‘Some people golf, I do concerts,’ Shriner says
It doesn’t matter what the venue, the crowd or the reason — put Melissa-Marie Shriner in a room full of people, and her first instinct is to sing.
The Niagara vocalist will bring her latest solo show Wednesday to St. John’s Anglican Church in Thorold, where she’ll jump into the waters of Andrea Bocelli, Barbra Streisand and Josh Groban for a show called “Pure Imagination.”
“It’s a combination of all of the genres of music I love singing,” she says. “It’s classical crossover.
“I’ve learned a lot of new music for this concert. It’s a combination of new music, old music, stuff I’ve wanted to sing for a really long time. So I created a show in order to do all those things.”
Shriner has built a loyal Niagara following in recent years with her annual Christmas concerts, the last one held at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. She has released two albums, with a third on the way in 2020, and runs her own music
studio in Jordan Station.
At the Niagara Music Awards, she was nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year last year.
Her love of interpreting classic songs has her constantly crafting solo shows. The Wednesday show will be her second at St. John’s Anglican Church, where she’s music director.
“I absolutely love producing concerts,” she says. “Some people golf, I do concerts. It’s because it’s in me, I have to sing.”
Backing her up will be the husband and wife team of Krista Rhodes, a pianist for Chorus Niagara, and composer Glen Rhodes, who has written music for “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” On drums will be Lynne Jamieson, who has performed in Hamilton theatre for more than 30 years.
Among the songs Shriner will do are “From a Distance” and “Time to Say Goodbye,” along with Broadway standards and Italian songs from movie composer Ennio Morricone.
“These concerts, I love them. I could do them every single day. They’re so much fun and I love being able to sing for people. It’s pure joy.”