Author: Jeremy VanSlyke

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New Release by Infusion Baroque | Anna Bon di Venezia

For immediate release (Halifax)…March 18, 2022. Leaf Music is thrilled to announce Infusion Baroque’s newest single: “Divertimento No. 3 in D minor, Op. 3” composed by Anna Bon. 

Anna Bon di Venezia was an accomplished 18th-century singer, harpsichordist and composer, who spent a lifetime in good musical company. She studied music at the famed Ospedale della pietá, was supported by Wilhelmine von Bayreuth in becoming chamber music virtuoso at the Prussian court, and worked with Haydn at the Esterházy court. The style of her compositions reflect a time of transition from the Baroque to Classical, and include Six Divertimenti for two flutes & basso continuo, Six Harpsichord Sonatas, and Six Chamber sonatas for flute & harpsichord.

(Illustration – Parissa Mohit)

“Divertimento No. 3 in D minor, Op. 3” marks the fourth single of a series of releases for Infusion Baroque’s album Virtuosa, to be released June 10, 2021. The 2-disc recording encompasses 15 works that were either composed or performed by women, and recorded on historical instruments. 

Since 2017, one of Infusion Baroque’s primary initiatives has been The Virtuosa Project, a series of concerts, lectures, and web videos dedicated to women musicians of the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. This project, which highlights over a dozen relatively unknown women who made substantial contributions to Western classical music, has generated a great amount of interest at a local and international level, resulting in requests from international presenters for the ensemble to tour the Virtuosa program in the United States, France and the U.K.  

The CD will include a comprehensive booklet and companion website which will include stories, images, and archival material pertaining to the women featured on the recording. The objective is to provide cultural and socio-economic context for the women’s lives as well as for their music, and to highlight their accomplishments in the face of adversity. Many of the featured women were pioneers in their field.

Infusion Baroque draws new audiences to early music through a truly captivating concert experience, deftly combining seasoned musicianship with theatrical elements. Playing music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries on historical instruments, the four women of Infusion Baroque enthrall audiences across North America with their creative and interactive programming.

Infusion Baroque’s performances have been described as “dynamic and alive” (Early Music America) with “polish, energy, and finely-honed style… merrily breaking established traditions” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Winners of the Grand Prize and Audience Prize at the 2014 Early Music America Baroque Performance Competition, the ensemble charms audiences with its dynamic programs such as “Who Killed Leclair?” (an interactive murder mystery soirée based on the unsolved murder of the famous musician); “Rebels and Rivalries” (featuring scandalous stories from the lives of great composers); and “Son of a Bach!” (narrating the multigenerational saga of the famous musical family).

Infusion Baroque has released two recordings with the Canadian label Leaf Music to critical acclaim. The ensemble’s latest album, a world-premiere recording of quintets by Georg Anton Kreüsser, was nominated for an Opus Prize by the Conseil Québecois de la musique.  According to Fanfare, “the playing of these musicians … is superb. They play with a liveliness and unforced energy that seems to grow naturally out of the music… combining spontaneity and abandon with technical perfection.” The ensemble’s debut recording of trio sonatas by C.P.E. Bach was described as “real baroque … gripping and full of character” (Radio-Canada).Since 2017, Infusion Baroque has been exploring the lives of historical women performers through The Virtuosa Project. Fascinated by the great number of women who made their mark as musical performers despite considerable barriers and stigma, Infusion Baroque devoted an entire concert season in 2018-19 to exploring their lives and music. The ensemble also produced a web series which tells the story of four female musicians of the past, and is looking forward to producing a CD recording and documentary on this exciting topic to be released in 2021. (photo – Danylo Bobyk)

Infusion Baroque: “Divertimento No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 3”
Release date: March 18, 2022
Digital Release
Stream/Download HERE
For MEDIA ONLY – Download
pwd: agricola2526

infusionbaroque.com

MEDIA CONTACT: Catherine Little | catherine@leaf-music.ca | leaf-music.ca 

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New Release by Infusion Baroque | Maddalena Lombardini Sirmen

For immediate release (Halifax)…March 4, 2022. Leaf Music is thrilled to announce Infusion Baroque’s newest single: “Sonata in G Major” composed by Maddalena Lombardini Sirmen. 

Known for her exceptional violin performances and compositional innovation, Maddalena Lombardini Sirmen was also an impressive businesswoman and one of the first female professional instrumentalists of the 18th century. She composed a healthy portfolio of chamber music for strings, in particular, sonatas. In her first opus, including “Sonata V in G major”, Sirmen pushed convention by creating ambitious structures and playing with alternating tempi.

