Places to sing in Southern Alberta...

Fifteen and twenty years ago there wasn't much for young singers to do in Alberta but things have changed!  Banff (always!), NUOVA, Mountain View Festival and now...SAVE (Southern Alberta Vocal Experience).  Run by the faculty at the University of Lethbridge for high school and university level singers, this is a great chance to keep your singing chops active during the summer! Check it out!

Mahler for a Rainy Day

Urlicht (Primal Light) by Mahler sung by Maureen Forrester conducted by Glenn Gould:

Translation:

O little red rose,
Man lies in greatest need,
Man lies in greatest pain.
Ever would I prefer to be in heaven.
Once I came upon a wide road,
There stood an Angel who wanted to turn me away.
But no, I will not be turned away!
I came from God, and will return to God,
The loving God who will give me a little light,
To lighten my way up to eternal, blessed life!

A Spring Wedding...Cenerentola at COC

While I am really excited about seeing the upcoming production of COC's Ariadne auf Naxos, I have to admit that La Cenerentola is starting to get the spring juices flowing!  After hearing a lot about tenor Lawrence Brownlee these past weeks, I have to say that here is a tenor that I want to hear live for just his sheer vocal abilities!  Have a listen to his La fille du regiment aria:






Of course it wouldn't be COC without out Canucks on stage - we get to hear one of my favourite baritones Brett Polegato as Dandini - a role he has sung a number of times and a big shift from his recent Wozzeck at the Bolshoi Theatre!

Check out the rest of the cast and crew, production details and ticket information at their website!

La Cenerentola opens at the Four Seasons on Saturday, April 23 @ 7:30 pm.

New Diction Book for Singers

Canadian collaborative pianist and Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Mississippi at Oxford Amanda Johnston has just announced the release of her new book English and German Diction for Singers: A Comparative Approach.  A wonderful collaborator and coach, I have no doubt that this text will become a staple in the studios of teachers and coaches of singing everywhere!

Here is the press release:

Innovative Comparative Approach

This comprehensive resource examines English and German diction separately, but also thoroughly compares both languages.  It removes the unnecessary fear of German and also encourages students to look at English in a new light.  Sample topics include the treatment of the schwa, the treatment of monosyllabic, incidental words, the varied use of R, e.g., [ɹ], [ɾ], [r], [ɐ], [ə], and healthy, glottal onsets. 

Complete Resource for Teachers

• Answer key to all supplementary exercises
• Removable flashcard containing IPA symbols for both English and German
• Musical examples throughout, indicating rhythmic timing of voiced and voiceless consonants

Target Market

• Ideal for Undergraduate Courses in English and/or German Diction: Introductory chapters introduce all necessary IPA symbols for each language, complete with exercises for mastery of IPA

• Ideal for Graduate Courses in English and/or German Diction:  Advanced chapters focus on concepts such as rhythmic timing of consonants, implosion/explosion, lyric and phrasal doubling of consonants, common consonant blends, and phrasal consonant clusters

• Ideal for private voice instructors, choral directors, vocal coaches, and collaborative pianists. IPA is provided throughout, as well as many exercises for self-study.

The German Schwa: Vocalic Chameleon

This book offers a clear deconstruction of the controversial schwa, introducing the concept that the German schwa changes colour according to its environment.  It is hence referred to as a “vocalic chameleon”.  It is coloured by the quality of the previous vowel. The German schwa is pronounced in the position of the previous vowel, without any movement of the tongue or lip positions.  It is never stressed, but rather in a constant state of flux, as it continually matches its surroundings.  

Ordering Information: Click on the link to order from Amazon

Canadian Phillipe Sly takes home top prize at MET Audition Finals

Congratulations to young Canadian bass baritone Philippe Sly for being one of the 5 winners of Sunday's MET Opera National Council Audition Finals.

Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times hits the nail on the head when it comes to judging young singers:

But judging singers in their 20s is truly difficult, especially with so much at stake for the finalists, including a $15,000 cash prize for each winner. Comparably gifted pianists in their 20s are much more likely to be technically assured and finished performers. Operatic voices, though, need long nurturing. Most young singers are still working out elements of their technique. Inevitably, the judges for these auditions are assessing the potential of the finalists as much as their actual performances. Moreover, as was made clear by the documentary film “The Audition,” which followed the last round of the 2007 competition, performing in this concert could not be more high-pressure.

Canadians @ the MET Finals on Sunday

There is a lot of buzz this week about the two young Canadian singers that made it to the 2011 Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition Finals scheduled for this Sunday, March 13.

Joseph Barron, bass-baritone
Deanna Breiwick, soprano
Sasha Djihanian, soprano
Ryan Speedo Green, bass-baritone
Michelle Johnson, soprano
Joseph Lim, baritone
Nicholas Masters, bass
Philippe Sly, bass-baritone

Each of these contestants will perform in the National Council Grand Finals Concert on Sunday, March 13.  Met star Joyce DiDonato hosts the Finals, 2001 National Council winner Lawrence Brownlee performs, and winners receive cash prizes of $15,000 each!  Purchase tickets now to this exciting event via our website. 

It should be noted that soprano Sasha Dijihanian also made it to the upcoming finals of Cardiff Singer of the World!  Additionally, bass Nicolas Masters did his MM in Canada at McGill University, the school where Phillippe Sly is currently a fourth year BMus student.

Go Canada!

New Songs for a New Generation

If I was totally on the ball, this post would have been up last week in anticipation of CBC playing Marjan Mozetich's new composition for mezzo Susan Platts. Titled "Under the Watchful Sky: Three Songs for Mezzo Soprano and Orchestra" the texts are based on the Book of Chinese Songs and was commissioned by Susan with the support of the Rolex Mentor and Protege Arts Initiative that she was part of a few years ago (it also paid for her to work with Jessye Norman!).

This video gives you a taste of the piece before it was premiered with the Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec on November 10, 2010.

Now we just need a recording so it can get its much deserved JUNO!!!