October's Child - Marion Newman

marion_adultFirst Nations Canadian mezzo-soprano Marion Newman was born in a small village called Bella Bella in British Columbia, and grew up in another small town called Sooke, in BC. She was home-schooled until she went to Camosun College for piano performance and teacher training at age 15. Marion made her orchestral debut at the age of sixteen with the Victoria Symphony, not as a singer, but as a pianist, performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto K. 488 in A Major. After college she earned a Bachelor of Music in piano performance from the University of Victoria, followed by a Master of Music with Distinction in vocal performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Marion’s’ season so far has included Tisbé in Pacific Opera Victoria’s production of La Cenerentola, the lead role of Noodin-Kwe in the world premiere run of Giiwedin, a first Nations opera by Spy Dénommé-Welch and Catherine Magowan, and Thunderbird, an Aradia Ensemble concert featuring young Canadian composer Dustin Peters, in which traditional Kwagiulth dance and song meet the Baroque era.

Do you remember the childhood photo being taken? Yes! My family was being featured in an article in the Times Colonist, in Victoria, BC, about home-schooling. I remember it being important to me that I was wearing my brand new, red soccer jacket. I was goalie and right wing, alternately. This was a shot of we three kids and my mother at the beach, which is right at the end of my parent’s lawn. They still live in the same house in the same beautiful location. It was the yard all the kids wanted to play in after school. This was a wonderful place to grow up.

Suppose a child of about the same age today asked you “What do you do?” I’d say I’m an opera singer and that I also sing a lot of concerts. I get all dressed up, sometimes in wigs and crazy make-up, and I sing my conversations instead of speaking. That I love being all sorts of different characters and travelling around the world for music.

What is your absolute earliest musical memory? The traditional West Coast drumming and singing of my Kwagiulth culture as I learned to dance to them, and the highland dance music that accompanied my highland dance classes. I was three or four at the time and I loved it all. I sang along to everything.

Musicians in your family? My mother learned to play the piano and sing as a child. She brought me to every music lesson and knew all my music from ear. She could call out “that’s supposed to be an E flat in the left hand!” and other such helpful hints from wherever she was in the house while I was practicing the piano. My father was a boy alto at the residential school he attended. He is now a traditional drummer and singer. My brother and sister took piano lessons as kids and my brother and I have actually performed as singers together on a number of occasions. He is too busy with his artwork now to keep up the singing.

Where did hearing music fit in? CBC radio played in our house at all times when we weren’t sleeping or practising. All sorts of great classical music programs were airing at the time and the only one I found boring was “Saturday Afternoon at the Opera,” ironically. I usually had a soccer game in the afternoon though, I didn’t have to hear the whole thing. I studied piano in the Suzuki piano department at the Victoria Conservatory of Music from age five and sang in the children’s choir. I had also just started playing the flute at this point. Music was the way I expressed the feelings and thoughts I had that I didn’t yet have the words to express in an adult way.

First memory of yourself singing? Hmmm… probably that would be to the My Fair Lady and the Sound of Music records that we had. I would put one on and then dance around the living room, singing at the top of my lungs, imagining...

Your first instrument? Piano.

First experiences of making music with others? Piano duets, singing in a children’s choir. I was an alto and I loved that our parts mostly differed from the melody and that I was providing harmonies.

When you first sang alone for an audience? When I was 16 I had to take voice lessons as part of my piano training. We did little concerts once a month and I was very excited to discover the world of words and being able to face my audience to see how involved they were. At the piano, I’d never been able to do this. Singing really opened up possibilities in music that suited my personality even better than playing the piano did.

The point at which you began to think of yourself as a musician? From the age of 5, the time of my first piano lesson, I knew that I was going to be a musician…

Ever think you would do anything else?

I tried a "day job" for 6 months when I first moved to Toronto, to help make ends meet. I didn’t enjoy this very much. It was a great lesson in how happy I was to deal with the so-called risks of being a freelance musician.

If you could travel back through time and meet the young person in that childhood photo? What would you say?

Where do you get your confidence from and how do you maintain it? Whatever you do, keep that up! Also: your nose is just the right size for your face; boys will eventually realize that you aren’t just another boy; and  go easy on yourself when you realize that you’ve made a mistake. It’s never the end of the world. Sometimes it’s a really good way to find another path.

Suppose you were chatting with some nice person during a long wait whilst travelling, and after enthusiastically telling you all about their career in pest control or medical imaging, they asked about your work. What might you tell them?

