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Two World Music, Two Jazz, and
Two Royal Conservatory Orchestra
Concerts,
Plus Two Returning Artists and
Two International Ensembles
Highlight the Beginning of
Koerner Hall’s Third Concert Season
The Royal Conservatory’s 2011-12 concert season officially opens
in Koerner Hall with a concert by guitarist/songwriter Richard
Thompson. This rock & roll star, whom the L.A. Times described
as “the finest rock songwriter after Bob Dylan and the best
electric guitarist since Jimi Hendrix,” appears solo on
Thursday, September 8. Rock switches to world music in two
concerts that take audiences on journeys through the Middle East
and India. Andalusia to Toronto is the first concert in the new
Music From Across the Middle East series. Led by
trumpeter/flugelhorn player David Buchbinder, this concert is an
imaginative musical voyage to the 'golden' cultural age of the
Iberian Peninsula. Participating artists explore the hybrid
sound of the era through a masterful blending of styles and
epochs, ranging from 9th century Arabic Muwashahat and Jewish
Ladino songs, to Roma instrumental music, and even Afro-Cuban
forms. Special guests include, among others, singers Amanda
Martinez and Michal Cohen, vocalist and oud player Bassam
Bishara; pianist Hilario Durán. Indian music is evoked by living
legend Asha Bhosle (hot off of her Lifetime Achievement Award at
Jine’s IIFA Bollywood Awards show) and North Indian sitar master
Shujaat Khan on Sunday, October 2. One of the greatest playback
singers in Bollywood history, Bhosle has sung 20,000 songs in 14
languages for over 800 movies, and she has also worked with
Robbie Williams, Michael Stipe, and the Kronos Quartet. Together
with Khan, she performs a wonderful evening of ghazals and
Indian classical music.
Two jazz concerts spice up October: SFJAZZ Collective Plays
Stevie Wonder on Saturday, October 15, and Grammy-winning
saxophonist Joe Lovano brings his Us Five ensemble on
Saturday,
October 29. SFJAZZ Collective, the jazz ensemble of elite
players (Miguel Zenón, alto saxophone & flute; Mark Turner,
tenor saxophone; Avishai Cohen, trumpet; Robin Eubanks,
trombone; Stefon Harris, vibraphone; Edward Simon, piano; Matt
Penman, bass; Eric Harland, drums), celebrates the music of
Stevie Wonder and performs arrangements of hits such as ‘Sir
Duke,” “Superstition,” and “Overjoyed.” Joe Lovano, accompanied
by James Weidman on the piano, Francisco Mela and
Otis Brown III
on drums, and 2011 Grammy winner for Best New Artist, Esperanza
Spalding, on double bass. Joe Lovano “creates music that is
brainy and brawny, earthy and urbane.” (JazzTimes)
Classical concerts begin with two artists making welcome returns
to Koerner Hall. Violinist Gidon Kremer, who brought his entire
Kremerata Baltica group to Toronto last season, is joined on
this occasion by pianist Andrius Zlabys and cellist
Giedrė
Dirvanauskaitė. Their program celebrates composer Sofia
Gubaidulina’s 80th birthday with two pieces by the composer:
Rejoice and Chaconne and is rounded out with works by
Silvestrov, Bach, and Shostakovich. Also returning is Canadian
pianist Louis Lortie, who made a sold out appearance during the
inaugural season. As part of the Invesco Trimark Piano Concerts
series, he celebrates the 200th anniversary of Liszt’s birth by
performing his monumental Années de pèlerinage (Years of
Pilgrimage) on Sunday, October 16. The Orange County Register
described Lortie’s performance of this work as “nothing less
than astonishing, faultlessly acrobatic and superbly poetic,
everything shaped and polished with care.” Prior to the concert,
at 11:30am, ticket buyers are invited to attend a pre-concert
lecture titled "Liszt and the Keyboard: the Wizard casts his
Spells" by Liszt scholar and author Alan Walker.
Two prestigious musical ensembles make their Koerner Hall debuts
this fall – The English Concert led by Harry Bicket on
Friday,
October 21, and the Smithsonian Chamber Players led by
Kenneth
Slowik on Saturday, October 22. One of the finest Baroque
orchestras in the world, The English Concert has a reputation
for inspiring performances of Baroque and classical music. In
what is also its Toronto debut, the ensemble performs Purcell’s
Suites from King Arthur and Fairy Queen, Vivaldi’s “La folia”
and Concerto for Two Trumpets, and Telemann’s Tafelmusik
(Produktion II) and Concerto for Viola and Strings. The
Smithsonian Chamber Players honour the centenary of Mahler’s
death with chamber versions of Das Lied von der Erde and
Kindertotenlieder. This ensemble of virtuosi musicians is joined
by celebrated members of The Conservatory faculty (Steven Dann,
viola; Andrew Burashko, piano; and David Louie, harmonium), as
well as Royal Conservatory alumnus, baritone Russell Braun, and
American tenor Thomas Cooley.
The Royal Conservatory Orchestra presents two concerts,
conducted respectively by Uri Mayer,
Director of the Orchestral Program and Resident Conductor at The
Royal Conservatory, and Johannes Debus, Music Director of the
Canadian Opera Company. The first concert on Friday, September
30, is free as part of Culture Days, and features talented young
Canadian pianist, and Conservatory student, Jan Lisiecki
performing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Also on the program
are Wagner’s Overture to The Flying Dutchman and Mussorgsky’s
Pictures at an Exhibition (arranged by Ravel). The second
concert on Friday, October 28, presents the 2010-11 Glenn Gould
School Concerto Competition winner, pianist Connie Kim-Sheng, in
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2. The program is rounded out by
Lutosławski’s Little Suite and Dvořák: Symphony No. 8.
