November 2021 The Bloor St. Culture Corridor

Renaissance Venice was a multicultural metropolis at the intersection of trade routes linking Europe to the Islamic World, with pigments, spices, and luxury objects flowing through the city. The Gardiner Museum invites visitors to discover the lives of Venetians across the social spectrum, from tradespeople to wealthy elites. Step into the workshop of the potter-entrepreneur and uncover a counter-narrative about the experiences of Renaissance women. Renaissance Venice: Life and Luxury at the Crossroads recreates a sensory world of more than 110 objects, ranging from Chinese porcelain and Islamic metalware to Venetian textiles and glass. Ceramics from the Gardiner’s collection are displayed alongside objects from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, The Detroit Institute of Arts, The Royal Ontario Museum, the Aga Khan Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Bata Shoe Museum, among other lending institutions and private collections. See it today! All event info can be found at their website. 

What’s going on at Alliance Française Toronto in November? Calling all classical music lovers out there! November starts with the great Belgian pianist Olivier Spiegeleir in concert in their Spadina Theatre. Not to be missed! Their Sofa-Thursdays are still happening with a documentary on November 11; Je m’appelle humain. A moving, beautiful and striking film to watch from home. As part of the science festival, keep enjoying a series of online talks to learn more about outer space, and a unique exhibition in their galleries. Finally, join them for a Movie-Thursday with Antoinette dans les Cevennes on November 25 at 7:30pm. A great opportunity to relax and enjoy this romantic comedy. All event information can be found at their website. 

Toronto Reference Library offers high-quality online programming with TPL’s Live & Online series. With a new lineup of programs and new ways to get involved, TPL’s On Civil Society series pushes boundaries, explores our differences and takes you deeper into the issues affecting our world today. Conversations this season focus on local, national and international issues and perspectives featuring leading experts and thinkers from all over the world on the most critical topics of our time. On November 8, journalist Elaine Dewar discusses her newest book, On the Origin of the Deadliest Pandemic in 100 Years. Author and linguist Amanda Montell talks about her new book, Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, on November 15. Author Leigh Cowart shares insight from her new book, Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose, on November 22. Explore these and all of TPL’s Live & Online programs online at tpl.ca.

The IIC continues to commemorate the 700th anniversary of Dante’s passing. From November 2-14, delve into a live, interactive, theatrical adventure inspired by Dante’s Inferno and Homer’s The Odyssey in The Spectator’s Odyssey – o dell’Inferno, created by Daniele Bartolini (artistic director of the internationally acclaimed, Italian-Canadian company DopoLavoro Teatrale – DLT), as part of the TO Live lineup, with video direction by acclaimed Canadian filmmaker, Bruce McDonald. On November 17, IIC presents a one-night-only performance of Dante Solo Inferno by Italian dance company, Artemis Danza. IIC is pleased to co-present SoundMorphosis at Digifest 2021; an interactive performance of musical and visual art improvisation between Italian interactive media artist, Paolo Scoppola and renowned jazz pianist, Danilo Rea.  Check out the IIC website for more November events, including the first of a three-webinar series in collaboration with the Politecnico di Milano on architecture, design and engineering.

Join the Bata Shoe Museum for their annual Founder’s Lecture on November 16 at 7pm EST as they virtually discuss Reimagining the Future Design of Museums with architect Kulapat Yantrasast, Founding Partner and Creative Director of wHY. Visiting in person, there’s FREE admission every Sunday! Can’t make it in-person? They’ve got you covered with online exhibitions and virtual tours of their exhibitions. See more of their artefacts and storage areas in Off the Shelf, a TikTok/Instagram Reels exclusive. Missed any of their Salon conversations? Catch up on YouTube. Get creative with more Camp in a Shoebox activities every Sunday. Always keep up to date with their website and social media content with #BSMFromHome.

