SoundBites

Just Imperfect

Pinchas Zukerman isn’t perfect and he seems proud of that.

“Don’t be afraid to play ouimage1t of the box,” he tells MRU Conservatory violinist Isabella Perron. “Let me tell you when it’s too far.” In this masterclass, the celebrated violinist and conductor plays from memory to demonstrate. He mentions that the tone is, “fine for Brahms,” which he played last night as a featured soloist for the 40th Anniversary concert of the Calgary Civic Symphony, “but this is Bobby Schumann.”

His nicknamed reference clearly indicates how intimately he knows the composer.

Perron, a Grand Prize winner at the Canadian Music Competition, goes toe to toe with the maestro, who has been featured under the baton of fellow greats including Leonard Berstein and has been Music Director of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra since 1999. He mentors effectively, pushing harder when he senses her talent. “That’s a bad habit,” he warns about a vibrato technique she employed. “What are you… fifteen? At 17 it’ll be worse.” She makes the correction with ease and they carry on.

“Let’s play the Bach,” he requests. She shifts gears as they discuss finding the tempo. Not just the tempo that was conceived by the composer, but the one that’s right for her. “Find your colour,” he continues, “find your DNA.” The directions are seemingly on a profound and professional level while the teenager takes it in stride.

FullSizeRender (7)The onlooking handful of fortunate students at the MRU Conservatory’s TransAlta Pavillion in the Taylor Centre for Performing Arts are indeed getting a life lesson in music performance. Zukerman addresses the classroom, “Playing perfect is wrong.” The stunned silence is followed by an explanation of how dynamics and emotion are the goal, mistakes are forgivable if they are in service of the musical idea. “Digital recording has ruined that,” he emphasizes, “Music should not be bland.”

After this afternoon, you can be sure that Isabella will remember that.

Cello Again

Amanda Forsyth is at MRU.

FullSizeRender (5)The youngest principal cello ever selected by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra has returned. Forsyth played with the CPO for six years and was featured as a soloist in each of them.

Since then, she has graced the world’s stages, played with the likes of Yo-Yo Ma, Wynton Marsalis and recorded the sound track for Ken Burns’ 7-part television film about World War II.   She and her husband, violinist/conductor Pinchas Zukerman are back and giving back in Calgary at the MRU Conservatory.

In her masterclass in the TransAlta Pavillion, about a dozen lucky cellists are getting an insight into what it takes to take their craft to the next level. Nervous fingers clutch the instruments awaiting the master’s critique. “More strength,” Forsyth suggests, “if you can play with a stronger tone, then you’re four bars in and you’ve already had some fun.”
Her passion fFullSizeRender (6)or the instrument is very much apparent. It is an extension of her body whether she’s playing, coaching or tucking it in the crook of her arm as she sips some much needed water. “Welcome to Calgary,” she jokes about the dryness she once knew.

The MRU Conservatory students are a bit shell-shocked. But, one by one, they sit taller and play, learning some valuable insider information from a master. A master who was once in their shoes; raw developing talent ready to take the world stage.

Forsyth smiles as she coaches, maybe reminiscing about her time as a student cellist, maybe about her time in Calgary, and just maybe about the potential of adding the names of these budding students to the list of artists she has collaborated with.

Backstage at the Bella

billMurrayInterviewScreen2_1200x675We’ve all seen and heard many inspiring stories on a concert stage, but what inspiration goes into building the stage itself?

The Bella Concert Hall in the Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts is the newly opened crown jewel of the MRU Conservatory.   Both aesthetically stunning and acoustically sound, Calgary’s newest concert hall is an artistic masterpiece.

Bill Murray is the visionary architect behind the scenes.  You can get some backstage insight into his design concept with inspirations drawn from the Alberta landscape, prairie symbols and origami.  Aspects of the hall’s interior and exterior structure were based on the concept of a prairie barn.

While pondering a visually pleasing yet acoustically versatile ceiling design, Murray explains, “It occurred to me, if we abstracted the Alberta Rose and made it out of wood, that it would be quite a wonderful element.”

