Monteverdi Vespers in Concert

Join us on September 20 for “Monteverdi Vespers,” a breathtaking evening dedicated to the timeless beauty of Vespers for the Blessed Virgin.

Attending the Cantare Super Orchestram’s Magnificat Vespers concert is a transcendent experience that immerses you in the sublime beauty of Baroque music. Monteverdi’s Vespers, renowned for its intricate harmonies and profound spirituality, is brought to life by our talented musicians, creating an evening of musical excellence. This concert offers a rare opportunity to witness a historically informed performance, showcasing the artistry and precision of Cantare Super Orchestra and Belle Voci. Whether you’re a classical music aficionado or a newcomer, the emotive power and exquisite beauty of Monteverdi’s Vespers promise to captivate and inspire, making this a must-attend event.

Belle Voci

Cantus
Paula DeWit
Sonja Strimbei

Sextus
Jillian MacDonald
Sylwia Karwowska
Marianne Laxton

Altus
Dinah Ayre
Erik Kallo
Julia Nikolaeva
Deborah Handley
Sheila Wright
Diane Van der Gucht

Tenor
Mark De Silva
Fr Matt Koovisk

Quintus
Rick Ruta
Steve Froese

Septimus
Richard Williams
Henry Waldock

Bassus
Andrew Greenwood
Jim Banman
Christopher Sedergreen

TRANSLATIONS

Magníficat ánima mea Dóminum.
Et exultávit spíritus meus: in Deo salutári meo.
Quia respéxit humilitátem ancíllae suae:
Ecce enim ex hoc beátam me dicent omnes generatiónes.
Quia fécit mihi mágna qui pótens est: et sánctum nómen eius.
Et misericórdia eius in progénies et progénies timéntibus eum.
Fécit poténtiam in bráchio suo: dispérsit supérbos mente cordis sui.
Depósuit poténtes de sede: et exaltávit húmiles.
Esuriéntes implévit bonis: et dívites dimísit inánes.
Suscépit Ísrael púerum suum: recordátus misericórdiae suae.
Sicut locútus est ad patres nostros: Ábraham, et sémini eius in saecula.
Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto,
Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculórum. Amen.

Magnificat
My soul doth magnify the Lord.
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
Because He hath regarded the humility of His slave:
For behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me; and holy is His name.
And His mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear Him.
He hath shewed might in His arm: He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty away.
He hath received Israel His servant, being mindful of His mercy:
As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.
Glory be the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forever and ever, Amen.

An enthusiastic singer since childhood, Sonja started with voice lessons and choir in elementary school. She went on to sing with her high school choir, and also joined the choir at a private girls’ school in Tokyo, Japan, where she studied on exchange. Sonja continued to pursue voice, piano and theory lessons with music teachers all over the Lower Mainland. She graduated from UBC in 2010 with a BA (Hons.) in German and English Language.

Since moving to the Fraser Valley, Sonja has sung with Evensong Chamber Singers for several seasons. While enrolled at the Chilliwack Academy of Music, she was awarded scholarships for Senior Voice Performance in 2015 and 2016. She has also participated in local music festivals, including the Chilliwack Lions Club Music and Dance Festival, where she won awards for Senior Vocal Champion in 2015 and Open Masters Vocal Champion in 2016 and 2017. Recently, Sonja received the Dr. Jeanette Gallant Award for a Promising Senior Classical Voice Student at the 2018 Kiwanis Fraser Valley International Music Festival.

Sonja is a soprano and has a strong interest in early, renaissance and baroque music performance.

Soprano Sylwia Karwowska comes originally from Wroclaw, Poland where she received her music education. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Music from the Karol Lipinski Academy of Music in Wrocław. In 2016 she obtained an Associate of Royal Conservatory of Music diploma in voice performance. Her diverse repertoire includes opera, oratorio-cantata, art song and choral music with the great emphasis to German Baroque style, especially J.S. Bach.
She shares her passion of singing, teaching voice at the Tri-City School of Music in Port Coquitlam. Her near future projects include a solo recital and forming a TCSM Opera Chorus.

