Pianist/Composer Adam Sherkin presents a unique program featuring his own four piano sonatas, written over a span of fifteen years: 2008 to 2024. PROGRAM: Sonata No. 1, "Sunderance" (2008) Sonata No 2 "Cwn Annwn" (or "Hounds of Hell," 2014) Sonata No. 3 "Ended in Ice" (2017) Sonata No. 4 "Rumoured Green" (2023) for solo piano + toy piano Adam Sherkin's piano sonatas, written over the span of fifteen years, encompass multiple stylistic periods in the artist's output and pose considerable virtuosic demands. Sherkin has conceived of sonata-form with a broad, 21st century approach: each work has a subtitle bearing an extra musical reference but the materials in play remain abstract and objective. Sonata No. 1, "Sunderance," written in 2008, was inspired by an essay of Virginia Woolf's. Sonata No. 2 "Cwn Annwn" (or, "Hounds of Hell") is a three-movement work, depicting various accounts of the spectral hounds of the Welsh afterworld. Ancient folklore tells of eerie dogs with blood red eyes who growl loudest when they are at a distance. As they approach, their cries soften; upon closest appearance they bring portents of death. The Third Sonata, "Ended in Ice" derives its title from a well-known poem by Robert Frost; the work was written after Sherkin travelled to Iceland in 2017. Finally, Sonata No. 4 with toy piano, "Rumours of Green," receives its world premiere: imagining the threat of an antidemocratic future, plagued by climate crises and lack of resources, while looking backward to history and humanity's cycle of - and compulsion for - War.

Converging British and Canadian aesthetics, this program features fresh commissions from Christopher Mayo and Charlie Piper, among others. In 2020, Piano Lunaire commission an extended work for solo piano from Christopher Mayo. The result has been the distinctive "Reel," which now receives its world premiere in November 2024. Christopher Mayo has curated a finely-tuned program to complement his own centerpiece, including a new commission from British colleague, Charlie Piper: "In Suspension" Further artistic connections for Mayo and Sherkin (who both spent time in the UK) feature a stunning solo work inspired by the surrealist painting, "The Melancholy of Departure," by Giorgio de Chirico; the music is composed by David Sawer. Finally, the programme features the mystical and somewhat enigmatic, Corals of Valais (Toronto only) by Alison Cameron and notably: two lyrical, intimate piano dedications by Bruce A. Russell. PROGRAMME: Sean Shepherd: Three Preludes (2005-06) * David Sawer: The Melancholy of Departure (1990) Adam Sherkin: Still Reeling ("The Anxious Journey" 2024) * Charlie Piper: In Suspension (2021-24) ** Alison Cameron: Corals of Valais (1997) Bruce A. Russell: For Celine (1995) * and Fourths + Fifths (2012) Christopher Mayo: Reel (2023) * * World premiere ** Canadian premiere

Converging British and Canadian aesthetics, this program features fresh commissions from Christopher Mayo and Charlie Piper, among others. In 2020, Piano Lunaire commission an extended work for solo piano from Christopher Mayo. The result has been the distinctive "Reel," which now receives its world premiere in November 2024. Christopher Mayo has curated a finely-tuned program to complement his own centerpiece, including a new commission from British colleague, Charlie Piper: "In Suspension" Further artistic connections for Mayo and Sherkin (who both spent time in the UK) feature a stunning solo work inspired by the surrealist painting, "The Melancholy of Departure," by Giorgio de Chirico; the music is composed by David Sawer. Finally, the programme features the mystical and somewhat enigmatic, Corals of Valais (Toronto only) by Alison Cameron and notably: two lyrical, intimate piano dedications by Bruce A. Russell. PROGRAMME: Sean Shepherd: Three Preludes (2005-06) David Sawer: The Melancholy of Departure (1990) * Adam Sherkin: Still Reeling ("The Anxious Journey" 2024) ** Charlie Piper: In Suspension (2021-24) ** Alison Cameron: Corals of Valais (1997) ** Bruce A. Russell: For Celine (1995) ** and Fourths + Fifths (2012) Christopher Mayo: Reel (2023) ** * World premiere ** US premiere

As 2024 draws to a close, we honour the 100th anniversary of the death of Ferruccio Busoni, whose mighty pianism remains influential today. This recital features music from Busoni that is associated with Christmas, Winter solstice and a generally meditative time of year. PROGRAM: Busoni: Elegies, BV 249: IV. Turandots Frauengemach (Intermezzo)and; VI. Erscheinung (Notturno) Nuit de Noël, BV 251 Sonatina in diem nativitatis Christi Sonatina in diem nativitatis Christi ("On Christmas Day") MCMXVII [1917] ("On Christmas Day, 1917") Liszt: Hymne de l'enfant à son réveil (from Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S.173/6) Sherkin: Postludes from Adlivun, Op. 29 (2016) ; Aubades in Memoriam (2022)

On the heels of Canadian Opera Company's brilliant new commission, French-Canadian composer Julien Bilodeau joins the Piano Lunaire mainstage for two American premieres. Julien BILODEAU: Four Spring études (revised 2024*) György LIGETI: Three études (selections from Book I and III) Thomas ADES: Blanca Variations (2015) Julien BILODEAU: Three Paraphrases on La Reine-garçon (2025*) *NYC Premiere; Piano Lunaire commission The knack for story-telling that Quebec composer Julien Bilodeau commands is on full display in his piano music, just as much as in his operatic works. A master of pacing and colour, Bilodeau also wields a prodigious dexterity of dimensionality and emotional sincerity in his music. The intimacy and impact of his piano music is gazed through two premieres on this programme: the four Spring Études, composed in 2011 before the composition of Bilodeau's first piano concerto, revised in 2024, and Six Paraphrases on La Reine-garçon (2025), written especially for Adam Sherkin and given its US premiere. From Bilodeau: “Through these paraphrases, the listener will be transported on a condensed journey that recounts the highlights of the opera while being able to appreciate a mode of pianistic writing that is both virtuoso and poetic.”

