How much do Opera York fans believe in their opera company? They turn out even though there is a snow storm out there! They arrive maybe late, but they arrive! They would not miss one offering of their opera company.

If the show must go on it must have an audience and artists to perform, of course! No one is as dedicated as artists who have committed to do a show. Come snow or high winds and water, they turn up despite all sorts of impossible conditions. As the curtain went up the house, even though sold out, was only half full. After intermission, when the curtain went up again the performers saw a full house! This was the case on the day Don Giovanni was playing in the Markham theatre. Already plagued with changes in singers, musicians due to sudden illnesses, there were 2 replacements, it all worked out very well. Geoffrey Buttler as artistic Director and conductor managed to lead the orchestra and artist confidently through the evening and it was later said that they all sparkled! The founders of the company, Joan Sax and Philip A. Trow were very proud of their company at the end of this run and are looking forward to next season after an April fundraiser , seniors concerts and school seminars. The next season will be prepared and is in fact already in the make.

A Master Class

It has been known that when Chick Corea comes to town the musicians, pianist, singers and fans of all sort of music stylings turn out to fill the hall, in this case Massey Hall, to listen, learn and steal. Always coming with a new offering, a new mix of musicians, a different band and style, this time Toronto was in for a treat: He came alone. He sat there alone with this huge piano on the big stage, chatting about his love for music, and he shared some of his experiences. The audience had the feeling that he was making up the program as he went along and that might well be very true. Perhaps some parts were planned, more or less, because he had to have occasionally, but just very occasionally, probably for a quick glance of one eye, ok - both, some sheet music, which he placed on a homemade music stand (made for him in Japan by some guys) that would not interrupt the flow and his ability to pluck cords behind the keyboard.

And he played like a god for the entire evening with only an intermission to have the piano retuned. There were a few people that left early; perhaps they did not expect what they got. But there were even people that did not entirely dig his kind of music, yet they were full of admiration for the skill alone that went into memorizing and playing these immensely difficult pieces of all sorts of composers of jazz in all its many different forms and fusions. Especially the children’s songs of his own composition were a huge success, which is not surprising because they emulated exactly the way children would explore a piano and sound at different ages. First they were simple and unassuming and then they became more complex and rich.

Chick Corea said that he only gives about one performance a year as a solo performer. We can call ourselves fortunate indeed to have been privy to this treat!

The standing ovation that followed at the end of the concert prompted another piece as a "Zugabe" and was also received with a grateful heart by an audience that could have sat all night and listened to the master give a lesson in music composition and interpretation, a master class!

Sybille Forster-Rentmeister