Special concert to honour Dr. F. Clarke Fraser

Pianist Alan Fraser (M.Mus ‘87) will give a recital to honour his father Dr. F. Clarke Fraser, Canada’s first medical geneticist, emeritus professor of Genetics at McGill and 2010 recipient of a McGill Honorary Doctor of Science degree.

Alan Fraser, with soprano Ruth Phillips (D.Mus ‘09), will play works by Chopin, Brahms, Mozart, Alexander Ary (McGill ’76) and himself.

Based in middle Europe, Canadian pianist Alan Fraser enjoys an international reputation both as a teacher and a performer. After studies in Montreal (B.Mus McGill ‘80, Dip.AMPS Concordia ’84, M.Mus McGill ’87) notably with Alan Belkin, Lauretta Milkman, Phil Cohen and Tom Plaunt, he embarked on a long-standing collaboration in Yugoslavia with pianist Kemal Gekic where he developed an approach to piano technique that unlocks the hand’s innate power by returning to its structure and function.

Both his book, The Craft of Piano Playing (Scarecrow Press 2003, 2nd Revised Ed. 2010) and his DVD of the same name (Maple Grove Music 2006) are now considered classics in the field and are sought after worldwide, with translations into several languages soon to appear. He has recently published a second volume entitled Honing the Pianistic Self-Image: Skeletal-Based Piano Technique (Maple Grove Music 2010) and a Study Guide (Maple Grove Music 2009) that ties in all the themes of both books and the DVD.

You can find out more about Alan’s various activities at one of his several websites: www.alanfraser.net; www.craftofpiano.com; www.pianotechnique.net; www.maplegroveproductions.com

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Born and raised in Nova Scotia, soprano Ruth Phillips is an accomplished choral and ensemble singer. She recently completed a Doctorate in Music at McGill with Joanne Kolomyjec with research focusing on political laments of the Italian seicento. Ruth began vocal studies at McGill University in Montreal with Jan Simons and under his tutelage earned a Master’s of Music degree in Early Music Performance in 2005. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Medieval History and Literature from Dalhousie University in Halifax.

As a member of two ensembles, La Tarantella and La Fiorenza, specializing in lesser know works of the Renaissance and Baroque, Ruth has performed in Boston, Ontario, Quebec, and has toured the Maritimes. For Musique Royale, she has been heard throughout Nova Scotia with Ensemble de Temps en Temps, Incantatus, and Tempest. She has been featured as soprano soloist in Handel’s Dixit Dominus and Bach’s St. John Passion with Symphony Nova Scotia. In addition, she has sung with Montreal- and Quebec-based choirs Viva Voce and La Chapelle de Québec, and has been heard on CBC radio in performance with La Fiorenza and La Chapelle de Québec.

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OPEN TO ALL - FREE ADMISSION

Information: 514-398-5145