Noon Hour Concert: Do̩ nàke 齐心 (Two people, one mind)

This concert is a collaboration between mezzo-soprano Michelle Lafferty and Pianist Kimly Mengyin Wan.  The premiere will be released on February 3 and will continue to be available on the Grebel You-tube Channel.

Compositions include pieces by Ian Cusson, is a Canadian composer of art song, opera and orchestral work. Of Métis (Georgian Bay Métis Community) and French Canadian descent, his work explores the Canadian Indigenous experience, including the history of the Métis people, the hybridity of mixed-racial identity, and the intersection of Western and Indigenous cultures.  Emilie LaBel and Michelle Lafferty are the other two composers featured. 

Biographies:
Mezzo-soprano Michelle Lafferty, is a First Nations indigenous woman from the Northwest Territories and graduated in 2019 from The University of Western Ontario with her Master’s in Literature and Performance. In 2017 she performed the roles of Mrs. Peachum in Benjamin Brittens opera The Beggers Opera, Katisha in The Mikado and La Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica. She recently performed the role of Eileen in the Ecstasy of Rita Joe by Victor Davis. Performed with the Opera in Concert in Toronto’s St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts and Summerland British Columbia for the Gorge Ryga Festival and recently was part of the Banff Centre for the Performing Arts program for Indigenous Classical Musicians Gathering and a Call to Witness performance showing what Indigenous musicians and composers are hoping to share and regain Musical Sovereignty. She has also been working with Unsettled Scores in Ontario on an upcoming project that is to be announced in the future.

Pianist Kimly Mengyin Wang is current pursuing a Graduate Diploma in Collaborative Piano at the New England Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Pei-Shan Lee and Cameron Stowe. Born in China, Kimly studied at Musikgymnasium C.P. E Bach in Berlin, Germany before she immigrated to Canada. She holds a Master’s degree in Collaborative Piano and a Bachelor’s degree in Solo Piano Performance from the University of Western Ontario. During her time at Western University, Kimly has been recognized for both her academic and pianist abilities through multiple awards and honours. She received the Gold Medal for the highest academic achievement and scholarships, such as Western University Graduate Research Scholarship, Dr. Sherwood Fox Music Fellowship, Willena Evans Awards in Music and Eddy Wallman Piano Scholarship. As a young artist, Kimly plays in a broad range of settings, including solo recitals, chamber music concerts and opera performances. She has appeared on stage in North America, Europe and China at festivals such as the Bowdoin International Music Festival, La Musica Lirica, the Chinese-Canadian Performing Arts Festival and Accademia Europea Dell’Opera among others. Kimly maintains a strong interest in vocal repertoire, which has been enhanced through her assistantships at NEC and Western University, where she plays for voice lessons, vocal repertoire classes and opera productions. 
Kimly is dedicated to philanthropy and has given concerts for charity organizations, such as SickKids Foundation, Kamakwie Wesleyan Hospital in Serra Leone, Markham Stouffville Hospital and local churches. With cosmopolitan backgrounds and multi-lingual skills, Kimly works to contribute to the intercultural exchange and is most interested in cross cultural education. She worked as teaching assistant and translator at the Institute of Voice and Piano in Xuzhou, China in 2018, where a group of college music students had the opportunity to study Western art songs with the renowned mezzo-soprano Patricia Green. She is also the director of music department at Elton Academy, a private high school based in Toronto. She has helped the school establish a comprehensive music program, aiming to provide international students from China, who wish to pursue music in college, a conservatory style training, and to help prepare them to successfully audition for music institutions in North America. Kimly is the prizewinner of the KAWAI Music Competition and Germany Youth Music Competition.

This concert series is proudly sponsored by