From Patricia with love

If your mind is blank on what to give your better half for Valentine’s Day, check out the upcoming Patricia O’Callaghan concert at the Arden Theatre.

The Toronto-based soprano and cabaret singer is bringing The Heart of Song to St. Albert on Wednesday, Feb. 8. In this intimate performance, the Canadian chanteuse sings love songs popularized by some of the greats – Leonard Cohen, Kurt Weill, Stephen Merritt and Edith Piaf.

“You will certainly hear some songs you’ve heard before and you’ll discover some new creations. By the end, people will feel pretty warm and fuzzy and want to make out,” said O’Callaghan, throwing a few zingers into what is otherwise a serious interview.

She pursued a singing career for over two decades, and just in the last six months has released a plethora of new music on two albums. Back in September 2011 with Gryphon Trio, she released Broken Hearts & Madmen on Analekta Records. Two months later in November she debuted, Matador: The Songs of Leonard Cohen, a solo venture on the Marquis EMI label.

“Gryphon had some initial concerns about the proximity, but they seem to be happily piggy-backing on each other,” she said.

Broken Hearts & Madmen is a mix of classical repertoire with Cuban and Brazilian music featuring tangos, pop tunes and Mexican folksongs. O’Callaghan, who fell in love with Hispanic music while living in Mexico, has a passionate voice perfectly suited to songs such as La Confession and Los Peces.

With a voice that stretches musical boundaries, she has found a singular joy in recording a tribute album to Cohen.

“I’ve always done a lot of Leonard Cohen. I feel he’s a brilliant songwriter and poet. I come from the classical tradition and I feel his songs are from that echelon. They hold up to so many translations, and the poetry is rich and deep and it always has something to unlock.”

Born and raised in northern Ontario, O’Callaghan lived in Mexico for a year as an exchange student. Up until then, she’d planned on being either a nun or a rock star. But in Mexico, she had a “life-changing experience” and shifted her focus towards opera.

“I realized the life of a nun was too austere, but I wanted to close away and focus on something with discipline.”

While studying in Austria, she heard the songs of Prince floating through an open window.

“I said, ‘wait a second. I’m living in another century. I want to do something now.’ ”

Since that epiphany, O’Callaghan has been bridging classical music with the world of pop and folk.

The Arden concert repertoire will include romantic tunes such as The Book of Love, Dance Me to the End of Love and La Vie en Rose.

Rounding out her musical entourage is Miranda Mulholland (fiddle/voice), John Gzowski (guitar/dobro) and Joe Phillips (bass).