The Chilliwack Metropolitan Orchestra will be chasing away the winter blues at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre with a tribute to sunny Spain on March 14.
The theatre will resound with the musical works of Granados, Chabrier, Bizet, De Falla and more.
"The CMO is always pleased to be able to showcase some of Chilliwack's wonderful musical talent," said CMO spokesperson Ann Fleming, who is also a member of the orchestra.
"This concert will be no exception with two local soloists."
Classical guitarist Rod Swanson, will be performing works by Granados and Villa-Lobos with the orchestra. Swanson is an instructor, member of the Songs of Praise Orchestra, accompanist with the Fraser Valley Philharmonic Society and solo artist with a particular interest in performing Early Music works.
Joining Swanson and the CMO will be vocalist Tiffany Delooff.
Delooff and Swanson will be performing together with the CMO Heitor Villa-Lobos hauntingly beautiful Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5.
She started her music lessons on violin at the age of five, and studied piano until she was 18. Delooff discovered her love of singing while performing solos in community and school choirs, and in 2003, she started taking voice instruction from Melanie Krueger and then Allison Nystrom.
She honed her skills at local music festivals and was chosen to represent Chilliwack at the BC Provincial Music Festival Finals. She has spent several summers at the UBC Opera Camp and in 2003 was awarded her ARCT Vocal Instruction Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music. She recently went to the Netherlands and recorded a CD of inspirational music for voice and piano.
Spanish dancers are somewhat rare in the lower Mainland.
Fortunately, Vancouver is home to one of Canada’s elite professional Flamenco dancers, Karen Pitkethly, who is the face of Flamenco in Vancouver and is the head of her own dance company, Karen Flamenco. The dance company is no stranger to Chilliwack as they performed a Flamenco version of Swan Lake here last year. Pitkethly — dancer, choreographer and teacher — is a life-long dancer trained in ballet, contemporary and flamenco dance.
Her journey as a Flamenco Bailora brings her annually to Seville, Spain where she is able to immerse herself in the flamenco culture and study under flamenco’s great dance artists.
For our “Viva Espana” concert Pitkethly will be choreographing her dance to Granados lyrical Intermezzo from the Opera Goyescas.
While the composers Chabrier and Bizet were both French, no Spanish themed concert would be complete without Carmen and Habanera on the program.
Selections from "Spain’s Mozart"Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga are sure to delight the audience. A musical prodigy, he was born 50 years to the day after Mozart’s birthday and like Mozart he also died a young man. In his short lifetime, he was very prolific writing Overtures, Arias, a Quartet and his Symphony in D.
The CMO's “Viva Espana” concert, Saturday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre. Tickets at the Cultural Centre Box Office, on line or call 604-391-SHOW. Adults $25 and Students $15.