The JUNO award winning Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) has been invited to the world’s most prestigious international Bach festival, Bachfest Leipzig 2022, as one of a select number of ensembles worldwide—and the only Canadian ensemble—to present the entire chorale cantata cycle of Bach, performing with the Pauliner Baroque Ensemble. As part of its fifth European tour this June, the choir also embarks on A Bach Pilgrimage, following its two performances at Bachfest Leipzig, to the places where Bach lived and worked, including Eisenach, Arnstadt, Mühlhausen, Weimar, and other influential venues in Wittenberg, Halle and Berlin. Canadian soloists, soprano Jana Miller, countertenor Nicholas Burns, tenor Nils Brown and baritone David John Pike, along with organist Jonathan Oldengarm, join the choir on this historic tour.
In preparation for the tour, the OBC presents this repertoire to Ottawa audiences as part of the final concert of its 20th anniversary season, Prelude-Europe 2022, on Saturday, May 7, 2022, 8 PM, at St. Matthew’s Church, 130 Glebe Avenue, in Ottawa. The music includes works by German baroque masters, Bach, Schütz, Telemann, Pachelbel, and others, Renaissance masters, as well as Contemporary gems by Mealor, Ottawa composer Kelly-Marie Murphy, and more. Canadian organist Jonathan Oldengarm joins the choir for this thrilling concert.
“We are honoured to be invited to return to Bachfest Leipzig, performing in the Thomaskirche, where Bach was employed for 27 years, in the worldwide presentation of his second cycle of chorale cantatas,” says Founder and Artistic Director, Lisette Canton. As part of our Bach Pilgrimage Tour throughout Germany, performing in the very places where Bach lived and worked and other prestigious venues, we present this exciting repertoire for Ottawa audiences. Join us for this spectacular evening of music!”
The Ottawa Bach Choir, founded in 2002 by Dr. Lisette Canton, offers a wide range of choral music from all historical periods. With the combination of a scholarly and emotional approach, the OBC provides an unforgettable experience of choral music at its best. The OBC won the 2020 JUNO Award for its album, Handel: Dixit Dominus; Bach & Schütz: Motets, in the category “Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral”. The professional ensemble has toured extensively in Canada, the United States, Europe, and China.
For interviews and information, please contact:
Dr. Lisette Canton, Founder and Artistic Director, lisette.canton@ottawabachchoir.ca
Listing information:
Ottawa Bach Choir
with organist Jonathan Oldengarm
Lisette Canton, conductor
Prelude-Europe 2022
Live In-Person
Saturday, May 7, 2022, 8:00 PM
St. Matthew’s Church, 130 Glebe Avenue, Ottawa
Tickets: Reserved $50, Adult $40, Senior $35, Student $20, Children 12 and under free
Tickets are available online or by phone. To view the concert in our Digital Concert Hall, please see the website www.ottawabachchoir.ca.
Information: info@ottawabachchoir.ca
