Bach, Bach, Bach & Bach

About

Step into the extraordinary musical dynasty of the Bach family, where genius spanned generations and styles evolved before your ears. From the radiant brilliance of Johann Sebastian Bach to the bold, expressive voices of Johann Bernhard Bach and Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, this concert traces the shift from high Baroque splendour to the dawn of the Classical era. With lively sinfonias, virtuosic concertos, and exuberant orchestral suites, it’s a vibrant celebration of family legacy and the Bach name. Symphony Nova Scotia joins us once again in Lunenburg on Friday November 6 at 7:30 pm, at historic St. John’s Anglican Church.

About the Artists

Steven Devine – leader and harpsichord soloist

Steven Devine combines a career as a conductor and director of orchestral, choral and opera repertoire with that of a solo harpsichordist and fortepianist. He is Conductor and Artistic Advisor of The English Haydn Festival; Music Director of New Chamber Opera, Oxford and Director of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s “Bach the Universe & Everything” series.

Devine’s opera repertoire includes works by Purcell, Cavalli, Handel, Haydn and Mozart as well as rarities by Galuppi, Salieri and Cimarosa. His recordings include Dido & Aeneas with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Sarah Connolly in the title role.

As a keyboard player, he is the Principal Keyboard Player with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and also the principal keyboard player for The Gonzaga Band, The Mozartists and performs regularly with many other groups around Europe. He has recorded over thirty discs with other artists and ensembles and made many solo recordings. His recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations (Chandos Records) has received critical acclaim – including Gramophone magazine describing it as “among the best”. The complete harpsichord works of Rameau (Resonus) has received five-star reviews from BBC Music Magazine. Steven has recently released Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier (“it’s the one of all I’ve heard in the past ten years that I am happiest to live with.” Early Music Review). He is currently engaged in recording the complete harpsichord works of Johann Ludwig Krebs, Bach’s favourite student.

Steven Devine was educated at Chetham’s School of Music before reading Music at St Peter’s College, Oxford. He was Director of Opera Restor’d from 2002-2010 and Kurator and Conductor of the Norwegian Wind Ensemble from 2016-2018.

Renaud Lapierre – violin

Born in Montreal, Renaud grew up in Saint-Lambert, Quebec in a musical family. He first began playing the violin at age five, and spent nearly 10 years studying music at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal with Raymond Dessaints. He went on to receive his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Performance under Anne Robert at l’Université de Montréal.

Renaud has performed and toured with Orchestre symphonique de Montréal throughout Canada, Japan, Korea, and Europe, where he visited 12 cities in two weeks. He has also toured in the U.S. with Les Violons du Roy, playing in Los Angeles at the Walt Disney Centre and in New York at Carnegie Hall.

In 2005, Renaud was winner of the Trois-Rivières Symphonic Orchestra Competition. Previous appointments as Concertmaster include the Orchestre de la Francophonie canadienne and Orchestre de l’Université de Montréal. He also held the position of Principal Second Violin for Symphony Nova Scotia in 2011/12.

In his spare time, Renaud enjoys reading, cooking, hiking, camping, getting together with friends, and spending time with his two children.

Renaud plays on a Vuillaume from 1855, graciously provided by Canimex Inc. from Drummondville, Québec.

Symphony Nova Scotia

Symphony Nova Scotia is Nova Scotia’s professional orchestra. With a home base in Halifax/Kjipuktuk and performances across the province, Symphony Nova Scotia reaches over 40,000 Nova Scotians of all ages each year with some of the most innovative concerts and educational offerings in the country. Though Symphony Nova Scotia had its origins with the Halifax Symphony Orchestra (1897-1908, 1955-1968), the Halifax Sinfoniette (1947-1955), and the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra (1968-1983), the orchestra as we know it began in 1983 with only 13 full-time musicians.

Today, Symphony Nova Scotia is the largest employer in Nova Scotia’s cultural community, employing 37 musicians and 16 administrative staff, along with more than 150 contracted artistic, production, and technical personnel. The Symphony’s performances take place in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaw people.

The orchestra has repeatedly been praised for its versatility and flexibility, performing everything from baroque to pops to jazz with equal finesse. International music veteran Howard Cable called Symphony Nova Scotia “the most versatile orchestra in Canada,” and the Chronicle Herald says, “They can play it all: Beethoven, Shostakovich, Hatzis and Current, as well as Tommy Dorsey, Scott Macmillan, Rose Cousins, Buck 65 and Natalie MacMaster. We are, in this province, exceedingly fortunate to have them.”

Symphony Nova Scotia also places a high priority on community engagement. The Symphony manages the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra, its flagship education program that boasts successful mentorship of young musicians, providing them with increased opportunities for networking, volunteering, and hands-on learning. Other education programs reach over 15,000 elementary, junior, and senior high school students in a typical year – students who may not otherwise have access to symphonic music. The Symphony also conducts many accessible community programs, including pre-concert chats, performances in local public libraries, free community concerts including our popular Family series, and online concerts.