Art Song - my/maSCENA

Credit : Andrew Waller

Ukrainian Art Song Project wraps up 2018 Summer Intensive Program

By Gregory Finney on 22 August 2018 Art Song, Classical Music, Concert Reviews, Vocal

The Ukrainian Art Song Project (UASP), now in it’s 14th year, wrapped up its 2018 Summer Intensive Program with a concert on August 19th. Temerty Theatre at the Glenn Gould School of Music was home to an afternoon of mixed Art Songs all by Ukrainian composers. The UASP, along with its recording label Musica Leopolis, is charged with sharing the surprising wealth of Ukrainian Art Song with a broader public and is just over one-third completed its goal of recording 1000 different songs. With founder British bass-baritone Pavlo Hunka, and his faculty which include Dr. Melanie Turgeon, Dr. Anna Ferenc,…

Mozart & Salieri Are at It Again, at dell’Arte Opera Ensemble’s Festival 2018

By Charles Geyer on 9 August 2018 Art Song, Choral, Classical, Classical Music, Interviews, La Scena Online, La Scena Spotlight, Musical Theatre, Opera, Orchestral, Strings, Theatre, Vocal

PREVIEW: of the 2018 dell’Arte Opera Ensemble Summer Festival Season, “Mozart & Salieri,” at New York City’s LaMaMa (66 East 4th Street), August 11 through 26; and INTERVIEWS: with company founder and artistic director, maestro Chris Fecteau, and dell’Arte 2018 creative team members Brittany Goodwin and Catherine O’Shaughnessy. This company is ready to rumble. Call it the Thrilla from Vienna: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, that most bruited matchup of 18th Century musical titans, is slated for a redux this month – this time in 21st Century New York, courtesy of the dell’Arte Opera Ensemble. Grab a ringside seat.…

Le Chimera Project Winterreise at domaine forget : A Winter journey in Summer

By Adrian Rodriguez on 23 July 2018 Art Song, Chamber Music, Classical, Concert Reviews, Vocal, World Music

A warm summer evening at Domain Forget provided the setting for the premiere of Canadian baritone Phillippe Sly’s latest musical venture: Schubert’s Winterreise (A Winter Journey) Klezmer version. The show also marked the debut of his newly formed band “Le Chimera Project” featuring Karine Gordon (trombone), Jonathan Millette (violin) Samuel Carrier (accordion), Félix de l’Étoile (clarinet and bass clarinet) and Roy Rallo (staging). The band was formed about two years ago. Sly was inspired after hearing Samuel Carrier and Félix de l’Étoile perform one piece from Winterreise in an informal setting. He was also fascinated by the theme of an…

Dame Sarah Connolly: Come to me in my Dreams (Chandos)

By Norman Lebrecht on 29 June 2018 Art Song, Lebrecht Weekly

What are we to make of songs that were written for people to sing and play at home, when nobody plays at home any more? The great canon of so-called ‘art song’ (horrible term) has shifted from the drawing room to the public stage and, in doing so, has lost something of its intended intimacy and improvisation. It seems to be that English song suffers more in this transition than French or German. All too often, in a concert setting, the singer feels obliged to pop a peach in his/her mouth for declamatory purpose. The English mezzo Dame Sarah Connolly…

CMIM 2018: John Brancy wins in the Art Song division and Mario Bahg in the Aria division.

