The Melos Choir and Chamber Orchestra Archive

2010-11

In Praise of Music!

A concert for St. Cecilia's Day: Henry Purcell's Ode Hail! Bright Cecilia (Z.328, 1692), G. F. Handel's Organ concerto No. 2 (1735), J.S. Bach's Cantata No. 148 Bringet dem Herrn Ehre seines Namens (1723), and S.S. Wesley's Ascribe unto the Lord (1851).

Featuring Frances Harkness (organ), Gilda Dicola Mills (soprano), David Lewis (countertenor), Christopher Mayell (tenor), and Matthew Zadow (baritone).

Friday, November 26th, St. George's Cathedral, at 7:30 pm.


Handel and Haydn in London

G. F Handel's trio sonata in A major (Op. 5 No. 1), F. J Haydn's trumpet concerto in E♭, F. Geminiani's concerto grosso in C minor (Op. 2 No. 2), J. S. Bach's harpsichord concerto in D minor (BWV 1052), two anthems by Maurice Greene, and W. A. Mozart's keyboard concerto in E♭ (K.107, No. 3) after J. C. Bach's Keyboard Sonata in E♭ (Op. 5, No. 4).

With guest artists Aurora Dokken, harpsichord, and Lawrence House, trumpet.

Friday, January 28th, at St. George's Cathedral, King St. E. at Johnson St., at 7:30 pm.


Healey Willan Commemoration

Melos will be joining the Kingston Choral Society and the Kingston Symphony in a performance of Healey Willan's Requiem, conducted by Brian Jackson.

Sunday, March 27th, Kingston Gospel Temple, at 2:30 pm.


Recorders, Viols and Voices

This programme will explore repertoire for a madrigal group drawn from the Melos Choir and music for the full choir, together with Renaissance instruments. Victoria's motet and mass O quam gloriosum, Italian and English madrigals and Renaissance instrumental pieces. In the first half of the concert two groups of madrigals (one Italian, and one English) will be preceded, separated and followed by instrumental pieces, and the movements of the Mass in the second half will be similarly framed by instrumental movements.

Friday, May 13th, St. George's Cathedral, at 7:30 pm.



2009-10

A Baroque Christmas

Marc-Antoine Charpentier's popular Midnight Mass for Christmas (midis) and J. S. Bach's Cantata 140 Wachet auf, (flash1, flash2, flash3, mp3s, ram, midis), at Baroque pitch with a chamber ensemble playing Baroque instruments. Also on the program: popular Christmas carols.

7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 11th at Chalmers Church.


Lovers' Music Evening

Light music and luscious desserts: a perfect way to escape the February blues and celebrate Valentine's Day with someone you love. Jointly produced by members of Melos and the Music, Broadcast and Arts Committee of Chalmers Church. Proceeds help to support the Good Friday concert.

7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 13th at Chalmers Church.


Good Friday at Chalmers, 2010

For their annual co-production, continuing more than a century of such concerts, Melos and Chalmers Choir will perform Joseph Haydn's Mass in Time of War (mp3s) and J. S. Bach's Magnificat in D Major (BWV 243) at Baroque pitch with a chamber orchestra playing Baroque instruments (flash). Soloists will be Gilda DiCola Mills, Erica Warder, Janice Coles, David Pike, and Christopher Mayell. Produced jointly with Chalmers Church. Directed by Dr David Cameron. This will be his final Good Friday concert as Chalmers United Church organist and choir director having served for 44 years.

7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 2nd at Chalmers Church.



2008-09

John Milton and Music

Milton, polemicist, civil servant, and one of England's greatest poets, was born 400 years ago on December 9th, 1608. The son of a composer and himself a good musician, Milton has provided composers from Handel to Ives with stimulating and complex challenges. Also on the program: songs by David Colwell and Mark McDonald, and Schubert's Mirjams Siegesgesang, with Gilda DiCola Mills, soprano soloist; German text (mp3), Flash videos for part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4.

8:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 15th at Chalmers Church.


A Service of Lessons and Carols

This year Melos will join the long tradition which stems from King's College, Cambridge, presenting the Christmas story in readings and music.

