Dartmouth Community Concert Assoc. recognizes the support of the Province of Nova Scotia. We are pleased to work in partnership with the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage to develop and promote our cultural resources for all Nova Scotians.”
Saturday, April 22, 2017, 7:30 PM
Rhapsody Quintet
Shimon Walt (cello)
Diana Torbert (piano)
Jennifer Jones (violin)
Eileen Walsh (clarinet)
David Langstroth (double bass)
*Note: Diana Torbert couldn't perform due to an injury and the brilliant young pianist Danbee Ko took her place for this concert.
Starting Performance: Dartmouth All-
Classy, not classical! Halifax’s Rhapsody Quintet defines easy pigeonholing. Comprising five classically trained musicians who are as at home in a symphony concert hall as in a jazz club, Rhapsody has been performing original arrangements of beautiful melodies from eras past and present like jazz, klezmer, tangos, movies and musicals since the mid 1980’s. These fabulous musicians have been arranging and writing music to suit their unique instrumentation, (violin, clarinet, cello, piano and double bass), garnering awards and radio play. Upon their retirement, founding members Anne Rapson, violin and John Rapson, clarinet; were replaced by Jennifer Jones and Eileen Walsh, joining colleagues Shimon Walt, cello; Diana Torbert, Piano and David Langstroth, Bass. All are important members of Nova Scotia’s professional musical scene. Rhapsody Quintet has appeared twice as guest artists with Symphony Nova Scotia in their Traditional Pops Series, receiving rave reviews and standing ovations. They performed in Ottawa as part of the National Arts Centre’s Atlantic Scene Festival, and were featured artists on Toronto’s Music Alive series. Scroll down for additional information or learn more at www.rhapsodyquintet.com
The Quintet was honoured to be invited to perform for the re-
Rhapsody has performed throughout the Maritimes on many concert stages and series, including the Dartmouth Community Concert Series, Acadia University’s Performing Arts Series, the deCoste Centre, the St. Bernard Concert Series, the Indian River Festival, the Moncton Community Concert Series, the Marigold Theatre, the Mahone Bay Concert Series and the Acadia University Alumni Series. They’ve presented The Melody Lingers On show at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax and the Imperial Theatre in Saint John, and performed in the Halifax waterfront Bishop’s Landing Series with guest soprano Sung Ha Shin Bouey and on their own.
Rhapsody’s recordings have been used in ballet performances and professional theatre productions, including the Atlantic Theatre Festival and Neptune Theatre, and Chester Playhouse’s 2006 A Pitiful Ambition, a comedy by Lorne Elliott. In the 2007-
Rhapsody was honoured by perform for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as well as his Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh at a luncheon hosted in Halifax by the Honourable Peter MacKay, MP and also attended by the Prime Minister of Canada and Mrs. Harper. They’ve also played for audiences ranging from women in prison to patrons in pubs, worked with local choirs and done many in-
Rhapsody has released six CDs to date, firstly The Melody Lingers On, (1998) featuring musical theatre songs with Leslie Lake Searle and Ross Thompson. The Melody Lingers On was featured in Bravo TV’s Nova Scotia Ocean Fantasy video, and A Fantasy in the Making, a half-
The fourth CD, Rhapsody in Red, was recorded in the Red Chamber of Province House, Nova Scotia’s historic provincial Legislature, released to a packed house in 2004. This recording was made possible through the assistance of the Canada Music Fund and the Music Section of the Canada Council for the Arts and received support from the Province of Nova Scotia through MIANS’ Export Development Program. Rhapsody in Red won the Best Classical Recording CD for 2005 at the Music Industry Association of Nova Scotia Awards and was nominated for Best Classical Recording at the 2006 ECMA’s. In 2008 Rhapsody released Rhapsody by Request – featuring everything from klezmer to Queen – winning them Music Nova Scotia’s Best Classical Recording for 2009. With their sixth recording in 2012, a two-
Learn more about the group at www.rhapsodyquintet.com or find them on Facebook or Twitter.
Rhapsody’s recordings are distributed through their website, and at a number of local and independent outlets, including CD Baby, iTunes, the Symphony Nova Scotia Boutique, CD Plus, and through amazon.com.
“Played with grace and brio, best enjoyed by candlelight.” (Stephen Cooke, Halifax Herald, Pick of the Week (Passion)
…simply splendid…full of the sophisticated grandeur of a long, lingering 1930s mid-
(Ron Foley MacDonald, The Daily News)
“This is a splendid disc…superbly played…Waltz for a Princess gives just the right shimmering glimpse of the ballroom…” (Light Music Society Newsletter, U.K.)
“Rhapsody Quintet earned a well-
“The production…is immaculate…Elegant, polished and set off by delicate bursts of ironic passion, (it’s) a musical adventure from start to finish.” (Ron Foley Macdonald, The Daily News)
“Lush and lovely…beautifully paced…the group brings its obvious love of performance and high calibre of playing to this nicely delivered project.” (Sandy MacDonald, The Daily News)