2018/19 CentreStage Holiday Issue

W I N T E R H OT T I C K E T S 2 0 1 8 /1 9

centre stage

YouTube sensations

DJUKI MALA Cheeky, fun & feel-good.”

- Sydney Morning Herald

DOWNTOWN ST. CATHARINES

Peter Partridge 1942 - 2018

Peter was a tireless supporter, advocate and highly visible patron of the arts in Niagara. His family’s pace-setting $1-million-dollar donation back in 2013 helped kick-start a successful fundraising campaign for the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. The centre’s main concert hall, Partridge Hall was named in his family’s honour and has now seen hundreds of local and national artists grace its stage since opening in 2015.

When he was asked to chair the fundraising committee in 2012, he said, “How could I possibly turn down the opportunity to be part of something that will have a transforming effect on the city?"

The fundraising campaign exceeded its target by 60 percent and raised $8 million. The community's support was instrumental in the earlly stages of building the centre and Peter brought many donors to the table.

Peter has said, “I’m so proud of the community for standing behind this unique and ambitious project. I’d like to thank our generous donors for their vision, partnerships and commitment to enriching lives through the arts.”

The City and Performing Arts Centre staff are so thankful for Peter’s vision and commitment to his community. He also donated time and support. He came to the shows. He would visit the office and engage with staff and volunteers. He was always smiling and excited for upcoming events. His presence was felt. We are honoured to have Peter’s legacy attached to the arts centre.

Peter’s excitement, drive and enthusiasm will be deeply missed and we will be eternally grateful.

STEVE SOLSKI Executive Director FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre

Land Acknowledgment The FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre acknowledges that we are gathered on the shared traditional lands of the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island.

Long before today, there has always been Indigenous Peoples who are the original stewards of this land. We are grateful for the opportunity to live, work and play here.

We offer our thanks and honour all the generations of Peoples before us who have survived and thrived here since time immemorial.

This land continues to serve as a meeting place and crossroads for Peoples of many Nations.

Our recognition of the contributions and importance of Indigenous Peoples is part of our collective commitment to make Truth and Reconciliation real in our community as we strive for a harmonious shared future.

Why do we acknowledge land?

Land acknowledgment is a way to promote an awareness of Indigenous presence and land rights in everyday life and to recognize the history of colonialism and a need for change in settler colonial societies.

Map provided by native-land.ca

NIAGARA

ESCARPMENT SERIES PACKAGE | $150 INCLUDES:

• Two tickets to Holly Cole, Roch Voisine, or Art of Time Ensemble (based on availability) • One bottle of a Vineland Estates Semi Dry Riesling or Cab Franc with a commemorative label • One $50 Vineland Estates gift certificate

PACKAGE | $200 INCLUDES:

• Two tickets to Lisa Brokop's Legendary Ladies of Country or Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton (based on availability) • 30 minute Massage, facial and manicure at Sugar & Spice Elite Spa or Bench & Balance Elite Spa

Showtime & Dine PACKAGE | $120 INCLUDES:

• Two tickets to Birdman: Live or both Choir! Choir! Choir! events (based on availability) • $60 Gift Card to be used at Wind Japanese and Thai, East Izakaya or Ma Chinese Cuisine

W I N T E R

E V E N T S Holy Cross Secondary School

Winter Dreams

A Christmas Concert THU 13 DEC 6:30PM

1 8 / 1 9 Melissa-Marie Shriner

Sings The Songs of Christmas SAT 22 DEC 7:30PM

A HOT TICKET presentation

Choir! Choir! Choir!

FRI 30 NOV 8PM TNL

A Northern Lights Christmas SAT 1 DEC 2PM

Brock University Viva Voce! Choral Series

Brock University Choirs SAT 1 DEC 7:30PM

Niagara Conservatory of Music

Christmas Concert SUN 2 DEC 3PM

Brock University Music@Noon

Piano students TUE 4 DEC 12PM

Brock University Instrumental Ensembles

The University Wind Ensemble TUE 4 DEC 7:30PM

A HOT TICKET presentation A HOT TICKET presentation

Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy

Sing-a-long Grease THU 27 DEC 7PM

TUE 11 – WED 12 DEC Shantero Productions

Lunch at Allen’s

THU 13 DEC 7:30PM Chorus Niagara

Messiah

A HOT TICKET presentation

Niagara Symphony Orchestra

SAT 29 DEC 1 + 4PM

SAT 15 DEC 7:30PM

Eyes of a Child

SUN 16 DEC 2:30PM Paquette Productions

Elvis, a Christmas Special

With Pete Paquette and Guests SUN 16 DEC 7:30PM

Outerbridge Clockwork Mysteries

Woman’s Bandura Ensemble of North America Christmas Concert SAT 29 DEC 6PM Treehouse

SPLASH'N BOOTS LIVE Jingle Boots SUN 30 DEC 1PM

Wellspring Niagara

The Mantini Sisters:

Concert for Wellspring Niagara THU 6 DEC 7:30PM A HOT TICKET presentation

John McDermott

MON 17 DEC 7:30PM A HOT TICKET presentation

The Piano Men

New Years Eve with Jim Witter Mon 31 DEC 7:30pm

A HOT TICKET presentation

A Very Electric Christmas

By Lightwire Theater FRI 7 DEC 6:30PM

Niagara Symphony Orchestra

Under The Mistletoe SAT 8 – SUN 9 DEC

A HOT TICKET presentation

The Nutcracker

By Ballet Jorgen Canada WED 19 DEC 7PM

A HOT TICKET presentation Man By Sølvi Edvardsen

Thunderbird’s Transformation, Part Two By Brian Solomon TUE 15 JAN 8PM A HOT TICKET presentation

Baby It's Weird Outside

By Suitcase in Point SAT 8 DEC 7 + 9:30PM

Yellow Door Theatre Company

Robin Hood

SUN 12 – SUN 23 DEC

A HOT TICKET presentation

The Music of a Charlie Brown Christmas with TD Jazz Festival FRI 21 DEC 7PM

A HOT TICKET presentation

I Mother Earth & Finger Eleven THU 17 JAN 7:30PM

Niagara Symphony Orchestra

Game On!

SUN 3 FEB 2:30PM

A HOT TICKET presentation

Lighthouse

FRI 18 JAN 7:30PM [SOLD OUT] Niagara Symphony Orchestra

Happy Birthday Wolfgang SAT 19 JAN - SUN 20 JAN

A HOT TICKET presentation

A HOT TICKET presentation

WED 6 FEB 7:30PM

THU 14 FEB 7:30PM

Rumble: The Concert

Holly Cole

A HOT TICKET presentation A HOT TICKET presentation Hear! Here! Niagara Music Series

Mark Lalama Trio

with Susan Aglukark + Gary Borden SUN 20 JAN 4PM

Alicia Svigals

The Yellow Ticket THU 7 FEB 7:30PM Brock University Encore!

