Peter~Anthony Togni

Peter-Anthony’s music is kaleidoscopic in nature – deeply rooted in spirituality and contemplative, yet energetic and explosive, it travels from the somber to the ethereal. With diverse contemporary soundscapes built from choral, jazz and instrumental palettes, Togni explores the limits of his listeners’ expectations – both fulfilling them and shattering them.   Togni has been heard everywhere from Toronto’s Roy Thompson Hall, the Moscow Conservatory, the Oriental Arts Centre in Shanghai, to the Vatican in Rome for His Holiness Pope John Paul II. His music is broadcast regularly in Canada on the CBC, as well as internationally, including on the BBC, Classic FM, Deutsche Welle and Radio France.

Togni’s works have been released on XXI Records, CBC Records, Hänssler Classics, Warner Classics UK and most recently (2010) his  Lamentatio Jeremiah Prophetae, a concerto for bass clarinet and choir, was recorded by  bass clarinettist Jeff Reilly and the Elmer Iseler Singers and released on the ECM label, produced by Manfred Eicher.  In October of 2012 the Togni Trio’s latest recording Spatium was released.

In 2006, Togni’s Illuminations (a concerto for bass clarinet and string orchestra) was nominated for a Juno award in the category Classical Composition of the Year. In 2010 he was a finalist for the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts Award, celebrating outstanding works of contemporary art that inspire and promote the development of artistic endeavour in Nova Scotia. 2011 has brought two nominations for Peter-Anthony’s Lamentations of Jeremiah, one for an East Coast Music Award in the Classical Music category, and one for a Juno award in the category Classical Composition of the Year.  In 2012, Togni’s new work Missa Liberationis, the result of a project with the Latvian Youth Choir BALSIS was published by Musica Baltica, and will be premiered in Canada by Pro Coro Canada. Also in 2012, Peter-Anthony was the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in honour of contributions made to Canadian community life.

Peter-Anthony is also a pianist, improviser and organist.  He has given many solo recitals across Canada and in Europe.  He also worked extensively in Canada as a church musician.  He was music director at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Calgary, an organist at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Toronto and organist and choir master at St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica in Halifax.  He is the organist in the world renowned trio Sanctuary alongside bass clarinettist Jeff Reilly and cellist Christoph Both. Sanctuary, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, has been an ensemble since 1999, performing across Canada and around the world, at venues such as St. John’s, Smith Square in London, Saint- Séverin in Paris and the Dom Cathedral in Riga, Latvia. In 2008 they were the first Canadians since Glenn Gould to play at Philharmonic Hall, in St. Petersburg Russia. They have also made several recordings including their acclaimed CD The heart has its reasons for Warner Classics UK. The Togni Trio, a jazz ensemble with drummer Malcolm Gould and bassist George Koeller, performs throughout Canada and the United States, and has two released recordings. Peter-Anthony also regularly collaborates with Canadian artists on special performance projects.

Peter-Anthony was born in Pembroke, Ontario in 1959. He spent his early years in Toronto where he attended St. Michael’s Choir School. He later went on to study at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, studying organ with Frederick Geoghegan and composition with Stephen Chatman. He went on to study organ and improvisation in Paris France with the great French organist Jean Langlais. Togni also studied composition with Allain Gaussin at the Schola Cantorum in Paris where he was awarded first prize in composition.

For over twenty years, Peter-Anthony has also been a broadcaster, hosting radio programs for CBC Radio 2, including That Time of the Night, the award winning Stereo Morning, Weekender and presently Choral Concert out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he currently resides.

2012

Short Bio – Peter-Anthony Togni

Composition.Piano.Broadcasting

Peter-Anthony’s music is kaleidoscopic in nature – deeply rooted in spirituality and contemplative, yet energetic and explosive, it travels from the somber to the ethereal. With diverse contemporary soundscapes built from choral, jazz and instrumental palettes, Togni explores the limits of listeners’ expectations – both fulfilling them and shattering them.  Togni has been heard everywhere from Toronto’s Roy Thompson Hall, the Moscow Conservatory, the Oriental Arts Centre in Shanghai, to the Vatican in Rome for His Holiness Pope John Paul II. His music is broadcast regularly in Canada on the CBC, as well as internationally. Togni’s works have been released on XXI Records, CBC Records, Hänssler Classics, Warner Classics UK. In 2010 his Lamentatio Jeremiah Prophetae, was recorded by bass clarinettist Jeff Reilly and the Elmer Iseler Singers for ECM records. In October of 2012 the Togni Trio’s latest recording Spatium was released. Peter-Anthony is also organist for the internationally acclaimed trio Sanctuary and his jazz group the Togni Trio plays regularly through Canada and the US.  He is also a well-known broadcaster on CBC Radio 2 and is currently the host of Choral Concert. In 2012, Peter-Anthony was the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in honour of contributions made to Canadian community life.  He currently resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia.