Complete sh&$ sh%* on GO Transit train to Niagara as I type. Signal delays, staff has to manually work the switches, no one at Union to direct cyclists to correct cars. Why is #publictransport such a challenge in Canada? Cycle Toronto but we’ll get a refund 😂

The staff at Hawksworth Restaurant have not stopped spinning in my 2 hrs at their fabulous bar. Consummate professionals!

This is so on point. Apologizing for opera & insisting ‘it’s for everyone’ does nothing for the case for public subsidy.

This piece fabulously contextualises the work going on Toronto Symphony within the international symphony orchestra scene. And intrigued by potential opera in concert at the TSO!

I recently spoke with conductor Tomáš Netopil about his upcoming January program of Czech works with Czech Philharmonic In my piece for Bachtrack Netopil talks about performing Czech repertoire outside his native land & new Czech works bachtrack.com/interview-toma…

Beautiful piece by Catherine Kustanczy in the latest La SCENA about composer Andrew Balfour's latest works that give "a more Indigenous perspective of spirituality" to works by Tallis, Byrd & Gibbons myscena.org/catherine-kust…

My review of the recent Toronto Symphony performance of Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphonie with Marc André Hamelin conducted by Gustavo Gimeno for Bachtrack. It was big & bold! bachtrack.com/review-gimeno-…

Unusual repertoire at HungarianStateOpera - Mozart’s Idomeneo in a musically strong, pandemic-infused staging w Emőke Baráth - my latest review for Bachtrack bachtrack.com/review-idomene…

‘The danger of the death spiral is ever-present’ - timely, comprehensive, thought-provoking summary of the current state of operatic affairs (in Europe at least) from Bachtrack

It’s the 200th anniversary Bedřich Smetana’s birth! As part of the celebrations National Moravian Silesian Theatre ndm ostrava is presenting all 8 of his operas. I spoke with the company’s Intendant Jiří Nekvasil about this grand project for Bachtrack bachtrack.com/interview-smet…

Three Bartók ballets with a rich history HungarianStateOpera premiered this weekend in strikingly different productions. Here’s my review Bachtrack bachtrack.com/review-dancetr…

Breaking the company’s silence, ⁦Welsh National Opera⁩’s music director ⁦Tomáš Hanus⁩ tells it like it is to ⁦Arts Council England⁩: “a budget that is not even sufficient for a small regional theatre, by comparison to other European countries.” wno.org.uk/news/an-open-l…

So as this story states, there was a construction garbage bin in the bike lane that forced the cyclist into the road. A tragic, but stark example of why so many of us call out drivers, bins & other obstructions in bike lanes. cbc.ca/news/canada/to…

Hello 311 Toronto the newish raised & separated bicycle lane on Sherbourne just south of Elm St seems to have been missed in any clean up efforts & is therefore unusable. Is it possible to have this cleared?