▼ PROFILE ARTICLES
PARTNERSHIPS + MENTORSHIPS
OPERA CANADA, Fall 2023
Excerpt: “…As Associate Dean, Professor in Voice and Administrative Coordinator in Opera at Wilfrid Laurier University, Barber has carefully considered the way forward. As she slowly leaves her performing days behind her, Barber increasingly devotes her time to arts advocacy and the development of the next generation of singers, bringing her to question the models in place such as the antiquated master-pupil dynamic which historically prevailed in the music world…”
WITH A SONG IN HER HEART
GRAND MAGAZINE, SEPT-OCT 2015
Excerpt: “Music is at the centre of mezzo-soprano Kimberly Barber’s life, whether she’s on stage, TV, radio or in a classroom. In September, she joins CKWR’s Tom Quick as the co-host of Women in Music, a sort of serenade to Canadian songstresses…”
Written by Sam Toman, Photography by Jennifer Bedford
ROOM UNDER THE TREES
GRAND MAGAZINE, SEPT-OCT 2013
One in a series featuring rooms beloved by their owners.
Excerpt: “Opera singer Kimberly Barber’s leafy terraced backyard is truly an extension of her Kitchener home with glass doors in the dining room leading directly to the sheltered cedar deck that is her own ‘little Italy’…”
Written by Carol Jankowski, photography by Jesse Brenneman.
KIMBERLY BARBER WEARS THE PANTS
TORONTO STAR, MARCH 2004
Excerpt: “Mezzo sopranos often sing as young men. [Barber] Plays [the] lead in Opera in Concert Rinaldo. As a mezzo-soprano, Canadian Kimberly Barber is accustomed to “pant” or “trouser” roles – parts in operas by people such as Rossini, Mozart and Strauss where the women disguise themselves as young men. Indeed, such roles can be almost an occupational hazard for a mezzo. But Barber welcomes them and is always looking for ways to make her performances even more authentic…”
Written by Robert Crew, Arts Writer.
NEW PRODUCTIONS – NEW ROLES: KIMBERLY BARBER SINGS RINALDO FOR TORONTO OPERA IN CONCERT
OPERA CANADA MAGAZINE, SUMMER 2004
Excerpt: “Fresh from sharing the Seattle Opera stage with Jane Eaglen in Strauss’s elegant Ariadne auf Naxos, mezzo-soprano Kimberly Barber had just a couple of weeks to make a stylistic about-turn before joining some distinguished colleagues in Toronto for a pair of March performances in the title role of Handel’s Rinaldo, with the Aradia Ensemble under Conductor Kevin Mallon…”
Written by Rick MacMillan.
A MEZZO IN FULL FLIGHT
OPERA CANADA MAGAZINE, WINTER 1999
Excerpt: “These days, mezzo soprano Kimberly Barber’s life resembles one of the exciting Handel alias she excels at singing. Full of twists, turns and delightful surprises, her flourishing career might seem to a casual observer only recently to have taken off. In reality, her success rests securely on years of hard training and a commitment to learning every aspect of her craft, both in Canada and in smaller European venues…”
Written by Paul Baker.
PUBLISHED ARTICLES
by Kimberly Barber
JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR WOMEN IN MUSIC (IAWM)
CD REVIEW OF LUISE GREGER
Excerpt: “Though it is early in her output (op. 14), its poetic message seems a fitting epitaph for a courageous woman who struggled to make her voice heard at a time when such pursuits were not considered fitting for members of her sex.”
Read full article in PDF.
JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR WOMEN IN MUSIC (IAWM)
NEW “WOMEN IN MUSIC” RADIO SERIES
Excerpt: “On September 7, 2015, the series entered a fresh phase with a new feature that I am co-hosting on the first Monday of each month. I have added a unique touch by introducing Women in Music audiences to my favorite recordings and relating interesting background and anecdotes about the pieces, performers, and composers of choice. I have also increased the local and national emphasis on the show.”
Read full article in PDF.
TOOLS FOR ENGENDERING EFFECTIVE PRACTICE TECHNIQUES BEYOND THE VOICE STUDIO
Excerpt: “Singers spend proportionately far more time alone practicing their craft than they spend one-on-one in the studio setting with their instructor, yet very few ever receive specific instruction in effective practice. In over a decade of experience teaching voice at the University level and beyond, I observed increasingly that young singers lack any sort of system or template for successful practice, compromising their ability to progress well as both singers and musicians…”
Written by Prof. Kimberly Barber
Read full article on SingersWellness.ca
E-PORTFOLIOS FOR LIFELONG LEARNING
Excerpt: “Kimberly Barber, a professor in the Faculty of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario uses the learning management system (LMS) to provide course information for music students studying as Voice majors, including first-year to post-graduate students whether they are specializing in performance, music therapy, or education. Among the materials available in the LMS for the Studio course, for example, are the syllabus, outline of course requirements, class schedules, required and suggested readings on topics like Alexander and other movement techniques in Voice, information on the core areas of vocal technique, guides for warming up the voice, and links to videos of favourite singers.
Central to student activity during the course is the integration of an e-portfolio.”
Read full article on ContactNorth.ca