For Immediate Release Announcing World Music Suite Three A New Commission from renowned Canadian composer Donald Patriquin February 22, 2011, Ottawa, ON - Musica Viva Singers of Ottawa announced today that it has commissioned the renowned Canadian composer, Donald Patriquin, to create World Music Suite Three, a new suite of world music arrangements for combined adult and youth choirs. The Suite will receive its world premiere on Saturday May 7, 2011 at St. Brigids Centre for the Arts in Ottawa performed by Musica Viva Singers under the direction of the choir s director, Marg Stubington, joined by the Cantiamo Girls Choir of Ottawa. World Music Suite Three is the third suite of international folk song arrangements created by Quebec s award-winning Donald Patriquin. He is known for his energetic and inspiring music and for bringing world music to the choral stage. His arrangements blend folkloric elements with an infectious energy and humour in a style widely appreciated for its unique balance between accompaniment and melody. His compositions have been described as sophisticated and challenging, yet accessible to all audiences and have become a standard by which choirs are judged in competition. For this suite, he has arranged nine international folk songs for combined SSA/SATB choirs accompanied by soloists, piano and other instruments. The songs come from an eclectic range of countries including Guyana, Hungary, Kenya, New Zealand, Peru, Spain, Ukraine and Canada. 1 P a g e /2
Mr. Patriquin began work on the new suite in the spring of 2010 at a workshop with Musica Viva Singers where he experimented with some of his ideas. I continue to be delighted to learn from musicians around the world and am having a great deal of fun working on this new suite with the choir. I can t wait to hear it all come together! enthused Patriquin. We are exceptionally delighted to commission and premiere a major new work by Donald Patriquin, who I consider to be one of Canada s finest choral composers emphasized Musica Viva s Music Director, Marg Stubington. I was a student of Donald s at McGill University s Faculty of Music almost 30 years ago, so it is an honour for me to work with him on the premiere of a major new work. And, I can think of no better Ottawa choir to partner with us for the premiere performance than the beautiful Cantiamo Girls Choir led by Jackie Hawley. This commission was made possible with funding from the City of Ottawa s Arts Programme and from the choir s Reserve Fund. Musica Viva Singers of Ottawa is celebrating its 14 th performance season. Founded in 1997 by a group of choral enthusiasts under the direction of Brian Cameron, this 60 voice Soprano/Alto/Tenor/Base (SATB ) community choir sings an eclectic repertoire of classical and contemporary works to enthusiastic audiences at 2-3 major concerts each season as well as numerous outreach events. Cameron was succeeded as director in 2002 by James Calkin, who celebrated the choir s 10 th anniversary with a commissioned work by Ottawa s acclaimed organist Thomas Annand. Marg Stubington assumed direction of the choir in 2008 and her skill is leading the choir through a growing and more challenging repertoire. The Cantiamo Girls Choir of Ottawa was founded in 2003 by Jackie Hawley and consists of up to 35 auditioned girls, aged 12-20. Cantiamo performs a wide variety of repertoire with a strong focus on Canadian composers and new choral compositions. Aside from its own concerts, the choir performs to support community events at such venues as Ottawa City Hall, the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the National Arts Centre. Cantiamo has also participated in Festival 500 in Newfoundland and the Kaleid Festival in Woodstock. World Music Suite Three will premiere on Saturday May 7, 2011 at St. Brigid s /3 2 P a g e
Centre for the Arts in Ottawa and will be performed alongside other world music from both choirs. More details of the concert, ticket sales, guest soloists and musicians will be announced shortly. Biographies and photographs of Donald Patriquin, Marg Stubington and Jackie Hawley are attached. For more information on Donald Patriquin, please refer to his website: www.donaldpatriquin.com and for more information on the participating choirs please refer to www.musicavivaottawa.ca and www.cantiamogirlschoir.ca. -30- For more information and to arrange for interviews: Contact: musicavivaottawa@gmail.com Victoria Steele, MVS Publicity Associate: (613) 722-8877 Community media: Jacqueline Toupin, MVS Publicity Associate: (613) 722-7435 3 P a g e
