My first public solo performance in Vienna!

You're invited to a concert of varied lieder and arias, sung by all of the voice students of Regine Köbler. I am only singing one aria (it's a kicker though - Tchaikovsky!). There will be plenty of gorgeous music, from Bach to Beethoven, Schumann, Verdi, Puccini, Rossini, and lots more! Everyone is welcome! Please come out for an evening of free classical vocal music, sung by the up-and-coming opera stars from the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Wien! Hope to see you there!

Tuesday, November 27th at 19.00

Schlosstheater Schönbrunn

free entry

Wine Tavern jamming

Here is a link to my friend Natasha's blog post from when she stayed with me in Vienna.  Scroll down to the bottom and you'll see videos of us spontaneously jamming with the gypsy musicians in a wine tavern.  Unfortunately the camera battery dies right before my money note.....

Miss Natasha Enquist - Performer, Accordionist, Singer, Actor, Model: VIENNA, BABY!!!: My first real day in Vienna (as I got in late the night before things really began) was filled  head-to-toe with culture. It started with...

I get to perform HERE!

I am delighted to announce that I will be performing Marcellina in the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Wien's production of Mozart's classic opera "Le Nozze di Figaro" (The Marriage of Figaro) on January 29 and 30, 2013.  Performances will take place in the historic, gorgeous Schlosstheater Schönbrunn, where Haydn, Mozart and Gluck all conducted performances of their own works.  Can't wait to get my "buffo"on!

A little Mozart with Sir Thomas Allen

This spring I had the good fortune of participating in a Masterclass given by Sir Thomas Allen, as part of the Concours Musical International de Montréal.  We worked in front of an audience for 45 minutes on one of Idamante's arias from Mozart's opera Idomeneo.  As a world-renowned Mozartean, Sir Thomas Allen's stylistic sensibilities are fine-tuned to this repertoire, and he was able to give me some great tips to propel my performance and interpretation to the next level.  Here is a clip of the fruit of our labours, from the masterclass itself.

"Ah, qual gelido orror....Il padre adorato"

Scotland the Brave

It all started as a way to get out of the Schengen Zone for 8 days.  (Because of my arrival in late June, I was risking out-staying my 90 day tourist visa before my Residence Permit comes into effect on October 1).  So I decided to escape to Manchester and the Peak District to visit my sister, and then hop up to Scotland to enjoy some of the Edinburgh International and Fringe Festivals.  What started as an 8-day jaunt turned into a 2-week adventure of couch-surfing, spontaneity, and pilgrimages.  Part of the reason for the extended stay is that I neglected to double-check the date of my flight back to Bratislava. Probably my sub-concious telling me I wasn't ready to leave yet ;)  With an extra week on my hands, I had the chance to add the Isle of Arran and Glasgow to the original sights on my itinerary, which included St. Andrews, North Berwick, Stirling and Edinburgh.  Thanks to the amazing couch surfing community, I didn't have to pay for accommodation the whole time I was away, and I met some amazing people and made some incredible memories!  The picture of the top is the Peak District in England, and below is Haggis, Neeps and Tatties in Deanston, Scotland.

Lessons learned with KS. Christa Ludwig

I was lucky to be selected as one of 10 participants in a week-long masterclass programme with Prof. KS. Christa Ludwig in August.  The masterclass was part of the Academia Vocalis program, and was held at the Hotel Panorama, in Bad Häring, Tirol.  What a gorgeous setting for a summer program!  I wish I could have afforded to stay at the Hotel itself, but I was quite happy with my Pension and couch-surfing experiences in Wörgl.

We spent the week preparing for a final concert, which was performed at the Hotel, with Christa Ludwig acting as Master of Ceremonies.  The programme consisted of Opera favourites and German Lieder.  I opened the concert with Prince Orlovsky's aria, then sang two Mahler lieder from Lieder und Gesänge aus der Jugendzeit, and a Brahms duet (Die Schwestern) with my friend Jenifer Lary, another curly-haired singer.  It was very cute.  