Soundstreams presents the world premiere of Love Songs, November 19 at 8pm. Claude Vivier’s travels to Bali and the Iranian city of Shiraz in the 1970’s was for him an initiation into mysticism and poetry. These travels led to an intensely personal voyage; Love Songs, for seven singers, runs the gamut from childhood songs and nursery rhymes to the deepest contemplation of our place in the universe. Also in the program will be Vivier’s Hymnen an die Nacht. Couple these works with a world premiere homage to Claude Vivier by Christopher Mayo, Oceano Nox, and you have an evening of pure magic. Click here for tickets.

On November 14 at 2pm EST, Laur Vallikivi, an Estonian scholar of ethnology, will be giving an online lecture in English, Nenets Reindeer Nomads in the Early 21st Century followed by a screening of Liivo Niglas’ documentary, “The Brigade” (2000, 57 min.) and a Q&A with Laur Vallikivi and Liivo Niglas. Following this, on November 24 at 7pm EST will be a lecture on Zoom by Dr. Laara Fitznor, Associate Professor of the University of Manitoba, about Indigenous voices speaking back to colonial impacts through the power of story. Finally, on November 28 at 1pm, Valts Ernštreits a researcher at the University of Tartu, will be giving a lecture on the Livonian people followed by a screening of the documentary Julgi (Liivo Niglas, 2005), in English. More information can be found on their website. 

November Arts and Culture programs at the Miles Nadal JCC appeal to all the senses and are open to everyone. Survivor Children, in their Virtual Gallery November 1–30 exhibits Harry Tiefenbach’s paintings based on photographs taken post-Holocaust by rescue organizations. Join them on Zoom November 14 for an interview with the artist conducted by Dr. Gerald Cupchik. On November 4, Peter Harris and Pia Kleber lecture on German-Jewish art collector Siegbert Feldberg’s extraordinary story in The Significance of the Feldberg Collection. Take a beginners’ music theory course with Briony Glassco, meant for adult instrumentalists and choristers starting November 9. Cook along from home on November 14, when Akilah Allen-Silverstein shares her family’s Caribbean Jewish recipe for Saltfish Latkes, for their monthly Building the Jewish& Cookbook. Actor/comedian Jack Newman spotlights the lives and legacies of Canadian comedians from Wayne & Shuster to mega star Eugene Levy in their five-part series, Yuk Yuk, Canucks, starting November 15. Join the MNjcc community on their Facebook page for virtual Chanukah candle lighting for the eight crazy nights starting November 29. Visit them at their website for more outstanding programming.

Enjoy performances of late Romantic works by the Jerusalem Quartet on November 5 with special guests Pinchas Zukerman and Canadian cellist Amanda Forsyth. Award-winning Afro-Cuban jazz singer, Daymé Arocena will share the evening of November 6 with Latin Grammy Award winner Nella. International all-star jazz group Artemis will take the stage on November 12 and features Renee Rosnes, Ingrid Jensen, Anat Cohen, Nicole Glover, Noriko Ueda, and Allison Miller. Additional concerts this month include performances by world-renowned DJ and producer, Skratch Bastid on November 13, conductor Earl Lee with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra on November 19, singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash on November 20, jazz from Trinidad and Israel featuring Etienne Charles Quartet and the Guy Mintus Trio on November 26, Stewart Goodyear with the Penderecki String Quartet and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir on November 27, and French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet on November 28. Head to their website to learn more.

The Music Gallery, with Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan and Sixtrum join forces for the first time to explore the fusion point between the instruments of Indonesian gamelan and classical percussion instruments, between the sounds of metal, wood and skins. On stage in this spectacular concert, 14 experienced musicians become 14 alchemists in pursuit of an unedited sonic fusion, premiering four new works commissioned for this project by Mark Duggan (orchestration of a work by Alain Thibault), Chris Paul Harman, Melissa Hui and Alithéa Ripoli November 27 & 28. Tickets are available here.

