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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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

________

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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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

George Crotty Trio - new compositions for cello, bass, and percussion
2024-05-02 19:30 - 22:30 | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
Free with RSVP
Thursday, May 2
7:30pm
George Crotty Trio – new compositions for cello, bass, and percussion
George Crotty – cello / Jonathan Chapman – bass / Matias Recharte – percussion

Known for their expressive fluidity and modal orientation, The George Crotty Trio makes music that is cinematic, collaborative, and conversational. They draw on influences within Indian raga, Arabic maqam, and modal jazz; using the language of other cultures to speak new things. “I’m not at home in any one culture,” muses Crotty, “so the trio became my home.”
www.georgecrotty.com

Games of the Night Wind - Album Launch
2024-05-15 19:30 - 22:30 | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
Free with RSVP

Described by the Oskar Morawetz Award jurors as a “legend” of Canadian musicians, Christina Petrowska Quilico joins lauded composer and champion of new music David Jaeger on GAMES OF THE NIGHT WIND, a dreamy musical landscape premiering 12 of Jaeger’s original nocturnes in addition to seven 20th century solo piano works.
Each nocturne invokes a different spirit of the night: deception, memory, redemption, realization, and many more, each brought to fruition by Petrowska Quilico’s evocative musicality. Sharp staccato and an increasingly startled momentum drives the image of an encounter with the shadows in Nocturne 11, The Alarm Bell, a weighty contrast to the deep rubato and heaving nostalgia in Nocturne 1, In Memory Of — yet both hail from the same thematic darkness that expands across the entirety of the album. These sensations are ever present in Tōru Takemitsu’s starry Les yeux clos, Alexandre Tansman’s complex and lyrical nocturnes, and two works by Górecki, whose Lullaby sings GAMES OF THE NIGHT WIND off to sleep.
GAMES OF THE NIGHT WIND plays to the unfettered wildness of the night, a force of nature encapsulated in every aspect of Petrowska Quilico and Jaeger’s musical and poetic collaboration, an elegant exploration for the night owl in us all.
Programme:

Töru Takemitsu – Les Yeux Clos
David Jaeger – Nocturne: The Murmur (Poetry by Seán Haldane)
Alexandre Tansman – Nocturne no.4
David Jaeger – Nocturne: Forget the Day (Poetry by Christina Petrowska Quilico)
David Jaeger – Nocturne: Games of the Night Wind (Poetry by Christina Petrowska Quilico)
Henryk Górecki – Lullaby

Sarode Reverie
2024-06-08 19:00 - 21:00 | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
Saturday, June 8, 2024
7:00 PM
Sarode Reverie
A performance of North Indian Classical Music
Atish Mukhopadhyay – Sarode
Ravi Naimpally – Tabla
Tickets: $25
Venue:
Canadian Music Centre
20 St. Joseph St.
Toronto ON, M4Y 1J9
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Ravi Naimpally studied the art of tabla playing in India under eminent master such as his uncle Pandit Nikhil Ghosh and Pandit Anindo Chatterjee. Although most of his training is in the Farrukabad gharana, he has also trained in the Qasur style with Pandit Sushil Kumar Jain. He has accompanied many accomplished artists such as Aarti Anklikar, Buddadev Das Gupta, Dhruba Ghosh, Lakshmi Shankar and Shantanu Bhattacharya. Ravi has been an active member of the Canadian world music scene for nearly 20 years. As a vital part of Toronto’s large South Asian community, Ravi continues to perform traditional music from India, while participating in many cross-cultural exchanges. He has toured extensively in Europe, India, United States, Mexico, Argentina and Japan. Ravi is a frequent collaborator with such groups as Niyaz, Constantinople, Avataar, and Monsoon. Currently, he is involved in three new collectives; 1) So Long Seven (folk-roots world music), Near East (India, Mid-East) and Sansar (Hindustani, Carnatic).
In 2011 Toronto’s South Asian community acknowledged Ravi’s contributions to music by bestowing on him the Grant’s Desi Achievers Award. Ravi has had several Juno nominations and is featured on Kiran Alhuwalia’s Juno winning recording Beyond Boundaries. For 11 years Ravi led his own Indo-jazz ensemble Tasa, which in turn influenced many world music artists in Canada. Tasa toured internationally and recorded 4 CDs of Ravi’s original music. Tasa was awarded an Urban Music Award for Best World Music album.
Ravi is frequently hired as a guest lecturer by the music department at York University and Humber College. In 2017 he founded the Rhythm House music school, dedicated to providing high quality instruction on tabla, sitar and other Hindustani and Western instruments. The school provides private as well as group classes and master classes with Pandit Anindo Chatterjee. Rhythm House employs highly accomplished teacher on each instrument.
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Atish Mukhopadhyay is one of the very few “SARODE” virtuosos from the present generation of ‘North Indian Classical Instrumental musicians’ – an avid scholar of traditional music and the direct representative and torch bearer of ‘Maihar Senia Gharana of Baba Allauddin Khan’. Atish has performed to high critical acclaims throughout India and also in abroad and holds several recognitions and Titles for his Musical excellence. Atish is empanelled with ICCR- Ministry of external affair as a musician and also as a music teacher.

