Tafelmusik is delighted to partner with Concerts in Care Ontario on a national initiative that brings the beauty of music of the past to seniors across Canada, from British Columbia to Quebec.
From March 7 to April 4, 2022, Tafelmusik will offer four free digital concerts to more than 1000 seniors’ facilities through a national network consisting of Concerts in Care (Ontario), Health Arts Societies (Western Canada), and La SAMS (Quebec). Each region has selected four Tafelmusik concerts —one concert per week— that will be available for seniors to enjoy from the comfort of their residences.
It is our hope that this initiative can bring the beauty of music to those who need it most right now!
Concert Hall
Passions of the Soul
Directed by Elisa Citterio
In their quest to awe and inspire, 18th-century composers strove to describe the desires of the soul and touch the hearts of listeners with poignant and captivating music. This program takes you on a winding journey, visiting the peaks and valleys of the emotional landscape: from the grandeur of Lalande’s Chaconne — inspired by the magnificent fountains of Versailles — to Locatelli’s mournful Sinfonia Funebre, and Telemann’s suite “La Bourse”, an irreverent depiction of the roller-coaster of emotions experienced by investors in the stock market.
The Voice of Vivaldi
Directed by Elisa Citterio
Krisztina Szabó, mezzo-soprano
The sheer beauty and soulfulness of the human voice infuses this concert featuring mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó. Music Director Elisa Citterio curated a program of contrasting moods that range from dramatic intensity to cheerful effervescence. Passionate arias from three Vivaldi operas are even more striking when paired with two sacred arias by members of the Bach family, including the powerful lament Ach dass ich Wasser gnug hätte by Johann Christoph Bach. Orchestral works by Alessandro Scarlatti, Dall’Abaco, and Johann Bernhard Bach mirror the expressive range and intensity of the arias. Whether articulated in song or orchestral selections, the energetic spirit of the baroque era is alive and well in this journey that spans the full gamut of human emotion.
Il Seicento
Directed by Elisa Citterio
Tafelmusik explores the ambitious, experimental energy of the music scene in 17th-century Italy (Il Seicento), where the new baroque style was just starting to emerge. Curated entirely by Elisa Citterio, this program includes music by early innovators like Marini, Castello, Kapsperger, and Falconieri, who were at the vanguard of European musical trends. The music they composed was fresh, exhilarating, and daring in its use of free form and improvisation. Pieces composed for one to seven musicians and scored for various combinations of strings, lute, harpsichord, and organ are woven together by improvisatory threads. Discover these intimate dialogues by 17th-century composers whose musical language leaves plenty of room for experimentation and dazzling ornamentation.
Café Counterculture
Program curated by Andrew Downing, Marco Cera, and Elisa Citterio
With special guests:
Alex Samaras, vocalist
Andrew Downing, double bass/arranger
It’s 1730s Leipzig, Germany. J.S. Bach and his colleagues gather at Zimmerman’s coffee house for weekly concerts featuring the new music of the day. Fast forward to Toronto in the 1960s. Yorkville (now known as the ‘Mink Mile’) is a hub of subversion and anti-establishment activism. Undiscovered artists are making their breaks and international acts have come to sling it in underground dives and coffee houses. Legends of this counterculture scene pepper music collections across the world. Family members of all ages will love this trip down memory lane, featuring Tafelmusik’s baroque flair and artistry alongside folk favourites from Yorkville’s colourful past. Sonatas by Bach and friends are interspersed with arrangements of iconic songs by Buffy Sainte-Marie, Joni Mitchell, Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Young, and others.
About Tafelmusik
Led by Music Director Elisa Citterio and Executive Director Carol Kehoe, Tafelmusik is an orchestra, choir, and experience that celebrates beauty through music of the past.
Founded over 40 years ago on the pillars of passion, learning, and artistic excellence, Tafelmusik continues to bring new energy to baroque music and beyond. Historically informed performances of 17th to 19th-century instrumental and choral music (led by Chamber Choir Director Ivars Taurins) share the stage with vibrant, insightful multimedia programs, and bold new music written just for the group. Each piece is played on period instruments, underscored, and illuminated by scholarship.
Through dynamic performances, international touring, award-winning recordings, and comprehensive education programs, Tafelmusik invites audiences to engage with beauty and experience the breadth of emotion music can inspire.
Tafelmusik is a Canadian charitable organization whose resources are used entirely to advance the education of music of the past. We rely on donations from our community to make our activities possible.
Visit tafelmusik.org
