At age 88, musician and vocal coach Nikki Weber is as busy as ever.
Since the 1990s she has periodically organized concerts featuring her own students, billed as the Now Generation in honour of their youth. Many young singers have honed their vocals on local stages and some have continued with their music.
Weber invites you to the next concert this Sunday, April 12 at the Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons. In this case it’s titled the Now Generation plus Other Generations since some of her previous students will be returning to the stage.
“I love my singers,” Weber said. “They’re good singers and have a nice, healthy sense of humour.”
Crystal Spence will be one of the alumni who sung with Weber in her teen years. She performed in local school productions such as Grease and as a contestant with Sunshine Coast Idol. Emily Sherwood will also return to the stage along with Renee Harper, who was one of the winners of last year’s Weber-inspired youth talent contest. Harper has a solid, mature voice, Weber said, and you can see she feels great when she’s on stage. (There are tentative plans to hold another talent contest on the Coast this year.)
The show also features a young vocal group, Melodica, under the direction of Karen Edgar. “They are a real treat,” Weber said, “but then so are all the others.”
The current Now Generation vocalists are Faye and Kiah Duffy and Talia and Ashaya Walkey. Weber’s granddaughter Maddy Weber joins the group on Sunday.
The marvelous Miles Black will be on piano, Sacha Fassaert on guitar and drums, and Boyd Norman on bass. Weber laments that it seems that most of today’s generation is more involved in sports than music, but she knows that they especially enjoy singing when a professional band is backing them.
“I save all year to pay for the best musicians,” she adds.
In this case the musical trio is fresh from a performance the night before, Saturday, April 11 at the Sunshine Coast Golf and Country Club, also organized by Weber. It’s a showcase for Sh-boom, a male vocal group that she coaches, and the show will feature guests Wendy Hibberd, Trudi Diening and Joy Germaine. Weber is busy grooming Sh-boom for a performance at June’s Gibsons Landing Jazz Festival.
“I think about cutting back some times,” she said, then tells a story about how, years ago, she was busy leading a choir and organizing musical theatre. She moved to Texada Island for a rest, but when she arrived a local choir leader was about to depart and was seeking a replacement. “You can guess what happened …” she laughs.
The Now and Other Generations concert is on Sunday, April 12 at 2 p.m. at the Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons. Tickets are at the door or you can reserve by phoning Weber at 604-740-0933.
