The Toronto Chamber Choir and soloists will be joined by Baroque instrumentalists and The Vesuvius Ensemble for a concert on December 6. One of the instrumentalists, Tommaso Sollazzo, comes to Toronto from Italy to perform on the zampogne, traditional Italian bagpipes that have been part of the Christmas tradition for centuries.
Music for the zampogne, traditionally played by shepherds during the holiday season, inspired many of the Baroque composers such as Corelli, Bach, and Handel. The choir will sing repertoire that stems from those traditions, including works by Neapolitan Baroque masters Caresana and Durante.
After the concert, audience members can enjoy a reception with carol singing.
Performers
The performers include TCC, the Vesuvius Ensemble, soloists, and Baroque instrumentalists.
Toronto Chamber Choir, Lucas Harris, conductor
In 1968, a young musician with a passion for German Baroque music, Annegret Wright, founded The Toronto Chamber Choir. With a focus on the music of J.S. Bach, Annegret introduced Toronto audiences to the work of lesser known artists of the era, including Schütz, Scheidt and Schein. Subsequent directors have included Lorna Lutz-Heyge, David Fallis, and Mark Vuorinen, before Lucas Harris took over the position in 2014. Since its inception, the choir has expanded their repertoire to include the music of contemporary composers.
Artistic Director Lucas Harris is a prominent early music performer in Canada. Harris trained in Italy and Germany, and worked in New York City for five years before making Toronto his home base. He’s performed as a lutenist in North America and Europe, and added choral conducting to his CV with a MMus from the University of Toronto. He’s served as guest music director with the Pacific Baroque Orchestra, the Ohio State University Opera program, Vox Angelica, Les Voix Baroques, and the Toronto Consort, among others.
Harris performs regularly with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, and has worked with several other prominent ensembles, including the Helicon Foundation, Circa 1500, Apollo’s Fire, Les Voix Baroques, the Smithsonian Chamber Players, The Harp Consort, the Boston Early Music Festival orchestra, among others.
Vesuvius Ensemble
- Francesco Pellegrino, voice & chitarra battente
- Tommaso Sollazzo, zampogne
- Marco Cera, ciaramella
Based in Toronto, the Vesuvius Ensemble is led by tenor Francesco Pellegrino. Francesco completed his Diploma in Voice Performance with a minor in piano, from the Benevento Conservatory of Music, and later went on to study at the Academy of Verdian Voices with opera legend, Carlo Bergonzi. He performed as part of the chorus of Teatro alla Scala in Milan for several years before making Toronto his home.
He founded the Vesuvius Ensemble, a vocal trio, to perform and celebrate the tradition of Neapolitan and southern Italian music.
Period Instrumentalists
- Geneviève Gilardeau, violin
- Cristina Prats Costa, violin
- Felix Deak, cello
- Christopher Bagan, chamber organ
- Lucas Harris, theorbo & Baroque guitar
Soloists from the Toronto Chamber Consort
- Anna Kwiatkowska, soprano
- Lynn Featherstone, alto
- Adam Wicks, tenor
- Jacob Gramit, bass
The Program
The program includes a variety of music from the Italian Baroque period, along with Southern Italian traditional holiday music.
- Traditional: Novena di Natale
- Sant’Alfonso Maria de’ Liguori: Quanno nascette ninno
- Cristoforo Caresana: La Serenata — Pastorale
- Francesco Durante: Magnificat à 5 in Bb major
- Cristoforo Caresana: La Tarantella
- Traditional (Sicily): La notti di Natali
- Traditional (Campania): Madonna delle Grazie
- Giuseppe Tartini: Sonata in pastorale
- Francesco Durante: Messa in Pastorale à 4
- Traditional (Sicily): Diu vi manna l’ambasciata
The Concert
Missa Pastoralis, presented by Toronto Chamber Choir with the Vesuvius Ensemble takes place December 6 at Calvin Presbyterian Church.
- Find tickets and concert details [HERE].
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