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Michael Brofman: Libby Larsen in context

sparksandwirycries@gmail.com (editor) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:25:55 GMT

Next Saturday, the Brooklyn Art Song Society will present the third installment of its new music series In Context. The purpose of In Context is to present the works of living composers alongside ‘standard’ repertoire with the goal of showing continuity instead of contrast. Art song is especially well equipped to...

Which Came First?

robynklassen@gmail.com (Robyn) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 03:12:56 GMT

I did a fundraiser recital this weekend for the Vancouver International Song Institute. It was hosted in someone’s house, so the audience was small though they were crowded into the living room. My pianist, Terence Dawson, and I did a program consisting of contemporary English song. Most people I know would run screaming

Dr. Robert Holst: Review - The Peculiar case of Dr. H.H. Holmes

marthaguth@gmail.com (Dr. Holst) — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 02:28:36 GMT

H. H. Holmes (aka Herman Mudgett) earned the distinction of being one of the first, if not the most prolific, of America’s serial killers. After having credited several murder victims to his account, Holmes opened a hotel in Chicago during the...

Sarah Wolfson: Remembering Elliott Carter

sparksandwirycries@gmail.com (editor) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 04:07:06 GMT

On Tuesday November 6^th I woke up in Montpellier, France to be greeted by sad news. Although he had reached the ripe old age of 103, I was still sadly taken aback by the death of the extraordinary composer Elliott Carter. It seemed curious timing since I was in France to perform...

Jonathan Ware: Schubert & Co.

sparksandwirycries@gmail.com (editor) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 01:12:27 GMT

New York based pianists Lachlan Glen and Jonathan Ware are part way into an ambitious project: to perform all of Schubert’s Songs in one season. It takes a village to make something like this happen of course, and it turns out that the Schubert-Village is thriving. Singers and pianists are

Lucy Shelton: How to celebrate Pierrot Lunaires' 100th Birthday!

sparksandwirycries@gmail.com (editor) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:22:51 GMT

Yes indeed, this Tuesday

is the night to celebrate all things PIERROT!!!!!!!

Here is my recommendation of activities and thoughts for the whole day...

[repeat as many times as you like]

Renate Rossol: Summer Program's Part II

sparksandwirycries@gmail.com (editor) — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:43:52 GMT

As a double-major in solo piano and music history at the University of Manitoba, in Canada, I always gravitated toward Art Song and involved myself in projects and classes dedicated to this art form. In 2010 and 2011 I had attended summer programs dedicated to Art Song (the Vancouver International Song Institute – VISI, and

Elizabeth McDonald: Plangere Publishing

sparksandwirycries@gmail.com (editor) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 23:14:02 GMT

A few years ago at a National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Ontario Chapter meeting in Toronto, I noticed a table and a bunch of red scores titled The Toronto Songbook for sale. After a quick flip through the beautifully printed edition that puts together works of...

Hideko Asada: Schubert's Winterreise - Hermes in Hell

sparksandwirycries@gmail.com (editor) — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 18:07:58 GMT

Japanese mezzo-soprano Hideko Asada has brought a provocative new interpretation of Schubert’s Winterreise to the table. Although her work has yet to be translated into English, Sparks & Wiry Cries has the inside scoop from the author herself!

We Regret To Inform You

robynklassen@gmail.com (Robyn) — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 21:59:37 GMT

In the fickle business of music, dealing with rejection has got to be the most difficult thing to learn. From university entrance auditions to landing that rent-paying gig, rejection is just part of our daily lives. It’s an awful truth that at some point, we all need to deal with.

Rob McGinness: Summer Programs and Song

sparksandwirycries@gmail.com (editor) — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 18:46:24 GMT

I’m entering my senior year at Oberlin Conservatory, majoring in Vocal Performance. In 2012 I attended two excellent summer programs on opposite sides of the continent: Songfest in Los Angeles, and the coOPERAtive program at Westminster Choir College (WCC.) Each of the programs has a different focus, but I found both to be stimulating and...

Artist Profile: Christine Brewer

marthaguth@gmail.com (Martha) — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 13:36:46 GMT

Stats: Christine Brewer, Soprano, American, Down to earth Diva!

Next Recitals: Eugene Oregon, Washington D.C.

I first met Christine Brewer when I was an apprentice at the Santa Fe Opera and she was singing Ellen in Peter Grimes. My now husband can attest to the fact that I watched her scenes from the wings every single night when we weren't on stage as chorus. She is a force to be reckoned with as a performer, but off stage, she is a gracious, humble woman who can tell a great story over a beer at the local dive ...

Artist Profile: Gerald Finley

erikaswitzer@gmail.com (Erika) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 18:14:26 GMT

Stats: Gerald Finley, Bass-baritone, Canadian

Next recitals: Madrid, Brussels, Schwarzenberg, London

What's to love?: Where to start?! The voice, the storytelling, the endless colours and subtlety of his interpretations, the humility, the charm, .. I could go on and on.