The ‘barn’ was raised to much acclaim from audiences and performers alike in the Bella’s grand opening festival featuring the likes of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, featured soloists, several choral ensembles and pianist Yuja Wang.  Seeing and hearing the space upon completion, a satisfied Murray lauded, “It’s better than I ever imagined.”

We couldn’t agree more.

To hear Bill Murray, the Architect of the Bella Concert Hall talk about his design…“>click here.

 

High Needs

FullSizeRender (1)MRU choirs need more Sopranos

It’s a rare musical predicament.

Jean-Louis Bleau, the director of MRU’s Artio choir explains, “Unlike other choirs in the city…we have a shortage of sopranos.”

Sopranos are routinely plentiful in the choral world. There’s often an abundance of talented ladies willing to carry the melody, while choirs scrounge for supporting female voice parts and men’s voices. “Other choirs are struggling for guys to sing bass and tenor.” Bleau resounds, “Two-thirds of the choir are guys. We are unbalanced on the top-end, so we need some strong sopranos… especially sopranos that can sing high A’s.”

That’s a high order.

As the new Program Administrator for MRU Conservatory’s General and Orchestral Programs and director of Artio, Bleau has the perfect pitch for ladies who are interested, “The music we do is very challenging. We’re doing these aggressive style pieces like (Mozart’s) Dies Irae and Flame by Ben Parry.” The latter includes a two-minute finale featuring a staggered soprano section continuously singing a high A.

“People are always welcome to pop by and see what we do,” Bleau attests. “We have a couple extra chairs we set up in rehearsal.” When asked what the general reaction is of those who venture into the rehearsal hall, the director admits that most who come to listen stay to sing.

Artio will be seen next in concert with pianist Konstantin Shamray at the Bella Concert Hall on November, 22nd.   Then, they will be featured in the MRU Conservatory’s holiday show Sounds of the Season on December 12th. If you have a high voice and a passion for choral music, perhaps you can join them.

 

 

 

The Stage is Set for Bella Concert Hall Opening Festival

MRU-TCPA_BellaConcertHall_073115
Take your seat in history

The building of the Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts is now complete and the doors are open. All that is missing is you!

Join the Mount Royal Conservatory for the Opening Festival for the stunning new Bella Concert Hall from September 19 to October 3. Four gala concerts will launch the Bella as Calgary’s newest performing space, which will truly come alive when audiences are there to appreciate the incredible acoustics.

The Opening Festival performances are:

  • Sept 19; 8 pm – Bella Voce Opera Gala featuring the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus with Sally Dibblee, Andrea Hill, Gordon Gietz and Brett Polegato
  • Sept 27; 3 pm – Luminous Night, a 250-voice choral extravaganza with Mount Royal’s Artio and Kantorei choirs as well as Calgary’s best choral ensembles
  • Sept 30; 7:30 pm – Yuja Wang, internationally acclaimed as the most important pianist of her generation and graduate of Mount Royal Conservatory’s Academy for Gifted Youth; playing the exceptional Hamburg Steinway she helped to select especially for the new concert ahll
  • Oct 3; 8 pm – Yuja Wang & Friends, including renowned artists Ning Feng, violin, Teng Li, viola, and Tao Li, cello, in a concert of Brahms chamber music masterworks.

The Opening Festival sponsor is United Active Living. Tickets start at $60 and are available through MRU Tickets. Students, seniors and members of the MRU community are entitled to a discount.

Wednesday, August 26 marked the official VIP opening of MRU’s new Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts, with the dazzling Bella Concert Hall at its heart. Sixteen years in the making, under the leadership of former Conservatory Director Paul Dornian, this new facility is now the home of the Conservatory, which welcomes over 4000 students annually to learn music, speech arts and more.

Paul Dornian is now President and CEO of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and will be on hand for the opening festivities to see his dreams become reality.

