Gino Quilico, Ben Heppner, Elmer Iseler Singers

Gino Quilico, baritone; Ben Heppner, host with The Elmer Iseler Singers

Gino Quilico, baritone Canadian Gino Quilico’s career spans more than forty years, following a remarkable course through the most prestigious opera houses in the world: The Metropolitan Opera (New York), la Scala (Milan), The Royal Opera House (London), The Paris Opera, The Vienna Staatsoper, to name a few. It goes without saying that Mr. Quilico sang under the direction of the greatest conductors of the symphonic world: Herbert Von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa and of course Kent Nagano and Yannick Nézet-Séguin Mr. Quilico has participated in more than thirty opera recordings. In 1995, he received a Grammy Award for his participation in Les Troyen de Berlioz with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. In 2003, a Gold record for his recording Noel. Gino was awarded the title of Officer of the Order of Canada in 1993, thereby acknowledging his talent. By the same token, the Canada Music Council named him “Artist of the Year” in 1993 to recognize his exceptional contribution to classical music in Canada.

Gino now joins forces with The Elmer Iseler Singers. Conducted by Artistic Director Lydia Adams, the internationally acclaimed 20-voice ensemble celebrates its 44th Anniversary Season in 2022/23. Gino will also be performing with pianist and Westben’s Artistic Director, Brian Finley. Ben Heppner, host Canadian tenor Ben Heppner is renowned worldwide for his portrayals of the dramatic tenor repertoire. With an illustrious career that has taken him to opera stages and concert halls around the world, Ben now joins forces with The Elmer Iseler Singers. Conducted by artistic director Lydia Adams, the internationally acclaimed 20-voice ensemble celebrates its 44th Anniversary Season in 2022/23.

ABOUT THE ELMER ISELER SINGERS Lydia Adams, Artistic Director & Conductor Shawn Grenke, piano/organ

The JUNO Award winning Elmer Iseler Singers (EIS), conducted by artistic director Lydia Adams since 1998, is singing its 45th concert season in 2023/24. Founded in 1979 by Dr. Elmer Iseler, the 20-voice professional chamber choir is honoured to receive invitations to collaborate with many major musical organizations, including Esprit Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Gryphon Trio, and the Canadian Brass. The EIS has also received a number of honours, most recently a 2018 JUNO Award and GRAMMY nomination for the Chandos recording of works by Ralph Vaughan Williams, featuring the Toronto Symphony under the baton of Peter Oundjian.

The Elmer Iseler Singers is dedicated to performing the works of Canadian composers in Toronto and on its many tours across the country, on many CDS and in its concerts and workshops with community singers, emerging artists, composers and conductors. The EIS ensemble recently performed the world premiere and concert tour of Timothy Corlis’ meditational work, Om Saha Nãvavatu, inspired by Vedic texts and the poetry of Hindu and Buddhist spiritual masters. Spring programming included three world premieres of works by emerging and established Canadian composers, and a seven-concert tour of the Maritimes in March 2023. We look forward with great anticipation to a busy summer of concerts at major Music Festivals throughout Ontario.

ABOUT BRIAN FINLEY, piano

Brian Finley currently enjoys a multi-faceted career as a pianist, composer, director and impresario. As a pianist, he has performed with orchestras from Dallas to Calgary, and at venues including Wigmore Hall (London), and the Glenn Gould Studio (Toronto). He has collaborated with some of Canada’s top singers including Adrianne Pieczonka and Gerald Finley (his cousin). Having been heard on CBC, CFMX, KING-FM in the US and on Soviet Television, his recordings include his own Preludes to Canada and Intimacies for solo piano, three with life-partner, soprano Donna Bennett, and world premiere recordings of his Requiem for a Millennium (1999) and his opera-musical Rapunzel (2005).
Brian’s compositions include music for piano, voice, choral ensembles and orchestras. For the stage, he has written and produced several full-length opera-musicals including SAMSON (2001), Rapunzel (2005), The Selfish Giant (2010) and an opera based on his own original story The Pencil Salesman (2016) inspired and commissioned by Dr. Agnes M. Herzberg. As a director he has staged fully staged productions of Jesus Christ Superstar, The Sound of Music, The Magic Ornament and his own works including Requiem for a Millennium and A Westben Christmas Carol and others. Together with Donna, Brian co-founded the Westben Arts Festival Theatre near Campbellford, Ontario in 1999, serving ever since as the organization’s Artistic & Managing Director. He was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, and together with Donna, was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2017 for their work with Westben.

ADULT: $65 ADULT (WING): $64 SENIOR: $63 SENIOR (WING): $62 UNDER 30: $30 YOUTH (UNDER 18): $5