The 2014/2015 season of the Free Concert Series is almost at a close. Be sure to stop by and catch the last shows of our ninth season, including 20th-century works, a world premiere and even bebop! Read on to discover some of the concert highlights coming in May and June; you could say we've been saving the best for last!

Thursday, May  7, 2015
12 — 1 p.m.
Absofunkinlutely
Kara Huber, piano

Quickly gaining an international reputation for her extraordinary prowess and flair for contemporary music, award-winning American pianist Kara Huber shows that, in the right hands, piano études can be fun and funky. The program also features the world premiere of a new work written just for her by Andy Villemez.

Thursday, May  14, 2015
12 — 1 p.m.
Folk Impressions
Shelley Brown, flute
James Shields, clarinet
Aya Miyagawa and Nancy Kershaw, violin
Josh Greenlaw, viola
Rebecca Morton, cello
Lori Gemmell, harp

Artists of the COC Orchestra and guest harpist Lori Gemmell perform works by Arnold Bax, Béla Bartók and Maurice Ravel. In the early 20th century, Bax, Bartók and Ravel found themselves in the midst of great change, chaos and war. Perhaps in response to this pressure, all three of the works in this program were influenced by their composer's love affair with a particular pastoral region.

Tuesday, May  19, 2015
12 — 1 p.m.
Songs and Dances of Death
Ekaterina Gubanova, mezzo-soprano
Rachel Andrist, piano

Internationally acclaimed Russian mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova (currently making her COC mainstage debut as Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle) performs Mussorgsky’s devastatingly beautiful song cycle Songs and Dances of Death.

Wednesday, May, 20, 2015
12 — 1 p.m.
The Diary of One Who Disappeared
Charlotte Burrage, mezzo-soprano
Owen McCausland, tenor

Tenor Owen McCausland and mezzo-soprano Charlotte Burrage perform in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre one last time as members of the Ensemble Studio, before graduating from the program this spring. They present Janáček’s intensely dramatic song cycle, The Diary of One Who Disappeared.

Thursday, May 21, 2015
12 — 1 p.m.
Harawi: Songs of Love and Death
Krisztina Szabó, mezzo-soprano
Christopher Mokrzewski, piano

Acclaimed Canadian mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó (currently singing the role of The Woman in the COC’s Erwartung) and pianist Christopher Mokrzewski (of Toronto's Against the Grain Theatre) unite to perform Olivier Messiaen’s exquisitely beautiful and deeply moving song cycle, Harawi (Songs of Love and Death). The piece is part of a trilogy of works embracing the Tristan myth and the concept of the simultaneous fulfillment of love and death.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015
12 — 1 p.m.
Instruments are for Surgeons
Cadence Vocal Quartet

Closing out the season is Cadence, Canada’s premier a cappella vocal ensemble. Famous for their infectious energy and uncanny verve, the group has been wowing audiences across the country and around the world for over 15 years. Whether performing classics by Joni Mitchell or Louis Prima, bebop standards or cheeky arrangement of 1980s hits, their hypnotic blend of complex harmonies, intricate arrangements, vocal dexterity and on-stage antics are simply irresistible!

 

Which concerts are you most looking forward to? Share it with us in the comments!

Banner credit: Víkingur Ólafsson. Photo: Kevin Lloyd