117TH SEASON 14 MUSIC IN THE AFTERNOON 15 NEWS NOTES & NUMBER 51 | MARCH 2015 A LOOK FORWARD TO THE WMCT’S 118TH SEASON By Simon Fryer, WMCT Artistic Director t is my very great pleasure to share some Hall, and their wide range of musical motivation background and detail with you concerning is documented in commissions of new music, Ithe artists appearing on the 118th Music in the educational outreach initiatives, and projects with Afternoon season. My thanks go to the members of jazz and Latin musicians, as well as scratch DJ, Kid the Artists Selection Committee for their hard work, Koala. excellent judgement and open-mindedness. It is a veritable tonic to work with this wonderful group oseph Phillips is a multi-faceted artist. Principal of people and I am sure you will agree that work Double Bassist with Orchestra London, he has resulted in a superb series of concerts for the Jappears regularly in the Via Salzburg chamber 118th. music series and in concerts with the Art of Time Ensemble and the Sweetwater Music Festival. ur series opens October 15, 2015 with harpist, Caroline Léonardelli, joined by ogether this magnificent group of artists Othe Afiara Quartet: Valerie Li and Timothy present a program featuring Caroline in solo Kantor, violins; Eric Wong, viola; and Adrian Fung, Tharp repertoire in the grand French tradition, cello; with Joseph Philips, doublebass. the Afiara Quartet in Beethoven’s last quartet: Op.135, and all the forces together in works by aroline is known for her passionate Grandjany, Tournier and Canada’s own Marjan and bold interpretations of French and Mozetich. C20th century repertoire. Born in France, Caroline graduated with first prize from the Paris e continue on November 19, 2015 with Conservatoire at the age of 18 and was later spectacular mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard awarded an Artist’s Diploma by McGill University. Waccompanied by pianist Vlad Iftinca. Besides her solo performances, Caroline appears Acclaimed for her ‘passionate intensity and regularly in recital with mezzo-soprano Julie remarkable vocal beauty,’ Grammy Award winner Nesrallah - co-incidentally the host for the WMCT Isabel Leonard thrills audiences both in the opera 10th Anniversary Career Development Award house and on the concert stage. In repertoire in April - and will shortly be performing for the spanning Vivaldi to Mozart to Thomas Adès, she American Harp Society, and at Carnegie Hall, as has graced the stages of the world’s major opera well as being featured in a PBS/NPR live radio houses in significant roles. presentation. Caroline has several recordings to You may remember the her credit. Her El Dorado received a JUNO Award stir she caused recently in nomination and the latest: Impressions de France, the trouser role of Sesto in has received considerable critical acclaim. La Clemenza di Tito at the Canadian Opera Company. he Afiara Quartet is a dynamic and award- Ms. Leonard appears with the winning ensemble, described as ‘a revelation’ foremost conductors - Valery Tby La Presse. Currently Fellowship Quartet Gergiev, Gustavo Dudamel, at the Royal Conservatory of Music, the ensemble and Andris Nelsons to name is a multiple competition winner probably but three - and with the best known in Canada for their success at the world’s great orchestras. She Banff International String Quartet Competition, is also in constant demand as a Isabel Leonard where they were awarded the Szekely Prize for recitalist and is on the Board of Trustees at Carnegie their interpretation of Beethoven. The Afiara has Hall. She won her Grammy Award for Thomas performed in leading venues around the world Adès’s The Tempest (Best Opera Recording) and was such as Carnegie Hall and London’s Wigmore the recipient of the 2013 Richard Tucker Award. ollaborating with Ms. Leonard, in a program collaborators. Steven Dann has been a member of of American and Spanish song, is Romanian the Smithsonian Chamber Players in Washington Cpianist Vlad Iftinca, first pianist in charge of D.C. and the Axelrod String Quartet, and is promoting young talents at the Metropolitan Opera. currently violist of both the Zebra Trio and the twice Grammy-nominated ARC Ensemble. Mr. e begin our new year on March 3, 2016 Dann has served as Principal Viola of the National with the Daedalus String Quartet: Min- Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, the Tonhalle WYoung Kim and Matilda Kaul, violins; Orchestra in Zurich, the Royal Concertgebouw Jessica Thompson, viola; and Thomas Kraines, cello; Orchestra in Amsterdam, and the Vancouver with Romie de Guise-Langlois, clarinet. and Toronto Symphonies and collaborated as soloist with such Maestri as Sir Andrew Davis, Rudolph Barshai, and Sir John Elliott Gardiner. His extensive discography includes his recording of the viola works of Brahms, described by The Stereo Record Review as ‘without doubt, one of the most beautiful viola recordings I have ever