Toronto, Ontario, Canada

www.ClassicalMusicClubToronto.org

Who we are

The Classical Music Club of Toronto is a music appreciation society intended for gay and gay positive music lovers. The Classical Music Club of Toronto meets to hear and discuss classical music. Each programme is lead by a presenter, who has selected the topic and arranged the programme. The contents of the programme are entirely up to the presenter to choose and to organise. Programmes run approximately three hours. There is a program about every three to five weeks. Typically in the winter the programmes are Sunday afternoon, and in the summer Saturday evening. However, the exact times of the programmes can vary - read the calendar carefully!

Membership information

The Classical Music Club Toronto invites gay and gay positive music lovers to come to a presentation or two, and give us a try. If you join, membership fees are a modest $25/yr, just $10/yr for seniors and students, and are due each September.

To be added to our e-mail reminder list, to join as a member, to find out the location of the next programme or to answer questions you may have about the Classical Music Club of Toronto, please contact John:

X-TRA listing

Telephone 416-925-9872, ext. 2053 for up-to-date program information. For programme location contact John.

Using the Classical Music Club Toronto's calendar

The calendar listings include all the basic programme information (date, time and subject) and in addition each presenter provides a brief summary of what the programme is to be about. There may be additional information such as links to another web page with a biography or background material about the works being presented.

Where you see [Discography] as a link, the presenter has provided details on the exact performers and recording references. This is usually available within a week of the programme having been given. Only upcoming programmes are listed on the main page, so you will need to locate the programme in the full-season calendars. You will find the links to the current and past seasons listed after the list of upcoming programmes.

More information

For your convenience, the Classical Music Club Toronto has assembled links to music-related sites , to gay music-related sites , to gay related sites , and to concerts and festival sites. We've just added a new section, internet radio with some sources of on-line streaming classical music.

21st Season Sat Aug 9 7:00 R. Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos has many faces. It embraces many conflicting elements: chamber opera vs. expanded grand spectacle, domestic vs. universal, and aristocratic snobbism vs. the vulgar energy of the lower classes. Composed in 1912 and originally intended as a short epilogue to be given after a performance of Molière’s play Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, in 1916 Ariadne took on a life of its own. This delightful composition for a chamber-sized orchestra and a cast of 17 singers and actors consists of a prologue followed by a performance of an ‘opera within an opera’. On July 24, the Bavarian National Opera in Munich premiered their new production of Ariadne with strong Canadian/Torontonian content: Adrianne Piezconca singing the title role, Robert Carsen as the director, and Kent Nagano (Music Director of the Montreal Symphony) on the podium. Thanks to internet radio, we can share with you over-the-top superstar Diana Damrau singing Zerbinetta’s famous, extreme-coloratura aria ‘Grossmächtige Prinzessin!’ We urge you to visit Youtube to see her in that particular scene surrounded by male dancers in tight shorts looking like a segment from a Chippendales review. And in our own home town the Toronto Summer Music Festival this year is offering a rare chance to see Ariadne in performance (August 14-17). The MacMillan Theatre at the U. of T. Faculty of Music will provide the appropriate intimate surroundings. Through selections from a recent broadcast, famous audio recordings, and scenes from the few available DVDs, our program will introduce you to the charm and diversity of this early 20th century masterwork. Spend a summer evening on the island of Naxos with the abandoned princess Ariadne, her attendant nymphs, and a troupe of commedia dell’arte players who just can’t stop interrupting the action plus a surprise visit from the handsome Bacchus, god of wine. (ta&js/ta&js) Sat Aug 23 7:00 Bring your own recording Club members are asked to bring along a recording of their own choice. To allow everyone to participate, please limit your selection to about 10 minutes maximum. Media players available are CD and DVD. (*/bs) [The full 21st season program schedule 2007-08 (subject to change)]

Current year and past years entire programme calendars:

• 2008-09 Schedule
• 2007-08 Schedule
• 2006-07 Schedule
• 2005-06 Schedule
• 2004-05 Schedule
• 2003-04 Schedule
• 2002-03 Schedule
• 2001-02 Schedule
• 2000-01 Schedule
• 1999-00 Schedule
• 1998-99 Schedule

Music-related links:

• The Aldeburgh Connection Concert Society Celebrating the Art of Song, the society presents concerts featuring Canadian singers. Performances take place at Glen Gould Studio and Walter Hall.
• CBC Radio Two CBC Radio Two will venture further into web radio and broaden its daytime programming in the final phase of a redesign geared toward drawing more listeners. The changes were announced March 4 2008 by Jennifer McGuire, executive director of English programming for CBC Radio. Radio Two will remain a music station, with an emphasis on classical and boosted Canadian content after the final phase of the redesign, she said. The plan for weekday programming on CBC Radio Two is:
  • 6-10 a.m.: A music program dedicated to a range of genres, including classical, pop, jazz and roots music.
  • 10 a.m.-3 p.m.: A classical program that will emphasize the most popular and accessible classical music, including Mozart, Beethoven and other favourites.
  • 3-6 p.m.: A drive-home show focusing on vocal music, including many new artists.
  The format for the morning program also will continue on weekend mornings.
  
