Friday, December 31, 2010

New Voice Scholarship at the Kiwanis Music Festival

Attention all voice teachers and students - this new scholarship was added too late to be included in the printed material for the 2011 Kiwanis Music Festival in Edmonton, so keep it in mind when you apply!


S-1031  MICHAEL (MICKEY) AWID MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP IN VOICE

AGE - 12 AND UNDER
REQUIREMENTS- TWO CONTRASTING SELECTIONS -ONE MUST BE A FOLK SONG
CLASS NO.- S1031
CLASS FEE- $30.00
1ST PRIZE- 150
2ND PRIZE- 50
AS VOICE 12 AND UNDER IS NON-COMPETITIVE, THERE WILL BE NO MARKS IN THIS CLASS.  EACH SINGER WILL RECEIVE AN ADJUDICATION AND THE 1ST AND 2ND PLACE WILL BE ANNOUNCED.

BEAMS Music: Ningali & flEm -Travails of Two Cities

Because I can't resist reposting the eclectic messages from our friends at the Boreal Electroacoustic Music Society ...

Celine Dion is sucked into a discordant wind tunnel. The pathology of the HAL 9000 computer is further tested in a Japanese video game scenario. And the partisan platitudes of Fox News pundits are skewered in a polyrhythmic environment. 

These suspensions of disbelief comprise part of a set list devised by experimental duo Ningali & flEm. The event also marks the first time the duo has played together since backing up Toronto-based poet Stephen Humphrey in his outfit The Pillaging Mouth more than 15 years ago. 

Hailing from Spruce Grove, AB, Ningali (aka Tricia Boer) left Edmonton in the mid-‘90s for the west coast to pursue a career in music and film. Currently based in Vancouver, she’s played bass with a number of metal and pop acts including Shrines, Tractor and Val Killmore, while her occupation as a sound technician has resulted in several TV and movie stints, working alongside the likes of Ben Affleck, Wesley Snipes, Peter O’Toole, Joshua Jackson, Leonard Nimoy, Cybil Sheppard and a myriad of Playboy starlets. 

Meanwhile, Edmonton native flEm (aka Gene Kosowan) has performed original electroacoustic compositions solo, usually as part of events curated by the Boreal Electroacoustic Music Society, and in such experimental acts as Du Plafond, Ukrainian For Butterfly, and Condoleezza Rice Paddies, whose track “Modulate This” emerged in 2008 onto the BEAMS CD Unsound Vol. 2. 


Our esteemed prez and licorice stick dynamo Don Ross plans to have Benny Goodman turn over in his grave when the Rossmeister blends his clarinet disciplines with his electroacoustic wizardry in the opening slot for Ningali & flEm to show us how it's really done. 


Ningali & flEm 
with Don Ross
9pm - ish
Wunderbar Hofbrauhaus
8120 101 St 
Edmonton
Monday January 3, 2011
Price: a measley $5



Monday, December 27, 2010

Concert Listings Dec 27 - Jan 2

Saturday January 1, 2011, 2:30 pm Enmax Hall, Winspear Centre Salute to Vienna

Sunday January 2, 2011 3pm Edmonton Recital Society, Jason Cutmore, piano. Holy Trinity Anglican Church, admission by donation.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

We're on Twitter! "Tweet" us @ClassicalMusEd

Follow Classical Music in Edmonton on Twitter!  Check out all the CME updates on Twitter and on Facebook!  See you in cyberspace!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

"Art's Birthday" and BEAMS

Arts birthday is going to be celebrated in Edmonton on Janaury 14, 2011 at the Bohemia Cyber Cafe.


All profits will divided among the artists and BEAMS (Boreal Electroacoustic Music Society).


If you would like to play contact philip jagger at satoreye@shaw.ca


You can have as long as you want and the theme is ahead of time.  There will also be a hair fashion show to accompany the performers.


Or if you would like to contribute audio or video to the time capsule contact philip as well.

Are you 8 to 16 years old and love to sing? Auditions for Kokopelli in January

Need a Great New Year's Resolution?


At this time of year, we're often looking for a new path to follow or a new hobby to pursue, something that might challenge us and add a bit of fun to our lives. Both our two younger choirs, Shumayela and Kikimasu, welcome interested singers aged 8 to 16 to consider auditioning in January to join us for the rest of the season. These choirs are firmly grounded in the Kokopelli philosophy of sharing and joy in music, with an emphasis on a thorough grounding in musicianship and a commitment to creating an atmosphere that celebrates and welcomes young singers of many stripes -- a particularly important thing for those young people in those 'tween' and teen years.

Interested singers (or their parents!) may contact the choirs' directors to set up an audition.

Kikimasu (rehearses Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. on the south side of Edmonton, singers aged 8 to 12) - directed by Ms. Carmen So (cso@ikokopelli.com)

Shumayela (rehearses Tuesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. on the south side of Edmonton, singers aged 12 to 16) - directed by Ms. Kim Denis (kim@ikokopelli.com)

Our two older ensembles, Kokopelli and Òran, are presently not seeking new altos or sopranos but interested tenors and basses may apply for an audition in the New Year:

Kokopelli (rehearses Mondays from 7 to 9:30 p.m. and Wednesdays from 4:15 to 6:30 p.m. at McDougall United Church, singers aged 16-23) - directed by Mr. Scott Leithead (scott@ikokopelli.com)

Òran (rehearses Thursdays from 7:15 to 10:00 p.m. at Edmonton Moravian Church, singers aged 20-40) - directed by Ms. Kathleen Skinner and Mr. Scott Leithead (katy@ikokopelli.com)


Christmas at the Legislature

Concerts, Choirs, and Merriment at the Legislature Building in Edmonton for a full schedule, click here:


Give Tix on the Square for Christmas!



Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert

Salute to Vienna

Enjoy a brilliant cast of over 75 musicians, European singers and dancers, in an uplifting, live performance of favourite Strauss Waltzes, Polkas and Operetta excerpts!

The Strauss Symphony of Canada
András Deák, conductor (Budapest)
Renée Schüttengruber, soprano (Vienna)
Wolfgang Gratschmaier, tenor (Vienna)
Dancers from Kiev-Aniko Ballet of Ukraine

Special Edmonton Opera offer valid until December 26, 2010: Only for Edmonton Opera subscribers, Salute to Vienna concert is offering 15% off! Use code word: GALLERY
Winspear Centre (780) 428-1414 or (800) 563-5081

Monday, December 20, 2010

January Concerts

FREE Monday Noon Music UofA every Monday at noon in Convocation Hall.   A different program each week, the Monday Noon Music series features everything from western classical to world music. This quick 45-minute concert leaves you just enough time to get back to class or the office before the noon hour’s even over. Don't forget your lunch!

Saturday January 1, 2011, 2:30 pm Enmax Hall, Winspear Centre Salute to Vienna


Sunday January 2, 2011 3pm Edmonton Recital Society, Jason Cutmore, piano. Holy Trinity Anglican Church, admission by donation.

Friday January 7, 2011 (Time?) Tonus Vivus - Boulez is Alive -Aventa (contemporary music ensemble) Muttart Hall, Alberta College.

Saturday January 8, 2011, 8pm Edmonton Symphony OrchestraEnmax Hall, Winspear Centre. Gregory Vajda, conductor, Dubravka Tomšič, piano. Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2, Dvořák: Symphony No. 6, Coulthard: Canadian Fantasy.

Sunday January 9, 2011 3pm Royal Canadian College of Organists concert series. Gregor Simon (Germany). First Presbyterian Church. Contact Tix on the Square or Arnold Rumond 780-454-3882.

Sunday, January 9, 2011 Northern Alberta Concerto Competition (NACC) Final Round (strings, woodwinds and brass), Muttart Hall, Alberta College, open to public, tickets $10 at the door. Contact the Alberta Registered Music Teachers' Association (ARMTA) for more information.

Sunday January 16, 2011 3pm Robertson-Wesley United ChurchAlberta Baroque Society. Brilliant Baroque: Robin Doyon, Trumpet.Music: Torelli Concerto for Trumpet in D Major, Corelli Concerto Grosso in B Flat Major, Hertel Concerto for Trumpet in D Major, Telemann Tafelmusik Suite III 

Friday January 21 to Saturday January 29, 2011 The Music Man.MacEwan Theatre with performers from the St. Albert Children's Theatre. Book, music and lyrics by Meredith Wilson, John L. Haar Theatre. Contact Tix on the Square for showtimes.

Friday January 21, 2011, 9:30 pm Edmonton Symphony OrchestraEnmax Hall, Winspear Centre. Late Night Percussion: William Eddins, conductor, Colin Currie, percussion. Calgary composer Allan Gordon Bell’s Symphonies of Hidden Fire, Rough Music – a percussion concerto by H.K. Gruber and music by Steve Reich, Per Nørgărd, and Matthias Schmitt.

Saturday January 22, 2011, 8pm Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.Enmax Hall, Winspear Centre. William Eddins, conductor , Colin Currie, percussion. H.K. Gruber: Rough Music: Concerto for Percussion, Stravinsky: The Fairy’s Kiss: Divertimento, Beethoven: Symphony No. 4.

Sunday January 23, 2011 11am Edmonton Opera Brunch: The Abduction from the Seraglio Alberta Ballroom, Crowne Plaza, Chateau Lacombe.

Sunday January 23, 2011 3pm UofA music - MACH 4, Bill Street, saxophone, with friends. Convocation Hall.

Monday January 24, 2011 8pm UofA Department of Music Gala Fundraise, Winspear Centre.

Wednesday January 26, 2011, 7:30 pm Edmonton Symphony Orchestra Enmax Hall, Winspear Centre William Eddins, conductor, Andrew Wan, violin, Charles Pilon, viola. Mozart: Sinfonia concertante for Violin and Viola, Rossini: Semiramide: Overture, Weber: Oberon: Overture.

Friday January 28, 2011 7pm UofA music - Contempo New Music Ensemble, Convocation Hall.

Saturday, January 29, 2011 8pm Edmonton Chamber Music Society -Tafelmusik (Baroque orchestra on period instruments) Convocation Hall, University of Alberta. C.P.E. Bach, Symphony for strings in B minor, Wq. 182/5, Vivaldi, Concerto for 2 oboes in D minor, RV 535, Lully, Suite from Phaëton, J.S. Bach, Concerto for oboe and violin in C minor, after BWV 1060 

Saturday January 29, 2011 6pm Cosmopolitan Music Society Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre 8426 Gateway Boulevard. Cosmo Luau- Join us for a winter getaway that doesn't take six hours to fly to! A Luau dinner, dancing and frivolity! Be sure to wear your best beach wear! Ticket Information TBA 


Sunday January 30, 2011, 2pm Edmonton Symphony OrchestraEnmax Hall, Winspear Centre. William Eddins, conductor , Gilles Vonsattel, piano (Laureate, 2009 Honens International Piano Competition) and Scott Whetham, tuba. Grieg: Piano Concerto, Vaughan Williams: Tuba Concerto, Rota: Le Molière imaginaire: Suite, Dohnányi: Symphonic Minutes.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Call for Nominations - 2011 Mayor's Celebration of the Arts

Mayor Stephen Mandel and the Professional Arts Coalition of Edmonton (PACE) are pleased to announce the 24th annual Mayor's Celebration of the Arts on Monday April 11, 2011 at the Winspear Centre for Music.