(Illustration – Parissa Mohit)

“Sonata V in G major” marks the third single of a series of releases for Infusion Baroque’s album Virtuosa, to be released June 10, 2021. The 2-disc recording encompasses 15 works that were either composed or performed by women, and were recorded on historical instruments. 

Since 2017, one of Infusion Baroque’s primary initiatives has been The Virtuosa Project, a series of concerts, lectures, and web videos dedicated to women musicians of the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. This project, which highlights over a dozen relatively unknown women who made substantial contributions to Western classical music, has generated a great amount of interest at a local and international level, resulting in requests from international presenters for the ensemble to tour the Virtuosa program in the United States, France and the U.K.  

The CD will include a comprehensive booklet and companion website which will include stories, images, and archival material pertaining to the women featured on the recording. The objective is to provide cultural and socio-economic context for the women’s lives as well as for their music, and to highlight their accomplishments in the face of adversity. Many of the featured women were pioneers in their field.

Infusion Baroque draws new audiences to early music through a truly captivating concert experience, deftly combining seasoned musicianship with theatrical elements. Playing music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries on historical instruments, the four women of Infusion Baroque enthrall audiences across North America with their creative and interactive programming.

Infusion Baroque’s performances have been described as “dynamic and alive” (Early Music America) with “polish, energy, and finely-honed style… merrily breaking established traditions” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Winners of the Grand Prize and Audience Prize at the 2014 Early Music America Baroque Performance Competition, the ensemble charms audiences with its dynamic programs such as “Who Killed Leclair?” (an interactive murder mystery soirée based on the unsolved murder of the famous musician); “Rebels and Rivalries” (featuring scandalous stories from the lives of great composers); and “Son of a Bach!” (narrating the multigenerational saga of the famous musical family).

Infusion Baroque has released two recordings with the Canadian label Leaf Music to critical acclaim. The ensemble’s latest album, a world-premiere recording of quintets by Georg Anton Kreüsser, was nominated for an Opus Prize by the Conseil Québecois de la musique.  According to Fanfare, “the playing of these musicians … is superb. They play with a liveliness and unforced energy that seems to grow naturally out of the music… combining spontaneity and abandon with technical perfection.” The ensemble’s debut recording of trio sonatas by C.P.E. Bach was described as “real baroque … gripping and full of character” (Radio-Canada).Since 2017, Infusion Baroque has been exploring the lives of historical women performers through The Virtuosa Project. Fascinated by the great number of women who made their mark as musical performers despite considerable barriers and stigma, Infusion Baroque devoted an entire concert season in 2018-19 to exploring their lives and music. The ensemble also produced a web series which tells the story of four female musicians of the past, and is looking forward to producing a CD recording and documentary on this exciting topic to be released in 2021. (photo – Danylo Bobyk)

Infusion Baroque: “Sonata in G Major”
Release date: March 4, 2022
Digital Release
Stream/Download HERE

infusionbaroque.com

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Nathaniel Watson Releases: “Winterreise”

Halifax-based record label Leaf Music is pleased to announce the release of baritone Nathaniel Watson and pianist Michael McMahon’s rendition of Schubert’s Winterreise, recorded last winter in Montreal.

Baritone Nathaniel Watson and pianist Michael McMahon, both based in Montreal, give us their rendition of Franz Schubert’s monumental song cycle, Winterreise, written in 1827, the year before Schubert’s tragic, early death. The 24 settings of poems of Wilhelm Müller are a journey deep into the psyche of a young man, unlucky in love, who sets out with neither friend nor destination, in the dead of winter, an epic figure in the dawning of German Romanticism. In this recording, also made in winter (and during a pandemic), Watson and McMahon share their experience and lifelong passion for Schubert. The composer, who had already composed some 600 Lieder in his short life, confessed to his close circle of friends that these songs moved him more than all the others.

Canadian Nathaniel Watson is a versatile artist who has performed successfully in a wide variety of musical styles. Highlights include Der Freischütz with the New York Philharmonic under Sir Colin Davis, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony under Kurt Masur, and in Carnegie Hall with Sir Roger Norrington in the conductor’s debut concert in New York. 


