Urban Flute Project, Outreach & Events

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 Angel of Death, Reynolds (rehearsal)

There is so much great music going on at any given time in Toronto, and this weekend is particularly jam-packed!

The only problem with Toronto’s burgeoning music scene is that you basically have to clone yourself to even begin to take it all in…it can actually be a little depressing at times!

Outreach and networking have certainly emerged as a couple of the most important aspects of Urban Flute Project, so here are my Urban Flute Project ‘picks of the week’, as well as a review of ongoing events that might be of interest – for a more complete overview, be sure to check out Whole Note magazine regularly – their comprehensive, monthly on-line musical listings are highly recommended.

This is all needs a little tightening up, and I have links to embed…but at least you now have the basic info!

Okay, so here we go:

• Saturday…Earth Hour @ University of Toronto Telescopes – Tonight, Saturday, March 28th, 8-10 pm, celebrate Earth Hour in a memorable way. If the rain holds and skies stay clear, the viewing from this downtown observatory (College & St.George area) should be spectacular! More info, see below. No worries if you already have plans to light a candle with friends over a glass of wine, as the U of T Astrophsics Department holds an open house on the first Thursday of every month (see below) where I offer up some fine flute music.
• Sunday, and ongoing…L’Espresso Bar Mercurio, Jamie Thompson & Friends – Every Sunday! Sunday Brunch at the ever-popular L’Espresso Bar Mercurio features live music with yours truly. Usually from 11.30 am – 2 pm, March 29th has been scheduled from 11 am – 1 pm. One of these weekends the weather will be warm enough to open the patio doors and expand from duos to trios: flute, violin and cello!
• This Sunday only…New Music Concerts – American composer Roger Reynolds is in Toronto this week for a spectacular performance of his mind-blowing music. For a sampling, listen to part of this dress-rehearsal (above). Not to be missed! Concert is this Sunday, March 29th at 8 pm at the Isabel Bader Theater (Charles at University Avenue). Complete information on the NMC website.
• Closing this weekend…For you guitar enthusiasts, there is a wonderful exhibition of photographs at the Jet Fuel over on Parliament, documenting the creation of 10 exquisite guitars. These instruments, made by a local luthier, have been snapped up by the likes of Paul Simon when they first went up for sale in New York recently. Get yourself over to the Jet Fuel, and watch out for their upcoming annual keg party (still have to make it to one of those!!).
• This weekend, closes this Sunday…Tapestry’s Opera To Go – Performances at Harbourfront’s Enwave Theatre through Sunday. More information on Chris Foley’s Collaborative Pianoblogsite.
• Starting next Thursday…Royal Conservatory of Music Opera. Details to follow, this production is definitely worth seeing! 
• The First Thursday of every month…U of T’s Open Telescopes and Family-Friendly Lecture, this is for all you space-nuts! Music provided by yours truly. See you this Thursday, April 2nd at 8.10 pm.
• Tuesdays, twice a month…Open Mic at The Trane Studio with soul-flutist extraordinaire, Jef Kearns; Jef Kearns and Friends. Be sure to check out Jef’s debut CD, details on his MySpace page.
• Monday Nitght’s…Smokey Folk, Monday’s at Castro’s in the Beaches

Dates to mark in your calendar:

• April 25th, The Orange Devils at U of T’s Walter Hall
• May 1st, Organ Debut at Holy Trinity
• May 9th, Sara Marlowe’s CD launch at the Smiling Buddha

This is just the beginning, and I will be sure to keep you posted on any upcoming concerts or workshops of interest!

Support your local music scene…just tell them Urban Flute Project sent you!

NOTE: Thanks to Brian Callanan, who I met at the Cadillac Lounge for modelled his arm for the image above!
 This is a reminder of two upcoming free Astronomy Public Tours; the
Graduate Students in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics are
proud to bring you two upcoming events:
 1) UofT Astronomy Earth Hour Special Observing Event Tomorrow Saturday
March 28th 8:00 – 10:00 p.m.
2) UofT Astronomy Public Tour “Astronomy: A Film Odyssey” Thursday April
2nd 8:10 p.m. + More Telescopes
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UofT Astronomy Earth Hour Special Observing Event Tomorrow Saturday March
28th 8:00 – 10:00 p.m.

