Arts & Culture

Join us for "New Music 101 series" at the Beeton Auditorium, Toronto Reference Library with The Toy Piano Composers and The junctQin Keyboard Collective!

Our final and free program from this year's contemporary classical music series is on Monday, May 6, 2013 at 7pm.

Our series host and  music critic John Terauds will be with us to guide us through the experience. He writes about classical music and opera at his blog musicaltoronto.org and is a freelance classical music critic for the Toronto Star.

Meet the Toy Piano Composers Collective, www.thetoypianocomposers.com:

The Toy Piano Composers [pictured above] is a collective of emerging composers based in Toronto, Canada, who present imaginative new music to curious listeners in a playful and engaging concert series. They will discuss their approach to concert music and performances will feature members of the recently established Toy Piano Composers Ensemble. 

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This event is part of the 3rd annual New Music 101 series of educational sessions, combining performance and discussion, featuring an impressive array of new music organizations and performing groups, presented by the Toronto Reference Library and the Toronto New Music Alliance. This is a unique opportunity to experience new music. You will meet some of the most celebrated artists in Toronto, and discover the next generation of musicians and composers who are active in the city.

For a full 2013 program brochure, click here - Download New Music 101 library series brochure 2013.

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Meet the junctQin Keyboard Collective, http://junctqin.com:

The final presentation will include members of junctQín Keyboard Collective who will present "Inside the Composer's Studio", a musical chat with emerging local composers Alex Eddington, Monica Pearce and Hiroki Tsurumoto.

Toronto-based junctQín (pronounced ‘junction’) consists of pianists Elaine Lau, Joseph Ferretti, and Stephanie Chua. The name of the collective is taken from junctio – the Latin word meaning to join, and from Qín – the Chinese character for keyboard instrument.  Elaine and Joseph began duo piano performances in 2003; Stephanie and Elaine met the same year as graduate students.  The three discovered a mutual love of contemporary music for all kinds of keyboards, so when the trio united for a gig in the spring of 2009, junctQín was born. (Source: http://junctqin.com)

You may also be interested in contributing to: 

Cellphonia - presented by New Adventures in Sound Art as part of New Music 101: Toronto SONicGeo - a mobile interactive installation by Steve Bull and Scot Gresham-Lancaster. Continues to May 31, 2013, 24/7. Call 647-694-4607 to add your voice/sounds to the mix! Cellphonia's constantly transforming sound collage will be accessible at www.naisa.ca/ and www.cellphonia.org/Toronto.

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In 2013 our New Music 101 series at the Library presented eight diverse music groups during four nights, highlighting new directions in music creation and performance: chamber and electronic music, sound art, video game composition, interdisciplinary projects and more.

Our special guests were: Arraymusic and Eve Egoyan, The Music Gallery and New Adventures in Sound Art, The Canadian Electronic Ensemble and New Music Concerts, and coming next: Toy Piano Composers and junctQin Keyboard Collective.

We hope to have informed and inspired you through new perspectives on contemporary classical music and the amazingly rich and creative music scene in our city of Toronto! And would like to thank the Toronto New Music Alliance for introducing such talented musicians to a broader audience.

You can read  more Arts & Culture blog posts about New Music 101 series editions 2011, 2012 and 2013.

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If you are interested in learning more about new music and all music - please visit us on the 5th floor of the Toronto Reference Library at the Arts Department. Some of our resources are:

If you haven't used Naxos Music Library yet - the Library's streaming music database - why not give it a try. It is  great way to enjoy thousands of recordings at the convenience of your home, by a mobile device (there is a Naxos app that can be easily downloaded) or at any computer with Internet that allows you to login with your valid Toronto Public Library card.

And attention jazz lovers! Naxos Jazz is here! We have just added one more Naxos edition to the long list of online resources that the Library is subscribing for its users - listen to a comprehensive collection of jazz legends and contemporary jazz. Includes labels such as Blue Note, EMI, Warner Jazz and Fantasy Jazz.