Showcase 2009

International Performing Arts for Youth presents the
31st International Showcase of Performing Arts for Young People, "Showcase 2009," January 21-24, 2009

PHILADELPHIA, PA - The International Showcase of Performing Arts for Young People (Showcase 2009), presented by International Performing Arts for Youth (IPAY), is returning to PlayhouseSquare in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, January 21-24. This annual event, held in a different city each year since 1979, attracts more than 400 artists, agents and presenters from across North America and the world. Showcase 2009 features 15 professional performing arts companies from around the world that create dance, music and theater specifically for young people. The companies are selected by an international committee comprised of experts in the field of performing arts for youth, including accomplished artists and artistic or programming directors, arts education directors, children's festival directors, and artist managers. This year's companies come from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Israel, Republic of the Congo, Scotland, The Netherlands, and The United States. Showcasing artists include Cas Public (Canada), Compagnie Punta Negra (Republic of the Congo), Corbian Visual Arts & Dance (USA), CORONA LA BALANCE - Danish National Ensemble for Children's Theatre (Denmark), Dream Jam Band (USA), Introdans Ensemble for Youth (The Netherlands), Jessica Wilson Productions (Australia), Nephesh Theatre (Israel), Nightswimming (Canada), Off Broadway Booking (USA), Puppet State Theatre Company (Scotland), Rennie Harris Puremovement (USA), Slingsby Theatre Company (Australia), Spare Parts Puppet Theatre (Australia), and Terrence Simien & The Zydeco Experience (USA.)

"The Arrival is such a special show... so warm and heartfelt... and it is a great privilege to get to present it at the IPAY Showcase," says Cathcart Weatherly, General Manager of Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, one of Australia's leading producers of theatre for children and families. "Coming from Perth, Western Australia, the most isolated city on the planet, this is a great opportunity for [us] to show off our premier work at the Showcase and look to building a tour of North America"

Showcase features an exhibit area that provides display information and video material on touring productions. As an educational service to the field, the conference offers professional development learning communities which engage current issues and trends. Of particular significance this year, IPAY will present a plenary session led by Teresa Eyring, Executive Director of Theatre Communications Group.

"In hosting Showcase in 2005, 2007, and now 2009, I have had a unique perspective in watching the conference grow in size and scope," says Colleen Porter, Director of Arts Education at PlayhouseSquare. "With artists from more countries around the world applying and performing each year, the shows presented continue to reach new heights in artistic excellence. Furthermore, the professional development has grown from a one day event to a plethora of sessions and topics that run the length of Showcase. Our attendees' response to the performances is reflected in their dialogue during the learning communities, allowing for a truly integrated and thought-provoking conference experience."

Since 2001, International Performing Arts for Youth (IPAY) has created professional and educational opportunities supporting meaningful performing arts experiences for young audiences in North America. IPAY is proud to be the only service organization devoted exclusively to the entire performing arts for youth industry, including all forms of theatre, dance, and music. It exists to serve its membership consisting of presenters, artists, and agents/managers from throughout the world by providing meaningful engagement with, and support of, the presentation and creation of new and established work for young audiences in North America.

"We are both proud and excited to host our colleagues throughout North America and indeed from around the world, in this world-class facility at PlayhouseSquare", says IPAY Board President, Boomer Stacey. "This global community meeting place provides a spark to stimulate international dialogue and collaboration, a hub for artists, presenters, educators and promoters to connect and work together, as well as creating a portal to look at what and how we produce or program for young audiences here in North America - and it all stems from the work that is happening on-stage. "

Registration for Showcase 2009 or membership to IPAY is available at www.ipayweb.org. Register to exhibit before October 1 or register to attend Showcase before November 1 and save $50. Contact Daniel Student, Administrative Director, at 267-690-1325 or daniel@ipayweb.org for any questions regarding the conference.

