High Standards
Talikser Players ring in the New Year with High Standards
For Immediate Release – Toronto, January 5, 2016: Talisker Players are putting on their dancing shoes and switching to a jazzier beat in High Standards on Sunday, January 10 at 3:30PM and Tuesday, January 13 at 8PM at Trinity St. Paul's Centre featuring soloists Virginia Hatfield and James Levesque.
High Standards takes audiences back to the golden age of Broadway and Hollywood music with popular favourites from The Great American Songbook – a cannon of the most important and influential North American songs from the 20th Century. In past years, the Talisker Players have paid tribute to great songwriters such as Noel Coward, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin, all of whom wrote both words and music for their songs. This year's programme samples songs that celebrate the partnerships between composers and lyricists that created some of the world's most beloved music. The programme features legendary collaborations from some of the iconic teams of Broadway history, including Rodgers and Hart, Lerner and Loewe, and Rodgers and Hammerstein as well as popular numbers such as "My Funny Valentine," "Summertime" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
Talisker cellist Laura Jones arranged the programme for soprano, baritone and string quartet. "If the arrangements you hear on this programme bring you a fraction of the pleasure I've found in listening to and playing the work of these artists, then I've done my job," shares Jones. She will host the concerts and introduce each piece providing additional context and history behind each number.
The Talisker Players are excited to feature two acclaimed soloists as guest artists for this programme – soprano Virginia Hatfield and baritone James Levesque.
Virginia Hatfield's sparkling voice is well known across Canada and has been hailed by The Guardian as a "golden soprano." As a member of the prestigious Canadian Opera Company Ensemble, Hatfield made her professional debut singing Frasquita in Carmen with the late Maestro Richard Bradshaw. A graduate of the University of Toronto and the Britten-Pears School in Aldeburgh, she has sung across Canada and made debuts in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Serbia, and Mexico.
James Levesque has been praised for his "expressive singing and strong acting abilities" (Opera Canada). Equally at home on both opera and concert stages, he has performed to acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. Recent opera highlights include the title role in Eugene Onegin with Opera by Request, Achilla in Giulio Cesare with Opera in Concert and Tsar Alexander I in the Canadian Opera Company's production of Prokofiev's War and Peace. He appeared with the Aldeburgh Connection in a Hugo Wolf programme, and at the 12th Annual Greta Kraus Schubertiade. Levesque is a member of the Bravura Baritones, a trio which is thrilling audiences across the country with their range of Broadway, pop and classical vocal music.
Concert Information
High Standards
Viginia Hatfield, soprano; James Levesque, baritone
with the Talisker Players Quartet
Sunday, January 10 at 3:30PM & Tuesday, January 12 at 8PM
Trinity St. Paul's Centre: 427 Bloor Street West
Ticket Information
Individual tickets: $35 / $25 (seniors) / $15 (students/un(der)employed)
Box office: 416-978-8849
Email: words.music@taliskerplayers.ca
Information: 416-466-1800
www.taliskerplayers.ca
Talisker Players Upcoming Events
Spirit Dreaming
Tuesday, March 1 & Wednesday, March 2 at 8PM
Ilana Zarankin, soprano, Laura McAlpine, mezzo soprano
Andrew Moodie, actor/reader
Trinity St. Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor Street West
Cross'd By The Stars
Tuesday, May 3 & Wednesday, May 4 at 8PM
Krisztina Szabó, mezzo soprano; Aaron Durand; baritone
Stewart Arnott, actor/reader
Trinity St. Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor Street West
– 30 –
Media Contact: Alexandra Glass, Media Manager | Tel: 226-792-4849 | Email: a.glass@taliskerplayers.c
Talisker Players Chamber Music offers one of the most imaginative and exciting concert series in Toronto. In collaboration with some of Canada's finest young singers, Talisker Players present the rarely-heard repertoire for voice and chamber ensemble. Their unique programming includes readings that illuminate the music and delight audiences with a stimulating, theatrical concert experience. The music, engaging and varied, includes both celebrated works and unknown gems from all styles and periods, with a strong presence of Canadian compositions.