PERFORMING ~ 2008
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  February 10 ~ Toronto
April 17 ~ Winnipeg
May 15 ~ Toronto
June 6 ~ Invermere, BC
August 31 ~ Winnipeg
September 18 ~ Brandon, Manitoba
November 2008 Newsletter

Sunday ~ February 10 ~ 2008 ~ Toronto Canada's prima percussionist Beverley Johnston was invited by Ulla Colgrass and her Pulitzer Prize-winning composer husband, Michael Colgrass, to give a "recitalette" of about 45 minutes in their gracious home in Toronto, for a select audience of 25 - 30 people.  Beverley saw this as an outstanding opportunity to "workshop" some of my new works that she and I have been preparing to premiere in the May 15th concert of my music in Heliconian Hall, in Toronto.  I was delighted to be part of Bev's concert at Colgrass's, and we've had a great time getting it together.  We've had some invaluable help with the theatrical aspects from George Bloomfield, in Toronto. The featured piece we're "workshopping" is my duo for percussion, piano, spoken text and tape, Prodigies of the Nose, which uses texts  from the writings of Diane Ackerman, Edmund Rostand (Cyrano de Bergerac), Helen Keller and some of my own.  I will also be workshopping a new solo piece of mine for spoken text, piano and small percussion called Opening Windows.  In this piece, about moods, the text is by Gertrude Stein.  Her often bizarre texts are written for their sound and rhythm rather than for any meaning.  My piece uses the same text and rhythm throughout, but as seen through different "windows" or moods - 12 of them! Beverley will also be performing 2 solo works for percussion - To The Earth, by Fred Rzewski, for flower pots and voice,  and Axion Esti, by George Kondogiorgosanother, for stamna (jug) and voice. Diana McIntosh ~ Winnipeg 1-15-08 Scroll down to see Ulla's snaps of the concert

8:00 PM ~ Thursday ~ April 17 ~ 2008 ~ Winnipeg Rolf Schulte, violin and James Winn, piano the outstanding American duo/soloists in a concert presented by GroundSwell New Music Now curated by Diana McIntosh   in a program of music by Elliott Carter ~ Anton Webern ~ Fred Lerdahl Mario Davidovsky ~ Michael Matthews Diana McIntosh also on the program Trails of Gravity and Grace, for clarinet, cello and piano by  Calgary composer Allan Bell, performed by Andrea Bell, cello ~ Pat Daniels, clarinet Diana McIntosh, piano  Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall, University of Winnipeg 8:00 PM ~ Thursday ~ April 17 ~ 2008 Tickets: Adult: $19 ~ Senior: $17 ~ Student: $9 Ticket info ~ 943-5770 ~ free parking available behind the CBC Building - access via lane off Young Street ~ Music from this concert will be broadcast on CBC's "The Signal " on Saturday May 31 with host Pat Carrabre

8:00 PM ~ Thursday ~ May 15 ~ 2008 ~ Toronto Wonder Worlds of McIntosh music written and performed by theatrical musician/composer Diana  McIntosh                                                                                                                                                                                     with musicians/friends ~ Parmela Attariwala, violin/viola and Beverley Johnston, percussion    three premieres   Opening Windows ~ Imaginings ~ Prodigies of the Nose* ~ plus a workshopping of a piece in progress Aunt Kate and also Moments Ago (*commissioned by the CBC) 8:00 PM ~ Thursday ~ May 15 ~ 2008 Heliconian Hall ~ Toronto 35 Hazelton Avenue Tickets - $20.00 at the door Music from this concert will be broadcast on CBC’s  The Signal on Sunday evening, September 14, 2008 with host Pat Carrabre    With the generous support of the Manitoba Arts Council

7:30 PM ~ Friday ~ June 6 ~ 2008 ~ Invermere, B.C. CV Arts presents SOLITARY  CLIMB an autobiographical theatrical musical show, with humour,  about Diana McIntosh's mountain climbing experiences and her parallel struggles with contemporary music written and performed by Canadian international theatrical performer/composer Diana McIntosh                    on Ophidian Glacier                Mistaya area, B.C., Canada                                        Lake O'Hara                                                                     Yoho National Park,  BC                                                                    Canada                                                You are invited to experience DIANA  MCINTOSH, the well known pianist, multi-media performance artist and composer of new music who entertains audiences with "serious fun”.  Diana McIntosh (www.dianamcintosh.com) is widely recognized as distinctive, original and innovative with effervescent wit. She has performed throughout Canada, widely in the USA, England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Portugal, and Kenya. Her commissions for new music have included works for orchestra, chamber ensemble, choir, vocal and instrumental soloists, dance, mime and electronic tape. Diana will perform her own 50- minute creation Solitary Climb, a theatrical musical work that combines spoken text, piano and tape.  It reflects parallels that she sees between her musical career and mountain climbing.  In her words, “As an avid mountain hiker and climber, as well as a composer/ theatrical performer/pianist, I’ve found that mountains have been a direct or indirect influence on the music I create … I created Solitary Climb as an autobiographical work to show the relationships I feel between mountains and music – the adventure, the mystery, the tensions, the special techniques, the exhilaration of both.”  Here are a few comments about Diana and her shows: Diana McIntosh is a national treasure.  She is a leading light for any composer, particularly for female composers, and she also brings  a very welcome sense of humour and creativity  to the concert stages of Canada. -------- Bravo TV News …one of the wonders of the Canadian contemporary music world. Contemporary music is not often so engaging, entertaining and  delightful. ---------The Halifax Chronicle-Herald Diana McIntosh is an enormously creative woman - entertaining, resourceful, and courageous. - The Winnipeg Free Press Christ Church Trinity Invermere, BC 7:30 PM Friday, June 6, 2008 Tickets:  $21.00 adult ~ $10.00 student (including reception following) ~                                                                                                                      available at                                                                                                                     Dave's Book Bar ~ Essentials ~ Pynelogs Trims and Treasures - Fairmont                           N'Deco - Radium                                and at the door                                              Co-sponsored by                                                                   Alice Hale                of                                                                                                                     Caraway Pottery                       Westside Road ~ Invermere                                                                                                                                                    (250) 342-9504

 

2:30 pm, SUNDAY, August 31, 2008 3rd Annual (oops - we missed a year ot two!) International  Summer  Home  Concert this year's venue The McIntosh Residence 469 Kingston Crescent Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R2M  0V1 (204) 233-4163 a program of music for flute, horn, bassoon, piano and  3 new theatrical works by Diana performers Ana Riera ~ from Tulsa ~ french horn (Ana is studying to be an Aircraft Controller at U. of North Dakota, Grand Forks and is a member of the  Symphony Orchestra there) Carol Vaughan ~ from Tulsa ~ piano (Mother of Ana Riera) Patricia Spenser ~ from New York  ~ flute Vincent Ellin ~  from Winnipeg ~ bassoon Diana McIntosh ~ from Winnipeg ~ theatrical performer Grant McIntosh ~ from Winnipeg ~ waiter (in his debut  rôle) ~ ~ ~ The music will range from Pagannini to contemporary including 3 new theatrical pieces written and performed by Diana ~ ~  REFRESHMENTS  ~ ~ tickets ~ priceless   audience ~ exclusive   (by invitation only)

12:40 Noon ~ Thursday ~ September 18 ~ Brandon, MB The Original McIntosh a program of 3 recent theatrical works written and performed by Diana McIntosh Lorne Watson Hall presented by Brandon University, School of Music ~ program ~ Aunt Kate*, for piano and spoken text, with my original music and brief quotes from Bach, Beethoven and Chopin, was written as a result of two of my musical colleagues encouraging me to create a piece about this colourful character, my aunt, who was such a strong influence on me, though I was unaware of that at the time.  She lived in Banff, Alberta most of her life, where I spent several summers with her in my pre-teens.  For a woman brought up in Ontario in the Victorian period, she was amazingly independent and free-spirited.  I loved her, though of course at the time I didn’t recognize her uniqueness. I dedicate this piece to Kate. Double Talk  is a playful endeavour to communicate with 2 loudspeakers. Opening Windows, for spoken text, extended vocal techniques, piano and small percussion, is based on a brief excerpt from Gertrude Stein’s Tender Buttons. I played with the idea of looking at the text through different “windows” and ended up with twelve.  Stein often used repetitive words and phrases for their sound and rhythm only,  and in my piece I present the same text in 12 different moods. Immediately following the performance Diana will chat briefly with the audience and answer any questions about her works. * Premiere - The financial assistance of the Manitoba Arts Council in the writing of this work is gratefully acknowledged.

