Barbara Hannigan, Joshua Bell and More Set for November at The Royal Conservatory of Music

The Royal Conservatory of Music has announced its November lineup, featuring:

- TD Jazz: The Roots of Jazz series continues with Danilo Pérez and Alfredo Rodríguez leading their jazz trios

- Canadian singers Barbara Hannigan and Holly Cole make their Koerner Hall debuts

- PARIS! Le Spectacle brings the charm of Paris to Koerner Hall

- Joshua Bell and Angela Hewitt sold-out

Scroll down for details!

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TD Jazz: The Roots of Jazz

Two of the best Latin jazz pianists and band leaders in the world, Danilo Pérez and Alfredo Rodríguez, bring their trios to Koerner Hall on November 25. Rodríguez has enjoyed a precipitous rise to international prominence, championed and produced by Quincy Jones. The Grammy nominated phenom released Tocororo in 2016, a musical representation of the exuberance and colours of the world, through Rodriguez's Cuban lens. Pérez's trio consists of Ben Street on bass and Terri Lyne Carrington on drums, and will celebrate the 100th birthday of Thelonious Monk and the 20th anniversary of Pérez's album, Panamonk. "Danilo Pérez is a man with some serious jazz cred. The Panamanian pianist got his start playing with Dizzy Gillespie and continued with Wayne Shorter. As a composer and bandleader himself, he's practically peerless." (NPR)

World Music

Yasmin Levy returns to Koerner Hall on November 1, in an evening shared with The Klezmatics. Levy's "Judeo-Spanish ballads and prayers blend with full-blooded songs of love and loss; Moorish melodies suddenly detour into flamenco rhythms." (Sunday Times) Inimitable NYC band, The Klezmatics, take one of the wildest approaches to klezmer, blending the traditional dance music and socially conscious lyrics with contemporary rock, funk, and jazz. "The Klezmatics aren't just the best band in the klezmer vanguard; on a good night, they can rank among the greatest bands on the planet." (Time Out New York) The concert is presented in association with Small World Music.

Music Mix

Canadian jazz singer Holly Cole makes her Koerner Hall debut on November 17. She received the prestigious Ella Fitzgerald Award by the Montreal Jazz Festival for "being a singer of significant talent who has had major influence in the international jazz scene," awarded annually to past recipients such as Diana Krall and Tony Bennett. Ms. Cole and her band will be performing many of her fan favourites and several wonderful new songs from her soon to be released 12th studio recording.

The charm of Paris comes to Koerner Hall in PARIS! Le Spectacle on November 18, care of the same production team that brought the success of Piaf! The Show, which sold out Koerner Hall in 2015. This brand new program highlights the greatest French songs of the post-war years as Françoise, a young girl who dreams of becoming a famous artist in Paris, arrives in Montmartre. The evening features the songs of Édith Piaf, Maurice Chevalier, Lucienne Boyer, Charles Trenet, Josephine Baker, Jacques Brel, and many more.

Classical Music

One of the world's most beloved virtuosos and a classical music superstar, violinist Joshua Bell transfixes audiences with his superb mastery, passionate readings, and warm, richly nuanced tone. Alternating engagements as the Music Director of Academy of St Martin in the Fields with recitals in recent years, the Grammy Award-winning violinist makes his Koerner Hall debut on November 4 in an intimate evening with "formidable" (The New Yorker) pianist Alessio Bax. Their program includes violin sonatas by Mendelssohn, Grieg, and Brahms, along with some surprises. The concert will be preceded at 7pm with a Pre-concert Talk with Rick Phillips.

Barbara Hannigan, who received the Order of Canada in June 2016, is known worldwide as a soprano of vital expressive force directed by exceptional technique. Blessed with a voice at once pure and hot, the Royal Conservatory alumna also possesses an exciting stage presence, whether in opera or on the concert platform. In her Koerner Hall debut on November 10 with pianist Reinbert de Leeuw, she will perform an artfully curated look at the Second Viennese School, where new musical language was developed through the extraordinary collaboration between composers, painters, writers, and other artists in the salons and cafes of Vienna at the turn of the 20th century. The concert will be streamed live online for free at www.rcmusic.com/performance/livestream-koerner-hall. Prior to the recital, Ms. Hannigan will conduct a free master class on November 8 at 7pm in Mazzoleni Concert Hall.

