Wednesday Noon Hours: From Baroque Passion to Schubert’s Song: The Oeuvre of the Masters, with Countertenor Daniel Moody

Described as having a "warm-toned and confident instrument…radiant demeanor, sure footedness and a light touch", soprano Bahareh Poureslami enjoys a varied performing and teaching career across the platforms. Her musical curiosity was heavily influenced by her artistic grandmother who was always introducing her to different forms of expression through crafts and singing. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree at the University of British Columbia, with a Master’s in Voice and Opera Performance at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, where she enjoyed partaking in Chicago’s rich artistic scene.

Bahareh has performed in opera, across concert stages, and as an Art Song aficionado, she has prepared and presented numerous solo and chamber repertoire programs. With great emphasis on versatility, she has not shied away from contemporary repertoire, premiering many new works, and has extensively performed sacred repertoire from concert stages to her local Church (you’ll most likely see her singing at Church more than any other space). The sacredness of space and acoustics has made Baroque music her home, as it always plays at her heart strings in the same way the music of her region does. Besides her passion for the arts, Bahareh has always been fascinated with healing and wellness, and has recently started practising as a Registered Massage Therapist in Vancouver.

Possessing “a thrilling voice” (Olyrix) that “caresses the ear with its velvet” (Le Devoir), Canadian countertenor Nicholas Burns is “a major talent on the rise” (Ludwig Van Toronto). A multi-award winner of Carnegie Hall’s New York Oratorio Society Competition, Les Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques, the Mathieu Duguay International Baroque Music Competition, The National Capital Operatic Society Competition, and Edmonton Opera’s Rumbold Vocal Prize, Burns has performed with leading ensembles on both sides of the Atlantic, including Les Arts Florissants, L’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Vancouver Opera, I Musici, Early Music Vancouver, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Recent and upcoming performances include engagements with Opera Sofia, the Victoria Symphony, the Montréal, Toronto, and Seattle Bach Festivals, and returning appearances with Arion Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, L’Harmonie des saisons, and Tafelmusik. Such sought-after collaborations continue to highlight his versatility across the modern and historically informed spheres.

On the operatic stage, Burns delivers commanding performances across centuries of repertoire. He has portrayed Cesare in Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Bertarido in Rodelinda, Polinesso in Ariodante, and Lichas in Hercules. The Chronicle Journal described his Messiah performance as “a rare and beautiful experience,” praising his “pure vocal tones [that] evoked all the baroque splendor of Handel’s composition.” Equally adept with contemporary works, he premiered the opera L’Orangeraie by French composer Zad Moultaka, a “moving” rendition that “dominated the stage” (La Presse+).

Passionate about engaging with audiences both on and off the stage, Burnsserves as Engagement and Musicology Curator at Vancouver Opera, where he hosts pre-show educational talks. He has also been invited for multiple public speaking engagements at the Vancouver Public Library. Beyond his vocal prowess, Burns is an accomplished bagpiper, having won the World Pipe Band Championships in 2012. To learn more visit nicholasburnscountertenor.com

Violinist Majka Demcak specializes in historically informed performance practice of the baroque and classical eras, driven by a love of storytelling and enchantment in all the music she plays. She is a founding member of the Vancouver-based baroque ensemble Gallo Chamber Players, is a proud member/muse of the Alberta-based Mount Parnassus Foundationand performed as a “voice of light” in the debut Pass Early Music Festival. She is the newest member of the Pacific Baroque Orchestra and toured across British Columbia with the Vancouver Baroque Trio.

During her studies in The Juilliard School in New York, she performed on stages in Lincoln Center, including Alice Tully Hall, presented live-streamed concerts for Gotham Early Music Scene, and performed with The Little OPERA Theatre of New York. She was a co-founder of the classical period ensemble, Quartet Salonnieres, with whom she performed across the United States. Majka Demcak founded and runs the St. Augustine Series, a concert series in Kitsilano Vancouver, which features local and international musicians specializing in historical performance. To learn more visit majkademcak.com

The internationally renowned keyboard artist Alexander Weimann has spent his life enveloped by the therapeutic power and beauty of making music.

Alex grew up in Munich. At age three he became fascinated by the intense magic of the church organ. He started piano at six, formal organ lessons at 12 and harpsichord at university (along with theatre theory, medieval Latin and jazz piano.)

Today he is in huge demand as a director, soloist and chamber player, traveling the world with leading North American and European ensembles. He is Artistic Director of the Pacific Baroque Orchestra in Vancouver and has appeared on more than 100 recordings, including the Juno-award-winning album “Prima Donna” with Karina Gauvin and Arion Baroque orchestra.

Alex offers master classes at European and North American universities and is on faculty at the University of British Columbia. More than anything, he loves to improvise - something, he says, humans do all the time, just by making conversation.

Alexander Weimann, musicien de renommée internationale, a passé sa vie enveloppé de la beauté et du pouvoir thérapeutique de la musique.

Alex a grandi à Munich. Dès l’âge de trois ans, il a été fasciné par la magie intense de l’orgue d’église. Il a commencé à apprendre le piano à six ans, l’orgue à 12 ans, et le clavecin durant ses études universitaires (parallèlement au latin médiéval, aux études théâtrales et au piano jazz).

Aujourd’hui, il est très recherché comme directeur musical, musicien soliste et chambriste, et il se produit aux quatre coins du monde avec les meilleurs ensembles de l’Amérique du Nord et de l’Europe. Il est directeur artistique du Pacific Baroque Orchestra à Vancouver et figure sur plus de 100 albums, dont Prima Donna — mettant en vedette Karina Gauvin et l’orchestre baroque Arion — qui a été récompensé par un prix Juno.

Alex, qui donne régulièrement des classes de maître dans des universités européennes et nord-américaines, fait partie du corps enseignant de l’Université de la Colombie-Britannique. Plus que tout, il aime improviser — chose que, selon lui, les humains font tous les jours, par le simple fait de converser.

To learn more visit alexanderweimann.com

Praised for his “ravishing and simply gorgeous” performances in The Washington Post, pianist David Fung is widely recognized for interpretations that are elegant and refined, yet intensely poetic and uncommonly expressive.

With a repertoire of over sixty concertos, Mr. Fung is a regular soloist with the world’s premier ensembles including the Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and the major orchestras in Australia. An incisive interpreter of Mozart and Bach, Mr. Fung has collaborated with the Israel, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Orpheus, and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestras, and Orchestra of St. Luke’s. He has captivated audiences at such venues as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, the Louvre, Gewandhaus, Palais des Beaux-Arts, and Zürich Tonhalle, as well as the major halls in Asia, including the Beijing Concert Hall, Guangzhou Opera House, Hong Kong Town Hall, Seoul Art Center, Shanghai Oriental Art Center, Taiwan National Concert Hall, and the Tianjin Grand Theater. Notable festival appearances include Aspen, Blossom, Caramoor, Edinburgh, Hong Kong Arts, and Ravinia Festival. He is the first piano graduate of the Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles, where he studied with John Perry, and later worked with Peter Frankl, Claude Frank and Arie Vardi at Yale University and the Hannover Hochschüle.

Mr. Fung is a curator at the Chan Center for the Performing Arts in Vancouver and serves on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music and the University of British Columbia. Mr. Fung is a Steinway Artist. Visit davidfung.com to learn more.