Internationally acclaimed Canadian percussionist Beverley Johnston presents her seventh solo recording THE SPIRIT AND THE DUST featuring the music of Christos Hatzis, Richard Mascall, Norbert Palej and Dinuk Wijeratne. All works on this recording are presented on two of by Beverley Johnston's favorite instruments: the marimba and the vibraphone. Also on the recording are a handful of her favorite musicians with whom she has had the opportunity and pleasure to work with over the years, Marc Djokic and the Amici Chamber Ensemble. Over the years, she has commissioned and performed many works by leading Canadian composers some of which have become a staple of the standard percussion repertory around the world. In honor of her exemplary commitment to the performance of the music of Canadian composers, she has been awarded the distinction of "Canadian Music Centre Ambassador". Her exceptional stage presence, her remarkable virtuosity and musicianship have established her reputation beyond the border of her native Canada, where she tours and performs frequently as a soloist and chamber musician.

Mott, D.: Eclipse

Johnston, Beverley / Campbell, James: Impact

Emotional and intense, composer Frank Horvat gives his audience the time and space to reflect in our fast-paced world. His compositions tell deeply personal stories while permitting audiences to ponder their own. Whether he writes for his band, the concert stage or film/TV, his music is both aggressive and introspective. It digs into your heart and soul with a driving minimalism and a haunting reflection. Frank's compositions are based on social injustices as well as the wondrousness of life, love. And longing. This minimalist and loop-oriented chamber music album creates a captivating effect by re-creating an electronic looping effect associated with electronic music with only the use of a single acoustic instrument or family of instruments in each piece. Each track's timbre is unique as the album moves from harp to clarinet, percussion, piano and human voice.

“It's definitely music for today, streamlined yet atmospheric...a listener hears the rare but gratifying combination of lyricism and cutting-edge music." - THE TORONTO STAR David Occhipinti is a Canadian composer, guitarist, and JUNO nominated recording artist who has released recordings that feature his unique musical voice. A recording of his compositions of vocal chamber music entitled, these out of infinite (2019), was released on the Centrediscs label in November of 2019. On David’s release, Camera (2012), he combines elements of contemporary chamber music with improvisation. The recording features David’s compositions and guitar playing with a chamber ensemble along with a suite for guitar and string quartet. As a composer, David has a wide-ranging list of works and he composed works for solo artists (Erica Goodman, Beverley Johnston, children’s choir (CCOC), vocal works (Carla Huhtanen, Alex Hetherington), chamber groups (Arraymusic, Art of Time Ensemble) and large ensembles (Camera Ensemble, RALE). David and has performed all across Canada, in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and in Italy - where he lived for three years.

Boudreau, M.: Entre Belacqua et Nell

John Burge (b. 1961, Dryden, Ontario) is a Canadian composer who has been teaching at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario since 1987. He has written a large body of vocal, chamber, and orchestral compositions, and received the 2009 JUNO Award for Classical Composition of the Year. Some critics have likened his compositional style to that of Benjamin Britten and Maxwell Davies. Philip Chiu is acclaimed for his brilliant pianism, sensitive listening, and a stage presence that eschews the hermit-pianist image in favour of openness, authenticity, and connection with audiences. Inaugural winner of the Mecenat Musica Prix Goyer, Chiu has become one of Canada's leading musicians through his infectious love of music and his passion for creation and communication. Given the number of precedents in the world of Classical music, it is fair to state that there is a long traditional of composing a set of Twenty-Four Preludes for solo piano. John Burge's preludes draw their primary influence from Chopin's Opus 28 set in that Burge also composes one prelude in each major and minor key, employing the exact same ordering of keys used by Chopin. While Chopin was writing music in the highly chromaticized harmonic language of the early 19th century, in 2015, the year that Burge completed his set, the concept of tonality has undergone so many developments since Chopin's time that there are now whole schools of musical techniques that produce music that is quite atonal. As an all-governing principle for his set of preludes though, Burge made it a personal requirement that each prelude had to embrace it's tonic key in a decisively audible fashion.

