THE ACCOMPANISTS’ GUILD OF SA
2011 FESTIVAL AND CONFERENCE
presents
MICHAEL KIERAN HARVEY
As Musician in Residence
The Accompanists’ Guild of South Australia is delighted to welcome Australian international concert pianist, Michael Kieran Harvey, as the 2011 Musician in Residence for the 2011 Festival and Conference held between July 18 and 23.
During the Festival and Conference, Michael will emphasise his experience in collaborative music making. He will perform two duo recitals, one with SA soprano, Teresa La Rocca and the other with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s concertmaster, violinist, Natsuko Yoshimoto. He will also present sessions at the Guild’s Conference, give a piano duet seminar and chair the Geoffrey Parsons Award Final. In addition to performing with Natsuko, Michael has composed a new work for their recital on July 22
The full Festival and Conference schedule is attached.
Born in Sydney Michael Kieran Harvey is regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of contemporary piano music of his generation. His national and international awards include the Grand Prix in the Ivo Pogorelich Piano Competition (Pasadena), the Debussy Medal (Paris), four consecutive Australian “Mo” awards, the Australian government’s Centenary Medal for services to Australian music, and he has been twice nominated for the Helpmann Award. His recordings are regularly nominated in the ARIAS and APRAS.
Proceedings leading to the Festival and Conference begin in June with the Young Accompanists’ Showcase on 5 June with a Masterclass led by pianist and Elder Conservatorium lecturer, Monika Laczofy, at Marryatville High School. This is followed by a concert at the school on 19 June. The project culminates with a recital in the Cynthia Poulton Hall at St Peter’s Cathedral on 23 July as part of the Festival Conference. The young accompanists perform with professional soloists Keith Hempton-bass, Ruth Saffir-cello, Stephanie Wake-Dyster-clarinet and Kate Wyatt-soprano.
The Festival itself hosts a range of musical events relating to the art of the accompanist held in a number of venues in Adelaide. These include; the Geoffrey Parsons Award auditions and Final at the Elder Conservatorium, lunch hour concerts in Pilgrim Church, the Yoshimoto/ Harvey recital in ABC Studio 520 , Collinswood ( good acoustic, fine piano and excellent parking) and the Saturday Conference in Cynthia Poulton Hall.
The Conference on 23 July includes interviews with and presentations by Michael Kieran Harvey, Natsuko Yoshimoto, Dale Ringland (the 2010 recipient of the Adelaide Critic’s Circle Life Achievement Award and an honorary Life Member of the Accompanists’ Guild) and Dr Arabella Teniswood-Harvey, (University of Tasmania lecturer in Music and Art with particular expertise in the impact of music on the art of the great US painter , Whistler.) Topics covered will include: Preparing a duo recital with input from both Michael and Natsuko, the Multi Function Musician (Michael), the Proud Accompanist (Dale), Preparing Unknown Music (Arabella), Young Accompanists Performing, Piano Duet Repertoire and Performance (Seminar with duet demonstrations) as well as opportunities for discussion with the guests.
Further details of the program and ticket prices are in the attached Festival brochure. For additional information please contact The Festival Convenor, Diana Harris. dian…@museco.id.au (08) 8431 6030, 0407 818 838.
Media enquiries: Sheila Bryce Publicity: 0416 154 061 she…@sheilabrycepublicity.com
2011 AGSA Festival and Conference Outline
Accompanists’ Festival July 18 to 23
July 18 & 19 (Mon/Tues)
5.30 Geoffrey Parsons Award Auditions, Bishop Hall, Elder Conservatorium, North Terrace campus, Adelaide University July 20 (Wednesday) Concerts – Pilgrim Church, 12 Flinders St. Adelaide
12.10 Primary School Duos – Pianists and Partners 1.10 Michael Kieran Harvey – piano Musician in Residence Teresa La Rocca – soprano from Opera Australia performing with the State Opera SA Songs Relating to Children July 22 (Friday)
7.00 Recital – ABC Studio 520, 85 North East Rd, Collinswood (easy parking) Michael Kieran Harvey – piano Natsuko Yoshimoto – violin – Concertmaster Adelaide Symphony Bartok, Szymanowski, Harvey (premiere), Hosokawa
Conference July 23 (Saturday)
9.30 to 4.30 Cynthia Poulton Hall at St Peter’s Cathedral, 18 King William Road North Adelaide 9.30 Registration 10.00 Morning sessions with Michael Kieran Harvey, Natsuko Yoshimoto, Dale Ringland & Arabella Teniswood- Harvey 1.00 Lunch 1.45 Concert – Young Accompanists’ Showcase – Secondary School Pianists with soloists Keith Hempton/bass, Ruth Saffir/cello, Stephanie Wake –Dyster/clarinet and Kate Wyatt/soprano 3.00 Afternoon sessions with Michael Kieran Harvey including Piano Duet Seminar & Closing Panel with all presenters Geoffrey Parsons Award – Final Hartley Concert Room, Hartley Building, Elder Conservatorium, Kintore Ave, Adelaide
7.00 Jury chaired by Michael Kieran Harvey, Guest Soloist, Mark Gaydon, principal bassoon with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra performing the set work composed for the occasion by Stephen Whittington.
