From time to time, the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra may have special concerts, or events, not part of our regular season.
These special performance opportunities may also be held by our SPO Women’s Choir or by the Odin String Quartet.
When these opportunities are available, we’ll list them right here. We hope that you’ll be able to attend and support these events, too.
MORE DETAILS COMING SOON!
1. NEW GENERATION COMPOSERS WORKSHOP: (updated information posted October 15, 2019) ** APPLICATION DETAILS NOW AVAILABLE. DEADLINE TO APPLY IS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019. The SPO will be hosting this exciting opportunity again this season. A special Reading Session will be held on Wednesday, May 4, 2020 (at University of Toronto Schools / 30 Humbert Street, Toronto). For more information, or to apply online, click here.
2. CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS — ODIN STRING QUARTET (Alex Toskov, violin; Tanya Charles Iveniuk, violin; Veronica Lee, viola; Samuel Bisson, cello) will be performing “Storytelling Through Music: Music by Canadian Composers” at Cedar Ridge Creative Centre, Scarborough, Wednesday, May 27, 2020, 7 pm.
Program:
Samuel Bisson – In Memoriam
Bruno Degazio – Suite from The Pearl
Alex Eddington – gibbons vs. Gibbons
Kevin Zi-Xiao He – String Quartet No. 2, First Movement
Chris Meyer – Journey Through the Night
Elizabeth Raum – Elements
Ronald Royer – String Quartet No. 1 / A French Overture and Danzón
About the Odin String Quartet:
Born in early 2015 on the Philosopher’s Walk in downtown Toronto, the Odin String Quartet unites graduates from the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Glenn Gould School and the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music. The ensemble represents the diversity and the promise of youth in Canada: violinist Alex Toskov originally from Belgrade, Serbia; Tanya Charles Iveniuk, also a violinist, grew up in Hamilton, Ontario with roots in St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Veronica Lee, born in South Korea, is a violist from LaSalle Ontario; and Samuel Bisson, cellist and composer, hails from Ottawa, Ontario. In June 2015 Odin quartet was selected to be one of the few quartets to participate in Luminato Festival’s epic production of R. Murray Schafer’s 1980 oratorio Apocalypsis. Quartet maintains a close relationship with the award-winning Afiara & Cecilia Quartets, who they have collaborated with at a music camp in Westport ON, and shared stage at the Gardiner Museum Toronto.
The name of the quartet, after the wise, one-eyed Norse god, reflects the influence on the members of mythology and subsequent interpretations in music and poetry of the romantic era. The Odin String Quartet aims to promote modern Canadian compositions, particularly those of Samuel Bisson, alongside works of the classical music literature. They believe that an understanding of the history of classical music is essential to the creation of new and meaningful modern music.
Recently, Odin has been performing recitals in the Toronto area and working on their first solo recording project that will be released in 2020. In May 2018 they premiered a new piece by Samuel Bisson – Epitaph with Scarborough Philharmonic and Ron Royer. Quartet is keeping busy at the studio, recording with many artists on new projects, and working on film scores as well.
3. EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH FOR MUSIC PROGRAMS IN SCARBOROUGH: (updated September 5, 2019) The SPO and our Music Director, Ronald Royer, are dedicated to helping improve the knowledge and skills of young student musicians and teachers in Scarborough. If you are interested in this program or would like more information, click here.