Ha, ha! This actually happens all the time! I love to tell people that I’m a singer. Then they wonder what kind of singing, or what band I’m a part of… I use the term opera singer because it’s understood by nearly everyone as someone who sings in a classical style. People are generally very interested and they want to know where I’m performing and when. I’ve had people actually come to concerts and bring their friends on a number of occasions. I’ve also had various offers for dates, and one man asked if I’d like to have an affair while I was in town. (I’d literally met him on the street as I was trying to find a rehearsal address in Ireland) Of course I said NO! Some want to hear me sing, which I generally don’t do in public spaces, explaining that it’s a bit loud. If they persist I have been known to ask if they’d like to demonstrate some of their work for me first. Most recently this was a miner on a plane. He laughed at the idea of showing me how to mine in the air. People are most often just excited to meet a person who does something unusual, and who breaks down the stereotype they are used to.

 

Other media

In a recent interviewfor Aboriginal People's Television Network / DigitalNations Marion talks about her journey from traditional First Nations music to the world of opera. She comments:

…if you ever been to a pot latch where the stories are told through dance and song…well  I realized that opera is just kind an extension of that and that it makes it makes sense to me culturally. We have really strong voices, why not train them to use them in this way and to tell stories? It's the same …thing… to me.

They are human stories, of people who are suffering, who are experiencing joy of some sort. There are so many different characters to play. It's like "acting plus": because the music that's added to it informs you as to what kind of character you are. It's really exciting. I just totally fell in love with it…

 

Here's a link to that interview.

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

 

 

Coming up in Ontario…

• In addition to Aradia’s Dublin Messiah (Dec 11), Marion Newman will sing Messiah with the Kingston Symphony and Kingston Choral Society (Dec 5) and again with the Cellar singers in Bracebridge (Dec 10).

• Feb 5 she will sing de Falla’s Amor Brujo with the Peterborough Symphony, and Dvořák’s Kate and the Devil, co-starring Giles Tomkins, with Opera In Concert (Mar 27).

 

WHO IS NOVEMBER’S CHILD?

mysterychild_contestpageThe little singer on the right was born in Geneva to German parents, and educated at St. Michael’s Choir School while growing up in Oakville. All grown up now, he enjoys bicycling around Salzburg in the summertime with his own large family. But he’ll be part of the magic this winter in Toronto.


Think you know who our mystery child is? Send your best guess to musicschildren@thewholenote.com.

Please provide your mailing address just in case your name is drawn! Winners will be selected by random draw among correct replies received by November 20, 2010.

No, not the Van Trapps, but when your parents love to sing, what could be more natural?

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR OCTOBER WINNERS!
HERE’S WHAT THEY WON–

• Hallelujah! for Sharon Barclay and Catherine McWhinnie, who each win a pair of tickets to hear mezzo-soprano Marion Newman in The Dublin Messiah (Dec 11): Handel’s greatest hit lovingly presented in its original version by Aradia Ensemble and Choir, joined by Norman Engel, trumpet, and soprano Tracy Smith Bessette, tenor Joseph Schnurr, bass Jason Nedecky. Directed by Kevin Mallon.

• Merrilea Shields wins a pair of tickets to hear Marion Newman with bass-baritone Giles Tomkins in The Devil and Kate (March 27, 2011), presented by Opera in Concert. Dvoˇrák’s complex blend of fairy tale, folk idiom, darkness and light puts a complicated spin on the line “I could have danced all night…”: sure to give wintery spirits a comic lift. operainconcert.com

• Joan Rosenfield: Aradia’s 2010 recording of Polly: Arnold’s
island paradise opera of 1777. Marion Newman sings the role of Jenny Diver; (NAXOS 8.660241).

• Eve Rachel McLeod: Aradia’s 2008 recording of Vivaldi’s Griselda: Marion Newman sings the title role. (NAXOS 8.660211-13).

• Jessica Lloyd: Aradia’s 2006 recording of Handel’s Rinaldo: Marion Newman sings the role of Goffredo (NAXOS 8.660165-67).

WHO IS SEPTEMBER’S CHILD?

49_Mystery_Child_Sept2010“…it is her grace and presence…which commands attention”

This determined little person with the far-away gaze will someday fall in love at Tafel-musik concerts, have the talent, backbone, and the legs to take a job at the Moulin Rouge to help finance her more esoteric Paris studies. She continues to dance her way into the pages of music history, and onto the operatic stages of the world.

Think you know who our mystery child is? Send your best guess to musicschildren@thewholenote.com. Please provide your mailing address just in case your name is drawn! Winners will be selected by random draw among correct replies received by September 20, 2010.

July/August’s Child Janina Fialkowska

The full interview will be online shortly. Stay Tuned.

49_Janina at Wotersen Castle Schleswig Holstein Festival 2010Still having a right royal time, Janina Fialkowska has been referred to as “Canada’s First Lady of Chopin”, but the gloves are off: this remarkable person is a fighter. Even at the time the photo was taken, she was practising about 5 hours a day. There was an hour before school. There were 2 hours in the middle of the day – an hour during lunch, and then running home again while her classmates did gym, sports, music or art. Another 2 hours at night. “You have to acquire that appetite for work at a very young age,” she says, “so that it becomes a comforting old habit. Does it sound too strange to say this? That today my world could be coming to an end … maybe a flood … my house and everything lost … but if I have practised well in the morning, one part of me will still be happy.”

