This cycle was written for Maureen Forrester in 1967, and is a setting of seven poems by American poet Owen Dodson.

This classic song cycle came about when John Newmark, mentor and collaborative pianist of Maureen Forrester phoned Robert Fleming.  The composer was in the midst of wallpaper hanging when called to the phone where he was told by Newmark: “I have found a wonderful set of poems, The Confession Stone, in the collection Beyond the Blues – New Poems by American Negroes(1962). You must set them to music for Maureen.” Newmark had become familiar with this poetry through Bernard Diamant, Ms. Forrester’s original vocal coach.

The poems are by the black playwright and teacher, Owen Dodson (1914 – 1983) and consist of songs to be sung by Mary, Joseph, Mary Magdalene, Jesus, Judas, and God. For the poet they were his conception of “their thoughts about themselves and others on that hard stone of confession on which most of us kneel sometime in our lives.”

After the musical settings were completed in 1966, Rev. Michael Fleming, son of the composer, recalls a performance at Sir George Williams College (now Concordia University in Montreal). Ms. Forrester in a beautiful gold, lamé gown sang European-composed Lieder during the first half of the recital. In the second half she appeared with a bedraggled, old shawl over the gown.  During the singing of The Confession Stone she became everybody’s Jewish mother in that hall and moved the audience to tears.

This cycle became one of Forrester’s most frequently performed works. After The Confession Stone had been published by Leeds Music (Canada) in 1968, she always took several copies of the score with her on tour.  Whenever a person expressed genuine interest in learning and performing the work, Ms. Forrester would give out a copy. Many other singers including Jessye Norman, Judith Forst, Catherine Robbins, Diane Loeb, Doris Parker, Anne Stick-Bedard, Gloria-Jean Nagy and Patricia Lee have performed this cycle in recitals. Berkeley Fleming, son of the composer, has stated: “The artistry and emotional impact of Forrester’s performances of The Confession Stone are impossible to exaggerate. I, resolutely irreligious and generally unsentimental, find it difficult to hear, or especially witness, any performance of this piece without being deeply moved.  I must have seen Forrester perform it ten times, anyway, the first being at either Loyola College or Sir George Williams in Montréal in 1966, the last at a retrospective concert given at the National Arts Centre a few weeks after my father’s death in 1976.”

Elaine Keillor

Second of Mahone Bay’s Three Churches concerts wows

Posted by Kate Watson of The Coast, Halifax, on Sun, Aug 28, 2011 at 4:00 PM

One of the highlights of the summer for me is seeing the Halifax Summer Opera Workshop’s sensational productions, and I was really disappointed to miss them this year.

However, all was not lost as I did get to see HSOW’s Artistic Producer and marvelous Mezzo Nina Scott-Stoddart in concert with singers Claire Mallin and Paula Rockwell, and pianist Jennifer King in beautiful Mahone Bay.

The concert was part of the Music at the Three Churches series, and it was a doozey. These women offered up a beautifully paced concert that had something for everybody. The program ranged from the familiar, classical “Habanera” from Carmen to the lovely, contemporary Allister MacGillivray tune “Here’s to Song”.

Despite the fact that in “The Alto’s Lament” we learned that it sucks to constantly sing the harmony, there were plenty of tunes that showcased the rich Mezzo voices.

The audience favourite was probably a wonderful Flanders and Swann chestnut called “A Word on my Ear”. Scott-Stoddart had the audience rolling in the aisles as she cast about for the right note while declaring “I’m tone deaf”.

The last concert in the series is on September 9th at Mahone Bay’s Trinity United Church, and it showcases the winners of the 2nd Dalhousie Student competition.

Visit www dot three churches dot com for more information, or call (902) 634-4280.

Ms Rockwell, who is an instructor at Acadia University in Wolfville, has travelled across Canada, the United States, England and Japan performing with orchestras, giving recitals and teaching.

She performs regularly with Symphony Nova Scotia and each summer can be heard at the Willcocks Choral Symposium in Lymann, New Hampshire, where she teaches master classes as well as performs.

Ms Mallin is a native of Montreal who founded and directed Atelier d’opéra at the ƒcole de Musique de Lanaudi�re and has performed with orchestras, choirs and ensembles throughout Quebec.

