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November 2009 Volume 1 #1
 Ballantine at Carols With Brass A Choir of Directors Messiah Talent: Near and Far The Singing Chiropodists We respect your right to privacy and will not share information about you. You may unsubscribe from Noteworthy News at any time.  • Present to the community the finest choral music available, performed to the highest standard of excellence • Increase public awareness of choral and vocal music, especially of music composed or performed by Canadian musicians • Provide a place for enthusiastic choral singers of high calibre to come together for musical, social and personal growth • purchase tickets • request a brochure • subscribe to news |
Len Ballantine's Composition Debuts at Carols With Brass  Renowned Canadian composer Len Ballantine will join the 100+ voices of the Peterborough Singers and the Canadian Staff Band of The Salvation Army in an exuberant and joyful presentation of Carols With Brass. The Peterborough concert is on Saturday, November 28, one week exactly before the band's annual Christmas With The Salvation Army concert at Roy Thomson Hall. Carols With Brass will feature the premier performance of Night of the Angel Song, a new choral work that the Singers commissioned from Len Ballantine---and one that expresses, in turn, the intimacy, amazement, and unbounded praise of the shepherds' story.The piece begins quietly, inviting people to listen to the stillness of "just another night" of tending sheep. Its second section, with the words of the angels' message taken directly from scripture, begins tenderly and culminates in three groups of majestic chords. "I wanted a well-crafted smaller composition that moved from an intimacy reminiscent of chamber music to the full, awe-inspiring sound that only a large chorus can achieve," Ballantine commented at a recent workshop with the Peterborough Singers. And then there is the praise section of the composition. It's a rhythmic, jazz-inspired version of the "Gloria"---and very tuneful as well. The total effect of the Night of Angel Song is compelling and evocative: a beautiful, soft melody that swells; a calm, quiet announcement that grows in majesty and climaxes in some spectacular chords; and, to finish, toe-tapping, hand-clapping, and harmonious words of praise. As any composer will tell you, pulling together diverse ideas into a cohesive musical expression is no walk in the park. "I did struggle a bit over the summer with the composition," Ballantine admits. Luckily, both his children are artists and understand these creative roadblocks, so he turned to them for sympathy and inspiration. "Just be yourself, Dad," advised his son David, "and it will all work out." These were wise words indeed considering Len Ballantine's track record as a composer, conductor, and musician. His love for music began at a very early age, according to his daughter Kathryn, herself a dramatic and musical performer. "He composed his first piece at the age of six and outgrew his teachers faster than he outgrew his Sunday trousers," she writes. Ballantine studied piano, composition, and conducting at the University of Toronto. As his daughter explains, "Arranging, composing, and choral conducting continue to be his forte and his passion." Indeed, Len Ballantine has produced an impressive body of work. And his compositions have met with such success that he's earned a place in the Canadian Encyclopedia of Music. He's listed there as being among other "notable Canadian" composers of choral music, such as Sidney Cox and John Wells, who share a connection to the Salvation Army. As early as the 1980s, Ballantine had written "a large number of choral compositions, two volumes of contemporary songs, . . . and a musical entitled Beyond the Stars." It's no wonder that all the Peterborough Singers are looking forward to performing Ballantine's newest Christmas composition---with the composer himself accompanying the choir at the piano. Also on the program are some of Ballantine's other famous Christmas compositions and his arrangements of well-known carols and festive songs. Of course, the concert will also include sing-along favourites. So join the premiere brass ensemble of the Canadian Staff Band, organ virtuoso Ian Sadler, composer Len Ballantine, and Syd Birrell and the Peterborough Singers as we once again attempt "to raise the roof" in splendid song. |
 www.peterboroughsingers.com | singers@peterboroughsingers.com | Phn: (705) 745-1820 P.O. Box 2146 | Peterborough, Ontario | K9J 7Y4 |
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