Music in the Morning 14-15 brochure.pdf · Music in the Morning is about discovery and sharing. This season we introduce many new artists to our stage including the much ... Joining

Music in the MorningCoffee, Concerts & Commentary

2014–2015season

Music in the Morning

is about discovery and sharing.

This season we introduce many new

artists to our stage including the much

celebrated sopranos Dawn Upshaw and

Isabel Bayrakdarian. Having heard these

artists many times, I have always hoped to

present them in our series. To have them both

in the same year is a dream come true.

We open with the Dover Quartet, who swept

the Banff International String Quartet Competition.

This is not just a fine “young quartet,” but rather

one of the great quartets performing today.

Our audience has grown to have special

relationships with certain performers and the

Gryphon Trio is at the top of that list. With

multiple JUNO awards to their credit, the trio

remains the most celebrated Canadian based

chamber ensemble performing today.

Eric Friesen returns with his popular Tuning In

series of interviews, which will include the

18-year-old sensational pianist Jan Lisiecki

and celebrated tenor Ben Heppner.

Our 30th anniversary season promises to be

a very special season and will surely sell out.

Get your tickets soon.

Sincerely,

Barry Shiffman

Executive Artistic Director

Season Supporters

Season Sponsor

Main Concert Series2014–2015 Season

Coffee 10am • Concert 10:30am

September 17–19, 2014Dover Quartet

October 15–17, 2014Alice Giles, harpBarry Shiffman, violin

November 19–21, 2014Steven Schick, percussion

December 10–12, 2014John O’Conor, piano

January 21–23, 2015The Gryphon Trio

February 18–20, 2015Dawn Upshaw, sopranoGilbert Kalish, piano

March 18–20, 2015Isabel Bayrakdarian, sopranoSerouj Kradjian, piano

April 22–24, 2015Weiss Kaplan Newman Trio

May 10, 2015 Special Mother’s Day Season FinaleQuartetto Gelato

Tuning In: Conversations with Eric Friesen

October 1, 2014 The Honourable Bob Rae

November 5, 2014Ben Heppner

January 28, 2015Simone Osborne

March 25, 2015Jan Lisiecki

Following their sensational win at the 2013 Banff International

String Quartet Competition, which included a sweep of all

three special prizes, the Dover Quartet are considered one

of the most important string quartets to have emerged in

recent years and are garnering critical acclaim across North

America and Europe.

In their Music in the Morning Vancouver debut, this extraordi-

nary quartet presents Beethoven’s monumental Quartet Op.

127 and Canadian composer, Vivian Fung’s Quartet No. 3.

“…they were enamoured with the young group’s trademark sound, a pristine focused blend nearly always earmarked by a fecundity of musical maturity within every piece…”— calgary herald

Joel Link, violinBryan Lee, violin

Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, violaCamden Shaw, cello

September 17–19, 2014 | Coffee 10am, Concert 10:30am

Dover Quartet

Generously sponsored by Chris Eynon

October 15–17, 2014 | Coffee 10am, Concert 10:30am

Alice Giles, harpBarry Shiffman, violin

Alice Giles has been celebrated as one of the world’s

leading harp soloists attracting international notice since

winning first prize in the 8th Israel International Harp

Contest at the age of 21. This Australian native has

performed extensively around the world both in recital

and with orchestras, and has an international reputation

as a skilled teacher having given master classes in the

Salzburg Mozarteum, Den Haag Conservatorium, the

Royal Academy in London and the Juilliard School.

Joining Ms. Giles to perform Fantaisie for Violin and

Harp by Saint-Saëns is our very own Barry Shiffman.

This concert is presented with the support of the West

Coast Harp Society.

“Alice is a harpist’s harpist —I admire her tremendously…” — judy loman, former principal harp, toronto symphony orchestra (1959-1991)

“The most intelligent, sensitive and technically accomplished harpist I have ever met.” — luciano berio, composer

November 19–21, 2014 | Coffee 10am, Concert 10:30am

Steven Schick, percussion

Steven Schick is heralded as the foremost contemporary

percussionist of our time. For thirty-five years he has been

its champion, commissioning and premiering more than

one hundred-fifty new works. His talents don’t stop there;

he is also an exceptional conductor, author and is the Music

Director of the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus and Artistic

Director of the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players.

As the author of The Percussionist’s Art: Same Bed, Different

Dreams, Mr. Schick is a maverick in the promotion and

education of his craft.

