by Sophie Kuijper Dickson
Ottawa
May 4, 2024
Pontiac High School theatre teacher and Clarendon farmer Phil Holmes is making a gradual return to the stage with his longtime passion of opera singing.
On Saturday evening, Holmes joined the Rideau Chorale as a baritone soloist for the choir’s performance of Fauré’s Requiem at the Southminster United Church in Ottawa.
“It was really fun to get back into it again,” Holmes said. “I haven’t been doing much since the pandemic. We shut down Under the Pines the year before the pandemic because of the kids. We needed more time, and I haven’t really done anything since then.”
Holmes used to organize Pontiac’s own classical music festival, Under the Pines, with his wife Alina. They put on the last festival in 2018.
Since then, Holmes has not had many opportunities to exercise his vocal muscles, aside from the frequent requests he gets from the students he teaches at the high school.
“Sing us some opera, Mr. Holmes!” he laughed, recalling a common plea he hears in class.
Holmes said the choir’s director, Kevin Reeves, made a personal request that Holmes take on the piece’s baritone solo.
“He jokes he’s trying to slowly pull me out of retirement.” Holmes said, admitting he is tempted, especially because many baritone voices hit their prime around the age of 40.
“I miss it. It’s such an important part of what I used to do, it’s what I went to school for, and I truly love it. I’ve been all over the world singing.”
Holmes said Saturday’s concert was the fifth time he sang Favré’s Requiem, a piece near to his heart. The first time he performed it was as a young chorister singing in a choir with his father.
As for the future of Under the Pines, Holmes said it’s all up in the air.
“We probably would have started back again this summer if it hadn’t been for baby number four coming along, but I would imagine we’ll do something this Christmas,” Holmes teased.
“But you never know, there might be something in the works, maybe a one-off this summer.”
