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Because this year, in particular, we feel the need to be together, to show how much we think about and love each other, what better way to celebrate our mothers than with a song? La Scena Musicale will expand on its Singing Valentines as a weekend festival for mothers starting with a special concert on May 7 and followed by two days of personalized serenades on May 8 and 9.
Personalized Serenades
For a donation of $30 to $100, a singer will send a personalized serenade (by phone or via recorded video) of the chosen song to your mother or to the recipients of your choice.
Our Singing Valentines sponsors, L’Affaire est Chocolat! and Binette et Filles, will be supporting us again this time and will allow us to offer you some great gifts.
A CONCERT OF DEDICATIONS
Last year’s La Scena Mother’s Day Concert, during the height of the pandemic, was part of our Corona Serenades featuring 14 singers dedicating songs to their mothers. It was a heartfelt success with over 1,000 views on Facebook and YouTube.
This year: Picture a Sunday brunch at your mom’s in spring, with open windows, freshly-pressed orange juice and laughter. Those days when you open your windows for the first time after a long winter, the wind caresses your face with its fresh but comfortable breath. Think of a colour scheme inspired by the flowering trees, like cherry and apple blossoms, or the lilacs: dark greens and browns, contrasting with the pale purple and pink.
Music-wise, we are going with the intimate and human approach. We will be highlighting the artists’ personal relationships with their moms through song. Each artist will choose a song that is related to the artist’s mother by a personal anecdote.
Soprano Kripa Nageshwar will be singing Schubert’s “Ave Maria.” “I was born and raised in Canada and grew up in the Hindu tradition, with my only connection to the Christian faith being that of celebrating Christmas and singing Christmas songs,” she explains. “I used to sing in choirs and I would sing a lot of devotional music that made reference to Jesus. But it was only when I came to Quebec and started singing as a cantor that I was able to connect with the faith my mother had growing up.
“The first time she heard me sing ‘Ave Maria’ was at a function at our spiritual centre (not a Hindu temple) back home in Edmonton. She cried, she was so affected and so overwhelmed with joy.”
“My mom has always been very spiritual. Mother Mary holds a special place in her heart. Who knew that I’d have the chance to make that connection too? I recently became a mother, and in honor of the Divine Mother, my little one’s second name is Miriam. So, on the occasion of my first Mother’s Day, and my first concert with La Scena, I dedicate this song to my mother and my daughter.”
Soprano Aline Kutan will sing the Armenian lullaby “Ganachian’s Oror.” “My mom, along with all the female members of my family, have been avid seamstresses and cooks. My grandmothers were skilled dressmakers. Growing up, most of my clothes, knitted sweaters and even coats were handmade. I used to take pride in wearing them because they were original creations made with love.
“When I was nine, I was in a school play that required me to wear a long dress. My mom dismantled her wedding gown. It had been sewn and beaded by her mother and mother-in law. ‘You will look beautiful,’ she said, and indeed, I felt like a princess wearing it. Over the years, my grandmothers and my mom sewed and knitted so many wonderful clothes and even made stunning gowns for me in the beginning of my singing years. I now hand them down to my daughter.
“My mom’s eyes are failing her now, but she still knits pieces for church bazaars, donating her work to help raise money for Armenia. The women in my family have been frugal and creative and have passed down those qualities. I thank my mom along with my grandmothers in heaven who painstakingly created beauty and loved through the labour of their hands.”
Mélodie Vanier St-Jean will be singing “Exactly like you.” “When my mother comes to see me play in jazz bars and I know she’s there, I like to perform this piece with my band since the lyrics say: ‘I know why my mama told me to be true. She knew around the corner … was someone like you!’ It’s a little moment that we share and that always makes me happy.”
Gino Quilico will offer “Tristezza,” a song based Chopin’s Étude Op. 10, No.3. “My mother was a pianist and Chopin was her favourite composer,” the baritone explains. “As a child I would listen to her practice this piece in my favorite place – under the piano. Words were added many years later and popularized by many singers.
“We decided to perform the piece as a family trio at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. After my mother’s passing, it then became a standard in all of my concerts, in honour and recognition of my mother. The words say it all for me: ‘E triste il mio cuor senza di te’ – my heart is sad without you.”
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