Quinte Ballet School of Canada will perform
an excerpts from Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee

The Belleville Theatre Guild will perform an excerpt
from Monkey Soup

Join us at the Quinte Cabaret at the Empire Theatre in Belleville on Thursday, September 27.  The evening will include the presentation of the 2007 Arts Recognition Awards at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets are $25 and available at the Empire Theatre Box Office (613-969-0099 or www.theempiretheatre.com).  For information, contact the Quinte Arts Council at 613-962-1232.

Come celebrate the QAC's 40th Anniversary at the 2007 Quinte Cabaret, featuring member groups and artists in a variety show of music, dance, theatre, magic and comedy.

Our Master of Ceremonies is Mark Philbin of Classic Hits 95.5 FM.

The Belleville Theatre Guild will bring mayhem to the Cabaret as they present excerpts from their upcoming production of Monkey Soup.  Set on the stage of a New York theatre in the 1930s, this “demented, madcap, no holds barred, galloping farce is a loving parody and homage to the sort of movie the Marx Brothers might have made after a hundred cups of coffee with their hair on fire.”  The language is rapid fire and the physical comedy is maniacal.  The show stars Robert Lloyd, Kelsey Rushnell, Glenn Anderson and Jim West and is directed by John Lunman.  Get a preview at Cabaret!

Linda Minty and Lisa Kemp of the Quinte Symphony Orchestra will perform a cello and flute duet.  The QSO was founded in 1960 by Stephen Choma in conjunction with local businessman, Thomas Bata, and continues to present live orchestral music with world-class performers.  The QSO provides an opportunity for musicians to learn and perform as well as education programs for area schools, outreach programs and student awards.  One of the pieces they will perform is Pavane by Fauré.

The Quinte Ballet School of Canada didn’t come into existence until 5 years after the QAC but they are long-time members.  Over the last 35 years, the school has evolved into a highly respected member of the national and international dance community and provides the highest calibre of professional dance training as well as a successful recreational school.  The professional school's graduates have gone on to dance with ballet companies and arts organizations around the world.  We are thrilled to present Tasha Mumby, Natayu Mildenberger and Kazuho Yagi, QBS students who will perform Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee which was choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton and is based on characters in Through the Looking-Glass.

Another long-time member of the QAC is the Quinte Irish Canadian Society.  Back in May, members of QICS performed at the Third Thursday Arts and Culture Jam, presented by the QAC and the Belleville Library’s John M. Parrott Art Gallery.  At least a dozen fiddlers and other musicians performed a traditional Irish music session.  They also brought along two talented Irish dancers.  We are thrilled they will be part of the Cabaret.

The dynamic Shout Sister! choir, founded and directed by multi-award-winning blues singer and songwriter, Georgette Fry, is a truly different choral experience that is good for the soul!  Since 2005, they have been blowing away audiences with their high-energy performances of pop and gospel tunes.  Shout Sister is comprised of over 140 members who come from all over the Quinte region.

What’s a variety show without magic and comedy?  The amazing Evans and Evans are a husband and wife team (Rob and Pat Evans) who have performed for more than 25 years across Canada and abroad in a variety of venues including theatres, casinos, resorts, corporate events, festivals and more.  They were part of the QAC’s 2004 Cabaret, the 2006 Festival of Trees, as well as countless other Quinte events.  They’ve also entertained Canadian troops serving overseas; received an Ambassador of Tourism award from the Government of Canada, and they represented eastern Canada in the World Wide Escape Artist Relay in 2005.

The Loyal Blues Fellowship is one of those groups that works tirelessly to educate young and old about this rich and vibrant musical form.  Their mission is to promote cultural awareness of the impact the Blues has on the musical heritage of North America.  They do this by supporting the Blues in the Schools program which brings professional musicians into schools to conduct classes on the history of the blues, famous blues musicians, different styles of blues, and how to write, sing and perform the blues.  They also help develop local talent through their many programs such as the annual End of Winter Blues Festival, monthly blues jams (for all ages) and mentoring opportunities.  On stage at Cabaret will be Fellowship member, Mark Taylor, a dynamic singer/songwriter who resides in Picton, where he spends much of his time refining his folk/blues/rock fusion style.  His live shows consist of 90% original material.  He plays guitar, harmonica and sings.  A great story teller, Mark keeps all his lyrics relevant and poetic. He recorded his first album in 2000 and has released four additional albums since then.

