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Linda Smith
"Linda Smith's varied and well-played . . . program
of Brahms's late Vier Klavierstücke, Bach's Partita No. 4 and Chopin's
Barcarolle, Op. 60 is straight stuff.
What makes her [compact] disc special is the inclusion of Samuel Barber's
Piano Sonata. In hindsight, Barber's may
be the perfect post-modern sonata with Baroque bits bumping up against jazz
dissonance. Smith handles it all
comfortably . . . "
(Willamette Week)
“. . . dazzling
technique, purity of tone, and generous warmth . . . Smith plays with a sense
of compassionate humanity . . . dignity, and strength.” (
Smith plays with a “tremendous sense of power, vitality
and integrity. You can’t
help but listen. She draws you in.” (Dr.
Patricia Blem
"Patricia Blem creates a Sarah Bernhardt who is
grand, charismatic, histrionic and human...a beautifully shaded
performance." (Jerry Kraft---KBPX
Public Radio)
"Blem is superb....she can make her simple character extremely funny
without ever making fun of her.
Patricia Blem's performance is an appealing blend of sensibility,
strength, bashfulness, and humor."
(Bob Hicks----The Oregonian)
"Patricia Blem sinks her
teeth deliciously into her role...her phrasings are perfect, and so are even
the smallest gestures"
(Jim Kershner---The Spokesman-Review)
Composers in Skirts
“Linda Smith and Patricia Blem's performance
"Composers in Skirts" is a wonderful history lesson about women
composers. Smith, an accomplished pianist, interprets the composer's
works masterfully. Blem, an actress, portrays each composer, giving
insight into each woman's background and personality.” (
"Ms. Smith and Ms. Blem presented an
intriguing program that brought to life the words, music, and personalities of
six women composers. The program was enthusiastically received, and the
audience reported new insights into gender and music.” (Dr. Matthew Cooper, Professor of Music,
Eastern
"[The] show was absolutely magnificent. Extremely well polished, professional, informative, engaging and
very entertaining. We were elated to have such a wonderful performance
be part of our 2003 ArtBeat celebration.
(