Reunite! A Review of Free Flow Dance Theatre’s 27th/25th Anniversary Gala

Free Flow Dancers: Taylor Zeller, Maggie Lucas, Rachel Saufert, Philip McDermott, Shannon Pybus,
Derek Souvannavong, & Aiyana Ruel
Photo credit: Ken Greenhorn

Better late than never! 25^th/27^th Anniversary Gala: Free Flow Dance Theatre Company’s “REUNITE!”
   For years now, I have taken in dance performances – mostly Modern Dance – because of the way they make me feel and think & because of the way they change my perception & my experience of the world. The experience of every-day things is changed completely in me after experiencing such a dance performance.
   This one in particular offered plenty of food for thought & feeling – dealing with themes of human connections & ultimately our connection with Mother Earth.

Free Flow Dancers: Shannon Pybus, Maggie Lucas, Taylor Zeller, Aiyana Ruel, & Rachel Saufert in Terrill Maguire’s “Sisterhood Songs”
Photo credit: Ken Greenhorn

   The program began with Terrill Maguire’s “Sisterhood Songs” danced by Free Flow Dance Theatre Company members Maggie Lucas, Shannon Pybus, Aiyana Ruel, Rachel Saufert, & Taylor Zeller. This fun and colourful piece accompanied by music by Roaula Said, Earnie Tollar, & Derek Gray, reflected on supportive relationships between women.

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Dancer: Philip McDermott in Newton Moraes’ “Two Men and Their Lives”

“Two Men and Their Lives” featured collaboratively created work by choreographer Newton Moraes & Philip McDermott – danced by Philip McDermott. In this piece, we see reflections of current and projected life activities expressed in dance and gesture. The suitcase prop is used incredibly effectively & expressively and the storytelling is clear and engaging throughout.

Dancers: Rachel Saufert & Taylor Zeller in Newton Moraes’ “Mulheres”
Photo Credit: Ken Greenhorn

   A duet between dancers Taylor Zeller & Rachel Saufert came next: “Mulheres” – created & choreographed by Newton Moraes – again a piece that shows life from 2 perspectives – exploring women’s roles & challenges in life: societal demands of them, motherhood, friendship, connection, performance, giving, supporting, aging, & aspirations. This was a very strong & expressive piece that drew on the performers’ dance & movement abilities as well as their ability to express themselves verbally – relating their stories directly to the audience – a very effective & personal touch.
   The music chosen for both of Newton Moraes’ choreographies helped so much to support the storytelling in both cases: Extent by Hillmer & Overflow by Rival Consoles for “Two Men and Their Lives” and Amour Imaginaire and excerpts from Path 17 by Max Richter for “Mulheres”.

Dancers Aiyana Ruel & Philip McDermott
Photo Credit: Ken Greenhorn

   “Resurgence” by Terill Maguire: Originally commissioned by Dance Ontario in 2005, this piece danced by Aiyana Ruel & Philip McDermott challenged us to explore deeply the emotions involved in relationships that either weather the storms of transgressions or don’t. In this piece, we are intimately invited into the navigation process of a couple in a committed relationship. Difficult emotions are explored through dance, movement, & connection between 2 beautiful performers. The piece seems to find some peace by the time it reaches its end. Music accompanying this dance was composed by Lawrence Shragge.

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Free Flow Dancers: Taylor Zeller, Rachel Saufert, Maggie Lucas, Derek Souvannavong, Aiyana Ruel, Shannon Pybus, & Philip McDermott in Jackie Latendresse & Danny Grossman’s “Earth: Womb of Life (A Pantomime for Our Times)” Photo credit: Ken Greenhorn

   After intermission, “Earth: Womb of Life (a Pantomime for Our Time)” – choreographed by Danny Grossman & Free Flow Dance Theatre Artistic Director, Jackie Latendresse. This piece involved all 7 of the company dancers: Maggie Lucas, Philip McDermott, Shannon Pybus, Aiyana Ruel, Rachel Saufert, Derek Souvannavong, & Taylor Zeller – exploring life, love, parenthood, childhood, childhood trauma, war, PTSD, suicide, death, and all the emotions that pair with these. Using dance, movement, gesture, & props, we are guided through bringing life into existence, love, play, cruelty, war, a variety of coping methods, death – all things human – ending with an image of earth and a solo dancer (Aiyana Ruel) dressed as a pregnant mother-to-be moving through expressions of frustration & anger, peace & expectation. The piece is accompanied by sounds and images including a moving quote from Danny Grossman’s mother. It was conceived & developed by Danny Grossman & Jackie Latendresse. Music/Soundscape and Visual Compilation for this was done by Eddie Kastrau, a dancer with the Grossman Dance Company since 1986. Costumes and props for this piece were done by Lili with thanks to Linda Coe Kirkham.