Today Janina Fialkowska is a regular guest soloist with prestigious orchestras all over the world – famous for her interpretations of Chopin, Mozart and Liszt, chosen in 1990 to perform the world premiere of the recently discovered Liszt Third Piano Concerto with the Chicago Symphony. She has recorded all 3 Liszt concertos, the Paderewski and Moszkowski piano concertos, Chopin’s concertos, sonatas, impromptus and etudes, and a CD devoted to the music of Karol Szymanowski. CBC’s 1992 documentary The World of Janina Fialkowska was awarded a special Jury Prize at the 1992 San Francisco International Film Festival.

In 2002 her career was challenged by the discovery of a cancerous tumor in her left arm. The tumor was removed and after a rarely performed muscle-transfer procedure in 2003 she resumed her career, performing the Ravel and Prokofiev concertos for the left hand (which she transcribed for her right hand). She resumed her two-handed career in January 2004.

Janina Fialkowska was the founder of the award winning “Piano Six” music outreach project which later became “Piano Plus”. She is an Officer of the Order of Canada.

 

What do you remember about the day in that childhood photo?

It was the Quebec Music Festival, and I had won the second grand prize of the festival. I believe that year I played Mozart’s variations on “Ah vous dirai-je … Maman”, which I happen to be playing right now and will be recording. (So, as my brother tells me, I have not made any progress at all!) I had also played a Mozart concerto. It was all terribly exciting and I was just very overwhelmed by her clothes … and her tiara … because they were sparkly … and because, well, she was the Queen Mum! And I was also very proud because of how everybody else who was being presented didn’t know to curtsey. But I had been to the Sacred Heart Convent, and I knew how.

These were the most important things that went through my mind. Unfortunately the music played very little role. I liked music fine but it didn’t alter the way I felt or move me. I was having great fun being good at playing the piano. There was quite a group of talented young pianists, and competitions. And I was 11 … at 11 you just go for it.

The Queen Mum was actually very sweet and nice – so very gracious, and such a pro.

 

If you could travel back through time, and meet face to face with the young person in that childhood photo, is there anything you would like to ask her?

I think … that I was really quite happy at the moment, and fearless. I wouldn’t want to ask her anything that would disturb that. She was about to face one hell of a life, but at that moment everything was still okay. I know she was happy. I wouldn’t want to say anything that would cause her to question anything.

 

Is there anything you’d like to be able to tell her?

Enjoy the music more … that playing the concerts is all about sharing music with other people and it’s not always a terrible competition within oneself to do better…to do better…to do better. That’s something I only learned in the last ten years and I wish I’d known it much sooner.

I would love to be able to give that child true faith in her small talent – to trust it and not always be questioning it. Yes, it’s the questioning that probably makes you a good musician … but it can also destroy you…

And that little girl was in for a rough ride for quite a long time…

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR JULY AND AUGUST WINNERS!

HERE’S WHAT THEY WON–

Lorrie MacKinnon (Oakville), Alice Lee (Markham), Maureen Whitehead (Toronto), Jane Marvy (Toronto), Anthony Warren (Mississauga) each win a pair of tickets for Chopin on Period Piano (October 7-10): Tafelmusik’s first-ever performances of music by the 19th-century composer, and Janina Fialkowska’s Canadian period ensemble debut. She will play Chopin’s Piano Concerto no. 1 in E minor (arranged for chamber ensemble) on a remarkable1848 Pleyel piano. The programme also includes Spohr’s Nonet in F major, op.31.

Anthony MacKinnon (Hamilton) and a friend will be guests of the Royal Ontario Museum (Tuesday October 5) to preview Fryderyk Chopin and the Romantic Piano including a talk and brief performance by Janina Fialkowska, and tickets to return when the exhibit opens to the public (Oct 9 –Mar 27). The exhibit features original scores in Chopin’s hand, period arts and letters, costume plates, and an example of Chopin’s instrument of choice – a Pleyel grand piano. (info: 416-586-5797)

Mary Ingraham (Gabriola BC) wins Janina Fialkowska’s Chopin Piano Concertos with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Bramwell Tovey, conductor. This recording of the Piano Concertos no. 2 in F minor, op. 21; and no. 1 in E minor, op. 11 is brand-new: scheduled for public release October 26, 2010! ATMA (ACD22643)

Joan Sayer (Scarborough), Paul Kay (Toronto), J Govindarajan (Waterloo) win Janina Fialkowska’s double CD set, Etudes, Sonatas and Impromptus: Rarely Heard Recordings from 1997 and 1999, re-released by ATMA in May 2010 (ACD22554)

Moira Anderson (Victoria BC), Janos Gardonyi (Toronto), Jay Hackney (Brooklin, ON) win Chopin Recital, released in Oct 2009, Janina Fialkowska’s own beautiful Chopin bicentenary picks, including the Polonaises, Préludes, Valses, Nocturnes, Ballades, Mazurkas, and Scherzos. ATMA (ACD22597)

Barbara Thompson (Toronto), John Hansen (New Minas NS), Larry Landis (Tulsa OK), win Piano Concertos 1 & 2, Janina’s 2005 “comeback” recording with the Chamber Players of Canada. “Chopin in every likelihood performed his concertos at private salon concerts accompanied by a chamber ensemble…”
ATMA (ACD22291)

WHO IS THE JULY/AUGUST CHILD?

