Sunday, March 16, 3:30pm & Tuesday, March 18, 8pm Pre-concert talks at 3pm & 7:15pm Trinity St. Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor Street West, Toronto

The medieval Bestiary, or "book of beasts" was a compendium in which the traits of animals (real or imagined) served as examples for proper human conduct. Our 21st-century version offers music from Rossini to Flanders and Swann – and a new piece by Alexander Rapoport based on Don Marquis's iconic Archy and Mehitabel.

GUEST ARTISTS

Norine Burgess, mezzo soprano
Geoffrey Sirett, baritone
Ross Manson, actor/reader

MUSIC

Miriam Gideon: excerpts from Creature to Creature for baritone, flute and piano. Text by Nancy Cardozo, from 'An Animalculary'.
Lee Hoiby: Rainforest for mezzo soprano, woodwind quintet and piano. Text by Elizabeth Bishop, prose poems. (audio sample)
Francis Poulenc: Le Bestiaire, ou Le Cortège d'Orphée for mezzo soprano, flute, clarinet, bassoon and string quartet. Text by Guillaume Apollinaire. (audio sample)
Alexander Rapoport: archy and mehitabel for mezzo soprano, baritone, flute/piccolo clarinet/bass, string trio and toy instruments. Text by Don Marquis. *Commissioned work, premiere performance*
Gioachino Rossini: Duetto buffo di due gatti (Cat duet), for mezzo soprano, baritone and piano.
Flanders and Swann: songs from The Bestiary, arr. by Laura Jones for baritone, horn and string trio. (audio sample)

SPOKEN WORD

Selections from Beastly Tales from Here and There by Vikram Seth

Purchase Tickets