COC's January Productions and Programs

Fidelio by Ludwig van Beethoven

3 performances: January 24, 27 and 30, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)

The Canadian Opera Company kicks off its winter season with Fidelio, Ludwig van Beethoven’s opera of triumphant courage and love in the face of oppression. In Beethoven’s only opera, Leonore, disguised as the young man Fidelio, works at the prison where her husband is unjustly incarcerated. World-renowned Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka makes her role debut as Leonore and American tenor Jon Villars is her great love, Florestan. Gidon Saks sings the villainous Don Pizarro, who unjustly imprisons Florestan. Mats Almgren, a remarkable Hagen in the COC’s Ring Cycle, is the jailer, Rocco and Virginia Hatfield is Marzelline, his daughter. Fidelio is a co-production with Opéra national du Rhin (ONR) and Staatstheater Nürnberg, a COC collaboration that began last season with Eugene Onegin. German conductor Gregor Bühl makes his company debut leading the COC Orchestra.

Single tickets are $60 – $290 (specially priced $20 tickets for young people under the age of 30 go on sale January 17, 2009). Tickets go on sale December 1, 2008 and are available online at www.coc.ca, by calling COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231, or in person at the

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office, 145 Queen St. W., Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Rusalka by Antonín Dvořák

1 performance: January 31, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. (Opening performance)

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)

The winter season continues with the COC premiere of Antonín Dvořák’s Rusalka. In this adult fairy tale, inspired in part by Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid, the water nymph Rusalka falls in love with a mortal prince. To be with him, she sacrifices her immortality and her voice. Dvořák’s dreamy and romantic music, which includes the stunning “Song to the Moon,” brings to aching life this beautiful, timeless story.

Julie Makerov returns to sing the title role, and famed Canadian tenor Michael Schade makes his first appearance with the COC in five years as Rusalka’s beloved Prince. Russian powerhouse Irina Mishura, sings Ježibaba, the malevolent witch. Richard Paul Fink returns to sing the role of Rusalka’s good-natured old friend, the Water Gnome, and former Ensemble soprano Joni Henson is the Foreign Princess vying for the Prince’s heart. Helikon Opera’s artistic director Dmitri Bertman, who staged the COC’s From the House of the Dead, returns to direct this luminous production from Theater Erfurt in Germany.

Single tickets are $60 – $290 (specially priced $20 tickets for young people under the age of 30 go on sale January 17, 2009). Tickets go on sale December 1, 2008 and are available online at www.coc.ca, by calling COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231, or in person at the

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office, 145 Queen St. W., Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

FREE CONCERT SERIES IN THE

RICHARD BRADSHAW AMPHITHEATRE

January 15 to January 29, 2009

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

145 Queen St. W. (at University Avenue)

The Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre includes concerts, performances and presentations by young musicians, Canadian and international opera stars and COC staff. This is an exciting opportunity for Torontonians to experience the artistic excellence and cultural diversity of the city. All performances are free to the public.

Date	Series	Artist
January 15, 2009 12 – 1 p.m.	Dance Series	Founded in 1992 by George Randolph, the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts nurtures Triple Threat™; talent from Canada and abroad. The Triple Threat Cabaret is packed with song and dance, showcasing musical theatre hits, featuring the Academy’s recent graduates as well as current students.
January 20, 2009 12 – 1 p.m.	Chamber Music Series	Artists of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music perform Sound Exploration: New Music Festival Launch. U of T’s distinguished music department perform a series of new works from various chamber ensembles.
January 22, 2009 12 – 1 p.m.	Chamber Music Series	Tokai String Quartet, poised to become one of Canada’s leading string quartets, presents Dvořák’s Quartet No. 12 in F major, the “American.” Written during Dvořák’s sojourn in the United States, the quartet explores themes and colours from Native American and African American music.
January 27, 2009 12 – 1 p.m.	Chamber Music Series	Under the direction of Kathleen Rudolph and Paul Widner, the wind and string ensembles of The Glenn Gould School perform a program of Russian chamber music featuring Rimsky-Korsakov’s charming wind quintet as well as music for strings.
January 29, 2009 12 – 1 p.m.	Piano Virtuoso Series	Pianist Younggun Kim performs Prokofiev’s legendary Sonata No. 7 “War Sonata 2/Stalingrad.” This sonata is a powerful and convincing synthesis of youthful exhibitionism and mature reflection on the most profound issues of the time. The agonizing intensity of the first two movements gives way to an exhilarating jazz-toccata in the finale.

