Return to Shattering the Silence Home Page

Shattering the Silence 2007

 

February 09 - 11, 2007
Chenoa Anderson & Eugene Cormier, Guest Artists
Mark Hopkins and Derek Charke, Festival Directors
www.shatteringthesilence.ca

A message from the Directors

Dear Concert Patron:

Welcome to the first-ever Acadia University New Music Festival! 

As with the pop-music world, concert music composers pour themselves into their works, usually in response to artistic encounters and life experiences.  Yet, for a variety of reasons, it is relatively rare for the average person to hear their music performed in the world today.  Shattering the Silence is a music festival designed to give voice to the music of living composers, while celebrating the creation and performance of concert music by students at Acadia University.  We perceived a need in the greater Annapolis Valley for this kind of opportunity for students and Faculty at Acadia University, to promote established and emerging composers among us, and to get their music out into the public.

This is a music festival that focuses on contemporary concert music.  The aim is to highlight talents of both student composers and performers alongside Showcase concerts by faculty, student ensembles and visiting artists.  In this first festival we are offering a potpourri of musical styles from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.  Some of the music will be thought provoking, like the music of Italian composer Salvatore Sciarrino, while other music will appeal to a broader audience.  Each concert has a balance of the exotic and accessible, and will be a treat for performers and listeners alike. 

Shattering the Silence includes 12 world premiere performances of new concert music compositions by students and Faculty from Acadia.  The festival is also presenting music by seminal 20th Century composers such as Samuel Barber, Benjamin Britten, John Cage, Alberto Ginastera, Paul Hindemith, François Morel and Imant Raminsh.  It promises to be a very exciting weekend of music!

We gratefully acknowledge the support and enthusiasm of the School of Music at Acadia University.  Chenoa Anderson and Ian Crutchley are visiting artists from Mount Allison University, who have gone out of their way to be a part of this Festival.   Acadia Faculty guitar virtuoso Eugene Cormier is presenting a major performance on the inaugural concert.  And, Olga Milosevich and the CBC have been very generous in supporting the idea of Shattering the Silence.  We hope you are moved and amazed at the energy and talents of the composers and performers alike.  Most of all, we hope you discover a new voice, fresh and memorable, that moves you as you listen to these performances.

Derek Charke &
Mark Hopkins
Co-Directors,
Shattering the Silence
The Acadia New Music Festival

Shattering the Silence is the first of what we hope will become an annual event here at Acadia. The festival explores newly created music by faculty, students, regional and Canadian composers. As well the festival is presenting seminal works by internationally renowned composers performed by guest artists, faculty and student performers. Join us for the three headline concerts:

  • Friday Feb. 09 at 8pm presents a concert with flutist Chenoa Anderson and our very own guitarist Eugene Cormier. Come early (7pm) for a pre-concert talk with the composers and performers!
  • Saturday Feb. 10 at 10pm trek down to On the Verge Restaurant for a Cabaret evening directed by Mark Hopkins and free improvisation session with Aurthor Bull and Daniel Heikalo.
  • Sunday Feb. 11 at 3pm Acadia School of Music Faculty and Ensembles present a showcase concert, moderated by CBC's Olga Milosevich.
  • Rounding these events off are two noon hour concerts on Saturday and Sunday featuring student compositions and performers.
  • In addition there are two symposium lectures on Saturday afternoon at 3pm with musicologist, Jeff Hennessey and composer, Dr. Ian Crutchley.

Don't miss what is sure to be a memorable weekend! All events take place at The School of Music, Denton Hall, on the campus of Acadia University in Wolfville, NS, with the exception of Saturday evening at The Verge Restaurant.

 

= =

Tickets are available at the door.

