Anniversaries for Koerner Hall, U of T Faculty of Music

By Laura Philipps

September is a time to celebrate new beginnings on the Bloor St. Culture Corridor, when we bring together all partner destinations for two fabulous free events.

Open Streets Toronto on September 20 animates Bloor Street with family-friendly programming where you can play music, dance, and do yoga. The Bloor St. Culture Corridor HUB of Culture Days events September 28-30 includes free concerts at Koerner Hall and talks at the Toronto Reference Library.

Join us this September for outdoor activities and inside access to explore Toronto’s most diverse arts and culture district.

The new cultural season begins at Alliance Française Toronto with the screening of Les Garçons et Guillaume, à table!, a movie by Guillaume Gallienne, on September 6 as part of the Movie Thursday series. The series continues with Amour by Michael Haneke on September 13, Le Salaire de la Peur by Henri-Georges Clouzot on September 20, and Le Matou by Jean Beaudin on September 27.

Learn the art of Indigenous beading in a three part earring-making workshop with Anishinaabekwe beading artist Stephanie Pangowish at the Bata Shoe Museum on September 8, 15, and 22.

Canadian fashion debuts their Spring/Summer 2019 collections in Bloor-Yorkville during Toronto Fashion Week, September 4-6. Shop in the RE\SET designer showroom (987 Yorkville Ave.), an engaging, consumer-facing retail experience where the public will have the opportunity to meet designers and shop current collections in addition to pre-ordering SS’19.

Spark your imagination with the next slate of Curious Minds courses at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. Explore Canadian literature, nineteenth century Paris, Joni Mitchell’s music, and Art Nouveau. Music lovers won’t want to miss a new season of Music on Film, kicking off with Cathedrals of Culture, presented in partnership with the Royal Conservatory of Music.

September is packed with events and programs for the pottery lover at the Gardiner Museum. Opening September 7, Japan Now: Female Masters, the museum’s final Year of Japan lobby display, showcases the brilliant work of some of the most celebrated contemporary female ceramists of Japan. Then there’s A Passion for Porcelain from September 21-22, an international symposium that attracts ceramics experts from all over in celebration of Meredith Chilton, who was the chief curator of the museum.

The Istituto Italiano di Cultura launches the Vesuvius Ensemble 2018-2019 concert series on September 11 at 6:30 p.m. And on September 19 it will complement its photo exhibition Melodramatic Realism with a lecture on the relationship between Visconti and literature by Carlo Coen.

And So We March: Defending women’s rights in the Trump age  opens on September 1 in the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre gallery. It features Irene Borins Ash’s photos of the signs and messages of the Toronto Women’s Marches in January 2017 and 2018. And The Very Hungry Caterpillar eats on at the Al Green Theatre Saturdays and Sundays until September 30. September also marks the beginning of the Music Gallery’s 43rd season, which presents the first of four Listening Choir events on September 15 and releases Clips, an album by the Brodie West Quintet on September 21.

Koerner Hall opens its tenth anniversary season with a festival from September 28 to October 5 featuring the Royal Conservatory Orchestra on September 28, Free for All on September 29, and a performance by Fern Lindzon on Sunday. Music lessons begin September 8, and you can try out an instrument during the Conservatory’s free band day on September 9.

Not to be outdone, the University of Toronto Faculty of Music is celebrating its 100th anniversary this 2018-19 season. Sound Knowledge, a new six-part lecture series featuring leading U of T Music professors, kicks off September 12 in Walter Hall. There will be performances from the Bedford Trio, bandoneón artist Amijai Shalev, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra cello section, and soprano Karina Gauvin. On September 15, the faculty will participate in an annual cross-Canada event in honour of World Suicide Prevention Day with Mysterious Barricades, a concert featuring Marie Bérard, Russell Braun, Norine Burgess, John Greer, Judy Loman, Carolyn Maule, Nathalie Paulin, Steven Philcox, Monica Whicher, and Turkwaz.

918 Bathurst is also getting back into gear after a relaxing summer. The Annex Chess Club kicks it off with their annual Labour Day Chess Tournament, and then Vegan Social Events will host a vendor marketplace featuring sustainable, local vegan fare and goods on September 6. And on Saturday, September 22, The Hand Eye Society will transform the space for their fancy-dress video game party.

Laura Philipps is with the Bloor St. Culture Corridor. This column focuses on arts and culture events from the district. More information about events and locations can be found at www.BloorStCultureCorridor.com.