The Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) would like to welcome you to its eighteenth season of magnificent choral music. Over the past seventeen years, the professional ensemble has travelled the world and received national and international recognition. This season, the choir has been invited to return to the world’s most prestigious international Bach festival, Bachfest Leipzig 2020, as one of a select number of ensembles worldwide (and the only Canadian ensemble) to present the entire chorale cantata cycle of Bach. Last season, the choir released its seventh CD, Handel, Bach & Schütz, on the ATMA Classique label to rave reviews (“…this new one is among the very best,” American Record Guide 2019), and in 2016 the choir toured in China, where it was invited to perform as Canada’s choral representative in the prestigious Meet in Beijing festival. The choir has also performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City, across Canada, in Mexico, and in Europe in Germany, England, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and more.

Performances in the 2019-2020 season include a Subscription Series, several Special Events, as well as a 5^th European tour in June 2020.

The Subscription Series offers three spectacular concerts:

A Bach Christmas – November 30, 2019, 7:30 PM (Toronto); December 1, 2019, 7:30 PM (Ottawa)

The Genius of Josquin – March 7, 2020, 8 PM

Prelude-Europe 2020 – May 2, 2020, 8 PM

The Ottawa Bach Choir is pleased to offer its audiences a subscription series for a limited time only. Get the entire 2019-2020 concert season for less than 10% less than regular ticket prices. This offer ends on November 30, 2019.

Join us and come discover the best that choral music has to offer!

Lisette Canton
Founder and Artistic Director

For its 17th season, the choir presented Christmas in Venice, featuring Monteverdi’s Christmas Vespers, along with works by baroque composers who worked at the prestigious St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, with Ensemble Caprice baroque orchestra and soloists, followed by La Sainte-Chapelle, with works by prominent composers, de Sermisy, Certon, and Charpentier working at La Sainte Chapelle in Paris in the Renaissance and Baroque periods, and finally Mozart Celebration, including masterpieces by Mozart composed while he was in Salzburg. The choir also released its 7th CD, Handel, Bach & Schütz, on the ATMA Classique label.

For its 16th season, the choir presented Nativity, featuring the premiere of Novum Canticum by Marc Langis, along with music for Christmas from the Renaissance, Baroque and Contemporary periods, accompanied by harpist Caroline Léonardelli and organist Matthew Larkin, followed by Victoria: Officium Defunctorum, featuring the masterpiece by the Renaissance composer, along with works by Palestrina, Allegri, and more, and finally Baroque passion, including Handel’s Dixit Dominus, Bach’s motet, Komm, Jesu, komm, BWV 229, and Schütz’ Passion Motets, which the choir recorded for its 7th CD.

HANDEL: Dixit Dominus BACH & SCHÜTZ: Motets

ATMA

The recent flow of recordings of Handel’s Dixit Dominus has brought the recognition that this Psalm setting of 1707 was the composer’s first great choral masterpiece.

I have lost track of how many recordings it has been given, but I can say that this new one is among the very best. The Ottawa Bach Choir, a 21-member mixed-voice group, digs into the work with wonderful enthusiasm and strength, capturing all its exuberance. With the addition of countertenor Daniel Taylor, the soloists come from the choir ranks and they are quite good.

Choices amid competition for this halfhour work will partly depend on what other material is paired with it. Here five brief Passion motets from the 1625 publication of the Cantiones Sacrae of Heinrich Schutz are offered. This entire program was recorded in May 2018, but the choir sounds different here—more dense and constricted. The composer’s use of post-Renaissance polyphony and madrigalian textures seems to dampen the performers’ precision and clarity.

For the finale, Canton and her choir turn to their namesake, JS Bach, with his Komm, Jesu, Komm, one of his unaccompanied motets. These musicians are beautifully attuned to the music’s richly contrapuntal eight-voice double choir texture.

There really was space for more music here, and I wish more had been added (like another Bach motet).

© 2019 American Record Guide  

THE WHOLE NOTE

VOCAL AND CHORAL

Handel: Dixit Dominus; Bach & Schütz: Motets – Ottawa Bach Choir; Lisette Canton

Written by Dianne Wells

Category: Vocal and Choral

Published: 27 March 2019

Handel – Dixit Dominus; Bach & Schütz – Motets
Ottawa Bach Choir; Lisette Canton
ATMA ACD2 2790 (atmaclassique.com/En)

The Ottawa Bach Choir and Ensemble Caprice join forces in this recording for thrilling performances of Baroque masters Handel, Bach and Schütz. From the outset of Dixit Dominus, the quick pace and precision with which the chorus deftly moves through Handel’s ever-running and cascading phrases is awe-inspiring. Daniel Taylor guests for the alto aria Virgam virtutis in which the interplay between his golden voice and the continuo instruments is sublime. Soprano Kathleen Radke maintains a wonderfully relaxed vocal line through the execution of elaborate lines in Tecum principium in die virtutis and later she and Kayla Ruiz create enchanting chemistry in the soaring duet De torrente in via bibet.