The Mayor's Celebration of the Arts is an annual event designed to acknowledge and celebrate Edmonton's arts community and partnerships between business and the arts.

Deadline for submissions is January 14, 2011.

Call for Nominations - Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards


Nominations are being accepted for Alberta's next Distinguished Artists Awards.  The Distinguished Artist Awards program gives up to three awards of $30,000 each in recognition of outstanding achievement in the arts by Albertans or significant contribution to the arts in Alberta.

Nominations must be submitted to the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards Foundation by Thursday January 20th, 2011.

Nominations will be adjudicated by a panel of three non-Alberta artists with an understanding of a broad spectrum of arts disciplines.  As in previous years, the adjudication will be coordinated by the Banff Centre.  The artists chosen by the adjudication panel will receive $30,000 cash, a newly minted medal and the opportunity to spend time at The Banff Centre's Leighton Artists' Colony.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

$20 ESO Tickets for select concerts in January 2011

Perfect musical stocking stuffers from your Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
All seats $20* for select concerts in January *Plus applicable service charges

Offer valid between December 12 – 18, 2010 only

Saint-Saëns’ Second Piano Concerto
Landmark Classic Masters
Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 8:00pm

Slovenian pianist Dubravka Tomšič makes her ESO debut, joining guest conductor Gregory Vajda for the glittering Second Piano Concerto of Camille Saint-Saëns. Dvořák’s Sixth Symphony, a pivotal work of the composer’s emerging maturity, is alive with Czech dance rhythms, and Jean Coulthard’s lush Canadian Fantasy transforms three folk tunes into symphonic splendour.

Thank you to our Landmark Classic Masters series sponsor Landmark Classic Homes, and series media sponsors CBC and CKUA Radio Network.

Late Night Percussion
Late Night with Bill Eddins
Friday, January 21, 2011 at 9:30pm

Renowned percussionist Colin Currie performs the lyrical, yet urgently rhythmic Rough Music – a concerto by the impressive H.K. Gruber. Bill Eddins conducts Calgary composer Allan Gordon Bell’s bristling Symphonies of Hidden Fire along with music by Frank Zappa, Steve Reich, Per Nørgărd, and Matthias Schmitt. Following the concert, guests can stick around for live entertainment and cocktails in the main lobby.

Violin and Viola Midweek Classics
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 7:30pm

The ESO celebrates the eve of Mozart’s 255th birthday with the composer’s lush Sinfonia concertante – a work that features Edmonton-born violinist Andrew Wan and ESO Assistant Principal Viola Charles Pilon. Rossini’s dramatic operatic overture, Semiramide, and Weber’s colourful overture, Oberon, will also be performed by your ESO under the direction of Bill Eddins.

Thank you to our Midweek Classics series sponsor Espace Musique.

Grieg’s Piano Concerto
Sunday Showcase
Sunday, January 30, 2011 at 2:00pm

Swiss pianist Gilles Vonsattel, winner of several major piano competitions and laureate of Canada’s Honens Competition, makes his ESO debut performing Edvard Grieg’s only piano concerto. ESO Principal Tuba Scott Whetham plays a lighthearted heavyweight – Vaughan Williams’ surprisingly agile Tuba Concerto. Dohnányi’s Symphonic Minutes, a tuneful and skillfully orchestrated work yet groundbreaking in style, completes the program.

Thank you to our Sunday Showcase series sponsors CKUA Radio Network and Edmonton’s Child Magazine.

From December 12 - 18, 2010, all tickets for the above listed concerts are $20 (plus applicable service charges). Purchase online at EdmontonSymphony.com or through the Winspear Centre Box Office, (780) 428-1414 or toll-free 1-800-563-5081.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Classical music student? Apply for a scholarship! (Deadline January 15)

The Alexandra Munn Scholarships are for Edmonton area students ages 11 to 15 who demonstrate financial need and outstanding talent in classical music (voice and/or instrument).

Please see the application package for more information.

The application deadline is January 15!

This scholarship is adminstered by the Edmonton Community Foundation

For information on other scholorships, check the ECF's "Other Scholarships, Bursaries and Awards" page.

Friday, November 19, 2010

AGM :: Professional Arts Coalition of Edmonton

The Professional Arts Coalition of Edmonton is holding its AGM and seasonal reception on Monday, November 22 starting at 7 p.m. in Third Space (11516 - 103 Street). Professional artists and arts organizations within the greater Edmonton area are warmly welcome. Please RSVP to 780-485-3085 or admin@pacedmonton.com.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Hear's to Your Health Concert Series

Hear's to your Health concert series offers free admission to classical music concerts for frazzled hospital workers as well as the general public.

On Wednesday, November 17 at 5pm Hear's to your Health presents David Eggert, cello, at the University Hospital Walter C. Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre Snell Auditorium.




