Bach keyboard music arranged for electric bass

What? Hearing Bach played on keyboard instruments isn't good enough?

Link to free MP3 downloads of David Grossman's arrangements for electric bass

The 12 selections on the download page are really very fine. For those in the Berkeley area, you can catch a few of these arrangements live at Solo Bass Night III at the Freight & Salvage Coffee House on Friday, May 18th.

The pianist's wind-up skill in Olympia's Doll Song

Pianists in our ranks who have played Olympia's Doll Song from Tales of Hoffmann with coloratura sopranos have realized that midway through the aria the singer winds down and needs to be wound up in order to continue. This requires the pianist to leave their seat, briskly walk up to the soprano, wind them up, and then return to the keyboard in order to resume playing the aria. The YouTube below featuring Sumi Jo and Vincenzo Scalera is a prime example of this technique. Notice how Mr. Scalera uses a prop (a closed fan?) for this duty with great élan.

Russ Martin's Bathroom Divas photos

Photographer Russ Martin has some excellent photos on his site from Bathroom Divas seasons one and two. Click on the link below and then on the bottom left corner pic and you'll see a fine picture of season two winner Elaine Brown with me at the piano.

Link

Another degree program addition

I received a barrage of comments this morning to the effect that the Lynn University Conservatory of Music offers both a Master of Music and Performer's Certificate in Collaborative Piano. Lynn has been added to the list of Degree Programs in Collaborative Piano, even though so far I haven't found any information about it on the school's website. Nevertheless, greetings to Tao Lin, director of the program and colleague of mine at the Bowdoin Festival for the last two years.

American opera resources at usopera.com

At usopera.com you can find just about anything you need to know about American opera, including info on composers, operas, recommended arias by fach, scores, recordings, and downloads.

Link

Musicians as Entrepreneurs

A Business Week article by Kerry Miller outlines some of the arts development and leadership programs (at the Eastman, Juilliard, and Manhattan Schools of Music) that are beginning to take shape in schools of music in order to prepare students for the changing realities of the classical music world. An excerpt:

...critics say music schools still aren't doing enough to prepare students for the real world. "How in good conscience can we continue to graduate thousands of students a year who have no hope of getting a job in the field they were trained for?" asks Michael Drapkin, a business consultant and former symphony clarinetist who got funding from the Kauffman Foundation to support an annual conference in North Carolina on music entrepreneurship called BCOME.

This article should be recommended reading for all music graduates, and for that matter all administrators of music programs. Preparing students for what awaits them in the profession is a reality that is too often ignored. Training students in these skills not only provides a way for them to have a better chance at making a living in their field once they graduate, but will move the classical music industry forward from the accomplishments of those that will excel at leadership and innovation.

Update 03/30/07:

Valerie Peake writes in the Free2Create blog:

The skepticism among what the article refers to as 'the old guard' may relate to feelings of, "Oh well, we all managed in my day", or "We don't want to commercialize the classical music business in the same way as pop music" or "Well, it's not our job to provide training in these skills-- we're here to teach music". I understand all of these attitudes... and yet the deafening silence with regard to these issues when I was at music school was unhelpful to say the least. Of course, I could have found out all these things for myself, and I eventually did, but I learned the hard way, and I know I'm not alone in my experience.

The Canada Council for the Arts is 50

The Canada Council for the Arts as part of its 50th birthday celebration is offering a challenge:

The Canada Council invites you to join in its celebration by seeking out 50 special arts experiences this year that will put you in closer touch with the life of your community. You don’t have to spend a lot of money – or even leave home. You can listen to a great concert on the radio from the comfort of your armchair. You can have your friends over for a book club. You can write a poem, or sign up for dance classes or watch a Canadian film. Anything related to the arts counts.

Then tell the Canada Council about your experiences – what you liked, what you didn’t like, what you learned, what were the most exciting discoveries.

An interactive website for the Arts Challenge will be launched by the Canada Council this Thursday.

Link

You can send email with your experiences to 50 [at] canada council dot ca

Choreographed Allerseelen

This performance of Richard Strauss' Allerseelen by baritone Carlos Rodriguez and pianist Eduardo Moreira also features the choreography of Victória Milanez in a recent Porto Alegre studio performance.

