Articles tagged with: Viva Voce Choral Series

  • Avanti Chamber Singers preparing to end Brock Music season on a high note

    The Avanti Chamber Singers will perform for the final time this season on Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. in St. Thomas Anglican Church. (Photo courtesy of Julie Hoff)


    (From The Brock News, April 16, 2019 | By: Jaquelyn Bezaire)

    The Avanti Chamber Singers will close an eclectic Brock Music season with their final performance, The Road Home.

    Led by Assistant Professor Rachel Rensink-Hoff, Brock’s Ensemble-in-Residence will perform at St. Thomas Anglican Church on Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Viva Voce! Choral Series.

    Rensink-Hoff explained this concert is quite different from Avanti’s first two performances this season.

    “We’ve had a very diverse year,” she said. “We did the big classical piece at the beginning of the year and have explored probably every style chorally that we could throughout the season.”

    The concert repertoire was inspired by This House of Peace, a choral number by contemporary composer Ralph Johnson, commissioned for the opening of the Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend in Springfield, Ore. The song reflects on conversations Johnson had with people staying in a medical centre guesthouse while their loved ones were in hospital.

    As well as Johnson’s number, the choir will also perform songs that reflect on the idea of “home” as a space where individuals feel at peace.

    The opening piece, titled Ambe by Indigenous composer Andrew Balfour, is rhythmic in style and based in an Ojibway dialect.

    The program also includes All of Us by Craig Hella Johnson, and Stephen Paulus’ The Road Home, for which the concert is named.

    The Avanti Chamber Singers will also be joined by oboist Marta Agnieszka for a few pieces during the performance, including Gabriel’s Oboe arranged by Jon Washburn.

    This is the third and final performance of the season for the choir, who have spent the last eight months rehearsing and growing together as singers.

    “Concert themes can be quite personal and so, as I work with Avanti and get to know them more, it’s easier to create programs that I believe will resonate with the members of the choir,” said Rensink-Hoff.

    The Avanti Chamber Singers will perform for the final time this season on Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Thomas Anglican Church, 99 Ontario St. in St. Catharines.

    Tickets purchased in advance for the show are $20 for adults and seniors. Tickets at the door are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors. There is also a discounted price of $5 for students and eyeGo program members. Tickets are available through theAvanti Chamber Singers website, at Thorold Music, Booksmart Books or from choir members.

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    Categories: Events, News, Viva Voce Choral Series

  • Season-ending Brock Choirs concert to explore stages of life

    The Brock University Women’s and Chamber choirs, shown at a recent performance, will again take the stage in the Recital Hall of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines on Saturday, March 30 at 7:30 p.m.


    (From The Brock News, March 26, 2019 | By: Jaquelyn Bezaire)

    The Brock University Women’s and Chamber choirs are back for the second and final performance of the school year, with a program exploring the different stages and seasons of life.

    Led by conductor and Brock Assistant Professor Rachel Rensink-Hoff, the two choirs will perform together on Saturday, March 30 at 7:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

    The performance is part of the Viva Voce! Choral Series, which sees the University’s choral ensembles come together as the Brock Choirs in recitals that take place throughout the year.

    Since their most recent performance in November, the two groups have been working on new and diverse pieces for their upcoming concert.

    “Second semester always has more experimentation,” explained Rensink-Hoff, “so we do a lot of moving around in terms of our seating and how the voices work together.”

    The two choirs will perform a wide range of repertoire, from traditional pieces by Schubert, Mendelssohn and Brahms, to more contemporary songs by Canadian composers Nancy Telfer, Jane Siberry and Jon Washburn.

    Rensink-Hoff selected poems to include by authors Christina Rossetti, Robert Burns and Charles Dickens, which she believes will resonate with the audience.

    The choirs will also perform a few pieces in different languages. Rensink-Hoff said working with that material has been both challenging and rewarding for the groups.

    “When you work with languages a lot through singing, you really get an understanding of how a language works,” she said. “From an educational perspective, it’s really wonderful to see.”