Dancers Philip McDermott & Taylor Zeller
Photo credit: Ken Greenhorn

Maggie Lucas & Shannon Pybus in Terrill Maguire’s Sisterhood Songs
Photo credit: Ken Greenhorn

  Dance can thrill & challenge an audience like no other Artform – engulfing the audience in an emotional audio-visual experience. Terrill, Newton, Jackie, Danny, and Eddie all did a wonderful job of telling their stories & taking the audience on a ride for this remarkable Anniversary Gala through the work of the fine rising star dancers who were part of the Free Flow Dance Theatre Company these past couple years: Maggie Lucas, Philip McDermott, Shannon Pybus, Aiyana Ruel, Rachel Saufert, Derek Souvannavong, & Taylor Zeller. Brava e Bravo Tutti!!! Et, Merci Beaucoup!!!

Anna Marie Bekolay, BMusEd, ARCT
 – photo credit: Natalie Struck Photo

Anna Marie Bekolay is a multidisciplinary artist, composer, collaborative musician (voice, violin, recorder), performer, private music teacher, clinician, music adjudicator, gardener, & dance enthusiast who loves and supports all things Arts related.

Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra’s Bolero concert!!!

   Saturday night, I had the great fortune to attend the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra concert. Knowing Ravel’s Bolero & de Falla’s works were on the program were the main draws for me.

   The entire program was extremely well performed & kept the audience engaged the entire time. Just before the concert started, Mark Turner, CEO and Creative Producer came out and told us that the programs had mysteriously disappeared – he mentioned having said something earlier about wishing to one day do a concert where they don’t tell the audience what they’re going to play … it may have been that wish that made the programs disappear … who knows? He went on to tell us exactly what we were about to hear including a little about the audience reaction to the first time Ravel’s Bolero was ever performed.

   The concert began with de Falla’s Interludio e Danza from La vide breve. I applaud both the orchestra and the conductor: Judith Yan on this – especially the opening – this is a piece that begins as if mid-sentence out of nowhere with a grand flourishing into life! Here and later in the program in the Bolero, we experienced great senses of restraint & a feeling of “wait for it” as the music unfolded – which prepared the brilliantly played quick ending section perfectly!

   Next, Angela Cheng took the stage as piano soloist in de Falla’s piano concerto: Noches en los Jardines de España. I remember long ago, my first time hearing Angela perform – it was near the beginning of her career & I remember her throwing herself at the piano – there were  some moments in this that reflected that tonight. Mostly, I was taken away by her absolute immersion in the music – she was most definitely playing with the orchestra – & seemed to practically play the orchestra – all while expressively playing the solo part I a very efficient & easy-looking manner. She and Judith Yan made quite a team in this performance!

Angela Cheng at the piano with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra – seen behind her & to her left, concert master Michael Swan. Photo borrowed from SSO’s facebook page.

   Intermission gave us an opportunity to stretch our legs & enjoy a performance by Flamenco Borealis – a great mix of some intense & lighter Flamenco music and Dance. Lina danced, Daniel sang & played guitar & they were joined by 2 other dancers who did palmas & then joined in with the Dancing!! I do believe that they finished their set with Bulerías…

Lina Kazan with Daniel Regnier behind her from Flamenco Borealis – photo borrowed from SSO’s facebook page.

   The second half of the SSO program brought us some new music by Film music composer, Fernando Velázquez: Viente de oeste. This music was not written specifically for film, but being an orchestral tone poem, it tells a story nonetheless: the sections seem to seamlessly meld one into the next: from Andante (walk) to a very eerie stillness in Contemplation (Still) to an exuberant Animato (Celebration). In this piece, I found myself in a frightening “film forest” – dark & unpredictable that eventually led to a frenzied celebratory finish.

   Then, it was time at last for Ravel’s Bolero. There was a bit of a stage re-set to bring the snare drum player out beside the strings and also to bring in the saxophone players … The snare drum (I believe played by Brayden Krueger) began so incredibly quietly and there was an inexorable feeling tempo-wise throughout as Ravel’s melody traveled from one soloist & one section to another through the steady build – for which I applaud everyone on stage: the restraint to keep that slow, constant build to the thrilling & all encompassing ending.

Judith Yan, conductor – with Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra – photo borrowed from SSO’s facebook page.

   The audience members were on their feet for a well-deserved standing ovation shortly after the release of the final sounds in Bolero!
   Many thanks to the orchestra as a whole, to the soloists within the orchestra, to our wonderful piano soloist, Angela Cheng, and most importantly to Judith Yan who conducted this concert in a specific, masterful, & expressive way with precise efficiency!
And, Thanks to my Mamma Dianne for the ticket to catch this live performance!

Brava e Bravo Tutti!!

Et Merci Beaucoup!!!

Anna Marie Bekolay
Photo credit: Natalie Struck Photo

Anna Marie Bekolay – a multidisciplinary artist – combines her passion for all the Arts (visual, dance, drama, design, and most especially music) to create a new character and evocative music for every project she participates in.  She is a collaborative musician and holds a Bachelor’s of Music Education degree, a grade 10 Violin RCM, and an Associate diploma in Voice Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto for which she won a gold medal for the highest mark in Canada (2006).

Prior to the pandemic, Anna was involved regularly with 13 performing ensembles. Since then, this number has been reduced to 4.… This created the opportunity for Anna to further explore her interest in dance and in health and wellness. She participates regularly with “Dance On!” (an improvised dance-play-movement-meditation group – an outgrowth of Aileen Hayden’s improvisational dance class: the “Big Fat Ass Dance Class” ®. Anna currently takes other online dance classes as well: African Brazilian Dance with Newton Moraes (Newton Moraes Dance Theatre) and Modern Dance with Jackie Latendresse (Free Flow Dance Theatre Company) and she sings and dances as part of her own meditation practise which is quickly progressing toward a new concert series (opening in March 2023).

Ms. Bekolay’s currently active performance projects include: Back of the Bus (Celtic), The Whiskey Jerks (Klezmer/Roma (Gypsy) Folk/Prog Rock/Jazz), Mac Talla Quartet (String Quartet with vocals), and The Stephanies (Pop Trio). Anna also continues to enjoy teaching Violin/Fiddle at the Saskatoon Academy of Music and she also enjoys teaching Voice, Violin/Fiddle, and Recorder in her home Studio (Anna Bekolay’s Studio).

One of her greatest joys is in being fully present while developing connection and communication through the sharing of music with students, band mates, and audiences alike.

Reflections on Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra’s presentation of The Planets by Gustav Holst interspersed with Heather Schmidt’s Lunar Reflections

photo from SSO’s facebook page

 

I have love The Planets by Holst for a very, very long time – I spent a year years ago listening to a recording of The Planets most evenings at bedtime. So, when the SSO announced they would be performing The Planets, I was delighted by the news! And, it happened to line up with my mother’s birthday weekend … and, my brother was coming in for mom’s birthday as well – So, the stars and planets aligned and we went to the concert as a family as part of our weekend-long birthday celebrations. What a wonderful way to spend the evening! Listening to some of my favourite music with some of my favourite people both in the audience and on stage! Bravo Saskatoon & SSO!!!

 

Before the concert began, Mark Turner, SSO’s Executive Director, said a few words about what we were about to experience: An oscillation between Holst’s Planets and Schmidt’s Moons. Mark’s remarks were encapsulating and expressed appreciation for our exceptional SSO musicians and entertained with a slight reference to the famous Star Trek phrase “To Boldly Go …” – a great way to set the stage for the journey on which we were about to embark!

 

The Planets were accompanied by video footage from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre and each of Schmidt’s Moons in Lunar Reflections paired with a picture by a Saskatoon photographer. This gave a cinematic feel to the entire experience and was especially effective in Venus & Mercury.

 

The orchestra played each section with a high degree of precision and clarity. Eric Paetkau’s chosen tempi were exciting and exhilarating and really tested the edge.

 

Mars was followed by Blue Moon

Pink Moon followed Venus

Mercury was followed by Wolf Moon (one of my favourites)

And, Jupiter wrapped up the first half of the concert – it took everything in me to stay in my seat when the theme arrived in Jupiter – such an exciting piece with such an anthem-like theme!

 

I found all Heather’s Moons exciting in their own ways – sprinkled with rhythmic intricacies – I hope there will be a recording of them available in the not too distant future – I want to explore these engaging Moons further with my dance / movement meditation group some time …

 

The second half of the program saw Saturn into Snow Moon into Uranus into the “heavy metal” Thunder Moon (Jamie Parker’s words from a performance by Gryphon Trio) and finally into Neptune that ends with female chorus (singers from Aurora Voce & U of S Greystone Singers directed by Dr Jennifer Lang). It was such a neat experience having the vocals creep in near the end of this – the singers sang from off stage and it was amazingly effective – very Mystical indeed! The singers did a brilliant job of it – not easy to sing those parts super quietly.

 

Well done all ‘round!! Thanks for a wonderful evening!!

 

Thanks for reading!!

-Anna

 

Anna Marie Bekolay (BMusEd, ARCT) writes and performs evocative folk and classical inspired music. She runs Anna Bekolay’s Studio & performs with many projects: Back of the Bus, The Stephanies, The Whiskey Jerks, Mac Talla Quartet, Troubadours du Bois, Phantasma, The Untamed, & does freelance collaborations: classical vocal album under stage name, Anna Maria Soparlo: “Songs in Loving Memory of My Father”, Flamenco Borealis, SWAG galas, Fringe play, “Brel!”, The Karpinka Brothers, Auresia, & new projects as they present themselves!

 

Anna has her Bachelor of Music Education and a gold medal ARCT in Voice Performance. In addition to performing and recording, she teaches and adjudicates at music festivals. Anna enjoys teaching musicians of all ages and levels (age 4 & up) bringing over 20 years experience teaching and performing into lessons that are individually crafted for each student while exploring some common repertoire to help create community within the Studio. Instruments she teaches include: Voice, Violin, Recorder (flute a bec), & Fiddle & also Theory.

https://annabekolaysstudio.wordpress.com/anna-bekolays-studio/

Review of Opening Night with James Ehnes and the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra: Saturday, Sept 23, 2017

Welcome back and welcome to a new season with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra! This is season 87!!! Opening night began with some opening comments from Mark Turner, SSO’s esteemed Executive Director. In his opening comments, Mark mentioned some of the really wonderful performers who will be in the spotlight this season including Jan Lisiecki, & Tanya Tagak! He also mentioned that this is our 3^rd year with Eric Paetkau as SSO’s Music Director!! Thank you to both Mark and Eric for all the work they do to challenge and feature the talents and efforts of our symphony orchestra!

 

For Home by Kevin Lao

The concert opened with a 2 minute piece by Canadian composer, Kevin Lao – “For Home” is his musical tribute to Canada and it was one of the 2-minute pieces commissioned for Canada’s 150^th. The piece itself made use of the orchestra beautifully – introducing a simple lilting melody in one section that meanders through the work and through the sections of the orchestra. In my mind it combined sounds similar to the work of Elgar and Grieg with an extra inviting sense of comfort. The lilting, whimsical theme travels through the orchestra and is developed and harmonized richly using the entire orchestra, ending with a return to simplicity. In the composer’s own words: “The simple, folk-like melody which recurs throughout the brief course of this work represents my best attempt at capturing feelings too complex for words.”

 

After this comforting piece, Eric Paetkau spoke to the audience a bit. There was no microphone on stage for him to use, so he had to use his own ability to project. Mr. Paetkau: your projection is on point – very clear from the 2^nd balcony in any case! Eric spoke a bit about the opening piece and passionately about the exploration of Czech folk music and the lush romantic harmonies in the Dvorak coming up as the final piece of the concert. He also gave a lovely introduction to the star of the night: James Ehnes! As a side note, I was personally pleased to hear Eric’s un-amplified voice since it tuned our ears up for all the subtleties the SSO and James Ehnes were about to explore in the Beethoven.

photo taken from the SSO facebook page

Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D Major Op 61

When I first heard that James Ehnes would be our soloist for this concert, I was over the moon excited about it. Every time I get to hear him play on the radio (French CBC 88.7 FM), I know it’s him before they announce it – from his clarity: clarity of tone, phrasing, expressiveness, and communication – creating simple, understandable beauty in the music he plays – leading us along so that we can really absorb it.

 

And so, James was in fine form with the SSO – leading us through the Beethoven – Beethoven’s only violin concerto – with dynamic expressivity and deep understanding of the demands of the piece – stretching the expressivity in exploring especially the quieter possibilities with the violin – inviting the orchestra to dig deep into their abilities with piano and pianissimo playing in supporting parts.

 

Beethoven’s violin concerto begins with a long exposition in the orchestra that outlines the gorgeous themes in the first movement. Introduced by the timpani, the long lines are first expressed in the woodwinds with a liquid quality to the phrasing, which is carried through the orchestra to the solo violin part when it eventually comes in. During the orchestra’s introduction, James stood in a ready, but relaxed stance helping the audience to be ready and relaxed in our anticipation of the violin’s entry.

