 Film Night! Saturday, November 22, at 7 pm Room 406, Dalhousie Arts Centre, 6101 University Ave. Admission free to EMSNS members; others by donation at the door The 1994 movie Farinelli is the choice for film night this fall. The film is a fictional recounting of the life and career of the 18th-century Italian opera singer and castrato Carlo Broschi, known as Farinelli. In the 18th century, no singer was more celebrated than the castrato Farinelli. The incredible story of the world-famous opera singer, who was castrated during childhood in order to preserve his voice, comes to life in this Oscar-nominated drama of high notes and even higher passions. Relatively little is known of Farinelli’s life, and the film makes inventive use of what is known, as well as taking dramatic license with many specific details about the facts of Farinelli’s life. Among the historically documented elements of the film are the rivalry between George Frederick Handel and the Italian composer and singing teacher Nicola Porpora, the account of Farinelli competing with a trumpeter for holding a note and his skill as a harpsichordist. The film stars Stefano Dionisi, an Italian actor who is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Farinelli in this movie. Although Dionisi provided the speaking voice (originally in French), Farinelli’s singing voice was given by the Polish soprano Ewa Malas-Godlewska and the American countertenor Derek Lee Ragin, who were recorded separately and then digitally merged to recreate the sound of a castrato. The musical recording was made at a concert hall, the Arsenal in Metz, with the orchestra Les Talens Lyriques. The soundtrack includes music by Broschi, Hasse, Handel and Porpora. Parts of the movie were filmed at the Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth. The film was nominated for an Oscar in the Foreign Language Film category in 1995. Early Music America Virtual Summit Recordings Available Online now until December 19 (may require registration) The collection of 2025 EMA Summit session recordings is ready to view! “Presentation” recordings will be available on-demand through December 19 (other sessions might be available only until Nov. 10). Now is the perfect time to rewatch your favourite sessions or catch any that you missed. Log-in or register to view recordings: https://events.ringcentral.com/canvas/events/2025-virtual-ema-summit/registration. Please note: If you were registered before October 19, you should have received an email from RingCentral (probably on Oct 24th, with a link to view recordings. If you were not registered before October 19th, you may need to register. If you have questions about a previous registration, please email specialprojects@earlymusicamerica.org. Here is a partial list of sessions that might be particularly interesting to some of our members. Touring Early Music Teaching Old Music to Young People New Trends in Audience & Community Building The Future of the Lute in the United States Dancers and Instrumentalists: Who Follows Who? An Introduction to Historical Harps Recorders and Early Music Please note that these are sessions that took place October 18-19. As of November 3, EMA had not yet acquired the video feed from Oct. 17, which was streamed through a different channel. EMA hopes to have that file soon, so that recordings from that day will be available along with the others. Thank you for your patience. While EMS members can watch recordings on their own time and in the comfort of their own homes, the board has also discussed various creative ways in which we could incorporate some of the recordings into our programming. For instance, teachers who are EMS members might be interested in getting together to view sessions about teaching (at the elementary and middle school levels), while instrument specialists might want to get together to view sessions on specific instruments (harp, crumhorn, recorders). While the board is happy to facilitate such group activities, the demand should come from the membership. Contact rennie.ns@gmail.com if you wish to discuss programming ideas using any of the recordings. CHARPENTIER’S MESSE DE MINUIT POUR NOEL Sunday, December 28, 2025 St. George’s Church, 2222 Brunswick St, Halifax 7:00 pm (Church will be open at 6:30 for participating singers and instrumentalists) The annual reading of Charpentier’s Messe de minuit pour Noël (1690) has become an EMSNS holiday tradition, and will take place this year on Sunday, December 28, once again under the direction of Andrew Pickett. The ancient French carols that weave their way between the Latin propers of this Midnight Mass include La pucelle, the melody believed by some to underlie The Huron Carol. Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643 – 1704) was a prolific and celebrated French composer of the Baroque era, who brought Italian influences to bear on French music and who collaborated with Molière on the Parisian stage. The prelude to his Te Deum is used today as the signature tune for the European Broadcasting Union, heard in the opening credits of Eurovision events. The event is free for EMSNS members. Non-members are welcome by donation. All singers and instrumentalists are welcome. However, we ask that you indicate your intention to participate by e-mailing earlymusicns@gmail.com by Tuesday, December 23. January 24, 2026: Mid-Winter Tune-Up St. Margaret of Scotland Church, 3751 Robie St, Halifax, 7-9 pm. A “tasting menu” for listeners, individual singers and players, and ensembles. What music have you worked on lately? What would you like to share? March 25, 2026: Special concert with Vincent Lauzer and Dorothea Ventura Peggy Corkum Music Room, 6181 Lady Hammond Rd., Halifax. A partnership with Scotia Festival of Music will pair up leading Canadian recorder player Vincent Lauzer with Dorothea Ventura, singer, harpsichordist, and historic dance expert. Your membership fees and donations help to make this all possible… Renew now and save the dates! |
November 10, 2025