It was beginning to feel a lot like Christmas at the Jack Singer Concert Hall on December 1st. Calgarians gave from their heart in support of the Calgary Veteran's Food Bank and saw a show headlined by The Canadian Tenors.
The event was hosted by W. Brett Wilson, one of the panelists on CBC's
Dragon Den and sponsored by his company Prairie Merchant Corporation. The evening raised almost 88,000 for the local veterans food bank, an impressive amount indeed. Everyone involved including the performers volunteered their time and talents to the event.
The evening started with talented nine-year-old piano prodigy, Christian Laurien, and comedic magician Danny ZZZ. Laurien did some intros to the songs maximizing the “awwwh factor” while Danny's family-friendly act was quite impressive. He was very funny, but at the same time really messed with the audience’s mind, in this case, accurately predicting a colour and an object that four random audience members selected.
After a fun set by jazz singer Carol Welsman (whose current album
I Like Men is a tribute to Peggy Lee) and a short break, it was time for the main event – The Canadian Tenors. Victor Micalleff, Clifton Murray, Remy Pereira and Fraser Walters had kicked off the night earlier with a rendition of
O Canada that left the audience waiting with baited breath for their return.
They did not disappoint. Focusing primarily on songs from their new Christmas album
The Perfect Gift, standout songs included a cover of Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli's
The Prayer and
Instrument of Peace. Often times when an artist is “funny” it seems forced and scripted, but not with these guys. In introducing the song
The Perfect Gift, Murray was talking about the gift of family when Pereira piped up about his mom's shrimp.
“Yes, this song is about Remy's mom's shrimp. Think about that when you hear it,” quipped Walters.
“It's Portuguese shrimp!” exclaimed Remy.
I have heard Leonard Cohen's
Hallelujah both live and recorded by no less than a dozen different artists - from k.d. Lang to Il Divo - but the Tenor’s version is easily one of my favorites. A highlight of the album, live it is chillingly poignant and resulted in a much deserved standing ovation.
As part of a variety style show, the set was regrettably over all too quickly. I am looking forward to seeing the group in a full headlining concert in the future. In our interview the day before, the group spoke about how much it means to them when men approach them and admit how much they were touched by their music. You can add me to that list. Their voices truly are beautiful instruments and I feel very lucky to have been in attendance to see them at this special event.
You owe it to yourself to experience the Canadian Tenors live next time they come through town. It truly is a powerful experience.