Pianist and University of Alberta faculty member Patricia Tao is already well-known to Edmonton classical music lovers through the Hear’s to Your Health concert series she pioneered in 2002 at the Walter MacKenzie Health Sciences Centre in Edmonton, Alberta.

Offering free admission to classical music concerts for frazzled hospital workers as well as the general public, these concerts now have an appreciative following.

For information call (780) 492-8109 or (780) 492-0601









BEAMS Music - call for dance and experimental sound works

On January 29th, 2011, Mile Zero Dance will host "Bust" as part of their Boom and Bust Salon Series at The Artery in Edmonton, Alberta. Bust will be curated by sound and multimedia artist Shawn Pinchbeck. As part of this event, we would like to program some new performative works by Edmonton artists.

This is a call for short performative pieces of about 10-15 minutes in duration that include sound and movement as their major components. Performance pieces that use multimedia, music, electroacoustic music, sound art, live performance, video, interactivity, circuit bending, dance, bodies in motion, or other multidisciplinary approaches are encouraged. Use your imagination and creativity! Surprise us!

Submit proposals(max. 1 page) and tech requirements by email by Nov 22, 2010 to Shawn Pinchbeck at shawn@beams.ca. Any support material (photos, videos, etc) should be linked to via a file sharing site such as www.yousendit.com or equivalent. All queries should be directed to Shawn Pinchbeck.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

New President of Tonus Vivus

ROBERT J. ROSEN AT THE HELM OF TONUS VIVUS! (Edmonton, AB) Tonus Vivus – Society for New Music is very pleased to welcome the internationally recognised composer, Robert J. Rosen, as its new President.

At the Annual General Meeting held on 24 October, 2010, Tonus Vivus – Society for New Music, elected Robert J. Rosen as its new President. A household name in Canadian and international New Music circles, Rosen brings to the Society decades worth of artistic and administrative success. He has been active on the contemporary music scene for over thirty years and his concert works, trans-disciplinary works, as well as scores for dance and film have been performed and broadcast on five continents in countries ranging from Canada to Sweden to Uruguay to India, to mention just a few. Among a veritable host of great Canadian and foreign artists who have commissioned and presented Rosen's music are Robert Aitken, Jean-Pierre Drouet, Mather-Lepage Duo, Barbara Pritchard, Parmela Attariwala, the Penderecki String Quartet, Trio Phoenix, and many others.

Rosen worked for The Banff Centre for the Arts for fifteen years ending his tenure as the Associate Director of Music and Sound. He was then on faculty at Mount Royal College in Calgary teaching in the Diploma and Conservatory Academy programmes. He has also taught composition at the University of Calgary. Currently, Rosen is on faculty at the Alberta College Conservatory (Grant MacEwan University) in Edmonton, AB.

Rosen will be working closely with the newly elected Board of Directors, which includes composer and educator Linda Purves as Vice President and Treasurer, saxophone virtuosa Allison Balcetis as Secretary, as well as the following Members at Large: George Andrix, Daniel Brophy, Ian Crutchley, Ruth Guechtal, and Colin Labadie.

Says Piotr Grella-Mozejko, the Society's Artistic Director: "The election of Robert Rosen and the new Board marks a breakthrough moment in the Tonus Vivus twenty-five-year-long history. This incredible group of people, which includes the representatives of literally all active generations of Canadian musicians, from the distinguished composers George Andrix and Ian Crutchley to the youngest and extremely talented members such as Allison Balcetis, Ruth Guechtal, Colin Labadie and Dan Brophy, will undoubtedly make their mark and take the Society where it really belongs, to the upper echelons on Canadian and international New Music presenters".

For more information: Tonus Vivus
pgm@tonusvivus.com
allison.balcetis@gmail.com
(780) 432-1618





Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Auditions - Sing Along Messiah with VoiceScapes 2010

AUDITIONS - Jump start your singing career!
VOCAL SOLOISTS needed for VoiceScapesSING ALONG MESSIAH
DECEMBER 19, 2010 at 2.30pm Knox United Church, Calgary

VoiceScapes, Calgary’s professional music collective, is holding auditions for Soprano Mezzo-soprano; Contralto; or Countertenor Tenor Baritone; or Bass-baritone to form the DEBUT QUARTET of singers for our Sing Along Messiah.

Qualifications: Singers may either be completing music studies or embarking on a professional vocal career.

Auditions: November 7th, 2010 from 1-5pm in Calgary
To apply and for further information, please contact:
Christina Jahn, Phone: 403-208-6094 info@voicescapes.ca
Application deadline: November 3, 2010

Successful applicants will have the opportunity to sing one or more arias at VoiceScapes’ Sing Along Messiah with VoiceScapes and a chamber orchestra of professional instrumentalists. In addition to an honorarium, Debut Quartet members will receive complimentary coachings on baroque style and interpretation prior to orchestral rehearsals.

AUDITION INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES

1. SING ALONG MESSIAH – OVERVIEW

VoiceScapes will produce their ninth annual Sing Along presentation of G.F. Handel’s Messiah in Calgary. We will present Messiah in a stylish, historically-informed performance.

A Sing Along Messiah is a performance where the audience is invited to sing along in the choruses. Other selections from the piece are performed in usual concert fashion, without audience participation. It is customary to do only a portion of Messiah for practical reasons, since Messiah in its entirety is typically around 3 hours in length. We will do the Christmas portion of Messiah (“Part the first”) and then highlights of the best choruses and arias from the remainder of the work, for a total of about two hours.

