ASL 2015: Pianist, Alison d'Amato

One of the driving forces behind Art Song Lab, Co-Director Alison d'Amato is excited to be one of our three pianists for ASL 2015.

Pianist Dr. Alison d’Amato is a dynamic and versatile musician, committed to performing and teaching in the full spectrum of collaborative musical genres. A valued member of several pioneering organizations, she is Artistic Co-Director of Florestan Recital Project (www.florestanproject.org) and co-founder of the Vancouver International Song Institute (VISI, www.songinstitute.ca). Among her current initiatives is the Academy for Collaborative Performance, a new summer program with Florestan Recital Project that explores interdisciplinary collaborations and new approaches to the performer-audience relationship. In all these activities, Alison is dedicated to energizing the relationships and communication inherent in music.

Here is Alison d'Amato performing with contralto Lynne McMurtry at the ASL 2014 final concert.


Apply today for the chance to work with a pianist who works tirelessly for the advancement of words and music!

ASL 2015: Tenor, Will George

We are thrilled to announce that tenor, Will George will be returning for a third year with Art Song Lab in 2015!

Tenor William George has performed with many international musical organizations, including Los Angeles Opera, San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, Hong Kong Arts Festival, the Savonlinna (Finland) Festival, the Aldeburgh (England) Festival, the Stockholm Tonsattarfestival, Philippines Symphony, Elysium Festival and at Carnegie Hall.
A specialist in contemporary music, Mr. George has sung several prestigious North American premieres, including the role of Hermes in Sir Michael Tippett's King Priam, the world premiere of Enigma by electronic composer Barry Truax (a work that was composed for him) with Vancouver New Music, Edgar Allen Poe in Augusta Read Thomas’ Ligeia, and Kenneth Leighton’s Symphony #3. He also received acclaim for his performances of Tippett’s song cycles at Tippett festivals in Stockholm and Sacramento, and Benjamin Lees’ Echoes of Normandy.

As artistic director of Vancouver's Erato Ensemble, Will shows his excitement about the music coming out of Art Song Lab by programming several pieces that have been written by ASL Participants over the past few years.

Here is Will George performing a rollicking tale or toe-woe from ASL 2014.

ASL 2015: Soprano, Heather Pawsey

We are excited to announce that soprano, Heather Pawsey will be joining us for art Song Lab 2015. While this will be her first year involved with Art Song Lab, she is no stranger to either art song or new music.

A passionate and fearless champion of contemporary music in general, and Canadian music in particular, Heather has world premiered works by Vancouver composer Leslie Uyeda, Taiwanese composer Gordon Shi-Wen Chin, Vancouver composer Kathryn Cernauskas, Toronto composer Omar Daniel, Edmonton composer Allan Gilliland, Austrian composer Martin Ritter, American composer Patricia Alessandrini.

Heather is particularly known for her all-Canadian, all-contemporary, site-specific, inter-active chamber music concerts. Audience members and musicians alike travel from site to site within an unusual venue for a kaleidoscope of auditory and sensory impressions.

Apply today for the opportunity to work with a major force in the premiering and interpretation of Canadian new music.

Here is Heather singing in Leslie Uyeda's (ASL 2012 Guest Composer) setting of Lorna Crozier's "Sex Lives of Vegetables".

ASL 2015: Contralto, Lynne McMurtry

With us since the beginning, we're thrilled to welcome Lynne McMurtry back for the fifth year of Art Song Lab.

Described as “a force of nature” (Toronto Star) and “an actress of immense talent” (Opera Canada), contralto Lynne McMurtry is happiest when rehearsing powerful words set to evocative music, which is why she loves Art Song Lab.  Recent opera performances include Mistress Quickly in Verdi’s Falstaff with Calgary Opera and Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro with Opera Lyra.  In the concert realm she dreams of singing more of Das Lied von der Erde (Mahler) and the Alto Rhapsody by Brahms, both of which she performed with orchestra recently.  She teaches at the State University of New York College at Fredonia and is a Founding Faculty Artist of the Vancouver International Song Institute.

Apply Today for the opportunity to work with a phenomenal artist whose dedication to art song is matched only by the warmth and richness of her voice!
But don't take my word... listen for yourself: