Gavin Bryars - The North Shore

It's been just over 10 years since the closure of the CBC Vancouver Orchestra, but their recorded legacy lives on. Here's Nicolò Eugelmi playing Gavin Bryar's The North Shore with the CBC Vancouver Orchestra, conducted by Owen Underhill:

On the Road in April

I've been out of town a lot this month, with two routes last week for The Royal Conservatory's Certificate Program in Halifax and Regina. The view in the picture above is from one of the rooms at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts in Halifax, where I arrived just as the week's storms started to hit the Atlantic coast and just as my flu from the previous week was starting to abate. By the time of the first day of exams however, the sun was out and the weather was cold but bright. 

After Halifax, I had a day in Toronto followed by another short route in Regina. Going to Regina late last week meant that I dodged the ice storm that plagued so much of the region around Toronto, but the temperature was well below freezing for much of the short trip. 

Arriving in Langley, BC last Sunday, the sudden change in weather was a pleasant shock. The cheery blossoms are near the end of their blooming cycle in the Fraser Valley, so I was lucky to be able to catch a few pictures. 

This week I'm adjudicating for the Kiwanis Fraser Valley International Music Festival at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Langley. The standard here is very high, and I'm continually impressed by the sophistication of repertoire choices from the young performers. The pianos in the picture above are a Fazioli on the outside and a Bechstein to its left. Fountain pens pictured above are a Waterman Expert Series I from the early 90's and a John Phelan custom cigar pen (yes, I collect fountain pens!). Next week I'm back to Toronto where I'll launch myself into one of the busiest times of the year.

A quick note to my students: I hope that you're reading this and I hope that you're practicing diligently. After hearing such excellent playing for the last two weeks, you can count on me being highly inspired. 

Call for Papers: Weekend Symposium for Collaborative Partnership Studies at the Vancouver International Song Institute from June 10-12

This June, the Vancouver International Song Institute at the University of British Columbia School of Music will once again be hosting numerous programs for collaborative pianists, singers, musicologists, and creative artists of all levels, including the SONGFIRE Theatre Apprenticeship Program, Interdisciplinary Song Scholarship and Performance, French Mélodie Immersion, and the Arts of Conscience contemplative retreat.

Professionals and graduate students in the field of collaborative piano field should definitely consider attending the Weekend Symposium for Collaborative Partnership Studies to be held from June 10-12.  I'll be one of the artists giving a workshop, which will be a follow-up to my 2009 presentation looking at the Collaborative Piano Blog and its effort to bring more awareness of the collaborative arts. For those who weren't able to make it out to previous VISI symposium weekends, these are extremely intensive days of looking at the horizons of the collaborative piano world, its practitioners, its promises, what's at stake, and the incredible amount of work that still needs to be done. This is a weekend where you will get to discuss important issues with many of the top professionals in the field with a candor rarely found elsewhere.

VISI is also looking for papers to be presented at the symposium. From the VISI website:

From Friday through Sunday afternoon, join the VISI community in discussion of the dynamics of creative collaboration - the interaction of scholars with performers, teachers with students, composers and poets with performers, and above all, the magic realm of singer and pianist duos. Following our pilot symposium in 2009 for Collaborative Pianists, a strong lobby from the VISI voice participants has led to this expanded gathering, of interest to all contributors in the Art Song realm. Creative collaboration requires exquisitely balanced skills upon which great performances reply. Hear anecdotes and ideas from experts in diverse fields, share your own experiences, concerns, and insights, and enjoy the surprising directions of a great weekend of conversation and music. Presenters will include Margo Garrett, Christopher Foley (creator of the Collaborative Piano Blog), and many others. Doctoral candidates and Professors are invited to submit proposal abstracts for consideration on the VISI infosite at info@songinstitute.ca. Papers may occupy a wide range of topics but should have relevance to the central questions of interactive dynamics and protocols, interpretation of Schubert Lieder, current and historical performance practice, business protocols. Presentations should be accessible to professional, students, and the general VISI public and should be no more than 20 minutes in duration. A maximum of 18 papers will be selected for inclusion due to the time constraints of the schedule.