50_janina_and_queen_mother

“I feel deeply connected to the music of Chopin – a composer I have adored since I was 12 years old – not only because I share his Polish heritage…”

Accepting her prize from the Queen Mother, with a left hand she would later have to re-train, this little girl made her debut as a soloist with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra in the same year. In 1974, she had decided to go to law school when she won the first Artur Rubinstein competition in Israel.

“A born Chopin interpreter”

—Rubinstein

Think you know who our mystery child is? Send your best guess tomusicschildren@thewholenote.com. Please provide your mailing address just in case your name is drawn! Winners will be selected by random draw among correct replies received by August 20, 2010.

June’s Child Andrew Burashko

50_adult_burashko

50_burashko_child

Andrew Burashko’s earliest musical memory, from about the age of 3, is probably Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. “There was always music playing in our home. We had the story with the music – I’m pretty sure I knew it was a ballet, but it was the story that interested me…”

There are several doors though which a child may enter the world of music. Sometimes it’s rhythm, sometimes it’s melody, or harmony. Sometimes it’s the mysterious alchemy of the drama inherent in music.

The story of Andrew Burashko’s musical life, in very broad strokes, begins as a little 5-year boy in Moscow unwillingly pushed to begin learning the piano. It continues as a man whose successful career as a solo pianist coexists with his extraordinary drive as a collaborator, and whose work still honours that little boy who was so engaged by the Nutcracker and its story .

Since 1998, as the Artistic Director of the Art of Time Ensemble, Burashko has brought highly skilled classical, post-classical, jazz and popular musicians together onstage in dance and language-based performances that challenge the way many of us have defined “chamber music,” enticing diverse audiences to engage in the music, sometimes even in spite of themselves. In recent programmes the ensemble has been joined by Peggy Baker, Sarah Slean, Tom McCamus, Ted Dykstra, Michael Ondaatje and Steven Page.

Other musical adults in your family?

My mother was a choral conductor and solfegio teacher. She was out of the house most of the time working. Her mother was a pianist but I never knew her. I’m the only other musician in the immediate family.

Where did music fit into your life at that time?

I loved to sing at home. At that time, the only place I heard music would have been at home. Records: mostly classical music and some popular Soviet music. I remember hearing pop music for the first time when we left the Soviet Union – I would have been 7. It was the Beatles. I was hooked... . Piano was my first instrument. My mother tried starting me when I was about five – still in Moscow. That only lasted a couple of lessons. I wouldn’t have become a musician had I not been pushed.

Andrew resumed his piano studies when his family settled in Toronto, at the age of about 9, with Marina Geringas at the Toronto RCM. He was soon enrolled in the gifted youth programme which provided him with his first experiences of chamber music. “With others, it was a joy from the beginning.”

Do you remember when you began to think of yourself as a musician?

Not a particular point. But there was always the mirror of my friends who considered me a musician...

Were they also musical? Or did they see you as a musician because they were not musical?

"The latter. They were just ordinary school friends"

Did you think you would do something else?

"I thought I wanted to be a doctor. I also had the fantasy of being a film/theatre director."

When did you willingly engage with the piano?

"I quit playing for a year when I was 18. It was after I came back…"

 

Andrew went on to study with Lee Kum-Sing in Vancouver, Leon Fleisher and Marek Jablonski in Toronto, and Bella Davidovich in New York. While still a teenager he made his TSO debut under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis and has subsequently performed with most of the Canadian orchestras. As a soloist and a chamber musician  he has performs extensively across Canada, the United States, and in Europe. Consistent with his dedication to keeping great music alive, he is a committed teacher - presently on the faculty at the Royal Conservatory, and in demand for master classes throughout North America. Andrew Burashko has recorded with CBC  Records, Naxos, Centerdiscs,  and Opening Day and is regularly heard on CBC in Canada.

 

If you could travel back through time is there anything you'd like to say to the child in the photo?

"I’d tell him not to worry, perhaps. I’d tell him that things would turn out ok – that life was rich and unpredictable." There's that appetite for the story…again

 

COMING UP?

"My main focus is now Art of Time, although I will also  be performing with the Pendercki Quartet In Parry Sound on August 4th. I would encourage anyone who is interested to visit artoftimeensemble.com for our season information."