Norman Lebrecht's new blog

Norman Lebrecht in one of his columns a few months ago had some serious questions regarding the quality and purpose of classical music bloggers:

Esoteric as it may seem, the supposed fraud shows up the flaws of a classical blogosphere that trades in unchecked trivia. Classical blogs are spreading but their nutritional value is lower than a bag of crisps. Unlike financial blogs, which yield powerful and profitable secrets, classical web-chat is opinion-rich and info-poor.

Introducing Norman Lebrecht's new blog on ArtsJournal: Slipped Disc.

(Via WTB)

Some highlights from the 2007 Collaborative Conference in Toronto

Although this weekend was one of the busiest I can remember, with workshop performances of The Shadow with Tapestry New Opera Works and trying to fit in my full teaching schedule, I nevertheless had some time to check out some of the offerings at the MTNA Collaborative Conference at the Sheraton Centre. Doing the conference full-time is something I'll have to leave for future years, but of the workshops and products I did have a chance to see, here are two that that definitely stand out:

The Piano Workbook

Barbara Siemens is a fellow graduate of the University of British Columbia. Her brand-new Piano Workbook (published only a few weeks ago) is a wonderful tie-in with the curriculum for the Royal Conservatory Examinations system. In ten volumes keyed to each RCM grade, this workbook is a one-stop compendium of the skills needed to excel at each grade. Each volume includes sections on goal-setting, practicing (including info on learning new repertoire, methods of working on repertoire or technique, and preparation for performance), general musicianship, technique (I particularly like her one-page technique charts and fingering cheat-sheets), and a weekly lesson record for both lesson assignments and practice tracking. This series will be a welcome addition to my studio, especially for the higher grades where keeping track of a mountain of examination requirements is a continual challenge for senior students. You can buy the series either through the website or through retailers as this new offering becomes available.

Christopher Norton Connections for piano

Of all the products and workshops I saw, this one is definitely the killer app of the conference. Graded to follow the Royal Conservatory Examinations system, each volume contains popular selections in swing, lyrical, latin, and character styles. Each piece is well thought-out and integrates skills and musicianship in works that will be a lot of fun to play. You can bet that this series will be highly integrated into the upcoming 2008 piano curriculum.

But perhaps the greatest selling point of this series is that each piece is not only a solo one, but has an orchestral accompaniment that can be downloaded. Each book comes with a password that can be entered in the members area of the Connections website which allows you to download sound files for either practice or performance tempos, both with and without piano. The kick that students will get out of playing with orchestra and rhythm section on each and every track will in my opinion be something that gets both kids and adults coming back for more and more in this series, and in piano instruction in general. Although many methods and publications now come with CDs or the works, Connections is one of the first to actively use free downloads as part of its learning process. I'm particularly pleased that playing along with the orchestrations can give students a genuine taste for playing in an ensemble situation and will help build skills that can be used in collaborative playing. This is definitely a series that will have a longstanding influence once it becomes adopted by teachers and students in the coming years.

Addition to Degree Programs list

The University of Sydney's Graduate Diploma in Music (Accompaniment) has been added to the list of degree programs in collaborative piano.

Link to program page on University of Sydney site
Link to list of degree programs in collaborative piano

Tapestry Composer-Librettist Laboratory call for applications

The call for submissions for the 2007 Tapestry Composer/Librettist laboratory was just released this morning. The press release is copied below for writers and composers who might be interested. The deadline is May 1.


CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
Tapestry New Opera Works
Composer-Librettist Laboratory 2007
General Statement
The heart and soul of Tapestry’s new work creation programme is the Composer-Librettist Laboratory. After ten successive “Lib-Labs”, this programme has been carefully honed for composers and writers to test, exercise and develop their collaborative writing and composing skills in the music theatre/opera art form. For most composers and writers the artistic process is a solitary one. Tapestry provides development, guidance and financial support through the often lengthy, but ultimately rewarding, new work creation process.

