Colin Maier

Last updated
Colin Michael Maier
Born (1976-01-15) January 15, 1976 (age 45)
Calgary, Alberta
Genres Classical, Classical Crossover, Celtic, Jazz, Klezmer
Occupation(s)Musician, Dancer, Acrobat with Quartetto Gelato
Instruments Oboe, English horn, clarinet, saxophone, flute, bassoon, violin, 5-string banjo, double bass/electric bass, piano, guitar, mandolin, and musical saw

Colin Maier is a Canadian oboist and multi-instrumentalist and also works as an actor, dancer, and acrobat, often blending these disciplines into one performance. [1] He has also worked as a stuntman and martial artist. He is currently a member of the award-winning Canadian new classical music ensemble Quartetto Gelato, [2] and the oboe and accordion duo JoyRide with accordionist Charles Thomas Cozens.

Contents

Education

Born in Calgary, Alberta, [3] Maier started Suzuki violin at age three and oboe at age 12. In high school, he studied fiddling, singing, dance, acting, martial arts, and gymnastics, and had plans to pursue musical theatre in college. Because of a missed deadline, he ended up pursuing the oboe, and classical music study. Maier graduated from the University of Calgary in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in oboe performance studying with Calgary Philharmonic oboist David Sussman.

Career

Maier began his professional career with a variety of acting engagements, most notably as the devil fiddler in the flying blue canoe for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Opening Ceremonies. His other acting credits include work in the stage version of The Lord of the Rings (Mirvish), [4] [5] Fire (CanStage), Forbidden Phoenix (LKTYP), KA (Cirque du Soleil), Amadeus (Alberta Theatre Projects), That Dance Show (Saltance Productions), Cats (Neptune Theatre), Joseph's Dreamcoat (StageWest/Drayton), A Chorus Line (StageWest), Sarah Brightman's World Tour, and TV's Honey I Shrunk the Kids! and Murdoch Mysteries .

Maier joined Quartetto Gelato in 2009. This world-touring ensemble is known for their eclectic humorous performances, in which Maier plays the oboe and other instruments, [6] as well as sings, dances, and performs acrobatics. [7] [8] [9] [10]

As an oboist, he has performed with The Calgary Philharmonic, The Hamilton Philharmonic, National Ballet of Canada Orchestra, Symphony of the Kootenays, Soundstreams, Toronto Concert Orchestra, Scarborough Philharmonic, Niagara International Chamber Music Festival, The Jive Mommas, The High Strung, The Fabulous Doo-Wop Boy and The Plaid Tongued Devils. In the 2002 International Double Reed Society conference, he performed in, and conducted, a jazz master class with jazz bassoonist Michael Rabinowitz.

In addition to oboe, Maier also plays professionally a variety of instruments including the English horn, clarinet, saxophone, flute, bassoon, violin, 5-string banjo, banyan, acoustic/electric bass, piano, guitar, mandolin and musical saw. [11]

His two solo recordings feature newly commissioned compositions by Canadian composers Rebecca Pellet, Hilario Durán, Mark Camilleri, Vincent Ho, and Aura Pon in a variety of genres from classical to jazz and Celtic. Also performances by Canadian musicians, and Canadian comedian Colin Mochrie. Several of the compositions feature Maier playing as many as 13 different instruments. [12] [13]

Maier was the oboe instructor at Brock University from 2015–2018. [14]

Discography

Related Research Articles

Oboe Musical instrument of the woodwind family

The oboe is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A soprano oboe measures roughly 65 cm long, with metal keys, a conical bore and a flared bell. Sound is produced by blowing into the reed at a sufficient air pressure, causing it to vibrate with the air column. The distinctive tone is versatile and has been described as "bright". When the word oboe is used alone, it is generally taken to mean the treble instrument rather than other instruments of the family, such as the bass oboe, the cor anglais, or oboe d'amore.

Léon Goossens

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Multi-instrumentalist Musician who plays multiple musical instruments

A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments at a professional level of proficiency.

The bass oboe or baritone oboe is a double reed instrument in the woodwind family. It is about twice the size of a regular (soprano) oboe and sounds an octave lower; it has a deep, full tone somewhat akin to that of its higher-pitched cousin, the English horn. The bass oboe is notated in the treble clef, sounding one octave lower than written. Its lowest note is B2 (in scientific pitch notation), one octave and a semitone below middle C, although an extension may be inserted between the lower joint and bell of the instrument in order to produce a low B♭2. The instrument's bocal or crook first curves away from and then toward the player (unlike the bocal/crook of the English horn and oboe d'amore), looking rather like a flattened metal question mark; another crook design resembles the shape of a bass clarinet neckpiece. The bass oboe uses its own double reed, similar to but larger than that of the English horn.

