Yesterday evening Eloise and I returned to the fabulous Koerner Hall for the first time since the opening at the end of September. Getting out on a Sunday night always asks for a little effort, but how happy I am we made it! Not only was it wonderful to be back in this jewel of a concert hall, it also was our first encounter with the excellent Esprit Orchestra, conducted by Alex Pauk.
 
These very fine musicians—many of them members of my COC Orchestra—performed a challenging program of masterpieces of contemporary music: two international classics, Takemitsu's "Green" and Ligeti's "Atmospheres," in the first part and the Toronto premiere of Alexina Louie's "Take the Dog Sled" (my first encounter with throat singing!) and R. Murray Schafer's powerful North/White in the second part. The quality of the performances was truly outstanding and made a great case for how exciting contemporary music can be.

The experience was further enhanced by the fantastic acoustics of Koerner Hall. For pieces as complex as the ones on yesterday's program it is so important for the listener to actually hear the music's many different layers and understand its structure. Koerner Hall allows us to have this experience. It truly serves the music and deepens our understanding of the pieces we are listening to. What else can one ask for from a concert hall?