Tony Monaco @ The Gasworks
2023-11-09 20:00 - 22:30 (America/Toronto) | The Gasworks, 141 Park Street N, Hamilton, ON, L8R 2N4, Canada
The Hamilton Music Collective presents its 2023 jazz concert series.
Featuring:
Tony Monaco – B3 Organ
Reg Schwager – Guitar
Vito Rezza – Drums
About Tony Monaco
Tony Monaco may be the best organ player you have yet to hear of, flying stealth while playing arguably some of the hottest B-3 around. Mentored by the legendary Jimmy Smith in what is considered the more classic style, Monaco does not swing, smolder or smoke. “Tony Monaco burns is this most fitting!” CriticalJazz Review2012. Tony Monaco began his keyboard life at age eight. When he was twelve, his destiny as a jazz organist was sealed when he first heard Jimmy Smith. An enthusiastic student, Tony began working in Jazz clubs as a teenager in his native Columbus, Ohio, guided by local organ gurus Hank Marr and Don Patterson. Four years later, Jimmy Smith invited Tony to come play at his club in California, a peak lifetime experience for Tony.

Django Festival Allstars @ Koerner Hall
2023-11-10 20:00 - 22:30 | Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Canada
The Django Festival Allstars bring the music of the legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt fully into the 21st century. Their unique, high-energy performances pay tribute to Reinhardt who is considered one of the greatest guitar players of all time. Reinhardt’s driving, swinging style became known as “hot jazz” and it continues to grow in popularity throughout the world, in great part to the success of the Django Festival Allstars, who honour the traditions of the music, adding their own interpretations, arrangements, and original compositions with stunning virtuosity.

Israel Fernández and Seffarine @Koerner Hall
2023-11-11 20:00 - 23:00 | Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Canada
One of the leading voices of a new generation of flamenco cantaors, Israel Fernández draws from the deep well of flamenco to captivate new audiences with its timeless power. Born into a Roma family in Corral de Almaguer (Toledo), he infuses traditional flamenco singing with his own distinctive style.
One of the most recognized flamenco guitarists in recent history, Diego del Morao’s guitar accompaniment has served the most successful artists of the genre, including Diego El Cigala, Niña Pastori, José Mercé, Marina Heredia, Duquende, Antonio Reyes, and even Paco de Lucía.
Seffarine’s music embraces and extends Morocco’s musical collision between Arabic, Iberian, and West African cultures, forging original music deeply rooted in the Arab-Andalusi and flamenco music that vocalist Lamiae Naki and co-composer/oud player/flamenco guitarist Nat Hulskamp meld cohesively into their compositions. The diverse instrumentation of their companions, who hail from Iran, Spain, and the US, charge the sound with texture and colour. They will be joined by bassist Gal Maestro along with flamenco dancer and percussionist Manuel Gutierrez.

The Elvis Goes Jazz Project @ The Westdale
2023-11-17 20:00 - 22:00 | The Westdale Theatre, 1014 King St W, Hamilton, ON, L8S 1L4
From Mark Kelso, creator of The Elvis Goes Jazz Project:
In February of 2022, Oliver Vadas (Organizer of the West End Jazz Festival) contacted me regarding playing drums for a project of classic Elvis Presley tunes done in a jazz format. Being an Elvis fan myself, I was intrigued by this possibility. The original arranger had to suddenly remove himself from the project due to a family emergency, so I ended up taking on the arranging duties myself. For the first performance I was able to put together 18 classic Elvis tunes, spanning the 1950’s to the 1970’s, using the big band styles of Frank Sinatra, some New Orleans grooves, and Afro-Cuban rhythms. What an interesting mix! For me, the main focus was to change the songs in a way that would make them interesting to a jazz listener (and the musicians playing) but without being disrespectful to the original songs and melodies. All and all, with these fabulous players, I think we have succeeded in doing just that!
Mark Kelso (drums, leader, arranger), David Statham (lead vocals), Colleen Allen (tenor sax), Michael Occhipinti (guitar), Kevin Turcotte (trumpet), Mike Downes (acoustic bass), Ewen Farncombe (piano), Karen Thornton (host) – Click on Karen’s name for her bio

