Tag: piano

LMC free concert to debut in Kirkland on Friday, February 9 preceded by Kirkland Art Walk

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Come and see LMC members and guest artist perform Spanish vocal and piano music, Korean songs, and a Mendelssohn trio in d minor at starting at 7:30pm at St. John’s Episcopal Church, a new venue as part of LMC’s annual free concert series throughout the Seattle metropolitan area. Click for directions and concert details.

Come early and check out Kirkland’s Art Walk where you can visit downtown Kirkland galleries and businesses and meet with local Kirkland artists.

Karin McCullough (karinmcculloughpiano.com) took the less-traveled road: a serious pianist while growing up, she reluctantly suppressed her aspirations and instead became a paralegal. One day she was asked to accompany opera singers every Friday night at a bistro (a gig which lasted five years). By then her popularity as accompanist, soloist, and teacher allowed her to trade her full-time law career for one in music. Karin maintains a flourishing piano studio in Ballard and performs frequently in the Seattle area. Karin serves on the Board of Directors of Bach in the Subways Inc. and is Program Director for Haller Lake Music Series.

Soprano Ki-Jung Jun completed her Master’s degree at New York University and was in the emerging artist program at Pacific Opera in New York City. Her operatic roles there included Nora (Riders to the Sea), First Knitter (A Game of Chance), Princess (L’enfant et les sortileges) and the role of Hyangdan in Chun-Hyang-Jeon, an opera celebrating the 100th anniversary of Korean immigration in America. In the Northwest, her most recent opera role is Giulietta (Cover) in Bellini’s I Capuletti ed i Montecchi and Caterina in Mascagni’s L’Amico Fritz with Puget Sound Concert Opera.

Joan Lundquist has served as a collaborative pianist for Seattle area musicians and organizations for 30 years. Since moving to the area from Humboldt State University in northern California, where she was staff accompanist, Joan has worked with the Northwest Boychoir, Seattle Choral Company, has taught at Seattle University and Northwest University, and has worked with several area private music teachers. Currently, Ms. Lundquist is the Director of Music at Immanuel Lutheran Church in downtown Seattle and rehearsal accompanist for the Seattle Choral Company.

Ann Rackl, violinist, is the former assistant concertmaster of Philharmonia Northwest chamber orchestra, where she has been a member since 1976. She holds a Master of Music Education degree from the University of Montana, and has studied violin with Emanuel Zetlin and Martin Friedmann in Seattle. Formerly a private violin instructor, these days she especially enjoys playing chamber music.

Lawrence Chu, cellist, is a native of the Seattle area, and currently resides in Bellevue with his wife and two children. His former instructors include Phyllis Allport, Frances Walton and Eva Heinitz. He has been practicing Emergency medicine locally for the past 26 years. He would like to thank Ann and Selina for this opportunity to make music together.

Selina Chu has a special place in her heart for all types of ensemble playing, from duo-piano recitals to dance collaboration. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Washington, and her Master of Music from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. A nationally certified member of Music Teachers National Association, Selina has maintained an independent piano studio in Issaquah since 1998.

SPU Faculty member Janene Nelson makes directorial debut with LMC Opera Jan 14 and 21

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Janene Nelson, SPU vocal faculty and LMC performing member makes directorial debut with LMC opera this month with performances on January 14 at the West Seattle Library and January 21 at Mirabella in South Lake Union, Seattle. Ms. Nelson leads a cast of four singers and one pianist presenting a historical timeline tracing opera from its genesis through the early classical era of Christoph Willibald Gluck. Other notable debut performances include Seattle Opera teaching artist Darrell J. Jordan, baritone and noted Baroque specialist, Lisa Cardwell Pontén of the St. James Cantorei. Biographies of all three artists are below.