A HOT TICKET presentation

Emily Brown and the Thing

By Tall Stories of England MON 18 FEB 9:30AM + 11:30AM

Libre with Amanda Martinez FRI 8 FEB 7:30PM

A HOT TICKET presentation

Canadian Jazz All-Stars WED 23 JAN 7:30PM

A HOT TICKET presentation

Things My Fore-Sisters Saw

Brock University Encore!

By Leslie McCurdy SAT 9 FEB 2PM

FRI 25 JAN 7:30PM

Musical Event Solutions

Torq Percussion Quartet

Legends Of Motown SAT 9 FEB 7:30PM

A HOT TICKET presentation

Pete The Cat

By Theatreworks USA MON 18 FEB 1:30PM Niagara Symphony Orchestra

Women Rock!

SAT 23 - SUN 24 FEB

A HOT TICKET presentation

Classic Albums Live Pink Floyd

SAT 26 JAN 7:30PM [SOLD OUT] A HOT TICKET presentation

O Happy Day

Toronto Mass Choir & Ben Heppner SUN 10 FEB 4PM

A HOT TICKET presentation Hear! Here! Niagara Music Series

Mark Lalama Trio

with Sarah Slean + Leroy Emmanuel SUN 24 FEB 4PM

A HOT TICKET presentation

Djuki Mala

WED 30 JAN 7:30PM

A HOT TICKET presentation A HOT TICKET presentation

Choir! Choir! Choir!

FRI 1 FEB 8PM

This Is The Point

By Ahuri Theatre THU 14 - SAT 16 FEB

A HOT TICKET presentation

Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba Made In Cuba WED 27 FEB 7:30PM

Brock University Viva Voce! Choral Series

Brock University Choirs Concert #2 SAT 30 MAR 7:30PM A HOT TICKET presentation

Gowan

Return of the Strange Animal THU 28 FEB 7:30PM [SOLD OUT!]

A HOT TICKET presentation

The Robert Cray Band THU 14 MAR 7:30PM

Brock University Instrumental Ensembles

The University Wind Ensemble Concert #2 TUE 2 Apr 7:30PM

Chorus Niagara

King David

SAT 2 MAR 7:30PM

A HOT TICKET presentation

The Team

By Essential Collective Theatre WED 20 - SAT 23 MAR

A HOT TICKET presentation

Legendary Ladies Of Country

with Lisa Brokop, Patricia Conroy & Amanda Wilkinson WED3 APR 7:30PM

A HOT TICKET presentation

Birdman: Live

with Antonio Sánchez WED 6 MAR 7:30PM

Brock University Department of Music

String Orchestra Concert #2 A HOT TICKET presentation

WED 3 APR 7:30PM

with Begonia THU 21 MAR 7:30PM

Gallery Players

Danny Michel

A HOT TICKET presentation An Intimate Evening with

Roch Voisine

Gallery Players

NOSFERATU

Gryphon Trio At 25 Years Young SUN 7 APR 2PM

SAT 23 MAR 7PM

THU 7 MAR 7:30PM

A HOT TICKET presentation A HOT TICKET presentation

Murphy's Celtic Legacy FRI 8 MAR 7:30PM

A HOT TICKET presentation

Erth's Prehistoric Aquarium Adventure

SAT 23 MAR 2PM + 6:30PM

JUST FOR LAUGHS ROAD SHOW WED 10 APR 7:30PM

Niagara Symphony Orchestra

The Force Is With Us! SAT 13 – SUN 14 APR

A HOT TICKET presentation

Girls Nite Out

SAT 9 MAR 4PM Niagara Symphony Orchestra

Sibelius In the House SUN 10 MAR 2:30PM

A HOT TICKET presentation Hear! Here! Niagara Music Series

A HOT TICKET presentation

with Stephen Fearing + Jesse Cobb

By Carousel Players SUN 14 APR 11AM + 2PM

Mark Lalama Trio SUN 24 MAR 4PM

The Incredible Adventures Of Mary Jane Mosquito

Be a shining STAR! A HOT TICKET presentation

Classic Albums Live Prince WED 17 APR 7:30PM

MAKE A DONATION TO A HOT TICKET presentation

KID KOALA

Satellite Turntable Orchestra THU 18 - SAT 20 APR

Community Care Help us reach our $2500 goal to support local families in need this holiday season.

*Tax reciepts for donations over $10 A HOT TICKET presentation

Kevin Nealon

WED 24 APR 7:30PM

A HOT TICKET presentation

Ms. Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton

THU 25 APR 7:30PM Niagara Symphony Orchestra

Snap Shots

SAT 27 - SUN 28 APR

A HOT TICKET presentation

Art of Time Ensemble Doghouse Roses The Music of Steve Earle THU 2 MAY 7:30PM

holiday gift guide

Start shopping early with thoughtful ideas for everyone on your list.

for youe

SWEET HEART The perfect night out!

The Escarpment Series package includes

two tickets to Holly Cole, a chance to win a free custom Swarovski bracelet plus a $50 Vineland Estates gift certificate and bottle of wine!

for your

DANCE-LOVING SISTER Cuba’s renowned chorus for over 25 years returns for a Canadian tour not to be missed.

for

MOM

Treat Mom to a Elite Spa + Show package The GIrls Night Out Series package includes

two tickets to any sponsored show plus a 30-minute massage, facial and manicure.

for the

FILM BUFF Experience the intense and fantastic Oscar and Grammy winning film Birdman like never before with a live drum score by NYC’s Antonio Sanchez himself!

for

THE KIDS The Australian creators of Dinosaur Zoo Live bring a new immersive adventure‌this time to the bottom of the ocean.

for

DAD Pops will surely love to see Saturday Night Live nine-year legendary cast member Kevin Nealon live.

Give the gift of a SHARED EXPERIENCE FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre's gift certificates are versatile and can be redeemed for any type of tickets sold at the box office. Theatre, dance, rock concerts, classical music, jazz legends, comedy or a film membership... we have something for everyone!

Gift certificates never expire and come in increments of $25, $50, $75 and $100. Call the box office or order online!

