what the New Year holds in store....

Hello everyone, and Happy New Year!
It's going to be a busy one...two operas, an audition in Montreal, the Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival.....

My most immediate project is Pacific Opera Victoria's production of Handel's Semele, in which I'll be appearing in the chorus. Rehearsals are well under-way, and it looks like it's going to be a fabulous production with lots of beautiful Handel music sung in English. The chorus has a lot of stage-time, which is great for me! Performance dates are February 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, at 8 pm. See the POV website for details: http://www.pov.bc.ca/



Next up is the VCM Opera Studio's production of Handel's Giulio Cesare in which I'll be playing a lead role - Sesto, a young man full of passion and eager to avenge his father's death. This role is traditionally played by a mezzo-soprano and I'm extremely excited to add it to my repertoire. Performances are April 1, 2, 3 and 4. More details coming soon!

I've entered 6 classes in the Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival this year: the Rosebowl qualifying class, the concert group, the Canadian class, the Opera class, the French art song class, and the 21stC class. Class dates, times and venues are yet to be determined, but I'll keep you updated as I receive more information.

And the biggest news is that I've decided to audition for a Masters degree in Vocal Interpretation at L'Univesite de Montreal for the fall of 2009. Preparations are underway - the application is in, the date for my French placement test is set, I've booked a flight to Montreal to audition live in March, and I'm looking into a French immersion program for the summer to get me up-to-speed for studying in French. It's all very exciting, and a little scary!

And now for a little backtracking. In recent history I sang my Opera Idol People's Choice aria and a little light musical theatre for the Victoria Rotary Club, at the request of Terry Jones, their entertainment coordinator. That was a lovely experience, indeed, and I hope to sing for them again in the future.

I have now uploaded the video clips for Opera Idol, posted December 23rd (two posts ago). Please check them out!

Thanks, everyone! Check back soon!

"In Praise of Christmas" gets air-time CFUV 101.9 FM

On December 9, CFUV 101.9 FM played four selections from the "In Praise of Christmas" CD which my sister and I recorded in 2005. They chose "The Boar's Head Carol", "the Birds", "Let us the Infant Greet" and "Lo, How a Rose E're Blooming". Our "In Praise of Christmas" CD features traditional British carols, sung in harmony with harp (me) and guitar (Liz) accompaniment, as well as a few lesser-known Christmas art songs: "The Birds" by Benjamin Britten, "Maria Wiegenlied" by Max Reger, and "Along the Little Road to Bethlehem" by Michael Head.

Opera Idol - video footage

"Que fais-tu, blanche tourterelle" from Romeo et Juliette by Gounod. This performance won the People's Choice award and a spot in the "Top 3".





"Aria Ioanna" from Orleanskaya Deva by Tchaikovsky. This performance was part of the "Top 3".

Opera Idol - The results....

the Top 7

Well, Opera Idol was a success! There was a great turnout and lots of positive feedback. Not to mention that I had a blast with my singer friends.

I didn't come away empty-handed, either. I got the "People's Choice" award, voted by the audience - THANK YOU! - and a place in the "Top 3"!

It was a fantastic evening with lots of great singing. I feel very fortunate to have been awarded "People's Choice" and a place in the Top 3, to have had the chance to sing in front of our distinguished panel of judges and also to have been given the publicity in the Times Colonist and the 'A' Channel TV spot.

What a wonderful experience!

Coming soon....lots of harping gigs at Christmas parties and church services, followed by POV's production of Handel's Semele in the New Year for which I will be in the chorus. I'll keep you posted!

Opera Idol TV Spot!

The preliminary round for Opera Idol went extremely well last night - we find out tonight at the start of the show who the final top 7 are. In the meantime, there's a TV spot airing today on which clips of my performance and an interview may be showed:

The spot for The Daily is now playing on Shaw (channel 11). The video clip is now available to watch on Monday Magazine's website (www.mondaymag.com) and is very good. The A Channel piece (channel 12) may have aired on last night's late news, but I didn't watch. However, it will for sure be on the arts report this evening on A Channel. The arts report with Adam Sawatsky will be on between 5:45 and 6:00 p.m., so have a look.

Times Colonist spread - front page of the Arts Section!

