Introducing: Michael Adair
Last night Miss Mussel was invited by some friends to hear a concert at the Elora Festival, so she did the appropriate thing and went along. On the program were baritones Russell Braun and Michael Adair as well as the Elora Festival Singers conducted by Noel Edison. The whole evening was ably accompanied by Carolyn Maule.
The program was entitled Oh Shenandoah and, somewhat surprisingly, consisted mainly of Canadian folk songs and English art song. Last time Miss Mussel checked, Shenandoah was 500 miles away in Virginia but, not wanting to let reality interfere with art, the fact relegated to the box marked “red herring”.
Aside from the fact that the concert was taking place in an emptied out salt shed, the concert proceeded exactly as expected. Pretty tunes, a slightly dodgy choir and an audience that was eating up every second as if the concert was a strawberry shortcake: irresistibly sweet and perfect for a summer evening.
For Miss Mussel the highlight of the evening was the young baritone Michael Adair. He cut a very dashing figure on stage in a crisply pressed purple shirt and pin striped trousers. Clothes do make the man, but in this case the voice lived up to the packaging. His rich, expressive voice highlighted the pleasing melodies of the folksongs but was also adept at delving into the darker corners of his solo set: Finzi’s To A Poet. Michael had no trouble projecting to the back of the hall, no doubt due to this past year spent at the Zurich Opera. Without a doubt, he is one to watch out for.
A quick peek at his bio revealed that until OM Media runs the surplus required to restore the touring budget, Miss Mussel will have to wait until Michael has another engagement in Canadia to hear him again. Canadian singers have traditionally had to establish themselves in Europe before they are recognized back home. Hopefully that will not be the case this time round.
