TSO Noteworthy—Spring 2019

Mentorship at the TSO

EVENING EPIC

SPRING 2019

TSYO Clarinet Zachary Goldstein and TSYO Flute Michelle Hui perform for guests at EVENING EPIC TSO NOTEworthy • Spring 2019 • page 1

The TSO’s first Relaxed Performance

Spring 2019 1

Message from the Chief Executive Officer

2

Mentorship at the TSO

4

EVENING EPIC

6

Spring with the TSYO

7

The TSO’s first Relaxed Performance

8

Gustavo Gimeno returns

9

Bravo to our partners

9

Upcoming events

Design Egg Design

When complete, this season will have featured more than 130 performances, with 1 in every 5 performances designed for young audiences.

Photography (cover, pg. 4, 5 & 6) Sonia Recchia (pg. 1, 2, 6 & 7) Jag Gundu (pg. 3) William Ford (pg. 3) Ben Tomlin (pg. 3) Jan Vanderhooft (pg. 8) Marco Borggreve

TSO NOTEworthy • Spring 2019 • page 2

Noteworthy is distributed free of charge to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s donor community.

Charitable Reg. No. 10525 5335 RR0001

Message from the Chief Executive Officer

On a personal note Since moving to Canada last summer, I’ve been continually amazed by the warm welcome that has been extended by the TSO family. This is an organization surrounded by an incredibly dedicated group of supporters, and it has been a pleasure to meet and get to know so many of you over the past few exciting months at the TSO! This season has brought us an abundance of dazzling concert performances as well as exciting developments off the stage. The TSO continues to demonstrate its amazing musical versatility, from Mahler to Mozart, Star Wars to Pops, we are lucky to have such remarkable musicians comprising the ensemble.

The TSYO marked the finale of its 45th season with a celebratory program that spotlighted this impressive ensemble and the results of months of diligent practice. The TSYO is a key pillar of the TSO’s multi-faceted mentorship and education programs, and is provided tuition-free to young performers.

This is also a generous orchestra, as demonstrated when we launched our first Relaxed Performance. This concert was designed to help welcome neurodiverse audiences and was attended by hundreds of families, 50% of whom were experiencing their first TSO performance. We remain committed to creating more ways to engage our numerous communities with live orchestral music.

To top it all off, our recording of Vaughan Williams: Orchestral Works—conducted by Peter Oundjian and featuring principal musicians as soloists—was first nominated for a GRAMMY Award and then won a JUNO Award in the Classical Album of the Year: Large Ensemble category.

We are proud of our musicians for garnering this special recognition and hope that you have had a chance to take a listen.

The TSO also held a new fundraising event this spring, EVENING EPIC, a memorable night of musical collaborations featuring the incomparable Jeremy Dutcher, with proceeds supporting our musiceducation and outreach programs like the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra (TSYO).

In a few weeks, we break for the summer in grand style when we welcome incoming Music Director Gustavo Gimeno back to the podium for a three-day run of the electric suite from The Firebird. After each performance, we’ll be chatting on

TSO NOTEworthy • Spring 2019 • page 1

Thank you for being a part of the TSO family and for championing the power of music through your annual support.

stage, and I hope you can join us and get to know our new Maestro.

Thank you for being a part of the TSO family and for championing the power of music through your annual support. Your generosity makes everything mentioned above—as well as everything performed on stage— possible. I look forward to sharing more music and meaningful moments with you in the fall.

Matthew Loden Chief Executive Officer

Mentorship at the TSO

Partnerships shine the spotlight on emerging artists The TSO is committed to supporting the development of up-and-coming musical talent. We are pleased to share with you two recent initiatives that highlight the value of mentorship and its importance to the success of orchestras and musicians.

LEFT: Explore the Score composers Kathryn Knowles, Sean Clarke, Scott Ross-Molyneux, Keiko Devaux, and Julia Mermelstein RIGHT: Composer Kathryn Knowles (left) and TSO RBC Affiliate Composer Emilie LeBel address the audience during the Explore the Score reading session

Explore the Score Since 2012, the TSO has given some of Canada’s top emerging composers the opportunity to receive mentorship from a variety of artistic and administrative staff, and to hear their brand-new works rehearsed in a live professional orchestral setting.

