Category Archives: Uncategorized

BARBARA HANNIGAN & THE TORONTO SYMPHONY: SOME THOUGHTS ON A VERY SPECIAL CONCERT

Posted on February 14, 2019 by strecker

  It was one of the saddest days in my life. And yet, there I sat, front row, for a Toronto Symphony concert conducted and often sung by Barbara Hannigan at Roy Thompson Hall, laughing with deep delight through much … Continue reading →

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EIMEAR ARKINS: MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST, SINGER AND DANCER FROM COUNTY CLARE, WITH DEBUT ALBUM, WHAT’S NEXT? EXPLAINS: “RECORDING FORCES YOU TO REALLY LISTEN TO YOURSELF IN A WAY THAT YOU MAY NOT HAVE DONE BEFORE…. I SOON REALIZED THAT PERFECTION IS NOT AN ATTAINABLE GOAL AND THERE COMES A POINT WHERE YOU HAVE TO SAY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH” …. A REVIEWER INTERVIEWS PEOPLE IN THE ARTS

Posted on February 11, 2019 by strecker

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? EIMEAR ARKINS: In June 2018, I … Continue reading →

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ALISON MACKAY: TAFELMUSIK’S DOUBLE BASSIST AND CREATIVE FORCE EXPLAINS HER MULTIMEDIA CREATION OF FEBRUARY 21 TO 24: “WE ARE PREPARING NOW FOR A REVIVAL OF OUR TALES OF TWO CITIES CONCERT, IN WHICH WE TRAVEL BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN BACH’S CITY OF LEIPZIG AND THE SYRIAN CITY OF DAMASCUS IN THE EARLY 18TH CENTURY, CONJURING UP TWO COFFEEHOUSES WHICH ARE TRANSFORMED THROUGH THE MAGIC OF IMAGES AND MUSIC,”…A REVIEWER’S INTERVIEW WITH PEOPLE IN THE ARTS

Posted on February 8, 2019 by strecker

Photo by Sian Richards. Tafelmusik’s double bassist since 1979, Alison Mackay, retires as a core orchestra member at the end of the current season. Her immersive multimedia fusion of Saxon and Arabic music, Tales of Two Cities: The Leipzig-Damascus Coffee … Continue reading →

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PATRICK JORDAN: VIOLIST WITH TAFELMUSIK AND THE EYBLER QUARTET SUMMARIZES: “MOST DAYS I LIKE HOW IT FEELS TO PLAY THE INSTRUMENT. I REALLY ENJOY THE DETECTIVE WORK IN FINDING NEW PIECES AND MAKING MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS BETWEEN HISTORICAL FIGURES AND THEIR WORK. I IIKE BEING ON STAGE AND GETTING DOSES OF BOTH HUMILITY AND THE ADRENALINE IN LIVE PERFORMANCE. I LIKE PRODUCING LASTING DOCUMENTS THROUGH RECORDING. I ENJOY PASSING ALONG TO OTHER ARTISTS SOME OF WHAT I’VE ACCUMULATED OVER THE YEARS.”… A REVIEWER INTERVIEWS PEOPLE IN THE ARTS

Posted on February 4, 2019 by strecker

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? PATRICK JORDAN: There are several on … Continue reading →

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PAULA BOCHNAK: TRADITIONAL UKRAINIAN DANCER AND SINGER EXPLAINS “IT’S IMPORTANT TO STAY CONNECTED TO YOUR ROOTS, WHETHER IT BE IN THE FORM OF ART, LANGUAGE, FOOD, FAMILY TRADITIONS OR OTHERS…… WITH MOST OF MY FAMILY LIVING OVERSEAS IN UKRAINE, TO ME MUSIC AND DANCE IS ONE WAY I AM ABLE TO FEEL CONNECTED TO A BIGGER FAMILY AND PROUDLY DEFINE WHO I AM.”…..A REVIEWER INTERVIEWS PEOPLE IN THE ARTS

Posted on February 2, 2019 by strecker

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? PAULA BOCHNAK: Being part of a … Continue reading →

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MARTIN JULIEN: ACTOR IS READER IN FROM TREBLINKA TO AUSCHWITZ: VASILY GROSSMAN AND PRIMO LEVI: A DIALOGUE BETWEEN WITNESSES, JANUARY 29, AT ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE…. PLUS, SENIOR EDITOR OF THEATRE PASSE MURAILLE: A COLLECTIVE HISTORY, PUBLISHED BY PLAYWRIGHTS CANADA PRESS IN JANUARY 2019…. A REVIEWER’S INTERVIEW WITH PEOPLE IN THE ARTS

Posted on January 15, 2019 by strecker

Istituto Italiano Di Cultura presents the North American premiere of From Treblinka to Auschwitz: Vasily Grossman And Primo Levi: a dialogue between witnesses, a theatrical reading with live music for Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 29, 2019, 6:30 pm at Toronto’s … Continue reading →

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WRITER TO WRITER ON ANIMAL RIGHTS, SONG LYRICS, AND CREATIVITY IN THE ARTS: AUTHOR VALERIE HARMS INTERVIEWS JAMES STRECKER ON HIS THREE NEW BOOKS

Posted on January 12, 2019 by strecker

Valerie Harms is the author of 10 books and lives in Bozeman, Montana. See www.valerieharms.com She will soon be interviewed by James Strecker for this blog. VALERIE HARMS: What made you bring out such a diverse collection books at this … Continue reading →

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MARCO CERA OF TAFELMUSIK ON HIS CREATION THE HARLEQUIN SALON RUNNING JANUARY 16-20. HE COMMENTS: “I THINK THAT EVERY PROJECT COMES AT THE RIGHT TIME. KEEP YOUR PROJECTS IN THE DRAWER, KEEP THINKING ABOUT THEM, KEEP WORKING ON THEM, AND ONE DAY THE RIGHT MOMENT WILL COME, THE RIGHT OCCASION WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN.” …. A REVIEWER INTERVIEWS PEOPLE IN THE ARTS

Posted on January 4, 2019 by strecker

Marco Cera is the Tafelmusik oboist and visual artist behind the creation of The Harlequin Salon, which takes place Jan 16 through 20. JAMES STRECKER: Please tell us about a project that you have been working on. Why does it … Continue reading →

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ELINOR FREY: CELLIST JOINS SCARAMELLA FOR CONCERT ON JANUARY 12 AND EXPLAINS: “I’VE BECOME A BIT OF AN INSTRUMENT JUNKIE AND I HAVE 6 CELLO OR GAMBA-LIKE INSTRUMENTS, BUT I LIVE IN A QUITE SMALL APARTMENT (WITH NO STORAGE CLOSET) WITH MY BOYFRIEND. IT GETS TO FEEL A BIT CROWDED.” … A REVIEWER INTERVIEWS PEOPLE IN THE ARTS

Posted on January 3, 2019 by strecker

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? ELINOR FREY: I’m working on two … Continue reading →

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GINA MONACO: WRITER, EDITOR, MUSICIAN EXPLAINS: “PEOPLE DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY I WOULD GO BACK TO SCHOOL AT 59 YEARS OLD. …..THE WORK REALLY CHALLENGES ME TO KNOW MYSELF MORE –TO BE MORE REAL. JUST WHEN I THINK I KNOW MYSELF, SOMETHING POPS UP IN THE WORK THAT TAKES ME IN A NEW PERSONAL DIRECTION.” A REVIEWER’S INTERVIEWS WITH PEOPLE IN THE ARTS

Posted on December 16, 2018 by strecker

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? GINA MONACO: I’d like to talk … Continue reading →

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