Opus 8's début recording, Melancholy and Mirth takes the form of a musical smorgasbord, a manifesto in song, if you will, visiting over five hundred years of variety in secular choral pieces which examine the highs and lows of the emotional compass. From the joys of toasting, frolicking and bucolic fables to the brooding darkness of ghosts, dead pets, and lamented memories, this collection of a cappella works leaves no stone unturned when it comes to the qualms or contentments of the human condition. How should you listen to this recording? Of course we hope that listening from start to finish in one sitting will take the listener on a fulfilling emotional roller-coaster. At the same time, in these years of personal playlists and self-curated compilations, it is easy enough to find your favourite tracks and to add them to your own collections as you see fit. The wide choice of repertoire also seeks to expand awareness of less familiar composers whose choral works can unjustly be overlooked. The offerings of Martinů, Maconchy, Ward, Schoenberg and Stockhausen comprise a celebration of obscure curiosities, whereas those by Josquin des Prez, Ravel and Parry will appear as old friends in a brand new outfit. Bohuslav Martinů's Eight Czech Madrigals were composed in 1939 while the composer was living in Paris. It was there that he became enamoured with the music of Igor Stravinsky, neo-classicism and jazz. These ingredients, mingled with the traditional Central European influences of ethnomusicology and folksong result in his sound-world that is quite unique for its time. While a few of the madrigals are plagued by a disquiet that reflected the fraught international frisson that surrounded the composer, [1] Hej! Mame na Prodej is the fourth in the set which paints a positive picture of a happier time. The music is filled with runs and exclamations that evoke the scene of a provincial market square, with street vendors trying to attract the attention of passers by in an attempt to sell them a feather duvet or two. Martinů is generally regarded as a composer of chamber music, particularly for the violin, as well as symphonies, opera and ballet. His incredibly diverse output for choir is somewhat underrepresented on the concert platform and on disc perhaps due to the idiosyncrasies of the Czech language and the difficulties inherent in the score such as large vocal ranges and virtuosic displays of agility. The [2] Déploration de la Mort de Johannes Ockeghem (Lament on the Death of Johannes Ockeghem) by Franco-Flemish renaissance composer Josquin des Prez is also known to take its alternative title from the first line of its text: Nymphes des Bois (Nymphs of the wood). Josquin composed this vocal elegy upon the occasion of the elder composer's death in February of 1497. The text was written by one of the most renowned poets of the age, Jean Molinet and is notable for its personification of death in the form of the Greek goddess Atropos ensnaring Ockeghem, as well as listing those younger composers who had just lost their beloved mentor, namely: Pirchon (otherwise known as Pierre de la Rue), Compère, Brumel and Josquin himself. One would be hard pressed to think of another piece wherein a composer is called upon to set their own name to music. The work is constructed around a latin cantus firmus in the second tenor, sung to the Requiem Aeternam plainsong chant. The other four parts involve a great deal of vivid word painting, changing their voices from “clear and high” sounds to “piercing cries of lamentation”. The opening soprano melody quotes the Kyrie of Ockeghem’s Missa Cuiusvis Toni, an act of homage that later composers were to imitate in their own déplorations. The piece is essentially in two styles, one which looks back and emulates the old teacher, and then a second verse which addresses his protégés in a more direct homophony with less archaic harmonic techniques. The work closes with a descending 'Amen' gesture after the words 'May he rest in peace' leaving a palpable sense of resignation, perhaps even the sonic equivalent of watching a casket be lowered into the ground. Maurice Ravel wrote hardly any music for choirs, reserving most of his talents for output in instrumental genres, in particular that of the piano. The Trois Chansons published in 1916, from which [3] Trois Beaux Oiseaux du Paradis forms the second of the set, are a unique addition to his compositional oeuvre. The narrative of the work is carried by a substantial mezzo-soprano solo, sung