Soundstreams have just announced their 2016/17 season. There’s quite a lot there for those with an experimental taste in vocal music as well as a bunch of instrumental stuff. Probably the biggest deal is a staging of “musical curiosities” from R. Murray Schafer’s Patria cycle. Odditorium will feature selections from The Greatest Show, Ra, and others, immersing audiences in a circus-like atmosphere, complete… Read More
It seems that accordions are making a comeback. That’s not only because the box-shaped instrument can be heard in new songs from Mumford & Sons, Arcade Fire, and The Lumineers. The trend goes deeper than that. The accordion, or squeezebox, is coming back into vogue after a generation of ridicule. New York’s Carnegie Hall had its… Read More
Squeezebox, stomach Steinway, accordion: this modest instrument from the folk fringes is preparing for its time in the spotlight. Just as the cello and organ have recently been jazzed up and introduced to music lovers beyond their traditional realm, the accordion is gaining new acclaim. Squeezebox, an evening of contemporary music presented by Soundstreams on… Read More
Squeezeboxes from all over the world take centre stage at the all-accordion concert Squeezebox, featuring classical and contemporary music. Three of the performers tell us a little bit about their squeezebox of choice. Héctor Del Curto “A bandoneón is a reed instrument invented in Germany and derived from the concertina. It was meant to replace the… Read More
‘We’re hoping the feel will be something like a mashup of Handel, Bjork, and Kubrick’s 2001 Space Odyssey’ Every year around this time, there are a handful of Messiahs around Toronto to pick from. This year, George Frideric Handel’s 1741 English oratorio will also be offered in part in Maliseet, an Algonquian language spoken by… Read More
Soundstreams’ high concept show Electric Messiah opened at the Drake Underground last night. So what is Electric Messiah? It’s a potent mix of Handel/Jennens, four exceptional singers from varied backgrounds, electronics, turntable artists and electric guitars. It’s “staged” in the round in a dive bar with the audience and artists mixed up all over the… Read More
George Frideric Handel wrote Messiah toward the end of his life and it has become his lasting legacy. First performed in Dublin on April 13, 1742, followed by its London premiere nearly a year later, it became known as one of the most frequently performed choral works in Western music. Dipping into the St. James… Read More
The Globe & Mail’s Robert Harris writes about the Soundstreams / CanStage production of Julie. Check it out: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theatre-and-performance/canadian-stage-ready-to-woo-the-classical-music-crowd-with-julie-opera/article27256092/
The Whole Note takes a deep look at the Soundstreams and CanStage collaboration of Philippe Boesmans’ Julie. Check it out: http://www.thewholenote.com/index.php/newsroom/25703-boesmans-julie-comes-to-canstage
She reflects on the apparent chasm between pop culture and high art, her latest role in Canadian Stage’s Julie, and why she strayed from the predictable path of a rising opera talent. Check it out here: Q Interview: Soprano Sharleen Joynt on operatic bliss and life post Bachelor.