Boundary Pushing Pianist Bryn Blackwood Coming to Atlantic Canada
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 28, 2022
BOUNDARY PUSHING PIANIST BRYN BLACKWOOD COMING TO ATLANTIC CANADA
K’JIUPUKTUK/HALIFAX, NS – From November 11th-24th, join pianist Bryn Blackwood as he embarks on a 15-day concert tour of the Atlantic provinces with Debut Atlantic. A solo and collaborative pianist with a keen interest in 20th and 21st century music, Blackwood is the winner of the 2019 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition. Blackwood was featured on the prestigious CBC 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30 List in 2019, and in 2020/2021 Bryn performed in a live streamed recital of works by Canadian composer Jacques Hétu at the Canadian Music Centre.
Debut Atlantic is thrilled to present high-calibre artists to audiences across Atlantic Canada. Bryn Blackwood will begin his tour at Cecilia’s Retreat in Mahone Bay, NS on November 12th, where he will perform with Musique Royale at 7:00pm. Next, he heads over to Annapolis Royal, NS, where he will appear at King’s Theatre on Thursday, November 17th for a noon hour performance. Afterwards, he is traveling to Wolfville, NS, where he will appear with Sunday Music in the Garden Room on Sunday, November 20th at 2:00pm. Blackwood then travels to Antigonish, NS on Monday, November 21st, where he will perform with the Antigonish Performing Arts Series at 7:30pm. Blackwood finishes his Debut Atlantic tour on November 25th at 7:30 pm, where he will appear at the Grace Jollymore Joyce Arts Centre in Tatamagouche, NS at 7:30pm.
In addition to concert engagements, Bryn Blackwood will be working with young students through the Debut Goes to School! program. This season, Debut Goes to School offers students throughout Atlantic Canada virtual and in-person access to outstanding classical and global music artists. Through this program, students are provided the opportunity to participate in live, interactive learning sessions and other events for various age groups and levels of ability.
Debut Atlantic wants to recognize the partners and sponsors that come together to bring these incredible artists to communities and venues of all sizes across our region. It would not be possible without the generous support of sustaining partners, including the Canada Council for the Arts, Arts Nova Scotia, and the Province of New Brunswick. Debut would also like to thank its educational partner, the Nova Scotia Department of Education; and its season partners, including the Halifax Regional Municipality, The Lloyd Carr-Harris Foundation, Support4Culture, the Craig Foundation, Pink Larkin, Halcraft Printers, Strategic Arts Management, and InnVest Hotels (Comfort Inn).
Please see the enclosed list of concert dates and artist biography, and come share in a unique performance, rich with passion and exploration.
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As one of Canada’s most prestigious classical music organizations, Debut Atlantic is committed to developing young artists and establishing new initiatives that enhance the cultural life of Atlantic Canada. Since 1979 it has treated Atlantic audiences to Canada’s most promising young musicians. Celebrating 42 years, Debut Atlantic has featured over 400 artists, gracing the stages of venues from Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.
Full details on Debut Atlantic’s concert seasons and educational programs can be found at www.debutatlantic.ca.
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For further information, please contact:
Erin Sparks – Executive Director
Debut Atlantic
902-429-6812
erin@debutatlantic.ca
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Elizabeth Upson Perez – Program Officer
Debut Atlantic
902-429-6812
elizabeth@debutatlantic.ca
TOUR SCHEDULE—Bryn Blackwood
Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia
7:00pm, November 12, 2022
Musique Royale
Cecilia’s Retreat
1199 Oakland Rd. RR#2
musiqueroyale.com
Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia
12:00pm, November 17, 2022
King’s Theatre
209 George St.
902-532-7704
www.kingstheatre.ca
Wolfville, Nova Scotia
2:00pm, November 20, 2022
Sunday Music in the Garden Room
KC Irving Environmental Science Centre
Acadia University
artsacadia.acadiau.ca/Sunday_Music_in_the_Garden_Room.html
Antigonish, Nova Scotia
7:30pm, November 21, 2022
Antigonish Performing Arts Series
Immaculata Hall, St. F.X. University
2360 Notre Dame Ave.
902-867-3909
people.stfx.ca/msteinit/schedule.htm
Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia
7:30pm, November 25, 2022
Grace Jollymore Joyce Arts Centre
31 Creamery Rd.
902-657-3500
www.gracejollymore.com
BIOGRAPHY—Bryn Blackwood
Bryn Blackwood is a solo and collaborative pianist based in Toronto, Ontario, with a keen interest in 20th and 21st century music. As the winner of the 2019 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition, he gave a Canadian recital tour, bringing contemporary Canadian music to nine cities across the country over a three-week period. In 2020/2021 Bryn performed in a live streamed recital of works by Canadian composer Jacques Hétu at the Canadian Music Centre, and will make his solo debut with the Vancouver Island Symphony, in Mozart’s Piano Concerto no.20 in D minor.
In 2019 Bryn was featured on the prestigious CBC 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30 List, and won the University of Toronto’s DMA Recital Competition, giving a concert in the Faculty’s Thursday Noon series the next January. As a Guest Artist at the Casalmaggiore International Music Festival 2019, he performed numerous recitals of solo and chamber music. He was a finalist and winner of the Paul J. Bourret Memorial Award for Best Performance of the Test Piece, Franz Liszt’s Paraphrase of Verdi’s Rigoletto at the 2018 Shean Piano Competition. In addition to his solo activities, he is an avid collaborator with singers, and is the pianist for many vocal courses at the University of Toronto.
A recipient of a Joseph-Armand Bombardier SSHRC award for his studies of the Russian-American piano composer Leo Ornstein, he is continuing this research while pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Toronto. Formerly a student of the late acclaimed pedagogue Marietta Orlov, he now studies with Lydia Wong. Bryn received his Bachelor and Masters of Music degrees from Western University and McGill University respectiv