Notice Board

Golden Threads
Music at Noon concert series
Featuring John Tessier, tenor & Jacques C. Després, piano
March 18 | 12:15 p.m. | University Recital Hall
Free admission, everyone welcome

Beethoven's "An die ferne Geliebte," the first song cycle in Western music, influenced Schumann and Brahms significantly. Although Robert Schumann is not included here, Clara Wieck’s connection to both Brahms and Schumann cannot be overlooked. Beethoven's song cycle is quoted in Schumann’s works and Brahms's Opus 8 (the first version). Clara was the distant beloved of Schumann and likely in Brahms's mind in his opus 120. The program then shifts from the continent to Britain, combining wit and charm with life's various shades through poetic subtlety.

An intelligent, refined, highly sensitive and disciplined artist, Jacques Després’s performances and recordings are praised by critics who cite his “crystal-clear pianism,” and his abilities “to bring humanity, integrity and an enormous expressive range to the pieces.” His “pianistic control is flawless, the sonority magnificent, and the playing is utterly and consistently clear.” Since his 1978 debut with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Després appeared as a soloist with many orchestras. Després’s tours have included performances aired on CBC radio and at summer festivals in North American and Asia. Notable recordings include the world premiere of the complete piano and chamber music works by Joseph Martin Kraus on the Naxos label, which received worldwide critical acclaim. Després holds a doctorate from the University of Stony Brook, a Masters degree from the Juilliard School of Music, a Unanimous First Prize from the Quebec Conservatory, and the Artist Diploma with High Distinction from Indiana University as a student of György Sebök. Other teachers include Adele Marcus, William Masselos, Gilbert Kalish and Christiane Sénart. He joined the Music Department of the University of Alberta in 2000. In 2022, he was the recipient of the Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching and Mentorship from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta and in October 2023, he was inducted into the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame in NYC.

The Juno Award-winning Tenor, John Tessier, has worked with many of the most notable conductors and stage directors of our day. Appearances of the recent past and near future include performances at the Teatro alla Scala Milano, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Wiener Staatsoper, Carnegie Hall, Teatro Colon, Oper Frankfurt, Grand Théâtre de Genève, English National Opera, Washington National Opera, Seattle Opera, New Zealand Opera, the New York Philharmonic, Taiwan Philharmonic, Wiener Musikverein, National Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Orchestre National de Lyon, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Seattle Symphony, the Sydney Symphony, L.A. Philharmonic and the Toronto Symphony. Equally comfortable in the genres of opera, oratorio and recital, Mr. Tessier is also a full professor at the University of Alberta. His discography includes recordings on the Decca, Naxos, Telarc, BIS, Challenge Records and Dorian labels.