Award-winning chamber ensemble Payadora performs Thursday March 2 at 8:00pm with Rebekah Wolkstein (vocals, violin), Drew Jurecka (bandoneon, violin), Robert Horwath (piano), Joseph Phillips (bass), and Elbio Fernandez (vocals). This is the second show of our Winter 2023 Jazz at the Gasworks concert series.
Payadora is an award-winning chamber music ensemble that performs its own arrangements of a core repertoire drawing from Argentinian/Uruguayan Tango and Folk music, as well as their own original compositions. Made up of a group of players who are each musical powerhouses in their own right, this “superstar group” has combined their deep knowledge of tango with their classical, jazz and world music backgrounds to create something entirely new. Their performances convey joy, virtuosity, humour and their intense passion for the music that they play.
“A World Class Chamber Music Ensemble” – Ottawa Citizen
“Playful, Spontaneous and Sexy!” – Classical 96.3 FM
The players
Drew Jurecka is an accomplished jazz and session violinist but also as an arranger, producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist. Trained classically, he studied with Lorand Fenyves and has a degree from the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music. Drew has spent the last twelve year years playing jazz, pop, rock and other contemporary styles in Toronto. Though violin is his primary instrument, he also works frequently as a performer and recording sideman on viola, saxophone, clarinet and mandolin. For five years, Drew played with Jeff Healey as part of his Jazz Wizards band, which toured extensively across Canada. Drew can be heard on three of Jeff Healey’s CDs, including the Juno Nominated “Last Call”. Drew has also toured nationally and internationally with The Polyjesters, Jesse Cook, Stuart McLean and the Vinyl Cafe, Alex Pangman, the Bebop Cowboys and Jill Barber.
Elbio Fernandez, known as “El pequeño gigante del tango” (the little giant of tango), was born in Uruguay. It was in Uruguay where he learned to love music and tango. In 1989 he moved to Canada, and in the decades since, he has been performing concerts across North and South America. He has recorded two albums, his own “Elbio Fernandez Tangos” and another one with the Toronto Tango Orchestra.
Celebrated for her stunning virtuosity, nuance and broad musical versatility, Wisconsin-born violinist, Rebekah Wolkstein has established a strong presence on the Toronto music scene. Rebekah has worked as an orchestral musician since winning an audition at the age of 16. She has performed and toured extensively with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, The National Ballet of Canada, The Canadian Opera Company.
An active studio musician, Rebekah is also at home playing in the styles of Folk, Klezmer, Pop, Latin, and Jazz and can be heard on numerous recordings including new releases by Donovan Woods, Laila Biali, Royal Wood and Justin Gray.
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