Silver Bells: A Recital of Christmas Favorites in Sudbury with Renée Salewski, Anthony Cleverton, and Charlene Biggs

If you're in the Sudbury area on December 19, you might want to check out Silver Bells, an evening of popular and seasonal favorites performed by soprano Renée Salewski, baritone Anthony Cleverton, and pianist Charlene Biggs. From the event's press release:

The couple who were married this summer, have, between them, performed all over the world including: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, South Korea, France, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Ireland, and of course the UK. Since her last sold out appearance in Sudbury (Fall 2003), Renée has been busy both as a singer and an actress. Alongside her career as a vocalist, Renée has voiced animated characters for up and coming young film makers, been heavily involved in new theatrical writing in London and made her feature film debut in Penny Woolcock’s controversial film ‘Exodus’.

These award winning and critically acclaimed newlyweds will be performing what promises to be a fun and entertaining concert of ‘Popera’ and Christmas Classics with the superb pianist Charlene Biggs on the 19th of December at St. Andrew’s Place, 7 pm. Tickets are $25 and available from Jett Landry Music, both locations of Old Rock, on the door or by calling 694-9090 to book.

About Charlene Biggs:

Charlene has been on the piano faculty of England’s Colchester Institute, London’s famed City Literary Institute, the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, and Laurentian University in Sudbury. She continues to share her talents as a professor in Cambrian’s Music department, teaching piano, piano pedagogy, music history, and music performance. She was Assistant Chair of Piano at the Eastman School of Music (Community Education Division) in Rochester. Charlene is a senior examiner and a clinician for the Royal Conservatory of Music and the Frederick Harris Music Company. She has written nationally published articles on teaching and performance. Charlene is also an adjudicator and is regularly invited to give master classes and lectures on piano pedagogy across Canada. Charlene maintains a regular concert schedule, most recently playing two performances of Beethoven’s Fourth piano concerto with the North Bay Symphony Orchestra.

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(Thanks, Renée!)

[Open Comment Thread] Why Are Original Keys So Darned High?

Often readers send me questions to ask publicly on the blog, since the superior hive mind of the CPB readership is incredibly diversified and eager to hold forth on matters of interest to the collaborative field.

Doug MacNaughton asked the following question about composers and key choices in art song:

Why is it that the default original key tends to be for the high voice? For women, I understand, as the Soprano is the most common voice type, but for men about 70% of singers are Baritones. Why did Schubert, Schumann, Wolf, Faure, Debussy et al write so much of their rep for the high voice?

Leave your answers below in the comments. If you don't feel comfortable disclosing your identity, you can either invent a nom de plume or comment anonymously...

Abandoned Wegman Piano

From j/bimages on Flickr, this Wegman piano was discovered in an abandoned farmouse. Auburn 13021 has an interesting history of this former piano company that closed down in 1915. Anyone else own a Wegman? (Might they be referred to in upstate NY parlance as a Weggie?)

Some Thoughts on the Battlestar Galactica Piano Version of All Along the Watchtower (aka the Cylon Activation Song)

WARNING: Battlestar Galactica Season 4.5 Spoiler Alert! Do not read this posting unless you are okay with knowing important information pertaining to the final season of BSG.

Earlier this evening, I taught a student how to play Bear McCreary's piano arrangement of the Cylon Activation Song (based on the Bob Dylan song All Along the Watchtower). The piano version of the song can be found in the Someone To Watch Over Me episode from Season 4.5, where Kara Thrace (Starbuck) becomes obsessed with remembering a song that her father had taught her on the piano years previously on Caprica. Someone To Watch Over Me is fascinating in that, only a few hours from the end of the entire series, piano music permeates the soundtrack of the episode whose principal plot line is essentially about piano playing. The segment below shows the moment of discovery when Starbuck realizes that the dots on the sheet of paper given to her by Hera earlier in the episode (the girl who is kidnapped during the segment) when superimposed over staff paper, become the activation song that was previously heard by the Cylon Final Five in the nebula (Crossroads Part II).



I teach a lot of adult pianists who had played extensively in their younger years, but who left musical life for careers, family, and the other things that come with adult life. What I find fascinating about this episode, (in addition to the sense of despair that permeates much of BSG 4.5 and the setting in motion of events that will lead the entire series to its conclusion), is just how much in common Starbuck's experience returning to the piano has with other adults who return after many years. There is the weight of remembered emotional baggage, parental control and conflict, the need to please, the pressure, and discovery that come back all at once. And only once all those issues have been understood and honored can adults returning to the piano truly move forward in their musical development.

Note: I haven't found the sheet music to this arrangement yet so I teach it by ear, which is not too difficult given the repetitive nature of the song.

Update: More commentary on All Along the Watchtower's BSG significance from The AnthroLOLogist can be found here.

Roger Vignoles in The Battle Hymn of the Accompanist

Roger Vignoles' accomp-er-collaborative pianist version of the Victor Herbert classic:

Lied Austria International Seeks Collaborative Pianist for the Summer 2010 Season

Lied Austria International in Liebnitz is looking for a collaborative pianist for the summer of 2010. Tracy Brighty sends along the following information:

Lied Austria International seeks collaborative pianist/coach to compliment its artistic teaching team during the summer of 2010. Lied Austria International is a summer training program for Artistic Advancement in Lieder, taking place each summer in Leibnitz, Austria. The intimate size, innovative approach, and close, team teaching at LAI necessitate special qualities in our team members, including: willingness and ability to fit into LAI’s team approach to teaching; willingness and ability to fit into our poetic approach to Lieder performance and study, led by Dr. Wolfgang Lockemann; very good working knowledge/fluency of the German Language; strong collaborative keyboard performance skills; knowledge in appropriate musical styles for German Lied from Schubert to Schoeck and beyond; ability to teach German Diction.

Please see www.liedaustria.com for more information.

Priority will be given to applications received before January 5, 2010. Applications should include: letter of interest, bio, CV, and CD(s)/DVD(s) of recent performances.

Please send to:

Tracy Brighty
Lied Austria International
8855 SW 171st St.
Miami, FL 33157
USA

Questions should be addressed to Tracy Brighty.

info [at] liedaustria dot com

305.969.4516

(Thanks, Tracy!)

Outside the Copenhagen Opera House

Fullscreen mode will give you the most jaw-dropping virtual view of this stunning building.


Copenhagen Opera at the Waterfront in Copenhagen

More about the Copenhagen Opera House
Photos of the same building on Flickr