 

Musical Transformations: Erich Korngold: Source & Inspiration on Thursday July 29 (8:00pm, Walter Hall, at the Toronto Summer Music Festival ). This intriguingly creative concert linking the 20th and 21st centuries features a Korngold suite and the new songs it has inspired.

 

Robert Schumann 1810-2010 launches The Art of Time's 2010-2011 season (Sept 17 and 18, Enwave Theatre). With readings from his own letters and critical writing, the programme explores Schumann's piano, vocal and chamber music, and includes the Andante from his Piano Quartet Op.47, selections from Kreisleriana, a selection of lieder, and the entire Piano Quintet Op.44.

JUNE’S WINNERS & PRIZES: CONGRATULATIONS!

HERE’S WHAT THEY WON

• Sara Schabas: Two tickets to hear Andrew Burashko and the Art of Time Ensemble perform at the Toronto Summer Music Festival, in Musical Transformations: Erich Korngold: Source & Inspiration on Thursday July 29 (8:00pm, Walter Hall). This intriguingly creative concert linking the 20th and 21st centuries features a Korngold suite and the new songs it has inspired.

• Phoebe Cleverly and Claudia Krawchuk: Each win a pair of tickets to Robert Schumann 1810-2010 which launches The Art of Time’s 2010-2011 season (Sept 17 and 18, Enwave Theatre). With readings from his own letters and critical writing, the programme explores Schumann’s piano, vocal and chamber music, and includes the Andante from his Piano Quartet Op.47, selections from Kreisleriana, a selection of lieder, and the entire Piano Quintet Op.44.

• Barbara Thomson and Carol Desoer: each win a copy of Andrew Burashko’s solo CD Burashko Plays Prokofiev on the Opening Day label. (ODR 9316): Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 6 Op. 82 and his Ten Pieces from Romeo and Juliet Op.75. “I like this recording because Prokofiev’s music resonates on a very deep level in me. I’m very proud of this recording.”

JUNE’S WINNERS & PRIZES: CONGRATULATIONS!HERE’S WHAT THEY WON
• Sara Schabas: Two tickets to hear Andrew Burashko and the Art of Time Ensemble perform at the Toronto Summer Music Festival, in Musical Transformations: Erich Korngold: Source & Inspiration on Thursday July 29 (8:00pm, Walter Hall). This intriguingly creative concert linking the 20th and 21st centuries features a Korngold suite and the new songs it has inspired.
• Phoebe Cleverly and Claudia Krawchuk: Each win a pair of tickets to Robert Schumann 1810-2010 which launches The Art of Time’s 2010-2011 season (Sept 17 and 18, Enwave Theatre). With readings from his own letters and critical writing, the programme explores Schumann’s piano, vocal and chamber music, and includes the Andante from his Piano Quartet Op.47, selections from Kreisleriana, a selection of lieder, and the entire Piano Quintet Op.44.
• Barbara Thomson and Carol Desoer: each win a copy of Andrew Burashko’s solo CD Burashko Plays Prokofiev on the Opening Day label. (ODR 9316): Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 6 Op. 82 and his Ten Pieces from Romeo and Juliet Op.75. “I like this recording because Prokofiev’s music resonates on a very deep level in me. I’m very proud of this recording.”

WHO IS JUNE’S CHILD?


mysterychild“Heard any good jokes?”

Apparently benign, a tyrant lurks within. But plays well with others: Sitarski,  Dann, Wiebe, Quarrington, Dwyer, Piltch, and Goldsmith; also with May’s Mystery Child – Winona Zelenka (July 29).

“So….what else?”

Collaborators have included  Peggy Baker, Sarah Slean, Tom McCamus, Shauna Rolston, Ted Dykstra, Michael Ondaatje and Steven Page. Perhaps he’s playing on a pan with a shovel to explore the art of time. Or digging into what it takes to break down barriers of culture and genre. Think you know who our mystery child is? Send your best guess to musicschildren@
thewholenote.com. Please provide your mailing address just in case your name is drawn! Winners will be selected by random draw among correct replies received by June 20, 2010.

May’s Child Winona Zelenka

adult_winona_june2010

Cellist Winona Zelenka lives in Etobicoke, in Toronto, with her husband, audio engineer Ron Searles (an enthusiastic amateur violinist); daughter Kathryn, who sings; son James, who also plays cello in his spare time; and Felix, an orange cat who likes to eat bow-hairs when Winona’s back is turned.

Earliest memory of music?
My earliest memory is singing in Sunday School! I was probably about four: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”. Everyone knows that one!

Other family musicians?
My father was a professional flautist in Slovakia before emigrating to Canada, then taught high school music in Espanola, Ontario. My mom was a pianist and organist, and played with me for Kiwanis festivals; she always had a job playing organ in church, too, and still does!

