Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Concert at Brock University

We had a great concert at Brock University today for Music @ Noon.

We performed works by Beethoven, Bruch, Elgar, Glazunov, and Popper.

An actual quote from a concert-goer, "Some of those pieces were totally epic!"

Next up - The Quartet for the End of Time on Sunday February 13 at 2:30 pm at the st Catharines United Mennonite Church at 335 Linwell Road..

Friday, January 7, 2011

Konstantin Popovic

Konstantin PopoviĆ began his violin studies at the tender age of five in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. A few months later, he was acknowledged as the most promising beginner violinist by the members of the board of education for strings. This recognition led to a performance on a national televisionprogram, about the history of violin music.

Parallel to his achievements in violin, at the age of seven, Konstantin was appointed vocal soloist in a renowned youth choir “Drinka Pavlovic”. This choir was frequently broadcast on radio and television and also created three separate recordings featuring Konstantin as a vocal soloist.

At the age of seventeen Konstantin graduated from a music high school in Belgrade having accumulated numerous awards at the highest national violin competition. Konstantin studied violin with Vlada Bobic in Belgrade. Shortly after graduation, Konstantin immigrated to Toronto, Canada where he continued his studies at the University of Toronto in the music performance department under Leo Wigdorchik.

After graduating from U of T, he extended his orchestral studies as a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and National Academy Orchestra. As a member of the National Youth Orchestra, he toured most major Canadian cities, numerous countries in Europe and Asia.

In 2000, Konstantin became the Assistant Concertmaster of Windsor Symphony. The same year, he also won an equivalent position in Sinfonia Toronto, a string orchestra comprised of fourteen members. He performs chamber music with Wellington Music, the group that he started in 1997 and with First Generation Entertainment, a Greek ethnic music orchestra.

Konstantin has been featured as a violin soloist on numerous tracks of Kosta Arnakouros’ instrumental CD Mediterranean Rendezvous released in 2004.He recently finished studio work for composer-arranger Charles Cozens of Somerset Entertainment and will be featured as a first violinist of a string quartet on that recording.

As a soloist Konstantin has had the honor of collaborating with conductors such as Giuseppe Lanzetta, Nurhan Arman, Peter Wiebe, Charles Greenwell, Ivars Taurins, Janez Govednik, Mark Skazinetsky, Fabio Mastrangelo and Maestro John Morris Russell.

Of all his achievements Mr. Popovic puts most value on the arrival of his son Dimitri and daughter Tatiana. His never ending debt for encouragement goes to his parents and his brother. Finally his immeasurable gratitude for inspiration and support of “a not so starving” musician goes to his wife Dawn.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Upcoming in February

The Quartet for the End of Time
Sunday, Feb 13 2:30 pm

The St Catharines Chamber Music Society Presents:

Olivier Messiaen’s The Quartet for the End of Time with Konstantin Popovic- violin, Gordon Cleland- cello, Michele Jacot- clarinet, Erika Reiman- piano.

“I saw a mighty angel descending from heaven, clad in mist, having around his head a rainbow. His face was like the sun, his feet like pillars of fire. He placed his right foot on the sea, his left on the earth, and standing thus on the sea and the earth he lifted his hand toward heaven and swore by Him who liveth for ever and ever, saying: ‘There shall be time no longer, but at the day of the trumpet of the seventh angel the mystery of God shall be consummated’.”

-Revelation, X

The Quartet for the End of Time was written in the course of Messiaen’s captivity in a German concentration camp and first performed in Stalag 8 A on January 15, 1941. It was directly inspired by this quotation from The Revelation of St John. It’s musical language is transcendental. Certain modes, realizing melodically and harmonically a kind of tonal ubiquity, draw the listener into a sense of the eternity of space or time. Certain rhythms existing outside the measure contribute importantly toward the banishment of temporalities.

The quartet comprises eight movements. Seven is the perfect number, the creation of six days made holy by the divine Sabbath; the seventh in its repose prolongs itself into eternity and becomes the eighth, of unfailing light, of immutable peace.

The Quartet for the End of Time

I. Liturgy of crystal.
II. Vocalise, for the angel who announces the end of Time.
III. Abyss of the birds.
IV. Interlude.
V. Praise to the eternity of Jesus.
VI. Dance of fury, for the seven trumpets.
VII. Cluster of rainbows, for the angel who announces the end of Time.
VIII. Praise to the immortality of Jesus.

Accompanying Messiaen’s unique masterpiece will be:

Prayer, from Jewish Life #3
A powerfully moving piece for cello and piano by Ernest Bloch.

Miniatures in India
I. Prayers Ignite
II. Temple Incense
III. The River Pamba
A fascinating work by local St Catharines composer Neva Tesolin. It was inspired by her studies in India. She arrived in India during a religious festial in which the streets of the city were strung with fireworks and she captures the essence of religious fervour accompanied by explosions, the feelings of mystey in a shrine and the sacred beauty of the River Pamba.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Performing on Jan 25,2011

Karin Di Bella: DMA (UBC). MMus (Washington University, St Louis), BMus (UWO), ARCT (Royal Conservatory of Music).

Dr. Di Bella is an accomplished teacher and educator. Her areas of expertise include music and politics of the 1920s and 1930s, historical instruments and techniques of the 18th and 19th centuries, and contemporary Canadian repertoire, particularly works by Jack Behrens. She has appeared as a concerto soloist with orchestras in the United States and Canada (including the Niagara Symphony in St Catharines), and has an active collaborative career with percussionists, string players, wind players, and vocalists around the continent. Previously on faculty at the Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music, Dr. Di Bella is currently Associate Professor of Piano at Brock University where she teaches piano lessons, master classes, accompanying, and piano pedagogy. She also adjudicates music festivals across Canada and adjudicates for the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Gordon Cleland: MMus (Boston University), BMus (BU), Associate of Music (Western Ontario Conservatory of Music)

Principal cellist of the Niagara Symphony, Gordon Cleland has performed across North America. He has appeared as soloist with the Niagara Symphony and Mercredi Musique. He has extensive experience as a chamber musician, being heard frequently on CBC FM Radio and has performed on TV5, the international French television network. His strong interest in contemporary and Canadian music is reflected in the repertoire he performs. In addition to his activities as a performer Gordon has made a strong commitment to music education. He teaches cello and string techniques at Brock University. He has been a featured performer for the Concertino Program of Jeunesses musicales, whose artists are carefully chosen for their pedagogical skills and their ability to communicate with young people. Gordon has adjudicated music festivals across Canada and runs a private studio in the Niagara region.

Tuesday@noon

The first offering of the society for 2011 is coming up at Brock University for their Tuesday@noon series of free concerts on January 25 at the Sean O'Sullivan Theatre.

Songs my Students Have Taught Me will feature Gordon Cleland on cello and Karin Di Bella on piano. You get a very different viewpoint on a piece when you have taught it to someone else.

Bell Monashee, Three Lyric Sketches
Beethoven's First Sonata Op 5 #1
Bruch Kol Nidrei