Who Will Replace Richard Bradshaw?

The quest has begun to find a replacement for the late Richard Bradshaw to lead the Canadian Opera Company. In today's Toronto Star, Jon Terauds does some hypothetical guesswork as to who that successor might be, both from inside and outside Canada.

Only 11 Seats Left For Opera Briefs 7 This Weekend

If you're interested in going to see Tapestry New Opera Works' Opera Briefs 7 at the Ernest Balmer Studio this weekend, there are only 11 tickets left for Saturday's performance--Friday night has already sold out, thanks in part to Jon Terauds' glowing article in today's Toronto Star. However, all is not lost if you are unable to procure a ticket for the OB7 performances at the Balmer studio--Saturday night the three final mini-operas will be performed outside at the Distillery's Pure Spirits stage as part of Nuit Blanche with free admission. As well, several mini-operas will also be performed at 1pm on the CityTV stage at Word on the Street in Queen's Park, again with free admission.

This year's opera scenes for the briefs are a particularly fine bunch, and the composers and writers have been a pleasure to work with. The music co-directors for this weekend's performances are Jennifer Tung and I, and this will be my music directorial debut in Toronto. As well, this will be the official debut of the Tapestry New Work Studio Company, a permanent resident ensemble of singers, pianists, and directors that collaborate on Tapestry's growing count of operas in various states of creation and production.

Hope to see you there!

Update:

Opening night was a great success and every seat was filled. The last I heard regarding Saturday's ticket availability was that there might be a handful of extra tickets available for walkups tomorrow evening for those that come early enough.

Opera Briefs 7 Opens Friday Night at the Distillery

Opera Briefs 7 opens tomorrow night at the Distillery and promises to be one of the best incarnations of the briefs format yet. This year, very little of the evening will be conducted, allowing for much greater independence of soloists and piano. The emotional range of the briefs is also much wider than usual. I would love to write more, but today we rehearse for 9 hours.

You can buy tickets for Opera Briefs 7 by calling 416-537-6066 ext 221. The show will probably sell out, so be sure to buy your tickets ahead of time if you plan to go. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door, and $5 for students.

Collaborative Piano Class Starts Tomorrow at the RCM

There are still some spaces available for the Collaborative Piano Class I will be teaching at the RCM Community School this year. The class runs on Wednesday evenings at 7pm starting tomorrow, and will cost $560 plus the RCM registration fee. You can find more info on the course's listing at the RCM site.

Introducing the Classical Music Blogs Pagecast

If you're a user of Pageflakes, the popular start page and social network, you might want to check out the Classical Music Blogs Pagecast I've created with plenty of the usual suspects from the classical music blogosphere, including Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise, think denk, Opera Chic, oboeinsight, Jessica Duchen, Musical Perceptions, and Urban Flute Project, as well as the CPB. No membership is required to view the pagecast.

Some cool things about the Pageflakes system is that the pagecast is listed in the public directory and I can change the content as time goes along, adding to the diverse roster of 24 feeds that are already there once newer blogs spring up.

Update:

In addition to the RSS feeds on the pagecast, I'm also adding a bookmark widget that contains as many bookmarks of classical music blogs as I can find. I've bookmarked 122 so far this evening, with many more to go.

More Doppelgangers

The recent passing of conductor George Crum and the resulting confusion with composer George Crumb (who is alive and well) resulted in a full post about musicians who share the same names but are in fact different people. Here are some more:

John Oliver, the conductor of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus
John Oliver, the celebrated Canadian composer

Kenneth Broadway, percussionist
Kenneth Broadway, pianist

I'm confused...

The CMC's Influences of Many Musics Minisite

A few months ago, the Canadian Music Centre website added a new area called Influences of Many Musics. This mini-site (with the option of flash or html navigation) provides an interactive introduction to the sounds and influences of Canadian music. Organized into areas titled Distant Timbres, Voices Afar, Other Musics, Cultural Inspiration, and Reflecting Canada, you can click on areas of the globe representing influences on Canadian music and then hear excerpts, read interviews, and see photos of various composers.

Although Influences of Many Musics only provides a small snapshot of 37 of the hundreds of composers whose music is available at the CMC, this is nevertheless a very engaging introduction to what the Canadian Music Centre is all about and has to offer.

Introducing 31 Days To Better Practicing

Starting on the first of October I will be starting a new month-long series of articles on how to make your time spent practicing more efficient, profitable, and fun. Warm-ups, goal-setting, pedaling, fingering, and how to work on a piece at every stage of the process are just some of the things I'll be talking about in the month of October. Stay tuned...

Question about degree programs in Europe

I have received an email from a reader wondering about collaborative piano/accompanying programs in continental Europe, specifically Spain or Switzerland. Does anyone know of any good programs that they can recommend?

Please feel free to email me or leave a comment.

Update 8/19/07:

A big round of thanks to Michelle Bennett of A Singer's Life for suggesting the chamber music concentration at the Musikschule Konservatorium Bern, Hochschule fur Kuenste with its great programs, diverse faculty, and low tuition compared to North American programs.

