Christopher Foley's Resumé

Dr. Christopher Foley, pianist

Website: http://collaborativepiano.blogspot.com
Email: collaborative piano [at] g mail dot calm

EDUCATION

Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music, Eastman School of Music, 1994. Studied with Jean Barr. Minor field in Twentieth-Century Music, Theory, and History. (A list of related coursework is available upon request.)

Master of Music in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music, Eastman School of Music, 1991. Studied with Jean Barr (Accompanying and Chamber Music) and David Burge (Solo Piano).

Bachelor of Music, University of British Columbia, 1989. Studied with Robert Rogers (solo piano), Rena Sharon (accompanying) and Douglas Finch (chamber music). Graduated with the highest marks in Music.

A.R.C.T., Royal Conservatory of Music, 1985. Studied piano with Margaret Brew and Margot Ehling. Studied harmony and counterpoint with Mary Fraser.

TEACHING/COACHING EXPERIENCE

Faculty, Royal Conservatory of Music, 2003-. Faculty member in both the Glenn Gould Professional School and the Community School. Duties in the GGS have included coaching singers enrolled in the Performance Diploma and Artist Diploma programs, playing in master classes by visiting artists, teaching Vocal Literature to Performance Diploma singers. Duties in the Community School include teaching piano, collaborative piano, small ensembles, and vocal coaching. Presented a lecture at the 2004 Art of Teaching Conference entitled Collaborative Skills for the Developing Pianist. Currently a member of the Faculty Association Executive Committee.

Coach/Repetiteur for Tapestry New Opera Works, 2002-. Productions include Opera To Go, an evening of one-act operas, Nigredo Hotel by librettist Anne-Marie Macdonald and composer Nic Gotham, Facing South by librettist Don Hannah and composer Linda C. Smith, and workshops for Over the Japanese Sea: An Office Opera (librettist Julie Salverson and composer Juliet Palmer) and The Shadow (librettist Alex Poch-Golden and composers Omar Daniel). Duties also include serving as coach/pianist on the creative team for Tapestry’s unique Composer/Librettist and Director/Musical Director workshops held in August. These one-week intensive workshops highlight interdisciplinary collaborations in order to explore the full potential of music in live performance and to take full advantage of a shared artistic vision. Participants have access to singers, repetiteurs and dramaturgical staff while collaborating on selected works in development. Recent performances include appearances at the Word on the Street Festival, Toronto City Hall and the Algoma Fall Festival.

Faculty Resident Accompanist, Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, 1994-. Pianist for the studios of Lewis Kaplan, Zakhar Bron, Lynn Blakeslee, Cheryl Staples, Peter Kurau, Steven Doane, James Dunham, Yehuda Gilad, Cynthia Hoffman, Sylvia Rosenberg, and Rami Solomonow, involving coaching and rehearsing with students, as well as playing on both faculty and student recital programs.

Noye’s Fludde, Benjamin Britten Celebration 2003. Vocal coach, orchestral contractor and duo pianist for this production in collaboration with Musical Director Nicholas Goldshmidt and Stage Director Joy Coghill. Leading roles were played by Gary Relyea, Marcia Swanston, and Douglas Campbell. This performance was broadcast on the CBC Television program Opening Night in March 2004.

La Fedeltà Premiata, Mooredale Concerts, September 2003. Vocal coach for this production in collaboration with Musical Director Julian Kuerti.

Sessional Faculty, University of British Columbia, 1996-2002. Duties included coaching students enrolled in collaborative piano courses in both the vocal and chamber fields. Other duties include a teaching a two-year song repertoire course that covers the history of the solo vocal repertoire from the Middle Ages to the present and a chamber music survey course for piano majors.

Sessional Faculty, Vancouver Academy of Music, 1994-2002. Duties included coaching singers and instrumentalists enrolled in the Academy's Bachelor of Music and Artist Diploma programs; playing for lessons, recitals, auditions; coaching the Academy's opera Training program for productions of The Magic Flute and Albert Herring as well as numerous opera scenes workshops; teaching vocal repertoire; teaching sight-singing and ear training to students enrolled in the first two years of the Bachelor of Music program. Many singers coached at the Academy have gone on to success in major competitions such as the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (Tamara Hummel and David Lee were both finalists in New York) and the Eckhardt-Grammaté National Music Competition (Heather Pawsey won first prize in 1996). Also served as adjudicator for the Academy’s Senior Secondary Piano Competition in 1998 and 2001

Undergraduate Chamber Music, Eastman School of Music, 1993-94. Coached students regularly for their undergraduate piano chamber music requirement.

