Rosemary Joy Siemens is a Canadian violinist and vocalist originally from Plum Coulee, Manitoba. She has performed at the Grand Ole Opry, four times at St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican, four times at Carnegie Hall, for two U.S. presidents and Canadian Prime Ministers, and was the first violinist to perform at the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican since its first mass in 1483. She was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal and Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal for her contribution to the arts in Canada and is married to saxophonist and film composer Eli Bennett with whom she records and performs with their instrumental duo SaxAndViolin.
Biography
Early life Siemens grew up on her family's century-old farm outside of Plum Coulee, Manitoba, and went to school in Altona. She took up the violin and piano at three years old under the tutelage of Lilian Toews, and later Elizabeth Lupton, and learned improvisation through playing hymns with her mother, Mary Siemens. She was a member of the Mennonite Children's Choir and under the direction of Helen Litz performed around the world with tours to Japan, China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Europe, The Middle East, and for President Jimmy Carter.
Before graduating from secondary school, she received her ARCT diploma (Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto), was awarded seven silver medals for receiving the highest mark in Manitoba for violin and piano exams, and was recognized as one of the most awarded young violinists in Manitoba. After graduating W.C. Miller Collegiate, she attended the University of British Columbia where she completed her undergrad in violin performance under Andrew Dawes.
She studied for one year Florida International University under Robert Davidovici before transferring to the University of Miami Frost School of Music to complete her master's degree in violin performance where she studied with Robert Rozek.Pembina Valley Online, Sunday, February 5, 2012 – Violinist Rosemary Siemens Makes It To Top 20 Of Talent Search While studying in Miami, she was concertmaster for the University of Miami Symphony Orchestra, guest conductor for the Florida Youth Symphony, and was a member of Ibis Trio which performed across the US, Belgrade, Macedonia, Switzerland, and Italy. She also performed with the Miami Bach Society Chamber Orchestra as concertmaster on a tour of France. After completing her master's, Siemens returned to Vancouver to complete an artist diploma in violin performance under Robert Rozek from the Vancouver Academy of Music.
Career Siemens was a violinist for the Canadian Tenors featuring Joey Niceforo, Paul Ouellette, Leon Leontaridis, and Giovanni Amenta. When the group split, Niceforo founded a new group called Destino, featuring Niceforo, Terance Reddick, Siemens and Roy Tan on piano. The group released one album entitled Beginning Again and performed concerts at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, Children's Miracle Network at Walt Disney World and the Miss America pageant in Las Vegas. They also appeared on NBC and ABC TV networks, Entertainment Tonight, Canada AM, and Etalk.mySteinbach, February 27, 2013 Destino to perform in Steinbach
Siemens was a guest soloist with the Abbotsford Symphony Orchestra performing the Mendelssohn violin concerto. The concert took place on November 19, 2004, at Central Heights Church in Abbotsford, British Columbia.
Siemens performed for Donald Trump for a private event at his Mar-a-Lago home in January 2006. Talking before Siemens' performance, Trump joked, "You better play well or you're fired."
In 2005, Siemens collaborated with pianist Loren Hiebert to release her debut hymn album entitled Take My Hand, featuring twenty-one hymns, including "Holy, Holy, Holy", "Amazing Grace", and "Blessed Assurance". The duo released a second album in 2007 entitled All Is Calm, All Is Bright, featuring Christmas hymns and traditional carols. Faspa's Gospel Songs, featuring Robyn Driedger-Klassen on vocals, was their third album together, and, in 2009, the duo released their fourth album Gospel, featuring twenty-three hymns including "Precious Lord, Take My Hand", "The Old Rugged Cross", and "Great Is Thy Faithfulness". Siemens' classical duo Diva Musica, featuring herself on violin and Victoria Gomon on piano, released their debut album Elegance in 2007, featuring their take on classical compositions "Ave Maria", "Moonlight Sonata", and "Nocturne".
In 2012, Siemens and pianist Roy Tan formed a piano/violin duo called Roy & Rosemary. Together they released two albums entitled Once Upon a Dream and A Timeless Christmas (Feat. Mary Zilba), produced by Daryl Bennett. Their version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" went viral on YouTube with over 26 million views.
Golden West Broadcasting commissioned Manitoba composer Victor Davies to compose "The Journey (Violin Concerto No. 2)", for Siemens. The Mennonite Concerto, featuring Siemens as a soloist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra had the world premiere on December 2, 2012, at Centennial Hall in Winnipeg. In 2015, Roy & Rosemary were the featured guest performers alongside the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for the WSO Holiday Express tour that featured four concerts in Manitoba, including Steinbach, Virden, Winkler and Portage la Prairie.
