#opera symphony orchestra toronto music

[dianadimauro]

Some stage photos from my recent performance of Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites, in Toronto. I played the role of Mother Marie. This was one of the most challenging and rewarding characters I have ever had the privilege to play. The opera is a masterpiece.

[justforbooks]

Sir Andrew Davis

One of Britain’s greatest conductors widely admired for leading the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Proms

One of the most beloved and highly esteemed conductors of his generation, Sir Andrew Davis, who has died aged 80 of leukaemia, was a familiar presence on the podium, not least through his countless appearances at the BBC Proms in his capacity as chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra (1989-2000).

After Adrian Boult, his was the second longest tenure of the post in the history of the orchestra. During the same period he was also music director of Glyndebourne Opera (1988–2000), conducting works by Mozart, Janáček and Richard Strauss, among many others.

The sheer range of his repertoire was in fact one of the defining features of Davis’s career. Not only was he acclaimed as an empathetic interpreter of British music from Elgar and Vaughan Williams to Holst and Bliss, but he also had the ability to assimilate contemporary scores such as Michael Tippett’s The Mask of Time, Harrison Birtwistle’s The Mask of Orpheus, Nicholas Sackman’s Hawthorn or David Sawer’s Byrnan Wood, all of which were either introduced at the Proms or recorded. The Birtwistle was named record of the year at the Gramophone awards in 1987.

But as he showed season after season in the BBC post, Davis could bring both vitality and a discerning sense of idiom to almost any music. One recalls, almost at random, a 2015 concert featuring a sensuous account of Delius’s In a Summer Garden, followed by a lithe and muscular suite from Ravel’s erotic Daphnis et Chloé, the ecstatic choral shouts and shuddering climaxes leaving little to the imagination. The concert also included music by Carl Nielsen and a new work, Epithalamion, by Hugh Wood.

One of many highlights of his Proms appearances was his commanding premiere in 1998 of Elgar’s Third Symphony in the “elaboration” by Anthony Payne (effectively a performing version made from the composer’s sketches).

Another was his speech from the podium in 1992, delivered as a patter song to the tune of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “I am the very model of a modern major-general”, complete with witty rhymes and repartee with the delighted audience. The trick was repeated on the final night of the 2000 festival, his last as the orchestra’s chief conductor. On his arrival at the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the more truculent members of the ensemble had to be won over, but they were, by his genial humour and charm, as well as his purely musical talents.

He was also popular with soloists, not necessarily offering a radically new perspective of his own, but listening carefully to them to provide an ideal accompaniment. The pianist Stephen Hough said he had “the sharpest ear and the clearest stick”. Both on and off the podium Davis exuded bonhomie and affability. His concern as a conductor was always to create the conditions that enabled musicians to give of their best.

Born in Ashridge, Hertfordshire, he was the son of Robert Davis, a compositor, and his wife, Joyce (nee Badminton). Andrew began to learn the piano at the age of five and attended Watford grammar school. In 1959 he started organ studies with Peter Hurford and subsequently won an organ scholarship to King’s College, Cambridge, where he played under David Willcocks. He then studied conducting at the Accademia di S Cecilia, Rome, under Franco Ferrara, and in London with George Hurst. From 1966 to 1970 he was pianist, harpsichordist and organist with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

In 1970 he made his debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and in the same year was appointed assistant conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. He then became principal guest conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (1974–77) and music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (1975–88), whose stature he boosted with major tours of North America, Europe and Asia. In 1982, he helped establish the orchestra’s new home at Roy Thomson Hall, and advised on the construction of its organ.

Then came the posts at the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Glyndebourne. His debut at the latter had been in Strauss’s Capriccio (1973) and he was to become a noted exponent of the composer’s operas.

In 1989 he married the soprano Gianna Rolandi, whom he had met when she sang Zerbinetta under his baton first at the Metropolitan, New York, in 1984 and again at Glyndebourne in 1988.

On his retirement from the BBC in 2000 he moved to the US with Rolandi and their son, Edward, to take up the appointment of music director, until 2021, of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, where he conducted nearly 700 opera performances including Wagner’s Ring cycle (2004–05). A second cycle was planned for the 2019–20 season, but was never completed on account of the Covid pandemic. He additionally conducted orchestral concerts at the Lyric and free concerts at Millennium Park.

From 2012 to 2019, he also held the post of chief conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, becoming conductor laureate, while continuing to live in the US.

In addition to his conducting, he made an orchestration of Handel’s Messiah, performing it with the Toronto orchestra, and of Berg’s Piano Sonata, op 1, and Passacaglia (Berg was a composer who inspired him, he once said, throughout his life). His own compositions included La Serenissima: Inventions on a Theme by Claudio Monteverdi (1980), Chansons Innocentes for children’s chorus and orchestra (1984) and Alice (2003) – settings of Lewis Carroll for mezzo-soprano, tenor and children’s chorus. At his death he was working on orchestrating some of JS Bach’s organ music.

During the pandemic lockdown he drew on his knowledge of the classics, gained as a student, to undertake an original translation of Virgil’s Aeneid. Though modest about his poetic abilities, he did comment that the experience was comparable to that of making music: “The manipulation of sonorities and rhythms and the search for ways of bringing to life the vividness of Virgil’s imagery and at times his great emotional power struck me as remarkably similar to the search that I have been engaged in all my life on the podium.”

His numerous recordings reflect the vast range of his repertoire, British and contemporary music looming large alongside Stravinsky, Strauss, Berlioz, Ives, Sibelius, Weill and the complete Dvořák symphonies. A 16-CD retrospective collection celebrating British composers on Teldec’s The British Line series was released by Warner Classics.

In 1991, he received the Royal Philharmonic Society/Charles Heidsieck music award. He was appointed CBE in 1992 and knighted in 1999.

Rolandi died in 2021. Davis is survived by Edward, a composer, singer and conductor.

🔔 Andrew Frank Davis, conductor, born 2 February 1944; died 20 April 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[lboogie1906]

Measha Brueggergosman-Lee (born Measha Gosman; June 28, 1977) is a Canadian soprano who performs both as an opera singer and concert artist. She has performed internationally and won numerous awards. Her recordings of both classical and popular music have received awards.

She played the lead in the premiere of the opera Beatrice Chancy by James Rolfe and George Elliott Clarke.

She has performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director Geoffrey Moull, National Arts Centre Orchestra under the direction of Pinchas Zukerman, and at Roy Thomson Hall.

She has performed internationally, in the US, Germany, and other nations. She was in Elektra, Dead Man Walking, and Turandot with the Cincinnati Opera. She has performed the Verdi Requiem with Sir Andrew Davis and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, as well as with Helmuth Rilling at the International Beethoven Festival in Bonn.

She was a soloist in recording Songs of Innocence and Experience, which won three Grammy awards, including Best Classical Album.

She was a new performer at the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, singing in the ‘Phantom of the Opera’ medley and closing the show with “Ave Maria”.

She has performed in the US with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, in their performance of Michael Tippett’s oratorio A Child of Our Time.

She performed the role of Jenny in Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny in Madrid’s Teatro Real.

She performed the Olympic Hymn at the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Games. She performed an arrangement of the English-sung version of the hymn in English and French to reflect Canada’s official languages.

She married Markus Brügger (1999-2018). They have two sons. She married jazz guitarist Steve Lee (2021). #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[whatsonmedia]

Music Monday 5 New Releases & Tour: Dua Lipa and more!

