CMC Ontario

Duo Perdendosi: Da Capo
2023-04-05 20:00 - 22:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
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“Da Capo” is the story of how two young people from diaspora populations navigate complex personal identities, find kinship within each other, and continue to nurture an ever growing and changing relationship with homecoming through the power of music, art, and community. Featuring works by Purich, Ho, Ramnath, Baker, Davidson, Kats-Chernin, Hisaishi, and Fauré.

Program:
Part I “Finding Ourselves”
Leo Purich – Konzertstück
Alice Ho – Four Seasons “Spring” and “Summer”
Kala Ramnath – Aalap and Tarana
David Baker – Blues (Deliver My Soul)

Part II “Finding Each Other, Again”
Tina Davidson – Blue Curve of the Earth
Elena Kats-Chernin – Eliza’s Aria
Joe Hisaishi – Legend of Ashitaka

Part II “Coming Home”
Gabriel Fauré – Sonata in A major, Op. 13

Tong Wang and Maitreyi Muralidharan first met as bunk mates at the Brevard Music Festival in 2012, and promptly lost contact, watching and supporting each other’s life journeys from afar. 10 years after, they rekindled their friendship in Montreal, where they decided to work together as part of Trio Eudaemonia. Their similar approaches to music and art as a window into a beautiful world of connection, passion for food and community building, and love of working together sparked the beginnings of Duo Perdendosi. Both coming from conservatory backgrounds, they recognized a need for classical and contemporary music to move away from convention and towards connection. In 2022, they created the Windwood Music Festival in order to collaborate with like-minded artists and show how to connect a community through sharing the power of music to connect land and people. Maitreyi and Tong have performed in Canada and Germany and will embark on their first tour, “Da Capo,” in April 2023. Outside of performing, they enjoy cooking, writing, and each other’s company.

duoperdendosi.com/da-capo

Rivers #4: Getting You and Your Music Out There
2023-05-26 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
The fourth iteration of our Rivers (Re-Imagined) workshop series will take place on Friday, May 26, at noon EST, at the Canadian Music Centre. Composer/cellist/writer/curator/publicist Nick Storring will discuss the ins and outs of publicity and promotion for independent composers and musicians trying to build a name for themselves in 2023.

The Power of Words
2023-05-28 19:00 - 23:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
To celebrate the 2023 Asian Heritage Month, pianist Jialiang Zhu and her friends present The Power of Words, a Chinese music and poetry-inspired recital. Jialiang calls Toronto her home, where she met all the featured Canadian artists on this program, including soprano Zi Xin Emily Lapin, composers David Jaeger and Roydon Tse, and poets Kathryn Knowles and Edith Yang Qing. As their friendship blossomed, their mutual appreciation and admiration for each other’s artistry also grew. The Power of Words program showcases a stunning array of talents and cultural heritage of each artist. You will hear songs and poetry in English, Chinese, French, and German, written between the 12th century and the current day. There also will be live poetry recitation by Knowles and Yang along with Jialiang’s piano improvisation.
Come experience The Power of Words as we celebrate the Asian Heritage Month! This is a perfect gift for you and your loved ones, and the assembly of talents, creativity, and beauty will surely blow you away!

Intimes exubérances
2023-06-08 20:00 - 23:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
LIVESTREAM
Thursday, June 8, 2023 – 8 pm
Tickets : $20 general/$15 arts worker, students, seniors

Cheryl Duvall and The Canadian Music Centre present the world premiere performance of:Intimes exubérancesby Patrick Giguère
Patrick writes:Intimes exubérances is an ambitious concert-length work for piano. It is formed of musical material patiently collected in the intimacy of my practice and shaped by the immediacy of improvisation at the piano. As I was searching for my own wonderment, for a sense of freshness, of playfulness, it unlocked a more exuberant side of my identity. In order to express it fully and freely, I tried to let go of systems and filters as much as I could, and to be as direct and unpretentious as possible. The physicality of performing the work on the piano has been a powerful inspiration during the composition, with the aim of exploring a variety of sensations and enjoyment to the pianist. I will let the listener be the judge of that, but I hope that the listening experience is as fulfilling as the collaboration between Cheryl and myself has been.

Alive with Words and Music
2023-06-09 19:30 - 22:30 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
On Friday June 9 at 7:30 pm, William Beauvais presents a concert at the Canadian Music Centre at 20 St. Joseph Street. The performance, entitled “Alive with Words and Music,” celebrates the launch of two CDs and showcases the work of guitarist Beauvais, along with fellow guitarist Andrew Frost, vocalist Kira Braun, and actor Trish O’Reilly-Brennan.
The first CD, Hidden Logic, is a set of comprovisations (improvised compositions) for two guitars with Beauvais and the remarkable and versatile Andrew Frost. The work was created through a sense of joy and play, as these two musicians continue each other’s thoughts, almost as if a third party guided them through the music. This event is an opportunity to share the results of this intense and intimate collaboration with a wider public.
The second CD, A Swan In The Evening, showcases the enormous versatility of vocalist Kira Braun, who lends her personal magic to animate a group of ageless folksongs.
Actor Trish O’Reilly-Brennan joins the ensemble for this presentation, bringing to life texts from Chickasaw poet Linda Hogan’s The Radiant Lives of Animals, accompanied by musical improvisation.

