Regional Orchestra of the Week: Art of Time Ensemble

In this week's featured regional orchestra of the week, we spotlight the Toronto-based Art of Time Ensemble under the direction of renowned classical pianist and Artistic Director Andrew Burashko.

Now in its twelfth season, Art of Time Ensemble is one of Canada's most innovative and artistically accomplished music ensembles. Their mandate is to give classical music the contemporary relevance and context it needs to maintain a broader audience to survive. Since its inception, Art of Time has steadily grown in reputation as an ensemble that undertakes and delivers programs that are at once thought provoking and compelling. Committed to finding new ways of blending classical music with other genres as well as other art forms, each Art of Time program is uniquely different in theme and content.

Over the years, Canada's highest profile artists have performed with Art of Time including Peggy Baker, Sarah Slean, Tom McCamus, Shauna Rolston, Ted Dykstra,Phil Dwyer, Michael Ondaatje and Steven Page (formerly of the Barenaked Ladies), among many others.

In addition, Art of Time's core ensemble members include some of the most superb musicians in the country: violinist Stephen Sitarski (concertmaster of the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony); violist Steven Dann (soloist and former principal violist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, Vancouver Symphony and the National Arts Centre orchestra; cellist Thomas Wiebe (soloist, member of the Duke Trio and Professor at the University of Western Ontario); Joel Quarrington (principal bassist for the Toronto Symphony and the National Arts Centre Orchestra); Phil Dwyer(renowned composer, arranger and saxophonist); Rob Piltch (the great Canadian guitarist and former member of the band Blood Sweat and Tears); and Jonathan Goldsmith (composer, arranger, producer and brilliant pianist).

In 2004, Art of Time's collaboration with Volcano Theatre of German/Argentinean composer Mauricio Kagel's Variété led to five Dora Nominations, winning the award for Outstanding Music. This show was hailed as "a landmark interdisciplinary collaboration" by Tamara Bernstein of the National Post. Art of Time Ensemble has performed throughout Canada and abroad.

Art of Time will next present Songbook 7: Madeleine Peyroux - A Tour Through the Timeless on May 31-June 1. The shows will take place at Enwave Theatre in the Harbourfront Centre.

To learn more about Art of Time Ensemble, click here.

Info & photos courtesy of Art of Time Ensemble