For our production, we have decided that the solo recitatives and arias will be done by 8-10 different soloists, comprising of VoiceScapes members, other professional guest soloists, and a “Debut Quartet” (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) of talented young singers who are currently studying or early in their singing careers.

It is our intent to make the VoiceScapes’ Sing Along Messiah a forum for talented young singers to perform alongside professionals. It is an opportunity for many of these young artists to perform Messiah for the first time in a historically-informed manner and in front of a large audience. Each singer would sing one to two arias (also with recitative, if applicable). Each soloist would be given rehearsal and coaching prior to the performance by the conductor and/or members of VoiceScapes, to help refine his/her performance and to learn more about baroque style, phrasing and ornamentation.

The 2010 VoiceScapes’ Sing Along Messiah will be under the direction of Timothy Shantz, conductor, with the participation of the VoiceScapes chamber orchestra (strings, 2 trumpets, organ). The Sing Along Messiah will take place in downtown Calgary, at Knox United Church, on Dec 19, 2010 at 2.30pm.

2. ELIGIBILITY FOR THE “DEBUT QUARTET”

Any Alberta singer, who is currently studying or early in their professional singing career is eligible to audition for the Debut Quartet.

3. APPLICATION TO AUDITION

If you wish to audition to be a member of the Debut Quartet, please forward the following information to VoiceScapes:
a. your name, voice part, contact information (phone, address, email)
b. your singing resume
c. a brief statement (a paragraph) as to why you want to participate as a soloist in VoiceScapes’ Sing Along Messiah
d. indication of time preference for your audition (choose from the times listed below)
e. indication of whether you will need an accompanist (we provide one) or whether you will bring your own
f. (optional) your photo and / or letters of reference

DEADLINE: Your information must be received by: November 3, 2010.

Send the application information to:
VoiceScapes’ Sing Along Messiah Auditions - Info@voicescapes.ca or
2820 18th Street NW Calgary, AB T2M 3V1 phone: 403-208-6094

Questions can be directed to Christina Jahn at (403) 208-6094 or at the above email address. Emailed information must be formatted in Word or pasted into the body of the email message.

4. AUDITION FORMAT (AND WHAT TO BRING)

Auditions will be conducted by members of VoiceScapes (www.voicescapes.ca – biographies page). An accompanist will be provided; you may also elect to bring your own accompanist.

Prepare one or two arias (with appropriate recitatives, if applicable) from Messiah. They do not need to be memorized.

Criteria used to choose the Debut Quartet:
a. Voice and vocal technique
b. Tuning
c. Artistry / presence
d. Communication

5. LOCATION AND TIME

Auditions will be held at Calgary - St. Peter’s Anglican Church, corner of 75th Ave. and Elbow Dr. SW, Calgary Sunday, November 7th, 2010; from 1pm to 5pm.

Audition timeslots are 15 -20 minutes. Efforts will be made to accommodate time slot requests. Please contact us if you are interested in auditioning, but will not be able to attend the November 7th auditions. Your audition time will be confirmed latest by November 5, 2010. Please arrive 10 minutes before your audition time, so that you have time to check in.

6. NOTIFICATION TO APPLICANTS

VoiceScapes will notify all applicants with the results of the auditions by November 12, 2010. Should you be chosen, dates for rehearsals and concert are as follows:

Friday, Dec 17th 6.30pm – 10pm – soloists rehearsal with orchestra
Saturday, Dec 18th 1.30 – 4.30pm – dress rehearsal
Sunday, Dec 19th 2.30pm Sing Along Messiah!

You are required to be in attendance for all of the above times. The Friday rehearsal is scheduled in such a way as to minimize any unnecessary sitting around for both soloists and instrumentalists.

In addition, selected vocalists have to complete their coaching at least a week prior to the above rehearsals starting.

7. REMUNERATION AND OTHER BENEFITS

Participants chosen for the Debut Quartet in the Sing Along Messiah will receive a minimum of one free coaching (possibly more depending on mutual availability) with VoiceScapes members, a chance to sing with an orchestra, and an honorarium of $75.00 for the performance. This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase your talent to a large audience in Calgary. You will also receive 4 complimentary tickets to the December 19th performance. This is a value of over $200, but the real value comes from the experience and being able to build your performance resume!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Edzimkulu - Changing Lives 2010 with Kokopelli Choirs

Edzimkulu Changing Lives 2010 is thrilled to present Edmonton’s own Kokopelli Choir for a concert at the Royal Alberta Museum on Sunday, October 24. Join us for the concert and an amazing silent auction and help Edzimkulu to continue our fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa.  With your help we continue to Change Lives. Tickets are $35 plus service charge and are available at Tix on the Square: 6 p.m. - Doors open, silent auction, 7 p.m. - Kokopelli Concert begins.

Edzimkulu is a Canadian charity dedicated to providing support to children and adults impacted by HIV/AIDS in Ndawana and other communities in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It was established in May 2003. The name Edzimkulu is a combination of Edmonton - the home city of the organization’s founders Chris and Jim Newton - and Umzimkhulu, a major South African River. The name is meant to signify the connection between the people of Edmonton and those of the communities where we work.