here by Rebecca Claborn. Three birds, whose individual colours, red, white and blue, each representing a colour of the French Tricolore, bring the narrator a gift from a loved one assumed dead in a battle. The first brings the gaze of the blue-eyed lost lover, the second a white kiss, and the last a red heart. Nationalistic participation and loss are themes present in all three chansons which were composed during World War I, during which time the composer risked his life as a lorry driver for the Thirteenth Artillery Regiment. [4] Thule, The Period of Cosmography by the early 17th century English composer, Thomas Weelkes, refers to the art of map-making (cosmography) and how its final limit (period, as in, full stop) had been reached in the discovery of Thule (modern day Iceland). This wide-eyed and wonderful piece of text-setting is remarkable for its bizarre subject matter. It begins by comparing the volcanic activity of mount Hecla, which had erupted in 1597 for over six months with that of mount Etna on the island of Sicily which was then called Trinacria. The second half of the piece describes the return of an Andalusian merchant, who carries some very exciting produce along with a description of yet another volcano called Fogo some 750 kilometres off the coast of modern day Senegal. Wild chromaticism is used to portray the strangeness of its volatility, followed by an exuberant splash of running scales to set the words “an ocean full of flying fishes”. Written for six voice parts, this work uses every note to enable the meaning of the text to jump off the page, from the ascending flames and melting of snowy climes to the freezing and frying of a lover's heart. Gustav Mahler declared “There is no harmony – only counterpoint”. This ethos certainly found its way into the methods of Arnold Schoenberg who revered the composer “as a saint”. Some seventeen years after composing Pierrot Lunaire, and with most of his esoteric atonal operas and string quartets behind him, Schoenberg's roots in the disciplines of imitative counterpoint inherited through Bach, Palestrina and Fux's Gradus Ad Parnassum were still at the forefront of his mind. Schoenberg's Three German Folk Songs of 1929 are unabashedly tonal, and in what he referred to as “the old style”. They exhibit a great preponderance towards a deeply expressive melancholy, none more so than [5] Schein Uns, du Liebe Sonne which tells the story of two lovers and parents, never to be seen again. Written in impeccably constructed invertible counterpoint, this economical four-part arrangement of a 16th century melody by Antonio Scandello hearkens back to the heightened romanticism of Verklärte Nacht and reveals a side of the composer that is all too easily forgotten. [6] Midsummer Song by Frederick Delius is a jolly miniature sung mostly to the immortal lines: “la la la”. Though born in England to German parents, in 1884 Delius was sent to manage an orange plantation in Florida, where he would come into contact with what he described to Elgar as the “beautiful four-part harmonies” of the black plantation workers. Many of his early works can be heard as redolent of the folksong and hymnody that was being performed by The Fisk Jubilee Singers among others. After returning to Europe to study in Germany, Delius became a devout disciple of the chromatic harmonic techniques of Wagner and Grieg. On top of this, the composer chose to live in France, where his influential contemporaries would include Debussy and Ravel. The combination of all these characteristics, as well as the proliferation of jazz, resulted in a charming palette of devices, many of which are found condensed in this short romp of a partsong. Very little is known about the life of Scottish-born Robert Ramsey (c.1590-1644) except that he was the organist at Trinity College, Cambridge from 1628 until his death. His setting of a passage from the Old Testament book of Samuel is arguably one of a number of pieces composed following the death of Prince Henry, the eighteen-year-old heir of James I in 1612. The young royal's untimely demise from typhoid sparked an outpouring of grief across the nation that manifested itself in a fillip of creativity in the arts. [7] How Are The Mighty Fallen is a tour-de-force in the technique of harmonic false-relation, with many dissonances created between the parts to elevate the affect of heightened mourning and implacable woe. One of the greatest visionaries of 20th century music, Karlheinz Stockhausen's career encompassed