Romantic Masters
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1 PAX CHRISTI CHORALE • A X C H P R I S T David Bowser October 29, 2017 3:00 p.m. I • Artistic Director Grace Church on-the-Hill C H E O R A L Romantic Masters Pax Christi Chorale with Monica Whicher, Krisztina Szabó, Isaiah Bell, Brett Polegato, Asher Ian Armstrong, and the Toronto Mozart Players 2 PAX CHRISTI CHORALE Our New Season It is my enormous pleasure to welcome you to Romantic Masters, the first of three programmes in Pax Christi Chorale’s 2017–18 season. This afternoon’s concert opens with the greatest oratorios ever com- two a cappella works by Anton posed, Franz Joseph Haydn’s Die Bruckner, followed by his glorious Schöpfung, or The Creation. In our Te Deum. You will also hear Johannes performance, Haydn's marvelous Brahms’s choral masterpiece musical depictions of light, stars, Schicksalslied, or Song of Destiny, oceans and mountains, weather, and to end the concert, Ludwig van plants, animals and birds, and all Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, with other creatures will be enlivened outstanding concert pianist Asher Ian by a live video projection designed Armstrong as guest soloist. and executed in real time by Sandy Rossignol. The Creation is as cap- Our second programme, with con- tivating and moving to modern certs on December 16 and 17, 2017, is audiences as it was in 1798 as we of great French choral works, begin- seek new relevance in this rich ning with Francis Poulenc’s festive masterwork. Gloria. I find it a uniquely joyful work, alternating exuberance and seren- I look forward to sharing this beauti- ity. Four Motets by Maurice Duruflé; ful concert programme with you this Cantique de Jean Racine by Gabriel afternoon, and hope you will continue Fauré; and old Christmas carols from to enjoy and experience the entire Québec and France, complete this season with Pax Christi Chorale. sparkling programme. With warmest wishes, The final concert of the season, on April 28, 2018, offers one of 3 PAX CHRISTI CHORALE • A X C H P R I S T I David Bowser • Artistic Director C H E O R A L Romantic Masters Pax Christi Chorale Toronto Mozart Players David Bowser, Conductor Locus Iste Anton Bruckner Ave Maria (1824–1896) Pax Christi Chamber Choir Te Deum Anton Bruckner Monica Whicher, soprano Isaiah Bell, tenor Krisztina Szabó, mezzo-soprano Brett Polegato, baritone INTERMISSION Schicksalslied Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) Choral Fantasy in Ludwig van Beethoven C minor, op. 80 (1770–1827) Monica Whicher, soprano Ryan Downey, tenor Allison Walmsley, soprano Brett Polegato, baritone Krisztina Szabó, mezzo-soprano Asher Ian Armstrong, piano Isaiah Bell, tenor Please join us in the Parish Hall for a light reception after the concert. Meet Artistic Director David Bowser, soloists, and choir members. 4 PAX CHRISTI CHORALE Our Artists Scotia Opera. David has conducted the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Waterloo Chamber Players, the Hart House Orchestra, the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra, DAVID BOWSER, the National Youth Orchestra, and has ARTISTIC DIRECTOR performed at the Nassau City Opera David Bowser is Artistic Director and in the Bahamas, and the Flanders Conductor of Pax Christi Chorale and Music Festival in Belgium. the Toronto Mozart Players. He is Founder and Artistic Director of the David earned his Doctor of Musical Mozart Project and Music Director Arts at the University of Toronto of the Oakville Choral Society. He is specializing in eighteenth-cen- an active guest conductor, composer, tury string and vocal performance university instructor and vocal coach. practices. He holds a Master of Music degree in composition from David has conducted music for ballet, the University of Toronto and a opera, film, television and the concert Diplôme d'études supérieures II stage, and has performed in Canada, (Master’s degree) in conducting the United States, Belgium, France, from the Conservatoire de Musique Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Slovakia and in Montreal. His vocal training with the Czech Republic. He has been esteemed pedagogue Marie Daveluy music director of the Thunder Bay inspired a life-long passion for the Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, the voice. He studied orchestral and Brantford Symphony Orchestra, the operatic conducting with Leopold North York Concert Orchestra and Hager at the Hochschule für Musik the Hart House Chorus. He has also und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna served as resident conductor of the and with Gianluigi Gelmetti at the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy. and assistant conductor of the Nova 5 PAX CHRISTI CHORALE been the recipient of the Emerging Artist grant from Canada Council, and was honoured by her home town of Mississauga with a star on the Music Walk of Fame in its inaugural year. Ms MONICA WHICHER, SOPRANO Szabó’s performances with Pax Christi Chorale include Elgar’s The Kingdom Style and musical elegance are in 2012, and The Apostles in 2017. the hallmarks of soprano Monica Whicher's performances on