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JUDITH at Koerner Hall

You may know Jerusalem and I was glad, but it’s unlikely you have ever heard a major work for choir and orchestra by C.H.Hubert Parry. Why has a major oratorio by one of Britain’s best-loved composers been neglected for 125 years? Pax Christi Chorale is determined to turn the tide on Parry’s unjust obscurity in the realm of oratorio. You will be the first audience to hear Parry’s Judith in North America when this dramatic work is revealed at Koerner Hall on May 3, 2015. Judith’s first performance in 1888 was very favourably received. Though Parry was self-critical and struggled… Read More »JUDITH at Koerner Hall

Cat in the city: the play

Cat in the City: The play. Act I, Scene 1 Dramatis personae: The Woman. The Cat.   The Cat: meow. Meow. MEOW! The Woman: Ok, OK. I’ll give you some food buddy. But honestly, you are getting really chubby. There. There’s some food for you. Don’t eat it all at once. The Cat: Purrr….purrr… Woman:  I just think… sometimes, the only reason you like me is that I feed you. We should really talk about that sometime. Only, you don’t talk. You just sing for food. Cat: Purr, purr, purrr…. Woman: Anyway, we’ve got to get going here. If you… Read More »Cat in the city: the play

Time

On New Year’s Eve

Stephanus:  Where do the old years go when they die? Is there a country for old years that have passed away? Are the new years waiting, cued up in the wings, waiting to hear their music and make their entrance? Maximus: Stephanus, really, I think you’ve had a bit too much of the Wassail bowl tonight. Look around. We’re the last ones left at this party. All the New Year’s revelers have gone home early to their beds! Stephanus: Nuh- no – no.  I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. They say time passes, that time can fly… Read More »On New Year’s Eve

WholeNote magazine: November’s child

WholeNote magazine is a Toronto treasure. The monthly must-have publication is put together by a group of talented, selfless, hardworking individuals who keep our musical network connecting, informing, and spreading the word about our vibrant underground classical community. I’m catching up with an article that tells a bit of my own story. It’s called November’s Child. It came out in print last month, but there’s a longer interview online. Here’s one of the secrets revealed in the piece- an embarrassing childhood musical memory: “What was my most embarrassing experience as a child learning music? I was entered in a sight-reading… Read More »WholeNote magazine: November’s child

Allan gardens

Allan Gardens

I had the great pleasure to experience a guided tour through the Allan Gardens Conservatory with my Pax Christi friends Emily and Jennifer. Our hosts Virginia, and Curtis the Foreperson of Plant Production, led us through this peaceful, indoor oasis. Right now Toronto’s “crystal palace” boasts a spectacular display of poinsettias and Christmas garlands. The soaring glass dome built in 1910 replaced the original garden pavilion built in the 19th century which was destroyed by fire. Filled with a permanent collection of tropical plants, the slightly humid atmosphere is a balm for dry lungs ravaged by dry and over heated… Read More »Allan Gardens

Household tips for working gals: Episode I – The Holidays (Draft for perusal)

Camera #1 fade back from twinkling Christmas tree holiday decorations to long shot of Steph longshot of actor playing Steph / Candice Bergen our Celebrity Host sitting by a roaring fire sipping mulled wine. Celebrity Host: (In a soft, somewhat sultry, welcoming tone) Hello there. I’m so glad you’ve tuned in to my new insightful programme. What a wonderful way to savour the comfort and joy of this special season. Camera #2 close up – the Host seems to be relaxed and ready for the show, but there is something disheveled about her – as if she’s just run in from… Read More »Household tips for working gals: Episode I – The Holidays (Draft for perusal)

Why Santa?

A small boy frowns under a heap of blankets in a little red wagon on the subway. His Dad and his big brother dance and croon, attempting to cheer him up. A tiny girl with crooked pigtails moans unhappily until her mother whispers secretly in her ear, and a tiny, chocolate stained smile appears on her rosy face. Everyone is on the TTC. All the nations are gathered together, and they shall be comforted. They’re on their way to see their hero, to see Santa, who will appear at the finale of a fabulous parade to bless them as he… Read More »Why Santa?

Christmas Cattle: A poem by Cori Martin

CHRISTMAS CATTLE by Cori Martin (2008) Could it be true, old Thomas Hardy’s tale: at midnight, Christmas Eve, the oxen kneel to Bethlehem? Our parents slept. We kept a vigil till the magic hour, then crept outside, across the glittering, frozen snow to see this vision promised long ago. And, Lo! Behold! There were the cattle in the moonlit barn, a huddled congregation mangered, softly lowing like singers choired in their stalls. Yet, I feel some cattle shared the doubts then sprouting in my childish thought. For some were kneeling there. And some were not. Cori Martin’s poem captures not… Read More »Christmas Cattle: A poem by Cori Martin

Set it free

Several years ago UtReMi kindly published my piece for flute, oboe and choir – a setting of the well-known Biblical passage “God so loved the World.” I wrote the piece for Father Tay Moss who helped me settle in when I first came to St. Mary Magdalene’s and needed help understanding the rich and complex liturgical tradition there. This piece was for Holy Cross day, September 14, 2007. Since that time, UtReMi publishers have ceased operations. Rather than having the piece lost in the limbo between published and unpublished, I asked their permission to set it free and offer it… Read More »Set it free

Tiny triumphs

To all my friends who are having a rough time, be comforted that you are not alone on your pilgrimage. Simply picking up and getting on with it can be the most difficult job of all, when seemingly insurmountable, daily difficulties present themselves as towering monsters of adversity. What to do when Goliath rises, fully armed and fierce, and we, only shepherds with the smallest of stones? Perhaps one way is to fully recognize our own tiny triumphs – to find a path through a whole jungle of challenges, focusing on each small step, one at a time. What I… Read More »Tiny triumphs