Beethoven’s 9th: Ode to Joy on March 9th
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 04, 2021
SOLOISTS, WESTERN CHOIRS JOIN ORCHESTRA FOR BEETHOVEN’S “ODE TO JOY”
LONDON – Orchestra London is joined by Western University choirs and renowned soloists for Beethoven’s iconic Symphony No. 9, also known as “Ode to Joy” at Centennial Hall on Saturday, March 9 at 8pm. This spectacular performance marks a highlight in Orchestra London’s Beethoven themed season. Music Director Alain Trudel conducts.
Audiences will rejoice at the number of local performers Beethoven’s 9th brings to the stage. Sophie Louise Roland (mezzo soprano), who has been hailed for her “excellence, purity of voice and emotional intensity,” is currently an Associate Professor of Music at the Don Wright Faculty of music at Western University.
“I am delighted to be singing once again with Maestro Trudel for our London community,” says Roland. “Western and Orchestra London are forming stronger bonds every year and it is a pleasure to take part in this concert together,” she concludes.
Beethoven’s 9th is well known the world over for its music, but Roland reveals it also holds special meaning for singers:
“Beethoven’s 9th is of particular importance to us, singers, since it was the first time that we were invited to enter the symphonic world (as opposed to opera etc.),” she explains. “It is a wonderful experience for us to take part in this genre.”
Another performer appearing from Western University is Theodore Baerg (bass) who is Professor of Voice and Coordinator of Operatic Studies:
“I am very happy and excited to be working with Alain on this piece. We are also collaborating on the opera Cosi fan Tutte at the university and I think he is a wonderful conductor for singers—orchestra as well of course,” Baerg jokes. “My most memorable performance of Beethoven 9th was at the opening of Kitchener-Waterloo’s Centre in the Square years ago. The piece is a terrific one for a baritone and I know this will again be wonderfully memorable.”
Maestro Trudel is proud to crown the Orchestra’s Beethoven themed season with “Ode to Joy”:
“We performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5in December, but the 9th is his final complete symphony, and a testament to his prominence in the repertoire,” explains Trudel. “It is a rare joy when a piece of music can span so much history and leap so many cultural boundaries to become so well loved. To do his work justice with our Orchestra, fantastic guest singers and Western choirs is a highlight of our season no one should miss.”
Tickets for Beethoven’s 9th can be purchased at Orchestra London’s Box Office at 609 Wellington Street, (519) 679-8778, or at orchestralondon.ca
CONCERT DETAILS
What:
Beethoven’s 9th: Orchestra London’s Masterworks Series presents Beethoven’s iconic Symphony No.9 known as “Ode to Joy”. Orchestra London is joined by vocal soloists and Western University choirs for this spectacular performance that will bring the house down.
Where:
Centennial Hall
550 Wellington St.
Who:
Orchestra London; Alain Trudel, conductor; Nathalie Paulin, soprano; Sophie Louise Roland, alto; Nils Brown, tenor; Theodore Baerg, bass; Western University Singers: Victoria Meredith, conductor;
Les Choristes; Jennifer Moir, conductor.
When:
Saturday, March 9, 2021
Cost:
Adult and Senior $34-55, Students $15, Family Pass $76
(All prices plus applicable taxes and service charge)
For more information:
Orchestra London Box Office (519) 679-8778 or visit orchestralondon.ca
Orchestra London Sponsors: Lerners, Best Western, VIA Rail, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, City of London.
About Nathalie Paulin
Nathalie Paulin has established herself in North America, Europe and the Far East as an interpretive artist of the very first rank, collaborating with renowned conductors including Sir Roger Norrington, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Andrew Parrott, David Agler, Bernard Labadie, Andrew Litton, Yoav Talmi, Jacques Lacombe, Alain Trudel and Antony Walker in both opera and concert repertoire. Featured by L’Opéra de Montréal as Melisande in Pelléas et Mélisande as well as Norina in Don Pasquale and as Handel’s Semele for Chicago Opera Theater, highlights of her 2011-2012 season included la Baronne in La Cour de Célimène for the Wexford Festival, Matthäus Passion for the Calgary Philharmonic, Iole in Handel’s Hercules for Tafelmusik, Messiah for the Seattle Symphony, the title role in Rodelinda for Houston’s Mercury Baroque, Carmina Burana with Orchestre symphonique de Québec and Marzelline in Fidelio for the Edmonton Opera. Engagements for the 2012/13 season include a return to the Wexford Festival as Alexina in Le Roi Malgré Lui, a role she performed at the Bard Summerscape Festival in New York. Of particular note in 2013 are her performances with Opera Lafayette in Washington and New York of Felicien David’s rarely heard Lalla Roukh as Mirza. Further engagements include Mozart’s Requiem (Tafelmusik and Alberta Ballet), Messiah with Colorado Symphony and Claude Vivier’s Lonely Child coupled with Mozart’s Requiem for Orchestre symphonique de Trois Rivières.
