Janelle Lucyk (soprano/violin) graduated in 2014 with distinction from the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles in Belgium where she debuted Lux Aeterna, written for her and the Brussels Chamber Choir by Jan Moeyaert, performed as a soloist and recorded with Musica Fura (Praetorius Christmas Mass) and Laudantes Consort (Palestrina), and formed Voces Desuper, an ensemble performing regularly in the magnificent Cathédrale de Saints-Michel-et-Gudule, and especially at the Te Deum ceremony for the King and Queen of Belgium. Following, she completed her Masters in Management at Durham University in the UK and won the role of Susanna in Durham Opera Ensemble’s The Marriage of Figaro for which she was awarded the Best Soloist by Music Durham, and Best Female Soloist by her peers at the DOE.
Growing up as a violinist, Janelle was the youngest member of Regina Symphony Orchestra and with them performed Vivaldi’s Four Seasons as soloist in 2009. Janelle has been captivated by Nova Scotia’s flourishing music scene since arriving in the stunning maritime province. She has had the good fortune of working as a soloist with the Kings College Chapel Choir under five-time Grammy winner Paul Halley on many unforgettable concerts including Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 and Selva Morale e Spirituale and multiple Bach Passions. She performed as a soloist with Per Sonatori, Boar’s Head Festival, Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, Scott MacMillan’s Celtic Mass for the Sea (Canada 150), Aureas Voces, Daniel Taylor’s Theatre of Early Music, Ensemble Caprice & Constantinople and has organized concerts involving improvisation, early music, and jazz with Sarah E. Myatt (mezzo), composer/organist Peter-Anthony Togni, and Jeff Reilly (bass-clarinet).
Janelle oversees Musique Royale (est. 1985) which highlights early music and more, through concerts in over 20 historic venues across the province, and is based in beautiful Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.
Lorelei Saunders Smith is a Halifax-based artist, summering in Lunenburg, acting as the arts coordinator for Musique Royale. She is currently attending the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University under the Creative Innovator Award 4-year full scholarship. She is an interdisciplinary fine arts major attending the Bachelor of Fine Arts program, with a goal of continuing on to complete her MFA and PhD.
Barbara Butler is a chamber musician, choral conductor, organist and music educator and a well-known champion for the arts in Nova Scotia. She is a graduate in music from Acadia University and in Arts Management from the Banff School of Fine Arts. In 1990 she was made a Fellow of the Royal Canadian College of Organists. She has earned both the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal and the Queen Elizabeth ll Diamond Jubilee Medal for her service to music and the arts in Nova Scotia. Barbara is the Founder and past Artistic Director of the St. Cecilia Concert Series and former Director of the Lieutenant Governor’s Concert Series. She is a 2006 recipient of a Women of Excellence Award in the field of culture from the Canadian Progress Club (Halifax – Cornwallis) and in 2011 was honoured to receive an Honorary Doctorate in Civil Law from the University of King’s College.
Barbara has strong affiliations with many arts organizations in the province and has sat on various boards including the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts, Debut Atlantic, Opera Nova Scotia, the Royal Canadian College of Organists, The Nova Scotia Masterworks Foundation and the Nova Scotia Talent Trust. She is currently Chair of the Board of Capella Regalis Men and Boys Choir, Senior Artistic Advisor of Musique Royale and organist/choir director at St. John’s Anglican Church in Lunenburg. On December 30 2020, Barbara Butler was appointed a member (CM) of the Order of Canada “for her contributions to the musical landscape of Nova Scotia, notably through her promotion of numerous concert series across the province.
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