At the time of the photo?
I would’ve been around six years old: Mom would take all three of us to Sudbury every week for Suzuki lessons. My sister played violin and piano, my brother guitar. Dad was still practising and playing at the high school sometimes. Music was a daily thing, even if it was just a few minutes of playing – Mom made it consistent for us. They both had the very European approach that learning music should be part of growing up for every kid. Dad played his LPs all the time – romantic orchestral works – great players like Heifetz and Rubenstein.

Making music alone?
I started on piano, probably at around age four, then cello at four-and-a-half. I remember playing at home in our house in Espanola – I remember the white tape on the little cello I started on, that shows you where to put your fingers. My first cello teacher, who I’m still in touch with, is a remarkably sensitive person with a perpetually enquiring mind; she never lost patience with me and always tried to find ways to get around my stubbornness and frustration.

And with others?
I balked at playing the cello, till there was a group Suzuki performance when I was five or so, and I refused to play. When I saw the applause the other kids were getting, I said hey! I can do that too! My jealousy of the others caused me to pick up the cello and show my stuff.
My family moved to Toronto when I was nine. The move was prompted by two things – my Dad had been teaching music at Espanola High School, but did not like it, and decided to change careers – so he ended up going to the Chiropractic College in Toronto. He never went back to teaching music. The other reason was to find me more advanced training, which they knew they could get in Toronto. My teacher in Sudbury knew Bill Findlay of the TSO – they had both studied with Ronald Leonard at Eastman years back. I think my parents also had the idea of me going to the Conservatory, which I eventually did.
Read the full interview online at thewholenote.com.

MAY'S WINNERS & PRIZES: CONGRATULATIONS!
zelenka_bachcd_cover_artHERE'S WHAT THEY WON
• Mandy Lam: A pair of tickets to attend the launch of Winona Zelenka's two-CD Marquis Classics recording, J. S.Bach: Six Suites for Solo Cello, with a performance on Sunday, June 6 (note the 3pm starting time). Winona takes centre stage at Glenn Gould Studio to perform Bach's hauntingly beautiful Suites 1, 2 and 6. Prize includes a copy of the CD.

• Louie Calleja: And a friend will be guests of Stratford Summer Music to hear Winona Zelenka play one of the six solo cello studies in the "Bach at Rundles" series: an intimate 11am performance followed by a delectable three-course luncheon at Rundles Restaurant in Stratford. A "suite" way to enjoy a Sunday in July or August (date to be arranged with the presenter).

• Paul Sayer: Two tickets to hear Winona Zelenka perform at the Toronto Summer Music Festival with Andrew Burashko and the Art of Time Ensemble, in Musical Transformations: Erich Korngold: Source & Inspiration on Thursday July 29 (8:00pm, Walter Hall). This intriguingly creative concert linking the 20th and 21st centuries features a Korngold suite and the new songs it has inspired.

• Julie Goldstein: Wins a copy of Winona's brand new CD, J. S. Bach: Six Suites for Solo Cello on Marquis Classics (MAR 509). Winona says "I continue to believe that there is nothing in human experience that can't be said with this amazing music." We're sure you will agree.

Music’s Children gratefully acknowledges Francine, Ron, Kathryn, Luisa, John, Cecilia, Stratford Summer Music, Toronto Summer Music, and Marquis Classics.

MAY'S CHILD

mysterychild_at_age_7_may2010Does the shy smile tug your heart-strings?

Think you know who next May’s mystery child is? Send your best guess to musicschildren@ thewholenote.com. Please provide your mailing address just in case your name is drawn!

Winners will be selected by random draw among correct replies received by May 20, 2010.

 

 

 

 

April's Child Krisztina Szabókrisztina_adult_daughter_may2010

Wearing the pants (Idamante in Idomeneo with the COC in May), or playing the flirt, Hungarian-Canadian mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó steals hearts and scenes of all kinds, in a wide range of opera, recital, concert and chamber repertoire, both in Canada and internationally. She has a deep, rich voice and wonderful appetite for immersing herself in the emotional and psychological life of the roles she plays. These are cornerstones of a vigorous career reflecting a winning combination of musicianship and stagecraft, in a world that increasingly expects opera singers to be compelling actors as well as fabulous singers.

Born and raised in Mississauga, Ontario, Krisztina attended the University of Western Ontario (B. Mus.), Guildhall School of Music and Drama (Post Diploma) and was a member of the Canadian Opera Company's Ensemble Studio 1998-2001.

Earliest musical memory?

A musical in Grade 3 at
Cashmere Avenue Public School for "The King's New Clothes". I was the Queen…" "the King is in his altogether, his altogether.. the very least the king has ever worn"…

Musicians in your family?

