Full Circle Singing

Here are two of my favourite moments from the arrangement of Velocipede Jimmy that I have made for Mark Brownell’s upcoming production of Three Men On A Bike. There are three verses, one each to feature Victor Pokinko, Matt Pilipiak and Scott Garland, who are reprising their roles from Three Men In A Boat. They did an amazing job with my music for that show. I can’t wait to hear them sing this. And what does it all have to do with wicked boys? Pea Green Theatre will... be providing you with dates and times to find out! And if you’re looking for a composer or arranger, let me know. #torontocomposer #vocalarranger

Alas, choir has been cancelled tonight due to the storm. I love rehearsing Paul Winter’s Missa Gaia, or Earth Mass. Created cooperatively with his Paul Winter Consort, including the inspired Paul Halley, the piece includes recorded tracks of Wolf calls and Whale song. As you can see, Winter even provided credit to his wild collaborators as composers. As cantor, I get to echo the call of the wolf in the Kyrie melody. Paired with the Dvorak Mass in D, this will be an exciting and diverse concert. Come hear us at Humber Valley United Church on April 6 at 7:30 pm. http://etobicokecentennialchoir.ca/this-season/ #etobicokecentennialchoir #humbervalleyunitedchurch

Jessye is coming to Toronto! I never had the good fortune of hearing her live, but her recordings and videos are treasures to me. I have the edition of her "Four Last Songs" that was recorded with Masur and the "Leizpig" Gewandhaus! I think they corrected the mistake for the next pressing. Back in the days of needing to carry cassette tapes around, that was one of the precious albums I listened to incessantly on a month long trip to Hong Kong and China. It was my solace on lo...ng flights and bus rides, and druing sleepless summer nights in cheap un-airconditioned hotels. I think I memorized every inflection and breath. It is still my standard. In this interview, her intelligence and grace come out with such clarity. And it is wonderful to know that even though she no longer sings, she is full of projects and activities. Brava, Jessye! https://www.ludwig-van.com//interview-jessye-norman-a-for/ See more

This is the first draft of the song that Emmy Hemmings will be singing at the Cabaret Voltaire in Mark Brownell’s new play, MamaDada. I picture this form of the song as the hit single that Emmy and Hugo Ball play on their Victrola when they’re at home. I’m kind of in love with it, but I fear I’ve strayed a bit too far into Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn territory, harmonically. But, Emmy (Annie Tuma) will Dada it up in her own, unique interpretation, so hopefully, we’ll get a bit closer to something that sounds proto-Weill/Eisler, and eccentrically Dada. I can’t wait to start rehearsing! The second picture is my little buddy Wheatley, who keeps my company when I’m composing by sitting under the piano. He’s a composer’s best friend. #MamaDada #toronto

Neil Semer puts the God in pedagodgy! Okay, I know that’s not how it’s spelled, but I’m so thrilled with my lessons with him that I’m coining a new word. Neil knows the mechanics and technique of vocal production. He has a real gift for communicating that knowledge. He has great ears to hear what I’m doing vocally, and amazing intuition about what I am needing as a student. More than that, he leads from the heart. He is as perceptive about the emotional/psychological aspe...cts of singing as he is about technique. He also understands that ultimately, the whole point is to tell stories, to communicate what is in our hearts, and to touch the hearts of our listeners. It is a truly wholistic, integral approach that has done wonders for me since I began studying with him last spring. Each lesson has unlocked another key, and I continually come away more confident and excited about the joy of singing. I go to each lesson with a sense of excitement and anticipation. I can not speak highly enough about him as a pedagogue. Or, in my new coinage, a pedagod! Thanks, Neil! À la prochaine! @neilsemer #vocalpedagogy #singing #singingteachers #toronto See more

Happy Belated Birthday to Helga Dernesch! My first experience of her dramatic and vocal artistry was in a Spoleto Festival production of Elektra, starring the divine Deborah Polaski. I knew nothing of Dernesch's Isolde with John Vickers and Herbert Von Karajan. By this time, she was in her "second career" singing lower voice character roles. Her Klytaemnestra was frightening! I remember her in rehearsals in Chanel suits wearing the highest of high heels. I don't remember whet...her this was her chosen wardrobe, or her costume, because the whole production was a real piece of regieheater, staged in stark white with a horse carcass hanging above the stage. Polaski coloured her powerful voice with a cool sneakiness that beautifully set up her confrontation scene with the ferocious Dernesch and her manipulative duets with Chrysothemis. As chorus members, (you can see me just to Polaski's right in the picture behind the venetian blinds,) we were lucky because director Gunther Kramer used us as a kind of Greek chorus, onstage observing and dancing, giving us far more stage time than the usual traditional bit of off-stage singing that the score calls for. It was my first exposure to Strauss's early "bad-boy" compositional style and I was smitten. It remains one of my favourite operas to this day. So, thank you to Ms. Dernesch for helping to educate me on what powerful possibilities are available to a singing actor. http://ow.ly/RDcb30nCiqy #deborahpolaski #helgadernesch #spoletofestival

I’m off to Tuesday night rehearsal with the Etobicoke Centennial Choir as their tenor section lead and as tenor soloist in the Dvorak Mass in D. It is a new work to me, full of beautiful melodies and lush harmonies. The Agnus Dei begins with a tenor solo that features some of the most lyrical melodic writing. Lucky me! Come join us at Humber United Church on April 6 @ 7:30 pm. http://etobicokecentennialchoir.ca/ #etobicokecentennialchoir #tenorsoloist

New tools of the trade have arrived! A broken Midi cable and lost audio cable brought Amazon.ca to the rescue. Now I can put the finishing touches on two songs for upcoming Pea Green Theatre Group productions. I can't wait to be working again with Mark Brownell, Sue Miner, Nina Okens, Graham Conway. Reanne Spitzer, Annie Tuma, Jocelyn Adema, Scott Garland, Victor Pokinko, Matt Pilipiak, did I miss anyone? What amazing people do do creative work with! Some fun songs are on the way! #ThreeMenOnABike #MamaDada #composer

Congratulations to Julie Tepperman , Nathan Caroll, Jeff Lilico, Jennifer Tung and the rest of the creative team behind Hook Up. My friend Janet Dimond saw it the other night and was blown away. Glad to see that reviewers are agreeing!

Barbara Hannigan keeps going from strength to strength. Congratulations, Barbara, on another well deserved honour! https://www.ludwig-van.com//scoop-barbara-hannigan-award/ #barbarahannigan #léonniesonnig #denmark

Here is a song composer I would like to hear more from. A beautiful setting of this lyrical poem. https://www.youtube.com/watch

Surely, Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell are two of the best singers to perform on Broadway. Twenty years after Ragtime, they sound just as good. Its a testament to the career and artistic longevity that comes from a sound basis in vocal technique.

Congratulations to my former student, Julie Tepperman for creating this new and timely opera!