Lunch Hour Award
July 5, 2007 at 3:20 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments
On Wednesday, Jessica sang in the finals of the “Autumn Lunch Hour Award” - a regular competition held by Recitals Australia (The Australian Society of Keyboard Music) in Pilgrim Church. Competitors are chosen from all the people who have performed outstandingly in the Lunch Hour Concert Series so far, and Jessica was awarded one of the $1000.00 first prizes for her performance in the finals!
Recitals Australia are one of the biggest supporters of young musicians in Adelaide, providing important opportunities for students to perform in an excellent venue. Jessica and Anthony have both been supported in many ways by Recitals Australia, so we would like to pay tribute to their continued outstanding commitment to developing young musicians.
Check out their website for information on their concert series’, or just pop into Pilgrim Church on Flinders St on almost any Wednesday at 12:10pm or 1:10pm to hear a glimpse of the next generation of young musicians.
Happy grant win from Arts SA
June 29, 2007 at 4:53 am | In travel | No Comments
We are pleased to announce that in the most recent grant round from Arts SA, Anthony was awarded a $5,000 grant towards his overseas study.
We are getting closer and closer to our fundraising target for our upcoming trip - it’s getting close now, we booked our flights the other day, and we’re leaving on the 4th of September; we’re flying with FinnAir, which will be a first for us - definately a cheaper flight though! We’ll also be very happy to be flying with our friends Eleanor Blythman and her husband Clint - Eleanor will be studying at the Royal College of Music while we’re at the RAM, so we will travel together!
Handel’s Carmelite Vespers
June 23, 2007 at 3:27 am | In Concert, Singing, choir, recital | No Comments
Heads up about a great performance featuring Jessica coming up in August.
Jessica has been invited to sing as guest soloist with the Adelaide Chamber Singers, performing with orchestra under guest conductor Graham Abbott - Australia’s foremost Handel specialist, also known to many ABC Classic-FM listeners as presenter of Keys to Music, the endlessly informative and entertaining guide to sundry musical topics!
The music is the “Carmelite Vespers” by Handel - Jessica’s involvement is specifically in the blisteringly exciting motet “Saeviat Tellus” and in the setting of the “Salve Regina,” both of which are large solo soprano works. The rest of the psalms and antiphons are choral works, including soloists from the Adelaide Chamber Singers, which is not only Adelaide’s finest choir, but one of the world’s finest choirs.
The “Carmelite Vespers” is a brilliant and interesting set of works - they are rarely performed, partly due to their difficulty. It has only been a fairly recent musicological discovery that this collection of psalms and antiphons was certainly intended to be performed at the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, in Rome, July 16th 1707. Some of the Psalm movements were composed earlier, and used again for this extraordinary celebration, in the church of St Maria di Monte Santo; others were only finished by Handel days before the performance - reminding us of the extreme swiftness with which he could work to a deadline (the famous story of “The Messiah” being composed in just 24 days being a great example.)
There is a nice short essay about the Carmelite Vespers HERE, and info on concert tickets under upcoming performances.
Scholarship win!
June 16, 2007 at 2:29 am | In Singing | 1 Comment
Well, some very good news on the fundraising front!
Jessica has just found out she has been awarded the EMR Scholarship for overseas study by the Elder Conservatorium, University of Adelaide. Valued at $20,000 this of course will make a nice dent in her fundraising target, covering the remainder of her course fees for her first year of study in London. It certainly makes us more secure for that first year in particular!
Jessica would like to thank the Elder Conservatorium for supporting graduates and recent-graduates in such endeavours as hers.
“Duelling Divas”
June 10, 2007 at 3:28 pm | In Opera, Singing | 1 Comment
Our next venture is Mozart’s “The Impresario” - transported in a new production by Patrick Lim to The Casino Salzburg, Las Vegas!
Jessica Dean and Eleanor Blythman play the showgirls, who both want top-billing on the latest act at the casino. They demand big hair, silk frocks and, most importantly, high notes! In between these two temperemental divas is the beleagured Impresario (Patrick Lim), who has a difficult task ahead making sure they don’t walk!
It will also be performed in double-bill with “A Boy called Wolfie,” a miniature youth-musical by local composer Glyn Lehman, taking a tour through a few of the favourite tunes of Mozart as the cast of children tell the story of the young and talented Wolfgang.
Both these pieces will be performed with piano and string quartet, directed by Anthony. It’s the newest venture at the Opera Studio for Swell Productions, a smaller but definately no-less-entertaining piece while we are all planning our various overseas journeys.
Be sure to come along, it’s a great fun show - performances over two weekends, 16/17 and 23/24 June. More information HERE.
