Amanda Tosoff & Friends in Concert

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 17, 2016

Poetry, Song and Jazz Stirred with Coffee and Commentary at LCMS Concert

Langley Community Music School (LCMS) welcomes Amanda Tosoff and Friends, performing works from their acclaimed “Words” album, at the upcoming Concerts Café Classico concert, coffee and commentary at 2:30 pm on Sunday afternoon, October 30, 2016. The performance will feature an eclectic collection of poetry in song blended with the diverse musical styles of jazz, folk, pop, and classical.

Amanda Tosoff, a Surrey-raised pianist and award-winning composer, leads this distinctive new musical styling with the talents of stunning vocalist Lydia Persaud, bass player Jon Maharaj, and drummer Morgan Childs.

A true artist, Tosoff takes an adventurous leap beyond the confines of conventional jazz and creates a new ensemble of lyric and instrument, inspired by an emotional response to poetry. Tosoff says, “I wanted to write a melody with words. I loved taking the imagery, moods, and emotions in poems and adding music. It was a very rewarding experience.”

These new compositions feature poems by award-winning Canadian poets Tim Bowling, Laura Lush, and Carole Glasser Langille, and song-writers Melissa Mansfield, and Lloyd and Ted Tosoff. The program will also include Tosoff’s compositions and arrangements of poetry by William Wordsworth, Edgar Allan Poe, Edgar Lee Masters, and Pablo Neruda – as well as contemporary artists like Joni Mitchell and Yo Yo Ma.

While long established as a jazz aficionado, Tosoff brings her distinctive compositions to a much wider audience. Poet Tim Bowling comments that “her haunting composition for ‘Owl Pellet’ adds layers of beauty and complexity to what can only be described as the mysterious spaces between the words.” The Toronto Star’s Peter Goddard adds that the “very title, ‘Words,’ warns jazz purists to expect they’re about to discover a whole lot more than jazz…the spirit of the young Joni Mitchell hovers protectively over the project.”

“Words” composer, bandleader and pianist, Amanda Tosoff has earned critical acclaim, with five albums to her credit and multiple awards, such as the prestigious CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award. Raised in BC with a Masters from the University of Toronto, Tosoff has performed with many internationally recognized artists and recorded multiple CBC Radio programs. Tosoff currently maintains a busy performance and teaching schedule in Toronto, and is currently touring Canada with the release of her recent “Words” album. Learn more at http://amandatosoff.com/ and listen to some of this distinctive music at http://www.amandatosoff.com/music/words/.

The event starts at 2:30 pm with a pre-concert conversation with Amanda Tosoff and Friends, hosted by LCMS artistic director Elizabeth Bergmann, featuring insights behind the music as well as highlighting anecdotal stories from the performers’ careers. There will be a short break with coffee and refreshments, before the performance from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm.

“Amanda Tosoff sets the bar high for musical artistry,” says LCMS Artistic Director Elizabeth Bergmann. “Her distinctive, genre-bending style blends the power of poetry with the resonance of melody.”

Tickets for this Concerts Café Classico event are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for students. For those that want to attend several concerts during the season, a Concerts Café Classico flex pass is also available for any four concerts in the series for $65 adults and $54 seniors. Call the box office at 604-534-2848. The Rose Gellert Hall is located at 4899 207 Street, Langley, BC.

ABOUT LANGLEY COMMUNITY MUSIC SCHOOL
Langley Community Music School (LCMS) is a non-profit organization and registered charity that is committed to providing the highest quality of musical education to students of all ages and levels, from early learning to pre-professional and adult programs. With the support of the community, LCMS has become one of the largest non-profit music schools in the province, earning both national and international acclaim for their comprehensive and innovative programs. Learn more about LCMS programs, scholarships and bursaries.

The Langley Community Music School hosts multiple musical concerts from October to May, including the Rose Gellert Hall Series, a Saturday evening concert featuring renowned Canadian and international musicians, as well as the Concerts Café Classico Series, a Sunday afternoon concert series featuring stellar local and touring musicians playing classical, jazz or contemporary works.

Visit langleymusic.com or call 604-534-2848.

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