Tafelmusik to Present Tribute to Jeanne Lamon

Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir will present a special live tribute concert honouring Music Director Emerita Jeanne Lamon, C.M. O.Ont., who passed away in June. This deeply personal musical homage is curated by her partner and former Tafelmusik principal cellist Christina Mahler, together with friend and colleague Alison Mackay. The live concert takes place on Saturday, April 2 at 2 pm at Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul's Centre in Toronto, and tickets will go on sale in mid January 2022. Tafelmusik Digital Season Passholders will receive a presale window two days in advance of the public on-sale date. A digital version will be announced at a later date.

Narrated by one of Canada's foremost stage actors, R.H. Thomson, and enriched with projected images, this multimedia tribute program traces the trajectory of Jeanne's inspiring life, including her youth in New York State, her student years in Boston and Amsterdam, her decades in Toronto, and her final chapter in Victoria. Jeanne's outstanding leadership, passionate dedication to artist training, and commitment to the values of collaboration, inclusion, and artistic excellence-qualities that have touched the lives of so many-are the guiding principles that have inspired this celebration of her life.

At the heart of Tafelmusik's tribute is the music that resonated with Jeanne most profoundly. From Bach, whose compositions were part of the daily ritual that infused her childhood, to a movement from Telemann's Tafelmusik, the first piece she ever directed with the orchestra, the music most beloved by Jeanne will serve to honour her memory and celebrate her towering influence. Full program details will be announced in early 2022.

"Jeanne was deeply loved and respected by the musicians of Tafelmusik. I can't imagine a more fitting tribute than gathering her friends and colleagues to perform the music she loved most in the concert hall bearing her name," said Tafelmusik Board Chair David Kilburn. "As an educator and mentor, Jeanne played a truly transformative role in the lives of many. We look forward to celebrating her enormous contribution and the impact she had on an entire generation of musicians."

Christina Mahler joins the orchestra and choir for this tribute, along with special guest artists to be announced at a later date.

"I was very glad for Tafelmusik's invitation to participate in and curate this memorial concert for Jeanne," said Christina Mahler. "Tafelmusik, along with so many of its audience members, have been our musical family for most of our careers. All of us are still in shock at how quickly Jeanne left this world; may this concert be healing for us all," she said.

"I am thrilled that Alison Mackay and R.H. Thomson will join us for this tribute. Jeanne was such an admirer of Alison's talent and I know that she will weave this program together in a meaningful and engaging way," said Mahler. "And Jeanne always hugely appreciated Robert's powerful acting."

"The music we will perform has been chosen with Jeanne in mind, from her love and affinity for early Italian repertoire that goes back to her baroque violin studies with Sigiswald Kuijken, to the Jewish music included to honour her roots. Johann Sebastian Bach was undoubtedly her favourite composer," said Mahler.

Tickets will go on sale in mid January 2022 at tafelmusik.org