She has been active as a soloist, voice teacher and choir conductor and, more recently, as a music therapist.

Ms Scott-Stoddart is a resident of Lunenburg who is certainly no stranger to local audiences. She has sung as a featured soloist across Canada and the United States and also worked as an opera producer and stage director.

Following her arrival in Nova Scotia in 2002, she founded Maritime Concert Opera and the Halifax Summer Opera Workshop.

Ms King, who holds degrees from Acadia and McGill universities as well as a diploma from the University of Reading, serves as faculty accompanist at Acadia and is also an active adjudicator and chamber musician.

The Mahone Bay concert begins at 8 p.m. and refreshments will be served on the lawn during intermission.

The final concert in this season’s series will be held at Trinity United Church on September 9 and will feature the winners of this year’s Dalhousie Student Competition.

My dear friends Maureen Batt and Erin Bardua have done me the honour of casting me as La Baronne in Massenet’s Cherubin with their company, Essential Opera this fall.  There will be one performance of this rarity, in concert, at Heliconian Hall, in Toronto on November 12, 2011.

This 1905 opera is based on a play by Francis de Croisset, and is based on the characters from the Beaumarchais plays about Figaro, but is not part of the traditional canon. Think of it as early 20th century fan fiction   I love Massenet’s music and I’m thrilled to be involved with this project!

And I’ve just finished a run of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Maritime Concert Opera.  I think it was a dream cast:  Pinkerton was Len Whiting, Goro was Ed Franko, Sharpless was Andrew Tees and the Bonze was Rob Milne.  Added to this host of friends was young soprano Natalie Donnelly, with whom I had the pleasure of working on Susannah last summer for HSOW.  She was incredibly good and a dream to work with!

This coming season I look forward to singing Nora in Mary Knickle’s new Celtic opera, Morgan le Fay, singing with Pax Christi Chorale in October and singing Third Lady in Magic Flute in June 2012!

The Dal Opera Workshop pulled off a lively production of Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld in early February 2009, and I had a blast as stage director.
I sang the Opera Nova Scotia Opera Valentine in February with my friends Lenard Whiting, Amber Bishop and Jason Parkhill.

I performed in a Sondheim cabaret in Toronto with Tryptych Productions, also in February.

I sang a Cabaret program with Maritime Concert Opera in June, as part of the opera festival here in Lunenburg, performing with Garry Williams and Marion Sawatzki.

I directed a program of Opera Excerpts for Halifax Summer Opera Workshop in July and August.

I conducted the children’s chorus for MCO’s production of Hansel and Gretel in October, which starred Marcia Swanston, Andrew Tees, Mary-Claire Sanderson and Signa Love.

I was honoured to perform at two fundraisers this month:  the first was for Second Story Women’s Centre here in Lunenburg and marked Person’s Day.  It was billed as “An evening with Nellie and Nina”  (that’s Nellie McClung, don’t you know   Then last weekend I sang at a fund raiser for the Lunenburg Music Festival.
I’m busy stage directing Gianni Schicchi and Face on the Barroom Floor for Dal Opera Workshop.

I’m going to provide technical assistance to DaPoPo Theatre with a workshop version of King Lear in late November.
I’ve got a Messiah coming up with Serenata Singers of Midland on Saturday November 28th, back in Ontario. I love this group, and can’t wait to see them again!

Schicchi and Face go up the first weekend in February 2010.

Friday February 13 and Saturday February 14, 2009

Nina Scott-Stoddart, mezzo
Lenard Whiting, tenor
Jason Parkhill, baritone

Ed Franko, director and singer extraordinaire.

Andrew Tees, world’s hunkiest baritone (“Oui, je m’aime”)

The board of MCO, without whom nothing is possible

and Lenard Whiting, the Don Jose of my dreams.

I love you all!

Yes, the castanets are warming by fire, I’m getting ready to be stabbed in the heart by an ungrateful tenor — it must be time for me to sing Carmen!

I’ve had a great spring full of singing — Vivialdi Gloria in Bridgewater, a Haydn mass back in Midland, Ontario, but next month I’ll be singing Carmen, and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve been training for this one for a while, and I can’t wait!

Do check out the Maritime Concert Opera website for more details of the shows, and I hope to see you in June