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2007-2008 Guest Artists
Concert 1
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Laurien Gibson, soprano
Laurien holds an Artist Diploma from the Glenn Gould School and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Saskatchewan. Ms. Gibson was the CMC winner for voice in 2006 and was also a laureate of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques the same year.
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Laurien has performed with the Regina Symphony Orchestra, the
Saskatoon Opera Association, the Opera Troupe of Saskatoon, and
Edmonton's Opera Nuova. She has sung in the finals of the Hans Gabor
Belvedere competition, an international opera competition held in
Vienna.
Laurien has been featured in many chamber works including: Orff's
Carmina Burana, Poulenc's Gloria, Mozart's Coronation Mass, and
Handel's Messiah. Her other opera credits include the roles of Titania
(A Midsummer Night's Dream) l'Ecureuil ( l'enfant et les sortileges),
Amy ( Little Women), Barbarina (Le Nozze di Figaro) and 1st Spirit
(Die Zauberflöte).
Laurien currently lives in Toronto and studies with teacher Jean
MacPhail.
| James Zhang, flute
17 year old James Zhang was born in China and lived in Japan for five years before moving to Canada six years ago. He started playing the flute at an early age of eight, and has progressed rapidly since then.
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James has participated in numerous competitions and earned many
first place awards. Including, the Yamano Junior Flute Competition
in Japan, 2001 and the 2006 Woodwinds Open Classes at the GTA Kiwanis
Festival.
James has been awarded several scholarships and awards and most
recently became a 2006 CMC National Finalist. He is also the principal
flute at the Overseas Chinese Youth Symphony Orchestra (OCYSO).
His teachers include Nora Shulman, Principal Flautist of the Toronto
Symphony Orchestra, Peg Albrecht, flute teacher at the University
of Toronto and Mizi Tan, former principal flute of Shanghai Symphony
Orchestra, China.
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Concert 2
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LiLi Zhang, vocalist
Professor Zhang Lili, principal actress of The China Youth Experiment Group of Peking Opera, is the third generation disciple of Cheng Yan Qiu, one of the "four junior Chengs". Peking Opera Master Cheng's performances were known to be expressive, deep, delicate and graceful. Zhang's wide range of voice and skillful singing technique allows her to display the purity of the voice with a pleasing rhythm, while displaying impeccable diction. She is named the "real" successor of Cheng style.
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Zhang began her stage career in her early teens. She graduated
from the Central Academy of Chinese Opera, having studied with the
top most Chinese Opera Masters: XinYan Qiu, Zhao Yong Chen, and
Li Shi Ji.
In 1987, Drama and Motion Picture Journal named Zhang "the Best
Four Junior Chengs", when she won the Best TV Prize at China's National
Peking Opera Professional Competition. In 1992, Ms. Zhang joined
the Performance Department at the Central Academy of Chinese Opera.
Zhang and her colleagues made their debut of "Zhang Xie, the Snob
ling" in 1994 at the Great Hall of the People, which was highly
acclaimed by the media and called "the live fossil of Chinese drama".
In 1996, Ms. Zhang brought in "Footsteps in Snow", which was released
by CCTV with great response.
In 1998, Zhang obtained her Masters degree from the Central Academy
of Chinese Opera, being among the first group of students to receive
such a degree in Chinese Traditional Opera History. It was in the
same year that CCTV presented a series report on her.
Since immigrating to Canada in 1999, Zhang has contributed greatly
to Chinese Music in North America. In 2001 Zhang presented the entire
series of "Unicorn-trapping Purse". It was the first event of such
a nature in North America and was met with critical acclaim. In
2002, Zhang joined her husband Xu Jun Qing in presenting the "East-Meets-West
Concert". Following these successes, Zhang continued to present
events of great magnitude. Among them are the "Cheng Yan Qiu 100th
Anniversary Celebration"(2004, Toronto) and the "2005 Canadian Chinese
Performing Arts Festival". For the first time in Canadian history,
this unique event brought together two famous Chinese Operas, the
Peking Opera and Cantonese Opera in a remarkable collaboration.
In 2006 Zhang joined the "Tang Zai Xin Concert" held in China,
with great success. Most recently in the spring of 2007, Zhang was
the featured soloist in An "East-Meets-West Concert of Favorite
Classics", under the baton of Tak-Ng Lai, accompanied by International
acclaimed Pianist, Lang Lang.
Being one of the few specialists in this formal style of Chinese
Opera (performing, acting and singing,) Zhang LiLi has become an
internationally sought after professor. She has coached numerous
students from Hong Kong, Taiwan and other overseas areas, improving
the standards in every case. Aside from performing and teaching,
Zhang has lectured at universities as well as written articles in
newspapers and magazines. She is a firm supporter of multiculturalism,
devoting herself to promoting further knowledge of Chinese Culture
in Canada.
