Tag Archives: Donald Fraser

Holiday Season

Messiah Makes It Back to the Homburg

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A Musical Rite of the Holiday Season: Handel’s Messiah

Confederation Singers, orchestra, and guest soloists perform Handel’s ‘Messiah’ Sunday, December 2 in the Homburg Theatre.

Sobeys LIVE @ the Centre presents an afternoon celebrating one of the most enduring pieces of music in the Western choral cannon. On Sunday, December 2 at 2:30 p.m., the Confederation Singers, orchestra, and four guest soloists perform Handel’s Messiah, the Baroque-era oratorio that celebrates the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Written in 1741, Messiah is the most famous creation of German composer George Frederic Handel, and its performance still awes listeners more than 250 years after the composer’s death. Ludwig van Beethoven himself, citing Messiah, said Handel was the “greatest composer that ever lived.”

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Sponsored by Maritime Electric, the concert is an annual tradition at Confederation Centre of the Arts, led by Choral Music Director Donald Fraser. Joining the Centre’s adult choir, the Confederation Singers, this year are four guest vocalists, well known in the choral community: mezzo-soprano Hannah O’Donnell, soprano Shannon Scales, baritone Parker Clements, and tenor James Smith.   

The Confederation Singers include more than 60 members from across the community. The Singers present an interesting and varied program of music throughout the year, performing seasonal concerts on local stages and at a variety of events. Other concerts include Choral Music on a Holy Day (April 19, 2019) and the popular holiday tradition Sing Along Messiah, December 28, 2018, where the audience is invited to participate.

Handel’s Messiah will be presented on December 2 at 2:30 p.m., in the Homburg Theatre of Confederation Centre. Tickets are $25 and are available at the door, at Confederation Centre’s box office, online at confederationcentre.com, or via phone at 902-566-1267 (toll free at 1-800-565-0278)

Special thanks are extended to Maritime Electric, sponsors for the Centre’s Choral Music Programme, and Sobeys, the title sponsor for LIVE @ the Centre. Appreciation is also extended to the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Province of Prince Edward Island, and the City of Charlottetown, as well to media sponsors Ocean 100, Hot 105.5, and The Guardian.

Music

Hands Down Great Choral

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Confederation Centre hands out choral music awards

Confederation Centre of the Arts handed out its 2018 music department awards and citations at the 41stannual choral music fundraising dinner on April 5. The 17 awards recognize the Youth Chorus members for their contributions and achievements over the past year.

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“The Youth Chorus work had collectively and individually to bring great music to Islanders and to a broader audience,” says Donald Fraser, music director at the Confederation Centre of the Arts. “These awards are a form of recognition for excellence within the choir.”

The Public Relations Department Award: “To a member of the Chorus who has enhanced the image of Confederation Centre of the Arts through her participation in Confederation Centre Children’s Chorus” – ZANETA AMBASSA

The Holman’s Annual Award: “For loyalty and dependability” – ABBY BATCHILDER

The Mrs. G. Elliot Full Award: “To a member of the Chorus who has demonstrated exceptional all‑round musical ability and potential” – ALLIE DURLING

The Frank J. Storey Award: “To a member of the Chorus who by dedication, sacrifice, regular attendance, deportment and general musicianship has made an out-standing contribution to the Choir” – TRISTA MACNEILL

The Catherine MacKinnon‑Crabbe Award: “To a senior girl in the Confederation Centre of the Arts Children’s Chorus who has shown out‑standing ability combined with loyalty and enthusiasm” –  GRACE LEWIS

The CBC FM Award: “To a first‑year member of Confederation Centre Children’s Chorus showing exceptional vocal‑progress” –  KEELEY DOUCETTE

The Bank of Montreal Award: “For loyalty, enthusiasm and musical ability in the Confederation Centre of the Arts Children’s Chorus” –  DAISEY & KATE HOWE

The Liz Coady Memorial Award: To the member of the Confederation Centre Children’s Choir who best exhibits qualities of honesty, integrity, compassion, and a true love of music –  EVA LIU & TAYLOR DURLING

The Manning Award: “To a Senior member of Confederation Centre Children’s Chorus displaying qualities of musical ability, commitment, self‑discipline and loyalty to her fellow‑choristers and Director” –  SOPHIA GALWAY

The Music Department Award: “To a girl in the Confederation Centre of the Arts Children’s Chorus who has enhanced the image of the Centre by her ability and dedication to the choir” –  LEIA MCMILLAN

The Mary Hancox Award: “To a first‑year member of Confederation Centre of the Arts Children’s Chorus showing exceptional vocal progress” – KOBY-LYNN GALLANT

The MacRae Award: “To a senior member of Confederation Centre Children’s Chorus making an outstanding contribution to the overall work of the Music Department” – EMMA CHRISTENSEN

The Friends of Confederation Centre Award : “To a member of the Confederation Centre Children’s Chorus given in the spirit of striving for excellence” – ELLE WHITTY

The Hon. Lloyd G. MacPhail Award: “To a senior member of Confederation Centre Children’s Chorus whose outstanding talents have been fully used in both Music Department and Community events” – SIOBHAN ARMSTRONG

The Hon. Gordon L. Bennett Award: “To a member of the Children’s Chorus, Confederation Centre of the Arts, showing outstanding qualities of leadership, combined with all-round musical ability” – DENAÉ LAVALLÉE

The Hon. Marion L. Reid Award: “To a member of the Confederation Centre Children’s Chorus who has displayed a large measure of dedication, hard work, and discipline to further the musical goals of the Chorus” – JADE DOUCETTE

The Hon. Gilbert R. Clements Award: “To a member of the Confederation Centre Children’s Chorus who through the qualities of leadership and musical ability is a source of inspiration to other chorus members” –  KATRINA GALLANT

Special thanks are extended to Maritime Electric sponsor for Choral Music.

Holiday Season

Come and Be Merry

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Rejoice in Choral Christmastime with Sing Noël

Beloved holiday tradition presented at Trinity United Church in Charlottetown

Come and be merry on December 17 when the Chorus takes to the stage at 3 p.m. to perform Sing Noël – an evening of classic Christmas carols performed in the beauty of Trinity United Church. The large youth choir will be joined by audience favourite Joey Kitson and guest host Valerie Moore.

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Featured concert selections include both contemporary and classic Christmas carols, such as ‘Welcome Yule’, ‘In Bethlehem’, ‘Star Carol’, ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’, ‘Angel Tidings’, and ‘O Holy Night.’

“The Youth Chorus really captures the spirit of the season every year in this beautiful concert,” says Donald Fraser, choral music director at Confederation Centre. “The beauty and purity of these blended voices in three- and four-part harmonies is always something very special”.

Tickets and more info for this and other upcoming concerts are available at the box office at (902) 566-1267, toll free at 1-800-565-0278, or online at confederationcentre.com.

Appreciation is extended to Maritime Electric, program sponsor for the Youth Chorus, and to Sobeys, the title sponsor for LIVE @ the Centre. Media sponsors are The Guardian, Hot 105.5, and Ocean 100. Follow along on social media @confedcentre (Instagram and Twitter) and via Confederation Centre of the Arts.

Holiday Season

Confederation Singers Celebrate the Messiah

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Sobeys LIVE @ the Centre presents an afternoon celebrating of one of the most enduring pieces of music in the Western choral tradition. On Sunday, December 3 at 2:30 p.m., the Confederation Singers, orchestra, and four guest soloists perform Handel’s Messiah, the Baroque-era oratorio that celebrates the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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Written in 1741, Messiah is the most famous creation of German composer George Frederic Handel, and its performance still awes listeners more than 250 years after the composer’s death. Ludwig van Beethoven himself, citing Messiah, said that Handel was the “greatest composer that ever lived.”

The concert is an annual tradition at Confederation Centre of the Arts, led by Choral Music Director Donald Fraser. Joining the Centre’s adult choir this year are guest vocalists: mezzo-soprano Hannah O’Donnell, soprano Shannon Scales, baritone Parker Clements, and tenor James Smith.   

Scales and Clements, both Islanders, have previously performed Messiah with the Centre’s Choral Programme, while this marks the debut performance for fellow Islander, Hannah O’Donnell. Also making his first performance with the Centre is James Smith, a tenor from Des Moines, Iowa currently completely his Master’s of Music degree at The University of Western Ontario.

The Confederation Singers include 70 members this year from across the community. The Singers present an interesting and varied program of music throughout the year, performing seasonal concerts on local stages and at a variety of events. Other concerts include Choral Music on a Holy Day and the popular holiday tradition Sing Along Messiah, where the audience is invited to participate.

Handel’s Messiah will be presented on Sunday, December 3 at 2:30 p.m., in the Homburg Theatre of Confederation Centre of the Arts. Tickets are $25 and are available at the door, at Confederation Centre’s box office, online at confederationcentre.com, or via phone at 902-566-1267 (toll free at 1-800-565-0278.)

Special thanks are extended to Maritime Electric, sponsors for the Centre’s Choral Music Programme, and Sobeys, the title sponsor for LIVE @ the Centre! Media sponsors are The Guardian, Ocean 100, and Hot 105.5.

Holiday Season

Mass for Peace: The Armed Man

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The Choral Music Programme with Confederation Centre of the Arts presents Choral Music For A Holy Day, this year featuring the Karl Jenkins epic Mass for Peace : The Armed Man. The concert will be held at historic Trinity United Church, in Charlottetown on Good Friday, April 14, at 7 p.m. Maritime Electric Company is the generous sponsor for the Choral Music Programme.

