The Royal Conservatory Of Music Announces April Concerts

Two Toronto multi-cultural music groups share a very special evening on April 7. The Royal Conservatory's KUNÉ - Canada's Global Orchestra features top notch musicians from all over the world who now live in Canada. The group returns to Koerner Hall after their debut concert in June of 2017, which was followed by a tour of various summer festivals and a recording at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. This concert is the launch of the group's self-titled release on Universal Music Canada. The second half of the evening features award-winning trumpeter and composer, David Buchbinder, and Grammy Award nominated Cuban piano master, Hilario Durán, with their band, Odessa/Havana, renowned for textured and tuneful music with powerful, swinging, and lyrical playing.

On April 29, American and Indian jazz meet as legendary tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain and jazz bassist Dave Holland are joined by saxophonist Chris Potter, Bollywood playback vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, one of India's finest pianists Louis Banks, and renowned guitarist Sanjay Divecha in Crosscurrents: Zakir Hussain and Dave Holland. The Washington Post declared, "[Hussain's] virtuosity is barely to be believed," while The Boston Globe stated that "Holland is a master bassist and bandleader, one of the most sophisticated composers and arrangers in the jazz world."

Concert presented in association with Small World Music

Quiet Please, There's a Lady on Stage

Malian singer, songwriter, and actress, Fatoumata Diawara, draws elements of jazz and funk into an exquisitely contemporary folk sound - refracting the rocking rhythms and plaintive melodies of her ancestral Wassoulou tradition through an instinctive pop sensibility. Her warm voice and rhythmical guitar playing is centre stage following a set by 2017 Juno Award-winning group, Okavango African Orchestra (12 instruments, 10 languages, 7 countries), on April 12.

Concert presented in association with Batuki Music

TD Jazz: The Roots of Jazz

The remaining two concerts in this popular concert series, The Hot Sardines and Flávia Nascimento on April 14, and Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya and special guest Freddie Hendrix in tribute to The Jazz Epistles on April 21 have already sold out.

The Hot Sardines' sound - wartime Paris via New Orleans, or the other way around - takes a blustery brass lineup, layers it over a rhythm section led by a Fats Waller-style stride-piano virtuoso, and ties the whole thing together with singer 'Miz Elizabeth' Bougerol, a magnetic frontwoman. The NYC outfit, complete with a tap dancer, has been called "consistently electrifying live." (Popmatters) Brazilian Flávia Nascimento began her career as an actress and singer touring Brazil in musical theatre productions. Her favourite music, forró, is rooted in folk dance styles and beats from northeastern Brazil.

With Freddie Hendrix on trumpet, Abdullah Ibrahim on piano, and his band Ekaya, the tribute to The Jazz Epistles will feature new arrangements of Jazz Epistles original compositions, including "Blues for Huey," "Scullery Department," "Carols Drive," "Vary - oo - Vum," "Dollars Moods," "Gafsa," and "Uku Janga Phambili," woven in a beautiful concert program with Abdullah Ibrahim's classic catalogue.

Classical Music

Invesco Piano Concerts

Italian pianist Beatrice Rana has won three major awards in 2017: the Edison Klassiek Award as "Discovery of the Year," the BBC Music magazine's "Newcomer of the Year" Award, and the Gramophone "Young Artist of the Year" Award. These are part of a long list of major accolades, after Rana first came to public attention in 2011, winning First Prize and all special jury prizes at the Montreal International Competition. Her very promising career was brought to an even higher level in 2013, when she won the

Silver Medal and the Audience Award at the 14th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. In September 2015, she was named a BBC New Generation Artist and, in April 2016, she was awarded a fellowship from the Borletti-Buitoni Trust. In her Koerner Hall debut on April 8, she will perform works by Schumann, Ravel, and Stravinsky. The concert will also be preceded by a Pre-concert Talk at 2pm with Rick Phillips.

Concert presented in association with the Istituto Italiano di Cultura

String Concerts

French cellist Gautier Capuçon is a true 21st century ambassador for the cello. He is acclaimed internationally for his deeply expressive musicianship and exuberant virtuosity, as well as for the glorious sonority of his 1701 Matteo Goffriller cello, which showcases his phenomenal technical skills. "It's the rare performer who can bring such ease and refinement to this music, while still giving everything he plays a sense of dramatic urgency." (San Francisco Chronicle) An artist with a remarkable flair for chamber playing and a composer himself, Jérôme Ducros is "a brilliant and very gifted and sensitive pianist." (The Subterranean Review) The musicians will play sonatas by Brahms and Rachmaninov, and some of their favourite French and Russian pieces on April 28.

