September 2010 Web: www.cammac.ca Email: Toronto@cammac.ca In this issue: Tribute to Kathy Gallyas 1 Reading, October 17 (Faure) 6 Readings 2010-2011 2 Computer resources for amateurs 7 Workshops 2010-2011 2 Book your Thanksgiving Weekend now! 8 CAMMAC RPS 2 T.E.M.P.O. workshops 9 Remembering Douglas Valleau 4 Concert Listings 9 Reading, September 26 (Dvorak) 5 Regional Committee Members 10 Tribute to Kathy Gallyas By Ellen Frei A Job Well Done Kathy Gallyas, an electrical engineer retired from Ontario Hydro, is now the past president of CAMMAC Toronto Region, with Gerald Martindale in charge. Kathy took over from Dora Krizmanic in 2005. We are fortunate that people in CAMMAC are passionate about music, in the many ways it affects our lives. Kathy s background and interests have all helped in steering the presenting of programs of Readings and Workshops. For instance, I do not doubt that Kathy s start with the Kodály method all through elementary and high school in Budapest has greatly influenced her. Her music teacher was a favourite pupil of Zoltan Kodály s. Kathy has been attending dance classes from ballet to ballroom dancing; she takes interest in a wide range of music, from early music to experimental jazz. CAMMAC National Board as well has profited from Kathy s participation. This activity again shows her dedication to CAMMAC, not only in administration and fundraising, but very much by a major contribution to the building project at Lake MacDonald. Kathy s love of music, her interest and enthusiasm, her knowledge of local conductors for Readings, her ability to find places where our association can borrow scores and her attention to detail have consistently helped our Region put on enjoyable Readings and Workshops, besides providing helpful leadership to the CAMMAC Toronto Management Committee. Thank you, Kathy! CAMMAC Toronto Region Newsletter September 2010 1
SCHEDULE OF READINGS 2010-2011 Once a month, CAMMAC singers and instrumentalists get together and read through a work for choir and orchestra under the direction of a professional choir director. Occasionally, readings feature pieces for singers only, or for instrumentalists only. Readings are not intended as rehearsals, and we do not perform for an audience, although listeners are welcome. All readings are in Elliott Hall, Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St, Toronto, from 2 pm to 4:30 pm on Sunday afternoons. Admission is $6 for CAMMAC members and $10 for nonmembers. Please arrive 15 minutes early to set up so the reading can begin on time! September 26, 2010: Andrew Chung conducts Dvorak, Stabat Mater for chorus and orchestra. October 17, 2010: Greg Burton conducts Fauré, Requiem for chorus and orchestra. November 21, 2010: David Passmore conducts Charpentier, Messe de Minuit pour Nöel for chorus and orchestra. January 23, 2011: Claudio Vena conducts opera choruses, for chorus and orchestra. February 13, 2011: Kevin Komisaruk conducts Lassus, Missa Bell Amfitrit altera for chorus only. March 27, 2011: Norman Reintamm conducts Haydn, Theresienmesse for chorus and orchestra. May 8, 2011: Erna Van Daele conducts Schubert, Mass in E flat for chorus and orchestra. May 29,2011: Sabatino Vacca conducts Verdi, Requiem for chorus and orchestra,, followed by the Toronto Region Annual General Meeting NOTE TO ASPIRING VOCAL SOLOISTS Most of the pieces that we work on at our Sunday readings have vocal solo parts. Sometimes members of the choir sing these parts together. Sometimes the conductor invites his/her own soloists, and sometimes we find people to sing these parts at the readings. If you are an experienced singer and you d like to give it a try, please contact the reading coordinator or Peter Solomon (peter.solomon@utoronto.ca.) at least a month ahead of the reading date so this possibility can be discussed. TORONTO REGION WORKSHOPS 2010-2011 Chamber music workshop with members of the Windermere Quartet: January 15 and 22, 2011, 9:20 am to 1:30 pm; $200 per group (covers both dates) Vocal jazz and vocal percussion workshop with Suba Sankaran and Dylan Bell: February 27, 2011, 2 pm to 4 pm; $25 CAMMAC or JCC members, $30 non-members Flute workshop (intermediate and advanced) with Leonie Wall: Spring 2011; time and price TBA For more information on any of these workshops, please e-mail toronto@cammac.ca. NEWSLETTER DEADLINES Please note that the deadline for the October / November issue is October 1. Newsletter deadlines for the balance of the year are as follows: November 29 for the January /February 2011 issue; March 1 for the March / April 2011 issue; May 1 for the May / June 2011 issue and September 3 for the September 2011 issue. CAMMAC Toronto Region Newsletter September 2010 2
