Performer: Kevin D Skelton

David Fallis and colleagues offered a ravishing -- and original -- gift of Christmas music with an "alternate" Venetian Vespers drawn from Monteverdi's last published collection of sacred music. 

Opera Atelier's return to the earliest part of the repertoire with Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria showcases their strengths in a relatively restrained production anchored by a strong ensemble cast.