The Nimmons Tribute @ Aeolian Hall
2023-11-23 20:00 - 22:30 | Aeolian Hall, 795 Dundas St., London, Ontario, N5W 2Z6, Canada
The Nimmons Tribute honours the legacy of Canada’s living jazz legend – The Dean of Canadian jazz – Phil Nimmons O.C., O. Ont. The Nimmons Tribute band features some of Canada’s greatest musicians, many of whom are JUNO Award-winners. The Nimmons Tribute, led by Sean Nimmons-Paterson consists of former students, colleagues, friends, and family, who have come together to celebrate Phil through his music.

Dominique Fils-Aimé @ FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
2023-11-28 19:00 - 22:30 | Recital Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St Paul St, St. Catharines, Ontario, L2R 3M2, Canada
Dominique Fils-Aimé returns to the stage to present her new album ‘Our Roots Run Deep’ slated for release in September 2023 on Ensoul Records. After having explored her African-American musical influences in her album trilogy, this new show invites the audience to delve into the roots of her soul. She manifests a strong desire to connect with her higher self, her musicians along with the audience, with the intention of enveloping the listener in a soothing aural embrace.

Darcy Hepner & Friends @ The Gasworks
2023-11-30 20:00 - 22:30 | The Gasworks, 141 Park Street N, Hamilton, ON, L8R 2N4, Canada
The Hamilton Music Collective presents its 2023 jazz concert series.
Featuring:
Darcy Hepner – Saxes, flute
Ted Quinlan – Guitars
Nancy Walker – Piano
Dave Young – Bass
Ted Warren – Drums
About Darcy Hepner
Born in Edmonton, Alberta and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, he is the son of professional musicians (conductor Lee Hepner and pianist Patricia Rolston). His professional career began as a cellist at the age of 15 and transitioned to flute, clarinet, and saxophone during his studies at McMaster University (BMus 1978). While pursuing jazz studies at the University of Miami he performed with Henry Mancini, BB King, Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett, Mel Tormé and many others (MMUS 1980). Moving to New York City in 1983 he studied composition and saxophone at New York University with Lee Konitz and Bob Mintzer. During his second residency in New York from 1996 to 2005, Hepner toured with Blood, Sweat and Tears, played in Broadway and Off-Broadway shows and in clubs with such artists as Buster Poindexter, Tom Wopat and the Ed Palermo Big Band.

The Manhattan Transfer @ FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
2023-12-03 19:30 - 22:30 | Partridge Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 50 St Paul St, St Catherines, ON, L2R 3M2, Canada
The Manhattan Transfer has achieved an incomparable career of pop and jazz hits, a legacy that defines the group as it celebrates its 50th Anniversary. The legendary quartet has won 10 Grammy Awards and has been inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. With sold-out world tours, The Manhattan Transfer continues to bring unique and extraordinary melodic and jazz-infused vocals to new and established audiences, spanning generations. Don’t miss this highly anticipated Canadian appearance featuring classic hits and holiday favourites!

Holly Cole: A Swinging Christmas @ Koerner Hall
2023-12-08 20:00 - 22:30 | Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Canada
Get in the holiday spirit with Canadian icon and acclaimed jazz songstress, Holly Cole! Her legendary Christmas concert, full of much-loved standards alongside eclectic selections of songs, returns to Koerner Hall and features her impeccable band along with string players from The Royal Conservatory.
“With her clear, bright voice, eclectic taste that runs from country to jazz, and an approach to a song that is often brashly ironic, Holly Cole is a pop-jazz singer with a distinctly contemporary point of view.” (The New York Times)

Holly Cole, vocals
Aaron Davis, piano, string charts & Musical Director
George Koller, bass
John Johnson, horns & woodwinds
Mark Mariash, drums
String students from The Glenn Gould School

