CLIFF RIDLEY • HIGH BARITONE
 A native of Victoria BC, he studied at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, the Banff Centre and the Courtenay Youth Music Centre. He worked in the 20th century vocal repertoire
with the distinguished Canadian soprano Frances James Adaskin. He
was also fortunate to be able to fill out his vocal studies with Selena
James and Catherine Wendol in Victoria, and with Robert Irwin and
Dorothy Lawson in Winnipeg. He has performed frequently in
Vancouver over the last few years and his repertoire ranges from the
baroque to the contemporary.
Cliff released two CD’s in 2006 both accompanied by the young Canadian pianist, Danielle Marcinek. The first, Ach des Knaben Augen (Ah, the boy’s eyes), explores themes of life and death and includes four of the Geistliche Lieder (Spiritual Songs) of Hugo Wolf, Vier ernste Gesänge (Four Serious Songs) by Johannes Brahms, and Gustav Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder (Songs on the Deaths of Children). The second, Gentle Lady, do not sing sad songs…, celebrates the music written for baritone and piano by two of Canada’s most distinguished 20th century composers, Jean Coulthard and Violet Archer. The recordings have been played on FM radio in Canada, the USA and Europe and are housed in the Rogers & Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and at the Library & Archives Canada. The Gentle Lady CD is distributed by the Canadian Music Centre. A music video of the title song, Gentle Lady, has recently been filmed with Cliff and Danielle in interaction with animation produced by the graphic artist and film maker Scott Hastings. We await the release of what has been an exciting artistic endeavor for all of us.
Currently, Cliff and Danielle are performing a series of pieces written especially for them by Vancouver composer Christopher Ludwig. These include a major 40 minute composition, Outward Voyage, which is based on the book of poems by Vancouver Island poet Ken Cathers. This work is centered in the Gulf Islands area of British Columbia and is an amalgamation of images from the past to the present, from early exploration of the new world to the flux of life and the shifting sea as experienced today. A recording is being planned.
Cliff brings to his music many years of study in the complexity and depth of human thought and emotion. He holds a B.Sc.(Honours) in psychology from the University of Victoria, and an M.A.and Ph.D.in clinical psychology from the University of Manitoba. He is also a graduate of the Seattle Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, and a member of the American and the lnternational Psychoanalytic Associations. He practices clinical psychology and psychoanalysis in Vancouver BC, working with adults and children.
 DANIELLE MARCINEK • PIANO
Danielle holds a Bachelor of Music degree in
performance with distinction from the University of Victoria and an
ARCT in piano performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music. She studied with Dr. Robin Wood in Victoria and with Pat Miller in
Port Alberni. In 1996 she was a recipient of the Denis Simons award
for Musician of the Year. Danielle has represented Nanaimo at the
provincial music festival and has twice been the winner for her
performance in the Canadian Composer class in the senior division.
She has extensive experience in working with choirs in the lower
mainland and Vancouver Island, including Surrey Children's Choir, the
Bach Children's Choir, and Coastal Sound Music Academy and has
been an accompanist at the prestigious International Choral
Kathaumixw, in Powell River. Along with her work with baritone Cliff Ridley, Danielle teaches piano and is featured as a solo performer on composer Christopher Ludwig’s recently released CD under the Con Brio label titled Expressivity: Keyboard Works. A multi-talented musician with wide interests, Danielle has had experience in a rock band and has branched out into the jazz and popular piano/vocal works and is also performing in that genre as a solo artist. |
