ArtsFest Concert
7:30 p.m. April 24
Free to all
An integral part of Marianopolis College’s annual arts celebration, this year’s ArtsFest concert was a singular evening of musical showmanship.
The annual musical destination's wide breadth of styles reflects the calibre of musicians educated at Marianopolis and the College's rich music-education history. No other school offers budding musicians the ability to take private music lessons and ensembles at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, one of the world’s top-ranked music faculties.
Marianopolis is honoured to have shared this unique musical evening with the community at large. The concert included performances from, among others:
Alumni
After graduating from Marianopolis in 1999, Charlotte Corwin received her Master’s in Vocal Performance and Opera from McGill University. A member of the Atelier Lyrique de L’Opéra de Montréal from 2005 to 2008, she debuted as Juliette with L’Opera de Quebec in 2007. On the concert stage, Charlotte has performed with many of Quebec’s leading orchestras and choral groups, including Les Violons du Roi Cantabile Chorus and Orchestra, St. Lawrence Choir and I Medici di McGill. At the ArtsFest concert, she performed “Gavotte” from Manon by Jules Massenet and “Von ewiger liebe” by Johannes Brahms.
- After studying a wide variety of musical styles, Kyle Irving-Moroz ’07 now focuses on repertoire from the Baroque period. One of the few students studying with renowned musician Susie Napper, he is exploring the foreign soundscape of the Baroque era on cello and on the viola da gamba.
Mika Putterman '94 is one of Canada's brightest up-and-coming baroque flute players. After receiving her Bachelor's degree with honours from McGill University, she attended the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. She graduated with high distinction from the Koninklijk Conservatorium of Brussels. Mika is the artistic director of Autour de la flute, an ensemble which features the wooden flute from the baroque era to the romantic era. Autour de la flute was nominated in 2007 for an Opus prize. Her latest CD, Telemann: Tutti flauti, on which she appears as a soloist, was nominated for both an Opus prize and a Juno award. At the concert, she performed Vivaldi Spring from the Four Seasons.
- The winner of the 2007 Prix d’expression musicale, pianist Rosa Pyon ’07 is studying at the University of Montreal. She has won numerous other local and international competitions.
Current students
- Recently named one of Radio Canada's rising stars, mezzo-soprano Emilie Ellis ’09 plans to continue her musical studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London, England after she graduates from Marianopolis this spring. She won second place at this year's Prix d'expression musicale.
- The winner of this year’s Prix d’expression musicale, Justin Lamy ’09 took up the violin at age 5 and studied at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec from 1998 to 2002. Last summer, he joined the International Orchestral Academy of the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival in Germany.
- The winner of the 2008 Prix d’expression musicale, soprano Léa Weilbrenner-Lebeau ’09 has sung in choirs since the age of 5. Before coming to Marianopolis, she studied voice with Christiane Riel. She also plays clarinet and cello.
- Mengjie Xiong ’09 began playing piano at age 4. She has participated in several competitions, from the Canada Music Competition to the World Piano Competition Junior to the Montreal Symphonic Orchestra Junior.
Faculty
- Cellist and Marianopolis chamber music coach Gwendolyn Smith has been guest soloist with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, L’Orchestre de la francophonie candadienne and Orchestra London Canada. She has performed with violinists Scott St. John and Geoff Nuttall, as well as cellists David Geringas and Mischa Maisky at Switzerland's Verbier Festival. She performed on cello with violinist Justin Lamy and pianist Mengjie Xiong.
