October Programming Announced At The Royal Conservatory Of Music

Koerner Hall's 10th Anniversary Opening Festival continues with Kathleen Battle, The Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble, Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting the Orchestre Métropolitain and Nicholas Angelich, and the debuts by northern Canadian groups The Jerry Cans and New North Collective Royal Conservatory alumnus Chilly Gonzales returns to Koerner Hall, Lúnasa and The Bombadils in a double-bill concert as part of the Roots and Folk series, Jamey Haddad's Under One Sun and Cyro Baptista's Vira Loucos open the World Music series Quiet Please, There's a Lady on Stage series opens with Amanda Martinez and Kellylee Evans. Seong-Jin Cho makes his Koerner Hall debut in a sold out concert.

See the full lineup below!

Koerner Hall's 10th Anniversary Opening Festival

Koerner Hall 10th Anniversary Gala: Kathleen Battle

Kathleen Battle's soaring voice has carried her to the heights of the classical music world. The range of the five-time Grammy Award winner's repertoire spans three centuries from the Baroque era to contemporary works, which she performs with symphony orchestras and in recital halls around the world. Perhaps what distinguishes this luminous soprano most is her almost magical ability to create an unwavering bond with audiences through a voice that is "... without qualification, one of the very few most beautiful in the world." (The Washington Post) In her Koerner Hall debut on October 2, Ms. Battle will perform opera arias and selections from Broadway, as well as spirituals.

Proceeds from the evening support Resounding! The Campaign for The Royal Conservatory.

The Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble

Formed by Sir Neville Marriner in 1958 from a group of leading London musicians, The Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble is one of the world's best, renowned for fresh, brilliant interpretations of the world's greatest classical music. In their return visit to Koerner Hall on October 3, they perform Carl Nielsen's Serenata in vano, FS 680; Jean Françaix's Octet; and Beethoven's Septet in E flat Major, op. 20.

"Their sound is sweet and pure, their ensemble work airtight." (The Washington Post) The concert will be preceded by a Pre-concert Talk at 7pm.

The Jerry Cans and New North Collective

The Jerry Cans create music inspired by their hometown of Iqaluit, Nunavut, and life in the Canadian Arctic. With their unique mix of traditional Inuit throat singing and roots-rock sung in the Indigenous language of Inuktitut, The Jerry Cans offer a distinctly northern sound and infectious, high-energy performances. The New North Collective is an ensemble of northern Canadian performing artists from Yukon and Northwest Territories whose music is diverse and skillful, representative of a multitude of genres, including jazz, folk, new music, spoken word, and rock. Members include spoken word artist/bassist Pat Braden and composer/performer Carmen Braden from the NWT, singer/songwriter Diyet from the Kluane First Nation, guitarist/ songwriter Graeme Peters, percussionist Robert Van Lieshout from the Yukon, and multi- instrumentalist/producer Jan de Vroede from Greenland. While exploring and pushing musical boundaries, there is a common goal to discard the stereotypes of the region and the people who live in rural and remote northern communities. The two bands from northern Canada share the stage on October 4.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Orchestre Métropolitain and Nicholas Angelich

Classical music's hottest conductor returns to Koerner Hall on October 5 to close out the festival. The Montreal-born Yannick Nézet-Séguin is Music Director of The Philadelphia Orchestra and The Metropolitan Opera in New York, and Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestre Métropolitain of Montreal. American pianist Nicholas Angelich, who has been called "spellbinding" (Bachtrack), makes his Koerner Hall debut playing Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Minor, op. 40. The rest of the program consists of Sibelius's Symphony No. 1 in E Minor, op. 39; and the Ontario premiere of Nicolas Gilbert's Avril. The concert will be preceded by a Pre-concert Talk at 7pm.

The rest of October will be rounded out with concerts to suit every taste in music.

Trailblazers

A new series for the 10th anniversary concert season brings Canadian trailblazers, each with a unique voice and perspective. The series begins on October 18 and 20 with the Grammy Award-winning pianist, producer, arranger, composer, raconteur, and Royal Conservatory alumnus, Chilly Gonzales, known as much for the intimate piano touch of best-selling albums Solo Piano I and Solo Piano II as for his showmanship and compositions for award-winning stars such as Feist, Peaches, and Daft Punk. 2018 sees the return of Gonzales to the stage with an intimate selection of pieces from the Solo Piano album cycle, after which he is joined by Stella Le Page on cello and Joe Flory on drums to perform hits and hidden surprises. Additionally, on Friday, September 7, between 4pm and 8pm, there will be a special presentation in the orchestra level of Koerner Hall, in the Leslie & Anna Dan Galleria, of Gonzales's highly anticipated Solo Piano III record as Toronto will be added to London, Paris, and Berlin for a unique presentation and album premiere event. The album, which is recorded to Disklavier disk, will be sent to The Conservatory and the Yamaha Disklavier piano will perform the record at the top of each hour. The event is free to the public.

