Rhapsody Quintet at Saint
John's Imperial Theatre
February 6, 2005
Halifax's Rhapsody Quintet presents The
Melody Lingers On at Saint John's Imperial Theatre on Friday,
February 11 at 8:00 p.m. The Quintet has performed its unique brand
of salon and theatre music and light classics since the mid-80's,
arranging and adapting orchestral and piano music for their special
instrumentation. The members are: Saint John native Anne Rapson, violin;
John Rapson, clarinet; Shimon Walt, cello; Diana Torbert, Piano and
Catherine Loftin, Bass. Joining them are singers Leslie Lake Searle
(Soprano) and Ross Thompson (Baritone).
Music for this show dates from the period from 1900 to 1948 - an
exceptional time when songwriters and lyricists developed a new
_expression for the American stage. It was a transition from the
European operetta style of Victor Herbert and Sigmund Romberg to that
unique American presentation called musical theatre. The great
songwriters and lyricists in this show provided a richness of melody,
harmony and _expression to the world of musical theatre that was unique
to those decades, and includes names such as Victor Herbert, George
Gershwin and Jerome Kern.
Rhapsody has released four cds, beginning with The Melody Lingers On in
1998. The East Coast Music Awards nominated Café Chantant and other
Salon Delights for Best Classical Recording in 1999. Kiss of Fire
followed in 2001. The Quintet was featured on two programs for Bravo TV,
and Kiss of Fire was given extensive airtime on the BBC. The newest
recording, Rhapsody in Red, (2004) was recorded in the historic Red
Chamber of the Nova Scotia Provincial Legislature, and was made possible
through the assistance of the Canada Music Fund and the Music Section of
the Canada Council for the Arts. Rhapsody's CD's are featured
extensively on the CBC, including a cut on CBC Radio Maritimes'
compilation recording, Play it Again, Stan! They are distributed
independently, through Symphony Nova Scotia's Boutique and through
amazon.com.
Soprano Leslie Lake Searle was born in Newfoundland, and brought up on
Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy's nostalgic music. A music graduate
of Dalhousie University and the Banff School of Fine Arts in musical
theatre, she has vast experience on radio, stage, TV and film. Leslie
has appeared as soloist with the Newfoundland Symphony and Symphony Nova
Scotia, and appeared on CBC TV with Tommy Hunter and Ryan's Fancy. A
singer, actor and choreographer, she teaches privately in her studio and
has taught in the schools in Nova Scotia. Leslie is also creator and
director of her successful "Musical Theatre Camps for Young Children" in
Truro and elsewhere in Nova Scotia.
Baritone Ross Thompson studied at the University of Calgary, the Banff
School of Fine Arts, the University of Toronto and Acadia University.
His multi-faceted career has included opera, musical theatre, choral
direction, teaching, arts administration and event production. Ross has
performed with opera companies and symphony orchestras throughout
Canada. With Symphony Nova Scotia he has appeared in Madama Butterfly,
HMS Pinafore, the Gondoliers, in a pops concert featuring Broadway
favorites with Howard Cable and singing Bach cantatas.
Rhapsody Quintet recently performed for the second time with their
colleagues at Symphony Nova Scotia on the Traditional Pops Series. Other
Quintet highlights include being invited to play at the first Premier's
Dinner for Order of Nova Scotia recipients, and at the re-opening of the
Public Gardens and Point Pleasant Park following the devasation of last
year's Hurricane Juan. The Quintet has appeared on the National Arts
Centre's Atlantic Scene Festival, on Toronto's Music Alive series, and
toured throughout the Maritimes. For more information on Rhapsody, visit
www.rhapsodyquintet.com.
Tickets are $25, $22 and $20 and are available at the Imperial Box
Office or by calling 674-4100 or 1-800-323-SHOW.
FOR BROADCAST USE:
Rhapsody Quintet presents its fabulous musical theatre show "The Melody
Lingers On," with singers Leslie Lake Searle and Ross Thompson, at the
Imperial Theatre in Saint John on Friday, February 11 at 8:00 p.m.
Tickets are available from the Imperial's Box Office at 674-4100 or
1-800-323-SHOW.
- 30 -
For more information:
Peggy Walt
Cultural Affairs Consulting & Promotion
1240 Edward Street
Halifax, NS Canada B3H 3H4
Telephone/Fax: (902) 422-5403
Cell: (902) 476-1096
E-mail: pwalt@hfx.andara.com
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