Category Archives: Uncategorized

MODERN COMPOSERS FEATURED AT THE 2023 TORONTO SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL JULY 6-29…. # 2 ALEXINA LOUIE, O.C.: COMPOSER, PIANIST, TEACHER ………A REVIEWER INTERVIEWS PEOPLE IN THE ARTS

JAMES STRECKER: Please tell us about a creation of yours featured at this year’s Toronto Summer Music Festival. Why exactly does it matter to you and why should it matter to your listeners? ALEXINA LOUIE: For me, writing music is … Continue reading

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MODERN COMPOSERS FEATURED AT THE 2023 TORONTO SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL JULY 6-29…. # 3 KEVIN WILKS LAU: COMPOSER, PIANIST……A REVIEWER INTERVIEWS PEOPLE IN THE ARTS

JAMES STRECKER: Please tell us about a creation of yours featured at this year’s Toronto Summer Music Festival. Why exactly does it matter to you and why should it matter to your listeners? KEVIN WILKS LAU: My Fourth String Quartet … Continue reading

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GREGORY OH: CURATOR OF TORONTO’S SUMMER MUSIC IN THE GARDEN DISCUSSES THE MUCH-LOVED SERIES, HIS OWN CREATIVE LIFE, AND ADVISES AUDIENCES “BE OPEN, BUT TRUST YOURSELF. BE RESPECTFUL, BUT ENJOY YOURSELF. ENJOY THE FAMILIAR, EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN”. ….. A REVIEWER INTERVIEWS PEOPLE IN THE ARTS

JAMES STRECKER: Since you are the curator of Summer Music in the Garden, please tell us what we need to know about this upcoming series of 18 free concerts on most Thursdays and Sundays throughout the summer. GREGORY OH: I always … Continue reading

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FRANK HORVAT: COMPOSER, THROUGH THE ODIN QUARTET, OFFERS A SPELLBINDING NEW RECORDING– “FROM OBLIVION TO HOPE”

In his new recording, From Oblivion to Hope, composer Frank Horvat, with the voice of the Odin Quartet, remains quite assured throughout in exploring multiple possibilities of musical ins and outs. He is much at ease with the intrinsic playful … Continue reading

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FRANK HORVAT: COMPOSER RELEASES TWO NEW RECORDINGS – “FROM OBLIVION TO HOPE,” WITH THE ODIN QUARTET, AND “A VILLAGE OF LANDSCAPES,”, WITH SÉBASTIEN MALETTE ON BASSOON, AS DIGITAL DOWNLOADS …A REVIEWER INTERVIEWS PEOPLE IN THE ARTS

JAMES STRECKER: Let’s talk about the two recordings that you have recently released, but let’s do them one at a time. First, with From Oblivion to Hope which is performed by Odin Quartet, why exactly does the composition matter to … Continue reading

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ROBERT CLARK YATES: THE ARTIST DISCUSSES HIS NEW SHOW AT HAMILTON’S YOU ME GALLERY AND BEING AN ARTIST IN OUR CONTEMPORARY WORLD……. A REVIEWER INTERVIEWS PEOPLE IN THE ARTS

JAMES STRECKER: Please tell us what you want the public to know about your current exhibition at the You Me Gallery.  ROBERT CLARK YATES:  Well, first of all, the gallery is located at 330 James Street North in Hamilton, and … Continue reading

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MAHABHARATA, AT THE SHAW FESTIVAL, AS A PROFOUND EXPERIENCE: THE ARTS AND CONNECTIONS ON A PERSONAL NOTE

First things first: Do not, do not, do not miss Mahabharata, Parts 1 and 2, now at the Shaw Festival until March 26. Of course, you might read Mahabharata: A Modern Retelling by Carole Satyamurti, in which this production is … Continue reading

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MARSHALL PYNKOSKI: OPERA ATELIER’S CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR DISCUSSES HANDEL’S THE RESURRECTION DUE AT KOERNER HALL ON APRIL 6, 8, & 9…… A REVIEWER INTERVIEWS PEOPLE IN THE ARTS

JAMES STRECKER: Your production of The Resurrection was already presented digitally in 2021, so what reasons have you for recommending the upcoming live performance? MARSHALL PYNKOSKI: In the broadest sense, we believe there is no comparison between a film performance … Continue reading

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VERY SPECIAL MUSIC ON 25 CDS: FAVORITE RECENT LISTENS – THEIR PERSONAL IMPACT AND CONNECTION

Posted on December 10, 2022 by strecker 1)FAIRUZ: ALMAHABA – A voice full of horizon and instinctive understanding.  I wrote a poem about her decades ago that hardly even reached her a nuanced profundity. A few weeks ago, a young cashier, Serena, from Lebanon, … Continue reading

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MARK RYALL ON HIS NEW BOOK “RUN DAUGHTER, RUN FATHER” …..A REVIEWER INTERVIEWS PEOPLE IN THE ARTS

JAMES STRECKER: Please give us a brief autobiography, some stuff about yourself that is relevant to this book. MARK RYALL: I recently retired from fifteen years at Hillfield Strathallan College, Hamilton, where I taught economics and coached cross country running and … Continue reading

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