We’re live from the travel section of McNally Robinson Booksellers for Music Talk from McNally!
The SSO’s Mark Turner is joined by Nicolas Ellis who leads the SSO in what promises to be a stunning performance of Stravinsky’s Firebird on May 6, 2023. Turner and Ellis will also chat about the other music on the program including Liszt’s Les Préludes, Tailleferre’s Petite Suite pour Orchestre, and Strauss’ Four Lieder featuring the stunning voice of soprano Danika Lorèn.
Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra
For their invitation to collaborate for this Broadway spectacular!
All Fireside Singers
For their commitment of time and talent, making this evening possible.
TCU Place
for the use of the Rehearsal venues and stage
Emcee
Mark Turner
Conductor
Armand Birk
Artistic Director
Marilyn Whitehead
Pianist and Collaborator
Bonnie Nicholson
Choreographer & Stage Manager
Kelsey Stone
Fireside Coordinators
Meaghan Dormuth and Kennedy Siba
Fireside Production Team
Marilyn Whitehead, Bonnie Nicholson, Kelsey Stone, Kennedy Siba, Kristin Siba, Meaghan Dormuth, Cheryl Kiefer, Brit Tastad, Sarah Chapman
Back Stage Managers
Cheryl Kiefer, Brit Tastad, Tommy Banman, Jennifer Brookman
Program
Megan Grier
Digital Capture & Streaming
ConcertStream Productions: Yash Kathrotia, Matthew Praksas, Darrel Bueckert, and Mark Turner
Media, Publicity, and Promotion
Kennedy Siba, Meaghan Dormuth, Jordie Hughton, Trevor Wingerter, Keara Van Olst, Global TV, Stephen Nicholson, TCU Place, Je Rogstad – CTV, Rawlco Radio, Megan Grier, Brenda Hyland, Sarah Manafo, Robin Burlingham.
Costumes and Wardrobe
Sarah Chapman, Meaghan Dormuth, Gwenda MacPherson, Jan Sedgewick, Persephone Theatre, St. Joseph High School
Photography
Stephen Nicholson
Zoom Communications
Jody Coller, Meaghan Dormuth, Damon Tupper, Yash Kathrotia
Our sincere thanks to all parent volunteers
For those parents providing supervision and leadership of rehearsals and performances
Marilyn is recognized throughout Western Canada as a teacher, choral director, accompanist and adjudicator. Her students have received numerous scholarships and awards at music festivals at the local, provincial, and national level. They have also consistently been gold medal recipients for examinations through the Toronto Conservatory of Music. Marilyn’s Fireside Singers, founded in 1972, have achieved national recognition, having been awarded first place honours on five occasions at the National Festival competitions. The choir has delighted audience with spectacular Christmas Memories concerts and dynamic Broadway productions.
Marilyn received the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in 2002 and the Saskatchewan Choral Federation Pro Musica Award 2012 for her contributions to the arts in Saskatoon. She is past president of the Saskatoon Registered Teachers Association and for decades has been an active member of the Saskatoon Music Festival Association. This fall, Marilyn was invested with the Saskatchewan Order of Merit as well as the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal, recognizing a legacy of contribution to the arts in Saskatchewan.
Marilyn received her early musical training from Sister Joan Miller, Douglas Voice, and her mentor Sister Dolores Schneider. She continued her studies with Francis Adaskin, Dr. Lyell Gustin, and Robin Harrison and later had the opportunity to study with Jean Marie Scott and Barbara Collier. She received her ARCT diploma from the Toronto Conservatory of Music for Performance in Voice and Piano. She is indebted to Robert Solem, Dwaine Nelson, David Kaplan, and Robert Klose for their inspiration while she obtained a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Saskatchewan, and to Sheila Shinkewski and Bonnie Nicholson for their support, inspiration and special friendship.
Marilyn is grateful for the support and love of her husband Ed, who is not only her best friend but her confidant, offering the Fireside Singers his endless energy, brilliant organizational skills and constant creative advice.
Bonnie Nicholsons is a pianist, teacher and chamber musician from Saskatoon, SK. Her degrees include a Bachelor of Music (Performance, 1984), and a Master of Arts Degree from the University of Saskatchewan (1987), as well as an A.R.C.T. in Piano Performance from the R.C.M. (1984). Teachers and influences are varied and include her mentor Robin Harrison (Saskatoon), Janet Wendland (Prince Albert), Mark Westcott (Summer School, Vancouver, B.C.) and Claude Savard (Academie d’Orford).