Eligibility / Requirements
Professional composers and writers who are collaboration-minded, willing to explore new approaches to music theatre/opera creation and able to constructively critique their own and others’ work.

* Composers and writers must agree to enter the Lab as equals, with neither discipline taking precedence over the other.
* All participants accepted into the programme will receive a residency bursary offered by Tapestry that covers program fees of $2,000. Participants selected will be responsible for their own travel and accommodation.
* Participants must be available from August 13th to 24th (inclusive) on a full-time basis.

Guidelines for Submissions
All applicants please submit:

1. A cover letter that includes your name, address, telephone & fax numbers, e-mail address & Web site
2. A resume or CV outlining your professional experience and relevant academic and professional training.
3. A one-page description stating your interest in participating and why you would benefit from the program. This may be included as part of the cover letter.
4. For applicants who do not yet have a known body of work, a letter of reference from a professional in the field.

Composers - In addition to #1 through #4 above, please submit:

* Two samples of your work, including scores and recordings, at least one sample of work written for the voice.

Writers - In addition to #1 through #4 above, please submit:

* Two samples of your work including an excerpt from a dramatic work for the stage.

Please limit your submission of samples to a maximum of 20 pages.

Submissions must be postmarked on or before the submissions deadline.

Deadline for Submissions: May 01, 2007
Notification Date: June 5, 2007

Submissions should be directed to the Attention of
Ms. Susan Worthington, Producing Director
BY MAIL, to:
Tapestry new opera works
55 Mill Street, Bldg # 58
The Cannery, Studio 316
Toronto, ON M5A 3C4

For More Information Please Contact:
Susan Worthington, Producing Director
416 537- 6066 ext 225
liblab [at] tapestrynewopera dot com

Phonetic transcriptions of songs and arias from IPA Source

Looking for a correct IPA transcription and a word-for-word translation of a song or aria? IPA Source provides all this for over 1350 poetic and 260 aria texts. Since this is a commercial site, there are fees for the services offered, ranging from $1.50 for an individual text or more for a full subscription. Here are a few free samples:

Botschaft--Daumer's text as set by Brahms
Vissi d'arte from Puccini's Tosca

A fascinating extra on the site is an explanation of the fach system, with explanations, representative arias, and sample recordings of the different voice types.

Online readings of French poetry

An interesting find this morning was Vive Voix, a collection of over 220 French poems read by native speakers, organized by author, title, and first line that can be found on the Wheaton College website.

Link

One busy weekend

This will be one of the busiest weekends in recent memory, which will find me shuttling between Tapestry New Opera Works (for this weekend's performances of The Shadow) and the Sheraton Centre for the MTNA conference. Today at the conference is Pedagogy Friday, which this year features information and workshops hosted by RCM Examinations.

My teaching studio has been one happy place the last few days, as I was given a large number of free tickets to distribute for tomorrow's recital by Yefim Bronfman at Massey Hall.

Up at 5:45 this morning in order to catch the 7:15 express train to Toronto to catch the RCM Examiner's breafast (I'm currently an Apprentice Examiner but get to attend the events nonetheless), then to the morning's events. Time allowing, I should hopefully have some time to post about the weeked's activities. Also be sure to check my new Twitter feed on the sidebar for quick updates.

Laura Landauer aka Gypsy Miller on YouTube

Gypsy Miller, the alter-ego of Bathroom Divas finalist Laura Landauer, has many talents--this YouTube features her singing "Love Me Tender" as Elvis, Cher, and Celine all in the same video.

Elaine Brown's photographer

The photographer that did the shots for Elaine Brown's website also has a blog. You can read Brian Buchsdruecker's thoughts on Elaine and the competition from his posting in Absolute/Bookstrucker Photography.

Josh Nemith in Cinncinati

Earlier today I discovered Joshua Nemith's Cincinnati Pianist Blog. Josh and I knew each other at Eastman over 10 years ago and it will be a pleasure to see how his blog develops over the next while. Josh's mission for the blog in his bio: "an educational service for his students as well as a forum to foster online support and commentary for the musical arts." It doesn't get better than that. Stay tuned.

