Bach To The Future – Afternoon

BACH TO THE FUTURE
April 1, 2023
Gordon Gerrard, conductor
Christian Robinson, violin
Caitlin Wood, soprano

BACH: Brandenburg Concerto No.1 in F Major
VILLA-LOBOS: Bachianas Brasileiras
BACH-RESPIGHI: Sonata in E Minor
BACH: Cantata No. 202

Christian Robinson, violin

Violinist Christian Robinson has an extremely active career as a chamber musician and orchestral leader. Having been awarded the prestigious Felix Galimir Award for Chamber Music during his studies at the University of Toronto, his solo and chamber music activities have seen him perform in feature concerts for many of Canada’s premier festivals and concert presenters. He co-founded the JUNO and Félix-nominated Silver Birch String Quartet, which became one of Canada’s most active young string quartets, with concerts throughout Canada and the United States as well as a residency position at Laurentian University in Sudbury ON. A recipient of numerous grants from the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts, his chamber music performances with the SBSQ and in other configurations have been frequently broadcast nationally on CBC Radio and Radio-Canada. Christian joined the Regina Symphony Orchestra as Principal 2nd Violin in 2016, and was appointed Concertmaster in 2018. He is currently co-director of Regina Summer Strings, an exciting summer learning program for string players based in Regina each July, and is violin instructor in the music department at the University of Regina. Outside of his musical activities, Christian can be found perfecting his ramen recipes, studying and collecting wine, and especially enjoying time with his wife Julie and son Linden around their neighbourhood in the Cathedral area of Regina.Caitlin Wood, soprano

Caitlin Wood, soprano

Alberta-born soprano Caitlin Wood was “absolutely vibrant” and showed “great comic flair” in her debut as Susanna in Vancouver Opera Festival’s The Marriage of Figaro. Caitlin portrayed Ava in City Opera Vancouver’s 2017 world premiere of Marie Clements/Brian Current’s powerful opera Missing, showing “exquisite vulnerability”.

Caitlin begins this season in Pacific Opera Victoria’s Il Trittico and reprises the role of Ava in the company’s touring production of Missing.

Upcoming performances for Caitlin include Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro and Cunegonde in Bernstein’s Candide, both with Edmonton Opera, as well as “Topsy Turvy”, a concert of Gilbert and Sullivan favourites with Chorus Niagara and Niagara Symphony.

Mark Morris called Caitlin’s recent Comtesse Adele “the standout performance of the evening” in Edmonton Opera’s Le Comte Ory, and as Adele in Toronto Operetta Theatre’s Die Fledermaus, Paula Citron praised her “charming stage presence”. Recent concert performances for Caitlin include Vancouver Bach Choir/Vancouver Opera Festival’s premiere of Brian Current’s The River of Light, Carmina Burana with Ottawa Choral Society, and Mozart’s Requiem with Windsor Symphony Orchestra.

Caitlin received her Masters of Music in Opera Performance from University of Toronto, and gained attention as Joanna in Sweeney Todd while a member of Vancouver Opera’s Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist Program."