Whether you're a known leader in the field or a relative newcomer, this is a prime platform to share your research, knowledge, and expertise. I'm not sure what the deadline is on the call for applications, so I'll update once I get further information. I had a great time at VISI two years ago, and I look forward to seeing so many of you again this June.

Update: Rena Sharon informs me that the application deadline will be Sunday, March 20, with notifications being sent out by April 10.

Fazioli Liminal Spotted in Richmond

Yesterday was my last day of examining, so I had some time to head over to the Aberdeen Centre in Richmond (just south of Vancouver) afterwards. Spotting a Fazioli Liminal in the wild was a great conclusion to the week. Today it's back to Toronto and a farewell to the truly exceptional food that I've been enjoying around town for the last week.

ARCT's and Japadogs in Vancouver

This week I'm examining for RCME in Vancouver, my old stomping grounds. Over the last few days I've been administering both ARCT Performance and Piano Pedagogy exams (alongside my wonderful colleague Patricia Miller), and it's been a pleasure observing so many fine young pianists and teachers.

But in addition to being a hotbed of pianistic talent, Vancouver is home to an incredible amount fine cuisine (including the Japadog, pictured at left), and I've had a great time enjoying some fine Chinese and Japanese food in both Vancouver and Richmond over the last few days. But old habits die hard, so I was able to fit in one visit to White Spot, a West Coast institution whose burgers are a cult item for many who grew up in Vancouver.

For those of you who aren't yet aware of what's in a Japadog, the Japanese-styled hot dog which became famous during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the one I tried yesterday afternoon is called the Terimayo, which has fried onions, teriyaki sauce, Japanese mayo, and seaweed garnish. It's not only the toppings that make the hot dog, but the basics as well - the all-beef sausage is very high quality and I the bun is also astonishingly good. I hope to go back for another later in the week.

Harold Brown Remembered

Sad news out of Vancouver: Harold Brown, one of Vancouver's most beloved pianists for many years, passed away last week at the age of 93. David Duke writes in the Vancouver Sun:

Harold Brown was one of Vancouver’s most remarkable musicians, a pianist of extraordinary insight and a collaborative musician of strength and sensitivity. I doubt you can name a singer he didn’t work with; his was a musical mind of great originality, and he had a boundless enthusiasm for ideas.

He was a great friend of new music, and a source of practical but ever helpful advice for composers who bothered to ask for his opinion or criticism. I was lucky enough to watch him shepherd a set of my early songs from the page to premiere at that musical pressure cooker, the Banff Centre: HB and his singer made them sound a good deal more effective than they no doubt were, but I wasn’t going to complain.

Another memorable revelation was a performance—it must have been in the late 1970s— with mezzo Delia Wallis. In Schubert’s perhaps too-famous “Serenade,” HB turned the piano into the world’s biggest guitar; no performance I’ve heard since seems half as inspired.

I adored Harold's playing, which had a wonderful clarity of sound that he never lost, even in his later years. One of my fondest memories of Harold is a non-musical one, and took place in a rehearsal room (in the Yaletown Community Centre, I think) midway through an afternoon of voice auditions. This was in early 1998, the year that Wendy and I were married. I asked Harold if he had any advice for me on the occasion of our upcoming marriage that summer. His reply: "Yes, I've got some advice. The first 50 years are the hardest. After that it's easy."

A memorial service will be held this coming Saturday, January 15 at 1pm in First Unitarian Church at West 49th and Oak.

MUSAIC at the UBC Museum of Anthropology on March 28

Hey all you Vancouverites: on Sunday, March 28, beat those post-Olympic blues with MUSAIC, an interactive concert at UBC's Museum of Anthropology featuring Kathryn Cernauskas on flute, AK Coope on clarinet, pianist Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa, and soprano Heather Pawsey. From Heather's press release:

This interactive performance features an all-Canadian program including the music of Canadian composers Graham Coles, Jean Coulthard, Clifford Crawley, Srul Irving Glick, Robert LeMay, Leila Lustig, Francois Morel, John Oliver, Harry Somers, Leslie Uyeda, Elliot Weisgarber, and others.

Come and join a journey-both musical and literal - through the stunning spaces of the late Arthur Ericksen's architectural masterpiece, the newly renovated Museum of Anthropology.

Acclaimed musicians Kathryn Cernauskas, flute; AK Coope, clarinet; Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa, piano; Heather Pawsey, soprano with surprise guests, invite you to explore First Peoples and other world cultures through music, art, space and artifacts in this kaleidoscopic quest. Join in and follow the performers as they entice you through the exquisite expanses of the Museum - from the grand and soaring galleries to the small and intimate laboratories and lounges - providing incredible opportunities for acoustic and visual exploration.

The impetus for, and focus of, this concert is passion for history and its effects and continuum in our present life; for cross-cultural art and its expression in inter- or multi-disciplinary forms; and from a fascination and respect for different cultures and cultural traditions. The MOA's mission "... to investigate, preserve, and present objects and expressions of human creativity in order to promote understanding of, and respect for, world cultures" integrates ideally with the rich and multi-layered cultural and stylistic diversity of Canadian music.

MUSAIC starts at 7pm on Sunday March 28 at the UBC Museum of Anthropology on 6393 Northwest Marine Drive. Tickets are free!

The National Broadcast Orchestra Debuts in Vancouver on January 8

A few years back, the CBC Radio Orchestra was disbanded due to CBC funding cuts. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of a lot of people across Canada, the last radio orchestra on the continent has now been reborn as the National Broadcast Orchestra. This Friday at the University of British Columbia's Chan Centre, the NBO will be appearing in a gala fundraiser to support its inaugural season. Their first video:



Look for more NBO performances on the internet, which is replacing traditional radio outlets as a primary broadcast venue. Here's how to stay apprised of more National Broadcast Orchestra events:

NBO website
Facebook page
Twitter
YouTube channel
Make a donation to the National Broadcast Orchestra

Vancouver New Music Festival's Copyright/Copyleft: Call for Sonic Artists and Mashup Artists

This is just in from Vancouver New Music:

The 2009 Vancouver New Music Festival will focus on copyright and appropriation, and will be presenting musicians who have been working and reflecting on issues related to copyright/copyleft, using mash-ups and sonic collages and other approaches. We are looking for local musicians who would like to bring their contribution to the discussion. Selected artists will be invited to perform opening acts at the VNM Festival.

Please send a short bio, a note explaining how your work relates to the theme of Copyright/Copyleft, and a short sample of your work in mp3 format to:
giorgio [at] newmusic dot org by July 15, 2009.

As space is limited only a few artists will be selected for performance.

Welcome to the Collaborative Piano Blog

Greetings to all participants of the Vancouver International Song Institute! On Saturday at 4pm in Gessler Hall I'll be giving a workshop about the Collaborative Piano Blog and explaining its operations in detail, as well giving as an under-the-hood look at the various services I use to maintain and monetize it on a day-to-day basis. I've also created a public Netvibes page for the workshop containing links of interest that I'll be referring to in the lecture. Your feedback is very important to the development of this site, so I'll be having a question-and-answer session following the workshop. Hope to see you there!

Blogging the Piano in Ensemble This Saturday 4pm at the UBC School of Music

This Saturday at 4pm in Gessler Hall at the University of British Columbia's School of Music, I will be presenting a talk entitled Blogging the Piano in Ensemble, in which I will talk about the experience of creating and growing this blog over the last 3 and a half years. Admission is $10 for the afternoon, $20 for the full day, or $50 for the entire weekend of events. For more information, check out the full roster of events for the VISI Collaborative Piano Retreat.

View Larger Map

Vancouver International Song Institute's Collaborative Piano Conference Schedule for June 12-14

Here is the complete schedule for the Collaborative Piano Conference at the Vancouver Interational Song Institute to be held at the University of British Columbia from June 12-14. The Collaborative Piano Conference is part of VISI's Collaborative Piano Retreat which runs from June 10-17.