considerable developments in electronic music as well as controversial forays into the experimental realms of the avant-garde. While a third-year student at the Cologne Conservatory, Stockhausen sang in the student choir, for whom he composed the Chöre für Doris in 1950. At this point, he had not yet studied with Frank Martin or with Olivier Messiaen – in fact [8] Die Nachtigall is more reminiscent of Paul Hindemith's music and bears little semblance with his mature works such as Gruppen, Kontra-Punkte, or Kontakte. Here we find a piece for choir and soprano solo (the nightingale) dedicated to the composer's first wife Doris Andreae which sets a sensuous poem by Paul Verlaine. The subtle chromatic alterations in the chanted choral parts sound in stark contrast to the sharp accents of the solo, sung here by Clara MacCallum Fraser. This short work covers a lot of ground, from the shrieking and pecking of a “swarm of birds” to the languorous “sultry summer night” and was not published, like much of his juvenilia, until 1971. [9] Music, When Soft Voices Die by C. H. H. Parry is a far cry from the imperialist pomp of Jerusalem and I Was Glad that have cemented themselves as the composer's most famous works. A prolific writer of symphonies, chamber music and piano works, Parry was nurtured and educated at institutions with great choral traditions: Eton College, St. George's Chapel Windsor, and Exeter College Oxford. By 1897 when he composed this little romantic jewel, he was already the head of the Royal College of Music in London and would go on to become a professor at the University of Oxford. The last of his Six Modern Lyrics, this short insular work forms something of a foreshadowing of the 1918 Songs of Farewell with its plaintive inflections and moody modal mixtures. Robert Lucas Pearsall (1795-1856) was essentially a self-taught composer who worked as a barrister in Bristol before moving to Germany and Switzerland in his thirties. His most famous work Lay A Garland, an unaccompanied partsong, was composed for the Bristol Madrigal Society. It was for this group that he would compose [10] Nymphs Are Sporting along with dozens of other madrigals. This simple, fun-filled four-part ditty is an uplifting call to “banish care and sorrow” with the warning: “melancholy is but folly”. A student of Charles Wood and Ralph Vaughan Williams, the composer Elizabeth Maconchy (1907-1994) composed the SATB cycle Creatures in 1979 for Chester Summer Music Festival and the BBC Northern Singers. [11] Cat's Funeral is economically written for four voices and uses them to marvellous effect. The piece begins with a string of unrelated descending minor triads which perfectly resonate with the text: “Bury her deep, down, safe in the earth”. Intense and impassioned, the dissonant middle section shows how masterfully the composer sheds the pastoral stereotype of the English composer, and embraces the fiery devices of Bartók and Messiaen. There is much in this composer's extensive output that urgently awaits rediscovery by a new generation of performers. John Ward's First Set of English Madrigals (1613) were one of a handful of his works to be printed during his lifetime. [12] Out From The Vale is an emotional six-part work which relishes in broad phrases, cumulating in dramatic dissonances that are shrewdly paced throughout the work. Though he died some 21 years before the birth of Henry Purcell, the ingenuity of the, at times, pungent harmony renders it of comparable quality to the infinitely more famous composer. Though Ward was writing madrigals when the tradition was almost dormant, his assured and consummate mannerist style should easily rank him highly among his contemporaries, Dowland and Tomkins. The artful juxtaposition of static phrases, based upon a single note, followed by an insistent rising passage at “to satisfy my restless ghost” is balanced by a dramatic descent with a suspension-laden sequence at “Daphne's cruelty”. Ward's effortless skill in text-setting is no more apparent than at the madrigal's close when notes are “[sent] with bitter tears” and passing dissonances create a haunted atmosphere of despair. In his opening dedication to his employer, Sir Henry Fanshawe, the composer claims that he did not write for the ‘queasie-pallated, or surfeited delight,’ but for the ‘sound,’ those who, like his patron, could appreciate 'numbers' fitting to their 'innated Harmony.' The traditional Somerset folksong [13] Dashing Away With The Smoothing Iron has been arranged