Teaching assistant for Undergraduate Accompanying class, Eastman School of Music, 1993-94. As Jean Barr's assistant, coached students regularly in both the instrumental and vocal repertoires.

Teaching assistant for Freshman Sight-Reading class, Eastman School of Music, Fall 1993. As Jean Barr's assistant, provided individualized instruction to students in class on such subjects as ornamentation, transposition, keyboard harmony, and clef-reading.

PROFESSIONAL PERFORMING EXPERIENCE

Pianist and Coach for the first two seasons of Bathroom Divas, a reality television show airing on Bravo!Canada. Bathroom Divas is a reality show that follows the progress of six young amateur opera singers chosen from national auditions as they attempt to survive a weekly elimination from Opera Boot Camp. The winning singer performed with Toronto Symphony Orchestra in season one and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in season two. Episodes with appearances include the Toronto auditions, numerous appearances in the Opera Boot Camp, as well as the final elimination that determines the winning singer in the season finale.

Festival of the Sound, Parry Sound, August 2006. Performed with season two Bathroom Divas finalists Elaine Hefferton Brown, Phillip Holmes, Paul Abelha, and Laura Landauer in a performance of operatic arias.

Divas Over the Top, Whitehorse Performing Arts Centre, November 2006. Performed Bathroom Divas season one finalists Sonja Gustafson, Sonja Anderson, Emilie Losier, Sergio Restagno, and Gail Malcolm and season one judges Mary Lou Fallis and Gary Relyea in a program of popular operatic selections. The trip to Whitehorse also involved judging a mini-competition (Outhouse Divas) and presenting a lecture and master class on the art of collaborative piano.

Women in Music Festival, Eastman School of Music, April 2006. Performed excerpts of Laura Schwendinger’s Pointillisms and Barbara Pentland’s Sung Songs with mezzo-soprano Wendy Hatala Foley.

Eastman School of Music Faculty Concert Series, February 2006. Performed two-piano eight-hand repertoire with Eastman Faculty member Jean Barr, fellow guest artist Judy Kehler Siebert, and Eastman graduate students.

University of Western Ontario Faculty of Music Friday Noon Hour Series, January 2006. Performed an all-Schubert program with tenor Kevin McMillan and flutist Anne Thompson.

Popera, a presentation of Opera Ontario, Hamilton and Kitchener, December 2004. Performed various cabaret selections for voice and piano with Jean Stilwell, mezzo-soprano.

FestItalia Opera Cabaret, presented by the Algoma Fall Festival, Sault Ste. Marie, October 2004. Performed with Tamara Hummel, Xin Wang, Lynne McMurtry, Martin Houtman, and Ian Funk. This was a concert of various operatic arias and ensembles presented by the Algoma Fall Festival in honour of the Italian community’s contribution to the civic life of Sault Ste. Marie.

So You Want to Sing a Show Tune, Helliconian Hall, September 2004. Pianist and coach for a one-woman show written and performed by Rebecca Hass and directed by Michael Albano. Works include various operatic and broadway favorites.

Sharon Temple Concert Series, Sharon, Ontario, June 2004. Performed with Colin Ainsworth, tenor. Works of Britten, Hahn, and Schubert.

Trinity in the Square Summer Series, Toronto, June 2004. Performed with Zorana Sadiq, soprano. Works of Golijov, Pack, Raminsch, and Ryan.

Music Around Us Young Artist Series, Glenn Gould Studio at CBC Toronto, October 2003. Performed with Peter MacGillivray, baritone and the Accordes String Quartet. Peter MacGillivray appeared as First Prize winner in the 32^nd CBC/Radio Canada Young Performers Competition. This concert featured works by Schubert, Rachmaninov, and Vaughn Williams.

DISTILLATION: the water project, a production of Continuum Contemporary Music at the DeLeon White Gallery, April 2003. Performed with the Continuum ensemble for this multimedia project that explores water and its nature through interaction between different media. This instillation/concert featured the work of video artist Ramona Lamlochand as well as the music of Linda C. Smith, Andriy Talpash, and Juhan Puhm.

First Annual Karin Kieser Award Ceremony, Glenn Gould Studio, Toronto, Jan. 2003. Performed with Ryan Scott, percussion, and Sanya Eng, harp, in Abigail Richardson's dissolve, winner of the first annual Karen Kieser Prize in Canadian Music, presented at the Glenn Gould Studio at CBC Toronto and recorded for the CBC Radio Two program Two New Hours. This recording later won Ms. Richardson first prize in the under-30 category in the International Rostrom of Composers competition and was broadcast over 100 times the following season in various European countries.

