Winter and Spring Concerts at St. John's Anglican Church
2010 - 2011
Friday, February 11 at 7:30 pm
Sanctuary Trio (Peter Togni, organ; Jeff Reilly, bass clarinet; Christoph Both, cello) with Dinuk Wijeratne, piano
Bach and the Art of Longing
The beautiful chorale Herzlich tut mich verlangen, in which Bach embodies the bittersweetness of longing, forms the centrepiece of this special concert. These four thought-provoking musicians weave Bach's creation into an extended improvisation that prompted the TD Halifax Jazz Festival to write: "Soundscapes....so emotionally charged at times that they drew tears. Magnetic, mystical and magical."
Presented by St. Cecilia Concert Series
Saturday, March 5 at 7:30 pm
Anne-Julie Caron, Marimba; Marie-Eve Scarfone, Piano
Presented by St. Cecilia Concert Series in collaboration with Debut Atlantic
Concert Repertoire:
Dolly Suite, Op. 56 - Fauré/arr. Caron
Wind in the Bamboo Grove - Abe
Concerto for marimba and strings - Séjourné
Images I: Reflets dans l'eau - Debussy
Trois Mouvements pour marimba et piano - Gougeon
Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso - Saint-Saëns/trans. Caron
Canadian marimbist Anne-Julie Caron has made her mark on the world musical scene with her sensitivity, depth, and wide spectrum of tonal colors. She has won the 2007 Opus Prize “Discovery of the year”, the 2nd Prize at the 2006 International Marimba Competition in Linz, Austria, and first prize at two of the most prestigious Canadian competitions: the 2005 Montreal Symphony Standard Life Competition and the 2004 Prix d’Europe. The international career of Marie-Ève Scarfone, an accomplished musician and sought-after collaborator, is soaring. She was the winner of the piano prize of the Marilyn Horne Foundation Song Competition and the Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial Foundation. The Opéra de Montréal has rewarded her talent on numerous occasions. She performs throughout Canada and the United States as well as in Europe and the Middle East.
Music and Meditation
Wednesdays at Noon March 9 – April 13
Each half hour presentation features musical friends of St. John’s music program. The public is cordially invited to attend.
Wednesday March 9
Chester baritone Tristan Mills opens our 2011 Lenten Series St. John’s Director of Music, Barbara Butler. Tristan is continuing vocal studies with Elvira Gonnella, retired professor of voice from Dalhousie University. Featured
Wednesday March 16, noon
Featured guest is mezzo soprano Nina Scott Stoddart. Nina is an opera singer, producer and director and is the Founder/Artistic Director of Maritime Concert Opera, based in Lunenburg
Wednesday March 23, noon
Paul Halley, Director of King’s College Chapel Choir, will focus on J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and the performance that will follow at St. John’s on Wednesday, April 20 at 7:30 pm. Paul is an internationally known composer, conductor, and keyboardist. He was Director of Music of The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City for thirteen years until he moved to Nova Scotia and is now Director of Chapel Music at the University of King's College, and University Musician at the Atlantic School of Theology.
Wednesday March 30, noon
Organist Elizabeth Harwood, Director of Music at Bridgetown United Church and Director of Musique Saint Bernard.
Friday, April 1 at 7:30 pm
Elmer Iseler Singers; Lydia Adams, conductor
The Elmer Iseler Singers, conducted by Artistic Director Lydia Adams, is a twenty-voice professional chamber choir based in Toronto, Canada. Founded by the late Dr. Elmer Iseler in 1979, the Elmer Iseler Singers are one of Canada’s most illustrious professional choral ensembles.
The choir has built an enviable international reputation through its concerts, broadcasts and recordings throughout Canada, the United States and on the international concert stage. Known for the unique beauty of their sound, the Elmer Iseler Singers bring to life exciting repertoire that spans 500 years of great choral music.
Presented by St. Cecilia Concert Series
Saturday, April 2 – 10 am to 12 pm
A Choral Reading with Lydia Adams and the Elmer Iseler Singers
A choral reading workshop for interested choristers in the area will focus on a wide range of repertoire. The Elmer Iseler Singers, conducted by Artistic Director Lydia Adams, is a twenty-voice professional chamber choir based in Toronto, Canada. Founded by the late Dr. Elmer Iseler in 1979, the Elmer Iseler Singers are one of Canada’s most illustrious professional choral ensembles.
