Music At Sharon

Highly Acclaimed MUSIC AT SHARON CONCERT SERIES Returns To SHARON TEMPLE This Summer With Five Exceptional Sunday Concerts Beginning JUNE 7

Tickets on Sale TODAY!

TORONTO – The critically acclaimed MUSIC AT SHARON concert series returns this summer with another spectacular line up of internationally renowned artists. Set at the historic Sharon Temple, one of Canada’s most beloved venues, music aficionados will have the rare opportunity to enjoy a personal interplay with some of the world’s finest musical artists. The third annual series will debut on June 7^th with the dynamic Russian pianist Nikolai Demidenko, and continues through July 5^th with celebrated Canadian artists Anton Kuerti, piano; the Elmer Iseler Singers; mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó, and The Nathaniel Dett Chorale. The comprehensive programme offers patrons the chance to enjoy diverse musical styles and interpretations, within the unique architecture of Sharon Temple and its idyllic setting.

"Music at Sharon is a very special concert series designed to integrate the historic and pastoral environment at Sharon with music that one would rarely have the chance to enjoy in such a relaxed and intimate context," said Artistic Director Stephen Cera. "We are incredibly fortunate to be able to share these distinctive programmes designed by some of the world’s truly exceptional artists."

Demidenko, called one of "the most physically powerful pianists around," by The Guardian brings an all-Romantic programme featuring beloved works by Schumann and Chopin to open the series. The brilliant Canadian pianist Anton Kuerti will offer concert-goers personal insights into Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations prior to his performance of that work, while the Elmer Iseler singers will celebrate Canadian composition singing Peter Togni’s beautiful Lamentations of Jeremiah and John Beckwith’s Sharon Fragments. Hungarian-Canadian Mezzo Soprano Krisztina Szabó’s will highlight a robust repertoire of folk works by Britten, Mahler, Kodály, de Falla, Ravel and Godfrey Ridout. The series comes full circle with the Nathaniel Dett Chorale’s triumphant return to Sharon with "Songs of Uplift" featuring the inspiring sounds of one of Canada’s best-loved choral groups.

2009 MUSIC AT SHARON CONCERT SERIES HIGHLIGHTS

Music at Sharon consists of a series of concerts on five consecutive Sunday afternoons beginning June 7, 2009. Featuring renowned Canadian and international artists, the programmes provide concert-goers a chance to enjoy a variety of musical styles, presented in a beautiful, acoustically rich setting.

June 7, 2009

Nikolai Demidenko, piano
Music At Sharon Opening Concert
Schumann
Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Opus 26 (Carnival Jest from Vienna)
Carnaval, Opus 9
Chopin
24 Preludes, Opus 28

June 14, 2009

Anton Kuerti, piano
Haydn
Piano Sonata in E-flat, Hob. XVI: 52
Mendelssohn
Fantaisie in F-sharp minor, Opus 28
Beethoven
33 Variations on a Waltz by Anton Diabelli, Opus 120

June 21, 2009

Elmer Iseler Singers　 Lydia Adams, conductor &
Jeff Reilly, bass clarinet
Peter Togni
Lamentations of Jeremiah
Isaac Watts and John Wesely
Old 100^th
John Beckwith
Sharon Fragments
Eric Whitacre
When David Heard

June 28, 2009

Krisztina Szabó, mezzo soprano
Programme will include works by Britten, Mahler, Kodály, de Falla, Ravel and Godfrey Ridout.

July 5, 2009

The Nathaniel Dett Chorale, Brainerd Blyden-Taylor, conductor
Songs of Uplift

Sharon Temple National Historic Site and Museum is located at 18974 Leslie Street in Sharon, Ontario; an easy drive approximately 30 minutes north of Toronto near the Northern terminus of Hwy 404. Directions can be accessed at www.sharontemple.ca

TICKET INFORMATION

All concerts begin at 3pm and concert-goers are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy a picnic on the spacious lawns, savour the tranquil setting and historic guided tours. Tickets are available by calling the Toronto Symphony Orchestra Customer Service Centre at 416-597-7840 Monday to Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

**Seating is limited to 230 patrons**

A subscription to all five concerts is $195, or flexible three-concert packages are available for $126. Single tickets to the first four concerts are available for $45 each. Single tickets to the July 5^th closing concert are $50 each.

Note: Artists and programmes are subject to change.

ABOUT SHARON TEMPLE

A national historic site, the Sharon Temple of the Children of Peace was built from 1825-1831 by a group of former Quakers who called themselves the Children of Peace. The Temple was designed to represent their vision of a society based on the values of peace, equality and social justice. The annual summer concert series was founded to celebrate the Temple’s 150^th anniversary and lasted initially from 1981-1990. Audiences will once again have the opportunity to experience the musical delights of this intimate and charming 230 seat venue set in a pastoral environment.