Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall Announce 2009-2010 Season

The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall announces its 2009-2010 season of jazz and classical concerts, which includes Jazz @ Massey Hall (series of 3 concerts), International Vocal Recitals (series of 4 concerts), Virtuoso Performance (series of 3 concerts), and four special concerts. Subscriptions are currently on sale. For more information call: 416-872-4255, go online at www.masseyhall.com or www.roythomson.com, or visit the Roy Thomson Hall box office.

Jazzy @ Massey Hall (Series of 3 concerts)
Now in its sophomore year, the Jazz @ Massey Hall series presents three concerts with three very distinct perspectives on jazz. The lines are blurred between classical and jazz, contemporary popular music is re-worked as jazz standards, and uncharted territory is explored through improvisation.
Subscriptions: $295 - $145.

Lang Lang & Herbie Hancock                               Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 8 PM
Pianists Lang Lang and Herbie Hancock reunite after their ground-breaking, dueling-keys performance of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue at the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008. The hottest artist on the classical music planet and the legendary jazz pianist join forces, performing a variety of solos, duets and concertos for two pianos, with orchestra.

Ornette Coleman
Thursday, September 24, 2009 at 8 PM
Fifty years ago, saxophonist Ornette Coleman caused the world of jazz to take a sharp left turn. The Shape Of Jazz To Come was a groundbreaking album and its influence has since been felt by virtually every jazz musician.  Coleman was rightfully recognized in 2007 with both a Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement.  We know first hand how powerfully his music continues to resonate, thanks to the deeply memorable concert at Massey Hall in 2005.

Brad Mehldau Trio
Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 8 PM
Universally admired as one of the most adventurous pianists on the jazz scene today, Brad Mehldau pushes boundaries, blending musical genres and blazing trails in new musical territory. His hauntingly beautiful melody lines and stunning improvisations reveal his deeply intelligent musicianship, with influences that range from Radiohead to Nick Drake and Oasis to the great American Standards.

International Vocal Recitals (Series of 4 concerts) – Roy Thomson Hall
Roy Thomson Hall is proud to introduce audiences to four vocal artists making their debuts on this series.  Together they share youth, critical acclaim, energy, and a mastery of their craft.  Individually, they bring fresh and distinctive voices to the world's great opera houses, orchestras, and now in recital on this series.  Music lovers will discover a new generation of stars.
Subscriptions: $265 - $125

Joseph Calleja, tenor
Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 2 PM
Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja is an exhilarating young talent, one of the most promising artists of the new millennium.  His is an exceptionally beautiful lyric tenor which recalls a young Pavarotti, capturing the long-lost classic sounds and timbre of earlier 20th century tenor greats. He has performed at the major opera houses of  North America and throughout Europe from the Royal Opera House Covent Garden to the Salzburg Festival,  and has toured Germany, in concert, with soprano Anna Netrebko. No stranger to Canadian audiences, he made his thrilling Canadian debut as Rodolfo in La Bohème in Toronto with the Canadian Opera Company to great critical acclaim.

Karina Gauvin, soprano
Sun Feb 14 2010 at 2 PM
The Globe and Mail hailed her as "one of the dream sopranos of our time," who in turn is "distinctive, sophisticated, deeply intuitive, a questioning and fearless artist." She has wowed audiences and critics the world over with her luscious timbre, profound musicality and wide vocal range. With one Grammy and nineteen Juno nominations, and two Juno awards to her credit, she has also proved herself a wildly successful recording artist. Whether gracing the great operatic or concert stages of the world, Gauvin has the remarkable ability to instantly convey the musical heart of every piece she performs.  No wonder she is an audience favourite and Canada's "Queen of Song."

Nathan Gunn, baritone
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 8 PM
American baritone Nathan Gunn has been casting a spell around the globe with his daring interpretations of both classical and new opera repertoire.  He's been forging new creative worlds with his electrifying performances on the stages of top European and American opera houses.  His recording of Peter Grimes with the London Symphony Orchestra was nominated for a Grammy award, and he has numerous accolades to his credit, including the first winner of the Beverly Sills Award for Young Singers and was a pick in People magazine's annual Sexiest Man Alive issue.

Alexandra Deshorties, soprano
Sunday, April 25, 2010 at 2 PM
Canadian recital debut
A regular performer at the Metropolitan Opera since the millennium, Alexandra Deshorties has become one of opera's most sought-after young stars.  Born in Montreal, but raised in Marseilles and educated in New York, Deshorties reflects the rich character and identify of each of these cultural centres through her impassioned singing and committed portrayal of the great operatic roles.  Also in demand as a concert artist, she has appeared with orchestras around the world including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony, and at the Salzburg Festival.   

