SHYRE

All is quiet at the Cabaret Lion D’Or as small electric candles flicker throughout the stage, illuminating the vines and trees intricately wrapped around mic and cymbal stands made to look like a forest. Looking like a scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the lights stay dim as the musicians take to the stage, all of whom are wearing formal attire as they carry their instruments alongside them. The band launch into their first song, and from the get-go, it’s clear that SHYRE is a band like no other: whimsical, talented, and self-defined as a “musical adventure that aims to spark your imagination,” SHYRE is not just playing music, but rather putting on a performance – an air of professionalism apparent amongst the six young, but seasoned musicians.

While it may be easy to write off pop music as over-simplistic, SHYRE instead use pop as their base, adding to it layer upon layer of expertly arranged music, while also keeping their sound light and airy. Lead singer and pianist Sarah Rossy has a voice that travels over each note, which lets the other instruments shine while at the same time showing off her vocal range. With charisma, she reads short stories en français in between songs, adding to the playful atmosphere of the space as the crowd looks on, mesmerized by the performance. While it might be nice to one day play world stadium tours or sell millions of albums, the musicians of SHYRE aren’t playing for the glory or potential fame. They play simply because they want their music to be heard. Their passion and dedication to their craft is evident in the way they transform their songs together as a well nuanced unit. While their songs are at once happy and easily digestible, they are also quite complex, pushing the boundaries of so-called ‘alt-pop.’ Overall, the closing of SHYRE’s tour at their home base of Montreal was a wonderful, well-planned, and filled with great musical talent. - The Main

C’est l’histoire du 15$ le mieux investi pour un concert à Montréal. Le groupe s’appelle Shyre. Si vous voulez impressionner vos amis en leur faisant découvrir un groupe de musique pop-trad-alternative pas (encore) trop connu, courez écouter Sarah Rossy et sa bande. En gros, c’est du Arcade Fire, mais en plus doux pour les oreilles. Certaines chansons frisent même la perfection. Perso, on serait le producteur des James Bond, on mettrait la chanson Sailing dans la liste pour le prochain 007. Finalement, le seul défaut de Shyre, c’est d’avoir participé au Ice Bucket Challenge! À voir vendredi soir au McGill Open Air Pub (Mathias Marchal) - Le journal metro

C'est jour de première pour la jeune formation montréalaise Shyre qui est en tournée officielle au Bas-Saint-Laurent et en Gaspésie. Le groupe se produira dès vendredi soir, au Conservatoire de musique de Rimouski.

Sarah Roussy à la voix et au piano est au centre de ce projet musical. Shyre réunis un heureux mélange de musiciens jazz en passant par le classique pour créer une folk texturée.

La formation montréalaise a une touche gaspésienne avec la présence, aux cordes, de Frédéric-Alexandre Michaud, jeune homme de Saint-Anne-des-Monts et ancien du Conservatoire de Rimouski. Il fait partie de l'Ensemble NuArt.

Shyre et NuArt sont en spectacle, vendredi soir, à la salle Bouchard-Morisset du Conservatoire de musique de Rimouski, à 20h, à la salle de la Pointe sec à Mont-Louis, samedi, à 21h et à la salle Francis-Pelletier de la maison de la culture de Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, dimanche, 14h. - Radio-Canada

It’s been a heady two years for Sarah Rossy. The 22 year old from Beaconsfield did an about face after completing a double DEC in health sciences at Vanier College to enrol in the jazz/vocal performance program at McGill University. Then she formed the band Shyre — a chamber pop group that plays all original material written and sung by Rossy.

The band’s very first performance was during the inaugural edition of the Festival de la voix in the West Island last year. The appearance was a resounding success, launching the band on a year full of shows and the recording of its first album.

Shyre returns to perform at the second edition of the Festival de la voix, which runs at various West Island venues, March 20-22.

The festival opens with the gala performance From Bach to the Beatles and Beyond, starring celebrated tenor Marc Hervieux, at Église de la Présentation in Dorval.

Hervieux shares the evening with sopranos Kerry-Anne Kutz and Rebecca Dowd, baroque flutists Matthias Maute and Sophie Larivière, harpsichordist Sandra Hunt, cellist Gary Russell and Les Voix de Montréal under the tutelage of Margo Keenan.

The festival, produced by Vox Aeterna and organized by Kutz, Sonia Castiglione and Sheila Faour Warren, focuses on vocal performances of all sorts, be it jazz, classical, rock or blues. The event offers emerging artists that all-important exposure.

In the case of Shyre, last year’s exposure worked like wildfire. The band has done 40 shows since the last fest and is recording an album set for release at the end of April.

“That first performance was magical,” Rossy said. “The festival opened so many doors for us. I had no idea things would escalate so fast. I love the festival because if focuses on the voice. There is so much personal exploration that goes on when you work with your voice.”

Rossy excelled in health sciences, but it didn’t feel right. The 22 year old wanted something else and that was music. The Beaconsfield native had grown up studying piano with supportive piano teachers who had her composing music by age 8. She never studied voice and only had a couple of variety show appearances under her belt when she applied — with an audition — for the jazz/ vocal performance program.

It went well but, again, Rossy wanted more.

“I came to McGill knowing I wanted more than just school,” she said. “I found myself surrounded by all these amazingly talented musicians. I had to do something about it.”

And so Shyre was formed, consisting of Rossy on piano, violinist Frédéric-Alexandre Michaud, Victor de Coninck on viola, cellist Karine Bouchard and drummer Natalie Yergatian. Right off the bat, they began recording Rossy’s original material for their YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/shyremusic.

“I consider my music to be the soundtrack of my life,” Rossy said. “The chamber strings give it that ‘movie score’ sound and then I add the pop and folk overtones.”

Shyre joins other emerging artists for the Stars of Tomorrow Concert at Jean XXIII High School in Dorval, March 21 at 7 p.m. At 10 p.m., the Rock n’Blues Concert begins, featuring Rob Lutes, Megan Griffin, Rebecca Fiset-Côté and Beaconsfield band The DayDreamers.

Next day, same venue, is the Golden Voices Concert at 2 p.m., with “Singing Mountie” Garth Hampson and members of the RCMP Band, the 438 Tactical Helicopter Squadron Band, the Melodia Choir, Ember-Leah Reed, and Kutz.

The festival closes with the New Voices concert at Beaurepaire United Church in Beaconsfield, featuring young vocal talent ranging in age from 12 to 23 years old.

The festival also offers four master classes for singers wanting to hone any number of performance skills with soprano Natalie Choquette, conductor, organist and composer Patrick Wedd, jazz vocalist Johanne Desforges and circus artist, coach and director Krin Haglund.

Festival de la voix runs from March 20-22. For concert and ticket details and information about master classes call 514-624-2307 or visit www.festivaldelavoix.com.

For information about Shyre and the new album, visit www.facebook.com/helloshyre. - Montreal Gazette