WMCT Artists Get JUNO Nominations

JUNO Awards / / , , ,

WMCT Performers Nominated for 2016 Juno Awards
The nominees for the 2016 Juno Awards have been announced, and, once again, the lists are packed with artists who have performed for Music in the Afternoon. In the category of Instrumental Album of the Year, two of the five nominees are WMCT alumni.

Jens Lindemann and Tommy Banks are nominated for “Legacy Live” – Jens played for Music in the Afternoon March 12, 2015. Also nominated is the Afiara Quartet, with Skratch Bastid, for the album “Spin Cycle” – the Afiara Quartet along with Caroline Léonardelli opened the 118th season last October.
Three of the five nominees for Classical Album of the Year have played for the WMCT. Frequent performer and WMCT Career Development Award Winner (1991) James Ehnes is nominated for his album “Franck & Strauss: Violin Sonatas”. James has performed for the WMCT four times – on November 19, 1992; at the Centennial Celebration Concert on May 24, 1998; on December 6, 2007; and at the 115th Anniversary performance at Koerner Hall on May 2, 2013.

Nominated for a recording of “Liszt: Piano Sonatas & Sonnets” is Angela Hewitt who appeared on the WMCT stage first on December 5, 1985, and again at the WMCT Centennial Celebration Concert on May 24, 1998. Also nominated in this category is the Cecilia String Quartet, for their album “Mendelssohn, Op. 44, Nos. 1 & 2”. That group played for the WMCT on March 29, 2012, after winning the Banff International String Quartet Competition.

Carolyn Maule, Russell Braun, James Ehnes 115th Anniversary Concert
Carolyn Maule, Russell Braun, James Ehnes
115th Anniversary Concert

In the category of Classical Album of the Year: Large Ensemble or Soloist(s) with Large Ensemble, two of the five nominees have played for the WMCT. James Ehnes is nominated for the album “Vivaldi: Four Seasons” which he recorded with the Sydney Symphony. In addition, Stewart Goodyear is nominated for the album “Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos 2 & 3” which he recorded with the Czech National Symphony. Stewart appeared on the WMCT stage with James Ehnes on December 6, 2007.

Finally, in the category of Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Performance, Suzie Leblanc is among the performers on the nominated album “Peter-Anthony Togni: Responsio” recorded with Jeff Reilly, Andrea Ludwig, Charles Daniels and John Potter. Suzie sang for Music in the Afternoon on November 21, 2013 with Les Voix Humaines consort of viols.
You can listen to their award-winning albums – but you can hear them live, first, on the WMCT stage – still, chamber music at its finest.

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James Ehnes turns 40

115th Season, Career Development Award / /

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James Ehnes turned 40 on Wednesday, January 27. He was born on Mozart’s birthday, although 220 years later, and, like Mozart, Ehnes displayed considerable musical ability from an early age. On the occasion of his 40th the CBC was able to persuade him to participate in building a “40 photos for 40 years” slide show which is available here:

 

See CBC Newsletter for more photos and info.

At the age of 15, on December 1,1991, Ehnes became the second winner of the then-fledgling WMCT Career Development Award, winning first prize over finalists Erika Raum, Catherine French, and Lara St. John. He remains the youngest winner in the history of the award. As part of his prize, he returned to Toronto to play in the WMCT’s 95th season, on the 19th of November, 1992, and this concert marked his official Toronto debut. Accompanied on that occasion by Montreal pianist Louise-Andrée Baril, his performance earned a standing ovation. He has since returned to the WMCT stage three times, most recently with Russell Braun and Carolyn Maule on the occasion of the WMCT’s 115th anniversary, in a special concert at Koerner Hall on May 2, 2013.

In the photo above, Ehnes is shown in 1993, the year he started at Julliard, with Walter Homburger, who was his first manager. Walter, former managing director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (from 1962 to 1987) and is the husband of Emmy Homburger, who was WMCT President in the early 2000’s. Walter also celebrated a birthday in January, on the 22nd, although it was not his 40th.

The WMCT is proud of all that James Ehnes has achieved in his first forty years, and wishes him all the best for the next forty.

~ cvb

 

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And Soprano towards Diva

Scholarship Winners, Stories / / ,

And Soprano towards Diva

Simone Osborne, after her “surprise” debut at Music in the Afternoon on November 19, 2015, will take another large step forward in her career next year. The Canadian Opera Company has announced that its new season will include a remounting of Harry Somers’s grand opera Louis Riel in a co-production with the National Arts Centre. Composed for the 1967 centennial, this return will celebrate the work’s 50th anniversary, and will help mark the 150th anniversary of Canada’s confederation. Simone will play the rôle of Marguerite, a part which includes the famous “Kuyas”, the lullaby sung by Riel’s wife to their child at the beginning of Act III. The title part will showcase Russell Braun, whose first performance of many with the WMCT began with his debut as a scholarship winner in 1992.

About Harry Somers’s Louis Riel
About the COC revival next season

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Mezzo to Soprano

118th Season, Stories / / ,

Mezzo to Soprano

“Disappointment to a noble soul is what cold water is to burning metal; it strengthens, tempers, intensifies, but never destroys it.”  Eliza Tabor (1835-1914)

“The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”  Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

Planning for the WMCT’s November 19th Concert with mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard (Met Opera star, Grammy Award and Richard Tucker Award winner) began two years ago. Artistic Director Simon Fryer suggested Miss Leonard to the Artists Selection Committee as a possibility for the 2015/16 Season.

Questions: How long-ago had a mezzo-soprano performed at Music In the Afternoon?
Would the season be balanced with Canadians and internationals, established and up-and-coming musicians? Was Miss Leonard available? Would she like to sing for us and did she have a pianist in mind?

The fit seemed just right, so a date was chosen and the agent’s contract was signed. Brochures were printed, website updated. Ads were placed, tickets sold. Lyrics were received, translations verified. Pre-concert talk arranged. Programmes printed. Critics invited. Refreshments purchased. One day left. Ready to go!

And then the agent’s phone call! “Miss Leonard is ill. Her doctor advises her not to fly from Chicago to Toronto. She has to cancel!”

What to do? Should we scrap the concert? Can we inform everyone in time? NO! A substitute must be found! Let’s try the agent. Is there another singer available on short notice? Maybe. Let’s try Canadian Soprano Simone Osborne. She just performed  with the Toronto Symphony.

“Oh! You’re in Winnipeg!…But you’re not busy tomorrow….You’d love to do it!…. You know the pianist, John Arida…. You have a programme ready to sing….There’s a flight this afternoon….You and John can rehearse this evening….”

Simone

And so the disappointment became resolve, the difficulty became opportunity, and the Mezzo became the Soprano!

Thanks to Artistic Director Simon Fryer, and Past President Annette Sanger, for a day full of emails and phone calls, avoiding disaster, and bringing us an unexpected treat.

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CDA Winner Plays Toronto Concert Jan. 15

Career Development Award, Scholarship Winners / /

Charles Ridhard Hamlin smallThe Royal Conservatory of Music has announced the addition of a joint recital featuring CDA winner Charles Richard-Hamelin and Tony Yike Yang, both winners at the recent International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. The Conservatory concert takes place January 15 at 7:30 pm yang_yike_webin Mazzoleni Concert Hall, located in historic Ihnatowycz Hall.
Both artists will perform works by Chopin.
Charles Richard-Hamelin won the WMCT’s $20,000 Career Development Award live competition last April and will play in the Music in the Afternoon 2016-17 season.

No Canadian has ever played in the finals of the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition and this year there were two. Charles Richard-Hamelin, of Montreal, placed second and also won the Krystian Zimerman Prize for best performance of a sonata. Tony Yike Yang, of Toronto, placed fifth and at 16, was the youngest laureate in the history of the competition. The January concert is a unique opportunity to hear the two Canadian rising stars before they embark on a tour of Japan and South Korea.
Ticket information:
http://performance.rcmusic.ca/event/yang_hamelin

More Information:
http://www.broadwayworld.com/toronto/article/Tony-Yike-Yang-Charles-Richard-Hamelin-Added-to-Royal-Conservatory-Concert-Season-20151210

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Simone Osborne’s Surprise Debut

118th Season / / ,

“Surprise!”

