New Year's Update

 Amid all the plans going on for New Year's Eve tonight and looking forward to what 2023 will bring, just a few thoughts and reflections to offer up at the close of another year.

I hope whatever you do this evening you do it safely and responsibly, and make lasting memories if you possibly can with that special person in your life.  I know how fleeting that can be.  Just today I found a Facebook memory from when we attended the Jim Witter concert down at the PAC four years ago tonight, and I had to stop and collect my thoughts.  Four years and so much has changed...

That's the thing about memories.  We often don't realize we're making them until long after they are made, and they slip into our memory banks again to make us smile, tug at heartstrings, or perhaps bring a tear to an eye or two.  So tonight, do what you can to cherish the memories you've made and will make both tonight and into the New Year.

It's funny; this night has rarely held much importance for me.  Growing up in Toronto I was usually at home this night, as my parents either went to their friends Sheila & Ken Tate for a visit and Chinese food, or they came to our house.  It was an alternate thing and that happened for as long as I can remember.

When I finally became old enough to be more independent and making my way in my chosen career I did get out on the odd New Year's Eve, and one forgettable year I invited people over for a party and nobody showed up...save for one couple.  But hey, that was enough and we had a great time!

When I was firmly established in my radio career I usually ended up working this night, sometimes to midnight, many times as late as 3 am.  So for about 20 years I really had no concept of how to observe the night.  When I finally did get the night off from my job I was at loose ends as to how to celebrate it!

With Sophie it was usually easy...she made the plans and I just said "great!".  Often we would go out to dinner or such, but the last two years we were together we did the show at the PAC on New Year's Eve with friends and it was about as enjoyable a night as I can remember.

Now, I am very much a homebody and quite content with that.  Tonight as has been the case the last couple of years I will perhaps go for a walk after dinner and then simply relax with the cats and watch some TV before retiring early for the night.  I have not stayed up until midnight in years, thinking it will be 2023 when I get up in the morning anyways so I will greet the New Year then, thanks.

I know, not very exciting, but many people I talked to this weekend have similar plans.  It's funny but I think with the aging population we may be seeing a slow decline in lavish late night parties on New Year's Eve and perhaps that's not a bad thing.

I bought a bottle of de-alcoholized wine for tonight...how exciting is that?!

Tomorrow will be a quiet day and since the annual Mayor's Levee is on at the Armoury again this year I might just stop in for a visit. wearing my mask of course.

I started a tradition a couple of years ago for the dinner on New Year's Day, and it will continue again this year.  Since I am always so tired Christmas Day following my late night hosting the Midnight Mass broadcast from the Cathedral on Christmas Eve, I decided to hold off on my own Christmas dinner until New Year's.  It is quite enjoyable actually!

So that brings me to how I am doing these days, and I promised you last week I would give you an update as I have the last couple of years on this weekend.  Overall I am doing okay.  I mean, it isn't perfect but I make the best of the situation and concentrate first and foremost on my recovery and moving forward, which became my mantra at the beginning of 2022.

In some ways I have been successful in moving my life forward, even sampling a brief romance this past summer, but alas it was not to be, at least not for now.  I remain hopeful on that front though and perhaps 2023 will be the year I can find love again and move forward even more than I have done already.

I am also making more, albeit small changes in the house.  I feel it is time to add a slightly more masculine look to the place.  Not drastic mind you and I can assure you it won't just become one giant man cave.  But there are some things I think can be changed to alter the look without compromising the quiet elegance I have always wanted to achieve here.

Perhaps it is inevitable I would make this change and in fact it is probably good that I do.  I can't just live in the past and I know Sophie would not want me to.  So I make changes that honour the past and look to the future at the same time, and in the process help to move me forward, the direction I am focused on heading in.

There is a certain sadness for those of us who have lost someone dear when the holidays arrive.  There is for me, certainly.  But with each passing year the ache is a little less, there is slightly more decorating done than previously, and you begin to feel you can do this.  You can move on with your life and make new memories, either on your own or with someone new.

So enjoy your celebrations tonight if indeed you are celebrating.  If on the other hand you are having a quiet night in tonight as I am, be thankful for the good things that have come your way and show appreciation for those around you throughout the year.

Let's make this a New Year's to remember for all the right reasons.  You and I and everyone else deserve nothing less.

From my house to yours, Happy New Year and all the best for 2023!

Enjoy.

December 31st, 2022.

Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All

 As this is December 24th, I thought I would offer up some Christmas Eve thoughts as we all go about our appointed rounds today and over the holidays...

While many will spend the holidays with family and in some cases friends, not everyone will, and I hope we'll all remember them this Christmas season.  As we've seen and heard in the news the past 24 hours, many are trying to get home for the holidays but the weather is thwarting those plans.  My heart goes out to those still in airports, train stations or in some cases this morning on the trains themselves, not going  anywhere soon.

But I also want to offer up a reminder not everyone will be home due to work commitments.  Many service workers will be on the job either tonight or tomorrow, or both.  Let's remember them all this season for their sacrifices:  the police and fire personnel, restaurant workers, those manning the few stores open over the Christmas period, taxi drivers, transit personnel and of course, let's not forget those overworked health care professionals always there for us now and always.

I have during my radio career worked my fair share of Christmas and New Year's shifts as well and I know how difficult yet gratifying it can be.  Once when working on Christmas Day on the air I remember a lady calling me late in the afternoon and thanking me for keeping her company during the afternoon as she was all alone at Christmas.

So yes, it can be lonely, but sometimes the rewards do help to make up for working the holidays.

Let's also remember those who have lost someone special in their lives and feel that loneliness that comes with now being alone during the holidays on a very personal level.  It happens to most of us at one time or another and I can tell you from my personal experience it is heart-wrenching to say the least.

This will be my third Christmas without Sophie and although it has become a little easier since the first one, the ache in my heart I don't think will ever go away.  And I know I am not alone in feeling that way either.

So next week I will update you at the end of the year on my own personal journey.

But for now, please remember those who need us at this time of year: the shut-ins, the lonely and those who choose to work for whatever the reason so we can enjoy the season with our respective families.  

There is joy in the season but also for some, pain too.  Be kind and understanding and be thankful always for those you still have surrounding you with love.

Merry Christmas however you choose to celebrate it and with whom.  Make the most of the holidays if you possibly can.  Make new memories now to last a lifetime.

Enjoy your holidays and we'll talk again soon.

December 24th, 2022.

Last Minute Christmas Concerts

 While some worry about last-minute Christmas shopping, others who perhaps started earlier may worry about last-minute Christmas concerts they may choose to attend.  I prefer to be in the latter category rather than the former...

For me, listening to Christmas carols just sounds better in a church environment rather than a concert hall. The music may be the same but the ambiance makes all the difference for me.  So I am happy to report there are several concerts planned for tomorrow, just a week before Christmas.  Oh I am sure there are plenty others should you choose to look, but these are all reasonably close to home or a short drive away.

The annual holiday concert featuring Glissandi and local actor Guy Bannerman, part of the Gallery Players concert season, takes place Sunday afternoon at 3 pm at a new venue for them, St. Catharines United Mennonite Church.  Entitled Celtic Folklore, the concert will feature a mix of celtic folklore of course, along with tales and traditions intertwined with festive music of the season.

In addition to actor Guy Bannerman, performers include harpist Deborah Braun, violinist David Braun, Douglas Miller on flute and Nicholas Braun on percussion.

You can purchase tickets in advance by calling 905-468-1525 or emailing info@galleryplayers.ca.  You can also go to the website:  www.galleryplayers.ca.  New this year however is a Pay-What-You-Choose option at the door.  If you choose this option, please be as generous as you possibly can be.

Also tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 pm, my own church, the Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria on Lyman Street in downtown St. Catharines will hold their annual Advent Christmas choral concert.  Featuring the Cathedral cantors and choir, the performance is a free-will offering event at the Cathedral.

Of all the Anglican churches in Niagara I have had the pleasure of visiting, one of my true favourites is St. Barnabas Church on Queenston Street.  Their church community is always tremendously welcoming and I remember years ago visiting the church for any number of events and sneaking downstairs to check on their resident cat, Barney.

St. Barnabas will host a Christmas Carol Sing-Along open to everyone in the community tomorrow afternoon at 4 pm, and there is no charge.

If you don't mind the drive to Toronto tomorrow there is a Festival of 9 Lessons & Carols by Candlelight evensong service scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at 4 pm at the Church of St. Peter and St. Simon the Apostle Anglican Church on Bloor Street East.  The performance will feature traditional carols and readings and music by Willcocks, Holman, Edwards, Sweelinck and others.  There will also be a reception afterwards with festive treats and mulled wine!

And finally, there is a decidedly un-carolly concert this evening down at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines if you are ready for something a little jazzier.  The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra will present A Very Swingin' Basie Christmas this evening in Partridge Hall at 7:30pm.  Directed now by Scotty Barnhart and featuring special guest vocalist Carmen Bradford, this will be a very upbeat and rather hip take on the Christmas season.

