World Premiere of Voice to Voice Project

We invite you to the premieres of 11 original art song compositions based on texts by Thursdays Writing Collective and brought to life by UBC graduate composers and performers.

The first evening is April 2, 2015 at 8pm at UBC’s School of Music, Roy Barnett Hall 6361 Memorial Rd.

The second is April 16, 2015 at 8pm at St James Anglican Church, 303 Cordova St, Vancouver.

In the Western/European musical tradition, Art Song might be defined as ‘a poem set to music, usually for trained voice and piano accompaniment.’ The German word for such classical song is Lied (singular) and Lieder (plural), so these terms are often used interchangeably, while in France it is called ‘Melodie’ and in Italy, ‘Romanza.’ More than any simple definition conveys, classical – and now contemporary – Art Song strives to combine the work of writer, composer, singer and pianist into rich and rewarding new performance.

These premieres represent the culmination of a year of writing and thinking about music. Both evenings will feature a program of 11 art songs, each one introduced by the poet with a reading of their text before the performance of the song by classically-trained singers and pianists.

Here is a list of the works to be presented:

Hear Me
Gene Emerson, composer
Based on text by Graham Cunningham
Geoff Schellenberg, baritone
Armand Saberi, piano

clouds lined with purple hues
Lucas Oickle, composer
Based on Soundtrack by Ruth Dato
Laura Widgett, soprano
Yekaterina Utegenova, piano

Rainstorm
Michael Ducharme, composer
Based on text by d. n. simmers
Nicole Brooks, soprano
Monica Han, piano

The Soundtrack of Genocide
Brian Topp, composer
Based on text by Ghia Aweida
Tamar Simon, soprano
Armand Saberi, piano

your words harsh, discordant, rough
Lucas Oickle, composer
Based on The Soundtrack by Joan Morelli
Scott Brooks, bass-baritone
Yekaterina Utegenova, piano

Soundscape
Brian Topp, composer
Based on text by Jan Tse
Rachel Stewart, mezzo soprano
Armand Saberi, piano

It’s Late
Gene Emerson, composer
Based on text by Donna Dykeman
Cliff Wong, tenor
Monica Han, piano

Trout Lake Park
Christiaan Venter, composer
Based on text by Gilles Cyrenne
Ian Bannerman, tenor
Hannah Han, piano

Silence is Sounding in Silence
Martin Ritter, composer
Based on text by Erol Almelek
Jack Foster, baritone
Monica Han, piano

Drop the Beat
Brian Topp, composer
Based on group-written text by
Thursdays Writing Collective
Hannah Gomme, soprano
Hannah Han, piano

I write because my soul is on fire
Lucas Oickle, composer
Based on Fuck the Poets by Henry Doyle
Spencer Britten, tenor
Yekaterina Utegenova, piano

Transportation from Carnegie Community Centre to UBC on April 2 is available by sign up at the program office for members of Thursdays Writing Collective and DTES residents. Thank you to Carnegie for donating the van and driver!

Info also on our Facebook page.

Thank you to Canada Council for the Arts for its support!