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Flower in spring

New and exciting things!!

Ok. Perhaps the headline is a tad exaggerated, but I did see a Robin and a bright red Cardinal on my morning walk. Also, I saw a tree cracked in half by that sudden, violent windstorm we had yesterday. So that’s two exciting things, and one new thing. The Beltline Trail, which cuts across upper-midtown Toronto, secluded from the city by trees and brush, has become a human highway these days, with folks stretching their legs, breaking the monotony of isolation. Some people say hello, but most avert their eyes, as if greeting a stranger verbally is getting too close… Read More »New and exciting things!!

Finis Coronat Opus

One of those heavy, humid city days last summer, I trudged past a particularly dirty construction site. A man in a florescent vest, bent over his broom, was slowly and methodically sweeping the cement driveway which seemed to fill up with dust as soon as he swept. As the sun beat down on the pavement I thought, what a lousy job to be cleaning up that endless, messy rubble, which will be just as dusty and dirty in half an hour. Then something unexpected happened. Another man in a yellow safety helmet, probably his supervisor, appeared in the doorway and… Read More »Finis Coronat Opus

Llandovery Castle WLU

Opera Laurier

All our hard work researching, creating and workshopping our opera ‘Llandovery Castle’ in 2018 will come to fruition in the first staged performance this weekend. Opera Laurier, which produces highly polished student performances at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, will perform the opera three times – Friday Feb 28 and Sat Feb 29 at 7:30pm, and Sunday March 1st at 3pm, 2020. If you recall, this is the opera that tells the story of 14 Canadian nurses who lost their lives when their WW1 hospital ship was torpedoed in the Celtic Sea in June 1918. The opera had its fledgling… Read More »Opera Laurier

Sorry about the view

Dear Reader, Sorry that the format of all my old blogs has gone pear-shaped. I upgraded to this fancy editor and didn’t realize it would convert all my old, poetic texts into boring, page-long paragraphs. Ah well. Champagne problem? Your’s, as ever, though re-formatted, Steph

Turning the page

As a kid I recall being put on the spot at one of my Dad’s concerts. He was conducting a choir, accompanied by the shiniest, biggest piano I had ever seen. The pianist needed a page-turner. Enter 10 year-old Steph. The tall accompanist, elegantly dressed in white tie and tails said, “When I nod, you turn the page.” Seemed simple enough. Now you’re waiting for the punch line – when the music fell off the rack, or blew away, or I turned three pages at once, or missed a repeat. Actually none of that happened. It was exhilarating just being… Read More »Turning the page

Howard Dyck’s review: ‘The Sun, the Wind, and the Man with the Cloak’

Pax Christi Chorale, a 100 plus voice Toronto choir, scored another impressive triumph yesterday with the world premiere of Stephanie Martin’s new oratorio “The Sun, the Wind, and the Man with the Cloak”. David Bowser, Stephanie’s successor as Artistic Director of PCC, gave us fine readings of English repertoire (Britten, Elgar, Vaughan Williams) before the intermission. The new choral work is a charming retelling of the famous Aesop fable about the sun and the wind arguing who is the more powerful. Stephanie Martin’s highly effective score was enhanced in no small measure by playwright Paul Ciufo’s delightful libretto. This is… Read More »Howard Dyck’s review: ‘The Sun, the Wind, and the Man with the Cloak’

12 mysteries of life

1. How does cat hair get into the fridge? 2. Why can people be in love one day, and be worst enemies the next day? 3. Why do weeds come back every year in the garden, but things you plant do not? 4. Why are some people content to live in the same house for 40 years, yet others move around all the time? 5. Why do raccoons have no representatives in parliament? 6. What secrets are cows hiding? 7. How can two people that share the same DNA (ie siblings) be entirely different people? 8. How is it that… Read More »12 mysteries of life

Swiss composer Frank Martin

I am not this man (A Haiku lament)

I’m on the programme! One of Canada’s best choirs Sings my music. Yay! But later, I sigh; Mistaken for Frank Martin Again. I’m not him. I am not this man. He was a French composer – Actually, Swiss. But I’m not this man. Nor am I any of these Other fine Martins: Who sings Rock and Roll? A different girl: same name – Stéphanie Martin. That guy with grey hair, Who makes everyone laugh? Steve Martin’s his name. The Prime Minister Who saved Canada’s finance? That was Paul Martin. I love these Martins, But today, this is my wish –… Read More »I am not this man (A Haiku lament)

Tomato warrior

The skill set needed to harvest an urban tomato crop lies somewhere between rugby player, ballet dancer, and medieval warrior. The plants, huddled closely in a phalanx of foliage, are shielded by the dewy remnant of late afternoon rain. They are ripe, ready and wet. You’re going to need steely resolve to go in there and win! Since many have fallen, you’ll just have to roll up your sleeves, wrestle with your entrenched enemy, and get dirty. Actually quite dirty. At the same time, the plants’ contorted postures require your best twists and turns, extended reach, and some tastefully awkward… Read More »Tomato warrior

The Sun, the Wind, and the Man with the Cloak

The Sun, the Wind, and the Man with the Cloak (SWMC) In May 2017 Pax Christi Chorale gave me a beautiful parting gift: a commission to write a big new piece for them. Here’s what happened. De-programming with my colleague Paul Ciufo at O’Brien’s Irish pub after our first operatic project The Llandovery Castle, I recalled a childhood storybook shared with a group of wide-eyed, cross-legged kids in the public library. Book upon her knee, the librarian entranced us with Aesop’s ancient fable of ‘The Sun, the Wind, and the Man with the Cloak.’ The Story Two elemental protagonists, arguing… Read More »The Sun, the Wind, and the Man with the Cloak