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2012-13 Concert Series Program

Mezzo-soprano, Melanie Nicol from Langley, B.C., graduated from the University of Lethbridge with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and is currently completing her Master's degree in vocal performance at the University of Manitoba, where she studies with Tracy Dahl. Her operatic roles at the University of Manitoba include Marchesa di Melibea from Rossini's Il Viaggio a Reims, Hermia from Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Carmen in the Opera Scenes Performances. She also recently performed the role of Marcellina in the U of M Opera Theatre's production of Le Nozze di Figaro. Last spring, she performed Frau Viemann/Witch/Wolf in the U of M Opera Theatre's School Tour production of Brother's Grimm and will be touring with them again this spring as the Witch/Mother in Hansel and Gretel. Melanie's future engagements also include the role of Nancy in Benjamin Britten's Albert Herring with Opera Nuova in Edmonton. She looks forward to returning to the Prince George Conservatory of Music next fall and hopes to share her love of opera with her students and the community.

Christopher Kayler recently graduated with a Master's of Music in Collaborative Piano Performance from the University of Manitoba. He also graduated with a Bachelor's of Music in solo piano from the U of M, and was awarded a Gold Medal for highest standing in Music. An experienced solo pianist, he won the U of M's competition for most outstanding undergraduate performer, and was a featured soloist with the U of M Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra. His choral experience, both as singer and accompanist, has taken him across Canada and as far as Buenos Aires and Stockholm.

Chris has also played frequently with Red Moon Road, a popular folk-roots group, throughout Winnipeg and around Manitoba.

Allen Harrington is an Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba Marcel A. Desautels Faculty of Music where he teaches saxophone, bassoon, and chamber music.

As "an extremely fluid player of superb artistry" (Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal), Allen has amazed and delighted audiences with his "honest sound, ...radio-active resonance," (Halifax Chronicle Herald) "considerable virtuosity," and "mellifluous tone," (Winnipeg Free Press).

A native of Saskatoon, he holds degrees from the University of Saskatchewan (B.Mus.) and Northwestern University (M.Mus.) He maintains a busy schedule outside his University teaching career as a soloist, orchestral and chamber musician, and adjudicator.

Allen has appeared as a soloist with more than a dozen orchestras in Canada, Europe, and South America. In the last few years he has given recital tours for Debut Atlantic and Prairie Debut, in addition to touring in Asia and Brazil. Some highlights of this past season included performances in the United States, a concerto appearance with the Regina Symphony Orchestra, and a performance with Groundswell which was recorded for national broadcast on CBC radio.

Allen currently plays second bassoon with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and is a regular extra with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.

February 18-26, 2013

Rebecca Wenham & Sarah Hagen

Cellist Rebecca Wenham has been described as a musical force of nature. She was, as member of the Cecilia String Quartet from 2004 to 2010, silver medalist at the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, winner of first prize and the Melpomene prize at the Rutenberg Chamber Music Competition, winner of the commissioned prize at the Bordeaux International Quartet Competition, and winner of first prize and the Canadian commissioned prize at the 10th Banff International String Quartet Competition.

Her interest in different styles of music has prompted her to perform music from classical to jazz to Persian, as well as the music of Elvis Costello. She was a CBC Galaxie Rising Star in 2007.

Rebecca has received funding from the Canada Council for the Arts and from the the Odyssee/ACCR Quartet Residency Program grant, ProQuartet. She holds degrees from the HARID Conservatory of Music, the Shepherd School at Rice University, San Diego State University and McGill University. Her mentors have included Johanne Perron, Norman Fischer, Andre Roy, the St. Lawrence String Quartet and Henk Guittart. She is also a certified yoga instructor.

"A rarity of musical excellence, technical ease and tonal purity," pianist Sarah Hagen has been heard in concert halls and on the airwaves to critical acclaim throughout North America and Europe. Originally from the Comox Valley, she has performed as soloist and guest artist with the Victoria Symphony, the Emily Carr String Quartet, Ballet Victoria and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, among many others. Her interpretations have been described as "outstandingly inventive," performed with "infinite skill."

Her solo album, Glass House Dancing, was nominated for Classical Recording of the Year at the 2009 Western Canadian Music Awards.

Since her recent move to an artist loft in one of Vancouver's most vibrant neighbourhoods, Sarah has become deeply involved with intricate projects inspired by urban vitality. Sarah's motivation is the belief that music has the power to be a window into our souls regardless of age or knowledge.

