Liszt was truly the ultimate classical rock star. He had had a dashing wardrobe of 60 suits, complete with a tie for every single day of the year! Liszt was also the one who took Chopin’s études out of the smaller salons and onto the larger stage.

Chopin loved the way Liszt played his etudes, almost to the point of envy. Chopin was actually once quoted as saying that he “should like to steal from him his way of playing my études!”

She’s directing now!

” MARTHA COLLINS made her directorial debut with the highly praised production of Floyd’s Susannah for Opera Mozart in New Jersey, where she has directed The Elixir of Love and where she will direct Don GIovanni in the fall of 2003. She has directed Tosca and Lucia di Lamermoor with New Jersey Verismo Opera, and Il Tabarro and Amahl and th Night Visitors with Opera North in Philadelphia. She returns this fall to direct The Underground Railroad. Her teaching credits include Masterclasses in acting at Swarthmore College, the ‘Acting for Singers’ class at Manitoba University and the JSANO summer voice program a Northern College in Ontario. his fall she will direct three one-act operas at New York University, where she will also teach acting for singers. In January 2004, she will be the drama coach for Sarasota Opera’s Apprentice Program.

Ms. Collins gained much acclaim in her native Canada both as concert and operatic performer. She has appeared with many opera companies including the Canadian Opera Company, Festival Ottawa, Calgary Opera, Prarie Opera, Opera Lyra and Toronto’s Opera in Concert in such roles as Mimi in La Boheme, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, the Countess in Marriage of Figaro, Fiordiligi in Cosi Fan Tutte, Miss Jessel in Turn of he Screw, Alice Ford in Falstaff, the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos, Galatea in Acis and Galatea, and the title role in Massenet’s Sapho.

Her television appearances include Micaela in the controversial Pinitilie production of Carmen with the Vancouver Opera and she was chosen to perform for Prince Charles and Princess Diana a the opening gala of the World Expo in Vancouver, also televised.

She has been heard on CBC’s Arts National in numerous recitals, as well as in oraorio and concerts with the Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary Symphonies and Ottawa’s Thirteen Strings in such repertoire as The Messiah, Elijah by Mendelssohn, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Mahler’s Second Symphony, Barber’s Knoxville, Benedicite by Vaughn Williams and excerpts from Alban Berg’s Wozzeck.

Martha Collins was a finalist in the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, where she represented Canada, and can be seen in Norman Jewison’s film Moonstruck in the role of Mimi.