New Beginnings
Sunday, June 30 | 4pm
Toronto's Ton Beau Quartet launches the season with music by two well-known composers looking for fresh starts late in their careers: Dvorak's String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 ("American") and Beethoven's final String Quartet, Op. 135.
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Mediterranean Baroque
Thursday, July 4 | 7pm
Popular tunes and rhythms from 17th-century Italy, Spain and Turkey make their way through baroque Europe in music by Vivaldi, Ortiz, Marais, Schmelzer and others. Kate Haynes (baroque cello), Christopher Verrette (baroque violin) and Matthew Wadsworth (theorbo).
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Tom Bombadil's Kitchen
Thursday, July 12 | 7pm
The Montreal-based Bombadils cook up selections from the traditional Celtic and bluegrass repertoires, alongside their original compositions that blend in classical flavours, topped with jazz-inspired improvisation.
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Terreno e vago
Thursday, July 18 | 7pm
Montreal's award-winning Pallade Musica performs music of earth and spirit from 17th-century Italy. Tanya LaPerrière (baroque violin), Elinor Frey (baroque cello), Esteban La Rotta, (theorbo) and Mylène Bélanger (harpsichord).
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"Send Me a Rose"
Sunday, July 21 | 4pm
The Lute Legends Ensemble brings together three ancient plucked string instruments in music from China, the Middle East and Europe, along with the world premiere of Andrew Donaldson's Parable. Lucas Harris (lute), Wen Zhao (pipa) and Bassam Bishara (oud).
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Evening Ragas by the Water
Thursday, July 25 | 7pm
South Asian-Canadian virtuosi Aruna Narayan (sarangi) and Vineet Viyas (tabla) perform contemplative ragas associated with evening. With Akshay Kalle, tanpura.
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On the Shoreline: A (Not Always) Quiet Exchange!
Sunday, July 28 | 4pm
Three musical friends meet on the shore of Lake Ontario to share magical sounds and colours: clarinets, percussion instruments, First Nations vocals and instrumentals, and a cameo appearance by the ancient Persian lute, the tar. Peter Stoll, Richard Moore and Barbara Croall.
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Mist-Covered Mountains
Thursday, August 1 | 7pm
A welcome return of Celtic-French Canadian fiddler Donna Hébert, Molly Hébert-Wilson (voice) and Max Cohen (guitar).
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A Taiko Tale of Two Cities
Thursday, August 8 | 7pm
Toronto's Nagata Shachu ensemble welcomes Jason Matsumoto from Chicago's Ho Estu Taiko, for an evening of thrilling Japanese drumming and flute playing.
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Jardins migrateurs / Itinerant Gardens
Sunday, August 11 | 4pm
Montreal's Constantinople Ensemble presents a poetic encounter between strings and voice, from the epics of the Mandingo Kingdom to the music of the Persian court. Ablaye Cissoko (kora and vocals), Kiya Tabassian (setar and vocals), Pierre-Yves Martel (viola da gamba) and Ziya Tabassian (percussion).
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Arcadian Visions
Thursday, August 15 | 7pm
Montreal-based violist Pemi Paull presents music by from the 17th century to today, by Oesterle, Hovhaness, Enescu, Gabrielli and Mahler.
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Cajun in the Cattails
Sunday, August 18 | 4pm
Toronto's own traditional Cajun band, Swamperella, transform the Music Garden into a Backyard Bayou.
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Egalité: the String Quartet Edition
Thursday, August 22 | 7pm
Members of New York's Gretchen's Muse ensemble perform string quartets by Haydn and Mozart on period instruments. Abigail Karr and Vita Wallace (violins), Kyle Miller (viola), Beiliang Zhu (cello).
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Strings of Change
Sunday, August 25 | 4pm
Sharon Lee (violin), Sybil Shanahan (cello), and Rob MacDonald (guitar) perform music by Paganini, Giuliani and Bach, and give the world premiere of Kevin Lau's Winds of Change.
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Elemental
Thursday, August 29 | 7pm
TorQ Percussion Quartet explores the primal elements – earth, water, air, fire and more – in music by Steve Reich, John Luther Adams and members of TORQ..
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Here comes the Sun
Sunday, September 8 | 4pm
The Cecilia String Quartet performs Haydn's String Quartet in D Major, from the "Sun" Quartets, Op. 20, and Ravel's String Quartet in F Major.
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Bach at Dusk – plus Hossfeld
Thursday, September 12 | 7pm
Baroque cellist Kate Bennett Haynes performs Bach's Suite No. 3 in C Major for unaccompanied cello, and gives the world premiere of a new work by Christopher Hossfeld, commissioned by Harbourfront Centre for the Music Garden.
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