This month the University of Toronto Faculty of Music shines a spotlight on Opera starting with Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Opera School on November 4. In this special Thursdays at Noon presentation, U of T Opera will reflect on the school’s important history while sharing its forward-looking vision for opera’s future. This event will be livestreamed from Walter Hall and feature the young artists of U of T Opera. Thursday, November 25 through Sunday, November 28, U of T Opera presents four performances only of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. Sung in Italian with English surtitles, this major opera production is designed by Wesley Mackenzie with costumes by Lisa Magill. Michael Patrick Albano directs and Russell Braun conducts, with coaching by Carmen Santoro, Rossini Specialist and The Azrieli Foundation Opera Visiting Artist. Please visit their website for details. 

Join the Japan Foundation, Toronto this month for a presentation celebrating the translated novel Colorful written by Japanese author Eto Mori. November 5-7, watch online, the animated adaptation of Colorful directed by HARA Keiichi, which will be accompanied by a talk between Eto Mori and Canadian author Kerri Sakamoto. November 10 is the JFT Book Club Online: Colorful by Eto Mori, moderated by Kris Kosaka. On November 18, Dr. Mimi Okabe will be doing a livestream interview with Eto Mori and the translator of her book, Jocelyne Allen, as part of the Parallel Worlds: Translator series. Don’t miss out this November on five enriching documentaries about the many unseen layers of Japan in the Japan Through The Lens program, co-presented with the Hot Docs At Home streaming platform. From ancient sea-diving traditions to the craft of designing books, be sure to check out these rare and unique films. Find out more details at their website.

It’s time for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year, opening November 13, 2021. The longest-running and most prestigious nature photography competition in the world returns to the ROM for the ninth year in a row. Featuring all-new photographs from around the world reveal striking wildlife, breathtaking landscapes, and the remarkable beauty and rich multiplicity of our natural world.

Find out more.

This month, Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema delivers some of the best and brightest docs in town. As the neon lights of Broadway prepare to shine again, join an all-star cast for a bombastic ride through the main street of American show biz. Inspiring and urgent, Hot Docs ’21 hit Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy captures a First Nations community’s efforts to heal by cultivating empathy through harm reduction. Don’t miss the first feature doc to chronicle the life of legendary Slaughterhouse Five author Kurt Vonnegut, and a new portrait of food icon Julia Child, from the directors of the Oscar-nominated RBG. Explore the life of blues and folk singer Karen Dalton, an underrated force of the 1960s New York folk scene and discover the fascinating untold story of Johnny Cash’s first wife in My Darling Vivian at Music on Film, presented with the Royal Conservatory. Visit their website to view their health and safety guidelines, and programming schedule. 

Tafelmusik’s popular series of thought-provoking panel discussions return on November 10! This first Tafel Talks of the season, Baroque Feast, explores the parallels between the musical and culinary arts while savouring the essence of all things baroque. Tafelmusik’s very own Patrick G. Jordan moderates this panel featuring food historian Laura M. Carlson, sous-chef Samantha Medeiros, and pastry chef Farzam Fallah. Tickets are only $5. Join them for a delectable discussion. Later in the month, experience the artistry of Tafelmusik musicians in Spotlight 15, a playful showcase of sounds and styles, from baroque to galant. Premiering on November 18, fourteen soloists and thirteen concertos are featured in this playful mix-and-match showcase of Tafelmusik’s artistry. Spotlight 15 proves that the violin is not the only star in the galaxy, as the viola, cello, double bass, oboe, bassoon, and harpsichord take turns at centre stage. Learn more at their website.

There are lots of events at WAAC this November! WAAC’s Ruth Upjohn Gallery presents CROSSWORDS: Painting and Collage by Margaret Rodgers October 28-November 16. Dignam Gallery presents Abstracts & Abstractions with f8 Photography Collective November 2-8; VESSELS by Barb Symons November 11-16; Annual Small Gems show and sale November 20-January 8. On November 3 at 1pm, WAAC Luncheon program presents The story of naïve artist Marcel Dargis with Louis Leprohon. WAAC’s The Artist Voice presents My Gallery Story with David Kaye on November 18 from 1-2 pm. Please contact waac@womensartofcanada.ca to register for all events. Their Galleries are open to visitors (Proof of double vaccination required). For more information, call the WAAC office, or read more at their website.