Ndawana is a community where the reality of HIV/AIDS is accepted and dealt with in an open, compassionate and non-stigmatic way, with healthy children and adults, an economic base enhanced by accessibility to government programs, a strong system of education, and with many partners including government agencies. The people of greater Edmonton have connection with, and understanding of, the people of Ndawana.



Edzimkulu's mission is to nurture, care for and educate the generation of children affected by HIV/AIDS in Ndawana, South Africa, with the goal of producing healthy members of a cohesive community with an economic base enhanced by education and accessibility to government programs. The people of greater Edmonton, through donations, volunteerism, and exchange of culture, will play an important role in demystifying Africa and the HIV/AIDS pandemic and in empowering the people of Ndawana.

Soloists needed for The Messiah with the Richard Eaton Singers

Attention Soloists!  The Richard Eaton Singers, Leonard Ratzlaff music director, will be performing Handel’s Messiah on Saturday, December 18, evening, at the Horizon Stage in Spruce Grove, AB.  We are holding auditions for solo assignments for interested singers from the Edmonton area. Assignments will be made on an aria-by-aria basis.  Please prepare the aria or arias you would like to be considered for (recit and aria list provided below). An accompanist is provided if necessary for your audition. A small honorarium will be offered to each singer.

Auditions: Wednesday, Nov. 17, 7-9 PM
Convocation Hall, U of A Campus
To sign up for an audition time, please contact Jochen Eggert at info@richardeatonsingers.com
or call the Richard Eaton Singers office at 780-428-3737.

List of Recitatives and Arias (Watkins Shaw edition Nrs.)

Part I:
Tenor Recit and Aria (2-3): Comfort ye – Every valley
Bass Recit (5): Thus saith the Lord
Alto (or Bass) Aria (6): But who may abide
Alto Recit and Aria (8-9): Behold a virgin shall conceive – O thou
Bass Recit and Aria (10-11): For behold, darkness – The people
Soprano Recits (14-16): There were shepherds, etc.
Soprano Aria (18): Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion
Alto-Soprano Aria (20: Version II): He shall feed his flock

Part II:
Alto Aria (23): He was despised (shortened version – no da capo)
Tenor Recit (27): All they that see him laugh him to scorn
Tenor Recits (29-30): Thy rebuke – Behold, and see
Tenor or Soprano Recits (31-32): He was cut off – But thou
Soprano Aria (38): How beautiful are the feet
Bass Aria (40): Why do the nations
Tenor Aria (43): Thou shalt break them

Part III:
Soprano Aria (45): I know that my redeemer liveth
Bass Recit and Aria (47-48): Behold, I tell you – The trumpet shall sound

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Edmonton Municipal Election - Arts Focus

On Monday October 18, 2010, consider the arts in Edmonton when you make your choices for your municipal representatives.  Here is some information from the Edmonton Arts Council and the Professional Arts Coalition of Edmonton for you to consider before you make your vote.

PACE: Vote for the Arts Campaign 2010 - PACE strives to:

Coalesce the professional arts community of Edmonton towards positive lobbying and advocacy initiatives.
Provide information and support to professional artists and arts and cultural groups in the greater Edmonton region.
Increase the profile of the arts in the city of Edmonton and in the province.

The Art of Living - The Art of Living is an exciting step towards fostering a sustainable and progressive cultural environment in the City of Edmonton – an environment that integrates culture into everyday life and one that strives to retain and attract cultural practitioners.

Whatever you choose, get out there and vote!  For more information on voting in the 2010 Edmonton municipal election, click here.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

We're on Facebook!

Check out Classical Music in Edmonton's Facebook page - just search "Classical Music in Edmonton" and you will see the beautiful picture of the Winspear Centre - click on "Like!"

All of the blog entries will be posted on the Facebook page, but the concert calendar will only be on this site ...

FREE Concert - Tonus Vivus 25th Anniversary

Tonus Vivus 25th Anniversary Concert

FREE Noon Concerts at McDougall United Church

The McDougall Concert Association is presenting its' 32nd season of Music Wednesdays at Noon - a series of FREE noon hour concerts in the banquet hall of McDougall United Church (12:10 to 12:50).  Bring your friends and a bag lunch!  Coffee and tea are also available (use the Macdonald Drive entrance facing the river).  Call 780-468-4964 for more information.

These concerts are funded by contributions from individual donors and the recording industry performance trust fund through the Edmonton Musicians' Association.
  • October 6 David Grainger Brown and Hiromi Takahashi, Guitar and Oboe
  • October 13 Andrew Glover, Solo Piano
  • October 20 Josephine van Lier and Judith Loewen, Baroque Cello and Harpsichord
  • October 27 Leanne Regehr and Janna Olson, Piano Four Hands
  • November 3 Greg Zawaski, Solo Piano
  • November 11 Guillaume Tardif and Alison Minkun, Violin and Piano
  • November 17 Suzanne Langor, Hiromi Takahashi and Jeremy Spurgeon -Horn, Oboe and Piano
  • November 24 Café Musique, Flute, Cello and Piano

Calling all music teachers! Music Conference Alberta 2010

Music Conference Alberta is a proud collaboration between the Alberta Choral Federation, the Alberta Band Association, the Alberta Music Education Foundation, the Alberta Kodály Association and the Alberta Guild of English Handbell Ringers.

MCA is an opportunity for conductors, choristers, studio teachers, music teachers, and other music enthusiasts to attend sessions and workshops on a wide variety of topics related to music and music education. In addition, conference delegates can attend concerts, master classes and social events designed to renew and inspire.

