Stage Door News
Stage Door News
This month on the Bloor St. Culture Corridor...
There is a lot to celebrate this February and so many ways to do it! Spend time with family and loved ones on the Family Day long weekend, share arts and culture with a special someone on Valentine's Day, and February is Black History Month. Take this opportunity to share some quality time with people important to you with the endless possibilities available on the Bloor St. Culture Corridor!
The Toronto Consort
The Toronto Consort presents Kanatha/Canada: First Encounters on Feb. 3 & 4. It was in Jacques Cartier's travel journals of 1535 that the word Canada was first written down, using a native word to describe the kanatha (or main town) he visited near modern-day Quebec City. In this year marking the 150th anniversary of confederation, can we imagine new musical encounters between European and aboriginal nations? Featuring Canadian composer John Beckwith's soul-stirring Wendake/Huronia, and music from the early colonists, the Consort is joined by Wolastoq song carrier Jeremy Dutcher, First Nations performers Marilyn George, Shirley Hay, and Wendat Traditional Knowledge Keeper Georges Sioui. Tickets are $22-$60. For more information visit torontoconsort.org.
Alliance Française Toronto
This February there are lots of exciting events at Alliance Française Toronto! Hear concerts by La trace de satyr, who combines classical and popular French songs with jazz improvisations on Feb. 3, and Concert of Malian music with Djely Mori Tounkara on Feb. 11. An exceptional duo exhibition by famous photographers Sebastião Salgado and Bradford Washburn, Encounters with the Sublime, is on view Feb. 8 - Mar. 4. Movies this month include Blood in the mobile; Lumumba; and Three Colors: Red on Feb. 23. Four lectures are at Alliance Francaise this month: Mysteries, deaths, tombs, gods and scholars in Ancient Egypt on Feb. 1 with Egyptologist Antoine Hirsch; Congo, the next Coltan War is in our hands with author Blaise Ndala on Feb. 2; The many faces of Vimy ridge with historian Mélanie Morin-Pelletier on Feb. 15; and Art and Energy: how cultures change with president of Lord Cultural Resources Barry Lord on Feb. 22. For more information visit alliance-francaise.ca.
University of Toronto Faculty of Music
The University of Toronto Faculty of Music concludes the New Music Festival with Salvatore Sciarrino's opera The Killing Flower (Luci mie traditrici) Feb. 1 at 7:30pm and Via Italia: Contemporary Italian Music Feb. 4 at 12pm. Chamber music takes centre stage this month as the Faculty welcomes the Cecilia String Quartet and tenor Lawrence Wiliford on Feb. 13 with a program of Mozart, Rubbra and Schubert. Feb. 16 the Musicians from Marlboro play a memorable program including Thomas Adès' Arcadiana, Brahms's String Quintet in G Major and piano trios by Haydn and Fauré. All above concerts take place in Walter Hall. The free Thursdays at Noon series continues with violinist Erika Raum and pianist Lydia Wong Feb. 9 and Squeeze and Bang with Pluck! (accordionist Joseph Macerollo, percussionist Beverley Johnston and harpist Erica Goodman) Feb. 16. For more information visit music.utoronto.ca.
Hot Doc Ted Rogers Cinema
Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema invites you to explore the life, career, and creative process of the editor-in-chief of Italian Vogue in Franca: Chaos and Creation (Feb. 3 - 9). Don't just stand there, let's get to it: Strike a Pose with the sensational Blond Ambition tour dancers (Feb. 3 - 20). Exit: Music, the ARC Ensemble-featuring doc returns (Feb. 10 - 16). Travel to Istanbul and meet their street cats with sumptuous cat's-eye-view cinematography in Kedi (Feb. 17 - 26). Head beyond Twin Peaks and into the Shadows of Paradise with David Lynch on Transcendental Meditation (Feb. 24 - 26). Renowned photographer Sally Mann opens up in the moving doc What Remains, as The Great Photographers series continues on Feb. 26. Catch some of the greatest true crime docs of all time, followed by Q&As. True Crime Tuesdays kicks off with The Thin Blue Line (Feb. 7) and Capturing the Friedmans (Feb. 14). For more information visit hotdocscinema.ca.
Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre
Join the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre, a.k.a. "the J," as Kevin Courrier explores classic and contemporary film in his lectures Roads to Perdition: The Dark Allure of Film Noir on Feb. 6 & 13. The Auteur Directors lecture series includes the films of Claire Denis on Feb. 6 & 13 and Kelly Reichardt on Feb. 27. Celebrate Valentine's Day with timeless love songs in The Kings of Swing: A Valentine's Day Concert on Feb. 16. Experience a new take on Shakepeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in Ahuri Theatre's What Dream It Was installation in the Al Green Theatre Feb. 16 - 19. Watch WWII drama None Shall Escape on Feb. 26, and learn about opera in daytime lecture Back To Basics: Opera 101 with Iain Scott on Feb. 27. Join fun Family Day festivities for all 10am - 5pm on Mon. Feb. 20. For more information visit mnjcc.org.
Bata Shoe Museum
The Bata Shoe Museum continues its popular Arctic Film Series with the screening of the documentary film Queen of the Quest. Join them on Feb. 9 at 6pm for PayWhatYouCan and follow Denise Malliki, a young female musher from Repulse Bay as she experiences the demanding Nunavut Quest - an eight-day dog team race from Pond Inlet to Clyde River. Whoever said you can't touch at a museum has never visited the BSM! Every Saturday between 1 - 3pm, drop by and enjoy some Hands-On Fun with friendly docents in the galleries. On Feb. 20, bring the kids down to the coolest shoebox for Family Day Monday. Experience a magical winter wonderland with arts & crafts, ISpy games, try-on shoes and a special screening of the children's movie The Snow Queen. For more information visit batashoemuseum.ca.
Tafelmusik
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir is excited to launch the new DVD/CD package for Le Mozart Noir with a FREE movie screening at Trinity-St. Paul's Centre on Feb. 5 at 7:30pm, in partnership with the Toronto Black Film Festival. This award-winning film uncloaks the mystery of Joseph Boulogne, Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a Black musician from the eighteenth-century. A Bach Tapestry is a unique and vibrant musical tapestry of excerpts from J.S. Bach's choral and orchestral music, both new and familiar, assembled by Choir Director Ivars Taurins. This concert runs from Feb. 9 - 12 at Trinity-St. Paul's Centre. Commemorating the 150th anniversary of Confederation, Tafelmusik presents Visions & Voyages: Canada 1663-1763, a new multimedia concert inspired by the journey of the beaver pelts supplied by First Nations and European hunters to trade networks for European markets, with orchestral works by Purcell, Lully, Marais, and Handel, from Feb. 22 - 26 at Trinity-St. Paul's Centre. For more information visit
Museum of Estonians Abroad/VEMU
At the Museum of Estonians Abroad/VEMU, on Feb. 12, 4pm, the Tartu College Film Society will be screening the Estonian family film Nukitsamees (Bumpy, 1981). This fairytale fantasy film is based on Estonian author Oskar Luts' children's story and includes a number of Estonia's well-known actors. The film and the music written by Olav Ehala still remain popular among Estonians. The heartwarming story about the power of family and love is perfect for celebrating Family Day. No admission fee. A small donation would be appreciated. On Feb. 22, 7:30pm, Monika Evelin Liiv (mezzo soprano) and Marje Lohuaru (piano) from Estonia will perform a diverse overview of the world's best vocal music from opera arias to classical chamber music. Although the focus is on Estonian vocal music, the program also includes Western and Russian classics. Tickets are $25 (adults) and $12 (students) at the door. For more information please visit vemu.ca.
The Gardiner Museum
The Gardiner Museum will unveil the special exhibition Janet Macpherson: A Canadian Bestiary on Feb. 16. To commemorate Canada's sesquicentennial, the Gardiner commissioned an exhibition that both celebrates and questions notions of Canadian identity, as interpreted by one of the country's most exciting young ceramic artists. A Canadian Bestiary conveys a very personal view of Canada that draws on the artist's experiences, memories of her Catholic childhood, and a distinct visual language characterized by hybrid animal creatures that stand in for the complexity of human experiences. The Gardiner will be holding special Family Day programming inspired by A Canadian Bestiary. On Feb. 20, explore our new special exhibition, which features Janet Macpherson's curious hybrid animals, and from 11am to 3pm, create your own creatures out of clay. Visitors 18 and under are free every day. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. For more information visit gardinermuseum.com.