by many artists such as Flanders and Swann and John Rutter, but none of these can be said to be as elaborate, involved and fresh as that by Keith Roberts. A sometime choral scholar at King's College, Cambridge, Roberts arranged the popular melody for the college's elite close harmony group, Collegium Regale. Since then he has sung with many of the UK's most famous choirs as a countertenor, including those of Westminster Abbey and Cathedral. He now works as a conductor, composer, educator and singer based in Glasgow. Robert Busiakiewicz, December 2016 [1] Hej! Máme na Prodej – Bohuslav Martinů Hej! Máme na prodej. Máme tady dobré zboží, Co se na nem hezky leží! Periny, periny, mý milý periny, Už my vás vezeme do cizí dediny. Nejednó mamenka, nejednó zdrímala, Než ona cérušce periny schystala, Nejednó tatícek, nejednó posvítil, Aby své cérušce periny nalícil. Hey! We have goods to sell. We have wonders for you to buy. See they are fantastic to lie on! Duvets, duvet covers my dear, We will sell them to you in another village. How often mothers fall asleep on them, before they have made the bed for their daughters, and how often instead fathers have to go at night and make their daughters' beds. [2] Déploration de la Mort de Johannes Ockeghem – Josquin des Prez Nymphes des bois, déesses des fontaines, chantres experts de toutes les nations, changez vos voix fort claires et hautaines en cris tranchants et lamentations, car d'Atropos les molestations votre Ockeghem par sa rigueur attrape le vrai trésoir de musique et chef d'oeuvre. Qui d'Atropos désormais plus n'échappe dont grand dommage est que la terre le couvre. Acoutrez-vous d'habits de deuil: Josquin, Brumel, Pirchon, Compère, et pleurez grosses larmes d'oeil: perdu avez votre bon père. Requiescat in pace. Amen. (Jean Molinet) Cantus Firmus: Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine et lux perpetua luceat eis. Wood-nymphs, goddesses of the fountains, Skilled singers of every nation, Changes your strong, clear, high voices To piercing cries and lamentation For the ravages of Atropos Have cruelly ensnared your Ockeghem, The true treasure and supreme master of music, Who can no longer escape death, And who, alas, is covered by the earth. Dress yourselves in the clothes of mourning, Josquin, Brumel, Pirchon, Compère, And weep great tears from your eyes, For you have lost your good father. May he rest in peace. Amen. Cantus Firmus: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them. [3] Trois Beaux Oiseaux du Paradis – Maurice Ravel Trois beaux oiseaux du Paradis, (Mon ami z'il est à la guerre) Trois beaux oiseaux du Paradis Ont passé par ici. Le premier était plus bleu que ciel, (Mon ami z'il est à la guerre) Le second était couleur de neige, Le troisième rouge vermeil. "Beaux oiselets du Paradis, (Mon ami z'il est à la guerre) Beaux oiselets du Paradis, Qu'apportez par ici?" "J'apporte un regard couleur d'azur. (Ton ami z'il est à la guerre)" "Et moi, sur beau front couleur de neige, Un baiser dois mettre, encore plus pur" "Oiseau vermeil du Paradis, (Mon ami z'il est à la guerre) Oiseau vermeil du Paradis, Que portez-vous ainsi?" "Un joli cœur tout cramoisi ... (Ton ami z'il est à la guerre)" "Ah! je sens mon cœur qui froidit ... Emportez-le aussi". Three beautiful birds from Paradise, (My beloved is gone to war) Three beautiful birds from Paradise Have passed by here. The first was bluer than the sky, (My beloved is gone to war) The second was the color of snow, The third a red vermilion. “Lovely little birds of Paradise, (My beloved is gone to war) “Lovely little birds of Paradise, What are you bringing this way?” “I bring a look from azure eyes. (Your beloved is gone to war) “And I, on your snow-white brow, shall lay a kiss, even purer.” “Red bird of Paradise, (My beloved is gone to war) Red bird of Paradise, What do you bring?” “A dear heart all crimson, (Your beloved is gone to war)” “Ah! I feel my heart growing cold, Take it also with you.” [4] Thule, The Period of Cosmography – Thomas Weelkes Thule, the period of cosmography, doth vaunt of Hecla, whose sulphureous fire doth melt the frozen clime and thaw the sky; Trinacrian Etna's flames ascend not higher. These things seem wondrous, yet more wondrous I, whose heart with fear doth freeze, with love doth fry. The Andalusian merchant, that returns laden with cochineal and china dishes, reports in Spain how strangely Fogo burns. Amidst an ocean full of flying fishes. These things seem wondrous, yet more wondrous I, whose heart with