Amadeus and the Artist - A Portrait of Doris McCarthy
NEWS RELEASE: October 14, 2005

To open its 2005/06 season, Toronto's acclaimed Amadeus Choir, conducted by Artistic Director Lydia Adams, pays tribute to Canadian artist extraordinaire Doris McCarthy in a special multi-media concert - "Amadeus and the Artist - A Portrait of Doris McCarthy" - on Saturday, October 22 at 7:30, at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge Street, Toronto. The program features the world première performance by the Amadeus Choir and the Bach Children's Chorus of 'Salutation of the Dawn' by Canadian composer Eleanor Daley, commissioned by the Amadeus Choir. This new choral work is in honour of Doris McCarthy's 95th birthday.

The Amadeus Choir proudly celebrates the art and humanity of Doris McCarthy. This multi-media event is a musical and visual exploration of Canada, featuring the music of some of Canada's finest choral composers and the passionate work of Canada's best-loved artist, Doris McCarthy.

The Amadeus Choir's performances will be interspersed with excerpts from two videos and approximately 50 amazing slides from Doris's own archives of her fabulous paintings. Three special friends of Doris will present the themes of the concert: "West Coast" (introduced by painter and past President of the Ontario Society of Arts Jan Mason-Steeves); "Georgian Bay" (introduced by Loreena McKennitt); "East Coast" (introduced by Barbara Sutherland, a young painter and protégé of Doris); and "The Far North" (preceded with a video of Doris McCarthy painting one of her iceberg artworks when she was visiting the Arctic). Each group of slides reflects the four themes of the concert.

Doris herself will be present on this celebratory occasion! "I am passionate about Canada... the raw rugged beauty of an iceberg; the quaintness of the east coast; the vastness of the prairies; the lushness of the forests; the sculptural forms of the mountains; the power of the Pacific; and the granite of Georgian Bay. Canada's physical form excites me... I'm simply a painter, painting a landscape that inspires me."

The repertoire in this all-Canadian program also includes: Eleanor Daley's 'Paradise (Song of Georgian Bay)' with text by Eleanor Hunter; Srul Irving Glick's 'Northern Sketches' and 'Spring' with text by Donia Clenman; 'Salish Song' and 'Inuit Hunting Song' both arranged by Derek Healey; Peter Togni's 'Grandmother Moon', numbers I and IV with text by Mary Louise Martin; Graeme Wearmouth's 'Magnetic North'; and 'Mi'kmaq Honour Song', arranged by Lydia Adams - all performed by the Amadeus Choir, under the direction of Artistic Director Lydia Adams.

Also to honour Doris McCarthy's birthday, the Bach Children's Chorus, conducted by their director Linda Beaupré, sings Eleanor Daley's beautiful 'Kneel Reverently Before the Fire', one of Doris' favourite choral works. The Chorus also sings R. Murray Schafer's 'Miniwanka (or The Moments of Water)'; and 'A Great Big Sea', arranged by John Govedas.

To bring the evening to a fitting close, the Amadeus Choir and the Bach Children's Chorus will give the world première performance of Eleanor Daley's 'Salutation of the Dawn', commissioned by the Amadeus Choir. This new work, composed specially for this concert, will be introduced by Andrew Patenall. Professor Patenall was Doris' English Literature teacher when she studied with him in the 1970's at the University of Toronto's Scarborough campus, and they have been friends ever since.

CBC Radio producer Matthew Baird has taken on the role of Technical Director to work closely with conductor Lydia Adams in co-ordinating the dual aspect of this special multi-media event.

The concert is being recorded by CBC Radio Two for future broadcast on "Choral Concert". For the air date, please visit www.cbc.ca/choralconcert.