Skye Consort & Emma Björling perform a mix of traditional music from Québec, Sweden, Norway, and Celtic music. Each musician brings their own interpretation to these traditions, creating this awesome collaboration, consisting of voices, fiddle, nyckelharpa, cello, and cittern. The result is an assortment of whirling polskas, groovy reels, passionate love songs, breathtaking hymns, and original compositions. Skye Consort met during a La Nef project in 2017 and with the serendipitous cancellation of a flight decided to form a band. Skye Consort has been accompanying singers since 2000 and has recorded 5 albums with singers such as Matthew White, Shannon Mercer and Michael Slattery. Emma Björling, on lead voice and shruti box is an award-winning Swedish singer, composer, arranger, active in the renowned Scandinavian bands Kongero and Lyy.

Described by the Halifax Chronicle-Herald as "one of the most radiant a capella choir CDs of this or any previous Christmas," Halifax Camerata's recording 'Songs of the Stable' has continued to be a treasure among classical music fans since it's initial release more than 10 years ago. The album was recently featured on CBC's nationally broadcast choral concert program and features a collection of Christmas music by Canadian composers. The Halifax Camerata Singers is Atlantic Canada’s premier chamber choir. Founded in 1986 by Artistic Director Jeff Joudrey, the Nova Scotia ensemble has distinguished itself by performing exciting choral repertoire that covers all periods and styles, with special attention to Canadian music. The auditioned choir is known for its high performance standards, claiming national recognition and the Healy Willan Grand Prize in the 2010 National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs.

Hailed internationally for his “colorful, kinetic performances” (All Music Guide) which “abound in vitality” (Early Music America), Hank Knox performs on harpsichord in concert halls, churches, museums, galleries and homes around the globe. Knox’s recording of the 30-piece sonata collection, Essercizi Per Gravicembalo, by Domenico Scarlatti offers the listener a view into Scarlatti’s famously technically demanding work that was first published in 1739 in London, England. Essercizi Per Gravicembalo, meaning “Exercises for Harpsichord” was composed with the intent of a study in technique, which resulted in the spectacular showcase of progressively more frequent and almost virtuosic hand-crossing and exciting octaval leaps throughout the piece. The work is largely a compilation of manuscripts and unfinished sonatas from the past thirty years of Scarlatti’s life and was dedicated to King John V of Portugal, whom was the father of longtime pupil, Queen Maria Barabra. Essercizi Per Gravicembalo was recorded by Hank Knox in April 2021 at Église St. Augustin, Mirabel, QC.

Luminous Voices - a professional chamber choir based in Calgary Alberta, presents their third full-length album under the artistic direction of Timothy Shantz. Recorded at the Bell Concert Hall at Mount Royal University, Sea Dreams was composed by Peter-Anthony Togni and features guest artists: Jeff Reilly, bass clarinet/ Katie Partridge, soprano / Oliver Munar, tenor / Sarah Hahn-Scinocco & Sarah MacDonald, flute. Sea Dreams reflects the relationship between the ocean and the sea as a life metaphor, with its implicit suggestion of journeying, inward emotions and ever uncertainties. A continuation of Togni’s recent works, in which choral writing is blended seamlessly with unusual accompanying instrumental support. The framing movements of the work draw on texts from T.S. Elliot’s Four Quartets, with the middle movement employing the words of the Marian hymn “Alma Redemptoris Mater”.

Gottschalk: Piano Works

Roots’ is Ventus Machina's second full length album. The track list includes eight arrangements by Ventus Machina's clarinetist James Kalyn, including Canadian folk hits by Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchel and Gordon Lightfoot; tunes by local bluegrass legend Ray Legere; and traditional songs that have been chosen by the members of Ventus Machina to represent their heritage and first musical influences. Guests on the album include bluegrass fiddler and mandolin player Ray Legere, clarinetist Andrew George and percussionist Joel Cormier. Formed in 2011, the New Brunswick-based woodwind quintet Ventus Machina quickly became a major player on Canada’s east coast classical music scene. Their flexible and dynamic style of performance—often presenting themed programs that at once engage, entertain, and educate—continues to attract and delight increasingly diverse audiences. Classically based and uncompromising in artistic quality, Ventus Machina makes regular excursions into other genres including jazz, opera, Latin and pop, challenging themselves and surprising their audiences.

Duo Kalysta writes of this new release: “The title of this album, Origins, is meaningful to us on many levels. It’s our debut album, recorded in Montreal where we first met in 2012. It reflects our Canadian origins by including music by two of our favorite Canadian composers. It is inspired by the heritage of our instruments, as the traditions of both flute and harp were greatly influenced by French music. And it marks the beginning of our journey towards more recording projects, repertoire commissions, and new collaborations. We hope you enjoy listening to this album as much as we loved making it.”

Ensemble Caprice and Ensemble Vocal-Arts Québec, under the direction of Matthias Maute, present George Frideric Handel’s Messiah featuring Karina Gauvin. Although it is certainly not the first recording of The Messiah, it serves as an opening act to new beginnings; a breath of fresh air after the isolation and empty concert halls caused by the pandemic. These Messiah excerpts feature Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin, known especially for her interpretation of Baroque music, and the recipient of the prestigious award of “Soloist of the year” award by the Communauté internationale des radios publique de langue français. The recording also features the flute part from Mozart’s arrangement of The Messiah, honoring the two giants, Handel and Mozart, of the classical compositional world. Opening the album is composer Jaap Nico Hamburger’s Hope and Belief, which served as the title track for Ensemble Caprice and Ensemble Vocal-Arts Québec Mini Concerts Sante, and closes with Matthias Maute’s piece “O magnum mysterium,” which “attempts to grasp something of the elusive mystery of music.”

