Educating children about music

My apologies for not writing last weekend as is my usual routine, but I had spent the better part of the previous week in Toronto for training for my new job, and by the weekend once I got caught up on the home front, the weekend was all but done.  Things are getting a little quieter now, thanks, so I should be able to resume my regular writing routine again, and hopefully by next week I can write the column I've wanted to for job hunters in the same position I was for seven months.

Right now, though, I want to share with you an email I received today from a good friend and wonderful musician from Toronto who appeared last month at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts series at the Centre for the Arts at Brock University, Catherine Wilson.

Catherine, you might recall, performed with her group Ensemble Vivant and I lamented the small turnout for the concert.  Pity, as the concert was exceptional.

Well, if you are in, or plan to be, in Toronto next Friday evening, April 25th, you can catch Catherine and her group of talented musicians including Don Thompson, Norman Hathaway, Steven Sitarski and Sybil Shanahan at Heliconian Hall at 35 Hazelton Avenue.  The concert is a fundraiser for a cause near and dear to Catherine's heart, EUTERPE, a not-for-profit, charitable music organization on a mission to bring live quality music to children.

EUTERPE, named after the Greek Muse of Music, presents live interactive classical and jazz performance programs featuring exceptional artists free of charge to people who might not otherwise be exposed to such music.  The group organizes festivals, seminars and educational workshops as well as promoting the musical arts for those in need through financial and other support.

As the organization states on their website, their mission is "to bring the experience of good music, well played, into the lives of people - especially young people - the vast majority of whom might otherwise never know how much music can enrich their lives, expand their minds and brighten their horizons.  We know from experience how life altering music can be.  We've felt it in our own lives.  We see it shining in the minds, and on the faces of the children participating in our performances."

This is a program I support without hesitation, as the music lovers of tomorrow need to be educated today.  The greying of our symphony concert-goers is testament to the need for programmes such as this to educate younger audiences so they, too, will want to attend classical and jazz performances as they themselves get older.

The concert features a variety of what is termed "sensuous Latin music" so, presumably, the tango will figure prominently in the musical selections, of which Catherine and her group are particularly adept.  There will also be a photography exhibition by Mary Perdue, an award-winning photographer showing 30 images of life in old Havana, a city I have yet to visit but someday would very much like to.  I'm told the colourful exterior of the city hides decay that is allowing the city to literally crumble away.

So, if I have whetted your appetite to attend, the concert is next Friday night, April 25th at 7:30 at Heliconian Hall at 35 Hazelton Avenue in downtown Toronto, and tickets are available in advance by contacting euterpecorporation@gmail.com.  General seating is $ 25.00 and premium seating is also available for $ 100.00.  Tickets can also be purchased at the door, of course.

For more information, call 416-885-0535 or 416-465-8856, or go to www.heliconianclub.org.

It looks like a nice way to spend a spring evening, and support a very worthwhile cause at the same time.  Educating the young to become the concert-goers of tomorrow starts with all of us, and innovative programmes such as this.

Enjoy the music!

April 18th, 2014.