TSO: road to Miami

Posted on January 8, 2016 by barczablog

As I try to find a parallel to my experiences tonight, I’m thinking back to the hockey series I saw on TV in September 1972 (when Canada defeated the Soviets). It’s not hockey but music, and the only Russian involved was Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, a composer long dead.

The parallel may escape you. But at that time a bunch of fans went along to cheer their heroes on, something many of us watched on TV with envy. I wish I had been there.

Peter Oundjian with the Toronto Symphony January 7th

Peter Oundjian with the Toronto Symphony January 7th (photo: Michael Morreale)

But tonight it was as though I heard the Toronto Symphony with a fresh set of ears. The Knight Concert Hall where the TSO played tonight in Miami is a jewel of a venue, smaller than Roy Thomson Hall, and with a warmer acoustic, (matching the warmth of the applause) that offered up the performances with greater clarity than what we usually get at RTH. It’s delightful to be able to hear them so clearly.

There were three strong items on the program. We began with John Estacio’s Wondrous Light, a bold and brassy curtain raiser. I shouldn’t have been surprised, considering the energy with which Conductor Peter Oundjian bounced onto the stage tonight. Maybe what I saw was simply his enthusiasm or something designed to inspire & even goad his players, who had the day off Wednesday (and a leader wanting to be sure that his players answered the call). But answer they did. Parts of the composition that seemed to have a bit of a Latin feel that might have been congenial for the audience in a city with a substantial Spanish-speaking population. This is an accessible composition unlike what one usually encounters in a short contemporary piece to open a symphony concert.

After a break to reconfigure the orchestra – including the theatrical raising of the grand piano to the stage via elevator—we were on to Beethoven’s 4th piano concerto, featuring young Canadian Jan Lisiecki. Again, listening in Florida it was as though hearing the piece for the first time. I can’t imagine how radical this composition must have sounded on its first hearing, the piano coming in all alone to play that single chord, Lisiecki seeming especially eloquent in his opening statement. I call it that because he seems to speak when he plays. The performance was very rhetorical, a series of questions and answers back and forth between soloist & orchestra.

Every time I see him I think he’s getting better. The technique is rock solid of course, but there’s a sense of a genuine maturity in his interpretations. I’ve seen over-bearing conductors who push a soloist out of their comfort zone, and seem determined to be the boss, but it’s a great pleasure watching the interaction between Lisiecki and Oundjian at the podium, who is especially sensitive with young soloists.

A lighter moment from rehearsal with Jan Lisiecki and Peter Oundjian (photo: Michael Morreale)

A lighter moment from rehearsal with Jan Lisiecki and Peter Oundjian (photo: Michael Morreale)

The dynamic range was extremely romantic, the orchestra very bold in their opening statement of the second movement, the piano very soft, in a passage sometimes compared to the encounter between Orpheus and the Furies of the underworld. In these utterances young Lisiecki was especially profound.

After intermission came a very different set of challenges, namely Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. If the only reason to program the piece were to hear Jonathan Crow’s solo violin, we ‘d be off to a good start, but there were a series of great solos, including cellist Joseph Johnson. This is sometimes called a theatrical piece, but what struck me tonight was that it’s above all, a piece about story-telling. Oundjian seemed to shape the various passages & episodes with the kind of boldness of a raconteur: which come to think of it, is something Oundjian sometimes does before concerts in Toronto.  And so instead of telling us stories verbally, it was as though he was shaping the stories from the 1001 Nights at the podium with his baton.

Jonathan Crow, Peter Oundjian and the Toronto Symphony (photo: Michael Morreale)

Jonathan Crow, Peter Oundjian and the Toronto Symphony (photo: Michael Morreale)

When the audience clamored for more, the TSO obliged with a powerful reading of the Polonaise from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin.

Tomorrow’s a bus-trip to Daytona Beach, a concert in the evening, and this enthusiastic fan will be tagging along.

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Leave a comment

Pisani vs Mate: a battle for the heart

Posted on January 7, 2016 by barczablog

Sometimes the most innocuous choice can seem symbolic, as though it represents a fork in the road.

I was packing my carry-on for my flight down to Florida, as I spend a few days getting closer to the Toronto Symphony on their tour.  I am addressing you via the chief occupant of my carry-on aka my acer laptop.

But I have found books a wonderful distraction, especially in the midst of turbulence.  I won’t pretend I have no fear, far from it.  Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.  It’s my chief pain management strategy (when my arthritis acts up), and also a great way to deal with fear of flying.

Previous blog posts about books have been begun in the throes of that denial, as I lost myself in Tina Fey’s funny memoir or in the conversations of Adès, to name two.

Last night I’d put two books into the computer bag, then decided this morning I had to commit to one, ergo the aforementioned fork in the road.  (and as I sit near the departure gate I hope it’s a metal fork. Plastic really wouldn’t stand up to any sort of traffic driving over it… What? Not that kind of fork? Yes I know.  Whimsy and letting my mind wander = another way to distract myself from myself & aviophobia.  Hm is that fear of birds? I will eventually google this).

I was recently re-reading a post I made years ago because someone was kind enough to say they had read it in 2015 (last week that is).  I’d talked about an old CBC feature “Cage Match” that would be presented as part of the morning show.  I had mused that maybe the show could have settled some important questions.  How about the old Montreal vs Toronto rivalry?  Can you settle it via music? Or the TSO vs OSM?   The best rock band from each city? Celine Dion vs Drake?

But this was just a pair of books vying for the right to be jammed into my bag beside my acer.

In this corner: Michael Pisani’s book about melodrama.  It’s an important subject. Everyone uses the word “melodrama” but no one really knows very much about the medium. Oh sure, people read the words of some of the texts, but that is about as relevant as reading an opera libretto without the music.  Pisani spent a decade exploring this medium, and his book is must-reading for any serious scholar.

click for more information

And in the other corner: Gabor Maté’s When the Body Says No.  I have been reading this one since I bought it at an event of his in the fall in Toronto, when I actually met him.  He had said I  might find it interesting to read because I have Ankylosing Spondylitis.  His book is about a lot of things, but auto-immune disorders feature prominently.

What is the nature of this cage match?  At one point I thought it was intellect vs feeling, because Maté’s writing is wonderfully anecdotal and careful to unpack any technical terms.  But the two books aren’t really so very different in that respect.

The real difference might be that for me one represents scholarship and the mind (Pisani), the other, feelings (Maté).  Too much scholarship, too much work, too much responsibility and perhaps the end result is that the body says no. 

So in other words you can tell which book won the ‘match’.  And I will revisit Pisani’s wonderful book later of course.

As I embrace the restful implications of getting away to hear the TSO in the warmth of Florida, it might be that my mind and body won’t be at war but might harmonize.  Life doesn’t have to be either-or, simplistic dichotomies between extremes.  Symphonic music does require discipline and skill, yet it can be presented in an unpretentious manner.  One doesn’t have to be in a tux to see opera, one doesn’t have to stifle our emotions, forbidding applause between movements.  Everyone seems to be rethinking and reappraising those old relationships, the TSO included.

First on that list is the relationship with self.

Posted in Books & Literature, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged | Leave a comment

TSO warming up in Florida

Posted on January 6, 2016 by barczablog

Toronto has just had the coldest day of the year! Brr-r-r: except it’s only January 5th so that’s a crazy statistic.

Toronto Symphony in Florida

Toronto Symphony in Florida

I almost called it a “sadistic”because of course, as i look at the sky and wonder about cold weather, i’m really thinking of the Toronto Symphony in Florida. Sorry if the concept brings anyone pain!

