Tenor Power belts out classical arias to popular tunes

Put together three powerful tenor voices with a classical crossover style, mix it up with quick-witted banter and you get the spine-tingling Tenor Power.

The trio consisting of Jerry Paravicini, Lary Benson and Dan Rowley, as well as accompanist-arranger Marlis Gunderson, are planning to pack an emotional wallop with their first full concert in a decade this coming Sunday at Alberta College.

“It seems we have been primarily doing fundraising events for other organizations and thought it is time we did our own concert,” said Paravicini, who just moved to St. Albert within the last year.

“We’ve always loved doing fundraisers, but as we’re getting older we want to present our own music. We try to help the community, but we’ve never stretched ourselves and this is a good opportunity.”

Although they look like the guys next door, each tenor has an extraordinary gift of tapping into the emotions going from laughter to tears within the beat of a song.

Presenting a unified front, the sweet-singing tenors have performed with dramatic flair at varied events such as Bruce Rodeo headliners and Vegreville’s Pysanka Festival grandstand performers to Pilgrim’s Hospice and St. Albert’s Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts.

Sunday’s repertoire of 30 charts is an eclectic cocktail of classical arias, Broadway show tunes, nostalgia pop, love songs, humorous numbers and a country medley.

Expect to hear a gamut of music from Johann Strauss’ romantic Komm in de Gondel and a Johnny Mathis medley to a Paul McCartney ballad and a Full Monty tune.

“Tenor Power is a trio of very good singers. I feel privileged to sing with people like Lary and Dan. Lary has been a wonderful mentor and Dan has one honking voice. It’s to die for. He makes the high notes look like child’s play.”

“And Marlis, she plays anything and everything with heart. She’ll rewrite her music for us so we have three-part harmonies in places you would never hear ordinarily.”

About 15 years ago, an early rendition of Tenor Power was quickly thrown together as an act for the Italian community’s Giovanni Caboto Days.

“Five of us got together and we sang a bunch of Italian arias.”

Although the tenors played around with the concept, nothing gelled until a decade ago when Benson and Paravicini performed together and the idea went “gangbusters.”

“We saw that there was little opportunity to hear tenor arias and classical arias. We started with Italian arias and it grew. Lary, a voice and musical theatre teacher at Grant MacEwan, has been a wonderful pedagogue.”

“We started with operas and then depending what our show was, we learned musical theatre and then sacred music. We later added show tunes and pop stuff. Our last thing has been country and western.”

As we spoke Paravicini noted that the ensemble’s large and eclectic catalogue fills two four-inch binders.

Like many good singers they seized the opportunity to present their best and are running with it.

“We have a camaraderie, a passion that translates across the footlights. There’s a joy that comes out of Tenor Power that connects with the audience. For us it’s so much fun. It’s a wonderful experience.”