NEWS RELEASE
THE CELLAR SINGERS
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The Cellar Singers are excited to mark the conclusion of our 2021-22 season with a concert celebrating Canadian composers.
The Cellar Singers safely and successfully provided two much-appreciated performances of Handel’s Messiah in December 2021.
Now we’re thrilled to complete our 54th season with a concert featuring our special guest, composer Stephanie Martin. In commemoration of the last two years, we'll be performing her Requiem for All Souls (2017) and A Frost Sequence, inspired during COVID lockdowns, concentrating on the beautiful but transitory nature of time and based on the poetry of Robert Frost.
Martin will join us to offer insight into her work and its inspiration. She has held the position of director of music at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene and she teaches music history, composition, harpsichord and organ, and coaches historical ensembles at York University. Martin counts Healey Willan among her major influences.
Willan (1880-1968) had a long and celebrated career as an organist and composer with the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Toronto. He was prolific and composed almost 1000 pieces, including an anthem for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. His works are ethereal, with long, romantic phrasing combined with the unique and innovative harmonies of his time.
We'll be performing a set of anthems from the late 1920s; Ave Verum Corpus, a meditation on suffering and redemption composed during the Second World War; and Gloria Deo per Immensa Saecula (1950).
“It’s a truly moving experience to be able to share this beautiful music with each other and with our audience, and we’re excited to hear from Stephanie Martin about her ethereal, meaningful pieces,” says choir president Rebecca Campbell.
Join us on Saturday, May 28 at 7:30 at St. James' Anglican Church, Orillia for this inspiring a capella concert, offering deep insight into a composer’s process. Tickets are $25 ($10 for those under 30) and available from members or at thecellarsingers.com.
The Cellar Singers are an adult choral organization under professional leadership, dedicated to providing and promoting artistic excellence in Simcoe, Muskoka, and beyond, through education, outreach and high-quality performance of the choral art.
For more information, contact [email protected].
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