Art of Time Ensemble is a Toronto-based musical collective of leading Canadian musicians from the worlds of jazz and classical music. Composed of classical,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and pop musicians, Art of Time Ensemble is known for exploring the intersection of classical music with other genres and the convergence of music with theatre, dance, literature and film. Popular Art of Time programs include presentations of contemporary songs by

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

and others reinvented by Canadian and British composers.

History

Formed in 1998 by Andrew Burashko, Art of Time has become an integral part of Toronto's cultural scene, attracting some of Canada's top artists from a range of disciplines including the performing arts, film and literature, and noteworthy international musicians such as

Branford Marsalis Branford Marsalis (born August 26, 1960) is an American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ens ...

Madeleine Peyroux Madeleine Peyroux (born April 19, 1974) is an American jazz singer and songwriter who began her career as a teenager on the streets of Paris. She sang vintage jazz and blues songs before finding mainstream success in 2004 when her album ''Carele ...

and

Gavin Bryars Richard Gavin Bryars (; born 16 January 1943) is an English composer and double bassist. He has worked in jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, Musical historicism, historicism, Avant-garde music, avant-garde, and experimental music. Early lif ...

. Andrew Burashko's original idea behind the Art of Time Ensemble was to provide a way into classical music for new audiences. From 1999 to 2019, the ensemble presented an annual concert subscription series in Toronto. The Coda Season, announced in May 2023 and spanning 18 months, was announced to be the company's 25th and final season; Burashko plans to wind down the organization in 2025. The season includes three live concerts at Harbourfront Centre, a co-production with Against the Grain Theatre, a short animated film and digital archive.

Collaborations

The Ensemble has worked on many notable collaborations with artists in their respective disciplines including writers

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian novelist, poet, literary critic, and an inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of nonfiction, nine collections of short fiction, eight chi ...

and

Michael Ondaatje Philip Michael Ondaatje (; born 12 September 1943) is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, fiction writer and essayist. Ondaatje's literary career began with his poetry in 1967, publishing ''The Dainty Monsters'', and then in 1970 the critically a ...

; singers Barbara Hannigan,

Sarah Slean Sarah Hope Slean (born June 21, 1977) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, composer and musician. She has released eleven albums to date (including EPs and live albums). She is also a poet, visual artist, and occasional actress. Career Major recordi ...

Torquil Campbell Torquil Campbell (born March 17, 1972) is the co-lead singer and a songwriter for the Montreal-based indie rock band Stars. In addition to singing, he also plays the melodica, trumpet, synthesizer, and tambourine. Campbell is also an actor and ...

and

; actors Brent Carver and Martha Burns; dancers Peggy Baker and Evelyn Hart; and filmmakers Peter Mettler and Bruce MacDonald. Over the years, the core artists of Art of Time Ensemble have, among many others, included: * Composer Jonathan Goldsmith * Concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Benjamin Bowman * Principal cellist of the National Arts Orchestra, Rachel Mercer * Concertmaster of Esprit Orchestra, Stephen Sitarski * Soloist and former principal violist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Toronto Symphony, Steven Dann * Soloist and cellist of the Duke Trio, Thomas Wiebe * Composer and jazz saxophonist, Phil Dwyer * Guitarist Rob Piltch

Recordings

As of 2022, Art of Time Ensemble has released eight commercial albums on the Pheromone and Art of Time Recordings labels. Their 2009 album '' Black Flowers'' featured singer-songwriter

. In 2010 they released the album '' A Singer Must Die'', a collection of

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s in collaboration with singer and composer Steven Page. In 2022, Art of Time Ensemble released the album ''Songs of Leonard Cohen Live'', a collection of live recordings from their 2018 ''A Singer Must Die'' concert series presented at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, Canada. Vocalists on the album include Sarah Slean, Sarah Harmer, Steven Page, Tom Wilson and Gregory Hoskins.

Discography

* ''Live in Toronto'' (Art of Time Ensemble album), 2005 *'' Black Flowers'', 2009 *'' A Singer Must Die'', 2010 *''Sgt. Pepper'', 2013 *''All That Jazz??'', 2015 *''Ain't Got Long'', 2020 *''Christmas in Prison,'' 2021 *''Songs of Leonard Cohen Live'', 2022

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Canadian classical music groups Musical groups from Toronto Musical groups established in 1998