fear doth freeze, with love doth fry. [5] Shein Uns, du Liebe Sonne – Scandellus arr. Arnold Schoenberg Schein uns, du liebe Sonne gib uns ein hellen Schein Schein uns zwei Lieb zusammen, die gern beinander, die gern beinander sein! Dort fern auf jenem Berge leit sich ein kalter Schnee. Der Schnee kann nicht zerschmelzen, denn Gotts Will muß ergehn. Gotts Will der ist ergangen, zerschmolzen ist der Schnee, Gott gesegn euch, Vater und Mutter, und Mutter, ich seh euch nimmermehr. Shine for us, dear sun, and give us bright shine, Shine for us two lovers together, who love to be together. There, far on that mountain, lies cold snow. The snow can't melt, since God's will must be done. God's will has been done, the snow did melt. God bless you, father and mother, and mother, never I shall see you again. [6] Midsummer Song – Frederick Delius On Midsummer Day we’ll dance and we’ll play and we’ll wander and stray through the woods. We’ll dance and we’ll kiss whilst it’s youth, love and bliss and the night is not far away, heigho! [7] How Are The Mighty Fallen – Robert Ramsey (2 Samuel 1:25-27) How are the mighty fall'n in the midst of the battle, O Jonathan. Thou wast slain in thy high places. O Jonathan, woe is me for thee, O Jonathan, my brother, Very kind hast thou been to me. Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. How are the mighty fall'n, and the weapons of war destroyed, how are the mighty fall'n. [8] Die Nachtigall – Karlheinz Stockhausen (Paul Verlaine) Wie ein Schwarm schreiender Vögelstürtzen sich der Erinnerungen unter das gelbe Laub meines Lebensbaumes,dessen gebeugter Stamm sich spiegelt im bitteren Bache der Reue stürzen sick lärmend, bis sie im schlaffen Winde hin sterben, verstummen und nichts mehr tönt als die feierliche Stumme, o deine. Nichts, als die schmachtende arme Stimme des Vogels, Stimme meiner ersten und unaustilglichen Liebe, tönt im trüben Mond,welcher steigt durch die schwere stumme Nacht auf und schwebt; tönt im trüben Mond, welcher steigt durch die schwere, stimme Nacht, und im Wind, welcher an rührt meinen fröstelndem Baum und darin den schluchzenden Vogel. Like to a swarm of birds, with jarring cries descend on me my swarming memories; Light ’mid the yellow leaves, that shake and sigh, of the bowed alder—that is even I!— Brooding its shadow in the violet unprofitable river of regret, they settle screaming. Then the evil sound, by the moist wind’s impatient hushing drowned, dies by degrees, till nothing more is heard save the long singing of a single bird, save the clear voice— O yours so languid!— Warbling the praises of the Absent One. And in the silence of a summer night sultry and splendid, by a late moon’s light that melancholy and sallow peers above the hill, the humid hushing wind that ranges still rocks to a whispered sleep-song languidly, the bird lamenting and the shivering tree. [9] Music, When Soft Voices Die – Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (Percy Bysshe Shelley) Music, when soft voices die, vibrates in the memory, Odours, when sweet violets sicken, live within the sense they quicken. Rose leaves, when the rose is dead, are heaped for the belovèd's bed; And so thy thoughts, when thou art gone, love itself shall slumber on. [10] Nymphs Are Sporting – Robert Lucas de Pearsall (Thomas Oliphant) Nymphs are sporting, shepherds courting, birds do sweetly sing; mirth and joy and pleasure, frolic without measure in the cheerful spring; Flocks are bleating, rocks repeating, echo back the sound; merry bells are singing, while the maidens singing, trip it in a round. Melancholy is but folly, never sigh and pine; fill your brimming glasses, toast your favourite lasses, in the rosy wine; Come, be merry, sing down derry, youth soon flies away; banish care and sadness, nature all in gladness maketh holyday. [11] Cat's Funeral – Elizabeth Maconchy (Emile Victor Rieu) Bury her deep, down deep, safe in the earth’s cold keep, bury her deep - No more to watch bird stir; No more to clean dark fur; No more to glisten as silk; No more to revel in milk; No more to purr. Bury her deep, down deep; she is beyond warm sleep. She will not walk in the night; She will not wake to the light. Bury her deep. [12] Out From The Vale – John Ward Out from the vale of deep despair, with mournful tunes I fill the air, to satisfy my restless ghost which Daphne's cruelty hath lost. O'er hills and dales in her dull ears, I'll send my notes with bitter tears. [13] Dashing Away With The Smoothing Iron – Arranged by Keith Roberts 'Twas on a Monday morning when I beheld my darling, She looked so neat and charming in ev'ry high degree. She looked so neat and nimble, O, a-washing of her linen, O, Dashing away with the smoothing iron, she stole my heart away. 