This is the final concert of the fall season for Bravo Niagara! Festival of the Arts as part of the TD Jazz Series.  Tickets are available through the PAC box office or by going to www.bravoniagara.org for more information.

So there you go, lots of reasons not to go to the mall tomorrow afternoon...

Enjoy your weekend!

December 17th, 2022.

Time for a performance of Handel's Messiah?

 Usually by now most people are in holiday mode and busy shopping for Christmas, subjecting their senses to the inane popular sounds of the season you hear in all the shopping malls since about October.  I steadfastly hold off on listening to any and all Christmas music until December 1st, and today in fact is the first day I put on a full CD of Christmas music as I prepare to dress the house for the holidays.

But for many, Christmas just isn't Christmas without attending a performance of Handel's celebrated oratorio Messiah.  It is indeed a Christmas tradition, even though it was actually written for the Easter season.  Oh well...maybe some year an enterprising arts organization would dare to programme the work at Easter rather than Christmas.  I would like that.

I have not been to a performance of Messiah in many years and feel I am about due.  But not sure if this is my year or not with COVID still amongst us but we'll see.  My personal history with Messiah I have related here before but if you don't remember, I actually sang baritone in a performance of the Tafelmusik Sing-a-long Messiah in Toronto years ago, and that was fun.  And one memorable year I attended a Sunday afternoon performance here in St. Catharines with Chorus Niagara before grabbing a quick dinner on the run on my way up to Guelph to attend the performance that very evening at the River Run Centre in downtown Guelph!  Yes, those were heady days and explains how I spent part of my younger days...

This year you'll be had pressed to find a local performance of Messiah.  Not that many years ago you could count on our local Choralis Camerata ensemble to stage Messiah on the years Chorus Niagara chose not to, as they only do it alternate years.  Chorus Niagara will perform their annual Christmas concert which is not Messiah this year next weekend, which would mean Choralis Camerata has the Messiah stage all to themselves here in Niagara.

But not this year.

In fact, Choralis Camerata is presenting Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols, often overlooked during the holidays I find, tonight in fact at 7:30 pm.  The performance is at one of their familiar spaces, the large St. Andrew's United Church on Morrison Street in Niagara Falls.  For tickets you can go to www.choraliscamerata.com.

If you happen to find yourself in Stratford this evening, the Stratford Concert Choir conducted by Stephane Potvin will present a performance at 7 pm at Avondale United Church.  For tickets go to www.StratfordConcertChoir.org.

The Elora Singers will present excerpts of Messiah only tomorrow afternoon at 4 at St. Joseph's Church in nearby Fergus, with a chamber orchestra and soloists from the ranks of the choir.  For tickets go to www.elorasingers.ca.

The Brott Music Festival in Hamilton soldiers on in spite of losing their founder, the irrepressible Boris Brott in a tragic accident not that long ago.  They will host two performances with the National Academy Orchestra, the ensemble Brott founded with the Festival back in 1987, this coming Monday and Tuesday evening.  Monday at 7:30 pm they perform at West Highland Church in Hamilton; Tuesday at 7:30 pm at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre.  Tickets for both performances are available by going to www.brottmusic.com.

You have a bit of a wait until the two big, traditional Messiah performances come up in Hamilton and Toronto, but for both I would suggest getting tickets sooner rather than later.

In Hamilton, the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bach-Elgar Choir team up with conductor Gemma New for one performance only on Friday, December 16th at 7:30 pm at Central Presbyterian Church, 165 Charlton Avenue West.  For tickets go to www.hpo.org.

Finally the big bow-wow performances in Toronto with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra come up from Saturday, December 17th to Wednesday, December 21st, with all performances at Roy Thomson Hall in downtown Toronto.  These are always popular performances so don't delay if you want tickets.  Go to www.tso.ca.

There ill be other performances of Messiah within driving distance to Niagara but that should at least get you started.  If you go, don't forget to stand during the Hallelujah Chorus.  That's just what we do...

Have a great weekend!

December 3rd, 2022.

Time for a fashionable visit to the High Rant District

 It's been awhile since I paid a visit to what I ruefully call the High Rant District, where I detour from my normal arts reporting beat to go off on a bit of a friendly tangent.  But on a snowy Saturday afternoon I thought it was time.  The subject is one I have addressed here previously some years ago when I worked at a bank, but recent events have caused me to address it once again, so here goes...

Men, smarten up.  You know you can do it; you just don't seem to be bothered anymore.  Well, too many of them at any rate.

I'm talking about dressing yourselves so that you don't look like you just tripped over the laundry basket on your way out the door.  Not everyone needs to; I get that.  But I suggest you might want to.

Need proof?  It has long been my experience that a woman notices a man who dresses well.  Even if you are in jeans or chinos and a sport shirt or something similar, as long as it is clean and most importantly fits well, you should be good to go.

But for some men, myself included, dressing the part often means creating a part for yourself and travelling a road nowadays much less travelled.

I'm talking about dressing up.  Remember that?  Remember putting on a suit or sports jacket and actually looking good?  Some still do it but far too many have forsaken a well tailored look for looking, well, sloppy for want of a better term.

Perhaps it was the pandemic that continues to rage on, perhaps it is the result of that with many people now working from home.  But now that we can actually go out again, albeit with precautions for many of us, it seems to me many men either don't know how to dress up or perhaps no longer care.

That's a shame, and one of the prime reasons is one I stated a few paragraphs ago.  I can't tell you the number of times I have been out and watched as a couple were stepping out; she dressing as if it mattered and he looking like it was the furthest thing from his mind.  That's because likely it is.

Now, I know I might come off as a bit of a snob here but I'm really not.  I just learned many years ago you project an image when out in public, so why not make that image as positive as you possibly can?  There is truth to what they say that clothes make the man.

On Facebook I belong to a number of men's groups devoted to looking your best, be it casually or far dressier.  These are all men who know what look works for them and how to achieve it.  Many members, myself included, get inspiration from their choices as no doubt they get inspiration from the rest of us.

When I retired almost two years ago now I made a promise to myself:  I would never fall into the trap many older retired men fall into, thinking now they are retired they can look any way they want as nobody cares.  Maybe so but you should care.

So, after 40 years of working in radio broadcasting where anything above wearing your pyjamas to work is fine, to my final career which involved wearing a uniform, I too can now where whatever I want.  For me, it means I can wear a suit if I want to rather than need to.  I can experiment with new looks and colours and have fun with it.

But never, ever, will I appear in public in sweatpants, dirty t-shirt or anything ill-fitting.  It is a matter of pride for me, and I really enjoy it.

The day I turned 65 this year I did something I had wanted to do since I was a much younger man.  I went out and got measured for a custom-tailored suit.  I got a custom shirt to go with it too, complete with monogram!  It was exciting and time-consuming, but the end result is so worth it.  I look and feel like a million bucks when I wear it, and believe me, I get noticed.

Of course you can get a suit off-the-rack that fits good; I have several of those already.  But this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for me to indulge myself and have something made especially for me.  That's rare today, although years ago in was the norm in society.

Before you think I must be rich, I'm not.  Sure I can afford this luxury just this once, but really, it was not that expensive.  I chose to do business at Stoney Creek Tailors in downtown Stoney Creek, as they have a great reputation and overhead is relatively low.  I would have had it done locally but getting a suit made here is pretty much a thing of the past now.

Herman and his team did a great job and I was thrilled with the end result.

In September, I had two wedding invitations within a week of each other, so they both gave me a chance to dress up for an event, and that has not happened in quite awhile.  My new suit wasn't ready yet but I had two others perfectly suited to both occasions.

But watching the others at each reception was almost painful.  In most cases the women looked great; often the men not so much.  I sometimes wonder if their respective spouse or partner even notices or cares, but I think they must.  At least I hope so.

At the first wedding, with a reception held at Queen's Landing in Niagara-on-the-Lake, I spotted one man in a white t-shirt.  Thankfully it appeared to be a clean one but really, is that the best you can do bud?  Another at the same reception loved his old fedora so much he kept it on his head throughout the entire dinner and evening while I was there.

Now hat rules are fairly simple:  you take your hat off when you are indoors, when you get on an elevator and hopefully when you go to bed at night.  But it is a misconception you have to remove your hat when you approach a lady.  All need be done is gently touch the brim and nod to her and that is sufficient.

Wear your hat - any hat - inside during dinner?  Just not appropriate.

The second wedding the following week had a reception outside and although that might suggest a more casual approach to the event, thankfully most men took it upon themselves to wear a suit.  But again, I noticed some could have used the help of a tailor.

Since this was a younger crowd most of the young men obviously had gone out shortly beforehand and bought a suit.  But little thought was given to how it fit, and believe me, many of them simply didn't.

Then there was the young man who wore a brand-new suit.  I could tell because the manufacturer's label was still attached to the outside of the sleeve!  I mean, did not one person notice that before they got there?  One wonders...

The thing is, you need to treat it more than just an afterthought.  Take some time and shop around a bit.  I know for most men that's just about as ludicrous a concept as you could imagine, but if you find a good suit and can be fitted by a person who knows a thing or two about fit, you will not regret it.