  Studio Sparks, noon to 3 p.m. will end in August and Eric Friesen will leave at the end of December. Jurgen Gothe will leave the 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily show Disc Drive for a weekend show also after August.
• Canadian Opera Company Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company (COC) is the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America. Under its General Director, the late Richard Bradshaw, the company enjoys an international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation. The COC presents seven fully staged operas each season. In addition, it presents operatic and orchestral concerts in venues throughout the city and collaborates with a number of arts organizations. In total, over 117,000 people attended COC mainstage performances, and the COC currently has over 16,000 subscribers.
• Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Toronto's opera house opened in September 2006 to very positive reviews of the building and to the Canadian Opera Company's production of Wagner's Ring cycle.
• Glenn Gould Studio Glenn Gould Studio is one of Toronto's favourite venues for concert-goers, and home to CBC Radio's flagship live concert series OnStage. With only 340 seats, you'll be "closer than you've ever been" to great artists and events.
• Music Toronto Music TORONTO began in 1971 as the music programme of Toronto Arts Productions, presenting chamber music concerts and recitals at the Town Hall in the St. Lawrence Market precincts. The St. Lawrence Centre is located in downtown Toronto at the corner of Front and Scott Streets, one block east of Yonge. From the Subway and the Go train at Union Station, walk two blocks east on Front Street. Parking is available in the neighbourhood.
• National Ballet
• New Music Concerts New Music Concerts was founded in 1971 by the internationally acclaimed Canadian musicians, flutist and composer Robert Aitken and composer Norma Beecroft, to promote interest in the art of music and contemporary music in particular. Ninety percent of our concerts are recorded for regular broadcast on Two New Hours on CBC Radio 2.
• Off Centre Music Salon. Intimacy in a modern concert hall is that possible? Curtains and orchestra pits is it necessary to have barriers between the performers and the audience? Do people hear the music or do they actually listen to it and moreover can they reply? Do the arts need to be separated? These are a sample of the questions that Boris Zarankin and Inna Perkis posed of themselves in establishing Off Centre Music Salon eight years ago. In search of a less commercial more intimate form of musical presentation, this duo in life and music revived the European Salon tradition. All concerts at the Glen Gould studio, Sundays at 2 pm. E-mail: enjoy@offcentremusic.com. Phone: 416-466-1870.
• Roy Thomson Hall & Massey HallMassey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall bring you the finest artists in classical music, jazz, pop, comedy, world music and dance - from Canada and around the world. The Roy Thomson Hall is located at the south-west corner of King and Simcoe Streets. Massey Hall, the Grand Old Lady of Shuter Street, lures superstars and audiences alike with her character, warmth and intimacy.
• Sinfonia Toronto describes itself as Toronto's Premier Chamber Orchestra. Music director is Nurhan Arman. All concerts at Grace Church on-the-Hill.
• Soundstreams Canada Canadian creation takes centre stage at Soundstreams Canada. Whether it's living-edge chamber music, multi-choral spectaculars, or rarely performed works of music theatre, our aim is to foster a living Canadian musical heritage. Artistic director: Lawrence Cherney.
• Tafelmusik Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, founded in 1979, is one of the world's leading period performance ensembles. Led by Music Director Jeanne Lamon, all members of the orchestra are specialists in historical performance practice, and their collaboration results in a delightful transparency, vitality and richness of sound. Tafelmusik performs 50 concerts a year at home in Toronto, tours extensively around the world, and has a discography of 60 award-winning CDs.
• Toronto Centre for the Arts The centre has three performance halls - The Main Stage Theatre, the Recital Hall and the Studio Theatre. The George Weston Recital Hall is widely recognized as Canada's best recital hall and one of the top music venues in the world. Located in Toronto (North York), just south of the North York subway station or a few blocks north of the Sheppard subway station.
• Toronto Hear and Now The Toronto Coalition of New Music Presenters is a collective of music ensembles, concert presenters, and other organizations dedicated to the creation and proliferation of new music. The Coalition meets regularly to address key issues in the new music community and, through the combined strength of its member groups, realize opportunities to champion new music in Toronto, Canada, and beyond.
• Toronto Mahler Society (Yahoo group) The mission of the society is to promote the music of Gustav Mahler in Toronto and Canada. If you are interested in Mahler's music and would like to join other Mahler lovers across Toronto and Canada, you have come to the right place. You don't have to know a lot about Mahler to join, we are here to educate and provide a forum for discussion and enjoyment of anything about Mahler. In addition to online discussion, we are planning to have meetings in Toronto to talk about Mahler's music, the man and his life. [Toronto Mahler Society - flyer]
• Toronto Mendelssohn Choir The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir is Canada's world-renowned large vocal ensemble. Founded in 1894 by Dr. Augustus S. Vogt as an extension of his Jarvis St. Baptist Church choir, the Choir presented its first concert in Massey Hall (as part of the hall's inaugural season) on January 15, 1895. The Choir's name was chosen to honour the composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy who had died just a half-century before its founding.
• Toronto Symphony Orchestra A cultural institution better than three-quarters of a century in the making, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is Canada's foremost symphonic ensemble.
• The Wholenote Magazine Most complete single source of concert listings for Toronto.

