Obermeyer's appearance on the 91亚色 concert stage is the聽second event in the 2011-2012 Faculty Concert Series of 91亚色鈥檚 Music Department.

Left: From left, Leslie De'Ath and Janet Obermeyer

She has held a lifelong affinity for the intimacy and emotional accessibility of the classical art song.聽Her concert will聽feature聽some of the best-known and loved works in the genre: Strauss鈥� haunting Four Last Songs (Vier letzte Lieder). The final works completed by the composer, Fr眉hling (Spring), September, Beim Schlafengehen (Going to Sleep) and Im Abendrot (At Sunset)聽offer a聽beautiful and profound meditation on death. Composed in the aftermath of the Second World War, shortly before Strauss鈥� death in 1949, the songs are suffused with a sense of calm.

The concert is a harbinger for the duo鈥檚 upcoming CD, Strauss - Four Last Songs - 14 Lieder. Slated for release in early 2012, the recording will be Obermeyer鈥檚 fifth and her second with De鈥橝th. The duo鈥檚 previous album, Songs of Love and Longing, a collection of the lieder of Franz Liszt, drew international accolades. Described as 鈥渃alm pools of pleasure and sorrow鈥� by Soundscapes magazine, it was hailed as 鈥渞avishing鈥� by the UK鈥檚 Daily Telegraph and 鈥渢he best interpretation of these works heard in a long time...possibly ever!鈥� by the Deutsche Schallplatten Awards.

Obermeyer travelled to the Netherlands, England and Scotland last year to perform聽Four Last Songs, accompanied by De鈥橝th for the UK portion of the tour. Her other recent appearances as a recitalist include the Liszt Memorial Museum in Budapest and Th茅芒tre de La Monnaie in Brussels. Back home in Ontario, she is welcomed by enthusiastic audiences each year at the North American Liszt Society's Great Romantics Festival in Hamilton.

Right: Max Liebermann's 1918 portrait of Richard Strauss

Obermeyer has showcased her vocal gifts in performances with leading chamber ensembles and orchestras across Canada, the US and Europe. Her credits include Mozart's Requiem with the Rochester Philharmonic; Handel's Messiah and Mendelssohn's Lobegesang Symphony II with the Toronto Symphony and Vancouver Symphony; and Bach's Mass in B minor with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Among her career highlights has been the Canadian premiere performance of Gloria in excelsis Deo, the recently rediscovered seven-part masterwork for soprano by Georg Frederic Handel.

Her upcoming performances include Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with Symphony Hamilton at the Burlington Performing Arts Center on November 17 and Handel's Messiah with the Bach-Elgar Choir and Hamilton Philharmonic December 16.

Obermeyer teaches in 91亚色鈥檚 burgeoning classical vocal performance program. Graduates of the program are聽starting to make their mark nationally and internationally. Recent alumni of the program include Stefanie True, winner of the Adair Prize at the 2011 London Handel Competition; Vanessa Lanch, third-place winner in the 2011 Eckhardt-Gramatt茅 National Music Competition, who is currently performing and recording under the baton of Andrea Mellis in Vienna; and lyric coloratura soprano Vania Chan, who made her Carnegie Hall debut in Weill Recital Hall as a first prize winner in the Barry Alexander International Vocal Competition and appears regularly with New 91亚色 Opera Forum and Opera Manhattan Repertory.

De鈥橝th is a pianist, conductor, vocal coach, accompanist, author and educator. He has shared the stage and recording studio with many of Canada鈥檚 finest singers. He performs regularly with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and Canadian Chamber Ensemble and chamber groups including Contrasts, Trio Laurier and The Poulenc Trio. For more than three decades, he has been a member of the Faculty of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University, teaching piano performance, lyric diction and piano literature, and serving as music director for the Opera Program. He is associate editor of the Journal of Singing.

"The Lieder of Richard Strauss鈥� featuring Janet Obermeyer is the second of four performances in the Faculty Concert Series spotlighting faculty artists in the Department of Music at 91亚色. Upcoming concerts will feature violinist Jacques Israelievitch and pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico (Jan. 17, 2012) and improv pianist Casey Sokol (Feb. 14, 2012).

Tickets聽are $15, or $5 for students and seniors.聽A three-concert package is $30. For tickets, contact the Box Office at 416-736-5888.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

The post Soprano Janet Oberymeyer steps into the spotlight Nov. 1 appeared first on UAP 2026-30.