For Geoffrey Parsons Application Forms check the Guild website www.accompanist.org.au or contact the Convenor email or phone the Convenor
2011 ACCOMPANISTS’ GUILD FESTIVAL BIOGRAPHIES
Michael Kieran Harvey
Australian-based pianist Michael Kieran Harvey was born in Sydney and studied piano in Canberra with Alan Jenkins, at the Sydney Conservatorium under Gordon Watson, and at the Liszt Academy, Budapest, under the Director, Professor Sándor Falvai.
Michael Kieran Harvey regularly appears as soloist with all Australian Symphony orchestras. His career has been notable for its diversity and wide repertoire.Harvey has especially promoted the works of Australian composers, internationally and within Australia. He has premiered many new Australian concertos by composers such as Vine, Westlake, Grabowsky, Sitsky, Joseph and Conyngham. In Australia he has premiered important international works by Andriessen, Wolpe, Martino, Zappa, Jon Lord, Keith Emerson and Babbitt. He has performed and recorded most of Messiaen’s works involving piano to high critical acclaim, in 2005 releasing a live 3-CD recording of the Australian premiere of the entire “Catalogue d’oiseaux”.
Recently seven CDs were released on Move ranging from Harvey’s own music through new major works by Australian contemporaries, to works by emerging Japanese and Mexican composers, and a disc of early Messiaen and Shostakovitch. Tall Poppies last year released his CDs of the complete Vine piano music (including the 12 preludes written 2006) and the Westlake first sonata. Additionally a CD of American duos with violinist Miwako Abe was released on New World Records.
Michael Kieran Harvey’s distinctive pianism has been recognised by numerous national and international awards, including the Grand Prix in the Ivo Pogorelich Piano Competition (Pasadena), the Debussy Medal (Paris), four consecutive Australian “Mo” awards for best classical artist, the Australian government’s Centenary Medal for services to Australian music, and most recently he has been twice nominated for the Helpmann Award. His recordings are regularly nominated in the ARIAS and APRAS.
In 2005 the estate of the late Susan Remington established the Michael Kieran Harvey Scholarship to encourage future directions in keyboard art music. He is currently Adjunct Professor at the Tasmanian Conservatorium, Visiting artist at the Victorian College of the Arts and Fellow of the Faculty of Music, Melbourne University
Teresa la Rocca
Teresa La Rocca completed a drama and music degree at Adelaide University. She was a finalist in the ABC’s Young Performers’ Award and went on to win the State Opera Aria, the Herald-Sun Aria and the Metropolitan Opera Awards. Her roles for State Opera of South Australia (SOSA) have included, Norina in Don Pasquale, Parasha in Stravinsky’s Mavra, Yum Yum in The Mikado, Despina in Così fan Tutte and the soprano role in the highly acclaimed Flamma Flamma for the Adelaide Festival.
For the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Teresa has performed in their Symphony Under the Stars, A Viennese Gala, Handel’s Messiah and the soprano solo in Vaughan Williams’ Symphony Antarctica. She made her debut with Opera Australia singing Queen of Night in The Magic Flute and her major roles since with the national company have included Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro and The Milliner in Der Rosenkavalier; for OzOpera, she toured nationally as Musetta in La bohème and Micaela in Carmen.
In recent seasons, Teresa has appeared as soloist with the Sydney Symphony in their Amore series of concerts as well as Symphony in the Domain, starred in Viva Vivaldi for Vision Events in Perth, performed the title role in Bel Canto’s Lucia di Lammermoor, sang major roles in Co*Opera’s productions of Pagliacci and The Impresario and has been a frequent guest soloist with Sydney Philharmonia and the Melbourne, Adelaide, Darwin and Willoughby Symphony Orchestras. She made her debut with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 2006 and with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra the following year.
Recent appearances with Opera Australia have included Rosina in The Barber of Seville, the title role in Manon Lescaut and Marianne in Der Rosenkavalier; for SOSA – Liù in Turandot and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro.
In 2011, Teresa La Rocca will sing Lisa in La Sonnambula for SOSA and Berta in The Barber of Seville and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni for Opera Australia.
Natsuko Yoshimoto
Born in Japan, Natsuko began playing the violin at the age of three and won a full scholarship to study at the Yehudi Menuhin School in England when she was eleven. She received direct guidance and teaching under Lord Menuhin and Wen Zhou Li. She continued her studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester with distinction in 1998.
She has won many prizes in international competitions including the Wieniawski, the Yehudi Menuhin and the Tibor Varga. She received the Gold Medal in both the prestigious 1994 Shell/London Symphony Orchestra Competition and the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa Award. In 2007 Natsuko was presented with the Iwaki Award for outstanding achievement as a Japanese artist.
