Cottonwood Singers, under the direction of Noémi Kiss, will kick off its season with a festive concert on the evenings of December 13 and 14, 7:30pm, at St. Savior’s Pro-Cathedral in Nelson, and at 2 pm at St. Andrew’s Church in Kaslo on December 15. Joining Cottonwood will be internationally renowned soprano Nancy Argenta (born Nancy Herbison). Well known to Kootenay audiences, Ms. Argenta returns to the area and to her childhood home of Argenta frequently.
The choir will perform a variety of choral works, including Mozart’s beloved Laudate Dominum for soprano and chorus, excerpts from Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols, from which the concert’s title Res Miranda, originates. The program’s highlight is Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo’s Dreamweaver song cycle, also for soprano and chorus, which will be accompanied for Cottonwood’s performance by a small chamber orchestra, including instrumentalists Martine DenBok, Natasha Hall, Miranda Hughes, Jeffrey Faragher, Fiona Armstrong, Rob Fahie, Dylan Palmer and Dave Restivo. This latter work is based on a well-known Norwegian medival folk poem Draumkvedet, and was first performed by the Manhattan Chorale at Carnegie Hall in 2014. A musical retelling of the famous Norwegian medieval folk poem, Dreamweaver tells the story of a man who goes to sleep on Christmas Eve and has visions of the afterlife. On awakening, he understands that we must all be kind to one another.
This project is close to the hearts of Noemi and Nancy, who have been close friends and colleagues since 1990, when Nancy was Noémi’s singing teacher at the Guildhall School of Music in London, England. They are excited about this opportunity to perform together! Tickets are $25, available at the following outlets and at the door: Nelson performances at Eddy Music, 580 Baker Street. Kaslo performance at Sunnyside Naturals, 404 Front Street.
Cottonwood Singers