Noémi Kiss, the celebrated Hungarian-born soprano who now makes her home in Argenta, will be singing at the Capitol Theatre on Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Kiss will be joined by violinist Natasha Hall and double bassist Rob Fahie, both from Nelson, and Kelowna pianist Patricia Tao, as well as other guest musicians. While Kiss has shared the stage with each of the performers on different occasions, she says this is the first time they are coming together as a group.
“I was really excited to invite these people so it’s not just me – the classical piano and voice – but having these awesome musicians means that the musical styles and the options opened up for doing more.”
Kiss studied at the Academy of Music in Budapest and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London where her teachers were Nancy Argenta and Emma Kirkby. Her repertoire is wide-ranging, from Renaissance songs through European Baroque to contemporary music. She has performed in many of Europe's concert halls and festivals.
The versatility of the musicians for the Capitol Theatre show has allowed Kiss to put together a program that is diverse, spanning centuries and genres.
“I think mostly I wanted to find repertoire that I’m really passionate about,” says Kiss, “and what that means to me these days has changed since I was in my 20s … I wanted to give a lot of variety of repertoire for people so there’s something for everyone, even people who are not strictly classical music lovers.”
The program includes works from the Classical and Romantic periods, as well as Italian Bel Canto, pieces by French jazz composer Michel Legrand, and Hungarian folk songs.
“It’s out of the box, putting these pieces together, and that’s kinda cool. I kind of want to be that performer anyway.”
When asked what piece she was most looking forward to, Kiss just laughed, “There’s a surprise.”
Tickets are $29 plus fees and are available at the Capitol Theatre box office.