For more information please contact the School of Music (902) 585-1512

Program

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 09 at Noon

Preview Concert
Denton Hall Auditorium
12:00pm
Free admission

Fanfare for St. Edmundsbury (1959) by Benjamin Britten (UK)
Mark Hopkins, Chad Nelson, Joel Rudolph, trumpets
Sweet Dreams Suite (2006) by Mitch Burke (Canada) * world premiere
Mitch Burke, guitar
Three Spanish Lyrics (1992) by Imant Raminsh (Latvia/Canada)
Kathyrn Humphries, voice


FRIDAY FEBRUARY 09 at 8pm (7pm talk)

Showcase Concert 1
Chenoa Anderson, Flute
Eugene Cormier, Guitar
Denton Hall Auditorium
7:00pm pre-concert discussion with the composers and performers.
8:00pm concert
$10 admission, $5 students and seniors

Chenoa Anderson, Flutes

Nakoda (alto flute) (2000) by Ellen Lindquist (USA)
6 Pieces for Alto Flute (1998) by Ian Crutchley (Canada)
Canzona di Ringraziamento (1985) by Salvatore Sciarrino (Italy)
Lachrymose (piccolo) (2006) by Derek Charke (Canada)
* world premiere
Steam (alto flute and tape) (2001) by Barry Truax (Canada)

Intermission

Eugene Cormier, Guitar

God of the Northern Forest (1989) by Phillip Houghton (Australia)
Currents II (1995) (for William Beauvais) by Shawn Bell (Canada)
Fantasy (1975) (for Liona Boyd) by Milton Barnes (Canada)
Libra Sonatine by Roland Dyens (France)
-India
-Largo
-Fuoco


SATURDAY FEBRUARY 10 at Noon

Student Composers and Performers Concert 1
Denton Hall Auditorium
12:00pm
Post-concert discussion with the composers and performers.
Free Admission

Tone Method (2006) by Justin Wah Kan (Canada) * world premiere
Laura Gillis, Kattie Titus, flutes. 2 flutes and electronics
The Valiant (2006) by Kevon Cronin (Canada) * world premiere
Stephen Ambra, cello
Lost (2006) by Edward Enman (Canada) * world premiere
Stephen Ambra, cello
The Doppler Awe (2006) by Nick Bedell (Canada) * world premiere
Emily Lang, bassoon

Intermission

Suddenly (2006) by Amanda Riley (Canada) * world premiere
Roy Richardson, Baritone voice
The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs, The Flower (1942) by John Cage (USA)
Megan Johnson, voice Greg Harrison, Piano Lid
In Search of Melancholy (2006) by Rebecca Crisp (UK/Canada) * world premiere
Stephen Ambra, cello


SATURDAY FEBRUARY 10 at 3pm

Lecture Symposium
Room 226 Denton Hall
3:00pm
Free Admission

Lecture 1: Jeff Hennessy: Beneath the Skin of Time: Alternative Temporalities in Gérard Grisey's Prologue for Solo Viola

This lecture examines Gérard Grisey’s 1976 Prologue for Solo Viola from the perspective of the composer’s own stated theoretical ideas regarding temporality in his music. Most analyses of “spectral music” focus on pitch structures and orchestrational effects, however Grisey himself often stated that he was more interested in the relativity of temporal perception in his evolving sound complexes. I attempt to diagnose the subjective temporal experience of the individual listener - the elusive ‘Skin of Time’ - by probing the layers beneath the skin: the ‘Skeleton of Time’ and the ‘Flesh of Time’

Lecture 2: Dr. Ian Crutchley discusses his new VNMS commission, All Day Permanent Red.


SATURDAY FEBRUARY 10 at 10pm

Music On The Verge presents a ‘Cabaret’ Evening
On the Verge Restaurant and Music
D-12, Elm Ave., Wolfville Phone 902.542.9399
10:00pm Cabaret directed by Mark Hopkins
11:00pm Daniel Heikalo & Arthur Bull Duo
$10 admission, $5 students and seniors

10:00pm Cabaret directed by Mark Hopkins
Little Threepenny Music Suite ( 1928) by Kurt Weill (Germany)

11:00pm Daniel Heikalo & Arthur Bull Duo
Live Improvisation


SUNDAY FEBRUARY 11 at Noon

Student Composers and Performers Concert 2
Denton Hall Auditorium
12:00pm
Post-concert discussion with the composers and performers.
Free Admission

