Renowned opera singer to perform at jazz concert in Sainte-Anne-de Prescott

An evening of jazz featuring a world-renowned voice is coming to Sainte-Anne-de Prescott on Saturday, November 25.

Gino Quilico of Montréal, a baritone with a significant background in opera, will be accompanied by local jazz pianist Didier Chasteau at a fundraising concert for the heating system in the historic Église Sainte-Anne-de-Prescott church. Joining Chasteau to form a trio will be bassist Guillaume Lefebvre and drummer Guillaume Picard.

Quilico, who has performed with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, l’Opéra de Paris, la Scala in Milan, and the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, began diversifying into pop music 15 years ago. He recently received the 2023 Ruby Award from Opera Canada.

At the Sainte-Anne-de-Prescott concert, the audience can expect a tribute to the late Tony Bennett, and jazz versions of popular Italian standards such as Caruso and Volaré. The concert is exactly one month before Christmas, so a few seasonal favourites are also on the set list.

Quilico was born in Flushing, part of Queens in New York City but grew up in London, Paris, and Rome. He is the son of opera baritone Louis Quilico and pianist Lina Pizzolongo. He chose to make his home in Montréal where his great-grandfather worked as an engineer on the Mount Royal Tunnel and his grandfather owned the city’s first bicycle shop. Quilico explained that as he was diversifying his career, the significant number of community performing arts venues, known as Maisons de la Culture, provided an excellent opportunity to reach more audiences in other genres of music.

In 1988, Quilico was named Artist of the Year by the Canadian Music Council, and in 1990 was appointed Canada’s first Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. In that role, Quilico performed at various events to raise awareness and funds to assist refugees around the world. In 1993 Gino Quilico was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

The concert in Sainte-Anne-de Prescott on November 25 begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30 each. For more information, call 438-874-1592.