Mattina Musica featuring Ken Lavigne

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Monday, March 11th, 2013
Reception 9:45 AM Performance 10:30 AM

Co-presented by Sarah Hagen and the Sid Williams Theatre Society

Mattina Musica returns to the Comox Valley for an exciting third season.

Italian for �Morning Music�, Mattina Musica is a 5 concert series of classical music, each taking place on a Monday morning. Patrons are warmly invited to meet in the Sid lobby at 9:45 am for tea, coffee, and conversation before the 10:30 am concert.

The series is hosted by pianist Sarah Hagen, who is thrilled to have flautist Krzysztof Kaczka, cellist Ariel Barnes, harpist Heidi Krutzen, violinist Martin Chalifour, tenor Ken Lavigne, and violist Vaida Rozinskaite bring their world-class artistry to the Comox Valley. The musicians, all known for their perceptive, eloquent and entertaining commentary, will take time to offer personal insights into the music.

Can you think of a better way to spend a Monday morning?

Singer Ken Lavigne has charmed his way into the hearts of concert goers across North America. While Ken and pianist Sarah Hagen have performed at the same festivals over the years, this is their first season collaborating together. For the fourth concert in the Mattina Musica series, they have chosen a programme of Art Song from across Europe.

Ken Lavigne - Tenor

Described by one New York critic as having "a voice of liquid gold", Ken Lavigne is a singer, composer, communicator and consummate entertainer. Recognized early for the outstanding timbre of his lyric tenor voice as well as the ease and agility with which he sings, Lavigne undertook thorough vocal and music training in his native Victoria, BC, at the University of Victoria with Susan Young and Alexandra Browning-Moore and at the Victoria Conservatory of Music with Selena James. Further study took him to Wales where he studied with Stuart Burrows and to New York for training with Joan Dorneman.

Following his 1998 debut in Massenet�s Werther, major roles followed in Nabuko, La Traviata, Cenerentolla and The Barber of Seville with Pacific Opera Victoria, the Portland Opera and the Burnaby Lyric Opera. Despite Lavigne�s recent branching out to cross-over solo concerts, he is still in great demand as an opera performer, not only in traditional roles such as Spoletta in the Pacific Opera Victoria�s 2005 production of Tosca, but also in new and sometimes controversial productions such as Victoria Philharmonic Choir�s 2007 interpretation of Handel�s Samson, presented in a post-war Palestinian setting.

Ken Lavigne has a long and impressive list of solo concerts and Symphony performances over the short history of his career between 1997 and the present. In 2002, he was chosen to represent Canada at the Tipperary International Song of Peace Contest. His performance won first place and he subsequently had the honour of performing the same winning composition for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth�s Royal Jubilee Celebrations in Victoria, BC.

The Canadian Tenors were established in 2004 with Ken as a founding member. He completed the inaugural BC tour with the group, after which he co-founded the successful trio, Romanza, which toured over a period of three years throughout BC and into Ontario with additional appearances in New York City and San Francisco.

Ken�s recordings � his debut album, On the Street Where You Live and his second release, Believe � have sold in the thousands and selections from both have been featured on a number of CBC programs. His third album entitled O�Night Divine features Christmas classics and was released November 30, 2008.

Ken Lavigne made his New York debut on the famed Carnegie Hall stage, accompanied by the New York Pops Orchestra under the baton of Simon Capet. This achievement was a dream come true for the singer, and after having received three standing ovations for his performance in New York, the debut has led to further engagements across North America. Including exclusive engagements with famed LA producer David Foster.

http://www.kenlavigne.com/

Sarah Hagen - Piano

Pianist Sarah Hagen has been heard in concert halls and on the airwaves to critical acclaim throughout North America and Europe. Originally from the Comox Valley, she has performed as soloist and guest artist with the Victoria Symphony, the Emily Carr String Quartet, Ballet Victoria and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, among many others.

Sarah is the Artistic Director for Pro'ject Sound, a performance project involving live piano with large-scale projected images. She curates, hosts, and performs on four recital series in British Columbia, sharing the stage with artists from Canada, the United States and Europe. Miss Hagen has been heard on Swedish Radio 2, CBC Radio 1 and 2, WDAV (North Carolina) WOSU (Ohio), KFUO (Missouri), CKUA (Edmonton), WKAR (Michigan), WITF (Pennsylvania), 98.1 KING FM (Seattle) and has appeared on Bravo Television. Her solo album, Glass House Dancing, was nominated for Classical Recording of the Year at the 2009 Western Canadian Music Awards.

Sarah�s primary teachers and mentors have been Jamie Parker, Glen Montgomery, Gregory Chaverdian and Christine Purvis. Passionate for inspiring students of all ages, she is in demand as an adjudicator and clinician and is on faculty at the Vancouver Academy of Music. She is the director of the Piano Programme at the Comox Valley Youth Music Centre where she has been on faculty for over a decade.

Since her move in 2011 to an artist loft in one of Vancouver�s most vibrant neighbourhoods, she has become deeply involved with intricate projects inspired by urban vitality.

Sarah's motivation is the belief that music has the power to be a window into our souls regardless of age or knowledge.

http://www.sarahhagen.com/

�Exquisite phrasing and a refreshingly imaginative approach make her one to watch.�
-Marcia Adair, TheOmniscientMussel.com

�Her Bach and Haydn were outstandingly inventive � this is a young woman ready to take interpretive risks.�
-University of Waterloo Gazette


Interested in the entire Mattina Musica series?
Buy all 5 performances for $115. Member price for the series is $90.