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Opera is not one of my favourite art forms.  I’m a major piano fan, a concerto fan, a symphony fan …. when I was little, I thought opera was all about overweight people caterwauling in absurd outfits.  I would hear arias blasting from my mother’s studio downstairs – she would have been teaching History IV from the Royal Conservatory curriculum …. and I still wasn’t convinced.  Over time, I became more open-minded – I have memories of folding laundry with my mom on Saturday evenings as a kid, while watching “Live from the Met” on PBS, and if my dad wasn’t listening to the entire Beethoven Piano Sonata cycles on his earphones in the living room, we’d hear the whole opera simulcast on stereo – and it had to be cranked, because the TV was way over in my parents’ bedroom.

I began to understand, by the intense audience response, and my mother’s rapt attention that made the folding fly by, that opera means a lot to many people. I never heard such hysteria at classical concerts from the blue-rinse crowd, that’s for sure.

And then along came Moonstruck.  I don’t remember if I saw it in the theatre – all I remember is Cher’s crazy Bob Mackie dress when she accepted her Oscar, and that she was going for pizza afterwards at Spago’s.  I remember thinking it was a nice romantic comedy featuring Puccini’s music.

But something happened around eight years ago – I was living up at Yonge and Eglinton, not loving it, and feeling lonely and bored on a rare Saturday night at home.  Bravo! television was broadcasting Moonstruck and I caught the opening credits.  ”What the hell,” I thought.  ”I seem to recall liking this movie.”

Well, little did I know that this film would become my most favourite film of all time, and little did I know it would ignite my interest in opera.  Of all the opera masters, I’d always liked the “heart on my sleeve, I’m gonna sing it ‘cuz I’m about to dramatically die” stylings of Puccini.  And I loved the story of La Boheme – the whole starving artist in the garret thing seemed so romantic.

I was so caught up in the storyline this time around, that I had a VERY STRONG REACTION when Ronny said the following to Loretta – truly, a beautiful “aria” in spoken form:

“Loretta, I love you. Not like they told you love is, and I didn’t know this either, but love don’t make things nice – it ruins everything.  It breaks your heart.  It makes things a mess.  We aren’t here to make things perfect.  The snowflakes are perfect.  The stars are perfect.  Not us.  Not us!  We are here to ruin ourselves and to break our hearts and love the wrong people and *die*. The storybooks are bullshit.  Now I want you to come upstairs with me and GET(!!!!!) in my bed!”

Tears were streaming down my face as I jumped up and down and screamed, clapping my hands.  I realise I shouldn’t be admitting this openly, but I don’t care.

And this isn’t even counting my obsession with makeovers, and the glee I took in watching Loretta transform from a fuddy-duddy widow to a smokin’ hot babe as she prepares for her date with Ronny.

Something in me clicked that night – that opera has the ability to magically transform people, and induce the same hysteria I felt listening to Ronny profess his undying love for Loretta.  Opera is a personal art form – straight from the heart – as the person IS the instrument.  There is nothing in between the singer and the music.  The singer and music are one.  That is something not possible as a pianist.

My good friend Ali Kashani, who knows more about opera than anybody in the world, boldly declares on his Facebook profile  that he is “using the power of opera to change the world!”  I understand his mantra now.

I will attend Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Sondra Radvanovsky’s concert coming up because it is billed as “An Italian Opera Spectacular”, and Iwant to re-capture that Moonstruck feeling.  Sondra Radvanosky’s star has just risen – and there’s buzz about this amazing soprano who is making her Toronto debut.  And Dima of course, is a rock star in the opera world; he’s as known for his sex appeal as he is his incredible voice and artistry.  I first met him 15 years ago for interview rounds when I was the Vancouver Symphony publicist.  I was kinda shy around him, and refused when he asked me, upon hearing I was studying flamenco,  to dance for him.

While I’m still a die-hard concerto gal, I’m very grateful for Loretta and Ronny for re-introducing me to opera.  And I look forward to being “moonstruck” on March 20th.

Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Sondra Radvanovsky will appear in an “Italian Opera Spectacular” with the Orchestre de la Francophonie conducted by Constantine Orbelian and Jean-Philippe Tremblay on Saturday, March 20 at 8 PM at Roy Thomson Hall.  Liz is fretting about what to wear. For more info, please visit www.roythomson.com or www.showoneproductions.com.

