The Canadian Tenors

It is unusual to go to a concert where almost every song is so outstanding that the audience reacts with a standing ovation. That was the case last Thursday night at the Holland Center with The Canadian Tenors. (The Tenors actually joked about being “booed” in Omaha as a headline when they threatened to end the show.)

Following last week's blizzard, the audience was not as full as usual and even the members of the group had difficulty arriving in Omaha. For those who were there though, the night was spent in the splendor of the music of these four outstanding tenors.

The Canadian Tenors repertoire for this performance was from their two previous recordings one entitles The Canadian Tenors, their Christmas album called The Perfect Gift, and their new release on January 15th, Lead with Your Heart. From their Christmas recording, they sang "O Come, O Come Emmanuel", "What Child is This?", "The Perfect Gift", "O Holy Night", and their a capella version of "Silent Night". Individually each of the four sang a selection perfectly matching the tone quality of their voice such as "Ave Maria", "Forever Young", "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables, and "The Lord's Prayer". Each of these brought the audience to their feet with exuberant bravos.

The audience thoroughly enjoyed the immense talent of this group which included Fraser Walters, Clifton Murray, Victor Micallef, and Remigio Pereira. Each voice has its own unique sound and together this group beautifully harmonizes in four part harmony within the tenor range. Clifton Murray has the highest voice resembling an Irish tenor. Victor Micallef is unquestionably an accomplished operatic singer. Remigio's voice is also operatic but having a warm relaxed quality to it. Fraser Walter sings beautifully as an accomplished musical singer. Together their sounds are glorious.

Prior to their visit in Omaha, The Canadian Tenors were in Las Vegas to promote their upcoming PBS special with their new album, “Lead with Your Heart”.

My complaint about the show, like the "booing" audience, was that it ended. It is believed that either P.T. Barnum or Walt Disney once stated about a performance to "always leave them wanting more". Yes, I wanted more of their fabulous singing and look forward to more from The Canadian Tenors.