Author Archives: barczablog

Christopher Bagan, busy keyboardist & scholar talks about his new orchestration of Pelléas et Mélisande

Posted on March 14, 2026 by barczablog

Christopher Bagan wears a lot of hats, as keyboardist, conductor, professor at University of Toronto, chamber musician, basso continuo specialist, coach & repetiteur. In the immediate future: Christopher joins Toronto Mendelssohn Choir’s presentations of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion March 24th-25th. … Continue reading →

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A Bach Celebration with Tafelmusik Chamber Choir & Ivars Taurins

Posted on March 13, 2026 by barczablog

Thursday night was the first performance by Tafelmusik of A Bach Celebration at Jeanne Lamon Hall. The explanation was that this is an attempt to present a curated series of works that less well-known, instead of the usual canonical pieces, … Continue reading →

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Nathan Sawaya’s ART OF THE BRICK

Posted on March 13, 2026 by barczablog

The Art of the Brick show has now come to Toronto as of today March 12th. Nathan Sawaya is the artist. Yes I want to call his creations “art” and yes he is an artist, working with LEGO blocks and … Continue reading →

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BELTing Over the Rainbow

Posted on March 11, 2026 by barczablog

BELT Monday night March 9th invited us to “another unforgettable night of communal singing at Crow’s Theatre” to “learn and perform the beloved classic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz.” After spending Saturday morning March 7th studying … Continue reading →

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Singsational Bach workshop with Jean-Sébastien Vallée

Posted on March 7, 2026 by barczablog

I know Jean-Sébastien Vallée as the artistic director of Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, which sometimes means he’s preparing the TMC for their work with another conductor, sometimes he’s the one leading the big ensemble, as he did for the Brahms German … Continue reading →

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Interviewing soprano Sarah Dufresne

Posted on March 5, 2026 by barczablog

Reviewers work after the fact, which means that sometimes we only notice stars when the show is over, especially when we are seeing the artist for the first time. So here I am belatedly interviewing Sarah Dufresne, long after her … Continue reading →

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Diapente Presents Time’s Eldest Son Celebrating 400 Years of John Dowland

Posted on March 1, 2026 by barczablog

Yes it’s a humongous headline but it’s a perfect description of the concert I witnessed Saturday night at the Heliconian Hall, and the first time I’ve seen a performance by Diapente Renaissance Vocal Quintet. Felix Deak joined Diapente for the … Continue reading →

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Norman Lebrecht vs Yuja Wang using Lebrecht’s own quote against him

Posted on February 27, 2026 by barczablog

Here I am posting something that at first glance will look like gossip. Norman Lebrecht thrives on gossip in Slipped Disc but karma seems to be slapping him right in his lumbar region. Speaking of which I have a bone … Continue reading →

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A closer look at the COC’s zany Barber of Seville

Posted on February 22, 2026 by barczablog

Your tickets to the opera really are a case of “location location location”. When I saw the Canadian Opera Company’s Barber of Seville two weeks ago seated in the middle of the downstairs at the Four Seasons Centre, yes I … Continue reading →

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TSO are back for Gimeno’s Mahler 9 proposition

Posted on February 20, 2026 by barczablog

I’ve had a wonderful experience tonight at Roy Thomson Hall watching and listening to Gustavo Gimeno leading the Toronto Symphony in Mahler’s 9th Symphony. The orchestra has just returned from their European tour. You can read more about the tour … Continue reading →

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