In anticipation of the fifth edition of the Wirth Vocal Prize, we caught up with previous winners. In this article, we speak with Anna-Sophie Neher, winner of the听2017-2018 edition of the Wirth Vocal Prize, to hear about what life has been like since winning the Prize.听
Where do you call home right now?
I鈥檓 lucky enough to have two places I call home: Toronto and Montr茅al!
Tell us about an accomplishment since you won the Wirth Vocal Prize that you are particularly proud of.
Mezzo-soprano Simone McIntosh (MMus 鈥�17) won the second annual 听Wirth Vocal Prize in 2017. Born in Vancouver, McIntosh first received her Bachelor of Music in Opera from the University of British Columbia, and later completed her Master of Music here at Schulich with Dominique Labelle.
Soprano Chelsea Rus (MMus 鈥�16) was the winner of the inaugural Wirth Vocal Prize in 2016. After putting together a unique program that showcased her singing prowess and expertise, Rus impressed the jury with masterful works by Puccini, Massenet, Gounod, and Strauss.
Among this year鈥檚 new appointments to the Order of Canada was Schulich School of Music鈥檚 Professor alcides lanza. lanza was named as a Member of the Order of Canada for his 鈥渄ecades-long contributions to the contemporary music scene and for championing Canadian music here and abroad鈥�. Renowned composer, conductor and pianist specializing in avant-garde repertoire, lanza was a Professor of Composition at 不良研究所 from 1971 to 2014, as well as the director of the Electronic Music Studio at 不良研究所 from 1974 to 2003.
Opera 不良研究所 is proud to present Kurt Weill鈥檚 Street Scene. From January 31 to February 2, you can catch Opera 不良研究所 students, accompanied by 不良研究所 Symphony Orchestra musicians, at the gorgeous Monument National. Under the direction of Patrick Hansen and lead by conductor Brian DeMaris, our students bring Elmer Rice鈥檚 Pulitzer-winning play of the same name to life with true dramatic and musical spectacle. You won鈥檛 want to miss Street Scene, and here are 8 reasons why!
Congratulations to the many members of the Schulich community who brought home prizes from the twenty-third edition of the Opus Awards! The annual Gala was held this Sunday, January 19, 2020, and once again testified to the many contributions made by Schulich musicians to Quebec鈥檚 diverse and vibrant music scene.
For immediate release
Five young composers to compose new works for piano trio听for the Competition鈥檚 final round, which will take place听September 27, 2020, in 不良研究所鈥檚 Pollack Hall
Eighteen-year old Pinchas Antal is a third-year Bachelor of Music student currently studying piano performance in the class of Ilya Poletaev here at the Schulich School of Music. He began his piano studies at the age of ten with Vladimir Krassov, while also studying advanced theory and composition with Professor Alexander Posdynakov. During this brief time, he has amassed a large repertoire, given numerous recitals, and has had the opportunity to perform for Professor Valeri Sigalevitch and Dr. Indrek Laul, and audition for Maestro Zubin Mehta.
Le prestigieux Ch艙ur de chambre Schulich de l鈥橴niversit茅 不良研究所 sera 脿 nouveau de passage 脿 Qu茅bec le vendredi 31 janvier 2020 脿 19 h 30 脿 la Chapelle du Mus茅e de l鈥橝m茅rique francophone. Ce ch艙ur de 35 chanteurs et chanteuses est sous l鈥檋abile direction de maestro Jean-S茅bastien Vall茅e, une vedette montante sur la sc猫ne internationale.
Originally from Vancouver, Tyler Song is a passionate musician who has performed with numerous ensembles such as the 不良研究所 Symphony Orchestra, the UBC Symphony Orchestra and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute Orchestra. He has had the pleasure of performing under the batons of conductors such as Otto Tausk and Bramwell Tovey and has also been the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships, including the Brunold Award for Classical Music Making, the J. Wesley Foster Memorial Scholarship and the Norah Mansell Music Scholarship.
The nominees for the 23rd Prix Opus were announced last week, and Schulich students, faculty, and alumni are everywhere on the list of finalists! Not only are they well represented in orchestras, choirs, and young artist programs in Montreal and across the province, but many appeared as featured artists on nominated performances, and a number of Schulich-founded and Schulich-led ensembles have been singled out as well.
Rebecca Henry (MMus 2012) enjoys an active career as both conductor and mezzo-soprano across North America. Her conducting spans opera, operetta, orchestral, and contemporary听repertoire, and she recently completed the听Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera. Designed to further the careers of distinctively talented female conductors, the Institute is celebrating its 5th year with faculty Emmanuel Villaume, Carlo Montanaro, and Nicole Paiement.
Francis Choini猫re has been awarded the second annual听Hnatyshyn Foundation 鈥� Christa and Franz-Paul Decker Fellowship in Conducting! Launched in 2017 in honour of the late conductor Franz-Paul Decker and his wife, Christa, this $15,000 fellowship is the result of a collaboration between the Schulich School of Music, the Decker family, and the听Hnatyshyn Foundation, a charity founded by Canada鈥檚 twenty-fourth Governor General to support the development of young artists.
Congratulations to pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin (BMus 2011), who won two different awards as part of this year's ADISQ Gala鈥攐ne for a recording with the Orchestre symphonique de Montr茅al and the other with Schulich professor Andrew Wan:
Album de听l鈥檃nn茅e听- Classique /听Soloiste听et petit ensemble
听(Analekta) - Charles Richard-Hamelin / Andrew Wan听
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Over the past few weeks, performers, listeners, teachers, and professionals in the worlds of opera and classical music have been united in mourning the death of soprano Jessye Norman (1945 - 2019). Born in Augusta, Georgia (USA),听she remains one of the world's most powerful and moving dramatic sopranos. She was one of the first and only Black singers to rise to international stardom in the opera and recital world, and she inspired several generations of young performers.
