Photo by Bruce Zinger Photography
JAMES STRECKER: Please tell us about one or more projects that you have been working on or have recently completed. Why exactly do they matter to you and why should they matter to us?
CORY KNIGHT: We had our first Toronto Consort program of the season last month called Countryside and Court, under the direction of Artistic Associate Katherine Hill with special guest fiddler and dancer Emilyn Stam. The program was an exploration of 16th century French courtly music paired up with today’s French traditional music. It was an exciting program that literally had us singing and dancing with the audience.
Upcoming in December we have Schütz’s Christmas Story, directed by David Fallis with guest artist internationally-acclaimed English tenor Charles Daniels. This program will bring together period performers to kick off the holiday season with this early-Baroque masterpiece along with music by Schein, Scheidt, and Hassler.
JS: How did doing these projects change you as a person and as a creator?
CK: The Toronto Consort is a collective of Artistic Associates who specialize in medieval, renaissance and early baroque music. As such, each concert program is created by one (or a small group) of Artistic Associates. We are by nature a very collaborative team and even if we are not taking the lead on a particular project, we work together to build a final product. This is my first season with Toronto Consort as an Artistic Associate and having a role like this is a new step in my professional career. I am very much enjoying growing into this role with my wonderfully supportive colleagues.
JS: What might others not understand or appreciate about the work you produce or do?
CK: Being an early musician is a pretty specialized thing to do, even in the world of classical music. It’s kind of a niche within a niche. We’re often working with instruments and musical styles and notation that are centuries old and require specialized study and training in order to interpret. You need to be a bit of a detective to reconstruct early music and every new project brings new questions and new ideas.
JS: What are the most important parts of yourself that you put into your work?
CK: For me the draw to music, and in particular singing, has always been its expressive storytelling power and its ability to bring people together regardless of cultural background. I believe we can learn a lot about ourselves when we gather to listen to the stories of the past and I aim to create opportunities where people can experience this.
JS: What are your biggest challenges as a creative person?
CK: I think most artists would agree that the job never feels complete. We may be very satisfied with what we’ve created, but there’s always more to explore or another variation to try.
JS: Imagine that you are meeting two or three people, living or dead, whom you admire because of their work in your form of artistic expression. What would you say to them and what would they say to you?
CK: I think it would be interesting to meet a singer from J. S. Bach’s time as Music Director at Thomaskirche in Leipzig. Knowing the difficulty of Bach’s music and the speed at which those singers would have had to learn it, I would love some insight into how they got the job done.
JS: Please describe at least one major turning point in your life that helped to make you who you are as a creative artist.
CK: I would say getting my Master of Arts in Historical Performance Practice from the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland has had the greatest impact on who I am as an artist. During my time in Europe, I was immersed in a world of early music resources and aficionados and I felt like I had finally found a group of people who understood my voice and what it was capable of. I was inspired to work hard and came back to Canada feeling confident and accomplished.
JS: What are the hardest things for an outsider to understand about your life as a person in the arts?
CK: I think it can be difficult for people to understand what ‘work’ looks like for a musician. Because our hours and income vary and we’re often moving from place to place, people tend to have a lot of questions about the stability and longevity of the career. The truth is, we often ask ourselves the same questions and, in fact, no two artists have the same experience. So, there are definitely a lot of unknowns. At the end of the day however, there is a great satisfaction that comes from engaging with the arts and in my opinion this far outweighs any uncertainties the career might throw at you.
JS: Please tell us what you haven’t attempted as yet that you would like to do in the arts? Why the delay so far?
CK: With my new role as an Artistic Associate with The Toronto Consort I have the opportunity to create and direct concert programs. I have a few ideas floating around in my head that I would really like to bring to life and I’m looking forward to giving them a try.
JS: If you could re-live your life in the arts, how would you change it and why?
CK: I don’t think I would change much to this point about my career as a musician. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunities that I’ve had. One thing I might change would be to advocate for arts education more often and in more meaningful ways. I think we all benefit from a well-rounded understanding of how the world works and the arts are an integral part of who we are as humans.
JS: Let’s talk about the state of the arts in today’s society, including the forms in which you work. What specifically gives you hope and what specifically do you find depressing?
CK: There has been quite a significant growth in the number of people interested in Early Music over the past few decades and that has been wonderful to see. I think the internet has played a significant role in providing access to resources and for allowing specialists from around the world to connect and share ideas.
JS: What exactly do you like about the work you create and/or do?
CK: I like that early music gives us a small peek into what life might have been like in the past.
JS: In your creative life thus far, what have been the most helpful comments you have heard about your work?
CK: In general, I love chatting with the audience. Some of the best feedback comes through conversations that happen before, during, and immediately after a show. Music is a lived experience that is meant to be shared and I think it’s important to find ways to blur the boundary between performer and audience member whenever we can.
JS: Finally, what do you yourself find to be the most intriguing and/or surprising things about you?
CK: I’ve been very fortunate to be able to balance my professional life between being a musician and an educator. I’m an Occasional Teacher with the Toronto Catholic District School Board and I have a background in recreational learning. I spent many years in the world of summer camps (over twenty) and taught arts-based workshops to visiting school groups at Harbourfront Centre. Something people might not know about me is that I’m a farm boy from Southwestern Ontario. I grew up picking tomatoes in the Tomato Capital of Canada.