I learned some very valuable lessons during this program - but not the ones I was expecting to learn.  Instead of gaining insight on German diction, lieder style, or vocal technique, I was surprised to learn that Frau Ludwig, as well as the other program participants, consider my voice to be that of a soprano, due to it's "light colour".  I had never claimed to have a particularly dark voice, which is why I call myself a "lyric mezzo" rather than a "dramatic mezzo".  However, according to the Austrian aesthetic (or at least that of Frau Ludwig), my voice is more interesting in my higher register.  Indeed, I never heard true Mezzos until I arrived at this program.  I didn't know such rich voices could exist in singers so young.  I sounded like the Queen of the Night in comparison.  All this to say, that I am rather confused at the moment, and eager to gain the opinion of other European pedagogues.  Perhaps I will have to market myself differently in Europe than I do in North America.  Or perhaps a "Zwischenfach" or "Falcon" classification will someday be in order.  However, these fach classifications seem to be rather sensitive, and a little old-fashioned, so I may have to just choose - soprano, or mezzo.  

In the mean-time, I continue to be inspired by other "lyric mezzos" with a lighter voice colour, who have been accused of being "lazy sopranos" - Frederica von Stade, Susan Graham, Magdalena Kozena, Anne Sofie von Otter, Angelika Kirchschlager, and Joyce Didonato.  Ladies, give me strength!

Here's a clip of me singing Prince Orlovsky's aria for Christa Ludwig.  You can even hear her voice as she chimes in during Eisenstein's line :)

Wachau valley

I woke up wondering what I was going to do today.  So I took a look in my guide-book to see what day-trips from Vienna I had yet to undertake.  The Wachau valley was the answer.  So I hopped on a train to Melk just before lunch, poked around there for a bit (very cute town - I'll have to check out the Abbey some day), then rented a bike and cycled my way down the Danube to Krems (about 38km).  It took me under three hours, but I was bookin' it, because it was spitting rain the whole time, and I was afraid of getting caught in a downpour.  I did manage to take some pictures of the scenery on the way, and even pinched some apricots from the orchards I was biking through.  (Don't tell).  If the weather were nicer I would have looked around the cute towns I was cycling by, including Dürnstein (where Richard the Lionhearted was imprisoned in 1193), and Willendorf (where the oldest piece of European Art was found).  But I arrived in Krems just in time, as it started to pour.  I was able to deposit my bike and break out the umbrella for the rest of my sight-seeing.  My timing was great, despite the bad weather, because the day I happened to be in Krems was the day of the Apricot Festival.  The cobbled street of the old town was lined with vendors in traditional garb, selling all things apricot.  I picked up a Marillentopfenbällchen (little apricot-quark ball).  Lecker!  I was also tempted by the apricot schnapps and apricot ketchup, but decided to pass.  I was starting to get tired, so I hopped on a train and was back home in time for supper!  Geschafft!

Mozart's church...MY church!

I am pleased to announce that I will be joining the Stephansdom Vokalensemble this Autumn.  I am thrilled to have the opportunity to sing the Mozart Requiem, among other great choral works, in Mozart's own church!  I will be participating in the Sunday morning Masses, as well as the "Domkonzert" series.  Ich freue mich sehr darauf!

Here's a new perspective on Stephansdom and it's famous coloured roof tiles...from the rooftops of Vienna's Innen Stadt.

Standing Room Only

I just LOVE the "standing room" concept.  I picked up a standing room ticket for Les Contes d'Hoffmann at the Theater an der Wien last week-end, and quite enjoyed it.  I paid 7 euros to stand during the first act, then I snuck down to an empty parterre seat for the second act and got the full experience for the rest of the performance.  It was a very interesting production - a modern concept (most european productions seem to be), but with some beautiful costumes nonetheless.  The Mezzo was dressed in a black pant-suit, and accessorized with red stilettos as the Muse, and red skater shoes as Nicklausse.  The soprano (Marlis Peterson) played all three of Hoffmann's lady loves - wow.  Canadian John Relyea was the bass - he was excellent, of course.  The Theater an der Wien is the only Viennese house that puts on operas during the summer.  They have also premiered a new production every month since 2006.  Impressive!  I'm disappointed that I'll miss their production of La Donna del Lago in August starring Malena Ernmann (one of my favourites!).  The good news is that she guests here a lot.  I'm so excited for the amazing (and affordable) theatre that awaits this season!

Bratislava for the day

One of the great things about Central Europe is that a completely different country, language, and culture are only an hour away by train!  I took the train from Vienna to Bratislava for the day on Saturday.  That was a fun little day-trip.  It's a very historic town that's been ill-used and somewhat trampled upon throughout the numerous battles and power struggles over the centuries, but they seem to be picking themselves up and bushing themselves off.  It's quite touristy and quaint now.  I especially enjoyed the modern art and sculptures that adorn the historic downtown area.