 

For me, the highlights in this performance were specifically James’ cadenzas – so typical of his style and clarity of interpretation – a real treat to hear it in person! I was also pleased to hear so much dynamic expressivity in a concerto in both the soloist’s part and in the orchestra – I feel like our orchestra may well have gained in expressive ability through this particular work with this particular artist! It was also a treat to be able to see some of the communication going on between soloist and conductor at transition points between cadenza sections and full orchestra sections.

 

As in all Beethoven – the herald of the Romantic movement – the first movement of the concerto could have been a piece unto itself with all it’s Romantic explorations of thematic development. The second movement is graced with a powerful and recurring harmonized motif that is first introduced in the orchestra and is later explored in the soloist’s cadenza.

 

After the suspended feeling of the 2^nd movement and the brilliant mini-cadenza at the end of it, James launched unassumingly into the Rondo – the 3^rd movement – with a carefully chosen tempo – definitely moderato throughout the movement – which created its own kind of excitement in the return of the Rondo theme again and again: an elegant dance tempo!

 

We gave James a well-deserved standing ovation and he graced us with an encore: the final section of Bach’s 3^rd Sonata for solo violin – an excellent display of the capabilities of both the instrument (the “Marsick” Stradivarius of 1715) and the player! Thank you so much for coming back to Saskatoon, James – looking forward to next time!!!!

 

Dvořák’s 8^th Symphony in G Major Op 88

After intermission, we were treated to Dvořák’s 8^th Symphony. How I adore Dvořák! I was raised on his 9^th symphony and studied the 7^th at university. I never consciously paid attention to Dvořák’s 8^th symphony and as Eric Paetkau mentions in his Music Notes video, the 8^th symphony is very different from the more well-known 7^th and 9^th symphonies. So, I expected that this concert would be my introduction to Dvořák’s 8^th symphony. The first 2 movements were unfamiliar to me, but as soon as they launched into the 3^rd movement, I was there with them inside the music to the end – the 3^rd and 4^th movements were far more familiar to me for some reason.

 

This is the kind of work that makes me wish I was a conductor – so many fun and enticing tempo changes! Much like some of Brahms’ work! As in most of Dvořák’s work, he explores themes with roots in his beloved Czech/Bohemian background throughout this symphony. One of the most exciting parts for me was the Trumpet fanfare that heralds in the 4^th movement. The symphony comes to a close with a wild dancing theme that caught and held our attention beautifully! This is one of the best and most exciting endings to a piece and to a concert done with great energy and flare worthy of an immediate standing ovation!

 

 

This marks a great opening to Season 87!! See you at the Symphony for a wonderfully entertaining year celebrating talent and the Performing Arts!!

 

Thanks for reading,

-Anna

– Anna Bekolay, BMusEd, ARCT
soprano, violinist, teacher, adjudicator

Anna Marie Bekolay has her Bachelor of Music in Music Education, Orff Level 1, a gold medal ARCT in Voice Performance, and grade 10 Violin RCM. Anna has performed as a soloist and in a variety of ensembles over the years, including Saskatoon Opera Chorus, National Youth Choir of Canada, Collegium Musicum, Voci Strane, and the drowned. Ms Bekolay is continually advancing her musicality through attending and performing in concerts. Her current projects include: Back of the Bus, Troubadours du Bois, The Whiskey Jerks, Mac Talla Quartet, The Stephanies, a recording project of classical vocal pieces dedicated to the memory of her father – recorded under the stage name: Anna Maria Soparlo, and a variety of freelance collaborations that come up here and there.

In addition to rehearsing, performing, and recording, Anna is an adjudicator for the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association and runs Anna Bekolay’s Studio – a very busy Music Studio at her home teaching Voice, Violin, Recorder, and Fiddle. Anna makes her home in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

https://annabekolaysstudio.wordpress.com/anna-bekolays-studio/

Celebrating Prairie Virtuosi, New Year’s Day, and 20 years of Music Making!

January 1^st, 2017, I attended the Prairie Virtuosi annual New Year’s concert! Happy New Year!! What a wonderful way to bring in the New Year!! This is made even more special by the fact that Prairie Virtuosi (PV) are celebrating 20 years of making music together!! Original members include Joan Savage, James Legge, and Gillian Lyons – and they have grown and included and featured many other musicians over the years!! It is very exciting to note that as part of celebrating 20 years of music making, PV are exploring and performing all 6 of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos – 3 at their New Year’s concert and 3 in June! Yesterday’s concert featured #3 in G, #4 in G, and #1 in F.

