UPCOMING TOUR AUGUST 3-6
The 2018 Musique Royale tour will take the rich sounds of Aureas Voces to intimate venues in Parrsboro, Crousetown. Chester and Halifax.
The Ottawa House in Parrsboro was a summer home of Sir Charles Tupper who was a Premier of Nova Scotia, Father of Confederation, sixth Prime Minister of Canada and was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1879. Built circa 1770 and is believed to be the oldest building on the Parrsboro Shore and one of the oldest in the province of Nova Scotia. The space illustrates mid-eighteenth century Georgian architecture.
The second concert will be held in St. Mary’s in Crousetown and dedicated to Robert Crouse, (1930-2011) a noted Patristic and Medieval scholar, and a teacher and priest in the Anglican Church of Canada, described as “the conscience of the Canadian Church”. St. Mary’s also houses the oldest organ still in use in Atlantic Canada.
The third tour venue, St Stephen’s Chester has historic associations with Captain Jonathan Prescott, a veteran of the second siege of the Fortress of Louisbourg, who was a warden at St. Stephen’s. The church also has a unique historical association that pre-dates its construction. Tradition maintains that the small wooden cross that hangs in the church is made from a section of the keel of the “Young Teazer,” an American Privateer that was set on fire by its captain to avoid capture by the Royal Navy during the War of 1812 in Mahone Bay. Local folklore insists its phantom ship still sails and can be seen burning in the bay. In addition to this interesting artefact, the interior of St. Stephen’s Anglican Church boasts a full wrap-around balcony with ornate design.
The final venue is the Presbyterian Church of Saint David, the home of Aureas Voces and a developing concert venue in downtown Halifax. The final concert will take place on Natal Day, and will celebrate the city's "birthday" with selections from the Helen Creighton collection.
Whether in Halifax, Parrsboro, Crousetown or sitting atop a balcony inside a sweet church in Chester, Musique Royale has a seat saved for you to sit back and let the golden sounds of Aureas Voces flood over you, for a perfect treat in August.
About Us
Foundation
Aureas Voces is an Early Music ensemble based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The ensemble is a collaboration between accomplished young musicians led by Nick Veltmeyer.
Artists
The members of Aureas Voces have studied and performed historical repertoire across Canada and Europe. The core group of Aureas Voces is comprised of professional singers who served together in the University of King's College Chapel Choir under the direction of Paul Halley and Guest artists will be featured regularly.
Repetoire
The repertoire of Aureas Voces draws on source material with an emphasis on Canadian premieres of Renaissance vocal music. On March 24th Aureas Voces will premiere a setting of John Donne's translation of the Lamentations of Jeremiah ('How sitts this City'), prepared by Anna Lewton-Brain of McGill University. Become a Patron of the ensemble and receive access to beautifully prepared scores made for Aureas Voces.
Director
Nick Veltmeyer, (tenor, keyboards)
Nick Veltmeyer was awarded a scholarship and bursary from the Nova Scotia Talent Trust for his studies in sacred music and Classical literature at the University of King’s College. Alongside his longstanding apprenticeship with Paul Halley, Veltmeyer has studied conducting with Ivars Taurins, Jeanne Lamon, and Dinuk Wijeratne, as well as organ performance with Ton Koopman, Jacques Van Oortmerssen, James David Christie and Jean-Claude Zehnder. This year Veltmeyer performed with Daniel Taylor and the Theatre of Early Music. As an educator, Veltmeyer has taught privately and founded educational music programs at St. Stephen's (Chester) and Christ Church (Dartmouth). As a composer, Veltmeyer has written for the University of King's College Chapel Choir and has produced multimedia collaborations with 2016 Sobey Art Award finalist William Robinson and artist Kurt Laurenz Theinert. Nick Veltmeyer is currently the Music Director of Saint David's and the Sub Organist at the University of King's College in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Featured Artists
Janelle Lucyk, soprano
Janelle Lucyk graduated in 2014 with distinction from the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles in Belgium where she performed in three choirs, debuted a piece written for her and the Brussels Chamber Choir by Jan Moeyaert, and formed Voces Desuper, an ensemble performing regularly in the magnificent Cathédrale de Saints-Michel-et-Gudule, and especially at the Te Deum ceremony for the King and Queen of Belgium. Following, she completed her Masters in Management at Durham University in the UK. She sang in Durham’s top four choirs, and won the role of Susanna in Durham Opera Ensemble’s 2015 performance of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro for which she was awarded the Best Soloist by Music Durham, and Best Female Soloist by her peers at the DOE. Moving back to Canada, Janelle has been captivated by the music scene around Nova Scotia. She was recently featured in Scott MacMillan’s Celtic Mass by the Sea with Musique Royale for Canada 150. She was featured in CPE Bach’s Magnificat and Mozart’s Laudate Pueri with Ensemble Regale and The King’s Chorus, in addition to Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 and Bach’s St John Passion with the King’s Chapel Choir.
