SPEAK LOW, SONGS OF LIFE AND LOVE, Tours and More Set for Canadian Opera Company, Nov 2013

The Canadian Opera Company has announced its November 2013 lineup. Details below!

FREE CONCERT SERIES IN THE RICHARD BRADSHAW AMPHITHEATRE:

TONIGHT, November 5 - 28, 2013

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)

The Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre is a unique opportunity to experience diverse artistic programming in what has become one of Toronto's most exciting cultural hubs. Six inspiring series offer concerts, dance performances and engaging presentations that feature both up-and-coming young artists and established international stars. All performances are FREE to the public, with admission on a first-come, first-served basis. Concertgoers are encouraged to arrive early as late seating is not available.

November 5, 2013

12 - 1 p.m.

World Music Series

Meditations for Bass Veena

Bassist Justin Gray marries tradition with invention in an hour of classic North Indian ragas and original compositions featuring thebass veena, an instrument he designed and created with Canadian luthier Les Godfrey, adapting the fretless bass into a form more suitable for Indian classical and Indo-jazz music. In this special performance, he conjures a unique and compelling sound-world with the help of Ed Hanley (tabla) and Derek Gray (percussion/Tibetan singing bowls).

November 6, 2013

5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Jazz Series

Speak Low

Jazz vocalist Adi Braun, pianist Dave Restivo, bassist Pat Collinsand drummer Daniel Barnes trace the musical and personal journey of German composer Kurt Weill and his wife, singer and actress, Lotte Lenya. Braun spins her signature magic in familiar tunes like "Speak Low" and "September Song" and surprises with her interpretations of cabaret gems "Schickelgruber" and "Nanna's Lied." Musical selections are interspersed with excerpts from Kurt and Lotte's intimate letters, providing us with a unique glimpse into the lives of this enigmatic couple.

November 7, 2013

12 - 1 p.m.

Jazz and Chamber

Music Series

*Canadian Exclusive*

Amstel Tracks Now!

Old music, new music, world music, classical music - Holland's hottest new chamber group, the award-winning Amstel Quartet, plays it all, and presents it in unexpected and innovative ways. The vibrant virtuosity and youthful exuberance of this group, which has captivated audiences throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the United States, makes a stop at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre on their first Canadian tour.

November 12, 2013

12 - 1 p.m.

Vocal Series

*Toronto Premiere*

Songs of Life and Love

Winners of the inaugural Maureen Forrester Prize, Ensemble Studio graduates Simone Osborne (soprano) and Anne Larlee (piano) present a compelling program of songs featuring beloved classics by Robert Schumann, Richard Strauss, Reynaldo Hahn and Vincenzo Bellini, as well as the Toronto premiere of two newly commissioned songs by Canadian composer Brian Current, Birefringence andExtreme Positions, on texts by Canadian poets Christian Bök and bpNichol.

November 13, 2013

12 - 1 p.m.

Piano Virtuoso Series

Unfolding

Celebrated Canadian pianist and composer John Kameel Farahpresents his genre-bending mix of Eastern and Western music, drawing on both traditional and avant-garde influences, as well as electronic and acoustic arrangements. This program of original compositions offers a compelling sonic narrative about the unfolding of life.

November 19, 2013

12 - 1 p.m.

Chamber Music Series

Chamber Connections

Two Rebanks Fellows of The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory, violinist Luri Lee and cellist Jonathan Lo, team up with two of the country's most established artists and young artist mentors, pianist Jamie Parker and violinist Barry Shiffman. They present an exquisite program of solo and chamber works, featuring Brahms's youthful masterwork, the Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, whose tour-de-force "Rondo alla Zingarese" is guaranteed to bring the house down.

November 20, 2013

5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Jazz Series

Identity

One of the most compelling new voices on the Canadian jazz scene, baritone saxophonist Shirantha Beddage teams up with stellar sidemen Dave Restivo (piano), Mike Downes (bass) and Mark Kelso(drums) for a high-octane hour of original music from their JUNO Award-nominated album, Identity. Always unique and distinctive, Beddage infuses gospel and blues into modern hard bop, drawing inspiration from jazz legends ranging from John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins to Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk and Chick Corea.

November 21, 2013

12 - 1 p.m.

Piano Virtuoso Series

Virtuoso Masterpieces

Award-winning Russian-Canadian pianist Alexander Seredenkoshowcases his virtuosity and passion in an exciting program of masterworks, including Chopin's Polonaise-Fantaisie, Liszt's "Dante" Sonata, Debussy's Images and Prokofiev's Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Op. 82.

November 27, 2013

12 - 1 p.m.

World Music Series

Balinese Music and Dance: Temple, Court and Village Traditions

The University of Toronto's vibrant 20-piece Balinese Gamelan (a traditional Indonesian musical ensemble) Dharma Santi unites with Balinese gendèr wayang (keyed metallophone quartet) Seka Rat Nadi. Joining these two groups are UofT World Music Artists-in-Residence Vaughan Hatch and Putu Evie Suyadnyani, two of Bali's most distinguished performing artists, for an hour of music and dance celebrating the rituals, ceremonies and rich artistic traditions of Indonesia's most colourful island.

November 28, 2013

12 - 1 p.m.

World Music Series

Unbound

Naghmeh Farahmand, internationally acclaimed percussionist and daughter of one of Iran's leading percussion masters Mahmoud Farahmand, leads an all-female group in a program of traditional percussion music from Persia and the Middle East.

TOUR THE FOUR SEASONS CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS:

November 3, 10, 17 and 24, 2013

Start time: 10:30 a.m.

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)

Cost: $20/adults; $15/seniors and students

The Canadian Opera Company opens the doors of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on November 3, 10, 17 and 24, 2013, with 90-minute tours for the general public. These extensive tours include backstage access and are an exciting opportunity to learn more about the first purpose-built opera house in Canada, its history, architecture and innovative acoustic design. Starting at 10:30 a.m., each tour is led by trained docents and includes information and access to the magnificent Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room, the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre and R. Fraser Elliott Hall, as well as backstage areas like wig rooms and dressing rooms, the orchestra pit, and other spaces that only a stage door pass could unlock.

Tickets for public tours are $20/adults and $15/seniors and students, and can be purchased in advance at coc.ca or at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office, located at 145 Queen St. W., Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets will also be available on the morning of the tour starting at 10 a.m. at the welcome desk located in the main lobby.