With his music being heard in over 160 countries, award-winning composer Christopher Tyler Nickel has made a name for himself as a successful writer of music for the concert hall, theatre, film and television. Christopher is a graduate of the University of British Columbia School of Music. Upon graduation, he continued his studies in both New York and Los Angeles. His awards include a Leo Award for his music for the series Wild Bear Rescue, as well as ten other Leo nominations, and he is the winner of two SOCAN Awards. This new release showcases his music for winds, and features his Suite for Two Oboes and Two English Horns as well as his Symphony for Flute Choir.

Chatman, S.: Due East

Renew'd at Ev'ry Glance

“Little Heart” is an operetta for children based on a Persian children book written originally in 1998 by the famous contemporary Iranian Author, Nader Ebrahimi. The story is about a little girl who is learning about love through a journey of experiences. Afarin Mansouri is an award-winning composer whose works have been performed in Canada, the United States, England, Iran, and South America. She has worked with many organizations and Festivals such as Tapestry Opera, You Dance National Ballet of Canada, Tirgan Festival and Toronto Nuit Blanche. Her opera “Forbidden” gain national and international attention by Globe and Mail and BBC world in 2018. Afarin is an associate composer of Canadian Music Centre and a national Councilor of the Canadian League of Composers. Also. as the co-founder and Artistic Director of Iranian-Canadian Composers of Toronto (ICOT), and has produced numerous concerts and music workshops for adults and children in Toronto. Currently she is at the last stages of her PhD studies at York University finishing her research on Canadian children’s opera while teaching undergrad courses in music.

Ryan, J.: Quantum Mechanics

The Toronto Latvian Concert Association is pleased to offer this recording as a tribute to the significant contribution made by Canadians of Latvian heritage to music and culture in Canada. All three composers represented here found a welcoming refuge in this country after the Second World War and, in the process of rebuilding their lives and careers, left a lasting legacy, not just as creators & composers, but also as educators and mentors. While Latvians proudly think of themselves as being part of mainstream European culture, fifty plus years of soviet occupation left the country on the edge of obscurity. The TLCA worked hard to engage a broader audience to help counter that perception, offering a unique concert experience to all who are culturally aware and musically curious, wishing to hear what Latvia’s finest cultural ambassadors are doing. No longer just a concert presenter, the TLCA has recently broadened its mandate to include the commissioning of new works by Latvian Canadian composers and supporting legacy projects that will highlight the contribution made by artists of Latvian heritage to the cultural fabric of Canada.

Morawetz, O.: Vocal Works

Canadian violist Margaret Carey presents a stunning collection of music for viola by celebrated Canadian composers Jean Coulthard, Jacques Hétu , Sid Robinovitch, Sean Clarke, Milton Barnes, Ana Sokolovic, Howard Bashaw, and Laurie Duncan. Margaret Carey began her musical studies at the age of four, studying the violin, piano and voice before beginning studies on the viola. She is a Doctor of Music graduate (2014) from the Université de Montréal with Jutta Puchhammer-Sédillot, and has obtained her Artist Diploma (2008) and MM degree (2007) at the Yale School of Music with Professor Jesse Levine. Before this, she completed a Diploma at the Vancouver Academy of Music, S.K. Lee College with Gerald Stanick (2002) and then went on to complete a Double Degree at Oberlin College and Conservatory (2005) in Viola Performance (BFA) with Roger Chase and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature (BA). Margaret works and has worked in several reputable orchestras in North and South America, Europe and Japan. She also has extensive chamber music experience, regularly performing with established groups and has more than twelve years of experience teaching a variety of students of various ages and ability. She was an authorized teacher in the Montreal Academy of Music from 2011-14, and feels comfortable to teach in English, French and German. She is also rapidly becoming known both as a choral singer (alto, soprano) and soloist (soprano) of excellent quality.