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THE manhattan transfer and john mcdermott
celebrate the holidays,
simone dinnerstein plays bach,
Leila josefowicz MAKES HER CONSERVATORY debut,
Operatic voices SOAR, AND MUCH MORE
aspecTs of oscar SERIES continueS with mccoy tyner
The Royal Conservatory offers the perfect antidote to the busy holiday season in
December, with a variety of concerts in its three beautiful
venues: Koerner Hall, Mazzoleni Concert Hall in
historic Ihnatowycz Hall, and Conservatory Theatre.
International and Canadian artists, as well as the
Conservatory’s very own students, take the edge off Christmas
stress, and holiday shopping is made extra easy by purchasing
The Royal Conservatory Gift Cards, available in any denomination.
The first of the Koerner Hall concerts, on December 10,
features virtuoso Canadian violinist Leila Josefowicz.
Known for being a strong advocate of new music, she plays
Conversio, a minimalist piece by Erkki-Sven Tüür, one of the
leading composers from the Baltic states, as well as better
known works by Brahms (Scherzo in C Minor for Violin and Piano
(Sonatensatz), WoO 2), Shostakovich (Sonata for Violin and
Piano, Op. 13), Stravinsky (Duo concertant), and Schubert
(Rondo for Violin and Piano in B Minor, D. 895, Op. 70 “Rondeau
brilliant”). Prior to her concert in the evening, Ms. Josefowicz
conducts a master class for The Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould
School students. The other virtuoso, who is returning to Koerner
Hall on December 12 after making her debut with Absolute
Ensemble during the 2009.10 inaugural season, is the American
pianist Simone Dinnerstein. As part of the Invesco
Trimark Piano Series, she demonstrates why her recording of
Bach’s Goldberg Variations made her a superstar. Ms.
Dinnerstein will perform the Variations, a piece for
which the Conservatory’s most famous graduate – Glenn Gould –
was renowned, on Koerner Hall’s wonderful Hamburg Steinway.
Aspects of Oscar series continues with Oscar Solo on
December 11 featuring two powerhouse pianists, McCoy
Tyner and Alfredo Rodríguez, as they celebrate the
legacy of the great Oscar Peterson. Mr. Tyner, who rose to fame
as John Coltrane’s first chair pianist, is joined by the young
rising Cuban star, Mr. Rodríguez, discovered and recorded by
music producer Quincy Jones. Mr. Rodríguez has played to
capacity crowds at major U.S. jazz festivals and, most recently,
he and Mr. Jones co-wrote Better City, Better Life, which
was chosen to be the official theme song of the 2010 Shanghai
World Expo.
Jazz vocalese group The Manhattan Transfer, on
December 17, and Scottish-Canadian tenor John McDermott,
on December 18, bring two very different holiday season
concerts to Koerner Hall to further alleviate the Christmas
rush. The Manhattan Transfer, who recently celebrated their 40th anniversary
in the recording industry, also introduce their latest CD,
The Chick Corea Songbook, alongside some festive season
favourites. John McDermott, well-known for his Christmas
performances, is joined by special guests Dan Hill
(vocals and guitar), Lawrence Gowan (of 1980s Gowan fame
– on piano and vocals), Guido Basso (flugelhorn), and
Rosie MacKenzie (fiddle and vocals).
A number of student performances take place in Mazzoleni
Concert Hall as part of the Discovery Series: The
Glenn Gould School Opera division presents An Evening of
Kurt Weill, comprised of cabaret favourites and Weill's
Mahagonny Songspiel for two nights on December 3 and
December 4; New Music Ensemble of The Glenn Gould School
performs cutting-edge contemporary music on December 9;
and senior string students from the Young Artists Performance
Academy of The Royal Conservatory come together as members
of the Academy Symphony Orchestra on December 12.
On December 4, the casual and comfortable Conservatory
Theatre is once again livened up by Bluebird North, a
musical showcase that brings together some of Canada's most
inspiring songwriters to share their songs and stories
round-robin style.
The Royal Conservatory Gift Cards are a great gift idea.
They are available for purchase in any denomination and can be
redeemed for concert or event tickets at The Royal Conservatory
in person or by phone. They are also reloadable in any
denomination. Gift Cards can be purchased in person at the
Weston Family Box Office, by phone at 416.408.0208, or by
visiting rcmusic.ca. Gift
Card services are donated by Givex, a global provider of stored
value technology, loyalty programs, and e-coupons.
December events at The Royal
Conservatory:
The Glenn Gould School Opera: An Evening of Kurt Weill
(Discovery): Friday, December 3, 2010 at 7:30pm (MH) & Saturday,
December 4, 2010 at 7:30pm (MH); $10
Bluebird North – Where Songwriters
Sing and Tell
(Pop): Saturday, December 4, 2010 at 8:00pm (CT); $20
New Music Ensemble (Discovery): Thursday, December 9,
2010 at 7:30pm (MH); $10
Leila Josefowicz (Strings): Friday, December 10, 2010 at
8:00pm (KH); $20-$55
Aspects of Oscar: Oscar Solo (Jazz): Saturday, December
11, 2010 at 8:00pm (KH); $20-$65
Simone Dinnerstein (Piano): Sunday, December 12, 2010 at
3:00pm (KH); $20-$55
Academy Symphony Orchestra (Discovery): Sunday, December
12, 2010 at 5:30pm (MH) FREE
The Manhattan Transfer (Pop): Friday, December 17, 2010
at 8:00pm (KH); $50-$75
John McDermott (Pop): Saturday, December 18, 2010 at
8:00pm (KH); $30-$60
(KH) – Koerner Hall; (MH) – Mazzoleni Concert Hall; (CT) –
Conservatory Theatre
Tickets are available online at
www.rcmusic.ca, by calling 416.408.0208, or in person at the
Weston Family Box Office
Select any 4-6 concerts and save 10%; Select any 7+ concerts and
save 15%; premium tickets available upon request.
A limited number of $10 rush tickets are available 90 minutes
before all performances presented by The Royal Conservatory.
All concerts take place at The Royal Conservatory,
TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, 273 Bloor Street
West, Toronto
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