Dance rhythms will have you tapping your toes in the Halifax Camerata Singers’ upcoming choral concert Songs & Dances: Music in Motion on Saturday, May 15 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Patrick's Church, on Brunswick Street, Halifax and again on Sunday, May 16th, 4:00 p.m. at Sharon United Church in Tatamagouche. The Halifax performance is a fundraiser for the "Give St. Patrick's a Hand" campaign in support of the St. Patrick’s Church Restoration Society.
As the title suggests, the first half of the concert is ‘poetry set to music’ including works by Benjamin Britten, a lush setting by Z. Randall Stroope of what is perhaps Sara Teasdale’s best known and achingly beautiful poem “I am Not Yours”, and George Shearing’s setting of seven ‘Songs & Sonnets’ by William Shakespeare. The second half of the program is driven by dance rhythms: Latin rhythms, Celtic rhythms, Hungarian gypsy rhythms, and includes works by Brahms, and Canadian composers Sid Robinovitch, Bruce Sled, and a sensual and haunting arrangement of Loreena McKinnett’s Tango To Evora by Jon Washburn. Some of these ‘dances’ have lyrics and some do not, but all evoke movement of the body.
Accompanying the choir are pianist Cynthia Davies and bass player Max Kasper, and special guests at both concerts will be six singers from Camerata’s Youth Mentoring Program. This is the 11th year of operation of this educational initiative in which young singers attending high school or university prepare and perform a concert with the Halifax Camerata Singers.
Advance tickets for the Halifax performance, in benefit of St. Patrick’s, are $20 regular / $10 students and may be purchased online at www.HalifaxCamerata.org, and are also available at TAZ Records, 1593 Market Street, Halifax and at Duly Noted Stationary, 1459 Brenton Street (just off Spring Garden Road), Halifax, or by phoning 463-7370. Tickets, if still available, will also be sold at the door.
Tickets for the Tatamagouche performance are $15 regular / $5 students and available online at www.HalifaxCamerata.org, at the Village Florist in Tatamagouche, at MacQuarries Pharmasave in Truro, or by phoning 257-2519.
About the Choir
Halifax Camerata Singers, founded in 1986 by Artistic Director Jeff Joudrey, is Nova Scotia’s leading chamber choir. Camerata is known for promoting Canadian music as well as its eclectic repertoire and performance excellence. The choir performs regularly with Symphony Nova Scotia and at festivals in the Maritimes. In April 2008 it won the Galaxie Rising Star Award in the 17th biennial national choral competition co-sponsored by CBC/Radio Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts, and this year it is one of three chamber choir finalists in the Association of Canadian Choral Communities National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs. It is the only Nova Scotia chamber choir to have advanced to the finals in these choral competitions. In the fall 2009 the choir released its fourth CD, Solace: Songs of Remembrance featuring music to remember loved ones.
About the Beneficiary
The Saint Patrick's Church Restoration Society was formed in July 2007 with a mandate to restore and preserve the church, which was facing imminent closure. The society has since held various fund raising events, launched the “Give St. Patrick’s a Hand” campaign, and in March of 2008 organized Halifax’s first Saint Patrick's Day parade in 70 years. The society wants to ensure that the church survives as both a Parish and as a centre for performing arts and social justice. The wish was to restore and maintain the original beauty of the 1885 structure, which was intended from the very beginning not just as a parish church, but also a place for events and especially concerts. In 2009 the Society signed an agreement with the Archdiocese of Halifax, and assumed full responsibility for the restoration and maintenance of the church. For more information see the website www.GiveSaintPatrickAHand.com.
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