Carissimi’s Jephtha
with Seventeen Voyces
Friday, February 28, 2020
7:30 p.m.
St. Matthew’s Anglican Church
130 Glebe Avenue
One of the very first oratorios from the Italian Renaissance – a moving story of war and the sacrifice of an innocent
Bronwyn Thies Thompson
(soprano)
Dillon Parmer
(tenor)
Olivier Henchiri
(cello)
Marie Bouchard
(harpsichord & organ)
Adults: $30; students $20
By Karen Junke
On February 28, Seventeen Voyces will bring Giacomo Carissimi’s oratorio Jephtha to life under the direction of Kevin Reeves. Rounding out the program are works by two of Carissimi’s Baroque contemporaries – Claudio Monteverdi’s Magnificat for 6 Voices and Antonio Caldara’s Magnificat for 16 Voices. This promises to be a special evening.
Carissimi (1605-74) was a distinguished composer and musician of the early Baroque period based in Rome, associated with the emergence and refinement of the oratorio musical form. Jephtha was considered his finest work for its “capacity to move the minds of its listeners.” In this oratorio, Carissimi celebrates Jephtha, a hero from the Old Testament Book of Judges, his victories of war and his sacrifice of innocence – such a human story repeated so often through history.
Joining Seventeen Voyces to present Jephtha are soprano Bronwyn Thies-Thompson and tenor Dillon Parmer, both former choristers with Seventeen Voyces, and from the Ottawa Baroque Consort, cellist Olivier Henchiri and harpsichordist and organist Marie Bouchard.
Thies-Thompson is a young Canadian soprano with an affinity for early music. She is sought after for her solid and inspired performances as a soloist and amongst small vocal ensembles, regularly performing and recording with Daniel Taylor’s Theatre of Early Music and Trinity Choir and premiering concerts and operas with Canadian composer Andrew Ager. Although now based in Montreal, her musical roots were in Ottawa, at Carleton University, but she has furthered her studies at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, International Bachakademie Stuttgart, and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute in New York.
Parmer received his early musical training in Toronto where he was raised in the rich musical traditions of the Anglican church at St. Paul’s. His formal musical education was at the University of Western Ontario and the Eastman School in Rochester. He has grown into a sensitive interpreter of early music as well as a keen interpreter of the avant garde, willing to support contemporary composers in their efforts to bring new music to fruition. After returning to Canada, Parmer expanded his repertoire to include standard concert and operatic repertoire – including oratorio – from the Baroque to the modern era. For 30 years, he has made Ottawa his home, performing and teaching music at the University of Ottawa.
Accompanying the choir and the soloists are two highly regarded instrumentalists from the region. Olivier Henchiri, a cellist, has been a strong advocate for early music in Ottawa for over a decade. He founded and directs the Ottawa Baroque Consort in its concert series on period instruments. He regularly collaborates with local choirs in the production of Baroque choral works. Another fan of early music and a well-known member of the Ottawa Baroque Consort is Marie Bouchard. She will play harpsichord and organ.
If you enjoy a good story and beautiful music join Seventeen Voyces on Friday, February 28 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church.
Karen Junke is a member of the board of Seventeen Voyces.
