"I am 3/4ths Canadian, and one 4th New Englander - I had ancestors on both sides in the Revolutionary war." - Elizabeth Bishop
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Friday, February 21, 2014

Suzie LeBlanc sings “I am in need of music” in Winnipeg

On 18 February 2014, Suzie LeBlanc (http://suzieleblanc.com/) performed works from her new CD “I am in need of music,” the Elizabeth Bishop legacy recording, with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra (http://www.themco.ca/), conducted by Maestro Anne Mason. On 16 February, the MCO and the McNally Bookstore (https://www.facebook.com/McNallyRobinsonBooksellersWinnipeg), Winnipeg’s famous literary haunt, hosted an interview between Maestro Mason and Suzie. The idea was to introduce people to the centenary CD project. Thanks to MCO for helping us spread the word about the CD and Bishop.

Suzie LeBlanc and Anne Mason talking Elizabeth Bishop
and "I am in need of music," Winnipeg, 16 February 2014.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

“I am in need of music” NOMINATED FOR EAST COAST MUSIC AWARDS!!!

"I am in need of music," the Elizabeth Bishop Legacy Recording, has been nominated for 2014 East Coast Music Awards. See the nominations below or check out the ECMA site (http://www.ecma.com/ecmw/2014/awards). The ECMAs are part of East Coast Music Week, 2-4 April 2014, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
Left to right: Suzie LeBlanc, John Barnstead, Sandra Barry, Aladsair MacLean, 
Linda Rae Dornan, John Plant, 6 October 2013
Congratulations to Suzie LeBlanc, the heart and soul behind this project; to Emily Doolittle, Alasdair MacLean and John Plant; and to all the amazing musicians who helped make this CD a reality. We are so proud of you.
 
You can buy copies of “I am in need of music” at:
 ECMA NOMINATIONS FOR "I AM IN NEED OF MUSIC"

Classical Composition of the Year / Composition classique de l’année
Alasdair MacLean – “Silken Water: The Elizabeth Bishop Suite”
Clark Winslow Ross – “Lamentations”
Emily Doolittle – “A Short, Slow Life”
Jerome Blais – “Rafales”
John Plant – “Sandpiper”
 Classical Recording of the Year / Enregistrement de l’année – Classique
Barbara Pritchard – Toccata
Duo Concertante – Beethoven Complete Sonatas for Violin and Piano: Duo Concertante
La Tour Baroque Duo – The Last Time I Came O’er the Moor
Lady Cove Women’s Choir – Heart’s Delight
Suzie LeBlanc – I Am in Need of Music
I would also like to note that Emily Doolittle is back in Nova Scotia for the premiere of her composition"Seal Songs," which will be presented at the Spatz Theatre in Halifax this evening. Congratulations, again, Emily.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Snow-shoes

When I saw this photograph I was irresistibly reminded of a fragment of EB's poetry first cited, I think, by Elizabeth Spires in her article "Elizabeth Bishop: 'The Things I'd Like to Write'", in The Gettysburg Review 5.1 (Winter, 1992), p. 67:

"The snow had a crust, they said, like bread --
only white -- it held me up but it would not hold her
she fell through it
and said she'd go home again for the snow-shoes --
and I could slide in shine and glare while she
stepped wide
on the [...]"



Saturday, February 8, 2014

Happy Hundred and Third, EB!