Concert presented in association with Alliance Française de Toronto

Chamber Music

Bernstein @ 100 featuring Jamie Bernstein, Wallis Giunta, Sebastian Knauer, and the ARC Ensemble on April 6 will be a joyful celebration of Leonard Bernstein, conductor of the New York Philharmonic, lecturer, and composer of scores for West Side Story, On the Town, and other popular musicals. On the occasion of his centenary, his daughter, Jamie Bernstein, will regale the audience with stories and photos of her father while The Conservatory's own ARC Ensemble (Artists of The Royal Conservatory), pianist Sebastian Knauer, and sensational Canadian mezzo-soprano and Conservatory alumna Wallis Giunta play a retrospective of his Broadway and chamber works. The concert will also be preceded by a Pre-concert Talk at 2pm with Rick Phillips.

The Amici Chamber Ensemble celebrates its 30th anniversary with a special concert on April 27. Joaquin Valdepeñas, one of the most distinguished clarinetists of his generation, cellist "[of] rare delicacy and clarity" David Hetherington, and "keyboard acrobat" pianist Serouj Kradjian have invited some of the finest musicians to join the celebration. Isabel Bayrakdarian, possessing "a soprano voice that combines lyricism with remarkable dramatic instincts," (Time) Royal Conservatory faculty members, and principals from the

Toronto Symphony Orchestra join Amici in a celebratory concert that features some of their favourite repertoire, including works by Respighi, Dohnányi, and Bernstein. The concert also includes a piece performed by the winners of the Glenn Gould School's Chamber Music Competition held the day before.

Vocal Concert

Grammy Award-winning Canadian baritone "[Gerald] Finley possesses a warm, glowing baritone with a generous low range and silken top notes, as well as a knack for spinning out long and smooth legato lines. But just as important, he is an intelligent and committed actor." (The New York Times) Having received multiple Gramophone Awards with British pianist Julius Drake for their recordings, the artists return to Koerner Hall on April 22 to perform works by Schubert, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, and Beethoven, as well as a selection of favourite folksongs. This concert will also be preceded by a Pre-concert Talk at 2pm with Rick Phillips.

Orchestra

Canadian Opera Company Music Director, Johannes Debus, returns for his annual visit to The Royal Conservatory to conduct the Royal Conservatory Orchestra on April 20 in a program of Berlioz and Bernstein's "Symphonic Dances" from West Side Story. La Fiammata piano duo of Linda Ruan and Charissa Vandikas will perform Poulenc's Concerto in D Minor for Two Pianos and Orchestra. The concert will be preceded by a Prelude Recital at 6:45pm and a Pre-concert Talk with Gillian Story at 7:15pm.

Mazzoleni Masters

Pianist Dianne Werner is an exceptional soloist, accompanist, and chamber musician acclaimed for her lyrical and poetic style. She is a member of the Grammy Award nominated ARC Ensemble (Artists of The Royal Conservatory) and one of Canada's pre-eminent cultural ambassadors, performing throughout Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia. For this concert, on April 15, she will be joined by Andrés Díaz, Alexandra Koerner Yeo Chair in Cello, to perform Rachmaninov's Corelli Variations and sonata for piano and cello.

Discovery Series

In honour of The Glenn Gould School's 20th anniversary year, The Glenn Gould School Piano Showcase on April 7 features GGS piano students in a special performance of the complete Rachmaninov Preludes.

Music Mix

Dashing, dapper, and debonair, Max Raabe might have walked straight out of the Golden Age of Berlin in the 1920s. With his elegant poise, suave sophistication, and silky-smooth baritone voice, he brings to life the songs and style of a bygone age. "The appeal is the timeless quality in the music, but also the humour," he says. He meticulously recreates standards as they used to be sung - in formal evening wear, with an orchestra, giving proper credits to the composers - and his deadpan jokes show that Raabe is not only a unique talent but also a very funny man. He and his Palast Orchester return to Koerner Hall for the fourth time on April 18.

Free Concerts

Sunday Interludes series presents Rolston String Quartet with Robert McDonald on April 8. The Quartet, comprised of alumni of The Glenn Gould School, captured the musical world's attention by winning the 2016 Banff International String Quartet Competition. They will perform Debussy's String Quartet and will be joined by pianist McDonald for Schumann's Piano Quintet in E flat Major, op. 44.

Hear artists on the cusp of major careers in a Rebanks Family Fellowship Concert on April 11 and string students from The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists on April 25 in the second of two Taylor Academy Chamber Orchestra concerts. On April 26, in the Glenn Gould School Chamber Competition Finals, ensembles compete for over $11,000 in prizes and the chance to perform in Koerner Hall during the Amici Chamber Ensemble concert on April 27.

