Helen Pridmore

Soprano Helen Pridmore was born in England and grew up in Canada, where she began her musical studies. She obtained her B.Mus. in Voice from the University of Saskatchewan and the M.Mus. in Voice from the University of Toronto. She also holds the Licentiate Diploma in Piano from Trinity College of Music, UK. At the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY she earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree, studying with Carol Webber, and taught for both the Voice and Theory Departments. Helen Pridmore served on the Voice Faculties at the State University of New York (Fredonia) and at Nebraska Wesleyan University before joining the Music Department at Mount Allison.

Helen Pridmore has performed across Canada and the U.S. as both soloist and chamber musicians. In concert she has performed works ranging from Handel's Messiah to Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire. With a special interest in new music, she has premiered and sung many works by Canadian and American composers, including Helen Hall, Martin Arnold, Jim O'Leary, alcides lanza, Emily Doolittle and many others. Upcoming engagements for 2012-13 include a guest appearance performing with renowned UK composer Michael Finnissy and Aventa Ensemble in Victoria, B.C., and a solo recital tour which will visit Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria and Seattle. Her first solo CD, Janet, has recently been released on the Canadian Music Centre's Centrediscs label.

Some recent media reviews:

"The final PEI Symphony Orchestra performance of the season, "A Fresh Turn," featured the premiere of Jim O'Leary's new composition, "Softly at Night the Stars are Shining" with soloist Helen Pridmore…For hours after the performance, I could feel my brain churning away, the way it does sometimes in an art gallery.

In ten years of collaboration with Helen Pridmore, the composer said his writing had gotten increasingly adventurous as the soprano ably mastered any music he created, no matter how challenging. As a result, he created ever-more difficult compositions for voice. Although the vocal part of "Softly at Night" is almost impossible to describe—let alone sing—Pridmore never faltered. Her voice, described as powerful and haunting, was astonishing." – Ivy Wigmore, The Buzz (PEI), April 2011

"...after singing Mozart and Britten beautifully, with a combination of pure tone and inspiring musical intelligence, Pridmore mesmerized the audience with a stunning tour-de-force in Kurtag's uncompromisingly difficult 'Sayings of Peter Bornemisza'."
--Stephen Pedersen, Halifax Chronicle Herald, Feb. 2008

"The best sign of success after the recital was the [voice] students attempting to impose extended vocal ideas into their own voices."
-- Garry Gable, Professor of Voice, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Jan. 2007

" ...a fabulous performance at Robinson...every piece was put across to the audience so vividly." -- Jeremy Thurlow, Director of Studies, Robinson College, Cambridge University UK, April 2007

" .... the haunting voice of Helen Pridmore...unusual vocal inflections..." --- Robert Haskins, American Record Guide, May 2004

" Soprano Helen Pridmore achieved a tour de force in Helen Hall's difficult 'Circuits'. Her interpretation...was quite beautiful." --- Stephen Pedersen, Chronicle Herald, May 2003

" Soprano Helen Pridmore skillfully maintained an impressive solo show." --- Kathy Kennedy, Musicworks, January 2003

" Notable among the concerts involving scored music was New Brunswick soprano Helen Pridmore's performance of Montreal composer Helen Hall's 'Circuits'....Pridmore's measured exploration of the cyclical process of breathing contained an extraordinary resonance of endurance and renewal." --- Tim Dallett, Arts Atlantic, September 2002

Helen Pridmore is also a member of Motion Ensemble, New Brunswick's new music group. Its repertoire is an eclectic mix of post-classical and experimental music, often utilizing electronics and visual media. Motion Ensemble has toured across Canada and made its USA debut in New York city in 2003. Motion Ensemble has released two CDs, one of works by John Cage (read a review!) and one of music by Canadian composer Veronika Krausas.

With the experimental duo Sbot N Wo Pridmore creates improvised soundscapes that feature her explorations in extended vocal techniques.  Sbot N Wo has performed widely in Canada, as well as in Europe and Japan.

In addition to her performing career, Dr. Pridmore also pursues research in extended vocal techniques and new music for voice. She has presented papers and recitals at conferences of the College Music Society, the Canadian University Music Society and the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), and has had her work published in the NATS Journal of Singing. She is a voting member of the Canadian Music Centre.

As well as teaching voice, Pridmore is also the musical director of the Opera Workshop with whom she organizes a tour of Maritime schools every spring. She has helped to organize a number of special events for the Music Department:  the next event will be a festival celebrating the life and work of John Cage in 2012, in honour of the 100th anniversary of his birth. She has helped to found and oversee the University's student-run art gallery in the Conservatory. More recently, she has been active in organizing music events for the OK.Quoi?! Contemporary Arts Festival, which is produced in collaboration with Struts Gallery/Faucet Media Arts Centre. Her work in creative activity, research, and teaching was recognized in 2005 with one of Mount Allison's Paul Paré Awards for Excellence.