WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

The editors welcome your comments on anything you

see in @theUClub. We would also like to hear from you

if you have suggestions for future stories.

Please direct your comments to our Interim General

Manager, Sarah Freeman, at

gm@universitycluboftoronto.com.

The quarterly newsletter of the University Club of Toronto June, 2017 Editor: Neil Guthrie

President’s Message By Jenny Mercer

I must start by saying how grateful I am to Sarah Freeman

for stepping into the breach as our Acting General Manager.

It is putting a lot more work onto her shoulders and we hope

it will not be too long until we can make an appointment. A

search committee has been formed under the leadership of

Ross Peebles and they have the process well under way. I

would also like to extend my thanks to Nico Barrett and wish

him well in his future career.

One of the points that came out of the member survey that

was recently conducted was a request for more events in the

daytime. One of our new initiatives fills that void with a bi-

monthly series of speaker lunches that alternates with a bi-

monthly book club and afternoon tea. Susan Binnie

enthralled us with tales of high crimes and misdemeanours

while the second lunch, in complete contrast, allowed us the

opportunity of listening to Jonathan Crow (from the New

Orford String Quartet, our artists in residence) talk about his

musical experiences. I look forward to the next lunch!

We have all felt great sympathy with our friends at the

Badminton & Racquet Club after their devastating fire and I

was so pleased that we were able to host their most recent

speaker event featuring the ever-entertaining Lord Black.

One hundred B&R members attended.

It was lovely to see so many families at the Club enjoying

Chef Patrick’s magnificent Easter brunch and the Easter egg

hunt that followed. I hope to see many of you around the

Club over the next few months.

Afternoon Tea and Book Club By Judith Cole

The UCT’s new Afternoon Tea and Book Club held its

inaugural event on March 14. Chef Patrick presented a

delicious assortment of sandwiches and pastries which

included traditional scones and clotted cream. In addition,

there was a choice of five teas which we enjoyed in front of a

charming fire in the Lounge. As you can see from the photo,

it was a lovely selection from which to choose. The event also

provided those attending with introductions to other

members whom they had not yet met. A great time was had

by all.

For our first book we read The Woman in Cabin 10, which

everyone found to be an excellent page-turner, keeping one

racing to the end. And there was much discussion around

the book, as well as defining a process for choosing books for

future reading.

It was agreed that members of the Book Club would propose

books for reading based on what they have read or would

very much like to read. A list would be compiled showing

the sequence of the books for reading, allowing members to

read ahead if desired. The frequency for future Teas was also

discussed and changed to the third Tuesday of every month.

The April book selection was Vanessa and her Sister, about the

artist Vanessa Bell and her sister, Virginia Woolf. Two

participants in the inaugural event were going to be away for

the second meeting but, in their enthusiasm, read the book

and provided their comments via email for inclusion in its

review at the Tea. As of the time of writing, May’s book had

yet to be chosen.

This new group would be delighted to welcome others to

join in for an enjoyable afternoon. While reading the book is

helpful, one may choose to come and simply listen to the

discussion. Come alone or bring a friend, every third

Tuesday afternoon.

Our far-flung reciprocals:

The Jockey Club

Bogotà, Colombia

By Neil Guthrie

There are many good reasons to travel to Colombia, now

that the political situation has stabilised to a large extent.

Cartagena is a colonial architectural delight, and the capital

city of Bogotà is a vibrant and sophisticated centre for

commerce, culture and tourism.

The Colombian National Museum in Bogotà documents the

art, history and culture of the nation, while the Gold

Museum houses a spectacular collection of pre-Columbian

artefacts. There is a separate archaeological museum with

more than 30,000 indigenous pieces, as well as museums

devoted to Colombian art déco, colonial and modern art, and

the Colombian painter Fernando Botero.

If you’re visiting Bogotà,

you should definitely take

in our reciprocal there, the

Jockey Club. Founded in

1874, the Club describes

itself as ‘the axis of social,

political and economic

activity’ in the Colombian

metropolis.

Our member James Delgaty, a pilot for Air Canada, has

made a number of flights to Colombia and has made good

use of the Jockey Club. He describes the clubhouse as an ‘old

heritage building situated in a lovely area of Bogotà, with a

beautiful interior and artwork.’ The service is impeccable,

although don’t expect much (or any) English from the staff.

There is one formal and one informal dining room, and a

lounge/bar that is open on Friday evenings. The food is

delicious and affordable, James tells us, and the wine list is

extensive. Jacket and tie are required for the main dining

room, but the dress code is less formal elsewhere. There is no

overnight accommodation, but James highly recommends

the club for drinks and dining.

