{"id":119824,"date":"2025-11-28T13:56:37","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T18:56:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=119824"},"modified":"2025-11-28T13:56:37","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T18:56:37","slug":"preview-toronto-chamber-choir-presents-holiday-concert-vesuvius-ensemble","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/11\/28\/preview-toronto-chamber-choir-presents-holiday-concert-vesuvius-ensemble\/","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW | The Toronto Chamber Choir Presents A Holiday Concert With The Vesuvius Ensemble"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Artistic
Artistic Director Lucas Harris (centre) and the Toronto Chamber Choir (Photo courtesy of TCC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

After the concert, audience members can enjoy a reception with carol singing.<\/p>\n

Performers<\/h3>\n

The performers include TCC, the Vesuvius Ensemble, soloists, and Baroque instrumentalists.<\/p>\n

Toronto Chamber Choir, Lucas Harris, conductor<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1968, a young musician with a passion for German Baroque music, Annegret Wright, founded The Toronto Chamber Choir.<\/strong> 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 Sch\u00fctz, 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.<\/p>\n

Artistic Director Lucas Harris<\/strong> 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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Harris performs regularly with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, and has worked with several other prominent ensembles, including the Helicon Foundation, Circa 1500, Apollo\u2019s Fire, Les Voix Baroques, the Smithsonian Chamber Players, The Harp Consort, the Boston Early Music Festival orchestra, among others.<\/p>\n

\"Franceso
Franceso Pellegrini and the Vesuvius Ensemble (Photo courtesy of Vesuvius Ensemble)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vesuvius Ensemble<\/strong><\/p>\n