February concerts at the Royal Conservatory

Classical Concerts

The Royal Conservatory’s presentation of all ten Beethoven Violin Sonatas, which begins with Isabelle Faust with Alexander Melnikov on January 24, continues with Sarah Kim with David Louie on February 14, Luri Lee with Stewart Goodyear on February 23, and Leonidas Kavakos with Enrico Pace on February 28.

    Leonidas Kavakos, Stewart Goodyear, and Royal Conservatory Students Conclude the Beethoven Violin Sonatas Cycle

La Dolce Musica Concert Series Continues

Mavis Staples Returns to Koerner Hall

A Beethoven specialist, Mr. Goodyear last appeared in Koerner Hall on June 9, 2012, when he performed the complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas in one day. He returns to The Conservatory to accompany Violin Sonatas No. 2 in A Major, and No. 8 in G Major, with violinist Luri Lee, a 2013-14 Rebanks Fellow at The Glenn Gould School. Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 3 in D Major with the Nyx Quartet, comprised of Glenn Gould School students Luri Lee, Terri Croft, Hezekiah Leung, and Jonathan Lo (also a Rebanks Fellow), will round out the program.

 

Leonidas Kavakos with Enrico Pace return to Koerner Hall with Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major; No. 5 in F Major, “Spring”; and No. 7 in C Minor, “Eroica.” The duo last appeared in Koerner Hall on February 5, 2011, and is praised by The New York Times for presenting programs “suited to [their] felicitous chemistry.”

 

Rounding out the sonata cycle, Violin Sonata No.6 in A Major will be played by Glenn Gould School student Sarah Kim and pianist David Louie, who is a faculty member of The Glenn Gould School as well as a member of Royal Conservatory’s very own ARC Ensemble, as part of a prelude recital before a Royal Conservatory Orchestra concert conducted by Canadian Opera Company Music Director Johannes Debus. Prelude recitals start at 6:45pm before the main concert, which on this occasion includes Modest Mussorgsky’s Overture to Khovanshchina, Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, and Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, “Pathétique.” Jessy Kim, the soloist in the Prokofiev Violin Concerto, was one of the winners of the 2012 Concerto Competition at The Glenn Gould School.

The La Dolce Musica concert series continues with Europa Galante with Fabio Biondi on February 8. Europa Galante, the resident orchestra of Fondazione Teatro Due in Parma, was founded in 1990 by its musical director, Fabio Biondi, who wanted to form an Italian period instrument ensemble to perform both Baroque and Classical repertoire. The group makes its Koerner Hall debut with a program titled The Windy Seasons, a suite inspired by Vivaldi’s popular The Four Seasons. The evening includes titled concerti for violin, recorder, bassoon, and oboe, and some of Vivaldi’s best known pieces which present a wide range of colours and tonality.

Additional classical concerts take place in Mazzoleni Concert Hall, located in historic Ihnatowycz Hall. On February 9, first violinist of the acclaimed Tokyo String Quartet and alumnus of The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists, Martin Beaver, returns to Toronto for his first solo performance in over a decade. In addition to solo works, the concert features an ensemble of Taylor Academy students and faculty in Johann Sebastian Bach’s Double Concerto in D Minor for 2 Violins, BWV1043 and Felix Mendelssohn’s String Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20. Mr. Beaver’s performance is part of the 2013-14 Ann Vallentyne SOCMI Fund for Excellence residency from the Taylor Academy. The Glenn Gould School Vocal Showcase, which offers a wonderful opportunity to see The GGS’s talented vocal students perform an evening of art songs and opera arias, takes place on February 1.

World Music

February also brings Concert for Mali: Fatoumata Diawara with Bassekou Kouyate on February 1. Named by TIME magazine in late 2012 as one of the next 10 artists poised for stardom, Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara originally moved to France to study acting, and appeared in several films before picking up the guitar and writing her own songs. She will be joined by one of Mali’s foremost ngoni virtuosos, Bassekou Kouyate, as part of The Conservatory’s Celebration of African Music. This concert is presented in association with Batuki Music and Small World Music.

