Kimberly Barber, Wilfrid Laurier University
Associate Dean, External
Coordinator, Opera
Professor
Waterloo, Ontario
kbarber@wlu.ca
Office:
(519) 884-0710 ext. 2505
Bio/Research
I have been teaching voice at Laurier since 2002 and am currently the Coordinator of the Opera Program where I also teach creative process, passing on my knowledge of the performing arts industry to a wide range of students. I am Associate Dean: External for the Faculty of Music, expanding my rea...
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Bio/Research
I have been teaching voice at Laurier since 2002 and am currently the Coordinator of the Opera Program where I also teach creative process, passing on my knowledge of the performing arts industry to a wide range of students. I am Associate Dean: External for the Faculty of Music, expanding my reach into the wider community to build partnerships for the Faculty of Music and grow opportunities for our students current and future. I hold a Bachelor of Music and Opera Diploma from the University of Toronto, was a member of the COC Ensemble Studio and sang as a company soloist at Frankfurt Opera from 1989-94.
Nationally and internationally, I have performed on operatic and concert stages in Paris, Chicago, New York City, London, Rome, Tokyo, Montréal, Seattle and Toronto. In the spring of 2017 alone, I gave two world premieres—one of a new opera, Oksana G. for Tapestry Opera in Toronto, and one of a newly commissioned piece written specifically for me, TorQ Percussion Quartet and harp, called This Land, which was presented by NUMUS concerts here in Kitchener-Waterloo.
I interact with students in as many ways and different kinds of settings as possible — whether exploring vocal technique in my group class, leading auditioning, resumé and grant writing or Body Mapping workshops, or creating countless performing opportunities and professional connections. I enjoy discovering the unique capabilities and strengths that each student I interact with brings to the table, and helping them to grow artistically and personally throughout their time at Laurier and beyond.
A particular area of interest for me is music and movement and I am a licensed Body Mapping Educator®, teaching Body Mapping for musicians in workshops and private sessions, both at Laurier and in the larger musical community. In the last year alone, I have taught workshops all over Ontario, as well as in Calgary, AB. This practice, an outgrowth of the Alexander Technique, helps musicians of all stripes to learn how to use their bodies optimally, preventing pain, overuse and injury and enabling them to sing and play their best.
Recent concert programs I’ve performed include Women’s Voices, Women’s Stories, a collection of songs for International Women’s Day and Black History Month 2021, featuring several little-known songs by women and Black composers/poets, and Music of the Holocaust with colleagues Anna Ronai (piano) and Ulrike Anton (flute), with works by composers and poets who were imprisoned at Theresienstadt concentration camp. Both programs were illuminated by slides of images, poetry and biographical details of the artists involved.
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Nationally and internationally, I have performed on operatic and concert stages in Paris, Chicago, New York City, London, Rome, Tokyo, Montréal, Seattle and Toronto. In the spring of 2017 alone, I gave two world premieres—one of a new opera, Oksana G. for Tapestry Opera in Toronto, and one of a newly commissioned piece written specifically for me, TorQ Percussion Quartet and harp, called This Land, which was presented by NUMUS concerts here in Kitchener-Waterloo.
I interact with students in as many ways and different kinds of settings as possible — whether exploring vocal technique in my group class, leading auditioning, resumé and grant writing or Body Mapping workshops, or creating countless performing opportunities and professional connections. I enjoy discovering the unique capabilities and strengths that each student I interact with brings to the table, and helping them to grow artistically and personally throughout their time at Laurier and beyond.
A particular area of interest for me is music and movement and I am a licensed Body Mapping Educator®, teaching Body Mapping for musicians in workshops and private sessions, both at Laurier and in the larger musical community. In the last year alone, I have taught workshops all over Ontario, as well as in Calgary, AB. This practice, an outgrowth of the Alexander Technique, helps musicians of all stripes to learn how to use their bodies optimally, preventing pain, overuse and injury and enabling them to sing and play their best.
Recent concert programs I’ve performed include Women’s Voices, Women’s Stories, a collection of songs for International Women’s Day and Black History Month 2021, featuring several little-known songs by women and Black composers/poets, and Music of the Holocaust with colleagues Anna Ronai (piano) and Ulrike Anton (flute), with works by composers and poets who were imprisoned at Theresienstadt concentration camp. Both programs were illuminated by slides of images, poetry and biographical details of the artists involved.
Click to Shrink <<