EPISODE TWELVE WITH IAN CUSSON

ADI BRAUN is a singer/songwriter with a long list of cabaret, concert and theatre successes to her credit. She has performed in major jazz and concert venues in Canada, the United States, and Europe. In the fall of 2023 Adi released her sixth critically-acclaimed CD, “Night and Day – The Cole Porter Songbook”, which which had its premiere with full orchestra at the Rose Theatre, Brampton in February, 2025. Her other recordings include “Moderne Frau (Modern Woman)”, a tribute to the music of Weimar Berlin; “Canadian Scenes I”, featuring some of her own compositions; “Live at the Metropolitan Room” from New York City; “The Rules of the Game”, and “Delishious”.

After beginning her career in classical music, Adi started “singing sideways” in the late ‘90s and returned to her first love, which she calls “cabarazz”, drawing on aspects from both cabaret and jazz. Adi has received andbeen nominated for numerous awards, including “Best Major Jazz Vocalist of the Year” by New York’s Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs, and two Juno album short-lists. Her repertoire ranges from the Great American songbook, to European cabaret, to contemporary songs by Canadian legend’s Shirley Eikhard and Gordon Lightfoot, among others.

In addition to performing, Adi is a sought-after German Diction and Lieder coach, has co-hosted “Classical Mornings” on the New Classical FM, and frequently speaks on topics related to Weimar Cabaret

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IAN CUSSON is a composer of art song, opera and orchestral work of Métis (Georgian Bay Métis Community) and French Canadian descent.

He studied composition with Jake Heggie (San Francisco) and Samuel Dolin, and piano with James Anagnoson at the Glenn Gould School. He is the recipient of the Chalmers Professional Development Grant, and grants through the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, the Canada Council, Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council.

Ian was an inaugural Carrefour Composer-in-Residence with the National Arts Centre Orchestra for 2017-2019 and was Composer-in-Residence for the Canadian Opera Company for 2019-2021. He was a Co-artistic Director of Opera in the 21st Century at the Banff Centre and the recipient of the 2021 Jan V. Matejcek Classical Music Award from SOCAN and the 2021 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize. Ian is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian League of Composers.

He lives in Collingwood, Canada with his wife and four children.

For more about Ian, see Ian Cusson.

IAN CUSSON'S PLAYLIST:

Benjamin Britten / Peter Grimes

Richard Wagner / Die Meistersinger

Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami, EJAE / Golden / KPopDemonHunters

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MUSIC FOR THIS EPISODE:

UN CRI S'ELEVE EN MOI

Composer: Ian Cusson

Text: Natasha Kanapé-Fontaine

Elisabeth Saint-Gelais, Soprano

Raphael Payare, conductor

Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal

AMBE (Chronos Vocal Ensemble / Jordan Van Biert, cond.)

Composer: Andrew Balfour /www.instagram.com/andrewbalfour_

PIXABAY Royalty Free Music