News just in that Tapestry Opera have acquired a 9.5-foot  Imperial Bösendorfer 290 Concert Grand Piano, courtesy of a gift from Clarence Byrd and Ida Chen.  This beast is valued at $225,000 so it’s quite a gift.  One could buy an apartment for that, though in the Distillery it might be smaller than the piano.  To inaugurate the instrument and celebrate its public debut, Tapestry Opera will present two concerts on the evening of October 25th to benefit disaster relief efforts around the world, specifically those underway in Puerto Rico, Dominica, Mexico and India. All proceeds will be donated to Medecins san Frontieres (Operaramblings’ charity of choice) and Global Medic, who are working to rescue, support and rebuild the lives of millions affected by recent extreme weather events.

The first concert will be a performance of favourite arias and scenes, including selections from musical theatre. Featuring soprano Simone Osborne, mezzo-soprano Erica Iris Huang, tenors Asitha Tennekoon and Keith Klassen, baritone Alexander Hajek and others, the two-hour concert will take place at 7 p.m., with tickets priced at $30.

A late-night concert of piano greats presented by Yamaha Canada will follow at 10:00 p.m., featuring jazz legend Robi Botos and classical concert virtuoso Younggun Kim. This concert will mark the first opportunity to hear two of Toronto’s most gifted pianists grace the Imperial Bösendorfer. Tickets are also $30.

Tickets for both performances are available at www.tapestryopera.com.