Ontario Election Debate on Cultural Issues September 26 in Toronto

As Ontario goes to the polls in the upcoming provincial election, there are many who feel that cultural issues are of prime importance in determining one's decision. On Wednesday, September 26 at 7:30pm in the Isabel Bader Theatre (93 Charles Street West, Toronto), Elvira Kurt will be moderating The Great Arts Debate, where candidates from provincial parties can voice their positions and agendas on issues of importance to artists.

The Great Arts Debate is sponsored by ACTRA Toronto, AFM Canada, Brantford Musicians’ Association, Canadian Actors Equity Association, Canadian Conference of the Arts – Conférence canadienne des Arts, Canadian Media Guild, Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario, CARFAC Ontario, Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, Directors Guild of Canada-Ontario, Mayworks, OFL Arts Committee, Ontario Public Service Employees Union, Playwrights Guild, Toronto Arts Coalition, Toronto Musicians’ Association, Writers Guild of Canada, Workers Arts and Heritage Centre, and Writers’ Union of Canada.

Pro-Arts Rally Tomorrow in Nathan Philips Square

If you're in Toronto tomorrow and you want to support the arts in the face of possible cuts to arts funding at the municipal level, there will be a public demonstration tomorrow (Wednesday) in Nathan Philips Square at 4pm. This rally will voice its support for maintaining levels of funding to essential services in Toronto and the proposed 2% land transfer tax in order to stabilize civic revenue.

Update: Tomorrow's rally will be called Empty Pools - a demo. Here is the link to the event's Facebook listing.

Operas for 6 or Fewer Singers

Question:  What is the only opera that contains no singing roles?

Answer:  Igor Stravinsky's L'Histoire du soldat, which instead uses a speaker and 3 mimed acting roles.

Rick Bogart's Opera Glass at the Stanford University site contains a very useful list of operas for 6 or fewer characters.  In this list are a number of solutions for various situations that often arise in smaller college programs and companies where the number of available voice types can tend to be skewed.  Here are some possibilities:

• Four sopranos and a tenor--Mozart's Ascanio in Alba
  
• One-woman opera for mezzo soprano--Lee Hoiby's Bon Appetit
• One mezzo, two tenors and three baritones or basses--two choices, Stravinsiy's Oedipus Rex or Massenet's La Navarraise 

The Voyager Golden Record

Millions of years from now, when humanity has either evolved beyond our comprehension or been eradicated, the two 1977 Voyager spacecraft may one day be discovered by those living beyond our solar system along the path of their journeys. The two Voyagers each contain a gold-plated disc with a series of pictures detailing basic numerical equations, diagrams of the solar system, details of human physiology, life, and habitat, and ventures into space, after which there are three final panels. They are pictures of a sunset on Earth, the Quartetto Italiano, and a violin next to a musical score. I can think of no greater statement of music's place in the human equation than the experience of going through the slideshow of these images and ending with the final one.

On the other side of the disc are recordings of greetings from the UN in multiple languages, greetings from whales, and sounds of the earth, followed by a selection of diverse music from all over the globe. Among the classical selections:

• Bach's Brandenburg Concerto #2 with Karl Richter conducting the Munich Bach Orchestra
• Arthur Grumiaux playing the "Gavotte en rondeau" from the Bach 3rd Partita
• Edda Moser singing the Queen of the Night Aria
• The Sacrificial Dance from Stravinsky's Rite of Spring with Stravinsky conducting the Columbia Symphony Orchestra
• Glenn Gould playing the Prelude from the WTC Book 2
• Beethoven's Fifth Symphony first movement, with Klemperer conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra

The last two selections on the LP are Blind Willie Johnson singing "Dark Was the Night" and the Cavatina from Beethoven's String Quartet Op. 130 played by the Budapest String Quartet. Listening to these final two selections gave me shivers thinking about just who might be playing the original LP disc if Voyager is ever found, what kind of time will have elapsed since those few excerpts of humanity's music were selected in 1977, and that whoever finds Voyager will know that music was the experience humanity valued above all others.

You can hear the whole of the Voyager Golden Record here.

The Next Few Weeks

It's been a hectic academic year so far, with a lot of returning students in my RCM studio and a fair number of new ones, in addition to my new duties as voice department head at the Community School.

The rest of September promises to be no less busy, with rehearsals starting Monday morning for Opera Briefs 7, comprised of scenes chosen from the August Composer/Librettist Laboratory, now semi-staged and in a more finished form. I'll be working with the same group of singers as in the Liblab, with the addition of director Liza Balkan.

And right in the middle of rehearsals I'll be taking a day off to play Yom Kippur services at Temple Sinai with Cantor Lori Salzman, with whom I just worked most successfully in the Rosh Hashanah Day 1 morning services (getting through the complex web of English and Hebrew cues in the 2.5 hour service twice in one morning without major glitches counts as success in this regard).

