OrpheusChoirofTorontoP.O.Box662,StnF,TorontoONM4Y2N6www.orpheuschoirtoronto.com|info@orpheuschoirtoronto.com|416.530.4428

December7,2017-ForImmediateRelease:THENORDICLIGHTFESTIVAL

ChoralEncounterswithĒriksEšenvalds

ĒriksEšenvalds(b.1977),therenownedLatvianchoralcomposer,comestoTorontoundertheauspicesoftheOrpheusChoirofTorontoforanexclusiveandexhilaratingfestivalofhisincomparablemusic.Ešenvaldshasgainedincreasinginternationalrecognitionforhiscomplex,multilayeredchoralcompositions,sometimesineightoreven16parts,“oftenoverwhelmingintheirrich,tonalcolourandburstingwithimagination”.

Fortendays,EšenvaldswillengagewithsingersandconductorsinToronto(February21-24),Kitchener-Waterloo(February26),Montreal(February27)andOttawa(February28),presentinghisinnovativeworksrepletewith“extravagantdissonances,expansivetextures,generousemploymentofvoicings,andsheeraudaciousnessindramaticrealization.”TheNordicLightGalaConcertatMetropolitanUnitedChurchinTorontoonSaturday,February24at7:30pmwillfeaturetheOrpheusChoirofTorontoandThatChoir,inaconcertdedicatedentirelytothemusicofĒriksEšenvalds,conductedbyRobertCooper,CraigPikeandthecomposerhimself.TheperformancecentrepiecewillbetheCanadianpremiereofNordicLight,Ešenvalds’spectacularmultimediasymphonicrepresentationoftheauroraborealis.WhenĒriksEšenvaldswasinameadowinfarnorthernNorwaysixyearsago,hesaw,asmanypeopledoat69degreeslatitude,thenorthernlights.Theflickeringgreendisplaylasteduntildawnwhilehegazedupwards,madesnowangelsandtookthousandsofphotos.Ešenvaldswassoinspired,hespentthenextthreeyearstransformingtheseimagesintomusicandaground-breakingmultimediaworkfortwochoirs,orchestra,naturalsounds,videosofArcticstorytellersandprojectionsofthelightsthemselves. PresentedinpartnershipwithTheAdlersAgency,theOrpheusChoirandThatChoirwillshowcasemanyofEšenvalds’mostsuccessfulscoresalongwiththeNordicLightSymphonyinthisuniquechoralencounter.ThisspecialeventisoneofmanyhappeningaroundtheworldincelebrationofLatvia’scentenaryin2018.MusicaBaltica,themajorpublisherofover60contemporarycomposersfromtheBalticStates,isaleadingsponsoroftheseeventsandwillbeontourwithĒriksEšenvaldstopromoteandsellsheetmusicandCDsoftheirartists.

OrpheusChoirofTorontoP.O.Box662,StnF,TorontoONM4Y2N6www.orpheuschoirtoronto.com|info@orpheuschoirtoronto.com|416.530.4428

Ourthankstooureventsponsorstodate:MusicaBaltica,theEmbassyofLatviainCanada,theMinistryofCultureforLatvia,LV100,theLatvianNationalAssociationinCanada,KravisTravel,IneseandGregFlude,TakedoandVijaMurata,theLatviansororitySpidola,LatvianReliefSocietyofCanadaDaugavasVanagi,andourworkshopco-organizersSt.John’sLatvianLutheranChurchVocalEnsembleAnsamblisandconductorBrigitaAlks(Toronto);ConradGrebelCollegechoirs,GrandPhilharmonicChoirandconductorMarkVuorinen(Kitchener-Waterloo);McGillUniversityMusicDepartmentandprofessorDr.Jean-SebastienVallée(Montréal);theCapitalChamberChoirandconductorJamieLoback(Ottawa).

Inaddition,wewishtothanktheTorontoArtsCouncil,theJackmanFoundation,andtheOntarioArtsCouncilfortheirsupportoftheOrpheusChoirofToronto’s2017-2018Season.

ĒriksEšenvaldsisrepresentedinternationallybyRobinTysonatEditionPetersArtistManagement.TORONTOEVENTS

ACHORALENCOUNTERWITHĒRIKSEŠENVALDSASeminarandSingers’Workshopforchoirs,conductorsandfansofchoralmusicWednesdayFebruary21,2018-7:00-10:00pmStJohn’sLatvianLutheranChurch,200BalmoralAve,TorontopresentedinpartnershipwithSt.John’sVocalEnsemble$30|$20students,includesscorestickets:www.orpheuschoirtoronto.com|416.530.4428SCREENINGOFNORDICLIGHT:ACOMPOSER’SDIARY+ONE-ON-ONEWITHĒRIKSEŠENVALDSSaturdayFebruary24,2018-3:00-4:30pmTheCanadianpremierescreeningofthedocumentaryfilmaboutthemakingofĒriksEšenvalds’multi-mediasymphony.Immediatelyfollowingthescreening,ĒriksEšenvaldsinconversation.MetropolitanUnitedChurch,56QueenStE,Toronto$20generaltickets:www.orpheuschoirtoronto.com|416.530.4428NORDICLIGHTGALACONCERTSaturdayFebruary24,2018-7:30pmAgalaconcertdedicatedtothechoralmusicofĒriksEšenvaldsandfeaturingtheCanadianpremiereofhismulti-mediaNordicLightSymphonywiththeOrpheusChoir,ThatChoir,OrpheusConcertOrchestra,conductorsRobertCooper,CraigPikeandĒriksEšenvalds.MetropolitanUnitedChurch,56QueenStE,Toronto$55adults|$45seniors|$25studentsticketsthroughwww.orpheuschoirtoronto.com|416.530.4428FEB24PASSBuyticketsinadvanceforbotheventsonFeb24thandsave$5(DocumentaryScreening+One-on-OnewithĒriksEšenvalds,andNordicLightGalaConcert)ticketsthroughwww.orpheuschoirtoronto.com|416.530.4428