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Westc heare For those arriving by car, there than 1,000 spots available in nearby parking stermore Cresce nt garages, surface lots and on city streets within a five-minute walk to the FirstOntario PAC. Metered parking on the streets surrounding the venue is available at a rate of McGuire Street $1.50 per hour, with a three-hour max limit, between 9am to 6pm. After 6pm during the week and all day on Saturday and Sunday downtown meter parking, garages and nearby municipal surface lots are free of charge.

The exception being when a special event parking flat fee of $5 cash at municipal surface lots and parking garages is in effect when large events are happening at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre and/or Meridian Centre. Special event parking is cash only and is paid upon arrival at the entrance of the parking garage or municipal surface lot.

We highly recommend arriving up to an hour before show time to ensure time to park.

Visit StCatharines.ca/Parking for a complete list of parking locations.

Due to proximity and accessibility, we recommend the multi-tiered covered Garden Park / Carlisle Street Garage across from FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. The public entrance for vehicles is off of the street Garden Park. It is conveniently within a two-minute walk and has 595 spaces and 26 accessible spaces. The garage features accessible parking on every level, but the third level is also free of curbs, providing easy access to elevators that take you to street level on Carlisle Street.

Accessible curbed ramp drop-off points are available in front of the Box Office entrance at 250 St. Paul Street, as well as Carlisle Street by the front doors closest to Partridge Hall.

For those arriving by public transit we are located kitty-corner from St. Catharines’ main bus terminal, which is only a two-minute walk to the venue.

For accessibility, audience and privacy policies please visit FirstOntarioPAC.ca/Online/Article/Policies

How to Book your Hot Tickets Online FirstOntarioPAC.ca

By Phone 905-688-0722

By Email BoxOffice@FirstOntarioPAC.ca In Person 250 St. Paul Street / Downtown St. Catharines, ON, L2R 3M2 Box Office Coordinates (43.158683, -79.242778) BOX OFFICE HOURS Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm Saturday, 10am to 2pm Summer and holiday hours may vary.

Outside of regular hours, the Box Office will open one hour prior to showtime or 30 minutes prior to films.

Gift

Certifi cates AVAIL ABLE

!

STUDENT TICKETS College / University - $25 tickets*, with valid ID High School - $5 eyeGO tickets*, with valid ID Proud partner of eyeGO to the Arts! * Limited discounted tickets available as of 28 August at 10am.

THE FINE PRINT • Accessible seating and assistive hearing devices are available.

• Tickets are non-refundable.

• Members can exchange shows or seats for FREE. A $5 fee applies for non-members.

• A ticket is required for every person, regardless of age.

• Each ticket price includes a $3.00 Capital Improvement Fee. • Additional handling fees may apply. Contact us for details.

BE GREEN Visit FirstOntarioPAC.ca to order your tickets online. We encourage you to print your tickets at home or send to your mobile device.

WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU Email PACfeedback@stcatharines.ca

@FirstOntPAC

#FirstOntPAC

HOT TICKET Members BFF Shows!

Each season, the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre curate a wide variety of the best contemporary music, theatre, dance, family entertainment, film and interdisciplinary performances for our audiences. We choose performances with care to ensure there are diverse options for our community to enjoy and call them HOT TICKETS! When you see 'HOT TICKET' on a show, you’ll know that we programmed it for you with our guarantee of a high quality arts experience!

BFF shows - Members with Benefits!

HOT TICKET members are welcome to BRING A FRIEND FOR FREE to a few of our upcoming shows:

Djuki Mala | Wed 30 Jan Rumble the Concert | Wed 6 Feb Alicia Svigals - The Yellow Ticket | Thu 7 Feb Antonio SĂĄnchez - Birdman Live! | Wed 6 Mar Legendary Ladies of Country with Lisa Brokop, Patricia Conroy & Amanda Wilkinson | Wed 3 Apr Art of Time Ensemble - Doghouse Roses | Thu 2 May ***Free tickets must be reserved by phone or in person only. If you've already purchased tickets to these shows, never fear, we can still add additional complimentary ones to your order. No refunds for already purchased tickets.

Become a HOT TICKET Member It’s never too late to JOIN THE PAC Hot Ticket Season Membership Benefits • • • • • • • • • •

Save up to 20% off regular ticket prices.

Bring your friends for free to selected events.

Order season tickets prior to the general public.

Order tickets to added shows prior to the general public.

Purchase up to 10 discounted tickets per show.

Invitations to exclusive events.

Convenient season order payment plan.* Complimentary ticket exchanges.* Discounts at partnering establishments.

NEW! Receive four free passes to any screening in The Film House!

$ 120 +HST

One membership per household.

Membership valid for one season (1 June - 31 May). *Some restrictions may apply.

Join a community that supports bringing exceptional performing arts experiences to Niagara!

PAC PICKS A Christmas Story | SAT 22 DEC + MON 24 DEC

One of my favourite holiday films and now one of my favourite holiday traditions!

LISA MANCINI, Marketing & Design Coordinator

Sing-A-Long Grease | THU 27 DEC

Grease already creeps dangerously close to the surreal, but combine it with a theatre full of Grease look-a-likes and the lyrics to all the songs and you’ve got a holiday tradition you’ll never forget!

JORDY YACK, Communications Coordinator

Djuki Mala | WED 30 JAN

These guys have an infectious energy and zest for life; their dancing will leave everyone feeling all the good feels.

ANNIE WILSON, Program Supervisor

Rumble: The Concert | WED 6 FEB

A rollicking concert that shines a spotlight on the role of Indigenous musicians in the rock 'n' roll story.

SARA PALMIERI, Programming & Marketing Manager

Alicia Svigals - The Yellow Ticket | THU 7 FEB

A rare treat for cinephiles, history buffs and music lovers! Grammywinning Alicia Svigals' live performance of an original score accompany Pola Negri’s 1918 silent film, set in the Jewish quarter of pre-WWII Warsaw.

SARAH FRASER, Program & Audience Coordinator

FAMILY DAY | MON 18 FEB

Tall Stories of England - Emily Brown and The Thing Theatreworks USA - Pete The Cat

I’m excited to bring my kids to see two great family shows as well as interact in the lobby with our furry friends from Pet Valu.

CATHY HAAN, Partnership Coordinator

Danny Michel with Begonia | THU 21 MAR

One of my fave artists. I’ve seen him captivate various audiences dozens of times. His musicianship, insightful lyrics, quirky charisma and global rhythms are not to be overlooked!

MICHAEL CHESS, Marketing Supervisor

NIAGARA MUSIC SERIES

SERIES SPONSORED BY

LUKE MCMASTER & C HRI STINE BOUGIE | SUN 2 5 N OV 4 PM

SUSAN AGLUKARK & G A RY BORDEN | SUN 20 JA N 4 PM

SARAH SLEAN & L EROY EMMANUEL | S UN 24 FE B 4 PM

STEPHEN FEARING & J ESSE COBB | S UN 24 M A R 4 PM

PASSION, TALENT AND CREATIVE ENERGY BLEND IN THIS AFTERNOON SERIES IN ROBERTSON THEATRE. ENJOY SONGS, STORIES AND SPONTANEITY WITH OUR INCREDIBLE FEATURED BAND AND THEIR SPECIAL GUESTS.

A L L T I C K E T S : $ 3 5 | TA B L E O F 6 : $ 1 8 6 ( s a v e $ 2 4 )

EXPERIENCE THE RICH WORLD OF CINEMA IN DOWNTOWN ST. CATHARINES Here are just a few of the amazing films coming to The Film House this winter. Check out the most recent Film+Dining Guide for all of the November/December/January film listings. Or visit us online at firstontariopac.ca. top left: Fahrenheit Beautiful 11/9 Boy / Under the Silver Lake / Blackkklansman / Shampoo bottom left: Sgaawaay K’uuna (Edge of the Knife) / Colette / The King / At Eternity’s Gate

JOIN A COMMUNITY OF FILM LOVERS

Film House Memberships are only $30 +HST and are valid for one year from date of purchase. Perks of membership include: A A A A A A A

(2tickets ticketslimit per show) $7 entry to all films (2 per membership) 15% discount off concession products, excluding alcohol Buy-one-get-one free tickets for 1st screening of first-run feature films + receive a voucher to give to friends! (Reserve BOGO tickets at the Box Office.)

VIP access to meet and greets, artist chats, and receptions Exchange tickets, as needed Weekly e-newsletter, with updates on screenings hosted by BUFS B Direct to home mailing of your Film+Dining Guide

FILM HOUSE ADMISSION $9* - general admission + HST $7 - member / 13 and under + HST

*General Admission increases to $9.50 beginning January 2019

FirstOntarioPAC.ca Box Office: 905-688-0722 250 St. Paul Street Downtown St. Catharines ON

THE FILM HOUSE

AT THE FIRSTONTARIO PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE / DOWNTOWN ST. CATHARINES

ROYAL WOOD & E L I S E L E G R OW

MUSIC OF LOVE & LOSS Love and loss – two emotional extremes in life that rarely peak at once. Though if they do, one should hope they have an outlet for it. For critically acclaimed Canadian singersongwriter Royal Wood, that outlet was his latest record, the slyly titled Ever After the Farewell.

“I was so over the moon for someone and the joy and lust and passion and everything but, at the same time, feeling guilty for feeling all these good feelings while it’s like, ‘Shouldn’t I be grieving my father?’” recalls Wood. He is referring to an emotionally intense period where, in a matter of a couple weeks, he lost his father to Alzheimer’s and met his wife.

“It was just this incredibly emotional time for me with incredible highs and incredible lows and I definitely put all of that into the music, both in its emotional lyrical content and then also in that I just had to make music to deal with what was going on in my life. Some people go to a

therapist and some people maybe sit in a bar with their friends and commiserate, and I go to a studio.”

Adding to the intensity of the album’s creation, Wood wrote and recorded it (often doing both in the same) at a breakneck pace in London, England, with a new collaborator, songwriter/producer Jamie Scott, who has worked with a diverse range of hit-makers, from pop stars like Justin Bieber and One Direction to soulful artists Ron Sexsmith, Rag ‘n’ Bone Man, and Michael Kiwanuka.

The two would often write in the morning and be recording the song the same day. “At the end of it we had this album and I think everyone [at the label] was incredibly surprised because they thought I was just testing the waters with producers all over the world, and I came back and was like, ‘This is it, no discussion. I am not going anywhere else. I feel like this is it.’”

Given its inspiration, one might expect an album of love and death

SPONSORED BY

ballads, but Ever After the Farewell is a pretty joyful album. On songs like “Nightingale,” “Nowhere to be Found,” and “Midnight Hour,” Wood wears his emotions on his sleeve in the lyrics, but the mood is upbeat.

Encompassing soulful backing vocals, flourishes of horns and bells, understated percussion, and Woods’ signature piano and acoustic guitar playing, the songs are a near-perfect encapsulation of the folk-pop sound that has made him beloved.

On tour, Wood says the objective was to ensure the record’s key sonic elements make it to the stage, particularly the vocals. “It’s definitely a major timbre of the record from start to finish, in a way that I didn’t not want it to be there live. So, I have my vocalists travelling with me, these two

amazing singers and they’ll be with me and I’ll have my full band,” he explains. “You want to play the ‘hits,’ or a lot of the songs you’re known for or the ones that fans on social media say, ‘Can you play this at the show?’ So, you do have to do those ones because you owe it to them. I only have a career because people want to hear the songs and so you have to honour that and be grateful for it.”

- Michael Raine CanadianMusicianRadio.com PARTRIDGE HALL REGULAR: $39 MEMBER: $33 COLLEGE/UNI: $25 SHOWTIME + DINE PACKAGE: $120 Wed 28 Nov 7:30pm

CHOIR! CHOIR! CHOIR! FRI 30 NOV + FRI 1 FEB 8PM

ALL TICKETS $20 | SHOWTIME + DINE PACKAGE: $120 Choir! Choir! Choir! has amassed a dedicated and passionate community of singers and a thriving international fanbase with an impressive 22M views on YouTube and counting.

SPONSORED BY

MOST.FUN. EVER.

I had the time of my life belting a Journey tune with all my friends!

- PAC PATRON

- PAC PATRON

It is both a live concert and a social experiment, blurring the line between audience and performer.

- GLOBE AND MAIL

It's about bringing strangers together in a room and sharing something truly communal.

- NOBU ADILMAN (FOUNDER)

SONGS TO BE ANNOUNCED!

Lightwire

A Very Electric T H E AT R E

CHRISTMAS

FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 6:30PM | PARTRIDGE HALL | ALL TICKETS: $25

The winners of America’s Got Talent and producers of Dino-Light and Moon Mouse return with another eye-popping electroluminescent spectacle.

When a young bird gets separated from his parents while flying south for the winter, his holiday adventure begins as he attempts to make it home in time to celebrate Christmas.

Audiences of all ages will treasure this captivating tale of family, friendship and hope set to timeless holiday hits.

“ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!” – ROLLING STONE

"SPECTACULAR - IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD." - SHARON OSBOURNE, AMERICA'S GOT TALENT

a h ol i day c a b a r e t by s uitc as e in point

Baby It's

weird outside Comedy best described as SNL meets HBO Sat 8 Dec 7pm + 9:30pm | ROBERTSON THEATRE | $25 TICKETS ***MATURE CONTENT*** St. Catharines' award-winning Suitcase in Point is back with a beloved Niagara holiday tradition sure to put a stitch in your side. This edgy sketch comedy show made for and about Niagara will cleanse your palate before the holiday indulgences begin.

book your holiday party today!

SPONSORED BY

TABLE OF 6: $126 (save $24)

CANADA’S BALLET JÖRGEN

Nutcracker The

A Canadian Tradition

he ate t h r b e l C e ays w i t h ol i d a g i c a l this m

ian d a n Ca sure trea

Wed 19 Dec 7pm | Partridge Hall REGULAR: $55 | MEMBER: $46 | COLLEGE/UNI/CHILD: $25 SPONSORED BY

Celebrating

CHRISTMAS Celtic Style CELTIC CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS It will be easy to get into the Christmas spirit this season thanks to a duo of Celtic-inspired Christmas shows set to return to the Partridge Hall stage.

Fiddlers extraordinaire Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy and members of the infamous (and ever-expanding) Leahy family will bring their high-energy, infectious Celtic-based show for two nights, Dec. 11 and 12.

SPONSORED BY

PARTRIDGE HALL REGULAR: $56 MEMBER: $50 COLLEGE/UNI: $25 Tues 11 + Wed 12 Dec 7:30pm

Canada’s reigning couple of Celtic music have dazzling career achievements that underpin their incomparable off-stage life. Indeed, when two of the planet’s very best fiddle players married in 2002, the proverbial mantelpiece was instantly crammed with JUNO and East Coast Music Awards.

And MacMaster and Leahy are keeping the family tradition alive. While their children may still be in elementary school, each is an accomplished multiinstrumentalist and it’s clear they’ve learned the joy and

exhilaration provided by music from their parents. Fiddle, cello, accordion, singing, piano, and step-dancing all find a voice on stage to celebrate the season.

“

It’s not really Christmas until McDermott sings.”

- Toronto Star

Rounding out the shows is an annual tradition for the holiday season, a Family Christmas special from Canada’s most cherished tenor, John McDermott. He’ll be performing seasonal favourites, alongside hits from his illustrious career. John will be joined on stage by Mark Lalama on keys, Jason Fowler on guitar and Charles James on bass, along with added special guests Dala.

Since the beginning of his musical career, McDermott has recorded more than 25 albums, three of which have gone platinum while another has reached double platinum status, and yet another achieved a triple platinum ranking.

He formed a strong link with the holiday season through the release of several popular holiday albums, including Christmas Memories, Home for Christmas, A Traditional Christmas and Sharing Christmas.

For many Canadians, it’s not really Christmas until John McDermott sings, and Niagara will once again have the chance to hear him do just that on Dec. 17 in Partridge Hall.

Both performances are part of the Critelli’s Celtic Series. Critelli’s Furniture will be collecting donations for the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre during the holiday season and offering $200 off any Stressless chair for any arts donation of $50.

- Melinda Cheevers NiagaraThisWeek.com

SPONSORED BY

PARTRIDGE HALL REGULAR: $55 MEMBER: $46 COLLEGE/UNI: $25 Mon 17 Dec 7:30pm

Run time is approximately 60 minutes followed by complimentary cookies and hot chocolate from Santa and your friends at CAA Niagara and Lancaster Brooks & Welch LLP!

the music of

Co-produced with TD Niagara Jazz Festival SPONSORED BY

A NEW TRADITION IN THE MAKING The Peter Shea Trio and a memorable cast of local youth performers return to take Niagara audiences of all ages on a nostalgic journey of one of the most beloved holiday albums of all time.

Musician and composer Vince Guaraldi’s ensemble of holiday infused jazz for A Charlie Brown Christmas is just as famous and as much of a yuletide favourite as the cartoon that popularized it. Guaraldi composed the memorable album to accompany the TV special that aired for the first time in 1965. The FirstOntario PAC has once again partnered with TD Niagara Jazz Festival to share the virtuosic jazz stylings of Guaraldi’s work with our audiences this holiday season.

Wait?!? Jazz?

“We did the music a few years ago as a part of our Twilight Jazz Series and I asked the audience how many of them knew the album was jazz and about 5 people raised their hands in the crowded room,” says Peter Shea, Artistic Director of the TD Niagara Jazz Festival.

The show was sparked by an idea from their Twilight Jazz Series sponsor and friend, Daniel Plunkett.

“Danny’s a huge supporter of ours and a big-ideas man,” notes Executive Director Juliet Dunn.

“We’d recorded a few of the tunes for our Christmas album and he urged us to do a show so we gave it a shot.”

After packing the house at Mahtay Café, followed by two seasons in Partridge Hall!, Juliet and Peter knew there was a bigger audience for this beloved work.

“We realized that we weren’t alone,” says Shea. “I have very fond memories of watching the film as a child with my mother and grandmother. I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread.”

“A Charlie Brown Christmas was and still is a part of my family’s tradition,” adds Juliet.

It’s also the only cartoon in history with a complete underscoring of jazz. “In a lot of ways I think Guaraldi’s soundtrack introduced my generation to jazz music,” muses Shea, “without us even knowing.”

And the same is true today. The Christmas special and its famous music is seen and heard by millions annually, creating new fans of the work.

“It’s joyful to play the music,” Peter notes. “Vince is such a great composer and it’s fun to add a few of our own personal liberties, spread our wings a bit, when playing his masterpiece.”

The Peter Shea Trio consists of Shea on the piano of course, alongside Steve Lucas on bass, Pat LaBarbera on saxophone and Terry Clarke on drums (who also actually performed with Vince Guaraldi himself!).

“We’re having a lot of fun building the accompanying elements of the performance with some young local performers as well,” Juliet notes.

Often heralded as one of the most beloved holiday albums ever recorded, this special evening will bring the best of jazz together with traditional holiday music and be the start of a tradition that will delight the entire family.

PARTRIDGE HALL ALL TICKETS: $25 CAA FAMILY FUN FOUR PAC: $60 Fri 21 Dec 7pm

THE ORIGINAL

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL IS BACK!

SPONSORED BY

THURS 27 DEC 7PM | ALL TICKETS: $20

Get ready to sing-a-long and celebrate the 40th anniversary of GREASE with a hilarious host, gift bags of props, costume contests, on-screen lyrics and tons of fun!

