and textures

of the guitar’s reverse delays with acoustic

piano. Summerhill‘s supremely subtle shifts

in tones might be my favourite track of the

album, along with the shimmering closer The

Optimist.

I’m inspired by players who have so much

trust in each’s skill and alignment that it

shows in their patience in each other, giving

time for the development and refining of each

idea. This was beautifully supported by the

mastering by François Houle, keeping the

authenticity of the duo’s intertwining electroacoustic

rhythms and acoustic explorations

perfectly balanced while ensuring the buoyancy

and liveliness of this new project is clean

and fresh.

Cheryl Ockrant

JAZZ AND IMPROVISED

Caity Gyorgy With Strings

Caity Gyorgy; various artists

La Reserve Records (caitygyorgy.

bandcamp.com/album/caity-gyorgy-withstrings-arranged-and-conducted-by-marklimacher)

! Back in the

heyday of popular

singers like Frank

Sinatra and Nat

King Cole it was

standard practice

for record

labels to release

albums for their

artists every year or

even multiple times a year. (Fun fact: Doris

Day recorded more than 650 songs from 1947

to 1967.) And these weren’t thrown together

bare bones records – they were fully orchestrated

and replete with horns, woodwinds

and strings. Caity Gyorgy is throwing back to

that time with this latest release (her sixth in

about as many years) and she references that

era in her liner notes, saying how labels used

to “crank ‘em out.”

But this sounds like anything but a rushed

job, with its beautiful production and full

orchestra on each track. All ten songs are

original and penned by Gyorgy and Mark

Limacher or by Gyorgy alone. Most of the

songs clock in around the three-minute mark,

and there’s no soloing to speak of, and that

all adds to the nostalgic feel of the album and

puts it more in the crooner category than jazz.

Limacher’s gorgeous arrangements give the

record a generally upbeat tone, despite some

quite poignant lyrics from Gyorgy, and on

several of the tunes the orchestrations really

take centre stage.

Standout tracks for me are Gyorgy’s

own Next Time and There Goes, and the

collaboration That Doesn’t Matter where

the melody is the star and the arrangements

complement and support it. Overall,

this record is quite an accomplishment and

Gyorgy and Limacher should be very proud.

Bonus: the cocktail recipes included in the

liner notes are a lot of fun!

Cathy Riches

Murmurations

Kate Wyatt Trio

Independent (katewyatt.bandcamp.com/

album/murmurations)

! It’s truly

beautiful when you

can almost hear an

artist’s thoughts

unfolding within

their compositions.

Pianist and

composer Kate

Wyatt’s latest


release takes influence from nature, specifically

the murmuration of starlings, an elaborate,

unifying behaviour. It unfolds like a

living organism, constantly shifting shape

while maintaining an inner logic.

The album captures the beauty of collective

motion – ideas circling, separating, and

reconvening – without ever losing its sense

of purpose. All pieces are penned by the

members of the trio; Wyatt, bassist Adrian

Vedady and drummer Louis-Vincent Hamel.

Central to the album are Wyatt’s piano

melodies, agile and conversational. She lets

the phrases breathe and take on a life of

their own. Vedady and Hamel round out

the compositions perfectly, encouraging

the music to soar to new heights. Instead of

spotlighting virtuosity for its own sake, the

record emphasizes interaction.

Coming back to the concept of murmuration,

the music has a communal feel to

it, shaped by trust and a shared curiosity.

The trio feels as if it’s truly breathing as one

being, ebbing and flowing as nature does,

progressing through the pieces together.

Sonically, a satisfying balance between

warmth and clarity is achieved, with each

note and nuance crystal clear, bringing the

emotion and feeling within the music to the

forefront.

Murmurations is thoughtful, elegant, and

quietly adventurous, reflecting a mature

artistic voice confident enough to let the

music evolve naturally, on its own terms, with

utmost grace.

Kati Kiilaspea

Haunted Melody

Peter Campbell; Various artists (including

Kevin Turcotte; Bill McBirnie; Adrean

Farrugia et al)

Independent (petercampbellmusic.com/

music)

! A good album

is characterized

by many different

elements, one of

them being when it

manages to transport

us into the

mind and deepest

feelings of the

musician. American

Canadian vocalist and producer Peter

Campbell’s fourth release is just that – an

emotionally charged musical journey where

all is bared to the listener. Built on introspection

rather than spectacle, the record

feels intimate and deliberately restrained,

inviting the listener into a quiet, vulnerable

space. It lingers long after the final note

fades, like the echo of a song drifting down an

empty hallway.

Campbell has been influenced by Brazilian

and Portuguese music on this album which

featurest three pieces by Brazilian composers.

This influence is especially prevalent in a

tune like Lost in a Summer Night, where a

soft, reverberant guitar melody is layered

over bossa nova rhythms and keyboards

shimmering faintly in the background. The

arrangements throughout the record leave

plenty of breathing room for the music and

emotions to play out in their own ways,

nothing feels rushed. One of the most satisfying

aspects is the amount of warmth and

space that are present, perfectly conveyed

by Campbell’s emotionally direct, beautiful

vocals, adding just the right amount of reflection

to the tunes.

This album is for late nights, quiet rooms

and listeners willing to listen beginning to

end. In embracing subtlety and sincerity,

Campbell delivers a haunting, thoughtful

work that resonates precisely because it

refuses to shout.