CAMMAC RECORDER PLAYERS SOCIETY The Recorder Players Society meets on intermittent Friday evenings at the Church of the Transfiguration, 111 Manor Rd E., between Yonge St and Mt Pleasant Rd. We play from 7:30 pm until approximately 10 pm with a short break. For registration and/or for information please contact John Ferth at the Recorder Centre, 984 Dovercourt Rd, or 416-534-7931. Sept.10; Oct.1; Oct.22 (coached tba); Nov.5; Dec.3 (Xmas Workshop coached tba); Jan.7; Jan. 28; Feb.18 (coached tba); March 11; Sunday, April 3 (Spring Workshop coached tba); April 15; May 6; May 27. Dates for the 2010-11 season (all Friday evenings, except the Spring Workshop): You have heard of the "Mozart Effect"...Have you also heard of the... BRUCKNER EFFECT: Child speaks very slowly and repeats himself frequently. Gains reputation for profundity. WAGNER EFFECT: Child becomes a megalomaniac. May eventually marry his sister. MAHLER EFFECT: Child continually screams - at great length and volume - that he's dying. SCHOENBERG EFFECT: Child never repeats a word until he's used all the other words in his vocabulary. Sometimes talks backwards. Eventually, people stop listening to him. Child blames them for their inability to understand him. IVES EFFECT: Child develops a remarkable ability to carry on several separate conversations at once. GLASS EFFECT: Child tends to repeat himself over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. STRAVINSKY EFFECT: Child is prone to savage, guttural and profane outbursts that often lead to fighting and pandemonium in the preschool. BRAHMS EFFECT: Child is able to speak beautifully as long as his sentences contain a multiple of three words (3, 6, 9, 12, etc). However, his sentences containing 4 or 8 words are strangely uninspired. and then the CAGE EFFECT: Child says nothing for 4 minutes 33 seconds. Preferred by 9 out of 10 classroom teachers. ADVERTISING RATES Full page $90 Half page $50 (max. 7 ½ W x 4 5/8 H) Quarter page $30 (max. 3 ½ H x 4 5/8 H) Advertising is subject to space availability; neither publication nor positioning is guaranteed. CAMMAC Toronto Region Newsletter September 2010 3
REMEMBERING DOUGLAS VALLEAU By Rosalie Goldberg My relationship with the Valleaus was long and sporadic, dating back to the Toronto Secondary Schools Symphony Orchestra, back in the days before instrumental music was taught in Toronto schools. At that time Doug was the only tuba player and the late Thelma Henry was the terrific lead cello. We met again in the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 1945. At that time many of the students had been previously enlisted in military bands. Some of us who were not students at U. of T. were invited to join. Those years became the high point in our careers. We had a brilliant student conductor named Hans Gruber. Doug again played tuba but then upgraded his skills and changed to French horn. The orchestra had swelled to 70 members and in 1946 played six engagements at Convocation Hall, with trips to McMaster, Ajax, Western and Guelph Universities. Our major work was Shostakovich s 5 th Symphony (one of the greatest symphonic works of the 20 th century). This symphony was extremely difficult to play, but Doug managed the transition from tuba to horn so well that year that he was able to cope with the part. We played from manuscript, with the ink scarcely dry it was so new. Needless to say these bus trips to Ontario universities were fun and full of cameraderie; Doug and Thelma married soon afterward. During the years following Doug taught English at York Mills Collegiate Institute; despite the busy life of raising a family, both Doug and Thelma continued to expand their interest in music. They played recorders and viols; they joined wind chamber music groups, as Doug preferred playing in a chamber music setting to playing in an orchestra. I was invited to join them at their Woodward Avenue home on several occasions. Doug had arranged for Thelma, me and Alex Davis to play at one of the first CAMMAC concerts at the old Music Library at the corner of St. Clair Road and Avenue Road (the collections of that library were moved to the Toronto Reference Library in 1977). After Thelma s tragic death, Doug rallied; he had his front teeth, lost in that car accident, replaced with implants so he could continue to play recorders and French horn. This procedure, quite innovative at the time, worked for him. He pursued his interest in ancient as well as