After a few days off (to be spent catching up with teaching) we move into the final stages of Opera Briefs 7, which will be performed September 28th and 29th at 8pm in the Ernest Balmer Studio. Weather permitting on the 29th, we will be performing the last few scenes outside in the festival tent at the Distillery as part of Nuit Blanche, an all-night extravaganza of contemporary art in downtown Toronto.

The very next day at 1pm, we reprise several of the scenes at Word on the Street in Queen's Park. However, I'll be sure to arrive several hours early and grab some awesome discounted books at the largest one-day literary festival on the planet.

That's my September. Which leads to my next big announcement:

On October 1, I will be starting a month-long series entitled "31 Days to Better Practicing", in which I will be discussing various ideas and elements that can improve the quality and efficiency of time spent in the practice room. More on this series in the next few days....

Salieri vs. Mozart on The Simpsons

From the February 8, 2004 "The Margical History Tour" episode of The Simpsons, featuring Bart Simpson as Mozart.

Speedlinking - 14 September 2007

Michelle Bennett has just posted the third edition of the Singer's Blog Carnival, with lots of great links.

James Naughtie writes in the TimesOnline about the healthy state of classical music.

Yesterday was Clara Schumann's birthday and just about everybody forgot except for Kate Boyd at Notes From the Ivory Tower.

Two great websites for two great artists: take a look at the new online digs of baritone Tyler Duncan and pianist Erika Switzer, featuring some gnarly custom WordPress designs by Lauren Bacon of Raised Eyebrow Web Studio.

And finally, to belatedly celebrate Clara's birthday, a wonderful clip of Daria van den Bercken playing the Clara Schumann piano concerto with JoAnn Falletta and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.

Tapestry Announces New Work Studio Company Roster

Tapestry New Opera Works has recently announced the members of its studio company, which will form the core of the company's artistic pursuits. Resident Director Tom Diamond writes:

In our New Work Studio we are evolving a new language and practice of creating opera theatre, a process that acknowledges our classical roots but freely explores the possibilities of the form in the twenty-first century. We welcome singers, coaches, designers, directors and stage managers into the process as creative partners, not merely interpreters or facilitators. They are encouraged to collaborate, explore and fully engage their artistic instincts in the developmental discovery of new music drama.

I'm really honored to be a member of the studio company and look forward to Opera Briefs, which begins rehearsal next week. Below is the full roster of directors, singers, and coaches.

Resident Director - Tom Diamond
Directors - Michael Albano, Liza Balkan
Sopranos - Carla Huhtanen, Patricia O'Callaghan, Xin Wang
Mezzo sopranos - Jessica Lloyd, Lynne McMurtry, Jean Stilwell, Theresa Tova
Tenors - Keith Klassen, James McLennan
Baritones - Alexander Dobson, Calvin Powell
Coaches/Pianists - Christopher Foley, Jennifer Tung

The CPB Top 10

Here is a tricked-out custom YouTube viewer containing the 10 most popular videos on The Collaborative Piano Blog, including Libertango, Piano Kitty, Aidan Gibbon's The Piano, Opera Bloopers and more.

An Open Letter From Toronto Arts Council

This afternoon I received an open letter from Claire Hopkinson, Executive Director of the Toronto Arts Council, posted below in its entirety.

Dear Collaborative Piano Blog readers:

The next 6 weeks may be as critical a time for the arts in Toronto as we have seen in a very long time.

I’m counting on you to read this letter thoroughly and take action.

As you know, the City is facing a $575 million dollar shortfall in its 2008 budget. City Council must now identify drastic service cuts or significant new revenue sources to address the problem.

City Council’s July deferral of the vote to increase the land transfer tax and vehicle registration tax has brought the crisis to a head. These taxes were designed to bring in $375 million next year. To date, $100 million is currently being found through cuts to basic services such as TTC, libraries and community centres. Many more cuts are now ‘being identified” to be implemented if the new taxes are not approved on October 22.

In order to avoid wholesale cuts to city services and grants, there are two possible courses of action in the short term:

• City Council supports the Mayor and passes the new tax tools at its vote on October 22.
• The province agrees to pay for its share of the services it has previously downloaded onto the city (welfare, social housing, court costs etc.).
  

I am by nature an optimist. However, I am now alarmed. There is a very real possibility that funding for many programs, including the arts, will be drastically cut if City Councillors do not hear from you and your taxpaying audiences that our city includes the arts.

It is critical that we speak up for the value of the arts to the city at this time. By "we" I mean the entire arts community, its supporters and its audiences. You cannot afford to leave this discussion in the hands of others who do not share our values.

In order to get the public - our audiences, our consumers, our patrons and our supporters – to express their priorities for a liveable city that includes investment in the arts, as well as community centres, libraries and decent transportation, the Toronto Arts Coalition is spearheading an awareness campaign. Components will include a letter campaign to the public, news bulletins and mass emails.

What can YOU do?

Include a letter from someone in your organization (i.e. board chair, artist, artistic director) regarding the value of the arts in your upcoming programs, in your newsletters or on the wall of your gallery or auditorium. Have take-away letters ready. Below we have included a sample letter which you may personalize and amend as you like …

Encourage your audiences and supporters to join the Toronto Arts Coalition. The Coalition will send out automatic emails and updates to members and make it very easy to communicate directly with elected representatives.