The people in the picture do not look upset, do they? Do they miss our weather? ha! I doubt it. And as the week goes on the weather is warming up, already in the 20s.

Peter Oundjian leading the Toronto Symphony in West Palm Beach (Photo: Michael Morreale)

Peter Oundjian leading the Toronto Symphony in West Palm Beach (Photo: Michael Morreale)

And you can’t tell from the photos of the musicians at their concerts–in their basic black–whether the weather is warm or cool.

Pianist Jan Lisiecki with the Toronto Symphony (Photo: Michael Morreale)

Pianist Jan Lisiecki with the Toronto Symphony (Photo: Michael Morreale)

The headline is always misleading right? No it’s a little game I play. I hope you’ll forgive me.  The TSO are not ‘warming up’ as in the little bit of playing one does in preparing to perform. They have already given three concerts (counting the one that started a few minutes ago).  I meant they are torn away from our winter, and forced to endure the sun & warmth of Florida: including the applause.

Peter Oundjian soaking up some of that Florida warmth, aka applause after the concert (Photo: Michael Morreale)

Peter Oundjian soaking up some of that Florida warmth, aka applause after the concert (Photo: Michael Morreale)

For further information about the TSO tour go to this page on their website.

Posted in Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Questions for Brahm Goldhamer: playing Schubert

Posted on January 2, 2016 by barczablog

I know Brahm Goldhamer as a collaborative pianist of exceptional sensitivity. Of all the Toronto pianists I’ve heard in the concert-opera mode—where piano must stand in for all the instruments of the orchestra—his performance in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande in 2011 for Opera by Request stands out in my memory. At the time I said the following (defending the use of a piano):

I would not be undertaking such a discussion if it weren’t for the extraordinary playing of Brahm Goldhamer, the pianist & Music Director.  On the piano, Debussy’s score is transparent, with nowhere to hide from its complexities.  But if one can play properly, you hear the work more clearly than ever before.  And so, for example, when Golaud & Pelléas emerged into sunlight after having been underground, the steady stream of sixteenth notes created a visceral sense of sunshine: especially because the notes were played perfectly.  As the drama built up in Act IV –thinking especially of the violent moments, when the orchestra would unleash primal forces—Goldhamer tossed off lightning fast passages, hammered octaves, always pressing the tempi in perfect synch with the singers, literally hours of precise playing without a wrong note.  Even without voices Goldhamer’s playing would have been a virtuoso performance.  Best of all was the elegant last page that Goldhamer articulated with the eloquence of an Olivier.

Brahm Goldhamer at the piano with tenor Stephen Bell (photo: Karen Runge)

Brahm Goldhamer at the piano with tenor Stephen Bell (photo: Karen Runge)

There are several examples one can find on youtube to hear his exceptional collaborative impulses, supporting singers while playing exquisitely. Here’s one of them, but there are lots more. 

Early in 2016 Goldhamer will be going in a new direction, playing a solo recital January 17th at the Royal Conservatory of Music, and I’m eager to hear him, which is why I asked him some questions about going solo.

Are you more like your father or your mother?

Pianist Brahm Goldhamer (click for Royal Conservatory bio)

In terms of musical genetics, it is a mystery that I became a musician, since neither of my parents could really sing in tune. Apparently my grandfather, for whom I am named, was a good amateur singer. Since he died many years before my birth, I have no way of knowing this. My father had an appreciation for beautiful things and an eye for beautiful paintings, some of which ended up in our home. It is a small thing, but his handwriting , earlier on, was really interesting calligraphically. My mother always wrote with the precision of a teacher, which was her profession. Everything was very neat and orderly. My father’s rather free-wheeling personality was closer to mine.

My grandparents had an old Heintzman upright piano at their home and I always enjoyed tinkering with it as a child. I asked my parents for piano lessons. After that I was hooked.

I enjoyed making variations on all the sonatinas that I studied and in fact improvised on every piece that I studied. From this, I became very comfortable with a wide range of styles. My musical education was rather unorthodox in that I was educated by the nuns of the order of St. Joseph and as a Jewish youngster from a traditional Jewish home, I spent several summers in convents with Catholic nuns who were also my piano teachers. My parents did not have to encourage me. I encouraged them to take me to concerts in Montreal, a one hour car ride from home, in order to hear great artists. In particular. Expo 67 in Montreal was a real eye opener for me, due to of all the great artists who performed there.

I heard my first opera, Otello, that summer. However, at the time, I was too engrossed in the piano to take much notice. Not until I studied the Norton scores in Music History at the U. of T. did I really become hooked on opera. I would play endlessly the large excerpt from La Boheme in act 1. After that, I purchased the recording with De Los Angeles and Bjorling and I was smitten.

What is the best or worst thing about being a pianist?

The repertoire is absolutely the best thing. It is endless. To be in touch with the great minds of the past centuries through ones fingers is a beautiful thing. The challenge is that the piano is not a voice with an endless spinning legato. This is what the illusion of playing the piano is. How to be a singer with wood, felts and steel.

Brahm Goldhamer with baritone Michael York (photo: Kira Braun)

Brahm Goldhamer with baritone Michael York (photo: Kira Braun)

Who do you like to listen to or watch?

I am a history buff. I love all of the old videos from the turn of the last century. YouTube is an endless source of creativity. I can live in ancient Greece or Timbuktu. I can travel wherever my dreams take me. I love visiting great art galleries. The Turner exhibit at the AGO was particularly magnificent. This summer when I visited London i went straight to the Tate Gallery to see my favorite Turner oil paintings and was very disappointed to see that they were on tour. How wonderful it was to realize that I could see them here in Toronto.

What ability do you wish that you had?

I am not that handy. I would have love to be able to build a house or repair my car. Alas, this is not in my makeup.

When you are relaxing, what is your favorite thing to do?

I enjoy cooking and reading biography or history. In the summer, I love going to the cottage up north. It is a sanctuary for the soul. Staring out the window at the lake is truly a very special thing.

What is the difference between collaborative piano playing and solo performance ?

I keep thinking that there are words and a voice for me to react to. My instincts are so in tune with poetry that I try to create scenarios for the solo works. They are not so specific as the song repertoire, but do allow for a world without words to be expressed solely through instrumental means. This is a challenge, but your mind can go anywhere it wants, without words. Since I am responsible for the entire musical output, I feel that it pushes me further to express in an even more personal manner what the music means to me. There is, however, a very unique experience of working with a singer, for example collaborating on a beautiful Lied by Schumann or Schubert. It is a perfect game of tennis with a perfect partner. We are always reacting on the spot to one another. I like to allow for the spontaneity of performance without working out every detail, and thus, to energize the performance.  I love the sound of the human voice with all of its nuances. I strive to find this in solo repertoire.

Brahm Goldhamer (photo: Karen Runge)

Brahm Goldhamer (photo: Karen Runge)

Speak about your all-Schubert programme (Impromptus op 90, and three sonatas: B-flat , A Major and G Major)

Schubert speaks to me very personally. There is a special vulnerability that comes through his music which I can identify with. Since he was such a great composer of Lieder, it is just a step away for me to play his solo piano works as if they were all songs. There is something very mysterious about the Impromptus. With all of Schubert’s music there is, pardon the pun, something “unfinished.” They are not structured the way the sonatas of Beethoven are. They rather wander loosely. This is both their strength and their “weakness.” Schubert has his feet both in the classical time of Mozart, and in the forward looking harmonies of Beethoven. As with all great composers. they are not specific to any one time. They are unique creations, often looking both to the past and to the future.

