{"id":102314,"date":"2024-03-11T15:45:51","date_gmt":"2024-03-11T19:45:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=102314"},"modified":"2024-03-11T15:45:51","modified_gmt":"2024-03-11T19:45:51","slug":"interview-mezzo-soprano-ema-nikolovska-talks-debut-north-american-recital-tour-hitting-toronto-march-24","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2024\/03\/11\/interview-mezzo-soprano-ema-nikolovska-talks-debut-north-american-recital-tour-hitting-toronto-march-24\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Mezzo-Soprano Ema Nikolovska Talks About Her Debut North American Recital Tour, Hitting Toronto March 24"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_102317\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-102317\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-102317\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2.jpg\" alt=\"Mezzo-Soprano Ema Nikolovska (Photo: Kaupo Kikkas)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-102317\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mezzo-Soprano Ema Nikolovska (Photo: Kaupo Kikkas)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska is currently on a recital tour of North America. Her recital partner on the Canadian leg is pianist Charles-Richard Hamelin, acclaimed for his own work as both soloist and chamber musician.<\/p>\n<p>The all-Canadian duo is bringing an imaginative and eclectic vocal program to a series of concerts across Canada. They hit Toronto\u2019s Koerner Hall on March 24.<\/p>\n<p>We spoke to Ema about the tour.<\/p>\n<h2>The Interview<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s been a busy year so far for Ema Nikolovska, and that on top of a rapid rise in the world of international opera. With a Master&#8217;s in Voice at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Ema went on to become a BBC New Generation Artist from 2019-2022. In 2022, she received the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, and made her debut with the Staatsoper Berlin in the 2022-23 season.<\/p>\n<p>The 2023\/24 season has seen her her debut at the Royal Opera House&#8217;s Linbury Theatre in the lead role in George Benjamin&#8217;s Picture a Day Like This, along with recent her house and role debut with the Canadian Opera Company in the role of the Fox in Jan\u00e1\u010dek&#8217;s The Cunning Little Vixen.<\/p>\n<p>How does she stay focused?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;ve recently started meditating more frequently and more regularly,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s helped me a lot. I do a lot of reading, that keeps me grounded,\u201d she adds. \u201cI&#8217;m trying to figure out how to integrate fitness in my schedule.\u201d That can be hard when you\u2019re on the road so much. \u201cMy gym is traveling,\u201d she laughs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Excerpt of Act 2 of The Cunning Little Vixen with Jane Archibald and Ema Nikolovska:<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/y43SbxfNNLo?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h3>The Tour<\/h3>\n<p>The tour is just another first. \u201cI&#8217;ve never had a recital tour before.\u201d They\u2019ll be hitting eight cities along the way. \u201cI\u2019m really over the moon.\u201d She loved the idea of exploring song and chamber music in North America after having spent the last few years in Europe.<\/p>\n<p>Her COC debut was a special moment. \u201cI saw people in the orchestra pit in Cunning Vixen that I used to study with,\u201d she says. Others, including former fellow students and teachers, were in the audience. \u201cI see a huge part of my musical life is encapsulated in Toronto. It was really emotional for me to perform there in January and February.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Making the Canadian dates of the tour with Charles-Richard was her idea. The tour itself has been about two years in the making, she reports.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s remarkable how it&#8217;s all been sequenced.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The COC engagement was her first professional opera appearance in Canada. She\u2019ll be making her debut in eight cities with the current tour, including performances of Stravinsky\u2019s Les Noces with Orchestre Symphonique de Montr\u00e9al and Kent Nagano, along with the recital.<\/p>\n<p>The tour showcases her diverse tastes as an artist and performer. \u201cI&#8217;m passionate about all the forms that my voice can do,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s also enjoying the opportunity to see so much of Canada. The Macedonian-born vocalist grew up in Toronto, and studied violin at the Glenn Gould School before switching to voice.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_102318\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-102318\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-102318\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Ema-Nikolovska-44-credit-Kaupo-Kikkas.jpg\" alt=\"Mezzo-Soprano Ema Nikolovska (Photo: Kaupo Kikkas)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Ema-Nikolovska-44-credit-Kaupo-Kikkas.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Ema-Nikolovska-44-credit-Kaupo-Kikkas-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Ema-Nikolovska-44-credit-Kaupo-Kikkas-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Ema-Nikolovska-44-credit-Kaupo-Kikkas-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-102318\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mezzo-Soprano Ema Nikolovska (Photo: Kaupo Kikkas)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Collaborators<\/h3>\n<p>After her agent\u2019s initial contact with the idea of a North American tour, she came up with the idea of using a Canadian pianist for the Canadian dates, and an American pianist for those south of the border.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was important to me to ask Charles if he was available,\u201d she says. Luckily, the dates fit. \u201cHe&#8217;s a phenomenal musician. Such a good listener,\u201d she says. \u201cCharles and I actually met when I was 16, and he was 20.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The two of them (along with future conductor Nicholas Ellis and others) were taking master classes at the Orford Summer Music Institute at the time. Ema was studying violin. They spoke as fellow students, and she knew he was her choice for the recital tour. (She reports that she\u2019s also performing a concert of Schubert songs arranged by composer Ian Cusson with Ellis next season.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat&#8217;s how we reunited. We hadn&#8217;t really seen each other since we were much younger. I&#8217;ve really enjoyed getting to know him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love working with so many different duo partners,\u201d she adds. Each brings something unique to the collaboration. \u201cIn April, I&#8217;m going to work with Joseph Middleton in Leeds.