Membership is free.

Forward Toronto Arts Coalition emails to your Board members, colleagues, and email lists.
Please don’t hesitate to email me if you have other suggestions, are willing to do more or want to discuss this. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours truly,


Claire Hopkinson
Executive Director
Toronto Arts Council

SAMPLE LETTER TO BE DISTRIBUTED VIA PROGRAMS, FLIERS, BULLETIN BOARDS
PLEASE PERSONALIZE AND EDIT AS APPROPRIATE FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION

Dear company x supporter:

What do you value about Toronto?

This note from me, as (title, of organization name) to you, a Toronto arts supporter, is to alert you to the biggest crisis facing our city since amalgamation.

The papers have been overflowing with news of Toronto’s desperate financial state. In the next couple of months the city must either find significant new revenue sources or drastically reduce services.

As a Torontonian and an arts supporter, it is now time to make your voice heard.

If you believe, as I do, that city services, including investment in hundreds of arts organizations, are important – please join me:
Contact your city councillor (go to http://app.toronto.ca/im/council/councillors.jsp) and let them know city services, especially the arts, are important to you.
Vote Toronto – ask for a commitment from your provincial candidate to put adequate funding of Toronto at the top of their agenda.
Join the Toronto Arts Coalition and find out more: www.torontoartscoalition.org
The reason that I support the arts in Toronto is that the quality and diversity of arts activities make the city one in which I want to live, and enrich my life every day. I also know that:

• The arts are the creative engine which drives much of Toronto’s vibrancy and future economic growth.
• The arts engage our youth offering opportunities for thousands of kids in at-risk neighbourhoods through programming in community centres, schools, libraries and parks.
• Toronto is already trailing major North American cities in terms of arts funding: Vancouver, Montreal, New York, San Francisco and Chicago invest substantially more in their artists than does Toronto.
• The culture sector in Toronto employs 100,000+ and contributed over $8 billion to the city’s GDP in 2001 (Deloitte).
• Each $1 investment by Toronto Arts Council (TAC) to the city’s arts organizations attracts, on average, an additional $17 in revenue.
• Arts events fuel restaurants, hotels, taxis – the entire tourism industry.
• More Torontonians attend arts events than sporting events every year.
• Toronto Arts Council’s entire budget costs each homeowner a mere $7 per year.
  

If you want to live in a city that refuses to close its community centres, shut its subway lines, limit access to skating rinks and reduce funding to its artists… let your political leaders know what you think.

Thank you.

Yours truly,

Name
Title
Organization name

We enjoy a wonderful quality of life here in Toronto. Part of that quality resides in the efforts and accomplishments of those in the culture sector. Since arriving in Toronto in 2002, I have felt the powerful creative drive and synergy that comes from working with open-minded artists that care about their work and the well-being of the entire community. Part of the financial assistance for this kind of community to exist comes from the foresight and generosity of the City of Toronto. I hope that I am not alone in my belief that the arts are an integral part of the city's fabric and urge everyone to take action.

Claire, thanks for your letter and please keep us informed of future developments.

Making the Cut Workshop Sept. 30 at York University

If you are a high school singer and are interested in the finer points of college admissions, the third running of the Making the Cut Workshop is happening Sunday, September 30 at York University in Toronto, presented by NATS Ontario. At this workshop you can talk to representatives of voice programs at Ontario universities, colleges, or conservatories and gather the facts you need to make the best decisions about which voice program to attend.

Here is the flyer (click to enlarge):

The RCM Website is Back Online

After a 12-day outage, the RCM's website is back online, with priority given to getting Community School links up and running.

Those linking from my list of RCM Community School Quick Links will now find that the links once again work.

Houston Symphony Issues Trading Cards

The Houston Symphony is issuing trading cards this season that highlight its musicians, with an initial set of 33 cards initially rolled out this summer.

What a brilliant way to use the musicians of the orchestra as a potential collector's item for students. Many young students of orchestral instruments look up to those in their city's orchestra as superstars in the same way that kids traditionally look up to sports heroes. The trading cards format can spread the message among school classrooms and hallways in ways that traditional grown-up vehicles such as brochures and glitzy websites cannot.

Want to get in on the trading card action? Education World has a tutorial by Lorrie Jackson on how to make trading cards with Microsoft Word.

An Understandable Mistake

The recent passing of former National Ballet music director George Crum was a cause for some confusion, as news of it caused Jamie at Urban Flute Project to imply that George Crumb had actually passed away (the posting was later taken down and reposted). The mixup was perfectly understandable--two major musical figures shared the same name. Which got me thinking, Georges Crum and Crumb aren't the only well-known musicians who share names.

There are also Jeff Cohen the instrumental collaborative pianist and Jeff Cohen the vocal collaborative pianist.

Two pianists are named Martin Jones: one American and one British.