He appeared in the title role in the Boston Early Music Festival production of Cavalli’s Ercole amante in Boston, at Tanglewood, and at the Utrecht Festival in Holland, and was featured in the Salzburg Festival production of Weill’s Mahagonny. Recent seasons have included performances of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with Nicholas McGegan and Philharmonia Baroque, Messiah with the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center, Mendelssohn’s Paulus and Mahler’s Eighth Symphony with L’Orchestre symphonique de Québec, and Handel’s Semele with Pacific Opera Victoria.

Nathaniel Watson has recorded works by the American composers Samuel Barber, Philip Glass, Andrew Imbrie, and Claudio Spies, as well as premiering works by Mr. Spies, Miriam Gideon, Scott Lindroth, Ronald Perera, Lewis Spratlan, Chan Ka Nin and Earl Kim. He has been featured as a soloist in Ruth Fazal’s Oratorio Terezin, a work that has been performed in six countries, including Israel, and in Carnegie Hall.

~

Distinguished pianist Michael McMahon has served on the Faculty of the Schulich School of Music at McGill University in both the Piano and Voice Areas, since 1984, and has partnered with a long list of prominent singers in North America and in Europe.

Nathaniel Watson: Winterreise
Release date: February 11, 2022
Physical/Digital Release
Stream/Purchase HERE

nathanielwatsonmusic.com

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Lara Deutsch and Phil Chiu Release: “Night Light”

Leaf Music is pleased to announce the release of Lara Deutsch & Phil Chiu’s collaborative album Night Light. Working and performing together since 2008, Lara and Phil have come together to record a wide range of works by Takashi Yoshimatsu, Jocelyn Morlock, Franz Schubert, and a world premiere by Frédéric Lacroix. 

Society, musical conventions, and tastes inevitably change and develop over time, but the shared human experiences that artists draw upon do

not. The two overarching ideas that Lara Deutsch and Phil Chiu used as inspiration for this album are dreams and journeys. Dreamy music is often associated with relaxation and easy-listening, but don’t be fooled; this music has wickedly fast and thrilling sounds that capture the chaotic nature of dreams as well!

Described in La Presse as “a pianist-painter who transforms each musical idea into a beautiful array of colours”, Philip Chiu is acclaimed for his brilliant pianism, sensitive listening, and a presence that eschews the hermit-pianist image in favour of openness, authenticity, and connection.

Named one of 2020’s “Rising Stars” by BBC Music Magazine, flutist Lara Deutsch is a versatile soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player known for her engaging warmth and ability to connect with audiences. Recipient of the $125,000 Prix Goyer for collaborative artists in 2019-2020, her debut album, Origins (as Duo Kalysta), was previously released on the Leaf Music label and was named one of CBC Music’s “20 Favourite Canadian Classical Albums of 2019.”

Lara Deutsch & Phil Chiu: Night Light
Release date: February 4, 2022
Physical/Digital Release
Stream/Purchase HERE

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Space Time Continuo: “Carolo”

For immediate release, January 28, 2022 (Halifax)…Leaf Music is pleased to announce the release of Space Time Continuo’s debut album Carolo. The album features 10 sonatas written by a mysterious “Mr Carolo,” whose identity remains an enigma for scholars and musicians alike. Educated guesses have been made to equate Carolo’s identity to Carolus Hacquart, a Flemish composer and Viol player, or an anonymous English “Mr. Charles,” inspired by the 17th-century trio sonatas.  

Although the Carolo sonatas were written for smaller ensembles, the original edition served as a blank canvas to fulfill Space Time Continuo’s mandate of featuring the rich textures and wide soundscape possible in the continuo section. Sonatas IX, III, V and X were conceived with augmented forces and sonatas IX and III are new arrangements for 3 solo bass instruments and continuo. Sonata VI is performed with two bassoons, harpsichord and bowed bass (5-string low-pitched bass violin) but the other five are closer to what was suggested by the original publisher’s title page: “two solo bass instruments plus one continuo,” but with variation in the instrumentation of the solo voices and keyboard choice.

Watch Sonata IX by M. Carolo performed by Space Time Continuo

In Early Music, the continuo “team”, although sometimes consisting of only 1 instrument, improvises accompaniment over a baseline. The name “Space Time Continuo” came to Amanda Keesmaat during her days at McGill, playing in the Baroque Orchestra under the direction of Hank Knox. Keesmaat realized she had unwittingly joined a not-so-private club, but one with many secrets and an important agenda, hidden in plain sight.

