Concert to celebrate the songbooks of Sinatra and Streisand
Sometimes, a singer simply wants to sing the songs they love — even if they were first performed by another artist.
On Saturday, two local singers are joining together to do just that. Jordan’s Melissa-Marie Shriner and Welland native Roger Wyatt will be taking the stage at Mahtay Café in downtown St. Catharines for an evening performance where they’ll sing the songs of Barbra Streisand and Frank Sinatra.
“I’ve wanted to sing this music my whole life,” said Shriner, adding Streisand has been one of her biggest inspirations as a singer.
Shriner and Wyatt met while working on another project together and discovered that they loved singing together.
“We both think these singers are such legends so we thought, why not come together to sing their songs? We also both love doing duets, so will be singing together on some songs,” said Shriner.
While Streisand and Sinatra never appeared on stage together to sing, they did collaborate on a version of “I’ve Got a Crush on You” that appeared on Sinatra’s Duets album.
Wyatt said the two famous singers have a lot in common: they’re both classic pop artists, icons in their field, they’re both actors as well as singers.
“They had an air about them, in the eyes of the public they were both these ‘big stars,’” he said. “We both love both of these artists and their work and we’re happy to be able to sing their songs.”
Wyatt specializes in singing the songs of crooners, such as Sinatra, and is looking forward to Saturday’s show.
He said Shriner has a similar passion for music as he does and he’s hoping the audience will see that in their show. If all goes well, he said they could bring the show on the road and perform it again at other venues between Niagara and Toronto.
The event, called Celebrating the Music of Streisand and Sinatra, starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available in advance for $17 at Ryson’s Music, 5 Court St. in St. Catharines, or online at streisandandsinatra.eventbrite.ca.
At the door, tickets will be $20. Mahtay Café is at 241 St. Paul St.