Kati Kiilaspea

Grant Stewart – Next Spring

Grant Stewart; Tardo Hammer; Paul

Sikivie; Phil Stewart

Cellar Music CMF110223

(grantstewartjazz.bandcamp.com/album/

next-spring)

! Toronto-born,

New York City

based Grant Stewart

is a masterful

tenor saxophonist,

composer

and producer.

Additionally, he

is the Director of

the revolutionary and free-thinking Tribeca

Jazz Institute. With over 20 CDs to his credit,

this is Stewart’s fifth album for Cory Weeds

and his impressive Cellar Live label. This well

conceived project was beautifully recorded at

the iconic and legendary Van Gelder Studios.

Stewart’s collaborators here are three of the

most refreshing and creative jazz artists on

the scene today – pianist Tardo Hammer,

bassist Paul Sikivie and (brother) Phil

Stewart on drums.

The intriguing material on the recording

includes rarely performed jazz standards, as

well as five original compositions. Stewart

was a student of the late, great Barry Harris,

and although bop and post bop modalities

are wonderfully present in Stewart’s writing

and soloing, this is a cutting edge, technically

thrilling, contemporary jazz album – rife with

emotional depth and totally devoid of any

over-trodden licks or trite modalities.

First up is Next Spring by Marvin Jenkins.

Stewart’s rich, warm tenor sound is a delight,

and the quartet is tight. Hammer takes a

dynamic solo here, not only displaying his

technical chops, but also his superb choices

and lush harmonic ideas. Sikivie and tasty,

skilled drummer Stewart are deeply locked

in, the bass solo fluid and facile. Wayne

Shorter’s immortal, Nefartiti is also stirring,

with the ensemble donning a sensual, languid

and deeply swinging motif.

A stand-out of this thoughtful programme

is Harris’ composition, Father Flanagan,

which was written in tribute to genius jazz

pianist Tommy Flanagan. Stewart’s sonorous

tenor sound, and the depth of sensitivity of

the players here is stunning. This inspired

recording is nothing short of a master class in

the art of the jazz quartet. Every note has been

created with skill, creative intention and taste.

Lesley Mitchell-Clarke

Curtains of Light

Whitney Ross-Barris; various artists

Independent (whitneyrb.bandcamp.com/

album/curtains-of-light)

! Jazz vocalist,

pianist and

composer, Whitney

Ross-Barris’ latest

recording is a

triumph of musical

genre-blending

and considerable

artistic spelunking

into the emotional

depths of the things that make us human

– including our innate ability to re-emerge

into life following adversity through love,

connection, creativity and community. A

stellar cast was assembled for this project,

including Amy Peck on saxophones, Rebecca

Hennessy on trumpet, Drew Jurecka on violin

and viola, Kevin Fox on cello, co-producer

Michael Shand on keyboards/guitar, Eric

St. Laurent on guitar, Lauren Falls on bass and

Ben Wittman on drums/percussion. All 13

compelling tracks were composed by Ross-

Barris and arranged by Shand and Jurecka.

Every offering here is like a meticulously

fashioned rare gem, but some clear highlights

include the uplifting opener Bourgeois

Reverie. Presented with a tasty horn arrangement,

this song was inspired by punitive

pandemic restrictions and is a reflective idyll

on the little niceties of life and the personal

connections that we were denied. An

engaging and soulful blues, Up in the Night

is a masterpiece of Ross-Barris’ technical

skill, style, grace and understated elegance,

supported by Shand’s B3 as well as supple,

and pure backing vocals from Alex Samaras,

Gavin Hope, Miku Graham, Mary van den

Enden and Yvette Tollar.

Other stand-outs on this unique and

delightful recording include the breathtaking,

a cappella Sunrise that boasts a superb

vocal arrangement by Ross-Barris which

seamlessly segues into There You Are, on

which Jurecka’s inspired string arrangements

are a thing of special, luminous beauty. The

closing title track is another stunning ballad,

fully realized with sumptuous strings, superb

rhythm section and ensemble work, as well as

superb and evocative vocals from Ross-Barris.


Concert Note: Whitney Ross-Barris is

featured at Niagara Jazz's Secret Salon Series

March 22, 2026 - 7-9pm (location revealed


upon ticket purchase https://niagarajazzfestival.com/events/sss-2026-9th-edition/)

Heart’s Pace

Joshua Rager Quartet

Bent River Records BRR-202503CD

(joshrager.bandcamp.com/album/

hearts-pace)

! It’s a mark of

excellence when a

recording with a

guest artist achieves

the band dynamic

of a group that’s

been together for

decades. Montreal

based pianist Josh

Rager, bassist Alec Walkington, and drummer

Rich Irwin, certainly have this lineage. The

aforementioned guest is New York guitarist

Peter Bernstein.

Heart’s Pace doesn’t go out of its way to

sound cutting edge, but it also resists any

nostalgic trappings of neo-traditional jazz.

This aesthetic makes Bernstein a perfect

guest, as he has a grounded “old school” sensibility

that he brings to 21st century playing.

Rager arranged standards like I’ve Grown

Accustomed to Her Face and Henry Mancini’s

Dreamsville in an original way, and his

original compositions hold their own alongside

these classics.

The quartet is captured beautifully at

Montreal’s legendary Studio Pierre Marchand,

a space revered by local and visiting musicians

alike. The sounds are crisp without

being sterile, which serves to further elevate

and highlight the musicians’ individual

artistry. I seldom pick “favourite” tracks when

reviewing, but Fathers and Sons encapsulates

a lot of what’s great about Heart’s Pace to me.