heard’. For this most eclectic program Steven Dann brings together members of his family: percussionist Nico, vocalist Robin, and pianist Lucas - all accomplished musicians in their own rights and genres - with soprano Ilana Zarankin and favourite Canadian musicians Joel Quarrington and James Parker. The WMCT has commissioned a new work from Canadian composer Zosha Di Castri to be premiered at this concert alongside Daedalus String Quartet familiar works by Heinrich Biber, Johannes Brahms, cclaimed by The New Yorker as ‘a fresh and the brilliant trio Rumble by the late Peter and vital young participant in what is a Lieberson. Schumann’s Märchenbilder appears in Agolden age of American string quartets,’ the unusual form(!) completing an event of significant Daedalus Quartet has established itself as a leader connections and departures. among the new generation of string ensembles, receiving plaudits for the security, technical osha Di Castri, Canadian composer and finish, interpretive unity, and sheer gusto of its pianist living in New York, is the 118th performances. Banff International String Quartet Zseason’s commissioned composer. Her Competition 2001 winner, the Daedalus performs compositions have been performed by major regularly in the world’s leading musical venues, ensembles in Canada, the US, and Europe and she and is acclaimed for its adventurous exploration has participated in notable residencies at the Banff of contemporary music. The Quartet has built a Center, Domaine Forget, and the Nouvel Ensemble discography ranging from the seminal works of Moderne’s Forum. She was named a laureate of the Haydn to those of Joan Tower, and its most recent 3rd International Composer’s Competition for the recording, featuring the music of George Perle, has Hamburger Klangwerktage Festival, won two SOCAN been praised by Strad Magazine for the quartet’s Foundation awards, tied for the John Weinzweig ‘exemplary intonation and balance.’ They will Grand Prize and most recently was awarded the Jules be joined by special guest Canadian clarinettist Léger Prize for New Chamber Music. Romie de Guise-Langlois. Praised as ‘a formidable clarinetist’ by The New York Times, Romie has he final concert in the series takes place on appeared, as soloist and chamber musician, May 5th, 2016 and presents the extraordinary on major concert stages throughout the U.S.A., Tpianist Pavel Kolesnikov. Following this young Canada, Europe, and Asia. She captured top prizes Russian pianist’s Wigmore Hall debut in January in the Canadian Music Competition and at Yale 2014, The Telegraph gave and McGill Universities, and is the recipient of the his recital a rare five-star Canadian Broadcasting Corporation award. review and called it ‘one of the most memorable of ogether these wonderful artists bring a such occasions London has program to the WMCT of the seldom heard witnessed in a while.’ Since Tstring quartet by Sibelius, a new work for becoming Prize Laureate of clarinet and string quartet by Canadian composer the Honens Prize for Piano Vivian Fung, and the king-pin of the repertoire for in 2012, significant recital clarinet and strings: Brahms’s Quintet Op.115. and festival appearances have taken him to the n April 7th, 2016 we present Dannthology. world’s most prestigious This event features violist Steven Dann concert halls and he has Oand a group of his favorite people and been named one of BBC Radio Pavel Kolesnikov NEWS & NOTES | NUMBER 51 | MARCH 2015 | PAGE 2 3’s New Generation Artists for 2014 to 2016, a here for reviews), and the two remaining concerts program that provides opportunities to develop live of the season hold great promise: the Toronto debut and recorded performances, including broadcasts of Dutch mezzo-soprano Christianne Stotijn with with the BBC orchestras. recent JUNO award winning pianist Julius Drake on April 16, and our homegrown Ensemble Made Simon Fryer, Artistic Director of the Women’s Musical in Canada piano quartet on May 7 with the annual Club of Toronto WMCT commissioned composition by Christopher Mayo (son of John, the WMCT’s wonderful writer of program notes). Our 117th season is remarkable for featuring three Toronto debuts! Added to that Women’s Musical Club of Toronto is the Live Competition for the three finalists in the Career Development Award WMCT’s 10th presentation of its Career Develop- ment Award on Sunday afternoon of April 26 in Walter Hall. (You can read more about this on page Live Competition 5 of this newsletter) With guest host Julie Nezrallah, CBC Radio Two Looking forward, I am eagerly anticipating five excel- lent concerts in our upcoming 118th Music in the Afternoon series, so well described by our eloquent Sunday, April 26, 2015 1.30 - 4.30 p.m. Artistic Director, Simon Fryer, at the season launch Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building on March 12 as well as in his article on pages 1 and 80 Queen’s Park, Toronto 2 of this newsletter.