Harmonia Choir of Ottawa

Harmonia Choir of Ottawa, directed by Kurt Ala-Kantti, Joanne Moorcroft accompanist, presents Canada Remembers, an all-Canadian programme of remembrance, with guests the Cross Town Youth Chorus, on Tuesday, November 11th, 7:30 pm at St. Barnabas Anglican Church, corner of Kent and James.

This concert will also premiere a new work by the choir's Composer-in-Residence, Christopher Askwith, In Beechwood Cemetery utilizing the text by Archibald Lampham, as well as one of the finalists from this year's Choral Competition, Anita Pari, also a member of the Cross Town Youth Chorus, who will accompany the piece.

With the choir's usual flair for a variety of styles of music, the concert will have something for everyone, from composers across the country, to right here at home with pieces by Gatineau's Pierrette Froment-Savoie, and Dr. James Wright, with accompaniment ranging from piano and violin, to Accordion and Bodhran.

The choir loves to have new pieces to premiere, says Harmonia's Director Kurt Ala-Kantti. It's an added bonus to give such a young composer an opportunity like this to have her work performed, and to have her perform it as well.

Tickets are $15, $10 students and seniors, (FREE to children and youth)
will be available at the door, or from The Leading Note, 370 Elgin St.

More information from the choir's website: www.harmoniachoir.com

Harmonia Choir of Ottawa
Canada Remembers
with Cross Town Youth Chorus
Tuesday, Nov. 11th, 7:30 pm
St Barnabas Anglican Church, corner Kent and James
Works by Mark Sirett, Stephen Hatfield, James Wright, and more!

Tickets: $15; seniors $10 (children and youth free)
Available at the door or in advance at: Leading Note: 370 Elgin near
Gladstone 569-7883

Bach Children's Chorus, December concert

Bach Children's Chorus and Bach Chamber Youth Choir present Ring Bells Ring!—a family concert to celebrate the season

Get into the spirit of the season with the fresh young voices of the Bach Children's Chorus and Bach Chamber Youth Choir. These award-winning choirs will present their annual seasonal concert on December 6th at 7:30 pm. in the Recital Hall of the Toronto Centre for the Arts, where they are a Company in Residence. Repertoire for this concert has been selected to carry
you to a carefree enjoyment of the pleasures of the season!The programme will include music to delight all tastes traditional and contemporary carol settings, a tender Chanukah song, and, of course, songs about winter! As the concert title suggests, several songs about bells will be sung, including an energetic version of "Ding Dong, Merrily on High" for two pianists with choir. The tongue-in-cheek "Good King Kong" by Professor Peter Schikele (also known as P.D.Q. Bach) will be sung by the young women and men of the Bach Chamber Youth Choir. Music by Canadian composers Eleanor Daley, Chris Dedrick, Edith Harhhy, Keith Bissell, Bruce Sled and Alan Bevan
will share the evening with American composers Johnny Marks, Anita Kerr and Jerry Herman. A highlight of the concert will be the very popular "Carol of the Drum" by Katherine D. Davis, sung by all four choirs with a guest choir of tenors and basses made up from the many singing dads in the organization. As is traditional in BCC concerts, the audience will be invited to assist in carols throughout the concert. Featured professional instrumentalists will add to the colourful musical presentation throughout the programme.The Bach Children's Chorus is made up of singers aged 6 through 23, selected by audition from throughout the Greater Toronto area and surrounding areas. BCC choirs are known for their beautiful, musical sound, and are regular recipients of top awards from the Kiwanis Festival of Toronto and both the provincial and national levels of the Federation of Canadian Music Festivals.Tickets are available for $20 and $24 at the box office of the Toronto Centre for the Arts or by phoning Ticketmaster at 416.870.8000.

A Concert of Musical Reflection, a Meeting in Sacred Music

Toronto – A gathering of faiths, an orchestra of voices, an understanding of religions, a celebration of music, an architectural vision of beauty – so many reasons to make your way to St. Paul's Basilica for St. Michael's Choir School's performance of St. Matthew Passion by composer and Most Reverend Hilarion Alfeyev – Russian Orthodox Bishop of Vienna on Friday, October 24, 2008 at 7:30 pm.

This North American premiere performance, sung in English text, will feature guest soloists Wanda Thorne, Soprano, James McLennan, Tenor, Robert Pomakov, Narrator/Bass, with the Senior Choir of St. Michael's Choir School and accompanied by a string orchestra, conducted by Dr. Jerzy Cichocki. Bishop Hilarion will also be in attendance and this performance will be recorded for broadcast by Salt & Light Television. Admission is free.

Founded in 1937 with the purpose of providing sacred music for the religious services of St. Michael's Cathedral in downtown Toronto, St. Michael's Choir School has evolved into a centre for musical and academic excellence recognized the world over. It is one of only six choir schools in the world affiliated with the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome. Each student admitted to the Choir School is trained in vocal, technical, and instrumental music, and performs in one of the school's choirs.

While remaining at the forefront of music education in Toronto, the Choir School has also long maintained the highest of academic standards, recognized most recently by the perfect score awarded its academic program by the Fraser Institute. St. Michael's Choir School has stayed true to Monsignor Ronan's vision of preparing young men to serve God through music and meaningful civic action. For seventy years, graduates of the Choir School have found their calling in science, education, medicine, law, business, and of course music. Included among the scholars and musicians who call St. Michael's Choir School their alma mater are the famous Crew Cuts and Four Lads of the 1950s to present-day artists such as Michael Schade, John McDermott, Stewart Goodyear, Kevin Hearn (The Barenaked Ladies), Robert Pomakov, Matt Dusk, Michael Colvin, Claude Morrison (The Nylons), and Michael Burgess.

Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev, born 1966, received his initial education in music, studying violin, piano and composition, at the Moscow Gnessins School and the Moscow State Conservatory. After military service he entered the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where he was tonsured a monk and later ordained to the priesthood. He has taught Homiletics, Dogmatic Theology, New Testament Studies and Byzantine Greek at the Moscow Theological Schools. In 1995 he completed his doctoral studies at Oxford University and in 2001, he was elected Bishop and consecrated by His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia. Bishop Hilarion is the author of more than 300 publications, including numerous books in Russian, English, French, Italian, German and Finnish. Apart from his doctoral degree in philosophy from Oxford, he also holds a doctorate in theology from St Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris. His music continues to be performed internationally.

St. Michael's Choir School's concert will be held at St. Paul's Basilica, 83 Power St. (Queen & Parliament) at 7:30 pm on Friday, October 24, 2008. Admission is free.

This concert is generously supported by The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation & Jim and Margaret Fleck.

For more information, please visit www.smcs.on.ca or call (416) 393-5518.

Laudate Singers Announce 2008-2009 Season

LAUDATE SINGERS Announce 2008-2009 Season

In their 14th season as the North Shore's premier chamber choir, Laudate
Singers and artistic director Lars Kaario take audiences on a tantalizing
journey through the music of Europe and the Americas, full of mystery,
rhythm and sizzling vivacity. Laudate's 2008-2009 concert series more than
lives up to the ensemble's reputation for intriguing programming and varied,
evocative performances.

Mysterium
Saturday, December 13 2008 - 8pm
St. Andrew's United Church (10th & St. Georges, North Vancouver)

Friday, December 19 2008 - 8pm
St. David's United Church (Taylor Way & Upper Levels Hwy, West Vancouver)

O Great Mystery! For their annual winter concert-by-candlelight, Laudate
Singers offer seasonal favourites along with several sublime renditions of
the ancient, revered text "O Magnum Mysterium", including a brand new
setting by composer-in-residence Bruce Sled. Don't miss this evening of
shimmering, transcendent song!

Voice of the Tango
Saturday, March 21 2009 - 8pm
St. David's United Church (Taylor Way & Upper Levels Hwy, West Vancouver)

Tuesday, March 24, 2009 - 8pm
Capilano Performing Arts Theatre (2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver)

Music with sizzle! Laudate Singers take a step off the beaten path to
present a programme of fiery, passionate music from Central and South
America, featuring internationally-renowned instrumentalists Douglas Schmidt
(master Canadian bandoneon player, joining the choir from the International
Tango Festival in Argentina) and Kay Sleking (world-class tango guitarist
based in the Netherlands).

Viva Vivaldi!
Friday, May 22 2009 - 8pm
St. David's United Church (Taylor Way & Upper Levels Hwy, West Vancouver)

Laudate Singers welcome violinist Nancy DiNovo and an ensemble of
Vancouver's finest Baroque instrumentalists for a performance of Vivaldi's
much-loved Gloria, the refined Beatus Vir and the glittering Spring movement
from The Four Seasons. Come and be transported to the beauties of Venice in
the spring!

*******
All Tickets $25/$20 (seniors/students)/Free for 17 years & under
Call 604.222.3158 or visit www.laudatesingers.com
******
The choir will also make a special appearance with the Vancouver
Inter-Cultural Orchestra in a concert entitled Imagined Worlds: Past &
Futures Unveiled (Sunday Nov. 23, 2008 at UBC School of Music Recital Hall).
Finally, Laudate Singers' annual Free Family Christmas Concert will be held
on Sunday Dec. 14th at 3 pm, at St. Andrew's United Church in North
Vancouver.

Soweto Gospel Choir at Massey Hall Dec. 17 & 18

Soweto Gospel Choir Returns to Toronto

For Two Performances Only!

December 17 & 18 – Massey Hall

Tickets on sale TODAY!

Toronto, Ontario – The exciting and dynamic Soweto Gospel Choir will return to Toronto for two performances only on December 17 and 18, 2008 at Massey Hall. The performances are presented by The Sony Centre for the Performing Arts.

Two-time Grammy® Award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir thrilled capacity audiences on each of their previous visits in 2005 and 2007. These return performances will include their newest holiday offerings as well as traditional favourites.

Expect earthy rhythms, rich harmonies, a cappella numbers as well as accompaniment by an exciting four-piece band and percussion section. Add energetic dancing and vibrant, colourful costumes, and the mix is awesome. The Choir performs in six of South Africa’s 11 official languages.

The popular Choir has made its mark on the international stage performing with such luminaries as Bono, The Eurythmics, Jimmy Cliff and many others. They have also performed for Nelson Mandela. Often referred to as the “Voices from Heaven”, the Choir reaches across cultural boundaries and each performance is uplifting, exhilarating and thrilling.

DETAILS

Dates: Dec. 17 & 18, 2008 at 8 p.m.

