HÄNDEL'S "LASCIA CH'IO PIANGA" BY SOPRANO JANELLE LUCYK AND XAVER VARNUS ON THE PALACE OF ARTS ORGAN

•●The Official Video Site of Concert Organist Xaver Varnus●•
Xaver Varnus' first piano teacher was Emma Németh, one of the last pupils of Debussy. He has played virtually every important organ in the world, including those in Bach's Thomaskirche in Leipzig (2014), Berliner Dom (2013), Notre-Dame (1981), Saint-Sulpice (2006) and Saint-Eustache (1996) in Paris, National Shrine in Washington, D.C. (1985), and Canterbury Cathedral (2004), as well as the largest existing instrument in the world, the Wanamaker Organ in Philadelphia (1985). His Quadruple Platinum Disc winning album "From Ravel to Vangelis" (SONY, 2007), is the best-selling organ CD ever. As a Canadian citizen, Xaver Varnus resides in Berlin, and in Brooklyn, Nova Scotia Peninsula, where he opened Varnus Hall in a 19th century church. "Put simply, Varnus is a monster talent, every bit as stimulating and individual as the late Glenn Gould" (The Globe & Mail, Canada's National Newspaper). "He is one of the most influential figure in organ music in the early twenty-first century." (Mark Wigmore, The New Classical FM, Canada).
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Janelle Lucyk is a leader among an emerging generation of artists specializing in old music and historically informed performance, taking ideas from conception to the stage. Janelle Lucyk graduated in 2014 with distinction from the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles in Belgium where she debuted Lux Aeterna, written for her and the Brussels Chamber Choir by Jan Moeyaert, performed as a soloist and recorded with Musica Fura (Praetorius Christmas Mass) and Laudantes Consort (Palestrina), and formed Voces Desuper, an ensemble performing regularly in the magnificent Cathédrale de Saints-Michel-et-Gudule, and especially at the Te Deum ceremony for the King and Queen of Belgium. Following, she completed her Masters in Management at Durham University in the UK and won the role of Susanna in Durham Opera Ensemble’s The Marriage of Figaro for which she was awarded the Best Soloist by Music Durham, and Best Female Soloist by her peers at the DOE. As a child, Janelle's family spent a lot of time living abroad through her dad's work, and so she was exposed to the different musical traditions in the many places they visited, living in Singapore, Australia, and Germany. Janelle was the youngest member of Regina Symphony Orchestra and with them performed Vivaldi's Four Seasons as violin soloist in 2009. Janelle has been captivated by Nova Scotia’s flourishing music scene since arriving in the stunning maritime province. She has had the good fortune of working as a soloist with the Kings College Chapel Choir under five-time Grammy winner Paul Halley on many unforgettable concerts including Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 and Selva Morale e Spirituale and multiple Bach Passions. She performs across Canada as a soloist with Per Sonatori, Ménestrel, Theatre of Early Music, Aureas Voces and Ensemble Caprice, and premiered jazz songs written for her by Peter-Anthony Togni. Following mentor and arts champion Barbara Butler, Janelle assumed the role of Artistic and Administrative Director of Musique Royale (est. 1985), a music presenter based in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia which enriches historic spaces across the spectacular maritime province through the sharing of world class early music, and much more.