Wednesday April 6, noon
Music and Meditation continues with pianist Sharon Gow-Knickle. Sharon is highly regarded in the area as a solo performer, chamber musician and collaborator and has established a successful piano studio in Lunenburg. Her program will include music by Beethoven, Schubert and Chopin
The choir has built an enviable international reputation through its concerts, broadcasts and recordings throughout Canada, the United States and on the international concert stage. Known for the unique beauty of their sound, the Elmer Iseler Singers bring to life exciting repertoire that spans 500 years of great choral music.
Friday, April 8 at 7:30 pm
Symphony on the Shore presented by St. Cecilia Concert Series
Symphony Nova Scotia
Robert Uchida, violin
Bernhard Gueller, conductor
Symphony Nova Scotia concertmaster Robert Uchida takes on Brahms’ fiery Violin Concerto, one of the most challenging concertos ever written for violin. We’ll also hear a brand new work by acclaimed Nova Scotia composer Derek Charke, who uses the theme of climate change and power consumption in Nova Scotia to create an innovative, acoustic-electronic soundscape. This work has been generously commissioned by the Canada Council for the Arts' Commissioning of Canadian Compositions program.
Wednesday April 13, noon
The final in our Music and Meditation series will be a Lenten Cantata with St. John’s Lutheran Choir, directed by Jane Kristenson.
Saturday, April 16 at 7:30 pm
Marc Djokic, Violin; Julien LeBlanc, Piano
Violinist Marc Djokic comes from a family of Halifax musicians. He has won numerous prizes and awards including an Opus Prize in 2009 from the Conseil québecois de la musique for best concert in the region. “Nearly always spot-on accuracy;… violin playing of a high level,” wrote Claude Gingras recently in La Presse. Acadian pianist Julien Le Blanc is an equally astonishing musician. His great musical sensitivity and ability to communicate make him a virtuoso brimming with contagious enthusiasm.
Concert Repertoire:
Suite italienne (arr. Igor Stravinsky & Samuel Dushkin)
Melancolie (Toccata for piano) – Poulenc
Sonata for Violin and Piano - Corigliano
Sonata for Solo Violin and Digital FX - Mascall
Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 75 – Saint-Saens
Presented by St. Cecilia Concert Series in collaboration with Jeunesses Musicales of Canada
Wednesday, April 20 at 7:30 pm
J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion - Directed by Paul Halley
Kings College Chapel Choir, Les Voix Baroques, Ensemble Regale and guests
Presented by Musique Royale in association with King’s at the Cathedral Series
Saturday, April 30 at 7:30 pm
Dinuk Wijeratne, piano; Nick Halley, percussion; Joseph Petric, accordion
Saturday, May 15 at 7:30 pm
Rhapsody Quintet and Daniel Matto
For more than 20 years Nova Scotia’s Rhapsody Quintet has thrilled and delighted audiences with its sparkling renditions of a wide range of music, including light classical, salon, musical theatre, jazz, tango, klezmer, movie music and more. Through their performances and recordings they have reached out across Canada and the world, performed for royalty, worked with school children and helped to raise funds for many deserving causes. Rhapsody has released five CDs to date. Originally from Adelaide, South Australia, Daniel Matto is a jazz vocalist who now calls Halifax home."All Sinatra concert (with Symphony Nova Scotia) worth waiting for…Matto's middle register, especially in songs like Moonlight in Vermont and April in Paris, glows with warmth and resonance, much like that of ol' blue eyes himself" (Halifax Herald, 1/11/09).
Sunday, June 12 at 7:30 pm
German Male Choir Liederkranz
The German Male Choir ‘Liederkranz’ of Edmonton, Alberta is a men's choir dedicated to preservation of German musical culture in their community. They will also sing at the 10:30 am worship service at St. John’s.
Tickets for all Musique Royale and St. Cecilia concerts are available at Fulton’s General Store or by reservation at 634-9994. They will also be available at the door on the evening of the performance.