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Ricky Ka-Suen Chan, vocalist
Ricky Chan is a multi-talented TV executive producer-director,
movie director and music whiz all in one. As executive producer
of HK-TVB, Ricky's variety show was always in the top ten.
His major productions have been of international stature.
They include the "Miss Universe Beauty Pageant 1976", beamed
live from Hong Kong around the world, the "Miss Asia Pacific
Quest 1985", sellout double concerts in Lincoln Centre, New
York, organized by United Way of the Tri-State area; "From
Hong Kong With Love" in September 1988 and February 1989,
and 12-hours of live coverage for a 30-hour Famine 1991 programme,
organized by World Vision of Hong Kong.
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Ricky struck out in the late 60's as a noted musician on keyboard
in the Topnote and later Teddy Robin and the Playboys. In 1970,
he was handpicked as one of the Hong Kong top-most representative
musicians for a month-long performance at the Hong Kong pavilion
of the World Expo'70 in Osaka, Japan. His knowledge of music was
to give him the solid background in the production of musical variety
shows in the years to come.
Ricky has six feature films to his credit, all of them box office
hits. They include, "Lam Ah Chun", "Disco Bumpkins", "A Detective
Story", "Friend from Inner Space" and "To Love Ferrari." His role
as executive producer of the all time favourite "Dangerous Encounter
of the First Kind", directed by Tusi Hark, garnered for him prestigious
awards, among them the Best Foreign Picture Award in The Berlin
Film Festival in 1980. Its success continued as far as the London
Film Festival, The Cannes Film Festival and The Manila Film Festival
all in the same year.
Ricky has been running his own companies for more than eighteen
years: Network Investments Limited and Inetwork Productions ( Canada).
Network Investments Limited is a holding company engaging equally
in the field of advertising, feature film and video production,
planning and organizing special projects.
His productions also include the MTV/Karaoke Laser Disc Production
of The Bee Gees and the live concert productions on MTV for Jacky
Cheung, Alan Tam, Faye Wong, Beyond, Jackie Chan's Live Show at
Skydome 2001, Rose Rose I Love You Concert 2005 And Ricky Chan's
"With A Little Help from My Friends" Concerts.
Ricky currently hosts a weekly music radio programme on Fairchild
Radio Station.
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Concert 3 |
| Riverdale Ensemble
Since 1996 the Riverdale Ensemble has brought its brand of polished,
professional and innovative chamber music performance in a warm, welcoming
and informative atmosphere to concert audiences in Toronto, York Region and
other locales in Ontario.
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The Ensemble takes special pleasure in seeking out and performing
music of the highest quality and audience appeal that is infrequently
performed and deserves to be more widely known; each season
sees the Toronto area premieres of previously unheard or unpublished
works. When more familiar music is programmed, the aim is
to present it in original ways, with a view to enriching understanding
of the music and its context. The centre of the group's repertoire
is music in the Romantic idiom - from the 19th, 20th and 21st
centuries - that speaks both to the heart and to the head.
The Ensemble performs music for a variety of instrumental
combinations, from solos to large groups, with the core members
- Ellen Meyer, piano; Joyce Lai, violin; Stephen Fox, clarinet/saxophone
- supplemented by guest artists as required. Some concerts
involve collaboration with other instrumental groups, vocal
ensembles and graphic artists.
The members of the Ensemble bring to the concert stage impressive
and varied backgrounds in the music profession, including
performance in Europe, Asia and the U.S.A. One of the core
musicians, besides being a performer, is in addition an instrument
maker with a worldwide reputation.
The Riverdale Ensemble's highly praised and widely distributed
debut CD, "Foliage", was released in 2000, and a second recording
is in the final stages of preparation.
The members of the Riverdale Ensemble are also active in
historically informed performance using authentic period instruments,
through their parallel group Ossia.
The Ensemble's parent organization, Riverdale Concert Productions
Inc., is a not-for-profit corporation, with a Board of Directors
composed of music industry professionals and community supporters
from Toronto and York Region.
Full information concerning the group, its members and its
concert schedule, can be found on its website at www.riverdaleensemble.com.
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| Concert 4 |
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Janet Catherine Dea, soprano
Praised for her sparkling stage presence and beautiful voice,
Janet Catherine Dea's rising career has taken her across Canada
and to Europe. Two thousand and seven started off with a bang
with Miss Dea jumping in for an ailing colleague with less
than 24hrs notice to perform in Salute to Vienna's Gala New
Year's Day performance at Toronto's Roy Thompson Hall. Other
performances this past season include a return to Thunder
Bay Symphony in Britten's Les illuminations de Rimbaud, and
Opera Galas with the Toronto Philharmonia, and York Symphony,
Lester Trimble's Four Fragments from the Canterbury Tales
(for soprano, clarinet, flute and piano) with the Aubergine
Chamber Ensemble (Toronto).