This is Schubert. The B flat Sonata is a masterpiece, but it at times seems to lack cohesion. There is not the drive forwards to the cadence as we hear in Beethoven. Schubert takes his time and explores the nuances before finally arriving at the pivotal moment. This is what makes him unique. He lives in shadows, going back and forth between major and minor. You are never really sure as to whether the music is truly “happy” or whatever the opposite is. At the end of his life, Schubert was in a lot of physical pain. He does not allow this, as for example Tchaikovsky does, to become a really personal statement. This makes his music even more poignant.

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Brahm Goldhamer plays Schubert  3:00 p.m. Sunday January 17th at the Conservatory Theatre, Royal Conservatory of Music 273 Bloor St W.

This is a photograph of an 1899 Gustav Klimt painting “Schubert at the piano” that was destroyed in the war. Click for more information on the painting.

Posted in Interviews, Music and musicology, Opera | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

10 Questions for Chris Walroth

Posted on December 30, 2015 by barczablog

The Toronto Symphony’s new year begins on tour in Florida.

click photo for more info

click photo for more info

It’s tough enough when a hundred well-rehearsed players take the stage at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, where we all presumably eat & sleep; quite another to undertake playing Beethoven or Chopin or Tchaikovsky, having lugged all those instruments & people & music-scores & a miscellany of equipment to a variety of concert halls in another country.

I am in awe of such an enormous undertaking. Just thinking of the possible difficulties makes my mind boggle.  This is another one of those complex endeavors resembling an iceberg, where the efforts of support staff ‘beneath the surface’ are invisible. In the spirit of giving credit where credit is due, I wanted to find out more from the TSO’s production manager Chris Walroth: himself someone who insists that he’s just “a small part of a large effort”.

Photo by Sean Howard in the back of the Tippet Richardson TruckKiwanis Community Theatre Centre loading dock, Sault Ste. Marie

In the back of the Tippet Richardson Truck, Kiwanis Community Theatre Centre loading dock Sault St. Marie, Ontario. (Sean Howard photography)

I asked him ten questions: 5 about Chris and 5 more about taking the big show on the road. Forgive me if I sometimes address him as though he does it all, when he’s often speaking for the team.

1-Are you more like your father or your mother?

Physically I am my father’s son.  When I compare photos of my dad in the 40’s and me in the 70’s if you ignore the hairstyles we are the same man. My dad could always find something to keep him busy. I’m a lot like that, I can’t go more than three days at the cottage before I’ve got a project to work on. Dad was very outgoing, the life of the party. In that respect I am more quiet and reserved like my mother. Mom also instilled in me a love of the arts and made sure I saw live theatre, music and dance at an early age. Both parents taught me the value of hard work, how to live happily within my means and the compassion to help others. Performing artists need to get their energy up for a performance, production and technical people who support them need to find their quiet and calm centre so that they can keep things running smoothly behind the scenes. My family tell me I am most like my maternal grandfather: the quintessential calm quiet man.

2-What is the best thing about working with the Toronto Symphony?

Pianist Jan Kisiecki (photo: Mathias Bothor--DG)

Pianist Jan Lisiecki, who also appears on the TSO tour (photo: Mathias Bothor–DG)

Really I have to say the music and the privilege of getting to know the people who make it. As a lifelong fan of classical music, being able to get this close to the music and the people who have been so welcoming to me, it is really the best part of my job. My desk is about 20 feet from where the conductor walks on stage so the music is always with me, some times I get the privilege of having Jan Lisiecki @janlisiecki practicing within ear shot of my desk or Jeffrey Beecher @jeffreybeecher working out a tricky passage on his bass, and it’s like my own private concert. I also get a free pass to sit in the auditorium and hear the orchestra work at any rehearsal. My favorite seat is in the Harry Belafonte section at Roy Thomson Hall, a block of seats main floor centre dedicated or donated in honour of Harry Belafonte.

3-Who do you like to listen to or watch?

I’m all over the spectrum as far as music goes. With so much live classical music in my life when the orchestra is working I tend to have less of that in my playlist. Lately I’ve been going way back to some of my early influences from the coffee house scene of the 70s. David Wiffen, Doug McArthur, I recently found a copy of Raffi’s Folk album “good luck boy” from the days before he started to write kids songs. 

New artists in the same vein like the Good Lovelies are also on my current play list. In the summer during the orchestra’s ten week hiatus I play a lot of classical music. Clearly I miss them when they are gone. I watch mostly drama, not a lot of situation comedy grabs me. Early in my career I worked as the technician for the Frantics comedy troupe, and lighting director for their CBC radio show.  (Chris recalls The Frantics)

Perhaps my close association with them makes me more critical of the laugh track driven sitcom. I have to say within living memory TREME, House of Cards, Jessica Jones are among my favourites. I also enjoy quirky reality TV like Time Team: a bunch of British archeologists digging gleefully in mud and rain looking for a bit of pot shard.

4-What ability or skill do you wish you had, that you don’t have?

That’s hard there are so many things I can’t do, I’m barely fluent in one language despite all the big words I am abusing here. I’ve never been particularly athletic. I am surrounded by such great musical talent and I can’t carry a tune or play an instrument. Sometimes I wish I had the discipline and dedication to train not for a professional career but just to play music as recreation.

5-When you’re just relaxing and not working what is your favourite thing to do?

I am never happier than when I am on the water. My first taste of freedom was being able to take a canoe out on my own any time of the day or night. I was a proficient paddler long before I learned to drive. I learned to sail in high school and added Kayak skills more recently. These remain my most relaxing activities. Put a paddle in my hand and you can almost see my blood pressure lower and my shoulders relax. As they say a bad day on the water is better than a good day ashore. The other place you will find me happy is in a woodworking shop, I spend so much time making; plans, phone calls, budgets, that making something out of wood, that is made to last is a great antidote to the stresses of work.

(Photo: Tanya Babalow)

(Photo: Tanya Babalow)

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Five more about being the TSO’s production manager, and the orchestra’s upcoming tour

1-How long have you been Production Manager, and please talk about the career pathway.

I’m currently in my eighteenth season with the TSO, barely out of rookie status compared to the 40% of the orchestra who have been here for over 25 years. I am however seventh as far as staff seniority goes. I started out in the theatre as a jack of all trades technician and stage manager. I mostly worked with smaller companies and most of my work was freelance so I was never in one place for very long and I took on a variety of jobs: lighting tech one week, audio the next, a few weeks of carpentry etc… I took a turn into the world of planning corporate and trade shows for awhile, Mary Kay gave me a masters education in people motivation, I also got to play with the latest audio visual toys and special effects before they became more affordable for the arts sector. With a few exceptions most notably Technical Director for Mary Lou Fallis in a variety of her one woman shows, and Elyakim Taussig for his Taussig and Enemies show in which he played the piano and I played most of his enemies. (Me in the check shirt).  

I had little work experience with musicians and almost none with orchestras when I joined the TSO. It turns out if you are motivated the basics of orchestra is pretty easy to learn. And I had a lot of mentors in the orchestra who brought me along.  What the TSO needed was someone with strong skills outside their comfort zone of overture, concerto, symphony in the same hall every night. So far I seem to have proved up to the task.

2-What’s the best thing about your role with the TSO?

Well since I already talked about the music above, I have to say all the people I interact with every day. I am mostly a pessimistic introvert. So work at the TSO is like a giant therapy session for me. First the ninety musicians, sixty staff, and countless volunteers, venue staff and vendors are all in their way my customers. I have a small bit critical role in co-ordinating and facilitating everyone’s efforts on the concert. Production management is really all about fixing what might go wrong before it happens or before anyone notices.  We are always looking for what’s wrong and don’t pay attention to what’s going right. I have learned that most people don’t respond well to a constant barrage of negative so I have tried to retrain myself to notice success occasionally and comment on those things.