Elaine Brown's website

Visit the beautiful new flash-enabled website of Bathroom Divas winner Elaine Brown, with links to upcoming events, her bio, a picture gallery, as well as a link to purchase her CD.

Bathrom Divas winner Elaine featured on Bravo press release

The official Bravo!/CHUM news release naming Elaine Hefferton Brown as the winner of Bathroom Divas Season 2.

Link

YouTube of Francesco Libetta playing the Ligeti Devil's Staircase

An earlier posting of the Greg Anderson video of the Ligeti 13th Etude ("The Devil's Staircase") featured some awesome camera action. This YouTube offering of Francesco Libetta playing the work features similar interesting camera techniques, including an overhead rotating shot.



Not to be missed: Gyorgy Ligeti's Myspace Page

Gyorgy Ligeti: Etudes for Piano - Volume 3 (Engraved Edition) Composed by Gyorgy Ligeti (1923-). Collection for solo piano. 24 pages. Published by Schott. (HL.49012977) See more info...

The Shadow workshop next weekend

This is my only day off in a workshop production of Alex Poch-Golden and Omar Daniel's new opera The Shadow currently in rehearsal at Tapestry New Opera Works. It's a pleasure to be back as pianist and repetiteur at Tapestry with some singers both familiar and new to the company:

• Carla Huhtanen, soprano
• Keith Klassen, tenor
• Daniel Taylor, countertenor
• Alex Dobson, baritone
• Giles Tomkins, bass-baritone

The production is anchored by director (and Bathroom Divas judge) Tom Diamond and musical director Wayne Strongman.

The Shadow workshop runs this weekend on March 23, 24, and 25 at 8pm in the Ernest Balmer Studio in the Distillery District.

Jeremy Fisher's blog

I recently discovered the blog of Jeremy Fisher a few weeks ago, and it deserves praise as one of the best ones in the field. Jeremy Fisher is a vocal coach and pianist in London who writes about his professional experiences, vocal pedagogy, and preparation for auditions with an emphasis on musical theatre. This is essential reading for the collaborative pianist. A snippet from his recent post on his first professional audition:

When I arrived in Sheffield, the musical director, Jeremy Sams, met me at the stage door and took me to a dressing room. No piano, but that didn't seem to bother him. I talked a bit about what I had done at college, then asked if he wanted to hear me play. "No, it's OK. You won the same prize that I did, so I know what standard you are. You've got the job".

And I hadn't played a note to anyone.

Also check out Jeremy's Vocal Process website with many useful articles on singing, pedagogy, and computer voice analysis.

Upgrade!

Today I finally upgraded the template to the new Blogger standard with drag-and-drop functionality. I lost a few of the scripts, but the layout now works better, and I must admit the previous template never loaded entirely properly on anything other than IE.

A few more Bathroom Divas tidbits

Here are a few interesting items from season two:

• The house where the show was filmed was located on Toronto's prestigious Bridle Path, just southeast of Bayview and York Mills.
• The final four singers did a quick trip for a performance at the Festival of the Sound in Parry Sound that never made it to the final cut of the show. For me, this was one of the defining moments for the singers, where they both bonded as a group and really came into their own as singers in front of a sold-out audience in the visually and acoustically stunning Charles Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts.
• The Georgia Straight's Jessica Werb leaked the identity of the winner in this review of November 2nd, 2006. I found out about this in an email following the performance. As late as mid-November the article showed up #1 on Google searches for "bathroom divas elaine", until presumably the Straight was asked (or told) to de-list the article from Google, since the article can now only be accessed through the Straight's front page.
• Except for the Straight's leak, the secret of the winner's identity was kept meticulously this time around. In fact, rumors were swirling in Toronto in the past week that Phil had won the show.
• No word as of yet regarding a third season. Stay tuned for any announcements regarding the next round of auditions should the show be renewed.
  

Bathroom Divas 2 Episode 6 recap

WARNING AND SPOILER ALERT: Do not read this posting unless you want to learn or already know the identity of the second season winner of Bathroom Divas.


The end of the last episode left us with Phil, Paul, and Elaine awaiting their fate after having sung for judges Mary Lou Fallis, Liz Upchurch, Daniel Lichti, and Tom Diamond along with guest judges Catherine Robbin and Yves Abel.