There is complex moving harmony, brilliantly

navigated in solos by Bernstein and Rager,

placed atop a rock-solid swing feel from

Walkington and Irwin.

Occasionally I’d like to hear a take with

longer solos by the band, but that’s a common

paradox when recording improvisatory

music. If anything, that’s just further impetus

to hear these great musicians live, and in the

meantime, give Heart’s Pace a listen!

Sam Dickinson

Concert note: Joshua Rager’s Quartet with

Peter Bernstein launches Heart’s Pace

March 20 at Upstairs Jazz in Montreal.

Words Underlined

Patrick Smith; Lowell Whitty; Dan Pitt

Lit Soc Records 001 (litsocrecords.

bandcamp.com/album/words-underlined)

! Saxophonist

Patrick Smith has

been a mainstay on

the Toronto music

scene for several

years, carving

out a creative and

sustainable niche

for himself. Words

Underlined isn’t commercial or “mainstream,”

but Smith is a consummate professional

in those worlds, influencing his more

adventurous creative playing in a positive way.

Toronto is full of great musicians, but

an easy place to get pigeon-holed. Some

“creative” players lack a visceral approach

gleaned through commercial work, while

many commercial players prioritize a well

pressed suit over the ability to improvise.

Toronto’s historically successful and respected

players (Doug Riley and Moe Koffman come

to mind) straddled that fine line, and I think

Smith is carrying that torch in his own way.

Words Underlined features Dan Pitt

on electric guitar and Lowell Whitty on

drums. This bass-less format brings to mind

drummer Paul Motian’s trio, but influenced

or not, Smith’s Words Trio sounds unique.

Pitt uses guitar effects in a tasteful way, never

over-saturating his sound. Whitty contributes

ample groove and embraces sparser moments

too. Tracks like Hazel and As Years Go By

utilize the intimate nature of the trio format,

while parts of Banff demonstrate you don’t

need a bassist to rock out.

A versatile group needs a versatile venue,

and Sellers and Newel was the perfect place

to bring this music to life. I look forward to

hearing what’s next from the Words Trio and

fledgling Lit Soc Records!

Sam Dickinson

Standard Elegance

Bill Coon

Cellar Music CMF121225 (billcoon.

bandcamp.com/album/standard-elegance)

! Bill Coon is a

Vancouver based

jazz guitarist and

composer with an

over 30-year history

playing with many

well-known jazz

artists including

Jimmy Heath, Sheila

Jordan, Bucky Pizzarelli and Hugh Fraser. He

has also performed on more than 50 recordings

and has won “Guitarist of the Year” from

the National Jazz Awards. Coon has written

works for orchestras from the National Arts

Centre, Vancouver, Norwegian Radio and Jill

Townsend, as well as big bands and small jazz

ensembles.

Coon’s multifaceted activities serve in

contrast to Standard Elegance, an exquisite

album of jazz classics played on solo guitar.

These 13 standards are treated warmly and

introspectively by Coon on electric archtop

and nylon string guitars. All the Things You

Are shows off Coon’s beautiful chord melody

skills and he also throws in some contrapuntal

lines to contrast with the melody. The

Nearness of You begins with some harmonics

and sparingly harmonized melody and then

slowly progresses through some beautifully

arpeggiated chords before ending with the

same harmonics. Here’s That Rainy Day has

some delightful combinations of arpeggiated

chords with just a hint of some bossa

nova rhythms.

Standard Elegance is both relaxing and

engaging. It is a pleasure to listen to a fine

musician displaying his craft.

Ted Parkinson

Northbound to Finch

Maria Kaushansky; Paul Gill; Anthony

Pinciotti

flat 6th records FS-1001

(mariakaushansky.com)

! This is New

York City-based

jazz pianist Maria

Kaushansky’s debut

album. She was

born in Russia,

and her family

emigrated to Israel.

In the early 1990s

they moved to Toronto when she was a young

girl, where she grew up and went to university.

All compositions are by Kaushansky here

with nine main tracks and six alternate takes,

each being her musical reflection and tribute

to growing up in Toronto. She is joined by

New Yorkers Paul Gill on bass, and the late

Anthony Pinciotti on drums.

Opening title track Northbound to

Finch is inspired by the Toronto Transit

Commission’s Finch subway station, which

was Kaushansky’s home stop. An opening

loud repeated piano melody is supported

by bass and drums. Happy ”almost home”

jazz flavoured piano lines followed by louder

sounds from the rhythm section. Sudden

soft and slow tight playing is followed by

solo piano to silence, like the station stop.

Windchill -30, Kaushansky’s music about

Toronto winters is so interesting. The solo

“low temperature” bass start, then faster

with drums, descending bass line like falling

down, and piano “shivering” trills express

Toronto’s extreme winter temperatures.

Tight trio performances and beautiful

creative playing paint a sonic portrait of

Toronto. Each listener will have their own

story based on listening to the tracks, whether

or not you are from or live in Toronto.

Kaushansky has also released a companion

album, Northbound to Finch: Music for

Ballet Class which has the compositions here


adapted for ballet exercises.

hORs TempS

Geraldine Eguiluz; Michel F. Côté

ambiences magnetiques am284

(actuellecd.com/fr/album/6813-horstemps)

Tiina Kiik

! Reversed tape

loops, strummed

micro gestures

and percussive

elements sourced

from increasingly

esoteric places

encircle something

less akin to

a pulse than some

greater subtextual unifying logic. The source

of these seemingly endless subtle sonic events

– be it primary or found – does not grab you

as much as the question of their seamless

coexistence.