POSTPONED - Rivers #5: Running Rehearsals for New Music
2023-06-15 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
Postponed until Fall 2023
The fifth iteration of our Rivers (Re-Imagined) workshop series will take place on Thursday, June 15, at 2:30 EST, at the Canadian Music Centre. Members of the Odin Quartet, Composer/Cellist Samuel Bisson will discuss their approach to running a rehearsal of a new piece both from the perspective of composer and ensemble. Focus will be on how to most effectively convey your ideas in a rehearsal setting, how to approach asking for changes, and what to be listening for.

music composition, fan clubs, and roller coasters
2023-06-22 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
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music composition, fan clubs, and roller coasters

Ever since Luke Nickel was a child, he has dreamt of creating roller coasters. Now, in his music composition practice, Luke has found countless ways to transform these speed machines into music, such as using simulated roller coasters as digital instruments or using footage of real roller coasters as video scores.

In this lunch-hour talk, Luke asks: what does it mean to be a fan of something, and how does being a fan of roller coasters relate to making chamber music? He will delve into the cringe-y-ness of fan culture, the power of fan objects to change history, and the challenges of creating a fan club chamber music performance.

To hear the world premiere of Luke’s “Leviathan Coasterclub” come out to 918 Bathurst for Thin Edge New Music Collective’s Reverb II”
Click here for more info and to buy tickets.

Luke Nickel (b. 1988) is an award-winning Canadian audio visual artist, virtual roller coaster designer and independent researcher currently living in Bristol, UK. Nickel’s work takes the form of experimental sound compositions, videos, simulated roller coasters and illustrations. His work knots together themes of memory, transcription, queer identity and gravity. He has collaborated with internationally-established soloists and chamber ensembles such as Mira Benjamin, Heather Roche, Quatuor Bozzini, and EXAUDI and shown work in festivals such as Sound Forms (Hong Kong) and the HCMF.About his work, scholar Jennie Gottschalk writes that “there is an unusual quality of rawness” (Experimental Music Since 1970).In addition to his artistic work, Nickel has received a Ph.D from Bath Spa University and actively publishes on topics such as orally-transmitted experimental music, Éliane Radigue and roller coasters. Nickel also co-founded and curated the Cluster: New Music + Integrated Arts Festival in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada from 2010-2020.

David Zhang Composition Concert
2023-06-30 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Halifax) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
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East-West International Orchestra and the Canadian Music Centre present David Zhang’s Composition Concert celebration Canada’s 156th anniversary.
Program Catalog
节目单

Coloratura Soprano Concerto <My Dream >

Solo Molly M. Chen
Piano Accompaniment Helen Li Han
花腔女高音协奏曲 《我的梦》
演唱 陈默
钢琴伴奏 韩丽

Peking Opera Singing with Actions

Music Nailin Yang
Lyrics. Sizai Weng
Adaptation David Zhang.
Piano Accompaniment Helen Li Han
Solo Jade Zheng
京剧表演唱 《梨花颂》
作曲 杨乃林. 作词 翁思再
改编 张祥雨
演唱 郑玉贤
钢琴伴奏 韩丽

Piano Solo. < Niagara Falls Dreams>

Solo. Helen Han
钢琴独奏 《尼亚加拉瀑布梦幻曲》
演奏 韩丽

Harp Solo < Empty mountain birds singing>

Music Tianhua Liu
Adaptation David Zhang. Andrew Chan
Solo Andrew Chan
竖琴独奏 《空山鸟语 》
作曲 刘天华 改编 张祥雨 陈德安
演奏 陈德安

Coloratura Soprano Concerto <Maple Forest Hummingbird>

Piano Accompaniment Helen Li Han
Solo. Chen lin
花腔女高音协奏曲 《 枫林翠鸟》
钢琴伴奏 韩丽
演唱 陈琳

Piano Solo a. <Devil’s fantasy > b. <Flying Canada >

Solo Jilane Ma
钢琴独奏 a. 魔幻 b. 飞翔吧， 加拿大
演奏： 马婧一

Cello Concerto <My Dream >

Piano Accompaniment Jilane Ma
Solo James Xia
大提琴协奏曲 《 我的梦 》
钢琴伴奏 马婧一
演奏 夏国晟

Soprano Solo a. <I love you , Maple leaf Country >
Peking Opera Song <Singing On the road of life >
<Ancient Sword >

Lyrics Shuangzhu Zhang
Music David Zhang Lyrics Translation Nan Mu
Piano Accompaniment Helen Li Han
Solo Guinean Sun
女高音独唱

《我爱你，枫叶之国》
京歌《旅途吟》
《渔家傲. 古剑》

作词 张双柱
作曲 张祥雨 曲
钢琴伴奏 韩丽
演唱： 孙帼楠

DanceScape
2023-07-04 18:30 - 22:30 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
Tickets:
$10 Individual
$15 Family
A concert of contemporary folk dances in a Canadian setting. Featuring the music of Rita Ueda, Sheila Vandikas, and Susan Griesdale.
Performers:
Charissa Vandikas, Gregory Vandikas, Harrison Vandikas
Tina Sievers – violin
Angelina Sievers – viola

THE EXORCIST: AN OPERETTA
2023-07-05 20:30 - 2023-07-16 22:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
July 5th – 16th – 8:30 PM
Runtime : 85 minutes
THE EXORCIST: AN OPERETTA
A tongue-in-cheek variation of the 1970s horror classic, The Exorcist: An Operetta is a solo musical comedy performed by way of narration, dialogue, and song. Don’t miss a tuneful jaunt through this dazzling portal to hell! You’ll be possessed with laughter from start to finish!