Vancouver International Song Institute

Conference for Collaborative Pianists

Friday June 12

10:30 WELCOME FORUM

Our panel of distinguished collaborative pianists tackles some of the questions for educators and students in this field: Why choose to pursue this professional track instead of solo piano? What should a Collaborative Piano Degree program comprise? Stowe, Garrett, Dawson, Griffiths, d’Amato, and others.

12-1:30 LUNCH

1:30 Professor Margo Garrett, The Juilliard School

“Scenes from a life”

An interview with the distinguished master teacher of Collaborative Piano. Her artistic life in collaboration includes a panoramic spectrum of musical partners, and collaborations with composers and writers of some of the great American art song works of our time. Many VISI faculty have been mentored by Professor Garrett, who returns to VISI to share her knowledge with the next generation of collaborative pianists.

2:30 INTERVIEW WITH FACULTY Michelle Swab, Memorial University

Ms. Swab has conducted an extensive survey of professional collaborative pianists, inquiring about the collaborative dynamics between singers and pianists. She will pose some of the in-depth questions from her research survey for general input from faculty and discussion with students and audience members.

3:30 4:30 Professor Alison d’Amato, University at Buffalo

“The Care and Feeding of a Singer”

Many collaborative piano students may read this title and think “Oh, good, I need to know how to be there for my partner for his/her intense vocal and artistic demands.” But, really, shouldn’t you be concerned about your own needs too? What are you, chopped liver? This talk will address the artistic and emotional responsibilities of the collaborative pianist, exploring the often-elusive balance of supportive behavior, self-awareness, and self-preservation that leads to strong and fulfilling collaborations.

7:00 pm Dinner for Speakers

Saturday June 13

10:30 Professor Ken Griffiths, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music

“Playing the Text – especially in Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin”

Given the frequency with which young undergraduate tenors are assigned excerpts from Die schöne Müllerin, it is usually under such conditions that most young pianists encounter these genial Lieder for the first time. Hence, it is easy to assume that what passes for acceptable at that time becomes established as ‘this is how it goes’. Only when a pianist has studied sufficient German language and literature is (s)he really in a position to begin to ‘play the text’ and become truly one with the singer and the work.
My intent is to focus on selected Lieder from the cycle, place each in context and then address specific pianistic and interpretive issues in each Lied. This will be facilitated by the involvement of faculty singers, so that the pianists will have experienced art song singers to respond to.

12:00 Lunch

1:30 FORUM: What’s in a name? “Accompanist,” “Collaborative Pianist,” or something else again?

A schism has formed over the identification of our profession. The two terms bear many implications, and each has its advocates and detractors. Further, the musical world of vocal and instrumental partners, the network of music presenters, teachers of young artists, and the general concert-going public have become quite uncertain as to the “new rules.” Some have embraced the new term, while in some circumstances insisting on the term “collaborative pianist” can even put one at professional risk. What are the merits and problems of each term – and is there a third option yet to emerge?

2: 30 Arlene Shrut, New Triad for Collaborative Arts

“This Side the Ground”

Dr. Shrut shares her many joys and lessons learned from a creative life both launched and anchored in art song. Arlene will discuss how her performing, teaching, coaching, entrepreneurial activities, and overall point of view are inspired by Agee’s poetry: “all is healed, all is health.”

3: 30 Break

4:00 Christopher Foley, The Royal Conservatory of Music

“Blogging the Piano in Ensemble”
Begun as a side project in 2005 by Dr. Foley, the Collaborative Piano Blog has grown to become one of the top classical music blogs in the world and a major source of information and community for those in the collaborative piano field. This workshop will look at the resources available on the Collaborative Piano Blog, its history, goals, business model, and growth as a new media outlet for both classical music and music education.

8:00pm Art Song Recital: VISI Artists in Concert - Simson, Garrett, Shay, Switzer, Guth, d’Amato, McMurtry, and more.

Sunday June 14th

1:00- 3:00pm Masterclass with Margo Garrett

A masterclass focusing on the pianist’s art, with facilitated collaboration by VISI faculty singers.