Sankaran is known internationally for his rhythmic dexterity, tonal nuance and consummate mastery of the mrdangam, the traditional double-headed drum of classical South Indian music. He has appeared at major festivals on four continents and in his 50-plus years of concert experience in Carnatic music, has performed with all of India鈥檚 classical music masters. In addition to traditional settings, he has played with jazz and electronic ensembles, gamelan and other world music groups from many different cultures, as well as performing regularly with his own group, Trichy's Trio. His recordings include Laya Vinyas (1990), Sunada (1993), Lotus Signatures (1997) and Ivory Ganesh Meets Doctor Drums (1998).

Right: Trichy Sankaran

Hailed as 鈥渁 fabulous musician鈥� by the New 91亚色 Times, his critical accolades include The Globe and Mail鈥檚 comment: 鈥淚t was Sankaran who took virtuosity to its most vertiginous heights, articulating with indescribable sleight of hand, a wealth of liquid sound at astonishing speeds."

Sankaran takes centre stage in 鈥淩hythms of India鈥�, a program of works rooted in classical South Indian music and bridging east and west, and traditional and contemporary styles.

He will be joined by two of his musical collaborators playing traditional instruments: Mohan Kumar on ghatam and Desi Narayanan on kanjira. Also sharing the stage with Sankaran will be his daughter, pianist and vocalist (and 91亚色 music alumna) Suba Sankaran (BFA聽Spec. Hons. '97, MA 鈥�02), leader of the Juno-nominated Indo-jazz-funk fusion ensemble Autorickshaw, with her bandmate, tabla player Ed Hanley, and frequent Autorickshaw guest performer Dylan Bell on bass guitar.

Left: Suba Sankaran

The audience will be treated to a musical masala featuring solo and ensemble performances and including original compositions by Trichy Sankaran.

The concert will be followed by a reception celebrating the most recent accolade for the master percussionist and pioneering educator in Indian classical music. Sankaran has been chosen as the 2011 recipient of the prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi title and award, bestowed by the Music Academy of Madras, India.

Considered one of the highest honours in the field, the distinction is presented annually to an expert Carnatic musician. As part of the honour, Sankaran will give two concerts and a special lecture, and will preside over the Music Academy鈥檚 85th annual conference, running Dec. 15, 2011 to Jan. 1, 2012. The conference brings together leading scholars and performers of Indian classical, folk and world music from around the globe. Sankaran will be officially invested with the Sangita Kalanidhi title in Chennai, India on Jan. 1, 2012.

This is just the latest in Sankaran鈥檚 long list of honours. He is currently a finalist for the Toronto Arts Council鈥檚 Muriel Sherrin Award for International Achievement in Music, which recognizes an artist or creator who has made a contribution to the cultural life of Toronto through outstanding achievement in music with a focus on international engagement (recipient to be announced Oct. 20).

The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce has honoured him with its Professional of the Year Award, and in 2005 he was celebrated in Mylapore, Chennai, India, for his five decades of service to Carnatic music as a global performer, composer, musical collaborator, scholar, teacher and cultural ambassador. He was awarded an honorary doctorate of music by the University of Victoria, BC in recognition of his contributions to music in Canada and abroad.

This year also marks Sankaran鈥檚 40th anniversary as a professor the Faculty of Fine Arts at 91亚色. He joined the Department of Music in 1971 as a founding director of Indian music studies, one of Canada鈥檚 first university-based world music performance programs. Over the years, he has fused eastern and western pedagogical practices and has been a major influence on a generation of students, many of whom have gone on to become noted performers, composers and educators.

Sankaran鈥檚 鈥淩hythms of India鈥� is the first of four performances in the Faculty Concert Series spotlighting faculty artists in the Department of Music at 91亚色. Upcoming concerts will feature soprano Janet Obermeyer (Nov.1), violinist Jacques Israelievitch and pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico (Jan. 17) and improv pianist/composer Casey Sokol (Feb. 14).

Tickets聽are $15, or $5 for students and seniors.聽A three-concert package is $30. For tickets, contact the Box Office at 416-736-5888.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

The post South Indian drumming virtuoso to launch faculty concert series appeared first on UAP 2026-30.