Roots and Folk

Having sold more than a quarter of a million albums and boasting an impressive catalogue of seven highly acclaimed and award-winning studio albums, Lúnasa performs "state-of-the-art Irish music as aggressively infectious as you'll ever hear." (Dirty Linen) The band makes its Koerner Hall debut on October 19 in a double-bill with Halifax's The Bombadils, which creates beautiful harmonies and enchanting melodies by reconfiguring Celtic and old-time music, poetry, and original songs into a new folk framework. Fatea magazine in the UK declared of Lúnasa: "Let's just say that this is one of the best folk and orchestra combinations I've heard and leave it at that, the arrangements are simply sublime," while Canadian Folk Music magazine stated: "The Bombadils have all the elements of a great band - a high level of musical proficiency, deep respect for the traditional roots of their material and an engaging repertoire which holds the attention of the listener from beginning to end."

World Music

Jamey Haddad's Under One Sun and Cyro Baptista's Vira Loucos on October 26, features two of the world's greatest percussionists joined by stellar improvisers in this double-bill of global music. Lebanese

American percussionist Jamey Haddad, who has been a longtime member of bands for such stars as Sting and Paul Simon, will be joined by an international band, including Toronto-based jazz bassist Roberto Occhipinti, for this unique evening. "As my musical journey led me from one continent to another, and as I experienced a planet crying out for understanding, this team of players cosmically came forward," says

Haddad. "The sheer joy of every member experiencing their bandmates' artistry truly exemplifies the human

capacity to celebrate what makes us unique." Percussionist Baptista will be joined by Toronto's guitar master

Kevin Breit to pay tribute to Brazil's great composer, Heitor Villa-Lobos. "Baptista has assembled a group both light on its feet and capable of negotiating the trickiest of rhythmic passages and deliriously romantic melodies with wit, enthusiasm, and grace. Highly recommended." (AllMusic)

Quiet Please, There's a Lady on Stage

Another double bill evening on October 27 brings together exceptional musicians and close friends, Amanda Martinez and Kellylee Evans, in an evening of warm flavourful jazz, Latin rhythms, roots, and soul. Amanda Martinez's music exultingly blends her unique Mexican and South African roots with flamenco soul. Her third and latest CD, Mañana, and her previous solo albums have earned her three Latin Jazz Artist of the Year nominations at Canada's National Jazz Awards, and her songs have appeared on three Putumayo world music collections. The singer has headlined at the legendary Blue Note jazz club in New York, the 2010 FIFA World Cup Festivities in South Africa, the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, and the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games. With six albums, Juno Award winner Kellylee Evans is still shaking it up. The stylistic connoisseur has tackled everything from jazz to R&B and has been praised by the Latin Jazz Network for a "gorgeous voice (that) rises to the heavens in rapturous wonder as if in consanguinity with a chorus of angels."

Classical Music

Invesco Piano Concerts

Seong-Jin Cho's thoughtful and poetic, assertive and tender, virtuosic and colourful playing is driven by an impressive natural sense of balance. Cho came to the world's attention in 2015 when he won the coveted Gold Medal at the Chopin International Competition in Warsaw. Within a month, a recording of his live competition highlights was released by Deutsche Grammophon, propelling the pianist to pop star status in South Korea. The album achieved multi-platinum sales within a week of its release and triggered a sales frenzy at stores across the country. At his sold out Koerner Hall debut concert on October 28, he will perform works by Debussy and Chopin.

Mazzoleni Masters

Susan Hoeppner, who "plays her golden flute with cool confidence" (The New York Times), leads a program of some of the most outstandingly wild and difficult chamber music works written for the instrument. On October 21, she is joined by colleagues and friends for a program that features works by Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Christos Hatzis, and André Jolivet.

Free Concerts

Taylor Academy Showcase Concert on October 20, 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.

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, 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

October at The Royal Conservatory of Music

Koerner Hall 10th Anniversary Gala: Kathleen Battle

(Season Opening Festival): Tuesday, October 2, 2018 at 8pm | KH; $100-$250

For gala dinner packages please call 416.408.2824 x447.

Concert-only tickets are available through the Weston Family Box Office.

The Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble

(Season Opening Festival): Wednesday, October 3, 2018 at 8pm; Pre-concert Talk at 7pm | KH; $40-$100

The Jerry Cans and New North Collective

(Season Opening Festival): Thursday, October 4, 2018 at 8pm | KH; $35-$75

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Orchestre Métropolitain and Nicholas Angelich

(Season Opening Festival): Friday, October 5, 2018 at 8pm; Pre-concert Talk at 7pm | KH; $75-$150

Chilly Gonzales: Solo Piano

(Trailblazers): Thursday, October 18 & Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 8pm | KH; $35-$85

Lúnasa and The Bombadils (Roots and Folk): Friday, October 19, 2018 at 8pm | KH; $35-$90

Taylor Academy Showcase Concert

(The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists)

Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 4:30pm| MCH; Free, tickets required

Susan Hoeppner & Friends (Mazzoleni Masters): Sunday, October 21, 2018 at 2pm | MCH; $30

Jamey Haddad's Under One Sun and Cyro Baptista's Vira Loucos

(World Music): Friday, October 26, 2018 at 8pm | KH; $35-$85

Amanda Martinez and Kellylee Evans

(Quiet Please, There's a Lady on Stage): Saturday, October 27, 2018 at 8pm | KH; $35-$95

Seong-Jin Cho

(Invesco Piano Concerts): Sunday, October 28, 2018 at 3pm; Pre-concert Talk at 2pm | KH; SOLD OUT

Venue Legend: KH Koerner Hall; MCH Mazzoleni Concert Hall in Ihnatowycz Hall

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