+++
author = ["authors/jenna.md"]
categories = "Editorial"
date = "2018-05-07T12:37:00-04:00"
lastmod = "2018-05-07T21:48:00-04:00"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1525713414163/sqLarryBeckwith.jpg.jpg"
primary_image_credit = "Larry Beckwith, Artistic Director and Founder of Toronto Masque Theatre."
publishDate = "2018-05-07T21:48:00-04:00"
related_articles = ["articles/toronto-masque-theatre-or-clowning-around.md","articles/the-stars-align-for-toronto-masque-theatres-final-season.md"]
related_companies = ["scene/companies/toronto-masque-theatre.md"]
related_people = ["scene/people/monica-whicher.md","scene/people/colin-ainsworth.md","scene/people/lawrence-wiliford.md","scene/people/vania-chan.md","scene/people/shannon-mercer.md"]
short_description = "&quot;I think we really mined [masque] to a huge extent,&quot; he says. Now, Beckwith&#039;s decision to wrap up TMT is fuelled by a desire for something new."
slug = "after-15-years-i-felt-like-having-a-party"
title = "&quot;After 15 years, I felt like having a party.&quot;"
+++

"It's basically a celebration of friendships," says Larry Beckwith, Artistic Director and Founder of [Toronto Masque Theatre](/scene/companies/toronto-masque-theatre/), of their upcoming concert, entitled [*The Last Chaconne*](http://torontomasquetheatre.com/node/67). 

The event on **May 12** will be Toronto Masque Theatre's final performance. After exploring the [masque genre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masque) - a Baroque combination of music and theatre - for what Beckwith calls "fifteen very intense seasons", he looks forward to paying homage to the niche that TMT has carved out in Toronto's rich musical scene.

*The Last Chaconne* will feature a this-is-your-life-style group of performers, almost all of whom have a strong history with TMT. "[Monica Whicher](/scene/people/monica-whicher/) sang in our first show in 2004," Beckwith recalls, "and I've always adored her singing." The company also welcomes regular collaborators like tenors [Colin Ainsworth](/scene/people/colin-ainsworth/) and [Lawrence Wiliford](/scene/people/lawrence-wiliford/), and sopranos [Vania Chan](/scene/people/vania-chan/) and [Shannon Mercer](/scene/people/shannon-mercer/).

<figure data-type="image">{{% md %}}![](https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1525713572687/LarryBeckwithFairestIsle2013.jpg.jpg)
<figcaption>Larry Beckwith conducting Toronto Masque Theatre. Photo courtesy of Toronto Masque Theatre.</figcaption>
</figure>

Audiences will hear not only traditional masques by the likes of Purcell and Handel - including some personal favourites of Beckwith's - but also excerpts from TMT's original masque commissions by Canadian composers [Dean Burry](/scene/people/dean-burry/) (*The Mummer's Masque*) and [James Rolfe](/scene/people/james-rolfe/) (*Orpheus and Eurydice*).

TMT has introduced to Toronto the lesser-known gems in the masque genre, and with TMT's Canadian commissions, Beckwith is proud to have contributed to its potential as a contemporary art form.

"I think we really mined [masque] to a huge extent," he says. Now, Beckwith's decision to wrap up TMT is fuelled by a desire for something new.

The company is also part of a small minority in Canada which, rather of ceding to artistic or financial restrictions, has concluded their work on an entirely voluntary basis. It speaks to a company's success story, and as Beckwith puts it, "To leave it behind doesn't feel so tragic; it feels more satisfying."

*The Last Chaconne* will surely celebrate the work of Toronto Masque Theatre, and it already has an air of homage to Toronto's artists. "After fifteen years, I felt like having a party," Beckwith laughs.

TMT's final concert happens **May 12** at the Jane Mallett Theatre. For details and ticket information, [click here.](http://torontomasquetheatre.com/node/67)
