Upcoming Performances and News
Hildegard of Bingen: Her Life, Art and Music
TriCordium Voces (Voices from the Heart): Sunday, Oct. 6, 3 p.m.
Hildegard of Bingen embarked on one of the most creative outpourings in history after a mystical experience in her early forties.
Back Lane Studios, 9 Neepawa Ave., Toronto
$20 at the door, or $40 for three lectures, in advance, on Eventbrite
info@backlanestudios.ca or call 647-313-1654
This concert/program will feature a number of melodic chant compositions from Hildegard’s 70-song cycle known as the “Celestial Harmonies”. Additionally, to celebrate Hildegard’s diversity as a highly accomplished poet, writer and visionary, readings will be presented based on her mystical poetry, medical writings from “Physica”, and the use of Hildegard’s music within the monastic setting. Themes of the ‘living light’ illuminating all, the ‘fiery essence’ of the holy spirit cleansing all, ‘viriditas’ or greening power, divine wisdom, and ‘healing through wholeness’ are an integral part of Hildegard’s opus. Trio Cordium Voces has created special arrangements of these songs, featuring solos, trios and instrumental music to highlight the relationship of text and music.
Medieval musicians Krystina Lewicki (voice, bandura plucked strings), Linda Falvy (voice, bells, bowed strings) and Rebecca Enkin (voice, recorder) first met while singing with Cantores Celestes Women’s Choir. They share a love of sacred chant, especially the mystical compositions of Hildegard von Bingen. Trio Cordium Voces bring a mix of historically informed medieval performance practices and vibrant sounds of recreated medieval instruments to revitalize the spirit of Hildegard’s music.
After more than 800 years in obscurity, Hildegard of Bingen has in recent years caught the modern imagination. Back Lane Studios has featured the 12thcentury abbess in our Extraordinary Women Series at the Revue Cinema, and on each occasion, audience members expressed the wish to learn more about this remarkable polymath and her work. She composed music, poetry and the first known morality play; she wrote theological books and was the only medieval woman to preach openly to a mixed audience; she also explored the sciences – medicine, botany and cosmology.
In a series of three Sunday afternoon lectures at our studio at 9 Neepawa Ave., we will look more closely at her life, the art in her manuscripts and her music. Space is limited. Tickets for all three lectures: $40 In advance on Eventbrite. Buy tickets to the first lecture only: $15 on Eventbrite. Tickets at the door, if available: $20 each lecture. Coffee or tea are included.
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 MINUTES
Friday, Oct. 25 at 7:30 pm – Heliconian Hall
$30 at the door or online in advance https://www.heliconianclub.org/concert-series
Travel far and wide with Heliconian musicians, and let us take you on a musical journey around the world. From the Gamelan orchestras of Indonesia to the pop music of England, we will take you on an Eighty Minute Musical Tour that you will long remember. Cantala will be singing R. Murray Schafer’s exciting Gamelan choral work.
Cantala Women’s Choir: Sat, Dec. 7, 2019, 7:00 pm
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Anglican Church
151 Glenlake (just east of Keele and north of Bloor). Street parking.
www.cantalawomenschoir.com
$20 tickets at the door. Reception follows.
Special guest, the renowned Canadian harpist Erica Goodman.
Repertoire
Dancing Day-John Rutter.
Hodie Christus Natus Est-Kelly-Marie Murphy. Another gorgeous piece with Harp.
Les Anges Dans Nos Campagnes-Bernat Vivancos, a capella. A take on a classic carol all updated and refreshed.
Angel’s Carol-John Rutter. A beautiful classic, with harp.
Alleluia-David L MacIntyre
Ave Verum Corpus-Francis Poulenc
Coventry Carol-Beverly Lewis with Oboist Donald Boere. A new piece to learn and introduce to world choral audiences.
https://www.banffcentre.ca/programs/choral-art-choirs/20190215
Banff Center for Arts and Creativity workshop intensive where we get to work with award-winning, international composition and conductor faculty, and work with ensemble-in-residence Pro Coro Canada. The weekend aims to create exchanges between a circle of creators, leaders, and performers active in the choral music milieu. The workshop also aims to support and bring visibility to the Canadian choral community, and encourage collaboration within the Canadian network. Choirs will explore new approaches to the performance of choral music, work on pre-existing repertoire, explore new works, and further refine their craft through coaching and lectures. We are very excited to have been offered this opportunity.
The concert is free to the public. Cantala is thrilled to be invited to participate in this series and to perform with the esteemed organist David Simon in the recital.
Cantala Women’s Choir: Saturday, May 2, 7:00 pm
Forest Hill United Church, 2 Wembley Road (at Bathurst, just north of Eglinton)
www.cantalawomenschoir.com
Join Nancy Singla and the Cantala Women’s Choir, along with guest performers, for our spring 2020 concert. It will be a celebration of wonderful music from Canada, America, Australia and Brazil. It will feature Toronto’s percussionist, David Schotzko on marimba in a piece by Toronto composer James Rolfe.
Tickets are $20 at the door or online at www.cantalawomenschoir.com. A reception will follow the concert. Please stay and say hello.
Repertoire:
Here’s a quick recording that guitarist Mike Allen and I did last year. “How Deep is the Ocean” by Irving Berlin Please drop me an email to rebecca@rebeccaenkin.com if you want to be added to my mailing list.