The season finale, rather than picking up from this point, started with a review of the entire 2nd season to date.

We then saw Phillip Holmes at home in Shawville, Quebec--singing on a landscaping job while operating a bulldozer, teaching a young piano student, and singing around the campfire with his buddies.

Visiting Elaine in Calgary, we find that her singing was often sidelined in an earlier unhappy marriage and only recently did she return to operatic singing. Celebrated Calgary voice teacher Elaine Higgin Case made a cameo appearance talking about Elaine's progress.

Next, Paul sings while doing his job as a crane operator on a construction site. At the Hamilton Conservatory Paul has a lesson with Roland Fix, who comments on his progress. We also see him at home with his family in Hamilton.

Back to the final vote-off...

Phil was eliminated, leaving only Paul and Elaine left.

Elaine Hefferton Brown was then announced as the winner of the second season of Bathroom Divas.

Returning to Toronto, Elaine continues her coaching (and stays alone at the house this time) with Mary Lou and Liz, working on "Io son l'umile ancella" from Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur. For her final coaching, she works with Tom Diamond at the Royal Conservatory (with Nicole Bellamy at the piano), later joined by Liz Upchurch.

In Vancouver, Elaine rehearses with Bramwell Tovey prior to her rehearsal with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in the Orpheum Theatre. Before going out for her performance, she is joined by the four judges for a few last words. At last, finally, we see an entire aria on the show, beautifully filmed with shots of the judges, VSO players, and the other 5 singers, flown out for the occasion. This final performance was probably the highlight of the first two years of the show for me. After documentary-style footage for nearly the entire series, it was refreshing to hear Elaine's "Io son l'humile ancella" in its entirety.

Wendy's new publicity shots

Our recent trip to Ottawa wasn't just about Wendy's performance with the Ottawa Choral Society. Wendy also had a photo session with her agent Abby Gossage, who in addition to heading Gossage Artists Management is also an avid photographer who specializes in natural light. Here is one of the photos from their session in Abby's studio in downtown Ottawa.

Link to Wendy's site

Wendy to perform in Nanaimo and Campbell River this weekend

Wendy leaves tomorrow morning for Vancouver Island to sing the Vivaldi Stabat Mater with the Vancouver Island Symphony conducted by Marlin Wolfe. Violinist Tetsumi Nagata will also be playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons on the program. In addition to the performances in Nanaimo and Campbell River, Wendy will also be recording the Vivaldi with the orchestra for an upcoming CD release.

Link to Nanaimo listing
Link to Campbell River listing

Bathroom Divas 2 Episode 5

This week's episode saw the three remaining finalists prepare for and perform in the final vote-off. At the beginning of the episode, the three found out that the judges requested that they perform the arias they learned for the first week in order to gauge progress throughout boot camp. These arias are:

Phil: "O du mein holder Abenstern" from Wagner's Tannhauser
Elaine: "Senza mamma" from Puccini's Suor Angelica
Paul: "Questa o quella" from Verdi's Rigoletto

After coaching these arias with Mary Lou Fallis and Dan Lichti with Susan Black at the piano (I was at the Tapestry composer/librettist laboratory for a few days), internationally renowned soprano Measha Brueggergosman visited the house to offer advice on the finalists' appearance and dress. This was followed by a shopping expedition where Measha chose the finalists' outfits for the final performance.

A day of coaching with Tom Diamond followed, in which all three were asked to go beyond what they had previously allowed themselves in order to more fully engage with the drama of their arias (a highlight was Phil being asked to do half a dozen laps around the pool prior to singing his aria in order to more fully access his physicality).

The next day I was back at the house to play for the final day of coachings. Each singer was allowed to choose their coach for the final day: Phil chose Tom, Elaine chose Dan, and Paul chose Liz. That afternoon, season one finalists Elton Lammie and Sonja Gustafson came to the house to share their experiences with this year's singers.

That evening, Paul, Elaine, and Phil were asked to do an impromptu dress rehearsal of their arias.