The concert began with J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto #3 in G: Allegro & Allegro – between which was inserted a gorgeous Adagio from Sonata in G BWV 1021 – the soloist for the Adagio, Adriana Lebedovich, did a fine job of leading the group and her performance in the Adagio was stunningly engaging in full Baroque style. I enjoyed the stately energy of the 1^st Allegro and it’s Rock ‘n Roll steadiness! It was fun to see the group interaction while passing mini solo bits from player to player. I loved how the group came together dynamically and with a slight slowing of the tempo for the descending unison line that anticipated the return of the 1^st theme and the ending – this was beautifully effective and exciting energy-wise – what a great opening to the concert!!

The inserted Adagio was a wonderful change of pace that featured vioinist Adriana Lebedovich with Basso Continuo accompaniment (Scott McKnight, cello & Gillian Lyons, keyboard harpsichord) until just before the end where the rest of the strings crept in to round things off for the final cadence of the Adagio. The 2^nd Allegro: following the release of the Adagio was a blaze of energetic playing – the group tore into the 2^nd Allegro at an exhilaratingly lightning fast speed – it actually took me a few seconds to mentally catch up with this brilliant tempo. The tempo took me a bit by surprise and it was a super fun ride right to the end of the 2^nd Allegro – and no one fell off the page!!

J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto #4 in G came next featuring more brilliantly energetic playing by soloists: Carissa Klopoushak on violin and Sarah Moon & Brenda Moats on flute. All three movements of this were amazingly engaging with a fascinating amount of thematic materials passed around the group and between the soloists. In the faster sections, true virtuosity sprang forth from the soloists and left me in utter awe of their engaging masterful-ness.

After intermission, PV treated us to “Two Gymnopedies” by Satie arranged by Debussy: Lent e grave and Lent e douloureux. These are 2 of my favourite pieces. I really enjoyed these arrangements and the mood they were played with. These involved lots of hauntingly beautiful oboe lines and horn lines and in one of them, bassoon player Stephanie Unverricht displayed her percussion skills by playing a cymbal with a mallet. During the 2^nd one (which is the 1^st of the 3 in the original piano arrangement), the bassist, Richard Carnegie broke a bass string (which is really hard to do and not very common!) – I heard a loud bang and didn’t realize until the end of the piece that that was the sound of a bass string breaking…

The broken bass string gave Jim Legge a chance to speak to the crowd about the next Brandenburg Concerto #1 in F which they performed in a different order than it is traditionally done – with precedence from Bach’s time of changing the order of movements to use the piece for another occasion (it was not uncommon for composers to borrow from their own work and others to put something together for a commission – I like to think of it as stretching creativity by re-arranging something that already exists to suit a particular event). This concerto features 2 French Horns, 2 oboes, and bassoon primarily in the Trio sections – as a side note, the double reed players were all in red! I found this concerto beautifully relaxing as it gave me the opportunity to daydream a bit. Joan Savage led this concerto – I love how leadership is changed up from one selection to the next – this spreads out the work and the responsibility and also gives each selection a slightly different flavour while maintaining the same overarching style throughout the program.

I love how this group plays together and I have enjoyed many concerts over the past few years – looking forward to more!! Many thanks to the players at this concert including: on Violin: Kim deLaforest, Carissa Klopouchak, Adriana Lebedovich, James Legge, Joan Savage, Marcel Van den Hurk, and Nova Wong; on Viola: Ryan Davis, James Legge (doing double duty!), and Heather Wilson; on Cello: Amos Friesen, Joel MacDonald, and Scott McKnight; on Bass: Richard Carnegie; on Flute: Brenda Moats, and Sara Moon; on Oboe: Glenda Lindgren and Carl Hofmeister; on Bassoon (and percussion): Stephanie Unverricht; on Horn: Carol-Marie Cottin, Anna Millan; and, on Harpsichord: Gillian Lyons. Special thanks to the Directors for all their extra work: Carol-Marie Cottin, James Legge, Scott McKnight, and Joan Savage. I am looking forward to (and hoping to attend) the next concert: June 3, 2017 – where they will present Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos #2, #5, & #6!! For more info, check out: www.pvorchestra.ca

– Anna Bekolay, BMusEd, ARCT
soprano, violinist, teacher, adjudicator

Anna Marie Bekolay has her Bachelor of Music in Music Education, Orff Level 1, a gold medal ARCT in Voice Performance, and grade 10 Violin RCM. Anna has performed as a soloist and in a variety of ensembles over the years, including Saskatoon Opera Chorus, National Youth Choir of Canada, Collegium Musicum, Voci Strane, and the drowned. Ms Bekolay is continually advancing her musicality through attending and performing in concerts. Her current projects include: Back of the Bus, Troubadours du Bois, The Whiskey Jerks, Mac Talla String Quartet, a recording project of classical vocal pieces, and a variety of freelance collaborations that come up here and there.

