Viva sings on high note

International operatic singing sensations Viva, sang on a high note to the audience at the Lester Centre on Feb. 6.

“We are honoured to experience the extraordinary voices of Viva,” said Michael Gurney, manager of the Lester Centre, “Send your friends a text right now to come.”

Viva is a globetrotting powerhouse trio of classically trained sopranos, said Gurney. They are leaders in the cross-over genre of ‘popera’.

“We wanted a sisterhood in the male dominated profession. We wanted to be part of something bigger,” said Katya Tchoubar founder of Viva. “We are Canada’s female counterpart to the Three Tenors.”

“We are classically trained opera singers, but we are also educators. We wanted to bring our students, but we couldn’t, so we use video accompaniment of them,” Tchoubar said.

Tchoubar likes to share her knowledge that was gained through studying at the Royal Conservatory of Music, and completing her post graduate studies in operatic performance at the University of Toronto, where she is now a faculty member and a diction coach.

Throughout the show a large video screen projects scenes of the group on tour, their students, and the production team. The technologically advanced group even participates in recording sessions via the internet.

The musical evening was filled with crescendos of excitement as the trio used audience participation in a “duelling diva” contest where chosen participants had to decipher which member was singing behind their backs. An “American Idol” style contest with three audience judges was comedically performed, with each judge having to decided the best singer.

“They transport us not only visually, but they sing with an elevated sound,” Gurney said.