Submitted to Oxford Magazine
Oxford Lieder: Young Artist Platform auditions 2013, Shulman Auditorium Queen’s College, 17 February.
Oxford Lieder’s Young Artist Platform was launched in 2011 to promote the careers of young singer-piano duos selected each year. A shortlist is picked from submitted CDs and six selected for audition. The judges may choose one or more winners who are then given slots in the year’s Oxford-Lieder Festival as well as sponsored concerts around the Country. The winners in 2011, Portuguese soprano Sónia Grané with her French pianist Edwige Herchenroder made an indelible impression with their unsurpassable Fauré, while of last year’s winners the voice of mezzo Rozanna Madylus is remembered. This year the Adjudicator was Roderick Williams (another singer ‘discovered ‘ by us at an earlier Lieder Festival). He picked three winning duos who will be heard at this year’s Festival which will run from 11 to 26 October. Lacking the stamina to last through six forty minute recitals, I attended the first three and was surprised when the second of these, baritone Ed Ballard with Finnegan Downie Dear, was not among the winners. Their programme of three sections of mixed French, German and English songs was original and effective
The programme for this year’s Festival should be out soon. Details will be given next Term. Unfortunately attendance for me this year will be interrupted on 16, 17 and 18 October by the visit of Welsh National Opera giving Donizetti’s trilogy of Elizabethan operas, Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda and Roberto Devereux. Meanwhile progress on arranging the Schubert Year in 2014 is being made and a brochure will be issued shortly.
25 February 2013
Oxford Lieder: Young Artist Platform auditions 2013, Shulman Auditorium Queen’s College, 17 February.
Oxford Lieder’s Young Artist Platform was launched in 2011 to promote the careers of young singer-piano duos selected each year. A shortlist is picked from submitted CDs and six selected for audition. The judges may choose one or more winners who are then given slots in the year’s Oxford-Lieder Festival as well as sponsored concerts around the Country. The winners in 2011, Portuguese soprano Sónia Grané with her French pianist Edwige Herchenroder made an indelible impression with their unsurpassable Fauré, while of last year’s winners the voice of mezzo Rozanna Madylus is remembered. This year the Adjudicator was Roderick Williams (another singer ‘discovered ‘ by us at an earlier Lieder Festival). He picked three winning duos who will be heard at this year’s Festival which will run from 11 to 26 October. Lacking the stamina to last through six forty minute recitals, I attended the first three and was surprised when the second of these, baritone Ed Ballard with Finnegan Downie Dear, was not among the winners. Their programme of three sections of mixed French, German and English songs was original and effective
The programme for this year’s Festival should be out soon. Details will be given next Term. Unfortunately attendance for me this year will be interrupted on 16, 17 and 18 October by the visit of Welsh National Opera giving Donizetti’s trilogy of Elizabethan operas, Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda and Roberto Devereux. Meanwhile progress on arranging the Schubert Year in 2014 is being made and a brochure will be issued shortly.
25 February 2013