Salzburg adventures

Here are some pics I took during my adventures biking around the Salzburg area a couple of weeks ago.  According to my calculations, I biked 40K one day.  Needless to say, I was soooooore!  I made my way from Leopoldskron (the Von Trapp mansion) along the canal which leads south of the city out to Untersberg (a mountain outside of Salzburg) and took a cable-car up to the top.  There are some amazing vistas of the north-east tip of the alps, and the lowlands that stretch into Germany towards Munich. I came back into town via Hellbrunn, and enjoyed the grounds before taking the Hellbrunner Allee into downtown, where I explored the historic Steingasse and took the elevator up to Mönchsberg for some more stunning vistas.  It was one of those good-for-the-soul days :)  The countryside here is so beautiful!

Ich bin angekommen!

Vienna - city of music!  The past two weeks have been spent settling in, collecting various official residence documents, applying for a Residence Permit, getting an Austrian cell (now THAT was a process - so many options here!), and getting to know my new city.  I've also been taking a German course in the mornings, which has been both fun and informative.

I had a visit yesterday from my pal Simon, who was here on a choir trip (they won 1st place in their category at the SCL Youth Music Festival!!).  It was great to hang out with a fellow Canadian for an afternoon.

I spent the afternoon applying for my Residence Permit.  I was nervous that my documents wouldn't be valid, or that I would have to get them all translated into German ($$$$) or that there would be some other Beurocratic hoops to jump, but it turns out I was over-prepared.  One thing I did discover though, is that even though I've applied early for my Residence permit, it will not be valid until my first day of classes (October 1), which means that I will over-stay my 90-day tourist visa by 8 days.  So I have to leave the Schengen Zone (most of the countries in Europe) for 8 days sometime between now and October 1.  That's a bit of a pain.  But the good news is that I have a spare week between the end of my au-pair job and the start of the Registration period at MDW.  So I might pop up to the UK to visit Liz.

Liebe Grüße aus Wien

Acceptance to MDW

It's official!  I've just received my acceptance to study at the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Wien for the 2012-2013 school year!  I'll be studying voice with Regine Köbler, while continuing to fulfill the academic requirements for my D.Mus at Université de Montréal.  I leave for Vienna in less than a week - a new era is about to begin!
Ich freue mich sehr darauf!

Send-off recital in Victoria

I'm going to continue my voice studies Austria, but first I'm doing a send-off recital in Victoria after 3 years away in Montréal. Come out for an evening of "greatest hits" from my Masters and Doctorate recitals at Université de Montréal. Kelly Charlton will be at the piano, inspiring me to greater musical heights.


Kathryn Humphries send-off recital
Sunday, June 10 2012
7:30pm
Wood Hall, Victoria Conservatory of Music


Hope to see you there!

Comic Canadian gems

Here are some fun new clips!

Live a little, Julia - from "The Last Resort", by Leslie Arden

Mothers, Maids from "Interpretations of a Life" by David Warrack

The Lullaby of Broadway

I've just returned from the most amazing weekend in NYC! My mom had never been, so we decided to make the Easter weekend a "girls weekend". My auntie Mary-Anne completed our team, and we had a blast! Highlights include:
Drinks at: the Waldorf Astoria, the Plaza, Sardi's and the top of the Strand
Broadway shows: The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess (starring Audra McDonald), Anything Goes (starring Stephanie J. Block and Joel Grey)
Opera: Manon at the Met (starring Anna Netrebko)
Piano bar: Marie's Crisis in Greenwich village. Possibly the most fun I've ever had in my life.
Window Shopping: Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Tiffany's
Scenic strolls: Central Park, The High Line, Little Italy, Soho, Greenwich Village, West Village, Hudson River Park, Easter Parade on 5th Avenue

Something I learned this weekend: I really miss Musical Theatre. I therefore plan to reintroduce Broadway into my repertoire...stay tuned!

Pelléas et Mélisande - Atelier d'opéra UdeM

Here's a small documentary that was made about our production of Pelléas et Mélisande.  Interesting commentary from our conductor, director, our Arkel and one of our Mélisandes.

Pelléas et Mélisande footage

Here are some clips of my scenes from the recent production of Pelléas et Mélisande at Université de Montréal. Joining me onstage are Jean-Philippe Fortier-Lazure as Pelléas, Carol Leger as Mélisande, and the incomparable Joseph Rouleau as Arkel.

