Welcome back to live concerts in 2021-2022 | 124th season of Music in the Afternoon | Come In-person and/or Virtually
The Women’s Musical Club of Toronto has been presenting concerts since well before the flu pandemic of 1918-1919. We have endured two World Wars, depressions and recessions, and in 2020-21 another devastating virus. We have survived – and thrived!
Under current U of T regulations, this concert will be ONLINE only.
SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 | 1.30 pm
Blake Pouliot, violin; Hsin-I Huang, piano
This recital is a delayed celebration of Blake Pouliot’s 2018 WMCT Career Development Award. Blake has joined the upper echelon of brilliant soloists, establishing himself as a 21st century artist with rigor and passion. He performs on the 1729 Guarneri del Gesù, on loan from the Canada Council Musical Instrument Bank as First Laureate of both their 2015 and 2018 Competitions.
His shortened 2019-2020 season included debuts with the Atlanta, Asheville, Rochester, Sarasota and Madison symphonies, and participation as the featured soloist in the first ever tour of the European Union Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.
Program | Sonatas by J. S. Bach, Leoš Janáček, and Sergei Prokofiev
NOVEMBER 25, 2021 | 1.30 PM
Beverley Johnston & Friends
Beverley Johnston, Aiyun Huang, and Russell Hartenberger, percussion; Susan Hoeppner, flutes; Marc Djokic, violin
From the Percussion Studio directly behind the Walter Hall stage, they will roll out a broad range of instruments, from marimba and vibraphone to drums and flower pots, with (literally) lots of bells and whistles.
Program | Bach on Marimba, 20th century classics by Lou Harrison and Astor Piazzolla, and Eagles, by Russell Hartenberger, a WMCT Commission premiere.
MARCH 3, 2022 | 1.30 PM
Andrew Haji, tenor
Before the doors of concert halls and opera houses were closed by the pandemic, this young Canadian had a full calendar of opera, oratorio, and recital appearances for 2020/21.
Program | Songs by Franz Liszt, Robert Schumann, and Francesco Santoliquido
MARCH 31, 2022 | 1.30 PM
Cameron Crozman, cello; Philip Chiu, piano
“Tapeo” This acclaimed chamber duo will bring us a musical tasting-menu of Spanish and Hispanic-American pieces, and a new WMCT commission by Allan Gordon Bell.
APRIL 28, 2022 | 1.30 PM
Meta4 Quartet
Antti Tikkanen, violin; Minna Pensola, violin; Atte Kilpeläinen, viola; Tomas Djupsjöbacka, cello
The first concert by performers from Finland in our 124-year history, and a Toronto debut.
Program | Quartets by Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Saariaho
The University of Toronto will require that all those intending to be present on our campuses be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.
From Artistic Director, Simon Fryer
We sincerely hope that the 2021/22 season (our 124th) will find us all back together
in Walter Hall. To open, we look forward to performances from the wonderful violinist
Blake Pouliot – our 2018 CDA winner, on September 30, followed by one of Canada’s favourite percussionists, Beverley Johnston, who brings a brilliant group of friends and artists with her, on November 25.
Once we get to 2022, on March 3, we present fabulous Canadian tenor, Andrew Haji, followed on March 31 by Canada’s “next big cello star” (CBC) Cameron Crozman, in partnership with pianist Philip Chiu.
On April 28, we close the season with Meta4, a superb Finnish string quartet, bringing us musicians and repertoire from an unaccustomed part of the outside world.