Benjamin Britten’s Saint Nicolas Cantata Britten’s dramatic cantata rings in the season Date Sunday, December 18, 2022 Time 3:00pm Location St. Francis of Assisi, 20 Fairmont Avenue, Ottawa Event Details The Saint Nicolas Cantata, Benjamin Britten’s celebration of the legendary 4th-century missionary’s life and work, will be presented on December 18 along with a program of carols for the holiday season. Britten’s lively and robust cantata describes the many adventures of one of the Christian church’s founders. Tenor Matthew Dalen will sing the role of St. Nicolas. Full Program Featured Artists Matthew Dalen tenor Hailed for his “top notes exploding like fireworks, sparkling and incandescent,” tenor Matthew Dalen is an indemand artist. During his flourishing career, Dalen has collaborated with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (Gerdine Young Artist), the Niagara Symphony Orchestra, the Grand Philharmonic Choir (Kitchener), and many other companies across North America and Europe. Recent engagements include Handel’s Messiah with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Puccini’s La Bohème with the Opéra du Royaume (Rodolfo), Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy with the Orchestre classique de Montréal, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Niagara Symphony. Matthew performed with the Opéra de Montréal in The Magic Flute (May 2022) and will appear in the premiere of La beauté du monde (Bilodeau/Bouchard), creating the role of Hermann Göring (November 2022). Dalen is a graduate of the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program at Vancouver Opera, and of the Opéra de Montréal’s Atelier lyrique. He is also a laureate of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques program. Read More Matthew Dalen tenor Read More Gabrielle Gaudreault OCS Artistic Director & Conductor Recently named one of CBC’s 30 under 30 classical musicians, Dr. Gabrielle Gaudreault is a sought-after conductor, pedagogue and collaborative pianist. She is passionate about contemporary music, collaborating with composers, and innovative concert programming. Dr. Gaudreault is the Artistic Director of the Ottawa Choral Society and the Saint-Lambert Choral Society. In the 2022-23 academic year, she will direct the Schulich Singers and University Chorus at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music. Gabrielle has previously served as Assistant Conductor to Maestro Kent Nagano at the Staatsoper Hamburg, Associate Conductor of the National Children’s Chorus in Washington, D.C., Artistic Director of the South Shore Children’s Chorus in Saint-Lambert, QC, Music Director of the St-Augustine’s Church Choir in St-Bruno, QC, and Apprentice Conductor of the National Youth Choir of Canada. In 2020, Dr. Gaudreault co-founded CG Music Academy. In addition to her conducting and pedagogical endeavours, Gabrielle has worked as a collaborative pianist for the past 15 years. Gabrielle completed her DMA in Choral Conducting at McGill University in Spring 2020 and holds an MA in Music Theory and Choral Conducting from Indiana University, and a BMus. in piano from McGill. Her research focuses on pedagogical approaches to the choral rehearsal and late-20th-century choral works by Québécois composers. Read More Gabrielle Gaudreault OCS Artistic Director & Conductor Read More Deirdre Kellerman Interim Conductor - Ottawa Children's Choir Deirdre Kellerman (she/her) is a choral conductor and vocal coach based on unceded Algonquin territory (Ottawa, ON). She is the Artistic Director of Hypatia’s Voice, an auditioned, upper voice ensemble; the Artistic Director of Tone Cluster – quite a queer choir; and maintains a busy teaching studio. She is delighted to be a sought-after musician for community projects and workshops. Deirdre has studied across North America, including a residency at the Banff Centre’s Choral Art program. She was nominated for the 2018 Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting. An avid chorister, Deirdre has sung with a wide variety of ensembles, including Xara Choral Theatre, and the National Youth Choir of Canada. Deirdre holds a M.Mus in Conducting (New England Conservatory) and a B.Mus in Vocal Performance (Acadia University). Read More Deirdre Kellerman Interim Conductor - Ottawa Children's Choir Read More Ottawa Music Company ensemble The Ottawa Music Company was established as a collective of some of the city’s finest professionals. It was born in 2007 through its collaborations with various choral ensembles in Ottawa and since that time has appeared frequently with the Ottawa Choral Society and the Ottawa Bach Choir, and in presentations of the choirs of Christ Church Cathedral. Read More Ottawa Music Company ensemble Read More Ottawa Children’s Choir The Ottawa Children’s Choir (known as the OCC) is devoted to artistic excellence, community connection and, above all, the joy of singing. Created in 1958 as the Ottawa Board of Education Central Choir for musically gifted students, OCC was incorporated as a not-for-profit charitable organization with a board of directors in 1998. The Choir exists to artistically enrich the lives of our choristers, families and the community, and fosters the next generation of choral musicians by offering a progressively rigorous instructional choral program for children from senior kindergarten through grade 12 (Prima, Viva, Concert, Chamber and Boys’), which includes musical training, rehearsals, performances, educational outreach, mentoring and social activities. Choristers sing in a variety of styles, languages and levels of difficulty, with emphasis on Canadian compositions, including OCC-commissioned works. OCC choirs perform regularly within the National Capital Region, at self-presented concerts, as guest performers at concerts by other ensembles, at community venues and events, and in commemorative ceremonies. Read More Ottawa Children’s Choir Read More