3-Orchestras tour so much nowadays that it might appear routine, yet I suspect there’s also a part played by Murphy’s Law: which states that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. What kind of things can go wrong?

Indeed, “Murphy was an optimist” is the first rule of touring (here’s the “TSO rules of the road” video from a previous tour).

“Eat like a hobbit” is the second rule.

The most important rule of tour stories is you have to tell your own personal most embarrassing story first. So here is mine.

The last thing you do in any venue is called the idiot check, one final look everywhere at everything because if you forget to take it from here you are going to feel like an idiot when you get there and don’t have it. Years ago we were just leaving Quebec City heading for Montréal when I got a call from a colleague who was on tour with us. She told me the venue staff called her to let her know someone’s wardrobe was left behind in a dressing room, she just wanted to let me know that she could swing by and pick it up and bring it to Montréal. Well that’s great I said thanks. She said by the way they told me there was a name on the garment bag. Curious I asked oh whose name? Yours, she replied.

I was also guilty of inadvertently stealing a harp dolly from the National Arts centre.  I returned it as soon as I realized we had packed an extra one on the truck at load out but ever since then the NAC crew hide their harp dolly if they know I am coming by.

Tippet Richardson Truck at the NAC loading Dock

Tippet Richardson Truck at the NAC loading Dock

Seriously I never sleep well until the whole tour is over and the truck is unloaded for the final time. Once all the instruments and people are home safe I can really relax. On our European tour we shipped over $6.4 million in “professional Equipment” instruments music and wardrobe.

Photo by Chris Walroth

Photo by Chris Walroth

What I have come to realize is the intimate relationship between a musician and their instrument especially for string players is far more important than the monetary value. Loss of an instrument for some of these players working at the highest skill levels can be a huge career challenge.

Chris Walroth: about to pack the truck for the homeward trip (on a previous tour)

Chris Walroth: about to pack the truck for the homeward trip on a previous tour

4- How long have you and the team been working to plan the current tour?

TSO Music Director Peter Oundjian

Tour Planning starts way in advance, easily two to three years out with the artistic team led by Peter Oundjian and Loie Fallis working out repertoire and confirming soloist availability. At the same time operations starts to look at budget and logistics and since the fees we earn on tour don’t cover the cost of putting 120 people on the road for a week or two our development and sponsorship team start to identify people or companies that may be willing to underwrite a portion of the cost. The actual booking of the dates is handled by an agent or manager who is familiar with the area we are touring to. They sell our program to the various presenters and try to arrange the dates to maximize the number of concerts per week and minimize the travel hours between locations. I provide a tour rider to the agent, mostly boilerplate stuff every orchestra needs, load in crew, x number of orchestra chairs, music stands, two large dressing rooms etc. There are a few things that vary per show for example on this tour we are asking for two concert grand pianos one for the soloist another for the orchestral overture. If we are touring to a new region the operations team tries to get in an advance tour about a year out, to look at the venues, hotels, restaurants and other amenities, also to travel the same routes the orchestra will take to check drive times available rest stops etc.

If it’s a cross border or overseas tour we start to make the general arrangements for shipping, based on previous tours I can make a fairly good guesstimate about how many pallets and weight for air freight, it’s only about sixty days out I start looking at a more final list of what we need to ship including how many musicians want us to ship their personal instrument.

At the same time I am contacting all the venues to confirm they have our rider, when we can load in, and all the other little details. Our Assistant Production Manager Alaina Viau oversees the tour book we publish for the orchestra with schedules bus calls and a variety of other useful information on each city. Then we pack everything push it into a truck and head out on the road.

Once everything is on the truck it’s in the good hands of our long time Sponsor Tippet-Richardson. Their staff is so great I really don’t have any worries while the instruments are on the truck. 

5- Who is the most important mentor or influence you’d care to name that led you to where you are today?

This is the hardest question yet. There have been so many people along the way who gave me opportunity to prove my worth and work beyond my comfort zone. So many mentors and friends over the years, production people are very generous with their time and advice, I guess we all feel it’s a small community and we are all part of the same team. It’s hard to pin down just one. I guess if I take the question literally, there is really only one answer: one of my oldest friends, Fred Bunting. We met over thirty years ago when I brought a touring production of ‘beyond the fringe’ into the Oakville centre. We became friends that first day and worked together off and on ever since. Fred was in this job before me and when he decided to move on he was asked if there was anyone he would recommend. He said only one person and if they could convince me to move back to Toronto from BC they should just give me the job don’t even bother posting it. He then spent the next month browbeating me into sending a resume.

Jon Welmers, Fred Bunting, Chris Walroth. The window behind us is the loading door for Concertgebouw

Jon Welmers, Fred Bunting, Chris Walroth. The window behind us is the loading door for Concertgebouw

It was a job I felt totally unqualified for having no experience of orchestras. Fred was persistent countering every objection I made, and I guess almost eighteen years later he has been more than proven right. I have to add only that I could not have been a success without the trust the orchestra placed in me. From day one at the TSO I have felt a welcomed member of this large diverse extended family.

For anyone curious about how our tour is going you can find most everything on Twitter #TSOFlorida.

*******

Chris Walroth and untold helping hands make it possible for the TSO to tour abroad, this time in Florida, January 2-10th, performing six concerts. You can hear Chris five minutes into this TSO podcast where he talks about touring.

Posted in Interviews, Music and musicology | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Pollyanna looks back at 2015

Posted on December 28, 2015 by barczablog

The year isn’t quite over yet, but already we’re looking back at 2015 as 2016 draws closer.   When we remember Pollyanna’s credo –“if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”—no wonder we look back.  As the dollar continues to plummet, as rumours of war abound, retrospectives are safer.

It was a year when the Pollyanna sentiment seemed to be in the ascendancy.

  • Trudeau beat Harper. I can’t help wondering, would that have been the case if the Paris attacks had come just a few weeks earlier, possibly dampening our enthusiasm and our willingness to open our hearts?
  • Merkel –who welcomes refugees–rather than Trump –who would slam the door– was Time Magazine’s person of the year. Here’s hoping that it isn’t Trump in 2016, because you know what that’s likely to mean in an election year (gulp!).
  • Refugees have been a big news item in Canada, where the prevailing impulse is welcome & assistance. I’m proud of my country.

I can’t help remembering some of the big stories of the year through those rose-coloured glasses.

  • January & February is usually the coldest time of year, but can see some wonderful explorations. The Toronto Symphony had their New Creations Festival, curated by George Benjamin, including a residency by soprano & conductor Barbara Hannigan.  Opera Five paired a new opera by Darren Russo with Wolf-Ferrari’s Secret of Susanna. Soundstreams gave us Whisper Opera.   The COC’s pairing of Tcherniakov’s Don Giovanni and Egoyan’s Die Walküre occasioned some fun headlines at the very least (both “Some resist seduction by Tcherniakov’s Don Giovanni” and “Don Giovanni or Don JianGhomeshi…?“), and several brilliant performances.
  • March and April can be times of optimism, and I was hopeful traveling to hear Opera Lyra’s Figaro, even though the company would close in the autumn. But this was a heady time of possibilities, including Opera Atelier’s Orpheus and Eurydice (as Marshall Pynkoski showed signs of breaking free of the historically informed strait-jacket), Metro Youth Opera’s Béatrice et Bénédict, a workshop performance of Mozart’s Requiem directed by Joel Ivany comes to fruition next month with the TSO.  One of my highlights of the year was Adrianne Pieczonka singing Strauss’s “Four Last Songs” followed by Wagner’s Tristan Prelude & Liebestod.  And while we’re speaking of the TSO, the Toronto Symphony were the centre of a major controversy, replacing Valentina Lisitsa with Stewart Goodyear, then eliminating the programmed Rachmaninoff concerto altogether when SG became an online target of harassment.  Although TSO President Jeff Melanson took some heat over the cancellation, I think that he did the right thing.
  • May and June? The COC offered a new Barber of Seville with the Lepage Bluebeard-Erwartung pairing, while later Against the Grain presented Death & Desire, a curious mix of two composers’ song-cycles.  I mostly recall a couple of brilliant performances, namely Alek Shrader in Barber¸ but particularly the work of Krisztina Szabó in the COC’s Erwartung and AtG’s Harawi.  In high-diving you get marks for what they call “degree of difficulty”; if artistic performance recognized such things, Szabó ’s work on these two jagged pieces of modernity would have her on whatever podium properly recognizes brilliance.

    Mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabo (photo: Bo Huang)

    Mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabo (photo: Bo Huang)

  • For July and August, Nik Beeson’s Dive, and Karita Mattila’s concert for Toronto Summer Music were highlights in a period when I otherwise seemed to be asleep, busily preparing for a few things in the weeks that followed. Bicycle Opera came to Toronto on the Labour Day weekend to finish their summer tour, another lovely anthology of short littles pieces showcasing great singing actors.
  • September and October begin a new season. My highlight was an old film offered by tiff in collaboration with the TSO, namely Vertigo, including an appearance by Kim Novak.  But I was far more intrigued by the live score with film, seeing two more in the weeks that followed, namely Back to the Future and Psycho on Halloween night.  It may be too soon to call this a trend, but I am hoping we see more of these films with live performances of the score.  The COC offered us a new Traviata plus the first opera by a Canadian composer in a very long time.  The undertaking is admirable even if I was conflicted by the project.  Opera Atelier meanwhile went in the opposite direction, bringing us up to date with the 17th century’s Armide, in a very strong production. 

    Jack Rennie (Amor) holds Peggy Kriha Dye (Armide). Photo: Bruce Zinger

    Jack Rennie (Amor) holds Peggy Kriha Dye (Armide). Photo: Bruce Zinger

  • November and December? More experiments, including Tapestry’s “Tap: Ex METALLURGY”, Soundstreams’ Electric Messiah, Soundstreams’ co-production with Canadian Stage of Boesmans’s opera Julie, CASP’s “The Living Spectacle”, combining adventurous song with movement/dance, and another wonderful concert from Sondra Radvanovsky.

And while I am thinking of Pollyanna looking back in gratitude, I’m thinking especially of a group of women who either call Toronto their home or who have chosen to come here:

  • Canadian Barbara Hannigan, who has been here a few times lately after a long gap, and returns in 2016

    soprano & conductor Barbara Hannigan (photo: Elmer de Haas)

    soprano & conductor Barbara Hannigan (photo: Elmer de Haas)

  • American Christine Goerke, who did her first Walküre Brunnhilde last winter (earlier in 2015) , and soon will return to do her first Siegfried Brunnhilde in a few weeks, before taking the role elsewhere.
  • Sondra Radvanovsky: one of the great singers in the world who happens to live here, and fortunately sings here sometimes as well
  • Ditto for Adrianne Pieczonka, one of the great singers in the world
  • And I mentioned Krisztina Szabó who was back for the fall COC season as well.

There are men too even if I seem to be blinded by the aura of these women.  The key men in the picture for me are executives, builders such as Alexander Neef of the COC, Jeff Melanson of the TSO, Michael Mori of Tapestry Opera, artists such as,  David Fallis, Johannes Debus, Topher Mokrzewski, Jan Liesicki and Stewart Goodyear.

And yes let me echo what Stewart’s name seems to imply. Have a good year!

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Politics | Leave a comment

Toronto Symphony goes to Florida

Posted on December 23, 2015 by barczablog

It’s a story with many players, and not just those who play musical instruments. If it were the first time it would be more dramatic. But by now it seems that they’ve figured out how to do it, after many safe & successful tours.  The Toronto Symphony are going on a bit of a trip.

They’re shipping musical instruments, not animals, but they’re every bit as delicate, if not more so. If you google “violin horror stories travel” you’ll see that it’s not a simple thing for a musician to travel with their instrument.

Ditto for “string bass horror stories travel.”

Photo by Chris Walroth

A photo tweeted by Chris Walroth, TSO Production Manager, with the caption “Tour trunks ready to load”.

So in other words, when the Toronto Symphony goes on a tour to Florida it’s a colossal undertaking.

I understand that for the tour of Florida in early January, 116 people will be on tour, including 94 musicians and 16 staff.  They’ll use three buses for the entire tour in Florida. Each bus seats 56 people. There will also be three cars or vans pressed into service for additional travel.

Hm, I wonder how much space is taken by timpani, violins, bassoons,  how much by timpanists, violinists, bassoonists, etc.?

The TSO will be playing six concerts, two different programmes, led by their Music Director Peter Oundjian, including Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade”, “Wondrous Light” by Canadian composer John Estacio, and two notable Tchaikovsky favourites featured in December programs at Roy Thomson Hall. While I didn’t get to hear the “Polonaise” from Eugene Onegin, I was particularly blown away by the rapport between Oundjian and the orchestra in their interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique” symphony, a very powerful performance that makes an impressive calling card indeed.

The TSO are joined by Canadian piano virtuoso Jan Lisiecki, who will play Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 on one program, and the Piano Concerto No. 1 by Chopin on the other.

The concerts will surely draw Canadians, both those who have either moved south and those who winter there. While Florida is often thought of in the same breath with “vacation”, it’s going to be a busy few days for the orchestra.

The Toronto Symphony led by Peter Oundjian (photo: Malcolm Cook)

The Toronto Symphony led by Peter Oundjian (photo: Malcolm Cook)

Posted in Music and musicology, Press Releases and Announcements | Leave a comment

Donald Trump: crossover artist

Posted on December 22, 2015 by barczablog

What is the rationale behind crossover and why is it attractive?

Sometimes it’s an escape, no longer being required to follow the rules of your old realm, as you visit a new one.

Sometimes it’s the insight, the expertise in one world, applied to a different world.

To the audience, it’s exciting either way, so long as we can discern the crossing of a frontier, a boundary transgressed.

We used to see this in football, when a European footballer – what Canadians might call a “soccer player” –started place-kicking. The ability to kick one sort of ball had all sorts of application to kicking another.

And some information is useful just about anywhere. Many politicians have law degrees. Some have experience in business or commerce. While a background in teaching is much rarer in the political world, voila: our new Prime Minister is a former teacher.

The headline came to me at a recent concert. “Crossover” is a word we’ve been using for awhile to describe creations that reflect an artist from one discipline going over the boundaries –such as they are—into another discipline, something that deserves a little extra thought when applied to a politician.

Hm. But wait. Is Donald Trump a politician? Just because he is part of the race for the Republican nomination for the 2016 American Presidential election doesn’t make him a politician.

I am not even sure he’s a typical businessman. Yes he has had money, although I understand he’s also been broke. Let’s be clear, I read newspapers so whatever I speak of here is entirely hearsay, conjecture based on what i see in the popular media.

So let’s think for a moment about that “p” word. It can be taken in a number of ways…

There are all the things seasoned campaigners learn to win elections. This might involve telling the truth, but I believe the popular mythology at least since Nixon is that “politician” is a synonym for “liar”. One learns how to represent oneself in order to be elected, presumably with help from spin doctors, image merchants who teach one how to speak, how to behave on camera, how to react to questions.