The final day of boot camp featured the finalists performing for the judges at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto, with myself at the piano. The guest judges were mezzo-soprano Catherine Robbin and conductor Yves Abel. Phil, Paul and then Elaine, all showing remarkable improvement, sang for the judges and received a positive response on the amount of growth they had shown in their final performance.

Next week on the Bathroom Divas season finale: the judges' deliberations and the announcement of the winner...

RCM Community School summer catalog released

The Community School at the Royal Conservatory of Music has just released its summer lineup of courses.

Link to courses
Link to registration info

Collaborative pianist discussion thread on NFCS

A recent thread on the New Forum for Classical Singers contains some interesting thoughts and insights on the collaborative piano world by various members of the forum.

Link

Paul Abelha on YouTube

This recent clip of Paul Abelha features the Bathroom Divas finalist singing "E lucevan le stelle" with pianist Lauren Cho. For watchers of the Bravo!Canada reality show, it's interesting to note the marked improvement in Paul's singing since the show taped (last August). Glad to see that the show's transformational raison d'etre has shown some fine results in Paul's case.



Link to Paul Abelha's site

Tosca Vocal Score. By Giacomo Puccini. (score). Vocal Score. Size 8x10.7 inches. 408 pages. Published by Ricordi. (50482552) See more info...

Prouvost and Sévilla to perform at Borderless Song this weekend

The latest installment of Christopher Burton's Borderless Song series features violinist (and former Zino Francescatti pupil) Gaëtane Prouvost performing with pianist Jean-Paul Sévilla at Forest Grove United Church on Sunday, March 11 at 7:30. The recital will feature works by Hahn, Franck, and Ravel. Tickets are $25, free to children under 12.

For more information, contact borderless_song [at] yahoo dot see eh

With some technical problems happening at the Borderless Song website, artistic director Christopher Burton has kindly asked me to post Prouvost's and Sevilla's bios on this site, which I have done below:

Violinist Gaetane Prouvost studied at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique of Paris where, at the age of sixteen, she unanimously won the First Prize in violin and chamber music. Later she was named laureate of the Carl Flesch International Violin Competition of London and following the advice of Zino Francescatti, she went to New York to study with Ivan Galamian at the Juilliard School of Music. Invited to play in numerous locations in the United States, in particular Carnegie Hall, she started her international career under the direction of orchestra directors such as James Colon, Michai Bredichianou, and Serge Baudo. She participated in television and radio shows both in France and abroad. Olivier Messiaen personally chose her for a performance in the former Soviet Union of his "Quartet for the End of Time."

Her activities are divided between her career as a soloist and her position as a teacher at Paris Conservatory. She also teaches at the CGFC in Paris.

Her exceptional technique allows her to approach the modern repertoire with great ease. Many recent works have been dedicated to her. She is frequently invited to the Ensemble Intercontemporain under the direction of Pierre Boulez, Gary Bertini, or Kent Nagano. Her recordings of the two sonatas by Sergei Prokofiev with Abdel-Rahman El Bacha were enthusiastically greeted by critics, notably by Gramaphone, Diapason, and Le Monde de la Musique,, “L’ame et la corde” which was described as “a stupefying recording of great sound beauty.”

French pianist Jean-Paul Sevilla gave his first recital at the age of nine. At the age of fourteen entered the National Conservatory of Music of Paris where he obtained the First Prize in piano, as well as a unanimous Prix d'honneur which has not been awarded since. He also received the First Prize in chamber music.
In 1959 he captured, also unanimously, the First Prize at the Geneva International Competition. His numerous tours, as soloist and chamber musician, have taken him from Europe and Africa to both Americas and Asia. Now a Canadian citizen as well, he was bom in Algeria, of Spanish descent.

For more than twenty years Jean-Paul Sévilla lived in Ottawa where he is now Professor Emeritus, after being full professer of piano, chamber music and piano literature at the University of Ottawa, while continuing his successful career as a concert pianist, lecturer and clinician. He even taught a course in Opera! He has produced many talented young artists, many of whom have won top awards at different international competitions. His musical and intellectual culture have made him in high demand for courses, lectures and master classes alike. As a writer, he has had many articles published in musical journals in the United States. He is a noted expert on Fauré and Ravel, whose complete works he has often performed.

