Haydn's Choral Masterpiece:

LORD NELSON MASS

Sunday, March 24, 2013 @ 3:00 pm
Central United Church,
194 Avondale Ave., Stratford

Catharine Sadler received her B.A. from Queen's University, Kingston and her Associate in Singing Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Toronto. She further studied in England for two years with Emma Kirkby and Audrey Langford. Since returning to Canada, Catharine has performed many Oratorio roles and solo recitals including concerts in Europe. Solo performances this season include the Faure Requiem in a concert for the 10th anniversary of 9/11,solos by JS Bach in A Bach Celebration in Stratford and in the UK for the Cathedral Singers. In promoting music for young children, Catharine has produced a 40 minute programne featuring Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf." 

International mezzo soprano Heather Jewson continues a successful career on the concert and opera stages of North America and Europe. Heather's 201 season includes debuts with both the Wisconsin Philharmonic (conducted by Maestro Alexander Platt) singing Elgar's Sea Pictures, and with the acclaimed Toronto company Tapestry New Opera work, for the Canadian premier of The Sloan's Project.

Other season highlights include the US premier of Robert LePage's Canadian Opera Company production of The Nightingale and other short fables (Stravinsky) at the Brooklyn Academy of Music; Madame Flora in Menotti's The Medium (Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion), Duruflé's Requiem and Handel's Messiah. The 2009-10 season saw Ms. Jewson return to the Aspen Summer Music Festival to sing the title role in Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, with acclaimed conductor Jane Glover. She also made her debut with both the Jeunesses Musicales du Canada and Pacific Opera Victoria in the roles of Nicklausse (Tales of Hoffmann), and Flora (La Traviata). Heather ended the season on tour to Nunavik, playing the role of Tisbe in the Canadian Opera Company Studio's production of Cinderella. Ms. Jewson's operatic repertoire includes; Tisbe in Rossini's La Cenerentola (Aspen Summer Music Festival), Jessica in John Estacio 's Frobisher (premier at the Banff Centre Centre for the Performing Arts); Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus (J. Strauss), Frau Reich in Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor (O Nicolai), Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro (W.A, Mozart), Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier (Sheffield Symphony Orchestra,UK), and the Sorceress in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas (Preston Opera,UK).

On the concert stage Heather is quite active in both Oratorio and Recital. Highlights include Mendelssohn's Elijah and Bach's St. Matthew Passion with the Stratford Concert Choir, Handel's Messiah with the Pax Christi Choral and The Mississauga Choral society and Bach's Cantata 137 and Cantata 110 at the Toronto International Bach Festival under the baton of Maestro Helmuth Rilling. As a recitalist, she and pianist David Eliakis co-created/wrote the program "Tell me the Truth about Love", which they have performed in a number of venues throughout Toronto and South-western Ontario. She has also appeared with the Aldeburgh Connection and The Stratford Chamber Music Society. In addition to a Masters of Music from the University of Toronto, Heather also holds a Postgraduate Diploma from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England, where she was a Major Scholar of the Peter Moores Foundation.

Praised for his "sweetly rendered, fluid and pliable tenor voice", Christopher Mayell is quickly making his mark as a rising star in Canada's opera houses and concerts halls. From his acclaimed presentation of Britten's ALBERT HERRING in St. John's, Newfoundland, to his interpretation of Handel's SOLOMON in Victoria, British Columbia, Christopher maintains a hearty schedule of engagements across the country. Future performances include Verdi's FALSTAFF with Calgary Opera, Offenbach's LA VIE PARISIENNE with Toronto Operetta Theatre, and Haydn's LORD NELSON MASS with the Stratford Concert Choir.

Recent appearances include a debut performance of Bach's renowned Cantata No. 55 'ICH ARMER MENSCH' with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Bach's CHRISTMAS ORATORIO with the Kingston Symphony, Mozart's GREAT MASS IN C MINOR and Orff's CARMINA BURANA with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Mozart's REQUIEM with the Grammy-nominated Elora Festival Singers. He has also joined the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra as well as Orchestra London for performances of Handel's glorious MESSIAH.

