Celebration of Small Ensembles
2023 Edition
Join us for a Celebration of Small Ensembles – ancient, classic and 21st century music boldly curated and performed by small ensembles.
Taking place in the Aperture Room, a light filled space on the top floor of a beautifully restored building just north of Yonge and Dundas Square, each COSE event will be as much a social gathering as it will be an opportunity for musical discovery.
Each concert will feature three 40 minute sets presented by new and established artists performing music rooted in different small ensemble traditions. Events will commence at 5 pm and conclude after 7 pm and will include short stretch and chat breaks between sets. Refreshments will be available for purchase.
Location
The Aperture Room
The Thornton-Smith Building,
340 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON
Top Floor (above Salad King) / North of Yonge-Dundas Square, west side
Arrive by TTC
From Dundas station
Exit onto Yonge Street, the west side, between Edward and Elm streets.
Walk north for approximately 1.5 blocks
Parking
300 Victoria St. Above Ground Garage
West side of Victoria St. between Dundas St. and Gould St.
Accessible parking available
Saturday: $9 Flat Rate from 6 pm
Impark Underground Garage
655 Bay Street – Lot #21
Entrance and Exit is on Elm Street
Saturday: $10 Flat Rate from 3pm
Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 5pm
Sounds of Conflict
Daniel Dastoor, violin
Brian Woods, piano
Madame Speaker - the Phonating Pianist
Madeline Hildebrand, piano and voice
Classics, Swing, and the American Songbook
Jurecka, Farrugia, Johnston Trio
Featuring works for violin and piano by Poulenc, Suk, Ravel, and Janáček, Sounds of Conflict celebrates the resilience of the human spirit, and the power of creativity to transcend the trauma and upheaval brought on by change, chaos and war.
“Pianists, traditionally speaking, don’t…speak. We don’t even perform with our faces in full view. What happens when our necks turn, breaking that wall, to address the audience? Is it invasive? Is it intimate?” In this performance, Madeline’s spirited and dynamic persona explores the cutting edge canon of music for speaking and singing pianist.
Drew Jurecka (violin), Clark Johnston (bass), and Adrian Farrugia (piano)
Expressive, dynamic and improvisatory, small ensemble jazz is at its best an intimate setting. A set list featuring classics from the American Songbook and the Swing era offer multiple departure points for brilliant diversions, explorations and musical juxtapositions.
Saturday, May 20, 2023 at 5pm
“The Earth Has It’s Music”: Ancient Melodies for Plucked Strings
Lute Legends Collective
Music from Everyday Life
KöNG Duo
Sonder: A String Quartet Act
Dior Quartet
Lucas Harris (lute), Meily Mori (kora), and Wen Zhao (pipa)
This special performances features music depicting the natural world from three ancient traditions of plucked string music. The program will feature programmatic works for the European lute, picturesque pieces about nature for the Chinese pipa, and pieces for the west-African kora and its traditions of “griots” or bard/storytellers.
Bevis Ng & Hoi Tong Keung (percussion)
KöNG Duo bring you on a journey which explores the infinite musical possibilities from our often overlooked daily lives. We transform metal spoons and flower pots into melodic instruments, children's games into an exciting and virtuosic battle between the two performers, and a medley of classic pop tunes into a complex interaction between sounds and physical gestures. Music is everywhere—we hope you’ll join us in reimagining your everyday life through a musical lens!
Noa Sarid (violin I), Tobias Elser (violin II), Caleb Georges (viola), and Joanne Yeesol Choi (cello)
/ˈsɑndɚ/ n. The profound feeling of realizing that everyone, including strangers passing in the street, has a life as complex as one’s own.
Follow along as we dive into the inner worlds of passing souls throughout history. Memories of an Ancient Korean kisaeng, ploys of mischievous thieves in France, and intimate letters of a passionate admirer, all portrayed by the Dior Quartet in an innovative musical performance.
Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 5pm
Relationship: It’s Complicated
Claire&Futian
Unspoken Poetry
Interro Quartet
Colour You Like
Radia (Ryan Davis) with the Gryphon Trio
Claire Latosinski (soprano), Futian Yao (piano)
What does it mean to love someone? What happens when love is not reciprocated or is met with hatred? These are the questions that Claire&Futian ask as they explore the complexities of relationships.Journeying across oceans, through popular and classical music, we listen to a multitude of voices, from the whispers of lovers to the cries of the exiled. Featuring songs by Errollyn Wallen, Jean Coulthard, Nathan Friedman, Fazil Say, and Ian Cusson.
Steve Sang Koh (violin I), Eric Kim-Fujita (violin II), Maxim Despax (viola), and Sebastian Ostertag (cello)
A trademark of Interro Quartet’s programming is our “Compound Quartet” in which movements or pieces from four different composers are combined to make one composite quartet. Our compound quartet ‘Unspoken Poetry’ features works by Fanny Mendelssohn, Grażyna Bacewicz, Hildegard von Bingen, and Rebecca Clarke, whose artistries were rarely celebrated due to the social barriers common to women composers in their respective time periods. ‘Unspoken Poetry’ aims to bring limelight to these composers, showcase their crafts’ nuanced brilliance and eloquence, and provide a platform for celebrating their unique genius.
Ryan Davis (viola), Annalee Patipatanakoon (violin), Roman Borys (cello), Jamie Parker (piano)
A swiftly emerging creative force, violist Ryan Davis aka Radia joins the Gryphon Trio in presenting a luminous new musical experience, harnessing live looping and electronics that intertwine the sound worlds of classical, folk, electronic and hip-hop traditions. The program will feature Radia’s original compositions as well as excerpts from celebrated works for piano quartet.
Highlights from COSE 2023
