Kevin Armstrong will make his much-anticipated return to the Snoring Sasquatch on July 8. Armstrong is a versatile and unorthodox performer who has forged a career both in Canada and Europe, performing everything from traditional opera and musical theatre to one-man-shows where he pairs his four-octave vocal range with his skills as a guitarist.
His latest one-man-show, Opera for Heathens, mixes opera with rock, showcasing his versatile and powerful voice with his dexterity on guitar. An idiosyncratic, multi-lingual journey through 300 years of vocal music, Opera for Heathens is an opera, musical and rock cabaret for the 21st century, from Mozart to Meatloaf, Rock to Rossini, Superstar to Styx.
Armstrong grew up in the richly artistic community of Nelson, where he was exposed to all types of music, visual art and theatre. He started music lessons by age 10, and by college, had already studied classical, jazz and rock guitar, drums and voice. He began composing music for solo guitar and voice with a rhythmic finger style technique that allowed him to be the guitarist, bassist and drummer, all on one instrument. His first release, Untitled 1 (1994) made a splash in the southern B.C. interior, selling more than 300 copies, and getting airtime on local and CBC radio. It was around this time that Armstrong began classical voice training, and he discovered his love for musical theatre.
In 1996, Armstrong moved to Montreal to pursue music studies at McGill University. While completing his master’s degree in opera performance, he also released two more albums of original material, Second Album (1998) and Sound Castles (2002). This time he filled out the guitar and vocal sound with a full band, playing most of the instruments himself.
In 2002, Armstrong moved to Zürich, Switzerland, where he did an apprenticeship at the Zürich Opera House. Recent European engagements include the role of Pilate in numerous productions of Jesus Christ Superstar (including the thunerSeespiele, the largest musical festival in Switzerland), as well as opera performances in Frankfurt, Wiesbaden and Zürich. Arm-strong also recently completed a 60-city tour of Germany, Austria and Switzerland with Night of the Musicals, Europe’s longest-running touring musical show, as well as a recital tour of the B.C. interior with internationally renowned organist Robert Kwan.
Don't miss this exciting evening of entertainment from a unique Kootenay arranger, composer, instrumentalist and voice.
The doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8:30. Tickets are $10 in advance at Kingfisher Used Books and Black Bear Books, and $12 at the door.