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Richard Strauss (1864-1949) : A lifelong love affair with the human voice

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Date/Time
Saturday 28 Mar 2015
3:00 pm to 5:30 pm

Location
Queensland Multicultural Centre


For those of you who’ve already been privileged to hear Margaret Baker-Genovesi speak,  you’ll know her lectures are entirely absorbing, fascinating, of the highest academic standard and flawlessly presented.

So be sure to make a firm date in your diaries now!
Reminder: $5.00 contribution towards venue hire.

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Brisbane-born soprano Margaret Baker-Genovesi began singing professionally in her teens, and made her operatic début at the age of 20 in the role of Violetta in La Traviata for the Queensland National Opera. After winning scholarships in Italy to the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome, and the Accademia Chigiana, Siena, she continued her studies in Germany, eventually settling in Rome, from where she pursued an international career as singer and later teacher.

Her European début was in the role of Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro (Rome); there followed engagements in many of Europe’s most important venues – La Scala, Milan; Theater an der Wien, Vienna; Teatro alla Cometa and the Academy of Santa Cecilia, Rome; the Festival Hall, London, the concert halls of Geneva and Lausanne, and the Festivals of Vienna, Salzburg, Moscow, Brno, and Spoleto, among others.

With a lifelong passion for the art song in its various manifestations, Margaret has given song recitals throughout Italy, Germany, Austria and England, including a series of six recitals in Naples, over a period of five years, for the Accademia Napoletana, which traced the evolution of the Lied from the First School of Vienna to the mid-20th century, in which she presented over 100 Lieder.

Margaret has performed and recorded with distinguished conductors such as Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Peter Maag, Sir Charles Mackerras, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Sir David Willcocks, among the most renowned. In 1987 she was given the honour of representing Australia at the First China Arts Festival in Beijing.

While still resident in Rome she was for 20 years a regular member of the Juries of some of Europe’s most prestigious singing competitions: Munich, Salzburg, Nuremberg, Coburg, Graz, Cologne. She has taught and lectured at tertiary institutions in Italy, Germany, Hong Kong, China, and Australia, and since relocating to Australia in 2007 she has established a private teaching practice, and has collaborated with the Young Artists Program of Opera Australia, the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University and The University of Queensland. She has co-adjudicated numerous Australian singing competitions ­– among others, the Mietta Song Recital Award, the Acclaim Awards Puccini Competition, the McDonald’s Operatic Aria, and the Opera Foundation Australia’s Awards.