Music lovers, rejoice! This week brings a fresh wave of releases and tour announcements from a range of talented artists. From Michele Ducci's solo debut to ANOHNI and the Johnsons' North American tour, there's something for everyone. Dig in and discover your new favorite music! Former M+A & Santii member Michele Ducci release debut solo music album 'SIVE' via Monotreme Records! Listen  https://open.spotify.com/album/6yDhMQs8lW6iXnV4cRRrZJ?si=mhkMv7IpRh6OhAX4Rv9RKQ From successful duo to successful solo artist Michele Ducci is becoming a strong singer songwriter in his own right. For his debut record SIVE heralds a new era for him. Don't be fooled into guessing the rest of the album after the first song. Michele's voice creates a smooth musical landscape.  ANOHNI and the Johnsons Unveil New Song ‘Breaking’ via Rough Trade Records & North American Tour Dates added Watch https://youtu.be/9VOn8RLPUcM A video that, like the song, sounds like it just flows by softly and has an uplifting guitar tunes. I actually enjoy acoustic songs so this is definitely one for the playlist. Anohni has got that voice that not only tells a story but carries the emotion as well  ANOHNI and the Johnsons 2024 Tour Dates - Thursday, June 13 - Athens, GR @ The Acropolis - Saturday, June 15 - Ravenna, IT @ Pala De Andrea - Ravenna Festival - Tuesday, June 18 - Madrid, ESP @ Noches de Botanica - Thursday, June 20 - San Sebastian, ESP @ Kursaal Auditorium - Wednesday, June 26 - Paris, FR @ Philharmonie de Paris - Thursday, June 27 - Paris, FR @ Philharmonie de Paris - Saturday, June 29 - Manchester, UK @ The Hall, Aviva Studios - Monday, July 1 - London, UK @ The Barbican SOLD OUT - Tuesday, July 2 - London, UK @ The Barbican SOLD OUT - Saturday, July 6 - Ghent, BE @ Ghent Jazz Festival SOLD OUT - Tuesday, July 9 - Berlin, DE @ Citadel Music Festival - Friday, July 12 - Copenhagen, DK @ DR Koncerthuset - Copenhagen Jazz Festival - Saturday, July 13 - Copenhagen, DK @ DR Koncerthuset - Copenhagen Jazz Festival - Tuesday, September 24 - Mexico CIty, MX @ Teatro Metropolitan - Friday, September 27 - Los Angeles, CA @ Walt Disney Concert Hall - Saturday, September 28 - Los Angeles, CA @ Walt Disney Concert Hall - Tuesday, October 1 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre - Saturday, October 5 - Vancouver, BC @ Chan Centre for the Performing Arts - Monday, October 7 - Seattle, WA @ The Paramount - Saturday, October 12 - Chicago, IL @ Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center - Tuesday, October 15 - Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall - Friday, October 18 - Brooklyn, NY @ BAM Howard Gilman Opera House - Saturday, October 19 - Brooklyn, NY @ BAM Howard Gilman Opera House ANOHNI Online Instagram Website Twitter This Is The Kit announce 'Live At The Minack Theatre' album - out now + share video Watch the performance of 'Hotter Colder' Now if I had to say why I like performance videos where the artist does a gig before a live crowd it'd be for these reasons; it's intimate you get to see reactions from both the audience and the artist. I enjoy them because it shows just how far they've come since their earliest gigs  This Is The Kit Tour Dates: - Jun 25 - Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth, UK - Jun 26-30 - Glastonbury Festival, Pilton, UK - Jul 02 - Eden Project, Cornwall, UK w/ the National - Jul 04 - Castlefield Bowl, Manchester, UK w/ The National - Jul 05 - Crystal Palace Park, London, UK w/ The National - Aug 05 - Scene Ella Fitzgerald Geneva, CH - Aug 10 - The Court House, Bangor NI, UK w/ Rozi Plain - Aug 11 - An Taibhdhearc, Galway, IE w/ Rozi Plain - Aug 12 - Levis Corner House, Balleydehob, IE w/ Rozi Plain - Aug 14 - Kilkenny Arts Festival, IE, Kilkenny - Aug 16 - Green Man Festival, UK Brecon Beacons - Aug 17 - Cheese & Grain, Frome, UK - Aug 18 - Beautiful Days, Devon, UK Instagram https://twitter.com/thisisthekit Facebook Lankum 'Live in Dublin' album to be released on June 21st via Rough Trade Records - UK, US and Europe Tour Dates - Listen to ‘The Rocky Road to Dublin’ now Having been fortunate to have heard some Irish traditional music growing up this just hits all the boxes for me. Apart from the traditional instrumentals I enjoy how the songs are more like stories than songs as it persuades you to listen longer and know what happens  Hear 'The Rocky Road to Dublin' now https://youtu.be/JxdN41JfbfE?feature=shared Album 'Rocky Road to Dublin' Single Forthcoming Lankum Tour Dates - 18.05 – London, Hackney Empire (sold out) - 19.05 – London, Hackney Empire (sold out) - 25.05 – Utrecht, TivoliVredenburg (sold out) - 01.06 – Barcelona, Primavera Sound festival - 06.06 – Porto, Primavera Sound Festival - 08.06 - Dublin, In The Meadows - 29.06 - Pilton, Glastonbury Festival - 06.07 – Roskilde, Roskilde Festival - 28.07 – Henham Park, Latitude Festival - 25.08 - Bristol, The Downs w/ Massive Attack - 30.08.- Larmer Tree Gardens, End Of The Road Festival - 07.09 - Copenhagen, Store Vega - 14.09 - Brussels, Ancienne Belgique - 20.09 - Prague, Archa+ - 23.09 – Berlin, Theater des Westens - 28.09 – Barcelona, Sala Apolo - 26.10 – London, Eventim Apollo - 02.11 – Stockholm, Nalen Stora Salen - 08.11 – Brooklyn, New York - Warsaw - 09.11 – Brooklyn, New York – Warsaw (sold out) - 22.11 - Oslo – Rockefeller Lankum are Ian Lynch, Daragh Lynch, Radie Peat and Cormac MacDiarmada Dua Lipa - Houdini Let's be completely honest now, when has the British/Albanian talented music sensation ever released a bad record. Remember her earlier release, One Kiss with Calvin Harris? and anything since then has demonstrated that she's got what it takes to stay in the game. Even songs about trying to get an admirer to show they've got what it takes to satisfy their attention  Watch https://youtu.be/suAR1PYFNYA?si=MmWwQl4pj-kyaCpF Former M+A & Santii member Michele Ducci release debut solo music album 'SIVE' via Monotreme Records! ANOHNI and the Johnsons Unveil New Song ‘Breaking’ via Rough Trade Records & North American Tour Dates addedANOHNI and the Johnsons 2024 Tour Dates This Is The Kit announce 'Live At The Minack Theatre' album - out now + share videoThis Is The Kit Tour Dates: Dua Lipa - Houdini To get more latest updates on music visit WhatsOn Read the full article

[productions-sarfati]

COMMUNIQUÉ - DÉCÈS SEIJI OZAWAA

C’est avec le cœur lourd que nous vous informons que Maestro Seiji Ozawa nous a quitté paisiblement le Mardi 6 février à l’âge de 88 ans, chez lui à Tokyo .

This is with a heavy heart we announce that our very dear friend and one of the most influential figures in the world of classical music, Maestro Seiji Ozawa, passed away peacefully at his home in Tokyo on February 6th at the age of 88.

Citizen of the world, as he liked to call himself, his talent knew no bounds. Seiji's legacy resonates across generations, leaving an indelible mark on the global musical landscape.

Born in Shenyang, China, in 1935, Seiji's musical journey began at a young age, guided by a passion for excellence and an unwavering dedication to his craft. He honed his skills at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo before venturing to Europe where he won the Besançon International Orchestra Conductors competition .

Seiji's meteoric rise to prominence saw him assume leadership roles with prestigious orchestras worldwide, including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, and notably, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where he served as Music Director for an illustrious 29 years. In Europe, he forged very close ties with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and in Japan he created the Saito Kinen Orchestra in 1992 in honor to his teacher Hideo Saito. With France among so many projects, with the Paris Opera he created with Olivier Messiaen “Jean François d’Assise” in 1983 and with Henri Dutilleux the “Shadows of Time” and “Le temps, l’horloge” with the Orchestre national de France.

Throughout his career, Seiji's conducting style was characterized by its dynamism, precision, and an unparalleled ability to breathe life into every note.

Beyond his conducting prowess, Seiji Ozawa was a tireless advocate for music education, spearheading initiatives to nurture young talent and inspire future generations of musicians. His commitment to fostering a love for music among the youth remains a cornerstone of his enduring legacy. He created in 2000, in Japan, the Ongaku Juku Music Academy and in 2004, in Switzerland,  the Seiji Ozawa International Academy .

He made a profound impact on the world of classical music and deeply touched countless lives through his artistry. Though he may no longer stand before the orchestra, his spirit will forever resonate in the timeless melodies he brought to life and the hearts of all who were fortunate enough to experience his brilliance.

Seiji's passing leaves a void in the realm of classical music, but his legacy will continue to echo through the ages, inspiring countless musicians and enriching the lives of audiences for years to come.

All our thoughts go to his family.

This has been the greatest honor to be by your side all these years .

Rest in eternal harmony, dear Seiji. Your baton may be still, but your music will live on forever.

Vony Sarfati- Productions Internationales Albert Sarfati  - February 9th 2024

[nurhanarman]

Happy birthday to Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) Giacomo Puccini: Crisantemi - Elegy Sinfonia Toronto / Nurhan Arman, Conductor Recorded live on May 3, 2019, Toronto Centre for the Arts https://youtu.be/_gELNIPqikE

[appalamutte]

it pains me this fandom hasn’t explored an orchestra/classical musician au :/ like y’all are really going to make me write it aren’t you? against my will? without any compensation besides my own personal fulfillment?

like just imagine: 

bob zimmermann is the yo-yo ma of the violin. he’s internationally recognized. he’s performed in the greatest concert halls around the world -- carnegie hall, vienna musikverein, the sydney opera house, palais garnier, etc. -- and his playing style is so controlled yet so brash that he’s dubbed “Bad Bob” because you would expect he’s going to be bad from how harshly he plays. he has strong preference for dissonance in his playing and a firm disregard for the traditional playing styles of the baroque and romantic eras, making him controversial in the world of music and leading many to believe his fame is nothing more than accidental luck.

but it isn’t. he’s one of the best, and he helped revolutionize classical music into the modern style we know it as today.

he meets alicia at a gala in prague, and within two years they marry and have jack. jack, who as a baby would cry and cry and could only be soothed with his father’s playing. jack, who plays his first note on his father’s old violin before he says his first words. jack, who grows up with a bow in hand and the classical music world’s eyes on his back.

from early on, it’s clear jack’s taken on his father’s talent. bob starts giving jack lessons as early as five years old, and while he gets caught up in the prospect of his son following in his footsteps, alicia is determined to make sure jack knows he isn’t pressured to do so.

jack knows, mostly. he spends hours every week with a violin in hand because he wants to. it’s more than a hobby, more than following his father’s footsteps; playing the violin gives him this sense of purpose nothing else can. he learns from his father, he practices daily. he builds calluses. he performs his first concerto at eleven, he plays for the canadian prime minister at the place des arts in montreal at thirteen. he joins his father on bob’s last world tour at sixteen, playing alongside him in berlin, rome, moscow, tokyo, sao paulo.

he does it all, trying to make a name for himself, and it almost works. people recognize his playing. he’s stopped a few times on a trip to vienna by fans wanting pictures. different symphonies reach out to him--not his father--personally asking if he’d perform with them for a special event. but the world still sees zimmermann and asks him what it’s like to follow in his father’s footsteps, why is it that jack’s playing style is so different from his father’s, does he feel pressured because of the zimmermann shadow, is his father proud of him?

after a particularly intrusive interview where jack tries to keep the topic on his attempts at composing his own works, he takes a few months off and tries to not read the internet too much. he spends time with his grandparents in quebec city, he stays at his family’s vacation home in halifax, alicia and him fly off to san diego for a few days, just the two of them.

it’s in their san diego hotel that jack caves. he goes online and reads, reads, reads. there’s article after article with clips from that interview, headlines ranging from Jack Zimmermann: the Modern Day Mozart to Is Jack Zimmermann Living up to the Zimmermann Standard? to The Prodigy to Revolutionize Classical Music, Just Like His Father.

he lets it soak into his skin, staying up at night until sleep finally comes, only to dream of walking onto stage with a program showing his face and reading Bob Zimmermann. he comes back from his hiatus and ups his medications. he holds performances in vancouver, chicago, toronto, and he reads more and more articles about him every night before bed. he starts to pull away from his mother’s hugs quicker. he finds himself unable to look his father in the eye.

jack rehearses and reads and he breaks a string three minutes before he has to perform in ottawa at a fundraising event for his father’s new non-profit to uplift music in the schools and he can’t control his breathing in the bathroom fast enough to walk out on time.

then he disappears at eighteen, and all is quiet.

there’s speculation, rampant in the beginning until it dwindles over the years. some say he couldn’t handle the attention and ran off to some private boarding school in the middle of nowhere. others say he couldn’t handle the pressure and left music entirely. a few spitball conspiracies that he died, willingly or not, that being bad bob’s son was too much to bear, that jack’s fame wasn’t accidental but rather forced, nepotistic.

in 2008 a reddit post claimed to have seen jack leaving a hospital in montreal. in 2009 a random twitter user posted two grainy pictures of what appeared to be jack in an elementary school. in 2010 a tmz article said alicia and jack were spotted multiple times in boston, though bob was noticeably absent.

in 2011, jack zimmermann enrolls at the Samwell Conservatory, a small, undistinguished music school struggling to compete with the likes of Juilliard and Berklee. 

it’s his first official public appearance in three years.