In 1986 he spent one year as guest professor at the Musashino University in Tokyo, and has since returned every year to Asia, adding Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and Hong Kong to his tours. Jean-Paul Sévilla has directed summer courses in Europe (Aix en Provence, Perpignan, Toulon, Nice, Poitiers, Saint Jean de Luz, Flaine, Courchevel) in Canada (Orford, Banff , Victoria) and in Korea. From 1997 to 2001 Jean-Paul Sevilla has been teaching at the Schola Cantorum in Paris, and from September to December 1999, he was guest Professor at the Oberlin (Ohio) Conservatory of Music. He is regularly invited as a jury member at national and international competitions such as Munich, Lisbon, Porto, Cleveland, Marsala, Senigallia, Jaen, Orléans, Cagliari, Moscow, Leipzig as well as the Paris Conservatoire, The Pro Musicis Competition, Le Concours des Grands Amateurs, the Canada Art Council, the Canadian Music Competitions etc.

Jean-Paul Sévilla has released a C.D. featuring works of Vincent d'Indy and Albert Roussel and an album of two CDs entitled "Homage to childhood" with works of Debussy, Prokovief, Ibert, Grovlez, and the world premiere of works by Pierné and Soulima Stravinsky. More recently, he has recorded works by Fauré in Japan and in France (Préludes op.103).
A recent CD of the world premiere of Gabriel Pierné's Variations in C minor has just been awarded a Diapason d'Or, the highest award given by the French music magazine "Diapason". A new album including Fauré's complete Nocturnes has just been released and critically acclaimed.

Jean-Paul Sévilla is an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters (France).

Recital tomorrow with James Langridge

Here is the program for the recital I will be playing tomorrow with trumpeter James Langridge at the Royal Conservatory.

James Langridge, trumpet
ADO Year 1 Recital
with Christopher Foley, Piano,
Angela Burns, Soprano,
and the Glenn Gould Brass
8:00 PM, March 9th, 2007
Rm 305, The Royal Conservatory of Music

Legend by Georges Enesco

Six Songs, Op. 48 by Edvard Grieg
-Lauf der Welt
-Zur Rosenzeit
-Ein Traum

Opening Aria from “Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen”, BWV 51 by J.S. Bach
with Angela Burns, Soprano

Intermission

Sonata by Halsey Stevens
I. Allegro Moderato
II. Adagio tenero
III. Allegro

Street Song by Michael Tilson Thomas
with the Glenn Gould Brass: James Langridge, trumpet, Stéphanie Lavoie, trumpet, Joel Green, trombone, Laure Valiquette-Talbot, horn, and Adam More, bass trombone.

Admission is free. Hope to see you there!

Not your average pianist video

This YouTube of Greg Anderson playing Ligeti's 13th Etude ("The Devil's Staircase") is one of the most inventive videos I have yet seen of a piano performance. The piano recital is alive and well!



Link to Greg's website
(Via Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise)

Gyorgy Ligeti: Etudes for Piano - Volume 3 (Engraved Edition) Composed by Gyorgy Ligeti (1923-). Collection for solo piano. 24 pages. Published by Schott. (HL.49012977) See more info...

The lost world of graphic scores

Remember the days when composers were all trying to reinvent the wheel with their score layouts? Check out this page for some great examples.

(Via well tempered, who has links to even more monstrosities)

Accompanists' Guild of New South Wales

"Fidelitas comes veraque" or "Fidelity and true partnership" reads the motto of the Accompanists' Guild of New South Wales, an organization similar to the Accompanists' Guild of South Australia and mentioned in an earlier article. The New South Wales guild lists as its code of practice these ideals:

• Undertake to be thoroughly prepared
• Share their knowledge and expertise
• Promote rapport and encourage confidence in musical performance
• Uphold professional standards at all times

Registration and contact info is listed on the site. Registration fees go toward the organization of a New South Wales collaborative piano competition.

Gypsy Miller Bathroom Divas mashup on YouTube

Gypsy Miller makes an appearance on YouTube with some advice for Laura Landauer of the Bathroom Divas final four.