She has been featured as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with Vancouver Opera, Antonia in Les contes d’Hoffmann for Cincinnati Opera and the title roles in Semele (Arizona Opera) and Manon (Opéra de Québec and Calgary Opera). Ms Paulin is a frequent guest of the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston, Atlanta Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Boston Baroque and the Lanaudiere Festival. Her discography includes Caldara’s Clodoveo, Re di Francia (ATMA), Oedipe a Colonne (NAXOS) and Faure’s Requiem with the Elora Singers of Canada.
About Sophie Louise Roland
Hailed for her “excellence, purity of voice and emotional intensity,” Sophie Louise Roland recently sang the roles of Dido and the Sorceress in Purcell’s Dido and Æneas and as Storge in Handel’s Jeptha with American Opera Theater (Baltimore, MD), Carmen and Suzuki with Ente Concerti Città di Iglesias, Cornelia in Giulio Cesare with Orchestra London, Maddelena in Verdi’s Rigoletto with Opera York (Ontario), Madama Butterfly’s Suzuki for Pellegrini Opera (Ottawa), Madonna Capuleti and Tebaldo in the International Opera Theater’s world premiere of Romeo e Giulietta in Città della Pieve (Italy), Carmen with both American Opera Theater and Opera Lirica Italiana, Nicklausse in Les Contes d’Hoffmann with Opera Brasov, as well as the title role in Carmen with both Janiec Opera Company and Indiana University Opera Theater. Other highlights include La Prieure in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, Dame Quickly in Falstaff, La mère in Les Contes d’Hoffmann and Luna in the North American premiere of Jeppe by Sven David Sandström. Future engagements for Ms. Roland include a reprise of Maddelena, Mauyra in Vaughan Williams’ Riders to the Sea, Carmen a recital with acclaimed pianist Stéphan Sylvestre, as well as other performances in Baltimore, London, Hamilton, Québec, Toronto, Amsterdam, and Italy.
Ms. Roland’s lush voice, dazzling coloratura, engaging stage presence, and deeply expressive musicality have captivated audiences throughout North America and abroad. In addition to her operatic credits, Ms. Roland has appeared in concert with ensembles such as Orchestra London with Timothy Vernon conducting, Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières under the baton of Jacques Lacombe, the Windsor Symphony with John Morris Russell, the Guelph Chamber Choir, the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Hamilton, London Fanshawe Symphonic Orchestra, and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Ms. Roland recently was featured singing in Jean-Claude Labrecque’s film, Infiniment Québec and on the artist Jorane’s compilation CD, Jorane X. She also appeared in Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky under the baton of Maestro Erick Kunzel, was chosen to participate for the celebrations in honor of Marilyn Horne’s 70th birthday at Carnegie Hall.
Ms. Roland received her early training in piano, voice, and drama in Quebec. She holds an Honours BMus from Wilfrid Laurier University, an MA in Musicology and MMus in Vocal Performance from the University of Western Ontario, and recently completed a DM in Voice Performance under the tutelage of Ms. Constanza Cuccaro at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.
In addition to maintaining an active directing career, Ms. Roland currently holds the rank of Associate Professor of Music in the Don Wright Faculty of Music at the University of Western Ontario. Dr. Roland’s students have won National and International competitions such as Metropolitan Opera Auditions, NATS Regional and District Auditions, the NATSAA Competition, and Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation. She is the General Director of the both the Canadian Operatic Arts Academy (London, Ontario) and the Accademia Europea Dell’Opera (Italy), operatic training programs for emerging professionals featuring world-class faculties.
About Nils Brown
Australian-born tenor, Nils Brown, makes his home in Montreal. He is a distinguished solo performer in oratorio, opera, ensemble, and with symphony orchestras, and is regularly engaged by major orchestras and choral organizations in the USA, Canada and Great Britain. He has appeared with the Vancouver Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Edmonton Symphony, Portland Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, Four Nations Ensemble, Washington Bach Consort, Lamèque Baroque Festival, Elora Singers, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Bach Choir of Bethlehem (singing J.S. Bach’s Magnificat (BWV 243) and Cantata BWV 63), CBC Vancouver Orchestra and Aradia Ensemble, ans the Master Singers of Wochester (from 1998). He recently toured Germany and the Czech Republic performing the Mozart Requiem, and in 1998 performed in England at the Aldeburgh Festival. He is living in Ontario, Caanada, and his performances have been broadcast nationally on the CBC and in Europe.