By Newswire on 8 June 2018 Art Song, Music Competition, Opera

THE WINNERS OF THE 2018 VOICE EDITION: A SPECTACULAR EVENING AT THE CONCOURS MUSICAL INTERNATIONAL DE MONTRÉAL John Brancy wins in the Art Song division and Mario Bahg in the Aria division. Canadian Emily D’Angelo wins Second Prize in the Aria division Montreal, Thursday, June 7, 2018 – Earlier this evening, it was full house at Maison symphonique as the audience and international jury of the 2018 Voice edition witnessed the Aria Grand Finale of the Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM). After this final round sponsored by Power Corporation of Canada, the jury members gathered to deliberate and determine the…

CMIM 2018: Day 6 Art Song Finals Report

By Adrian Rodriguez on 3 June 2018 Art Song, Education, Music Competition

Today mezzo-soprano Clara Osowski, baritone John Brancy, soprano Gemma Summerfield and baritone Julien Van Mellaerts performed to a full house at Bourgie Hall in the Finals of the Art Song division of CMIM 2018. Although the official results will only be announced on June 7, the winner appears to be Brancy. He and his pianist Peter Dugan understood how to captivate the audience, building a program that crescendo to a grand finale with Rachmaninov’s Zdes Khorocho and Vesennié vody. I tweeted during the performance “Back in April we predicted John Brancy would earn first prize at CMIM 2018 for Art…

Concours musical international de Montréal | voice 2018: the semifinals

By Newswire on 1 June 2018 Art Song, Newswire, Opera

20 singers from 12 nations advance to the Art Song and Aria semifinals Montreal, Friday, June 1st, 2018 – Between May 29 and 31, 38 singers from 20 nations participated in the First round of the Art Song and Aria divisions. The jury selected 8 semifinalists in the Art Song division and 12 semifinalists in the Aria division, representing together some 12 nations. The Art Song semifinal starts today June 1st at Bourgie Hall. Here are the Art Song semifinalists by order of appearance: Art Song Semifinal I – 3 pm Julien Van Mellaerts (New Zealand – United Kingdom), baritone…

Launch of the 2018 Concours international de chant de Montréal (Singing contest)

By Newswire on 30 May 2018 Art Song, Newswire, Opera

Montreal. May 29th. Yesterday, the Concours musical international de Montréal kicked off its 2018 Voice edition by welcoming the 38 singers and 10 collaborative pianists from all over the world as they sang altogether on stage at Bourgie Hall. Also present was the president of the jury, Zarin Mehta, and all the jury members Warren Jones, Soile Isokoski, François Le Roux, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Edith Bers, Ben Heppner, Dame Felicity Lott, Richard Rodzinksi, and Joseph Rouleau. The vocal competition in its new format, now consisting of two divisions, Aria (voice and orchestra) and Art Song (voice and piano), starts today! The Art Song and Aria First…

CMIM First Round Art Song Day 1 Round-up

By Adrian Rodriguez on 30 May 2018 Art Song, Education, Music Competition, Opera

One of the most important music competitions in Canada: The “Concours international de Montréal” has begun!. The first Round was dedicated to art song. Eight out of 16 singers from different corners of the world were selected to pass to the next round: Julien Van Mellaerts Irina Jae-Eun Park Axelle Fanyo Rihab Chaieb Gemma Summerfield John Brancy Tomi Punkeri Clara Osowski Here are my impressions after the first round: The stronger performances of the day came from Baritone John Brancy and mezzo Rihab Chaieb. Brancy seemed to be in total control of his voice and very confident. He showcased great…

Tenor Lawrence Brownlee; photo by Dominic M. Mercier

A Black Man, in Full Voice, Sings the “Cycles of My Being”

By Charles Geyer on 24 April 2018 Art Song, Chamber Music, Classical, Contemporary

PREVIEW: Of “Cycles of My Being,” Carnegie Hall, April 24, 2018 – the New York premiere of a new song cycle by composer Tyshawn Sorey and poet Terrance Hayes, performed by tenor Lawrence Brownlee; and REVIEW: Of the song cycle’s earlier world premiere at Opera Philadelphia, February 20, 2018. “Cycles of My Being” – a new art song cycle about the contemporary black male experience, is a compact, provocative, movingly confessional musical experience. Created specifically for, and in collaboration with, acclaimed operatic tenor Lawrence Brownlee, the work proves to be an eloquent and lyrical disburdening of pain and alienation –…

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