www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, April 27, 2012 · 42 Try classical music for a laugh Fiddler on the Roof By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The Oakville Chamber Orchestra wants people to know not all classical music is serious. It can be witty and comedic too. So when the group puts on its upcoming Classic Comedy concerts this Saturday and Sunday, it will perform funny musical pieces by some of the most renowned composers of the Baroque and Classical eras. "We do our serious concerts all the time. A lot of classical music, most people know, most of the time it's pretty serious and a lot of the time it's really serious," said musical director Charles Demuynck. "We just wanted to do something that explores the lighter side and makes people realize it's not deadly serious." The concert will feature A Musical Joke by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the Canary Cantata by Georg Philipp Telemann and the Coffee Cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. The latter two, which feature vocals, will be translated. "I think Telemann and Bach would agree that if you're presenting the piece, the audience has to understand what is being said," Demuynck said. "Most comic operas are very frequently presented in translation, because otherwise, what's the point? You're supposed to be able to get it." The concert will also feature several soloist singers. The Canary Cantata will feature Michael York (bass). The piece is about people mourning over a dead canary that was eaten by a cat. The Coffee Cantata will feature three soloists; they are York, tenor Jason Hales, and Oakville-born and raised soprano Clodagh Earls. "She's a really great comedic actress and I Oakville soprano Clodagh Earls will be one of the soloists at the upcoming Oakville Chamber Orchestra concert. soloist: submitted photo think a lot of people in town will want to hear her sing," Demuynck said. The 25-year-old singer has a bachelors and masters degree in music from the universities of Western Ontario and Toronto. She's performed in Italy, Germany will be performing in France this summer in the role of Olympia in Jacques Offenbach's opera Les Contes d'Hoffmann. At the Oakville concert, Earls will also perform The Lady in Love, a funny piece written by Toronto composer Peter Tiefenbach. The ensemble will also perform Mozart's Musical Joke instrumental piece, which depicts the Classical composer's sense of humour. "Mozart loved to laugh and he was a raucous guy sometimes," Demuynck said. "This piece makes fun of both mediocre composers and mediocre performers. He's written stuff right into the music that is obviously wrong and sounds horrendous. There is also subtle humour, making fun of composers whose music is very obvious and insignificant. It's a really entertaining piece." The Saturday concert starts at 7:30 p.m. at Central Baptist Church, 340 Rebecca St. Sunday's concert is at 3 p.m. at St. Simon's Anglican Church, 1450 Litchfield Rd. Tickets cost $25 for regular admission, $20 for seniors, $15 for students or $10 for children. For tickets or more information, visit www.oakvillechamber.org. nikki wesley / oakville beaver / @halton_photog at school: Glenburnie School Grade 4-8 students are doing a presentation of Fiddler on the Roof. Pictured are students: Maren Muntwyler, Tyler Birchall, Alexia Cain, Erica Friedlander and Katie Hardman singing Matchmaker during a recent rehearsal. The final remaining show is on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the school's gymnasium, located at 2035 Upper Middle Rd. BigNamesSmallTheatre John Laing Singers The John Laing Singers choral group is promising to showcase its music with a theatrical flair when it performs in Oakville on Sunday. The group will perform its Dreams and Dances concert at St. Aidan's Anglican Church, 318 Queen Mary Dr., at 3:30 p.m. The world-renowned Penderecki String Quartet and pianist Andrei Streliaev will join the choral group as guest artists. The concert will feature the music of young Oakville composer Hunter Coblentz, titled In The Eerie Play of Moonlight. The four-part choral piece uses the poetry of Sara Teasdale, Githa Sowerby and Alexander Pushkin. The concert will also feature Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music, Glenn Buhr's Richot Mass as well as music by the likes of Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms and a tango by the South American composer Ástor Piazzolla. It's a musical weekend in town Tickets cost $25 at the door or $10 for students. Advance tickets cost $20 and are available at www.johnlaingsingers.com. Film classics The adult, youth and junior choirs directed by Linda and Jennifer Fletcher will perform tunes from a number of classic films. The concert, titled An Evening with Rodgers and Hammerstein, will take place at Walton Memorial United Church, 2489 Lakeshore Rd. W., on Sunday. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. The concert will feature selections from such films as Sound of Music, Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific, Cinderella, King and I, and more. Some of the music was written by Tony and Oscar-winning Oscar Hammerstein II, and the multi-talented Richard Rodgers, winner of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. Jeff MacLean will accompany. Tickets cost $12, or $7 for children. May 3 JACOB MOON SULTANS April 21OF ~ STRING SULTANS OF STRING May 3 4 CO. May 4 ~ JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR May 5 MENAKA THAKKAR DANCE All performances are at THE OAKVILLE CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS To order tickets call: 905-815-2021 or go to www.oakvillecentre.ca ll Elementary art show The 9th annual Halton Elementary Art Show opens on Tuesday, May 1 at the New Street Education Centre in Burlington. It features the works of students from across the region, including Oakville, from as young as Junior Kindergarten up to Grade 8. The show is titled Elements and Expressions. It features various mediums, including painting, clay and paper sculptures, paper maché, crayons, pastels, ink, fabric, and 2D and 3D pieces. The show continues through Wednesday and Thursday. Show hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Tuesday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on Wednesday, and 9 a.m.-2:30 Art abounds in Oakville and beyond p.m. on Thursday. The centre is located at 3250 New St. Art at Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz of Oakville is opening up its first annual art exhibit, titled Artistically Driven Art Show, at the dealership on Tuesday, May 1, which will run until June 8. There will be an opening reception with the artists at the dealership on Thursday, May 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. The works on display are created by Oakville artists. A portion of the art sale proceeds will go to charity. The dealership is located at 300 South Service Rd. W.