The Alberta Music Education Foundation is proud to sponsor sessions for Studio Teachers of Piano and Voice.  Our feature clinician for Piano will be the renowned ANGELA CHENG. She will perform on Red Deer College main stage on Thursday evening, November 4, 2010 and then present sessions and a master class on Friday, November 5, 2010.  Our feature clinician for Vocal is the respected TORIN CHILES from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario.

SUPPORT MUSIC EDUCATION IN ALBERTA!  BECOME A MEMBER OR DONATE TO THE ALBERTA MUSIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION.  The study and performance of music is an integral and necessary part of a well-rounded life and vibrant communities. The AMEF provides funding, ideas, and resources to Alberta's community music students and teachers.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Volunteers Needed! Artists on the Wards Program

The Friends Arts in Healthcare Program is seeking volunteer visual, literary and musical artists for our Artists On The Wards Program. Working with adult acute-care patients at the University of Alberta Hospital, volunteers will engage adult patients in bedside creative activities to alleviate boredom, loneliness, and discomfort.

Volunteers must be:
· a minimum of 18 years of age
· be able to commit to a minimum of 6 consecutive months
· one 2-3 hour shift a week. Days, evenings and weekends are available – shifts allow for some flexibility.
· Waiting Room Musical artists must commit to a minimum of one shift per month.
· English language is essential
· communication and interpersonal skills – comfortable in approaching and interacting with people

Requirements:

Visual artists must have formal training and/or demonstrated experience in visual art in various mediums such as watercolour, acrylics, collage, clay, oil pastel.

Literary artists must have demonstrated experience or facilitating creative writing, poetry, and storytelling. Volunteers must be comfortable reading or storytelling in public or one-on-one.

Bedside Musical artists (individuals) must have a repertoire of a minimum of 10 to 15 songs playing an instrument that can be played quietly at the patient’s beside. e.g. guitar, piano, harp. Please, no brass instruments for bedside artists.

Waiting Room Musical artists (individual to quartet) must have a repertoire of a minimum of 10 to 15 songs to create a relaxing, ambient environment in designated waiting areas. Format will be performance-based and musicians will have access to a piano and/or portable keyboard.

All musical volunteers must be comfortable and confident playing in front of an audience or one-on-one, and must be able to read music or read a chord chart or improvise.

For More Information Contact:
Diana Young Kennedy, MSc Gallery and Collection Administrator, McMullen Gallery 780.407.7152 diana.youngkennedy@albertahealthservices.ca

New Measure Orchestra - "A Night in Disguise" - Time update

An update to our previous post on the New Measure Orchestra's Masquerade Ball and Auction - here are the times you need to know!  Hope to see you there!

When:  October 22nd, 2010

6:00 pm Cocktails

6:30 - 8:00 pm Dinner & Entertainment

8:00 - 9:00 pm Dance lesson (Waltz)

6:00 - 9:30 pm Silent Auction

9:30 pm Dance

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Accordion Extravaganza!!

If you were ever curious about the accordion, now is your chance to find out!  The Edmonton Accordion Society's  "Accordion Extravaganza" takes place this weekend (September 24-26) and includes concerts, workshops, competitions, craft tables, trade show, a dance, AND, a pancake breakfast!  Do you need any more reasons to go??

Take in the big show and help celebrate fifteen years of accordion excellence in Edmonton.

THE BIG BAND is back! Performers from Of One Accord Ensemble, Friends & Neighbors Band, Party Pals Accordion Quartet and other accomplished players combine their talents to create this extraordinary accordion band.

The Big Band, directed by Margaret Miller, will play a variety of familiar and energetic selections. Vocalists Kathy Dalberg and Eric Mork, plus violinist Dianne Tebby will create a truly memorable program.

Michael Bridge - IN CONCERT! At age eight, Calgarian Michael Bridge attended his first Accordion Extravaganza festival. Now seventeen years old, this accordion virtuoso returns to Edmonton for his 10th consecutive Extravaganza as a seasoned entertainer. Michael will perform on both chromatic free bass and piano accordions.

In 2009, Michael performed at the Las Vegas International Accordion Convention and at the Leavenworth International Accordion Festival. He was honoured to represent Canada as a performer at an international accordion festival in France under the banner of the Accordeon Club Lorrain. This past summer he also appeared as a solo headliner at the Kimberley International Accordion Championships.

Michael, at age 14 and again at 16, released his CD's entitled "My Stuff" and "Sharon's Song" comprised entirely of his own, original compositions.

Michael has wowed audiences wherever he has performed. Don't miss your opportunity to hear this top-notch accordionist and extraordinary entertainer.

The Mattierin School of Irish Dancing kick-starts the concert with skilled young performers showcasing the joy of Irish dancing. Noted accordionist Mervin Bell will accompany the dancers' high energy performance.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

FREE Concert - Come Celebrate Arnold Schoenberg's 134th Birthday!

Mark your calendars for a FREE concert, Monday, September 13, 8:00 pm at Convocation Hall.

We'll be celebrating Arnold Schoenberg's 134th birthday and with an hour of music and cool information about Schoenberg presented by Paul Hesselink, visiting lecturer from Las Vegas, Nevada.

We begin with a performance of Schoenberg's Variations on a Recitative by Dr. Marnie Giesbrecht and end with a rarely performed two-piano version of the same work by Celius Daugherty (very effective!) performed by Duo Majoya in a historic pairing of these two works.

