TORCH

A tribute to Torch music from its inception to the present day.

The audience will be taken on a journey through the decades as torch crosses into other musical genres, from blues to jazz, country to pop: starting with Helen Morgan through to Lena Horne and Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee to Patsy Cline, right up to the soulful music of Amy Winehouse.

The show features singer Geri Childs, musical arranger and pianist Art Lawless, guest singer Peter Liu with Tom Denison on bass, Jim McCreavy on guitar and Rene Lavoie playing saxophone.

Known for his warm smooth voice, creative phrasing, and engaging presence, Peter Liu is a popular vocalist and bandleader who performs regularly at public and private events throughout the Ottawa area, recently playing at the 2013 Ottawa International Jazz Festival with the Peter Liu Quintet. Although primarily a jazz singer, Peter also performs in a wide variety of musical styles as a tenor member of the acclaimed Ewashko Singers. 

This is the third show that Geri Childs has developed for the Fourth Stage.  'Winter Songs and Stories' in 2006 and 'Nightfall' in 2012. Both were sold out performances.

Artist biography :

Geri Childs is a familiar face to Ottawa audiences. Her repertoire mixes jazz and contemporary standards.

Beyond her live shows, her professional background includes voice coaching,and vocal performances on radio, television and animation specials.

She recorded the CD Intimate State of Mind with Mark Ferguson, the well known Ottawa musician and arranger. It was released in 1997.

In that same year, Geri moved outside Canada to begin what turned into a series of postings abroad. She lived in Trinidad, New York City and Seattle over the next 13 years.

Living abroad enabled Geri to broaden her musical experiences even more. She performed with the Desperadoes, an internationally acclaimed steel pan orchestra, and a number of Caribbean jazz artists while living in Trinidad and was a member of a 20-voice professional jazz choir in Manhattan.

Now re-established in Ottawa, Geri continues to sing, using the various themes and influences she has acquired to delight music lovers with captivating performances that range from light-hearted to soulful and torchy.