    Along with pieces in Latin and German, both choirs will perform a composition in Xhosa arranged by South African composer Michael Barrett.

    Brock Choirs in Concert II will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 30 at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (PAC) in downtown St. Catharines.

    Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and students. There is also a $5 option available for eyeGo program members. Tickets are available through the PAC box office at 905-688-0722 or on thePAC website.

    The final performance in the Viva Voce! Choral Series is also approaching on Saturday, April 27 featuring the Avanti Chamber Singers. For more details on upcoming concerts, visit the Department of Music website.

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    Categories: Current Students, Events, News, Viva Voce Choral Series

  • Choral season to wrap with final show

    The Avanti Chamber Singers, under the direction of Rachel Rensink-Hoff, will close out the 2017-18 Department of Music season on Saturday, April 28 at St. Thomas Anglican Church.

    The curtain will close on Brock’s 2017-18 Music season with a final performance by the Avanti Chamber Singers.

    Boundless, the last concert of the academic year, will be presented by the Department of Music and the Avanti Chamber Singers on Saturday, April 28 beginning at 7:30 p.m. at St. Thomas Anglican Church, 99 Ontario St., St. Catharines.

    The show features celestial-inspired music, exploring the harmony and mystery of the universe with a range of primarily 21st-century works.

    The program includes pieces such as Gloria Patri by Urmas Sisask, And Einstein Said by Trent Worthington, Stars by Eriks Ešenvalds, and the centerpiece of the program, Lux Aeterna by Morten Lauridsen.

    The Avanti Chamber Singers is a mixed chamber choir comprised of experienced choral singers from across the Niagara region. The group performs under the direction of Artistic Director Rachel Rensink-Hoff, who is also conductor of the Brock University choirs, Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor of Music Education at Brock University.

    “It has been a wonderful year,” she said when describing the choral and concert season as a whole. “We are seeing more and more people from the local community coming to our concerts, which is so exciting and motivating for our performers.”

    Looking forward to the 2018-19 Music season, there will be new choral opportunities for students and the community. The Brock choirs are being restructured to feature two ensembles: a mixed chamber choir and a women’s choir. Both are open by audition to all Brock University students, staff and faculty. New for this year, the women’s choir will also be open to the wider Niagara community “in hopes that it will function as a bridge between Brock’s music program and the wider singing community here in St. Catharines,” Rensink-Hoff said.

    Women’s choir rehearsals will be on Thursday evenings from 6 to 8:45 p.m. in the Cairns Recital Hall of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. Interested singers from the community are encouraged to contact Rensink-Hoff by email at rrensinkhoff@brocku.ca for an audition.

    Advance tickets for the last choral concert of the season are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and $5 for students and under the eyeGo program. They can be purchased at Thorold Music, 289 Glendale Ave.; Booksmart, 350 Vine St.; online through Eventbrite; or through members of the Avanti Chamber Singers.

    Tickets will also be sold at the door for an additional $5.

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    Categories: Announcements, Events, Special Events, Viva Voce Choral Series

  • The Viva Voce! Choral Series welcomes back the Avanti Chamber Singers

    The Avanti Chamber Singers performing under the conduction of Rachel Rensink-Hoff from a previous Viva Voce! Choral Series concert in 2017.

    Special guests, The Walker String Quartet, joins the Avanti Chamber Singers at the St. Thomas Anglican Church on Saturday Feb. 17. Pictured from left to right is Anna Hughes (2nd violin), Faith Lau (viola), Gordon Cleland (cello) and Vera Alexeeva (1st violin).

    The Avanti Chamber Singers come back “With Strings Attached” for another round with Brock’s Viva Voce! Choral Series. This time around they’re bringing special guests, The Walker String Quartet!

    This concert will feature Ola Gjeilo’s Dark Night of the Soul, Eric Whitacre’s Hebrew Love Songs and Telemann’s Laudate Jehovam, with other works of love and longing by Lassus, Pearsall, Hassler and contemporary composers Laura Hawley, John Butler, Jared Tomlinson and Jonathan Quick.