Soul and Gospel

Soul and gospel legend Mavis Staples possesses one of the most recognizable and treasured voices in contemporary music. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, lead singer of the first family of gospel music, The Staples Singers, she was named by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. She last appeared in Koerner Hall l in a sold-out concert on January 29, 2012, and her latest CD, One True Vine, has been nominated for a 2014 Grammy Award in the Best Americana Album category.

Pop

The Conservatory Theatre hosts Bluebird North, presented in partnership with the Songwriters Association of Canada, on February 22 and CHANSONGS, in partnership with Alliance Française de Toronto, on February 28. Bluebird North brings top Canadian songwriters  together  to perform their music and talk about their inspiration, the songwriting process, and the stories behind the songs. Similar in concept, CHANSONGS is a bilingual, English and French evening. In this concert, Toronto-based chanteuse and jazz songwriter Sienna Dahlen will share the stage with Moncton’s own Marie-Jo Thério, one of the most innovative songwriters and distinctive voices to come out of Acadie in the last 30 years.

The Royal Conservatory’s 2013-14 concert season is made possible through the generous support of:

Major Sponsors: BMO, Invesco, RBC Foundation, TD Bank, Michael and Sonja Koerner, R.S. Williams & Sons Co., Rebanks Family, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation  

Concert Sponsors: Bar Mercurio, Burgundy Asset Management, Canaccord Genuity, CIBC, Canada-Israel Cultural Foundation, Downtown Porsche, Georgian Capital, KPMG

Wine & Beverage Sponsors: Amsterdam Brewery, Baron Philippe de Rothschild, ESKA Natural Spring Water, Inniskillin

Government Supporters: Canada Arts Presentation Fund – Canadian Heritage, Ontario Arts Council

Media Sponsors: Classical 96.3 FM, JAZZ.FM91, CBC, NOW, mybindi.com, ATN

 

 

The Royal Conservatory Concerts in February

The Glenn Gould School Vocal Showcase (Discovery Series): Saturday, February 1 at 7:30 pm | MCH; $15

Fatoumata Diawara with Bassekou Kouyate (A Celebration of African Music):

Saturday, February 1 at 8 pm | KH; $30-$70

Mavis Staples (Music Mix): Friday, February 7 at 8 pm | KH; $55-$95

Europa Galante with Fabio Biondi (Chamber Music; La Dolce Musica): Saturday, February 8 at 8 pm | KH; $45-$85

Martin Beaver (Mazzoleni Masters): Sunday, February 9 at 2 pm | MCH; $32

Royal Conservatory Orchestra conducted by Johannes Debus (Orchestra; Beethoven Violin Sonatas):

Friday, February 14 at 8 pm | KH; $25-$55

Bluebird North #2 (Music Mix): Saturday, February 22 at 8 pm | CT; $30

Luri Lee with Stewart Goodyear (String Concerts; Beethoven Violin Sonatas): Sunday, February 23 at 2 pm | MCH; $32

Leonidas Kavakos with Enrico Pace (String Concerts; Beethoven Violin Sonatas):

Friday, February 28 at 8 pm | KH; $30-$75

Chansongs #2 (Music Mix): Friday, February 28 at 8 pm | CT; $30

 

Venue Legend: KH Koerner Hall; MCH Mazzoleni Concert Hall in historic Ihnatowycz Hall; CT Conservatory Theatre

 

Tickets are available online at www.performance.rcmusic.ca, by calling 416.408.0208,

or in person at the Weston Family Box Office

 

Create your own package: select any 4-6 concerts and save 10%; select any 7+ concerts and save 15%

A limited number of $10 BMO Rush Tickets are available starting 90 minutes before all performances presented by The Royal Conservatory.

 

All concerts take place at The Royal Conservatory

TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto