Canadian pianist Glen Montgomery is returning to the Comox Valley, where he will once again inspire and delight his audiences with his brilliant piano playing.
After great success as a music teacher, primarily at the University of Lethbridge but also at University of Ottawa, Mount Royal and the Banff Centre, Montgomery is now pursuing exclusively his performing and composing careers.
Why does Glen Montgomery, a world-renowned concert pianist, return every year to the Comox Valley, to perform concerts, give public masterclasses and offer private lessons to young piano students?
When asked this question, he talks of the rich musical culture in the Comox Valley and how his energy is renewed by the audiences and the young music students he encounters. Several local students he has worked with in the past years have gone on to study with him in Lethbridge and are now enjoying successful musical careers of their own.
Over the years, Glen Montgomery has invited local musicians to perform at his concerts, and on other occasions he has enticed professional colleagues to come and perform with him. This year, he will be sharing the stage with Dr. Blaine Hendsbee, friend and colleague from the University of Lethbridge, where Hendsbee is currently acting chair of the Music Department. Dr. Hendsbee has performed throughout North America in a diverse repertoire of more than 60 opera and oratorio roles. As an active recitalist, he specializes in English art song, as well as the songs of Poulenc, and the Lieder of Schubert and Schumann.
This Nov. 12, Hendsbee and Montgomery will be performing Robert Schumann’s beloved song cycle Dichterliebe, as well as two Noel Coward songs from This Year of Grace. Montgomery will also be performing Chopin Etudes and selections of his own composition.
The Comox Valley Piano Society presents Glen Montgomery and Dr. Blaine Hendsbee in concert at the North Island College Stan Hagen Theatre on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and $10 for students and are available at Laughing Oyster Books in Courtenay and Blue Heron Books in Comox.