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THE SCOOP | Toronto Summer Music Festival Launches 2017 Season Full Of CanCon

By Robin Roger on March 8, 2017

Toronto Summer Music Festival Artistic Director Jonathan Crow announces 2017 season (Photo: James Ireland)
Toronto Summer Music Festival Artistic Director Jonathan Crow announces 2017 season full of Canadiana. (Photo: James Ireland)

As Summer Music Festivals go, The Toronto Summer Music Festival, entering its 12th season, is a mere infant.  Tanglewood is 80 this year; Marlboro is 66 and the Salzburg is 97.  But given that Canada is only 150 years young, with a modest and unevenly distributed population, it’s quite an achievement that it has developed such ambitious high caliber instruction and performance.  This year is about celebrating the achievements of this Festival and the 150 anniversary of the country that has generated it by recognizing the Canadian musical legacy of accomplished composers and renowned performers.

At the Festival’s first ever season launch on Tuesday night, it was announced that from July 13 to August 5, the Festival will explore Canada’s classical music heritage, paying homage to great performers who have made this country proud, and great composers, living and deceased.  This includes the obvious icons that spring to mind, such as Glenn Gould, recognized in this context as a composer, whose String Quartet, Opus 1 will take the audience on a “journey through the mind of a genius” according to the TSM Artistic Director Jonathan Crow.

The bow of Artistic Director has been passed to Crow this year, from his former chamber music teacher Douglas McNabney, who held the position for six years.  It’s an auspicious year to celebrate all things Canadian, and Crow, an example of the high-quality musician Canada can produce, is wholeheartedly enthusiastic about the national theme.  Some of the great Canadian performers on the program include The St Lawrence String Quartet, violin superstar James Ehnes, and the world-renowned violinist Martin Beaver, who surely has the most Canadian name of any musician from this country.  The roster of eminent Canadian composers includes the Festival’s first commission, a string Octet by Jordan Pal, as well as works by R Murray Shafer, Oskar Morawetz, and others.

Jonathan Crow (r) with James Ehnes (Photo: James Ireland)

In addition to introducing the Festival’s first season launch, and the Festival’s first commission, Crow is launching the first season of free Kids Concerts.  Inspired by seeing flocks of children on Philosopher’s Walk during his summers at the Edward Johnson Building, Crow realized that this was an opportunity to give kids a taste of music with an hour-long concert each Wednesday of the Festival.  Summer camps are run each year by the University of Toronto, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Miles Nadal JCC and The Royal Conservatory, so the Festival, headquartered at the Edward Johnson Building, is in a perfect position to bring families and kids out of the sun for an hour to hear violin, opera, and Canadian musical offerings.  As the Toronto Summer Music Festival also welcomes adult amateurs for a Community Academy during its last week, it truly spans the life cycle with these outreaches.

Canadian composers and performers have been influenced by diverse musical traditions, all of which are included in the programming.  Works by Bach, Dvorak, Puccini, Ravel, Mozart, and others will be presented.  Freed from the exertions of serving as Artistic Director, Douglas McNabney will perform two songs scored by Brahms, alongside mezzo-soprano Laura Pudwell and pianist Jane Coop.

For a complete list of concerts and to purchase a Festival Pass or individual tickets, which often sell-out,  go to www.torontosummermusic.com.

Keep your eye on Ludwig Van for further coverage of the Festival, including an interview with Jonathan Crow by Joseph So.

For more CLASSICAL MUSIC NEWS, visit HERE.

#LUDWIGVAN

Robin Roger
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