ELORA – Mark Vuorinen, artistic director and conductor of the Elora Singers, is starting the 2024-25 concert season with Songs of Sanctuary, a concert that considers the “place” of music.
The concert season will be performed in three Ontario communities: Elora, Guelph and Kitchener.
The Elora Singers concert season features a lineup of performances with a selection of sacred and secular music, collaborations and seasonal favourites.
Tickets are available online now at ticketpeak.co/elorasingers/events.
The first concert of the season is full of beautiful pieces composed for sacred spaces, from the Sistine Chapel to Notre Dame, plus the Canadian premiere of Alex Berko’s Sacred Place.
The Elora Singers also celebrate their latest recording, In Beauty May I Walk, at the concert.
In the first half of the concert, audiences will be immersed in pieces composed for very specific spaces, including the Sistine Chapel, St Mark’s Basilica in Venice, and Notre Dame in Paris.
The works are connected to the locations in which they were first heard, and the music has been shaped by the locations.
The second half of the concert features the Canadian premiere of Alex Berko’s new work, Sacred Place. The composer describes this work as an “ecological service that connects the old with the new, the sacred with the secular, and the individual with their community.”
It draws together inspiring texts by Wendell Berry, John Muir, Rabindranath Tagore and others.
Program:
– Giovanni Croce: Buccinate in neomenia tuba;
– Pérotin: Viderunt Omnes (excerpt);
– Guillaume DuFay: Nuper rosarum flores;
– Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli: Kyrie;
– William Byrd: Mass for Four Voices: Agnus Dei;
– Gregorio Allegri: Miserere mei, Deus;
– Giovanni Gabrieli: Jubilate Deo;
– Alex Berko: Sacred Place (Canadian premiere);
– Jonathan Dove: In Beauty May I Walk;
– Andrew Balfour: Gaze Upon the Trees;
– Dan Forrest: The Sun Never Says; and
– Stephanie Martin: Nothing Gold Can Stay.
A collaboration between the Elora Singers and the Elmer Iseler Singers takes place at the Basilica of Our Lady in Guelph on Nov. 10.
Blessed Are the Peacemakers will feature the world premiere of Peter-Anthony Togni’s Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.
Handel’s Messiah returns to Fergus’s St. Joseph’s Church, where the Elora Singers will be joined by the musicians of the London Symphonia on Dec. 8.
Known for its jubilant Hallelujah chorus and serene arias, Messiah is a holiday tradition that continues to inspire.
Celebrate the joy of Christmas with the annual Festival of Carols at St. John’s in Elora.
Featuring carols, heartwarming stories, and opportunities for audience participation, these performances have become a holiday tradition.
In the spirit of the season, the Dec. 17 and 18 concert is a family event, designed to connect everyone in the audience with each other and the performers.
The Elora Singers team up with the Vancouver Chamber Choir for Choral Tapestry on Feb. 23, a concert in Guelph’s Basilica of Our Lady.
Expect a blend of vocal textures as two of Canada’s premier choirs perform works from diverse traditions, showcasing the beauty of choral music through the ages.
Concluding the season, Burning Measures at St. Matthew’s Centre in Kitchener, will feature a dynamic program with works by J.S. Bach, Arvo Pärt, and O’Regan.
This concert presents an exploration of timeless spiritual themes, from the Baroque to the contemporary.
For more information about the season visit the Elora Singers website at elorasingers.ca.
