{"id":119645,"date":"2025-11-21T11:05:38","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T16:05:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=119645"},"modified":"2025-11-21T13:00:01","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T18:00:01","slug":"preview-canadian-childrens-opera-company-presents-song-winters-day-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/11\/21\/preview-canadian-childrens-opera-company-presents-song-winters-day-night\/","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW | The Canadian Children\u2019s Opera Company Presents Song For A Winter\u2019s Day And Night"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Canadian
Canadian Children\u2019s Opera Company at their 50th anniversary celebration in 2017 (Photo:Jason S Cipparrone)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Canadian Children\u2019s Opera Company will present its annual winter concert titled Song for a Winter\u2019s Day and Night. Two concerts will take place on the afternoon and evening of November 29.<\/p>\n

The program is a celebration of winter, including songs about snow, ice, and the warmth of getting together in the cozy indoors.<\/p>\n

Two Concerts<\/h2>\n

Along with classic carols and songs of the season, the programs are built around Sarah Quartel\u2019s Snow Angel, and include other music by a diverse range of artists from Lully to Fleet Foxes and Gordon Lightfoot.<\/p>\n

The CCOC will perform with guest artist Antonia Cambre, who will play the cello, and stage direction by Chelsea Woolley.<\/p>\n

Song for a Winter\u2019s Day<\/h3>\n

The afternoon concert is a relaxed, family-friendly performance that includes songs about the fun and wonder of the season from a child\u2019s perspective. More than 100 young singers, from the youngest choristers in the Butterfly Chorus to the Young Artist Studio (an age range that, together, spans ages four to 21).<\/p>\n

Song for a Winter\u2019s Night<\/h3>\n

The evening concert features members of the Intermediate Chorus, Principal Chorus, and Young Artist Studio, and the music will take the audience on a journey that begins with the darkness of winter, but ends with hope.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt inspires the child in all of us to hear the bright voices of the CCOC in concert,\u201d says newly appointed Artistic Director, Teri Dunn<\/strong> in a statemetn. \u201cTheir artistry is immense, their performances polished and compelling, and yet it is their sincerity that warms the heart and brings light to even the coldest days. This ensemble is a remarkable community \u2014 one where a deep love of storytelling, and of one another, is unmistakably felt. It is a joy and a privilege to share their brilliance with our audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah Quartel: Snow Angel (2017)<\/h3>\n

Canadian composer Sarah Quartet is celebrated internationally for her choral works. Her work has been widely commissioned by ensembles such as the Orchestre de Paris, The National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, the American Choral Directors Association, The National Children\u2019s Chorus of the USA, and many others, including pieces that have premiered at Carnegie Hall, Canterbury Cathedral, and the Church of the Rock in Helsinki, among many others.<\/p>\n

Sarah was a choral singer from childhood, and focuses on the experience of the singers and their connections to each other.<\/p>\n

She has served as Composer-in-Residence for Vox Anima (London), National Concerts (New York City), Singing Girls of Texas (Fort Worth), and The Cathedral of St. John (Albuquerque). Sarah\u2019s music has been performed by Chanticleer, London Voices, Rajaton, The Swingles, The Gesualdo Six, New York Polyphony, and The Nathaniel Dett Chorale, among others.<\/p>\n

Snow Angel is written for SATB choir with solo cello and piano, with a djembe in the fourth movement. Through all five movements, the work delves into theme of love, rebirth, and beauty. The text is told from the perspective of children, and the army of angels who look over them, and the musical and emotional language invites the performers to play a part in storytelling.<\/p>\n

Quartel created both the music and the words. The Prologue introduces the angels. In the second movement (Creatures of Light), Quartet\u2019s text uses portions of a poem by Thomas Moore (1779 to 1852) to describe the angels. While the third and fourth movements talk about children \u2014 their innocence and complete faith in the angels\u2019 protection \u2014 the text of the fourth movement describes the third angel\u2019s story.<\/p>\n

Even though the snow may blow, there\u2019s not a wind can stop my music.<\/em>
\nFor I know that winter shelters life.<\/em><\/p>\n

Performances<\/h2>\n

Performances take place on November 29 at 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Jane Mallett Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts.<\/p>\n