When: November 26, 2022
What time: 8 pm
Where: Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre, 355 Cooper Street
Price: Adults $40, Seniors $35, Students & Youth $20 • Click here for tickets
Get ready for some musical Christmas magic! The Juno-award-winning Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) is ready to kickstart the holidays with the first concert of its 21st season, opening with Heinrich Schutz’s Historia der Geburt Jesu Christi (Christmas Oratorio). This piece will be performed in collaboration with the Canada-wide Shutzfest in honour of the 350th anniversary of the death of Schutz and followed by festive, seasonal works by Bach and Buxtehude.
Founded in 2002, The OBC provides an unforgettable choral music experience at its best. The OBC won the 2020 Juno award for its album, Handel: Dixit Dominus; Bach + Schutz: Motets, in the category Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral, and has just returned from the prestigious international festival, Bachfest Leipzig, this past June. The group has toured extensively throughout Canada, the United States, Europe, and China and has had the great honour of being the first Canadian choir to ever sing among performers in 2014’s Bachfest Leipzig.
The OBC has spent 20 years showcasing a wide range of choral music of the finest quality. They strive and succeed in covering choral music from all historical periods with a combination of scholarly and emotional approaches, expanding all aspects of the artistic spectrum.
Opening another fantastic season, the OBC’s Baroque Christmas concert will take place on Saturday, November 26th, at 8:00 pm, at Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre, 355 Cooper Street, Centertown Ottawa. The concert features Heinrich Schutz’ Historia der Geburt Jesu Christi, SWV 435, in collaboration with Schutzfest and festive productions by Bach and Buxtehude. The Theatre of Early Music Baroque orchestra will join the choir alongside soloists: Daniel Taylor, countertenor; Rufus Muller, tenor; and Ottawa-native Matthew Li, bass.
ABOVE: Ottawa Bach Choir Artistic Director Lisette Canton. (RIGHT) The Ottawa Bach Choir.
Founder and Artistic Director Lisette Canton expressed her excitement, “This concert opens up a glorious 21st season with music by composers the OBC holds dear to its heart: Schutz, Bach, and Buxtehude. We are delighted to have the opportunity to be part of Schutzfest, the national festival in honour of Heinrich Schutz, and to present such magnificent works from the Baroque period with some of the leading soloists and instrumentalists in this style. Join us for this festive celebration!”
The choir’s founder and director, Lisette Canton, is a woman of many responsibilities. Among Canton’s musical talents are her roles as choral and orchestral conductor, vocal coach, adjudicator, and early music specialist. In addition to her responsibility to the OBC, she serves as an Associate Professor and Head of Choral Conducting at York University in Toronto. She is known for her animated, precise, and detailed conducting and has led her choir on five successful European tours.
The OBC season continues with two additional performances on March 11, 2023, presenting Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, and May 6, 2023, with their closing Spring Serenade.
Tickets for the Baroque Christmas concert are available online at www.ottawabachchoir.ca.
Reserved tickets are $50, adult tickets are $40, senior tickets are $35, student tickets are $20, and children 12 and under may attend free of charge.
Regular-season subscription tickets and digital concerts are also available, with more information at www.ottawabachchoir.ca.