News

After the success of the two volume Soprano edition of our Canadian Opera Anthology, we are now pleased to release the next instalment, volume 1 and 2 for baritone and bass.  These new additions to the series follow the style of the soprano edition, set up by Stephanie Nakagawa, P.h.D., on whose doctoral thesis this series is based. This Baritone/Bass edition features 28 arias from Canadian operas, arranged chronologically, from 1946 to 2021. Fully 19 of the 28 arias are from 21st century operas, with a wide range of subjects. From Harry Somers – Louis Riel, Healey Willan’s Deirdre and  Jean Couthard’s The Return of the Native, to operas by James Rolfe, Rodney Sharman, Leslie Uyeda, Alice Ping Ye Ho, Victor Davies, Peter-Anthony Togni and Chan Ka Nin. We have included more arias from Quebec composers such as Jacques Hetu, Julien Bilodeau. We have included arias from two operas dealing the the subject of Gay relationships (Les feluettes by Kevin March and librettist Michel-Marc Bouchard and When the suns comes out by Leslie Uyeda and librettist Rachel Rose). Explore these operas and buy these scores through these links, where you can see the contents and see score excerpts:

Baritone-Bass vol 1
Baritone-Bass vol 2

We are pleased to  include this recent string quartet by Ottawa composer James K. Wright, Ellen At Scattergood, to our catalogue:
Notes from the composer:
Lac Scattergood lies in the Outaouais region of southwestern Québec, situated close to Lac McGregor and the nearby town of Val-des-Monts, less than a one-hour drive across the Ottawa River from the city of Ottawa, Canada’s national capital. Written for Ellen Cray who with her husband, own a cottage at Lac Scattergood, it is ultimately programmatic in inspiration, it is otherwise largely “absolute music” in the traditional sense. The majority of its basic thematic ideas and their development are therefore purely musical in nature, without extra-musical associations. However the emotional character, texture, tempi, and rhythmic animation of each movement are inspired by Lac Scattergood and my understanding of the many moods and textures of David and Ellen’s life at their cottage.
Listen movement 1
Listen movement 3

Buy the score and parts

A Birthday Fancy for 2 trombones and piano by Dan Locklair. Written on commission as a birthday gift for trombonists David Archer (National Ballet of Canada Orchestra) and also dedicated to former student, now principal trombone of the Canadian Opera Company, Robert Conquer, this is a delightful piece which invites you to listen over and over.

Listen and watch

Buy score

Golden Harvest is an oratorio for mixed chorus, solo soprano and baritone, and orchestra, or piano reduction. Written for the 100th anniversary of Ukrainian settlement in Canada. Canadian-Ukrainian composer Larysa Kuzmenko wrote this work to the libretto of another Canadian-Ukrainian, Talia (Natalia) Zajac. This was premiered by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and a mixed choir of local groups, on March 17, 2016. It went on to be performed by a number of other groups, Saskatoon Symphony, McGill Chamber Orchestra and Regina Symphony. With current events bringing all things Ukrainian to general notice, this work deserves to be performed again. The Centre for Opera Studies and Appreciation in Toronto, will be performing this twice June 7 & 8, 2022 under the direction of Darryl Edwards at Humbercrest United Church and Lansing United Church, both in Toronto.  Buy vocal score.

At last the promised second volume of the Soprano edition of our Canadian Opera Anthology has been released and is ready for you to order. Check out this link which gives you the list of contents with excerpt pages from each aria. It is being offered at an introductory sale price for a limited time. Get your copy soon.  Soprano volume 2

Gary Kulesha’s Sonata for horn, tuba and piano was created for the composer performing on piano, J. Scott Irvine on tuba and Gary Pattison on horn, premiered in 1975 at a recital given by them at Walter Hall at the University of Toronto. This piece has gone on to be his most performed work, and best selling work. We finally decided that it really needed to be given a nice cover and be commercially printed. The music and insides are the same as we have been selling for a number of years, it just looks “prettier” now.

This link takes you to the sale page where you can order it, look at a score excerpt and a link to listen to a performance.

We are very pleased to announce the launch of the first book in a series of arias from a wide range of Canadian Operas. Arrange by voice, the first and second volumes are for soprano. Volume 1 is available. Volume 2 will debut  early in the new year. For a limited time, volume 1 is on sale for $34.  Soprano Volume 1-details-buy

Winter 2020 issue – COVID-Friendly performance works; Gary Kulesha’ new Oboe Concerto for Bede Hanley premiered in October in Auckland; Release of the new Canadian Opera Anthology-Soprano volume 1

December 15, 2018 – Just released, our Winter, 2018 issue As usual our newsletters are only 2 pages long. We know you have other demands on your time and you don’t want to read long things…
-Featuring Gustav Mahler‘s series of Retushcen (Retouched) Scores, works from the Classics which made them more suitable to modern concert halls, which include works by Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann and Smetana.
-Anniversaries for Vaughan Williams works
– New publications of chamber works for cello, trombone, trumpet, organ and violin
– Reissued brass chamber works by Malcolm Forsyth
– Dan Locklair’s very popular organ work, Rubrics is 30.
– Counterpoint now has a YouTube Channel to listen and learn about more of our works

Our Summer/Fall issue focused on a number of new publications of chamber works by John Beckwith, Gary Kulesha, Malcolm Forsyth, Donald Steven and Kelly-Marie Murphy.

Read Web version -Highlights Winter 2017

feature articles – Victor Davies  new opera The Ecstasy of Rita Joe

New Publications from Johnny Cowell – Playful Trumpets – brass quintet; Kelly-Marie Murphy – The Lonely  Road – cello and piano; Donald Steven – Pages of Solitary  Delights – medium voice and piano; Bramwell Tovey – Songs from the Paradise Saloon – solo trumpet part for trumpet concerto; Bramwell Tovey – Lincoln Tunnel – solo trombone part for trombone concerto; Malcolm Forsyth – These Cloud Capp’d Towers – solo trombone and piano reduction for trombone concerto; Jacob Plachta – Celebration, wind ensemble version (Young Composers’ Series)

+ Gary Kulesha recent performances and new works;  Jeffrey McCune – Composer and Visual Artist.