As has become the custom, the two members of the Ensemble Studio completing their stints at the end of this season gave a “Les adieux” recital in the RBA on Tuesday. It was time to say goodbye to Emily Rocha and Duncan Stenhouse with Liz Upchurch as our stalwart accompanist.

Emily chose a programme of mostly French chansons which was really rather lovely. She sang smoothly and expressively in Bizet’s Chanson d’avril and with a rather elegant languor in Paladilhe’s Psyché. There was more of the same in songs by Debussy and Poulenc; beauty, control, expressiveness! The one venture intoi opera was “Prendi, per me sei libero” from Donizetti’s l’elisir d’amore reminding us that she will be singing Adina at the COC next season. Elegant singing here too, coupled with plenty of heft.

Duncan has a background singing traditional music as well, obviously, as being classically trained and he picked a programme of traditional (or traditionally inspired) songs from various parts of the world that he’s lived in or which have family connections in (mostly) settings for piano and voice by various composers. I listen pretty carefully when singers sing this material and usually it’s easy to tell whether the singer has a background in traditional singing (think Thomas Allen or Chris Maltman) and that’s clearly the case with Duncan. In fact as he went through the set he seemed to be allowing himself a little more freedom and the effect was all to the good. In fact he ended up singing two songs without accompaniment and, for me, they were the highlights. Bit of a jokey finish too with a barbershop quartet arrangement of Wayne Chauk’s Saltwater Joys where he was joined by Angelo Moretti, Ben Wallace and Nick Murphy.

Definitely a recital of two halves; both enjoyable in their own ways.

Photo credit: Karen E. Reeves