Noteworthy

If you’re an aficionado of chamber music composed for strings (and particularly the violin), then have we got the perfect performance for you! On Thursday, May 30, at 6:45pm, in their final appearance of the 2023/24 season, The TSO Chamber Soloists will present a pair of invigorating contemporary creations.

The first is Strum for string quartet (2006) by Musical America’s 2023 Composer of the Year, Jessie Montgomery. In her own words, the seven-minute piece, “has a kind of narrative that begins with fleeting nostalgia and transforms into ecstatic celebration.” The second composition clocks in at eight minutes—and features an equal number of violins! Andrew Norman’s Gran Turismo for eight virtuoso violinists (2004) “sets off on a musical collision course of kinetic energy right from the first note.” And that energy will be generated by a rare blend of performers: five TSO musicians, two Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra (TSYO) members, and one 2023/24 Spotlight Artist—Canadian superstar violinist James Ehnes, who also headlines the subsequent TSO concert, James Ehnes + An American in Paris.  

Whether you’re pondering the idea of attending the chamber concert or you wouldn’t miss it for the world, here are some points of interest and import you should be aware of:

5 Things You May Already Know about The TSO Chamber Soloists (as a Helpful Reminder)

1. The series is curated by Concertmaster Jonathan Crow.

Crow is a marvellously multi-hyphenate artist. In addition to being our superb Concertmaster, he’s an Artistic Director (of Toronto Summer Music), a teacher, a soloist, and a chamber musician. And it was his love of performing chamber repertoire that inspired him to create The TSO Chamber Soloists series. Each season, he personally maps out all the programs and selects the TSO musicians he feels are best suited to play them. He even joins the ensemble himself, from time to time.

2. The Soloists’ mission is multi-faceted.

In an interview with host Kathleen Kajioka on The New Classical FM’s Sunday Night at the TSO,  Jonathan talked about what the chamber soloists series seeks to accomplish: “We have so many different instrumentalists in the orchestra, and it’s a chance for us to find unusual repertoire that features unusual instruments in chamber music,” he said, also adding that the performances offer an opportunity for attendees to get up close and personal with members of the orchestra. “In chamber music, you can really focus in on individual people and individual parts a little bit more. So it’s a chance for us to, in a way, get a little bit more communication with our audience, and for them to get to know us a little bit more.”

3. They perform in advance of select Masterworks concerts throughout the season.

Five or six times per season, typically beginning 75 minutes prior to an evening or afternoon Masterworks concert performed by the full orchestra, the chamber soloists present one or more chamber works collectively lasting approximately 30 minutes. The TSO Chamber Soloists 2024/25 pre-concert performance schedule will be released in July. So be sure to stay tuned!

4. Their performances are held in Roy Thomson Hall—with the musicians playing “backwards.”

One of the reasons each chamber soloists performance concludes 45 minutes in advance of the full TSO concert is because everything happens on the same stage at Roy Thomson Hall—but the orientation differs, with the audience seated in the choir loft and the chamber soloists facing them (for this reason, seating is limited—so be sure to leave yourself enough time). A large screen is also placed behind the players to provide more intimate acoustics, and it needs to be moved out of the way, and the chairs and music stands assembled, before the full orchestra takes the stage afterward.

5. Admission is included with your TSO performance ticket.

Is there anything better than a complimentary concert? It’s what Crow calls, “an appetizer before the evening show.” 

5 Things You May Not Know About The TSO Chamber Soloists (but You’ll Want To)

1. The 2024/25 season will mark the series’ ten-year anniversary.

The very first pre-concert performance by The TSO Chamber Soloists was on Thursday, November 20, 2014, before a TSO program called Beethoven & Nielsen. The piece they played was, appropriately, Carl Nielsen’s Wind Quintet. Since that night, they’ve presented dozens of similarly wonderful chamber music experiences for appreciative audiences—and they’ll mark their first decade with five more incredible performances next season. 

2. Their performances provide another opportunity to hear world-renowned guest artists.

Scores of internationally celebrated musicians grace the TSO stage each season to perform in larger orchestral works. But occasionally, some of these artists join the chamber soloists beforehand to demonstrate their aptitude for chamber music as well. Over the years, such accomplished musicians have included Emanuel Ax, Barbara Hannigan, and John Storgårds. This season, Osmo Vänskä, who conducted our Sibelius Symphony No. 2 program, played clarinet with the chamber soloists, and James Ehnes will be among their ranks on May 30.

3. They are occasionally joined by members of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra.

In last season’s penultimate chamber soloists performance, three outstanding young cellists from the TSYO joined 2022/23 TSO Spotlight Artist Jean-Guihen Queyras and four members of the TSO’s cello section for—you guessed it—a special all-cello program. The final pre-concert performance of the current season will feature a similarly inspiring mix of emerging and established talents, but this time, they’re violinists.

4. Their repertoire spans hundreds of years.

In addition to beloved gems of the chamber music repertory by the likes of Mozart, Brahms, and Tchaikovsky, the chamber soloists regularly perform contemporary and even new works by living composers. A notable example is Métis composer Ian Cusson’s To Live (Ikiru), which was created in partnership with the Centre for the Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) as part of the Art of Healing program, and performed in this season’s first chamber soloists concert. The pieces are also typically selected to complement the TSO program they precede.

5. Their performances are strategically scheduled.

Perhaps you’ve noticed that, within each season, the chamber soloists performances all fall on different days of the week. Why is this the case? Because we want all our Masterworks subscribers to be able to experience at least one of these wonderful chamber concerts every year. So whether you’ve purchased a Wednesday 1 or a Sunday Matinee package — or any package in between — there’s definitely a chamber soloists performance taking place on one of your concert dates. We hope to see you there!