Location: Massey Hall

South side of Shuter Street, between Yonge & Victoria Streets

Tickets: On sale NOW: $18-$78 plus applicable service charges

Tickets can be purchased through the Massey Hall & Roy Thompson Hall Box Office by telephone 416-872-4255, in person at 60 Simcoe St., Toronto, online at www.masseyhall.com or through Ticketmaster by phone at 416-870-8000, online at www.ticketmaster.ca or in person at any Ticketmaster retail location.

GROUPS of 10 or more call Massey Hall Group Sales at 416-593-4822 ext. 225

Visit www.masseyhall.com for more details.

Bernstein Opens NY Festival Of Song 9/23

NEW YORK FESTIVAL OF SONG 2008-2009, 21st SEASON
OPENS SEPTEMBER 23 IN NYC WITH A BERNSTEIN / BOLCOM CELEBRATION

NEW YORK CONCERTS AT MERKIN CONCERT HALL, WEILL RECITAL HALL, THE JUILLIARD SCHOOL

SASHA COOKE, JOAN MORRIS AND WILLIAM BOLCOM, KATE LINDSEY,
JOSEPH KAISER, DINA KUZNETSOVA, RINAT SHAHAM AMONG GUEST ARTISTS

NATIONALLY: TOURING TO KENNEDY CENTER, CARAMOOR FESTIVAL, CONNECTICUT, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, UTAH

BRIDGE RECORDS CD OF BASTIANELLO / LUCREZIA SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER RELEASE

New York Festival Of Song (NYFOS, www.nyfos.org), co-founded and directed by pianists Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, who "reinvented the song recital during the 1990's with daring and dramatic programming" (The New Yorker), announces its 21st season (2008-2009).

The company's New York City concerts begin on September 23 at the newly renovated Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center, with A Bernstein / Bolcom Celebration. The concert pays tribute to two of NYFOS's guiding lights, Leonard Bernstein and William Bolcom; Bolcom and his wife, mezzo-soprano Joan Morris, will cap the evening with a selection of songs from their vast repertoire. The program also celebrates the ninetieth birthday of NYFOS's Founding Advisor, Leonard Bernstein, who bestowed the American premiere of his last work, Arias and Barcarolles, to the newly-formed company. Their subsequent recording of the work in 1989, with Judy Kaye and William Sharp, earned the composer a posthumous Grammy Award for Best New Composition.

Other concert programs this year include Fugitives (Nov. 18 and 20), works by composers who fled Europe during Hitler's rise to power; Voices of the Jewish Diaspora (Feb. 10 and 12), songs in many languages from the worldwide Jewish community; Songs of the Irish Poets, scheduled for St. Patrick's Day, featuring the lyricism of the Emerald Isle's greatest writers set to music by Beethoven, Britten and others; and The Welcome Shore (May 19 and 21), songs of rivers and oceans, by composers ranging from Brahms to Noël Coward. Special events include Latin Lovers (January 14), the fourth annual NYFOS@Juilliard concert. The collaboration between NYFOS and The Juilliard School's Vocal Arts Department celebrates the students' creative energy and superior vocal talent; alumni of the program have begun to participate in NYFOS's regular season concerts. NYFOS will also have a Gala Concert on April 17 at Weill Recital Hall, program to be announced.

In December, 2008, Bridge Records will release an original cast recording of John Musto's Bastianello and William Bolcom's Lucrezia, the critically acclaimed one-act comic operas commissioned and premiered by NYFOS last season. Both operas have librettos by Mark Campbell. Bastianello is a family fable of love and folly based on a poignant Italian folk tale; Lucrezia retells Machiavelli's La Mandragola from the point of view of its wise and captivating heroine. This wickedly funny seduction story is set in Argentina – "A Latin American zarzuela as imagined by the Marx Brothers," according to the composer. The recording features soprano Lisa Vroman, mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, tenor Paul Appleby, baritone Patrick Mason and bass Matt Boehler, with pianists Steven Blier and Michael Barrett.

Curtain time for all concerts is 8 PM. Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center is at 129 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023. Single tickets are available by calling (212) 501-3330, or visiting www.kaufman-center.org. Student discounts are available. Free tickets for the January 14 concert at Juilliard will be available at The Juilliard School's box office beginning January 5.

Guest artists at NYFOS for 2008-2009 include mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, the Lucrezia in Bastianello / Lucrezia last spring, and soon to sing Kitty Oppenheimer in the Metropolitan Opera's New York Premiere of Doctor Atomic; mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey, who will be seen as Cherubino and in many other roles at the Metropolitan this season; tenor Joseph Kaiser, the Tamino of the Kenneth Branagh film version of The Magic Flute, and Narraboth in the Met's Salome this year as well as at Covent Garden; soprano Dina Kuznetsova, featured in NYFOS's Obsession à la Russe, who will star as Alice Ford in a new production of Falstaff at Glyndebourne, and will appear with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; and mezzo-soprano Rinat Shaham, who will be featured in opera and concert at Paris' Theatre de la Champs-Élysées and the Lucerne Festival.