Caity Gyorgy @ Markham Jazzlicious WinterFest
2024-01-23 20:00 - 2024-01-27 22:30 | NextDoor Restaurant, 139 Main St, Unionville, ON, L3R 2G6
Caity Gyorgy (pronounced George) is 2 time JUNO award winning Canadian vocalist who is known for singing bebop and swing music. She has performed at popular clubs and jazz festivals across Canada, Mexico, Japan and the USA and has worked and recorded with incredible musicians including Christine Jensen, Pat LaBarbera, Jocelyn Gould, Ira Coleman, Joe LaBarbera, Allison Au, and Bryn Roberts, to name a few.
In addition to being a performer, Caity is an avid writer and composes songs in the style of the Great American Songbook. Her compositions have been sung by other vocalists around the world, and have won multiple awards including the Grand Prize in the jazz category of the 2021 John Lennon Songwriting Contest for her song “Secret Safe”. She is also a sought after clinician and is currently on faculty as a vocal jazz instructor at the Yukon Summer Music Camp in Whitehorse, Yukon and the Interprovincial Music Camp in McKellar, Ontario.
She has released several albums of original and standard music. On July 9th, 2021 she released “Now Pronouncing”, an EP of original music arranged for large ensemble on Brooklyn based label La Reserve. This project won the JUNO for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year at the 2022 JUNO Awards. In 2023 she once again received the JUNO Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year for her debut full length LP “Featuring” which was released on November 4th, 2022. Her next album “You’re Alike, You Two”, a collection of Jerome Kern songs performed with pianist Mark Limacher, was released on July 21st, 2023 on La Reserve Records.

All reservations will require an additional minimum purchase of $35 on Food & Beverage per person at the venue with the option to select the $65 Pre-Fixed Featured Jazzlicious Menu curated by the Chef (Tax and Gratuity not included).

Ute Lemper @ Massey Hall
2024-01-26 20:00 - 22:30 | Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St., Toronto, Canada
Ute Lemper returns for a sensual program of cabaret, Broadway, and French chansons. Including a range of audience favourites, the set list features Kander & Ebb’s Cabaret, Weill & Brecht’s Weimar Suite, and Brel’s Ne me quitte pas. Alongside the FILMharmonic Orchestra, the legendary German chanteuse, who starred as Sally Bowles in the original Paris production of Cabaret and Velma Kelly in the revival of Chicago on Broadway, will deliver a tantalizing performance featuring highlights from throughout her storied 40-year career

Dave Young Quintet @ The Gasworks
2024-02-01 20:00 - 22:30 | The Gasworks, 141 Park Street N, Hamilton, ON, L8R 2N4, Canada
Upright bassist Dave Young, longtime bass player for Oscar Peterson and a Member of The Order of Canada, kicks off the Winter Jazz series to support Hamilton Music Collective and their An Instrument For Every Child program.

Guilt (A Love Story) @ Tarragon Theatre
2024-02-06 - 2024-03-04 | Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada
An all-new play about pathos; the “unshakable monster that is guilt,” and the things we’re not supposed to talk about.
Guilt (A Love Story) is a deep dive into a complex, uncomfortable, and highly human feeling. A state of being that most of us, especially parents, wrestle with inelegantly. Focusing on Flacks’ personal odyssey Guilt brings the perspective of a self-sacrificing Jewish mother who becomes the instigator of a family’s dissolution. Societal effects, causes and casualties and the feeling that we have when we’ve profoundly hurt others. This exploration may not pull punches, but don’t worry, it’s accompanied by laughs – because how else do we get through anything?
Diane Flacks returns to Tarragon Theatre with Guilt (A Love Story), her fifth one-woman show.

George St. Kitts @ Markham Jazzlicious WinterFest
2024-02-06 20:00 - 2024-02-10 22:30 | Rouge River Brewing Company, 50 Bullock Dr #8, Markham, ON, L3P 3P2
Born in Guyana, South America, George St. Kitts has been singing since he was three, performing vocals leading him to a dazzling lifetime entertainment career as singer, show and festival producer throughout the Toronto, Canada, the States and the U.K. Founder of St. Kitts Music Inc., writer-producer George was twice nominated for Canadian Juno awards in Best R&B/Soul category in 1993 for ‘All I Need’ from his “SLAM” album and 1996 title from “Never Stop” album. In 2008 George released his first live big band jazz album entitled “A Lot of Livin’ To Do” proving his talent and showmanship are nothing less than world-class. This album receives worldwide play. In March of 2016 George St Kitts Band was the house Band for the Canadian Screen Actors Award.
A consummate entertainer, giving stellar performances for the long-running Broadway musical “The Lion King,” and playing Sammy Davis Jr. in “The Rat Pack”; George also founded the Motown Boys, the Love Train Revue Show celebrating Black History Month; the Sounds of Motown and the Aurora jazz+ Festival all under the umbrella of St. Kitts Music. This versatile vocalist/producer delights audiences nationwide. He supports his community, local charities and artists.