“He has a graceful, elegant physical style, twisting and turning his body into the shape of clefs as he plays. Every motion has a musical and expressive purpose.”— new york classical review

December 10–12, 2014 | Coffee 10am, Concert 10:30am

John O’Conor, piano

John O’Conor is a master pianist known for his “unbounding

sensitivity” who has garnered extraordinary reviews for the

past 40 years. He is a down-to-earth individual with a talent

for connecting with people and audiences. Irish born and

trained, Mr. O’Conor has appeared with orchestras and in

concert throughout the world and has been decorated with

L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government,

the Ehrenkreuz für Wissenschaft und Kunst by the Austrian

Government and the Order of the Rising Sun by the

Japanese Government. In 2014 Mr. O’Connor joined the

faculty of the Glenn Gould School of Music in Toronto.

Known for his interpretations of Beethoven, in his Music

in the Morning debut he will be performing the Moonlight

Sonata, one of Beethoven’s most popular works.

“Piano virtuosity can take a variety of forms, but one of the rarest belongs to John O’Conor ... [he] represents a vanishing tradition that favors inner expression and atmosphere over showmanship and bravura ... in technically complex passages he goes the extra measure to find the ideas behind the flurry of notes.” — chicago tribune

Generously sponsored by

The Juno Award winning Gryphon Trio are regarded as

one of the world’s pre-eminent piano trios impressing

audiences and critics with their highly refined, dynamic

performances. Old friends of Music in the Morning, the

trio returns to once again delight our audience with

Schubert’s masterful Piano Trio in B Flat Major.

The trio set themselves apart with their commitment

to the education of the next generation of audiences

and performers through master classes and innovative

education projects across the country.

“This is a piano trio that plays with strength and unanimity… big, bold, almost orchestral performances.” — los angeles times

Annalee Patipatanakoon, violinRoman Borys, cello

James Parker, piano

January 21–23, 2015 | Coffee 10am, Concert 10:30am

The Gryphon Trio

Multiple Grammy Award winning soprano Dawn Upshaw

joins noted pianist, and frequent collaborator, Gilbert Kalish

to share her remarkable voice in our intimate theatre in her

Music in the Morning debut.

Her rare natural warmth highlights her fierce commitment

to the transformative power of music and allows her to

reach the heart of each piece. Born in Nashville, Tennessee,

Ms. Upshaw started singing in high school and went on to

study voice at the Illinois Wesleyan University before winning

the Young Concert Artists International Auditions and the

Walter M. Naumburg Competition. This launched a career that

includes more than 300 performances at the Metropolitan

Opera and a loyal following of dedicated fans.

“Upshaw’s rare gift as a performer is an ability to inhabit a work on the most profound levels, to live the music on stage rather than sing it at you. At the end of a strong Upshaw performance, one feels not dazzled by a glittering operatic star, but rather swept into the world of a fellow life-traveler.” — boston globe

February 18–20, 2015 | Coffee 10am, Concert 10:30am

Dawn Upshaw, sopranoGilbert Kalish, piano

Generously sponsored by

Generously sponsored by

It’s not every prima donna who can boast a degree in

biomedical engineering, but then Isabel Bayrakdarian

isn’t your average opera star. Ms. Bayrakdarian burst onto

the international opera scene winning the Metropolitan

Opera National Council Auditions in 1997. From there

Ms. Bayrakdarian has wowed the opera world with her

beauty, presence and style along with her strikingly

multihued voice. Opera is her home, but her refusal to be

hemmed in to a particular period or style has broadened

her success to such projects as being the featured vocalist

on the Grammy-award winning soundtrack of the blockbuster

film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Ms. Bayrakdarian makes her Music in the Morning debut

with her husband, pianist Serouj Kradjian.

“She sings luxuriantly and passionately, with a richly pulsing mezzo quality in her lower and middle registers and a ringing fullness on top... Her range—dynamic, timbral and dramatic — is impressive at every turn…” — opera news

March 18–20, 2015 | Coffee 10am, Concert 10:30am

Isabel Bayrakdarian, sopranoSerouj Kradjian, piano

Yael Weiss, pianoMark Kaplan, violin

Clancy Newman, cello

April 22–24, 2015 | Coffee 10am, Concert 10:30am

Weiss Kaplan Newman Trio

Three award winning soloists come together to form one

of the most exciting piano trios performing today; bringing

their distinctive fusion of authority and experience, energy

and passion. Exacting technical skill and an astute musical

intuition combine into a trio that is consistently singled

out by critics for their ability to balance the integrity of

an ensemble with the thrill that comes from exceptional

soloists.