ultra-modern music. An amusing story has it that Doug practised his crumhorn at a bed-and-breakfast place in Scotland, much to the bewilderment of his landlady! Over the years Doug contributed greatly to the cause of amateur music both in CAMMAC and the Home Music Club (a well-known century-old organization of amateur musicians performing for each other you might say a big sister to CAMMAC Toronto). Some University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra members who became CAMMAC members: Alice Chrysler Lillian Grudeff Thelma Henry (Valleau) Elsie Jacob (Ilse Thompson) Rosalie Glass (Goldberg) Lloyd McHattie Douglas Valleau CAMMAC Toronto Region Newsletter September 2010 4
A CAMMAC (Canadian Amateur Musicians /Musiciens Amateurs du Canada) Toronto Region Event. Please copy and post. FOR SINGERS AND INSTRUMENTALISTS CAMMAC READING Produced with the support of the city of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council Dvořák: Stabat Mater Date SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2010 Time 2 PM SHARP (Please arrive 15 minutes early to set up.) Conductor ANDREW CHUNG Biography Music notes Andrew Chung is the Music Director of the Silverthorn Symphonic Winds, the Halton Chamber Youth Orchestra, the University Settlement Orchestra, the Scarborough Community Concert Band, Brass Conspiracy, the Canadian Chinese Choir of Toronto, the Xiao Ping Chorus and the Assistant Conductor of the Calvin Presbyterian Church Choir. As an orchestral musician, he was the principal trumpet with the Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra, the Hong Kong Youth Symphony, the Asian Youth Orchestra (under the direction of Yehudi Menuhin and Alexander Schneider) and the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. Stabat Mater was Dvořák s first work on a religious theme. Dvořák composed the cantata in reaction to the death of his daughter Josefa. The sketch was written between 19 February and 7 May 1876. However, Dvořák was forced to postpone the orchestration of the work. He returned to the composition in 1877. The definitive version of the score was written in October and November 1877 in Prague. Place Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St (2 blocks north of St Clair Avenue) in Elliott Hall (enter from Heath Street) Singers Choir (SATB) Instrumentation Flutes 1&2, clarinets 1&2, bassoon 1&2, horns 1-4, trumpets 1&2, trombones 1-3, timpani and strings) Information For more information: Peter Solomon, 416-781-4745 or peter.solomon@utoronto.ca. Cost CAMMAC members $6; non-members $10; students free. Refreshments Refreshments will be available for $1 during the break. CAMMAC Toronto Region Newsletter September 2010 5
A CAMMAC (Canadian Amateur Musicians /Musiciens Amateurs du Canada) Toronto Region Event. Please copy and post. CAMMAC READING Produced with the support of the city of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council FOR SINGERS AND INSTRUMENTALISTS Fauré: Requiem Date SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2010 Time 2 PM SHARP (Please arrive 15 minutes early to set up.) Conductor GREG BURTON Biography Currently in his 6 th season as Music Director of the York Symphony Orchestra, and Director of Arts at Hillfield Strathallan College in Hamilton, Ontario, Gregory Burton enjoys an active career as a conductor and performer. Prior to his residence in Ontario, he led for many years the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra, and is former Resident Conductor of Symphony Nova Scotia. Dr. Burton has held academic positions at the University of Toronto, McMaster University, and Acadia University, and has guest conducted at Brandon University. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in conducting from Arizona State University. Music notes Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924), a pupil of Camille Saint-Saens and the teacher of Ravel and Enescu, composed the Requiem in D minor Op. 48 between 1887 and 1890. The choral and orchestral setting is the best known of his large works; it includes the famous Pie Jesu. Place Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St (2 blocks north of St Clair Avenue) in Elliott Hall (enter from Heath Street) Singers Choir (SATB) Instrumentation Flutes 1 &2, clarinets 1&2, bassoons 1&2, horns 1-4, trumpets 1&2, trombones 1-3, keyboard, tympani and strings (viola and cello parts divisi) Information For more information: Ellen Frei, 416-369-9564 efrei@sympatico.ca. Cost CAMMAC members $6; non-members $10; students free. Refreshments Refreshments will be available for $1 during the break. CAMMAC Toronto Region Newsletter September 2010 6
