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llandovery Castle

Llandovery Castle Query # 3. What’s the music like?

How can I describe the music for our new opera? It’s helpful to talk about influences, so I’ll compare my music with styles, genres and composers which will hopefully strike a familiar chord with you. Here’s a scene-by-scene snapshot of what you’ll hear on June 26 and 27, 2018 at Calvin Church in Toronto. Scene One: The chorus sets the scene: a ship, plying the Atlantic, June 1918. Unison violins paint the ebb and flow of the sea. The music is modal: think Celtic sea shanty, like Gordon Lightfoot’s ‘The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.’ The nurses aboard this Canadian… Read More »Llandovery Castle Query # 3. What’s the music like?

Matron M.M. Fraser

Writing Llandovery Castle (the opera) Question #2 – Who were they?

Looking at these faded photographs, I remind myself that there was a real woman and a caring family behind each of these dim portraits. Our opera ‘Landovery Castle’ attempts to bring to life a handful of the extraordinary women who died on the night of June 27, 1918 when their hospital ship was torpedoed crossing the Atlantic. Our three main characters are Pearl, Bird and Kate. Margaret Marjory ‘Pearl’ Fraser was the 33-year-old Matron in charge of the 13 other nursing sisters on the Llandovery Castle hospital ship. She was born in Nova Scotia, moved to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and… Read More »Writing Llandovery Castle (the opera) Question #2 – Who were they?

MPS

Michael Purves-Smith RIP

I was both shocked and sad to learn of the death of Michael Purves-Smith who was a professor at Wilfrid Laurier University. He was my harpsichord teacher and he coached our closely-knit Early Music Ensemble, always going the extra mile in his pedagogy. He drove us all to NYC for a medieval conference, helped us to organize tours and major productions. Our ensemble worked hard, rehearsing at 8:00 am in the morning, and (as I repeatedly tell my own students) I practiced harpsichord two hours every day. And that’s true. Michael made we want to do well. This article in… Read More »Michael Purves-Smith RIP

Merry Christmas

Stephanus and Maximus apologize to Mendelssohn

Dear Mr. Mendelssohn, (may we call you Felix?) We feel the need to inform you of some very disturbing occurrences in our local grocery store: a place where people from many lands gather to enjoy the liberty of carefree shopping for hard cheese, Panettone, and obscure pasta shapes. But lately there have been some… unfortunate developments concerning your music. We have always been big fans of your Christmas carol “Hark The Herald Angels Sing.” You must be pretty proud of it, since the tune bears your name in capital letters, and those old words by Charles Wesley – my goodness,… Read More »Stephanus and Maximus apologize to Mendelssohn

Nursing Sisters WW1

Writing Llandovery Castle (the opera) Question #1

I’ve had lots of questions about our upcoming opera project ‘Llandovery Castle’ so I’ll use the forum of my blog to attempt some answers. I welcome your feedback and further inquiry! Question #1. Why are there 3 male characters in an opera about 14 women? It’s a great question. I’ll confess I was surprised when Paul Ciufo’s scenes began to emerge. I never really imagined that I would be compelled to write music for the bad guy! But I’ve come to trust my librettist’s dramatic instincts. He understands that opera needs contrast; good theatre requires dramatic ‘chiaroscuro’ and our objective… Read More »Writing Llandovery Castle (the opera) Question #1

Nursing sister Mary Agnes McKenzie

Those splendid girls

These are the names of the 14 nurses who died on June 27, 1918 when their Canadian hospital ship ‘Llandovery Castle’ was torpedoed in the Atlantic. Matron Margaret “Pearl” Fraser (New Glasgow NS) Christina Campbell (Victoria BC) Carola Josephine Douglas (Toronto ON) Alexina Dussault (St-Hyacinthe QC) Minnie Asenath Follette (Port Greville NS) Margaret Jane Fortescue (York Factory Man) Minnie Katherine Gallaher (Kingston ON) Jessie Mabel McDiarmid (Ashton ON) Mary Agnes “Nan” McKenzie (Toronto ON) Rena Maude “Bird” McLean (Souris P.E.I.) Mae Belle Sampson (Simcoe ON ) Gladys Irene Sare (Montreal QC) Anna Irene Stamers (Saint John NB) Jean Templeman (Ottawa… Read More »Those splendid girls

Llandovery Castle

The Llandovery Castle

It’s now no secret. I’m writing an opera. The subject is the Canadian hospital ship ‘Llandovery Castle’ and her doomed voyage to Britain in 1918, with 14 Canadian nurses on board. I will tell you more very soon, about how this came about, how I found my librettist Paul Ciufo and collaborating producers of the Bicycle Opera Project, but I just wanted to share this article by Cassandra Szklarski of the National Post because it is so cool and terrifying to have press before we’ve finished writing. Click here to read Cassandra’s excellent write-up. http://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/opera-to-focus-on-great-war-nurses-100-years-after-hospital-ship-sinking

Requiem mvt I

Requiem for All Souls

My sabbatical has opened up a vast frontier of unstructured time…[cue tumble weed,.. wind on the prairie,… nervous clearing of throat…] No courses to design, no choir rehearsals to prepare, no volunteers to recruit, no meetings to attend, no music to practice. What on earth to do with all of this lovely, precious, exquisite, empty time? Thankfully, it seems that just the right projects have come along at just the right time. I am putting the finishing touches on a Requiem mass for an Episcopal parish in California. Dr Ruben Valenzuela is the music director of All Souls’ San Diego.… Read More »Requiem for All Souls

Holiday

Time for a rest

I returned home from the Montreal Organ Festival full of beans. What a stimulating 10 days it was, with hundreds of events including recitals, workshops, competitions, exhibits, tours, services, fabulous parties. With over 800 convention delegates from Canada, the USA and beyond, it was a great gathering of people all crazy about the amazing instrument we call the organ and the diverse musical galaxy that spins around it: choirs, congregations, clergy, instruments, entrepreneurs, artisans, composers, publishers, performers, educators, and big, beautiful buildings. Also contributing to the greatness was staying with my splendid hosts, who are also my splendid Montreal family… Read More »Time for a rest

Elgar’s ‘The Apostles’ video

I hope you’re enjoying your summer. This short blog is just to let you know that our Pax Christi Chorale video of Elgar’s masterpiece ‘The Apostles’ is now live on Youtube. This was my swan song, April 29 and 30, 2017; a sweet farewell after 20 years conducting this large oratorio choir. I am indebted to everyone for bringing this performance to life. It represents the culmination of two decades of work for singers, instrumentalists, board members, committee volunteers, audience members, donors, and supporters of all sorts. Thanks so much to our whole Pax Christi community from the bottom of… Read More »Elgar’s ‘The Apostles’ video