OrpheusChoirofTorontoP.O.Box662,StnF,TorontoONM4Y2N6www.orpheuschoirtoronto.com|info@orpheuschoirtoronto.com|416.530.4428

OUTREACHEVENTSMADEPOSSIBLETHROUGHTHENORDICLIGHTFESTIVALKITCHENER-WATERLOO:

ACHORALENCOUNTERWITHĒRIKSEŠENVALDSMondayFebruary26,2018

ASeminarandWorkshopforchoralsingersandconductorsConradGrebelUniversityCollege,7:00–9:30pmPresentedinpartnershipwithconductorMarkVuorinen,ConradGrebelUniversityChoirs,andtheGrandPhilharmonicChoir$30general,$20students,feeincludesscoresTicketsthroughwww.orpheuschoirtoronto.comMONTREAL:

ACHORALENCOUNTERWITHĒRIKSEŠENVALDSTuesdayFebruary27,2018

ASeminarandWorkshopforchoralcomposersandconductorsMcGillUniversity3:00-5:00pmSchulichSchoolofMusic,555SherbrookeStW,MontrealPresentedinpartnershipwithProfessorDr.Jean-SebastienVallée

ASingers’Workshopforchoirs,conductorsandfansofchoralmusicMcGillUniversity7:30-9:30pmSchulichSchoolofMusic,555SherbrookeStW,MontrealPresentedinpartnershipwithconductorAndrewGrayandTheMontrealChoralInstituteTicketsthroughwww.vocesboreales.orgOTTAWA:

ACHORALENCOUNTERWITHĒRIKSEŠENVALDSWednesdayFebruary28,2018

ASeminarandWorkshopforchoralcomposersandconductorsUniversityofOttawaFacultyofMusic,3:00-5:00pmPresentedinpartnershipwithProfessorJohnArmstrong

ASingers’Workshopforchoirs,conductorsandfansofchoralmusicSt.Joseph’sChurch,174WilbrodSt,7:00-9:30pmPresentedinpartnershipwithconductorJamieLobackandCapitalChamberChoir$30general,$20students,feeincludesscoresTicketsthroughwww.orpheuschoirtoronto.com

OrpheusChoirofTorontoP.O.Box662,StnF,TorontoONM4Y2N6www.orpheuschoirtoronto.com|info@orpheuschoirtoronto.com|416.530.4428

ĒRIKSEŠENVALDS“…clearlythenextbigthinginmusicalmysticism…”(TheTimes)ĒriksEšenvaldsisoneofthemostsought-aftercomposersworkingtoday,withabusycommissionscheduleandperformancesofhismusicheardoneverycontinent.Ešenvaldsistherecipientofmultipleawardsforhiswork,includingtheLatvianGrandMusicAward(2005,2007and2015).TheInternationalRostrumofComposersawardedhim

firstprizein2006forhisworkTheLegendoftheWalled-inWoman.HewasTheYear'sNewComposerDiscoveryofthePhiladelphiaInquirerin2010.

BorninPriekule,Latviain1977,hestudiedattheLatvianBaptistTheologicalSeminary(1995–1997)beforeobtaininghisMastersdegreeincomposition(2004)fromtheLatvianAcademyofMusicunderthetutelageofSelgaMence.HetookmasterclasseswithMichaelFinnissy,KlausHuber,PhilippeManouryandJonathanHarvey,amongstothers.From2002–2011hewasamemberoftheStateChoirLATVIA.In2011,hewasawardedthetwo-yearpositionofFellowCommonerinCreativeArtsatTrinityCollege,UniversityofCambridge.HeismarriedwithfourchildrenandgivesstudentshisexpertiseascompositionteacherattheLatvianAcademyofMusic.

ĒriksEšenvalds'compositionshavebeenpremieredbyensemblesincludingtheBostonSymphonyOrchestra,CityofBirminghamSymphonyOrchestra,UtahSymphony,theBrittenSinfonia,TheKing'sSingers,LatvianVoices,Polyphony,theLatvianRadioChoir,theKamēr...YouthChoir,theBavarianRadioChoirtonameafew,alongwithnumerousuniversity,professionalandcommunitychoirsaroundtheworldandmanysignificantinternationalfestivals.

Ešenvaldsisapopularpublicspeaker,competitionjurymember,andcomposerworkshopclinician(2014WorldChoirGames,2015ACDANationalConference,2016RiminiInternationalChoralCompetition,2017MusicaSacraNovaInternationalComposersCompetitionatthePontificalInstituteofSacredMusicinRome).

ĒriksEšenvalds'compositionsappearonmanyrecordings,releasedbylabelssuchasHyperion,DeccaClassics,DeutscheGrammophon,DelphianRecords,Pentatone,OndineandNaxos,withsixrecordingsdevotedexclusivelytohisworks.

CurrentcommissionprojectsincludewritingfortheGewandhausLeipzig(Germany),theGrantParkFestival,Chicago(USA),theSouthDakotaChorale(USA),andforClassicalMovements(USA).HewillalsobetravellingtotheUSAandCanada,Asia,NewZealandandwithinEurope.Hissecondmultimediasymphonyfocusingonthenaturalphenomenonofvolcanoeswillpremierein2018.

“Ešenvalds’sworkisemblematicofanewgoldenageofchoralmusic”(SuziDigby,OraSingers)

MEDIACONTACT:LisaGriffiths,ManagingDirector,OrpheusChoirofToronto (416)530-4428|lisa.griffiths@orpheuschoirtoronto.com @orpheuschoirTO