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Welcome! When we first founded Off Centre in 1994, it was to create a holistic musical and artistic experience for our performers and our audience - a chance to play and hear vocal, chamber and solo repertoire in an atmosphere that evokes a 19th century European salon. From our first concerts at Euromusic in Markham to our current venue - CBC's intimate and acoustically superior Glenn Gould Studio - via a few memorable seasons held at Toronto's historic Arts and Letters Club, Off Centre has kept it's promise to our city's Sunday afternoon concert-goers. That is: to combine music with her sister arts, as was done in the age of Schubert, to programme an innovative blend of traditional repertoire alongside rarely performed musical, poetic, literary and visual gems, and finally, to create a world in which the concert becomes a feast for all five senses. Along the way, we have also managed to form a delightfully "off centre" family of artists and patrons that join us, season after season, for our increasingly adventurous journeys of discovery. To begin our 15th season celebrations in true Off Centre fashion, we invite you to trade in your "Sunday best" for your comfiest hiking boots and join us as we venture out into nature in our first ever "eco-salon". From the depths of the woods we emerge just in time to visit our beloved Schubert in his prolific final year. But where there is death, there is also rebirth and we promise a healthy dose of both as we simultaneously raise our glasses to Schumann's 200th birthday and to the 100th anniversary of Pauline Viardot's death. And of course, no Off Centre season would be complete without a trip to Russia... or is it Italy? As you will see, the similarities are uncanny! Comparisons and contrasts round out our final concert of the season, as we ponder the question of "Jewishness in music" - an occasion so raucous that only the joyous melodies of Klezmer music would suffice! Our guest artists include internationally acclaimed musicians performing alongside rising stars on the Canadian scene. Distinguished Canadian critics, filmmakers, and actors from Soulpepper Theatre provide dramatic performances that compliment our musical offerings. Stuart Hamilton, the renowned CBC opera Quizmaster, offers his own witty and erudite narrative to introduce our concerts and their themes. Engage in a musical experience that will transport you to an era when music was a form of intimate conversation as well as entertainment. Join us for our 2009-2010 season and become a member of the Off Centre Music Salon's extended family! |
 Photo by: Elise Newman |
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