This year, for the first time, we opened our annual composer reading session to the public. Explore the Score, in partnership with the Canadian Music Centre (CMC), invited audiences to hear the TSO

perform new compositions by rising Canadian stars and witness musical creations come to life.

• Scott Ross-Molyneux (Calgary), with his composition In Night’s Black Cloak

The selected 2019 Explore the Score composers were: • Sean Clarke (Ottawa), with his composition Scarlet Crimson Carmine • Keiko Devaux (Montreal), with her composition À perte de vue...

• Kathryn Knowles (Toronto), with her composition Gestures and Games • Julia Mermelstein (Toronto), with her composition in turn

TSO Composer Advisor Gary Kulesha led the Orchestra through two performances of each work. As part of the mentoring process, the composers received feedback in a closed session with Kulesha, TSO RBC Affiliate Composer Emilie LeBel, members of the Orchestra, TSO Principal Librarian Gary Corrin, and guest conductor Ludovic Morlot.

TSO NOTEworthy • Spring 2019 • page 2

Equilibrium Young Artists In partnership with Equilibrium Young Artists (EQ), a program founded by celebrated soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan to foster the professional development of young artists, soprano Jenavieve Moore, mezzo-soprano Jillian Bonner, tenor Charles Sy, and bass Trevor Eliot Bowes will be the featured vocal soloists in Mozart’s Requiem with the TSO in January 2020.

Hannigan and TSO Interim Artistic Director Sir Andrew Davis selected the four young Canadian singers after auditioning more than 20 gifted candidates. Along with each audition, candidates had the chance to participate in mentoring sessions— during which Hannigan and Davis engaged in invaluable group conversations with the singers, discussing the ups, downs, and insideouts of professional music careers.

“It was absolutely inspiring to hear and meet everyone,” comments Barbara Hannigan. “We had to make difficult choices, as we could only select four singers for Mozart’s Requiem. Though we could not cast everyone at this time, I am delighted about the connections we made— connections that can play out in other, sometimes very unexpected ways down the road. Now all of these remarkable young singers are on our radar.”

In preparation for their upcoming TSO débuts, the four singers will attend an intensive EQ workshop with Hannigan at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance (LAMP) in Nova Scotia in August 2019. The EQ workshop also involves working with Jackie Reardon— coach to Olympic medal–winning athletes—as well as leaders in business, technology, and the arts who have been collaborating with EQ since its formation in 2017.

TSO NOTEworthy • Spring 2019 • page 3

Soprano Jenavieve Moore (photo by Ben Tomlin), mezzo-soprano Jillian Bonner (photo by Jan Vanderhooft), tenor Charles Sy (photo by William Ford), and bass Trevor Eliot Bowes

This quartet of vocalists can be seen with the TSO in performances of Mozart’s Requiem January 15–18, 2020.

EVENING EPIC

The TSO hosts orchestra-sized fundraising bash On April 4, the TSO presented EVENING EPIC, a new special event with proceeds underwriting vital musiceducation and mentorship programs.

Conductor Lucas Waldin led a headlining collaboration between the TSO and 2018 Polaris Music Prize winner and JUNO-winning musician Jeremy Dutcher. The evening also featured spotlight performances— curated by TSO Principal Double Bass Jeffrey Beecher—that highlighted the virtuosity of TSO and Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra musicians. With dazzling décor and plentiful food and drink, it was an unforgettable night.