Sarah Myatt, mezzo-soprano
Sarah Myatt is a lyric mezzo soprano who trained at the young artist studio at l’Opéra de Montréal, and at McGill and Dalhousie Universities. Sarah has sung with La Chapelle de Québec, Opéra de Montréal, Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montreal (SMAM), Rejouissance Early Music Ensemble, Les Violons du Roy, Tempest Baroque Ensemble, St. Cecilia Concert Series, Theatre of Early Music, Orchestre Baroque Arion, Lameque International Baroque Festival, and many others. Upcoming performances include a concert entitled “Salve Regina” with Nick Halley, the King’s Chorus, and Ensemble Regale on Sunday, March 25th, and “A Splendour of Venice” with Paul Halley and the University of King’s College Chapel Choir on April 15th. Sarah resides in Waverley, NS.
Andrew Pickett, countertenor
Counter-tenor Andrew Pickett's singing has been described by Opera Today as “the sweetest liquid legato.” He received his Master of Music from the University of Western Ontario, and then spent four years in the UK, earning a graduate diploma at the Royal College of Music and studying with such notable experts in the vocal Baroque as Dame Emma Kirkby, James Bowman, and Michael Chance. Andrew has performed major roles in operas by Handel, Monteverdi, Cavalli, Purcell and Jonathan Dove, and been a soloist in works by Purcell, Charpentier, Handel, Britten, and Bach in the UK, Europe, and Canada. He is an alumnus of the National Youth Choir of Canada and the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir. Andrew lives in Halifax where he works as a voice teacher and early music clinician, and is president of the Early Music Society of Nova Scotia.
Hilary Brown, cello
Hilary Brown began her cello studies in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from Boston University. She also studied as a Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Massachusetts. Hilary has toured Japan with the Saint John String Quartet (New Brunswick) and she has also performed in Europe and South America.
Hilary is currently a cellist with Symphony Nova Scotia, a coach for the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra, and a private cello teacher. She has performed as a soloist with Symphony Nova Scotia and is heard frequently as a chamber musician on CBC Radio.
Hilary is a founding member and the cellist of the Blue Engine String Quartet. She is also a member of Trio Nova Scotia and two early music ensembles: Tempest Baroque Ensemble and La Rejouissance. Hilary has performed on many Maritime concert series such as Musique Saint-Bernard, the St. Cecilia Concert Series, the Mahone Bay Concert Series, Musique Royale, and the Indian River Festival on Prince Edward Island.
Ellen Gibling, harp
Ellen is a harpist based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She holds an undergraduate degree in harp performance from McGill University, where she studied with Jennifer Swartz. As an orchestral harpist, she has performed with Symphony Nova Scotia and the World Youth Orchestra of Jeunesses Musicales, and has toured with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.Ellen is currently part of classical flute and harp duo Conundrum environmental improvisation ensemble New Hermitage, and orchestral pop band The Heavy Blinkers. Her Irish traditional duo with Erin Dempsey, Ragged Robin, released its debut album, Deep in the Tangled Wood, in 2016.
Ellen is particularly drawn to Irish music and chamber music, as well as performances that integrate multiple art forms and theatrical elements. Ellen teaches at the Maritime Conservatory and at Acadia University.
It takes generous support and contributions to enable Aureas Voces to produce music of a high quality. Research, rehearsal and documentation all require a considerable investment. Your donation not only supports artists but strengthens culture in Eastern Canada.
