C A N N O P Y
Art is True North
Toronto Summer Music turns 20
TSM Finale
INTERVIEW ─ Outgoing Artistic Director Jonathan Crow joins Cannopy for an exit interview before another violinist takes First Chair
Words Eva Stone-Barney
ISSUE 15 | TORONTO | HUBS & HUDDLES
CANNOPY x Jonathan Crow
Violinist Jonathan Crow has been the Artistic Director of Toronto Summer Music for nine years, just one year short of half of the festival’s lifetime. The implications of a relationship that long are immense—Crow and the festival have grown and learned a great deal from each other, they have overcome obstacles like the pandemic, and have expanded far beyond what audiences might have expected of them. As he prepares to take his final bow at the end of this summer, he first must see the festival through one final edition: their 20th, no less. When it was founded back in 2006, Toronto Summer Music (TSM) was a chamber music festival, but it’s hard to say whether that label is still appropriate. Originally, they programmed concerts by small ensembles and soloists over the course of a couple of weeks. Twenty years later, the festival now takes over the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Koerner Hall and the University of Toronto’s Walter Hall for an impressive four weeks, and involves large scale performances of dance, opera, and orchestral music.
ReGen (July 12,19)
It’s a far cry from their humble beginnings, and hasn’t been without growing pains—audiences who may have come to expect a certain brand of performance from TSM have had to adjust to the scaling of their events. Last year, this included appearances by Les Arts Florrissants and Amplified Opera, and this year, will involve an opening concert by the ensemble Cappella Mediterranea. This expansion has felt completely natural, though, particularly given the international reputation and magnificent scale of Koerner Hall, says Crow. Having a venue of its caliber available to them has helped draw artists from around the world, making TSM a “destination festival.” For TSM, success has meant reconciling with the fact that they are no longer what they once were—who they are, and what they offer to audiences every summer, has changed substantially.
Missing (July 24)
With that being said, audiences have continued to sell out their concerts, which suggests that lovers of classical music in Toronto aren’t too averse to change. July and August are fairly quiet months in the way of performing arts in Toronto, observes Crow, which is part of what has led to TSM’s highly devoted audience. He has delighted in seeing the same faces in the crowds year after year. He points to this as having been one of the highlights of his tenure at TSM: the opportunity to become part of a community of music lovers in his city, to welcome people into the cool, crisp concert hall on balmy July evenings, checking in year after year with patrons who have come to feel like friends. The TSM community has also been strengthened by the festival’s educational components—both their summer academy, and their community music program—which Crow takes great pride in.
L-R: Alison Au (July 21), Nightingale Sonata (July 22), Jaden Izik-Dzurko (July 23), The Last Castrato (July 29)
Crow, who is also first violin of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, likens the running of a festival of this scale to the functioning of an orchestra. It’s an organism in which roles are well defined, a unified vision is absolutely crucial, and the whole is always and inevitably greater than the sum of its parts. As Crow steps down, another violinist will move into the role of Artistic Director: William Fedkenheuer. A coincidence, that the festival will see two consecutive violinists-turned-artistic-director? Perhaps. But there is something to be said for the knowledge and skills he and Fedkenheuer share, which Crow has brought to TSM, and Fedkenheuer is sure to bring in the years to come. Here, I am thinking especially of their ability as chamber musicians to communicate almost wordlessly; to adapt mid-performance; to work flexibly, creatively, and compassionately with others; and to strive endlessly towards the beautiful.
