news
Urban Planner: December 22, 2009
Urban Planner is Torontoist’s guide to what’s on in Toronto, published every weekday morning, and in a weekend edition Friday afternoons. If you have an event you’d like considered, email all of its details—as well as images, if you’ve got any—to [email protected].
Jerome Godboo is one of the performers at A Bluesy Christmas, tonight at Hugh’s Room.
MUSIC: Hugh’s Room, a venue best known for its acoustic performances, is hosting A Bluesy Christmas with several local blues musicians. This is the second and last night to enjoy performances by Shakura S’Aida with Donna Grantis, Jerome Godboo, Julian Fauth, David Rotundo, and Dave Murphy with Dan Noordermeer (Murphy and Noordermeer have both worked with the legendary Jeff Healey, which is pretty cool!). Donations of food articles will be collected for the Daily Bread Food Bank at the show. Hugh’s Room (2261 Dundas Street West), show at 8:30 p.m. (doors at 6 p.m.), $25 in advance ($30 at the door).
WORDS: Bent: An Evening of Queer Expressions is a monthly showcase of community members who discuss their expert knowledge on a given subject (some of Bent’s upcoming topics include kink, astrology, and grooming, to give you an idea). Tonight’s panel features a group of authors reading excerpts from their most recent releases. Tonight’s panel includes authors S. Bear Bergman, Farzana Doctor, Jeffrey Round, John Miller, and Tamai Kobayashi. Andrew Vail will moderate and authors will be available to sign their books. Gladstone Hotel, Art Bar (1214 Queen Street West), 6 p.m., FREE.
MUSIC: The Toronto Symphony Orchestra presents a night of holiday classics with its annual concert, Christmas with the Canadian Brass. In performing these classic pieces, members of the TSO will be joined by The Canadian Brass and the Mississauga Choral Society. The show is part of the TSO Pops program, which was led for the past thirty-five years by the late conductor Erich Kunzel (who passed away last September). This year’s show will be conducted by John Morris Russell, a close colleague of Kunzel. Roy Thomson Hall (60 Simcoe Street), 8 p.m., $28–$99.
TRIVIA: For those who either don’t observe or just aren’t into the Christmas season, there really isn’t a whole lot to do this week. Thankfully, some places are still holding their usual weekly or monthly events, like Tuesday Trivia at the Drake Hotel. Host Josh Lindley poses humourous trivia questions (“from sporting records and celebrity scandals to geographic discoveries and culinary lingo”) to teams of four or less, and at the end of the night the winning table gets the pot (which consists of the $2 entry fee from each contestant). Drake Hotel, Cafe (1150 Queen Street West), 7 p.m., $2.