Tag: Community Concerts Vernon

Valencia Baryton Project – Concert Review

by SillyGilly, posted in Review
Valencia Baryton Project

It was an immense pleasure to listen to Alex Thiessen open the NOCCA’S March 20th concert with the presentation of 4 songs including Bizet’s Habanera, beautifully accompanied by Neta Petkau on the NOCCA Steinway Grand. Thiessen sang with confidence, expressiveness and ease. She is a multi-talented musician whose joy of singing shone through brilliantly.

The Valencia Baryton Project made up of Matthew Baker (baryton), Amy Domingues (cello), and Brett Walfish (viola), graced the main stage with a magnificent presentation consisting mainly of Franz Joseph Haydn’s chamber compositions written for the baryton. Haydn wrote over 170 compositions for this instrument and of these, 126 were trios for the baryton, cello and viola.

The baryton, a unique instrument dating back to the 17th century, resembles a combination of the bass viol, a fretted guitar and a bowed cello with sympathetic strings hidden behind the neck. These strings produce harmonic overtones when the instrument is bowed but can also be plucked to provide an array of tonal qualities. Matthew Baker, one of 15 known professional players in the world, introduced us to the magical qualities of this little known instrument. The interplay between the trio entertained the audience throughout the evening with gorgeous harmonies woven beautifully together with delicate precision. Concertgoers were attentive because the delicate sounds produced were both subtle and almost understated.

It’s interesting that for an instrument that was well known in the 17th century, several modern composers are intrigued and have produced compositions for it. While the Haydn pieces were intimate, fragile and delightful, the contemporary works opened new musical perspectives to the musicians and audience. The River, for example, by Canadian composer, Steve Zink, created unmistakable imagery of a river gently meandering through the countryside, allowing the musicians to flow in their musical presentation.

Review by Gerry Sholomenko and Shannon Marsh.

Nocca’s next concert will feature meagan&amy (piano and violin) on Wednesday April 19, 2023. Tickets can be purchased at ticket seller.ca or phone (250) 549-7469.

Valencia Baryton Project Pre-concert Talk – March 19, 2023

by SillyGilly, posted in News

Valencia Baryton Project Pre-concert Talk
7 pm Sunday March 19, 2023
Museum & Archives of Vernon

The Valencia Baryton Project is a trio that centres on the rare early classical instrument, the baryton, accompanied by violin and cello. The baryton has 16 strings – 6 on the front and 10 on the back, played like a harp.

Popular for about a hundred years in the 16th century, the classical baryton was considered the pinnacle of aristocratic instruments and was the preferred instrument of Joseph Haydn’s patron, Prince Esterhazy.

Today the baryton is played by only a handful of people in the world. Come meet and hear this rare instrument in an intimate pre-concert talk with Matt Baker 7 pm Sunday March 19th at the Museum & Archives of Vernon.

Location:
Museum & Archives of Vernon (MAV)
https://vernonmuseum.ca
3009 32nd Avenue
Vernon BC, V1T 2L8

Staff contact:
Jenna Kiesman / 250-550-3140 / jenna.kiesman@vernonmuseum.ca

*** The Valencia Baryton Project will be giving a concert at Vernon and District’s Performing Arts Centre the following evening – 7:30 pm Monday March 20, 2023. This is part of NOCCA’s 2022/23 concert series.
Tickets for the concert may be purchased at ticketseller.ca ***

Valencia Baryton Project – Monday March 20, 2023

by SillyGilly, posted in Concert

Valencia Baryton Project
7:30 pm Monday March 20, 2023
Buy Tickets

A new soundscape to modern composition.

The Valencia Baryton Project was formed by colleagues from the opera of the Palau de les Arts (Valencia) and the Orchestre Nationale de Montpellier with the vision of performing the nearly 160 works written by Franz Joseph Haydn for the baryton. At the heart of the ensemble is the traditional baryton trio – baryton, viola, and violoncello – for which Haydn wrote 123 works of outstanding beauty during his time as the court composer for the Prince Esterhazy of Austria. With Matthew Baker, one of only a handful baryton performers in the world, the Valencia Baryton Project have delighted audiences in North, Central and South America as well as Europe with what is considered to have been the pinnacle of aristocratic instruments of the classical era. Their work has been described as ‘delightfully inventive”.

