Mattina Musica, a new morning music series for classical aficionados, concludes on Monday with cellist Ariel Barnes and pianist Sarah Hagen.
The concert begins at 10:30 a.m., and all patrons are warmly invited to join the musicians for coffee and tea in the Sid lobby at 10 a.m.
Widely regarded as one of Canada’s finest cellists, Barnes enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. Over the past several years, he has performed to great acclaim in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, with critics raving about his “luscious tone” (Vancouver Sun) and “dazzling technique” (The Live Music Report, Toronto).
Along with colleagues Mary Sokol-Brown and Andrew Brown, Barnes is a member of Trio Accord, a Vancouver-based string trio which has been praised for its “enchanting,” “exhilarating,” and “extremely moving” performances.
Released in the fall of 2008, Trio Accord’s debut recording on Skylark Records of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations was nominated for Classical Recording of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards.
Barnes is principal cello of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra and a member of both The Turning Point Ensemble and the National Broadcast Orchestra. His recordings can be heard on ATMA Classique, Skylark Records, Universal Music, 604 Records, Centrediscs, CBC Radio (including Espace Musique), CBC Television, Integrity Music, Za Discs, Disney Films, and Funktopus Records.
Acclaimed as a “rarity of musical excellence, technical ease and tonal purity,” Hagen is well-known to local audiences. Steadily rising on the Canadian classical music scene, her recent solo appearance with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra garnered her a standing ovation.
For Mattina Musica, Barnes and Hagen have selected sonatas of Rachmaninoff and Beethoven, which display the breathtaking fusion of cello and piano.
Tickets are $15. For more information, visit www.sidwilliamstheatre.com, or call 250-338-2430.
— Sarah Hagen