Canadian Turning Point ensemble to perform as guests at the last concert of the Cantus Ensemble cycle!
The final concert of the Cantus Ensemble season will be performed by their long-time collaborators, the renowned Canadian ensemble Turning Point from Vancouver, Canada. Counterparts Turning Point and Cantus were founded around the same time in the early 2000s, and we have been keeping track of their collaboration for a while.
After the recent guest appearance of the artistic director of Cantus Ensemble, Berislav Šipuš – in Vancouver, where he conducted Turning Point in April 2022 - it is time for the return performance of the Canadian guests in Zagreb.
Turning Point, led by artistic director, composer, and conductor Owen Underhill, will showcase works by seven composers - Ana Sokolović, Rita Ueda, Helena Škljarov, Raymond Murray Schafer, Owen Underhill, Michael Colgrass, and Michael Pepe - to the Zagreb audience.[IJ1]
The concert of the Canadian guests is an ideal but rare opportunity to get to know the transoceanic music scene. We eagerly anticipate the latest composition by Helena Skljarov, The Red-Haired Man, commissioned specifically for this occasion.
In addition, the Canadian ensemble arrives in Zagreb in the company of two outstanding soloists: the renowned Canadian soprano Robyn Driedger Klassen and the legendary Israeli violist Rivka Golani, who has likely set a world record with over 350 works composed specifically for her!
Robyn Driedger Klassen will perform two song cycles. The first is the well-known Arcana, composed by the great Canadian Raymond Murray Schafer in 1972. The second is Bee Studies, composed in 2019 by maestro Owen Underhill, artistic director of Turning Point.
Rivka Golani, violist with a rich repertoire, will be playing two pieces: Musical Offering No. 2 from 2022 by the Canadian composer and violinist Michael Pepa, and Chaconne by American composer Michael Colgrass.
Violinists Mary Sokol Brown and Domagoj Ivanović, both members of Turning Point, will perform the 2022 double concerto Hummingbird Lovers by the Japanese-Canadian composer Rita Ueda.
Helena Skljarov, a young composer from Croatia, has captured the public's attention with her recent multimedia projects. Her latest work, The Red-Haired Man, based on the poem The Red Man by the renowned Russian avant-gardist Daniil Harms, marks a significant stride in her journey toward music theatre.
This concert marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Canada and Croatia and is being held in collaboration with the Canadian Embassy in Zagreb. The Cantus Ensemble is set to return to Canada for a joint concert with Turning Point Ensemble as the finale of a long-term collaboration project, planned for the fall of 2024.
The From Afar concert by Turning Point Ensemble will take place on Monday, May 15th at 8:00 PM in the Small Hall of Lisinski. Tickets are available on ulaznice.hr.