Company : I&E Productions
Writer : Eli Pasic
Producer : Isaiah Kolundzic

TICKETS

Kate Read: After - Album Launch
2023-08-02 19:30 - 22:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
Read is a powerful performer, fully present in every phrase and turn, adventurous, always aware of the structure and direction. Her sound is imposing yet gentle, with an array of colours and expressions.” The WholeNote, Feb 2023
Kate Read presents a concert in which she will deliver a stirring mix of antiquity and modernity. Drawing on works from her debut solo album “After”, released on Leaf Music in November 2022, Kate will play baroque repertoire, alongside contemporary works she commissioned from Canadian composers Andrew Staniland and Benton Roark, for viola and electronics. Joined by award-winning audio engineer Michelle LaCour, (https://loopstitchloops.com) on “Aftermath” the improvised and unifying final track on the album, they entwine the purity of Bach with the chaos of electronics. They will also improvise on some electronic tracks kindly provided to them by Toronto based composer, David Jaeger. Originally from the UK and having held a position with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Kate now resides in Newfoundland, Canada. “Although not a theme, the music on this album indirectly depicts the natural elements of Newfoundland, – beauty amidst ruggedness, vastness of (sonic) space, wildness of possibilities.

Celebrating Music From Toronto
2023-08-18 19:00 - 23:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
This concert is an exploration and celebration of the music and musicians of Toronto! An incredible 1 hour long program of string quartets with prize winning, first-class musicians- Emma Meinrenken and Astrid Nakamura, violin, Lynn Sue-a-quan, viola, and Lucie Ticho, cello. There will be opportunities for audience discussion and participation, all in an intimate and casual setting- people of all ages welcome. The event is hosted by Music Around the Corner (@musiccornerto on Instagram), a brand-new concert series which features a collective of young musicians who aim to share their craft, as well as highlight the amazing small business and organizations in Toronto. Tickets are pay-what-you-wish, with all proceeds helping the series host future events for the community. Right in downtown Toronto, this concert will be the perfect way to spend a summer evening!

Program:
Kevin Lau: String Quartet No. 3
L. Beethoven: String Quartet No. 3
A. Webern: Langsamer Satz
Christos Hatzis: Cruel Elegance

Sing to Me Again
2023-09-28 19:30 - 20:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
Sing to me Again
Delve into the dramatic and enchanting melodies of Eastern Europe. Art songs and Klezmer weave together with fiery folk dances on this captivating and rhapsodic program. A powerful celebration of hope, emotion, and virtuosity, creating a transcending and deeply meaningful experience.

Duo Madeline Hildebrand + Caitlin Broms-Jacobs
Known for their joyful and electrifying performances, Madeline Hildebrand and Caitlin Broms-Jacobs have been fast friends and musical collaborators since 2014, when the duo performed their first concert together on Winnipeg’s prestigious Millennium Recital Series. Having instant chemistry both on and offstage, the two realized they had found their perfect musical match, and have since gone on to bring their expressive music making to audiences across Canada. Their thrilling interchange of musical ideas is instantly apparent in their performances, which are infused with free-spirited warmth and ease of expression. Self described as “serious musicians who don’t take themselves too seriously”, Madeline and Caitlin combine their infectious enthusiasm and unstuffy approach with sensitive and masterful playing, all with the goal of inspiring audiences and bringing joy through music.