Gaia Quartet CMC Artists in Residence: IN TIME album launch event
2025-10-17 19:30 - 23:00 | ON
IN TIME (2024) – Hsiu-Ping Patrick Wu
Blueprint (2016) – Caroline Shaw
Diptych #1: art as miniature (2025) – Michelle Lorimer
Miami (2025) – Aspen Barker-
-INTERMISSION-
Dawn (2024) – Salome Yichi Zhang
Cuimhne (2019) – Christine Hedden
String Quartet No. 3 “at the still point, there the dance is” (2024) – Hsiu-Ping Patrick Wu
Carrot Revolution (2015) – Gabriella Smith

GAIA Quartet is an all-women string quartet dedicated to commissioning and performing works by living composers. Founded in 2022 at the Longy School of Music of Bard College by Aspen Barker, Yi Charice Tang, Simone Cartales, and Rosalyn Taylor, GAIA Quartet was formed out of a shared passion for bringing contemporary music to modern audiences. In 2023, GAIA Quartet was named Graduate Chamber Fellows at Longy School of Music of Bard College and served as the Quartet-in-Residence with the Composition Department.
Despite the vast amount of innovative music being written today, much of it remains unheard by general audiences. This realization shaped GAIA Quartet’s mission: to make new music more accessible, engaging, and relevant to listeners beyond the classical music world. The quartet’s name reflects this mission. The name “GAIA” comes from the Greek goddess Gaia, the personification of Mother Earth. She is powerful yet often overlooked—much like the composers GAIA Quartet champions. Gaia’s story resonated with the quartet as a symbol of resilience, transformation, and creation—values that define both their music-making and their dedication to contemporary composers. The name also represents the diversity within the group, honoring different backgrounds and artistic perspectives while embracing the strength to persist, evolve, and create. GAIA Quartet continues to push for change in classical music. By commissioning new works, collaborating with composers, and rethinking how audiences engage with contemporary music, they are committed to making new music more accessible, meaningful, and relevant.
Aspen Barker began playing violin in a 4th-grade after-school strings program in Miami. Inspired by early performances with the New World Symphony and Amernet String Quartet, she pursued a Bachelor of Music at Loyola University New Orleans and a Master of Music at Longy School of Music of Bard College, studying with Amy Thiaville, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Paula Majerfeld, and Karla Donehew Perez. A passionate advocate for accessible music education, Aspen has volunteered with Miami Music Project, Make Music NOLA, El Sistema, and Boston Strings Academy. Now based in Boston, she teaches full-time and performs with ensembles including the Du Bois Orchestra, Reading Symphony Orchestra, Palaver Strings, Ensemble Uncaged, and Mass Opera. Aspen has worked with artists such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Joel Smirnoff, and members of A Far Cry, INTERWOVEN, and the Aizuri Quartet. In 2022, she co-founded GAIA Quartet, an all-women string quartet dedicated to empowering young female musicians. GAIA was named Graduate Fellowship Quartet in Residence at Longy.
Caroline Shaw is a musician who moves among roles, genres, and mediums, trying to imagine a world of sound that has never been heard before but has always existed. She works often in collaboration with others—as producer, composer, violinist, and vocalist. Shaw is the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in Music, an honorary doctorate from Yale, four Grammys, and a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. She has written and produced for iconic artists and ensembles across the musical spectrum, including Rosalía, Renée Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, Tiler Peck, Nas, Kanye West, the LA Phil, the NY Phil, and others. Current touring projects include shows with Sō Percussion, Ringdown, Attacca Quartet, Roomful of Teeth, Graveyards & Gardens, Gabriel Kahane, and Kamus Quartet. Her favorite color is yellow, and her favorite smell is rosemary.