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She also performed solo recitals "Ain't it a Pretty Night" and
"I'm Just a Broadway Baby" with Brahm Goldhamer (Toronto).
Miss Dea performs regularly with eclectic harpist Kristen
Moss Theriault. This duo is currently touring "Sleeps the
Noon in the Deep Blue Sky: Folksongs for Voice and Harp" throughout
southern Ontario and will be recording their debut CD in the
spring of 2008. In May of 2008 Miss Dea will perform works
by Debussy, Joseph Marx and Stefano Donaudy with renowned
Munich-based pianist, Tomoko Okada, who will be making her
Toronto recital debut.
Janet Catherine Dea's career highlights include a return
to her hometown as Mabel in Edmonton Opera's sold out performances
of The Pirates of Penzance, and Christmas Pops concerts with
the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. With the Thunder Bay Symphony
she performed "La Scala to Broadway," and Carl Orff's Carmina
Burana. Miss Dea sang Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with Boris
Brott Festival (Hamilton), Musetta in La Bohčme with Opera
York, and Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate with Canadian Sinfonietta.
She performed Carmina Burana with The Toronto Choral Society
and Gounod's Messe Solenelle (St. Cecilia) with the Ottawa
Valley Festival. A favourite guest soloist with conductor
Kerry Stratton she performed a number of classical and pops
programs with the Toronto Philharmonia and the Huntsville
Festival of the Arts. Her other orchestral repertoire includes
Beethoven IX and Mahler IV (Edmonton Symphony), and Turina's
"Canto a Sevilla" (McGill Symphony).
Hamilton and Kitchener audiences saw her as Mrs. Hayes in
Opera Ontario's Susannah and in the title roles in Thaďs and
Lucrezia Borgia with Opera in Concert (Toronto), Lauretta
in Gianni Schicchi, and Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor with
JHS Opera (Toronto). Miss Dea performed Violetta, in La Traviata
and Mimi, in La Bohčme with both (Summer Opera Lyric Theatre,
Toronto) and (KomishcheKammerOper, Munich). Other opera performances
include Lisa in Opera in Concert's La Sonnambula with the
Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (Robert Cooper, cond.), Tytania
in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the title role
of Gustave Charpentier's Louise (McGill Opera) under the baton
of Timothy Vernon.
In addition to Mabel, her operetta roles include Margot in
The Desert Song Gabrielle, La Vie Parisienne, Yum Yum, the
Mikado, Josephine, H.M.S. Pinafore, and Giannetta, The Gondoliers.
A lifelong student of esteemed vocal pedagogue Professor
Lucile Vilneuve Evans and vocal coach, Robert K. Evans Ph.D.
Janet Catherine Dea holds a Master of Music in Voice Performance
from McGill University and a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University.
She has been the recipient of numerous prestigious scholarships
and awards including The Clara Lichtenstein Fellowship (McGill-Montreal),
Career Development Grants from The Alberta Foundation for
the Performing Arts, for study and auditions in Europe; Winner
second place, Metropolitan Opera Auditions (Vancouver), The
Edmonton Opera Guild Scholarship, and The Johann Strauss Foundation
Scholarship (Edmonton).
In additions to her performing activities, Miss Dea maintains
a voice studio in downtown Toronto and is Artistic Director
of Muzent Productions, an organization which produces classic
vocal music concerts and events. You will find her at www.janetcatherinedea.com.
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Concert 5 |
St. Giles-Kingsway Presbyterian Church Choir
Since 1973, St. Giles-Kingsway Presbyterian Church has enjoyed
a rich history of traditional music.
Their current Director of Music and organist, Ms. Ran Kim
directs a full choir of dedicated volunteers and professional
sectional leads. Past Directors of Music include: Mr. Thomas
Bell 1997-2000, and Mr. Matthias Schmidt-McQuillan 2001-2003.
This is the second year of collaboration between the choir
and the Canadian Sinfonietta
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Ran Kim, St. Giles-Kingsway Choir Director
Ran Kim is the Director of Music at the St. Giles Presbyterian Church in Toronto, as well as an associate organist for St. George's on the Hill Anglican Church. At age thirteen, she was already a church pianist in her native town of Seoul, South Korea. Her musical talent became apparent when she won the Grand Prize for the Korean Radio and Television Station two years in a row.
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Since coming to Canada, she has continued her education at the
McGill University (organ), the Royal Conservatory of Music
(A.R.C.T .in Organ, Performance Diploma) and the Glenn Gould
Professional School of Music. Ms. Kim has continued to accompany
other soloists, giving organ recitals in Canada, Korea and
in Hungary.
She has been the choir director and organist for churches
in Toronto, among them, Cliffcrest United Church, Hanman Presbyterian
Church, Bloor United Church Antioch Presbyterian Church, and
Bethel Evangelical Church. She was also the conductor of Sharon
Youth Choir, and one of founders of the Music Alive! concert
series.
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