And if you’re on the flight down, ask whether James is in the

cockpit!

Lunch with Jonathan Crow of the TSO By Diana Wiley

When TSO concertmaster Jonathan Crow walked into the

Lounge for the half-hour mix-and-mingle before speaking at

our luncheon on April

13th, he was immediately

drawn into a spirited___

conversation about_____

contemporary music and

its de rigueur inclusion in

evenings at the symphony.

He elaborated on his

response later in answer to

an interview question:

there is good and bad

contemporary music, but

partly because of the

granting system which

rewards commissioning and composition of new work, we

only ever hear any piece of music once, regardless of its

merits. The result is that those new pieces worth paying

attention to never get a chance to become established in the

concert repertoire, and our experience of new music remains

mixed (to be charitable!). On July 14th, the indefatigable

Jonathan will be launching the first season he has

programmed as Artistic Director of the Toronto Summer

Music Festival, so he will be in a position to showcase some

of the new music he feels reaches hearts as well as intellects.

Seated at a long table in the Lounge, our 26 luncheon guests

were charmed by Jonathan’s easy conversational style. He

spoke on a broad range of topics, from the way orchestras

have to adjust their sound depending on the acoustics of the

performance hall, to the characteristics of centuries-old

mellowed instruments compared to high-quality modern

ones, to getting children to practise their instruments.

At 1:20 pm, he graciously took his leave and headed off to

Roy Thomson Hall for a 2 pm performance with the TSO.

Our next speaker luncheon will be Tuesday, June 13th, when Globe

and Mail writer Margaret Wente’s topic will be: “The Age of

Disruption, or Why Can’t Everyone Just Get Along?”, 11:30 am

mix-and-mingle, 12 pm lunch and presentation.

Johnathan Crow

The Jockey Club

Tasting Notes By Michael Haddad

While in Paris last Christmas, a friend introduced me to

Vivino, a mobile app that identifies wines and then scans the

web for tasting information. My friend owns a concierge

service for celebrities and professionals, and insists that he

needs to be informed. The easy-to-use app takes a picture of

the label, reads the resulting image using recognition

software, and searches the web for information about the

bottle, from snippets of reviews to average market pricing.

My friend describes the app as an automated sommelier, but

accurately speaking, it is probably just a toy. Among the

wine journalists I have followed over the years is Jancis

Robinson, whose column for the (pink) Financial Times

would be a source for the snippets reproduced on Vivino.

Experimenting recently with the app in my cellar, I recalled

Robinson’s column from September 2015 (the release date

for her Oxford Companion to Wine, 4th edition). Robinson was

pondering her position as a writer—and, precisely, as a

knowledgeable, opinionated specialist—in the cultural

confusion of the twenty-first Century, with its smart phones,

search engines, and social media postings. A few clicks and

everyone claims to be an expert, she said—from a celebrity

wrangler in Paris to a lawyer in the basement of his home in

Toronto. After forty years of tasting, sniffing, and spitting,

all the while honing her journalistic style, was there still a

place for her way of thinking about wine?

Robinson reminded us that the job of being knowledgeable

takes time. It’s hard work. It can be physically exhausting.

She prefers blind tastings, because they make the brain

struggle. You cannot rely on facts about the wine’s

reputation, its makers other products, or the doxa about the

year. She added that, finding herself committed to a schedule

of tasting over 100 different wines in a day, she realized that

alcohol was a journalist’s sworn enemy. It would be

absolutely necessary to spit the wines out. (I remember

thinking I could never be such an enthusiast. I would miss

the total pleasure of a ’61 Chateaux Palmer, (if I ever got the

chance), if I felt I ought to release it to a stainless steel

spittoon.) She also noted the difficulty of describing complex

wines in an era that seeks to standardize the vocabulary of

flavour. “I’m getting hints of pear pit, old rope, and cinnamon …”

And finally, she criticized the emphasis on ratings, which go

against the adventure and curiosity required. If almost

no one will consider bottles scored below 88, this surely

counts as a constraint on the quality of a knowledge that

develops on the experience of very subtle contrasts.

You can’t, it seems, imbibe a glass of shared information. It

lacks the proper mouthfeel. There’s no alcohol to spit it out.

I am happy to read the findings of a well-seasoned expert,

and I continue to browse Robinson’s weekly columns in the

Times.