Many people confuse John Williams the conductor and composer with John Williams the guitarist.

Publishers in the 1820's got Franz Schubert of Vienna confused with Franz Schubert of Dresden.

And last but not least, Transona Five guitarist Chris Foley, ambient guitarist Chris Foley, Heavystud drummer Chris Foley, and Chris Foley the Newfoundland tech blogger share names with me.

Collaborative Piano Class at the RCM Community School

With any luck, the RCM main site will be up and running in a few days--until then here is the info for the collaborative piano class I will be teaching this year at the Royal Conservatory of Music Community School:

Collaborative Piano Class

Who: Advanced pianists

Start Date: September 26

Duration: 28 one-hour classes

Tuition: 8 monthly payments of $73.50 or one payment of $560 (+ 60 student services fee)

Prerequisite: Students must be 14 years of age or older and playing at RCM Grade 9 Level

The Collaborative Piano class provides an opportunity for advanced pianists to explore and learn vocal and instrumental music that includes piano. Participants will receive hands-on experience learning the skills that can turn a pianist into a well-rounded and valued partner that will excel in both the rehearsal room and concert hall. Opera, art song, concerto reductions, duet playing, sight-reading, and keyboard skills are just some of the activities that will enrich a pianist’s life in this exciting new class.

Interested students can contact me at collaborative piano [AT] gmail dot com or call the Community School registration line at (416) 408-2825.

Collaborative Piano Anagrams

Using Wordsmith.org's Internet Anagram Server, here is an unbelievable list of some humorous anagrams made from rearranging the letters of "collaborative piano". Try this with your name or blog title and see what outrageous words and phrases you can find!

A poor cantabile viol
A bacterial vino pool
A capable violin root
A cabaret polo violin
A love op calibration
A botanical olive pro
A poor botanical veil
A poor evil botanical
On a parabolic violet
Not a parabolic olive
Onto a parabolic veil
A parabolic vine tool
Into a parabolic love
A pole violin acrobat
A cool invariable pot
A trainable viol coop
A baronial voice plot
A baronial topic, love
Over a banal politico
A vibe pro allocation
A vocational bile pro
A carnival oboe pilot
A capital bolero vino
A poor libel vacation
A carpal oblivion toe
A loopier vacant boil
A varietal bloop icon
A tropic vanilla oboe
A poetic vanilla boor
Poor available tonic
Oboe carpal at violin
Plain oil oboe cravat
Valiant crap oboe oil
Avian oboe local trip
Atonal oboe viral pic
Atonal oboe rival pic
An apricot oboe villa
Oboe clap viola train
Plain rival oboe taco
Oboe atop car villain
Reboot alpaca violin

Getting Gigs Without Representation, and a Case for Classical Music Blogging

It goes without saying that Michelle Bennett's post on Lots of Ways to Get a Singing Job Without an Agent is a definitive list of methods for a non-represented classical singer to achieve gainful employment through hard work, tireless marketing, right intentions, and a little luck.

I would add one more item to Michelle's list:

Employ a Publicist. More and more singers I know of that are getting work these days are doing so with the aid of a publicist that is not necessarily schooled in the ways of classical music, but in how to prepare a great package, issue press releases, arrange media coverage, and create buzz for their clients. As opposed to the old-school method of the agent contacting a closed group of presenters and arranging auditions, a publicist can create an image for an artist, find their niche, and determine which media are best for spreading interest.

Case in point: A recent posting on this blog came about after I had been contacted by a publicist (to be more specific, a boutique marketing consultant) that had thoroughly researched her clients' niche and the media outlets that would be best positioned to create a buzz. I was flattered that she contacted me with links to all relevant content, including video embeds, and then I posted the content which was indeed congruent with my blog's mission.

The only quibble I would have with Michelle's list, and this comes with a little experience of North American agencies, is that she should have named the list "Lots of Ways to Get a Singing Job Even If You Already Have an Agent". Even if you pay an agency for representation, the ultimate responsibility for getting work lies with the artist. I know lots of singers on the rosters of major agencies and have no work.

Michelle also writes that she has not had any success getting engagements via her blog so far. I think this is a shortcoming of presenters rather than any limitation of the blogging platform (which tends to create sites with greater SEO than many traditional sites). There is a definite niche of blogging performers around these days, including Michelle, Hugh Sung, Patricia Mitchell, Tom Meglioranza, Jeremy Denk, Ann-Carolyn Bird, Joshua Nemith, and myself (if I may be so bold). The advantage of hiring performers with blogs is that in addition to hiring the talents of the performer, they also in effect engaging free advertising on their performer's blog.

However, many people that I mention classical music blogging to end up looking at me as though I were discussing a genre of science fiction. Perhaps we're behind the times in this field, where a musician scheduling rehearsals on a PDA will still get responses like "Oooooh, you're utilizing technology!"

For the record, I get performing and administrative work from this blog, although to date it is much harder to get students from it.

Windows Live Translator Beta--A New Tool for Singers and Pianists?

