A KING, A QUEEN, A 7 TIME MONARCH

 THIS CALPYSO SHOW WILL BE HOT HOT HOT

seven-time Canadian Calypso Monarch Macomere Fifi

By Stephen Weir
Given the weather of late, the Toronto Symphony has landed on a warm winning theme for its February 15th and 16th Hot Hot Hot concerts in Toronto and Brampton. Of course, it helps to have Calypso and Pan royalty performing center stage!
Calypso Monarch King Cosmos (Henry Gomez), seven-time Canadian Calypso Monarch Macomere Fifi, and Canada's Steelband champions, Pan Fantasy—led by the queen of Pan in Toronto, Wendy Jones—will be on a very crowded stage with Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for a series of Caribbean music concerts.
Bartholomew-Poyser is a Canadian orchestral conductor from Calgary, Alberta, with strong T&T and Jamaican roots. He has been the Barrett Principal Education Conductor and has conducted performances that blend classical music with genres like reggae, aiming to make orchestral music more accessible to a broader audience. This is the first time the Calypso community will be performing with the TSO.

Roy Cape (left) King Cosmos (right)

“It is a dream come true to perform at Roy Thomson Hall with the TSO,” says King Cosmos. “And to be with my fellow Calypso singers and pan players—it is historic. As I always say, it’s better to have a bigger pie than to eat small pieces.”
According to a TSO spokeswoman, the audience "will be dancing in their seats and in the aisles." She describes it as “an exhilarating day of calypso rhythms and orchestral magic. Groove to the lively beats of hits like Calypso Rose’s Calypso Queen and David Rudder’s Calypso Music, and experience the joy and energy of island life through the vibrant sounds of steel drums with a symphonic twist.”
The setlist for the four performances has been posted on the symphony’s website. King Cosmos, Macomere Fifi, and Kimya Hypolite will perform songs including Farmer Nappy’s Hookin Me, Roaring Lion’s Land of Calypso, Mighty Sparrow’s Capitalism Gone Mad and David Rudder’s Calypso music.
Hot Hot Hot kicks off in Brampton, on Saturday, February 15, 2025, at the downtownRose Theatre. This performance is scheduled to run from from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM.
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra's Hot Hot Hot concert (the same concert performed in Brampton) will take place on Sunday, February 16, 2025, at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. There are three showtimes: 11:00 AM, a matinee at 1:30 PM, and an evening performance at 4:00 PM.

Wendy Jones

The morning show at 11:00 AM is a Relaxed Performance. The Toronto Symphony’s Relaxed Performances are designed for the neurodiverse and disability communities, and for those who enjoy a more relaxed concert setting created for comfort and inclusivity.
There are free activities an hour before the shows in Toronto! Ticket holders are encouraged to try out instruments at the Instrument Discovery Zone, have fun at the Music Playground, and hear an inspiring performance by young musicians from Sistema Toronto from 1:00 PM to 1:20 PM.
Editor’s note: Just as I was about to post, I learned that the Hot Hot Hot show will be traveling to Ottawa for three evening performances at the National Arts Centre  February 27–March 1.  In Ottawa Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser will be conducting the National Arts Orchestra with The NAC Orchestra will be joined by members of the acclaimed Steelband Pan Fantasy and renowned vocalists King Cosmos, Macomere Fifi, and Kimya Hypolite.

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