By Daina Janitis
Just so you know, I took notes at a recent London Health Coalition meeting on how to reach Gen Z to persuade them that privatization of Ontario health care will hurt THEM in the future. The guest speaker, Angie Cavallin, made several suggestions to us, aged relics on ZOOM screens who can’t even recognize when we’ve muted ourselves:
- Use digital platforms they favour- TikTok, Instagram, Discord, and X.
- Leverage relatable memes, short videos, and hashtag campaigns (???)
- Frame messaging to create clear personal stakes.
SO, I watched TikTok for a few precious hours I’ll never get back … but don’t want to put this wrinkled mug on a video selfie. “Necessity is the MoFo”… you know … so imagine this:
Baby Boomer Daina and Gen Z Madison (#2 favourite name of the generation) talking about the Jeffery Concert at Metropolitan United on Sunday, October 19th, 2025, at 3:00 p.m.
Daina: Madison, are you going to the second Jeffery concert of this season on Sunday afternoon? It’s a unique chance for Londoners to hear world-class chamber music – and if you’re still a student, your ID gets you in free at the door!
Maddie: Jeffery? What’s he play? I’m lowkey interested …
Daina: No, Maddie. He’s dead.
Maddie: Bummer.
Daina: Gordon Jeffery was one of those amazing “characters” of London. A lawyer who joined the family firm, but his heart was in music. He practised law but played the organ at St. Peter’s Cathedral. In 1947, he bought an abandoned church in East London – Beecher United – and renovated it into a concert hall and teaching studios. He even had a Gabriel Kney organ installed there. He had an orchestra, a choir, and started a Music School.
Maddie: If I WAS interested, could I see it?
Daina: Sorry, no – an arsonist set fire to it in 1968. Jeffery bought the old Town Hall further east on Dundas, renovated it as well, and called it The Aeolian Hall. He also purchased and donated countless music scores to Western, Wilfred Laurier, and Windsor. He scoured Europe for string instruments, too, now part of the Music Instrument Bank at Western.
Maddie: So, what are these Jeffery Concerts if he’s dead?
Daina: Well, as tough as it may be to understand what a “benefactor” is these days, Gordon Jeffery left a whacking sum of money to some old friends when he died – with the directive that they work to bring fine chamber music to London for the benefit of its citizens.
Maddie: Music for a small room?
Daina: Not really. Chamber music is a type of classical music designed for a small group of musicians—usually two to eight players—who each play unique parts. Because of its small size and close communication between players, chamber music is often called “the music of friends,” resembling a musical conversation where each instrument takes turns sharing and responding to ideas. This intimacy allows listeners to feel more connected to the performers and the music itself.
Maddie: I’m shook. And these friends did that in London for FREE?
Daina: That’s the mission of not-for-profit organizations – and the board of today’s Jeffery Music Foundation continues to create an annual series of world-class chamber concerts at very low prices – and free for students.
Maddie- So if I show up on October 19th … what am I going to see? – a classical concert. Yeet!
Daina: Well, this one is officially called “Accademia de Dissonanti and Elinor Frey, cello with Joseph Lanza, violin and Mélisande McNabney, harpsichord.”
Maddie: “Dissonan …” Did you mean they don’t sound good together? Big Yikes!
Daina: Not at all. Their brilliant co-ordinator, Elinor Frey, decided to call her group that because of a historic connection: Accademia de’ Dissonanti refers to the learned society of the same name founded in Modena, Italy, in the early 1680s. Its meetings stimulated discussions on music, poetry, and other subjects connected to the d’Este family.
(Pictured: Elinor Frey)
Maddie: And this Frey lady? What’s her fire?
Daina: She’s a phenomenon! Or … she has RIZZ! She was born in Seattle but now makes Montreal her home base. She’s a cellist, does major research, and is a “gambist.” She’s performed all over America and Europe and received dozens of grants and prizes for her work- including a Fulbright. She’s got degrees from McGill, Mannes, and Juilliard.
And at THIS concert, she’s including a few beloved local guys – Joe Lanza on violin and Joe Phillips on double bass. Both are world-class musicians!
Maddie: But am I going to LIKE any of this Broke stuff? Any season from Vivaldi?
Daina: Yes- but no season. You’ll hear TWO concertos by Vivaldi – one in D Minor and the other in G Minor. The Big Viv taught music in Venice- and wrote those as delightful stuff for his students- full of in-jokes and amusements. There is also a harpsichord toccata- yes, the tinny piano – by JS Bach and a cello concerto by CPE.
(Pictured: Antonio Vivaldi, 1678–1741)
Maddie: And they’re not going to be boring?
Daina: How could CPE Bach be boring? That cello concerto … C.P.E. Bach’s Cello Concerto in A minor is a significant work characterized by its blend of Baroque and Classical styles, with an overall tone of emotional intensity and dramatic flair typical of the Sturm und Drang movement. It features a powerful, virtuosic first movement in 3/2 time, a deeply moving and introspective slow movement in C major (6/8 time) with a dramatic dialogue between solo and orchestra, and a finale that is a fast, energetic march. The concerto showcases the cello’s full range and expressive capabilities, with frequent shifts between turbulence and lyricism. Sorry … I got carried away …
Maddie: Touch grass, lady – I’m still not sure …
Daina: Hon, I’ll get back to what you are going to experience at The Met on Sunday – a close emotional relationship with amazing chamber musicians, some real stress relief. Some brain stimulation that is guaranteed to improve your memory, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Just watch the musicians closely – they’re leading and following without a conductor and probably experimenting with phrasing, dynamics, and interpretation. They’re creating community- and during that concert, you’re part of it.
Maddie: SLAY – I’ll be there!
For more information about The Jeffery Concerts, visit https://www.jefferyconcerts.com/season2526/index.html
To purchase tickets for this concert, please contact the Grand Theatre online at https://tickets.grandtheatre.com/11649, by phone at 519-672-8800, or in person at 471 Richmond Street. Single tickets are also available at the door.
Students with a valid ID are welcome free of charge.
By Daina Janitis, The Beat Magazine 2025 Classical Music Writer
The Beat Magazine 2025 