“Dreams of Flying” is on the NYOC recording “Selections from the 2009 National Tour”, also nominated for a JUNO: “Classical Album of the Year: Large Ensemble or Soloist(s) with Large Ensemble Accompaniment”

For Immediate Release

March 3, 2010

Toronto, Canada – Toronto-based composer and tuba player Rob Teehan has been nominated for a 2010 Juno Award for “Dreams of Flying” in the Classical Composition of the Year category.  “Dreams of Flying” appears on the CD/DVD set “Selections from the 2009 National Tour” by the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, which commissioned and premiered this work on its concert tour last summer, conducted by Alain Trudel.  This recording also received a Juno Award, for “Classical Album of the Year: Large Ensemble or Soloist(s) with Large Ensemble Accompaniment”.

At age 27, Teehan is one of the youngest composers ever to be nominated for a classical music Juno.  “It’s a great honour to receive this recognition so early in my career,” says Teehan.  “Looking at the list of nominees and past winners, it’s a ‘who’s who’ in Canadian music.  To see my name included in that group is incredible.”

“Dreams of Flying” is Teehan’s first work for orchestra, and he drew inspiration from the Youth Orchestra’s students.  Says Teehan: “The music is meant to capture the feeling of flying, which many of us dreamt about as kids.  It’s fast, exciting, and, I hope, beautiful.  It’s also a metaphor for the career of a young artist about to take flight, full of energy and wonder – so it’s somewhat autobiographical, too.  The musicians of the Youth Orchestra got it right away and brought it to life.”  Teehan is himself an alumnus of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, which is Canada’s elite training program for classical musicians and produces a professional recording every summer. The NYOC’s 2009 CD/DVD box set, “Selections from the 2009 National Tour”, along with Rob’s work, features Mahler’s 6^th Symphony  and Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring.  http://www.nyoc.org/store

Rob Teehan will be Composer-in-Residence at the Colours of Music Festival this fall in Barrie, and holds the same position at Toronto’s Church of the Redeemer.  He has been commissioned by many prominent Canadian groups including the Vancouver Chamber Choir, the Calgary Stampede Showband, and the Hannaford Street Silver Band.  Teehan is also an active performer, singing professionally in choirs and playing tuba and sousaphone in rock bands, including local singer Saidah Baba Talibah’s “SolRawkestra”, which recently headlined the 2010 Kuumba Festival at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre.   Rob Teehan studied tuba and composition at the University of Toronto and Indiana University.  He lives in Toronto. For more information, please visit http://www.RobTeehan.com

The Juno Awards take place April 12 – 18 in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Media contact: Liz Parker, Foundress, LIZPR / liz@lizpr.com / 416 544 1803 / www.lizpr.com

Sunday, March 20 at 8 PM, Roy Thomson Hall / DMITRI HVOROSTOVSKY & SONDRA RADVANOVSKY with Orchestre de la Francophonie , conducted by Constantine Orbelian & Jean-Philippe Tremblay / Tickets: $148.75 – $65

Click on the link and enter code FB10 for your 10% discount on all tickets:

http://ev8.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/evenue/ev69/se/DisplayPromoList.d2w/report?linkID=rthmh&RSRC=RTHMHweb&RDAT=event&caller=PR

For more information: www.showoneproductions.ca

Show One Productions is founded and produced by Svetlana Dvoretskaia.

Fast forward 11 years, and I’m sitting in an outdoor cafe in Spain, waiting for the flamenco dancer to appear.  And she did, in a flaming red ruffled dress, behind the musicians who set the mood with guitar strums and compas (rhythmic clapping).

I was hooked.

I vowed someday to try flamenco, and another 10 years later, I did – I taught Vancouver flamenco dancer/teacher Rosario Ancer’s kids piano, in exchange for dance classes.

Dancing is the most zen thing ever – you REALLY are “in the moment” because if your mind wanders for even a second, you lose the beat, the choreography, everything.  And flamenco is such an intense, inward dance, hot and cold at the same time – both dancer and audience must be focussed.

To balance out the intensity of flamenco, there is the dance of Cuba – warm, overtly friendly, reaching out to audience members, with dance roots in Africa.    Now, imagine combining the two, and you have Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba.

This dance troupe has played to sell-out crowds in Canada a few years ago, and it’s back to tour the country again.  The tour features “Fuerza y Compás”, which means “Strength and Rhythm”.  LADC is comprised of 16-18 extremely buff women who dance a combo of Spanish flamenco and Cuban/Afro-Cuban dance, with 6 musicians in tow.  LADC makes its Markham Theatre debut March 16 at 8 PM.

It’ll be March break, so if you and your family are doing the “staycation” thing, consider heating up a chilly night in March by checking out the hot music of this amazing dance troupe.

See you there!

Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba / Markham Theatre debut / 171 Town Centre Boulevard (Warden & Hwy #7) / Tuesday, March 16 at 8 PM / $44, $49, $59 / Box office: Mon-Fri, 11-6 / 905 305 SHOW (7469).  FREE PARKING.

http://www.stationbleue.com/artistes.e/alfonsodancecuba_li.concerts.php

or www.markhamtheatre.ca

TORONTO DEBUTS FOR TOP PRIZE VIOLINIST AND PIANIST

Nurhan Arman, conductor / Hyuk-Joo Kwun, violin / Hyejin Kim,  piano

Friday, March 12 at 8 PM / Glenn Gould Studio (250 Front Street West) / Tickets: $40 adult, $32 senior, $12 student + $4.50 box office charge

Purchase online at www.sinfoniatoronto.com or call the Roy Thomson Hall box office: 416 872 4255 or visit in person at King and Simcoe

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, February 5, 2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO – Sinfonia Toronto’s upcoming concert features two young Korean artists on the brink of major international careers. Violinist Hyuk Joo Kwun began his career as a child prodigy, studied in Russia, and won Denmark’s Carl Neilson competition at nineteen.  Pianist Hyejin Kim’s career is also taking off after her studies in Germany and her competition wins.  This is a valuable opportunity to catch two future superstars. The repertoire features the Toronto premiere of JUNO winner Canadian composerJohn Burge’s A Light Fantasic Round; Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin and Piano in D Minor; and Dvorak’s String Quartet Op. 105 in A-flat Mjaor orchestrated by Nurhan Arman.

Violinist Hyuk Joo Kwun was born in Seoul, Korea in 1985. He performs regularly throughout Russia, South Korea, Israel, Germany and Lithuania. His Russian engagements have included performances with the Moscow National Orchestra and the Kremlin Chamber Orchestra. He has played in Tel-Aviv with the Haifa Philharmonic under Maestro Schlomo Mintz and Suwon Philharmonic in the Seoul Art Center. In June 2004 he won first prize at the Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition in Denmark.  Previous wins include the Grand-prix in the Kloster-Schontal Competition of Germany and the Grand Prix in the Third Yampolsky Competition in Russia. Hyuk Joo Kwun began his violin studies at age three and was accepted at the Korean National Institute of Arts in Seoul at age six with Professor Nam Yun Kim. In 1995, Hyuk Joo moved to Russia and studied in Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory under Professor Eduard Grach.

Pianist Hyejin Kim has been praised by critics for being “truly passionate, sensitive, and musical… an extremely polished and expressive pianist.” She has performed in Korea, United States, Austria, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Russia and many other countries. Ms. Kim appeared as soloist with the Yaroslavl Philharmonic, State Symphony Orchestra of St. Petersburg, Seoul Philharmonic, Pilsen Philharmonic, Grosseto Orchestra, Slovak Sinfonietta of Zilina, Kharkov Philharmonic, Martinu Philharmonic, Nurnberg Symphony, and many others. In 2005, she became the youngest prize-winner of the Busoni International Piano Competition. Most recently, she was a winner of the Hong Kong International Competition. Ms. Kim holds a Master of Musical Arts from the University of Hans Eisler in Berlin, and a Bachelor Diploma from the University of Berlin where she studied under Professor Fabio Bidini. For the 200th Chopin anniversary, Ms. Kim is invited to play Chopin’s two piano concertos in the Golden Hall of Vienna’s Musikverein.

Upcoming concerts this season:

April 9/10: Pianist Heather Schmidt and violinist Xiaohan Guo

April 10/10: Music at La Maquette with harpist Floraleda Sacchi; champagne reception, recital, dinner, & silent auction; $80 with tax-deductible receipt of $35,

May 14/10: Premium Concert with cellist Shauna Rolston.

2010/2011 MasterpieceSeries on sale now!

October 1/10: Marc Grauwels, Flutist

November 12/10: Giancarlo De Lorenzo, Guest Conductor; Cecilia Loda, Mandolinist

December 10/10: Vicente Campos, Trumpeter

January 21/11: Judy Kang, Violinist

March 11/11: Sara Buechner, Pianist

April 15/11: Andrea Tyniec, Violinist

May 13/11: Andre Laplante, Pianist

Subscriptions are available now; single tickets will be available June 1, 2010.

For more information, please visit www.sinfoniatoronto.com.

Sinfonia Toronto gratefully acknowledges hotel sponsor The Strathcona Hotel and major season support from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council and the Metcalf Foundation.

