Arion welcomes Thomas Dunford

To conduct this eclectic program, Arion is delighted to welcome French lutenist Thomas Dunford, “the Eric Clapton of the lute,” according to BBC Magazine. Conceived by this guest conductor as a voyage through works from Purcell to Bernstein, in which Quebec soprano Marianne Lambert’s lustrous voice and charismatic presence are sure to delight.

Artists
Arion Baroque Orchestra

Thomas Dunfor, lute and conducting

Thomas DunfordBorn in Paris in 1988, Thomas Dunford discovered the lute at the age of nine, thanks to his first teacher Claire Antonini. He completed his studies in 2006 at the Conservatoire de Paris (CRR), when he obtained a unanimous 1st Prize with honors in the class of Charles-Edouard Fantin. Thomas Dunford continued his studies at the Schola Cantorum in Basel with Hopkinson Smith, and participated in several master classes with artists the caliber of Rolf Lislevand and Julian Bream, and in workshops with Eugène Ferré, Paul O’Dette, Pascale Boquet, Benjamin Perrot and Eduardo Eguez. He was awarded his Bachelor’s degree in 2009.

From September 2003 through to January 2005, Thomas gave his first performances playing the role of the lutenist in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night on stage at the Comédie française. Since then, Thomas has played recitals in New York’s Carnegie Hall and Frick Collection, London’s Wigmore Hall, the Washington Kennedy Center, the Vancouver Recital Society, Cal performances at Berkeley, the Banff center, the Palau de la Musica in Barcelona, the festivals of Saintes, Utrecht, Maguelone, Froville, TAP Poitiers, WDR Cologne, Radio France Montpellier, Saffron Hall.

Marianne Lambert, soprano

Marianne LambertYoung soprano, Marianne Lambert is a finalist for the Opus Award for the romantic album of the year with Mélodies Passagères, recipient of the Opus Award fort Concert of the Year – Regions  for Bel Canto, the An die Musik Recital Award at the 25th Clermont-Ferrand International Singing Competition, as well as the Grand Prix for the 20th Concours International de Chant de Marmande. A diamond voice with shimmering colours, Marianne Lambert displays a stunning stage presence. The intelligence behind her acting is equaled only by her impressive vocal control.

Former member of the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, Marianne was a guest soloist of these prestigious orchestras: Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières, Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Orchestre Métropolitain, McGill Chamber Orchestra, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, and Orchestre symphonique de la Grande-Bretagne.

Program
John Dowland
“Come Again” (First Book of Songs or Ayres)
Lachrimae
King of Denmark’s Galliard
“Now, O, now, I needs must part” (First Book of Songs or Ayres)
Henry Purcell
The Fairy-Queen, Z.629 (excerpts)
“When I am laid in earth” (Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626)
Georg Frideric Handel
Suite no. 4 in D minor, HWV 437 (excerpts) “Guardian Angels” (The Triumph of Time and Truth, HWV 71)
“No, no I’ll take no less” (Semele, HWV 58)
Leonard Bernstein
West Side Story (excerpts)

Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 7:30pm
Sunday, April 6, 2025 at 2:30pm
Salle Bourgie

To purchase your tickets, visit: www.arionbaroque.com