Act 1 Scene 2: A room in the castle
Six months have passed since Golaud found Mélisande in the forest. Geneviève, the mother of the princes Golaud and Pelléas, reads a letter to the aged and nearly blind King Arkel. It was sent by Golaud to his brother Pelléas. In it Golaud reveals that he has married Mélisande, although he knows no more about her than on the day they first met. Golaud fears that Arkel will be angry with him and tells Pelléas to find how he reacts to the news. If the old man is favourable then Pelléas should light a lamp from the tower facing the sea on the third day; if Golaud does not see the lamp shining, he will sail on and never return home. Arkel had planned to marry the widowed Golaud to Princess Ursule in order to put an end to "long wars and ancient hatreds", but he bows to fate and accepts Golaud's marriage to Mélisande. Pelléas enters, weeping. He has received a letter from his friend Marcellus, who is on his deathbed, and wants to travel to say goodbye to him. Arkel thinks Pelléas should wait for the return of Golaud, and also reminds Pelléas of his own father, lying sick in bed in the castle. Geneviève tells Pelléas not to forget to light the lamp for Golaud.





Act 1 Scene 3: Before the castle
Geneviève and Mélisande walk in the castle grounds. Mélisande remarks how dark the surrounding gardens and forest are. Pelléas arrives. They look out to sea and notice a large ship departing and a lighthouse shining, Mélisande foretells that it will sink. Night falls. Geneviève goes off to look after Yniold, Golaud's young son by his previous marriage. Pelléas attempts to take Melisande's hand to help her down the steep path but she refuses saying that she is holding flowers. He tells her he might have to go away tomorrow. Mélisande asks him why.

Critical acclaim

Daniel Turp recently reviewed my recent performance of Geneviève on his Opera Blog:

J’ai par ailleurs apprécié la Geneviève de Kathryn Humphries et l’impeccable diction dans son air "Voici ce qu’il écrit à son frère Pelléas."

(I also appreciated Kathryn Humphries' Genevieve and the impeccable diction in her aria "Voici ce qu’il écrit à son frère Pelléas.")

Here's a link to the review itself:
http://danielturpqc.org/bloguelyrique/?p=1521

And another review by Claude Gringas of La Presse:

(une) très digne Geneviève
(A very dignified Geneviève)

The full article:
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/arts/musique/musique-classique/201203/02/01-4501728-pelleas-une-immense-reussite.php

And from Saturday night's performance with the other cast:
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Review+Opera+success+despite+odds/6248962/story.html

Pelléas et Mélisande

L’ATELIER D’OPÉRA ET
L’ORCHESTRE DE L’UNIVERSITÉ DE MONTRÉAL

vous invitent aux représentations de l’opéra



I'm playing Geneviève on thursday the 1st of March :)

Direction musicale Jean-François Rivest
Mise en scène François Racine
Direction de l’atelier d’opéra Robin Wheeler
Conception scénographique François Racine
Accessoires et costumes Carl Pelletier
Éclairages Nicolas Descoteaux

avec la participation spéciale de
Joseph Rouleau

Le 1er et le 3 mars 2012, à 19 h 30

Salle Claude-Champagne

Billets : 20 $
pour les membres du corps enseignant
et le personnel de la Faculté de musique

Les billets peuvent être achetés à la réception (B-338).

Doctorate Recital video clips

Here are some video clips of my latest doctorate recital, which took place on February 1 2012 at Université de Montréal. (Forgive the skips)

Chansons de Bilitis - Debussy
1) La flûte de Pan
2) La Chevelure
3) Le tombeau des Naïades



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Ging heut Morgen übers Feld - Gustav Mahler (from Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen)

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Interpretations of a Life - David Warrack (Canadian)
1) Long-Distance Operator
2) Another Night in Another Room
3) Please Leave me Love
4) Mothers, Maids

Doctorate Recital

I'm pleased to announce that I will be presenting a solo recital on February 1st as part of the requirements for my Doctorate in Vocal Performance. Programme to include song cycles by Debussy, Mahler, de Falla and Canadian composer David Warrack. I am especially excited to be including excerpts from "Interpretations of a Life" by David Warrack, because I will be the first person to perform this piece since the legendary Maureen Forrester, for whom it was written.

Récital de chant dans le cadre d'un programme de doctorat.
Mercredi, le 1er février
16h30
la salle Claude-Champagne, 200 rue Vincent-d'Indy

J'espère vous y voir nombreux :)