Computer resources for amateur musicians Part III By Blair Mackenzie Your computer is a wonderful resource for finding and listening to recorded music. You will need a computer with internet access and a decent pair of speakers, but as with the other articles in this little series, you will need no advanced skills. Google is a great place to start. A recent glowing review led me to want a copy of a new performance on DVD of Monteverdi s L Orfeo, done by Les Arts Florissants. A Google search turned it up instantly. Within seconds I had found at least two online vendors who had it in stock. All the major record producers have well-organized websites, two good examples being www.naxos.com. and www.deutschegrammophon.com. Retailers of recorded music, such as HMV (www.hmv.ca) or Atelier Grigorian (www.grigorian.com. ) also have useful sites. Like their bricks and mortar counterparts, the selection and the way the site is organized reflects their customer base. So if you have a favourite store for classical music recordings, there is a good chance that you will also like that store s website. Major online retailers such as Amazon (www.amazon.ca), Chapters Indigo (www.chapters.indigo.ca. ) and Barnes & Noble (www.barnesandnoble.com. ) offer a vast range of recorded music on CD, for delivery to you by mail. In addition, recording ensembles such as Tafelmusik, Les Violons du Roy and Elmer Isler Singers all sell CDs from their own websites. Sometimes it pays to really look around. Using the Internet, I once found a recording I prize of Cape Breton fiddling at a CD store in Scotland. All the usual Canadian sites plus Amazon etc. had indicated that the recording was out of stock and unavailable. Instead of spending $30 after shipping and taxes to have an album dropped into your mailbox, consider spending far less to have the same content delivered directly to your email in-box. You might find that you can download the same music for $7 or so, or just the two tracks you really want for $0.79 each. You pay by credit card and the music arrives within seconds. There is a time and place for commercial CDs with their beautiful album art and liner notes, especially when you want to give someone a gift. But otherwise, downloading makes a lot of sense. Try www.eclassical.com. or www.emusic.com. The latter is a subscription site, but a subscription may be worth it if you buy a lot of classical music. The sailing is not always smooth. Occasionally you will come across a site which has exactly the music you want, but the site blocks you from purchasing it, because your internet address is from Canada and that particular site is licensed to sell only to U.S. residents. When that happens, it can be handy to have a friend or relative in the United States. If all you want to do is to get a sense of what something sounds like, such as a piece you are about to sight-read or sight-sing, consider visiting www.youtube.com. The range of classical music available there is astonishing. Performances vary greatly in quality, so be warned. If all you want is music playing in the background, consider using the Internet to access one of the many wonderful classical music stations available worldwide. As I write this, I am listening to my personal favourite: Radio Swiss Classic (www.radioswissclassic.ch. ) At www.classicalwebcast.com (and at other locations as well) you can find lists of the many international classical music stations that await you. CAMMAC Toronto Region Newsletter September 2010 7
What was that wonderful recording you just heard on the radio? At most radio stations, if you hear something you really like, you can easily find full details about the recording on the radio station s website. It will usually be archived there for several days, under a heading such as playlists. Do you have a stack of vinyl LPs that are full of performances you treasure? You might want to be able to listen to them in your car or on a portable music device as well. That too you can accomplish through your computer. You will almost certainly need some help getting set up for a project like that, but once your turntable is properly connected to your computer, the worst will be behind you. mackenzie.blair@gmail.com. BOOK YOUR THANKSGIVING WEEKEND NOW! By Patricia Abbott, Artistic Director, Lake MacDonald Music Centre It s time to think about coming to Lake MacDonald for our annual Thanksgiving weekend, especially if you did not have the opportunity to join us this summer. The leaves are already beginning to show the promise of the beautiful Laurentian fall foliage and Musical Director Anne-Marie Denoncourt has once again organized a beautiful feast of music-making for you, your family and friends. We warmly invite you to join us for one of our most delightful events of the year. There will be singing, playing, dancing, lots of laughter and, of course, great food! If you have never been to the Lake MacDonald Music Centre, the Thanksgiving weekend is one of the best ways to experience it. Register soon! Working on The Magnificat, Lake MacDonald, Thanksgiving 2009 CAMMAC Toronto Region Newsletter September 2010 8
