The Jury for 2009

Susan Blyth-Schofield, Professor of Music

Soprano Susan Blyth-Schofield holds a Master of Arts in Performance Studies from City University in London, England. Since returning from Europe in 1999 she has taught at Carleton University as an Associate Performance Instructor and Sessional Lecturer in opera and musical theatre, and maintains a private voice studio is town. Between 1998 and 2006, Miss Blyth-Schofield contributed some forty article on singers to Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart. She adjudicates on a regular basis for The National Association of Teachers of Singing and various music festival, including the Ottawa Kiwanis Festival.

A frequent recitalist, she has appeared in the U.S., across Europe and throughout Canada. On the lyric stage Miss Blyth-Schofield repertoire has included Musetta, Lola (Gallantry), Mlle. Warblewell (The Impresario), Geraldine (A Hand of Bridge), Miss Pinkerton (The Old Maid and the Thief), Elle (La Voix Humaine), Judith (Herzog Blaubarts Burg), the title role in Baby, Phyllis (Iolanthe), Mabel and Edith (The Pirates of Penzance), the title roles in La Périchole and The Merry Widow, Marion (The Music Man), ‘She’ (Oh Cole: The Words and Music of Cole Porter), Eliza (My Fair Lady) and Maria (West Side Story). She has created the roles of The Judge in Space Opera and Sally in Killing Time.

Behind the scenes, Miss Blyth-Schofield directing credits include Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, The Magic Flute, Passionately Yours, Puccini, A Hand of Bridge, The Pirates of Penzance and Oh! Cole: The Words and Music of Cole Porter.

Donna Brown, Soprano

Donna Brown performs throughout Europe, North America, South America, and Asia, and she has collaborated with the world’s finest conductors and orchestras. She is also a highly accomplished performer of the Art Song and can be heard regularly in recitals and chamber music concerts.

Ms. Brown has received critical acclaim for her roles as Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier), Almirena (Rinaldo), Gilda (Rigoletto), Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Michaela (Carmen), Nanetta (Falstaff), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Servillia (La Clemenza di Tito), Serpetta (La finta giardiniera), Madeleine (Le Postillon de Lonjumeau), Aricie (Hippolyte et Aricie), Scylla (Scylla et Glaucus) and Morgana (Alcina). Ms. Brown also appeared as Chimène in the world premiere creation of Debussy’s unfinished opera Rodrigue et Chimène for the opening of the renovated Opéra de Lyon.

Ms. Brown has been filmed for television in opera and concert in Canada, France, Germany, England, Switzerland and Japan, and many of her CDs have won awards (Grammy, Diapason d’Or, Gramophone).

After living 20 years in Paris, France, she moved back to Ottawa, Canada, where she now resides. Ms. Brown was a visiting professor at the Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, the Fondacion Schola Cantorum in Caracas,Venezuela, the Bachakademie in Santiago de Compostella, Spain, and has given numerous masterclasses throughout the world. She is currently a part-time professor at the University of Ottawa and at the Conservatoire de Montréal.

Richard Turp, Teacher, writer and broadcaster

Richard Turp was born in Montreal but from the age of 6 was raised in London, UK. Having graduated from London University (Russian Regional Studies and Music), he began vocal studies with his father, the renowned tenor André Turp. For a decade he worked principally in Europe as an operatic tenor but did appear with his father in L’Opéra de Montréal’s production of Verdi’s Macbeth in 1983 as Malcolm.

Mr. Turp became Artistic Director of the Lachine Music Festival in 1997, a post he still holds today. In 1998 he co-founded with his colleague André Lemay-Roy and assumed the artistic direction of the André-Turp Musical Society that annually presents a prestigious vocal series in Montreal. He is a co-founder of the Canadian Vocal Arts Institute and assumed the artistic direction of the institute’s art-song program for four years. In 2009 he became head of the summer vocal program at the Orford Academy. Also in 2009, he was invited to be a jury member both for the Montreal Symphony Orchestra’s competition and the Montreal International Musical Competition which was devoted to the voice.

Richard Turp has worked extensively for both the French and English networks of the CBC and has created and written several series (Opera Easy, Opera Stories, Portraits of Mozart, Shakespeare in Music, Klassical Cabaret, Musical Voices) for BRAVO television. He has lectured widely, hosted the last two editions of the Opera Canada Awards Gala (the Rubies), written many programmes notes for musical organisations and record companies and has been a frequent collaborator for such periodicals as Opera Canada. Richard Turp teaches the undergraduate vocal literature course at l’Université de Montréal and French lyric diction at McGill University.