the con- cert and opera stage. Appearances with Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Houston’s Mercury Baroque, Toronto Symphony, Cleveland Opera, the Canadian Opera Company, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra ISAIAH BELL, TENOR include repertoire ranging from Bach Canadian-American tenor Isaiah to Britten. Winner of the George Bell has performed with all London Prize, recordings and CDs of Canada’s major orchestras. include the Juno-award winning Internationally, he has sung with “Beethoven Lives Upstairs”, “Mozart’s the Aldeburgh and Edinburgh Magic Fantasy”, and the art songs of Festivals (Britten’s Owen Wingrave), Ukrainian composers Mykola Lysenko l'Opéra-Théâtre de Metz in and Yakiv Stepovyi. Ms. Whicher is on France (Lysander in A Midsummer the faculty of both the Glenn Gould Night's Dream ), Lincoln Center’s School (Royal Conservatory of Music, Mostly Mozart Festival (Acis and Toronto) and the University of Toronto. Galatea), and Nicholas McGegan’s Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra in San Francisco. This season, Isaiah performs with the Canadian Opera Company (Arabella), the Nashville Symphony (The Creation, conducted by Nicholas McGegan), Opera Atelier (Monteverdi’s Il KRISZTINA SZABÓ, MEZZO-SOPRANO ritorno d’Ulisse in patria), the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (Messiah), Hungarian-Canadian mezzo-soprano and the Seattle Symphony Krisztina Szabó exemplifies today’s (Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9). modern singer: She is vocally ver- Mr. Bell appears on the 2015 satile, possesses excellent stage recording of Honegger/Ibert’s prowess, and paints vivid character L’Aiglon with the Montreal portraits. She sings frequently at Symphony, & Kent Nagano. the Canadian Opera Company, has 6 PAX CHRISTI CHORALE in Michigan and the Indian Springs Academy of Music in Cincinnati. Currently, he is a lecturer at the U of T, where he teaches applied piano and piano literature. Recently Asher BRETT POLEGATO, BARITONE published an essay in Cambridge University Press’s journal Tempo. Brett Polegato's artistic sensibility has earned him the highest praise from audiences and critics: “his is a serious and seductive voice” says The Globe and Mail, and The New York Times has praised his “burnished, well-focused voice.” Equally at ease on the concert and recital stages, ALLISON WALMSLEY, SOPRANO Mr. Polegato made his Carnegie Hall Hailing from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, recital debut at Weill Recital Hall in Allison completed a Bachelor’s degree May 2003. He finished first among in voice performance at the U of S. the men at the 1995 Cardiff Singer Allison won the Gordon Wallis Opera, of the World Competition. In April and the CFMTA Young Artist compe- 2017, Mr. Polegato performed The titions before moving to Ontario and Apostles with Pax Christi Chorale. pursuing a career as an opera singer. Recent roles include Mozart’s Queen of the Night, Morgana in AEDO’s Alcina, Nanetta in WUO's Falstaff, and Cat in Saskatoon Opera’s The Bremen Town Musicians. Allison has been both chorister and soloist in several choirs including the London Pro Musica Choir, ASHER IAN ARMSTRONG, PIANO St. George Anglican Church Choir, A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Asher Arcady Ensemble, Greystone Singers, Ian Armstrong grew up in a music-lov- and the U of S Chorus. A graduate of a ing family. He completed a Masters in Masters Degree in Voice Performance performance at Cincinnati College- from Western University, Allison is Conservatory of Music, and DMA with delighted to be joining Pax Christi Marietta Orlov at the University of Chorale as a Vocal Lead, and soloist Toronto. In addition, Asher studied in the Romantic Masters program. at the Ian Tomlin School of Music in Upcoming engagements include Edinburgh, with Nicholas Ashton. A Handel’s Messiah with Regina soloist, recitalist, and collaborator in Symphony Orchestra and the Bach Canada and in the US, he is equally Magnificatwith Saskatoon active as an educator and has taught Symphony Orchestra. at the Interlochen School of the Arts 7 PAX CHRISTI CHORALE and musical theatre. Through his career Daniel has collaborated with dance, visual and musical artists in large and chamber ensembles to perform both scripted and improvi- RYAN DOWNEY, TENOR satory compositions. He has also coached musicians across numerous Newfoundland tenor Ryan Downey instruments in interpretation and has sung with opera companies and performance. Mr. Norman performs symphonies across the country and regularly as an organ soloist and has been critically acclaimed for his enjoys featuring works of varying “nimbleness of voice” (Bachtrack) time periods and dialects. He has and “clear intention and charac- an undergraduate degree in Music ter” (Schmopera). Ryan is an eager Composition from the University concert artist; recent and upcoming of Western Ontario and a graduate engagements include Beethoven’s degree in Performance from the 9th Symphony with the Windsor University of Toronto. In addition Symphony, Handel’s Messiah with to his work as a freelance artist, Mr.