Even More NOYSE Concert – 2 pm Saturday February 1, 2020
Are you, or do you know, a talented young musician or dancer who would love to perform for a live audience on the main stage at Vernon’s Performing Arts Centre? We are very pleased to announce that NOCCA (North Okanagan Community Concert Association) is planning the third NOYSE (North Okanagan Youth Showcase of Excellence) concert for young musicians of the North Okanagan. This gala performance at the Performing Arts Centre is open to any young talent embracing music in any of its diverse forms: any solo acoustic instrument, small acoustic group, song, or dance. Non-professional participants up to 24 years of age are invited to audition at the Vernon Community Music School on Saturday January 11, 2020.
An on-line audition application is available on the “NOYSE” page of NOCCA’s website. Applications will be accepted until January 4, 2020. Alternatively application forms can be downloaded from the website, printed and left for Alex Macarthur at the Vernon Community Music School Office Monday to Thursday 8 am-12:30 pm and 1-5 pm (except Statutory Holidays and Christmas Break).
The Gala Performance will take place at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre on Saturday February 1, 2020 at 2:00 pm.
To help performers prepare, we are looking for the following:
An advanced selection in the presentation of choice
Advanced level of technical skills
Presentation as a performer – introduction of self and selection, stage presence, interaction with audience, etc.
Interpretation – expression, phrasing etc. of chosen piece
We hope performers welcome this opportunity to perform in a wonderful concert venue with an attentive audience. Holding the auditions in the early New Year gives performers a longer time to prepare. All final participants will be awarded an honorarium.
We look forward to meeting students in the New Year!
Saguenay and Lafayette String Quartets Saturday October 26, 2019 7:30 pm BUY TICKETS
Saguenay and Lafayette String Quartets – These two internationally acclaimed quartets amalgamate to perform three sophisticated and sparkling string octets by Danish Niels Gade, Canadian Airat Ichmouratov, and Felix Mendelssohn’s masterful String Octet in E Flat Major. This is musical dialogue and communication at its most sensitive and compelling.
The Saguenay String Quartet (formerly known as the Alcan Quartet) -violinists Laura Andriani and Nathalie Camus, violist Luc Beauchemin, and cellist David Ellis. The Saguenay String Quartet has developed a reputation for excellence throughout Canada and internationally since its formation in 1989. The Quartet’s originality, contagious enthusiasm, unique sonority, and remarkable cohesion have all contributed to its long-term success. The ensemble’s list of accomplishments is impressive: 1,000 concerts; over 100 live radio broadcasts, numerous television appearances; tours throughout North America, Europe, Asia; and a number of commissioned pieces and first performances.
The Quartet’s recent tours have led the Quartet to Italy, France, the United States, Asia and all over Canada. Its last visit to the Lanaudière Festival, accompanied by pianist Alain Lefèvre, was hailed by more than 6,000 people and welcomed by enthusiastic critics. This concert was also awarded the Opus Prize for the concert of the year by the Conseil québécois de la musique, as well as a Félix (Adisq) prize for the recording of the same André Mathieu repertoire.
Another cornerstone in the Quartet’s history, is the release of its highly anticipated Complete cycle of Beethoven’s 16 string quartets as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations. In addition to its performing career, the Quartet is regularly invited to teach and conduct master classes at universities, conservatories, and summer chamber music institutes both in Quebec and abroad. The Saguenay String Quartet is based in Chicoutimi, Québec, where it receives the unconditional support of the Orchestre symphonique du Saguenay. Saguenay Quartet
The Lafayette String Quartet – violinists Ann Elliott-Goldschmidt and Sharon Stanis, violist Joanna Hood, and cellist Pamela Highbaugh Aloni. In July 1986, these four young musicians, based in Detroit and just beginning their professional careers, performed together for the first time as the Lafayette String Quartet. Today the LSQ continues to flourish with its original personnel. The members of the Lafayette String Quartet divide their time between entertaining audiences all over North America and Europe and teaching some of Canada’s finest young string players. Their residency at the University of Victoria is rich in local performances and community involvement. Their concerts in Canada and abroad are hailed as “Passionate, riveting, and with flawless ensemble.”
The LSQ’s extraordinary musicianship was recognized early on. Already in 1988, it was ranked among the magazine Musical America’s “Young Artists to Watch,” and in its first years it won the Grand prize at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and prizes at the Portsmouth (now City of London) International String Quartet Competition, and the Chicago Discovery Competition. As winners of the 1988 Cleveland String Quartet Competition, the LSQ had the opportunity to study for two years with the Cleveland Quartet at the Eastman School of Music, in Rochester, New York.
In 1991, the four women became artists-in-residence at the University of Victoria’s School of Music, in British Columbia—positions they still hold today. They received honorary doctorates from University Canada West and were honored with the inaugural Craigdarroch Award for Excellence in Artistic Expression in 2010 from the University of Victoria.
