Near North Voices’ season begins with Northern Lights

Near North Voices – North Bay’s University-Community Choir – continues to challenge its choristers and entertain and educate their audience with new music as they present the first concert of their eleventh season of musical innovation in North Bay on February 3.
The concert Northern Lights will feature music by composers from countries around the Arctic Circle, sung in English, Latin, Russian, Swedish, Danish, and Icelandic. The first half of the concert will feature the Canadian premiere of an a cappella work by Icelandic composer Anna Þorvaldsdottir titled Heyr þu oss himnum á (Hear us in Heaven). The second half of the concert will feature two works by Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo – Dark Night of the Soul and Luminous Night of the Soul. Both of these works feature demanding piano parts with string quartet, and function practically as concertos for piano with choir and orchestra, setting rich texts by St. John of the Cross to music with a contemporary, minimalist quality dominated by complex meters, thick textures, and heavily protracted melodies.

This concert will showcase the talents of North Bay pianist Marilyn Sutherland, with violinist Yuchen Dai (Windsor/Waterloo), and North Bay Symphony musicians Sebastian Sallans (Toronto) – violin, Don Clysdale (Callander/North Bay) – viola, and Jordan Wyshniowsky (North Bay) – cello.

Before the concert and at intermission, the audience will have the opportunity to bid on items in a silent auction in support of Near North Voices’ Student Choral Scholarship program for high school students. One of this year’s Choral Scholars, Michael Denomme – a recent graduate of St. Joseph’s-Scollard Hall, who is presently preparing for university music auditions, will conduct the Near North Voices men’s ensemble.

Northern Lights will take place on Saturday, February 3, 2018, at 7:30 p.m., St. Andrew’s United Church, 399 Cassells St., North Bay. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for post-secondary students with valid student I.D., available at Gulliver’s Quality Books and Toys on Main St., and at the door. For further information, go to www.nearnorthvoices.com.