November ~ 2008

Winnipeg ~ Canada ~  November ~ 2008            Hello Friends:                                              Summer has come and gone, and Fall too, almost, and they were good. After my season-closing solo concert in Invermere, B.C., in June, we spent about 3 weeks in the Rockies. A favorite place was a super B&B in the East Kootnays at Crawford Bay, called Wedgwood Manor It’s a gem! When we got home I wrote music for a lovely lullaby a friend in Invermere had written for her grand-children, and then I immersed myself in writing a solo percussion piece commissioned by Winnipeg’s rising star, Ben Reimer. Like much of my music, it was inspired by my experiences in the mountains, over the years. I called it Just Add Water and I delivered it to Ben in late August. I’m really looking forward to him premiering it in Brandon early in the new year. I had a home concert with 25 or 30 invited guests on August 31st. It was great fun, one of the highlights being performances by Ana Riera - french horn, and her Mother, Carol Vaughan - piano, from Tulsa, Oklahoma.  On September 18th I did a noon-hour performance for Brandon University, in Lorne Watson Hall.  It was there that I premiered my theatrical work, Aunt Kate, a very deceptively poignant account of my pre-teen years when I spent several summers with my aunt Kate in her tiny cabin in Banff. She was very unpretentious, a free spirit and loved nature and animals - and me! I always like to have a chat with audiences after a performance - especially with students - and in this case they asked some good questions about the pieces I’d played.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         At the end of September I went to the Banff Centre, in Banff, Alberta on a 3-week residency to work on  composition, and as always, it proved to be a very productive time.  It's an invaluable place for me because I can work hour after hour without any interruption.  Grant came with me for the first time and worked equally long hours at his own projects on a laptop he acquired for the purpose.  He also achieved a lot, but said the best part was escapimg all the poor meals at home when he is there alone!  The weather was excellent in Banff, and the                                                                  autumn clours in the leaves were at their fabulous best. On the way home from Banff we took  a 'shortcut'  via  Deadwood, South Dakota, to pay our respects to Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, who are buried there.  You might remember that a coupleof years ago Bev Johnston and I performed a work a called Calamity Jane, by Quenten and Joyce Doolittle, of Calgary, so it was of special interest to us to see the Black Hills, and the narrow gulch the town sits in.  Most touristy attractions were closed for the season in October, but the cemetry was open for foot traffic, and Bill's monument was irresistible!  We chose secondary roads across Northern Montana and Wyoming, and the scenery was spectacular.  The roads were excellent, and traffic was very light. After that 1,000 mile shortcut we came more or less straight home and we are now  dealing with all the email, etc., etc. that awaited us, and right now I'm continuing work on the piece I began at the Leighton Artist Colony in Banff.  I'm also starting to put together a program of my music for a concert next May at the Heliconian Hall in Toronto, that will include a work-in-progress of the new piece, and other shorter pieces.  I'm also preparing the program I'm curating for a GroundSwell concert, here, next April.  The amazing Winnipeg saxophone and piano duo, Allen Harrington and Laura Loewen will be featured, and Canadian composers Allan Bell and Sid Robinovitch are both writing pieces for clarinet and piano that clarinetist Pat Daniels and I will premiere. The weather has been absolutely wonderful this autumn, including when we were in Banff and in Wyoming and South Dakota.  But this morning we awoke to this!    However,on the news this morning we heard that there's a raging blizzard in the Black Hills, with 3 feet of snow, so there's always something to be thankkful for! My CDs are now available on  CD Baby at - cdbaby.com/cd/dianamcintosh1 , a fascinating website well worth visiting.   And, speaking of worthwhile websites, have a look at mine! www.dianamcintosh.com

                                            

One of  McIntosh's most popular theatrical musical works, her satirical Eliptosonics, is
a send-up of avant-garde program notes.  Amy Duncan, a New York reviewer, wrote, "Multimedia
performance is a natural outcome of the age, and McIntosh is one of its important voices.  Watch for her."

Diana McIntosh is, in fact, a mountaineer. She combines music and mountains in a full-evening
one-woman show Solitary Climb, in which her audience shares a daring experience "scaling the sheer face of new music."

A partial list of solo works by Diana McIntosh
available for performance on tour
(click here to see complete catalogue)

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 5

469 Kingston Cr., Winnipeg, Canada R2M   0V1
Tel: (204) 233-4163 Fax: (204) 237-3773
mcint@mts.net