The Scotiabank Northern Lights Music Festival just gets better every year and festival founder and Artistic Director Christopher Wilshere has devised yet another exciting program for its upcoming thirteenth season.
Opening the Festival on Monday, February 16, with “Love Triangle,” is the Canadian Gryphon Trio, much acclaimed winner of two Juno Awards. Considered to be the top classical music ensemble in Canada it was formed in 1993 by three members of the Faculty of Music of the University of Toronto and comprises Roman Borys, cello, Annalee Patipatanakoon, violin and James Parker, piano.
With a repertoire ranging from traditional to contemporary and European classicism to modern-day multimedia, the Gryphons say they are, “Committed to redefining chamber music for the 21st century.”
Haydn’s captivating piano trio No. 44 in E Major, will be followed by ‘Love Triangle’, after which the concert is named. The work is by up-and-coming Canadian composer Dinuk Wijneratne, who was labeled, “Exuberantly creative”, by the New York Times. Schubert’s beautiful four movement Piano Trio in B flat Major will bring the evening to a close.
The following Monday, February 23, The Gryphon Trio will play “Dumky,” Dvořák’s last and best-known Piano Trio, No. 4 in E minor, Op. 90. Each of the six movements is a Dumka or Slavic folk song, marked by typically abrupt transitions from doleful to exuberant. The plural is Dumky, hence the piece is also known as the Dumky-Trio.
There will be two concerts on Wednesday, February 18. First, at 4 p.m., will be “Cleopatra in Berlin” with soprano Erin Cooper-Gay’s exquisite voice complemented by gifted pianist Angela Park as they showcase pieces from the antithetical worlds of Handel’s opera “Giulio Cesare in Egitto” and the “metropolis of vice” of Kurt Weill’s Berlin.
Second, at 7:30 p.m. one of America’s premier young ensembles, the quartet in residence for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and internationally acclaimed Attacca Quartet – Amy Schroeder and Keiko Tokunaga, violins, Luke Fleming, viola and Andrew Yee, cello – returns to Ajijic. The concert, “Amor y Muerte” will feature the romantic and widely contrasting works of Grieg’s String Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 27 and Janacek’s String Quartet No. 1 “Kreutzer Sonata” (1923). Both concerts will be repeated on Sunday, February 22, with the times interchanged.
“The Art of Jazz,” at the Auditorio on Thursday, February 19, sees the welcome return of Juno-award-winning writer, arranger and alto saxophonist extraordinaire, Richard Underhill, together with Genie nominated actress, Canada’s JAZZ FM91 broadcaster and multi-talented singer Terra Hazelton. Joining them will be festival favorite Daniel Barnes on drums and two Ajijic newcomers: legendary Canadian double bass virtuoso Roberto Occhipinti and the National Arts Center’s “most outstanding Canadian jazz musician under 25,” pianist Ewen Farncombe.
On Friday, February 27 “Hot Jazz and Dinner” will find Underhill and his band entertaining at the Nueva Posada from 6 p.m., with after-dinner dancing positively encouraged!
Las Brisas is the setting for “Piano and Fashion,” at 4.p.m. on Friday, February 20 - and what a rare and exciting event it will be. Canada’s most acclaimed piano virtuosi: winner of two Juno recording awards, Jamie Parker, and Angela Park, one of the most talented and sought-after young pianists in North America, will play Piano Four-Hands in what promises to be a unique and memorable performance.
Rosemarie Umetsu, one of the classical music world’s most sought after fashion designers, a trained classical pianist herself, will then make a short presentation about the creative process of dressing the world’s top performance artists. Parker and Park will be wearing Umetsu’s creations, and gowns used at the Festival will be on display.
Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Associate Concertmaster, Mark Skazinetsky, returns to conduct the Festival Orchestra’s Gala Concert at the Auditorio on Saturday, February 21. The program will include Mendelssohn’s D minor violin concerto, performed by virtuoso violinist and concertmaster of the American Ballet in New York, Benjamin Bowman; Robert Fuchs’ Serenade #3, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in D minor and the orchestral version of Tchaikovsky’s “Souvenir de Florence.”
Wednesday, February 25 finds “Gold and Ivory” at the Auditorio with flautist Susan Hoeppner and concert pianist Angela Park – both extremely gifted musicians and very popular with audiences at lakeside. Their inspired program offers a colorful spectrum of musical ideas – one not to be missed!
Thursday, February 26 two performances of “Tango Railway,” at the Chapala Railroad Station at 4 p.m. And 7:30 p.m., will feature festival players collaborating on works by Argentinian Composers, Osvaldo Golijov and the foremost composer of tango music, the late Astor Piazzolla. With a body of more than 3,000 works, his music is so well known that it’s performed by musicians from all genres.
This year’s “Closing Gala Orchestra Plus 1” at the Auditorio on Saturday 28 is extra special, because of all the solos and eclectic musical programming. Concertos by Vivaldi for flute with Susan Hoeppner, Angela Park’s beautiful interpretation of Chopin’s famous Piano Concerto in E minor and closing the festival with Erin Cooper-Gay and the festival orchestra performing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Exsultate Jubilate.
With some of North America’s best musicians and such a varied and inspired selection of music, this, the 13th Scotiabank Northern Lights Music Festival, will definitely be the best yet. Hurry! Tickets sell fast.
Tickets: on sale from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Mon.-Fri. at The Nueva Posada Hotel & Restaurant, 9 Donato Guerra, Ajijic. For ticket sales information: email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call Maureen Welch, 766-6087. For ticket packages: email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call Kelly French, cel. 331-626-0717.