Family Fun

FOUR PAC SPONSORED BY

TD NIAGARA JAZZ FESTIVAL

THE MUSIC OF A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS FRI 21 DEC | 7PM

SING-A-LONG GREASE THURS 27 DEC | 7PM

O U T E R BR I D GE C LO CKWO R K MYSTER IES S AT 2 9 D E C | 1 P M + 4 P M

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ust present embers only. M M A CA to e siv *Exclu ckup. x Office upon pi CAA card at Bo

Outerbridge

Clockwork Mysteries A NIGHT OF HOLIDAY MAGIC AND TIME TRAVEL

“I was in a restaurant eating a bowl of spaghetti when this guy pulled an egg out of my ear and it blew my mind,” remembers Outerbridge, who shares the stage with his wife and partner, Marion Outerbridge.

“From that moment on I wanted to be able to create a sense of wonder for others.”

Outerbridge Attending a performance that both inspires your imagination and teaches you an important life lesson can be a magical experience.

On December 29, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy both during a mesmerizing holiday performance by renowned Canadian magician Ted Outerbridge.

Hailed by critics as “the most successful professional magician in Canada,” Outerbridge has spent nearly three decades entertaining audiences on both sides of the Atlantic, staging sold-out tours packed with spellbinding magic and custom-designed theatrical illusions. It’s a life-long vocation that Outerbridge says began after being amazed by a magic trick at age seven.

By the time he was 12, Outerbridge was already being paid to perform magic at neighbourhood birthday parties, delivering 15-minute sets of sleight-of-hand tricks and smallscale illusions. At 19 he was earning his living as a professional magician, developing illusions that would eventually be used in such sold-out tours as Magical Moments In Time and the Time Capsule Tour.

His latest production, Clockwork Mysteries, incorporates stories and messages that celebrate

“

THE MASTERS OF ILLUSION.” - CBC Radio Canada

SPONSORED BY

time, both the concept of travelling through it and also those special moments that help bring joy to our lives. It’s a concept that Outerbridge says his wife helped develop, one that brings a unique relatability to their on-stage illusions.

“When we started celebrating time, that was a turning point for us, because the magic then came from our hearts and not the magic store catalogue,” explains Outerbridge. “Our illusions are very original and unique. Everyone has had the desire to travel back in time, so we have a time machine in our show. Instead of climbing in a box, Marion is climbing into a time machine, travelling back in time and then returning to the present. It’s an amazing illusion, but there’s also a message attached to it.”

The grand scale of the illusions and costumes the Outerbridge’s have incorporated into the Clockwork Mysteries tour make this the magical duo’s biggest

production yet. However, he says that despite its grand nature the show still provides the audience with an intimate night of magic that’s highly engaging for people of all ages.

“We have at least 15 large illusions in this show. We have a seven-foot tall time machine, we having vanishing, levitation, and even sawing Marion in half. We perform that classic illusion with two people from the audience holding her head, so the show is very interactive. We like to mix it up. Every show is different, and it’s all about the audience. That makes it fun and fresh for us. It’s a great time for the entire family.”

- David DeRecco Integrated Mediaaction and not the performer themselves.

The 11 performers are onstage practically all the time, switching PARTRIDGE HALL ALL TICKETS: $25 CAA FAMILY FUN FOUR PAC: $60 Sat 29 Dec 1pm + 4pm

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New Years Eve with the

Piano Men starring JIM WITTER

MON 31 DEC partridge hall | 7:30pm A musical celebration of the 1970s (year by year, hit by hit) from the songbooks of Billy Joel, Elton John & more!

The shows & songs that shaped a decade!

Award-winning recording artist JIM WITTER and his incredible band lead an expertly crafted tour of an entire decade that begins with “Your Song” and winds us along on a musical time machine, saluting two of the century’s most popular contemporary songwriters.

Utilizing spectacular visuals on a giant screen behind Witter and his dynamite band, we return to the newspaper headlines, the automobiles, the people, the events, the toys and even the TV shows (and theme songs!) that shaped a decade.

Along the way, the sounds of “My Life”, “Candle in the Wind”, “Rocket Man”, "Crocodile Rock," “Just the Way You Are” and many more classic hits create an evening that’s so much fun, you won’t want it to end.

Now in it’s 16th year of touring, The Piano Men have enjoyed sold-out performances, return engagements and rave reviews in theatres all across the globe. So sit back, relax, enjoy the trip down memory lane and ring in 2019 like it's 1979!

HOT TICKET MEMBERS $40 REGULAR: $50 COMPLIMENTARY CHAMPAGNE TOAST AFTER THE SHOW! Showtime is 7:30pm. Two 50 min sets with a 20min intermission. Wrapped up by approx. 10pm.

The world is becoming increasingly smaller and our days consist of many challenges and personal choices when it comes to what it means to be human. I am inspired by the human need to constantly express oneself to the surroundings and how we try to achieve the balance in this personal universe through an inner dialogue.�

- SĂ˜LVI EDVARDSEN.

MAN

by Sølvi Edvardsen

MAN, with its double-meaning of both the human male and humanity in general, explores a scenic expression based on one dancer’s potential. This intimate dialogue unfolds between celebrated Norwegian choreographer Sølvi Edvardsen and renowned dancer Sudesh Adhana. The individual struggle for inner balance is the focus of this complex and spellbinding work, which explores life’s complexities and bicultural identity with both seriousness and absurd humour.

A lifelong interest in Classical Indian dance led Sølvi Edvardsen to India where she met Sudesh, a dancer trained in both the Chhau and Kathakali styles. Adhana journeyed to Norway in 2002 as part of Edvardsen’s Beyond Borders project, and went on to study contemporary dance at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts.

In this 55-minute piece, Adhana unleashes a dynamic performance using only a small stool as a prop.

MAN invites an interplay between intellect and feeling and calls upon audiences to examine life in urban civilization.

PARTRIDGE HALL REGULAR: $35 MEMBER: $30 COLLEGE/UNI: $25 Tues 15 Jan 8pm

THUNDERBIRD’S TRANSFORMATION PART TWO

by Brian Solomon

Brian Solomon believes our feet move us from our past toward our future. In THUNDERBIRD’S TRANSFORMATION, PART TWO, Solomon tells the story of a halftransformed thunderbird that's been travelling for ten thousand moons to arrive back where they started.

Solomon is a multiple Dora and Gemini award-nominated contemporary Indigenous dancer of Anishnaabe and Irish origin who grew up without internet or cable television in Shebahonaning (Killarney), Ontario. His Irish mother taught him jig and square dancing, and his father immersed him in hunting, fishing and the occasional pow wow, which led to his organic style and his training in multiple dance disciplines. Solomon credits the "kickass hunters" and the wisdom of the "women who raised 13 kids" in his community for being his true teachers.

