Program announced for Christmas with Music and Beyond

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEProgram announced for Christmas with Music and BeyondPopular holiday favourite offered on December 21st   Ottawa, Tuesday, December 13, 2016 - Music and Beyond is pleased to announce the program for their annual holiday favourite, Christmas with Music and Beyond. Some of Canada's top instrumentalists will be joined by Quebec soprano Hélène Brunet and four different choirs. Over 100 performers will celebrate the spirit of the holiday season and the winter solstice with the music of Torelli, Handel, Ravel, Bruckner, Reinecke, Ireland, and Rutter, as well as with an assortment of traditional carols.  This concert will offer a wide variety of festive concert music and seasonal favourites. Proceeds from the concert support Music and Beyond's young people's programming. Christmas with Music and Beyond begins at 7:30 p.m. on December 21st at Dominion-Chalmers United Church. "I always look forward to our Christmas concert every year" states artistic director Julian Armour.  "We try to include a huge amount of variety and offer a concert that will be loved by both the most die-hard music lovers and by people who are attending a concert for the very first time. As always, this concert features some of the best-loved works from the concert repertoire, many hidden gems, and great Christmas favourites. With four choirs and so many great musicians, people are going to enjoy every minute!" Headlining the evening will be the dazzling young Québec soprano Hélène Brunet, who was a huge hit at last year's Christmas concert, and at two different Music and Beyond concerts in 2016. Nine top Canadian instrumentalists will share the stage including violinist Marcelle Mallette, one of Quebec's most respected string players;violinist Yolanda Bruno, who will be performing on the exquisite Taft Stradivarius violin, provided to her by the Canada Council for the Arts; Ottawa-based violist Catherine Ferreira; cellist Julian Armour; double bassist Paul Mach; organist Matthew Larkin; harpist Caroline Léonardelli; pianist Frédéric Lacroix; percussionist Zac Pulak. Also performing will be the Ottawa Children's Choir, The Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, L'Ensemble vocal sénior De La Salle and the vocal chamber ensemble The Kingston Choral Scholars. In addition to some of the most-loved repertoire from the Christmas season, including Torelli's majestic, mysterious and lively Christmas Concerto and two arias from Handel's Messiah, the concert will also offer some lesser-known gems including a work by Marcel Samuel Rousseau and a carol setting by Ottawa's Matthew Larkin. Music from England, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Canada, the United States and the Ukraine will be performed. One of the most unusual and lively pieces on the program is certain to be Carl Reinecke's Kinder-Sinfonie (Toy Symphony), which will include a wide range of actual toy instruments throughout the work. Tickets to Christmas with Music and Beyond are available at participating outlets, online at www.musicandbeyond.ca, and at Music and Beyond's office at 51 William St in the ByWard Market. Tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for students, $10 for youth 15 and under, and $50 for reserved section seating. Family tickets are offered at the low price of $65 for a family of four and $70 for a family of five. As an added bonus, 2017 Music and Beyond pass holders are offered 2-for-1 pricing if they purchase their tickets through www.musicandbeyond.ca. Tickets are also available at Books on Beechwood, Lauzon Music, Granata Music and both Compact Music stores.   - 30 -   Program / Programme Christmas with Music and Beyond Hélène Brunet - soprano Marcelle Mallette - violin / violon Yolanda Bruno - violin / violon Catherine Ferreira - viola / alto Julian Armour - cello / violoncelle Paul Mach - double bass / contrebasse Caroline Léonardelli - harp / harpe Frédéric Lacroix - piano and harpsichord Matthew Larkin - organ / orgue Zac Pulak - percussion   Choir of Christ Church CathedralThe Ottawa Children's Choir , Allison Prowse, director L'Ensemble vocal sénior De La Salle - Direction musicale, Robert Filion The Kingston Choral ScholarsThree Carols John Rutter - Star Carol             Maurice Ravel  - Pavane for a Silent Night            Linda Spevacek - Noel, NoelGiuseppe Torelli - Concerto Grosso in G minor, opus 8, no. 6, Christmas Concerto                                     George Frideric Handel - The Messiah / tiré du Messie Rejoice Greatly If God Be For Us   Anton Bruckner  - Locus Iste Matthew Larkin - Set me as a SealCarl Reinecke  - Kinder-Sinfonie (Toy Symphony / Symphonie des jouets), opus 23

1. Allegro un poco maestoso

Marcel Samuel Rousseau

-

Variations pastorales sur un Noël ancien

(

Noël nouvelet

)  

Kelly-Marie Murphy

 -

The Darkest Midnight in December

Mykola Leontovych

-

Scedryk, Scedryk

Mark Sirett

 -

Song of the Angels

Matthew Larkin

-

The Sailor's Carol

John Ireland

 -

The Holy Boy

Edward German

-

Morris Dance

(from

Henry VIII

)  

Carols

O Come O Come Emmanuel

What Child is This

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

The First Noel

In The Bleak Midwinter

Carol of the Bells

 I Wonder as I Wander

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

For more information, please contact:

Julian Armour - Artistic and Executive Director: julian.armour@sympatico.ca / 613-241-0777, ext. 500 Janine Drinnan -  Managing Director: janine@musicandbeyond.ca / 613-241-0777, ext. 501 Click here to purchase tickets  

Ticket Outlets 

Music and Beyond / Musique et Autres Mondes (51 rue William Street) Books on Beechwood Granata Music Compact Music Glebe Compact Music Downtown