Prepared to premiere
March 23, 2017
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This Friday night, Kento Stratford, a second-year music student, will see a major project performed for the first time on the stage of the concert hall at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts.
As the opening number of the Dan School of Drama and Music鈥檚 year-end choir and orchestra concert, Mr. Stratford鈥檚 choir and piano arrangement of a hymn that was originally created by former professor Bill Barnes for Queen鈥檚 sesquicentennial in 1991 will be premiered.
The piece has five verses and will be performed by a 120-person choir. It was a massive undertaking, says Mr. Stratford. But now, after five months of hard, detailed work, he鈥檚 ready to see his creation come to life.
鈥淗earing it in the Isabel recital hall鈥 the acoustics are so good,鈥 Mr. Stratford says. 鈥淛ust having my piece played, it鈥檚 something I鈥檝e dreamt about, actually. I鈥檓 definitely excited to hear it in person.鈥
The opportunity arose from a meeting with music professor and award-winning composer John Burge to discuss one of Mr. Stratford鈥檚 composition assignments. At the end of the meeting Dr. Burge asked Mr. Stratford if he was interested in arranging the sesquicentennial piece as part of the continuing celebrations of Queen鈥檚 175th anniversary.
鈥淚t was a 鈥榠n the right place at the right time鈥 sort of thing,鈥 Mr. Stratford explains. 鈥淚 said yes, it鈥檚 such a great opportunity. Where else would you get that opportunity?鈥
Through the work Mr. Stratford has gained valuable compositional experience, which will help him as he continues his studies and into his future career.
鈥淜ento has produced a marvelous piece that added greatly to the original words and music,鈥 says Dr. Burge. 鈥淜ento possesses a very clear understanding of harmony and counterpoint and this experience has given him a firm foundation upon which to build as he develops his own compositional craft and creativity. Full credit and thanks also goes to Darrell Bryan, conductor of the Queen鈥檚 Choral Ensemble, for his support in bringing everything together.鈥
The Queen's Symphony Orchestra and Choral Ensemble鈥檚 year-end concert, featuring Carl Jenkins' , is being held at the Isabel on Friday, March 24 at 7:30 pm. Tickets 鈥 $15 adults; $7 students/seniors 鈥 are available online, by phone at 613-533-2424, or at the door.