“The Conservatory nurtures and optimizes artistic potential within each student,” says Program Director Elaine Danelesko. “We empower individuals to creatively express themselves through music and speech arts by offering instruction to every person, every age and every level of development. We support students to achieve their dreams, from recreational enrichment to pre-professional training.”

The spaces in the Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts — comprising the TransAlta Pavilion, 43 soundproof studio rooms and several meeting/ensemble spaces — are also available for rent to the Calgary community and beyond for events and performances.

The Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts is named for the philanthropic Taylor family, who donated $21 million dollars for the building, The Bella Concert Hall is named in honour of the beloved matriarch of the Taylor family.

 

MRU Violinist Wins Grand Prize at Canadian Federation of Music Festivals

angelaryuMount Royal Conservatory student Angela Ryu, a violinist in the Academy for Gifted Youth program, recently won the grand prize as well as the first prize for all string instruments at the National Music Festival of the Federation of Canadian Music Festivals. The competition took place from August 13-15 in Edmonton.

Angela is 15 and competed with string players of all ages from across Canada, including university music students.

The competition is the largest grass roots music contest in Canada, with tens of thousands of competitors in every city and town in Canada.

unnamedLast year, MRU Conservatory student Isabella Perron won the same prize at only 14 years of age.

“Decades of thoughtful hard work and support have given the community of Calgary an exceptional Conservatory for our gifted young artists,” notes William van der Sloot, Manager of Academy and Choral Programs. “Part of the mission for all of our universities and colleges is to serve our communities. There is no better example of this at MRU than The Conservatory.”

Virtuoso Violinist Takes Home International Competition Prizes

Isabella_Perron_blog

15-year-old violinist Isabella Perron is on a roll. She participated in three international competitions this spring and summer and came away with three prizes.

Most recently Isabella won the 11-14 Years Grand Prize at the Canadian Music Competition held in Vancouver from June 19-July 3. She received top marks of 97 percent and had the opportunity to perform with the Vancouver Metropolitan Symphony in a Gala Concert on July 4.

She just returned to MRU to participate in the Conservatory’s Morningside Music Bridge, where she looks forward to studying with distinguished guest faculty including Noah Bendix-Balgley, Tadeusz Gadzina, Ian Swensen, Gwen Hoebig and Shanshan Yao.

Isabella_Klein_blogIsabella was the youngest semi-finalist in the 30th annual Irving M. Klein International String Competition held in San Francisco from June 4-7.

She won the 2015 Elaine M. Klein Second Prize as well as the prize for Best Performance of a Commissioned Work.

The first competition this year was the Johansen International Competition for Young String Players in Washington DC in March, where she reached the semi-finals. She had just turned 15.

“I love travelling,” she says. “Going to visit all of these cities is great.”

Isabella plays a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin 1850 with a Apocyphe de Joseph Guarnerius Cremonae 1737 label and a bow from Nicolas Maline, lent by the company Canimex Inc. of Drummondville, Québec, Canada.

She has been playing violin since the age of 2 and played her first concert at 3. “We are all musicians in the family,” she says. “My grandmother started me.”

Isabella has been a student in the Conservatory’s Academy for Gifted Youth for four years, travelling to Calgary from Montreal for lessons once a month for the first three years.

“It’s definitely worth it,” she says. “The teachers here are absolutely amazing. It’s a great program. You get to perform for guest artists from all over the world and take private lessons and master classes. There’s so much more experience on the stage. I have a few teachers that I’d really love to study with in the future.”

Isabella starts high school in the fall and plans to finish in two years so she can continue her undergraduate music studies in the US followed by her master’s in Europe.

From ages 8-12 Isabella had a burgeoning singing career, appearing on a Montreal television program hosted by Quebec pop/jazz artist Gregory Charles. He became her manager and they produced a pop album together. “I love all genres of music, really,” she says. “I want to get more into jazz. A lot of people think you have to do one or the other, pop or classical. I’m interested in everything and I like to show people that you don’t need to do just one thing to be great at it. You can do as many things as you’d like to.”

