2024-2025 SEASON
APRIL 5 20245
Shapphic Passion 2025
One Equall Musick is thrilled to be participating in a large-scale event by Montreal’s Sapphonix Collective! The concert features music by six incredible compsers; Anna Berg, /Morgan-Paige Melbourne, Leo Puric, Kim Farris Manning, Sarah Rossy, and Esther Ruth Teel.
“The Sapphic Passion tells a story of queer love and resilience, using the fragmented texts of Sappho reworked into a narrative with original poetry by Maria Gajraj! We’re working with three choirs, string quartet, dancers, vocal soloists, and six composers. We’re using the form of a Passion Oratorio, which was traditionally used to tell the story of Jesus' death and resurrection, but we're recontextualizing it by using Sappho's poetry to tell a story of queer liberation.”
Featured soloists
Queen Hezumuryango SAPPHO
Patricia Yates ANECTORIA
Kathryn Riopel APPHRODITE
Jingjing Xu NARRATOR
CHOIRS:
One Equall Musick; https://www.oneequallmusick.org/
Choeur Adleisia; https://www.adleisia.com/
Choeur Maha; https://choeurmaha.org/homepage
STRING QUARTET:
Lyra String Quartet;
https://lyrastringquartet.wixsite.com/lyrastringquartet
Jessica Tovey and Lucy Nemeth: Violins I and II
Hudson Maness: Viola
Ellamay Mantie: Violoncello
ORGANISTS:
Maria Gajraj and Esther-Ruth Teel
NOVEMBER 3 2024
Panorama!
Directed by Rona Nadler, Esther-Ruth Teel and Maria Gajraj
With Valérie Despax, cello
Featuring world premiere performances of works by Kim Farris-Manning, Rebecca Mack, and Esther-Ruth Teel
Panorama! is a multimedia musical event that explores the idea of revealing hidden vistas to arrive at greater spiritual, emotional and visual clarity. A collaboration between vocal ensemble One Equall Musick and the Sapphonix Collective, this program for nine soprano and alto voices traces a journey towards queer acceptance and self-love, and bringing together medieval and contemporary musical styles, accompanied by cello, harp, organetto and electronics. This event is sapphic-, queer-, and trans-centric but all are welcome. There will be craft materials for attendees, and the music will be accompanied by visual projections. Feel free to lie back in the cozy space and enjoy the muiltidisciplinary sensory experience.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Conseil des Arts de Montréal, as well as the Canada Council for the Arts, the SOCAN Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Vermont Arts Council for their support of the commissioned works.
MARCH 2, 2024
One Equall Musick Gala 2024
Fundraiser
One Equall Musick is delighted to invite you to this year's Gala Fundraiser on March 2 from 7-9pm at the Maison Louis-Joseph Forget. Join us for a memorable evening featuring a musical performance by OEM, as well as a dynamic art installation. Our program invites you on a voyage of harmony from ancient choral music through interactive multimedia visuals and futuristic live electronic music. The evening will also include drinks, nibbles, and a silent auction featuring handmade art objects.
OCTOBER 24 AND 29, 2023
Divine Liturgy: The Halo of Humanity
This sacred choral program explores the liturgical music of the Armenian composer Komitas Vardapet (1869-1935) alongside devotional works by Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) and Vincente Lusitano (?-c. 1561). The Patarag ("Divine Liturgy") of Komitas, is rarely performed outside of Armenian churches and has never before been presented in concert in Canada. The concert is preceded by a pre-concert lecture by the Armenian-born pianist, conductor and scholar Gohar Manvelyan.
While Lusitano, Poulenc (1899–1963) and Komitas (1869–1935) faced unique challenges and personal tragedies during their lives, their steadfast dedication to music drove them to create works which capture strong emotion, each in a unique musical language. Was their lifelong devotion to the expression of human emotion through sacred music simply circumstantial; or does their persistence in conveying their experiences and passions through music of spiritual intent reveal their belief in music as the passage to the divine.
FEATURING:
William Duffy, guest conductor
Joel Peters, organist
We are grateful to the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des Arts de Montréal for their generous support as well as the Armenian Embassy in Canada for their partnership
