By Tabitha Brasso-Ernst (Brand Engagement & Communications Coordinator) for Bachstage Pass

Fresh off the Vancouver Bach Choir’s widely praised performance of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United — conducted by Leslie Dala and noted for its momentum and clarity — soprano Chloé Hurst and baritone Aaron Durand are still very much in motion.

Between a busy slate of holiday concerts, their ongoing Opera 101 series at Isetta Café Bistro in West Vancouver, and appearances around the city — including Opera Pub at La Fabrique St-George — the duo are navigating a season defined by collaboration and connection.

At the centre of it all: Bach.

Aaron Durand and Chloé Hurst. Photo courtesy of Aaron Durand, Chloé Hurst, Gavin Froome, and Geoff Brown.

Bach, Finally

For Durand, the Christmas Oratorio marked his first public Bach performance as a soloist — a long-anticipated step after years of waiting for his technique to meet the music. As a higher-voice baritone, the repertoire had always felt just out of reach.

“At first? Daunting,” Durand says. “I’ve been wanting to sing Bach for so long. It’s only in the last few years that lower music has become more comfortable.”

One aria in particular, Großer Herr, had followed him since his teens. Given early by a teacher with the understanding that it would take time, the piece finally reached the stage this season.

Hurst’s relationship with Bach is long-standing. While opportunities to perform the composer are rare, his large-scale works — especially the St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion, and B-minor Mass — have shaped her musical life for years.

“There is no other composer who has ever given me literal heartache and tears of joy like Bach’s music,” Hurst says. “It’s home to me.”

Chloé Hurst and Aaron Durand. Photo courtesy of Chloé Hurst, Aaron Durand, and Diamond’s Edge Photography.

A Concert That Flew By

Under Dala’s direction, with orchestra and choir working in close alignment, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio carried a momentum audiences immediately felt. Hurst recalls feeling unusually joyful throughout the run, describing the experience as one of the most fun she has had in a concert setting.

Durand agrees — summing it up with a laugh:

“The vibes were immaculate.”

Audience feedback echoed that energy, with listeners remarking on how immersive the nearly three-hour program felt and how quickly it seemed to pass — a testament to the pacing and collective focus of the performance.

Aaron Durand and Chloé Hurst. Photo courtesy of Aaron Durand, Chloé Hurst, and Gavin Froome.

Opera 101

That same instinct — to bring audiences inside the music — sits at the heart of Opera 101, the performance-and-conversation series Hurst and Durand co-created.

The project began after a private event performance where they found themselves naturally talking through the music without surtitles or formal structure. Among those listening was Thomas Eleizegui, founder of Isetta, who soon invited them to bring the idea into his space.

Since their first show in June 2023, Opera 101 has grown into a flexible and mobile format. It just finished its 15th performance at Isetta alone, all the while venturing into new cafés, private events, orchestral collaborations, and conversations with Vancouver Opera about future iterations.

“We didn’t want it to be something people could just Google,” Durand says. “We wanted it to feel like we were all around the same campfire.”

Aaron Durand and Chloé Hurst at Isetta Cafe Bistro. Photo courtesy of Chloé Hurst, Aaron Durand, and Gavin Froome.

Working Together

As partners and collaborators, Hurst and Durand rehearse their spoken material as carefully as the music itself, shaping programs side by side rather than dividing responsibilities. Feedback moves both ways — about pacing, clarity, and tone — with each serving as the other’s first audience.

“Holding space for the other person is huge,” Hurst says. “We practice what we’re going to say as much as we practice the singing.”

Durand describes their process as intentionally shared.

“We try not to hand off entire departments,” he says. “We go to the same corner together and work on it together.”

The result is a collaborative approach that treats opera not as a lecture, but as a gathering.

With Bach still resonating, Opera 101 continuing to grow, and a full season unfolding, Hurst and Durand are building something grounded and generous — music that invites people closer and makes space for everyone around the fire.

Aaron Durand and Chloé Hurst. Photo courtesy of Aaron Durand, Chloé Hurst, and Diamond’s Edge Photography.