“It Ain’t Necessarily So…”

Featuring Elizabeth Polese, soprano; Gwenna Fairchild-Taylor, soprano; Jonathan MacArthur, tenor; David Diston, baritone; Nathan Keoughan, bass-baritone; Christina

Bouey, violin; Peter Tiefenbach, piano; and Robert Kortgaard, piano

Friday, July 29, 2016, 7:30 PM

It Ain’t Necessarily So Gershwin, arr. Heifetz

Christina Bouey & Robert Kortgaard My Ship (Lady in the Dark) Weill/Gershwin

Elizabeth Polese & Peter Tiefenbach Stars (Les Misérables) Schönberg/Boublil

David Diston & Peter Tiefenbach Summertime/A Woman is a Sometime Thing Gershwin, arr. Heifetz

Christina Bouey & Robert Kortgaard King of the World Brown

Jonathan MacArthur & Peter Tiefenbach Liebesleid Kreisler

Christina Bouey & Robert Kortgaard Climb Every Mountain (The Sound of Music) Rodgers/Hammerstein

Gwenna Fairchild-Taylor & Peter Tiefenbach Schön Rosmarin Kreisler

Christina Bouey & Robert Kortgaard The Impossible Dream (Man of La Mancha) Leigh/Darion

Nathan Keoughan & Peter Tiefenbach Liebesfreud Kreisler

Christina Bouey & Robert Kortgaard

INTERMISSION

Dich, teure Halle (Tannhäuser) Wagner

Gwenna Fairchild-Taylor & Peter Tiefenbach O du, mein holder Abendstern (Tannhäuser) Wagner

Nathan Keoughan & Peter Tiefenbach Méditation (Thaïs) Massenet

Christina Bouey & Robert Kortgaard Una furtiva lagrima (L’Elisir d’amore) Donizetti

Jonathan MacArthur & Peter Tiefenbach Je veux vivre (Roméo et Juliette) Gounod

Elizabeth Polese & Peter Tiefenbach Votre Toast (Carmen) Bizet

David Diston & Peter Tiefenbach Carmen Fantasy Bizet, arr. Waxman

Christina Bouey & Robert Kortgaard

Bios

Elizabeth Polese Praised as a ''fresh and polished soprano'', Polese is an up and coming artist in Canada's classical music scene. Her 2015/16 season included performances as Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro at Highlands Opera Studio in Ontario, and oratorio performances in Handel's Messiah and Faure's Requiem, among others. Polese is an alumna of the University of Toronto, with both Bachelors and Masters degrees in Voice Performance. Gwenna Fairchild-Taylor Soprano Gwenna Fairchild-Taylor is in her final year of the Opera Diploma at University of Toronto Opera, studying with Wendy Nielsen. She completed her Master of Music in Opera at University of Toronto in April 2015. This past season she sang the role of Lady with a Cake Box in Postcard from Morocco with “great conviction and pathos” (Barczablog). Jonathan MacArthur Praised for his "amazing lyrical singing" (Mooney on Theatre) and "lovely light tenor, gentle and rounded" (Stage Door), Prince Edward Island tenor Jonathan MacArthur is an active performer in Toronto and throughout Canada. He is a recent graduate of the University of Toronto Opera, and his recent studies have brought him international acclaim in the United States, Russia, Italy and China. David Diston David Diston’s artistry is quickly gaining him recognition as a ‘sonorous baritone’ (Huffpost Alberta) with ‘full-throated and characterful singing’ (Calgary Herald). A 2016 graduate of the Calgary Opera Emerging Artist program, Diston’s professional credits include Frederic (Lakmé), Pish-Tush (The Mikado), and Moralès (Carmen), among others. Nathan Keoughan Bass-baritone Nathan Keoughan got his start in the performing world as Roy Gardner in the Prince Edward Island favorite Anne & Gilbert. He studied voice at the University of Prince Edward Island under the direction of Stephen and Sung Ha Shin Bouey. Nathan continued his studies in Boston, Massachusetts at the New England Conservatory. Christina Bouey Canadian violinist, Christina Bouey, is hailed by the New York Times for playing “beautifully,” by the New York Post, “When violinist Christina Bouey spun out that shimmering tune, I thought I died and went to heaven,” and by Opera News, for playing “with exquisite, quivering beauty.” Among her awards and prizes include the Canada Council of the Arts Instrument Bank and Hugo Kortchak Award for outstanding achievement in chamber music. Peter Tiefenbach Peter Tiefenbach enjoys an extraordinarily varied career as a performer, composer and teacher. A native of Regina, Saskatchewan, he studied music in Canada, the United States and England, before settling in Toronto in 1986. His unique combination of talents has established his reputation as a gifted pianist, mentor and creator. Robert Kortgaard Robert Kortgaard was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, and grew up in Calgary, Alberta. He completed his bachelor and master's degrees at the Juilliard School in New York City. He is a favorite collaborator of many of Canada’s finest instrumental soloists, vocalists and chamber groups. His performances are frequently heard on CBC Radio, and he has recorded for the Centrediscs, Marquis Classics/EMI, CBC Records, Teldec and ATMA Classique labels. Mr. Kortgaard is Artistic Director of the Indian River Festival on Prince Edward Island and the Leith Summer Music Festival in Ontario.