Pianists Anthony de Mare and Adam Sherkin join forces for this all-Canadian program. In sets played from both one and two keyboards, music from the north is highlighted in fresh relief. This recital features works by Jocelyn Morlock, Ann Southam, Heather Schmidt, Linda Catlin Smith and Rodney Sharman. With every selection written within the last twenty-five years, de Mare and Sherkin take on solo sets, then team up for special commissions on two pianos: a novel version of Jared Miller’s "The Bright Exuberant Silence," and Adam Sherkin’s "Ink from the Shield." Sherkin's five musical postcards take inspiration from the time Benjamin Britten and Peters Pears spent in Canada - as pacifists - during World War II. From Sherkin: This work takes inspiration from the places in Canada where Benjamin Britten and Peters Pears stayed: Montreal and St. Jovite, Quebec; Bala (in Muskoka), and Toronto, Ontario and finally, Halifax, Nova Scotia. I have evolved these materials into a two-piano structure and recreated musical forms from my own improvisations (dating back to 2013). The “shield” in question here is the Canadian Shield: a broad northern region of Precambrian rock, much enhanced with a nod to the music Britten penned on his North American journey. ~A.S. Anthony de Mare, piano Adam Sherkin, piano Program: JARED MILLER – The Bright Exuberant Silence, version for 2 pianos* JOCELYN MORLOCK – Prelude for GG, The Jack Pine and Phoebes and Deimos, Circling HEATHER SCHMIDT – Twelve for Ten: Prelude and Fugue for GG RODNEY SHARMAN – Selected Opera Transcriptions ADAM SHERKIN – Ink from the Shield for 2 pianos* LINDA CATLIN SMITH – The View from Here and Zart ANN SOUTHAM – Rivers: Set 3 No. 4; Set 3 No. 3; Set 7 No. 7; Pond Life: Fiddle and Fidget “Creeks” ANDREW STANILAND – Etudes: Symmetry, Of the Sea and Flower in Daytime ** ** WORLD PREMIERE * US PREMIERE

Pianists Anthony de Mare and Adam Sherkin join forces for this all-Canadian program. In sets from both one and two keyboards, music from the north is highlighted in fresh relief. Featuring works by Jocelyn Morlock, Ann Southam, Heather Schmidt, Linda Catlin Smith and Rodney Sharman. With every selection written within the last twenty-five years, de Mare and Sherkin take on solo sets, then team up for special commissions on two pianos: a novel version of Jared Miller’s The Bright Exuberant Silence, and Adam Sherkin’s Ink from the Shield, five musical postcards taking inspiration from the time Benjamin Britten and Peters Pears spent in Canada - as pacifists - during the Second World War. Sherkin’s thoughts on Ink from the Shield: this work takes inspiration from the places in Canada where Benjamin Britten and Peters Pears stayed: Montreal and St. Jovite, Quebec; Bala (in Muskoka), and Toronto, Ontario and finally, Halifax, Nova Scotia. I have evolved these materials into a two-piano structure and recreated musical forms from my own improvisations (dating back to 2013). The “shield” in question here is the Canadian Shield: a broad northern region of Precambrian rock, much enhanced with a nod to the music Britten penned on his North American journey. ~A.S. Anthony de Mare, piano Adam Sherkin, piano Program: JARED MILLER – The Bright Exuberant Silence, version for 2 pianos* JOCELYN MORLOCK – Prelude for GG, The Jack Pine and Phoebes and Deimos, Circling HEATHER SCHMIDT – Twelve for Ten: Prelude and Fugue for GG RODNEY SHARMAN – Selected Opera Transcriptions ADAM SHERKIN – Ink from the Shield for 2 pianos* LINDA CATLIN SMITH – The View from Here and Zart ANN SOUTHAM – Rivers: Set 3 No. 4; Set 3 No. 3; Set 7 No. 7; Pond Life: Fiddle and Fidget “Creeks” ANDREW STANILAND – Etudes: Symmetry, Of the Sea and Flower in Daytime ** ** WORLD PREMIERE * US PREMIERE

Piano Lunaire welcomes you to reconsider identities of Queer artists in classical music and reflect on the nature of the "Queer" musical canon. This evening brings together the exceptional talents of mezzo-soprano Claire McCahan, baritone Nathaniel Sullivan and pianist Adam Sherkin as each of these three artists bring their own corners of the repertory to the stage in a myriad song program that asks big questions about the (American) queer experience. Composer Michael Genese joins in conversation and for the New York premiere of their poignant and urgent, "The Boy with Baleen for Teeth" for mezzo, baritone and piano. Composers and performers unacknowledged or uncelebrated in their own time are here given voices afresh. Join us in celebrating what author E.M. Forster identified as a "great unrecorded history" of Queer artists and their contributions through the 20th and 21st centuries.