Looking back almost a century, next on the recording are rarely heard Passion Motets from Heinrich Schütz’s Cantiones Sacrae. Heavily influenced by Italian madrigals of the time, Lisette Canton coaxes the full anguish of the thematic material from the choir in emphasizing dissonances and highly expressive rhetoric. The recording ends with homage to the choir’s eponym. In Bach’s Komm, Jesu, komm, excellent recording technique and choice of venue shine through, with a lovely resonance from the start and an erudite interchange captured in the dialogue of a choir divided into two sections by the composer.

To purchase the CD: https://ottawabachchoir.ca/en/product/handel-dixit-dominus-bach-schutz-motets-2/

Ottawa Bach Choir patron Bill Caswell hosts a delightful Intimate Concert at his stylish home in the heart of Ottawa. The event features operatic delights performed by soloists of the Ottawa Bach Choir, including soprano Kathleen Radke, mezzo-soprano Danielle Vaillancourt, tenor Jeff Boyd, baritone Jean-Sébastien Kennedy and pianist Jennifer Szeto, along with delicious food with a Mexican twist, mouth-watering desserts, champagne, red and white wine, and the good company of Ottawa’s cultural and business community. Space is limited – don’t miss out!

Proceeds from this fundraising event will help support the great work of this world-class choir.

Sunday, August 25, 2019, 2-4 PM
Home of Bill Caswell
Ottawa

Tickets: $70 ($45 tax receipt available upon request)

Ottawa (Canada) – The Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) presents the final concert of its seventeenth season of glorious choral music, Mozart Celebration, on Saturday, May 4, 2019, 8:00 PM, at St. Jean Baptiste Church, 96 Empress Avenue, in Ottawa. This concert features majestic masterpieces by Mozart composed in the 1770s while he was still in Salzburg. Repertoire includes the Krönungs-Messe (Coronation Mass), K. 317, Vesperae solennes de confessore, K. 339, Regina coeli, K. 276, and more, performed with members of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and soloists. This concert is sponsored by the generous support of Sunny and Nini Pal.

The OBC’s seventh CD, Handel, Bach & Schütz, has been released on the ATMA Classique label, and is available on the website and on all online platforms. The choir has also been invited to return to the world’s most prestigious international Bach festival, Bachfest Leipzig 2020,as one of 40 ensembles (and the only Canadian ensemble) worldwide asked to present the entire chorale cantata cycle of Bach.

Founded in 2002 by Dr. Lisette Canton, the OBC offers a wide range of choral music from all historical periods, featuring some of Canada’s top choristers. With the combination of a scholarly and emotional approach, the OBC provides an unforgettable experience of choral music at its best.

The OBC has toured extensively in Canada, the United States, and Europe, and was invited to perform as Canada’s choral representative in the prestigious Meet in Beijing arts festival in Beijing, China, in April 2016. In 2014, the choir had the honour of being the first Canadian choir ever to be among the performers in Bachfest Leipzig 2014.

Listing information:

Ottawa Bach Choir

Dr. Lisette Canton, Conductor                                                  

Mozart Celebration

with orchestra and soloists

Saturday, May 4, 2019, 8 PM: St. Jean Baptiste Church, 96 Empress Avenue, Ottawa

Tickets: Reserved $45, Adult $35, Senior (65+) $30, Student $15, Children 12 and under are free

Tickets are available online: www.ottawabachchoir.ca, or at the following outlets: Compact Music, 206 & 785 1/2 Bank Street, Ottawa

Information: info@ottawabachchoir.ca

The Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) presents the second concert of its seventeenth season of glorious choral music, La Sainte-Chapelle, on Saturday, March 2, 2019, 8:00 PM, at Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar Street, in Ottawa. The concert features music by rarely performed French composers prominent at the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris in the Renaissance and early Baroque periods, including Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Messe des morts, as well as motets and chansons by Pierre Certon and Claudin de Sermisy, accompanied by organist Matthew Larkin.

The OBC’s seventh CD, Handel, Bach & Schütz, has been released on the ATMA Classique label, and is available on the website and on all online platforms. The choir has also been invited to return to the world’s most prestigious international Bach festival, Bachfest Leipzig 2020, as one of eighteen ensembles (and the only Canadian ensemble) worldwide asked to present the entire chorale cantata cycle of Bach.

Founded in 2002 by Dr. Lisette Canton, the OBC offers a wide range of choral music from all historical periods, featuring some of Canada’s top choristers. With the combination of a scholarly and emotional approach, the OBC provides an unforgettable experience of choral music at its best.

