The next intimate gathering in the Home Routes concert series that features professional musical entertainment in private homes, is scheduled for Feb. 4 when baritone Mel Braun and accompanist Laura Loewen will perform in the Molly Heier residence in Estevan.
The invitations to the concert are limited, and the $20 fee paid by each guest goes directly to the performers.
The Home Routes concert concept is growing in popularity, and one of its organizers in the Energy City, Shirley Andrist, said they have all been sold out with ticket sales varying from 20 to 50 people, depending on the space made available in the hosting homes.
The concerts provide the opportunity for audience members to get up-close with the musical guests and to interact with them in an easy, social environment during and right after the performances.
Heier, a first-time hostess for the series, lives on the west side of the city on First Street and Alice Road, with her home located in the valley area of the city.
Braun, who also serves as artistic director for the Home Routes classical series, is comfortable with oratorio, recital and opera venues and is well known to Canadian audiences for Early Music performances and broadcasts with Tafelmusik and Opera Atelier. He appears frequently with the Calgary Bach Festival and Edmonton's Pro Coro, Symphony Nova Scotia, Winnipeg's Canzona, Guelph's Chamber Choir and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. He also sings with the Emerado Trio and Il Primo, an all-baritone trio.
Braun heads the vocal program at the University of Manitoba's Marcel A. Desautels faculty of music which is known for its collaborative and holistic approach. His initiatives at the faculty include the annual Opera Theatre School Tour, a contemporary opera laboratory and the Professor Bach Project as well as Tuesdays in Winnipeg, a venture involving high school boys who love to sing. He has been awarded Merit and Outreach Awards for his efforts, and he said he is always open to new collaboration suggestions. His ongoing partnership with pianist Laura Loewen is at the centre of his collaborative work, and she will be accompanying him in the Estevan living room concert.
Loewen has been praised for her expressivity, virtuosity and commitment to the piano keys. She has performed throughout North America, Europe, Asia and South America with Charles Castleman, Tracy Dahl, Wendy Nielsen, Kimberly Barber, Jasper Wood, Eugene Rousseau and William Bennett, among others. She also performs with singers, instrumentalists and chamber ensembles along with Braun and tenor Robert MacLaren, violinist Oleg Pokhanovski and cellist Minna Rose Chung.
Loewen is a professor of collaborative piano and vocal coach at the University of Manitoba.
When she isn't busy with all these duties, Loewen has found time to perform with saxophonist Allen Harrington, and over the past 10 years the Harrington/Loewen duo has toured North America, Europe, Asia and South America.
Anyone interested in purchasing a ticket and getting on the list of patrons for this intimate concert, is asked to contact Andrist at 306-634-9302. The deadline for a ticket purchase is Jan. 31.