 

Janene Nelson is a Seattle-area mezzo-soprano whose “gorgeously sung” performances range from opera and oratorio to early music. Her operatic roles include Dorabella, Third Lady, Prince Orlofsky, Miss Todd, and Nicklaus, and her recent oratorio performances include Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, and J.S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor. Janene was a founding member of the early music ensemble Vox Resonat from 2011-2014 and sang with the Oregon Bach Festival for seven seasons as a member of the Berwick Chorus. She holds a doctorate in vocal performance and arts administration from the University of Oregon and is currently on the voice faculty at Seattle Pacific University.

In demand as a recitalist and concert soloist, Darrell J. Jordan’s  recent solo concert engagements have been with Amherst Early Music Festival, the Odyssey Chamber Music Series, Rolla Choral Arts Society, Choral Arts Alliance of Missouri, the Missouri Symphony, the Southside Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Toledo Symphony. Opera credits include Winter Opera Saint Louis, St. Louis Opera Collective, Haymarket Opera Company, Gateway Opera, the Institute for 17th Century Music, the Show-Me Opera, Lawrence Opera Theatre. He will make his Puget Sound Concert Opera debut in the fall of 2017. Additionally, Mr. Jordan is on the Teaching Artist roster for the Seattle Opera. He can be heard as the baritone soloist on the album St. Lawrence Psalter. He is a member and co-founder of the nationally recognized professional vocal chamber ensemble, Vox Nova.

Lisa Cardwell Pontén has performed throughout the Pacific Northwest, both as a soprano soloist and a professional choral singer. She has had solo appearances with ensembles such as Northwest Sinfonietta, Seattle Baroque Orchestra, Seattle Pro Musica, Northwest Chamber Chorus, Baroque Northwest, Opus 7 and The Tudor Choir. She is a regular member of Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble, The Emerald Ensemble and the St. James Cathedral Cantorei. Lisa also records soundtracks for film and video games, maintains a private voice studio for teenagers and adults, and frequently adjudicates for contests and competitions. One of her very favorite summer activities is serving on the faculty of Midsummer Musical Retreat, a camp for amateur adult musicians on the Whitman College campus in beautiful Walla, Walla, WA. Lisa received her Masters of Music in Early Music Performance from Indiana University.

 

Celebrating the 2nd Anniversary of LMC’s Piano loan to Seattle Central Library

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LMC celebrates partnership with the Seattle Public Library to Improve the Classical Music Experience for Audiences and Performers

2016 LMC President Lynn Muehleisen with Karen Spiel, Seattle Public Library Regional Manager

On Wednesday, January 10, 2018, the Ladies Musical Club and the Seattle Public Library will celebrate the second anniversary of our expanded partnership in fostering the love of classical music in our community. In 2016, the installation of a Steinway B grand piano in the Central Branch Library on long term loan greatly improved the performance experience for both audience and performer. “It is our firm belief that a quality instrument heightens the musical experience for audience and performer” says concerts trustee, Regina Thomas, “so we consider improving the condition of pianos in our performance venues a service to both our membership and the community as whole.”

 

piano dedication to eleanor hale wilson

President Muehleisen with Eleanor Hale Wilson Trustee, Steve Erickson

The installation of the Steinway gave LMC an opportunity to honor long-time member and benefactor Eleanor Hale Wilson. In December of 2010, LMC received an unexpected and amazing gift from the Eleanor and Raymond Wilson Charitable Trust.  Music was the principal focus of Eleanor Hale Wilson’s life.  She was a cellist, a graduate of the University of Washington and an active member of Ladies Musical Club.  She served as national president of the music honorary society, Mu Phi Epsilon and taught piano to local youth into her 90’s.  She and her husband led a quiet life but generated the means for extraordinary generosity.  With their help, LMC and many other local programs will continue to enrich the culture of Seattle and Washington State. Trustee of the Eleanor Hale Wilson Estate, Steve Erickson was present at the dedication of the Steinway honoring her.

Risa Jun and Dr. Yelena Balabanova

January 10, 2018 Anniversary concert

The concert on January 10 will feature songs by Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936), Fernando Obradors (1897-1945), Enrique Granados (1867-1916), and Ruperto Chapí (1851-1909) sung by soprano, Clarice Warrick with Lucy Wenger on the piano. Risa Jun and special guest artist, Dr. Yelena Balabanova will conclude with program of piano duets to show off the beauty and richness of this fine instrument.

 

 

 

 

LMC premieres new works by Australian, British and American Composers on December 7

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Thursday, December 7 at the Seattle Art Museum features premieres by cogan, marshall and anderson.

Thursday, December 7 at noon
Seattle Art Museum
Plestcheff Auditorium
1300 First Ave, Seattle WA
*All our Concerts are Free and open to the Public*

​LMC member Jill Carlsen and guest performers from the active Puget Sound recorder community will present a West Coast premiere of the recorder quartet Sughisti, written in 2014 by Racheal Cogan. This composition features an alto recorder with three types of bass recorder: standard bass in F (sometimes affectionately referred to as the “baby bass”), Great Bass in C, and Contrabass, an octave lower than the baby bass.

Ms. Cogan composed Sughisti as a gift for Geri Bollinger, who is the maker of the Küng bass recorders featured in her piece. She writes that he came across her website with a photo of her holding one of his bass recorders, heard her music, and sent her an email. This became the start of their friendship.

She goes on to describe that while they corresponded from their respective homes in Canada and Switzerland, they discovered a shared love for cooking and bottling tomato sauces from their summer harvests. (Or maybe a necessity in her case​? She adds, this was “All to ferret away for the long, insistently cold and icy Winter in Alberta.”)

Geri referred to his tomato sauce using the Italian word, “sugo.” Sughisti are the sauce makers. You can get a “taste of sugo” on YouTube. Ms. Cogan was born in Australia and has lived in various parts of the world. Her extensive time in Greece is reflected in many of her works, including Sughisti. She currently lives in Montreal.

 

The program is rounded out by two contemporary vocal works.

The US premiere of British composer, Nicholas Marshall’s song cycle The Birds, for soprano, recorder and piano.

And, rounding out the program is the winter themed song cycle composed by LMC’s own Janet Anderson, For Snow.

UPS Voice Chair, Dawn Padula makes LMC Debut

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December 2 program at the Frye Art Museum to feature Dawn Padula, mezzo-soprano and Hilary Field, guitar

 

University of Puget Sound Director of Vocal Studies, Dawn Padula, mezzo-soprano makes her LMC debut on Saturday, December 2 at the Frye Art Museum.

Dr. Padula will perform Maurice Ravel’s Histoires Naturelles (Natural Histories) a song cycle of poems about various animals and will be accompanied by Joan Lundquist on piano. Dr. Padula’s detailed biography, recordings and upcoming performances can be found at dawnpadula.com

Hilary Field, guitar is a former Frances Walton Competition winner

The other half of the one-hour program will be international performing and recording artist Hilary Field, guitar, performing works of her own composition. Find out more about Hilary at hilaryfield.com.

*The five songs of Histoires Naturelles are:

  1. Le paon (The peacock) – The peacock is described as waiting in his finery for the peahen he is to marry. She does not appear, but his vanity makes him confident that she will come tomorrow.
  2. Le grillon (The cricket) – The cricket returns to his home at the end of the day and obsessively puts it in order, before burrowing deep into the earth.
  3. Le cygne (The swan) – The swan is distracted by reflections in the water, confusing the image of his own neck for a woman’s arm. Each time he plunges his beak into the water vainly fishing for reflections he brings out a worm, and so grows fat.
  4. Le martin-pêcheur (The kingfisher) – A fisherman is pleased and proud that a beautiful kingfisher has just perched on his fishing rod before eventually flying on.
  5. La pintade (The guinea fowl) – The guinea fowl is ugly and belligerent, attacking the hens and even the turkey in the farmyard. She occasionally gives them some respite when she leaves the yard to lay an egg out of sight, in the countryside.

*Song descriptions taken from Wikipedia.org.

For detailed program information see our web calendar.

All of our concerts are FREE and open to the public.