A good suit need not be expensive.  But it simply must fit well or you ruin the effect.  Simple as that.

You don't have to go with all the details I happen to indulge in if you don't want to, such as a hat or even French cuffs on the shirt.  They work for me but may not for you.  And that's okay.  You take the time to define your style and the results will speak for themselves.

Now before you think I want to wear a suit all the time, I can assure you I love wearing a casual outfit as well.  But again I try to up the style just a bit in order to make the outfit stand out from the crowd.  

You know what casual item I get the most comments on by far?  I have a pair of red jeans, nicely cut that I pair with a casual shirt and usually a jean jacket.  A simple variation on a tried-and-true look for most men, right?  But let me tell you, not a single garment in my wardrobe gets noticed more by women and commented on favourably than those red jeans!

So what's wrong with being noticed?  I rather like standing out from the crowd, at least a little bit.  That's something I wish more men would try themselves.

So there you go.  I got this off my chest and I feel better.  I may not influence anyone with this post but I hope I do, and in a favourable way,  It's time men had a little fun with their wardrobe and learn to take the odd chance.  And trust your instincts.

You never know what might happen!

Have a great weekend.

November 19th, 2022.

Red Dress Exhibit wraps up this weekend at the PAC

 I've been absent from this space for a couple of weeks now, since the weather was so nice frankly.  At this time of year you have to grab the sunshine and warmth while you can, so sorry about that!

Just a quick note here about a very important exhibit wrapping up this weekend at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines.  "The Red Dress Exhibit:  If Only These Dresses Could Tell Their Story" continues in the Robertson Theatre at the PAC until tomorrow.  It is just getting underway today until 6 pm and tomorrow from noon to 4 pm.

This is not the first time this exhibit has been at the PAC.  It first premiered during the annual Celebration of Nations in early September to great acclaim.  Due to that overwhelming response the PAC decided a remount was in order.

The Red Dress Exhibit is both timely and thought-provoking.  It features the stories of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls as well as 2Spirit MMIWG2S from Indigenous Peoples in Niagara and Western New York whose loved ones were victims of these horrendous crimes.

In all, there are 13 dresses in the exhibit based on 13 grandmother moons, with each red dress as unique as the MMIWG2S it represents.  There are ribbons sewn on the dresses detailing each individual story.

The exhibit's curator and creator, Michele-Elise Burnett, outlines in the media release the exhibit is intended both to increase awareness of the racial crimes targeting Indigenous women and girls and remember the lost lives of the victims, as well as create a safe, nurturing and welcoming environment for Indigenous Peoples.  In addition, it is intended to collectively offer the 2Spirit MMIWG2S our love and gratitude.

The PAC has advised anyone planning to visit the exhibit is asked to bring their earbuds so they can listen to the audio commentary on their cellphones while walking through the exhibit.  Each suspended red dress will have an audio documentary as part of the display in order to learn more.

The content is, as you can imagine, rather sensitive, so it is advised those interested in attending are aware of the sensitive nature of the exhibit beforehand.

Again, The Red Dress Exhibit is open to the public today until 6 pm and tomorrow from noon to 4 pm.

Enjoy your weekend!

November 12th, 2022.

Music in the Autumn air in Niagara

 I don't know about you but when we get a weekend in late October like this, I simply have to get out of the house at every opportunity.  Considering just three days ago we were shivering and walking in the rain, I will take this weekend and bottle it if I possibly can.

I plan to play tourist in my own Region part of the weekend, enjoying the last remnants of the fall colours before they are gone for good, but also do some outdoor chores around the house, as the trees love shedding so much at this time of year.  I suspect I won't be alone in that endeavour.

That being said, if you want some music to go along with your weekend and want to take a break from being outside for a bit, I have a couple of dandy concerts on both days that might interest you.

The Gallery Players of Niagara, like most large and small arts ensembles and organizations during the pandemic, have had to adapt to the changing landscape and provide virtual performances when necessary and grab the live ones when they can.

So this afternoon at 3 pm the Players will be hosting a concert at Silver Spire United Church in downtown St. Catharines entitled Southern Exposure.  The concert, featuring local guitarist Timothy Phelan and a host of guest artists on flute, clarinet, cello and percussion instruments, is rescheduled from an earlier date and acts as sort of a prelude to the Players' new season that kicks off November 13th.

Phelan, a local artist and educator ranked amongst the finest of our classical guitarists in the province, has curated the concert and will present what's being described as a "vibrant South American tour from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro", featuring everything from Astor Piazzolla's "The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires" to the seductive Bossa Nova rhythms of A.C. Jobim and Luis Bonfa.

Phelan will be joined for the concert by Douglas Miller on flutes, Michele Jacot on clarinets and saxophones, Margaret Gay on cello and Mike Phelan on percussion.

The concert is without Covid restrictions but mask wearing is strongly recommended.  The concert is being offered both live and virtually, with the live-stream available online until the end of July in 2023.  Tickets for the live concert will be available at the door on a pay-what-you-can basis, or you can purchase online both live and for the virtual concerts by visiting the Gallery Players website.

Tomorrow afternoon at 3 pm, also in downtown St. Catharines, you can enjoy an afternoon of music with organist Andrew Henderson and soprano Jocelyn Fralick at Knox Presbyterian Church.  

Fralick is part of the local Fralick family of musicians and educators and has been a fast-rising star in her own right for quite awhile now.  Andrew Henderson is the organist son of John and Cathy Henderson in Thorold, of Henderson's Pharmacy fame.

Andrew currently works out of New York City at Madison Avenue Church and has been much in demand for many years now both in North America and internationally.  I still remember an organ concert he gave many years ago in Thorold at one of the local churches and even then he was well on his way to becoming simply one of the best of the young breed of church organists.

The concert will feature a number of familiar organ masterworks along with a number of favourite vocal selections and should prove quite varied for a pleasant Sunday afternoon of music.

Tickets are $20 or $5 for students under 18, and available online at www.knoxchurch.com, at Henderson's Pharmacy in Thorold or at the door tomorrow afternoon.

So there you have it.  Lots of music to accompany your Autumn rituals whatever they may be.

I would write more but hey, I want to get out and enjoy that sunshine while I can...

See ya!

October 22nd, 2022.

A tale of two Ontario music festivals

 I received a couple of music festival brochures in the mail this week...yes, I still get mail, and glad of it! Both brochures remind me that although summer is over, the music isn't by a long shot.  Yes, Virginia, there is lots to enjoy indoors, musically speaking...

The Elora Singers' 2022-23 winter season actually starts this afternoon with the first performance at 2:30 at Harcourt Memorial United Church in Guelph.  They will reprise the performance at the same venue this evening at 7:30, so still lots of time to catch the first concert of the season.  Featured is a new oratorio by Craig Hella Johnson entitled Considering Matthew Shepard.  It's described as a moving and powerful reflection on the hatred that ended the life of Matthew Shepard.  Beyond a reflection though, it offers hope of acceptance and inclusion in a changing world, and that is certainly worth considering for sure.

The second performance of the season will be very well attended for sure, as excerpts from Handel's Messiah will be performed with a chamber orchestra and featuring soloists from the ranks of the choir.  There will be one performance only, at 4 pm on Sunday, December 4th at St. Joseph's Church in Fergus.

The annual tradition of A Festival of Carols returns for four performances in December:  at 5 and 8 pm at St. John's Church in Elora on the 12th and at 5 and 8 pm at Melville United Church in Fergus on the 13th. These performances regularly sell out and are well worth attending, so plan to get your tickets early.

The Singers take a break until Sunday, March 5th when they present Baroque Meditations at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Kitchener.  The concert will feature two main works:  the seldom-heard Stabat Mater by the the early baroque Italian composer Agostino Steffani and Handel's Dixit Dominus, written while he lived briefly in Rome.

The winter season will end with another contemporary work, Arvo Part's Passio, a setting of the Passion text according to St. John, paired with Sir James MacMillan's a cappella setting of Psalm 51, known as Miserere.  There will be one performance only, at 4 pm on Sunday, April 2nd at the magnificent St. George's Anglican Church in Guelph.

The Elora Singers are a world-class ensemble in every sense of the word and absolutely worth the drive to the Elora/Guelph/Fergus/Kitchener area of Ontario this season or any season.  For tickets or more information go to www.EloraSingers.ca or call 1-519-846-0331.

Closer to home, Bravo Niagara! Festival of the Arts will launch their 2022-23 fall season of classical and jazz concerts in Niagara next Sunday, October 23rd at 2 in the Recital Hall of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines.  Featured performer will be the hot young classical guitarist Milos in a concert entitled Reflections & Reinvention.  Milos was named by BBC Music Magazine as one of the six greatest classical guitarists of the last century, and that is high praise indeed.

