Saturday September 5 2026, 4:00 PM
Blackwood Trio
Saturday 5 September – 4:00 PM
$35. Admission by advance reservation, please email barbara.butler@ns.sympatico.ca
Featuring
Blackwood Trio
Jeff Reilly
bass clarinet
Peter-Anthony Togni
piano / composer
India Gailey
cello
About
Join Musique Royale at Cecilia’s Retreat for an album release celebration for Blackwood’s new album, How Long We Wait. The title is inspired by the Thomas Merton poem of the same name, in which the mystic philosopher and Trappist monk encourages us to let go of the ego’s demand for instant answers, allowing the mind to slow down and align with the natural, unhurried, and eternal rhythm of existence. How Long We Wait explores our subtle but profound connections to the natural world as we navigate experiences that transform our lives.
About Blackwood Trio
“Blackwood trio performs their musical sections as one, creating calming, mesmerizing music.” — Tiina Kiik, The WholeNote, 2025
“This music is soaring, enveloping, comforting, and it creates atmospheres that are both mysterious and languid. A rather unclassifiable album that we highly recommend…” — Justin Bernard, La Scena Musicale, October 2021
“Sonically haunting, sophisticated, euro-jazz minimalism.” — Selwyn Harris, Jazzwise, November 2021
Blackwood’s unique, dark and lyrical sound has the precision and clarity found in any classical ensemble, but also taps into the expressive freedom found in the improvisational gestures of contemporary jazz. JUNO nominees Jeff Reilly and Peter-Anthony Togni and cellist India Gailey explore plainchant, European jazz and contemporary classical techniques, creating a sound that critics call “sonically haunting.”
Blackwood has toured Europe, Asia and across North America, performing in international venues such as Shostakovich Hall in St. Petersburg, the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, St John’s Smith Square in London, and Paris’s Église Saint-Séverin. As a duo, Peter and Jeff have recorded award-winning chamber and string orchestra works featuring bass clarinet on the ECM, Warner Classics and ATMA Classique labels, garnering four JUNO nominations between them. With India, who brings her explorations, improvisations and collaborations with Andrew Noseworthy, Nicole Lizée, Yaz Lancaster, Philip Glass and more to the table, the Blackwood Trio continues to explore new ways in which music can be seen, felt and heard.
For more please visit:
https://indiagailey.com/