By: Gwenda Nemerovsky @ Winnipeg Free Press
Season after season for the last decade, so-called talent shows like American Idol, X Factor and Canada's Got Talent have scoured the country for the latest and greatest star. Contestants on the shows belt out tired cover tunes, often mimicking their favourite singers, in hopes of being the next big discovery, win lucrative recording contracts and go on to instant fame and fortune.
The TV shows are a huge success. And yet, we need only look in our own back yards to see and hear some truly gifted and dedicated musicians.
Go to a concert at the Centennial Concert Hall, a local church, or attend a show at one of the many music clubs in the city, and you will hear professional musicians who have been honing their craft since they were kids. They have more talent and ability in their baby fingers than almost anyone appearing on these glitzy talent shows.
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| Drummer Joanna Miller |
Drummer Joanna Miller is a good example. She comes from a musical family. Her father, John, played trombone in the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and her mother Celoris, is an active pianist and teacher who sings in the Manitoba Opera Chorus.
"I was really young when I started singing," said the 34-year-old Miller in a telephone interview. "Our whole family would sing together and compete in the music festival. I started drumming when I was about 13, in junior high."
Miller continued with drums at Glenlawn Collegiate. "They needed a drummer in the jazz band. They had an awesome band and choir program there. I spent half my days doing music." She sang in the jazz choir and took years of drum lessons with Dave Schneider.
Miller has never looked back. "After high school I started playing in jazz trios," she said. "I was in the percussion program at the University of Manitoba briefly, before they started the jazz program. I played in the jazz orchestra there, until I started getting work playing."
She's played in the pit orchestra for Rainbow Stage, in Winnipeg Jewish Theatre musicals, at various city functions and with several local bands. For over a decade she has performed, recorded and toured with guitarist Scott Nolan, travelling in the U.S. and Canada for the past five years.
"We'll be playing Texas in March," she said. "It's not about how big we can get, but if we have a few hundred people a night in a nice theatre, it's fun." She looks forward to going back to the Sons of Hermann Hall in Dallas where they were well received. "I think they like our Canadiana slant."
The work isn't always predictable, with three gigs a week considered good. Miller supplements her income by bartending at Times Change(d), but says she supports herself well enough. "I don't imagine owning a house anytime soon," she admitted.
Her professional goals don't include fame, but focus on continuously improving her skills. "I'd like to record my own album someday," she said.
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| Singer Jereme Wall |
Singer Jereme Wall grew up in Melita, travelling over an hour to Virden weekly to sing in the Virden and District Youth Choir from the time he was 11. Now in his sixth season as a bass with the Winnipeg Singers and a member of Canzona, he can't imagine a life without music. "I will have to always leave time for music - for my own well-being," he said in a phone interview.
Now 29, Wall studied piano and started voice lessons in Grade 11, performing in the Deloraine Border Festival and singing in the Provincial Honour Choir, Manitoba Youth Choir, and prestigious National Youth Choir. He earned his Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance, studying with Sylvia Richardson at Brandon University.
Wall is currently in the pre-med program at the University of Manitoba and works as a server at Terrace 55 and The Current restaurants. Even with this busy schedule, he relishes his time singing.
"I love the camaraderie," he said, "and the variety of music I get to sing and be exposed to. I love to perform -- the emotional effect you get from it and expressing this emotion to others."
The Winnipeg Singers typically do four concerts per year, each requiring seven rehearsals, earning Wall a $390 honourarium per show.
The schedule can get hectic. "A very busy week involving both choirs would be approximately 17 hours of rehearsal time with the choirs, not to mention the additional time I would be spending looking at the music on my own. This can lead to a total of over 20 hours in one week."
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| Violinist Phoebe Tsang |
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra second violinist Phoebe Tsang took a more circuitous route to her career. Her parents started her on violin at age six. "It was my father's favourite instrument," she said in an interview at the WSO office.
Moving from her native Hong Kong to England at age seven, she studied with a series of teachers but was not all that keen. At 18, she gave up playing and studied architecture at the Bartlett School of Architecture, going on to work in the field. Tsang interned and worked as journalist for Building Design newspaper but eventually decided to return to music.
Moving to Toronto, she began working on her performance diploma at the Royal Conservatory with renowned violinist and teacher Lorand Fenyves. "He was my main teacher for 13 years," she said. "I was lucky to have such a great teacher and mentor. He took an interest in his students on a personal level." Tsang watched Fenyves teach others and subsequently worked as his teaching assistant, coaching students while he was away.
Now in her early 30s, she loves her position with the WSO. "Before moving here, I heard about the WSO. It's one of the top orchestras and I was excited to play full time in a major orchestra. The programming is wonderful and innovative. I admire Gwen's (Hoebig) playing and appreciate working closely with her. It's also great to have a steady paycheque."
Pay rates for orchestra players vary. The WSO is currently advertising for a second violinist and offering a salary of $35,636.
Tsang maintains a daily practice regimen that keeps her "playing at a professional level." There are regular rehearsals and a full season of concerts, so plenty of new repertoire to learn.
"When you get to sit in a beautiful concert hall with great acoustics with a bunch of friends, it's a privilege -- and I want to share it with the audience."
You can see that these Winnipeg musicians worked hard for decades to get where they are today. They may never become household names or get wealthy. Instead they reap a sense of fulfillment by performing the music they love -- for the sake of the music alone -- and to share with listeners the joy and enrichment that beautiful, well-executed music can bring.
Reposted from the Winnipeg Free Press on January 29, 2012