Christine Delphine Hedden is a Boston-based composer, violist, and traditional Irish fiddler whose work blends classical music with folk traditions. Originally from western Connecticut, her early love of storytelling and nature continues to inspire her music. She has performed at venues like Club Passim and the Boston Celtic Music Festival and released her debut album When the Aster Blooms in 2019. Her classical compositions have been performed by groups such as Orchestra of St. Luke’s and ETHEL Quartet, and her recent work Solstice reflects on climate change in New England. Christine holds degrees from the University of Michigan and Carnegie Mellon and teaches at South Shore Conservatory, where she chairs the String Department.
Gabriella Smith is a composer whose vibrant, nature-inspired music celebrates climate action and sonic exploration. Hailed as an “outright sensation” (LA Times), her works have been performed by major ensembles like the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic. Recent highlights include Lost Coast, a cello concerto premiered by Gustavo Dudamel, and Tumblebird Contrails, featured at the Nobel Prize Concert. Her acclaimed debut album Lost Coast was named one of NPR’s top albums of 2021. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Gabriella draws deep inspiration from the natural world.
Hsiu-Ping Patrick Wu is an award-winning Taiwanese-Canadian composer, violinist, and multimedia artist based in Toronto. Known for blending Taiwanese, minimalistic, and neo-romantic styles, he draws from his multicultural heritage to create evocative compositions that range from lyrical to avant-garde. Wu has collaborated with prestigious ensembles like the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and studied under prominent composers and violinists. A recipient of multiple scholarships, he is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Toronto, crafting music that often integrates cultural, dramatic, and improvisational elements.
Michelle Lorimer is a Toronto-based composer for film, television, and the concert stage. Her recent screen credits include scoring Words Left Unspoken (CSA-nominated, CBC Gem), Loud & Here (Hot Docs, Crave), Crossing the Divide (Citizen Minutes 3), and When I Go Outside by Geordie Sabbagh. She has composed for CBC’s The Nature of Things and is developing new work through the Women in Animation ACE 4 program. Michelle’s concert music has been performed by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Allegra Chamber Orchestra, Peterborough Concert Band, NU Quintet (NYC), and more. Her piece Commuting was commissioned by The Sonority Sisters with funding from the New World Symphony. She was a recipient of the Johanna Metcalf Protegé Prize, nominated by composer Kevin Lau. She is a member of the SCGC, SOCAN, and the Alliance for Women Film Composers. She holds an ARCT in piano and a composition degree from Humber College, where she received the Dean’s Award. Michelle lives in Etobicoke with her husband, two kids, and two cats, and enjoys mentoring young musicians and singing with L’Arche Daybreak.
Salome Yichi Zhang is a composer born in China and raised in Canada. Her composition thematic material centres mainly on the subject of womanhood. By combining artistic element such as poetry, her topics explore dream, hallucination and reality by using hugely contrasting compositional language. Winning a total of 25,000 dollars of scholarship, her music has been performed in Beijing, Moscow, Vancouver, Boston and Toronto.
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Choral Connections
2025-10-26 15:00 - 17:00 | ON
On Sunday, October 26th, join Choirs Ontario and Canadian Music Center Ontario for a networking event for choral professionals. “Choral Connections” seeks to connect choral conductors and composers as they begin to plan their upcoming choral season(s). The evening will feature a discussion with renowned conductor and champion of Canadian Music, Lydia Adams in conversation with star composer, Matthew Emery on the comissioning process from idea to performance. During breakout sessions, conductors will mingle to discuss potential collaborations for repertoire selection, possible commissions, and professional joint-ventures. Food and drink will be served.

