October 25, 2005 Source: Mount Allison University:
http://www.mta.ca/news/index.cgi?id=840 Soprano Layla Claire to perform at Mount A, Oct. 31 SACKVILLE, NB — On Monday, October 31, Mount Allison University’s music department will host a guest recital by soprano Layla Claire, winner of the 2005 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition. Ms.Claire will be accompanied by pianist Adam Johnson. The concert will take place in Brunton Auditorium and will begin at 8 p.m. Admission is free and the public is warmly invited to attend. Established in the 1970s by Canadian composer, pianist, and violinist Sophie Carmen Eckhardt-Gramatté, the "E-Gré" competition is held annually at Brandon University in Manitoba. It alternates on a three-year cycle among voice, piano, and violin competitions. With a strong focus on the performance of Canadian music, it has become one of this country’s most prestigious competitions for musicians embarking on professional careers. Born in Kelowna, BC, Layla Claire graduated in 2004 from the B.Mus. program at the University of Montréal and is currently in the University’s M.Mus program. In addition to her regular study with Helga Tucker, Rosemarie Landry, and Catherine Sévigny, she has studied with Roger Vignoles, Paul Stewart, Michael McMahon, and Mark Pedrotti, and has participated in the UBC summer vocal workshop and the Banff Centre for the Arts Song in Collaboration summer program with Edith Wiens. Ms. Claire was the winner of the 2003 CBC Concours Jeunes Artistes, a national finalist in the 2002 Canadian Music Competition, and was named Most Promising Young Singer by the National Association of Teachers of Singing in Montréal in both 2000 and 2002. She has sung several roles with l’Atelier d’opera at the University of Montréal, and performs frequently as soloist with choirs in Quebec. Pianist Adam Johnson, originally from Hinton, Alberta, holds a B.Mus. degree from the University of Alberta and a M.Mus. from the University of Montréal, where he is currently a doctoral student. A participant in numerous masterclasses, including at the Banff and Orford Centres, he is frequently heard in recitals as a soloist and chamber musician and has been broadcast on CBC Radio. Through his appearances in charity concerts, he has helped to raise over $5,000 for Habitat for Humanity. He is also gaining experience as a conductor, having worked with the University of Alberta Symphony Orchestra, the Banff Festival Orchestra, and the Edmonton Youth Orchestra. Among the works to be performed on this recital will be one newly commissioned for the E-Gré Competition, Disordered Songs by Winnipeg composer David R. Scott. This is a cycle of short songs based on poems excerpted from Fridge Magnet Cycle by poet Steven Mayoff. Layla Claire’s tour is sponsored by the Eckhardt-Gramatté Foundation, with support from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Manitoba Arts Council and the SOCAN Foundation. This Sackville recital is made possible through the generous sponsorship of the Bell Music and Fine Arts Fund. —30— For more information contact Mount Allison’s department of music, tel: 364-2374 (musdept@mta.ca).
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