All reservations will require an additional minimum purchase of $35 on Food & Beverage per person at the venue with the option to select the $65 Pre-Fixed Featured Jazzlicious Menu curated by the Chef (Tax and Gratuity not included).

Los Angeles Master Chorale @ Koerner Hall
2024-02-07 20:00 - 22:30 | Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Canada
Following their widely acclaimed collaboration on Lagrime di San Pietro (which was performed at Koerner Hall in 2020), Peter Sellars, Grant Gershon, and singers of the Los Angeles Master Chorale reunite with a deeply personal yet uplifting meditation on what it means to say goodbye to those we love. 24 singers will be accompanied by Baroque organ and viol da gamba to create an intimate ceremony of connection across time and space.
The luminous music of the Baroque composer Heinrich Schütz serves as the inspiration for this ceremony of remembrance and devotion. Schütz composed the Musikalische Exequien (Music to Accompany a Departure) during the terrible ravages of the 30 Years War, and it was dedicated to the memory of one of his dearest friends and benefactors. Schütz is widely regarded as the greatest German composer before Bach, and the Musikalische Exequienwas the first requiem written in the language of the people rather than Latin. The music speaks with both quiet emotion and enormous depth of feeling.
Sung in German with English supertitles.

The Hot Sardines @ Koerner Hall
2024-02-14 20:00 - 22:30 | Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Canada
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with some foot-stomping hot jazz and salty stride piano from the era of Louis Armstrong, Django Reinhardt, and Fats Waller.
“One of the best jazz bands in New York” (Forbes), The Hot Sardines is a group of irreverent, effortlessly swinging, early-jazz specialists, including a tap dancing soloist. Their unique repertoire features sultry standards from the ’20s, ’30s, and ’40s, rich New Orleans sounds, a dash of ’40s Paris flavour, and vibrant musical surprises. With their contagious brand of joy, grit, glamour, and passion, they invoke the sounds of nearly a century ago, yet stay right in step with the current age.
Do not miss a swing dance demonstration by East Side 6 Dance at 7pm in the lobby and, after the concert, stay late and join them for a dance party and a beverage

Samara Joy @ Koerner Hall
2024-02-25 19:00 - 22:30 | Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Canada
A second concert has been added for the Grammy Award-winning jazz singing sensation Samara Joy. Her voice, rich and velvety yet precociously refined, has already earned her fans like Anita Baker and Regina King, appearances on the Today Show and millions of likes on TikTok – cementing her status as perhaps the first Gen Z jazz singing star.
Her musical lineage stretches back to her grandparents Elder Goldwire and Ruth McLendon, both of whom performed with Philadelphia gospel group the Savettes, and runs through her father, who is a singer, songwriter, and producer, who toured with gospel artist Andraé Crouch. In 2019, she won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, and has since performed with legends like Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, and Bill Charlap.
Samara Joy, Vocals
Connor Rohrer, Piano
Felix Moseholm, Bass
Evan Sherman, Drums
Jason Charos, Trumpet
David Mason, Sax
Kendrick McCallister, Tenor
Donavan Austin, Trombone

Blue Note 85th Anniversary @ FirstOntario PAC
2024-02-25 19:30 - 22:30 | Recital Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St Paul St, St. Catharines, Ontario, L2R 3M2, Canada
Bravo Niagara presents the Blue Note Records 85th Anniversary Celebration
The only Canadian performance starring The Blue Note Quintet feat. Gerald Clayton, Joel Ross, Immanuel Wilkins, Kendrick Scott, and Matt Brewer

