World-renowned soprano and University of Toronto graduate Isabel Bayrakdarian will perform a benefit concert at Convocation Hall Nov. 25 to raise funds towards the restoration of the century-old pipe organ in the historic building. Bayrakdarian, a 1996 graduate of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, decided to follow her heart and pursue a career in music. Bayrakdarian’s acclaimed career has seen her perform in opera houses in New York, Paris, San Francisco, Toronto and London. [More]
Day: November 22, 2005
SOPRANO AND U OF T GRAD BAYRAKDARIAN TO PERFORM BENEFIT SHOW AT CONVOCATION HALL
World-renowned soprano and University of Toronto graduate Isabel Bayrakdarian will perform a benefit concert at Convocation Hall Nov. 25 to raise funds towards the restoration of the century-old pipe organ in the historic building. Bayrakdarian, a 1996 graduate of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, decided to follow her heart and pursue a career in music. Bayrakdarian’s acclaimed career has seen her perform in opera houses in New York, Paris, San Francisco, Toronto and London.
The Convocation Hall organ, a Casavant Opus 474, was manufactured by Casavant Frères, Limitée of St-Hyacinthe, Que., in 1911 and installed in 1912. This latest round of repairs will help to complete the job begun in 1994 when two of the organ’s six mechanical divisions were replaced. An estimated $150,000 to $200,000 in funding will be needed to complete the work.
Tickets are available through UofTTix.ca, at $40 to $75, $30 for students with identification.
WHO: Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian (BASc 1996)
WHAT: Benefit concert for the pipe organ restoration at Convocation Hall
WHERE: Convocation Hall, University of Toronto 31 King’s College Road
WHEN: 8 p.m., Friday, November 25, 2005
Elijah Wood has revealed how he made a secret visit to New Zealand to surprise Peter Jackson on the set of King Kong. Wood planned the trip for a bit of fun, but the actor who played hobbit Frodo Baggins in Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy was surprised just how emotional he was when he arrived at the Kiwi director’s film studio in Wellington. The studio was the same facility where Lord of the Rings was shot and Jackson had recruited most of the Rings crew for King Kong, many who were close to Wood after his 18 months in New Zealand. [More]
Richard writes: Peter Jackson and Naomi Watts are on the cover of the Premiere Special Holiday review issue, it’s awesome! [More]
This will be a day long remembered, ‘Ringers: Lord of the Fans’ is now available on DVD! From Amazon: Dedicated to Tolkien as a valentine by smart and dedicated fans, the film generates its own infectious goodwill; it’s so fun to watch that even non-fans will concede (to borrow a phrase from another world of fandom) that resistance is futile. (Oh, and speaking of Star Trek, the vintage clip of Leonard Nimoy singing his novelty hit “Bilbo Baggins” is absolutely priceless.) Actor Dominic Monaghan (“Merry” from Jackson’s trilogy, before joining the ensemble cast of Lost) perfectly delivers the film’s eloquent narration, which runs the LOTR gamut from intellectual appreciation to the hilarious eccentricities of über-fan obsession. Unfailingly noble in spirit and delightfully comprehensive, Ringers is a collector’s gift that can proudly stand alongside Tolkien’s books and Jackson’s timeless movie trilogy. [Order Yours Today!]
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