Canadian Il Voce comes to Paramount

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Il Voce will perform at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora on Feb. 19. | Courtesy of the Paramount

Improving on an already successful formula may be the key to success. At least that seems to be the case for the Canadian vocal quartet know as Il Voce.

Comprised of soprano Tiffany Desrosiers, tenor Marc Devigne, coloratura soprano Melody Mercredi and baritone DJ Calhoun, Il Voce took the idea of Il Divo, a four-man, multinational operatic and pop vocal group, and the idea of The Canadian Tenors, a classical and contemporary male pop quartet, and added a twist.

“With the phenomenon of Il Divo and The Canadian Tenors, we found that an older demographic was interested in the genre,” said Melody Mercredi. “With this style of music, when you add two women to the mix, it makes it unique.”

Il Voce will perform on Feb. 19 at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora.

Accompanied by a pianist, Il Voce performs songs from romantic, to classical, to pop, to opera, and has put a fresh face on the worldwide phenomenon of “classical crossover” or “popera,” a genre that blends opera, musical theatre, classical and contemporary songs.

“We do classical crossover favorites, like ‘The Prayer’ and ‘Unchained Melody,’” said Mercredi about the Paramount show. Other songs might include “O Sole Mio,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love“ or “Time To Say Goodbye.”

Mercredi and Calhoun, both classically trained opera singers, perform regularly for the Vancouver Opera. Desrosiers and Devigne have a background in pop and show tunes.

“The focus is on the group pieces,” said Mercredi about the blend and harmonies of the group. “But we all have unique voices, so we will do solos, duets and quartets also.”

Il Voce has been together about two years.

“Tiffany was friends with Marc on MySpace,” said Mercredi about how the group first formed. “They both are singers/songwriters and have had songs released. DJ and I knew each other from the opera company. I was the fourth member to join the group.”

Although the name of the group sounds Italian, Mercredi said it is more “Italianish.”

“It really should be ‘La Voce,’” she said, “but with the success of Il Divo, our manager wanted it to be Il Voce. So roughly translated it means ‘The Voice.’”

And although having a melodic, powerful and pleasing voice is imperative in a singing group such as Il Voce, Mercredi notes that another element is also crucial to success.

“You spend so much time together that you have to get along,” she said. “Otherwise it would not work on stage and it would affect the performances. We love each other like siblings. We have total respect for each other. Without mutual respect and adoration for each other, we would not be as successful as we have been.”