They may seem like an unlikely pairing on the surface, but Baroque music and jazz will collide in the latest concert from beloved Winnipeg choral ensemble Canzona. After Hours, a co-production with Jazz Winnipeg, sees the longtime Baroque specialists team up with Juno nominees Erin Propp and Larry Roy to add some swing to compositions by composers like Antonio Vivaldi and J.S. Bach.
For the performers in the concert, the blend between the two genres – which emerged some 250 years apart – is quite a natural one. “It's all very intricate,” says bass George Bajer-Kulak when asked about the similarities between Baroque and jazz. It's all very rhythmically lively and I think it just fits together. It's going to be a really exciting concert too, just because of the contrast of the different elements.”
Alto Karla Ferguson adds that in addition to the lively rhythms, Baroque music is filled with the harmonies that are often associated with jazz, as well as a strong tradition of improvisation.
“It’s more about just using our voices as instruments,” said Ferguson while on a break from rehearsal for After Hours. “It’s another way to connect with audiences that maybe haven’t heard us before.”
“Bach is jazzy! I will swear it up and down!”
The collaboration on this concert includes the choir singing choral arrangements done by Roy as well as by the world-famous Swingle Singers. Propp, meanwhile, will be offering some improvisations over Bach's music.
Ferguson hopes that After Hours will be the first of many collaborations that Canzona undertakes outside of their typical Baroque realm. “I love singing Bach so much, but I also acknowledge that, you know, we need to find ways to connect that music of the past to what's going on in the present. How can we apply the spirit of this song to something going on today?”, she says. “These concerts are really good chance for us to think musically.”
Canzona takes the stage for After Hours with Erin Propp and Larry Roy on Sunday, November 10 at Young United Church in West Broadway at 7 p.m. Audience members can visit Canzona’s website for tickets and more information.