Mother’s Day, May 12th – 3 pm – Gershwin & Swift (Single Ticket)

$45.00

SKU: WINDRUSHEVENTS-MOTHERSDAY2024-SINGLE Category:

    Description

    Rhapsody In Love: Gershwin & Swift

    Renee Guerrero, pianist – Quintin Harris, pianist & vocalist – Artemisia Lefay, mezzo-soprano

    ​Take your front row seats for the fun of engaging with the creative minds of composers George Gershwin and Kay Swift as they composed music for generations to come! International pianist, Renee Guerrero, her daughter, a cabaret/opera singer and son, a jazz pianist/singer, have a brand new program entitled Rhapsody in Love which commemorates the 100th year anniversary of the world premiere of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue in 1924 and the music of Kay Swift, the first successful female composer on Broadway with her musical Fine and Dandy.

    Gershwin and Swift had a romantic and musical relationship for over ten years until his untimely death in 1937. The two inspired many compositions from each other and Swift became his trusted musical advisor and even edited his works after his death. She could play the score of Porgy and Bess from memory and he encouraged the classically trained Swift to venture into the popular music genre.

    Renee has been entrusted with rarely and never performed piano works by the Kay Swift Memorial Trust which she is excited to premiere here in Canada today! www.reneeguerrero.com

    Your $45 ticket includes the concert plus a wine reception and a meet-and-greet with the artists. Proceeds help empower underserved kids through www.youthLEADarts.com.

    Born in Santa Clara, California, Producer/Educator/Pianist/Vocal Coach Renée Guerrero was introduced to music at an early age by her father. Her grandfather, Longinos “Lonnie” Guerrero, was a self-taught troubadour, traveling throughout Texas in the 1930s. Known as the Composer of Corridos, many of Longinos’ songs were recorded in the 1960’s to 1980’s by well-known Tejano artists. In 1983, he was inducted into the Tejano Music Hall of Fame for his outstanding style of folk music dedicated to Mexican culture.

    When Renée was 12, her family moved to Austin, Texas. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance from Texas State University under the tutelage of Dr. Timothy Woolsey. Renée and her husband, baritone Lawrence Harris (and former National Football League offensive lineman who also had a brief season with the Toronto Argonauts), met as students at TSU. When her husband was invited to study at the Metropolitan Opera, the couple relocated to New York City. Renée then attended the Manhattan School of Music where she received both a Master’s Degree and Professional Studies’ Certificate in Piano Performance under the tutelage of the late esteemed Phillip Kawin. For several years, she served as an assistant to Professor Kawin. She made her New York City debut in 1990 as a soloist in the Yamaha Young Artists Showcase and, since, she has appeared in venues notably Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Lincoln Center’s Merkin Hall, and venues in northern and southern Italy, including a performance of Rhapsody in Blue in a 12-century ship arsenal off the coast of Amalfi in Italy as part of the Young and Jazz Festival at L’Arsenale. She is a member of the piano faculty at The Westchester Conservatory of Music in White Plains, New York and Music Director of Leonia Presbyterian Church. Renée and Lawrence were awarded Best Record of the Year at the 2014 Native American Music Awards for their first commercial recording, Romanze: Songs of Francesco Paolo Tosti. Renée leads music retreats for pianists in partnership with Le Stanze della Musica in Borgomale, Italy, Her new program Rhapsody in Love will be performed in the US and abroad in 2024 and 2025. She is thrilled to be making her Canadian debut at WIndrush Estate Winery alongside her grown children Artemisia and Quintin. For more info: www.reneeguerrero.com

    Artemisia LeFay is a classically-trained mezzo soprano, cabaret chanteuse, actress, and songwriter based in New York City with a passion for all things theatrical, vaudevillian, vintage and avante garde. Raised in the audition and dressing rooms of opera productions by her classical musician parents, Artemisia’s affair with the performing arts began at a young age. Her eclectic resume spans everything from producing and costuming original cabarets in New York City, to singing opera and concerts throughout Italy, Australia and Turkey. Her original show Ghosts of Weimar Past made its 2019 debut at NYC’s cabaret hub Don’t Tell Mama and its international debut at the Adelaide Fringe Festival in March 2020 to rave reviews in both cities. Following the pandemic shut down, it made its reappearance back at Don’t Tell Mama, soon followed by The Triad Theater, and subsequently, The Triad, Pangea. and Birdland Jazz Theater. The show was also nominated for a 2021 Broadway World Cabaret Award for Best Show, and made its Rochester Fringe Festival debut last September. Her newest show, Phantoms of the Cabaret, has had performances at Don’t Tell Mama, The Green Room 42, The Triad, AIP Cabaret Festival, Jazz at Main and the Laurie Beechman Theater. Artemisia has also performed with The Green Fairy Society and Shanghai Mermaid, both immersive vintage experiences. Most recently, she produced Artemisia LeFay’s Spirit Soirée at the infamous speakeasy The Red Room, a vintage variety show debuting her original music. Look for her debut album later in 2024, “Wasted Girl”, featuring her original songs. In April, she will make her debut in Toronto with her new show Manhattan Mystique at Annette Studios.

    Quintin Harris is in demand in the New York City area as a jazz pianist, vocalist, arranger and actor. He is a recent graduate of William Paterson University under the tutelage of Bill Charlap and Geoffrey Keezer. 2022-23 saw debuts at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club, Birdland Jazz Theater, Pangea, Chelsea Table + Stage, The Green Room 42, Jazz on Main and the Berlind Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey. Quintin made his professional stage debut at the age of 5 as the Lord High Drummer Boy in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Gondoliers alongside his father, baritone Lawrence Harris and has since appeared in musicals, operas, and plays in the New York City area. He has performed as a soloist alongside his classical pianist mother Renée Guerrero and sister chanteuse Artemisia LeFay in Italy at the Narnia International Music Festival as well as the Meta Musicale televised on Italian TV. As a teenager and young adult, Quintin has received acting training through HB Studios and The Wooster Group. Quintin was a Finalist in the 2022 American Jazz Pianists Competition in Savannah, Georgia and is a frequent guest in Susie Mosher’s The Line Up at The Birdland Jazz Theater. In December 2023, he sold out his debut performance at Birdland and was immediately engaged for more performances in 2024 and 2025.