Aeolian Singers – Veritas: Seeking Truth, Sharing Wisdom Premieres Tonight!

The Aeolian Singers (www.aeoliansingers.ca) under the direction of Heather Fraser will release an inspiring pre-recorded performance Saturday, March 6 at 7:00pm AST on the Aeolian Singers YouTube channel . Veritas: Seeking Truth, Sharing Wisdom will premiere new music by two Canadian women composers and feature other works complementing its overall theme of truth. Commissioned with funding from Arts Nova Scotia, both composers will also deliver brief pre-recorded lectures and participate in a live chat running alongside the virtual performance, giving audience members at home an opportunity to connect more deeply to these new works.

The performance will remain accessible on YouTube following the premiere. In lieu of tickets, viewers are asked to consider making a donation to The Aeolian Singers (http://aeoliansingers.ca/donate.php).

This is the second and final installment of The Aeolian Singers’ Veritas project. In November, the choir gave a live performance of the commissioned work A Rose By Any Other Name by composer Frances Farrell (Nova Scotia). Due to a spike in COVID-19 cases and new restrictions on live performances, the remainder of Veritas has gone virtual. The March 6 performance will feature new works by Marie-Claire Saindon (Quebec) and Carmen Braden (Northwest Territories), including Aviva Swims (Braden) and Flat Earth (Saindon). The lyrics for Flat Earth are by Franco-Ontarian poet, Paul Ruban, and also written for this commission. Both composers will be present at the premiere via live chat.

The theme of the commissions is “truth,”  coming from the Latin word veritas.  The Aeolians are using choral music to examine what is true, and what it takes to confront  the many webs of deception and darkness present in our contemporary society and culture.  The new works celebrate the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom and truth; each composer has interpreted this theme differently. Marie-Claire Saindon examines truth in the era of fake news, anti-vaxxers and prominent politicians, while Carmen Braden challenges us to experience truth through the eyes of a child, with ever-evolving memories and impressions.

The concerts and commissions are supported by Arts Nova Scotia, the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage, the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, and private donors.