Welcome to the 2021-2022 | 124th season of Music in the Afternoon
Download the Season Brochure
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!
New Venue for Spring 2022 Concerts
Grace Church on-the-Hill
A spacious and fully accessible sanctuary, welcoming live audiences, with a large capacity limit for social distancing, and a glorious piano.
Subscribe Now to Three Wonderful Chamber Music Events.
MARCH 3, 2022 | 1.30 PM
Andrew Haji, tenor; Stéphane Mayer, piano
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. He currently stars in the Canadian Opera Company streaming production of Gianni Schicchi, and in the co-production with Against the Grain Theatre of Mozart’s Requiem.
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. Cameron was just awarded the Canada Council’s Virginia Parker Prize of $25,000.
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
SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 | 1.30 pm | Online Only
Blake Pouliot, violin; Hsin-I Huang, piano
This recital was 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.
Program and Notes
NOVEMBER 25, 2021 | 1.30 PM | Online only
Beverley Johnston & Friends
Beverley Johnston, Aiyun Huang, Russell Hartenberger, and Randall Chaves Camacho, percussion; Susan Hoeppner, flute; Marc Djokic, violin
Program and Notes | More Photos
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.