Three Spanish Lyrics (1992) by Imant Raminsh (Latvia/Canada)
Kathyrn Humphries, voice
Air
(2006) by Andrew Anderson (USA) * world premiere
Casandra Widdifield, flute
Études de Sonorité No. 2 (1952) by François Morel (Canada)
Alaina Boyd, piano
Sweet Dreams Suite (2006) by Mitch Burke (Canada) * world premiere
Mitch Burke, guitar

Intermission

Nocturne Op. 33 (1959) by Samuel Barber (USA)
Kristen Lenz, piano
Sonata for Bass Tuba and Piano (1955) by Paul Hindemith (Germany)
Erin O’Toole, tuba Tara Scott, Piano
A Rainy Sunday (2006) by Ryan Neilson (Canada) * world premiere
Jennifer King, piano

Little Process (2006) by Greg Harrison (Canada) * world premiere
Greg Harrison, marimba + loop


SUNDAY FEBRUARY 11 at 3pm

Showcase Concert 2
Faculty and Ensembles
Hosted by CBC’s Olga Milosevich
Denton Hall Auditorium
3:00pm Concert.
$10 admission, $5 students and seniors

Fanfare for St. Edmundsbury (1959) by Benjamin Britten (UK)
Mark Hopkins, Chad Nelson, Joel Rudolph, trumpets
From A Sarah Binks Songbook (1988) by John Greer (Canada)
1) Reflections on Heine 2) Elegy for a Calf 3) Hi Sooky!
Christianne Rushton, mezzo-soprano and Jennifer King, piano
Excursions (1974) by Ronald Caravan (USA)
Stan Fisher, clarinet
Three Duets (# 3 Epilogue) (2006) by Derek Charke (Canada)
*world premiere
First Duo (2003) by Anthony Genge (Canada)
Derek Charke, flute and Mark Adam, marimba

Intermission

the/sky/was (1993) by John Leavitt (USA) text by E.E. Cummings
Vocal Ensemble directed by Claire Mallin
Dedication - from Anna Akhmatova's Requiem (1999)
 by Jeff Hennessy (Canada)
Paula Rockwell, voice and Jennifer King, piano
Sonata No.1 (1952) by Alberto Ginastera  (Argentina)
Ron Tomarelli, piano
Mental/Joy Theme (2007) by Danny Oore (Canada)
Daniel Oore, saxophone and Sageev Oore, piano
Pebble Playing In a Pot (1978) by László Sáry (Hungary)
Percussion Ensemble directed by Mark Adam

Faculty and Visiting Artists

FESTIVAL DIRECTORS

Derek Charke is emerging as a powerful and original voice on the Canadian musical landscape. His recently commissioned works for the internationally renowned Kronos Quartet have been performed around the world, including Carnegie Hall and the Vienna Concert House. His music has also been performed widely by groups such as the Acadia Wind Ensemble, Continuum New Music, Ensemble Symposium, Four Gallon Drum, the Group for Contemporary Music (NYC), the Helikon Ensemble, Saxophilia, the London Flutes, the Society for Chromatic Arts, Quatuor Bozzini and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. His works have been broadcast nationally on CBC Radio Two In Performance and on Radio-Canada.  Dr. Charke completed his Ph.D. in composition and Masters in flute performance at SUNY Buffalo where he studied composition with David Felder and flute performance with Cheryl Gobbetti Hoffman. Recipient of the NUFFIC grant by the Dutch government, he also received a BMI student composer award in New York City and the Outstanding Undergraduate Award in Composition from the University of North Texas. Between 2001 and 2005 he was the recipient of a four year Presidential Fellowship (the largest fellowship awarded) at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Derek Charke is an associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre.  He is an Assistant Professor of Theory and Composition at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. 

