Jonathan Stuchbery

BATTUTE E PIZZICATO : Celebrating the 17th-Century Guitar

An intriguing program of music from 17th-century Spain and Italy, for voices and instruments in groupings large and small, featuring duos for guitar and harp or hurdy gurdy, solo songs with diverse accompanying instruments, ensemble songs, and dance pieces like the chacona, jacaras and canario making inventive use of the colourful sounds of the guitar, harp, recorders, viola da gamba, percussion and hurdy gurdy.

In works by Foscarini, Montesardo, Moulinié, Marini, Landi, Luis de Briçeño, Kapsberger, Sanz, Juan de Arañes and others, the program explores the development and dissemination of the ‘chitarra espagñola’ through the 17th century, tracing its Spanish roots, its popularity and development in Italy, influences from Rome, and its continued musical importance in Spain at the end of the century.

Bringing this richly evocative music to life are The Musicians of the Egg, back in the musical saddle after their enthusiastically-received return to concertizing in January of this year. They are Michele DeBoer, soprano; Laura Pudwell, mezzo; Cory Knight, tenor; Olivier Laquerre, baritone; Jonathan Stuchbery, guitar; Alison Melville, recorders; Ben Grossman, percussion and hurdy gurdy, with special guests Felix Deák, viola da gamba, and Julia Seager Scott, triple harp.

Considering Matthew Shepard is a genre-defying oratorio by composer Craig Hella Johnson. The work offers a deeply human perspective on the tragedy of Matthew Shepard’s murder. It explores many different emotions, including shock, sorrow, rage, tenderness, and ultimately, hope. Through a wide range of musical styles and texts, including poetry, journalistic accounts, sacred writings, and reflections from Shepard’s parents, the work asks listeners to consider not only what was lost, but what kind of world we are responsible for building in its wake.

The concert will be presented by Modern Sound Collective’s youth and young adult choirs, Datsuzoku and Concreamus, a combined choir of over 100 voices. They will be joined by a professional instrumental ensemble consisting of guitar, percussion, piano, clarinet, and strings, and professional vocal soloists.

Considering Matthew Shepard is a genre-defying oratorio by composer Craig Hella Johnson. The work offers a deeply human perspective on the tragedy of Matthew Shepard’s murder. It explores many different emotions, including shock, sorrow, rage, tenderness, and ultimately, hope. Through a wide range of musical styles and texts, including poetry, journalistic accounts, sacred writings, and reflections from Shepard’s parents, the work asks listeners to consider not only what was lost, but what kind of world we are responsible for building in its wake.

The concert will be presented by Modern Sound Collective’s youth and young adult choirs, Datsuzoku and Concreamus, a combined choir of over 100 voices. They will be joined by a professional instrumental ensemble consisting of guitar, percussion, piano, clarinet, and strings, and professional vocal soloists.

Considering Matthew Shepard is a genre-defying oratorio by composer Craig Hella Johnson. The work offers a deeply human perspective on the tragedy of Matthew Shepard’s murder. It explores many different emotions, including shock, sorrow, rage, tenderness, and ultimately, hope. Through a wide range of musical styles and texts, including poetry, journalistic accounts, sacred writings, and reflections from Shepard’s parents, the work asks listeners to consider not only what was lost, but what kind of world we are responsible for building in its wake.

The concert will be presented by Modern Sound Collective’s youth and young adult choirs, Datsuzoku and Concreamus, a combined choir of over 100 voices. They will be joined by a professional instrumental ensemble consisting of guitar, percussion, piano, clarinet, and strings, and professional vocal soloists.

Cristina Prats-Costa, violin Jonathan Stuchbery, lute Lucas Harris, lute Naghmeh Farahman, Persian percussion A Journey Through the Iberian Baroque A multifaceted sonic tour of old-world Spain

Gentileschi Baroque Ensemble is a dynamic period instrument ensemble dedicated to uncovering and performing the extraordinary music of women composers from the Baroque era. With a mission to bring these often-overlooked voices to the forefront, the ensemble combines scholarly insight with vibrant, historically informed performance.

This evocative program features a diverse array of composers whose music draws on sacred devotion, theatrical drama, virtuosic chamber writing, and popular dance. From the expressive sacred songs of Juan Francés de Iribarren to the dazzling guitar works of Santiago de Murcia and the haunting recercadas of Antonio Martin y Coll, this concert celebrates the rich and vibrant musical landscape of the Iberian world from the mid-sixteenth to the early eighteenth century.

Shaped by centuries of cultural exchange, this repertoire reflects a multi-ethnic and stylistically diverse heritage, where courtly refinement coexists with folk rhythms and improvisatory freedom. Grounded in dance, ornamentation, and rhetorical expression, these works reveal a sound world of striking contrasts—intimate and exuberant, devotional and theatrical.

Curated by Toronto-based Spanish violinist Cristina Prats Costa, the program offers a deeply personal journey into the colours and rhythms of Iberian Baroque music, illuminating a tradition whose expressive power and rhythmic vitality continue to resonate today.