April 3-12, 2013

Madeline Hildebrand

Madeline Hildebrand is presently a Masters of Music candidate at the University of British Columbia under the tutelage of distinguished Canadian pianist, Jane Coop. Previous to this she studied with Judy Kehler Siebert and Rei Hotoda, graduating with a degree in Piano Performance from the University of Manitoba, where she earned the prestigious Millennium Scholarship. A four-time scholarship winner at Manitoba's Provincial Festival piano finals, Madeline has accumulated prizes in the Manitoba Registered Music Teachers' Competition, the Winnipeg Music Festival finals, and the Women's Musical Club of Winnipeg. She is the recent recipient of two Manitoba Arts Council grants.

A native of Manitoba, Madeline has given numerous performances in her home province and worked closely with budding composers such as Luke Nikkel and Kevin Curtis, premiering works through Manitoba's New Music Festival, Cluster. She has also collaborated with veteran composers Michael Matthews and Randolph Peters, most recently with the latter in premiering his reworked composition The Adventures of Pianowoman!™ at the University of Manitoba.

In August of 2007 Madeline represented Canada in the classical division at the Eastern European Cultural Arts Festival in Sibiu, Romania. Other highlights have included her post as accompanist with Canada's National Youth Choir, her Southern Manitoba tour with her student-initiated 8-hand piano group, and guest artist performances for the Women's Musical Club of Winnipeg. She has maintained a vibrant studio of piano students over the years.

In summer 2011 Madeline was awarded the opportunity to study with Andre Laplante, John Perry and James Anagnoson at the Summer Arts Festivals of both Orford and Banff. In January 2012 she was invited to the Icicle Creek Piano Festival in Leavenworth, Washington, where she studied with Gilbert Kalish, Christina Dahl, Seth Knopp, and Oksana Ezhokina.

Madeline is scheduled to present solo concerts in Winnipeg this coming June with the Lake Agassiz Chamber Music Festival, and in March as a semi finalist in the Doris McLellan music competition.

2011-12 Concert Series Program

Flin Flon, MB - Swan River, MB - The Pas, MB - McCreary, MB - Brandon, MB 

Estevan, SK - Headingley, MB - Balmoral, MB - Winnipeg, MB

February

Soprano Sarah Kirsch & Chris Kayler

An exceptional musician with a penchant for adventurous repertoire, Sarah Kirsch has dedicated herself to the rejuvenation of classical style. She is an emerging force in the Canadian music community performing early and new music as a recitalist and concert soloist.

Through her journey as a performer, Sarah has sung a number of operatic roles including, Feu/Princesse/Rossignol in Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges and Cecilia in the premiere of Randall Shinn's Sara McKinnon with CU Opera, Jokmeam in the premiere of Isaiah Bell's Oholibah and her lovers with Kingstreet Opera, Despina in Mozart's Così fan tutte with Winnipeg's Little Opera Company and Donna Francesca/The Moon in the premiere of Dean Burry's Angela and her sisters with the University of Manitoba's Opera Theatre School Tour.
As an avid recitalist and new music singer, Sarah has had the distinct pleasure of working with a number of living composers. She was honoured to premiere Mike Krzyzaniak's cycle Two Songs for Coloratura Soprano, Michael Matthews' chamber work Winter is when, and Richard Festinger's Spring Ice.

Since moving to Winnipeg, Sarah has appeared as a soloist with the Southern Manitoba Choral Society, Canzona, MusikBarock, and the Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir. She was among the winners of the 2009 Orville J Derraugh memorial scholarship, earned first place in the Senior Voice class of MRMTA's 2011 scholarship competition, the Women's Musical Club of Winnipeg's 2011 annual open scholarship competition, and was invited to compete in the final rounds of the
2011 Eckhardt-Gramatté national new music competition. This coming season, she will be performing again as a soloist as part of the Professor Bach Project, with Canzona and MusikBarock, with the Winnipeg Singers, and as part of a world premiere of a new opera by Matthew Ricketts at the 2012 Cluster New Music Festival.

Sarah earned a Bachelor of Music with high honours from the University of Colorado at Boulder College of Music. Awarded the University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship, she is currently working towards a Master of Music Performance with the Marcel A. Desautels Faculty of Music.

