BIOGRAPHY

ELISA CITTERIO, Music Director

​

Every now and then a group of musicians comes along and changes the way we think about music. Tafelmusik has done just that. Music for feasting. It is a name that, for over four decades, has been synonymous worldwide with dynamic, engaging, and soulful performances.

Whether on tour or at home in Trinity-St-Paul’s Centre, an historic church in the Annex neighbourhood of Toronto, at its heart Tafelmusik is a family of collaborative musicians. Steeped in the historical traditions of the baroque and classical eras, together they form one of the world’s leading period ensembles.

Tafelmusik is Canada’s most toured orchestra, having performed in over 350 cities in 32 countries, and its international reputation is without question. The vitality of Tafelmusik’s vision clearly resonates with its loyal audiences at home in Toronto, where the ensemble performs some 80 concerts every year, a focal point of Toronto’s lively early music scene.

Today, Tafelmusik’s catalogue of award-winning recordings continues to demand the attention of the world stage. Over 85 recordings on Tafelmusik Media, Sony, CBC Records, Analekta have garnered nine JUNOs and numerous other recording prizes. Today you regularly see Tafelmusik as Record of the Month in BBC Music Magazine, Editor’s Choice in Gramophone Magazine, or Record of the Year in Absolute Sound Magazine.

Through dynamic performances, international touring, concert films, award-winning recordings, and comprehensive education programs, Tafelmusik reaches out to a multiplicity of audiences. Nearly four decades strong, Tafelmusik continues to deliver a feast for the senses.

For more information, please visit www.tafelmusik.org.

February 2023

PHOTOS

Photography

Dahlia Katz

Click each image to download a hi-res version

TOURING PROGRAM

SAFE HAVEN

A multimedia concert exploring the influence of refugees on the music and culture of baroque Europe and Canada today.

Created by Alison Mackay

Elisa Citterio, music direction

Maryem Tollar, narrator and vocalist; Diely Mori Tounkara, kora; Naghmeh Farahmand, percussion

“You have to understand that no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land”

— WARSAN SHIRE

Tafelmusik continues to push the boundaries of classical music concerts with its spectacular multimedia productions created by double bassist Alison Mackay. Her latest, Safe Haven, explores the influence of refugee populations on the culture of their adopted countries, and taps into Mackay’s uncanny ability to examine the parallels between 18th-century Europe and the issues currently facing our world.

Mackay and her creative team employ scripted text narrated by Maryem Tollar, lighting designed by Glenn Davidson, and stunning projections designed by Raha Javanfar to create the kind of immersive concert experience for which Tafelmusik is world renowned.

“Throughout history, the effects of war, religious persecution, climate change, and poverty have caused people to abandon their homes and seek asylum beyond their borders,” says Mackay.  “In the time of Tafelmusik’s baroque repertoire, waves of refugees had a huge influence on the music and culture of Europe. Today, when many refugees are finding their place in Canadian communities, the past can teach us about the cultural riches our newcomers have to offer.”

Safe Haven features music by European baroque composers including Corelli, Lully, Bach, Telemann, and Vivaldi — composers whose interactions with migrant musicians, impresarios, and artisans had a major influence on their work. In the final section of Safe Haven, Mackay brings the program full circle to Canada’s music scene, where cross-pollination has flourished thanks to the arrival of musicians and musical traditions from around the world. With guest artists Diely Mori Toukara, kora, Maryem Tollar, voice, and Naghmeh Farahmand, percussion, the second half explores some of the rich global cultural traditions passed along to a new generation of Canadian musicians.

Safe Haven also explores how the movement of refugees across baroque Europe changed and enriched the economy and culture of major cities. French Huguenots could be found in Amsterdam, Scottish Catholics in Warsaw, and Sephardic Jews in the cities of Northern Italy. Audiences will hear how the term refugee (or refugiés) first came into common usage during the forced exodus of Protestants from France, following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV in 1685.

Tafelmusik’s creative multimedia performances have been described as “powerful” (The Globe and Mail), “flawless” (Musical Toronto), and “entertaining” (HuffPost Canada), and have delighted audiences around the world. Earlier touring programs have been seen across Canada and the United States, and some have travelled as far as China, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.