Since 1986, Bonnie has served as a Sessional Lecturer in Piano at the Department of Music, U of S, in Saskatoon. As part of her solo and teaching career, she has received many awards, including the U of S College of Arts and Science Distinguished teacher Award for BA, BFA, and BMus Programs (2018) and the 2020 Teacher of Distinction Award from the Royal Conservatory of Music.
In June of 2012, Bonnie fulfilled a life long dream to tour and teach in China, visiting Universities in five major Chinese cities with saxophonist, Dr. Glen Gillis. In July of 2015, Bonnie accompanied Dr. Gillis at the International Saxophone Congress in Strasbourg, France and again at the 2018 Congress in Zagreb, Croatia.
Bonnie Nicholson appears on CD with pianist Dianne Gryba, bass-baritone Henri Loiselle, the Saskatoon Children’s Choir, the Saskatoon Fireside Singers, trumpeter Dean McNeill’s disc entitled “Melange”, and saxophonist Glen Gillis’ three discs entitled “SaxSpectrum” 1, 2 and 3.
Bonnie feels lucky to have two amazing sons and two fabulous daughter-in-laws. She loves to travel the world with soul-mate Stephen, and they are proud grandparents to Eli and Margo Lynn. It is a pleasure and honour to make music with the Fireside Family and to celebrate Marilyn for her 50 spectacular years!
Trained at La Danse in Saskatoon, Kelsey has participated in many exams, competed and adjudicated at different festivals across Canada and performed in musicals around the country. She is currently the Acro and Musical Theatre instructor at La Danse and has
received many awards for her groups and solos. Choreo credits: Footloose (BNTC), Annie (BNTC, SSP), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Fireside), Aida (Fireside), Fireside Christmas Memories, Beauty and the Beast (Fireside), Oliver! (Fireside), Les Miserables (Fireside), Jesus Christ Superstar (Fireside), The Wizard of OZ (Fireside), The Hunchback of Notre Dam (Fireside), Evita (Fireside). Performance credits: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Narrator, SSP), RENT (Maureen, SSP), Cabaret (Sally, SSP),
Beauty and the Beast (Belle, BNTC), Footloose (Rusty, BNTC), Annie (Grace, BNTC).
Kelsey co-founded the award winning theatre company Ppl r Ppl Productions and credits include: The Last Five Years (Cathy), The Rocky Horror Show (Choreographer), Avenue Q (Kate Monster, Choreographer) and Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey, Choreographer), [title of show] (Heidi, Choreographer). Kelsey is determined to grow and foster the love for dance and musical theatre in Saskatchewan and especially help young people gain confidence through the arts.
This year marks 50 years of sharing powerful and engaging music performances for The Fireside Singers. They are thrilled to be collaborating with the SSO again to celebrate this milestone. The Fireside Singers performed previously with the SSO in October 2016 for their “On Broadway” concert. The Fireside Singers’ concerts and theatre productions proudly showcase the amazing choir of gifted singers, stunning vocal soloists, as well as internationally recognized instrumentalists. Their repertoire continues to delight audiences with their wide
variety of musical genres, from classical to contemporary. Previously, The Fireside Singers have been awarded First Place at the National Music Festival Competition on five occasions, recorded seven albums, and produced 12 full-scale Broadway productions including Children of Eden (2007), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2008), Aida (2009), Beauty and the Beast (2010), Oliver (2011), Fiddler on the Roof (2012), Les Misérables (Spring 2013 and Fall 2013), Jesus Christ Superstar (2014), The Wizard of Oz (2015), Pippin (2017), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (2018), and Evita (2019). As with every successful production it is essential to draw from the talents and expertise of many people. The Fireside Singers production team is led by the groups Founder and Artistic Director Marilyn Whitehead, Orchestral Director and Artistic Collaborator Bonnie Nicholson, and Stage Director and Choreographer Kelsey Stone. Additional members of the production team include Kennedy Siba, Meaghan Dormuth, Kristin Siba, Sarah Chapman, and Cheryl Kiefer. Marilyn is grateful, humbled and honoured to share the stage with all of these marvelous individuals who have committed countless hours of their time and talent to maintaining the standard of excellence the group has established for 50 years and counting!
Sri Lankan-born Canadian Dinuk Wijeratne is a JUNO and multi-award-winning composer, conductor, and pianist who has been described by the New York Times as ‘exuberantly creative’, by the Toronto Star as ‘an artist who reflects a positive vision of our cultural future’, and by the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra as ‘a modern polymath’. His boundary-crossing work sees him equally at home in collaborations with symphony orchestras and string quartets, tabla players and DJs, and takes him to international venues as poles apart as the Berlin Philharmonie and the North Sea Jazz Festival.