Space Time Continuo is interested in finding, creating, performing, and recording music for baroque bass instruments.
The first Space Time Continuo performance, featuring 9 different instruments (cello, viola da gamba, basse de violon, harp, bassoon, harpsichord, organ, theorbo and baroque guitar,) was presented in the Winter of 2019 by La Nef. The concert held space for a combination of textures, creative solutions and richness, with excerpts of music performed true to the score, while others were treated with much liberty. The group performed both famous and obscure pieces, from composers such as Corrette, Carolo, Handel, and Gabrielli.

Space Time Continuo: Carolo
Release date: January 28, 2022
Physical/Digital Release
Stream/Purchase HERE

http://spacetimecontinuo.com/

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The Bombadils: “Losing Track of Time”

The Bombadils release their single “Losing Track of Time” from upcoming album Dear Friend.

For Immediate Release…January 21, 2022

Leaf Music Distribution is pleased to announce the single release, “Losing Track of Time” by The Bombadils.

“Losing Track of Time” transports us to the moment when stars align, guards come down, and we connect more deeply with someone than we ever knew we could. The moment is fleeting and we want to hang onto it before it slips away… we want to cherish the warmth, vulnerability, and gentle attentiveness between two strangers.

“Losing Track of Time” is the first single off The Bombadils’ forthcoming full-length album, Dear Friend, set for release in the spring of 2022. It will be The Bombadils’ first full-length album release since their move to Atlantic Canada and launch into new parenthood, a new city, and a global pandemic. Recorded in North End Halifax with engineer Graeme Campbell between lockdowns and daycare pick-ups, Dear Friend is a series of love letters to family and friends, to strangers and neighbours, to cities and landscapes, and to each other.

Watch “Losing Track of Time” lyric video HERE

Canadian Folk Music Award nominees The Bombadils bring together bluegrass, Celtic, and singer-songwriter traditions with front-porch style and classical grace. Canadian arts journalist Bob Mersereau describes their music as “folk tunes done with musical adventure and sophistication” and Elmore Magazine calls it “an enchanting folk romp.”

The Bombadils met in 2009 while studying music at McGill University in Montreal, Québec. In the years to follow, they began recording and touring throughout Canada, and internationally. Tour highlights include Koerner Hall in Toronto, ON, Tivoli Gardens in Denmark, and Wintergrass music festival outside Seattle, WA. In 2015 they released a full-length album, “Grassy Roads, Wandering Feet,” quickly followed by “New Shoes” in 2016 which was nominated for two Canadian Folk Music Awards and won Folk Music Ontario’s Album of the Year award.

The Bombadils: Losing Tracks of Time
Release date: January 21, 2022
Physical/Digital Release
Stream/Purchase HERE

thebombadils.com

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Infusion Baroque Releases: “Flute Sonata in A minor”

Infusion Baroque Releases second single from Virtuosa.

For immediate release – January 21, 2022 (Halifax)…Infusion Baroque is pleased to release the second single from their upcoming album Virtuosa. Released through Halifax-based record label Leaf Music, “Flute Sonata in A Minor”was written by Wilhemine von Bayreuth, a composer and princess of the Kingdom of Prussia. This piece for flute and basso continuo is the second work of Wilhelmine’s. It features an at first pensive, then lively and thunderous performance of the solo flute.

The single release marks the second of a series of releases for the album Virtuosa, to be released June 10, 2022. The 2-disc recording is played on historical instruments and encompasses 15 works that were either composed or performed by women.

Illustration – Parissa Mohit

Since 2017, one of Infusion Baroque’s primary initiatives has been The Virtuosa Project, a series of concerts, lectures, and web videos dedicated to women musicians of the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. The project highlights over a dozen relatively unknown women who made substantial contributions to Western classical music. It has generated a great amount of local and international interest, resulting in touring invitations from presenters in the United States, France and the U.K.

The CD will include a comprehensive booklet and companion website featuring stories, images, and archival material pertaining to these female performers and composers, many of whom were pioneers in their field. The objective is to provide cultural and socio-economic context for the women’s lives as well as for their music, and to celebrate their accomplishments in the face of adversity.

Stream / Buy “Flute Sonata in A minor” HERE!

Infusion Baroque draws new audiences to early music through a truly captivating concert experience, deftly combining seasoned musicianship with theatrical elements. Playing music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries on historical instruments, the four women of Infusion Baroque enthrall audiences across North America with their creative and interactive programming.

Their performances have been described as “dynamic and alive” (Early Music America) with “polish, energy, and finely-honed style…merrily breaking established traditions” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Winners of the Grand Prize and Audience Prize at the 2014 Early Music America Baroque Performance Competition, the ensemble charms audiences with its dynamic programs such as “Who Killed Leclair?” (an interactive murder mystery soirée based on the unsolved murder of the famous musician); “Rebels and Rivalries” (featuring scandalous stories from the lives of great composers); and “Son of a Bach!” (narrating the multigenerational saga of the famous musical family).

Infusion Baroque has released two recordings with the Canadian label Leaf Music to critical acclaim. The ensemble’s latest album, a world-premiere recording of quintets by Georg Anton Kreüsser, was nominated for an Opus Prize by the Conseil Québécois de la musique. According to Fanfare,“the playing of these musicians…is superb. They play with a liveliness and unforced energy that seems to grow naturally out of the music…combining spontaneity and abandon with technical perfection.”The ensemble’s debut recording of trio sonatas by C.P.E. Bach was described as “real baroque … gripping and full of character” (Radio-Canada).

Since 2017, Infusion Baroque has been exploring the lives of historical women performers through The Virtuosa Project. Fascinated by the great number of women who made their mark as musical performers despite considerable barriers and stigma, Infusion Baroque devoted an entire concert season in 2018-19 to exploring their lives and music. The ensemble also produced a web series which tells the story of our female musicians of the past, and is looking forward to producing a CD recording and documentary on this exciting topic to be released in 2021.

Infusion Baroque: “Flute Sonata A Minor”
Release date: Jan 21, 2022
Digital Release
Stream/Download HERE

infusionbaroque.com

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Jennifer King Releases: “O Mistress Moon: Canadian Edition”

January 14, 2022 (Halifax) – Award-winning east coast pianist Jennifer King is pleased to release her album 

O Mistress Moon: Canadian Edition. 

This album is a curated and narrative collection of twelve Canadian piano solos about the moon, outer space, and the night which highlights both their folkloric name and Mi’kmaw names. 

The full album release comes after a 10-month release campaign that partnered each track to the full moon of each month based on the composition’s name, intention, and its overall atmosphere.

O Mistress Moon: Canadian Edition features all Canadian and contemporary content. The music was chosen for its relationship to our environment, for the prosperity of Canadian works and composers in a manner that is accessible to all.

This collection of Canadian, lunar, and outer-space-inspired solo piano music is designed to elicit introspection. Calm yet wide in emotional scope, it aims to provoke thought and appeal to those looking for a musical meditative journey. My hope is that you, the listener, find solace and wonderment within this collection.” – Jennifer King

“In her Canadian Edition of the O Mistress Moon series (Leaf Music cat # LM245) Jennifer King has wondrously achieved her vision of creating an album “designed to elicit introspection.”Her collection of Canadian pieces inspired by the various full moons is brilliantly conceived and superbly executed. King weaves her spells with poetic expressiveness and a virtuoso technique that serves her every subtle, nuanced musical musing. This is a most impressive performance of a deeply moving scenario.”  – David Jaeger

O Mistress Moon: Canadian Edition Available for streaming on all platforms: www.leaf-music.lnk.to/LM245

Energetic and insightful, Jennifer King is a versatile pianist who is equally at home as a soloist or collaborator on the concert stage. With a busy career spanning three decades, she has established herself as a sought-after performer and recording artist in the region.

She performs with many respected soloists and multidisciplinary artists throughout the Maritimes. Her artistic agility can find her accompanying at universities, touring as a soloist, or working on a multidisciplinary project with other artists. Jennifer has explored theatre-based works performing at PEI’s 2019 Fringe Festival in a co-written show about the suffragettes, The Bessie Carruthers Study Club, acting as British composer Ethel Smyth and was musical director/pianist for Light in the Forest, a multimedia mental health awareness theatre production produced by silk artist Holly Carr in 2019. 


Her debut album was nominated for an ECMA and Music Nova Scotia 2019 award for Classical Recording of the Year and her EP Doolittle: Minute Etudes “Excerpts” (Live), released in August 2019, was nominated for Classical Composition of the Year for ECMA 2021. In October 2020, Jennifer released an independent album, Twilight Hour: Collected Stories for Piano, with an accompanying animated film created by filmmaker/animator/ singer Katrina Westin. The video project was funded by a Digital Originals grant from the Canada Council of the Arts and has been selected at Lift Off Film Festival (Berlin) 2021, the International Children’s Film Festival in Moscow and most recently Tour de Cine Niños (Mexico). The album was nominated for Classical Album of the Year with Music Nova Scotia 2021.

