Links
The following links are to companies Kimberly Barber has frequently or recently performed with, or to information sites about opera or music education. Stay tuned for new links to interesting places in opera.L’accordéoniste
The official website for the new ensemble L’accordéoniste, an eclectic, expressive tour-de force, communicating in several languages, periods, and styles, from the German and French cabaret-style repertoire to Neapolitan songs and the Latin-tango genre. This multicultural blend of exciting and sensual instrumental combinations is a collaboration of mezzo-soprano Kimberly Barber, pianist Peter Tiefenbach, and exciting young accordionist Mary-Lou Vetere, generating a decidedly different and un-replicated sound in a program featuring music by Kurt Weill and other German émigrés (Hollaender, Bienert, etc.); songs made popular by Edith Piaf and Mistinguett (Je cherche un millionnaire); traditional canzone Napolitane—normally the property of Italian tenors, but which gain a different flavour from the timbre of the mezzo-soprano; and repertoire of the Latin/Tango genre that has recently gained popularity on the concert platform. The bloodline of the music is the presence and special timbre of the accordion—an instrument of poignancy, longing, and nostalgia. In passionate interplay with the mezzo-soprano voice and piano, it creates an atmosphere that is iconic and suited to these powerful songs.
L’accordéoniste on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-Zj1kgGXxk
Our latest video by Michael Seto, featuring us in live performance and interviews about the group.
L’accordéoniste
http://www.facebook.com/pages/LAccordeoniste/130166080108
This is the official facebook fanpage for our group L’accordéoniste. Join it and be a fan!
Calgary Opera
Calgary Opera is one of Canada's preeminent opera companies, dedicated to the performance of new or lesser known works, the promotion of Canadian artists and also for their new Emerging Artists Program. Kimberly Barber made her debut with this company, and will be featured there in January 2010 as Cecilia March in the Canadian professional premiere of Mark Adamo's Little Women, which will be broadcast nationally on CBC's Saturday Afternoon at the Opera. She performed there most recently as Jessica in the world premiere of John Estacio and John Murrell's Frobisher, as well as giving master classes and individual coachings to the Emerging Artists.
cd baby
CD Baby is a website dedicated to the promotion and distribution of music by independent artists. L’accordéoniste is represented here.
Colours of Music Festival
This music festival happens in Barrie, Ontario in late September, just as the spectacular fall colours begin to emerge in Northern Ontario. The newly formed L’accordéoniste, featuring pianist Peter Tiefenbach, accordionist Mary-Lou Vetere and special guests from the New Berlin Ensemble, Julie Baumgartel on violin and Carol Bauman on percussion, performed here on September 27, 2009
Elora Festival
The Elora Festival is a wonderfully varied and high calibre summer music festival, situated in a beautiful town in the southern Ontario countryside. Renowned for the quality of its musical presentations and run by artistic director Noel Edison, with whom Kimberly Barber learned to enjoy music while they were both in high school, its opening concert in 2007 featured Ms Barber as the Angel in Elgar's Dream of Gerontius. The 2008 festival saw her return in a chamber version of Ravel's Sheherazade, arranged specifically for her and colleagues James Mason, Julie Baumgartel, Leslie De'Ath and others. The 2009 festival saw the inauguration of the Elora Festival Academy, where vocalists and collaborative pianists learned to hone their craft with Ms. Barber and Daniel Lichti as the vocal instructors and Leslie De'Ath as the collaborative piano instructor. This successful venture will be repeated this coming summer, with Barber, Lichti and De'Ath returning as the instructors.
A Web of Fine Music
A Web of Fine Music is an excellent site for finding classical music online. They will find you anything you need, and they also have a monthly subscriber newsletter. L’accordéoniste is featured on the site currently as one of "Mike's picks".
Franco American Vocal Academy
This organization offers educational opportunities to singers interested in French Art Song. See the website for a quote from Kimberly Barber about the importance of consummate diction in lyric singing.
Indie Pool
Indie Pool is a company which produces CD's and music for digital download and represents and distributes the music of independent artists. L’accordéoniste's recent release was manufactured here and the CD can be purchased on their website.
International Directory of Musicians
We empower individuals, organizations and businesses by providing unique up-to-date information. Our dedicated team of professionals strives to gather the most relevant content for our users.
National Association of Teachers of Singing
This is the official website for NATS, the premier organization for singing teachers in North America. Kimberly Barber is a member of the Ontario Chapter, and this website has lots of great links for singers, as well as deadlines for competitions and other information.
New York Festival of Song
The New York Festival of Song is dedicated to creating intimate song concerts of great beauty, humor and originality, combining music, poetry, monologue, and story, to entertain, educate and create community among audiences and performers. Kimberly Barber has been a frequent performer with this group, giving concerts in various New York venues over the years, as well as performing on their Wigmore Hall debut concert in 1994.
Opera Atelier
Opera Atelier is unique in Canada in that it presents operas from the 16th-18th centuries in outstanding period productions, informed by the aesthetic of performance practices of the day. Kimberly Barber made her debut with the company in April 2009 as Ottavia in Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea.
Opera Glass
http://rick.stanford.edu/opera/main.html
This site is an excellent resource for fans, students and singers alike.
Opera Stuff
http://www.operastuff.com/Opera_Singers/
Opera Stuff is a resource site for opera on the web, with lots of profiles and links to other websites, including this one.
Opera.ca
Opera.ca is the Canadian arm of Opera America, and this is an excellent resource site for producers, performers, students and fans of opera alike. Recently, Opera.ca has begun to do Emerging Artists Workshops for young singers, and this past January, Kimberly was both a panel moderator and panelist for their Toronto Workshop.
Ottawa Chamberfest
Ottawa Chamberfest is Canada's pre-eminent summer chamber music festival. Kimberly Barber will be performing there with her newly formed group, L'Accordeoniste, along with Peter Tiefenbach on piano and Mary-Lou Vetere on accordion, as well as with their larger group, the New Berlin Ensemble (featuring Julie Baumgartel, violin and Carol Bauman, percussion) on August 3, 2009. See the website for details.
Pacific Opera Victoria
Pacific Opera Victoria is run by intrepid artistic director Timothy Vernon, whose courage in presenting new or neglected works has transformed this traditionally conservative city into one with an appetite for the new. Kimberly Barber made her debut here last season to rave reviews in the tour de force title role of Marc Blitzstein's Regina, performances of which were broadcast nationally on CBC's Saturday Afternoon at the Opera.
Registry Theatre
http://www.registrytheatre.com
The Registry Theatre is a converted space in Kitchener-Waterloo, dedicated to the advancement of the performing arts in the Waterloo Region. L'Accordeoniste will be performing there on September 11, 2009 at 8 p.m. as part of their One Night Only series.
Sound Mind--Toronto Star
John Teraud's music blog in the Toronto Star, which featured the first review of our group, L'Accordeoniste at our CD Launch on July 16, 2009
University of Toronto, Faculty of Music
Kimberly's Alma Mater
Westben Festival
Westben Festival takes place every summer in a bucolic setting near Campbellford, Ontario. Kimberly performed a recital there in 2002 and returns this summer 2009 for an evening of opera with soprano Sally Dibblee, tenor James McLean, baritone John Fanning and pianist Brian Finley.
Wilfrid Laurier
Wilfrid Laurier University has one of the finest vocal music programs in the country. Kimberly Barber has been on faculty there since 2002, and is Administrative Coordinator of the Opera program in addition to her duties as an Associate Professor of Voice. She performs on the Music at Noon concert series November 10, 2009.
World Concert Artist Directory
This is an excellent resource site for opera and concert singers on the web.