'Twas on a Tuesday morning when I beheld my darling, She looked so neat and charming in ev'ry high degree. She looked so neat and nimble, O, a-hanging out her linen, O Dashing away with the smoothing iron, she stole my heart away. 'Twas on a Wednesday morning . . A-starching of her linen . . . . 'Twas on a Thursday morning . . . . A-ironing of her linen . . . . 'Twas on a Friday morning . . . . A-folding of her linen . . . . 'Twas on a Saturday morning . . . . A-airing of her linen . . . . 'Twas on a Sunday morning . . . . A-wearing of her linen . . . . Opus 8 comprises eight of Toronto’s finest ensemble singers, dedicated to musical excellence as they strive to share the finest choral music with the widest audience possible. Their repertoire covers the breadth of history, from unpublished 14th century chansons and 17th century partsongs to 21st century jazz arrangements. From the wild sound-worlds of Stockhausen, Schoenberg and Machaut to the elegant compositions of Elgar, Brahms and Bach, this versatile and invigorating group of choral soloists draws diverse audiences of all ages - expert and newcomers alike - with a motivation to inspire all through their formidable artistry. Silly and serious, sublime and audacious, Opus 8 offers an ambitious and compelling venture into spreading their love of music-making at an internationally high standard. To find Opus 8’s concert schedule, hear live recordings of Opus 8, sign up for our mailing list, or contact the ensemble, please visit us at our website: www.opus8choir.com. Singers Originally from Ottawa, Ontario, "young rising star soprano Ellen McAteer" (CBC Radio) is the two-time recipient of the Richard Bradshaw Graduate Fellowship in Opera and has received a Ruby Mercer Opera Award, Schulich Scholarship. Ellen has been praised for her “joy and ebullient charm,” and her performances which are a “powerhouse of dramatic assuredness, the ultimate in vulnerable intensity.” Ellen holds a M.Mus in Voice Performance from the University of Toronto, B.Mus in Voice Performance from McGill University and is a 2016-2017 recipient of the Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program at the Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School. Additionally, Ellen enjoys vibrant hair-braiding and knitting careers and is in the process of completing her sixth afghan. Soprano Clara MacCallum Fraser has led soprano sections in choirs at St Clement’s Anglican Church and Massey College, as well as various other choirs including the Tallis Choir and the Larkin Singers. She is a frequent singer (and official Evensong cheerleader) with the choirs of St James Cathedral in Toronto. Although Opus 8 is an excellent excuse to procrastinate, Clara is really supposed to be working on her doctorate in Environmental Studies at York University, imagining the possibility of a planning process that honours Indigenous peoples’ rights in Ontario. An inordinate amount of her time is spent just trying to keep her plants alive during the long winter months. Countertenor Simon Honeyman began his musical education at the age of nine as a boy treble in Ottawa. Since then, he has been working steadily as a countertenor, performing with ensembles such as Tafelmusik, Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal, Theatre of Early Music, Toronto Masque Theatre, Elora Festival Singers and others. Currently completing a certificate in publishing at Ryerson University in Toronto, Simon is also a singer-songwriter and guitarist in a number of folk and heavy metal outfits. Mezzo-soprano Rebecca Claborn has sung with Pro Coro Canada, the Choir of St. James Cathedral, the Ottawa Bach Choir, the Tallis Scholars, the Gabrieli Consort and the Theatre of Early Music, with whom she has recorded two discs. She holds music degrees from the Universities of New Hampshire and Alberta where she was the 2009 winner of the Alberta Baroque Ensemble Concerto Competition. She performs as a soloist all across Canada, with a repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to the present day. Away from singing, she succumbs to her indelible passion to master the clawhammer banjo. Music Director Robert Busiakiewicz, Tenor, studied at the Royal Academy of Music and King’s College London before being invited to