Lightning Round Q&As

In every interview we conduct with various Soundstreams performers, conductors and composers, we always end with a “lightning round” of questions. Find out what Toronto concert hall is a favourite of several people, the quirky songs people chose as their “guilty pleasure song”, and what airports you should try to avoid. As we wrap up 2014, here's a look at all of the lightning round responses we've received over the years!

Lightning Round with composer James Rolfe, December 6, 2012
Favourite city: Toronto!
Worst airport: Los Angeles
Guilty pleasure song: Boys & Girls by Martin Solveig, with Dragonette
Best concert hall: Koerner Hall, Toronto
Favourite restaurant: Curry Twist, The Junction

Lightning Round with pianist James Parker, March 15, 2013
Favorite city: Vancouver
Worst airport: LAX  
Guilty pleasure song: Turn Me Loose by Loverboy
Best concert hall: Wigmore
Favorite restaurant: Tojo’s in Vancouver
 

 

Lightning Round with composer Riho Esko Maimets, September 13, 2013
Favourite city: Tallinn
Worst airport: Tie between Heathrow and JFK
Guilty pleasure song: Thriller by Michael Jackson
Best concert hall: St. Nicholas' Church in Tallinn
Favourite restaurant: Aed in Tallinn

 

Lightning Round with pianist Serouj Kradjian, October 16, 2013
Favourite city:  Barcelona
Worst airport:  Heathrow
Guilty pleasure song:  Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
Best concert hall:  Koerner Hall
Favourite restaurant:  Sushi on Bloor
 

Lightning Round with composer R. Murray Schafer, January 10, 2014
Favourite city:  Vienna
Worst airport:  Toronto
Guilty pleasure song:  My own music
Best concert hall:  Koerner Hall
Favourite restaurant: Chez Mignon in San Francisco

Lightning Round with composer and performer Paul Grabowsky, March 26, 2014
Favourite city:  New York City
Worst airport:  Belgrade
Guilty pleasure song:  High Voltage by AC/DC (they played it at my school formal in 1975)
Best concert hall:  Robert Blackwood Hall at Monash University in Melbourne
Favourite restaurant: Café di Stasio in Melbourne

Lightning Round with mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó, May 16, 2014
Favourite city:  Chicago
Worst airport:  JFK
Guilty pleasure song:  On the Floor by Jennifer Lopez
Best concert hall:  Wexford Opera House in Ireland
Favourite restaurant: Pizza e Pazzi in Toronto

 

Lightning Round with composer Jordan Pal, July 8, 2014
Favourite city:  Paris
Worst airport:  Charles de Gaulle
Guilty pleasure song:  Please Forgive Me by David Gray
Best concert hall:  Symphony Hall in Boston
Favourite restaurant: Scaramouche in Toronto

 

Lightning Round with SoundMakers Composer in Residence Aaron Gervais, October 8, 2014
Favourite city:  San Francisco
Worst airport:  LAX
Guilty pleasure song: I’ll have “favourite artist” kicks, but not usually songs. Right now it’s Xiu Xiu.
Best concert hall:  One full of enthusiastic concert-goers
Favourite restaurant: Aziza in Toronto

Lightning Round with conductor David Fallis, November 10, 2014
Favourite city:  Delft in the Netherlands, or Córdoba in Spain
Worst airport:  I don’t like big, monstrous airports, and I hate them in general…
Guilty pleasure song: Eli’s Comin' by Laura Nyro
Best concert hall:  A concert hall is like part of your instrument. I’ve performed in the Musikverein in Vienna, and was overwhelmed by the sound. In Japan, there were wonderful halls, like the Bunkamura in Tokyo. The Royal Opera House in Versailles was an exquisite match for the Lully operas I have conducted there with Opera Atelier.
Favourite restaurant: La Carnita in Toronto