3:30 Professor Laura Loewen, University of Manitoba

“Passionate Diction”

Discovering the unique cadence of each language helps us to understand the nuance of words and music in art songs. The sounds and rhythms of language are the tools through which poetry’s expression is infused into Art Song, turning vowels and consonants into emotional memes laden with implication and passion.

4:30 Michelle Swab, Memorial University of Newfoundland

"Pianist/Singer Bows and the Embodiment of Relationship in Western Classical Art Song Recital"

The human body is intrinsic to musical activity. Carefully coordinated body movements produce musical sound, bodies hear and respond to music, and music events contain a great variety of bodily motions. Ethnomusicologists and musicologists alike are increasingly interested in the various meanings inscribed in the moving, interacting, experiencing, transforming and resisting bodies of performers and participants at music events. Drawing upon contemporary scholarly literature theorizing the body, this presentation examines the bowing movements of pianists and singers in art song recital. Many collaborative pianists reject the subordinate framing inherent in the sequence and style of bowing movements dictated by traditional performance etiquette. Thus, bowing gestures have emerged as a particularly embodied site in the ongoing negotiations for equality between pianists and singers. Attention will be given to the ways that pianists may contest subordinate framing through movement and gesture. Factors such as gender, age, personality and the personal rapport between the singer and pianist will also be considered. Illustrative video examples will be shown, drawn primarily from the eight-volume Voices of Our Time DVD recital series.

7:30pm Collaborative Piano Party

A gathering for students and professional collaborative pianists. Stories from the stage – and behind the scenes will be shared in this private event for all participants of the conference.

All events are subject to change - please check the VISI website for updates. Singers, instrumentalists, and the general public are welcome to audit all events except the Sunday evening party. Rates for auditing are $10 for a morning or afternoon session, $20 per day, or $50 for the entire weekend.

The VISI Collaborative Piano Conference is generously sponsored by the Vancouver Airport Accent Inn. Group rates are also available for VISI auditors. For more information, call (604) 273-3311.

Update: More travel links are listed below...

Accommodation at the University of British Columbia
Accommodation Off-Campus
Finding the Song Institute
Getting to Vancouver
Tourism Vancouver
If you're looking for a roommate for the duration of VISI or want to find someone to carpool with to UBC campus, try the VISI Facebook group.

There's Still Room for a Few More Pianists at the VISI Theatre of Art Song Program June 7-21

The Vancouver International Song Institute is still looking for one or two collaborative pianists for its Theatre of Art Song program which runs from June 7-21. This is a great chance to work with pianists such as Rena Sharon, Laura Loewen, and Alison D'Amato and study the art song repertoire on the stunning University of British Columbia campus. The Theatre of Art Song program will also overlap with the Collaborative Piano Retreat from June 12-14 (I'll be doing a presentation at the retreat--more info in a couple of days).

Tuition for the two-week program is $1200CDN plus accommodations. Bear in mind the Canadian dollar is currently trading at a discount to the US dollar, so American participants would pay significantly less taking into account current Canada/US exchange rates. For more info contact VISI as soon as possible. Hope to see you there!

Call for Participants: Collaborative Piano Retreat at the Vancouver International Song Institute from June 10-17

Now in its third year, the Vancouver International Song Institute is once again offering a varied lineup of programs for pianists and singers scheduled to take place at the UBC School of Music. This year also features the Collaborative Piano Retreat from June 10-17, a unique opportunity for both students and professionals to study and network with some of the top pianists in the profession. From the VISI website:

Student participants partner with professional singers and are coached by internationally renowned collaborative pianists. The retreat features classes with Juilliard Professor MARGO GARRETT, CAMERON STOWE, J J PENNA, KEN GRIFFITHS and other VISI visiting pianists and scholars.

The course also includes lectures about poetry and song analysis with renowned scholars SIMA GODFREY and KEVIN MCNEILLY, courses in dramatic recitation, creative recital presentation, collaborative interaction, business practices, and diction. A performance of student pianists and professional singers will complete the course.

Possible overlap with the Theatre of Art Song program will be considered.

