Book News
November 21, 2024 — I was interviewed by Bob Goetz, a Board member for Associated Chamber Music Players (ACMP) and our discussion was posted on their blog. Read the interview here.
In addition to online orders, Cello Notes is now available at Book City (Yonge & St. Clair) and Type Books (Spadina & Heath) in Toronto.
October 1, 2024 — The Strad, a UK-based classical music magazine for amateurs and professionals string players, welcomed an introduction to my book with an excerpt. A book review will hopefully follow. Here is the link.
September 19, 2024 —
The book launch for my new book Cello Notes: Music and the Urgency of Time was held amidst the beautiful decor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty Club. It was a wonderful evening with a reading by me and a brief cello performance by my cello teacher, Dobrochna Zubek.
June, 2024 — Appointed Chair of the Board of Directors of The Hammer Band, an organization providing musical education to underserviced areas of Metropolitan Toronto
May 25, 2022 — The Strad posted my article Learning the cello as an adult in the online edition under Life Lessons. Here is the link: https://www.thestrad.com/student-hub/learning-the-cello-as-an-adult-mavis-himes/14223.article.
November 2022 — Following my attendance at the Intermuse International Music Institute and Festival in Baltimore (June 2022) which I attended as an online student, I gave a presentation to their alumnae, entitled Portrait of the Musician as an Artist: Musings from an Aspiring Cellist.
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Presentations / Lectures / Papers
“Life Lessons from my Cello.” Presentation at the Women’s Music Club of Toronto. Toronto, April, 2024.
“Learning the cello as an adult.” The Strad, London, May 2022. https://www.thestrad.com/student-hub/learning-the-cello-as-an-adult-mavis-himes/14223.article
“Portrait of the Musician as an Artist: Musings from an Aspiring Cellist.” Presentation at Intermuse International Music Institute and Festival, Baltimore, November, 2022
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Archived Events
Event: Book Review, hosted by the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada, Toronto
When: Thursday, May 4th, 2017, 7:30 p.m.
Where: National Council of Jewish Women of Canada, Toronto Section, 4700 Bathurst Street Toronto, ON M2R 1W8
Description: Join Mavis Himes for a book review presentation and discussion centering on her book, The Power of Names: Uncovering the Mystery of What We are Called, published by Rowman & Littlefield, 2016
Other details: NCJWC Members: $5.00 Non-Members: $10.00
Event: Cage — After-show discussion and talkback with Mavis Himes
When: Thursday, March 23, 2017, 9:00 – 10:00 p.m. (following the evening production of Cage)
Where: Soulpepper Theatre, the Distillery District
Description: In this after-show talkback, Dr. Mavis Himes, psychoanalyst, will be in discussion with Diego Matamoros, performer and co-creator of Cage.
A stage, any stage, especially the one within our mind, is a cage … that defines, limits, and reveals.
A stage, like a dream, is a portal into our unconscious mind … that speaks, remembers, and unveils.
CAGE is a meditation … on time, space, memory and the human psyche.
CAGE is a depiction … a transparent enclosure revealing the workings of a mind through movement, music, and speech.
CAGE is a playground … a space to explore, to play, and to become.
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Event: The Power of Names: Perspectives from Judaism and Islam
When: Thursday April 27th, 2017, 7-9 p.m.
Where: Noor Cultural Centre, 123 Wynford Dr, North York, ON M3C 1K1
Description: Dr. Mavis Himes and Dr. Timothy Gianotti will be speaking about the power of names from Jewish and Muslim perspectives.
The focus will be on names and name changing in Judaism (Dr. Himes), and the transformative power of names in Muslim scriptural and spiritual traditions (Dr. Gianotti). The presentations will be followed by a period of discussion between the two speakers, and an audience Q&A.
Admission: $5. Light refreshments served.
Previous Events
Event: A People of the Name: Summoning the Jewish Soul to Life
When: Saturday, March 4, 2017, 1:00 p.m.
Where: Congregation Darchei Noam, 864 Sheppard Avenue West Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3H 2T5
Description: A presentation and discussion with Mavis Himes, author of “The Power of Names: Uncovering the Mystery of What We Are Called.” This is a study of personal and family names and how they shape our lives. If the name by which a person is called into being constitutes his/her soul, what else can we say about the power and mystery of names, and name changing, within Judaism?
Event: WAAC Luncheon with Dr. Mavis Himes
When: February 22, 2017, 12:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Where: Dignam Gallery, Women’s Art Association of Canada, 23 Prince Arthur Ave., Toronto, ON M4L 2Z4
Description: Special Guest Author Dr. Mavis Himes with her new book The Power of Names: Uncovering the Mystery of What We are Called. Luncheon, 12:30 p.m., followed by a lecture. Books will be available for signing and purchase.
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Event: The Freud Café | In the Beginning was the Name: The Language of the Unconscious
When: Monday, January 30, 2017, 8:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Where: The Arbor Room, Hart House, University of Toronto, 7 Hart House Circle (lower level), Toronto, ON M5S 3H3
Description: Our origins are intimately linked with our name, a noun not chosen but lovingly given and assigned to us. Names are both a mark of separation and a trait of affiliation. For most of us, a close association develops between our name and the person we are, such that the sound of our name reverberates deep within us.
In psychoanalytic work, we are forever at the mercy of words to engage in our practice and names are signifiers that easily run amuck. This presentation will explore such questions as: Do names have a privileged position in psychoanalysis? What is so ‘proper’ about proper names and why are they so significant? How do names function in analytic work?
For more information download the brochure here.