Our 2020–2021 Season
In true Confluence style, the 2020-2021 season was full of enthusiasm and curiosity, digging deeply into the lives and music of a broad range of composers, and examining important and intriguing issues. From jazz to traditional South Asian music, opera to pop, across centuries and cultures, sounds and ideas merged into a season of surprise, delight, and wonder.
All of our concerts this season were presented online, with free, unrestricted access for everyone. As you are able, we encourage you to support Confluence Concerts by becoming a member or making a donation today.
Confluence Concerts’ 2020-2021 Online Season was made possible through generous gifts
from Reverend Brian D. Freeland and Dr. John C. Spears
AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 23 - OCTOBER 7, 2020
PRESENTED ONLINE
SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR
A Billy Strayhorn Celebration
“My grandmother played the piano, and I used to toddle over there and pick out little things that sounded good to me.”
— BILLY STRAYHORN
A detailed look at the story of the great 20th century classical and jazz pianist and composer. Best known for his long-time collaboration with Duke Ellington, Strayhorn composed Take the A Train, Lush Life, Something to Live For, and A Flower is a Lovesome Thing.
CURATED AND ARRANGED BY ANDREW DOWNING
Featuring Larry Beckwith, Alexa Belgrave,
Leighton Harrell, Drew Jurecka, Marion Newman,
Patricia O’Callaghan, Alex Samaras, Suba Sankaran and more.
AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 5, 2020
PRESENTED ONLINE
A PURCELL REMEMBRANCE
The Exaltation of Poetry
“As poetry is the harmony of words, so music is that of notes; and as poetry is a rise above prose and oratory, so is music the exaltation of poetry.”
— HENRY PURCELL
On the 325th anniversary of his death, we remember and celebrate the beauty and truth of England’s greatest composer.
CURATED BY LARRY BECKWITH
AVAILABLE DECEMBER 7- 21, 2020
PRESENTED ONLINE
AGING AND CREATIVITY
THE ANNUAL WALTER UNGER SALON
“To keep our hearts open is probably the most urgent responsibility you have as you get older.”
— LEONARD COHEN
Celebrated authors and educators Linda and Michael Hutcheon curate a salon based on their recent book Four Last Songs: Aging and Creativity, focusing specifically on Olivier Messiaen and Leonard Cohen.
CURATED BY LINDA AND MICHAEL HUTCHEON
The performances by Patricia O’Callaghan and Robert Kortgaard are made possible through a generous gift from Marina Unger
AVAILABLE JANUARY 27 – FEBRUARY 10, 2021
PRESENTED ONLINE
MANDALA
The Beauty of Impermanence
“The mandala principle expresses the experience of seeing the relatedness of all phenomena.”
— MADONNA GAUDING
Mandala, from the Sanskrit meaning “circle”, is a universal symbol, with both sacred and secular implications. The musical journey of this concert follows the mandala in all its forms, from ancient to modern times, as it appears in different cultures. Spanning centuries and styles, this feast for the senses features music, poetry readings and a community/nature mandala creation.
CURATED BY SUBA SANKARAN
Suba Sankaran’s curation and performance is made possible through a generous gift from Cornelia Schuh and Michiel Horn
PREMIERING MARCH 7, 2021 at
2:00pm, 5:00pm, and 8:00pm
AVAILABLE UNTIL MARCH 21
THE JOHN BECKWITH SONGBOOK
Over 70 years of originality
“In works with words…like many composers, going back at least as far as Lully, I think of how orators and actors deliver lines; their imagined inflections and dramatic emphases occupy the centre of musical thinking…”
— JOHN BECKWITH
On the occasion of the celebrated Canadian composer’s 94th birthday, a marathon event at which a great majority of his song catalogue — spanning from 1947 to 2021 — will be sung by students, professionals, friends and colleagues. A co-production with the University of Toronto and the Canadian Art Song Project.
CURATED BY LARRY BECKWITH
We are grateful to Vern and Elfrieda Heinrichs, Daniel Weinzweig and the Michael and Sonya Koerner Foundation for their generous support of this program
AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE UNTIL MAY 8, 2021
WATCH GRACIAS A LA VIDA
GRACIAS A LA VIDA
Celebrating Astor Piazzolla & Mercedes Sosa
This concert honours the music of two great Argentine artists.
Astor Piazzolla, revolutionizer of the tango, would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year. Mercedes Sosa, born 14 years later, sang of freedom and human rights, and was hailed as “the voice of the voiceless.”
Come enjoy our tribute to these two remarkable musicians.
CURATED BY PATRICIA O’CALLAGHAN
Patricia O’Callaghan’s curation and performance is made possible through a generous gift from Kit and Barbara Moore
DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED
PRESENTED ONLINE
THE BUTTERFLY PROJECT
The Ballad of Chō-chō san
“The Ballad of Chō-chō san reimagines and re-instills the original Japanese cultural inspiration appropriated for this work by elevating the Japanese folk songs quoted in the opera, fore-fronting the Japanese language, and various Japanese instruments, mostly created electronically.”
— TEIYA KASAHARA
A co-production with Amplified Opera and featuring soprano Teiya Kasahara in which Puccini’s Madama Butterfly is thoroughly re-examined: the role, the opera and the appropriated Japanese melodies.
CURATED BY MARION NEWMAN
Teiya Kasahara’s performance is made possible through a generous gift from Linda and Michael Hutcheon