The fifth annual Music For MS is taking place at the Balmy Beach Club, at the foot of Beech Avenue, on Thursday, Nov. 21, as a benefit for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.
Hitting the stage between 7 and 11 p.m. will be a slew of local talent, including Sugar Rush, Frankie Dee, Daniel McLaughlin, Matt Bentley, Hellen Lavric, Patrick Domagala, Jenia Faibusovitch, Adam Popper, Jeremy Smith and East Side Blues.
Tickets are $25 and are available at the door. All proceeds go to the MS Society, the night is run entirely by volunteers and the Balmy Beach Club has donated the venue, so your dollars will make a difference. For more information, visit musicforms.ca.
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Cantemus Singers present Sing Noel, a concert to in part raise funds for Community Centre 55’s annual Share A Christmas program, on Saturday, Nov. 23 at St. Aidan’s Anglican Church, 70 Silver Birch Ave.
Cantemus is a 16-piece a capella choir, established by Michael Erdman in 2008 to spread appreciation of Renaissance and early Baroque music. The choir will be joined by David Sandall on harpsichord and Patricia Hiemstra on viola da gamba.
Tickets are $20, $15 for students and seniors and $10 for children under 12, and are available at Centre 55, 97 Main St., or reservable by phone at 416-578-6602. A quarter of the proceeds will go to the Share A Christmas program. For more on Cantemus, visit cantemus.ca.
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Relish Bar and Grill, 2152 Danforth Avenue, just east of Woodbine, offers live music on East Danforth pretty much every night of the week.
Coming up, Circle of Jerks hits the stage tonight, Tuesday, Nov. 19, from 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Wednesdays feature the BTBs from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., while Bentroots play Monday nights from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, Nov. 23 and 29 see the Danger Bees rock the house from 9:30 p.m. until 2 a.m.
Rory Cummings will play from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21, with Kiki Karoake taking over from 10 p.m. until close for the next two Thursday nights. From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23, catch the Songbird Sessions, or come by later for Susie’s Alibi, from 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Samantha Clayton will cover brunch duties from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays, while the weekly Stir It Up open stage takes place Sundays from 9 p.m. to close.
Steve Piette will perform from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 26; Liane Fainsinger will cover the same time slot on Thursday, Nov. 28. Kristen Lindell will be in the spotlight from 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 30.
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Acoustic Harvest presents An Evening of Women’s Voice, on Saturday, Nov. 30. Since the hall is unavailable in December, organizers have gathered a staggering lineup of female talent for the last show of the year.
In lieu of the usual Christmas concert, the evening will feature music, art and poetry from a baker’s dozen of performers, art from several artists and readings by Mari O’Faolain. Featured artists will include Susan Avishai, Jennifer Sutton, Laura Bird, Joan Burdett Ness, Phyllis Gordon and Janine Kinch.
The lineup of musical talent includes Taivi Lobu, Eve Goldberg, Jessica Bundy, Mary Bennet, Wendi Hunter, Tannis Slimmon, Jane Lewis, Emilyn Stam, Clela Errington, Anne Lindsay, Rosemary Phelan, Laura Bird and Nancy Dutra. CDs, books and artwork will be available for sale.
The show takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 30, at Robinson Hall, St. Nicholas Anglican Church, 1512 Kingston Rd., just east of Warden. Tickets are $25 at the door, or $22 in advance through PayPal or credit card at acousticharvest.ca.
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Igor Stravinsky’s L’Histoire Du Soldat (The Soldier’s Tale) is coming to Kingston Road United Church.
The score is traditionally performed by a septet. Musicians from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra will handle the musical side, while Peter Duchenes and Sebastian Sage will narrate the story, taken from an old Russian folk tale.
The story is that of a deserting Russian soldier, who trades his violin – and his soul – with the devil, in exchange for a book that includes events from the future, and the promise of great riches. As the narrative progresses, the soldier faces the reality of his decision, and goes about attempting to find a way out of the deal.
L’Histoire Du Soldat takes place at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 1, at Kingston Road United Church, 975 Kingston Rd. Tickets are $20 at the door, and proceeds will go towards the church’s ramp fund.
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Sultans of String, led by Beacher Chris McKhool, are holding the launch party for their latest album, Symphony!, at Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W., on Sunday, Dec. 1.
The album features an all-Canadian symphony orchestra joining the five-piece world and jazz group on five new tunes and five classic Sultans tracks. The show at Koerner Hall will feature the band performing live with the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra, quite a new experience for those who remember the Sultans from their Queen Street East appearances during the Beaches International Jazz Festival, or shows played as a three-piece in the former Ten Feet Tall spot on Danforth Avenue.
Tickets for this special performance start at $25, and are available through performance.rcmusic.ca.
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The 14-member group covers jazz, pop and originals to critical acclaim, and has performed at Art on the Park in New York City, at the SING! Festivals at Harbourfront here in Toronto, at the Beaches International Jazz Festival and recently, at the Sony Centre for the It’s Always Something show.
The group is now celebrating the release of its new album 14 Characters. Countermeasure will perform at the Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst St., just north of Adelaide, on Thursday, Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m.
The Watch, a new Canadian a cappella quartet, will open the show. For more information or tickets, visit countermeasuremusic.com.
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Novelist and writing instructor Nina Munteanu will be offering a two hour workshop titled The Writer’s Toolkit on Saturday, Nov. 23 at Wunderland Café, 1905 Queen St. E., just east of Woodbine.
The workshop, which runs from 6 to 8 p.m., will go through the tools every writer needs to get started and finish their project. The cost is $30 and includes a guidebook. Register in advance at the café.
Munteanu is a science fiction and fantasy author who has had eight novels, a collection of short stories and several writing instruction books published. She teaches writing courses at George Brown College and the University of Toronto. For more information, visit ninamunteanu.com.
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