It wouldn't be fair of Dawn Boudreau to direct the spotlights as master of ceremonies for the PG Idol events without putting up her own talents as well.
She'll be demonstrating her own talents before turning the city's attention on 26 other vocalists in the annual entertainment competition she organizes. Join her and some special musical guests Saturday night for a jazz cabaret at Art Space. The featured piece is an old German nightclub number - Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire using Albert Giraud's poetry - combining spoken word and instrumentation. She discovered it thanks to a music history class she was taking this past year at Capilano University. She is now halfway through a bachelor of music degree majoring in jazz studies.
"They [professors] have been emphasizing well-roundedness, not just considering jazz to be one traditional definition," she said. "Hearing the Schoenberg piece inspired me to put on a show that looked back at the early 20th century in Germany and France where cabaret really came to life. I was still up to my eyeballs in exams and final studies but there I was contacting musicians and booking venues in Prince George so when I was here I could have this sort of event."
She called on pianist Patrick Kilcullen, vocalists Genevieve Tucker and Ashaya Monique, sax player Shawn Smith, plus a core band of Eric Tompkins (guitar), Kenny Ogilvie (upright bass) and Blaine Powel (drums).
One other important performer on stage that night will be her daughter, Lydia Desrochers, who went to music school at Selkirk College and inspired her veteran singer mother to take her own career to the level of formal higher learning.
"Eric was always teaching me something, Shawn was always teaching me something. I always felt myself learning and I thought I was ready. I thought I was a jazz singer until I went to school and got my ass handed to me," Boudreau said. "Turns out, I was a folk singer singing jazz tunes. That was a wonderful revelation for me, and really made me better. And I get two more years of it."
The first chapter is condensed and cooked up into a Saturday showcase at Art Space (doors, 7 p.m., showtime 8 p.m.). Tickets are on sale now at Books and Company.