No official musicians, but both my parents sang in their youth in hometown operetta productions (in
Écs, Hungary). I am told that they both had beautiful voices. At home when I was growing up my father refused to sing, saying that he had ruined his voice smoking in his youth. My mother would sing a bit around the house in a goofy bird-like voice just to be silly. My father is crazy about Hungarian operetta and we did listen to a fair bit of Hungarian music on LPs before LPs went out of style. He has written down the words (or at least the first lines of) as many Hungarian folk songs as he knows. When I was young we would visit Hungary: it was not uncommon for people to spontaneously burst into singing folk songs to which everyone seemed to know the words - in someone's home, a pub, whatever. It was pretty cool. Sadly, I couldn't join in because I didn't know the words!

First steps?

I am told that as a child I was always singing.... you couldn't keep me quiet! But that photo was taken well before I started any formal training. My first formal music training started with piano lessons at the age of 9, and that same year I also began my 6 year membership in the Toronto Children's Chorus.


First experiences singing alone?

I sang a solo at a Remembrance Day ceremony at school - just me, a capella, and I remember the hush of the rest of the student population as I sang and how many people came up to me afterward to tell me how much they liked my singing. I remember the rush and the pride I felt in that. The song was "Blowin' in the Wind".

And with others?
I joined the Toronto Children's Chorus and began making music with others - and music at such a high level! I remember feeling like I had come home - being with kids like me who loved to sing more than anything was such an amazing feeling. I still have a love for singing in a chorus -to be surrounded by the sound of many people's voices raised together in song... it's quite a powerful experience.


First instrument?

My first instrument was the piano - I completed my RCM Grade 10 piano before going to the University of Western Ontario. Applying for universities and thinking about what to major in, music was strangely not foremost in my mind. I think I debated pursuing optometry and possibly actuarial sciences (like my sister), when it occurred to me that the one thing I truly loved in life was music. Once that realization hit, the choice made itself. I did 2 years as a piano major before switching to voice to study with Darryl Edwards.

In 4th year at Western
I was selected to be a soloist in the Duruflé Requiem for a concert with all choirs and orchestra. It was a very big deal, and I had only just recently decided to truly pursue singing as a career. I remember how nervous I was but how thrilling it was to stand up in front of all those people - my fellow musicians and the audience members alike all looking at and listening to me. It really hit me that no, I didn't want to be a music teacher (I was an Education major) and that "hey, I think I am meant to be a performer". It was a crazy notion really - I had no idea of what that entailed; how I was going to achieve that and what it would take. Maybe my ignorance was a blessing because I just threw myself down this unknown path about which I only knew for sure the fact that I was meant to be a singer.

The point at which you began to think of yourself as a musician?

There is always this differentiation in the business - are you a musician or are you a singer? I'd like to think I am both.. at least on my good days! But every time someone has asked me (and they still do occasionally!).. "Oh, you're an opera singer? But what is your day job?".. I count my blessings that I get to do something I love and only that.. and get paid to do it!


If you could travel back through time and meet face to face with the little person in that childhood photo is there anything you'd like to say?

I would tell her that she was one lucky little girl...that she was going to sing and play dress-up for the rest of her life!


Upcoming?

Idamante (Canadian Opera Company's Idomeneo, Dark Star Requiem with Tapestry New Opera Works, Beauty Dissolves in One Brief Hour with Queen of Puddings Music Theatre (details below) and recitals with Brett Polegato at Music
Niagara (July 23, St. Mike's Church and Niagara on the Lake) and Waterside Summer Series (July 24, Amherst Island).

APRIL'S WINNERS & PRIZES: CONGRATULATIONS!
HERE'S WHAT THEY WON

• Hans de Groot: A pair of tickets to attend the May 12 performance of Mozart’s Idomeneo, as guests of the Canadian Opera Company. Kristina Szabó will sing sing the role of Idamante, son of Idomeneo – the King of Troy. The role of Idamante was originally sung by a castrato when Idomeneo was first performed in 1781, two days after Mozart’s 25th birthday. The COC cast also includes Paul Groves (Idomeneo), Isabel Bayrakdarian (Ilia) and Tamara Wilson (Elettra). Conductor: Harry Bicket, Director: François de Carpentries.

• Judith Haynal: A pair of tickets for Dark Star Requiem (June 12) during the opening weekend of the 2010 Luminato Festival. This  world premiere production from Tapestry new opera works & Luminato, features the Gryphon Trio & the Elmer Iseler Singers. A dramatic oratorio from poet Jill Battson and composer Andrew Staniland, Dark Star Requiem explores “the 25-year history of the AIDS pandemic with astonishing power and hope” and features Neema Bickersteth (soprano), Krisztina Szabó (mezzo soprano), Peter McGillivray (baritone) and Marcus Nance (bass-baritone).

• Deirdre Warren: A pair of tickets for Beauty Disolves in a Brief Hour – A Triptych (July 29, 30 or 31st), as guests of Queen of Puddings Music Theatre Company. Chamber operas on the eternal theme of love are sung in Mandarin, English and medieval French, commissioned from three Canadian composers: Fuhong Shi, John Rea and Pierre Klanac presented in a unified fully staged music-theatre/opera work. Xin Wang (soprano), Krisztina Szabó (mezzo-soprano), John Lettieri (accordion) and stage director Ruth Madoc-Jones team up with Queen of Puddings' co-artistic directors, Dáirine Ní Mheadhra and John Hess. At the Tank House (Distillery Historic District) in association with Young Centre for the Performing Arts.

