“Lamentations of Jeremiah” to be performed for the first time in Halifax and Lunenburg.

2008-10-10T05:37:00.000-07:00

The Elmer Iseler Singers and bass-clarinetist Jeff Reilly perform “Lamentations of Jeremiah” by Peter-Anthony Togni for the first time in Halifax and Lunenburg. The performances will culminate in a recording for the prestigious ECM Records label.

Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 7:30pm
Cathedral Church of All Saints, 5732 College St., Halifax
Tickets: $ 30adults/$25seniors/$10 students
Available at Bookmark 5686 SpringGarden Rd.
Or call 420-4085

Sunday, October 26, 2008 at 3pm
St. John's Anglican Church, 81 Cumberland St., Lunenburg
Tickets: $20 ($10 students at the door)
Available at Fulton’s Pharmacy
Or call 634-9994

(Halifax, NS October 6, 2008) - St. Cecilia Concert Society continues its 20th Anniversary Season with "Lamentations of Jeremiah," a concerto for bass clarinet and choir composed by Peter-Anthony Togni. It will be performed by the Elmer Iseler Singers, with Jeff Reilly featured on bass clarinet, for the first time in Halifax on Saturday, October 25th, 7:30pm at All Saint's Cathedral and in Lunenburg on Sunday, October 26th 3pm at St. John's Anglican Church. The culmination of these performances will be a recording for the prestigious ECM Records label on October 27th in Halifax.

The Piece - Commissioned by The Canada Council for the Arts to honour their 50th anniversary, and premiered to critical and public acclaim in Toronto last April, this unique juxtaposition of written score and music created in the moment is sure to be a highlight of this year's musical offerings.

The Cast - Founded in 1979 by the late Dr. Elmer Iseler and conducted by Artistic Director Lydia Adams, the Elmer Iseler Singers are one of Canada's most illustrious professional choral ensembles. In recent years, Halifax’s own Jeff Reilly has emerged as a distinct and powerful voice in the field of improvised contemporary music. Jeff is a frequent collaborator with composer Peter-Anthony Togni, who is well known to Canadian audiences as a performer and CBC radio broadcaster. This season he is the host and producer of Choral Concert on CBC radio 2.

The Inspiration - The prophet Jeremiah's heart-rending life and true prophesies of dire warning went largely unheeded by those he sought to warn. "Lamentations of Jeremiah" - where grief meets hope – is truly a piece for modern times.

About St. Cecilia Concert Society
The St. Cecilia Concert Society is the premiere presenter of classical music in Atlantic Canada featuring an eclectic mix of vocal and instrumental performances, highlighted by artists from the local, national and international concert stage. This is the eighth year for our Musician-in-Residence Program and we are very pleased to have Composer/Pianist/Radio Producer and host Peter-Anthony Togni on board as our 2008-09 Musician-in-Residence.

For further details, please contact St. Cecilia Concert Society (902) 420-4462 or sccs@ns.aliantzinc.ca or visit http://www.stcecilia.ca/

To be recorded by ECM is indeed a dream come true

2008-10-09T06:10:00.000-07:00

After hearing a live recording of "Lamentations of Jeremiah" ECM Records, founder and producer Manfred Eicher elected to record the piece. A powerhouse in contemporary classical music, Manfred Eicher and his independent label ECM Records is also synonymous with the best in jazz. Hundreds of records made under his artistic direction include those of Keith Jarrett, Jan Garbarek, Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Dave Holland, Egberto Gismonti and Pat Metheny, to name a few.

In 2002 Eicher received a Grammy Award from the American Recording Academy as “Classical Producer of the Year”, and was nominated again in the same category for 2003 and 2004. In 2008 the Down Beat Critics Poll voted him Producer of the Year and ECM Records as Label of the Year. This double-win marks the first occasion that label and producer have simultaneously held the #1 slot.

Composer Peter-Anthony Togni has said of this exciting recording collaboration, “Every so often I have to pinch myself to make sure this isn’t a dream, but to be recorded by ECM is indeed a dream come true.”