The Palm Court Light Orchestra will celebrate its silver anniversary this year with roses, enchantment and of course a valentine offering.
The orchestra, founded in 1986 by conductor Charles Job, will celebrate its Silver Jubilee, 25 years of performing light orchestral music on Vancouver Island.
The season opens in October with the concert: Roses of Picardy. The song written by Haydn Wood, epitomizes the Victorian and Edwardian period when drawing room ballads were enjoyed by everyone and afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel was the privilege of Victoria’s high society. English mezzo soprano Sarah Fryer will sing the famous song and many others from the era. The orchestra will perform selections from its own CDs which will include many palm court favorites.
A few weeks later in November the orchestra will offer Some Enchanted Evening. For those who love Broadway shows this is the perfect concert. The music includes Rodgers & Hammerstein box office hits like South Pacific, Oklahoma and The King and I. Vancouver baritone Andrew Greenwood will perform The Impossible Dream from The Man of La Mancha, Showboat’s Ol’ Man River and selections from Cole Porter’s Kiss Me Kate.
On Feb. 14 the Palm Court Light Orchestra is shooting to present the ultimate Valentine concert with a tribute to the great American tenor Mario Lanza.
Everyone’s favorite tenor and local heartthrob Ken Lavigne will perform his famous songs including O Sole Mio, Granada, Be My Love and Nessun Dorma.
The orchestra performs in the Charlie White Theatre at the Mary Winspear Centre. The Valentine performance will be in the Bodine Family Hall.
Subscriptions and tickets for the Palm Court Orchestra’s silver jubilee season are available at the box office at 250-656-0275.