The LSQ has performed across Canada, the United States, Mexico and Europe, with concerts often allied with masterclasses and workshops. They often collaborate with other string quartets including the Saguenay (Alcan), the New Zealand, the Penderecki, the Molinari, the Emily Carr, and the Quarteto Latinoamericano. Lafayette String Quartet
The concert will be opened by cellist Angela Zeng, a student attending Kalamalka Secondary School. She has been playing cello for 7 years and studies with Morna Howie at the Vernon Community Music School. Angela has been playing with the Okanagan Symphony Youth Orchestra since she was 9 years old and has been playing lots of chamber music with family and friends at local senior centres. Angela earned runner-up in BC Provincial Festival String Junior A category in 2017, and first place in Junior B in 2018. Recently she was invited to audition for the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
Concert Program:
Neils W. Gade (1817-1890)
String Octet in F major Op. 17
Airat Ichmouratov (1973- )
Spring Octet in G minor “The Letter” Op. 56
Intermission
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
String Octet in E flat major Op. 20
Click on the image/link below to view a video of the Saguenay String Quartet (formerly known as the Alcan Quartet):
Click on the image/link below to view a video of the Lafayette String Quartet:
This concert was held over from the original date in April. The choir wasn’t able to leave Vancouver Island because of high winds at that time. They actually spent some terrifying hours on a ferry that was tossed about, and managed to return to port.
The concert began customarily with some local guest artists; this time Keanna Burgher and Charlotte Backman – both veterans from Melina Moore’s Valley Vocal Arts program.They warmed up the crowd nicely with God Bless The Child, Being Alive and Secondary Characters sung as a duet. Their confidence and experience shone through. They were ably accompanied by Alex MacArthur on the piano.
There was some confusion about which programme was being presented by the choir – the one in the insert or the one on the April concert sleeve. Conductor Brian Wismath cleared it up by announcing that the insert pieces were the evening’s programme – all pieces by Canadian composers of the 20th Century.
Throughout the difficult program – all sung a cappella (no accompaniment) – the choir showed their confidence and produced a flawless blend of tone, perfect tuning and tight ensemble. Kudos to Brian Wismath for his excellent rehearsal technique.
The first half of the program was the most enjoyable for the reviewer. Two pieces by Kathleen Allan – Stars and Thou My Soul May Set in Darkness – showed a mastery of compositional techniques including fugue (complicated round; first part called an exposition). Stars by Ashley Bontje had lovely pentatonic (five-note pattern) melodies woven together.
Certainly the most entertaining piece was by Chris Sivak – Alouette Meets Her Maker – in which the choir produces sounds associated with the decommissioned satellite of the 1970s. The imagination of the composer produces a sequel to the decommissioning after 10 years – with an unexpected reboot after 30 years. There is radio chatter, buzzing, blips and bleeps, all ending with a ‘Whoosh!’ which marked the final destruction of the circuits.
The first half of the program ended with seven parts from Estonian composer Urmas Sisask’s Gloria Patri sung in Latin. All movements were based on only five selected notes. Number one was the Gloria Patri beginning in the style of a church motet, and then using a quartet singing in unison, sounding medieval. The perfect blend of the choir was very evident through this section.
The Sanctus had a lively bouncing rhythm which was perfectly executed by the choir. This was carried out again in the Gloria. The last movement, the Agnus Dei sounded very sombre and penitential out of which grew some simple imitation.The ending had multiple repeats of the phrase Dona Nobis Pacem with long breaks in between. Kudos to the audience for not interrupting with premature applause. You could hear a pin drop!
The second half began with Kitchener-Waterloo composer Jeff Enns’ Psalm 23; it was in the style of a Tudor church anthem with modern harmony. Again perfect tuning and blend were displayed by the choir. Enn’s second piece was a lament about a little girl suffering the experiences at a Residential school. It was called I Lost My Talk.
I didn’t quite grasp the point being made by The Gracious Exchange by Christine Donkin, but it was beautifully sung regardless. The Heaven’s Flock (Eriks Esenvalds) used dense harmony and experimented with various textures- it was a bit beyond my liking but well sung.
The encore – David Bowies’ Space Oddity was just that – odd. Anyways, the audience went away satisfied after hearing this wonderful choir!
The next NOCCA concert will feature Saguenay and Lafayette String Quartets on Saturday October 26, 2019 at 7:30 pm. More information at nocca.ca.
Vox Humana Chamber Choir Saturday September 28, 2019 7:30 pm
At Trinity United Church, Vernon BUY TICKETS
Vox Humana Chamber Choir – Victoria’s premier chamber choir of 24 singers ranging from advanced students to professional musicians, directed by Brian Wismath, presents a versatile mix from Praetorius to Britten, from newly commissioned to established choral repertoire.
