The Women’s Musical Club of Toronto will celebrate 127 years of presenting concerts and supporting classical music artists in the city in 2024-25. Their popular Music In The Afternoon concert series will continue with another five offerings of chamber music.
In 1898, a group of women and other music lovers established The Women’s Musical Club of Toronto in order to “promote and encourage the study, practice, and knowledge of music in Toronto.” What began as weekly morning recitals where members performed for each other evolved into a concert series. In the 1930s, a series of concerts raised the seed money for a scholarship fund that continues to support undergraduate studies, and a graduate fellowship, along with the $25,000 Career Development Award that is given out annually.
The organization continues to flourish in the modern day, and support young Canadian musicians.
Music In The Afternooon
The Music In The Afternoon Concert Series has developed into a showcase for both emerging and established talent. Previous seasons have presented concerts by international stars, some of whom, such as Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Andres Segovia, and Leontyne Price, were making their Canadian debuts.
The History of Concerts and Performers of the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto is a complete searchable record of performers and repertoire presented from 1898 to 2023.
The 2024-25 Season
Campbell Fagan Park Trio | October 3, 2024 | 1.30 p.m.
Clarinetist James Campbell, soprano Leslie Fagan, soprano, and pianist Angela Park make up this trio.
Canadian/American clarinetist James Campbell is the Artistic Director of the Festival of the Sound, and teaches at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. The JUNO Award winning artist has a discography of more than 40 recordings, and is a recipient of the Order of Canada, and The Queen’s Golden Jubilee.
Soprano Leslie Fagan has performed on the world’s most prominent stages, including Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Lincoln Center, and with leading conductors. She is a frequent performer in New York as well as in Toronto. The Canadian vocalist is a graduate of the University of Toronto, and is Assistant Professor and Co-ordinator of Voice at Sir Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo. She also teaches at her private studios in New York and her home.
Pianist Angela Park realized her passion for chamber music early in her career. She has forged partnerships with musicians such as cellist Rachel Mercer and violist Sharon Wei, and is one of the former founding members (2006-2022) of the renowned Ensemble Made In Canada. Angela earned her DMA in Performance from the Université de Montréal, after earning her MMus and BMus degrees from the University of Toronto.
Julian Rachlin & Friends | November 14, 2024 | 1.30 p.m.
Violinist Julian Rachlin, is joined by Sarah McElravy, viola; Karen Ouzounian, cello; and Sheng Cai, piano for a concert of Brahms, Bach, and Penderecki. Rachlin is Music Director of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and Chief Conductor of the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra. Along with conducting, he is a violin virtuoso with a career as a soloist, chamber musician, teacher and artistic director. His recordings have been released on the Deutsche Grammophon, Sony Classical and Warner Classics labels.
Marmen Quartet | March 13, 2025 | 1.30 p.m.
Based in the UK, the Marmen Quartet is: Johannes Marmen, violin; Laia Valentin Braun, violin; Bryony Gibson-Cornish, viola; Sinead O’Halloran, cello. They’ll be performing a program that includes Haydn, Bartok, Debussy and Salina Fisher. In 2019 they won the Grand Prize at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition, and joint First Prize at the Banff International String Quartet Competition.
Midori March | April 3, 2025 | 1.30 p.m.
Soprano Midori Marsh is the Winner of the WMCT’s 2024 Career Development Award. A native of Cleveland, Midori studied music at Wilfred Laurier University, and earned her Masters in Opera at the University of Toronto. She won first prize and audience choice award at the Canadian Opera Company’s Centre Stage competition in 2019.
She’s joined by pianist Frances Armstrong. Frances began her piano studies at age ten in Vancouver, BC, and began working with singers just a few years later. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in solo piano performance from the University of Victoria, and went on to receive a Master’s in collaborative piano performance at the University of Toronto.
Tenor Asitha Tennekoon | May 8, 2025 | 1:30 p.m.
Asitha Tennekoon, tenor and Steven Philcox, piano perform a program TBC. Asitha won a 2017 Dora Award for Outstanding Performance, Male, Opera Division, and recently appeared in Angel’s Bone with re:Naissance Opera/Indie Opera Fest. He’ll debut the roles of Prologue/Peter Quint in Britten’s Turn of the Screw with Opera 5 in June. The Sri Lankan-Canadian tenor has sung with opera companies across Canada, and is Co-Founder of Amplified Opera, a Toronto based indie Opera company.
Steven Philcox is Associate Professor at the University of Toronto where he leads the Collaborative Piano Program. He studied at the University of British Columbia, and the Manhattan School of Music, and often tours as both solo performer and recital accompanist.
- Find out more details, and get tickets for Music In The Afternoon concerts, [HERE].
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Anya Wassenberg is a Toronto City Editor at Ludwig Van. She is an experienced freelance writer, blogger and writing instructor.