Pianist John Arida with Simone Osborne
Pianist John Arida with Simone Osborne

Simone Osborne threw her arms in the air and her signature big smile beamed as she greeted the Music in the Afternoon audience in Walter Hall Nov. 19.

Scant 30 hours before Isabel Leonard – due to illness – had cancelled her performance and Simone Osborne had graciously agreed to make her debut with the WMCT.

“The audience was indeed pleasantly surprised’, says Joseph So in his La Scena Musicale review.

“…it was a truly an auspicious WMCT debut.”
Read review

 

 

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Congratulations Emily D’Angelo

Scholarship Winners / / ,

5119ec_a1a150c7513d4ac58f7d350f85a1e089.jpg_srb_p_600_674_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srbEach year young singers from across Canada – preselected in auditions – are invited to compete in the Centre Stage finals for a spot in the COC Ensemble the following season. Mezzo soprano Emily D’Angelo, this years’ recipient of the WMCT’s $10,000 Centennial Scholarship, won both First Prize ($5,000) and the Audience Choice award ($1500) in the competition held at the Four Seasons Centre Tuesday, Nov. 3. Despite having to appear on crutches – she has a broken bone in her foot – Emily dazzled us all with her performance.

The second and third prizes went to BC mezzo Lauren Eberwein and Quebec baritone Bruno Ray.

WMCT scholarship winners usually perform at our Annual General Meeting, but Emily was unable to do so this year as she was in New York to perform in the Gerda Lissner Lied/Art Song competition, where she won an “Encouragement” grant, and also to appear in the Mary Trueman Art Song Competition, where she was selected as a finalist – and will return to New York for the final in mid-March. While in New York, she also auditioned, and was accepted, for the Gerdine Young Artists Program offered by the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, which provides an opportunity for young singers to sing in the chorus, occasionally understudy and also enjoy extensive coaching and master classes. In addition to all this, Emily has also been awarded the Jim and Charlotte Norcop Prize for singers at the Faculty of Music, and will give a recital in Walter Hall on March 31, 2016, from 12 to 1 pm. A rising star indeed!

More information in the U of T Bulletin

~ Susan Johnston, WMCT Archivist

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Iain Scott TYM Speaker Nov. 19

118th Season, Tuning Your Mind / /

Iain Scott photo1Iain Scott – Tuning Your Mind Speaker
Nov. 19, 12:15 pm
before Isabel Leonard concert

Iain Scott is one of Canada’s leading experts on opera and the singing voice. He grew up in a small village in Scotland and came to Canada 45 years ago; he now lives in Toronto with his wife, Barbara. After a 30-year career working with engineers in Shell, chartered accountants in Deloitte, and consulting actuaries in Mercer, he founded his own company “OPERA-IS” (the IS is for “Iain Scott’) in 2002 to develop opera appreciation courses, lead opera tours and offer opera guides. He is much in demand as a writer, lecturer, and broadcaster about opera.

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“Justly proud…”

Career Development Award, Stories / /

“Justly proud…”

And indeed we are.

Dang Thai Son

The Wholenote Magazine managing editor Paul Ennis notes in the current issue that the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto was “justly proud” when Charles Richard-Hamelin won silver in the prestigious 17th Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw last week. And even more than overly proud that the piano sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58. performance that won him the Krystian Zimerman Prize for best performance of a sonata is the very sonata that won him first prize in the WMCT’s Career Development Award competition last April.

Puffed our chests for sure.

Yike (Tony) Yang and Dang Thai Son
Yike (Tony) Yang and Dang Thai Son

But there is another connection as Wholenote editor David Perlman notes on page 6. Sixteen-year-old Toronto high school student, Yike (Tony) Yang who placed fifth in the Chopin competition is taught by Dang Thai Son. Dang graced the cover of the Wholenote in February 2000 in the context of what he called “my real Toronto debut” – at the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto – 20 years after he “burst seemingly out of nowhere, onto the world stage in 1980, and won first prize at the 10th Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw”.

See online theWholeNote:

While checking theWholenote notice page 26 where Isabel Leonard’s Nov. 19 concert is recommended. “The Women’s Musical Club of Toronto can always be relied on to provide artists and programs of interest. I’m looking very much forward to the recital by the American mezzo …..” Hans de Groot.

“Justly proud…” Read More »

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