One of Isabella's biggest fans is her mother Johanne, who teaches in the Early Childhood Strings program.
One of Isabella’s biggest fans is her mother Johanne, who teaches in the Conservatory’s Early Childhood Strings program.

Along with her classical studies, Isabella plans to pursue her singing and songwriting interests with MRU’s new Songwriting course, part of the Conservatory’s new Popular Music offerings.

Isabella has recorded a CD and will do a concert tour starting in August.

Listen to Isabella Perron on SoundCloud.

World-Class Musicians to Inaugurate New Bella Concert Hall

Director Paul Dornian announces stellar line-ups for Opening Festival and Wyatt Series
Conservatory Director Paul Dornian announces stellar line-ups for Opening Festival and Wyatt Series

Two marquee series, comprising seven events in 2015-16,  will showcase the breathtaking acoustics and intimate ambiance of Calgary’s newest concert venue, the Bella Concert Hall at Mount Royal University.

The announcement was made by Conservatory Director Paul Dornian at a launch party for Conservatory sponsors, supporters and media on May 1.

The Opening Festival for the Bella Concert Hall features four outstanding concerts between September 19 and October 3, 2015.

The 2015-16 Wyatt Concert Series line-up was also revealed. The Wyatt season will feature four concerts by young, edgy superstars. The September 30 concert by superstar pianist Yuja Wang is a crossover event for both series.

Former Academy student Natalie Wiebe
Academy alumna Natalie Wiebe

The launch party featured a presentation by Academy for Gifted Youth alumna Natalie Wiebe, violin. Natalie told of being inspired by the Academy’s abundant performing opportunities and access to international faculty. She welcomes the Bella Concert Hall as an impressive new platform for future musicians, facilitating even greater collaboration possibilities between students and visiting artists.

“Young guest artists help students realize their dreams and build an invaluable rapport with young musicians.” Natalie said.


 

Karen Drummond of United Active Living
Karen Drummond of United Active Living

Opening Festival sponsor Karen Drummond of United Active Living spoke about the importance of the arts to the health and happiness of the residents of this leading-edge seniors’ facility. The partnership between United Active Living and Mount Royal includes guest lecturers, nursing practicums and music appreciation. The residents will enjoy attending events in the new venue.

“Our residents enjoy regular music programming at Mount Royal,” Karen said.

 

 


 

Passion Palette Trio
Passion Palette Trio

The Passion Palette Trio — Isabella Perron, violin, Mari Coetzee, cello, and Anastasia Kulikova, piano, current students of the Academy for Gifted Youth — gave a stirring performance of Antonin Dvorak’s Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor to crown the event.

Opening Festival

“Bella Voce” Opera Gala – Sat., Sept. 19, 8 p.m. 
With the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Robert Mincuk
Presented with Calgary Opera and Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
Featuring international stars Sally Dibblee, Andrea Hill and Gordon Gietz

“Luminous Night” Choral Showcase – Sun., Sept. 27, 3 p.m.
A 250+-voice choral extravaganza with massed choirs led by Jean-Louis Bleau

Yuja Wang, piano – Wed., Sept. 30 , 7:30 p.m. 
This stylish and charismatic pianist has been called the most important pianist of her generation. She is an alumna of the Conservatory

Yuja & Friends – Sat., Oct. 3, 8 p.m.
An all-Brahms concert with pianist Yuja Wang and Ning Feng, violin, Teng Li, viola, and Tao Ni, cello

Presenting sponsor: United Active Living Community.

Complete information at mtroyal.ca/bella2015

 Wyatt Concert Series

Super Stars – Sat., Jul. 18, 7 p.m.
Noah Bendix-Balgley, one of the world’s great violinists, with guest artists Shanshan Yao, Wei Yu, Teng Li and Franklin Cohen
Co-presented with Morningside Music Bridge

Yuja Wang, – Piano – Wed., Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m.
(also part of the Opening Gala – see description above)

Igudesman & Joo – Sat., Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m. 
Comedy duo from New York make classical music accessible

James Ehnes, Violin – Fri., May 13, 7:30 p.m.
Canadian violinist with a stellar international career

Hal Wyatt with Dean Charles Webber
Hal Wyatt with Dean Charles Webber

The Wyatt Artist in Residence Program and Concert Series honours Hal Wyatt and his late wife, Marnie, who are long-time friends and supporters of the Mount Royal University Conservatory. Dean Webber expressed appreciation for the Wyatts’ long-term support.