What an honour! On December 2 I was featured on the front page of the Arts Section of the Times Colonist! Along with quotes from my interview with Grania Litwin last week, there were two pictures of me - one of me auditioning for the Opera Idol panel and one of me warming up before the audition.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

Mezzo-soprano Kathryn Humphries is pumped up with anticipation, but the 23-year-old is also feeling the tension beginning to build as she prepares to compete in the first ever Victoria Opera Idol on Friday.
"It is the most fun thing I could possibly be doing," said the singer who performs in the Pacific Opera Victoria chorus.
"From the social aspect, these are all my fellow singers, and we have a wonderful rapport. But this is also a great chance to test my stage legs, to get more performing experience. Every chance you get in front of an audience is a good time to test yourself under different nerve situations and in different halls."
Humphries is one of 11 contestants chosen to take part in the Victoria Conservatory of Music's Opera Studio event in Alix Goolden Hall. Auditions have been underway for two weeks, and on Thursday night the final seven will be selected in a closed session.
Making it through the first round was the first step for this young Victoria singer who comes from a musical family but only began singing seriously at 18. She did a bachelor's in music at Acadia University in Nova Scotia, and even worked at Macaroni Grill for a while, waitressing and singing for customers. She had only one semester of study with the Opera Studio here, but she hopes to make a big impression Friday.

See the full article here:
http://www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/curtain+going+Victoria+Opera+Idol/1020513/story.html




glitwin@tc.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist

Interview with Grania Litwin

Today I was interviwed by Grania Litwin (Times Colonist Arts reporter) on the subject of the upcoming "Opera Idol" competition. She recorded my preliminary audition before the panel of judges (aria and monologue) and asked me a few questions afterwards about the competition and my position as a community member (non-Opera Studio member) auditioning for the "wild card" position.
Sound clips may appear on the radio soon! I'll keep you posted!

3 down, 1 to go...

St. Cecilia's Day went off without a hitch! What a thrill to sing in Christ Church Cathedral - just me and the piano.

Now onto the final competition in this month of crazy preparations - Opera Idol!

DATE/TIME: Friday, December 5, 7:30 pm
EVENT: VCM & Opera Studio present Opera Idol
VENUE: Alix Goolden Performance Hall, 907 Pandora ave.
TICKETS/ADMISSION: $18 / $15 from the VCM or at the door
INFO: 250-386-5311 ext 254
LINKS: www.vcm.bc.ca/opera/index.html

Aspiring divas test their operatic chops in high-octane opera antics, presenting world-famous and beloved arias, duets and ensembles. A guest panel of celebrity judges and performers from the Victoria arts and media scene compliment this evening of unforgettable vocal performance.
Opera Idol…Be Heard. Be Seen. Be an Idol

Lieder Competition Prize

I was the 25th of 25 competitors...in other words, the very last performer. It was a long night!
Yesterday I competed in the 26th annual German Lieder competition at the Victoria Conservatory, and came away with 2nd place in the solo category! My 2 selections from Leider eines fahrenden gesellen by Gustav Mahler were very well received, and I received many compliments on my repertoire choice, and how the Mahler was a lovely way to end off the competition. It was a beautiful evening with many talented singers, and I feel extremely honoured to have been given the 2nd place prize.

Now onto the next thing....St. Cecilia's Day Celebration at Christ Church Cathedral at 3:30pm on Saturday the 22nd (tomorrow). I'll be testing out some of my "Opera Idol" arias plus a new Oratorio Aria and bringing back some favorite art songs. This will be another amazing event for musical talent, and it lasts all day long!

Opera Studio presents Handel's "Giulio Cesare" in April 2009

I will have the pleasure of playing the role of "Sesto" in Handel's Giulio Cesare with the Victoria Conservatory's Opera Studio program in the spring. Sesto is one of Handel's most well-known "pants/trouser roles" for Mezzo-soprano - I'm extremely excited to play him!

April 1, 2, 3 and 4, 2009
8:00 pm
Tickets on sale as of March 1, 2009
Metro Theatre, 900 Johnson st (Victoria Conservatory of Music)

Tickets are $18 Adults/$15 Students & Seniors