Professionals are also welcome:

Professional Collaborative Pianists are warmly invited to attend all lectures, masterclasses, and conversations for the entire week or on a drop-in basis with a particular focus on the weekend of June 12-14 for a professional meeting and celebration.

The cost of the retreat for student pianists is $700, and a professional participant pass is $200 for the entire 8-day program [Update: Rena sends word that you can pay $10 for a morning session, $20 for an afternoon session, and $50 for a weekend pass]. In case you're interested in applying, an online application form will be on the VISI website by February 20. Application requirements are already listed on the Collaborative Piano Retreat page, and you can check out payment information here. If you need more info, send an email to info [at] songinstitute dot ca. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks...

Vocal Chamber Music...on a Train

Ever had the feeling that the world of train travel was a perfect venue for chamber music? Look no further...

On February 15 at the Rocky Mountaineer Train Station in Vancouver, Heather Pawsey and friends are presenting Sound-Tracks,  a concert of railway-themed chamber music featuring works by Michael Bushnell, Jocelyn Morlock, John Oliver, Sylvia Rickard, and Leslie Uyeda.  With performances by soprano Heather Pawsey, cellist Ariel Barnes, flautist Kathryn Cernauskas, clarinetist AK Coope, and pianist Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa, this concert takes place both inside three train carriages of the Rocky Mountaineer and in the station itself.

Sound-Tracks gets under way at 7pm on Sunday February 15 at the Vancouver Rocky Mountaineer terminal located at 1755 Cottrell Street just south of Terminal Avenue (across from Home Depot). Admission is free, but you'll need to book reservations at 604-606-7361 or concert [at] rockymountaineer dot com.

Here is the complete press release for Sound-Tracks:

All Aboard!! SOUND-TRACKS, a rollicking ride of contemporary classical Canadian music celebrating the mystery and romance of the rails, “hits the track” Sunday, February 15, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at the Rocky Mountaineer Train Station (1755 Cottrell Street, Vancouver). This event is part of the New Music in New Places concert series, presented by the Canadian Music Centre.

Board three stationary carriages of the Rocky Mountaineer and Whistler Mountaineer trains (including the gracious Glacier Dome car, and luxurious, bi-level GoldLeaf Dome Coach affording a spectacular view of downtown Vancouver by night) with critically acclaimed musicians Ariel Barnes, cello; Kathryn Cernauskas, flute; AK Coope, clarinet; and Heather Pawsey, soprano for short, intimate “mini-concerts”, and then move into the renovated vintage station itself to join pianist Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa for a full ensemble finish.

Just as the railway united the vast borders of our country, music brings us closer together and sets us dreaming of journeys, explorations and new discoveries. From coast to coast, Canadian composers and authors have been fascinated with the legends and lore of our iconic railways. SOUND-TRACKS celebrates this robust legacy with works that include Violet Archer’s Train at Night; Paul McIntyre’s At the Railway Station; Elma Miller’s Windwalker; Marjan Mozetich’s Duet in Blue; Eldon Rathburn’s Ghost Train; Sid Robinovitch’s Three Winter Songs; and Norman Symond’s Deep Ground, Long Waters.

Works from British Columbia highlight Michael Bushnell’s On Track; Jocelyn Morlock's Train; John Oliver’s 3 Trains; Sylvia Rickard’s Songs of the Loon; Barry Truax’s Steam; and Leslie Uyeda’s Classical Escapade (world premiere), among others.

Admission to SOUND-TRACKS is free but reservations are required on a first-come, first-served basis. To book a space, please call the concert hotline at 604-606-7361 or email concert@rockymountaineer.com.

DRESS ADVISORY: As a portion of this concert will include moving from car to car along the platform, please dress appropriately for weather and wear footwear suitable for boarding railway carriages.

Critically acclaimed musicians Ariel Barnes, cello; Kathryn Cernauskas, flute; AK Coope, clarinet; Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa, piano; and Heather Pawsey, soprano are particularly noted for their fearless and innovative approaches to contemporary music. Collectively, they have premiered hundreds of new Canadian works, many written specifically for them, with performances spanning North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

The Rocky Mountaineer Station is located at 1755 Cottrell Street, Vancouver (east on Terminal Avenue, south on Cottrell Street, located beside the Home Depot) and parking is available. The vintage station is a renovated mid-1950s Canadian National Railways locomotive maintenance building with exposed timber and brick, 35 foot vaulted ceilings, and a full-length glass wall that provides a complete view of the track and rolling stock.