Bathroom Divas 2 Episode 4 recap

This episode featured the four remaining singers preparing duets for the second to last vote-off. The duets were:

"O soave fancuilla" from Puccini's La Boheme with Paul Abelha and Laura Landauer
"Love Unspoken" from Lehar's The Merry Widow with Phillip Holmes and Elaine Hefferton

Both pairs had much to overcome. Paul and Laura had to gain an understanding of a more difficult operatic style in only a few days--in fact, Laura had never sung a high C before. Phil and Elaine struggled to overcome their personal differences in order to create a believable performance.

The well-known fight director John Stead then worked with the four on stage combat training. (John also was the fight director for Tapestry's recent production of Nigredo Hotel)

Phil, Elaine, Laura, and Paul were then invited to watch their performances from the previous vote-off, along with some of the more blunt comments from the audience in the feedback session that followed that performance.

This week's vote-off was held at the MacMillian Theatre in the University of Toronto Faculty of Music. The guest judges were tenor Luc Robert and Carroll Anne Curry from Dean Artist Management. The fly in the ointment this week was that both groups were asked to sing their duets twice. Elaine and Phil chose not to mention this to Paul and Laura when they came back into the dressing room.

And when the dust settled, it was Laura Landauer that was eliminated this week, much to the consternation of both Phil and Paul, as we discover at the end of the episode.

(Some interesting trivia: Elton Lammie and Sonja Anderson also sang the "Love Unspoken" duet in the first season.)

FWD:Music just over a month away

It's just over a month until the concert I've been organizing at the Royal Conservatory finally happens. If audience and revenues support such a venture, it's the goal of the RCM Faculty Association (under whose auspices this recital is happening) to create an ongoing series that will fund a projected scholarship for the Community School on behalf of the Faculty Association. Judging by the lineup for the first concert (see poster), it should be a fascinating evening.

FWD:Music will be happening on Saturday, April 7th at 8pm in the Concert Hall of the RCM. Tickets are $15/10 and families are $30.

New Canadian Classical Music Blog

My colleague Jamie Thompson at the Royal Conservatory has just launched a new blog entitled Urban Flute Project that blends his photography of various Toronto landmarks with soundclips of his own flute playing. The picture on the right was taken by Jamie outside the soon-to-be-finished RCM main location at 273 Bloor Street. Of his mission, Jamie writes:

Welcome to Urban Flute Project… Refresh your senses and join me as I explore hidden parts of Toronto, flute in hand, to reinvigorate classical music and bring new relevance to flute-playing in our modern world…discover buildings and shops that are easily overlooked…listen to our city in a whole new way.

This great new site will be a welcome addition to the small but ever-growing Canadian classical music blogosphere.

Cheap Urtexts are once again at Costco

The Koenemann Urtext editions are once again on sale at Toronto-area Costco locations. Here's my latest haul, all picked up for $4.39 each:

• Beethoven Sonatas (Volumes 1-4)
• Debussy Children's Corner and Individual Pieces
• Scott Joplin Ragtime works
• The Alte Taenze anthology, which is a collection of various Baroque dance forms with examples from various composers

I must admit the idea of a Scott Joplin Urtext is perhaps going a bit far, since textual accuracy is kind of a moot point for ragtime scores, which were already supposedly dumbed down for the mass market in the early 20th century. Nevertheless, a neat and tidy ragtime edition is always a welcome edition to my library, whose ragtime section is dominated by thick Dover fascimile editions. The Alte Taenze anthology looks interesting for teaching purposes at least, with various examples of dance forms such as the Allemade, Courante, Sarabande, Gigue, Minuet, Polonaise and Waltz by composers famous and not-so-famous.

The Chopin Etudes and Bach French Suites are also on sale.

Paul Abelha's website

Bathroom Divas finalist Paul Abelha recently launched his website, complete with soundclips, events, and contact information. His album Black & White with pianist Lauren Cho is now for sale on the site, and be sure to check out the release party on Tuesday, April 3rd at 6:30pm at Sopra Upper Lounge in Toronto.