Uniformly praised for imaginative programming and

exciting performances, the Weiss Kaplan Newman Trio

will perform works by Antonín Dvorák and American

composer Lera Auerbach, closing out our season in a

delightful fashion.

“Three strong voices, locked in sequence.” — new york times

Tuning InConversations with Eric Friesen

After a wonderfully well received first season, Eric Friesen has again put together a series of interviews with celebrated personalities that is sure to inspire, engage, and entertain.

ABOUT ERIC FRIESEN

Eric Friesen’s name and voice are well known to classical

music lovers and radio listeners alike. A longtime media

personality, Eric spent much of his life as a network

classical music host and producer for CBC Radio and

Minnesota Public Radio (NPR). Throughout his career,

he has interviewed such stars as Yo-Yo Ma, Renée

Fleming, Lang Lang, James Ehnes and Anne Sophie

Mutter. Since August 2013, Eric has been Program

Director of a new classical and jazz station, Winnipeg’s

Classic 107.

Friesen’s engaging style, sense of humour, and rapport

with his guests, together with his understanding and

knowledge of music make him well-equipped not only

to carry on the tradition of this extraordinary conversation

series, but to take it to new heights.

“The whole world is music,

all we have to do is tune in.”

—John Luther Adams

“Friesen’s remarkable capacity to reach

into the fascinating world of musical

process and personality, and draw out

illuminating and inspiring discourse,

is second to none. …. he is nothing

less than a national treasure.” — Roman Borys

Cellist, Gryphon Trio • Artistic Director,

Ottawa Chamber Music Society

Season Sponsor

The William and Irene McEwen Fund

“The whole world is music,

all we have to do is tune in.”

—John Luther Adams

Tuning InOctober 1, 2014

Tuning In with

The Honourable Bob Rae, pc, oc, oont, qc

Coffee at 10am | Presentation at 10:30am

He’s one of those rare birds—a politician, a musician

and a lover of classical music and the arts. In addition

to his exceptional political career, Hon. Bob Rae has

served as the Chair of both the Royal Conservatory of

Music and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Combining

his business skills with his passion, Mr. Rae was

instrumental in the mediation and restructuring which

ultimately saved the TSO and set it on a path to success.

Twice named “Orator of the Year” by his parliamentary

colleagues, Mr. Rae loves to share with passion, humour

and information, and has a great love for Beethoven’s

piano concertos.

“We are proudest as Canadians when we’re setting

a standard for the world.” — bob rae

Tuning InOctober 1, 2014

Tuning In with

The Honourable Bob Rae, pc, oc, oont, qc

Coffee at 10am | Presentation at 10:30am

November 5, 2014

Tuning In with

Ben HeppnerCoffee at 10am | Pre-

sentation at 10:30am

“Heppner’s admission of his own vulnerability is key

to his success both as an artist and a person.”

— globe and mail

Ben Heppner is recognized

worldwide as one of the

finest dramatic tenors

before the public today;

excelling in the most

challenging roles, from

Wagner’s Tristan to Verdi’s

Otello. Born and raised

in British Columbia,

Mr. Heppner began his

musical studies at the

University of British

Columbia and launched his

career by winning the CBC

Talent Festival in 1979. Since then, he has gone on to

receive multiple Honourary Doctorates, been appointed

as a Companion of the Order of Canada and has

performed at two Winter Olympic Games.

Mr. Heppner performs regularly with major opera

companies in the United States and Europe, appears

with major symphony orchestras and is recorded widely

on many labels.

January 28, 2015

Tuning In with

Simone OsborneSimone Osborne is one of Canada’s most sought after

sopranos. She describes herself as a “young Canadian

soprano traveling the world to sing high notes.” A local

girl, born in BC, Ms. Osborne is one of the youngest winners

of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition in

history, and is a rising star who has her whole career ahead

of her. In her conversation with Eric Friesen, we will explore

the life, struggles and amazing successes of a rising star.

From busking on the streets of Toronto to staring roles

with the Canadian Opera Company, it is a career to watch.

“Make no mistake, Simone is half athlete and half artist—

which is what you need to be if you want to be an opera

star. There’s no question about her big talent.”