OPUS x CMC: Intimate Conversations [OPUS Chamber Music]
2023-10-11 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Toronto) | ON
Join OPUS Chamber Music for an exclusive evening of intimate conversations & vibrant storytelling featuring violinist STEFAN JACKIW, clarinetist YOONAH KIM, soprano REILLY NELSON, and OPUS Artistic Director KEVIN AHFAT.
*LIMITED AVAILABILITY / few seats remain!
Musicians from the global stage come together to share an intimate evening of music & storytelling among friends, curating a personal setlist of Mozart, Schumann, Khachaturian, Piazzolla, and more. Witness world-class artists at the height of their craft, up-close-and-personal. Join the Q&A panel & drinks with the artists following the music, moderated by author & speaker Loredana Cunti.
Mozart Duo in G major | The Schumanns Romance & Abendlied | Khachaturian Trio | Piazzolla Oblivion & Libertango | and more…
VISITING & RESIDENT ARTISTS
Stefan Jackiw, violin
Stefan Jackiw is one of America’s foremost violinists, captivating audiences with playing that combines poetry and purity with impeccable technique. Hailed for playing of “uncommon musical substance” that is “striking for its intelligence and sensitivity” (Boston Globe), Jackiw has appeared as a soloist with the Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco symphony orchestras, among others.
Following his summer performance with the New York Philharmonic, Jackiw opens the 2023-24 season returning to the orchestra to perform the Barber Concerto with Jaap van Zweden. His season also includes a quadruple World Premiere of new works at Roulette, and his return to Asia with the Taiwan Philharmonic and the China National Symphony. In the spring, the Junction Trio will make their Carnegie Hall debut with the New York premiere of John Zorn’s Philosophical Investigations. He was also recently invited to perform and curate a series of programs at the Edinburgh Festival (‘Stefan Jackiw and Friends’).
During the 2022-23 season, Jackiw returned to the Cleveland Orchestra to perform Britten’s Violin Concerto with Thomas Søndergård, and to the Vancouver Symphony to perform Brahms with Otto Tausk. He also appeared at the 92NY with cellist Alisa Weilerstein and pianist Daniil Trifonov, and he embarked on a multi-city Junction Trio tour that included the group’s Celebrity Series of Boston debut, alongside performances in New York City, San Francisco, Washington DC, and more. His European dates included his return to the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam with the Residentie Orkest, as well as appearances with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Bournemouth Symphony, and the Sinfónica de Galicia. Other recent highlights include his performance of Mozart’s violin Concerto no. 5 with Alan Gilbert and the Boston Symphony, his return to Carnegie Hall to perform Bach with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and performances with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and Alan Gilbert, and with Orchestre National de Lyon under Nikolaj Znaider.
Yoonah Kim, clarinet
Hailed by The New York Times for her “inexhaustible virtuosity”, clarinetist Yoonah Kim is rapidly earning recognition as a young artist of uncommon musical depth and versatility. Yoonah is a winner of the 2016 Concert Artists Guild International Competition. The first solo clarinetist to win CAG in nearly 30 years, this Korean-Canadian artist joins the ranks of prominent solo clarinetists discovered by CAG, including David Shifrin, Michael Collins, and David Krakauer.
Recent performance highlights include Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with the Maui Chamber Orchestra, George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue in a new arrangement for solo clarinet and string orchestra by Texu Kim, and the World Premiere of a new concerto by Eric Nathan for Violin and Clarinet, with violinist Stefan Jackiw and the New York Classical Players. Her recent chamber music appearances include performances of Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time with Stefan Jackiw, cellist Jay Campbell and pianist Orion Weiss at Princeton University and the Crypt in New York City and also with the Junction Trio (Stefan Jackiw, Jay Campbell, and pianist Conrad Tao) at Rockefeller University.
Yoonah recently made her New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, and has also given debut recitals for Chicago’s Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts series, Washington Performing Arts’ Music in the Country series, Chamber Music Society of Little Rock and Union County Performing Arts Center. She also appeared as concerto soloist with the Arkansas Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Chesapeake Youth Symphony, and the DuPage Symphony Orchestra.
She currently holds a faculty position at New York University’s Steinhardt School.
Reilly Nelson, soprano
Canadian soprano Reilly Nelson brings her “distinctly warm and burnished” sound to stages of all sizes in North America and Europe. In the 2020⁄21 season, Ms. Nelson was a Young Artist with the Glimmerglass Opera Festival, a virtual iteration of the distinguished program that featured working sessions with Isabel Leonard, Francesca Zambello, Eric Owens, and Renée Fleming. In 2021, Ms. Nelson sang Caterina in Mascagni’s L’amico Fritz at the Tiroler Festspiele Erl, and Mercédès in Cincinnati Opera’s production of Carmen, before joining Barbara Hannigan’s Equilibrium Young Artists Programme at the Lunenberg Academy of Music Performance in Nova Scotia.
Additional recent highlights include the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors and Leah in Enemies, A Love Story, both with Kentucky Opera, and Trouble in Tahiti with Lexington Philharmonic. Her continued relationship with Cincinnati Opera mirrors Ms. Reilly’s consistent balance of traditional and new operatic repertoire, including Flora in La traviata, Lupe Marin in Frida, a workshop performance of Ricky Ian Gordon’s Intimate Apparel, and the U.S. premiere of Julien Bilodeau’s Another Brick in the Wall: The Opera.
In addition to her theatrical work, Ms. Nelson is a seasoned concert artist. Recent credits include Mozart’s Requiem with the Reno Philharmonic, a staged performance of Argento’s From the Diary of Virginia Woolf with Cincinnati Chamber Opera and Cincinnati Song Initiative. With Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, Ms. Nelson has performed Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and B minor Mass, Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder, and cabaret songs of William Bolcom and Kurt Weill.
Kevin Ahfat, piano
An artist that “leaves no question about his riveting presentation and technical finesse” (Seattle Times), Canadian pianist KEVIN AHFAT is acclaimed to be “poised to become one of the young heirs of the classical piano realm, with a bold, boundary-pushing, millennial style matched by refined execution” (Vanguard Seattle). Possessing “a balanced mix of expressiveness and virtuosity” (Musical America), he “summons plenty of thunderpower in the big moments, but clearly values musicianship over mere showmanship” (American Record Guide).
Ahfat continues performances and recordings as the newest core member of the three-time Grammy-nominated ARC Ensemble, one of Canada’s preeminent chamber ensembles and foremost cultural forces. Their latest releases on Chandos Records have been nominated for a 2022 Juno Award, 2022 OPUS Klassik Award, as well as being named one of the “Top 10 classical musical albums of 2020” by The Boston Globe and one of WQXR’s “Best Classical Albums of 2020”.
Ahfat was named one of CBC Music’s 30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30 in 2018 and subsequently released a live recording of Brahms from CBC’s Studio 211. Highlights of recent seasons include engagements as soloist throughout North America and abroad, including at the Maison symphonique in Montreal, at the Toronto Centre for the Arts and Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, Alice Tully Hall in New York, and with the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra in Los Angeles. Further highlights include a return to the Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall for its first-ever Shostakovich Concerto Festival, as well as a partnership with Richard Alston & Juilliard Dance in their recreation of Alston’s Sheer Bravado (2006) in New York.
Ahfat has had the privilege of sharing the stage with renowned artists across many genres, including Jean-Yves Thibaudet, SO Percussion, David Finckel, Derek Bermel, and Sonia Rodriguez. Festival appearances include the Bowdoin, Music@Menlo, Rockport, Fall for Dance North, Zhuhai, and Kyoto International Music Festivals. He has been broadcast locally and abroad several times on CBC Music’s In Concert program and WFMT’s Dame Myra Hess Series, and contributed his playing to Yamaha Canada’s recent Dear Glenn AI Project.