    The Chamber Singers will bring their signature sound to the St. Thomas Anglican Church, 99 Ontario Street in St. Catharines, Saturday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. The group is conducted by their Artistic Director, Rachel Rensink-Hoff, who is also Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor of Music Education at Brock University.

    Advance tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and students, and $5 under the eyeGo program. They can be purchased at Thorold Music, 289 Glendale Ave., and Booksmart, 350 Scott St., or online.

    Tickets at the door will be $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and students, and $5 under the eyeGo program.

    Visit the Department of Music’s Concert Series page for more information.

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    Categories: Events, Faculty & Instructors, Viva Voce Choral Series

  • Music presents the first Choral Concert for 2018!

    Avanti Chamber Singers

    Rachel Rensink-Hoff, Artistic Director
    Lesley Kingham, Pianist
    Guest Artists: Walker String Quartet

    With Strings Attached

    Featuring Ola Gjeilo’s Dark Night of the Soul & Eric Whitacre’s Hebrew Love Songs, with other works of love and longing by Lassus, Telemann, Pearsall, Dan Forrest, Laura Hawley and Jonathan Quick.

    Saturday, February 17 7:30 pm
    St. Thomas Anglican Church, 99 Ontario St., St. Catharines, ON

    Take advantage of a $5 ticket discount by purchasing tickets in advance from a choir member. avantichambersingers.com

    for more information about this concert on Saturday February 17, 2018

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    Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Viva Voce Choral Series

  • Music presents the Brock University Choirs: WINTERSONG

    The Viva Voce Choral Series features Brock’s student choral ensembles (men’s, women’s and mixed choruses).

    Under the direction of newly-appointed conductor Rachel Rensink-Hoff, these excellent choirs perform multiple concerts throughout the academic year. They have also engaged in community outreach, collaborated with choirs in Canada and the U.S., and produced CD recordings of works by Niagara composers.

    Viva Voce! Choral Series: Brock University Choirs

    conducted by Rachel Rensink-Hoff, featuring a Canada 150 Performance composed by Stephanie Martin

    Saturday, December 2, 2017
    Time: 7:30 p.m.

    Location: Cairns Recital Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre

    Tickets: $15* adults; $10* seniors & students; $5* eyeGo program. *No CCIF applied; other applicable fees and taxes are extra.

    Available from the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Box Office: 905.688.0722 or Long Distance Toll Free: 1.855.515.0722; online: firstontariopac.ca

    This is a special Canada 150 event.

     

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  • The Viva Voce! Choral Series presents Avanti Chamber Singers – Water Music: Of Rain, River and Sea

    The Avanti Chamber Singers celebrate spring and the conclusion of their 10th Anniversary Season with “Water Music: Songs of Rain, River and Sea”

    On Saturday, April 30, 2016, the Avanti Chamber Singers (ACS) present a beautiful and varied evening of original choral works and arrangements on the subject of water in all its forms. The audience will hear classical works, spirituals, folk songs and selections from the “Great American Songbook.”

    The program will feature, symbolically, ten different soloists from the choir. Several multi-talented choristers will also serve as flutists, and the ACS will be joined by guest pianist Karin Di Bella, Chair of the Department of Music at Brock University.

    The variety of composers and arrangers featured in this all-English program include international names (Barber, Copland, Elgar, Holst) as well as a range of Canadians, including those from Ontario (Daley, Telfer, Weaver) and, most importantly, Niagara (John Butler, Matthew Royal). The “Great American Songbook” is represented by well-known songwriters Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin and Henry Mancini.

    Conductor Harris Loewen states, “Water has been a favourite subject and symbol for poets and musicians over the centuries, and seems a fitting focus for a spring concert and a 10th anniversary conclusion. I think audiences will really love letting this beautiful program just flow over them!”

    ACS alumni are encouraged to come and celebrate with us. Please contact the choir through their website (avantichambersingers.com), to arrange for free admission to the concert and reception.

    The Viva Voce Choral Series, presented by the Department of Music is a key part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts’ mandate in building connections between the community and Brock University.