— marilyn horne in maclean’s magazine

Tuning InMarch 25, 2015

Tuning In with

Jan Lisiecki

“A musician of unusual refinement and imagination...”

— boston globe

It is not often by the young age

of 18 that an individual is being

described as “exceptional,”

“world class,” and “one of the

greatest pianists of our time,”

but if you are Jan Lisiecki, it

is par for the course. Born in

Alberta, Mr. Lisiecki began

playing piano at age five and

by nine years old he had his

orchestral debut. Since then he

has had the honour of playing

with New York Philharmonic,

l’Orchestre de Paris and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.

Recognized for his poetic and mature playing, Mr. Lisiecki

was named Gramophone’s Young Artist of the Year.

Maclean’s Magazine selected Mr. Lisiecki one of Canada’s

future leaders in 2013. After being recommended to

accelerate four grades in high school, he is currently studying

at the Glenn Gould School of Music in Toronto on a full

scholarship and recording exclusively for Deutsche

Grammophon.

Generously supported by

Betsy Bennett

Virtuosic showpieces, romantic tenor arias, pyrotechnical solos, blazing gypsy show pieces, multi-instrument mastery and a World Accordion Champion—this is Quartetto Gelato.

For nearly two decades, this dazzling ensemble has enchanted

audiences and critics worldwide with their exotic blend of

musical virtuosity, artistic passion and humour. With a

performance repertoire that spans the globe including classical

masterworks, operatic arias, the sizzling energy of tangos,

gypsy and folk songs, the group’s theatrical stage presence

and relaxed humour establishes an intimate rapport with

audiences worldwide.

IN COLLABORATION WITH THE KAY MEEK CENTRE

GORDON & MARY

CHRISTOPHER & FAMILY

THE MARTHA LOU HENLEY

CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

MITM in SchoolsFor information on our in-school programming, or to support our outreach activities,

call Music in the Morning at 604.873.4612 or visit www.musicinthemorning.org

Generously sponsored by

“Quartetto Gelato has the stuff. Dry humor and occasional clowning are part of the quartet’s arsenal, yet first it meets the requisite virtues of skilled music-making. Its pleasure-giving

is consistent.” — LOS ANGELES TIMES

May 10, 2015 • 3pmThe Kay Meek Centre1700 Mathers Ave, West Vancouver

SPECIAL MOTHER’S DAY

For tickets and information please call Music in the Morning at 604.873.4612, or visit www.musicinthemorning.org

IN COLLABORATION WITH THE KAY MEEK CENTRE

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Email Main Concert Series: All 8 concerts (prices include GST)

Please indicate preferred day: Wed Thurs Fri

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Parking $40 x = $

Tuning In: All 4 Conversations with Eric Friesen

Adult Price $120 x = $

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Parking $20 x = $ Combined Series: All 8 Main Concerts plus all 4 Tuning In Presentations (save up to $50)

Adult Price $330 x = $

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Parking $60 x = $

Mother’s Day Season Finale — Quartetto Gelato

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COVER IMAGE

Seabus HomeDana Irving, 2013Oil on canvas, 16 x 16 inchesCOURTESY OF THE ARTIST

Gifts from our supporters help us make up for the funding gap in our budget from ticket sales and grant revenue. They enable us to continue to provide varied and high quality programming and meaningful concert experiences for people of all ages at Music in the Morning.

There are many ways to help us ensure these high standards of performance and secure future generation’s access to music.

• Individual giving—one-time or monthly gifts• Concert support—concert sponsorship, donations,

or gifts in kind• Legacy gifts—planned giving/gifts in Wills• Endowment gifts—via the Music in the Morning

Fund at the Vancouver Foundation

For more information, please call our office at 604.873.4698.

Single Tickets, if available, go on sale August 19, 2014

Main Concert Series $35 Adults $33 Seniors $16 Students

Tuning In: Conversations with Eric Friesen $32 Adults $30 Seniors $16 Students

Music In The Morning Concert SocietyPO Box 95024, Kingsgate RPO

Vancouver, BC V5T 4T8

Box office604.873.4612

Administration604.873.4698

[email protected] • www.musicinthemorning.org

Music in the Morning Concert Series and Tuning In presentations

Vancouver Academy of Music1270 Chestnut Street (Kits Point), Vancouver

Venues are wheelchair accessible. Artists, dates and programs subject to change.