Loras College Guest Artist Series, Dubuque, Iowa, Jan. 2003. Performed with violinist Mitchell Johnson, first prize winner in the 2002 Concert Artists International Competition in works of Grieg, Beethoven, Debussy, and Kreisler.

Six at the Beginning, a presentation of the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, Dec. 2002. Performed with Mike Kane and Linda C. Smith in John Sherlock’s Line Dance Variation for three vintage electric pianos with dancers. This work was a result of the first musical commission ever offered by the School of Toronto Dance Theatre.

Canadian Contemporary Music Workshop, Toronto, September 2002. World Premiere of Space for solo piano by Toronto composer Jackie Shin.

furtherEASTfurtherWEST Festival, Vancouver, June 2002. Presented by Vancouver ProMusica, this is a festival that highlights connections and collaborations between Eastern and Western ensembles and musical traditions. Performed Eliot Weisgarber's Japanese Miscellany for solo piano, as well as with the Vietnamese ensemble Tak Chi in works of Mark Armanini.

Filumena Workshop, Banff Centre, May 2002. Coach, repetiteur, and member of the creative team for this musical and dramaturgical workshop for John Estacio's opera Filumena, to be premiered at the Calgary Opera in early 2003.

120 Songs for the Marquis de Sade, Modern Baroque Opera and Vancouver NewMusic co-production, Vancouver, Feb.-March 2002.This work was the winner of the 2001 Alcan Performing Arts Award. Vocal coach and pianist/MIDI keyboardist for the production. Libretto by Peter Hinton, music by Peter Hannan, co-directed by Kate Hutchinson and Peter Hinton. This work will be the subject of an upcoming television documentary co-produced by French and English CBC to be broadcast nationally, in addition to a radio broadcast on both CBC networks.

Vancouver New Music Ensemble, Core member, 1996-2002. Pianist for Vancouver New Music Ensemble. Highlights include Shifting Tides, a concert featuring women composers as part of the VNMS’s Vox Femina festival; Inner Space, featuring chamber music with brass and electronics; and was a featured soloist on Countdown: The Odd Decades, a six-hour retrospective of music from the 10’s, 30’s, 50’s 70’s, and 90’s. Other concerts include the first three Vancouver International New Music Festivals, the VNMS's 25th Anniversary Concert, a tour of eastern Canada featuring concerts in Toronto and Montreal, and solo appearances on a concert entitled The Wanderer: Chamber Music of Africa.

Musical Director and Pianist for the 3 Divas, 2001-2002 season. The 3 Divas are a “trio of talented entertainers with beautiful voices, gorgeous stage presence, and a delightful sense of irreverence.” Musical selections are chosen from the operatic, art song, and popular repertoires. Recent engagements include two sold-out concerts in Kelowna and Vernon, British Columbia.

B.C. Tour with Canadian violinist Judy Kang, September 2001. Music of Beethoven, Massenet, and Wieniawski. Concerts in Prince Rupert, Kitimat, Terrace, and Summerland. Ms. Kang performs on a 1689 Baumgartner Stradivarius on loan from the Canada Council.

Nicolai Korndorf Memorial Fundraiser Concert, University of British Columbia, September 2001. Pianist for Music for Owen Underhill and his Magnificent Eight. Broadcast for future broadcast on the CBC Radio 2 Program 2 New Hours. All proceeds toward the Korndorf Foundation.

Sonic Boom Music Festival, Vancouver, Spring 2001. Performed solo piano works of John Baker and Matt Rogers at the Western Front.

Richardson's Roundup on CBC Radio One, Fall 2000. Two performances with soprano Heather Pawsey of Canadian parlour music from the 19th and 20th centuries have be featured on this popular and eclectic radio show.

CBC Regina Galleria Series, May 2000. Performed with soprano Heather Pawsey a program of historical Canadian music written before 1914. Works chosen were from the art song, opera, parlor music, patriotic, ragtime, and march genres. Highlights from this performance will be performed in September 2000 on the nationally broadcast CBC Radio Two program “Richardson’s Roundup”.

Visiting Composers Series, Cleveland State University, April 1998. Performed Pointillisms, a work for solo piano by American composer Laura Schwendinger.

April in Santa Cruz New Music Festival, April 1998. Performed Pointillisms, a work for solo piano by American Composer Laura Schwendinger.

Eckhardt-Grammaté National Music Competition Winners' Tour 1996. Pianist for the winner of the 1996 competition, soprano Heather Pawsey. The tour included recitals at McGill University, Carleton University, Mount Allison University, the University of Toronto, Lakehead University, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Brandon University, the University of Regina, the University of Saskatoon, the Calgary Centre for the Performing Arts, and the Vancouver Academy of Music, in addition to a residency at the Banff Centre.

Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music, Brunswick, Maine, 1994-. Works of Elliott Schwartz, Colin Holmiski, Witold Lutoslawski, Christopher Winders, Gordon Beeferman, and Laura Schwendinger, broadcast on National Public Radio station WPKM Portland.

Vocal Arts in Concert, Vancouver, February 1995. Performed with soprano Diane Lewarne and baritone Craig Morash in a program in honor of the 50th anniversary of Anton Webern's death.

Inaugural Concert of Eastman-Dickinson Concert Series, Dickinson College, February 1994. Performed with flutist Julie Tunstall and cellist Richard Eckert.

Opus Classics Concert Series, SUNY Buffalo, January 1994. Performed with violinist Shannon Nance, broadcast live on National Public Radio station WBFO Buffalo.

Performed with Francesco Manara, concertmaster of the Orchestra del Teatro dalla Scala, Milan, August 1993. Platten Stenen Brug, Alkmaar, Holland. The performance was broadcast live on North Holland Radio.

Guest Artist Series, Cornell University, October 1992. Performed with violinist Shannon Nance.

Toured Japan with the Eastman Wind Ensemble, June 1992. Performances in Hiroshima, Osaka, Gifu, Tokyo, and other cities on the main island to promote their new Sony Classical disc.

Toured with Toru Miura, February 1992. Toru Miura is an internationally recognized euphonium soloist and records for Denon. Concerts in Mount Holyoke College, Ithaca College, Cornell University, and Eastman School of Music.

Performances with Intermusica Ensemble at Eastman. Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano (selections) by John Cage, as part of a concert In Memoriam of John Cage; Nocturnes for violin and piano by George Crumb; Warble for Lilac-time for soprano and piano by Elliot Carter; Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo for tenor and piano by Benjamin Britten

Pianist with Musica Nova Ensemble at Eastman, 1992-94. Works by Simon Bainbridge, Christopher Rouse, Ned Rorem, Ruth Crawford, James Willey, Leslie Bassett, and Peter Maxwell Davies.

Over 150 recitals at the Eastman School of Music, 1989 to 1994, with students of voice, violin, viola, cello, flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, french horn, and percussion.

ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE

Owner and Author of The Collaborative Piano Blog, November 2005-. The Collaborative Piano Blog is a regularly updated weblog that addresses issues of importance related to the piano in ensemble, advertises current events I am engaged in, as well as those of selected colleagues in Toronto and elsewhere. Some articles include a definition of collaborative piano, a list of required and preferred skills for the collaborative pianist, collected ideas on how to learn a song or aria, and a list of viable career options in collaborative piano. This site is hosted by Blogspot, and is also accessible through the domain www.collaborativepiano.com. This site is currently the top collaborative piano site in the world (as ranked by Google and other leading search engines) and is also the top classical music blog in Canada.

Member of the Executive Committee of the Faculty Association at the Royal Conservatory of Music, 2005-. Co-opted in the fall of 2005 and elected in the fall of 2006. Duties include participating in the business and projects of the Executive Committee, including organizing FWD:Music, a faculty recital series started to create a projected Faculty Association scholarship for the Community School.

Vice-President of Special Projects, National Association of Teachers of Singing Ontario Chapter, 2002-2006. Full member of NATS since 1997. Current duties include serving on executive committee, as well as creating and organizing activities bringing together the talents of the diverse chapter membership, the Toronto musical community, and the broader NATS community throughout Canada and the United States. Recent accomplishments include a panel discussion for the fall NATS workshop that highlighted the unique difficulties and challenges facing high-school level singers as they go through the audition process for universities and conservatories. Representatives from nine Ontario post-secondary institutions were on the panel, and because of the high turnout it has been decided to re-mount this workshop in the fall of 2005.

Board Member and Treasurer, National Association of Teachers of Singing Vancouver Chapter, 1998-2002. Duties included managing finances for the chapter, finding investment opportunities for the scholarship fund, budgeting for workshops by visiting artists, as well as participating in the process of re-writing the chapter's constitution and by-laws.

Cofounder, Vancouver Song Club, 1998-2002. Begun along with NATS member Carol Brauner, the Vancouver Song Club is a round-table discussion group and performing venue for young singers. Membership includes young professionals, students, and amateurs that meet on a monthly basis to perform for each other and exchange input regarding their professional development.

LANGUAGES

French, German, Italian--Reading knowledge, knowledge of diction in the International Phonetic Alphabet.

Latin--Knowledge of diction in the International Phonetic Alphabet.