The season continues on Saturday evening, November 5th at 7 pm, also in the Recital Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, with internationally-acclaimed soprano Measha Brueggergosman taking to the stage for a mix of classical and jazz numbers, including selections from her newest album, Measha JAZZ.  I first saw Measha when she was a young lady making her way early on as a singer with Chorus Niagara performing at the Armoury in St. Catharines years ago.  Just a few years ago I had a chance to catch up to her for a telephone interview which included lots of background vocals from her young child!

The season continues on Saturday, November 19th at 7:30 pm in the Mandeville Theatre at Ridley College with Graceland Experience, featuring Grammy Award-winning South African bassist, composer and vocalist Bakithi Kumalo.  He has played bass for Paul Simon for over 30 years and yes, was featured prominently on Simon's landmark album Graceland.  That album will feature prominently in the concert along with a variety of other world music as well.

The fall season wraps u with the Legendary Count Basie Orchestra presenting A Very Swingin' Basie Christmas on Sunday, December 18th at 7:30 pm in Partridge Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines.  The Count himself is now long gone - I remember meeting him when he played the old Ontario Place Forum in Toronto back in the early 70s - but his explosive orchestra lives on and is now directed by Scotty Barnhart.  The concert will also feature special guest vocalist Carmen Bradford.

Tickets and three-concert packages are on sale now, plus a new Bravo Circle membership level as well.  For tickets and more information, go to www.bravoniagara.org or call 289-868-9177.  

The music returns post-pandemic and so long as we continue to exercise caution and common sense, we can keep the music going throughout the season!

Have a great weekend.

October 15th, 2022.

Stratford Festival scores a triumph with Chicago

 I know this is late in coming, but I only returned to the Stratford Festival this week to catch a show for the first time in three years.  The pandemic had a way of changing everything, of course, as did life changes for me over the same time period.

I had a little trepidation returning to Stratford this week, as I did earlier this summer when I returned to Shaw in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  Again I was fully masked for the entire performance and I was pleased to see so many others were as well.  I strategically chose my seat, Row A, Aisle 6 in the balcony and I was not disappointed.  The seat next to me was even vacant...bonus!

Nor was I disappointed with the performance either.  This Chicago, the first major production of the 1975 musical in a long time, is stellar from start to finish.  Credit goes of course to Fred Ebb for providing the book along with Bob Fosse as well as the lyrics, and John Kander who provided the music.  But major credit for this production in particular goes to Director & Choreographer Donna Feore, who has pretty much become the Festival's Golden Girl when it comes to musicals.

Feore displays The Midas Touch throughout the production, with sharp & witty staging, maximizing the satire of the criminal justice system with amazing precision and dexterity.  She also benefits from a stellar cast that performs every number to perfection.

Jennifer Rider-Shaw appears as convict Velma Kelly, accused of double murder and awaiting trial, basking in the sympathy of the public thanks to the clever dealings of her lawyer, Billy Flynn.  Stratford stalwart Dan Chameroy plays the role of the Flynn with understatement, which works perfectly.

Everything is going swell until Billy takes on another client accused of murdering her lover, Chelsea Preston as Roxie Hart.  Suddenly she is getting the public's attention and sympathy rather than Velma, and so the rivalry between the two begins.

Both Velma and Roxie are no angels but you do find it in your heart to almost root for them in spite of their crimes, and that is thanks to their not inconsiderable talents as well as Feore's direction.  The plot, based on a true story out of 1920s Chicago, centres on the two of them and how they can gain both fame and freedom at the same time from lawyer Flynn.

But the rest of the cast is equally up to the task, with special mention going to Steve Ross as Roxie's put-upon husband Amos, who agrees to fund Roxie's defence to the tune of $5,000, and Sandra Caldwell as Matron Mama Morton.  And kudos too to R. Markus as reporter Mary Sunshine for displaying a really phenomenal singing voice.  Really there is not a single weak link in this cast, nor in the production as a whole.

The musical numbers range from All That Jazz to Roxie and Razzle Dazzle, all familiar outside of the show now, and lesser-known numbers that showcase the cast perfectly such as Cell Block Tango and Steve Ross' fabulous take on Mister Cellophane.

The brassy orchestra led by Franklin Brasz is with them every step of the way, and the sets and costumes by Michael Gianfrancesco and Dana Osborne respectively are imaginative and perfectly complement the show.

I have always felt nobody does musicals better than Stratford does, and their return to the stage in full force this year with Chicago proves the point yet again.  It only runs until October 30th at the Festival Theatre but you still have time to catch it while you can.

The lovely drive at this time of the year with the fall colours just makes the trip all the nicer!

Chicago won't disappoint and rates a very strong four out of four stars.

For tickets and information got to www.stratffordfestival.ca or call 1-800-567-1600.

Have a great Thanksgiving weekend!

October 8th, 2022.

Niagara Symphony Orchestra set to kick off new season this weekend

It's nice to see things starting to get back to some semblance of what passes now for normal, what with the lifting of COVID restrictions over the past several months.  And with it, the return of live music, theatre and numerous summer festivals around Niagara.

I am a slow adopter at the moment, carefully choosing where I go still and often deciding based on the size of the crowd expected, as I for one don't believe we're anywhere out of the woods with this pandemic yet.  I find almost daily I am the only person around wearing a mask in public settings, or at least one of the few.

I don't mind really.  It's my choice, as is the choice not to for those who choose not to wear a mask.

I returned to live theatre this summer with three visits to the Shaw Festival in Niagara on the Lake, and in early October I will be returning to Stratford for my first live performance there in three years as well.

I have not, as of yet, ventured inside a venue for a live concert, although that step may happen this season as well.  I would like to return to concerts and events downtown at our FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre soon, and likely it will involve enjoying our very own Niagara Symphony Orchestra.

I have not been to a NSO concert since they left Brock Centre for the Arts several years ago in fact, so I am far overdue for a return visit.  It won't be this weekend as I have a lot on the go already, but many will  as the NSO kicks off their new season Sunday afternoon at 2:30 in their familiar home at the PAC, Partridge Hall.

Since September is regarded as Classical Music Month, what better month to begin the annual Masterworks series with the Orchestra at the PAC?  None better I would say.

As usual, there will be a couple of familiar classical warhorses of sorts to keep the people coming through the doors, augmented by a newer, contemporary Canadian work in order to introduce audiences to what's happening today in classical music.

The two standard bearers this concert will be a couple of challenging orchestral gems:  Igor Stravinsky's thrilling Firebird Suite, the 1919 version incidentally, and the big and expansive Fourth Symphony by Tchaikovsky.  Both will give the orchestra a workout along with their Music Director Bradley Thachuk as conductor.

The Canadian work is an interesting one with a local connection, and is in fact a Canadian Premiere and NSO co-commission:  Timothy Adams' Harriet: Journey to Freedom.  The work chronicles the heroic efforts of Harriet Tubman and her work with the Underground Railroad, bringing black slaves to freedom in Canada from the American South.

There is special poignancy with this new work as it will be narrated by local musician and entrepreneur Juliet Dunn.  I've known Juliet for many years now both as a singer and radio broadcaster, but most especially as Executive Director and co-creator of the TD Niagara Jazz Festival with her husband and partner Peter Shea.

It was announced last month Peter had lost a lengthy battle with cancer, and the news came as a complete shock to everyone inside and outside the music world.  Peter was a rare talent, still young and full of great ideas for the future, and you couldn't imagine a better matched couple than Peter and Juliet.

If I am not mistaken this will be her first real public performance since Peter's passing, and she will act as narrator for tomorrow afternoon's Canadian Premiere of Harriet: A Journey to Freedom.  I wish Juliet well and know as a performer she will get through this tomorrow in honour of her late husband Peter.

Single tickets are still available for all Niagara Symphony concerts this season, and packages for all series are also available as well.  For more ticket and concert information go to www.niagarasymphony.com.  You can purchase tickets for tomorrow's concert through the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre box office by calling 905-688-0722,  or toll free at 1-855-515-0722.  You can also order online at www.firstontariopac.ca.

Have a great weekend!

September 17th, 2022.

Just to Get Married worth a visit at Shaw this season

 My third and final show at this season's Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake is one I perhaps subconsciously chose knowing Sophie would have certainly chosen this one to see.  I don't think she would have been disappointed.

British playwright, actress, novelist, journalist and suffragist Cecily Hamilton's play Just to Get Married opened in August at the cozy Royal George Theatre, and it falls right in with the Shaw's mandate at one time to produce plays either written by or about G. B. Shaw's time period, which pretty much covers much of the last part of the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries.

This now-rarely produced play was last revived in 2017 by London's Finborough Theatre with the only other revival back in 1918 in London.  The first production was also in London in 1910.  So it's safe to say most contemporary audience members have not seen nor even likely heard of the play.  More's the pity, as it is a bit of a period gem, with a warning here about a rather unusual ending.

Hamilton injects the play with just enough humour to make the overall theme of women having to marry well in order to have a decent life palatable enough for audiences of her era to accept.  She gets the point across without sticking it to those in society who would feel a woman's place is not in the workforce with too much vitriol.

