Musique Royale is delighted to present "An Ocean Apart: English and Nova Scotian Song" featuring Aureas Voces, directed by Nick Veltmeyer this June. Hear stunning new arrangements of traditional Nova Scotian folk songs along with works from celebrated English composer Henry Purcell (1659-1695). Aureas Voces congregates emerging artists from Halifax, Toronto and Montreal areas and this tour features soprano Janelle Lucyk, violinist Jeremy Rhizor and lutist Jonathan Stuchbery.
Artistic Director, Nick Veltmeyer has arranged his seven favorite folk songs out of some 3,000 songs from the beloved Helen Creighton Collection. Veltmeyer’s arrangements balance contemporary and traditional interpretation of the ballads and songs of Nova Scotia, which represent a slice of oral tradition stretching back hundreds of years. These arrangements from Helen Creighton's collection are universally relatable songs of triumph over struggle and grief, recording experiences of voices that remain silent in history books. Pairing these with songs of Henry Purcell reveals surprising connections between early music and folk music (modal melodies, ornamentation, emotional content of poetry) and the pieces on the programme resonate and speak to each other across centuries and oceans. An Ocean Apart will be presented in six intimate venues across Nova Scotia, in the communities of Crousetown, Wolfville, Blandford, Sydney, Lake Charlotte and Mahone Bay. For a full list of summer concerts around the province visit musiqueroyale.com
Tickets: $20 advance, $25 at the door. Visit musiqueroyale.com for details.