Here's what he has to say:

Martha Guth:A Dirndl for Schubert, and other choices for your upcoming recital

marthaguth@gmail.com (Martha) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 20:00:47 GMT

We’ve all been to recitals in venues where the performers come out in a dated gown, and I am definitely not above reproach when it comes to this. Dare I say it: dated clothing for the dated music we are about to hear. A Dirndl for Schubert anyone? It seems...

States of Mind

liza.stepanova@gmail.com (Liza Stepanova) — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:39:20 GMT

My ensemble, SongFusion, is presenting our biggest project to-date, the culmination of our first season, and at least a year-and-a-half of preparation work, called "States of Mind" (May 8 at the DiMenna Center). SongFusion was born two years ago at a lunch table at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA, where four of the ultimately five members were attending SongFest, one of the very few festivals in the US dedicated uniquely to...

APPRECIATION FOR LOVE IN PUBLIC

jhinnell@gmail.com (JHinnell) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 01:56:28 GMT

The marriage of music and words is what makes Art Song so meaningful to me. Inner thoughts on life and love from the world’s greatest poets put to music and performed in an intimate setting, give art song its unique ability to connect with my heartstrings. No matter what is blowing around in my mind, Art Song...

Dress Rehearsal!

robynklassen@gmail.com (Robyn) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:57:52 GMT

Last night we had our final dress rehearsal. Other than a large welt on my shin from running into a row of lights after a black-out, things went really rather well! After Tuesday's tech rehearsal, we all felt a bit anxious and defeated. All the performers showed up yesterday afternoon and exchanged stories of sleepless nights and anxiety dreams. Two and a half weeks does not feel like enough time to mount a brand new work! But ...

Love in Public: for the love of collaboration

robynklassen@gmail.com (Robyn) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 05:16:43 GMT

I don't know that I've ever been involved in a show that required so much collaboration betwixt all artists involved: composer, director, pianist, dancers and singers! We are now well into the second week of staging this two-act Opera/Cabaret, Love in Public. The composer, David MacIntyre is present in all the rehearsals. Anytime the director needs a little extra time or a different tempo, or a slightly different sound, David jumps right in and adds a few notes.

A Readership of Exactly One

jocelyndueck@mac.com (JD) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:28:10 GMT

Reinje, Humorist

Hello. I’m Reinje. You may know me from my blog about cleaning and housework, or perhaps my more recent vlog. But probably not since I have a readership of exactly one. I am a Canadian Mennonite living in New York City and working as a professor, coach, and pianist. I am a mother to two children under three years of age. And I am a wifey.

A Diary of Love in Public

robynklassen@gmail.com (Robyn) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 19:25:14 GMT

Next week I am going to be starting rehearsals for the production of a new show by Canadian composer, David MacIntyre entitled Love In Public. It is a full-length work in two acts, categorized as a cabaret. The text uses all 44 of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Sonnets from the Portuguese. The words are glorious and they tell the story of Elizabeth and Robert's love affair. It was a thrilling and exciting time for both of them and their growing passion was kept utterly secret; hence the title of the work.

CAIC - THE INTERVIEW

marthaguth@gmail.com (Martha) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:39:21 GMT

Earlier this month, we had a conversation over email about the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago, with Pianist and Executive Director Shannon McGinnis. This is a (relatively) new venture in the Art Song World. From the 29th-31st of March, they are presenting recitals of Schuberts’ seminal Song Cycles, Die schöne Müllerin, and Winterreise, with Jesse Blumberg, Baritone and Martin Katz at the Piano.

DON'T CRY OUT LOUD - SING IT!

Elizabeth@alavri.com (Elizabeth) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:36:28 GMT

The idea of singing folk songs has never appealed to me. I didn’t grow up in a house that sang—we would all have rather hit a baseball or shot hoops; music didn’t figure largely in our ‘family culture’. So when I was asked to be the junior voice adjudicator at the Kiwanis Music Festival in St. John’s, Newfoundland this year, I knew I was in for a serious folk song experience and needed to keep an open mind.

Convincing Your Audience that Attending Your Recital Is Less Painful Than Going to the Dentist

robynklassen@gmail.com (Robyn) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:51:13 GMT

Let's face it. Sometimes trying to get people to come to your recital is like pulling teeth. In fact, sometimes it feels like people would rather go for a root canal than sit through 60 minutes of Schubert.

A DIARY OF THE SONGMAKERS ALMANAC: VENICE

marthaguth@gmail.com (Martha) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:40:10 GMT

This is a diary of the rehearsal process of a Songmakers Almanac Recital recently performed in London with pianist Graham Johnson. He has supplied the program notes and the written history of his particular recital format. What follows is part of the journey. Here now are a few bites from these full days…