THUNDER BAY, ON,  -- November 4, 2008 --- The husband and wife team of Benjamin (piano) and Kristen Mueller-Heaslip (soprano) presented a great concert of modern music at Tuesday’s Lumina Concert. Kristen Mueller-Heaslip is beginning to reap the benefits of many years of dedication hard work.

For many, graduating from the University of Toronto Department of Music would be a life-time accomplishment, but for Kristin this is just a step along the way. The present concert tour is part of the prize for being an Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition winner. The concert tour will take her to some 11 venues across the country.  Winning the competition establishes her and her music as champion material.

Kristin and Benjamen are Toronto based musicians immersed in music of our time. At some point in a musician’s development they have to make some sort of choice. What sort of musician am I?  Modern music expands the bounds of what is acceptable in music. It pushes the technique and stamina of the musician to the limit. But modern music is so much more than some experimental sound. It is the opportunity to be collaborative with today’s creative composers.

One piece “Scintillator” by Alex Eddington was developed from a piece of spam e-mail Kristen received. The software used by the spammer randomly copies words into the title of the message to evade spam filters on your computer. The words make no sense. She forwarded this e-mail to a fellow student Alex Eddington who wrote this piece for solo soprano. Kristin Mueller-Heaslip delivered a modern, creative, and a very gutsy performance.

The programme included song cycles by Richard Strauss (1864-1949). In this music Mädchenblummen (Girl-Flowers) Strauss compares some of the women he knows with various types of flowers, the doleful “Ivy”, the mysterious Wasserrose (Water Lily) etc. The music was carefully prepared, and at this point I begin to appreciate the piano playing of Benjamin Mueller-Heaslip.  Kristen’s collaboration with her husband is near flawless. There is none of the usual measured entries intended to get the tempo correct, the piano part in music of this type is equal to the soprano. When the piano is a 9 foot concert grand, it takes a very good soprano to hold her ground. Kristen has a huge voice, and together I found that they could have backed off a little and still have lots of room for dynamic expression. The Jean McNulty Recital Hall has a capacity for 60 at best, and the sound levels could easily fill a 500 seat auditorium.

The Mueller-Heaslips are involved in new and innovative music in Toronto. One of Kristin’s main tools for this expression is their group the “Parkdale Revolutionary Orchestra”. They use this group to apply classical technique to new and innovative music. It seems to be working, as the Parkdale Revolutionary Orchestra as a long list of past and future performance dates.

As an added bonus, Kristin sang a piece entitled “My Hat” as her encore. This was a great piece and it featured a vintage chapeau, hat box, and mirror as a props. This colourful addition provided a visual presence to the nature and humour of the ladies hat. Props are good.

The music of Kristin Mueller-Heaslip is immersed in the tradition of our time. She is a collaborator, performer and an active participant of today’s music. It is great that Lakehead University could attract an Eckhardt-Gramatté winner to its LUMINA recital series. The school’s music students will benefit from an accomplished performer. She is a champion is so many ways.

Bert Rowson
Arts Editor for
LakeSuperiorNews.com