Just another Saturday in Toronto?  Not really.  I was at two shows/events a few blocks apart; one in the morning, one in the evening, and the experiences were very different.  In the morning I was at Roy Thomson Hall for a “conducting masterclass” under the auspices of the Women in Musical Leadership programme.  I don’t think such events are at all common and it was certainly a first for me.  The set up was that four young women conductors (Maria Fuller, Jennifer Tung, Naomi Woo and Juliane Gallant) got to rehearse the TSO in standard repertoire with principal conductor Gustavo Gimeno providing feedback and suggestions.  Two of the ladies worked on Brahms’ First Symphony and the other two on Tchaikovsky’s Fifth. Continue reading →