The Canby Singers
Founded in 1957 by eminent musicologist Edward Tatnall Canby, The Canby Singers has championed a vast range of lesser-known choral music, from medieval song through new commissions by contemporary composers. Now led by renowned soprano and music scholar Dr. Sheila Schonbrun, The Canby Singers perform several concerts a year at their Greenwich Village musical home,St. John’s in the Village, and at other concert venues in Brooklyn and the greater NYC area.
Judith Bettina, soprano
Soprano Judith Bettina, hailed for her proficiency in a wide range of musical styles, has appeared as guest soloist with such orchestras as the Houston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Munich Philharmonic. She has appeared with chamber groups throughout the United States and Europe, including appearances with the Bach Chamber Soloists, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Continuum, Bard Music Festival, New York Philmusica, Parnassus, Speculum Musicae, The Geneva Music Festival, Ensemble 21, Boston Musica Viva, San Francisco Contemporary Chamber players, the Monadnock Music Festival, and the Library of Congress.
Highly acclaimed for her performances of contemporary music, Ms. Bettina has had works written for her by Mel Powell, Tobias Picker, Christopher Berg, Chester Biscardi, David Rakowski, Richard Karpen, and David Olan. She has premiered works by Charles Wuorinen, Milton Babbitt, Lori Dobbins, Richard Danielpour, George Tsontakis, and Vivian Fine. Ms. Bettina’s recent performances have included Tobias Picker’s Symphony No. 2: Aussöhnung and the premiere of Trest sonetos de amor, Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire, and Edison Denisov’s La vie en rouge.
Her recordings with pianist James Goldsworthy of Chester Biscardi’s The Gift of Life, David Rakowski’s Three Songs on Poems of Louise Bogan, and a new release of songs by Otto Luening are on Composers Recordings, Inc. She has also recorded works by Milton Babbitt and Mel Powell on New World Records and Musicmasters, respectively. Ms. Bettina resides in Princeton Junction, New Jersey.