During my 38-year career as studio composer/ arranger/ orchestrator/ producer I had many opportunities to write and conduct full orchestra scores at various studios in Toronto, Minneapolis, Nashville and Budapest. It was one of my greatest musical pleasures! I put all of that ‘on hold’ when I turned, in 2010, to playing upright bass. And it’s remained there until now…
The elements recently came together, the personnel was lined up and the opportunity presented itself. The Moonglow JAZZ Strings project has launched in Warkworth , Ontario! At the invitation of the Warkworth Lilac Festival, for their feature ‘Lilac Room’ jazz event held at Warkworth’s Town Hall Performing Arts Centre, the wonderful music of Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Hoagy Carmichael and others— beloved jazz standards and ballads enjoyed for decades by millions of music lovers all over the world— was presented live on May 25, 2019.
The premiere presentation featured:
- jazz vocalist Karen Oxorn from Ottawa
- recent McGill University Masters graduate Alanna Ellison on classical harp
- a collection of wonderful violinists, violists & cellists
- jazz guitarist Michael Monis
- Howard Baer on upright bass
Additional funding for this inaugural
performance was generously provided by …
The show SOLD OUT seven weeks in advance of the performance date and many late-comers were disappointed to miss this performance. But plans are underway to place the Moonglow JAZZ Strings presentation into historical theatres across Canada.
May 25, 2019 – Warkworth, ON
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photography by GARY MULCAHEY
HOWARD BAER 