There’s a classic illustration in a film that could be part of the manual for how to be a politician, even if it’s not something you’d associate with politics: at least not at first. 

Okay it’s a baseball movie. But the reason Crash Davis teaches Nuke Laloosh about clichés is because interviews are potentially dangerous: if you say the wrong thing. The management of your image in baseball might have a slightly different objective, naturally, than in politics, but it’s still largely the same phenomenon. A baseball player (at least in this model of how to approach a career) doesn’t want a higher profile, doesn’t want to say anything risky because they hope to be allowed to play, to be underestimated by the media.

Your average politician isn’t so very different from Mr Laloosh, in their desire to avoid crucifixion in the eyes of the media. They aim to blend in, to be team players.

And that brings us to Donald Trump, who doesn’t show any interest in blending in, as his every action seems designed to get attention.

If you are a fan of a particular genre, you’re in very different a position to assess crossover than someone who doesn’t know that genre at all. Let’s say you’re a fan of science fiction. Your perspective on a new Star Wars movie will be different from someone who simply accepts all the hype. As a sci-fi fan you will probably want to see this new movie because…

  • You liked Empire Strikes Back, (i know i did) but were frustrated with aspects of the next four films
  • You know that JJ Abrams will breathe life into the series, especially when teamed with writer Lawrence Kasdan (who wrote ESB)
  • Even when those movies don’t work it can be fun

But let me set that aside for a moment, as I reflect on the crossover phenomenon.

There’s a special energy when someone ventures into a new field. They may be dreadful, but at the very least it’s impossible to resist the slow-motion train-wreck.

But what if a few people know it’s bad, but many people do not?

Let me recall a few examples, where the person crossing was genuinely transgressing (a word that means to cross over, but not in a way that we usually consider good, more like the crossing of a boundary or limit): yet no one seemed to notice or care.  Star Wars is an interesting example, because in my experience real hard-core sci-fans do not really like this series, with the exception of episode 5.  And yet when most people speak of science fiction, they speak of Star Wars.  It’s as though a transgressor were the touchstone, the example that defines the form, which surely seems odd.

Here’s another example namely Aretha Franklin singing “Nessun dorma”.   Now of course I bring this up, knowing that it totally depends on the background of the reader, as to how this is understood. Opera purists, especially of the most rigorous sort? They might cringe at the thought. While Aretha sang this “song” (and calling “nessun dorma” a “song” is already an odd thing to do) there have been few such transgressions in imitation.  I expected more imitations, more to follow her transgressie example.
I found her performance quite enjoyable. It’s not to be mistaken for the original. She’s not portraying prince Calaf, the character in Act III of Puccini’s opera Turandot. And so what!? Franklin covers the song, and I might add that it’s less transgressive in some respects than Bette Midler’s cover of “Beast of Burden”, where the performance mocks the original.

So let me be clear, while some would dislike what Aretha did, I approve heartily. I use this example because whichever side you’re on –purist or advocate—you can see that the perception of the transgression depends on your background, your starting context.  In keeping with the physical analogy –where “transgression” is the crossing of a frontier or boundary between different discursive regions– clearly you see this differently depending on which chunk of land (or discipline) is your own home turf.

Similarly, when Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story was given the reverse treatment –that is, a popular work was given to opera singers—I don’t think the result was nearly as enjoyable as what Aretha created. Listen for example to Jose Carreras & Kiri Te Kanawa sing “Tonight”.   I think opera fans probably smile or even giggle at this, but aren’t offended the way they are by Aretha, because it’s ultimately a question of whose frontier is being invaded.  We get a glimpse of Bernstein on camera, as he admits that he’d had misgivings about the project. Again, depending on your background, you have a response to this.

Now what has this got to do with The Donald?

I speak with the experience of a Torontonian, which is to say, someone who watched Rob Ford campaign for Mayor. The parallels we see here in Toronto to Ford & Trump are hugely instructive, I believe.  And I keep meeting people who see the same pattern in the Fords.

Ford came from the sidelines, someone who wasn’t taken very seriously as he began his run. His big slogan was to get rid of the “gravy train”, as he asserted that the previous regime was over-spending.

Was this true? Nope.

Did it matter whether it was accurate? Of course not. Most voters have no idea about the accuracy of politicians’ assertions. This is as true for Eisenhower & Reagan as it is for Ford or Trump.

What might be different, though is style. Eisenhower & Reagan might be prototypes for what we see now. Dwight D Eisenhower was a war hero who didn’t really pretend to be a politician, but who did at least deport himself as one. Similarly, Reagan was an actor (who can forget the disbelief on the face of Doc Brown, when Marty McFly tells his 1955 version who is President of the USA in 1985), yet one who brought the skills of another discipline –the calm deportment and smooth delivery of his speeches—to the political arena. We may have understood these two as a kind of crossover, but they did not flout their otherness. They did not mock the offices they sought by being anti-political.

I don’t think Rob Ford sought to flout politics. He simply brought a very authentic populism to his campaign, a style that appealed to some. In the end health prevented him from seeking re-election, as it was his brother Doug Ford who lost to the new candidate in the 2014 election, not Rob himself.  Doug was in effect running on the Ford brand, which by now included drugs, driving while using a cellphone, and a host of other behaviours that tainted his run. But at its core, what Ford did was a prototype for Trump, in offering a kind of political counter-discourse.  Being like all the other politicians wasn’t what Ford –or Trump– want.

With Trump you get someone who doesn’t resemble a politician. The strength of this is evident in debates, where we see Trump as the anti-politician, the man who is new by being different. That he spouts ideas that no politician would dare to say is a surprising asset: because it’s not about the content. Nevermind that his anti-muslim rhetoric is offensive, stupid, misguided. Trump becomes the issue, becomes the central question in the election.

The fact he’s not a politician at all, that he seems to know nothing about politics, is suddenly an asset. Because of course, most voters don’t know anything either. The accuracy of his claims never seems to matter. There is a small group of voters currently who seem to be calling him out. A large group –who have no idea about what a politician is supposed to do or what they should say or what they should know—gobble up his every word, but not because of what he’s saying. It’s because he’s coming from outside, and therefore has the edginess of a crossover artist. He doesn’t resemble a politician because now that we take a closer look, he isn’t one. And that becomes an asset when all the others are assembled on a stage, sadly similar in their conservative posturings and mutterings.

I have hope that the discourse will change, but at the moment it’s largely about The Donald, about what he’s doing each day, where anything we’d normally see as liabilities become assets, his bizarre statements energizing a different sort of voter.  The long election campaign has this advantage, that people will get a really good look, and hopefully by November 2016 come to their senses.

We shall see.

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Politics | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Andrew Davis’ big beautiful Messiah

Posted on December 21, 2015 by barczablog

Today I was fortunate to attend the last of the Toronto Symphony’s annual performances of the Messiah with the Mendelssohn Choir, employing Andrew Davis’ new (2010) orchestration. I missed it when they offered it last time but hope that Jeff Melanson & TSO make this an annual event, as Davis’ version is a perfect fit. The TSO, TMC, and four high-powered soloists sound wonderful in Roy Thomson Hall.

The Toronto Symphony and Sir Andrew Davis, conductor laureate (photo: Malcolm Cook)

The Toronto Symphony and Sir Andrew Davis, their Conductor Laureate (photo: Malcolm Cook)

Davis, who bears the title of “Conductor Laureate” with the TSO, and who led the TSO at RTH for years including more than a few Messiahs the conventional way, could be expected to have a good sense of the space & the work. Some might call it blasphemy to propose to “fix” the Messiah, that there’s nothing wrong with it. And of course that’s absurd, recognizing that the work has been presented in many different versions in the centuries since its composition.