Flying Pooka! - CD Release Show “The Ecstasy of Becoming”
2023-10-17 19:30 - 23:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
Embark on an enchanting voyage with the Canadian duo Flying Pooka— JUNO-winning pianist Florian Hoefner and JUNO-nominated winds/vocal improviser Dani Oore. Their fearless debut venture, “The Ecstasy of Becoming,” available from Alma Records in October 2023, intertwines risk and unbridled creativity.
The origins of this extraordinary collaboration are rooted in chance. Award-winning composer Florian Hoefner’s relocation to remote St. John’s in Newfoundland and Labrador opened a serendipitous chapter. Drawn by the beauty and remoteness, he navigated a jazz scene that demanded reliance on connections from his international journeys. Dani Oore’s timely presence shortly before the pandemic began, as an interdisciplinary artist posted at Memorial University, sparked an unforeseen synergy. Their bond intensified, culminating in a pandemic album of fully improvised music that unveils a vulnerable transformative story.
A ‘mascot’ of their musical odyssey is “The Pooka,” a Celtic shapeshifter known to guide people on wild rides. “The Ecstasy of Becoming” encapsulates this essence, inviting listeners to join their mesmerizing journey. Dani Oore’s seamless transitions between winds and impassioned glossolalic vocals blend as one with Florian Hoefner’s intricate harmonies and expansive soundscapes, crafting a spellbinding narrative.
The album’s authenticity stems from its fully improvised nature. The absence of pre-planned material results in a directness of expression, sustaining tonality and shifting harmonies, rarely found in completely improvised music performed on melodic/harmonic instruments. Each composition and the overarching narrative emerge organically, an intuitive dialogue bursting with melodies, sophistication, and depth. Their distinctive improvisational style nurtures a way of listening that resonates across divisions, nourishing a fragmented world.
United in their musical journey, Flying Pooka’s resonance is palpable. With their debut album on the horizon, Florian and Dani’s synergy unfurls on an international stage, fostering connection, transformation, and the magic of unscripted musical dialogues.

“Sublimely evocative music” The WholeNote (Canada)
“Utterly charming… deeply moving” Globe and Mail (Canada)
“In every situation, the music is so substantial and at times even breath-taking.” Ottawa Citizen (Canada

CEE Book Party and Performance
2023-10-19 20:00 - 22:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
RSVP
Thursday, October 19, 2023
Chalmers House, Toronto.
Door: 7:30. Performance: 8:00
PWYC
Cash bar
The Canadian Electronic Ensemble (CEE) and the Canadian Music Centre – Ontario region co-host the book launch of An Orchestra at My Fingertips: A History of the Canadian Electronic Ensemble by Dr. Alexa Woloshyn.
Published this summer by McGill-Queens University Press, An Orchestra at My Fingertips is the first detailed study of the history, music and legacy of the CEE. Covering the Ensemble since its inception, and drawing on extensive interviews with group members, Alexa Woloshyn provides unique insight into the musicians that make up the group as well as analysis of the CEE’s compositions, commissions, and improvisation and performance practice.
An Orchestra at My Fingertips speaks to the global development and transformation of live electronic music through the history of a group that has been a consistently innovative voice in Canada and beyond. More details and purchase options available here. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event.
Join us for live improvisations by the CEE and a discussion of Dr. Woloshyn’s book with the author. Reservations are requested.

Piano Lunaire presents COMPOSERS IN PLAY: "Keyboard of Colours"
2023-10-20 19:30 - 23:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
Friday, October 20, 2023
Chalmers House, Toronto.Door: 7:00. Performance: 7:30General $25; Seniors/arts workers $20; Students FREEReception and Complimentary Bar
COMPOSERS IN PLAY: Keyboard of Colours
Pianist/Composer Adam Sherkin presents COMPOSERS IN PLAY: “Keyboard of Colors,” featuring the piano music of Canadians Zosha Di Castri, Matthew Ricketts, Kotoka Suzuki and Sherkin himself.Japanese-Canadian Kotoko Suzuki’s Hidden Voices is a richly hued, neo-impressionist work that explores shadowy counterpoint and integrated resonances. Ricketts’ balladic Melodia embraces a “narrante” sound-profile. Vibrant and intrepid composer, Zosha Di Castri, found a distinction and purpose at the keyboard early on in her output. Adam Sherkin performs the Canadian premiere of newest work, The Untellable Hour of Quiet, recently commissioned by Clare Longendyke, and inspired by Maurice Ravel’s “Oiseaux tristes.” Castri’s The Thinking Eye of 2006 is also played alongside and has been conceived around the following quote from Paul Klee:“One day I must be able to improvise freely on the keyboard of colours: the row of watercolours in my paintbox.”The late Finnish composer Saariaho was a friend and mentor of Zosha Di Castri. She also worked with Adam Sherkin in Toronto during the COC’s production of her opera, L’amour de loin in 2012; Saariaho’s Ballade for piano is included on this programme.PROGRAMME:

Ricketts: Melodia* (2016) for solo pianoDi Castri: The Thinking Eye (2006); The Untellable Hour of Quiet* (2023)Suzuki: Hidden Voices for solo piano (2003)Saariaho: Ballade for solo piano (2005)Sherkin: Four Preludes, “Before the Gallows” for solo piano (2022)

*Canadian premiere

Shoe Box Composer's Concerts #2
2023-10-24 20:00 - 23:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
Date: October 24th, 2023
Time: 8pm, doors at 7:30
Location: Canadian Music Centre, 20 St Joseph St, Toronto ON

Shoe Box Composer’s Concerts is a new community-based concert series that provides emerging composers the opportunity to write pieces for diverse instrumentations and hear them played live. Each concert features a different instrumentation and group of composers.
The second concert in this series, co-presented by the Canadian Music Centre, will feature 8 new pieces for harp, piano, and violin.
This concert series is volunteer-led and crowd-funded. Please consider supporting our GoFundMe campaign to keep this project alive: https://gofund.me/48495b5e
Performers: Erin Bestvater (violin), Charlene Chin (harp), and Rashaan Allwood (piano).
Composers: Aidan McConnell, Crescenzo Dicecco, Jahred Warkentin, Kelly Yixuan Wang, Madeleine Ertel, Mira Riselli, Patrick O’Reilly, and Shreya Jha.

