Winter may not be over quite yet, but the COC's Free Concert Series continues in March with some creative and interactive performances. From contemporary dance, to family-friendly opera and Portuguese-inspired Latin Jazz, our March concerts will help you make it to spring!
Tuesday, March 5, 2013 - Ballet Creole - Tounkande
Ballet Creole, one of Canada's most innovative and dynamic dance companies, extends the celebration of Black History Month into March with an exhilarating new production. Tounkande is a unique collaboration with master drummers from Africa and Trinidad and Tobago. The production brings together the song, dance and rhythms of Guinea, West Africa and celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the Malinke people. See a clip from Ballet Creole's production, Breaking Out, below.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013 - 12 p.m. - Kyra Millan - Interactive Opera
Have you ever wanted to sing-along with a popular opera? Soprano and artist educator Kyra Millan leads an interactive concert of popular arias and duets. The program includes fun vocal exercises and the opportunity to learn and sing the Papageno-Papagena duet from Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The program also features vocal performances by Millan of The Girl in 14G, as well as excerpts from The Tales of Hoffmann and La fille du régiment. This is the perfect March Break activity for people of all ages!
Tuesday, March 19, 2013 - 12 p.m. - ArrayMusic - Toy Piano Composers
The Array Ensemble presents six new works by the Toy Piano Composers collective. This concert represents a unique pairing of two organizations dedicated to new music, one celebrating its 40th anniversary year and the other entering its fourth year of music-making. The program features works by Christian Floisand, Monica Pearce, Fiona Ryan, Ruth Guechtal, Christopher Thornborrow and Elisha Denburg. Relive a past performance by watching the video below.
Thursday, March 21, 2013 - 12 p.m. - Louis Simão, Bill McBirnie and Daniel Stone - Faia
Award-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist Louis Simão, Latin-jazz flute specialist Bill McBirnie and percussionist Daniel Stone present a compelling hour of songs rooted at the crossroads of Lusophone music. Drawing on traditions ranging from Simão's native Portugal, to Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola and beyond, the trio weaves a musical tapestry of rhythms and melodies from the Portuguese-speaking world infused with the energy and improvisatory spirit of jazz.
Thursday, March 28, 2013 - 12 p.m. - Tony Yike Yang - Feux d'artifice
Fresh from his victory at the Bösendorfer International Piano Competition, 14-year-old pianist Tony Yike Yang showcases his virtuosity and exuberance in a dazzling program of works by Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert and Ginastera. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear one of Canada’s most exciting young rising stars. Watch a video of Tony performing Chopin's Étude in F Major, Op. 10, No. 8 in 2010.
Photos: Ballet Creole in its production, Breaking Out (top); Culture Days at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, 2010 (middle); Louis Simão (bottom).
Posted by Kristin McKinnon / in Free Concert Series / comments (0) / permalink
Sara Fulgoni in the COC production of Bluebeard's Castle. Photo: Michael Cooper © 2001