ESTEVAN — Two famous musicians and former Estevan residents, Audrey and Rachel Andrist, are to perform in their hometown of Estevan on Aug. 24.
Hailed as a stunning pianist with incredible dexterity, Canadian pianist Audrey Andrist has thrilled audiences around the globe, from North America to Japan, China and Germany with her passionate abandon and great intelligence. Canadian pianist Rachel Andrus is recognized internationally for her insightful musicianship, sophisticated pianism and generous collaborative spirit.
They will play at Hill View Manor and at Creighton Lodge.
The Hill View Manor performance is slated for 2 p.m., and the one at Creighton Lodge will begin at 7 p.m. Both are open to the public and are free, but people are encouraged to opt for Creighton Lodge as the facility has more space.
Audrey Andrist grew up on a farm west of Estevan, and while in high school travelled three hours one-way for lessons with William Moore, himself a former student of famed musicians Cécile Genhart and Rosina Lhévinne. She completed masters and doctoral degrees at the Juilliard School with Herbert Stessin, and garnered first prizes at the Mozart International, San Antonio International, Eckhardt-Gramatté and Juilliard Concerto Competitions.
She is a member of the Stern/Andrist Duo with her husband, violinist James Stern, the Strata Trio, the Andrist-Stern-Honigberg Trio and the PostClassical Ensemble. She has performed at the Lincoln Center in New York, the Kennedy Center and Library of Congress in Washington, the Place des Arts in Montreal, and the Ravinia Festival in Chicago.
As a specialist in the violin and piano duo repertoire, Audrey Andrist has collaborated with violinists Nurit Bar-Josef, Scott St. John, Irina Muresanu and Anne Akiko Meyers, among many others. An avid performer of new music, she has recorded for more than a dozen record labels and has presented over 75 world premieres as a soloist and with various ensembles.
In her numerous new music adventures, she has played a wide variety of instruments, including synthesizer, melodica, paper accordion, mbira, tack piano and slide whistle.
A devoted teacher, Audrey Andrist lives in the Washington, D.C. area, where she teaches at the Washington Conservatory and the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and where she is in constant demand as a soloist, chamber musician, adjudicator and master class teacher. In her spare time, she is an enthusiastic cook and hockey fan.
Following her studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music and St. Louis Conservatory, Rachel Andrist joined the music staff of Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels as chef de chant. Based principally in Europe since 1997, she has also been on the music staff of the Salzburg Festival, Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Salzburg Easter Festival, Glyndebourne Festival, Netherlands Opera, English National Opera and Scottish Opera, serving as repetiteur for such conductors as Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Antonio Pappano, Ivor Bolton, Vladimir Jurowski, René Jacobs, Valery Gergiev and Kazushi Ono.
Of particular note was her position as Studienleiterin for the Young Singers Project at the Salzburg Festival from 2009 to 2012 and for Copenhagen's Royal Danish Opera, where she was head of musical projects.
Rachel Andrist's early studies with Martin Isepp fostered a lifelong love affair with song repertoire and she has shared the recital stage with acclaimed artists including Adrienne Piesczonka, Sir Thomas Allen, Jason Howard, Allyson McHardy, Klara Ek, Ekaterina Gubanova, Franz-Joseph Selig, Elizabeta Szmytka, Quinn Kelsey, Elliot Madore and Heidi Melton among others.
Returning to Canada in 2010, she is currently a member of the Canadian Opera Company's music staff and is a frequent guest at the University of Toronto's Opera School, l'Atelier lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal and the Oslo National Opera in Norway. Eager to share her musical knowledge with emerging young artists, she has joined the faculty at the Glenn Gould School at Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music, where she co-founded the Songmasters Recital Series with soprano Monica Whicher.
Her current post is head of accompanying at the Conservatory in Regina and guest coach at the University of Toronto Opera School and National Opera in Oslo.
