An Il Canto Christmas

BY HOLLIE WATSON

With its sweeping view across the ice-fettered lake, St. Joachim Church in the heart of Pointe Claire Village is an idyllic setting for a musical celebration of Christmas.

On Dec. 13, the Il Canto Opera Association will unite with the McGill Children’s Choir in a concert featuring some of the most sublime music in the seasonal repertoire.

The program for An Il Canto Christmas boasts a spirited and eclectic mix “of carols, a seven or eight-song medley, and a variety of sacred music. Pieces range from Panis Angelicus to O Holy Night to Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” explained artistic director Manrico Tedeschi of Ste. Anne de Bellevue, who founded the West Island-based opera club two years ago.

“The choir’s 40 members will also do several songs on their own, including some Celtic works, and will be accompanying our three soloists who will be performing that evening.”

They are Makiko Awazu, Marie-Eve Munger, and Steve Michaud.

The joint concert came about “after the cultural director for the City of Pointe Claire asked me to put something together after hearing about our concert last year. My son sings in the McGill Choir, so I asked director Erica Phare if they’d be interested in taking part, and she obliged,” said Tedeschi, a tenor of considerable renown who is currently in Italy for a series of operatic performances.

Il Canto also participated in a presentation of Handel’s Messiah last Saturday in Ste. Genevieve with local chorale Cantabile, with whom they will again collaborate next April. Early in 2008, the club is also scheduled for a concert at Stewart Hall, and “we have been asked back in February to Salle Pauline Julien (CEGEP Gérald Godin), where we performed this past summer,” Tedeschi said.

An Il Canto Christmas begins at 8 p.m. The church is located at 2 Ste. Anne St. Tickets can be purchased at the door, or in advance at Stewart Hall, 176 Lakeshore Rd. in Pointe Claire. For more information, call 514-630-1220.

Photo A

Tenor Manrico Tedeschi founded the West Island-based opera club about two years ago.

Photo B

Marie-Eve Munger will perform solo at the Dec. 13 concert in Pointe Claire.