    Join us for an evening of superb music on Saturday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m., held at Covenant Christian Reformed Church, 278 Parnell Rd., St. Catharines. Admission at the door is $25 adults; $20 seniors & students; $5 eyeGo high school program. A $5 discount is available for advance tickets (excluding eyeGo) and can be purchased in St. Catharines at BookSmart (Scott & Vine Plaza) and Thorold Music (Glendale Avenue).

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    For more information contact: Marie Balsom, Communications
    Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
    T: 905.688.5550, ext. 4765 | E: mbalsom@brocku.ca | W: brocku.ca/miwsfpa

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  • Avanti Chamber Singers launches 10th Anniversary Season with Nocturne: Songs of the Night

    Saturday, November 21, 2015 marks the first concert of the season, presenting a fascinating combination of classical compositions and jazz arrangements from the “Great American Songbook.” Held at Covenant Christian Reformed Church in St. Catharines, the choir will be joined for the jazz segments of the evening by the Twilights Jazz Trio, featuring Lesley Kingham on piano, Rob McBride on bass and Devon Fornelli on drums.

    This 10th anniversary season celebrates the Avanti Chamber Singers’ accomplishments since they began their first rehearsals under the leadership of founding conductor Harris Loewen. Since then, the choir has presented concerts within the Niagara region and beyond. They also hold the distinction of being the Ensemble-in-Residence for the Department of Music, Brock University, where Loewen is an Associate Professor.

    Along the way, the Avanti Chamber Singers (ACS) have released three CDs of choral music by Niagara composers, continuing the Voices of Niagara CD series begun by the former Niagara Vocal Ensemble, also conducted by Loewen. All recordings in the series, including Avanti’s Glorious Light (Xmas), Gate of the Year (Sacred), and Beauty is Before Me are still available through the ACS or the Department of Music.

    This coming season will offer three regular concerts, all with a thematic orientation. Following Nocturne, on November 21, Avanti Chamber Singers will perform Animalia: The Lighter Side of the Animal Kingdom on February 20, and Water Music: Of Rain, River and Sea on April 30. The concerts present an engaging variety of musical styles, ranging from classical and jazz to folksongs and spirituals.

    The Avanti Chamber Singers are also active as a guest ensemble this season. In mid-November, the choir is on stage with Kenny Rogers for four shows at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls. On December 5, ACS and other guest artists join the Brock University Choirs in the Cairns Recital Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, for a concert that will feature premieres of three choral works by Brock University composers. The final guest performance will be with the Brock University Choirs on April 2, 2016, where the joint choral forces will partner with the Trillium Brass in a new version of Peter Landey’s thrilling Gloria.

    Conductor Harris Loewen states, “I’m so proud to celebrate a decade milestone with this wonderful group of singers, some of whom have been performing and recording with the choir since its inception. We are really looking forward to this busy but satisfying season, as we continue to have fun learning and making beautiful music together.”

    The Viva Voce Choral Series, presented by the Department of Music, is a key part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts’ mandate in building connections between the community and Brock University. (For more information about ACS, visit: avantichambersingers.com).

    Come and celebrate this 10th anniversary launch on Saturday, November 21 at 7:30 p.m., held at Covenant Christian Reformed church, 278 Parnell Road, St. Catharines. Admission at the door is $25 adults; $20 seniors & students; $5 eyeGo program for high school students. A $5 discount is available for advance tickets (excluding eyeGo), and can be purchased at two St. Catharines locations: BookSmart (Scott & Vine Plaza) and Thorold Music (Glendale Avenue).

    For more information contact: Marie Balsom, Communications
    Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
    T: 905-688-5550, ext. 4765 | E: mbalsom@brocku.ca | W: brocku.ca/miwsfpa

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    Categories: Events, Media Releases, News, Viva Voce Choral Series

  • The Avanti Chamber Singers celebrate the release of their new CD “Beauty is Before Me” with their concert Viva La Musica!

    voice-of-niagara-cdSaturday, November 15, 2014, marks the release of the Avanti Chamber Singers’ third CD “Beauty is Before Me,” the fifth installment in the “Voices of Niagara” CD series, featuring works by local composers.