cons•tell •ation | 星星 of contemporary wind
2023-10-26 20:00 - 22:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
Get ready for an enchanting evening as Canadian-Vietnamese saxophonist, Jennifer Tran, and Chinese pianist, Jialiang Zhu, come together to bring you cons•tell •ation | 星星 of contemporary wind. This exceptional showcase is a musical voyage through contemporary starlight that illuminate the rich tapestry of their cultural heritage and life stories.
The program will transport you through the works of five incredible female-identifying composers, delving into themes bearing witness to ethnic roots, nostalgia, and generational history. Each composition represents not only the composer’s unique life journey but also their resilience and individuality, akin to radiant stars in the vast cosmos. By weaving these compositions together, we unveil the threads that connect them, binding them like stars within a constellation – hence the evocative title of this concert!
Please join Jennifer and Jialiang on this rare occasion to immerse yourself in the compelling music of Dorothy Chang, Chen Yi, Du Yun, Cait Nishimura, and Marilyn Shrude. Their works invite you to resonate with their narratives, perhaps finding your own place among the celestial constellations they create.

Rivers #6: The View From The Jury Room
2023-11-20 15:00 - 17:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
Free with RSVP

Ever get the results back from an application and wondered “Hmm – I wonder what went on in that meeting?”
Ever thought to yourself “What would make this application stand out amongst a pool of 50-60+ applicants?”
Ever wanted to know what red flags can get an application immediately dropped to the bottom of the pile?
Abigail Richardson-Schulte will be joining us to provide the answers to these questions, and many more. As current composer-in-residence with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, and past associate composer with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Abigail has seen and adjudicated countless applications for score readings, calls for scores, mentorship programs, grant applications and more. She will give us an inside look at what goes in the jury room, what adjudicators look for (or look out for!), and provide you with tips on how to best maximize your application’s chance of success.
RSVP for Online: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsdeivqjgtH9AcPXLcmmhx1W4nb4C8o_4G

five poets (& two composers) breaking into song #10
2023-12-15 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
George Elliott Clarke & East and West Learning Connections present:

five poets (& two composers) breaking into song #10

Featuring vocalist Laura Swankey in works by Juliet Palmer & James Rolfe

Poetry by: George Elliott Clarke, Gwendolynne MacEwen, Irving Layton, Mansour Noorbakhsh, Giovanna Riccio, Armand Garnet Ruffo, Yeshim Ternar

Artist biographies: https://tinyurl.com/5-poets-program

December 15, 7-9pm | 20 St Joseph St, Toronto

Sponsored by: The Canadian Music Centre, George Elliott Clarke, The League of Canadian Poets, East & West Learning Connections

RESILIENCE Album Launch
2023-12-19 17:00 - 22:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
RSVP

RESILIENCE ALBUM LAUNCHCANADIAN MUSIC CENTRE
20 St Joseph St, Toronto, ON M4Y 1J9
12.19.202317h
Performance Emmanuel Vukovich – violin
Katherine Dowling – pianoBéla Bartòk, Sheila Silver, Zosha Di Castri, Dinuk Wijeratne
ReceptionColio Wines Gravitas Fine Foods

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RESILIENCE is the debut album of Canadian violinist Emmanuel Vukovich featuring Canadian artists – pianist Katherine Dowling and baritone Philippe Sly performing Dinuk Wijeratne’s Sonata for Violin & Piano, Zosha Di Castri’s – Patina and the world premiere of Sheila Silver’s Resilient Earth Caprices. Inspired by Béla Bartok’s legacy of cross-cultural musical exploration, the album centres around Bartòk’s monumental Solo Violin Sonata and also includes a selection of Bartòk’s Turkish & Serbo-Croatian Folk & Peasant Melodies arranged by Vukovich.

Recorded at Domaine Forget in Charlevoix Quebec by Martha de Francisco, the recording was produced by Leaf Music through a generous grant from the Canada Council for the Arts and mastered for Dolby-Atmos 7.1.4 Immersive Audio by John DS Adams. The album is executive produced by Michel Zgarka and Pierre Gautheir of HitLab Music Group and will be distributed on all streaming platforms by Warner Music Canada starting November 1st, 2023.

The vision for RESILIENCE and the inspiration for the album’s title work Resilient Earth – Four Solo Violin Caprices by Sheila Silver is inspired by the four elements of Nature – Earth, Water, Air, Fire. As an ancient and archetypal expression of the primary building blocks of life, these four elements embody one of the oldest forms of medicine, healing and health known to humanity.

Cover Image:

“RESILIENCE” – Mi’kmaq Worldview by Teresa Marshall (2005)
Collection of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, Canada
“There are multiple worlds within the Mi’kmaq cosmology, each complete in itself. Collectively these layers exist as the Resilience of the Mi’kmaq Universe. In this animate cosmology, our language mirrors our beliefs that the land, sea and sky are possessed of powers we call Mntu. The sun, stars and constellations are also central to our worldview. As the giver of life, the sun, Niscaminou or grandfather, met our needs and gave us the power to overcome our enemies and bountiful harvests.” – Teresa Marshall

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Album Pre-Release

RESILIENCE Book & INTUITION Box

The RESILIENCE Album Book is a hand-made, limited edition custom-designed book – printed and hand-bound in Montreal by Book Art on hand-made Saint-Armand Paper. Conceived as a facsimile music score with accompanying images and text, this unique manuscript presents the artistic vision, composers, performers and musical works of the album.

Hand-made and individually-signed, the RESILIENCE Book and INTUITION Box will accompany the global digital release of the RESILIENCE Album exclusively available for pre-order with the RESILIENCE Album @ EmmanuelVukovichApp.