Nils Brown has recorded with Aradia Ensemble, American Bach Soloists, Washington Bach Consort.and Tafelmusik.
About Theodore Baerg
Baritone Theodore Baerg continues to enjoy a long and celebrated career, with the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Glyndebourne Festival and the Tapei Chamber Orchestra just four of his international destinations. He has performed in opera and concert on virtually every major stage in Canada and many in the United States. In addition to over 75 operatic roles Ted was heralded as Emile DeBecque in the hit Stratford Festival production of South Pacific. He is a popular star for orchestra evenings devoted to the works of Strauss, Lehar, and “The Best of Broadway”.
Ted has appeared in numerous leading roles with the opera companies in Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto in operas ranging from il Barbiere di Siviglia to Rigoletto and La Taviata. With the San Francisco Opera he has appeared in Ariadne auf Naxos, Madama Butterfly, Peter Grimes, Bill Budd, Die Lustige Witwe and Turandot. New York City audiences have hailed Theodore Baerg in La Boheme, Kismet, Die Fledermaus, The Desert Song and The Merry Widow at City Opera and in Zigeunerbaron and Fidelio with the New York Philharmonic. Mr. Baerg has performed numbers world premiere operas and concerts including Mario and the Magician and The Golden Ass with the Canadian Opera Company where he also has performed leading roles il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Boheme, Die Fledermaus, The Merry Widow and many others.Mr. Baerg’s concert repertoire includes many of the oratorio greats; The Messiah, J.S. Bach solo Cantatas and Passions, as well as number Requiem Masses by Brahms, Fauré and others. He has performed recital tours across Canada and the United States that included art song favourites programmed with some opera and musical theatre. His Canadian concert engagements have included the orchestras from Nova Scotia, Québec, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Windsor, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, and Victoria.
Several years ago he toured with Eric Idle’s Not the Messiah to Houston, Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl and the Wolftrap Festival. Other recent engagements include La Fille du Régiment (Edmonton Opera), Candide (Manitoba Opera), Carmina Burana (Victoria Symphony and Thunder Bay Symphony), La Traviata (Edmonton Opera), The Shadow (World Premiere with Tapestry New Works) and Nelligan with L’Opera de Québec. His discography includes a DVD of Turandot (Ping) with the San Francisco Opera as well as two CDs, La Mystique D’Amour (with Irena Welhasch Baerg) and Enchanted Evenings.Mr. Baerg is Professor of Voice and Coordinator of Operatic Studies at the University of Western Ontario.
About Alain Trudel
Music director of Orchestra London Canada, Alain Trudel, is one of the busiest and most sought after conductors on the Canadian scene. He is also music director of l’Orchestre Symphonique de Laval as well as the National Broadcast Orchestra, and is the Principal Guest Conductor of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra. In July 2012, Maestro Trudel began a two-year appointment as Director of the Orchestral Ensembles at Western University.
A frequent guest with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Trudel made his Opera de Montréal debut in 2009, conducting Mozart’s The Magic Flute, as well as the 30th anniversary gala, which was released as a live CD and nominated at L’ADISQ.
Highly committed to the new generation of musicians, Trudel is the conductor of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, and has been regularly invited to conduct the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. Their recording of Mahler’s 6th Symphony and Le sacre du printemps was nominated for a Juno Award.
Beyond the borders of Canada, Trudel has conducted orchestras in the UK, the USA, Japan, Hong-Kong and Latin America. Highly appreciated for his collaborative spirit, he has worked with many world famous artists, among them Ben Heppner, Anton Kuerti, and Isabel Bayrakdarian. Alain Trudel is the recipient of numerous Awards, among them the Virginia Parker and the Heinz Unger Prize for conducting. He has also been named an Ambassador of Canadian Music by the CMC.
Mr. Trudel is truly excited for his second season as Music Director of Orchestra London Canada.
About Orchestra London:
Orchestra London has been making music in the London Community since 1937. Officially incorporated in 1957, Orchestra London performs over 50 concerts each season across six different series. Education & Outreach programs have introduced the orchestra to more than 30,000 schoolchildren since 2000 and the community at-large. Orchestra London welcomed Alain Trudel as Music Director in 2011.
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For more information, please contact:
Terri Anne Moses, Sales and Marketing Manager
Phone 519.679.8558 x 241 or email [email protected]