This is music that journeyed quite a ways

to get here; somehow all that you are hearing

is born from the early 1990s when Géraldine

Eguiluz was in Paris, and recorded some

sounds on cassettes. Returning to one’s work

after a prolonged span of time can perhaps

come with an inherent freshness and Eguiluz

warped, molded, deconstructed, recontextualized

and eroded the sounds on these tapes

through collage which is another category

of introspective creation. Take Territoires

perdus #3 for instance, where from a handful

of vocal tracks stem harmonies that feel like

they are only attained through this medium,

as sustained breathy backgrounds envelop

heavily edited streams of gibberish, creating

a unique atmosphere of uncanniness and one

of the many inscrutably hyper specific feelings

achieved throughout this project.

Adding Michel F. Côté ostensibly adds an

entire additional process to the creative mix,

as he is another universe in himself with all

the audial information he is able to generate

through countless means. Around track five,

the “how” becomes less enthralling than

the “what.”

Yoshi Maclear Wall

Music is Life

Joe Bowden

Independent (theurbanyoda.com)

! Delightfully

infectious fusion

outing from Joe

Bowden’s ludicrously

stacked

band, every track

demands repeated

listening, just by

virtue of how

catchy the grooves are, how expertly mixed

the elements are, and how every solo is a

standout. An incredible midpoint has been

found between dazzlingly complex metrical

wizardry and fundamentally bouncy accessible

songcraft, a breath of fresh air to say the

least. This is music that works in the foreground,

works in the background (the blissful

Spacing Out is aptly named), works at work

and works when one is feeling overanalytical.

It could be said the band operates in two

different capacities throughout the album:

one being the Rich Brown iteration and one

being the Mike Downes iteration. This is a

little reductive, as other variables are not

beholden to which bass player is present,

but there is a welcome shift in sonic identity

every time one swaps in for the other.

Bowden’s drums are always driving and

propelling proceedings forth, but how the

elements of the kit synergize with Brown’s

electric and Downes’ acoustic playing is a

subtle difference that makes a world of difference

when it comes to the expressive depth of

this project. Not so coincidentally, both bassists

have absolutely showstopping solos at

various points. Other key members include

Warren Wolf (vibraphone) and Manuel Valera

(piano). Overall, this is a band that allows the

nuances in the music to speak the loudest.

Plenty of rewinding, head-shaking and

exclamations of “how did they…” will ensue.

Yoshi Maclear Wall

Impact

Steve Holt Jazz Impact Quintet

Independent IMD108 (steveholtmusic.

bandcamp.com/album/the-steve-holt-jazzimpact-quintet-impact)

! Truly brimming

with life, this

release delivers on

its album art and

audacious title

with a sound that

is not grandiose

or bombastic per

se but makes an

enduring impact on the listener. The intangibles

that come with being a great bandleader

may not necessarily be immediately

apparent in many recordings, but this one

feels like an exception. These songs have a

real, ever-present sense of direction to them,

and to say that everything about the quintet’s

approach to these tunes feels airtight would

be an understatement.

Steve Holt’s keyboard playing is very

prominent in the mix and this emphasis on

harmonic information and rhythmic interplay

serves as an anchor for everything that

ensues within these intricate compositions.

The B section of Second Voyage, when Holt

briefly doubles what Kevin Turcotte and Perry

White have in the melody, is a moment that

conveys real heft, beyond just being extremely

pretty. Meanwhile, the head of The Unveiling

is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it hail of countermelodies

and shots, with Holt’s left-hand

doubling of Duncan Hopkins’ bass pedal

feeling as essential an aspect of the piece as

anything else.

Owing to the precision and grace of the

playing, this music is always fleet-footed

(even the ballads) yet there are moments of

tenderness prevalent throughout. Again, this

album delivers on its title in a very holistic,

diverse and abundant sense.

Yoshi Maclear Wall

No Kings!

No Kings!

JACC Records 59 (jaccrecords.bandcamp.

com/album/no-kings)

! Recorded in

2022, before the

U.S. anti-Trump

No Kings protests,

the 78 minutes of

creative sounds by

this quartet exemplify

the freedom

totalitarians abhor.

Americans, tenor saxophonist John Dikeman,

bassist William Parker and percussionist

Hamid Drake, plus Portuguese trumpeter Luís

Vicente are perfectly in sync as they propel

sound variations ranging from brass portamento

and staccato triplets, the reedist’s renal

growls, elevated screams or multiphonic

shredding and powerful ambulating bass and

drum action, without one overwhelming the

others’ assertions as President Donald Trump

has done to other U.S. government branches.

Despite a mid-point tempo acceleration the

quartet vigorously maintains a steady pulse of

drum backbeats and walking bass lines. This

takes place even with unexpected interjections

from Parker’s gimbri strums or wooden

flute peeps that are matched by Vicente’s bell

shakes and bamboo flute whistles and Drake’s

frame drum vibrations. Together these interjections

neatly intensify the exposition of

stretched staccato trumpet smears and hearty

reed scoops and honks.

The group groove attained remains even

after a pause for prolonged audience applause

followed by a brief recapitulation of brass

tongue flutters and ascending reed tongue

twists. Modulating among free-form exploration

and carefully positioned narratives,

this group of No Kings! defines effective and

perceptive group interaction while metaphorically

suggesting what pre-MAGA American

democracy used to resemble.