Blue Note Records is the most-respected and longest-running Jazz label in the world. In celebration of their 85th Anniversary, The Blue Note Quintet honours the label’s rich history and paves the way for the eclectic artists of today’s roster. Six-time Grammy Award nominee Gerald Clayton leads the band as Musical Director and Pianist; “Gerald Clayton is one of the most accomplished, distinctive and innovative pianists performing today” says Don Was, the label’s President since 2012. Rounding out the group is vibraphonist Joel Ross, Saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, Drummer Kendrick Scott, and Bassist Matt Brewer.
“Blue Note has been such a wonderful home for the community, for incredible musicians, for creativity, for all these years. You can’t help but think about all those masters, all those heroes that you’ve grown up listening to. To get a chance to pay tribute and try to carry some of that essence forward is truly just an honor.”
-Gerald Clayton
Blue Note Records was founded on January 6, 1939 when a German-Jewish immigrant and passionate Jazz fan named Alfred Lion produced his first recording session in New York City. The label has gone on to represent The Finest In Jazz, tracing the entire history of the music from Hot Jazz, Boogie Woogie, and Swing, through Bebop, Hard Bop, Post-Bop, Soul Jazz, Avant-Garde, and Fusion, and—after being relaunched by Bruce Lundvall in 1984—has remained the leading label dedicated to documenting today’s vibrant and creatively thriving Jazz scene under the leadership of current President Don Was, who took the helm in 2012.
The visionary young voices of jazz have long been the lifeblood of Blue Note Records, and The Blue Note Quintet continues the tradition of rising stars of the roster joining forces to celebrate the label’s unparalleled legacy including Out of the Blue, Superblue, New Directions, The Blue Note 7, and The Blue Note All-Stars.
Gerald Clayton joined Blue Note in 2020 and has released two albums—Happening: Live At The Village Vanguard and Bells On Sand—as well as performing on Blue Note albums by Charles Lloyd, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Bill Frisell.
Kendrick Scott signed with Blue Note in 2015 and has released three albums for the label—We Are The Drum, A Wall Becomes A Bridge, and Corridors—and appeared on Blue Note albums by Terence Blanchard, Walter Smith III, and the Blue Note All-Stars.
Joel Ross came to Blue Note in 2019 with the release of KingMaker and has since released Who Am I? and The Parable Of The Poet with his latest album nublues due out in February 2024. He’s been featured on Blue Note albums by Makaya McCraven, Johnathan Blake, Joshua Redman, and Meshell Ndegeocello.
Immanuel Wilkins released his Blue Note debut Omega in 2020 followed by The 7th Hand in 2022. He is a member of Joel Ross Good Vibes and Johnathan Blake Pentad and was part of the Leonard Cohen tribute band Here It Is.

Getz/Gilberto Revisited @ the Gasworks
2024-02-29 20:00 - 22:00 | The Gasworks, 141 Park Street N, Hamilton, ON, L8R 2N4, Canada
Pat LaBarbera and friends will celebrate the quintessential bossa nova jazz record by Stan Getz and João Gilberto to support Hamilton Music Collective and their An Instrument For Every Child program.

KUNE with Meesha Shafa & Jesse Cook @ Koerner Hall
2024-03-02 20:00 - 22:30 | Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Canada
Founded at The Royal Conservatory in celebration of the sesquicentennial, KUNÉ – Canada’s global orchestra – explores and celebrates Canada’s cultural diversity through the shared language of music. The 11 musicians hail from all corners of the globe – Peru, Burkina Faso, China, Iran, and beyond. Together, they create a sound that is at once global and uniquely local. KUNÉ fuses 11 musical traditions and 25 instruments into an ear-spinning confection of leaping melodies and luscious timbres.
A global South Asian pop icon, Meesha Shafi’s nuanced explorations of self, society, and artistic expression have given her critical recognition and a loyal fan base around the world. The widely recognized singer and songwriter began her musical journey in Lahore, Pakistan, as the singer for a rock band. She soon branched out into a solo career that celebrates her musical and artistic heritage via folk and Sufi sensibilities combined with global instrumentation.
Known for his intoxicating fusion of world music styles, Jesse Cook is widely considered as one of the most influential figures in ‘nuevo flamenco’ guitar, incorporating elements of flamenco, rumba, jazz, and many forms of world music into his work.
Presented in partnership with Small World Music

Tim Clarke Quintet @ the Gasworks
2024-03-28 20:00 - 22:00 | The Gasworks, 141 Park Street N, Hamilton, ON, L8R 2N4, Canada
Tim Clarke Quintet performs the music of the legendary American pianist Horace Silver to support Hamilton Music Collective and their An Instrument For Every Child program.

Sing and Swing @ Meridian Arts Centre
2024-03-30 20:00 - 22:30 | Meridian Arts Centre, 5040 Yonge St., Toronto, ON, M2N 6R8, Canada
Featuring songs by Gershwin, Ellington, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and many more, this will be an unforgettable evening of singin’ and swingin’ with the remarkable talents of Bria Skonberg and Benny Benack III.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo @ Koerner Hall
2024-04-06 20:00 - 22:30 | Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Canada
The Grammy Award-winning South African ensemble makes their third appearance in Koerner Hall. Founded in the early 1960s by the late Joseph Shabalala, they catapulted to global fame through their collaboration with Paul Simon on his album Graceland. In addition to their work with Paul Simon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has recorded with Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, Sarah McLachlan, Josh Groban, Emmylou Harris, Melissa Etheridge, and many others.
“They are musical uniters and global boundary crossers and, especially now … as the rest of the world has grown less connected, their warm-centered presence and harmonics both soothe and offer hope for a more empathetic world.”(The Chicago Tribune)

Toronto All-Star Big Band @ Living Arts Centre
2024-04-13 14:00 - 16:00 | Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga, ON, Ontario, L5B 4B8, Canada
Recreating the exciting sound of Benny Goodman with Ken Peplowski. His virtuosity leads Toronto All-Star Big Band through Benny’s classic hits. Ken and the band stay true to the sound of Benny Goodman and his band transporting the listener to the sounds of the Swing Era.

The Jazz Mechanics @ The Rose Brampton
2024-04-14 19:30 - 21:30 | The Rose Theatre Brampton, 1 Theatre Ln, Brampton, Ontario, L6V 0A3, Canada
Liberty Silver joins the oldest community concert band in Canada and the electrifying Jazz Mechanics for an unforgettable night that takes audiences on a journey through the true American songbook. Get ready to sing-along all night long!

Variations on Goldberg Variations @ Jane Mallett Theatre
2024-04-18 19:30 - 22:30 | Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front Street East, Toronto, ON, M5E 1B4
J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations is one of the most famous works in the Western canon. Our Variations on the Goldberg Variations reflects on Bach’s singular achievement through a contemporary lens. In the first half of the program, four living Canadian composers each write 7-8 variations for a total of 30 new variations, each preceded by a rendition of Bach’s original. The composers represent not only a diversity of aesthetics, but the newly-composed variations will alternate continuously between piano, harpsichord, organ and electronic keyboard. J.S. would have loved it!
In the second half, the distinguished Australian composer and pianist Paul Grabowsky returns to Soundstreams nearly a decade after appearing with his boundary-breaking Australian Art Orchestra. This time he creates his own extraordinary, jazz-inflected response to Bach’s eternally beautiful theme. Performed 36 times across Australia last season, The Sydney Arts Guide had this to say: “In this improvisation, jazz gesturing alternated with hand-crossing, complex filigree. Paul Grabowsky’s playing was effectively reminiscent of Bach’s ecstatic workings in his thirty variations.”

