2015-2016 SEASON
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6TH, 2015 @ 8PM, FREE TIMES CAFE (320 COLLEGE ST)
POP GOES THE DISNEY
Enjoy classic film music from Disney and beyond. This concert features the fabulous arrangements of our talented horn player Curtis Vander Hyden. Come down to Free Times Cafe and enjoy live music, have a drink, and maybe even sing along!
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH, 2015 @ 7PM, LILLIAN H. SMITH PUBLIC LIBRARY (239 COLLEGE ST)*
NEW MUSIC 101: WHAT'S IN A FABLE?
Explore the dramatic and humorous side of timeless fables! The Blythwood Winds and narrator Alex Eddington perform several pieces by local composers. This program was developed through Musica Reflecta’s Opus: Testing workshop.
*The Toronto New Music Alliance presents the fifth annual New Music 101 series, "Exploring Boundaries of Sound and Performance." Hosted by David Perlman, editor-in-chief of The WholeNote, sessions combine performance, presentation and discussion.
MONDAY, MARCH 7TH, 2016 @ 8PM, THE TRANZAC (292 BRUNSWICK AVE)
THE NEW WORLD (IN FOUR ACTS)
North America is a place of countless diverse identities, but all of them are inextricably linked in some way to the legacy of Europe’s colonization of the continent. This concert examines four vastly different musical voices born in a sense from this common legacy.
Join us for Paquito d’Rivera’s Afro-Cuban take on the wind quintet in Aires Tropicalis, intellectual complexity tinged with humour and jazz in Elliott Carter’s Wind Quintet, a humorous poke at some of the greatest works of musical history in Arne Running's Aria and Quodlibet, and Canada's own John Estacio's vibrant and appealing Sinfonietta, written for five musicians in this great nation's capital.
THURSDAY, APRIL 7TH, 2016 @ 8PM, ARRAY SPACE (155 WALNUT AVE)
CONTINENTAL DRIFT
This program explores the musical geography of continental Europe, contrasting old-school German romanticism with the French school of the early 20th century. Both Germany and France are represented by one composer who was an undisputed master of their craft, and a skilled but lesser-known composer with related influences. Music featured at this performance is Robert Schumann's Rhenish Symphony (movement I, arr. Vander Hyden), August Klughardt's Quintett, Marcel Bitsch's Sonatine, and the witty Quintet No. 1 by Jean Françaix.
SUNDAY, JUNE 12TH, 2016 @ 3PM, HELICONIAN HALL (35 HAZELTON AVE)
Each year Blythwood Winds premieres newly composed Canadian works for woodwind quintet on its Hogtown Roundup series.
This year we've commissioned three talented Canadian composers to explore what makes this city tick through the lens of Toronto's quintessential backdrop, graffiti and street art. This concert is co-curated by Elisha Denburg, co-Artistic Director of the Toy Piano Composers and General Manager of the Canadian League of Composers. Along with a new commission from Denburg, we will be featuring premieres of works by Jason Doell, and Bekah Simms. There will be multidisciplinary elements to this performance with a focus on local graffiti and street art.
Also included on the program is a reprise performance of Yu-Ting Lin’s The New Queen, a fable setting written for Blythwood Winds in collaboration with Musica Reflecta for their Opus: Testing series in 2015, featuring special guest Alex Eddington as narrator.
At this, our 2015/16 season finale, we are especially pleased to host the Canadian Music Centre who will be presenting composer Jason Doell with the 2016 Harry Freedman Recording Award. We will also include a work by Freedman as tribute to this special occasion, showcasing a sample of the beloved Canadian composer's legacy.
SUMMER SHOWS 2016
THURSDAY, AUGUST 4TH, 2016 7PM @ ST. JAMES PARK (120 KING ST E.)
Blythwood Winds plays a summer show in Old Town Toronto this Thursday for MUSIC IN ST. JAMES PARK! Contemporary classical, jazz, and film score arrangements. Music of Paquito d'Rivera, Elliot Carter, Harry Freedman, Paul Hindemith, as well as the masterful arrangements by their horn player, Curtis Vander Hyden of Alan Menken and John Williams. This includes the premiere of his arrangement of Star Wars: The Force Awakens Suite!
SATURDAY, JULY 30TH, 2016 5PM @ MOUNT PLEASANT (375 MOUNT PLEASANT RD)
MUSIC AT MOUNT PLEASANT featuring works by Elliot Carter, Harry Freedman, Paul Hindemith, and John Williams