(Another writer I like is the Wall Street Journal’s Lettie

Teague, whose style imparts a careful but entertaining

voice.) But I continue to choose wines, laying them down

and then drinking them, for the spirit, conviviality, and

pleasure they provide. I do not stampede the Liquor Store

with a newspaper in hand. I am always happy to limbo

under the 88-point bar. I did not turn on Chardonnay, like a

particle in a chemical clock, as many of my colleagues did

spontaneously several years ago. Rather, I made a note:

“drink more of the Laherte Frères Champagne Blanc de

Blanc; and preserve the bubbles from bursting on the palates

of the Haters!”) I resolve that I will continue to let the experts

do their thing (and let Vivino crunch the data), as I continue

to do mine. Knowing regions and grapes is part of the

pleasure, as is jotting tasting notes in my Smythson diary.

And as evidenced by the wine events here at our Club,

conversation and good company ‘go’ with any bottle of

wine. Let us burrow through the stacks of our beloved cellar,

and raise our glasses to the very particular pleasures it

provides.

The Pursuit of Strength Training By Karen Csida

With summer almost upon us, now is the time to get your

body into shape before heading outdoors to indulge in

various physical pursuits. To prepare the body for outdoor

sports and activities, an increased level of endurance and

strength needs to be developed to the maximum. According

to the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines, it is beneficial

to add muscle and bone strengthening activities using major

muscle groups, at least two days per week. This aids the

bones and provides more support to the body. It also helps

prevent injuries.

Strength training increases muscular endurance capacity in

terms of energy and power. While activities such as cycling,

running, golfing, tennis, gardening, etc., put a moderate

strain on the body, it is advisable to also set aside some time

for strength training to enhance muscular endurance.

Although mostly associated with the idea of increasing

muscle mass, strength training involves a lot of muscular

control, balance and stability and works to inflate your

muscular endurance threshold. Some of the more classic

forms of strength training are explained below for a

thorough understanding of the exercises involved.

Weight Machines

The best place to gauge

your muscular capacity

and control are the

weight machines. They

permit you to learn

without needing any

prior expertise and are

relatively easy to use.

When working on the

lower limbs, the Leg

Press is an efficient

piece of equipment that

prepares your body to

progress to the Squat exercise. When focusing on the upper

body and limbs, use machines such as the Chest Press, Lat

Pull Down and Cable Pulley. The Rowing Machine involves

the entire musculature and allows the body to become

perfectly primed.

Body Weight Training

These exercises are undertaken without the aid of machines

and require brute force and perseverance. Including push-

ups, pull-ups, squats along with miscellaneous other

routines, body weight training combines cardio endurance

with the strength workout. This helps to increase muscular

balance, core stabilization, speed and agility. They are also

excellent for fat burning. This style of training is safe with

proper execution and, in turn, minimizes the chances of

injuries.

Resistance Bands

The exercise bands work primarily

to strengthen the muscles and bones

in the upper body. However, a

variety of techniques are available

that can be employed to engage the

entire body into the workout

to maximize the output and

improves core stability, flexibility and strength.

Free Weights

Offering more mobility in comparison with the machines,

free weights such as dumbbells and barbells are a more

adequate fit for the more experienced gym-goers. Proffering

a variety of methods to train by, the free weight exercises put

the entire body through a thorough workout and

consequently offer the greatest results.

At the UCT Sports and Fitness Centre, new members,

particularly those that have just started a strength training

regime, are offered a complimentary strength training

program to introduce and acclimatize them to the needs and

requirements of this type training. Existing members are

advised to keep working on their routines even as they delve

into more trying outdoor sports to maintain their strength.

Quick tips:

• Take the time to stretch and improve your mobility

– the more mobile you are the better your training

will be.

• Balance training and resting: your muscles need

time to fully recover between workouts.

• Hire a coach: A personal trainer can help you reach

your goals faster.

• Have fun! Combine strength and cardio training in

short intervals while using a variety of techniques

to keep things fresh and interesting. This will help

with keeping you motivated and looking forward to

your next session with a program that delivers real

results!

The Benefits of Strength Training By Maneesh Mehta

Having pursued fitness

training under Karen’s

tutelage for over 5

years, I can say with

first-hand knowledge

that strength training

has been at the core of

my personal program.

Karen has been helping me with several personal fitness

objectives: increasing flexibility; increasing range of motion;

improving core strength and rotational balance. These

elements are all geared towards improving my golf swing.

If you are like me, you wouldn’t think that strength training

would be a requirement to accomplish the objectives

outlined above.

But, from the beginning, Karen has said to me that strength

training is foundational to achieving my goals. She has

worked patiently and persistently to prepare my body to

undertake a proper strength training regimen. Today, we

incorporate each aspect of strength training that Karen has

outlined in her article.

