News – Beste Kalender | Mezzo Soprano

Symphony New Brunswick: Hope Springs Eternal

March 16, 2025

Bravo 3: Hope Springs Eternal

Symphony New Brunswick presents music of resilience in collaboration with Sophia Recovery Centre.

With special guest Beste Kalender, mezzo-soprano

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Program
Florence Price (1898 – 1949)

Andante Moderato

Ludmila Knezkova-Hussey (b. 1960)

Symphonic Songs of Hope
(Beste Kalender, mezzo soprano)

I. Allegro
II. Sostenuto e con anima
III. Allegro deciso

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)

Symphony No.7 Op. 92

I. Poco sostenuto – Vivace
II. Allegretto
III. Presto – Assai meno presto
IV. Allegro con brio

Click here for more information.

Mahler’s Symphony No.2 with Niagara Symphony

January 2, 2024

May 5, St. Catherines, Niagara Symphony Orchestra, Mahler’s Symphony No.2: Alto Soloist

Jocelyn Fralick, sopranoBeste Kalender, mezzoBuffalo Philharmonic ChorusLaura Secord S.S. Choir

Niagara native Jocelyn Fralick, Turkish-Canadian Beste Kalender, the BPC, and the LSSSC join the NSO for a rousing finale to the NSO’s Diamond Anniversary Season. Voted the fifth-greatest symphony of all time in a survey of conductors carried out by the BBC Music Magazine, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 is known as the Resurrection Symphony. One of his most popular and successful works, it was also his first major composition that established his lifelong view of the beauty of the afterlife, and resurrection. In this large work, Mahler further developed the creative “sound of the distance,” his goal to compose a “world of its own,” aspects of which were already seen in Mahler’s First Symphony.

For more information and tickets:

https://niagarasymphony.com/event/mahlers-symphony-no-2/

Virtuoso Voyages with Sinfonia Toronto

January 2, 2024

Virtuoso Voyages with Sinfonia Toronto

March 2, Toronto, George Weston Recital Hall, Sinfonia Toronto, Virtuoso Voyages: Guest Soloist

SCHUMANN & DE FALLA

Virtuoso Voyages

Travel through France, Germany, Italy, Russia and Spain with two guest stars

NURHAN ARMAN Conductor

BESTE KALENDER Mezzosoprano

ANTONIO DI CRISTOFANO Pianist

SCHUMANN Piano Concerto

RESPIGHI Il tramonto (The Sunset)

DE FALLA Seven Popular Spanish Songs

AMINE SOUFARI Reminiscences world premiere

RODNEY SHARMAN After Schumann Ontario premiere

ARENSKY Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky

For more information and tickets:

https://www.sinfoniatoronto.com/23-24-season/north-york-concerts/schumann-de-falla

Riccardo and Friends in Concert

September 23, 2023

September 23, Toronto, Richmond Hill Centre For The Performing Arts, Riccardo and Friends in Concert: Guest Soloist

https://www.ticketsmarter.com/e/riccardo-and-friends-tickets-richmond-hill-9-23-2023-richmond-hill-centre-for-the-performing-arts/5765657

Leading Lady with Toronto Concert Orchestra

July 25, 2023

For more information:

https://www.tcomusic.ca/leading-lady-05/

A Pandemic Project: Tunes and Tales with Beste The Mezzo

October 6, 2020

Apart from being an active performer on Canadian and international stages, Beste is also a licensed music development teacher for toddlers, and also has a master’s degree and research experience in developmental and music psychology.

During the pandemic, Beste has started a bilingual video podcast series with puppets called “Tunes and Tales with Beste The Mezzo”, oriented to young children who are stuck at home during the COVID-19 lockdowns. She creates most of the puppets herself and combines the stories with pieces/tunes from operas and children’s songs with relevant themes. The videos also include ‘parent education’ moments, providing the parents with some tips on how to best support their little one’s music and language development. The project has been featured by journals and blogs both in Turkey and Canada. The episodes in Turkish have been livestreamed by Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s online Library Project.

You can follow the series via Beste’s YouTube page or on Facebook: @sopranodanmasallar or Instagram: @bestemezzo @sopranodanmasallar

Click here to view the video collection.

Online Recital: From Venice to Constantinople

March 22, 2020

Online Performance from Beste Kalender, available on Tuesday, March 24th starting 8:30pm.

Beste Kalender, Mezzo soprano
Rachel Andrist, Pianist
Ryan Harper Recordings
Tuesday March 24th 8:30pm

Beste is uniting forces with pianist Rachel Andrist and Ryan Harper Recordings (www.ryanharper.ca) for this special event.

“We will be taking you to a “virtual” journey from beautiful Venice, where you can hear the captivating sounds of the canals and lend an ear to some passionate love stories. Then, we will follow the sweet breeze of the Mediterranean and sail to Anatolia/Turkey where you can hear some enchanting middle Eastern tunes set on folk tales of the people (Armenian, Persian, Azerbaijani, Greek and Turkish) who called Turkey/ Anatolia home for centuries. Hope you join us!”

The recital program will include works by F. Santoliquido, R. Hahn, G. Faure, H. Berlioz, Komitas and various Turkish composers.

The program will be available on YouTube at 8:30pm Toronto time
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQLJrNix3x_cY2iN52krHJQ

Beste featured in March issue of The WholeNote

March 2, 2020

Lydia Perović talks music and more with rising Turkish-Canadian Beste Kalender Mezzo Soprano.

For the full interview: Beste Kalender: Mezzo Rising | The WholeNote

Interview with Turkish Voice of Canada

March 2, 2020

Beste talks to TVC about her recent project, Musical Bridges and Komitas 150 with Sinfonia Toronto. She also discusses her life as a Turkish-Canadian artist performing internationally.

Big Win at Théâtre Lyrichorégra 20 – Les Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques: Prize, Roles, and Concert Engagements

December 3, 2019

26th Théâtre Lyrichorégra 20 – Les Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques results have been announced after a marathon of 4 concerts and various rehearsals in Montreal!

🌠 We are delighted to announce that Beste has been chosen as “Jeune Espoir Lyrique Canadien 2019” and awarded $5000 to support her future engagaments and auditons in Europe by Azrieli Foundation.

Beste has been also offered:

🌠 The title role in Carmen by Bizet in Sofia National Opera and Ballet(Bulgaria) for season 2020/2021

🌠 Concert engagament in January 2020 with Opera de San Miguel

🌠 Concert engagements with Opéra Angers Nantes (France) for season 2020/2021
🌠 Concert engagements with Shenzhen Poly Theatre (Chine) for season 2020/2021

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