Ken Waxman


Vibrations in the Village Live at the Village

Gate

Rahsaan Roland Kirk

Resonance Records HCD 2081

(rahsaanrolandkirklive.bandcamp.com/

album/vibrations-in-the-village-live-at-thevillage-gate)

! When Rahsaan

Roland Kirk died

after his second

major stroke at 42

in 1977, jazz lost a

major sound innovator

who was also

an unabashed

entertainer. But Kirk, who overcame the

impairments of blindness and a 1975 stroke

which forced him to play with one arm,

always performed without compromising

or condescending. Naturally ebullient, on

this 77-minute gig, he not only plays a music

store’s collection of instruments, including

tenor saxophone, stritch, manzello, flute, nose

flute, whistle and oboe, often two or three

simultaneously, but also vocalizes a sly antiracist

blues.

Although backed by Sonny Brown’s tough

backbeat drumming, Henry Grimes’ bass

pulse and three different pianists, Jane Getz,

Horace Parlan or Melvin Rhyme, who are

alternately bluesy, minimalist or highly

rhythmic, the set is rightly focused on Kirk’s

work. He creates an unsentimental, throbbing

flute version of the ballad Laura with

the same ingenuity he brings to tricky chord

and pitch changes on swift originals like

Ecclusiastics and Three For the Festival.

He dexterously appends quotes from other

tunes, playing two reeds at once, whistles for

emphasis and once duets with himself on

transverse and nose flute. He even uses the

oboe’s snarky vibrato to originate a doubletime,

nearly unaccompanied blues groove.

Recorded in 1963 at the height of Kirk’s

communicative powers, it’s easy to ignore

the occasional audience cross talk, even

when there isn’t a bass solo, to appreciate

comprehensive sounds that would never be

heard again.

Ken Waxman

POT POURRI

Ruta De La Clave

Joaquin Núñez & Habana Safari

Lula World Records LWR051A

(lulaworldrecords.ca/joaquin-nunezhabana-safari)

! Five years in

the making, noted

JUNO-winning,

Cuban-Canadian

percussionist,

composer and

producer, Joaquin

Núñez has produced

an exquisite,

contemporary Latin-Jazz recording. Núñez’s

partner here is sizzling New York City-based

Cuban pianist, Dayramir Gonzalez. All of the

superb compositions were penned by the pair,

and are a celebration of the essential heartbeat

of Afro-Jazz, the “clave” rhythm, which

can be found in nearly every Latin-Indigenous

culture positioned along the Caribbean slave

routes from West Africa.

Although incorporating motifs from a

number of Latin musics – this CD is clearly

a New York project, infused with Cuban

cultural identity, but also baptized in that

special energy, creativity and magic that can

only be found in one place. Núñez’s gifted

colleagues here, include Gonzalez on piano/

keyboards, Roberto Riveron and Paco Luviano

on bass, Alexander Brown on trumpet and

flugelhorn, Jeff King on tenor sax, Luis Deniz

on alto sax, Bill McBirnie on flute, Colleen

Allen on clarinet, Esteban Vargas on violin

and viola, and vocalists Marta Elena, Joanna

Majoko and Dyalis Núñez-Machado.

Things kick off with the incendiary

Afrocubanos, which features thrilling percussion

from Núñez, potent bop-infused horn

lines and a face-melting tenor solo by King, as

well as a ridiculous trumpet solo by Brown.

The listener takes a deep dive into Afro-

Cuban mysticism on Mi Changui, supported

by dynamic vocals and an exquisite solo from

Deniz on alto as well as a volcanic percussioninfused

coda. Other stand out tunes include

the stirring title track Ruta De La Clave,

which boasts a skilled arrangement with

plenty of Cuban flavour, and the magnificent

Una Guajira En NY (Cuban country girl

in New York), which is loaded with fine bopcentric

soloing and continued reverence to

the sacred “clave” itself!


This Thing Called Love

Liona Boyd

Moston Music 471603 (lionaboyd.com)

! Internationally

renowned, multiaward-winning

Canadian musician

Liona Boyd blends

her classical guitar

with folk, pop and

Latin music, her

singing, and song/

lyrics writing skills

here. This surprisingly memorable 14-track

release, Boyd explains, “covers” her full range

of lifetime emotional experiences. It marks

her 50-year career, which has included more

than 30 recordings.

The first two tracks are covers. The

Everly Brother’s Bye Bye Love has Boyd

singing with Mark Masri (of The Tenors) in

an upbeat rendition with guitar strums and

solos. Producer and longtime collaborator

Peter Bond’s bass supports Boyd and Srdjan

Givoje vocals in Jamaica Farewell. Two of

Boyd’s earlier collaborative compositions/

recordings are reimagined here. Gordon

Lightfoot, a tribute to the late musician’s classics,

includes Ronnie Hawkins vocals. Boyd

also revisits her collaboration with the late

Olivia Newton-John on lead and harmony

vocals, with classical instrumental touches in

Summer Dreams.

The other tracks are Boyd compositions.

My Dog (Dedicated to all animal lovers) is

a heartwarming song about pets, in duet

with Andrew Dolson, who also plays steel

string guitar here. Guitar melody phrasing

is perfect. Nice woof-woof like guitar plucks

at the ending. My Canada is a rambunctious

patriotic work featuring a full orchestra

arranged by Mark Lalarna, choirs and

numerous Canadian vocalists. Boyd passionately

expresses her personal feelings in

the instrumental This Thing Called Love, a

moving Boyd/Dolson classical guitar duet.