EDUCATION & OUTREACH

After School Opera Program

The Canadian Opera Company’s popular After School Opera Program returns. The program, which introduces young people to all the exciting elements that make up an opera, is $10 for a 10-week session and is held at four convenient locations in Toronto: East York Community Centre; Barbara Frum Community Centre; St. Christopher House Music School; and the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre. Under the guidance of Canadian composer Dean Burry, young people ages 7-12 create an original operatic work based on their own ideas and improvisations. Mr. Burry has worked closely with the COC over the years, composing several children’s operas, including Isis and Seven Scorpions and The Brothers Grimm. No previous music experience is necessary.

After School Opera Program

$10 per session

LOCATION 1 EAST YORK COMMUNITY CENTRE 1081-1/2 Pape Ave. (Pape and O’Connor) Winter Session: January 12 – March 9, 2009 Time: Mondays, 4 – 6 p.m. Call 416-396-2896 to register	LOCATION 2 BARBARA FRUM COMMUNITY CENTRE 20 Covington Rd. (Lawrence and Bathurst) Winter Session: January 13 – March 10, 2009 Time: Tuesdays, 4 – 6 p.m. Call 416-395-6122 to register
LOCATION 3 ST. CHRISTOPHER HOUSE MUSIC SCHOOL 248 Ossington Ave. (Dundas and Ossington) Winter Session: January 14 – March 11, 2009 Time: Wednesdays, 4 – 6 p.m. Call 416-532-4828 to register	LOCATION 4 JOEY AND TOBY TANENBAUM OPERA CENTRE 227 Front St. E. (Front and Berkeley) Winter Session: January 15 – March 12, 2009 Time: Thursdays, 4 – 6 p.m. Call 416-306-2377 to register

For more information please contact the COC’s Education and Outreach department at 416-306-2377 or visit www.coc.ca.

The After School Opera Program is generously supported by the Imperial Oil Foundation and

Kraft Canada.

Opera 101

The Canadian Opera Company presents Opera 101, a FREE event that treats young adults to a friendly, interactive, and informal discussion. Hosted by CBC Radio’s Brent Bambury, special guests Adrianne Pieczonka and Virginia Hatfield discuss Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio. World-renowned soprano, Adrianne Pieczonka makes her role debut as Leonore in Fidelio, and soprano Virginia Hatfield, a graduate from the COC Ensemble Studio, returns to sing Marzelline. Together they discuss their experiences in the production; Ms Hatfield as an up-and-coming artist and Ms Pieczonka as an established artist.

Opera neophytes have the chance to enjoy drinks and free munchies while getting the scoop on what opera is all about. Topics covered in the past include the design, production and directorial decisions involved in creating an opera. New this season, audience members are invited to stick around following the discussion to enjoy FREE, live musical entertainment.

Opera 101

FREE

Drake Hotel (1150 Queen St. W.)

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

at 7:30 p.m.

For more information please visit www.coc.ca.

The Opera Exchange

The Canadian Opera Company, in collaboration with the Jackman Humanities Institute, the Munk Centre for International Studies, and the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto, presents

The Opera Exchange, a symposium that provides a thorough and entertaining look at the operas performed during the COC’s 2008/09 season. An extraordinary array of academic specialists present lectures, followed by panel discussions with members of the COC’s creative teams.

During the second instalment of the series, participants have the opportunity to discover new insights about Love and Liberation: Beethoven’s Fidelio, in which a panel of experts explore Beethoven’s only opera. Topics include: the revolutionary and philosophical roots of the opera, its relevance today; the music, politics, and themes of triumph, love and tenderness, highlighted by musical excerpts performed by members of the COC Ensemble Studio.

Love and Liberation: Beethoven’s Fidelio

Saturday, January 31, 2009

9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

$25 per participant ($15 for U of T Faculty and $5 for students)

Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building,

The Faculty of Music;

80 Queen’s Park (at Museum subway station)

Order online at www.coc.ca

or call COC Ticket Services at 416-306-2377

PSO Youth Concert Features USM Student Soloist

PORTLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENTS "A YOUNG PERSON'S GUIDE TO THE ORCHESTRA" YOUTH CONCERT, OCTOBER 27 AND 28

PORTLAND, Maine- For the first Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO) Youth Concert of the 2008-09 season, Music Director Robert Moody conducts "A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" on Monday and Tuesday, October 27-28 at Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle Street in Portland.