Pit orchestra

A pit orchestra is a type of orchestra that accompanies performers in musicals, operas, ballets, and other shows involving music. The terms was also used for orchestras accompanying silent movies when more than a piano was used. In performances of operas and ballets, the pit orchestra is typically similar in size to a symphony orchestra, though it may contain smaller string and brass sections, depending upon the piece. Such orchestras may vary in size from approximately 30 musicians to as many as 90–100 musicians. However, because of financial, space, and volume concerns, the musical theatre pit orchestra in the 2000s is considerably smaller.

Joseph Celli is an American musician and composer specializing in contemporary and improvised music for oboe and English horn. In addition, he plays the Yamaha WX7 MIDI breath controller, as well as double reed instruments from several Asian cultures, including the Korean hojok and piri, and the Indian mukha vina.

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Quartetto Gelato is a Canadian classical crossover quartet with current members Colin Maier, Charles Cozens, Kirk Starkey, and Tino Konstantin Popovic, and based in Hamilton, Ontario. Their musical repertoire consists of a mix of classical masterworks with tangos, gypsy, klezmer, jazz, and folk songs from around the world. They usually play without musical scores and their performances include elements of humour and dance.

Jared Hauser, is an American oboist, recording artist, and educator. He is Associate Professor of oboe at Vanderbilt University Blair School of Musicin Nashville, Tennessee, and also teaches at the National Music Festival in Chestertown, Maryland. Hauser plays with the Blair Woodwind Quintet, the contemporary music group Intersection, and as principal oboe with the Nashville Opera Orchestra. He also performs on period oboes with Early Music City, and Music City Baroque.

Jiří Tancibudek AM was a Czech-born Australian oboist, conductor and teacher of great renown in his adopted country and elsewhere. His obituary in the Adelaide Review, titled "Prince of the oboe", said of his playing:

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Alexander Sevastian, "Sasha", was a well-known virtuoso Russian-Canadian accordionist.

Charles Cozens is involved in the music industry in Canada as an arranger for solo artists; a composer writing in multiple genres for diverse organizations including chamber ensembles, musical theatre, and television; a conductor and producer of crossover orchestral shows; a performer on piano and accordion in jazz, classical, and pop styles; and as a recording artist and producer.

References

  1. ↑ ["Where (Almost) No Oboe has Gone Before"]. The Double Reed, Volume Vol. 41 No. 2, 2018 by Sarah Hamilton.
  2. ↑ ["An Interview of Colin Maier"]. Double Reed, Volume 36 No. 2. by Dan Stolper.
  3. ↑ " Quartetto Gelato brimming with humour as well as fine musicianship". Waterloo Region Record, January 24, 2014, By Valerie Hill
  4. ↑ "Kevin Wallace’s Lordly Dream". The Gate, W. Andrew Powell. March 10, 2006
  5. ↑ "Genre-bending quartet treads the high wire". Toronto Star, John Terauds, Jan. 14, 2010
  6. ↑ "Quartetto Gelato", Alison Broverman. Odeum, December 2011.
  7. ↑ "MUSIC REVIEW: Quartetto Gelato serves up exotic flavors". Herald-Tribune, By Richard Storm, December 6, 2015
  8. ↑ "Nassau Music Society's Quartetto Gelato melts hearts". thenassauguardian.com. Retrieved 2 July 2016.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  9. ↑ "Classical Notes: OSO and Quartetto Gelato show their gypsy colours". by Jim Elderton, Vernon Morning Star, Mar 8, 2015
  10. ↑ "Quartetto Gelato Skips Dinner and goes Straight to Dessert", Jennifer Hambrick. WOSU Public Media, April 10, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Entertaining & energetic evening with Quartetto Gelato". Jeff DeDekker, Regina Leader-Post, October 11, 2015
  12. ↑ Ages, Karen. "The Fabulist - Colin Maier - The WholeNote". thewholenote.com. Retrieved 2 July 2016.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  13. ↑ John Sunier (January 23, 2015). "Colin Maier – The Fabulist – self". Audio Audition.
  14. ↑ "Natalie confronts fears with concert in the woods" Archived 2016-09-03 at the Wayback Machine . St. Catharines Standard, By Cheryl Clock, September 2, 2016
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