Christopher Kayler recently graduated with a Master's of Music in Collaborative Piano Performance from the University of Manitoba. He also graduated with a Bachelor's of Music in solo piano from the U of M, and was awarded a Gold Medal for highest standing in Music. An experienced solo pianist, he won the U of M's competition for most outstanding undergraduate performer, and was a featured soloist with the U of M Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra. Chris has participated in several prestigious summer music programs, including Opera NUVOA in Edmonton and the Franz Schubert Institut in Baden bei Wien, Austria. His choral experience, both as singer and accompanist, has taken him across Canada and as far as Buenos Aires and Stockholm.
Chris has also played frequently with Red Moon Road, a popular folk-roots group, throughout Winnipeg and around Manitoba.

March

Charmaine Bacon & Rachel Penner

Charmaine Bacon is a freelance Winnipeg flutist. She holds a Master of Music from the University of Manitoba where she studied with Jan Kocman, Laurel Ridd and Martha Durkin. Ms. Bacon currently performs with the Winnipeg Wind Ensemble. She is active as a flute instructor, teaching privately and at the University of Manitoba Preparatory Division, and has previously been on staff as Flute Choir director at the Canadian Mennonite University. Currently, Ms. Bacon is continuing to expand and promote her concert series, actively collecting and performing new works by Canadian composers, and applying for doctoral studies at the Sheffield University in England, UK.

Born in southern Manitoba, Rachel Penner is a lyrical pianist. Having finished her Bachelor of Music at Brandon University in 2008, Ms. Penner is currently studying Collaborative Piano at University of Manitoba. Her love for music was noticeable at an early age, and her enjoyment in sharing her gift through performance began with local festivals and school music programs. A winner at the provincial festival in 2001 in the Junior/Intermediate Mozart category and performer in the provincial National class in 2007, Ms. Penner has continually sought to play with excellence. Her newest adventure in the world of collaborative work stems from her background as a singer. It has challenged her to explore the limitless possibilities of the piano as it interacts with the sounds of other instruments and as she encounters the personalities and styles of her collaborating musicians. 

April

Ian Hodges (B. Mus., M. Mus., DMA)

Ian Hodges recently completed the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Guitar Performance at the University of Minnesota's School of Music, under the direction of Jeffrey Van. A three-year appointment as a guitar instructor at the U of MN provided invaluable experience teaching guitar classes and elective lessons to undergrad and graduate students from around the world. Ian earned a Master's Degree in Guitar Performance at Florida State University in 2003, where he studied with renowned American pedagogue Bruce Holzman. Outstanding work in music research and performance at FSU led to initiation into Pi Kappa Lambda, America's National Honorary Musical Society. Additional training included extensive private study with the great Canadian guitar virtuoso, Norbert Kraft, from 1993-1997, a Bachelor of Music Degree in Classical Guitar Performance from the University of Manitoba in 1992, and jazz studies at Humber College in 1983. 

Performances as a guitar soloist, chamber musician, and guest soloist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Musik Barock Ensemble, and the Brandon Chamber Players led the Winnipeg Free Press to describe Ian as "Manitoba's Premiere Classical Guitarist" (November 2001). The 1997 recording of "Canciones", a CD of Spanish Music, with soprano Charlene Pauls received airplay across North America. CBC Radio has featured this recording and many of Mr. Hodges' live performances in national broadcasts. 

Dr. Hodges composes music for film and theatre, including two feature-length National Film Board documentaries (the Peabody award-winning "Fat Chance" in 1994; "and so to Bed" in 1999), independent film "Haunts of the Black Masseur - the Swimmer as Hero" (2004), and many shows for Prairie Theatre Exchange. 

Ian's professional career began in the 80's as an electric guitarist with top-level jazz, fusion, rock, and country bands, including work with the Ron Paley Quintet and Cathy St. Germain and the Rage. Ian toured all over Canada during this period, and is still active as a studio and session player, recording music for film and television as well as presenting live performances. During his time at the University of Minnesota, Ian performed with the Jazz I Ensemble directed by Dean Sorenson, a jazz combo directed by Phil Hey, and was called upon to accompany visiting artists (including trumpet great Rex Richardson) and to represent the U of MN at special events. 

A highly successful teacher for over 25 years, Dr. Hodges has taught at the University of Minnesota, the Canadian Mennonite University, the Preparatory Division of the School of Music (University of Manitoba), and at Westgate Collegiate. His students have won a great number of scholarships, medals and trophies in local competitions and exams, and have been accepted at music schools across Canada and the US. Many have gone on to professional careers in music.