Mark Hopkins A native of Toronto, Dr. Hopkins earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the New England Conservatory while serving as Assistant to Frank L. Battisti, and was awarded the Gunther Schuller Medal at graduation. Dr. Hopkins taught music in high schools for twelve years, including seven years service as Chair of the Music Department at Upper Canada College. He is Founding Music Director (Emeritus) of the Toronto Wind Orchestra and the Alberta Winds , freelance professional wind ensembles in Toronto and Calgary. Dr. Hopkins lectured and conducted the Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and Choirs at Hanover College in Indiana . From 2002-2005 he taught a variety of courses and conducted ensembles at the University of Calgary in Alberta . In addition to leading the Symphonic Band and the Wind Ensemble, Dr. Hopkins coordinated chamber ensembles, was Chair of the 2005 New Music Festival, and was Coordinator and Instructor of the University of Calgary Summer Wind Conducting Symposium.  Currently, Dr. Hopkins is an Assistant Professor in the School of Music at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. He is responsible for overseeing the Music Education area, teaching conducting, and is Director of Bands at Acadia University. He is founding director and lecturer of the Acadia University Summer Wind Conducting Symposium. In addition to his academic duties, Dr. Hopkins is Artistic Director of the Lands End Chamber Ensemble, one of Calgary's premiere new music ensembles. Land's End released their second disc in January 2006; their first recording project, Four Degrees of Freedom won Best Classical Recording at the Western Canada Music Awards in October 2005. In 2003 Dr. Hopkins was appointed Associate Conductor of the National Concert Band of Canada , a role he shares with Dr. Jeremy Brown. He travels throughout North America, adjudicating festivals and leading honour bands. Dr. Hopkins is very active as a guest conductor of professional and collegiate ensembles, having led performances across Canada and the United States, Bermuda, Hong Kong, Japan, Italy, Switzerland, and Romania.


FACULTY AND GUEST PERFORMERS

Chenoa Anderson Flutist Chenoa Anderson is one of Canada’s leading interpreters of New Music.  She holds an M.Mus. in Performance from the University of British Columbia and a B. Mus. from the University of Toronto. She has commissioned and premiered dozens of new compositions by Canadian and international composers, and has performed with many of Canada’s leading new music ensembles.  An active performer in most regions of Canada, Chenoa Anderson has also performed in some of Europe’s most important New Music festivals, such as Gaudeamus and Darmstadt. Chenoa Anderson’s first solo recording, Big Flutes: Canadian Music for Alto and Bass Flutes was released in March 2006, and was nominated for a 2006 Western Canadian Music Award – Outstanding Classical Recording. She is featured on a CD of music by composer Paul Dolden, Délires de plaisirs (2005, empreintes DIGITALes), Standing Wave’s eponymous CD (1998), and on the Canadian Music Centre’s CentreDisc Coastal Waves. She has been heard on the CBC, and has appeared on Radio-Canada Television.

Mark Adam Drummer/percussionist Mark Adam has made a versatile career across Canada and around the world as one of Canada's strongest young creative musical voices and has leant his support to a diverse array of the best musicians this country has to offer.  Receiving his Bachelor of Music with distinction in Percussion Performance in Calgary and a Master's Degree from the University of Toronto, Mr. Adam has played with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia, been an ensemble member and guest soloist in the New Works Calgary Ensemble, principal percussionist of the Banff Center for the Arts Orchestra under Krysztof Penderecki and a frequent performer on CBC. His jazz credits include work with Mike Murley, Hugh Fraser and Andrew Downing as well as tours with The Dave Restivo Quintet, Carol Welsman and Tom Daniels. As a modern dance composer and accompanist, Mark is revered as one of the country's best, regularly working with Peggy Baker at the National Ballet and Christopher House at the Company of Toronto Dance Theater. Music travels have taken Mr. Adam to Japan, Poland, Finland, Germany, Australia and the United States as well as across Canada.