\u201d In June, there will be Andreas Schiff. \u201cThere are so many musical partners in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For the American dates of the current tour, which include a Carnegie Hall recital, she\u2019ll be performing with pianist Howard Watkins. He was also a personal choice, based on previous work they\u2019d done together.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHoward and I met in May 2021,\u201d she says. Both were part of a project celebrating African American composers, Ema being the only Canadian involved. The project was recorded in Hamburg.<\/p>\n<p>Watkins is also assistant conductor of New York\u2019s Met Opera, among other things, and the project expanded into a few other concerts performed together. Fortunately, his schedule was also clear to perform on the current tour dates.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel honoured that I get to work with these two artists.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With pianist James Middleton, Danika Lor\u00e8n\u2019s Sex lives of vegetables &#8216;Cauliflower&#8217;:<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/n3h0mOyl0QU?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h3>The Program<\/h3>\n<p>The program for the Canadian dates of the recital tour consists of:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Franz Schubert: Im Fr\u00fchling D. 882; Dass sie hier gewesen D. 775; Herbst D. 945; Der Ungl\u00fcckliche D. 713]<\/li>\n<li>Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Seasons, Op.37b; VI. June<\/li>\n<li>Margaret Bonds: Songs of the Seasons, Po\u00e8me d\u2019Automne; Winter Moon; Young Love in Spring; Summer Storm<\/li>\n<li>Claude Debussy: Images oubli\u00e9es, L.87; I. Lent; Ariettes Oubli\u00e9es, L. 60<\/li>\n<li>Nikolai Medtner: Twilight, Op. 24 No. 4; Sleeplessness, Op. 37 No. 1<\/li>\n<li>Nicolas Slonimsky: Five Advertising Songs, Utica Sheets and Pillowcases; Pillsbury Bran Muffins; Vauv Nose Powder; Children Cry for Castoria; Make This a Day of Pepsodent<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cThe way I that I constructed it was, I wanted there to be something for everyone.\u201d That includes songs that celebrate sensuality, beauty, humour, and everything in between. \u201c[It\u2019s] a celebration of so many of the different aesthetics and energies that I love in song. I wanted to do something that&#8217;s a bit of a taster menu of traditional song aesthetics, but also mixed with things you wouldn&#8217;t normally hear.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That includes both the familiar and the surprising, and a kind of dramaturgical flow between the songs. She speaks between the songs to give context. \u201cWhat does silence mean? How does silence give context \u2014 or an absence of context?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It adds to the emotional impact of the songs. \u201cA song is a whole world in three minutes,\u201d she explains. \u201cWhat is the function of every song?\u201d Each one has a purpose in the program as a whole. \u201cAll of them are informing each other. I think of it in this curatorial way. You go with your instincts,\u201d she adds, mentioning that the danger lies in becoming too cerebral. Imagining herself in the audience helps to keep perspective.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThrough curating the recital, I&#8217;m in charge of some kind of framework of taking the audience through some kind of rhythm, or an experience.\u201d The ending or ultimate interpretation, though is left open so that the audience can engage with it on their own terms. \u201cI don&#8217;t want to connect all the dots.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The theme of the first half may seem obvious. \u201cYes, it&#8217;s about seasons, but it&#8217;s loosely about seasons.\u201d She points out that their significance and meaning, and the compositional approach, are widely divergent.<\/p>\n<p>It was the Howard Watkins project back in 2021 that brought one of the works into her focus. \u201cThat&#8217;s where I first heard Margaret Bond\u2019s Songs of the seasons,\u201d she explains. She got hold of the rare manuscript for the music via the recording project, and it led her to dig deeper when it came to the research process for programming music.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#8217;t think there&#8217;s a right way to process this programming,\u201d she says. Her wish is for audience members to feel part of the experience. \u201cI like to encourage them to choose their own adventure. I really see what we&#8217;re doing as a collaboration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Curation allows her to create a kind of emotional architecture that listeners can experience in their own way.<\/p>\n<p>The ad songs are probably the most surprising addition. \u201cHe wrote these in the 20s,\u201d she notes. Russian-born Slominski came to the US as an enthusiastic fan of capitalism. \u201cI find them absolutely hilarious.\u201d Ema wanted to juxtapose the different energies of all the pieces together. \u201cIt&#8217;s interesting to examine all this,\u201d she says. \u201cI think I wanted to create a recital that could be accessed on a lot of different levels of listening.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a tour not only geographically, but of the possibilities of vocal art music. Ema says she honed her ideas on programming through asking for advice and feedback from other artists. In the end, though, it\u2019s all for the audience\u2019s benefit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmbrace whatever way of listening you find yourself in at that moment,\u201d she says. \u201cAs an audience member, you can be creative in your listening. It&#8217;s an experience that is for them. We are all sharing something sensual together.\u201d Even the hall itself plays a role. \u201cThe quality of silence is different in every hall. The hall is an extension of your instrument,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no right way to absorb this music.\u201d<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tickets and more information about the March 24 concert at Toronto\u2019s Koerner Hall [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rcmusic.com\/events-and-performances\/ema-nikolovska-and-charles-richard-hamelin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>Are you looking to promote an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/advertising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0e101a\"><u>event<\/u><\/span><\/a>? Have a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/masthead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>news tip<\/u><\/a>? 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