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Artscene 21 | Friday, April 5, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" Appleby College's Cantus Chamber Choir is heading to one of the premier music festivals in the world this weekend. The 32-voice choir will perform as the Featured Choir at the Festival at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Sunday. The festival invites only select choirs, bands and orchestra's after undergoing an audition process. "I am so proud of the students of Appleby College Cantus Chamber Choir for their musical passion and dedication that have led to this outstanding invitation to perform at Carnegie Hall," said choral director Sarah Morrison, in a news release. "We are excited to sing in mass choir with the other choirs from across North Choir heads to Carnegie Hall America as well as delighted to have the opportunity to perform a short program of Canadian choral repertoire as the featured choir on the April 7 program." The Cantus Chamber Choir first performed 12 seasons ago, giving Appleby College students an opportunity to perform at an advanced level. The group has traveled to international competitions and festivals, including to Italy, the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas. Along the way, they've won numerous awards and have been recorded by CBC Radio Two and have performed for the Duke of York, Prince Andrew and for Nobel Peace prize winner Desmond Tutu. Gallery hosts Beverley Hawksley The Oakville Ensemble is performing a pair of concerts for choir and orchestra this weekend featuring the music of George Frideric Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach. The Saturday evening concert is at St. John's United Church and the Sunday afternoon performance is at Mary Mother of God Catholic Church. Submitted photo Oakville Ensemble goes Baroque by Dominik Kurek Oakville Beaver Staff The Oakville Ensemble is going for a majestic sound with its upcoming concerts featuring the music of George Frideric Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach. The concerts, titled Majestic: Handel & Bach, are on Saturday and Sunday (April 6 and 7). "I picked the title Majestic, because it's the best word to describe what the program is going to be," said artistic director Stéphane Potvin. The concert will feature Bach's Overture #3, which is an orchestra suite comprised of French dances. The concert will continue with Handel's Utrecht Te Deum, which was written to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht to end the War of the Spanish Succession. And the concert will close with Handel's Coronation Anthem 4, called My Heart is Inditing. "The Coronation is about majesty, the king, the queen," Potvin said. "And Te Deum is celebrating peace. It's very festive. The Bach is all dance movements. It's very lively. It's very engaging." The Bach piece is all instrumental, while the Handel music features choir and orchestra. Potvin said the music in Utrecht Te Deum is varied, both in text and mood. It opens slowly and then builds up into a fanfare. It's also not heard often. "I've never heard it performed around here. I've only heard it on CDs and even then, there's maybe three or four recordings that I know of as opposed to 150 for the Beethoven symphonies," Potvin said. Potvin said he's loved the piece for many years, particularly one movement, called Day by Day We Magnify Thee. Handel's Coronation Anthem may be more recognizable to people. The piece was played at Queen Elizabeth's coronation and jubilee celebrations. "The Coronation Anthem starts with the strings and it's very joyous and then the last movement, Handel just blows everything. The trumpets are going like mad. It's just a big fanfare to finish." Potvin is trying something new with the placing of his musicians for this concert, positioning the vocalists and instrument players together, instead of having the orchestra sit in front of the choir. "There will not be that visual divide between the orchestra and the choir. Everybody's going to be together on stage in a big half circle, really to emphasize the dialogue in the music," he said. The Oakville Children's Choir will also sing a piece at the concert. Furthermore, players from the Oakville Suzuki Association will perform music 30 minutes before the start of the Sunday concert. The Saturday concert is at St. John's United Church, 262 Randall St., at 7:30 p.m. The Sunday concert is at Mary Mother of God Catholic Church, 2741 North Ridge Trail, at 3:30 p.m. Advance tickets cost $30 for adults, $25 for seniors, $15 for students and $60 per family. Tickets at the door cost $35 for adults, $30 for seniors, $15 for students and $70 per family. For tickets and more information, visit www. oakville-ensemble.ca. Towne Square Gallery in downtown Oakville is opening a solo show this weekend featuring the works of Toronto artist Beverley Hawksley. The show, titled Two Leggeds, Four Leggeds and Perpetual Procession, opens Saturday (April 6). The reception runs from 1-5 p.m. Hawksley, who lives and works between Toronto and Muskoka is primarily a figurative painter. She also does installation, performance and multi-media art. In the fall of 2012, she exhibited a sculptural installation titled Witness at the Propeller Centre for the Visual Arts in Toronto with fellow artist Sandy McLennan. The Oakville exhibit closes April 21. The gallery is located at 94 George St. For more information, visit www.townesquaregallery.com. bignamessmalltheatre THE OAKVILLE CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Oakville Infiniti presents SÉBASTIEN LÉPINE PROJECT The Secret (Rock) Life of a Classical Musician Friday April 5, 8:00 pm "Fiery, alive, inflamed but also tender and passionate." ~ La Scena Musicale Downtown Oakville BIA presents CAROL WELSMAN Saturday April 6, 8:00 pm "Carol Welsman defies all expectations. A singer of uncommon musical and dramatic range, she is also a superb pianist." ~ Chuck Berg All performances are at THE OAKVILLE CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS To order tickets call: 905-815-2021 or go to www.oakvillecentre.ca