The main thrust of Hamilton's play is to expose the grim reality of women of the era who were expected to marry early and well, thus ensuring they would avoid the supposed embarrassment of "spinsterhood" and risk an unsure financial future.  Sadly this would have been the norm early in the last century as most work would be considered "too much" for the "delicate" ladies of the era.

Enter into this mindset the lead character in Just to Get Married, Georgiana Vicary, who at 29 is staring that spinsterhood straight ahead unless she can snag a man willing to marry her.  She has her heart set on a worthy candidate, exceedingly shy Adam Lankester, just back in England after doing so-called "man's work" in the New World.  If only Adam could find the courage to see the possibilities and propose marriage...

He does, of course, in a flurry of conversation during the latter half of the First Act, and Georgiana readily accepts.  But alas, it is not to be a marriage based on love.  She tells Adam as much when she exclaims in the Second Act "I accepted you just because there was no one else."  Ouch.  

To younger audience members today the mere thought of marrying without the benefit of love seems so, well, odd they could not conceive of such a thing.  Turns out neither can Georgiana.  In that Second Act she decides marrying Adam would basically mean she'd be living a lie, and why would she do that?  A marriage that is not of equals goes against her principles and as such, she garners plenty of support from the audience for saying so.

As much sympathy as she receives from the audience for being so honest and forthright with Adam, it is almost squandered in the final moments of the Second Act when, soaking wet at the train station waiting for a train to take her away from this misery, she runs into Adam and they have a talk.  The result is what can only be described as a "happy ending" to a play exposing the grim reality women faced from that era.  It won't sit well with many I suspect, and although it would not have been my choice of an ending I do realize the era in which Hamilton was writing the play and the audience she was writing for.  In that sense it is very much a period piece and you have to accept it for being so.

This production at the Shaw Festival does the play proud for the most part, with standout performances from most of the cast.  Unfortunately as has been the case with every play I have seen this season there have been substitutions to lead roles and although the understudies clearly make the part their own, I would have loved to have seen Kristi Frank portray Georgiana Vicary as planned, as she is one of the bright lights at the Shaw these days.

Not taking anything away from Katherine Gauthier mind you, who usually plays the role of Bertha Grayle when Frank plays Georgiana, and did an admirable job in the substitute role.  In her place as Bertha, Allison McCaughley does a fine job.

Adam Lankester is played with studied awkwardness by Kristopher Bowman, and he fits the mould of a sturdy, reliable man to have as a husband, should the woman wish it.  Problem is, this woman didn't initially.  Oh well...he proves in the end to be a worthy partner in spite of it all.

The rest of the cast, in spite of the requisite shuffling of the members all do well here, with Claire Jullien as Lady Catherine Grayle being particularly stately, and substitute Nathaniel Judah enjoyable as the put-upon Sir Theodore Grayle.

Direction is sure and taught from Severn Thompson and Ming Wong's costumes are spot-on for the time period.  I wasn't totally taken with the original music provided by Thomas Ryder Payne but perhaps that's just me.

Overall, Just to Get Married is an enjoyable escape at Shaw this season, just be advised the ending might perplex you a bit.  It runs at the Royal George Theatre until October 16th and rates a respectable 2 out of 4 stars.

For more information on the Shaw season go to www.shawfest.com.

Have a great holiday weekend!

September 3rd, 2022.

The Importance of celebrating life this season at the Shaw Festival

 Recently I returned to the Shaw Festival for my second of three performances I will be attending this year, and once again I entered the theatre with a bittersweet feeling.  Yes, it was good to be back after three years, most of it occupied by Covid.  But as I mentioned in my last review from Shaw, being there without Sophie now just seems...well, different.

Perhaps unconsciously this season I made my three choices with Sophie in mind; these three likely would have been the ones she would have wanted to attend, so those were the ones I went with and so far, as usual her likely choices have proven to be most entertaining indeed.

That brings us to The Importance of Being Earnest, the Oscar Wilde play that first premiered on St. Valentine's Day in 1895, just days before a trail began that changed Wilde's life forever and eventually resulted in a sentence of hard labour that ultimately broke him.

The irony is of all of Wilde's plays, this last one stands as perhaps his purest comedy of manners, full of wit as only Wilde could write.  There is not much weight here, but the froth is fun, and the sad part is we can only imagine what heights he could have achieved had his personal life not led to his eventual downfall.

Shaw Festival Artistic Director Tim Carroll takes the reigns as director of this production and with a sure hand guides it through the ins and outs of Wilde's clever dialogue, making sure to take advantage of every nuance along the way with a strong, veteran cast of Shaw favourites.

The play, of course, concerns the fortunes of John Worthing, played by Martin Happer, and Algernon Moncrieff, played at the performance I attended by Mike Nadajewski in place of Peter Fernandes.  Worthing has an eye for the ladies, well, one in particular, and while in town assumes the name of Ernest as for some reason the woman he wishes to woo thinks it's such a solid, respectable name for a man.

Algernon, meantime, has an imaginary friend named Bunbury who provides Moncrieff with all sorts of opportunities to avoid certain social situations he would rather avoid by simply saying he has to tend to his poor friend Bunbury instead.

Both young men have specific ladies in mind:  Worthing has his sights set on the Honourable Gwendolen Fairfax, while Moncrieff eyes the young Cecily Cardew, played at the performance I attended by Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane, filling in for Gabriella Sundar Singh.

Enter into the fray Moncreiff's Aunt, the indomitable Lady Bracknell, played by Shaw stalwart Kate Hennig and possessing an opinion on almost every subject imaginable.  It is hard not to think of the Dowager Countess Violet on Downton Abbey while enjoying Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Ernest.

Almost without exception the cast is exemplary.  Happer's John Worthing has just enough of the rake about him without being over the top, and Nadajewski as Moncrieff makes the most of his lines with his inflections and mannerisms.  Both carry the day here in fine form.

Julia Course as Gwendolen Fairfax is suitably refined and Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane has a youthful charm as Cecily Cardew.  

The joy of an ensemble with the depth the Shaw Festival possesses is that even when an understudy takes over a pivotal role, as is the case twice with the performance I attended, you don't think of them substituting in that role; they have assumed that role and made it uniquely their own for the time they assume it.

The rest of the cast is strong as well, from Neil Barclay having some musical fun as Lane as the curtain goes up to Graeme Somerville as Merriman and Ric Reid as the very, well, earnest Reverend Canon Chasuble.

The sets are imaginative and fun, thanks to designer Gillian Gallow, and the costumes elegantly reflect the Victorian era, designed by Christina Poddubiuk.

From start to finish the collective tongue is firmly planted in the collective cheek in this new production of The Importance of Being Earnest, and it stands as one of the bright lights of this year's 60th Anniversary Shaw Festival season.

The Importance of Being Ernest plays at the Festival Theatre through to October 9th and rates a strong 3 out of 4.  

For tickets or more information go to Shawfest.com. 

Have a great weekend!

August 6th, 2022.

Remembering two years ago and preparing now to move on

 My weekend arts blog is a little later than usual on purpose this weekend, as I deviate from my usual arts reporting for a brief update on things as the two year anniversary of Sophie's passing looms large tomorrow.

I thought things would get easier for me after the first year but that turned out not to be the case.  If anything, I found the second year much harder than the first.  I have no idea why, but I suspect it has something to do with a lot of time spent this winter and spring disposing of a lot of Sophie's things, including piles of things she never used stored in the basement, and of course a lot of her clothing and jewelry.  I still feel like a criminal going through her things in a way, as Sophie was such a private person.

But it simply had to be done and I was the one who of course had to do it, with occasional help from dear friend Kathy Brophy, my so-called Girl Friday.  Now I see some relief in sight as the second anniversary arrives tomorrow, and I hope I am correct in that assessment.

I have stated here more than once the entire ordeal has been the hardest thing I have ever had to go through, and I still feel that way today.  Losing a parent or sibling can be devastating too, but losing your spouse is just so much more difficult I find.  You are all alone in the house you once shared together, and you are surrounded by that person's things.

Here it is especially so as Sophie surrounded herself with such beautiful things, and when we moved in to this house together over 20 years ago most of my modest possessions were either relegated to the basement or the garage.  A precious few made it to the upper floors of the house!

In the past year, however, I have begun introducing some of the pieces my family held dear for many years, and they all blend quite nicely with what was always here, and I am quite proud to show them off now.  No doubt they still would not pass muster with Sophie but hey, what can you do?!

Anyway, as difficult as this year has been and this weekend in particular, I am optimistic for the future, and hope the passing of the anniversary tomorrow will usher in some happier, sunnier days ahead for me.

Sophie said in the hospital she hoped I would fine happiness with someone new and I hope that will indeed be the case.  But as I so often tell her even now, even if that happens I will never ever forget her, and she'll always have a special place in my heart.  How could Sophie not?

I do have a good feeling about the coming months, for no particular reason at the moment actually, but I just sense the tide is turning and the dark days are now largely in the past.  Most of Sophie's estate is now settled and I am working on making the house more reflective of my present situation than it has been in the past, so that will make me all the more comfortable going into the future as well.

