Readership Survey
May 25 concert will serve as kickoff event for regional Shakespeare festival
Jazz singer/songwriter and U of G physics professor Diane Nalini de Kerckhove has put a uniquely modern spin on the words of William Shakespeare in her latest album, Songs of Sweet Fire. It's a collection of 15 sonnets and songs set to original jazz, funk and blues music. She will premiere the works May 25 at 7:30 p.m. at War Memorial Hall, with the concert serving as a kick-off event for Guelph's “Shakespeare — Made in Canada” festival (see story).
De Kerckhove (who performs as Diane Nalini) will be joined by the Montreal band that accompanied her on Songs of Sweet Fire, named for a sonnet in Love's Labour's Lost. It's her third album since she started recording in 2001.
De Kerckhove, a Rhodes Scholar who joined Guelph's Department of Physics in 2005, is a longtime admirer of Shakespeare's plays and has been writing the music for the album off and on for five years.
“It was very important to me to let the phrasing of the words dictate the style of music I wrote for each song,” she says, adding that some of the music is traditional jazz and other songs have a Motown and even a gospel sound.
“I decided to set only those songs that were in more modern-sounding English to highlight the timelessness of Shakespeare's words.”
That philosophy is in tune with Guelph's Shakespeare festival, set to run from January to May 2007. Its goal is to create a regional cultural synergy focusing specifically on Canadian interpretations, adaptations and exhibitions of the Bard's work.
“Diane's project is a perfect fit,” says Sue Bennett, U of G special projects manager. “We think hosting the launch of her new CD is a wonderful opportunity to let the community know about the upcoming festival.”
Tickets for the concert are $25, with all proceeds going to the festival. They're available at the University Bookstore and downtown at The Bookshelf and the Twelfth Night Music Shoppe. You can also order them by phone from the University Bookstore by calling Ext. 53715.
