Updates
presentation = watch this space for details
Les Oiseaux et la Musique
6 mars 2024
Société d'histoire avec Alliance francaise
24 rue Spadina, Toronto
Recital: Music of Hope
Susan Spier violin; Senan Whelan, piano
Friday Sep 30, 2022, 7:30 pm
Knox Presbyterian Church, 630 Spadina Ave
https://www.knoxtoronto.org/events/songs-of-hope
This was a fundraiser for the homeless through the Evangel Hall Mission.
Beethoven et Joachim. lecture in French - online
Through Alliance Francaise de Toronto and the Société d'histoire de Toronto
Wednesday June 9, 2021 7:00 pm
https://www.alliance-francaise.ca/en/culture/all-our-events/talks2020/beethoven-joachim
Laughter
A judge for a minor traffic offence thought the defendant looked familiar. "Have we met before?" he asked the accused. - Yes Your Honour, I gave your son violin lessons many years ago. "Ah - then that will be 20 years ! "
The great British conductor Sir Thomas Beecham was in Toronto for a concert and stayed at the Royal York Hotel. He wished to order wine with his meal, but it was during prohibition so he required a license, easily obtained at the main bus station across the street. Grumbling, he went to Union Station to comply.
Clearly annoyed, he answered the agent's questions:
Name (miffed as everyone supposedly knew him): "Sir Thomas Beecham"
Occupation (becoming more huffy as his career was acclaimed) "Conductor"
Not bothering to ask who his employer was, the agent simply wrote Toronto Transit Commission !
A comment on playing the piano by Hans Von Bulow (conductor/pianist):
"Piano playing is very difficult...First we have to learn to make all the fingers equal. Then later, playing music with several independent voices, we have to learn to make them unequal again. That being so, it seems best not to practice the piano at all - and that is the advice I give to many....".