Experience the humanity and goodwill of Handel’s beloved choral masterpiece.

Nothing conjures the festive season like Tafelmusik’s performances of Handel’s Messiah! We can’t wait to gather together to rekindle this cherished annual holiday tradition—one that has been deeply missed over the past two years.

Handel’s Messiah transcends cultural, geographic, and religious boundaries with its message of charity, peace, goodwill, and sacrifice. It also contains some of the most uplifting, touching, and magnificent music ever composed.

Ivars Taurins once again leads the Orchestra, Chamber Choir, and a stellar cast of soloists in the resplendent acoustics of Koerner Hall. Join us for this long-awaited reunion to experience the intimacy and expanse of Handel’s beloved choral masterpiece, performed with Tafelmusik’s trademark vitality and passion.

 

Box Office
Royal Conservatory of Music
(416) 408-0208 | Email
Running Time
About 180 minutes
Style of Music
Choral

Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre

December 16, 2022 7:30 pm
December 17, 2022 7:30 pm

Karina Gauvin

Soprano

Recognized for her work in baroque repertoire, Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin sings Mahler, Britten, and the music of the late 20th and 21st centuries with equal success. She has received prestigious distinctions, including the title of “Soloist of the Year” awarded by the Communauté internationale des radios publiques de langue française, First Prize in the CBC Radio competition for young performers, and the Virginia Parker Prize and Maggie Teyte Memorial Prize in London. Karina has sung with the world’s greatest symphony orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, and San Francisco Symphony. She has performed under the direction of maestros Charles Dutoit, Bernard Labadie, Kent Nagano, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Sir Roger Norrington, Masaaki Suzuki, and Michael Tilson Thomas. Karina has an extensive discography of over 30 titles and has won numerous awards, including a Chamber Music America Award and several Opus Prizes. She has appeared with Tafelmusik on stage in Toronto and on tour, as well as on recordings of Handel Arias and Handel’s Messiah.

Christopher Lowrey 

Countertenor

Christopher Lowrey is considered “one of the operatic countertenors of our day, excelling dramatically and vocally, with clear, ringing and flexible tone“ (Bachtrack). Christopher appears regularly with a wide range of distinguished companies around the world, including Royal Opera House, Carnegie Hall, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonie de Paris, La Fenice, English Concert, Academy of Ancient Music, Boston Early Music Festival, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and Cappella Mediterranea.

Christopher’s growing catalogue of recordings includes Pergolesi Stabat Mater with Les Talens Lyriques, Handel Arminio (title role), Theodora, Faramondo, and Susanna, Vivaldi Bajazet, and a solo album of Handel Arias for the EMI Emerging Artists Series. Christopher also appears on the DVD of Glyndebourne Festival’s production of Brett Dean’s Hamlet (Guildenstern), a role he reprises for his debut at The Metropolitan Opera in May, 2022.

Christopher is the founder and director of Ensemble Altera, a chamber choir dedicated to bringing thoughtful, engaging, and relevant programs of choral music to in-person and digital audiences.

Valerio Contaldo

Tenor

Born in Italy, Valerio Contaldo grew up in Switzerland, studying voice at the Lausanne Conservatory. Recent stage appearances include the Dijon Opera, Royal Opera of Versailles, Opéra Comique, Nancy Opera, Aix-en-Provence Festival, Budapest Festival, and the Grand Theatre of Geneva. Very active on the concert stage, his repertoire spans from Monteverdi to Beethoven, with performances throughout Europe as well as in Japan and Canada. Notable appearances include Concertgebouw Orchestra, Musiciens du Louvre, and Gulbenkian Orchestra, working under the direction of Ivan Fischer, Michel Corboz, Stephan MacLeod, Marc Minkowski, Philippe Herreweghe, William Christie, and Ton Koopman.

.

Brett Polegato

Baritone

One of today’s most sought-after lyric baritones on the international stage, Canadian-Italian Brett Polegato has earned the highest praise from audiences and critics for his artistic sensibility. His career has encompassed over 50 operatic roles at the world’s most prestigious venues, including La Scala, l’Opéra National de Paris, Glyndebourne Festival, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Teatro Real, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and Carnegie Hall. Recent operatic highlights include his debuts at the Metropolitan Opera (Brétigny in Manon) and Wexford Festival Opera (Dr Talbot in the European premiere of William Bolcom’s Dinner at Eight); Posa in Don Carlo, the title role in Eugene Onegin and Marcello in La bohème (Grange Park Opera); Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde (Opera di Roma, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, and Opéra National de Bordeaux); his role debut as Amfortasi n Parsifal (Festival de Lanaudière); and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly (Irish National Opera).

Credits

Directed by Ivars Taurins
Karina Gauvin soprano
Christopher Lowrey countertenor
Valerio Contaldo tenor
Brett Polegato baritone
Tafelmusik Chamber Choir

Program

Handel Messiah