7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 12th, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 392 Palace Rd., Kingston


Lovers' Musical Evening

Light music and rich desserts: a perfect way to escape the February blues and celebrate Valentine's Day with someone you love. Jointly produced by members of Melos and the Music, Broadcast and Arts Committee of Chalmers Church. Proceeds help to support the Good Friday concert.

7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 14th at Chalmers Church.


Good Friday at Chalmers, 2009

For their annual co-production, continuing more than a century of such concerts, Melos and Chalmers Choir will again perform Handel's masterpiece Messiah, but, for the first time in Kingston, at Baroque pitch with a chamber orchestra playing Baroque instruments.

This will also be the first Easter performance of Messiah in Kingston in 35 years and by the same director, Dr. David Cameron, and with a few of the same singers. It is 266 years since the premier performance of Messiah in Dublin, Ireland, in April, 1742. Our performance this year is four days before the 250th anniversary of Handel's death on April 14th.

The soloists will be Gilda DiCola Mills (soprano), Janice Coles (mezzo soprano), Timothy Stiff (tenor), and David Pike (bass). Two of the soloists, Timothy Stiff and Gilda DiCola Mills, are Kingston musicians; the other two are former Kingstonians returning for this performance: Janice Coles from Fergus, Ontario, and David Pike from Wormeldange, Luxembourg.

Produced jointly with Chalmers Church.

7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 10th at Chalmers Church.

Pictures from the performance on display here; full-resolution images available here.



2007-08

Buxtehude, Bach, and Vivaldi

With guest soloist Janice Coles (alto), Fran Harkness (organ), Laura Seiffert (oboe), and a string ensemble.

Christmas 2007

Produced jointly with Chalmers Church.

Lovers' Musical Evening

Traditional potpourri of musical and culinary delights in celebration of Valentine's Day.


Good Friday at Chalmers, 2008

With the Choir of Chalmers Church. Produced jointly with Chalmers Church.



2006-07

Bach and Handel

With guest soloist Matthew Zadow (baritone), the Melos String Quartet, Laura Seiffert (oboe), and continuo.

Christmas 2006

With the Melos String Quartet. Produced in association with Music West.

Good Friday at Chalmers, 2007

With the Choir of Chalmers Church, vocal soloists Gilda DiCola Mills and Janice Coles, and music ensemble including the Melos String Quartet. Produced jointly with Chalmers Church.

A Concert for Spring

With the Melos String Quartet and soprano soloist Gilda DiCola Mills, conducted by guest conductor Michael Goodwin.



2005-06

Christmas 2005

Handel's celebrated oratorio Messiah, with orchestra and soloists Teresa van der Hoeven (soprano), Janice Coles (mezzo-soprano), Tim Stiff (tenor) and Matthew Zadow (baritone).

This concert was supported by a generous grant from the Davies Charitable Foundation.


Voices and Brass

The choral works to be performed with the Kingston Brass Quintet will be

The choir will sing the following work with organ continuo: and the following a capella: The Kingston Brass Quintet will perform

Good Friday at Chalmers, 2006

For their fifteenth Good Friday collaboration, Melos joins forces again with the Choir of Chalmers Church to perform the Great Mass in C Minor (midi, ram, mp3 zipped midi) K.427, and the Vesperae de dominica (midi, mp3) K.321, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with soloists and orchestra.



2004-05

Women of Notes

Choral music of women composers, past and present from Europe and North America, including works by Rosemary Duxbury, Eva Toller, and Canadians Eleanor Daley, Nancy Telfer, Ruth Watson Henderson, and local residents Jennifer Bennett and Martha Duncan.


Mozart and Mistletoe

Missa Brevis in B flat, K. 275, by W. A. Mozart, motets and carols for Christmas, and intermission holiday treats. By invitation of Music West.


Good Friday 2005

Requiem, opus 9, by Maurice Duruflé, and the Ascension Oratorio, BWV 11, by J. S. Bach, performed by the combined choirs of Melos and Chalmers Church, with soloists and orchestra.


Voices and Viols

Veni Sponsa Christi, motet and mass, by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, and anthems, madrigals and chansons, with accompaniments and instrumental music played on recorders, viols and other period instruments by the Quinte Consort.