SOUND-TRACKS is part of the Canadian Music Centre’s "New Music in New Places" initiative to take Canadian music out of concert halls and in to alternative venues, and is made possible through the generous support and assistance of Rocky Mountaineer Vacations and Tom Lee Music. The Canadian Music Centre is an independent, not for profit, non-government agency that promotes and disseminates the music of Canadian composers. 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Music Centre, and SOUND-TRACKS is dedicated to the CMC in appreciation and celebration.

The Canadian Music Centre gratefully acknowledges the support of the SOCAN Foundation and the Government of Canada through the Canada Music Fund.

(Thanks, Heather!)

Call for Participants: Stockhausen's Ylem with Vancouver New Music

Musicians in Vancouver: are you interested in the periodic oscillations of the universe and telepathic communication with others in a chamber music setting? If the answer is yes, you might want to take part in a workshop and performance of Karlheinz Stockhausen's Ylem offered through Vacouver New Music in early February. From the VNMS press release:

"Theory of the oscillating universe: every 80 000 000 000 years the universe explodes, unfolds, and draws together again. The word YLEM is used by some people to designate the periodic explosion, by others to designate the essential material.” – Karlheinz Stockhausen

Vancouver New Music is seeking people interested in taking part in a community ensemble that will workshop and perform Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Ylem. Musicians of all experience levels, as well as non-musicians are welcome.

The workshop and performance will be led by Giorgio Magnanensi, and will be held the February 6th from 5-7pm at Vancouver Community College. The final performance will be held at The Cultch’s Vancity Culture Lab (1895 Venables Street) on Sunday, February 15, 2009 at 4pm.

If you are interested in being part of this event please contact Giorgio Magnanensi at giorgio [at] newmusic dot org.

More about Ylem:

Article by Albrecht Moritz

Article by Ingvar Loco Norins

Opera Manga from Vancouver

Here's a new and fresh format for classical music's next generation of fans to learn the great operas--Vancouver Opera's sister site operaLive! has a series of manga comics (created by Roy Husada and Fiona Meng) that feature condensed stories of La Boheme, Tosca, L'Italiana in Algieri, Cavelleria Rusticana, Fidelio, Eugene Onegin, and I Pagliacci. This concept is by no means revolutionary, since graphic novel fans may already know of numerous comic book adaptions of operas by P. Craig Russell that have been around for years.

(Via Opera Chic)

Impromptu Opera Performance Spotted in Vancouver's West End

Igossy recently spotted this performance by tenor Colin Ainsworth and soprano Rachel Cleland-Ainsworth in Vancouver's West End. Colin and Rachel were across the street, so the sound doesn't carry perfectly well in this video. You can also see more shots of the same performance here, here, and here.

The Language of Music, The Music of Words: A Musical Evening with Joy Kogawa and Friends

For those that haven't noticed yet, we're right in the middle of the largest poetry celebration in the world, known as National Poetry Month. Those in the Vancouver area (fresh from discovering the newfound tradition of singing O Canada after CBC Radio Orchestra concerts) might want to check out The Language of Music, The Music of Words, A Musical Evening with Joy Kogawa and Friends this Friday, April 25 at 8pm.

From the event's press release:

Vancouver composer Leslie Uyeda presents two song cycles written to accompany five of Joy Kogawa’s most exquisite poems. "Stations of Angels" will be performed by soprano Heather Pawsey and flutist Kathryn Cernauskas and "Offerings," by Heather Pawsey and pianist Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa. These performances are the world premiere of both song cycles, which were composed especially for these three artists. To complement the musical performance, poets Joy Kogawa, Heidi Greco, Marion Quednau, and Vancouver’s poet laureate George McWhirter will read. The evening will close with a stellar presentation: the Vancouver Public Library will award Joy the George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award for an outstanding literary career related to British Columbia.