The Little Women Wind-down
June 7, 2007 at 12:58 pm | In Opera | No Comments
Little Women was such a treat to work on! What a thrilling piece! It’s only a pity a few of the critics didn’t recognise the quality of the work - some did, but perhaps not those who count most for getting “bums on seats.” (Although, thankfully, all praised the quality of the performers - it was a wonderful team of very talented singers.)
In the end, it proved a little difficult to post any photographs of the rehearsal process, mainly because that sort of thing shouldn’t be done without permission from all sorts of people! So, sorry about that!
However, we point you towards the State Theatre website, where, if you follow the “Media” tab, you can find some official rehearsal photos, and a few great shots from the production too.
Above is Jessica and close friend, soprano Eleanor Blythman (Beth & Amy) backstage on the final night - you may recognise Eleanor from the wedding photos below as one of Jess’s bridesmaids!
It was very exciting to have the composer, Mark Adamo, come and work with us during the last week of rehearsals. He had a lot of extremely interesting and useful insights into the characters of the novel, and his music; in all, his compositional process was fascinating to talk about. There are some interesting videos HERE of Mark Adamo workshopping some Arias from Little Women, and some from his newest opera, Lysistrata - it gives you an idea of the passionate and frantic intellectual style with which he speaks!
ALSO: Watch out for “Innocence” this Saturday Night (8th June) - a concert featuring the Elder Conservatorium Chorale, Anthony playing some extremely loud organ, and soprano Greta Bradman (from EVE vocal trio) singing extremely high notes! The photo below appeared on the front page of the City Messenger this week. More details HERE.
Easter over… Little Women begins
April 16, 2007 at 1:11 pm | In Opera, Singing | 2 Comments
It has been probably the busiest Easter on record yet at St Peter’s Cathedral. Amongst the various events, the highlight was the brilliant St John Passion of Bach, a combined presentation from the Elder Conservatorium Chorale and Chamber Orchestra, and the St Peter’s Cathedral Choir. Everyone involved must be congratulated, as it was a first rate performance - particular kudos to Carl Crossin the conductor, Robert MacFarlane’s brilliant Evangelist (pictured above in action!), and the organisation of Event Manager Edward Joyner. It was a moving sight indeed performing to over a thousand people, crammed into every nook and cranny of the cathedral.
For us, it is now on to Little Women; this starts rehearsing next week, although in truth rehearsals for us have already begun in earnest - the score is 
difficult to say the least! The composer, Mark Adamo, is also coming to attend some rehearsals, which is very exciting - not to say a little on the daunting side.
The costume department is in full swing; Jess had a costume fitting just the other day, and reports the place was a hive of activity - bustles and corsets galore!
We will try and keep you involved in the rehearsal process as much as we can, (and as much as we are allowed!) Hopefully photos and things will be possible.
In the meantime, this is one you’ll be seeing splashed all over the place in the coming weeks:
Married for a year!
February 27, 2007 at 10:17 pm | In Uncategorized | 3 Comments
Well, not quite yet - but almost; on March 19th!
It was this time last year the Cathedral Choir were furiously practicing all the Wedding music (and there was quite a lot, of course!), while we were putting the finishing touches on the masses of organisation that is a wedding…
Please click HERE, or up on the Wedding Anniversary tab, to view some of our favourite photos from the day.
An evening with Maria Callas
February 27, 2007 at 1:13 am | In Uncategorized | 1 Comment
No, it’s not some sort of occult seance; it’s a play! Master Class by Ameican playwright Terrence McNally is an intruiging look into the later life of the ultimate diva, Maria Callas, and into her views on art, performance, singing and her career.
Rob Croser and Independent Theatre are doing a one-off play reading of this brilliant play. The best bit is, not only does Jessica get to sing, playing nervous student Sophie de Palma, but Anthony gets to play the piano, in the role of accompanist Manny Weinstock! And, not only that, we’ll be thrilled to be performing alongside actress Kathryn Fisher (Jess’s mum!) in the role of La Divina herself! So, a bit of a family affair! Also appearing will be soprano Johanna Allen, and actor Shedrick Yarkpie, and glorious recordings of Maria Callas.
More info on the Independent Theatre website, or HERE.
The Hatto Scandal
February 19, 2007 at 1:35 pm | In Uncategorized | 1 CommentHave just come across this remarkable story that has been breaking in the music industry over the past weeks: It appears that almost the entire recorded output of the much-vaunted pianist Joyce Hatto are in fact fakes - recordings by other famous pianists, slightly stretched or tweaked so as to appear to have different timings. An amazing story of fabrication - at the heart of which appears to be a rather sad tale of a dying woman’s battle with cancer.
Who ever said classical music was boring!
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