Calgary Classical

Experience music that transcends borders.

Montréal-based early and Middle Eastern music ensemble Constantinople returns to Calgary with another fascinating cross-cultural musical exploration featuring director Kiya Tabassian with Didem Basar and Patrick Graham.

Known for weaving together musical traditions from the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and beyond, this concert brings together virtuosic performance and storytelling in a captivating blend of musical worlds.

They will bring us on a journey with musical treasures from medieval Spanish and Italian repertoire to Persian music from the 16th and 17th centuries, plus a few original compositions based on 13th-century Persian poetry.

Traversées�Sunday, May 3, 2026 | 3 PM | Christ Church Elbow Park

More info: https://www.calgaryclassical.ca/event/1397-Travers%C3%A9es

Presented by Early Music Voices

PREVIEW: Luminous Voices explores centuries of sacred music in season finale

As its 2025/26 season comes to a close, Calgary’s professional chamber choir Luminous Voices presents a program that reaches across nearly 300 years of music—bringing together two deeply expressive works that reflect on grief, faith, and the human experience.

At the heart of the April 3 concert is a pairing that feels both contrasting and connected: Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and James MacMillan’s Seven Last Words from the Cross.

The evening begins with Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, written shortly before his death in 1736 at just 26 years old. Originally composed for a small religious group in Naples, the piece has become one of the most beloved works of the Baroque era —known for its emotional immediacy and operatic beauty. Even in its more intimate moments, it carries a sense of intensity that continues to resonate with audiences today.

From there, the program shifts into a very different musical language. James MacMillan ’s Seven Last Words from the Cross, composed in 1995, brings together contemporary choral writing with influences drawn from Scottish folk traditions, including the distinctive rhythms and ornamentation of bagpipe music. Written for choir and strings, the work reflects on the final words of Christ, balancing moments of stillness with passages of striking intensity.

“MacMillan’s Seven Last Words is an incredibly powerful work portraying human suffering,” says Artistic Director Tim Shantz. “It’s raw, deeply spiritual music that speaks directly to the listener.”

Read full story: https://www.calgaryclassical.ca/feature/134-Sacred-Works-for-Choir-and-Strings