Soprano Christina Raphaëlle Haldane is joined by her constant collaborator and cousin, pianist Carl Philippe Gionet, for their Digital Series recital “Why think about tomorrow? … Seize the days of summer”. Filmed in the beautiful Église de Saint-Simon, in New Brunswick’s Acadian peninsula, this recital features themes of waiting, fortitude, the fragility of life, whimsy and humour. The program highlights the works of one of the most celebrated baroque composers of vocal music, George Frideric Handel, alongside more contemporary offerings from the vibrant Canadian music scene. Folksongs from traditional Acadian culture are given new life, in these re-imaginings by Carl Philippe Gionet, written especially for Christina’s voice. Cecilia Livingston’s haunting and modern interpretation of Homer’s ‘Penelope’ with its rippling jazz motifs, leads seamlessly into Oscar Peterson’s touching love ballad ‘Why think about tomorrow’ the only song which he wrote the lyrics to. Christina has been fortunate to have released the only professional recording of this beautiful and warm piece by the celebrated jazz legend.

About Christina Raphaelle Haldane

CHRISTINA’s career spans the UK, Europe, Asia and North America, and she is currently based in Canada’s Atlantic provinces. She has interpreted many lead opera roles, having performed for opera houses such as The Finnish National Opera, The Royal Opera Covent Garden, Scottish Opera and Musica Viva Hong Kong. Her specialism is performing HANDEL’S HEROINES, COMEDIC BEL CANTO roles and CONTEMPORARY opera. Christina enjoys performing and curating RECITAL and CHAMBER MUSIC concerts, and she is often invited to perform with LEADING ORCHESTRAS. Her exploration of contemporary music has led to many collaborations with composers, and she continues to bring their VOCAL WORKS TO LIFE. She is a bilingual English and French speaker, and her Canadian heritage is Acadian.
Christina is looking forward to some exciting creative activities and collaborations in the upcoming 2021/ 22 season. Her artistic partnership with her cousin, interdisciplinary artist Carl Philippe Gionet, continues to flourish. Together, they will be curating and workshopping his reimaginings of 12 ACADIAN FOLKSONGS, which will culminate in a new vocal edition and recording of the arrangements. This project is generously funded by ARTS NB and MUSIC NB. Christina is also thrilled to have been selected as one of this season’s ‘EXPORT NB’ artists, a prestigious career development initiative with MUSIC NB, in her home province of New Brunswick.

Recently Christina has begun delving into the world of recording. In 2019 she released her critically acclaimed debut album ‘… LET ME EXPLAIN’ a collection of Canadian art songs which explores folk, jazz and avant-garde styles, and in 2020 she was the lead artist for ICARE, an interdisciplinary digital performance product produced through the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Innovation initiative, in partnership with CBC/ Radio Canada.

Highlights from Christina’s operatic career in the bel canto and music of Handel feature the title role in Donizetti’s LA FILLE DU RÉGIMENT (Swansea City Opera & Musica Viva Hong Kong), Clorinda in Rossini’s LA CENERENTOLA (Iford Arts & Scottish Opera), Adina in Donizetti’s L’ELISIR D’AMORE (Musica Viva Hong Kong), Cleopatra in GIULIO CESARE (Finnish National Opera) and the title role in RODELINDA (Opera in Concert Toronto).

Christina has enjoyed a strong relationship with the Royal Opera Covent Garden. She performed the London premiere of Jonathan Dove’s MINTERNE in the Crush Room recital space and the role of Rapunzel in their production of Sondheim’s INTO THE WOODS. As a cover artist for the Royal Opera, Christina has been engaged as Fiorilla in Rossini’s IL TURCO IN ITALIA, Sifare in Mozart’s MITRIDATE, Nella in Puccini’s GIANNI SCHICCHI and Silvia in Thomas Adès’ bold opera THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL (also for the Salzburg Festival). Christina’s performance of Silvia’s aria was streamed to over 50 000 viewers in the ROYAL OPERA HOUSE INSIGHTS special on Adès’ exciting new opera.

In 2019 she joined the Voice Faculty at Dalhousie’s Fountain School of Performing Arts, and continues to combine performing and teaching. Home for Christina is in Moncton, where she lives with her partner Patrice and their two diva dog Pomerians.

-Click HERE for Christina’s Full Biography-

About Carl Philippe Gionet

Carl Philippe Gionet is an Acadian pianist and multidisciplinary artist, with a focus on visual arts and literature. As a musician, whether as a soloist or a collaborative pianist, he is in great demand across Canada and Europe. After obtaining his doctorate in piano performance (Université de Montréal, 2010), he pursued specialized training in Austria and England, and participated in numerous internationally renowned master classes and residencies. Carl is a recipient of many arts awards, including those from the Sylva-Gelber Music Foundation, the Canada Council for the Arts and the New Brunswick Arts Council, amongst many others. Carl is dedicated to enabling young musicians through his teaching work, and in 2013 he founded Musique sur mer en Acadie, a festival dedicated to the education and promotion of classical music in the Acadian Peninsula, and he is on faculty as a piano teacher and vocal coach at Biima in Italy. As a visual artist, he works mainly within the world of painting and large format video installations, where he creates almost exclusively in black and white. He finds himself inspired by the contrasts observed in nature, and his work is intended to be both introspective and contemplative, allowing the pieces to express, thus offering audiences many avenues of interpretation. An accomplished writer, Carl’s first book, Icare, will be published this autumn by Éditions Prise de parole.