Siemens' debut solo album Plum Coulee, My Home, released in 2016, was inspired by her love of bluegrass and fiddle music and was a tribute to the town of Plum Coulee, Manitoba, where she grew up.Abbotsford News, October 28, 2016 Entertainment, Violinist Rosemary Siemens performs in Abbotsford The album, featuring Siemens' original compositions, was her vocal debut and was nominated for four Covenant Awards, winning the Covenant Award for Southern Gospel/Country Album of the Year. The album featured GRAMMY Award-winning musician Carl Jackson and violinist Buddy Spicher. Siemens released the album in a live concert at Plum Coulee's annual festival Plum Fest, backed by her bluegrass band The Sweet Sound Revival. During the concert, the town of Plum Coulee unveiled a sign dedicated to Siemens that read "Plum Coulee, Home of Rosemary Siemens" to be placed at the edge of the town on Manitoba Highway 14.Pembina Valley Online, Sunday, August 21, 2016 Rosemary Siemens Debuts Grassroots Album at Home (VIDEO) – Written by Chris Sumner / Candace Derksen
While at the Americana Music Association’s Gospel Brunch in September 2016, Siemens shared the stage with Grammy Award-winner Cece Winans during the event's closing jam. In December, while flying to Calgary for a concert, a winter storm caused equipment to malfunction at the Calgary Airport and Siemens gave an impromptu concert for passengers stuck inside the airport. While on a U.S. tour, she performed an impromptu solo violin version of "America the Beautiful" for a retired U.S. Veteran at a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.
In 2017, Siemens' duo Roy & Rosemary were guest soloists with the Chilliwack Symphony Orchestra & Chorus. In March 2017, Siemens, along with her band The Sweet Sound Revival, embarked on their "Have a Little Faith" Canadian tour that saw concerts in Brandon, Gretna, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina, Calgary, Kamloops, Penticton, West Vancouver, and Abbotsford. At the Canadian Conservative Party Leadership Convention held at the Toronto Congress Centre in May 2017, Siemens was the music director for the event with performances that included the event's opening number, O Canada, and music between the candidate's speeches. She was also the music director for the previous Conservative Convention held at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, BC, where she performed for Prime Minister Stephen Harper with her duo SaxAndViolin.
In late 2017, to early 2018, Siemens' duo Roy & Rosemary embarked on a U.S. tour that saw them perform thirty-five concerts across the U.S. midwest. At the 53rd Canadian National Prayer Breakfast in Ottawa, Ontario, on May 8, 2018, Siemens performed her original songs "Path of Prayer" and "Have a Little Faith" for an audience of Canadian leaders that included Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer. Later in 2018, Siemens and her bluegrass band performed at the Juno Awards Juno Fest in Vancouver (presented by CBC Music) and were also featured performers for the Harvest For Kids event in Southern Manitoba – a charity event for Children's Camps International that set a Guinness World Record for the most combine harvesters working simultaneously in a single field. She also composed the theme song for the event entitled "Heavenly Harvest", which won a Covenant Award for Country Song of the Year. Siemens' debut performance at The Grand Ole Opry was the closing number for the Inspirational Country Music Awards, where she performed "Jesus Loves Me" alongside Chris Golden accompanied by the Huckabee Band to a standing ovation. At the event, she was nominated for four Inspirational Country Music Awards. In December 2019, Siemens' "I'll Be Home For Christmas Tour" with her band The Sweet Sound Revival saw sold-out shows on their three Manitoba concerts in Winnipeg, Winkler, and Rosenort. In August, 2021, Siemens won Bluegrass Artist of the Year at the 2019 Inspirational Country Music Awards. The awards had been postponed due to COVID-19, but were held in Sevierville, Tennessee, on August 26, 2021.
Vatican Performances
Siemens was the first solo instrumentalist to perform at the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican since its first mass in 1483. Siemens's performance at the Sistine Chapel took place on February 19, 2014, for an event entitled Spiritual Elevation as part of the Fondazione Pro Musica e Arte Sacra where she was a guest soloist alongside vocalist Mary Zilba and harpist Mark Edward Spencer. Siemens, Zilba, and Spencer performed a medley that included hymns "Amazing Grace" and "Be Thou My Vision". The performance took place in concert with the Continuo Arts Symphonic Chorus, led by conductor Candace Wicke. Siemens also joined the Continuo Arts Symphonic Chorus for a Requiem entitled "Requiem For My Mother", composed by Stephen Edwards. On February 20, 2014, Siemens accompanied the Continuo Arts Symphonic Chorus for a performance at St. Peter's Basilica for evening mass. Previously, on November 21, 2008, she performed with the Continuo Arts Symphonic Chorus at St. Peter's Basilica for evening mass. She also joined the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra for a concert at Sant'Ignazio, Rome on November 22, 2008.
On November 19, 2016, Siemens performed a piece she co-composed with Roy Tan entitled "The Courtial Concerto" for Dr. Hans-Albert Courtial. Siemens and pianist Roy Tan performed at Santa Maria sopra Minerva for the Fondazione Pro Musica e Arte Sacra, an event Courtial founded that's known as "the biggest sacred music festival in the world". On November 20, 2020, Siemens and Tan performed again for Hans-Albert Courtial in a private reception at The Vatican held at Residenza San Paolo VI. Siemens performed for a mass at St. Peter's Basilica on November 17, 2016, with the Continuo Arts Symphonic Chorus, directed by Candace Wicke.
In the fall of 2019, Siemens returned for a fourth time to perform at the Vatican with her husband Eli Bennett and their duo SaxAndViolin on November 9, 2019. Together, they performed for a private event called the Rome Summit that brought together Christian leaders from around the world, hosted in Vatican City. At the event, Siemens also lectured about the importance of hymns and her experience of performing at the Sistine Chapel.