The Royal Conservatory of Music Releases January Schedule of Concerts

January concerts at The Royal Conservatory of Music:

21C Music Festival

Against the Grain Theatre's Ayre and other works by Osvaldo Golijov

Saturday, January 11, 2020 at 8pm | Artist Talk at 7pm | Koerner Hall

Osvaldo Golijov has been awarded Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellowships, has won two Grammy Awards for composition, and was Musical America's Composer of the Year in 2006. 21C goes deep into his catalogue with Ayre, a thrill to experience with its lush fusion of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean folk melodies. Starring Canadian soprano Miriam Khalil and staged by AtG's Joel Ivany, Juno-nominated Ayre is presented along with other works such as Mariel, K'vakarat, and Tenebrae. An all-star roster of musicians includes Jamey Haddad (percussion), Barry Shiffman (violin and viola), Michael Ward-Bergman (accordion), Juan Gabriel Olivares (clarinet) Beverley Johnston (percussion), Jeremy Flower (laptop and electronics), Roberto Occhipinti (bass), and Cantor Alex Stein.

21C Afterhours: Véronique Mathieu

Saturday, January 11, 2020 at 10:30pm | Temerty Theatre

Violinist Véronique Mathieu and pianist Stephanie Chua perform a program titled True North, featuring the Canadian premiere of 4 Seasons by Alice Ping Yee Ho alongside works by Derek Johnson and Canadian composer Adam Scime. The evening also includes the world premiere of a piece by Odawa First Nations composer, Barbara Croall, co-commissioned by The Royal Conservatory.

Philippe Sly & Le Chimera Project: Winterreise 2020

Friday, January 17, 2020 at 8pm | Post-concert Talk | Koerner Hall

This fresh 21st century theatrical take on Schubert's final masterpiece blurs the line between concert and theatre. The fully staged song cycle (24 songs based on poems by Wilhelm Müller) is newly arranged for violin, clarinet, trombone, and accordion, and features Canadian bass-baritone Philippe Sly.

This concert is also part of Power Corporation of Canada Vocal Concerts series.

21C Cinq à Sept

Saturday, January 18, 2020 at 5pm | Temerty Theatre

Musicians from The Glenn Gould School perform Christos Hatzis's "The Mega4 Meta4" from Earthrise, the Canadian premieres of Laurie Anderson's Shutter Island and Kaija Saariaho's Laconisme de l'aile, as well as the world premiere of Ryan Davis's new composition for viola, voice, and live electronics.

Laurie Anderson: The Art of Falling

Saturday, January 18, 2020 at 8pm | Koerner Hall | SOLD OUT

NYC composer, Laurie Anderson, is one of America's most renowned - and daring - creative pioneers, known for her multimedia presentations. In this concert, she will perform the Canadian premiere of solo works and collaborations with her long time musical partner, cellist Rubin Kodheli. As Anderson puts it: "The Art of Falling is an extended improvisation for viola, cello, and electronics. Hypnotic stories, politics, and dreams weave in and out of the music. My ambition with The Art of Falling is to make a piece that is one long sentence."

The Glenn Gould School New Music Ensemble: For Michael Colgrass

Sunday, January 19, 2020 at 1pm | Mazzoleni Concert Hall

Curated and conducted by Brian Current, the students of The Glenn Gould School perform Hammer and Bow by the late Michael Colgrass in honour of his passing; a world premiere of Bestiary I & II by Bekah Simms for soprano, ensemble, and electronics; Gabriel Dharmoo's the fog in our poise; and the North American premiere of Aguas Marinhas by celebrated Portuguese composer, Miguel Azguime.

This concert is also part of Sunday Interludes series.

Zane Dalal conducts the Royal Conservatory Orchestra with Zakir Hussain, John Patitucci, Danilo Pérez, and Brian Blade

Friday, January 24, 2020 at 8pm | Artist Talk at 7pm | Koerner Hall

Legendary tabla master, Zakir Hussain, and jazz trailblazer/bassist, John Patitucci, bring an extraordinary program conducted by Zane Dalal, Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra of India. The program will include the Canadian premiere of Hussain's tabla concerto, Peshkar, and the world premiere of Patitucci's Hypocrisy for orchestra and jazz trio, featuring Danilo Pérez on piano, Brian Blade on drums, and Patitucci on bass. The concert will open with an improvisation by Hussain and the trio.

Danilo Pérez's Global Messengers and Allison Au Quartet

Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 8pm | Koerner Hall | Postlude: Andrew McAnsh Quartet

Panamanian jazz pianist and composer, Danilo Pérez, serves as a UNESCO Artist for Peace, Cultural Ambassador to the Republic of Panama, Founder and Artistic Director of the Panama Jazz Festival, as well as Founder and Artistic Director of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute in Boston's Berklee College of Music. In this concert, he leads musicians from Palestine, Greece, Jordan, and Panama, with varied musical traditions and instrumentation to match. Juno Award-winning saxophonist Allison Au opens the evening with her quartet and special guest vocalist Laila Biali. The Royal Conservatory has commissioned both Pérez and Au to write new pieces, with Pérez's work, titled Fronteras (Borders), receiving its Canadian premiere and Au's, called Migrations, a world premiere.

This concert is also part of TD Jazz Concerts series.

Quiet Please, There's A Lady On Stage

Lisa Fischer's voice is described by Keith Richards as "powerful as the rest of the guys put together." The mesmerizing singer, who returns to Koerner Hall with her band, Grand Baton, on January 31, has performed with the Rolling Stones, Luther Vandross, Tina Turner, and Nine Inch Nails, and was featured in the Oscar Award-winning documentary film, 20 Feet From Stardom. From foot-stomping rockers to delicate ballads, gospel, and soul, this astonishing artist is capable of almost infinite emotion.

Classical Music Concerts

Invesco Piano Concerts

The highly-esteemed French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie possesses a unique interpretative voice spanning a broad range of repertoire, with the "combination of total spontaneity and meditated ripeness that only great pianists have" (The Times). A prolific recording artist, he boasts a discography of over 45 recordings for Chandos, covering repertoire from Mozart to Stravinsky, including a set of the complete Beethoven sonatas and the complete Liszt Années de pèlerinage, which he presented in Koerner Hall in 2011. In his sixth appearance at The Royal Conservatory on January 26, he performs an all Ludwig van Beethoven program, including piano sonatas Nos. 27-29 ("Hammerklavier").

This concert is part of The Royal Conservatory's two-season Beethoven 250 Festival.

Mazzoleni Masters - Songmasters

Sirens are attractive mythological creatures who lure sailors with enchanting music and voices. On January 26, soprano Leslie Ann Bradley, mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy, and pianist Rachel Andrist perform repertoire inspired by this theme, as well as the duet song-cycle by Canadian Elizabeth Raum, titled Sirens.

Free Concerts

Discovery Series

Talented solo performers of The Glenn Gould School compete for the opportunity to perform a concerto with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra during the 2020-21 concert season at The Glenn Gould School Concerto Competition Finals on January 29.

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