On its touring schedule, NYFOS brings Bastianello / Lucrezia, the acclaimed double-bill of one-act comic operas by William Bolcom and John Musto with librettos by Mark Campbell, to the Moab Music Festival in Utah on September 5; The Last Time I Saw Paris, French song from The Jazz Age to post-World War II, to the Robbie Colomore Concert Series in Chester, Connecticut (October 26) and the Andover Chamber Music Series in Massachusetts (November 9); Fugitives to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., presented by the Vocal Arts Society (November 14); Voices of the Jewish Diaspora to the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland at College Park (February 15); and Songs of the Irish Poets to the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah, NY (March 14), which culminates a week-long professional training residency, Caramoor Vocal Rising Stars, sponsored by and presented at Caramoor. Leading the week's events will be NYFOS artistic directors and pianists Steven Blier and Michael Barrett who will be working with a select group of young singers from around the country invited to participate in this auspicious project. The program will be repeated as part of NYFOS's New York City 2008-2009 concert season at Merkin Concert Hall on March 17, 2009.
The initial season of the Caramoor Vocal Rising Stars Program will be underwritten, in part, by The Terrance W. Schwab Fund for Young Vocal Artists.

NEW YORK SEASON SCHEDULE

Tuesday and Thursday, SEPTEMBER 23 & 25, 2008
Merkin Concert Hall
"A Bernstein / Bolcom Celebration"
A tribute to two of New York Festival of Song's guiding lights, Leonard Bernstein and William Bolcom, quintessential American composers and great spirits who have long provided wisdom, guidance, and music to NYFOS. Songs from Bernstein's Peter Pan, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Songfest, Wonderful Town, On the Town, Arias and Barcarolles; Bolcom's Cabaret Songs, I Will Breathe a Mountain, Briefly It Enters, McTeague; and a special appearance by Joan Morris and William Bolcom, who will share signature songs from their repertoire.
Artists: Sari Gruber, soprano; Rebecca Jo Loeb, mezzo-soprano; Joan Morris, mezzo-soprano; Renée Tatum, mezzo-soprano; Alex Mansoori, tenor; William Sharp, baritone; Marc Webster, bass; William Bolcom, Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano


Tuesday and Thursday, NOVEMBER 18 & 20, 2008
Merkin Concert Hall
"Fugitives"
An evening of songs from the concert stage, the movies, Broadway, and Berlin's cabarets that trace the varied fortunes of the gifted composers who fled destruction during Hitler's rise to power--some to begin new lives and brilliant careers abroad, others to meet with darker fates. Music by Kurt Weill, Franz Schreker, Arnold Zemlinsky, Kurt Tucholsky, Erich Korngold, Hanns Eisler, Friedrich Hollaender, Emmerich Kálmán, and many others.
Artists: Kate Lindsey, mezzo-soprano; Joseph Kaiser, tenor; Steven Blier, piano

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2009
Peter Jay Sharp Auditorium at The Juilliard School
"Latin Lovers: An Evening of Cuban and South American Song," the fourth annual NYFOS@Juilliard concert.
Songs by Guastavino, Astor Piazzolla, Carlos López-Buchardo, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Ernesto Lecuona, and many others.

Tuesday and Thursday, FEBRUARY 10 & 12, 2009
Merkin Concert Hall
"Voices of the Jewish Diaspora"
Songs in many languages celebrate the culturally diverse Jewish communities that flourished as the tribes of Israel spread out across the globe. Sephardic melodies arranged by Alberto Hemsi and Roberto Sierra; Second Avenue specialties by Irving Berlin and Joseph Rumshinsky; art songs by Ravel, Milhaud, and Rubinstein; plus music by Gershwin and Bernstein.
Artists: Dina Kuznetsova, soprano; Rinat Shaham, mezzo-soprano; Steven Goldstein, tenor; Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano

Tuesday, MARCH 17, 2009
Merkin Hall
"Songs of the Irish Poets"
The lyricism of the Emerald Isle's greatest writers, including Thomas Moore, W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, and Paul Muldoon, as set to music by Beethoven, Britten, Balfe, Barber and others; with a group of traditional Irish songs featuring the fiddle playing of Paul Woodiel.
Artists: Paul Appleby, tenor; other members of Caramoor's Terrence W. Schwab Vocal Rising Stars Program; Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano

TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2009
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Spring Gala
Program TBA

Tuesday and Thursday, MAY 19 & 21, 2009
Merkin Concert Hall
"The Welcome Shore"
A hymn to rivers and oceans stirs the heart and the imagination as the summer season draws near. Music by Elgar (the magnificent Sea Pictures), Fauré, Guastavino, Rachmaninoff, Brahms, Noël Coward, Pauline Viardot, and many others.
Artists: Michelle Areyzaga, soprano; Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano; Philip Cutlip, baritone; Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano

New York Festival of Song was founded in 1988 by Steven Blier and Michael Barrett. NYFOS is dedicated to creating intimate song concerts of great beauty, humor and originality, combining music, poetry, and history to entertain, educate and create community among audiences and performers. With a far-ranging repertoire of art songs, concert works and theater pieces, its thematic recitals have included programs from Brahms to the Beatles, from the nineteenth-century salons of Paris to Tin Pan Alley, from Russian art song to Argentine tangos, from sixteenth-century lute songs to new music. NYFOS particularly celebrates American song literature and culture, and specializes in premiering and commissioning new American works. They have produced five recordings on the Koch label, including a Grammy Award-winning disc of Bernstein's Arias and Barcarolles, as well as the Grammy-nominated recording of Ned Rorem's Evidence of Things Not Seen on New World Records, and the Bridge Records release of the NYFOS program Spanish Love Songs. NYFOS's concert series, touring programs, radio broadcasts, recordings, and educational activities have inspired a new interest in the creative possibilities of the song program, and have inspired the creation of thematic vocal series around the world.

Artistic Director Steven Blier has programmed, performed, translated and annotated over 100 song programs with repertoire spanning the entire range of American song, art song from Schubert to Szymanowski, and popular song from early vaudeville to Lennon-McCartney. In addition, Mr. Blier enjoys an eminent career as an accompanist and vocal coach. Among the many artists he has partnered in recital are Renée Fleming, Cecilia Bartoli, Samuel Ramey, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Susan Graham and Frederica von Stade. Associate Artistic Director Michael Barrett is also the CEO of Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, and General Director of the Caramoor International Music Festival. In 1992 Mr. Barrett and his wife Leslie Tomkins founded The Moab Music Festival in Utah, for which he serves as music director. He has conducted major orchestras here and abroad in the symphonic, operatic, and dance repertoire, and is the former director of the Tisch Center for the Arts at the 92nd Street Y. Mr. Barrett has conducted and played premieres by Bernstein, Blitzstein, Bolcom, Kernis, Sellars, Harrison, Takemitsu, Del Tredici and John Corigliano.

Funding for the Bastianello / Lucrezia CD release on Bridge Records was provided by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc. Commission and first performance of Bastianello by John Musto and Mark Cambell and Lucrezia by William Bolcom and Mark Campbell by New York Festival of Song, Inc. were supported by the New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

NYFOS's New York City concert series is funded, in part, by the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts.

Amadeus Choir presents "Amadeus Choir and Friends" on Saturday, November 8.

Toronto's acclaimed Amadeus Choir, conducted by Artistic Director Lydia Adams, launches its 34th season “Music for Life” with a concert entitled “AMADEUS CHOIR and FRIENDS” on Saturday, November 8th, 2008 at 7:30, Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge Street, Toronto.

For this exciting season opener, the Amadeus Choir welcomes special friends The Gerald Fagan Singers and the Fanshawe Chorus, conducted by Gerald Fagan; plus featured guest artists soprano Leslie Fagan; tenor Darryl Edwards; baritone Mark Pedrotti; pianists Ruth Watson Henderson and Peter MacDonald; and The Bach Children’s Chorus with its director Linda Beaupré.

Two totally different works by two totally different composers are brought together to form a program that is uniquely complementary. The award-winning Canadian composer Ruth Watson Henderson was commissioned by the Amadeus Choir in 1991 to write a major work that would use the same forces as German composer Carl Off’s scenic cantata Carmina Burana, and she did just that. Voices of Earth was written for three choirs, and combines poetry of Archibald Lampman with verses from Canticle of the Sun by St. Francis of Assisi. Two pianos and percussion will join the Amadeus Choir to present exciting, earthy, dramatic and always beautiful music.

Tickets: $35.00 General seating. To order, call the Amadeus Choir: 416-446-0188.

For more information about the Choir’s 2008/09 concert series, visit: www.amadeuschoir.com

Girls Choir "Ellerhein" of Estonia

Friday, July 11, 7:30pm

St Andrews United Church

10th & St Georges, North Vancouver

Tickets at door: $10 & $5 kids 12 & under

A touring choir of the International Choral Kathaumixw, the "Ellerhein" Girls Choir is a fabulous award-winning, much-recorded choir of 40 girls aged 14-22. Visiting from one of the most choral of nations, Estonia. An evening of excellence, enthusiasm and fun!

Of Stage and Screen: Favourites from Movies and Musicals

Of Stage and Screen: Favourites from Movies and Musicals

In their 16th season, Cumberland Community Singers present their 2008 Spring Concert entitled "Of Stage and Screen".

The Orleans-based choir will present a fun evening of music, ranging from Plaisir d'Amour, from the 1949 Academy Award winning film The Heiress, and The Lion Sleeps Tonight, featured in over 100 films, to Medlies from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolored Dreamcoat and Les Miserables, both accompanied by a band. Also featured in the concert will be the Orleans and Alta Vista based Cross Town Youth Chorus.

A fun evening for all, says Cumberland Community Singers Director Kurt Ala-Kantti. We always look forward to having the children's choir involved, and the chance to hear the choir accompanied by the band shouldn't be missed!

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and students and free for children and youth. Tickets are available at the door.

More information is available on the choir's website: www.CumberlandCommunitySingers.com

"Of Stage and Screen: Favourites from Movies and Musicals
performed by the Cumberland Community Singers
with guests Cross Town Youth Chorus
Saturday, May 24th, 7:30 pm
Orleans United Church, 1111 Orleans Blvd.
Featuring medleys from Les Miserables and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Tickets available at the door
$15 adults; $10 seniors and students; children and youth free

www.CumberlandCommunitySingers.com

La soprano Karine Michon, soliste-invitée du Chœur de la montagne

Beloeil, 28 avril 2008 - La soprano Karine Michon, native de Saint-Hyacinthe, accompagnera le Choeur de la montagne lors du concert MOMENTS SACRÉS les 24 et 25 mai à Beloeil.

Karine découvre tôt sa passion pour la musique. Après s'y être initiée par la flûte à bec et le piano, elle entreprend ses études à la Concentration musique de la Polyvalente Ozias-Leduc de Mont-Saint-Hilaire. Détentrice d'un Baccalauréat en chant de l'Université McGill et d'une Maîtrise en interprétation de l'Université de Montréal, Karine Michon se perfectionne auprès de Mme Lyne Fortin. Karine se produit sur les ondes de Radio-Canada et est boursière du concours Les Journées de la Musique Française. Parmi ses rôles à l'opéra, on compte Nadia, le rôle-titre de La Veuve Joyeuse, Belinda dans Didon et Énée, Fiorella dans Les Brigands, Gabrielle dans La Vie Parisienne, les rôles principaux dans Chanson Gitane et La Fille du Tambour-Major en plus d'être l'héroïne de Roméo et Juliette de Gounod.