What Davis has accomplished is like a bit of post-modern thinking, a pragmatic combination of old and new. Hearing Messiah in the 2630 seat Roy Thomson Hall must be a different experience than my historically informed performance (“HIP”) encounter via Tafelmusik a few days ago at the 1135 seat Koerner Hall. So please don’t confuse Davis’ work with the large-scale Messiahs of a half-century ago, as for instance in the famous recording led by Sir Thomas Beecham and featuring Jon Vickers. The scholarship of the HIP crew informs some of what we heard today at RTH, when possible. At other times Davis makes other choices, which I label “pragmatic” in recognition of certain natural limits.

For example, the reverberation time of the space makes it challenging to push the chorus into impossibly quick coloratura –such as what you find in “And he shall purify” from Tafelmusik in the intimate confines of Koerner Hall—without loss of clarity. I sat there watching David address a chorus who are physically so far away from one another at the edges of the stage, that i wonder whether there’s a time delay for those at each end, hearing their colleagues across from them.

But I was surprised at how quickly Davis was able to get the Mendelssohn Choir to go in choruses such as “And With His Stripes“ and “All We Like Sheep”. But here Davis played with the orchestration, adding percussion & winds as though to help accentuate the beat, the way a painter might outline a shape (as in a cartoon or in stained glass) to help us discern those sections. The relative balance was completely different in places from what I heard earlier in the week, as some very muscular sounds from the orchestra helped keep everyone together, even as Davis did a great deal of give and take, between loud & soft sounds. We were treated to some concertante effects, where the orchestra would suddenly drop out leaving just a few soloists, or perhaps a string quartet in accompaniment, suddenly punctuated by a few key accents.

At times Davis’ version resembled an adaptation, where we recognize elements through the new overlaid layers, combinations of the familiar (choruses, soloists, strings & trumpets) and the new (marimba? Sleighbells? Snare-drum? Celesta?). At other times, the word coming to mind was “crossover”, as we were in the presence of something very playful and new. During “All we like sheep” Davis gave a braying animal sound to one of his brass reminding me of nothing so much as the wacky pastoral scene in Richard Strauss’s wonderful tone-poem Don Quixote. The lady sitting in front of me glared at me when I laughed as loudly as the jackass I thought I heard hee-hawing in the orchestra. In my defense I can only say that I laugh just as loudly in church when the minister makes a joke during the sermon.  My laughter was respectful, as i thought i was in the spirit of Davis’ creation.

And while we’re speaking of loudness I should mention the soloists. Only tenor Andrew Staples sang in a manner that the HIP-crowd would recognize, which is logical considering the way the tenor’s part is written.  The other three soloists are more properly understood as opera singers, namely soprano Erin Wall, mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong and bass-baritone John Relyea. In Roy Thomson Hall we need their powerful voices even before we look at the extra cojones the orchestra seemed to display.  I don’t believe that the HIP performers from Tafelmusik’s performance –soprano Joanne Lunn excepted—would be audible against this big orchestra in the big space. Relyea’s tone carries, a sound you feel as much as hear, whether asking “why do the nations so furiously rage together” or announcing that “the trumpet shall sound”. DeShong has a stunning sound (although I wish her Part II aria had not been truncated), big and full and opulent at every moment. I’m glad the TSO gave us this opportunity to hear her, as I hope the COC will bring her back again sometime soon. Wall’s voice too carries beautifully.

John Relyea performing Messiah with the TSO in the Toronto premiere of Sir Andrew Davis's orchestration in 2010 (Photo: John Loper) Francine

John Relyea performing Messiah with the TSO in the Toronto premiere of Sir Andrew Davis’s orchestration in 2010 (Photo: John Loper) Francine

Yet the day belongs to the Mendelssohn Choir and especially to the orchestra in Davis’ brilliant creation, sometimes as though refreshed and modernized, sometimes a tidier version of our old friend.  In this version, the Hall, the Choir and the Orchestra are so well-matched, i can only wish that the TSO will bring back Davis’ version every year.

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Leave a comment

Questions for Leanne Pepper @ University of Toronto Faculty Club    

Posted on December 20, 2015 by barczablog

At one time I used to regularly meet Leanne Pepper on the bus on the way home, when she lived a few block away from me in the east end of Toronto.   I’ve known Leanne for a decade or two, vaguely aware of her role as General Manager of the Faculty Club.

From time to time I had occasion to visit the University of Toronto Faculty Club:

A university is brilliant minds, research facilities, power grids & utilities, books, information technology.  Some would say that the whole world is  here in microcosm, a great many types of work going on, as people strive to learn, to discover, to change themselves and the world.  And sometimes the community needs to eat, to take a break, to have some fun, to celebrate or simply to relax.

Leanne Pepper, General Manager of the University of Toronto Faculty Club

After years of being vaguely aware of the Club, and especially after seeing Attila’s show in the summer I thought I might interview Leanne, ask her some questions: about herself and about her work with the Faculty Club.

1) Are you more like your father or your mother?

A bit of both, my father was bit of a perfectionist.   He had his own electrical business.  He worked long hours.   He taught me how to ride a bike, to swim, gardening. Also the importance of enjoying what you do in life.  He took great pride in his projects especially his garden.  He won lots of awards for his garden.    He also loved cruising.  I think it was because of all the great food!

He loved to entertain.  He also loved to cook especially BBQs.  Oh how he loved to eat and enjoy wines.   Especially lobster and shrimp!   Also he really enjoyed sitting watching the birds.

My mom was my best friend.   We loved to travel together.  My mom had the best laugh.  She was always very positive.   She had no problem talking to strangers.    She always loved to make people laugh.

She always took great care of herself.   She exercised every day.  Loved to swim and walk.   She always liked to  keep busy.   Also loved to sit and read books.   She loved to dance!  She had her gold medal in ballroom dancing.

She loved unconditionally.

2) What is the best thing about running the Faculty Club?

We are the # one Faculty Club in North America!   It’s an honour to serve the University of Toronto community.    The staffs are awesome!  The members make the club extra special.

The club is so beautiful, to be surrounded by fabulous paintings.  One of the greatest benefits if being able to eat at the club daily!  Great food!


3) Who do you like to listen to or watch?

I love to watch the food channel!  My favourite radio station is CBC metro morning  and Jazz 91.1

At work I listen to Live365

4) What ability or skill do you wish you had, that you don’t have?

I wish I learned to play the piano, harp and sing!  One day I will.

5) When you’re just relaxing and not working what is your favourite thing to do?

I love spending my time in the kitchen creating new dishes.  Especially creating vegetarian meals and desserts.

Also gardening and watching the birds.   I love spending time with family and friends.

*******

Ten more about managing the Faculty Club at the University of Toronto.

1)            Who can become a member of the Faculty Club? Do you have to be Faculty or are staff eligible, and what about students or neighbours living nearby? And what is “the Joint Membership” and how does it work?

The Faculty Club is open to Faculty, Staff, and Retirees, Alumni, President Circle members and Community.   Coming soon….. Grad students and parents of students.

The Joint Membership plan is the best benefit ever!  University of Toronto is the only University that has a plan like this.  The JMP gives members access to the AC, Hart House, The Goldring Center and of course the Faculty Club.

An eligible employee or pensioner of U of T can take advantage of the services and programs as a benefit, the fees for all facilities have been discounted and subsidized by the University. As a convenience the remaining monthly fee is deducted as a benefit from payroll, or through several pre-payment options for pensioners.

