Noon Hour Concert: Phenomenal Women!

Accompanied by renowned pianist Stephanie Mara, flautist Laurel Swinden will perform works to help celebrate International Women's Day which falls on Monday, March 8th.  The composers include:

Florence Price
Valerie Coleman
Amanda Harberg
Cecile Chaminade

The premiere will be released on March 3rd, 2021 and will continue to be available on the Grebel Youtube Channel.

Biographies

Self-confessed “flute nerd” Canadian flutist Laurel Swinden has been praised for her sweet and distinct tone…breathtaking in colour (Whole Note). Dr. Swinden embraces a multi-faceted career as a recitalist, orchestral musician, pedagogue, clinician and music scholar.
Not daunted by any musical challenge, Laurel is equally at home with 18th century through 21^st century repertoire, whether it be a premiere of a contemporary electroacoustic work, new arrangements for flute with brass, standard of the flute repertoire, works for piccolo, alto and bass flute, eighteenth-century Scottish works on traverso and keyed flutes, or Irish and Scottish flute tunes. “If its great music, its worthy of playing!”
Recent performances as an invited guest artist include recitals at the Festivales Internacionales des Flautistas in Lima, Peru, National Flute Association Conventions (USA), the Sichuan Conservatory, Canadian Flute Conventions, and the Perimeter Institute. In addition to her positions as Principal Flute of the Stratford Symphony Orchestra and Assistant Principal Flute/Piccolo of the Scarborough Philharmonic, Dr. Swinden has performed with the Musicians of Orchestra London, Windsor Symphony, Toronto Sinfonietta, Memphis Symphony, Mississippi Symphony and Tupelo Symphonies.
Lauded as “beautifully played…” with “…her very musical phrasing is matched in every turn by longtime collaborator, Stephanie Mara…” (Audiophilia), Laurel’s CD Celebrating Women: Music for Flute and Piano by Women Composers was the first of a multi-CD project with a mission to bring wider attention to works for flute written by women composers. Her successive CD Celebrating Canadian Women! received generous support from the Canada Council for the Arts.
A passionate and dedicated teacher, Dr. Swinden teaches Flute at the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Guelph and the Laurier Conservatory of Music.
Dr. Swinden earned a DMA in Flute Performance as a Fellowship recipient at the University of Toronto, where she studied with Toronto Symphony Principal Flute Nora Schulman and traverso with Alison Melville. Her training includes residencies at the Banff Centre and the Harid Conservatory (now Lynn University.) Laurel sought additional training in masterclasses and lessons with Jim Walker, Jeffrey Zook, Jan Gippo, Leone Buyse, Kathleen Rudolph, Bernard Goldberg, Keith Underwood, Philippe-Alain Dupré, Lisa Besnoziuk and Carol Wincenc.                                                                                                                                      webpage

Stephanie Mara, received an Associate Diploma in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music, and a Bachelor Degree in Piano Performance from Wilfrid Laurier University, where she studied with Garth Beckett. She is a collaborative pianist and coach for Wilfrid Laurier University, where she works with students majoring in brass, bassoon, clarinet and cello. Stephanie has assisted in master classes with Alain Trudel, Dennis Najoom, James Campbell and Norman Engel and has performed in recital and gala events with Canadian soloists James Campbell, Alistair Kay, Mark Fewer and Jasper Wood. She performs on a regular basis with Guy Few in Canada and the United States. Recording projects include collaborations with flutist Laurel Swinden (Celebrating Women!), a CD of music for flute and piano by women composers and with Guy Few (Vocalise), exploring the instrumental “voice’ of ecstasy through songs without words. Festival and series appearances include the Elora Festival, Festival of the Sound, Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, Barrie Colours of Music, Quad City Arts and Sun River Festival. Stephanie’s broadcast credits encompass Bravo, CBC radio and NPR.
“dazzling technique” (Huntsville Forester)
“artistry, grace and bravado” (Barrie Examiner)
“Tremendous energy, totally engaging…” (The Audience as Critic – Virtuosi Concerts,
Winnipeg)