These four talented performers will be sharing the stage to perform Songs of the Southern Belles, which pays tribute to country music superstars such as Loretta Lynn. Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton, Thursday evening at the Osoyoos Community Theatre. (Publicity photo)
A musical celebration that honours some of the most popular and biggest-selling female artists in history is sure to bring many smiles and memories as the Songs of the Southern Belles take to the stage.
The final concert in the 2017-18 Osoyoos Concert Series will be performed on Thursday, Feb. 22 beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the Osoyoos Community Theatre at Osoyoos Secondary School.
Songs of the Southern Belles is a concert celebrating the masterfully written melodies and lyrics of an age when country music ruled the airwaves and local dances.
Set in the traditional style of the Grand Ole Opry from Nashville, singers Anna Jacyszyn and Kinga Heming will relive the stories told through the songs of country music royalty such as Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, to name a few.
Under the musical direction of Sean Bray and Loni Moger, and with their Sounds of Nashville band, this evening promises a wonderful musical trip down memory lane, with a fresh scent of nostalgia.
Bray is a well-respected guitarist, composer and educator who has worked with various artists on many diverse projects. While living in New York, he studied at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. He has played and performed with a list that includes Pat LaBarbera, Bob Mintzer, Jon Faddis, Matt “Guitar” Murphy, Mike Murley and Vincent Wolfe.
He has taught at the University of Guelpl and Toronto Film School and he’s become an in-demand session player in Toronto.
Bray now resides in Kelowna, where he remains busy playing, recording and teaching and also leads the Sean Bray Peach Trio and is a member of the Celtic rock band Cod Gone Wild. CBC Radio recently named Bray one of Canada’s top 50 guitarists of all time.
Jacyszyn, who was born and raised in Kelowna who moved to England to hone her musical chops, recently returned to Kelowna and built a reputation as founder, host and performer at Jazz Café Kelowna.
Her extensive invitations to sing and perform have taken her around the world to places like France, Spain, Monaco, Oman, Brazil, Senegal, Japan, Korea, Singapore and China. She enjoys a classic country sound and her voice is astounding.
Moger is a talented and versatile musician who played his first professional gig at age 14 and began teaching music by age 16. After spending four years on the East Coast of the United States, he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music, studying guitar, voice and arrangement. He returned to Calgary, where he worked with a variety of artists for almost 20 years.
He relocated to Kelowna in 2008 and is recognized for being able to play everything from blues to jazz to funk, rhythm and blues, pop and country music. He regularly acts as an adjudicator in the combo category at the B.C. Interior Jazz Festival.
Kinga Heming is originally from Poland, but she came to Canada and settled in Kelowna three years ago.
She has been dubbed a soulful vocalist who can sing everything from jazz and pop to traditional country.
Tickets for the Songs of the Southern Belles are $23 in advance, $25 at the door. Students under age 18 can purchase tickets for $1t5.
Tickets can be purchased at Mills Office Productivity on Main Street in Osoyoos or Sundance Video in Oliver. Tickets will also be available at the door.
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