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Oct 28, 2019

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Classical Masterworks are Bursting with the Colours of the Season this November at the TSO

Classical Masterworks are Bursting with the Colours of the Season this November at the TSO

Toronto, ON—October 28, 2019—The Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) brings bold symphonic masterpieces to audiences this November. Interim Artistic Director Sir Andrew Davis returns to Toronto for the first time this season to lead Thaïs Grand Opera in Concert. This spectacle for the ears features Canadian soprano Erin Wall in the title role, and will be recorded live for release on Chandos Records. Next, Davis Conducts Russian Masters highlights violinist Karen Gomyo and brings the World Première of unsheltered by TSO RBC Affiliate Composer Emilie LeBel. Adding to the fall concert lineup is the audience-pleaser Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, with TSO Concertmaster Jonathan Crow leading the Orchestra and acting as soloist in this timeless piece. Renowned Canadian pianist Jon Kimura Parker joins the Orchestra for An American in Paris, led by internationally acclaimed conductor Leonard Slatkin. Rounding out a month of anticipated performances is the previously announced Explore the Score (the orchestral composition reading session that is open to the public) and the TSO’s annual All Tchaikovsky concert, led by TSO RBC Resident Conductor Simon Rivard with the 18-year-old superstar violinist Daniel Lozakovich as soloist.

Ottawa and Montreal audiences will be among the first to hear the Davis Conducts Russian Masters concert when the TSO performs it on tour November 11 and 12, respectively. 

Visit TSO.CA for a full list of upcoming concerts.

See below for more details on the upcoming November performances.

THAÏS GRAND OPERA IN CONCERT (NOVEMBER 7 & 9)

Temptation. Obsession. Redemption. Sir Andrew Davis conducts Jules Massenet’s seductive Thaïs—a French operatic masterwork—in concert (with Surtitles included), featuring renowned Canadian soprano Erin Wall in the title role of the doomed courtesan, an all-star cast of vocalists, and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. This concert will be recorded live and later released by Chandos Records.

DAVIS CONDUCTS RUSSIAN MASTERS (NOVEMBER 13)

Sir Andrew Davis conducts Shostakovich’s triumphant Tenth Symphony, while the masterful Karen Gomyo performs Prokofiev’s blazing First Violin Concerto. The concert will feature the World Première of unsheltered by TSO RBC Affiliate Composer Emilie LeBel, commissioned by the TSO. The 10-minute work considers the necessity for refuge amidst surroundings that feel tenuous, slippery, and humming with uneasy energy.

The concert will also tour at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa November 11 at 8:00pm and the Maison symphonique in Montreal November 12 at 8:00pm.

VIVALDI’S FOUR SEASONS (NOVEMBER 16, 17*, 20 & 21)
*George Weston Recital Hall

Year after year, season after season, the music of Vivaldi blooms in perennial splendour. Concertmaster Jonathan Crow leads the Orchestra and is featured as a soloist in Vivaldi’s timeless The Four Seasons. He also leads an American classic—Aaron Copland’s joyous Appalachian Spring, featuring the inspiring hymn “Simple Gifts”—and Songs of the Invisible Summer Stars by Yellowknife composer Carmen Braden that was inspired by the ceaseless summer twilight experienced in extreme northern and southern regions. 

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (NOVEMBER 22 & 23)

Famed conductor Leonard Slatkin leads this program of all-American masterworks, including Gershwin’s jazzy musical postcard and Samuel Barber’s Pulitzer Prize–winning Piano Concerto, performed by Canadian gem Jon Kimura Parker. The TSO gives the Canadian Première of Cindy McTee’s Double Play for Orchestra.

TSYO & SAMUEL KERR (NOVEMBER 24)
George Weston Recital Hall

Under the direction of TSO RBC Resident Conductor & TSYO Conductor Simon Rivard, and featuring marimba player Samuel Kerr, winner of the 2018/19 TSYO Concerto Competition, this concert will demonstrate the immense passion of the young musicians of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. Programming highlights include Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 and Mussorgsky’s St. John’s Eve on Bald Mountain. 

ALL TCHAIKOVSKY (NOVEMBER 27, 28, 30 & DECEMBER 1)

Start your holidays with a BOOM! The TSO’s annual all-Tchaikovsky concert features the resounding 1812 Overture—which is sure to blow the roof off Roy Thomson Hall—the too-rarely encountered Symphony No. 1 “Winter Dreams”, and teenage superstar Daniel Lozakovich performing the Violin Concerto.

EXPLORE THE SCORE (NOVEMBER 30)

Explore the Score returns for its second edition, inviting audiences the rare opportunity to witness some of the country’s top rising composers’ works rehearsed in a live professional orchestral setting. Audiences will be able to witness artistic creation first-hand, as pieces by four gifted composers—Ian Cusson, Matthew Emery, Fjóla Evans, and Jared Richardson—are performed by the Orchestra under the baton of TSO Composer Advisor Gary Kulesha with TSO RBC Affiliate Composer Emilie LeBel hosting. Explore the Score is a collaboration with the Canadian Music Centre.

The TSO Season Presenting Sponsor is BMO Financial Group.
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, and the City of Toronto.

Twitter: @TorontoSymphony
Facebook: facebook.com/torontosymphonyorchestra
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About the TSO: One of Canada’s most respected arts organizations, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) plays a vital role in the city’s dynamic cultural life. Committed to serving local and national communities through vibrant performances and expansive educational activities, the TSO offers a wide range of programming that resonates with people of all ages and backgrounds. With a notable recording and broadcast history complementing international touring engagements, the TSO is a unique musical ambassador for Canada around the world.

The TSO continues its long-established history of connecting younger generations with orchestral music. Two core programs include School Concerts, performed for over 40,000 students annually, and the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra (TSYO), which, in a tuition-free model, offers high-level orchestral training for talented young musicians aged 22 and under. Additionally, the TSO supports the development of next-generation artists through its annual open call for Canadian orchestral scores, and its essential Resident Conductor and Affiliate Composer positions.

Sir Andrew Davis serves as TSO Interim Artistic Director for the 2019/20 season, prior to the arrival of incoming Music Director Gustavo Gimeno in 2020/21. Sir Andrew Davis is well known to Toronto audiences, having a 44-year relationship with the TSO and returning to the TSO stage regularly. 

The TSO was founded in 1922 by a group of Toronto musicians and gave its first performance at the historic Massey Hall. Since 1982, Toronto’s iconic Roy Thomson Hall has been the TSO’s home, drawing patrons from around the world. Soon to celebrate its centenary, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s name remains synonymous with musical versatility and growth, and artistic distinction.

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