Introspective My Life Alone, and high-pitched

Living on Borrowed Time are heartbreaking

storytelling songs about the ups and downs of

Boyd’s life.

Thanks to this iconic artist for sharing her

personal emotions and this marvellous music.

Tiina Kiik


Something in the Air

Dedicated Musicians’

programs expand the

scope of Solo Instrumental

Expression

KEN WAXMAN

Once the preserve of virtuosi and usually limited to a few

designated instruments such as the piano and the violin, solo

concerts began featuring many more instruments in the

concert field and jazz, especially during the later half of the 20th

century. The growth of improvised music during that time bolstered

the individualized concept even further and now it’s possible to find

solo expositions for as many instruments as exist anywhere. Of

course, the idea of solo playing involves timbral enhancement, not

reduction and the sounds on these discs comprehensively reflect this

approach.

Banish any thoughts of Lawrence Welk

schmaltz or endless choruses of Peg of My

Heart from the squeeze box when contemplating

Swiss accordionist Jonas Kocher’s

Archipelago (Bruit Editions BR 17 bruitasso.bandcamp.com/album/archipelago).

Divided into seven parts, the unpredictable

improvisation slides among tempos, pitches

and emphasis as Kocher uses bellows glissandi

plus button pressure and release to outline the narrative. At

points allowing largo drones or repeated shakes to confirm the

ongoing exposition, his sudden staccato jabs or pinpointed accents

break up the sequences enough so that inserts including treble key

tension, sudden stops and pulsing almost-electronic shrills are

constantly associated. As likely to winnow chords as to ascend to

pipe-organ-like chordal augmentations, Archipelago contains its own

wood slapping percussion and responsive jiggles while maintaining

logical horizontal ambulation. Additionally, among the presto mechanized

pivots, key stops and resonating squeaks and shrills, melodic

fragments exist that harmonize enough to tone down unwarranted

stridency,

Another solo flight which has become

almost standard in the jazz-improvised

music world, especially after the pioneering

efforts of Steve Lacy, Anthony Braxton and

others in the 1960s, is the unaccompanied

saxophone session. Looms & Legends

(Pyroclastic Records PR 41 nedrothenberg.

bandcamp.com/album/looms-legends) is

American Ned Rothenberg’s solitary statement

with alto saxophone, Bb and A clarinets or shakuhachi.

Although Rothenberg ends the disc with a strained breathy version of

the jazz standard ‘Round Midnight that’s the only conventional tune

here. Instead, he moves through timbral scrutiny, study and story

telling with his reeds. Irregularly projected with tongue slaps,

bagpipe-like tremolo drones and consistent tone extensions, there are

recurrent interludes where his andante lower-pitched flutters and

shrill staccato cries advance two tandem lines with different pitches at

the same time. Meantime, for example, Fra Gile moves from squirmy

and slithery flutter tonguing to altissimo circular breathing, and then

downshifts to more dissonant but consistent linear puffs. More forcefully,

a track like, Plun Jah alternates spetrofluctuation and pinched

clarinet trills until reaching straight-ahead line extensions. Others,

including Resistance Anthem work their way horizontally with

languid balladic suggestions in advance of single alto saxophone bites

slowly ascending with taut variations. With many other instances of

circular breathing and intense clarion reed whooshes and whorls, the

key definition of Rothenberg’s ideas among the 14 tracks is the giveaway

titled Urgency. Making full use of continuous reed slurs and

slides and the timbral extensions of nearly every tone, a steady

ostinato continues at the same time that tongue, mouth and air

approaches encompass reflexive reflux. This hardens into snorts and

snarls until a combination of those textures and emphasized mouthpiece

squeaks confirms the harmonized narrative until it fades away.

If singular extemporization is a challenge for

musicians when they have bellows, buttons

and a keyboard at their disposal or multiple

woodwind keys, imagine how it is improvising

with nothing but three valves, a

manipulating slide and a body tube. But

that’s what Swiss trombonist Samuel Blaser

does on 18 monologues élastiques (Blaser

Music BMO 18 CD samuelblaser.bandcamp.

com/album/18-monologues-lastiques). Not the first to do so, and

actually his second solo disc, these monologues are even more unique.

That’s because he recorded the album while walking through multiple

acoustically-designed areas in Berlin’s famous Funkhaus studio

complex. With tracks lasting from 32 seconds to six minutes, the

building’s spatial qualities are also adapted to the creation. At points

you hear footfalls as he enters a space along with brass textures

moving from distant to close up. Sometimes trombone output reflects

the location as on Torture Room when detached mouthpiece whistles

become murmuring howls and rumbling snarls as brass metal is

rubbed against the floorboards. Grand 8 features wide gutbucket slurs

that reflect back from the walls, with here and on other tracks antiphonic

responses taking two identities, one slurry and horizontal the

other fragmented. The speedy 78 instead of 45 is double- tongued,

staccato and almost martial, as notes refract onto themselves and

slither up to prestissimo. Meanwhile La promesse de l’aube is built

around speedy glissandi that when moderated become rounded and

almost mellow, but when emphasized turn to triplets. Oddly enough

the concluding Waedamah is so linear that the mid-range and moderated

tones nearly replicate lyrical jazz standards. However brass pressure

is adumbrated on the extended Le grand numéro as the detached

slide is banged against the trombone’s body to create metallic clanks

as prestissimo yelps echo off the studio walls, then gradually thicken

and widen as they bend into subterranean tones.

