He walked into the Bloor St Café bundled in a black overcoat and scarf that partially covered his bearded face. Unwrapping himself on the first cold day of winter, I shook his hand and welcomed him back to Toronto.
A jet-lagged William Norris had just returned from Paris on a red-eye and admitted that he was coming to terms with the idea of his first real Canadian winter. It’s a far cry from winters in London, which he described as merely, “wet”. “Just wait until the snow turns brown,” I said, “it will mean Spring is just around the corner.”
With Norris nibbling on a cookie, I asked him how he’s dealing with the transition from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) to heading up Toronto’s Tafelmusik. Nodding with a boyish grin, “it’s been smashing.”
Norris moved to Toronto last month and has been quick to absorb the culture of the city. The topic quickly veers to Paris. Performers from Tafelmusik had arrived in Paris mere days after the recent terrorist events shook the world. They were performing with Opera Atelier at the historic Palais Versailles, and by virtue, found themselves as cultural ambassadors for Canada. Norris, looking soulfully, said the whole thing made a very deep impression on everyone.
With a reputation for vision, the trip abroad was reflective of Norris’ many plans for the orchestra in the years to come. Despite only being on the job for just over a month, he’s been hard at work building upon Tafelmusik’s Tafelscene Programme, which includes programming catered to those under 35.
The first event of the programme this season was Taste of Tafelmusik, which paired baroque era chamber music with food from the Gladstone kitchen. Norris said he intends on making this a brand in its own right, and will build it into a much larger series. “It’s about how to talk to new audiences; One size doesn’t fit all.”
Besides a continued focus on baroque repertoire, Tafelmusik will be returning to Mozart again with season with a performance of “Eine kleine nachtmusik.” As Norris attests, “Tafelmusik will find a different way to look at it.”
“I’m very interested in collaboration, what can we do with our repertoire, and maybe we can bring in some contemporary elements, or bring in a different art form that might complement it – Dance, Visual Arts. We’ll be looking to see what we can develop with arts companies in Toronto.”
Tafelmusik will be recording Beethoven’s 9th Symphony this February at Koerner Hall, wrapping up the Beethoven Symphony Cycle project – which this year makes all nine recordings available for purchase on their own in-house Tafelmusik Media recording label.
“We set up our own label three years back, and it’s a recognition of the fact that there aren’t any major labels that will throw cash at you to make recordings anymore.” It serves not only as a record of what the orchestra has done but as a physical calling card for the orchestra internationally.
Sitting with Norris, a man still in his 30s, he reclines in his seat looking relaxed, but slightly astonished at the same time. One gets the impression no one would be more surprised to find himself the head of one of Canada’s leading orchestras than him.
What may have made him so appealing to Tafelmusik was his development of the Night Shift Series with the OAE. The concert series was a revelation for the English period orchestra, and in a wider sense, an example of a fundamental change in approach by leading orchestras trying to attract younger audiences. The concerts are set in pubs and night clubs, and invite younger patrons to, “Grab a drink, Instagram it, move around, clap, cheer – do what you want, the normal concert hall ‘rules’ don’t apply here.”
“When we started doing the Night Shift it felt very dangerous and risky,” Norris said. “What will people think? Will people hate it? Will anyone come? Ater ten years, it has become just something we do.”
“The best thing about it, Norris says, “was seeing people under the age of 35 getting into classical music for the first time in a very genuine way.”
Norris makes an important distinction about his approach, “There is absolutely nothing wrong with the music. The reason we are playing music that’s 300 years old today is because people absolutely love it.” But he adds, “The social aspect is much more important for new audiences. They aren’t just coming to hear music anymore.”
He recounts how we took a friend who had never been to the opera before to see his first show. His friend was surprised to how many young people were there. “I think he just thought everyone would be 80 and wearing bow ties and tiaras. Perception is always a hurdle,” Norris laughed.
To understand his approach is to understand that he is not going to apologize for Classical Music. “People come to concerts for all sorts of reasons, be they academic or they just want a nice evening out. But we want to present music for everyone.”
Since the departure of Tafelmusik’s Artistic Director Jeanne Lamon last year, it’s been business as usual for Tafelmusik while searching to find a new candidate who can fill Lamon’s decidedly big shoes.
“This is the first time that Tafelmusik has done a search. It’s unscheduled, but we’re seeing people. It takes a long time. They need to be seen more than once.”
Careful not to reveal too much, Norris said that many of the soloists over the past few seasons have been candidates for the Artistic Director position. They haven’t chosen “the one’ quite yet, but Norris estimates they will be able to announce someone within the next year or two.
When asked what Tafelmusik will look like in the next 10 years, he takes his time to respond. Then a flash in his eyes, as if had just occurred to him.
“There is a feeling that Tafelmusik doesn’t shout enough about itself. We’ll be doing some more shouting.”
[Update (December 1, 2015): The previous version stated Mozart’s “Eine kleine nachtmusik” is happening next season, but is actually taking place this season in February 2016.]
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