Notations: RBC Bridges Composer Showcase @ Jane Mallett Theatre
2024-04-19 19:30 - 22:30 | Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front Street East, Toronto, ON, M5E 1B4
The first part of the program will feature 6 short new works for keyboard by Emerging Composers in our Bridges program with mentorship by renowned composers Paul Grabowsky & André Ristic. The second part of the program will feature 4 compositions by 4 established composers.
NOTATIONS: RBC Bridges Emerging Composers Showcase
The RBC Bridges program offers audiences a chance to hear some of the world’s most promising composers at an early stage of their careers. It’s an annual week-long, program that offers free tuition and accommodation to six emerging Canadian and international composers. They get to work with celebrated mentors and a resident ensemble of seasoned professional keyboard performers. Over the course of the week, each composer participates in rehearsals and workshops with the resident mentors and instrumentalists, culminating in a performance of all six works as part of Soundstreams’ Keyed Up! Festival. This showcase on April 19, 2024 will be offered to the public with free admission.
RBC BRIDGES FINALISTS:
Uko Abara
Alexandra Gorlin-Crenshaw
Gustav Knudson
Maria-Eduarda Mendes Martins
Prokhor Protasoff
Hsiu-Ping Patrick Wu
PART TWO OF THE PROGRAM WILL FEATURE THE FOLLOWING COMPOSITIONS:
Alvin Singleton – Mutations
Solo Performance (8′)
Monica Pearce – toile de jouy
Solo Performance (8′)
Anne Southam – Glass Houses (#5)
Solo Performance (10′)
Ana Sokolović – T. REX
Solo Performance (10′)
PERFORMERS:
John Paul Farahat – digital organ
Jackie Leung – electronic keyboard
Gregory Oh – piano
Wesley Shen – harpsichord

John Pizzarelli and Caity Gyorgy @ Koerner Hall
2024-04-19 20:00 - 22:30 | Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Canada
World-renowned guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli has been hailed by The Boston Globe for “reinvigorating the Great American Songbook.” He returns to Koerner Hall with a new album that showcases his versatility and virtuosity in exploring the timeless songs of Broadway and Hollywood.

6 Pianos 12 Hands @ Jane Mallett Theatre
2024-04-20 19:30 - 22:30 | Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front Street East, Toronto, ON, M5E 1B4
Steve Reich and Terry Riley have each had a profound influence on the way we listen to music. The term “minimalism” is often used to characterize their music, yet the music itself is anything but minimal; incorporating much nuance and subtlety that is maximal in imagination and innovation.
Reich, described by the New Yorker as “the most original musical thinker of our time”, recognized early in his career the power of multiple pianos, none exploited more spectacularly than in his mesmerizing Six Pianos. This seminal work is combined with Terry Riley’s A Rainbow in Curved Air, itself dating from the same period as Six Pianos. And we feature a reprise of Ristic’s Soundstreams-commissioned work Vivaldi Variations.
REPERTOIRE
Steve Reich – Six Pianos
Julia Wolfe – My Lips From Speaking
André Ristic – Variations on a Theme by A. Vivaldi
Ana Sokolović – Trois Études
Terry Riley – A Rainbow in Curved Air
FEATURED PIANISTS:
Stephanie Chua
Geoffrey Conquer
Simon Docking
Younggun Kim
Midori Koga
Gregory Oh
Wesley Shen

Oumou Sangare @ Koerner Hall
2024-04-20 20:00 - 22:30 | Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Canada
Hailed as “one of the great queens of Malian music” (Rolling Stone), charismatic Grammy and UNESCO Award-winning vocalist Oumou Sangaré’s music is defiantly uplifting, full of buoyant West African grooves, hypnotic melodicism, and her joyful, soulful voice. Over her acclaimed career, “The Songbird of Wassoulou” has worked with pioneering Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen, sung on Herbie Hancock’s Imagine project, released 11 solo albums, and been cited as an inspiration by the likes of Alicia Keys, Aya Nakamura, and Beyoncé.
Women’s rights remain a key focus of her work, both in song and on the ground in her native Mali, where she campaigns fearlessly against an oppressive patriarchal system.
“Sangaré’s irresistible voice enhances her music’s power to disarm critics and make defenders of outmoded traditions think twice.” (NPR)
Presented in association with Small World Music
Oumou Sangaré, vocals & bandleader
Emma Lamadji, vocals
Mamounata Guira, vocals
Abou Diarra, n’goni
Julien Pestre, guitar
Alexandre Millet, keyboards
Elise Blanchard, bass
Bodjo Dibo, drums
