31st day of Christmas

The years I sang in the Kitchener-Waterloo Philharmonic Choir and Chamber Choir, I was very lucky to sing with some world class guest soloists- Ben Heppner, Michael Schade, Erin Wall, Measha Brugger-Gossman, Suzie LeBlanc and Russel Braun, to name a few. Of all the soloists that joined us, my favourite was Karina Gauvin.

One of the premiere Baroque Sopranos in the world these days, Karina's voice is a perfect blend of light, agile clarity and lustrous warmth. She also has a vivacious personality that in performance, makes her just riveting.  I never saw her put on any of the airs that some stars do- after concerts, she usually asked to tag along with choir members for our traditional post-concert pub visit. I always thought she had an elegant grace and a deliciously mischievous sense of humour. And, an amazing voice.

Since this is the last instalment in "Amazing Voices Tuesday", I had to also include my other favourite soprano (and one who needs no introduction), Renee Fleming. I could go on and on about her incredible voice, musicianship and out-of-this-world interpretive abilities... but these all speak for themselves when you see her in performance.