It’s not every day that you get to witness the perfect marriage of art and law, so my journey this past Wednesday into the world of pianist-lawyer Linda Ippolito was a rare gift. Ippolito performed as part of the Canadian Opera Company’s Free Concert Series , which takes place from noon until 1 p.m. in the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts most Tuesdays and Thursdays and at 5:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month.
Ippolito was presented as a musician in the Piano Virtuoso Series — and a virtuoso she is, both legal and musical. She has cultivated a successful, original career in law as a senior partner at the firm Sheridan, Ippolito & Associates while completing a PhD at Osgoode, where she focuses on the use of musical collaboration as a tool in Alternative Dispute Resolution.
But her first career was in front of the piano. She studied at both the University of Toronto and Juilliard, moving on to compete in international competitions and later collaborating with Canadian heavy hitters such as the late Victor Braun.
Ippolitio’s talent is evident even to the untrained ear: she plays with gusto, from her soul. She commits her whole body to the keys, and she is so inspired that she translates the music in her core to a pitch-perfect physical performance that is, at times, so engaging it becomes theatrical.
She chose to play pieces by French composer Francis Poulenc and Argentine maestro Alberto Ginastera, which took me through a whole range of feelings; at times I was transported to the easy life of drinking café-au-laits and nibbling croissants on a perfect Paris boulevard, all cobblestoned and grey; at other moments, I was dappled in Spanish sunlight, settling into a siesta. Not a bad way to spend a lunch break away from the office.
The COC’s free weekday concerts, which run until June, and then take a break for the summer, are perfect if you crave some meditative solitude during the daily grind. The auditorium is silent save for the music, which allows you to quiet your thoughts just enough to be swept away in the story of the compositions — and if you arrive at 11:45 a.m., you should be able to find a seat without a problem. It helps that you can see the bustle of Queen St. outside through walls of glass, but can’t hear any of the jarring city noise: there is nothing but the music. It’s like being suspended in a glass bubble, balanced just above the riot. Separation and serenity unite, hand in hand.
Leanne Milech is a lawyer turned freelance writer. She reviews theatre, publishes children’s books and spends her free time hunting for Toronto’s best cultural escapes. Her column appears every Friday here on lawandstyle.ca.
Photo by Greg King