Christopher is enjoying a growing international presence, including a portrayal of the title role in a world-class production of ALBERT HERRING at the Aldeburgh Festival in England (alongside soprano Felicity Lott), as well as a nationwide tour of China. Christopher is also a champion of new Canadian works, including Opera NUOVA's commissioned opera for younger audiences, THE LIVES OF LESSER THINGS, which toured extensively in Alberta. He also continues to work closely with Toronto's Tapestry New Opera Works in their development of new works, including Richard Payne's GET STUFFED!, and Aaron Gervais' OKSANA G. This season, he gave a debut performance with Toronto's Continuum New Music, performing a world-premier performance of 'FREDERICK'S DOCTOR', a narrative for tenor and instrumental ensemble.

Christopher is a proud alumnus of the Calgary Opera Emerging Artist Ensemble program, through which he performed roles in Verdi's RIGOLETTO, Moore's THE BALLAD OF BABY DOE (Canadian premier), and Richard Strauss' ARIADNE AUF NAXOS (featured on CBC Radio's Saturday Afternoon at the Opera). While in Calgary, he was also featured by the Spiritus Chamber Choir in a national CBC Radio broadcast performance of Respighi's LAUDATE PER LA NATIVITA DEL SIGNORE. Christopher's endeavours are made possible by support from the Ontario Arts Council's Chalmers Professional Development Grant program, as well as through a generous grant from the Canadian Aldeburgh Foundation.

Gary Relyea, bass baritone Renowned for the richness of his voice and his compelling musical insights, bass-baritone Gary Relyea is one of the most distinguished artists currently before the public. He has thrilled audiences in Britten's WAR REQUIEM, Handel's MESSIAH, Mahler's Symphony No. 8 and Verdi's REQUIEM with prestigious orchestras including those of Cleveland, Montreal, Toronto, Baltimore, Detroit, San Francisco, Calgary, Vancouver and Ottawa's National Arts Centre Orchestra. He debuted with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Schönberg's GURRELIEDER conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, with performances in both Philadelphia and at Carnegie Hall and later repeated the work with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

In 2006-2007, Mr. Relyea's performances included MESSIAH with the Colorado Symphony, ELIJAH with Orchestra London, Commendatore in DON GIOVANNI in Victoria, BC and London, Ont., Beethoven's MISSA SOLEMNIS at the Kennedy Center with the Choral Arts Society of Washington conducted by Norman Scribner, and Janacek's GLAGOLITIC MASS with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. This season he has traveled to New Zealand for Walton's BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST with the Christchurch City Choir and to Costa Rica for performances of Beethoven's NINTH SYMPHONY with the Costa Rica National Symphony.

Upcoming and closer to home he will be heard in Handel's MESSIAH and Bach's SAINT MATTHEW PASSION with the Peterborough Singers, and singing the role of Sarastro in Mozart's THE MAGIC FLUTE with both the Toronto Symphony and Orchestra London as well as Pacific Opera in Victoria. Mr. Relyea performs extensively in opera singing such roles as Raimondo in LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR and Friar Laurence in Gounod's ROMÉO ET JULIETTE. His debut as Rocco in Beethoven's FIDELIO coincided with the release of his CBC disc featuring scenes from BORIS GODUNOV and LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR with the Vancouver Symphony. Titled "Thine Angel's Spirits", the disc also contains arias from Elgar's DREAM OF GERONTIUS and Mendelssohn's ELIJAH. He is featured on CBC's "Rarities by Rossini and Verdi", and starred in TV productions of THE BEAR by William Walton, ABERFAN by Raymond Pannell, and as the Commendatore in LEPORELLO'S REVENGE, Rhombus Production's take on Don Giovanni.