Savour an afternoon of contemporary music favourites, from jazz instrumentals and pop standards to Dolly Parton.
Langley Community Music School’s (LCMS) Contemporary Music Faculty Ensemble will showcase their vocal and musical talents at a Concerts Café Classico performance on Sunday, Nov. 19.
This six-person ensemble includes vocalists Rachel Button, Alisia Lyne and Liana Savard, with musicians Tim Stacey (bass), Jean-Marc Stacey (piano) and Bruce Henczel (drums).
The event will feature some well-known popular songs, as well as some original songs written by Button, including Long Way Round and Roll It Way. Other music includes Alisia Lyne’s arrangement of Down to the River to Pray, as well as Love Makes the World Go Round, I Want You Back – Lake Street Dive, Lost Mind, You Are My Sunshine, and Dolly Parton’s Little Sparrow.
“I am looking forward to this concert with much anticipation,” said LCMS artistic director Elizabeth Bergmann.
“The programme promises to be refreshingly different, showcasing a lively and inspiring mix of known tunes as well some original material. It is always a pleasure to hear a new take on some standards, as well as listening to and discovering newly written music that is very personal to the performers. It is a wonderful way to kick off Canada Music Week.”
The event starts at 2:30 p.m. at the Rose Gellert Hall, 4899 207 St., with a pre-concert conversation with the six performers, hosted by Bergmann. This commentary will explore career anecdotes and highlight insights into the selected repertoire. There will be a short break with coffee and refreshments, before the performance from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for students. Call the box office at 604-534-2848 to purchase.
This performance will also mark the beginning of Canadian Music Week, a national campaign by the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Association to promote and celebrate Canadian musicians.
LCMS will further celebrate this week with a featured performance on Nov. 25 at 2 p.m. by LCMS students, faculty, Children’s Choir and Fiddlers. Making it extra special, in honour of Canada’s 150th Birthday, LCMS has commissioned several works by composers in the community that will be premiered at this concert.
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
Rachel Button, a LCMS vocal coach, is a professional singer-songwriter, and international performer and recording artist with a Master’s degree from the London College of Music.
Her 10-year career includes recordings in Nashville, Tenn., with Grammy award-winning producer Paul Worley (Lady Antebelum, Dixie Chicks, Martina McBride), award-winning producer David Kalmusky, (Journey, John Oates, Justin Bieber, Emerson Drive), and producer Bobby Holland, as well as background vocals with Darius Rucker for the movie Life On The Line starring John Travolta.
Button’s song Heatwave was nominated for ‘Best Song of The Year 2015’ at the Manitoba Country Music Awards and her song If You Met Me Now was released on Fiona Culley’s album in 2016.
Alisia Lyne, a singer-songwriter and LCMS vocal coach, has worked with many of the music industry’s finest including Dave Pierce, Bob Rock, Richie Sambora, Jann Arden, Jim Byrnes, Brad Turner, Jodi Proznick, Jimmy D. Lane, Miles Ramsay, Dee Daniels, Dal Richards, Salome Bay, Corlynn Hanney, Jillian Lebeck, Bria Skonberg, Bob McGrath, and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
Her original recordings have been played on Indie radio stations in Europe and in the USA and her song Always Be There For You won ‘Best Songwriter’ by the BC Country Music Association. She has won vocal competitions in Canada and the United States, and has appeared on various television and radio programs including The Vicki Gabereau Show, CBC Spotlight on Vancouver, Shaw Cable and Washington State’s KAPS 660 Radio.
Liana Savard, a LCMS educator, singer and director, has performed music for the past 16 years. She holds a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Alberta, and a Bachelor of Music degree in jazz studies from Capilano College. In addition to teaching at LCMS’ vocal studio, Savard serves as artistic director of the Vancouver Orpheus Male Voice Choir.
Tim Stacey, a bass player and LCMS teacher, has played and recorded with numerous orchestral ensembles, musical theatre productions and jazz groups, including the Vancouver Intercultural Orchestra, the Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra, the Victoria Symphony and Ballet B.C.
Trained at the University of Victoria, York University and Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music, he has also worked with Hagood Hardy, Dame Vera Lynn, Dal Richards Orchestra, Michael Buble and Michael Kaeshammer.
Pianist and LCMS faculty member, Jean-Marc Stacey, is a versatile musician, soloist, and accompanist with over 15 years of performing experience. Trained as both a classical and jazz pianist, he has studied under Ellen Silverman, Eva Solar-Kinderman, Alan Matheson, and Sharon Minemoto and holds a Bachelor of Applied Music from Vancouver Community College and a Diploma of Performing Arts from Douglas College.
Drummer Bruce Henczel, is a performer, composer, soloist, chamber artist, clinician and teacher with a Master of Music in Percussion Performance from the University of British Columbia. With two acclaimed recordings and internationally-distributed print music, Henczel was chosen to represent Canada with an original composition for the 2016 International Handbell Symposium.
He has performed as the concerto soloist with the Vancouver Philharmonic, the West Coast Symphony, Okanagan Symphony Orchestra and the Kwantlen University Wind Symphony and Chorus. He performs regularly with the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble, and has performed with Winter Harp, Plastic Acid, and Symphony of the West.