I picked up roses last weekend to mark our anniversary together, which would have been 21 years this past July 27th, and again this weekend to mark the coming anniversary of Sophie's passing.  Tomorrow I will pick up a special arrangement to mark the actual date, and that will be it for awhile.  I didn't have to do all this of course, but I wanted to.  In fact, I found comfort in the actions.

What's next?  Well I should point out tomorrow I will be largely absent from social media to mark the anniversary, although I will post a picture or two of Sophie during the day of course.  And I think it will be time to draw away just a little bit from more frequent posts such as this one.  Oh, I still have plenty to say and if I feel the need I will use this space again, but for the most part, I think it is time to start to move on.

I think Sophie would agree the time has come, and I also suspect she would be saying something like "Mike, will you knock it off and get on with your life?!"  She could be sentimental that way!  And so I will.

Sophie will always be in my heart, always with me, always watching over me.  But perhaps the time has come to welcome new adventures and see where life takes me.  I think Sophie would be proud of how far I've come, and how much the future holds for me.

Here's to a glorious past with Sophie, and renewed promise for the future wherever it leads me.

I'll keep you posted, of course.

Have a good rest of the weekend!

August 1st, 2022.

My first trip back to the Shaw Festival in 3 years

 Due to the ongoing pandemic and my own personal situation after the loss of Sophie I was reluctant to rush back to live theatre and concerts anytime soon, and when I did I knew I would have to be careful and take it slowly. 

Last season, although I sympathized with live theatre including the Shaw Festival as they struggled to cope with the realities of operating during the pandemic, I knew in my heart I was not emotionally ready to handle that next step in my recovery yet.  Give it another year, I said.  And so I did.

This season most of our major theatre and musical festivals are in full swing or are about to, and people are more than ready to return to what most would consider to be a more 'normal' routine again.  But was I?

The only way to find out was to actually go and experience live theatre again and see how things went, so I did.  My good friends at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake were kind enough to invite me back to review some shows again this season for the first time since the pandemic began, and I was happy to take them up on the offer.

My first show of the season was the big musical at the Festival Theatre this season, the baseball-themed Damn Yankees by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross.  The book is by the great George Abbott along with Douglass Wallop, based on Wallop's novel "The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant."

Now before I get to the show itself, a word about pandemic protocols.  Most theatre companies, though not all, have relaxed their restrictions regarding vaccinations and mask wearing at this point in the season. In the case of the Shaw Festival there are not obvious restrictions in place, but I chose to go the cautious route and like the staff at the theatre, I was fully masked for the entire performance.  The only time I removed it was while outside at a safe distance during intermission.

Am I overreacting?  I don't think so.  Look, I had people on either side of me, neither wearing masks, and I am not going to ask their vaccination status.  So my only line of defence now along with being fully vaccinated along with two booster shots is to wear the mask.  It is not onerous.  It is not a big deal.  I feel better for doing it.

Okay, enough of that, now on to the show. 

Director Brian Hill has pulled together a superlative cast that works especially well in the ensemble pieces, creating the excitement one would expect from a baseball team on the road to glory.  I found some of the production numbers a little bit long, but overall the show moves at a good pace even though you will be there for two hours and 45 minutes with one intermission.

Damn Yankees tells the story of the sad sack Washington Senators baseball team, watching the hated New York Yankees waltz their way to yet another pennant at the end of the season.  But can they be stopped?

That was the thinking of middle-aged Joe Boyd, a die hard Senators fan who basically thought if there were some way to stop the inevitable from happening, you should at least try it.  Enter Mike Nadajewski as Applegate, the devil in fancy dress who hears Boyd's wish and decides to make Joe an offer he just can't refuse.

You probably know the rest of the story.  Paunchy Joe Boyd, played by Shane Carty, is magically transformed into hot-hitting new baseball phenom Joe Hardy, but of course there is a price to pay.  He has to sell his soul to Applegate do achieve his dream to become a great ball player and that means leaving his loving wife Meg forever.

Sounds complicated but wait.  Joe has remorse during his successful baseball run and wishes to go back to the loving arms of Meg, but Applegate has other ideas.  He employs the services of lovely Lola to tempt Joe to stick with the plan and not return to his wife as Joe Boyd at the agreed-upon cutoff time.

The rest of the story you can figure out for yourself but suffice it to say it plays into the time period in which the musical was written, 1955, and the desire to live the great American Dream.  Dated?  Yeah, a little, but most people in the audience at the performance I attended were quite happy to check their reality at the door and just live the dream along with Joe and to hell with the pandemic, along with those Yankees.

The cast is uniformly good, even with a replacement in the key role of Joe Hardy.  Drew Plummer was still in the role originally featuring James Daley, who has been out for awhile due to an injury.  Plummer actually looks like a more fit and younger Joe Boyd than originally planned with the first casting, but by the time you get to the show later this season I would imagine James Daley would be back in his assigned role if he is not already.

Carty as Joe Boyd is solid; Patty Jamieson as his stalwart wife Meg is very good and consistent throughout.  Kimberley Rampersad sizzles in the role of Lola, having great fun with her signature tune, "Whatever Lola Wants."

But this show belongs to Shaw bright light Mike Nadajewski as the nefarious and aptly-named Applegate. His inflections in his voice just drip of evil at times, and he makes the most of his big showstopper tune in the second act, "Those Were The Good Old Days".  He also has a wardrobe many men - and perhaps women - would kill for!

So, as far as musicals go, does this carry the banner for the Shaw Festival's 60th Anniversary season?  Well I think their 50th Anniversary season fared better with My Fair Lady but hey, given the trials and tribulations of the pandemic, I think it does quite nicely thank you very much.

Damn Yankees is darn good and rates a solid 3 out of 4 stars.  And yes, it's great to be back.

The show continues at the Festival Theatre until October 9th.  For tickets, call the Shaw box office or go to www.shawfest.com.

Have a great weekend!

July 23rd, 2022.

Summer music festivals are in full swing in Ontario

 I am thinking it is time to try to get back on the so-called horse again and start reporting on the arts, as I have done for many years now in this space.  It has been a difficult process for me as I have written previously, as a lot of things in my life just didn't seem as important anymore once I lost Sophie almost two years ago.  But the desire to write again is slowly coming back, so let's see how this goes...

Thanks to COVID many summer music festivals in the province went virtual the last couple of years, and only this year are starting to come back as in-person events, and it seems the public is ready to take the plunge as well.  Having said that, it is wise to check with your festival prior to booking tickets to get the latest updates on protocols (if any) in place in that particular venue for the date you are going.  

For me, I am taking a gradual, slow approach to returning to the arts this summer, having made two trips to the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake so far this season, wearing my mask the entire time I am in the theatre.  I have had a difficult transition to doing these events alone again, of course, and I will be writing more about that and my return to Shaw in my next report in this space.

Most summer music festivals are either in full swing now or just about to, and I must apologize to my friends at the 2022 Collingwood Summer Music Festival as their events ended last night.  The week long festival is still a young event and will continue to grow in the future but for now, the 2022 edition is now completed and in the books.  My apologies again for not getting to this post before this weekend.

I've chosen three festivals I have grown quite fond of over the years, although one of them I have actually yet to visit.  But the location, in Parry Sound, looks amazing and I always enjoy visiting that part of Ontario, so maybe next year I will be able to pay a visit.

Locally, Music Niagara got their 24th season underway back on June 17th at St. Mark's Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  Artistic Director Atis Bankas has assembled a great roster of performers for the remainder of the run, through to August 20th.  Some of the upcoming highlights include a performance of Richard Strauss' 1897 melodrama "Enoch Arden", scored for narrator and piano.  Pianist Victoria Kogan accompanies Shaw Festival Artistic Director Tim Carroll for this performance tomorrow afternoon at 4 in the friendly confines of St. Mark's Church.

Almost all the performances this season are at St. Mark's in fact, with performances continuing July 23rd with a programme entitled "From Pergolesi and Bach to Stravinsky and Part, and July 31st with Portuguese pianist Artur Pereira presenting a programme entitled "A Fresh Look at Beethoven".  

On July 9th a recital was held at Navy Hall featuring Julie Nesrallah and Guy Few, and the Toronto All-Star Big Band will perform August 1st at Club Italia in Niagara Falls.  These were the only two events scheduled this season outside of St. Mark's.

Tickets for any and all of Music Niagara's events are available by going to www.musicniagara.org.

Week Two of the Elora Festival is in full swing and always worth a drive to the picturesque village of Elora, just north of Guelph.  Last evening the Canadian Brass performed in the Gambrel Barn on the outskirts of town, and tonight that venue will be dark as there is a late-breaking concert postponement to report.

Autorickshaw was scheduled to perform with the Penderecki String Quartet and The Elora Singers in a concert entitled "Kaleidoscope" in the Gambrel Barn tonight, but yesterday afternoon I received word the event was postponed.  No specific reason for the delay was given and so far there is no update on if and when the event might be rescheduled.