Microsoft has recently released a beta version of a Windows Live Translator, powered by Systran. This service is reportedly more advanced than either Google Language Tools or Babel Fish, perhaps using a more advanced version of Systran, as surmised by Alex Chitu.

At any rate, let's put it to the test. In a previous posting, I inputted the text to Heine's Du bist wie eine Blume into Google Language tools, with unfortunate results. So with the next generation of translation tools, the results should be better, right?

Here we go!

The original German:

Du bist wie eine Blume
So hold und schön und rein;
Ich schau' dich an,
Und Wehmut schleicht mir ins Herz hinein.
Mir ist, als ob ich die Hände
Aufs Haupt dir legen sollt',
Betend, daß Gott dich erhalte
So rein und schön und hold.

The German to English translation via Windows Live Translator Beta:

You are like a flower
So hold and beautifully and purely;
I schau' you on,
And nostalgia creeps me in the heart inside.
Me is, as if I the hands
On the head put to you sollt',
Praying that God receives you
So purely and beautifully and hold.

Nope. Exactly the same result as I got on the posting of January 1, 2006 with no changes to the untranslated words or syntax issues. Oh well--just check out my post on 10 ways to translate song and aria texts into English for the gentle human touch needed for viable poetic and dramatic translations.

Two Youtube Videos of Pavarotti Singing Nessun Dorma

One of the glories of recording is that performers can be caught at the peak of their art, never to age. Here are two Youtube videos of Pavarotti singing Puccini's Nessun Dorma.

In 1982, with Kurt Adler conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra:



In 1998, with James Levine conducting the Orchestre de Paris

September 29th Stage Style For Singers Workshop in Toronto

Auditioning is so tough these days. A vast number of elements need to come into place if a singer is to meet with success in the audition room, including performance, interpretation, diction, repertoire, style, and presentation. If you're interested improving those last two attributes, the well-known soprano Kathryn Domoney will be holding a one-day Stage Style Workshop For Singers on Saturday, September 29th at the Robert Gill Theatre in Toronto. For only a $75 fee, you can learn about selecting colors, choosing clothing for specific body types, hair, make-up, headshots, stage deportment, resumes, grant applications, preparing for an accompanist, and marketing. For more information you can email Kathy at info [AT] stagestyle dot com or fill out the online registration form on the Stage Style site.

RCM Community School Website Temporarily Relaunches--As A Blog

It's been over a week since the main site of the Royal Conservatory of Music went down due to server problems. In the interim, the Community School has relaunched their site on Blogspot. Although not all course information is up yet, the blog format is certainly a quick way to see all of the school's course offerings at a glance. No word yet on when the main RCM site will be up and running--I hope they keep the blog as a possible secondary site, where news and announcements of upcoming events could be announced. In the meantime, a big welcome to the classical music blogosphere's latest addition!

Luciano Pavarotti Remembered

Luciano Pavarotti, one of the greatest tenors of all time, has just passed away at his home in Modena, Italy. He was 71.


Wikipedia article on Pavarotti
Pavarotti's website, containing only a picture and the quote "Penso che una vita per la musica sia una vita spesa bene ed e a questo che mi sono dedicato"
Bernard Holland's article in the New York Times
Multiple articles in Corriere Della Serra
CNN article
Billboard article
Photo gallery on CBC.ca
Robert Everett-Green in the Globe and Mail
Eric Reguly in the Globe and Mail
An appreciation from Time Magazine
Adam Sweeting in the Telegraph on five completely inappropriate heirs to Pavarotti's crown as king of the tenors
Richard Owen's article in the Times Online
Reprint of a 1972 article and interview with Pavarotti in the Christian Science Monitor
Reuters article
Quotes from admirers in the International Herald Tribune
Stephen Dowling's article for BBC News
Arifa Akbar in The Independent
Peter Dobrin and David Patrick Stearns in the Philadelphia Inquirer
Richard Dyer in the Boston Globe
Mark Swed in the LA Times
Joshua Kosman in the San Francisco Chronicle

Blog Reactions

Alex Ross has some thoughts on Pavarotti
Opera Chic's tribute, some words on his diction, and quotes from celebrities
The history of Pavarotti's friendship with Bono on U2Diary
More from Matthew Good, Sounds & Fury, Deceptively Simple, ionarts, the concert, Joshua Nemith, Night After Night, A Singer's Life, daily observations, Iron Tongue of Midnight, wellsung, and Sequenza21/.


Here he is in a 1979 performance of La Boheme with Ileana Cortrubas at La Scala.

2008 Christina and Louis Quilico Awards

The Ontario Arts Federation is now accepting applications for singers interested in competing for the Christina and Louis Quilico Awards. The competition is open to Canadian citizens residing or studying in Ontario, or from Ontario studying elsewhere, between age 20-35 as of 1/1/2008. The OAF site has links to competition guidelines and applications. The deadline for applications is November 16, 2007.

Past awards recipients have included sopranos Sonja Gustafson, Sinead Sugrue, and Miriam Khalil, mezzo soprano Ramona Carmelly, tenor Lawrence J. Wilford, and baritones Philip Carmichael and Justin Welsh.

