Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota Presents
“La Vie En Rose: Parisian Society Café Music”
March 19 Ÿ Venice Performing Arts Center
French-born chanteuse Violette and her La Vie En Rose Band bring classic French chanson and jazz/pop standards.
The program also features a tribute to legendary French songstress Edit Piaf.
“A native French chanteuse, Violette brings together warm song of incredible complexity and life. Violette knows how to evoke images of love, happiness, and hope with lyrical stories.” (Matthew Forss, Inside World Music)
(Sarasota, Florida) Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota presents “La Vie En Rose: Parisian Society Café Music,” featuring French-born vocalist Violette and her La Vie En Rose Band, comprised of eight skilled musicians from around the world. Their repertoire, an elegant marriage of French chanson and Golden Age swing, includes a selection of classic American and French songs and timeless jazz standards. The program also features a tribute to legendary French songstress Edit Piaf. The concert is Sunday, March 19, 3 p.m., at the Venice Performing Arts Center, 1 Indian Avenue, Venice. Tickets are $35 (reserved seating), and are available at www.artistseriesconcerts.org or by calling 941-306-1202 (M-F, 10-4). Student tickets, for $10, are available at the door.
The performance is part of the French Festival of Music, a community-wide tribute to the music, composers and culture of France, February 12 through March 24. For a complete schedule of festival events visit www.artistseriesconcerts.org.
Joseph Holt, director of artistic programs for Artist Series Concerts, discovered chanteuse Violette and her La Vie En Rose Band while searching for an Edith Piaf tribute to complement the French Festival. “This New York City based group had all the right ingredients: an international ensemble of highly talented young musicians; a lovely, native-French lead singer with a luxurious, silky smooth voice; and a repertoire of timeless French and American music, evocative of smoky Paris cafés, accordions and Edith Piaf!”
Raised in Ars-en-Re, a small village on an island off the French Atlantic Coast, singer-songwriter Violette began her musical journey at an early age, taking up the piano at age five. Her musical endeavors were clearly colored by influences from such French luminaries as Jacques Brel and Edith Piaf but she quickly found her tastes and palette ranging much farther than home. Soon, her stereo speakers were filled with the sounds of Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson, all artists whose sound would have a hand in the development of her own sophisticated jazz/pop style.
Violette founded La Vie En Rose while living in Boston in 2009. Since then, the band has won several awards and currently performs over 150 shows a year including, in 2016, performances at the Blue Note Jazz Festival and at the renowned Sunset/Sunside Jazz Club in Paris, France. In fall of 2016, the band was also nominated Jazz Artist of the Year by the Boston Music Awards, praising the band for “scat vocals and lovely melodies” that “set the stage and mood for a night of classic American jazz standards as well as the tune of France during the 1920s, 30s and 40s.”
The Remaining 2017 21st Anniversary Season at a Glance
Pops and Special Performances
(Check individual listings for dates, times and venue.)
- Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway in “Sibling Revelry:” Jazz headliner Ann Hampton Callaway and Broadway star Liz Callaway reprise their critically acclaimed show “Sibling Revelry” with pianist Alex Rybeck. The Tony-nominated sisters have enjoyed stellar individual careers, but when their “equally splendid voices harmonize, ‘Sibling Revelry’ becomes a thrilling display of vocal prowess.” (Stephen Holden; The New York Times) March 26, 3:00 p.m., at Church of the Palms, 3224 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota.
- “Hot ‘n’ Cole: A Cole Porter Celebration!” with Maria Wirries: Wirries joins forces with five more singers and two pianists in this bubbly, two-act tribute to the classic, melodic, witty, sexy and sophisticated songs of Cole Porter. May 14, 3:00 p.m., at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota.
Lunch, Look and Listen
One-hour concerts at 11 a.m. followed by lunch at 12:15 p.m. At Michael’s On East Ballroom, 1212 East Avenue South, Sarasota.
- Belle Canto: Sarasota’s premier women’s choral ensemble showcases the unique beauty and quality of sound that comes from the blending of women’s voices in an all-French program. March 16.
Soirée Series
Sunday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. and Monday evenings at 7:30 p.m. At the Weisenborne/Fischer residence. Call for more information and address.
- “Tenor on the Road:” Lyric tenor Blake Friedman and Joseph Holt, piano. Blake Friedman presents a program devoted to travel, not only geographically, but spiritually as well. April 16 & 17.
Other special events
- Artist Series Concerts Friends presents its annual fundraiser in support of Artist Series Concerts’ competitions, as well as educational/community outreach programs. The event nets more than $50,000 annually. The 2017 ASC Friends’ gala, “Carnival in Venice,” is March 8 at Michael’s On East.
- Artist Series Concerts National Competition will feature young pianists, ages 18-25, and takes place on April 29. The competition rotates each year between singers, pianists, and string instrument players. From its inception in 2007 through 2015, Artist Series Concerts’ statewide young musician’s competition came to be one of the most prestigious competitions in Florida, awarding over $230,000 to 66 talented young musicians. Past winners have gone on to study at leading music conservatories and pursued successful music careers. In 2016, the competition was opened to young singers nationwide and awarded $26,000 to seven winners.
- The Suncoast Music Scholarships, a new annual collaborative competition conducted and funded by Artist Series Concerts and the Sarasota Music Club, awards another $20,000 to young musicians from high schools in Sarasota and Manatee counties. The SMS auditions are scheduled for April 22.
Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota
Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota was formed in 1996 as Artist Series of Sarasota. The non-profit organization presents world-class musical experiences in a diverse range of genres, including classical, cabaret, pop, Broadway, orchestral and opera. A central focus of Artist Series Concerts’ mission is to spark a lifelong love of the musical arts by exposing young people to interactive music experiences. It accomplishes this through its performance-based outreach programs in area schools, creating unique learning opportunities for thousands of students and educators every year. In addition, Artist Series Concerts’ preeminent Sarasota National Music Scholarship Awards grants more than $20,000 annually to gifted, young musicians from around the country. Past winners have gone on to study at leading music conservatories and pursued successful music careers. For more information, visit www.artistseriesconcerts.org.