The INTUITION Box is created by Jean-Charles Roussel in Uberlingen, Germany inspired by the work of German artist and social activist Joseph Beuys. It is produced out of fine French poplar wood – sanded, finished and individually signed and engraved with a unique flame insignia on each box expressing the potent and also volatile spark of an intuitive idea. This limited-edition album book and box are an expression of Bartòk’s unique legacy marrying tradition with innovation as a bold vision for the future.

RESILIENCE Book & INTUITION Box

Sustenance
2024-01-10 19:30 - 23:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
SUSTENANCE
A Program of Premières
Elation Pauls Violin, Serouj Kradjian Piano
With Guests David Braid Piano, Karen Sunabacka Narration
Jan 10, 2024 – 7:30pm
Chalmers House
20 St. Joseph St.
Toronto, ON
~~~~~~~~~~
About the program:
What sustains you? Us? Our planet? What happens when sustenance is absent? From the energy and joy that the interactive elements of play and dance ignite to themes of internal sustenance provided by the divine and more tangible elements of food and water, this program of premieres explores personal and collective sources.
SUSTENANCE marks a new life chapter born out of the days of isolation and silence of 2020. With the drastic and sudden all-encompassing change experienced, I was forced to spend much introspective time. Becoming disconsolate with the (lack of) societal contribution I was making as a violinist, I became invested in exploring new avenues for connection. With the encouragement of some close friends and colleagues, I imagined a program of 21st century Canadian music for violin and piano based on the theme of sustenance, with the intention to commission pieces from some of my favourite composers. In spring of 2023 I was awarded a Create and Explore grant from the Canada Council for the Arts and it is a great honour and privilege to work with the composers and pianists being presented today.
~ Elation
~~~~~~~~~~
Program:

Serouj Kradjian (b. 1973) Sari Aghtchig (Girl from the Mountain)
for Violin and Piano (2023) *World Premiere
For Elation Pauls, commissioned with support from the Canada Council for the Arts.
Carmen Braden (b. 1985) Foxy Fox’s Musical Games for Violin and Piano (2018)
Commissioned by the 2018 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition. Dedicated to the Little One.
Cris Derksen (b. 1981) Country Food for Violin and Tape (2023) *World Premiere
Commissioned by Elation Pauls with support from the Canada Council for the Arts.
Kelly-Marie Murphy (b. 1964) FIRE-AND-ICE-BODIED-DOUBLED-UP-WITHDRAWAL-ANXIETY (2023)
for Violin and Piano *World Premiere
I. Mellifluous, heart-rending
II. Agitated and possessed
Commissioned by Elation Pauls with support from the Canada Council for the Arts.

~ Intermission ~

David Braid (b. 1975) Interior Castles for Violin and Piano (2005)
David Braid – Three Songs for Violin and Piano (2023) *World Premiere
David Braid, Piano
Serouj Kradjian (b. 1973) Tango Melancolico for Violin and Piano (2011)
Karen Sunabacka (b. 1975) Jack the Fiddler for Violin, Piano and Narrator (2023) *Ontario Premiere
Text by Joyce Clouston in collaboration with Karen Sunabacka. Karen Sunabacka, Narrator
Dedicated to Elation Pauls and all my Métis relations who loved my grandfather Jack. Comissioned by
and written for Elation Pauls with the generous support of SOCAN, the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA),
Manitoba Arts Council (MAC) and the Academic Development and Research Fund (ADRF) at Conrad
Grebel University College.
Iman Habibi (b. 1985) Offering of Water for Violin and Piano (2023) *Canadian Premiere
Dedicated to Lucia Lin. Co-comissioned by: Lucia Lin, Elation Pauls and the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative
Academy of Music with partial funding support from the Canada Council for the Arts.
1. of life
2. yasna
3. purify
4. it shall flow if from tears
5. to life

CMC Ontario Artist is Residence Showcase
2024-01-26 18:00 - 22:00 (America/Toronto) | 918 Bathurst, 918 Bathurst st., Toronto, ON, Canada
RSVP

CMC Ontario is proud to host an evening showcasing the incredible work of our artists in residence from December and January.

Featured artists:
Backlined Quartet https://withkoji.com/@Backlined
Paolo Griffin https://paologriffin.com/
Arie Verheul van de Ven https://arievvdv.ca

Doors @ 6:00
First set @ 6:30
Second set @ 8:00
Third set @ 9:30

Refreshments and conversation between sets

Dance of Shadows
2024-01-26 19:00 - 22:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
Doors open: 7:00 PM
Show Starts: 7:30 PM
Advance Tickets are Only Available On Eventbrite
Tickets at the Door: $30

Kamancello, comprised of Shahriyar Jamshidi and Raphael Weinroth-Browne, is an East-meets-West duo whose music transcends genres and cultural boundaries. Their highly evocative improvised performances unite the Kurdish kamanche with the classical cello while traveling beyond both musical traditions.
The duo has made waves with performances at Montreal’s Place des Arts for Festival du Monde Arabe, the Canadian Opera Company, the Aga Khan Museum’s concert series, the National Arts Centre, Shenkman Arts Centre, and the Cello Biennale Amsterdam.
Recorded in one take, their self-titled debut album, which includes 6 improvised pieces, has been met with unanimous critical acclaim. In May 2019, Kamancello made their orchestral debut performing their own double concerto “Convergence Suite” with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra to an enthusiastic sold-out audience. Following the release of their second album, Kamancello II: Voyage in the summer of 2019, the duo travelled to Newfoundland’s west coast for a week-long residency where they collaborated with local musicians. Kamancello’s third full-length album Of Shadows was released in 2020. In January 2024, they will make their debut with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
In this fully improvised concert, you will hear rich lyricism and microtonal ornamentation in long, exploratory pieces that “feel their way forward from quiet drones to chugging, propulsive rhythms, and intricate counterpoint.” -Musicworks Magazine
Kamancello proves “that cultures can mingle without losing their distinct identities, and that diversity inspires richness. The national origin doesn’t matter; we can all hear unity in these grooves.” -A Closer Listen