Gay-related music links:

• Buffalo Gay Men’s Chorus The Buffalo Gay Men's Chorus is a membership association dedicated to producing vocal music of high quality in the rich tradition of men's choral singing.
• Counterpoint Community Orchestra Welcomes all experienced musicians who are gay, lesbian or gay positive to join our ranks.
• Forte - The Toronto Men's Chorus sings a repertoire that includes pop, cabaret, broadway and classical music.
• Rainbow Voices of Toronto was founded in 1999 and is a non-auditioned community chorus of lesbians, gays, their families and friends. Their mandate is to build bridges between the straight and gay communities through the power of song. Everyone is welcome to join and discover that he too can sing despite what their grade school teacher told them!
• Singing Out! The lesbian and gay chorus of Toronto

Gay-related links:

• AsianXpress Twice each month, DJ Sumation entertains a mixed crowd of asians and others in a dance with a welcoming environment at the 5ive nightclub. He uses a mix of styles including trance, hip-hop and other contemporary dance music. Each event has a theme - check the website.
• CelebrAsian Formerly Gay Asians Toronto (or GAT), is a social support and political advocacy group. The mission of CelebrAsian is to enhance the quality of life for transgender, transsexual, bisexual, lesbian, and gay people of East and Southeast Asian heritage/ancestry living in the Greater Toronto Area by addressing their individual issues of importance and by building and advocating for a discrimination-free society.
• The Fraternity Toronto's Networking and Social Club for Professional Gay Men.
• Gayscape Search no more. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Queer no matter what you call it we've got it. By limiting our listings to sites of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual interest we provide the specialized search tool that's fast, easy and fun.
• GuysLink This site lists gay information, a gay search engine, special features, mail, personals, and chat. The scope is international.
• Long Yang Club Toronto A social club for gay people of Asian and non-Asian ancestry
• Planet Out A large, general purpose commercial site devoted to anything gay
• Scented is a social non-profit organization whose goal is to promote gay Asian Pride and to celebrate our diversity and differences in the gay community.
• 365 Gay Gay Canada's national online daily newspaper from Gay Toronto, Gay Vancouver, Gay Montreal, Gay Ottawa
• The Transgendered Bisexual Lesbian Gay Alliance at York is a student-run service supported by the York Federation of Students (YFS.)
• XTRA (Toronto) Gay newspaper

Concerts and Festival links:

• The Festival of the Sound The Festival of the Sound started in 1979 with three concerts in the Parry Sound High School gymnasium, presented by Anton Kuerti and Kristine Bogyo. They were soon joined in their vision of a classical music festival held annually on the shores of Georgian Bay by the first of hundreds of volunteers who have worked to make the dream a reality. Under the artistic directorship of Canadian clarinetist James Campbell since 1985, the Festival of the Sound has grown to a 3 ½-week season with over 60 events, recognized as a destination for serious music lovers from far and wide.
• Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival Each summer the Ottawa Chamber Music Society (OCMS) produces the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival. Celebrate the 14th festival this summer July 26 - August 9, 2008

Classical music on Internet radio:

• RadioioClassical This is the classical music radio station from Radioio. RadioioClassical plays entire musical works complete - many other Internet radio stations just play “bleeding chunks”. They play orchestral music, no vocal. Data rate is very high (128Kbps) with excellent sound if you have high speed. Free (with ads) or pay (no ads). The company also has some 20 other music genres (e.g., 70s, Jazz, Dead etc.)
• vTunerAn index of Internet radio stations, sortable by country, musical genre, or station name/identifier. For classical, there are about 240 stations listed. Provides the name, location, bit-rate and links to the audio feed and the station's page.
  
  "vTuner.com recognized the need for a product that would put Internet radio and TV broadcasts at the user's finger tips and the idea of vTuner was born. vTuner creates an easy way to find and launch radio and TV broadcasts available over the Internet. vTuner is your complete guide to the world of live entertainment, music, news and talk on the Internet including thousands of stations from over 160 countries around the globe. "

Last Updated: August 11, 2008