Divas return for annual holiday show
It has become a tradition to finish off the seasonal Gift of Music series with a concert featuring female vocalists, our “Divas,” and this year is no exception. Mezzo-soprano Erica Iris Huang, who so charmed us last year, will be joined by lyric soprano Stephanie Yelovich, tenor Andrew Byerlay, and pianist Blair Salter. Our dynamic and gifted young vocalists never fail to delight us with their strong stage presence, their sense of humour, and a selection of music that is a mix of both classical and seasonal repertoire.
Mezzo soprano Erica Huang engaged us last year with her trademark stage presence of warmth, humour and charm. Praised by conductor and broadcaster Howard Dyck for her “gorgeous big voice, seamless from top to bottom, dramatic and highly expressive,” we are delighted to have Erica back with us again this year. Winner of the 2011 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition, she was awarded an E-Gré Tour across Canada that was funded by Canada Council for the Arts. For the 2012/2013 season, Erica is touring with the Vancouver Opera’s School Touring Ensemble as their featured mezzo-soprano.
Pianist Blair Salter is the music director for Metro Youth Opera’s 2012 – 2013 season of one act operas. She has a Master of Music in collaborative piano, and does both collaborative and solo work. Blair has performed with the Niagara Symphony Orchestra as a featured soloist, performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, and in 2011 was a pianist at La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy.
New to St. Luke’s, lyric soprano Stephanie Yelovich has a Bachelor of Music and an Opera Diploma from Wilfred Laurier University and has performed in numerous roles, including performances in Ariadne auf Naxos, Le Nozze di Figaro, Cosi fan tutte, Dvorak’s Rusalka, and Stephen Sondheim’s ‘A Little Night Music,’ On the concert stage, Stephanie has appeared with the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony alongside musician/comedian, Rainer Hersch.
Returning to perform for the Gift of Music for his third year, tenor Andrew Byerlay is currently in his fourth year of study at the Glenn Gould School of Music. He is a Sidgwick Scholar with the Orpheus Choir of Toronto, and has performed in the Casalmaggiore International Music Festival in Italy, as well as at the International Vocal Arts Institute in Montreal. In addition to his vocal accomplishments, Andrew is also an accomplished oboist, and has performed as principal oboist with the National Concert Band of Canada for several seasons.
This year our vocalists will perform pieces by Mozart, Donizetti, Bizet and Bach. As always, they will finish off the afternoon with a few familiar seasonal favourites.
As the 2012 season comes to a close, we would like to thank our loyal audience for their support, as well as our sponsors, the Purple Hills Arts and Heritage Society, the Creemore BIA, Creemore Springs, and Clearview Township. With your support over the years we have been able to bring great music to the village while supporting up-and-coming young musicians, many of whom have gone on to perform on the national and international stage.
The Gift of Music will be planning its 2013 season early in the New Year. We are exploring a few different options for off-season concerts, such as Celtic music, world music, and jazz, and we would welcome input from our audience.
Our “Divas and Friends” concert is at St. Luke’s Anglican Church this Sunday, December 16, at 3 pm. Tickets are $15, and may be purchased at the Echo, Curiosity House Books, and at the door.
