Opera concert in Ste. Geneviève

BY HOLLIE WATSON

Less than a year has passed since the Il Canto Opera Association put down roots in the West Island. Since then, the club has found its niche on the local cultural scene, largely due to a series of small but dynamic concerts at venues in Pierrefonds, Dollard des Ormeaux, and elsewhere. Members also performed Sunday during the annual Italian Week festivities in Montreal.

On Aug. 22, the club will play host to an ambitious concert beneath a canopy of stars in Ste. Geneviève – a project which has been in the works for some time, according to club founder Manrico Tedeschi.

“The concert will be held in collaboration with Cantabile, a 50-voice West Island chorale under the artistic direction of Peter Willsher, and there will be several other vocalists who will be singing next Wednesday night,” said the Ste. Anne de Bellevue resident and tenor, who has shared his gift with audiences all over the world in his celebrated 20-year career.

The venue for the concert will be CEGEP Gerald Godin.

“It will be held in the Salle Pauline Julien, which opens in the back onto the water. Families are invited to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets,” said Tedeschi, who in recent months has performed in Germany, the United States, and our nation’s capital.

The program will primarily consist of excerpts from popular operas as well as Neapolitan songs.

There is a special dimension to the upcoming concert, Tedeschi said.

“It will be dedicated to the memory of my teacher, Lina Narducci, a Pierrefonds resident and soprano who passed away 10 years ago. She was a major influence on many singers who have come out of Montreal,” Tedeschi said.

This Wednesday’s concert is free and begins at 7:30 p.m. at 15615 Gouin Blvd.

Tedeschi is in the process of organizing another series of concerts and activities for Il Canto beginning