Women rock symphony stage for She’s Got It
She’s classically trained.
She has conducted with several orchestras and performed at many jazz festivals. But every now and then, Melanie Leonard just wants to rock.
As it turns out, so do some symphony audiences.
The Montreal-born conductor will make her Niagara Symphony Orchestra debut Feb. 23 and 24, leading the ladies of Jeans’n Classics for “She’s Got It – Vol. 1” — running the gamut of female rockers who changed the music landscape over the past 50 years, including Pat Benatar, Janis Joplin, Patti Smith and Blondie.
“In a way, conducting a Beethoven symphony is like letting your hair down in a different way,” she says. “You know, Beethoven was the rock star of his time.
“You can definitely connect to that type of energy in a variety of repertoire. I’m someone who listens to all kinds of music — indie, hip hop, pop, everything — so having the chance to perform that repertoire is rewarding and fun for me.”
Part of the Niagara Symphony’s Pops series, the concert features members of the symphony sharing the stage with the Jeans ’n Classics band, along with vocalists Kathyrn Rose, Stephanie Martin, Rique Franks and Leah Saloma.
The oldest song in the set is Jefferson Airplane’s classic “White Rabbit,” while the newest is Adele’s “Skyfall.”
In-between is a wide range
of female-fronted rock and pop, which Leonard treats with the same reverence as her symphony shows.
“In anything you do, the real secret is just to be genuine about what you express,” she says. “Be in the moment, be present and give it your all.”
Leonard recalls being enamoured with Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart” as a kid,
along with Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U.” They influenced her love of music, which comes full circle in St. Catharines.
“It’s also a great opportunity to meet different audiences,” she says.