Maestra Tania Miller's "experience and charisma are audible." (Hartford Courant) As Music Director of the Victoria Symphony, and the first Canadian woman ever to be Music Director of a major symphony orchestra, she is used to blazing new paths and being on the cutting edge in the world of classical music. She returns to conduct the Royal Conservatory Orchestra on November 24 in a program of Michael Oesterle's Home (world premiere), Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2 (with Glenn Gould School student Sae Yoon Chon as piano soloist), and the 1947 version of Stravinsky's Petrushka. The concert is preceded by a Prelude Recital at 6:45pm and a Pre-concert Talk at 7:15pm. Ms. Miller will also participate in a post-screening discussion at The Hot Docs TEd Rogers Cinema, following the November 21 screening of Conduct! Every Move Counts, part of the Music on Film series.

Invesco Piano Series

On November 12, Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt returns to Koerner Hall for her third appearance with an all Johann Sebastian Bach program, which is part of her three-year exploration of the composer. The alumna of The Royal Conservatory has been described by The New York Times as "one of those rare musicians who seem to get something into their heads and hearts and find it at their fingertips instantaneously" and by The Sunday Times as "one of the reliably mesmerizing musicians of the day ... [and] the complete performer." The concert will be preceded at 7pm with a Pre-concert Talk with Rick Phillips.

Mazzoleni Masters

Internationally renowned pedagogue and violinist Victor Danchenko is known for his "unabashedly old-fashioned, romantic style." (The Baltimore Sun) The recital on November 19 celebrates Danchenko's 40th anniversary of arriving in Toronto and the 50th anniversary of his musical collaboration with his sister, pianist Vera Danchenko, who will join him at this concert.

Discovery Series

Engelbert Humperdinck's popular and charming Hansel and Gretel will be the Glenn Gould School's Fall Opera on November 17 and 18. The talented vocalists will be led by Music Director Peter Tiefenbach and directed by Brent Krysa. Both evenings will be preceded by a Pre-concert Talk at 7pm.

Free Concerts

Sunday Interludes series presents Narek Hakhnazaryan on November 5. After winning the Cello First Prize and Gold Medal at the XIV International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2011 at the age of 22, Hakhnazaryan was named a BBC New Generation Artist in 2014, and his performances are regularly broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

Taylor Academy Showcase Concert on November 25, presented by The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists, offers a unique opportunity to hear the leading young classical musicians in Canada currently studying at The Royal Conservatory.

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November Concerts at The Royal Conservatory of Music:

Yasmin Levy and The Klezmatics

(World Music) Wednesday, November 1, 2017 at 8pm | KH; $45-$110

Joshua Bell with Alessio Bax

(String Concerts) Saturday, November 4, 2017 at 8pm | KH; SOLD OUT

Narek Hakhnazaryan

(Sunday Interludes) Sunday, November 5, 2017 at 2pm | MCH; FREE

Barbara Hannigan with Reinbert de Leeuw

(Vocal Concerts) Friday, November 10, 2017 at 8pm | KH; $40-$95

Angela Hewitt

(Invesco Piano Concerts) Sunday, November 12, 2017 at 3pm | KH; SOLD OUT

Holly Cole

(Music Mix) Friday, November 17, 2017 at 8pm | KH; $40-$85

GGS Fall Opera: Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel

(Discovery Series) Friday, November 17 & Saturday, November 18 at 7:30pm | MCH; $15

PARIS! Le Spectacle

(Music Mix) Saturday, November 18, 2017 at 8pm | KH; $49-$100

Victor Danchenko

(Mazzoleni Masters) Sunday, November 19, 2017 at 4pm | MCH; $25

Tania Miller conducts the Royal Conservatory Orchestra

(Royal Conservatory Orchestra) Friday, November 24, 2017 at 8pm | KH; $25-$55

Taylor Academy Showcase Concert

(Taylor Academy) Saturday, November 25, 2017 at 4:30pm | MCH; FREE

Danilo Pérez Trio and Alfredo Rodríguez Trio

(TD Jazz: The Roots of Jazz) Saturday, November 25, 2017 at 8pm | KH; $40-$90

Venue Legend: KH Koerner Hall; MCH Mazzoleni Concert Hall in historic Ihnatowycz Hall; TT Temerty Theatre

Tickets and subscriptions are available online at www.rcmusic.com/performing, by calling 416.408.0208, or in person at the Weston Family Box Office.

Become a Royal Subscriber: select any 4-6 concerts and save 10%; select any 7+ concerts and save 15%; both levels receive special subscriber benefits .

A limited number of $15 BMO Rush Tickets are available starting 90 minutes before all performances presented by The Royal Conservatory.

All concerts take place at The Royal Conservatory of Music TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto.

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