There are prominent stops and pops as well

on NYAEBA (Whirlwind Recordings

WR4838 richbrown-whirlwind.bandcamp.

com), but ones only produced with thumbs

and fingers. That’s how Toronto’s Rich

Brown uses a 6-string electric bass, a

4-string semi-acoustic fretless bass and

e-bowed electric bass to define his eight

variants on solo playing. Someone who has participated in projects

with the likes of Rudresh Mahanthappa and James “Blood” Ulmer,

here he cannily matches the instrument(s)’ rhythmic and resonant

roles with textures that also resemble those from a guitar, a kalimba,

idiophones and synthesized strings. In a way NYAEBA is an updated

version of Spiritual Jazz of the 1970s, with less percussion and uneven

expositions, but pinpointed versatility. Confirming his jazz influences,

Brown plays Heart of a Lonely Woman, which incorporates Ornette

Coleman’s classic tune and bookends his elevated interpretation on

Turiyasangitananda - The Transcendental Lord’s Highest Song of

Bliss with audio clips from an interview with Alice Coltrane, known


for her transcendental music. The first has a slippery and slinky

exposition with buzzes and bumps advancing underneath the familiar

theme played on the instrument’s top strings. Reflecting instrumentally

Coltrane’s statements with a consistent meditative drone on the

latter track, Brown’s elevated finger picking projects a groove on top of

what is a vaguely eastern-leaning canon. Other tracks project folkloric

airs with chiming guitar-like elaborations in stop-start melodies

anchored by double bass-like stops. Then there are those like Nyaeba

(The Griot) and Kalagala Ebwembe where blurred fingering creates

Africanized ngoni-like frails at the same time as thick thumps

resemble a jazz bass solo. Since Brown’s soloing is eclectic, not exhibitionist,

variations throughout maintain a groove as well as melodic

extensions.

More expected but unique solo explorations

of acoustic double bass textures are on

Rumble | Rubble | Ripple (Endectomorph

Music EMM-029 andrewschiller.bandcamp.com/album/rumble-rubble-ripple)

by Boston-based academic and improviser

Andrew Schiller. Drawing on the standard

repertoire as well as diversions into folkloric,

improv and aleatoric music, Schuller’s is the

only album here that includes interpretations of familiar tunes such

as Skylark and You Must Believe in Spring. The recognizable melody

of the second is framed with adagio bowing, then with measured

nonchalance doubled and finally defined with single sul tasto strokes.

Meanwhile Skylark is introduced in triple time as the theme is deconstructed

in single notes then reprised at an even quicker pace. More

generic to his ideas, Schiller’s magnified low tones are the antithesis

of Brown’s electrified pitch leaps. Hard string stops with prestissimo

or staccato thumps bring out the instrument’s woody resonance

as processional patterns move consistently forward. Despite pivots in

tempos, speeds and intensity, light and more lyrical motifs also exist

within the improvisations. Instances of this two-pronged approach are

on Blueberry Phase and Satellite. The former is built around scouring

narrow bow work that reaches strident constriction then downshifts

to a more moderated exposition though with harsh string pulls as

a climax. Satellite on the other hand tweaks expectations by interpolating

snatches of Norwegian Wood and other lyrical stanzas in

between stop-start evolution of singular woody thumps, and introduces

a melodic reprise at the end.

These musicians have adopted various strategies to emphasize

their concepts of how to present solo sessions to their best advantage.

Rather than thinking of the results as missing timbres from

other instruments, the use of extended techniques adds textures

to solo playing which makes these sessions more productive than

reductive.


46 Stravinsky: The Soldier’s Tale Retold

& Histoire du soldat Suite

Art of Time Ensemble & Andrew Burashko

46 Kevin Lau: Kimiko's Pearl

Mariko Anraku, Conrad Chow, Ron Korb & Rachel

Mercer

49 Bach Suites

Inbal Megiddo

52 Bach: Goldberg Variations

(Arr. for Double Reed Trio by Caitlin Broms-Jacobs)

Tacamis Trio

55 From Dusk Till Dawn

Dobrochna Zubek & Caitlin Boyle

56 Caity Gyorgy with Strings

Caity Gyorgy and Mark Limacher

57 Haunted Melody

Peter Campbell

57 Curtains of Light

Whitney Ross-Barris

58 Heart's Pace

Josh Rager

58 Northbound to Finch

Maria Kaushansky

59 hORs TempS

Géraldine Eguiluz, Michel F Côté

60 This Thing Called Love

Liona Boyd

61 Archipelago

Jonas Kocher

61 18 monologues élastiques

Samuel Blaser



MIA OLYMPUS

MUSIC'S HEALING WAYS

“Watching the

excitement unfold”

A Conversation with Carol Olympus

DAVID PERLMAN

I’ve just had an invigorating back and forth exchange

with Carol Olympus after reading something he

said (in a story in a recent issue of the High Notes

Avante newsletter) about his preferred style of teaching

music. “Inclusivity and the emphasis on expression over

perfection” was how he described it.

WN: Can you say more

about this? “Excellence” as

the numero uno criterion

in the arts actually closes a

lot of doors.

