A Week of Art

enjoying other people’s art

Last Thursday I enjoyed a concert in the afternoon put on by the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto. They featured the tenor Asitha Tennekoon with pianist Steven Philcox and a string quartet. Here is short description of this man’s musical journey into opera.

https://www.amplifiedopera.com/asitha-tennekoon

After this very moving concert I walked over WAAC and took in the the show featuring photography for this year’s Contact Show.

On Saturday Kevin and I drove to the Better Living Building and spent a couple hours exploring the beautiful art at the Toronto Art Project. It was fun meeting artists that we followed on Instagram and conversing with new artists.

On Saturday Kevin and I continued our our art filled weekend and took the train into the city and enjoyed an afternoon listening to a big band group of young people , the Angela Pincente Orchestra at the famous Rex.

The Rex is Toronto’s oldest jazz club.https://www.therex.ca/events/angela-pincente-large-ensemble-9gmm4-txnft-w799d-h3m7j

Two Days of Art and Culture

a little opera and lots of paintings

On Thursday I made my way downtown to listen to a wonderful opera singer, Midori Marsh.

Midori was the winner of the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto 2024 Career Development Award.

After the concert I walked over to the Royal Museum of Ontario but didn’t get beyond the gift shop because you can no longer access the museum via the store. I’m hoping this is temporary.

I could have entered from the main entrance but I wanted to check out the show at WAAC which is a block north of the ROM.

When I arrived at Women’s Art I was greeted by this sandwich board.

The show is wonderful with very large and varied pieces. One year I’ll attempt a large piece so that I can participate in this show.

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Today Kevin and I attended the Lambton Kingsway Annual Art Show. Kevin learned that one of the artists that he follows was exhibiting here so he wanted to meet her.

A Concert, Sketching on the Subway and Walking 11 000 Steps

….it was a good day

This afternoon I took the subway downtown to attend a Music in the Afternoon concert at the Edward Johnson Building. I was hoping to hear the pre-show lecture but I arrived too late and sat in the lobby and ate my lunch. IMG_7681The concert was very enjoyable. The Daedalus Quartet performed Jean Sibelius’ String Quartet in D Minor, Voces Intimae, Op 56. and then they were joined by Romie de Guise-Langlois on Clarinet. Together they performed James MacMillan’s Tuireadh for clarinet and string quartet. The piece was long and haunting and I quite enjoyed it but many of the older members of the audience were clearly not enjoying it.. After the intermission, the group played Johannes Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet in B Minor. For many this final number brought the audience back in their favour.

 

On my way to the concert I pulled out my sketchbook and started to draw the woman who was sitting in front of me. It was the first time that I have attempted to sketch people on location. I usually use photographs or use my imagination but I’m determined to stretch my skills and try new things. At the concert hall, I arrived early so I also attempted to sketch the podium on the stage. It’s not a bad start but I have a ways to go and lots to learn.

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After the concert I walked along the Philosopher’s Walk and took photos of the snow and surrounding buildings. We finally got a really good snowfall but by next week the temperatures are suppose to rise to double digits and it will all melt and we’ll be left with slush and puddles.

When I got off the subway I had a fair distance to walk to get to my car. I drove over to the Junction and parked the car again and did a little shopping in the area. All in all it was a good walking day and I recorded 11 000 steps by the end of the day. A good day all round!

 

 

 

 

A Day Filled With Music

….I was introduced to the music of James Ehnes

My good friend, D, took me as her guest to the final concert of the WMCT’s Music in the Afternoon 2012-2013 series. It was a special concert, held at Koerner Hall, featuring baritone Russell Braun, accompanied by his wife, pianist Carolyn Maule and violinist James Ehnes. The two men are past recipients of scholarship and career development awards presented to them by the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto, an organization that has supported world class chamber music in the city for 115 years.

I leave you with a caprice played by James Ehnes. Many consider this Canadian treasure to be one of the best violinists in the world. Listen and see if you agree. His playing awed me today. I met him after the concert and bought one of his CDs. IMGP0056