-- -- --

eric bittle didn’t pick up a violin until he was twelve years old.

originally, he didn’t even want to join his middle school’s orchestra. his family had just moved to an atlanta suburb thanks to his daddy’s new defensive line coach position at georgia tech, and his mama’s job at the doctor’s office had her working late in the evenings, so they made him pick an extracurricular activity to keep him occupied after school.

the gay-straight alliance was a no brainer. the co-ed hockey team dug up too many bad memories. the home ec club was tempting, but he knew what the other boys would say if he joined it.

so the school’s orchestra it was.

on his first day he was given all sorts of instruments to try: the cello was too big for his small body, the double bass was even bigger, the viola hurt to hold for too long. the violin was perfect, though, and soon enough eric found that he was rather okay at it. maybe more than okay. he caught on quickly with how to tune, how to hold the bow on the strings, how to read sheet music. vibrato was a bit hard to get used to, but the boy he shared a stand with was nice enough to help him, staying after rehearsals to show him how to wiggle his finger on the string and all.

(eric blushed bright as a tomato when the boy leaned close and grabbed his hand to put it in the right position. he couldn’t make eye contact the next day.)

it was fun, too, to eric’s surprise. he liked being able to hear songs come together, to be a part of something bigger than himself rather than be a solo act. it was easy to blend in while sitting in the middle of all the violins, and the end product of the music slowly grew from being just a bonus to being an accomplished reward.

he stuck with the violin throughout middle and high school, spending weekends rehearsing and weekdays with the other violins. he found that he could almost be himself with them, and being in the school orchestra was better than being a figure skater, even though it still wasn’t the football team. boys played the violin all the time. no one batted an eye when he carried his violin in every morning like they did when he’d have to bring his leotards because katya wanted him to rehearse his program with them on after school. his father even came to all of his concerts, and his mother has an entire home library of videos and pictures from throughout the years.

on a whim, and after talking rather extensively with his director, eric sends in a video audition to the Samwell Conservatory. he thinks that it’s just for fun, that he honestly has no shot of getting in. he loves the violin, and yeah, he’s been first chair for three years now, but he knows he’s not nearly good enough to pursue it as a livelihood. coach’s position at georgia tech paves a perfect path for eric to go there anyway. maybe a business degree is attainable--everyone always gets a business degree when they have no real life plan, right? that’d be useful if he follows his other dream of opening up a bakery one day.

then he gets a letter saying he’s advancing to the in-person auditions held in boston.

then he has a panic attack in his director’s office.

then his mama and he fly up to boston in the middle of march and somehow eric doesn’t fuck up his audition too terribly, but still just enough that he can’t eat the lunch his mama buys him afterward.

it’s not until the first seventy-degree day in april that eric gets the acceptance letter. he’s in the middle of baking a lemon meringue pie when his daddy drops the mail off on the counter, saying a letter’s there for him from Samwell. eric stops everything and rips open the envelope at the kitchen table and reads the letter three times over.

he cries. his mama cries. coach sniffles and gives him a hug with a pat on the back. a half dozen pies get made. his moomaw and aunts and uncles and cousins come over that weekend for a celebratory cookout. his tweet garners nearly fifty likes (a record), and his mama’s facebook post is shared over a hundred times by their friends and neighbors.

his school orchestra throws him a surprise party during their next rehearsal and it hits him, standing in the middle of all his fellow violins, that he’s done it. he’s going to boston.

he’s going to attend the Samwell Conservatory.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“May Build Theatre As Relief Project,” Toronto Star. July 20, 1938. Page 30. --- Quebec, July 20. - Montreal cannot afford good music because its music lovers are drawn almost entirely from the middle class, Dr. William Pelletier, Montreal-born conductor of the Metropolitan Opera association of New York, said this yesterday.

He said when the Montreal Symphony Orchestra played recently in the chalet atop Mount Royal at least 2,000 people who could not gain admittance remained outside in stormy weather to listen.

If wealthy Montrealers failed to provide funds for construction of an opera house, the project might be undertaken as a relief measure, he said.

[yegarts]

“I Am YEG Arts” Series: Chenoa Anderson

Chenoa Anderson, photo by Levi Manchak.

She’s a celebrated flutist who’s commissioned and premiered dozens of solo pieces—but ensembles are where her heart’s at. The alchemy of combining different instruments, disciplines, and ideas brings her a joy that only collaboration can. She’s worked with dancers and poets, finds rhythm and time in nature, and delights in discovering the unexpected. What you won’t find her pursuing? Single ideas and straight lines, opting instead for the serendipity that opens pathways. This week’s “I Am YEG Arts” story belongs to Chenoa Anderson.

Tell us about your connection to Edmonton and why you’ve made it your home. I was actually born in Edmonton and grew up in Sherwood Park! So my earliest musical training was here—violin and piano lessons, and later flute, Edmonton Youth Orchestra, and school band. My parents are huge arts supporters, and they often took me and my siblings to everything on offer—symphony, opera, plays, jazz at the Yardbird Suite, all of the summer festivals. I left in 1987 to go to university, moved around the country a bunch (Toronto-Vancouver-Lethbridge-New Brunswick), and returned in 2009 with my spouse (composer Ian Crutchley). It’s wonderful to now be contributing to the arts scene that nurtured me.

What drew you to the flute? Was it a natural fit or something you grew into? I actually started as a violinist at age three. My three siblings and I all played violin and started in the Suzuki system (we had a full set of violins, from 1/16 size to full-sized). Looking back at old photos, violin wasn’t really a natural fit for me. I always looked a bit uncomfortable with the instrument (my sister, on the other hand, looked like a natural and has had a long career as a professional violinist—she plays with the Edmonton Symphony). In junior high school, I actually wanted to play clarinet, but my mom talked me out of it. I have perfect pitch, which runs in the family (my siblings, my mom, her mom, and her grandfather all have/had it), and since clarinet is a transposing instrument, she thought I’d have an easier time with flute—which turned out to be a good thing. I loved the flute as soon as I could get a sound out of it. I also continued with violin for several more years, but eventually couldn’t keep up with both instruments. Ironically, I now play a lot of alto flute, which is also a transposing instrument.

What is the creative process like for you? Where does your inspiration often come from? Like most artists, I’m a bit of a magpie—collecting shiny bits and pieces from all over. I love reading and pull a lot of ideas/words/rhythms from books and poetry. Listening to music, of course (though not often flute music). I especially like listening to the infinite variations of articulation that Baroque string players do. My garden has provided a lot of inspiration as well. I get different ideas of time from observing insects (very fast time) and plants (slow time), as well as the turning of the seasons. It’s also a fascinating soundscape, from the micro (again, the insects!) to the macro (urban noise). More than anything though, I’m inspired by collaboration with other artists. I love the alchemy of combining different instruments, disciplines, ideas, and coming up with something new.

Photo by Nicolas Arnaez.

Tell us a bit about your experimental repertoire and how that journey began. There were a lot of undergraduate flute students at the University of Toronto, and I eventually realized that everyone was playing from a pretty limited amount of standard repertoire, and I didn’t feel like I had anything new to express in most of it. At the time, Esprit Orchestra was doing a lot of outreach, and someone did a presentation to our history class and offered deeply discounted season tickets. Well, I bought one, and that’s how I realized that classical music could be something different from the sonatas and Paris Conservatoire test pieces that make up so much of flute repertoire. In third year I joined the improvisation ensemble and spent a lot of time at the Canadian Music Centre looking for interesting contemporary Canadian pieces I could program on my recitals. When I decided to do grad studies at UBC, I had a serendipitous conversation with Prof Hamel, who taught a glorious Renaissance Lit course at U of T. He told me to look up his son who “wrote weird music” (I’m paraphrasing!) and taught at UBC. Well, I did and even ended up recording one of Keith’s pieces, “Krishna’s Flute,” in 2013. Keith and the rest of the composition faculty at UBC made me feel like I had come home—I ended up playing for a lot of the composition students there, which is also how I met my spouse. My favourite feeling comes from “you can do that on flute?!”

Tell us about a lesson you’ve had to learn more than once. There are so many! In fact, it seems like I have to learn all lessons more than once. I mentioned this to my Alexander Technique teacher when I was frustrated that my body couldn’t seem to remember concepts and ease from one lesson to the next, and she replied that learning was a spiral, and you keep coming back to the same lessons or events, but higher up on the spiral each time. I find this quite comforting.

Photo by Levi Manchak.