The purpose of the benefit is to expand opportunities for fellowship, fitness, and enjoyment of campus life for all employees and pensioners. Spouse/Partner membership services can be arranged through the individual facilities.

We have reciprocal agreements with over 300  clubs internationally, loyalty points, discounts off ROM, AGO, Bata, Textile Museum, Ripley’s Aquarium,  Shaw Festival, Science Center, Hart House Theatre, Tarragon Theatre

Leanne Pepper at lunch (but we didn't talk with our mouths full)

Leanne Pepper at lunch (but we didn’t talk with our mouths full)

2)   You speak with evident pride about everything on the menu, from your hamburger, to your fish & chips and to your Macaroni & cheese, all of which you’ve called the best burger / Fish & chips / Mac & cheese in town!   How often do you change the menu and how is it created?  Is it from the chef or a team effort?

The menus are changed seasonally.  It’s a team effort.    In the pub we have a bits and bits menu, daily special and a very extensive menu.   We have the best burger, the best fish & chips the best Panini sandwich, and the best mac and cheese on campus.  Some members say it’s the best in Toronto!

It has to be the best for our members!

3)            I assume that your list of wines & spirits is as extraordinary as your menu. How do you go about staying informed?

Selecting wines and spirits is also a team effort.  We work with great wine agents.

Special thanks to Dale, Dan, Colleen and Pierre.

We have a great selection of craft beers on tap and cider.

We also have a great selection of single malts.  Not as many as McMasters Faculty Club.

4)            How many staff do you have?

RESIZED_04

Hiro and Rhys are ready to help you

In total we have approx. 26 full time staff and lots of casual staff.   I am every so grateful to have a Great team!

  • 10 Kitchen
  • 3 Pub staff
  • 5 Dining room
  • 1 Bartender
  • 5 Office staff
  • 2 House staff
RESIZED_03

Beline is a graduate of  George Brown who works in the kitchen

5)            I wrote about Attila Keszei’s show in the summer at the pub.  I know there’s a collection of great pieces there, but you also have shows from time to time.  Please talk about art at the Faculty Club.

The club has a fantastic collection of paintings.

In  the pub and foulds dining room we feature local artists:  like Attila’s show.  It was fabulous!

I have a couple of openings for next year.

6)           What would you dream of offering that you don’t offer now? What is on your wish-list as far as ambitions for the Club & plans for its development

  • Catering
  • Overnight accommodations
  • Condos for our members
  • Spa

My wish list includes an elevator,  kitchen for off premise catering,  overnight accommodations… Boutique spa and gym, more bee hives, parking, roof top garden,  larger  kitchen with a larger dish washer, more storage space,   a business center for our members, library, wine cellar, French doors leading to the patio from the dining room, new dining room chairs, carpet and drapes.

7)  Tell me about the bees..!

It is very exciting to have 4 bee hives on our roof.   Many thanks to Pieter Basedow and the U of T bees.   Yes we offer tours/workshops/talks on beekeeping 101.   Also the chef works with the honey. It’s lovely to feature the honey with cheese.   We extracted the honey last week.  54 bottles of honey for sale. The money goes to U of T bees.

8)          I understand that you teach etiquette.  In this day of empowerment, why should I want to learn proper etiquette, a concept that seems kind of “retro“, and a relic from the bad old days of class distinctions and elitism..?

Etiquette and manners are so important,  it never goes out of style.   This is a life skill. Knowing how to handle cutlery and where to put your napkin is just the beginning.   It’s important to know how to present yourself, what to wear, also how to make conversation with a stranger.  This helps builds confidence.  The workshop also includes social and business etiquette.

1st impressions are a lasting impression.

9)          What’s the history of the faculty club, and how old is the club

The Faculty Club is located on land originally granted to William Willcocks when he arrived in Upper Canada (Ontario) from Cork, Ireland in the early 1790s. A pioneer colonizer and public official, Willcocks bestowed part of his estate to his son in law Dr. William Warren Baldwin after his marriage to Margaret Phoebe Willcocks in 1803. Dr. Baldwin emerged as a prominent political reform leader in Upper Canada during the 1820s and 1830s. He and his son, Robert, are historically recognized as principal architects of responsible government in the late 1840s, a vital step in Canada’s evolution from colony to nation

Meanwhile, by 1818, Dr. Baldwin had built a country house on his 200-acre estate, which he called Spadina, derived from a native word for “hill” or “sudden rise of land.” He designed an extra wide road that led from his house at the top of the hill (next door to the future Casa Loma) and extended three miles south to Queen Street West, then the northern boundary of the Town of York (which became the City of Toronto after 1834). He included along the road that would later be named after his estate a circle intended to be a fine English country garden now known as 1 Spadina Crescent. Dr. Baldwin named a connecting street just north of the circle Willcocks in honour of his wife and her family lineage.

Neighbourhood development in the area known until 1859 as the “Liberties” did not advance north of College Street until the 1880s when the Honorable Sir Adam Wilson, a partner in the law firm of Robert Baldwin and eventually a municipal councillor and provincial cabinet minister, resided at 41 Willcocks Street along with his wife Emma. Ìn July 1888, the Wilsons sold the house for $5,625 to Elizabeth Prudence Campbell, “widow,” who resided there until her death in 1916. The Campbell estate sold the property to The Primrose Club for $17,250 in October 1919.

Originally called the Cosmopolitan Society when founded in 1907, the Primrose Club was a private meeting place for Jewish business and professional men. Prominent Jewish architects Benjamin Brown and Arthur W. McConnell redesigned 41 Willcocks by merging it with the attached homes at 37-39 Willcocks to create the current Georgian Revival-style building, featuring an elegant lounge, dining room, and ballroom that placed it among the city’s most prestigious clubs. The Primrose Club remained at 41 Willcocks until 1959 when the University of Toronto acquired the building for its new Faculty Club.

Previously, male and female members of the University`s Faculty Union customarily met separately – the men at Hart House and the much smaller contingent of women at the University Women’s Club on St. George Street. But at the insistence of some professors, including German scholar Barker Fairley and his wife, Margaret, who offered the Club a collection of Group of Seven works on the condition that it welcome women as members, the Faculty Club opened its doors in the summer of 1960 to faculty and senior administrators of both genders. This impressive collection of Group of Seven art is open for public viewing in the elegant Fairley Lounge on the main floor of the building. In 2009, the Faculty Club celebrated its heritage by renaming one of its upstairs meeting halls “The Primrose Room.” For more than a half century, the Faculty Club has served as an important social centre for the University of Toronto community, including faculty, administrative staff, alumni, and has been one of the most successful university faculty clubs in Canada and North America.

10)          How long has Leanne been in the hospitality industry, and how many of those years were spent here?  Do you have any influences, teachers or mentors?

Over 40 years!  21 years at University of Toronto Faculty Club. 10 years at McMaster University Faculty Club.   OMG time flies when you are having fun!!!

I graduated from George Brown in the culinary arts program.

I also graduated from the Washington School of Protocol.

My biggest influence in my life was my brother   Randy Pepper. He was the best brother in the whole wide world.  He opened my eyes and heart to making a difference in this world.  He helped me discovered the world through travel, food and wine.  He showed me the magic in world by sharing special moments with family and friends.

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The 2015 holiday luncheon buffet will soon be history (the University will be open until December 22nd, closing until the university re-opens January 4th)…RESIZE_06

…but in 2016 there’s a New Year’s buffet January 14th, Robbie Burns Dinner Friday January 15th , Winterlicious and more.  Check the Faculty Club calendar to see what’s coming next.

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