Pianist Jennifer King takes the stage at historic Heliconian Hall in the heart of Toronto's Yorkville neighbourhood for an intimate evening of music from her recent album Souvenance including solo piano works by Clara Schumann, Cécile Chaminade, and Ethel Smyth. Built in 1909 and designated a National Historic Site of Canada, the Hall is home to the Heliconian Club, one of the country's oldest associations of women in the arts—a fitting setting for a program celebrating women in music. King’s one-woman show Souvenance is a theatrical concert infused with a passion for amplifying women's voices in classical music. Expanding from the romantic era into the 20th century, the show features solo piano nocturnes, romances, and meditations by remarkable women from Jennifer’s acclaimed album (Souvenance, 2025). Alongside the music, Jennifer provides fascinating insight into the composers’ lives through humorous anecdotes, tragic melodrama, historical context, and even an appearance in character as the magnificent Ethel Smyth herself. The album was nominated for two East Coast Music Awards, selected as the CBC ‘In Concert’ Record of the Week, and has been programmed on radio shows internationally, including BBC’s Piano Focus and WCNY’s Feminine Fusion. Souvenance is a captivating journey rich with heartbreak, hope, strength, and tenderness.
“King performs these lush character pieces with exquisite sensitivity to color and line, creating a virtual Viennese table for the ears!” - Nanette Kaplan Solomon, Journal of International Alliance for Women in Music
"[King has] rendered every one of the album's eleven pieces with the utmost care and with a sincere desire to capture the voice of each composer" - Ron Schepper, Textura
"I highly recommend listening to this recording, not just once, but many, many times." - Kathleen Shimeta, The Gena Branscombe Project