Entertainment Beat (March 20)

In a glaring error uncharacteristic of this reporter, promotional information about the Malvern Dance Band’s performance at Beach United Church’s Jazz Vespers on March 3 was missed. This performance should have been mentioned in the February 21 edition of the Entertainment Beat, but for some reason was omitted. My sincere apologies go out to the 18 members of the Malvern Dance Band, their conductor Mike Falla, Beach United Church and St. Aidan’s Anglican Church, and the organizers of the Jazz Vespers series.

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Scott Good and his band Good King will be appearing March 25, at 1:30 p.m., at Kingston Road United Church, 975 Kingston Rd. the second concert of the church’s family-friendly fundraising concert series.
Scott Good is a Canadian trombonist, composer of orchestral music, chamber music and performance art songs. As a trombonist, he has performed with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, the National Ballet Orchestra, and L’Ensemble Contemporain de Montreal. He has been composer in residence of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, curator of the Esprit Orchestra, and artistic director of the Morpheus Contemporary Music Ensemble.
Good’s band, The Good King, includes Braz King who plays guitar, synthesizer and electronics. For this concert they will be playing original material, as well as works by Company Segundo, John Dowland, and Olu Dara.
As mentioned, these are family-friendly concerts. The performers will be interacting with the audience during the performances. Youth members of Kingston Road U.C. have videotaped interviews with the performers that will be posted on the Kingston Road U.C website. Tickets are $20 each with family rates available. For more information call Kingston Road United Church at 416-699-6091, or visit kruc.ca.

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This year’s Slacker Canadian Music Fest will be held from March 21 to 25 at various locations across the city. It’s the largest musical festival of its kind in Canada with more than 900 bands at more than 60 venues over five nights. It’s part of Canadian Music Week, the music conference which has been running for 30 years now, and which culminates in the JUNO Awards. For more information go to canadianmusicfest.com.
Three local bands will be performing as part of the Slacker Festival. The Mercy Now, consisting of Russ Fernandes, David Viva, Adam Burnett and Lee Rogers, released their debut CD Self Control in 2010. They will be performing March 24 at 1 a.m., at The Silver Dollar, 486 Spadina Avenue. Tickets are $10, and all wristbands will be accepted.

Stephanie Bosch and the Cmons have just been in Toronto for a year, but have managed to garner plenty of attention with their live shows. They will be performing March 24 at 8 p.m., at the Silver Dollar, 486 Spadina. Tickets are $10 with all wristbands accepted.

Saidah Baba Talibah is a rock and soul songstress, and daughter of the legendary Salome Bey. Her debut CD (S)Cream is “my coming out as a woman.” She will be performing March 25 at 11 p.m., at Wrongbar, 1279 Queen St. W. Tickets are $15 with all wristbands accepted.

Visit canadianmusicfest.com to find out how to buy wristbands or individual tickets.

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Beach actor Matthew Deslippe will be appearing in Shakespeare In Action’s The Diary of Anne Frank, March 15 to 31, at the Al Green theatre in the Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Ave.
Deslippe returns to Shakespeare In Action having performed in its inaugural production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1992. Since then the Humber College graduate has made several film and television appearances in such projects as Murdoch Mysteries, The Republic of Doyle, The Border and The Listener. Aside from this production of The Diary of Anne Frank, Deslippe will be appearing in Foxfire, based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates, this spring.
The Diary of Anne Frank is an adaptation of the time-honoured story of the young girl hiding out during the Holocaust. The play is directed by Michael Kelly, and stars Sascha Cole in the title role.
For ticket information contact the Miles Nadall JCC at 416-944-8002, or visit mnjcc.org.

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Acoustic Harvest presents acclaimed singer/songwriter Katherine Wheatley, March 31 at 8 p.m. Since releasing her first CD Straight Line in 1995, Wheatley has been a concert and festival mainstay across the country. She has appeared as part of Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Café, and is a member of Betty and the Bobs, a popular amalgamation of several Toronto folk musicians. Wheatley’s latest CD, Landed, was recorded in 2009. She is an engaging performer who will leave you “enchanted.” For more information, or to hear samples of Wheatley’s music, visit her website at katherinewheatley.com.
Tickets to Katherine Wheatley are $22 for adults, and $20 for seniors and students, and are available at the door (it is always advisable to arrive early). Acoustic Harvest is located in St. Nicholas Church, 1512 Kingston Rd. For more information call Acoustic Harvest at 416-264-2235, or visit acousticharvest.ca.

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The Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra presents a special concert featuring the 15-year-old violin sensation Julia Mizroev, March 31, at 8 p.m., at the Birchmount Park Collegiate Auditorium, 3663 Danforth Ave. east of Birchmount. Mizroev has been playing the violin since she was two and a half years old. She was the winner of the Ontario Musical Festival Association’s Provincial Finals , and the coveted Most Promising Performer at the Golden Menorah’s 5th International Music Competition in Berlin in 2010.
This evening she will be appearing in the Scarborough Philharmonic’s performances of Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, and Saint-Saëns’ Third Violin Concerto. The orchestra is under the direction of Ron Royer.
Tickets for this special concert are $30 for adults; $25 for seniors, and $10 for youth and are available at the door, or by calling 416-429-0007, or emailing spo@spo.ca. Group rates are available. For more information visit spo.ca.

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Fallingbrook Presbyterian Church, at Kingston Road and Wood Glen Road, are pleased to have The Halcyon String Quartet as part of its special Sunday service called String Along With Friends, April 1 at 10:30 a.m. Members of the church’s congregation are encouraged to bring along a friend to this service to hear this extremely talented string quartet.
Made up of four members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) – Paul Meyer and Wendy Rose, violins; Kent Teeple, viola; and Marie Gelinas, cello – The Halcyon String Quartet has been delighting audiences for the past three years. In addition to her work with the TSO and The Halcyon String Quartet, Gelinas is also an active member of Fallingbrook Presbyterian. The Halcyon String Quartet will be performing the String Quartet, Opus 18, No. 5, in A major, by Ludwig van Beethoven.

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Love to sing? Can’t read music? Now there’s an opportunity for you to join a choir and enjoy singing, without having the ‘professionals’ tell you you’re doing it wrong. Shout Sister!, the non-reading, non-auditioning choral group, is opening a chapter in Toronto Southeast. Run by Scarborough’s own Abby Zotz, founder of the MadriGALS, the choir is open to inexperienced singers who appreciate the relaxed and positive approach to choral singing.
Shout Sisters! will perform a wide range of popular music, while increasing choir members’ self-confidence. You will finally be able to enjoy the physical and psychological benefits that come from singing together in a group.
There will be an informal meeting April 3 at 7 p.m., at Kingston Road United Church, 975 Kingston Rd. You can reserve a spot by emailing sisters@shoutsisterchoir.ca (use Toronto South East as the subject). For more information visit shoutsisterchoir.ca.

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Beach United Church Jazz Vespers Series – Music for the Soul: Jazz & Reflection – continues on April 7, 4:30 to 5:15 p.m., with a performance by B2. B2 is the piano vocal duo of Brian F. Stevens and your author, Bill MacLean. They will be performing songs from the American Songbook – both new and old – under the theme of Yesterday.
Stevens is originally from the Maritimes where he was involved in musical theatre as a performer, writer and arranger. His Wartime Radio Show is a perennial hit. Currently he is the Musical Director at Faith United Church in Courtice. MacLean is the Arts and Entertainment reporter at Beach Metro News, who moonlights as a musician, songwriter and vocalist. B2 has performed at Ten Feet Tall and the Renaissance Jazz Festival, as well as at private functions.
The Jazz Vesper Series originated at Beach United Church, but during renovations has moved to St. Aidan’s Anglican Church at the corner of Queen and Silver Birch. Admission is free, but there will be a goodwill offering taken up. For more information call 416-691-8082, or visit beachunitedchurch.com.

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Canadian actor and Beach resident Kenneth Welsh is doing a special dramatic reading of the Gospel of St. Mark on Good Friday, April 6, at 8 p.m., at Beaches Presbyterian Church, 65 Glen Manor. This is a unique opportunity to hear the Gospel of St. Mark read in its entirety in one sitting. Although admission is free, there is a suggested donation of $20. For more information call the Outreach Committee of Beaches Presbyterian Church at 416-949-5694.

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