Media contact:

Liz Parker, Foundress

liz@lizpr.com / 416 544 1803 / www.lizpr.com

When I first heard of her, she looked something like this:

Totally adorable.  Then I was doing PR for the Vancouver Symphony, and was sent a press kit of her looking like this:

Like, whoa!  As a teen, she seemed to babify overnight.  And her sound deepened, matured, and she played with an assuredness that had nothing to do with fearless youth, but of someone who had the chops.

Now, her PR stills are looking positively editorial:

It’s a wonderful thing when someone as gifted as Sarah succeeds with the transition to adulthood, both as a performer and someone who understands the importance of image.  They say image isn’t everything – but someone devoid of what works in that realm will hinder her own ability to forge ahead, even with a large talent.  And of course, an artist who is image-conscious without talent won’t progress either – at least, not for long.

Sarah Chang performs at Markham Theatre in recital with pianist Andrew von Oeyen.  This is their only Canadian visit this season. They will perform Brahms’ Sonatensatz and Sonata No.  3; Fantasy by Christopher Theofanidis; and Franck’s Sonata in A+.  Tickets are $49 – $69.  905 305 SHOW (7469)  or visit www.markhamtheatre.ca.

See you there!

Michael Maniaci

What’s amazing is he was blessed with a serious musical gift to make the very best out of his unusual voice – which is as high as a soprano (he has a high C) but with the strength and power of a man.   He’s as close to sounding like the castrato of an era gone by.   To see Michael explain, please visit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2liGFJFuGk

This CD, recorded with Boston Baroque under its founding maestro, Martin Pearlman, is Michael’s debut recording.  It’s on the Telarc label, and is available in Canada and the US on Tuesday, January 26th.

I’ll keep you posted on future visits to Toronto.  And you bet when Michael’s in town, he can be spotted chowing down on Fune’s Mountain Rolls with me in tow.

I met Yuval Fichman a long time ago.  Like, twenty-five years ago.  My brother was doing a tour of Japan with the Vancouver Symphony, and Yuval was the other pianist featured.  I recall a whoop-dee-doo event where Bill Lewarne, the mayor of Burnaby was present, as was the premiere of BC, Bill Bennett.   Back then I was struck by Yuval’s sense of humour, his unique voice (there is no way I can describe it without sounding vaguely insulting, so I won’t; but I find it terribly endearing) … but trust me, it’s distincitve.   Yuval also has a way with words.  When I called him up and left him a message saying, “Yuval … it’s Liz Parker.  I’m promoting your Sinfonia Toronto concert.  You may not remember me, but we met twenty-five years ago in Tokyo.”  Well, not only did he remember, he totally outdid me in a voicemail back: “Hiiii Liiiiiz.  It’s Yuuuuvaaal.  I rememberrrr youuu.  At the reception, you were wearing a gossamer white dresss, DAAAzzling red beads, and red shoooooes.”  I was gobsmacked.

To check him out in action playing Lizst, please click: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTSKNYqTBgE

To check him out playing Chopin’s 2nd Piano Concerto to mark the 200th birthday of the composer, please click www.sinfoniatoronto.com to purchasetickets!

See you there!

Liz

I am fascinated by Alan Hohvaness, and can’t wait to hear his music.  I am also of two cultures – a Canadian of Japanese-English descent and while I definitely dealt with some cultural self-identity crises, came through it with a strong sense of being a “combo person”, and enjoying the best of all worlds.  That’s the beauty of multi-culturalism.  Alan Hohvaness, 1911-2000, created music that blended East and West.  He grew up near Boston to an Amenian father and a Scottish mother.  His upbringing was American.  A composer with a curious mind, Hohvaness experimented with not only western musical forms, but musical influences of many eastern cultures, such as Indian, Korean, and Japanese.  Then Sinfonia Toronto music director, Nurhan Arman, pointed out to me the following:

-The cancellation by a local Armenian soloist to play an Armenian composer’s music

- replacement within a few hours with another Armenian violinist from the other side of the ocean

-Ani Batikian introduced herself to Nurhan on Facebook and he engaged her via FB email

- Ani Batikian is from Armenian now living in Glasgow,  Scotland

- Hovhaness is Armenian by father but his mother was from Scotland

Rather an interesting turn of events!  She makes her Sinfonia Toronto debut on Friday, December 11 at Glenn Gould Studio. The balance of the programme features PUCCINI’s Three Minuets; KHACHATURIAN’s Masquerade Suite; STRAUSS’ Die Fledermaus Overture; and BARTOK’s Rumanian Dances.

Tix: $40 – $12 and available at www.sinfoniatoronto.com or by calling Roy Thomson Hall’s box office at 416 872 4255.  The box office is located at King and Simcoe.  Glenn Gould Studio is at 250 Front Street.

Look forward to seeing you there!