What is a Chenoa Anderson solo show like? How do you hope to make people feel? Actually, most of my work now is collaborative—chamber music, collaborating with composers in UltraViolet, improvising with damn magpies (mixed sextet), and working with dancers and other musicians in the garden project. Whatever the context, I hope to convey a sense of wonder and discovery—new sounds (how can a flute sound like that!), new ideas, and the energy of music being created in the moment.

Who’s someone inspiring you right now? Rebecca Solnit. She’s an incredible writer and activist. Hope in the Dark is a really urgent book reminding us to act rather than to despair. At the moment, I’m enjoying Wanderlust, a series of essays about walking. Solnit is also one of the minds behind Not Too Late, a website about positive climate action.

Tell us a little about what you’re currently working on or hoping to explore next. For the last two summers, I’ve been working with a few musicians and dancers in an EAC-funded project in my permaculture garden. We’ve been improvising collaborative pieces and taking inspiration from the space—the way that plants and insects move, the sounds in a natural-but-urban space, the limitations and possibilities of the local and familiar. I suspect this will be a lifetime project, as the space is always evolving and full of endless inspiration. It is also my small way of fighting the climate crisis. The garden itself is a carbon sink, and working locally has a very low carbon footprint. The chamber quartet that I belong to—UltraViolet—will also have a busy fall. During the pandemic, we couldn’t rehearse or perform together safely, but we commissioned a lot of new pieces from local and Canadian composers. We performed eight new works in the spring and have two new works that we will be video-recording in the fall (by Edmonton composers Emilie LeBel and Nicolas Arnaez). We’ll be commissioning more new works over the next year.

When you think YEG arts, what are the first three things, people, or places that come to mind? There are so many things! Edmonton is such a rich cultural city, and there are so many artists, organizations, and festivals doing amazing work. But thinking about the question, the practicing artists who create fantastic work and are also integral to the running of arts organizations kept coming to the front of my mind. There are many, but my three picks (and one bonus) are:

Shima Robinson (a.k.a., Dwennimmen)—poet and Artistic Producer at the Edmonton Poetry Festival.

Kelly Ruth—performer, artist, and General Manager of Mile Zero Dance.

Lorin Klask—musician and Artistic Producer at Co*Lab.

Ian Crutchley—composer and Artistic Director at New Music Edmonton.

What makes you hopeful these days? This is actually a really difficult question for me. I’m having a hard time imagining the survival of our species, let alone our civilizations, as the scope and immediacy of the climate emergency becomes more and more evident. Rather than feeling hopeful—or perhaps optimistic is a more accurate word—I’m trying to engage in acts of hope through acts of creation: making music, making community, making a garden, making a meal for people I love. I think these words by Rebecca Solnit say it all: “It is important to say what hope is not: it is not the belief that everything was, is, or will be fine. The evidence is all around us of tremendous suffering and destruction. The hope I am interested in is about broad perspectives with specific possibilities, ones that invite or demand that we act.”

Want more YEG Arts Stories? We’ll be sharing them here all year and on social media using the hashtag #IamYegArts. Follow along! Click here to learn more about Chenoa Anderson, her work, and upcoming projects.

Photo by Ian Crutchley.

About Chenoa Anderson

Flutist Chenoa Anderson is a settler artist living and practicing in amiskwaciy-wâskahikan/Edmonton. She has commissioned and premiered dozens of solo and ensemble pieces and is an active improviser who has worked with musicians, dancers, and spoken-word artists. Current collaborations include UltraViolet, a mixed quartet specializing in new repertoire; Mixtur with composer Ian Crutchley, performing experimental repertoire for flutes, electronics, video, and found instruments; and damn magpies, a free improvisation sextet. She holds performance degrees from the University of Toronto (B.Mus.) and the University of British Columbia (M.Mus.).

Chenoa Anderson’s first solo recording, Big Flutes: Canadian Music for Alto and Bass Flutes was nominated for a 2006 Western Canadian Music Award. Krishna’s Flute was released in December 2013 and features new works for flute and interactive electronics.

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Alcina Handel

French soprano Patricia Petibon sings one of the biggest handelian arias. Her voice in this recording is just amazing, and she adds a lot of dramatism. Handel’s Alcina Handel’s Alcina ● by Chris Lynch This February, Indiana University Opera will present Handel’s fantasy opera Alcina in a new production designed by Robert Perdziola, directed by Chas Rader-Shieber, and conducted by Arthur Fagen. On musical grounds, this is a more-than-competent reading of Handel's classic opera, with some fine singing throughout. Naglestad is a lovely Alcina, and other principles are strong (notable standout is Mahnke's Oberto). Conductor Hacker coaxes a good reading out of the Stuttgart forces. Handel: Alcina / Curtis, DiDonato, Rensburg, Beaumont Release Date: Label: Archiv Produktion (Dg) Catalog #: 4777374 Spars Code: n/a Composer: George Frideric Handel Performer: Kobie van Rensburg, Vito Priante, Joyce DiDonato, Sonia Prina.

Mio Bel Tesoro Handel Pdf

Quite possibly Handel's most magnificent opera, Alcina is filled with extraordinary musical riches & a lot of magnificent magic. Two exceptional women lie at the heart of the story: Alcina is a potent sorceress, which Bradamante counters with her self-confidence and determination on her quest to rescue her lover Ruggiero from Alcina's spells. If she succeeds, they will escape and no doubt live happily ever after. However, if not, Ruggiero will be transformed into the newest trophy in Alcina's enormous gallery of former lovers. Which will it be? Can he resist her magic?

Now in his fourth season as music director of Orchestra Seattle and the Seattle Chamber Singers, Clinton Smith also maintains a position on the music staff of Santa Fe Opera, where he most recently served as cover conductor for Leonard Slatkin on a production of Samuel Barber’s Vanessa. During the 2017–2018 season, he will make three company debuts, conducting Il barbieri de Siviglia at Dayton Opera, Le nozze di Figaro at Tacoma Opera and Alcina at Fargo-Moorhead Opera. He will also return to Pacific Northwest Opera to conduct Turandot, and to Atlanta Opera to prepare The Seven Deadly Sins. Clinton’s recent conducting credits include The Mikado for Kentucky Opera, Hansel und Gretel and Norma for Pacfic Northwest Opera, Il barbieri di Sivigliafor the University of Michigan Opera Theater, and La finta giardiniera for Baldwin Wallace University.

He has served on the music staff of Santa Fe Opera, Juilliard Opera, Minnesota Opera, Atltanta Opera, Portland Opera, Kentucky Opera and Ash Lawn Opera. Other recent posts include four seasons as artistic director and principal conductor of the St. Cloud Symphony, assistant conductor and chorus master for San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program, assistant conductor for Glimmerglass Opera’s productions of Tolomeo and The Tender Land, music director of Western Ontario University’s Canadian Operatic Arts Academy, and guest coach at the National University of Taiwan.

For four seasons, Minnesota Opera engaged Clinton as cover conductor and chorus master, where he led mainstage performances of La traviata and Madama Butterfly and covered the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Opera Orchestra in over 20 productions. During 2011, Clinton conducted a workshop and prepared the world premiere of Kevin Puts’ opera Silent Night, which subsequently won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in Music. For Minnesota Opera’s New Works Initiative, and as an avid fan of new music, Clinton prepared workshops of Douglas J. Cuomo’s Doubt, Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Garden of the Finzi-Continis and the North American premiere of Jonathan Dove’s The Adventures of Pinocchio, as well as Dominick Argento’s Casanova’s Homecoming and Bernard Herrmann’s Wuthering Heights.

Patrick Hansen continues his unique career throughout North American as an operatic stage director, conductor, and vocal coach. His stagings have garnered praise in both Canada and the United States. Opera Canada wrote, ' Patrick Hansen captured the opera's bohemian vitality - the city of Paris itself was the characterful backdrop to the action. When he ran out of space in Act II, the crowd simply spilled down into the auditorium . . the comic business was well handled . . . The acting, indeed, was a strong point throughout.'

Mr. Hansen has been on the musical staffs of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Pittsburgh Opera, Tulsa Opera, Opera Memphis, Des Moines Metro Opera, Ash Lawn Opera, The Juilliard Opera Center, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, and Glimmerglass Opera as well as being the Director of Artistic Administration for Florida Grand Opera during the opening of the Miami Arts Centre.

At ease in opera and musical theatre, his stage directing credits encompass the entire spectrum of repertoire now being presented in opera companies; Alcina, Orfeo ed Eudridice, Cosi fan tutte, Die Zauberflute, L'elisier d'amore, La traviata, Dialogue des Carmelites, Albert Herring, Hansel and Gretel, La Boheme as well as the musicals Camelot and Trouble in Tahiti.

Alcina Handel Opera

Currently the director of Opera McGill in Montreal at McGill University, Mr. Hansen is the former director of the Young American Artist Program at Glimmerglass Opera, and has presented masterclasses and coachings with the Young Artists of Virginia Opera and for many years served as the stage director at the Kennedy Center with the Washington Chorus' Essential Verdi. Mr. Hansen returns to Fargo-Moorhead after successful stagings of Fille du Regiment, Suor Angelica/Gianni Schicchi, and The Magic Flute in previous seasons.

Miriam Khalil is an acclaimed Lebanese-Canadian soprano specializing in opera and concert performance. She has been lauded as a 'skilled, versatile artist' with a “signature warm lyrical voice” by Musical Toronto and described as 'dark, dangerous and alluring” by Opera Going Toronto. Miriam is a graduate of the prestigious Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, the Steans Institute for Young Artists (Ravinia) and the Britten-Bears Young Artist Programme in England. While in her last year of the COC Ensemble Studio, she advanced to the semi-finals of the Metropolitan Opera Council auditions and represented the Great Lakes Region on the Met stage, during which she was featured in the documentary film The Audition.

Miriam has appeared on numerous opera stages across Canada and Europe, including a stint at the renowned Glyndebourne Festival Opera in the United Kingdom. Notable roles include Mimi in La bohème (Minnesota Opera, Opera Hamilton & Against the Grain Theatre); Musetta in La bohème (Edmonton Opera); Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni (Opera Tampa & Against the Grain Theatre/The Banff Centre/Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival); Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande (Against the Grain Theatre); the Governess in The Turn of the Screw (Against the Grain Theatre); Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare (Glyndebourne Festival Opera, U.K.); Almirena in Rinaldo (Glyndebourne Festival Opera, U.K.); and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro (Pacific Opera Victoria, Opera Lyra Ottawa & Against the Grain Theatre).

Holly Flack is a coloratura soprano praised for “wielding an impressive range, effortlessly reaching higher than high notes” with her unique vocal extension beyond an octave above high C.

Ms. Flack has performed with the Bel Canto Opera Festival, Astoria Opera Festival, and Operafestival di Roma. She made her debut at the Trentino Music Festival in Mezzano, Italy singing the role of the Vixen in Leos Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen. She was most recently seen on the FM Opera stage last season as the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute.

Additional roles include Serpetta (La Finta Giardiniera), Frasquita (Carmen), Despina (Cosi fan Tutte), and Peep-Bo in The Mikado. In 2015, Holly was part of the Gate City Bank Young Artist program where she covered the role of Marie in Daughter of the Regiment with FM Opera.

Originally from Portland, Oregon, Ms. Flack holds a Bachelors degree in Vocal Performance from St. Olaf College, and a Masters degree in Vocal Performance from The University of Kentucky, where she studied with soprano Cynthia Lawrence.

Lyric mezzo-soprano Holly Janz is a versatile singing actress with a voice that is evenly blended with clarity, richness and warmth. She has performed with opera companies across the country including Skylark Opera, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, Wichita Grand Opera, and Union Avenue Opera Theatre (St. Louis). Past credits comprise a variety of characters from the trouser roles of Cherubino, Hansel and Prince Orlofsky, to the ingénue roles of Nancy (Albert Herring) and Valencienne (The Merry Widow), to the more dramatic roles of Carmen and The Secretary (The Consul).

In addition to her operatic stage credits, Ms. Janz is a compelling concert artist in both oratorio and recital. Orchestral credits include the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, the Indianapolis Philharmonic Orchestra, the Greater Grand Forks Symphony, the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony as well as the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Janz, a native of Marshfield, WI, is an alumna of the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point (BM). She has also received degrees from the University of Colorado (MM) and the University of Kansas (DMA, with honors), and is an associate professor of voice at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN.

Called “winningly wily and dauntless” by Boston Classical Review, American Mezzo-soprano, Kate Jackman, is multifaceted musician and actress who excels in a variety of musical expression. As a2017 Gate City Bank Young Artist, Kate was seen as the Waitress in “Speed Dating Tonight!” as well as the Sergeant of Police in FM Opera’s recent production of “The Pirates of Penzance”. She also sang the role of Giovanna this summer in Ash Lawn Opera’s production of “Rigoletto”. Other roles that Kate has performed include the lead role in Oliver Knussen’s “Higglety Pigglety Pop” at the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music, Hansel in “Hansel and Gretel”, the title role in “Carmen”, Dorabella in “Cosi fan tutte”, Bloody Mary in “South Pacific”, and Dinah in Bernstein’s “Trouble in Tahiti”.

An avid performer of new works, Kate has premiered roles in “Piecing It Apart” by Paul Matthews and “Lux et Tenebrae” by Douglas Buchanan for The Figaro Project’s Contemporary Opera Trio. She also premiered the role of Megan 2 in Robert Patterson’s “The Whole Truth” with Urban Arias, and Patricia Hutton in Joshua Bornfield’s“Camelot Requiem”, in which she “expressed emotional intensity with the weight of her soothing mezzo-soprano voice” (Maureen L. Mitchell, Opera Today)

Ms. Jackman holds a Master of Music Degree from the Peabody Institute and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of North Texas.

Alcina Opera

Tenor Jianghai Ho has appeared most recently as tenor soloist in the DePaul Symphonic Choir’s presentation of Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Rinuccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Nerone in Monteverdi’s L'incoronazione di Poppea, Orfeo in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, Abraham Kaplan in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene, and Dr. Blind in Johann Strauss Jr’s Die Fledermaus with DePaul Opera Theater. He has also performed with the Duke Vespers Ensemble in Dietrich Buxtehude’s rarely-performed Membra Jesu Nostri at the Boston Early Music Festival, as well as the Chicago Symphony Chorus.

Born in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, Jianghai first discovered his passion for opera under the tutelage of Professor Susan Dunn at Duke University, where he graduated with a B.S. in music and biology. He graduated in vocal performance from DePaul University, where he studied with David Alt and Michael Sylvester.

Mark Billy is a lyric baritone and Native American (Choctaw tribe) from Finley, Oklahoma. Mark’s undergraduate studies in voice at the University of Oklahoma were under the mentorship of baritone Richard Anderson. Mark has also had additional study with the legendary mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne.

Mark made his operatic debut as IlCommendatore in 2012 with OU Opera Theatre's production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”. The following season he appeared as Thoas in Gluck's “Iphigénieen Tauride”. In 2014 Mark appeared as Simon in OU’s choreographed production of Haydn’s oratorio “Die Jahreszeiten” and in 2016 Mark was featured as Moralès in “Carmen” with Indiana University.His graduate studies at Indiana were with soprano Carol Vaness.

Handel Operas Youtube

Mark most recently concluded a traveling production at OU opera theatre of John Davies mash-up children’s opera: “The Billy Goats Gruff” where he played the role of Osmin, the bully billy goat; this brought opera to Norman, OK area schools and carried the important message against bullying. In the Spring of 2017 Mark placed first in the Oklahoma NATS competition graduate level division. This past summer Mark sang Melisso in Handel’s “Alcina” as well as covering the role of Marcello in “La bohème” for the Red River Lyric Opera Festival. As a 2018 Gate City Bank Young Artist with the Fargo Moorhead Opera Mark will be reprising the role of Melisso in Handel’s “Alcina”as well as the role of the bartender in Michael Ching’s comic one act opera “Speed Dating Tonight!”

[thebestintoronto]

Best Experience-Based Gift Ideas for Toronto Kids

The season of gift-giving is upon us. That implies the pressure is on to find the best toy-- for the child whose toy container is currently rupturing at the seams-- as well as to find the moment to go out as well as look for it.

Why not take a different technique to gift-giving this year? Toys are busted or forgotten, but memories never discolor. The gift of a significant experience can be utilized long after Christmas mores than.

To obtain the ball rolling, right here are a few of the best neighborhood experience gift ideas for youngsters in the Toronto area. Of course, there are constantly the expensive experiences that you can amaze the children with, also, like a weekend break at Great Wolf Lodge or tickets to Disney Globe. But the locally-focused ideas right here are things you can take pleasure in right in or near the city.

ART AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH MUSEUMS

For a gift that's instructional, enjoyable, as well as entails spending high quality time with each other, think about museum tickets, present cards (which can be retrieved for admission), or subscriptions. The Royal Ontario Gallery, Art Gallery of Ontario, and also the Ontario Scientific research Centre are just a couple of alternatives.

ZOOS AND ALSO FISH TANKS

The Toronto Zoo has greater than 5,000 animals standing for more than 450 types, along with the interactive Children Zoo, Dash Island, and also the Waterside Theater. Present tickets and also present memberships are readily available. Reptilia Zoo (Vaughan and Whitby) has annual subscriptions for just $60 per kid. African Lion Safari, in Cambridge, has season passes and gift cards.

If snorkelling with a stingray and a sleepover with sharks seem like enjoyable, look no more than Ripley's Aquarium. Interesting experiences for children include the two-hour Stingray Experience, an Overnight Reef Journey slumber party, as well as Aquarist for a Day (ages 14+), where budding aquatic biologists discover to feed sharks, screen water top quality, and also much more. You can likewise purchase specific anytime tickets ($ 25 for ages 6-- 13).

CN TOWER

In addition to taking pleasure in the spectacular sights from the two monitoring levels of the CN Tower ($ 26 for youngsters ages 4-- 12), this previous globe's highest freestanding framework currently uses the bone-chilling experience of the world's highest hands-free exterior building walk, EdgeWalk (for ages 13+). Or you can purchase a Sea the Sky combo ticket for the CN Tower and Ripley's Fish tank. Youngsters' tickets $25, EdgeWalk $225/person, Sea the Skies children' ticket $36.

CASA LOMA

It's constantly enjoyable to explore Casa Loma, Toronto's own castle, and tickets can be purchased for $17 for kids ages 4-- 13. Checking out the building, stables, and also yards is a day in itself, however the venue also organizes occasions throughout the year, which have actually consisted of archery lessons, gingerbread residence decorating, and also the Come to be a Knight workshop. Simply inspect the web site for Casa Loma's newest events.

CITYPASS

For a terrific present entailing a lot of the above tourist attractions, a CityPASS ($ 58 for youngsters ages 4-- 12) is offered for admission to the CN Tower, Casa Loma, ROM, Ripley's Aquarium, and also Toronto Zoo or Ontario Scientific Research Centre. The CityPASS pamphlet sets you back $58 for children 4-- 12 and benefits 9 successive days as well as should be begun within 6 months of acquisition, so your giftee needs to be gotten ready for a whirlwind week-and-a-half!

TORONTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

An additional method to obtain your children that much-needed preference of culture is to buy them tickets to the Toronto Chamber Orchestra. You will not have fidgety kids with the enjoyable, family-focused Youth's Concerts. From percussion efficiencies making use of household challenge animated musical action, these 60-minute concerts are perfect for children ages 5-- 12. And with an affordable rate point of less than $30, they are really obtainable.

CLIMBING UP HEALTH CLUBS

As opposed to the youngsters climbing on the furniture, a terrific experience to give them would certainly be a day pass or subscription to a climbing gym like Boulderz. There are many different membership choices, including monthly, yearly, and 10-visit packs. Day passes are typically under $10 and also rental shoes and also harnesses are available.

OUTDOOR TASKS

A fantastic way to delight in the great outdoors, despite the season, is by taking part in arranged trips with outfitters like Toronto Adventures. This firm supplies directed exterior tasks and day trips year-round, consisting of dog-sledding, snowshoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, horseback riding, and also moose spotting in Algonquin Park. All journeys come either by TTC or by shuttle bus offered by the firm. Journeys individually priced, from $30/person; a $20 membership supplies significant discount rates.

HELICOPTER TOURS

Mentioning adventure, Helitours will certainly take you as well as your household high above the city for an interesting experience among the clouds. It's not economical, however it is extraordinary! $99/person.

FLICK PASSES.

If your kids are motion picture enthusiasts, movie passes are a fantastic gift. Cineplex is the noticeable option-- with numerous theatres in the GTA, there are always a few children' movies to pick from. Present cards in quantities from $10 to $200.

SHOWING OFF OCCASIONS.

Sports fans make certain to appreciate a ticket to a game to applaud on the local group: you can rack up tickets for the Toronto Raptors (basketball), Mississauga Steelheads (junior hockey), Guelph Storm (junior hockey), Toronto Rock (lacrosse), as well as extra. Find what's showing up on Ticketmaster.

CHILDREN' HEALTH CLUBS.

Yes, a medical spa day for kids! Youngsters can play grown-up at kid-specific health spas like Glama Gal Kids Health Club, which has seven places in Toronto as well as southern Ontario, and Petite as well as Opulent (Woodbridge) or get a mani/pedi at a "full-grown" medical spa that customizes therapies for kids. Gift cards available in any kind of quantity; prices vary by therapy.

EVENT OR SHOW TICKETS.

Take it from one that recognizes, youngsters will certainly remember seeing The Phantom of the Opera for their entire lives! Whether it's a splashy performance at Lower Ossington Theater, Disney on Ice, an online children' band, a family-friendly symphonic music concert, or Medieval Times, a special afternoon or evening out is a remarkable present as well as a fantastic method to spend high quality time together. Costs differ by therapy.

The article “ Best Experience-Based Gift Ideas for Toronto Kids “ was published first on Savvy Mom

Naturopathic Toronto Doctor - Dr. Amauri Caversan, ND

[dianadimauro]

I'm playing the role of Constancia, aka "The Illustrious Dishwasher" with Toronto Operetta Theatre.

https://www.torontooperetta.com/shows/el-hu%C3%A9sped-del-sevillano-(the-guest-at-the-inn)/da3d7b59-4eed-455e-8d92-39a3bd7adbbd

[lboogie1906]

Measha Brueggergosman (born Measha Gosman; June 28, 1977) is a Canadian soprano who performs both as an opera singer and concert artist. She has performed internationally and won numerous awards. Her recordings of both classical and popular music have received awards. She played the lead in the premiere of the opera Beatrice Chancy by James Rolfe and George Elliott Clarke. She has performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director Geoffrey Moull, National Arts Centre Orchestra under the direction of Pinchas Zukerman, and at Roy Thomson Hall. She has performed internationally, in the US, Germany, and other nations. She was in Elektra, Dead Man Walking, and Turandot with the Cincinnati Opera. She has performed the Verdi Requiem with Sir Andrew Davis and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, as well as with Helmuth Rilling at the International Beethoven Festival in Bonn. She was a soloist in recording Songs of Innocence and Experience, which won three Grammy awards, including Best Classical Album. She was a new performer at the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, singing in the 'Phantom of the Opera' medley and closing the show with "Ave Maria". She has performed in the US with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, in their performance of Michael Tippett's oratorio A Child of Our Time. She performed the role of Jenny in Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny in Madrid's Teatro Real. She performed the Olympic Hymn at the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Games. She performed an arrangement of the English-sung version of the hymn in English and French to reflect Canada's official languages. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/CfWYB9Brp4--WDQ9hSC3j1rFVTT9KozGwGZIkE0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[architectnews]

Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts & Sciences

Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences, Lubbock Building Texas

Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences

Lubbock Architecture: Texan Development, USA, design by Diamond Schmitt Architects

23 Feb 2021

Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences, Texas

Location: Texas, USA

Design: Diamond Schmitt Architects

The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences, Lubbock, Texas, USA

Photos: Casey Dunn

New State-of-the-Art Performing Arts Venue in the Heart of Cultural District Creates Permanent Home for the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Lubbock, and Touring Productions

Lubbock, TX, February 23, 2021 — The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences, a new state-of-the-art performance venue in Lubbock, Texas, recently inaugurated its landmark building with a series of socially-distanced, limited capacity performances. Designed by Diamond Schmitt in association with Parkhill and MWM Architects of Lubbock, built by Lee Lewis Construction, and developed by Garfield Public/Private LLC, The Buddy Holly Hall is now open to patrons and will formally celebrate its opening this summer. It is West Texas’ largest dedicated performance venue–bringing the city’s vibrant performing arts community including the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Lubbock, and the Lubbock Independent School District, along with a variety of professional touring productions, under one roof.

The new 218,000-square-foot Hall, which was developed to serve the community’s needs, anchors Lubbock’s Art and Culture District and holds a multitude of performances and programs in the grand 2,297-seat Helen DeVitt Jones Theater, the more intimate 415-person Crickets Theater, and other flexible spaces for rehearsal and performance, as well as a restaurant, two multi-purpose rooms and an outdoor covered amphitheater.

“We are thrilled to finally begin welcoming audiences into The Buddy Holly Hall and to give the people of Lubbock and the region the state-of-the-art facilities our incredible performers deserve,” said Tim Collins, Chairman of the Board of the Lubbock Entertainment and Performing Arts Association which founded and operates the Hall. “Diamond Schmitt deeply understood our community’s dream to create a performing arts campus that promotes entertainment for our region, while also serving as an arts education hub and a cornerstone for downtown revitalization. The result is a beautiful, world-class space unlike anything in our area that will bring our community together and create a new destination for the arts in Lubbock. We can’t wait to celebrate this momentous occasion with a grand opening this summer, when it’s safer for everyone to gather together in person.”

Diamond Schmitt’s sophisticated design of the $158 million Hall was selected in 2014 following a competitive process. Their modern design is inspired by the colors and shapes of the landscape of West Texas, including the prismatic and layered rock formations of Texas canyons. The layout of the interior spaces will accommodate the Hall’s wide-ranging performance line-up–from hosting ballet, symphony, school, opera, pop and country performances to Broadway productions to statewide band and choir competitions. Targeting LEED Silver, the building’s façades meticulously balance various approaches to creating shade to counter the South Plains Region of Texas’ extreme temperature fluctuations. A long overhang, angled concrete fins, and deep-set ribbon windows all act as architectural drapery to cool the building and filter light without obstructing the views of the wide vistas surrounding the Hall.

Dissolving the threshold between indoors and outdoors, the Hall’s use of glass at ground-level entrances creates an inviting and seamless transition for visitors entering and exiting the Hall. Inside, the building moves from spacious public lobbies to more liminal spaces leading to several intimate studios and The Buddy Holly Hall’s two signature theaters, which were designed, in collaboration with partners Jaffe Holden Acoustics and Schuler Shook Theatre Planners, to ensure premier acoustics and optimal theater capabilities no matter the type of performance or sound level. Both theaters achieve pure and crystalline sound on par with the world’s leading performance halls through extensive acoustic modeling and precisely placed acoustical banners which enhance the clarity, consistency, and constancy of tone in the halls. Additionally, the seating in the Helen DeVitt Jones Theater can be reconfigured to accommodate the hall’s vast range of programming. The orchestra seating section can be set for traditional raked fixed-chair seating or for popular flat-floor general admission.

“Just as the idea for The Buddy Holly Hall grew from the Lubbock community, our modern design for the building is inspired by the region’s physical and cultural landscape,” said Matthew Lella, Principal at Diamond Schmitt. “We designed a building that is both open and outward looking and yet simultaneously invites the public to engage with all the activity happening inside. Responding to the unique challenges of the site–from the intense Texas heat to its location in a flood plain–we have created a signature new space for the performing arts with world-class facilities that embody the spirit of the performers who will be gracing its stages.”

The Hall is named for Lubbock native Buddy Holly, who sparked a cultural revolution in the 1950s with his music, songwriting, and big framed glasses. A signature feature of the Hall’s Christine DeVitt Main Lobby is its iconic guitar wall depicting Holly playing a Stratocaster. Designed by Texas artist Brad Oldham, the site-specific sculpture weaves together 9,000 aluminum brushed bronze guitar picks in an array of sizes to create an image of the Hall’s namesake.

The Buddy Holly Hall is privately funded, owned, and operated by the Lubbock Entertainment and Performing Arts Association (LEPAA), with 100% of all contributions directly funding construction of the project. Its initial feasibility study was conducted by Webb Management. Ongoing operations and event management will be facilitated through ASM Global. Innovative partnerships with local arts organizations, public schools and universities, and private corporations will allow The Buddy Holly Hall to be financially self-sustaining upon opening.

More information about upcoming programs and current health and safety protocols at The Buddy Holly Hall is available on their website at www.buddyhollyhall.com.

About The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences is a regional, multi-purpose performing arts center dedicated to enriching the lives of those who live in Lubbock, the South Plains area, and beyond through the presentation of the highest quality local, national and international entertainment and arts education. The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences (The Buddy Holly Hall) is owned by the Lubbock Entertainment and Performing Arts Association (LEPAA) and is operated and managed by ASM Global. Please visit www.buddyhollyhall.com for information and updates about shows, concerts, events and more.

About Diamond Schmitt Diamond Schmitt is a global architecture firm that designs transformative, purpose-driven, and highly sustainable buildings across sectors. Delivering innovative architecture that empowers people, communities, and organizations to harness change for the greater public good, Diamond Schmitt employs a collaborative research process to create bold designs renowned for their exceptional performance and meticulous craftsmanship.

The architectural firm has designed some of the world’s most iconic performance spaces in the world of music–including Mariinsky Theatre’s Mariinsky II in St. Petersburg, La Maison Symphonique de Montréal, and The National Arts Centre in Ottawa–all known for their flawless acoustics, versatility of space, and striking design. With offices in New York, Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary, Diamond Schmitt is currently leading the design for New York Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall. For more information please visit: www.dsai.ca.

About ASM Global ASM Global was formed in October 2019 from the merger of AEG Facilities, the global innovator in live entertainment venues, and SMG, the gold standard in event management. ASM Global is a venue management powerhouse that spans five continents, 14 countries and more than 300 of the world’s most prestigious arenas, stadiums, convention and exhibit centers, and performing arts venues.

As the world’s most trusted venue manager, ASM Global provides venue strategy and management, sales, marketing, event booking and programming, construction and design consulting, and pre-opening services. Among the venues in our portfolio are landmark facilities such as McCormick Place & Soldier Field in Chicago, the Los Angeles Convention Center, Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans and the Shenzhen World Exhibition and Conference Centre in Shenzhen, China. ASM Global also offers food and beverage operations through its concessions and catering companies.

About Garfield Public/Private LLC Garfield Public/Private LLC is a national development services provider focusing exclusively on public and public/private developments, including performing arts centers. The company uses innovative and cost-effective financing solutions tailored to the requirements of its clients.

Garfield employs a “turnkey” delivery method that minimizes client risk and administrative burden, maximizes transparency and accountability, and enables “fast track” delivery of high quality facilities months or even years ahead of when otherwise thought possible. Garfield Public/Private and its executives have developed more than 20 million square feet of all property types nationally and abroad and have financed more than $7 billion in debt and equity. Its performing arts development experience also includes the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) in Durham, NC and the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City, UT. For more information, please visit https://ift.tt/3aKS0hP.

Previously on e-architect:

Apr 20, 2017

Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences in Texas

Location: Texas, USA

Design: Diamond Schmitt Architects

Groundbreaking for Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences, Lubbock, TX

GROUND BREAK FOR BUDDY HOLLY HALL OF PERFORMING ARTS & SCIENCES

Toronto – The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences broke ground today in Lubbock, Texas, setting a milestone for this major arts project in the hometown of the iconic 1950s pop legend Buddy Holly.

Images: Diamond Schmitt Architects

The center features the 2,200-seat Helen DeVitt Jones Theater; a 425-seat studio theater; a grand hall; a bistro; and the 22,000-square-foot home to Ballet Lubbock with five dance studios. The Christine DeVitt Lobby will be a gathering point and community asset.

“The aim for Lubbock is to create a performing arts centre as good acoustically, as welcoming to the public, and as attractive to performers to be among the best halls in North America,” said Jack Diamond, Principal, with Toronto-based Diamond Schmitt Architects.

The Lubbock Entertainment and Performing Arts Association (LEPAA) is developing the privately funded, $155-million project, which will also provide access to the Lubbock Independent School District as a learning centre. “Buddy Holly Hall will be a beacon for progress and downtown revitalization for Lubbock and the South Plains,” said Tim Collins, LEPAA’s chairman. “The venue is a hub that brings together people of all ages to experience world-class art in a world-class facility.”

The multi-purpose nature of the venue will allow for a wide range of activity, from opera, Broadway shows and symphonic music, to rock concerts, conferences and social events. “To achieve this versatility, the floor of the auditorium can have raked seating or be flat for a standing audience, either below or in line with the stage,” said Matthew Lella, Principal, Diamond Schmitt.

The central volume of the structure conceals the fly tower and is framed by a roofline of swooping planes with cascading columns that establish a strong visual identity and create a welcoming entrance. A replica of a 200-foot telecommunications tower will be installed on the site as a light sculpture, forming a beacon for the performing arts center.

Diamond Schmitt is working with development team partners Garfield Public/Private, LLC, Parkhill, Smith, & Cooper, MWM Architects, Hugo Reed & Associates, Jaffe Holden Acoustics, Schuler Shook, and Lee Lewis Construction. The 218,000-square-foot performing arts campus is on track to open in 2020.

To view a 3-minute video on the design, please click here: Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences, Lubbock

Diamond Schmitt Architects (www.dsai.ca) has designed many acclaimed concert halls, opera houses and theatres worldwide, including the New Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, La Maison Symphonique in Montreal, The Harman Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C., and the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. Among current projects are the design for David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City and the transformation of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

May 2, 2016

Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences in Lubbock

Texas, USA

Design: Diamond Schmitt Architects

Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences in Lubbock

Construction has started on this concert hall building dedicated to American musician Buddy Holly.

The rock-and-roll musician shot to fame with tracks including Peggy Sue and That’ll Be the Day, before he was killed in a plane crash in 1959, aged 23.

Inspired by and in the spirit of Lubbock, West Texas, and the South Plains, Buddy Holly Hall will feature a 2,200-seat main theatre, an additional 400-seat theatre, a 5,000-square-foot multi-purpose room and a 22,000-square-foot Dance Centre.

A dynamic light sculpture will animate an adjacent 200-foot-high telecommunications tower and be a marker for the new performing arts centre as well as a symbol of renewal for Lubbock that will be visible from a great distance.

The building is designed as a tribute to the artist, and to fit into its setting on the Llano Estacado desert plains.

The multi-purpose nature of the venue will allow for a wide range of activity, from opera, Broadway shows and symphonic music, to rock concerts, conferences and social events. In addition to local performing arts groups and touring shows, the facility will house Ballet Lubbock with its own rehearsal and performance space and provide access to the Lubbock Independent School District as a learning centre.

May 2, 2016

Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences, Lubbock

DESIGN DETAILS REVEALED FOR THE BUDDY HOLLY HALL OF PERFORMING ARTS AND SCIENCES

May 2, 2016, TORONTO – Design details from Diamond Schmitt Architects have been released for The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences. The arts complex will be built in Lubbock, Texas, birthplace of the legendary 1950s pop star whose brief career influenced generations of musicians and fans.

“The aim for Lubbock is to create a performing arts center as good acoustically, as welcoming to the public, and as attractive to performers to be among the best halls in North America,” said Jack Diamond, Principal, with Toronto-based Diamond Schmitt Architects.

“Our goal is to have this venue feel great for all types of performers and audiences – whether they are in jeans and hats or ball gowns,” said Matthew Lella, Principal, Diamond Schmitt. To achieve this versatility, the floor of the main auditorium can have raked seating or be flat for a standing audience, either below or in line with the stage. The hall will have top-tier natural acoustics for a large symphony orchestra as well as cutting-edge amplified sound for touring bands and shows.

Ample public space in the lobby with its feature helical stair and amenities including a bistro café will make Buddy Holly Hall a community living room active throughout the day in addition to evening performances. The central volume of the structure conceals the fly tower and is framed by a roofline of swooping planes with cascading columns that establish a strong visual identity and create a welcoming entrance.

The Lubbock Entertainment and Performing Arts Association (LEPAA), which is developing the project, is well on its way to achieving its $146-million fundraising target, having raised $81-million to date. The facility will be fully funded through private donations. “Buddy Holly Hall will be a beacon for progress and downtown revitalization for Lubbock and the South Plains,” said Tim Collins. LEPAA’s chairman. “The venue is a hub that brings together people of all ages to experience world-class art in a world-class facility.”

Introducing Buddy Holly Hall from Michelle Stephens on Vimeo.

Diamond Schmitt is working with development team partners Garfield Public/Private, LLC, Parkhill, Smith, & Cooper, MWM Architects, Hugo Reed & Associates, Jaffe Holden Acoustics, Schuler Shook, and Lee Lewis Construction. Construction is set to commence later this year with a projected opening in 2019.

Diamond Schmitt Architects (www.dsai.ca) has designed many acclaimed concert halls, opera houses and theatres worldwide: Among these are the New Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, La Maison Symphonique in Montreal, The Harman Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C., and the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. The firm recently won an international design competition to reimagine Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall in New York City. An extensive portfolio also includes academic buildings, libraries, sports facilities, research laboratories, hospitals, residential and commercial buildings.

Images: Diamond Schmitt Architects

Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences images / information from Diamond Schmitt Architects

Diamond Schmitt Architects

Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences

Location: Lubbock, Texas, USA

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[tsgjacksonholewyoming]

Center for the Arts Winter Lineup

The 2017/2018 winter lineup at the Center for the Arts is not to be missed!! Tickets go on sale today, December 6 at noon - get ready to be entertained Jackson Hole!

December 27 || Robert Randolph & the Family Band 

FUNK, Robert Randolph & the Family Band know how to get down!! The renowned pedal steel guitarist, vocalist and songwriter led such a cloistered childhood and adolescence that he heard no secular music while growing up. Which makes it all the more remarkable that the leader of Robert Randolph and the Family Band—whose label debut for Sony Masterworks, Got Soul, will be released on Feb. 17, 2017—is today an inspiration to the likes of Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana and Derek Trucks, all of whom have played with him and studied his technique. It wasn’t until he was out of his teens that Randolph broke away from the confines of his social and musical conditioning and discovered rock, funk, soul, jazz and the jam band scene, soon forging his own sound by fusing elements of those genres. 

January 10 || An Evening with Rufus Wainwright

Rufus Wainwright, one of the great male vocalists, composers, and songwriters of his generation, has released eight studio albums, three DVDs, and three live albums. He has collaborated with artists ranging from Elton John, David Byrne, Robbie Williams Mark Ronson, Joni Mitchell to Burt Bacharach. His album “Rufus Does Judy” recorded at Carnegie Hall in 2006 was nominated for a Grammy.

His acclaimed first opera, Prima Donna, premiered at the Manchester International Festival in July 2009 and has since been presented in London, Toronto and BAM in New York. This summer it will be performed at the Armel Opera Festival in Hungary and Augsburg Theatre in Germany. In 2015, Deutsche Grammaphon released a studio recording of the opera recorded with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

January 14 || An Evening with Samantha Fish, Marcus King, and Judith Hill

IMPROVISATION, BRILLIANCE, SPONTANEITY, AND COLLABORATION ARE THE ELEMENTS THAT WILL BRING SPARK to our third annual curated singer/songwriter showcase. Experience the music that unfolds when these musical masterminds share the stage and trade songs.

SAMANTHA FISH After launching her recording career in 2009, Samantha Fish quickly established herself as a rising star in the contemporary blues world. Since then, the charismatic young singer guitarist-songwriter has earned a reputation as a rising guitar hero and powerful live performer.

MARCUS KING At only 20 years of age, Marcus King’s dazzling musical ability is palatable. Operating within the fiery brand of American roots music that King calls “soul-influenced psychedelic southern rock,” King’s roughhewn vocals and soaring guitar work are making him one of the country’s most sought after live performers.

JUDITH HILL Los Angeles native Judith Hill is a deeply soulful vocalist and powerful songwriter. She has been featured as a backing vocalist for legends Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Ringo Starr, and the late Michael Jackson including duet with Jackson on the classic ballad, “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You.”

January 18 || The Victor Wooten Trio featuring Dennis Chambers and Bob Franceschini

Five-time GRAMMY award-winning bass player, producer, composer, author, and educator Victor Wooten is coming to Jackson with the Victor Wooten Trio – comprised of Wooten, legendary drummer Dennis Chambers (Bootsy Collins, Santana), and veteran saxophonist Bob Franceschini (Mike Stern, Paul Simon).

“To be in a band, you have to listen to each other. Bands are at their best when every instrument is different, not the same. Everyone takes turns talking. Everyone speaks their voice,” says Wooten. Named “one of the Top 10 Bassists of All Time” by Rolling Stone and named one of the “50 Iconic Black Trailblazers,” in the Huffington Post pictured just after President Barack Obama. Wooten first “wowed music heads” nationwide (Kansas City Star) in 1987, as a founding member of Béla Fleck & The Flecktones.

January 26 || The Moth - Mainstage

The Moth returns to The Center Theater for its third annual Mainstage performance. Since its launch in 1997, THE MOTH has presented thousands of stories told live and without notes. Moth shows are renowned for the great range of human experience they showcase. Through ongoing programs in more than 25 cities, The Moth has presented over 20,000 stories to standing-room-only crowds worldwide and it currently produces more than 500 live shows each year. Additionally, The Moth runs storytelling workshops for high school students and adults in underserved communities through their Education and Community Programs. The Moth podcast is downloaded over 44 million times a year, and each week, the Peabody Award-winning Moth Radio Hour is heard on over 450 radio stations worldwide. The Moth’s first book, The Moth: 50 True Stories (Hachette) was an international bestseller and its new book All These Wonders: True Stories about Facing the Unknown from The Moth (Crown) will be released on March 21, 2017.

January 30 || Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue

Trombone Shorty is the best-known moniker for Troy Andrews. He was born into a well-known New Orleans musical family in 1986. His grandfather, Jessie Hill, was a locally popular R&B recording artist. His older brother, James "12" Andrews, was a successful jazz trumpeter who was also an early mentor. Andrews began playing music at a very early age and was playing professionally at the age of five. He mastered trombone, trumpet, and drums, eventually choosing the trombone as his principal instrument and thus picking up his nickname. So advanced was he that, at the age of eight, a club in the city’s Tremé district, where he was born and raised, was named Trombone Shorts in his honor.

February 6 || On the Road with T Bone Burnett: Stories, Music & Movies

Accompanied by his guitar, film clips and decades’ worth of stories, T Bone covers everything from his early days touring with Bob Dylan and collaborating with some of music’s biggest stars to his love of Americana music and his immensely influential work in film. Programs run 80+ minutes with or without an intermission, including a 30 minute Q & A.T Bone takes audiences on a tour of his work and collaborations with musicians across all genres, including Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Elton John, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, B.B. King, Tony Bennett, k.d. lang, Elvis Costello, Jack White, Taylor Swift, and Leon Russell, among many others. He is also the musical genius behind numerous films, including the Coen Brothers’ The Big Lebowski; O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and Inside Llewyn Davis, as well as Cold Mountain; The Hunger Games; Across the Universe; and Crazy Heart. 

March 5 || An Evening with Shovels & Rope

SHOVELS & ROPE ARE AN AMERICAN FOLK duo from Charleston, South Carolina composed of husband and wife Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst. Combining threads from their individual solo careers, Shovels & Rope blends traditional folk, rock and roll, and country rock. The band made their network television debut playing “Birmingham” on The Late Show with David Letterman on January 30, 2013. On September 18, 2013 at the Americana Music Honors & Awards, Shovels & Rope received the Emerging Artist of the Year award as well as Song of the Year for their song, “Birmingham."

March 11 || An Acoustic Evening with Anders Osborne

Between the potency of his richly detailed songwriting, his intensely emotional, soulful vocals and his piercing, expert guitar work, New Orleans’ Anders Osborne is a true musical treasure. He is among the most original and visionary musicians writing and performing today. Guitar Player calls him “the poet laureate of Louisiana’s fertile roots music scene.” New Orleans’ Gambit Weekly has honored Osborne as the Entertainer Of The Year. OffBeat named him the Crescent City’s Best Guitarist for the third year in a row, and the Best Songwriter for the second straight year. Osborne also won Song Of The Year for his composition, Louisiana Gold.

Tickets for the Winter season go on sale Wednesday, December 6 at 12pm MST JHCENTERFORTHEARTS.ORG and in person at The Center Box Office. A limited number of discounted ticket packages will be available. Box office processing fees apply to all tickets!

[todayclassical]

September 25 in Music History

1683 Birth of French composer and organist Jean-Philippe Rameau. 1716 Death of German composer Johann Christoph Pez.

1717 The Earl of Carnarvon commissions two anthems of Handel.

1718 Birth of Italian Opera composer Nicola Conforto in Naples. 

1741 Birth of Bohemian composer Vaclav Pichl in Bechyne.  1752 Birth of composer Carl Stenborg. 1785 Birth of composer George Frederic Pinto. 1830 Birth of German pianist, conductor and composer Karl Klindworth.  1849 Death of Austrian composer Johann Strauss Sr. at age 45, in Vienna.

1862 Birth of Alsace organist and composer Léon Boëllmann.

1869 Birth of German soprano Annie Dirkens in Berlin. 

1871 Birth of American composer Percy Lee Atherton. 1879 Birth of composer Luis da Costa.

1883 Birth of German baritone Peter van Der Bilt, in Amsterdam. 

1886 Birth of Spanish composer Jesus Guridi.

1887 Birth of Italian tenor Giuseppe Nessi in Bergamo.  1896 Birth of Spanish-Catalan-English composer Roberto Gerhard, in Valls. 

1898 Birth of composer and conductor Louis Cheslock. 

1899 Birth of English baritone Dennis Noble in Bristol. 

1899 Birth of cellist, composer and conductor Ricardo Lamote de Grignon in Barcelona 1902 Birth of composer Jenő Takács. 1906 Birth of Russian composer Dimitri Shostakovich.

1906 Birth of Czech composer Jaroslav Jezek in Prague.  1907 FP of Jean Sibelius' Third Symphony, in Helsinki. 

1907 Birth of composer Jan Felderhof.

1908 Birth of Slovak composer Eugen Suchon in Pezinok. 

1911 Birth of American composer Lionel Nowak. 

1915 Birth of German soprano Gerda Lammers in Berlin.

1916 Birth of composer Tolia Nikiprowetzsy. 1916 Death of Czech band composer Julius Fucik.

1923 Birth of Czech bass-baritone Ladislav Mraz, in Strakonice. 

1925 FP of Paul Hindemith's Kammermusik No. 4, Op. 36, no. 3, conducted by Franz von Hoesslin, with Licco Amar the violin soloist in Dessau, Germany.

1927 Birth of English conductor Sir Colin Rex Davis in Weybridge. 

1932 Birth of Canadian pianist Glenn Herbert Gould in Toronto. 

1936 Birth of Italian bass Mario Rinaudo, in Chieti.

1936 FP of R. Vaughan Williams Five Tudor Portraits choral suite. Composer conducting in Norwich.

1937 Birth of composer Thomas Kessler. 1944 Birth of flutist Eugenia Zukerman in Cambridge MA.

1945 Birth of American composer Reynold Weidenaar.

1946 Death of German conductor Franz von Hoesslin in France. 

1946 Birth of English soprano Teresa Cahill, in Maidenhead. 

1951 Birth of Slovakian tenor Peter Dvorsky, in Partizánske. 

1955 Birth of American composer Robert Avalon.

1959 Birth of American composer Stella Sung.

1959 Death of Italian composer Ennio Porrino in Rome. 

1960 FP of Paul Ben-Haim's Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra, in Tel Aviv.

1962 FP of Walter Piston's Lincoln Center Festival Overture by the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy, at the third concert scheduled at the new Philharmonic Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, at Lincoln Center in NYC. 

1966 FP of Dimitri Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 2. USSR State Symphony, with Mstislav Rostropovich the soloist and the composer's son, Maxim, conducting in Moscow. Was the occasion of his 60th birthday and was nominated as a Hero of Socialist Labor by the Soviet government. 

1973 Death of Russian soprano Beata Malkin in NYC. 

1980 FP of Leonard Bernstein's Divertimento for Orchestra, Boston.

1982 Birth of Chinese-American composer Na Rong.

1986 FP of Karel Husa's Concerto for Orchestra. New York Philharmonic, conducted by Zubin Mehta. 1997 Death of French composer and pianist Jean Françaix.

1997 FP of John Adams' Piano Concerto Century Rolls at Severance Hall, with pianist Emanuel Ax and the Cleveland Orchestra, conducted by Christoph von Dohnányi.