{"id":96991,"date":"2023-06-26T09:24:53","date_gmt":"2023-06-26T13:24:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=96991"},"modified":"2023-06-26T13:43:16","modified_gmt":"2023-06-26T17:43:16","slug":"preview-songs-summer-2023-tsmfs-delectable-offerings-vocal-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2023\/06\/26\/preview-songs-summer-2023-tsmfs-delectable-offerings-vocal-music\/","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW | Songs of Summer 2023: TSM\u2019s Delectable Offerings For Vocal Music"},"content":{"rendered":"
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L-R: Ana Mar\u00eda Mart\u00ednez (Photo: Ashkan Roayaee); Sondra Radvanovsky (Photo: Michael Cooper)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In partnership with the Toronto Summer Music Festival<\/em><\/p>\n

Since its modest beginnings of a week of chamber music and a few public concerts in 2004, the Toronto Summer Music Festival<\/a> has grown into a major destination for classical music lovers in Canada. Its offerings in a program of chamber music, piano, violin, and the singing voice are much anticipated every July, when most classical music presenters are on hiatus. For that \u201cmusic fix\u201d in between cottage time and that outdoor barbecue, TSM hits the spot.<\/p>\n

In addition to concerts, the TSM has a separate yet integrated Academy wing, which serves as the training ground for artists of tomorrow. Each summer, talented young musicians benefit from well-established artists who serve as mentors. Through these masterclasses, the general public can gain a real insight into the complicated process of nurturing aspiring musicians, to help them achieve their full potential.<\/p>\n

Vocal Concerts<\/h3>\n

The mentor this year is the renowned American soprano Ana Mar\u00eda Mart\u00ednez<\/strong>. Opera fans may have seen her recently as Donna Elvira at the Met Live in HD Don Giovanni. A winner of the Opera News Award, Mart\u00ednez is also a noted teacher, passing on her artistry and wisdom to the next generation. In 2019, she was the Artistic Advisor of the Houston Grand Opera. In 2021, she was named Professor of Voice in the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.<\/p>\n

I had the pleasure of hearing Mart\u00ednez on multiple occasions at the Santa Fe Opera as Fiordiligi, Mimi, and Cio Cio San. Mart\u00ednez combines a beautiful lirico-spinto with an engaging stage persona. At TSM, Mart\u00ednez will be giving a masterclass on July 7<\/a> to the Art of the Song Fellows, followed by a Spanish-themed recital on July 10<\/a>. Both events take place at Walter Hall, at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto.<\/p>\n

Her recital<\/a> features songs by well-known Hispanic composers, including Rodrigo, Turina, Montsalvatge, de Falla and others, in some of the most beautiful songs ever written. Who could resist de Falla\u2019 delightful Siete canciones populares espa\u00f1olas, or Estrellita by Manuel Ponce? Born in Puerto Rico to a Cuban father and a Puerto Rican mother, Hispanic culture and musical heritage have been central to Martinez\u2019s upbringing and career. Here\u2019s a tantalising taste of her voice in the cantilena of Villa-Lobos\u2019 Bachianas brasileiras No. 5, taped at the 2014 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:<\/p>\n