Among scholars and organists it has been known that the commissioning and publication of the "Variations on a Recitative" for Organ, Op. 40 by Arnold Schoenberg generated a controversy and a dispute which lasted ten years and was resolved only by Schoenberg's death in 1951.

The definitive details of that story have been pieced together through the assemblage of the pertinent correspondence which has survived in the Schoenberg letters as found in the collection at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Oh, and you will also want to learn about Schoenberg’s acute triscadecaphobia! (Look that up in your Funk and Wagnall!)

Hope to see you there! Debi Harris, RCCO, Edmonton Centre

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Auditions - Edmonton Columbian Choirs

Edmonton Columbian Choirs announce auditions for 2010/2011 season

The Edmonton Columbian Choirs (Edmonton’s family of choirs), under the direction of Artistic Director Heather Bedford-Clooney, is pleased to announce auditions for its 44th Season.

Auditions will take place on Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at St. Joseph Catholic High School (10830 109 Street) starting at 6:30PM.

This year, the Edmonton Columbian Choirs has opportunities for singers in the following choirs: Young Columbians (Boys and Girls aged 6-11) – conducted by Elaine Dunbar, BMus, ARCT, BFA, Edmonton Voice and Piano Teacher – Rehearsals are Tuesday evenings from 6:30-8:00

Columbian Junior Singers & Edmonton Catholic School Honour Choir (A JointVenture for Boys and Girls aged 11-15) – conducted by Vern Slipetz, BMus, Choral Director at Louis St. Laurent Junior/Senior High School – Rehearsals are Monday evenings from 6:30-8:00

Chanteuses Ladies’ Choir (Adult Women 18+) – conducted by Heather Bedford-Clooney, BEd, ARCT, ATCL, LTCL, Edmonton Voice Teacher and Executive Director of the Edmonton Kiwanis Music Festival – Rehearsals are Thursday evenings from 6:30-8:30

For information on the choirs and to arrange an audition time, please contact either Brenda Thiru-Chelvam at 780.760.3270 or brenada@shaw.ca, or Heather Bedford-Clooney at 780.484.8325 or hbedford@shaw.ca.

http://www.edmontoncolumbianchoirs.ca/

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Coming in August

The 2010 - 2011 season starts with free concerts at the ESO: the ESO Showcase, Duo Majoya, and the National Youth Orchestra. Something for everyone this month with electroacoustic music at the Wunder Bar, the Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir (if you've never heard 50 rugged Welsh men singing together, I highly recommend it!), and of course Il Duo at the Fringe if you like tenors (who doesn't?) and you're eager to poke fun at the 'pop-era' phenomenon of the "Canadian-Italian-English-French-Irish-pick-a-country-tenors"!

Our concert calendar is almost complete except for some choral ensembles and academic instituions who have yet to post their 2010-2011 season.  After assembling the concert calendar, there are a few things that I am really looking forward to - the Beijing Opera (because when does authentic Chinese opera come to Edmonton??), Anton Kuerti (because he almost never plays intimate spaces like Con Hall), the rarely-performed, newly-discovered "Gloria" by Handel sung by Jolaine Kerley, and who couldn't resist a tuba concerto with the ESO?

What are you looking forward to? Our C.M.E. reviews will start shortly ...

Friday, July 23, 2010

Auditions for the Richard Eaton Singers

Auditions are being held on Monday, August 23, 2010 from 6pm to 10pm in Room 1-29, Fine Arts Building, UofA. Richard Eaton Singers   RES Audition Form

Expand your acoustic sensibilities with the Boreal Electroacoustic Music Society

I had to share this with you all ... if you ever needed a reason to go to an electroacoustic music show, this is it!  I dare you to read on ...

Electroacoustic six-pack invades Wunder Bar

The Saturday, Aug. 7 lineup is as follows:
Philip Dickau: One of the local electroacoustic music scene's most energetic movers and shakers presents a live work called Digital Spasm, in which three interconnected pulse waves create an effect similar to a computer choking on pieces of glass while having an epileptic seizure.
agaperaygunexperiment: Renowned for its in-your-face approach, this unit led by Philip Jagger will debut telephonexx, which uses a backtrack made of dial tone noises and music played through a cell phone, and allowing for participants to use their cell phones as musical devices.
Condoleezza Rice Paddies: Disbanded in 2008, this collective will reunite the original lineup which first performed at The Works Art & Design Festival at the Citadel Theatre's Heritage Amphitheatre in 2004. Returning will be guitarist Bill Damur, keyboardist Gene Kosowan and effects specialist Will Truchon.

The Sunday, Aug. 8 lineup is as follows:
Shawn Pinchbeck: This practitioner, renowned as a true vanguard of the local electroacoustic movement—and whose works have been recognized across Canada and Europe—makes a rare appearance in his home town, performing a live laptop composition entitled Tuurv.
The Hobophobes: This Calgary-based experimental noise outfit, consisting of Ben Charlton, Jessical McCarrel and Sarah-Lynn Wilson, make their Edmonton debut with their brand of provocative cacophony inspired by grade-B horror movies and medical surgical videos.
flEm: One of Edmonton's most reviled acts, after stints in Ukrainian For Butterfly and Du Plafond, returns as a solo performer.


Doors open at 8 p.m., which shows starting at 9 p.m. each evening. Tickets are $7 (BEAMS members $5) and available at the door. For more information, log onto www.beams.ca or email http://ca.mc1104.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=info%40beams.ca.