Presented by The Glenn Gould School, three concerts by the
faculty and friends of The School take place in Mazzoleni
Concert Hall, located in historic Ihnatowycz Hall. The twice
Grammy-nominated ARC Ensemble (Artists of The Royal
Conservatory) present a program of Gerald Finzi’s Elegy for
Violin and Piano in F Major, Felix Mendelssohn’s Sonata Movement
in D Minor (from and unpublished manuscript fragment arranged by
David Louie), Paul Ben-Haim’s Quintet for Clarinet and Strings,
and Edward Elgar’s Piano Quintet in A Minor on Sunday, September
11. Another free Culture Days event takes place on Sunday,
October 2. Titled Mozart and Beyond, it features violinist
Mayumi Seiler and pianist Jeanie Chung. Finally, on
Sunday,
October 23,
flutist Susan Hoeppner and guitarist and ARC Ensemble Artistic
Director Simon Wynberg, join forces to present Marin Marais’s
Les folies d’Espagne, Tōru Takemitsu’s Toward the Sea for Alto
Flute and Guitar, Robert Beaser’s Mountain Songs, and Astor
Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango.
Master Classes, Prelude and Postlude Concerts
While in town, many world-renowned artists lead master classes
for The Royal Conservatory students. On Friday, October 14, Mr.
Lortie conducts a master class, and many more are to be added
soon. As in the previous two seasons, a number of Koerner Hall
performances are followed by Postlude Concerts in the Leslie and
Anna Dan Galleria, Lower Level: SFJAZZ Collective on October 15
is followed by alto saxophonist Matt Woroshyl; and alto
saxophonist Chris Weatherstone and pianist Winston Matsushita
follow Joe Lovano Us Five on October 29. Other postludes where
artists will be confirmed soon include Richard Thompson on
September 8, The English Concert on October 21, and the
Smithsonian Chamber Players on October 22. New this season, the
Royal Conservatory Orchestra concerts (with the exception of the
first concert on September 30) are now preceded by Prelude
Concerts starting at 6:45pm and featuring the talented young
students of The Glenn Gould School in chamber music settings.
The Royal Conservatory’s 2011-12 concert season is made possible
through the generous support of:
Donors/Sponsors: Aaron Brock Foundation; D&T Davis Charitable
Foundation – The Glenn Gould School Vocal Program sponsor;
Invesco Trimark – Piano Concerts Series sponsor; Jackson Triggs
& Inniskillin; World MasterCard® – World, Pop, and Everything in
Between Concert Series sponsor; RBC Foundation – Royal
Conservatory Orchestra Guest Conductor Program sponsor; R. S.
Williams and Sons Co.; TD Bank Group – Year of Great Sax Concert
Series sponsor, plus Meow Meow, Asha Bhosle with Shujaat Khan,
and Tallis Scholars concert sponsors; Roland Canada Ltd.,
Georgian Capital and Yamaha Canada.
Government: Department of Canadian Heritage; Ontario Arts
Council; Toronto Arts Council
Media: Classical 96.3 FM – Classical series media sponsor
(Chamber, Vocal, String, Early Music, and Royal Conservatory
Orchestra and Opera Concerts); Jazz FM – A Year of Great Sax and
Kabaret at Koerner! media sponsor; NOW – World, Pop, and
Everything in Between, Kabaret at Koerner!, and Music From
Across the Middle East media sponsor
September/October at The Royal Conservatory
Richard Thompson (Rock):
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 8pm
(KH); starting at $39
ARC Ensemble (Classical):
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 4pm
(MCH); $31.50
Andalusia to Toronto (Middle Eastern Music):
Tuesday, September
27, 2011at 8pm (KH); starting at $39
Royal Conservatory Orchestra with Uri Mayer and Jan Lisiecki
(Orchestra):
Friday, September 30, 2011 at 8pm (KH) **
Mayumi Seiler and Jeanie Chung (Mazzoleni Masters):
Sunday,
October 2, 2011 at 2pm (MCH) **
Asha Bhosle with Shujaat Khan (World):
Sunday, October 2, 2011
at 7:00pm (KH); starting at $45
Gidon Kremer Trio (Chamber):
Friday, October 14, 2011 at 8:00pm
(KH); starting at $33.50
SFJAZZ Collective Plays Stevie Wonder (Jazz):
Saturday, October
15, 2011 at 8pm (KH); starting at $45
Louis Lortie + Liszt (Piano):
Sunday, October 16, 2011 at 2pm
(KH); starting at $45
The English Concert conducted by Harry Bicket (Early Music):
Friday, October 21, 2011 at 8pm (KH); starting at $33.50
Smithsonian Chamber Players and Friends (Chamber Music):
Saturday, October 22, 2011 at 8pm (KH); starting at $45
Susan Hoeppner and Simon Wynberg (Mazzoleni Masters):
Sunday,
October 23, 2011 at 2pm (MCH); $31.50
Royal Conservatory Orchestra with Johannes Debus (Orchestra):
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 8pm (KH); starting at $22
Joe Lovano Us Five (A Year of Great Sax):
Saturday, October 29,
2011 at 8pm (KH); starting at $45
(KH) – Koerner Hall; (MCH) – Mazzoleni Concert Hall; ** – FREE
Culture Days concert
NEW THIS SEASON! We have not increased ticket prices but, to
make it easier for our patrons, all advertised prices now
include service charge and 13% HST.
Create your own package: select any 4-6 concerts and save 10%;
select any 7+ concerts and save 15%
A limited number of $10 rush tickets are available starting 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
Tickets are available online at
www.rcmusic.ca, by calling 416.408.0208, or in person at the
Weston Family Box Office
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