I have felt the benefits of following her guidance. Despite

getting older every year, I feel that I am in better shape than

when I was younger. Karen has tremendous insight and

intuition on how to holistically improve your body for long

lasting benefits. Most exciting of all, my golf handicap has

steadily improved since I began following Karen’s advice.

I would encourage all of you to join the fitness section, speak

with Karen and improve your fitness!

The UCT authors collection By Neil Guthrie

Our magnificent Library, one of the best rooms in the city,

lacks books. There were books once, but at some point in the

1970s, it was determined that we didn’t need bound volumes

of Empire Club addresses, Law Society special lectures and

out-of-date editions of Who’s Who. The Art Committee does

currently house some of the Club’s collection of art books on

the north wall, but the glass-fronted cabinets on the west

wall are bookless.

At the suggestion of our President, Jenny Mercer, the Club

would like to fill some of those shelves with books written

by Club members.

The idea is to emulate reciprocal clubs who celebrate the

achievements of their own. While we can only aspire to

having as many laureates as the Cosmos Club in

Washington, DC (recipients of 36 Nobel prizes, 61 Pulitzers,

55 Presidential Medals of Freedom), we certainly have

published authors of great distinction in our midst.

If you have published a book, the Club would be pleased to

add it to the collection. Include an autograph!

We’d also like to acquire works by deceased or former

members: anyone got a set of the collected works of

Robertson Davies they’d care to donate?

We’ll have a literary event when we’ve filled some shelves,

where donors can say a few words about their contributions.

Congratulations to our

Artists-in-Residence,

the New Orford String Quartet,

on winning a 2017 Juno Award!

By Diana Wiley

What would a concert experience be like if you could sit on stage

with the musicians? Our guests found out on Saturday, April 22nd

when our Artists-in-Residence The New Orford String Quartet,

fresh from their Juno win, took their seats in front of the Palladian

window and filled our Library with thrilling sounds. This time,

they performed as a quintet with cellist Adrian Fung in an

interpretation of Schubert’s magnificent “Cello Quintet” (String

Quintet in C major, D. 956), a work widely considered to be one of

the greatest pieces in the chamber music repertoire. It’s difficult to

put into the words the combined effect of glorious music and

consummate musicianship at close quarters. Our guests thanked

the quartet with a standing ovation and extended applause, and we

repaired to the dining room for a celebratory feast.

When the New Orford String Quartet (NOSQ) first heard

that their recording of the Brahms String Quartets Op.51,

Nos. 1&2 had won the 2017 Juno Award for Best Classical

Album of the Year, they discounted it as an April Fool’s joke.

Their performance schedule had precluded their attendance

at the awards ceremony, and the news came informally

through a friend on April 1st, when they were on a concert

tour in Alberta. All the more reason for us to fête them after

their performance at the Club on April 22nd. Chef Patrick rose

to the occasion with a spectacular dinner and personally

presented them with a cake he had baked in their honour.

People lingered over cake and conversation with the

musicians in the Lounge, with the last of our 80 guests

departing well past midnight.

The NOSQ’s rise to pre-eminence has been swift. With a

quiet assurance that has become a signature characteristic,

the quartet entered the scene in 2009, quickly amassing two

Quebec Opus Best Concert of the Year awards and a 2012

Juno nomination for their Schubert/Beethoven recording

which anticipated this year’s win. On stage, the quartet does

not indulge in theatrical gestures; all their passion is

channeled into the sound they are creating and their highly

nuanced interpretations that bring every phrase, every note

to vibrant life. And what an extraordinary sound it is: each

voice has an individual presence and personality,

maintaining a balance with the others while leaving room for

spontaneity.

The results were bound to be exceptional when these four

high-powered musicians joined forces. All are principal

members of major orchestras and (award-winning) soloists

in their own right. Jonathan Crow and Andrew Wan, who

switch between first and second violin in the quartet, are

both concertmasters, Jonathan with the Toronto Symphony

Orchestra and Andrew with the Montreal Symphony

Orchestra. Brian Manker is principal cellist of the Montreal

Symphony and Eric Nowlin is principal violist of the Detroit

Symphony Orchestra. In addition to the gifts of

musicianship and technical virtuosity, a fairy godmother

seems to have granted them additional hours in their days:

how else to account for the multi-faceted musical lives they

each carry off with such aplomb. In addition to excelling in

the highly competitive orchestral world, they all perform in

a variety of chamber groups, are involved in musical

outreach to disadvantaged communities, teach on university

music faculties, and act as mentors to (even) younger

musicians. Two of them are hands-on fathers of young

children, and Jonathan Crow has also taken on the mantle of

Artistic Director of the month-long chamber music festival,

Toronto Summer Music.

