MMus (Performance) Indiana U BMus (Music Education) UofT AMus (Pedagogy) UWO ARCT (RCM)
Colleen Athparia has enjoyed an enriching career as an internationally recognized pianist, composer, pedagogue and recording artist. She has toured as a performer and distinguished teacher from Mexico to Taiwan, Russia, Israel, Brazil and the Far East featuring many Canadian premieres. A recording artist with ten CDs, four contain exclusively Canadian music, primarily from Alberta, including “Danse Sauvage” which has been critically acclaimed. As a collaborative artist Colleen has performed with such renowned artists as legendary UK flautist William Bennett and violinist Michael Foyle. A founding member of Calgary’s contemporary “Ensemble Resonance”, they have performed for 25 years, including a concert in Carnegie Hall.
Her musical roots can be traced to Toronto where she was awarded the Gold Medal for highest ARCT mark in Ontario and placed first in the Canadian Music Competition, studying with Margaret Parsons-Poole. After a Music Education degree at UofToronto she continued, earning a Master of Music degree with Distinction in Performance from Indiana University, under the tutelage of the legendary Hungarian pedagogue Gyorgy Sebok.
Although composing since a child, the covid pandemic benefited her with more time for self-reflection inspiring her to focus her creative energies more into composition. “Lure of the Loon,” based on the life of Canadian artist Tom Thomson with his paintings exhibited on screen, was premiered in 2020. Other works include “Songs of Susanna” set to poems by Canada’s foremost author Margaret Atwood. “The Thirsty Frog” one of her numerous piano compositions was published by Frederick Harris in their 2022 RCM Piano series and other piano works are being published by Redleaf Pianoworks. “Pink City Bazaar” for bass clarinet & piano and “Spanish Raga” trio have been published by Alea Pub.(US). “The Day the Earth Cried” for Children’s Choir and a chamber work “Lament for the Lost Children”, were both performed on Sept.30, 2022 as part of Truth & Reconciliation Days at Mount Royal University. Colleen has also been commissioned by Juno-nominated Land’s End Ensemble to write/compose “Alochona” for cello and piano which was performed at SoundAtlas Festival of contemporary music.
As well as the influence of poetry, paintings and dreams, she is also inspired by Indian music including using tabla percussion. Recently she has published a book of transcriptions of Indian Folksongs into western notation. As versatile as she is eclectic in her musical interests, Colleen has directed choirs for 25 years and was Assistant Conductor and Accompanist (organ and piano) of the Festival Chorus in Calgary for 20 years.
A Senior Examiner for the Royal Conservatory of Music since 1980, Colleen has examined throughout North America and presented Workshops in Canada and abroad on such topics as “Creative Practising”, and “Transforming the Mundane into Magic”. Her interest in the great composers as teachers led her to write the article “The Legacy of Beethoven, seen through the eyes of his Students”, published in the Canadian Music Teacher Journal. An experienced adjudicator she has been invited to Festivals from Vancouver to Winnipeg to the BC Provincials.
As a dedicated and inspiring teacher, Colleen now teaches privately in Calgary, although associated with Mount Royal University Conservatory in the past/for 40 years. Her studio features many extremely talented and accomplished students, numerous winning national and international competitions, featuring two listed in CBC’s Top 30 Classical musicians in Canada and one in BBC Music Magazine’s six best child-prodigies, both with prestigious international careers. Colleen has been nominated for the Order of Canada, the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist Award, and received the Royal Conservatory of Music “Teacher of Distinction for Alberta” (in 2017) as a leader in the field of music education. Heralded by the National Post as one of the top four Canadian pianists of contemporary music, she was honoured/recognized in Ottawa as one of 50 esteemed musicians who have contributed significantly to the Canadian music scene over the past 50 years.