ADI BRAUN is a singer/songwriter with a long list of cabaret, concert and theatre successes to her credit.  She has performed in major jazz and concert venues in Canada, the United States, and Europe.  In the fall of 2023 Adi released her sixth critically-acclaimed CD, “Night and Day – The Cole Porter Songbook”, which which had its premiere with full orchestra at the Rose Theatre, Brampton in February, 2025.  Her other recordings include “Moderne Frau (Modern Woman)”, a tribute to the music of Weimar Berlin; “Canadian Scenes I”, featuring some of her own compositions; “Live at the Metropolitan Room” from New York City; “The Rules of the Game”, and “Delishious”. 

 After beginning her career in classical music, Adi started “singing sideways” in the late ‘90s and returned to her first love, which she calls “cabarazz”, drawing on aspects from both cabaret and jazz.  Adi has received andbeen nominated for numerous awards, including “Best Major Jazz Vocalist of the Year” by New York’s Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs, and two Juno album short-lists.  Her repertoire ranges from the Great American songbook, to European cabaret, to contemporary songs by Canadian legend’s Shirley Eikhard and Gordon Lightfoot, among others.   

In addition to performing, Adi is a sought-after German Diction and Lieder coach, has co-hosted “Classical Mornings” on the New Classical FM, and frequently speaks on topics related to Weimar Cabaret.

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JUDITH YAN - BIOGRAPHY

Equally at home in symphony, opera, and ballet, JudithYan has held Staff Conductor positions with the San Francisco Opera, Canadian Opera Company, and National Ballet of Canada.  

A dedicated advocate for new works, she has conducted numerous world premieres, including An American Dream (Perla/Murphy) for Seattle Opera,  Dracula (Pastor/Kilar) for West Australian Ballet,  February(Kaminsky/Moore), and Ours (Estacio/Chafe)for Opera on the Avalon, where she serves as Music Director and Principal Conductor.  

Recent performances include Don Giovanni  and  Suor Angelica with Opera Omaha, Madama Butterfly with NewOrleans Opera, The Rape of Lucretia with San Francisco Opera(Merola), La Bayadère and Swan Lake with theKorean National Ballet, and Don Quixote with the Hong KongBallet. Since 2021, Yan has maintained a close association with the SaskatoonSymphony Orchestra, leading nine programs featuring repertoire ranging from Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and Dvořák to Gipps, Richter, and Copland.  

In the 2025–26 season, Yan will make her London Coliseumdebut with the English National Ballet and lead Giselle anda Gala Concert with the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet. The season also includes a concert production of Tosca, orchestral programs featuring Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky, and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra in Canada. She returns to the Jacobs School of Music for a mixed program of works by Janes, Balanchine, and Taylor, and makes her Opera Grand Rapids debut conducting Madama Butterfly.  

Yan’s performance of Sasha Jane’s The Nutcracker was featured in a PBS documentary and was broadcasted  nationwide this winter.

JUDITH YAN'S PLAYLIST

- ADI BRAUN / MODERNE FRAU (ALBUM)

- RICHARD WAGNER / TRISTAN & ISOLDE / LIEBESTOD

- RICHARD STRAUSS / FOUR LAST SONGS

- NINA SIMONE / STARS

- ERICH WOFLGANG KORNGOLD / GLUECKWUNSCH

- ROBBIE BURNS / A RED, RED ROSE

JUDITH YAN WEBSITE

www.judithyan.com

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MUSIC FOR THIS EPISODE:

AMBE (Chronos Vocal Ensemble / Jordan Van Biert, cond.)

Composer: Andrew Balfour /www.instagram.com/andrewbalfour_

PIXABAY Royalty Free Music

SWAN LAKE (Tchaikovsky / Saskatoon Symphony / Erin Brophey / Judith Yan)