Eugene Cormier Mr. Cormier is in high demand as a solo performer, chamber musician, accompanist, studio musician, adjudicator, and as a teacher. He has won top honours at The Newfoundland Music Festival, The Nova Scotia Music Festival, The Newfoundland Arts and Letters Competition and has been awarded grants from The Newfoundland & Labrador Arts Council and Acadia University. Born in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Eugene received his Bachelor of Music in Guitar Performance from Acadia University under the guidance of Ken Davidson. After completing his degree he travelled to Toronto, where he did graduate studies with Eli Kassner. He has also attended masterclasses/studied with: David Russell, David Tanenbaum, Alvaro Pierri, Pavel Steidl, Dale Kavanaugh, Hubert Kappel, Bruce Holzman, Stephen Robinson, Gerald Garcia, Chris Stell, Sylvie Proulx and Stephan Fentok. Eugene is the founder of The New Halifax Guitar Society, The Halifax Guitar Festival and The Halifax Guitar Trio. He currently teaches classroom guitar, classical guitar, music technology, preliminary rudiments and guitar ensemble at Acadia University. Eugene has most recently taken part in Acadia's "MusicPath" Program and teaches in the summer at the International Acadia Guitar Festival.

Stan Fisher Dr. Fisher has been recognized internationally as a clarinet soloist and chamber music player. The American Record Guide calls his CD "Images" a "superb recording" and placed it on its' "Critics Choice" list. "The International Clarinet" magazine states "solid and gorgeous, remarkable playing .... I wholeheartedly recommend this recording". Audiences in Canada have heard him frequently on both English and French radio networks of the CBC and on Television. Specializing in music with strings, he has performed with the Orford Quartet (Toronto), The Shostakovitch Quartet (of Moscow), The Cassatt Quartet (of New York), The Franciscan Quartet (Banff Competition winners), The Minneapolis Artists Ensemble and the Penderecki, Leblanc and Brunswick quartets. Dr. Fisher enjoys an active and multifaceted career as a musician. Performances as a clarinetist and conductor, have regularily taken him to such places as Quebec City, Frankfurt, London, Holland Oxford, Vienna, Czech Republic, Budapest, Minneapolis, Phoenix and Calgary, Vancouver etc. Dr. Fisher is a Yamaha performing artist for North America and conducts clinics for this corporation at the National Musicfest and at numerous locations across the country. Frequently invited by many universities Dr. Fisher has recently given master-classes at both The Franz Liszt Academy and The Teachers Training Institute, in Budapest, Hungary, The Montreal Conservatory, Arizona State University, The University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, University of Victoria, and The University of Calgary. Adjudicating regularly takes Professor Fisher from coast to coast.

Jennifer King Jennifer King has worked as a freelance accompanist collaborative pianist, soloist, teacher, adjudicator and examiner both in Canada and the UK. In 2003 Jennifer and her family moved back to Nova Scotia after living in England for eight years. While in England Jennifer received two Postgraduate Diplomas, one in Piano Accompaniment from the Royal Academy of Music and another from the International Centre for Research in Music Education, University of Reading for Music Teaching in Private Practice. Jennifer also holds a Masters degree in Performance (solo piano) from McGill University and a Bachelor of Music from Acadia University where she is currently working as their staff accompanist. Jennifer has won awards for study at the Britten Pears School for Advanced Musical Studies, the Royal Academy , Hereford International Summer School, Kniesal Hall Chamber Music School (USA) and from McGill and Acadia Universities . She has also been a recipient of two Nova Scotia Talent Trust Awards.

Claire Mallin Since her début in the late 80s, performing live on CBC Radio Canada as soloist in Duruflé’s Requiem, Montreal-born Claire Mallin has been an active soloist, voice teacher, choir conductor, and more recently music therapist. As a soloist, Claire has performed with many ensembles, orchestras and choirs, notably, l’Opéra comique du Québec, the McGill Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Singers, the Donovan Chorale, Les chanteurs d’Orphée, the Nepean Orchestra, l’orchestre d’Arts Québec, McGill’s Collegium Musicum, the Jamesien’s Choir, the Katimavik Vocal Ensemble, l’Orchestre régional de la Montérégie, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, le Choeur du Musée d’Art de Joliette and la Sinfonia de Lanaudière. In 2004, Claire was appointed conductor of  the Musi-Choeur choir in Rawdon, Québec which specializes in performing traditional French choral music as well as traditional sacred works in various languages. In November of the same year, Claire was invited to conduct the 250-voice mass choir in honour of Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Mgr Luigi Ventura’s Montreal-area visit. From 1999-2005, Claire taught classical voice, founded and directed the Atelier d’opéra at the École de musique de Lanaudière.

