Pianist Sarah Hagen is really excited about her next season of Musical Mornings, a series of intimate classical music concerts that launched in the fall of 2012 in Coquitlam.
Unfortunately, Hagen won't be revealing who she's got lined up to play with her though she promises it'll be a mix of voice, piano, strings and woodwinds.
Still, judging by the guest artists she's introduced to the Tri-Cities over the past year, Hagen will likely have the crème de la crème with her on the Evergreen Cultural Centre stage.
This season alone, her audience has seen performances by internationally acclaimed performers Rebecca Wenham (cello), David Gillham (violin), Anagnoson & Kinton (piano duo) and Nicholas Wright (violin).
Next Wednesday, she'll cap off her current series with prolific recording tenor Benjamin Butterfield, an associate professor at UVic.
"I think it's really fitting that Ben is finishing the season," said Hagen last Thursday, while on the way to the BC Ferries to meet with Butterfield. "For me, he represents the highest calibre of Canadian talent so I think that people will feel like we're - pardon the pun - leaving on a high note."
The pair met two years ago while Hagen was working with a soprano at Butterfield's home in Victoria.
They clicked right away and, after the lesson, Hagen emailed Butterfield to request he appear as part of her Musical Mornings series.
"He immediately said yes," Hagen said, "and we've loved working together ever since."
Beside their Coquitlam date, they'll also play this month at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre and the Port Theatre in Nanaimo.
Hagen promises it'll be a show to remember, starting with Schumann's Liederkreis Opus 24, a song cycle about love that was composed just after his marriage to Clara Wieck.
Hagen and Butterfield will also include a set from a touring project they are performing over the next three years to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War I.
There will be songs based on English poetry - some used to rouse the troops, others employed to encourage people at home with the war effort.
Finally, to round out the recital will be a set of early songs from Randy Newman, whom Butterfield considers one of America's greatest songwriters. "We've never made it through the set without one or both of us breaking down," she said, adding, "[The songs] are so amazing and [Ben] really brings the right flavour to them."
Tickets for Musical Mornings with pianist Sarah Hagen and tenor Benjamin Butterfield on Wednesday, April 15 at 10:30 a.m. are $20/$15. A reception will be held before the 75-minute recital at 10 a.m. with coffee, tea and treats available.
@jwarrenTC
