Cowichan Classical Concerts

Tag: Bizet

  • Show of Hands

    Ann Mendenhall, piano;  Catharina de Beer, piano; Emily Armour,  piano; Rykie Avenant, piano

    Sunday, April 14 at 2pm

    This concert is at Duncan United Church

    Back by popular demand, Ann, Catharina, Emily and Rykie have prepared another program of works for four, six and eight hands at one piano. Included are compositions by Liszt, Mozart, Schubert, Czerny, Bizet, and a few fun pieces that will bring a smile to your face. A concert not to be missed, by four performers who find profound joy in this close collaboration.

    Programme

    Bolero-Fanfare (8 hands) – Gabriel van Calt

    Air, from Suite no 3, BWV 1068, arranged by Amadeus Gati (6 hands) – Johann Sebastian Bach

    Allegro in A minor for Piano, Four Hands, D. 947, Op. 144, “Lebensstürme” – Franz Peter Schubert

    Two Minuets in G Major, arranged by Franzpeter Goebels (6 hands) – Franz Joseph Haydn

    Les préludes (Symphonic Poem after Lamartine), S591  (4 hands) – Franz Liszt

    Anyone for Tennis? & Bénodet Breeze (6 hands) – Mike Cornick

    Children’s Games (4 hands) – Georges Bizet
    The Top; The Doll; The Merry-Go-Round; Trumpet and Drum; Puss in the Corner; Blindman’s Buff; Leapfrog; Little Husband, Little Wife; The Ball

    Sonata in D major for Piano Four Hands, K381 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    1. Allegro  2. Andante  3. Allegro molto

    Fantaisie sur des thèmes d’opéras de Mozart, opus 741 no 1 (6 hands) – Carl Czerny

    Libertango, arranged by Khatia and Gvantsa Buniatishvili (4 hands) – Astor Piazzolla

         

    Biographies

    Ann Baker Mendenhall grew up in Costa Rica, received her Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance from Oberlin Conservatory, and pursued her Master’s degree at the University of Victoria, studying with the late Dr. Robin Wood. Ann has been passionately involved in both teaching piano and performing for most of her life. In addition to solo performances, she enjoys collaborating with other musicians, playing chamber music and works for piano ensemble. Widely sought after as a teacher and mentor, she is dedicated to imparting to her students the joy of accomplishment and love of music. An ardent promoter of music in the wider community, Ann has served many years as President of the Cowichan Valley Music Teachers’ Association (CVMTA). She also was Chemainus Classical Concerts’ Artistic Director for a dozen years before handing the baton to Rykie and Catharina.

    Catharina de Beer lives and works in Cobble Hill, BC. She completed her Teacher’s Licentiate Diploma in Piano at the University of South Africa. She also holds a degree in Teaching with specialization in inclusive education from the University of South Africa.  Before immigrating to Canada, Catharina worked in the private school system, teaching piano as well as group music lessons. She was active as a collaborative pianist, organist and music director of various churches and choirs. Soon after settling in the Cowichan Valley in 2010, she established a music studio where she teaches piano and music theory. She is frequently called on for collaborative work, and performs piano music for four hands as a member of Double Digits Duo.

    Emily Armour has a Masters’ in Piano Performance from UVic and now teaches online to a studio of 30+ students. Recently, she was selected by a jury consisting of Canada Council, National Gallery, War Museum, and DND, as 1st alternate for the prestigious Canadian Armed Forces Artist Program Group 11. A veteran spouse, and composer specializing in commemorative music, Emily was inspired to create a federal non profit: Music for Veterans Project (MVP). MVP honours past and present members of the Armed Forces through original music, in order to help them feel seen & valued. Not only is this empathic work highly beneficial to veterans, it also greatly enhances the lives of young composers by allowing them to contribute towards something bigger than themselves that has profound historical significance. If you’re reading this, please consider making a donation to MVP. Your support can ensure that those who defend the freedoms we enjoy are recognized by future generations through the most universal language.

    www.musicforveteransproject.com

    Rykie Avenant is a graduate of the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. After obtaining a Licentiate in Piano Performance and a Bachelor of Music Education, she worked as repetiteur for the Cape Town and Pretoria opera companies before relocating to Canada in 1991. Rykie came to Vancouver Island 21 years ago via Powell River, where she appeared regularly in concert for the Academy of Music, as well as at the International Kathaumixw Choral Festival.  In the Cowichan Valley she is in demand as teacher, coach and performer, and currently focuses primarily on collaborative work with various voice studios and instrumental ensembles.  She performs piano music for four hands as a member of Double Digits Duo.

  • The West Coast Chamber Players: December 4th

    Musical Friends – Sunday, December 4th at 2pm

    The West Coast Chamber Players were founded by Lauren and Jim Stubbs, whose distinguished musical careers included principal roles with the Met Opera, the National Ballet of Canada, and the Opers Orchestra of New York. The West Coast Chamber Players are: Lauren Stubbs, bassoon; Jim Stubbs, trumpet; Karen Hough, horn; Anne McDougall, violin; and Bruce Vogt, piano.

