When a group of three master music educators arrived in North Battleford last week, they found an "amazing" talent pool among the students of Lisa Hornung.
When Professor Mel Braun of the University of Manitoba contacted international artist Hornung to see if she was interested in having an outreach program take place in her home town, she said, it took her about a second to think about it and say, "yes."
Professor Mel Braun, Dr. Laura Loewen and Professor Robert MacLaren of the University of Manitoba were in the Battlefords Feb. 13 and 14 to conduct master classes for solo and choral singers.
The public was able to observe the classes and about 60 people attended a concert by the university faculty members Monday evening at Third Avenue United Church.
In addition to coaching singers on how to get the most out of their "instrument" in a physical way, baritone Braun and tenor MacLaren shared their passion for the poetry of the music- the text - and how to make the text felt, not just heard, by their audience.
They encouraged their students to understand the text of the songs they were singing, often written in a language other than English, and the meaning behind the words in order to bring the songs to life for the listener.
Dr. Loewen, who holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Accompanying/Coaching, worked with pianists Jaya Hoy and Gary Gaunsauge throughout the two-day outreach and accompanied Braun and MacLaren during the Monday evening recital.
Hornung said the three University of Manitoba musicians were among the best clinicians she has ever seen at work. The two-day program was filled with encouragement and positive reinforcement.
They honoured the students' accomplishments to date and showed them what to work toward next, she said.
One student, Josh Abrahamson, described the classes as "amazing." In turn, instructor Robert MacLaren described the students as an "amazing" and dedicated group. In a smaller community, said MacLaren, the musical student community is often very focused, making them a real pleasure to work with.