Virtuoso Performances (Series of 3 concerts) – Roy Thomson Hall
Toronto's cultural renaissance combines with Roy Thomson Hall's international reputation for acoustic excellence to make the Hall a favourite destination for the world's elite orchestras.  This season's Virtuoso Performances series offers a rare opportunity to experience three of those ensembles, each with its own distinctive voice, each led by an inimitable maestro.
Subscriptions: $395 - $115

Cleveland Orchestra
Monday, October 19, 2009 at 8 PM
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Repertoire, TBA
One of the world's most-revered symphonic ensembles makes a rare Toronto appearance, the launching point of a pan-European tour.  The orchestra achieved greatness under the renowned George Szell, who directed it for an incredible thirty years beginning in the mid-1940s. Now in its 90th season, music director Franz Welser-Möst boldly moves the ensemble into the 21st century. The orchestra has long been acclaimed as the most European of the American "Big Five" and remains securely positioned among the top ten in the world.

Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 8 PM
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
Messiaen: Les offrandes oubliées
Ravel: Piano Concerto for the Left Hand
R. Strauss: Ein Heldenleben
The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra has been the musical heart of the Netherlands since 1930. The orchestra gained world acclaim in the 1970s under the youthful baton of Edo de Waart, touring internationally and producing outstanding recordings. In 1995 Valery Gergiev took the reins, founding the Gergiev Festival Rotterdam, with the ensemble playing a vital role in one of the Netherland's major cultural events. Montreal-born Yannick Nézet-Séguin succeeded Gergiev in 2008, upon receiving an unprecedented and astonishing unanimous vote from the orchestra.  Since then, the brilliant young Nézet-Séguin has been dazzling audiences the world over with his incisive leadership and artistry. Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet is in high demand worldwide as a soloist, admired for his incredible technique and poetic interpretations. .
Presented in association with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Mariinsky Orchestra (Kirov)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 8 PM
Valery Gergiev, conductor
Repertoire, TBA
Under the dynamic leadership of musical director Valery Gergiev, the internationally-acclaimed powerhouse Mariinsky Orchestra (formerly known as the Kirov Orchestra) never fails to thrill, astound and astonish. Every performance is crafted with gemstone brilliance, every performance, the experience of a lifetime. A favourite with Toronto audiences and always a sellout, the orchestra returns for its 5th appearance at Roy Thomson Hall.

Four special concerts at Roy Thomson Hall (For subscribers to add to their series):

China Philharmonic Orchestra
Monday, November 16, 2009 at 8 PM
Tickets: $112 - $24
Long Yu, conductor
Yuja Wang, piano
Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture
Yuan Kai: China Air (Canadian Première)
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2
Since its inception in 2000, the highly innovative, 120-member China Philharmonic Orchestra has established extensive collaborative relationships with world-famous conductors and soloists, including Krzysztof Penderecki, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sara Chang and Placido Domingo.  The orchestra aspires to introduce the gems of China's symphonic music to the world and the finest of western musical heritage to Chinese audiences—a magnificent cultural exchange. It has performed in the grand venues of the world, including Avery Fisher Hall, Barbican Hall, the world-famous Palais Garnier and Berlin Philharmonie, playing to glowing reviews. 
Presented in association with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Angela Hewit, piano
Friday, February 12, 2010 at 8 PM
Tickets: $69 - $29
JS Bach: Italian Concerto
Beethoven: Sonata in D major, Op. 10 No. 3
Brahms: Sonata in F minor, Op. 5
Celebrate the 25th anniversary of Angela Hewitt's triumphant 1st prize win at the Toronto International Bach Piano Competition! Since that prestigious win at Roy Thomson Hall in 1985, Hewitt has firmly established herself as the pre-eminent Bach pianist of our time.  Her eleven-year project to record all the major keyboard works of Bach was described as "one of the record glories of our age" by The Sunday Times.  In 2006 she earned the Gramophone Artist of the Year award and received the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours.  She is the consummate artist, and captivates utterly with her mesmerizing performances. Roy Thomson Hall is honoured to have her return to our concert stage.

Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra
Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at 8 PM
Tickets: $112 - $24
Christoph Eschenbach, conductor
Lang Lang, piano
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 "Classical"
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
It's a celebration of youthful genius when the phenomenal Lang Lang shares the stage with the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra. Composed of the world's finest young musicians under the age of 27, who are hand-picked through a rigorous audition process, the orchestra has developed through collaborations with the finest conductors and teachers from the Berlin Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, and the NDR Symphony Orchestra.  This performance is part of its first-ever tour of North America. 
Presented in association with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Special Late-Night Concert
Saturday, June 19, 2010 at 11 PM
Tickets: $69 - $20
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Peter Oundjian, conductor
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
Join Peter Oundjian, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and an international cast of soloists for a special 11pm performance of Beethoven's thrilling Symphony No. 9.
Stay for the party in the lobby and dance the night away! Experience the TSO like never before.
Presented in association with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!