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The Confederation Singers under the direction of Donald Fraser will be joined by guest soloists Suzanne Campbell, Shannon Scales, Masoud Fahandezhsaadi; members of the Atlantic String Machine; a percussion ensemble lead by Dave Shephard; and Sarah Chace, flute, Laura MacLeod, trumpet, and Frances McBurnie, organ.

A Mass for Peace : The Armed Man was commissioned by the Royal Armouries to mark the transition from one millennium to another. It reflects on the passing of “the most war-torn and destructive century in human history” and looks forward in hope to a more peaceful future. The Armed Man is dedicated to the victims of the Kosovo conflict, whose tragedy was unfolding as the piece was being composed. It was first performed in 2000 by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Youth Choir of Great Britain, conducted by the composer himself.

The text incorporates words from various religious and historical sources, including the Islamic call to prayer, the Bible, and the Mahabharata. Writers whose words appear in the work include Rudyard Kipling, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Sankichi Toge, who survived the Hiroshima bombing but died some years later of leukemia.

Admission is $20 and tickets are available at the Centre Box Office, (902) 566-1267, online at confederationcentre.com or at the door of Trinity United on the day of the concert. Choral Music for a Holy Day is presented by Sobeys LIVE @ the Centre.

The concert will be held at historic Trinity United Church on Good Friday April 14 at 7 PM.

Music

Singing Noel at Trinity Church

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A delightful way to make merry this season is to take in a holiday concert from the Confederation Centre Youth Chorus. The Chorus take to the stage at 3 p.m. on Sunday December 11 to perform Sing Noël – an evening of classic Christmas carols performed in the beauty of Trinity United Church. The large youth choir will be joined by audience favourite Joey Kitson and guest host Valerie Moore.

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Featured concert selections include both contemporary and classic Christmas carols, such as ‘Welcome Yule’, ‘In Bethlehem’, ‘Star Carol’, ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’, ‘Angel Tidings’, and ‘O Holy Night.’

“I find the tradition of Sing Noël gets me in the Christmas spirit every year,” says Kitson, of Rawlins Cross. “It’s a break from the hustle and bustle; gathering with family and friends to enjoy the sounds of the season.”

The Youth Chorus is led by Donald Fraser, choral music director at Confederation Centre. “Young voices, great music, and Christmas — what could be better than that?” he offers. “The beauty and purity of these blended voices in three and four part harmonies cannot be equaled.”

Tickets and more info for this and other upcoming concerts – including the engaging Sing Along Messiah on December 28 – are available at the box office at (902) 566-1267, toll free at 1-800-565-0278, or online at confederationcentre.com

Appreciation is extended to Maritime Electric, program sponsor for the Youth Chorus, and to Sobeys, the title sponsor for LIVE @ the Centre. Media sponsors are The Guardian, Hot 105.5, and Ocean 100. Follow along on social media @confedcentre (Instagram and Twitter) and via Confederation Centre of the Arts.

News Flash

Messiah Returns to Homburg Theatre

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Sobeys LIVE @ the Centre presents an afternoon celebrating of one of the most enduring pieces of music in the Western choral tradition. On Sunday, November 27 at 2:30 p.m., the Confederation Singers, orchestra, and four guest soloists perform Handel’s Messiah, the Baroque-era oratorio that celebrates the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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Written in 1741, Messiah is the most famous creation of German composer George Frederic Handel, and its performance still awes listeners more than 250 years after the composer’s death. Ludwig van Beethoven himself, citing Messiah, said that Handel was the “greatest composer that ever lived.”

The concert is an annual tradition at Confederation Centre of the Arts, led by Choral Music Director Donald Fraser. Joining the Centre’s adult choir this year the guest vocalists include: mezzo-soprano Suzanne Campbell, soprano Shannon Scales, baritone Parker Clements, and tenor Sébastien Comtois.

Scales and Campbell, both of Charlottetown, have previously performed Messiah with the Centre’s Choral Programme, while this marks the debut guest performance for fellow Islander, Clements of West Cape. Also making his first performance with the Centre is Montreal’s Comtois, an operatic tenor currently studying at the Université de Montréal with renowned baritone John Fanning.

The Confederation Singers include 75 members this year from across the community. The Singers present an interesting and varied program of music throughout the year, performing seasonal concerts on local stages and at a variety of events. Other concerts include Choral Music on a Holy Day and the popular holiday tradition Sing Along Messiah, where the audience is invited to participate.

Handel’s Messiah will be presented on Sunday, November 29 at 2:30 p.m., in the Homburg Theatre of Confederation Centre of the Arts. Tickets are $25 and are available at the door, at Confederation Centre’s box office, online at confederationcentre.com, or via phone at 902-566-1267 (toll free at 1-800-565-0278).

Special thanks are extended to Maritime Electric, sponsors for the Centre’s Choral Music Programme, and Sobeys, the title sponsor for LIVE @ the Centre! Media sponsors are The Guardian, Ocean 100, and Hot 105.5.