News

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 16, 2026

Contact:  Joanne Collier (403) 308-4997 OR joanneccollier@gmail.com 

On March 28th at 7:30 p.m., Vox Musica Choral Society, joined by Musaeus String Quartet (MSQ), local musicians and soloists Peter Monaghan and Reid Roberts, will present “Requiem” at Southminster United Church.  Featuring Gabriel Fauré’s exquisite “Requiem” along with other short, captivating choral works, this concert will offer Lethbridge audiences shimmering harmonies in the glorious acoustics of this historic local venue.

Complementing the “Requiem” will be four pieces sung by the voices of Vox Musica that will wrap listeners in healing beauty:  Felix Mendelssohn’s 8-voice a cappella motet, Richte, mich Gott, is a setting of Psalm 43 and prayer for deliverance seeking light and truth.  

Written when the young Fauré was only 19 years old, Cantique de Jean Racine is another heartfelt prayer for light and guidance; this exquisite piece will be accompanied by Mary Lee Voort on Southminster’s magnificent Casavant pipe organ.  

Also joining the choir will be Musaeus String Quartet, now establishing themselves as MSQ.  These talented musicians, Alina Khvatova, Airdrie Ignas, Gabe Kastelic and Mark Rogers, will offer Puccini’s Crisantemi, an elegy written on the death of the composer’s friend and named after the traditional Italian flower of mourning.  The quartet will collaborate with the choir on Mozart’s Ave verum corpus which was written towards the end of this composer’s life, and is arguably one of the most simple and perfect works of his extraordinary career.  The Ground, based on the final movement from Ola Gjeilo’s “Sunrise Mass”, will be accompanied by string quartet and piano, conveying a message of peace and the idea of being grounded at the end of a long, emotional journey.

The Fauré “Requiem” will see the instrumental ensemble expand as eight additional local musicians join MSQ and the choir.  The roster will be completed with soloists Peter Monaghan, bass and young Reid Roberts, treble.  First performed in 1888 at a funeral service at the Church of the Madeleine in Paris, the Requiem has undergone several revisions over time, with this performance edited by John Rutter being very close to Fauré’s 1893 version.  Requiem depicts the timelessness of human existence with texts that were personally chosen by Fauré, emphasizing the themes of hope, light, and above all, peace.  

Vox Musica’s musical director, Joanne Collier, shares that “the music is timeless and exquisite.  Fauré chose to leave out many parts of the traditional liturgy that depict hell and damnation, choosing instead to lead us on a journey of longing, sorrow, hope, and eventually, a beautiful and blissful peace.”

For lovers of choral music, this concert is not to be missed.  Tickets are available in advance at Eventbrite, voxmusicalethbridge.org, CASA, the door on event night. Adults $25, Students $15, Children under 12 free with an adult.