Date/Time

Saturday, September 7, 2019 / 18:00 - 21:00

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Enjoy Jazzical Melodies, an exciting blend of the best of the Classical Music and Jazz worlds, performed by versatile musicians Canadian soprano Melissa-Marie Shriner, and Hungarian-born pianist and bassist Róbert Horváth and Attila Darvas.

Repertoire will include beloved opera arias, including Hungarian Operetta and Traditional Hungarian Folk Music for the first half, coupled with the best of the best jazz standards from the Great American Songbook in the second half! There will be something for everyone to enjoy!

Program

18:00 — Dinner
19:00 — Recital

About the Artists

As a soprano, Melissa-Marie Shriner is known as a versatile performer appearing throughout southern Ontario and within Europe. As a multi-genre artist, her feet are planted in the jazz, singer/songwriter and musical theatre/classical worlds, showcasing her ability to adeptly switch between genres. Ms. Shriner is a soloist and chorister with the Avanti Chamber Singers, a guest soloist with Choralis Camerata, leader of the Melissa-Marie Shriner Jazz Trio, and a performer with the TD Niagara Jazz Festival and the Twilight Jazz Series, among many other musical incarnations.

Jazz endeavours include her second holiday recording, “A Christmas Love Song”, released in November 2017, evoking the classic Holiday recordings of the 1940’s and 50’s, for which she was both performer and executive producer. Melissa-Marie is currently planning a new album called Pure Imagination that will combine her original music and classical crossover music, set to be released in Spring 2020. She was recently nominated for the Established Artist Award for the St. Catharines Arts Awards 2018, and for the Female Vocalist of the Year award for the Niagara Music Awards 2018. She is a concert producer and director, having written, directed and performed in numerous one-woman and collaborative concerts, and is known for her very moving song interpretation ability. Ms. Shriner is the creative force behind the successful “Melissa-Marie Shriner sings” concert series, in its 8^th season, for which she serves as Artistic Director, Producer, and Performer.

Highlighting her classical singing, Ms. Shriner undertook a concert tour of solo recitals throughout Hungary in 2016 that included singing world premieres of Canadian-Hungarian compositions, which were recorded and broadcast on the National Hungarian Catholic Radio station.

Ms. Shriner runs the Melissa Shriner Music Studio in Jordan Station, where she teaches voice, piano and songwriting techniques, and also serves as vocal/choral workshop clinician at various high schools in the Niagara Region, and as music consultant to music teachers, singers and musicians. She is the Music Director at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church in Thorold, Ontario.

Bassist Attila Darvas was raised in Budapest, Hungary. The son of a classical violinist, he started taking piano lessons at the age of 6 and bass at 13. He studied jazz bass at the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music. Since his arrival to Toronto in 1987, Attila has been working as a freelance bassist.

He had the honor of playing with some of the best local musicians, such as Guido Basso, Pat LaBarbera, Archie Alleyne, Robi Botos, Demo Cates, as well as some international stars like Béla Fleck, Jean-Luc Ponty, and Dame Shirley Bassey.

“Róbert Horváth is a musician who’s superb technical skills allow him to explore music with exceptional insight while making it appear effortless… His interpretations are quite personal … clearly seeking the heart of the music … a truly gifted pianist.”

[Glenn Morley, multi award-winning composer/music producer]

Róbert Horváth is a pianist gaining wide recognition in the province of Ontario. A popular soloist with the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra, he has performed regularly with the CBSO since 2008. Performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.1 in 2017, Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No.2 in 2010 , and Bach’s single, double, triple, and quadruple keyboard concerti in one evening. In 2008, he performed Chopin`s Piano Concerto No.2. Featured soloist of the York Chamber Ensemble in 2008 Gerald Finzi’s Eclogue for Piano and Strings, and in 2003, was part of the Royal Ontario Museum’s grand re-opening in concert at Reményi House of Music. He was featured soloist with the Canadian Sinfonietta in 2011, Liszt’s famous Hungarian Rhapsody No.2. on the program.

Robert’s versatility extends to jazz piano and musical theatre; he has served as vocal coach, conductor, and pianist in musical productions, both in his native Hungary (“Musical World”) and in Canada (“First Time Players”). In 2016 Robert became the pianist of the Payadora Tango Ensemble for their regular concert series, which events included the “After Concert Series” at the Koerner Hall in Toronto.

An important priority for Róbert Horváth is music education. He founded the Horváth School of Music in 2002, and he has been an assistant teacher for vocal coach Elaine Overholt at the Big Voice Studio in Toronto where he teaches classical piano, jazz (harmony), song writing and improvisation.

Róbert was a recipient of a Canada Council grant in 2008. He earned his Master’s Degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the prestigious Franz Liszt Academy of Music and the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music in his native Hungary; his musical ancestry can be traced back to Franz Liszt.

When he isn’t practicing or teaching, Robert enjoys fishing, reading, films, and being outdoors. Along with his lifelong devotion to music, Robert also strongly believes life is about “health, love, happiness, and refined passion.” He lives in Toronto, Ontario.

On the Dinner Menu

Beef “Pörkölt” with “Nokedli” and Dill Pickle	Coffee-Walnut Cake
Coffee and Tea	Soft drinks, beer, wine and liquors available at the bar.