A Young Person's Guide is designed to teach kids about all of the parts of the orchestra, including the woodwinds, brass, strings and percussion, and allows them to hear the instruments separately and as part of the whole. The program is not only enthralling, but a fun, family-friendly introduction to the symphony. This engaging program will include flugelhorn soloist Micah Maurio, USM student and winner of the first Martha Blood Concerto Competition. The concert opens with excerpts from A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra by Benjamin Britten, and will also feature Tchaikovsky's Serenade in C Major for Strings, John Williams' Nimbus 2000 for Winds (from Harry Potter) and other pieces.

Youth Concerts introduce students ages 8 to 13 to the full symphony orchestra. Students experience richly diverse styles of music while learning about the elements of orchestral music and the instruments that perform it. PSO provides participating schools with lesson plans, activities, and recordings of the music to help prepare the students. For more information about the Youth Concerts or to make reservations, visit www.portlandsymphony.com.

Youth Concerts are sponsored by Unum. Time Warner Cable is the media sponsor for PSO education programs, and IDEXX Laboratories is the 2008-2009 season sponsor.

Tickets are $5 per person (adult or child), $4 per person for groups of 25. For more information, contact the Portland Symphony Orchestra Education Office at (207) 773-6128 or education@portlandsymphony.com.

# # #

PSO Youth Concert: "A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra," Full Schedule:

· October 27, 2008 — 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Merrill Auditorium

· October 28, 2008 — 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.* Merrill Auditorium

* Sold out.

[Montréal] L'OSJM PRÉSENTE SES MEILLEURS MUSICIENS À SON CONCERT DES SOLISTES

Le samedi 10 mai, 2008, Salle Claude-Champagne de la faculté de musique de l'Université de Montréal
(220, avenue Vincent d'Indy, métro Édouard-Montpetit)

Montréal, le 28 avril 2008 – Les meilleurs musiciens de l'Orchestre symphonique des jeunes de Montréal seront mis en vedette le samedi 10 avril à l'occasion du Concert des solistes, sous la baguette du chef Louis Lavigueur. Une excellente occasion de découvrir la relève de nos orchestres symphoniques.

Béatrice Laplante, cor anglais, et le corniste Yannick Gagné ont été choisis à la suite d'auditions en février dernier parmi les musiciens de l'Orchestre.

Au programme du concert : Les Hébrides, Ouverture en si mineur opus 26 de Félix Mendelssohn, le Concertino en sol majeur pour cor anglais et orchestre de Gaetano Donizetti, le Concerto pour cor de Reinhold Glière ainsi que la Symphonie en ré mineur de César Franck.

Béatrice Laplante – Béatrice Laplante a commencé ses études en hautbois en 2001 au Conservatoire de Québec avec Philippe Magnan. Elle termine actuellement son baccalauréat au Conservatoire de Montréal dans la classe de Lise Beauchamp. En 2005 et 2007, elle a remporté un premier prix au Concours de musique du Canada et participé, pendant l'été 2006, à une tournée en Europe et en Amérique du Sud avec l'Orchestre des jeunes des Amériques, notamment sous la direction de Kent Nagano. En 2007, membre de l'Orchestre national des jeunes du Canada, elle se produit comme soliste avec l'Orchestre symphonique de Lévis. Béatrice Laplante est également professeur de hautbois au Collège Notre-Dame de Montréal. À l'automne 2008, elle se perfectionnera auprès d'Éric Speller, à Namur, en Belgique.

Yannick Gagné - Yannick Gagné a entamé ses études musicales en 2003 avec Marjolaine Goulet. En 2005, il entrait au Conservatoire de Montréal où il étudie encore dans la classe de John Milner. Parmi ses expériences, on compte ses participations aux Matinées Jeunesse de l'Orchestre symphonique de Montréal de 2004 et 2005, et sa participation à l'édition 2007 de l'Orchestre de la francophonie canadienne. Cet été, Yannick Gagné participera au Programme des jeunes artistes du Centre national des Arts, à Ottawa, avec Lawrence Vine. En 2009, il se joindra à l'Orchestre de la francophonie canadienne dans le cadre d'une tournée en Allemagne et en Autriche et participera à l'édition 2008-2009 de l'Orchestre mondial des Jeunesses Musicales.