 

 


Concert tickets for the two series start at $60 and are available through tickets.mru.ca (as of May 12) or 403.440.7770 now.

 by Karen McCarthy
– photos by Mitsue Kudo

 

 

 

 

Coming Soon! Cowtown Opera Summer Academy

Cowtown Opera Summer Academy 2014
By now you have probably heard Cowtown Opera’s Calgary Flames fight song titled Never Quit. What you may not have heard is that the people behind the song also put on a master class academy for young opera singers last summer at the Mount Royal University Conservatory.

The Cowtown Opera Summer Academy offers a short intensive program for singing students who wish to learn more about opera, art song, stage craft and vocal health. Some of the topics covered by the Summer Academy are:

  • “Yoga for the Voice”
  • Individual voice lessons
  • Stagecraft classes
  • Masterclasses in French song, German lieder and opera arias
  • Classes on vocal health, career development, and “How to Become Your Biggest Fan”
  • Art song recital and opera scene workshops

Cowtown Opera Summer Academy 2014 ClassroomIt is divided into sessions for Junior (ages 12-15), Intermediate (ages 15-18) and Senior (ages 18+) students.

If this sounds interesting to you or someone you know then you should know that applications are due April 24, 2015. You can find more details about admissions and auditions at the Cowtown Summer Academy website (http://mtroyal.ca/ProgramsCourses/FacultiesSchoolsCentres/TheConservatory/Programs/ssdata_cons_cowtownopera.htm).

Tiny Pianist Dazzles at Calgary Performing Arts Festival

 

Charlotte Giraudeau piano
Charlotte Giraudeau with one of her biggest fans

Each year, students from Mount Royal Conservatory compete in hundreds of classes at the Calgary Performing Arts Festival (formerly the Kiwanis Festival). By their estimation, 80 to 90 percent receive a combination of first and second place certificates.

Pianist Charlotte Giraudeau is only 6 years old but is already an accomplished pianist, working with teacher Kathy Dornian in the Academy for Gifted Youth at the Conservatory.

“Charlotte competed in 6 classes including one which was her first complete concerto. Most students that age group would enter 1 to 3 classes,” says Kathy Dornian. “She was entered in the 6 years and under classes which are non-competitive (the piano categories are non-competitive up to age 8). She certainly received many accolades from the adjudicators.”

Charlotte Giraudeau
Charlotte ready to perform

“Most of her repertoire was around Grade 4, which is quite remarkable for age 6. Level aside, what makes her unique is that she is already displaying a high level of musicianship and imagination, and I feel that she shows tremendous promise and potential,” Kathy notes. “The cute-as-a-button factor of course is a lovely bonus at this age and she demonstrates a real ease with and love of performing for an audience.”

Charlotte has a sister, Madeleine, who also is a very talented student of the Academy for Gifted Youth. “Madeleine is 10 years old and playing at a Grade 9-10 level. She gave a stunning performance on March 11 of a very complex and difficult Canadian piece and won both the class and a scholarship. She competed in 5 classes, won 3 and placed second in 2,” says Kathy.

Charlotte and Madeleine are both adopted from different orphanages in China and are completely unrelated biologically, yet both obviously have a very strong natural affinity for music. Their parents moved to Calgary from Edmonton a couple of years ago. Their mother is Chinese, and their father is French.

“Charlotte is a joy to teach and lots of fun!” says Kathy. “It is rare to have an hour lesson for that age level but an hour with Charlotte simply flies by and we could probably easily go for two and she would still maintain focus and concentration.”