Dinuk was featured as a main character in ‘What would Beethoven do?’ – the 2016 documentary about innovation in classical music featuring Eric Whitacre, Bobby McFerrin and Ben Zander. Forthcoming projects include new works for Grammy-winning baritone Elliot Madore (featuring Dinuk as pianist) and Grammy-nominated mandolinist Avi Avital, the test piece for the Banff International String Quartet Competition 2022, and conducting debuts with the Calgary Philharmonic and Qatar Philharmonic, Doha.
Dinuk made his Carnegie Hall debut while still a student in 2004 as a composer, conductor, and pianist performing with Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. A second Carnegie appearance followed in 2009, alongside tabla legend Zakir Hussain. Dinuk has also appeared at the BoulezSaal (Berlin), Kennedy Center (Washington DC), Opéra Bastille (Paris), Lincoln Center (New York), Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires), Sri Lanka, Japan, and across the Middle East. Dinuk grew up in Dubai before taking up composition studies at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester, UK. In 2001, he was invited by Oscar-winning composer John Corigliano to join his studio at New York’s Juilliard School. Conducting studies followed at New York’s Mannes College of Music, and doctoral studies under Christos Hatzis at the University of Toronto.
Dinuk has composed specially for almost all of the artists and ensembles with whom he has performed; to name a few: Suzie LeBlanc, David Jalbert, James Ehnes, Kinan Azmeh, Bev Johnston, Joseph Petric, Sandeep Das, Tim Garland, Ed Thigpen, Ramesh Misra, Barry Guy, Eric Vloeimans, Buck 65, DJ Skratch Bastid, the Gryphon Trio, the Afiara, Danel & Cecilia String Quartets, the Apollo Saxophone Quartet, TorQ Percussion, and the Symphony orchestras of Toronto, Vancouver, the National Arts Centre, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Buffalo, Illinois, Fresno, Asheville, Saskatoon, Windsor, Victoria, PEI, and Thunder Bay. Dinuk is the only artist to have served both as Conductor-in-Residence and Composer-in-Residence of a Canadian orchestra (Symphony Nova Scotia).
A passionate educator, Dinuk is committed to helping emerging and mid-career classical artists navigate the classical music industry in today’s increasingly complex, diverse, and globalized world. As a Creativity Consultant he serves private clients as well as students of the Banff Centre (Evolution Classical) and Toronto’s Glenn Gould School. His educational guide ‘Define Your Artistic Voice’ was downloaded 150 times from his blog within the first two days of its release. Dinuk also served as Music Director of the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra for thirteen seasons. He is also the recipient of the Canada Council Jean-Marie Beaudet award for orchestral conducting; the NS Established Artist Award; NS Masterworks nominations for his Tabla Concerto and piano trio Love Triangle; double Merritt Award nominations; Juilliard, Mannes, & Countess of Munster scholarships; the Sema Jazz Improvisation Prize; the Soroptimist International Award for Composer-Conductors; and the Sir John Manduell Prize – the RNCM’s highest student honour. His music and collaborative work embrace the great diversity of his international background and influences.
Dynamic performer Shawn Mativetsky is considered one of Canada’s leading ambassadors of the tabla, and is a pioneer in bridging the worlds of Western and Indian classical music. Acclaimed as an exceptional soloist and a leading disciple of the renowned Pandit Sharda Sahai, Shawn Mativetsky is highly sought-after as both performer and educator, and is active in the promotion of the tabla and North Indian classical music through lectures, workshops, and performances across Canada and internationally. Based in Montreal, Shawn teaches tabla and percussion at McGill University. His most recent solo tabla album, Rivers, is rooted in the rich traditions of the Benares style of tabla playing. Shawn’s new book, RUDIMENTAAL, features compositions for snare drum, inspired by the tabla drumming of North India.
As a practitioner of Indian classical music, Shawn regularly gives solo tabla performances, as well as accompanying kathak dance and instrumental artists. Since 2003, Shawn has been affiliated with the Pandit Ram Sahai Foundation (UK/India), and in the summers of 2006 and 2008, hosted tabla maestro Pandit Sharda Sahai’s annual summer tabla workshop. Since 2011, Shawn has been hosting his own annual summer tabla workshop at McGill University. In recent years, he has been working closely with santoor player Jonathan Voyer, sitarist Uwe Neumann, and kathak dancer Sudeshna Maulik.
Shawn has performed numerous recitals around the world, and has been featured in the International Pharos Contemporary Music Festival (Cyprus), Clazz International Music Festival (Italy), Pontio / Music @ Bangor, Vale of Glamorgan Festival (Wales), Shastra Festival, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (USA), Sound Symposium, Windsor Canadian Music Festival, New Music in New Spaces, Groundswell, Western Front, Open Space, VICO’s Global Soundscapes Festival, Festival Montréal Baroque, Jusqu’aux Oreilles, Evolutions, Voyages: Montréal-New York, Festival International du Domaine Forget, New Works Calgary, and Music Toronto (Canada). As an ensemble musician, Shawn Mativetsky performs with trio Mativetsky, Amiri & Pagé, violinist Parmela Attariwala’s cross-cultural Attar Project, Indo-fusion group Ragleela, very long cat, a tabla / electronic music duo with live coder David Ogborn, the improv trio Of Sound, Mind and Body, with Tim Brady and Helmut Lipsky, and percussion group Ensemble Duniya. A versatile studio musician, Shawn has appeared on albums by Elsiane, Joel Miller, Yann Perreau, Elephant Stone, Suzie Leblanc, Ramachandra Borcar, and Daniel Lavoie. Regular performances with Galitcha have led to concerts across Canada and the US, as well as tours to France and Tunisia, the chance to play with guest musicians such as Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Salil Bhatt, Harry Manx, and Yves Lambert, as well as a performance for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, during their visit to Canada.
A note from composer Dinuk Wijeratne about his Tabla Concerto:
1. Canons, Circles
2. Folk song: ‘White in the moon the long road lies
(that leads me from my love)’
3. Garland of Gems
While the origins of the Tabla are somewhat obscure, it is evident that this ‘king’ of Indian percussion instruments has achieved global popularity for the richness of its timbre, and for the virtuosity of a rhythmically complex repertoire that cannot be separated from the instrument itself. In writing a large-scale work for Tabla and Symphony Orchestra, it is my hope to allow each entity to preserve its own aesthetic. Perhaps, at the same time, the stage will be set for some new discoveries.
While steeped in tradition, the Tabla lends itself heartily to innovation, and has shown its cultural versatility as an increasingly sought-after instrument in contemporary Western contexts such as Pop, Film Music, and World Music Fusion. This notion led me to conceive of an opening movement that would do the not-so-obvious by placing the Tabla first in a decidedly non-Indian context. Here, initiated by a quasi-Baroque canon in four parts, the music quickly turns into an evocation of one my favourite genres of electronic music: ‘Drum-&-Bass’, characterised by rapid ‘breakbeat’ rhythms in the percussion. Of course, there are some North-Indian Classical musical elements present. The whole makes for a rather bizarre stew that reflects globalisation, for better or worse!
A brief second movement becomes a short respite from the energy of the outer movements, and offers a perspective of the Tabla as accompanist in the lyrical world of Indian folk-song. Set in ‘dheepchandhi’, a rhythmic cycle of 14 beats, the gently lilting gait of theTabla rhythm supports various melodic fragments that come together to form an ephemeral love-song.
Typically, a Tabla player concluding a solo recital would do so by presenting a sequence of short, fixed (non-improvised) compositions from his/her repertoire. Each mini-composition, multi-faceted as a little gem, would often be presented first in the form of a vocal recitation. The traditional accompaniment would consist of a drone as well as a looping melody outlining the time cycle – a ‘nagma’ – against which the soloist would weave rhythmically intricate patterns of tension and release. I wanted to offer my own take on a such a recital finale, with the caveat that the orchestra is no bystander. In this movement, it is spurred on by the soloist to share in some of the rhythmic complexity. The whole movement is set in ‘teentaal’, or 16-beat cycle, and in another departure from the traditional norm, my nagma kaleidoscopically changes colour from start to finish. I am indebted to Ed Hanley for helping me choose several ‘gems’ from the Tabla repertoire, although we have certainly had our own fun in tweaking a few, not to mention composing a couple from scratch.
© Dinuk Wijeratne 2011
Our featured Vibrant Light soloist Shawn Mativetsky is a course lecturer at the Schulich School of Music. He was a part of Shulich’s Short Form Studies and created a guide that takes you through rhythmic applications inspired by the music of North India. It begins with an introduction to the tabla and includes a permutation exercise to include in your practice sessions!
It’s a great introduction to the tabla and a sneak peek into what we will experience with Dinuk Wijeratne’s Tabla Concerto.