Classic music goes on tour around the Okanagan
Three Penticton musicians, Mia Harris (mezzo soprano), Christine Robinson (soprano) and Dennis Nordlund (piano) are set to tour the Okanagan with a classical music recital called Giving Voice.
Harris describes how the program was designed around the sheer beauty of the pieces themselves and hopes the evening is one of relaxation, inspiration and invigoration of the soul.
The program is unique in that half of the music is in duet, highlighting the distinct beauty and blend of voices, and the connection between musicians.
The program also features solo works, including Samuel Barber’s Knoxville, Summer of 1915.
Harris’s favourite music in the program is a set of duets by composer Ernest Chausson, entitled La Nuit and Reveil.
The program also includes a new work by local award-winning composer Nicholas Kelly, conductor of the Penticton Tuneagers.
Harris has enjoyed working with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, Bumbershoot Theatre, Opera Kelowna, Musaic Vocal Ensemble, Vivace Chorale of Kamloops, Aura Chamber Choir in Vernon, Soundstage Productions, Penticton Community Concerts and the West Coast Symphony in Vancouver, among other operatic engagements across Canada. She holds an opera diploma from the University of Toronto, an artist diploma from the Vancouver Academy of Music and a Bachelor of Music from UBC.
Robinson is a classically trained soprano hailing from Cranbrook. She completed her bachelor’s degree in opera performance at UBC, where she was a member of the University Singers and the UBC Opera Ensemble.
She has performed as a soloist and chorus member for numerous orchestras, operatic choruses and music ensembles across B.C. Performances of Giving Voice are as follows: — Summerland: Friday, May 18, 7 p.m. at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church. Tickets available at The Beanery
— Kelowna: Saturday, May 19, 7 p.m. at St. Michael’s Cathedral. Tickets available at Mosaic Books
— Vernon: Sunday, May 20, 7 p.m. at All Saints Anglican Church. Tickets available at The Bean Scene
— Oliver: Friday, May 25, 7 p.m. at Oliver Alliance Church. Tickets available at Flower Fantasy
— Penticton: Saturday, May 26, 7 p.m. at St. Saviour’s Anglican Church. Tickets available at Tumbleweed Gallery and Dragon’s Den
Tickets are also available at brownpapertickets.com and at the door.