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The Schumann LettersFriday, November 20, 2009 A Musical Narrative Celebrating Notes of Music, Song and Love
Robert Schumann, the 19th century German composer and pianist is known for his enduring songs and piano pieces. He first fell in love with a young Clara Wieck during his early piano training under the instruction of her father, Friederich Wieck. Clara herself, was a virtuoso pianist garnering attention throughout Europe. Nonetheless, her father was bitterly opposed to the courtship. During this time, an estimated 20,000 letters were written between these two. In 1840, after a long and acrimonious legal battle with Clara’s father, Robert went to court to seek legal consent. His love eventually won out and the couple was soon married. Susan Gilmour Bailey, soprano
Born and raised in Manitoba, soprano Susan Gilmour Bailey emigrated to London in 1999 to complete her Masters in Vocal Performance at the Royal Academy of Music. Performing throughout the United Kingdom, Europe and North America, Susan enjoys a varied career of concert, oratorio, and opera. Concert highlights include ‘Iris’ (Semele) with the Early Opera Company under Christian Curnyn, soprano solos in the City of London Sinfonia/Royal Shakespeare Company production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream under Douglas Boyd, ‘Premier Captif’ in Charpentier’s biblical oratorio David et Jonathas with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Emmanuelle Haim and solo appearances in Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus with the City of London Sinfonia under Richard Hickox. An experienced opera performer, Susan’s roles include ‘Euridice’ (Orfeo) at the Théâtre de Caen with Le Concert d’ Astrée under Emmanuelle Haim, ‘Alice’ in Rossini’s Le Comte Ory under David Parry for Garsington Opera, ‘Second Woman’ (Dido and Aeneas) for the London Temple Festival, principal roles in Purcell’s Fairy Queen and King Arthur for the Armonico Consort, ‘Amore’ (Orfeo ed Euridice) for the Ryedale Festival, ‘Atalanta’ (Serses) with the Cambridge Handel Opera Group, ‘The Wife’ (Le Pauvre Matelot) for the Battersea Opera Festival, and ‘Flora’ in the British Council production of Benjamin Britten’s Turn of the Screw in both St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk.Susan is always happy to visit her native Canada and in 2001 she established herself as an important emerging Canadian artist in solo concert performances of Gilbert and Sullivan excerpts with both the Vancouver and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestras. Susan returned to Canada in spring 2006 for two further projects with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra – soprano soloist for Mozart Requiem and a collaborative project with the British comedian Rainer Hersch. Forthcoming projects include a 2009/10 Canadian recital tour of ‘The Schumann Letters’ – an evening of narration and song.This autumn Susan is looking forward to performing solos in works by Purcell and Charpentier in the Ambronay Early Music Festival in France, Monteverdi’s Vespers in Budapest and principal roles in Purcell’s Fairy Queen for Opera de Lille under Emanuelle Haim in France. Colin Fox, narrator
It is possible that one may not recognize Colin Fox by name alone. It is highly unlikely, however, that his face, and in particular, his voice could escape recognition. A multi-talented artist, Colin Fox has an impressive and extensive list of stage, film, television, and now, musical narrations to his credit.Colin is a veteran of television and film work. Colin has appeared in movies alongside Hollywood stars such as Sylvester Stallone, Sandra Bulloch and Chris O'Donnell. As a television actor, Colin has excelled in performing in several long running, critically acclaimed shows, including: PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal, A & E's Nero Wolfe, Wonderfalls, Law and Order, The Equalizer, Relic Hunter and Street Legal. Colin's love of the stage has provided him many opportunities to share his impressive voice. Colin has performed in productions at Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre, Stratford Festival, Shaw Festival and on Broadway. He has also narrated a number of audio book recordings, which received a JUNO Award. His foray into musical narrations came early and with much prestige. Colin first appeared on the concert stage in 1974, in the title role of “Lelio” by Berlioz with the Boston Symphony and Toronto Symphony Orchestras conducted by Seiji Ozawa. That same year, Mr. Fox narrated Honniger's “King David” with the Toronto Symphony and the Mendelssohn Choir. Since then, his intermittent collaborations have ranged from large ensembles to soloists with such names like the Hannaford Street Silver Band, Penderecki String Quartet, guitarist Simon Wynberg, Gryphon Trio and the Elora Festival Singers, performing such works as Stravinsky's Histoire du Soldat, Saint Saens's Carnival of the Animals or Strauss' Enoch Arden. Colin has also appeared at music festivals including Huntsville, Parry Sound, Elora, Grand River Baroque and the Toronto Summer Music Academy & Festival. Presently, Mr. Fox is collaborating with composer Raymond Luedeke in developing a new work entitled “Into the Labyrinth” for two pianos, actor, and computer generated visuals. The piece, which explores the Greek myth of the Minotaur, had its world premiere at The Festival of the Sound in 2006 with the distinguished piano duo Anagnoson & Kinton. Michael Kim, piano
Michael Kim is a gifted Canadian pianist and performer. As a soloist and concerto artist, Michael has brought audiences to their feet with his outstanding technique and refined artistry. Michael Kim has set high standards in his music studies and at international competitions. He is the recipient of a multitude of awards, including the grand-prize of the Canadian Music Competition and the CBC National Radio Competition for Young Performers. An artistic scholar, Dr. Kim received his Masters and Doctor of Musical Arts from The Juilliard School where he held the Vladimir Horowitz Piano Scholarship. Michael Kim has toured extensively in North America, South America, the United Kingdom andKorea. A very experienced musician, he has been praised by The Globe and Mail for his “consistently high level of professionalism and musicality.” This is easily evidenced in Mr. Kim's touring history, which has included unique highlights such as being invited to tour Peru with Orchestra Sinfonica de Trujillo and the UK with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the BBC Scottish Symphony. Just as his touring experiences have been diverse, so too Michael's media appearances. Michael's performances are broadcast frequently on the radio networks of CBC, NPR, KBS, and Chicago WFMT's Live From Studio One. Michael's UK tour was broadcast on both BBC Radio and Television. Michael has a discography of four excellent titles to his credit, with another release to be warmly welcomed this fall. Professional and distinctive in style, Michael Kim is an artist behind the keys. In August 2008, Michael was appointed Dean of Brandon University School of Music.
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