Toronto Reference Library
Vice & Virtue opens at the Toronto Reference Library TDGallery (Feb. 11 - Apr. 30), looking back at widespread moral reform in Toronto as the city faced rapid growth and industrialization at the turn-of-the-century. The exhibit explores changing attitudes and increasing regulation of alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, gambling, homosexuality, juvenile delinquency, vagrancy and prostitution. Through tabloids, photographs, manuscripts, posters and pamphlets from the library's Baldwin Collection of Canadiana, Vice & Virtue examines a seedier side of our history and shows how this era shaped "Toronto the Good." And in the Appel Salon, Canadian authors dominate our February line-up. Featured events include Margaret Atwood speaking with Johnnie Christmas about their latest graphic novel; Monkey Beach author Eden Robinson with her first book in a decade, Son of a Trickster; and screenwriter Elan Mastai promoting his first novel All Our Wrong Todays. American literary icon Paul Auster will also be in the Salon in February with his unforgettable new novel, 4 3 2 1. For more information visit Torontopubliclibrary.ca.
Japan Foundation, Toronto
As a continuation of the 47 Ronin-related programming in conjunction with the ongoing exhibition Legendary Loyalty: The 47 Ronin in Japanese Prints (through Mar. 4), the Japan Foundation, Toronto (JFT) will be screening a "vengeance"-themed film, Hirokazu Kore-eda's Hana, on Feb. 3. Hana is a revenge film with a humanist touch that portrays a reluctant samurai in the era of the legendary ronin. On Feb. 22, JFT program officer Toshi Aoyagi will be delivering the third installment of his video and talk series on the 47 Ronin in kabuki theatre. JFT will have Saturday openings of the library and gallery from 11am to 4pm on Feb. 4 & 18. For more information visit jftor.org.
Royal Ontario Museum (The ROM)
Visit the ROM in February for Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY), a showcase of 100 striking landscape and biodiversity images from the world's most prestigious nature photography competition. Enhance your WPY experience with a ROM U: Digital, Drones and Post-Production workshop on Feb. 5. Tickets are $72 for members, students and teachers, and $80 for the public. Enjoy the exhibitions Art, Honour, and Ridicule: Asafo Flags from Southern Ghana, and Isaac Julien: Other Destinies. Celebrate Black History Month on Feb. 3 with #FNLROM: Afro Fête, featuring performances by Exco Levi & High Priest and Ammoye and gallery activations from designer Chinedu Ukabam and installation artist Isaac Julien. For Family Fun Day Weekend, join world-renowned Asafo flag maker, Baba Isaaka from Ghana for Asafo Flags workshops. On Family Day, Feb. 20, the School of Atelier Ballet performs a range of dances from Renaissance to Baroque in a Dance Through Time. For more information visit rom.on.ca. Image: Isaac Julien, Western Union Series No. 1 (Cast No Shadow), 2007. Duratrans image in lightbox, 120 x 120 cm. Courtesy of the artist.
The Royal Conservatory of Music
February Concerts at The Royal Conservatory's Koerner Hall include the Dover Quartet joined by Grammy Award nominated Israeli mandolinist Avi Avital, who does "everything you never dreamt a mandolin could do" (Haaretz Daily) on Feb. 11. The popular Quiet Please, There's a Lady on Stage concert series continues on Feb. 23 with "Jelly & George" featuring Aaron Diehl and Cécile McLorin Salvant. The New York Times praised Salvant for "a playful sense of humor, a rich and varied tonal palette, a supple sense of swing ... and a deep connection to lyrics." Tony Award-award winning actor and singer Brent Carver joins the Art of Time Ensemble on Feb. 24 in The Songbook, including a lineup of songs from a wide variety of styles and genres, from Broadway to the cafes of Paris, and from the Great American Songbook to pop music of the sixties. For more information and tickets, visit www.performance.rcmusic.ca
Istituto Italiano di Cultura
On February 1, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura co-presents the Canadian premiere of The Killing Flower by Salvatore Sciarrino at Walter Hall in the Edward Johnson Building at University of Toronto. Love, infidelity and murder are captured in Sciarrino's now iconic drama, based on the story of late 16th century composer. Due to popular demand, The Necessary Time, a photographic exhibition by Ljubodrag Andric has been extended until February 17 at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura gallery. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday during business hours or by appointment. For more information visit iictoronto.esteri.it.
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2017-02-01
Toronto: Events on the Bloor Street Culture Corridor in February 2017