Divas of the Forest

Divas of the Forest is an exciting revue that showcases the Classical Crossover music that has made such artists as Enya, Sarah Brightman and Loreena McKennitt international stars. The show begins with Kytami’s virtuosic a cappella violin cadenza that fills the room with music and energy. Using only her violin bow she slices the line between classical and electronic, between ancient and new age, synthetic and organic.

After Kytami’s instrumental performance, Melody Courage, Barbra Towell & Tiffany Desrosiers, the other three “ Divas of the Forest”, appear singing the beautiful but haunting melody of “Orinoco Flow (Sail Away Sail Away)” by Enya. The flowing musical selections feature familiar songs sung in lush harmony. Through an alchemy of classical, fiddle styles fused with heavy bass & drum elements, Diva Kytami soars above the constraints of musical genre and labeling.

The Divas of the Forest show concludes with the high-energy song Aria Delrium Divertimento original recorded by The Mediaeval Baebes. This Aria features an ancient mysterious melody combined with a modern techno rhythm bed. This finale is the perfect vehicle for the vocal harmonies of the three singers and the electrified violin sounds of Kytami.

Kytami,Violinist

Kytami is a violinistextremist. Perhaps Canada’s most diverse and engaging string players, she is an unbelievably energetic performer. Kytami can bound between classical and fiddle styles, match them to heavy bass and electronic dance beats and then effortlessly cross genres to combine her skills and sound with the pounding of skins in punk and metal.With her abilities, style and devilish smile, she has won over audience after audience, appearing at most major festivals across Canada and in the Western U.S. as well as performing overseas in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Germany and Dubai.

Tiffany Desrosiers

This young singer’s incredibly versatile voice gives her a seamless ease of transitioning from low sultry pop tunes, to technically mastering refined soprano opera arias. With a brilliant capacity of breathing life into lyrics and melodies, Tiffany reveals the sound, soul and spirit of a world-class vocalist. Having performed alongside artists such as David Foster, Mark Masri, Ben Harper and the Canadian tenors as well as performing the theme song for the 2010 BC Summer Games, she has gained incredible stage experience from an early age. As a resident of Vancouver, she recently completed her degree in music and tours with the Popopera quartet Vivace.

Melody Courage

A Vancouver based coloratura soprano, Melody has a great love for her work and art. She has earned a degree and a diploma in Opera Performance from the Vancouver Academy of Music. Melody has performed professionally with Vancouver Opera for the past eight years, touring with their ensemble as The Queen of the Night from Mozart’s “Magic Flute”. Along with her dedication to singing, she is passionate about her heritage as a Metis. Melody recently performed solo works with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for ‘Planet Indigenous’, as well as the solo soprano in The Spirit of Haida Gwaii oratorio for the opening of Vancouver’s Inaugural Cultural Olympiad. She also sings with Tiffany in Vivace.

Barbra Towell

Canadian mezzo soprano Barbara Towell is known as a superb singer and musician. Her ease in a variety of repertoire from opera to art song to jazz puts her on the leading edge of the ever-changing world of classical music. Her voice is often described as “dark, rich and full of colour.” Barbara made her operatic debut with Vancouver Opera in 2001 with the role of Ida in Die Fledermaus, and since has performed many roles in productions of La Traviata, Rigoletto, Salome and Barber of Seville. She also sang in concerts throughout Abruzzo, Italy performing opera arias and Italian songs.