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Music from the Salon and Theatre with Rhapsody
Quintet - Moncton Community Concert Series Rhapsody Quintet will perform on the final concert of the Moncton Community Concert Series on Saturday, April 8 at 8:00 p.m. at the Church of the Nazarene (21 Fieldcrest Drive, Moncton). Tickets are now available at $18 regular, and $5 for students. Please call (506) 852-3966 to reserve seats. Young New Brunswick pianist Pierre André Doucet, who received Honourable Mention in the Debut Atlantic/RBC Scholarship Award, will open the evening's program. The Quintet will perform a program to delight all ages, including theatre and salon music, with well-loved tunes by George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Jerome Kern, among others. Rhapsody Quintet is one of Atlantic Canada's most sought after performing groups, having performed its unique repertoire of light classics since the mid-80's, arranging and adapting orchestral and piano music for their special instrumentation. The members are: Anne Rapson, violin; John Rapson, clarinet; Shimon Walt, cello; Diana Torbert, Piano and David Langstroth, Bass, all well-known members of Halifax's musical community. The Quintet is proud of its relationship with local, Canadian and British composers and arrangers; all the music that Rhapsody performs was written especially for the ensemble. 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. This CD won the Music Industry Association of Nova Scotia's Best Classical Recording for 2005, and was nominated for a 2006 East Coast Music Award for Best Classical Recording. Rhapsody's CD's are featured extensively on the CBC, including a cut on CBC Radio Maritimes' compilation recording, Play it Again, Stan! Of Rhapsody's latest CD, Rhapsody in Red, Britain's Light Music Society critic wrote "This is a splendid disc and well up to Rhapsody Quintet's previous releases superbly played with the uncanny impression of there being far more instruments playing than are actually present." (www.lightmusicsociety.com, Spring, 2005 Newsletter). Rhapsody Quintet has appeared twice as guest artists with Symphony Nova Scotia in their Traditional Pops Series, receiving rave reviews and standing ovations. They performed in Ottawa as part of the National Arts Centre's Atlantic Scene Festival, and were featured artists on Toronto's Music Alive series. The Quintet was honoured to be invited to perform for the re-opening of both the historic Public Gardens and Point Pleasant Park in Halifax following the devastation of Hurricane Juan, and were proud to provide the music for the Premier's Dinner in honour of the first recipients of the Order of Nova Scotia. The Quintet has performed on the Dartmouth Community Concert Series, the St. Bernard Concert Series in Church Point, NS, at PEI's Indian River Festival, on the Mahone Bay Concert Series and the Acadia University Alumni Series. They've presented The Melody Lingers On show at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax and the Imperial Theatre in Saint John, and performed in last summer's Bishop's Landing Series with guest soprano Sung Ha Shin Bouey. Rhapsody also played at the 50th anniversary celebrations of the opening of HRM's MacDonald Bridge, along with The Cottars. The Quintet is very pleased to be making their debut with the Moncton Community Concert Series. Listeners can learn more about the group at www.rhapsodyquintet.com. Rhapsody's cds are distributed independently, at the Symphony Nova Scotia Boutique, at a number of local outlets, including the Pier 21 Giftshop, Mills Brothers, The Madrigal, Sam the Record Man, CDs Plus and through amazon.com. "This is a splendid disc superbly played Waltz for a Princess gives just the right shimmering glimpse of the ballroom" (Light Music Society Newsletter, U.K., Spring, 2005) "Rhapsody Quintet earned a well-deserved ovation from a large audience in the CohnŠproving that the old show tunes from the first half of the 20th century have lots of miles left in themŠit was a sit back, relax and enjoy kind of evening." (Stephen Pedersen, Arts Reporter, The Mail-Star/Chronicle Herald, Halifax, June, 2002) "The production is immaculate Elegant, polished and set off by delicate bursts of ironic passion, (it's) a musical adventure from start to finish." (Ron Foley Macdonald, The Daily News, Halifax, February, 2000) "Lush and lovely beautifully paced the group brings its obvious love of performance and high calibre of playing to this nicely delivered project." (Sandy MacDonald, The Daily News, Halifax, January, 2002) For more information on the Moncton concert, please call Danny Shea at (506) 852-3966 or visit www.rhapsodyquintet.com. Information, photos, CDs or to arrange interviews, please contact: Peggy Walt pwalt@eastlink.ca (902) 422-5403 |
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