Kingston Road Village Concert Series welcomes The Callista Trio this Saturday

The Kingston Road Village Concert Series continues this Saturday night with a performance by The Callista Trio.

The Nov. 22 concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. at Kingston Road United Church, 975 Kingston Rd.

The Callista Trio is made up of Elizabeth Dolin (on cello), Laurence Kayaleh (on violin), and Lucas Porter (on piano).

The trio is considered one of Canada’s newest and most exciting ensembles, and this Saturday’s concert marks their Toronto stop on their current Ontario tour.

Cellist Elizabeth Dolin shares how it all began:

“We first performed together when Lucas replaced another pianist at the very last minute. Laurence and I have been playing together for 22 years, and the chemistry among the three of us was instantly magical,” said Dolin on how the trio formed.

“The ideal piano trio starts with a virtuosic, sensitive pianist and two string players who match stylistically—I must say, we fit the bill.”

Dolin said they chose the name The Callista Trio from the Greek word for ‘most beautiful.’

“Since then, we’ve performed throughout Quebec and Ontario, and this year we’ll appear in Nova Scotia as well. It’s especially meaningful to play in the Kingston Road Village Concert Series because Tim Dawson, the series director, is an old university friend and fellow musician,” said Dolin.

The program for Saturday’s concert will include Rachmaninoff’s Trio Élégiaque No. 1, Beethoven’s Trio Op. 70, No. 2, and Schumann’s Trio No. 3, Op. 110.

Tickets for the Nov. 22 concert are $35 in advance, and $40 at the door. To order online, please go to https://www.kruc.ca/concert-series

For the past 13 years, the Kingston Road Village Concert Series has been a labour of love—run entirely by volunteers who believe in the power of live music to build community.

J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio – Eat, Drink and Be Merry

As part of this year’s Christmas celebrations, the Series has joined forces with the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto to present J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio – Eat, Drink and Be Merry on Sunday, Dec. 7.

The event features performances of the oratorio along with dinner at one of six Kingston Road restaurants.

The three-hour masterpiece by J.S. Bach will be performed in two parts with a dinner break in between. Audience members will attend both concerts and enjoy a full restaurant meal as part of the ticket package.

The first half of the oratorio (cantatas one through three) will be performed from 4 to 5:30 p.m. There will then be a dinner break followed by the performance of cantatas four to six starting at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets for this special combination of music and a fine meal are $100.

Kingston Road restaurants taking part in the event are The Porch Light, Feathers Pub, The Lighthouse 971, Cafe Parmesan, The Beech Tree, and The Kingston House.

The $100 ticket cost includes the performances and dinner — excluding alcohol, taxes and tip.

As part of the event, trumpeters will call back the restaurant patrons to the church for the second half of the concert.

Tim Dawson of the Kingston Road Village Concert Series said the plans for Dec. 7 are extra special.

“We don’t know if we’ll ever be able to do this again — so grab your ticket now! It’s stunning music, lovingly played, combined with the warmth of a shared meal at our wonderful local restaurants. If you’re going to attend one Christmas event this year, make it this one,” he said.

Tickets must be purchased in advance due to the need to co-ordinate with the restaurants. Tickets will not be available at the door on Dec. 7.

For more information on the Dec. 7 event, or to order tickets, please go to https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/js-bach-christmas-oratorio-eat-drink-be-merry-tickets-1542887430839?aff=oddtdtcreator