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(Posted 2:30 p.m., Jan. 27)
Orléans
siblings to perform at Carnagie Hall with Calgary choir
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
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 St.
Peter Players alumni Kate and Mike Heney will
soon be performing at Carnagie Hall with the
Calgary choral group Revv52. File photos.
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It`s
amazing what life can throw at you sometimes. In September,
Kate and Mike Heney were mourning the sudden passing of
their father Michael who was a popular teacher and football
coach at St. Peter High School.
When
their father passed away, the two siblings, who both live
in Alberta now, raced back to Orléans to be with
their mother for the funeral.
Last
week, it was their mother who got on a plane, flying out
west to watch them perform with the Calgary choral group
Revv52.
Kate
first joined the group in 2012 after moving to Calgary
to pursue a Masters Degree at the University of Calgary.
Mike
moved to Fort McMurray in 2014 where he worked as a large
engine mechanic before relocating to Calgary last January
after seeing his sister perform in Revv52’s “Wall
of Sound” production.
“As
soon as I saw the show, I said, I should be living here
and be part of the choir – so I ended up moving,
pretty much on a whim a month and a half later,”
Mike recalls.
Mike
and Kate first started performing at St. Peter High School
as members of the St. Peter Players musical theatre company.
Kate
first appeared in the 2004 production of “Les Misérables”.
She was also in “Into the Woods” in 2005 and
“The Pirates of Penzance” before graduating
in 2006.
Mike
followed in his sister’s footsteps, making his first
appearance with the St. Peter Players in “Beauty
and the Beast” in 2009. He then played the man-eating
plant in “Little Shop of Horrors” in 2010.
Revv52
is a 50+ member choir that has been around in one incarnation
of another since 1952. They started out as the Calgary
Choral Society.
The
choir’s penchant for tackling songs that don’t
necessarily fall under what choral groups traditionally
perform, is what originally attracted Kate to the group.
“A
lot of our repertoire has never been arranged for a choir
before,” she says. “I remember the first year
I was in it we did a version of David Bowie’s Space
Oddity and you would never expect a choir to do that.
It was really cool."
The
choir just finished three nights of performances in Calgary
during which they performed contemporary pieces by legendary
American singer songwriters like Paul Simon, Billy Joel,
and Carole King.
The
program was put together by American music producer Deke
Sharon who has arranged for the choir to perform at the
world famous Carnegie Hall on March 20 along with 11 other
choral groups.
Kate
Heney says the group is understandably excited about bringing
their western do-wop take on such pop classics as Billy
Joel’s “The Longest Time”, Paul Simon’s
“Me and Julio (Down by the Schoolyard)”, and
Burt Bacharach’s “I’ll Never Fall in Love
Again” to the Big Apple.
“I
don’t know how well people in New York know Calgary,
but we sure hope they come to this performance,”
says Kate.
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of
our local business partners.)
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THE OTTAWA SCHOOL OF THEATRE presents an all ages production of Treasure Island in the Richcraft Theatre at the Shenkman Arts Centre. Showtimes Thursday, April 18 and Friday, April 19 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tickets $20 for adults. Students and youth 25 and under $10. To purchase visit 
TAPROOM 260 presents Michael Ben-Shalom live from 8-11 p.m. at 260 Centrum Blvd. For more information visit 
TAPROOM 260 presents The Underground live from 8-11 p.m. at 260 Centrum Blvd. For more information visit 
CLASSIC PIANO RECITAL – Orléans pianist Emily Hou will be performing works by Chopin, Mozart, Rachmaninov and Liszt at Kanata United Church as part os the Beaverbrook Community Concert Series. The recital will start promptly at 3 p.m. Kanata United Church is located at 33 Leacock Dr. in Kanata. For more information visit 
THE ORLÉANS BREWING CO. Trivia Night from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Call (613) 834-9005 to reserve your spot. The Orléans Brewing Co. is located at 4380 Innes Rd. near the Innes Road McDonalds.
