SIDNEY — Via Choralis will bring a mix of light and life to mid-winter.
To brighten the dark winter days, Sidney’s chamber choir and string orchestra will present Viva Vivaldi. The afternoon concerts will feature two well-known works by Venetian baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi, and a new opus by award-winning Ontario composer Jeff Enns.
The Gloria is likely Vivaldi’s best-known choral work. With its distinctive melodies and rhythms, the music exudes a sunny warmth that is universally acclaimed and will be especially appealing to audiences in mid-February.
Almost as famous as the Gloria is Vivaldi’s group of violin concertos, The Four Seasons. Via Choralis is delighted to welcome home guest violinist Elyssa Lefurgey-Smith who will bring the icy chill of the north wind to life in The Winter Concerto.
Lefurgey-Smith began her studies as a child at the Nanaimo Conservatory of Music. In 2007, she moved to Toronto and has worked for a decade as a professional baroque violinist, chamber musician, teacher and coach.
Newly arrived to Brentwood Bay, Lefurgey-Smith plans to expand her student base to the aspiring violinists of Vancouver Island.
To complete this lively, mid-winter programme, Via Choralis director Nicholas Fairbank is excited to conduct a contemporary work by Canadian musician and composer Jeff Enns. This opus is also called Gloria and the chorus will blend harmonies that are full and lush and filled with emotion.
Viva Vivaldi Soloists include Tasha Farivar, a mezzo-soprano, who recently completed a music degree with Benjamin Butterfield at the University of Victoria.
She is a winner of the Rose Bowl at the Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival and the Mary Wood Scholarship. She has appeared as a soloist with the Victoria Chamber Orchestra, the Sooke Philharmonic and the Via Choralis chamber choir.
Margaret Lingas, a soprano, is the other, and is currently in her final year also studying with Benjamin Butterfield at UVic.
She holds a choral scholarship at Christ Church Cathedral and sings with the St. John and St. Christopher Singers. Margaret is the winner of the 2016 Concerto Competition.
The concert will take place at St. Elizabeth’s Church on Feb. 18 and 19 beginning at 2:30 p.m.
For ticket information contact Nicholas Fairbank at 250-514-2669 or info@fairbankmusic.ca.
For more information visit viachoralis.ca.
— Submitted by
Via Choralis