The Music of John Dowland

Cecilia Concerts presents Nêhiyaw-Michif/Cree-Métis baritone Jonathon Adams and lutenist Lucas Harris of the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra in an evening of Renaissance music by John Dowland that is certain to transport listeners back in time.

John Dowland, born in England in 1562, was a composer, virtuoso lutenist, and skilled singer who was one of the most famous musicians of his time. Dowland performed for European kings and queens, and colonial decision-makers and his works for lute and baritone provide beautiful echoes of the music played and sung in royal courts, chambers, and music halls four centuries ago. This concert, presented in the Lilian Piercey Concert Hall within the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts at 6199 Chebucto Road, will center on Dowland’s music, providing a unique opportunity to experience the enchanting melodies and rich harmonies of Renaissance music.

Born in amiskwaciwâskahikan/Edmonton, Jonathon Adams has appeared as a soloist with Philippe Herreweghe, Sigiswald Kuijken, Vox Luminis, Servir Antico, and B’Rock Orchestra at Opera-Ballet Flanders. In December, Jonathon made their solo debut with the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Centre in Manhattan. Also, this past year, Jonathon was named the first Indigenous Artist-in-Residence at the University of Toronto’s Historical Performance Program. He was named the first-ever artist-in-residence at Early Music Vancouver. They are also featured in the film MESSIAH/COMPLEX created by Against the Grain Theatre and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Jonathon attended The Royal Academy of Music and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and studied with Nancy Argenta, Emma Kirkby, and Edith Wiens. In addition to performing, Jonathon offers an annual workshop for singers at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance in e’se’katik/Lunenburg.

Lucas Harris studied early music in Italy at the Civica scuola di musica di Milano (as a scholar of the Marco Fodella Foundation), then in Germany at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen.  Originally from the USA, Lucas now lives in Tkaronto/Toronto, where he has been the regular lutenist for the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra for more than two decades and performs with many other ensembles in the USA and Canada, including the Smithsonian Chamber Players and the Helicon Foundation.  He is also a founding member of the Toronto Continuo Collective, the Vesuvius Ensemble. and the Lute Legends Ensemble. For many years Lucas has been on faculty at the Tafelmusik Summer and Winter Baroque Institutes as well Oberlin Conservatory’s Baroque Performance Institute and has also taught for Vancouver Early Music’s Baroque Vocal Programme, the International Baroque Institute at Longy, and Amherst Early Music.