- Catherine Skinner

Canadian Jazz All-Stars

ROBI BOTOS, DAVE YOUNG, DAVIDE DI RENZO, HEATHER BAMBRICK, MIKE MURLEY & GUIDO BASSO TWO CENTURIES OF MUSIC ON ONE STAGE If mastery is simply a matter of 10,000 hours, then what do you make of two centuries of musicianship?

Canadian author Malcolm Gladwell famously posited that the key to success in any field is simply a matter of practice – working at developing a skill for 20 hours a week over 10 years, or putting in 10,000.

The combined efforts of the musicians taking the stage this January at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre are blowing this standard out of the water. The Canadian Jazz All-Stars are vocalist Heather Bambrick, flugelhornist Guido Basso, bassist Dave Young, drummer Davide DiRenzo, saxophonist Mike Murley

and pianist Robi Botos, each of them formidable musical forces whose combined experience represents some two centuries of Canadian jazz history.

This performance will offer a rare opportunity to see such a collection of top musical talent together on a one stage.

Hailing from Newfoundland, Bambrick moved to Toronto in 1993 and for years has been a ubiquitous voice heard several times a week on 91.1 Jazz FM, Canada’s only full-time radio station dedicated to the genre. Her show Jazzology features her speaking with the next generation of musicians currently studying at post-secondary schools. Bambrick has studied and performed with some of the world’s greatest jazz talents and has numerous award-winning solo

albums and releases as part of various groups under her belt.

Basso, meanwhile, has been a musician since the 1940s when he first picked up a trumpet as a nineyear-old. As a teenager he was a familiar player in Montreal’s club scene, where he was hand-picked to join singer Vic Damone on an international tour. In the 1970s, he led big band concerts at Toronto’s Canadian National Exhibition which featured legends such as Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie.

A former prodigy, Young began studying guitar and violin at 10.

Studying both jazz and classical, he also had a three-decade-long professional relationship with the king of Canadian jazz, Oscar Peterson, playing in his trio all over the world. Young has also collaborated with countless of the genre’s biggest names.

DiRenzo is said to have been born with drum sticks in his hands.

Considered one of the most versatile drummers in the country, he was the house drummer for the "Canadian Idol" television talent competition for three years and has worked with many of the country’s top performers.

Like Bambrick, Murley is also an East Coast transplant, moving to Toronto at age 20 from Nova Scotia in 1981. Winning his first Juno 10 years later, he has since appeared on numerous Junoand Grammy-winning recordings, working with such greats as legendary guitarist Ed Bickert, winner of the inaugural Canadian Jazz Master Award, and frequent collaborator David Occhipinti.

And finally, there’s pianist Botos, considered the heir apparent to Peterson himself. A Hungarianborn Romani, he was raised in a musical family and moved to Canada in 1998, soon after which he caught the ear of Peterson and became his protégé. With one foot firmly in the tradition of Romani, Hungarian and European folk and classical music, Botos also mixes in a fusion of North American bebop, hard mop, and modern jazz to produce a sound that is all his own and second to none.

- Mike Zettel NiagaraThisWeek.com PARTRIDGE HALL REGULAR: $45 MEMBER: $39 COLLEGE/UNI: $25 Wed 23 Jan 7:30pm

SPONSORED BY

djuki mala “THESE YOUTUBE SENSATIONS ARE A MUST-SEE LIVE!” - THE AUSTRALIA TIMES

“THEIR SHEER JOY IS AS INFECTIOUS AS IT IS DELIGHTFUL.” - THE ADVERTISER

A joyous celebration, 40,000 years in the making In 2007, a group of dancers from Elcho Island in Arnhem Land in Australia achieved global recognition after the father of one of the group's members uploaded a video of the young men dancing. The video, shot on a mobile phone, is of 10 young men, some wearing loincloths, dancing to a techno version of "Zorba the Greek" on a basketball court. It has been viewed more than 2.5 million times.

Since then, Djuki Mala (Djuki sounds like “Chooky” with a Yongu accent and Mala meaning “mob”), has created a unique and infectious show that fuses traditional Yolngu and contemporary pop culture, dance and storytelling to create a work that is a marvel and timing, comedy and clowning.

The show begins more traditionally with the troupe of six male dancers daubed in paint, sporting feather headpieces and carrying spears. The dancers circle each other slowly, crouching, with much of the movement coming from their shoulders.

But entertainment is the name of the game and quickly the

ENERGETIC,HILARIOUS, GROUNDBREAKING." - Beat Magazine

dancers are thrilling the audience with interpretations of Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly and Barry White. With costume changes that include football shorts, gold turbans, loincloths and feather boas, the show is a full kaleidoscope of fun for the whole family.

“The audience whoops and hollers,” notes a reviewer from The Guardian. “The energy and spirit of the dancers was palpable.”

I had the pleasure of seeing this show at the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe and witnessed firsthand the enthusiastic audience response. Join us as we welcome the Djuki Mala dancers to St. Catharines audiences.

- Annie Wilson FirstOntarioPAC.ca

PARTRIDGE HALL REGULAR: $39 MEMBER: $33 COLLEGE/UNI/CHILD: $25 Wed 30 Jan 7:30pm MEMBERS BRING A FRIEND FOR FREE!

FEATURED PROGRAMMING sponsored by

RUMBLE THE CONCERT

RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World presents RUMBLE THE CONCERT, offered by Rezolution Pictures and produced by Tim Johnson in association with Ontario Presents and FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

Rumble - The Concert tells the story of how Indigenous musicians influenced popular music. Featuring two-time JUNO Award-winner Derek Miller and other celebrated musicians, this vibrant and awe-inspiring stage production mixes live musical performances with video clips from the celebrated documentary RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World. Experience roots, blues, jazz and rock through one of the most inspiring and entertaining stories ever told.

Rumble - The Concert will present songs that tell the story of Indigenous influences in shaping roots, blues, jazz, folk and rock music genres.

Inspired by the Smithsonian Institution exhibit Up Where We Belong: Native Musicians in

Popular Culture and featuring video clips from the Sundance and Hot Docs award-winning film RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked The World by Rezolution Pictures (Montreal), the concert will tell the story of a profound and, until now, missing chapter in the history of North American and worldwide popular music. Featuring songs

by Native music icons Charley Patton, Mildred Bailey, Link Wray, Jimi Hendrix, Jesse Ed Davis, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Robbie Robertson, and others, Rumble - The Concert reveals the talented Indigenous musicians who helped shape the soundtracks of our lives.

