Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre Presented by National Bank

FREE CONCERT SERIES IN THE Richard Bradshaw AMPHITHEATRE
PRESENTED BY NATIONAL BANK
December 1 - December 16, 2010
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen St. W. (Queen and University)

The Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre presented by National Bank is a unique opportunity to experience diverse artistic programming in what has become one of Toronto's most exciting cultural hubs. Six inspiring series offer concerts, dance performances and engaging presentations that feature both up-and-coming young artists and established international stars. All performances are FREE to the public.

Date
Series
Artist
December 1, 2010
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Jazz Series
Finding Home
Vocalist Julie Michels and bassist George Koller, two of Toronto's most talented, big-hearted and imaginative musicians, take you on a unique sonic adventure. Koller's mastery, sensuality and boundless creativity are the perfect match for Michels' powerful, multi-coloured voice and her intense, fearless interpretations of jazz standards, original compositions, and everything in between.

December 2, 2010
12 - 1 p.m.
Vocal Series
Kurt Weill's Little Mahagonny
Under the direction of Peter Tiefenbach, the talented young artists of The Glenn Gould School perform one of the earliest and best-known of the Kurt Weill/Bertolt Brecht collaborations, the Mahagonny-Songspiel. A program note for the first performance in 1927 reads, "Mahagonny is a short epic play which simply draws conclusions from the irresistible decline of our existing social classes. It is already turning towards a public which goes to the theatre naively and for fun."

December 7, 2010
12 - 1 p.m.
Vocal Series
Secular Canatas of 18th-Century France
Under the direction of "young firecracker" Ashiq Aziz, the members of Toronto's Classical Music Consort and special guest soloists present three rarely-heard masterpieces of the French Baroque: Jean Philippe Rameau's Orphée, Michel Pignolet de Montéclair's La Mort de Didon and Louis-Nicolas Clérambault's Médée.

December 9, 2010
12 - 1 p.m.
Piano Virtuoso Series
Hecho en México
In 2010, Mexico celebrates a double jubilee: the bicentenary of the beginning of its independence struggle in 1810 and the centenary of the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution a century later. Pianist Alejandro Vela performs a group of works by Mexican composers including Samuel Zyman's Two Motions in One Movement, Carlos Chávez's Sonata No. 2 and Manuel M. Ponce's most famous works: Estrellita and Balada Mexicana.

December 14, 2010
12 - 1 p.m.
Vocal Series
Verdi and Puccini
Internationally acclaimed soprano Sondra Radvanovsky (who recently sang the title role in the COC's fall production of Aida) performs highlights from the dramatic Italian repertoire for which she is best known.

December 16, 2010
12 - 1 p.m.
Vocal Series
Tribute to György Kurtág
Queen of Puddings Music Theatre presents a program of vocal and chamber works by one of the most important Hungarian composers living today, featuring his harrowing Attila József Fragments for solo voice, Three Old Inscriptions for voice and piano, as well as works for solo piano and piano four hands.

EVENTS

Opera Talks at North York Central Library
Opera Then & Now: The Magic Flute and Nixon in China
December 9, 2010 from 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.
North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge St. (Yonge and Sheppard)
Target: Adults
Tickets: FREE

The Canadian Opera Company and North York Central Library present Opera Talks, a FREE, fun and interactive series on the art of listening and enjoying opera. On December 9, 2010 at 7 p.m., the COC's Education and Outreach staff will present an interactive presentation that uses Mozart's The Magic Flute and John Adams' Nixon in China to discuss opera's evolution over time. Entitled Opera Then & Now: The Magic Flute and Nixon in China, the talk will last 45 minutes and conclude with a 15-minute Q&A.

For more information and to register, please call the Languages, Literature and Fine Arts Department at North York Central Library at 416-395-5639.

REGISTRATIONS

Youth Opera Lab: The Magic Flute and Nixon in China
January 19 and January 27, 2011 from 5:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. (Queen and University)
Target: Youth ages 16 to 21
Tickets: FREE

Youth Opera Lab returns on January 19, 2011 (The Magic Flute) and January 27, 2011 (Nixon in China). In this FREE program, young people of ages 16 - 21 are invited to attend a rehearsal of a mainstage production and discover the work that goes into putting on an opera. A pre-rehearsal interactive workshop provides context for the opera, and a meet-and-greet with a member of the cast or creative team, over pizza, offers insight into the production. Participating youth receive two free tickets to the final dress rehearsal of The Magic Flute or Nixon in China.

 

Register for the Youth Opera Lab in person at the Canadian Opera Company (227 Front St. E.) or online at coc.ca before January 10, 2011. No previous experience with opera or the performing arts is required. For more information, contact education@coc.ca

 

After School Opera Program

January to March, 2011
Macaulay Child Development Centre, Boys and Girls Club of East Scarborough,
St. Christopher House Music School, and Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre
Target: Children ages 7 to 12
Tuition: $11 for a nine-week term

The Canadian Opera Company's popular After School Opera Program returns. The program, which introduces young people to all the exciting elements that make up an opera, is only $11 for a nine-week session and is held at four convenient locations in Toronto: the Macaulay Child Development Centre, the Boys and Girls Club of East Scarborough, St. Christopher House Music School and the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre. Under the guidance of Canadian composer Dean Burry, children of ages 7 to 12 explore singing, libretto writing, drama and design to create an original operatic work. Each term culminates in a final performance for friends and family. Mr. Burry has worked closely with the COC for more than 13 years. He is a well-known composer of several children's operas including Isis and the Seven Scorpions and The Brothers Grimm (the most performed Canadian opera). No previous experience with opera or the performing arts is required.

LOCATION 1
MACAULAY CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
Address: 200 Bicknell Ave. (Bicknell and Hertford)
Mondays, January 10 - March 7, 2011
To register: Registration is now closed.

LOCATION 2
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF EAST SCARBOROUGH
100 Galloway Rd. (Galloway and Dunera)
Tuesdays, January 11 - March 8, 2011
To register: Registration opens to the public December 10, 2010. Call Russell Scott at 416-281-0262 ext. 216

LOCATION 3
ST. CHRISTOPHER HOUSE MUSIC SCHOOL
248 Ossington Ave. (Dundas and Ossington)
Wednesdays, January 12 - March 9, 2011
To register: Call 416-532-4828 ext. 127

LOCATION 4
JOEY AND TOBY TANENBAUM OPERA CENTRE
227 Front St. E. (Front and Berkeley)
Thursdays, January 13 - March 10, 2011
To register: Available online starting December 6, 2010 at 10 a.m. at coc.ca

The Opera Exchange Series
Nixon in China: Giving Voice to Our Own History
February 13, 2011 from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Henry N.R. Jackman Lounge, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
145 Queen St. W. (Queen and University)
Target: Adults
Tickets: $20

The Opera Exchange Series provides an in-depth look at three operas performed by the Canadian Opera Company over the course of the 2010/2011 season. On February 13, 2011 local and international academics will lead explorations and analysis on the themes and music of John Adams' Nixon in China. The Opera Exchange Series is presented in collaboration with the Munk Centre for International Studies and the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto.

Tickets are $20 per person and can be purchased at the door or in advance at coc.ca or by contacting COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231. Discounts are available for UofT students and faculty.

 

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