1

1: DJ/Vocalist Sandy Duperval; 2: Jeremy Dutcher performs with the TSO; 3: Spotlight cello octet performance featuring TSO Principal Cello Joseph Johnson, TSO Cello Alastair Eng, guest musician Allison Rich, TSYO Cello Daniel Lee, TSYO Cello Jake Lee, TSYO Cello Ashley Jong, TSYO Cello Eugene Ye, and TSO Cello Roberta Janzen

2

TSO NOTEworthy • Spring 2019 • page 4

3

8

4

5

Sponsors and partners

Performance Sponsor

7

6

Epic Sponsor

Epic Sponsor

TSO NOTEworthy • Spring 2019 • page 5

4: Toronto Symphony Foundation Chair Tom MacMillan, Kiki Delaney, Rachel Volynsky, and TSO CEO Matthew Loden; 5: TSO Horn Gabriel Radford, TSO Board Chair Catherine Beck, and Toronto Symphony Foundation Trustee Jeannine LiChong; 6: Matthew Loden and Nada Ristich; 7: Matthew Loden (centre) with TSO Young Leadership Council members James Stuart, James Bertrand, Danielle Ryterband, Tricia Black, and Rachel Spiar; 8: TSO Clarinet/Bass Clarinet Miles Jaques, Christine Milne, and Jim Nicol

Spring with the TSYO

Photo by Sonia Recchia

The Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra celebrates its 45th Season Finale at Roy Thomson Hall

The Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra (TSYO) celebrated its 45th season with an abundance of activity. In addition to the coaching they receive from TSO musicians, members of the TSYO enjoy unique experiences including masterclasses led by renowned guest artists such as cellist Alisa Weilerstein, and the opportunity to perform at events like EVENING EPIC. This season, TSYO members also had a special peer-to-peer mentorship opportunity of their own, as they participated in a musical performance

TOP LEFT: Members of the TSYO and the Regent Park School of Music perform in the lobby prior to a TSO Young People’s Concert; TOP RIGHT: TSYO and TSO musicians bow following their side-by-side concert at Roy Thomson Hall; BOTTOM LEFT: TSYO Violin Hannah Corbett, TSO Violin Shane Kim, TSYO Violin Duncan McDougall, TSO Violin Clare Semes, TSYO Viola Emad Zolfaghari, and TSYO Cello Alonso Flores greet EVENING EPIC guests with a musical performance; BOTTOM RIGHT: The TSYO perform their 45th Season Finale concert at Roy Thomson Hall

in collaboration with students from the Regent Park School of Music prior to a TSO Young People’s Concert.

The TSYO delivered three concerts in 2018/19, as well as their annual sideby-side performance with the TSO. On May 5, under the direction of TSO RBC Resident Conductor & TSYO Conductor Simon Rivard, the TSYO held its 45th Season Finale concert,

TSO NOTEworthy • Spring 2019 • page 6

bringing their milestone season to a magnificent close with an all-Russian program of Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich. It was the first time they have ever performed a fulllength masterworks concert alone at Roy Thomson Hall without the accompaniment of their TSO coaches, and the young players were thrilled with the opportunity to showcase their talents on the TSO’s stage.

The TSO’s first Relaxed Performance

Hundreds of families enjoy special concert for neurodiverse audiences On April 27, the Orchestra welcomed patrons to our first Relaxed Performance, designed specifically for people living with autism spectrum disorders, sensory and communication disorders, learning disabilities, or anyone who wants a more casual concert experience.

Audience members were welcome to move around, express themselves vocally, or take a break in the quiet room. The TSO also provided resources such as sound-dampening headphones and advance access to a Visual Guide that detailed the concert experience step by step.

With specialized training provided to musicians, TSO staff, and frontof-house personnel by Relaxed Performance Consultant Rachel Marks, the concert gave attendees who may have otherwise been unable to attend concerts the chance to enjoy live orchestral music in a low-stress environment.

TOP: TSO Assistant Concertmaster Etsuko Kimura greets audience members prior to the concert BOTTOM: A young concertgoer uses sounddampening headphones to enjoy the performance

“Words truly cannot express how much this show meant to our family. I cried tears of joy, gratitude, and relief as I looked around the venue and saw people free to be themselves.”

“We’re so appreciative that we can now share with our daughter, who has some complex needs, something that we as a couple have always loved.”