PARTRIDGE HALL REGULAR: $39 MEMBER: $33 COLLEGE/UNI: $25 Wed 6 Feb 7:30pm MEMBERS BRING A FRIEND FOR FREE! SPONSORED BY

YELLOW TICKET Alicia Svigals THE

Alicia Svigals, is the New York-based co-founder of the Grammy-winning Klezmatics and the world’s foremost klezmer violinist. This renowned fiddler/vocalist/composer has performed with the likes of the Kronos Quartet, John Cale, Ben Folds as well as Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and Jimmy Page.

The Yellow Ticket is a moving multimedia event featuring a rare 1918 silent film and a passionately original score by Svigals, performed live along with Toronto’s virtuoso new-music pianist Marilyn Lerner.

Pre-eminent film scholar Tom Gunning said about the live score: “I believe this accompaniment to The Yellow Ticket is one of the most powerful I have heard. It evokes not only a sense of the contemporary context of the culture in which the film took place, but our awareness of what was done to it afterwards.

The sound of piano, violin and the human voice evoke passion, energy and a profound sense of mourning, bridging the historical distance between us and this film as eloquently as does Pola Negri’s extraordinary face.”

The Yellow Ticket silent film was made at the end of the first World War and on the eve of the Russian revolution. Remarkably progressive for its time, it was the first film to explore Jewish discrimination in Tsarist Russia.

This film includes precious footage of the former Jewish quarter of Warsaw and the people who once lived there.

“When I see the interiors of the film, I smell the apartment of my great-grandmother. It’s a magic, rare, strange, mysterious,

"Violinist Alicia Svigals is a stunningly gifted player.

She is equally capable of precise classical virtuosity as well as emotional abandon, and she delivered some of the concert’s most transcendent moments. A succession of superlative solos served to spiral the music into stratospheric realms unimagined in the music’s original homeland.”

- THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN

fascinating little item. It’s like photos of my great-grandparents come to life,” says Svigals.

The film stars an adolescent Pola Negri, who would later become the legendary femme fatale of the silent era. It tells the story of a young Jewish woman from a Polish shtetl who is constrained by anti-Semitic restrictions to lead a double life in a brothel while attempting to study medicine.

“Although the film depicts a longgone place and time, the plight of an individual restricted and in danger because she is a woman, and because she belongs to a particular ethnic group, is a variation on troubles we are still awash in today.

Maybe one day we’ll be able to rewatch it and finally think “that could never happen now,” adds Svigals.

PARTRIDGE HALL REGULAR: $35 MEMBER: $30 Thurs 7 Feb 7:30pm MEMBERS BRING A FRIEND FOR FREE!

O Happy Day Toronto Mass Choir & Ben Heppner

Sunday 10 February 4pm | Partridge Hall REGULAR: $55 | MEMBER: $46 | COLLEGE/UNI/CHILD: $25 DINNER + WINE PACKAGE: $150 Canadian superstar tenor Ben Heppner is joined by the Toronto Mass Choir, Canada’s premier gospel choir, in an evening of traditional and contemporary gospel songs that are sure to raise the roof.

TORONTO MASS CHOIR CONTINUES TO BE ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF CANADIAN GOSPEL MUSIC, BRINGING THEIR DISTINCT SOUND TO THE WORLD STAGE. – THE WHOLE NOTE SPONSORED BY

an evening with

holly cole CELEBRATE LOVE

But such cinematic imagery, evocative as it may be, hardly encompasses Cole’s vocal talent.

It’s often said that Canadian vocalist Holly Cole’s voluptuous voice is sultry, evocative of film noir’s classic femme fatale. There is a certain truth to this analogy.

One need listen no further than her spellbinding interpretation of “Trust in Me,” originally sung

by Sterling Holloway as Kaa, the Snake in Walt Disney’s 1967 version of The Jungle Book.

She is one of those singers whose voice is immediately recognizable yet, at the same time, like the greatest of jazz singers, she makes any song she sings wholly her own. This is true even when she’s interpreting songs by other distinct and unique talents such as Tom Waits, one of her favorite composers.

Cole takes the sneaky snake’s hypnotizing song and turns it into a lush but dangerous erotic reverie that would lure even the upright Sam Spade to the dark side as he walks those mean streets.

Cole’s phrasing, subtle but sure, reveals the personality of the artist she is. Her justly celebrated recording of “Calling You,” originally from the soundtrack for the offbeat art film Baghdad Café (1987), plumbs such new and haunting emotional depth from the tune that I no longer can think of it any other way.

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Even as her vocal artistry is consistent, Cole is extraordinarily eclectic in her choice of material.

Along with the occasional original song, Cole has covered pop hits by such diverse artists as Johnny Nash, The Beach Boys, and Elvis Costello, jazz standards such as “Blame It on My Youth” and “My Foolish Heart,” and show tunes from Broadway hits like Guys and Dolls and My Fair Lady. Whether she is working with the music of Irving Berlin or Captain Beefheart, the voice is always that of Cole, tinged with ambiguity, irony, and passion.

For years, Cole has been ably backed by Aaron Davis on piano and David Piltch on bass and percussion as the Holly Cole Trio. Their striking arrangements beautifully complement Cole’s canny voice.

Far above the crush of canaries that crowd the scene today, Cole is the most sophisticated of Canadian jazz vocalists. Toronto critic Geoff Pevere described it well when he wrote that for Cole songs “aren’t just texts, they’re tools” through which she communicates. And with her box of varied tools, Cole is undeniably a master at her craft.

- Barry Keith Grant BrockU.ca

PARTRIDGE HALL REGULAR: $55 MEMBER: $46 COLLEGE/UNI: $25 WINE + DINNER PACKAGE: $150 Thurs 14 Feb 7:30pm

SPONSORED BY

Family

day at the pac!

SPONSORED BY

MON 18 FEB ROBERTSON THEATRE | ALL TICKETS: $15

Tall Stories of England

Emily Brown & the Thing 9:30am + 11:30am Emily Brown and her old grey rabbit Stanley are sent on an incredible adventure to help a 'Thing' that they hear crying, but nothing seems to help him settle. What’s really troubling the Thing - and will anyone ever get to sleep?

AGES

3-8 Theatreworks USA

Pete the Cat 1:30pm A groovy cat named Pete is excited to meet his new family, but Jimmy Biddle is nervous about how their houseguest is going to shake things up.

Join Jimmy and Pete on a new adventure of friendship and inspiration!

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