Biography
Montserrat Alavedra i Comas was a Spanish operatic soprano, born 6 April 1946 in Terrassa, Spain and died 4 April 1991 in Barcelona, Spain, just two days before her 45th birthday. She trained in music in Barcelona, Madrid, and Salzburg. She started her career very young, debuting in Salzburg and achieved important successes in Vienna, especially under the direction of conductor Karl Böhm, Bernhard Paumgartner, and pianist Erik Werba. Montserrat specialized in the music of Mozart and composers of the eighteenth century without forgetting the romantic music or contemporary composition. She was especially gifted with the German lied which made up a large part of her repertoire, aongside Catalan works. At the end of her life, Alavedra was a prestigious voice instructor in the USA. She worked as a lecturer and served as a Chair in the Music Department of the University of Washington at Seattle.
Tragically, Montserrat died at the height of her artistic abilities after a long illness. A music competition was created in her honor, and the University of Washington has a scholarship in her honor for music students.
(bio source: OddioOverplay.com) William McColl, ClarinetDiploma with honors, Akademie für Musik und darstellende Kunst, Vienna (known later as the Hochschule für Musik etc. and now as the Universität für Musik etc.), student of Leopold Wlach. In the United States, McColl had also studied with Keith Stein, George Waln and Herbert Blayman.
He began playing clarinet at the age of 12 and was soon attending the National Music Camp at Interlochen and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (1951-1953).
Member, the American Wind Ensemble of Vienna (along with Laila Storch). Founding member, Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet and the New World Basset Horn Trio; former principal clarinet, U.S. Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Hungarica (Vienna); featured performer at the Casals Festival (Puerto Rico); Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico.
Professor of clarinet, University of Washington (1968-2006). Specialist in early clarinets and basset horns; international tours, recordings and concert appearances with the Amadeus Winds, the San Francisco Philharmonia, the Boston Handel and Haydn Society the New World Basset Horn Trio, and others; recordings on Musical Heritage, and Crystal labels (with the Soni Ventorum), as well as on the Atlantic, Decca and Harmonia Mundi labels.(source: Soni Ventorum official website)
Tragically, Montserrat died at the height of her artistic abilities after a long illness. A music competition was created in her honor, and the University of Washington has a scholarship in her honor for music students.
(bio source: OddioOverplay.com) William McColl, ClarinetDiploma with honors, Akademie für Musik und darstellende Kunst, Vienna (known later as the Hochschule für Musik etc. and now as the Universität für Musik etc.), student of Leopold Wlach. In the United States, McColl had also studied with Keith Stein, George Waln and Herbert Blayman.
He began playing clarinet at the age of 12 and was soon attending the National Music Camp at Interlochen and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (1951-1953).
Member, the American Wind Ensemble of Vienna (along with Laila Storch). Founding member, Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet and the New World Basset Horn Trio; former principal clarinet, U.S. Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Hungarica (Vienna); featured performer at the Casals Festival (Puerto Rico); Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico.
Professor of clarinet, University of Washington (1968-2006). Specialist in early clarinets and basset horns; international tours, recordings and concert appearances with the Amadeus Winds, the San Francisco Philharmonia, the Boston Handel and Haydn Society the New World Basset Horn Trio, and others; recordings on Musical Heritage, and Crystal labels (with the Soni Ventorum), as well as on the Atlantic, Decca and Harmonia Mundi labels.(source: Soni Ventorum official website)
