Luminous Voices
Biography Luminous Voices
Timothy Shantz
As Founding Director of Luminous Voices, as well as Chorus Master for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and Artistic Director of the award-winning Spiritus Chamber Choir, the choirs of Dr. Timothy Shantz are recognized for their warmth and clarity of sound, and have garnered critical praise.
Shantz has a wealth of international experience as a conductor, collaborator, and tenor soloist. As conductor, Shantz is recognized for his work in early music, contemporary works, as well as virtuoso unaccompanied choral music, to large choral-orchestral masterpieces. Under his direction, Spiritus Chamber Choir earned the Healey Willan Grand Prize from the Canada Council in both 2017 and 2013, and earned 2nd prize at both the Fleischmann International Choral Competition in Cork, Ireland and the Florilege Vocal de Tours in France. He has also been guest conductor of the Kölner Vokalsolisten, the Cantata Singers of Ottawa, and the National Youth Choir of Canada.
Highlights include MacMillan's Seven Last Words from the Cross, Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine, Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil, Martin’s Messe pour double choeur, Handel’s Messiah and Mozart’s Requiem. He has prepared many choruses for the concert and stage, in collaboration with conductors Christoph Koenig, Joseph Flummerfelt, Paul Hillier, Roberto Minczuk, Grzegorz Nowak, John Morris Russell, Ivars Taurins, Yoav Talmi, Matthew Halls and Jean-Marie Zeitouni.
Peter-Anthony Togni
is an award-winning composer, pianist, organist, conductor and former CBC broadcaster. He has toured internationally, performs currently as part of Blackwood, and his recordings are broadcast worldwide. Togni's Responsio, performed by Luminous Voices in May 2016, won the 2014 Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts Award. In 2016, Peter's opera Isis and Osiris premiered to critical acclaim in Toronto. Togni teaches at Acadia University and is the organist and choir master of the Principle Choir at St Benedict Parish in Halifax.