With a special interest in new music, Jennifer enjoys opportunities to perform Canadian premieres, but also loves exploring older hidden gems as both a solo and chamber musician,frequently showcasing these unique treasures for audiences.

JENNIFER KING

O Mistress Moon: Canadian Edition

Release date: January 14, 2022
Physical/Digital Release
Stream/Purchase HERE

jenniferkingpiano.com

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Kate Read Added to Leaf Music Roster

Halifax-based classical record label Leaf Music is pleased to announce that east coast violist Kate Read is joining the label’s roster. 

After almost a decade performing in ensembles (BBC Symphony Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, The Philharmonia, London Symphony Orchestra, MiNensemblet) and touring Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, the USA, the Far East and South America, Kate Read returned to Newfoundland and rejoined the Atlantic String Quartet (winners of Music NL Classical Musicians of the year, 2021) and the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra as Principal Violist.

Kate has long been active in multimedia productions, in the various roles of performer, producer, commissioner and visual designer. Co-founder and co-producer of multimedia Ensemble Meduse (2004-2008), Kate has also collaborated in productions with Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland, Sound Symposium (NL), Memorial University (NL), Arkora (Canada), Bodø Sinfonietta (Norway) and Opera North (UK). Kate recently co-founded the Harbourlight Quartet. Kate is currently working on an improvisation project with Michelle Lacour, musician and sound engineer based in St. John’s.

As part of her first project with Leaf, Read is recording her debut solo album, featuring works by B Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Nico Muhly and J.S.Bach as well as two new commissions by Andrew Staniland and Benton Roark and an improvised piece with Michelle LaCour on electronics.

“We are so excited to welcome Kate Read, the first artist from The Rock to join our roster. Kate spent several years abroad playing in some of the world’s best orchestras. We are thrilled that she has now joined our team to work toward our shared vision of championing new Canadian works on her upcoming debut album. It’s a privilege to be a part of her team as she shares her talent in the coming years.” –Ben B. Creelman, associate producer – Leaf Music

Kate is beyond thrilled to have joined Leaf Music’s roster and to have them oversee the production of her first solo album. She looks forward to collaborating with this amazing team of creative individuals.

kateread.ca

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Catherine Little: “Taking Five”

Accomplished Nova Scotian Cellist Catherine Little is pleased to present: Taking Five, released through Halifax-based Leaf Music Distribution. Little is on a mission to build a bridge to classical music with the debut release. The pieces she chose to record have relatable melodies, harmonies and emotional language that is sure to resonate with audiences; they have hooks, are ‘singable’, and an inviting warmth. The entire project is a friendly and enticing invitation into the world of classical music, with the hope of leaving audiences asking for more.

A release event for Taking Five will be taking place at the Cole Harbour Woodside United Church, Cole Harbour, Sunday November 28, at 3PM. Catherine will be joined by album collaborator Gregory Myra, performing all five tracks from the album, as well as some additional pieces. Tickets are available on Catherine’s website, www.catherinelittle.com/tickets

(Album Art by Lisa at Scribble and Script Calligraphy and designed by Rebecca at Paper Chain Stationery)

Cellist Catherine Little is on a mission to build a bridge to classical music. She is no stranger to other genres- she’s played with the likes of rocker Rod Stewart and has recorded pop, folk, blues and rap. Born and raised in Nova Scotia, she’s had the advantage of living in a rich song and celtic culture too. This varied exposure has given her a unique perspective on music and audiences.

Catherine has an Honours Bachelor of Music degree from Wilfrid Laurier University (2007), and a Master’s in Music Performance from the Université de Montréal (2010)..Little has performed with the cello sections of The National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Montreal’s Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Symphony Nova Scotia, and the Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia under conductors Yoav Talmi, Lorraine Vaillancourt, Bernhard Gueller, and Baldur Brönnimann. 

Catherine was the solo “pit” cellist for seven musicals at Halifax’s Neptune Theatre and has played on stage with pop acts like Jenn Grant and Il Divo. Between 2012 and 2020, she gave numerous classical string duo, quartet and piano trio concerts. Other projects of note include performing as a cello duo for Phin Dance’s The Grand Hotel in 2013, and in 2016, The Bells of Baddeck, A Music Drama, and Handel’s baroque opera, Rodelinda (Halifax Opera Festival).

Website / Facebook

Catherine Little | Taking Five
Release date: Nov 19, 2021
Physical/Digital Release
Listen/Buy HERE