In addition to rehearsing, performing, and recording, Anna runs Anna Bekolay’s Studio – a very busy Music Studio at her home teaching Voice, Violin, Recorder, and Fiddle. Anna makes her home in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

https://annabekolaysstudio.wordpress.com/anna-bekolays-studio/

Home for the Holidays – a concert in support of Saskatoon Opera

On Dec 29, 2016, I attended “Home for the Holidays” – a concert in support of Saskatoon Opera – what a great concert featuring a good variety of voices and opera arias!

I enjoyed sitting back and being entertained by many sopranos, a good number of tenors, a baritone, and a really wonderful basso profundo – all engaging performers – featuring works by a nice variety of composers including Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Puccini, Leoncavallo, Bizet, Gounod, Moore, and Weill. For me, the highlight – more than the music – which is saying a lot – was the feeling of camaraderie among the singers – I feel that this is so important in our small musical community – that we’re all on the same page and on the same team – there’s no room for divas in the communal creation of good art! So, thank you to the singers for your shared confidence in your abilities and your devotion to your art!!

All of the singers we were entertained by were immediately in character and set the scene with a little verbal spiel about who they were in the opera and what was happening dramatically at the time of the aria they sang. I enjoyed the excited youthful energy of the setting of the scene as much as the actual performances themselves – lots of great performing skills, poise, presence, and characterization.

I look forward to hearing all these singers again sometime – it has been a joy hearing how these voices are developing!! The singers we heard included: Jordie Hughton, Kurt Haunsperger, Kelsey Ronn, David Boan, Linsday Gable, Chris Donlevy, Jardena Gertler-Jaffe, Spencer McKnight, Chelsea Mahan, Whitney Mather, Brenden Friesen, Kateryna Khartova, and Allison Walmsley. I am hoping to hear these singers and Philip Klaassen as well next year – this year, he was unable to perform in the concert because of ill health. Big thanks to the organizers of this concert, to the accompanists (Kerry Agnew, Kathleen Lohrenz Gable, Karen Reynaud, and Mark Turner), and of course to the singers for all their beautiful, well prepared work! Brava e Bravo everyone!!

-Anna

https://annabekolaysstudio.wordpress.com/anna-bekolays-studio/

Review of SSO’s presentation of Handel’s Messiah, Dec 2016

I thoroughly enjoyed the concert presented by the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra (SSO), Chorus and Soloists Friday night, Dec 9^th 2016. It was a very cold night and Knox United Church was filled to the brim with musicians and music lovers for this sold out performance. I felt very fortunate and grateful for the opportunity to have been part of that crowd!

 

Handel’s “Messiah” is a wonderful Oratorio that is most recently traditionally performed at Christmas time and was first performed at Easter time. As is the case for Oratorios, the soloists and chorus perform the story in Concert Setting without costumes, sets, or acting – different in this way from Operas that also involve chorus and soloists. In Handel’s “Messiah”, although there is no acting involved, there is certainly drama – musical drama. In listening to the instrumental sections between and accompanying sung sections, one can hear so much drama and musical reflection of the text – much akin to the role music plays in movies. Handel displays wonderfully evocative text painting skills in vocal parts and instrumentally as well.

 

Clarity, precision, expressiveness, and communication – all necessary elements for effective performances – Eric Paetkau and the SSO accomplished this and more in Friday night’s performance of Handel’s Messiah. The soloists were all centred and masterful in their well prepared and carefully planned out performances – performing with freedom and inspiring artistry.

 

Soprano Danika Lorèn’s non-traditional placement of ornaments brought up for me the nature of the relationship between Art and the Artist. Part of an Artist’s job is to take the Art – in this case Music – apart and to play around with all the parts before putting it back together again to ultimately bring the Music to Life for the audience. In so doing, the Artist gets inside the Music and the Music gets inside the Artist and it becomes a symbiotic relationship where it becomes difficult to tell where the Artist ends and where the Music begins and vice versa. Mark Turner, SSO Executive Director, mentioned to me that I would love Danika’s ornaments (and I did!) and that she ornaments in different places than where we traditionally expect them to be – with lots of “pyrotechnics” (true!). He also mentioned that the other soloists were inspired by this to explore more ornamentation in their solos as well – very much evident in the performance. All ornamentation was done with playful enjoyment, mastery, and a nice balance of Baroque style ornamentation with displays of technical prowess.

