TD Jazz, Deborah Voigt and More Set for The Royal Conservatory of Music's November 2016 Lineup
By: BWW News Desk Sep. 15, 2016
TD Jazz: The Art of the Trio
The second concert in the series celebrating the trio, one of the most enduring formats in jazz, features Stefano Bollani Trio & Roberto Occhipinti Trio on November 18. As every concert in this series, the evening sees one international (Bollani) and one Canadian trio (Occhipinti). An audaciously inventive improviser who draws inspiration from many musical and literary sources, Bollani is a pianist who possesses an exquisite touch, a rambunctious sense of humour, and a knack for elegant concision. He is joined by Jesper Bodilsen on bass and Morten Lund on drums. Occhipinti is widely regarded as one of Canada's premier bassists. A five-time Juno Award nominated musician, he is equally at home playing classical music as well as jazz and world music. On this occasion, he performs with pianist Manuel Valera and percussionist Dafnis Prieto. Stefano Bollani also appears with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra on November 17 and 19 as part of a joint Royal Conservatory of Music /Toronto Symphony Orchestra residency in association with the Istituto Italiano di Cultura.
Quiet Please, There's a Lady on Stage
The second season of series, inspired by great Australian songwriter Peter Allen's song, "Quiet Please, There's a Lady on Stage," returns after an immensely popular first season, during which many concerts sold out early. Noa (Achinoam Nini), Israel's leading international singer-songwriter, sings in six languages and plays percussion, guitar, and piano. She has released more than 15 albums and sold millions of recordings with her longstanding collaborator, Gil Dor. On November 12, they share the evening with Toronto's own Aviva Chernick, who creates a sonic landscape that draws organically from the worlds of Jewish, Arabic, and Indian music, modern jazz, electronica, rock, pop, and dub, accompanied by two members of Jaffa Road - Aaron Lightstone (guitar & oud) and Justin Gray (bass, bass veena & Tibetan singing bowls).
World Music
The lilting sound of the music of Trinidad and Guadeloupe come together as Etienne Charles and Malika Tirolien share the stage on November 4. Montréal-based powerhouse Tirolien is known as a featured vocalist with Snarky Puppy, while Charles mixes traditional soca with the jazz he learned under the tutelage of pianist Marcus Roberts.
Music Mix
Two fearless innovators at the forefront of jazz, pianist Chucho Valdés and saxophonist Joe Lovano, both of whom performed in Koerner Hall on separate occasions, now join forces for one night only on November 9. Valdés has been a key figure in the evolution of Afro-Cuban jazz for the past 50 years, and Lovano has recorded 23 albums on the Blue Note label. Their quintet includes Cuba's hottest and most seasoned instrumentalists.
Presented in partnership with the Songwriters Association of Canada, top Canadian songwriters come together with host Blair Packham to perform their music and tell us about their inspiration, the songwriting process, and the stories behind the songs in the seventh season of Bluebird North concerts. The line-up of artists for the November 5 evening will be announced soon.
Classical Music
On November 10, the International Association of Arts Managers (IAMA) Conference will begin in Toronto, with over 250 of the most important classical music agents, managers, producers, and presenters coming for three days of meetings and music. The Conservatory will host the opening day of meetings and present a public concert in the evening that features many of Canada's brightest young talents. The Generation Next concert, which is part of the Invesco Piano Series, features three young Canadian up-and-coming pianists in one evening: Tony Yike Yang and Charles Richard-Hamelin were both medalists at the 2015 International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition. Mr. Yang is an alumnus of The Royal Conservatory's Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists and is the youngest laureate in the history of the competition. Alexander Seredenko, a past recipient of the prestigious Ihnatowycz Prize in Piano, is a graduate of the innovative Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program at The Royal Conservatory. The pianists will be joined by cello prodigy Stéphane Tétreault, who appeared in the 2014-15 season as soloist with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Orchestre Métropolitain, and mezzo-soprano Emily D'Angelo, a recent winner of the 2016 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Finals.
American operatic soprano Deborah Voigt, recognized as one of the world's most versatile singers and one of music's most endearing personalities, makes her Koerner Hall debut on November 11, accompanied by pianist Brian Zeger, who previously played with Adrianne Pieczonka in the Hall. Having made her name as a leading dramatic soprano, she is internationally revered for her performances in the operas of Wagner and Strauss, and in this concert she will perform works by Tchaikovsky, Richard Strauss, Amy Beach, Ben Moore, William Bolcom, and Leonard Bernstein.
Known the world over as a violinist of exceptional versatility and musical integrity, Viktoria Mullova's interpretations of Bach have been acclaimed worldwide, as has been her most recent recording of Bach concerti with the Accademia Bizantina and Ottavio Dantone (conductor and harpsichord). Accademia Bizantina, regarded as one of the most versatile and select ensembles using original instruments, is renowned for stylistic accuracy, imaginative interpretation, and technical perfection. In their Koerner Hall debut on November 13, they will present an all Johann Sebastian Bach program.
On November 25, Tito Muñoz returns to The Conservatory to conduct the Royal Conservatory Orchestra and pianist Charissa Vandikas in a program of John Adams's The Chairman Dances, Ravel's Piano Concerto in G Major, and Brahms's Symphony No. 2. Music Director of The Phoenix Symphony, Muñoz is increasingly recognized as one of the most gifted and versatile conductors of his generation. Vandikas currently studies with Professor John O'Conor at The Glenn Gould School, coaches with Dr. Michael Esch of the Esch Music Academy, and is a recipient of the Janet and Bill L'Heureux Scholarship.
Celebrating a milestone 40th anniversary, Anagnoson & Kinton present a special concert on November 13 as part of the Mazzoleni Masters series in Mazzoleni Concert Hall, located in historic Ihnatowycz Hall. The program includes works by Brahms, Pierre Gallant, Poulenc, Dvo?ák, and Bartók's Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion with Toronto Symphony Orchestra Principal Timpani David Kent and Principal Percussion John Rudolph.
Aimia Discovery Series begins on November 3 with Toronto Symphony Orchestra Principal Clarinet and Royal Conservatory Orchestra Resident Conductor, Joaquin Valdepeñas, conducting Glenn Gould School students in a program of Kurt Weill's Violin Concerto and Darius Milhaud's La création du monde. The series continues with The Glenn Gould School Fall Opera: Cendrillon by Pauline Viardot on November 18 and 19, with Peter Tiefenbach serving as music director and Joel Ivany, founder and Artistic Director of Against the Grain Theatre, as director.
The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists presents a free Taylor Academy Showcase Concert on November 19 by the leading young classical musicians in Canada.
Sunday Interludes
This new series of free concerts continues with Steven Schick on November 6.Founding percussionist of the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Schick presents a program of works by Lei Liang, Mark Applebaum, John Cage, and Iannis Xenakis.
Tickets and subscriptions are available online at www.performance.rcmusic.ca, 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 $10 BMO 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.
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