ABOUT SUMMERSETT
Summersett is Montreal piano/voice duo Nick Carpenter and Patricia Summersett, and their 6-piece band. Folk with elements of pop, jazz and cabaret.
Summersett released their debut LP ‘Act One’ at Montreal’s Casa del Popolo in May 2015. They were then shortlisted for a Greenland Music Award for their show at Montreal Fringe Park. CBC Radio play followed, as well as a festivals spots in Pop Montreal and WildSide.
Nick and Patricia draw on their backgrounds in theatre to capture mood and story, shaping songs from the perspective of playwright and actor. Their sound is informed by a love of classical music, classic rock, and their mutual profession of theatre- through which they met and formed a creative and romantic partnership nine years ago. After collaborating on everything from film to ice theatre to cabaret, a band emerged in 2012 when the duo met their bassist Pierre Gaudreault and began performing publicly.
An intimate piano/voice core with bass, drums, cello and violin. RIYL Rufus Wainwright, Tom Waits, Franz Schubert, Joni Mitchel, Fiona Apple, Hilary Grist.
SHORTER BIO
Summersett is Montreal piano/voice duo Nick Carpenter and Patricia Summersett, and their 6-piece. Folk with elements of pop, jazz and cabaret. Their sound is informed by a love of classical music, classic rock, and their mutual profession of theatre- through which they formed a creative and romantic partnership. "Songs of collision, craving, love and renewal," the music is lyric driven, intimate and rhapsodic and has recently culminated in a debut full- length album Act One. RIYL Rufus Wainwright, Tom Waits, Tina Dico, Holly Cole, Fiona Apple, Hilary Grist.
VERY SHORT BIO
Lyric driven, intimate and rhapsodic, Summersett is a Montreal based piano/voice duo that performs as a 6-piece with classical and jazz musicians. Indie Folk with elements of cabaret, jazz, and pop.
Summersett est un groupe folk-pop troublant et fantaisiste dont le style évoque le cabaret et la nouvelle chanson. Le duo piano-voix, éclectique et centré sur le récit, est complété par des musiciens jazz et classiques. Le groupe vient de produire un premier album, Act One.
Pierre Gaudreault, Electric and Upright bass
Jean-Philippe Godbout, Drums and Percussion
Sheila Hannigan, Cello
Geneviève Liboiron, Violin
Ariane Gruet-Pelchat, Violin
Eric Davis- Vocals
Nick Carpenter, Piano/ Vocals
Patricia Summersett- Lead Vocals
Patricia Summersett: Lead Vocals/Co-writer
Patricia was raised in Upper Michigan (a proud Yooper). As a child she would sing and perform numbers at the Aura jamboree and at church with her three sisters. Patricia holds a Masters of Classical Acting from RCCSD in London, UK and a BFA in Theatre from Concordia U, Montreal. Her musical influences stem from a long exposure to classic rock, ice dancing, folk, and her acting work in theatre, film/tv, and video games. Official Website
Nick Carpenter: Piano/vocals/Co-writer
As a composer and musician for the stage, Nick has worked with companies across Canada including NAC, GCTC, National Theatre School, Magnetic North, Summerworks and Undercurrents Festivals. Recently he was MD for the META (Montreal English Theatre Awards) Ceremony. Nick is also a playwright and teaches at NTS and Concordia U. His plays and radio plays have been presented across Canada, in the US and Germany. Official Website
Pierre Gaudreault: Bass.
Pierre is a graduate of University of Montreal Jazz. He has played across Quebec with the likes of Robert Charlebois, Claude Dubois, Bruno Pelletier et Marc Hervieux; played stages at Woodstock en Beauce, Nuit d'Afrique and the Montreal Jazz Fest. Last summer, Pierre as the house band bassist for l'Olympia de Montreal's Lac Megantic fundraiser. He is also the founder and member of After Hours Band, a successful Montreal cover band.
Jean-Philippe Godbout: Drums/ Percussion
Jean Phillipe is known for his incredible versatility as he touches styles of punk, jazz, latin and electronic music. He was awarded the prize of Jazz Festival’s “Emerging Talent” for his work with the Jazz ensemble Jonathan Turgeon Trio in Winter of 2013. He has played/recorded with notable artists including Jean LeLoup and Alciomar Oliveira and is currently playing with the upcoming Rock group Gazoline.
Sheila Hannigan: Cello
Sheila plays regularly with many Montreal ensembles such as the Orchestre Métropolitain, the Montreal Opera, I Musici de Montreal, the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Kore ensemble and many regional orchestras. Her interest in world music leads her to collaborate regularly with thE Ensemble Romulo Larrea Tango, brazilian singer Bia, jazz saxophonist Rémi Bolduc, as well as experimental music projects. Sheila has an active career as a studio musician, and can be heard on many soundtracks for film, documentary, television and radio.
Geneviève Liboiron: Violin
Geneviève graduated from l’Université de Montréal for her Bachelor with Anne Robert and Laurence Kayaleh and her Masters with Laurence Kayaleh. She received a scholarship for »l’Orchestre de l’Académie d’Orford » with Maestro Kent Nagano and Maestro Jean-François Rivest. She also had the chance to study that same summer with Jonathan Crow, Andrew Wan and Claude Richard. As she felt her passion and curiosity growing for modern music, she took the new music session with the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne at Le Domaine Forget, working with Alain Giguère, Johanne Morin and Lorraine Vaillancourt in 2011. She has been a member of l’Orchestre de la Francophonie in summers 2008, 2011 and 2012 and is a current member of Orchestre 21, Ensemble Arkea and newly Ensemble Paramirabo. She also teaches violin.
"... Her voice dances lightly across the lyrics’ surface one moment, only to plunge into the deeper recesses of an emotional chorus the next. Composed, assured, and never less than captivating, she’s the focal point through which the band’s chemistry as a whole finds its most succinct, fluent expression. It’s that word–chemistry–that gets closest to encapsulating the work of Summersett. Every facet of the band’s make-up expresses some version of it...” Yul.buzz /Rory Mccluckie
“This band evokes a sense of contemporary pop and folk as much as that of cabaret, magic and music halls typical of Paris in the roaring twenties.” - Barbara Ford/ Charpo
“Patricia is the band’s lead singer, and the intensity of her performance reflects a talent that has been cultivated through her work not only as a musician, but also in theatre, film, television and voice."
- Kei Hendrix/Bandmark
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