Mozart Under the Sun – Music and Words for Our Climate

Music and words for our climate.

Come join Bloor West's very own Lavinia Ensemble for an enriching hour of classical music and literature at St. Olave’s Anglican Church in Toronto! Music by Purcell, George Walker, Beethoven and Grieg, frames the concert's central work, Mozart's sublime clarinet concerto, performed by Gavin Warren. The pieces are interspersed by short readings of poems and literature from Bob Dylan, Steinbeck and Lincoln. The performance aims at inspiration. The music-literature-action connections are yours to make.

Henry Purcell (1659–1695)

George Walker (1922–2018)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)

Edvard Grieg (1843–1907)

The Lavinia Ensemble was founded by musical director, Mark Whale, in December 2023, performing its first concert, Baroque Brilliance – in the Spirit of Christmas, in Bloor West Village/Swansea at Morningside Presbyterian Church and again in April, 2024, at St. Olave's Anglican Church on Windermere Ave. Taking its name from Lavinia Avenue, the heart of Swansea (and Mark's home street), the ensemble's "mission" is to bring quality musical performance to the neighborhood. The Lavinia Ensemble comprises professional and semi-professional musicians. Many are members of the Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra where Mark is concertmaster.

Mark Whale, Musical Director.

Mark Whale, PhD, is a violinist and fulltime Professor of Liberal Studies at Humber College, Toronto. He teaches courses in music, philosophy and general education and is currently involved in developing Humber's climate educational program. Mark studied the violin in London, England, at the Royal Academy of Music, and in Freiburg, Germany at the Musikhochschule. After a career in Europe as a violinist, teacher, conductor and concert organizer, Mark completed his PhD in music education at the University of Toronto in 2009. A published researcher, he has presented at conferences around the world on the question of musical meaning. In 2014 he gave a TED Talk at Guelph University entitled "Music: Is it just a matter of personal taste?" In 2018 he conducted a research project, funded by Humber College, which included a series of podcasts called "The Music Listening Project." In the series, which is regularly updated, Mark explores what is going on in music from a practical (rather than theoretical) listening perspective. Mark continues to play the violin professionally. He is currently concertmaster of Toronto’s Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra. Other musical engagements are varied, ranging from solo Bach in Humber's Arboretum, Quartets in Cafes, Piazzola on YouTube, to improvisation and the folk music of Bosnia.

Host or Publisher Mark Whale