T.E.M.P.O. WORKSHOPS Please note the following T.E.M.P.O. workshops for this fall: Sunday September 12: Music of Italy, coached by Colin Savage. Sunday October 3: Music of North America, coached by Joelle Morton. Sunday November 21: Music of Germany, coached by David Castelo. Sunday December 5: Music of England, coached by Scott Paterson. All workshops are held at Lansing United Church, 49 Bogert Ave; Willowdale (southwest of Yonge & Sheppard), and are from 1:30 pm to 4 pm. For more information: 416-537-3733. E-MAIL AND / OR ADDRESS CHANGES Whenever your contact information changes, please remember to notify CAMMAC headquarters. We receive our mailing lists from them, so keep us current by keeping CAMMAC informed! Toll free: 1-888-622-8755 or national@cammac.ca PRIVACY NOTICE If you do not want your name and personal information known to other CAMMAC members, please make sure that when you renew your membership, you mark the appropriate box at the bottom of the application form. WHAT DO I GET FOR MY CAMMAC MEMBERSHIP? By taking out membership in CAMMAC you support the work of Canada s only charitable organization devoted to meeting the needs of amateur musicians. CAMMAC members pay reduced admission to attend CAMMAC readings and workshops and have borrowing privileges from the extensive CAMMAC sheet music library. CAMMAC membership is a requirement for taking part in CAMMAC s summer music camp at Lake MacDonald. CONCERT LISTINGS Toronto Children s Chorus presents Choral Soundscapes. Elise Bradley, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St., Toronto. Free. 416-872-4255. Thursday October 7, 12 noon Etobicoke Community Concert Band presents the 9 th annual Canadian Band Association community band weekend. www.cba-ontario.ca. October 16 and 17 Ottawa Bach Choir presents Baroque Delights and More. Lisette Canton, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St., Toronto. Free. 416-872-4255. Monday November 8, 12 noon. Elmer Iseler Singers present A Seasonal Celebration. Lydia Adams, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St., Toronto. Free.416-872-4255. Tuesday December 14, 12 noon. CAMMAC Toronto Region Newsletter September 2010 9
MUSICAL CHAIRS Are you looking for a music mate, someone with whom to make some music? We keep a list of others also looking! Please get in touch with our Musical Chairs group at 416-962-4847. CAMMAC TORONTO REGION MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE 2010-2011 President: Gerald Martindale 416-551-5183 bellman@rogers.com Past President: Kathy Gallyas 416-925-6182 kathy.gallyas@gmail.com Vice President and National Representative*: Roland Wilk 416-386 0258 Treasurer: Marion Wilk 416-386-0258 marion.wilk@gmail.com Secretary: Lynda Moon 416-482-6562 ptriovc@yahoo.ca Newsletter Editor: Riccarda Balogh** 416-694-9266 toronto.news@cammac.ca Newsletter Production: Blair Mackenzie 416-283-7659 mackenzie.blair@gmail.com Publicity Co-ordinator: Barbara Adams 905-877-0671 Orchestral Coordinator: Kathleen Mackenzie 416-283-7659 k_mackenzie@sympatico.ca Member at Large: Tim Moody 416-605-2793 Member at Large: Ellen Frei 416-369-9564 efrei@sympatico.ca Member at Large: Peter Solomon 416-781-4745. peter.solomon@utoronto.ca. Member at Large: Jenny Ono Suttaby 416-761-9899 jono@jentekcompany.com *Toronto Region representative to the National Board **CAMMAC RPS (Recorder Players' Society) representative OTHER CONTACTS Webmaster: Nacia Miller 416-463-2869 nacia_miller@sympatico.ca Recorder Players Soc.: Riccarda Balogh 416-694-9266 toronto.news@cammac.ca CAMMAC membership inquiries(toll free): 1-888-622-8755 or national@cammac.ca CAMMAC website: www.cammac.ca Your Toronto Region Management Committee meets once a month to plan workshops, readings and other exciting events for our members. New members for the regional management committee are always welcome. If you are interested in helping out, please send an email to toronto@cammac.ca. CAMMAC Toronto Region Newsletter September 2010 10