With all these accomplishments, we could forgive the NOSQ

a little attitude. However, as our members have discovered

during our music evenings, in person they are relaxed,

down-to-earth and very low maintenance. Modest almost to

a fault, they are comfortable joining tables of complete

strangers and, after giving a demanding performance, find

the energy to engage in lively conversation. What a delight

to have these extraordinary musicians in our midst!

Our next music evening is Wednesday, May 17th with Tapestry

Opera: an open rehearsal with cast and orchestra, panel discussion

with the creative team, and a casual dinner. This will be a working

rehearsal, as their opening night of this ground-breaking work is

one week later. See the Club’s e-blast for more details.

Easter Brunch

New member profile: Catherine Chen

Catherine was introduced to the University Club by member

David Borcsok. Both were at RBC at the time and got to know

each other through impact investing events, but what made

the UCT appealing to Catherine was its ‘comfortable feeling’

and British club style. These were familiar to Catherine from

her years growing up in Cambridgeshire in England. ‘The

University Club feels like home,’ she says – and afternoons

often find her by the fire with a book after she has practised

her golf swing in the basement practice facility. Catherine

also enjoys meeting more senior members, whose

conversation she finds ‘inspirational’.

Life is busy for Catherine. She manages the global

investment department of a real estate company and also

runs a start-up she founded. The latter, called Impactlytics,

uses data analytics to help not-for-profits, family

foundations and donors understand how philanthropic

dollars can be targeted most effectively. The idea is to enable

organizations to make the most social and dollar returns

from their donations, turning traditional donations into

efficient ‘donating investor’ behaviour. The company also

provides measurement and business model design services

for corporate social responsibility reports.

Catherine speaks six languages and travels frequently for

Impactlytics. She is keen to use our network of reciprocal

clubs, especially in Asia, where more social enterprises are

needed.

Welcome, Catherine – we hope your membership in the

University Club of Toronto is long and fulfilling!

The children of the Club about participate in our Easter egg

hunt!

Obituary

Donald Ivison

(1932-2017)

Donald Ivison, a longtime member of the Club, passed away

in March.

Born in Ottawa and educated at

Lisgar Collegiate and McMaster

University, after graduation he

embarked on a long career at ICI

and then its spin-off, DuPont of

Canada. Don retired after 36 years

with the company in 1990. He

attended the National Defence

Academy and received his MBA

from Western.

Retirement certainly did not bring idleness. Don joined the

Board of Governors of McMaster in 1990, serving in various

capacities including Chair from 1997 to 1999. In recognition

of his services, the university conferred on him an honorary

doctorate in 2000. Don also gave his time to Yorkminster

Park Baptist Church, the Boy Scouts of Canada, the Canadian

Export Association, the Canadian Manufacturers

Association and the Canadian Institute of Chartered

Accountants, among others.

He leaves his wife of 61 years, Betty, as well as three

children, five grandchildren and nieces and nephews. He

will be much missed at the University Club, which he

joined in 1988 and where he made many friends.

Staff profile: Amy Hart

One of the friendly faces greeting you at the front desk is that

of Amy Hart.

Amy started on the night shift, which runs from 3 to 11 pm,

but is now on days from 7 to 3. Her duties include welcoming

members and guests, taking bookings and some

administrative tasks. While Amy has enjoyed talking to the

people she meets in both the evening and the daytime, she

confesses to liking the ability to leave the Club in daylight.

Amy is a native of Brighton, Ontario. If you’ve driven the 401

towards Kingston, Brighton is near the giant apple by the

highway.

After completing studies in graphic design at OCAD U, Amy

found herself behind the counter at the Timothy’s coffee

shop just north of us on University Avenue, but never

thought she’d find herself behind our elegant façade. Her

reaction on seeing inside 380 University: ‘It’s amazing!’

We’re very happy to have Amy at the front desk, along with

Sean, Andy and Victoria.

And Amy has put her design credentials to great use: she is

responsible for the professional layout of this newsletter and

some of our very attractive posters. Thank you, Amy!

Congratulations to Rabbi Steven Nemetz

Steven Nemetz, a member of the Art

Committee, writes that he is living mostly in

Manhattan and Vancouver, having just

completed a four-year sabbatical from his art

and IP law practice to study ancient and

contemporary Jewish law. He received his

rabbinical ordination from Yeshiva University

in March. Congratulations, Steven!