The event takes place April 25 at 8pm at the historic Kogawa House, the childhood home of legendary Canadian novelist and poet Joy Kogawa, who grew up in Japanese internment camps in the BC interior and later wrote about the experience in Obasan, her most widely read novel

Kogawa House is located at 1450 W. 64th Avenue in Vancouver (just east of Granville). Admission is by donation and tickets are limited, so be sure to RSVP ahead of time to kogawahouse [at] yahoo dot ca. Proceeds from the concert will go towards the house's first writer-in-residence.

RIP CBC Radio Orchestra

The Globe and Mail has confirmed that at the end of November 2008, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation will disband Vancouver's CBC Radio Orchestra, North America's last radio orchestra.

CBC spokesperson Jeff Keay on the CBC's decision:

Basically the orchestra was currently doing like eight concerts a year and for the money that we're spending, we can't afford to do that to get just eight concerts a year.

Update 9:51pm EDT

In response to the announced disbandment of the orchestra, The Transcontinental is calling for a boycott of the CBC:

Classical musicians forget about the CBC as a broadcast platform. It seems that the only alternative is to build something out of the CBC's ashes, perhaps something akin to the local public broadcasting of orchestra concerts that happen across the US - the Minnesota Orchestra has it own radio program. Given the CBC's abandoning of high culture, why should the major Canadian orchestras rely on the CBC, when the CBC has just told Canadian orchestras that it will sacrifice professional musicians to pay for another episode of Air Farce?

Update 10:30pm EDT

BigSnit writes about How to Kill 70 Years of Tradition and Smile About It:

At one point, apparently forgetting this wasn’t a training exercise, exec Jennifer McGuire fell into spin-training-speak and said “the Radio two story is a good story“. (This from the same people who recently suggested that pulling shows produced in Vancouver was somehow a net gain for British Columbia. Clearly they’re working with different math than rest of us). I’m sure Jennifer’s laughter and in-joke about people not liking change made the musicians feel wonderful.

The saddest part of the orchestra's demise:

The reality of this move is that it will cause irrevocable harm to the classical music community in Vancouver. Here’s why: less money being spent hiring musicians means fewer musicians will be around to play.

Indeed. That is why so many musicians (including myself) have already left Vancouver, one of the most beautiful cities on the planet, for other places.

Update 3/28

Here are links to more articles that have appeared in the last few hours.

Marsha Lederman's second article on the story in the Globe and Mail focuses on reactions from Vancouver's musical community. Violist Andrew Brown's comment after the fateful meeting:

It is a travesty that this decision has been made. It's a travesty that the government continues to cut the funding to the CBC. But it is also a travesty that bureaucrats that occupy the top echelons of radio don't have the guts to stand up for this orchestra.

Lloyd Dykk in the National Post
CBC.ca article, surprisingly honest under the circumstances
We're Not Wired Right sums on the end result of the cuts:

The Canadian classical musical scene just got a little more homogeneous.

Update:

A Canadian Press article details many musical luminaries' extremely negative words on the actions of the CBC.

Update:

The Transcontinental asks whether the CBC's actions really constitute a "disbandment":

To say in the headline that the orchestra is disbanding implies some kind of collective action on the part of the musicians, and not an executive decision to slowly replace orchestral music on CBC with whatever's cheaper.

Still looking for news articles and blog reactions in favor of the cuts. Can't find any so far (except for the Inside the CBC article). However, there is one anonymous comment from yesterday in favor of the cuts:

A radio station should not be funding an orchestra from tax payer dollars. Virtually every other radio station has long since stopped that. There are, however, many other existing classical music groups, orchestras etc. that they could and SHOULD be broadcasting - a far better use of funds, IMO.

Perhaps a CBC executive visited the CPB and left a kind note.

Another recent find via Facebook: following the announcement of the cuts, Colin Miles, BC Regional Director of the Canadian Music Centre, spoke very bluntly and passionately about the situation on this video clip.

Update 3/29

Stephen Rees posted a letter template on his blog that you can send to your MP to protest the cuts.