The OBC has toured extensively in Canada, the United States, and Europe, and was invited to perform as Canada’s choral representative in the prestigious Meet in Beijing arts festival in Beijing, China, in April 2016. In 2014, the choir had the honour of being the first Canadian choir ever to be among the performers in Bachfest Leipzig 2014.

Listing information:

Ottawa Bach Choir

Dr. Lisette Canton, Conductor                                                  

La Sainte-Chapelle

with organist Matthew Larkin and soloists

Saturday, March 2, 2019, 8 PM: Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar Street, Ottawa

Tickets: Reserved $45, Adult $35, Senior $30, Student $15, Children 12 and under are free

Tickets are available online: www.ottawabachchoir.ca, by phone: 613-270-1015, or at the following outlets:

Compact Music, 206 & 785 1/2 Bank Street, Ottawa; The Leading Note, 370 Elgin Street, Ottawa

Information: info@ottawabachchoir.ca

The Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) launches its newest recording of music by Handel, Bach & Schütz on the ATMA Classique label at a CD Release Party on Friday, December 14, 2018, 7 PM, at the Rideau Club, 99 Bank Street, in Ottawa. The recording comprises stunning music from the baroque period, including Handel’s thrilling Dixit Dominus, Bach’s beautiful motet, Komm, Jesu, komm, BWV 229, and Schütz’ rarely-heard Passion Motets. The choir is accompanied by the baroque orchestra Ensemble Caprice, organist Matthew Larkin and spectacular soloists, including world renowned countertenor Daniel Taylor.

“The music on this CD showcases works by three of the most important composers of the German Baroque period – Handel, Bach and Schütz,” says Founder and Artistic Director Lisette Canton. “While all three remained faithful to their German roots, they also explore devices from the Italian Baroque, brilliantly displayed in Handel’s virtuosic work, Dixit Dominus, and in the motets by Bach and Schütz. The magnificent sound of the choir, soloists and orchestra come together in this fantastic recording.”

The choir has also been invited to return to the world’s most prestigious international Bach festival, Bachfest Leipzig 2020, as one of eighteen ensembles worldwide asked to present the entire chorale cantata cycle of Bach.

Listing information:

Ottawa Bach Choir

Lisette Canton, Conductor

CD Release Party

Friday, December 14, 2018, 7 PM

Rideau Club, 99 Bank Street, 15th Floor, Ottawa

Tickets: $85 – CD included with ticket ($50 tax receipt available upon request)

Tickets available at:

Online: www.ottawabachchoir.ca

Information: www.ottawabachchoir.ca or 613-270-1015

The Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) presents the first concert of its seventeenth season of glorious choral music, Christmas in Venice, on Saturday, December 1, 2018, 8:00 PM, at St. Matthew’s Church, 130 Glebe Avenue, in Ottawa. Featuring festive repertoire for Christmas inspired by Italian composers working in Venice during the early Baroque period, the concert includes Monteverdi’s Christmas Vespers, polychoral works by Giovanni Gabrieli, as well as works by Bassano, Croce and more. This spectacular presentation celebrates the glory and splendour of the Christmas season, and includes the baroque orchestra Ensemble Caprice, with strings, sackbuts and continuo, as well as soloists.

The OBC’s seventh recording will be released on the ATMA Classique label, with music by Handel, Bach and Schütz, on December 14 at the Rideau Club. The choir has also been invited to return to the world’s most prestigious international Bach festival, Bachfest Leipzig 2020, as one of eighteen ensembles worldwide asked to present the entire chorale cantata cycle of Bach.

Founded in 2002 by Dr. Lisette Canton, the OBC offers a wide range of choral music from all historical periods, featuring some of Canada’s top choristers. With the combination of a scholarly and emotional approach, the OBC provides an unforgettable experience of choral music at its best.

The OBC has toured extensively in Canada, the United States, and Europe, and was invited to perform as Canada’s choral representative in the prestigious Meet in Beijing arts festival in Beijing, China, in April 2016. In 2014, the choir had the honour of being the first Canadian choir ever to be among the performers in Bachfest Leipzig 2014.

Listing information:

Ottawa Bach Choir

Dr. Lisette Canton, Conductor                                                  

Christmas in Venice

with Ensemble Caprice baroque orchestra and soloists

Saturday, December 1, 2018, 8 PM: St. Matthew’s Church, 130 Glebe Avenue, Ottawa

Tickets: Reserved $45, Adult $35, Senior $30, Student $15, Children 12 and under are free

Tickets are available online: www.ottawabachchoir.ca, by phone: 613-270-1015, or at the following outlets:

The Leading Note, 370 Elgin Street, Ottawa; Compact Music, 206 & 785 1/2 Bank Street, Ottawa

Information: info@ottawabachchoir.ca