We’re proud that our Halls are home to some of Toronto’s most exciting and memorable concerts and events. Not only do we present some of these events ourselves, we host and welcome major and independent promoters from across Canada. They all contribute greatly to our city’s diverse and inspiring arts and cultural scene. In this column, we celebrate some of these promoters and turn the spotlight on them. This week, we speak with Attila Glatz and take a look at Attila Glatz Concert Productions.
Strong entrepreneurial spirit has driven Attila Glatz to three successful decades of concert production & promotion, community arts development, and festival organization in North America. Some of his many accomplishments include the 1993 co-founding of the successful Huntsville Festival of the Arts in Ontario, of which he remains Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus; the North American presenter, since 2003, of the sensational Daniel O’Donnell concert tours; the successful Toronto debut of Burn the Floor, and the Ten Tenors; the North American debut tour of the world-famous Vienna Mozart Orchestra; and an exclusive Toronto-only engagement of world-famous tenor Plácido Domingo in 2000.
Attila & Marion Glatz in St. Petersburg
In 1995, Marion and Attila Glatz introduced the idea of the traditional Viennese New Year’s Day concert to North American audiences. Recently, Marion and Attila Glatz were presented with the Austrian Government’s prestigious “Decoration of Merit in Gold” for their tireless efforts promoting Austrian culture worldwide.
Having worked for Attila Glatz Concert Productions previously, I can attest to their passion for the arts and their commitment to creating great shows. CONTINUE READING >
Attila Glatz Concert Productions,Bravissimo!,classical,New Year’s Day,New Year’s Eve,opera,Roy Thomson Hall,Salute To Vienna,Tango Buenos Aires
Frédéric Champion
Pop quiz! What could possibly be better than spending an hour listening to gorgeous choral music or a world-renowned organist?
Answer: spending an hour listening to gorgeous choral music or a world-renowned organist when your ticket is on the house.
Free to music lovers of all ages, our Noon Hour Concerts are a relaxing midday respite from chaos of your work day, especially during the busy weeks leading up to the holiday season.
With the generous and ongoing support of the Edwards Charitable Foundation, Roy Thomson Hall has been hosting these free concerts since 1996. Coming up on November 10 we are pleased to welcome organist Frédéric Champion, who has the distinction of being the winner of the inaugural Canadian International Organ Competition (2008). A native of Lyon, France, Champion’s solo recital is part of his 2009 North American fall tour. CONTINUE READING >
choral,classical,Edwards Charitable Foundation,Frédéric Champion,Free Noon Hour Concerts,Gabriel Kney Pipe Organ
Photo of Franz Welser-Möst leading the Cleveland Orchestra by MITO SettembreMusica
How is it that a small Midwestern city, known more for its blue collar industry than anything artistic, produced one of the great orchestras of the world? Far from the cultural centres on the east and west coasts, Cleveland has always been known for its fiercely blue collar ethos and an urban environment so toxic that back in the 1970s the Cuyahoga River actually caught on fire. Back then Clevelanders were famous for their T-shirts reading “You Gotta be Tough.” These days, given the early and lasting impact of the recession on the city, there are still reasons to be tough. CONTINUE READING >
classical,Cleveland,Cleveland Orchestra,Franz Welser-Most,George Szell
Photo credit: Peter A. Sellar/KLIK, 2002
When many of my friends hit their mid-20s they found themselves too old for mosh pits and raves, and though they still enjoyed rock concerts, they were somewhat disenchanted with the post-concert ear-ringing and harsh acoustics that accompanied stadium shows. They were growing up: they wanted to check out a symphony or a recital, maybe enjoy something at the calmer end of the spectrum. But since they’d also never been before, they were a little unsure of what to expect.
Because I grew up in a strictly classical household and have been going to symphony concerts practically since birth, sitting still and listening intently was the norm for me. So I remember my utter shock when I attended my first big-time non-classical concert — I believe it was Paul Simon at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver in the early ‘90s. People were chatting openly during and in between songs! People were eating during the concert. People were — gasp! — DRINKING BEER.
I was waiting for the Concert Police to arrest them.
CONTINUE READING >
classical,concert Culture,Etiquette
National Youth Orchestra
When I was an undergraduate music major at McGill years ago, my roommate was the principal clarinetist of the McGill Symphony Orchestra. Susan practiced every day for hours: if she wasn’t in one of the small practice rooms at the Faculty of Music she was practicing in our apartment a few blocks away. Oh, did I become very familiar with the clarinet repertoire, not to mention the daily tribulations associated with those finicky reeds! Susan’s career plan was simple: she wanted to play professionally in a major orchestra, and to do that she needed to be accepted into the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. The NYOC is a summer training orchestra whose players come from across the country to intensively rehearse, play chamber music, and then tour. The NYOC is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and they are playing Roy Thomson Hall tonight.
The NYOC’s audition process is highly competitive: each year hundreds of musicians aged fourteen to twenty-eight apply for roughly one hundred slots. This includes alumni from previous years — just because you get in one year doesn’t mean you’re automatically back the next. Live auditions are held in the depth of winter in every major Canadian city; the auditions are recorded and sent to NYOC faculty members so they can make their selections.
Susan, I’m glad to report, made the cut. She was ecstatic when she got her acceptance letter…and anxious at the thought of playing with the best young musicians from across the country. (She needn’t have been.) She packed her bags (and plenty of reeds!) and departed full of excitement.
CONTINUE READING >
Alain Trudel,classical,concerts,education,National Youth Orchestra Of Canada,tours
Who is Lang Lang? To some, he is the highly-trained pianist from Shenyang, China: born in 1982, attended Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music, made a name for himself early on. To others he is a bit of a “rock star” in the classical music world, who wears designer clothes, uses lots of hair product, and jet sets across the globe. Some are fans of his sheer talent and work ethic; others think he “moves around too much” at the keys and is perhaps a tad indulgent with his showmanship. It doesn’t really matter. The bottom line: this guy has done more to promote classical music than just about anyone on the planet.
It’s prophetic that Lang Lang’s first introduction to classical piano was a Tom and Jerry cartoon he saw when he was a toddler. Now that he’s all grown up (he’s 27), Lang Lang will use whatever medium necessary to catch the attention of future generations of classical music lovers. His website is full of user-friendly nuggets of information: snippets of Lang Lang on the road, fan pics with Lang Lang, loads of articles — a multimedia extravaganza.
And, it’s working.
CONTINUE READING >
classical,culture,LANG LANG,media,piano