En 2004 et 2006, Karine fut sélectionnée parmi plus de 100 concurrents au Concours Jeune Ambassadeur Lyrique. En 2005, elle prend part à des stages à l'Académie Internationale de la Roche d'Hys en France et aux trente-huitième Master classes musicaux internationaux à Brno en République Tchèque et est finaliste au Concours International de musique tchèque et slovaque de Montréal en 2005.

Elle effectue en 2006 en France une tournée d'auditions professionnelles et interprète la Comtesse Almaviva (Nozze di Figaro) à Urbania en Italie, Micaela (Carmen) à l'Opéra de Brasov, Roumanie, et Rosalinde dans la Chauve-Souris avec l'Opéra Bouffe du Québec. En 2007, elle reprend le rôle de Marie des Mousquetaires au Couvent avec l'Opéra Bouffe du Québec après avoir interprété les rôles de Lysandre et de Germaine dans la version concert du Médaillon de Michel Massé. Elle sera Saffi dans Le Baron Tzigane de Strauss dans la production du Théâtre Lyrique de la Montérégie en mai 2008.

Le concert MOMENTS SACRÉS regroupera Regina coeli, KV 127 de Mozart, Wer nur den lieben Gott läβt walten de Mendelssohn et Laudate pueri (psaume 112) de Handel sera présenté le 24 mai à 20 heures et le 25 mai à 14h30 à l'Église Saint-Matthieu, 1014, rue Richelieu à Beloeil. Les lauréats du Concours de musique assureront la première partie : le 24 mai, les pianistes Lysandre Ménard (14 ans, 1er prix catégorie 7 à 14 ans et Aude St-Pierre (19 ans, 1er prix catégorie 15 à 21 ans) joueront le 24 mai tandis que le Trio Ouater (violon, violoncelle et piano) et le grand lauréat Thierry Bégin-Lamontagne, guitariste de 21 ans, joueront le 25 mai. Pour renseignements www.choeurdelamontagne.com ou 514.816.6577.

SANCTUS: Amanda Pabyan featured in Heiligmesse (Haydn), Silete Venti (Handel), Sanctus settings w/Riverside Choral Society & Orchestra 5/17/08 8pm

The Riverside Choral Society is excited to announce our spring concert: SANCTUS, featuring one of America’s most distinguished, new lyric-coloratura sopranos AMANDA PABYAN, described by the New York Times as “a brilliant coloratura” and “technically agile, clarion toned and incisive.”

Pabyan will be featured in two infrequently performed choral gems: FJ Haydn’s Heiligmesse and Handel’s operatic motet, Silete Venti.

This will be an concert of masterworks from the classical to the contemporary, including Franz Joseph Haydn, George Frideric Handel, Felix Mendelssohn, Heitor Villa-Lobos, William Albright, and Jan Sandström, in Latin, Italian, and German. Everyone is invited to experience the exultation and mystery of these settings of the Mass, and Sanctus in particular. This is a rare opportunity to hear one of New York City’s leading symphonic choirs present a gorgeous and historic performance of Haydn’s gem, the Heiligmesse, Handel’s ravishing Sileti Venti, and compare settings of the Sanctus spanning millennia and continents, including Gregorian Chant, Baroque, German Romanticism, 20^th Century Latin romance and neo-mysticism. Featuring acclaimed soprano Amanda Pabyan, RCS’s SANCTUS will be divinely delightful. We can’t wait to sing for you and see you there!

Riverside Choral Society, now in its 27^th year, has gained a reputation as one of New York City’s premier choruses. In addition to its regular concert season under the baton of Dr. Patrick Gardner, RCS is frequently chosen as guest ensemble. Most recently Dr. Gardner prepared the chorus to join the Mannes Orchestra in Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms at Carnegie Hall November 2007. In 2005 and 2006 RCS appeared with Kirov Opera Orchestra and the Rotterdam Philharmonic under the baton of Valery Gergiev for six concerts at Lincoln Center and NJPAC, including performances of Mahler’s Second Symphony and Shostakovich’s Symphonies 2, 3, and 13. In recent years RCS has also appeared regularly at Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, and has been featured in collaborations with the Mark Morris Dance Company and at special events at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. For more information, please visit www.RiversideChoral.org.

Please post the concert announcement information and posters (below) to bulletin boards, newsletters, newspapers, departmental announcements, websites, event listings, classrooms, and anywhere they might be seen or searched, and forward this email to those who will find it of interest and can make such posts. Interest categories/tags: Settings of the Mass and Sanctus from the Baroque to the present, Catholic & Christian liturgy, Latin, choral music, classical music, religion, upcoming concerts and events.

Tickets can be purchased at the door, although advance ticket orders are strongly encouraged.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

ORDERING TICKETS

Advance tickets can be ordered online here.

Night of the Performance: Cash (check, or money order made out to Riverside Choral Society) are accepted at the concert box office at the entrance to Holy Trinity Church (213 West 82nd Street) between 7-8pm.