Erik Kallo received his Bachelors of Voice Performance at the UBC and a Master of Music at the Royal College of Music in London, England.

In Canada, Erik primarily sang for West Vancouver United Church as a professional soloist and musica intima; a Juno award-nominated self-directed vocal chamber ensemble.
During his time at the Royal College of Music in London, England, Erik performed in Opera Scenes and had done Masterclasses with notable musicians such as:
Ashley Solomon’s Baroque Ensemble Florilegium, Robin Blaze, and Michael Chance among many others.
He also sang the role of Armindo from Handel’s Partenope with Hampstead Garden Opera and was a semi-finalist in one of the most prestigious vocal competitions the Kathleen Ferrier Wigmore Hall competition.

Mark De Silva sang in choirs and played the violin in orchestras and ensembles at school and universities in England. He was a member of choral ensembles in the UK, the USA, and Canada, performing in concerts and tours in North America, Europe and Asia, and recordings, radio broadcasts and festivals. Mark had voice teachers, coaches and mentors in Canada including George Roberts, Bruce Pullan, Peter Butterfield and Selena James. He is an alumnus of Laudate Singers, the Vancouver Cantata Singers, and the Vancouver Chamber Choir.

Mark has appeared as a guest soloist with ensembles throughout BC, in oratorios including Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion, Mass in B minor, Magnificat, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Mozart’s Requiem and Ariel Ramirez’s Misa Criolla. His solo work includes tenor solos in “Sing Along Messiah” with the Vancouver Bach Choir and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, performances with Belle Voci, the Handel Society of Music, the Postmodern Camerata, Vancouver Voices, the Turning Point Ensemble, the Borealis String Quartet, the Victoria Philharmonic Choir, the Okanagan Festival Singers, the Capilano University Choirs and Paragon Singers. His recitals include Lieder, Art songs and song cycles by Benjamin Britten, and operatic arias by Verdi and Puccini.

Richard Williams has been heard with various choirs and orchestras throughout Western Canada, including the Vancouver Bach Choir, Vancouver Opera Touring Ensemble, West Coast Symphony, Vancouver SummerChor, Kamloops Symphony, Handel Society and various others in the region. He made his European debut in 1992, and for several years performed in many of the world’s great music centers, including Frankfurt, Geneva, London, Milan and Paris.

Andrew Greenwood, a captivating baritone from Vancouver, possesses a unique blend of power and creamy elegance that captivates audiences worldwide. Andrew’s international career includes notable performances at the Prague State Opera, and he also showcased his talent in Switzerland. Andrew’s Canadian credits extend to Pacific Opera Victoria, Burnaby Lyric Opera, UBC Opera, Opera Breve, Western Concert Opera, and Modern Baroque Opera.

Andrew has also appeared with other opera companies in the Lower Mainland, such as Opera Breve, Western Concert Opera, and Modern Baroque Opera. Also in demand as a concert and oratorio singer, Mr. Greenwood frequents such works as Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy and Symphony No. Nine, Dvorák’s Stabat Mater, Saint-Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio, the Bach Passions, as well as the Requiems of Verdi, Mozart, Brahms, Fauré and Duruflé.

Some of the organizations he has sung with include: Virginia’s Opera Roanoke Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony, the Victoria Symphony, Vancouver Cantata Singers, the Prince George Symphony, the Vancouver Bach Choir, Festival Vancouver, the West Coast Symphony, the Kamloops Symphony, Sinfonia of the North Shore, the Chilliwack Symphony, the Okanagan Festival Singers, the Fraser Valley Symphony, the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Vancouver Island Symphony.

In 2001 Andrew performed the role of John Proctor in the Czech Republic premiere of The Crucible by Robert Ward. He then debuted the roles of Escamillo in Carmen and Germont in La Traviata at the Prague State Opera.

Additional European credits include: the roles of Marcello in La bohème for Opera Studio de Genève, Switzerland, and The Ferryman in Benjamin Britten’s Curlew River in Lausanne, Switzerland and Cuenca, Spain.