Natsuko has appeared frequently at major international festivals throughout Europe, U.S.A, Asia and Australia. As a chamber musician she has collaborated with artists such as Yehudi Menuhin, Heinz Holliger, Stephen Kovacevich, Brett Dean, Stephen Osbourne and Christina Ortiz.
In 1993, she was honoured to perform solo in the presence of the Queen and the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace. Her debut recital at London’s Wigmore Hall in 1998 with Freddy Kempf received widespread critical acclaim.
In great demand as a soloist, she has appeared with many world renowned orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia (London), Halle Orchestra, Odense Symphony (Denmark), Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic, Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, Hong Kong Sinfonietta and Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. She has worked with many leading conductors and formed a special relationship with both Yehudi Menuhin and Hiroyuki Iwaki over many years.
Currently Natsuko is Concertmaster with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. In 2001, she became the leader of the Australian String Quartet and then the Grainger Quartet and Sydney Soloists in 2006 to 2008. Additionally, Natsuko has given many master classes and workshops in renowned musical institutions and conservatoires around the world.
Natsuko has given many world premieres of works by Australia’s most prominent composers including a violin concerto by Gerard Brophy written for Natsuko and Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in November 2010. She has recorded for Virgin Classics, ABC Classics, Melba Records and Tall Poppies.
Dale Ringland
For over five decades, Dale Ringland has been one of Australia’s leading Musical Directors and accompanists. As a student he played french horn with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. By age sixteen he joined the Tivoli Circuit.
From rehearsal pianist to assistant conductor, Dale was invited to join J C Williamson Theatres and a fifteen year association as Musical Director followed.
Since then Dale has been associated with almost every major professional musical produced in Australia. He was responsible for productions including “Sweet Charity”, “Man of La Mancha”, “A Little Night Music”, “Gypsy”, “Irene”, “The Wiz”, “I Love My Wife”, “They’re Playing our Song”, “La Cage aux Folles”, “Sugar Babies”, “Anything Goes” and “Me and My Girl”. As orchestral pianist and repetiteur Dale has worked with “A Chorus Line”, “Cats”, “Phantom of the Opera”, “Song and Dance”, “Side by Side by Sondheim”, “Sweeney Todd”, “Sunday in the Park” and more.
Two years as conductor with the Australian Ballet led to engagements with The Bolshoi Ballet, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Sydney Festival Ballet during which time he worked major world ballet stars including Rudolph Nureyev, Dame Margot Fonteyn and Maina Geilgud . In 1978 Dale became Robyn’s Musical Director and accompanist, the partnership resulting in the major successes “Tonight: Lola Blau” and “A Star is Torn” both issued on CD. Other CDs as musical Director include “They’re Playing our Song” (gold record status) and “Anything Goes” (ARIA Award for best cast album of 1990 and was one of New York Playbill’s 12 best albums of the same year). As an Adelaide Cabaret Festival performer since its inception Dale has performed with Maria Freedman, Bernadette Peters, Maltby and Shire and Michael Feinstein.
Dale is currently pianist with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (18 years) and has been principal repetiteur with State Opera of South Australia for the last decade as well as being a busy accompanist in Adelaide’s music circles.
In 2010 Dale was recipient of the Adelaide Critic’s Circle life achievement award. In 2011 he was awarded Honorary Life Membership of the Accompanists’ Guild.
Dr Arabella Teniswood-Harvey
Arabella studied piano at the Victorian College of the Arts (Bachelor of Music Performance Honours), the Australian National Academy of Music (Advanced Performance Program) and the University of Melbourne (Master of Music). Her teachers have included Stephen McIntyre, Caroline Almonte, Michael Kieran Harvey, Ian Munro and Donna Coleman. She also holds a Graduate Diploma in Arts (Art History) from the University of Melbourne and a Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) from Monash University. Her PhD research considered James McNeill Whistler’s interest in music, and the impact that this had on his art practice. She was awarded her doctorate in December 2006 and and has articles published in The British Art Journal, Music in Art, and The Burlington Magazine. (2011)
Arabella maintains an active career as soloist and chamber musician. She has performed with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, the State Orchestra of Victoria, Chamber Made Opera and the Melbourne Chorale, and has appeared in the Melbourne International Festival and the University of Glasgow’s concert series. She has also presented lecture-recitals at the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery (Glasgow) and the Murray Conservatorium of Music Piano Festival; and was invited to open the
National Gallery of Australia travelling exhibition ‘An Artist Abroad: The Prints of James McNeill Whistler’ at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in 2007, and to speak at ‘10 x 10 x 10: Architecture, Art and Sound’ for the Australian Institute of Architects TAS in 2008.
In December 2008, Dr Teniswood-Harvey was elected to the National Committee of the Musicological Society of Australia (MSA) and she is also Events Co-ordinator for the MSA’s Tasmanian Chapter. She is a recipient of a New Appointees’ Research Grant to investigate the solo piano music of Elisabeth Lutyens. Arabella is a sought-after presenter of pre-concert talks for the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. She is currently on staff at the University of Tasmania, where she teaches art theory, music history and classical piano.
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