Since its founding in 2002, the mixed-voice ensemble Vox Humana has established itself as Victoria’s premier chamber choir. Under the direction of Brian Wismath, its core group of 24 singers ranges from advanced students to professional musicians. As part of its regular concert season from September to June, Vox Humana presents several different programmes of diverse repertoire. Their artistic mandate includes the presentation of new music; their repertoire history includes a number of commissions and Canadian premieres. In addition to their self-produced concerts, Vox Humana is a frequent artistic collaborator with other groups; since 2011 they have appeared annually with the Victoria Symphony in works as diverse as Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Britten’s War Requiem and Handel’s Messiah. Two of Vox’s annual traditions have become sold-out favourites: Vox in the Stars, a performance in the dome housing the Plaskett Telescope at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Saanich, BC, and A Child’s Christmas in Wales, a concert of seasonal music centered on a reading of the beloved Dylan Thomas story.
Vox released its first CD in September 2011, entitled Summer Rain. The title track is a composition by Estonian composer Toivo Tulev. The remainder of the CD features the music of Canadian composer Jeff Enns, and French composer César Geoffray. Vox released its second CD in December 2018, entitled A Child’s Christmas in Wales and features the quintessential Christmastime story by Dylan Thomas, accompanied by carols. voxhumanachoir.ca
The concert will be opened by cellist Angela Zeng, a student attending Kalamalka Secondary School. She has been playing cello for 7 years and studies with Morna Howie at the Vernon Community Music School. Angela has been playing with the Okanagan Symphony Youth Orchestra since she was 9 years old and has been playing lots of chamber music with family members and friends at local senior centres. She goes to New Denver regularly to study cello performance with John Kadz and Johanne Perron. Angela earned runner-up in BC Provincial Festival String Junior A category in 2017, and first place in Junior B in 2018. Recently she was invited to audition for the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She hopes to continue cello after high school and pursue it as a career. In her free time Angela likes to do competitive swimming and play soccer.
Vox Humana Chamber Choir Saturday April 27, 2019 7:30 pm BUY TICKETS
Vox Humana Chamber Choir – Victoria’s premier chamber choir of 24 singers ranging from advanced students to professional musicians, directed by Brian Wismath, presents a versatile mix from Praetorius to Britten, from newly commissioned to established choral repertoire.
Since its founding in 2002, the mixed-voice ensemble Vox Humana has established itself as Victoria’s premier chamber choir. Under the direction of Brian Wismath, its core group of 24 singers ranges from advanced students to professional musicians. As part of its regular concert season from September to June, Vox Humana presents several different programmes of diverse repertoire. Their artistic mandate includes the presentation of new music; their repertoire history includes a number of commissions and Canadian premieres. In addition to their self-produced concerts, Vox Humana is a frequent artistic collaborator with other groups; since 2011 they have appeared annually with the Victoria Symphony in works as diverse as Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Britten’s War Requiem and Handel’s Messiah. Two of Vox’s annual traditions have become sold-out favourites: Vox in the Stars, a performance in the dome housing the Plaskett Telescope at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Saanich, BC, and A Child’s Christmas in Wales, a concert of seasonal music centered on a reading of the beloved Dylan Thomas story.
Vox released its first CD in September 2011, entitled Summer Rain. The title track is a composition by Estonian composer Toivo Tulev. The remainder of the CD features the music of Canadian composer Jeff Enns, and French composer César Geoffray. Vox released its second CD in December 2018, entitled A Child’s Christmas in Wales and features the quintessential Christmastime story by Dylan Thomas, accompanied by carols. voxhumanachoir.ca
The concert will be opened by Angela Zeng, a 14 year old, grade 9 student who attends Kalamalka Secondary School. She has been playing cello for 7 years and studies with Morna Howie at the Vernon Community Music School. Angela has been playing with the Okanagan Symphony Youth Orchestra since she was 9 years old and has been playing lots of chamber music with family members and friends at local senior centres. She goes to New Denver regularly to study cello performance with John Kadz and Johanne Perron. Angela earned runner-up in BC Provincial Festival String Junior A category in 2017, and first place in Junior B in 2018. Recently she was invited to audition for the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She hopes to continue cello after high school and pursue it as a career. In her free time Angela likes to do competitive swimming and play soccer.
Concert Program:
Leonard Enns (b. 1948)
Te Deum Brevis
David Archer (b. 1985)
The Heart of Night
Compassio
Fire and Ice *commissioned for this concert
Liova Bueno (b. 1979)
Canadian Triptych *commissioned for this concert
Kathleen Allan (b. 1989)
Mother o’ Mine
Jeff Enns (b. 1972)
Psalm 23
I Will Lift Mine Eyes
I Lost My Talk
Intermission
Kristopher Fulton (b. 1978)
Prometheus
Tobin Stokes (b. 1966)
Bush Chord
Rodney Sharman (b. 1958)
Requiescat
Jocelyn Morlock (b. 1969)
One Black Spike
Click on the image/link below to view a short video of the choir performing:
North Okanagan Community Concert Association 