2010 The Geoffrey Parsons Award Announcement
The Accompanists’ Guild of SA Media Release Adelaide: 17 February 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Accompanists’ Guild of South Australia invites interested pianists to enter one of Australia’s most prestigious prizes for Accompanists, The Geoffrey Parsons Award. The Geoffrey Parsons Award is named in memory of the Guild’s founding international patron, Australian accompanist Geoffrey Parsons, who died in 1995. For 45 years Geoffrey lived in London where he was an acclaimed accompanist particularly for singers. He regularly accompanied Elizabeth Schwarkzopf, Victoria de los Angeles, Dame Janet Baker, Olaf Bär, Yvonne Kenny and Barbara Bonney. The competition occurs in two parts, an audition in which competitors perform works of their own choice with their own soloist, followed by a set song and sight reading with the Guild soloist. Three competitors from the auditions will be selected to perform in the Final. Founder and Secretary of the Guild, Diana Harris says, “The…
An Afternoon of ART SONG to OPERA
Adelaide: Friday 6 March 2009 for immediate release On Sunday 22 March, the Accompanists’ Guild and the Australian National Association of Teachers of Singing will present Art Song to Opera – a half day Seminar. First scheduled as “American Song Seminar” arising from the PhD research of Nicole Panizza, the Guild has changed topic and pianist because, for reasons beyond her control, Nicole is unable to leave Ireland. Given extremely short notice, the Accompanists’ Guild’s national connections with leading accompanists and repetiteurs have proven invaluable. An experienced pianist was urgently needed to front the seminar and to rehearse in Sydney with Opera Australia soprano, Teresa La Rocca. He was found – in Perth – conducting L’elisir d’amore for WA Opera and miraculously available on March 22. As a conductor, pianist, repetiteur, chorus master and vocal coach Simon Kenway’s expertise is centred on opera and art song but not with a particular…