On Nov. 3 and 4, the North Island Choral Society, joined by the Cantiamo Chamber Ensemble (Jennifer Riley- artistic director, Denise Marquette co-director), will perform concerts in remembrance of those who lost their lives in war and peacekeeping. These are unique concerts in the NICS season featuring the haunting Requiem by the French composer Gabriel Fauré.
Fauré’s Requiem Mass offers a sense of humanity, in contrast with masses of a more religious significance. His gentle themes and rising harmonies bring solace, while giving a sense of purpose to what we must cherish in life, especially in times of peace.
Fauré’s Requiem is a fitting tribute to the Canadians who died during April 1917 while taking Vimy Ridge in the First World War, Battle of Arras. The magnificent Canadian Memorial at Vimy, built in the 1920s of limestone from Croatia, rises like two solitudes into the skies over northern France. It stands on land dedicated to Canada by the French Government, recognizing the supreme sacrifice of Canadian soldiers in that war.
Vimy is also a place of remembrance, being dedicated to soldiers who died in France and have no known grave. It tells us that sacrifices in the defence of freedom must never be forgotten.
To complete the program, the Choir and their artistic director, Paul Colthorpe, with accompanist Elvera Penner, local soloists and the NICS orchestra will also be performing works by composers Maurice Duruflé, Morten Johannes Lauridsen, Sir John Stanhope Arkwright, Fritz Biebl and Andrew Lloyd-Webber. Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Petersen’s Hymn to Freedom will celebrate the lives we enjoy, and the concerts will end with A Gaelic Blessing by John Rutter.
The soloists, Carol Anne Parkinson (soprano) and Christopher Bellamy (bass) are both from Comox. They are well known to Comox Valley audiences and have frequently captivated NICS audiences with their vocal interpretations and the fullness of their voices.
The concerts are at 7:30 p.m. and on Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. Both concerts are at St. George’s United Church, 505, 6th Street, Courtenay.
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at Blue Heron Books in Comox and Laughing Oyster Books in Courtenay. Tickets can also be obtained at the door. Limited tickets for ages 12 and under can be purchased at the bookshops and at the door for $5.
For more information: northislandchoral.ca