Wearing the pants (Idamante in Idomeneo with the COC in May), or playing the flirt, Hungarian-Canadian mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó steals hearts and scenes of all kinds, in a wide range of opera, recital, concert and chamber repertoire, both in Canada and internationally. She has a deep, rich voice and wonderful appetite for immersing herself in the emotional and psychological life of the roles she plays. These are cornerstones of a vigorous career reflecting a winning combination of musicianship and stagecraft, in a world that increasingly expects opera singers to be compelling actors as well as fabulous singers.

Born and raised in Mississauga, Ontario, Krisztina attended the University of Western Ontario (B. Mus.), Guildhall School of Music and Drama (Post Diploma) and was a member of the Canadian Opera Company's Ensemble Studio 1998-2001.

Earliest musical memory?

A musical in Grade 3 at Cashmere Avenue Public School for "The King's New Clothes". I was the Queen…" "the King is in his altogether, his altogether.. the very least the king has ever worn"…

Musicians in your family?

No official musicians, but both my parents sang in their youth in hometown operetta productions (in Écs, Hungary). I am told that they both had beautiful voices. At home when I was growing up my father refused to sing, saying that he had ruined his voice smoking in his youth. My mother would sing a bit around the house in a goofy bird-like voice just to be silly. My father is crazy about Hungarian operetta and we did listen to a fair bit of Hungarian music on LPs before LPs went out of style. He has written down the words (or at least the first lines of) as many Hungarian folk songs as he knows. When I was young we would visit Hungary: it was not uncommon for people to spontaneously burst into singing folk songs to which everyone seemed to know the words - in someone's home, a pub, whatever. It was pretty cool. Sadly, I couldn't join in because I didn't know the words!

First steps?

I am told that as a child I was always singing.... you couldn't keep me quiet! But that photo was taken well before I started any formal training. My first formal music training started with piano lessons at the age of 9, and that same year I also began my 6 year membership in the Toronto Children's Chorus.

First experiences singing alone?

I sang a solo at a Remembrance Day ceremony at school - just me, a capella, and I remember the hush of the rest of the student population as I sang and how many people came up to me afterward to tell me how much they liked my singing. I remember the rush and the pride I felt in that. The song was "Blowin' in the Wind".

And with others?

I joined the Toronto Children's Chorus and began making music with others - and music at such a high level! I remember feeling like I had come home - being with kids like me who loved to sing more than anything was such an amazing feeling. I still have a love for singing in a chorus -to be surrounded by the sound of many people's voices raised together in song... it's quite a powerful experience.

First instrument?

My first instrument was the piano - I completed my RCM Grade 10 piano before going to the

University of Western Ontario. Applying for universities and thinking about what to major in, music was strangely not foremost in my mind. I think I debated pursuing optometry and possibly

actuarial sciences (like my sister), when it occurred to me that the one thing I truly loved in life

was music. Once that realization hit, the choice made itself. I did 2 years as a piano major before switching to voice to study with Darryl Edwards.

In 4th year at Western I was selected to be a soloist in the Duruflé Requiem for a concert with all choirs and orchestra. It was a very big deal, and I had only just recently decided to truly pursue singing as a career. I remember how nervous I was but how thrilling it was to stand up in front of all those people - my fellow musicians and the audience members alike all looking at and listening to me. It really hit me that no, I didn't want to be a music teacher (I was an Education major) and that "hey, I think I am meant to be a performer". It was a crazy notion really - I had no idea of what that entailed; how I was going to achieve that and what it would take. Maybe my ignorance was a blessing because I just threw myself down this unknown path about which I only knew for sure the fact that I was meant to be a singer.

The point at which you began to think of yourself as a musician?

There is always this differentiation in the business - are you a musician or are you a singer? I'd like to think I am both.. at least on my good days! But every time someone has asked me (and they still do occasionally!).. "Oh, you're an opera singer? But what is your day job?".. I count my blessings that I get to do something I love and only that.. and get paid to do it!

If you could travel back through time and meet face to face with the little person in that

childhood photo is there anything you'd like to say?

I would tell her that she was one lucky little girl...that she was going to sing and play dress-up

for the rest of her life!

Upcoming?

Idamante (Canadian Opera Company's Idomeneo, Dark Star Requiem with Tapestry New Opera Works, Beauty Dissolves in One Brief Hour with Queen of Puddings Music Theatre (details below)

and recitals with Brett Polegato at Music Niagara (July 23, St. Mike's Church and Niagara on the

Lake) and Waterside Summer Series (July 24, Amherst Island).

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