Another spring weekend in Niagara, with buds appearing on the trees and the lawn almost ready for the first cut of the season, and the weather might even warm up before too long! Well, we hope so, anyway...
I looked through my schedule of events coming up this weekend in Niagara and three things come to mind you might want to catch if you choose not to spend the entire weekend in the garden. So why not divide your time between nourishing your garden and nourishing your soul this weekend and enjoying some time away to experience something new in Niagara this weekend?
First off, and this is not specifically art, the Niagara Food & Wine Expo is on at the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls. Last evening's unusual bomb scare at the facility should not deter you from going and experiencing the bounty that is so very much Niagara and indeed Ontario. A lot of the presentations are indeed artistic in nature and the cooking demonstrations are the same.
I have always enjoyed going to this show in the past, and the Scotiabank Convention Centre is really a first-class facility in Niagara to showcase trade shows of every description. The Food & Wine Expo continues Saturday and Sunday with plenty of parking available and tickets available at the door.
This evening, Chorus Niagara wraps up their current season and the 25th under Robert Cooper's artistic direction. This has been a very fruitful collaboration and has resulted in many performances being sell outs due to the inventive programming Robert has introduced. He also knows how to get the very best out of his singers, both here and in Toronto where he also leads the Orpheus Choir.
This evening's performance takes place at the Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandra in downtown St. Catharines, and features both Chorus Niagara and the Orpheus Choir joining forces with the Talisker Baroque Players. In all there will be 160 voices filling the Cathedral along with full orchestra, so it promises to be a fitting end to a celebratory season for Chorus Niagara.
The performance will feature a rarely-heard work from the choral repertoire, Antonin Dvorak's expressive Requiem. The work for chorus, orchestra and soloists was written over the course of 10 months in 1890, a product of Dvorak's time in London, a city with a rich choral history that spanned many centuries prior to his arrival. The Requiem, Op. 89 is made up of 13 numbers, each reflecting the composer's strong Catholic faith, so it seems only appropriate the work is being performed this evening at the Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria in St. Catharines.
Tickets should be available this evening at the door, but you can also get them in advance from any chorus member or through the Brock box office by calling 905-688-5550, ext. 3257.
By the way, should you wish to have a recording of the work following the performance this evening, I have access through my website at www.finemusic.ca to a fine recording from Supraphon records of Karl Ancerl conducting the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Although a modern orchestra, these musicians know Dvorak's music better than probably anyone else. Email me directly at music@vaxxine.com or through the order form on the website if you would like to order a copy for yourself.
Finally, tomorrow afternoon at 3 pm, singer Melissa Shriner presents the first annual Springtime in the Village concert, featuring selections from musical theatre and the Great American Songbook, ranging from Barbra Streisand to Eva Cassidy.
The performance features Shriner along with pianist Robert Horvath, bassist Attila Darvas and cellist Gordon Cleland, and takes place at the Jordan Station United Church right in the heart of the Village of Jordan. Tickets should be available at the door for that performance, by the way.
So get out and enjoy everything Niagara has to offer this weekend!
May 3rd, 2014.
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