Langley Community Music School alumni Stephen Duncan, baritone, and pianist Derek Stanyer will be performing in the school’s upcoming Concerts Cafe Classico series on Sunday, March 10.
The concert is part of the school’s 50th anniversary celebrations, and the performers are looking forward to their return.
“I’m incredibly excited to return to LCMS and my hometown for a concert with Derek,” said Duncan.
“The school was my second home for 17 years growing up, and it is especially meaningful to do another concert with Derek because our families and history have been so intertwined.”
The duo will present a variety of vocal and piano repertoire with songs by British composers Roger Quilter, Gerald Finzi, and Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Duncan will also perform songs in Russian.
“I guarantee that some of the music we are presenting has never been performed in Langley before,” he added.
When they were young students at the music school, Duncan and Stanyer met and began playing together.
Duncan is now completing his bachelors in vocal performance at the University of British Columbia, and sings with the Vancouver vocal ensemble called Musica Intima.
He is preparing for the role of Don Giovanni in the UBC opera production in June.
Stanyer studied piano for eight years at LCMS and proceeded to earn his masters of music from the University of Ottawa.
He is now near the completion of a doctor of musical arts from UBC.
There will be a pre-concert conversation with the duo and LCMS artistic director Elizabeth Bergmann, followed by a short break with coffee and refreshments before the performance at 3:30 pm.
“LCMS has watched these two young men grow as musicians over the years and we are thrilled to have them return to our stage as alumni. Their career paths can serve as an inspiration to the next generation of young musicians at LCMS. The duo’s varied programme will bring some not-so-often heard, but beautifully poetic vocal repertoire to our concert hall,” added Bergmann.
Tickets cost $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, and $10 for students and can be purchased online here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/stephen-duncan-baritone-derek-stanyer-piano-tickets-47315768738
Complimentary coffee and tea will be served at 2:30 p.m., and the concert begins at 3:30 p.m. at The Rose Gellert Hall at 4899 207 Street.