Our Extraordinary Women Series at the Revue Cinema helps support our projects at Back Lane Studios. We thank the Revue for their support!
Joan Beckow: Musical Theatre’s Overlooked Jewel
May 17, 12:30 pm
You’re in for a treat with Back Lane Studios’ Extraordinary Woman event on Sunday, May 17, 12:30 pm at the Revue Cinema.
You’ll learn about the talented Joan Beckow, singer, songwriter and pianist. And you will hear her music performed live by four musicians, Wendy Bross Stuart on piano, and singers Jessica Stuart, Juno-nominated Alex Samaras and Whitney Ross-Barris.
Beckow (1933-2021) left behind a body of work that has been likened to the musical theatre compositions of Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein. But her work had never been published until Wendy Bross Stuart, Beckow’s long-time collaborator and arranger, and her daughter, singer Jessica Stuart, undertook the Joan Beckow Legacy Project.
They have recorded 22 of Beckow’s songs and have produced a 25-minute documentary Unsung: The Joan Beckow Story. Their project was supported by the Canada Council and the Ontario Arts Council.
At the Revue Cinema on Sunday, May 17, 12:30 pm, we will see the documentary, hear a selection of her songs performed live and have a Q&A with the directors about Beckow’s life and her work. The tickets are a $20 suggested donation on Eventbrite or $25 at the door.
Born in 1933 in the United States, Beckow demonstrated her musical talent at an early age. She studied music at UCLA, moved to New York City where she worked with friend and collaborator Carol Burnett (shown in the photo below). After marrying, Beckow moved to Vancouver where she focused her talents on family and community. She worked and composed for Canadian theatre groups, and mounted a number of her own musicals in Vancouver. She also trained as a music therapist and taught at Capilano College.
Watch the trailer.
Buy tickets in advance here. By donation ($20 suggested donation) on Eventbrite. $25 at the Revue door.
Wendy Bross Stuart: Born and raised in New York, Wendy is a choral and instrumental music arranger, ethnomusicologist, music director, collaborative pianist and vocal coach. A graduate of McGill University (Montreal) and the University of British Columbia (M.Mus.), she studied traditional Japanese music in Kyoto, Osaka and Nagano, Japan and was awarded an advanced teaching license in shamisen and koto. Wendy has written two books: “Gambling Music of the Coast Salish Indians” (National Museum of Man, Ottawa) and “Northern Haida Songs” (University of Nebraska Press).Wendy collaborated with Joan Beckow for 40 years. She became the keeper of Joan’s archive of unpublished songs and music, which made the Joan Beckow Legacy Project possible.
Jessica Stuart: Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist & vocalist Jessica Stuart is known world-wide for adventurous genre-bending songwriting. A rare pro female guitarist, credits range from Mirvish Productions’ SIX to WizTheMC to Idioteque and beyond. Accolades include: Japanese Top 40 single, CBC’s viral Finding Fukue (15+ million views), and multiple songwriting awards. Jessica was stunned when she learned that none of Joan Beckow’s work had ever been recorded. She had auditioned using one of Joan’s songs, which sparked great interest and enthusiasm, but found the music was not available. The result: the Joan Beckow Legacy Project became her mission.
Alex Samaras: Alex Samaras is a singing artist. His output as a performer and recording artist span every genre and style. Alex leads his own band, Tryal, and has released two records since 2017. Alex sings with the Queer Songbook Orchestra and has toured the EU/UK with Beverley Glenn Copeland. Alex is an active member in the Toronto theatre and dance community. He has premiered new operas and created roles in new musicals. In summer 2022 he will be performing Claude Vivier’s Musik für das Ende and Love Songs in Berlin and London. He has worked as a composer and vocal collaborator with choreographers including Susie Burpee, Meredith Thompson and with Ame Henderson and Christopher House at the Toronto Dance Theatre.
Alex has taught at the University of Toronto Jazz Department, Humber College, Jazz Works Music Camp and National Music Camp, where he directs a chorus of 250 hundred high school students. He is also the founder of the PAL Chorale, a community choir for seniors at the Performing Artists Lodge in Toronto
Whitney Ross-Barris: From the stage to the clubs, Prairie-born, Toronto-based singer, songwriter and actor Whitney Ross-Barris has built a respected name for herself among colleagues and audiences alike. As a solo jazz artist, Whitney has been featured in music festivals such as the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, the Kensington Market Jazz Festival, the Springtide Music Festival, the Port Hope Jazz Festival and the Markham Jazz Festival. She has appeared recurrently in JAZZ.FM91’s One Stop Vocal Jazz Safari and performs regularly in clubs, restaurants and concert halls across South Western Ontario. Her recordings can be heard on JAZZ.FM91 and CBC radio.
Tickets:
Tickets are by a suggested donation of $20 on Eventbrite or $25 at the door. Please note that when you buy tickets by donation on Eventbrite, you can only purchaase one ticket at a time!
