We are incredibly fortunate to be able to welcome the Pacific Baroque Orchestra and their artistic director Alexander Weimann to the Matsqui Centennial Auditorium on Friday, October 16, at 7:30 p.m.
That good fortune lies in our proximity to Vancouver and to one of Canada’s most respected musical institutions. In fact, the Pacific Baroque Orchestra is one of the top four or five such orchestras in Canada.
Much of the credit for their rise to international recognition goes to Alexander Weimann who joined the orchestra as its artistic director in 2009.
Born in Munich, Germany, Weimann was a gifted student of organ, church music, musicology, theatre, medieval Latin, and jazz piano. He later became a harpsichordist and conductor who was in great demand.
He first travelled and performed with some of Europe’s outstanding Baroque orchestras. After coming to Canada, he worked with early music ensembles in Montreal before moving to Vancouver.
The strikingly long list of musical organizations with which he has worked in Europe, Canada, and the US is evidence of the high regard he has earned in the musical world. The same could be said of his recordings—he has appeared on about 100 of them. His recording with soprano Karina Gauvin and the Arion Baroque Orchestra under his leadership won a Juno Award in 2013.
We enjoyed his virtuosity as a harpsichordist when he accompanied Suzie LeBlanc here in March earlier this year. Next month we will witness his genius as a conductor as he leads the orchestra from the harpsichord in A Little Night Music.
Weimann has prepared a little audience participation for our concert. You will have the opportunity to sing the Night Watchman’s song by Heinrich Biber along with the orchestra.
Tickets for this concert are available online at www.valleyconcertsociety.com at $35 for adults and $20 for students. Season subscriptions are also available at $150 for adults, $140 for seniors, and $60 for students.
For more information, call 604-289-3377.
John Wiebe - President
The Valley Concert Society