The Valley Concert Society is delighted to present Couloir at the Matsqui Centennial Auditorium on Saturday, November 19, at 7:30 p.m.
Both members of this outstanding harp-and-cello duo have roots in Vancouver and have gone on to establish distinguished careers overseas.
Ariel Barnes is currently the principal solo cellist of the Nuremberg Symphony in Germany. More about him in another email.
Heidi Krutzen is currently the principal harp of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, England. The orchestra was founded in 1945 by the legendary Walter Legge to be a recording orchestra at a time when recording was still an emerging technology. It has gone on to secure its place among the top orchestras in the world with many celebrated recordings in its resumé.
A who’s who of conductors has stood on the Philharmonia’s podium over the years. In the current season, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason is their featured soloist. Many of you will remember his remarkable performance here in Abbotsford in December of 2017.
Heidi is a key member of this respected institution. Besides playing the harp in performances, she is a member of the Philharmonia Artistic Committee, and she co-runs the Philharmonia Chamber Players Series.
Heidi is an enthusiastic chamber musician who enjoys the collaboration that is so integral to this discipline. Besides playing in Couloir with Barnes, she is a member of Trio Verlaine, the Krutzen/McGhee Duo, and the Turning Point Ensemble who performed for our series in March of 2015.
She is also committed to promoting new music and has had a role in commissioning many new works. The recording Maxwell, Muhly, Couloir won Artist of the Year in the 2016 Western Canadian Music Awards.
Heidi has appeared as guest principal harpist for the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Centre, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, among others. She was principal harp for Vancouver Opera for twenty years.
We are fortunate and honoured to have such a distinguished musician appear in Abbotsford. Tickets to this very special program are available online at www.valleyconcertsociety.com at $32 for adults and $20 for students. Subscriptions are available at $140 for adults, $130 for seniors, and $60 for students. It is still cheaper to purchase a subscription than to pay for five individual concerts.
For more information, call 604-289-3377.
I look forward to seeing you at the concert.
John Wiebe - President
The Valley Concert Society