Autumn Serenade with oboist Megan Kyle
2025-11-08 19:00 - 23:00 | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
celebrating the 85th birthday of Patricia Morehead

Music by Patricia Morehead, Thea Musgrave and Megan Kyle
Performers:
Megan Kyle, oboe/English horn
Patricia Morehead, oboe

2nd Fridays: Meghan Gilhespy, Sam Wilson, Regan Mowery
2025-11-14 19:00 - 23:30 | ON
Friday, November 14th, 2025
7:00 – 11:30pm EST
PWYC
2nd Fridays: Meghan Gilhespy, Sam Wilson, Regan Mowery
Live music, cheap booze, and a little bit of beautiful, glorious chaos. Halfway between a recital and a party. Be there.
2nd Fridays is a series that builds community, where artists can take risks in a supportive environment and where we strip the stuffiness out of the concert hall and turn it into the city’s most interesting living room. Less a concert; more a house party, where the bands just happen to be a collection of the most talented and adventurous players in the country.
This time, we’re unleashing three impressive woman in one night: Modern jazz and experimental vocalist Meghan Gilhespy, improvisational finger-style guitarist Sam Wilson & exploratory jazz drummer Regan Mowery.
Witness beautiful, intelligent, and dangerous minds at play. The bar is open. The rules are set aside (except for the fire code- we can’t do anything about that), and any donations you make will go directly to the performers. The future of Canadian music is being forged at the CMC, just after hours this time.
No gods. No masters. Only sound.

Persian-Tuned Microtonal Accordion
2025-12-02 15:00 - 17:00 | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
Montreal-based Persian musician and McGill University master’s graduate in Music Theory, Farzad Milani, will present his unique microtonal accordion and guide the audience through his research on the Persian-Arabic 17-tone system and Abjadic notation.
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to discover a new sound world!
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Le musicien persan basé à Montréal Farzad Milani, titulaire d’une maîtrise en théorie musicale de l’Université McGill, présentera son accordéon microtonal unique et fera découvrir ses recherches sur le système persan-arabe à 17 tons et la notation abjadique.
Une occasion rare d’explorer un univers sonore inédit !

Persian Music Jam (Toronto Edition)
2025-12-03 15:00 - 17:00 | Chalmers Performance Space, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1J9, Canada
Bring your instrument and join us for an unforgettable afternoon of traditional, folk, and pop music celebrating Persian and related musical cultures. Hosted by Farzad Milani, Montreal-based Persian musician and microtonal accordionist, this jam session invites musicians of all backgrounds to share, improvise, and connect.
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Apportez votre instrument et joignez-vous à nous pour un après-midi inoubliable de musiques traditionnelles, folkloriques et populaires célébrant les cultures persanes et apparentées. Animée par Farzad Milani, musicien persan basé à Montréal et accordéoniste microtonal, cette session invite les artistes de tous horizons à partager, improviser et se connecter.

Piazzolla and Beyond
2025-12-21 14:30 - 15:30 | Harmony Centre Owen Sound, 890 4th Avenue East, Owen Sound, ON, N4K 2N7, Canada
Sunday, December 21st, 2025
2:30pm to 3:30pm EST
Piazzolla and Beyond
Join us for a musical journey through the vibrant world of Piazzolla and Beyond, where tango meets modern rhythms in a unique fusion.
Piazzolla and Beyond is a vibrant journey through the rhythmic pulse and emotional depth of tango nuevo. The program highlights how Piazzolla’s voice continues to inspire Canadian composers who blend classical form with the sensual energy of Argentine tango.
From Hatzis’ introspective Old Photographs to Davies’ lyrical Tango and Kutnowski’s dynamic Buenos Aires Y2K, the concert weaves a narrative of nostalgia, rhythm, and reinvention — culminating with Piazzolla’s own Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.
Designed for chamber music audiences that appreciate both sophistication and passion, this program brings together familiar and fresh voices, bridging cultures and eras through the expressive power of the piano trio.
PROGRAM

Christos Hatzis (ON) Old Photographs Piano Trio
Victor Davies (ON) Tango from Silhouettes Piano Trio
Martin Kutnowski, Buenos Aires Y2K
Astor Piazzolla, Four Seasons of Buenos Aires

PERFORMERS
Younggun Kim, piano
Lucia Barcari, violin
Amahl Arulanandam, cello
VENUE
Harmony Centre Owen Sound
890 4th Avenue East
Owen Sound, ON N4K 2N7
