MRU Presents: Rajaton

M R U C O N S E R VAT O RY P R E S E N T S

SOUNDSCAPE SERIES THE VOICE IS BOUNDLESS

RAJATON

MUSIC TO YOUR EARS CONCERT SEASON 2016/17

BELLA CONCERT HALL • APRIL 20, 2017 • 7:30 P.M.

 @MRUPERFORMS • #BELLASTYLE #MRUBELLA  @MRUCONSERVATORY • #BELLASTYLE #MRUBELLA  MOUNT ROYAL UNIVERSITY CONSERVATORY

Music to our ears Thank you to our partners and sponsors for helping us bring concerts, community and culture to our hometown through the performing arts.

Rajaton sponsored by:

Calgary Finlandia Cultural Association

Calgary

Calgary Finlandia Cultural Association

Calgary

Calgary Finlandia Cultural Association

Calgary

Message from the Conservatory WELCOME TO THE MUSIC TO YOUR EARS concert season at the Bella Concert Hall in the Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts! We are so excited to launch our inaugural season featuring seven separate series with over 25 diverse events.

As a world-class centre for arts education and training, we are committed to providing education and performance opportunities for our students as well as showcasing exemplary artistic achievement in music and speech arts.

From reggae legends and jazz aficionados to eastern classical masters to Canadian astronauts, this year’s line-up quite literally has something for everyone.

We’re so pleased that Rajaton could join us as a popup addition to our season. Calgary is becoming a centre of excellence for vocal music with our local choirs and ensembles competing and winning awards on the world stage.

It’s fitting to have a venue like the Bella Concert Hall, which was made to hear voices from around the world. Whether singing classical material or contemporary pop, the blending of voices in an a cappella style is spellbinding and Rajaton is one of the most celebrated ensembles world-wide.

Tonight, we’re excited to create a sonic bridge to Finland and welcome Rajaton to the Bella!

Mark DeJong Artistic Program Coordinator

RAJATON

The Finnish word Rajaton translates as “boundless” — a word that so accurately describes the way this six-voice a cappella ensemble approaches music. Regularly performing around a hundred concerts and workshops each year, Rajaton exposes their audiences to the kind of diversity of repertoire, singing style, and stage presentation that has made them a phenomenon on the world stage.

Performing at concert halls, churches, jazz and choral festivals, this distinct group of musicians approaches all styles of music with the same level of commitment and integrity, making it difficult to imagine an audience that they could not inspire, or a type of music they could not make their own. In their native Finland, Rajaton is a bona fide pop phenomenon, successfully bridging the gap that often exists between classical and mainstream convention.

Rajaton has released 16 different albums. In 2017, Rajaton celebrates 20 years of musicmaking with one double platinum, three platinum and eight gold records in Finland under their belt, as their worldwide record sales are drawing over 400,000 copies altogether.

Ever seeking new artistic challenges, the group has grown immeasurably through collaborations with other a cappella artists, including The King’s Singers and The Real Group, as well as productions with film directors and choreographers. But it is perhaps their deep passion for choral art, their generosity of spirit and their sheer enjoyment of singing that has won the hearts and acclaim of audiences and critics everywhere. Their energy — infectious; their ability to entertain and inspire — Rajaton!

The voice is boundless.

Dobbin’s Flowery Vale trad. Irish – arr. Matti Kallio

Villihanhen laulu (Song of the Wild Goose) Jussi Chydenius – Katri Vala

Muuttolintu (Away from Home) Mirkka Paajanen – arr. Ahti Paunu

Consider Me Told

Morten Vinther/Erik Bosio/Jussi Chydenius – Morten Vinther/Tineke Blok

Don’t Stop Me Now

Freddie Mercury - arr. Jussi Chydenius

I Was Brought to My Senses Sting - arr. Hannu Lepola

Lu Bing Hua (Dull Ice Flower)

Chien Yao - Yang Chen, arr. Jussi Chydenius

INTERMISSION Surma (Death)

Soila Sariola – trad. Finnish

Under Pressure

Queen & David Bowie – arr. Hannu Lepola

Et maintenant (And Now)

Gilbert Bécaud – Pierre Delanoë – arr. Ahti Paunu

We Can Work It Out

Lennon/McCartney – arr. Jussi Chydenius

Mitä kaikatat, kivonen?

(Wherefore Grumblest Thou, O Grindstone?)

Mia Makaroff - trad. Finnish

Lintu lauleli lehossa (Would Not I Wish) Mia Makaroff – trad. Finnish

Eleanor Rigby

Lennon/McCartney – arr. Jussi Chydenius

Voulez-Vous

Andersson/Ulvaeus - arr. Jussi Chydenius

403.974.8255

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Acquisition of our Hamburg Steinway Piano was made possible through generous support from an anonymous donor and The Community Facility Enhancement Program, Alberta Culture and Tourism.

Take Your Seat at the Bella Concert Hall Ensure that you always have the best seat in the house. A tax-deductible donation of $1000 is all it takes to place your name on a seat in Calgary's brand new Bella Concert Hall in the Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts. With only 300 seats left, now is the time to support your arts community by sponsoring in your name, or the name of a loved one. Each seat sponsorship comes with the gift of a pair of concert tickets to an MRU Conservatory event of your choice at the Bella in 2017.

To take your seat, and for more information, contact Heidi Christophel at 403.440.6591.

MRU CONSERVATORY Cowtown Opera Summer Academy Ages 17 to 24 Calgary Youth Orchestra Ages 14 to 24 Children’s Cello Ages 3 to 9

Choral Programs Ages 6+ Academy for Young Artists Ages 8+ Advanced Performance Program Ages 15+

mru.ca/conservatory

MUSIC TO YOUR EARS

Tickets at mru.ca/enjoy

Journey LIVE!

Fifth House Ensemble MAY 5, 2017

Andrés Cárdenes with the Calgary Youth Orchestra

MAY 14, 2017

Ron Sexsmith MAY 10, 2017

Land’s End Ensemble with Evelyn Glennie MAY 26, 2017

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