Danny Oore Danny Oore is a versatile composer, sound designer, saxophonist and improviser also in demand as a performance artist, choreographer, instrument inventor and conductor.  Dani frequently performs with top artists (Alain Trudel, Sam Rivers, Sara Shelton Mann, Jerry Granelli, Barry Guy) and is regularly featured at international festivals. Based in Halifax, he works in circles... a clown in modern dance, a beatboxer for breakdancers, an improvisor in jazz, celtic and new music ensembles and as the wild frontman and composer for the popular dance-band, Gypsophilia. He has lead dozens of clinics for many organizations, and is currently on faculty at Acadia University.  Oore's music is frequently heard on TV, radio and webcasts and his work is the subject of a Larry Jackman film "Solo: for Multiple Voices." His duo with brother Sageev, has recorded a new cycle of Leider, hoped to be released in the coming months.

Sageev Oore As a classical pianist, Sageev has performed as a guest soloist with Symphony Nova Scotia (under the baton of the late Georg Tintner) and recorded classical to early 20th century piano music for a CBC special. As an improvisor, Sageev is regularly featured at many festivals and events across Canada. Sageev has performed with such renown artists as: Gord Downie (Tragically Hip), Fred Frith and Vivien Reiss. His production with Fides Krucker and Rick Sacks was listed by NOW magazine as a one of the top 10 shows of 2002 in Toronto, and was nominated for a Dora Award for sound design/musical composition. Sageev is also a professor of mathematics and computer science, publishing in neural networks, computer animation and human-computer interfaces.

Paula Rockwell A native of Nova Scotia, Paula Rockwell has been acclaimed for her "astonishing clarity and musical intelligence." Her career has taken her across Canada to England, Japan and the United States, performing with orchestras, giving recitals and instructing.  Paula has an affinity for contemporary music and has released a solo CD, which she co-produced, featuring 20th century Art Songs entitled Fleeting Melodies. The Halifax Herald said..." a repetoire such as this is both unusual and challenging and Rockwell with her beautiful, clear, ringing voice meets their technical demands with assurance and precision." She also has been featured on several recordings and has had compositions written for her. One of England's foremost composers, Jonathon Willcocks, wrote a piece for Paula that she performed at the Green Lake Festival of Music in Wisconsin. Most recently, Acadia University colleague and percussionist Ken Shorley composed a piece for her that was debuted at the Festival Theatre in Wolfville, NS.

Christianne Rushton Mezzo-Soprano Christianne Rushton recently finished one of the most exciting and rewarding seasons of her young career. Highlighting this season was her performance in the title role of Ravel's L'Enfant et les Sortilèges, with the Juilliard Opera Center, which was described as "bumptious and nicely realized" by the New York Times. In addition, Ms. Rushton completed a successful Debut Atlantic recital tour of Canada, was the Second Prize winner at the prestigious Eckhardt-Gramatté competition, and made her Alice Tully Hall debut in New York. Originally from Nova Scotia, Canada and a graduate of Acadia University, Ms.Rushton is a past First Prize winner at the Canadian National Music Festival, and is a current grant recipient from The Canada Council for the Performing Arts. Recognized as a rising star in a new generation of Canadian artists, Ms. Rushton regularly performs in Canada and has been showcased in performance at the National Arts Center of Canada, as well as on CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) National Radio. An advocate of contemporary music, Ms. Rushton can be found on two recordings with Albany Records. The role of Hepzibah, which she created in Scott Eyerly's The House of the Seven Gables, brought her critical acclaim from Opera News magazine.  Christianne received her Masters Degree and Professional Studies Diploma from the Manhattan School of Music. Ms. Rushton then joined the Juilliard Opera Center and performed Olga in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, and Filotete in the North American premiere and Spoleto, Italy revival of Handel’s Oreste.  This season Christianne will be performing in concert with the New York Festival of Song, as part of Juilliard’s Centennial Celebration concert tour, and as a soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Newfoundland Symphony. Ms. Rushton is currently a Doctoral candidate in voice at the University of Stony Brook.

