Landscape in Summer by Lucas van Valkenborch, oil on cavas, 1585
Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive so we’ve scheduled Explorer Learning sessions for you to enjoy all summer long! These all-new sessions will cover an array of topics, spanning multiple genres and eras, so you can connect with the Early Music you love.
Mark your calendars because it’s going to be great!
JULY, 2021
Off the Endangered List: The Return of the Nyckelharpa
Tuesday, July 13, 2021 Register here.
On the brink of extinction in the mid-twentieth century, surviving in only one region of Sweden, the nyckelharpa (the Swedish keyed fiddle) now enjoys a popularity that spans the globe, harmonizing effortlessly in all kinds of traditional music, new music, and Early Music. Join us as Artistic Associate Katherine Hill introduces this remarkable instrument, tracing its history and characteristic sound through recordings and videos of the music, dance and musicians that form its past, present, and future.
La voix naturelle: Sounds of the Unaccompanied Voice
Thursday, July 22, 2021 Register here.
Whether we’re using it for daily communication or singing in an opulent concert hall, our voices are capable of producing an astonishingly wide range of sounds. Join Artistic Associate Cory Knight for an evening exploring the diversity of the human voice. Featuring an array of vocal stylings like yodeling, throat singing, folk, barbershop, madrigal and motets, and modern vocal soundscapes, this evening is dedicated to the power of unaccompanied voices! Enough humming and hawing already – register now!
AUGUST, 2021
Beat It: Percussion in Early Music
Thursday, August 12, 2021 Register here.
This Explorer Learning Series session dives into the known, the unknown, and the entirely speculative world of percussion in early music. Join Artistic Associate Ben Grossman as he takes us on a tour of drums, bells, and other clangy things using examples from early illuminations and paintings, recordings, as well as a live showcase of his own collection of instruments from Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and exotic Vermont.
Desert Island Instrumentals
Thursday, August 26, 2021 Register here.
With modern audio technology we can connect to thousands of tunes, almost anywhere; but in a pinch most of us still return to our personal shortlist of tracks to touch our hearts and cheer our spirits. Join Artistic Associate Alison Melville for a guided shuffle through her favourites from the 15th to 21st centuries, including music by Dufay, Lassus, Telemann, Peter Warlock, members of the Bach family, and several more.
SEPTEMBER, 2021
A New Voice: The Birth of Polyphonic Playing on the Lute
NEW DATE! Thursday, September 9th, 2021, at 7:30pm Register here.
Along with society at the time, music and its performance practice during the Renaissance enjoyed considerable development. Join Artistic Associate Esteban La Rotta, The Toronto Consort’s resident plucked-strings specialist, for an Explorer Learning Series session that dives into the sublime world of polyphony for the lute, its popular musical forms, performance technique, and technological advancements. If you’ve ever wanted to get up close and personal with this beautiful instrument, this is the session for you!