    The release will occur in conjunction with the Avanti Chamber Singers’ (ACS) season-opening concert, Viva La Musica! Presenting compositions from 1600 to the present day, this concert is a celebration of the joy and power of music. Rising Toronto oboist Aidan Dugan will perform as the featured guest artist.

    The CD is a collaborative project by ACS, Brock University’s student choirs, and the former Niagara Vocal Ensemble, all conducted by Harris Loewen. The sequence of works on the album flows through a variety of themes: the beauty of nature, the patron saint of music (St. Cecilia), the War of 1812, elegiac reflections, and a group of spirituals.

    The occasion also marks the re-release of the first two CDs in the series, recorded by the Niagara Vocal Ensemble, an all-women’s ensemble that was active in the Niagara Region between 1991 and 2011. All CDs are available through ACS and the Department of Music at Brock University.

    As with all five recordings in the “Voices of Niagara” CD series, the music on every track is written or arranged by composers with a Niagara connection, most recorded for the first time. Composers represented on this latest recording include Penny Blake, John Butler, the famous Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943), Erik Gero, Brock professors Peter Landey and Harris Loewen, Gail Poulsen, folk singer Stan Rogers, Matthew Tran-Adams, and Ronald Tremain (1923-98), Brock’s first Professor of Music.

    The concert opens with a rousing fanfare written especially for the occasion, based on the familiar round “Viva La Musica.” The program includes works by the great Renaissance composers, Jacob Handl and Orlandus Lassus, as well as a variety of more modern pieces. Canadian composers (e.g. Stephen Chatman, Eleanor Daley, Ruth Watson Henderson) are well represented, and the concert also provides samples of works from the latest CD. Oboist Aidan Dugan will perform lyrical pieces by familiar 19th century composers Felix Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann.

    Conductor Harris Loewen states, “This latest album marks an exciting milestone in this multi-choir CD project that has been developed and released to the public over the last few years. I’m so extremely grateful for the fine and energetic musicianship that all the singers and instrumentalists have contributed in both concert and recording. It’s a truly wonderful choral legacy for the region.”

    The Viva Voce Choral Series, presented by the Department of Music, is a key part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts’ mandate in building connections between the community and Brock University.

    Come and enjoy this choral celebration and CD release on Saturday, November 15 at 7:30 p.m., held at St. Barnabas Anglican Church, 31 Queenston Street, St. Catharines. Admission at the door is $25 for adults; $20 for seniors & students; $5 for the eyeGo program for high school students. A $5 discount is available for advance tickets (excluding eyeGO) and can be purchased at two St. Catharines locations: BookSmart (Scott & Vine Plaza) and Thorold Music (Glendale Avenue).

    For more information contact: Marie Balsom, Communications
    Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
    T: 905-688-5550, ext. 4765 | E: mbalsom@brocku.ca | W: brocku.ca/miwsfpa

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  • Viva Voce! Choral Series 2013-2014 Presents: The Avanti Chamber Singers

    butterflyAvanti Chamber Singers – How Sweet and Fair: Songs of Nature by Antonín Dvořák and others.
    Harris Loewen – Conductor

    The Viva Voce Choral Series includes Brock’s student choral ensembles (men’s and women’s choruses) as well as the Avanti Chamber Singers, a mixed ensemble including several Brock staff and Music alumni. Under the direction of conductor Harris Loewen, the ensembles perform multiple concerts throughout the academic year, and engage in community outreach, collaborative work with other Ontario choirs and special recording projects.

    Click here for event poster.

     

    When: April 26, 2014 – 7:30pm – 9:30pm
    Location: St. Barnabas Anglican Church, 31 Queenston Street, St. Catharines
    Tickets:
    $20 for adults
    $15 for seniors/students
    $5 for children 13 and under, and the eyeGo ticket program for high school students.
    Available at the door, St. Catharines at Thorold Music (289 Glendale Ave.), and Booksmart (Scott and Vine Plaza, 350 Scott St.).
    Contact: Marie Balsom, mbalsom@brocku.ca

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