Kelly Galbraith director, Kate Carver Piano, Jacqueline Goring Harp, Clare Pellerin Violin,
Emperor String Quartet, Matthew Coons Organ: Music: (North American premiere): ‘Magnificat’ by Kentaro Sato, John Rutter: ‘Visions’, Vivaldi: ‘Gloria’ (Excerpts), Ola Gjeilo: ‘Gloria’ $1,000 donation to Gerstein Crisis Centre
CANTORES CELESTES WOMEN’S CHOIR BEGINS ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
WITH “DIVINE LIGHT” HOLIDAY CONCERT
TORONTO, ON – For its holiday concert, Cantores Celestes Women’s Choir will explore the theme of divine light with a selection of music celebrating light and love. On Saturday, December 1st, 2018 at 7:30pm. at Runnymede United Church in Toronto, the choir will perform music by composers including Antonio Vivaldi, John Rutter, and Kentaro Sato.
This performance will kick-start the choir’s 30th anniversary year. “Our little choir began with eight women. We now have 50 voices,” says choir director and founder Kelly Galbraith. “No government grants; just a group of strong and talented women who believe in giving back to the community and sharing their song.”
This concert features the North American premiere of “Magnificat” by Kentaro Sato. The piece has only been performed once before in Japan.
In May 2018, Cantores Celestes performed John Rutter’s Visions at Carnegie Hall under the composer’s direction. “In our holiday concert, we will bring Visions to a local audience,” says Galbraith. “This work is a tour de force for violin and features Clare Pellerin in this virtuosic role. Ours will be the first performance in Canada for harp, organ, and violin.”
Inspired by the idea of Jerusalem both as the Holy City and a utopian ideal of heavenly peace and seraphic bliss, Sir John Rutter has selected four biblical texts, in English and Latin, that express different aspects of this vision.
Musicians joining the choir in this concert are Cantores Celestes accompanist Kate Carver, The Emperor Quartet, harpist Jacqueline Goring, and organist Matthew Coons.
The choir will continue its tradition of giving to charity with a $1,000 donation to the Gernstein Crisis Centre to support people suffering mental health crises.
“At this concert, we will celebrate 30 years of helping people escape the troubles of the world,” says Galbraith. “The chosen music, including choir favourite Vivaldi’s Gloria, reverberates with light and hope. What a perfect way to start the holiday season.”
About Cantores Celestes Women’s Choir
Now celebrating its 30th anniversary season, Cantores Celestes is an auditioned choir founded in 1989 by Artistic Director Kelly Galbraith. Over the years Cantores Celestes has donated more than $60,000 to charities. Cantores Celestes has appeared on CBC Radio One and Radio Two, and a commercially released CBC video, Clyde Gilmour: A Celebration in Words and Music. The choir has recorded music for three films and released seven CDs: Wassail!, Bright Shining as the Sun, Love’s Pure Light, The Circle Never Ends, Wake Up in the Moonlight Singing, Women of Light, and Joyous Light. Cantores Celestes has toured Atlantic Canada and performed throughout western and eastern Ontario. Cantores was invited to participate in Festival 500 in Newfoundland, the opening concerts for Barrie’s 2010 Colours of Music Festival, and the 2012 Toronto Vocal Arts Festival. The choir was thrilled to be part of the mass choir performance celebrating International Women’s Day in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in March 2014. Cantores Celestes was the only women’s choir invited to sing in the thousand performer production of R. Murray Schafer’s Apocalypsis for the 2015 Luminato Festival at Toronto’s Sony Centre, recorded by Analekta and released in 2016. Cantores Celestes performed at Carnegie Hall in May 2018 under the direction of Sir John Rutter.
About Gerstein Crisis Centre
For almost 30 years, Gerstein Crisis Centre has worked with adults 16+ in the city of Toronto experiencing mental health crises often compounded by homelessness, substance use and other health needs. Its team of experienced staff offers telephone crisis intervention and mobile crisis visits in the community 24/7, working to address immediate needs, while helping to find solutions and tools to proactively avoid future crises. For those who need further support, Gernstein offers 24 short-term residential crisis beds in two home-like settings. Gerstein Centre works with a wide range of community groups to educate on mental health awareness, suicide and crisis intervention and provides training initiatives that offer practical work experience to individuals with lived experience and newcomers to Canada. The Centre offers wellness and recovery programs that support individual recovery and overall wellbeing and provide employment to those with lived experience. All Gerstein Centre services are voluntary and free of charge.
http://www.facebook.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/
http://twitter.com/Cantores_