The Graduate Students in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics are
proud to bring you a special nighttime observing session for Earth Hour on
Saturday March 28th 2009 from 8 – 10 pm.. Earth Hour is an annual
international event created by the World Wildlife Fund that asks
households and businesses to turn off their lights for an hour to raise
awareness of climate change. To celebrate this event and to enjoy an
unparalleled view of the Toronto night sky we will view the darkened
Toronto skyline and the stars from our rooftop observatory on the 15th and
16th floors of the MP building (60 St. George Street, Toronto ON). A
number of University of Toronto astronomers will be guiding the viewing of
the celestial heavens through our telescopes; celestial highlights that
will be visible if the skies are clear include the Moon, Saturn, the Orion
Nebula, and more. Individuals of all ages are encouraged to attend. This
special observing session will run from 8 – 10 p.m. and thus will begin
before and last until after Earth hour (8:30 – 9:30 p.m.). If it is cloudy
in addition to viewing the darkened Toronto skyline, we will offer views
of the CN tower and a virtual planetarium tour.

 For more information and directions please see:
http://www.astro.utoronto.ca/StGeorge_tours.html
and for a specific description of this event please see:
http://www1.astro.utoronto.ca/~gasa/public_talk/iWeb/Whats_Up/Entries/2009/3/28_Earth_Hour_Toronto.html

 The MP (McLennan Physical Laboratories) building is located at 60 St.
George Street, Toronto.

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UofT Astronomy Public Tour “Astronomy: A Film Odyssey” Thursday April 2nd
8:10 p.m. + More Telescopes

 Before I announce our regular public tour I would like to announce that
given the recent popularity of our public tours I’m pleased to announce
that we will now have four working telescopes and four astronomers to
guide the public viewing at each one of our public tours from now on -
we’ve again doubled the number of telescopes for the public’s viewing
pleasure, and quadrupled the number of telescopes from September 2008.

 The UofT Astronomy Free Public Tour proudly presents a lecture followed
by a public viewing through our telescopes this Thursday April 2nd at
8:10 p.m. in MP 102. University of Toronto Department of Astronomy &
Astrophysics Graduate Student Jamil Shariff will present a talk that is
different than normal public tour talks – it is suitable for all ages and
is entitled: “Astronomy: A Film Odyssey.” Here is a quick description of
the talk:

Humanity’s age old fascination with the stars manifests itself in modern
society in myriad ways. There are certain media in which “outer space” is
especially pervasive. Generations of filmmakers have captured the
imaginations of audiences by painting vivid pictures of a future in which
humanity has extended its reach out into the cosmos. Astronomical objects
and phenomena often set the stage for some of the greatest dramas ever to
investigate the human condition. Astronomy and space travel can be vital
literary devices, enabling the stories to take us where we otherwise could
not have gone. Join us in April as we relive some of your favourite
cinematic moments in science fiction, taking a critical but venerating
look at astronomy in film. Don’t miss the chance to see these scenes
through the eyes of the experts, who will help separate fact from fiction.
We’ll be sure to point out some of the more humourous cases of “artistic
license” at work. One thing is certain: you’ve never attended an astronomy
public tour like this one before!

 Jamil Shariff is a graduate student in the first year of the PhD program
in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of
Toronto. He is currently working with Professor Barth Netterfield in the
Balloon Astrophysics Group, helping to build components of a
balloon-borne telescope. Indeed, Jamil’s research interests include the
development of instrumentation for astronomy, which increasingly requires
novel technologies to enable scientific observations of the universe.
Jamil graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Physics
from the University of British Columbia in 2008. Since September, he has
been a volunteer with the department’s free astronomy public tours, which
are held on the first Thursday of every month at the St. George Campus.
Jamil hails from Edmonton, Alberta.

 Graduate students Duy Nguyen, Gojko Vujanovic, Richard Chou and Ilana
MacDonald will then lead us upstairs and will conduct the public viewing
through our 8-inch refractor, 10-inch Meade, 16-inch Cassegrain and our
Balcony public tour telescopes. If the weather is clear there is a
plethora of interesting objects to be viewed including the Moon, the
Orion Nebula, Saturn and more. We will also be continuing our practice of
teaching our attendees how to read and use astronomical sky charts for
your personal viewing of your local sky. I hope to see you all out
Thursday April 2nd at 8:10 p.m for our Public Tour talk, “Astronomy: A
Film Odyssey.”

 For more information please see and directions see:
http://www.astro.utoronto.ca/StGeorge_tours.html
and for a specific description of this month’s lecture please see:
http://www1.astro.utoronto.ca/~gasa/public_talk/iWeb/Whats_Up/Entries/2009/4/2_Sci-Fi_Movie_Night.html

Live Music will be provided courtesy of RCM Flute Faculty member Jamie
Thompson: www.urbanfluteproject.com

 The MP (McLennan Physical Laboratories) building is located at 60 St.
George Street, Toronto.
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 Cheers,

 - Bryce Croll