Romanza In Concert- L'Arte del Tenore
By Romanza on January 25, 2006 - 2:09am
ROMANZA IN CONCERT
L'Arte del Tenore
February 4th, 2006 - 7:30 pm
Canadian Memorial United Church, 15th Ave. & Burrard St, Vancouver
Romantic Tenor Trio Proud of Checkered PastParents take heart. If your child isn’t a musical prodigy by age 5 or your teenager only plays heavy metal; there is still hope for a career in classical music. Just look at Romanza. This trio may sing opera now, but nothing in their early years hinted at their current life as classical tenors.
Philip Grant, Ken Lavigne and Frederik Robert have been identified as "three talented, young, classically trained lyric tenors who have separately been delighting audiences across North America and Europe." Join these BC tenors for their concert Saturday, February 4 at 7:30 PM at Canadian Memorial United Church. That’s the corner of 16th Avenue and Burrard Street in Vancouver.
It promises to be an evening of ethereal music. One voice begins; the others join, gently weaving in and out. Their music ebbs and flows from solo to trio to silence.
However, they didn’t start out studying opera. "Frederik was a Dickie Dee guy, Ken worked in construction with his father, and I was a heavy metal rocker." Says Grant.
Today these three are thoroughly trained operatic tenors. As lyric tenors, they sing the music that speaks to the heart. Grant says, "Sure we’re trained opera singers but we sing music for everyone’s soul."
"The three of us in Romanza have toured together for 2 years. We have 50 concerts under our belt." says Grant. "We enjoy being together whether it be on stage, in rehearsal or at the pub. While we take the music seriously we don’t take ourselves too seriously."
For an evening of romance, joy, passion, grief and transcendent peace, try Romanza in concert Saturday Feb 4 at 7:30 pm at Canadian Memorial United Church. Tickets are $20 at the door or $18 in advance at Canadian Memorial United Church or Sikora’s Classical Music. Catch them now, before they leave on their transatlantic tour in late February.
For more information on Romanza Please Contact:Philip Grant
(604) 779-3050
philipgrant@lycos.com
www.romanzamusic.comCD Available upon request
Frederik speaks French and English
"On Friday night, they were greeted with cheers and, ultimately, two standing ovations", "...fine, robust singing...boasts a naturally, beautiful, powerful tenor voice...it is just plain exhilarating... they display an impressive ability to imbue a song with emotion" -Times Colonist
"The full abandon of their voices melt cultural boundaries, bringing tranquil peace, floating through the tone and texture of their song" -Monday Magazine
"I hesitate to categorize Romanza as opera; it’s more about three classically trained singers sharing good times with enthusiastic friends. With a growing reputation for great shows."- H.Naesgaard, The Alberni Valley Times
Backgrounder for Romanza:Frederick Robert says, "I didn’t study voice as a kid. Singing was just something I did for kicks. I never thought I could make any money at it. I grew up in a francophone community outside Edmonton, St. Albert. I was a Dickie Dee man." He rode the pedal powered freezer around his neighbourhood selling ice cream on warm summer evenings. "My voice was useful. I had a strong voice and could hit those high tenor notes even at 15. One heckler I used to have, I could shut up with ‘O Sole Mio’. I figured out how opera sounded and just did it. Later on, I realized it took a little more than that. Studying with a voice coach from the Metropolitan Opera in New York really got me onto the right track, musically."
Ken Lavigne sang and danced in amateur musical theatre in Victoria while working summers in construction. He once sang the lead in Oliver. The two others say of Ken, "He’s a very laid back, relaxed fellow. He has lots of talent, the operatic skills just kind of followed."
Ken doesn’t talk music much but ask him about his children and his enthusiasm shows. When not touring, he lives on a farm outside Chemainus with his wife and two small children. "I love the rural life." This tenor says, "My most important role is Daddy."
Philip Grant grew up in Ontario singing in a rock band. "We played a lot of KISS songs so we called ourselves SMOOCH." After high school, while earning a marketing degree, Philip switched to a hardcore, heavy metal band. I never thought you could make money at music. Some play for scale, we worked for beer." After a few years working in Marketing I knew it just wasn’t for me." Then opera beckoned. Years of study followed. "It’s all brought me to this. Romanza, this trio, was where I was meant to be. It’s a great life."
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