COC Noon Concerts this week!

Sondra Radvanovsky took the stage yesterday at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre for a free noon hour concert.  The Free Concert Series is a 10-month celebration of creativity and diversity that takes place in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre in the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. I was sorry to miss it however, Joseph So has raved about it on the La Scena Musical Blog.


For more Vocal Series events, check out the concert tomorrow at noon (Thursday, December 16) where Canadian mezzo Krisztina Szabo will take the stage with the Queen of Puddings Music Theatre in A Tribute to György Kurtág.

COC Ensemble goes NORTH!

One of the things I didn't get to do while a member of the COC Ensemble was perform in a school tour (I was 9 months pregnant with my first baby that year and we all thought a pregnant Hansel wouldn't work very well!!!) so I was intrigued (and just a little bit jealous) when I got this press release from the COC:

Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour Travels a Combined 9,068 km

The Canadian Opera Company’s Xstrata Ensemble Studio School Tour completed its most ambitious tour of elementary schools to date on December 5, 2010, with the casts and crews of two productions travelling a combined 9,068 km in Ontario and Québec, and giving a collective 47 performances since November 8, 2010. This fall, the COC presented its acclaimed operas, Isis and the Seven Scorpions, by Canadian composer Dean Burry, and Cinderella, a combination of Jules Massenet’s and Rossini’s musical scores, as part of the school tour.    

At the behest of Xstrata Nickel, the School Tour Title Sponsor, the Inuit communities of Salluit and Kangiqsujuaq in the Nunavik region of northern Québec, near Xstrata Nickel's Raglan Mine, were added to the list of destinations, taking the school tour farther north than it had ever been before. The trip to Raglan Mine was documented in a series of blog posts on Parlando, the COC blog.

School Tour Facts:

• The casts and crews of both shows travelled a combined total of 9,068 km and gave a collective 47 performances 
• The Raglan mine is 600 km north of the tree line, at the 62nd parallel.
• The region surrounding the Raglan mine is is sub-arctic permafrost.
• Nunavik's population is about 10,500 people. Cinderella was performed for approximately 400 children and community members, or almost 4% of the population.
• 150 employees of Raglan mine attended the Ensemble Studio's recital program of operatic arias.
• Only 11 passengers could be accommodated by the plane that flew the Cinderella cast and crew to Salluit and Kangiqsujuaq

New BACH Summer Festival in Canada

Gerald Fagan, Artistic Director  and Friedhelm Hoffmann, Chairperson,  are delighted to announce the inaugural Bach Music Festival of Canada, South Huron Ontario!

The Bach Music Festival of Canada, South Huron Ontario has been established to create a weeklong festival featuring music of Bach and his compatriots. This international music festival will have its debut in July 11 - 17, 2011. 

Confirmed Guests Artists Include:

INSTRUMENTAL CONCERTS:

Lara St John Solo Violin Concert Recital and Master Class

Trio Alla Grande Guitar Trio Concert and Master Class

‘The Art of the Aria’     Bach Aria Symposium with renowned Basso Thomas Paul (Juilliard)

CHORAL – YOUTH TREBLE VOICES: Festival Conductor Brenda Zadorsky

CHORAL - ADULT: Festival Conductor Gerald Fagan

Gerald Fagan Singers (London Canada), conductor Gerald Fagan

Harvestehuder Kammerchor (Hamburg Germany), conductor Claus Bantzer

Regional choristers are encouraged to join in the Festival by actively participating as a week long member of the Mass Youth Choir with a final concert on Friday July 16 or the Mass Adult Choir, culminating in a concert of the B-Minor Mass on Saturday July 17! You can join with your choir or as an individual. Choristers from around the province will gather to share their love of music, and we hope you will join us too! 

Numerous concerts, recitals and masterclasses are scheduled throughout the week for audiences, scholars and musicians! Drawing upon the wealth of talent from Southwestern Ontario as well as welcoming musicians from around the world, this Festival is guaranteed to provide music lovers with numerous opportunities for sharing in the celebration of Bach and his compatriots.

Social events, regional tours, and shared meals will ensure a well-rounded experience for both adult and youth participants.

Special Early Registration rates are set to encourage you to send your registration in early. Please look at the dates and forward your registration, to take advantage of these special prices.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Bach Music Festival of Canada, July 2011!

Louise Fagan, Executive Producer l.fagan@rogers.com 519 851 0393

www.bachmusicfestival.com

The Very Model of a US President

I just couldn't resist...What happens when the President is accused of not living up to the country's expectations?  He breaks into song!!