Welcome to the Collaborative Piano Blog

Whether you've made your way to this site via a search engine, a link from another site, or are visiting directly, welcome! My name is Chris Foley and I'm a pianist, teacher, and blogger who lives in Toronto. If you would like to read more about me, please check out my bio for more information.

I started this site in November 2005 to highlight the life, opportunities, basic knowledge, and career issues of the collaborative pianist, subjects I felt had been largely ignored on the internet until then. Collaborative piano, a term first used by pianist Samuel Sanders, encompasses the field of expertise previously known as piano accompanying.

In case you are new to the Collaborative Piano Blog, there are a number of ways to access the articles and links I have posted. Via the sidebar, you can check out a number of my previous articles on subjects such as piano playing and collaborative piano, grab some scores at Sheet Music Plus, and watch some cool videos. Scroll down to the bottom of any page and you can find blogs by other writers, see what's happening in the classical music blogosphere, or see what else I'm up to via FriendFeed. The search box on the top of the sidebar will also redirect you to what you may be looking for.

If you are enjoying this site and wish to receive updates without returning here all the time, you might be interested in subscribing to my site's RSS feed, either through a feed reader or via email.

I would also like to hear from you regarding the kinds of things you would like me to mention on this blog. Feel free to comment on articles (notice the comment button at the bottom of each article) or email me at collaborative piano {at} gmail dot com.

Thanks for visiting The Collaborative Piano Blog!

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Tin Alley String Quartet Wins Banff Competition

Congratulations to Melbourne's Tin Alley String Quartet for winning the 2007 Banff International String Quartet Competition. Comprised of violinists Kristian Winther, Lerida Delbridge, violist Justin Williams, and cellist Michelle Wood, the quartet will share the $20,000 first prize, tour North America and Europe, and record a CD at the Banff Centre. CBC Radio 2's Concerts on Demand has has recordings of all three performances, as well as performances of the other finalists on the concert archive.

National Singer Training Forum This October in NYC

Anne Choe, Artistic Services Manager of OPERA America, sends the following open letter about the upcoming National Singer Training Program to be held October 13, 2007 in New York City.

Dear Singer Training Professionals,

As you know, opera is a highly competitive field. Less than 5% of the singers who apply to the Houston Grand Opera, Metropolitan Opera, and San Francisco Opera young artist programs are accepted. While talent and solid vocal technique are foremost requirements, there is an array of other factors that contribute to the success of an opera singer. As experts in the field of vocal pedagogy and singing techniques you are a young singer's best resource for career advice, but how do you find the information to relay about their life beyond the voice studio?

OPERA America recently formed the National Singer Training Forum, an action oriented think-tank which is comprised of stakeholders in the field of opera (including voice teachers, young artist program managers, opera company administrators, and artist managers, among others) who are dedicated to the identification and development of aspiring singers. The Forum meets twice each year for extended facilitated discussion organized around specific topics. The objective is to strengthen mutual understanding, improve practices across the field, and encourage collaboration among the network of professionals who share a devotion to the art form.

We invite you to audit the discussion on October 13, 2007 in New York, NY. There is a $35.00 registration fee to audit the discussion. The registration fee includes a continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and a special 6-month trial subscription to Opera Source - OPERA America's comprehensive, online career resource for administrators, singers, technical/production professionals, teachers, and all creative and performing opera artists.

Please contact me via e-mail at AChoe [at] operaamerica dot org or call 212-796-8620 ext. 202 to register. Space is limited, so please register by September 14, 2007.

F. Paul Driscoll wrote about the National Singer Training Forum in a recent issue of Opera News. "A stimulating dialogue on the critical issues surrounding singer training has been inaugurated by Opera America, the national service organization for opera. In response to concerns voiced by academic institutions and by opera companies - and as part of its commendable ongoing mission to foster a sense of community within a highly competitive field - Opera America created the National Singer Training Forum. At Forum meetings in spring and autumn 2006, participants discussed ways in which stakeholder organizations in the opera field - teachers, companies, schools, artist managements - could work together to resolve issues, create change and advance shared goals. The Forum has recommended several action plans, including creating professional development programs to enrich voice teachers' understanding of the challenges facing today's emerging artists. Last month, Des Moines Metro Opera and the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) offered a weekend workshop for voice teachers that provided its participants with insights about the demands of the Des Moines young-artist program and other intensive singer-training regimens. The next meeting of the National Singer Training Forum will take place in autumn 2007 in New York. In collaboration with NATS, voice teachers and singers will be invited to audit sections of the NSTF meeting and ask questions about terminology, concepts and partnerships. The discussion is sure to be lively, passionate and partisan - as any discussion about opera should be. "

I look forward to seeing you this fall.

Labor Day Links

Although I'm sure absolutely nobody is thinking about anything work- or practice-related on Labor Day, here are some links that will help you get back into the swing of things when you do decide to get back to work in a day or so.

Joshua Nemith has written the definitive guide on Post-Vacation Practice Sessions and how best to ease back into an effective practice routine.

In case you're new to a collegiate music program, Kate Boyd offers some Tips for First-Year Music Students.

Zen Habits discusses How to Learn More and Study Less.

Read Pliable's posting about the music of Bach's distant cousin Johann Ludwig.

Charles Noble in Portland, Kyle Gann in Bangor (Wales, not Maine) and Alex Ross in Banff offer some insights on late August concerts.

Thinking of starting a blog this fall? Darren Rowse talks about beginning blogging tips if you're starting out and productivity tips to stay on track once you're underway.

And finally, a very happy blog birthday to Michelle Bennett's A Singer's Life, which turns 1 this September.

Huge List of Classical Music Organizations in the Toronto Area

Here is a listing of classical music organizations, ensembles, publications, and presenters located in and around Toronto. Since the field of classical music is a constantly growing and changing, I will add and modify this list continually over the next few weeks and months. If you have an ensemble that should be included in the list or notice an incorrect link to one of these organizations, please email me at collaborative piano [at] gmail dot com. Best wishes to everyone for a successful and profitable 2007-08 concert season!


A

Academy Concert Series
aimtoronto
All The King's Voices
The Aldeburgh Connection
Alicier Arts Chamber Music
Alliance for Canadian New Music Projects
Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto
Amici Chamber Ensemble
Les Amis Concerts
Arcadia Ensemble
Arraymusic
The Art of Time Ensemble
The Arts & Letters Club of Toronto
Atelier S

B

Bach Children's Chorus
Bell'Arte Singers
Borderless Song

C

CBC Radio 2
Canadian Children's Opera Chorus
Canadian Contemporary Music Workshop
Canadian Electronic Ensemble
Canadian Music Centre
The Canadian Opera Company
Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra
Classical 96.3FM
Contact Contemporary Music
Continuum Contemporary Music
Counterpoint Community Orchestra

E

Echo Women's Choir
Esprit Orchestra
Etobicoke Centennial Choir
Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra
Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan

F

I Furiosi

G

Glass Orchestra
The Guitar Society of Toronto

H

Hannaford Street Silver Band
Harbourfront Centre

L

Luminato

M

The Madawaska String Quartet
Mooredale Concerts
The Music Gallery
Music on the Hill
Music Toronto
The Musicians in Ordinary

N

The Nathaniel Dett Chorale
New Music Concerts
Nexus Percussion Ensemble
The North York Concert Orchestra
Nuit Blanche Toronto

O

Oakville Chamber Orchestra
The Oakville Symphony Orchestra
Off-centre Music Salon
Opera Atelier
Opera in Concert
Opera Jeunesse
Opera York
Orchestras Mississauga
Orchestra Toronto
Organix
Oriana Women's Choir
Orpheus Choir of Toronto

P

The Parkdale Revolutionary Orchestra
Pax Christi Chorale
Prince Edward County Music Festival

Q

Queen of Puddings Music Theatre

R

The Royal Conservatory of Music

S

Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra
Sinfonia Toronto
Soundstreams Canada
Sound Travels

T

Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Choir
Talisker Players Chamber Music
Tapestry New Opera Works
Toca Loca
TO Live With Culture
Toronto Bach Festival
Toronto Chamber Choir
Toronto Children's Chorus
The Toronto Consort
The Toronto Early Music Centre
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir
Toronto Opera Repertoire
Toronto Operetta Theatre
Toronto Philharmonia
Toronto Sinfonietta
Toronto Summer Music Festival & Academy
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
The Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto
Toronto Wind Orchestra
Tryptych Productions

V

Via Salzburg
Victoria Scholars

W

Whole Note Magazine
Women's Musical Club of Toronto

Y

York University Department of Music

Bathroom Divas Alumni: Laura Landauer's Celine Speaks Featured in Globe and Mail

Fans of the second season of Bathroom Divas will remember Laura Landauer, the Celine/Cher/Elvis impersonator who was one of the final four singers on the show. This spring, Laura collaborated with playwright Sue Miner to write Celine Speaks, which showed in July at the Toronto Fringe.

Today's Globe and Mail features an article by Kamal Al-Solaylee on the phenomenon of Celine worship and two Canadian plays on the subject that have premiered this summer--Miner and Landauer's Celine Speaks as well as Saving Celine by playwright Mark Watty, currently showing at Montreal's Mainline Theatre.

Top Posts in August

Here are the 10 most frequently viewed posts in August 2007:

• Richard Bradshaw Remembered
• The Extreme Piano Guide, or 30+1 Ideas to Improve your Practice Time
• 10 ways of improving your sight reading skills
• The 5 C's of Learning Piano Technique
• 30+1 Ways To Help You Memorize Music Flawlessly
• 8 Ways to Improve Your Marks in RCM/NMCP Piano Examinations
• The Top 50 Classical Music RSS Feeds on Bloglines
• Degree Programs in Collaborative Piano
• What is Collaborative Piano?
• Required and Preferred Skills for the Collaborative Pianist