— Attendees at the TSO’s Relaxed Performance

TSO NOTEworthy • Fall 2018 • page 7

The TSO is grateful to Ms. Doris Chan, Equitable Life, Audrey S. Hellyer Foundation, Mr. Brian Sambourne, and Mrs. Ruth Watts-Gransden for their support of the Relaxed Performance.

Gustavo Gimeno returns

June concerts are Gimeno’s first in Toronto as incoming TSO Music Director “I am so proud to become the Music Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. From our very first encounter, I connected with the Orchestra’s sound, and their cultivated playing and flexibility, and immediately felt at home, both musically and personally.

I look forward to sharing our musical stories with our loyal audiences everywhere.”

— Gustavo Gimeno

The announcement of Gustavo Gimeno as the TSO’s incoming Music Director has thrilled Torontonians, and audiences will have three opportunities to see him conduct the Orchestra in advance of our new Maestro’s inaugural season in 2020/21.

Immediately following each performance of The Firebird on June 28, 29, and 30, remain in the auditorium for a special onstage conversation with Gimeno, TSO CEO Matthew Loden, and TSO Concertmaster Jonathan Crow.

Gustavo Gimeno Conducts The Firebird

Gimeno Conducts Daphnis et Chloé

Gimeno, Yuja Wang & Brahms

Friday, June 28, 2019 at 7:30pm Saturday, June 29, 2019 at 7:30pm Sunday, June 30, 2019 at 3:00pm

Wednesday, October 9, 2019 at 8:00pm Thursday, October 10, 2019 at 8:00pm Saturday, October 12, 2019 at 8:00pm

Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at 8:00pm Thursday, April 9, 2020 at 8:00pm Saturday, April 11, 2020 at 8:00pm

Jonathan Crow, violin

Beatrice Rana, piano

Yuja Wang, piano

Sibelius: Violin Concerto Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 “Classical” Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1945 revision)

Guillaume Connesson: Aleph: Danse symphonique (TSO Co-commission) Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 Tchaikovsky: The Tempest FantasyOverture Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 (April 8 & 9) Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 (April 11) Brahms: Symphony No. 2

Tickets for Gustavo Gimeno Conducts The Firebird are available now. Subscriptions for the 2019/20 season are available via TSO Patron Services at 416.598.3375 or online at TSO.CA/Subscribe. Single tickets for 2019/20 will go on sale on Thursday, August 1. Pre-sale for TSO subscribers and donors begins on Tuesday, July 30.

TSO NOTEworthy • Spring 2019 • page 8

Bravo to our partners Thank you to our government partners for their leading support on behalf of the people of Toronto, Ontario, and Canada, and to the Toronto Symphony Foundation for its significant ongoing support.

Upcoming events Open Rehearsal Experience the fascinating steps the Orchestra takes to prepare for a performance.

TORONTO SYMPHONY FOUNDATION SEASON PRESENTING SPONSOR

Carmina Burana Tue, Jun 18, 2019 7:30–10:00pm

RSVP To RSVP for the donor Open Rehearsal, please call Patron Services at 416.598.3375 or email friends@TSO.CA.

CORPORATE PARTNERS

Maestro’s Club Post-concert Reception Enjoy an end-of-season celebration with incoming Music Director Gustavo Gimeno and fellow Maestro's Club members.

Gustavo Gimeno Conducts The Firebird Fri, Jun 28, 2019 7:30–9:30pm MEDIA AND PROJECT PARTNERS

´

TSO NOTEworthy • Spring 2019 • page 9

RSVP To RSVP for this exclusive Maestro’s Club member event, and/or to purchase tickets for the concert, call 416.598.5380 or email maestrosclub@TSO.ca.

On behalf of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the many talented artists, students, and citizens who benefit from your gift,

Thank you for your support.

TS

Toronto Symphony Orchestra

500-145 Wellington St. W. Toronto, ON M5J 1H8

SEASON PRESENTING SPONSOR

Thank you

4876016