Vancouver Song Institute 2011 Programs

VISI 2011: COLLABORATIONS II

"One of the most inspiring experiences of my life. VISI integrates the creative music-making process with literary, theatrical, philosophical, and even scientific approaches - an ideal program for intellectually curious and passionate singers and pianists. The generosity and expertise of the world-renowned faculty, the friendly and supportive atmosphere, and the musical community of beautiful Vancouver all encouraged my artistic endeavour." We are pleased to announce our VISI 2011 programs for singers, pianists, scholars, composers, and writers. VISI is dedicated to the exploration of new horizons in Art Song. Alongside intensive masterclasses and coachings with internationally renowned faculty artists, participants can explore classes in dramatic recitation, staging, song musicology, cultural history, and related workshops. Our diverse programs blend rigourous artistic tradition with innovative approaches to creative collaboration and a range of dynamic performance opportunities. In addition to our annual Theatre of Art Song/Collaborative Piano Studies June 4-25 3-week program for singers and pianists, we are offering several new courses in 2011: SONGFIRE Theatre Apprentice program June 4-25 - a full production of newly-created works for Art Song Theatre, the form developed at UBC/VISI with Artistic Director Rena Sharon, UBC Theatre Professor Tom Scholte, and Professors of Opera Gayle Shay (Vanderbilt) and David Walsh (University of Minnesota). French Mélodie Immersion June 15-25 - a 10-day course of intensive studies in the repertoire, its style, its language, and its history, led by Mme. Rosemarie Landry and M. François Le Roux (Centre de la Mélodie Française) with Bruno Laplante, Francis Perron, and Dr. Sima Godfrey (UBC French Literature). Song Scholarship and Performance June 4-18 - a two week collaborative course for performers and scholars who are interested in deep research of song interpretation, guided by some of the experts in the Art Song realm. Musicologist/Collaborative Pianist Dr. Benjamin Binder (Program Director) is joined by distinguished colleagues Dr. Deborah Stein directing Theory studies and Dr. Cameron Stowe directing Performance studies, with numerous renowned faculty guests. Art Song Lab Dates TBA - a collaborative workshop for composers, poets, and performers in the interpretation and performance of their new works. Arts of Conscience June 13-18 - a 6-day course for young artists interested in serving their community and the world through art. Collaboration Weekend Symposium June 10-12 A gathering for professionals and students interested in discussion of the Collaborative processes for singer/pianist duos, with special guest Margo Garrett, Professor of Collaborative Piano at Juilliard and a host of other artists. Courses for Song-Lovers VISI's daily array of lectures and masterclasses are all open for general audience. In addition, we have workshops in diverse song traditions, andVISICHOR, our Choral workshops directed by Kevin Zakresky, Assistant Conductor of Vancouver's celebrated Chor Leoni. FOR A FULL LIST OF OUR DISTINGUISHED FACULTY OF ARTISTS AND SCHOLARS, PLEASE CLICK http://www.songinstitute.ca/faculty.html Participants can choose the program that fits their career or learning path while enjoying the interdisciplinary events that weave all the strands together. Professional colleagues are welcome to attend all VISI sessions at drop-in daily rates, and to participate in our forum discussions about Art Song Pedagogy and Performance Practices. "An experience I will not forget, an education I will always remember - profound - in the truest and deepest sense."

E-Gre Competition: Voice 2011

This just in from the uniquely Canadian Voice Competition - The Eckhardt-Grammate:

This is just a reminder that the deadline for application for the 2011
Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition in Voice is approaching.  All
applications and supporting materials must be submitted by November 15,
2010.  The competition will be held April 29 - May 1, 2011.

For the first time this year, ALL repertoire written after 1950 is eligible
and does not need approval from Artistic Director Megumi Masaki.

More information on the Eckhardt-Gramatte Competition, along with
application forms, can be found at http://web.me.com/egrecompetition.

Musical Theatre Degree Program in Canada?

A parent of one of my students sent this article by Richard Ouzounian of The Toronto Star to me....since we all have so many students wanting to pursue the Music Theatre genre and with the RCM and Conservatory Canada providing examinations in this repertoire, it would seem like the natural progression would be to offer a university degree in the subject - something the Americans have been doing for years (think Oklahoma where the likes of Kristen Chenoweth and Kelly O'Hara got their training).

A new musical theatre company will be launched in Toronto in 2011, founded by 20 of the brightest lights in the country and modelled along the lines of Soulpepper Theatre, the Star has learned.

Adam Brazier, Louise Pitre and Dan Chameroy are just some of the members of the group, although a wide assortment of other stellar names are supposed to be involved, including Canadian Tony Award winners and nominees who’ve appeared on London and New York stages.

This would be the first artist-run company in North America, if not the world, run on a large scale and devoted exclusively to the art of musical theatre.

...There will be a strong educational element, with the new collective working closely with one of the GTA’s major universities toward providing a musical theatre degree program.

Read the whole article on The Star website and let me know if you have heard any details yet!

UPDATE January 11, 2011: A year ago CBC announced that "Theatre 20, an artist-run collective that includes stars such as Louise Pitre (Mamma Mia!), Colm Wilkinson (Les Misérables) and Ma-Anne Dionisio (Miss Saigon), aims to increase opportunities for Canadian talent close to home so artists don't have to always head to the U.S. to continue working."  They are launching their Inaugural Season on January 23, 2012!  Check out their website for more information at www.theatre20.com.