Noteworthy

Baby’s first symphony!

The most glamorous guest at an event I hosted for the Toronto Symphony the other night was, indeed, a seven-week-old. Wearing banana-yellow ear protectors, she dozed peacefully through the Tchaikovsky-fest, and more, at a packed-to-the-gills Roy Thomson Hall, while her young mom looked on.

A snapshot perhaps of how live music becomes parts of people’s lives in unexpected ways? And that it is never really too early to become an arts patron? 

“Symphony with Shinan”: that was my mission, as instructed on the invites I had sent on. Hosting about 30 of us, on a Thursday night in late November, the eve arrived in seasonably chilly form, flakes falling gently, softly—the kind that Tchaikovsky might well have imagined for his famous score, pulling from images of The White Duck, a Russian fairy tale of a princess-turned-swan, as some suspect. Or just the general phenom of migratory swans spending their winters on lakes that remain unfrozen? 

Whatever the case, it is a composition that has been indubitably breaking hearts ever since it premièred as a ballet by the Bolshoi in 1877, and was tonight being tah-dah’ed by TSO music director Gustavo Gimeno in singular fashion: pulling from multiple versions that he loves, he’d created his own Swan Lake suite. A personalized arc shaped specifically for this first of a three-night affair.

But, first…drinks? 

A hobnob was in order, for certain, as I'd requested my group to first meet in the Maestro’s Lounge, a nook inside the majestically curvilinear concert hall. A frothy mix-and-match! That’s how I roll. Invitees ranged from “royal historian” Carolyn Harris to famed illustrator Maurice Vellekoop to documentary-maker Barbara Shearer. Stylist Georgia Groom wandered in with her dapper half, Julian. Likewise: make-up artist Angela Lee with her bearded fella, Nick Merzetti. There were some sparky “content creators,” of course—such as Cher Yan, Luccas Correia, and Bella Araujo—and others from the arts firmament, like beloved Canadian painter Joanne Tod.

For some, even, it was their first time at the symphony in Toronto at all—like my friend, the bespectacled radio talk man, John Moore. His first time, as he told TSO Beck Family CEO Mark Williams, who'd wandered in at one point to mingle.

For others, it was an opportunity to reacquaint themselves with an old friend—like Vellekoop, who listens to a lot of classical music when working on his illustrations, and got obsessed with Swan Lake, in particular, back in his 30s. “Then, last year,” he shared, “I dusted off my worn and scratched CD set of Swan Lake with André Previn and the London Symphony, and fell in love all over again.” 

A special treat this night? An appearance during cocktails by Associate Concertmaster Matthew Hakkarainen. He was there to give us an exclusive lay of the land and offer a window into the workings of the TSO. Because this night’s program was effectively a two-for-one, in fact—the Tchaikovsky portion was paired, on the earlier side, with an all-new work by a young Canadian composer from the TSO’s NextGen Composers program, this year’s composers being Sophie Dupuis and Darren Xu—he gave some wonderful insight. Also, entertained some questions.

The “NextGen première” is a major milestone, he confirmed, in that writing a 5-minute orchestral piece is a huge achievement for an emerging composer, and the TSO invests heavily in mentoring them through the process (new music team, library, workshops, etc.).

“Recordings are great. But there is nothing quite like the experience of music being made in front of you,” Hakkarainen enthused at one point. “Every performance is unique. It’s the best part of the job.”

When I asked about the shape of the orchestra, he told us there would be about 100 musicians on stage tonight. “Violins, violas, cellos, the double basses…the woodwind instruments, our brass players.” Going on, he advised: “Keep an eye out for the oboe.” Swan Lake, in particular, “opens and closes with a beautiful oboe solo.”

When someone else asked about working with the Spanish-bred Gimeno, specifically, he said that he is one of “the greatest conductors I’ve worked with,” and that what makes him perhaps unique is that he started off working as a percussionist in an orchestra. “That first-hand experience makes him special.”

Some people in the room were amazed to hear that there had only been four rehearsals, including one dress rehearsal, before tonight’s performance. “Everyone comes prepared,” Hakkarainen reiterated. “We do a lot of our practice at home. That’s a big part of the job. A never-ending process. We are constantly refining. Like brushing your teeth, you have to do it every day…we are always growing as artists.”

Breaking up for the remaining moments of the reception, it was time, soon enough, for the concert, deep excitement in the air as people elbowed to their seats in the theatre. And what a swoony night it would prove to be. A magical one! “Moving, tragic, powerful,” is how Yuan put it in a post later. “A puddle of emotions”: a rather succinct review from one of my other guests, Juan M. Gonzales-Calcaneo.

“I thought Mr. Gimeno brought a fierce intensity and depth,” added Vellekoop, still riding on this spin on Swan Lake. “He and the TSO really transmitted the passionate guts of the drama.”

If Swan Lake stirred something in you, mark your calendar for Tchaikovsky’s Fifth (Apr 23–26, 2026). Under the baton of Hannu Lintu, the TSO will take audiences on a sweeping musical journey featuring the composer’s magnificent Fifth Symphony, Shostakovich’s electrifying Second Violin Concerto with Elina Vähälä, and a thrilling World Première from RBC Affiliate Composer Liam Ritz. Get your tickets now at TSO.CA/Concerts.

Written by Shinan Govani. A contributing columnist for the Toronto Star, he has long been recognized as one of Canada’s most distinctive voices in society and culture reporting. Once dubbed “the go-to Canadian” by Page Six, he has chronicled scenes from Art Basel to the Cannes Film Festival, and his work has appeared in Vanity Fair, Town & Country, and The Daily Beast. He is also the author of the novel Boldface Names.