Breaking the Barriers of Classical and Pop
An Italian term pronounced as Vi-va-chay, Vivace carries the meaning of being vivacious, to go faster and be expressive. And a lively group they were indeed, with so much humor and charisma, the interview was filled with laughter and summer Sangrias on the patio. Identifying with a newer genre of music- Vivace calls themselves a Pop-Classical Group.
Pop..
Classical..
Do the two even mesh?
Having big powerhouses like Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban pioneer the genre of Pop Classical tunes, this musical ensemble redefines and brings youth and a new sound to what we’re used to hearing. Speaking to Vivace, they want their music to breakdown the perceptions of what people think of Classical and Pop music- hence breaking the barrier of the idea that Classical music involved ONLY prim and proper structures, and fusing the two worlds of music together.
I, of course, had to ask what and how they would define Pop-Classical music and we collectively agreed that Pop-sicle shall be the new name of the musical genre –
Classical music~ It fits a certain form and and expectation of how it will sound like- a great example is Opera!
Acc. To Vivace- made up of Tiffany Desrosiers, Marc Devigne, Melody Courage and Michael Ciufo ,Pop classical music is an amalgamation of the two worlds, and depends on the individualistic creativity of each member of the group. A lot of the time, they say, it has to do with innovating and being different with how the song is used to be heard. They aim for classical music not to be looked at as pompous or boring, but making it relevant. “A good melody is a good melody no matter what the genre.”
Having toured around Canada and the USA, Vivace has reached a new demographic of individuals who love this funky mixture of sounds. Appreciation of the classics and the mainstream tunes. What I love about these guys is that they’re so down to Earth and there’s a real passion to reach out and share to the younger generation. Part of what Vivace does also involves performing mini concerts and outreaches in schools. As they describe how mindblowing the looks on these kids faces are as they hit those high classical notes and how they began to understand when they hear songs they’re familiar with hearing on the radio, they say that this really solidifies why they do what they do – spreading the love of music.
How long have you been performing together and how did this all happen?
Over drinks they say.
Jokes aside- there was a story before the drinks. Vivace shared how in 2010, these group of individuals from different walks of life were brought together during a cross country search for the Olympics. The lightbulb moment happened in Whistler after one of their concerts, where Marc Devigne brought up the idea of making Vivace a thing.
Why? And Why not go solo?
There is a beauty in performing together and this was clearly shown through the strong friendship between the members of Vivace. What happened through chance has turned into something substancial for the group. Marc shares that as a solo performer, it gets lonely and much more difficult to have that motivation. ivace has been much more enjoyable both from a personal and business perspective.
A journey of a thousand miles start with the first step-
Craziest moment on-stage?
A strong bonded group laughs together- and that’s what I got
Laughters in unison.
-We were contracted for a concert and was told to do 45 minutes of songs. After the 45 minutes, we were packing up and the stage manager asked us how long our intermission was. We were still really new and didn’t have a second set of music to play so throughout the show, we took up requests, did a couple of songs the pianist had from memory and the audience had a lot of fun watching. (paraphrased)
The most important thing learned- the art of adapting as each situation is different no mater how much preparation is put into it.
Check out their beautiful sound and to learn more about when and where Vivace will be at next, visit http://www.vivacemusicgroup.com/
Tap on the individual names for their respective bios: