New York, NY (Top40 Charts) A new series for the 10th anniversary concert season brings Canadian trailblazers, each with a unique voice and perspective. The series continues with Canadian saxophone and flute master Jane Bunnett & Maqueque All-Stars on November 30. Bunnett once again brings the soul of Cuba to the hearts of Canadian music lovers with current and former Maqueque band members, including vocalist Daymé Arocena.
This multiple Juno Award winner has turned her bands and recordings into showcases for the finest musical talent from Canada, the US, and Cuba, and she has been nominated for Grammy Awards as well as numerous Juno Awards. She received the Order of Canada, The Queens Diamond Jubilee medal, and, most recently, Ontario's Premier's Award for Excellence. Her exploration of Afro-Cuban melodies expresses the universality of music, and her ability to showcase the rhythms and culture of Cuba has been ground-breaking.
On November 17, the Django Festival All-Stars, described as "sensational" by Downbeat magazine, carry on the legacy of the great "hot jazz" guitarist Django Reinhardt. Its star, Dorado Schmitt, is a legend in the true style of Django. The band grew out of the very successful Django Reinhardt Festival, with its home at Birdland in New York City. The Django Festival All-Stars are on a mission to transport the music of the immortal French guitarist into the 21st century and share their passion for "gypsy swing" with everyone. "Expect buoyant rhythm, blinding technique, solid entertainment." (The New York Times)
In SongBird North series, Canadian songwriters come together with host Blair Packham to perform their music and tell us the stories behind the songs. The November 24 edition will feature soul singer Sean Jones of Casa Loma Fame. Presented in partnership with the Songwriters Association of Canada (S.A.C.)
Joshua Redman, one of the best-known jazz saxophonists in the world, is joined by drummer Brian Blade, bassist Scott Colley, and trumpeter Ron Miles, three of the most imaginative voices in contemporary jazz, for and already sold out Still Dreaming concert on November 10. Together, they interpret the Old and New Dreams, the avant-garde free jazz group of the 1970s and '80s, the renowned quartet of Ornette Coleman alumni, which included Joshua's father, Dewey Redman. With repertoire consisting of Coleman compositions and original works, their music was honest, uninhibited, and completely engaging in its unpredictable live execution. Ticket holders are encouraged to come early for a Pre-concert Talk with Mark Micklethwaite at 7pm.
Koerner Hall will be transformed into a high-voltage party with theatre, dance, storytelling, décor, and Latin American-infused rock-roots music as Quique Escamilla celebrates the Day of the Dead on November 2. This Mexican-Canadian singer-songwriter and Juno Award winner, and his band, create a joyful evening that respectfully honours Mexico's ancient and pre-Hispanic tradition that offers the opportunity to remember and celebrate our beloved, departed ancestors, as well as activists and world figures such as
Martin Luther King Jr., Emiliano Zapata, Malcolm X, Ché Guevara, Salvador Allende, and
Nelson Mandela. At 7pm before the concert, Escamilla will set up an altar in the
Leslie & Anna Dan Galleria (lobby), where audience members will be able to leave photos of departed loved ones and honour them with food and drink.
Buffy Sainte-Marie is touring constantly and, coming off her critically acclaimed, award-winning 2015 album Power in the Blood, nobody could ever accuse the Academy Award-winning songwriter of taking it easy. Since her ground-breaking debut, 1964's It's My Way!, the Cree singer-songwriter has been a trailblazer and a tireless advocate, an innovative artist, and a disruptor of the status quo. Her latest release, Medicine Songs, is a collection of front line songs about unity and resistance - some brand new and some classics. The songs are about the environment, alternative conflict resolution, Indigenous realities, greed, and racketeering. The iconic singer-songwriter does not sugar-coat the truth, nor does she shy away from hard realities. On November 16, Sainte-Marie makes us feel stronger and more capable of seeing the world around us clearly through her music.
British violinist
Daniel Hope returns to Koerner Hall on November 3 with a concert titled
Daniel Hope and Friends: AIR - A Baroque Journey. This outrageous romp through the Baroque will include Simos Papanas on violin, Nicola Mosca on cello, Emanuele Forni on luthe, Naoki Kitaya on cembalo, and Michael Metzler on percussion. While the origins of the violin can be traced back thousands of years to Mongolia and India, it was the Italians to whom we can almost certainly attribute the creation of the violin in its modern form. Arguably its greatest development was during the Baroque Era as violinists and composers went on a journey seeking more extravagant and original ways in which to express themselves on this fascinating new instrument. AIR sets out to trace one such Baroque journey. The program, taken from a Deutsche Grammophon album of the same name, includes music by composers both familiar (Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Telemann) and obscure (Falconieri, von Westhoff, Matteis, and Uccelini), but all of the music will be woven into the narrative of how musicians and composers travelled widely to gain inspiration and exchange ideas - some of the earliest examples of "crossover."
One "of the best quartets before the public today" (The Washington Post), the Danish String Quartet makes its Koerner Hall debut on November 4 with a program of Haydn, Beethoven, and Hans Abrahamsen. The high technical and musical quality, the joy of playing, the powerful impact the Quartet makes on stage, and the fresh approach to familiar repertoire have become the trademarks of the Quartet. Fierce friends as well as colleagues, the Quartet has been playing together since childhood. They were awarded the highly prestigious Carl Nielsen Prize, Denmark's largest cultural prize, in 2011.
Three-time Grammy Award-winning violinist Hilary Hahn is renowned for her virtuosity, expansive interpretations, and dynamic approach to music-making. She was named "America's Best Young Classical Musician" by Time magazine, and The New York Times has described her playing as "at once impetuous and authoritative, brilliant and beautiful." In her sold out return to Koerner Hall on November 9, she will perform an all Johann
Sebastian Bach program of works for solo violin, including Sonata No. 2 and 3 and Partita No. 3.
Gabriela Montero's visionary interpretations and unique improvisational gifts have won her a devoted following around the world. Anthony Tommasini remarked in The New York Times, "Montero's playing has everything: crackling rhythmic brio, subtle shadings, steely power in climactic moments, soulful lyricism in the ruminative passages and, best of all, unsentimental expressivity." In her Koerner Hall debut on November 25, she will perform a special program called "Innocence and Experience," including Schumann's Kinderszenen, Shostakovich's Piano Sonata No. 2, Chick Corea's Selections from Children's Songs, as well as her own Memories from Childhood and finally improvisations, which she is renowned for.
"One of the most versatile and charismatic musicians in the world, Bramwell Tovey is a Grammy and Juno Award-winning conductor and a renowned composer." (MusicalAmerica) Maestro Tovey, who has recently been named Principal Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducts the Royal Conservatory Orchestra on November 23 as part of the Temerty Orchestral Program. The evening's program includes Richard Strauss's Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, Mahler's Blumine, and Tovey's own Field of Light, as well as cellist
Hannah Craig in Elgar's Cello Concerto.
Taylor Academy Showcase Concert on November 24, presented by The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists, offers a unique opportunity to hear the leading young classical musicians in Canada who currently study at The Royal Conservatory.
As part of the Price Opera Program, The
Glenn Gould School presents a double bill of Paul Hindemith's Back and Forth and Bohuslav Martin?'s
Tears of the
Knife on November 2 and 3.
Peter Tiefenbach returns as
Music Director for this fall GGS opera production and Anna Theodosakis will direct.
Nominated for its third Grammy Award in 2016, The Royal Conservatory's own ARC Ensemble (Artists of The Royal Conservatory) has earned a place among Canada's most distinguished cultural ambassadors. For their November 25 concert, they revive works by the Czech-born Walter Kaufmann (1907-1984) - a fascinating, exciting, and recent musical rediscovery. A pre-concert lecture by ARC Artistic Director,
Simon Wynberg, starts at 1pm.
L'invitation au voyage on November 11 features Lebanese-Canadian soprano Joyce El-Khoury, who demonstrates "an exquisite delicacy of sound" (Seattle Times), and mezzo-soprano Beste Kalender, known for her "warmth, depth, and richness" (Musical America), in works by Ravel, Duparc, Debussy, as well as intriguing Levantine songs.
Pianist and composer Stephen Prutsman moves between classical, jazz, and world music styles as a pianist, composer, and conductor. His concert on November 4 will include Bach's English Suite No. 6, Bill Evans's Turn Out the Stars, Selections from Miroirs by Ravel, and his own Two Jazz Etudes. This concert is free (ticket reservation required) and approximately 75 minutes with no intermission.
Pre-concert Talks will precede the Hilary Hahn, Gabriela Montero, ARC Ensemble, and Royal Conservatory Orchestra concerts, while the RCO concert also includes a Prelude Recital at 6:45pm, courtesy of the talented students of The
Glenn Gould School.
The Royal Conservatory's 2018-19 concert season is made possible through the generous support of:
Season Sponsor: BMO Financial Group
Season Media Sponsor: Toronto Star
Major & Series
Sponsors and Supporters: Invesco, RBC Foundation, TD Bank Group, TELUS, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation, a gift in memory of Robert Calvin, J. Hans Kluge, Michael & Sonja Koerner, a gift in honour of R.S. Williams & Sons Company Ltd., Rebanks Family,
Dorothy Cohen Shoichet, and an anonymous donor
Performance
Sponsors and Supporters: Alexanian Flooring, The Kenneth G. Mills Foundation, Next Pathway Inc., Power Corporation of Canada, Tom's Place, Worldwide Quest, The Cheng Family Fund, Nance Gelber & Dan Bjarnason, Ihnatowycz Family Foundation, a gift in memory of Gary Miles, Brayton Polka, Deborah Leibow & Ken Snider, and four anonymous donors
Performance Media Sponsors: Classical 96.3 FM, Jazz.FM91, NOW, The WholeNote, Musicworks
Wine & Beverage Sponsors: Coca-Cola, Cave
Spring Cellars, McManis Family Vineyards, Mill Street Brewery
Government Supporters: Government of Canada, Canada Arts Presentation Fund - Canadian Heritage, Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, Toronto Arts Council
November at The Royal Conservatory of Music
The
Glenn Gould School Fall Opera (GGS Operas):
Friday, November 2 & Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 7:30pm | MCH; $20
Quique Escamilla's Day of the Dead Celebration (World Music):
Friday, November 2, 2018 at 8pm; Pre-concert Ceremony at 7pm | KH; $35-$80
Daniel Hope and Friends: AIR - A Baroque
Journey (Classical Concerts)
Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 8pm | KH; $45-$90
Stephen Prutsman (Sunday Interludes): Sunday, November 4, 2018 at 1pm | MCH; Free
Danish String Quartet (Classical Concerts): Sunday, November 4, 2018 at 3pm | KH; $35-$85
Hilary Hahn (Classical Concerts)
Friday, November 9, 2018 at 8pm; Pre-concert Talk at 7pm | KH; SOLD OUT
Joshua Redman: Still Dreaming (TD Jazz Concerts)
Saturday, November 10, 2018 at 8pm; Pre-concert Talk at 7pm | KH; SOLD OUT
L'invitation au voyage (Songmasters): Sunday, November 11, 2018 at 2pm | MCH; $30
Buffy Sainte-Marie (Quiet Please, There's a Lady on Stage)
Friday, November 16, 2018 at 8pm | KH; $40-$100
Django Festival All-Stars (Roots and Folk): Saturday, November 17, 2018 at 8pm | KH; $40-$90
Bramwell Tovey conducts the Royal Conservatory Orchestra (RCO Concerts)
Friday, November 23, 2018 at 8pm; Prelude Recital at 6:45pm; Pre-concert Talk at 7:15pm | KH; $25-$60
Taylor Academy Showcase Concert (The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists)
Saturday, November 24, 2018 at 4:30pm | MCH; Free
SongBird North (Roots and Folk): Saturday, November 24, 2018 at 8pm | TT; $35
ARC Ensemble (Artists of The Royal Conservatory) (Mazzoleni Masters)
Sunday, November 25, 2018 at 2pm; Pre-Concert Talk at 1pm | MCH; $30
Gabriela Montero:
Innocence and
Experience (Invesco Piano Concerts)
Sunday, November 25, 2018 at 3pm; Pre-concert Talk at 2pm | KH; $35-$85
Jane Bunnett and Maqueque All-Stars (Trailblazers): Friday, November 30, 2018 at 8pm | KH; $40-$90
Venue Legend: KH Koerner Hall; MCH Mazzoleni Concert Hall; TT Temerty Theatre
Tickets and subscriptions are available online at www.rcmusic.com/performance,
by calling 416.408.0208, or in person at the Weston Family Box Office
Become a Royal Subscriber: select any 4-6 concerts and save 10%;
select any 7+ concerts and save 15%; both levels receive special subscriber benefits
A limited number of $15 Rush Tickets are available starting 90 minutes before all performances presented by
The Royal Conservatory.
All concerts take place at The Royal Conservatory of Music
TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto
