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:

ASL 2014: Mezzo, Lynne McMurtry and pianist, Alison d'Amato

As founding faculty of the Vancouver International Song Institute, this couple is the embodiment of dedication to art song. Alison d'Amato is a phenomenal pianist and one of the program's three co-directors, and this will be her fourth year making music as part of Art Song Lab. Joining for her third year, Lynne McMurtry is a mezzo to be reckoned with!

Here they are performing together, three songs from ASL 2012:

ASL 2014: Tenor, Will George and pianist, Corey Hamm

Avid commissioners of new music, Corey Hamm and Will George were a natural fit for ASL 2013.

Listen below to the three songs they worked together on last summer.

ASL 2014: Soprano, Phoebe MacRae and pianist, Marguerite Witvoet

ASL veteran, Phoebe MacRae is joining for her fourth year with the program. Joining for her first year, Marguerite Witvoet is no stranger to the kind of collaboration that makes Art Song Lab what it is!

After reading more about each of them on their websites, listen to some audio samples.
Here are two songs Phoebe performed at previous Art Song Labs:
And here is a video of Marguerite:

ASL 2013: Mezzo-Soprano, Lynne McMurtry

Described as “a force of nature” (Toronto Star) and “an actress of immense talent” (Opera Canada), mezzo-soprano Lynne McMurtry is an exciting and vibrant performer, possessing a rich and generous instrument. Her growing career spans the breadth of classical music genres, from opera and oratorio through art song and new music. She has performed with the Boston Symphony, the Winnipeg Symphony, the Edmonton Symphony, Opera Ontario, Edmonton Opera and Manitoba Opera, and at many of the major festivals, including Tanglewood, Ravinia, Banff, and Aldeburgh. Conductors with whom she has performed include Seiji Ozawa, Robert Spano, Jean-Marie Zeitouni, James Meena, Howard Dyck, Kevin Mallon, Wayne Strongman, Robert Cooper, and Lorraine Vaillancourt.

On the operatic stage, Lynne’s vocal and theatrical versatility has won her excellent reviews in such diverse roles as Mistress Quickly in Falstaffwith Edmonton Opera, Arsace in Rossini’s Semiramide and Mme. de Croissy in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, both with Opera in Concert, and Olga in Evgeny Onegin. Other performances include Gertrude in Roméo et Juliette with Opera Hamilton, Marthe in Gounod’sFaust with Calgary Opera, and a return to Opera in Concert to sing the title role in Handel’s Tamerlano. In the past few seasons, Lynne has been featured in no less than seven Canadian operas, including three premieres. Her highly acclaimed and multi-faceted performance in Tapestry New Opera Works’ 2004 "Opera to Go" was broadcast on CBC Radio.

Lynne’s warm, opulent sound and keen musical intelligence have brought her acclaim in a wealth of opera and orchestral concert repertoire. Concert appearances include Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass with the Edmonton Symphony, Handel’s Messiah with both the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and the Kitchener Waterloo Philharmonic Chorus, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Kingston Symphony, Raminsh’sMagnificat with Chorus Niagara, Elijah with the Newfoundland Symphony, Mahler’s Rückert Lieder with the Winnipeg Symphony, and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with the Eastman Faculty Players.

Lynne is an active recitalist and has sung at many distinguished song venues, including Tanglewood, Ravinia, and the Vancouver International Song Institute, where she collaborated with renowned pianist Margo Garrett. Her recital with pianist Alison d’Amato exploring settings of the poetry of Walt Whitman earned her a rave review in the Toronto Star, which stated that “Art doesn’t get any more moving than this.” Her many premieres include the world premiere of Conquering the Fury of Oblivionby Augusta Read Thomas, the Canadian premiere of Ned Rorem’s Evidence of Things Not Seen, and the North American premiere of Judith Weir’s The Voice of Desire. Her discography includes Vivaldi’s La Griseldaand Nisi Dominus, both recorded with Aradia Ensemble and Kevin Mallon, conductor.

Lynne grew up in Vernon, British Columbia, and attended the University of British Columbia, the Eastman School of Music, and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama, where she was a winner of the Opera Trust Scholarship. She is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Voice at the State University of New York College at Fredonia.

ASL 2013: Baritone, Aaron Engebreth

AARON ENGEBRETH (baritone), acclaimed for his "exemplary diction and rich baritone voice," maintains an active solo career in opera, oratorio and recital, and has devoted considerable energy and time to the performance of new music, often collaborating with composers. Mr. Engebreth has recently been featured with groups and venues such as the American Bach Soloists, Tanglewood Music Festival, Boston Baroque, Santa Fe Pro Musica, Miami Bach Society, the Boston Early Music Festival, Musicians of the Old Post Road, the Providence Singers, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Opera Aperta, the Melrose Symphony, the Back Bay Chorale, the Orchestra of St. Peter's and the Boston Academy of Music. He has received significant recognition for his interpretation of early music, most recently as a national finalist and place-winner in the 2002 American Bach Society/Bethlehem Bach Competition. As a 2000 fellow with the Pacific Music festival in Sapporo, Japan, Mr. Engebreth was featured in their performances of Handel's Alexander's Feast and Bach's Magnificat. He regularly appears with Emmanuel Music on their famed Bach Cantata series. Other notable solo engagements include Haydn's Creation under the baton of the late Robert Shaw and recently, the role of Lidio in Cavalli's L'Egisto under the musical direction of Martin Pearlman. Mr. Engebreth has performed extensively as a recitalist on the concert series of the Longy School of Music, Marsh Chapel at Boston University, the Boston Public Library, King's Chapel, the Old South Church of Boston where he took part in an acclaimed performance of the rarely heard AIDS Quilt Songbook, and recently with WCRB's Concerts at Copley Square, at which he appeared with Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Boston Pops performing works of Richard Rogers with Mr. Lockhart at the piano. A committed interpreter of contemporary music, Mr. Engebreth collaborates frequently with composers, most recently working in preparation with Ned Rorem on the Boston premiere of his evening-length song cycle Evidence of Things Not Seen with the Florestan Recital Project. The critically acclaimed performance, noting Mr. Engebreth's "beauty of voice and eloquence,"(Boston Globe) was repeated in June 2003 in Providence, Rhode Island as part of the Red House Festival. On the operatic stage, Mr. Engebreth has performed a variety of roles ranging from Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro to Schaunard in La Boheme. His performance of Sid in the Red House Opera Group's 2002 performances of Britten's Albert Herring was described by the Boston Globe as, "nearly perfect in voice, characterization and appearance," and Opera News hailed his recent performance as Masetto in Opera Aperta's Don Giovanni as "consistently strong." Mr. Engebreth's other 2002-03 engagements include performances with the Tanglewood Music Festival, Opera Aperta, Red House Opera Group, Boston Cecilia, Santa Fe Pro Musica, Miami Bach Society, Opera Unlimited (Boston Academy of Music/Boston Modern Orchestra Project), the Providence Singers, the Rhode Island Civic Orchestra and Chorus, Back Bay Chorale and the American Bach Soloists. He also appeared as a vocal fellow at the Ravinia Music Festival's Steans Institute for Singers in August 2003. In September of 2003, Mr. Engebreth made his debut with the Handel and Haydn Society as a soloist in their production of Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610 and will also perform Ned Rorem's Santa Fe Songs with the composer at the piano with the Terezin Chamber Music Society that will culminate in the world-premiere recording of the work. Mr. Engebreth is on the music faculties of Tufts University and the Community Music Center of Boston and is a founding member and co-artistic director of the Florestan Recital Project. He is an alumnus of Viterbo College and received a Master's Degree from Boston University. He can be heard on the upcoming releases of Conrad Susa's Carols and Lullabies on Arsis Records and on Lukas Foss' Griffelkin with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project on the Chandos label.

ASL 2013: Tenor, William George

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. He has toured the country as Count Almaviva with New York City Opera, and as Don Ottavio with Western Opera Theater. 

Recent performances include the world premiere of Enigma by electronic composer BarryTruax (a work that was composed for him) with Vancouver New Music, Der Kaiser von Atlantis and Carmina Burana with City Opera Vancouver, Messiah with Victoria Symphony, and concerts with Vancouver International Song Institute, Vancouver Chamber Choir, and Erato Ensemble.

As a recitalist, Mr. George has appeared in the U.S., England, and Sweden, and has been featured in a recital for Japan’s NHK network television. His recordings include Geometrics by L.Warde and Brent Michael David's Viola Jokes, with acclaimed violist Melia Watras. 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, 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. A recent pet project was the research and performance of the complete vocal works of South African composer Priaulx Rainier.

Mr. George received his Masters of Music degree from the University of Southern California, where he was honored as Outstanding Graduate from the school of music.

Also a composer, William's songs and vocal chamber works have been performed in Canada, the United States and Europe. He recently was honored with induction to the Canadian Music Centre as Associate Composer. Visit his publishing website at www.arrowsongs.com

ASL 2013: Soprano, Phoebe MacRae

An “intelligent musician with an uncommonly lovely voice,” Canadian soprano Phoebe MacRae enjoys a busy and varied musical career. Ms MacRae marries her musical excellence with her love for the theatre, engaging the world of opera, recital and modern music with flair and humour. A versatile and dynamic artist, Ms. MacRae is equally adept at performing the standard classical repertoire as well as comedic and contemporary roles. Included in her repertoire is a solo recital of unaccompanied vocal works: truly a musical “high wire” event.


In 1999, Ms. MacRae formed LEAVE IT TO DIVA with fellow soprano and comedienne Karen Ydenberg. Joined by collaborative pianist Erika Switzer, LEAVE IT TO DIVA combines musical prowess with a gift for quirky humour, creating a rollicking theatrical experience.


Phoebe’s latest comic creation is the acclaimed Animal Passions: Romping the Romantic Realms with renowned collaborative pianist Rena Sharon, with whom Ms. MacRae has worked closely for many years. Animal Passions debuted at the Vancouver International Song Institute in 2007. It has been charming audiences across British Columbia and in the United States of America ever since. Animal Passions combines musical Masterclasses and Lecturesy with high entertainment value. Using carefully chosen songs (such as Ravel’s “The Peacock”, Cole Porter’s “The Tale of the Oyster”, and Richard Pearson Thomas’ “Spider Legs”) and clever dialogue, the program documents the joys and disappointments of a budding young romantic.


Ms. MacRae is regularly engaged for opera, chamber music, oratorio and recital performances. With a Masterclasses and Lecturesy of the 17th – 21st century repertoire, she has performed throughout North America and Europe, and is frequently heard on regional and national CBC Radio 2 broadcasts. In standard operatic repertoire, Ms. MacRae has appeared in works by R. Strauss, J. Strauss, Rossini, and Mozart. She created the role of Pélagie in the world premiere of 120 Songs for the Marquis de Sade, by Peter Hannon and Peter Hinton. Phoebe made her European debut singing Mozart’s most acclaimed virtuosic role of the “Die Königin der Nacht” in Opava, Czech Republic. She was an Artistic Associate of the Modern Baroque Opera Company, and performed leading roles in all of their productions.


In oratorio repertoire, Ms. MacRae also shows her versatility- from Monteverdi’s Vespers to Haydn’s Creation to Orff’s Carmina Burana. With the Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Ms. MacRae has twice appeared as the guest soloist on its tours of Western Canada. Together with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra she performed in the memorial concert for Canada’s beloved Otto Lowy, a broadcast legend on CBC Radio. In contemporary offerings, Phoebe has premiered works with orchestra by Canadians Michael Oesterle, Jocelyn Morlock and Bradshaw Pack.


As soloist, Ms. MacRae has performed under the batons of Julius Rudel, Jeanne Lamon, Owen Underhill, Georg Tintner, Timothy Vernon, Steven Stubbs, Simon Preston, Bruce Pullan, Charles Barber, Leslie Dala, Leslie Uyeda, James Fankhauser, Simon Carrington, Laurent Phillippe, Marc Destrubé, Giorgio Magnanensi and Bramwell Tovey. She has appeared with such companies and organisations as Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, Modern Baroque Opera, City Opera Vancouver, Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Vancouver New Music, Turning Point Ensemble, Vancouver Cantata Singers, Vancouver Bach Choir, Festival Vancouver and the Symphonies of Nova Scotia, Victoria and Vancouver. Ms. MacRae has shared the chamber music/recital stage with Rena Sharon, Margo Garrett, Colin Tilney, Erika Switzer, Laura Loewen, Tyler Duncan, Marc Destrubé, Alexander Dunn and renowned children’s performer Rick Scott. She has performed for the Regina Musical Society, Winnipeg’s Virtuosi Concerts, Vancouver International Song Institute, Victoria Summer Music Festival, Vancouver Early Music, and on recital tours throughout BC.


Ms. MacRae is a founding core faculty member of the Vancouver International Song Institute, a yearly summer festival and program designed for young singers and collaborative pianists; she teaches and performs there.


Phoebe MacRae holds a Masterclasses and Lectures of Music from the University of British Columbia and received further training at Queen of Puddings’ Artist Training Program in Toronto, at the Aspen Opera Theater Center, the Vancouver Early Music Programme, and the Banff Centre for the Performing Arts.


Ms. MacRae currently lives in Berkeley, California with her husband and two children.