“Hidden Treasures” (June 1992), the debut CD from the Saint John String Quartet, was touted by Bob Kerr of CBC Vancouver’s “Off The Record“ as “one of the most satisfying and pleasurable CDs to appear this year.” The Saint John String Quartet’s active concert schedule of more than 125 concerts a year has taken them throughout Canada, the US, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, and China. The Quartet has played for the Prime Minister of Canada, Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth the Second and at prestigious festivals such as the Tochigi Music Festival in Japan, the Arcady festival in the USA and the Forbidden City Festival in Beijing China. In 1995, the group presented the first chamber music concert on the World Wide Web. “The Saint John String Quartet is full of musical energy and ensemble strength,” (Joanna Manning)

East Coast Music Award winning ensemble, Charke-Cormier Duo's sophomore album entitled 'Bathymetric Terrains' is a true departure from the conventional flute and guitar duo. JUNO award winning composer and flutist Derek Charke writes "Bathymetric Terrains muses on the ecology of oceans and tidal bays. Bathymetry is the measurement of water depths. This is a work about underwater terrains. It is a work which contemplates the fragile nature of underwater topographies and ecosystems. I see the Minas Basin and Bay of Fundy from my house in Nova Scotia. The tides are dramatic. When the tide is out the seabed is exposed. The various layers of topography reveal themselves twice a day. For a while now I’ve wanted to compose something about these hidden landscapes. The composition includes multiple flute, guitar, and voice parts. The solo parts are performed live while the backing tracks, processing, and soundscapes are projected through speakers. The work is technically challenging and exciting to perform." Combining acoustic, vocal and electroacoustic elements, Bathymetric Terrains is an excited journey beneath the ocean to discover new landscapes and sounds you've never heard before.

“Breathing in the Shadows” is the debut album from Iranian-Canadian composer, Saman Shahi. The album includes three song cycles, two of which are based on poetry by women from across the globe. “Breathing in the Shadows” core themes deal with prejudice, oppression, and inner dissatisfaction, resonating with many different communities that historically have lived through the experiences of these struggles. The music carries an important message of unity and hope. Saman Shahi is an award-winning and published composer, pianist, conductor and educator based in Toronto. He's active in classical music, new music, Iranian traditional music, rock and electronic music, and because of his constant activities in Canada and abroad he has become a sought after performer and composer.

Sonate a Quattro are the brilliant compositions from Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, written during the summer of 1804 at the young age of 12. These works, at the time, were commonly performed by wind quartet and it wasn’t until 1954 when the original manuscripts were discovered in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. showing their original arrangement for string quartet. The world premiere recording of Rossini: 6 Sonate a Quattro features two of Canada’s most respected and beloved performers - Mark Fewer (violin), and Joel Quarrington (bass) - and two of North America’s rising stars - Yolanda Bruno (violin), and Julian Schwarz (cello) and produced by JUNO award-winning producer John D.S. Adams. These performances, from November 2017, were recorded in collaboration with the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance using the newly released (2014) Critical Edition published by the Fondazione Rossini Pesaro.

Baritone Nathaniel Watson and pianist Michael McMahon, both based in Montreal, give us their rendition of Franz Schubert's monumental song cycle Winterreise, written in 1827, the year before Schubert's tragic early death. The 24 settings of poems of Wilhelm Müller are a journey deep into the psyche of a young man, unlucky in love, who sets out with neither friend nor destination, in the dead of winter, an epic figure in the dawning of German Romanticism. In this recording, also made in winter (and during a pandemic), Watson and McMahon share their experience and lifelong passion for Schubert. The composer, who had already composed some 600 Lieder in his short life, confessed to his close circle of friends that these songs moved him more than all the others.

The turn of the 18th century was an exciting time for music publishing in Northern Europe. Music printers in England and the Netherlands were turning out copious sheaves of fine music for amateurs and connoisseurs alike, often surpassing in production quality even what was coming out of France and Italy. This was, on the one hand, due to the sheer readability of music printed from engraved copper and pewter plates instead of moveable type, and on the other to the craze for concertos as well as solo and trio sonatas by famed Italian masters.

The Ten Sonatas for 2 violas da gamba and continuo by a “Mr Carolo” fall into this last category. Although his name sounds Italian, our Mr Carolo is a real mystery, and no one really knows who the elusive composer was or who (else) may have written these ten sonatas for bass instruments. Indeed, the title page of the original undated printing by the Amsterdam firm of Estienne Roger bears no given name but does expand on the instruments that can be used, stating the works are equally suited to two bassoons or basses de violon.

-From the liner notes by Jacques-André Houle

Society, musical conventions, and tastes inevitably change and develop over time, but the shared human experiences that artists draw upon do not. The two overarching ideas that Lara Deutsch and Phil Chiu used as inspiration for this album are dreams and journeys. Dreamy music is often associated with relaxation and easy-listening -- but don’t be fooled; this music has wickedly fast and thrilling sounds that capture the chaotic nature of dreams as well! Described in La Presse as “a pianist-painter who transforms each musical idea into a beautiful array of colors,” Philip Chiu is acclaimed for his brilliant pianism, sensitive listening, and a presence that eschews the hermit-pianist image in favor of openness, authenticity, and connection. Named one of 2020’s Rising Stars by BBC Music Magazine, flutist Lara Deutsch is a versatile soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player known for her engaging warmth and ability to connect with audiences. Recipient of the $125,000 Prix Goyer for collaborative artists in 2019-2020, she is happiest when performing chamber music with her favorite musical partners.