 

My favourite part of Alto Lisa Hornung’s performance was her rendition of the aria, “He was despised and rejected of men” – I don’t think I was alone in my enjoyment of this performance – the church was so very quiet for this aria! I also loved the fact that the lower voices were well balanced with a sparser orchestration and lower dynamic level overall from the orchestra so that the richness of the lower voices could be heard easily. Lisa’s rich and free sound reminded me that singing is not only about the words, it is about making beautiful sounds with long free lines. She makes it look and feel effortless and also has a lovely way of colouring the words and bringing out word and syllable stress within the long lines of the music.

 

Tenor Spencer McKnight took advantage of this opportunity to shine especially during his long and high notes and beautifully done runs! A highlight in his performance was his rendition of the favourite and ever popular “Ev’ry valley shall be exalted” – this and his other arias showed a particular freedom in his sound that has developed since the last time I had the opportunity to hear him sing – Bravo Spencer! I also enjoyed the precision in his ornaments.

 

By Baritone Matthew Pauls’ second or third solo, we could really hear the richness and freedom in his tone – what a treat! I look forward to how his and the other soloists’ voices continue to develop – it seems to me that the longer people do this sort of work, the more comfortable they become and the better and more free the tone produced becomes as well! I loved this rendition of “Sound the Trumpet” – and Terry Heckman’s trumpet solo part in this was spot on and gorgeous!

 

A couple more highlights for me included the choruses – especially the first few that are so familiar and I loved the clarity of the runs within each section! The Soprano aria “Rejoice Greatly” – this was the crowning jewel of the entire work in my opinion and not just because I know this aria inside out – the artistry involved in this all ‘round was just wonderful and inspiring and fun! Eric Paetkau and the performers used silence effectively and dramatically in several movements – especially towards the end of the work. And, I loved the chorus suddenly standing up during one of the Baritone arias – very effective and dramatic and reflective of the text at the time. It was also beautiful to stand with everyone for the Halleluja chorus!

 

Thank you everyone for all your hard work!! It has certainly paid off!! Bravo!!!

-Anna

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Recital Time!

It’s that time of year again!! Always worth all the extra effort!!!

Dear Students, Parents, & Guardians,

Here’s info on Rehearsal and Recital for Performers – Performers, please RSVP at your earliest convenience:

Rehearsal:

Date: Sunday, Dec 4^th 2016

Time: 3:30pm – 5:30pm

Location: ABS: 1019 Ave K North

Details: bring your music with you. Start 3:30pm with singers 12 and under then approx 3:45pm or so violin players 12 and under then 4pm-ish singers 13 years and older and 4:35pm-ish violin players 13 and older – and if you need to arrive at a different time than allotted, please do.

PLEASE NOTE: If you cannot rehearse on Sunday, no problem – please book a rehearsal through irenespiano.ca with Irene asap – her time is limited…

Recital:

Date: Saturday, Dec 10^th 2016

Time: 3:30pm

Location: Redeemer Lutheran Church: 812 Preston Ave. S7H 2V2

What to bring: Your instrument, your music, a snack to share after the recital (take home leftovers please)

What to wear: Something nice and dressy!

Thanks!!

Anna

Anna Bekolay, BMusEd, ARCT

soprano, violinist, teacher, adjudicator

Teacher of Voice, Violin, Recorder, & Fiddle

 

Anna Bekolay’s Studio

1019 Ave K North

Saskatoon SK S7L 2N5

http://www.facebook.com/annabekolaysstudio.ca

Home Studio Phone: 306-244-6993 – landline – no text

 

ambekolay@yahoo.ca

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Beginnings …

“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.” — T.S. Eliot

This year’s lessons begin next week: Tuesday, September 13th, 2016. I am looking forward to a very interesting year filled with very interesting students who are interested in a good variety of very interesting music! Some students will explore Klezmer music for beginner violin, some will explore “toe tapping” Ukrainian music for violin / fiddle, some will explore other fiddle music: Celtic, Old Tyme, Gypsy / Roma. Some are into advanced classical music for the violin as well. And, I have a wide variety of singers who will be encouraged to explore possibilities with their voices individually and hopefully together as well! Choir anyone??

The Studio is not full yet, but I am slowly filling open Spots and looking forward to meeting this year’s new students as well as catching up with continuing students!

What inspiration will help to drive your musical explorations?

–Anna

 

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