    Programme

    Double Concerto — M. Lussier (1973-)

    Piano, Bassoon, Trumpet


    “A Simple Song”
    “A Farewell Song”


    Sonata V in F minor for Violin BWV 1018 — J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
    Violin, Bassoon, Trumpet


    Adagio

    Allegro

    Adagio

    Vivace


    Duet from the Pearl Fishers — G.Bizet (1838-1875)

    Flügelhorn, Horn, Piano


    Summer Suite for Laurie and Jim Stubbs — A. Shawn (1948-) * World Premiere

    Calm, mysterious
    Brash
    Inward, plaintive, jazzy, agitated


    Trio for Horn, Violin and Piano Opus 44 — L. Berkeley (1903-1989)
    Horn, Violin, Piano

    1. Allegro
    2. Lento
    3. Tema con variazioni


    “Fantasy on Blackbird” — P. McCartney (1942-) and J. Lennon (1940-1980), arranged by Scott MacInnes for West Coast Chamber Players

    Biographies

    Lauren Stubbs (Bassoon)

    Lauren Stubbs has had a long and distinguished career performing in New York City as Principal Bassoonist with the American Composers’ Orchestra, the Opera Orchestra of New York, PDQ Bach, the New Jersey Symphony, the Joffrey Ballet, Westchester Symphony, Paul Taylor Dance Company, and American Ballet Theatre. She also performed as Principal Bassoonist with the National Ballet of Canada for several years and has performed frequently with the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic.

    Lauren received both the Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees from the Juilliard School. She has recorded on Columbia Records, CRI, Leonarda Productions, and RCA. She is a member of the Palm Court Light Orchestra Victoria.  Lauren has performed with New York chamber music groups such as Orpheus, Parnassus, St. Luke’s, Speculum Musicae, the Group for Contemporary Music, and the Solstice Ensemble. She has been much sought after as a chamber music coach and has been a chamber music coach at the Chamber Music Conference since 1982. Lauren is also the Assistant Music Director at Chamber Music Conference and a founding member of the New York Bassoon Quartet and has recorded numerous times with the Quartet.

    Lauren, together with her husband Jim, is the co-founder of the West Coast Chamber Players. The WCCP performs throughout Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia as well as various venues in the Northwest.

    James Stubbs (Trumpet)

    Jim Stubbs was principal trumpet with American Ballet Theatre, the American Symphony Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, American Composers Orchestra, Joffrey Ballet, Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, the Opera Orchestra of New York, and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. He was an associate member of the Metropolitan Opera for 25 years and has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Lal Scala and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. Jim can be heard on the Columbia, RCA, Vox, CRI, Kultur, and BMG labels. He has also appeared as soloist on PBS Gala of Stars with Jessye Norman and Kiri Te Kanawa with James Levine conducting. During his career he performed with conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, Karl Böhm, Valery Gergiev, John Lanchberry, Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, and Dennis Russell Davies. He performed as soloist in Quiet City with Aaron Copland conducting at Carnegie Hall and has performed the Brandenburg Concerto #2 with the Victoria Symphony, and the Haydn Trumpet Concerto with the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra.

    Jim  has conducted the Salt Spring Chamber Orchestra and Choir in British Columbia in a wide range of works by composers including Bach, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Handel, Barber, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Salieri, Poulenc, and Vivaldi. Jim has also conducted at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, the Chautauqua Institute, and the Solstice Ensemble in New Jersey. Jim and his wife, Laurie, founded the West Coast Chamber Players in 2015 performing chamber music in Vancouver, Victoria and the Northwest area.

    Jim was a Professor at The College of New Jersey and at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and holds a Bachelor of Music and a Master’s Degree from the Manhattan School of Music. He studied trumpet under William Vacchiano/New York Philharmonic, Gil Johnson/Philadelphia Orchestra and Irving Sarin, Principal,Pittsburg Symphony.

    Karen Hough (Horn)

    Karen earned her BMus from UVic and went on to study at the Royal Conservatory of Toronto. She received her MMus from Yale University and was the first horn player to receive Yales’s prestigious Artist Diploma.  She spent a year as Artist in Residence at Banff. Summer festivals have included Aspen, Blossom Festival and the LA Philharmonic Institute.  After a career as an orchestral and chamber musician in Toronto, Karen returned to the West Coast at the turn of the century.  Recently retired from the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy, she is a member of the Vancouver Island Symphony and the Victoria Jazz Orchestra.  She is also an avid chamber musician and can be found in the pit orchestra of many shows for the VOS and the Gilbert and Sullivan Society.

    Anne McDougall (Violin)

    Anne studied at the University of Alberta, where she studied with Norman Nelson and received her Master’s Degree in music, all the while raising two children.  She has many years’ experience playing with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and after relocating to Sooke, Anne quickly connected with the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra and performed as Concertmaster for seven years.  In addition to teaching violin privately, she has become involved with the strings program at Sooke’s journey Middle School and is a founder and lead teacher for “Harmony Project Sooke”.  Anne is working at full capacity sharing with her students her love of music and the discipline and commitment it requires.  She recognizes that music is the perfecrt venue for children to learn life skills while they enjoy performing and learning.

    Bruce Vogt (Piano)

    Bruce is a unique and dynamic performer who appears regularly in concert within Canada, but has also inspired audiences in Japan, China, England, the USA, Germany, France, Italy, Norway, Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria.  Born in Southern Ontario, Bruce completed his initial musical studies with Damjana Bratuz and Anton Kuerti. Later he studied in the USA, England, Switzerland and Italy, working with a number of celebrated musicians including Gyorgy Sebok, Louis Kentner, Fou Ts’Ong, and Dario de Rosa.  

    Bruce’s repertoire is extremely diverse, encompassing music from the sixteenth century to the present. He has consistently championed the music of contemporary composers and has commissioned and premiered a number of new works by such Canadian luminaries as Murray Adaskin and Alfred Fisher. He is also an enthusiastic and dedicated performer on period instruments; one of his recordings (2003) features music of Robert Schumann performed on a restored 1864 Erard. His other recordings include two volumes of the music of Franz Liszt, which have established for him an enviable reputation as a Liszt interpreter.   In addition to his career as a piano soloist, chamber musician and recording artist, Bruce Vogt is also Professor at the University of Victoria.  Because he sees teaching and working with young pianists and with piano teachers as an important commitment, he makes himself available as often as possible for master classes, workshops, festival adjudications, and lectures.