There are however two smaller events happening today:  "Stars and Heavens" will feature Studio de musique ancienne de Montreal with Artistic Director Andrew McAnerney at St. John's Church this afternoon at 1:30 and a concert entitled "Being Lost" will take place in that same cosy venue this afternoon at 4.  CBC Music host Tom Allen is the narrator and Patricia O'Callaghan is the featured soprano.

Tomorrow afternoon at 4 the Main Stage comes alive again with "Voice of the Weaver", featuring composer Peter-Anthony Togni, poet Mary Louise Martin, bass clarinet soloist Jeff Reilly and The Elora Singers.

Tickets and more information on all Elora Festival events this season can be found at www.elorafestival.ca.

Finally, tomorrow is the first day of the two-week celebration of the arts up in Parry Sound, as the Festival of the Sound gets underway for another season, with most events taking place at the beautiful Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts in Parry Sound.  As I mentioned earlier, next year I hope to finally see that venue up close.

The Opening Concert takes place tomorrow with the Elmer Iseler Singers, followed by an Anniversary Concert July 18th with The Canadian Brass.  Highlights this season include Live on the Sound:  A Floating Festival on the Island Queen and the Jazz Canada Weekend.

For tickets and more information on the Festival of the Sound, go to www.festivalofthesound.ca.

Music is again all around us, so as safely as possible let's get out and enjoy it.  Have a great weekend!

July 16th, 2022.

Recollections of Easter weekends past...

 I felt the urge to share some thoughts with you again this weekend, as I have found myself awash in memories of Easter celebrations from the past.  This year it will be quiet again, and I am fine with that.  I have become a more private person in the last two years so a quiet Easter weekend should not be too surprising.

First though, my apologies - again - for not resuming my arts reporting duties in this space.  I had hoped to get back on the arts beat for some time now but to be perfectly honest with you, I have not found the passion I once had.  I hope to reclaim it again as the year goes on but for now, occasional memories in this space are about all I can manage.  Sorry about that.

I was thinking today I cannot recall much at all about my last Easter with Sophie in April, 2020.  We were all in lockdown of course, so you couldn't go anywhere.  I know Sophie would have created an amazing vegan Easter dinner, happily enjoying her break from her regular work routine.  And yet, totally unawares of the cancer that was to claim her just four months later.

But I vividly remember our first.  It was Easter 2001, also likely April, and Sophie and I were in that wonderful happy state that courtship and new love brings to a couple.  I had lost Mom in February 2000, so Dad and I were making our way through special occasions together for about a year at that point.  But Sophie offered to make us Easter dinner at her house that year and Dad and I both readily accepted.  

I still remember now Sophie telling me she got up about 2:30 in the morning to start preparing her feast, as everything had to be perfect.  She planned for us to have an early afternoon Easter dinner, shortly after the noon hour as I recall.  This was long before she decided to pursue a vegan lifestyle, so being Greek she made what many Greeks make for special occasions:  lamb.  It was the most amazing meal I think I had ever had!

Afterwards the three of us took a drive for a late Sunday afternoon, and I remember we went to Niagara Falls for a visit.  It was one of those early spring days not unlike today; cool and partly cloudy, but just fine by us.  Driving Dad back to his apartment afterwards we both thought Sophie was a pretty amazing cook...and woman.  And indeed she was.

Sophie I am sure, slept early and well that night.

My second Easter memory was 2009, and it would be Dad's last.  He had grown rather cantankerous about Sophie's formality at dinner in his later years, and I know that caused some friction between them.  But Sophie once again created a memorable Easter dinner at our home, being the ever gracious hostess.

Taking Dad back to his retirement home after dinner it was evident his frailty could not be ignored.  It was a real effort to get him down the front steps and into the car safely, but we managed.  That Easter, also in early April as I recall, proved to be mere days before tragedy struck.  Dad took a bad fall at the retirement home and was sent to hospital with a punctured lung due to his ribs, and it was not long before he got pneumonia and he never recovered.  His funeral was late April.

Moving to my third Easter memory, I vividly remember early April 2017.  I was well employed with Canada Post, we bought a new car in January and had paid off the house the previous year.  So it was time to do something daring.

Now, I have to back up a moment here and explain to those who did not know the details of our earlier years together, our marriage actually never happened.  Oh in the eyes of the law it did of course, but that never pleased me.  We had intended more than once to make it official but for one reason or another it just never happened.

When in the fall of 2016 Sophie dropped a broad hint what her engagement ring should look like, I felt I had my chance.  With great secrecy I had her engagement ring custom made to her exact specifications and my plan was to propose on Easter weekend 2017 when we spent the long weekend in downtown Port Hope.

All was in readiness when we departed for our weekend away, and on the Saturday night we stayed at the historic Waddell Hotel right in the heart of downtown Port Hope, with a room overlooking the rushing Ganaraska River.  On my afternoon walk prior to dinner I found the perfect spot I would propose that night.  There was a newly constructed viewing platform and gazebo directly across from the hotel, overlooking the river.

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the hotel restaurant and then, both in need of a walk, we strolled the main street after dark looking at all the storefronts.  My hand was jammed in my overcoat pocket protecting the precious cargo.

Returning to the hotel I suggested before we go in we cross the street and view the river from the new viewing platform and there, on bended knee, I proposed and presented her with the engagement ring.

Her first reaction was laughter.  

Mirth notwithstanding, the reaction was positive and wedding plans were to go ahead for the next year.  But again, for reasons I will keep to myself things were delayed.  And then it never happened.  

To say I was heartbroken is an understatement.  It was all I ever wanted, to fulfill that dream and it was lost forever in August of 2020 when cancer claimed Sophie.  And to this day I think of that glorious moment in Port Hope in the late evening of Saturday of Easter weekend.  I will never forget it.

So I have plenty of emotions swirling around in me this weekend.  Will there be new experiences on a future Easter weekend I will remember fondly?  I hope so but right now I just don't know.  I still tear up this weekend and I can't imagine that changing anytime soon.

Oh sure, we had lots of Easter weekend trips over the years, including Collingwood more than once and in 2012 a memorable trip to Utica, New York.  But none will compare to that golden weekend in 2017.

Five years ago tonight.

I miss Sophie so very much.

Thanks for hearing me out, and I hope you have a very special Easter weekend with you and yours.

Happy Easter!

April 16th, 2022.

Going back while waiting to go forward

 With the New Year here I plan to start writing in this space again, although at first likely not on a weekly basis as before.  It has been a slow process for me to return to anything resembling normalcy of course, so for now I will content myself with simply contributing some thoughts as they happen, usually on an occasional basis.

A long tradition for New Year's Day evening for Sophie and sometimes for me was to tune in to WNED-PBS to watch the annual New Year's Concert from Vienna.  For years we would watch the late Walter Cronkite host it, later Julie Andrews and now Hugh Bonneville of Downton Abbey fame.

Of course I tuned in this year, for Sophie, and the cats and I snuggled as we watched the music play out as it always does.  I noted social distancing at play in the audience of course, with masks present for audience members as well they should be.  Yes, that gilded hall was not full to capacity again this year but those who attended were bound and determined to get their Viennese fix to start the year.

I noted though the orchestra members were not socially distanced and there were no masks on those that could while still playing their chosen instrument.  It's funny how you notice these things now and although from a safety standpoint the optics were bad, I am sure the powers that be made sure they did what they could to ensure the musicians' safety.

As always the concert was a pleasure to watch.  I know a lot of the music is heard year after year, particularly the last two encore pieces, On The Beautiful Blue Danube by Strauss the younger and the Radedsky March by Strauss the elder.

There were some tantalizing diversions though, such as a collection of the short dances by Beethoven, which prompted me afterwards to dig my copy of the complete set out of my CD collection to listen to the following day.

After that bright and happy start to the New Year, I started searching through the collected shows still on our PVR of earlier concerts and I found two:  the New Year's concert from 2020 as well as an open air summer concert from 2019.  Before I touch on those, though, a bit of a technological diversion here.

We acquired our PVR in 2018 as part of the package of phone/television/internet services provided by our chosen supplier, currently Bell.  It took awhile for Sophie to get used to the channel changes and such but she got up to speed far quicker than I did, as she did with the PVR operation as well.  I sometimes simply gave up and handed the remote to her to figure out.

Thankfully I am more or less up to speed now that I am on my own.  With no opposable thumbs the two cats are no help at all...

But it wasn't always that way around here.  Sophie was what you might call a slow adopter of new technology.  We for years simply made do with rabbit ears for television reception until digital signals rendered that practice obsolete.  We started years ago with basic analogue cable which upped our channel selection from about 10 to something like 34.  Sophie was like a kid in the candy store going through the remote and saying repeatedly "Oh! We get that!"

The next big advance, albeit a difficult one, was acquiring our first DVD player.  Sophie never saw the need for anything other than her trusty old VCR player that weighed a ton.  Then one January I took the $50 gift card for Canadian Tire I got at the company Christmas party to buy a snazzy new DVD player on sale in the Canadian Tire flyer.  It was $49.95.

