The Great Holiday Mega−Launch

Six of Toronto’s Most Sizzling Musical Acts celebrate their New Recordings with an Explosive presentation of Classical, Baroque, Jazz and Irish Traditional favourites.

When? December 4, 2005 Doors open at 7.30pm Where? The Great Hall 1087 Queen Street West, (at Dovercourt), Toronto

Admission is $15. For advance tickets and info,
contact http://www.caliban.ca/concerts/

What?

Yes, you may ask!

This concert represents a novel and bold approach to celebrate many of the small organization working valiantly to present music throughout the city. This is truly a unique colaboration between 6 different groups or performers, all of whom have new CD’s to release− 7 CD’s in all! By joining forces all the groups involved hope to be able to share resources and to introduce different types of music along−side their own. The concert features excerpts from these CD’s.

On the program are the Irish music duo of Deborah Quigley (uillean pipes) and Martin Gould (guitar) releasing their first CD. Deborah and Martin are both well known members of Toronto’s bustling celtic music scene.

Also featured on The Great Holiday Mega-Launch will be the exciting early music chamber groups I Furiosi and Musica Franca.

I Furiosi is well-known to Toronto audiences having performed their own inventive concert series at Calvin Presbyterian Church since 2003. They are celebrating the release of their first CD, recorded last July. It includes music by Uccellini and a fascinating version of The House of the Rising Sun.

Musica Franca made their Toronto debut last July at the Music Garden. The group features bassoonists Nadina Mackie Jackson and Mathieu Lussier in lush and extravagant music of the French baroque for bassoons and continuo. They are releasing two CD’s, one of music by Michel Corrette and one of music by Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, both on the MSR Classics label.

Toronto’s own Caliban Quartet of Bassoonists, celebrates the release of their new Christmas CD, Caliban Does Christmas, on the ATMA label. Featured will be special guests Scott Alexander on bass and Ted Quinlan on guitar with soprano Mary Lou Fallis and jazz singers Bonnie Brett and Heather Bambrick. They will perform some classic holiday material including "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", "Santa Baby" and "Too Fat for the Chimney".

The Aradia Ensemble has made some notable successes of late− with their release of the Symphonies of William Boyce winning a Gramophone Magazine Editor’s Choice award in August and a recommendation to the 2005 Grammy awards! The Aradia Ensemble will perform excerpts from their latest recording, a new Naxos release of symphonies by Sammartini.

Kevin Mallon will perform excerpts from a marvelous CD he recorded some years ago in Ireland featuring Sonatas for violin and continuo by the early 17th century Italian composer Dario Castello. The recording has sat on a shelf for some time now but Kevin is bringing it out on his own label (Flying Enterprises). He also promises to tell a very entertaining story about the making of the recording−a tall tale that features the likes of Shane Mac Gowan, Van "the man" Morrison, and one half of U2: The Edge and Bono!

For more information please contact 416.924.4670 or info@aradia.ca