Stage Door News
Stage Door News
TORONTO…From July 14 to August 7, 2016, the Toronto Summer Music Festival presents a rich portrait of the vast musical traditions of Great Britain – from the Baroque to the 20th century pop British Invasion – with a special focus on the music of great British composers including Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Britten, Walton, and many more.
“British social development has led the Western World in revolutions and expanding social democracy, including the democratization of the arts,” said Douglas McNabney, artistic director of Toronto Summer Music. “From brass bands, music halls, Victorian songs and operetta to the Beatles and Radiohead, British pop culture has helped transform and define modern global popular culture. London, by far the largest, fastest growing and most prosperous urban centre in Europe has always been a mecca for music and musicians, attracting composers such as Haydn, Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Liszt who made frequent and prolonged visits to the city.”
The 2016 Festival brings an outstanding roster of Canadian and international artists to Toronto this summer including pianists Jeremy Denk and Christopher O’Riley, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, and the Parker and Dover String Quartets. Festival passes are on sale now, single tickets go on sale April 19, 2016.
Toronto Summer Music Festival 2016 Schedule includes:
The Rape of Lucretia
Friday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m. at the Winter Garden Theatre
Benjamin Britten’s first chamber opera is a chilling drama that offers contemporary commentary on issues of sexual consent in ancient Rome. Britten composed The Rape of Lucretia in 1946 following the success of his first grand opera, Peter Grimes. This thought-provoking production by Against The Grain’s Artistic Director Joel Ivany and Music Director Topher Mokrzewski, was produced at the Banff Centre in collaboration with Against the Grain Theatre, Canadian Opera Company, and Toronto Summer Music. Directed by Anna Theodosakis, this semi-staged production of The Rape of Lucretia features Emma Char (Lucretia), Peter Rolfe Dauz (Junius), Beste Kalender (Bianca), Jasper Leever (Collatinus), Iain MacNeil (Tarquinius), Ellen McAteer (Lucia), Owen McAusland (Male Chorus), and Chelsea Rus (Female Chorus).
The Coronation of King George II
Daniel Taylor and the Theatre of Early Music
Tuesday, July 26 at 7:30 p.m. at Walter Hall
Since the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066, every British monarch has been crowned at London’s Westminster Abbey in a majestic service filled with pomp, glitter and glorious music. Daniel Taylor, Canada’s internationally renowned countertenor, conductor and scholar, has searched through the libraries of Westminster Abbey and London’s Chapel Royal, with guidance from leading musicologists. This exhilarating concert, performed by the Theatre of Early Music under the direction of Daniel Taylor, reconstructs the magnificent ceremony that honoured King George II’s ascension to the throne in 1727.
Sonnets, Scenes and Songs: A Shakespeare Serenade
Wednesday, July 27 at 7:30 p.m. at Walter Hall
Shakespeare’s plays and poems have inspired more music than any other English-language author. In this concert, an ensemble of 16 outstanding young singers from Canada’s leading opera training programs explore Shakespeare’s sonnets, scenes and songs set to the music of Tippett, Finzi, Gounod, Barber, Verdi, and Britten. This performance, under the musical and stage direction of Patrick Hansen, is part of a week-long celebration of Shakespeare and Music involving the noted Shakespeare scholars Professor Paul Yachnin from McGill University and Professor Emeritus Linda Hutcheon from the University of Toronto.
Ticket & Venue Information
Festival Passes ($351-$655) and Flex Passes (15-20% discount on 5 or more concerts) are on sale as of April 12, 2016. The Rape of Lucretia is not available as part of a Festival Pass or Flex Pass. Tickets for The Rape of Lucretia ($35-$95) can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com or 1-855-622-ARTS.
Individual concert tickets to the Festival ($20-$95) will be on sale as of April 19, 2016. To purchase festival passes and single tickets visit www.torontosummermusic.com , call 416-408-0208 or visit the Weston Family Box Office at the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning (273 Bloor Street West). For information on all 2016 Festival activities call 416-408-0208 or visit www.torontosummermusic.com.
Festival mainstage performances take place at: Koerner Hall in the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning (273 Bloor Street West), Walter Hall at University of Toronto (80 Queen’s Park) or The Winter Garden Theatre (189 Yonge Street).
Facebook: facebook.com/Torontosummermusic
Twitter: @TSMFestival
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Instagram: tsmfestival
2016-04-12
Toronto: Toronto Summer Music includes opera, Shakespeare and more