The A Cappella Plus chamber choir, under the direction of Rosemary Lindsay, presents a fall program of great contrasts with pieces that convey joy, sadness, beauty and fun on Saturday, Nov. 19 at Ballenas Secondary School in Parksville.
The concert titled The Full Gamut, promises to both tug on your heartstrings and tickle your funny bone.
Val Duthie said it is a mixed program that covers a whole range of music from Classical to modern. She said the concert opens with serious pieces and ends on a lighter note.
The concert starts with the joyful piece, Exultate by Scarlatti. This is followed by the Vier Quartette by Brahms, accompanied on piano by Jamie Syer. This piece is more of a duet between voice and piano, as both instruments have equal importance. Next is the powerful Dulce et Decorum, an excerpt from the Requiem by contemporary B.C. composer Larry Nickel, with haunting words by the First World War poet Wilfred Owen.
Special guests include Jamie Syer on piano and his wife Laurie on violin who open the second half with some well known violin and piano duets, and then the choir joins both of them in Vocalise by Fauré.
Dr. Jamie Syer is a Canadian piano soloist, chamber music performer, conductor, clinician and teacher. He is currently Dean of the Victoria Conservatory of Music.
Laurie Syer is an active teacher and performer. She is a former member of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and has performed as soloist in western Canada and Europe. The two founded String & Keys in 1995 in Bergen, Alberta which attracts teachers and students from across Canada.
Duthie said the concert will end on an upbeat note with Animal Crackers by Eric Whitacre and two Alberta folksongs by Trent Worthington.
After the concert the audience is invited to join the choir for refreshments.
Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show on Nov. 19 are $15 for adults and $10 for students. There is also a Sunday afternoon show on Nov. 20 at 2:30 p.m. at Brechin United Church in Nanaimo.
Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance at the Mulberry Bush Bookstores in Qualicum Beach and Parksville, and Fascinating Rhythm and The Quilted Duck in Nanaimo. For more information call 250-754-1094 or go to www. acappellaplus.ca.
