5th Annual 21C Music Festival Announces 2018 Lineup

The 21C Music Festival has announced it's 2018 lineup. At this festival of newly minted music, audiences have an opportunity to experience fresh new sounds and ideas from the greatest musical minds of today. Canadian as well as international composers and musicians are mining new musical territories, breaking down barriers, and introducing us to new virtuosic music creations.

"The 21C Music Festival returns for its fifth edition to The Royal Conservatory of Music from May 23 to May 27, 2018 and we once again welcome musicians and composers who are pushing the boundaries of contemporary composition and performance. We are enormously grateful to festival benefactors Michael and Sonja Koerner, who have supported this initiative from its inception and have now extended their support of the Festival for an additional five years - to 2023," said Mervon Mehta, Executive Director of Performing Arts at The Royal Conservatory.

This year's 21C Music Festival will once again run over five days and consist of eight concerts, featuring 5 world, 17 Canadian, 11 Ontario, and 4 Toronto premieres.

21C Music Festival Highlights: The return of Kronos Quartet with Jherek Bischoff, with a world premiere by Bischoff and three additional Canadian premieres.

Pianist Anthony de Mare with his special project Liaisons: Re-Imagining Sondheim From the Piano. Presented in two parts over two nights, de Mare plays arrangements of Stephen Sondheim songs by composers representing classical, jazz, pop, musical theatre, film music, and other genres (many of which will be Canadian or Ontario premieres).

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein with A Far Cry chamber orchestra juxtaposing two works by J.S. Bach and two by Philip Glass - one of which will receive its Canadian premiere. A new piece by Sri Lankan-Canadian composer and pianist Dinuk Wijeratne and Syrian composer and clarinetist Kinan Azmeh will receive its world premiere alongside original works that mix delicate arrangements and adventurous improvisations.

Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble Vox Clamantis is joined by violinist and singer Maarja Nuut and electronic music composer Hendrik Kaljujärv in works by Arvo Pärt, David Lang, and Helena Tulve, among others. The concert is presented in partnership with Estonian Music Week, the Museum of Estonians Abroad/VEMU, Estonian Studies Centre, and Estonia 100.

Sibling pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque make their Koerner Hall debut with the original two-piano version of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring alongside Bryce Dessner's El Chan and Philip Glass's Four Movements for Two Pianos.

New Music Concerts returns as 21C Music Festival partner with a program titled Zipangu!, which includes two world premieres by Roger Reynolds and Brian Harman, and a Canadian premiere of Reynolds's Not Forgotten.

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