the Yeomanry of the Worshipful Company of Musicians in 2013. Since then he completed a Masters in Music with a choral scholarship at King's College, Cambridge. He was awarded the Lord Mayor's Prize for Composition and his works have featured on BBC Radio, at the London Festival of Contemporary Music, and are recorded by Priory Records. He has performed across the globe in venues such as the Sydney Opera House, Royal Albert Hall, the Barbican, the Hermitage Theatre, St. Thomas Fifth Avenue and Bleinheim Palace. As well as being Director of Music at St. James Cathedral, he can frequently be found helping people move house (against his will), and shouting at traffic. Peter Mowat, Tenor, is a member of the Choir of St. James Cathedral in Toronto. Previously, he was a member of the Christ Church Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys in Ottawa, with whom he toured extensively throughout the US and the UK. He began singing as a treble at age 7 and has sung under the leadership of Mark Sirett, Robert Hunter Bell, Derek Holman, and Matthew Larkin. Peter is also a clarinettist, having played in the Queen’s University Symphony and the Kingston Symphony. Known to frantically conduct entire symphonies from the safety of his living room, Peter is keen to remind his penniless musician friends that he also enjoys a real job as a cripplingly expensive lawyer. David Roth, Baritone is a graduate of the performance programme at the University of Toronto under the tutelage of Patricia Kern. He has appeared recently in concert with notable organisations such as Tafelmusik, The Toronto Consort, La Chapelle de Québec, I Furiosi, and The Aldeburgh Connection. He has sung in the choruses of the COC and Opera Atelier, and recently appeared as Figaro and Don Alfonso in Weimar, Germany, with Lyric Opera Studio Weimar and Theater Rudolstadt respectively. In his spare time David enjoys whiskey and cycling, though seldom together, along with an awkwardly heated discussion about homeopathic remedies. Sean Nix, Bass, has over 13 years of professional choral experience in Southern Ontario, as well as in the United States and the United Kingdom. He is a member of the Choir of St. James Cathedral and sings regularly at The Oratory of St. Philip Neri, with Holy Blossom Temple Choir and with Lachan Jewish Chamber Choir, all in Toronto. Aside from music, Sean is a full-time Professor and Program Coordinator in Transportation Engineering Technology at Mohawk College in Hamilton. He holds a Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning and Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering, both from Ryerson University. He is a Registered Professional Planner in Ontario. Those closest to him refer to him as 'The Traffic Whisperer' due to his unsettling knowledge of traffic signals and disturbing familiarity with slip-roads and underpasses. His chief joys are tormenting his students for their poor email etiquette, and renaissance polyphony in lower keys. Acknowledgments The singers of Opus 8 would like to express our deepest gratitude to the following individuals and organizations: The Cathedral Church of St. James, whose partnership with us has allowed Opus 8 to grow and flourish; Patric McGroarty of St. Clarens Live Audio Recording for his expertise, patience, and recording and engineering skills; Daniel Webb for his work as producer; Casey-Lee Seto for helping us out on late-night photo-shoot adventures; Marra Saltmarche for her work at creating the cover art; Reesa Del Duca for her creativity and flair in designing this booklet; and The Church of St. Mary Magdalene for its flattering acoustic. A special thank you to our board: John Fraser, Elizabeth MacCallum, Carolyn McIntire-Smyth, Jonathan Holtby, and Sandra Mowat; and of course to all who have come to our concerts, donated to the choir, and supported us from our modest beginnings. Special thanks must go to our Founding Patrons, without whose support this recording would not exist: Anonymous, Clair Balfour & Marci McDonald, Lisa Balfour-Bowen, Sampa Bhadra, Suresh & Nutan Bhalla, Pat Cleary, Johannes Debus, Barbara & Arthur English, Erich & Angelika Hahn, Freida & Vern Heinrich, Linda & Michael Hutcheon, Maruja Jackman, Sara & Eric Jackman, Susan Lang & Patrick Lesage, John Lawson, Peter Lewis, Elizabeth MacCallum & John Fraser, Michael MacMillan, Ken McCarter, Carolyn McIntire-Smyth & Harley Smyth, Sandra & David Mowat, Stephen Ralls & Bruce Ubukata, Mark Smith & Anne Larson, Peter Patridge, Nalini Stewart