The Royal Conservatory of Music Sets 2016-17 Concert Season

Dr. Peter Simon, President of The Royal Conservatory of Music, Mervon Mehta, Executive Director of Performing Arts, and James Anagnoson, Dean of The Glenn Gould School, revealed today the details of the eight concert season since the opening of Koerner Hall in 2009.

"This outstanding and diverse collection of concerts reaffirms The Royal Conservatory as a leading international concert presenter," says Dr. Peter Simon, President and CEO of The Conservatory. "With acclaimed Canadian artists at the heart of our programming, we also confirm Canada's position as a global leader in the performing arts as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation."

Mervon Mehta said: "Since the opening of Koerner Hall, our mandate has been to showcase the great artists of the world alongside the incredible array of talent we have here at home. This year we present Canadian artists in more than 70 of our 100 concerts, such as Canadian jazz trios on the same bill with their international peers. The season has expanded to include a new series of free Sunday Interludes, made possible by a generous music lover, and we offer our sincere thanks to all of our individual and corporate donors, our concert and series sponsors, our loyal subscribers who help us to continually expand the breadth and depth of music that we present, and every person who attends our concerts."

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The Royal Conservatory celebrates Canada's Sesquicentennial

The Royal Conservatory is excited to celebrate the cultural diversity and pluralism of our great country as it turns 150 by presenting extraordinary Canadian artists from across the nation, including our world-renowned faculty and our gifted students. 70 of 97 concerts include Canadian talent playing solo, in ensembles, or in special 'only at Koerner Hall' events.

A major new initiative is the formation of the New Canadian Global Music Orchestra, which brings together top-notch musicians from all over the world, all of whom now live in the GTA. The musicians will create, compose, and rehearse together on instruments from every corner of the globe, before coming together to perform around the GTA and, finally, in Koerner Hall in June. Pianist Stewart Goodyear is writing a new Canada 150 piece, commissioned by The Royal Conservatory, Harry Manx and Alex Cuba perform one-night-only sesquicentennial concerts with special guests, and each of our TD Jazz: The Art of the Trio concerts will feature a Canadian trio and an international counterpart. Canadian artists throughout the media kit are marked with a maple leaf .

Lang Lang performs at a sold out season gala concert

The Royal Conservatory of Music's Season Gala on Tuesday, October 18, 2016, will feature superstar pianist Lang Lang, who inspires millions with his open-hearted, emotive piano playing. He has been heralded as the "hottest artist on the classical music planet" by The New York Times and Time magazine has included him in its list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. The concert is sold out, but Passion & Brilliance Gala Tickets (dinner, concert, and after party) are still available by calling 416.408.2824 x447.

Specially curated concert series

The 2016-17 season includes four special concert series: TD Jazz: The Art of the Trio, which includes pairings of Canadian and international jazz trios, the return of both Quiet Please, There's A Lady On Stage and Family Concerts, plus new Sunday Interludes.

Koerner Hall welcomes a plethora of young talent

Medallists at the recent 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, Charles Richard-Hamelin and Tony Yike Yang, Alexander Seredenko, first Canadian to receive the First Prize at the Hamamatsu International Piano Academy Competition in Japan, cellist Stéphane Tétreault, First Prize winner at the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Standard Life-OSM 2007 Competition, and mezzo-soprano Emily D'Angelo, recent winner of the 2016 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Finals appear together as Toronto welcomes the International Association of Arts Managers Conference. JCT Trio plays Mozart as part of the Toronto Symphony's Mozart @256 festival. Dover Quartet, winner of the 2013 Banff International String Quartet Competition teams up with superstar mandolinist Avi Avital. Russian-British violinist Alina Ibragimova, winner of several international competitions, makes her Conservatory debut. Alison Au and Alexander Brown bring their jazz ensembles, and talented students from The Glenn Gould School and The Phil & Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists perform throughout the season.

New (and free) Sunday Interludes concert series

The Royal Conservatory is pleased to introduce a new Sunday afternoon concert series, titled Sunday Interludes, which brings a mix of jazz, cabaret, and classical music, all for free. Each concert is approximately 75 minutes long and includes artists such as the Juno Award-winning Allison Au Quartet, Steven Schick (founding percussionist of the Bang on a Can All-Stars), Miriam Fried playing a recital of Bach for solo violin, cellist Andrés Díaz, jazz vocalist and pianist Fern Lindzon, pianist Anton Nel, a performance of Tom Allen's musical Bohemians in Brooklyn, and a collaboration with CBC Music in a showcase of young Canadian classical music stars, picked from CBC Music's 30 Under 30.

Pre-Concert Conversations

Also new this season, a number of Koerner Hall performances will be preceded by Pre-concert Conversations, led by Rick Phillips or Mark Micklethwaite, from The Royal Conservatory School's Music Appreciation Program.

Classical pianists appearing during the season include Canadians Stewart Goodyear and Louis Lortie, and the return visits by Sir András Schiff and Daniil Trifonov.

Classical Vocal Concerts include sopranos Deborah Voigt and Natalie Dessay, and The King's Singers as well as the Kyiv Chamber Choir.

A-list violinists lead chamber orchestras

Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica perform a daring Pictures at an Exhibition, Nicola Benedetti performs The Four Seasons with the Venice Baroque Orchestra, and Viktoria Mullova leads Accademia Bizantina in an all Bach program.

Jazz, Pop, Dance, and World Music concerts

Highlights include the return of vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant after her stunning debut in 2013, Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca return for three concerts this season, Alex Cuba brings special friends for a sesquicentennial celebration of Canada, and jazz giants Chucho Valdès and Joe Lovano join forces.

Debuting artists include flamenco guitarist Tomatito; two of the finest fiddle bands from Québec, Le Vent du Nord and De Temps Antan appearing together; South-African phenomenon Ladysmith Black Mambazo plays on Valentine's Day; Cree storyteller Thomson Highway presenting a retrospective of his cabaret and theatre work; Israeli musicians Noa and Gil Dor; Italian jazz and cabaret singer Pilar; Colombian superstars Monsieur Periné make their Canadian debut; Toronto's Jaffa Road, which draws from the worlds of Jewish, Arabic, and Indian music; award-winning Canadian jazz pianist and vocalist Laila Biali; renowned Cape Breton fiddle player and step dancer Ashley MacIsaac; and American singer-songwriter and author Rosanne Cash.

Music On Film

For the fourth consecutive season, the Music On Film series takes place at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema as Hot Docs and The Royal Conservatory together showcase inspiring music documentaries that explore different musical genres, followed by post-screening discussions and performances with film makers and accomplished musicians led by Mervon Mehta, Executive Director of Performing Arts at The Royal Conservatory. The films are screened on the last Tuesdays of September, October, November, January, February, and March.

Postlude Performances

After many Koerner Hall concerts, audiences are invited to stay and enjoy a free postlude performance in the Leslie & Anna Dan Galleria, featuring the best in local emerging talent in a variety of genres.

Livestreamed concerts

Over the past two seasons, several concerts have been livestreamed from Koerner Hall. In its eight season, The Conservatory will add many more concerts to this program, ensuring that Canadians from coast-to-coast have access to the finest 'live' concert experience.

21C Music Festival returns for fourth installment in May 2017

The 21C Music Festival will take on a decidedly Canadian flavour from May 25-29, 2017. Details of the Festival will be announced in February 2017.

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