CO: You’ve hit the nail on the

head! The idea of “formal music

lessons” has an inherent gatekeeping

aspect to it too, given

the problematic commodification

of music in a hypercapitalistic

world. But dial it

back a bit. It’s only in the last

500 years or so out of the last

10,000 that we’ve created this

“performer class” – virtuoso

musicians vs the audience.

No doubt it has led to some of

the most brilliant performing

musicians in history, but with

an unfortunate side effect: you

either dedicate yourself entirely to achieving that level of athleticism, or,

more often, you give up on playing music altogether.

So how does elevating the importance of expression over

perfection help?

It increases the potential for inclusivity. My aim in teaching (and in

my music therapy/music psychotherapy practice) is to make music

accessible to all. And I mean all. Almost everyone has the ability

to express themselves through music. And this is where, from my

earliest conversations with Ingrid Taheri [High Notes Avante founder]

their mission aligns perfectly with my values: to make music lessons

accessible across the socioeconomic spectrum and across intersectional

positioning.

Which translates to what in practical terms?

One: approach music theory as “descriptive” instead of “prescriptive.”

Only then can we enjoy John Cage’s First Construction (In Metal) as

much as Radio Head’s OK Computer; or A Tribe Called Quest; or one

of my students’ compositions about ice-cream, for that matter!

Two: stop looking for perfection (based on an unnatural equal

temperament-tuned sound palette); let go of our inhibitions and let

the music flow.

Three: level the playing field, remove barriers and intimidation,

and watch the excitement unfold - even my adult students and clients

become “childlike” (for lack of a better word) when it clicks.

In the story you also talk about “using music not just for entertainment,

but for healing.” And about “collaboration and curiosity”

as keys to making that happen. Where does one-on-one vs. group

instruction fit into that approach?

For me, personally, at this stage in my life, I’m keen on working

with people one-on-one or in small groups, enabling real human

connections, by using the evidence based practice of music therapy/

music psychotherapy in healing. It’s an approach that is resourceoriented

and compassionate and works for teaching as well in the

right environments.

The choice of individual sessions vs groups often arises from my

clients’ needs and goals – sometimes they transition from one to the

other and back again – it all depends. Individual sessions can help

with rehabilitation, emotional expression, finding identity, deep

trauma work, guided imagery and music, gestalt and more. Group

sessions help with social connections, bonding, catharsis in sharing

common sentiments such as grief and joy, and so on.

At Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, I help facilitate

“HB Rocks,” a community music program where children and youth

with disabilities participate in jam sessions in a supportive environment.

Initiated and guided by my mentor and clinical supervisor

Andrea Lamont, it’s going into its 11th year, fostering self-confidence,

joy and belonging, along with showcasing musical skill. I’m scheduled

to co-present this program and advocate for accessible community

music with Andrea at the World Congress of Music Therapy in Italy

later this year.

In the story you also talk about hoping to see HNA’s programs grow

in reach and recognition. Scaling up is hard to do.

Yes, hard but not hopeless. For example, in addition to providing

music lessons, High Notes also provides loaner instruments for

students who may not be able to afford to buy their own. Scaling this

up (along with advocacy, accessible learning, and expanding music for

mental health) requires both collective and systemic effort: support

from our community partners, infrastructure support, as well as

adequate funding.

Once you manage to get students on this expressive path, what’s

needed to keep them there?

Exposure to live music, for one thing. Maybe break up

Ticketmaster’s (and Live Nation’s) monopoly so it doesn’t cost a

kidney to attend a concert?! Even better, tax-payer-funded free-toattend,

child friendly, community-oriented live music that reflects the

cultural composition of the community in question. And opportunities

to showcase talent in an inclusive, supportive environment free of

judgment - no winners/awards/medals/grades/criticism.

Musicking for the fun of it.

Yes indeed! Bring back home jam sessions with a guitar or piano or

a small djembe. Make it cool to sit in the backyard and sing together

with friends and family (even off key and out of tune) to foster deep

bonding and belonging. No judgment! Catchy three-chord songs!

Play for the sheer joy of playing, without having to worry about being

note-perfect, or someone tut-tutting your lack of dynamics or going

all high brow about your skill levels. Play music you love, and enjoy it!

And rope in the parents/adults!

There’s a lot to unlearn/relearn/be educated on– for parents in

particular – about not treating music exclusively as a competitive

sport. Some will stick to that view anyway. But it shouldn’t be at

the expense of taking away their children’s autonomy and sheer joy,

which is what happens when music is only taught to achieve grades or

within a competitive or commercial mindset. And for that autonomy

and joy to thrive, music lessons need to be accessible to all.

“Expressive and inclusive.” Back to where we started.

Yes! As High Notes Avante’s anthem emphasises, “We all have a

story, everyone’s unique”.

Carol Olympus is a music therapist/psychotherapist (student

intern) and musician with an extensive background in audio engineering

and live concert production, who is passionate about working

with children, youth, and adults, and promoting music in his

community.

David Perlman can be reached at publisher@thewholenote.com.


William Fedkenheuer, Artistic Director

JULY 9 – AUGUST 1

We’ve got your

July covered!

Check out all our

offerings at the

2026 Toronto

Summer Music

Festival!

ENJOY OUR MAINSTAGE CONCERTS

LEARN ABOUT OUR ACADEMY

MEET OUR ARTISTS

Passes on sale February 27

Single tickets on sale March 13

For the full Festival

lineup, visit

tosummermusic.com

Volume 31 Issue 4 - March & April 2026

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Volume 31 Issue 4 - March & April 2026

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