A baroque lunch date
Nietzsche once declared that, “Without music, life would be an error.” If you want to infuse a bit of warmth into the frigid Montreal week, there is a free organ concert taking place this Friday at Redpath Hall as part of the McGill Noon-hour Organ Recital Series. The event features internationally-renowned Italian musician Federico Andreoni, who performed the complete works of J.S. Bach at the tender age of 25, and has since toured throughout Europe, the U.S., and Canada. He is currently a Master’s student at McGill, studying Organ Performance and Theory. Andreoni will be playing works by Baroque composers including Frescobaldi, Bach, and Cabanilles.
Even if you missed celebrating Mozart’s 253rd birthday this past Tuesday – the concert will no doubt be overflowing with enough Baroque drama and grandeur to stir even the most tone-deaf. And since admission is free, you can refine your musical tastes while saving your pennies for the upcoming Katy Perry concert. Perfetto!
– Allison Friedman
Meet the experts
Anyone who knows Dr. Norman Cornett – whether by that name, or by one of his many in-class aliases – knows that the man can put together a panel discussion like few others. The former Religious Studies professor has organized talks on topics as diverse as religion, politics, the crisis in Uganda, and art, giving his students the opportunity to speak face-to-face with experts in these fields. Guest panel speakers have included award-winning documentarian Alanis Obomsawin (who is currently making a movie about Cornett and his dialogic sessions), Ethan Hawke, former Prime Minister Paul Martin, colleagues of Jack Kerouac, and countless others.
While Cornett is no longer teaching at McGill, he hasn’t stopped organizing these dialogic sessions. Most recently, Cornett set up discussion sessions with Neil Bisoondath, one of Canada’s foremost authors who’s recently completed his 6th novel, The Soul of All Great Designs, available at the McGill Bookstore. The upcoming sessions on January 27, February 3 (6 p.m. to 8 p.m.) and February 7 (1 p.m. to 3 p.m.) promise to be just as inspiring. They will be taking place at 3475 Rue University, for a charge of $50 for all sessions.
– Aly Jivraj