The Palm Court Light Orchestra opens the 2018/19 concert season with The Great Caruso, a tribute to Enrico Caruso, the first superstar of opera. Originally a 1953 film starring Mario Lanza, it traces the life of the great tenor from his early European career at La Scala, Milan, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London and the Theatre Colon, Buenos Aires to becoming the leading tenor at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City.
Assuming the musical challenge will be Sidney tenor Sunny Shams who has appeared with the Vancouver Symphony, the Victoria Symphony and the Vancouver Opera. A singer of many roles, he has appeared as Rudolfo in Puccini’s La Boheme and Bizet’s Carmen. For his Palm Court appearance, he will perform Handel’s Where’er You Walk, Mendelssohn’s If with All Your Heart and selections from La Boheme, Tosca and Donezetti’s Elixir of Love. He will also sing Franz Lehar’s You Are My Hearts Delight and the Neapolitan favourite, Come Back to Sorrento.
The Palm Court Light Orchestra, now in its 32nd year, will be conducted by Charles Job. The programme will include music by Toronto composer Robert Farnon, Vancouver composer Michael Conway Baker, and Quebec composer Marc Fortier. Typical palm court fare will also be represented by Leroy Anderson’s Bell of the Ball, Ethelbert Nevin’s Narcissus and selections from Sigmund Romberg’s The Student Prince.
The Palm Court Light Orchestra performs The Great Caruso in the Dave Dunnet Community Theatre on Oct. 19 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are available at Ivy’s Books. Long & McQuade and Munro’s Books. For further information visit www.palmcourtorchetra.com or call 1 250 748-9964 or email palm@victoria.tc.ca
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