TURN UP THE MUSIC
The Sinfonia de l’Ouest chamber orchestra rehearses ahead of the launch of its first full season on Saturday.
Sinfonia de l’Ouest’s inaugural performance was in April. By the time the chamber orchestra visited the Mozart à Bromont summer festival, the word was out and the two concerts were sold out.
Under the tutelage of Stewart Grant, Sinfonia launches its first full season at Église St-Joachim on Saturday.
“When we went to perform (in Bromont) this summer, the orchestra really came together,” Grant said. “We had no idea what the response would be. We got together because we want to play music. It’s therapeutic, in a way. We love what we are doing.”
The warm response energized Grant over the last busy months. A board of directors was established, the orchestra was formally registered as a non-profit organization and a grant and other support was given by Pointe-Claire.
The opening concert at Église StJoachim is called Baroque Gems and features soprano Kerry-Anne Kutz.
Kutz is the co-organizer of the West Island-based Festival de la voix. She has performed in concert halls throughout Canada, the United States and Europe. And as the first woman to join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Band, she toured the world for 10 years.
“Kerry-Anne is a real singer,” Grant said. “She can sing anything — from Bach to Joni Mitchell.”
Kutz will sing Jean Sébastien Bach’s Cantata No. 202 Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten — the Wedding Cantata. “It is a beautiful, joyful piece,” Grant said. “We don’t know for sure when Bach wrote it, but the speculation is that he wrote it for his own, second, wedding.” Bach’s first wife, Maria Barbara, died suddenly in 1720. He married soprano Anna Magdalena Wilcke in 1721. “The Bach cantata talks about the renewal of life,” Grant said. “Kerry-Anne often officiates at weddings. It’s a perfect fit. She has a really special presence.” The evening at St-Joachim opens with George Frideric Handel’s Concerto grosso, opus 6 No. 5. Also on the program are Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto pour quatre violons, opus 3 No. 10, Johann Pachelbel’s Canon and Bach’s Suite pour orchestre No. 1. The 2018-19 season continues at Église St-Joachim, the orchestra’s permanent hall, with String Extravaganza, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. The guest artist is cellist Geneviève Guimond, a Pointe-Claire native, a graduate of the Juilliard School and cellist with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. The program features music by Corelli, Barber, Haydn and Tchaikovsky. The season closes with the program Soiree classique, featuring pianist Ludwig Sémerjian, May 18 at 7:30 p.m. Sémerjian is the founder of the Mozart à Bromont festival and was the guest artist for Sinfonia’s debut in April. The May performance opens with maestro Grant’s Symphonie estrienne, opus 33. Also on the program are Mozart’s Concerto pour piano No. 9, K. 271 and Haydn’s Symphonie No. 25. Sinfonia de l’Ouest performs Baroque Gems at Église St-Joachim, 2 Ste-Anne St. in Pointe-Claire, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $25, or $20 for seniors and $15 for students and are available at the door or online. For more information, call 514 426-5947, email info@sinfonia.ca, visit www.sinfonia.ca or visit the Facebook page.