** The Baryton player, Matthew Baker, is also hosting a pre-concert talk
at the Vernon Museum – 7 pm on March 19th. **

The baryton has 16 strings – 6 on the front and 10 on the back, played like a harp. Popular for about a hundred years in the 16th century, the classical baryton was considered the pinnacle of aristocratic instruments and was the preferred instrument of Joseph Haydn’s patron, Prince Esterhazy. Today it is played by only a handful of people in the world. Come meet and hear this rare instrument in an intimate pre-concert talk with Matt Baker on Sunday, March 19 at 7pm at the Vernon Museum.

  More about the Valencia Baryton Project.


Click on the links below to view a couple of short videos of the Valencia Baryton Project:

https://youtu.be/ebyfgdYkyVc

https://youtu.be/Kjm4L7JBeWs

SINGLE CONCERT TICKETS
Adults – $40  22 and Under – $20
Guest of a subscription member $35

Purchase tickets at:

TICKET SELLER
Phone: (250) 549-SHOW (7469)
E-mail: boxoffice@ticketseller.ca

– or –

Visit The Performing Arts Centre Foyer
3800-34th Street, Vernon
All concerts are held in the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre.

Change of Venue for NOCCA’s February Concert

by SillyGilly, posted in Concert, News

Happy New Year to all NOCCA’s subscribers and friends!

Due to a recent cold snap the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre experienced water damage and are working to restore the theatre. Unfortunately this results in having to change the venue of NOCCA’s next concert on Friday February 17, 2023 to the Trinity United Church, 3300 Alexis Park Drive, Vernon BC.

Those who already hold concert tickets will be emailed a new ticket by Ticket Seller. If you don’t receive an updated ticket, your name will be on a list at the door. Doors Open at 6:30 pm and the show is at 7:30 pm on the original date (Feb 17, 2023). Your tickets will now be General Admission and you will pick your own seat at the Church.

Tickets can be purchased on-line at https://www.ticketseller.ca/tickets/event/marc-atkinson-trio

Pentaèdre – Concert Review

by SillyGilly, posted in Review
Nicholas Covaser

Like many of the musical delights presented in the 70 year history of the North Okanagan Community Concert Association, the concert that was showcased on November 19th was a standout that created complete delight of audience members. In the tradition of the series, the young double bass virtuoso Nicholas Covaser warmed up the audience with a Shubert Sonata accompanied by Carol Colpitts on piano. The 14 year old played the compete piece from memory which was brilliant to behold, making even the more technical sections a pleasure to hear, bowing and playing pizzicato sections seamlessly with expression, grace, appropriate intensity and sensitivity. He was one with his instrument.

The main attraction Pentaèdre then took the stage with good humour and seamless professionalism. Described as a “unique musical ensemble” in the Canadian musical scene, the group opened their selections with a JS Bach piece entitled Toccata and Fugue in c minor BWV911. The first piece quickly demonstrated both the superb technical expertise and the amazing interpretive musicianship of the group. Ariane Brisson flute, Elise Poulin oboe, Martin Carpentier clarinet, Louis-Philip Marsolais horn and Mathieu Lussier bassoon. The musicians showed complete joy in the music that was selected both in their expressions and body movements which was pleasurable to be a part of. After a minor mixup in the music (a clarinet part was misplaced) and some good humour around lost music, the concert continued with excerpts from the Mozart Opera, the Magic Flute. Indeed the flute and all of the instruments took on a magic fairy tale-like quality that matched the musical selections and the exquisite careful listening each musician needed to echo the sensitivity of the others. The flute, oboe and clarinet demonstrated unsurpassed sensitivity that this reviewer has not experienced often.


The second half of the concert opened with the missing piece of music, a sensitive commissioned modern piece by Barbara Assiginaak entitled Mshkodeng (in the clearing) that showcased the virtuosity of the quintet’s expertise whether playing modern supersensitive music or more classical transcriptions of older music. In closing the main concert, the group played Quintet #3 by David Maslanka, a deconstructed chorale based on the JS Bach work with 3 incredibly challenging movements. The quintet rose above the occasion to evoke an immediate standing ovation from the audience. All in all, it was a wonderful concert with congratulations to the organizers, musicians and audience.

Review provided by Gerry Sholomenko.

Nocca’s next concert will feature the Marc Atkinson Trio with Cam Wilson (Joe Trio, Van Django) on Friday February 17, 2023. Tickets can be purchased at ticket seller.ca or phone (250) 549-7469.

Below is a youtube video link of Nicholas Covaser (double bass) and Carol Colpitts (piano) from the concert.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb1hlLIvNwE