Tara (Morton) Scott, originally from Grand Bay - Westfield, NB, holds a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from Mount Allison University.  She went on to receive a Master's degree in collaborative piano at the University of Western Ontario, studying with John Hess.  Tara has performed extensively with singers and instrumentalists in Europe and across Canada, and has appeared on national television and radio.   From 2001-06, Tara held a position as staff accompanist and vocal coach at Dalhousie University.  This fall, she accepted a position as part-time accompanist at Acadia and joined the piano faculty of the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts.  Tara is music director and accompanist for the Maritime Concert Opera and Halifax Summer Opera Workshop.

Ronald Tomarelli Ronald William Tomarelli, originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, began music studies at the age of six. At twelve he made his first solo appearance on CBC television and gave his first concert tour in the Maritime Provinces at fifteen. After graduating from the Maritime Conservatory of Music he continued his studies at the University of Toronto and graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in Performance. Over the years his principal instructors have been Professor Marietta Orlov, Greta Kraus, Stuart Hamilton, Pierre Souvairin and Earle Moss. Extensive study and association with Jeaneane Dowis in New York City led to his professional affiliation with the Steinway Foundation. Mr. Tomarelli became a Steinway Artist in 1980. From 1989 to 1992 he did post graduate work at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto. Ronald Tomarelli is a graduate of the Toronto School of the Alexander Technique. Accepted as an ORMTA (Ontario Registered Music Teachers' Association) Clinician, he travels extensively conducting lectures and demonstrations of the Alexander Technique as applied to piano teaching and performance. Mr. Tomarelli is a member of the Canadian Music Festival Adjudicators' Association (CMFAA) and is well known for his performances, adjudications and master classes. In addition, he is a senior member of the College of Examiners' and sits on the Council of Examiners for RCM Examinations. He has recently become a member of the Faculty of Music at Acadia University in Nova Scotia.


ATLANTIC COMPOSERS

Derek Charke see festival directors

Dr. Ian Crutchley grew up in Surrey, British Columbia. He earned a Bachelor of Music in 1988, and a Master of Music in composition in 1993, both at The University of British Columbia. His teachers included Keith Hamel and Steven Chatman. In 1993 he moved to Britain to complete a doctorate at The University of York, studying under Richard Orton and Nicola LeFanu. Dr. Crutchley divides his time between electro-acoustic and instrumental composition and recent works explore the melding of the two. He has also recently begun exploring improvisatory live electronics and multimedia collaborations. Among the interpreters of his music have been Barbara Pritchard, Helen Pridmore, Loré Lixenberg, Mieko Kanno, Andrew Sparling, Lori Freedman and Chenoa Anderson. He has also enjoyed collaborations with ensembles such as Motion, Apartment House, Vancouver New Music, Continuum Contemporary Music, Helikon, Black Hair, Standing Wave and ALEA III. Ian Crutchley is an Associate Composer of The Canadian Music Centre as well as a member of the Canadian League of Composers and The Canadian Electroacoustic Community.

