String quintet Three shows at The Centre By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Oakville guitarist Eddie Paton and his Sultans of String quintet have a new album and will be releasing it with a concert at The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts. The Juno Award-nominated, world-roots string musical ensemble will perform in the Oakville theatre tomorrow (Thursday). This is the group's third CD since it formed five years ago. Their previous two albums have garnered them such accolades as hitting number 1 on the world/international music charts in Canada, two Canadian Folk Music Award wins, including for Instrumental Group of the Year, plus the aforementioned Juno nomination. The new album, titled Move, continues the group's roots music, a fusion of Gypsy jazz, Spanish flamenco, global roots and Cuban rhythms. "Canada is a real meeting places of musical influences from around the world," said band leader/violinist Chris McKhool, in a press release. "At the same time, as a band we try to tell uniquely Canadian stories, putting forth our vision of the world as one family." The other band members are Kevin Laliberté (guitar), Drew Birston (bass), and Chendy Leon (percussion). The Centre is located at 130 Navy St. The concert starts at 8 p.m. Tickets range in cost from $38-$49. For tickets, visit www.oakvillecentre.ca. Artscene 17 · Wednesday, May 2, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com Vespers sung by 180-voice choir By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF To provide its audience with the full effect of two musical masterpieces, Masterworks of Oakville has partnered with a Hamilton choir for several concerts. The Rachmaninoff Vespers spring concerts will be performed in Oakville on Friday and Saturday (May 4, 5) and again the following weekend on the home turf of the Hamilton Bach Elgar Choir. "This is a very special concert. It's something people should try not to miss because it's an event that is only made possible by putting these two big choirs together and making a really large choir," said artistic director Charles Demuynck. "It's possible and it is sometimes done with fewer singers, but (our) sound is going to be truly amazing." The concert, performed by some 180 musicians, will feature two music pieces, one written by Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff and the other written by Italian composers, Giovanni and Andrea Gabrieli. The main portion of the concert will feature Rachmaninoff's Vespers, also known as the All-Night Vigil. It consists of 15 a cappella songs intended to be sung in Russian Orthodox churches during all-night vigils. "Religious worship in eastern Europe has a different feeling than it does here," Demuynck said, who will conduct the Vespers portion of the concert. "It is highly mystical with lots of ceremony. There's an emphasis on the beauty, the pomp, the circumstance, and the incense and very solemn church music." This piece is done without instrumentation. "This hour-long piece is not only the pinnacle of Russian choir music, it's almost the pinnacle of a cappella music in general," Demuynck said. "It's a big choir event for Oakville." A projector will display a translation of the music. The other piece in the concert will be the Renaissance Motets written by the Gabrieli brothers. The brothers wrote music to be performed at St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, a church that was built wide. The composers placed small choirs at different ends of the church and the groups sang back and forth between each other. "This music we're doing exploits that," Demuynck said. This music will be conducted by the Bach Elgar director Alexander Cann. The Masterworks choir and its orchestra's brass ensemble will be placed at the front of the church and the Bach Elgar Choir will sing from the back. "The music is deliberately written to have the two choirs sing back and forth and answering each other. It's really quite an amazing effect," Demuynck said. The two Oakville concerts will be performed at ClearView Christian Reformed Church, located at 2300 Sheridan Garden Dr. Both begin at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $25 for general admission or $20 for children and students. Advance tickets are available at www.masterworksofoakville.ca. riziero vertolli / oakville beaver / @halton_photog Mother-daughter sing Along their North American tour, a south Indian mother-daughter singing duo will stop in Oakville for a live performance. Sujatha Mohan and her daughter Shweta will appear at The Meeting House on Friday, May 4. Both are award-winning musicians with fan bases in Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi speaking communities across the globe. In addition to the mother-daughter performance there will be performances by comic Ramesh Pishardy, actress Subi Suresh, violinist Vivekanandan and Anand, winner of the Amritha Superstar contest. Additionally, local dance group Bollywood Beats will perform several dances. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Admission is by a donation of $10 per child or $30-$100 per adult. There are also family rate donations available. The Meeting House is located at 2700 Bristol Circle. one ticket: The Grade 12 drama class at T.A. Blakelock High School is putting on a show of three one-act plays tomorrow (Thursday.) Pictured are Colin Bassindale and Sierra Tucker, as the male and female mayflies, in one of the plays, titled Time Flies, written by David Ives. The school is located at 1160 Rebecca St. The show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $5. Listen to rock, donate a bike If you're up for listening to some classic rock music hits from the 1960s to the '90s, here's your chance to enjoy a live free show. However, the band asks that you donate a used bike. Big Big Time, which has members from Oakville and Toronto, will be performing at Windjammer By the Lake in Burlington on Friday. The three-piece pop rock band will perform covers from the '60s to the '90s, as well put on a bit of a comedy show with audience interaction. Big Big Time will also be collecting used bikes, which will go to Bikes Without Borders, a charitable organization that distributes bikes in needy countries. "There are lots of places in the world where a bicycle is the best way of travel. Some people are able to start a business with the help of a bicycle," said Oakville band member, drummer/ vocalist Kim Lombard, in an email. The concert starts at 9 p.m. People can bring the used bikes or leave an address and the band will pick it up. The bar is located at 5353 Lakeshore Rd. W. in Burlington.