concert and artist Q&A with with Toronto-based pianist Cheryl Duvall
On Wednesday, May 15th, A Place to Listen is hosting Toronto-based pianist and champion of new Canadian music Cheryl Duvall. Cheryl will be giving the world premiere of innermost songs by APTL co-founder Daniel Brandes. It will also feature darkness…pines… by Victoria-based composer Anna Höstman.
Cheryl commissioned innermost songs as part of a project funded by the Canada Council for the Arts: Cheryl has commissioned seven new works for solo piano by composers from across Canada, including Daniel Brandes, Anna Höstman, and James O’Callaghan.
Daniel composed innermost songs in late 2018. He describes the piece as an act of trust and hope. “The score consists of single pages, with each page being its own discrete dwelling. Each page contains a few simple tones–a humble thread of melody. These tones are entrusted to the care and sensitivity of the player, who is invited to touch each tone and silence with love–and to allow each tone and silence to touch them in return. It is my hope that innermost songs might allow for a breaking open of the heart–that a space for a radical receptivity might be made.”
Anna Höstman’s music is very near to Cheryl’s heart. Cheryl is currently undertaking a project to record all of Anna’s piano music for commercial publication. Anna is a good friend of A Place to Listen, and her music has been featured twice before at the series. Last month, APTL Ensemble members Daniel Brandes, Nathan Friedman, and Hollas Longton gave the world premiere of her work Arctic Blooms.
Please join us after the concert for an informal Q&A with Cheryl and the composers.