“It’s All Right”—and then some—for StFX music professor Jessica Lalonde who has a very cool gig coming up.
Ms. Lalonde has been invited to perform as a guest vocalist with world-renowned concert pianist Lang Lang and the Ontario Philharmonic when Lang Lang’s global Disney Tour makes its Canadian debut March 31st in Toronto at Meridian Hall, the largest hall of its kind in Canada.
Lang Lang is performing music from his latest album, The Disney Book, on the global tour, which features joyful, reimagined versions of some of the most famous melodies, especially written for Lang Lang by world-leading arrangers.
Ms. Lalonde will sing the Soul score, “It’s All Right.”
“It’s really cool. I’m doing one piece with him. I’m excited to walk onto that stage, it’s a huge concert hall,” says Ms. Lalonde, who is a part-time instructor at StFX, leading the voice studio and teaching courses in aural skills and music appreciation. Prior to this, she spent the past decade as a jazz singer in the Toronto area and is trained as a classical and opera singer.
Ms. Lalonde says coincidentally during her music appreciation course at StFX, she’s played Lang Lang to her students as an example of a great pianist. Now, she’ll perform with him.
The Ontario Philharmonic had put her name forward and she received an email through her website from a booking agent dealing with Lang Lang—a surprise, but most welcome, invitation.
Lang Lang, she says, is a passionate pianist, magnetic and expressive in his playing, who showcases beautiful technique. He’s hugely popular in his native China, and universally famous at this point.
During the performance, he’ll play the piano, and the orchestra will play a supporting role, as she sings.
“It’s interesting for me, as a jazz singer, and trained classically, that the piece I’m going to do is Curtis Mayfield’s Soul song, what I grew up listening to,” she says. “It’s an interesting thing for me to open myself up and put my own spin on it.”