The Quinte Film Alternative began as a QAC program back in 1995 and almost immediately became an independent entity.  This very successful volunteer-run organization shows alternative films every second Wednesday at the Empire Theatre.  Their first film in 1995, Blue in the Face, sold out with a huge line-up outside the old Belle Star Theatre – proving there was an audience in Quinte for first-rate independent, foreign and alternative movies.  They will show (in the Marquee Lounge) the animated short, At the Quinte Hotel, with narration by Al Purdy.

Jeanette Arsenault is a dynamic performer and singer/songwriter whose music encompasses inspirational, Christian, children’s and folklore.  She has produced four CDs and wrote and sang a commissioned song for our Canadian Olympic athletes both in Athens (2004) and Salt Lake City (2002).  Performing with Jeanette will be talented 15-year-old singer/songwriter/pianist, Tony Sylvestri.  Tony has opened for Jeff Healey, Theory of a Dead Man, Paul James, The Stampeders and the Mahones, and he’s played with Donny Walsh of the Down Child Blues Band and The Weber Brothers.  He formed the band Immortality and has performed all over Ontario since the age of 11.  He won the Ontario Music Teachers Association award at this year’s Rotary Music Festival for his original classical composition.  Joining Jeanette and Tony is 18-year-old singer, Ashley Mitchell, who has been winning fans and accolades for her many performances throughout Quinte.

Fifteen-year-old Sebastian Sallans has been playing the violin since he was five years old.  He studies violin in Ottawa with Karoly Szilady, first violinist and founding member of the National Arts Centre Orchestra.  Over the years he has been awarded many scholarships and prizes, including the Quinte Symphony Book Prize for Orchestral Strings in 2007.  In 2006, Sebastian was one of two outstanding young musicians to be awarded the prestigious Orma Tipper Award, a scholarship presented for cumulative achievement.  Sebastian also enjoys fiddling in the old-time style. He learned first from his grandfather and great uncles, later taking lessons from well-known Ottawa Valley fiddler, Bruce Wilson.

Daniel Knight, internationally acclaimed bass-baritone singer, is considered to be a specialist in the performance practice of 17th and 18th century music.  Daniel graduated from Concordia and McGill universities, and has established himself as a singer and voice teacher par excellence in Canada, with innumerable winnings in vocal competitions, both locally and nationally.  From 1991 to 2006, Daniel lived in the UK continuing to pursue further research in the academic field as well as a singing career.  Daniel is now back in Belleville where he is performing and teaching.  At the Cabaret, Daniel will sing Non piu andrai from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro and To Dream the Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha.

Rounding out the program is the eclectic acoustic music of Kirby, Yates and Mazurek (also known as The North Shore Ramblers), who will perform their unique blend of folk, blues, country, bluegrass, jazz and classical.  This dynamic “roots” music trio plays music from all corners of the world, combining vocals with instrumentals that feature fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, dobro, and harmonica.  David “Zeke” Mazurek has toured with Sylvia Tyson and Great Speckled Bird, Stringband, Prairie Oyster, Willie P. Bennett and Sneezy Waters.  Allan Kirby has a BA in music from Queen’s and a MAdEd from St. Francis Xavier University and has performed with Washboard Hank, Dennis O’Toole, Jon Piper, Matchbox and McCormick.  Jim Yates has played with numerous bluegrass bands and on several recording projects.

L-r, top row: Tony Silvestri, Ashley Mitchell, At the Quinte Hotel. L-r, middle row: Daniel Knight, Jeanette Arsenault, Evans and Evans.  L-r, bottom row: Kirby Yates and Mazurek, Sebastian Sallans, and Mark Taylor.

Please note: this is not the order of the performances.  Program is subject to change.