The Royal Conservatory's 2017-18 concert season is made possible through the generous support of:

Major & Series Sponsors and Supporters: BMO Financial Group, Invesco, RBC Foundation, TD Bank Group, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation, David G. Broadhurst, J. Hans Kluge, Michael & Sonja Koerner, a gift in honour of R.S. Williams & Sons Company Ltd., Rebanks Family, Dorothy Cohen Shoichet, and two anonymous donors

Performance Sponsors and Supporters: Aecon Group Inc., Alexanian Flooring, Audi Uptown, b espresso bar, Consulate General of Spain - Tourism Section, Deloitte, Downtown Porsche, Georgian Capital Partners, Next Pathway Inc., Power Corporation of Canada, Worldwide Quest, Efnan Abacioglu - Forest Hill Real Estate Inc. Brokerage, Armenian Community Centre and Hamazkayin Cultural Association, The Cheng Family Fund, a gift in memory of Gary Miles, Sue Mortimer, Brayton Polka, Deborah Leibow & Ken Snider, Kris Vikmanis & Denny Creighton, Diana & Philip Weinstein, and four anonymous donors

Wine & Beverage Sponsors: Coca-Cola, Inniskillin, Mill St. Brewery, Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi

Media Sponsors: Classical 96.3 FM, JAZZ.FM91, NOW, WholeNote, Musicworks

Government Supporters: Government of Canada, Canada Arts Presentation Fund - Canadian Heritage, Canada Council - New Chapter, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council

April Concerts at The Royal Conservatory of Music

Bernstein @ 100 featuring Jamie Bernstein, Wallis Giunta, Sebastian Knauer, and the ARC Ensemble (Chamber Music): Friday, April 6, 2018 at 8pm | KH; $35-$85

Glenn Gould School Piano Showcase (Discovery Series): Saturday, April 7, 2018 at 7:30pm | MCH; $15

KUNÉ - Canada's Global Orchestra and David Buchbinder's Odessa/Havana

(World Music): Saturday, April 7, 2018 at 8pm | KH; $35-$70

Rolston String Quartet with Robert McDonald

(Sunday Interludes): Sunday, April 8, 2018 at 2pm | MCH; FREE

Beatrice Rana (Invesco Piano Concerts): Sunday, April 8, 2018 at 3pm | KH; $30-$65

Rebanks Family Fellowship Concert

(Rebanks Family Fellowship): Wednesday, April 11, 2018 at 7:30pm | MCH; FREE

Fatoumata Diawara and Okavango

(Quiet Please, There's a Lady on Stage): Thursday, April 12, 2018 at 8pm | KH; $35-$85

The Hot Sardines and Flávia Nascimento

(TD Jazz: The Roots of Jazz): Saturday, April 14, 2018 at 8pm | KH; SOLD OUT!

Dianne Werner (Mazzoleni Masters): Sunday, April 15, 2018 at 2pm | MCH; $25

Max Raabe and Palast Orchester (Music Mix): Wednesday, April 18, 2018 at 8pm | KH; $45-$100

Johannes Debus conducts the Royal Conservatory Orchestra

(Royal Conservatory Orchestra): Friday, April 20, 2018 at 8pm | KH; $25-$55

Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya and special guest Freddie Hendrix in tribute to The Jazz Epistles

(TD Jazz: The Roots of Jazz): Saturday, April 21, 2018 at 8pm | KH; SOLD OUT!

Gerald Finley with Julius Drake (Vocal Concerts): Sunday, April 22, 2018 at 3pm | KH; $40-$95

Academy Chamber Orchestra (Taylor Academy): Wednesday, April 25, 2018 at 7:30pm | KH; FREE

Glenn Gould School Chamber Competition Finals

(Discovery Series): Thursday, April 26, 2018 at 7pm | KH; FREE

Amici Chamber Ensemble 30th Anniversary with Isabel Bayrakdarian and Friends

(Chamber Music): Friday, April 27, 2018 at 8pm | KH; $35-$85

Gautier Capuçon with Jérôme Ducros (String Concerts): Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 8pm | KH; $40-$85

Crosscurrents: Zakir Hussain and Dave Holland

(World Music): Sunday, April 29, 2018 at 7pm | KH; $50-$110

Venue Legend: KH Koerner Hall; MCH Mazzoleni Concert Hall in historic 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 BMO Rush Tickets are available starting 90 minutes before all performances presented by

The Royal Conservatory.

Tickets to free concerts become available seven days prior to the date of the performance

through the Weston Family Box Office.

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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