Teachers and Mentors
I am grateful to have had wonderful teachers and mentors who have helped me to develop as a musician. Here are a few of them....
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Piano
Avey Byram - my first piano teacher at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto from age 7 to about 14. Mrs. Byram was a much loved figure at the Conservatory and gave me a solid foundation in piano and music, culminating in a recital duet of a slightly pared down version of Rhapsody in Blue when I was 13.
Leslie Kinton - after my Rhapsody in Blue recital performance, Mrs. Byram sent me to Leslie Kinton for further studies. Leslie introduced me to a broader spectrum of classical music, advanced repertoire and theory, including species counterpoint. He also introduced me to Northrop Fryes lectures and invited me to attend them at the University of Toronto as an auditor.
Composition
James Tenney - York University. I had the privilege of studying with James Tenney and working for him as a music copyist while at York University. He was an encouraging mentor and was able to bridge the field between traditional composition and contemporary thinking.
Srul Irving Glick - York University. When James Tenney became ill and could no longer teach, Srul Glick taught composition in his place. I already had an established connection with Srul as his music copyist and attended may of his musical soirées. His influence in Jewish music and secular composition was important and he was another figure who was able to bridge both worlds.
Voice
Bill and Dixie Neill, Robert Loewen - I first studied voice with Bill Neill and then was sent to work with Robert Loewen, now of the Royal Conservatory. I coached repertoire and voice later with Dixie Neill. All helped me through my first vocal steps, which began at age 27.
Maestro Goffredo Ricci of Viterbo, Italy. Maestro Ricci had come to Toronto to teach voice and I was fortunate to study with him. He was the first to model true italinate bell canto singing. His method came from his uncle, Luigi Ricci who had taught him. His uncle had studied with Cotogni, who was Verdi's favorite baritone. The work I did with Ricci was an attempt to tenorize my higher baritone voice, with some success and I sang in that range for a long time. I resumed singing as a baritone under the tutelage of Alan Dornak of New York, but the methods of elastisization of the voice have allowed me to maintain a solid vocal compass.