L'OSJM – L'Orchestre symphonique des jeunes de Montréal (OSJM) réunit une soixantaine d'instrumentistes âgés de moins de 25 ans, admis après audition. Il donne à la relève de la musique classique l'occasion de se produire dans un orchestre symphonique et propose des concerts accessibles à toutes les bourses. L'OSJM a effectué plusieurs tournées au Québec, en Ontario, en Alberta, en Écosse, en Grèce et en France. Il compte à son actif plusieurs disques, dont la Symphonie n^o 3 avec orgue de Camille Saint-Saëns, Le lac des cygnes et Casse-noisettes de Tchaïkovski et la Symphonie n^o 5 de Gustav Mahler.

Louis Lavigueur - Au pupitre de l'Orchestre symphonique des jeunes de Montréal depuis plus de vingt ans, le chef d'orchestre Louis Lavigueur est également chef-adjoint et coordonnateur de l'Orchestre du Conservatoire de musique de Montréal depuis 1980, chef de l'Orchestre de Pierre-Laporte depuis 1985 et de l'Ensemble Sinfonia de Montréal depuis 2001. Pédagogue recherché, Louis Lavigueur a enseigné aux universités de Montréal, Laval et McGill, ainsi qu'au Conservatoire de musique de Montréal où il est toujours actif. Il a signé plusieurs disques de compositeurs québécois avec l'Orchestre Métropolitain, ainsi que des œuvres de Saint-Saëns et Tchaïkovski avec l'OSJM, qu'il a mené en tournée en Grèce et en France.

billets en vente dès maintenant : 20 $ (réguliers); 10 $ (étudiants et aînés)

Billetterie et renseignements : (514) 388-7719 ou par courriel à osjmontreal@gmail.com

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[Montréal] L'École des jeunes de la Faculté de musique de l'UdeM célèbre ses 15 ans

Communiqué de presse

pour diffusion immédiate

L’École des jeunes célèbre ses 15 ans

L’école préparatoire de la Faculté de musique accueille aujourd’hui 300 élèves

Montréal, le 11 mars 2008 – À l’occasion de son 15^e anniversaire, l’École des jeunes de la Faculté de musique de l’Université de Montréal invite grands et petits à fêter avec elle lors d’un concert-anniversaire, le dimanche 16 mars prochain, à 15 h, à la salle Claude-Champagne.

À cette occasion, professeurs et élèves (plus de 20 musiciens professionnels, 45 élèves percussionnistes, 35 choristes et un orchestre à cordes) offriront des musiques dans des styles des plus variés (évidemment, du classique, mais également du tango, du gospel, du traditionnel québécois et des chants du monde !), le tout animé par la célèbre cantatrice Rose-Mimi Sinote, personnage bien connu des élèves de l’École des jeunes.

« Célébrer les 15 ans d’existence de l’École des jeunes, c’est souligner le dynamisme de notre équipe et l’excellence de nos programmes », souligne Sophie Lapierre, fondatrice et directrice de l’École des jeunes.

L’École des jeunes a été créée en janvier 1993 au sein de la Faculté de musique de l’Université de Montréal. De 13 élèves qu’elle accueillait à sa fondation, l’école a connu une croissance telle qu’ils sont aujourd’hui plus de 300, âgés de 3 à 17 ans, à fréquenter ce lieu d’apprentissage musical où plaisir et rigueur vont de pair.

L’École des jeunes réunit une équipe d’une trentaine de professeurs (majoritairement des diplômés de la Faculté de musique de l’Université de Montréal) et offre un programme de formation auditive et instrumentale novateur qui intègre notamment cours individuels, cours de groupe, jeu d’ensemble, créativité et improvisation. On y retrouve également un programme estival (Camp musical d’été de Montréal, offrant des sessions d’initiation à la musique et de perfectionnement) et un secteur chant choral en effervescence.

Pour en savoir plus sur l’École des jeunes : http://ecoledesjeunes.musique.umontreal.ca

Les 15 ans de l’École des jeunes

de la Faculté de musique de l’Université de Montréal

Le dimanche 16 mars 2008 – 15 h

Salle Claude-Champagne de l’Université de Montréal

220, Vincent-d’Indy, Montréal (métro Édouard-Montpetit)

15 $ (adultes), gratuit (enfants)

Réservations et renseignements : 514-343-7512

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Source :

Sophie Lapierre

Responsable, Activités jeunesse

Faculté de musique – Université de Montréal

514-343-7512

sophie.lapierre@umontreal.ca