QUESTIONS, GROUPS and SPECIAL REQUESTS: phone 347 404 5544 and email RiverSideChoralSociety@gmail.com

PS: Singing with the RCS is a delight and an excellent education in choral singing, vocal technique, and classical repertoire. Those interested in singing with us, please explore our website where you can learn more about RCS, our repertoire (symphonic choral classics with an emphasis on liturgical), rehearsal schedule (Tuesdays 7-9:30pm, W100th St – come sit in), and schedule an audition with our director, Dr. Patrick Gardner. While the site mentions main auditions in August, they can happen at any time.

SANCTUS

Franz Josef Haydn - Heiligmesse

George Frideric Handel - Silete Venti

Amanda Pabyan, soprano

William Albright - Sanctus from the Chichester Mass

Felix Mendelssohn - Heilig

Jan Sandström - Sanctus

Heitor Villa-Lobos - Sanctus and Benedictus from Missa São Sebastião

Amanda Pabyan, soprano

Kirsten Solleck, alto

Kurt Alakulppi, tenor

Brian McIntosh, bass-baritone

Patrick Gardner, Conducting

with Chamber Orchestra

Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 8:00 PM

Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church

213 W. 82nd Street

(between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue)

Tickets: $35, $25 ($10 for students with ID)

Ticket Orders: RiversideChoralSociety@gmail.com

Box Office Open 7-8pm prior to concert

www.RiversideChoral.org

Printable PDFs:

http://www.riversidechoral.org/images/SANCTUSPosterBlack.pdf

http://www.riversidechoral.org/images/SANCTUSPosterWhite.pdf

SPRING IN VIENNA: Laudate Singers, May 2

For Immediate Release – April 3, 2008

LAUDATE SINGERS present

SPRING IN VIENNA

Friday May 2, 2008 – 8:00 pm

Capilano College Performing Arts Theatre

2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver

Tickets ($25/$20/FREE for 17 years & under): 604-990-7810

www.laudatesingers.com

The North Shore’s premier chamber choir concludes its subscription season with the musical equivalent of a glass of fine champagne: an evening of sparkling, graceful melodies from 19^th-century Viennese opera. The May 2 concert – held at Capilano College Performing Arts Theatre – will feature Laudate Singers, artistic director Lars Kaario and pianists Gaye Alcott and Bernard Duerksen in a programme that includes such beloved favourites as Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes, choruses and solos from Lehar’s The Merry Widow and Strauss’ Die Fledermaus. Audiences are invited to join the choir for refreshments – wine, coffee and authentic Viennese pastries – during intermission.

Music to make your ears sing and your spirit dance!

www.laudatesingers.com

Media Contact: Melanie Thompson, 604-224-6201 or melaniethompson@shaw.ca

-- 30 --

Équi Vox Montréal

Offre de bourse du Fonds de relève Alcan/Équi Vox Montréal à une étudiante en musique

Nous sommes à la recherche d'une étudiante en musique de niveau universitaire pour l'année 2008-2009 intéressée à participer activement aux activités de la chorale Équi Vox Montréal, en vue d'acquérir une expérience lui permettant d'être un jour chef de choeur ou encore d'accroître ses qualités de musicienne.

Le fonds de relève Alcan/Équi Vox Montréal offrira à l'étudiante sélectionnée une contribution de 1 500 $ à ses frais de scolarité des sessions d'automne-hiver d'année universitaire.

CRITÈRES D'ADMISSIBILITÉ

1) Être une étudiante en musique de niveau universitaire à plein temps

2) Être prête à participer activement aux activités du choeur Équi Vox Montréal tant sur le plan musical (support de la qualité musicale de l'ensemble etc.) que de l'organisation d'activités propres à la chorale (Chant-o-thon, concert de Noël, concert de fin d'année, etc.)

3) Détenir un dossier académique au-dessus de la moyenne

4) Être admissible à l'aide financière aux étudiants

5) Partager les valeurs de la chorale Équi Vox Montréal*

Si vous avez envie de vous joindre à nous, consultez notre site au www.equivox.org/Montreal puis envoyez :

- votre CV

- votre plus récent relevé de notes scolaires

- une lettre de motivation

- une lettre de recommandation d'un de vos professeurs de musique

DATE LIMITE : le 30 avril 2008

à Madame Claire Cloutier, chef du choeur Équi Vox à claire@equivox.org

Nous serons « enchantées » de recevoir vos candidatures!

[Ottawa] Robbie Burns: A Celebration!

"Robbie Burns: A Celebration" marks the premiere concert of Ottawa's newest choir, the Ottawa Folk Choir, directed by Kurt Ala-Kantti, Mary Ann Rose accompanist, on Sunday, January 27th, 3 pm, at MacLeod Stewarton United Church, 507 Bank Street (at Argyle).

The show will feature all sorts of Scottish music and dance to celebrate the Bard's birthday, from the lively Scottish Folkloric Dancing of the MacCulloch Dancers, the crooning voice of much loved local baritone Garth Hampson, the unique and splendid sound of the Celtic Harp, played by Joanne Griffin, the excitement of the young singers of the Cross Town Youth Chorus, the striking beauty of the violin, performed by Kevin James, the lively sounds of the Harmonia Choir of Ottawa, and of course, the host choir for this event, the newly formed Ottawa Folk Choir.

"This is going to be a very exciting way of launching this new choir," says Ottawa Folk's Choir Director Kurt Ala-Kantti. "The choir can't wait to get out on stage at their own concert for the first time, and I think the audience will enjoy the mix of fun choral music, with the bagpipes, violin, and Celtic Harp."

