Each Saturday morning, CBC鈥檚 features one of Canada鈥檚 foremost international classical artists as host. The host selects a program of classical music and presents it in a lively, engaging manner, enriched with personal anecdotes and insights.
On this week鈥檚 episode, broadcasting Saturday, September 11 from 11:00 am 鈥� 1:00 pm ADT on /Radio 2, Patricia (Patty) Creighton, flute instructor in Dalhousie鈥檚 Fountain School of Performing Arts and Principal Flautist with is the featured host.
Creighton is the first musician of Symphony Nova Scotia and one of only a few in the Maritimes to be given the honour of hosting the program.
J茅r么me Blais, director of the Fountain School, says that Creighton鈥檚 colleagues are all very proud that she has been selected to host this highly prestigious program on CBC.
鈥淧atty is a wonderful artist, a central figure on the classical music scene in Halifax, and within our school,鈥� says Blais. 鈥淭his honour, given only to the greatest Canadian musicians, certainly speaks to her exceptional artistry and achievements over the past few decades.鈥�
Past hosts include Grammy award winning operatic soprano and conductor, member of the Order of Canada, and friend of Dalhousie, Barbara Hannigan; Juno Award winning pianist Andr茅 Laplante; award-winning New Brunswicker Measha Brueggergosman; famous baroque specialist Jeanne Lamon, and Principal Cellist of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Rachel Mercer, among many others.
'An honour'
Creighton has lived and worked in Atlantic Canada for decades and has performed with many famous national and international artists. As a chamber and orchestral artist, her extensive repertoire spans from baroque to modern and she is well known for her concerto, recital and chamber performances.
Despite her many years of experience performing on stage for large audiences, Creighton admits that at first, when CBC producer Malcolm Gould invited her to host This Is My Music, she was a bit apprehensive, noting that to her, this was 鈥渟uch a personal process,鈥� but realizing what an honour it was to be asked, she agreed to it.
鈥淕ould asked me to dig through my memory vault and search for personal vignettes surrounding pieces of music that had influenced me over the span of my musical life,鈥� says Creighton. 鈥淗e didn鈥檛 want technical information, just personal experiences.鈥�
For the most part, Creighton says she chose to offer up a retrospective of musical memories associated with her family members.
鈥淚t took me quite some time to refine my musical choices while going down memory lane. For instance, Heifetz鈥檚 rendition of the Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso by Saint-Saens was a piece my twin sister played when we were in our teens. Dad had a great record collection and Jackie wore out his RCA Heifetz 聽recording playing along with it. So many little stories, some about my twin.鈥�
Once Creighton had her complete list ready to go and all of her stories in place, she sent the details to Gould.
Creighton adds that because of pandemic-related restrictions, it wasn鈥檛 possible for her to go into a CBC studio for the interview and to record the show. She did the technical work, including recording and then sending Gould a test audio file before meeting for the interview, all from home.
鈥淚鈥檓 a bit microphone-shy, so I ended up practicing recording my voice beforehand so I would be more comfortable in the interview,鈥� she explains. 鈥淲hen it came time for the interview, we met on Zoom for video, and I recorded the audio with an external microphone and mixer hooked up to my computer, using the Cleanfeed App. It worked really well."
Creighton鈥檚 hosted episode of This Is My Music will feature a wide range of classical works by composers including Puccini, Schumann, Chopin, Mozart, Debussy, Saint-Saens, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Ravel and more, some of which feature performances by Creighton herself and a composition for solo flute that she wrote.
What you can expect to hear
Creighton hopes that her students, both past and present, as well as colleagues, prospective music students, and the wider community tune in to listen to her host the program, and that they each take something special away from it.
鈥淭o me, listening to beautiful music is like breathing air, it is essential to my emotional and mental well-being. I play my instrument because it fulfills an inexplicable part of my soul, it takes me out of the mundane and ordinary and elevates me to higher states,鈥� she says.
鈥淚 hope listeners can connect with my choices of music as much as I do. Music can evoke all sorts of memories, almost as well as aromas can. Perhaps audience members have their own deeply personal memories associated with my choices of music.鈥�
Tuning in
To listen to Patty Creighton鈥檚 flute playing, click on the link to her YouTube playlist at . On December 8, Patty Creighton will perform as part of the Music Room鈥檚 2021-22 . Learn more on the Fountain School鈥檚 website.
This Is My Music featuring Patricia Creighton will be broadcast this Saturday, September 11, 2021, 11:00 am 鈥� 1:00 pm (ADT) on CBC Music/Radio 2 and streaming live at .