BIOGRAPHIES Donald Patriquin, composer and arranger photo by David Wray A native of Lennoxville, Quebec, Donald started composing at age eleven. He has always been involved with music as composer, performer, teacher, accompanist, organist and conductor. Following graduation in Biology from Bishop s, he attended McGill and Toronto Universities, studying with Istvàn Anhalt a pupil of Bartok and Kodaly - and John Weinzweig. As professor at McGill's Faculty of Music he taught theory, musicianship and arranging, and directed a variety of ensembles. He now freelances from his home in Quebec s Eastern Townships. His choral works include Mass for the Caribbean, Reflections on Walden Pond, Psalms & Canticles of Prayer, Praise and Peace, and Antiphon and the Child of Mary, awarded first prize in New York's Melodious Accord competition for new choral music. Choral arrangement commissions include World Music Suites One and Two, Three Love Songs from the British Isles (Ottawa Children s Choir) and the recent Two Songs of the Outaouais (Choeur classique de l Outaouais). His Scottish Contrasts took first place in the 2010 composition competition of the Association of Canadian Choral Communities. Original commissioned works include Cycles - a song setting of Frank Scott's poetry; music for Tom Barnett s psalm translations Songs for the Holy One; largescale compositions such as Earthpeace One and Two, Celebration for the 4 P a g e
Planet Earth, and Hangman's Reel, a ballet score based on the repertoire of Quebec s premier fiddler, Jean Carignan, (Les Grandes Ballets Canadiens). Donald collaborated with writer Sunil Mahtani on Louisa, a historical musical, and recently wrote the music for Chickasaw - with lyrics by Graham Hardman - a musical comedy set in the American Civil War, with an intriguing Canadian connection. Both are for large-cast community theatre. He is currently working on a third, six-person musical, Homo Erectus, with playwright Joanna Gosse, as well as writing new repertoire for men s chorus (TTBB) and separate SSA and SATB versions of World Music Suite Three. His Requiem for the Titanic will be available shortly, just in time for 2012, the 100th anniversary of the sinking. Recently recognized through his inclusion in Who Is Who In Choral Music, Donald s music is heard the world over - live, via broadcasts and CD. He is a member of the Canadian Music Centre, Canadian League of Composers, SOCAN, and Association of Canadian Choral Conductors. When not composing or gardening, Donald enjoys playing chamber music, and works with an ensemble that improvises and performs on instruments ranging from dulcimers to djembes. He enjoys writing music for healing with his wife Louise, and visiting their ten grandchildren. 5 P a g e
Marg Stubington, Music Director, Musica Viva Singers Marg Stubington became the Music Director of Musica Viva Singers in September 2008. Marg, a native of Montreal, received a Bachelor of Music from McGill University (1984) where she studied piano performance with Tom Plaunt, choral arranging with Donald Patriquin, song interpretation with Jan Simons, and conducting. She held several church positions in Montreal as organist and choir director, taught piano, worked as accompanist, led a 100-voice children's school choir, and taught music theory and choir at the Suzuki Summer Institute. After graduating with a Bachelor of Education at the University of Ottawa in 1991, she spent several years teaching English As A Second Language, Workplace Education, and Adult Literacy. In 1995 Marg founded Vox Femina, a 40-voice woman's choir. She has been the Artistic Director of Tone Cluster Chamber Choir and the Ottawa Gay Men's Chorus, and an instructor of music history and choir at the Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy. Marg was Music Director at Glebe-St.James United Church from 2001-2007. In Vancouver (2005), Marg was invited to be one of six guest conductors with the Vancouver Chamber Choir, under director Jon Washburn. She was Festival Women's Chorus Conductor for GALA Chorus Festivals in Montreal (2004), Vancouver (2006) and Winnipeg (2010). In January 2008 she was Assistant Conductor for The Ewashko Singers for A Cole Porter Valentine: National Arts Centre Pops Concert. Marg developed the KidSingers program, now a thriving children's choir which is part of the Leading Note Foundation's Orkidstra program. She was Director from June of 2007 to May 2010. Marg is also currently the Music Director of the Canadian Centennial Choir. Aside from her regular conducting duties, Marg is a busy piano teacher, composer and arranger. 6 P a g e
Jackie Hawley, Music Director, Cantiamo Girls Choir Jackie Hawley graduated from University of Toronto with an honors degree in Music Education and from University of Ottawa with a Bachelor of Education. She has conducted and toured internationally with adult, youth and children's choirs and has been a clinician for choirs and schools throughout Ontario for more than twenty five years. In November of 2009, Ms. Hawley was the guest conductor for the CBC/McGill Youth Gala Concert in Montreal. She is currently the director of the Cantiamo Girls Choir of Ottawa, which she founded in 2003 and which grew to include a Training Choir in 2006. Cantiamo is known for its commitment to nurturing local composers and commissioning new Canadian repertoire. In January 2008, Ms. Hawley was appointed Artistic Director of the Ottawa Children s Choir and Music Director of its Chamber Choir. Under her artistic leadership, the choir co-produced Kaleidon-the-Road in 2010, bringing acclaimed international artists Rajaton to Ottawa for educational and performance events that involved more than 500 people of all ages. Ms. Hawley was also a teacher with the Ottawa Carleton District School Board, where she opened and designed the music curriculum for a new school and continues to give music leadership workshops to Board staff. 7 P a g e