There will also be a Silent Auction held at the intermission, and after the show.

Tickets are $15, $10 seniors and students, (FREE to children and youth) and will be available at the door, or from The Leading Note, 370 Elgin St.

More information from the choir's website: www.OttawaFolkChoir.ca, and 613-833-1812

Ottawa Folk Choir
"Robbie Burns: A Celebration"
with host Garth Hampson
and the MacCulloch Dancers
Sunday, Jan. 27th, 3 pm
MacLeod Stewarton United Church, 507 Bank Street (At Argyle)

Tickets: $15; seniors $10 (children and youth free)
Available at the door or in advance at: Leading Note 370 Elgin


Background

Ottawa Folk Choir was formed this season, as a project of the Harmonia Choir of Ottawa, to provide a 'training choir' for adults, and to perform wonderful music from the folk traditions of Canada, and around the world. The result is a group of about 25 singers, of all faiths and abilities, who have come together to find and/or extend their singing voice while celebrating different vocal sounds, and harmonies from coast to coast, and around the world. More information from the choir's website, www.OttawaFolkChoir.ca

MacCulloch Dancers: Rae MacCulloch, the founder of the MacCulloch School of Dancing, began teaching in the fall of 1954. Today the troupe performs under the direction of Rae and her daughters, Heather Forbes and Deborah Wheeler. The MacCulloch Dancers perform Scottish Folkloric and Canadian Step Dancing, danced to the lively tunes of Scotland's bagpipes and the Irish, French, and Scottish fiddle. They have met with much success and recognition on the international scene, having performed across Canada, the United States and Scotland. Recently they have represented Canada in Disney World, Florida, Idaho and Utah, U.S.A., Puerto Rico, the Republic of China, Spain, Belgium, Mexico, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, France and Scotland. During the summer of 2005 the troupe's travels brought them to France and Scotland. It was a great honour to perform with the Sons of Scotland Pipe Band for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and her granddaughter, Princess Beatrice. This was truly a remarkable and memorable experience. In 2007 the MacCulloch Dancers represented Canada in France in August and Russia in September.

Cross Town Youth Chorus is an unauditioned choir that provides an opportunity for children and youth 5 to 10 and 11 to 15 years of age in the City of Ottawa and surrounding areas to join together in friendship and song. Rehearsing in two locations, to reach as many youth as possible, each group consists of two choirs, the Junior Choir, ages 5-10, and the Senior Choir for ages 11-15, and performs its own pieces, as well as joining together for joint numbers. CTYC presents their own concerts, while also taking part in other concerts and community events. In past years they have been guests of the Cobblestones, the Cumberland Community Singers, the Harmonia Choir of Ottawa, the Atlantic Voices, and the Amabile Choir of Nepean, have performed at Centrepointe Theatre several times and is a regular participant in the "Orleans Christmas Choirfest". This year the choir will perform with Cantiamo Training Choir for their Christmas Concert, Ottawa Folk Choir for a Robbie Burns concert, as well as return engagements with the Harmonia Choir and Cumberland Community Singers.

Harmonia Choir of Ottawa, a choir of about 40 voices, was formed in 2003 to give singers in the "new" City of Ottawa an opportunity to perform fun and challenging choral music from Canada and around the world. The result is a group of singers with a wide range of choral experience from around the city, and around the globe, performing a broad range of repertoire with a focus on promoting local, and Canadian composers and compositions. The choir has performed in concert with various local musicians, including organist Wesley Warren, pianist and composer James Wright, the Maple Leaf Brass, and the Ottawa Chamber Orchestra. In 2005 the choir performed for the South African High Commission, and this year was again invited to be the choir for Ottawa's version of "Last Night of the Proms." In addition to commissioning and premiering new works, and arrangements, in most their concerts, the choir has taken on various projects; an Apprentice Directorship, a programme to give aspiring young choral conductors an opportunity to gain some "hands on" experience with a choir, a Composer-in-Residence programme, the Ottawa Folk Choir, a 'training choir' for adult singers, and Harmonia's Canadian Choral Composition Competition, to continue to encourage new compositions, based on Canadian texts. More info at harmoniachoir.com

Kurt Ala-Kantti directs the Ottawa Folk Choir, which he founded this season. He is also director and founder of Harmonia Choir of Ottawa, a choir he started in 2003 to promote and perform the music of Canadian and local composers, in addition to traditional choral music. Mr. Ala-Kantti is also Choirmaster at St. Mark's Anglican Church, Cumberland, Artistic Director of Cross Town Youth Chorus, and Music Director for the Cumberland Community Singers, and the Ottawa Brahms Choir. In the past, he has served for several years as Assistant-Director of the Ottawa Regional Youth Choir, directed by Barbara Clark, was Director of their Young Men's Chorus, and was Music Director for Atlantic Voices. Kurt has studied vocal performance with Charlotte Stewart and choral conducting Dr. Lisette Canton, Wesley Warren and Barbara Clark, and is currently continuing to pursue studies in music at Carleton University. With a keen interest in choral performance and excellence, he has been a member of several local choirs, including the Ottawa Regional Youth Choir, under Barbara Clark, and Ottawa Choral Society, under Brian Law. Currently he is a member of the critically acclaimed Ottawa Bach Choir, with which he has performed in Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Nova Scotia, Mexico, Germany and Austria.

-30-