Brighton-Le-Sands resident Tamarind Elkin will join six more of Australia’s best female singers in a concert at The Sydney Opera House to pay tribute to the Queen of Jazz, the late Ella Fitzgerald.
The Sophisticated Ladies event, which Elkin will co-produce, will also feature Amanda Easton, Joy Yates, Evelyn Duprai, Liza Ohlback, Dahlia Dior, and Liz Tobias who will return to her homeland from the US especially for the show.
It will be held at The Studio with a matinee and evening performance on Saturday, May 6.
Presented by The Satin Sound Lounge, this concert follows a sold out event in 2015 paying tribute to jazz legend Billie Holiday.
That show, Ladies Sing the Blues was the Opera House debut for the production team, which Elkin formed with another Sydney-based singer, Amanda Easton.
Their aim is to put on events combining music and charity.
Performing under the moniker ‘Lady Cool’, Elkin has performed her jazzy take on pop and rock classics all over Australia.
She has also graced stages in musical and cabaret shows internationally and wanted to present this concert to raise funds for Lifeline because of her own experience with depression.
“From my experience of having suffered depression, music can feel like a saving grace and a lifeline,” Elkin said.
“Jazz greats like Ella Fitzgerald have brought meaning to my life and it’s an honour to perform her music, alongside my wishlist of singers, in the venue that is our country’s cultural icon”.
This year marks 100 years since the birth of Ella Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917) otherwise known as “The First Lady of Song’’.
Fitzgerald was one of the greatest influences on singers of all races and genres, and a 13-time Grammy Award winner with more than 40 million album sales.
Having famously beaten a disadvantaged childhood and troubled teenage years to achieve international success, it is fitting that the concert in her memory will raise awareness and funds for Lifeline.
Lifeline is a national charity providing all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.
The two-hour show will feature popular jazz standards from the Great American Songbook, with each artist performing individual sets with a live band. The concert will include classics like Summertime, Mac the Knife and Cheek to Cheek. The finale has all the artists performing together on stage.
Sophisticated Ladies will be held on Saturday, May 6 at 2.15pm and 8.15pm at The Studio.
- sydneyoperahouse.com.au