Well.  Sophie was not amused.  "What do we need that for?" she queried.  I tried to sell her on the benefits of the then-new technology to no avail.  But then a wondrous thing happened.  About a week later at dinner Sophie admitted I had made a wise purchase and thanked me for it!  She listed all the things she could do with DVDs that were simply not doable on a VCR recorder or much more difficult.  And oh my, all that bonus material you got on the DVD too!  

She was one happy girl.  I licked my finger and marked an imaginary "one" in the air.  Score one for me!

I mention this because in hindsight Sophie quickly took to the PVR unlike anything else I had ever seen, to the point she probably would have barricaded the door should I ever try to dispose of it.

So that brings me to the collected shows still stored on the thing.  Many early ones Sophie recorded are still there and I will get to them.  Two of those were the aforementioned Viennese concerts.

The New Year's 2020 concert was quite fascinating insofar as it was mere months before the world changed due to the pandemic.  I sat there looking at that full audience, sitting side by side and never dreaming of wearing a mask, and wondered aloud if they even imagined what they were in for in mere months.  

I also wondered - hoped actually - we might be that carefree again while in a public space.  Time will tell...

I also, and this is me speaking as a man who likes to dress properly while in public, scorned more than a few male orchestra members for not having their shirt collars and ties properly done up for a concert being watched by millions around the world.  But that's just me...

The summer outdoor concert from 2019, conducted on that occasion by the young firebrand conductor Gustavo Dudamel was far more interesting on several levels.  This was my first time watching him conduct rather than just hearing him, and the fact he conducted the entire concert from memory with no score present was quite impressive.  I have often thought other conductors surely could do this on a regular basis as well.

Using a baton for most of the concert, he only deviated from this practice once on that occasion, using his very expressive hand gestures to conduct the Barber Adagio for Strings.  It was a pleasure to watch.

The entire summer concert that year was American music, save for a couple of encore pieces.  The music was universally warmly received each and every time.

But that brings me to the outdoor audience on that summer night in 2019.  I noted they were overwhelmingly younger in age, in stark contrast to what you would normally see in North America where symphony orchestra concerts appear to be largely attended by an older generation of music lovers.  Indeed, this is in Europe I told myself, where musical appreciation is much more ingrained into the national psyche in many countries.

I have written in this space many times the need for many arts organizations, not just orchestras, to find ways to lower the age demographic of their audiences if they are to survive, and this concert highlighted the need even more.

On this night, 85,000 concert goers sat on the surrounding lawns and casually dined while listening intently to the music, appreciating every piece, including that very quiet and string-filled Barber Adagio I mentioned.

Of course all ages were represented at this concert but I noted more of a younger demographic was present and that I found encouraging.  If classical and near-classical music is to survive we have to grow the audience from a young age.

During an encore that deviated from the American theme by presenting a requisite Viennese waltz, I was struck by the number of people in the audience, again many younger couples, who immediately got up, moved to an open area nearby and started waltzing with the music.  Beautifully too!  Would we ever see that here?  Perhaps, but not often I suspect.  

It was noted during the broadcast the government sponsored the event, making it a free event for the 85,000 attendees.  That might be the crux of the problem of course.  State sponsorship of the arts is far higher in Europe than it is here and that is a fact of life in North America.  But what a vivid example of what more state funding of the arts can achieve I thought!

Overall, both flashback episodes from the PVR brought back memories personal and otherwise for me, and I quietly thanked Sophie for having the presence of mind to record them for me to enjoy now.

She always knew what she was doing...

Thanks, love.

January 15th, 2022.

A New Year's Update

 On this New Year's Day 2022 I thought I would update you on my progress since my last report in this space at the end of August.  I made some promises to myself as the old year ended and I put my head on the pillow last night, and they involve increased optimism in the year just upon us.

Yes, I know COVID is still with us and is showing no signs of waning, at least not yet.  But I remain hopeful before the end of this year we might be able to see the end of this long ordeal.  But we'll see.

Amid the backdrop of that dark cloud still looming overhead, I see clearing ahead for me and I hope for you as well.

I generally don't make New Year's resolutions much.  Oh sure, the usual ones cross my mind on the final night of the calendar year:  lose weight and have more sex in the New Year.  Yeah, right.  We know how that will turn out more than likely.

But seriously, I wanted to give you something of a report card on me since my last entry here, and let you know with the dawn of a New Year I hope to finally find the wherewithal to renew my commitment to reporting on the arts in this space in the very near future.  I have missed it but to be honest, the words have not come easily to me the last sixteen months since Sophie passed away.

Sixteen months.  It hardly seems possible it has been that long and yet, there are days I thought it was an eternity already.  The norm seems to be to grieve the loss for a year after a spouse's passing and I thought that would suffice for me.  But in August last year when the year had passed, I found I was not ready yet.  Yes, I know everyone is different and I am usually slow with most things so why be any different with the grieving process...

Things gradually improved throughout the fall, although I would still find myself becoming very emotional when I least expected it, such as a fall Sunday afternoon when I would come in from doing yard work at the end of the day and I was used to hearing the TV on in the kitchen where Sophie was presiding over an amazing Sunday night dinner.  Now, I would come in and there was silence.  It hit me more than once, to the point I almost turned the TV on before I went out in the afternoon to cushion the return later on.

It's little things like that you don't always think about.  Often, it's the little things that seem to affect me the most, I find.  That being said, progress was made this fall to the point when December arrived I found I was ready to do something I didn't do at all last year:  put up Christmas decorations.

Last year, I barely even listened to Christmas music.  It was just too painful for me.  This year as has always been my custom I pulled out some of my favourites at the beginning of December, leaning heavily on choral and much less on pop Christmas music.  It just seemed an appropriate start this year.

I have not put up the big Christmas tree again this year and to be honest, I don't know if I ever will.  In the past I was tasked with lugging the behemoth up from the basement and setting it up in the stand, and then leave the decorating to Sophie.  It was not my choice not to take part; it was just understood the only way it would be done properly would be if Sophie did it.

Ahem.

Anyways, I chose to go what I call quietly elegant this year, whispering Merry Christmas rather than shouting it.  It worked for me and I think that will be the norm going forward.  I chose some of my and Sophie's favourite decorations for the house and ignored the rest, at least for now.  I changed up some things and in the end created a look that worked for me:  it respected our past and looked towards the future.

In a sense, it turned out to be an analogy for my life going forward in 2022.

I will always preserve and honour Sophie's memory as I should, celebrating her amazing life whenever the opportunity presents itself.  But now in addition to that, I feel 2022 brings with it a new opportunity to step out on my own now, reclaim my independence and state I am honouring the past while looking towards the future.

Two words define this New Year for me:  Move forward.  In everything I do now, I will move forward.

To that end, I have promised myself to do some things in this New Year I have not done up until now.  Firstly, I will celebrate myself.  That may sound odd but truthfully, I looked at what I have accomplished in the last sixteen months and I realized I am a lot stronger than anyone, including I believe Sophie, ever realized.

The day she passed away, I knew the journey in front of me would be hard, lonely and tough.  But I knew I would achieve what I had to do through my inner strength and the support of so many caring friends and family members.  Although it was not the case, some days it felt the weight of the whole world rested on my shoulders.  But I survived and here I am.

So what will change in the newly-minted year you ask?  Several things I hope.  I still have a tremendous amount of purging to do here at the house, particularly in the basement which basically looks like lighting a bomb down there could not make things much worse.

But I also want to do something I have not done much of the past almost two years, due both to COVID and my personal situation:  I want to dress up more.  The times have been few and far between when I actually put on a suit and tie and made the effort to look my best.  That for anyone who knows me is a sign things are not quite right.  I like to dress well albeit somewhat in the style of a slightly eccentric English gentleman, and even after she is gone, I still want to make Sophie proud.

I realized on Christmas Eve when I dressed for my annual Midnight Mass broadcast, donning my vintage full evening dress, I had to make several attempts at tying my white tie.  I realized it had been a year since I had last done this, and I was out of practice!  It took four attempts but I got it to look perfect, and that prompted me to do this more often as things (hopefully) improve over the course of this year.

It felt good to dress well again, and I want to make the effort going forward.  For me, and for Sophie.

The other thing I hope to embark on this year is to feel love again.  I am not all that old in the overall scheme of things I'm told and feel there is still some gas in the tank to take a chance at love again should the opportunity arise.  Indeed Sophie said she wanted me to meet someone new, but up until now I didn't feel the time was right nor was I ready.

I know COVID protocols will prevent much opportunity in the near future and that's fine with me.  But at some point I would feel ready to at least tentatively dip my toe in the tepid waters of adult dating and see what transpires.  The mere thought of dating again at my age is enough to keep me up at night and not for the right reasons, but I will cross that tricky bridge when I come to it.

But if it doesn't happen, that's fine too.  I am comfortable enough in my solitude that if this is what's in the cards for me in the future I am fine with it.  We'll see...

For now though, I am content to keep the house up, purge, hone my caveman bachelor cooking skills and be ready for better days ahead.  They are coming...for me, for you, for all of us.

Together, let's make 2022 a better year all around.  I think all of us deserve just that.

Happy New Year!

January 1st, 2022.