Concert will feature violin, piano, French horn

It's been a winter of world class chamber music in the Battlefords thanks to a series of recitals entitled "Music For Your Soul" presented by local artists pianist Jaya Hoy and mezzo soprano Lisa Hornung.

There are two recitals remaining in the series, and attendance at the previous four recitals has been consistently high, showing just how much local audiences appreciate fine classical music, say Hoy and Hornung.

The next recital, May 29, 7 p.m at Third Avenue United Church, presents Arlene Shiplett, French horn player, violinist Myra Lin and Hoy on piano.

Shiplett was born and raised in North Battleford, a block away from "Chiki" McPhail, who now goes by the name Jaya Hoy. Shiplett is pleased to be returning to her home town to perform in this recital of music by Haydn, Mozart and Brahms, says Hoy.

Shiplett's music studies began at an early age with piano lessons, choir and both school and private band programs. She graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor in Music Education in 1986 and became a member of the Saskatoon Symphony in 1992.

Since 2000, she has narrowed her focus to teaching horn at the University of Saskatchewan as well as private teaching and coaching.

Her recent accomplishments include winning the Dwaine Nelson Teaching Award, conducting the mass horn choir at the Call of the Wild horn conference and performing with the International Brass Quintet at the International Peace Gardens.

Shiplett may be seen every summer performing on the Western Development Museum's Steam Calliope - one of a few in playing condition in North America.

Myra Lin returns to North Battleford from Phoenix, Ariz. where she performs and teaches. The American violinist has been performing as recitalist and chamber musician to audiences throughout the United States, Canada and Europe for over 25 years and performed in North Battleford in an earlier Music For Your Soul concert.

Lin has had an active and successful private teaching studio for over 20 years collectively in Florida and Arizona.

She holds bachelor and masters degrees in violin performance from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Her major teachers include Eudice Shapiro, Joyce Robbins, Leonard Felberg and Milton Thomas (viola). She has performed in the master classes of Nathan Milstein, Joseph Silverstein, Alberto Lizy, Yehudi Menuhin and Dorothy Delay.

She is also a composer and has premiered several of her own works.

In 1991, Lin was made a Cultural Ambassador for the United States, travelling to Bangalore, India to give several concerts as well as master classes and private instruction.

Jaya Hoy began playing the piano at age four and began playing publicly at a very young age, performing Mozart's Piano Concerto in A major at the age of 13 in Saskatoon. After receiving a performance degree from the Royal Conservatory of Toronto at age 17, she continued her studies with Bruno Seidlehofer (a renowned Bach expert) at the Academy for Music and the Performing Arts in Vienna and later with Maria Curcio, Christopher Elton and Mitsuko Uchida in London, England. She has played concerts in Canada, the United States and Europe. She recently returned to North Battleford to care for her mother, Dr. Mary McPhail, and has since been encouraging, facilitating, promoting and performing in musical concerts in the Battlefords.

The next recital in the Music For Your Soul series, which replaces the duo-piano recital originally planned, will be a an exciting event, says Hoy.

Sunday, June 12 at 7 p.m., The Dynamic Duo, consisting of Christina Bakanec and Katie Finch, join Hoy in a recital for two cellos and piano.

Tickets are available through the 3rd Avenue United Church office or at the door. All profit from these recitals is donated to the 3rd Avenue United Church roof fund.