Mezzo-soprano Beste Kalender and pianist Rachel Andrist are performing on line on Tuesday evening (March 24th) at 8.30pm (Toronto time). The recital is titled A Spring Recital: From Venice to Constantinople and will feature music by F. Santoliquido, R. Hahn, G. Faure, H. Berlioz, Komitas and various Turkish composers. Recording will be by Ryan Harper Recordings.
The stream will be posted on Beste’s channel on YouTube at 8.30pm and should be up for a week or so for people in other time zones.
Here’s another chance to hear some “live” music by local artists. Tongue in Cheek Productions are starting a series of webstreamed shows called Arts Anyway in support of artists impacted by the current Covid 19 situation. The first show will go up at 7pm on Sunday evening (tomorrow) with further shows planned to be twice weekly. The initial offering will feature performances by tenor Jaques Arsenault, soprano Jennifer Routhier and pianist Natasha Fransblow as well as interviews and news items. The show will be uploaded to their YouTube channel.
The following just in from Tapestry concerning Saturday night’s livestream of Songbook X.
Although we were heartbroken to cancel, we are thrilled to announce that our headlining artists have agreed to change tack and perform a full recital, streaming for free: Songbook X: Krisztina Szabó and Chris Foley in Livestream Concert – hosted by Michael Hidetoshi Mori, streaming live on our Youtube channel on Saturday, March 21st at 8:00PM.
Krisztina Szabó, mezzo-soprano, will be performing Tapestry selections and other select opera and art song, accompanied by Chris Foley, collaborative pianist, on our fabulous Bösendorfer Imperial Grand Piano. The performance will be free for all to watch, no matter where in the world.
Let’s see if we can make this the biggest Tapestry gig ever!
For Toronto peeps… In case you weren’t aware of it the Toronto Public Library offers free on-line access to Medici TV with its catalogue of opera and concerts. Obviously you need a library card to sign in but the url is https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMEDB0204&R=EDB0204
Yesterday I received seven assorted emails about cancellations in Toronto plus news from the Metropolitan Opera. Essentially all the major orchestras and music theatre organisations in Toronto are shuttered until at least the end of the month. Events are also being called off elsewhere so check your location situation. Here’s a quick run down:
More news when I have any…. Stay safe!
Toronto Summer music has announced the line up (most of it anyway) for this year’s edition on the theme “Beethoven Unleashed”; it being the 250th and so on. The theme has been interpreted to mean Beethoven; those who influenced him and those he influenced, which really doesn’t exclude anybody!
The 5th Annual Toronto Bach Festival will take place from May 29th to 31st. All the details are at www.TorontoBachFestival.org. The big event is a performance of the B minor Mass on the 31st at 4pm at Eastminster United Church on the Danforth. The line up of soloists is quite impressive; Hélène Brunet, Ellen McAteer, Daniel Taylor, Charles Daniels and Joel Allison. They will be joined by a small choir and period instrument ensemble. John Butt conducts. In addition there’s a line up of recitals, concerts and lectures.
Not noticed by me when posting a week or so ago….
Toronto Operetta Theatre are doing that infernal nonsense Pinafore. It’s at the St. Lawrence Centre on March 4th, 6th and 7th at 8pm and 8th at 2.30pm. It’s a nice looking cast includingb Ryan Downey, Bradley Christensen and Holly Chaplin. Derek Bates conducts.
On the 27th the Exultate Chamber Singers are doing Brahms’ German Requiem in the four hands piano version. Pianists are Mira Jung and Elaine Choi while the soloists are baritone, Parker Clements, and soprano, Julia Frodyma, It’s at the rather lovely St. Thomas’ Anglican Church on Huron Street at 8pm.
March is looking a bit thin right now. Both UoT Opera and the Glenn Gould School have shows though. From the 12th to the 15th in the MacMilan Theatre (7.30pm, Sunday 2.30pm) the university is doing Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park in a production by Tim Albery. I’m not familiar with this work but generally I’ve been very impressed with Dove’s vocal music. Casting etc is here. On the 18th and 20th the GGS is putting on Ravel’s L’heure espagnole and Puccini’s Suor Angelica which is certainly an unusual pairing. The double bill plays at Koerner Hall at 7.30pm. Casting and creative team details are here. UoT also have a show on the 27th at 5pm in Walter Hall called Parlami d’Amore. In non university gigs, Tapestry Songbook X is at the Ernest Balmer Studio on the 20th at 8pm.
In free events there are a couple of noon hour concerts in the RBA. On the 17th the Ensemble Studio have a March Break “Opera for All Ages” concert and on the 31st transgender soprano Brianna Sinclair is appearing. And of course there’s Opera Pub in its usual time and place on the 5th.
My predictions were rubbish but we’ll come back to that. There are two new productions in the upcoming season; Parsifal, which had already been announced and Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová in a David Alden production with Amanda Majeski in the title role. This is great. It’s been far too long since Janáček featured at the COC.
