- Mozart and Messiah, presented by Lions Gate Sinfonia, featuring the North Shore Chorus, Saturday, Dec. 17 at 7: 30 p.m. at Centennial Theatre. Tickets: $39/$35/$12, visit www.centennialtheatre.com.
CHRISTMAS has come early for Clyde Mitchell, music director of Lions Gate Sinfonia.
The founder of the professional North Shore-based chamber orchestra says it's a pleasure to conduct such a talented group of musicians, both those who comprise the ensemble, as well as those in the wider community with whom they collaborate.
"I'm the luckiest man in the world," says Mitchell, who splits his time between B.C. and South Pasadena, Calif., as his wife, Sarah Jackson, is a piccolo and flute player with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
"Look who I get to work with and look what I get to do," he says. "To stand up in front of great musicians who are just dying to play and sing and do their best for you. All I have to do is stand there and wiggle my fingers and raise my arms and they'll do a crescendo, or I hold my hands out and they'll do a lovely beautiful warm sound. It's the greatest job in the world and I really feel absolutely blessed - at this time of year, but year round."
Mitchell and the members of Sinfonia are generous with sharing their passion for music through their annual performance series and community outreach work. For example, yesterday, they held an open rehearsal at John Braithwaite Community Centre, and plan to continue to do that for upcoming shows in the New Year. They also perform in more casual settings for students and various community groups.
Currently, Sinfonia members are busily preparing for their annual family-focused holiday performance, Mozart and Messiah, set for tomorrow night at their home base, Centennial Theatre.
The seasonal show continues to prove popular amongst audiences of all ages.
"I think audiences know they're going to get some good fun family times," he says. "In fact we've always called our concerts Sinfonia Family Christmas and this is no exception."
While the orchestra underwent a name change, from Sinfonia - Orchestra of the North Shore to Lions Gate Sinfonia at the end of last season, its mission has stayed the same. Sinfonia, the Greek origin of which, means "sounding together," is still the main component of their name, a reference to their interest in playing with one another, as well as in collaborating and sharing the stage with other local organizations and musicians.
"Lions Gate Sinfonia, the name came about simply because we wanted to let people know where we are geographically," says Mitchell, adding there are a number of areas around the world referred to as "North Shore."
"Sinfonia is special, not only to me and to our board of directors, but also to our audience and our musicians," he says. "The audience is thrilled that right here in their own backyard, without having to cross the bridge, they can get world-class symphonic music."
Mitchell is looking forward to tomorrow's performance as it marks Lions Gate Sinfonia's first time performing with the North Shore Chorus. They've done a lot of work with other local choirs - Laudate Singers and Pacific Spirit Choir included - but never with the North Vancouver-based community choir.
"For the longest time we've been wondering, 'What is it going to be like to work with the North Shore Chorus?'" he says. "(Music director) Terry Pitt-Brooke is a wonderful musician, he's a good friend and he has an excellent choir - there are about 60 of them. So, we're looking for a nice, wonderful collaboration."
"This is where we live, this is where we perform and these are the people we want to work with," he adds.
In addition to his work with Sinfonia, Mitchell serves as principal conductor of the Chilliwack Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. As the organization has just performed the full Messiah, a dozen or so singers have offered to lend their voices to tomorrow's North Vancouver concert, which will feature Vancouver-based soprano Tracy Rhodus Satterfield.
"She is a very fine professional singer," says Mitchell.
The repertoire for Mozart and Messiah is a blend of holiday classics, including Leroy Anderson's "Christmas Festival," Mendelssohn's "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing," Schubert's "Ave Maria" and the traditional "Deck the Halls." An audience sing-along will also be incorporated as part of the show.
"I think the audience expects that from us now," says Mitchell.
Two different "Sleigh Rides" are featured, "Sleigh Ride" and "The Musical Sleigh Ride" by W.A. Mozart and his father, Leopold Mozart, respectively.
The evening will also feature a selection from Mozart's arrangement of Handel's Messiah.
"When Handel composed the Messiah, he lived in the baroque period. He wrote for what would be a very small baroque-sized orchestra. As time went on, say 50 years later when Mozart was living and it's now the classical period, Mozart was actually commissioned by a very wealthy patron of the arts to revise the Messiah," says Mitchell.
Mozart dutifully brought the famed work up to the classical period's standards. While he kept the storyline and melodies, he added instruments and harmonies.
"I'm just taking bits and pieces of Mozart's version of Messiah and including them with Handel's version of Messiah and we're coming up with a really tremendous sound. The orchestra sounds fantastic," says Mitchell.
In the New Year, Sinfonia will return to the Centennial Theatre stage for Cello Romance, Jan. 28.
"Our wonderful cello soloist Ariel Barnes, is really and truly one of the finest cellists you'll ever hear in your lifetime," says Mitchell, of the principal cellist of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra.
Barnes' appearance will mark his Sinfonia debut. The concert's feature piece, The Rococo Variations, is a work Tchaikovsky dedicated to his favourite composer, Mozart.
Other season performances include Classics and Clarinet, Feb. 25 and Buechner Plays Beethoven, April 14.
For more information, visit www.lionsgatesinfonia.com.