Jeff Hennessey studied music theory with Richard Kurth, John Roeder, and William Benjamin at the University of British Columbia, culminating in an MA thesis (2002) titled “Partition Lattices in the Music of Milton Babbitt.” While at UBC, he also pursued composition studies with Stephen Chatman and Keith Hamel.  Following this, Hennessy returned to Acadia where he had completed his undergraduate music degree, to teach as a full time lecturer in theory, history, and composition. In 2004, Hennessy was awarded a doctoral fellowship from The University of Toronto to pursue a PhD in Music Theory. He was later awarded two Ontario Graduate Scholarships, and a SSHRC doctoral fellowship. While at UofT, he met the renowned ethnomusicologist and performer James Kippen, and was inspired to adopt a more interdisciplinary approach to his doctoral research. His dissertation (in progress) adapts contemporary theories of rhythm, meter, and musical time in developing a new analytical model for groove-based music. This model is then applied to an ethnomusicological study of cross-cultural collaborations in Canadian popular music, and the effects of musical globalization on ethnically-derived musical communities. Hennessy also remains active as a performer and composer. He currently sings with the Halifax Camerata Singers and the Symphony Nova Scotia Chorus, and continues a parallel musical life as a pop/rock keyboardist and songwriter. He frequently composes scores for theatre productions. His soundtrack recording for the Two Planks and a Passion Theatre production Westray: The Long Way Home was nominated for Instrumental Artist of the Year, and Classical Recording of the Year at the 1997 East Coast Music Awards.

Anthony Genge Dr. Genge received his Ph.D. in composition from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1984, where he was a student of Morton Feldman. His other principal composition teachers included Bruce Mather at McGill University and Martin Bartlett and Rudolf Komorous at the University of Victoria.  He traveled to Japan 1979 where he began an association with the Japanese composer Jo Kondo.  He also made several trips to Pacific-Rim countries, in particular Japan and Indonesia, studying their traditional music.  His music has been performed extensively throughout Canada, the United States, and many countries in Europe and in Japan, and is available on several recordings. He was a first prize winner in the C.B.C. Young Composer’s Competition.  In addition to his work as a composer, Dr. Genge also maintains an active career as one of Canada’s leading jazz pianists, educators and author.  He has performed with many leading Canadian and international jazz artists and released the jazz piano trio CD ‘Blues Walk’ to critical acclaim in 2001.   In 1994 his groundbreaking book on the legendary jazz pianist Red Garland was published. Dr. Genge has taught classical and jazz theory, twentieth-century analysis, classical and jazz music history, jazz improvisation and jazz piano at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S., Canada, since 1989.

 

Emerging Composers and Performers

STUDENT COMPOSERS

Andrew Anderson
4th year, Music Technology
Littleton, MA

Nicholas Bedell
4th year, Theory and Composition
Dartmouth Nova Scotia

Mitch Burke
3rd year, Guitar Performance
Campbellton, New Brunswick

Rebecca Crisp

2nd year, Music Education
Essex, England / NS, Canada 

Kevon Cronin
2nd year, Theory and Composition
Winnipeg, Manitoba 

Edward Enman
2nd year, Piano Performance
Canada

Greg Harrison
3rd year, Percussion Performance
Fredericton, New Brunswick

Amanda Riley
2nd year, Music Technology
Chester, Nova Scotia

Ryan Neilson
4th year, Theory and Composition
Liverpool, NS

Justin Wah Kan
4th year, Music Technology, Theory and Composition
Toronto, ON 


STUDENT PERFORMERS

Stephen Ambra (Cello)
2nd year Performance
Concord, New Hampshire

Alaina Boyd (Piano)
4th year, Chemistry
Halifax, NS

Mitch Burke (Guitar)
see composers

Greg Harrison (Percussion)
see composers

Laura Gillis (Flute)

2nd year, Music Therapy
Wolfville, NS

Kathryn Humphries (Soprano)
4th year, Vocal Performance
Victoria, BC

Megan Johnson (Mezzo-Soprano)
2nd year, Vocal Performance
Halifax, NS

Emily Lang (Bassoon)
4th year, Music Education
Kentville, Nova Scotia.

Kristen Lenz (Piano)
4th year, Piano Performance
Elmira, Ontario

Chad Nelson (Trumpet)
1st year, Music Education
Bathurst, NB

Erin O’Toole (Tuba)
4th year, Performance
Carroll’s Corner, NS

Roy Richardson (Baritone)
4th year, Music Theatre
Bermuda

Joel Rudolph (Trumpet)
1st year, Trumpet Performance
Bedford, NS

Katie Titus (Flute)
1st year, Music Education
Dartmouth, NS

Casandra Widdifield (Flute)
4th year, Music Technology
Ottawa, Ontario