Broadway Melody of 1984: An Orwellian Musical Romp
2024-02-11 14:00 - 15:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
Eli Pasic presents a concert performance of his new musical comedy, Broadway Melody Of
1984: An Orwellian Musical Romp! Adapted from Orwell’s 1984, Eli, Rachel Hart, Justan Myers,
and Robert Popoli will bring to life through song, narration, and snippets of dialogue the story
of Winston Smith, a disillusioned pleb, and his struggle to overthrow Big Brother’s government,
proving that dystopia can be a musical cornucopia!
Eli Pasic is a composer and lyricist of stage musical comedies. He studied piano and
composition at Berklee College of Music and was mentored by Broadway orchestrator Larry
Blank (The Producers, The Drowsy Chaperone). He’s written a musical comedy with composer
Henry Krieger (Dreamgirls, Side Show), which has been published by Broadway Licensing. For
more details, visit www.elipasic.com (Instagram: @elipasic).

A Breeze from Kurdish Mountains
2024-03-01 19:30 - 23:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
Door Open: 7:30 PM
Concert Starts: 8:00 PM
Advance Tickets are Only Available On Eventbrite
At the Door: $30

The two Toronto-based Kurdish artists Kazim Boran, Saz (Bağlama) and Shahriyar Jamshidi, Kamācha (Kamancheh) and Vocal will resonate songs from various parts of Kurdistan in their duo’s first public concert at the Canadian Music Centre. With the power of improvisation rooted in Kurdish traditions, they can cross the boundaries of musical genres and create a spontaneous musical momentum that penetrates from the soul of the musicians to the heart and soul of the listeners.
If you are enthusiastic about listening to the rare and pure tastes of different musical ethnicities from West Asia especially Greater Kurdistan rather than the mainstream musical themes and melodies of Iran and Turkey, this unique Kamānche- Bağlama duo is for you! You can Immerse yourself in the beauty of Kurdish traditional music and leave the melodies and rhythms to transport you to the mesmerizing feeling of being in the mountains of Kurdistan which are roofed with Oak and Turpentine trees.

Introducing the Sympath: a string resonator developed by musician Dave Riedstra.
2024-04-12 19:00 - 22:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
Free with RSVP
Introducing the Sympath: a string resonator developed by musician Dave Riedstra.
Join us Friday, April 12th at 7pm for a free interactive presentation and performance of the Sympath, featuring musicians and co-designers Gayle Young and Mitch Renaud. The Sympath offers a new but familiar way of working with sound: its strings are activated electronically for sympathetic resonance with a source sound, and the resulting resonance can be used as acoustic sound or electronic signal. The instrument’s designs will also be freely available, so you can build your own Sympath. We invite all adventurous musicians, composers, DIY enthusiasts and lovers of unusual instruments to join Dave Riedstra, Gayle Young, and Mitch Renaud, as they share the inspiration, design, and function of the Sympath.
To learn more about the Sympath, visit https://daveriedstra.com/sympath

spectatorship is not neutral - site-specific interventions for concert halls by Colin Tucker
2024-04-23 10:00 - 2024-05-03 15:00 (America/Toronto) | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
Installation open 10am-3pm daily
April 23-26 and April 29-May 3
FREE
spectatorship is not neutral

site-specific interventions for concert halls by Colin Tucker
spectatorship is not neutral presents new and recent installation works for concert halls by Colin Tucker. The installation focuses on marking the politics of often unmarked defaults of spectatorial concert (“classical”) music, particularly those of silent, seated, focal listening, and of organizing musical practice around closed, immaterial works.
Grounded in methods of Black and Indigenous studies, the installation investigates how the concert hall’s central subject-position, the Spectator, is always-already relational, and specifically how the Spectator’s sensory capacity depends axiomatically upon the discursive displacement of the exteriority of sensation onto racially-marked figures of sensory incapacity. The featured works map how seemingly routine protocols of concert music are not easily separable from protocols of empire, as a necessary step towards a politicized dismantling of concert music. As the artist is read as white, the installation deliberately limits the scope of its critical inquiry to white positionality (and whiteness’s (re)production in and through concert music), while prioritizing methods of interrogating whiteness learned from Indigenous and Black studies.
Featuring works for print, images, audio, projection, piano, and more, the program features installations throughout the CMC’s Chalmers House space, as well as related performances and a live-streamed artist talk.
Venue: Canadian Music Centre
20 St. Joseph St.
Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9
Tkaronto/Toronto, occupied land of the Wendat confederacy, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation/Anishinaabe confederacy, and Haudenosaunee confederacy

The Sisu Ensemble presents: The Way I Dream
2024-04-28 15:00 - 17:00 (America/Toronto) | 10,000 Hours Studios, 353 Montreal Rd. ste 102, Ottawa, Ontario, K1L 6B1, Canada
Sunday, April 28, 2024
3:00 PM
The Sisu Ensemble presents: The Way I Dream
The Way I Dream Centered around female-driven stories of love and perseverance, these contemporary Canadian compositions, written for voice and piano, bridge the gap between grand, romantic heights and gentle impressionist melodies.
10,000 Hours Studios
353 Montreal Rd. ste 102
