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Toronto classical music

What the rose foretold

I don’t consider myself particularly superstitious, but maybe I should reëvaluate that assessment. I do hold to certain ritual acts, especially on New Year’s Eve, when coins must be tossed out the front door, and a dark stranger is admitted bearing gifts of coal, gold and whiskey to bring warmth, good fortune, and happiness for the new year. These rituals are ‘performed’ annually, more to amuse guests than to appease the Fates. But listen. Growing in my garden is something peculiar, almost preternatural –  a plant that has become a mysterious oracle – a rose that is seemingly able to… Read More »What the rose foretold

Tate Pumfrey

Unusual Times.03: Tate Pumfrey

We all know that young musicians have been struggling to have their voices heard this year. But undaunted Tate Pumfrey, a York University graduate student in composition, has been busily creating new music, and has found some excellent collaborators across the globe to perform and disseminate his work.  Tate composes for many genres, but extensively for the organ. What better instrument to perform, record and post on social media during a worldwide pandemic? There are no complicated COVID protocols to implement since one, solitary performer executes all the complex counterpoint and harmony all by themselves, in a large, well-ventilated church… Read More »Unusual Times.03: Tate Pumfrey

Howard Dyck’s review: ‘The Sun, the Wind, and the Man with the Cloak’

Pax Christi Chorale, a 100 plus voice Toronto choir, scored another impressive triumph yesterday with the world premiere of Stephanie Martin’s new oratorio “The Sun, the Wind, and the Man with the Cloak”. David Bowser, Stephanie’s successor as Artistic Director of PCC, gave us fine readings of English repertoire (Britten, Elgar, Vaughan Williams) before the intermission. The new choral work is a charming retelling of the famous Aesop fable about the sun and the wind arguing who is the more powerful. Stephanie Martin’s highly effective score was enhanced in no small measure by playwright Paul Ciufo’s delightful libretto. This is… Read More »Howard Dyck’s review: ‘The Sun, the Wind, and the Man with the Cloak’

The Sun, the Wind, and the Man with the Cloak

The Sun, the Wind, and the Man with the Cloak (SWMC) In May 2017 Pax Christi Chorale gave me a beautiful parting gift: a commission to write a big new piece for them. Here’s what happened. De-programming with my colleague Paul Ciufo at O’Brien’s Irish pub after our first operatic project The Llandovery Castle, I recalled a childhood storybook shared with a group of wide-eyed, cross-legged kids in the public library. Book upon her knee, the librarian entranced us with Aesop’s ancient fable of ‘The Sun, the Wind, and the Man with the Cloak.’ The Story Two elemental protagonists, arguing… Read More »The Sun, the Wind, and the Man with the Cloak

Requiem mvt I

Where to find it

Best wishes for those going back to school, church choir, community singing – whatever your thing is, I hope you feel all the energy and goodwill that singing brings. Occasionally an email or FB message will come my way from a distraught music director looking for repertoire. Sometimes they are even looking for my music! So this blog is a guide of where to find my published pieces. Cypress Choral Music in Vancouver was my first publisher, and your first stop for sacred choral music like Four Motets, my little Mass for three voices, Kontakion and Hear my Prayer. Secular… Read More »Where to find it

Sundial, Mount pleasant cemetery

Finding Willan’s grave

Sometimes I receive correspondence from people in far off places wanting to learn about Healey Willan, our great 20th-century Canadian composer. It’s because I was music director at the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene for a short time, and I’ve done some Willan research in the Library and Archives Canada, delivering some academic papers and performing lots of his choral music. Last week one such visitor came to me from San Diego California. We had done the usual round of Willan sites, visiting churches and talking to people who knew Willan well. But when my guest suggested we visit the… Read More »Finding Willan’s grave

The Arrow and the Song

I’ve posted a new ‘free score’ for you to enjoy with your choir. No, it’s not a Christmas piece. My dear friend Tricia will be celebrating a significant birthday and she asked me to write a piece for her, in lieu of chocolates, flowers or silk stockings. She chose the text from Longfellow which turns out to be a delightful reflection on friendship and artistic effort. She also ran an important fundraising evening for ALS to celebrate her birthday. What a beautiful and selfless thing to do. Thanks for the opportunity Tricia! Just go to my Compositions Page and you’ll… Read More »The Arrow and the Song

Birmingham Town Hall

Elijah and bicycles?

Wrapping up my final year with Pax Christi Chorale is a profound, bitter-sweet pleasure. Things will get rolling on the first weekend of November with Mendelssohn’s dramatic oratorio Elijah. I have adored this piece since I learned it in 1977, at 15 years of age, one of the younger singers in Waterloo region’s Mennonite Mass Choir, conducted by my Dad. I really could not believe that as a choral singer, you could throw yourself into the role of a Baal worshipper, and sing really nasty things. It was delightfully naughty and the big sound of about 230 voices with full… Read More »Elijah and bicycles?

BABEL – the poem by Cori Martin

Thanks so much for your thoughtful responses to my last post. Your overwhelming kindness and support humbles me. Many of you have requested to read the poem “Babel” by Cori Martin in advance of the performance. You’ll need to print out all 4 pages and sit down with a cup of coffee and devote some time to this. The body of the poem runs alongside marginalia taken from diverse, existing poetry in many languages. Keep the notes on page 4 handy – you’ll be looking up classical verse, German poetry, Dante, Milton and the Bible etc. etc. Actually you might even want… Read More »BABEL – the poem by Cori Martin

The JUDITH team

One of the great things about a big project like Parry’s oratorio JUDITH is bringing alot of people together. Our performance will require 100 adult singers, 43 orchestra players, four professional soloists, four boys and their understudies, and an audience of 900 listeners. If we are able to raise enough funds we will release a DVD recording of the concert, and then our audience could be several thousand people. One choir member told me she was sorry her grandmother could not come to hear JUDITH since she is not mobile and can’t leave the house. So, our recording of JUDITH… Read More »The JUDITH team