Art of Time Ensemble Announces 2011-2012 Season

Andrew Burashko, founder and Artistic Director of the acclaimed Art of Time Ensemble, proudly announces the innovative and stimulating performances that will make up the ensemble's 2011-2012 season, sponsored by Invesco Trimark.

Phenomenal Canadian artists from the fields of music, literature, theatre and dance - including Necessary Angel's award-winning Artistic Director Daniel Brooks, Juno Award-winning singer Dominic Mancuso, legendary choreographer James Kudelka, Brazilian legend Guinga, singer Steven Page (formerly of the Barenaked Ladies), tenor David Pomeroy, jazz singer Luanda Jones, clarinetist James Campbell, cellist Shauna Rolston and many more to be announced - take part as special guests in the 2011-2012 season as Art of Time continues to shatter all preconceived notions of what any art form is supposed to be.

Building on the success of the previous season, the 2011-2012 season will once again feature six concerts, including special programs in partnership with Canadian Stage and Koerner Hall. Various combinations of this season's Art of Time Ensemble musicians - Andrew Burashko, Roman Borys, Benjamin Bowman, Robert Carli, Steven Dann, Andrew Downing, Phil Dwyer, George Koller, Amy Laing, Rachel Mercer, Joseph Phillips, Rob Piltch, Stephen Sitarski and others - accompany each of the shows in the season.

In announcing the season, Burashko stated, "Every program that Art of Time Ensemble presents aims to surprise, to provoke, to bring a fresh perspective to something old and to find the connections to the entirely new with the greatest talents in the country."

I Send You This Cadmium Red October 11-22, 2011
A co-production with Canadian Stage at Berkeley St. Theatre
Unprecedented and engaging, aesthetically stunning and intellectually enlightening, I Send You This Cadmium Red, directed by Daniel Brooks and featuring actor Julian Richings, is an evening of theatre, dance and music that both explores new ways of seeing and provides a key to understanding the work of writer/critic/artist John Berger and filmmaker/artist John Christie. This is a new production for the stage based on a radio play produced by the BBC, preceded by Soudain L'hiver Dernier, a pas de deux choreographed for two male dancers by James Kudelka with music by Gavin Bryars.
The Songbook 6 November 18-19, 2011
Art of Time returns to its popular Songbook series with a new Songbook featuring singer/songwriter Steven Page. Once again giving new meaning to chamber music, the Ensemble is commissioning beautiful, complex arrangements of popular songs - this time by Harry Nilsson, Scott Walker, Randy Newman and others - with the interpretations that only the inimitable Page can give them.

Cantabile: An Evening of Italian Music February 10-11, 2012
This special concert features the music of Italy, from powerful and familiar opera arias by Verdi, Leoncavallo and Puccini to popular songs by Lucio Battisti, Paolo Conte and others. Acclaimed tenor David Pomeroy and Juno Award-winning singer Dominic Mancuso are accompanied by a grand ensemble of some of Canada's finest classical and jazz musicians.

Brasil March 3, 2012
A Co-production with Koerner Hall
A special encore presentation of 2009's sold-out concerts, this eclectic and energetic program of Brazilian music features the power and beauty of eight cellos performing the Bachianas Brasileiras for 8 cellos and soprano by Villa Lobos, songs by Antonio Carlos Jobim and a set of songs and compositions performed by Rio de Janeiro's music legend Guinga. Also featured are jazz singer Luanda Jones and soprano Monica Whicher.

Russian in Exile April 20-21, 2012
Discover exquisite works by creative genius Igor Stravinsky, who fled Russia for the west to create music that electrified the 20th century, as well as compositions by his compatriots Sergei Prokofiev and Mikhail Glinka in this eclectic collection of Russian music enhanced with a live film mix by filmmaker Tess Girard.

Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band May 31-June 2, 2012
Following Art of Time's sold-out, highly successful re-imagining of the Beatles' Abbey Road in 2009, Art of Time presents Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in celebration of the album's 45th anniversary. The entire album will be re-imagined and re-invented through newly-commissioned arrangements by composers from the pop and classical worlds, performed by Canadian pop music icons.
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Envisioned and crafted by Artistic Director and founder Andrew Burashko, Art of Time Ensemble concerts are provocative, engaging and accessible to people unfamiliar with classical music, but also immensely fulfilling to aficionados looking for a unique musical experience.

All concerts take place at 8pm at the Enwave Theatre at Harbourfront Centre, 231 Queens Quay West except I Send You This Cadmium Red (Canadian Stage's Berkeley Street Theatre) and Brasil (Koerner Hall) which are not part of the 2011-2012 Subscription Series.

Three- and four-concert subscription packages are available through the Harbourfront Centre Box Office at 416-973-4000 (from $66-$162, $85-$200 and $100-$236 respectively) as are single tickets (from $25-$59). Information: www.artoftimeensemble.com

The Art of Time Ensemble is one of Toronto's most innovative and artistically resonant music ensembles. The ensemble has attracted the interest and participation of some of Canada's best performers in creating new and exciting opportunities for collaborations between the performing arts; provoking, entertaining and breaking down barriers, revealing the vibrancy of classical music as a contemporary artistic expression and appealing to a range of audiences.

Andrew Burashko made his debut at the age of seventeen with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and has since established himself as one of the most sought-after soloists in Canada. Known for his eclectic repertoire and unique programming, Burashko has performed with most of the Canadian orchestras, including nine seasons with the Toronto Symphony, collaborating with conductors Marin Alsop, Andrew Davis, Peter Oundjan, Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Pinchas Zukerman, among many others. As a soloist, he has performed extensively throughout Canada, the United States and Europe. As a chamber musician, he regularly collaborates with Canada's top artists and performs in festivals throughout Canada and Europe. His recording of Prokofiev's 6th Sonata and Romeo and Juliet suite has been released on the Opening Day label. He received a 2010 Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year: Solo or Chamber Ensemble for his work on Joel Quarrington's album Garden Scene. A dedicated teacher, Mr. Burashko gives master classes throughout North America and is presently a member of the faculty at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto.